-Left Us Falling-

"I never knew something so innocent could be so..."

"Deceiving?" He tilted his chin downward, eyes sharp.

The other frowned. "No, that's not right."

"A forgery, then."

"Yes." His eyes widened in realization. "A fake. A false child."

"But he's real. Very young in actuality."

"That's what makes it so sad."

"It hurts to even look at him, doesn't it? When you know the truth."

He turned away, glancing over at the other. "The whole truth."

"Exactly. Not just a small part of it. The entire story."

The dark eyed man was silent, then, until he let out a sigh and began to walk away.

"Somehow, though, I don't think we've even grazed the surface of this."

"This child..."

"Is someone you do not want to trifle with."

The fact that they were already in too deep to recover wasn't lost on either of them.

"He looks so lonely..." The woman sighed, gazing sadly at the tiny form that was leaning against the corner, at the entrance to an alleyway. It was hard to believe that these people could come so young.

She was dressed in a black silk dress that hugged her form tightly, a white fur coat settled around her shoulders. She sat at a table covered by a white tablecloth, the sound of wine glasses clinking together mixed in with the classical music of the high class restaurant. Across from her, her husband was speaking to his brother in low tones. She could barely hear what they were saying, it all came in bits and pieces, but she knew it was really none of her business.

"...again...need to...-mthing about..."

"...-gree...find a...stop..."

"Do...assistance?"

"...think...have it covered...call you if...awry."

"Alright...try and..."

They turned and addressed her."

"Did you say something, Heiko?" Her husband asked her. Heiko sighed again, shaking her head and looking back at the child that was loitering just barely in her sight, half hidden by the shadows of the alleyway—which was most likely his home. "Oh... no, nothing..."

Her brother-in-law, Ryoshi, glanced to where her gaze was directed and smiled sadly. "The homeless are a tragic sight, Heiko. We can't really do anything about it."

Her honey eyes burned with sadness. "But... just him, ne? I mean... he's so very young. He couldn't be more than five!"

"We can't take in every little stray we come across, honey." Hanta told her. Her husbands eyes were looking anywhere but in the direction his companions were gazing. Heiko knew that one look at the sad little boy in the bright orange hoodie and washed out blue jeans, and he wouldn't be able to say no.

She set her cutlery down on the plate before her, escargot forgotten. "I know. It's just..." She shook her eyes. "I know."

Then, all three of them looked over, and saw a flash of orange as the small child backed away and disappeared into the gaping entrance of the alley. They all felt involuntary shivers run down their spines, but didn't know why. Had the boy been observing them, too? It seemed like...

Ryoshi shook his head. No, that was preposterous. He turned back to his brother, casting his sister-in-law a gentle smile of reassurance, which she returned, going back to her food.

"So, Hanta, about that deal..."

(Think carefully.)

"You got it, right?"

The tall man nodded, stepping forward and placing a steel case on the dark, maple desk with a light thud.

"Was there any trouble?" His boss cast him a searching look. The man readjusted his darkened sunglasses and gave a negative. "No, sir. Everything went very smoothly. We went in, just like you said. The package was there, with a note. It was typed. We took both, and left. That was it."

The man behind the desk. "Good work, then, Giovanni. You may leave. The note?"

"Taped to the top of the case, sir. It was sitting in the locker, in the train station that was spoken of, but we tested both just to be safe. They're clean, sir."

"Very well. Thank you."

"Of course, sir."

The man left, and the other, who'd been sitting at the desk, reached forward to unlatch the case. It fell open with a silent hiss, and he grinned at the cool air that blasted into his face. There, nestled in between the black cloth that kept them from moving, were vials of thick glass that contained a slick, orange liquid. "I see he didn't disappoint. Good." He snapped the case shut again, it took some force, but closed with another shallow hiss. He flipped the container over, to see a folded piece of pristine, run-of-the-mill printing paper, taped with that standard colorless tape you could buy at any convenience store worldwide. Carefully running his fingered under the slip of paper, he snapped it off of the surface of the case, and unfolded it. Black words, typed in a simple font, stared back at him.

Client-san,

Here are your laboratory samples.

Sagi had lots of fun on this job.

Thank you.

~Sagi

Sagi. A well-known thief of the underworld—possible one of the most famous. Sagi never failed a job when he got one, and was extremely hard to get in contact with. He was the best of the best, and no one—no one—knew who he was. Nothing about him, at all. Not his name, what he looked like, his age, what type of jobs he prefered, nothing. He'd only been active for a year, just popped up out of no where. They say that if a job interested him enough, he'd offer to take it himself. He left no way for anyone to contact him—people who wanted him to do jobs for them had to wait patiently, post out subtle notices, and just hope that he'd see them and send word.

The man shook his head. From hat he'd heard—and these were just rumors—no one even knew how Sagi completed his jobs. You'd give him a task, and you wouldn't hear for him for about three days to a week, depending on the job—then, whatever you'd asked for would somehow end up in your hands, and it would only be noticed as missing the next day. Sagi would always leave something behind, though—a card. Plane white, as small as a business card. Nothing but six words in plain black print. Words that said; Thank you for playing with Sagi.

Most gave Sagi the personality, then, of an extremely playful and charismatic thief that enjoyed a good laugh. A faceless person with a childlike personality.

The man shook his head, half amused at Sagi's antics, and half incredulous. It was as if the thief thought of all of this as a mere game to pass the time. Letting out a breath, he reached for his phone and tapped in a number to tell his boss that he had the vials in his possession.

Whatever. It wasn't his problem anymore. The transaction was complete.

(Once you decide to let him in...)

"Mommy's sorry, baby." The woman cooed, choking back tears. "She's so, so sorry..."

"Mama? Wewer's Daddy go'in...?"

"Take him! Take him and run!"

"Stop, stop! Let my baby go, I'll do anything!"

"Anything?" Laughter echoed throughout the young child's head, now. Dark and foreboding.

"Take a...good long look at this, boy." The man sneered, pinching the tiny child's ear so hard that a small trickle of blood flowered beneath his fingers. "This...is your new life, now."

"I'm sorry, honey." The maid sent him a sad glance, eyes full of a large amount of sympathy and a small sliver of disgust for what her master was doing with him. "I can't help you."

"No, stop!" the child, only three, screamed. "Please...?!"

He ran, even faster than his short, thin legs could carry him. He ran until his breath stopped coming and he fell to the ground in complete and utter exhaustion.

Strong arms picked him up, and he didn't know anything else.

"Are you alright, son?" The child was ripped out of his short daze and glanced up to see a tall, broad shouldered man in a dark brown suit standing over him, looking down with a short frown.

The tiny boy grinned, tugging his hood down further over his eyes. He could see the man start to unconsciously lean back, trying to get a better look at his face.

No one's ever seen his face, though. It was going to stay like that. For now.

He shook his head, and the voices and noises that had been echoing loudly in his mind, memories, distracting him from his day, were gone again. They were starting to recede further back, and he was beginning to hear them less and less. That was good. He looked back slightly and gave the man a very big smile. "Yes, mister! Why?" He titled his head, wondering.

The man shook his head. "Oh, nothing. I'm sorry... Where are your parents?"

The boy blinked. The man swore he saw an bright orange colored glow flash. "They not here."

"Did you loose them?" The man squatted down in front of him.

"Nu-uh." The boy giggled, shaking his head. "They not here."

"Then.." The man was beginning to look even more confused as the seconds ticked by. "Where are they?"

The tiny child only grinned, waving his tiny hands at the man's face. "They... not here!" He giggled madly, then turned and disappeared into the dark alley that was located next to them. The man stared after the small, fragile-looking figure that was clothed in a bright orange hooded child's jacket, looking alarmed for all it's worth.

"What a...strangle little boy..." He mumbled, before picking up his briefcase and continuing down the sidewalk towards the main road to pick up a taxi for his way home.

Stepping into the bright yellow car he'd flagged down, he handed the driver a wad of cash before stating his destination. As the vehicle sped down the streets, the man brought his briefcase onto his lapped and opened it with a swift clicking sound. One look at it's contents, and he let out a loud curse. "Fuck!" The driver jumped slightly, but decided against saying anything. The man in the back seat held a card in his trembling hands, face pale. What was his boss going to do with him now?!

Thank you for playing with Sagi.

Several blocks away, and orange-clad child griped several thick folders in his tiny hands, his cherub-like face alight with a large, cheeky grin of complete glee. He slipped his prize into a simple, black drawstring back and hugged it to his chest. "Not funner like Sagi's other games." He sighed. "But Sagi still has a good time."

Orange eyes twinkled mischievously, and the small, baby-talk was dropped, if only for a second. "The game is always fun, no matter who Sagi plays it with."

(You'll never be able to get away.)

"Hello, Nono." A tall man in a expensive looking Italian suit spoke, stepping into a darkened room. A few feet away, the lone light source, a lap, was directed at the desk in the middle of the space, the man sitting behind it pouring over some important looking documents. At the other's voice, he looked up and gave a tired smile. "Hello, Iemitsu."

"How are things?" Iemitsu asked worriedly, the line between his brows deepening.

Timoteo pinched the bridge of his nose and sat back, blinking the dots out of his eyes. "Not too well, sadly. Without the Sky Ring, the Vongola's situation will only get worse and worse."

"And the hired help?" The CEDEF head sat down in a chair across from the Ninth, who shook his head.

"No," he let out a frustrated sigh. "They got nothing. Said it got to difficult, and they've all backed out."

"Perhaps we need to find someone of...a higher caliber?"

Nono eyed him cautiously. "I suppose. So far, we've only hired petty thieves and grouped them up with a professional or two. Are you thinking of hiring a phantom thief?" Phantom thieves were notorious for their exceptional skills, and were often considered the highest ranking thieves in the world. They came in rather large numbers—though, it was said that the harder it was to find and hire them, the better they were at their job.

Iemitsu leaned forward, frowning slightly. "I suppose. What's the harm? We need the Sky Ring. Badly, judging by your posture, and the amount of stress you've been under, lately. A phantom thief would have a higher chance of getting it to us, perhaps faster than your run-of-the-mill thieves."

Timoteo rested his elbows on the table, pressing his fingers together. "Who do you have in mind?"

"Why not..." Iemitsu raised an eyebrow. "Sagi?"

Nono snorted in disbelief. "Honestly? We have absolutely no way of getting in contact with a master of Sagi's level. In fact, no one does!" He laughed. "That idea... It's so absurd.. So irrational that... that..."

"It just might work, right?" Iemitsu smiled good-naturally.

"Yeah," Nono sighed, and slumped back in his chair. "But... it poses the question..." he looked up again and sent his close friend a searching look. How on earth do you plan to get a hold of Sagi?"

Iemitsu's smirk faded. "I... u-um... I'm working on that."

Timoteo sat back in his chair. "...Let's give it three weeks or so. Then, if we get nothing, we'll go back to the method we've been using before."

Iemitsu nodded. "Right. I'll send out some notices." He gave the other man a wry smile, and handed over the glass of wine he'd brought in with him. "Here's to hoping."

Nono laughed, grabbing the glass and giving a toast. "Indeed!"

(Because that is what he is...)

Iemitsu was walking down the corridor of the Vongola HQ, heading toward the cafeteria for lunch. Once he got there, the chef gave him a friendly wave. He spotted a large group of his other subordinates sitting at a table two spaces away from the door. He nodded toward the chef and sat down next to his friend Basil. The blond looked up and beamed at him. "Iemitsu-dono! How has thy morning treated you?"

Iemitsu smiled. "My day has been busy, Basil-san. And yours?"

Basil went back to his food with a blush, and the others at the table grinned. "He fell into the channel again this morning after breakfast." Fon laughed. The arcobaleno sat across from him, enjoying a plate of fried fish.

The head of the Sawada family chuckled. "How unfortunate." He was about to continue when the head chef, an old friend of his, called out to him over the loud din of the canteen. "Iemitsu-san! This was left for you, sir!"

The large man in a white apron waved a folded piece of paper in the air, before running over and handing it to the tall blond man. Iemitsu took the paper. "Wonder who it's from..." the other's nearby looked on in curiosity. The blond haired head of the CEDEF unfolded the paper, and read it's contents. He paled dramatically.

"I-Iemitsu-dono...?" Basil started uncertainly.

"What does it say, Iemitsu-san?" Lal Mirch frowned worriedly.

Iemitsu looked up to find that half of the cafeteria was looking over at him, and the other half was doing a great job of concealing their curiosity—he'd have to commend them later... He took a deep breath and looked back at the note in his hands.

"Dear Sawada-san,

Sagi heard that you had a job to do. Something is missing, right?

It's something that the Nono wants very, very badly.

It sounds like a fun game to play. If you can find Sagi, Sagi will help you!

Sagi will be somewhere in Italy tomorrow, waiting at a hotel. Maybe Sagi will stay for a few days.

^ ^ Sagi has always wanted to meet the hitman, Reborn.

Sagi will see you soon, if you want to play with him!

From,

Sagi"

The entire cafeteria was completely silent as everyone took in that information. Fon was the first to speak up. "Look like this Sagi lives up to his nickname, then."

Iemitsu looked over at him. "Nickname?"

The arcobaleno nodded. "They call him many names, actually. The most widely known ones, though, are "Inosento Azamuku," or "Innocent Deceiver," "Colui Che Non C'è," or "The One Who Isn't There.""

The others looked over as well. Other lunch groups were wandering over to get a peak at the note from the notorious Sagi. "What's the story behind those?" Iemitsu wondered.

Fon dived into recital mode. "Well, only two of his victims have been able to sight something of him, and they kept going on about wide, glowing eyes that looked so completely innocent that they couldn't wrap their minds around what was happening. Oh, and laughter."

"Laughter?" Basil shuddered, and Fon nodded. "Yes. Once, Sagi was cornered in an alley by his twenty-fourth target, a man named Nanami Kasumi. When Nanami tried grabbing him, Sagi wasn't there."

"What's that got to do with Iemitsu getting a note, though?" The chef, Shigeko, asked, looking confused.

"Well, where did you find the note?"

"It...ah, it was taped to the place where we put customers' orders so that the chefs know who wants what..."

"And how did it get there?" Iemitsu frowned, puzzled.

Shigeko blinked. "A-Ah..."

Basil's eyes widened comically, "Sagi."

"Exactly." Fon said. "Then, there's the note itself. He worded it so that we'd unconsciously believe that sending Reborn to give him the job's information was a condition of hiring him." Reborn was pretty famous, even outside of the Vongola. He was one of the only arcobaleno to break his own curse. No one knows how he did it—not even him.

"What's with the whole "game" and "play with me," though?" Lal asked.

"Sagi is viewed by many as a faceless thief with an extreme child's personality. His calling cards speak of "playing a game," and he refers to his jobs as said "games.""

"...But, the Nono isn't missing anything, is he?" Basil frowned.

"Th-that's what makes me so worried about Sagi's knowledge. No one but the Nono, myself, and the hired thieves under our wing know about the stolen..." Iemitsu swallowed. "I suppose it doesn't matter now. Nono's Sky Ring has been stolen."

The other's gaped, and Fon raised an eyebrow. "When did this happen?"

"A few weeks ago, or so." Iemitsu waved the note in front of their faces. "I need to go tell Nono of this new development. It's weird, we were just speaking of trying to get a hold of Sagi to hire him for the job..." he shook his head and dashed out of the canteen, the others staring after him. One line of Sagi's note kept running through their heads.

"Sagi will see you soon, if you want to play with him!"

(He'll latch onto your mind. And never let go)

I feel bad, now. My brain, why can't it just stop, or even slow down? Nope~ Instead, I suffer from an influx of new fic ideas every single day, and they won't leave me alone! *wails* I'm sorry, my dear readers! I-I'll try my best to pay attention to my existing stories! I-If you're mad, I understand. But please, blame the brain. Blame it all on my damnable imagination. IT WON'T FREAKING LEAVE ME ALONE! GYAAAAAH!

*cough* Right then. Let's just make one thing clear in this fic: Sagi = Tsuna. That's all there is too it. How this came to be, well, you're gonna have to read and find out. When, you know, I post the chapters ^ ^'

Thhannks, and REVIEW~

~Scylar X.