It was a hot day in Firenze, but Leonardo da Vinci didn't mind the heat as he toiled over the Hidden blades. The documents that were laid before him on the desk told him exactly what he must do to repair it and he was fascinated by the designs and the vambraces he held in his hand. To think that someone from eons ago had designed these very hidden blades was amazing.

He found himself feeling a twinge of envy at whoever had designed them in the first place. According to the codex pages, a man called Altair had added upgrades to it but whoever had invented them, was still unknown. Leonardo wiped the sweat off his brow and pushed back his matted blond hair from his cheek.

Turning around, he saw Ezio fast asleep in his chair. That poor lad had faced so much at such a young age. Leonardo and Ezio's mother were friends and it was the least he could do for her son after half his family had been executed.

Leonardo finished repairing the hidden blades and brought it up towards the window, admiring his work. The Assassin insignia shone in the sunlight and Leonardo could feel a surge of power run through him. What he held in his hands was of great importance and a part of him felt proud to be able to help the assassins getting rid of the corrupt officials in the city.

He walked over to Ezio and smiled when he saw a thin string of drool on the side of his mouth. He was so young and innocent and unfortunately he was being thrust into a violent life. Leonardo stretched his arm and was about to wake the young man when he paused.

Ezio looked so sad, so forlorn. Before he walked into a life filled with revenge and violence, he deserved one moment of fun that Leonardo hoped would bring a smile on such an innocent face. He bit the inside of his lip as a plan came to his mind. He couldn't stop smiling at his own ingenuity.

He put down the hidden blades on the table with a thump and saw Ezio flicker his eyes.

"Oh..." he said groggily. "Is it done?"

Leonardo smiled at him. "Of course. Altair's instructions were meticulous and very helpful."

Ezio pushed a lock of hair that had fallen over his forehead and then reached for the hidden blades, but Leonardo pulled them away and reached for a meat cleaver on a side table. "Unfortunately, the blade requires a small sacrifice to ensure the commitment of whoever wields it."

"What are you talking about?" Ezio asked, his face going pale.

"According to Altair's codex pages, I must cut off your left ring finger." Leonardo said. "It's for the Order, Ezio. You have to do it to prove your loyalty."

Ezio frowned and the artist saw his lips quiver. "Alright then." Ezio said. "If it has to be done, then so be it." He put his left hand on the table and stretched his left ring finger. "Go ahead, Leonardo."

Leonardo raised the meat cleaver and then brought it down hard, beside his hand. He uttered a laugh while Ezio let out a blood curdling scream.

"Nooo!" He cried and Leonardo looked down to see blood all over the table.

"Dio Mio!" Leonardo exclaimed.

Ezio clutched his hand, screaming in agony. "It hurts! Leonardo! Get me a bandage; we must...stop the bleeding."

"Oh, Ezio...I did not mean to cut off your finger!" Leonardo said horrified, seeing the pain etched on Ezio's face. "I was only joking. The blades have been modified and the sacrifice wasn't necessary!"

"What?" Ezio asked, aghast. "Then why did you cut off my finger!"

"I didn't mean to!" Leonardo cried as Ezio got up and hopped around the room in pain. "Forgive me, Ezio."

"I don't have a finger, Leonardo!" Ezio cried. "What am I going to do now? I'm going to be an assassin without a left ring finger! I'll be the laughing stock of the whole world!"

"I didn't know my aim was that bad!" Leonardo put his hands in his hair and pulled. "What have I done? What have I done?"

"You cut off my finger for fun, that's what you did!" Ezio accused, bending over and clutching his left hand to his chest. "I'm losing a lot of blood, I feel dizzy! Why did you use that thing anyway? Couldn't you have used scissors to scare me?"

"I wasn't going to cut you!" Leonardo couldn't believe what he had done. This was the first time he was going to play a prank on someone and it had backfired so miserably.

"But you did!" Ezio kept screaming.

"Oh, Ezio." Leonardo sobbed. The guilt was overwhelming him. Ezio had lost his father and brothers and now a finger too, just because of his silliness. "I swear I thought I had aimed right. The knife was supposed to land right beside your hand. Inches away from your finger."

Leonardo walked over to the table and saw the meat cleaver stuck on the wooden table. Beside it was a small puddle of blood and he felt nauseous just looking at it. What had made him think his plan was clever? He walked over to the table to pry the cleaver out and then noticed the small seeds in the small red puddle.

"What is this?" Leonardo asked, bending over to look at it. "Are these...are these tomato seeds?"

Ezio burst out laughing then, clutching his stomach. "Ha! I fooled you, Leonardo!" he said and then revealed his left hand with all his fingers intact. He removed a squashed tomato from his pocket and threw it aside.

Leonardo sank in a chair and watched Ezio laughing so hard that he fell on the floor. "The look on your face when I told you that you had cut off my finger! Priceless!"

Leonardo felt a trickle of anger, but when he saw Ezio laughing so inhibited and wholesomely, Leonardo smiled. It wouldn't be often that Ezio would find humor in the life he was stepping into. Seeing him like this brightened something inside Leonardo and he laughed with him.

"You sure did scare me, Ezio." Leonardo said.

Ezio stopped laughing when he saw Leonardo and then got up. "Mi dispiace, amico." He said, ruefully. "I woke up and when I saw you smirking with the blades, I knew you had something up your sleeve. So I decided to play a joke on you as well. I didn't mean to scare you."

"You didn't." Leonardo said. "I only had a small heart attack."

Ezio let out a laugh and slapped Leonardo on his shoulder. "Grazie, amico. For everything." He said and took the hidden blades from him and strapped it on his arm.

"Prego." Leonardo said and got up as Ezio started to leave. "Ezio?"

"Si?" He asked, his chocolate brown eyes full of innocence. Leonardo felt his heart wrenching.

"Stay safe." He said.

"I will." Ezio said. "And I'll take care of this as well." He flexed his left hand and winked.

Leonardo chuckled as he watched Ezio leave, feeling a bit relieved because he knew his friend knew how to take care of himself.