"Smoking?" Reborn called out, emerging from the shadow. He had purposely concealed his presence with the intention of taking Urameshi by surprise, yet he hardly reacted as Reborn made himself known.
"Hmm," Urameshi replied noncommittally. His eyes flicked to Reborn after a brief moment, eyeing him. "Here to get your answer?" he asked.
"Urameshi Yusuke. Age unknown. Apparent Japanese, yet your name is not in any nation's database. You could have given me a fake name, but I don't think so." Reborn's eyes darkened. "What's the meaning of this?"
Urameshi's lips curled to a wry smile and instead of answering, turned to gaze at the town of Namimori. "Did you know Namimori had another name?"
The abrupt change of topic threw Reborn off balance long enough for his threatening air to dispel. Reborn decided to humor him for a moment and searched through his memory for the information. He did have a habit of thoroughly researching anything relating to his target, after all, including his idiotic student's hometown. He frowned as nothing came into mind. Reborn didn't doubt his own intel network, so did Urameshi just give him a trick question? "There is no other name," Reborn answered after a beat.
"Bu-bu," Yusuke said. "You got it wrong, Arcobaleno. Care to try again?"
Reborn leveled the Leon-gun in his hand at Urameshi.
Reborn normally could be very patient, especially since he tutored helpless cases like Dino and Tsuna. His patience was running out for one Urameshi Yusuke ever since he met him a week ago and found out that he essentially didn't exist, however. Imagine his surprise when he returned to the Sawada household and found the occupants talking about a Yusuke they'd met. Hitmen like Reborn with world-class intelligence network didn't like surprises.
"Care to try again?" Reborn replied coolly.
Reborn was beginning to detest the way Urameshi didn't react to anything he did.
"Sarayashiki," Urameshi answered softly, still only focused on the tiny town splayed out beneath him. He gazed at it unseeingly, like he was picturing something else in his mind.
Reborn frowned and turned the name over in his head. Sarayashiki. He didn't recognize it. Either it was a place too small to be worthy of his notice or it was another piece of Urameshi's unknown past. Reborn was willing to bet on the latter. "What is it to you?"
Urameshi lifted his free hand and Reborn unknowingly tensed for a second, until he reached out to the empty air before him. His hand hovered over the view of the town, like he was trying to touch it. "It's supposed to be here," he said.
Supposed to, he said. Reborn tried to connect the pieces, but there were too many holes for him to get a clear picture. "You're speaking in riddles here," Reborn stated, an undertone of warning in his voice. Stop speaking in riddles.
Finally, finally, Urameshi turned to face Reborn.
Reborn's hand on his gun faltered for a second, having caught the tail of unspeakable pain in the other man's eyes.
Twenty-one?Reborn thought, recalling his previous estimate of Urameshi's age at the arcade. Tsuna and his guardians can live three lifetimes and still not have the sheer age in his eyes combined.
Urameshi let out a breath and jumped off from where he perched, letting his cigarette drop from his fingers. He shoved his hands into his pocket and casted Reborn a glance. "Urameshi Yusuke is my real name," he stated tiredly. "The names on my passports are not."
Reborn mulled over the information. Urameshi hadn't shown any usual signs of a liar. Either he told the truth or he was the best liar in the world to even get past the world's strongest hitman's eyes. Reborn couldn't even guess at which one it was. The mysteries of Urameshi just seemed to be never ending, but instinct and observation told him Urameshi was straightforward. He also didn't appear to have the need to hide, staying in place despite knowing Reborn was going to track him down.
"Passports," Reborn stated slowly, tackling the part that was digestible. Plural. Urameshi Yusuke, he decided, is a paradox."Who are you hiding from?"
The corners of Urameshi's mouth twisted sardonically at his question. "No one," he said. "There's no one." His gaze held another far away look in them with an undercurrent of grief. His eyes cleared before Reborn called him back, although Reborn wasn't sure if he would have. To interrupt such a vulnerable moment was a line he didn't think he was willing to cross for just a few non-urgent questions. "I have no intention of harming them, if that's what you're worried about," Urameshi said rather knowingly.
Reborn didn't flatter himself into thinking it was because Urameshi feared him. Reborn didn't make a habit of lying to himself. "Yet you approached them."
"I approached Maman," Urameshi corrected. "She dropped her stuff. I wouldn't call myself a man if I didn't help her." He huffed in annoyance, taking a hand out of his pocket to run his fingers through his hair. "Why the hell am I bothering to explain to ya anyway?"
"You didn't know 'Maman'-" Reborn paused, realizing he made a fatal mistake in assuming Urameshi knew everything just because he admitted to be 'technically in.' He almost revealed Tsuna was the heir to Vongola. As if his dame-student didn't have enough people after his head already.
"He's Vongola's heir, I know," Urameshi said. Reborn admittedly stared at the man. Why did Urameshi know so much? "His eyes changed to the color of orange flames when he talked to me," he explained with the roll of his eyes. "Don't look at me like you want to kill me."
"I should," Reborn said, his grip on his Leon-gun not relaxing. Urameshi somehow evoked a Flame-response in Tsuna, much like how he evoked a response from Reborn's pacifer. Why? How? Reborn didn't know any of the answers, but it would only take one press of the trigger for the answers to no longer matter and for this unpredictable man to no longer be a problem. Yet he, the world's strongest hitman, doubted it would be that easy.
"You won't be able to kill me," Urameshi echoed his thought. It wasn't confidence or arrogance. Urameshi stated it as a fact. He smiled, and how strange was it that he could state what sounded like a challenge yet smile like he meant it. "You won't have a reason to either."
Reassurance.
Reborn scoffed but lowered his gun all the same. He knew sincerity when he heard it. Leon transformed back to his original form and ran up the rim of his fedora. "Tell me," he said, tipping his fedora up to look the other man in his eyes. "Why are you here?"
He almost slipped back into his dreamlike state again, full of nostalgia and sorrow. Whatever reason it was, it was deeply personal. "I told you, Namimori is Sarayashiki. I grew up here." Letting out a sigh, Urameshi began walking towards him. His hand reached down and Reborn would have reacted sharply, except he felt no ill intention. Urameshi's hand dropped to his fedora and Reborn could feel the slight pressure as he petted Leon.
He couldn't say he was truly surprise when Leon didn't react badly to Urameshi.
"Later, little guy," Uramesh said and Reborn could tell it was directed at him. Reborn didn't reply, only silently pivoted to watch Urameshi's retreating back as he descended down the stairs. It was the perfect opportunity, Reborn knew. No matter how good of an instinct people have, they always react a split-second late when an attack came from the back and they were caught unprepared.
Reborn could kill Urameshi now and not worry about his identity or intention. All he needed to do was draw his gun and squeeze the trigger, like he had done many times before.
Yet, Reborn found himself with not a single muscle twitching as Urameshi retreated farther away from him, until he was out of shooting range and out of sight.
Reborn let out a soft sigh as the last trace of Urameshi disappeared, along with the chance to eliminate him. He tipped his fedora down, allowing Leon to climb onto his fingers.
Reborn carefully brought his partner down to eye level, watching as Leon's tongue flicked out.
"You like him," Reborn said in bemusement. "Why?"
"'Because he has the same aura as you,'" Reborn translated. "What is that supposed mean?"
Leon's tongue flicked out again and refused to elaborate.