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Aug. 30th, 2009 05:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kat8chaThe first thing Tsuna heard that afternoon, jolting himself out of a very unfulfilling nap and nearly dumping him on the floor, was the sound of a gunshot. Now, the neighborhood around the office was pretty terrible (otherwise the office wouldn't be so cheap) but you generally didn't go firing off gunshots down the hall from half a dozen shifty lawyers and private eyes. Well, unless you were firing shots at the lawyers or private eyes, which happened sometimes. The shot sounded like it had come from the left over by the stairs, and most of the offices were to Tsuna's right.
Tsuna wasn't the first person to look out in the hallway; several others had poked their heads tentatively out of their office doors. Tsuna however was the only one brave enough to actually step into the hallway. This was because the two people standing next to the stairs were familiar to Tsuna.
Unfortunately.
"Hibari-san?" Tsuna questioned easily recognizing the short (though still taller than Tsuna) black haired man dressed in a police uniform. Trapped between Hibari, Hibari's gun, and the wall was Dino Calvallone, Hibari's partner on the force and Tsuna's 'older brother'. Dino slanted a smile Tsuna's way before refocusing on the man holding a gun to his face.
"I told you I'd only be a minute, Kyouya." Dino held up his hands. "You didn't even give me enough time to get to Tsuna's office!" Dino looked ready to say more, but Hibari clicked the safety off his gun, and Dino's teeth clicked together.
"Your minutes, Calvallone, take *hours*." Hibari's voice was cold, but Tsuna had heard it warm up on three separate occasions, and he had known Hibari since junior high. Hibari glanced over his shoulder and gave Tsuna an unimpressed look, before clicking the safety back on and holstering his gun. "I will time you."
Dino smiled gratefully, but wasted no time, he had hastily ushered Tsuna into Tsuna's office before Hibari had gotten his pocket watch out. "Phew." Dino leaned against the office's paneled door. "Sorry about all the hubbub Tsuna, I had to pass you a message."
"Message?" Tsuna gave Dino a quick once over. He wasn't an expert, and he wanted visual evidence that Hibari hadn't shot Dino in the arm or the knee. Seeing no bullet wounds or blood, Tsuna had to assume Hibari had shot the wall instead. You could never be sure with Hibari, Tsuna had seen the volatile policeman pistol whip Dino because the other police officer had gotten himself into a spot of trouble. Though in a fight with Hibari Dino always gave as good as he got, and so long as he was near some other member of the force Dino was an above average fighter, on his own he was terrible. Hibari never seemed to appreciate this.
"It's from Reborn." Dino fished a letter out of his uniform jacket, and handed it over. The edges were slightly bent, and it must have gotten wet at some point because there were a few water spots along the edge. Tsuna remembered he'd heard the sound of rain hitting the roof last night. If Dino was just delivering it now… "I'm still not sure why he thinks it's safer for a *known hitman* to go to the police instead of having a runner pass it off to you... guess he's still protecting you." Dino let Tsuna take the letter and then ruffled his hair. "Sorry, Kyouya's-"
"Your time is up Calvallone." Intoned Hibari from outside the office, sounding like doomsday.
Dino yipped and zipped out, forgetting to finish his sentence, leaving Tsuna with a slightly mussed letter in his hands, and the reverberating echoes of 'Kyouya! That's not very nice!'
Tsuna walked back to his desk, the floor boards creaking ominously. His chair creaked too, when he sat down and leaned back. The letter's address 'Sawada Tsunayoshi, care of the bucking horse', was written in Reborn's distinctive handwriting; half cursive, half the sharp slanted letters of a murderer. Turning the letter open Tsuna felt around in his desk drawer for his letter opener. The letter opener was silver plate, a gift from Reborn, Tsuna was sure to keep it sharp. Once Reborn had killed a man with nothing but a letter opener and shoe string. Tsuna had asked if Reborn couldn't have done it with just the letter opener, but apparently that way would have been messier.
Tsuna wasn't entirely sure how the shoe string had helped.
Tsuna split the litter open and reached inside, pulling out a pale beige piece of paper. 'Tsuna, there is a mole in the Varia. Find him. Reborn'
Tsuna spluttered. "You can't just send me a letter and let me loose, Reborn!" Tsuna cried, stamping one foot down. Reborn was always doing this, sending Tsuna off on wild goose chases for 'training' or for the hitman's own ends. "The Varia breaks the law!" The Varia was the local neighborhood gang who had made it big after prohibition set in. Xanxus, an angry violent man with scars scattered over his face, was an avid fan of alcohol. He had not taken well to this new 'dry world'. Already skirting the edges of legality with their protection racket the Varia had quickly gained prominence when they started importing and selling liquor under the table, and then even more when they had expanded to the occasional bank robbery.
Tsuna almost crumpled up the letter and threw it away… but he knew he couldn't. Smoothing it out Tsuna frowned down at the letter, than glanced in the envelope to see if there was more.
There was a small wad of bills. "Payment in advance." Tsuna sighed. There was no way he could return the money to Reborn, so he would simply have to complete the task. Even if he didn't want to.
Tsuna wasn't the first person to look out in the hallway; several others had poked their heads tentatively out of their office doors. Tsuna however was the only one brave enough to actually step into the hallway. This was because the two people standing next to the stairs were familiar to Tsuna.
Unfortunately.
"Hibari-san?" Tsuna questioned easily recognizing the short (though still taller than Tsuna) black haired man dressed in a police uniform. Trapped between Hibari, Hibari's gun, and the wall was Dino Calvallone, Hibari's partner on the force and Tsuna's 'older brother'. Dino slanted a smile Tsuna's way before refocusing on the man holding a gun to his face.
"I told you I'd only be a minute, Kyouya." Dino held up his hands. "You didn't even give me enough time to get to Tsuna's office!" Dino looked ready to say more, but Hibari clicked the safety off his gun, and Dino's teeth clicked together.
"Your minutes, Calvallone, take *hours*." Hibari's voice was cold, but Tsuna had heard it warm up on three separate occasions, and he had known Hibari since junior high. Hibari glanced over his shoulder and gave Tsuna an unimpressed look, before clicking the safety back on and holstering his gun. "I will time you."
Dino smiled gratefully, but wasted no time, he had hastily ushered Tsuna into Tsuna's office before Hibari had gotten his pocket watch out. "Phew." Dino leaned against the office's paneled door. "Sorry about all the hubbub Tsuna, I had to pass you a message."
"Message?" Tsuna gave Dino a quick once over. He wasn't an expert, and he wanted visual evidence that Hibari hadn't shot Dino in the arm or the knee. Seeing no bullet wounds or blood, Tsuna had to assume Hibari had shot the wall instead. You could never be sure with Hibari, Tsuna had seen the volatile policeman pistol whip Dino because the other police officer had gotten himself into a spot of trouble. Though in a fight with Hibari Dino always gave as good as he got, and so long as he was near some other member of the force Dino was an above average fighter, on his own he was terrible. Hibari never seemed to appreciate this.
"It's from Reborn." Dino fished a letter out of his uniform jacket, and handed it over. The edges were slightly bent, and it must have gotten wet at some point because there were a few water spots along the edge. Tsuna remembered he'd heard the sound of rain hitting the roof last night. If Dino was just delivering it now… "I'm still not sure why he thinks it's safer for a *known hitman* to go to the police instead of having a runner pass it off to you... guess he's still protecting you." Dino let Tsuna take the letter and then ruffled his hair. "Sorry, Kyouya's-"
"Your time is up Calvallone." Intoned Hibari from outside the office, sounding like doomsday.
Dino yipped and zipped out, forgetting to finish his sentence, leaving Tsuna with a slightly mussed letter in his hands, and the reverberating echoes of 'Kyouya! That's not very nice!'
Tsuna walked back to his desk, the floor boards creaking ominously. His chair creaked too, when he sat down and leaned back. The letter's address 'Sawada Tsunayoshi, care of the bucking horse', was written in Reborn's distinctive handwriting; half cursive, half the sharp slanted letters of a murderer. Turning the letter open Tsuna felt around in his desk drawer for his letter opener. The letter opener was silver plate, a gift from Reborn, Tsuna was sure to keep it sharp. Once Reborn had killed a man with nothing but a letter opener and shoe string. Tsuna had asked if Reborn couldn't have done it with just the letter opener, but apparently that way would have been messier.
Tsuna wasn't entirely sure how the shoe string had helped.
Tsuna split the litter open and reached inside, pulling out a pale beige piece of paper. 'Tsuna, there is a mole in the Varia. Find him. Reborn'
Tsuna spluttered. "You can't just send me a letter and let me loose, Reborn!" Tsuna cried, stamping one foot down. Reborn was always doing this, sending Tsuna off on wild goose chases for 'training' or for the hitman's own ends. "The Varia breaks the law!" The Varia was the local neighborhood gang who had made it big after prohibition set in. Xanxus, an angry violent man with scars scattered over his face, was an avid fan of alcohol. He had not taken well to this new 'dry world'. Already skirting the edges of legality with their protection racket the Varia had quickly gained prominence when they started importing and selling liquor under the table, and then even more when they had expanded to the occasional bank robbery.
Tsuna almost crumpled up the letter and threw it away… but he knew he couldn't. Smoothing it out Tsuna frowned down at the letter, than glanced in the envelope to see if there was more.
There was a small wad of bills. "Payment in advance." Tsuna sighed. There was no way he could return the money to Reborn, so he would simply have to complete the task. Even if he didn't want to.
