Title: Rewritten: Kokuyo
Summary: What if the Kokuyo Arc had gone differently? What if Yamamoto had been just a bit later and Chikusa had escaped with Tsuna?
Rating: T – possibly M for violence and dark themes
Genre: Suspense/Drama/Mystery/Angst
Length: Very short.

Author's Note: So I am taking my rights as a fan fiction writer and expanding on the term AU. I know I shouldn't be writing something that wasn't originally in my projects list but this just sprang up and attacked me, okay?!

Don't judge me.

Just a quick note. The gaps in-between are what happen in the canon. I was lazy and didn't want to rewrite all that. Don't worry though—only the first chapter will be like that.

I don't own anything.

(1) - Consigliere: the counselor in a crime Family; advises boss and handles disputes within the ranks - Reborn's position. It seemed befitting.

To my dearest Consigliere:

You will have to forgive the high security encryption, old friend, but there is trouble brewing here in Italy. You needn't worry, however. Iemitsu is taking care of things on this end.

Two weeks ago, there was a jailbreak at a high security prison that's reserved specifically for the worst of the worst known within the Mafia. The ones that escaped were known associates of the Estraneo Family and they may potentially be after my chosen heir. The Vongola's information specialists have tracked the ringleader behind the jailbreak to a young man that assumed the name Rokudo. Their last location is unknown.

Handle this quickly, Reborn, as I fear the worst.

Yours Sincerely,
The Ninth of the Vongola
Timoteo di Vongola

Reborn closed the laptop as he looked up from his laptop and over at a sleeping Tsuna. 'It's too soon.' He thought with a frown. Tsuna wasn't ready. He was too young, to naïve to the ways of the Mafia. Sure, he knew what the public was allowed to know, but to be involved… well, that was something else entirely. He knew of Flames, he had tasted his Will when he first entered Dying Will mode but that was only half of it.

It was still too soon.

Absently letting his fingers curl around the smooth surface of Leon's scales. A frown marred the infant-turned-hitman's face which made him look so much older than his form permitted. "Things are going to get hectic, Leon," He murmured in a voice that was far too deep to be that of an infant's. "Be prepared for the worst."

The lizard in question only flicked out his tongue before curling up on the pillow and going to sleep and it wasn't all that much longer before Reborn did the same.

"Mou! Why is Gokudera-kun's cell phone unreachable at a time like this?" Tsuna thought, scanning the streets again as though that would make the temperamental bomber appear sooner rather than later. 'Man—and where is Reborn? I'd bet he could find him…' Tsuna frowned, looking around

"Ah, it's a Nami Middle student!" A female voice crowed. Tsuna stiffened and turned towards them. He gave a hesitant smile and a wave.

"Don't get too close!" Her companion hissed. "We don't want to get mixed up in whatever it is Hibari-san did."

Tsuna sighed as they scurried away. Was that what the other schools were saying now? 'Man. I hope this conflict ends soon…' He thought. Kokuyo Middle and Nami Middle had never been on the best of terms, even before all of this. As they walked past him, he heard the tail end of their conversation. "Did you see what happened in the shopping district earlier?"

"Oh God, yes. It was a fight between a Nami student and a Kokuyo student, wasn't it? That silver-haired one was cute~!"

'Silver?' Gokudera flashed in his mind. 'It couldn't be…' He stopped the girl in question. "A-Ah, excuse me. Can you tell me where the fight was specifically?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Hm. I knew it! You Nami kids are involved. It was in the next block over." She said and then flicked a strand of hair over her shoulder. Tsuna thanked her before bolting off but not before hearing her titter to her friend. "But you know, for a gangster, he's kind of cute too."

Had Tsuna not been in a hurry, he would have flushed but the only thing on his mind was getting there before he was too late.

"Kokuyo?" Gokudera repeated and then scoffed. "Maybe I've gone senile but which Family is that again?" He knew that Kokuyo wasn't a Family—it was the next district over—but he was stalling for time but this point, it didn't matter. He needed back-up. Whoever this guy was—he was good and Gokudera was getting low on ammunition. 'Need to stock up on more.' He thought absently.

The other guy, Kaki-something. Kakimoto, muttered under his breath. "Finally, the right one. Who are the other Guardians? Who is the Vongola Decimo?"

Gokudera's blood ran cold. "What did you just say?" He asked in a dangerously cold voice. "You're after the Tenth?" He clenched his jaw. "Well in that case…" He reached back for another round. "You're going down! Double Bomb!" He flung the sticks of dynamite forward and lunged into a role. He landed in a crouch just as two glimmers of read curved a wide arc around the area where his bombs hovered for a moment.

Damn it. Disarmed and trapped between two weapons. He cursed under his breath. He hadn't wanted to resort to this but he had no choice. He reached into the little pockets on his belt and ignited one with the end of his cigarette. The little bombs were small but they packed a punch and they would give him an edge.

He crossed his arms across the front of him just as the shockwave of the explosion sent him sprawling to the side. "Fuck! That hurt!" He grit out, spitting out blood as he did so. One of his ribs was definitely cracked and was currently poking the shit out of his lung. He'd have to see Shamal about that later. Maybe he had some Sun pills he could use.

"Take that—"

"Too slow." A voice said casually from behind.

He cursed under his breath but twisted. "I'm not done yet, bastard!" He smirked. "Double bomb!"

"An one-trick pony…" Kakimoto drawled but then jerked back just before the mini-bombs exploded point-blank in his face. Gokudera scoffed.

"Your depth perception sucks." He commented. "Don't underestimate the Vongola."

Tsuna stopped running, taking in big gulps of air as he did so. "That explosion just now…" 'It seems to have come from over there…' Tsuna took one last gasp of air before he forced his already aching legs to move. He had to get there. He didn't know why—all he knew was that he had to get there… and fast.

When he rounded the corner, he cut to a stop and his heart gave a startling lurch. 'No…' He thought, his mind stuttering to a halt while his blood seemed to thicken in his veins. "Go—Gokudera-kun!" He cried out, running forward and covering him before another attack could come from the dark haired teen that stood over him. "Stop it!"

Blue eyes flashed—Tsuna had startled him—before he raised his hands. "Back-up? It doesn't matter. You're done for."

Tsuna glared up at him in defiance. 'I won't… I won't let you hurt Gokudera-kun!' He thought with firm conviction. Something hot coiled at the pit of his stomach, slowly growing and heating the very blood that coursed through his veins. The enemy took a startled step back.

"The Sky Flame…" He murmured. "So you really are Vongola Decimo." He raised an injured hand which held something red—a yo-yo, something in the back of his mind, which holes that held needles that may or may not be coated with poison—but before he could release the weapon, Tsuna felt something pull him down.

He gasped, the heat vanishing abruptly as his position was switched. He felt Gokudera's body lurch on top of him. "Gokudera…kun?" He whispered almost fearfully. He tried to push him off but his hands were quickly slicked with something warm and sticky—blood. "Gokudera-kun!" He rolled him onto his back and checked his wounds. "No…" He whispered. Gokudera had several broken ribs and burns all along his back. That wasn't even including the puncture holes from the needles. Something hot sparked behind his eyes, coating his vision with orange.

How dare they…?

They hurt him. They injured him and then they tried to kill him.

How dare they?!

Upper lip curling back, Sawada Tsunayoshi let a very feral shriek erupt from his lips as he lunged at the perpetrator. "How dare you hurt my beloved Storm!?"

Chikusa had not been ready for the downright feral attack that had been launched by the weak appearing brunet. He had lunged for him with a shriek and Chikusa had only narrowly escaped being maimed. The brunet landed in a crouch on the other side and lashed out with his foot. Chikusa hadn't anticipated the attack so he didn't dodge. The kick caught his ankle and knocked him off balance. He put his hands out to catch himself, almost dropping his weapon as he did so. He rolled to avoid a dropping kick aimed at his head and grimaced. That would have given him a concussion.

He scrambled rather ungracefully to his feet and threw out his weapon. The needles fell from their compartments but the brunet jerked his head to the side causing them all to fly harmlessly past him. Chikusa resisted the urge to curse like Ken undoubtedly would have done.

This opponent, unlike the bomber, was quiet and agile. He made no sound beyond the enraged snarl and Chikusa knew from experience that it was the quiet ones that were the most dangerous. The knuckles that just barely missed his jaw were a key testament to that. Just before Chikusa jerked back, however, he saw a flash of amber—the boy's eyes had changed color and a vibrant orange Flame seemed to have appeared from nowhere on the middle of his forehead. Was this the Vongola's Hyper Dying Will mode?

They fought to the staccato tempo of their footsteps. When one attacked, the other dodged and countered. It was an elegant trade of attacks but it had to come to an end regardless of his curiosity.

Chikusa kicked one of the rocks forward at the same time he lunged and sent out his weapons in a wide arc. With a sharp jerk of his wrist, the needles fell from their compartments like drops of rain. His opponent was fast and managed to dodge all but one—the one that he had held back deliberately for this moment. It caught him on the side of his neck.

He gasped and stumbled back as the numbing toxin took effect. Amber faded from his eyes and the Flame that had grown on the center of his forehead vanished as he fell forward. Chikusa caught him despite his exhaustion. His opponent, despite being the enemy, deserved at least that much.

With one last look at the bomber, Chikusa gathered the small brunet into his arms and quickly retreated. He had obtained his prize, after all.

Tsuzukeru.

I am a very bad writer... I should be working on my upcoming projects but this is what came out instead. For those that are waiting: I apologize. Darkest Edge is still in the making. Everything else is just giving me a hard way to go. Oh well... I guess I can work with this to pass the time.

Thanks for reading~!