"Caio-su, Kazuko."

"Why are we in the middle of nowhere?!"

Kazuko wasted no time with her questions as her voice rang out and echoed through the leaves and branches of the dense forest. The snow had melted away long ago and winter was in the odd stage of just chilly breezes and only the momentary warmth of the fleeting sun behind large clouds. And like a crazy person there she stood in the middle of a clearing surrounded by a dense forest. Although, she wasn't alone. There was a small shack dead in the center with a large pile of hay on the side of it. Oh, Reborn was there too.

Kazuko sighed. At least she hoped it was Reborn. It appeared to be him but he was without his fedora and wearing a white long sleeve shirt, a pair of green overalls, black rain boots, and had a piece of hay hanging from his lips. He also had a green hammer hanging from one of the loops on his overalls that was blinking nonchalantly but she could only process so much of Reborn's strangeness at one time.

"Why are you dressed like that?"

"I could ask you the same thing."

Kazuko twitched in annoyance. She had woken up late in the day and just tossed something on when Reborn called and had requested her immediate appearance. That something she was wearing just happened to be her school uniform along with a white cardigan tied around her waist.

"It's not even the winter school unifor-"

"Enough!" Kazuko said through gritted teeth, "I just put something on!"
Kazuko gasped as the sudden cold breeze licked her face and crept under her clothes, spreading across her skin. Goosebumps erupted throughout her skin. "Why did you bring me to the forest in such chilly weather anyway?"

Reborn didn't answer her at first. Instead, he hopped onto the large pile of hay with a chortle. Kazuko could ask why. She could. But she didn't. It would be only a matter of time before the strange baby explained anyways.

"This is the only way to get you to understand."

Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, Reborn pulled something from behind him and tossed it to her feet. Kazuko watched as two pink sticks landed in the grass directly in front of her feet, standing up right in the hard ground. Kazuko looked back up to him with a raised eyebrow. "And this is...?"

"Those are your new weapons," he simply stated. "Pick them up."

"Uh...sure," Kazuko shrugged, though she was still uncertain. She kneeled to one knee and grasped one in each hand, inspecting them. They weren't just sticks. They were pink batons. Well, they were better known as gymnastic juggling clubs. But, still, she was perplexed as to what was going on. "What is this for?"

"I told you," he answered, "These are your new weapons."

"No, I got that," she said a bit irritated. "I mean, how are these weapons?"

He merely chuckled and let his lips curve into a smug smirk. "You're a gymnast, aren't you?"

"No," Kazuko scoffed, "I'm a ballet dancer."

"They're the same thing," Reborn said as he hopped off the mound of hay.

"They are not!" Kazuko shouted back. "Anyway, how is this a weapon? You really have been joking from the start, haven't you? And why did you jump up there just to give these to me? Was that just for dramatic effect?!"

"Yes, and you will use them soon enough."

"Which one of those questions were you saying yes to?!" Kazuko just about had it. She glanced down at the clubs before looking back to Reborn. "How will I be able to use these? They're practically toys."

"You ask a lot of questions, Kazuko," Reborn replied blatantly.

"It's only natural in this type of situation!"

"Well," Reborn said after a few minutes of silences, "Let's begin your training."

"Huh?" Kazuko rose a brow.

Training?

"Hold it," Kazuko said loudly. "What training? I thought this whole meeting was for you to prove everything you said to me yesterday."

"It is," Reborn nodded, taking out his hay from between his lips and twirling it in the air, "And this is how you'll understand everything."

"Well? What am I supposed to be doing?"

Almost as if he had waited for her to ask he smirked and a gleam seemed to shine in his eyes.

"You're going to hit every piece of hay I throw at you and you are going to hit them with your weapons. That's all you have to do."

"..."

Kazuko had to fight the immense urge to drop the stupid clubs and walk away while she still had what was left of her dignity. Was she going insane? She had to be. What was a fourteen-year-old girl doing in the forest with a baby holding gymnastics clubs that were supposed to be weapons? This was idiotic.

"Reborn-"

Before she could get a single word of refusal to escape her lips Reborn threw the piece of hay that he had in his hands at her. The hay had made it all the way to her and flew past her head at lightning speed. Kazuko barely had time to dodge it but when she had she was able to see where it had landed. It struck the tree behind her but not in the way hay should. A normal piece of hay would have simply fallen to the ground and not even made it even a foot to her. This piece of hay was projectile and it pierced the tree as if someone had thrown a dagger.
Kazuko quickly turned to Reborn who had a piece of hay in each hand. The deadly hay that was obviously not hay. He began to throw them and she dodged them, easily.

"Reborn!" Kazuko cried out as she ducked and rolled in strategic moves. "What are you doing? What is this?"

Reborn ceased his rapid-fire to pucker his lips and frown, "For someone who asks a ton of questions you really don't pay attention."

"Reborn!" Kazuko practically growled. It didn't take long before he began to throw them more and more. Taking pieces of hay from the overly large pile he stood next to. She would have to grab him to get him to stop but that was going to be difficult. She placed both clubs in one hand to better assist herself in dodging. But because she only had one free hand it was making it very hard to grab him. Still, she needed to make it work.

Kazuko's eyes widened and she let out an eep as she ducked to the ground to dodge a piece of deadly hay Reborn had thrown at her, aiming at her head. She gritted her teeth and frowned deeply.
This was ridiculous, she thought. She would stop this crazy game. This was dangerous and she still didn't have all the details yet!

The moment she saw an opening she ran towards the baby. He smirked and hopped up from her reach as if he knew she'd do that. Kazuko rolled and bounced on the ground. Her reaching hand grasping nothing but grass and dirt. Kazuko quickly stood and glared up at the baby.

Suddenly he took the green hammer from his belt loop and pointed it at her. "Use your weapons to defend your self."

Kazuko scoffed and stood. Reluctantly, she grasped the other club in her other hand and held them as if she was about to play the drums. Why? Because she had no idea what she was doing!

"What am I suppose to do?!" Kazuko shouted at the baby on top of the hay mound. Frustration clear on her face. Reborn did not speak but his face was uncharacteristically serious and his eyes were hard as he looked down at her. Kazuko gasped when more hay whizzed over her head. She felt the adrenaline coursing through her system at this point. Years of training to fight and here she was just dodging. Well, in this case, she was only running away with her tail between her legs.
She was becoming angry. Why was she running instead of fighting back? She has never run from a challenge before in her life so, why now?

Kazuko slid to a stop and whipped around to him, a deep frown still gracing her features. She was done running. From a baby no less!
She glanced down at the stupid clubs and sighed. Fine! If he wanted her to swing she would swing. And if she didn't die she hoped the stupid hay would hit the stupid baby so she could go to her stupid house! At this point, she had enough. She was covered in grass, dirt, and sweat. She was angry!

Kazuko waited for Reborn to through more hay. Once he had she did it. She waited until the hay was within arms reach and she swung the clubs. Kazuko swung and all at once everything began to move in slow motion. She felt a spark within her. The moment the grip on her club tightened there was a bright pink light that dimmed quickly. Before she could really get a general idea of what was happening she swung the clubs.

She had involuntarily closed her eyes and cursed herself. Even in dire situations, she was never to close her eyes. That was one of the first rules she learned in fighting. Slowly, she opened them and was in awe of what had been in her grasp. The clubs had been gone and something different had replaced them.

It was a Japanese fan, two identical fans to be exact. Japanese fans are made of paper on a bamboo frame. But these weren't just any kind of Japanese fans. These fans were strange. Kazuko weighed the fans in her hands, slashing them delicately at the air with a novice-like apprehension. They were weapons. She could tell by just looking at them.

The fans bamboo frame was actually a gold-colored stainless-steel and they were a bit heavy. They were large too. Kazuko folded them closed and then open again. When they were open the fan was at least sixteen inches wide. The fan's design on the paper was a beautiful pink with an array of flowers on it but the paper wasn't paper. It was steel as well. And the end of the fans was sharp, dangerously sharp. Sharp enough to even cut through other metals.

These were definitely weapons.

"Pass!"

Kazuko looked at Reborn who had been standing in front of her. She was so mesmerized at what she was looking at she hadn't noticed him.

"Reborn," Kazuko said in a hushed tone, "What is this?"

"Those are called," Reborn said in a triumphant voice, "Capolinea Di Canto."

"These are the are...mine?" Kazuko asked with a small smile. They were beautiful.

"Yes." Reborn nodded.

"Thank you."

There was silence for a few moments before Reborn spoke next.

"Now," Reborn clapped lightly,"All that is left is to transfer you to Namimori."

Kazuko's marveling over her newly acquired weapon was shattered like glass. Her widened eyes found him and her mouth dropped open. "What did you just say?"

"You'll be switching schools by next Monday."

"Wa-wait a minute," Kazuko stammered, completely taken aback. "I never really agreed to join- this whatever this is. And I just can't switch at the beginning of the new year. Do you know how much work I put into getting into that school?! Not to mention-"

"You must have guessed at some point that you can't fulfill your duties as a member of the Vongola Famiglia from a different school let alone different part of town. How would you be able to protect No-Good Tsuna?"

"Protect him?" Kazuko was confused now. "Protect him from what?"

"Kazuko," Reborn said, his tone serious and hard, "Tsuna is the tenth Vongola Famiglia boss. There will be battles and obstacles he will have to face almost every day. Being apart of his family is shouldering the responsibility of protecting his life and fighting for the Vongola no matter what. You must be able to fight for him and with him. Now, the question remains: Will you?"

"...That is a lot to consider," she shook her head as she spoke. To give her service- no. Her life to being in something like this was...

"At least give me a few days to make up my mind."

Reborn's tiny lips fell into a frown. His face was stern and his tone made her a little tense as he spoke to her. "No."

"Excuse-"

"This is a very important decision to make and it has to be made now and only now."

"That's why I'm telling you to give me a few days."

"I cannot."

Kazuko frowned. This was ridiculous. Here she was in the middle of a field with a baby arguing about uprooting her life for her to be trained as a member of a mafia family. Not only had this power been awakened inside her she didn't even know she had but she was able to fight in a way she had never done before. And to be asked to do it for the sake of someone else, someone she barely knew was absurd.

Yet, here she was considering it. Considering all of it. What kind of life would she have like this? What would her parents think?

"Of course," Reborn suddenly began as if he could read her mind, "Being a member of the mafia is not something you'll want to broadcast to any and everyone."

"Don't you do it all the time?!"

He ignored her comment as he continued to speak. "Your life as a hitman will overwhelm your personal life. Your family will no longer just be what you're used too."

Kazuko exhaled, unknowingly holding her breath as Reborn explained to her.

"Your family will not just be your mother, father, and sister. You will also be apart of the Vongola Famiglia. Your everyday life will no longer be just about doing the things you love; singing and dancing. You would need to put the family first. This life could be anything from climbing a mountain one day to diving deep into the sea the next."

"Rebo-"

"You will be faced with challenges you didn't think once in your life think you'd ever have to face and it will be difficult."

"Yes, but-"

"So choose." He continued to interrupt her protests, "Although this life has a long and difficult road ahead you won't be doing it alone. The Vongola Famiglia is your family and whatever journey you decide to take they will be right behind you. You would never be alone."

Kazuko just stood there. The chilly air breezed past her revealed forearms and legs. It was quiet but Kazuko knew it was because Reborn was waiting. He was waiting for an answer and she was torn between answering and not. She slowly lifted her hand to see the shimmering fan displayed proudly. They almost sang to her, beckoning her. She didn't understand it but from the moment she met these people something within her seemed to be trying to ignite. And now she felt like she was on fire from head to toe. Her heart was pounding and all she could really understand was this.

Kazuko's lips quivered and her nostrils flared. She felt, what could only be described, as a hunger growing within her with every second she held these glorious fans. It was like...they were a part of her.

"I'll do it..."

"You'll do what?"

"I'll join the Vongola Famiglia." Kazuko hadn't even realized she had spoken until it was too late. All at once the weight of everything began to crumble onto her and she was stuck between devastated and deliriously excited.

Reborn nodded and smiled at her. She knew he knew that she was going to say that. Kazuko let out a deep breath. She was part of the mafia...what was her family going to think. Especially, Yuzuhira. Kazuko gasped.

"What about my family?" She asked, wide-eyed, "There is no way my parents are going to allow me to switch schools so suddenly. They are going to ask a lot of questions. Questions I can't answer."

"Lots of questions are annoying, aren't they?"

"Reborn, I'm serious!"

"It'll be alright. It would be their best interest not to know about your involvement with the mafia. Besides...," Reborn chuckled and gleamed almost evilly, "Professor Borin will be at your house tonight to discuss your school transfer."

"Who is that?" Kazuko narrowed her eyes.

"You'll see."

Deep down she knew this was not going to end well...

"But first we have to pick up all this hay," Reborn interjected, "The farmer I borrowed it from is waiting for me to bring it back."

"...What..?"

Capolinea Di Canto: Singing Terminus