Rachael Hertz & fanfiction: CloudGateau

Katekyo Hitman Reborn concept: Akira Amano

Pairings: None

Living in Sin

Chapter 1 .:One Dead, one broken:.

We're gonna get some new members…

Palermo, Sicily:.

For the first time in his life, Fran actually regretted living in the cradle of European cultures and peoples. Italy was located in the Mediterranean but he'd the climate as bad as this.

The humid climate had reduced the snow to a soggy pile of mush, in which he forced himself to trek through. Wet snow slicked off tree branches and roofs onto his poor, unwary self and slid down the collar of his coat which soaked his undergarments. Sweat beaded on his forehead and collected on his back in a sweaty patch as he clambered uphill to the Varia headquarters. The mush soaked his socks through the worn down soles of his boots and so a sound, comparable to a plunger tugged from a toilet, accompanied his steps.

To sum it up, Fran was miserable. Tired and damp, he had no choice but to sit atop a radiator to dry off once he reached the castle. Though after a while, Fran felt comfortable and warm as he sat there on the radiator and watched the other Varia hopefuls chat. The sumptuous room they waited in wasn't all that bad either; they could lounge on comfy chairs, plump cushions, and enjoy the free heat.

Fran decided to close his eyes and doze off for a while in the pleasant heat. Just when he was about off slip into blissful sleep, a loud, obnoxious voice broke the amiable atmosphere.

"VOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!!!!!"

Everybody jumped. Some people even fell from their seats in shock. Fran quickly regained his composure for he nearly tumbled off the radiator and looked towards the source of the disturbance. There, looking rather impressive in front of the open doors stood a tall figure with waist-length silver hair. Upon further inspection, Fran discovered that it was in fact, a man who had so boisterously announced himself.

Rachael was reclined comfortably on a plush divan, sound asleep, until the shrill fanfare of a voice had abruptly caused her to tumble from her seat.

She cycled from Milan down to Genoa and then taken the train down to the port-city of Reggio Calabria. After she took the ferry across the Strait of Messina, Rachael continued via bicycle to Palermo. Both the noisy train and the crowded ferry prevented her from getting any sleep.

Now Rachael just lay there on the floor in a bemused sort of way, vaguely aware of her pounding eardrums. Her eyes focused and zeroed in on the culprit who had disrupted the peace.

Rachael couldn't help but goggle at what she saw: what appeared to be a man with (what she could not fathom), gorgeous hair and behind him, a distressingly flamboyant man of around forty.

"What are you gawking at woman?!" the loud one snarled. Rachael jolted. His sleek and shiny his hair had her in awe.

Without thinking, Rachael asked, "Can I touch your hair?!"

The moment it left her mouth, Rachael regretted ever learning how to talk. The dumbstruck look on his face, the snickers behind her and the exuberant glee of the flamboyant one did nothing but add to the flames.

"I-I mean, it's very shiny and… uh, what brand conditioner do you use?"

Judging from the silent laughter that erupted from behind her, Rachael suspected she merely made it worse. The vein on the loud one's forehead was pulsating slightly.

"I know! I've always told Squalo that he could be in a hair care commercial. He has such beautiful hair. It'd be so much of a waste… I'm Lussuria by the way. Have you ever tried Kèratase Nutritive Elasto Shampoo? It really rejuvenates curly hair and gives it a lot of oomph without drying---"

"SHUT UP! Now isn't the time to be socializing dammit!" the one named Squalo roared, drowning out the full blown laughter that burst out during Lussuria's discourse. Giving Rachael one last are-you-out-of-your-fucking-mind-don't-ever-say-that-ever-again look, Squally huffily turned the other way, sending more death glares at towards the sniggering competitors.

"Okay then! Let's get started shall we? To those who are here that don't know, I'm Lussuria and the pretty one is Squalo---"

"VOI!!!"

"--We'll start with a little interview and get to know your personal experience, your reasons in doing this and all that good stuff!" Lussuria trilled unperturbed. "To those who are already a part of the Varia and are here because they want the promotion, follow Squalo! Ooooh! That rhymes!"

Squalo grunted and jerked his head towards the doors. Soon, more than half of the participants left as the door shut behind the last person with a quiet thump.

"Okay! Since it'll be more fun this way, let's go in a circle and introduce ourselves. I'll start. So again, I'm Lussuria. I lived in Milan and I used to be a magazine editor for Glamour. At the same time, I was learning Muay Thai on the side in order to keep fit and all. Then, one day at the MMAWFC, I was scouted for the Varia. At first, I couldn't part with my job, but I guess it just won me over eventually. Not that my job wasn't fabulous and all, I guess I just loved Muay Thai more. And the fact that I just had to redesign those hideous uniforms." Lussuria shuddered and then looked to Rachael expectantly.

"Huh? Oh, Rachael Hertz. I'm also from Milan---"

"Ohhh… what part?" Lussuria was ecstatic.

"I live in the Giannino Apartments on Via Sciesa Amatore."

"Really? I live near the Piazza Duca d'Aosta. Come visit me sometime after this is over. I know this place that makes the best panettone. It's in this little bakery shop of the corner of---oh how rude of me. I'm completely interrupting you, go on then."

"Er… where was I? Oh yeah. I was an officer in the Carabinieri, but I got kicked out for kicking this one guy in the nuts and so," Rachael said with a sigh, "I need a job, basically."

Rachael turned to the next person who hesitated. He, like the rest of the men in the room (excluding Lussuria) winced when they heard her story. Some even crossed their legs, wary of her.

Lussuria coughed, pressing him to continue. And so, they went around introducing themselves and as each person gave their presentation, Lussuria jotted notes down on his clipboard.

After half an hour, they finished and Lussuria pranced over to the next room to check up on Squalo. Judging from the loud reaction from the next room, Squalo was surprised.

"VOI! How the hell did you finish so fast?!"

Lussuria returned to tell them that they had time to socialize. He immediately flounced over to where Rachael sat and began to talk about hair, beauty products and all the places he'd visited. Rachael nodded and smiled sheepishly for the most part but he seemed very pleasant. Lussuria only decided to stop when he told her a competitor caught his eye. In a flash he disappeared and Rachael unaware of what happened.

Rachael got up and made her way towards Fran, who had perched himself on the radiator again.

"So… you ran away from home huh? How come?"

Fran admitted that he ran away from home during their pow wow.

"I didn't like the uniform they made me wear," he said bluntly.

Rachael gazed at him, expressionless. "You hated it that much, to have run away?"

"It was a sailor uniform with a stupid beret. They don't even go together."

Rachael snorted with laughter but stopped herself quickly at the expression on his face.

"Ah, ah, spiacente. Francesco was it?"

"No, Fran. I suggested a legal name change and my parents thought I was just going through a rebellious phase."

There was a moment of silence. Rachael considered something.

"You know, I ran away from home once when I was around ten."

Fran looked up, mildly interested.

"But not for the reason you ran away." Rachael grinned. "I ran away because I wanted to join the circus. I thought, it'd be fun to tame the lions. So, when I heard the circus was in town, I took off in the middle of the night and snuck into the tents. But, the bearded lady caught me and she sent to the police station for my parents to pick me up." Rachael smiled to herself, apparently lost in though.

"Did they get angry at you?"

"Hell yeah they were pissed. Dad yelled at me for nearly an hour while mom cried. Then, they send me to my room and told me that I couldn't leave the house for the remainder of the year without a chaperone. Man was I mad but it's rather funny once you look back on it." Glancing down at Fran, Rachael wondered if her words, although completely fabricated, had left an impression on him. Rachael never actually ran away to the circus, but it seemed appropriate at the time to lie.

But before he could say anything, Lussuria announced, "Attention everybody! We are done interviewing and we'll now begin the first round of elimination! Illusionists, please stand on this side of the room. I will be supervising you," Lussuria said, gesturing to where he was standing. "The rest of you will be tested by Squalo."

"We're going to have a battle royale," Squalo continued, "Illusionists and combatants are separated since we only need one of each. The last one standing from each group will get the positions. The losers get the fuck out."

"Oh boy…"

(AN: The following information pertaining to this fanfiction is historically/culturally/geographically etc. accurate. Cited from Wikipedia and Google Maps)

1. Palermo, Italy: a historic city in southern Italy, the capital of the autonomous region Sicily and the province of Palermo. Palermo enjoys a typical Mediterranean climate with mild, wet winters and warm to hot, dry summers. The Mafia is said to have originated in Palermo.

2. Genoa (Genova), Italy: a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria.

3. Reggio Calabria, Italy: A historic city in southern (tip of the boot of) Italy, the capital of the Province of Reggio Calabria as well as the largest and oldest city in the Calabria region.

4. Strait of Messina: the narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern tip of Calabria in the country of Italy.

5. Kèratase Nutritive Elasto Shampoo: A 'best bet' in InStyle magazine and also mentioned in the famous 'Shecky's Beauty Book 2006.'

6. Glamour Magazine: a women's fashion magazine published by Condé Nast Publications.

7. Muay Thai: a form of hard martial art practiced in large parts of the world, including Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries.

8. MMAWFC: World Fighting Championships Mixed Martial Arts

9. Giannino Apartments on Via Sciesa Amatore: located a few blocks from the Cabanerieri police station in Milan

10. Piazza Duca d'Aosta: a piazza near Milan's busy "Stazione Centrale" the main railway station.

11. Panettone: a typical bread of Milan, usually prepared and enjoyed for Christmas and New Year around Italy, and one of the symbols of the city.

12. Spiacente: 'Sorry' in Italian

13. Francesco: Francis in Italian

14. Battle Royale: a multi-competitor match type in which competitors are eliminated until one is left and declared winner.