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Chapter 10: The Treasure in Pink, Part 4

The hideout was average at best. It wasn't meant to be used for long, but it definitely was enough to work for its current purpose.

Bruno wasn't fully sure of his own commitment to this, not when this could have ended so poorly. The boss' daughter- she wasn't tied to anything regarding Passione. Except them, except now. It was upsetting how this was a chance to get something done about it. Maybe it was the hopefulness lacking that form of… realism. It felt too abstract on the spot, and it didn't help that even Abbacchio hardly believed it. The former police officer was busy with Caren, admitting that there was an unusual connection between them. Very odd considering how little time they got to bond up, but Bucciarati could pick up the possible blood relation between them. Their traits, such as hair and eyes, were unique compared to others, and it was clear that they were tied by blood. The real question was how precisely that bond was classified.

It was ironic in a way. Giorno had Sakura, Leone had Caren, while Bucciarati had many thoughts about his past. He wondered if his father had relatives, if his family wasn't as small as he thought it to be. It was the first time in years since he entertained that thought but… he didn't consider delving deeper into it. It wasn't fear, it was worry that drove him to keep away from looking more into it. Considering his current disposition, it would just endanger whatever relatives he got. It was for the best that this question, just like it had been delayed for so long, was kept away until he hadn't threats to his existence. And he had yet to solve the drug problem. Even as a Capo, he couldn't exactly enact anything that trailed away from the main course of the whole organization. Which is why he needed the Boss to do this. To make that decision.

It was going to be intense and… he doubted he had the means to stand strong against the Boss if he disagreed with this idea. Which is why this hope wasn't exactly something that he could rely on. It had to be his own strength in the initial delivery that had to carry most of the impact within the conversation. And… he had to make sure his own group didn't get decimated in the process. There were just too many individuals that were trying to get their hands on Trish. She was a pawn that could warrant immense wealth and prestige. Maybe even a higher position in the hierarchy with enough care provided to the pinkette.

There were many reasons to keep an eye on this matter… but not the only issue that Bruno felt worried about. As a Capo and chief-in-charge of all operations in Naples and other smaller cities within the area, he had access to part of the informants' network within the region. And what he heard as of a few hours earlier left him worried about keeping their base in a single place for too long. Someone was tracking them down, and they weren't part of the local factions. A new player? They attacked Trish and Sakura while they were still in Capri, which meant there was a high chance they were after the Boss' daughter. But… the more he looked into it, the more he could tell this was different. They weren't looking after Trish. After Sakura? Why would they want to go after her? There was something off about this, which is why he decided to speak with the girl in private.

The plum-haired teen looked hardly unfazed when he regarded her with a serious glance. His small temporary office was pretty spartan in nature, with just empty shelves on the side, a simple old wood table and a few chairs to sit on. The conversation was brief, especially since there wasn't much to ask due to how limited his current information on the matter was. But what he got in return was… nothing to scoff at. Far from it. Sakura told him a 'secret', or rather, something that 'no one but a few' were meant to know.

Within Italy, there was an underground group that operated for the sake of dealing with supernatural matters and… they used a form of limited magic known as Magecraft. Sakura argued that at a certain point one of their attackers used a special seal to keep her in place, which was feasible only through that. They were after her, but she didn't know specifically why they would do so. Bruno would have preferred that, at this very question, she had lied. That she had known what was going on. But he was dismayed to learn she was really clueless about it. Her posture, her facial features, everything suggested she was being bluntly honest about it. And it left him baffled on what could be causing this.

There were many things that came out from this revelation, with one of them being that the Church was one of the organizations that harnessed that kind of 'power' and was hiding it from the rest while operating hidden missions to secure their influence in the peninsula and overseas. It would explain why the Boss never voiced any interest in controlling the Papacy, and why he would shoot down any ideas of doing anything about this specific trouble.

It always stunned most of Passione how unflinching that position was considering how the Boss never held back against other powers of that kind. The government, the police and the carabinieri. Even the Army was influenced through their highest officers, so there was no reason to stop at dealing with the Church… unless the Boss knew of this detail and didn't want to take a chance in delving into that kind of mess. It was reasonable to believe he had backed away for Passione's sake, knowing that any confrontation wouldn't have ended well, Stand or not. It sounded risky, and made him wonder how much 'antagonistic' the Church viewed Passione. They might have not attacked them directly, but some of the Vatican's assets in Rome had been taken over in recent months. It was reasonable for them to feel rather 'crossed' about when it came to their gang.

Which is why this meant they had to move quickly out of this place and get Trish to safety. Yet Bruno knew he couldn't divert into another hideout anytime soon. Not when the Boss was meant to contact them very soon and provide them the next steps to reach him without gaining any dangerous troublemakers on their tail. Things were tense, and they had to risk a bit to keep things 'calm'. Which is why Bucciarati had sent Narancia to take care of food and beverages as they waited. They needed as many available resources as possible for this trip to limit the needs of stopping around and landing in some ambush laid down by their foes.

The Boss was going to eventually contact them and give them instructions, but for now they would have to wait and keep their guards up during the wait. There wasn't much to do beyond making an effort to keep his group away from being detected and targeted. Narancia was going to be quick, he knew how to handle this kind of task but… he couldn't just shrug off the feeling that something bad was just around the corner.

It was a tense situation alright, but he could tell things were even more difficult than they were at the moment.

Fugo was bored. Or rather: Fugo was annoyed for having nothing to do at the moment.

Usually he would have the chance of speaking with Narancia, to entertain the notion of trying the difficult challenge of teaching the boy more about Math and Grammar. As much as it tended to irritate him at times, it also made him feel distracted, unfocused, non-thinking about what the general situation was and… he was nervous. The blond was not exactly a calm individual in tense situations, hence why he needed to talk with someone that could 'entertain' his brain for a while.

Not Mista, not Abbacchio- with the former being a down-right pain in the ass when needed, willingly failing his questions to get a foul reaction out of him, while Abbacchio was busy and didn't seem in the mood to entertain any challenges from him. So, he was left with no choice but to actually address two of their recent 'new members'. In his mind, Giorno fit the bill because he had gone through the trial, while Sakura was tagging along and helping them passively, not necessarily having to obey Bruno's commands.

Ignoring this difference, Fugo set up a little test to check out their intelligence and preparations. He knew Sakura had gone to school already, and he was confident she had higher chances of passing his challenge, while Giorno… Giorno was an enigma. It wasn't like Fugo doubted the fellow blond's intelligence as he had proved himself capable of going through some clever ruses on his own. In fact, he decided to go for the same tests he would give to Narancia. Simple Elementary-grade Math. It was meant to be an easy challenge, nothing to worry about and… he was about half-right. Both accepted the idea, both went through the tests in roughly ten minutes, and then he realized that Giorno had copied from Sakura.

It was quite the confusing outcome, but one that left him trying something else to see how Giorno reacted without a source to copy from. Both had to do similar set exercises, except both were set away from the other. Instead of panicking or struggling like a young cheater would in that instance, Giorno's face showed no issue during that second test. He went through the papers without any problem and soon Fugo was reaching out for his paper. Did he 'lie' with his composure? Did he fail?

The sole answer to both questions was… no. Giorno actually did his test successfully, which drew a perplexed look out of the hotheaded genius as he failed to grasp why would someone like the fellow blond cheat if he could do it himself. And when Giorno spoke up, Fugo felt… stupid. Incredibly so.

"Why shouldn't I cheat? Isn't the purpose of life to find commodities through simpler routes? Isn't the purpose of Math learning how to simplify difficult formulas in something that eventually draws a single answer? Why should it matter which path I take for something so unimportant when the result will always still be the same?" The young man stormed with questions, each slamming on Fugo's confusion as it was soon replaced by understanding. "Life… life where the path taken really matters. The goal might be still the same despite the path taken, but there are ramifications, other formulas, which can twist fate in either a positive or damning light."

He shook his head at how unforgiving that explanation was. On the one hand, he found it to be enlightening on how Giorno's intelligence worked. He didn't cheat for the sake of compensating for something he lacked, but to get things right quicker than just doing it the right way. It was wrong… but right. That kind of mindset was the basic element of a successful criminal, someone that used his intelligence not only to win against issues, but also adapt to the environment surrounding them. On the other hand, he felt like he was being played by this response. He felt his past education was ridiculed by this comment and… he felt glad that it happened in this way. Giorno wasn't planning for a humiliation with this response, but to bring forth his own thoughts on the matter. It was his perspective and it felt so fitting to his actions considering how he behaved, genuinely convinced of his own ideals.

Giorno was clever on two different meanings of the word, and Fugo felt sheepish for failing to take notice of that very notion early on. He retreated to the nearest balcony, taking a seat by the lone chair that allowed one to watch over the vineyard they were hiding in and took a moment to immerse himself in that natural beauty. It's been months since he had the chance of being away from Naples, and this was the closest thing to a relaxing location where to spend some time thinking on his own, away from others and their… bizarre mindsets. Yet, as Fugo was enjoying the spectacle before his eyes, he found himself frowning as his gaze took notice of an odd bird. It was fairly small, like a robin, but its plumage was… unusual. Instead of normal feathers, the flying creature bore pristine white ethereal wings.

A blink and… it was gone. Did he just see things? No. He could tell that this was important and… could be a Stand. Knowing that this could be problematic if someone was indeed watching them and had their eyes locked on him, Fugo carefully faked his behavior, trying to act as if he had ignored the curious development as he retreated inside. Nothing seemed to happen and… soon they were relocating. Narancia had returned and the situation was pretty grim. Another attacker struck, this one managing to burn up money and supplies meant to give them an advantage for this trip. In layman's terms? They had to relocate somewhere safer. Everyone was quick to prepare their bags, they left nothing incriminating behind and were soon moving out to a new location.

Fugo was annoyed due to how careless Narancia had been. In his mind, he felt that the boy should have been more cautious about the place he hid the important resources, but then he realized through Giorno's own questioning of the matter that Narancia couldn't have done better. Between saving the resources and surviving, the viable option was the latter one. And yet that still didn't stop him from worrying about an issue that was going to become troublesome by the time they relocated. With that fire, and that fight with one of the infamous members of that group, they were definitely going to need to worry about La Squadra catching up to them.

And a full explanation was provided the moment Caren asked about it, reminding them all that both her and Sakura were unaware of the deadly problem they were now going to be on guard for the time being. A formidable team of professional killers that were likened to the Boss' finest assassins. They were brilliant, efficient… but far from loyal. Not when the Boss saw fit to kill two of their teams for trying to get 'too big for their shoes' and ask for a proper cut of the cake within the Italian territory. Most of the hierarchy was divided in regions and areas, so it felt natural for them to ask for a slice of that after years of service. The response managed to curb any other requests of that kind, but it destroyed any form of loyalty they might have held towards the leader of Passione.

As they were leaving, the Boss managed to contact them and give them new instructions before going to reach him. Pompeii, there was a key they had to retrieve before going to their next destination. The boss made it clear, they needed to retrieve it as it would help them to reach a safe spot where he would be waiting for them. Bruno took a moment to gauge the situation, and decided to dispatch a small team to deal with this. Initially it was meant to be just him, Giorno and Abbacchio, but Caren decided to tag along. Something that was opposed by Leone but… the girl was stubborn. More stubborn than Sakura as Bruno was adamant for the plum-haired girl to stay behind and 'protect Trish'. Fugo might not be aware of the real reasons driving Bucciarati's decision, but he could tell it wasn't the one he used to keep Sakura around. Something serious had happened, a piece of info they weren't aware of and… that worried Fugo.

Luckily, none of the assassins managed to track their newest hideout anytime soon. They were moving quickly but… the Squadra d'Esecuzioni was known to move even quicker than that. Time was essential and each minute wasted meant a new problem to endure during this bizarre trip.

And as far as Fugo was concerned, he wasn't going to let any of that stop them from serving their Boss as he commanded.

AN

Next time, something nuttier will unfold. This and previous chapters were quite tame so... The next battle will retain some canonical details, but will derail after a bit and… there will be another fight at the same time. And that's all I'm willing to say~!

...But first, an Interlude!

REVIEW Q&A!

Guest 1 (Chapter 9):
1) Yes, she lived with Jotaro for about nine years now. She is bound to have her own set of Jojo pose, some of which copied by her pops;
2) In the sequel, yes. Rin is not going to Italy because… she is fine where she is now, plotting her own plans over Pucci's plans;

Guest 2 (Chapter 9): Dangerous enough that reality will 'crack' a lot under that pressure.