Rays of soft sunlight pierced through the spaces between the trees. Birds started to caw, signaling the start of a new day. A boy laid upon the cold wooden planks, curled up, fast asleep.

*Bang* *Bang*

The sound of gunshots drastically contrasted with the tranquility of the early morning. Only then, did Ryuuji awake.

Rubbing his eyes after getting up, Ryuuji slowly primed himself and assessed the situation. Indeed, he had fallen asleep in front of Namimori Shrine. The cold, hard wood was definitely bad for his back as he commented that it was the worst sleep he had had so far. Not to mention that the wind kept him shivering throughout the entire night.

Awake now, Ryuuji decided to check out what the source of the commotion was this early in the morning, when the sun was barely up. Although, considering the setting that he was currently in, it wasn't that hard to get what it may be.

"Reborn! Why do you have to shoot me so early in the morning!?"

The cries of a poor boy could be heard coming closer and closer.

"Quit complaining, No-Good Tsuna. We're going to the shrine to pray for your good grades."

"But we can do that without you making me run and shooting me!"

"A healthy body makes a healthy mind."

The sounds of the two's boisterous conversation gradually made its way up the stairs. Ryuuji's guess was right on the money.

"Finally, we're up he-." Tsuna's sentence stopped midway as he saw a familiar face sitting up in front of the shrine. "Oh! It's the guy that I ran into yesterday! What are you doing here?"

Ryuuji stood up and walked towards Tsuna and Reborn, who was on Tsuna's shoulder. "Good morning." Ryuuji said with a groggy voice as he yawned into his hand. "Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Hearing that, Tsuna was taken aback. "Eh? You know me?" He exclaimed.

"Of course." Ryuuji chuckled. "How could I not know of the infamous 'No-Good Tsuna'?"

To Tsuna's shock, Ryuuji couldn't help but laugh a bit. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean that in a bad way. Kind of a cruel nickname the other kids gave you, isn't it?"

"Yea…" Tsuna replied disheartenedly. "Sorry about the other day. Running into you."

"Don't worry about it. It's no big deal."

"Oh, I haven't gotten your name yet."

"Ah. My name is R-." As soon as Ryuuji was about to speak, the dapper toddler interjected.

"Nakamura Ryuuji. Class 3-A. Just transferred to Namimori Middle School yesterday. No previous records." Reborn stated as he slightly tipped his fedora.

"Yep. What he said." Ryuuji laughed.

Tsuna quickly interrupted. "Eh, Reborn? How do you know that?"

"Oh, I looked through the records of all the students while you were in class yesterday."

"Reborn!!!"

Seeing a scene like this in person, Ryuuji couldn't help but to continue laughing. The story was pretty comedic from what he could remember, but seeing it in person was a whole nother experience.

"That's a rather smart kid you got there, Tsuna. Or rather, an Arcobaleno, was it?"

As soon as those words left Ryuuji's mouth, the atmosphere changed suddenly. From what was a light-hearted conversation turned into a situation where a mountain of bloodlust was directed solely at Ryuuji. Ryuuji's knees, despite his best effort, looked like they were about to give at any minute.

"Huh, Arco-what?" Tsuna asked Reborn, confused.

"Tsuna, go to the shrine and pray. I'll follow you in a bit."

"Reborn? Wha-"

"Go now!"

Tsuna scurried off past Ryuuji at the sound of Reborn's raised voice. It was unlike what he had heard before. It was a serious matter. What was left was Ryuuji, staring face-to-face with a dangerous beast.

Readying his pistol, Reborn spoke first. " Who are you? Varia? No, it doesn't look like it. An assassin from a rival family? Skull?"

Ryuuji knew that his next words would be the difference between life and death. As such, he chose his words carefully.

"None of those. It might be hard to believe me but I have no intentions on hurting Sawada Tsunayoshi."

"So you admit to knowing his importance?" The aura around Reborn grew stronger.

'Shit!' Ryuuji screamed internally. "Um, yes. I know who he is, but I swear, I am not an assassin or anymore that wishes to bring harm to the 10th Generation Vongola."

There was a reason for the supposed change in Ryuuji's demeanor and apparent stupidity. After anticipating the meeting with Tsuna and Reborn, he needed to find a way to get their help as soon as possible. If he were to slowly build their relationship normally, Ryuuji worried that it might be too late. What he needed right now, was to take a gamble. However, the self-incriminating slip-ups were not planned...

"Look." Ryuuji said as he tried to stand his ground. "I have important information that you need to hear."

"Go on."

"Rokudou Mukuro will break out of Vindice prison and will be coming after Sawada Tsunayoshi soon. "

The stern look from Reborn's face has yet to disappear. "And how do you know this?"

Ryuuji, even in his panicked state, knew that he couldn't fully explain his situation. All knowledge of pop-culture had warned him against possibly messing up the timeline or continuity; he knew that he had to do something. Otherwise, from the way God worded it, the consequences may turn out worse. Therefore, he decided to leave out the more 'alarming' facts.

"I honestly can't tell you that but I need you to believe me that I am here to support the 10th."

After a short while thinking, Reborn replied to Ryuuji's claims. "While I can't trust you 100%, if this were to be true, then this could be a problem. . . . But it seems like you know who I am. Why reveal yourself to me like this?"

Ryuuji replied in a meek tone. "Because I am weak and I need your help."

Reborn was intrigued by this boy's statements. It was an unexpected turn of events. The bloodlust that was being released partially subsided.

"So, what do you need me do for you?"

"I want you to train me. For a great hitman of your caliber, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Sure. It wouldn't be a problem for me to do so." Reborn started. "But, there are two problems. One, I don't completely trust you. And two, I'm the home tutor of the 10th Generation Vongola. I can't just leave him alone, can I?"

"That is true." Ryuuji had accepted that his makeshift plan had failed.

"But, if what you are saying is true, then I guess I should try to help out a bit, shouldn't I?"

"You mean…"

"I was planning to have him come over from Italy later, but it wouldn't hurt to call him over early." Reborn said and smiled.