Honor Thy Family

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During the two hour ride to their destination, Min Young would offer both Ottavo and her boss, Keisuke Ishikawa, items to keep them occupied as they talked among themselves. Keisuke Ishikawa was the Ishikawa Yakuza's current boss and the one who discovered her only a few years ago. Although his facial expression always looked as though he was angry, most are surprise by him the moment he speaks, because he acted like perverted old man unless it was a serious issue.

"Min Young has become a promising young woman at the age of 22, if I don't pick one of the younger men in my group to take over, she's my next choice since I haven't produced an heir to take over." He spoke with this silly grin on his face as if he thought that idea would be the best option. Talking about the new yakuza group making a name for itself recently, it bothered Keisuke to know that they were low for even considering human trafficking. Human trafficking was one of the most inhumane things a person could do to another person, it never made any sense as to why people would do that to their own species. Min Young has witness many young women being pulled into the tricks of the 'spotter' and when she tried helping, they ignored her completely.

The ride was long, but when they arrived at the destination, Min Young stepped out of the car first to open the door for the gentlemen to get out. "It was a pleasure riding with you, Vonogola Ottavo." Min Young said to the man as he exited the car, his bodyguards in tow as he walked to entrance of Gaiole.
 
Gaiole in Chianti, the proper name of the small Sienna province, was a red-shingled town of only a few hundred. It was smaller than a kilometer in size and surrounded by small pastures and dense forests. In one of these clumps of woods lied the Vongola's Tuscany headquarters, where only two roads offered access to. The first road came in from the town and offered the most direct route to the front gate, which was heavily guarded by Vongola made-men and soldiers, CC-TV cameras, and infrared motion sensors. The second route can be found leading away from behind the palazzo in the East. Only a handful of soldiers guarded the route, but this was simply because the road itself was heavily monitored by twice as many electronic detection systems than the main gate was. Unmanned turret-mounted machine guns would detect infrared signatures and track targets, only firing at human silhouettes and only if the target failed to flag himself as friendly with a remote.

By now the foggy, misty weather from before had completely dissipated, relentlessly chased away by a warm washing of sunlight. Tiny rays prickled their way through the canopy of the forest, littering the freshly cut grass with specks of light. The lawn was smooth, evenly leveled. Hedge rows lined each side of the fine graveled drive that led toward the palazzo. The mansion itself was huge. A white marvel of two stories and classical 16th century architecture perfectly snuggled into the dense woods.

The convoys had all arrived safely, and Terrance was the first to exit the Vanderbilt limousine, holding the door for the family's underboss, Noah. By rank and order, the Vanderbilts followed the mafia hierarchy of most other Italian famiglias. Anderson Vanderbilt was the boss, with his son, Noah, as the underboss. Terrance Sinclair was actually between the two, but also not. He held the position of consigliere, the outside adviser to the family. Normally, the consigliere tries to never directly involve himself in mafia affairs. He merely offers his perspective and opinion when asked, and also ensures that there is always a worthy heir to succeed the current boss. If needed, he would also become the defacto head of the family in the event of a crises and a line of succession is unable to be completed.

Mr. Sinclair was unique, however. He had been a mafioso for most of his life; since he was a teenager, in fact. His history of working as a wise-man and eventually a caporegime for the Vanderbilts had earned him his respect among the other family mafiosi, and his accomplishments and style caught the attention of Anderson. When the boss came to know and understand how Terrance worked, thought, and lived, he offered him the position after the previous consigliere had... mysteriously vanished.

As soon as Noah stepped out in all of his Vanderbilt pride and poise, he was immediately flanked by caporegime that had filed out of the other family vehicles in front of and behind the limousine. Even Terrance had a personal guard, though he found them to be a bit of a nuisance. It was as though they were presidents needing a Secret Service escort.





The chopping of the blades outside of the AISI marked helicopter flying into southern Tuscany were barely audible through the noise minimizing headphones. Haruto Kiroshima sat in the back of the chopper with his eyes closed, mentally preparing himself for his fast-approaching objective. The young man had been through so much in his brief life. As only a nephew of Yamamoto Kiroshima, he had not been given the authority that the man's own sons had. In fact, he was awarded with relatively little respect in the household simply because his father wasn't well liked by his own brother. Yamamoto almost had him killed on two occasions, so it was only natural for Haruto to receive some of the flack from their rivalry as well.

And yet... he had been given an opportunity to prove himself. Yamamoto wanted the Ishikawas out of the way, but to remove an entire Japanese household from the picture was no easy task. On the other hand, assassinating their boss would deal a significant blow to their morale as well as throw a wrench in their posture and communications for a while. It would open a door for the house of Kiroshima to sweep in and finish the job.

Yamamoto was well aware that the Ishikawas were in alliance with the Vongolas, and he also knew that the Vongolas themselves weren't too happy about his sudden disruptive behavior across Asia. All he needed to do was wait for Vongola Ottavo to summon the allies and meet at a previously unknown location. It was by a stroke of luck, combined with the superb hacking skills of Japanese ISDF intelligence operatives on the household's payroll, that exposed the famiglia's palazzo.

Armed with knowing where his target would be, the level of security that he could expect, and the resolve to see his mission through to the end, Haruto had transcended into a calm state of ruthless focus. Though he hoped it wouldn't come to it, he was now prepared to die. He had chosen to bring two H&K USP compact 9mm pistols for medium ranged, light firepower. They would be useless against armored foes and still require multiple shots to bring someone without it down, but he was a close-combat specialist. So he was sure to also bring a steel katana blade, sheathed over his shoulder.

The pilot's voice sounded off in his headphones. "Alright! We've arrived at the drop point. I can't go any further or I'll risk detection on their radar. You'll have about an hour of a hike from here to there. Keep to the lower terrain, and be on the lookout for sensors once you hit the edge of their forest!"

Haruto nodded as he removed the headset and stepped over to the loading door of the chopper. With a hard tug he unlatched the lock and threw it back. The rush of wind and the deafening sound of the blades above hardly phased him at this point. After the pilot pressed down on a button, a carbon fiber cable dropped from a rig mounted just above the outside of the door. Haruto gripped the cable with a firm grasp and then leaped to wrap his boots further down. With ease, he fast-roped to the ground below.
 
Aika stretched himself as he stood behind Terrance and Noah. They were in the enormous mansion, protected by various electronics and innumerable guards. Vanderbilt's own guards surrounded them. Being protected or rather, being watched was such a hassle for a free-spirited soul like Aika, but he understood the intensified security. Bosses and representatives of four most powerful families in the world had gathered in one place. It is not a surprise when Aika finds a assassin or two in this mansion. He was actually puzzled when he found no threat on the way to the mansion.

As Aika followed along other Vanderbilts the guidance of one of the Vongolas, he opened the lock on his cell phone and began texting. He intended on texting Reyes on the car a while ago, but because he was too absorbed on hacking AISI and listening to Terrance's story, he wasn't really able to contact the girl.

[Hello, cutie!
I'm Aika from Vanderbilt, but currently on the way to your heart. Wanna hang out next few days? I would definitely be happy in company of such a cute lady like you!
PS. The lad next to you looks dead boring. Better not to bring him.]

"Sent."
Aika smiled refreshingly as he put the cellphone back to his pants pocket. The door of the mansion was opening.
 
The door slammed shut as Reyes made her way to the rest of her family members. They were to remain huddled together. Reyes studied her surroundings. As beautiful as the forest appeared, it could also prove effective for ambushes. Or fires. Reyes shivered at the thought. She wasn't a fan of the extremely hot substance. They had a bitter relationship...Reyes rubbed her arms.

"Are you okay, Rey-rey?"

Reyes looked over in the direction the familiar voice was coming from, seeing her underboss, Eulalia. She was short in stature, and appeared much younger than her age of 22 years. Her kind nature clashed with her title of underboss. There were times when Eulalia was scary, though. Of course, not as scary as her mother, the Ottavo Giglionerro. Her presence intimidated the other members of the Giglionerro. With that said, Reyes was slightly shaking as Eulalia looked up at her, smiling softly.

"Ah, yes, ma'am," Reyes replied, forcing a smile. Eulalia frowned cutely, pulling on Reyes' sleeve. "We grew up together, Rey-rey. You don't have to call me "ma'am"!" Eulalia looked like she was about to cry, but Reyes knew better. "Yes...Eulalia." With a sigh, Reyes nodded in acknowledgement, following after Amato. The Vongola estate was as beautiful as it was large. The white paint on its exterior remained unscathed, as if it was painted each week. Reyes couldn't remember the last time she was here, which was longer than she had hoped. Dio, how old was Reyes again? Twenty one. It feft longer than that. The mafiosa could feel Amato's hand against her back, forcing her to move into formation beside the parked limousines. He muttered a "sorry", going back into his position beside her.

It wasn't until she felt the buzzing of her phone that Reyes was stirred from her focus. Pulling out her phone, the green-haired woman read the new text message. It was from an unidentifiable number, but the text revealed the sender: Aika. Reading the material, Reyes blushed. Way to her heart? Cute lady? Reyes gulped. Well, this was forward of the Vanderbilt family member Aika. Was asking someone out like this normal in America? Reyes looked over the shoulders of her fellow members towards the Vanderbilt family, trying to decipher who could have sent it. She couldn't tell from where she stood. She reviewed the message again, stifling a snicker at the last words of the message. Aika was obviously talking about Amato. Reyes glanced at her comrade. He was currently coughing up a storm, most likely from the cigarette he had previously smoked.

Reyes began to reply back to the message:

"Hello, Aika,
I would love to spend some time with you. Let's meet up in front of the mansion. :)"

Reyes pressed "send", putting her cell phone back into her pocket.
 
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It was late afternoon now. As the sun began to set, the atmosphere below the thick canopy of the Tuscan forest had darkened, and the little orange blaze of sun that managed to filter its way through the leaves barely offered any helpful light. Regardless, the Vongola soldiers remained at their posts and continued to patrol the grounds, relying on the estate's many hidden security measures to aid them in their vigilance.

Inside the palazzo, the allied families were spread throughout the spacious rooms. Some where relaxing in the billiard room, others in the dining hall, a few in the dens and living areas, and several had taken to inspecting their assigned guest rooms. One of such rooms was currently occupied by Noah Vanderbilt. Terrance Sinclair had just closed the door to his room after stepping into the hallway to leave the young man in peace until dinner. Two Vanderbilt soldiers remained outside the door on either side of the threshold.

"I'll return for him before dinner," he said.

"Yes, sir."

As he made his way down the hallway and towards the central staircase, he felt his phone begin to constantly vibrate in his jacket pocket. Quickly snatching it up, he checked the caller I.D. to see it was from Greg Higgs, one of the family's intelligence analysts and information brokers. Greg only called Terrance when it was something urgent... and bad.

Accepting the call, Terrance brought the phone up to his ear. "Higgs?"

"Sinclair, you're gonna know about this."

"What is it?"

"My team has been running spider crawlers through the electronic flight schedules and passenger manifests for international air traffic in and out of Italy..."

"And?"

"And... After cross-referencing passenger names with known mafiosi aliases we got a hit that warrants the alliance's interest. Haruto Kiroshima registered at Italian customs three days ago under the name Shinji Toyama."

Terrance stopped at the top of the staircase and stared down at the foyer below. The brim of his fedora cast a dark shadow over very serious eyes. "You said Kiroshima?"




Haruto carefully crept through the overgrown ferns of the forest floor. The late afternoon light would play havoc on eyesight, allowing him to blend in to his surroundings with ease so long as he stuck low and to the shadows. He had managed to avoid most of the initial infrared motion detectors that had been installed in the woods. The Vongola had made them so obvious that an infant could spot them. But something that he hadn't noticed he was right up on it were several grids of tightly coiled wire thin enough to be almost invisible to the naked eye. Had he not spotted a patrolling duo of Vongola soldiers noticeably avoiding a certain patch of ground, he wouldn't have learned to look where he himself had been about to step.

The wires had been raised merely an inch above the ground, suspended by nearby tree trunks or small stakes hidden within the tall blades of grass patches or bushes. Judging by their placement and the strain on the wires, they probably acted as a kind of motion detector or trip wire in the form of an elaborate grid, making it to where an intruder wouldn't be able to so casually step over a single wire and be in the clear. If he were to make it safely to the manor, he would have to either very carefully step in between the wires, or avoid the grids entirely. He tried the latter first. Unfortunately, that proved to take too much time. If he were to avoid all of the grids, Haruto would be weaving left, right, forward, and backward all night. So he went with the first plan.

Keeping one palm on the grip of his right-holstered H&K, Haruto ever so delicately lifted and set down one foot at a time, narrowly avoiding the wire grids. As he carried on, the sun set lower in the sky and so the forest floor became less and less visible. Soon, he found himself unable to tell where exactly the wires were. From what little muscle memory he had gathered so far, he would need to lift his next foot by at least five inches to surely clear the wire and then bring it forward by a foot to land perfectly in the middle of the next square space. He carried on with this slow dance until he had reached the hedge row that ran along the southern side of the manor. Beyond the hedge was a hill that supported the foundation of the large palazzo. Large boulders and rocks jutted out from the hillside below the finely chiseled white stone.

Remaining concealed behind the hedge row, Haruto straightened up ever slightly to peak over the prickly leaves and spot several guards patrolling around the manor's immediate exterior. Before he could move to another position, however, he felt the hard steel of a gun's mussel press against the back of his skull.

"You disturbed a wire," the obviously American man said in his best Japanese.

Haruto tried to turn ever so slightly to see his enemy, but a sharp pain to the back of his head enveloped his sight with pitch black darkness.

Out he went.




Terrance Sinclair stood over the unconscious body of whom he suspected to be Haruto Kiroshima. The dark-haired young man now lay on the ground in quiet slumber, no longer an immediate threat to any of the families. Terrance lifted his cell phone to his ear.

"Aika," he said, "let the families know I've got him. South side, down below the hedge row beyond the main patio. I'll need some help carrying him to cellar."
 
The elevator seemed to take its time reaching the Penthouse. Kosui shifted the stance he took on his feet while waiting. He sat, feigning interest while his mark prattled on and on about politics. Banrei Kaieda continued to boast of the Democratic Party of Japan's achievements, as if they were his own. Kosui nodded when appropriate, wearing an accommodating smile. Banrei seemed to see this as a good sign, as he continued bragging. Kosui continued acting, all the while wishing he could kill him now. Damn contracts keep getting more and more specific. Keep your cool, just focus on getting him close to the window. The elevator's exasperating ascent ended with a perky chime. Kosui carried in Banri's bags, glad for the momentary reprieve from politics. Banri strutted into his penthouse suite and sat down on the couch. He immediately began to unwind as Kosui plotted.

Maybe I could point out the Eboshi building and push him out. Oh crap, I forgot! He needs the bungee cord. Alright, maybe drug his wine? "Do you enjoy your room, Kaieda-san? The Keio Plaza hotel only offers the finest in luxury, especially with our favorite politicians." Kaieda responded with some flowery pleasantry, but Kosui frankly didn't care. He crushed enough Flunitrazepam into the wine bottle it could knock out a rhino. Kosui poured two glasses and brought the refreshments out on the tray the wine was given to Kaieda on. Kaieda looked pleased at the offering and asked, "Who sends this gift? You were the only one sent to greet me."

"My mother. She was quite the fan of Democratic Party of Japan until recent years. She wants to wish you good luck with the election!" Kosui smiled brightly, making sure he still had Kaieda's attention. The politicion thanked him, and took a large gulp of his drink.

"How is it? No expense was spared . Mother heard you appreciated Vinlios Ortega, and bought a bottle of their 2001 cask." Kaieda knew 2001 was a good year, and soon guzzled his glass with a ravenous thirst. Shouldn't be long now. Soon some kind of...
*YAWN*. Kaieda was already slipping. "Sir, you look tired. Let me help you to your bed."

"You work so hard for a bellhop. Be sure I tip you!"

"Oh, I'm no bellhop. I don't even work here." Kaieda's face turned into some kind of slurred look of horror. He tried his best to fight Kosui off, but the drugs were already too powerful.

"Mother wasn't too pleased with your predecessor when he cut off our funding. That's why she got him that plane ticket."

All Kaieda could muster was a drunken, "You mean she planned the crash? All those poor..."

"Mother gets into these terrible tantrums. That's why we all thought you would give us the money he owed. But you continued to ignore us. So you could fund all those other Yakuza families. She had the biggest tantrum, and so the family sent me." Kaieda, nearly comatose, asked in an almost incoherent way, "Who are you?" . Kosui dropped him, to pull out the long bungee cord hidden in his tacky bellhop hat. Kosui flipped the body over, and answered him with his best assassin's tone,"I am Kosui Eboshi. I serve as the family messenger." Kosui then attached one end to Kaieda's suspenders. Geez, suspenders? He was asking for this! Kosui then hooked the other end of the bungee to the couch leg, as it seemed nice and sturdy. Kosui then dragged Kaieda's limp body, and propped it up against the window.

Aware he could no longer hear him, Kosui still prepared the Eboshi signature. It was his favorite part. "You, Banrei Kaieda, have been formally indicted by the Eboshi family, ally of the Kiroshima clan. For treason and debt, Lady Eboshi sends her regards," Kosui then loaded a lone red bullet into his pistol, and cocked it."...with a kiss."
 
"Can you believe it, Reyes? We're sharing a room! Just like the good old days."

The sound of the bed's strings bouncing in response to a heavier weight filled the spacious bedroom. Too occupied with unpacking two sets of clothes, Reyes ignored the cheerful underboss, who was currently jumping on the expensive, queen-sized bed. Once all of the clothes were unpacked and placed in the given dressers, Reyes finally responded to her underboss' words.

"Well, Eulalia, it's my duty to protect you," Reyes mentioned, smiling weakly, "That's the only reason why we're sharin' a room." But, did they really give them only one bed? Reyes sighed sheepishly. If it were the "good old days", their lives wouldn't be on the line. Or, at least, without their knowledge. They would be two, mindless brats, having a little sleepover while their overlords tried their best to keep them safe from any enemies. Reyes checked the time on her phone, making sure to remain in contact with the other families. Anything could happen.

Eulalia frowned, feeling dejected. "Hm...I guess so. But, we'll try to have some fun, regardless." The underboss jumped out of the bed, walking over to Reyes to grab her attention better. "Is something the matter? We're on the Vongola estate. It would be scary if we were in danger." Reyes' eyes traveled up to Eulalia's face. Why would she say such a thing? Sometimes, Eulalia creeped Reyes out with the things she said.

"I hope not," was all Reyes uttered, placing the cellphone back into her pocket.
 
"Got it."

Answering briefly, Aika typed something on his cellphone fast. Scrolling down his lap top, he picked out a few numbers and group-messaged them.

[Haruto Kiroshima from Kiroshima family infiltrated in the mansion. Terrance Sinclair from Vanderbilt family has captured him. Request support to transfer Haruto Kiroshima to the cell. The location is south side, down below the hedge row beyond the main patio.]

"This is getting complicated."

A few minutes ago, he was delighted at the reply of Reyes. Just as he was about to text back, an urgent message came from Sinclair. An assassin from Kiroshima family, Haruto Kiroshima, has secretly flown to Italy.
Just as the information was sent from Higgs, the security of the young master tightened and Aika set down to gather some information. Although, there weren't much. It seemed that Haruto Kiroshima used his own family's transportation.

Aika disgruntled at his computer and cell phone. If he was in Vanderbilt, much more upgraded CPUs and electronics would have gathered much more information for him. He wasn't able to bring most of them, because of the size and weights, but most importantly, because the security in the Vongola was so tight that those high-tech electronics were not allowed.

"Although that tight security is brocken by Kiroshima spy."

Making sure that the security lock is working on his lap top, he turned it off and went out of his assigned room. The alliance would gather once more and they would discuss what to do about Haruto Kiroshima. His main mission in coming here as a representative is to gather information about each families.

'And I believe the reaction from the representatives of different families would provide some information on their disposition.'

Aika hastened his steps.
 
Keisuke had decided that he wanted to rest for time being until the meeting actually started between the families. Heading the room that was setup for him to relax in, Min Young got the couch ready and sat a tray of freshly brewed tea onto the table for him. Taking a seat on the couch, Keisuke patted the space right next to him, signalling her to sit with him. Accepting the invitation, she poured him a cup and handed it to him. "Min Young.. You should be socializing more often, get to know a few of those in the other families." Gentling patting her leg, he gave her one of his most genuinely sweet smiles as if telling her to have a little fun every now and then. Not wanting to disappoint her boss, she nodded to him as she got up from the couch. Making sure that he had everything that he needed, she had several of the bodyguards stand watch as she left the room to see what was going on with the others.

As Min Young was walking down the stairs towards the foyer of the beautifully decorated mansion, she noticed two silhouettes from the window, heading down. One silhouette was on the ground and the other was standing above it looking at it, while doing something else. Wanting to know what was going on, she quickened her pace to investigate everything. Exiting out the door and going past the hedge, the silhouettes became much clearer. The one standing over the body was Terrance, which was a relief seeing that the other body had a familiar face. Haruto Kiroshima, nephew of the current head of the Kiroshima clan. "I see you've already taken care of the threat." She said as she walked up to him, kneeling down to the body, inspecting it for weapons until her phone began to ringing in her pocket.

Pulling the phone out, she looked at the call id to see that it was Keisuke Ishikawa's wife, Sayuri. Answering, the woman didn't even give Min Young time to speak before she start ranting on about the death of someone. "Lady Sayuri, please calm down. Speak slowly and clearly or else I won't be able to understand anything that you're saying." Hearing the woman take a deep breath, it took her a few seconds to actually get anything out of her. "Banrei Kaieda was found dead outside of his hotel. There was a single bullet found and Mitsuka said it belongs to Lady Eboshi, her signature red bullets." Rubbing her forehead slightly with her fingers, she got up from her crouching position next to the body, releasing a sigh of frustration. Telling Lady Sayuri, she would take care of the situation, Min Young hung up the phone, placing it back in her pocket.

"We're not the only ones having issues right now.. Someone has killed one of our politicians, who donates to us for their protection and support every year. It seems one family did not receive one and is now helping out the Kiroshima's." This was starting to become a roller coaster of issues for the Vongola as well as allied families.
 
As if on cue, Reyes' worries were confirmed. There was, in fact, an intruder onto the Vongola property. They were fortunately captured, though it was revealed to be a spy from the Kiroshima family. Reyes glared slightly, not wanting to alert Eulalia. Placing the phone back into her pocket, she left the room. "Please, keep her from leaving this room. I don't want her following me," Reyes ordered the guards outside of their room, waving dismissively at Eulalia. Said under boss pouted. She wanted to get in the action, as well! Out in the hallway, Reyes was flanked by Amato, who had heard some of the commotion whilst taking a cigarette break out of his room. His mask was gone, though his cough was far from clearing.

"So, you heard everything?" he asked, his eyes remaining before him. They were headed to where Amato heard the commotion, which was all the way down the hall. As they walked, Reyes pulled out her cell phone, notifying the other members of her family about the intruder. "The threat has been dispatched, though we are on high alert. Be wary of your surroundings more than usual, and don't say anything that may endanger us or the other families."

In a group of three were Min Young of Ishikawa, Terrance Sinclair of Vanderbilt, and Haruto Kiroshima of Kiroshima. Reyes never had the chance to meet Haruto face to face. It was unfortunate that they had to meet under the particular circumstances. Amato remained silent, expecting Reyes to break them into the situation. Reyes overlooked the scene, seeing that Haruto was temporarily debilitated by Terrance, who kept a firm grip on the Kiroshima member. Min Young appeared to have just appeared, overlooking the scene as well. Reyes inwardly sighed, relieved that the threat was under control, for now.

Reyes had a feeling that this was only the beginning of a string of events.
 
Late afternoon. In the dark depths of slumber was Arnold Lansky, having been brought there by a combination of factors, namely his frail body, the Italian clime, and the rather stressful stimulus he encountered of the road. He dreamed not, for former incidents of this nature had robbed him of such a pleasure; but when he returned to the waking world, he found his desire for the dreams of sweet slumber somewhat satisfied. For he lay then in one of the grandest apartments of the Gaiole compound of Vongolas, an apartment that easily beat many of his sweetest dreams of luxury.

The apartment was a large, autumn-colored room, with a single, queen size bed, and a bunch of amenities both modern and not modern that all fit together very well for the style of the whole manse. For the pieces of furniture and decor that occupied the spare spaces of the room were either truly antiquated or made to look antiquated, as the manse the apartment was in was one of the oldest in the compound, and was built at around the time of the Renaissance. It was a style Arnold Lansky found to be very beatiful, though rather overwhelming; for even as he amassed a large fortune working for the three families, he continued with his frugal, pre-Mafia lifestyle, using the money for only his and his family's simple needs, and of course for emergencies.

But the overload he experienced broke apart rather quickly, for immediately did he realize that though he was in luxury, he wasn't exactly in a luxurious state. He was dressed up in a medical patient's clothes, and many a tube and wire seemed injected into his body. Two guards stood watch over him, and upon sobering up from the beauty of his surroundings he asked them about his illness. "A stroke" was the concise reply of one of them, but to him it was no surprise.

"Well, I guess we can safely say that all of the ill's done, eh? Now how's about you call this house's good doctor, and- wait..." The word doctor reminded him of the stress that caused him to fade, the signature of one of his former 'apprentices'; his first stroke was brought about by Roarke's betrayal. "No. No, nevermind that. Instead, I'd like you to call the don of the Vongola. I need to tell him something."
 
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The Lady Eboshi was pleased. Kosui received a luxurious return home. Everyone was dressed in their finest kimonos. Even the lady herself seemed celebratory. The court in its entirety welcomed Kosui home, all showing extreme gratitude, but above all respect. Most of these people have never been loyal to the Lady before. I guess the real celebration is inciting fear amongst the others. No wonder the Lady Eboshi is pleased. With a successful assassination, everyone realized she wasn't playing.

She sat above all of those in the courtyard on her throne of silk. The Lady sat erect and firm, yet trying to look lax in authority. Her kimono was flowery and bright, contrasting her preferred palate of grays and dark blues. Lady Eboshi was the first to spot Kosui amongst the crowd. She signaled the guard to retrieve Kosui. In a flash, the crowd quieted, the musicians stopped, all eyes looked up as Kosui found himself to the direct right of Lady Eboshi. She watched everyone like a lion hunting for prey, ready to pounce at the slightest provocation. None of the gazelle below her twitched. Many felt the urge to run, but they all knew escape from the lady was impossible.

When the level of fear and submission rose to a peak, The Lady stood tall, and addressed the crowd coldly, "I want to start our ceremony with a thank you. Thank you to all of the Eboshi members who took time to come to my little party. Thank you to all Eboshi friends who came to admire our new found glory. Tonight we celebrate the fall of the traitor Banrei Kaieda. Due to his and his predecessors treachery, all of us languished in a drastic fall in exports. Our new surge in wealth is all thanks to my own cub, Kosui." At his signal Kosui stood next to the Lady and bowed graciously. The previous fervor of celebration died, and from it rose the applause of frightened prey. He sat back down, bowing once again to the lady. This time she did not bow back, but instead turned to her gaze to the eldest of her personal body guards.

"Goro, please step forward." The grizzled old lion stepped forward boldly. A look of acceptance crossed his face before he returned to his expected stoic expression. He bowed before the Lady, and turned so the crowd could see his face. The Lady continued her speech.

"Kosui, you have demonstrated loyalty and competence in your line of work. In honor of your achievement, I offer you a place amongst my pride, Kukkyōna Raionzu. Do you accept the place of messanger?"

So soon? I was only adopted a few months back. Then again, what choice do I have? "Yes,your grace. It is my honor to accept your offer of joining the Kukkyōna Raionzu."

"Very well. Goro, present him your blade." The lion unsheathed a shortsword, revealing its inscription to Kosui, "The Lady sends her regards." Kosui bowed to the older gaurdsmen, took the sheath, and beckoned aloud, "Thank you, my lady!"

She smiled a lovely grin, then turned stoic again at her turn to Goro. "Then tonight we bring about your retirement." The lady stepped forward silently, unsheathed her blade, and slashed at Goro. His head fell backward, with his body falling erect in a never ending salute. The Lady Eboshi then sheathed hr blade, bloody from Goro's retirement. Many of the gazelle below stood still as Goro's head plummeted, all of their faces agape with horror. None, howeve, made a sound. The lady ended the party with, "Welcome to the pride."
 
Mister Sinclair stood over Kiroshima, who had been shackled and chained to the stone wall in the cellar below the palazzo. The old pre-renaissance structuring had seen better days, and Sinclair guessed that it had been used multiple times as both a storage place and torture chamber. The Vongolas had ensured that the latter would suit the location once more. There were many... tools available that could be used to gather answers from their captives. But Terrance didn't believe in such barbarism. He may have been a hitman and a mafioso, but he was a gentleman first and foremost.

"Haruto," he said. "That's your given name, correct?"

The young dark-haired man before him simply remained motionless and quiet. His head was bowed allowing his bains to fall in front of his eyes. His armor and jacket had been removed, and his weapons had been secured in another location well out of the cellar. Even Terrance didn't know where the Vongola soldiers had moved them. The Kiroshima was left with a mangled t-shirt, his black jeans, and bare feet. His skin was covered in dirt and grime from both being outside and poorly handled in the cellar.

Upon receiving no answer after several seconds, Sinclair knelt down to look the man in the eyes beneath the brim of his fedora. "Kiroshima-kun," he said with a stern voice, emphasing that Sinclair was no peer of Haruto's and he didn't deserve to be ignored. "Why are you here?"

"For Ishikawa-sama."

"Sama? I get the feeling you're actually here to assassinate him, so why bother with the honorific?"

"Because I must do it, it is not as though I wish to."

Terrance narrowed his eyes and stood back up. "Explain yourself."

"My house has been divided. My father is not respected by Kiroshima-oyabun."

"You speak of Yamamoto... Your uncle." Haruto said nothing more. Terrance placed both hands in his pockets and turned around to walk away from the Kiroshima boy. He fully understood what was going on; it didn't take much. Obviously Haruto and his father were considered to be "second-class" family members compared to the rest of the household. Intelligence reports from Japan had revealed that Yamamoto and his younger brother weren't on the best of terms. The eldest, who ruled the family, believed in using force to spread their influence, while his brother desires a more humble path... a path that Yamamoto apparently finds to be appallingly dishonorable.

Sinclair passed by one of the guards on his way towards the stairs out of the cellar. "If he says anything, make note of it and let me know ASAP. Other than that, don't touch him. He has done nothing yet to deserve punishment."

Mercy. Terrance believes that it can be shown to potential allies.




Vongola Ottavo. The name had come to grow on him after all. At first, he thought he wasn't fit to lead the family, but he had been sorely mistaken on that note several times already. What it took was wisdom, cunning, ruthless ambition, and a firm hand. But it also took sincerety and good sense of justice. What the Kiroshimas were doing sickened him to his very core, and as long as he was the capo di tutti capi, there was no way in hell he would let them so easily get away with it.

He opened the door to Arnold Lansky's apartment on the second story of his family's palazzo. A doctor had found Ottavo in the billiard room downstairs a moment ago and relayed that Mister Lansky had wanted to speak with him. Wearing a smile as he entered he saw Arnold lying on the bed in a state that he assumed would eventually greet him in due time from natural aging.

"Arnold," he said. "I trust you didn't just bring me up here to fluff your pillow."
 
From the door of the dungeon like room in the basement, Min Young watched as Terrance questioned him in a way similar to her own, but as a woman she would show compassion to get them to speak more. It was already known to those of other Yakuza families how the Kiroshima family treated some members. Ordering them to do impossible missions in order to kill them off quickly, instead of getting their own hands dirtied with blood. The moment Terrance stepped out of the room, Min Young turned to him curious. "I think that he and his father would be good allies. His father is quite intelligent and if Haruto had a little more training with our family, he could be a great addition to the Ishikawa group." After speaking, a guard sent her a message to her phone, explaining that Keisuke was fine and getting ready to lay down for a bit until the meeting started.

Shaking her head and laughing to herself a little, she turned her head back to Terrance, making direct eye contact with him. "Would you like to have drink while we wait for some news?" She asked.
 
The event has settled down as fast as it was stirred up.
Finding a seat on the terrace near the garden, Aika sitted at the chair, with a lagging pose. Aika sighed as he popped a candy to his mouth. It was lemon. He crumpled his face.

"Yuk. It's too sour.."

However, he did not spit it out, and kept it in his mouth. He needed some sweet after working.
He had just checked out the infomration about Haruto Kiroshima, and it was clear that this boy was the forsaken card. He is no threat considering both the support from Kiroshima, and the boy's own intention or... loyalty.

"Why do I feel like I forgot something...?"

Still not on his right mind, Aika looked up at the sky with tired and soul-less eyes. Hm.. What is it? I checked my FB, I did what Terrance told me to do, I sent mails to my girls-

"Reyes!"

Springing from the chair, Aika typed a message, asking her to come to the terrace he was now at. Aika's smile changed from lethargic one to a slightly delighted one. Talking to a girl - whether it is solely for entertainment or information digging - will be a good refreshment for him.

"Lemon is refreshing, huh?"

Suddenly, the candy felt so sweet and tasty.
 
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