All Assassin's Creed II characters and references © Ubisoft
Kiara and all other OCs © me

Of all the things that Mario and Giovanni had warned me about when it came to battle, they forgot to mention the huge backlash that came with the aftermath. Seeing the body of one of Vieri's men lying in a pool of blood up close made my stomach lurch sickeningly and I started to shake. I ducked into a nearby alley and braced myself against the wall. With the adrenaline now gone, reality was back in force, and it was horrible. The men I had hurt or killed flashed across my mental vision and bile built up in the back of my throat. I pressed my forehead against the stone wall with my eyes tightly shut.

Don't throw up. Don't throw up.

There were footsteps and then Giovanni's concerned voice came from my left.

"Kiara, are you alright?"

"Not really," I moaned, gritting my teeth to keep what little lunch I had eaten from coming back up.

"Take deep breaths," Giovanni instructed as he rubbed my back, "try not to think about it."

It took a few minutes for my stomach to settle down enough that I could open my eyes again, but I still felt shaky.

"That was…awful."

"The first fight is always the worst." Giovanni said, "You did very well."

"I nearly got my head chopped off," I protested, feeling weak all over again at the memory of it.

"And yet here you are. This is how we learn, Kiara, and I'm sure you will do a better job of watching your back in the future."

I dropped my eyes, feeling deflated at my mistake, but Giovanni put his hands on my shoulders.

"Your actions saved men's lives tonight, and I'm very proud of you."

Even though I knew I certainly could have done better,I couldn't help but smile shyly under Giovanni's praise. My adoptive father smiled back and gave my upper arms a squeeze.

"Let's go home."

I was more than happy to oblige, but my mood plummeted again as we passed more bodies on the way out of the city. I tried not to think about it as we walked back down the hill to the farm. Federico joined us with a Codex page he had found by some stroke of luck. Giovanni was every bit as surprised as I was as he took the page.

"What on earth was Vieri doing with this?" He asked no one in particular as he glanced over the contents.

"He probably stole it." Federico bristled. "That brat. I still wish I had gotten my hands on him."

I lightly touched his arm before I could stop myself; I didn't like Federico talking like that. He calmed down some and apologized.

"Mi dispiace, Kiara."

"What's done is done," Giovanni said. "There is no use dwelling on it."

Federico inclined his head slightly. "Yes, padre."

We walked back down towards the small farm in contemplative silence until Federico spoke up again.

"Father, Ezio and I overheard Vieri, Francesco, and Jacopo de Pazzi talking with another man. They were discussing some kind of plan."

Giovanni stopped and turned to his oldest son with a frown on his face. "What kind of plan?"

"I do not know, we only caught the last part of the conversation, but they referred to the mercenaries that are under the Pazzi."

"They intend to use their forces," Giovanni mused. "But where? And for what?"

"It sounded like they were talking about Florence," Federico answered. "They didn't name the city specifically, but that is the only place I can think of where the Pazzi have power."

Giovanni's face darkened. "The fourth man you saw - was he wearing a dark cloak with a hood?"

"Yes."

"Did he speak with a Spanish accent?"

Another yes.

"Borgia." Giovanni all but spat. "We must return to the villa. There is much we need to discuss."

I felt a chill even though the night was fairly warm. Rodrigo Borgia, the same man who had tried to kill Giovanni, Federico, Ezio, and Petruccio nearly two years ago. He was back, which meant that something bad was in the works. As I followed Giovanni and Federico the rest of the way to the barn, I felt so unsettled from all that had happened that I was beginning to feel sick again.

Since the moon was out, we could all ride back to Monteriggioni. Unfortunately, Storm was feeling hyper and forced more frustration on my already rattled nerves the whole way back. I barely had the patience to put him in his stall when we finally returned and make sure that he had food and water for the night. As I was leaving, Storm stuck his head over the stall door and nickered after me, his ears pricked forward as if he couldn't believe we were done for the night.

"Go to sleep, you pain in the arse," I muttered as I left.

Sleep, yeah that sounded really good right about now. I just wanted to forget everything that happened for a few hours and recuperate. As I approached the villa with the rest of the men, I could hear the mercenaries talking cheerfully as they gathered up by the ring. I trudged up the stairs behind Federico and Ezio, feeling kind of drained and wanting to just slip back into the villa so I could go to bed. I had barely reached the top step when Mario's voice rang out above everyone else's, turning their attention to us.

"Here they are! Our young Assassins proved their mettle tonight, did they not?"

Cheers went up from the men and they raised their mugs in our direction.

"You certainly didn't waste time in celebrating," Ezio commented with a smirk.

"With Vieri gone, la Toscana will grow quiet once more." Mario replied with a grin. "You've done us a great service, nipote."

The smug look on Ezio's face as the rest of the men gave murmurs of agreement made me roll my eyes; there wouldn't be any living with him now. I was startled out of my thoughts when Mario continued:

"Ezio may have made the kill, but we've two others to congratulate. Federico, my boy, you've shown considerable potential as a leader, and Kiara, there is more than one man here who owes his life to your skill with that bow. Well done, all of you."

I couldn't help but squirm as the men cheered again, but a tiny grin did make its way across my face. As the conversational volume dropped back down to normal levels, Giovanni tapped Mario on the shoulder and said something to him that I couldn't hear. Mario's brow furrowed and he nodded, motioning to us.

"You three, to my office."

As the mercenaries continued to drink and joke amongst themselves, we followed the older Auditore brothers back to the villa. As late as it was, I had expected the rest of the family to be in bed and asleep, but in reality I shouldn't have been surprised to see Maria and Amelia in the entrance as we walked in. I would later learn that Amelia had been so distraught after we left that she had been unable to sleep, and Maria had stayed up with her.

Federico suddenly held back, and when I turned to give him a questioning look, I saw the reason for his hesitation. There was some blood spattered across the front of his robes, but not enough to have drawn my attention before. Still, it was a very morbid reminder of what we had been through. Amelia walked over to him, and turned a little pale as she spotted the red stains.

"I'm sorry," Federico said quickly, nearly stumbling over the words. "I meant to change."

Amelia took a deep breath and stepped closer to him. "You are back and unharmed, that is all that matters."

Federico relaxed and took her hand in his gloved one. "Thank you."

Mario cleared his throat with a note of impatience and Federico squeezed Amelia's hand before following the rest of us. It wasn't until we were all in the office and the door was shut that Mario finally breached the subject.

"Federico, Ezio, your father told me that you overheard some kind of plot in San Gimignano."

Both boys nodded seriously.

"Francesco, Vieri, and Jacapo were discussing the mercinari force under their control with Rodrigo Borgia," Federico answered.

Mario's face darkened considerably. "So, that rat decides to surface once more. What were they planning?"

Federico and Ezio shared a rather helpless look before the elder spoke up again. "We don't know, Uncle. They talked about some kind of action they intend to take in Florence, but we didn't hear what exactly."

Mario began to stroke his mustache thoughtfully, his brow furrowed.

"Regardless of what scheme they are concocting, I have no doubt they intend evil for Firenze," Giovanni said, and his brother nodded.

"I agree, Giovanni. We must act quickly though, it sounds as if this plan is already advancing."

"Does this mean we're going back to Florence?" I asked.

Mario nodded. "As soon as you three are rested up."

"But how are we to discover what the Pazzi are planning?" Ezio asked. "It's doubtful that Paola's girls can tell us much."

"This is true, son, but we have other means of discovering closely held information."

"Another contact, Father?" Federico asked, partly in amazement.

Giovanni gave us a smile that held just a touch of mischief. "Indeed, but not just any contact. You know him as La Volpe."

The boy's jaws nearly hit the floor, but the name was lost on me.

"The La Volpe?" Ezio demanded. "The infamous thief lord who supposedly robbed the Papal carriage while the Pope was in it?"

Giovanni chuckled. "One and the same. The Assassins have alliances with the thieves as well as the courtesans for the most part. Volpe is a special case, and has been one of our best allies."

"He's in Florence?" Federico asked, "How do we find him?"

It was Mario's turn to chuckle. "Trust me, nipote, you don't find Volpe, he finds you."

Ezio looked a little perturbed. "Va bene. When we find La Volpe, what next?"

"He makes it his business to know what happens behind closed doors, and he'll be able to at least point you three in the right direction," Mario replied.

"What about you two?" I asked.

"With Vieri gone from San Gimignano, no doubt the city will need some assistance in recovering. We will remain here to oversee that."

"But I intend on joining you once everything is under control." Giovanni interjected. "It's time I spoke with Lorenzo de' Medici about what happened."

So it was decided that Federico, Ezio, and I would travel back to Florence the day after tomorrow. That way we would have time to rest and recuperate before our next adventure. There wasn't much more to say after that and we were finally allowed to go get some sleep. As I dragged myself up the stairs, my thoughts were already becoming muddled and I barely had enough energy to take off my robes and flop down onto the mattress before I fell asleep.

I shot up in bed, my heart pounding and my chest heaving like I had just run ten miles. A cold sweat had broken out on my forehead and for a minute the darkness was almost smothering. I rubbed hard at my eyes to keep myself from tearing up.

Easy girl, it's just a dream; it didn't happen. It was just…a freaking…nightmare…

A nightmare that had tortured my sleep more than once.

The escape from Florence had left me with more than just a physical scar. For weeks after we had settled into Monteriggioni, I would have that same nightmare again and again until I didn't want to go to sleep. The first few times I had this dream, I wound up sobbing like a little girl, just barely able to keep myself from crawling out of bed and down the hall to check and make sure that everyone was alright. I didn't tell anyone, being the sucker for silence that I was, and the awful dream had gone away eventually, but apparently not for good.

I flopped back onto the bed, willing the last images out of my brain. Stupid Borgia – even the mention of his presence was already digging up crap. I scowled up at the ceiling as the thought ran through my head. A tiny part of me was more than ready to go to Florence, just to find the Templar master and end this once and for all, and we would, I was sure of it. I had my own private grudge against Rodrigo; I wanted to see him brought to justice after what he had tried to do to my family two years ago.

For the next hour I tossed and turned, trying to get back to sleep, but with no avail. Finally, I decided the heck with it and got up to get dressed. The villa was unusually quiet as I slipped out of my room, but I hardly expected for anyone else to be up this early either. There was something soothing about the early morning silence and I wandered outside, the nightmare fading back into the depths of my subconscious, where it belonged.

The pink on the eastern horizon promised a beautiful sunrise, so I decided to watch it from the villa roof. The sun was just about to peek over the horizon when I heard someone mumbling to himself below me. I peeked over the edge to see Ezio walking out of the villa, dressed in his breaches and undershirt, but no shoes.

"Hey," I called down softly, "what are you doing up this early?"

It took Ezio a moment to locate me, but when he did he put his hands on his hips as he looked up. "I might ask you the same thing, piccola."

"I asked first."

Ezio looked at me for a bit, then he sighed and walked over to the villa wall with the intent of climbing. I scooted over as he hauled himself up and sat down on the roof next to me.

"I could not sleep," he said in answer to my question.

"Same," I confessed as I folded my legs up against my chest.

"And what was your reason?"

I couldn't help but notice that Ezio looked unusually worn down and stressed out.

"Bad dreams," I said softly. "You?"

Normally I wouldn't be this open, but I felt like he understood me on some level, seeing as how he looked as troubled as I felt. Ezio sighed and ran his hand through his rumpled hair.

"I had too much on my mind."

It was then I noticed the dark circles under his eyes.

"Did you sleep at all?"

"Some, not enough though."

"What's bothering you, Ezio?" I asked as I looped my arms around my bent legs. He hesitated and I nudged his shoulder with mine. "Hey, you can tell me."

Ezio let out a heavy sigh and pulled his legs up to mimic my position.

"There is…much that troubles me. When I killed Vieri last night, I didn't…didn't feel like myself. It happened so quickly, almost like it was instinct. I knew where and how to find him and I felt absolutely no remorse, even as I watched the life fade out of his eyes. It wasn't until after we returned to the villa that it occurred to me that I had killed someone that I had known for years." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and it looked like it had been folded and unfolded several times. "This is a letter written to Vieri's father from Fra Giocondo."

I took the letter and skimmed over it. Giocondo talked about how he believed Vieri was causing trouble in order for Francesco to notice him. In the end, it seemed as if the youngest Pazzi was only trying to make his father proud. I looked up at Ezio, now understanding why he was so bothered.

"I thought he was just causing trouble for spite," Ezio said as he took back the letter, "even though it doesn't excuse what he did."

My thoughts went back to the family who had been attacked by Vieri's men and nodded.

"But still," Ezio continued in a lower voice, "I don't understand what came over me in San Gimignano. It was…unnerving."

I took a moment to process what he had told me, and then asked, "I understand, but what else is bothering you?"

Ezio raised an eyebrow and I had to resist the urge to scoff a little. "Oh please, you're not as unreadable as you think sometimes."

The corner of Ezio's mouth quirked upward, but was quickly overcome by a look of frustration.

"It's these Templars, Kiara. It's been two years since we were forced to run from Florence, and we still don't know why. Even father can't give me the real reason they came after him. What is it they want? What are they trying to accomplish?" His eyes narrowed. "This Rodrigo Borgia…he is the key. If we can catch him, we can get our answers."

"And we will." I reassured him. "He can't hide forever. I'd personally like to put an arrow in his back for what he tried to do two years ago."

That last statement kind of surprised me; I really hadn't intended to voice how strongly I felt about that whole ordeal. Ezio was also looking amazed and he put his hand to my forehead.

"Are you feeling well?"

I pulled back. "Of course I'm fine. Why?"

"I didn't think that you could speak so harshly of someone, and I just wanted to make sure that you weren't running a fever."

I rolled my eyes, but gripped my legs a little tighter. "You aren't the only one who's gone through some change, Ezio. He tried to destroy this family just when I was becoming a part of it. That's not something I can just forget, not after everything I've been through."

Silence fell between us and by this time the sun was well over the horizon. The first bells of the morning tolled from the church far behind us, a sign that Monteriggioni was coming back to life. We both stood, but before I could climb off the roof, Ezio caught my arm in a light hold.

"You have every right to feel the way you do. If it hadn't been for what you did, this family would have been destroyed." He said quietly. "But I'm glad you're here, and truth be told, I'd rather have you watching my back than any mercenary."

I smiled and put my hand over his to give it a brief squeeze. I was reminded that under that cocky attitude and all that swagger, Ezio really cared about everyone around him, including me.

"Thank you,"

Ezio smiled back. "Sei il benvenuto. Let's get something to eat, I'm starving."

I chuckled as we started to climb down. "You're always starving."

It wasn't long after breakfast that Federico slipped away to find his fiancée. Amelia had been unusually withdrawn and had excused herself as soon as she had finished eating. He had suspected that her behavior was the result of the news that he would be making another trip so soon.

To be perfectly honest, Federico himself hadn't really known the demands of an Assassin lifestyle when he had proposed to her. It had been a rather rash action on his part, but he had been unwilling to let the chance slip through his fingers like he had before. Now he was beginning to understand that this fight against the Templars extended beyond the Republic of Florence all the way to Roma and possibly even further. In this part of the world, the Auditore family was one of the few who stood between the Templars and their goal; a responsibility that came with a heavy price.

After some searching, Federico found Amelia outside in the small courtyard that overlooked Monteriggioni.

"Amelia, cara, are you alright?" He asked quietly as he came up behind her.

The woman pushed a strand of hair from her face, but didn't quite meet his gaze. "Yes, of course."

Federico wasn't fooled and he slipped his arms around her, pulling her back to his front, and took a moment to nuzzle her beautiful hair.

"Please, Amelia, tell me."

She sank a little into his embrace and gave a shaky sigh, her hands clasping his.

"These trips, these…missions, are going to happen regularly, aren't they?"

Federico closed his eyes and replied quietly, "I would assume so."

There was a moment of contemplative silence before Amelia spoke again.

"I had not expected this."

Federico nuzzled the back of her neck sadly. "Neither did I, and I'm sorry. If I could, I would give you a much better life."

Amelia turned in his arms to return the embrace. "You made the choice to protect innocent people, I cannot fault you for that, nor will I love you less. Just…promise me that you will be careful."

Federico kissed her forehead in gratitude. "I will, amore. Prometto."

The day was passing quickly, something I was beginning to resent. I still felt unsettled after the events at San Gimignano and wasn't all that excited about heading right back into the fray. Rodrigo Borgia continued to hang in the corners of my brain, continually eating at what was left of my peace of mind. I must have really been in a troubled mood because Giovanni pulled me aside early in the afternoon.

"What's wrong, Kiara? You haven't been yourself since the attack."

I hesitated, my fingers nervously tugging at the bottom edge of my shirt as I glanced around in case someone else might overhear our conversation. I didn't want to sound like a coward, but it seemed the man could read my mind.

"You can tell me, Kiara. I won't think any less of you."

I took a deep breath, "It's Borgia."

"Ah," Giovanni said quietly, "what happened in Florence…"

I nodded. "Still haunts me. I have nightmares sometimes; I don't make it back to the Palazzo in time and…" I trailed off, but I didn't have to finish that particular thought.

"But you did, Kiara," Giovanni tried to reassure me, "and we are all here. They're just nightmares."

No, they weren't just nightmares. They all ended the same; Giovanni, Federico, and Petruccio would be standing on a hangman's platform, each with a rope around his neck, but Ezio was never there. Giovanni would be shouting something, and then the platform would drop. The dreams were unnaturally clear, as if I had actually seen it all happen. I always felt like there was a connection I wasn't making, but for the life of me I couldn't figure out what.

"Kiara?"

Giovanni's concerned question brought me back to the present, and I shook the thoughts away.

"Sorry, I was thinking."

The man looked curious, but didn't ask. "Why is it that Borgia's presence troubles you so much?"

"If he's here, there's something bigger going on. You said it yourself, the Pazzi answer to him."

"And we will root them out just like we did with Vieri, all of them."

"But he nearly killed you, twice," I blurted out, only to cringe a moment later. Giovanni did not like being reminded of that. But, instead of being angry, he just nodded in quiet agreement.

"I underestimated him and his influence; a mistake that almost destroyed this family. You are right: we must all be on guard. Rodrigo did not get to his position of power without being the crafty snake he is." He put his hand on my shoulder. "And I promise that I will be more careful this time."

I couldn't help but smile a little in relief; I didn't know what I would do if I lost another father figure. Giovanni smiled back and patted my shoulder.

"Mario wants to speak with you, Ezio, and Federico. After that, I believe Petruccio was looking for you, he's been concerned about you today. It would help take your mind off of everything."

I nodded; I hadn't seen the youngest Auditore since before we had left for San Gimignano. Giovanni leaned forward and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead through my bangs.

"This war is an ugly one Kiara, try not to lose too much of yourself in it."

I joined Ezio and Federico in Mario's office and the man in question stood from behind his desk.

"All right you three, it's time I showed you something."

With that, Mario turned to his bookshelf and pushed a random book back in its slot. When the whole shelf began to move and slide to one side, I was wondering just how many other secrets the villa held.

"How long has that been there?" Ezio asked as we started to follow Mario down a set of stone stairs.

"Ever since my great grandfather built this place," Mario replied, his voice echoing hollowly in the cool, slightly dank corridor.

He led us down two more flights of stairs, the latter most opening suddenly into a huge, circle-shaped chamber. Instantly there was a feeling of solemnness and almost reverence. Directly across from us stood seven large statues, each wearing Assassin-like garb from a different era.

"This is the Sanctuary." Mario explained as we looked around. "It was also built by my great-grandfather to honor the memory of the Assassin order and protect its secrets. These are the Assassins who guarded the freedom of humanity when it was most threatened."

Mario approached the center-most statue, which was protected in its alcove with an iron gate. On each side of the gate were three round, shallow holes with different symbols in the center.

"This is the armor of Altaïr. Little is known about Altaïr's life, but his armor is light and very strong."

By this point both Federico and Ezio were admiring the armor and even I could tell that it was expertly made.

"If it's so wonderful, why is it still behind that gate?" Ezio asked.

"Ah, that's the problem. I'd give the armor to you boys, but I don't know how to get it out of there. My great-grandfather told me that the armor would remain locked away until all of its protectors were made whole. I've heard rumors of crypts located throughout all of Italia, hidden tombs filled with treasure where these six were moved centuries ago. I believe they have something to do with it."

"Wait, if these people were from different parts of the world, why were they moved to Italy?" I asked.

Mario shrugged, "Non lo so. I sought the six when I was younger, but with no success. Perhaps you three will have better luck."

At that moment Giovanni hollered down the stairway for Mario, and the eldest Auditore's mustache twitched in irritation.

"Bah, again these idiots from San Gimignano pester me. They do not have the sense in their skulls to bring order to the city; much less make it prosperous again. Make yourselves familiar with this room. I find it an appropriate place to think at time."

As Mario left, the boys started to examine the gate that blocked off Altaïr's statue, but it was well built and there was no space to slip through, not even for someone my size. Quickly growing bored of watching Ezio and Federico examine the gate, I wandered around to check out the other statues. It was definitely a source of pride to me to see two women Assassins in this group I had privately dubbed the Magnificent Seven. The names were certainly interesting, and I made a mental note to do some research later. There was Wei Yu, Darius, Qulan Gal, Amunet, Iltani, and Leonius.

I didn't stay much longer, it was starting to get late in the afternoon and I wanted to spend some time with Petruccio before we went to bed. Giovanni was right, my visit with the youngest brother calmed my nerves and by the time night fell, I was feeling at ease again. He had finally gotten Apollo to fetch – and return – any stick we threw for him. It was nice to do something so carefree and forget about everything that had happened. Before we went to bed, the youngest brother hugged me tightly.

"I don't like seeing you so worried, Kiara. Please be careful."

I hugged him back, noticing that he was beginning to grow to my height. "I will."

This time, I managed to sleep all night without having that nightmare and I woke feeling more rested than I had in a while. I gathered my gear and weapons, along with a few extra additions, and met Federico and Ezio in the entrance of the villa for the second time. There wasn't much to say as we got last minute directions and started to head out. But before I made it out the door Mario tapped me on the shoulder.

"One more thing, Kiara."

"Yes?"

"Giovanni and I have a bit of a surprise waiting for you in Firenze. The reason you have not received your own hidden blade yet is because our blacksmith here is unable to make one small enough for your arm. So, we sent the measurements to Leonardo da Vinci a few weeks ago." He grinned broadly, "It should be done by now. Consider it a reward for a job well done at San Gimignano."

I could feel my eyes getting big. "Really?"

Mario laughed and clapped me on the back with a pretty significant thump. "Of course! You've more than earned it."

As we left, I had a big grin plastered all over my face. Finally…

Again we made the all-day trip to Florence and again Paola graciously took us under her wing for the night. This time, staying at the bordello wasn't as awkward and I visited with the girls I had made friends with the last time we were here. It was also nice to catch up with Paola, and it never ceased to amaze me just how much of a mother-figure she was for her girls, despite their occupation. Of all the things I had learned under Paola, the biggest was realizing that it wasn't my place to judge the courtesans. They were trying to survive, like we were, and just because they traded their bodies for money didn't mean that they were bad people.

The next day started bright and early with the three of us gathering in the covered patio area outside the bordello to scope out the next couple days.

"The first thing we need to do is find La Volpe," Federico said, and both Ezio and I nodded.

"I asked Paola about him last night," I replied. "She knows him, but couldn't tell me where he is."

"It will take time to find him," Ezio said, "and we need to gather as much information as we can. I think we should split up; we'll cover more ground that way."

"Sounds like a good idea to me fratellino, but we still need to take this Codex page to Leonardo so he can translate it." Federico said.

"I could take it," I cut in.

"Of course," Federico said and handed me the Codex page. "Meanwhile Ezio and I may be able to find some of the thieves around here, and they might be able to give us some direction. Tell Leonardo we'll be by shortly."

I nodded and quickly left, nearly skipping with joy at the thought of seeing the painter again and finally getting my hidden blade. It didn't take me long at all to reach Leonardo's workshop, and I made sure to take a quick look around for guards before knocking on the door. There was no answer and I was afraid that Leo wasn't in, but just as I was about to leave the door opened to reveal the very man I was looking for. The blue eyes under the red hat got big as he recognized me.

"Kiara?"

Seeing as how no one was in the immediate vicinity, I pulled my hood down and grinned. "Hello to you too, Messer da Vinci."

Leonardo's face split into a wide grin. "You little cheek. Come in, come in! I've been expecting you, leonessa."

I groaned at the nickname as I stepped inside. "Mario couldn't resist, could he?"

The inventor chuckled. "I find it very appropriate. It's good to see you, my young friend."

The last sentence was accompanied by a hug, one that I wholeheartedly returned. "It's good to see you too, Leo."

Leonardo patted me on the back as he led me deeper into his studio, and I couldn't help but admire how much had been done since we were here last. The place was still an organized mess, but the signs of progress and new ideas were certainly present as well.

"Wow, look at this place," I marveled. "It's hard to believe we were here six months ago."

"I'm glad you approve, Kiara. Although, I must say, it is very relieving to see you in one piece; I heard about the attack at San Gimignano." He looked at me sympathetically. "You are not the same, are you?"

I shook my head, but then waved it away. "I'm not completely traumatized, either. I'll live."

"I understand. Ah! I nearly forgot, I have something for you."

My previous excitement returned and I was nearly hopping up and down as Leonardo gave me my hidden blade. I had to take a few seconds just to savor the moment. First off, I finally had my own blade and, second, it was made by none other than Leonardo da Vinci. This was a good day. I turned the bracer over and over in my hands, which was identical to Ezio and Federico's, right down to the engraved metal plating inlaid into the thick leather. Leonardo was nearly beaming with pride as I continued to drool over my newest weapon.

"I did so enjoy making that for you, Kiara. It is such a magnificent weapon, if I do say so myself. I took the liberty of making a few minor adjustments in the mechanisms that should prevent the blade from locking up, and I recommend oiling it on a regular basis to prevent rust and keep all the gears running smoothly."

I nodded, a huge grin plastered all over my face. "I will. Thank you so much, Leonardo."

The inventor rubbed his hands together eagerly. "Put it on then, I want to make sure it fits and works properly."

I didn't need to be told twice and got right to strapping on the hidden blade. The bracer fit perfectly over my forearm and I buckled the straps so it was snug. After taking a moment to admire how it looked on my arm, I flicked my wrist the way I had seen Ezio and Federico do, and the gleaming blade shot out effortlessly. Now that was cool.

"Ah, perfect!" Leonardo nearly crowed as I retracted the blade back into its sheath.

"Thank you so much, Leo." I smiled, making sure to give him a big hug in thanks.

"And you are so very welcome, piccola."

"What is with you and the nicknames?" I half-groaned, suddenly remembering the real reason why I had come here.

Leonardo shrugged. "As I said, I find them appropriate, expressive, yet accurate at the same time."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes a little and pulled out the Codex page. Leonardo's eyes lit up and he was nearly dancing with glee as he took it.

"Ha ha! You found another one! How exciting!"

"Ezio and Federico should be coming by soon," I informed him as he carefully rolled the parchment out on the table.

"Of course, that will be no trouble at all. Please, make yourself at home."

As Leonardo began his usual mutterings to himself as he started in on the page, I flopped down in a nearby chair and continued to admire my new bracer. About twenty minutes later, a knock on the door broke the contemplative silence on both our parts.

"Come in!" Leo called, not looking up from his work.

Ezio and Federico slipped in and quickly shut the door behind them.

"Ai yi yi…buongiorno Leonardo," Federico said as he pushed back his hood.

"Buongiorno, Federico, Ezio," Leo nodded back.

"Did you guys do alright?" I asked. They had arrived in kind of a hurry.

"Well, we might have been fine if someone hadn't nearly fallen on a guard!"

"I just slipped a little," Ezio defended himself. "He didn't even see us!"

I shot them a cut-it-out look. We were in Leonardo's home after all. They glared at each other for another second but then Ezio spotted my newest weapon addition and grinned.

"What do we have here?"

I grinned back and held my arm out for him to see. He turned my arm this way and that, tracing the metal imbedded into the leather.

"Very well done; let me see the blade."

I pulled my arm back and flicked my wrist, triggering the switchblade-like mechanisms and releasing the small blade. Federico had come over by this time and he ruffled my hair.

"So, the lioness has her claws now, eh?"

"Will you give it up," I muttered.

Leonardo cleared his throat, nearly dancing with impatience, and Federico almost couldn't hide his amused smile.

"Ah, Leonardo, forgive us. What have you found?"

"Well, this page was certainly tricky to break, clever in its use of ancient languages, but I believe that I have translated it to the best of my ability. This page seems to be a manual for different assassination techniques."

That definitely got the boys' attention, but Leo wasn't done yet.

"There was also something else. A series of sketches caught my eye and the more I looked at it the more I realized just what an inspired idea it was. It is essentially the same bracer that each of you are wearing, just with a layer of armor on the top."

"That would make it easier to block swords." Ezio mused. "Is there a chance you could work on it while we try out what's in that fragment?"

"Of course, take it. I'll have my assistant set up some dummies for you to practice with." Leo turned and shouted into the next room. "Hey, Vincenzo!"

I was a little worried about getting someone else involved that we didn't know, but Leonardo assured us that his assistant could be trusted. So, after the dummies were set up in the back courtyard the three of us took a peek at the newly translated Codex page. There were three techniques that it described for taking out targets: 1) Using a haystack as cover to kill the target and then hide the body. 2) Jump from a ledge onto the target below. 3) If the target is standing on some kind of balcony, pull him off.

Much to my aggravation, I could only pull off one of the three techniques. I wasn't nearly big or strong enough to yank a full grown man off of a balcony or into a hay wagon. Well…maybe the balcony, if they were standing right at the edge. So we spent about an hour and a half practicing our newfound techniques until the dummies had been sufficiently sliced and diced.

We hauled what was left of the straw-filled dummies back into Leonardo's workshop and he glanced at the lacerated necks with a chuckle.

"How fortunate that I had no further need of them. You can leave them in the back room; I'll have my assistant take care of them. Now, I did as you asked and built a second bracer." Here Leo picked up the object in question, motioning to the different parts as he explained, "The bracer as a whole will function as a regular hidden blade, just with armor on the top. I've already constructed the mechanism, and I do not believe it would be expensive to have the local blacksmith replicate the blade. I assume all three of you would be interested in one?"

We each nodded eagerly and Federico spoke up. "We'll make sure that you are fully compensated for your time and materials, Leonardo."

"Excellent! I will get started right away. Is there anything else I can help you three with?"

"Actually, there is." Ezio replied, "We are looking for someone, but cannot approach him publicly. Is there—"

"La Volpe," Leonardo interrupted quietly.

"You know—" I started, but he shushed me.

"Va bene. Do you know where this fox might roam?" Ezio asked.

Leonardo looked a bit reluctant as he spoke. "Perhaps, near the Mercato, where the thieves dwell."

"It's a start," Federico said. "Thank you Leonardo."

"Sta' attento, amici," Leonardo replied. "Perhaps one of you could leave your bracer with me so I can take the blade to the blacksmith."

I started to unbuckle mine. "Here, I'm the least likely to use it right now."

Leonardo took it with a small grin. "I was hoping you would. Good luck, you three."

We nodded our thanks, pulled our hoods up, and slipped out the back door. It was time to find our elusive fox.

Mi dispiace – I'm sorry
Nipote – Nephew
Mercinari – Mercenary
Va bene – Alright
Piccola – Little one
Sei il benvenuto – You're welcome
Prometto – I promise
Non lo so – I don't know
Fratellino – Little brother
Leonessa – Lioness
Buongiorno – Good afternoon
Sta' attento, amici – Be safe, my friends

Ok, first off, I would like to grovel for forgiveness for making all you wonderful readers wait this long for this chapter. Finishing the spring semester and then relocating to Oregon for the summer sucked away an entire month of my time. A thousand pardons. *bows rapidly* I do hope that the chapter length kind of makes up for it.

Anyway, now that my MIA muse had finally decided to return, I want to thank my two wonderful betas MJE92 and La Bella Figura. It's going to be so much fun working with you ladies, and thank you for putting up with my silly little mistakes. This is by far the most polished chapter I've posted in regards to grammar.

To those who reviewed, faved, and/or put this story on some kind of alert, thank you so very much.

Reviews:

Leowyn
DarkFlame Alchemist
kitten652
brittany
Freddiex – Congrats on your new account. ^^ And trust me, I love long reviews.
Anna Cahil
Team-EriSnookie
Sophie Aiyana
ardx
MJE92
HikariNoTenshi-San
La Bella Figura (100th review!)

100th alert – The one and only riot

Until next time.

~TKD Dragon