60. Seeing

Reborn

"Your existence is bothersome." Reborn told Russo at some point, "it's like you're a fly. A nuisance in the air. irritating. Not supposed to be there."

And Russo had laughed. "Harsh!" he feigned hurt, "You're sharp!"

Sharp? Sharp-tongued, or sharp-minded?

"You match Lambo in being annoying. You should have a contest sometime." Reborn grumbled, unable to word the question.

Russo chuckled again. "Hey, I'm useful too!" 

"In what way?" Reborn taunted. "You're less useful than Lambo, as far as I can see."

Reborn couldn't believe that he was actually irritated. He's been trying to taunt this man into getting angry for a while now, with no luck. It was a first, and Reborn really didn't like losing.

"I'm actually pretty strong!" Russo tried, "Like, I had a black belt in karate, taekwondo, and wushu!" he gave a toothy, prideful grin-- 

Reborn noticed he had strong similarities to Takeshi-- but he dismissed it as it didn't matter.

"Aside from that," Russo raised his left hand, eyeing the ring on his left middle finger. A metallic silver ring-- and he grinned, a malicious, irritated grin-- "I can see the future."

Before Reborn could decide on rolling his eyes or calling it bullshit, the sound of a sharp siren rang and blared and resounded through the whole base.

Reborn stood up, alarmed.

Russo grinned wider. "Hey, Reborn!" he called to the infant, "How many bets on Hibari Kyouya returning to base?"

-

(TYL) Rei

Placing the comb down, Rei pulls his hair to one side, a low, side pigtail. Brushing his hair once more with his fingers, Rei binds it with a simple hair tie.

"I've been meaning to ask for ages," Belphegor called from the bed, slumping lazily and messily as if he owned it, "In both the degrading and not-degrading way, why do you always act like a girl? Is it because you trained under Lussuria?"

Rei was unfazed. He looked in the mirror and picked up a pair of earrings from the box to the side. "Well," he began to answer the question, "I guess you could say so. I thought I'd embrace my inner woman, y'know?" he rolled his eyes in sarcasm.

But yeah, he admitted. I've surely started to resemble a girl more than I was ten years ago.

Rei recalled his own appearance. To his longer, light brown hair; to his bright green eyes; to his dark purple hooked earrings; to the rings on his fingers; and most importantly to the tattoo circling around his left wrist.

The tattoo that resembled a vine of lilies encircling his birthmark--

He smiled.

"I'm not particularly trying to be girly," he chuckled, turning towards Belphegor, "I''m just trying to fit in with you hooligans!"

Belphegor seemed amused by the answer, "You were weird enough ten years ago, but honestly you took the strangest possible turn you could."

"I'm glad you think so, but that aside--" a sudden malicious tone, "it's about time you get the fuck out of my room, Bel."

-

Russo

Russo has stayed in base for about three weeks, and he's gotten down about the details of half the base. He vaguely remembers bits and pieces of what he's seen before-- but just barely, he can piece together a map of the base.

He found his way into his temporary quarters-- and closed the door behind him.

The sly grin he put on was quickly taken off of his face-- and with a permanent, irritated frown on his face he steps towards his desk.

"Future Arc's bloody started," he yelled-- but in incredibly fluent English. "How long have I been here?" A hand clawing at his hair in maddening frustration, "How long more do I have to fucking wait?!" 

It was a madman's howl, with bloodshot, widened eyes and tightened fists--

then he just stopped.

Closing his eyes, his lips curled upwards-- and in the next instant all signs of that anger had vanished without a trace. All that was left was a peaceful, good samaritan's friendly smile of greeting.

He pulled out the chair at his desk and sat down, pulling out the red journal at the side and opening it to a blank page.

He was a combatant, but a freeter. Which meant that he worked for many. He wasn't exactly part of the Vongola at all-- ah yes. It just happened that the Vongola are his current employers.

No more, no less. And that was how it should be.

He did not intervened where he did not belong, and he did not interrupt where he should not.

And that was why Russo made no attempt to help out in battles. Not when the Arcobaleno were killed, not when anyone was in a peril, simply he did not even look out for anyone but himself. If there was no merit to him, he did not try to bother.

He simply wore a smile, and pretended to be a sane part of society. Simply, simply-- like a clown in a magic show, the Master of Disguise.

He was but a side character, an extra in this theater show--

but side characters oftentimes have more depth than meets the eye.

-

(TYL) Rei

Sucking on a lollipop, Rei trots out of the mansion. It was a huge area, but by the edge it opens into a huuuuge forest! Or actually, the mansion's smack in the middle of a forest? Oh well. 

Tucking his hands into the pockets of his Varia jacket thing, he looks around. 

He climbed onto the wall of the gate. Silently, quietly, watching for something-- rolling his tongue around the strawberry-flavoured lollipop in his mouth--

He takes it out of his mouth and picks out a small knife-- Belphegor's knife, in fact. One he had picked up and forgot to return.

With one easy cut, he carved a sharp edge from the stick end of the lollipop.

Sticking the candy back into his mouth for half a second-- He snapped to the left and launched the candy-- like a javelin, comedically enough-- into the woods.

Dropping down from the wall, Rei went to check on what he's caught.

-

And uhm, it was, of all things, a rabbit.

A dark grey rabbit, with bright red eyes and a mechanical collar around its neck.

The lollipop had stabbed through its right ear and into the ground. It wasn't embedded very deeply into soil, but the rabbit's ear seemed too sensitive for it to force its ear out.

Holding his hand precariously around the rabbit's neck, Rei stared into the rabbit's eyes.

Those helpless, but absolutely programmed reactions-- Ah, that was a cruel description, he realized. They just seem like robots to me, box animals or not.

"Sorry, bud." he told the rabbit, "Being the guard's my job here."

And with one quick and sharp snap, Rei breathed a sigh of relief. He removed the mechanical collar and crushed it in its hand. 

Don't think, Rei, he reminded himself. You're not the innocent, helpless one anymore.

He was in the Varia, and that's because he chose to be.

These hands aren't clean anymore. 

Don't hesitate.