The Vongola Family: the strongest mafia family in Italy. Vongola was created by Vongola Primo, Giotto. The Vongola started as a vigilante group in order to protect civilians from outlaws during Primo's era. At that time, Vongola Primo was accompanied by his seven Guardians.

G., the first-generation Vongola storm guardian. A man with red hair and tattoo on the right side of his face, he was a childhood friend of Giotto and later trusted right-hand man who always sided with Giotto's justice. He and Giotto were the ones who founded and contributed the Vongola Famiglia. He was the fiercest and the most loyal out of Giotto's Guardians. He never once regretted following Giotto's way and always there to help him.

Ugetsu Asari, the first-generation Vongola rain guardian. He was a polite and noble Japanese man who loved music. It was said that his talent in swordsmanship was unrivaled, but he preferred to improve his flute playing rather than his swordsmanship until he heard Giotto was in trouble. He did not hesitate to sell his flute to buy his own swords and fly overseas.

Knuckle, the first-generation Vongola sun guardian. He used to be undefeated boxing champion who wish to reach the title of the strongest until at one match, he accidentally killed his opponent because of his overwhelming power. Afterwards, he quit boxing and followed the path of God, becoming a catholic priest. However, when his family was in great danger, he gave himself three minutes to fight, and protected the family with his body.

Lampo, the first-generation Vongola lightning guardian. He was a spoiled young man with green hair and son of the earth lord. However, despite his cowardice, he was strong enough to fight in frontlines and much like the other Guardians, loyal to Giotto to the point he could never say no to him.

Éclair, the first-generation Vongola snow guardian. She was a young woman with long white hair and blue eyes wearing white dress, known as "Snow Goddess" due to her beauty and intelligence and the little sister of Bertesco Primo of Bertesco Family, one of Vongola's allied Families. She was the only female guardian of Primo Guardians.

Alaude, the first-generation cloud guardian. He was a leader of some secret intelligence from an unknown country and founder of CEDEF, becoming the first Vongola outside advisor. He was a solitary and aloof man who liked to do things with his own way and disliked being affiliated with anyone. However, whenever his justice crossed with Giotto's, he fought harder than anyone else and had compassion towards his comrades more than anyone.

And the last guardian, Daemon Spade, the first-generation mist guardian. He was an aristocrat who was disgusted by degenerate aristocracy who believed that greed and power were absolute justice in mafia world. He was later known as a backstabber and a traitor because of his desire to make Vongola the strongest organization that destroyed others, which was the opposite of Giotto and the other guardians had wanted.

However, amongst these people, there is one person who played an important role even though she was never a guardian herself. She was very close with Giotto and his guardians, especially Daemon. She was one of the reasons behind Giotto's decision to step down as Vongola boss. She was one of the reasons behind Daemon's final betrayal.

All of her records in Vongola were erased for an unknown reason. However, there was still one person who knew of her existence. He could hear the voices of the will of Vongola rings. He had worked for Vongola since Primo's generation until now. He was an old man named, Talbot. However, he never mentioned about her as he knew that she was now reincarnated and became Vongola tenth's mist guardian.

Lacey…she was the little sister of Giotto, even though they were not related by blood. She was a young woman with purple long hair and violet eyes with a habit of blushing that she inherited since her birth. Her foster parents found her abandoned on the street near their house when she was still a baby. Despite the fact that she didn't have any blood relation, Giotto and his parents treated her like a real family. Giotto also became quite attached and protective of her.

Once their parents died, they came across a lot of hardship from many people who shunned them. However, they stuck close together and he vowed to protect her from any danger. After many years had passed, he was able to become stronger and he formed Vongola Family.

However, Lacey realized that he started to become too over-protective. Vongola was seen as a threat by many mafia families and many of them keep sending assassins to eliminate Giotto and his guardians.

To avoid his sister from danger, he locked her inside small house with three floors that could only be opened from outside, located in the forest not far from Vongola HQ. The house was surrounded by barrier that could only be undone by Giotto and his Guardians. She could go outside only when he permitted it and only accompanied by her two pets, a black cat that she named Shocratez and a dog she called Luberth.

The guardians often visited her, especially Éclair. Daemon was an exception. He was seen as dangerous and he never considered Giotto as his boss. That was why Giotto couldn't trust him and never told him about her.

Daemon saw Giotto's softness as a disturbance for his ideal Vongola Family. He wished for the Vongola Family to become the strongest organization, able to destroy others at will: a heavy contradiction of the opinion of the other guardians. Vongola was created for the sake of protecting people and nothing else. If he disliked Giotto, he would surely dislike his sister. That was what all members of Vongola Family thought.

Even though she could understand why her brother had decided to keep her separated from the others, but she could not help but feel lonely and somewhat unhappy at this. Despite the guardians' visits, her heart was still not content and was searching for something.

Something that she was yet to find out…

She could only entertain her heart by playing the harmonica, which she did every day, or by playing with her pets. She was just like the pearl inside of the shellfish.

However, her loneliness ended that day…that meeting…

At that time, Vongola Family was in the middle of war against Deviola Family. Deviola Family had declared war against them as they started to attack four mafia families that allied with Vongola: Bertesco, Shimon, Geigue, and Cavallone Families. Vongola was at a large disadvantage due to an unpredicted move from the enemy. As a result, Giotto and his guardians were constantly busy with their work and rarely visited Lacie. She was lonelier than ever.

Until that person's arrival… after that meeting changed her lonely and isolated life…

oOoOoOo Chapter I: Fateful Meeting oOoOoOo

White House of Vongola

Lacey stepped onto porch with a cup of coffee, the floorboards creaking beneath her bare feet, and leaned against the railing. Lilies sprouted amid the wild grass in what once was a flower bed, and she raised the cup, savoring the aroma as she took a sip.

She liked it there. Even though the house was small, not as big as Vongola mansion, it was hers… a place that she could call her own. It was one of two identical structures located at the end of gravel lane, former hunting cabins with wooden-plank walls, nestled against a grove of oak and pine trees at the edge of the forest. The living room and kitchen were small and the bedroom only had one closet, but it was well furnished, especially with gifts she received from her brother and his five Guardians. Since she'd lived here by herself for years, she'd spent much of her free time on all fours or standing on chairs, playing with her pets, and doing exactly that. Despite having the option of having maids take care of the chores, Lacey insisted that she do it herself.

She scrubbed the bathroom until it sparkled; she washed the ceiling with a damp cloth. She wiped the window with vinegar and spent hours on her hands and knees, trying her best to remove the rust and grime from linoleum in the kitchen. She'd filled holes in the walls with Spackle and then sanded the Spackle until it was smooth. She'd painted the walls in the kitchen a cherry yellow and put glossy white paint on the cabinets. Her bedroom was now pure white, the living room was light beige, and last week she'd put a new slipcover from Ugetsu on the couch, which made it look practically new again.

With most of the work already finished, she liked to sit on the front porch in the afternoons and read books she'd been given by her brother from Vongola's library. Aside from coffee and playing with her pets, reading was her only indulgence.

"Good morning, Lacey." A voice called her out, disrupting her thoughts. She saw Giotto entering the house. "How are you?"

"Good morning, brother. I am fine as usual," she responded as she looked outside the window. "You're going out for a mission again?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied hesitantly. These days, the enemies had becoming more aggressive and brutal on attacking the family. Many of his subordinates died on the battle, which made Giotto and the others busier than usual and almost every day Lacey spent her time alone with her cat and dog. Even though she tried to hide her loneliness, Giotto knew and felt guilty about it.

"Do not worry, Ugetsu, Knuckle, and Éclair will visit you today… I will come here again as soon as my work done…" he promised.

Lacey kept staring outside the window and didn't give any reply. Giotto sighed and left, but not before saying goodbye, despite knowing that she wouldn't respond. She watched him from the window as he left and turned to Sochratez and Luberth, both leaning against her feet. She picked Sochratez up and gave Luberth a pat on his head before returning to her bedroom.

Lacie's Room, White house of Vongola

She sat on her bed reached her free hand to the table to pick a white box. She opened it. Inside, there was a small golden harmonica with a word "Vongola" on it. She began to play her favorite song that she wrote herself.

The music felt blue, but still very beautiful and pleasing to listen to.

"Why is my heart still searching for it?" she asked in her mind. "Searching for something that I do not know yet … And what is this feeling? I feel that something unusual will happen today…"

Living room, 1st Floor, Vongola HQ

G, Ugetsu, and Knuckle were chatting with each other, but they stopped as soon as they realized that Giotto had entered the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Where is Éclair? She was here a while ago," Giotto said.

"She went back to her room. She said that she still had some paperwork to finish," G. answered as he lighted his cigarette.

"How is Lacey? May I visit her now?" Ugetsu asked, for permission. Giotto considered it for a moment and nodded, thinking it was the best time for Ugetsu to meet her since it might cheer her up from his absence.

Ugetsu left, heading towards the white house, excited to see Lacey with white lilies he had brought with him.

Suddenly, not long after Ugetsu had left the room, a butler came in and bowed to Giotto. "Boss Giotto, I believe Lord Daemon will arrive here soon," he informed.

G. and Knuckle seemed surprised by Daemon's arrival. Giotto nodded to the butler before noticing G. and Knuckle's expressions.

"Primo, why would Daemon be here?" G. asked. His face already showed a sign of resentment.

"Since we lost many people from this HQ, I have no choice but to assign Daemon here for a while, just in case something happens while I am not around," Giotto explained, though it was not quite satisfying for Knuckle and G..

"But why HIM out of all people we have?" G. asked again. His tone was beginning to show irritation, and Knuckle tried to calm him down. Giotto sighed tiredly but explained again nonetheless.

"The remaining guardians are still assisting the allied families, and both of you will be busy from now on with me. Daemon is the only one who currently doesn't have anything to do, so I had no other options."

G. groaned but didn't say any more. Giotto, as he turned to leave, said to his guardians, "I have to go now. I'll meet you back here at noon. See you later."

When G. and Knuckle were sure that Giotto was gone, G. punched the wall he was leaning on, releasing his anger.

"I know you don't like the fact that he will be staying here for a while, but just hold it in, okay? We will meet up with Primo again this afternoon, so you won't be meeting him for a while," Knuckle assured, patting G.'s back.

However, just as G. was beginning to calm down, someone opened the main door and it turned out to be none other than the person they were talking about, Daemon. G. was immediately angered again and he scowled by the mist guardian's arrival.

Daemon raised his brow in mild amusement when he saw G.'s "greeting". "Hmm~ what's with that face, G.? It doesn't seem to be a pleasant one to me," Daemon teased with his playful smile.

Knuckle quickly stepped in front of G. and faced Daemon. "Since you are here now, Daemon, Theo will show you the way to your room." Knuckle gestured at Theo, the butler who had first brought the news. G., unsatisfied, interrupted and shot Daemon a straight glare.

"If you're planning to do something bad to Primo, I will promise you that your death will be painful!" he threatened.

This, however, only amused Daemon even more. "Oh my, I'm so scared that I can't even say a word… Nufufufufu…"

G., driven to his wit's end, brought out his gun. "You really want a piece of me?"

Daemon smirked as he materialized his scythe. Realizing that a destructive confrontation would ensue if things continued, Knuckle was about to interrupt until a loud clap caught their attention.

"Both of you stop." Éclair stepped into the room, in just the nick of time. "We do not want to clean the mess of the destruction you two will cause."

Knuckle sighed in relief. It would cost a lot of money to repair the HQ, not to mention two weeks of time, especially since Giotto was not around, if the fight had broken out.

Éclair stood between G. and Daemon. "Put down your weapons. Daemon, we will tell you the rule of this HQ." She turned to Daemon, who had, along with G, withdrawn his scythe.

"And what rule might that be?" he asked, still smirking mischievously.

G. interrupted again. "The small house inside the forest behind the HQ is strictly PROBIHITED and only AUTHORIZED people can enter, got it? If you dare to even try something, then…"

"Then what?"

He twitched angrily. "Then I will personally kick you out of here and-"

Before he could finish his threat, Éclair elbowed him in the chest, silencing him.

"Knuckle, Theo, both of you can escort him to his room now." Knuckle and Theo nodded and then left with Daemon from the room.

Éclair turned to G. who was still rubbing his chest in pain. "I know what you think of him," she told him. "All of us also think the same of him, but getting mad at him not worth your time. Nothing you will gain from it, so control yourself."

G. rubbed his head and began to light his cigarette again, only to be stopped by Éclair.

"What did I tell you about smoking in front of me?" she scolded as she threw the cigarette to the trash bin.

"Yeah, yeah, sorry. I am just worried about Lacey. What if Daemon broke the rule?"

"Ugetsu and I are here, right? So you do not need to worry, we will take care of her. You should concentrate on helping signore. Now that I mentioned it, where is Ugetsu? He was here before I left."

"He went to visit Lacey. I bet they're playing another music duet," G. commented before both of them went back to work.

Guardians' Quarters, second floor, Vongola HQ

"From now on, this is where you will stay," said Knuckle, showing Daemon his room. It was a small room with white wall, a brown table for paper works, white bed for sleep, and wardrobe for clothes. It was clean, and quite comfortable to live in.

"I guess I'll just have to get used to this small room," Daemon mused. He glanced at Knuckle. "By the way, I wish to speak with Primo."

"That will not be necessary. Primo left for a mission not long before your arrival," Knuckle answered.

"Hmm~ is that so? Then, I think I will look around this mansion to familiarize myself with the surroundings," said Daemon. He set down his luggage and turned to leave.

"I will escort you around then-" Theo suddenly whispered something to Knuckle. As he finished, Knuckle sighed and turned to Daemon again. "It seems I still have some work to finish, so I cannot escort you."

"It is fine, I still remember the way out," Daemon replied, and walked off.

Lacie's room, White house of Vongola

As G. had expected, Ugetsu and Lacey were playing a duet of the flute and harmonica. The music they were playing was graceful and beautiful to the ear. However, there was still certain sadness behind the melodies that Lacie played.

"Your skill with the harmonica had increased faster than I thought. You really have the talent to become a musician!" Ugetsu praised.

Lacey blushed and smiled calmly like her brother did. "Thank you for taking time to play with me, Ugetsu. And also for those flowers," she thanked as she glanced at the fresh white lilies in her vase.

Ugetsu smiled back, pleased by her. However, he noticed her sad gaze as she looked out the window. Ugetsu could not help but also feel sad. She was completely isolated from outside world and now even the guardians were busy with their missions and work because of the war declaration a one month ago. Silence filled the room and Ugetsu quickly tried to make start a casual conversation.

"Will you play that song again? The song that you wrote yourself, have you named it yet?" Ugetsu requested, remembering the song that she had written four weeks ago. It was the song that she always played whenever Giotto and his guardians visited, though, mostly when she felt lonely, which was every day.

"Sure, I already named it. The title is "La Perla"" Lacey answered. She picked her harmonica again, about begin playing.

""La Perla"? In Italian it means "The Pearl", right?" Lacey nodded and started to play.

It was the only song that entirely and openly showed her emotions. It was sad, yet it was still comforting.

Vongola Garden, Vongola HQ

Daemon strolled around in the garden full of flowers and other plants, becoming more bored and unpleased by the moment.

"This place doesn't have anything interesting… it's only full of insignificant people," he commented quietly as he looked around. Most people there were maids, butlers, and several of Ugetsu's and Éclair's subordinates.

Without noticing it himself, he walked in the direction of the forest. When he finally realized, he was already in the middle of the forest, turning back to the direction of the HQ until he heard the beautiful sound of music that filled the air with burden and sorrow.

"Harmonica sounds?" he thought and closed his eyes, focusing to listen to the music. Nevertheless, he liked the aesthetically pleasing and beautiful symphonies and decided to follow it. He followed the sound and ended up at a small white house and realized that the music came from inside through the opened window. Then he remembered what G. had told him.

"So this is the house that I'm forbidden from entering? Then the person who playing this music is one of authorized people that G. mentioned?" He rubbed his chin. He noticed a barrier was placed around the house, surrounding it protectively to prevent any outsiders.

Noticing someone's footsteps, he immediately hid himself with an illusion. It turned out to be Theo, who was rushing towards the house, and, dismissing the barrier with his ring, knocked the door. The music stopped at once.

Ugetsu answered and allowed him to open the door. Theo then informed quietly, "Lord Ugetsu, Lord Knuckle wishes to speak with you now."

Ugetsu nodded and went back into the house.

"Ugetsu…? So… he is one of the 'authorized' people? Then, was he the one who played that music? No. He plays flute. He doesn't have experience in playing other instruments as far as I remember… Then who was the one who played it…?"Daemon thought, becoming even more curious.

As Ugetsu left, he dismissed his illusion and approached the house. Producing enough Flames to disguise his own attribute, he walked through the barrier easily. He then noticed that the music started to play again.

"The one who's playing this music is still inside…"

Noticing that the window above was opened, he decided to take a peek through it and climbed a tree nearby. As he almost reached the window, he didn't notice the branch started cracking because of his weight.

Lacey noticed the cracking sound from outside and stopped her music to take a look.

Daemon realized that she was coming, and prepared to hide himself with another illusion. Unfortunately, before he could do so, he tripped from the branch as it could no longer support his weight and he fell.

As he did, his eyes met with a pair of violet ones with sad gaze from the window. He finally hit the ground, though fortunately able to catch his balance seconds before hitting the ground.

"Are you alright?" Lacey asked in concern as she looked down from the window. Daemon looked up, seeing full view of the young woman's face. She had large violet eyes and loosened-purple hair, wearing a simple white gown.

"I'm fine. My hand is only bleeding a bit," he said as he looked down at his injured hand.

Lacey gasped. "It must be hurt. Come up here, I will tend your wound."

Daemon chuckled at this. "Hmm~ usually, you would come down with a medical kit instead telling the injured person to go up," he said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Lacey paused for a second before answering back quite sadly. "The door can only be opened from the outside. I cannot come out…"

After a moment of silence, Daemon decided to do as she said since he was honestly curious about that young woman and her pleasing somber music.

"Just who is this young woman?"