Date: Unknown

Location: Unknown

Darkness. That was what Antonio was first aware of when he awoke.

It wasn't the typical darkness one experiences. Not like the kind when a person goes outside at night or turns out the lights in their rooms. No, this kind was the type that snuffed out every light. The type filled with coldness and hopelessness; fear and desperation; loneliness and sadness. The type that would make a person think and think and think until all they could focus on was regret, fear, and the eternal question of "How things could have gone differently".

The type that would drive a man crazy before long.

'Maybe that was their plan,' Antonio thought with an internal humorless laugh. 'Not a bad idea, actually.'

Besides the darkness, Antonio could feel the frigid metal of handcuffs around his wrists, keeping them pinned behind his chair and causing his arms to scrape painfully against the rough wood of the back of the chair. He jerked his wrists to test the resistance of the metal cuffs, creating pain in his raw wrists. They were remarkably strong.

'Damn, if only I hadn't left my lock pick and flexibility in my other pants then I might actually be able to get out of these.'

Antonio was proud of himself for retaining a sense of humor in times such as these.

Taking stock of his body, he made sure no body parts had been taken. He counted 10 fingers and toes, a sore head with all of its features, and from what he could feel, all of his insides. 'So they haven't tried anything yet. Probably'

During this mental checklist, he had begun to wriggle around slightly. The chair began to rock, but Antonio was oblivious. As his fidgeting became more erratic, the chair began to tip, and with a clatter, it toppled backwards. His fall caused him to smash his head against the unforgiving cement floor, and the dull throb in his skull came back full force.

'Fantástico, they must have given me a defective chair."

Laying like turtle stuck rolled on the back of its shell, Antonio really couldn't see how his situation could get any worse. He was injured, tired, cold, and stranded on his back.

His stomach growled.

And apparently hungry.

'Can't a guy catch a break?'

All of a sudden, the clanking of metal mechanisms filled the room, startling Antonio out of his inner monologue. Bright light filled the room as a previously hidden door opened and blinded Antonio. The silhouette of a person blocked out most of the light filtering through the doorway, providing Antonio relief from the harsh rays. However, the man's features were shadowed, and Antonio couldn't get a good look at him.

"Why in the fuck did you knock yourself over?" The stranger asked in a loud, brash tone.

"I didn't mean to. It's not my fault I'm sitting in a broken chair," Antonio let out a sigh. "Would you at least help me up?"

"Hmm, let me think about it." The man fully entered the room. "Why should the amazing me help out an idiot like you?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"I'm part of the Mafia. You are an assassin. Neither of us usually do the 'right thing'." Despite saying that, the man did approach Antonio- albeit slowly- and lift his chair back into an upright position. He let out a grunt at weight of Antonio and the chair, but the stranger was obviously strong.

"Thanks. I was starting to think I'd die with minimal pain." The man laughed.

"We wouldn't want that, now would we? Wouldn't be good for the Boss, that's for sure."

Antonio and the man stood-and sat- in silence as the seconds ticked by, both clueless as to what to say next. Abruptly, the stranger stood straighter and seemed to be listening to something intently. Nodding his head once, the man began heading back towards the doorway, leaving Antonio in a state of bewilderment.

The man stopped right as he was about to cross the threshold of the door. With the increased lighting, Antonio could finally notice the man's odd appearance. 'White hair? Red eyes? This guy's albino! That's not very inconspicuous. Where does the Mafia find these guys?'

"Someone is on their way to interrogate you, so be prepared. I like you, so it wouldn't be good for you to die. You wouldn't be able to bask in my presence if you did."

"Wait, what's your name?" The man looked over his shoulder and met Antonio's green eyes with his own crimson ones.

"Gilbert." He took a deep breath. "Viel glück*. You are going to need it," and with that, the odd man known as Gilbert left the dungeon-like room and closed the door with a resounding thud. The sound of metal clicking into place had an air of finality to it that gave the Spaniard an odd feeling.

'Something weird is about to happen. I can feel it.'

Date: December 2

Location: Disclosed

"Lovi!" Lovino's head snapped up at the sound of his brother's excited voice coming from the doorway of his bedroom.

"What is it, Feli? Did I say you could come in?" Lovino let out a deep sigh as Feliciano fully entered the room and sat on his bed next to him. His brother was just so...happy almost all of the time. It tired Lovino out to just be around him for extended periods of time.

"Grandfather Roma just told me your assassin has woken up!'

"Wait, he just woke up? How hard did Ludwig hit him!?"

"Not that hard! Ludwig knows how to control his strength. Probably."

"Don't sound too sure of yourself, Feli. Remember when he almost accidentally knocked you off a balcony?"

"He was protecting me, and he didn't knock me off, so it's all okay. He even apologized!"

"Yeah, only after you started crying like a baby!"

"I was not crying like a baby!"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, I wasn't"

"Yes, you were!"

"No, I wasn't! And-and like you have room to talk! You started crying when they canceled that Spanish soap opera you liked so much!" Lovino gasped.

"You take that back." Lovino said in a deadly whisper.

"No! It's the truth." Lovino glared at Feli, making him gulp nervously."Any way I wasn't done with my message! Grandfather sai-"

"How come he couldn't tell me this himself?" Lovino internally cringed at how his voice sounded so bitter . He really shouldn't have been hurt that his grandfather had told Feli instead of speaking to him personally. He seemed to favor his younger brother over him, and that was just how it was.

"Oh, I just happen to run into him in the hallway! He said he was going to tell you, but he got called away on business, so he couldn't make it. Lovi, don't give me that look," Feliciano said in an almost scolding tone.

"What look?!"

"Like you are disappointed and sad. You always seem to get that way when we talk about grandfather."

"I do not!" Lovino said indignantly.

"Yes, you do! Don't even try to lie! I'm not oblivious, Lovi! I might not seem as observant as others, but I do notice things, especially when they involve you- my big brother!" Feli let out a huff. "I hate arguing, so don't you even try. Grandfather loves you just as much as he loves me. Just because I'm better at art and look a little more like him does not mean he likes me more!" Lovino grunted in disagreement, but didn't voice his protests. "Now, Grandfather also told me to tell you that you are in charge of the "prisoner". He said for you to assign who you wanted to 'take care of him'," Feli rolled his eyes, and Lovino let out a laugh, effectively breaking the strain between them.

"He's so cliché sometimes. I think he does it on purpose."

"You're probably right. I mean, he's more interested in art than violence, so I'm curious as to how he got into this business."

"And to why he had dragged us into it as well," Lovino let out a sigh.

"I don't think he meant to. It's just the way things work, I'm pretty sure. I think-" A ringing cut off Feliciano in the middle of his sentence.

Reaching into his pockets, Feliciano pulled out a sleek Blackberry and answered it with a bright "Hello!". Lovino simply watched as his younger brother chattered on amiably with whoever was on the other end.

After a while, Feli finally ended the phone call with "Bye, a presto*".

"Who was that?"

"Ludwig! He made breakfast and wants me to try it!" Lovino let out a groan.

"Ugh, why do want to go and eat with that German asshole?" Feliciano laughed.

"He isn't that bad, Lovi, and you seem to like his brother just fine." Lovino scowled.

"Sure, he isn't," Lovino said with as much sarcasm as he could muster, "and I'm not a grumpy, loud 21-year-old. Furthermore, I wouldn't say I 'like' his brother; I'd say 'tolerate'."

"Yeah, whatever, Lovi," Lovino said, once again rolling his eyes. 'When did he start doing that so often?' "I'm going to go ahead and go." Feliciano stood up and headed towards the door.

"Wait! Contact Frying pan and Artisan for the 'taking care of'." Lovino called as his brother walked away.

"Why can't you call them?" Feli looked over shoulder with an eyebrow quirked.

"Don't look at me like that, you stronzo*! I don't have their numbers, and I know for a fact you do because you stayed with them for a while!" Feliciano giggled like a child.

"Alright, alright, I'll call them, fratello. Just don't burst a blood vessel." Lovino picked up his extra pillow and threw it as hard as he could at his brother, who- unfortunately, in Lovino's opinion- ducked.

"Next, it'll be a brick!" Lovino practically shouted.

"I'm going, I'm going. No need to be violent." With that, Feliciano left and let the door close with a loud thump, echoing in Lovino's large room.

'He can be so irritating sometimes, but he is my little fratello. I trust him, but let's hope Frying pan and Artisan can do their jobs correctly. I heard they had some odd methods."

Translations: Viel glück- Good luck; Stronzo- Asshole; Fratello- brother; Bye, a presto- Bye, see you soon

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and thank you to those you faved, followed, and commented on the story so far! It means a lot to me, and I hope you like where the story is heading!