Disclaimer: KHR doesn't belong to me and I make no profit of this.
While the rain falls the sun doesn't shine.
It's at the time before the sun rises that they meet on the roof of the building on pure accident. They may be friends, they may be comrades of the same battle and victims of the same curse that had destroyed their lives before, but they still look at each other with doubt and fear and coldness that only an assassin could make.
It took about three seconds to realize just who it was that they had run into, three more seconds to lower their guard and five to put their guns away. They exchanged no greetings, no words of 'long time no see', no acknowledgement that would serve as a worded confirmation that they were, in fact, friends. They didn't need that kind of thing. Just one look was all they had to do, one small nod of head and a quiet smile was all that needed to be done.
Colonnello was the first to move, he always was. Walking closer to the edge he took off his bandana and pocketed it, letting the wind play with his hair. He sat down, legs dangling over the edge of the roof and then lied down on his back, eyes closed and arms stretched out.
Reborn was a little more reserved, staying in the dark shadows and leaning against the wall of the small room where the stairs leading up to this place ended. His fedora was tilted down, hands in the pockets of his dress pants and face unreadable, onyx eyes looking at Colonnello.
They were friends long not met, comrades of the same war and victims of a curse.
The Rain Arcobaleno was the first to speak, eyes still closed and voice just as loud and energetic as always, "How you've been, kora?" he sounds just a bit tired, after all. And just a bit relieved that he has had the chance to meet an old friend.
"Tsuna's a real boss now, so I am back to doing what I do the best – kill." Reborn offers back. He tilts his fedora up a bit with one finger, letting the shadows leave his face. "What about you? I heard about you and Lal. It was about time."
A laugh vibrates the air and Colonnello finally opens his eyes, a blue just as light as the sky during the day, peer at the dark blue above. There are still stars out, even with the slowly rising sun somewhere far away. A beautiful sight once you've had the chance to see it. He doesn't answer though, no yet. Colonnello waits a little bit, evening out his breathing and closes his eyes again. There was no need to see.
"Yeah. Isn't in strange? Never thought I would finally be able to have a chance for a life like that, kora." He allows a small smile to settle on his lips and then continues, "Wonder if I'll do well."
Reborn doesn't say anything; he merely listens to the other. There were questions meant to answer and there were questions which held no answer. This was, Reborn supposed, one of those questions – asked only for the sake of asking, not needing an answer and a confirmation. So he waited for what will come next, still hidden by the shadows even darker than night itself.
The blond knows so he goes on. "Lal's been shining, you know. I know she says that she won't be able to do it well, but I think she's going to be perfect, kora. She's perfect at everything else, so why not this too?" he taps the wall with his heel and sighs.
"Don't worry about it that much. She just shows her excitement like that." Reborn offers. He doesn't watch Colonnello anymore, instead his eyes have traveled up to the sky that is slowly losing its darkness and becoming lighter.
"I know, kora. Just wanted to hear your opinion." Colonnello sighs and tilts his head so that he could look at Reborn. There was worry shining in those sky blue eyes, asking Reborn for forgiveness and acceptance. There was so much he wanted to say, wanted to apologize for, but the hitman had already said long ago that this wasn't his fault. "Are you really ok, kora?"
A sigh rolls past Reborn's lips and he finally moves from the shadows. His footsteps don't make a sound; he seems like a shadow himself when he moves like this, without making any unnecessary movements. He's a shadow, a monster that lurks in the nightmares of others, a killer with no heart. Though, Tsuna has told Reborn countless of times that he is not, that he is merely a man far stronger than others, that he is a man who protects in his own way, a man who is brave and whose heart is big.
Foolish dreams of a child, Reborn laughs to himself.
He simply stands next to Colonnello and looks down on the rest of the city, which was still sleeping and covered by the veil of the night. "Of course I am ok, who do you think I am? Besides, I knew from the very beginning that it would end like this, so stop fretting."
"But Reborn-" Colonnello manages to only speak out the hitman's name and there already is a gun pointed at his forehead, the click of the safety going off echoing in the cold air.
"I said shut it. I'm fine." And that is the truth, Reborn thinks to himself. He had always known that they would never be able to be, not like that. It was only a matter of time and fate and God's sense of humor.
The worry that shines in the sky blue eyes doesn't go away, however, but the blond doesn't ask anymore and keeps his mouth shut. There were probably many reasons why Reborn didn't want to talk about it and that meant that Colonnello had no other choice but to give up. There was no way he would be able to get the other to talk. So he merely sighs and reaches out a hand to push the gun away from his face.
It's silent between them again. It's strained and tired kind of silent. Neither is too sure what to do now that the mood has been ruined and probably will stay like that until one of them leaves. But they don't move, only stare at different views and think about what to do now, what to talk about and how to act. There is only so much you can say to someone who you've casted aside for a brighter and sweeter future, even though he's the only one you've ever loved.
"I knew from the start that it would never work out, like I already said to you, so there is no need to get all sappy and shit." Reborn finally says and turns away from the sleeping city and the first faint rays of sun cutting though the darkness.
Colonnello sits up and watches as the hitman retreats back to the shadows, twirling one of his curls. There was heaviness in his heart that seemed to get harder to carry with every step that Reborn took away from him. But this was his decision, his selfishness and there was nothing Colonnello could do to fix things. Not now, when he had ignored this for so long.
The blond looks back at the slowly rising sun and after a moment stands up and looks down, past the edge he was standing so close to now. If he fell, would Reborn save him? Maybe, perhaps. Though, he could also not do a thing and pretend that he was never here – Reborn was a mystery that couldn't be solved. A sigh rolls over Colonello's lips, a small and quiet one that quickly disappeared into the air.
A small smile is on the blond's lips when he turns around, "Listen, Reborn, we'd really appreciate if you could come and meet the little tyke once he's in this world, kora. Lal said it would be ok."
"Of course I'll go." Reborn sighs and watches Colonnello coming closer and releases his curl, "I want to see who he will look like." A chuckle and then he's staring into the sky blue of the other man's eyes, trying to remember the last time they were this close.
The first to move is Colonnello, unlike the times before, as he leans closer and presses their lips together. It wasn't a deep kiss, it wasn't a kiss of love that still burned bright, and it wasn't a kiss to heal wounds. It was a kiss of goodbye, a soft touch of lips against lips in one final goodbye as lovers. The blond leans back and manages to laugh a little.
"Bye, kora." The Rain says and walks away, leaving the Sun in shadows and watching the rising sun.
A/N: I wanted to write something happy and funny for them, at first. But then I just suddenly felt like writing sad and slightly depressing, since there is already so much of comedy and fluffy and everything else out there.
Ayingott out.