Mechanical Bonds
Summary: Tsuna decided to appoint new guardians after becoming the Vongola Decimo officially. He does not give the rings to his friends. Instead, robots were appointed as guardians for the first time in the entire Vongola history. No one can do anything to change Tsuna's mind, not even Reborn. Then something goes wrong with the robots and Tsuna faces death. Will human bonds win over the programmed robots?
Chapter 4
Amok
Author's Note: Sorry about the long break in between chapter updates. Things were going downhill for me. I'm going to apply for my degree program as well as preparing to get into the finance sector for a higher paying job that I don't feel good about. I never liked numbers to begin with as I am a language and arts person to begin with. Nevertheless, this is the new chapter, I hope you can leave a review or two before chapter 5 comes up. Let me know how you feel about the plot so far and what kind of things you might expect from this short series ^^
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
It had been several hours since the repairs on the guardians started. The system had to be scanned and updated to make them more flexible to situations which may not be predicted beforehand. Giannini had offered to help too but the teen technicians refused his aid politely. They knew better than to accept his help, not after the recent fiasco with Lambo's ten year bazooka.
It was taking a long time to get the guardians to power down. Even in the human looking shell, it did not change the fact that these robots were designed very closely to the Moscas.
Mini Mosca got to work and fetched the required tools Spanner needed while Irie ran the scans and copied out the data files in the Mosca guardians' memories. It was going to be a long week ahead.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Arrangements were quickly made when the Vongola HQ knew of their boss's situation. No Don was allowed to go unguarded. Tsuna would not be an exception either.
With little resistance, Tsuna had accepted the new guards. They weren't exactly unfamiliar but Tsuna wasn't exactly comfortable with them. The Varia had sent Squalo and Mammon over while the CEDEF had made Basil attend Namimori High for a while. Tsuna wasn't happy with being watched so tightly, not when he finally had some breathing space, after his guardians were taken away for maintenance and repairs.
The first thing Squalo did when he saw the brunet was to give him a hard kick in the stomach. Unprepared for an assault, Tsuna stumbled and hit the wall behind hard from the impact.
"Listen here brat," the sword emperor growled, "I don't care what you're planning but I am not babysitting you. I'm only here for that katana brat. Since he is no longer your guardian, you will have no right to interfere with my business with a civilian. Got that?"
Tsuna did not have time to reply before Squalo took off, leaving Mammon and Basil behind. Nana walked to the door and saw the two newcomers. "Are? It's been a while since we had visitors. Why don't both of you come in?"
Mammon merely floated in and followed the housewife to the kitchen, demanding for strawberry milk while Basil hurried over to Tsuna. "Sawada-dono! Are you alright?"
Tsuna gave a weak smile while reassuring the boy. Basil was skeptical but did not pursue any further. Tsuna was thankful to the boy's understanding. He had to keep the act of an uncaring person if he wanted to save the friends he had. They had to hate him and move on with life otherwise all his efforts would be in vain.
Basil was kept entertained by Tsuna's mother. Tsuna went up to his room after giving a random excuse. His mother suspected nothing as per usual. His smile felt stiff but no one saw through it. Of course if the 'someone' had been Reborn then it might have been a different story.
Fortunately Reborn had things to deal with. Tsuna closed the door to his room silently and let out a sigh of relief. There had been so much tension lately and Tsuna understood how Irie felt in the future. The stomach cramps were common and Tsuna knew that it was something no doctor could help with. It was anxiety triggered after all. All the worrying Tsuna did and the act he had to keep was taking a toll on his health. He felt the effects of stress wreck his body.
Seeing Shamal would be useless even if there was something that he could do to help Tsuna. Firstly, he does not treat males. Secondly, it might cause his efforts to go to waste because the doctor might spill it especially if Reborn was the interrogator. Tsuna was already chugging painkillers like there was no tomorrow when Reborn was not looking. He always kept the box of painkillers with him so Reborn would not find out. He also made his mechanical guardians grab the painkillers for him when Reborn's watch was too tight.
Lately though, none of the painkillers were having the effect they should. Tsuna was overdosing and he knew how detrimental they were. Still, anything for a moment's relief or escape from the cruel reality was worth it. Then again, there was always drug but Tsuna knew better than to play with fire. He couldn't risk being controlled by drugs as the boss because he had to be sane at all times to protect his friends.
Tsuna let out a low groan as a thin sheen of cold sweat covered his body. The pain got worse and his body convulsed before spasming violently. Dark spots were clouding his vision and all he could do with the remaining strength he had was to pull himself onto the bed to seem as if he had fallen asleep.
Not even Reborn would know of his condition. The only thing the hit man could derive of this behavior was the more frequent naps that Tsuna took. Other than that, Tsuna was careful to ensure he did not collapse in front of anyone.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Reborn knew that the new bodyguards were in town. His pacifier glowed a while back and Squalo's yells could be heard from his location. He had been in Namimori High even though it was a Sunday. He needed to talk to Shamal.
Shamal was not surprised when his old friend appeared. As usual, Shamal made a few jokes about flirting to which Reborn entertained briefly before getting onto the main subject.
"Shamal, I want to ask your opinion on the current predicament with the Decimo."
The doctor looked at the arcobaleno seriously before sighing. "My opinion won't be anything much my friend. Nothing can be done about this. It's already made official even if it's a ridiculous situation."
Reborn smirked. "What did you take me for? I'm the world's greatest hit man and nothing is impossible for me."
Shamal raised an eyebrow. "I'm sure you already know what I think of it. The real question is: what would you require me to do?"
Reborn's eyes twinkled. Shamal internally sighed. It was going to be a lot of work and he was not going to be paid for sure.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Yamamoto was dumbfounded. Squalo was in his father's sushi shop munching on expensive sushi. Sure, the man had paid a whole load of money for it but it did not explain his presence. He was no longer the rain guardian of the Decimo so why would Squalo be here?
"Squalo, not to be rude or anything but don't you have other things to do like missions? I'm sure eating in my father's sushi shop isn't the reason why you came to Japan… unless you missed me? Hahahaaha!"
Squalo immediately smacked Yamamoto with his prosthetic hand. "Shut up brat! I go where I want and not even the boss can tell me what to do!"
Yamamoto mentally sighed while an uneasy smile made its way to the baseball lover's face. "I see… so why are you here?"
Squalo ignored the boy and continued eating. Yamamoto observed the silver haired man. "You know… if it's about fighting and all I'm not qualified. I'm no longer Tsuna's guardian in the mafia game."
Squalo swallowed quickly before glaring at the young man. "I didn't come here to listen to your pathetic sob story. So what if you aren't his guardian? Aren't you his friend? You took up the sword for your friend and not your boss, didn't you? Unless you're telling me the so called friendship you have is actually that fragile."
Yamamoto let the words sink in. A broad and refreshing smile replaced the fake one he wore earlier. "Thanks Squalo! I know what to do now."
Squalo grinned as he watched the baseball lover leave. He turned back to his sushi and resumed eating. "Damn, Japan's sushi is really the best. Maybe I should bring some of the recipe back so that Luss can make them."
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Yamamoto dashed full speed to Gokudera's apartment. He almost kicked the door down when there was no response. The grumpy silver haired man opened the door and was greeted by a bright grin. "Yo!"
Gokudera raised an eyebrow. On no occasion had Yamamoto been to his apartment. "Why are you here?"
Yamamoto chuckled. "Can I come in?"
Gokudera wanted to refuse but then the giggles of the neighbors and wandering eyes of nosy passersby annoyed him. "Fine…" he agreed reluctantly and opened the door wider to let Yamamoto in.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Dino was staying in the hotel. He had intended to visit Hibari when he suddenly remembered he no longer had a reason or excuse to. Somehow he was depressed at that knowledge. Romario sensed his boss's distress and took it into his own initiative to call Kusakabe.
A while later, Dino's phone rang and startled the blonde. He answered it tentatively. It was Hibari calling. "I heard that you were in town herbivore. Why didn't you tell me?"
Dino mentally chuckled at Hibari's mannerism. He never changed. "Well, I thought that you didn't want to see me. I also don't have a reason to check on you since… since what Tsuna decided."
Hibari scoffed. "That is of no importance to me. What I want is to be able to fight stronger opponents and that is all. Meet me at Namimori's rooftop in thirty minutes. Don't be late or else I'll bite you to death."
With that the phone line went dead.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Mukuro twitched in annoyance. "Oi, how long are we going to keep this thing?" he pointed to Lambo who was lounging on the couch. Chrome had requested that Lambo live with them in the Kokuyou Land ruins because the young child had nowhere to go. As promised, Tsuna made the Vendicare release Mukuro from his water prison.
Chrome smiled while Ken kicked Lambo across the room. "Shut up you cow! Can't you see Mukuro-sama is annoyed?" Instead of making the child quiet, he bawled even louder than before.
"Wah! I want to go back to Tsuna-nii! I hate this scary place!" Chikusa looked at Ken silently. Ken felt guilty as Chikusa said that Ken made a child cry. He defended himself weakly and Chikusa's emotionless gaze did not waver. Ken sighed in defeat as he gave Lambo some grape candies that worked like magic. Lambo stopped crying immediately. After eating the candy, he fell asleep.
Mukuro sighed. He was getting a headache from the babysitting. At least Ken wasn't as bad as the Bovino brat. He had another reason to respect Tsunayoshi. "How much patience does he have? This brat is so annoying I'm surprised I haven't killed him yet."
Chrome giggled. It was refreshing to see Mukuro try to care for someone else other than Ken, Chikusa and her. Somehow she knew that even when Tsuna turned Lambo away, he meant good. She would always believe in him. "Mukuro-sama, I believe in boss so can I follow him? Even if he doesn't want us, I still want to be by his side even if from the shadows."
Mukuro looked at Chrome for a while before laughing. "Kufufu~ you don't have to ask me my sweet Nagi. You can follow whoever you want. As for me, I think I want to have a little talk with Tsunayoshi in private about this. I don't quite understand him even if I can guess why he did it."
Chrome gave Mukuro a worried glance but Mukuro smiled at her reassuringly. "I won't harm him, I promise. It's just a chat." Chrome nodded. He knew Mukuro would never lie to her.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Spanner and Irie were both asleep in the temporary hideout. The Vongola base wasn't ready and they had to work in an abandoned warehouse. Security was lax but no one really bothered. Only a few cameras and laser traps were in place for security but they weren't good enough for the impending threat.
After the insect spy bot has infiltrated the system, Croce's technicians ensured that the bug was planted in Irie's cell phone. The deed was done and all that was left was chaos.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
The week went by relatively fast. Nothing abnormal had been detected during the maintenance and the mechanical guardians were back with Tsuna. Basil went back to Italy with Mammon but Squalo opted to stay in Japan a little longer. He had even enrolled himself as a temporary Kendo instructor in the school. Hibari made it possible by visiting the school principal.
The day was normal with his guardians beside. Tsuna was feeling worse than he did a week ago. The anxiety and stress had made him weak. Insomnia did not help. He was half asleep at a junction he had to walk pass on the way to school.
Taiyo pulled Tsuna away just in time as a car zoomed past and crashed into a street lamp just a short distance away. All weariness disappeared. Tsuna panicked and ordered for an ambulance to be called while he tried to go over to save the injured.
The moment Tsuna got within range, the car exploded. Reborn had been there just in time to get Tsuna out of the explosion range but Tsuna did not escape unscathed. The Decimo was rushed to the hospital immediately.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Dino and Hibari were getting ready for the spar when Romario interrupted with the news of Tsuna. Dino rushed to the hospital immediately while Hibari ordered Kusakabe to find out more about the car and the driver. He frowned. According to what was reported, Hibari knew that no cars drove past that street in such an early hour. Most vehicles were trucks and vans for the early delivery to the shop owners running their businesses. It was suspicious and worth investigating.
Mukuro had heard the news from Reborn as soon as Tsuna was checked into the hospital. Chrome immediately demanded to be allowed to watch over Tsuna from the shadows. She didn't trust the mechanical guardians with Tsuna's wellbeing. Reborn agreed.
Mukuro then disappeared to do his own investigations while Chrome waited by the hospital. She did not tell Ken or Chikusa in fear of worrying Lambo. The child did not need to bear that burden.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Hibari had summoned Spanner and Irie to the office when he had the footage camera of the 'accident'. He went to search the origins of the car and found it strange that the car had been registered as scrapped a few years back. It wasn't unusual to fake the car's existence but what was weird was that the car's owner was still alive and had clearly mentioned his car was scrapped. He wasn't driving the car that was involved in the incident. His neighbors attested to it as well.
Checking the wreckage has shown that the body found in it after an autopsy turned out to be an artificial creation. In other words, it was an immobile dummy which was strange because the footage showed the car driving in a manner a person would. Hibari did not dismiss the possibility of the car self-driving. He just needed to hear the opinions of the professionals.
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Tsuna had a fractured leg but that was all the damage he had. He was thankful to Reborn for coming in the nick of time. His mechanical guardians didn't react fast enough and wasn't sharp to detect the bomb implanted in the car.
The brunet was going through the day's events again. It had been an ordinary morning but things were suspicious. Because of his health condition, he was no longer able to differentiate the dread of his hyper intuition and his anxiety.
He closed his eyes. It was a long morning.
As soon as he felt himself drifting to sleep, the ceiling fan of the hospital room begin to spin. It spun slowly at first but then the speed increased. Tsuna thought nothing of it initially. However when the speed never stopped increasing, Tsuna's hyper intuition screamed at him to get out of the way.
Fatigue hindered the boss's movements and Tsuna went pale. He wasn't going to make it in time. The ceiling fan spun at an alarming speed and swayed dangerously. The fan was cracking and it was going to fall. Tsuna silently screamed as the fan came crashing down. He was still immobile on the bed.
Tsuna resigned to fate and closed his eyes. He waited for the blade to hit him but nothing of that sort happened.
Tsuna peeked and saw that he had been shielded by some kind of illusion. It had to be either Chrome or Mukuro because of the signature lotus flowers.
"Boss! Are you ok?" a feminine voice asked. Tsuna smiled slightly. Tears welled up in his eyes. Chrome panicked. "Boss! Where are you hurt? I'll go get a doctor right away!"
Tsuna grabbed Chrome's wrist before she could run away. "No need for that. I'm fine. Thank you."
Chrome took a good look at Tsuna before smiling. "You're welcome boss. Even if I am not your Mist guardian, you shall always be my boss. I don't know why you are doing this but I know that you haven't changed. I will always be by your side as long as I live. This time, let me protect you."
Tsuna smiled. "Ah, thank you." Chrome smiled back. She trusted Tsuna with all her heart that was now thumping inside of her chest. She no longer used illusions for her organs because Tsuna had found her real organs as promised.
Reborn saw the brunet with the illusionist in the hospital he frowned. Even if disaster had just passed, it was something that bugged Reborn greatly. Tsuna was being targeted for sure and by weird things. Someone was controlling all technological things and he wasn't sure how.
Unless they had a clue to who was behind it, there was no knowing what else might be the 'accident'.
"Call a meeting for me. Gather everyone without the knowledge of the Decimo's official guardians. It's an assassination attempt."
Xxx Destiny Aitsuji xxX
Author's Note: This is longer than I intended but whatever~ do review! The reviews are important here…