A/N: Hey there! If you're looking at this note then that must mean that you're planning to read this story of mine. That makes me so incredibly happy, knowing that you're giving this story a chance. ^^ I could almost squeal in joy!

Ahem. Sorry about that. But I truly am happy if you're giving this a chance. I'm not new here since I've been frequenting this site for a few years now, leaving behind me a trail of reviews here and there, but I definitely am a novice when it comes to writing. I'm more of the reader type, you see. I enjoy reading other people's works more than writing. And in all honesty, I never envisioned myself ever writing my own fanfiction. I know I could never compare with the great authors out there. If they're the sky, then I'm the soot found under the shoe of burly old men. Ugh. But here I am now, giving it a try, despite lacking in self-confidence.

I'd like to thank Metamorcy for this. You know her right? I'm sure you do. She's an amazing author. I got hooked with Fon27 because of her. And I couldn't be happier. :D I started writing this with the thought of entering her Fon27 contest. But sadly, looking at the date, I'm well aware that I probably wouldn't finish the story in time for the deadline. So I'm having second thoughts on entering this.

Please tell me if any of you like the story, and if I should continue it. And please, please be brutally honest about it. Tell me whatever it is that you find bad, disgusting even, with both the story and how I write. I'll take whatever criticisms you throw at me. I could take it. Probably. And it'll help me grow as a writer. :3

Well then, please enjoy~!

(I might change the title sometime since I really can't think of anything suitable right now. :3)

Disclaimer:I wish I do, but unfortunately I don't. (Why are we supposed to put this again? It's obvious we don't own it, is it not?)

Canvas

-Chapter 1-

It was a beautiful summer morning in the small town of Namimori –clear skies, birds chirping, kids frolicking. The sun was already high up in the sky, lighting up every street, corner, and alleyway of the peaceful town. Sunlight streamed through the windows of the numerous residences, alerting its occupants of the dawning of a new day.

It was no different for a particular apartment complex as the sunlight crept through the small opening of the fourth floor windows, brightening up a portion of the interior. Inside is a moderately big living room space with little furniture comprising of a comfortable-looking couch, a small antique coffee table, a television set placed across from it, and a few shelves. Paintings of different landscapes adorned the walls. On one particular wall hung a round clock, its hands reading 8:30. There are two doors opposite each other at the end of the hallway, presumably the bedrooms, and at the other end was a small kitchen. Next to it is a narrow hallway leading to a locked door.

The living room was in a state of disorder. Pieces of paper covered with sketches are strewn all over the floor and on the furniture, some stacked together in neat piles while others are crumpled and ripped. Different colors of paint stained the mahogany floorboards and the Oriental rug, or at least what's visible of them. Several canvases and finished paintings were leaning against the walls of the room in a disorganized manner, some even scattered on the floor. In the far corner of the room stood shelves littered with an array of brushes, paint, drawing pencils, and other art materials.

In the middle of it all was a lone painting easel sporting a huge blank canvas. Beside the easel sprawled out on the floor was a figure of a man sleeping peacefully, his chest slowly rising and falling in even breathing. His long hair which was tied in a neat braid was laid on his side, falling onto his back. His face and clothes were splattered with different colors of paint, and next to him lay innocently a white color palette colored with hardened paint and a number of used paint brushes. Clutched on his left hand was a sketchbook, with an unfinished painting of a landscape.

The man would have continued sleeping without a care in the world when suddenly, the telephone rang.

Ring. Ring.

The man stirred in his sleep as the ringing slowly brought him back to consciousness, dragging him away from his dream.

Ring. Ring.

He lifted his long-sleeved arm and brought up his hand, dirtied with paint, to his face, rubbing off the sleep from his eyes. Slowly, his eyes shot open. His narrow slanted eyes even more narrow than normal because of sleepiness, making his Chinese features more pronounced. He got up from the floor where he probably collapsed due to fatigue the night before, vaguely aware of setting aside the sketchbook in his hands. He stretched his limbs, noting that his muscles were aching, until he heard a satisfying pop. His weary eyes scanned the room for the source of the noise, landing on the telephone hanging on the wall adjacent from him.

Ring. Ring.

He woke himself up completely and made his way to the telephone, reaching out his hand to answer the noisy contraption. He stopped to stare at his paint-soiled hand, but shrugged and picked up the receiver anyway. They were dried after all.

Ring. Ri –

"Wei?" He answered in a polite tone, and then suddenly realizing his mistake in using his native language, he muttered a quick hello in Japanese.

"Ciaossu." Replied his caller. Knowing that there's only one person he knew who used a mixture of Italian and Japanese as a greeting, he visibly relaxed and allowed a smile to grace his lips.

"It has been a long time, Reborn." He said, still smiling. "And to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"I was wondering if you were still alive, Fon. Considering that it has been a few weeks since you've holed yourself up in that apartment of yours." There was a slight pause. "Honestly, you're taking that painting contest way too seriously. Luce and the others are starting to worry if you've been eating alright."

Fon let out a chuckle at that. He could almost hear the smirk tugging at the fedora-wearing man's lips. He wondered whom Reborn meant for as others aside from Luce. He highly doubted that Mammon and Verde would worry about him, even if they did share a certain amount of friendship. Well, he figured Collonelo and Lal might. Skull, too. He tightened his grip on the phone as he answered. He couldn't suppress the growing amusement lacing his tone.

"Oh? I'm perfectly fine. As far as I know, I've been feeding myself regularly and I have yet to find myself at the brink of starvation." He stopped then added as an afterthought. "I can't say I've been eating healthy though." He chuckled as his smile grew wider. "And you and the others could always visit me here. I wouldn't mind the company." He fiddled with the telephone wire, waiting for the Italian's response.

He heard Reborn scoff at the other end of the line. "Oh sure. The last time we visited, we can hardly find footing let alone a place to sit with all the mess you've made. Maybe we might actually consider visiting again if you clean up your house even for a bit."

Fon laughed as he eyed his living room. He couldn't agree more with Reborn. He really ought to straighten out his house. Soon…

"So, for what reason did you actually call me? I doubt it's just to ask about my well-being." Fon knew Reborn wasn't the type to engage in idle chatter. Worrying about others is more of Luce's personality.

Reborn grew silent for a moment before answering in a completely serious tone, all traces of the previous light-hearted conversation gone. "I need to ask a favor of you, Fon."

The Chinese man raised a delicate brow in both surprise and confusion. His movements stopped in the middle of twisting the telephone wire around his finger. "Eh?" He said, urging the other man to continue. His curiosity getting the better of him.

"I need you to look after someone for me." Reborn paused, as if gathering his thoughts. "His name's Tsuna. Sawada Tsunayoshi."

Fon didn't miss the slight urgency in the Italian's voice. He felt more than intrigued. It wasn't everyday that Reborn asked anyone for a favor. Heck, he never even asked his friends for favors unless it was completely and utterly necessary. He was the type of person who loathed the feeling of being indebted to anybody. The Chinese couldn't hide the amusement in his voice despite the seriousness of the other. "Why?"

Reborn snarled. Fon held back a chuckle as he pictured his caller narrowing his eyes in annoyance, having detected the tone in his voice. After a while, he heard Reborn sigh. "His parents are close acquaintances of mine and I'm very much indebted to them. They asked me to look after their son for the summer."

Fon felt that there was a lot more to that so he prodded for more information. "And?"

Reborn was silent for a while, but continued anyway. "The Sawadas suddenly decided to travel around the world, claiming that they won a world cruise in a raffle draw. They couldn't very well bring along their child since it's only a trip for two. They wouldn't allow him to be left alone either. He's been under my wing for a week now." Reborn's tone grew darker. "But something came up."

Fon narrowed his eyes in suspicion. The Chinese was able to pick up the hidden meaning behind those words. He stayed silent and waited for the other to continue.

Reborn sighed. The seriousness in his voice was still present as he spoke. "During the first few days, the Sawadas kept in contact with me. Then suddenly, there was nothing. Nada. Zilch. I tried contacting them instead," Reborn paused, "but it's as if they disappeared into thin air. I doubt this is just a case of irresponsible parents having too much fun vacationing to worry about their child."

When Fon stayed silent, Reborn continued. "Something's wrong. And I need to find out what it is. I have my suspicions, but I can't act on those alone. Tsuna's unaware of the situation as of yet. I haven't told him anything." Silence. "And I think it's better if he knew nothing…for now."

The Chinese nodded, even if Reborn couldn't see him. He allowed himself to slowly digest the information. Still he stayed silent, finding it hard to come up with something to say.

The two found themselves enveloped in silence. Tension thick in the air.

"Please." The man spoke at the other end of the line. Fon's eyes slightly widened in surprise. "I need you to take care of Tsuna for a few weeks. At least until I get to the bottom of everything."

Fon couldn't believe his ears. He caught the hidden emotion in the man's words. Reborn couldn't hide it from him. No. Fon shook his head in slight disbelief. Reborn was…desperate. He furrowed his brows. So this was indeed serious. It obviously was for Reborn.

He knew what it entailed to look after Reborn's charge even if it wasn't mentioned. Reborn was asking him for protection. Tsunayoshi's protection. If that were the case, then it's quite possible that the kid's life is in danger. He couldn't very well deny the favor asked of him. Fon sighed to himself as he thought of the situation. He'll probably need to reacquaint himself with his martial arts skills sometime soon too.

Fon sighed once more, a small smile appearing on his lips. "Very well. I wouldn't mind looking after Tsunayoshi." He kept his tone light, despite the gravity of the conversation.

He heard Reborn breath out a sigh of relief at the end of the line. Fon allowed himself to relax, realizing that his body was tensed the whole time, as he let his eyes trail once more on his messy living room before sighing and breaking into a small grin. He paused as a thought crossed his mind, then he laughed, slightly throwing his head back, breaking the tension completely. "I guess I really have to start cleaning up now, don't I?"

Reborn snickered at that and replied in a more relaxed tone. "You'd better. Unless of course, if you don't mind getting your artwork stepped on." He paused, and then continued laughing a little in silence. "Don't worry. He can clean up after himself. I made sure of that when I used to tutor him." Fon could almost see the glint in Reborn's eyes as he spoke. He shuddered at the thought of the poor boy being subjected to the sadist's tortu –tutoring. He snapped out of his musings when Reborn continued. "You'll probably come to like him. He's a good boy, if not a bit timid. He'll have to get used to you anyway."

Fon smiled. His eyes calculating as he stared at nothing in particular. He didn't fail to notice the fondness in Reborn's tone as he spoke of the young lad. He chuckled. Even if the Italian attempted to hide it in a controlled, almost emotionless voice. "Oh? I never knew you to be the type to get attached to someone."

Reborn snapped at him and let a small growl escape from his throat. "I never said I was." The Chinese could only smile wider. He knew better, despite Reborn's denial. He could tell that Reborn cared for the boy.

Silence engulfed them once more, as neither of the two spoke. But this time it was comfortable. Fon contemplated on ending the call and hanging up as their talk is more or less over. He still had other stuff to take care of, he realized. He was about to say his farewells when a thought crossed his mind.

He spoke, breaking the silence. "I almost forgot. When will Tsunayoshi arrive here?" He asked, his brows raised in question.

"…" Fon wasn't sure if Reborn had heard him, and he was about to repeat his question when the other line spoke up. "Tomorrow."

His eye twitched at that, the smile on his lips slowly dropping into a frown. Tomorrow? He inwardly cursed as he eyed his residence. He sighed in defeat. "Very well."

The Italian snickered, as if reading his train of thought. "Well then, I'll be keeping in touch. I'll inform you if I come up with anything." With that, Fon knew that the conversation was over, and they promptly said their goodbyes. He was about to hang up the receiver when he heard Reborn speak up once again.

"Fon?"

"Yes?"

"…"

"Grazie." Then the line was dead.

Fon couldn't help but smile as he hung up the receiver. It was said in no more than a whisper, but he had heard the silent gratitude.

Stepping away from his position in front of the telephone, he turned to look at his built up mess once again. He sighed, his shoulders slumping, eyebrows knitting together. He paused for a while, running his hand through his hair in mild frustration, and then slowly made his way to start the dreadful cleaning.

Sigh…

'It's going to be a long day.'

A/N: To those who read my note at the top of the page, I give my sincerest gratitude. ^^ I know most people often skip them and go straight to the story. Anyway, thank you for taking your time reading this and I hope you'll leave me a review. They actually boost egos, I've been told. ^^ Please tell me if I should continue or not so I'll know whether to allot time for writing this. I need to prepare for college entrance exams, too. :D

A bit of translation?

1) Wei –This is a Chinese word for 'hello' but it's used in telephone conversations. (ex. Hello? Is Lily at home? Chinese: Wei? Lily zai jia ma?) But I'm not exactly sure either since my Chinese sucks. 0_o

2) Grazie –Italian for 'thank you'.