"It's in these moments of tender and ridiculous nostalgia that I know something inside me is still broken." – Steve Almond
Sapore di Casa was a charming café run by a genuine Italian couple. A small bell tinkled their arrival as Reborn silently followed Tsunayoshi, briefly assessing his new surroundings. The walls were painted a warm yellow color and there were several handcrafted designs of colorful butterflies and flowers. There were expensive, high-quality equipment near the counter and a handwritten chalkboard menu above it. Small, circular tables were evenly spaced apart with two chairs each; there were two larger tables near the back. The customers mostly consisted of university students, who were typing rapidly on their laptops. An elderly couple sat near the windows, smiling lovingly at each other.
"Welcome to—Tsuna!" A slender woman nearly leaped over the counter with a blinding grin. She was clearly Italian, probably from southern Italy, with long black hair, tanned skin, and high cheekbones.
Tsunayoshi smiled and kissed both her cheeks in greeting. "Ciao, Sofia."
"Oh, Tsuna, I thought you were in America!" Sofia said, shifting to Italian.
"I just came back yesterday from Germany actually," Tsunayoshi responded, the language smooth on his tongue. "I have some business to tend to here. How are you doing?"
"Wonderful! Oh, Marcello is out getting delivery orders. Will you be staying? I'm sure he'd love to see you."
"I can't promise anything but I'll try! While I'm here, can I get an espresso? The usual." He glanced at Reborn, tilting his head in question.
"Espresso," was Reborn's curt response.
"Make that two, Sofia."
Sofia furrowed her brows, oblivious to the baby hitman's presence. "Two? It looks like you haven't learned your lesson. Too much coffee is bad for you, Tsuna."
Tsunayoshi chuckled. "When has that ever stopped me? I'll be over there."
The Italian woman just shook her head in fond exasperation before walking off to make the orders. Tsunayoshi turned to Reborn and gestured to a table with his head. The hitman followed him to a more secluded area and promptly sat on the table across from him. He observed the young surgeon, who maintained a steady, calm composure.
Reborn was curious as to why the brunet invited him outside for a quick chat, but he mostly knew what the talk was going to be about. The other had obviously met another Arcobaleno when he mentioned "another one" and Reborn was too interested to turn down the offer. Besides, this was also a good way to get close to him and obtain as much intel as he could about the young man. A win-win for him.
"I can guarantee that the coffee here's really good," Tsuna said. "I come here if I'm in Namimori when I get the chance." A fond, wistful look glazed over his eyes. "It reminds me of Italy."
Reborn immediately categorized any information Tsunayoshi spewed from his mouth. After all, the one who held all the information had the upper hand. "You went to Italy first for your studies."
"Yeah, I stayed in Milan and Venice for two years." The brunet leaned forward, resting his chin on his hand. "And you…?"
"I was born in Italy."
"Oh, that's nice. Is this your first time in Namimori?"
"Yes."
Tsunayoshi smiled politely. "I hope you enjoy your stay here. It's not big and grand like Tokyo or Kyoto but it has its quirks."
Sofia finally walked over with a bright smile and set down two steaming cups of espresso on the table. Reborn relaxed slightly at the rich, familiar aroma. Damn, they were authentic too. Before the woman could react, he took a small sip, relishing in the strong, creamy liquid. Not bad.
Sofia looked horrified, finally noticing Tsunayoshi's company. "Tsuna, the baby—why are you letting him drink that?"
"I like espresso," Reborn answered promptly. "Questo un caffé é molto buono. Grazie."
Sofia gaped at the baby hitman, blushing faintly, before turning to Tsunayoshi, who was also enjoying his drink. "Tsuna—"
"It's not my fault, Sofia. Besides, he likes it."
Sofia sighed then left to tend to another customer. Reborn glanced at Tsunayoshi, noting that the brunet looked more amused than wary.
"It must be difficult," the young surgeon said, gesturing at Reborn, "with that body. I can only imagine the reactions you'd get."
The hitman sipped his drink again, betraying nothing in his collected posture. "Why is that a concern to you?"
"Just offering some sympathy."
"I don't need any sympathy. I've been used to this body for a while now."
Tsunayoshi hummed to himself. "I'm sorry if I imposed on you. This is still a bizarre thing for me." He glanced at his Sun Arcobaleno Pacifier. "The other one had something similar."
Reborn stayed composed on the table but his mind instantly ran through the possibilities, trying to pinpoint the "other one". Colonello was out—he was too occupied training mafioso in Mafia Land and Tsunayoshi would have no reason, knowledge, or access to the mafia-only resort. Fon lived in China and Asia wasn't anywhere in Tsunayoshi's itinerary. Lal Mirch could be a possibility but Vongola's main headquarters were in Rome, a considerable distance from the more northern Milan and Venice. Skull wasn't even worth mentioning.
That left two choices: Viper and Verde. None of the Arcobaleno were even sure if Viper was still alive after they were cursed, but Reborn couldn't discount him. Viper was powerful and Reborn knew in his guts that the greedy bastard was still alive—it just irked him that he didn't know his specific whereabouts or condition. Verde was sneaky but predictable if you knew him well. His secret lab was located underneath Anchiano, a small village located in Tuscany, Italy, and the birthplace of Leonardo da Vinci. Since the other was dubbed "Da Vinci's Reincarnation", it wasn't a surprise that he found refuge and comfort in the Renaissance Man's hometown.
Reborn took another sip to organize his thoughts. Tsunayoshi was quiet, simply enjoying his drink and the surprisingly comfortable silence between them. The hitman glanced at the brunet, noting his relaxed posture; his eyes, however, were sharp and he didn't shy away when they made eye-contact. Tsunayoshi smiled at him but it was warier, more careful.
"So, you've met Verde," Reborn said finally.
He felt a bit smug to see surprise flicker in the other's eyes. He was the best hitman in the world after all. Having the upper hand on everyone was a specialty of his and it was second to none. So, the fact that he could throw the other off guard almost made him smirk. This was almost exciting to the hitman. Tsunayoshi was a rather fascinating subject. He didn't even blame Verde for taking interest in the other at this point—there was something about the brunet that inevitably pulled him in and Reborn was determined to find out why and what.
"You're terrifying," Tsunayoshi said blandly.
Reborn tipped his fedora in response. "I'm Reborn, the greatest hitman in the world."
Tsunayoshi stared at him. A clear "are you fucking with me?" was written all over his face. He sighed, then pinched the bridge of his nose, a frequent habit Reborn noted. "It sounds even more ridiculous coming from you."
Reborn was tempted to hit his head with his trusty Leon-shifted hammer, but restrained himself. There was no point in drawing attention to themselves or causing petty violence. Despite his sadistic tendencies, Reborn had some tact, thank you very much. He was more disturbed at his reluctance to hit the brunet than anything else. One day, he thought, he'll get him. Now wasn't the time. He still needed more information.
Tsunayoshi sipped some more of his espresso. "Aren't you going to do anything? I kind of insulted you there."
"You think very little of me, Tsunayoshi."
"I don't really know you, but I'm pretty sure you wanted to hurt me or thought of it for a second there."
Reborn almost raised a brow. Did the brunet read through him? The greatest hitman in the world? No, that wasn't possible. It couldn't be. He was the most guarded and secretive person out there. Not even Viper could get a good read of him. Lal Mirch didn't even bother; he would just recite her own thoughts to her face, not even giving her a chance before she left him with a huff. Everyone was an open book to him. Tsunayoshi was no different, but the more he exposed a bit of himself, the more Reborn wanted to know what was going on his head. He was…interesting. Very interesting.
The baby almost smiled. Was Tsunayoshi possibly the challenge he needed in his tedious life? If so, he would be delighted to rip him apart until there was nothing else the brunet had to hide. Reborn was nothing more than ambitious and he always got what he wanted. Maybe coming to Namimori wasn't a bad thing after all. Sure, he owed Nono some favors and training the future Decimo-to-be was hardly a difficult task—but the fact that he would meet such a curious individual was luck on his part. Fate probably turned into his favor for once.
Tsunayoshi then shrugged. "I just have that effect on most people." He smiled thinly. "Emotions run high in the operating room. There's no time for any trivialities or mistakes. I may be a genius but my place is always at the bottom. Either that or I'm an outlier. I've lost count on how many times someone threw a scalpel at me." He looked down at his hands, which were slender and long, before his lips turned into an almost cheeky grin. "To cut a long story short, I just have a terrible attitude for someone who's learning how to save people's lives."
Reborn didn't say anything. In a sense, Tsunayoshi disclosed some part of his heart to the hitman but there were still so many anomalies that Reborn couldn't stop thinking about. Though vaguely he could imagine him being a pain in the ass as a student.
"Sentiments aside," Tsunayoshi said, "I didn't invite you for pleasantries. I wanted to ask you something. Why are you here in Namimori?"
"There is no point in giving you information as to why I'm here," Reborn said coolly. "It has nothing to do with you."
"You followed me all the way to the hospital. I'm sure that accounts for some interest on your part. Also, I highly doubt you came to check up on Nishimura-san."
Again, the fact that the brunet had sensed him was a bit alarming (and highly intriguing). A civilian pinpointing Reborn's presence? Colonello would have a field day. The hitman was known for his uncanny stealth in the underworld. Either Tsunayoshi was just lucky or he was more perceptive than Reborn gave him credit for. The hitman settled with the latter.
"Yes, I followed you to the hospital," Reborn admitted bluntly. "I wanted to gather intel on you."
Tsunayoshi narrowed his eyes. "Why?"
The hitman pondered on telling him or not but decided to just go with it. He figured it would be more stressful for Tsunayoshi to know it much later than now. "I am here to train the future Decimo for the Vongola Famiglia."
Tsunayoshi blinked. "I'm sorry, did you say Vongola? As in the mafia Vongola?"
"Yes."
"And you're here to train a future heir?"
"Yes."
"In Namimori?"
Reborn restrained a sigh. "Yes."
"You were there," Tsunayoshi suddenly said, "in the classroom. Kami, the heir is a middle-schooler. Does the current don not have any older children?"
It was surprising how the brunet could piece the bigger picture together with such little information. Reborn could understand how Verde took an interest in him. The Lightening Arcobaleno met someone who could follow his pace for once.
"The eldest was shot and killed. Another only left bones behind. The youngest was drowned. He has an adopted son but he is currently incapacitated after attempting a coup d'état."
Tsunayoshi shook his head in disbelief. "So, you're training a kid to become the next heir to a mafia family? What the hell is wrong with you people?"
"For Vongola to continue to prosper, a boss need to ensure order and stability. Without one, Vongola will crumble."
"But it's still a kid!"
"That is why I'm here. To train and shape the candidate to be the next Decimo."
Tsunayoshi sat there in stunned silence before pursing his lips. "The fact that the don chose a kid is despicable. In fact, I'm all for the Vongola to destroy itself."
"You are a civilian. You have no right to judge what the mafia can or can't do."
"The mafia is involved in everything that is detrimental to society as far as I know. I think as a member of society, I do have the right to judge them. We don't need the mafia."
"Vongola is different. There are other famiglias who also do good and protect the people. The mafia is not appealing in nature but it's a necessary evil."
"Why do you think we have the police? Social workers? Government officials?"
"They aren't enough."
Tsunayoshi raised a brow. "What right does the mafia—or you—have to decide what is or isn't enough? Did you ever think that maybe some things happened because the mafia existed in the first place? That some idiot down the line decided to integrate his own self-serving needs into the group's objective? I don't know."
Vongola Secondo instantly came into mind. He had drastically changed Vongola when he came into power, immediately establishing himself as a powerful and fearful figure. Under and after his rule, Vongola became more powerful than any other famiglia, ascertaining a terrifying reputation in the underworld. Thinking about it, its history suddenly became bloodier in Reborn's eyes.
Tsunayoshi's words somehow made sense.
Reborn abruptly felt marginally frustrated. He was only a hitman. He didn't belong to a famiglia. However, that didn't make him ignorant to mafia history. There was no need for him to think too much about what a certain famiglia did and how another reacted or what the repercussions were for civilians. He simply took a job and get paid.
Training the Sawada twins to be suitable Decimo candidates was only a job. There was nothing else in it for him other than him returning a favor to Nono. His conflicting thoughts continued to irritate him even more. Before he could say anything, a sudden buzz reverberated on the table. Tsunayoshi cursed under his breath and took out his phone, quickly scanning the message. His eyes slightly softened before he looked at Reborn.
"I have to go." He glanced at their espressos. "Don't worry. I paid for your's." As he stood up, he looked directly into Reborn's black eyes. "I can kind of guess why you followed me. Whatever it is, no. And I preferably want to never see you again. If you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving first."
Reborn followed the brunet's back as he said a quick goodbye to Sofia and left. Tsunayoshi turned the corner, never looking back once.
Leon crawled onto Reborn's shoulder, licking his cheek comfortingly as if sensing his master's inner conflict. The hitman just petted the small chameleon to soothe his own nerves.
"Um, excuse me." Sofia looked at Reborn with questioning eyes. "I apologize if Tsuna left like that. He can be erratic sometimes but he's actually a really nice boy."
Sawada Junko had said the same thing about Yoichi, Reborn thought vaguely.
"Do you need help or anything? Tsuna didn't tell me if your parents are waiting for you."
Reborn restrained a sigh, despite being used to the treatment. "I'm fine."
He hopped off the table and walked out of the café, ignoring Sofia's protests. He had to scout potential guardians after all. There would be time to think later.
After the incident with Nishimura-sensei, Namimori Middle buzzed with more than the occasional gossip. Shinzo just smiled politely and nodded his head whenever someone offered their sympathies for his teacher. Really, the attention was getting to annoy him by the time school ended but he took it all in stride. It wasn't as if he was the one who collapsed. There was nothing for them to be sorry about; if anything, they should express their sympathies to Nishimura-sensei herself.
He still heard the whispers in the locker room as he changed out of his baseball uniform.
"I heard some doctor helped Nishimura-sensei. Some people are saying he used to be Nezu-sensei's student or something."
"Oh, right! I heard that too. I think they met before homeroom. Suki-chan said she saw them in the teachers' lounge this morning."
"What was his name again? I think I've seen him before."
"Sa—Sa-something? I'm not sure, but I heard he's crazy! He stabbed a freakin' pen in Nishimura-sensei!"
"Holy shit, yeah. That was insane! Mochida-senpai told me he saw everything. There was blood everywhere!"
"Guys," Shinzo said, grabbing his bag, "Coach Yasui wants us out by five."
Shouts and hurried apologies filled the damp air as the remaining team members quickly changed and filed out of the room, waving sheepishly at their captain. Shinzo restrained the urge to roll his eyes before closing and locking the room.
"Yo, Shinzo," Takeshi said with an easy grin. "Catch?"
The other shrugged, leading the way to an empty field. "Yeah, let's go."
It was routine for them to linger around after practice and throw a baseball around until it got too dark. The baseball team's captain and ace were nearly inseparable since they've met in kindergarten. Shinzo had been awed by the other's height, calling him a giant when they first met and immediately asked to be friends. Takeshi just laughed and accepted like the good person he was. They even aimed for the same high school after they graduate.
Shinzo smiled as he slipped his glove on his left hand, the leather comfortable and worn against his skin. Takeshi tossed a baseball in the air a couple of times before nonchalantly throwing it at Shinzo's direction. The other easily caught it and threw it back.
They continued to exchange a couple of throws for a while, just enjoying the companionable silence between them. A cool autumn breeze swept through the field as other students' laughter rang in the air. A bell rang faintly in the school halls, signaling that it was 5 P.M. Shinzo enjoyed moments like this. It allowed him to relax and to think of nothing but catching the baseball. No School Council work, no grades, no matches. Just him, Takeshi, and the baseball.
Sure, baseball was fun and he was good at it, but he didn't think he'd choose it as a future career. It was more like a hobby. He'd probably stick with it in high school so he'd have another nice thing to write down for college. Honestly, Takeshi was more of a baseball nut than he was. In the first grade, he'd drag Shinzo to empty fields and ask him to throw while he swung the bat. Shinzo easily indulged him. If it made his friend happy, he was cool with it.
"That was pretty scary," Takeshi suddenly said, catching the ball. "I hope Nishimura-sensei is okay."
Shinzo hummed to himself, grunting slightly from a rather hard throw. Takeshi just laughed sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.
"My bad, my bad."
Shinzo just rolled his eyes and tossed it back, smirking when Takeshi grunted. "Right back at ya. And don't worry. She'll be fine."
Takeshi just grinned. Really, his friend was just…so happy. Sometimes it pissed Shinzo off at how oblivious his friend could be. At the same time, he would say things that belonged on fortune cookies.
Takeshi's face from earlier this morning briefly flashed in Shinzo's mind. How his eyes narrowed and lips pursed when Nishimura-sensei collapsed. How easily he listened to Satou-san without breaking a sweat. Takeshi was rarely ever serious. When he was, Shinzo still had to get used to how intimidating he looked, wondering if his friend knew the effect he had. It was always the happiest people who could be the scariest. They were unpredictable and Shinzo was glad to have Takeshi as a friend rather than an enemy. He sometimes shivered thinking about the alternative. Yeah, Takeshi would be good as a friend.
"We should visit her," Takeshi said. "Maybe give her a get-well card."
"We can. I think Emiko-san is already making a card for her."
"Oh, that's good. How about your brother?"
Shinzo almost snorted. "Sure, he'd sign his name." He snickered. "He kind of has a crush on Nishimura-sensei."
"Wow, I didn't know that. I thought him and Emiko were a thing."
Shinzo rolled his eyes. "Other than Nishimura-sensei, Yo-chan is pretty much asexual. All he thinks about is work, work, work. How do you think our debate team is best in the district?"
Takeshi laughed. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. Yoichi's cool."
"Well, of course. He's my little brother. The Sawada family doesn't accept losers."
There was no heat behind Shinzo's words, just fondness and pride. Of course, who wouldn't be proud of his little brother? He might not know it, but Yo-chan had a fan club himself. He was just too focused in his own little world to even notice. It was also hilarious to know that Emiko was the leader and she was the closest girl Yo-chan had ever been with. That was convenient for her, who relayed any news about his activities and whereabouts to the other members. For a smart kid, Yo-chan was stupid with social cues.
"Yeah," Shinzo said softly, "Yo-chan's cool."
"Oh, right," Takeshi said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "That doctor. I don't remember his name but he was with Nezu-sensei, I think." He wiped his forehead with his arm. "He looked really young, too. But what he did was really cool! He helped Nishimura-sensei with a pen!"
Satou Tsunayoshi. His name was a blessing in Namimori. Shinzo never missed how the elderly chattered about him in the streets when he was younger. A genius through and through, a Namimori resident, only fourteen when he performed his first surgery in Italy, student to one of the leading cardiothoracic surgeons in Japan—to Shinzo, he was practically a god. He basically worshipped Satou-san, tracking everything he did abroad and reading all the surgeries he operated in, both the good and the bad. To see him up close and personal this morning… Shinzo thought he was dreaming. He didn't even care if he gave the brunet his favorite pen to stab his teacher with. Just… he was Satou-san.
"Satou," he said in dazed awe. "His name's Satou Tsunayoshi."
Takeshi pondered on the name for a few second before his eyes brightened up in recognition. "Oh, that doctor you always talked about." He grinned. "Wow, and he was in our school today too! That's so cool, Shinzo. You got to see your god!"
Shinzo nearly choked on his spit. "What—What the hell, Takeshi?"
Takeshi continued to grin. "That's what you told me, Shinzo."
"Kami…" Shinzo regretted every fanboying over Satou-san in front of Takeshi.
"Maybe we can see him when we visit Nishimura-sensei tomorrow."
Okay, that sounded cool. Better than cool—that'd be awesome. Shinzo just cleared his throat and tried to look indifferent. "Yeah, sure."
"I can leave you two alone if you want."
Shinzo just threw the baseball near Takeshi's crotch. He grinned when the other groaned in pain. "You were saying?"
After waving goodbye to Takeshi, Shinzo opened the gate to his house and yawned. Kami, maybe he should lay back with the after-practice stuff with Takeshi. The amount of work a middle-schooler got should be illegal—and he didn't even attend an academy (thank Kami for his mother's brains).
He walked towards the door, stretching his arms in the air. After a shower, he'd eat and should probably start on his history paper. It was due in a week but he didn't have time to push it to the side for later. There was also an upcoming match with Kokuyo Junior High, their ultimate rival school, next week. It was the second game for Namimori but a first for Kokuyo so he didn't have anything to analyze about their performance for this year. He did hear that their ace graduated last year so that was useful he guessed.
"Kaa-san, I'm h—"
Shinzo paused. What…?
"—scinating that the variables here should be used like that. I didn't think of that! What about—Oh, Shinzo-kun!" His mother finally realized his presence and smiled from the sofa. "Welcome home! Dinner will be ready in a few so go wash up. How was practice?"
"It was good," Shinzo said, gazing warily at the strange scene. Was his mother talking to a baby about whatever research she was working on?
Junko positively grinned. He hadn't seen his mother this overjoyed since she got an offer to be a mathematics professor at Namimori University. Well, it was nice to see his mother so happy ever since their father was rarely in the picture but… Even the cool and calm Shinzo couldn't wrap his head around the fact that she was talking to a baby of all people. And was that a fedora?
"Oh, where are my manners? Shinzo-kun, this is Reborn. Did you know that he also goes by Borin, the mathematician from Italy I've always talked about? This is him!" She was practically squealing at this point.
Of course, Shinzo remembered his mother raving on and on about some Italian guy solving some of the world's most difficult mathematical equations. He always listened to whatever she said, even though he didn't understand most of the things that came out of her mouth. Yo-chan wasn't really interested or had the patience to listen to their mother rant about "Borin" so Shinzo would be the only one paying attention to indulge her.
So the fact that…"Borin" was sitting in their living room—seriously, he was a baby in an all-black suit; how was that not suspicious?—was just odd. No offense to his mother, but would some genius mathematician just waltz into their home to live with them of all things? In Namimori of all places?
Today must be a very long dream, Shinzo thought.
He met Reborn's black eyes and almost shivered. They were too intense for a baby. And holy shit, Shinzo still could not get over the fact that he was wearing a fedora. Also, was that a chameleon?
"That's great, Kaa-san," he finally said with a quick smile. "But why is he here?"
Before his mother could speak, Reborn spoke. Kami, even his voice was squeaky. "Ciaossu, my name is Reborn. From now on I'll be tutoring you and your brother."
Shinzo couldn't stop himself. "…eh?"
A/N Thank you so much for putting this story in your favorite/alert list! Makes me all warm and fuzzy inside, hehe. (/)
And wow, most of you peeps guessed the mystery Arcobaleno correctly. It was probably too easy but I'm also very happy! You peeps are so smart~
Translations:
Sapore di Casa: Taste of Home
Questo un cafféé molto buono. Grazie: This espresso is very good. Thank you.
This chapter took a while to write honestly (and probably the longest so far). I mostly struggled with the conversation between Tsuna and Reborn because I kept worrying if I kept their characters' consistent or not. Reborn was particularly hard so I hope I distinguished his character enough for you guys! Let me know what you think about him too!
And more exposure to the OC twins! This time with Shinzo. I'm curious as to how you guys think of him. Drop a thought or two if you can! I'll see you all in the next chapter~
Have a lovely day, peeps!
Little Miss Bunny
