Good lord, it's been a while since I've uploaded anything. I've had a hell of a writer's block, plus I've been doing stuff for school and other things. _ _

I haven't forgotten about my other fics. I'm just not really sure where I want to go with them right now. So for now, I'm just writing whatever I feel like, since forced writing tends to suck.

But here is my latest fic. I've kinda become obsessed with Assassin's Creed. _ _ This is, like everything else that I write, just for the hell of it. Enjoy~

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Assassin's Creed, or any characters affiliated with the game. Although, if I did, I would so call dibsies on Ezio. 3

The Silence in Between

Chapter One: Rain of Change

It was raining again. Lyn sighed as she peered out from under the overhang, scowling at the dark skies. This was the third day in this week alone. Sure, when she had moved up north, she had been expecting foul weather, but nothing this bad. Perhaps she simply wasn't used to the weather yet. Living in the more arid climate of the south, she had grown accustomed to drier weather. It would just take some getting used to.

But as she stared at the drizzling rain, she could already feel her mood souring. And here she had gone to all the trouble of straightening her hair today. Tugging a hairband out of her messenger bag, she quickly tied her now-curling vibrant red hair back in a messy bun. So much for trying to look nice. Laughing quietly to herself, Lyn tugged a too-big black hoodie over her head, letting the baggy hood shadow the top half of her face. Since she was still terrible at catching a cab, she would just walk home. Slipping her earbuds in, she cranked up her music and shoved her hands into her pockets before stepping out into the rain.

She quickly cast her eyes down as she walked, focusing on the sidewalk rather than the people around her. It was a bad habit she had gotten herself into in high school. She had always been rather anti-social, but her father's death had sealed her off from the world. Now she remained cold and detached, preferring to blend with the crowd rather than stand out. But she wasn't really concerned with her social problems at the moment.

…Fifty-eight… Fifty-nine… Sixty.

Sixty steps to the first light. Lyn kept her gaze on the ground, counting the seconds silently as she waited for the crossing signal to turn green. Thirty seconds passed before the other people began to move, sweeping Lyn along with them.

…One hundred and twenty-five… One hundred and twenty-six…

Lyn continued to watch her steps, weaving her way quickly through the crowd. Only ten more steps to go until she crossed another street. Then it was only a block or so until her apartment. She paused at the light, waiting to see what the people around her did. Most of them continued walking, so she too hurried across the street. Her music still blaring, she almost didn't hear the screech of tires. Glancing up, she saw a car hurtling toward her, wheels spinning on the wet pavement. Her mind momentarily went blank before she leapt back, staggering out of the way in the nick of time. The car finally came to a halt, other people around her murmuring in surprise and shock. Lyn's heart still hammered in her chest as she stared down at her now-soaked pant legs. Had she reacted just a few seconds later, and she would have been a pancake. Shaking her head, she trudged off, bitterly wondering why everyone was so damn concerned with the car, rather than her. After all, she was the one who had almost been hit…

Dammit, now she had lost count. Sighing, Lyn let her mind wander as she walked, not really focusing on anything as she walked robotically forward. The rain pattered down on her hood, beating out a melodic rhythm that matched the song she was listening to. Finally, the playlist came to an end, bringing with it an eerie silence. Lyn came to a halt, tugging her earbuds out and pocketing them.

It was then that she realized that the street had changed. What had once been solid concrete was now cobblestone and dirt. None of the city streets were like that… Frowning, Lyn raised her eyes, wondering where she was.

The sight she was met with made her mind go blank.

The bland city street had transformed into a colorful Renaissance alley. The gray concrete apartments were gone, replaced by tan buildings with red tile roofs. Large windows dotted the sides of the houses, most of which had a garden box of some sort. Brightly colored flags hung from bannisters and ropes, hanging limply in the absence of wind.

But what alarmed Lyn the most was the people. A few people scurried back and forth along the street, presumably trying to get out of the rain. Their attire, however, reminded her of a Shakespearian play. Dresses and boots and baggy shirts with fluffy wrist cuffs… And the ones she could hear talking were speaking a foreign language.

Lyn stared for a moment, rooted to the spot. Finally, once her brain had regained some control, she managed to utter one phrase.

"What the fuck?"

"Another dead end. Great."

Lyn cursed under her breath, scowling at the wall as if she could vaporize it with just her mind. She had been wandering around this city for the past couple of hours, and she still didn't know where she was. She had seen a couple canals along her way, but every time she stopped to ask people where she was, they stared at her in horror and wouldn't say a word.

Lyn vaguely wondered if there was something on her face.

Growling angrily, she crossed her arms and kicked at a loose cobblestone. She quickly assembled the things she did know in her head. One, she appeared to be somewhere in Italy. The garbled bits of talk she had overheard sounded remotely like the random phrases she remembered from a video game she had played a few years back. Not that a game was really a reliable resource, but it was all she had.

Two, she had somehow been sent back in time. Her logical thought process cringed at the absurd thought, but how else was she to explain the lack of electricity and modern-day inventions? Her iPod and cell phone had conveniently stopped working, too, ever since she had somehow arrived here. They were no more than useless pieces of plastic now.

And three… She had a third point. What was it again? Bringing a palm up to her forehead, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to will away the mind-splitting headache that had resurfaced. Oh yes. That. Something was wrong with her. Her head had begun to ache ever since entering this strange place.

As she held her forehead in her hands, the sound of a sword being drawn from behind her startled her out of her thoughts. "Finalmente ho trovato voi, assassino," a gruff voice growled, the tone alone causing Lyn's blood to run cold. Raising her head, she turned slowly, hoping not to alarm whoever it was that had a sword on her. The man in question appeared to be a knight of some sort, covered in almost full body armor. Lyn's eyes were quickly drawn to the red cross on the man's breastplate. The knight stepped forward, raising his sword to point at her chest. "Non mi sfugge questo tempo."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Lyn yelped, raising her hands in a sign of surrender. "Hold on, I haven't done anything wrong! Can we please put away the sharp objects and take a moment to chill the fuck out?"

The knight merely snarled, "Consegna ora, assassino, o morire!" He took another step forward, pressing the tip of the blade lightly against Lyn's neck. Lyn froze, her head unconsciously tilting up in an attempt to keep the razor-sharp blade from slicing into her neck. Her heart hammered in her chest as she tried to mentally work her way out of the situation at hand. And it didn't help that her brain had shut down the instant that cold blade had brushed against her throat.

But what alarmed her even more was that as she stood frozen, she felt her heartbeat calm for an instant, and heard herself murmur "Non potrò mai rinunciare, voi bastardo." The knight snarled, and, almost in slow motion, she saw the muscles in his arm tense as he meant to thrust his sword forward. Reacting on instinct, she grabbed the sword with her left hand, the cold steel easily biting into her skin. In the same motion, she spun to the right, keeping her back to the sword. As she spun, she slammed her fist against the side of the knight's exposed head. Pain lanced through the side of her fist as the knight's head snapped to the side, and he staggered away, groaning in pain. Lyn took off, not bothering to look back and see if the knight was following.

Lyn darted down the streets, not knowing where she was going and not caring enough to stop. She just ran. She couldn't hear anything but her own panting breaths as she pounded blindly down the streets, knocking into others who had decided to venture out into the rain. Finally, after what felt like hours, Lyn staggered into an empty alleyway. Leaning against the wall, she hunched over her knees and gasped for air. What the fuck was going on? That guard was trying to kill her! And since when did she speak Italian? Lyn snapped to attention when she noticed that her hands were shaking. Clenching her fists, she sucked in a deep breath to calm herself. Tugging her messenger bag up, she shakily dug through the bag until her hand clasped across the texture of polished wood. She pulled the item out, relief swelling up inside her as she held the worn butterfly blade. Lyn carefully held the blade, running her fingers along the wooden handle in an almost reverent fashion. For once, she was glad that she kept her father's old blade on her at all times. Sure, getting it through security could be a bitch, but it was times like this that she had kept the knife.

Well, not specifically times like this.

Flicking the blade open, she inspected it for any scratches or wear. She was pleased to see that the blade was sharp as ever. Snapping the knife shut, she palmed the compacted blade, tucking it up inside her baggy jacket sleeve. If any guards came after her now, she would be prepared. Glancing around, Lyn tugged her hood lower over her eyes and stuffed her hands in her pockets. Bowing her head ever so slightly, she stepped out of the alleyway and onto what appeared to be a major street. As the rain had stopped, more people were outside milling along the road. Perfect. Now she could truly disappear.

Lyn weaved in and out of the crowds, walking along at a slightly quicker pace than most around her. She could hear the guards causing a commotion as they looked for her. Lyn couldn't help but smirk at their foolishness. The noise they caused would only serve her better, taking the attention away from her. Noticing a group of guards up ahead blockading the road, Lyn took a sudden turn down a side street.

And, for the second time that day, she heard the hiss of a blade leaving its sheath. Lyn froze, listening intently. How had they snuck up on her? She had been on alert the whole time. There was no way she wouldn't hear the noisy clanging of those steel boots or the jangle of chain mail.

But instead, she heard the light tap of leather boots and the rustle of fabric. Whoever this was, they weren't a guard. She waited, listening for anything as the armed man stepped forward until he was almost directly behind her. "Chi sei? Che cosa sono voi in corporazione?" a smooth baritone voice asked. Lyn hadn't been expecting that. The man from before had such a gruff and dry voice, but this voice was fantastically smooth, flowing like water from the man's lips. If a voice was any indication to how attractive a man was, this man had to be a godly creation. She almost jumped as she felt a strong hand on her shoulder. "Ho fatto una domanda," the man growled, tugging her around to face him. Lyn let the man turn her around, letting the butterfly blade concealed in her jacket fall into her hand. Flicking the blade out, she sliced it forward, only to have her hand suddenly caught and have herself dragged forward. Lyn struggled in the man's powerful grip, snarling, "Let me go, asshole!" She finally wrenched her hand free, staggering back as she took in the sight of her attacker.

A strange man stood before her, wearing a white hooded robe. A deep brown cape hung over his left shoulder, partially shrouding the sword that hung loosely off his leather belt. Lyn needed only to see the silver crest on the man's belt and the white hood to know what he was. "Assassin," she breathed, staring wide-eyed at the man.

"Sì," he nodded, apparently understanding that much. A frown darkened what she could see of his face. "Non vi sono anche la fraternità?"

"Oh god, this is bad," Lyn muttered, her hands flying up to her head as she clenched the dark fabric of her own hood. She began to pace nervously, finally understanding the knight's reason for attacking her. "Oh no, no, no… Those guards… They think I'm one of you! Oh man… What the fuck am I going to do?"

"Sei malato?" the Assassin asked, extending a gloved hand toward her.

"I don't know what you're saying!" she shouted, throwing her arms down in frustration. "Speak fucking English, man!"

The Assassin cocked his head to the side, a curious look crossing his face as he inspected her. "What do you mean, English?" he frowned. "You are speaking Italiano as well."

Lyn stopped, her train of thought completely derailed as the man suddenly began to make sense. "Wait, what? How the… I can understand you now."

"You are not making sense," the man scowled, clearly growing frustrated with her. "You have a strange accent, certainly, but you have been speaking Italiano for this entire conversation. And you still have not answered my first question. Who are you?"

"What, me? Speaking Italian? Yeah, you're fucking funny," Lyn laughed, rolling her eyes at the man. It took her a moment to realize that he wasn't kidding. "Oh fuck, you're serious."

"Answer the question, child. Who are you?"

Lyn opened her mouth to respond when a shout cut her off. "Over here! I found them!"

"Cazzo!" the Assassin cursed, wheeling around to the guard who was now closing in on them. He flicked his wrist, extending a hidden blade and raising his hands before him in a boxing-esque defense. The guard charged with a roar, only to have the Assassin sidestep him and impale him on the blade. Lyn gasped as the man coughed up rather large quantities of blood. She felt her stomach churn as the sickening smell reached her, and she held a hand up to her nose in an attempt to block out the smell. "Quickly! This way!" the Assassin snapped, grabbing her arm and towing her along behind as he ran down the alley.

"Wait! Where are we going?" Lyn shouted, but the Assassin didn't answer. They ran down a maze of twisting alleys and passages, before finally coming to a halt before a seemingly random doorway. Lyn was out of breath by this point, and stood gasping for air beside the hooded man.

The Assassin pounded on the door, shouting, "Leonardo! Open up!"

"Leonardo?" Lyn blinked, finally beginning to catch her breath. "Wait, you don't mean-"

The door flew open, cutting her off. Inside stood a blonde haired man wearing an artist's clothes. A grin spread across his face as he saw the Assassin. "Ah, Ezio. I thought I heard you knocking. Do come in!"

Lyn stared at the Assassin, her brain refusing to process. Ezio? This man was Ezio? That wasn't possible. Ezio was a fictional character, not a real person. But as the man tugged her harshly into the room and removed his hood, she was forced to face the reality that stood before her. He was real. Every detail was the same: his hair, his eyes, even the scar on his lip.

The man towered over Lyn, glaring down at her with a dark look. "I am Ezio Auditore da Firenze," he boldly stated. "Now, you will answer me. Who. Are. You?"