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Act I
Scene IV
~X~
Masako clung onto the handle with her dear life as the Mercedes sports car sped down Viale Ruggero di Lauria, the highway leading back into the town centre. While the GPS flashed the speed limit of eighty, the red needle on the speedometer swung a little above a hundred and ten.
"Don't you think you're driving a little too fast, Hayato?" she gulped, tightening her grip on the handle as the car overtook a weighty truck.
Her husband ignored the question and merely added more power onto the accelerator. The convertible shot forward like a bullet and the red needle now read a daring hundred and twenty-five kilometers per hour.
"What happens if you get a speeding ticket?" Masako cried out as lights and houses flashed past her in a blur.
Gokudera grunted with disapproval, "Now's not the time to be worrying over speeding tickets," he sneered back.
A series of beeps were suddenly heard and the GPS screen flashed for an incoming call. Glancing across to see who was dialing in at a time like this, the storm guardian immediately flicked a switch near the steering wheel after realizing it was Alberto.
"S-Sir!"
"I'm nearly there, Alberto!" he exclaimed, "Have you found that bastard yet?"
The young storm subordinate's voice sounded nervous, "Not yet sir," the speaker's replied, "I've sent a team of men to go searching."
Gokudera growled, "One team isn't enough, Alberto!" he cried back, "Fache could be anywhere around Catania!"
"T-then what do you insist we do, Sir?"
"I want to talk to that stupid baseball freak, turf head and Hibari when I get back," he ordered, "Call them and tell them to bring in some men."
The speakers went quiet, "H-Hibari?" Alberto stuttered
"Yes goddammit!" the storm guardian roared, "I want Hibari's ass in the mansion as well!"
"C-Copy that sir!"
Gokudera frowned, "In the mean time, I want every bus stop, train station and airport to be under our monitor," he instructed, "If that bastard escapes Sicily and plots something against the boss, then you and I better be prepared for the consequences!"
The line then was cut dead.
~X~
Hidden in the neighboring streets not far from the Vongola Mansion was the personal residence and office belonging to the family's Cloud Guardian. Situated along the busy Via Antonio di Sangiuliano, the small but pleasant building offered fine views of the nearby Piazza San Nicolella, and a quick few minutes walk would reach the epicenter of Catania.
This evening, seated most comfortably in the building's second level lounge room was the twenty-four year old Hibari Kyoya. After taking upon the position as Vongola's Cloud Guardian, this twenty-four year old Hibari was ushered to leave his beloved Namimori and instead find residence here, in the very heart of Sicily. Despite thoroughly expressing his resentment of mingling with the other guardians within the Vongola Mansion, Hibari however- couldn't reject this beautiful apartment that was refurnished into a Japanese home to suit the tastes of the cloud guardian.
"Kyo-san," the door to the room slid open.
Hibari turned to face his subordinate- Kusakabe Tetsuya.
"There's been a situation in the Vongola," Kusakabe explained, "Gokudera-san requires your attendance."
The cloud guardian picked up a cup of warm tea and took a slip, "Not attending," he answered, setting the ceramic cup back against the tatami mat.
His subordinate pulled a blank look, "But Kyo-san," Kusakabe objected, "Gokudera-san is the second-in-command, we can't-"
"Not attending," Hibari repeated, hardening his tone.
Kusakabe fell silent, "Kyo-san," he sighed with dejection.
Turning his head to stare out the window, the cloud guardian opened his mouth to speak, "You can go if you're really that desperate," he remarked before raising a hand to wave for his subordinate to close the door.
~X~
The security guard posted at the emergency gates of the Vongola Mansion was just settling in for the night when a car pulled up on the driveway. Over the television broadcast of the evening's football match and a glass of cold beer, the sound of an irritated car horn vibrated through the walls of the tiny office and reached the ears of the security guard.
Looking up from the TV screen, the security guard frowned as the sound of car honking grew louder and stronger. Swinging his legs off the desk, the security guard decided to thrust his head out the office window and yell a few insulting words at whoever was disturbing him during an important football match.
"This is private property!" he shouted in Italian, "Get lost!"
The window of the convertible rolled down, "Do you want to get fired that badly?" a pair of icy green eyes glared back.
The security guard squinted at the man sitting behind the wheel of the expensive convertible before turning to glance at the number plate. After finally realizing who the man was, the security guard's face paled and immediately pressed the button that controlled the gates.
"S-Sir!" he straightened his posture and stood as straight as a stick.
Giving the security guard one last good hard stare, Gokudera rolled up the window and zoomed towards the towering mansion. Sitting next to him, his wife gave a relieved sigh and finally released the handle she'd been clutching onto this whole time.
Pulling up at the lower courtyard of the mansion, the storm guardian swung his car around to an empty parking space before switching off the engine. Jumping out of the Mercedes with Masako at his side, Gokudera immediately rushed towards the back entrance of the Vongola mansion.
"Evening sir," he was greeted by Alberto and a group of men.
The storm guardian snarled, "Evening my ass, Alberto," he scowled back, "What the hell happened?"
Charging through the mansion with Alberto, Masako and a group of men trailing behind him, Gokudera listened carefully as his subordinate gave a full account of what happened tonight. His first destination was a small sitting room just above the second floor of the east wing.
"Masako," he turned to his wife and pulled her into the miniature lounge room, "Stay here."
A look of determination fell across Masako's face, "No," she protested, "I'd rather stay with you."
"Now's not the time," Gokudera argued back, "Things will get ugly."
"But-"
Masako could only watch as her husband turned away from her and rejoined his team of men. A second later, the presence of Vongola's Storm Guardian disappeared entirely from the sitting room.
~X~
By the time Kusakabe Tetsuya had shown his identification, passed through security and finally emitted into the Vongola Mansion- he was already ten minutes behind the scheduled meeting time. After following an old butler through the massive mansion, he finally arrived at the grand oak doors that lead into the guardian's conference room. Stopping to take a deep breath, Kusakabe nodded for the butler to open the door.
"Good evening," he stepped in and announced his presence with a small bow.
Lifting his head to see who was present in the room, Kusakabe was surprised to find only the Vongola Storm and Rain Guardians to be standing around the lengthy conference table. As always, the rain guardian offered a warm smile and gestured for him to come in.
"Good to see you again, Kusakabe-san," he acknowledged.
On the other hand, the storm guardian scoffed, "How come it's you?" he blurted, "I sent for Hibari."
The cloud representative sighed, "Kyo-san doesn't like crowds," he answered, "So he sent me to replace him."
"Che, that guy never changes."
Yamamoto managed a quiet laugh, "This guy's cranky tonight," he waved a thumb to where his co-worker stood.
"What did you say, baseball freak?"
Kusakabe glanced between the two guardians, "And the situation, Gokudera-san?" he pressed, "I was briefed on the way here, but the details were limited."
Turning around to face Kusakabe, the storm guardian opened his mouth to speak. Yet, just before he could spit out the first word, a loud knock was heard on the door and a young subordinate stumbled into the room. He approached Gokudera and bowed.
"I have a report from the Investigations Department sir!"
"What is it?"
The subordinate looked up, "We dug through Fache's records and found the family he grew up in," he replied, "We suspect he still may be working for that family."
Both guardians' eyes lit up with interest, "What?" Yamamoto stepped forward
"Speak," Gokudera ordered, staring at the subordinate, "Which family?"
The young boy pursed his lips, "The Bortolotti-Rosso family from Tuscany."
Kusakabe blinked at the name- he would've sworn he's heard the family somewhere. Turning to glance at the guardians, Kusakabe watched as the storm guardian frowned. Judging from the facial expression, Gokudera has heard the name as well.
"Bortolotti-Rosso," he murmured to himself, "They don't have a direct alliance with the Vongola do they?"
The subordinate shook his head, "No sir."
Closing his eyes, the storm guardian felt names flash across his brain. After studying through the four-hundred year history that the Vongola held and reciting all the families that held alliances with his family, Gokudera pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried desperately to remember the name Bortolotti-Rosso.
"Gokudera-san!" Kusakabe suddenly shot out, "The Bortolotti-Rosso holds an alliance with-"
"Sir!"
The storm guardian snapped his eyes open, "Cavallone," he announced, turning around to face the rest of the room, "The Cavallone Family."
~X~
Masako stared out of the window and at the fountain flowing outside. Illuminated by a soft white glow of light, the marble figure of the Greek goddess Amphitrite peered back through the French windows. Holding a delicate vase on her shoulder, a trickle of water fell down from lip of the marble carving.
She looks peaceful, Masako thought before turning back around.
Sitting in front of her was a handcrafted coffee table made from expensive pinewood. A cup of red tea placed gently on a saucer sat elegantly on the table- milk and sugar were offered on the side. A selection of small delicacies, sandwiches and finger foods was also present along a three-tier cake stand.
"Ma'am."
Masako looked up just in time to see a young boy with sharp features and curly brown hair step into the sitting room and bow at her. Immediately rising to her feet, Masako turned to face the storm subordinate.
"Is everything alright?" she questioned, pressing the boy for an answer.
Alberto straightened his posture and offered a warm smile, "Rest assured, Ma'am," he insisted, "Everything is under control."
Masako released a relieved sigh, "Thank goodness," she murmured.
The young subordinate only widened his smile, "I have direct orders from sir as well," he paused before speaking, "He instructs me to see you home safely."
Alberto watched as his boss's wife blinked at him with puzzled eyes, "Then what about Hayato?" she urged, "When will he get home?"
"Sir still has some business to clean up here in the mansion," he replied, "He'll be available in the morning."
Masako sighed and crossed her arms, "Again," she muttered under her breath.
The storm subordinate shuffled to the side, "Well then, Ma'am," he raised an arm and gestured towards the exit, "This way please."
~X~
"The Cavallone Family?" Sawada Tsunayoshi paced around his office like a man on a mission, "Impossible."
It was just a little after eight in the morning and the coffee still hadn't kicked in for the Vongola Don. After getting a comfortable night's sleep in his glorious bedroom on the second floor of the Vongola Mansion, the twenty-two year old mafia boss had absolutely no idea about the night's frantic activity that occurred within his very house.
Standing in front of him, Gokudera bowed his head, "We cannot be too careful about this, Juudaime," he remarked, "Or it might affect you and the Vongola as a whole."
"But this is Dino-san we're talking about!" Decimo cried back, "He's like a brother to me!"
The storm guardian looked gloomy, "I understand that sir."
Tsuna continued to stride up and down his office. Feeling Gokudera's eyes trail after him, the Vongola boss turned to look out the floor length window. After a few minutes of quiet thinking, Tsuna glanced back around and motioned for his right-hand man to step forward.
"Gokudera-kun," he began, "Reborn's with the Cavallone Family at the moment isn't he?"
The right-hand man nodded, "Yes sir. He insisted on visiting Dino," he answered, "Reborn-san will be returning later next week."
The Vongola Boss was silent for a moment before folding his arms, "Call the Cavallone Family first and say that I'd like to arrange a meeting with their boss," he instructed, "Then tell Reborn to bring Dino-san down with him next week."
Gokudera bowed, "Yes sir."
"Oh and Gokudera-kun," Tsuna paused, "Have we found Fache yet?"
The storm guardian pursed his lips, "Not yet, Juudaime," he responded, "But we managed to get hold of his wife this morning. She's being interrogated as we speak."
TheDon nodded before seeing his subordinate out the door.
~X~
Despite Catania being a rather large city with the population exceeding over three hundred thousand along with seasonal rounds of tourists, Masako found it rather easy to navigate through town. After passing by fruit markets, bakeries and cafes, the twenty-two year old soon found herself standing before the majestic iron gates that lead up to the luxurious Vongola Mansion. Not certain of what to do next, Masako only stared up at the mansion and consumed every inch of its striking structure and appearance. Under the broad daylight, the manor looked more beautiful than what she saw last night.
A guard posted at the gates frowned upon seeing a Japanese women standing alone at the metal entrance. Stepping out of his tiny room, he approached the woman and spoke to her in Italian. Getting replies in English, the guard yelled back into his room and called out a younger sentinel.
"Sorry, this is not a tourist attraction."
Masako blinked at the boy who just spoke Japanese to her. Judging by his dark brown hair and almond shaped eyes, Masako concluded that he must be somewhat part Japanese. Nevertheless, the twenty-two year old answered in the same language.
"I'm not a tourist," she insisted, "I know someone who works in the mansion. I've just come to see him."
The boy translated something in Italian and the older guard shook his head, "Sorry," he retorted, "Without any identification, we cannot allow you to enter the mansion."
"I'm not an intruder," Masako argued back, "I swear I know-"
The younger male scrunched his face up with frustration, "I suggest you leave," he warned in a harsh tone, "Or I'll call out men to remove you."
Masako's brows knitted together with annoyance, "But-"
"What's going on here?"
All three of them turned at the sudden intrusion of a raw voice.
Sasagawa Ryohei at the age of twenty-three approached the iron gate from the other side. Renowned for his passion towards boxing and extreme motto, the Vongola's very own Sun Guardian enjoyed life here in Sicily more than anyone else. After personally given a house and winery by the boss himself, Sasagawa Ryohei now lived in one of the most ravishing chateaus ever found in Catania.
"Sir!" the two guards bowed as low as they can.
Masako managed a smile, "Sasagawa senpai."
The Sun Guardian beamed back, "Yo! Octopus-head's wife!"
Unlocking the side-gate for pedestrians and bikes, Ryohei stepped through the huge metal entrance and arrived at where the two security guards and Masako stood. He turned to face the two bowing men.
"Do you know who this is?" he challenged, gesturing towards Masako
Lifting their heads, the two guards glanced at each other before shaking their heads, "No sir," they replied in unison.
"Of course you don't," the sun guardian muttered before raising his voice and lifting a finger, "She's Vongola Storm Guardian's wife for goodness sakes!"
Hearing the title Ryohei just yelled out, the two security guards immediately turned to Masako and dropped down onto their knees. The younger guard began blurting out apologetic phrases in both rusty Japanese and Italian.
"Forgive us," he begged, "We didn't know you're the wife to the storm guardian!"
Masako blinked, "No, it's fine," she uttered, reaching out to help the two guards but was suddenly stopped by the sun guardian.
"Let them be," Ryohei snorted, seizing Masako's arm and dragging her onto Vongola soil, "We really need some new security guards these days."
~X~
"So the matter hasn't been resolved," Masako announced.
Walking next to her, the sun guardian shook his head, "No," he agreed, "I'm afraid it's just the beginning."
A sigh was heard, "If Hayato would only tell me the truth."
Ryohei glanced at Masako through the corner of his eyes. Despite being called simple-minded and hotheaded at times, the boxer wondered if the so-called wife of Vongola's storm guardian really knew what was going on. After all, as far as the boss and guardians were concerned- women were usually kept out of the loop in order to avoid kidnappings and blackmailing. Nevertheless, the sun guardian kept silent as the duo strolled through the carpeted hallways of the Vongola Mansion.
"Have the guardians found nothing at all?" Masako urged, a face filled with desperation.
"Yamamoto brought the wife in this morning," Ryohei replied, pausing as a trio of maids stopped to bow at them, "But she's refusing to talk."
Masako watched as the cleaners scurried off, "That's a pity," she mumbled dejectedly.
Oh that's not all, the sun guardian thought, Sawada is suspecting that the Cavallone Family might've planted a mole within the Vongola.
"Here we are," Ryohei pulled a cheerful grin as they stopped in front a set of oak doors, "Octopus-head's office."
Masako pulled a smile and bowed, "Thank you, Sasagawa senpai."
The boxer waved it off, "Enjoy your stay here!" he exclaimed before continuing down the hallway.
Waiting until the sun guardian was out of sight, Masako turned to face the doors. Curling her hand into a fist, she gave the oak a gentle knock. A few second later, she knocked again- but there was no response. Frowning, Masako moved her hand onto the handle and pushed it down. To her utter surprise, the door slowly pushed open.
"Hayato?"
Despite the excellent weather and sunshine that the morning held, the storm guardian's office was somewhat gloomy and cold. With the woolen curtains drawn and the damp from leftover wood, the office was enveloped by darkness. And sitting in the very middle of the room behind the enormous desk was the storm guardian himself. With his chin rested against the palm of his hand, Gokudera had his eyes close and was seemingly fast asleep. A bottle of bourbon followed by an ashtray stuffed with cigarette butts sat next to him.
"How can you sleep like this?" Masako whispered to her husband as she entered the office before gently closing the door.
Quietly putting down a basket of breakfast onto the coffee table, Masako reached for the black blazer that was hung loosely around couch. Shaking any excess dust off the jacket, she carefully swung it over her husband's shoulders before leaning down and pulling a smile.
~X~
The storm guardian stirred when the curtains in his office were pulled open and light flooded cruelly into his room. Groaning, Gokudera lifted his resting head and slowly peeled his emerald-green eyes open.
"Goddammit Alberto," he complained, "What do you think you're doing?"
Instead of getting a normal response from his subordinate, the storm guardian was surprised to hear a more feminine voice echo around the room. He jumped out of his seat- the jacket that was wrapped around his shoulders fell onto the floor.
"Oh good morning to you too, Hayato," Masako grinned and turned her heard away from the window.
The latter blinked, "What're you doing in my office, women?" he demanded, pointing a finger at his wife.
Masako chuckled, "Breakfast," she gestured to the tray set placed against her husband's desk, "I thought you might be hungry."
Gokudera stared down at the food sitting before him. Coffee, fresh-baked croissants and a variation of fruits appeared before a handcrafted silver tray. He quietly sat down and picked up the coffee.
"How did you get in anyways?" he mumbled, "You need identification to enter the mansion."
His wife leaned over to pick up the fallen blazer, "Sasagawa senpai kindly showed me in," Masako replied
"Che," the storm guardian grunted and glanced at the clock that hung on the wall nearby. It was just a little after ten.
Gingerly lifting up the ham and cheese croissant and preparing to take a generous bite of the delicious pastry, Gokudera frowned when the wireless phone next to him went off. Minding the crumbs on his fingers, he carefully picked it up and shoved the speaker against his ears. He listened for a few seconds.
"What do you mean she won't speak unless a lawyer is present?" Gokudera growled into the phone, the frown creasing even deeper into his forehead.
Masako watched her husband curiously.
"Then get her someone- someone who can make her talk!" the storm guardian yelled before pausing, "I'll be there in two minutes."
Tossing the phone back against the receiver, Gokudera threw the croissant back against the plate before standing up and rushing towards the door. Caught by complete surprise, Masako blinked and raced after her husband.
"Hayato!" she called out, "Where're you going?"
"The interrogation rooms!"
"But-" Masako rushed to the door. Turning to give the office one last glance, she sped after the raging storm, "Wait!"
-End of Scene IV-
~X~
A/N: Any sort of feedback is appreciated! :D