Chapter 3: Not Yet

His eyes hurt. He had stared at the computer for two hours gaming hard. Fingers and back aching he stretched. Looking at his watch his eyes went wide and panicked. Quickly, he shut the computer down and went to wash his face. Feeling (slightly) fresh, he stuffed his bag with pen and paper. Grabbing a half-eaten power bar, he rushed out.

Did I forget anything? Tsuna thought as he locked the house. His mother was out working and will be home late. It's the same every Saturday. He just hoped that she doesn't push herself too hard.

"I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be late, I'm gonna be LATE!" He shouted to no one in particular as he sprinted down the neighborhood.

His tuition class changed from Friday to Saturday at 2pm. That's great because Tsuna felt so beat up (literally) right after school. Like a routine, he lied to his mother that he ran into a wall. He was already used to it. The bullying, that is.

What's the point of fighting back when you know you'll never win against them?

His arms were still covered with bruises only it looked worse than before. No choice but to wear long sleeve on a hot day.

He checked his watch.

2.10

"STUPID GAME!" Tsuna cried as he sprinted harder and take shortcuts through alleyways leaving a trail of smoke and dust. No time waiting for the bus.

He did forget something(s). His wallet, cellphone and socks.

15 minutes later

"I… I made it…" Tsuna panted. He was so tired from all the running and decided to sit on the ground for awhile. He scanned the area.

It was a two storey colonial house with a huge garage right next to it. There was a bicycle and a couple of fancy looking bikes parked right in front of it. The area was… spacey and rich looking. The house was surrounded with trees, bushes and newly painted white fence. The sprinklers were on, splashing a little on his sweaty shirt.

Thinking that he wasted enough time he got up and walked towards the front door. As he was making up excuses he rang the doorbell. He heard it rang inside and then came the sound of footsteps.

The door opened wide.

"Yes?"

It was a woman, a foreigner. She had a gentle smile on her face and her big blue eyes were staring curiously into Tsuna's brown caramel ones. He was stunned by her beauty that he almost forgot why he was there.

"U-Um…" Tsuna begin. He really needs to work on his communication with people. "New student? Uh, with Reborn-sensei."

"Oh yes!" She nodded in understanding and stood aside. "Come in."

Tsuna walked in, clutching his bag. "T-Thank you." He tried not to look at her as his blush intensified.

The woman closed the door behind him as he took off his shoes and placed it neatly to the side. His face grimaced when he realize he wasn't wearing any socks. I hope my feet doesn't smell...

"Just go upstairs, turn to your left and there'll be an open door." Luce explained a smile still plastered on her face. "I would lead you there but I'm in the middle of something you see. My name's Luce, by the way."

Tsuna turned slightly. "T-That's alright. I'm urm Sawada… Tsunayoshi."

"What a cute name!" Luce giggled.

Without thinking he said, "Yours too."

"Eh?"

Realizing what he said, Tsuna started jogging towards the stairs and waved. "T-Thank you, Luce-san!"

He sighed, relieved that he was out of her presence. That was so embarrassing. Tsuna hated how he always acts in front of every beautiful or handsome people. It just shows how much he wanted to be like them.

Reaching to the only opened door in the hallway he started sweating again. He didn't like meeting with new people. It always made him feel self-conscious. Well, this was the result of not going out much. He was going to have to get used to it; like the bullying thing.

It was so quiet that he could hear paper rustling and pencils/pen scribbling. There were also whispers and thumping as if someone was walking around.

Okay, here I go. Tsuna thought. He gulped and took a step.

…

"How many TIMES do I have to TELL you not to solve it that way?!"

Tsuna's body went rigid.

"If you don't understand then just refer to my notes that I gave you!"

"S-Sorry, s-sensei…"

There was the sound of paper tearing and later slamming.

"Do it again! And don't give me the nonsensical shit you call formula!"

"Y-Yes, sensei…"

Tsuna's blood went cold. His heartbeat increasing. This Reborn sounds SO much worse than his PE teacher who was a bit of a barbarian. He bit his quivering lips before turning on his heels without any hesitation. I'm sorry, mom! I can't take strict teachers! They scare me! I'm outta here!

Before he could take a step he heard someone walking out.

Oh shi-

"I'll be back in five minutes."

FUC-

Tsuna was about to run when his no-good self took over and made him trip on air; face first.

"…Hurts…"

He was about to get up and run away when he felt someone helping him to his feet. He looked up knowing who it was. He didn't dare look at this Reborn.

"Open your eyes." Reborn ordered. This kid just had to interrupt his trip to the kitchen. Just who was he anyway? When he got a full view of the boy's face, he inwardly smirked. Coffee can wait.

Reborn let go of the scrawny boy when he saw him cracking his eyes open as if too afraid of what he might see.

When the boy's eyes were fully opened he gawked at him. Reborn just looked. What was he expecting, an ogre? "I was expecting a new student today. Are you Sawada Tsunayoshi?"

It took a moment for Tsuna to answer. Th-This person is Reborn?! "Y-YES I'M HIM!" Reborn flinched at the shout. Tsuna took a step back and did a 90 degree bow. "I'M SO S-SORRY I'M L-LATE, REBORN-SENSEI!"

What's with him? "Tune your voice down," Reborn growled. "You're disturbing my class."

Tsuna stood back up straight. "S-Sorry, sensei." He was still in shock actually. Isn't he the guy from the library?

"Any reason why you're late?" Reborn glared. He was of course a punctual man.

Tsuna's mind was in chaos. He was late, yes. But he never thought that the man he met in the library few days ago would be his tutor.

His eyes darted from left to right as he scratched his head. It was obvious that he was trying to lie."Um uh… There was a c-cat… sta-started breeding like uh urm eh you know… I c-couldn't j-just leave… Uh! Erm you see I've done this before! And w-when the pus―"

"That's enough." Reborn stopped him. He could not take the nonsense Tsuna was sprouting. "I'll let you off since it's your first day. Make sure that there'll be no next time."

The brunette lowered his head, feeling guilty. He can't tell this guy that he was late because he was on the computer. Not to him. "I understand."

"Tch." I don't think I'll be having any coffee for the next two hours. Reborn walked back to his class with Tsuna following from behind.

"I-It won't happen again, sensei." Tsuna murmured hoping that would make amends. I wonder if he remembers me… or at least find me familiar…

As they entered the class, all eyes were on them. They were curious about this Sawada guy when they heard the commotion outside. They didn't dare take a peek for fear of their Spartan Maths tutor.

Tsuna took a quick look around the class before taking a seat at the back. There were only three students. And one of them looked a lot familiar. Maybe he goes to my school. He thought. The class was obviously meant to be a room what with the size and homey feeling. The plain white walls were bare and bookshelves were in every corner.

A paper was shoved in his face, his hands instinctively caught it.

"Answer all the questions. Just pass it to the front when you're done." Reborn said. He then walked away to check on his other students.

Tsuna just stared after him. He… doesn't recognize me? Part of him felt a little disappointed but then, who would remember someone like him? He pushed that thought into the back of his mind and started working on the first question. He wasted too much time. Ah I need a pen…

Seeing that his three students were doing okay, he proceeded to finish up his own assignment. As he sat down, his gaze fell on the brunette. He dug his hand into his pocket and took out the keychain he found in the library.

What a coincidence. He thought. He placed it next to him and picked up a pen.

In actuality, Reborn could not get that boy out of his head ever since he first saw him. He couldn't sleep without thinking about him for four nights. And during the days he would occasionally look around hoping that he would see the teen again.

It's not that Reborn had taken a liking to the boy. But that he looked a lot similar to his fiancée back in Italy. The hair (hers was of course longer), the eyes and the looks. He missed her a lot. The only communication they had between them was through the phone or Skype. Sometimes they would write to each other and he would send expensive gifts. On special occasions, she would come over to visit knowing that he doesn't have any time to.

He wished he could fast-forward time so he can go back home to Italy. To her.

At that moment, Reborn felt someone staring at him. He didn't need to look up to know who that was. He stopped his writing.

A squeak resonate the still air.

Well, he wasn't going to cheat on his fiancée merely, spicing up his life in Japan.

TWO HOURS LATER

"Finally! I can rest my brain!"

All four students slumped on their seats when Reborn ended the lesson. There weren't any breaks during his lessons so it was like a Math marathon that cracks your head till it went numb. Since Tsuna was the slowest among them, it was all a blur to him. He couldn't catch up.

7 – 3 = 10

Tsuna mentally screamed in his head; tears of embarrassment forming. He just had to make that small mistake. And his teacher just had to laugh at catching the attention of the other three boys who just had to stare at him in amazement.

He was that unlucky in making first impressions.

"See ya next week, sensei~!" One of the boys sang cheerfully as he rushed out followed by his companion. The third was still packing his stuff. After zipping his bag he turned to face Tsuna who was still resting his head on the table.

"Hi, you're Sawada, right?"

The brunette just nod against the table.

The taller boy laughed. "I thought so! It's me, Yamamoto Takeshi, your classmate."

At that statement, Tsuna's head shot up. Y-Yamamoto Takeshi?! He thought. He was their school's athlete and a popular guy among the students and teachers. Everyone loved him. How could I not recognize him?

Tsuna still could not believe that Yamamoto Takeshi was talking to him and that they attend the same tuition. His mouth was moving but no words came out. He was just gaping like the tuna fish he was.

"Ahaha, I better get going," Yamamoto said, finding the situation awkward. "I'll see you at school!" With that, he went off after saying bye to Reborn, who was eyeing them like a hawk. Not like anything happened.

When it was just him and the now recovered Tsuna, Reborn thought, Chance.

Tsuna was about to walk out when Reborn called him. The brunette turned around. "Yes, sensei?"

The gorgeous Italian man stood up and leaned on his desk, all the while holding his gaze. "I noticed how weak you are in Maths."

Tsuna's expression changed from casual to a worried look.

"And that is why I suggest that you have an extra class, in private, with me."

Tsuna didn't hear the last part as his mind got stuck on the word 'extra'.

"An ex-extra?" he stuttered out. "When?"

"I'll phone you tomorrow about that." Reborn smiled innocently.

Tsuna bit his lip before blurting out a 'OK no problem'.

"Good," Reborn watched as the younger boy left, still in daze. Good...

~o~

Tsuna decided to drop by at the nearest convenience store. Knowing that his mother will eat at her workplace, he would just have to make his own dinner. He didn't have his lunch and now he's hungry. Instant ramen and some bun will help sate his appetite.

He stepped through the automatic doors and breathed in the heavy air-conditioning shop. Grabbing two packets of melon pan and three cups of instant ramen he proceeded to the counter.

The cashier calculated in the amount and then bag the goods. "That will be 500 yen." She said with a service smile.

Tsuna dug his hand inside his pocket and…

"…Where's my wallet?"

He checked the other side: None. He checked his bag: None. He looked around: NONE.

"Kid, you got the money?"

Tsuna looked at her, panic written all over his face. Figuring out why he looked that way, she felt sorry for him.

"Then―"

"I'll pay for him."

They both froze.

A tall man stepped forward and paid the amount. The kind man than took Tsuna's dinner and stood aside. The cashier girl mouthed 'lucky' to Tsuna who wasn't paying any attention to him.

Because the man who saved him was the most feared person in his school and other schools. It was―

"H-Hibari-san?"

To Akahama Nera: Tsuna'll probably bump into her but he doesn't know her. :')

I apologize for the late update! I actually wrote 3 different versions for this chapter and decided on this one. And I just started watching Beelzebub lol. And I'm also sorry that the chapter ends like this. I was rushing. I have ideas but it's just so hard to put them all together.

And I'm searching for a beta. XD My descriptive writing is no good.

Anyways, thank you to those who reviewed! You don't know how many times I reread all of them haha! I'm such a sucker…