Good to be back, yo. I finally gots a laptop. Means its easier to post fanfictions. :D NO MOAR DAD SAYING THAT THIS IS BS! :D

I've done a relatively longer chapter? I dunno. Whatever.

-insert standard disclaimer here-


Setting: Monte Bianco, aka Mont Blanc. It is the tallest mountain in Italy, as well as France. Located in the Alps, it poses a challenge to the rest of the world, standing as the 11th tallest mountain on earth. Our inexperienced group of mafia members was about to climb this mountain, to look for the elusive Vindice, rumored to lie at the illustrious peak. Travel time: 10 days, maybe less, maybe more, depending on our progress.

Equipment: Stuff designed for Mount Everest. Basically, stuff that I had never seen before in my life, other than rope, carabiners, and screws. Tents for two, and thermal clothing. Depending upon the number of people in our group, we'd need porters, too.

So, putting this very bluntly, we're sending ten college-age kids with no prior experience to the top of a mountain to die. It was all just some fun stuff to do on a month-long break from college.

Sara met us at the lounge of a ski lodge, nestled comfortably at the base of the mountain. She sat in a plush one-seater couch, her mug of hot chocolate warming her as much as the fireplace she sat in front of.

"Hey, Tatsuki! Welcome to Monte Bianco. I assume these are your friends?"

"Yeah. Those are Theresa, Aj, and Isabella, my guardians. That's Ryuuji, Chris, Andrew, and Kellie, Granchio family. Colonello there is my tutor." I continued the introductions, but Sara's eyes remained riveted on Isabella's smile. Check that, Isabella's magnetic smile.

"Hey, you. Your name is Isabella, right?" Sara strode past Chris, ignoring his mischievous facial expressions and flirty eyebrow raising.

"Yes. You're Sara, the one who's going to get us to Vindice."

"I hope so," she murmured, squinting at my cloud guardian's grill. "Can you lose the braces anytime soon? Like now?"

"Honestly, I wish I could, but the orthodontist says I have a year to go before we even consider taking them off."

Sara grimaced. "We're going up a mountain, where temperatures reside near zero. I don't want your wires to bust, because you'd be running around with a face full of razors."

Isabella turned to me. "Wait… so…boss, does that mean I have to head home?"

Well… I don't exactly think that meant anything good. In spite of the fact that a 15,782 foot mountain loomed just overhead, I wouldn't want any help going home before we even set foot on the giant. In truth, I wanted every reason to get off the trip.

There had to be something. Something we could do… anything.

"Sara. You have mist flames. That means illusions. Can't you, say, create an illusion that gets the braces off her face? Say, one that even the elements can't tamper with?"

"That's pretty high level stuff you're asking from me, Tatsuki." Sara smirked. "I'd love a good challenge." Rummaging in her coat pocket, she drew forward a simple silver ring, with an indigo gemstone set into the center. Sara concentrated, igniting a flame on the ring, her other hand extended in front of my best friend's face. Purple-blue mist pulsed out of her hand, covering Isabella's mouth. After a few minutes of tedious silence, her work was completed. Unsure of the result, Isabella ran her fingers over her now bare teeth.

"It's just an illusion, but it should be enough to prevent any imminent danger, for now."

"Wow… thanks."

Sara let a wry smile upturn the corners of her mouth. "Savor the moment. You still have a year of braces to go when we get back."


In truth, I love the cold, but climbing an icy mountain, away from the warmth and comforts of home, was NOT ideal. Meals consisted of hot chocolate (coffee for Colonello), power bars, cup ramen, and… some weird stuff that I would never eat in a normal setting. It looked like a primeval lump of kami-knows-what that our two transporters were scarfing down.

"What is that…?"

They looked at me curiously, slowing down enough to offer me a piece of what I perceived as offal. It appeared to be red meat, from centuries ago. The object in my hands had withered into a strip of tough, dry leather, a yellow butter -like substance smeared liberally, garnished with a coating of coarse salt. No way in the 7 hells would I eat that stuff.

In broken English, the stockier of the transporters peered at me, wondering why I continued to examine the meat. "Why you no try? It good!"

"I will. It looks… appetizing. I'll eat it..." I probably would at least taste it… I just hoped to kami that there weren't any tapeworms in the meat. Those were salt granules, right? Not insect larvae?

Slowly, my hands shaking, I edged a corner of the beef/lamb/pork/mystery meat into my mouth, and took a nibble. The flavor… was unique. The tough meat was actually pretty flavorful, like cured meat, but the texture was revolting. The salty butter had turned into something disgustingly gelatinous, and the mélange of crunchy, slimy, squishy, and chewy was NOT something I wanted to eat. Colonello strode over, watching my face contort into expressions he found hilarious. "Hey, Tatsuki. Whatcha eatin'?"

Grimacing, I handed him the strip of animal flesh. "Apparently, its food, and if you eat it, it acts as an aphrodisiac." Colonello eagerly snatched up the meat, devouring it. "Not bad. Got any more?" I gestured to the two men behind me. "Help yourself. By the way," I said, tucking my chin into the collar of my jacket. "I was kidding about it being an aphrodisiac."


Swing. Thunk. Swing. Thunk. Swing the ice pick. Kick your crampons into the wall. Move the clasp up the rope. Don't forget to breathe. Repeat indefinitely until you reach camp.

Did my brain still work? I don't know. I was still breathing right? Still thinking in that head of yours? Sara was leading the way up a sheer ice cliff. Monotonously, like a machine, like an inchworm, we made our way straight up, vertical. How long have we been here? An hour? A day? A week? It's all the same. "3 more days till we reach the top, guys," Sara says, her face as pale as the surrounding snow. Hunger… can I still feel hunger? I can barely move in my constricting clothing. I can still feel my toes. I can still feel my hands. They're there, blood still pumping slowly through my veins. Three days. Three days until Vindice. I can't wait to eat my power bar.


We're here. After a long, arduous, freezing trek up a mountain, we are here. Our group of 10 stands in front of the icy steel door, the door as forbidding as the mountain itself. Vindice is emblazoned on the metal door, icicles dripping from the letters.

"Sugoi…" Andrew breathes, holding Kellie close.

Sara reaches into her backpack, extracting a satellite radio. "Hello? We've arrived."

Slowly, the door opens inwards, revealing a dark cave, like the maw of some ancient terrestrial animal. Stone steps lead ever downwards into the belly of the beast. Somewhere, near the bottom of Vindice itself, we would find our Vongola illusionist.

Step after step, with only flickering lights to guide us. The heat inside was surprising. Vindice's stony interior captured the exuded body heat, and temperatures ranged from chilly but comfortable, to stifling hot. Down, down, down we went. Colonello's hand had crept into mine; a teacher reassuring his student that all would be okay. The last flight of stairs revealed a man, suspended in yellow-green liquid.

"Mukuro Rokudo. I know you're awake. Cut the illusion. We need to talk."

The image shimmered, then faded altogether, and Mukuro stood in the center of the room, chuckling. "Why, if it isn't Sara Blake. It's been too long."

I crossed my arms. "You know why we're here, Mukuro. You should know what's been going on in the mafia world."

"Kufufu… What ever do you mean, my dear Tatsuki?"

"Do I have to tell you? It would be sad if the Vongola mist guardian didn't know that his family had been disbanded, don'cha think?"

"Disbanded…" Clouds of doubt passed over his face. "So that's what's really going on…"

"You didn't know?" Isabella stepped forward, away from the relative anonymity of the group. "Tsuna split the Vongola up. We need your help to find where he, or his guardians, could possibly be."

"Kufufu… I assume you're looking for Hibari, then?"

I glanced sideways, watching Isabella's face flush red. Her crush on the Vongola cloud was… actually pretty obvious, at least more obvious than my… whatever you call it, to Yamamoto. "Duh. We need to find him," she blustered.

"Isn't the answer obvious?" The mist guardian chuckled. "He's in Namimori."


If you don't know what an aphrodesiac is, look it up. Actually... you can if you want to. Not gonna force you.

HEY ITS TATSUKI HERE. Again. 3 I'm back from writers block. Time to write Hibari in, and introduce new characters. :) Dang... Nanowrimo is coming up, isn't it?

Well... I enjoy being a vegetarian now, thank you very much. The food came from andrew zimmern's show or what have you. And yes. It probably was asian food.