"Our contact said she'd be waiting for us here. She should have received the message that our flight arrived early," Luca said as they entered the baggage claim.

Japanese scrolled across the signs hanging from the ceiling, announcing the time and various directions for the different parts of the airport. The cold liminal architecture couched the building in an alien atmosphere. The air had a strange taste to it after 12 hours in the sky. Tourists, vacationers returning home, and people traveling on business alike milled around the area on restless jelly legs, bags under their eyes as they waited for their luggage.

Felicità dropped into a hard plastic seat with a sigh. "I'll take it as a chance to rest," she said, closing her eyes against the bright lights and temporal atmosphere of the airport. "How long have we been traveling? It feels like a week."

Luca chuckled, taking a seat beside her. He kept a smile on his face, but there was a weariness to his eyes from the long trip. "Four days by boat to the mainland, then half a day of flying across Europe and Asia. It's definitely a rough flight."

"I can't believe Dante got out of this and left us to go on this trip by ourselves. And on our first flight ever, too."

"He's making us break a mainland Family rule and he knows it," Luca sighed. "He should be here to introduce us to our Japanese contact. At least Papa didn't make us take Jolly instead. I don't know how I would have managed with him around you so much."

Felicità hummed in agreement. "I still have to pick a new adviser..." As the new boss of the Arcana Famiglia, her father's chief adviser had expected to become her new chief adviser. That had yet to be formalized, however, on account of Jolly's mere presence being a source of stress for Luca. But she had to admit; that man was creepy.

Luca suddenly tensed beside her, jumping up. Felicità opened her eyes to watch him haul their bags off a conveyor belt, peoples' luggage finally rolling out. Always helpful, even when she knew he was probably just as exhausted as her.

Sleep had been hard to catch on the plane, and every time she looked to him, he had his nose in a Japanese language book or his eyes glued to the small movie playing in front of their seats, Japanese subtitles trailing the bottom of the screen. He might have had the right idea - all the Japanese chatter around here was overwhelming, starting to give her a headache.

Felicità swept her gaze over the baggage claim, and then blinked, realizing something was amiss. She sat up, looking back to the exit.

A woman in an extravagant red-pink Japanese kimono strode into the area, her hair pinned up in red silk flowers. Two men dressed all in black flanked her, reminding her of the Family's stark dress code back home. But the red-pink fashion of the woman's garb didn't fit the dark dealings of those associated with the Mafia. Pink was meant to be a positive colour, but here, it offset the black uneasily. Red dotted her lips and eyes like painted blood.

Those red-dotted eyes met Felicità's, then narrowed. Her smile didn't match, and she covered it with an elegant draping sleeve. The woman advanced, and Felicità couldn't tear her eyes away, suddenly very aware that they hadn't been able to travel with their knives and the absence of them at her thigh.

Before she could reach for her ability as a second line of defense, Luca was there - and so was the woman. Luca stood between them, ready to handle the threat as best he could without his knives.

"Arcana Felicità," the woman started, the Japanese accent coating her name. Her tone was light, almost playful, dragging out vowels to twist them with her tongue like a snake. "You remind me of your mother when she was young."

Felicità didn't take the bait. She met the woman's stare with a gaze of her own. "You know my name. So you're the new contact. Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"Yes. Unfortunate that our mutual contact couldn't come with you to introduce you to the boss," she said, not batting an eye. She didn't glance to Luca standing steadfast at Felicità's side. "My name is Ozaki Kouyou."

Felicità was about to introduce Luca, but as she opened her mouth, Kouyou interrupted her, "Do you have all your luggage? We have a car waiting outside for you."

Felicità nodded, closing her mouth. It would probably be better to save talk for a less public area.

She glanced around as they followed Kouyou and her escort, noticing they had already attracted some attention. She had gotten too used to being loved and respected on Regalo after being introduced to the townspeople; but here, the local Family worked underground, supported only by a minority. The Arcana Famiglia was only one branch of the Italian Mafia; the Japanese Mafia did things very differently.

Only the family mattered. She had to keep that in mind. She was deep in foreign territory here, surrounded by outsiders to the Family. Outsiders to Regalo and their way of life. Anyone could be an enemy.

But, watching as Luca gestured for her to enter the black limo first, Felicità had to smile. She wasn't alone here.

Luca sat beside her. Across from them, Kouyou finally levelled her gaze at him. Felicità took advantage of the moment. "Ozaki Kouyou, this is Arcana Luca."

Kouyou nodded, her gaze unflinching. Sizing him up. Felicità didn't offer Luca's status in this situation. She would wait. Let that remain an air of mystery, even if it wasn't much of one in reality. Let her think there was something unexpected.

Kouyou moved her sleeve, uncovering a small case she had slid into her lap. "I expected you would feel more comfortable with something to arm yourself with," she said, voice teasing, and Felicità couldn't tell if she was being honest or making fun of them. "Customs can be so finicky."

She popped open the case, revealing two switchblades. They weren't designed as throwing knives, but Felicità carefully took them from the case. She looked over them, watching the blade snikt out and then slide into hiding again. "They'll do. Thank you," she said, handing them to Luca.

He slipped them into his jacket without hesitation, and the fluid action was not missed by the watchful eyes of their contact.

"We reserved rooms at a nearby hotel for you. After hearing Dante-san wasn't coming, we only booked a two-bedroom for you and your bodyguard."

"That's fine," Felicità said, not about to comment on the assumption that Luca was her bodyguard. She could hold her own - but in this strange territory, she considered the benefits of letting the Port Mafia believe that. Luca stayed quiet.

Kouyou opened her mouth, then closed it. Instead, she smiled. "Of course. We'll let you take the day to rest and enjoy the sights Yokohama has to offer. I'd like to extend an invitation to dinner tonight."

And that was when the two Mafia bosses would meet. Felicità nodded. "Thank you. It has been a long day," she agreed.

Once Kouyou's escort left, Felicità collapsed on one of the beds. She didn't bother comparing the two bedrooms in the hotel room, just lying on the first bed she saw. The past hour had been tense, and she felt that in her muscles. She slowly breathed out the tension, bit by bit.

"Milady?"

"Hm?" She turned her head to Luca, looking over from where she was sinking into the foam of the mattress. "Sorry, I'm just tired. I can't believe we're so far away from Regalo." So far away from family and everyone she cared about.

Luca smiled softly at her response. "Ah, but this is where your mother used to live before she came to Regalo. Think of it as connecting with that side of your heritage."

Felicità didn't respond, watching Luca check over their luggage. Kouyou's escort had insisted on carrying them, and Luca struggled to maintain composure as their possessions were handled.

"Take a nap, Milady," he said now. "I'll wake you when it's time to eat."

Felicità nodded and let her eyes flutter closed in the strange hotel atmosphere and bright lights. It wasn't long before those dimmed, and she heard Luca pull the curtains closed.

Author's Note

Decided to cross-post this from Ao3. I post pretty much all my fics over there now (under the same pen name).

This fic takes place sometime after the ending of the Arcana Famiglia manga, but doesn't really have a solid spot in BSD's timeline.

I hope you enjoy it!