Translations:
Bella - Beautiful
Stronzo - Asshole
Cara - Dear

Break

Ezio sat on a ledge staring down at the practice arena as Aria and Mario sparred viciously. He was nervous. Aria was his first real apprentice, and her performance reflected his own skills. If Mario was not impressed with Aria's technique, Ezio was worried that he might never be trusted to train recruits.

Both Mario and Aria looked exhausted. The sun was beating down, roasting them in their thick armour. Even Ezio had broken a sweat in the afternoon heat. A small crowd had gathered to watch, suffering through the weather in hopes of an exciting fight. Many even found the energy to shout out cheers and words of encouragement. Despite the heat, the two continued to fight with as much strength as they could muster, neither wishing to be the first to give in.

As Ezio watched, he saw an opening in Aria's defence that Mario tried to take advantage of. He made a fast slash with his blade, but she quickly blocked the strike with her dagger.

His uncle had scoffed at first. "It is no surprise that you cannot handle the weight of a longsword," he had jabbed, "A dagger is a woman's weapon to be sure."

Aria had drawn her bow so fast that there had not been time for Mario to blink before her arrow had whizzed past his face and shattered against the brick wall behind him. "And what kind of weapon is that?" she had jeered back.

Ezio had quickly intervened and had successfully returned focus to the task at hand. First, Mario had tested Aria's free running skills; much to Ezio's protest. "You saw her nearly beat me in a race the day you returned!" he had argued.

Before Mario could answer however, Aria had interrupted. "What do mean "almost" beat you?" she had snapped angrily.

Ezio had flashed her a wide smile as he'd smirked back, "You cheated bella."

A few minutes of useless bickering later, Mario had ended the debate. With their score nowhere near settled, Ezio had decided to run the test as well. Unfortunately, Aria had put him to shame – fair and square this time.

Ezio had scowled at his uncle who'd laughed as he completed his walk of shame back to the finish line. Aria had worn the biggest grin Ezio had ever seen, and he had quickly become much less sullen about his defeat.

After the free run, Mario had then run Aria through a dozen stealth exercises. In the sunshine, her dark attire hadn't been as effective as it normally was, but Aria had still known how to hide herself. She had passed with flying colours, thoroughly scaring her targets whom Mario had generously compensated in return.

Now all that was left was an overall combat analysis. Ezio was not used to staying on the sidelines and he struggled to remain still. He was on edge, but did his best relax and tried to distract himself from worrying.

Aria lunged forward, but Ezio quickly noticed that there was no power behind the movement. Mario darted backward, regardless, and Aria took advantage of his moment of unbalance to kick one of his legs out from under him.

Mario crashed to the ground, but kept his weapon tight in his hand. He predicted Aria's next strike, and managed to deliver a kick to her shin, stalling her long enough for him to get back to his feet.

It was easy to evaluate both Aria and his Uncle's fighting styles from this point of view. They were both aggressive fighters, constantly on the offense. Aria, especially, allowed her emotions to govern her fighting style, but unlike Mario, her anger did not impair her efforts, but enhanced them. Considering her angry and violent past, it made perfect sense.

Mario was weak on the left side, where his blind eye could not see. In correlation, his left side was armoured heavier than the right. Aria's weakness was her lack of trust in her hidden blade. Despite their training exercises, she still favoured her dagger above the small blade. Ezio had faith that she would improve with time.

Swinging a heavy blow, Mario knocked Aria's dagger from her grip. He took a step back, about to announce victory, when Aria landed a strong kick to his gut. Mario sputtered and coughed, and Ezio quickly stood, and rushed into the arena to make sure that no sincere fighting occurred.

The crowd erupted in cheers and Mario's face burned red as he struggled to breathe through winded lungs. "I was about to say stop!" he wheezed angrily.

Aria couldn't hide her small satisfied smirk as she replied, "You shouldn't assume the battle is over just because I lost my weapon."

Ezio could not help but laugh, for he had made the same mistake on their first encounter as well. "Do not worry uncle," he laughed as he helped stand Mario upright, clapping him on the back, "She grows on you."

Mario soon recovered from his coughing fit and managed to speak. "Yes, well, she still has one more test to pass," he panted, wiping the sweat on his brow with his sleeve.

Ezio smacked himself in the forehead. He had forgotten the leap of faith – and this was no ordinary leap. He himself had been required to conquer this jump to truly prove his metal as an Assassin.

Aria shot Ezio a curious look, raising an eyebrow at his abrupt silence. "What is the final test?" she asked, with a hint of apprehension in her voice.

Mario sheathed his sword before climbing out of the practice area. "A leap of faith," he explained, "But for this test, we must venture to Firenze."

Aria turned her attention back to Ezio, eyes prying for answers, and he had no choice but to oblige. "The tallest leap you will ever encounter this side of Italia, lies in Firenze," he explained, "The Campanile di Giotto."

()()()()()

The hairs on the back of Aria's neck rose at the thought of leaping from such a dizzying altitude. She remembered visiting the tower as a girl, staring up at the unbelievable height, and wondering if mountains were as tall. Aria knew better now, but her childhood memories continued to fill her with fear.

Ezio laid a firm hand on her shoulder all of a sudden, and she flinched slightly. Aria cursed herself for losing her head, especially in front of her future boss.

Mario watched her with a small smirk, no doubt pleased to see that she was sweating. Everything he had done was meant to challenge her, and to push her to the breaking point, but he would not get that satisfaction.

Aria straightened herself, determination burning deep inside her heart. "When do we leave for Firenze?" she asked.

Ezio raised a brow at her quick change in attitude and rolled his eyes, smiling. "Not for a few days," he assured her, "Preparations need to be made."

Aria felt her heart flutter with excitement. Was the leap of faith truly the last test that she would need to pass?

Mario didn't seem to think so. "One more thing," he piped in suddenly, "There is something I want to show you."

Ezio and Aria followed as Mario lead them back into the Villa and up to the second level. Ezio's study was tucked away at the end of a narrow hall on the third floor of the Villa.

Aria could not pretend that she wasn't a little excited to see Ezio's lair. That was where he kept his research on the Templars and new targets. More than anything, Aria was ready to be done with her initiation and begin her career as a Templar slaying Assassin, and if she was lucky, eventually make her way up to Borgia.

"Why don't you climb up first, bella?" Ezio advised quietly, a wicked grin painting his face.

Aria gave him a dirty look. "Ladies first, stronzo," she shot back.

He only grinned back before he quickly shuffled his way up the ladder. Aria had to fight the blush that flooded her cheeks as she averted her gaze from Ezio's swaying backside. Thankfully, Mario didn't seem to notice, and Aria scrambled up after Ezio. He reached a hand down to her and she begrudgingly accepted his help. Ezio pulled her up through the hatch in the floor, and planted her firmly on her feet.

The room was large, but cluttered with books, portraits, and a large desk. There were several windows that surrounded the room, cracked open so the evening sun could shine through. Not exactly what Aria had expected, but despite the chaos, the room was rather cozy.

Mario emerged from the trap door next and Ezio helped him to his feet as well. "What do you think?" he asked, gesturing to the crowded room.

Aria smirked as she flipped through a few of the pages strewn across the wide desk. "Impressive, but unorganized," she said cooly.

Mario huffed a laugh. "And I suppose you think you could do better?" he taunted.

Turning her attention away from the pages, she fixed Mario with a smug grin. "Of course," she informed him lightly, "There is no lack of information here, but it would be better applied if it were more organized."

Ezio began to look a little nervous as Mario paced about the room scowling, but he made no move to intervene. Aria did not feel as though Mario meant to harm her, but she could not deny the growing tension.

He stopped in front of a veiled portrait, fiddling with the edge of the fabric. Ezio began to shift uncomfortably, but Aria's focus remained on Mario.

"I suppose the Order could use a secretary," he jabbed with a smirk, "It's been a while since we had an Assassin with a desk job."

Aria felt the humor drain, as any fun in this game dissolved. She tried desperately to come up with some sort of retort that was not completely childish, but she was becoming too angry to focus.

Mario smiled. "I'm sure you recognize the faces in some of these portraits," he said superciliously, "Templars slain by my nephew's hand."

Ezio took a hasty step towards Mario. "Uncle, please," he tried, "Let's not do this."

Mario paid him no notice. "It is a trophy room, if you will," he explained as his smirk grew more evil by the second.

Aria held Mario's glare with so much intensity that she was only vaguely aware of Ezio as he moved to try to pull his uncle back from the veiled portrait. Before Ezio could lay a hand on him, Mario pulled the cloth from the portrait revealing the face that Aria had been afraid she would see.

Her father's icy blue eyes glared at her from his painted face. Aria made no attempt to hold back the torrent of emotion that overwhelmed her as her fists balled at her sides, and tears threatened to spill over.

Mario was not done. Ezio protested wildly, and might have even said something to Aria, but she heard nothing. She only saw the second two sets of eyes, as two more portraits were unveiled – her brother and her great uncle.

Ezio began yelling at Mario then, who seemed to hear none of it, as his gaze remained locked with Aria's.

She heard nothing but the pounding of her heart in her ears. Aria was too consumed to hear, too devastated to speak, and too angry to think. Hate. Every emotion boiled down to hate. Years of impulse drove her, and Aria barely noticed as she freed her blade from its sheath on her belt and took a step towards the focus of her anger.

She cried out as she raised her knife to slash, but a firm hand caught her by the wrist. Aria turned to attack the new offender, and came face to face with Ezio. Abruptly, he pulled her into his arms, and the knife slipped from her fingers. The dagger clattered to the floor and Aria let out a breathless sob as her hands tangled in Ezio's shirtfront.

Strong arms held her tightly as he rubbed her back and whispered quiet words that she was too angry to hear. Aria tried desperately to break away from her hysterics, but there was too much rage smoldering inside her chest.

At some point Mario left the room, but Aria never heard it above the sound of her pulse racing in her hears, and her own quiet crying.

As Aria's anger finally began to wind down, she finally understood that she had failed. It had been another one of Mario's test, and she had failed. "I failed."

Ezio's arms loosened around Aria as he leaned back to stare down at her. "Failed what, cara?" he asked softly, gently wiping a stray tear from her cheek.

Aria stiffened, not realizing that she had spoken aloud. She took a shaky breath, hoping to return some strength to her voice. She failed to do that too. "That was a test, wasn't it?" she moped, "A test of my loyalty."

A chuckle rumbled in Ezio's chest, and Aria's anguish turned to confusion. "It was, bella, but you did not fail," he said with a small smile.

Aria pulled back further to regard him with a straight stare, however his hands did not leave her back. "What do you mean?" she asked, as the strength returned to her voice.

Ezio seemed to relax as she did. "To fail, you would show no emotion at all," he explained, "Think about it."

Aria turned the thought over in her head as her gaze dropped to stare blankly at Ezio's chest. It did make sense. If her intentions were malevolent, she would not dare show emotion, for fear that it would betray her allegiance. Aria felt a tad alleviated by this revelation, but it did not ease the stab of pain that she felt, reminding her that she was alone. But I'm not alone.

Ezio pulled her closer as one hand moved from her back to gently tilt her gaze up to his with a warm hand beneath her chin. His molten gold eyes searched hers as a small crooked smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

Aria hadn't been alone for a long time. No matter how hard she had pushed Ezio away, he had always pushed back with equal force. They challenged each other, and Aria had learned so much from him in the past months, but it was more than that.

Ezio had always been forward, making his feelings rather clear, but Aria had brushed them off, and ignored any feelings that she might have had. It was absurd, after all. However, his advancements had quickly become too much to ignore and she had realized that she did not want to be his friend. Aria wanted to be more.

The thought had been inconceivable, so it had been buried away. Distractions had been plenty, but now Aria's defenses were down, and her emotions were balancing like a knife on her fingertip.

Ezio's gaze continued to bore into her own, pleading for answers. So Aria gave him one. Without blinking, she leaned in and pressed her lips tentatively against Ezio's. His eyes widened in shock, and Aria pulled back immediately.

She did not get far. Ezio's hand caught the back of her neck and pulled her back in. His lips crashed against hers, and Aria melted into his arms. Why did it have to feel so damn good?

Aria sighed against Ezio's lips, and his chuckle caused a grin to break their kiss. He looked down at her with the most breathtaking smile that Aria had ever seen, and she tried to will away the burning in her cheeks and the flutter in her stomach.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she grumbled in annoyance, her tone not nearly as baleful as she had hoped for.

Ezio laughed again, his eyes never leaving hers. "I've just been waiting for this moment for a very long time," he said with a contented sigh.

Aria's blush only darkened as she tried to scowl at him. Why did the stronzo have to be so insufferably charming?

Ezio grinned as he pulled her into a soft kiss. His lips were gentle, but there was a hunger that strived for more. It wasn't long before his pace increased, and Aria's head swam as she was caught up in the taste of his lips.

The kiss deepened and Aria quickly lost her breath. She hated to do so, but Aria broke the kiss, panting as she fed her oxygen starved lungs.

Ezio licked his lips, grinning stupidly. "A little out of breath?" he smirked.

Aria glowered and tried to pull away from him but he grabbed her by the wrist, tugging her back in. She collided against his chest and his knees buckled against the edge of his bed. When had they moved towards the bed? Aria did not have time to think about it as she suppressed a yelp when Ezio toppled backwards onto the mattress, pulling her down with him.

She landed on his chest with an "Oomph," and her cheeks immediately turned bright scarlet. Her logic came reeling back as alarms blared in her head, but that easy smile that curved Ezio's delicious lips silenced her uncertainty in a heartbeat.

"Second thoughts so soon?" he inquired with a wicked smile, "Don't tell me you're scared."

Ezio started to sit up, but Aria forcefully pushed him back down. Her lips captured his in a smoldering kiss and Ezio groaned quietly. Aria broke away long enough to glare down at him and whisper, "Never."

Guys. I am. So sorry. School has been a shit storm. Editors, have been busy. I have been busy. And I feel like a tool. I hope this chapter makes up for it, because YES, this is the moment you have all been waiting for.

I can not make any promises that I will update in the immediate future. I am currently trapped in the middle of midterms and am getting my ass handed to me by a booklet of paper. The assassin career path is looking more and more desirable each day.

I am sorry once again for the ridiculous wait. Once midterms are over, I will force myself back into the momentum, quit playing so much xbox, and finish this goddamn story.