Disclaimer: KHR belongs to Amano Akira.

Warnings: Slightly confusing dialogue; OOC-ness.

Bolded Words are English.

[Bracketed and Italicized words are in Italian].

Normally-formatted words are in Mandarin (For the sake of writing, no tones are used for the pinyin).


Calming the Storm

The silver-haired woman ran through the snow, ignoring the growing pains in her legs and the coldness slowly crawling up her spine. Pointed branches tore at her dress as she ran barefoot up the hills, but she took no notice. She had to run, no time to stop. They were after her, she knew, after her and the infant she carried with her. Her name was Lavina Gokudera, but that wouldn't matter if they caught her, in which case death was certain. She couldn't believe what had happened, how a normal family trip could turn so deadly within hours.

Her Family had been organizing this trip for months now as a way to celebrate the birth of her Hayato. They'd intended to visit Lavina's family in Japan, where she'd grown up, by passing through the scenic Huangshan1 of China. It was somewhat of a gift to the wife of the mafia boss, who had never left their Italian villa after marrying him nearly three years ago. And so, after she had given birth to Hayato, Luka Veleno2 had asked Lavina about her wish, to which she replied, "To see the world, of course!"

With this as her answer, Luka set off to personally plan a trip for his family, which consisted of himself and Lavina, of course, but also three-year-old Bianchi and her little brother Hayato, and several bodyguards. They'd left Italy earlier this week and stayed at a hidden villa in the Huangshan range.

It had been fun for the first few days – Lavina and her husband had finally been able to relax from the stressful positions as a mob boss and a mob boss' wife, and Bianchi finally met her cute little brother, who almost uncannily resembled his mother. They'd played in the early snow of the mountains, and had visited the old Honglong3 Ch'an monastery nearby, forgetting about the troubles of the outside world.

But then, five days into the trip, when Lavina went for a walk alone (read: with two bodyguards) with Hayato, unwelcome news finally reached her ears in the most disturbing way.

After walking for a while, the bodyguards had stopped, taking out their guns. Lavina turned to them, confused and tensed. Was there an enemy nearby? But only the Family and the monastery should've known about the villa.

But the young wife had no time to question this further as the barrels of two guns turned to her.

"[What is the meaning of this?]" she had demanded indignantly. She instinctively clutched Hayato closer to her, shielding him.

"[The don has ordered your death,]" one of the men stated apathetically, and Lavina visibly paled.

"[Luka would never order that!]" she objected fiercely. Her raised voice startled Hayato, who then began to wail in his mother's arms. "[How dare you make up such lie—]"

"[Believe whatever you want to, lady]," the other cut in. "[Either way, you die here.]"

In a flash, a bullet whizzed at Lavina's head, but she ducked right at the last second, stumbling backwards. Catching her balance, she fled, leaping over tree trunks and ducking under the overhanging branches. With every step she took, her fear was replaced with an ever-growing determination to escape and save Hayato and herself. She could find out the truth later.

Lavina heard more gunshots behind her, though they all miraculously missed. All the while, Hayato continued to cry, frightened by the loud noises and harsh movements. His mother had no destination in mind, though. Where was there to go? She couldn't return to the villa, for what if other Family members were ready to kill her? Certainly, those lies about her Luka wanting to kill her were false. There was no way they could be true. Right?

Without warning, a bullet pierced the young woman's heel, and she stumbled over a stone and fell face first into a pile of snow, her infant skittering a few feet away. For a moment, she kept her head down in the snow, listening to the cries next to her and in the distance. Was there even any point in continuing on? Whether or not those men were telling the truth, they would eventually catch her. No, she had to get Hayato to safety at least.

As she painfully picked herself up, she noticed a soft light glowing in the distance. The sun was already setting, so it was a wonder how she'd noticed it in the glaring mesh of sunset. It was familiar, that glow and for a moment, she wondered where she'd seen it before. Then she remembered. That light red glow came from paper lanterns lit at the Honglong monastery she'd visited earlier.

Lavina hurriedly reclaimed Hayato into her arms and began to run once more, this time with a destination, even with her leg burning. She smiled; she would escape; she would save her little boy.

Up ahead, over rocky terrain, sat a sprawling white fortress-of-sorts with crimson up-turned edges outlined with golden tiles. Red-framed windows illuminated with candlelight drew her attention, as well as the octagonal-shaped archway into the monastery.

A dark figure emerged from the archway, a young man by the looks of it, with long black hair tied up into a braid, wearing a lengthy red Chinese jacket. Lavina paused for a moment, wondering if this man was part of her Family or not. She had to take a chance.

The young woman ran to the man in red, and he turned to her, a knowing gaze upon his face. He smiled at her kindly, but did not seem to understand her urgency.

"[Please, please help me!]"


As Fon strolled through the familiar corridors he'd grown up in as the successor of the Storm Arcobaleno, he wondered why there was a strange aura in the air. He couldn't place his finger on it, but it was as though the winds were warning him of danger, a concept rarely seen in the high cliffs of the Huangshan. But, he thought, even if something exciting should occur, he would continue to breeze on by in life, like he had for years.

Still, he wondered if something that had to do with that interesting group from earlier should happen. They were a strange bunch; that was for sure. Normally, if the monastery ever had visitors, they spoke the 'universal language' English. But those people had spoken a different romance language. Fon wondered why a family that was obviously rich would spend time in a retreat hidden high in the mountains.

Both men and women had made the monastery their home over the years, and it had always been a pleasure for Fon to watch them and their children grow up, a slice of life he'd lost since becoming the Storm Arcobaleno.

Flat and simple black shoes clicked softly across the bamboo floors, wandering aimlessly. Sure, he sparred and became friends with the other monks, but there was little more to do besides train and share the teachings of Buddha. To be honest, such an easy and routine life somewhat bored the man listlessly. Yet, he could never bring himself to leave this hallowed home, no matter how many times he tried.

"Fon-laoshi4," a timid voice spoke up then. Fon paused, turning his attention to the young monk who caught him in his wandering state again. This monk could hardly be older than ten, but an uneducated wisdom already shone in his dark eyes. But detracting from the young man's physical appearance was the empty spot where his right arm should've been.

In the outside world, such a sight would be uncommon to the point that others would look down on the boy for his 'error'. None of that mattered here, where a missing limb was only one of the many 'abnormalities' shunned outside. That was the sad thing, Fon often thought. Nearly all of the younger monks in the monastery had been abandoned by their families, who were ashamed of their appearances or saw the disfigured children as unfit to work. Just last week, another child had arrived, his right eye torn out and the remaining one a glaring gold – he was just barely a year old. This boy had been the latter, unable to work with the rest of his family.

"Yes, Jian?" Fon replied, placing his hands within overlapping red sleeves, his natural position. The boy fiddled shyly with the edge of his yellow-orange robes before replying.

"Lei-Hua-furen5 wishes to see you," Jian answered. The boy panicked upon seeing Fon collapse to the ground and shimmy backwards until he was up against the white stone walls. His black eyes were wide with shock. "F-Fon-laoshi?!"

Slowly, Fon took a deep breath and got to his feet, regaining his composure in seconds. Inside, however, he was freaking out. "Er-hm. Yes, please tell her…some other time!" With that, Storm Arcobaleno turned and ran, slipping past various monks on their way to dinner or prayer. "Pardon me! Excuse me!"

"Ah! It's Fon-laoshi!"

"Where is he going?"

"Didn't you hear? Lei-Hua's looking for him."

"Haha, he'd better keep running then!"

It wasn't that Fon was afraid of Lei-Hua, the elderly caretaker of the Honglong Monastery. Well…maybe it was. The terrifying woman had practically raised him, with an iron fist and everything. No one ever wanted to get on her bad side. If she was specifically looking for him, though, that meant she'd caught his students goofing off or worse, and he'd receive the punishment of spending an entire month as her personal assistant. Normally, that threat alone was enough to keep order in the place – the first time the rule was enacted, some foolish young monk (read: a rebellious fourteen-year-old Fon) had went on and graffitied the plain exterior walls, but was caught. He couldn't look Lei-Hua in the eye for months after that.

Outside, the next day's snow had already begun to fall gracefully over the wide grounds. The koi pond and the bridge across it already had a light layer of ice covering it, and the trees, though winter, still rustled with leaves. The setting sun cast a reddish glow onto the snow, giving it a blood-like tint. The younger monks would often play here, and the older ones would relax.

Fon closed his eyes, smiling as a cool breeze brushed past his face. If only for a moment, he could forget about his current troubles. The high Chinese mountains could do that to people.

Suddenly, though, the cry of an infant and the sharp intake of breath jerked Fon out of his peace, and his eyes went to the octagonal archway that served as one of the only two doorways out of the place. The two wide, crimson brass doors lay open to the outside. Was there someone there?

The Storm Arcobaleno began to walk over to the gateway, his pace quickening with each step as the sounds became more urgent. As he reached the archway, he saw what it was: an injured woman with long silver hair messy from running, and a little boy maybe one year old with matching silver hair resting in her arms. She was…breathtaking, Fon thought, and a little bit familiar. She was with that strange group from earlier, right?

The moment the woman glanced upwards and saw him watching her, she sped up, kneeling before him. Then she asked him something in a language he didn't understand, but from her anxious and terror-stricken state, he understood that she was in trouble of some sort. Within seconds, he made up his mind.

Swiftly, Fon took her hand and supported her into the tall walls of the cloister and up to the entrance to the main building. He rang the bell next to the doorway, the one used to catch the attention of those in the courtyard. A few others immediately arrived, eyes widening with surprise and worry at the sight of the woman. Fon glanced at her, taking note of the blood trailing from her ankle that came from a bullet wound.

"Take her to the infirmary, carefully!" he ordered the nearest monk, who gently took the woman into his arms bridal style and turned away.

"Aspetta!" the silver-haired woman suddenly shouted, and Fon turned to her. Even in another language, he knew she wanted his attention.

"Do you speak English, miss?" he asked her. She slowly nodded. What a strange woman, Fon thought. "Then please listen to me. We're taking you to the infirmary right now. I assume there are enemies after you?"

"Yes, they're from my F—part of the mafia," confirmed the woman. But then her voice became more urgent. "But, please, don't try to fight them! They'll kill you!"

Fon smiled calmly at her. "Do not worry, miss. Such men cannot kill me so easily."

He spun on his heels quickly, before the woman could interject further. Ignoring the cries from both the monks and the woman, he headed back outside, where he finally noticed the red trail leading from outside the monastery to the door. Taking a deep breath and placing his palms together, Fon shut his eyes. A moment later, his eyes snapped back open, and he expelled his arms outward, shouting, " Mohu feng8!"

In a flash of white, a breeze blew all of the reddened snow away, as though a wave had washed it away. No sign of remained to say it was ever there. Satisfied, Fon placed his hands within his sleeves and walked to the entrance of the monastery, needing to prepare for the following situation. No doubt the men after the miss and her infant would investigate the entire area, so if and when they came here, he would be ready.


The two Mafiosi, infuriated and panting from wandering the woods, finally came upon the white-walled monastery where, unbeknownst to them, their target currently was. They hadn't dared return to their boss, who would no doubt kill them for such failure. So, they had no choice but stay out in the cold and search.

A man in long red monk's robes wearing his long black hair up in a ponytail smiled cheerfully as they came up to him tiredly. His hands remained in their sleeves, and both Mafiosi quickly became wary. From their experience, they knew all sorts of weapons could be hidden in the most obscure places.

"Ni hao6!" Fon called to them. His expression remained cheery, but a steely glare underlay his dark eyes. He bowed more deeply than needed, and continued in a thick and fake accent, "Or, how you say, 'herro'!"

The Mafiosi completely ignored this, though, and opted instead to grab Fon by the front of his robes and deman roughly in English, "Have you seen a woman run this way?"

"A woman?" Fon echoed in mock confusion, placing a hand on his chin. Then his face brightened. "Ah! You mean beautiful wife. You find no wife here, sirs. This is all-male monastery." As though to prove it, he gestured to the main grounds, which conveniently hosted a group of male monks in the midst of a prayer.

"Scordatelo7, Marc," the second man said to the one gripping Fon. "[He obviously doesn't know]." The one called 'Marc' threw Fon onto the ground, and the Chinese man got to his feet.

"Perhaps you two are travelers?" Fon continued, brushing himself off. He took the two by their black-clad elbows and pulled them toward the gateway. "Come, come! I get you soup!"

"Don't touch us, scum!" Marc shouted, jerking himself away. He pulled out a pistol and aimed it at Fon. The action drew the attention of already wary monks, who now glared at the Mafiosi, and Fon even noticed the glint of steel facing the aggressor. He sent them a look, however, and they slowly went back to their previous acts. "I am Marc de Fior, the right-hand man of Luka Veleno! I should kill you for that!"

Fon silently noted those names in his head, and it would seem Reborn would have some target practice soon. He prepared to draw the sword hidden in his cloaks, but when facing the barrel of a gun, any sort of movement would send a bullet flying at him. Not that he couldn't evade such rudimentary means easily – he could stop a bullet with only two fingers – no, doing so would only blow his cover, and the lady inside would be found. The casualties that followed would be too great, for the Mafiosi, that was.

"[Let's go!]" Marc abruptly shouted, returning his gun to his belt. He stormed off, his companion following close behind.

Fon nonchalantly waved as their figures disappeared once more into the woods, but Fon's smile soon disappeared, and his open hand closed. With a relieved sigh, he started to return to the monastery, when he sensed a couple dozen presences hiding around him.

"You may come out of hiding now," he told them while smiling. Black-haired heads popped out from behind the walls, out from the surrounding trees, and even up from the koi pond within the grounds. He'd had the monks ready to attack should anything have gone wrong, but, fortunately, the situation didn't come to that.

Fon returned to the monastery hallways, heading for the infirmary. As he walked, the monks parted for him in awe.

"You were so cool, Fon-laoshi!"

"Those men stood no chance!"

Outside the sanatorium, the younger monks finally dispersed. Fon knocked and slid the bamboo door open before entering.

"Miss?" he called inside. "The men are gone and probably won't return."

The lady glanced up at him from one of the white-sheeted futons, her sleeping baby in her arms. Her ankle had been bandaged, and a relieved smile graced her face.

"Thank you so much," she said, "er…"

"Fon," the Chinese man supplied. "And your name?"

"I'm Lavina V—" her voice caught in her throat, and continued after clearing it—"Lavina Gokudera. And this—" she held onto her baby's hand and waved it in Fon's direction—"is Hayato. Say 'Hello', Haya-chan."

Hayato giggled as his mother waved his tiny hand at the man in red, whom he appeared fascinated with. Somehow, the little boy knew it wasn't his own father, as a calming aura seemed to emanate from him in a breeze.

After a moment of calmness, Fon knew he had to ask. "So what will you do now, Miss?" he asked Lavina. "From what those men said, they are still after you."

Lavina sighed and glanced away. "I'll have to return at some point," she told Fon, who stood up quickly.

"You can't!" he said loudly. Clearing his throat, he repeated himself more quietly. "You can't."

Now it was Lavina's turn to stand. "And why not?" she demanded. "You may not know this, but those men who were after me are part of my family. I have to return and find out if what they said was true."

"And that would be…?"

"That doesn't matter," Lavina answered softly, her thoughts shifting to Luka. Why didn't this man understand her urgency?

Fon sighed, deciding to let it go. Whatever the reason Lavina had, she was adamant on leaving. "Very well," he said, and she collapsed back onto the bed. "But please, at least stay here until your leg heals."

"Fine," allowed Lavina.

Smiling, Fon left the room.


The next few days came and left quickly, with Fon hearing about the current affairs, and Lavina learning about a hidden corner of the same world. Lavina was almost surprised to see a life that was so free of fighting and crime. Fon was just glad to have a break from routine after so long.

So when the time came, it came as a surprise to Fon that he was sad to see Lavina leave so soon after meeting. He'd known so many people over the years, yet he was truly sad to see her go. He knew not to try and stop her leaving again, though – once a woman's mind was made up, there was no changing it. Fon was the only one to see the lady off early in the morning, as the other monks were already busy with their daily tasks. Lavina wore a clean outfit, her other one having gotten stained. A light snow fell in the early morning light, but neither took notice of it.

"Thank you, Fon," she thanked him again, bowing as well as she could with Hayato in her arms.

"Really, it was no trouble," Fon answered smiling. An awkward moment of silence passed between them.

"Well, I should be going, then," said Lavina.

"Indeed," agreed Fon. "However, should you ever return to the Huangshan Mountains, please know you are always welcome here."

The two said one more uneasy goodbye to each other, then Lavina turned left into the forest, her outline disappearing with each step.

Lavina easily found the path she'd taken through the woods, which were empty of any mafia men now. But the woods were so quiet that even the smallest of sounds might alert the Family. Her boots crunched through the snow, unintentionally marking a path back to the monastery.

Fifteen minutes later, she reached the clearing where the Family's villa sat. Laving sighed a breath of relief at the sight. She started to walk into the snowy lawn, but paused when she saw the two Mafiosi conversing with her Luka. She couldn't stop her breath from hitching in her throat, catching the attention of the three men.

They looked over to her, unidentifiable emotions marking their faces. Then her Luka broke into a grin and held his arms wide open to her.

"Mia cara," he exclaimed. "[Where have you been? Marc and Carmine have been looking for you all night!]" Lavina stared at the two men, who saluted her, then at Luka, with uncertainty. Could it be her husband didn't know about their treason?

Deliberately slow, she strode to his open arms, nearly flinching when he embraced her. Hayato decided at that moment to make a sound. He didn't like this loud man's voice.

Luka placed his large hands on Lavina's shoulders and stood her back a couple of feet.

"[And you found Hayato, too! Bianchi will be so relieved! Now, let's go inside and have breakfast]."

As Luka Veleno headed inside, something struck Lavina as odd. Her husband didn't ask her once about what happened, or whether she was alright. Had something happened? Had Marc and Carmine told him lies?

"[Are you coming, dear?]" her husband's voice asked far away.

Lavina stole one last glance to the woods behind her, but soon followed after him.

"[Yes, dear]."


Lavina sat with Bianchi and Hayato at the vast Victorian style dining table in the grand hall of the villa an hour later in her one of normal frilly, high-necked dresses. The table had set not with their finest china, but with everyday plastic dishes. Another odd occurrence. Whenever Lavina and Luka ate, the mob boss always demanded the best.

"[Maman? Is something wrong?]" Bianchi asked Lavina as she spoon-fed her little brother yogurt that was a strange purplish color.

"[Nothing at all, Bianchi dear]," her mother replied. She couldn't help but look nervously at the grand doors where two guards stood. They made her nervous, at the very least, and even more so when their guns were visible.

Lavina got to her feet and picked up her Hayato, whose face was messy with the strawberry yogurt. "[Bianchi]," she got her daughter's attention.

"[Yes, Maman]?"

"[We're leaving]." Bianchi hopped off of her seat and took her mother's hand hurriedly, not understanding what was going on.

"[Where do you think you're going]?" Luka demanded, appearing at the doorway. Taking a step in, he shut the large doors.

"[We were merely going for a walk, Luka]," Lavina held her ground.

"[Without any guards]?" he said, feigning surprise. "[My, aren't you getting brave. Shall I call Marc]?"

"[You know perfectly well of what happened, don't you, Luka]?" she said. "[He and Carmine nearly killed me four days ago]."

"[Yes, and they've been severely punished]," stated Luka, and Lavina relaxed…until the next words he uttered, "[for they failed in their only job: to kill you]."

Upon hearing this, Lavina paled immensely and hid Bianchi behind herself. "[What—]"

"[You heard what I said, Lavina]," Luka interjected coldly. "[I have no more use for you, so I had you disposed of. Obviously, my men can't follow an order as simple as that]." Reaching into his jacket, he took out a handgun and aimed it at Lavina. "[So, I guess I'll just have to do it myself]."

Hearing clicks around her as well, Lavina saw that she, Bianchi, and her Hayato were completely surrounded by Mafiosi and guns. There was no way out that she could see except for maybe the tall windows. But even then, even before she took a single step, they'd have killed her already. Hugging Bianchi and Hayato close to her, she shut her eyes tightly, waiting for the end.

BLAM! BL-BLAM! BL-BLAM! BLAM! BL-BLAM!

The shots are deafening, but not one reached their intended target. Realizing this, Lavina's creaked open, shooting open when she saw a figure in red standing right in front of her.

"F-Fon?!" she exclaimed.

"I was afraid of this," he remarked to no one. He stood with both arms held out in front of him, holding dozens of smoking bullets between his fingers. "Thank goodness I got here on time."

"[You! Who are you?!]" demanded Luka furiously.

Throwing the bullets to the ground, Fon placed an open palm to his ear. "What was that? I couldn't hear you over how bad your aim is," he remarked. "However, if you must know, I am Fon of the Red Dragon Monastery and Storm of the Arcobaleno. And should you dare endanger those close to me—" he glanced at Lavina her children—"you will learn firsthand the reason why I was once called the 'Bloody Claw of the Red Dragon'."

The Mafiosi turned a strange mixture of white and sea green at the mention of the Arcobaleno. Everyone knew that they were the strongest seven humans in the world, so why was one living hidden from the world? They decided, regardless of what their boss may order, they would never dare to go against one. Doing so would only ensure humiliating defeat.

Luka Veleno, however, did not think so. Instead, the boss chuckled, which turned into a full-blown chortle.

"You must be joking," he said. "You? An Arcobaleno? I've heard about the legendary Strongest Seven, boy, and you look nothing like one."

"Have you heard the saying, 'looks can be deceiving?" Fon asked, placing his arms in his sleeves and smiling. "I thought you might be a somewhat intelligent man, but it would appear even and Arcobaleno can be wrong."

"Why you…" Growling, Luka redirected his glare to his men. "[Why're you just standing there?!]" he screeched. "[Get him!]"

The Mafiosi hesitantly charged, reloading their firearms, but a red shadow swiftly pounced and kicked one of them across the dining hall floor. Then another one went down. Luka watched as his men skidded around like sacks of flour and as Fon unleashed a flurry of attacks, leaping out of range of bullets and jabbing into the sides of the Mafiosi.

While all of this was going on, Lavina was silently ushering Bianchi toward the door as inconspicuously as possible. But Luka, who had been watching in shock at the sight of his men dropping like flies, noticed this, and discreetly aimed his gun once more at Lavina.

Fon, sensing a shift in the winds, tore his gaze from the man he just knocked out to Lavina and dropped everything to sprint in Lavina's direction. However, the shot had already left the barrel of Luka's gun. As he ran, Fon's dark eyes followed the projectile, knowing he'd be too late to stop it.

Her mother still occupied with the locked doors, Bianchi stepped in front of Lavina, a strange slice of purple cake in one hand. The little girl drew her hand back and hurled the dessert at the incoming attack. The moment the purple food touched the black metal, it exploded into violet mush. Sugary shrapnel sprayed all the way across the room at Luka, which sizzled upon hitting his face, and he cried out and dropped the gun.

In a flash, Fon was beside Lavina, staring at Bianchi in awe. The pink-haired girl then turned to her mother, smiling sweetly, while her mother, like Fon, gaped.

"[Wasn't that amazing, Maman?]" she asked. "[I call it 'Poison Cooking'!]"

"[R-right…]"

"Are you three alright?" Fon asked. Lavina nodded. "Shall we go then?"

"What do you mean?"

"Surely you don't plan to stay here now," said Fon as though it should've been obvious.

"But you are an A—"

"Yes, I am an Arcobaleno," Fon confirmed, letting out a sigh. "But, please believe me when I say this: I never planned to become who I am – the position was forced upon me. If you come live with us you won't have to worry about your children being forced into the same situation."

Lavina glanced at her husband, who was out cold from burns, then back to the Chinese man. She had heard of the Arcobaleno, too, though, and their duty to take on a successor. She'd also heard that those successors were often taken as children without their parents' consent and grew up with harsh training for one purpose and one purpose only. If she went with the Storm Arcobaleno, could she be sure that her children would be safe?

She looked at Fon's calm dark eyes one more time but could only see sincerity within them. The answer was clear to her.

"Very well," Lavina said, shaking the man's hand. Fon appeared slightly taken aback at the familiar contact, but quickly masked it with a smile.

"Then it's a pleasure to welcome you into the Red Dragon Monastery, Miss Lavina," Fon continued. He smashed his hand against the locked doors, sending a shockwave through them. A second later, they fall outwards into the entrance of the villa. "Shall we leave?"

Nodding, Lavina began to lead Bianchi and Fon out, but they both paused when they heard a cough behind them.

"You'll regret this day, Arcobaleno!" Luka shouted at them. "We'll come after you when you least expect it!"

Without missing a beat, Fon returned, "Then I should inform you that the monastery is constantly run by dozens of Shaolin monks who have trained their entire life to defeat men like you. Dozens of monks with the skill level of myself on a bad day like today."

The underlying threat effectively shut the mob boss up, and the four left without further interference.


A/N:

Huangshan1 – Golden Mountains; said to be one of the most beautiful mountain ranges in China.

Veleno2 – Italian for Poison.

Honglong3 – lit. "Red Dragon" in Mandarin.

Laoshi4 – Mandarin honorific for 'teacher'. Similar to the Japanese 'sensei'.

Furen5 - Mandarin honorific for 'Mrs.'

Ni hao6 – Mandarin for 'hello'.

Scordatelo7 – Italian for 'forget it'.

I'm so sorry! I asked for your opinions, then completely disregarded them and wrote something different! I'm sorry this is so late and that this chapter is not very good (in my own opinion, at least). I'd started writing a different chapter (about Reborn, no less), but then realized it wouldn't work out in the chronological order of the story. And so, I had to start a differnet chapter. I'm not sure how well this chapter turned out, considering it has absolutely nothing to do with canon, and Fon seems really out of character. I hope it's okay for Lavina to have more of a role, considering she wasn't even a minor character in KHR. And there wasn't enough about Hayato! I can't tell you how disappointed I am with this chapter. *hits head on laptop keyboard, messing up the settings*

That aside, thanks to all of you for your support. To answer a couple specific reviews...never mind. But I'm glad you have so many questions - they're good because they remind me of things I hadn't thought of yet.

At one point, I was considering taking out the entire mafia world because it wouldn't really fit, but then I remembered that that wouldn't work because Reborn is a hitman. So, the mafia will play a minor role, but will not be the main focus.

Second, sorry about not being clearer on the pairings. This fic will not focus on romance (I just can't make up my mind, can I?).

On a side note, when you read, do certain colors seem to just 'fit' with the words? Like when I was writing this, a dark navy blue seemed to always be the background.

Edit 11/23: I hope this chapter didn't offend anyone.

Okay, okay, this is getting too long (when I'm tired, I start rambling).

Thanks for reading and please review to tell me how I'm doing!