Title: "Life can Become Art"

Summary: And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could turn sorrow into something beautiful.

Disclaimer: I do not own the wonderfulness of Katekyo Hitman Reborn! I do not own any of the amazing characters, either! I do however own the plot to this story, as well as any OC's that may show up. (Note: OC's will be minor if they show up).

Chapter Title: "Painting of Eternal Sleep" (Chapter One)

Life can be cruel.

That was all Tsuna could think of as he stared at the glossy black box in front of him, his brown eyes dull and emotionless compared to their usual shine. They hid away his emotions, giving none of the depressing thoughts that clouded his mind away. His mouth was placed in a firm line, keeping him silent, never opening. If he did open his mouth, all of his feelings of the day would come rushing out as a pathetic plea, becoming a disgusting complaint that would change nothing.

There was no point in talking, anyway. He was alone next to the coffin; everybody that had been invited either didn't bother or were too busy to show up. Not even his no-good father, who had claimed to love his mother more than anything, had shown up at her funeral.

"Liar," the brunet mumbled sourly under his breath, sighing shakily. He rested one of his pale hands on the smooth black surface of the box that would be buried under the ground, to someday be forgotten. He slid his fingers over it, creating simple yet complex and beautiful patterns. As his hand reached the end, he opened the top slowly, eyes resting onto the one person that had cared for him.

Her skin had gone pale, both white-gloved hands resting comfortably below her chest, overlapping one another. Her eyes were shut peacefully, almost as though she was simply sleeping comfortably. If only that were the case. The strands of her short brown hair were spread lightly around her, the only bit of color in the sea of white.

In a way, it reminded him of a single stroke of paint on a blank canvas.

Tsuna's brown eyes widened slightly as an idea began to form in his head, pestering him beyond belief until he considered it. It wasn't something he should do at a funeral. But he wanted to do something for her on this day. He wanted to create one last piece of art for her before she was forever buried into the ground.

Thankfully, he had brought all of his supplies with him. After all, he would be heading to his new home afterwards. He would be living with a friend of his father's, who had moved to Namimori for work related matters. The brunet would be staying in Japan, out of his father's way. In a way, he was relieved that he wouldn't have to move away, though it still stung to think that even his father didn't want him around.

The brunet shook his head rapidly, trying to rid his mind of those distracting thoughts. His pale hands grasped the items he needed, putting them in place carefully.

A white canvas and a paint brush, with multiple colors of which he would only use a couple. That was all he needed at the moment. The brunet took off his black jacket, loosening his tie afterwards, before decided to take it off completely as well. Rolling up his white sleeves, he gripped the wooden brush tightly in his right hand, taking another look at his inspiration before making the first stroke.

And that was all it took. After that first stroke of paint, everything he had been feeling came rushing out in the form of art. Funny how you could make sorrow into something beautiful.

As Tsuna painted the replica of his deceased mother, his mind focused only on it. He didn't notice the tall man wearing a black fedora with a yellow band wrapped around it walking up to the empty area, stopping a few feet behind him silently. The man wore a black jacket, only three of the buttons buttoned up, and a yellow dress shirt underneath. A black tie, similar to the one the brunet had been wearing, was tucked into the jacket. The fedora on his head hid his spiky black hair, shadowing part of his pale, handsome face.

His sharp onyx eyes watched as the teenager continued to paint, completely oblivious to his presence. He saw the white and black fill most of the canvas, coming together into a more beautiful replica of the actual scene. The brunet added different, more vibrant colors to the mix, just to highlight a few things.

And then came the brown.

Tsuna put down the brush he had been using, picking up a thinner one in its place. He made soft, quick strokes, capturing the elegant look of his mother's short hair, spread around her face as she slept for eternity. He added in both light and dark browns, even a shade of orange, just to capture the beauty of the one color that he would always remember.

Afterwards he made the background. The tree behind was large and seemed to fit the picture perfectly. Its trunk was wide, and it became thinner as it went up, splitting into a complicated yet elegant criss-cross of branches. The bark was more of a light gray color than brown, something that was unusual yet captivating. And with the dark green leaves, it seemed perfect. Tsuna looked up and took a mental picture of the falling leaves, immediately adding them into the mix.

He had always loved to create something that seemed to pause time, making that entire moment timeless. But time didn't really stand still, and he knew that. He just didn't want things to continue at the moment. He would have given anything at that very minute, second, to keep everything the same, to keep everything from moving forward.

Just as he finished signing his name in the bottom right corner out of habit, small enough to where it wasn't annoying but big enough to be noticeable, a hand rested on his shoulder, causing him to jump. The brunet managed to withhold a girlish scream, but his dull brown eyes widened in fear on instinct.

"It's beautiful," the man stated, removing his hand. Once he saw the confused look in those still large brown eyes, he gestured to the painting. The short brunet seemed to finally register the compliment, blushing slightly. He opened his mouth to protest, but the man asked a question he didn't have an answer to before he could.

"What's the title?"

"Huh," Tsuna asked, tilting his head to the side cutely. He blinked his large eyes, and his caramel-colored bangs fell lightly into his pale face (Though it wasn't as pale as the man's). The curly side-burn man smirked

"The title to the painting."

The teenager hummed to himself at the question, looking over to his work. He thought over different titles, though one kept popping into his head. To himself, it sounded cheesy, almost extremely so, but it was the only one that matched the painting. It just seemed to fit perfectly.

"Painting of Eternal Sleep," Tsuna mumbled, keeping his gaze on the canvas.

The man nodded his head at the answer, liking the title. He titled his fedora down a little more, hiding the expression he wore. Though a small smile had etched itself onto his face, it was unseen to the teenager in front of him, "It fits, Tsunayoshi."

At his name, the brunet snapped his head over to the taller man, "How do you know my name?"

"Your father arranged for you to live with me, so you could stay in Japan," he answered, smirking slightly as he saw the sour expression plastering onto the teenager's face, "My name is Reborn, you're caretaker from today on. Just so we're clear, I don't like disobedience."

The menacing aura that surrounded Reborn made the brunet shiver, feeling as though he was standing in front of his inevitable doom. Tsuna nodded his head rapidly in understanding, not wanting to get on the man's bad side straight from the beginning. Afterwards he packed his supplies back into his bags, holding onto the canvas gently. Reborn closed the coffin lid, and led him back to his car.

Tsuna put his things in the back, and climbed into the front seat just as rain began to fall from the sky. Before closing the door, he looked back over to the empty area with the coffin, watching as the small droplets of water leaked through the branches of the trees covering it, splattering on impact of the glossy black surface.

The sound of the car door closing resounded within his ears as the car took off, and he didn't take his eyes away from where his mom would forever rest until it was out of sight. His grip on the canvas with her final painting tightened slightly, and Tsuna had to resist the urge to look at it. Because if he did, the tears in his eyes would surely fall.

AN: So, I deleted "Skies the Limit" because I'm using the idea of the Aces and such for my own novel. So, instead, I thought I'd do a KHR! AU story. It has no pairing, meaning no romance.

Anyways, I don't know if I should continued this or not, so please review and tell me if I should. If you have criticism or any ideas, I'd love to hear them, so please put them in a review!~

Edited: November 6th, 2013