A/N Hey there,

Not much romancing here, but definitely some more mafia-related movement.

Currently I'm trying to think of what the end game is going to be (but we still have a ways to go so no use worry too much now).

With this title it isn't really hard to guess which guardian is up next :)


~Chapter 13 – Storm on the Horizon

It had been Reborn that had personally carried her into the hospital, the exhausted boy that had trailed behind him far too lost in his own thoughts to do anything other than follow. Similarly it was Reborn that watched over her, more so than either of the two dark haired boys that stalked the corridors outside her room. Of course he hadn't been with her 24/7, ducking out to settle some rather important matters here and there, but it had still been him and not her family that had been by her side when she first woke. Considering all that, it wasn't strange for Reborn to also be the one to escort her home. Tsuna couldn't have been more grateful for his steadfast presence as her father and brother made to accost her the moment she stepped through the door. They took advantage of her mother's absence, guiding her to the living room with solemn faces and heavy hearts. Reborn didn't miss a beat, leading her to sit on one of the armchairs, whilst maintaining his post behind her.

"I'm so sorry Tsuna," Her brother begun, flumping onto the opposing couch and bury his head into his hands, "It all my fault you almost-"

"Ieyoshi," She cut him off sharply, his full name effectively catching his attention, "I'm fine." It seemed her brother and father, whether forced or not, were going to be telling her the truth. Ietsuna leant back against the chair, almost as unwilling to listen as they were to explain. Despite that she waited patiently for one of them to continue, idly watching the long fingers on the edge of her vision tap in an unchanging rhythm.

"I'm sorry to have kept it from you for so long, but I think it's time you learnt the truth," Her father was the one that spoke first, resting his calloused hand on her brother's shoulder as he looked to her resigned "I am part of the mafia." He stopped, anticipating her interruption, but it never came. Instead her eyes were a sea of false calm that would serve to judge his reasons and motives. "You see Tsuna, I work for Vongola, the most powerful famiglia in Italy, and Yoshi is the one who will eventually succeed it." Unlike Reborn, there was no other alternative for her father. It was his son that would become Decimo and he hadn't thought anything else a possibility. "We returned to Japan so I could train him safely, but it seems I underestimated our opponents and as a result, you almost lost your life." Her father bowed his head, truly regretful of his own foolishness. "I'm sorry Tsuna, but you can no longer live a normal life."

"…" She was silent, appreciating his honesty at the least, "What happens now?" Tsuna asked quietly, her eyes catching her father's as he lifted his head.

"You'll be trained," He answered, "So you'll be able to hold your own against any further assassins, and in the future you may also be pulled into the Vongola." He spoke as if she hadn't already been, as if he hadn't imagined making her the next head of CEDEF now that all was revealed. But alas, the future was uncertain. "Unfortunately, I have my hands full with teaching Yoshi," and indeed he was putting 110% percent of his all into it, "So-"

"You will be in my care." Reborn cut in, a smirk tugging at his lips.


"So, have you made your choice?" He was strangely eager to see what path she would take, to see her innate greatness realized, and to see the changes she would bring about their world. These expectations of his were high, unfairly so, but instincts told him she would match them eventually.

"My choice?" She didn't know how to feel about the hitman making himself comfortable in her room, but had little choice on the matter as he was overseeing her rehabilitation. They hadn't told her father or brother about the burns yet. Or more accurately, Reborn hadn't felt inclined to let anyone but the doctors know.

"Yes," He was amused with the girl, seeing a potential that Vongola so dearly sought after, "Will you resign yourself to the mafia as a mere underling, or will you sit at the top?" He had seen it at the abandoned building, her ability to briefly enter the so called 'dying-will' mode. As far as he knew Yoshi would continue to rely on the specialty pills, an upgrade from the Vongola patented bullets, whilst he could teach her otherwise.

"I don't know. I just want to protect Yoshi." She hated her indecisiveness in everything. Reborn finished bandaging her hands in his surprisingly careful manner, and at the end she felt a cold, hard weight settle in her palm. The heaviness pushing against her wounds in an uncomfortable way.

"That's good enough for now," He supposed, acting as if he hadn't just dropped a gun into a teenage girl's hands, "We'll have to work on that resolve though." The choices he offered her were naught more than pretty words. As long as she remained slightly willing he could work on her outlook, prepared to meld her mind as much as her body,

"This…" She held it up, the gleaming, black shine somewhat comforting. No, she wasn't afraid of guns anymore or of getting shot it seemed. Years of that terror and phobia, overcome in an instant.

"Your father doesn't think highly of guns, but I'm the one that will be teaching you, and I happen to find them incredibly useful," Leon moved from his sleeve flicking his tongue out at the foreign metal, "That is your new partner, I suggest getting used to it quickly." Somewhere hidden behind dictionaries in her shelf Tsuna knew there was a simple gun magazine. The model she held in her hand looked familiar, but she was far from placing it.

"Is it-" Tsuna pressed down on the release, her face freezing in shock as the magazine landed on her bed with a thump, "…loaded?"

"Of course." Reborn answered with a smile, pushing the magazine back into its place, "I trust you'll take care when practicing."

"Y-yes."


"The mafia boss… a leader who rules a criminal organization. Able to move a number of trusted members with one hand, willing to risk even his life for the family, surrounded by the respect and admiration of all, seen as a hero by the children of the slums…"

"Oh, is that right?" Reborn was leaning against the doorframe, watching as she disassembled the gun only to build it back up.

"You're the one who's making me read this." Tsuna muttered, her fingers fumbling as she moved her eyes away to read. She had never been the best at multitasking, but with Reborn here she doubted she was allowed to be bad. With said hitman taking up the place her door usually would, Tsuna was able to hear the knocking from the front door.

"I'll get it." Her makeshift-teacher stated generously. Reborn made his way downstairs at a leisurely pace. He figured that any salesmen or such wouldn't waste their time waiting. "Yamamoto Takeshi." He stated, taking in the boy's resolute stance. His appearance didn't come as a surprise, the hitman more or less expecting the teen to show his face around this time.

"Excuse me, is Tsuna available?" The boy didn't fidget under his stare. Something that while it didn't seem much, was commendable. Reborn analysed him quietly. He was healthy and fit with certain talent…a natural ability that his father probably scorned after spending years trying to raise his son as a civilian. The hitman felt no guilt as he allowed the boy entrance, sending him upstairs to Tsuna's room. He was obviously in love with Tsuna, a fact which equalled to loyalty. To what extent though, he was prepared to measure.

"Thanks." The former baseball played muttered, as he hurried, anxious to see Tsuna. He didn't knock, wanting to surprise her, but found himself the one in shock as he opened the door.

"Takeshi!" Tsuna scrambled in panic, sweeping the offending items off her desk in an attempt to hide them. Those fragments clattered loudly, parts colliding with one another as they tumbled onto the floor behind her desk. She had assumed it was Reborn returning, and not her unknowing friend. It was foolish of her.

"Tsuna, do you not trust me?" He asked in an unusually blank tone, striding right over to her. He tried not to feel hurt as she seemed to flinch away from him, leaning over to retrieve the metal components. In his hands he held a half-assembled gun and the rest of its cold pieces, their weight too heavy to be anything other than real. "Did you pick up gun assembly as a hobby?" He asked, almost giving her a way out.

"Not quite," Reborn answered from the doorway, the smile playing on his lips all Tsuna needed to see to know this had been planned by him, "Yamamoto Takeshi, are you willing to give your life for Tsuna?"

"Reborn!" Her eyes were alight in rage, beautiful yet fearsome, "You are not to involve Takeshi." If he was a lesser man, Reborn would have relented, but he wasn't the world's strongest hitman for nothing.

"Yamamoto, your answer?" He pressed, holding her gaze with his own. This wasn't about whether she trusted him or not. It lied in the fact she wanted him safe and as far away from this mess as possible.

"My life is yours Tsuna," Takeshi replied, looking to her apologetically, "It has been, ever since that day."


Things had become tense between them at that point, their easy relationship now strained, and she blamed it all on Reborn. She could not forgive him for dragging an innocent into the underworld, and she couldn't forgive Takeshi for allowing it. On the other hand Takeshi merely wanted her approval, her acceptance, and for Tsuna to allow him to protect her. He sought answers from his dad, learning more than he would have believed, and convincing the old man to pass down his way of the sword. He would become strong enough that she would be forced to see him. Until then though, they remained separated. Tsuna walked to school with her twin, and Takeshi barely even showed, spending more time within the dojo that the classroom.

"Did something happen between you and Yamamoto?" Her brother asked, somewhat happy and somewhat displeased.

"We had a small disagreement." Ietsuna replied tightly, clearly not wanting to speak about it anymore.

"If this is about the mafia… I'm really sorry Tsuna." He bowed his head and she sighed, giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

"It's not your fault," She replied honestly, "Don't worry too much about it." They slipped into a silence that was only interrupted by the quiet chatter of their classmates.

"I heard we're getting a transfer student," Her brother stated in an attempt to brighten her mood, "Dad told me he would be interesting."

"Really?" She wanted him to clarify, the simple mention of their father rousing her suspicions, but the entrance of their teacher halted all conversations.

"Class, I'm sure you're excited…" The teen that followed behind their soft-spoken teacher looked like nothing more than a delinquent. His hair was a striking silver and the eyes sitting on his handsome face, bright green. It was the scowl that marred his face as well as the haphazard way he had worn their uniform marked him as trouble, though that didn't fail to attract the attentions of the many females of their class as the teacher continued to drone on. Tsuna too, could hardly bear to look away, eyes watching the pulsing, red form of a frenzied blaze. It flickered between furiously bright and almost entirely faded, all the while giving off a hostile aura that screamed 'Stay away'. "He's come all the way from Italy," Their teacher continued, unaffected by the utter look of disdain the teen wore, "His name is Gokudera Hayato, please make him feel welcome."

"Che." The transfer made of sound of distaste, glaring at her, or rather behind her at where her brother was sitting. As he walked down the aisle and past her, completely ignoring the weak calls of the teacher, Tsuna could only marvel at the fact that the fire she expected to burn her only exuded a hushed warmth. She started slightly with the abrupt kick he dealt to Yoshi's desk before slumping down in the only available seat in the class. It was a surprisingly juvenile act for someone she knew belonged to the mafia.


A/N Thanks for reading.

Takeshi is now absent from Tsuna's side, Mukuro and Chrome are quietly plotting some nefarious things, and Reborn has effectively made Tsuna dislike him (for how long this lasts is unknown for know). And when you think things are falling apart... Gokudera is here to save the day.

Also I think I might try starting a running gag (let's see how this works out)

We are also still on track to having Xanxus back before Chapter 20, and ain't y'all excited for that (because that what it looks like to me haha)?