If there was one thing he hated the most, it would have to be the nightmares. It would be him ― Ezio, Altair ― having killed someone, people dying around him ― them ― and there wasn't a thing anyone could do about it. The most common nightmare of late, however, was with him ― Desmond, himself ― blending into his two ancestors, unable to tell what's real and what's a hallucination. He would lose all sense of time and reality, see Templar guards walking through the 21st Century streets.

He was losing himself to the Bleeding Effect far more quickly than he'd care to admit.

And looking at Alex was basically like looking at his future.

It was driving him crazy.

After they had gotten Alex to calm down and be quiet, kept busy by a puzzle ring (courtesy of Rebecca) that seemed to captivate his attention, Lucy and Shaun had spent the rest of the night digging into Abstergo's network, pulling up any files they could on the mysterious, blue-haired boy. Desmond had joined Rebecca and watched Alex for a little while, but he'd eventually tried to get some sleep.

Keyword: Tried.

He looked up at the clock, groaning as he realized he'd only managed a full two hours of sleep, give or take a few minutes spent trying to calm himself down. It was in these moments that he heard the small, inaudible sounds, the almost-not-there whimper. He dared to get up, careful not to make too much sound as he searched around for some water as well as the sound. Quietly snagging a water bottle off the lone table, he wanders around, Eagle Vision revealing a small golden trail leading behind the statue of Altair.

Ah, hell...

Taking a deep breath to steel himself, he carefully set down the water bottle and made his way over, gently shoving equipment out of the way (and nearly having a full-on heart attack when the shelves in particular made a nasty, loud sound against the echoing marble). When he could squeeze by comfortably he did so. Predictably, he did see the occasional ghost running past, more than once having to shake his head to snap out of it, but he thankfully didn't have to walk too far, simply to the first (or last, depending on how one looked at it) bridge.

Alex was there, sitting up against the wall, knees brought up to his chest and curled into a ball so tight, Desmond briefly wondered just how old he really was. The wings were gone, but judging by how the blue-haired teen had a hand attempting to reach over his shoulder, they weren't quite forgotten.

"Alex?" the American called cautiously. He was prepared to use his ancestor's name, but was surprised when watery, pained golden eyes flicked up to him at the mention of his name. And what he was in them was complete and utter confusion, not a single trace of knowing who or where he was.

"D-Desumond," Alex said. He licked his lips, mouth opening to speak again, but words lost on his tongue. It was obvious to him ― Desmond ― that Alex was struggling, still fighting the losing battle against the Bleeding Effect, even if he had clearly lost so long ago.

He was strong. A lot stronger than Desmond was, for sure.

"I... d-don't... " The Japanese accent was thick, thoroughly drenching the words, but at least Desmond was sure of the fact that they had definitely been English and not Italian.

"Don't what?" he asked, trying to ease an answer out of the boy. All he received was a pained grunt in response as Alex curled tighter, eyes squeezed shut, hands fisting his hair in an effort to fend off what Desmond figured was a headache. The American sighed and sat next to the boy. "It's okay. Don't force yourself to talk if you can't."

He didn't know what he could do. They barely knew anything about Alex, and what they did know came from a file buried deep in the bowels of Abstergo's Database. Abstergo's had simply picked him off the streets.

"W-Wakaranai," Alex spoke again. Any other time that wasn't now, Desmond would have probably chastised the boy, but he had a vague idea ― he thought he did, anyway ― what Alex was saying. "I-I... d-don't... know... "

The blue-haired boy grimaced again, a small groan rumbling in the back of his throat. Desmond sighed, reaching over and rubbing gentle circles into Alex's back. It seemed to soothe him a little.

"C-Can't... who am... I? Ore... B-Boku wa Alex. Masato A-Alex... !" The younger male took in a sharp breath, a small cry escaping him as he pressed his fists harder against his head. His teeth were grit together so tight, Desmond was worried he might end up grinding them to dust.

"H-Hey, calm down," he said, giving the boy a small shake. When that didn't work, he shook him again, this time a little more roughly. "Snap out of it, come on!"

Desmond heard the urgency that had crept into his voice, but he didn't dwell too long on it when Alex looked up at him. The younger male took in a shuddering breath and, much to the American's surprise, he wound up slumping against him, all the tension just fleeing from his body. At first he didn't know what to do, his hand awkwardly placed on the other's back. When the smaller frame trembled lightly, Desmond gave in and wrapped his arms around Alex. He counted mentally, and after about five long seconds he was hearing stifled sobs.

This was... unexpected.

Even more unexpected was that the younger boy clung to him, trying to huddle in his arms ― which was easy for him, actually. And then stifled sobs turned into unstifled and then Desmond was completely unsure of just how far broken Alex was.

It had to have been at least an hour that they spent like that. One full, admittedly awkward, hour. At one point they did decide to go back, but only when he was sure Alex had been alright (which he assumed was the case, after hearing sentences that were half Japanese and half broken English while simultaneously rubbing away the remainder of his tears).

He was just glad none of the others asked any questions when they went back.

"Where were you?" Lucy asked as they walked back into the Sanctuary. It was, of course, directed at him, since Alex quickly gained that confused 'What-Are-You-Saying' look of his.

"He snuck off and I went to find him," Desmond replied easily, indicating Alex. "Didn't want him getting hurt again."

There was something in her gaze that seemed scrutinizing, but she turned away too quickly for him to identify anything.

"Right, well!" His gaze went to Shaun, who was already type-typing away at his laptop. The British man hadn't even turned to look at him. "Let's get to work, yes?"

"Yeah, yeah."

Into the Animus he went for another few hours, jumping on roofs and working through Ezio's memories. They had found the memories containing Kouwashi, but they had been few and far between. Even if they accessed them, they had been far too glitchy to do much of anything. Even the main memories had the ninja just barely within sight.

"Why is this guy so hard to track?" he heard Rebecca say grumpily as Desmond had Ezio sit on top of a building for the time being.

"There's very little info about Kouwashi to begin with, according to the records. He dropped off the face of the earth at the turn of the century." That was Shaun. Definitely Shaun.

"And that's when he met Ezio, right? In Rome?"

"Pretty much."

A few more hours of unsuccessfully trying to access the 'Kouwashi Memories,' as they'd decided to uncleverly name them, and they'd decided to call it quits for the day. Coming out of the Animus was never fun, though at least it had been amusing to come out seeing Shaun try to get Alex to stop hovering over his shoulder while he worked.

Later on, after they all ended the day and had either gone to sleep or taken their position for Day Watch, Desmond was surprised when he woke up from a peaceful rest.

He was even less surprised when he found Alex sleeping next to him, tucked as close as possible to him (that he figured the Japanese boy dared, at least), with his wings draped over the both of them.

"He got pretty comfortable there."

Desmond looked up to see Rebecca standing over him, a smile over her face. He arced a brow at her, and she chuckled quietly.

"I noticed him moving earlier. And usually when you're in the Animus, he's watching you nearby. Almost like a kid brother."

"Or a pet," the man huffed, closing his eyes and ignoring the way Rebecca grinned knowingly at him and walked away. May as well enjoy it while he could.

Perhaps the most uneventful part about being an Assassin was following targets. Sometimes it was harder when they formed into groups of, say, five, but for the most part, that hadn't happened yet in Roma. What made it just a little bit more annoying was―

"How long do you think the Maestro expects us to―"

"Sshh! He'll hear us!"

"He's far too focused on watching the target!"

"Y-You don't know that!"

He heard two indignant, somewhat muffled yelps. Ezio turned around to see the both of his newest apprentices clutching the back of their heads and Kouwashi standing over them, arms folded and shrouded in the shadows as much as the full moon overhead would allow. The Italian Assassin barely fought back a grin, but a smirk managed to slip for a brief moment as he approached his students.

"Patience is the key," he explained once they had looked up at him. "If we were to strike now, we do not know what kind of information we will have missed. And silence is important in preventing discovery. An Assassin moves with the shadows, and strikes only when the time is right. Intesi?"

Both Apprentices nodded, and Ezio quickly turned and started making up for lost time. They had stilled for far too long, the target just now rounding a corner. He wouldn't be surprised if they had lost him. Cursing softly, he quickly looked around, recognizing their current area as the Colle Palatino.

Alright... now where was he... ?

He made it back to the ground, glancing up discreetly to catch eye contact with Kouwashi and the recruits. With a simple nod of his head, he advanced carefully, a prideful smirk coming to his face when he caught sit of the target:

Silvestro Sabbatini, slave trader and Templar under Cesarean Borgia.

He was talking to some guards. About what, he frankly couldn't care less. The man would die for his deeds.

Glancing up towards his fellow Assassin and Apprentices, he made a small whistling sound, indicating towards the group before he dashed in. Ezio was able to get the jump on one of the guards' back, literally jumping on and shoving his hidden blade into the back of his exposed neck. The man died silently, but his actions had alerted the others. Various shouts of "There he is!" and "Get him!" were enough of a warning for him to jump back. Yet a blue blur falling from the sky landed on one of the guards, impaling him with his own hidden blade, and Kouwashi effortlessly spun on his heel and rounded on the third and final guard.

"You will not kill me, Assassin!" Sabbatini exclaimed, charging at Ezio with his claw. He didn't get far before two arrows lodged themselves into him, each in his chest, and he fell forward. The Italian looked up at his Apprentices, nodding his approval as they lowered their bows and began their descent. He approached the dead man, turning him over onto his back, kneeling down and closing them.

"Requiescat in Pace," he said, standing up momentarily to face his Apprentices. "You must respect your targets even in death. Do not sink to their level." Kouwashi was apparently busy moving the bodies out of sight. Perhaps it was a custom of his lands.

"Maestro?" one of the Apprentices spoke, earning his attention. This was... Antonio, if he remembered correctly. "Forgive my prying, but who is the boy, and why does he not speak our language?"

"His name is Kouwashi. He comes from a distant land to the east. We are still trying to figure out exactly where. He is definitely an ally, however."

The Apprentices seemed satisfied with this answer, and after his dismissal, they went off, likely back to the Isola Tiberina hideout. Ezio let out a small sigh, hands on his hips for a brief moment before he dropped his arms and faced Kouwashi. The foreign Assassin had successfully hidden the bodies, to the point where he wasn't even sure where they had gone.

It was dark, and the full moon was glaring down t them, but at lest it provided light. The two walked in somewhat comfortable silence to the horses they had left behind, and made the journey back.

Roma really was far too big for his tastes, Ezio noted. He was more used to the crowded little streets of Firenze. At least, however, he wasn't alone. While Kouwashi certainly couldn't provide the best of (or any) conversations, his presence was better than nothing.

Hours rolled by, they found rest in the Hideout, and soon the next day rolled by. One of the strangest things Ezio could say was that he never managed to get a glimpse of Kouwashi sleeping. The Italian found himself falling asleep before the younger boy; and by the time he woke up, said boy was always perched on top of the roof. The only thing that truly bugged him was how Kouwashi's eyes always seemed to be just a little bit too gold sometimes, especially in the darkness of the early morning.

Machiavelli, at least, had started to find some answers. There was supposedly a land to the far east, but what it was called, no one yet knew. And as of yet, they couldn't ask Kouwashi, because the boy didn't even understand a thing they said!

Leonardo would have easily been able to work on that. Kouwashi had at least picked up the phrases "Calmati" and "Il tuo nome?" So at the very least, people knew his name and could attempt to get him to relax.

It was particularly early one morning, however, when he was met with a peculiar surprise.

As he walked stepped out onto a main street particularly close to Isola Tiberina, he was surprised by a familiar red cloak that zipped past him. Bewildered, he followed closely, dark eyes quickly widening in surprise.

"Leonardo?" he exclaimed, perhaps a little dumb founded. Sure enough, the master engineer turned and rounded on him. Despite being out of breath, he still quickly bore a grin.

"Ezio!" Leonardo exclaimed. "So good to see you!" He kept looking around for something, the Assassin noted.

"Is something wrong?" Ezio asked curiously.

"No! Well, yes... maybe?" Leonardo removed his cap to scratch at his head. "I saw a boy being chased by the Borgia Guards. I do not know why, but he bumped into me and took my money."

The Assassin frowned at this. "What did he look like?"

"Young, yet his eyes were a piercing gold, and his garbs as dark blue as the midnight sky. They were strange. I could barely see his face."

Ezio closed his eyes, counting back from ten as he felt his irritation quickly grow.

"Ezio?"

"It is nothing. I will find your money. Wait right here, and I'll be back momentarily."

Somehow, a part of him felt like he shouldn't really be at all surprised. Another part of him was just annoyed because hey, he could be.

It wasn't difficult, finding the chaos. All he had to do was follow the path of grumbling people. Then if he couldn't find that, he just followed the sounds of an alien language, some angry Borgia guards, and sounds of fighting.

He couldn't help but wonder if Kouwashi was really an Assassin sometimes.

It was the golden, bladed wings, however, that made him curse swiftly.

"What sorcery is this?"

"Uccidete il demone!" (1)

They were swift and deadly, and not a single innocent soul was willing to stick around.

When Kouwashi spotted him, however, he didn't even have a chance before he was grabbed. And, with an indignant yelp, he was swept off his feet and up into the air, and they teleported.

Teleported.

Ezio could by no means say it was a pleasant first-time experience. All he could determine after the event was that it wasn't much of a distance, perhaps a few streets at best. And it was making him nauseous already, as well as a bit dizzy. There wasn't enough time between when Kouwashi touched and pushed off a building, however, to voice his concern before they had teleported once again.

A sharp cry, a surprised yell, a splash; and suddenly, everything was wet around them.

It took a moment to gain his bearings, realizing that they must fallen into the Tevere. Squinting, at least he was able to determine that this was a clean part of the river. What he couldn't find, however, was a pair of golden wings (because those were the easiest to notice in their current state).

Air... He needed air.

He swam up, breaking the surface and taking in a much-needed gasp of air. A quick scan around also revealed both staring eyes, guards yelling at him to get out...

... but no Kouwashi.

"Oh, you're joking," he muttered quickly before sucking in a deep breath and diving back into the water. He looked around, searching, trying to find any hint of his companion.

'Of course he can't swim,' he mentally grumbled. 'Why would he be able to swim? He's only a demone!'

Thankfully it was an easy search, and he found the boy struggling at the bottom of the river. He reached him just as Kouwashi let loose the remainder of his air, body instinctively trying to breathe in the air that was not available. Ezio hooked an arm around the foreigner's waist and pushed off the bottom, swimming quickly to the surface and breaking it.

He was far more trouble than he was worth, the Italian was beginning to think.

He wasn't even going to begin questioning what the strange boy was thinking, listening to him cough and curse. As it stood, it seemed Kouwashi was more annoyed with the fact that Ezio had to carry him out of the water. And never mind the stares of the various citizens and guards as the blue-clad assassin (because he figured that was pretty much the case) practically screamed whatever threats and profanity (again, he was sure this was the case) in that foreign tongue of his at the top of his lungs.

He honestly didn't know which was causing more of a scene: The fact that he was carrying another male like a woman, or the fact that said male was yelling in an alien language.

Once safe on the shore, Ezio none-too-gently allowed Kouwashi to stand on his own legs, an indignant yelp being his response. The Italian watched as Kouwashi groomed himself, continuing to mutter things under his breath, and made sure all his weapons were in order.

As he opened his mouth to say anything, however, he was met with angry, bright-gold eyes that just glared, and Ezio found himself scowling right back, determined not to back down.

Then―

"... A-Arigatou... "

If he hadn't been a trained Assassin, he would have most definitely missed the quiet little word (words?). He blinked, arcing a brow in surprise, but his gaze softened a little when he noted the barely-there, red tint to the other's cheeks just before Kouwashi pulled his mask up, covering everything except his eyes.

Ezio allowed a small smile to tug at his lips, reaching over and ruffling Kouwashi's hair before the other had a chance to retaliate and/or pull up his hood, then indicated for him to follow so they could make their way through the streets of Roma once more.

A/N - Not really many translations needed here. Most of it is just phrases from the game that should easily be recognizable, at least. I'll add translations if people honestly don't know what they mean. As always, take these translations with a big fat handful of salt.

(1) - "Kill the demon!"