Chapter 5: October 18th

Reassurance. It's awesome. Still crouched next to this concrete barricade of sorts and watching this Vongola altercation, the phone finds its way into my back pocket, but the words from Jones' text do not leave. [Someone will pick you up immediately.] The phantom words are almost inscribed onto the lamp-lit road. Then I hear that one kid wail once more—the blonde guy's son—the one I'm assuming is Tsunayoshi Sawada. My body cringes. The asphalt under me cringes. The trees and wind even shake in distaste.

But the boy's cries are given a response by his dad. The man named Iemitsu tells him they are awaiting further instructions on their 'Traditional Vongola Battles.' Silence ensues. So does waiting. It brings a lot to attention: I'm bleeding, Mia doesn't want to be here, and Jones is sending for me now. This is not the time to play sitting duck. Then I remember the dead guy missing an eye.

My eyes dart to the unmoving Varia man, eyes focused on his jacket's crest that says Squadra di Fulmine. I force them to shift slightly to Mia. While she keeps close to the ground like myself, I whisper to her that it's time to go. She continues watching the stilly neighborhood for a few seconds before quietly standing. I follow suit, until the gravel under my feet decides to crackle: I've just given myself away.

Fuck, I mouth soundlessly to the crunch. Five seconds go by. I close my eyes for a moment before peaking around the stone barrier Mia and I are hiding beside. My head barely dips beyond the paved corner of concrete, cheek barely touching the cold surface. One. Two. Three. Four. Five seconds more. The teenage Mafiosi boys never noticed the sound. The Varia leaders standing the farthest away don't even waste their breath. Yet I see a muscly blonde in the white tank and coveralls looking in my direction. Four other people standing around the man don't even react. Iemitsu Sawada has seen me.

Don't move suddenly, dude. I close my eyes and exhale. Sudden movement is way more noticeable. Eyes open once more. The tall man is still looking back in my direction atop the weirdly raised patch of grass. A boy standing beside him glances back too for a moment, until the trees behind the Varia begin to rustle. They rustle hard enough for me to see them from a good 150 feet away. Iemitsu also reacts to the noisy trees in the distance, turning away from me to see two pink haired women enter the stand off. They present themselves as the Cervello. I really want to hear what they have to say, but trying to leave after they do will be difficult. After a deep breath I look back to Mia. "Let's move."

We book it through the alleyways to my bike. Residence after residence passes us while I come to the conclusion that I'm not worried about those awaited instructions from that group called 'The Cervello,' Mia and I have gotten enough info tonight. I know Mia will snoop for more info tomorrow. My immediate concern lies in getting her as close to home as I can, before Jones picks me up. We pass a couple more houses silently before I slow. My cousin's brown eyes give me a worried stare, but I shrug it off and grab my phone again. After typing a meeting place to the Boss and hitting send, I notify Mimi that my bike is just around this next corner.

Only a minute later do we get to my bike, where the both of us quickly mount and ride. The drive is quick, ending at the front steps of Namimori shrine. I glance at my watch as I park the bike next to the bicycle rack. Jones will be here any minute; I have to get her out of here. "Mia, I need you to use the path from behind the shrine to get home now. Look for the two giant, red maples behind the shine. The path starts between those two trees and ends in the yard. It's a path you can't get lost on, like the one at Grandma's. Do you need a light?"

I sift through my little bag of items for my flashlight. The look Mia's giving me easily voices that she doesn't want to walk alone in the woods. Not at this time of night. Not on 'Spirit Land.' But her hand plucks the flashlight from mine regardless of her opinion. Getting her any closer to the house would give Jones too much of an idea where I sleep at night. Plus, this route is super safe: it's the way I get home when I've drunk too much at the bar, or at Tsuyoshi's.

Familiar headlights come to view ahead just as I hear Mia tell me a witty goodbye, running up the steps towards the main gate as hurriedly, her ponytail whipping side to side with each stomp. The fact that she's never seen the trail in daylight makes me want check if she found the opening in the red maples, but the sound of a barely purring exhaust stops me. My eyes trace over the sleek luxury car pulling up next to me, only to rise for a final check of my surroundings for any possible followers. None spotted, so I calmly enter the black auto in route to Jones' suite.

Upon entering the hotel and getting my access to Jones' room again, I notice the elevator is just as quiet now as it was this morning. Entering Jones' spacious flat is oddly following the events that played this morning too: stare down, pat down, and the boss talking me down. But after the Boss calls me an idiot for getting injured, he signals for a man (quietly in the corner) to come forth and check me.

I slip off my black shirt and sit in an empty chair. The spectacled man moves another chair next to mine and starts with the protocol—heart rate check, pupil check, breathing check—only to then start doing all kinds of weird shit to the cut on my arm. I give him and his shiny metal tweezers a skeptical glance. My fist clenches. "The wound is pretty superficial, doc. No need to go digging for gold." The old man stops and nods, but I keep eyeing him until he drops the tweezers and picks up a cotton swab instead. I nod. "Better choice. I would hate to punch you—"

CLAP!

With a single clap, Jones has stopped us all. The bodyguards rustling around in the background, the doctor fiddling with his tools, all of us. He is giving me 'the look.' My eyes slide away from the stone-faced leader as a guilty smirk slides across my face. A bright light clicks on next to me. Blind. When my sight comes back, I see the doctor holding the tweezers again. My fist instantly balls up again, but Jones averts my attention. "So give me details."

I grin and riposte, "Well, what do you want to know first?"

Standing a few feet away, the lean man takes a sip of his drink and savors it a moment before swallowing. It's scotch—that scent is unmistakable. "Let's start with people. Names and descriptions."

"From what I understand, everyone was Vongola affiliated and every leader of Varia was present—"

"Even Xanxus?" he interrupts, with a brow cocked.

Giving the fair-skinned man a smile, I say, "Yeah, even the Boss."

I go on, telling about the older boys (Sawada Tsunayoshi the boss candidate, Hayato Gokudera, and Sasagawa Ryohei), as well as the little kids (Fuuta, I-pin, and Lambo) that were present. Knowing that Jones might take the initiative and kill them all, I don't mention Tsuyoshi's son, Takeshi. I know the guilt would kill me if I had to take Tsuyoshi's son from him. That kid means everything to him.

"So Smoking Bomb Hayato is working for the Ninth again…" Jones chuckles while his finger brushes on his receding hairline, his hair looking a tad longer than his usually tapered cut. "Gods knows why Timoteo would give that shithead another chance…"

"What do you mean by that?" I question, utterly curious.

"It's nothing you need to know. Smoking Bomb is an easy kill. Go on."

My brows furrow, wondering why a weak assassin would be involved in succession issues, but I quickly toss the thought aside and continue, "Outside of who I've mentioned, there was a last group. The main guy was this tall, muscly blonde who went by Iemitsu—"

"Iemitsu?" Jones repeats.

"Uh, yeah. He claimed himself to be some External Advisor for the Vongola that is Second in Command. He was also one of the kids' Dad. I know 'cause they kept referring to him as so."

Jones' expression turns livid as he repeats the names of the middle school boys, his bright green eyes afire. I frown and look away. I'm not willing to take the brute of that fit he looks close to having. So my eyes trail to where the doctor guy is and watch him do weird stuff with powders and liquids. He must be some kind of crazy chemist. Only a couple seconds pass before I hear Jones growl, "Those motherfuckers…"

I scratch my forehead and joke, "Yeah, there's a bunch of those guys… that fuck mothers."

He glares at me. "Iemitsu Sawada, the head of CEDEF."

I tilt my head. "Isn't CEDEF supposed to be that Mafia police, like the Vindice but nicer, that keeps a track of all the other families and oh…" I lightly bite my tightened fist. My light bulb took a second to ignite. CEDEF is obviously affiliated with the Vongola—in secret.

Jones reminds the room of how CEDEF tried getting involved when Varia attacked our headquarters a few years back. Iemitsu tried finding out everything he could about who did and didn't survive on our side. As surprised as I am that Jones is reminding me of it all (with all of these extras around), I find how sly the Vongola is to be more stupefying.

Trying to find out how successful the Varia's attack was while pretending to be the good guys… five points.

Jones is in his own thoughts as he paces around the room, tepid eyes stabbing everything that comes to view in the romantically lit suite. But he sets his newfound hate for Iemitsu Sawada aside and asks what happened at the meeting. I keep it simple. "Levi A Than's personal squad headed an attack on the middle school boys. I took one guy out that saw me. Then the Varia leaders came to kill everyone. Iemitsu jumped in and stole the show, and stated how they are going to handle their succession issues. I left right after that."

Jones glares at me. "How are they dealing with them?"

"Apparently they're doing it Traditional Vongola Style." I give a smirk to how silly it sounds.

He doesn't find the term as amusing as I do.

I chortle before emphasizing. "They're holding one on one battles."

The doctor that was doing mad scientist stuff at a table nearby stands and announces that I'm not poisoned, but that my iron count is low. Hearing this leads me to some serious contemplating about what all the nausea was. It hits me, rather, I feel it. An exaggerated sigh blows out of my mouth as I glare to the ceiling. "Crap… I just started my period."

October 19th

My eyes are glued onto the laptop screen in front of me as Stitch and I discuss our upcoming reunion by video chat on my laptop. Though I'm telling him the meeting place, I'm more focused on this email I'm reading. My shipment is about to hit port and everything pertaining to its arrival is squared.

The partner gives his usual confirming response to our meeting place and I only give him an idle, "Yep." Between us is a good wall of silence before I hear his voice again, this time a little more cumbersome. I stop idly listening, my glance dropping to the keyboard, as he brings up how I'm supposed to be killing him in the near future.

"Well what do you suppose we do?" he asks in the calmest of fashions.

I don't like this. In fact, Stitch bringing this up is enough to raise suspicion. Regardless of my doubts, I blow off his need to hear how I'll keep him safe and tell him I have stuff to do. He gives a brief goodbye and we get off the phone. While wandering to the closet and throwing some clothes on, I try to justify my evasion pathetically. "Well, I really do have stuff to do…" Mia successfully gathered info on the Vongola fights, and I didn't even tell her to… She's a genius on occasion.

I re-read the text she sent earlier and reply back saying that we're going out for lunch. At the same time I'm in the car and pulling of the driveway, my cellphone rings from a new text. I roll my eyes and leave the phone in the cup holder.

The trip to Mia's school is never a long one. I pull up to the front gate of Nami-chuu and see the text is from hers truly asking where to meet up.

[From Dee] At the front gate.

[Dee] Run nigga run.

I laugh and send a couple more.

I chuckle about my retarded texts until Mia finds her way to the car. I lamely keep the joke going for myself, talking to her in my famous gangsta speak the whole way to my favorite noodle shop, but she seems to be elsewhere. So I stop screwing around and start enjoying some udon instead. Seated by the window and swallowing some scallions, I decide to get to business. My eyes fixate on the careless brunette. "I got your text from this morning."

"Oh yeah!" Mia responds, her eyes widening in surprise, "They're fighting at the school tonight, the sun guardians. They're fighting at… Twelve…I think… It may have been Eleven."

I swallow and reply, "Uhh, which one is it, eleven or twelve?"

The girl shovels some noodles in her mouth, chewing them up and shrugging her shoulders at the same time until she finally declares that she doesn't know. I roll my eye and slurp another bite. My instincts are saying midnight. Cool kids brawl when the clock strikes twelve—it's the unwritten law.

Mia's mouth opens to answer, but she hesitates. And her brown eyes hold onto that insecurity as she answers, "Twelve." I can only stare at her, now under the impression that her gut is telling her eleven. It's not like seeing this fight holds any empirical significance to either of our futures, so what the hell do I care. I just want to see some people beat the hell out of each other.

"Fine. Twelve it is. But let's leave for the fight early; we might run into obstacles on the way."

Ugh, I shouldn't have said fine. It sounds like I don't trust her answer.

Despite my fucked up response, Mia just nods dismissively and averts her attention away from me. I do the same, giving the almost empty noodle house a scan and noticing that most of the lunch hours buzz has left. Most of the clamor that was drowning our conversation from unwelcome ears has left. My cousin and I lock eyes again, and she asks me to explain the guardian-battles going on, since the Vongola is something new to her.

"So what kind of explanation are you looking for?

"I want it all. I want to know why, then how, and finally who. So far I only know the Varia is some kind of assassin squad for the Vongola. But aren't they fighting against the Vongola now?"

I give the shop a brief check for eavesdroppers before responding back in English. "Yes, the Varia is a special assassin squad for the Vongola—they're the best of the best. But more specifically, they answer only to Vongola Nono, who is the current head of the family. Nono created the Varia, and they work only for him. So in a sense, as they are Vongola, they also aren't. You get what I mean?"

"Yeah," she confirms with a nod, "They're an… independent, assassin squad—for the Vongola."

"Yep. So if they don't like something going on, per se… someone's candidacy as Vongola Decimo/Tenth head of the Vongola, they can act out. This is advantageous for them, because allied families can't get involved (it jeopardizes their alliance), and so it turns out to be a family issue that has to be handled according to precedential protocol." I do the finger quotes on the protocol part to emphasize how rule-oriented the underworld is.

She nods again, only to put forth another question, "But if they act out against the candidate then aren't they going against the boss? That's how the next head is chosen, right? By the current boss?"

I laugh. "Being a candidate and being the actual boss are as different as heaven and hell Mimi."

Before I can continue, Mia aggressively interrupts me. "No. I mean, if they're trying to kill the candidate isn't that like going against the current boss, since he chose him and stuff?"

I then point my index finger to silence her and try to help her see this outside the box. "When deciding candidates, there is never just one, unless the family is small. Big families usually have at least five to twenty candidates." I calmly throw my hands up in question with a cocked brow and question her. "Mia, where the fuck are all the other candidates?" She looks as if she's ready to interrupt me, but my small finger extends and stiffens to shush her. "The other candidates are probably dead. So in other words: candidacy equals war. And all is fair in love and war." I drop my finger and remember something else to add, "And don't forget what that decree from Nono said last night, he changed his mind to Xanxus—the boss of Varia—as his choice for candidato Decimo. Sawada Tsunayoshi is only in the runnings now because his dad, the external advisor, wants him to be candidato Decimo."

Mia laughs loud, and goes on a wild tangent about all kinds of things, pretty much yelling at me about things I don't control. Her voice is so loud that I cannot even hear what she's really saying. Everyone in the shop is giving us concerned and worrisome stares. We are the foreign girls in the noodle shop, and we obviously have an issue about something. Christ, do I feel embarrassed sitting next to her.

I snap my fingers to curb her hormones. "Calm down pussycat. I don't make the rules, and neither do you. But the guy that owns this place can freely tell us to get the fuck out for making a scene—like you currently are. Mafia is politics and protocol, Mimi. You smile to peoples faces and piss on their backs, it's the underworld."

She seems vexed by my response; her brown eyes look as if they want to roll as her expression calls me stupid. It really brings the urge to punch her in the face because teenage angst is for lame-asses. The mental picture of her full-figured body flying to the ground makes me smirk something devious. Don't do it, Alana. She doesn't realize what she's doing. Plus, you'll feel bad about it later, and in turn, will have to go do buy something for her to alleviate the guilt.

Mia decides to wrap up the conversation. "What's up with the Vongola's power system?"

My head quirks to the side and my eyebrow cocks confusedly. "Pshh, how the fuck am I supposed to know that? I'm not Vongola, nor do I have any desire to be."

"Time to get up."

Mia saunters down the steps behind me, calling for me to rise, but I stay perfectly still in a passed out position on the couch. My eyes are closed, but my ears hear it all. Let's see if she thinks I'm still asleep.

A minute passes before she calls louder, almost patronizingly. I finally reply, "I'm up." Whoa, there's a frog in my throat. My eyes open and I chuckle. Then I sit up and shut the laptop sitting on the coffee table in front of me. The room abruptly falls quiet. That is, until the black night outside the window reveals the sound of crickets. One good sigh, and I get up. It's time to go.

I barely spot Mia in the kitchen as I race upstairs to my room. Same jeans from earlier but a new black shirt with my weapon hidden underneath. Then a glance at the mirror shows the harness bulging under my shirt's fabric. My shoulders shrug; fuck it. After a head scratch too, I head back downstairs loosely shuffling my shoulders to get the harness comfortable on my back.

Back on the first level, I see my cousin swirling around on one of the kitchen barstools. I lightly chuckle to the scene and slip my tan moccasins on. Mia only looks my way as the barstool allows in its dance. Her long brown hair is a stream behind.

"Ready?" I ask, opening the front door for both of us to leave.

"Ready." Mia confirms as I walk out the house. By the time she gets out as well, I'm already on my bike and waiting for her. A quick check of my wristwatch says it's 11:25. "You're not going to lock it?" Mia asks while sliding onto the bike behind me.

Lock? What's she talking about? I scan everything around us—our plot of land on the shrine's mountain—I see the front door to the house. I smile. "Nah, I have insurance."

We laugh and put our helmets on, then leave the house welcome to thieves. As the vintage Japanese engine rumbles and bumbles, I think more about the unlocked door and possible robbery scenarios. It makes the ride go by very quick. I wish someone would break in… steal the good stuff too. Then I would have a good reason to break their fucking neck. Before I realize, we pass Tsuyoshi's joint.

The two of us carry on; I turn the bike into a dark alley between a few businesses and careen to our destination, eventually parking a couple blocks away from the school. While taking my helmet off, I see Mia saying something, but don't hear any of it. I'm currently bothered by how quiet it is. There's something here keeping the peace, and it's not girl scouts.

My hand hangs the helmet on one of the bike's handlebars, and Mia slips her helmet on the other. While my cousin messes with her tresses, I grab a pair gloves out of the small bag strapped to my bike and tuck them into my back pocket; these will probably be handy.

"So what's the plan?" Mia asks.

My eyebrows furrow slightly, responding in English. "I thought we agreed on no stupid questions in this relationship." Has she seriously forgotten the one subject we discussed over noodles? Noodle talk is sacred shit.

Mia smiles and rolls her eyes. "Seriously, you're the one leading this tango."

A stupid question gets a stupid answer. "Duh, we're off to go get our edumacation." I give her a stupid look while pointing to the school a half-kilometer away.

She laughs lightly as we find our way out of the brick-lined alley and now on the street the school lies on. Feet hitting the lamp-lit sidewalk, my gut urges that the trek has already remained too silent, especially for a Mafiosi battle to be in the works. I'm putting five on there being an illusionist. Despite my prediction, I say nothing to Mia and lead us down the sidewalk.

Though our feet are silent against the paved walkway, Mia is giving us away. I can feel her trying to hide her presence. That tension you feel in the air from a fighting couple, nervous children, scared hearts, giddy bloodlust. It makes a certain static in the air. What should feel like a surreal sense of tranquility and normalcy around me feels like the fluctuating waves of nervous tension: she's overthinking it. Well, I only taught her today, so I shouldn't have expected much.

We get to the oddly quiet school and come upon a guard at the gateway that has a new wrought-iron fence bolted into it. That fence wasn't here the other morning, nor was the guard. Dressed in a black suit, the giant of a man informs us that the school is closed for the night—we need to go home. Mia stops and stares at the barricade. When we catch each other's gazes, I smile and lead her to a tree far behind us with my eyes. She will do better not seeing this.

The girl, easily taller then me by almost half a foot, smiles to the man before sauntering off towards the tree. The sentry guard's eyes watch her for a moment and then come back to me. I turn my body to face the cement wall blocking me from the school and put my gloves on.

He says nothing.

One grin to him and I begin jumping onto the wall.

The copper skinned man moves his body in front of me with ease, catching me before I can even begin to grasp for the ledge. My grin never moves, but my hands do. With his hands busy holding me, one of mine goes for his shiny brown locks and the other goes for his cleft chin. Twist. My hands feel his neck cracking. In that moment that his body hasn't realized he's dead, I take a deep breath. Then we drop.

I drag the guard's heavy body to some nearby bushes and now notice bright lights shining within the school. They're bright like the stadium lights you see at sport venues or in school gyms. I also notice the new wrought-iron gate is gone. Five points. He must have been an illusionist; there are probably more. I blow the hair out of my face and run over to where Mia is.

Back up the sidewalk and around the corner, I find Mia already up the tree I signaled her to a moment ago. Almost leaning on the cement wall bordering the school, the tree Mia is crouched on has plenty of branches to choose from, but I climb onto the one my cousin cautiously rests on. I stare inside the school for people guarding nearby and tell her that there are illusionists present. Of course she doesn't know what I'm talking about, so I take a moment to explain illusionists and how dangerous they are. I hate them; they're like roofies, except they don't have to hide in your drink to fuck you.

Now aware of the secret assholes known as illusionists, I remind Mia how we have to be extra careful with them because they can attack from anywhere. Her eyes become a little crazed, as if I just mind fucked her, but I soften the blow with a little postitude. Looking towards the school, I say with a smile, "At least we know where to go."

She chuckles until I point to the best building I can find for watching this match. "We'll spy on them from that building. The higher we get the less likely they are to see us."

"The doors are looked after hours," she replies, "And if they're unlocked today it's probably not a good idea to go in them."

After an incredulousstare I crack the fakest smile. "Hello my name is Mia, and I like to state the obvious."

Like some kind of idiot, all that comes out of her are "uhs" broken by pauses and huffs of a nonexistent counter. In those pauses between her noises I hear something else. I mask my presence immediately and hone my sights to direction of footsteps almost hidden by the soft ground they are walking on. Mia's noise disappears, and the sight of pink hair and tanned skin appears out through the leaves and branches. I watch as the model-like figure strolls towards us, her eyes masked like a bandit. She looks like one of those Cervello from last night. She doesn't see us yet. I won't let her.

Ten feet from me and still unaware, I launch.

My reach for the lanky woman's slender neck misses, gripping her jacket collar instead. The girl's small palm smacks my arm forcefully, breaking my grasp on her clothing, and she quickly springs back from me evasively. She then speaks to me with a flat-toned yet feminine voice. "Interference is not allowed. Those not invited to this event are to leave at once."

I don't respond; I need to end this now.

"By decree of the Ninth Vongola Boss, interlopers of this private event will be penalized."

My hands pull my hair up into a small bun, before one hand slyly unfastens the weapon hidden under my shirt right after. It takes only one finger to pop the clasp under my shirt collar. The woman speaks again, only with more aggression. "Explain your reason for entering the premises, representative of Jones." She must have finally noticed the chain, seeing how my hair is no longer in the way. Though the pink haired girl is now hissing in a harsher tone and radiating in aggressive intent, I keep steadying my focus in silence. I won't miss her this time.

"Your silence and intrusion shall be penalized." Her hand moves.

I dash to the girl who's reaching behind her back and reach for the weapon hiding behind mine. Closing the gap between us, I see her now aiming a gun at me. My foot fans up, kicking her wrist in the circular motion. The gun flies and skids against the paved walkway nearby, and the girl makes a split-second shot for my neck. I jerk my body back from her hand, but stop to the sounds of rustling leaves, skidding feet, and a familiar voice yelping. Mia has entered the battle via body slam—with no target except the cold ground. It looks like the ground won. The Cervello girl snaps her attention to the long-haired brunette who's making no sound whatsoever. I instantly bust out laughing at Mia, but still stab the Cervello in the neck with my fan.

Mia is pinnacle of silence as I yank my weapon out of the tanned girl's neck. My laughter is the only other sound present besides the wind. Looking away from the klutz face down on the ground now, the Cervello's veiled eyes showcase panic as her gaping mouth makes no sound. I thrust the unopened fan into her back, aiming right for her kidney. She gargles instead of screams, and her knees buckle from under her. "That should do it," I quip while catching the featherweight damsel in my arms. Then I toss her over the fence.

I hear the soon to be corpse thud against the ground on the other side of the fence and walk over to Mia. Rolled onto her back now, her eyes are glued shut with a twisted expression that is dancing on the fence of groaning or crying. I look away shamefully and crack up all over again. But I do it soundlessly, since it would be messed up to break her silence with my laughter. Thank god too, next thing I know, I see her sitting up.

"Are you okay?" I asking, trying so hard not to laugh.

The brunette looks up to me, her big brown eyes and full cheeks begging for sympathy, but I can only start snorting in laughter all over again. Of course, Mia tries to look hurt from my reaction, but starts smiling. A whiny and laughable "no" escapes her in the process. It's times like these I wish I had said something really ridiculous and witty to say. Instead I keep the thought to myself and offer her a hand, ignoring the fact she spit on herself in the midst of her reply and wiped it off with the hand that she's using to grab mine.

With a small tug Mia rises off the ground and dusts the dirt off her. The light shinning behind me suddenly dims a little, and I check to see only the school behind me. My glance didn't help shit.

Mia takes this moment to interject. "Back to our earlier conversation, how are we supposed to get on top of the building?" I look back and shrug my shoulders. I have no desire to go play James Bond anymore. Hiding bodies is tiring work.

"Ehh, let's just go in the school and find somewhere cool to watch this."

Her eyes shoot me a disbelieving stare. She lingers on the look for a good second too. Finally she asks again with her tone full of cynicism, "How do you purpose we get in? And I might have mentioned this earlier, but if the doors are unlocked it may not be a good idea to go inside." Of course I can only smirk, wanting to ask her why she insults me so, but raise my hand and shake my head. I tell her I got this. Her tone stays dubious, answering with, "If you say so… I'll follow your lead."

I nod confidently. "Then let's move."

All around is the sensation of danger and lust for the kill. It amps me as I stride to the school doors and slide my motorcycle key into the school door's deadbolt lock as far as it will go. Then I kick the key as hard as I can, jamming it in and breaking the lock. The sound of shattering glass masks my noisy move; the schools grounds have darkened a little more too. Twisting the key inside the now broken lock to unlock it, my hand easily pulls the door open. Mia looks stupefied.

"After you princess," I sarcastically declare.

She looks like she has no idea what just happened.

A small chuckle escapes me as I give up on courtesy and walk inside the school first. My feet scuttle towards the nearest stairwell, where I hop two by two up the steps. Two presences are getting closer, but neither feels dangerous. They're moving… they must not sense us. The sound of Mia's feet are echoing behind me. I look up and down the hallway of the second floor, the walkway blighted with blinding luminescence, before deciding to go up one more level. The lights probably won't be so bothersome on the third floor.

My tan moccasins and Mia's tattered brown tennis are lightly tatting up the steps, but we make no other sound. Even as my foot lands on the third floor it remains hushed, transitioning to a quick stride into the first classroom on my left. I slide the door open only enough to enter and wander past the rows of empty desks to the windows. They are hinting of an event taking place under them. My brown-eyed cousin is at my side at once and peering out the window as well. It looks as if a 'Traditional Vongola Battle' is one that takes place in a caged boxing ring (with cabled reinforcement). The contest looks a lot like the MMA fights El and I used to order on Pay Per View—only this one is way more deadly. I smirk.

Pointing to the fighters inside the arena, a shirtless schoolboy currently lying face down in the center of the ring and Lussuria proudly standing above him, I inform Mia. "The older one wearing the sunglasses and the atypical hairstyle is Lussuria of Varia. He's a very skilled Nak Muay (muy thai fighter). From what I know, he's assumed to be the oldest of the seven leaders."

Her eyes focus on the fighters caged with one another. She smirks for a second, but then frowns at me. "Assumed? You can't find these guys?" I'm about to respond when Mia then blurts, "Are they better than you?" She smacks her mouth shut with a look of regret.

Through the window, four people now reveal themselves on the school grounds by closing in on the fight that is showing no progression. I try focusing in on the two young looking girls, one young boy, and one man that I immediately recognize as Iemitsu Sawada. While realizing the boy (the stinky boy fighting Squalo the other night) is the one that was with Iemitsu last night and realizing one of the girls is Kyoko Sasagawa, I answer Mia finally. "It's not a matter of finding them, everyone knows where they are, but only an idiot would go spelunking where monsters sleep. And yes, they could probably kill me."

In my peripheral I see her head cock. "Spelunking?" Then her tone lightens to a joking one. "Probably? Being a little cocky now aren't you."

What the fuck is up with this fight. Instead of chatting with that Kyoko chick, white-haired kid, you should be fighting to the death. My brows furrow to the anticlimactic fight before thinking about what Mia says and snickering. "I could kill one of them if I ever got a chance at a killer cheap shot (which would probably never happen), otherwise I wouldn't even attempt a fight. The greatest survivors know which battles to fight. Oh, and you're an idiot if you don't know what spelunking is by the way; Google it."

The white hair kid picks himself up and winds back for a power hit, Lussuria readies himself to start fighting again. Just as they are going in to hopefully beat the hell out of each other, Mia jokes, "Well, sorry. We can't all piss excellence. And I thought the greatest skill would be running away." We both pause, watching the lean school kid punch the hell out of Lussuria's knee. Something shatters in the process, I'm thinking a knee plate.

I cock my brow to the Varia leader that drops like a rock onto to the boxing ring's floor, writhing like he's in serious pain. Without even thinking I pull out my phone and take a picture of it, smiling like the neighborhood bully who just made 50 bucks beating up all his punk ass neighbor kids. This is one is going up on the picture wall of awesome.

Where the middle school boys are watching the fight, a toddler being carried by a bird and the two girls are leaving towards the school's main gate. Their pace is quick. I find the action odd, but center my attention back on the arena.

The Varia leader is forcing himself to rise up to the young boxer who has his hand outstretched to him, as if the fucker owes him money. Mia's eyes are aglow with fascination. Her bloodlust is beginning to ooze out, as is mine. Lussuria is up and in stance to still fight with his profusely bleeding right knee when I hear Mia's voice again.

"Wait. Do you guys get hits for other hitman? For example: would your boss give you a mission to kill a Varia member?"

My mouth opens to answer, but a thunderclap of gunshots is the only sound to be heard. The shots are ear wrenching, something I wasn't expecting, and they were fired by someone I haven't ever seen before. A killer robot stands on the Varia side with smoking fingers. "Who the fuck is that?" I instantly question. That wasn't someone in those files I received, and I'm sure our society isn't so advanced that we have robots for the Mafia's disposal.

The questionably dressed Varia leader, Lussuria, lies motionless on the ground for all to see, and I notice Mia backing away from the window like a skittish cat. Her legs keep stepping until they bump a desk slightly, where she just sits herself down in a panicked daze. Shit, Mia's freaking out. I glance out the window again to the caged ring, where one of those pink-haired Cervello girls is guarding Lussuria from the middle school Vongolan. Those Cervello must be officiating the fights.

"I never signed up for man killing robots."

I look back to my dazed cousin and retort objectively, "I told you this. Varia will not hesitate to erase a weak link."

Loud booms flood the campus, the cage that swathed the boxing arena is now collapsing to the ground, but Mia's frenzy can still be heard over the booming and crashing. "Man killing robot!" The full-figured girl springs off the desk spastically and cries, "We need to get out of here!"

Outside, the Varia has made their exit leaving their young opponents to congregate freely. Kyoko Sasagawa is running back over to them as the white haired boy starts making his way off the stage. Seeing that it's still not a good time to leave, I try and coax her a bit. "Mia, chill. The robot and Varia have left, but it's not a safe time to leave." I raise my hands to her in a calming fashion. "We need to sit and wait for the right moment."

Her response is calm, but exaggerated. "Man-Killing-Robot."

I roll my eyes.

"But yeah, we should stay a while so we don't get noticed leaving."

And now I just shake my head.

Turning away from Miss Melodramatic, I catch those little Vongola boys walking away from the battle location towards the school's main gates. That suited Arcobaleno toddler is casually strolling with them, as if he is one of the pack. They continue on, never looking back to where they had just experienced an extremely lucky win against a ridiculously strong opponent. But it's that little Arcobaleno toddler that bother's me. I know there is one that is pretty much Vongola Nono's right hand and also the strongest of the Arcobaleno, but which one is that one?

He's one of seven, but it only takes a run-in with one to end up screwed.

Some time passes before I feel safe leaving. Walking out of the dark, empty classroom, I tell Mia to keep a few paces behind me in case I happen to walk into trouble. "If someone finds us—run. Run like fuck, and I'll keep them busy. We'll meet at the nearby train station." Though I can't sense anyone close enough to be inside the building, I have no idea what's waiting for us outside. Mia doesn't seem too keen on the idea, but she goes along with it and keeps her distance.

We tread down the steps like naughty little children up past their bedtime, our eyes trying to see everything at once. I'm feeling a bit stupid for putting Mia in such a dicey situation, but there's nothing I can do it about it now except get her out of here alive. In a time faster than what it took to reach the third floor, we get to the bottom of the stairs. Mia is slithering off the last step as my hand pushes open the door I broke earlier. I freeze.

Iemitsu Sawada is right in front of me.

Thanks for reading!
Sorry for the hiatus.

Word Count: 7,251
[I do not own any KHR characters, obviously]

If you like this story, read And There I Lived Among the Clams by Ausumist
same story, but in Mia's POV

.Captain.