Reborn let out a soft sigh from his perch on the windowsill as the last of his insect minions left. He had been staying at the Sawada household the whole day yesterday to receive reports from his insect minions about Namimori and its surrounding. It looked like he would finish up today, if his count was anything to go by.
Reborn turned around to look at the clock over Tsuna's bed, and then dropped his gaze onto his student. An hour away from the usual time to wake up and as expected, Tsuna was still snoring away.
Hm, Reborn thought as a rather sadistic smirk slid across his face. Waking up a bit earlier would be good for him.
Reborn brought out defibrillators and promptly shocked Tsuna awake using the 'traditional Vongola awakening method.'
The surprised yowls his students emitted were like music to his ears.
Reborn's smirk widened as he slowly brought the defibrillators down. "Good morning to you too, Dame-Tsuna. Get downstairs within ten minutes."
Xxx
"Juudaime, Reborn-san," Gokudera greeted half hour later. "I'm not late, am I?"
"No, no," Tsuna said, waving his hands around. "You're not. We're just" – Tsuna casted an accusatory look at Reborn – "early." Tsuna paused, before looking at the clock. "You're early too, Gokudera-kun."
A sheepish look appeared on Gokudera's face. "Well, I wasn't sure what time to wake up this morning, so I woke up extra early in order not to be late."
Reborn and Tsuna blinked. "Why? What time do you normally wake up?" Tsuna asked.
Something shifted across Gokudera's features. Gokudera laughed extra loudly, as though to cover up for something. "I stayed over at a friend's house yesterday, since my apartment needed repairs. It should be done by today."
"Oh," Tsuna said, while Reborn's eyes flashed to Gokudera with interest. Gokudera was lying, at least partially, but why? Tsuna hesitated, before saying, "Is that the problem you were thinking about yesterday?"
Reborn's gaze flicked to Tsuna. Tsuna noticed? Was it the Vongola Intuition at work?
"Yes," Gokudera said slowly. "It was only for a night and I found a place to stay, so I didn't want to worry Juudaime."
"O-okay," Tsuna said. Reborn could see him trying to think of something to say, but unable to come up with anything. "Um, should we head to school now?"
Gokudera nodded enthusiastically, glad to be done with the topic, and followed Tsuna.
Reborn followed them with watchful eyes, thinking of course Tsuna and his guardians would cause trouble the one day he wasn't watching over them. He would have to look into Gokudera's situation.
Reborn hung back and let out a soft noise. Leon's head perked up, but seeing that Reborn wasn't calling for him, he resumed to resting on Reborn's fedora. A beetle made its way up to Reborn.
"That tall boy in front of me," Reborn said, indicating and waiting for the beetle to realize it was Gokudera he was talking about. "Tell the beetles that have seen him within two daylights to go to me. Can you do that by the hottest part of the day?"
The beetle appeared to be visibly distressed. Changes. Danger. Harm. Limited movement.
"Danger?" Reborn said curiously. As insects living one with nature, of course the beetles would be in danger. The beetle wouldn't have mention that unless a change had happened that elevated the danger. "What –?"
"Reborn," Tsuna's voice called, causing Reborn to instinctively turn around. He was a few feet away from Reborn, farther than Reborn had expected. Reborn didn't realize or intend for the simple instructions to take so long. "Are you coming to school with me today?"
"Go ahead," Reborn told his student but by the time Reborn had turned back to the beetle, it had scurried away to follow his order.
Later, Reborn thought as he moved quickly to catch up to Tsuna and Gokudera. I'll ask the other beetles about what it said later.
Xxx
The beetles came up to him throughout the day, trickle by trickle. All of them held different parts of the story, telling Reborn about different part of Gokudera's day that they have observed. As always, Reborn listened patiently as he deciphered what they were talking about and then went about carefully piecing everything together.
Everyone thought having insects as minions were easy, that they would just tell him everything and that was it. What they don't know was that the insect language was limited to what insects could see and observe.
Days. Just what was days? It had to be broken down to daylights, how many times the sun was up.
Hottest part of the day. Temperate and feeling, all observable to the insects. Noon.
The beetles and insects around Gokuder's apartment told Reborn of normalcy, everything being as usual. The morning previous there was a loud noise and lots of shaking. Birds fluttered away. Then more indescribable noises came from the tall boy (Gokudera) and a female (girlfriend? Landlady?). Then all the usual. When darkness came, the tall boy left through the open wall.
Another batch of insects around Gokudera's workplace told Reborn Gokudera was moving very quickly to the other place that smelled of yeast and age. He stopped and pulled a paper from the thing with the brightness which moths were attracted to, and then he went, stepping deep into the colony of humans. Sometime later, he came out of the movable wall with another person.
The insects which the two adolescents passed on the way said that the person with the tall boy was the same person Reborn told them to keep an eye on. That person was different. He looked deceptively normal, but felt and smelled strongly of power. They went to a place that other insects have seen that strange person go some nights. The strange person left before daylight, but the tall boy stayed until daylight was up. Then he went about what he normally did and went to Reborn's house.
It took Reborn the whole morning to piece the scattered reports into something understandable. By the time he managed, his mind was whirling.
Gokudera had a fight or an argument with a woman, most likely his landlady due to the excuse Gokudera gave Tsuna this morning. That brought about some kind of change which caused Gokudera to act strangely, so maybe the landlady threatened to raise the rent or make Gokudera move. Reborn knew money issue was a problem that raised Gokudera's hackles, since it wasn't a problem that could be solved with solely brunt force or a formula.
Gokudera went to work later that day and met Urameshi at the bar. Instincts told Reborn that it was most likely a coincident. Urameshi had gone there before and had most likely enjoyed the drinks, so he went back. What was troubling was that Urameshi and Gokudera left the bar together and according to the insects, Gokudera stayed over at Urameshi's for the night. If Reborn didn't know that Urameshi didn't also stay in the same apartment, it would have sounded awfully suggestive.
The question was why? Why did Gokudera follow Urameshi back to his apartment? Gokudera, while having gained grudging respect for Urameshi after the last incident of the near sexual assault, was still undeniably brusque regarding any interaction with anyone other than Tsuna. His wariness and distrust of others was an ingrained habit, so just what made Gokudera drop it?
Reborn could not think of any other reason other than Tsuna himself or maybe Bianachi.
He would have to pay a visit to the woman Gokudera argued with and to Urameshi.
"Show me to the female from last daylight," Reborn told the beetle. He dismissed the rest of the insects.
Xxx
"Young lady," Reborn called out in an elderly pitch, waving a feeble arm. He was donned in a grandmotherly outfit, and his back was crooked appropriately to match.
Hayashida Saya paused in her steps. "Obaa-chan, are you calling me?" Hayashida asked.
Reborn bobbed his head and gestured her over.
"Obaa-chan, are you alright?" Hayashida inquired as she crouched down to Reborn's level. In her arms was a sleeping baby.
"Yes, yes," Reborn said, waving his arm again. "Fine. But I want to ask, young lady, is it your apartment that's available for rent?"
Hayashida blinked in surprise. "Wow," Hayashida said, "news travel fast, don't they? The young man that lived there is going to move today."
Reborn's mind whirled. Gokudera was moving today?
"He moved there not long ago, though," Reborn said slowly, as though puzzled.
"He was making too much noise and kept waking up my kids, and then he dared to not have this month's rent, so I booted him out," Hayashida said, as though annoyed as she reflected back on Gokudera's behavior. The hard look in her eyes softened for a moment as she gazed down at Reborn. "But obaa-chan, between you and me, I think it's better if he moved out to live with a friend. Someone could look out for him then, don't you think?"
"Ah, yes, yes," Reborn said. So Hayashida thought she was acting in Gokudera's best interest. "My daughter moved out some years ago and even now, she still worries me even though she is all grown up now."
Hayashida chuckled. "That's just the thing about being a mother, obaa-chan. I never really understand my mother and her ways of fretting until I have children of my own." She paused. "But enough of me, obaa-chan. Why are you asking about it?"
"Oh, my daughter wanted me to move to a better apartment, so I'm looking around for one now."
"I see," Hayashida said. "But obaa-chan, normally I'll recommend my apartment, but I'll be honest with you. It's up on the third floor and there is no elevator. I don't think you should climb all those stairs."
"Is that so, is that so," Reborn said. "Young lady, you are an honest one, aren't you? Originally, I was wondering if something is wrong with the apartment since the young man is moving away so soon, but to hear you say all of this… I'm sure nothing is wrong with it."
"Thank you, obaa-chan," Hayashida said smiling. The child in her arms stirred. "Obaa-chan, I need to go now. My child is going to wake up soon. Will you be alright by yourself?"
"Yes, yes," Reborn said. "I'm heading home now. Go now and take care of the little one."
Hayashida nodded and went.
Reborn's eyes narrowed as he pulled off his cosplay. He was getting a picture of what was going on. Now he just needed to pay Urameshi a visit to complete his picture.
Xxx
Reborn found Urameshi lying horizontally on a bench in an outdoor park, sound asleep with his legs crossed at the ankle and with one arm hanging haphazardly off. He looked like he was at home in his own bed, so at peace and comfortable did he appear, instead of in an area where anyone could rob him.
Reborn jumped up and landed quietly on the backrest, peering down at Urameshi's slumbering face. Sound asleep with his eyes close and his body at ease, Urameshi didn't give off the feeling that he was powerful at all. To any other pair of eyes, he just looked like a common twenty-something youth.
Up close, Reborn could pinpoint the exact moment when Urameshi's breathing pattern changed, signaling he had awoken. Urameshi's eyes fluttered open and a crooked smile appeared on his face.
"Hey, if it isn't the renowned hitman Reborn," Urameshi uttered, his voice low from disuse during his sleep as he gazed up at Reborn from beneath him. He sat up like a zombie and then after a while, stood and began stretching. His bones cracked loudly as he stretched his arms and moved his head from side to side. After reaching for his toes once and shaking out his shoulders, he plopped back on the bench.
"I'm slept too long," Urameshi said, shaking his head as though to awaken himself. By the time he turned his gaze towards Reborn, his eyes were suddenly much more aware. "Let me guess. Gokudera."
"At least you're aware of your own actions," Reborn commented as he jumped from the backrest of the bench to the empty space on the bench seat that Urameshi freed by sitting up.
"Hm," Urameshi said. "I figured you're gonna have a talk with me, since you appeared to be so protective of them."
"I'm protective," Reborn deadpanned.
"Well, you do keep track of them like an overprotective mom, don't you think?" Urameshi said with a slight smirk.
Urameshi jumped when a loud shot suddenly rang out close to his ear.
"Say that again," Reborn said casually, Leon-gun in hand. He lifted his dark, twinkling gaze to Urameshi. "I dare you."
"Hahaha," Urameshi laughed nervously, flicking his gaze to the poor tree that had been shot. "I'm kidding, Reborn-kun.
Reborn held Urameshi's gaze for another second, but knew Urameshi was only playing along at being intimidated. He was almost like Yamamoto in that regards.
"You offered Gokudera to stay at your home," Reborn stated, watching Urameshi keenly for his reaction.
"Well, yeah," Urameshi said. "He said he needed a place to stay and it wasn't like I use that apartment often anyway, so…" Urameshi shrugged.
"You're going to tell me the apartment offer was a coincident," Reborn said.
"It was," Urameshi said. "I mean, I went to the bar he worked at knowing he might be there, but it wasn't like I purposely went there to see him. I only wanted a drink and that bar wasn't bad. I found out he needed a place to stay by chance – I saw that he had an ad for an apartment – so I offered. That's it." Urameshi paused, before suddenly saying, "And before you ask, know that Gokudera asked this question already. No, I'm not a pedophile."
A chuckle escaped Reborn before he could stop it. Reborn looked over the other man. Urameshi was many things, but a pedophile? For some reason, it sounded absurd.
"I didn't think you were," Reborn said curtly, before he continued with his interrogation. "What did Gokudera offer in return? He's not the type of person to easily accept someone's help."
"That, he's not," Urameshi agreed. "Gokudera is kinda working for me now." Reborn's eyes narrowed at Urameshi. "Hear me out, it's nothing fishy. I bought a few stocks when I was bored, but after a while, I don't feel like watching over it anymore. I was about to sell it, but then I was like, hey, why don't I let Gokudera handle the stocks since he's good with math and stuff."
"And how do you know he's good at math?" Reborn questioned.
Urameshi paused. "Shit… wait. I think Tsuna told me?"
Rebron raised an eyebrow at him.
"Aww, c'mon, I can't be expected to remember where I learn every little piece of info, can I?" Urameshi complained. Reborn paused for a moment, before mentally admitting that was true. Only Reborn was so meticulous with the information he gathered.
"What stocks did you buy?" Reborn inquired.
It was Urameshi's turn to raise his eyebrow at him. "Trying to dig up my stuff again?" Urameshi asked with a slight smirk, smug that he caught Reborn. Reborn rolled his eyes at Urameshi's childishness. "Ask Gokudera if you're so curious."
"I'm not going to confront him about your arrangement with him," Reborn said.
Urameshi blinked. "Seriously? I thought –"
"That I was 'protective'?" Reborn finished, casting Urameshi an annoyed look.
Urameshi gave Reborn a sheepish look. "Well, I couldn't help thinking that way when you hounded me like forever ever since I entered Namimori."
Reborn paused to think over Urameshi's words and his previous actions, and found that his words were true. Reborn let out a soft sigh. "You are an unknown entity with an equally unknown background. All methods I usually employ to find out about someone's background were ineffective against you. It's extremely disconcerting, especially since you have proven yourself to be a powerful man and told me that you were 'technically in' the mafia. How can a man like you be in the mafia and remain completely unknown? You openly admitted that you have multiple identities, yet I have found few people that match what I know of you." Reborn lifted his gaze to Urameshi and held it. "If doing a background check on you is like trying to find a ghost, then is it so surprising that I have to resort to 'hound you' in order to collect intel?"
"Wow," Urameshi said, appearing so surprised. "It's the first time I heard you say so many words."
A second gun shot rang out. People around them looked in their direction curiously, before continuing about their day, saying something about how the aka-chan was dressed up so nicely and wow, toy guns nowadays were so realistic, they even had sound effects.
The obliviousness of the Namimori people was really useful on occasions.
"Don't forget I hold a gun in hand," Reborn rumbled lowly.
Yusuke raised his hand to touch the pieces of his hair that were sliced short by Reborn's bullet.
"Right…did you really have to give me another haircut?" Urameshi asked, his tone almost a whine. He lifted his head to look at Reborn. "But really, I don't know what to say after everything you told me. Is that what it feels like to be confessed to?"
"Holy fuck," Urameshi shouted at the new hole in the bench, right in the empty space between Urameshi's legs. "Seriously?!"
"Next time it'll be a bullet in your person," Reborn said darkly.
"I honestly didn't know what to say!" Urameshi exclaimed. "Geez."
"Then don't say anything," Reborn growled, although…
"How come I have this feeling you would have shot me anyway if I said nothing?" Urameshi asked, which was right in line with what Reborn would have done. Reborn disliked passive people who waited for things to happen for them, which was why he was prompting Tsuna to be more initiative.
"Okay, how about this?" Urameshi said. He must have seen the skeptical look on Reborn's face, since he said, "Honest. I'm serious-ish, okay?"
Reborn's only answer was to wave his Leon-gun, gesturing Urameshi to go ahead.
"So," Urameshi started, looking at Reborn. "I'm not surprised you didn't find anything, because I worked hard to make it that way. If you found something, I would have been disappointed in the work of my people. So it's not that you're not good at collecting intel, it's just that I'm better at eliminating, that's all."
Bang.
"What the fuck?!" Yusuke exclaimed, staring at the spot where the third shot had pierced through. "I was being serious and honest too. Why?!"
"That answer pissed me off," Reborn said casually, whistling like the innocent baby his appearance suggested.
"I'm going to strangle you –"
"Wah!" Reborn called out, suddenly sounding truly like a child about to cry.
"Stop faking, I'm not gonna fall for it–"
"What is he doing?" someone murmured.
"Oh, that poor baby."
"Someone, call the police!"
"Oh hell," Yusukei uttered as he looked at the citizens of Namimori staring at him. How come their obliviousness wore off at the most inopportune time?
Reborn continued with his act while looking at Yusuke with a devilish look in his eyes. It was really starting to tick Yusuke off. He hadn't felt this flustered since… since when?
Yusuke's mind blanked out.
Slowly, Yusuke's panic was replaced by amusement. The Acrobaloneo's act was well-played, so why don't he…
"Aww, don't cry, Reborn-chan," Yusuke said, deftly reaching for the Acrobalono before he could react.
…join in?
"You can't throw a tantrum just because your toy is not working," Yusuke continued, taking advantage of Reborn's surprise to casually but quickly take a hold of the so-called toy gun and direct the barrel away from his person. He really had no intention of being shot at.
Quickly making up an explanation for Reborn's apparent tears, Yusuke glanced up at the citizens of Namimori and gave them a guileless, apologetic look. "Sorry about this," Yusuke said, indicating with his hands rather than his eyes what 'this' was, not daring to look down at Reborn and face the deadly glare he knew was directed towards him. Instead, he shrugged helplessly at the people with a corner of his mouth wryly quirked, turning up his boyish charm to play the loving older brother subjected to the little one's whims.
Someone in the crowd might have swooned.
"Kid brothers, you know," Yusuke said by the way of explanation.
"I-is that so?" the lady who first brought attention to Yusuke and Reborn said, a little red in the face. Her eyes drifted to Yusuke for a second, before just as quickly darted away. "Well, if there's nothing wrong…"
"Don't worry," Yusuke said, his hand tightening subtly around Reborn to prevent him from saying anything that will lead to the citizens thinking badly of him. He smiled at the lady. "Everything's okay."
The lady nodded and the crowd dispersed upon seeing nothing was wrong. The second they were gone, Yusuke dropped Reborn like a hot potato, all previous suaveness and excellent management skills gone.
He looked down to see Reborn glaring at him with murder in his eyes.
"C'mon, Reborn," Yusuke said quickly, eager not to be shot at. "You were playing a trick on me too!"
"I'm really tempted to shoot you, Urameshi Yusuke," Reborn said darkly.
"So why weren't you going to confront Gokudera about his arrangement with me again?" Yusuke rapidly shot out, changing the subject.
Reborn gave Yusuke a knowing look, but didn't pursue their previous topic.
"Why should I tell you?" Reborn asked with the slightest smirk.
Yusuke groaned. "C'mon, this again? Can't you tell me something without wanting something in return?"
"That wouldn't be interesting, now, would it?" Reborn replied as his smirk widened.
"Oh, fine," Yusuke relented. "Same as last time. One question."
"What is your relationship with Yamamoto Tsuyoshi?" Reborn inquired.
Yusuke's eyebrows shot up. "You're really digging into all my business with others, aren't you? First with Mammon and then with Tsuyoshi."
"You didn't even know Mammon," Reborn said. "I'm half tempted to not count that."
"Hey, hey, play by the rules now," Yusuke said. "Tsuyoshi, right? I helped him in the past. Now we're, I dunno, drinking buddies?"
"Tsuyoshi said he would trust you with his son's life, his only other living family," Reborn said. "He could have used any other example, but why that? Because you have helped him in the past, most likely indirectly with Yamamoto since Tsuyoshi hasn't come in contact with the mafia ever since he moved to Namimori. So you helped him while he was in the mafia then, or maybe" – Reborn's mind spun as he pieced everything together – "when he was about to leave it.
"Tsuyoshi mysteriously came into a huge sum of money just when he was about to leave the mafia. Rumors had it that he accepted Giovanni's offer to assassinate Vongola's CEDEF head, but Tsuyoshi backed out last second. Obviously Tsuyoshi initially didn't realize he was about to be used like a pawn for the war between the Giovanni Family and the Vongola Family, so just who told him? Since he didn't finish the job, Giovanni wouldn't have paid him, so where he get the money to return safely to his family then?"
Reborn looked at Urameshi. "Maybe from someone who so casually mentioned about buying stocks when he was bored and allowed a teenager who he is not too familiar with to watch over them?"
"Should I tell you that your mind runs too wild as a kid," Urameshi said, smiling when Reborn glared at him, "or should I tell you that you're too smart for your own good?"
"Tell me the truth," Reborn prompted. "My speculation was correct, wasn't it?"
"If I tell you yes, you can just check which account Tsuyoshi got his money from and from there, you can just track down my past," Urameshi said. His smile turned to a smirk as he looked at Reborn. "Why should I do something so detrimental?"
"Because you enjoy the feeling of a hunter closing in on you," Reborn said, meeting Urameshi's gaze.
"Like you don't enjoy the chase," Urameshi retorted. He chuckled, before finally saying, "Fine. Yeah, you're right, you-too-smart-for-your-own-good kid."
"You know very well I'm not a kid," Reborn said, narrowing his eyes at Urameshi. For some reason, although Reborn had no qualms about using his current appearance to his advantage, having Urameshi call Reborn a kid irked him.
"I know," Urameshi said easily, like it was an as-expected fact. Reborn's anger dissipated. "Now, I told you more than your question warrant, so answer mine: why weren't you going to talk over with Gokudera about staying at my place? I know you give a damn, so why?"
"Gokudera is used to living without other's interference. There's no way he would be happy to know that I'm keeping such a close eye on him. He would dislike it even more if I dictate his every move, even if he may still follow my orders out of respect. In addition, he is too prideful. If he refused to tell Tsuna about his financial problems, then he definitely wouldn't want to me to know. In his opinion, doing so would lower him in my eyes and make me think he is not suitable to be Tsuna's right-hand man if he can't even take care of his own financial issues," Reborn explained.
"Woah, all that analysis," Urameshi said, sounding half-impressed and half-suspended in disbelief. "You really think this through, don't you?"
"Of course," Reborn said. "There's more to being a tutor than just teaching Tsuna schoolwork. Tsuna need to learn to be a boss, and his friends need to learn to be a Family. All of them still have much to learn regarding that. I watch over their daily life to my extent because every day is a lesson for them, that is, if someone knows how to manipulate their daily events. Most of all, even as they learn to act as a group, they need to grow as individuals. If they are strong as individuals, when they combine their strength, they would be unbeatable.
"Gokudera need to learn to ask for help on his own," Reborn concluded at last, "and deal with the consequences of what happen when he doesn't."
"Hey, you make it seem as though living with me is a bad thing," Urameshi protested.
Reborn's lips twitched. "Only time could tell with that," he said, but even as he said that, he had a feeling Gokudera could learn much from Urameshi.
Xxx
"Don't tell me you burned down my apartment," Yusuke said as he entered the house and caught a whiff of the strong favor lingering in the air.
"I did not," Gokudera replied, turning his head in Yusuke's direction to glare at him.
Yusuke chuckled as he closed the door behind him. "I'm kidding. It smells nice."
"I didn't make you some," Gokudera said as he slid the spaghetti off the pan. "Make your own."
"C'mon, don't be stingy," Yusuke said, ambling forward. "I'm hungry."
"Not your cook," Gokudera insisted, walking off to sit at the tiny table at the center of the room with his plate of spaghetti, "or your housewife."
"Wait!" Yusuke said. "I didn't feel like cooking, so I bought some Chinese takeout. Why don't we share?"
"You have your own food, why do you want mine?" Gokudera said.
Glad to see Gokudera didn't attempt to start eating yet, Yusuke joined him at the small table. "I want some spaghetti now."
Gokudera rolled his eyes. "You're probably loaded," Gokudera said. "Just go outside and buy some."
"Too lazy," Yusuke said as he opened his takeout of fried rice. He used his chopsticks to take a glob of Gokudera's spaghetti – ignoring Gokudera's hiss at him – and brushed some of the fried rice into Gokudera's plate.
"It looks disgusting," Gokudera said, wrinkling his nose.
"Just eat, brat," Yusuke said. "Where's all your stuff anyway?" He looked around for it and all he saw was the stuff that was already in the apartment.
"There," Gokudera said, indicating to a camping bag in the corner. "I'll unpack later."
"That's it?" Yusuke said. "I thought kids like you will have more stuff."
"Shut up," Gokudera said. He looked like he was about to say more, but then his eyes passed the window at the far end of the room and his face contorted with anger. "Blasted thing!" he hissed.
Four dynamites were in his hands in a second. Gokudera sent them flying towards the open window.
"What the –?" Yusuke voiced. The rest of his words were drowned by a loud explosion that followed.
xxx
Reborn was back at the Sawada household teaching his dame-student a math problem when a beetle flew by the window. Probably the remainders of his network that didn't report in yesterday.
"Try doing this one," Reborn said, pointing to a similar math problem. "You have three minutes."
"But Reborn!" Tsuna called out.
"Two minutes and fifty-five seconds," Reborn called out, glancing down at the Leon-stopwatch with a smirk.
Tsuna yelped and quickly started working on the math problem with new fervor.
Reborn walked over to the window of Tsuna's bedroom and opened it. The beetle inched forward.
"You're from Kokuyo, aren't you?" Reborn said, placing his finger down. The beetle clamored up. "Your report?"
Kokuyo. Change. The beetle communicated. People. Strange aura. Illusion?
Some people entered Kokuyo and caused a change. Among those people was an illusionist.
A thread of alarm entered Reborn's brain as he recalled. Two weeks ago, a well-known illusionist called Mukuro Rokudo was scheduled for execution in the Vendicare Prison. On the eve of the execution date, he accomplished the impossible feat of escaping the prison known to be inescapable, bringing six others prisoners with him as well. To this date, his and his companions' whereabouts were still unknown, although rumors had it that they were seen heading towards Japan.
Was it a coincident that illusions began to appear around Kokuyo? Reborn highly doubted that. He never did believe in coincidence.
"Is that it?" Reborn asked, gazing at the beetle. It indicated yes. "Only you came? Where are the other insects?"
The beetle told him. Representative. Fear.
Birds.
Xxx
"Masao, it was only a kid playing. Don't worry about it," Yusuke said to the worried landowner.
"There was a loud boom, though," Masao said. "And how come it smells burned?"
"My nephew," Yusuke said, lie easily sliding off his tongue, "sucks at cooking. I told him not to, but he wanted to try and so this happened."
"You don't need me to call the fire department, do you?" Masao asked, still trying to poke his head in to see what was going on.
Yusuke blocked him. "No worries, no worries. We have a fire extinguisher, although there's actually no fire."
Masao still looked doubtful, but eventually nodded. "Be careful with the apartment, alright?" he said as he reluctantly left.
"Of course, of course," Yusuke said. He closed the door as soon as he could and turned around to glare at Gokudera. "Gokudera, what the fuck?! Don't you know not to play with dynamites in the house?"
Gokudera turned around from the window and in his hand was a charred bird. Yusuke couldn't tell what color did it used to be, but he did know it could have been considered cute once upon a time. Now it just looked like a tiny black fur ball.
"Don't tell me you were so hungry you had to go hunt down a bird with your dynamites," Yusuke said, exasperated.
"No!" Gokudera said, looking like he was about to glare at Yusuke. He directed the glare at the burned bird in his hand instead, as though saying it was all its fault. "These things have been stalking me for the past few days."
"What?" Yusuke said, blinking in surprise.
"These things are never around," Gokudera said. "I've been in Namimori for a few months now and I never see these canary birds. Recently, however, they're everywhere. I see them hang around us often, watching us with their stupid beady eyes. Instincts tell me something about them is off."
He paused to look at Yusuke. "You don't believe me, do you?" he said with a scowl. He turned away to the window and tossed the charred bird out.
Xxx
Reborn's mind whirled.
Representative. Fear. Birds.
The beetles and insects were frightened, so the single beetle came to Reborn acting as a representative to report to him the happenings of Kokuyo. They were frightened and confused probably because of the illusions, but also because of the birds.
Come to think of it, there were a lot of canary birds around recently.
A thought suddenly occur to him. Among the prisoners who Mukuro Rokudo helped escape, there was one called Birds.
xxx
"I believe you," Yusuke said just as Gokudera was about to walk to the sink, wash his hand, and then pretend nothing happened and continue eating. Gokudera froze in his steps and gazed at Yusuke with disbelieving eyes. A small grin spread across Yusuke's face at that. "I travel around a lot. A person with the ability to control and use birds to spy on people is one of the least surprising things I've heard of."
"Besides," Yusuke said, "now that you mentioned it, there are a lot more canary birds around recently. I guess I just didn't notice because I didn't care and they weren't watching me." Yusuke paused. "It's weird though. There was news that some prisoners broke out of Vendicare Prison some weeks ago."
"The Vendicare Prison?!" Gokudera exclaimed. Grown up and raised in the mafia, Gokudera knew exactly of the reputation of the Vendicare Prison's inescapability and of it housing mafia's most dangerous criminals. To think that someone was able to escape…
"Rumors had it that a kid named Mukuro Rokudo helped those prisoners escape." Yusuke paused. "Among them was a man named Birds."
Gokudera froze. "Doesn't it mean…"
Yusuke nodded. "Those escaped prisoners might be in Namimori."
Xxx
"Mukuro Rokudo and the escaped prisoners are in Kokuyo," Reborn concluded.
"And they're planning something."