A/N: Thank you for your reviews from the past chapters and everyone who fav and follow this story.
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CHAPTER 3
So that happened
The three arrived at the front of the Vongola Mansion, barely returned from a certain place. Tsuna slows the car to a stop. The Vongola driver appears to open the driver's door to let Tsunayoshi out. Meanwhile, Lambo and I-Pin practically jump out and raced up the stairs to the Vongola Mansion. Tsuna shakes his head the sight and turns with a smile to give his car key to his personal Valet.
Once he caught up with the two children, Tsuna gives them look at his younger siblings, "Remember, I am trusting you two to be quiet about this until I showed it to the others."
"We promise!" "Of course, Tsuna-nii!" The mansion's door opens just as they arrived at the doorstep.
"Besides you could rub it to the others face once they know," he smirks as the I-pin giggles and Lambo laughs maniacally.
"I don't even want to know," Shamal speaks up from his seat in the Vongola Mansion's foyer. Which that itself was strange. Last Tsuna checked, the older doctor was in vacation for one more month.
"Shamal? What happened?" Tsuna's eyes widen in fear, "Is it Mukuro and Chrome—?!"
"Relax, it's nothing serious, unfortunately," Shamal mutters the last part darkly.
I-Pin and Lambo decide then to take off. Tsuna calls out behind them, "Don't forget you have a spar with Kyoya later and not a word unless you want a double team of Reborn and myself for your extra training".
The two young children looked back at him in fear and furiously nods before dashing upstairs.
Shamal waits impatiently until Tsuna turns to him, "You do realize because of your disappearance performance yesterday, everyone who wasn't knocked out were worried? No communication, no signal from your tracking device…"
"Tracking device?" Tsuna frowns at this. He doesn't remember being injected or even agreeing to one.
Shamal coughs and quickly goes on, "Nevertheless, it seems like those trio must have come back from a mission badly beaten up when your Demonic Cloud called me."
At this Tsuna stares at Shamal confused, "Mission? They seemed fine when I last—oh Kyoya found them."
The Vongola boss covers his face with his hands. Shamal wasn't sure should he worried with the way the younger man's shoulder shook. Should he pat his shoulder in comfort or…
Shamal changed his mind and groans. Tsuna lets out a maniac laughter.
"Again, not going to ask," Shamal rolls his eyes and pulls up his doctor's coat collar, "Since those trio only need more rest and should be fine in an hour or so, I am off to find some lovely ladies~!"
"Thanks for the help! Sorry you had to come in!" Tsuna shouts after the doctor between chuckles.
Shamal ignores him and leaves the mansion.
"What do you mean Juudaime has been missing since yesterday?! Was he kidnapped or something?!" Hayato tried to sit up, but he was restrained to his bed in order his leg that heals faster, which was in a cast.
Bianchi shrugs as she peels a rotting apple, "How should I know? He probably went to his secret spot or something."
"It's not exactly a secret. I'm just cleaning it up for future use," Tsuna appears. He was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He turn to Bianchi with his eyebrow raised. The older woman shots at him an innocent smile and puts away the purple fuming apple into her bag. Shaking his head, Tsuna turns to his precious family, who the latter brighten up to see him safe and sound.
"HEY EXTREME LITTLE BROTHER!" Ryohei shouts before wincing when he tried to wave his bandaged arm.
Once the Vongola boss entered the room, Bianchi passed him by on her way out. Before she walked through the doorway, she blows a flying kiss at her blushing little brother. Hayato turns his head and glares at the ceiling, ignoring Ryohei's loud snickers.
"Heard you had a run-in with Kyoya yesterday," Tsuna commented casually. Takeshi silently stares at Tsuna. The latter catches this. He tilts his head in worry, "Are you alright, Takeshi?"
Takeshi blinks and looks at Tsuna worried, "Hm? Oh yeah, of course. What about you? Feeling better?"
Tsuna stares at him and the others with a strange, funny smile. One can almost think it's a smirk, "I will be seeing you at lunch. I'm off to my office!"
The Vongola boss takes off and practically skips out the door, leaving the three guardians staring in disbelief and confusion.
Ryohei broke the strange silence, "THAT WAS EXTREMELY WEIRD!"
"What? That he was eager to do his paperwork? That is rather suspicious," Hayato began, who still had a slight tint of red on his cheeks, "What if he was taken by UMAs or—"
Takeshi gasps, finally grasping what was bothering him, "Tsuna is scary."
They two other guardians stare at him in confusion, "Remember how I mentioned yesterday if Tsuna wasn't too merciful, Kyoya wouldn't have beaten us up? He didn't even get mad or said anything about talking to Kyoya."
The trio turn their stares to the door their boss went through in horror, He completely planned this!
Shoichi was glaring at the computer screen, still trying to find the foreign code. It has been hours and can recite every phrase, space and punctuation throughout the Vongola firewall and beyond and still find nothing wrong.
"Still having trouble, Shoichi?" an amused voice said behind him.
The red haired young man jumps and was ready to yell at the person who dared to interrupt him until he realized it was the Vongola boss.
"Byakuran has been asking for you, wondering why you were taking so long. He thinks I'm stealing you for myself," Tsunayoshi comments.
"He thinks everyone is trying to take me. Crazy marshmallow lunatic," Shoichi mutters going back to find anything out of place in the code.
At the sight of Shoichi's glare darkening, Tsunayoshi asks worried, "Is something wrong?"
Shoichi ignores him, but Spanner answer it from under his station next to Shoichi, "We are deleting everything in the system. Since we cannot locate what could be wrong. So we are going to start from scratch."
Tsuna leans over to see Spanner taking out and rewiring through a complex mess of electric wires. The Vongola boss stares at the wires meaningfully. There was an idea that was just right at his reach to connect, reminding him of something.
Suddenly Shoichi snaps his fingers, recalling something, "Tsunayoshi! Before I forget, the communicators are still down, but you had a cal—"
There was a beeping noise in Shoichi's computer that he returned his attention to it. Everything silenced. No scientist took note, experiments bubbled, ignored at the obivious stare toward Shoichi.
Almost in an unnatural calm voice, Shoichi said, "Someone is hacking the system."
Giannini broke the heavy silence, "You found who it is?"
Shoichi's fingers typed faster since his announcement, but then froze over one of the keyboards. Then he slammed his fist between them, "I almost did. Worse, it shows signs of someone who knows this system. It was like they were hiding behind the code, mimicking it that I didn't catch on it until they access too deep into the system."
"That would explain the Mist mission situation," Tsuna rubs his forehead, "Does this also include the mansion security?"
Tsuna curses when Shoichi nods gravelly.
"No place is safe, meaning we have to go to the really old system," Shoichi hung his head in shame, "I'm sorry."
"Its fine," Tsuna rubs his forehead at the incoming headache, "It's because of this I wanted you to do a security sweep in the whole system. I wouldn't be surprise how this was the reason the Ninth had trouble cleaning house in the first place."
"If that is true that means we cannot use the old system either," Spanner points out while rewiring something.
Tsuna crosses his arms and stares at the ceiling for a moment. They waited for the Vongola boss organize his thoughts. When he faces them again, his eyes flashed gold, "This means no one is going anywhere by themselves especially when you have to leave the mansion."
"Send a message for a guardian meeting, Vongola?" Spanner asks.
Tsuna shakes his head and began to walk out, "I should see them at lunch."
Shoichi nods and goes back on typing and muttering darkly at the computer screen. When the Vongola boss was near the exit, he shouted, "Don't forget to eat! Unless you want Chef Benigno and his staff break in here!"
In response, there were shouts spoken in different intervals with one word, "FOOD?!"
Giannini nervously laughs, and looks at the time on one of the screens. No one had eaten for two days straight. Opps. Giannini presses a button on the intercom on his desk.
"Lunch break for the morning shift, the afternoon stay with Spanner—" the Head of the Science department trailed off as he saw Spanner already half-way out the door.
"Hm?" Spanner looks back unashamedly, but shrugs it off, he walked out.
"No fair! I wanted to eat first…" whimpers Giannini for a moment. Then he sighs before rolling his shoulders in determination. He turns to the other workers who like him had no choice, but to stay, "Better do what you can. Boss is depending on us!"
"RIGHT!" everyone went to back to work with much more fervor.
Shoichi reaches over a tablet and plug in a USB cord, connecting it to his main computer. Then the Head of the Gesso Science department gives it to Giannini, "Pretend you want to take over Vongola and try to break my prototype security walls."
Spanner was on his way to the dining hall that isn't in construction when he caught up with Tsuna. He takes off the wrapper of his lollipop and eats it. He would have gone around, but he heard rumors of that part of the mansion is being resconstructed. As of right now, they were probably trying to connect the system back online. Seems like he is going to wait until the two Vongola guardians move for him to cross.
I wonder if anyone had given the heads up of the system lockdown, Spanner thought to himself, Then again they cannot get in without special permisision of Giannini.
"—so it's with me you want to partner with?" Tsuna asks Hibari in surprise.
"You are the least whom I dislike, presently," Hibari responded.
"There is that," Tsuna sighed.
Seems like the waiting is over, so Spanner greets, "Yo, Vongola!"
"Beat Giannini for break again?" Tsuna grins. In response Spanner shrugs.
The three walked toward the least used hallway to the dining room. Spanner then remembers something, "Shoichi was trying to tell you earlier about yesterday. Little Yuni called in. She was asking for you."
"Ah, I better see if I can call her back later," Tsuna looks at Spanner with an unasked question.
Spanner frowns at his stick devoid of candy. He places the finished lollipop and takes out another, "I have been working some of the phone line security, but the calls without confidential information being exchange were actually fine since yesterday."
Tsuna brightens up for a second, "So I can call her right now?"
"Not yet. Since it's now official we have a possible mole, Giannini would be working on that once he is done doing whatever Shoichi needs him to do. Although we did get aerial video for that mission you sent your Mist to back up your other Mist and the Shimon," he can feel Hibari's eyes glaring behind him as Spanner pockets the wrapper.
"The Pineapple got a mission?" Hibari growls.
"Sorry, Kyoya, but this mission asks for the least amount of damage," Hibari stares at him, "I needed subtlety damage, not the blatant bloodlust. I will get you a mission once we resolve this situation."
Then Tsuna smirks darkly, "Depending how serious, you can have the mole once he or she is found."
Spanner in response at the sudden dark laughter of his boss, was to put away the lollipop into his pouch to snack on later. Hibari in the other hand, smirks. He has been cooped up too long and the two trouble makers and "his fellow three guardians" were simply a small meal for him. He is a carnivore who have needs. Sparring needs from powerful carnivores or omnivores.
"By the way, you should have something else on hand when you are out and about. The attack that almost compromised your Mists and the Shimon is known as Flame Seals," Spanner casually mentions.
Tsuna stops and frowns at him, "Do you know how to disrupt it?"
Spanner shakes his head looking around for a good seat with his fellow co-workers, "Not yet, but it's being worked on as of right now by the division. Hopefully the Mists will bring more intel that we may have missed."
"Just keep us updated then and thanks," Tsuna turns to see who else is joining in the feast at the main dinning room. He brightens up when he sees the rest of his guardians, even the Mists looking none worse to wear from a first glimpse, being present at their side of the long table. It has been too long since they all ate together, especially with a possible crisis over their heads. Then again, most of the dinning rooms other people eat were part of the destruction from the day before.
After lunch and the final check up that released for the wounded guardians for missions with only bandages and no body casts of any kind, Hayato went straight to verbally fight Shoichi who looks like he hadn't sleep last night in the Science department.
As for Takeshi, he looks around the new looking facility. He still has a half hour to kill until the guardian meeting to start. Naturally Hayato wanted to use that time to find as much of information as possible. He doesn't understand much how any of the equipment works and wonders about the fruit pictures on the computers mean. The rain guardian decides to leave, I should've taken Big brother's suggestion for a light spar.
Takeshi began his walk to the training rooms, when he was surprised to find a very serious looking Lambo, sitting on the stairs.
"What's up little Lambo?" Takeshi sits down next to him.
"It's not fair," Lambo pouts.
"What? Your spar with Hibari? You're lucky he already let out most of his bloodlust with us yesterday," Takeshi rubs his neck, still slightly sore from the brutal beaten from Hibari. He had heard it from one of the cleaning staff comment Lambo's and I-Pin's larger meal than usual was given in order for them to recover their energy for their "heavy training" with Hibari for sneaking into the Cloud guardian's room.
He had thought it was rather odd of Hibari going straight on biting the three of them to death. Then again, they did take his mission. The rain guardian made a mental note to not mention the other reason Hibari was riled up to Hayato. Who knows what he would do.
Lambo shakes his head, "Tsuna-nii was such a good mood before lunch ended."
Takeshi puts his arm around Lambo's shoulders, "Then we better hurry up and help him. That's why he has us, his guardians for. Just as he is our sky, who embraces us with no regrets, we support our sky just the same."
Lambo snorts, "That's so cheesy, Takeshi-nii."
"I call this meeting forth to make sure we are all in the same page," Tsuna looks at everyone's serious looks. Personally, he didn't like the fact everyone was here together again and it isn't for fun and games, but life is never kind. Especially with them.
"It has come to my attention, there has been a leak and apparently, it isn't the first time. It is official as of before lunch. We have a traitor," there were killing intent being released around the room as Tsuna let the news sink for a moment, "We are not sure if it's a full traitor or someone posing as one of our own."
He looks at Chrome's frown and Mukuro fiddling with his trident with a tight grip, "Do you want to explain what happened on the recent compromised mission, Chrome?"
Chrome nods, "My squad had our tracks covered. If we were not expecting for the worst and if the Shimon wielding flames had not been known by many, we would have been in worse condition."
There were slight murmurs in the room, but quieten as Chrome went on, "Someone knew of our lack of Vongola gear, but worse was the fact how half of our equipment no longer worked thanks to these 'Flame Seals'. To clarify, our equipment are mostly powered by our flames. We are still searching how and what was used to activate these 'Flame Seals'. What we do know is how they are aimed mostly toward flames of the sky while earth flames were somewhat affected. Unfortunately, it was enough to mess up our defense."
By an unspoken cue, Mukuro takes up the narrative, "I went on my own to see if I can back them up, while being extra careful since there might be possible something or someone who can sense flames."
Mukuro frowns in memory, "I actually took the least used path and not easily navigable, yet I was easily seen. It was rather fortunate I was no simple low grunt."
Hibari snorted. Tsuna spoke up, knowing what would happened otherwise, "So were you able to get hold of anyone?"
"Sadly no," Mukuro sighs, "Although some of our older squad members from your predecessor's time, believed the enemy used the old sewer passage, a best kept secret by the upper echelon of Vongola."
"That confirms the suspicious of someone who is in Vongola or at least some link to it," Takeshi puts in.
Tsuna rubs his forehead in frustration. He glances at his watch and knew he had procrastinated enough to do his paperwork, "In three days' time, we will meet again with anything you find. Don't forget go with a partner. You are dismissed!"
The sun was starting to set when Tsuna decided to forego his work after not able to concentrate long enough for it and go to the open forest within the Vongola Mansion property to think. He would have waited for Kyoya to return from his quick trip to the Science department, so he wouldn't be on his own, but Tsuna was too deep in thought.
He began to pace, There must be something I am missing, but what? I personally had "clean house". The Varia as well and my father...
The young man stares at the worn bench near him reminding him of the old plaster and the wiring was not right just like the place destroyed by his guardians yesterday. Strangely enough, it was near the Science Department, where a lot of electrical wiring goes through.
He remembers how Shoichi complained hiccups in the system during one of his runs before today and Spanner was taking apart the wiring and throwing away most of them. Tsuna froze at the sudden realization.
"Kyoya! The construction workers!" Tsuna shouts looking for Hibari. His search was cut short when he sensed someone not quite familiar behind him. The Vongola Decimo jumps to the side, then slide to the other barely dodging second shot and jumps forward to the ground from the third shot. He pinpoints the estimated area where he suspects to be where the three missed shots came from. He caught a shadowing figure within the newly planted trees. The Vongola boss quickly stands up and caught a hint of blue.
His Cloud came rushing in, but Tsuna hated himself right then in dropping his guard and leaving behind his possible back up. Then there was a rush of power leaving him and he found himself on his hands and knees. To his surprise, his sky flames were released on their own accord and left his body to form a triangle around him. The same triangle that on its points were where the bullets had landed.
Suddenly it stopped, but Tsuna's eyes widen, fearing what is going to happen next. The ground only glowed once more before everything turned white and he knew no more.
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A/N: Poor Tsuna, if only he stayed inside. So a heads up, starting next week, I will update this story every Friday (I already have the next couple chapters done, I only need to check my grammar). Upcoming next, the fallout and laments of the guardians. Will they be able to step up to the challenge? Until next Friday for Unraveling the Truth, LaniAhava out!