Disclaimer: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

A/N: Guess who's actually alive? Author-chan is back after three years, filled with lots of guilt and remorse. At the same time, life has been a huge pain in the arse for a few years now. Finally, I have time to get back into writing andddd here I am. I can't believe this story got so much recognition while I was wandering off in lala land. I love you guys so much. Sorry for the extremely long wait :(

I'm a university student now, so I can't make any promises for regular updates. However, seeing you guys give me so much attention, I am going to make sure that I continue this story no matter what. Thank you for waiting and I hope you guys enjoy this 'slightly' longer update!

Chapter 3: Checkmate

"Plans are of little importance,

but planning is essential."

- Winston Churchill

*chirp chirp*

I woke up to the sound of birds singing in the morning. Sunlight peeked in through the bedroom window, the rays sending a glossy and golden sheen around the room. Yawning out loud, I lifted my head off the pillow, cautiously opening my post-sleep eyes as I adjusted them to the blinding light. Sliding the duvet off my disheveled form, I mentally shook off any remnants of drowsiness before rolling out of bed, stepping onto the cold floor.

Sawada Nana had provided me with my own special room; it was probably one of the leftover guest rooms in the house.

Remembering back to my conversation with Tsuna yesterday, I couldn't help but smile at the thought. Talking to him had lifted a huge boulder off my back. Having someone to talk to was a privilege that I had long ago forgotten, ever since I was kept inside that cold and dark prison.

For a moment, I remembered the icy stone floor and the sound of chains clanking against my bare feet. I shuddered, wrapping my arms around myself before I realized it as if the temperature inside the room had truly dropped.

Some experiences just don't go away that easily.

Realizing that it was most likely time for breakfast, I quickly changed into a pair of t-shirts and jeans that Tsuna's mother prepared for me. Then, I left the room and slowly made my way down the hallway, only to freeze upon spying a figure wearing a very familiar fedora hat at the bottom of the stairs. Mentally and emotionally unprepared to face the greatest hitman in the whole KHR universe, I panicked and hid behind the walls as I listened to the conversation below.

"Uh, did you manage to get yourself lost, little boy?" Tatsuki asked with a polite smile on his face as Tsuna frowned from behind him.

"Nope, I'm actually here to be your personal home tutor. The name's Reborn. Ciaossu!" Reborn replied with his signature cat-like smile.

Tatsuki simply stared blandly at the baby in front of him. He blinked and spun around, placing his right hand on Tsuna's shoulder. At the sudden contact, Tsuna flinched, eyes widening like a deer in the headlights.

"Tsuna, that's probably your tutor," Tatsuki said loud enough for Reborn to hear. Then, his voice dropped low to a muffled whisper as if trying to prevent Reborn from eavesdropping on them. "Mom found a tutor truly fit for someone like you."

At Tatsuki's mocking and scathing words, Tsuna could only drop his head down, eyes boring into the ground like a child that had been scolded by his parents as he twiddled with his fingers.

For a split second, I saw Reborn's eyes twitch. I gulped, realizing that Reborn must have still heard Tatsuki's remark, despite how low in volume it was.

As expected...his hearing is god-like.

"Ah, no. I'm actually here to be your home tutor, Sawada Tatsuki. Tsuna's a bonus that comes along with the job," Reborn stated bluntly, a polite smile still present on his face as Tatsuki immediately narrowed his eyes.

"...Me? Mom asked for a small baby to tutor me?" Tatsuki replied, keeping his tone nonchalant as if he were not boiling in anger and humiliation inside.

"Yep!" Reborn smirked as he recognized the signs of anger lying dormant within the boy in front of him. "Mind showing me up to your room?"

"...Ah, I don't know what mom told you, but I think the one who needs more tutoring is probably my brother over here," Tatsuki pointed his thumb at Tsuna who suddenly jolted out of his anxious state. Reborn's scrutinizing and beady eyes landed on Tsuna's form. As if he had no idea how to respond to the sudden attention he received, Tsuna simply bowed down stiffly to Reborn as a greeting.

"Hm. Regardless of what you say, you have no choice but to be personally taught by me. After all, you were born to be the heir of the Vongola Family," Reborn announced as he slowly made his way up the stairs, much to Tatsuki's bafflement.

"Uh, what? What family?" Tatsuki immediately questioned.

Reborn turned his head around, the same pleasant smile hanging on his lips.

"The Vongola Family, one of the most renowned mafia groups in Italy," Reborn bluntly answered, leaving Tatsuki to gape in shock and horror with his mouth wide open.

On the other hand, Tsuna narrowed his eyes as he watched the baby stroll casually up the stairs.

As Reborn entered the hallway, our eyes met and I immediately straightened my posture. He looked up and stared into my eyes, his previous child-like smile no longer to be found as he dissected me apart with his vision from head to toe. All I could do was stare back at him and pray to all the gods up in the heavens above that I would not be deemed a threat.

Although there was silence between us, the high level of tension in the air said otherwise. I fidgeted in discomfiture as he slowly opened his mouth. Dreading his words, I took in a sharp breath of tense air.

"...We need to talk tonight," Reborn's voice echoed through the hallway. My only response was a small nod since there was an unspoken threat that lingered in the air if I had shown any possible sign of resistance.

Satisfied with my understanding, he plastered his usual grin back onto his face as he skipped passed me and entered Tatsuki's private room, humming a cheery tune.

I immediately collapsed onto my knees, legs quivering in fear.

If looks could kill, Reborn would be the definition of it.

"...Matsuki-san?" my ears twitched at the familiar tone and I lifted my head up to see Tsuna standing over me, eyes filled to the brim with worry. My heart could only throb at the sight.

How can you be so pure and soft-hearted? To think you would come to care for a stranger you've just met the other day...

"Are you alright?" the soothing timbre of his voice immediately calmed my nerves down, as if a wave of euphoria had washed over me.

I gave him a small smile and a nod. "I'm alright. Reborn just gave me a small scare."

At the mention of Reborn's name, Tsuna's shoulders immediately tensed up. I saw the tips of his fingers shaking. My eyebrows scrunched together as I cocked my head to the side in inquiry. "Are you alright?"

Tsuna mirrored my previous actions, replying back with the same smile and nod. "I'm fine. Although I think Tatsuki isn't taking Reborn's words very well."

"Ah, yeah. I don't think anyone could remain unshaken if they were brought such ominous news. Who'd believe the words of a baby who tells them that they're from a mafia family," I scoffed before clasping my hands over my mouth, realizing that Reborn could very well be listening to our conversation behind the door to Tatsuki's room. Tsuna raised one of his eyebrows at my peculiar action as I flushed and laughed sheepishly, waving my hand back and forth, motioning to him that there was nothing wrong. "Isn't it time for you to head to school already?"

Tsuna nodded and waved goodbye before he spun around and made his way back down the stairs. I heard the sound of the front door opening and shutting as I made my way downstairs for breakfast.

I exhaled loudly, feeling a headache making its way up.

Tonight, huh? I better come up with a way to become the master of lying in less than 12 hours or else I'll be killed for the second time.

If Reborn were to summarize his meeting with the Sawada household in one word, it would be dissatisfying. Although to others there seemed to be nothing wrong with the household, it was clear to Reborn's trained eyes that there were many layers of deceit that were the foundation of the Sawada family. Aside from the oblivious and kind-hearted soul, Sawada Nana, nobody else in the house was who they appeared to be.

To begin with, Sawada Tatsuki turned out to have some alarming issues that Reborn decided was of utmost importance on his to-fix list. Although he already knew about Tatsuki's hidden nasty personality, having to see that annoying facade right in front of his own eyes was something he wished he never experienced.

And the younger twin was cowering away in fear even more than usual. Perhaps it was because a stranger was roaming in his own house, but Tsuna was on high alert, avoiding Reborn's line of sight at all cost.

He peered out the window of Tatsuki's room, taking a sip from the coffee Sawada Nana made him, watching as the two twins headed off to school.

Tatsuki's strides were long and confident, while Tsuna lurked a few meters behind him, dragging his feet against the concrete as he timidly followed his older twin.

Reborn frowned, shaking his head in disapproval. At the sight, Leon made a growl-like noise, narrowing its eyes as Tatsuki's receding figure. Reborn reached his hand up to pat Leon on the head, calming it down.

If even Leon was hostile towards Tatsuki, then Reborn had a lot of work cut out for him.

In all honesty, all Reborn wanted to do was get the hell out of this toxic household. But he couldn't because he was here on the Ninth's direct order.

And even him, the greatest hitman of all, could not refuse such an earnest request by his boss.

Reborn placed the cup of coffee down onto its holder on Tatsuki's desk. He leaped off the desk, heading over to the windowsill. He climbed up nimbly onto the window sill and slid the window open.

Perhaps he would try to tail the twins to school, once again. It was his job, after all, to plan the best lesson for the older twin, so that he would become the new boss of the prestigious Vongola Family.

Failure wasn't an option.

No matter what means he had to use, Tatsuki had to become the perfect Vongola heir or else.

But before that...there were other more pressing issues that he had to deal with.

And he knew exactly what to do to resolve it.

"Oh, Akina-chan, come here for a second," Sawada Nana motioned for me to come closer.

"Hm?" I dropped the plates that I was previously washing and wiped my hands onto the towel hanging from the cupboards. "Is something the matter?" I headed over towards the dining table where Tsuna's mother was seated.

She smiled brightly and handed me some documents. "Here are the school application forms. If you can finish filling them out by tonight, we can get you started into Namimori Chuu by next week!"

I felt myself gape in surprise. "You already got the documents ready?"

"I phoned the principal myself last night. He said we could get you into Tsuna's class immediately," Nana beamed. "Tatsuki has a great reputation with the school, so the principal made an exception."

"B-But what about the school fees? I can't make you pay the expenses for me," I shook my head, a frown plastered on my face. "You've already done so much for me. I can hardly ask you for more."

"Oh, don't be silly. We really welcome you into our family," Nana smiled. "I've always wanted to know what it felt like to have a daughter anyways, so this is like killing two birds with one stone for me!"

I sweatdropped, laughing dryly at her optimistic attitude.

How carefree could someone possibly be?

*Knock Knock*

"Come in," Hibari spoke out from his seat in the disciplinary committee's room.

"Yes, sir," Kusakabe entered the room, a piece of paper in his hand. "I have come to give you my daily report."

Hibari glanced up at Kusakabe to acknowledge his presence. Then, he leaned back onto his chair and folded his hands together. Hibird was resting comfortably on his shoulder, snoozing away underneath the warm sunlight that entered through the window.

Kusakabe straightened his posture and took a deep breath before reading out his report. "Two students from class A and class B of the third year came late this morning. They will receive the appropriate punishments later."

Hibari stared blankly at Kusakabe, drowsy from boredom. Nevertheless, he motioned for Kusakabe to continue.

"The Biology club wishes to have more funds in order to pursue their new research with medicinal herbs," Kusakabe continued, unfazed by his leader's usual distant behavior.

"Rejected," Hibari muttered out without a pause.

Kusakabe sweatdropped and nodded, bringing out a pen to cross the biology club's proposal off his list.

"Is that all?" Hibari glared at Kusakabe in annoyance. "Don't waste my time on useless information. Do you want to be bitten to death?"

"U-Uh, no sir. There's just one last thing left on my report," Kusakabe found himself shuddering under Hibari's scrutinizing gaze. "Apparently, we will be having two new students next week."

Hibari raised an eyebrow. "New students? At this time of the year?"

"I believe so," Kusakabe flipped through his documents. "One of them is a transfer student from Italy. The other is someone from the...Sawada household? Perhaps a sister?"

"Italy...Sawada household..." Hibari mumbled to himself, a thoughtful look on his face. "I don't remember that putrid household having a daughter."

Kusakabe laughed dryly at his leader's attitude. "I know you are not very fond of the Sawada household. Maybe it's not their sister, but an adopted child?"

Hibari pressed his lips tightly together and glared at Kusakabe. "It isn't that I'm not fond of the Sawada household. I simply hate them."

"That's literally the same thing," Kusakabe mentally said to himself.

As if Hibari knew what was running through Kusakabe's mind, he grabbed the pen lying on his desk and hurled it with pin-point accuracy at Kusakabe's forehead. With a yelp, Kusakabe jerked his body to the side, barely avoiding the weapon, its sharp tip grazing his forehead, leaving a small trail of blood behind.

"Watch over them," Hibari barked out an order.

"E-Excuse me?" Kusakabe babbled, still in a stupified state by Hibari's sudden attack.

"Didn't you hear me? Put the brothers under surveillance," Hibari clarified. "And if that so-called girl ends up joining, watch over her too."

"What about the transfer student from Italy?" Kusakabe asked.

Hibari simply scoffed. "Ignore them. It's not that surprising that a school as famous as this would attract foreign students."

"...Is Namimori Chuu really that amazing?" Kusakabe found himself thinking unconsciously.

A pair of tonfas came flying at him and not surprisingly, Kusakabe couldn't evade in time as it hit him square in the forehead.

The next day, Kusakabe came to school with a large bump on his forehead.

"How are you today, Sasagawa-san?" Tatsuki gave Kyoko a pleasant smile as he sat next to her seat during lunch.

"Oh, hello there, Tatsuki-kun," Kyoko replied with a beautiful smile of her own. "I'm fine. Thank you for asking."

"No problem. I'm always concerned for your well-being," Tatsuki passed Kyoko a tissue paper, which Kyoko accepted in gratitude. "Be careful, you have a ketchup stain on your lips."

Kyoko flushed, feeling herself blush as she brought the tissue up to wipe the corners of her lips. "M-My apologies. I wasn't aware of that. I've shown you quite the embarrassing side of mine."

Tatsuki only gave her a quiet and restrained chuckle. "You have nothing to worry about. You are always pleasant to look at."

"O-Oh my," Kyoko felt herself swoon over Tatsuki's gentlemanly act.

From the opposite end of the classroom, Hana found herself gagging, choking on thin air as her face was colored green from disgust. She made fake vomit sounds as she glared at the two. Tsuna sweatdropped as he watched the disbelief in Hana's eyes.

Honestly, Tsuna didn't blame her for the sheer absurdity of the situation. He was also having a hard time keeping up his stoic face. To be honest, he felt like throwing up ever since Tatsuki started to woo Kyoko. However, he couldn't risk Tatsuki seeing his mocking reactions. So there he was, sitting on the other end of the room with his only comrade, biting his lips to prevent himself from gagging at the humiliating sight.

For once, Tsuna was proud of himself. He felt like his poker face would have made a brick wall jealous.

And so he sat in silence, quietly munching the sandwich in his hand as he tried his best to ignore the scene in front of his eyes and the prickling sensation of someone watching him from a distance.

Reborn would like to thank all the gods above that Tsuna didn't spot him on the tree outside Tsuna's classroom, because he was currently showing an extremely unsightly part of himself.

He was constantly banging his head on the tree, groaning in distaste. Leon was jerking back and forth like a fish out of the water on top of his fedora, visibly disturbed by the scene that was unfolding in front of their eyes.

Reborn was actually genuinely proud that Tsuna managed to keep a straight face under that bizarre situation because he himself couldn't help but groan at the sight.

At that moment, Reborn decided that he would have to teach Tatsuki about flirting with women the right way. Or at the least, some other way that wasn't as cringe-worthy as what he just witnessed.

In fact, Tsuna seemed to be the more gentlemanly-figure in Reborn's eyes. He watched as Tsuna patted Hana's back, smoothing over her spine in a rubbing motion. Hana turned around and muttered a quiet thanks as she immediately turned her attention away from Tatsuki and Kyoko's interaction.

"...I'm done for today," Reborn muttered to himself as he jumped off the tree, landing swiftly at the bottom. "I wish I never have to see that again," Reborn tilted his fedora hat to cover his eyes as Leon whimpered in agreement.

Then, he made his way out of Namimori Chuu, heading back to the Sawada household to check whether his trap had sprung into action.

With a smirk on his face, he patted Leon's head and watched as Leon transformed into a cellphone. Then, he typed some commands nimbly with his fingers.

"How the hell am I supposed to know what elementary school I went to? I don't even belong in this world," I huffed, resting my head on the table as I slumped down. "What should I do..."

I was spending the rest of the afternoon, filling out the documents that Sawada Nana had prepared for me. Although I had expected to have some issues filling out the papers, I didn't realize how bad my situation was.

"I'm stuck in an unknown world with a dubious background. What a great start," I mumbled to myself.

I was tempted to just write down the elementary school that I actually went to. However, there was no doubt that it didn't exist in the KHR universe. That was for sure. I could also just make up a random name, which was way too risky.

I found myself glancing around the room, looking for help from the inanimate objects lying around. "Is there anything I can use to help me fabricate my background...?"

My eyes landed on a cardboard box hidden underneath my bed. I raised an eyebrow, scooting closer towards the bed. I bent over and reached my hands underneath the bed, pulling the box out.

This wasn't here earlier...who put this here?

After hesitating for a moment, I grabbed the lid of the cardboard box and lifted it up. Placing the lid to the side, I peered over and scanned over the contents. Inside the box was a medium-sized laptop. There was a mouse that accompanied it, zipped up in a clear plastic bag. Some chargers and cords were strewn all over the inside.

My eyes widened as I stared at the contents in pleasant surprise.

Wait a minute...with this, I can search up for random school names in this universe and borrow them for my disguise! I can just forge a fake transcript later, anyways.

I found myself grinning widely as I immediately grabbed the laptop and placed it onto the desk. I grabbed a pair of scissors from the drawer and used it to cut open the plastic bag that contained the mouse.

Connecting the mouse to the cords, I plugged it into my laptop and turned the screen on.

A black screen with a white half-eaten strawberry logo popped up.

I found myself suppressing my laughter at the horrible joke.

Please don't tell me this is the 'Mac Apple' of the KHR universe. Seriously? A goddamn strawberry?!

After a few seconds of loading, the screen changed and the familiar login bar was presented.

I groaned, face-planting the desk for the second time.

Of course, it's password-protected. Why wouldn't it be?

I tapped my fingers lightly against the mouse, musing over my choice of action. When I came to this world, I had none of my previous belongings with me. All of my tools of trade were left in my original world. Then again, that group that locked me up in that cage probably ransacked my house. Most likely, all my possessions would have been disposed of.

Frowning, I sighed and ruffled my hair in frustration.

Without another computer, I could not create up a malware or trojan horse. It would take too long to try a brute force attack since I didn't have my programs with me. Besides, I didn't even have a USB drive.

Well...guess it's got to be the old-school method...guess and check.

As my first try, I pressed enter without typing anything, in case no one set up a password.

[Error: Login Failed]

I typed in the word Sawada Iemitsu, hoping that maybe this was Nana's laptop.

[Error: Login Failed]

Attempt 3: Sawada Tsunayoshi

[Error: Login Failed]

Attempt 4: Sawada Tatsuki

[Error: Login Failed]

Attempt 5: Tsu-chan

.

.

.

Attempt 100: 1014

...Nope, not Tsuna's birthday. Maybe this isn't Nana's laptop after all.

if it wasn't Nana's laptop or anyone else's in the Sawada household, then that meant only one thing.

This laptop must belong to Reborn. That was the only explanation left.

For a split second, I felt the urge to give up. If this was truly Reborn's laptop, then hacking through it meant certain death. A hitman of his caliber could definitely easily see through normal hacking methods. My only chance of survival was to open this laptop without hacking, meaning that I had to guess his password correctly somehow.

And the chances of that happening was so close to zero.

Actually, maybe it was negative infinity.

I mustered up my courage and took a deep breath. Stretching my hands and fingers in a dramatic fashion, I started trying out numerous passwords. Knowing Reborn, his password wouldn't be something as easy as someone's birthday.

An hour passed by as I sat there, mulling over the password. By that time, I had already attempted a thousand different ideas, ranging from various members of the Vongola Family, all the way to Nono's real name, only for my efforts to be fruitless.

Damn it...I really have no clue...

Then, as if a bolt of lightning had struck me, an idea came popping into my head.

What if...his password is something that others aside from the most trusted Vongola Family members couldn't possibly know? What if...

I found myself absentmindedly typing in my final attempt.

Password: Sawada Ieyasu

[Login Successful]

I blinked once. Then twice. Then I blinked again before a wide grin made its way up onto my face. I clenched my fist and thrust it up into the air, cheering quietly to myself, still partially in disbelief that I had actually guessed the password correctly.

Wiping the sweat off my forehead, I reached over to the laptop and pulled up the internet browser and started to type for the names of elementary schools nearby-

*Click*

I felt the blood rush out of my face as I froze stiff. I sat there still as a statue. Gulping loudly, I felt the nuzzle of a gun pointed at the back of my head. My fingers shook over the keyboard as my heart started pounding.

Slowly, I turned my head around...

and came face to face with a familiar green gun.

...Well fuck.

A threatening glare was in my line of sight. His fedora hat cast a dark shadow over his features, but I could sense the tension and fury radiating from his small figure. His lips contorted up into a confident smirk.

"...Checkmate."