I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.

How To Get Out Of An Exam

I-Pin hummed softly to herself as she filled her silver travel mug with hot tea from the kettle. She flicked her raven braids over her shoulder and snapped the lid on. "Lambo!" she called. "We have to get going!"

Her best friend soon slid into the kitchen on sock-covered feet, his backpack loosely held in one hand. "Relax, we got plenty of time. Our exams don't start for another half an hour."

"You're not accounting for travel time." She hoisted her leather schoolbag over her right shoulder and took a small sip from her travel mug, being careful not to burn herself. "Besides, exam week is not the week for us to start being lax."

Lambo rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. I got it." He snagged an apple from the glass bowl sitting in the middle of the kitchen island. "What exam do you have today?" he asked before taking a bite.

"Physics," she replied.

"Ooh. That sucks."

I-Pin smiled slightly. "It really isn't as horrible as you think it is. But I admit, it's not easy. I'm glad Spanner and Shoichi-kun spent some time studying with me."

"With those two brains helping you out, you should be fine. It also helps that you're sort of smart."

She rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks. You have Ancient History, right?"

Lambo shook his head. "No, that's tomorrow. Today is English."

Furrowing her brow slightly, she opened her mouth to voice her confusion but paused when Yamamoto appeared in the entryway. He wore his usual suit with a light blue dress shirt and matching tie, a set of silver keys dangling from his finger. "You guys ready?" he asked the pair of sixteen-year-olds.

"Yeah," the two chorused. Lambo took one more large bite of his apple before throwing the rest in the garbage. The teens followed after Yamamoto and Lambo paused to put on his shoes before going out the heavy-duty doors of the Vongola Mansion. There were many limos resting in the massive, sloping driveway.

Selecting one, Yamamoto slid into the driver's seat while the two slid into the leather wraparound seat in the back. The vehicle drove up to the gates, which parted to let them out. They were soon cruising down the road, on route for their high school.

"You two ready for your exams today?" the Rain Guardian asked.

"I think so," answered I-Pin.

"Yeah," said Lambo.

Yamamoto smiled. "I'm glad to hear it. I'm sure the two of you will do well."

"If we don't, we have many a person to answer to," said Lambo lowly, causing I-Pin to giggle softly.

They rode in comfortable silence, making idle chatter now and then. I-Pin spotted her friend's bag resting carelessly by his feet. She moved the zipper up a bit and ignored the bemused glance Lambo sent her. Both were too accustomed to the other going through their stuff to be bothered by it.

Fishing out the teen's exam schedule, she unfolded it and glanced at the exam he was supposed to have that particular day. As she had initially thought, it was Ancient History. Though she had only looked at her friend's schedule once, when they first got them, her memory was a very good one.

Uh-oh. I have a feeling this isn't going to be Lambo's day…

I-Pin poked Lambo in the shoulder. When he glanced over at her, she handed him his exam schedule and pointed. Green eyes stared at the piece of paper for a moment before they filled with horror. Face pale, he mouthed, "I am so done for."

I-Pin gave a solemn nod. Unwilling to speak more of his mix-up with Yamamoto within hearing distance, Lambo slunk in his seat and stared at his schedule, silently wishing it to change but to no avail.

The limo rolled up to the curb outside of Castelli Secondary. "See you later, Take-nii," said I-Pin, opening the door and stepping to the cement.

"Bye," said Lambo, managing to force a believable smile on his face.

Yamamoto smiled at them. "Call when you're all finished and one of us will be here to pick you up. Good luck!"

The two teens waved after their departing brother. When the limo was out of sight, Lambo whirled around and cried, "I-Pin! Help me!"

The girl stared at him. "How am I supposed to do that?"

"You're not. Sorry, force of habit. Whenever I'm in trouble I always ask for you to save me." Lambo crumpled up his schedule and shoved it into the pocket of his black school pants. "Ugh, I can't believe I mixed up my exams. I thought for sure my English exam was today!"

"Didn't you look at your schedule to double-check?"

"No…"

I-Pin sighed in exasperation. "Why not?"

"I was absolutely positive English was today."

"Can you do a quick review of your important notes?"

Lambo shook his head. "I only brought my English stuff with me."

"Well. You're in trouble."

"Tell me something I don't know." Lambo bit his lip, stomach twisting in anxiety. "What am I going to do?"

"Look, you just need a fifty in your overall class mark to pass," soothed I-Pin. "What's your term mark right now?"

"Eighty-five."

"Okay, that's good." I-Pin did some quick calculations in her head. "That means you need at least a forty-three on the exam to pass the course with a decent grade."

"I don't know if I can manage that."

I-Pin crossed her arms. "You must have learned something during those weeks of class."

Lambo flushed. "I did a lot of daydreaming, okay?"

"I wish you the best of luck." I-Pin looked at her watch. "Exams start in six minutes. I'll meet you out front after they're over."

"Can't I just skip my exam?"

"Try and I'll kick your butt clear across the schoolyard before ratting you out to Kyo-nii so he can bite you to death."

"I'll…I'll take that as a no."

They entered the building and split off to go to their respective exam room. Lambo nudged open his classroom door and slipped silently inside. Most of his classmates were already at their desks, speaking softly with one another. Lambo dropped his backpack at the front of the classroom with the rest of the bags and dropped down at his usual desk.

He went through all the information he had gathered during the time spent in Ancient History class in his mind. He was surprised and relieved to discover that he actually remembered more lessons than he thought he did.

Hopefully it would be enough to get him through this exam.

When it was close to exam time, their teacher entered with a stack of exam papers. "No more talking, please."

The group of teens immediately stopped talking and faced the front. Going around the room, the teacher handed each student an exam booklet. When he was sure every student had one, he looked at the clock to ensure the time was correct before saying, "You know the rules for examinations. You may proceed."

In unison, every student picked up a pen and wrote down their student information on the first page of the booklet. Flipping it over, Lambo stared at the first question. When none of the multiple choice answers stood out to him, he moved on to the next question. The process repeated until he reached the end of the exam and his heart sunk.

I really have no clue what the answers are. Crap.

He went through the questions a few more times, hoping something would jog his memory. But he never really worked too hard in this particular class, as it didn't require much effort. They had few tests and plenty of projects, so he didn't do much studying of the subject.

Well. Time to guess randomly and hope this works out.

He randomly started filling circles in with his pen, stomach dropping with every question he answered.

Yeah. I'm going to need a miracle to get me out of this one.

BOOMF!

"Ahahahahahahahahaha!"

I-Pin's pen froze over her paper, eyes growing wide in disbelief. For a brief moment, she thought that she was hearing things. But then the all-too familiar cackle sounded again before being replaced by loud sobbing.

I-Pin's Physics teacher frowned in irritation. "Who is making all that racket?" she snapped, glaring at the closed door.

Oh no. There is no way that this is happening, now of all times.

"Put Lambo-san down, stupid head! Or Lambo-san will blow up this dumb place!"

"What's this? Threats?"

Ooooooh crap crap crap.

Left with little choice, I-Pin slipped a piece of Gyoza-Kempo from her school skirt pocket (not so big that the smell would attract attention but enough so that the attack she launched would be effective enough). She popped it into her mouth and swallowed it. Taking a quick breath, she raised her hands in a certain formation and fired off a blast.

The horrible stench of Gyoza-Kempo immediately filled the room. Students started gagging and dropping to the floor, holding their throats as their faces turned green. Feeling rather sick, the teacher could not speak and had to hurry to the garbage can.

Well-accustomed to the smell, I-Pin had no trouble snagging her bag and slipping out of the room without being noticed. She rushed down the hall, towards the classroom where the very familiar cries were coming from. She eased open the classroom door and peeked inside.

Mr. Renata, the Ancient History teacher, was holding aloft six-year-old Lambo, who was screaming shrilly, a few grenades clutched in his small hands. It would not be long before the classroom and those within were at risk at being blown to pieces.

I-Pin glanced around the hallway and spotted a fire alarm. Having enough Gyoza-Kempo within her to take out the closest security camera, she did just that before running over and pulling on the alarm.

Red lights flashed as the alarm system rocked the building. Students and teachers spilled into the hallway immediately, flowing towards the fire escape doors. Lambo's classroom door opened and students poured out, talking loudly to be heard over the alarms.

"What was with the pink smoke?"

"Never mind that. What the heck happened to Lambo? He just disappeared. And where did that kid come from?"

Of course no one connects the dots. Though I don't exactly blame them for being oblivious. It's not something any normal person would believe.

"Lambo-san's really mad now! You better watch out!"

With her skills honed by years of training with Master Fong, she was in the classroom in time to see the child Lambo throw the first batch of grenades. With lightning speed she knocked out the teacher, shoved him in the arms of the closest student outside the classroom door and ordered them to move faster before slamming the door shut. With precious seconds left, she snagged the wailing Lambo and dove out the window, covering the child as the grenades went off.

BOOM!

Glass shattered from the windows and smoke billowed out. I-Pin removed her hands from her ears and peeked through the jagged holes. The desks were nothing more than splinters, small fires were everywhere and large scorch marks decorated the walls and floor. The door had been completely blown off and she was relieved to see that no one had gotten struck by the blast.

"At least it was mostly restricted to this classroom," she sighed.

"Put me down, old lady!"

"Excuse you." I-Pin hefted the six-year-old up and glared. "You just destroyed a classroom!"

"Lambo-san doesn't care!" he sniffed. "That stupid head shouldn't have messed with the great Lambo-san!"

"I forgot how annoying you were. Actually, you still are annoying."

"Shut up! You're annoying!"

It often amused I-Pin how quickly the child adjusted to his new surroundings after being transported by the Ten-Year Bazooka. Very little seemed to faze him, though she suspected it was due to the fact that the child Lambo was utterly clueless.

She glanced at her watch. There was about two minutes left before her sixteen-year-old companion would return. "Do you want to play?"

Lambo eyed her in interest. "Lambo-san loves to play! Play what?"

"Do you want to fly?"

She did not give him a chance to answer, for she flung him high into the air. A scream of fear quickly turned to joy when he started to descend. She caught him with ease and he shrieked, "Again! Again!"

For the next two minutes she resorted to throwing him up and catching the cow child. A puff of pink smoke appeared when he was in middle of descent and she stepped nimbly out of the way.

"Oof!" The sixteen-year-old Lambo winced and rubbed his head. He slowly sat up and it took a moment before the newfound memories struck him. "Oooh…I don't know how to feel about this."

"You and your stupid Ten-Year Bazooka."

"Hey, don't blame me! Well, at least, not me me. I haven't used that thing in forever." Lambo stood up and brushed the dirt from his school uniform. "You know, this is the first time this has ever happened to me while I was actually at school."

"How come the younger you doesn't remember a thing when he returns to his time, but you do?"

Lambo shrugged. "I don't know how the Ten-Year Bazooka works. All I know is that, for the most part, after I return I get the memories of what my child self did." He turned around, studied the damaged school and grinned. "I think I'm a genius."

I-Pin set her hands on her hips. "You didn't have a single clue what would happen. You're just darn lucky."

"Who pulled the fire alarm?"

"Guess," she said dryly. "I had to get everyone out in case you went grenade crazy. And you did. Come on, let's talk somewhere else. Everyone else has already evacuated to the front of the school."

"Right. Just let me get my bag."

Lambo carefully climbed through the broken window, retrieved his bag and went back outside. The two hurried around the side of the school and onto the sidewalk, where the population of Castelli Secondary was gathered. In the confusion and excitement, no one paid much attention to their sudden arrival.

"I mean, it works," said Lambo. "I get more time to study for my Ancient History exam, I won't get in trouble for bombing the class and I definitely won't get in trouble for messing with the place."

"That's a copout." I-Pin pouted. "This is technically your fault."

"It is and it isn't." Lambo smirked. "I'm starting to remember the benefits of the Ten-Year Bazooka."

A couple of fire trucks roared down the street and parked across from the school. Firefighters rushed into action while a few police officers talked to the principal.

"You going to be in the clear?" asked Lambo suddenly in concern.

I-Pin smiled. "Yeah. I used Gyoza-Kempo to get me out of the classroom and to take out the security camera before I pulled the alarm. I knocked out your teacher as well, since it was clear he wasn't going to process the situation in time before the grenades blew." Her brow furrowed. "Uh, don't tell Master what I'm using my skills for."

Lambo laughed. "I won't. How long before someone comes to see if we're alright?"

"Soon. They all have alerts on their mobile devices that will let them know if something is going on at Castelli Secondary."

"I may or may not thank Giannini for that one," replied Lambo.

"It also helps that there are news crews covering this." I-Pin pointed towards the school, where there were a few reporters and cameramen stationed outside the building.

After a few minutes of standing around in the warm spring air, Principal Salvatore let out a sharp whistle that made everyone fall silent.

"Due to this certainly unexpected incident, we will be cancelling exams for the rest of the week while repairs and investigations are being done. You will receive an e-mail on your school account which will inform you when exams will resume. Teachers will escort students who need to retrieve their personal belongings from inside the building. The bus company has been contacted and will arrive shortly. Those who do not take the bus system are free to head home. I apologize for the inconvenience."

A great cheer sounded and students began moving in several different directions. Lambo pumped his fist with a wide grin. "Six-year-old me rocks."

"Six-year-old me is a gem for putting up with you." She grinned at his irritated glare. "But this definitely rocks."

Lambo smirked and was about to say something when he spotted a familiar limo rolling up to the curb. "And here they are. So…I guess you better explain. I know the gist of what happened, but my memories aren't crystal clear."

"Of course it falls to me to explain."

The doors to the limo flew open and Tsuna and Gokudera stumbled out with frantic expressions. Gokudera's eyes locked onto the smoke still billowing from the destroyed part of the school and Tsuna started scanning the crowd.

"Lambo! I-Pin!" He exclaimed in relief when he noticed the two teens in their red and black uniforms coming towards them. He opened his arms and they happily accepted the embrace. "Thank goodness!"

"We saw the news broadcast and came straight over. Was the school attacked?" demanded Gokudera.

"Er…sort of," replied I-Pin, stepping back and rubbing the back of her neck.

"By who? Are they still here?" Gokudera snapped his head about wildly in search for the non-existent assailants.

"Not that kind of attack!" said Lambo quickly.

"He switched places with his six-year-old self and activated a few grenades," explained I-Pin. "The only thing injured in the process was the classroom."

"Ahoshi…" growled Gokudera.

Lambo held up his hands defensively. "It's not my fault! I mean, it is and it isn't! I don't have control over my younger self. I can't remember when I'm about to be transported ten years into the past until I'm brought back and the memories lock into place as best they can."

"He's right," said Tsuna with a sigh.

Gokudera huffed. "Well, did anyone see it happen?"

"Sure. I was in the middle of an exam. But they didn't connect the dots."

"How did everyone get out before the grenades blew?" asked Tsuna.

I-Pin smiled sheepishly. "I used a bit of Gyoza-Kempo to help me out."

Gokudera crossed his arms and arched an eyebrow. "In what way?"

"I used it to distract my teacher and classmates so I could get to child Lambo. But then I saw the grenades and pulled the fire alarm so that everyone would evacuate. Lambo's teacher wasn't quick enough so I knocked him out and gave him to a student to bring to safety."

Tsuna rubbed a hand down the side of his face. "I'm going to have to write a cheque to help with the repairs."

"You should pay for the damages." Gokudera gave Lambo a rap on the head.

"With what money?" the teen returned, rubbing the sore spot.

"What about your exams?" questioned Tsuna.

"Cancelled until further notice," she replied.

Gokudera narrowed his eyes. "You did this on purpose," he accused, jabbing a finger at the Lightning Guardian.

"Did not!" he whined.

Tsuna shook his head, a slight smile on his lips. "In the limo."

The two teens complied, sliding into the backseat as their two brothers got up front, with Gokudera driving. "Are we in trouble?" voiced I-Pin.

"No," assured Tsuna. "Lambo had no control over this situation, and you were doing your best to help."

"Spoiled rotten brats," grumbled Gokudera.

"We love you, Haya-nii," cooed I-Pin.

"Yeah, yeah."

Lambo leaned back in his seat, a satisfied smile on his face. He would now have plenty of time to study for his Ancient History exam and it was all thanks to the fascinating machine that was the Ten-Year Bazooka.

Well, it's one way to get out of an exam. Lambo-san rules.