Title: Thief of Hearts
Summary: Tsuna was fourteen when he became the Tenth boss of all thieves. Now seventeen, the young Decimo is given the toughest target: Giotto Vongola, the leader of the world's greatest famiglia. G27
Pairings: G27 and Various others
Rating: T (Just in case)
Disclaimer: I do not own the great KHR—the awesomeness that belongs to Amano Akira-sensei. If I did, it would've been a yaoi.
AN: This is my first KHR story. I apologize for any grammatical or spelling errors which I do my best to avoid.
There are a few points people may want to know:
1. Tsuna is seventeen, almost eighteen. Giotto has just turned twenty-one.
2. Since the story is an AU, the timeline is pretty messed up. Even I have some doubts on the time period.
***G27***
Chapter 1: The Tenth Pearl
By: Technotonic
***G27***
The natural beauty of Venice was nowhere to be seen as the darkness of the night hid it completely. The canals were calm and quiet—the only sounds came from the chilled wind. It was a lonely midnight with few nocturnal critters who roamed freely. The stillness of the water was only disturbed with the mysterious entrance of a gondola. It stopped as it reached its port.
A young lad no older than twenty gently stood up as he paid the gondolier a hefty amount. His spiked, brown hair blew against a small gust of wind, and he closed his eyes, breathing in. Slowly strolling along, he made his way towards his next destination. His steps were soft and almost silent, as if he were lightly floating against the hard floor. His large, brown eyes twinkled under a single ray of moonlight.
He walked until he stood in front of a large, gray building of gothic architecture. The young boy pulled out a piece of yellow, lined paper from the pocket of his overcoat, reading the contents carefully. From another pocket, he took out a lighter and burned the little note. He gave the building a general scan, taking in the crucial details of his surroundings.
He was at the right place. It was time to put his plan into action.
There weren't many obstacles—except the besieging walls were sturdy, made probably of some type of stone, and were over seven feet tall. The boy, only around 166 centimeters tall, pouted. Climbing the walls would've been easy if there hadn't been surveillance cameras at the top. Not that it scared the young boy—he just didn't want to attract any attention.
The boy only had one choice left. He took out a hat and smoothed out his disheveled hair. Popping in some orange contacts, he walked away silently, heading for the main entrance. His expression was calm as he conversed effortlessly with a lone bodyguard who was stationed in the front.
"Signor, I'm afraid I cannot let you in without an invitation." The bodyguard said civilly, his voice full of sincerity, "I'm truly sorry."
The boy, apparently unfazed, gave the older man a light pat on the back before waving the matter off good naturedly. "It seems like Madame Cozza is busy tonight. No worries, I'll come visit her another day."
The Cozza Famiglia was a prominent dynasty within Venice who had many connections with both influential politicians and Underworld bosses. At the head of the family was the powerful Madame Alessia Cozza, rumored to be a first cousin of the "Boss of all Bosses", Giotto Vongola. Her assets were valued to be over a billion in Euros which she used often to fund her artistic collections. She had paintings of almost every renowned artist in the world, and one particular picture—The Ten Pearls—was custom made by the virtuoso artist, Geppetto Lorenzini.
Seventy-two million. The boy felt slightly dizzy every time he thought of the vast amount of glory he would make with the prized painting in his possession. He could retire at his young age of seventeen with enough money for his next, ten generations.
He could return to Japan.
He couldmarry Sasagawa Kyoko…
Yes, the painting was of utmost priority.
"Signor," the bodyguard spoke in a somewhat awkward tone, "if you don't mind, I must go back to my post."
The boy laughed. "Sure, sure. I'm just waiting."
"W-waiting?" the bodyguard asked hesitantly, suspicion finally entering his deep voice. He was about to grab the young boy's shoulders until his legs gave in, flopping like jelly. His vision started to blur, and after a few second, faded into blackness. "Y-you—"
The bodyguard was no longer a problem.
"It's an anesthetic—I gave you a low dosage," the brown haired boy stated as he gave the bodyguard another pat, "See? You probably won't remember anything when you wake up, but someone's bound to notice your absence."
The boy shrugged, "Oh well, I guess I just have to do this super fast."
***G27***
Leonardo was utterly bored to death as he looked at his silver watch for the time. It was around midnight, but the party of Madame Cozza had only started. By this time, the guests were all assembled in the Cozza Mansion, and there was nothing left for Leonardo to patrol for. No one was stupid enough to infiltrate a damned mafia headquarters. He started to walk towards the main gate where his colleague, Guido, was supposedly guarding.
Leonardo wanted to do nothing more but to sleep—he decided to do so as he saw Guido slumped in his seat, oblivious to the entire world. Leonardo scowled. The idiot didn't even stir when his head made contact with Leonardo's shoe. He gave the other man a few more nudges before giving up.
"I thought you were supposed to guard the main entrance."
Guido spewed a few incomprehensible murmurs before snoring once again.
Kicking his sleeping colleague from the chair, Leonardo covered his grey eyes with a hat. He wasn't going to patrol alone—money and duty should be divided equally. The man smirked as he dreamed of the next day where he meets his girlfriend and paycheck.
***G27***
"My, my. Hiding from the ladies, my cousin?" A rich, sultry voice of a voluptuous women cooed, her slender arms wrapping around the torso of a handsome, golden-haired man. Her eyes caught on a flash of red and she hissed, "By the way, your possessive Storm Guardian is looking for you."
Giotto Vongola sighed at his cousin's own possessive antics. "Let's go see what G wants."
Alessia pouted, her cheeks puffed in an adorable way, "You can't keep the ladies waiting, Giotto." She stood up to follow her favorite cousin, "They've been waiting long enough."
"For the last time, Alessia," the blond groaned, visibly annoyed, "I'm not getting married."
"Maybe not now, but you will." Alessia stated in a determined manner, hands on her hips, "The Vongola isn't the only priority in the world."
"They're my family." Giotto said as he took out a golden watch—the symbol of the Vongola friendship—and gave a small smile. "Besides, I'm in no hurry—I'm only twenty-one."
"That's right!" His cousin exclaimed, as if surprised that he voiced one of her reasons, "You're still young! You should be enjoying life! When I was your age I—"
"You had every man wrapped around your finger." G, Giotto's childhood friend and right-hand-man, snarled with distaste. "Not everyone is as evil as you."
Alessia stuck out her tongue as she narrowed her eyes at the intruder, "Why, if it isn't our resident pinkhead? Unfortunately, you aren't part of this conversation. Back off."
"Alessia." Giotto spoke sternly before turning to his right-hand-man, "You need me, G?"
The redhead nodded, "According to Alaude's most recent report, the Trevino Famiglia is choosing to attack the Cozza Mansion at around one o'clock. Mainly, only the Contadino Famiglia is aiding them though they might have some support from the Merino Famiglia."
Giotto scowled at this information. His Hyper Intuition was acting up, and he felt a strange, ominous premonition accompany the bad news. "How many?"
"They have around a hundred men on their side." G spoke calmly, "I have already readied my men. The VIPs have been informed too. They've agreed to cooperate."
"Remember," The boss said solemnly, his sapphire eyes flickered into a deep orange as he reached for his gloves, "No one must be hurt."
G nodded before leaving.
"How bold of the Trevino Boss," Alessia shook her head. "Ruining my precious party—he sure has the guts."
Her cousin softly chucked, "You can always join if you wish."
"Hah, Gio is more than enough to whip Trevino's old ass. No thanks."
Taking a quick look at his golden watch once more, Giotto closed his eyes.
"It's time."
***G27***
After disabling all of the cameras and reprogramming them, the young thief blatantly toured the magnificent house. Having the entire layout of the mansion memorized, he slowly made his way towards the main gallery where Madame Cozza's most prized treasures were stored and locked.
The boy inwardly scoffed as he came to a stop—the Cozza Matriarch was paranoid enough to use an extensive amount of lasers sensors. Not that he was unprepared, and after a few minutes of struggle to decode and deprogram the system, he walked as quietly as ever. So far, so good.
He continued to search for The Ten Pearls and was both discouraged and annoyed after a fifteen minute hunt. According to his client, the painting was undoubtedly hung in the main gallery's Blue Room and was placed at the end near a small window. The boy frowned. It was most definitely not there—there weren't even traces that the missing painting's existence. He circled the room once more before heading out, feeling defeated and cheated.
"He must have lied." The thief gritted his teeth. "Man, I'm really mad now."
He looked around the room to find anything else worth taking, but nothing could merit to the previous target. He spotted a set of seven rings—made of some precious gems—and decided to take it. They had an odd wing pattern and were of different colors corresponding to a rainbow. The young boy shoved them into a pocket in his overcoat before leaving. It looked valuable.
As he relocked the rooms and rebooted the useless security systems, the young thief heard a few muffled whispers and the sounds of clanking weapons. He turned his eyes slightly to the direction of the noise before catching the sight of a large, silver revolver.
"Hiie!"The boy cried in surprised and stumbled onto his back. He quickly muted his voice as he eavesdropped.
"The First Unit has already arrived at Point C. All we need to do is wait for the Second Unit and the Boss's command." A senior officer spoke to three or four underlings who nodded in affirmation.
"Should we head in with the Fourth Unit? They have security cameras here, after all."
"Don't worry, they're probably too caught up with the party—even the two guards in the front were sleeping peacefully." The Captain laughed, "They won't even know what hit them! Damn Vongola."
The young boy shifted his head in shock and swiftly made his way out of the room. He needed to hurry if he didn't want to be caught up in the frenzy. He frowned as he continued to absorb the leaked information. He had no idea the Vongola Famiglia were also present at the Cozza Soiree. His information network was showing to be extremely flawed—he would need to talk to Irie very soon.
"Hiiiie!"
Pondering as he exited out, the young boy fell as he slammed into a tall, blond man who had a large flame flickering at the top of his head. The boy, flabbergasted, couldn't even utter an apology as he hit against a wall. Immediately, his hands went to his bruising head.
"Oww…"
"I'm sorry." The tall man spoke in a soft voice that was both genuine and refined, "Are you all right?"
The boy was about to speak until he started gawking at the Boss of all Bosses, Giotto Vongola, the leader of the greatest famiglia in the world. "Hiiiie!"
Giotto furrowed his eyebrows, concerned. "Are you—"
"V-vongola!" The boy pointed, obviously not thinking clearly. He was desperately flailing his hands until his left hand burned against Giotto's Dying Will Flame, "Gaaah, fire!"
The Vongola Boss quickly extinguished his flames, hoping not to hurt the boy anymore. After a few moments, the boy seemed to recollect himself and was blushing madly.
"Ughh, I'm sorry about that."
"It's fine, it was my fault that I bumped into you."
"N-no, it was clearly my fault. I'm very, very, very sorry."
"Are you alright now?"
"Y-yeah, I think so."
The young thief quickly made his exit—he was becoming uncharacteristically clumsy. He frowned as he remembered the last time he acted like an idiotic klutz. That was when he was around twelve and notoriously known as "No Good". He thanked the Vongola Boss for his help until his back crashed into another tall man with flaming red hair and a ridiculous, facial tattoo. He landed on the ground with a sickening thud.
"Hiiie!"
"What's with this brat?"
"G." The Boss said in a reproachful manner. He turned his attention to the ailing boy once again, "I'm sorry—are you—"
The boy was unconscious.
Giotto sighed as he gently carried the slumped brunet in his arms. The boy's head rested peacefully against the Vongola Boss's neck, and Giotto found the soft, light breathing to be comforting. The younger boy was unnaturally underweight and had almost no muscular structure. Giotto felt himself relax as he breathed in the scent of the boy, his Hyper Intuition starting to act up. He didn't know what the feeling was—it was odd and one he had never felt before.
It sort of felt like… bliss.
***G27***
There were only a few, basic points about Giotto Vongola, the Boss of all Bosses.
The first was that the blond was the leader and founder of the greatest famiglia in existence. The Vongola would not have prevailed if not for the strength of the Guardians and the ultimate Sky Boss. The legendary famiglia was known for its unorthodox ways—members came from all social background and were treated all the same way. In the Vongola, one could be completely accepted under the protection of the far-reaching Sky. Giotto was open-minded and ever forgiving.
The Vongola Boss was also unquestionably handsome which worked wonders in the Mafia world where looks were deceitful and decisive. No one had thought a young teenager who had formed something as stupid as a vigilante group would really merit to anything. No one paid attention as the Vongola grew until it was forced to be acknowledged. Giotto was cunning and resolute.
Lastly, Giotto had the world's most powerful perception which had been dubbed as Hyper Intuition. It never failed, and he was able to make crucial decisions with the power of judgment and observation. It helped him to find loyal supporters, told him who to trust, and gave him absolute authority within the influential famiglia.
But whenever his gaze fell upon the sleeping boy, Giotto couldn't determine what exactly he was feeling—dread or relief. His Hyper Intuition was screaming for him to decide.
The Boss sighed. He didn't have the luxury to continue pondering and stood up abruptly when his Cloud Guardian entered quietly. The lone Frenchman gave off an emotionless glance, but Giotto could tell the difference. Something bad had happened.
"The Mare Rings have been stolen." Alaude said in a perfectly even voice, "Some of Trevino's men are stationed near the gallery—we're assuming that they've taken the rings."
Giotto frowned. "The Mare Rings? What can they possibly do with those rings?"
"It hasn't been confirmed yet, but they may have found the owner."
"But only the ring chooses it owner…"
The taller man was silent, scrutinizing an unconscious boy before speaking again. "Your orders?"
"The safety of the guests comes first." Giotto spoke slowly, "We'll look into the Mare Rings after we bring Trevino down."
"Understood." The Cloud Guardian said, his eyes trailing back to the unknown guest. Without words, he voiced his question with a single stare.
"I have no idea," Giotto sighed. "He's a guest—most likely a relative of one of the famiglias. I bumped into him accidently, and he was knocked unconscious."
Alaude gave a curt nod before heading out. The Vongola Boss eyes went back to the young boy who was sound asleep. His Hyper Intuition resumed its anxiety. A small knock was heard, and Giotto was brought back to reality by his cousin, Alessia.
"I cannot believe that Trevino stole my Mare Rings Collection!" Alessia exclaimed, rage edged into her pretty face. Her sapphire eyes dilated as she sashayed into the room with her usual flair, "I'm going to kill that bastard!"
Giotto groaned, "It certainly isn't good if the Trevino Famiglia is in possession of the Mare Rings."
"Pssh, the Mare Rings aren't the problem—we have the Vongola Rings, after all." The brown haired woman rolled her eyes, hands on her hips, "What I can't comprehend is how in the world an idiot like Trevino can break into my precious gallery?
Her cousin snorted, unable to contain his amusement, "Maybe he hired a thief."
Alessia's eyes were filled with anger. She grabbed Giotto by the collar and hauled him up from the couch, beady orbs flaring. "I didn't pay all those millions just for a stupid thief to prove me wrong."
Giotto apologized quickly—a woman like Alessia could be more intimidating that an army of Mafiosi.
"You better bring back those Mare Rings—I actually liked them. They were expensive."
The Vongola Boss swiftly nodded as if by instinct. His cousin's attention was brought to an unknown boy who was occupying both her room and her favorite couch. She scowled.
"What's with this boy?" She boomed, moving closer to further inspect the sleeping boy. Her eyes twitched slightly, "Who's he? He isn't on my guest list."
"Huh?" Giotto frowned, "Not on—"
He stopped mid-question to recompose his thoughts.
Was this why he felt unease with the young boy? He shook his head when his Hyper Intuition gave him a rebuttal. Somehow, he felt as if he was misunderstanding the situation.
"The party was only bait for the Trevino," Alessia spoke solemnly, "There shouldn't have been any small fry Mafioso invited—only the big shots came."
"Well," Giotto said, scratching his head in a hesitant manner, "There's only one way to find out. I'll wait until he wakes up."
"Hurry," Alessia urged, worry etched in her eyes as she walked out.
Her cousin just stared at the sleeping form, contemplating.
***G27***
The young boy, who was only pretending to be sleeping, couldn't help but shudder when he heard the click of the closing door. The conversations he had overheard had fully enabled him into a panic mode. He could hear his heart's irregular beats and feel the pulse vibrating his entire body into numbness.
He needed to escape ASAP—it was really a situation of life and death. The young boy knew from experience that the mafia should not be disturbed. They can be teased, kicked a bit, but there was a certain line that should not be crossed. Impending doom for him and his next, ten generations was imminent. He cursed at his terrible luck.
According to his eavesdropped information, he had become the official target of both the Vongola and Trevino Famiglias. He had no doubt that the strange set of rings that occupied his coat pocket was the rumored "Mare Rings". He was only thankful that the Vongola were not paranoid enough to search their uninvited guest.
He shuddered again—the Boss of all Bosses was paying too much attention to the young boy face. The Vongola Boss's eyes had lain on the brunet's face seven times. The boy felt himself flush a deeper red each time. He could not hold his act up for much longer. Slowly, his eyes opened up, revealing a soft hue of orange.
The Vongola Boss immediately went to the brunet's side, "Are you okay?"
Keeping his act together, the boy rubbed his head and eyes, "Y-yeah. I think I've rest enough. Thank you, but I'll take my leave now."
He was so close—so, so close as he made his way toward the door—until he was pulled back down by the taller man. However, the young boy did not falter and turned only halfway around.
"Y-yes?"
Giotto's eyes looked down at the floor, "I'm sorry to ask, but since you're not on the guest list—who are you?"
Straight to the point. The young thief grimaced though he was prepared, "I-I'm sorry, but I'm not a guest. I'm just a bodyguard—my name's Guido."
He took out an ID and handed it gingerly to the Vongola Boss. There was no picture, but the identification was legitimate. He was left to ponder, and the young boy opened his mouth for permission to leave. Apologizing again, Giotto handed back the bodyguard's ID until his cousin came crashing in. She was holding a gun.
"Hiiiie!"
"Giotto, everyone's ready—" Alessia stopped, her eyes instantly shifting to the poor brunet, "So, who's he?"
"Guido," Her cousin said, "one of your patrolmen."
Her eyes narrowed, and the young boy trembled. Women's intuition was probably second to Hyper Intuition.
"I thought you were supposed to guard the main entrance."
"A-ah, I-I was until I found a group of strange men." The young boy said. He scratched his head sheepishly, "I decided to follow them—Leonardo fell asleep."
Madame Cozza fumed, "Tell me about them."
The young boy gave them a brief description of the Trevino man. He told them about the First and Second Units who were based near the gallery. "They took an awful long time in there and came out with a large, glass box with seven rings. I was going to report back but…"
The young boy nervously ruffled his hair as his eyes met the Vongola Boss's sapphire orbs.
Alessia started to shake, her wrath unable to be contained, "Damn that Trevino. I underestimated him."
Giotto nodded gravely, "Thank you, Guido. Your information was very useful."
"N-no, no. I was just doing my job," the young thief said, "I'll take my leave now."
He quickly ran away to the nearest exit.
***G27***
Giotto wasn't quite sure why his Hyper Intuition was still alert when he took down the entire Trevino Famiglia. It was alarming him to some unknown detail, and it quietly irked the Vongola Boss. It was a complete loss for the Trevino Boss who was slumped in a chair in front of Giotto, admitting his utter defeat. The older man had his palms covering his beaten face when he heard the light footsteps of his captor. He gave no response.
"Hey, old man!" G, the right-hand-man of the Vongola Boss, spoke harshly, "Show some respect for the Primo!"
"G, I'll handle it from here."
G, still angry, only nodded as he stood by his boss. "The bastard wouldn't tell me."
The Vongola Boss took a seat in front of the former Trevino Boss and gently tapped the elder man's shoulder. The older Mafioso stirred only a little, eyes gazing into sapphire emptily.
"Signor Trevino," Giotto's voice was strong and deep, "for the sake of your famiglia, please tell me where the Mare Rings are."
Trevino's hoarse voice cracked, "S-stop, I've lost. I'm no longer Trevino, no longer boss."
Giotto shook his head, "That's not true. Even when defeated, people always climb upwards, Signor Trevino. You can always start over."
"I betrayed our alliance," Trevino scoffed with no ill intentions. "You're too forgiving, Primo."
"Old bastard, you should be thankful that Primo actually cares for your stupid feelings."
"G."
"Humph."
"I-I don't know." Trevino said, "My intentions weren't the Mare Rings."
"I've heard you say that over and over." G spat, "Just tell us where it is and you can go dig your grave."
"G," Giotto warned. He continued, "Signor Trevino, you and I know that the Mare Rings are dangerous. Please tell us where they are."
The old man moaned. "I told you, I don't know. I'm not lying."
Indeed, Giotto frowned when his Hyper Intuition confirmed the Trevino Boss's truth. He had finally found out the reason for his stress—he was completely fooled.
"What? Don't tell me you believe him, Giotto. You can't possibly—"
"Intuition, G, intuition."
"You abuse that word way too much." His childhood friend glowered. He quickly turned to the former boss, "Hey, old man? Have anything else to add?"
As the two bickered in the background, Giotto's Hyper Intuition finally cleared up. He smirked as he had been right all along.
"A thief, huh?"
***Fin***
Foot Notes:
—Gondola—
A traditional, Venetian rowboat. You can read the manga Aria by Amano Kozue.
—Signor—
"Mister" in Italian. (According to Google Translate)
—Cozza—
One of the three commonly used clams in Italian cuisine. The other two are Vongola and Tellina.
—The Boss of All Bosses—
In Italian: "Capo di Tutti Capi".