l'usurpatore

Twin fic fad? Let me get a shot with this one.

They said people who loves sunset where loners. Setting sun is just so sorrowful to watch, it's like witnessing an angel drowning herself to the sea to follow a great love. Like a climax, the sky will be filled with breathtaking colors, mixed perfectly to give that unsurpassed beauty. And then comes darkness, just like when the light fades away after a heart-wrenching play. Curtains close. The end.

But endings paved way to a new beginnings.

So thought of a young man dressed in a regal white suit. He watched the slow descent of the most popular star known to man. His eyes reflected the golden light, his brown hair becoming almost blond and gently sways with the wind heading east. The balcony of his office was one of the perfect places in the Vongola castle to watch sunset. And he can't dispute that, since Ranking Fuuta told him so. The teenager made an effort to come up with that list when he discovered that their boss love sunsets.

He smiled at that memory.

He continued to watch, his hold on the intricate iron wrought rails tightened as he contemplated on some things. His mind is much clearer on this part of the day, contrary to most that seems to be at their brightest early in the morning, when the world was still fresh.

"A penny for your thought?"

He gave a blink and turn his head to the right, that's where he heard the deep voice anyway. Ah, his ex-tutor.

"I did not notice you there. As expected of the greatest hitman in the world. Even after eight years, I still can't feel you when you sneak around."

The hitman chuckled and put his hand atop his fedora. A sudden gust of wind had almost blown it away.

" Don't give me that crap, Decimo. We very well know that Hyper Intuition of yours will do the trick."

The Decimo became silent after that. He tapped his left index finger thoughtfully on the rails while gazing where the sun was before. It can't be seen anymore, it's hidden from their eyes and made it's appearance on the other side of the world. He stopped the tapping, it seem he arrived at a conclusion.

"It has been four years since I have taken control of Vongola," he spoke out of nowhere, "I have used all means necessary to bring back it's original vision. The one Primo and his generation had. So far, how do you think I fared?"

Reborn turned to him fully and raised an eyebrow to his former students' question.

"You have now 75% of the underground at your disposal. Vongola has never reach that level before, the most was 45% at Segundo's time. I could say you literally got the world at the palms of your hand. Casualties has greatly reduced as well. Wars were inevitable anyways. Being at the top will always get you enemies. But personally, I think your reign is the Golden Era of Vongola."

"I still use force to achieve that. I and my guardians still kill people. And I don't have any regrets in doing so. I do strongly believe that the end justify the means." He turned to the black haired man, eyes hard, determined, detached, almost out of place since he has a soft features. Just like her mother. But that look was always there, never leaving since that time, 6 years ago. And to people around him, wearing another expression will be out of character.

Reborn just gave a smirk.

" Do whatever you saw fit. You're the boss, Sawada Tsunayoshi. You're the boss."

He did not reply to that. He averted his gaze and look at sky. It's becoming dark.

"Time to go back to my paperwork."

Reborn took that as a dismissal and just gracefully jumped down from the balcony which was on the fifth floor. The action is out of norm. For normal society that is. And they definitely, did not belong to that.

Tsunayoshi closed the French door going to his balcony to block the chilly wind. He was about to walk back to his desk when he heard a single knock, then the door to his extravagant office opened. He was not given a chance to say 'come in'. He could only think one person who does that somewhat rude way of entering his office.

"Carnivore."

He paused for awhile and eyed the newly arrived person. His black suit is as perfect as it was when he left this morning, not a hint of dirt or stain. Not a single injury as well. The mission was the annihilation of a small mafia family that became too cocky for their own good after making an alliance with Vongola. Too bad they choose Namimori of all places to terrorize. It seems that the mission went just fine. He gave a slight nod to acknowledge his cloud guardian.

"Good news again, Kyoya?"

Said man just narrowed his blue-gray eyes, as if mocking the other for even asking such question. He is Hibari Kyoya, he has a perfect mission record and intends to keep it that way.

The Decimo took his seat and adjusted it to his liking. Hibari, on the other hand, went near the desk and placed a purple folder on top of the stacks of paper. After that, he just simply turned and takes his leave without saying anything. He was about to reach the door handle when Tsuna spoke.

"Shall I go to your room later?"

"No. You're room." Came the cold reply.

And the door was opened and then closed again, leaving the Vongola Don alone in that room. He took a deep sigh and grabbed the unfinished paperwork. While working, half of his mind was still on his cloud guardian. Yes, they were on a relationship, almost for two years now, but everything was just purely physical from the beginning and had remained that way ever since. There was no confession. No sweet nothings. Their lips had never met, even a kiss on the cheek did not happen. Maybe because both of them have their own issues.

Hibari is too distant to anyone, a perfect representation of the cloud he is.

And him, a manipulative sky that will not hesitate on using anyone for the glory of Vongola Famiglia.

Funny how they have managed to be together for years. The factor might be that they were too alike that they suit each other. That's what he wants anyway, no strings attached.

But of course, the pleasure in bed is an added bonus.

The following day, sports stadium

A sharp sound of baseball bat hitting it's target echoed on the whole place. The ball traveled a good distance before dropping on the ground. The young man who made the hit just stared blankly at the now bouncing ball, till it rolled and came to a stop. It would be pretty odd for a person to see that happening at such distance, but he is no ordinary person either. Being a natural born hitman made those thing possible for him.

And being a natural born hitman made other things impossible for him.

"Hey, Yamamoto, no need to be so serious about this."

He turned around to face Sasagawa Ryohei, who was sitting at one of the bench closest to where he was standing. Said man was holding a chilled bottle of water.

"Why don't you take a break for a while? You've been batting like crazy for 17 minutes already. Here, have a drink and chill out."

Yamamoto let go of the bat he was holding. It clanked before becoming still, left lying on the ground just like that. He did not even bother to place it in a much safer place. He is a Mafioso, he could not be bothered by such trivial things.

But he IS bothered. Greatly so.

Three days ago, he went to sign up for a major league he was looking forward too. After asking permission to his Boss about joining (which was granted by the way), he looked up his phonebook to see the contact number of agents who had made an offer. He sees nine contacts. He dialed the first one and was answered by an enthusiastic voice. The agent told him to meet up with the team's manager for an interview the next day. So far so good.

He went to sleep with a grin that night.

And when the day of the interview came, his spirit was dampened by the questions and comments of the manager.

"What were you doing these last four years? I've never heard of you joining in any game."

"Well, sir, I-"

"I am aware of your feat during middle school, but things are different here kid. It's not simply a game anymore. We have sponsors and image to consider. What do you think people will say if we accept a rookie like you, whose activity for the past few years were questionable? So many aspiring players were working their ass off for years and that's what we are looking for. Hardworking athletes who could dedicate time to hone their skills."

Yamamoto could not even say anything back. Everything is bulls' eye.

"Sorry Takeshi Yamamoto, but try joining next year. Don't feel bad about this. You still have other chance. As for now, gather enough experience and polish your talent."

And the same thing goes for the rest of the interviews. Different wordings were used but the same result.

No one wanted him on their team.

So here he is now, on an empty sport stadium, sitting beside his sempai.

"At least you still have your chance," Ryohei's voice interrupted his travel on memory lane. "Unlike me, I can't be on professional boxing anymore because of my tainted record."

The baseball fanatic narrowed his eye on the statement. That event was one of the saddest moments for the Sasagawa's. One year after all of them left Japan to reside in Italy together with Tsuna, Kyoko who had stayed in the country was kidnapped. And yes, the reason for abduction is of her being acquainted with Vongola. With the intensive network of the most powerful mafia family in the world, one would ask how the said crime came to happen.

It's pretty simple actually. All because the mastermind behind the kidnapping is Mochida.

Their schoolmate.

Kyoko's fiancé.

Mochida has been nothing but a gentleman and dependable person after their graduation in high school. The arrogant attitude surprisingly disappeared and he became a renowned businessman. He courted Kyoko for a while, and seeing that Mochida has changed for the better, she eventually fell in love with him. The two were so happy together that Ryohei did not voice any protest about their relationship. Before they leave to Italy, he talked with Mochida seriously and had asked the guy to take good care of her beloved sister. A promise was made. And broken.

In anger impetus, Sasagawa Ryohei went to where Mochida had taken his sister. Alone. He refused to bring company, be it fellow guardians or any subordinates.

It was an overkill. Everyone involved in kidnapping was reduced to a coma due to extreme injuries they sustained. And when the inevitable confrontation between Mochida and Ryohei arrived and the "why's" were asked, the former was just quiet for a moment. And after a long while, gave a mysterious smile that could rival the famous one of Mona Lisa.

That was the last time Mochida smiled. Ryohei made sure of that. With his own fist he ended his sister's fiancé life.

To cover the real truth, the investigators were forced to release the story of Mochida suffering from mental illness and that what Rohei had done is an act of self defense. The case was so well known that it affected the way the boxing world view the Sun guardian. And from there on, Ryohei has never involved himself with his favorite sport.

"Hey turf top, stop brooding, it's so out of place in your face."

"I know, octopus head. Give me ten seconds and I will wipe this off my face."

Both the Rain and Storm guardian gave a small chuckle. Silence filled them for a few minutes, each lost on his own thought. Then Gokudera decided that a smoke will be perfect during these times. He grabbed one from his half-empty cigarette box. Then raised his left hand where his Vongola storm ring is. A red flame flickered from the ring. Dying will flames. Works just fine like a lighter. The other two guardian looked at the silver-haired man in amusement. Said man is calmly blowing the smoke without a care in the world.

"Don't worry, you two. You're not the only ones who felt like shit now."

"Huh? What do you extremely mean?"

The storm guardian gave a heavy sigh before answering. "Well, I have accepted the invitation of NASA for their study about Mars, and have given them my thesis about possible unidentified life forms as a requisite to be a part of their research team. But for some reason…" he paused and eyed his half burned cigar, then crushed it in his hands."….it's been rejected. Those idiots took back their invitation at the last minute."

Yamamoto put a hand under his scarred chin in thought. "That's odd. Those guys have been asking you since middle school to join them. What's with the sudden change of heart?"

"I don't know. I demanded for an explanation from them but I did not receive a single reply. And I've grown tired of waiting. It's been six months already."

A ring tone suddenly disturbed their serious talk.

"Yes Judaime?"

"Come to my office Gokudera. Tell Yamamoto and Sasagawa as well."

" Yes, Judaime." He answered with utmost respect before the call ended.

And the three of them left the stadium, but their mind is still on their last talk. They can't help but think that there is something that's messing with them.

Or someone.

Gokudera would not have thought this if it only happened to him, but for the other two as well? Definitely not an isolated case. He won't be surprised if sooner or later, this circumstance will befall the rest of the guardians. Or maybe without them knowing, the deed has been done. Everything is still blurry, and he will get to the bottom of this. If this something, or someone, or whatever, is causing them this much disruptions, then it is a threat to Vongola as well. They already made the revolution of Vongola, he'll be damned if it will go back to its bloody and corrupt entity again.

And as the Storm guardian, he will deal with it with a blast. Literally.

Thud.

The sound of garden trowel hitting the moist earth can be heard at dawn. Most of the people are still sleeping, but this certain gardener is already up and doing his task.

"Those cute little children will wake up later, and I won't be able to do any gardening since they keep pulling me around" He gave a sigh followed by a fond chuckle. Really, those kids were so energetic early in the morning, and he never misses any chance to play with them. He is their big brother after all.

Nope, no one is related to him by blood. All of them were orphans. A private charity organization had gathered these children to be taken care of. They were provided with their basic needs and when the time is right, they were sent to school. After graduation, they were given jobs by the companies that were part of the orphanage.

He was actually envious of those who were working in companies. Jeez, he's already 23 years old but look at him, still here in the orphanage doing nothing but plant vegetables and fruits. It's not like he hates gardening, on the contrary, he really enjoys it and he likes to help the poor old lady, Mrs. Mellow, in taking care of the kids.

" I guess I'm just really no good. I barely graduated because of my poor grades, what company would want to hire someone like me?"

A kindly voice with hint of old age disturbed his self pity. "Don't be so hard on yourself, Rez." An old lady with her white hair tied in a bun approached him.

"Ah, Mrs. Mellow! Good morning!" He quickly stood up from his squatting position and put the trowel on one of the pockets of his rubber apron.

"And a pleasant morning to you too. It's not a good thing to tell yourself you are no good." She reproofed gently with a frown.

Rez gave a scratch at the back of his head. "I'm sorry if you heard my stupid mumbling. I can't understand it but sometimes, there is this "voice" inside me that tells me I'm meant to do something else, like, I should be somewhere instead of here. Ah! Sorry, I'm saying something stupid again."

Mrs. Mellow just smiled and shook his head. "It's alright. No need to apologize. And I understand if you want to leave here and explore what's out there. Just be patient Rez. Maybe it's not yet the time, but someday you will definitely find your place and your purpose."

The young male gave an enthusiastic nod, making his brown, spiky hair shake in the process.

"Yup! I definitely will."

"I believe you will." Mrs. Mellow thought. She wishes nothing but the best for Rez as he watched him resume his gardening. Many years had passed since he arrived here in the orphanage, but he still got that clear brown eyes, full of innocence like that of a child. And the brunets' naturally warm and kind personality made him endeared to her. She wondered where Rez got his cute face though, maybe from his mother. Or father perhaps? There's no way of knowing right now since Rez was brought here in the orphanage without any recollection of his past.

Mrs. Mellow still remembered that day clearly, when the young Rez was brought in the orphanage. He has bandage wrapped on various parts of his body. The social worker who was with him told her that the poor child was involved in an accident and had lost his family. Not a single relative came to look for him so the hospital tried to refer him to a charity case.

And as for his name, Rez, it was the name the nurses came up. It's too awkward to call him "sir", they said. So therefore they come up with it, just say the "sir" backwards with a "z" in the end for added effect.

"Rez dear, if you want something to drink, there's lemonade inside the fridge. I'll go ahead now, the little angels will wake up pretty soon."

"Thanks for the offer Mrs. Mellow. I'll help you prepare breakfast for them once I'm done."

"Oh, you don't have to, but thank you so much for always helping me."

The old lady went back to the orphanage, and Rez got up and head to where the water hose is. Time to water the plant. He stretched his back a little and after a satisfied crack, he picked up the hose on the ground. Upon looking up, his attention was caught by the rising sun over the mountains. It was a fine day, the sky is clear. There's nothing to block the sunrise from the audience. Warm, brown eyes carefully watched the sunrise.

"Sunrise is so beautiful. It's very refreshing to watch"

When the light entering his vision becomes too much for his liking, Rez continued from his paused work.