A/N:Hey there! I must say, I really shouldn't be doing this now. I'm supposed to be acting like a good student and actually making an effort to study for my quizzes next week. Instead, I spent the day writing this up. Haha. XD It's past 12 midnight and I'm still awake while the rest of the world is sleeping. My mom would kill me. Definitely. :)

Thanks a lot for the alerts and the reviews! They make me so, so happy! :D

Special mention to hotCarameLsaucE! Haha, yeah I know that you know that I know that you know that I know that you know that I know who you are. :D Likewise, when I read your review, I could imagine hearing you saying that to my face in your shimmering girly voice. Haha, nah just kidding. Thank you for the review! I'm ecstatic that you like this story. ^^ Since you read this, you have to keep reading this all the way through, okay? :D

Anyway, here's Chapter 3 of Canvas. Hope you all like it! :D Please enjoy~

Disclaimer: I own this as much as I own Disneyland and the moon.

Canvas

-Chapter 3-

11:50 a.m.

Fon poured himself a fresh cup of tea before making his way to the fairly comfortable-looking couch situated at one part of the living room. He settled on the couch, the cushions dipping slightly from his weight, and allowed himself to get comfy. He slumped in his seat while carefully balancing the cup in his hands, making sure not to spill a drop of the hot liquid.

It would surely hurt if he did.

He brought up the steaming cup to his lips and blew at the misty vapor. The trail of smoke curled into intricate figures before completely dispersing into the air. Inhaling the familiar scent brought by the beverage, he shifted his eyes to glance down at the golden liquid before taking a sip. The warm fluid felt soothing as it travelled down his throat. He sighed in satisfaction.

Oolong…

The Chinese has always preferred Oolong out of the many varieties of tea produced in his home country. He loved its rich and versatile flavor –earthy and nutty yet sweet and flowery. Its taste lies somewhere between the renowned Black and Green teas; less sweet then Black, and less grassier than Green. It has a darker and richer flavor than Black, and a lighter flavor than Green…

Oolong tea, literally the Black Dragon tea. Fon smiled while fingering the now half-empty cup in his hands. He couldn't help but think how suitable its name was.

His lips pulled slightly into a small frown. It was sad, though. No matter how many times he tried, for some reason or other, he could never manage to brew the tea perfectly. Not that what he makes tasted awful. Oh no, he is proud of the fact that he has amazing tea-brewing abilities. The taste just wasn't up to par with what he was accustomed to drinking back when he was still in China. He smiled a small smile as his thoughts were filled with memories of his beloved motherland.

He languidly eyed his surroundings, nodding to himself in contentment. It was hard, but he was finally able to do it. The day before, he spent the whole afternoon cleaning the room, working late into the night. Finally, he had managed to at least make his living room habitable. He didn't realize how messy the state of the room actually was until he cleaned up after himself, almost breaking his back scrubbing the paint-stained floorboards. He did his best and the room does look better now.

It'll do...

Taking a long sip, he downed the rest of the warm liquid before setting the cup on the coffee table across from him. Dark colored eyes landed on the small package beside his empty cup. It was a simple brown paper bag, sealed shut with scotch tape and staples. Lying next to it was a single unsigned white envelope.

Both the package and the letter were delivered to his apartment home along with Tsunayoshi's, his new charge's, luggage about an hour ago. They were left to sit on the antique table as Fon turned his attention to the suitcases, deciding that their presence in his living room was more of a pressing matter, before dragging them to the guest bedroom down the hall. They were long forgotten after that…until now, that is.

He slowly reached for the envelope, shifting in his seat before once again collapsing on the soft cushions. He held the letter in his hands, one long slender finger tracing the outline of the sealed flap. He turned it around, noting that it was indeed blank, and then proceeded to tear off the side. From the inside of the envelope was a neatly folded piece of white paper. On it was his name, written in familiar elegant cursive hand-writing.

It was Reborn's.

Raising a delicate brow in question, he opened the folds and stared at the content, his eyes moving in fluid motion as he scanned the text.

Ciaossu.

You might be wondering about the package. Inside you will find a bottle of medicine. I want you to keep it for emergency purposes. No matter what you do, do not hand it over to Tsuna. Under any circumstances. The brat might throw it away or something. I swear, he'd rather die than take his medication. Then again, I really couldn't blame him.

But if the situation calls for it, I give you the permission to shove it down his throat. In fact, I insist.

I sent him to your apartment at around 7 a.m. on a bus. He should be arriving there soon.

I'll be keeping in touch.

P.S. If the kid asks, tell him I'm skinny-dipping at the Atlantic with some buddies.

Reborn

Fon bit back the laugh that almost erupted from his throat as he read the last line. Skinny-dipping? Surely the Italian knew that no one who knew him would actually believe such a lie. He chuckled at the thought of Reborn doing such an activity. It was much too out of character for the man.

He picked up the brown paper bag and patiently pulled off the pieces of tape and staples one by one, opening it to reveal the inside. Sure enough, it contained a small bottle of pills. He held the bottle loosely in his grasp, eyeing the label.

'Vongola.'

It piqued his curiosity. What did Tsunayoshi need beta blockers for?

He briefly pondered on the thought before deciding to put away the bottled pills. The Chinese strode over to the small medicine cabinet located in the kitchen and placed the bottle among the many common household medicines, label facing forward. He would ask Tsunayoshi about it when he arrives.

He stopped in his tracks on his way back to the couch. Where was Tsunayoshi anyway? According to Reborn's letter, the kid left for his apartment at around 7:00 a.m. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. 12:15 p.m. That was 5 hours ago. At most, the bus trip to Namimori takes 4 hours. His brows furrowed and he frowned, worry flooding his being. He couldn't have gotten lost, could he?

He exhaled slowly, calming himself. He was known for being the calm one amongst his small circle of friends. He wouldn't panic over something without having sound basis. He shouldn't jump to conclusions, but he had to make sure of Tsunayoshi's safety.

He could search for the boy…though he didn't exactly know how he looked like.

The Chinese let out a sigh as he made his way to the door, his long braided hair swinging behind him with every step he took. No matter. There's more than one way to skin a cat.

He turned the knob and swung the door open, only to come face to face with a raised hand positioned into a knock and a pair of azure eyes.

Fon blinked as he stared at the woman standing before him. Short cerulean hair framed her pretty face, the longer strands tied back into a low pony tail. Her lips were positioned into a small smile. Under her left eye was a small yet very attention-grabbing clover-shape mark.

He could recognize his friend anywhere.

"Luce."

The woman nodded, smile still in place. "Hello, Fon." She cast a quick glance to the side before facing the Chinese again. "Um, could you please lend me a hand with…er…" She trailed off, and then motioned with her hand to her side. The pleasant expression on her face was marred with a hint of uncertainty. She glanced back to the side.

Fon raised his brow in question. He stared at her quizzically before following her gaze. That's when he saw the mop of brunet hair.

Settled on the tiled floor was the unconscious figure of a young man, a boy. He was leaning on the wall, which was preventing him from toppling over. The boy donned a casual attire of jeans and a hooded shirt, and although he was in an unconscious state, his hands were tightly clutching an orange backpack. He looked peaceful, but the fact that his face was almost drained of all color cannot be overlooked.

Fon walked over to the boy, going down on his knees to properly place his hands in a carrying position. He stood up, the boy held firmly in his arms in bridal position. He mentally noted how light the brunet was.

He cast a questioning glance at Luce as he made his way into his apartment, the woman following suit. Luce grinned, amusement showing in her eyes. She opened her mouth to answer Fon's unvoiced question.

"I dragged him here."

"I must say, Fon, you did a marvelous job of cleaning up the place. It's still a bit messy, but compared to how it looked like before, it's currently looking splendid!"

Luce was grinning as she inspected every corner of the now not-so-messy living room. She looked particularly amazed that the furniture can actually be seen and used now.

Fon couldn't help but smile at his friend's antics. He moved towards the couch, gently placing the brunet on the soft cushions. Leaning over, he brushed away a few bangs from the boy's face. He stared at him for a few seconds, studying his features. Seeing his face clearly now, he found the boy adorable. He pulled back as he heard the sound of Luce's voice. "You actually managed to get the paint stains off the floorboards!"

The Chinese turned around to face his friend. He gestured towards the kitchen before making his way there.

"Would you care for some tea?" Fon said as he smiled. He watched as Luce took a seat on one of the chairs surrounding the dining table.

Luce slowly shook her head politely. "Not today, Fon." She smiled as she continued. "Don't get me wrong! You know I love your tea. But I think we should keep this short." She was smiling pleasantly as she clasped her hands together on top of the table.

Fon nodded, and then he took his seat directly across from her. "Very well, then. Let's get straight to the point."

"About the boy…I don't know him. I was wondering if you could tell me who he is." Luce started as she stared at the Chinese in the eye.

He looked at her in question, his dark onyx eyes calculating.

Azure eyes held slight amusement as she thought back to their encounter. "I happened to bump into him at the shopping center earlier today, a couple of minutes ago. I was worried, you know. He looked so frail and scared. He was sweating a lot too. I asked him if he was alright. He looked ready to pass out at any given second. He was mumbling something; I only managed to make out what he said last before he fainted."

Fon gestured for her to continue.

She brought a hand to her chin in thought. "If I remember correctly, I think he said 'Fon-san's house', or something similar to that. So I brought him here. Or rather, I dragged him here. He was so light too! I could probably carry…"

Narrow eyes widened slightly. He wasn't listening now. He quickly stood up from his chair, mildly surprising his guest at the sudden movement. Thoughts about looking for his charge suddenly flashed through his mind. He took a quick glance towards the living room. It was indeed possible…

"Fon?" Luce cast him a questioning look. Her face said it all. She wanted an explanation of sorts for the man's actions.

Fon opened his mouth to answer when –

Crash!

They both turned their heads to the source of the noise, and promptly started running to the direction of the living room.

A/N: What do you think so far? :D I really couldn't think up of any name for medicine so I just went with Vongola. XP Haha. Thank you for reading this chapter. :D I would be even more grateful if you leave me reviews and criticisms that would eat my guts. :3 Till next time~

To those who doesn't know…

Beta blockers are medicine used for relieving performance anxiety. They block the flow of adrenaline that occurs when you're anxious, controlling physical symptoms such as shaking, sweaty hands, etc. :3