AN: This was inspired by the TYL arc but goes after the Shimon arc/current timeline. I wanted to work a reason why we don't see TYL Tsuna's face in the manga and anime but keep with all the timeline changes their trip would have caused. There's a lot of OOCness and what some consider bashing, but after both those arcs i honestly think this is how Gokudera would react to something this big.
Standard Disclaimers and Multi-site Warnings Apply.
The car pulled off the main street, turning to the south as Yamamoto smiled at him. "It's okay now Tsuna."
The Vongola Decimo closed his eyes, leaning his head back against the seat, sighing as the Dying Will Flame flickered out on his forehead. "No it's not," he said as Na-tsu suddenly appeared in his lap.
"Oh shit." the fourteen year old whispered, gawking as the other three guardians were suddenly on guard.
"Lambo," Tsuna halfheartedly admonished his Lightning. "Hayato don't," he added, not looking up.
Gokudera froze as he turned to him, "But Tenth, I-"
He just sighed again, still not raising his head as he absently scratched Na-tsu's neck. "Everyone knows how much Na-tsu likes Enma; he's expected to come out. Uri being there will make everyone suspicious."
"But-"
"Gokudera." Tsuna's use of his last name showed just how pissed he was, "How many times do I have to say it? I will tell you if I cannot handle it. Now stop." Rolling his head to the left, eyes still closed he added, "Chrome send Mukurou ahead to deal with any illusions. Takeshi, send Kojirou to check the perimeter." Rain and Mist nodded, letting their birds take to the sky.
Lambo jumped as they closed the sunroof, "But what about the radar Tsuna?"
"The radar scans for the Vongola boxes, but as the Mist Mukurou can slip through it. Not many know that Kojirou is not the actual Vongola box animal, Takeshi had him before we got them." Tsuna answered, rolling his head back into the window. "I'm not entirely sure which one it is from here so we need to be discreet you two," he missed the cool look his Lightning gave the still agitated Storm, "Remember Enma's the only other one that knows my condition and I'd like to keep it that way Hayato."
All the other man could do was breathe deep and nod.
"It'd be ironic if it did come out today," Yamamoto tried to chuckle.
Chrome nodded, twisting to help Lambo with his tie as she added. "But strangely fitting too."
Tsuna huffed, smiling slightly as Na-tsu stretched up, rubbing his head against his neck. "I can't believe it's been this long already." He didn't need his Intuition to know he did not want to see the shock, the hurt, most importantly the guilt on their faces. All the guardians - even Mukuro and Hibari - still felt like it was their fault even now, a little more than two years later.
It was obvious the plane had been sabotaged: the right wing exploded when they got to cruising altitude, the left engine exploding when the pilot started the emergency landing sequence. He'd barely got to Lambo before the first explosion, shielding him got him a face full of shrapnel. Everyone rushed to his side as the pilot tried to straighten them out. He couldn't get his screaming coherent enough to warn them of the other one. He would have welcomed the freefall if it weren't for the searing pain of the wind across his open wounds. The moment he'd thought of his XGear something solid pitched him to the ground.
The crash had been cleaned up within three hours.
He'd been found within four.
He woke up five weeks later with everything but his jaw and his right ear wrapped in bandages. Shamal told him it was a given that he was blind. The shrapnel had concentrated in the upper right side of his face, around his eye, leaving nineteen scars. What he later discovered was a nasty electrical burn started just above his left ear and crossed that eye only to curve onto his forehead and shoot straight down his right, stopping on his cheekbone. Not to mention the body section that hurled him into the ground gave a solid blow to the back of his skull. Front or back it didn't matter.
It was in the middle of the shock and grief that he'd realized it, he was unconsciously using his Hyper Intuition to handle everything. He knew who was coming before they even knocked on his door, always took whatever was given to him before they tried to place it in his hand. Every nurse was amazed that he'd be sitting up, ready for them when they came to change the bandages. Looking back, he was glad he'd discovered it so soon, expanding it gave him something to do while all the wounds healed.
And it kept him from worrying too much about his Family. He knew even before Reborn told him that only those closest to him knew the truth. Dad had actually told Mom the truth for once - greatly edited of course - so she was at his side barely two days after. Nuno was running Vongola while he recovered; Gokudera was too deep in his guilt to try. Since his mission ran over and he missed the flight, Yamamoto was training three times harder than before. Ryohei surprisingly followed Hibari back, both men surprised and angered by the cowardly move. Mukuro, being Mukuro, just disappeared. Reborn said he'd set a new retaliation record, wiping out the entire family in just under twenty hours.
But the surprising reactions were Chrome and Lambo's. Lambo's guilt woke him up, reminded him of his true position, that the Lightning is supposed to protect. The only times he'd leave Tsuna's side was if three other Family members - Guardians, Reborn, or even Varia - were there. Chrome took it all in stride; but after being so seriously hurt before she became Family it wasn't such a shock. She was the calm one, the consoler, and boy did the girls need one.
Kyoko had been in denial, wouldn't go see him until he'd asked for her after the bandages came off. The shouts to stop running were worse than any scream she could have given. Even now he can tell by how soft, distant she sounds that she's still can't face him. I-Pin was suddenly shy around him until he, Chrome and Lambo made her realize he was still the same on the inside. Haru was thankfully still Haru. She doted on him hand and foot - homemade meals, better linens, learning Braille books - anything to make his life better now and when he got out. It was the quiet moments, when Lambo was asleep in his chair that she'd show her fear, her sorrow. He told her his own because he knew she wouldn't treat him like a helpless invalid.
He didn't tell anyone about his Intuition until Nuno came with Reborn, surprising them once again. Both had wondered if it was possible, what it would take to activate it, keep it going and here he was already doing it. The last week in the hospital, Reborn pushed him harder, both stretching it out and focusing it down. By his release, he could tell you that the coffee shop three blocks away was empty, that Yamamoto was nervously waiting at the car and Lambo's horns were crooked.
He had Enma meet them at the mansion when he got home, sit in with his Guardians and the girls as he filled them in on his training, how only three outside the room knew his condition. They swore on their XGear, on Vongola's honor that they'd take this secret to their graves. Enma connected their rings and swore the same oath, that not even his Guardians would know. After his shock wore off, they both started laughing so hard they had to hold each other up. Reborn just smirked at the others' shock, reminding them about the Firsts' oath, that now it's reversed.
His welcome home party was the most fun he'd ever had at a mafia event. He wasn't the guest of honor, his scars were and he knew it. Some of the women wanted to touch them, the old men would laugh and joke how it sucked they weren't from battle. Lambo put his overactive imagination to good use those times, giving longer and more gruesome tales each time. He'd toss his arm around Lambo's shoulders and laugh as hard as the old men did. He and Lambo couldn't keep the smiles off their faces when he'd turn towards the gasps but ignore half the whispers. Reborn commended him later that night, Nuno the next morning for playing with them.
"Boss," Chrome cut through his thoughts just as the car stopped.
Tsuna raised his head, smiling softly as his guardians got out. When Lambo turned back, he stepped out, keeping a tight hold on Na-tsu as they started across the grounds. "Little bro, there you are. I was getting worried," Dino said as he joined them in the driveway.
Tsuna just chuckled, "Nothing serious, just a flight delay." He took Dino's hand for a quick shake before Na-tsu hopped out of his arms. They all laughed as Tsuna shook his head. "Well Enma's here."
"Come on," Dino waved them to follow the little lion, "It's such nice weather we're having it in the gardens."
"Okay," Tsuna smiled, smacking Lambo in the shoulder as he walked away. Lambo rushed after, punching his. The others laughed as they followed, staying alert when they saw the number of people there. Tsuna got busy, working his way through the crowd with his Lightning at his heels, everyone celebrating his recovery again.
Cutting Lambo loose at the buffet table, he followed his box out of the crowd. "Come here you silly gato," Tsuna sighed as he bent down, stopping Na-tsu from pawing at Enma's leg.
"Gato? Where'd that come from Tsuna?" Enma asked as he turned around, scratching Na-tsu's head.
"Ga-? Oh, it's just there's a new maid at the mansion; Hispanic girl that claims she only knows a little English." He answered, knowing his guardians had already surrounded the party-goers.
Enma briefly turned to Adelheid before continuing. "Claims?"
Tsuna sighed as he nodded. "She'll follow orders no matter which language you give them in. I've caught her eavesdropping, snooping around. She's even asking the rest of the help the kind of questions you don't answer." He was instantly across the grounds, Flame glowing brightly as he glared at the man in front of him, "Next time you try to infiltrate my compound make sure your spy knows her job, Don Hernandez."
The dark man snapped out if his shock, "Why are you accusing me? I'd never do anything so vulgar to the Vongola."
"Why?" Tsuna started, stepping back and activating his gloves. "My Cloud has this amazing ability Hernandez. All he has to do is walk into the interrogation room and whoever's waiting sings like a bird. It's extremely useful but he hates it."
The woman in the tacky pink dress had the nerve to ask, "Why?"
Tsuna smirked as he heard his friends all laugh, letting Lambo answer her. "Hibari-san says it's not fun if he can't maim them."
"It's that rumor, isn't it?" Tsuna's smirk turned spiteful. "Damn I thought I'd squashed that thing last year. Go ahead Hernandez. Right here and now," he took another step back, falling into his fighting stance. "If I've gotta kick your ass in front of all these people to prove it's a lie, then so be it."
"Tsuna?" Lambo's little bit of concern was always real, even if it was part of the act.
He twisted towards Gokudera and answered, "Its okay Lambo, I got it."
Hernandez smirked at the obvious blunder, drawing twin daggers from his belt as the six men he had there tried to circle Tsuna. Fully charged, he easily took down four before Lambo finished his two. "What?" the Spaniard yelled, shocked when he found his reinforcements all trounced by three Vongola and the Shimon Glacier Guardian.
Turning back to him, Tsuna just smiled. "Well Hernandez, is that enough."
The man practically roared as he charged towards Tsuna. Tsuna bobbed and weaved for a few moments, barely holding back his chuckles as it just pissed Hernandez off more. The Spaniard leapt back, shooting the daggers he had at Tsuna before snapping another pair out of his sleeves. Surprising everyone Tsuna caught them, letting his Sky Flames melt the metal, it dripping off his hands. Embarrassment only fueled Hernandez's rage; he pitched four more blades out as he rushed Tsuna, gasping with everyone else as Tsuna just vaulted off his shoulders. Tsuna hovered there, about five feet off the ground and said, "Aren't you a silly little school girl, Hernandez, believing in such a stupid rumor? If you wanted to know the truth," a solid roundhouse kick sent him into the bushes, "all you had to do was ask."
As he touched down Lambo, Gokudera, Enma and Dino all crowded him; the first two checking him over as the later were apologizing. Tsuna just nodded; letting them herd him inside since he wasn't the only one with injuries. Dino led them to his office, sending Romario out to clean up the mess. Tsuna flopped into the chair and sighed, "So how many is that now?"
Chrome giggled at his overacting, "So far or just this year?"
He chuckled twice as he sat up, taking the vodka from Yamamoto. "You've paid that much attention," he drank it down fast, "but that's My Mist."
Dino sat at his desk, confused gaze slipping from one person to the next. "Tsuna, what's going on?"
"Guys?" he turned vaguely around the room.
Yamamoto spoke first, "That was all of his men Tsuna."
"I've already sealed the office Boss," Chrome added as she handed him a roll of gauze. Tsuna smiled his thanks before removing his coat.
"Adel is helping with the clean-up, making sure nothing's been sabotaged." Enma added with a smile.
That one word started the avalanche of thoughts, "You don't honestly mean that…" Everyone but Gokudera started laughing at the look on Dino's face. "The rumors really are true… but your eyes…"
Tsuna nodded as he took the tape from Gokudera. "It's not because of this," he circled his face with his hand, "it's this." Twisting in his seat, Tsuna parted his hair, showing off the precise surgical scar across the back of his head.
As Tsuna turned around Dino turned to the windows, "So you've been using the Hyper Intuition all this time? In and out of the fighting?"
"I just started doing it when I was in the hospital, I didn't even realize it. Reborn and Nuno kept my blindness a secret, when they were gonna talk to me about finding the Eleventh I told them about it. By the time I was released Reborn had me reading people from three blocks away." Tsuna added before turning to his left, "Lambo that need sutures not those silly butterflies. Let Hayato do it." They stuck their tongues out at each other as Gokudera knelt beside the kid.
Dino could only stare as it was proven right in front of him. "So all this time you've been seeing with your Intuition."
Tsuna huffed, "I gotta force myself to stop using it now, not overuse it at the meetings."
The Chiavarone boss jumped at that. "But how? I've seen you read stuff out, word for word, how do you?"
"Spanner," Tsuna smiled as he pulled the tiny hearing aid from his left ear. "I thought about it when I'd decided to get back to training. After hunting down Spanner, I told him the truth. He immediately started rethinking the battle contacts, so I cut in and asked for a separate set. Simple text capture software; the lenses scan the page and I hear everything in this," he put it back, "No one knows any better and my secret's still be safe. Spanner had them done in less than an hour."
"But why are you working the rumors like this?" Dino sat back.
"Because of the scars," surprisingly Enma popped up. "Everyone knew he was hospitalized for two and a half months because of the crash. Nuno had leaked that there was a facial injury to try and draw them out. If Tsuna came back completely fine it would have looked like a bad cover-up; the first underhanded move made him scared enough to hide."
Taking a deep breath he sat straighter, "You've been here from the beginning Oni-san, when the only ones that wanted me in charge were Nuno and Reborn." Neither man missed the slight flinch of the silverette. "I was too young, I wasn't Italian, wasn't born mafia, everyone had a reason. No matter what I did I wasn't strong enough, even though I handed Xanxus his ass when I was his age," Tsuna stopped, thumbing towards Lambo. "The only thing that keeps them from doing anything in public is because I look so much like Primo; it's obvious we're related."
Dino's gaze fell to his desk, his arms. "So you kept the scars to show how determined you are to be the boss."
Tsuna nodded, smiling. "The rumors show who still doesn't believe in me, won't accept me as Vongola Decimo. So when they start planning their moves it gives me a way to prove I am capable, I can do it with or without my eyesight. We just play it up to keep the rumor going."
"I was wondering what changed, what happened between you three," Dino asked, turning towards Lambo and Gokudera. The Storm just turned away.
"It's just…" Lambo started, biting his lip. "Tsuna got the shrapnel because he was protecting me. I'm the Lightning; I'm supposed to be protecting him."
Tsuna twisted in his seat, "I decided to actually be his big brother more so it doesn't look strange having this brat following me everywhere."
"It's not everywhere!" Lambo snapped out of his funk, charging right up to Tsuna.
He just huffed, "I'm surprised you let me go to the bathroom by myself."
"It was only one time! And that place was too big, we almost got lost!" Lambo snapped back.
"Yeah yeah," Tsuna added, patting Lambo's head. The teen just glared, trying to poke Tsuna's injury before he flopped back on his ass. The don turned back to the desk, not surprised that Dino was looking to his left. "He's gone from guard dog to mother hen." Tsuna's voice was flat.
The whole room fell still as Dino kept watching the man hunched over on his knees. "I'd thought you'd be even more protective, but not to that extent. It's obvious Tsuna can take care of himself."
"Don't bother Dino," Yamamoto stated calmly. "He's seen Tsuna do this dozens of times, watched each of us fight him, but Gokudera still thinks Tsuna needs someone to fight for him."
"All of you?" tore Dino away from Gokudera.
Tsuna chuckled, "Kyoya's finally calling me a carnivore. For some reason Xanxus keeps coming after me too. I've been sparring with everyone else, alone or in groups, but whenever Reborn makes Hayato come he never goes all out."
"Uhh Tsuna…" Lambo mumbled, "Are we gonna be home on the 29th?"
"Should be, why?" he turned to the kid.
Lambo's bottom lip trembled as he said, "They're both gonna be there."
Sightless eyes went wide as it sunk in, "Shit! I can't handle them both."
Yamamoto laughed. "They'll end up fighting over who gets to fight you first Tsuna. Besides," he smiled as he stepped closer, "the South America meeting is on the first, we can leave early."
Sky and Lightning both sighed in relief as Storm flinched at Rain's actions. Mist and Gravity tried to smile for him, making the Prancing Horse realize more. "So it's official now."
Tsuna nodded solemnly. "I had to. He didn't step up when I needed him; Nuno was running things when I was in the hospital. He's so paranoid now that everything needs to be quadruple checked, the slightest tap makes him reach for his bombs. I can't have him stand in for me when he's suspicious of everyone attending." He sighed as he turned to Gokudera, "He's got a stick in his hand right now."
The whole room gasped as he snapped up, a mini-bomb between his fingers. "But Tenth you're in danger."
"And you're insulting my friends and your comrades." He coolly shot back.
"You need to clean up your act Gokudera." Dino said as he sat back down. "Before the rumors about you destroy all Tsuna's hard work."
Three of the Guardians flinched at his words, Tsuna sighed as he turned to the other bosses. "Have they gotten that bad?"
"Not yet Tsuna," the Shimon boss started as he stepped closer to the desk. "But more people are asking what's going on with the Vongola's Storm."
Dino nodded, looking Gokudera in the eye. "They're starting to wonder if you're the one that 'leaked' his blindness, if you're planning against him."
"But I'd never do that!" Gokudera slammed his hands on the desk. "I swore my life to him the day we met; I could never hurt the Tenth!"
"Your gaze constantly jumps around the room. You can barely keep your hands out of your pockets." Enma started.
Dino finished, "Every turn, pause or twitch Tsuna makes, no matter how small, makes you freeze. You tug your coat in a vain attempt to hide touching the Storm Buckle. And that's just the obvious things." He sat back, glaring up at the other man, "Even I was starting to wonder Gokudera, and I've known you guys for nine years. That should be enough to show you this is getting out of hand."
Vongola Decimo stood in all his power, turning towards his guardian, "You are not the only one that's supposed to protect me. If anyone has a right to be this guilt ridden it's Lambo, and he got over it faster than any of you. But then My Lightning has always had a better view of things."
Suddenly it was Lambo hunched on the floor. "I saw it all from the sidelines; too small, too weak, and too scared to move as he took down our enemies. He beat Xanxus, killed Byakuran two weeks later when he was fifteen. Tsuna doesn't need us to fight for him." Lambo stopped, looking at Chrome and Enma, "After everything with Daemon you should know Tsuna's not made of glass Gokudera. I admit I was a brat and didn't understand a lot at the time, but the one thing I remember is not doubting him. I always knew he was gonna make it." He smirked when he found Tsuna watching him, "No subordinate of the great Lambo-sama would ever loose."
Tsuna and Yamamoto smiled at the memories. "He's right." Yamamoto added, "You were so confident in Tsuna, that he was the only one who could be the boss. 'So great he has surpassed greatness', remember? Why did this knock him off your pedestal?"
"Overcoming his blindness is the greatest thing I've seen Boss do," Chrome added, her right hand going to her eye patch. "It's not easy to deal with a life-changing injury like this, but to see him laugh and smile as much as he does shows just how strong he really is."
Tsuna smiled at them all, "Vongola's been doing better than it has in years. Business is booming, no serious wars have broken out, and every time I have to beat someone down like this we gain new allies. I'm doing better than anyone thought I would before I went blind." He sighed as he put his hand on Gokudera's shoulder, "You may be fulfilling your duties as the Storm Guardian, but I am not the nucleus. The Family, our Allies and all our territories are what you must rage around."
"Vongola was made to protect the people, Tsuna's doing all he can to make her that way again." Enma spoke up, smiling as he joined them, "Follow your boss's lead. Tsuna's put it behind him, why can't you?"
"Hayato please, I don't want to demote you further." Tsuna said softly as he turned away, started out of the room with his other Guardians at his heels.
Leaving three startled men behind.