Katekyo Hitman Reborn! belongs to Akira Amano. I am not profiting in any way from this.

Also, I apologize for any mistakes.

Chapter 1: It Was a Mistake to Come Here

Meeting times are set so that people are able to successfully meet up with one another at the same time. That is probably why it is called 'meeting time.'

Five minutes late, understandable. Ten minutes, too. Fifteen might be pushing it a bit. By twenty minutes past the agreed upon meeting time, one would start wondering.

But a few people in this particular group of six skipped vague curiosity to straight up pissed three minutes after the meeting time that someone had the nerve to be late to this very important meeting.

The meeting of the Strongest Seven.

You know that feeling of needles pricking your skin, not enough to break the surface but enough to be really really really irritating and extremely uncomfortable? Yeah, like that. Times a million. But add in the heat of the sun, hot enough to boil an egg. Maybe burn. And also the fact you're late to some life changing, very important meeting.

It wasn't Verde's fault he was late. Not really. You see, the weight of crippling anxiety and the looming threat of possible humiliation cemented this poor soul to the spot he stood. Which was approximately 8 feet away from the meeting place. But hey, he did his best.

In the distance, Checkerface. He watches the scientist do a strange dance of one-step-forward-wait-nevermind!-retreat. He watches as he contemplates helping but discards the thought immediately after remembering the first time they met. Tears were shed that day.

"Late. Forty-seven minutes now." That's Lal Mirch, COMSUBIN. She wasn't exactly pissed. Just very frustrated and might shoot when the last member arrives.

And then! The door opened to reveal the long awaited seventh member of the Strongest Seven. Who appears to be sweating buckets with frantic eyes, clutching the spot above his heart.

Verde, who had finally gathered the courage to walk in to face six whole strangers, was starting to regret everything. Everything as in everything since he was seven years old. One could say he was having another midlife crisis at that exact moment.

Not that he would actually breakdown right there. There were six whole strangers staring at him with what seemed to him like sadistic glee.

"You're late. Care to share why?" That's Reborn, hitman. Unlike Lal, he was indeed, pissed and will shoot the last member. Just because he's like that. In Skull the stuntman's private opinion, Reborn is an ass.

You're doing great, Verde. Just calmly explain why you were late and they will understand like the reasonable people they are.

"My heart was in pain."

Nailed it!

You know that feeling of being buried beneath weighted blankets in summer while laying on two heating pads? Boy, the tension in that room was high and heavy. For a reason Verde would have never even thought of.

'? That guy's one of the Strongest Seven? This sick guy?' was basically what everyone was thinking. Except they over thought it and somehow came to the conclusion, 'This guy is one the Strongest Seven despite being sick. He must be hella strong.'

And so, everyone kept a careful eye on Verde, which caused this poor soul to feel even more self-conscious.

The silence lasted maybe eleven minutes. In those eleven minutes, Verde was able to sit down, stare straight ahead, avoid everyone's piercing eyes, and rethink the life choices that somehow led to this. He even came up with five different ways his life could have gone. One of them included pigeons, a three inch beard, and an assortment of dirty wizard hats. The dirty part was the most crucial part.

Luce, bless her heart, broke that insufferable silence with, "Let's introduce ourselves. I'll go first. My name is Luce, current boss of Giglio Nero!" Bless her heart less. Now Verde has to talk and make sense and just, generally be an average human being.

Though, the 'boss of Giglio Nero' part got him thinking. Sounds familiar, doesn't it, Verde? Like the mafia. You deal with mafia all the time. You sell them your machines. Just saying your name is no big deal, right?

Wrong.

Verde, intelligent as ever, thought, 'Maybe this is all some sort of joke. There's no way the boss of any mafia famiglia would be in the same meeting as me.' You're a genius, Verde!

"Chaos [?]. Reborn, World's Greatest Hitman."

Yeah, this is all probably just a silly game.

"Lal Mirch, COMSUBIN."

See, even that scary lady is joking around. COMSUBIN in the same room, sitting civilly, as a hitman and a mafia boss? Yeah. Haha, no way.

"Hello, my name is Fon. I practice martial arts."

Oh, that guy's not cracking jokes. Or maybe he is.

"I am Skull, the greatest stuntman you will ever lay your eyes upon!"

Wow! That's just- like, wow!? That has to be a joke! Why would this successful person be in the same vicinity as Verde?

"Viper. If you want any more information, you'll have to pay me."

See, even that creepy guy in the hood knows how to use a bit of humor. Even Verde can manage that! Right? Right?!

Nope.

Look at them, Verde. Just look at them. They're all looking at you. Everyone. They're waiting for you, so hurry up. Say your name. That's it! Just your name and everyone still stop looking.

"Verde."

Good job, Verde. You done it. A bit terse but that's all right. You done it and that's all that matters.

Except they're still looking at you. Why?

Verde is in a bit of trouble. He can't figure out why everyone is still staring at him. Obviously, they want something from him. Or maybe he has something on his face. That is so embarrassing. If that's the case, he swears he will never leave the safety of his labs for at least three more months.

While Verde was having an internal panic, everyone else was trying their very best to recall if Verde is part of the mafia or a mere civilian like the stuntman/child/teen/civilian.

Verde. Verde? Have they heard of a Verde? From his outfit, possibly a doctor. Maybe even a scientist. Smells a bit like grease, metal, and some sort of chemical.

Aside from Skull, everyone's heard of each other, being so ingrained in the underworld. But Verde? A mystery. Even that Viper the informant seems to have a bit of trouble placing a label on this Verde guy.

Surprisingly, or maybe not that surprisingly, it was Skull who had the brilliant idea of just asking Verde who he is. That's what civilians do. Ask questions instead of trying to dissect everything to pieces in silence when presented with an unknown and possible threat.

"So, uh. What do you do, Verde?" A reasonable question from a perhaps reasonable person.

The average person would have simply replied with whatever their occupation is. Verde, however, is not the average person. He has difficulty interacting with people, even for the most basic tasks. That's why he's a recluse. Which happens to be a reason why none of the others have heard of him despite his contributions to the underworld.

'Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. They want me to talk. Again. It hasn't even been a full minute since I last said something. Oh NO. What should I say? Most of them said something like a joke or just something kinda funny. So I should say something funny, too. But wait! What if they're not actually joking? What if they accuse me of lying later on?' Someone save him. At this rate, Verde is bound to start crying.

It was a tense moment once more. Everyone watching with eagle eyes, figuratively sitting on the edges of their seats. Observing Verde. Consequently putting him on edge. Not that they knew this.

And Verde, our unfortunate being, dished out a truth lightly sprinkled in humor.

"I used to cut people apart and give them a little gift." (Translation: I used to perform surgery and give prosthetics to people in need.) And add a little smile so they know he's being funny. Once again, you've outdone yourself, Verde. A job well done. They have to be satisfied now.

While Verde was congratulating himself, everyone else was not as happy. In fact, they were a bit disgusted and maybe slightly frightened. Not that any of them would ever admit that.

Even the great Reborn, the Number One Hitman who has faced the mafia's big shots and survived through the most difficult of jobs, felt uncomfortable in this man's presence. He just admitted to human experimentation. And what are these little gifts? A bomb? Inside his victims? That's probably it. And who the hell smiles while saying something like that? Conclusion: Verde's a sadistic monster.

Skull, meanwhile, had his hope of forming a normal-people-united camaraderie with another person shattered to smithereens and blown away that very instance.

And that was how Verde's first time socializing in one year nine months three weeks and one day began.