Rei, member of an elite assassination squad, receives a mission assignment that leads him right into another fandom. Yeah, he's about to make himself very scarce here...

(He doesn't expect to meet Kunomasu Naomasa.)

Hi, to all that have read MiSSiON before! This is the rewritten version of my previous attempt at crossing over these two fics of mine. ALiVE x OUTSiDER. 

This is an alternate universe where Rei, Nao's nephew, is older. In the main events of OUTSiDER, Rei is maybe about seven when he meets Nao, but here, he is eighteen. The events of Katekyo Hitman Reborn happened before Assassination Classroom, and in the middle of the school year, Class E receives an exchange student.

This is a story where a mafiosi/assassin Rei meets Nao. Yes, meaning this is an OC meets OC scenario. It's Rei-centric, unfortunately. It's self-indulgent as usual.

Nothing changes about either story. They meet, and they leave, like a filler episode.

The slums of Italy are quiet in the rain.

It's cloudy out, only the tentative splashes of high boots against puddles breaking through the light showers.

And between these streets, a man runs.

A stuffed bag tucked under his arm, he whirls around, alarmed. His breaths come out hard-- stuttering-- he ducks behind the next corner and peeks out.

Blood seeps from the hole in his side, and he presses a hand hard against the wound to staunch the bleeding, as best as he can manage.

He swears under his breath, looking behind frantically before turning his attention to the parcel he'd been carrying. "What is this? I didn't hear about this!" For a moment, he considered ditching the money-- ditching this job-- this wasn't worth it.

He looks out the corner once more.

"Oh, you're not running anymore?"

This time, a young man smiles back at him from nearly a meter away, hands in the pockets of his black and beige striped jacket.

(The effeminately-styled brown hair-- the jewel green eyes-- )

"Beelzeb--" He jerks back, a scream at his throat, but it never fully leaves.

The young man is already moving. A choked groan was the last he could speak before a tattooed hand pins him through the neck with a dart, stapled right into the wall.

"And," the hand retracts, coming to tuck a strand of hair behind his ear. "Done."

A young figure lands behind him.

"Excuse us," the young servant of the Cervello addresses. "Lord Beelzebub of the Varia, if you'll allow us to take it from here?"

He raised a brow.

"Yeah, yeah, take him. He's dead, though," he says, waving dismissively. He reaches down to snatch the bag stuffed full of cash. "This is the only thing we want. I hope we never meet again, o lady judges of the underworld."

"Your cooperation is much appreciated," she only says.

-

"I'm hooome," Beelzebub sings into the mansion, knowing very well no one was going to greet him. Even the servants simply bowed in silence, and the grunts saluted in fear.

He pulled his Varia coat from himself, grumbling at the wet squelch from the rain outside, and kicked off his shoes. Behind him, a servant nervously picked them up, whispering to each other on what they should do with it-- dry it? Clean it? Put it in his room? Will he kill them if they guess wrong?

He yawned. Bringing up a tattooed left hand to ruffle at his drenched locks, he looked around, wondering where the presence of the mansion had gone.

"Hmm?" he turned toward a servant that was nervously trying to grab his attention.

A mouse skittered over his foot, hopped up to his knee, and crawled under his shirt.

"You're already sending me out on my next mission?" he whined, and the servant squeaked, ducking away in apology and begging for his life, "can't a man catch a fucking break around here."

"You're hardly a man, you little Rat," came a distinct snicker. "Ushishishi!"

Beelzebub rolled his eyes as Belphegor came around the corner, dressed casually, but wrapped in a couple thick layers of bandages.

"And you're barely in one piece," Beelzebub snarked. "Was Egypt that dangerous?"

"Don't worry, you'll get tougher jobs one day," Belphegor handed him a mission envelope, marked liberally with RESTRICTED stamps despite their very casual handling of the material. "Like this one, for example."

He ripped the package open with the end of a sharpened lollipop stick, and popped it right in his mouth. Papers and wanted posters emerged, and he frowned at each of them.

"What the-- the culprit of the moon explosion?" he read it out, shocked in three different ways-- no seriously, he has read this same damn line somewhere before. But first-- "when the fuck did it explode and why did no one tell me?"

"Huh, didn't you see it?" Belphegor questioned, sauntering over and looping a bandaged arm around a damp shoulder. He was taller, but not by much. "It was all over the news."

Beelzebub dug his palm into his face. "I thought Fran was fucking with me."

Belphegor laughed in sympathy. That froghead moron covered the hall in glitter last month and splattered Squalo's face with terrible makeup last week. "You know you can double check by stabbing him once."

"I'm not a psychopath, Bel," Beelzebub emphasized slowly, just to make it clear.

"Wait what? Bubby, you're not?"

"Get off me right now, or I'll reconsider."

"Ooh, scary," Belphegor slips a hand into a pocket and steals a lollipop, "well, tell Squalo when you're leaving again," Belphegor waves as he leaves, "bye-bee!"

Beelzebub stood there, waterlogged and confused and very exhausted-- and just groaned out some sort of dying noise.

-

"Of course I need to get the dye out of my hair," Beelzebub whined, leaning back on the chair as Lussuria brushes his long locks, letting the braid fall. "It's undercover. I have to obey the dress code, or they won't even let me in!"

"Oh sweetie," Lussuria sighs, "you even have to tie it up neat? What kind of torture is this facility you're going to? I'm terrified."

"I don't think there's anything more terrifying than you, Big sis Lussuria," Fran said, closing one eye as Beelzebub brushes on the eyeshadow.

"Don't be rude, I might just stab you!" Lussuria beamed.

"I'll be fine, big sis," Beelzebub frowned, "it's just a school. Not a normal school really, but it's still a school, its rules are actually pretty standard."

"But you can't even have tattoos."

"You're not Japanese, so you might not know, but there's this Yakuza stigma... oh wait, we are Mafia. But among the normies..."

Leviathan walks into the common room.

Lussuria, Beelzebub, and Fran are just sitting by the large mirror, like a bunch of high school roommates before prom. He had no idea why Fran, who was just going to illusion out his makeup in three minutes anyways, is getting it done-- but damn does he not care.

"The Boss is asking for us, Luss," he said.

"Well, tell him to wait, because I'm not compromising the hair care of my favourite baby," Lussuria immediately replied, twisting a strand of hair down into a braid.

"If you worsen the boss' mood, I will kill you," Leviathan threatened. "We have a mission, hurry up already."

And then he slammed the door.

"Lots of missions this week, huh," Fran pouted.

"Hey, don't move, it'll get uneven."

"You're bad at it, so it's probably not gonna be much different."

"Rude."

"You know, if Fran would be willing to take his frog head off for once, he'd have been going on this mission instead," Lussuria pointed out. "He's younger, so he's actually the age for this class you're supposed to infiltrate."

"Don't wanna," Fran whined immediately.

And no one was going to change that-- last time they tried, the Mist user stuck different animals on all of their heads-- including Xanxus-- for about a month and no one was willing to do any jobs then.

The whole amazing thing about the Varia was how freaks come together undiscriminated, after all. No one was going to force each other to do things they didn't want to.

"You'll need to take these off too," Lussuria finished up on the hair, reaching toward the earrings. "Who do you want to hold onto them?"

They were danglers, embedded with a line of silver and clutching tenderly a red and blue gem on either side. They were so precious, he never took them off. And yet, when he needed to, he didn't trust it in a box in his room-- he had to entrust it to someone.

And who?

"I guess I'll give them to Squalo before I leave."

-

All things considered, Beelzebub was glad to be able to go home to Japan.

Unlike the Vongola and their Guardians, he'd moved to Italy when he was fifteen to begin his training as an official member of Varia. It's been about two years since he was back.

He's just a little disappointed that he's on a mission, so he can't head to Namimori High and meet them.

Oh well, I'll see them next year when the official succession ceremony and Tsuna's official beautillion ball gets held.

He pulls down the hood of his fur-lined jacket, looking at the business card in his hands and wondering where his envoys would pick him up from.

"Shinonome Rei, is it?"

Well, that saved him some time.

"I'm from the Ministry of Defense. I'm Karasuma," the older man greets, and Rei couldn't help but smile. His eyes were filled with disbelief. Skepticism, definitely, that the assassin the Italian mafia sent to deal with the octopus was young.

Rei's petite appearance and his baby-faced demeanor had certainly been useful in a lot of missions, this one included. He'll be an eighteen-year-old pretending to be fifteen. There's been worse, so Rei isn't really fazed.

"Nice to meet you, Karasuma-san," Rei says. "I'll be in your care."

"Should I lead you to your assigned accommodations first—"

"No no, it's fine," Rei dismisses the formalities. "Today's a weekday, right? Could you show me around the mountain?"

"Ah... if you insist, then."

Now, the problem is how to actually not kill the octopus.

If Rei fails this mission, he'll fall pretty far in notoriety. Not that he really cares, but it's pretty close to the succession ceremony, so Xanxus' mood is bad. Rei might die for wasting time on a mission he was going to fail.

But at the same time, it's not like Rei can just kill Korosensei... if it was that easy, sending one of the Arcobaleno would've been more economical.

Well, whatever then. He'll just wing it.

Rei's lived this long like that, so why not enjoy himself a little longer?

-

The Kunugigaoka uniform was rather nostalgic. Varia's dress code was usually just a flashy jacket, so it was nice to come back to wearing white button-ups again.

He tapes his hands covering down to the wrist, covering up his tattoos, flexing his fists to make sure he has decent mobility left. Ryohei did this all the time anyways, there shouldn't be a problem.

He forgoes the blazer, loosens his tie, and pulls his hair back into a ponytail. Whatever he does, he's going to stand out like a sore thumb. This is stupid.

"I'm sorry. I spent two years doing nothing but trying my best to stand out, so now that I'm back in the world of the normies, I've become physically incapable of blending in."

Karasuma stares at him, baffled by the stupidity. "Are you boasting?"

"For your information, you also stand out a lot, sir."

"That is not true."

"You're oblivious to it, which makes you even more annoying than I am."

"Wha–?"

"Don't blame me if one of your peers comes back to bite you in the ass because of his long, deep-seated, jealousy-related grudge that you never noticed."

"...I see you've done some research before you arrived here."

"Ah, my bad. Did it already happen?"

He wonders where he is in the timeline. But it doesn't matter, he'll just have to deal with it all quickly. It's not like he needs to graduate, his future's all done and secured as a member of the Italian mafia.

They make their way up the mountain, to the group of students currently in class listening to an English lecture.

-

And, well.

Rei's speechless.

"Who's that?" it's the only thing he can manage. The files didn't mention this.

"The original and official homeroom teacher. I believe it was only briefly mentioned as he's not an asset," Karasuma says.

Yes, it was mentioned briefly. But he'd only sighted it briefly and thought it was referring to Yukimura Aguri, not... Whoever this is.

The teacher in the classroom looks like a normal person. Brown hair, green eyes— it's a bit unusual for a Japanese, but they're not unnatural hair colours.

Rei instantly thinks of one possibility—

—a fellow reincarnator.

No wonder this is a crossover special. This truly explains the flimsy mission setting. That must be what he's here to see.

Geez, what's he supposed to do from here, then? He signed up for an assassination, not to entertain the damn crowd... nevermind, that's actually in his job description. Talk about a blast to the past.

"Will he be a problem?" Karasuma asks.

Rei shakes his head. "Nah, he's made things easier for me."

Now he knows what he has to do to get out of this situation.

A single mouse escapes his sleeve, and Karasuma jerks back, startled. Rei chuckles, turning to it and giving a very simple command.

"Mimi dear, go get me some information on him would you?"

Karasuma raises his brow. "You're very thorough. We already gave you all the government knows about the target." His eyes continue to stare at the young mouse as it runs into the forest.

"Oh, right, the target, uh," Rei hums, looking back through the window with a bit of resignation. "Well, I guess I'll keep him in mind too."

-

The class doesn't see their newcomer at first.

In fact, Korosensei is first to notice him at all, holding a single roll of newspaper and scouring the corners of the classroom, frowning.

"What are you doing, Korosensei?" Nagisa asks.

"Oh, students, good morning," he greets. "Well, it seems we have a rat problem."

"A rat problem?!" Okajima yelps.

"Why are you catching a rat with a newspaper roll?" Isogai asks, "it's not a cockroach."

"Why are you trying to hit live creatures to death with newspaper?!" Kurahashi freaks out, "animal abuse! I'm disappointed in all of you!"

"I don't even know where to begin retorting to all of this," Sugino sighs. "But if there are rats, what is it getting into?"

"Maybe Korosensei left some food in the staffroom again?" Kayano suggests. "You're so stingy, always keeping good food from us..."

"There isn't anything," Karma says. "I know. I checked."

"WHAT?" Korosensei freaks out, "then what happened to the limited edition Acorn-Chestnut Meringue Mont Blanc Tart that I pre-ordered three days ahead from the Kunugi Cafe?! I was looking forward to it!"

"So you did bring something?!"

"I'm disappointed in you, Korosensei!"

"Wait, isn't that the cafe that just opened down the street from school?! Holy shit they sell out on this cake before ten every day, you're dedicated!"

"You've given this decrepit classroom a vermin problem! Take responsibility!"

Korosensei squawks as dusters and erasers are playfully thrown at him. "Mercy! I promise I keep my food very well-stored and only temporarily present in this building! I do not leave food overnight if I am not also present! It just came in this morning!"

"You are always present! Stay here, you national secret!"

-

Rei giggles, laying on the roof just above them, the cake in his lap, being dug into straight with a fork. He has a portion set out on a saucer for Mimi to nibble on as well.

When in Kunugigaoka, you've gotta eat something with nuts in it. Local flavours are always best, no matter where you go.

"Uhm... hey there."

Kunomasu Naomasa chuckles, drawing the boy's attention immediately. He stands at the front door of the building, looking right up at Rei with amused resignation.

"That looks delicious. Could I have some, too?"

Rei licks some cream off his fingers. "No, it's all mine!"

Nao sighs in defeat. "That's a shame, but let's not stuff your face at this hour, alright? You're like a squirrel with how you're wolfing that down."

"I get that sometimes," Rei says, "but you know, the easiest way to get close to your target is to make yourself seem just eccentric enough to be interesting, and just harmless enough to approach."

Nao hums. "That's a good and foolproof plan... but I'm not sure if your target will fall for something like this, especially if you're stealing his sweets. It's dangerous up there, so you wanna come down anytime soon, little squirrel?"

Rei wonders if he should correct him about anything. He's not really interested in Korosensei at all.

Kunomasu Naomasa is infinitely more fascinating and hard to read.

Rei has so many questions, and he's sure Nao has plenty of questions for him too. They're clearly both intruders in this setting, and yet, neither of them want to be the one to break the act first.

No one in the classroom has noticed them yet.

"How important are you to them?" Rei wonders. He lifts his fork, "for instance, if you're killed right now as part of a setup for my assassination plan, what will happen?"

Nao's smile is genuine.

"I wouldn't know, honestly," Nao says. "Because you wouldn't do that at all, so I'm not really interested in entertaining the possibility."

He says it like it's the most obvious thing.

"I won't?" Rei raises a brow, "you probably don't know this, but I'm not exactly a moral hitman. You're worthless right now, but I've killed for less."

Nao's smile doesn't leave for a second.

"I'm a bit of a writer, you see. That's why I know that you'll never kill me off right now. There's just not enough impact or emotional risk to justify a decision like this," Nao says, "the story has its own flow and sequence of events. You ruin that, you ruin the story. You won't want to ruin the story, would you?"

Rei has a very hard time understanding this guy.

He's confident, fearless, but he's not kind at all. He's actually taunting him right now, challenging him to take the first step.

This is an invitation. Nao is provoking him, ever so slightly, because he knows his place. He is worth nothing, and thus, Rei gains nothing by killing him. It won't even be good enough for a bedtime story.

Rei pouts. "You don't really know how to use your survival instincts, do you?"

It's a jibe, but Nao bursts out laughing. "I get that sometimes!"

Nao sighs, fond.

This guy's harmless to a fault. He was worried he'd be an antagonistic type that will get in the way of his work, but alas, this is just a guy that's too good for this world.

Looks like Rei can enjoy his vacation after all.

He's a little miffed that he's not the first one here though. He finally found a new playground and it turns out it's someone else's territory?

"You know, Nao-chan-sensei, I'm technically your senior, you know," Rei says, huffing, turning up his nose. "I've already gone through all the canon events on my side. You should listen to me if you don't wanna end up with things going wrong."

"Wow, so impressive," Nao hums, monotonously. "It's okay, though. I'm just letting things happen. You can't end up with a bad story if the original story's good enough."

"Excuse you, rude?! Apologize to Amano Akira right now!"

-

"How DARE you steal my cake!"

Nao is still halfway through eating it when Korosensei finally discovers him, scooping him right up into a bed of tentacles before seizing him right into the classroom. The sudden loud spiral of movement sends horror through everyone in class, especially, when Rei continues to reach for the cake in the midst of the appendages, and Korosensei has to physically hold it away from him.

"Enough! I'm eating the rest, you glutton!"

Rei gasps in surprise, a wheeze pushing through his chest, and he flinches. He yanks toward himself immediately, wincing in pain as his chest constricts and he coughs, his breaths squeezing out of him..

"What—" Korosensei hurries to let him go, horrified. "My apologies!" he set him down on the ground, "oh dear, I'm so sorry! I was so sure I was being reasonable with my strength! I—NYUACK!!"

Korosensei ducks sharply aside when two forks swipe upward before plunging right down in the direction of his eye and teeth. It's not enough to deter him, but it's enough for Rei to begin untangling himself, enough to mess up the curls of every tentacle just enough to lunge for the cake and catch it by the tray.

He gets caught by Korosensei again immediately after that, but he has achieved his motive, stabbing into the cake one more time to get another bite.

Korosensei holds the child at a little more than arm's length, sincerely baffled.

"Unbelievable," he says, exasperated.

"You literally didn't need to dodge that," Karasuma says to the octopus, opening the door with a sigh. "Those are normal metal forks."

"I know, but I panicked, okay," Korosensei says. "So, what is this oversized vermin problem we have today? A unique aspiring assassin?"

"Huh?" Nao wonders, looking in through the window. "How many forks do you have, kid? I could swear I only saw one... you ninjas with your crazy weapon-hiding skills..."

"It's a little rude to call him a vermin..." Isogai begins.

"He's a ninja?!"

"Woah, an actual rat! Korosensei did you catch this tiny one too?" Karma laughs at the sight of little Mimi struggling through the bonds.

"That's a mouse, actually," Kurahashi says.

"He looks our age, so another transfer student? Didn't they learn their lesson with Itona and Ritsu?" Nakamura says.

"Long hair... wait, he or she?"

"He," Karasuma says. He clears his throat. "This is Shinonome Rei. Officially, he is here under an exchange program to gain experience in this country. He will only be here for a month."

"So after transfer students, we get exchange students...?"

Rei looks over in the midst of a mouthful of cake. "Hmm, uhn. Yeah."

"That is still my cake! You're not allowed to finish it!" Korosensei raises his voice, putting them both down, the cake on the table. "I can't believe you would fake illness to get the edge on me, that is a low blow when we live with Kunomasu-sensei!"

Rei scoffs. "This is an assassination. Morals don't matter."

"No, you're wrong!" An assassination must always be moral," Korosensei says, wiggling a tentacle disapprovingly. "Whether it be moral on the good or bad alignment, it must never be meaningless or your blade will be dull. You must have been doing it instinctively thus far, but being aware of it is key to improving."

Rei whines, "you're so complicated!"

He licks his fingers, uses a free finger to tuck his hair behind his ears. Korosensei deposits the little mouse on his shoulder, and Mimi shrieks indignantly at the octopus, utterly offended, before skittering back under Rei's shirt from his collar.

The mouse makes a few students jump and jerk away in alarm and disgust, but Rei pays it no mind.

He turns to the class, who are all staring.

"But, since I'm a student, I'll take that advice, thank you," he says. Then he grins, giving the classroom a big smile and a mock salute. "Hey-ho! Good morning everyone, I'm Rei, and I'll be stuck here for a bit. I'll do my best to stay out of the way, so please don't bully me! That's all I ask~"

It's not a standard transfer student introduction, but it sure was an introduction alright.

Korosensei smiles pleasantly, face lighting up with a pale red circle of approval.

"You greeted the classroom with a loud and strong voice, how refreshing!" he says, "now class, as you've heard, he will be in our class for the next while. Get along now!"

"Bully... he says," Terasaka is very taken aback. "I'll pass."

"The last time we got someone so bright and peppy, it was Bitch-sensei," Kayano chuckles. "It's kind of inevitable that we're all on guard, right?"

"Love the energy!" Nakamura says, "but he's a walking red flag!"

"Looking at our past two transfer students, of course we're hesitating," Nagisa sighs.

Rei simply beams at them. They're not exactly whispering or being malicious, but he's still very eager to hear gossip about himself. He likes attention.

"Nice to meet you, Rei-kun!" Ritsu says, putting up some lines of kanji, "my name is 'Autonomously Intelligent Fixed Artillery', please call me 'Ritsu'!"

"Hi there, Ritsu!" Rei beams, turning toward the machine.

He doesn't even think of Ritsu as anything strange. He reacts calmly, takes everything in stride, and never asks too many questions. The class is definitely very skeptical of him.

-

It's PE class, and Rei sits out. Something about being asthmatic, (he's got a doctor's note from some Doctor Shamal or something,) and Karasuma decides he doesn't need the training since he's a temporary member of the classanyways.

So, now Rei is sitting in the sandbox with Korosensei, building sandcastles.

"Korosensei, I'll get one thing straight," Rei says. "Frankly, I gain little, staying here and learning how to kill you over a long period of time. So, I'm not going to do that."

"Oh? So you don't intend on becoming my student for real?" Korosensei chuckles, green stripes lining over his face. "But I respect your boundaries, I'm sure you are a busy person."

Rei hums, rolling the lollipop around his tongue as he looks into the sky.

"Two times," he says. "I'll try to kill you two more times. And then, that's it. Whether I succeed or otherwise, I'll go back to Italy, and it'll be like I was never here."

Korosensei smiles. "Challenge accepted."

"Then," Rei removes the lollipop from his mouth, fiddling with it around his fingers. "Shall we begin attempt number one?"

Korosensei whizzes away the second the dart goes flying in his direction.

Rei chases.

"OH dear," Korosensei comes to his side when Rei climbs up the trees, "you are quick. Didn't you say you were asthmatic? Don't push yourself."

"Don't worry!"

Rei kicks off another tree, but his kick misses Korosensei completely and he latches onto another branch before swinging himself back upright.

"I'm way better than I was three years ago," he says. "Plus, I've been the best at free-running in my Family even before then, anyways. This much is nothing!"

Korosensei chuckles. "I shall believe you, then!"

Alas, the chase lasted three minutes before Rei stopped, desperately heaving and needing a break. He may be better, but he's not immortal, alas.

-

"Oh, it's the little mouse."

"Oh, this is the rat you guys were talking about?"

Rei is found by Irina Jelavic on an unsuspecting day during lunch break

"Hi there," Rei greets. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Miss Jelavic. Is sire Lovro doing well?"

"Wow. Someone's calling me by my actual name. I'm suspicious already," says Irina, lighting a cigarette with no regard for Karma's scowl beside her. "You've done your research."

"I suppose," Rei shrugs. "I've seen him around the streets of Italy. He tried to kill me! He was so rude."

"How are you alive?"

"That's not really important, is it?"

But that's strange. Lovro isn't just any assassin— he wouldn't go after a child unless he were truly notorious... but this child... is a child.

But Irina, too, was once a child.

"What are you?"

Rei crunches on the lollipop in his mouth.

"The streets of Italy know me differently. I'm not even in much of a disguise, you should know."

Irina should. She knows she should, and yet... nothing rings a bell. Brown hair and green eyes aren't unusual, biologically. It's the uniform that's throwing her off.

But who, on earth, could manage to escape alive from Lovro's attempt to kill them? Maybe he's lying.

("For assassins, failing is equivalent to death. So never fail, Irina.")

There's no way Lovro could fail anything.

Rei grins, a hand brushing against the side of his neck, and Irina notices the earlobes, where holes were pierced but no earrings were worn.

("The newest addition to the Vongola's elite assassination squad is younger than you, Irina. Never be like them.")

("The Varia are selfish, sinful creatures. They assassinate, for no joy but their own. They're depraved beings, though, we speak hypocritically.")

("Beelzebub, however... they are of a different mind. Never engage, Irina. They are not worth fighting. They are not worth killing. They are not noble, and they have little pride.")

Beelzebub, the symbol of Gluttony in the Varia, The Dirty Rat that guards the perimeters of Vongola territory, lingering in the slums, ever-present yet never quite found.

Irina clicks her tongue.

"You sure talk with privilege. You chose to be in the underworld, child. Most of us didn't have that liberty."

And almost insultingly, Rei begins to giggle.

"I know, right?" he says, hiding his amusement behind his hand to no avail. "I know that very well. I'm just a clown. But, you know, Miss Jelavic, heroes are forgotten, rendered redundant, after the danger is over. But clowns. Clowns, idiots, and fools— the world never forgets."

Irina is baffled by this child's naivete.

But he lives in the most dangerous part of society, in the core of mafiosi activities— how strong is he, how frightening is he, that he may live with such false innocence despite it all?

"I aim to be remembered, Miss Jelavic," he says. "I was born an outsider to the world I lived in. But I will never allow myself to become one."

-

The kids are very skeptical of him, but over some days, they grow to learn more about Rei. And honestly, they kind of like what they find.

"Lilies... that's a really pretty tattoo," Kayano says, observing the flowers wrapping tenderly around his wrist. He'd removed the bandages that were hiding it because some chemical spilled upon it during chemistry class.

There are mild burns on his skin, but he barely showed any discomfort as they waited for further medical assistance. His sleeve is folded up to the elbow, and there were more tattoos hidden under his clothes.

"You're so flashy, with piercings and tattoos and all," Karma says, "and you don't blend in well anywhere at all. What kind of assassin are you? A honeypot?"

"Don't be rude, Karma-kun," Nagisa hopes his classmates won't die by pissing off assassins today, but alas, with Karma, that's the trend.

"I'm an assassin, but I'm a hitman first," Rei says.

"There's a difference?" Nagisa questions.

The door opens before Rei can answer.

Nao walks in, "I heard our local mafia boy got chemical burns. Why is no one calling the hospital? I am a barely-qualified medic, not a miracle worker."

Rei simply smiles instead of answering.

And Nao sighs.

(It's simple— Rei doesn't want his visit recorded. He's not supposed to be here in this town, and the world cannot know he is. So, he cannot go to a hospital.)

"See, kids? This is why being a professional hitman is silly," Nao says. Karma vacates his chair so Nao can sit in it, and Kayano sources the first-aid kit for him to work. "Assassins never advertise their names, they just work. But hitmen, they spread their name far and wide, pretending to be underground celebrities. This means they can't find professional medical help in case the authorities find them."

"You're so mean," Rei says. "In my field, I could die any day. Not that I plan to. I don't need the hospital. They'll just waste my time."

"Well... I guess I can't disagree with that. You probably have private doctors, anyways."

Nao works systematically. Gentle, even though Rei doesn't so much as flinch with each touch and salve that gets put on his skin.

Nagisa looks between them. "Rei-kun... you're kind of like Kuma-sensei, huh?"

"Huh? How so?" Rei looks offended.

"They kind of are," Kayano says. "You have similar hair and eye colours, too. Oh, are yours natural, Rei-kun?"

Nao's eyes softened at that reminder.

Rei pouts. "I've dyed my hair so many times, in my line of work," he says. That's not a lie. "I don't even know my natural hair colour anymore."

That's a lie.

Rei's hair is a shade of soft, sandy brown. Nao's a hint darker, but this colour, just a little unusual yet not unnatural at all, ties them together as family. As uncle and nephew.

It is Kunomasu Kazane's colour.

It is their connection that is painfully impossible to sever. They can deny it, they can try— but biology unfortunately never lies.

"We're similar, huh?" Nao chuckles. The kids have no ideas. "Are you a zombie, too? We can be zombie buddies."

Rei chuckles back.

"Nah, I'm alive. You can be a zombie all on your own."

Nao peruses the lilies, wrapping so tenderly around his wrist, as it it were another hand, clinging on so desperately until it could only fall and let go.

Lilies are a common flower to be put on graves, in respect for the dead. They represent purity. They represent a wish for life and rebirth, in hopes the passed-on-soul would rest in peace, and be returned to the cycle safely.

If Rei is alive, then who died?

(Nao supposes it's not his business.)

-

The wound is wrapped and Rei stands, stretching effortfully, sighing in relief. "Freedom!" he declares, stepping out by the window. "I'm going now, bye-bii~"

"Right out the window?" Nagisa balks.

"Oh, skipping class? I'm joining!"

"Wait," Nao raises a hand, and every soul in the room freezes. Most of all, Rei stops shock in place, unable to believe his own eyes.

Nao holds up two rings between his fingers, both attached by a thin silver chain.

"I'm a teacher. You're not allowed to blatantly skip class in front of me," Nao says. Smiling smugly, impervious to the wide-eyes, horrified look on Rei's face as the boy reaches toward his chest, around his neck— to realize it's true.

Nao is holding Rei's rings, which he had hung around his neck.

His rings, one to represent him as the Cloud Guardian of the Varia, and the other, a decorative ring with three multicoloured gems that mean the universe to him.

Nao had taken them.

(And Rei hadn't even noticed.)

Ah, he can't breathe. How long has it been since he felt so suffocated by fear and confusion? He doesn't know.

"If you want them back... then—"

Nao doesn't get to finish his sentence.

Something flies, so sharply right across his cheek, it splits the skin apart where it grazes, before planting firmly into the wood wall behind him.

It's fairly deep.

"How interesting of you to use your lollipop as a dart," Nao says, feigning calmness. He reaches for the first aid kit that Kayano is still holding out for him, and he tries to figure out if this would need stitches.

That thing is plastic. He knows it's plastic. So how exactly did it penetrate the wood wall so fully? That's crazy.

(He had been wondering why the end of that lollipop stick was carved to have a sharp edge. It's silly, but somehow, this kid has made it lethal.)

Karma spins around so fast to grab Rei by his injured arm, but the attack has already been launched, and Rei's hand is not any more restricted by Karma's arm on it. He barely seems phased at all.

(Karma is the strongest one in class, barring Terasaka. How ridiculous is this?)

Kayano raises her gun in alarm, and Nagisa has stepped forward, a single blade nearing Rei's neck.

Rei's eyes are set in a firm glare.

Nao sighs. "I'm sorry, alright, I've been told I have sticky fingers," he admits, putting the rings down. "And I've also been told I don't have self-preservation instincts. It's a family trait."

Nao peruses the rings.

The ring of the Varia.

Nao has lived his life being firmly outside the main plot developments, never endeavouring to change anything.

And yet, Rei has found himself a place within the cast dynamics, as a story-changing new member of an already-established group of dangerous links.

They're so similar, it's painful to see.

"You can have the rings back," Nao says. "But don't skip class."

Rei's words are bitter. They're filled with so much spite and anger, it surprises the three students around them, for in the short time they've known him, he's never spoken with so much vitriol before.

"You are her brother, in the end," he says.

Nao isn't offended.

"We're very similar, aren't we?".

You may hate my sister, but she is your mother. And we are both trapped in a curse of her making. The papers she burned are gone, but biology, unfortunately, as unrealistic as their own are— it never lies.

Rei stalks forward, impervious of the weapons aimed toward him. The students flinched, but they don't attack.

Rei picks up his rings, and closes his fist over them, preciously.

"I don't get it. How did you take it? Even Mimi didn't notice."

How could he have lost his most important weapons so easily? They were around his neck. Sealed, and held so close to his chest.

If Nao could take those rings in that situation— he could just as easily kill Rei in the same movement.

And yet, he has no intention nor morbid capability to do anything of that sort.

(Ah, Rei thinks.)

(We really are similar.)

But Rei broke through that barrier of weakness. Nao seems perfectly content where he is. What a joke.

(Ah, if we were born in opposite situations, I wonder how things would have gone?)

He held his tattooed wrist with his other hand and sighed, deeply.

(Don't you think so too, Drew?)

-

"So, which sin are you?" Korosensei asks Rei one day. "You all have one, don't you? A representation. A codename... ah, I saw the Cloud on your ring. I'll go out on a limb and assume you are the new member, Beelzebub, of Gluttony."

That's fitting. He leads a horde of mice, after all.

Korosensei talks with Rei sometimes, when they cross paths. He is still a teacher, after all, and though Rei seems pretty well set on his path, there's nothing a fellow assassin can't quite talk about in casual conversation.

"I am curious, however," Korosensei says. "I researched your background. There is little that forced you onto this path, and little stopping you from escaping this road. And yet, you stay, almost as if you enjoy this job. Is my assumption true?"

Is Rei like the second Reaper? Entranced by the art of murder, so much, he willingly thrust himself into this life?

Korosensei is conflicted. The Second Reaper went down the wrong path, and perhaps, it's far too late to save him. Korosensei wasn't able to lead him down the right path, to see him. He doesn't want to let Rei go, if he's treading down a similar path.

Rei chuckles. "Do you know what the sin of Gluttony represents, Korosensei?"

Gluttony.

Overindulgence, at the cost of others. It doesn't necessarily have to be about food– it could be a rawer interpretation. The ability to kill, for survival. The ability to sacrifice hordes, for little and temporary reward.

"That's my sin."

Sin.

The elite assassination squad do not just work— they are selected, they must uphold a certain 'quality' to be worth the time in their allegiance. They are beings that cannot live in the normal world, for their crime is too deep, the blood on their hands can never be washed away.

Rei is eighteen years old.

Rei sets a hand at his chest.

(What is your crime? He wants to ask. How could someone so young be condemned of something so cruel? It would be one thing, if this child grew up similarly to Irina, or even himself... but Rei was born into safety, surrounded by love.)

Korosensei doesn't ask.

"I just wanted to be remembered," Rei says. "I just wanted to be something. I know this feels a bit cheap, telling it to you guys who work hard for peace... But it's my dream. It's ours."

He holds his wrist in his other hand, cradling the tattoo.

"I want to live so marvellously, so gallantly, the world won't be able to look away when I die."

Not again, the words unsaid.

Korosensei wants to say he understands.

But he really doesn't. He will never be able to understand the feelings of such a selfish being, and perhaps, it's fine that he doesn't.

"It's good to have your dreams so firmly before you," he says. "You have an honest determination. A will to live, that burns bright. As a teacher I cannot discourage that."

-

"You say you have no self-preservation? No, you're fucking suicidal!"

"What?"

Nao sips on his very expensive Moonbucks coffee with an unholy amount of syrup and whipped cream as Rei threatens to throw a mouse at him.

It's a weird sight, to have a child stand on the roof of their satellite building, a mouse in each hand, prepared in a pitch aimed toward him.

"Don't 'what' me, why was Asano Gakuho driving you up?!" he demands, voice nearly hysterical.

"Because Kuma-sensei is so weak that his heart will fail if he so much as gets stressed out," Nao says, placatingly. Ah, this is so sweet. It's the taste of happiness.

"You're drinking liquid heart attack right now, though!"

"It is a chestnut mocha frappuccino," he states, very calmly. "Asano Gakuho insisted I get something for being a good boy, since I actually went to my checkup today."

"You made him buy that for you?!"

"That is not what I said, but it is an interesting inference," Nao says, "now, please go on and tell me which of my words brought you to that interpretation of my meaning. I would love to see your thoughts penned down. They say literature is the soul of the people who write it— Perhaps, two paragraphs will do. That will make up for all the homework you haven't been doing."

"Oh my god," Rei blurts, utterly exasperated. "You are insane."

Nao hums.

"You're part of the Varia," he says, a smile curling up his lips. "I don't think you have the right to say anything about my sanity."

At that Rei sighs, relenting that he had a point.

Rei jumps down from the roof, and they sit, by the bench under the tree, doing nothing. Class has already started, and neither of them wanted to be a part of it.

"Did you ever get it?" Nao asks. "You know... the thing everyone expects us to get, at the end of our stories."

Rei chuckles. "Our magic, miraculous, and entirely unrealistic healing from chronic illness? Yeah, I got it. It's not perfect, I'm still asthmatic, but I'm not dying anymore."

Nao hums. The drink in his hands condenses around his fingers, but he doesn't mind.

Rei will not end up like him. Rei will live, until the end of his lifespan, as long as he can. That's great. Truly, that's great.

"And what did it cost?" Nao questions.

Rei's voice is light, but it hinges, on the edge of an emotion Nao can't quite grasp. It's sadness, it's anger, it's a pain, that Rei hasn't quite confronted himself yet.

"...someone that loved me," he says.

Because they are both strangers to this world.

They are not obligated to love in this world. And yet, they received it. And yet, Rei sacrificed one of those important links, for himself.

That is his sin.

Nao looks at him.

At his unreadably calm expressions that gave nothing away, yet, seems so much more sincere and soulful than any smile or anger he's shown thus far.

"Was it worth it?"

Rei nods, without missing a beat. "It was, of course," he says. "When I died, the first time.... I wanted a reason. I wanted a reason to justify the pain I suffered, the way I died, and how unfair it was. The betrayal I felt back then."

Nao doesn't interrupt him.

Rei smiles, and it's true. "And I found it. Along with the life he gave me, he gave me a reason, and he gave me strength to stand up and continue fighting. To stay alive."

Nao's envious.

"That's wonderful."

He's not lying. It is wonderful, that Rei's desires could be found, despite how nonsensical it was. It's a cliche dream, and something people would cite as impossible. It's a cheesy, over-adventurous dream, and the gods of Shounen granted it to him.

Nao's envious.

But Nao never wanted such an aspirational dream anyway.

"What did you want?" Rei asks, instead.

And Nao indulges. "Nothing as grand," he admits. "I wanted a reason, too. But not to live... I wanted a reason to die."

Rei's death sounds horrifying. Unfair. Painful. Full of cruelty and injustice.

"My death is nothing special. No one caused it, no mistake was made... it was just a freak accident, something you'd see in the news and never remember," Nao says. "So I wanted to justify to myself how meaningless it all felt. I wanted something to show me the life I lived, up until then, up until now... I just wanted someone to tell me if any of it was worth it at all."

He just wants to know if God had a plan for him at all. Even if he was just an insignificant side character that died an unfortunate, boring death in the middle of nowhere, he wanted to know if there was a point to his existence.

It's silly, too, now that he puts it into words.

"And have you found it?"

Rei doesn't judge.

Nao likes that about this child. He understands.

"No, not yet," Nao admits. "But I've always worked better with a deadline, so I'm going to wait and see."

Rei leans closer.

"Do you want me to tell you/ What the cure is?"

The thought is tempting. But not as tempting as Korosensei's offer of cure has ever been— meaning, none at all.

Nao puts a hand on Rei's head and laughs.

"If your cure costs the life of someone else, it'll just bring me further from the answer I seek!" he teases. "I don't want that kind of solution. You sought a miracle— and miracles, in shounen, only happen to people in the core cast. You had the human determination to live, and you won a bet against the hand of god."

Nao cannot do the same. He doesn't want to, nor does he have the capability to.

"You're the hero of your own story, Rei," Nao says. "You've written for the world, a story about a hero, So this time, I think the hand of god will fancy a story about the strength of some insignificant outsider. Don't you think the beauty of human life can stem from this direction, too?"

Rei balks.

"This is your life you're talking about! Are you sure you want to cast such a paltry, low-stakes, low-success bet for it?"

Nao nods. He doesn't hesitate.

"I am a reader first, a writer second, and a dying man third," he says. "I'd rather spend an afternoon reading a good book, rather than fight for my life on a surgery table." He laughs, like it's not about himself. "If you get what I mean."

Rei can't handle this.

He laughs incredulously.

"You are so ridiculous."

Nao smiles.

"What about our reincarnation isn't?"

-

The lab rat on the moon exploded due to rapid, uncontained cell propagation, causing destruction of a calamitous scale.

"My boss would be cross with me, if I didn't go all out for my last try," Rei admits, stepping up to Korosensei upfront during homeroom.

Nao, Karasuma, and Irina are watching too, from the windows, curious. The students look up from their books with apprehension.

Korosensei is the only one lighthearted, extending a hand when Rei does the same.

"It's been an honour having you in my class, Rei-kun."

If there's something Korosensei does not understand, it is the physics and power system of a world that does not belong to him.

Korosensei hails from a universe of science.

Thus, he is unprepared for Rei, who hails from a world of fantasy.

"By the way," Rei's hands are firmly on Korosensei's when he speaks again. "You guys haven't set up that penalty thing, right? The one that goes, "if the students get hurt during an assassination, the bounty's void'? You should really get the government to approve of it soon."

Korosensei's confusion makes him hesitate to react.

So it is Nao that shouts first, "everyone get down!"

And Karasuma drags him back, slamming the window shut before shoving both Nao and Irina down under the window's open bars.

Korosensei sees his skin purple and bulge, but by the time he realised his limb was encroaching upon explosion, the only thing he could do was cut it off at its highest point and dive, for the students.

The explosion isn't too huge, contained immediately by Korosensei's skin and immediately, shoved out the window.

The entire wall shattered with a pop, the explosion a wheeze of air and startlingly silence barring the destruction of everything in its path. ThMucus and burning skin sprays in every direction, acidic to everything it touched, and all-consuming, to the furniture that Korosensei didn't get out of the way in time.

It eats into the soil, a clean circle as if a black hole had eaten what was once there and promptly vanished.

Rei stands, strong and unflinching.

"Wow," his voice is the only thing anyone hears, when the ringing of the explosion subsides, the wind settles, and slowly, the world begins to move again. "That's a beautiful explosion. Worthy of the one that destroyed the moon!"

His hair is disheveled and burned in places. There are burns on his skin and cuts cropping through his exposed skin, ripping through his uniform. He'd stood right in front of Megu, who was closest to the blast, and took the brunt of the damage Korosensei couldn't avoid.

Korosensei couldn't touch him, fearing another explosion.

"You put yourself in danger!" Korosensei snaps, once he affirms all the students were far enough to only have superficial injuries. His own injuries were already regenerating. "I thought better of you!"

And Rei laughs.

"That's normal in my line of work," he says, to no one's assurance. "But don't worry. I'm pretty notorious for being frustratingly hard to kill."

His wounds sealed, bit by bit, purple fire worming through his cuts and burned skin to graft it right over with fresh skin. His clothes, too, mended itself over with purple wisps, and the sight leaves jaws dropping agape in disbelief.

"Wha— hey, do you do that often? Isn't that dangerous?"

Nao speaks, when no one understands what's happening.

Rei grins. "I suppose," he says, stepping right out the broken wall, purple fire consuming the broken wall, promptly filling it back over with solid wood.

"What the— hell..."

"Holy shit..."

"How does that even work?"

"MAgic? MAGIC?"

"How did you even do that?"

Rei fixes the wall, the window, the tables and chairs, in a little more than three steps. And then he turns around, a finger to his lips.

"A magician never reveals his secrets," he says. "Goodbye, Korosensei. As promised, I'll be taking my leave now."

Korosensei stands, shock still, in the center of the classroom, unable to react. If he could do that from the start but never did... he must have never intended to kill Korosensei, from the start.

What kind of assassin is he, even?

"You don't have to leave," Korosensei reasons. "Why do you try so hard, to be someone not of this world? Why can't you be here, in a classroom, and find yourself a place?"

Rei grins.

"Because I already have a Family," he says. It's full of love and pride, it's the most genuine smile he's ever shown. "Korosensei, I admire you. But I know, better than anyone, that this nest doesn't have a place for me."

Mimi the mouse makes herself known on his shoulder.

"Don't forget, Korosensei. In every experiment, it is the lab rats that are sacrificed first, so the humans would know the risks," he says, setting a hand on his chest. "Consider this a warning from one mouse to the much more fortunate one... I fought for my place in this world. You're trying too, aren't you? Then, you already have a place. You don't have to be given one, to be worthy of one."

Rei's eyes meet Nao's.

It doesn't go unnoticed.

"Though, I don't think any of you will take my advice," he says. "You're all dumb like that. And that's fine."

Rei turns around.

"Well then," he waves dismissively behind him. "Goodbye, for good this time."

He vanishes, in the next blink.

-

In this world, only Nao can understand Rei, but he knows nothing about him at all. Maybe that's fine, as it is.

"He was a really weird guy," Sugino says. "He's come and gone, before anyone even knows. He's weirder than even Itona."

"How strange!" Ritsu admits, "all his data is already gone in the databases, including in my backup files. He is good!"

"Woah, for real? He's like a ghost!"

A ghost.

And Nao's a zombie.

Here, in Kunugigaoka, during lunch break, on a bench and surrounding by his students, Nao can't help but feel melancholic.

Rei has chosen his path. It's a chaotic one, full of dangers, but he loves it. He has a rambunctious, loud and strenuous life that Nao can't ever fathom in this realm of peace.

Nao sighs fondly.

"Are you tired, Kuma-sensei? Wanna head in? Should I call Kimura?" Sugino asks. "Or do you just need coffee?"

Nao chuckles.

Here, Nao is loved, and Nao loves.

Wherever Rei goes from now on... he, too, surely, is loved. But it is none of Nao's business, and Nao has no right nor liberty to worry about other people.

"I'm going to see my story through," Nao says.

His students are confused.

"There's no way I can lose to someone younger than me! My story's going to be the better one," he promises to himself.

"Uh, whadday talking about, Kuma-sensei?"

"What story? Are you writing something?"

"I thought you were more a reader, Kuma-sensei?"

"Hey Kuma-sensei, what story, what story?"

Nao doesn't answer them.

"Nothing," he says, stretching fully before facing the sky. "Let's go inside! It's almost time for the next class to begin."

One step at a time, he moves onward.

This is just a little detour. Nothing has changed, and nothing should. Nao and Rei may be similar, but their different stories run varying courses, and they were never meant to collide in any way.

Nao just has to move on forward, and in perfect convenient fashion, the world must move on, like nothing ever happened.

Just a rock in the path.

And one day, when their books close, perhaps in the afterlife, they may find each other again in the infinite depths of the void, where their lives will be wagered by the hands of gods once again.

Until then, Nao will see his story through.

So Rei, who is fated to live on, may begin his next chapter.

-

"You piece of trash! You have the gall to come home after failing your mission!"

Beelzebub leans aside to avoid the bottle of wine that flies past his head and shatters into a million pieces when it hits the wall.

His smile blooms onto his face.

"I'm home, Boss~! Did you miss me?" he saunters over, "it's so rare you're greeting me home! Everyone's all dressed up without me! Were you waiting for me?"

"Fuck off!"

Beelzebub laughs, hopping up onto the back of a couch, where Lussuria meets him with a comb and some hair products. He obediently sits down to get his makeover.

"Welcome back dear, we're just about to head out."

"You're late, senpai," Fran murmurs, "I got stabbed thirty-six times while waiting for you."

And Beelzebub bursts out laughing, seeing the multitudes of knives sticking out the back of his frog mascot head.

Belphegor snickers. "I would've dissected a rat and left it in your room if you made us wait any longer," he says.

"Wow, I feel so loved!"

"The Tenth Vongola Boss's inheritance ball is happening tomorrow," Leviathan says, coming into the hall to chuck his jacket at him. "We're flying out immediately. I'd have been happy to leave without you."

"Awh, you guys were so thoughtful to wait for me," Beelzebub sings, sarcastic.

"Would you like to see how else we were very thoughtful?" Mammon challenges, floating over in all his caped glory, "you be prepared to take your punishment after the ceremony, right? You know what failure means here."

"Awh, you're willing to delay it until after Tsuna's ceremony?" Beelzebub swoons, "I knew you were a softie!"

"God damn, you are insufferable," Belphegor groans.

Xanxus sighs longsufferingly, sitting on his chair, feigning sleep.

Squalo finally steps in, covered in feathers and blood from god knows where. "Shit fucking scum, VOI SHITTY BOSS, that mission was a bitch!" he snarls, dusting himself off before shedding his leather coat for the Varia stripes. He whirls on the group, "VOI, YOU FUCKER! You're back, how dare you!"

"Hi, Captain Squalo!" Beelzebub salutes. "You just got back from a mission too?"

Something is tossed in his direction. A small jewellery box, and when Beelzebub opens it, inside sits a pair of earrings, a red and blue gem shining on each side. They're spotless, unharmed, even against the blood that stained Squalo's skin.

Beelzebub's smile warms.

"Thank you, Squalo."

Squalo rolls his eyes. "You won't be thanking me when I put you through the fucking wood grinder later. What's this I hear about your useless ass failing the mission?!"

Beelzebub giggles.

"Sorry, please forgive me, Squalo-senpai~!"

"No! Fucking die!"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Wine bottles soar over the room again, and more than one voice squawks and lunges to dodge.

Squalo and Lussuria perk up at the same time.

"Hey now, what was that for?!"

"You're disturbing my sleep," Xanxus simply says.

And Belphegor bursts out laughing. Leviathan sighs, calling for someone to clean it up, while Fran produces target signs on everyone's faces, taunting Xanxus to try again. Mammon disappears, making themselves scarce.

And in this chaos, Beelzebub laughs, and laughs, and laughs.

He leaps onto the couches, jumps onto the walls, and dodges projectiles thrown at him from people who are supposed to protect him.

He loves it here, so much.

"Lord Varia," the servant calls. "The helicopter is ready."

And they throw on their jackets, and they follow Xanxus' lead, and they walk as one, as a team. As Vongola's elite assassination squad, their pride holding their heads up high.

It's onto the next mission for him.