The dream faded away and she was back in reality. She sat up slowly, smelling rank air and stone and blood. She wasn't injured, so that had to mean that someone else was in there with her. Hesitantly, she whispered, "Hibari-san?"

She received a growl in reply. And then "Herbivore, earlier, what did you shoot at me?"

"It was a special bullet I made. I injected different types of poison cooking into special bullet capsules. The two I shot at you were for healing and pain numbing as well as an energy boost. They're only effective for a small period of time though."

The boy didn't reply back and she assumed that he was licking his wounds. She sat back and blinked slowly. The colors from her dream were still vividly imprinted in her mind. Her heart suddenly started aching. Why hadn't she accepted the offer while she could? Would it be so bad to be tied to that boy? What difference would it make when had her sight back? Clenching a fist, she resisted the urge to lash out. Taking deep breaths to calm herself down, she got comfortable and waited.

She wasn't sure how long they had been trapped, but soft chirping alerted her to the presence of something outside. "Birds was done in! Birds was done in!" A bird that could speak? Before she could do anything, Hibari shifted and spoke softly, "Remain silent herbivore."

The bird immediately quieted down. She could hear it fluttering over them curiously. Quietly, so quietly that at first she couldn't tell if she was hearing things or not, Hibari began to sing under his breath. Was that the Namimori school song? Shrugging to herself, she relaxed again. To her surprise however, the bird had begun to chirp along with the boy, its high pitched voice echoing around them.

A while later, another noise made her sit up in alarm. Explosions and a familiar gruff voice shouting angrily; could that be Gokudera? She concentrated and listened to what was happening.

"Holding back, are you? I'll end it with this." That was Gokudera's voice for sure! She opened her mouth to call to him when all of a sudden, he started gasping in pain. Straining her ears, she caught him muttering, "Shit! At a time like this…!"

Another set of footsteps was approaching the dynamite user. Those footsteps! She knew those! It was that bastard with the large canines! "Chance is mine!"

She couldn't tell what had happened; only that Gokudera was in pain. Meanwhile the two opponents were speaking to each other.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, 'cept I thought I was gonna die."

"Hyahahaha! How pathetic you look."

"Fool."

The sound of Gokudera collapsing and tumbling down a flight of stairs made her wince, but the two that were fighting him only laughed. "Lamerz!"

Fuming angrily, she opened her mouth to call to him; but before she could, the small bird started chirping again. Happily, it started singing the Namimori school song that Hibari had taught it moments ago. Gokudera starting chuckling to himself and a stick of dynamite went rolling towards where Mio and Hibari were trapped. She barely had enough time to raise her arms to protect herself before the entire thing exploded around them.

"Hyahaha what were you aiming for?"

Gokudera grinned, "The only guy who'd love our lame school anthem has to be you, right…"

"What? This guy…"

"Namimori Junior High's head prefect…"

"What's this, byon? That girl is there too!"

"Oi, you stupid girl, what the hell are you doing here?" Gokudera growled.

"Getting some revenge, you got a problem with that?" she shot back immediately.

"Che. Don't you look well?" Gokudera grimaced.

"Hyahahahahaha! Are you thinking that these half dead brats are going to save you?"

Mio rolled her eyes and whipped out her gun, firing immediately. She'd had plenty of time to take aim in her mind, and since the boy she had fought earlier wasn't emanating any animal instinct, it was safe to assume that he would be caught unawares. The poison bullet went straight into his open mouth. He caught it in the nick of time and then bit down sharply, snapping it in half. Immediately, the poison began seeping out, and he coughed and spat it out miserably. "What the fuck was that, byon?" Already it was taking effect, numbing his mouth.

A low growl told her to back off, so she put her gun away and rushed over to Gokudera. Hibari stepped forward, commenting idly, "I could have gotten out on my own, but never mind." He glanced at the two enemies, "Shall I take care of those two animals?"

"Whatever you like" Gokudera smirked.

Spitting out the last of the poison, the boy asked, "What's the half dead bastard sleep talking about? I'll settle this guy."

The other new person sighed, "I knew you'd say that."

"I'll fix him up real good. The king of the animal world. LION CHANNEL!" A pause. "What the fuck? How dare you do this to my lion channel? What was in that bullet, you bitch! I'll fucking kill you!"

"Woof. Is the puppy up first?"

"Shut the fuck up, you ugly duckling!" the boy roared, before charging forward.

In three swift movements, Hibari had sent the boy flying out the window. "Ken!" the other boy shouted.

"You're next, then." Hibari said calmly. "I'll bite you to death."

"Hey Gokudera-kun, if you're here, does that mean the others are too?" Mio asked curiously, as she helped the two injured boys stumble towards where Mukuro would be.

He grunted, "Of course. Tenth personally came himself to deal with this problem."

"Ah. I see." She mumbled, "So you didn't think about asking me to come with you?"

"Stupid woman, you're here aren't you?"

She nodded slowly, "Guess I am…"

"Anyways! More importantly, we have to support Tenth!" Gokudera exclaimed, pushing her away.

Hibari, who was being supported on his other side, growled, "Herbivore, be silent." He then addressed Mio, "Other herbivore, can you hear where those herbivores are?"

"They've been above us for awhile now. The ladder should be around here, if I remember correctly."

Sure enough, there it was. They struggled up the rusted piece of metal. At the top, Hibari was about to press on, but the bomber staggered, clutching his wound. "Shit!"

Grabbing him by the arm, the girl helped him up, grumbling, "You shouldn't have pushed me away in the first place if you were in pain."

There were familiar shrieks, and Mio urged them on faster. "Eeek! Stop it! Help me!"

"That's not much of a plan, Mukuro." A small baby voice said, "I am an exceptional home tutor, you know."

They came to the door, and took stock of the situation. Mukuro was threatening Tsuna with what seemed to be snakes. They weren't fake illusions either, these creatures radiated with life. Tsuna was attempting to avoid them, while Mukuro watched from a safe position.

Whipping out her gun, Mio loaded two special bullets for each of them. She fired at Hibari and Gokudera, and they straightened and rushed into the fray. Mio reloaded her gun with another poison bullet and entered the room more cautiously, unsure about her surroundings.

Hibari started by throwing his tonfa directly at where Mukuro was standing. The boy blocked, sending the weapon spinning off to the side. "Boss, please take cover!" Gokudera shouted, tossing his dynamite in Tsuna's direction. The explosions tore apart the snakes.

"Sorry I'm late" Gokudera grinned.

"Hibari-san! Gokudera-kun! Eh? Even Kiyomizu-chan?" Tsuna shouted, relieved.

"Do you understand Mukuro? There's no reason why I would be bringing up Tsuna alone." Reborn said, smirking.

Hibari suddenly kicked Gokudera down, shoving him out of the way. "Now we're even."

Mio caught him hastily and propped him up against a wall. "Boss, Gokudera-kun can't fight anymore, so I'll cover for him!"

"Eh? No, you don't have to do that…I mean…you shouldn't really be involved in all this fighting…"

Bitterly, the girl thought to herself, "Of course…I'm not really a part of this family after all." Biting her lip to prevent herself from saying anything unnecessary, she bowed to him, "Please let me help. I'll…leave afterwards."

"What's this? One after another from the outfield? What is Chikusa doing down there, hm…?"

Gokudera grinned, "If you mean the spectacles freak, he's on the lower floors with the animal freak. Having a nice break together."

"I see."

"Incredible Gokudera-kun! Are you all right?" Tsuna shouted.

"Yeah…I'm fine…Oh, I wasn't the one who defeated them though…" the boy responded.

Mio raised her gun in Mukuro's direction, having pinpointed Mukuro's location during all the chatter, causing Tsuna to shriek in alarm. Ignoring him, she said, "Rokudo Mukuro. This bullet won't kill you, but I hope it'll at least make you regret what you've done."

The boy chuckled, "But my dear, is it possible for you to shoot me, I wonder." He continued on, a sly undertone marking his words, "After all, I'm the one who gave you back your sight for that brief moment. Don't you want it back permanently?"

"Eh…you can see Kiyomizu-chan?"

Raising her head proudly, she replied, "I can't and I don't need to. That bastard is trying to tempt me with what he thinks is my weakness." Her grip on her gun tightened and her finger gently fondled the trigger, "But he is sorely mistaken."

"Are you really sure about that? What if you capture me and I get sent back to those horrible Vindice guards. You'll never see me again and your vision may never be cured. Don't tell me you never thought about getting your sight back, my dear?"

Her throat closed up as she attempted to deny the statement. The boy laughed, "I thought so. Well then, let go of the gun, my dear."

Hand shaking, the voice of an angry silver haired boy didn't even register. She shook off the selfish thoughts with a little difficulty and pulled the trigger. The bullet went zooming towards the boy who dodged it with easy, having had plenty of time to prepare himself for the attack. Mio frowned and was about to fire again when a tonfa went slamming into her stomach, knocking her back. "Useless herbivore, do not waste my time."

Hibari bent over to retrieve his other tonfa and looked up, "Are you ready to repent?"

"What's this? How frightening." Mukuro chuckled. "But, please, don't get in the way right now. For one thing, you shouldn't even be standing. How many bones in your body have I broken?"

"Are those your final words?"

"Kufufu interesting things you say. Wouldn't it be better if we made a pact?" At the prefect's look, Mukuro shrugged, "No choice, then. Let's dispose of you first." He charged forward, "It'll all be over in an instant!"

The two met and to her chagrin, all Mio could make out was the clash of weapon against weapon. The two boys were clearly at levels way above her. She clutched her stomach and cursed to herself from her position on the ground. Why was she always so useless at the critical moments? Why couldn't she do anything more? How could she possibly keep her place in the family if she couldn't do anything for it? Who would want her in their family? Useless useless useless.

"So, how long does your instant last?"

"He really is incredibly strong! That's Hibari-san!" Tsuna said.

"Do not take this one lightly, Mukuro. He's growing a lot stronger than you think."

"I see. That's how it is, then. If he wasn't injured, the outcome of our duel might be questionable." He smiled cruelly, "This is a waste of time. I'm going to finish you off quickly."

The faint scent of the fake sakura spread through the air again, and Mio frowned. Using the same dirty trick twice, had this boy no sense of honor?

"Sakura? He's making use of Hibari-san's sakura-kura disease!" Tsuna cried indignantly.

"Kufufu. Come, kneel before me once again."

"No! Hibari-san!"

The boy seemed to stagger forward, and then immediately sprang forward, ramming his tonfa into his enemy's stomach.

"Heheh. Too naïve." Gokudera held up a small bag. "I got this from Shamal when we came. The prescription for sakura-kura disease."

Gokudera was much more useful than she was. He knew what needed to be done and then did it without hesitation or error. Why couldn't she be like that?

Hibari struck at Mukuro with all his rage, sending the man flying back, coughing blood. The scent of sakura disappeared and there was silence. Then Tsuna began babbling. "The sakura were an illusion! In other words…this means…"

"It's finally over." Reborn said.

At his words, Tsuna finally seemed to grasp the situation, and collapsed. "Its…it's over…now we can go home!" Getting up, he made his way to Hibari. "Hi-hibari-san? Are you all right?

The boy didn't answer and fell forward, already unconscious. Mio forced herself up and went over to the boy, feeling his pulse. It was rather fast for someone who was unconscious. She frowned. "I'm not sure about the side effects of shooting him with those bullets twice in such a small period of time. But then again, I'm not really sure about how much time has elapsed since we first got here until now."

"I thought his movements in the beginning were much more energetic, but he's been fighting unconsciously since about halfway through. Whatever you gave him must've worn off by then. Well, regardless, it must have been very vexing for him to lose that first time." Reborn said.

"We need to hurry and take everyone to the hospital!" Tsuna cried.

"Don't worry about that. The Vongola's best medical team is on their way here."

"There's no need for a medical team." A voice behind them made them stiffen. Mukuro had woken back up. "Because there will be no one left alive here."

He held up the gun in his hands to his head. "Arrivederci."

Before she could even pick up her gun again, the gun was fired and a body fell to the ground. "No…no way…" Mio mumbled, "Hey…Boss…he didn't…did he just…I didn't hear the bullet…is it…"

"He probably thought he'd rather die than be captured alive." Reborn said solemnly. "It's a shame we couldn't capture him alive, but there's nothing we can do about it now." He continued.

"Finally…we've defeated Mukuro…" Another voice said weakly.

"Sis!"

"Bianchi-san!"

"Thank goodness! Bianchi has regained consciousness."

"Lend me your shoulder?"

"Do I have to?" Gokudera grumbled.

"Just…just for today, okay?"

"Gokudera-kun! Don't go closer!"

As Bianchi coaxed Gokudera into helping her, a fuzzy feeling passed through Mio and she frowned, thinking it was exhaustion. She shook her head a little to get rid of the feeling, but only became more dizzy. She slapped her cheeks, trying to control herself, but the feeling overpowered her. Her eyes rolled up in their sockets and she passed out.

"Why do you stay with these dirty mafia, my dear?"

"What…"

"We are inside your mind. I apologize for possessing your body once more, but this is all rather crucial."

"If you're sorry, why are you doing it in the first place? That doesn't make sense." She growled. "As for your question, I stay with them because they're my family. And they're all I have."

"But they're not your real family, are they? In fact, they don't even know what you've been through. Nor do they attempt to learn more about you."

"I prefer it that way. I don't want anyone pitying me just because of my past. It's bad enough that people see a blind girl and flip shit."

"You claim to be unaffected by your loss of sight, but you seem to react quite violently to the prospect of regaining your sight."

"Rokudo Mukuro. If I had a choice, of course I would choose to be able to see again. But I want to do it with my own power, relying on no one else. I believe that when I become strong enough, I'll find a way to cure my sight."

"Kufufu but don't you want to see? You may deny it all you want, but secretly, you really want to see as soon as possible, no?"

She frowned, "Can you shut up and just get out of my body? I was fine without my sight for this long, I can put up with it."

He chuckled, "Perhaps I can persuade you a different way."

Suddenly she was back in her body. It was moving against her wishes, but it was her body. A quiet laugh drifted into her ears and suddenly her eyes were opening. "No" she thought numbly, "Don't do this to me! Please no! I don't want to see them yet! Please, no!" But Mukuro ignored her and pried her eyes open. And instead of darkness, there was something in front of her. Through her bangs, she could see a boy with spiky light brown hair and a pair of warm brown eyes that were currently wide in fear. The boy backed up with a familiar shriek and ran around. Confusing as it was, she could see him in a complete 360 degrees point of view due to Mukuro possessing multiple people at the same time. "Boss…?"

"Kiyomizu-chan! Did you break away from the possession?"

"No…Boss, please run! Run away! I can't control what I'm doing!" she shouted. Her voice came from each of the people Mukuro was possessing, oddly enough.

Mukuro took control again and chuckling, forced her back into herself. "That should be enough of an incentive to make you want your sight back, shouldn't it?"

She shook her head weakly, "I'm not going to become your pawn!"

"That is not all I want from you." The words echoed in her head so faintly that she thought she was hearing things. And maybe she was because Mukuro asked, "Are you sure, my dear? This is the last time I will offer."

"Yes. I'm sure."

There was silence. Silence and darkness. She panicked, "Rokudo Mukuro! You can't possess my body forever!"

There was no answer. Cowering in fear, she screamed desperately, "Please! Stop! I don't want this!"

Suddenly she felt a pressure to the back of her neck. Against her wishes, her mind blurred and she blacked out.

She woke up a little later after the fight had ended only to hear Tsuna speaking to the two boys, Ken and Chikusa, who were Mukuro's companions.

"For us, this is nothing byon. Compared to our suffering back then."

"Back then…?"

"We were guinea pigs for human testing by our own family." An angered voice answered.

"I thought so. I was doubting but you guys are part of the Estraneo family that created the forbidden possessing bullet, aren't you?" Reborn said solemnly.

"Forbidden? You guys just labeled it like that for your own convenience."

"Thanks to that, our family members were labeled as brutes and were horribly persecuted by other mafia. As soon as we stepped outside, guns were pointed at us and we were killed like bugs. That just stimulated the adults of the family even more in continuing the experiments to invent special weapons."

"Our friends died one by one. Every day was hell…No matter where we go, how much we struggle, there was no way for us to live."

"But he…all by himself, he destroyed that miserable life. He was quiet and not the kind who stands out. I think that was the first time I heard his voice."

"That time, for the first time since birth, there was a place to go for us." Raw anger fueled the boy named Ken as he crawled forward, "And… we can't have you destroy that!"

"But…I, as well, can't just stay quiet when my friends get hurt…since, that's the place for me to go."

Mio slowly stood up, "Families…really suck…don't they?"

"Eh…Kiyomizu-chan, when did you…?"

She smiled bitterly at the boy, "Boss…I don't think I can follow you anymore. Now that I've heard their story, I can't turn away from them. I can't really describe it, but I feel like I have to go with them…What I need right now isn't friends; I really need someone I can call family. Since Bo- Tsuna can't give me that, I believe it's only right for me to go with these guys. Even though I don't really like that Mukuro bastard…I still feel like I belong with them more…" her head turned to stare in Tsuna's direction, the boy's image imprinted in her mind, "Hey, Boss…you understand, right?"

"But…Kiyomizu-chan…are you sure?"

Before she could respond, chains clamped around the three boys on the ground and started dragging them towards where three men dressed in black robes and bandages were standing quietly. "Wha…?"

"What a quick appearance."

"Who are they?"

"Vindice. They are the enforcer of the commandments in the mafia world and they trial those who cannot be trialed by the law."

"Wait…what are you doing?" Mio's voice rose into a shriek as the three boys were pulled away.

"Don't try, Tsuna. Mio." Reborn warned them.

The three men walked away without a word, their captives firmly secured behind them.

"It will be troublesome to be involved with them…just leave them alone."

"You're saying that much…are they really scary?" Tsuna asked, "What will happen to those three?"

"Their crime will be put on trial and be punished."

"What kind of…punishment?"

"Who knows? But it's nothing light. We don't live in a kind world."

Mio listened to them being carted off, her mouth set in a thin line. Reborn jumped up and kicked her in the back of her head, "Oi stupid Mio. What are you thinking? You're part of the Vongola now. You can't be thinking about the family's enemies."

"What does it mean to be in the Vongola family, Reborn-san?" she asked softly, "You didn't even ask me to come along with you on this mission…just what part of me is accepted in the family?"

Reborn turned, "Useless Tsuna, tell her."

"Eh? Well, I mean…no, I- uh… well, I don't really think of it as a family. I mean we're all friends, right?"

"Well. Useless Tsuna's version of a family is being close friends. That should be enough for you, shouldn't it?" Reborn said.

"Is it, I wonder…" Mio whispered to herself. Raising her voice, she said, "I guess it'll have to be enough for now."

"You are uncertain of whether or not you belong in this family." Reborn said, not bothering to soften any of his words.

Mio nodded reluctantly, "I don't really know what family is, but I wasn't even included in something so important…I can't possibly belong here, can I?"

"Kiyomizu Mio. You have been through many hardships to come to where you are now. Your strengths and your weaknesses are all built on your past experiences. What you do is up to you. I will not stop you from leaving the family if you believe that is the right choice. Nor will I stop you from going with Mukuro if that is what you want. What you do should be your decision alone."

"It's things like that!" she exclaimed, "It's things like that that make me feel like I'm not needed in this family! If this were a real family, you would stop me wouldn't you? You would say 'no you shouldn't leave', wouldn't you? So…so then why does no one try to stop me?"

"Because we respect your decision and as a family, we want you to grow as much as you possibly can. Remember Mio, the family will always be here and waiting for you if you wish to return."

Sighing in frustration, Mio nodded. She was still unknowledgeable on many things. Maybe families were one of them. For now, she would go with her decision to stay in the family and learn as much as she could.

Having settled back into their old comfortable camaraderie, they had all decided to attend Yamamoto's baseball game and cheer him on. They managed to secure front row seats and proceeded to cheer loudly for the boy who was clearly the star of the game. Although she wasn't a big fan of baseball, nor did she understand it very well, the feeling of cheering with everyone as a group was nice.

She could feel the gazes of her friends on her every once and awhile, especially Gokudera, who had found out what she had done, and had yelled and lectured at her for hours upon hours while they were eating. She supposed it wasn't his fault, but she really didn't feel like she belonged with the group of boys who didn't really know her; she couldn't help that feeling.

As Yamamoto hit another home run and they all stood up to cheer, Mio felt a prickly feeling in the back of her head and froze. The feeling was the same when Mukuro had tried to possess her. But he should be in prison, shouldn't he? But like magic, the familiar voice echoed through her mind. "Kufufu I have returned from the other side to greet you, my dear."

"Mukuro? What are you…how…aren't you supposed to be in that Vindice something prison?"

"Oya oya could it be that you were worried about me?"

"Of course not! I was just wondering of course!"

He chuckled, "Well, you will be happy to know that while my body may be bound, my mind is not. But enough with these pleasantries, as amusing as they are. I heard you wished to join me?"

"I- that was just-"she cleared her throat uncomfortably, "I got caught up in my emotions, okay? You don't have to call me out on it."

"And to think I was going to ask you if you would help me with something."

"What something?"

The baseball game ended with Yamamoto's team winning and the crowd exploded, cheering and screaming. Mio cheered as well, but she was focused on the conversation in her mind. What could Mukuro want of her? Was it something important that he would rely on her for?"

"While I was wandering in my spare time, I stumbled upon something rather interesting. Well, I suppose you could say someone interesting. After getting hit by a car while saving a cat, she lost most of her internal organs. She was abandoned by her parents as well and was on the verge of death so I saved her. It seems that she will be released by the hospital soon and I was hoping perhaps you could pick her up and take care of her for a little while."

"And…what would be in it for me?"

"What else but your vision, of course! Go ahead and open your eyes my dear."

She did so and through her bangs could see a boy hitting a home run. Her eyes widened and she quickly shut them.

"I didn't ask for you to return my vision to me!"

"Oya? You didn't want my gift?"

"I decided that I would see for myself when I had cured my eyes by myself."

"Hmm you do have a latent ability for illusions, my dear. I suppose I am willing to take some time to teach you how to use them. However, in order to learn how to use illusions, it is better if you can see what you are creating. Therefore, I will need to cure your eyes when we are together."

"Illusions…then…eventually, I could cure my eyes myself?"

"Yes that is a possibility."

Without any hesitation, she replied, "I'll do it."

"Very well, I will give you the details at a later date. It has been pleasurable doing business with you principessa."

"Principessa…?"

"It is Italian for princess. Since you have decided you are not a lady, you will be a princess instead…" His voice slowly faded away and then his presence was completely gone from her. She tuned back into the world around her just in time for Yamamoto to ruffle her hair happily. She grinned back, hiding her uncertainty. Did helping Mukuro mean she was betraying her family? Pushing aside the thoughts, she joined the others in celebration.

"Being alone seems so lonely. We'll play with you again anytime." Reborn murmured, seemingly to himself.

Mio was the only one who caught the quiet response from a boy near them, "Again…someday…" The boy's presence made her turn in his direction and small Kufufu in her head was all that was needed to confirm his identity. Feeling Reborn's eyes on her, she smiled peacefully. The baby clearly didn't mind that she was fraternizing with the enemy; rather he seemed to encourage it. So, pushing the guilt to the back of her mind, she reached over and hugged a sweaty Yamamoto, and congratulated him.

The boy laughed and hugged her back, even as Gokudera started yelling at them for being too friendly and ridiculous.

Author's Note:

I am updating later and later with these fanfics... I'm really sorry about that; I'm doing my best I promise!

So, what do you think? Is Mukuro using Mio or is he actually doing something nice and beneficial? Also, there won't be any Gokudera X Mio moments for awhile since he's off doing his own thing for the Varia arc, but I promise I'll get there eventually!

Please read and review~