"May your choices reflect your hopes, not your fears." – Nelson Mandela

Thankfully, his apartment wasn't too small.

For a one-person residence, it could accommodate three if Tsuna was smart about arranging the space. He'd give up his bedroom to Hayato and Bianchi, with Bianchi taking the bed and Hayato taking an extra futon Tsuna picked up from his mother's house.

Nana had walked him out, frowning. "Are you sure you can handle this, Tsu-kun?"

"It won't be for too long anyways. I'll call you when I get back, Okaa-san. Thanks for this!"

Still, Nana hadn't looked convinced and Tsuna wasn't sure he was either.

Wiping his brow, he placed the last plate inside the kitchen pantry. Unpacking all of his boxes in one day might've been too ambitious, but he wasn't too keen about living in a cramped space with two other people. He peered out the window and covered his eyes when the sunset's glare struck his face. The streets were fairly quiet aside from a few chirping birds. A cool breeze swept through the trees, rustling the thin branches.

Summer was almost over.

Soon, someone knocked on his door. Tsuna closed the window drapes halfway before heading to the entrance. Turning the handle, he barely had time to blink when some shopping bags were shoved in his arms.

"What the hell?" he said, stumbling.

Bianchi toed off her shoes at the entranceway. "Thanks for the help."

Tsuna scowled as she entered the apartment. "Seriously?" He looked down at the myriad of colorful bags. "Why did you buy so much?"

"I told you, we have nothing." Bianchi perused the apartment with a blank face. "Not bad."

Tsuna dropped the bags on his brown couch, his arms aching. "My c—"

Bianchi tossed his credit card in the air. Scrambling, Tsuna barely caught it in time. When he found nothing wrong with it, he slipped it back into his wallet. Sending Bianchi out to buy what she and Hayato needed may or may not have been one of his best decisions, but at least it gave him some time to think about what the hell he was doing.

"Am I going to have a heart attack when I check my balance?"

Bianchi poked her head out of his—well, her—bedroom. "Did you say something?"

Tsuna sighed, leaning against the doorway. "Forget it. Is the room okay?" The bedroom had a twin-sized bed and a closet. Tsuna's old writing desk was near the window, which looked out into the streets. Bianchi scrutinized every small nook and cranny with lazy but still sharp eyes. "I don't have it bugged if that's what you're worried about. I don't think Namimori sells those kinds of things anyways."

Bianchi hummed. "This is fine."

"You can take the bed. I have an extra futon for Hayato. He can sleep here with you."

"Where will you sleep?"

"Couch." Tsuna gestured at the kitchen. "Want something to eat?"

Bianchi raised a brow. "You cook?"

Tsuna grinned. "Oh, yeah. I cook."

Sleep wasn't kind.

A soft chorus of insects chirped outside. Tsuna lost count of how many times he tossed and turned on the couch. It wasn't even that uncomfortable—he just felt trapped. Whenever he closed his eyes, he could still smell burned flesh, faintly burning his nose, and feel Ferro's hand tightening around his throat, cutting off his airway and—

Tsuna sat up then. For a moment, silence rang in his ears until he heard the insects' small symphony again. He tossed his blanket to the side. It was suddenly too hot. The apartment was dark and quiet, his raspy breaths the only sound breaching the hushed silence. Bianchi's door was closed. Disheveling his hair, Tsuna sighed deeply into his hand. Maybe he should just pop some more pills. He shook his head. They'd just keep appearing in his dreams anyways.

Sighing again, he stood up and stumbled into the kitchen. He blinked a couple of times when he turned on the light. Holy, maybe he should just go back to the couch. Before he could, he was already brewing hot water. He grabbed a random tea packet beside his coffee machine and tapped his finger on the counter to an invisible beat.

"Can't sleep?"

Tsuna jumped. He exhaled shakily, massaging the bridge of his nose. "We gotta work on that."

Bianchi raised a brow but her lips marginally twitched. She stood by the kitchen doorway, her arms crossed. "You just need to be more aware of your surroundings."

Tsuna groaned. "I don't need to be taught how to live my life from a kid."

Bianchi narrowed her eyes. "I'm not a kid."

"Yeah—you, Hayato, not kids, got it." Tsuna glanced at the clock. It was 3:09 AM. "Why're you up anyways?"

Bianchi huffed. "I thought someone was robbing the place. You were loud."

Tsuna scoffed. "Thanks for calling me a lousy thief. Sorry if I woke you." He caught Bianchi rubbing her arm at the corner of his eye, her shoulders a little tense. "You want some tea?"

Bianchi stayed quiet while Tsuna poured hot water in an orange mug. He quirked a brow when she plopped down on a chair. "Might as well keep you company," she said, crossing her legs.

Rolling his eyes, Tsuna grabbed another cup. After dropping the tea bags inside, he handed it to Bianchi and sat across from her.

"It's not poisoned or anything," he said, blowing his own mug.

Bianchi huffed. "I know."

They sat there for a few minutes in silence; the crickets continued chirping outside, oblivious. Tsuna wished he was the same. He rubbed his eyes, which burned a little. Sleep should be his top priority but apparently, life liked biting him in the ass.

"I don't know how you do it," he said quietly.

Bianchi leaned her chin on her palm. "Do what?"

Tsuna waved his hand in the air. "This—all of this. I'm not trying to pry, but I honestly don't get it." He gripped his hair as his elbow thumped on the dining table. "You're just kids."

Bianchi's grip tightened around her mug. "We're not kids, Sawada."

"You're not fucking adults, that's for sure."

Bianchi pursed her lips, avoiding Tsuna's gaze. "We're survivors."

Tsuna's heart sank, his mouth suddenly feeling dry. He mentally kicked himself. Yeah, they were kids, but he couldn't ignore the fact that they weren't kids, too—or more like robbed of their childhood. Vaguely, he wondered how many more were out there like Hayato and Bianchi.

"Right," he said, his voice slightly strained. "Right. Sorry. I just…"

Bianchi looked down at her cup, finding interest in her green tea. "I'm only concerned about keeping Hayato safe. That's all."

"I know." Tsuna sipped his cup, feeling more awake when the hot tea touched his tongue. "Do you know what I'm concerned about?"

"No. Why would I?"

"I'm concerned about whether or not I'm doing the right thing."

Bianchi raised a brow. "Last I checked, you were the one who offered your place."

"You had nowhere else to go unless there's some secret, ultra-rich uncle you're hiding from me. By the way, I almost got a heart attack when I checked my balance."

"Think of it as something for a good cause, like helping two helpless kids."

Tsuna made a face. "You're disgusting."

Bianchi flicked a strand of her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, sweetie, you don't even know."

"Don't call me that again—ever."

Bianchi smirked. "Honey."

"No."

"Darling. Dear."

"I'm going to strangle you."

Bianchi shrugged. "You need to get out more."

Tsuna stared at her incredulously. "Are you kidding me? With everything's that happened, I'm thinking of becoming a hermit. You know, the mountains in Namimori aren't bad. I might consider that."

"You can do whatever you want," Bianchi said, sipping her cup.

Tsuna leaned back against his seat. "I was serious though—how do you do it?" He pursed his lips, averting his gaze when Bianchi looked at him. "I still see them. I saw them, a few minutes ago. I can't get them out of my head."

Bianchi didn't respond right away but Tsuna didn't rush her. He was just exhausted, and thinking required too much energy and effort that he didn't have. His fingers drummed lightly against the table unconsciously, tapping a random rhythm.

"You know," Bianchi said slowly, "we don't really do anything. We just cope."

"That's…really unhealthy."

"I see them, too." Bianchi stared past Tsuna, her eyes a bit glazed over. "All the time." She then met his gaze. She looked haunted, a ghost of a teenager who was teetering on the edge. "I don't know how to get rid of them. I'm not a saint. I can't forget."

Tsuna exhaled through his nose but didn't speak. For a moment, neither of them did. In a brief second of clarity, Tsuna remembered that he was young too, a young adult to be exact. Whoever stuck "adult" there must've been out of his mind. All three of them were kids—him, Hayato, and Bianchi. It didn't matter how old Tsuna was. Labels were just labels, meaningless and insignificant in the grand scheme of things. God, he never thought so much about obscure shit since his college days. Being a night owl was nice and all when it was actually useful.

"Yeah," Tsuna said. "I just—Sorry, I shouldn't have pushed." He rested his head against his hand. "Do you have plans?"

Bianchi didn't blink. "Plans?"

"Yeah, plans. What are you going to do? I've been meaning to ask you this: how old are you? And don't try to be funny. I'm really not in the mood for it."

Bianchi huffed. "Why are you asking?"

"So I know when to expect to get my bed back."

Bianchi rolled her eyes. "We won't stay long."

"Not helping."

"Fine. We're planning to work. Get enough money for both of us."

Tsuna pursed his lips. "Yeah, and again, how old are you two?"

Bianchi slumped against her chair, scowling. "Why?"

"Just tell me before I throw this cup at you. Tea's still hot."

Rolling her eyes again, Bianchi looked down at the tiled floor. "Hayato's 14. I'm 17." Tsuna raised a brow. Honestly, Bianchi looked a little younger than 17. Maybe it was because how thin she was. She glared at him. "Happy?"

"I don't think you'll be happy," Tsuna said, "when I tell you that Hayato won't be eligible to work."

Bianchi furrowed her brows. "We'll get by."

"Uh, no, you won't. Remember Hibari-san? Practically has Namimori under his thumb? He might not be the nicest guy around here but he's a stickler with the law, national or not. Last I checked, kids under 15 aren't allowed to work. Don't blame me, blame the Constitution. You're a little different but either way, Hayato can't work. And don't try to act clever. Hibari-san will find out and you'd be out of Namimori before you know it."

Bianchi clicked her tongue. "Maybe coming here was a mistake."

Tsuna smiled slightly. "What about school? You're both fluent in Japanese. There shouldn't be much of a problem. Plus, it'll keep you and Hayato occupied for some time until we can sort things out."

Bianchi deadpanned. "I thought you wanted us out as soon as possible."

"I'm not having both of you cooped up in the house forever, yeah, but we need to think realistically. Hayato can't work but he can still go to school. I know you hate me calling you kids but he's 14. Honestly, he should have a break from your, well, pasts and adjust. He should be meeting others his age, making friends, that kind of stuff. You're no different. I'm not preventing you from working—that's up to you—but these are the options you have. When do you turn 18?"

"November."

"That's in 3 months." Tsuna sipped his cup. "Okay, here's what we're going to do. You can stay until then. Raise enough money to support the two of you. I'll help. I'm going to start working from next Monday. But you're going to have to run things by me."

Bianchi frowned. "What does that mean?"

"Anything you're going to do or thinking about doing has to go through me first. Neither of us wants to draw Hibari-san's attention, right?" When Bianchi clicked her tongue, Tsuna took that as a signal to continue. "I know you're not a fan of this but I'm taking responsibility for you and Hayato, so we're going to have to cooperate somehow. You don't need to trust me or even get along, just be aware of the consequences."

For a few minutes, Bianchi mulled over what he said. Her fingers nearly bruised her arms and her knuckles were white, almost matching the color of her skin. Finally, she sighed. "Okay." She narrowed her eyes. "But I can't guarantee that Hayato will actually go to school."

"Just make it work, Bianchi. I don't care if he flunks his classes but if either of you gets into any trouble, I don't know if I can do anything again."

"Fine."

After that, they parted ways for the night. Tsuna didn't sleep, not even when dawn arrived.

The smell and sizzling of eggs permeated in the air. Coffee brewed in the machine and the toaster was on with two slices of bread. Since there wasn't much he had, Tsuna just went with a simple Western breakfast. Besides, he didn't think he'd be able to cook much. There were groceries he had to buy and sleep he had to catch up with. But with most of his savings spent on whatever Bianchi bought yesterday, that didn't seem too likely.

He sighed, filling up the plates. "Shit…"

"What's going on with you now?"

Tsuna nearly screamed and almost dropped the plates. "What—Seriously, stop doing that."

Bianchi plopped down on a chair without as much as a glance. She wore some fresh clothes that Tsuna never remembered her wearing. Probably something she bought on her shopping spree. "Be more aware," she said in a sing-song voice.

Scowling, Tsuna dumped her plate in front of her. "Whatever." He poured himself a cup of coffee and some orange juice for Bianchi. "You can apply to Namimori High. It's the closest school and right in this district. I could drop you off later to get you admitted." He sat down and spread some butter on his toast. "Kusakabe-san gave you your papers, right?"

Bianchi just nodded, cutting her eggs delicately. "I know where it is."

"I'm your guardian so I'll have to go with you."

Bianchi pursed her lips but didn't say anything. They both ate in silence until their plates were scraped clean. Tsuna drank the last of his coffee before collecting their dishes and placing them in the sink. "I'll take you out when I come back," he said.

"Where are you going?" Bianchi said warily.

"Out."

Tsuna turned the water on and washed the plates quickly when Bianchi said, "You're going to meet that woman."

He slightly winced. "I'm just going out."

"You're being stupid."

Tsuna dried his hands with a small towel. "I'm being nice."

"Who knows what she has done? She worked with them."

"Against her own will."

"You don't know that."

Tsuna sighed irritably. "Okay, I don't know anything about her circumstances but I know a victim when I see one. She had wounds on her wrists—rope burns."

Bianchi scoffed. "You can't justify that from just those. She might have a kink. Everyone has those."

"No. It's not like that. I know." Tsuna grabbed the newspaper he had found on his doorstep this morning and tossed it at Bianchi. "Job listings. Look through them until I get back."

"What?"

"My house, my rules. Don't burn anything."

The police station looked a little gloomier early morning. There was no press or reporters hounding the doors and for a second, Tsuna thought it was closed until they slid open for him. Three officers manned the front desk and looked up immediately when he entered.

"Is there something you need, sir?" one of them said.

"I was wondering if Detective Kusakabe is in?" Tsuna said.

"He is. Would you like me to call him for you?"

Tsuna tensed when he heard footsteps behind him. The policemen stood up and bowed.

"Detective Mochida," the shorter one greeted.

Turning, Tsuna stepped aside when Mochida entered with a big yawn. He looked tired but freshly-shaven. He waved lazily at the policemen. "Yo," he said. "How's everything going?"

"Everything's fine, Mochida-san," a bespectacled policeman said. "How are you?"

"I'm good," Mochida said, leaning on the front desk. "Just went out to change. My wife's been nagging at me for not wearing the suits she bought me. How's Akane and the baby, Jiro?"

Jiro fixed his glasses but couldn't contain the excitement from his weary eyes. "They're great, Mochida-san. My mother-in-law is helping around the house. Akane's been sending me pictures."

Mochida nodded. "That's good to hear. Don't push yourself too much, alright? All of you."

"Yes, Mochida-san!"

"Okay then." Mochida rapped his knuckles twice on the desk. "Go right home when your shift's done." He glanced at Tsuna and gestured his head towards the elevator. "I'll take him with me."

Tsuna frowned but followed Mochida anyways. The station was fairly quiet other than keyboards clacking and the coffee machine brewing in the break room. A few detectives were seated at their desks, shifting through some papers. Tsuna wondered if they were lists of the victims with missing organs.

"Why are you here, Sawada?" Mochida said, stopping short in front of the elevator.

Tsuna didn't meet his eyes. "I wanted to meet with Kusakabe-san."

Mochida hummed disinterestedly as he pressed the "up" button. "He's here but busy. You wouldn't want to bother a busy man, do you?"

Tsuna pursed his lips. "No."

"You're here for that woman." The elevator dinged before the doors slid open. Tsuna didn't move as Mochida entered. The man turned to face him, his face blank. "Well, aren't you coming?"

When Olivia was brought out, she wore a blue prisoner's outfit. Her hair was clean at least. The bruise on her head looked nastier than the other day, contrasting with her sallow skin. She blinked in surprise when she saw Tsuna at the table.

"You," she said. "Tsuna."

Tsuna nodded, giving her a reassuring smile. "Yeah, that's me," he responded in Italian. "You look better."

After the two guards left the small conference room, Olivia looked down at her handcuffed wrists. "They took your sweater," she said. "I'm sorry."

Tsuna shook his head. "Oh, don't worry about it. I have plenty. How are you? Are they treating you okay?"

"Why did you come?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Olivia chewed on her lip, avoiding Tsuna's eyes. Her gaze was only focused on the smooth, wooden table. Tsuna could only guess what she was thinking and didn't blame her. She might've shown a bit of trust to him yesterday but it was more out of desperation than anything else.

"May I—May I hold your hands?" Olivia said.

Tsuna tilted his head but edged his chair closer to the table anyways. "Oh, um, okay."

Olivia smiled wryly. "I can't hurt you. I won't."

Tsuna's breath hitched. "I know."

Still, his hands trembled as he reached out across the table to grip Olivia's. They felt cool under his palms. Olivia didn't move but smiled comfortingly, which made Tsuna relax a bit. Suddenly, yellow slowly bled into her brown eyes. Tsuna blinked a couple of times to make sure he was seeing things right.

"You are tired," Olivia said. "You have not slept well."

Tsuna forced a small chuckle. "Well, with everything that happened lately, I'm not exactly getting some shut-eye."

"You're scared." Okay, Olivia's eyes were definitely yellow. What the hell? "Don't worry. I can't do anything to you." Her lips curled into a slight smile. "There's nothing I will do to you, Tsuna."

"The more you say that, the more I believe it's not true. I don't recommend that tactic by the way."

Olivia laughed gently, the tension easing from her shoulders. "I apologize. I tend to get too serious." She then glanced down at their hands. The same defeated look returned in her now golden-yellow eyes. "I have many regrets in my life but my son was never one of them." She licked her chapped lips and Tsuna wished he could've at least brought her a cup of water. "We're not normal. I'm not normal."

Tsuna felt a small shiver crawl up his spine. He wasn't going to like this.

"You're an innocent young man," Olivia said. "You shouldn't know these things, just like those children. If I had the power to keep my world from meeting yours, I would do it, for people like you and for my son."

"Your eyes," Tsuna said, his voice a little strained. "They're…"

What could he say? They were yellow, a bizarrely, golden yellow that was an unnatural hue for anyone. Suddenly, he remembered Ferro's almost neon blue eye. He didn't want to believe that Olivia or Ferro weren't human but the thought seemed weaker with every passing minute.

Olivia looked up then, meeting his gaze almost shyly. "Yes, they're…different."

Tsuna kept his mouth shut, afraid of what he'd say. He gasped when Olivia's eyes glowed, or was it the light?

"It's alright to be afraid," Olivia said, as if the fact was nothing new to her, but there was a somber tone to her raspy voice. "It's only natural."

"Ferro"—Olivia flinched when Tsuna uttered the criminal's name—"he—his eye. It was blue. He—He had me up against the wall. He was so close." Olivia's hands tightened underneath Tsuna's and his mirrored the small action. "I see him, feel him, all the time. I couldn't breathe. I still can't when I—I think about him. But I can't help it. He—God, his bones. I saw their bones."

A sudden rush of calm washed over Tsuna's body. His heart slowly but surely returned to its normal pace. Tsuna furrowed his brows at the quick retreat from his panic attack. Olivia breathed in deeply through her nose, then exhaled.

"What happened?" Tsuna said, blinking at how steady his voice sounded.

"You seemed stressed," Olivia said.

"I…never calmed down like that so easily before."

"It's nice to have a helping hand. I'm sorry for doing this without your permission."

Tsuna tensed. "Without my…permission?"

Olivia smiled shakily. "Yes. I—I can sense your emotions. I can control them, too, to an extent. It might sound too ridiculous to believe but…I am telling the truth."

"So…" Tsuna took a shaky breath. "You're like, an empath." He laughed, shaking his head. "You've got to be kidding me. This—Am I crazy for actually believing this? It sounds ridiculous but I—I actually believe it."

Again, a soothing sensation rippled through his body, like a cool balm spreading in his nerves by a gentle hand. Tsuna looked at Olivia, relaxed and unable to show any indications of surprise. He just felt…calm. It was both relieving and creepy at the same time, but he was mostly content because…he'd never felt so much at peace like this in a while.

Olivia pursed her lips. "I can—I can stop, but I thought that you'd like it." She let go of Tsuna's hands, her eyes returning to their original brown color. "I apologize for overwhelming you."

"Are the—Are the others like you?"

Olivia shook her head. "No, not like me. Everyone—They're all different. My son, he's like me but he can see more." Her shoulders hunched, making her look smaller than she seemed. "We didn't choose to become this way… I—We—Carcassa does more than trade girls and drugs."

The room dropped a couple of degrees. Tsuna's eyes widened and he could hear his blood pumping in his ears. "W—What?" he croaked out.

"I—I had no choice," Olivia said, not meeting his gaze. "We had no money and my husband said that they'd pay us and—I shouldn't have gone. My boy, my son…"

Tsuna sighed softly when Olivia broke down into tears and covered her face with her hands. Her sobs deepened the ache in his chest. He looked around to see if there were any tissues but found nothing, aside from some potted bamboo plants and sleek shelves with books no one probably ever touched.

"Ol—"

Tsuna stumbled a bit when the ground shook. Olivia sucked in a deep breath, looking up with wide eyes. Her cheeks were flushed and wet with tears.

"What the hell was that?" Tsuna said.

Some distant shouts came from outside. Tsuna headed towards the windows and pulled back the drapes just as Olivia said, "No!"

The ground shook again, vibrating faintly under Tsuna's feet. He nearly fell if he hadn't grabbed onto to the drapes and pulled himself up. A shudder ran through his body when he caught a glimpse outside. A young woman with long black hair and a dirty coat lifted another car over her head and threw it at the building like it was nothing. Another tremor shook the police station.

Tsuna flinched when Olivia dashed over to pull the curtains close. She scowled at him. "What are you doing? She could've seen you and you'd be dead!"

Tsuna gaped at her. "She just—She just picked up a car and…"

He jumped when the door slammed open. Mochida stood at the doorway, his eyes narrowed. "Sawada, we need to go."

"What's going on?" Tsuna said.

"A little hitch," Mochida said, leading him and Olivia out the door. "Nothing to worry about."

"I just saw a woman throw a fucking car at the police station."

"Oh, wow, really?" Mochida fished a small key from his belt and unlocked Olivia's handcuffs. "You do as I say and we'll all be happy campers, alright?"

"She can't understand you," Tsuna deadpanned.

Mochida raised a brow. "Well then, translate. Come on."

The building shook again. Tsuna flushed when Olivia steadied his fall. "Thank you."

"Looks like her friends decided to say hi earlier than we thought," Mochida said, opening the door to the stairwell.

"Don't you have a plan?" Tsuna said. His grip tightened on the rail.

"Oh yeah, sure. It's going perfectly actually."

Mochida shrugged, dashing down the steps five paces ahead. "Miscalculations happen. Now stop questioning me."

Either Mochida was trolling with him or this was some freaky drill they were pulling—why did Tsuna's guts say otherwise? He yelped when the building shook again, but this time, a distant boom resounded in the distance.

"Olivia," he said in Italian, exiting through a door Mochida opened for him, "what the hell is going on? Who was that woman?"

Olivia didn't even look out of breath compared to him. Okay, Tsuna, get your shit together. This wasn't the time for that. Several policemen were shouting at each other and rushing around the station. Four or five cars were piled up in front of the main entrance. Shattered glass littered the dusty ground along with some debris.

Mochida hummed under his breath and looked at the chaos as if it was some kind of normal occurrence. "That's going to put a nasty bump on the bills," he said. "Sawada, follow me."

He led them to a room further down where there were no detectives around. When he opened the door, Tsuna pursed his lips when he realized it was a supply closet.

"Your hospitality's amazing, Mochida-san," he said.

"Sawada, time's not my best friend at the moment. I need you to stay put with Olivia. Don't take candies from strangers, okay? Sit tight."

"Wait!"

Tsuna grunted when Mochida shoved them both inside and shut the door in his face. The lock clicked. The lights were dim inside the supply closet but everything was relatively clean and well-organized. Tsuna's nose wrinkled at the scent of dust and cleaning bleach. Olivia turned off the lights and pulled him down to sit beside her, making him yelp. She hushed him immediately.

"You must stay quiet," she whispered.

Tsuna's hands clenched into fists by his side. "What the hell is going on?"

Olivia let out a shuddering breath. Tsuna sensed her hands hovering near his arm, as if she was hesitant to touch him. "They're here," she said. "Idiots—all of them. The police can do nothing against them. I warned them."

Tsuna tensed when another boom shook the floor. A few buckets rattled beside him but he didn't move. Olivia's breath hitched.

"Any way you could give a crash course?" Tsuna said, his voice strained. "Not a fan of not knowing what the hell's going on."

"Mia," Olivia said. "That woman—she's Mia."

"She can pick up a car."

Olivia chuckled humorlessly. "Yes, but she can do worse. I saw her split skulls with her bare hands, men twice her size."

"Did not ask for that."

"If Mia's here, the others aren't too far behind. Rico and Ferro might've led us but the others shouldn't be underestimated."

"Please tell me that woman's the only one who went through some freakish experiment."

Tsuna could sense Olivia smile grimly in the dark. "I wish I can if it were true."

"Fuck."

Suddenly, it was quiet, too quiet. Tsuna swallowed a small lump in his throat. A bead of sweat dripped down his face. The room felt too hot. He could his heart gradually pick up its pace.

"Wh—"

Tsuna froze when Olivia covered his mouth with her hand. Soon, he heard them—footsteps. Distant, muted, but they were there and coming closer every second. The two of them sat there on the cold ground, frozen. Neither of them breathed a whiff of air. Olivia's palm was sweaty against Tsuna's face but he didn't shy away.

Where were the detectives? Are they dead? Who was in the police station? Mia? Someone else? Tsuna prayed that it was Kusakabe, Mochida, or even Masato, but his instincts told him it wasn't either of them. The small scrapes of the footsteps drew closer. Sneakers—the person was wearing sneakers. A cool sensation pricked the inside of his body but fizzled out as soon as it came. Olivia's other hand tightened around his arm.

Walk past us, he thought frantically, staring intently at the small crack underneath the door. A shed of light filtered through it. Keep walking.

His heart nearly stopped when two shadows suddenly appeared. They moved slowly, coming in from the left.

Keep walking…

Tsuna's breath hitched when the shadow stopped in front of the door. Olivia became rigid like a statue against him. His guts screamed at him to run but there was nowhere to go.

It all happened too quickly. The door crumpled easily like rolled up paper before it shot above their heads. Tsuna didn't know who screamed but it didn't matter. The fluorescent lights nearly blinded him if it weren't for the tall, lanky man standing at the front. He grinned, revealing a silver tooth.

"Olivia," he said in Italian, "I'm glad to see you well, honey."

A/N So like, I'll leave you peeps dangling on that cliff there just a little more. :^)

A little fun fact: According to Japan's National Labor Law in their constitution, kids under 15 cannot be employed to work unless it's for films or theatrical stages. Kid under 18 can be employed outside of school hours as long as the work is light and not dangerous to them.

I guess Bianchi and Tsuna bonded a little more? Not really? It's hard to tell, haha. A lot happened here, kind of. Poor Tsuna—what the hell is going on with his life? :^)

Thank you so much for reading! I hope to see you again in the next chapter.

Have a lovely day~

Little Miss Bunny