AN: Another new chapter, and another new OC. I had to make him and Maso up because the famiglia I chose to kidnap Tsuna didn't have enough named members in the KHR universe. He's what I imagine a real Mafioso would be like. But again, I don't own any other characters from Katekyo Hitman Reborn!.
WARNING: Some violence and mild swearing ahead.
And now, in the words of C.S. Lewis himself: "Onward and upward!" Or maybe it's more "downward", in Tsuna's case.
The Golden Canary
Who killed Cock Robin?
"I," said the Sparrow,
"With my little bow and arrow,
I killed Cock Robin."
Chapter 3: The Sparrow
Somewhere on the southwestern coasts of Italy, a middle-aged man read and re-read the short missive that arrived yesterday, thumbing the streak of silver in his beard in deep thought. His subordinate had used their standard code as they're all taught to do, but the evasiveness of his report made Gavino suspicious.
Either he's purposely being vague to hide something, or he messed up the code somehow.
He thought of the industrious Maso, and dismissed the latter idea. Contrary to what his lackey thought, Gavino sent him to Japan not only because he knew the language, but mostly because Maso had something most of his other coworkers didn't: initiative. Where other grunts would mindlessly follow instructions to the letter, Maso could work around a problem instead of fall straight into it.
It made him both an asset and a liability, because he could be unpredictable.
«Found the bird, but will need training. Took a gamble only because Signore M is good at handling risks. Will need to schedule meeting with Signore M ASAP.»
Gavino translated slowly in his head one more time, wondering at the puzzle hidden within the puzzle.
And what the hell does that mean?
He sighed, and looked at the grandfather clock in the corner of his office.
Maso's plane would be landing sometime in the afternoon, and it was currently 10:08. All his other subordinates who were sent out on similar missions had already returned, and Maso was the last one left. Their debriefing was scheduled for 16:00; something Gavino secretly looked forward to. It would break the monotony of the week, and hopefully solve the dilemma that had been festering within their famiglia for the past few months.
He straightened his suit, and decided to finish his paperwork while he waited for a mystery to unravel.
«Signore Marchesi?»
Gavino looked at the clock, and saw it was 15:55 on the dot. He nodded, dismissing the subordinate with a flick of his wrist.
Smoothing his tie, he checked himself in the mirror before heading to the mansion's inner courtyard. He'd originally wanted to hold the debriefing in his room, but then decided against it.
Can't have birds and their shit ruining the wooden floors.
He made a few winding turns down the hallway and stairs, and soon found himself blinking to adjust to the afternoon sun. Already, he could hear a cacophony of different birds twittering, and he winced inwardly. At least the Don couldn't hear them while he was in his room.
His subordinates were standing around and chatting casually until they saw him, which made them snap to attention. Each was next to a cage filled with different birds.
«Welcome home, gentlemen.»
A chorus of «Thank you, Signore!» boomed out, and he nodded his approval.
«Report, starting from Piedro.»
The stocky man to his very left stood straighter.
«Si Signore! As you can see, I've managed to capture the lyrebird and the grey shrike-thrush, both from Australia.»
Gavino looked, and sure enough, there were two birds chirping inside his cage. He inspected them for a brief second, then ever-so-casually took out his Colt M1911A1 and shot the lyrebird.
Noise and bird fell dead with nary a squawk.
He then levelled his gun at Piedro, pausing just long enough to make the man break out in cold sweat.
«S-s-s-signore?»
«Next time you fail to complete a mission, at least have the brains to know that you did. Or else I'll blow them right out of your head, if you had any in the first place.»
He dusted the gunpowder off his sleeve, and returned the gun to its holster.
The petrified yet confused look he saw on the oaf's face showed the idiot still didn't understand, and Gavino barely resisted rolling his eyes. It was unbefitting of a superior.
«You brought me a female lyrebird.» Snickers from the others escaped, but they stopped when their boss glanced their way. «Next.»
As his lackeys sounded off one after the other, Gavino ticked the mental checklist he made of all the birds he'd wanted and assigned to each man. In total, they managed to net eleven out of the thirteen birds. One was dead, but they were still missing–
«Where is Maso?»
His subordinates looked at each other, unsure of how to answer a question they couldn't.
He sighed and reached into his pocket for his phone, but a soft clearing of the throat made him turn around.
Standing behind him was his giant of a subordinate, and Gavino was about to comment on his tardiness when he stepped out into the light.
There, in his arms, lay a sleeping child with a halo of messy golden hair.
The puzzling missive slowly clicked into place, and Gavino fingers twitched for his gun.
«Let's have that meeting, De Luca. Right now.»
«Please, have a seat.»
An eerie sort of calm descended, and Maso couldn't help the slight tremor running through his veins. He sat down anyway, and the boy he was holding shifted before settling again.
Signore Marchesi sat on the other side of the desk and wove his fingers into an x-shaped steeple.
«Report. Then explain yourself.»
The carefully constructed speech Maso had prepared on the plane melted into thin air, and he scrambled for the right words.
«Signore. I...I couldn't find the golden canary. It died out seven years ago. Unfortunately. I'm sorry.»
His superior hummed, grey eyes betraying no emotion.
«I...came across many domestic canaries in my search, but none had the golden eyes that mark a golden canary. In fact, I found one of the normal ones when – when I came across this child.» He indicated with a shrug, unable to move his hands because of said child. «He was alone with the bird, and mio Dio, you should hear the voice he has!»
Gavino's brow furrowed.
«Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast, especially if the beast has never known music before,» he said, pointing out Maso's lack of experience in music.
«But he was teaching the canary how to sing!»
His outburst was loud enough to wake the boy, who yawned and rubbed the jetlag out of his eyes.
"Are we there yet?"
Soft brown eyes met a steely gaze of a stranger, and he yelped, clinging to Maso like a shield.
«Does he speak Italian?» The older man asked, feeling a headache starting to form between his eyes.
«Huh? Oh, no. He can barely pronounce his fake name without messing up on the 'L'.»
«You renamed him?» Gavino let out a long-suffering sigh, then paused. «Wait. This is why our stoic forger was complaining the other day about a rush order, isn't it?»
Maso nodded while trying to pry his shirt out of the boy's fingers as discreetly as possible. He was still in the room alive and breathing, and he didn't want to push his waning luck.
«All the extra expenses are coming out of my own salary, of course. I wouldn't dream of letting Signore pay for it.» He took Gavino's nod as an encouraging sign, and boldly forged ahead. «But…well…when this child was singing, I was thinking how much better he sounds than any chorus of birds I've ever heard. So I took a gamble.»
«You mentioned training in your missive though.»
«Well, he is still a child. Even the strongest blade needs to be sharpened.»
His superior shot him a piercing look, and he wondered if he spoke out of turn.
«Cockiness doesn't suit a Mafioso. And actions speak louder than words.»
But he stood, motioned to Maso to stand as well, and addressed the elephant – or perhaps a more fitting animal would be a baby chick – in the room.
«What's your name?»
The boy still had his face pressed to Maso's shoulder, but Maso put him down and forced him to turn towards his boss.
"My boss asked what your name is. Answer him like we practiced."
"M-m-my name is Tsu-u-um, L-Leo." That earned him a displeased frown from both adults.
"In Italian."
«S-s-sono Leo, Signole.»
Gavino scrutinized the trembling boy, snorting in derision.
«If all Japanese boys are like this, I pity the future of Japan.»
He motioned to Maso to step away, and he did. He himself barely took half a step towards the child when the child bolted towards the door like a frightened rabbit.
Quick as a whip, Gavino seized Leo's arm, nearly jerking him off his feet and making the boy cry out in sheer terror and pain.
«Look at me.» Leo looked anywhere but, so the Mafioso grabbed his jaw in a bruising grip and forced it upwards. «Look at me.»
He did, through tear-filled eyes.
Gavino studied the boy for a moment, taking in his soft face, soft hair, soft bones and mio Dio was there anything about the boy that wasn't soft? But when his grey eyes looked through the tears, he thought he saw a flash of fire burn through brown.
Hm. There may be some worth to this fiasco after all.
«Sing something.»
Leo looked at Maso, eyes begging him to help, and Maso obliged – though probably not in the way the boy wanted.
"He's telling you to sing. This is your chance, kid."
Doe-eyes widened, and looked back at his captor as if to confirm. Gavino released him, and demanded once more.
«Sing.»
Through sheer force of will, Tsuna calmed his haywire emotions. If I wanna go home, I need to make this man happy. I have to make him happy. For otou-san and okaa-san.
He cast his mind through the list of songs he knew by heart, and easily settled on one.
It was a song he'd heard on the TV before, and he always begged his okaa-san to sing it to him before he went to bed. Even though it didn't have any words, it was one of his all-time favourites. He just hoped the terrifying man would like it too.
He closed his eyes and stilled, looking for what he called his 'safe place'; somewhere inside himself that he first found after he'd been bullied by the neighbourhood kids and went home crying.
There it is.
In the midst of the darkness, he found the flickering orb of orange gold light, steady and soothing all fears away. It thrummed with assurance, giving Tsuna a strength he never had.
The child opened his mouth, and sang.
To both men's surprise, it was a lilting, wordless lullaby(1). And while the singing wasn't what Gavino could call 'perfect', he could tell the gift was most definitely there.
The air in the room moved with song, and even before the last note held and faded, Gavino's mind was calculating a storm, plotting the next course of action.
«Bravo, boy. You've just earned your ticket to stay.»
Maso grinned with unadulterated relief at having dodged a figurative and literal bullet, and translated for Leo.
"You did it, kid. He wants you to stay."
The boy turned to Maso, looking confused.
"B-but…but you said I can go if I make him happy." Brown eyes bled orange, and for a second, Maso sensed something dangerous.
"Didn't you say that? Didn't you say I can leave?"
"Uh…" Crap.
The hesitation was all Tsuna needed to catch him in his lie, and his jaw dropped in disbelief.
"You said I can go home! You promised!" Tsuna pushed the warning bells aside, too angry and upset and hurt to care about consequences. "I want to go home! I want my okaa-san and otou-san! You promised me! YOU PROMISED!"
His beautiful voice bled into a high-pitched wail, and pushing past Gavino, he launched himself at his betrayer and started hitting him with all the fury a six-year-old could possess.
The older man's forgotten headache returned with a vengeance, and the last of his patience snapped. He lifted the writhing child by the back of his shirt, holding him just far enough so his kicks and punches hit nothing but air.
"Let me go! I wanna go home! I WANNA GO HOOOOMME!" The child howled and sobbed at the same time, twisting his body and trying to get loose.
Gavino took hold of one of the boy's flailing limbs, and broke his left arm with a practiced snap.
"Be quiet."
Tsuna could hardly hear him over his choked screams, but he could feel an aura of death radiating from the man holding him. Tears rolled down in rivulets, and he couldn't breathe, his body and bones weeping in agony.
"You're a very, very lucky boy. If you hadn't sung the way you did, I would have left you dead in a ditch on the side of the road. Instead, you get to stay."
"Listen carefully. I am not Maso. I am not a friend, brother, uncle, babysitter, or even a stranger." He punctuated each word with a jarring shake of his arm. "I am a Mafioso, and you are our prisoner, and are only worth as much as we say you are. If at any moment you displease me or those in charge of you, I will know, and I will punish you accordingly. But let me give you fair warning," he leaned in close to pierce the boy with cold eyes, "You do not want to displease me. Do you understand?"
The boy gave the tiniest of nods, and was dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.
«Domani!» Gavino called while pressing the intercom button on his desk.
His bodyguard came within seconds, and stood to attention.
«Si Signore?»
«Pick that up over there, and lock him in the basement after the doctor sets his arm. Be quick.»
«Si.»
The burly man bowed, and took the boy out of the room, closing the door behind them.
Gavino turned to address the other man in the room.
«Maso De Luca.»
«S…si Signore?»
«While I'm amazed by your audacity in more ways than one, next time, I'd like you to practice a little more…discretion.»
He brought his gun out again, cocking it with a satisfying click.
Maso's jaw clenched.
«You went to Japan for a bird, and just happened to kidnap a child instead. That's fine, but you do realise that there are consequences to every action; some more than others. Are you prepared for the responsibility of bearing them?»
«Si, Signore.» It wasn't like he had a choice anyway.
«Good. First and foremost, if you have compromised the famiglia in any way–»
«NO!» Maso practically jumped to his own defense. «I made sure that I wasn't followed, and I disguised the boy. I also–» He was shot down with a glare and the touch of a gun's cold muzzle to his cheek.
«As I was saying, if you have compromised the famiglia in any way because of this impulsiveness of yours, I will not hesitate to dispose of you. Whether or not you have will become clear sooner or later.» Gavino gave the loaded gun a lazy spin. «This whole affair will also have to be kept as secret as possible, even within the famiglia. We will work on a 'need to know' basis. The less people who know about this, the better, for the sake of the Don.»
«I understand.»
«Good. Next: as to your responsibilities, I now place…Leo…under your care.»
Maso's eyes widened in surprise and apprehension.
«You will oversee his vocal training, as you requested, and feed him when required. You are also in charge of his rehabilitation to Italian culture. This includes learning the language, Italian songs, and anything else you deem necessary. I will set aside a suitable budget for you to work with, but any supplementary lessons will be paid for out of your own pocket.» He caught the growing look of dread, so he relented a bit. «For assistance, I will permit you to use Rossi, Paulo, and my son Enzo as you see fit.»
«Excuse me Signore? The children?»
Gavino waved it off with a hand.
«It's free labour. Besides, they're all teenagers in their last years of school. They could use the practice, revise the basics, learn how to make another submit to them...whatever excuse you want to use is fine with me.» He saw a nod, but the man still looked uneasy. «If you need an adult, you can take Piedro. Lord knows he's about as useful as a child, but the bumbling oaf can at least follow orders and walk into a bar without looking suspicious.»
«…Very well. Thank you, Signore.»
«I also expect you to keep up with your regular duties, although whether you do them yourself or assign someone else to do them for you is up to you. Last but not least, remember that his voice is the asset.»
He gave Maso a scrutinizing look.
«He is not your child, nor is he a pet. He is a project; one that you have forced me to take. Since its potential does interest me, I will let your insubordination slide, but I want you to know that if there are no results by the end of next summer, you will take your project down to your own grave. If, however, this crazy project actually succeeds,» he paused for effect, «I will persuade our Don to reward you appropriately.»
Maso's eyes lit up, and Gavino knew he had him right where he wanted.
«Do I make myself clear?»
Maso bowed in acknowledgement and respect.
«Si, signore. But I do have one more question. And please pardon my last bit of audacity.» He kept his head bowed.
«…Yes? What is it?»
«When and where did you learn Japanese?»
- 3 days ago, in Namimori, Japan -
Once he'd come to his senses, Iemitsu had gone back, explained the situation to the manager, then demanded to see all the footage from the Kokuyo Land security cameras. To his frustration, all the man could do was apologise and say that all the security cameras inside the amusement park were fake. Only the ones stationed at the entrance and exit were real, and he needed police cooperation before he could look through those.
It was the only time he'd ever regretted choosing his profession, and turning away felt like he was giving up on Tsuna.
No. No way in hell am I giving up. Besides, there are things a Mafioso and a famiglia can do that the police can't. But first…god. I have to tell Nana.
His wife was waiting at the front gate, hands wringing around her kitchen apron. The relief in her eyes when she saw him made him feel so damned guilty and scared that he almost turned tail and ran.
"You're home! Where were you? Why didn't you answer your phone? I thought you said you'd be home by five-thirty, and when you weren't here by then I thought I'd gotten the time wrong so then I called you–"
"Nana."
She stopped, registering the absolutely serious tone in her husband's voice.
The last time she'd heard him use it was when he said "I do."
"Umm…yes?"
"Nana-chan, I…well…I lost Tsuna."
She staggered back, dropping her apron on the ground.
"Wh-wh-what?"
Her husband stepped forward, trying to comfort and support her with a hand on her elbow.
"I got an emergency call from work, and I swear I'd only taken my eyes off him for a few moments. By the time I was done, he was...he was gone."
He cringed inwardly. God, that makes me sound like one of those people who should be arrested for parental neglect.
"B-but…if you lost him, then all you have to do is go find him, right?" she asked hopefully, brown eyes that were so much like Tsuna's searching his. It made him want to punch something. Preferably himself.
"I know, and I tried. I followed his footprints, and they led into the small forest in Kokuyo Land. But then the trail ended, and all I found…was this."
He pulled out the single shoe, still small enough to fit inside his pocket.
Nana gasped, turning pale. The only thing holding her up was her husband's grip on her, and she felt her consciousness spiral sickeningly.
"Wh…wh-what?" she asked in a faint, detached voice that didn't sound like her own.
"Someone took Tsuna. I don't know who or why, but they did."
"D-did you tell the staff? The police?"
"Yeah. They can't do anything, though." He set his mouth in grim determination, tightening his arms around his wife. "But I know people who can."
Nana collapsed into a shaking mess against her husband, holding his shirt like a lifeline.
"Please…" she said in a tiny, begging voice that made Iemitsu want to kill something all over again, "Please, bring him home."
He held her tight, his hand still clenched around Tsuna's shoe.
"I will. I promise."
(1): For those who are curious, Tsuna is singing Kagome's theme from Inuyasha.
AN: The plot thickens, and the circle gets smaller. I actually had a lot of fun writing Gavino - he's one of those characters that write themselves. But this is probably the most amount of screen time he'll get...for now.
I'd also like to point out that while female lyrebirds do sing, they sing nowhere near as well or as often as the males do. Most songbirds that sing are male too.
Papa Iemitsu is on the loose! I've always thought the way he acts in KHR is too exaggerated and callous, so I wanted to write a version of him where I'm able to give him the chance to redeem himself. He'll never be a perfect father, or even a good one, but at least he'll be more likeable than his canon self.
Thank you for all for the reviews and support! I eat them for breakfast.