The Arcobaleno

Chapter 23 - The First Move

The blonde released a soft puff of breath into the cold air. 

He was laid out on the concrete floor of the building's rooftop, a long-ranged sniper riffle in hand. His hands held steady on the trigger despite the biting wind and he kept his sight firmly on the small scope. 

Shifting slightly, he ensured that he had a clear aim at the lobby doors of a nearby building and settled in to wait. Based on the intel he had received from Vivien, which luckily came for free since Anastasia was the one who requested this, his target should be heading out of those very doors in 2 minutes.

"You good blondie?"

The sudden voice startled him, but reflexes honed by the centuries he's been through kept his grip steady. Despite his calm façade, he had instinctively aimed several water bullets towards where the voice originated from, ready to shoot at a moment's notice. 

Carefully, he spared a brief glance to survey the surrounding behind him. The blonde let out s short breath at the sight of a familiar fedora. Snorting lightly, he turned back towards the building he was staking out. 

"The hell you doing Reborn? I could've missed my shot you know!"

The hitman scoffed, stepping closer to where Collonello was laying in wait. "As if you would miss on such an easy mark. If your reflexes are that dull then  you clearly don't deserve your place as an Arcobaleno."

The impromptu sniper bared his teeth at the other in a snarl, despite knowing that the words were baseless. It was simply their way of camaraderie, to taunt and goad the other into doing better, at times it even allowed them to distract themselves from their memories. It was always easier to lose focus when you were in an adrenaline rush from a fight.

Smirking back at the blonde, the hitman stepped up towards the ledge, to glance down at the busy streets. 

"What the hell are you doing there asshole?!" Collonello furiously whispered from where he laid. "Are you actually trying to give away my position?!"

"Oh shut up, you idiot." The hitman retorted, sparing a dismissive glance towards the disgruntled blonde. "No one can see anything clearly up here without some type of equipment, plus are you forgetting my ability." 

Collonello grumbled but left the hitman to his own devices, blue eyes trailing back to the opening doors as people began to walk out of the building. 

"Why'd you pick this time to do this one?" The hitman questioned lightly, stepping back to avoid accidentally obscuring the blonde's view. "You don't tend to do hits on a crowded setting."

"When the princess gave me the files, she said that I could choose whichever I wanted and that she'd let me have full reign of the specifics. Thought I'd make a good show, to announce our return." The blonde answered, a dangerous grin lighting his features.

As soon as he caught sight of a face, one that he had memorized from a now burnt paper, the blonde wasted on time. Steady fingers pulling at the triggers with precision, grimacing lightly at the recoil, the blonde barely paid any attention to the screams erupting below. Darkened blue eyes glanced disinterestedly at the blood that now splattered the grey sidewalk, casually watching as the crowd of people below both ran away from and crowded at the now dead man.

"Well," Collonello commented lightly, "seems like I'm not as rusty as I thought."

He felt the hitman approach next to him, both of them peering down at the panicked masses. 

"Hm, that is quite the statement." Reborn commented lightly, as Collonello packed up his gear. 

The blonde scoffed at the hitman, a black cargo bag slung over one shoulder. "Like you have room to talk, Mr. If-you-even-look-at-her-I'll-kill-you. You literally decimated like twenty people alone! Yesterday!"