So here's the first chapter of that sequel to my other story, Sinful, that I promised a few of you forever ago. Like I mentioned, it focuses on the Vargas brothers and their story this time around.

You don't have to read Sinful to understand this story. This can be considered as an independent story from Sinful. I hope you guys enjoy this one!

Note: Everyone in the story is speaking Italian unless mentioned otherwise or if their words are italicized.
-Nonno means grandfather in Italian
-Julius Vargas is, of course, Grandpa Rome

Chapter 1

Lovino woke up to the soothing motion of someone petting his hair. He couldn't see their face since he was facing the wall, but he knew it was his grandfather checking up on him before he went to work. Every morning he would do this, which sort of bothered him but at the same time didn't.

"Nonno, I'm trying to sleep." He weakly grumbled as he pulled the covers over his head. His grandfather removed his hand with a chuckle. The mattress creaked as he stood up from the bed and walked to the door, his footsteps echoing throughout the room. The footsteps stopped but there was no sound of the door opening. There was only silence.

Lovino didn't know why his grandfather was hesitating, so he sat up with a huff and sleepily rubbed at his eyes. "Nonno, what's-" He stopped and looked around the room in confusion. It may have ben dark but he was sure that there was no one there. His grandfather had left without him realizing.

That's strange, he thought. He hadn't even heard the door open.

He considered going back to bed, but he no longer felt sleepy so he decided on seeing his grandfather off. Lovino got off from his bed and made his way to the door and opened it. The soft creaking sound it made brought his curiosity back. He wondered why he hadn't heard it before…

The hallway was still dark because the sun hadn't risen yet, but it wasn't terrifying. Lovino made his way through without any problem and went down the stairs to the living room.

"Ah, Lovi!" His grandfather greeted him with a smile as he fumbled over his tie. "Good morning! What are you doing up early?"

"You woke me up." Lovino yawned. His grandfather looked puzzled.

"Did I? I didn't know you could hear me from upstairs.."

"It was when you came up." Lovino grumbled. "You woke me up when you were touching my hair."

At this Julius frowned. "But I haven't been up there…yet…" His words trailed off and something Lovino couldn't identify passed through his eyes. "Lovino, where's your cross?"

"In my bedroom."

"Remember to where it at all times. Feliciano, too." His grandfather gave him a smile. "It keeps the ghosts away."

Lovino nodded. "Okay, nonno. Are you leaving soon?"

"Sí." Julius's gaze softened at the look of disappointment his grandson wore. "I will be back before dinner, like always. Bella should be here at nine for your and Feli's lessons. Be nice to her okay?"

"I'm always nice to her!" Lovino protested. His grandfather laughed and ruffled his hair fondly. He gave Lovino one last hug, his eyes trembling only slightly as they moved up and down his grandson's back.

"Be good Lovino." He whispered. "And take care of your brother. Always be there for each other. I love the both of you so much, never forget that."

"Nonno?" Lovino blinked. What had gotten into his grandfather?

"Ah, sorry Lovi. My mind is in a different place right now. Why don't you go have breakfast while I say goodbye to your brother, sí?"

Lovino nodded and headed to the kitchen. He had taken only a few bites of his cereal when his grandfather came into the kitchen. "Well, I'm off." He kissed Lovino on his forehead and looped his cross around his neck. "Don't forget to wear it. I love you."

"I love you, too."

His grandfather gave him one last lingering smile before leaving. Lovino watched as he munched on his cereal, not knowing that would be the last time he would see his grandfather alive.

Lessons always took the majority of the morning and part of the afternoon, much to the exasperation of both Lovino and Feliciano. However, they never complained (much anyway) since Bella and her brother Lars always made it interesting- well, Bella did anyways but Lars could be fun at times, too.

The best part about Bella and Lars though, was that they would sometimes reward the two brothers with a special treat after lessons. It would always motivate Feliciano to get through his lessons without falling asleep.

Fortunately for them, today was one of those days.

When the last of their lessons were over and Bella had triple checked that they understood everything, she smiled at them and turned to her brother. "I think they did a really good job today, don't you Lars?"

Lars looked at the hopeful faces of Lovino and Feliciano and huffed in amusement. "I suppose so."

"I think they deserve a treat." Bella's smile widened as she winked at the two boys. "How does a cake sound?"

"Magnifico!" Feliciano beamed and hugged his brother. "We're having cake Lovi! Isn't that great?"

"Yeah." Lovino smiled slightly, also excited about eating one of Bella's delicious homemade cakes.

"We have to save some for nonno so he can have some when he comes back!" Feliciano added. "He loves your cakes Bella!"

Bella laughed, a slight tint of red on her cheeks from being complimented. "Sure thing. Now, who wants to help me shop for the ingredients?"

It didn't take long to gather all the necessary ingredients. Most of them they already had. Lars was subjected to holding the paper bag full of ingredients while Bella teasingly told him that she would be willing to help him if he asked nicely. This got her a flick on the forehead, much to her annoyance.

Lovino and Feliciano were a bit farther ahead. Lovino had to occasionally pull his younger brother away from a shop that was too far for his liking, Feliciano pouting every time. Bella, taking pity on him, took Feliciano inside one of the stores while Lovino and Lars stayed outside.

After several minutes, Lovino began to grow bored and looked around a random street for anything exciting. He couldn't see anything though because of the large group of people in the street. Curious, he tugged on Lars' sleeve. "Why are there so many people there?"

Lars followed where Lovino was pointing, eyes widening slightly. He put the groceries down and quickly told Lovino to stay put before he ran in the direction of the people. Lovino stared after him, wondering what had happened to get Lars so panicked.

Just as he was about to go after him, someone bumped into him. Lovino was brought back to reality and turned to the boy who had run into him.

"Perdón!" The boy smiled apologetically. The unfamiliar language took Lovino aback. "No estaba prestando atención de donde estába caminando."

"Um, it's okay." Lovino responded, understanding that the boy was apologizing. "Just…watch where you're going."

The boy grinned, his green eyes twinkling mischievously. "I will."

"Ah!" Lovino angrily pointed at the boy. "You do speak Italian!"

"A bit." The boy laughed. "I'm Antonio. Y usted?"

"…Lovino…"

"It's nice to meet you Lovi!" Antonio giggled before running off. He stopped and turned to Lovino, his expression a bit more serious than before. "Lovino?"

"What?" He snapped.

"Let's be friends one day, sí?" Before he could question the sudden statement, Antonio cheerfully waved goodbye and ran out of sight.

Lovino stared after him, wondering why there was a sudden feeling of unease in his chest.

When Bella let them help in baking, the tasks were always divided the same way. Feliciano would decorate while Lovino would mix the ingredients. Of course, Bella would put the batter in and take the cake out an hour later. Lars would supervise and would sometimes step into the kitchen to make sure the cake had not over cooked. He also had to swat away any hands that tried touching the cake before it was ready to be eaten, which was much easier said than done.

When the last swirl had been frosted onto the cake's surface, the sun had already begun to set. Lovino and Feliciano stared at it with a mixture of pride and hunger.

"Not yet you two." Bella chided, playfully smacking away the boys' hands from the cake. "Don't you want to wait until your grandpa comes home? I'd bet he'd really like a slice after a hard day at work."

Lovino and Feliciano looked at each other and then back at Bella. "Okay." They said simultaneously.

"Good boys." Bella laughed and ruffled both their heads. Only Lovino grumbled at this but he was ignored. "How 'bout we go to the living room and play a game while we wait?" As the two opened their mouths to answer, there was a knock on the door. "Lars, can you get that?" Lars said nothing and silently went over to the front door. Lovino couldn't hear who it was, but the bad feeling he had felt earlier returned tenfold. The urge to tell Feliciano to go upstairs and hide overwhelmed him to the point that he almost didn't hear Lars' cry of shock.

Bella immediately ran to where her brother was, Feliciano quick behind her. Lovino hesitated for a few seconds but ultimately followed.

Lovino reached the front door just as Bella screamed. Her and Lars were covering the opening so Lovino and Feliciano couldn't see anything. Lovino knew something was outside, something that was making two grown adults pale white. As he was going to ask them what was happening, Bella sobbed out something that made Lovino's blood run cold- his grandfather's name.

Feliciano raced forward with Lovino not far behind. Together they broke through the wall Bella and Lars had made. It took the two adults exactly six seconds to realize it, but that was enough.

Time seemed to stop.

A few meters away from the front porch, lying on the pathway to the gate, was their grandfather. His body was on its back, displaying his ripped up stomach and chest clearly. Intestines and blood were spilled all around him with deep, claw-like marks deeply embedded into his body. His eyes, now a milky color, were as wide as his mouth was, as if he was still feeling an agonizing pain even after death.

The stench of blood and death were so prominent in the air that Lovino gagged. Feliciano threw up. They both made a run for their grandfather's body, but Lars had caught them before they could. Tears were streaming down both their faces when Lars dragged them back into the house and slammed the door shut.

Lovino dropped to the floor and reached out for his brother. They clung to each other all night, the cake stayed in the kitchen completely forgotten.

The funeral was six days later.

Dressed in their best Sunday clothes and clinging to the other's hand, Lovino and Feliciano watched as their grandfather- wearing a suit they were not aware he had worn on his wedding day- was lowered into the ground in the plain wooden coffin they had barely been able to afford. Feliciano had not stopped crying since the night they found their grandfather outside their home, though he was silent now. His voice had long since gone out from screaming so much.

Lovino was in a similar state except he was silent by choice. Unlike his younger brother he had not spoken since that night, choosing to silently cry and hold his brother instead. Bella had tried countless times to get him to utter something but in vain. Lovino would not speak because he knew he would end up as hysterical as his brother. As much as he wanted to cry and shout about how unfair everything was, he couldn't. The promise he made with his grandfather the last time Lovino saw him rang in his head like a mantra. He was the eldest and had a responsibility to protect Feliciano now that their grandfather was unable to. Even if that meant he had to pretend that he wasn't breaking apart inside, then so be it.

Still, Lovino couldn't help but to give in to a bit of his despair as the casket was closed. No one noticed his choked sobs as most people were attempting to pull Feliciano up from where he was attempting to jump down into the hole. Lovino did his best to dry his tears and went over to embrace his brother.

"He didn't even say goodbye." Feliciano rasped out, clinging to his brother as his life depended on it.

It was getting increasingly difficult for Lovino to force down his tears. "He didn't say goodbye." He repeated. He desperately hoped that Feliciano had not noticed the tears soaking his hair or how his hands trembled as he held him closer.

Lovino and Feliciano were left alone after the procession ended. Bella and Lars were waiting for them in the car, all the way on the other side of the church grounds. Feliciano was draped over the freshly put gravestone while Lovino was on his knees and trying his best not to break down. They didn't speak to each other, but their hands were clasped tightly together. For Feliciano, it was a form of comfort. For Lovino, it was what was the only thing keeping him grounded.

They didn't know how long they had been there until a pair of footsteps came up to them. Lars kneeled down besides them and placed a makeshift bouquet in front of the grave. The flowers were all the same- all of them had five bright yellow petals that reminded Lovino of a halo. There had always been a batch of those flowers in their house. Their grandfather had always said they were his favorite flowers. That was why they had also outlined the inside of the casket.

"It's almost sundown." Lars spoke quietly. "We should go and get you two settled in."

"No!" Feliciano hugged the gravestone tighter. "Let's stay a bit more, nonno will get lonely if we leave now!"

"Feli…" Lovino started. Feliciano looked him in the eye and he almost began crying again. He didn't want to leave either, but it was beginning to become dark and neither of them had brought coats. "We'll visit nonno tomorrow."

"But Lovi-!"

"He wouldn't want us to get sick because of him." It was a low blow and he knew it, but it worked. Feliciano shut his mouth and looked at the gravestone. After a moment, he rubbed his red eyes and gave a watery smile to his brother.

"You're right. Let's go."

Lovino took his hand and they followed Lars out of the cemetery. All three of them were unaware of the figure watching them with a devious grin.

Can anyone guess the name of the flower mentioned?