Pinkie's Part: Hello there, since a few people have shown an interest in this, I think I may as well continue with this. Updates may be at random times, due to writer's block on my other story Monochromatic Sun. Please let me know what you think n.n

Beta'd by the ever kind CoffeePocky n.n

Enough of my rambles;

onward.

xx

Chapter: There Was A Knock

A routine had unintentionally settled into the continuous rise and fall of the sun. Many days passed and the innocent brunette was all but oblivious to the watchful eyes that followed his every movement, down to the slightest twitch of skin. Almost as if those eyes were frightened to miss anything at all. The ability to take in every detail was something the man prided himself in, as he was at the top of his line of work.

This certain game of cat and mouse had begun a little over three weeks ago, and the man in black had not known what had come over him. Something in the pit of his stomach had told him what he was doing was in fact just. His careful gaze scrutinized the retreating form of the young male as he made his way to the middle school day after day.

Those obsidian eyes never missed the skip in the youth's steps, and the unmistakable mask of a smile that the brunette put up. How exactly at 8:25 in the morning each day, on the dot the male would round the corner, check his watch and hop into a healthy jog the rest of the way to the school after tucking his book-bag closer to his form.

The man knew not of why the boy did the things that he did, and he had made no effort to make contact with him, though he had a very strong feeling that any type of conversation may help him in discovering the whereabouts of the several missing children in the area of the passed ten years.

He had taken a temporary residency in the small cafe that stood cattycorner to the school's main street. His paperwork left in it's folder, resting on the table before him as he sipped his beverage slowly. The innocence that radiated off the boy was one that could not be rivalled, however, it felt almost uncanny.

The man lifted his wrist and glanced at his watch. The gentle tick tick of the moving parts of his watch seemed to echo in the quiet of the cafe. He ordered another beverage, making small talk with the waitress before he turned back to his work. Several pages of text were drawn out from the manilla folder, a quick glance caused the ghost of a headache to begin to pulse in the man's skull. The documentation was the same as ever, save for the add on of names from more children that had gone missing in the passed month. That fact alone made him grit his teeth painfully, after the location was discovered to have been right under his nose, he pulled himself together shortly after; his hand covering his eyes.

He swept the bleariness from lack of sleep from his coals before glancing back down at the documents before him. He knew all of this information like the back of his hand. His filing cabinet back at his hotel room was filled to the brim with notes he had painstakingly put together. His frustration solely began to rise again, but he kept his composed mask in place without an issue, as he had been taught.

He sighed, pulling his fedora from his head to run his hands through the spiky mess of his hair. His hand made a roundabout and came to rest on his cheek. He propped his head up on his hand as he continued to scan the words on the page. The ink seeming to make the words run into one another. His free hand was pulling at the curls of his sideburns, it was a nervous tick, and it was a habit that he could not break. The top of the new document was the same as all the others.

Assignment Summary

Assignment: Find Missing Children; Confidential Information Listed

Beginning date October 14;

Reports of children that have gone missing from their homes after being under the care of one Myou Angelou, (alias presumably) under the impression that the woman was a good caretaker (babysitter). Many of the parents would return home after using her services thrice and find that their children's beds were empty and a large chunk of money had been moved to an undisclosed bank account that cannot be tracked.

Priority: Find Missing Children, bring suspect into custody alive if at all applicable.

The report began like any of the others, and the same priority was listed. Being a detective was exhausting, and even though the man in black had done his absolute best, all trails ran cold once they reached the small town of Namimori, Japan. A sigh slipped passed his lips as he gathered the pages together. He could not help but feel as though the person who had hired him was withholding information from him, and that just royally pissed him off.

He began to write out leads that he was willing to dismiss as of current, however, his mind kept drifting back to the brunette youth he had been watching. He put his pen down, looking out of the cafe window at the midafternoon hustle and bustle of people in the marketplace. He sighed, and then went back to writing.

When the man happened to glance back up, he was less than surprised that many hours had elapsed since he had arrived early that morning. He checked his watch, and counted down from sixty. His apprehension rose, however, when a familiar head of hair did not come down the road he was watching. He sipped at his drink as he waited.

Minutes ticked by, and the man downed the rest of his drink, gathered his papers and dropped a couple of bills onto the table. He bid his farewell to the waitress, who was more than happy to receive attention from the handsome stranger. The man placed his fedora back onto his head, and exited the cafe. His footsteps were stealthily quiet, despite the heavy soles on his leather patent shoes as he stalked up the road towards the school.

The trek was longer than the man had been anticipating, especially seeing the good natured jog his current subject had participated in each day. The man thanked the gods that he was in shape, for fear that he may have keeled over if he hadn't been. He rounded a corner, and then he did his best to ensure that expression remained neutral.

He continued walking, his hands in his pockets as he passed his subject, chatting animatedly with a raven haired male. Judging by the bag slung over his shoulder, the other youth was either a part of the kendo club or the baseball team. The man in black continued to saunter down the road after passing the pair. He would be sure to mark that down in his notes.

He had an odd sense of relief when he saw that the petite brunette youth was with someone, and not alone. The ghost of a memory stirred, but being how stubborn the man was, he forcefully pushed this thought to the back of his mind. The fedora wearing man continued down the road, and almost as if on cue, his cell phone vibrated from his front breast pocket of his suit vest.

He reached into the pocket gracefully, and without a glance at the caller ID screen, he flipped it open and pressed the receiver to his ear. He had dismissed the looks that he gained from some of the straggling school populace as he answered in Italian. He smirked when he was responded to with a sigh and the voice of his partner filled his ears.

"Ah, Chaos, Fon... to what do I owe the pleasure?"

Another exasperated sigh filled his ears, and he fought the urge to smirk. The voice responded, asking him if he had received the updated information for his current case, to which he grumbled incoherently. There was full hearted, friendly chortle, and then-

"Ne, Reborn, I'll be coming up to Naminori shortly to assist you. Have you been eating right?"

The man in black, Reborn went quiet, his expression incredulous; -though the other male on the other line would not have been able to view it- which earned him yet another sigh. Reborn smiled, the motion similar only to the edges of his mouth turning upwards slightly. The conversation between Reborn and his partner continued on friendly terms for roughly fifteen minutes before it came to a close, a sarcastic retort marking the end of it.

"Ah, Maman Fon, eh? Yes, mother, I'll be fine, no need to rush."

The phone call was relatively short, and Reborn had turned on his heel to go in the opposite direction. He was mildly suprised when the duo of his subject and his friend were still in the proximity. He had tilted his head slightly, and was more than amused when he made slight eye contact with the small brunette youth. The pale complexion dropping at least two more shades when they viewed the obsidian coals the were shadowed. The dark emphasized merely by the setting sun in the distance, he narrowed his eyes with his smirk, waiting to see the reaction of the youth.

Tsuna turned quickly towards his friend, and his amber eyes were wide. His back faced towards the stranger. The raven looked down at his friend and raised an eyebrow in concern before dropping an arm over his shoulders. His eyes glazing lazily over the stranger, who had put his hands in his pockets, shrugged and started walking away.

"Ne, Tsuna, let's stop by my dad's sushi shop on the way to your house." The raven haired teen couldn't help but feel suspicious at the man in black's actions. He felt unnerved, and then looked back down at his little friend.

Tsuna nodded, and then turned to look back at the stranger who had just glared at him, seeing his retreating form made him feel slightly better, and he smiled up at his tall friend.

"Thanks Yamamoto, you're like an older brother figure, who doesn't terrorize me. I appreciate it!"

The raven haired teen merely laughed and put his hands behind his head. A genuine smile flitted across Tsuna's face as it split into a grin. The two youths began to follow the same direction the stranger had been headed, deciding to take a short cut in lieu of their usual path, considering the awkward indirect contact they had just experienced.

Unfortunately that had been their one mistake that day. Careful eyes watched them from afar, and then made a move. Reborn stepped out from behind the tree he had been leaning against, hoping that it would deter the teen's route in progress, and thankfully it had.

The two had scurried across the street to gain distance in between themselves and the man in black. Their nervous gazes lingered on him, before Yamamoto pulled his cell phone from his pockets and dialled his father. With the comfort of an adult on the other line, the boys made their way to the sushi shop, leaving the detective to look down the road they had almost taken.

He had pulled his own cell phone and dialled the local police department, his voice was clipped and cold when the other line picked up.

"We've got a body here."