I found an empty park and swing to sit on. In a melancholic fashion, I rocked myself to and frow with my foot. Initial anger melted into just a genuine sadness over the last hour. It was clear that they didn't trust me to handle myself out in the world. And granted, I have been abducted a number of times over the past year since I moved here but nothing really bad as ever happened. They made sure nothing happened to me, since that night at Mr. Murakami's. In reality, I owed my well-being to them; I don't know what would have happened to me if it wasn't for them. But… they didn't have to get so controlling. I know I was the second woman to come into their lives and they were still getting used to female company, but they didn't have to treat me like such a glass doll all the time.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I failed to notice how dark it was out now or that it started drizzling lightly. I let the rain fall down onto me, not really caring how wet I got. My whole body flinched in surprise as something suddenly draped over my head, effectively sheltering me from the rain. Looking up, I saw this gorgeous tall man standing in front of me. His hair was dark and long, and he was dressed in all black. From the moment I laid eyes on him, that same familiar sensation from earlier took hold of me. Without warning, it felt like I lost consciousness for a second, drifting off into somewhere far, far away. A constant stream of images appeared before me, coming and vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Florence, where a man dressed inl black stands over the city. Fighting, blood, murder- he was at the center of it all. Killing countless men. Standing in a palace garden holding a sprig of lavender in his hand. The Shredder at his layer. His coveting a pair of shimmering eyes. The man looking at me from a distance. "You can see the light." The last image was of a younger version of him sitting in the same Italian garden as before. There was a toddler propping herself up using his knee, allowing the two to stare at each other; she was holding onto a sprig of lavender.

My eyes blinked rapidly as I regained control of my senses. I stared up at the stranger in utter bewilderment, totally unsure what just happened to me or what I just saw. Just like before, I couldn't remember any of it, but I knew something happened; I could feel it. He didn't look at all surprised or put off by my actions, just kept staring back down at me with those deep, deep eyes. It took me a second to realize that the coat resting on my head was his; he put it on me to block out the rain. Confused and a little shy- he was beautiful, after all- my cheeks blushed as I began to falter. "You'll catch a cold," he spoke for the first time, making my eyes grow gigantic. His voice; oh god, his voice! It sounded like the perfect promise of sin and salvation mixed together; dangerous yet protective. I just gawked up at him with wide eyes, too shy to say anything. Not when he sounded that perfect.

Giving a small grin, the man proceeded to sit down on the swing next to mine. His eyes trailed off for a moment as if to be remembering something pleasant. Eventually, they returned to me. "You're trembling." "I….!" I couldn't help but swallow. What was I supposed to say? "I'm sorry…." Probably not that. He chuckled a little and gazed back down at the ground. "What are you doing out here by yourself?" "I… I wanted to be alone…. for a while." Why was I telling him this? It made me look really petty. He merely responded with a nod. This was followed by a long pause; my eyes peering over at him the whole time.

I did notice when his head gave a little shake; an ironic shake. "After all this time…. I can't believe…" The man took a deep breath in. "You're beautiful," he said to himself in a whisper. "Huh?" I perked up; he didn't repeat what he just said, instead gazing up at me. "You must be very confused." "Uh, well yes? I am." "But not because of me." "Uh…. n-no actually?" How did he know that? Wait, was he talking about….. Afraid to ask, I tried to change topics before he said anything else. I wasn't sure if I wanted to know what he meant….

"I-I like your ascent. I take it you're from Italy?" My head tilted a tad. "Yes. I'm from Florence." "Oh, I love Florence! Did you move here or are you on vacation?" "I'm here for work." "What do you do?" "I'm a specialist of sorts." He didn't seem to want to explain it any more than that, so I decided to let it drop. But I was mildly surprised when he was the next to speaking, willingly. "Why did you move here?" "Me? Oh! I moved here with my uncle. My other uncle's working in Europe." "I see, and how long will you be here?" "Until I'm finished school, I guess? I'm in my last year." "You will be moving in June?" "I think so?" He nodded. I didn't realize that I hadn't mentioned that I moved here and was not on vacation; I was too captivated by the mysterious man. This man, this Adonis…. Who was he exactly? I couldn't help but wonder….

"What's your name?" There was a brief pause. "Chiaro." "That's lovely! I'm Baby- Baby Zilla." "I know." "What?" "Do you like the city? Are you happy here?" "Huh? Oh, Yes! Yes, I do, and am. How about you?" Another pregnant pause. "It has its charms." I watched him for a minute, trying to figure him out. He had this air of sorrow about him; this cloud constantly hanging over him. But it was more like a tragedy; he was a tragic beauty, though I didn't know why. He was deep, dark, and full of secrets. And yet… I couldn't help but feel like I'd seen those melancholic eyes before. I'm sure I'd never seen him before; I definitely would have remembered that encounter. But… something about him felt so familiar, and lovely.

The silence lasted longer this time but somehow, I didn't mind; I was growing more comfortable with the pauses. We just sat there, swaying on the swings in the rain. I was so enraptured by his presence that I had completely forgotten why I had come to the park in the first place. I also forgot that his black jacket covered my head, effectively sheltering me. All I knew is that I was warm in that moment…. warm and safe. Or at least that's how I felt; I didn't know, I felt….

My shoulders immediately flinched as Chiaro unexpectedly stood up. The rain was drying up, leaving just the stars and gigantic moon above us. I watched the man stare at the stars for a moment before turning his head to send me a gentle smile; a sincere smile. The sincerity was so apparent in his face that I couldn't help but blush, my own eyes widening a little. I'd only had one other person ever look at me that way before, or at least that I remember. It was the day I got back from my vacation last summer, when Raphael first saw me. It was the expression of elation and calm at the same time; of relief and excitement…. So many things were in his eyes in that moment. It's like they were etching me into his mind, and I had no idea why…. This man has never met me before, so why did he look at me that way?

As if to be reading my mind, his soft pale lips let out a small chuckle. "May I walk you home?" Chiaro offered me his arm. Feeling compelled to take it, I gently moved his jacket to hang on my shoulders and straightened up to stand beside him. With the slightest hesitation, my arm slipped into his. We proceeded to leave the park arm-in-arm, and it never occurred to me that someone might catch us. All my thoughts were currently absorbed in him and the sensation of his arm holding mine. I felt like a real lady being escorted home by a true gentleman…. For some reason, something instinctively told me that he was like no other man I'd met and I'm not sure it was in a good way.

We walked in typical silence for a while, being the only ones down the streets we went down. It didn't occur to me that I wasn't leading to my house; Chiaro took the lead and I let him without realizing it. When I peeked back up at him, I half-surprised to see him already gazing down at him. Another tender smile crossed his beautiful, beautiful lips. But if I didn't know any better, I'd say there was a hint of sadness, pure sorrow in them this time. "It's going to be hard leaving the city," he said quietly out of nowhere. "You're leaving?!" This caught my attention. "I've decided to go back to Florence for a while," Chiaro replied, still looking me straight in the eye. "Oh…." My gaze broke from his, drifting off into nowhere. "Well, that's not a bad thing. Florence is lovely." "Yes; yes, you are."

"Will you…. come back, do you think?" I couldn't look him in the eye while I asked this; I was too embarrassed. A familiar pause. "Next summer, I think." "Oh! Oh….." Well that's lousy timing… Wait! What was I thinking? I didn't know this man; he was practically a stranger. There's no reason why this should disappoint me. Every atom in my body froze as a cool, slender, pale hand reached over to rest against my cheek. Chiaro gently moved my head in such a way that I was looking up at him again. His smile had disappeared by now; he just stared down at me with those eyes…. Those deep, deep eyes. His lips parted slightly as if he remembered to breathe. We stopped walking just to stare at each other under a street light. Neither of us said anything for a long while but it wasn't necessary. Everything he wanted to say was conveyed in those endless eyes of his.

"You are similar to this precious girl, whom I met back when I was a child…. Someone I wanted to protect and worried about for so many years….." Chiaro's eyes softened onto mine; them glistening in the light shining above. "Someone who made me smile….. for the first time…" I felt my heart start to race. "W-where is she now?" I managed to squeak out. Instead of answering me, his lips parted a little again; his thumb rubbed back and forth on my cheek with the upmost tenderness. "Those eyes of yours…." He breathed heavily. "They still shine….." "C-Chiaro?" "Why? Why did it have to turn out like this?" L-like what? The faintest shadow of a smile returned to his lips. "Fondness…. This feeling is real too; it's hidden deep inside…." "Chiaro?" I tried again, confused beyond belief.

Chiaro's hand suddenly pulled away. He then reached behind me to remove his coat. I was about to ask what was going on when I saw that we were at my building. When did we get here?! I blinked at it in disbelief. But Chiaro just kept his eyes glued on me; his grin growing as he watched my reaction. Realizing this, I immediately straightened up and turned to face him. "T-thank you for walking me home and letting me use your coat; that was very sweet." "You're welcome." "Will uh… you be going back to Florence this week?" He softly nodded. "Oh, well have a good and safe trip," I tried my best to be positive about the situation. "Don't worry, Baby." "Huh?" His smile made its way across his face. "We'll meet again." "We will?!" I didn't mean to sound that desperate; blushing a little in response to myself. "I'm sure we will. I don't know where or when, but I know we'll meet again."

For some strange reason, this was comforting to hear. I doubt anything would bloom from this and I'm not sure if I wanted anything more….. but it was the possibility which I couldn't help but cling to. "W-well, good. I'd like to stay in touch." Chuckling a little to himself, he gave me a farewell nod. "Have a good night, Baby. It was a pleasure to see you." "It was a pleasure to see….. I mean meet you too! Have a good night, Chiaro; get home safe." He observed silently as I spun around to unlock the front door and go inside. But something instantly caught my arm, holding me in place. I didn't have time to say anything as Chiaro wrapped both his arms around me from behind, making me totally immobile.

"Stay away from the Shredder," the mysterious man whispered into my ear. "The Shredder? How do you know about the…..?" But by the time I turned around, Chiaro was nowhere to be seen. This alarmed me; how the heck did he leave that fast? Was he a ninja or something? Suddenly feeling very shaken, I bolted inside and trembly locked the door behind me. My eyes stared at the wood of the door for a long minute; I don't even think I blinked until my hand slowly rose to touch the cheek he held earlier. My fingertips ran across the skin; it felt hot and cold at once. I was blushing and flushed at the same time. That man….. Chiaro…. My eyes lowered thoughtfully. I'd never met anyone like him before….. have I? "Those eyes of yours…. They still shine." Have I?

No One's P.O.V.-

The Shredder was gazing up at the night sky from the large window in his private chamber. Hearing a ruffle sound behind him, he immediately spun around to see Micheletto standing in the middle of the room on the red carpet. "Micheletto?!" This was an unexpected visit. "How did you get in here?" Shredder demanded in an angered tone. It was clear he wasn't let in by one of his henchmen; he entered unannounced and unescorted. The man in black just glared but at Shredder with firm eyes.

"Wait!" An idea occurred to Shredder when Micheletto didn't answer him. "Don't tell me you've killed Splinter already? It's hasn't been three days." "I am returning to Florence," the assassin said with finality. Shredder took this to mean "no". "You can't go back until that rat's dead; I've already paid for your services." "And I will execute this Splinter, next summer; after June." "After June? Why after June?" Shredder's eyes narrowed onto him suspiciously. "That is no concern of yours. I will return in the summer; you will not be charged twice."

The two men just studied each other for a second, giving Shredder time to contemplate why this would be the case. Only one thing came to mind….. "Did you find the one with psionics?" Micheletto frowned; not excessively but it was there. Shredder could certainly see it. "Where are they?" "I will only say this once, Oroku Saki. If you lay one finger…. I swear I will find you and trust me; you do not want me searching for you."

This caught the gang lord off guard; partly because of the disrespect and partly…. because he believed him. Micheletto stood fast in his resolve, not hesitating in the slightest to glare down Shredder. Neither said anything for a minute, only making the mood tenser. "Are you attached to this person?" Shredder had the nerve to ask. A pregnant pause, though the aura coming off Micheletto was deadly. Very deadly. It was enough to frighten even Shredder, who instantly realized his mistake. "I will kill you. Right here. Right now," Micheletto's eyes sharpened.

Weighing his options, Shredder decided to back down- at least until the infamous assassin was out of the city. He had no chance facing someone like Micheletto one-on-one; not like this. "Alright, if that's the way it is," Shredder growled viciously. He spun around to look out the window, too disgusted to look at Micheletto any longer. But when he checked over his shoulder to say something, the assassin was gone, not to be again until the end of June.