"You? You want to be a hit man?" A tall, elderly man raised his eyebrow at a petit young brunette with amber eyes. The young brunette's request stunned him. He was too young and too weak to be a hit man. A tall man wearing a suit, a fedora with a thick orange stripe, a green pet chameleon, a yellow pacifier for a necklace, and curly sideburns named Reborn watched with his black eyes as the person he picked up not too long ago requested to be a hit man.
"Dammit! I'm too late!" Reborn rushed his way into the owner of the Sawada Company's household with a green gun only to find two freshly deceased adult bodies lying on the floor in pools of their own blood. A young brunette man who looks no older than seventeen has blood on his clothes. He was kneeling down near the bodies with tears falling from the corners of his eyes. Those two people are definitely his parents, Reborn thought.
The young man spotted Reborn at the doorway, grits his teeth, and clenches his fists. The expression on his face was of absolute hatred. Reborn lowered his gun and slowly crept towards the young brunette, trying to show that he means no harm.
"Who are you?!" He screamed, stood up, and took a step back. He was alarmed by the new presence in the room.
"My name is Reborn… You must be Tsunayoshi. I am a hit man who was hired to protect you from an assassination attempt…" He glances at the bodies, "But I'm too late…" The brim of his hat covered his eyes. No matter how skilled Reborn was as a hit man, this is the first time he was hired to protect anyone from harm committed by another… and ultimately, he failed. With this, Tsunayoshi must hate him, he thought. With the look on the brunette's face, he was right.
The moment the man named Reborn mentioned the words 'hit man', Tsunayoshi thought up of an idea. Standing up tall—his voice booming and his resolve firm—he stated to Reborn that he'll take revenge for his family. He was then led into a world where darkness is his only comfort.
Maybe there could have been another solution, Reborn thought to himself. If only he was on time, the young brunette would be smiling at home rather than sporting a blank expression on his face. Tsunayoshi told Reborn that it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't blame himself up for it, but Reborn fully blames himself. Tsunayoshi on the other hand, blames himself for being weak and 'dame'.
Earlier on this same day, Reborn's boss accepted Tsunayoshi as a subordinate and hired him into Reborn's square since Reborn doesn't have any partners. They first started with physical training since Tsunayoshi has no part of him that even whispers the word 'fit'. He may be the correct weight and height for his age, but he has no strength, speed, or balance whatsoever.
Every day, the brunette would train himself under the fearsome Reborn and every day, he would grow exhausted with the hellish training and pass out the moment he climbs into bed at night. Reborn still thinks that Tsunayoshi should go back to his company and become the heir instead of preparing himself to dirty his hands for the sake of his family, but however, the brunette refuses and persists on his route of becoming a hit man. This is just simply ridiculous, Reborn thought to himself.
"Morning." Reborn greeted the brunette by leaning his elbow on Tsunayoshi's shoulder and biting into an apple. Today, Reborn is being arrogant and haughty—something's up, Tsunayoshi thought to himself as he lifted the cup of Earl Grey tea to his lips and took one small sip.
"Silent. I like that—mysterious and cool." Reborn said after a few moments of silence. Silence is life's most beautiful melody. It can mean many things: something's wrong, the calm and cool composure of an individual, awkwardness, listening, peacefulness, and although with many more meanings it can also mean the truth. The truth comes to light and the quiet ensues…
"What happened?" Tsunayoshi finally speaks and puts down his tea. He knows exactly how Reborn is when he finds important information.
"Aren't you sharp? You're getting to know me quite well. We've found who you're looking for." Reborn takes another bite.
With that, Tsunayoshi's eyes widened slightly. He didn't expect for the person he was looking for to be found so quickly. Maybe Reborn is as good as the other hit men say he is. Trying to hide his excitement, he gently grabs Reborn's forearm and lifts it off of his shoulder. Reborn then made a remark about how quiet Tsunayoshi was being after the good news and finishes his apple. The raven-haired hit man is still against the brunette plunging into the darkness, but he sees that it isn't his decision to make—it is Tsunayoshi's decision. It is his fight. And that is what scares Reborn: he's afraid that he might lose the brunette. What is this feeling he is experiencing?
After planning for an attack, the two hit men are out to assassinate a vile man who leads the mafia famiglia at the dead of night: the Chaga* famiglia.
"And if you complete your revenge, what will you do then?" Reborn asked Tsunayoshi. The brunette only sighed, looked down, and blushed. He didn't know what to say, really. What could he do once he is done with his revenge?
"Your face his red again. That's the third time this week. What's making you this way?" Reborn smiled.
The brunette remains silent and walks ahead of Reborn, finishing what he began. Reborn held his laughter and walked behind him.
"It's over." Tsunayoshi pointed his gun at the injured boss of the Chaga famiglia, finger hovering over the trigger. Numerous amounts of dead bodies littered the room and blood flooded the floors. Reborn's heart was at his throat as he watched the brunette. Suddenly, Tsunayoshi's arm shook and he lowered his weapon. The whole time, Reborn did all of the killing and he did none of it. Maybe Reborn was right—he shouldn't be doing this…
"I knew you couldn't do it. You and your parents all together: a bunch of softies that couldn't hurt a fly. People like you shouldn't rise into business." The boss spat.
The brunette only stood before the boss with a face of pity and said nothing. How could he pity the man who killed his parents? Even he can't understand himself… Reborn put a hand on Tsunayoshi's shoulder and gave him a look. You don't have to do it. If you want, I'll do it for you.
The only reply was a nod.
A green pistol was pointed at the boss's head and the deed was done.
Tsunayoshi stood before a gravestone of the man whose life was taken by Reborn several weeks ago. No one knew of the murderer, and the police was not called in fear that the mafia within their family would be discovered.
Moments later, Reborn walks to where Tsunayoshi stands and pats him on the shoulder.
"I couldn't do it… Even after all of that training… I'm still weak." Those were the only words that Tsunayoshi could muster.
"It's alright if you couldn't do it. What matters is that your torment is over." Reborn said.
The brunette thought for a bit about what he said and smiles. He grabs Reborn's hand and lifts it away from his shoulder. He then takes that hand and holds it as if one would with a lover. This action surprised Reborn. Love is a rare thing when you choose the path of a job of assassination.
"Let's go eat. I'm starving." Tsunayoshi suggested.
Reborn's only reply was of a chuckle as the brunette gently dragged the hit man out of the cemetery, hand in hand. So that was the feeling he was experiencing...
Chaga*: Chaga is a tea that helps aid digestion, may prevent stomach diseases, boosts energy levels, supports increased stamina, has anti-inflammatory properties, may prevent growth and lowers risk of some cancers, and may help boost and strengthen the immune system.
This was a story written by the requests from the polls.
