"Hey, are you Kiyomizu Mio?"

"Eh? Who are you? I've never heard your-" She jumped back warily when the person suddenly growled menacingly "-voice before."

The presence of the person seemed to grow greatly and he roared like a lion before replying, "You're next on the list then, byon. Didn't know a little girl like you would be so high on the list."

"What list and what are you talking about? Who are you?" she demanded, reaching into her jacket.

"Let's play a game. It's called let me take your teeth, byon!"

Ducking under a vicious swipe, Mio backed up hurriedly, loading her special bullets into her gun. She fired a warning shot to ward off the attacker and then backed up into an area of the park that she was comfortable with. Straining to listen to the sounds around her, she picked up the sound of a twig breaking and whirled around to fire a shot. She heard a yelp of pain and fired again, adjusting her aim for the legs. There was the sound of someone heavy collapsing on the ground and she cautiously inched closer to them. "Why did you attack me and how do you know my name?" she asked.

There was no answer and she listened closely. The person on the ground was panting heavily like an animal. She sniffed the air and realized that the scent of the poison in the bullets she had fired was still contained in the little capsules. Immediately, she jumped back and fired another shot at the body who at the same time came hurtling towards her. The person had gotten faster however and in a swift motion, pinned her to the ground. She pressed the gun in her hand to his side and growled, "Get off or I'll shoot."

The boy above her laughed and grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly. She heard something crunch and howled in pain. He was crushing her hand! She kicked weakly, trying to get free, but the boy's weight pinned her down. "Now, let's see, how many teeth do I need from you, byon."

Teeth? That's right! She could still bite! As a hand came towards her mouth, she lunged forward and clamped down on it, biting as hard as she could, drawing blood. There was a snarl of pain and then she was backhanded viciously, causing her to yelp. The boy pried her mouth open, making sure to keep her still, and muttered, "Seven teeth. Don't worry, this won't hurt too much, byon."

As the first tooth was ripped out of her mouth, she screamed in pain. Her good hand flailed and pummeled the boy wildly, but he ignored it and continued with his task. "I HAVE TO EAT WITH THOSE YOU FUCKER!" she yelled, her mouth filling with blood.

He plucked the last tooth out and grinned "There, that's done byon! Too bad this was a miss."

He got up and started to walk off, but was stopped when her leg shot out to trip him. Mio slowly got up on her feet and spat out a mouthful of blood. "You bastard…I don't know what your problem is, but you're not going to just walk off after doing something like this."

She grabbed her gun in her left hand and clumsily loaded it. Taking aim at the boy, she fired a few poison bullets. He laughed, "You suck, byon! You totally missed me!"

She ignored him and started running towards him. His killing intent rose up again and this time he beat his chest. "How about I crush your other hand too?"

She darted past the blundering boy and crashed into a playground. She aimed at a weak link and shot again, before giving the entire thing a kick. It wobbled precariously and then came crashing down on the boy who in his current form couldn't get out of the way fast enough. This time, she was sure she had knocked him out and walked over to him. She pried open his mouth but flinched. The boy had fangs! Large canines that were completely unnatural.

There was no way she could pull those out. So instead she grabbed the uniform he was wearing and tore a piece off. This way she would at least be able to get someone to identify the attacker later on. She tenderly felt the empty gaps in her teeth with her tongue and winced. The pain in her now crushed hand was also pulsing and getting to her. She felt herself slowly losing consciousness and crumpled to the ground.

"Big brother! Kiyomizu-chan! Are you all right?" Tsuna burst into the room.

"Ahh, Sawada you're quick. I look really pathetic like this."

Mio didn't respond, but turned over in her hospital bed so that she wouldn't be facing the boy.

"How are your injuries?" Reborn asked.

"Six bones broken, seven cracked and I lost five of my teeth."

Gloomily, Mio replied, "Most of the bones in my right hand were broken and I lost seven of my teeth."

As Tsuna shrieked, Ryohei mused, "Though having said that, I've broken more bones and teeth during boxing. But, the guy that came looking for a fight…although he appeared careless and was a little injured, he is probably a really strong guy."

"Eh? You saw the attacker?"

"Yup. He even knew my name. He wore the Kokuyo Junior High uniform, from the next town."

Mio sat up and pulled out the piece of cloth that she had taken, "Ryohei-san, is this what he was wearing?"

"Yeah, that's it! Did you get attacked by the same person Kiyomizu?"

"He managed to pin me down during our fight and took my teeth and crushed my hand, but I knocked him out right afterwards and took this from him."

"Sawada, you better be careful too."

"You're saying that too! This has nothing to do with me!" Tsuna defended himself.

"Tenth, please be careful! That guy was looking for something and he didn't get it, so he's going to continue attacking people!"

"But damn…" Ryohei mused, "I really want that kind of punch in my club!"

The girl chuckled a little. The boy was simple but enthusiastic. But there were more important issues to be thought about. She got out of the bed and slipped her shoes back on; luckily the nurses had allowed her to stay in her own clothing. She excused herself and left the room. The hospital outside was buzzing with noise, the slight undertones of panic making the atmosphere heavy. She continued to stride down the hallways, searching for a place where she could think quietly.

"So, nobody's seen any sign of the head?" That voice...it was Kusakabe! Hibari's second in command. If anyone knew anything about what was going on, it would be Hibari. She followed the boy as he walked down the hallways, listening to his conversation discreetly.

"Yeah. Like always, he's probably gone after the trail of the enemy. So really, it's only a matter of time before the culprits are totally annihilated."

Mio frowned and caught up to the two Disciplinary Committee members. "Don't you think that's a bit naïve? Hibari-san might be incredibly strong, but there's clearly something deeper going on."

Kusakabe frowned, "Kiyomizu Mio. What business do you have here?"

She rolled her eyes, a gesture that she had yet to stop using, despite the fact that no one could see her. She bared her teeth for the boy to see, "I lost seven of my teeth to one of the fuckers that are attacking this town. And there's no way he's simply going around attacking people randomly. It's all being done very systematically."

The second in command took her by the shoulder and took her to a quiet area where they could talk. "What do you know about this?"

She shook her head, "I wish I knew more. The guy who attacked me is supposedly wearing the Kokuyo Junior High uniform. He's following some sort of list that determines how many teeth you lose, and he's got some crazy canines of his own."

"I don't see why he would be targeting you of all people. You are the only girl out of the 20 or so people who have been attacked."

Mio pounded her good fist into the wall angrily, "So what if I'm a girl? What does that change exactly? And you, are you guys just going to let Hibari-san handle it? What if he gets hurt? What if it's too much for him to handle on his own?"

At their silence, she continued, "Hibari-san may seem invincible right now but there is always someone stronger out there."

Kusakabe bowed his head, "I'm ashamed to have been caught up by my own cowardliness. Thank you Kiyomizu-san. I will leave now."

She bowed to them as they left and gritted her teeth in frustration. There was something vital that she was missing; something that would make all the puzzle pieces click together.

She furiously tried to fit the pieces of information she had together. The attackers were from Kokuyo, they were trying to find someone using a list of some sort, and they were using teeth to make themselves known. These bastards were taunting someone to come and find them, that much was certain. What she couldn't figure out was the order of the people on their list; how did that correspond to what they were doing?

"Make way! Another Nami High student got beat up!"

"It's the assistant head prefect, Kusakabe-san!"

"They said he was beaten up right outside the hospital!"

Mio snarled angrily and made her decision, "Screw this. The attackers are from Kokuyo. Regardless of what they want, if I go there, I'll get an answer."

She quickly made her way back to her room where Ryohei was still talking to Kyoko. Grabbing her jacket, she excused herself quickly. She struggled a little to slip the jacket on, what with the cast she had around her right hand, but managed it. Making sure her weapons were still firmly tucked into the pockets on the inside, she started making her way towards Kokuyo. Her internal map guided her quickly and efficiently towards the abandoned amusement park, and she was glad that she had taken the time to explore the areas around Namimori.

Using her new white cane to avoid tripping and walking into things, Mio made her way through vegetation and debris towards the building in the amusement park that seemed the most ominous. As she walked in through the entrance, the overwhelming smell of blood hit her nose and she stepped back in alarm. Sniffing the air, she followed the trail of blood to what seemed like a wall. She felt it cautiously and recoiled when she touched something cold. She reached out gingerly and felt it again. Metal. She gave it a tug and something slid down. A ladder?

She clumsily disassembled the cane and tucked it back into her jacket and then grasped the rung above her. Climbing was a bit of a hassle since she couldn't use her right hand, but she made it to the top eventually. Sniffing, she resumed following the bloody trail, assuming correctly that it was the path Hibari had taken. Again she came to another ladder and painstakingly climbed it. By the time she had reached the top, her left arm was aching and her right hand was throbbing in pain as well. She sat to catch her breath for a moment and then got up and continued following the trail of blood.

Just ahead of her, there was the sound of combat. She hurried forward, making sure to remain absolutely quiet. She hid behind the doorway and listened carefully. It was definitely Hibari fighting against someone, but to her dismay, the prefect was slowly being pushed back. His movements were slow and jerky, with none of the grace and strength he usually carried. She sniffed the air; there was the faint scent of something that resembled sakura, but it was an imitation. All living things had a distinct aura or rather presence that allowed her to sense them, but this imitation wasn't nearly as potent nor as beautifully delicate as the real thing.

She loaded one of her guns with a special bullet and pointed the muzzle into the room surreptitiously. Aiming as well as she could, she shot the bullet straight at Hibari. And then cursed. She had forgotten the silencer!

"Oya? What's this? I hadn't sensed another person come in. How unusual. Who are you my dear?" a foreign voice asked smoothly.

Knowing the game was up, she revealed herself and walked in slowly. "I don't think I have to answer any questions from an asshole like you."

"Kufufu" he chuckled, delighted with the new arrival, "Perhaps you know her?" he asked, kicking the body on the ground.

There was a snarl as the boy looked up to see her. She raised a hand in greeting, casually stating, "Yo."

"What are you doing here herbivore?"

"Ah well" she said slowly, "After I had seven of my teeth yanked out by a brute, I wanted to get proper revenge, so I came here. Just in time I see; you're not looking too good."

"This is beyond you herbivore. Get out."

Fury replaced the calm look on her face, "I will not you bastard. There's no reason as to why I should listen to you. I came here of my own accord and I sure as hell, am not letting you chase me out just because of your ridiculous pride."

She then turned to the other boy in the room and said, "Having said all that, could you let go of his hair? I doubt that's very comfortable for him and he seems to be suffering enough, don't you think?"

The boy laughed loudly, "Kuahaha you are truly amusing. But, do you think you will be able to take me down?"

She raised her gun at the boy and frowned a little, "To be honest, no. You're obviously either pretty talented or a cheating bastard if you could beat Hibari-san to that extent." She smiled, "But hell if that means I won't try anyway."

She pulled the trigger. At that moment, a series of things happened. The boy twirled his weapon furiously to deflect the bullet that wasn't aimed at him. Hibari lunged with his tonfas to attack the boy once again. And the bullet hit the angry prefect straight in the back. He stopped for a moment, staggering, and then straightened with a furious look on his face. He spoke quietly, as if to contain his fury, "Herbivore, I hate owing favors so get out before I kill you."

Mio ignored him in favor of changing magazines and reloading her gun. However in that brief second, the boy had managed to get right next to her. Something cut her face lightly and she flinched, stepping back, her gun pointed straight at the boy's temple. He merely smiled, "Now, let's take a look inside your mind."

There was a prickly buzzing feeling in her head and she shook it in attempt to make it go away. This was no time to allow herself to be distracted. She pointed the gun at the boy once more and pulled the trigger. Or tried to. No matter how hard she attempted to move that one finger, it refused to listen to her. "Oya oya what's this, have we met before, my dear?" the boy asked surprised.

She growled angrily, "Of course not! I think I would've remembered meeting a psychopath! What did you do to me you bastard?"

"Kufufu nothing, I'm just attempting to possess you.

"That's not-" a buzz of pain made her bend over gasping "nothing, you asshole."

"That mouth of yours is rather dirty isn't it? I prefer my playthings to be clean, so first let's get rid of that habit of yours, yes?" The boy replied.

She grabbed his arm before he could do anything and squeezed, "What's…your name?"

He raised an eyebrow quizzically, "I hardly think that's your most pressing concern right now, is it?"

She squeezed his arm more tightly, "Your…name…"

"Kufufu well since you have provided so much entertainment, I'll tell you. I am Rokudo Mukuro."

That was the last thing she heard before she lost consciousness. Rokudo Mukuro.

"Doctor, where are my parents?"

There was silence. "Your parents…I'm sure they're just…" the doctor cleared his throat and then replied professionally, "I'm unsure as to where they are at the moment Kiyomizu-san, however I believe that they will come for you eventually."

At the time, she was hopeful that what the doctor had said would come true. Now she knew that it was simply the smoothing over of words from a man who knew that her parents were not coming back for her.

She was partially glad that she was blind; she was unable to see the looks of pity the adults around her were surely sending her. If she had seen those looks, she would have been unable to continue on with life, would've been held back by the overwhelming sympathy sent her way.

But at the same time, she still wished she could see. Why was it that she was left like this? What had she done to be punished so cruelly? And what had her parents done so that they had gotten away so easily? Without any regrets? It was unfair. It was so incredibly unfair she wanted to scream and throw tantrums. But that wouldn't change anything and it wouldn't do her any good. So she kept the rage bottled up and did her best to move on with her life. But she never forgot how she felt when she was betrayed. And when it happened time and time again, she merely stored all the pain away deep in her memories.

"Mio-chan! Come share this cake with us!" the woman said cheerfully.

Mio made her way out of her room to the kitchen, leaving her cane behind. She was familiar with the layout of the apartment by now. As she approached the kitchen, she heard the couple laughing and chattering away. She quietly walked in and greeted them. They smiled back and handed her the piece of cake. "Mio-chan, you need to eat more; you're skin and bones!"

She smiled and nodded, eating some of the cake. "And you needn't be so reserved around us all the time. Just be yourself."

The girl nodded quietly. After her parents' betrayal, there was no way she would so easily open her heart to someone else. It was easy for her to fake acceptance and happiness. She had let her bangs grow out in the hospital and they now completely covered her eyes, hiding any emotion that she was feeling. She would not so easily be fooled again.

But the days went on and the couple continued to treat her kindly, almost as if she was their own child. She began to relax in their presence, began thinking of herself not as a foster child but as someone who had been accepted. Perhaps it had just been her parents who were able to overlook family ties so easily. Maybe it was okay to trust someone.

It was the middle of the night; Mio was just drifting off to sleep, when she heard a scream. Jolting out of bed, she ran to the couple's room where the scream had come from. Inside she heard the woman screaming, "You bastard! Calling out that brat's name as you climaxed! You pedophilic bastard! What's the meaning of this?"

The man tried to calm her down, "It was a mistake! I wasn't thinking and the name just slipped out!"

There was a slap, "I knew it was suspicious for you to have suddenly wanted to adopt a child! And a girl! You said you never wanted a kid! I should've known!"

The door slammed open and the woman came storming out. She came to a stop upon seeing Mio and with the fury of a woman scorned, slapped the girl. "You bitch! This is all your fault! This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't come into our lives! Fine! You can live with him! I'm leaving!"

"Wait! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Forgive me! Don't blame this on the girl!" the man called, chasing after the woman.

The next day, the foster home was called and she was deposited back into her old room in the orphanage. From then on, her mind and heart were locked away. No one would be trusted. They were all potential traitors, waiting for the right moment to rip apart her already bleeding heart.

Time and time again, she tried to adjust to her multiple new homes, would settle in, and then would be kicked out again. What was family but a convenient way to group people together? She didn't need it. She didn't need any of it.

"You've had a hard time, haven't you?" Mukuro asked.

"I don't need your pity" Mio replied.

The boy chuckled, "Why don't you open your eyes and take a look?"

She opened her eyes and they widened in shock. She could see. The world around her was imaginary, but it was in color and vivid and she could see it. "Kufufu how is it, being able to see?"

Mio whirled around and through her bangs, saw a boy. He had dark indigo hair that spiked up in the back, was rather tall, and was wearing what she assumed was the Kokuyo uniform. But it was his eyes that caught her attention. While one was a regular blue, the other was a blood crimson, the kanji character for six inscribed in it. He chuckled, "It's not polite to stare my dear. In any case, I would think you would want to take a look at yourself first."

A wave of his hand and there was a pond, the water crystal clear. She took hesitant steps over and stared down into it. The girl staring back at her was just as she remembered herself to look. She had lost the baby fat in her cheeks over the years and was leaner, but she was the same. "You-" she turned back to the boy, "How did you…"

He raised an eyebrow, "How did I do this?"

She nodded mutely. A delighted laugh escaped him, "It's quite easy for an illusionist of my caliber. Something was wrong with your eyes, but with my illusions, I was able to fix it, although only in your dreams. If we were closer perhaps, I could give you your sight back in real life." A calculating tone entered his voice, "Is that something you desire?"

It was. She wanted to be able to see like everyone else. But illusions weren't real, and they would tie her to this man who had oddly colored eyes and a cruel voice. So taking one last look around her, she closed her eyes again and whispered, "No, I don't need it."

Author's Note:

After rereading my story, I've gone crazy and decided to completely change the direction it was heading in. Although I guess if I hadn't said anything, none of you would technically have known. :P Just thought I'd keep my readers informed. Basically, I'm getting tired of writing "In the Dark" and "Collared" and so I'm looking for ways to end them reasonably so that I can start on all the new ideas that I have haha. Mind you, that doesn't mean I'm going to throw crap endings out there and be done with it! I'm ending "Collared" the same way I planned to originally (almost finished planning everything out, just need to write it out), but "In the Dark" is going through some pretty drastic changes in the developing department. Anyways! Just wanted to keep everyone updated. :)

Lately, I've been writing more and more of the original manga conversations and stuff into my fanfics and it feels like if I don't include them, things will be confusing. So please put up with me as I go through a minor writing style change and figure out what the crap I'm doing. :D

Please read and review as always~