Reborn checks all of the bathroom stalls, he swears he does. No one is there, the windows are stuck shut, he doesn't ever see the door open.

Reborn washes his hands and looks up into the mirror to find Fon standing far too close to his back. Reborn whips around and one wet hand reaches for his gun, just resting on the metal and soaking his suit jacket.

Fon leans forward, reaching around Reborn to turn off the tap. "Good morning," Fon says without leaning back again.

"I was in a weird mood the last time we met," Reborn warns. "I still don't like you, please stop following me."

"My parents wish to meet you."

Reborn looks at the bathroom stalls and waits.

"They're not going to come out of the toilet," Fon reassures, his lips quirking up into a smirk.

"Well you can't blame me for being suspicious," Reborn argues. "Where did you come from? Why can't you just meet me on the street?"

Fon shrugs a little bit. "If we did this in public, someone would call the police."

"Fascinating," Reborn muses. "So you're aware of how disturbing you are, you just choose to keep doing it anyway."

"My parents would like to meet you," Fon reiterates as if he can simply restart the conversation instead of having to answer difficult questions.

Reborn goes along with it anyway. "I would also like to meet the people who raised someone like you. I have a few inquiries for them."

Fon smiles brightly. "Wonderful. If we call a taxi now, we can take the next flight to Beijing."

Reborn raises an eyebrow. "I actually have something on today, but if you take this flight then I'll catch up with you later."

Fon chuckles lightly.

Reborn laughs too.

Fon grabs Reborn by the throat.


"I usually don't like a sunroof," Skull admits to Colonnello, patting his car as they stand on the sidewalk waiting for Reborn. "I like crashing them occasionally, and a sunroof is a real hazard if it rolls."

"Huh," Colonnello muses. "COMSUBIN has this jeep that flips back onto its wheels if it goes over."

Skull leans closer. "Even if it rolled to the roof?"

"Even then," the soldier replies. "Crazy ride if you're in it-"

Reborn sprints around the corner and drags them both by the elbow into a lingerie shop just next door, rushing them past racks of lacy fabric and into a changing room at the back.

"Maybe we should save this for the third date," Colonnello jokes. This an interesting first meeting.

Reborn shushes him quickly and waits. Ten minutes go by, Skull playing with the bra left hanging from a hook on one wall of the stall. Two staff members are gossiping outside about why three men just ran into the changing rooms and if they should call security.

Nothing happens and Reborn relaxes.

"What was it?" Skull asks curiously.

"I had to go to the bathroom," Reborn sighs.

Colonnello looks between the two but Skull seems just as confused by the short sentence.

"Never mind," Reborn grumbles.

He leads them back out and they all continue down the sidewalk towards the small Mafia shopping arcade. Just to make it clear, Reborn did not plan this day, Skull did. Skull decided the best way to assess a new Guardian was to play games.

Reborn is focused on intelligence and strength but Skull wants someone nice to be friends with. They had the strangest argument over it, a bit like a couple inviting a third into their bedroom, until Reborn just gave in and let Skull run wild.

They get five steps into the building and Skull immediately deviates, running into a game store to play on the claw machines.

"I'm the best at these games!" Skull cheers, latching onto the big red machine. "Babe, go get tokens, I'll guard the claw."

Colonnello offers Reborn a grin. "You want me to go instead?"

"It's fine. I don't want to be associated with the freak anyway," Reborn admits. He wanders off to find the counter as Colonnello chuckles.

The blond has a nice laugh. Reborn likes it.

Reborn finds the counter and exchanges fifty euro because Skull is actually very bad that these games but he's also stubborn enough to stay until he does win.

"-pretty rare to find a Sky," Colonnello is saying. "I mean I'd love one but it's a bit far-fetched. Even if I wasn't just a recruit now, COMSUBIN doesn't collect Skies."

Colonnello is facing Skull, back to Reborn, so the hitman is free to jab a finger at Skull and drag it across his neck because if this is Skull being subtle, Reborn never wants to see the idiot being obvious.

Skull jolts and straightens up because he knows he's been bad. "Oh, uh, Reborn!"

Reborn dumps the load of tokens in Skull's hands and leans against the clear window on the opposite side from Colonnello. "Go ahead, let's see how quickly you can fail."

Skull splutters. He doesn't have pockets so he simply drops all of the tokens on the floor at his feet except for one and pushes it into the machine.

Skull immediately goes for a cute octopus in the back and misses by a mile, hitting the leg of an elephant and getting nothing.

"Practice run," Skull dismisses. "Okay, whatever, now I'm getting serious." He grabs a token off the floor and tries again.

Reborn is almost impressed by how bad Skull is. The Cloud can see out of both eyes, right? Is there an issue with depth perception?

"No," Colonnello laughs. "Skull, go further back, what are you aiming for!" He pokes the glass beside him.

"No backseat gaming," Skull cries. "Watch this, first try and I'll get it."

"You've already had a first try," Reborn points out.

"Bullshit, I don't remember," Skull splutters. "Show me evidence!"

Reborn rolls his eyes and looks through the glass to find Colonnello watching the claw intently. Reborn doesn't want to be obvious…but if they were already on the topic…

"If you met a Sky, what's the first thing you would do?" Reborn asks casually, looking back down at the claw hooking on the tail of a horse.

Skull gasps, eyes going wide. The horse is slowly picked up. Then dropped halfway. Skull deflates and makes a sad noise.

"Do they look busy when we meet?" Colonnello wonders, gaze flicking up to watch Reborn. "I wouldn't want to interrupt them."

Reborn slowly turns to the blond with shiny black eyes.

Skull coughs loudly because Reborn looks a little scary. "Nello, you come and try."

"Have you given up?" the soldier teases.

"I'm warming up my hands," Skull grumbles. He slides to the side, pushing Reborn further away.

The hitman has not stopped staring at Colonnello.

The blond goes to pick up a token and Skull leans over to mutter quietly at Reborn. "Do you like him?"

"I'll never let him leave me," Reborn whispers with a disturbing intensity.


.

A/N: Reborn wins all of the toys in the entire machine just to prove he can. He gives the octopus to Skull but everything else is gifted to Colonnello.