Checkmate

Summary- AU: How did Tsuna get Mukuro's loyalty. 5YL69X5YLFem!27

Disclaimer: I do not own Khr.

Mukuro has a remarkable memory. Not only does he remember everything that has happened in this life, but he remembers what happened in his past lives as well. He remembers his time in all the other realms, he never forgot. Nor does he plan on ever forgetting. It was ironic to think that the memories he doesn't want to forget most are the memories of his first life as a human. Of all his lives, it had to be when he was human-the greedy race he hated most.

But he doesn't really hate his memories, not really. Sure, there were times when he hated to remember some things because the pain they brought back was excruciating. But they were still irreplaceable to him. There were times when he had nothing to do in his watery prison when he wasn't plotting the demise of the mafia or the world war he would one day bring about , he'd think of those memories fondly. They were bittersweet to him, but sometimes he can't help but to remember.

Especially since fate seemed to like to play tricks on him. It was quite sad really, that all the people whom he wished he would never have to meet again, were the people whose fate he was intertwined with. He couldn't forget them, any of them. Not the knight who vowed to protect his king, not the soothsayer who foretold the war, not the captain that was always with a bright smile, not the court jester that the king was always with, not his own twin sister and not the court adviser he hated so much.

In his past life he was born into a knight's family. They were well off, and her parents were good people. Her mother was a good cook and always did everything she could to raise her and her younger twin sister right. Her father was a man loved by the citizens of the land. He was brave and strong, everything you'd expect from a knight. He was also dedicated to his king and to his family. So, she did have quite a happy childhood. But her life changed when her father died.

Her mother couldn't cope with his death and became like the dead. She no longer cooked or cleaned the house. She no longer looked after her children or the house; she simply sat there by the fireplace- where she always sat while waiting for her husband. She stopped eating as well and it wasn't long till she fell ill. The money they had was then spent on expensive medicine to treat her, till almost it was all gone. Then one day their mother just died.

She and her sister became orphans and any valuable they might have possessed were sold in order to buy bread. It was then did she learn how cruel life could be. There was no one there to help her or her sister. Their relatives didn't want to take them, most were sympathetic but sympathy didn't give you a full stomach. So, at the age of ten she had the heavy responsibility of making sure that her sister survived. But everything changed when she met him, the prince who became her king.

He raised his head, when he heard the door open. A lazy smirk made its way to his face when he saw who it was. "Hello, acrobaleno. To what do I owe the pleasure of your company?" The fedora wearing baby gave him a cautious look before walking over to the chair he was sitting on. "It's been three days since you've been released from Vendici, yet you haven't taken a step out of your room. Why?" Mukuro laughed his words.

"Is it not possible that I wish to stay here to rest from being confined for so long?" He murmured before standing from his chair and going over to sit by his bed. "Don't mess with me Mukuro. What are you planning?" Reborn replied, leaving his face blank. Mukuro raised an eyebrow, his face changing to an innocent and shocked one that seemed to say 'Me, planning?' When the hitman didn't react, Mukuro dropped the act. "So, why are you really here? It's not just to ask about my inactivity."

Mukuro thought that the hitman wouldn't rise to the bait, so he was surprised when Reborn took it. Reborn used a hand to bring his hat down to cover his eyes as he answered. "Tsuna is going to be the tenth boss soon." When Mukuro said nothing, the hitman continued. "I think it's about time you swear your loyalty to her. Everyone else has." When Mukuro continued to say nothing, he smirked before he left the room. As soon as Mukuro knew the hitman was out of earshot, he began to scream.

An hour later, his room no longer looked like what it looked when the infant came to visit. His room was totally wrecked. The furniture was upturned, the wallpaper was torn and the bed was now only a mess of feathers and cloth. It was a cruel joke, nothing but a cruel joke that his life turned out this way. That he'd have to swear his loyalty to the person he didn't want to see again the most. That's right because the soon to be tenth was the one person that was the most unforgettable to him.

Even among the other people of his memories, Sawada Tsunako had and still taken a huge place in his heart. He'd remember the day he first met her, the way he recognized those eyes instantly. It made him want to run, it made him want to scream, it made him want to grab her by her shoulders and shake her, to tell her to run away from both him and the mafia. But he did none of those; instead he tried to trick her. He pretended to be a student that needed to be rescued from delinquents.

But she saw through him, or was at least wary of him. He remembers his battle with her, the way her eyes glowed in the same color as her flames. He remembers how she fought for her friends, how she looked horrified to know that he was using his accomplices' body, despite the fact that they shouldn't be moving. He remembers her flames purifying the darkness. He gave a sigh as he sat down and leaned on the wall. He then stood up after a minute; he knew what he had to do.

When Tsuna entered the living room, she didn't expect Mukuro to be there. "Mukuro?" She called out softly, as she made her way to one of the couches. Mukuro, who had been previously busy arranging a chess set looked up and gave her a grin. "Ah, Vongola! You're just in time." Tsuna cocked her head to the side slightly as she sat down on the couch opposite him. "Just in time for what?" Mukuro's grin got bigger. "For the chess match of course!" He replied before his smile turned into a smirk.

Tsuna looked at the chess set and picked up the king piece on her side. "Is there any special reason you want to play chess with me?" She asked before setting it back down. "No, not really." He lied, he watched as Tsuna hummed in thought before looking at him straight in the face. "Will you take white or black?" Mukuro smirked; this was going to be interesting. The match began with Tsuna moving a knight and Mukuro with a pawn.

Several minutes into the game, Tsuna moved her king. "Oya, oya moving your king already?" He asked a smirk on his face. When Tsuna looked up from the chess board he was surprised by what he saw. Her eyes had that look, the look that he could never hope to figure out. "There are times when it's more necessary for the king to move." She answered, her eyes softening as she looked back at the chess board, not noticing the horrified expression on his face as he got up and left.

He felt sick. Here he was by the gardens, leaning back on a tree. He could still feel the bile trying to rise from his throat, he couldn't move without feeling nauseous. He couldn't even feel the oxygen enter his lungs when he took in air. It was like he was underwater; he was slowly drowning as the seconds passed. "There are times when it's more necessary for the king to move." The words kept echoing in his mind, again and again. Those words, the one he used to say all the time before war.

The words made him sick. They were the last words he ever said to him in his past life. He felt his hands clench and his teeth gnash as he remembered that cursed day. The day he first cursed humanity, it was because of the human's greed that wars were fought. Wars that no one won or lost; only survived. He could still remember how that person fought for his land till his death at enemy hands. He remembered the exact moment; it seemed as if time stood still. There he was bleeding, his life slowly extinguishing.

He could remember everything perfectly. He remembered how the knight was the first to rush to him, the captain and the soothsayer-who was also a good swordsman, following. He remembers how that person fought of death as long as he could, his eyes never leaving the battlefield. He could also still remember how the sword was in his hand, even after he died. He could also remember the day they met, how he helped him and his sister, how his casket looked. He remembered everything about him.

It was dark when he returned to the Vongola manor, his eyes looking slightly empty. He was surprised though when he saw the young Vongola there by the living room. She was asleep on the couch and the chess board and pieces still perfectly in place. Without thinking about it, he began to walk towards her. He stopped once he was only inches away from her, he watched as she slept so peacefully. As if it wasn't possible for an assassin to try to kill her in her sleep.

He frowned at the thought; there was no way he'd ever let such a thing happen. He then noticed the stray lock on her cheek and brought his hand over to her face and removed the russet colored lock and tucked it behind her ear. It was then that dichromatic eyes met warm amber eyes. "Mukuro?" She called, as she slowly began to sit up on the couch. "Kufufufu, what are you doing here little Vongola?" Mukuro asked as he went over and sat on the couch he had occupied earlier.

"I was waiting." She answered as she began to rub an eye with her hand. Mukuro raised an eyebrow at this. "Waiting? What were you waiting for?" Tsuna gave him a small smile. "For you of course. We still have a chess game to finish." When she saw Mukuro's incredulous look she continued. "I can't really explain it but I've got a feeling this chess game is quite important to you." Mukuro's eyes widened slightly as he stared at her. After a moment he picked up his knight and proceeded to eat her rook.

"Checkmate." Mukuro couldn't believe it, nine minutes and fifty-one seconds later after they resumed their game he found his king was trapped with no way out. He thought he got her when his rook ate her queen, but it turns out she got him first. His mouth twitched upwards as he realized he lost. Normally he would be quite upset at a loss but maybe he didn't mind so much because of who his opponent was. "I concede defeat." He said as he looked at the girl opposite him, the small twitch now a full-blown smirk.

"You've played well. " She gave him a small smile before replying. "You played well yourself, Mukuro." His eyes then turned melancholic. "Have I ever told you that you remind me of someone? A king I used to know..." Tsuna eyes showed worry but before she could say anything, he cut her off. "To think that all the while I thought I would win because I got your king cornered." He said, his eyes shifting to disappointment and a pout making its way to his lips. Tsuna looked at him carefully before replying.

"Yes, you were so focused on my king that you forgot to guard your own." Mukuro's pout changed to a bitter smile. "You're right. I was careless with my king." He said in a defeated tone, which made Tsuna worry about him even more. Suddenly, he was in front of her. "But never again." He said sounding so serious. Then he grabbed her right hand and brought it to his mouth. She could only watch as he kissed the Vongola sky ring on her finger. "From today onwards I swear my eternal loyalty to you, my king."

Thanks for reading!

Just in case you haven't realized it yet. Tsuna is the reincarnation of the king who helped Mukuro and his sister. The other characters mentioned are the guardians.

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