I just remembered people usually do this.

Disclaimer: None of this is mine except the plot, the world, and the OCs.

Oh and no beta. Rather, I, myself are the beta, a crappy beta. If that count.


Chapter 4: Threat

The time he woke, he blinked. His body won't move and his mind was sluggish, he felt lethargic. Reborn pondered what day is this so that he can relax and go back to sleep. Immediately, he snapped his eyes open and quickly get up causing vertigo attack his head. Reborn grunted and raised his hand in attempt to message only to notice both of his hand is bounded, by handcuffs.

His mind immediately went alert, recalling last night event. He was kidnapped. Fantastic, he thought. The number one hit-man was kidnapped. Reborn eyed the cuff in his wrist and noticed that it is not the only place being bound. His right ankle is being handcuffed to the right end bed arm and there's metal choker in his neck, connected to the wall behind him with metal chain. What the fuck.

Fortunately, his cloth is still intact or he'll seem like slave. He needs to escape these bounds, immediately. If one of the arcobaleno saw him in this state, they might burst out laughing. Too focused at his own condition, Reborn failed to notice the present of someone at the other side of the room.

Reborn tried to call his flame to destroy the chains but before he made the effort, a voice came out. "It's useless." Reborn sharpened his eye, looking at his surrounding better and spotted a person sitting with one leg brought to his chest, propping his chin at the corner facing the wall beside him emotionlessly. The person's orange eyes eerily glow in the dark room.

"The chain is flame resistant. You can't break it with your flame or brute strength." Despite of his mind is going haywire, Reborn somehow manage to keep the calm façade in his face. "Who are you?"

"Aren't you're the one who searching for my trace? And now you're asking who am I." the person answered flatly.

"Sawada Tsunayoshi." Reborn tried to look at the person's figure more clearly but the lack of light make it more difficult.

"It's been a long time since I heard that name. Why are you looking for me?" never once did the person turned his eyes into Reborn only stare at the wall beside him.

"Won't you untie me first?" the person just kept quiet.

"At least the choker, aren't you're a bit too extreme? Or is this some kind of kink of yours?" Reborn gulped silently and clenched his hand when the person didn't react at all. The silent felt suffocating.

"Who knows what you could possibly do." He finally answered.

"Oh? So you marked me as dangerous?"

"Of course I would, if a stranger tried to track me with a mafia background, who wouldn't be alerted." His toneless tone is getting uncomfortable to Reborn.

"Touché," Reborn mussed. "So what if I don't want to answer your first question?" he pushed. Reborn know that it is dangerous for him to do this, but what choice did he have? Besides he's Number one Hit man, he greets death as old friend.

"I don't really mind if you don't." now that throw Reborn off a little.

"I have my assumption of it, more or less." He huffed.

"I expect you're hungry. Is breads okay with you?" he stand and walked out without waiting for an answer. Reborn noted that he had small built despite his age, matched the report one point.

Tsunayoshi came back with a tray in his hand and a heavenly scent hit Reborn's nose. An espresso, he noticed. The boy laid the tray beside the bed showed there are two breads and a cup of espresso. He picked up one of the bread, rip it into half.

"Do you want some?" the boy offered into the bed's corner. Reborn was confused at first but then Leon crawled out from the bed cover, flicker his tongue out. The boy got closer to Leon and fed him the bread. Reborn shot a glare at him while Leon just flicker his tongue again and continue eating the bread.

"Aren't you going to eat? There isn't poison in it." Reborn looked at the food beside him and the young man before hesitantly reaching the espresso to sip it.

"Is it good?" Tsunayoshi asked. It's delicious, Reborn thought but he didn't answer it; instead he asked.

"Why are you giving us food?" Reborn looked at his eyes, noticing that his orange eyes somehow turn into obsidian color.

"I couldn't let my guest starving after all."

"Oh, I'm your guest now? Then you should make your guest feel as comfortable as you can." Reborn jingled the chains in his hand.

Tsunayoshi just stay silent and stared blankly at him. Reborn is seriously starting to get bothered that gaze of his. He just can't read him at all. Reborn clicked his tongue.

"What do you intend to do? You've already got me now." as much as Reborn's despise, he got to admit that he's in real trouble right now. He already tried to break the chains with flame or brute strength, but as the kid said, it's a futile attempt. Damn. Never once Reborn had thought that he could be reduced into this state, by a child moreover.

"Vongola," He muttered. Reborn just looked at him, maintaining his façade.

"You are from the Vongola. Il Presceli Sette, sun pacifier holder." He said louder this time. This time Reborn gritted his teeth.

"So you know. It should be obvious. Who exactly are you?"

"Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"That's not what I mean." He growled.

"Kuro,"

"I don't need your disguise name. Look, if you don't give me satisfied answer. I'm going to figure it out by myself. And you'll regret it." Reborn shot a murderous glare, unsurprisingly, the kid isn't even affected.

"Even in this state?" The kid taunted instead, although Reborn doubt whether if that is a taunt or not, considering the void of mocking tone and look. But his pride still took that as damage.

"Don't underestimate me." Reborn grumbled. "I –"

"Vuoto,"

"What?" Reborn blinked, it surprised him so much that he let the fact the kid had interjected his words.

"Hacker,"

"Are you implying that you are a hacker?" he nodded.

"That goes by the name Vuoto?" and again, he nodded.

Huh, that was easy to get his identity, Reborn thought it would take a long process – at least not until he can get out from these damned chains. Reborn shot the kid a glare again at that thought. Even though by him being Vuoto would explain how he got the information, but Reborn refused to trust him. No one would trust its own kidnapper, even if Reborn was the one who caused this situation.

In the first place, why someone would just gave out their cover that easily? Is this a ploy? Or a trap, considering that killing him, an Arcobaleno would result hunted by Vendice and his fellow arcobaleno, they could simply use him to their favor. However, for what reason to lie as the infamous hacker, Vuoto? Even if the kid doesn't lie, why did Vuoto, after refusing to show his identity to the world for so long suddenly just reveal it to him? In the end, Reborn decided to savor his thought later, for now, he need to gain as much as information he could possibly get from his kidnapper.

"So the great hacker, Vuoto is actually a boy that hasn't even reach legal age. This is some valuable information I got." Reborn smirked, though it was short-lived when the kid doesn't even react.

"Are you sure to tell me this?"

"You can't even do anything at this point." Reborn gritted his teeth, hating that the kid kept pointing his own vulnerable state.

"Who knows when I will get loose; I'm not the strongest arcobaleno for nothing."

"Which is why you can't; the stronger flame affinity you have, the more impossible for you to escape the chains. Even if you manage to escape, you won't do anything."

Reborn just stared at him. Why is he so sure that Reborn won't sell the information? Money wasn't an issue to him, but the chaos is.

"The Vongola is in verge of destruction."

What? Did he attain the information? How? It isn't even written information. Is there any leak within Vongola? How much did he know? Shit. Reborn cursed inside.

"What are you talking about? The Vongola is in verge of destruction? Are you joking with me?" Reborn stared at him incredulously and snorted. Tsuna just return it with unfazed gaze.

"You need me, Nono need me, and the Vongola need me. Which is why you searched for me, you need an heir. Federico and Enrico are dead. Massimo is MIA, which could be considered as dead. Leaving me as the sole choice as I have Primo's blood running through my vein. Without an heir, Vongola will crumble."

"So you do know everything, how?"

"Since I was away from house for years, there's no one would pay attention upon me. Even when I got involved within Mafia, I never did anything to catch upon Vongola's eyes or at least thought that I don't exist, except for Iemitsu.

"But, this last two weeks, Vongola tried to gain information of Sawada Tsunayoshi from Namimori. I did some research and put some pieces together. But I never thought you manage to trace me until that alley.

"So I brought you here, don't think bad about me. I'm doing this for our own benefits."

"How is it an advantage to me? I got kidnapped, locked in a room and I don't even know where I am." Reborn snarled as he jerks his cuffed hand. It is unavoidable fact that he's technically unable to do anything right now and he really hates the vulnerable state he is now.

"It's either this or sent you back into Vongola announcing your failure to the world with or without your head." he replied calmly, though his void voice was enough to send the threat and make Reborn shiver.

They stared at each other, both eyes refused to show any emotion. Now, Reborn understand the feeling of those people who stared at his eyes and averted. Those are the eyes of a survivor of hell and a fighter born from it.

In the end, it was Reborn who averted his eyes. Since it was the eyes that shouldn't exist on children, and it was irony to think of it when his body is in this condition. Reborn gritted his teeth and clenched his hands. "What do you want from me?"

He only received another stare from Tsunayoshi. The kid seems, confused? "Well?"

"I apologize; it was the first time anyone asked that to me in situation like this, usually they asked 'what are you going to do?' or pleas for mercy. Since I have what I want from them. Though, indeed this time, that is the perfect question." Tsunayoshi tilted his head in thought.

"I think I want you to be my prisoner?"

"I already am your prisoner." Reborn growled out as he pulled the chain in his hand, face covered with disdain.

"Well, wanting to you staying put would be impossible. So, for now, I want nothing for you."

"You should be aware, the longer you keep me, the more people will be aware of this and hunt for you."

"I know, but you wouldn't let it happen, would you?"

"And, pray tell, why I wouldn't let it happen?"

"Because your pride won't let you,"

Ah, ah. He completely got him there.

"Fine, I would never let them aware of this. That is if I can prevent it." Not with being locked like this, went unsaid.

"You are perfectly able to contact your friends, though?"

"And how am I able to do that with these chains and without-"Reborn trailed when he saw his phone in the nightstand. How did he didn't notice it? "…my phone."

"I will take none of your possession except your weapons. Your pet will stay with you as you can't use it without your flames. However, do aware that your phone is impossible to be traced. And I could control any text or call you make. Don't force me to." Tsunayoshi then stand up and picked up the tray, leaving the breads and coffee.

"I will come back bring more food later, you should rest more. Please finish the bread if you could." He said before walk toward the door.

"Wait, how long have I been unconscious?" Reborn asked when Tsunayoshi was about to close the door.

"Four hour twenty-two minute." With that, Tsunayoshi close the door, leaving Reborn completely alone in the room.

Reborn grab his phone from the nightstand and checked its time. 5:47. He then checked the content, noting that nothing has changed. However, he is not stupid enough to think that it has not been tampered. If the kid is indeed Vuoto, then whatever he does with his phone, he will know it. He has to do this with utmost caution.

Failure is never an option for him.


I'm alive! I think. Half-alive. More like zombie I guess.

I wasn't sure how to end this chapter and this chapter was really hard to write. But see, see, it's longer isn't it? Not long enough tho.

Because I end up write funny things in Reborn's mind couple of time. Don't worry, I removed them.

And life has been cruel to me these days but y'all are awesome. Maybe I will update next chapter late. Really sorry. Real life was being tough on me.

One question from me, um, do I need to reply to comments? I want to though. If yes, how? I see some people make it in the beginning of the story.

Ahem, as usual, thank you for reading this. If you enjoy it, please follow and leave a review. I enjoy attention and all y'all comment. It become my motivation, and maybe it could inspire me. Please correct me if you find any grammar and spelling mistake. Critics, suggestion, and ideas are very welcomed! But no flames, please. Thank you y'all! Love you!