Written for the KHR Secret Santa on Tumblr. The recipient was kokuyo-gang.
*A thank you to sydni for betaing this for me*
Writing down the last word, Alaude set aside his pen to allow the ink to dry for the report that was due at the famiglia meeting scheduled later. Looking up at the time, he realized with some surprise, that he had been at his desk for well over half the day. The sun that had barely peaked over the horizon when he had first started was now starting to sink into the horizon. Deciding that he needed some fresh air, Alaude headed out towards the town where the Vongola Mansion was settled in the outskirts.
On arrival, Alaude headed for one of the shops that he regularly frequented. Upon arrival, he watched as a male began to harass the elderly female shopkeeper. Feeling irritated, Alaude walked right up to the man, and grabbed his wrist harshly. The male winced, and furiously turned around, intending to yell at him. However, he immediately quieted down when he met the cold glare of the cloud guardian.
"I suggest that you remove yourself from here at once. If not, you will be put under arrest." The man pulled his wrist away, and ran away with his tail between his legs. Giving him one last disgusted look, Alaude turned towards the relieved shopkeeper.
"Thank you, signore. For a moment there, I wasn't sure what I was going to do," she said, letting out a nervous laugh.
"It's quite alright," Alaude said. "He was disturbing the peace, so it was my job to take care of it." The shopkeeper laughed more naturally this time.
"If you say so. Will you have the usual?" she asked, gesturing towards the various herbs and tea leaves that the shop sold.
"Yes, I'll have the─" A force pushed Alaude forward. He turned on his heel, and on the ground, a small child was rubbing her arm. It took a second for Alaude to react. He bent forward, and held out a hand, intending to help her get up. The child looked up at him, and let out a small squeak. Alaude looked in confusion as the girl stood up on her own and ran away, but not before sending him one last frightened look. Though people were generally afraid of him, this was the first time a child had shown him that much fear.
"Is it safe for a girl that age to wander around at this time?" the shopkeeper said, looking at the direction the girl had run off in worry.
"No, it isn't." Alaude recalled the purpose of the meeting Giotto had set up. Nodding his head towards the shopkeeper, Alaude headed off towards the direction the girl had run towards. His eyes narrowed when he reached the woods on the other side of the town. He continued on until the scent of smoke reached him. Moving more cautiously, he edged towards what looked like a camp. Alaude was confused. Neither he nor CEDEF had heard anything about a camp being here. Alaude let out a short, sharp whistle. Moments later, a small white bird appeared, and landed on his hand. After writing out a quick message, the bird let out a soft chirp, and flew away.
"Did you get it?" Alaude's eyes snapped towards the speaker. He couldn't see his face, but the person he was speaking to, he recognized him as the one who had been harassing the shopkeeper.
"No, I didn't have the chance to. I was kicked out before─" The man was suddenly kicked in the stomach. He doubled over, and the first man turned around. Alaude recognized him as being a part of the Sangue Famiglia, infamous for the bloodshed that they cause. Scanning the group again, Alaude picked out a few familiar faces as being part of the rival famiglias the Vongola famiglia had fought with in the past.
"Where's that girl?" the Sangue man shouted out. Out of the corner of his eye, Alaude saw the young girl who had collided with him earlier stumble into the clearing, the look of absolute fear on her face. When the Sangue man pulled out a knife, Alaude saw enough. Pulling out his handcuffs, he raced towards the male, and snapped it around his wrist. One burst of purple flames later, the Sangue man was trapped in a cocoon of handcuffs. The others in the clearing stared at him in shock before registering that there was an enemy in the area. Bringing out their own weapons, they charged. A quick look told Alaude that no one here was challenging enough. Making multiple handcuffs appear, he let loose.
He barely let out a sweat. He easily dodged the incoming attacks, and one after another, he encased them all in the handcuffs. To the side, he watched as the young girl curled into a ball, and duck out of view of the fight. Spotting a few more people left, Alaude allowed his flame to brighten even more, and moments later, they too were bound. Giving the area one last look, he approached the Sangue man. Gripping one of the chains, he easily pulled him into an upright position.
"What were all of you doing here?" he demanded. The man looked fearfully at him, but didn't say a word. Alaude allowed the handcuffs to tighten a bit, and stopped when the man cried out in pain. "Will you talk now?" The man whimpered, but still said nothing. Impatient, Alaude allowed the cuffs to tightening even more, and before they crushed the man, he cried out.
"Yes! Yes! I will talk!" Alaude let the cuffs expand. He waited as the man took deep breaths.
"What were all of you doing?" he asked again.
"Going to attack you Vongola," he spat out. He glanced to the side to see the young girl emerge from the trees.
"Did you kidnap her as well?" The girl nodded quickly to his question. With sudden realization, Alaude had the cuffs tighten again. "And the other children?"
"T-They're in there," the girl stammered. She pointed towards the nearby wagon. Giving the man a disgusted look, he tightened the cuffs more before dropping him. He headed over towards the wagon, with the girl trailing after him. Pushing the canvas away, Alaude was met with the sight of dozens of children, all of whom were bound and unconscious. Mentally going through the list Giotto had given him to write the report on, Alaude recognized the faces of the various missing children. Spotting the key, he grabbed it, and began to unlock the chains.
"Don Alaude?" After removing the last chain, Alaude exited the wagon, and faced some of the members of CEDEF.
"Take care of that and the missing children are all in the wagon," Alaude said, gesturing to both the pile of the men he knocked out and the wagon with the children. "I have to go inform Primo." His men nodded. Alaude made to leave when he felt a tug on his coat. Looking down, the young girl pressed a flower into his hand.
"Thank you, Don," she said with a grateful smile. Taken back by the gesture, Alaude nodded, and accepted the flower. With a brisk pace, he headed back for the mansion. He was aware that he was late for the meeting, but at this point, he didn't care.
After grabbing the report, he reached the door of the meeting room, and pushed open the door. Inside, the babble of the guardians ceased. Everyone turned to stare at him, but Alaude ignored them, and walked up to Giotto's desk, and dropped the report on it.
"This is a first," Knuckle muttered.
"I think this is the first time he's been late," Lampo said lazily.
"Why the hell are you so late?" G shouted.
"Relax, I'm sure he has a good reason," Ugetsu Asari said. Daemon Spade just raised an eyebrow.
"Why are so late, Alaude?" Giotto asked, looking at him, concerned. Alaude mentally rolled his eyes.
"I was dealing with this case." The others stared at him.
"You have a lead?" Giotoo asked sharply.
"And there's also a group that's aiming to attack the Vongola." Giotto swore, and stood up.
"First we have the missing children, and now this?" Giotto turned towards G. "G, we need to─" Alaude cut him off.
"There's no need for any action on your part right now." Giotto blinked.
"Why?" he asked, confused.
"I was late for a reason." Alaude turned around, and headed for the door. Asari blinked.
"Does that mean you took care of them?" Alaude gave him a deadpanned look.
"That's a yes," Knuckle translated.
"I'll have the update report for you tomorrow evening," Alaude told Giotto, who nodded. Closing the door behind him, Alaude headed for his room. Pulling the flower out of his pocket, he remembered the grateful smile of the girl. With his lips curled upwards, Alaude made a mental note to hunt down a small vase.