A light breeze would blow through the courtyard of Yamada estate , Akio spent most of his free time sitting under one of the many trees that lined the courtyard. Even if Akio only had a few minutes before he had to be at the Vongola Corporation tech demo to revival the Box Tool's to the world. Anyone in the mafia world would know them better as their given name Box weapons. The Vongola Corporation spent the last ten year repurposing the box weapons for the general public. Akio felt a little depressed that he had to spend such a nice day stuck inside all day. Back home Akio had no free time, if he wasn't sleeping or eating, he was "Training" with his mother. Well, at least that's what she called training, Akio would call it getting beaten into a paste while someone yelled at you to fight better .

Akio even being nowhere near the Vongola Japanese Sector Akio could still hear all of the commotion caused by the all of the news crews, businesses men and scientists who came to see the groundbreaking presentation. Akio let out a long and depressing sigh, he couldn't afford to be late for something so important the "I got lost" excuse only works so many times even if you are blind. Akio reached over and pick up Batto no nayami no tane from the ground beside him, one of the many advantages of being blind is Akio could carry his cane-sword with him anywhere. Once Akio made it back to his feet, he had a set of familiar footsteps, "it's really uncool for you to bother me on such a nice day sis".

A tall young woman stood before him. The family resemblance between the two was striking. The only noticeable difference was the young woman had a very upset look on her face, well that and the fact they didn't share the same gender. "Batto! Did you forget the arrangement you made with mother and father once you became a guardian to the 11th?" Akio smirks "nope! I remember." Akio tries to mimic his mother's voice the best he can, "Now that you are The Vongola's guardian of the Rain you will have to train even harder. There for You will not only have your daily sparing matches with be but also your elder sister. "

The fact that he was mocking their mother only seemed to upset his sister more. "Then why have you not shown up for a single one?!" Akio begins to walk away, "that's easy.......... I lied!", he laughed. The woman reaches out and grabbed Akio by the shoulder, "You do realize mother is going to be upset when I tell her this." Akio turns his head back to her, a huge smile would slowly start to form on his face "YUP!" He then quickly pull away from her [color=#0099FF]"As much as I enjoy talking to you sis, I don't want to be late for the tech demo." Akio say this with a heavily sarcastic undertone.

Akio had only been the Vongola's rain guardian for a few weeks, but already the responsibility and expectation were beginning to be thin with him. Akio couldn't understand why all of a sudden people expected him to be this super serious guardian. Akio figured the 11th wouldn't have asked him to become her guardian of the rain if she wanted someone who was serious all the time. Akio almost turned her down when she asked him before some reason he couldn't Reida was the one person Akio didn't mind doing things for. Maybe this was because she was the 10th's granddaughter, or maybe it was because she was a natural born leader.who knows? Nonetheless Akio didn't plan on ever becoming someone who is serious all the time.

Akio made his favorite entrance into the Vongola Headquarters there are rumors that the mainly underground building was constructed during the Tenth's time during the conflict against the Milliefore family. But of course the only ones who knew if this was true or not would be the 10th and his guardians. None the less there the building had secret entrances all over town most people were using the main entrances that was not to far from Namimori middle school. To Akio that was boring the entrance he liked using was near namimori shrine


"" Sorry its not that great of a post but I'm in a rush for school. T^T""

If Ai could feel nervous, her legs would be shaking. If Ai could feel anticipation, she would be pacing. If Ai could feel excited, she'd be bouncing up and down. Today was going to be a very important event that Ai probably knew more than anybody, would change technology as the world knew it. People have come from all over the world, famous scientists, heads of large corporations and potential investors. Even some politicians. In fact, the Prime Minister of Japan was supposed to come, but he couldn't make it as he had some sort of other important business to attend. Probably for the better Ai had thought.

Still, many people had come, and they crowded the gymnasium, of which was bordered with tables with refreshments and folding chairs facing a stage. Not much of an auditorium, but the gymnasium was supposedly the best place to demonstrate the technologies being revealed, Ai made sure of that. It used to be a testing and training room for box weapon technology that was in use ever since it was commissioned to train the Tenth and his guardians in use of box weapons. It had been replaced, however, by smaller and more specialized ones better suited to testing on the lower levels, and this one had become a gymnasium for the staff to go to on their breaks. Of course, the stage was new. Two men were walking on and off it to make sure the microphone and speakers were working just fine.

Ai caught sight of the External Advisor, Lorenzo DiCaccio, speaking with a few of the guests. He had been the head of CEDEF for a few years and he did his job well, especially since for the past four years he's been taking control of the Vongola, with the Tenth gone. There were a few agents from CEDEF here as well, whom were in charge of security, especially because this event was equally important to the public as it was to the mafia. In fact, it was possible that specific families may not want this technology to be presented to the public. Speaking of which, DiCaccio was supposed to be getting ready to begin the presentation, which was about 13 minutes. Ai decided to inform him about it.

"Mr. DiCaccio," Ai said in her monotonous voice, interrupting his conversation. DiCaccio turned to look at the girl, the two suited men he was speaking with doing the same. Ai, as she always did in public, had her unnatural looking third eye hidden using her illusionary abilities. "I'd advise you to prepare for the unveiling, as you are to make your presentation in ten minutes of time." DiCaccio nodded.

"This isn't your daughter now," The younger of the two gentlemen asked, "Is it, Mr. Di... Disache.. Dikak... is it?" he fumbled over the name. He clearly wasn't Italian.

"DiCaccio," the aforementioned man corrected, "And no, this young lady is Ms. Ai and she has been a great help toward this project, even if her looks are deceiving. Ai, these men are Mr. Isaac Bailey and Mr. Joseph Gadardy. Mr. Bailey is the head of Bailey & Ryan Hardware and Mr. Gadardy is a representative of CANDU, an energy company in North America." They were both going to shake her hand, but Ai had simply bowed, forgetting that the two men weren't Japanese, but they followed suit anyway, as they had remembered that was the proper Japanese greeting. After the two men left them, DiCaccio spoke with Ai as they walked.

"I am informed that not all of the Guardians are present yet," he mentioned, "You are aware, right?"

"I am," Ai replied, with no sense of feeling.

"And you are also aware of the importance of their presence at this ceremony?"

"Yes," again, with neither sarcasm nor seriousness.

"So, would you happen to know where they are?"

"I have made predictions."

DiCaccio sighed curtly. "And what is it that you assume?"

"I predict that the Guardians will be here in time." Ai wasn't trying to be sarcastic, she was merely starting what she thought.

DiCaccio grunted. "Alright, whatever you say, Ai. I know how important this whole event is to you and all, but its important to the Vongola family as well, and I don't need to explain how important the appearance of the new Guardians alongside their new Boss will be. After all, the family's image is at stake," He considered that thought for a moment, "Seeing as they are so young..."

"There is much more at stake than the public impression of this organization," Ai replied tonelessly.

DiCaccio looked back at Ai. "Yes, I suppose that's true. Either way, a lot is at stake tonight and I intend to make sure everything goes smoothly. We've made every precaution. Naturally, I assume you've already witness the security checkpoints near the entrances."

Ai nodded. "I am aware of the new Deathperation Ring detectors."

"Indeed, and it'd take more than a Mammon chain to hide from those. Why, you'd have to swallow a ring to make it past. Of course, they're only set up near the main entrances seeing as only authorized rings can make it through the secret ones. Those entrances are reserved for very important staff, such as the Guardians, but they may be opened as emergency exits at any time. My own men have also made note of every known convict whom has entered the building, none whom have broken the Mafia Law, of course. Every hitman and guard on duty above the rank of D has been authorized a box weapon in case of an emergency, although they wont attack without the Boss's word. I'm sure the Guardians are also prepared with their own box weapons, if they all arrive."

"I understand that the facility is ready to deal with any disruption of ordinary circumstances," Ai said concernlessly, "But I do not think we are secure from an attack of extraordinary circumstances. This is the best possible time for any party to interfere with our goals and should a certain kind of intruder-"

"Ai," DiCaccio interrupted, "I know you are a little uneasy from what occurred to you the day before the inheritance, but you should take it easy. As you had said, the probabilities of such an event occurring are extremely slim, and maybe it did happen, but it's equally as unlikely to happen again, if not more so. As you said, we're not supposed to mention it."

Ai interjected, "I have been designed to consider ever-"

"Ai," DiCaccio interrupted once again, more seriously that time, putting a hand on her shoulder. He looked into her eyes, eyes that couldn't be read at all. Eyes that always unnerved him. Eyes that merely looked back at him, neither listless nor intense. His voice softened. "Why don't you go find the other Guardians? Remind them of their roles to play in this ceremony, alright?" Ai simply nodded.

"But you let the other one go! Why can't I go down there with the others, too?" Came a boy's voice, high and childlike but with a distinct edge of authority. Said boy, a short lanky kid no older than thirteen, had an entitled air about him. He was dressed like your stereotypical preppy school kid, complete with blazer and an overly-styled black hairdo.

The boy was standing beside another figure, this one noticeably taller and more toned. Like the boy beside him, he wore a sharp suit, though the suit jacket was hidden under an olive colored oversized winter coat, its furred hood resting along the figure's shoulders like the beginnings of a cape. His hair, stringy and black, fell around his ears like a mop. Currently, he was leaning against the railing of a balcony, one that was near the gymnasium's entrance and overlooked the entirety of the truly massive auditorium. He balanced his chin on the base of his palm, his elbow resting securely upon the railing, his free hand tucked away in his jacket pocket. His eyes were closed, a bored look long since saturating his face.

If he heard the boy's angst-filled question, he certainly didn't act like it.

After a few seconds of silence, the boy grimaced, eyes narrowing viciously. He didn't say anything further. He didn't have to. Instead, he simply turned, fully intending to follow a gaggle of adults busy shuffling out from the elevator doors and down a nearby staircase towards the gymnasium proper.

"Stop." The taller figure spoke in voice barely more than a whisper, yet his harsh utterance could not be mistaken for anything other than a command. The boy halted mid-footfall. He hadn't even made it a single step. The taller figure didn't even turn to acknowledge the boy. He simply spoke, as if stating some unequivocal law of the universe to the surrounding ambience. "It is not yet your turn to be down there."

The boy turned slowly on his heel to face the taller figure, his posture transforming from one of defiance to one of begrudging submissiveness. The figure responded by opening his eyes, though he still did not look at the boy. "But—!"

"Look." The figure removed his hand from his pocket, lazily pointing over the balcony and at the crowd below. "Look at them all. What do you see?"

The boy grimaced again, taking a second before responding. "A bunch of stupid primitives."

"Not true," the figure chided. His eyes, hard amber-red orbs that glowed like twin supernovae, swept over the gathering below. They came to rest rather quickly upon a somewhat odd duo. A short woman of small frame and long snow-white hair stood within proximity to yet another, this one younger and more petite, her hair equally as long—though it appeared as a dark purple in the ambient lighting.

"I see my rooks," he continued. "Beautiful. Strong. Undefeatable. The king's influence and power made physical."

His eyes darted in the opposite direction, landing on another pair sharing proximity. The first was a particularly short girl no older than fourteen, her hair a deep mauve, her mannerisms fragile and child-like. Nearby was a woman of average height, svelte, with deep green eyes.

It was a moment before he spoke again. "I see my bishops. Infallible. They surround the king, representing his ego, and will crush his enemies with a higher power."

The figure's eyes swiveled, landing on the final pair. Unlike the others, these two weren't female. Though both men stood equally tall at nearly six feet, one had deep red hair—the color of blood. The other, gold—the color of a mighty sun.

"And I see my knights. Glorious. Unpredictable. Unexpected. The embodiment of the king's Mandate of Heaven."

At this point, the boy was leaning over the balcony railing, balancing himself with his forearms, trying to pick out just whom the figure was talking about. When he spoke, he didn't look over at his elder companion. "What about me? What am I?"

The figure paused for another moment, as if considering. "You're my queen."

The boy made a face, looking up at the figure. "Eww! What do I have to be a girl?!"

"Of all the actors here, the queen is by far the most powerful," the figure said, ignoring the boy's outrage. For the first time, the figure took his eyes off of the crowd below, electing instead to stare down at the boy whom pouted at his side. "Do you know why?"

Instead of answering, the boy pursed his lips, choosing to look back out over the balcony.

The figure answered his own question. "Perspective. That's what makes the queen the most powerful piece. The most flexible. The most useful. With the proper perspective, the queen can project power at any point on the board. At any time."

"So what," the boy muttered, obviously dejected at being labelled "queen".

"You asked why you couldn't go down there with the others."
"Yeah, but—"
"And what do you see when you look over the balcony?"
"Everything! I see all of these stupid idiots a—!"
"Exactly. You see everything. The entire board. From here, you have perspective."
"But—"

"You go down there now and you can't see the whole picture anymore. You lose that perspective. That means you lose your value to me. Understand?" The question was rhetorical. "So wait." His command was harsh and left no further room for debate. "Your turn will come." Not waiting for a response, the figure returned to surveying the crowd below. The ends of his lips curled upwards, forming the beginnings of a smirk. "Those battling on the front lines are not fit to command."

The boy sighed bitterly, hunching his shoulders. "God I hate chess," he muttered.

"My... Wake up... I... Ely... Wake up... Sia..."

Slowly like flowers blooming to a song of spring, deep green had been revealed as those eyes fleetingly opened. Yet, it only reflected at first a curtain of endless darkness. The sensation of numbing coldness encircled like a ghost. This effectively caused a wave of panic which was related to the sound of a beeping alarm. It was accompanied by voices were inaudible, but as it went on, there were a few which could be understood. They were conversing about an elevated heart rate and pulse indicating the Princess was agitated. Then, there was another statement stating to return the subject to stasis. But the said parameters eased down, it was due to an image which could now be seen behind those emerald depths.

What was seen?

Blurry but then it became clearer. It was a face belonging to a male. There was a sense of familiarity and a tidal of feelings washed over. The most prominent was nauseating longing. Candle-like fingers moved ever so slowly as it was directed to reach for that visage. But, it only made contact upon the pristine glass, a clear separation. There was a sharp pain because of that and the lips which had been silenced for so long attempted to speak. Though, it had been a failure. The words would not form. Feelings seemed knowledgeable what should be said but, the mind seemed unknowing. This aptly brought doubt and confusion to the maiden encased in Crystal Glass.

And when she had been released from the cradle she had been placed in, the face was given a name, Alastor Lorenzo Koenig Rizzo. A person she does not know, but why did she feel those multitude of emotions for a stranger. No, that is incorrect. This Alastor is not an individual of unknown intricacies. He is her Master. She will serve as the Comet Guardian of the Rizzo Famiglia. Such information should had given her a great amount of discomfort and panic. But, there was only an odd sense of acceptance. Why was that? Is it because of Alastor? If that is the reason, then she shall...

"Go... Move, Sia..."

With a sudden turn of the head, Elysia looked behind her. A voice, she heard it, masculine in melody with the overtone of a wish. But, there was no one there, just a wall. Was it a part of her lost memory? Was it simply just imagination? She was uncertain. According to the people (Rizzo scientists) who had been taking care of her, her lost memory could have been the product of her stasis or of her own doing. In summary, there was no definite origin. As for the reason of her being put to stasis, it was due o the flame inside of her. They tell her that the Comet Flames had an adverse effect on her health and needed to be contained. But now, she has been awakened to fulfill her role and to say the threat of the flame inside of her had been neutralized.

That is what she had been told. But truly, that was far from the truth.

Still for now, it was enough. "Miss?" As it would appear, she was once more in a trance as she awakened and looked at the one who called her. It was a man, one of the patrolling guards for the Vongola Ceremony. "Is something the matter?" The Princess seemed bothered about something. Elysia blinked a few times in a rhythmic matter before shaking her head slowly to the sides. "Nothing. Everything is fine." She answered with her usual mellow persona. Even with her far-off look, she was a sight to behold, something out of fantasy and ethereal elegance. Her coffee brown skin seemed to have a caramel glow of its own as her eyes of deep green glistened with a distant story. Hair of violet pinned around her head resembling a crown, accented by a golden spiked tiara. She wore a sleeveless red dress with military shoulder tassels bordered with a sea green fringe at the edge of the bodice, and includes two separate cuffs worn similarly to bracelets. She was an image of a princess. Yet, her chosen appearance was dictated by her caretakers not of her own preference. Though, she is not opposed to it. She simply does what was asked.

The said guard nodded with a further offer, it could not be helped to have a soft edge towards the Comet Guardian. "If you need anything, please don't hesitate to say or ask." Hearing the man's words, she offered a small smile of gratitude and appreciation. "Yes, thank you for the concern, Sir." She then gave a polite bow before walking towards her fellow guardians. They had been asked to gather together for a mission which had been directed to them by Maschenny Rizzo. It was to go back to a certain period in time where the Vongola Famiglia reigned with their rings. They are tasked to retrieve these rings for the sanctity of humanity. A noble purpose it is if one would think, however, in truth, she felt nothing towards the cause. Would that mean she was a terrible person? Is she an individual without a heart? Was that because she has no memory? Or was it because that is simply how she is? Truly, a dilemma of her self.

Removing herself from her inner monologue, Elysia had simply stood beside a fellow guardian, Annalise Cortega, the one who commands the star flames. It seemed the rest of the guardians are scattered about and soon it will begin. She could only wish that there would not be much of a trouble for them. It is not a pleasant feeling for her to see any of her peers harmed or troubled especially that of their leader, her Master. Thinking about it, she allowed her eyes to travel to see where the Master Rizzo has gone. She had taken notice of Kurai Rin, Althaia Rizzo, Tyde Rumerio, and Cornelius V. Roquet among the crowd. In the end, she feels unease if the Master was not present or she was not beside him. After all, she had always been with Alastor since her awakening. As such, the temporary absence by his side causes discomfort, even if that was not noticeable at front.

---

---

---

"No matter how you look at it...dressy clothes like this don't fit me at all..."

Reida examined herself in the full-length mirror that lay against the wall of her temporary room, a room that was set up for her to stay in for her safety while the presentation ceremony was taking place. To be honest, she'd prefer to be able to prepare herself in her own room. It was much larger than this one and far more comfortable, but she also understood that large ceremonies like this came with risks. It was better to be prepared for any emergencies.

She turned to the side, her eyes moving up in down as she made sure her clothes were straight and in their proper place. After about an hour of searching through her closet, she'd decided on a dark red blouse that tucked into a black pencil skirt. Feeling a little awkward with the length of the skirt, she also made sure to slip on a pair of black tights as well. If it were up to her, she'd attend the meeting in her pajamas...but that might not give off the impression she was aiming for.

Making her way to the only desk in the room, she picked up a few sheets of paper and began to read the words to herself, her mouth slowly curving into a frown as her eyes moved down the paper. "T-this will be fine, right? It's just like writing an essay! Maybe I sound too stiff...should I add a joke? No, that would make me look childish.."

Her fingers tightened on the paper, but she felt herself jump slightly as a knock could be heard on the door. "Ah, come in!" she said, folding the paper and stuffing it into the fold of her skirt.

After a moment, a faint click could be heard as the doorknob turned. The door swung open as if pushed by a ghost. Slowly. Methodically. There, standing in the doorway was no apparition, but a young boy. He was small for his age, lanky even, dressed professionally in a suit and tie. His hair, short and blonde, was frizzy and in need of a good brushing.

With one curt sweep of his eyes, he took in the scene before him. Somewhat messy, with clothes here and papers there, but that wasn't unexpected where his big sister was concerned. Whenever she was in a hurry, things tended to go flying.

Reida gave the boy a small smile. Somehow his presence made her nerves settle a little. "Oh, Trevor. What are you doing here? You should be getting ready, too."

Without a word, Trevor entered the room, the door swinging shut in his wake. He moved like a phantom. Silently. His footfalls registering as barely-audible thuds on the floor. After a moment, he was standing before Reida, looking up at her. He met her soft amber irises with his own, his gray eyes piercing but not empty. There was a hint of innocence there, though it was mixed in with something else. Something Reida could never recognize. It was as if he were looking past her, at some far-off landscape.

Perhaps a normal boy would have smiled in return, or at least made a face, yet Trevor's countenance remained stolid and impassive. For a moment longer, the silence lingered. Just long enough for a normal person to feel awkward, though Reida had long since become accustomed to Trevor's "quiet" way of doing things.

"The ceremony started," he said simply. There was no sensation behind his speech. No emphasis. They were just words, light and fluffy like a child's but altogether devoid of feeling, as if from a robot feigning humanity. "We're gonna be late."

"Eh?" Reida only blinked at Trevor's words, her smile remaining on her face for a second as she processed what her brother had just said. In an instant her jaw dropped and her eyes widened, an expression of disbelief crossing her face.

She turned on her heel and reached for her phone that she'd left face down on the desk. Taking it in her hand, she stared at the screen. She was due to give her speech in less than ten minutes. "Heeehhhh!?!?" Once again turning on her heel, this time nearly falling over, she picked up the pair of black heels that she had planned on wearing and grabbed hold of Trevor's wrist. "W-We have to go right now!!"

With her brother's wrist in her left hand and the heels in her right, she swung open the door and practically dragged the poor boy behind her as she rushed towards the gymnasium. Once they made it to one of the private entrances, she leaned herself against the wall and released her grip on Trevor to slip the black heels over her feet. Checking to make sure the bun that she'd rolled her hair up into hadn't come loose, she let a sigh escape from her lips.

"Made it...just in time." With another sigh, she looked down at Trevor and placed her hand on his head. Usually Trevor would actively avoid a hand coming near his head, but with Reida it was okay. She was the only exception. "Time to kick some butt."

With that she entered the crowded gymnasium and carefully weaved through the crowd, ready to greet anyone who recognized her, but hoped that she could make it to the stage without having to converse with anyone. Now was not the time to be late for her own speech.

Trevor looked on after her, stuffing his hands into his pockets. Where he took short careful steps, Reida moved in long confident strides, the crowd parting before her. Looking around, he didn't recognize any faces. Most of the people here seemed to be either mafia of some kind or with the government, the significance of which was lost on him as any interest he had in his surroundings disappeared along with Reida.

With nothing around capable of capturing his attention, he decided to follow her, stepping through spaces in the crowd as they appeared. It was almost like a dance. Almost. In his rush to reach the other side of the auditorium, Trevor collided painfully with someone, nearly losing his balance. Ripping his hands from his pockets in an attempt to steady himself, he took an uncertain step backwards, looking up at whom he'd unintentionally accosted.

The police sirens rang throughout the streets while chasing an extremely agile and small target. This would be the day they finally will catch him they all thought. Four police vehicles were swerving to make left turns, right turns, and then another left as they pursued him. The one that became known as 'REBEL' that was displayed as art throughout the city. This notorious vandal continues to spray paint highly designed graffiti art throughout different building in the city and flees the scene swiftly when the cops pursue. The target has a hoodie, sweatpants, black gloves and a bandanna to cover his face to prevent him from being identified. This will be the day, they thought.

"Heh, you really think you'll catch up," Troy waved backwards to the police cars chasing after him. Troy on his roller skates made a swift left turn on the street onto the sidewalk. A local city hot dog vendor was further down the block he was on. Troy put his hands on his spray can, turned his body and his skates sideways and bent his knees. In that brief moment, he sprayed a large 'rB' standing for REBEL on the side of the hot dog vendors cart. "It looks better now! Thank me later!" he yelled as he continued fleeing from police, the inappropriate remarks that ensued from this was toned out by Troy because he honestly didn't care, it's art.

He continued down the sidewalks while police cars swerved and avoided obstacles on the street to catch him. Normally, they'll be a point of traffic where he can jump over the cars and continue on; however, today was not that day. The streets were clear and the police really didn't have to avoid too many cars. Troy didn't necessarily fear getting caught because Hayato, his uncle, had enough influence to bail him out of major trouble which has been done before, but he feared Hayato's punishment more as a result, training to be a better guardian. He's a bit of a stickler when it comes to that.

"Finally," Troy said out loud as he saw one of his best escape routes. Up ahead two blocks further was a building full of paint alongside it. He turned around his body again with his skates pointing forward, placed his left hand on his head as if he were a pilot giving a salute, and gave them a proper soldiers salute gesture as if he were saying, 'We're done here soldier.' He put his right hand up a bit, and dove head first into the paint on the wall and dissolved through and vanished as if he were diving into a pool. The police cars stopped in front of this paint, got out of their cars and examined the wall. When they put their hands on it, the wall was just a normal wall with paint on it. Strange they thought; however, this isn't the first time he's vanished like this. They gave up then left for the day, "He'll be back," one officer said.

Troy popped out of another side of the building a bit tired from the run, "now that was fun," he said to himself. His cell phone started buzzing with a reminder, 'Vongola Ceremony' it said on his phone. "Bah! I forgot! I have to hurry or I'll here nonstop complaints from Reida and Rosa!" He took of his hoodie, gloves, sweatpants, and bandanna to literally already be changed into the clothes he planned to wear at the ceremony. There was one problem though, he had paint residue splattered randomly all over his clothes. He shrugged then said, "Oh well, at least the public will know a little more about me by my clothes," then continued to be on his way. He ran instead of rollerskating since the police could still identify the exact skates he used. He has another pair at the Vongola Ceremony location which he'll pick up upon arriving at the location.

He arrived at the location with his now randomly color long sleeve button up shirt, blue jeans, and vest with the paint splotches spread across it. The security guard said, "Your name please sir?"

"Damien Dusk, check the list," Troy replied.

After scanning the list he replied, "I'm sorry but I don't see a Damien D--,"

"It was just a joke!" he placed a overly expressed grin on his face, "It's really James Johnson,"

After scanning again and becoming more flustered as a result of the joke, he said once again, "There isn't a James Johnson either. Look kid, this is a private affair, you can't just come here and ---."

Before he could finish, Troy pulled out his storm guardian ring which caught the man off guard and said, "I lied. I'm a guardian and I'm going in." He had a smile on his face as he gave that remark and continued to move into the building. He went to exchange his skates and placed them in a backpack along with some spray paint cans. As he spun the cans in the air, he said, "Never know when I'll need these," he laughed to himself, placed the spray paint cans in his side pockets, put in backpack on his back then walked to the main area. There was a much larger crowd then he expected and everyone there was dressed nicely. Troy enjoyed being different in this scenario because he was not foreign towards getting most of the attention. He gained a fair amount of quick looks because he really wasn't 'dressed' for the affair; however, that'll all change when everyone realizes he's the 11th generation Storm Guardian. Troy continued to walk through the crowd looking for any of the other guardians to chat with.

The room was flooded with sounds of people flapping their lips in communication. Each, with their own smooth style of dressing. You had those who were decorated, most likely military grade of some sort. You even had those who looked more like they were going to a funeral or wedding with how many layers of clothing they had covering their persons. It had seemed this was going to be one of those buttoned shirt, overlapping trousers, and shoe shining type of parties, if you would just base it on how the majority of guest looked. Even the uninvited few seemed to be wearing something rather according to the situation. Then you had Tyde. The young man dressed in a colored shirt that he left unbuttoned and had on slacks of some kind, which were complimented by his casual shoes, which seemed to be more of a janitors pair than anything. He decided that if he was asked he'd say he worked for some random company selling toilet paper, which was a good enough excuse to him, seeing that from his perspective he looked like one of those shady salesmen. He wasn't worried about the dress code. Had he been older and looked older he may have caved in and decided to bring less attention to himself, but he knew none of that was necessary. After all, when he glanced at some of the kids around him, some were wearing normal street clothes. Apart from the dress code, he found the whole gathering rather.... boring? No. He wasn't happy with just calling it boring or dull. The boy would make a new word to describe this moment in given time, but he knew only the most foul of sounds would go together with the environment.

He was on his fifth glass of punch and wasn't planning on stopping until he was able to have his fun. Though even that didn't really make him less bored of the situation. There was something foul about time travel. The foulest would be the fact that he wouldn't be able to kill anybody, least not anyone with power. Killing ants was fun and all, but he wouldn't be able to kill a mass amount of them either. There were way too many rules with what he had to do. He took it as a mission where he wasn't ordered to kill anyone, which meant that he wouldn't, even in self defense, but he almost pulled at his hair once he arrived to Naminori. His gaze reflected his feeling of boredom, which probably made him look even more like a washed up salesman. He leaned heavily on the wall, staring for what seemed like hours at his glass. He wondered, if he couldn't kill them, how he was supposed to get their rings. If the Vongola guardians and head were all that he had read about, he would think that even the most strenuous of torture wouldn't make them give up their rings.
A wry grinned formed on his face as he thought about the ways he planned to torture but not kill each and every one of them. Maybe that in itself was the only reason why he didn't loose his mind already. He had to be the hunter, stalking his pray for the food that it was. "Sure would be a bummer if they give up before the nuggetting," he laughed as he thought about the heaviest form of torture possible.

However, it still wasn't enough. No matter how many times he thought about it, the Vongola's were all mostly kids now. Of course they'd disappoint him. That made him want to kill them more. Though, thinking about it a little bit, he thought that maybe if he got to them just right, he could make them appreciate life more. He'd basically be a hero in their eyes. A hero in his hero's eyes. Though, they were kids. Even the ones who were his age didn't have the mindset to give him what he wanted out of them. No one in this god awful time had what it took. Least not so far. He thought maybe he was more disappointed in the women then in anything else, seeing as he liked having all sorts of fun with them. What fun? Any type one could think of from a guy like him. He considered himself pretty much down for anything when it came to girls. He'd at least do more with them then he'd do with men, but he knew that was nothing special. Everyone did something he did. To give him credit though, he liked to do a lot of things people didn't. Like killing. Something that once again, he was reminded that he wasn't allowed to do.

So what was he to do? He read all the books he had brought and played all the games. So now what? Was he to just live in this boredom forever, never to feel the way he was meant to feel. No. He'd rather die than do that. Than to do nothing at all. At least he was able to watch people doing their normal activities, but there was just something about the setting. He could tell a lot of people that were in the room were fake. Even more deviant than him, he knew half of them would stab the person they were talking to in the back the moment they had a chance. Tyde made sure their faces would be remembered. Would laugh their fake laughs while being crushed slowly by millions of tiny objects? The very thought sent him to his happy place, a world where no one was fake and everyone appreciated their lives no matter how short it was.

He was just in the midst of replacing someones lower regions with their eyes when he was suddenly bumped into with a force strong enough to make him spill his drink to the side. He looked in disappointment at the remains of red juice, puddled on the floor, but quickly retracted his hurt feelings, for it reminded him of a puddle of blood. He stared at it boringly for a moment and turned his gaze to his bumper, a small boy with bored look on his face. Was it boredom? Well, it didn't really matter to Tyde, for he knew who the kid was as soon as he gazed upon him. Trevor Sawada. He read lots about the lad, though he was older in the stories of course. The fact that he was there meant that his sister was also there, but she was far from Tydes target. He stared at the kid for a while, realizing that any torture he had in mind for a small child like that might kill him and thus, he was sure he wouldn't be able to target him. So instead, mostly to pass the boredom, he started a conversation with the kid.

"Geez," he smiled, much like an older person would smile to someone younger than them. "You really should watch where you're going, you know. If I had been one of those suits over there, you would probably have a stern look given to you, hehe." Tyde pointed to a bald man in a military dress uniform. "So kid, what's your name? I'm Tyde. You as bored as I am right now?" The young man talked to the boy as if he was just a stranger. Worse off, he treated him as if he was one of those strangers who might have the potential to be his friend. It wasn't an act or anything. Tyde just happened to be a friendly guy.

"Then, the brave Peru-Peru rushed in to save the Harping Princess tan." It was followed by a series of improvised sounds of dashing then artful representation of sword slashing and hitting each other through the representation of a big stuffed cat toy which was commanded by a handsome man with bright golden hair. "But, the Dark Menace would not go down easily tan!" With further acting, the audience which was composed of kids probably brought by their parents to this rather booooo--ring event were all in excitement and having much fun through the impromptu story-telling. There were even some adults observing and curious to who the young man is. There was some conclusion that he is part of the entertainment hired for the event solely for the kids, considering his state of clothing which consisted only of a long-sleeved green shirt and loose khaki-colored cargo pants, and large brown boots so to speak. It was not that too far-fetched seeing his myriad for theatrics and colorful stories.

"The Harping Princess run forward to prevent the attack of---- dun.. dun.. dun... tan." The kids looked at him eagerly as they waited for what was about to happen next. "Hurry mister! What happened!?" The other kids chimed in with such energetic chorus. He smiled brightly seeing how they're very enthusiastic. "Who did the princess protected? Mister!" Everyone was waiting for him to continue the tale which he basically had made up from the various animes, cartoons, and games he had delved into wholeheartedly. His eyes caught a glint of someone passing, but it was not because of the person per se. He was curious of the shimmer which came from the coveted Vongola rings. There was no doubt that person who passed in his line of sight is a guardian of legendary Vongola.

Actually, he had to read about them as directed by the boss-man. They were to study the 11th Generation of Vongola Guardians. He wasn't really good at that sort of things as he prefers taking action on the field and let everything take course. But, it was not bad to be informed of what they were like. And the person that caught his sight is that of the Storm Guardian, Troy Takumi. Well, he doesn't forget a face even if it was just a captured image. In any case, he was going to have more fun soon enough. "Mister! Mister! Mister! The story!" He looked at the kids sheepishly and stuck out his tongue in apology. "I'm sorry! But we'll be continuing this some other time, okay tan?" He stood from his position and gave the children a wink in which the kids pouted. "Unfair! Unfair! Unfair!" He understood their disappointment, he'll be like that as well. But the fun is about to begin.

"Don't worry. If you'll wait, I promise something awesome is about to happen tan!" The kids calmed down and looked at him expectantly. They truly believed him and he was not lying too. Something very cool is about to unfold in just a few minutes. "Good kids get rewards tan! So stay put okay tan! Later tan!" He then took off with his stuffed cat toy in tow as he walked through the crowd. He was walking with a cheerful gait before stopping in front of buffet table. His eyes widened in delight because, it was full of his favorite treats, meaning, sweets. Actually, it was like his eyes had their own stars as he approached the buffet table and began stuffing himself with the sweets varying from cakes, chocolates, and candies. Some of the visitors were already looking at him oddly, because he does stick out sorely due to his appearance, stuffed toy in tow, and rather exaggerated eating.

"This is good tan! Ooooh so sweet tan!" He then remembered something as he grabbed a plate of sweets before bounding off to a direction where he found his bestest friend. "Ty-Ty tan!!!" He shouted without care about the people looking at him in surprise.He was like a hyperactive child while the stuffed cat toy was carried on his back with its arms wrapped around his neck, like a makeshift cape and that was not out of normal for him, the Quasar Guardian, Cornelius V. Roquet. He immediately stopped before Tyde and handed him the plate of sweets he got from the table. "Lookie tan! They're delicious tan! Come on try them tan!" It was then he noticed another individual, a boy that Tyde was talking to. He wasn't surprised who the boy was. This was the Sun Guardian, Trevor Sawada. It means that Sky Guardian a Vongola Head is already here, Reida Sawada. Well, he would be playing a game with them later on for now, he wanted to share these awesome sweets.

"You too tan! Try it, tan! It will be awesome tan!" Cornelius offered Trevor and this was not an act really. Like Tyde, he is a friendly guy with a childish and mischievous personality. Though, his relationship would not mean anything if their is an order, and that's it, nothing too personal.

There was a room, a room of many colors. A room with many faces. A room with many shelves. A room of absolute balance, of absolute perfection. A room closed off by the impure world outside by a locked white door and curtains of velvet red and baby blue. Within this room was a vast kingdom of perfect beings, all similar yet all distinct. A race beyond all races. Beings of no animation and of no decay, of no hate and no sorrow. They all were happy where they were, artificial children of an inanimate world where only perfection could exist.

Of course, a perfect kingdom couldn't have existed without its perfect ruler, a being of Red, White and Blue. She was the one animated thing in an inanimate world, but she was not human. She was better than human. She was a princess after all. A being without faults, without impurities, without flaws. It was thanks to her that this perfect cage in an imperfect world was possible.

"Tell me, London," she asked one of her subjects while gazing upon her own form in the mirror on the armoire, "Do I not look absolutely stunning?" She twirled about, giving herself various poses, from having her back turned to the mirror with her arms in the air to a more actiony pose with a stern expression on her face, and then to a military salute. The princess couldn't contain her grin any longer though and broke into a hysterical expression of joy. "I, look, soooo, amazing." Rosa could not get over the way the blue reflective material contrasted her usual appearance, accented white frabrics and laces and the various red ribbons and trimming that contrasted it all. "Don't you think, London?"

London gave no audible reply, but her innocent gaze out of her disproportionally-sized violet eyes was good enough for Rosa. London was sitting on the side of the bed, head fixed in Rosa's direction. It looked like it wanted to swing its legs as they hung off the side, but she was merely fixed in place. London was a doll after all, a ball-jointed doll that was modified by Rosa. London was always Rosa's favorite doll of all. Like Rosa, her features were perfect, from the short blonde hair like Rosa's to the violet dress trimmed with white and the white mob cap on top. A figurine of true innocence.

"But, of course, such is to be expected of myself," Rosa declared with pride, "After all, only a true lady at heart could pull off such a breathtaking sight, yet only a princess could truly do such consistently." Rosa twirled around in circles like a ballerina, letting the skirt of the dress fly about. She spun and spun until she was dizzy and snatched London off of the bed and made her way over to her dresser, fighting dizziness with London in a firm and respectful grasp. Rosa grabbed a small brush and began to brush her hair ever so delicately with London sitting and facing the mirror along with her. "Of course, you know the importance of these colors; red, white and blue, don't you? Yes you do, yes you do."

Rosa then paused and turned her head toward an unheard remark. She looked over at one of the many shelves set up in her room that contained all sorts of dolls. The doll that didn't speak up was a Victorian china doll, dressed in a thick pink frilled dress and bonnet, a small parasol with strings hanging from it in her hand and a matching pink handbag in the other. "Oh, but it seems Bercy is unaware. Aww, poor Bercy, perhaps I should elaborate just for you." Rosa stood up to pick up the posh doll, holding it out in front of her to admire its features as she returned to the dresser. She placed the doll snugly next to London and continued brushing her hair. "

"Why, blue, of course, represents intelligence, but more importantly, represents wisdom, the ability to make good decisions. Now, see, intelligence is very important and I wish some people would have a bit more of it, but in the end, its wisdom that is truly all that matters. Intelligence is knowing how to use the world as your canvas when using spray paint. Wisdom, on the other hand, is knowing that doing so is not a good idea. Honestly, some people could use a little more wisdom.

"White represents perfection, plain and simple. When you see something white, you think of cleanliness and purity, especially when you consider how easy it is to taint something so pure. White represents not only perfection, but gives the image of not only a pure person, but a person whom works hard to achieve that ideal. Gazing upon white makes all the complicated things seem simple. It is a color that encompasses all the other characters, optically speaking, and balances them all in a perfect harmony. That is the beauty of perfect white, the ideal, the standard. Anybody whom stains this color is not worthy of any respect.

"And most importantly, red represents nobility. After all, the reddest blood signifies the most noble person of all the land. Not only that, but red represents all sorts of positive things; energy, courage, strength, power, determination, passion, love and so on. Of course, who could possibly deny my nobility? I am the reddest person there is. My blood is red and so is my Storm flame. How could you deny I'm wearing red right now? I come from a lineage of red. My path, my destiny is carved in a sea of red. Understand?"

Rosa received audible no response, only innocent stares from glass eyes. Rosa just realized that her tone was getting progressively, well, normal. She returned to her cheery tune of voice rather quickly, however. "Perhaps, Bercy, I should give you a good combing as well." With a delicate touch, Rosa removed the doll's bonnet and began to brush her hair with a much smaller brush that was sitting on the table, a children's toy from a fashion doll set. "Maybe I should try dressing you in something else, you would look really cute as a bride, that'd be soo romantic. I could find a groom and do a whole marriage and everything! I could even create a doll portrait..."

"Rosa!" a voice called from the first floor, "Are you ready yet?!"

"Yes, Mother..." Rosa replied, her original tone completely disappearing.

"You don't have any friends over, do you!?"

"No, Mother..."

---

As opposed to her rather cheery disposition about an hour before, Rosa wasn't exactly in high spirits. This was an event hosted by the Vongola Corporation, as opposed to the Vongola Famiglia. The terms were technically both true when referring to the company, but really, from this perspective it has deviated far from its original routes as being a group of crime lords and hitmen. Of course, the Vongola Decimo was to thank for that. 'What an herbivore' Rosa thought.

Of course, the reason Rosa was supposed to be here was perhaps strictly ceremonial, or maybe it was somebody's idea of a new public image, who knew. Of course, the new 'boss' was supposed to make an appearance here, but go figure, she was running late. So much for a perfect image of a boss. From what Rosa remembered from what the External Advisor had said (and her mother had so painstakingly been constantly reminding her) the Eleventh was supposed to make a speech regarding her plans for the future of the 'company'. Knowing that she was of direct ancestry to the Tenth, its likely she was a pathetic herbivore as well, and seeing as she was young, it wasn't difficult to see the company turning its nose away from the mafia altogether. Of course, that'd mean Rosa's mother was out of a job.

And Rosa? She was the Eleventh's Guardian. Not that anybody would ever catch her admitting it. People would walk up to her, apparently because she was the most recognizable out of the guardians, or perhaps just because of how stunning her appearance was, and recognize her as 'the new Cloud Guardian' or the 'Eleventh's Guardian' or God forbid 'one of young Sawada's henchmen'. That's right, she was downgraded to a 'henchwomen'. When she was 10, people were calling her by titles of great infamy, like the 'String-puller' or the notorious 'Doll-Faced Assassin'. Now, she had the honorable title of 'Reida's henchwomen'. Rosa would merely smile at those rather uninformed guests and correct them; "Please, call me the Mastermind."

Still, even if she wasn't going to like being a Guardian didn't mean she was going to prove that she was the best of the Guardians. After all, quite a few of the Guardians, and even the boss herself were late. Rosa, on the other hand, was the first to arrive. Actually, technically, that girl named Ai was first, but she didn't count. Things were never a question of if and when for that girl, they were just facts. Like, it was a fact that she would be here, so here she is. Nobody would possibly pay attention to her anyway, so Rosa being first was the only thing that mattered.

So, Rosa had been there ever since the guests were allowed in. At first, she welcomed all the attention she was receiving, even if they got her name wrong at first. After all, the royals are the ones that deserve all the attention. However, after a while, talking with men and women of various backgrounds got boring for her. Only the people whom had connections to the mafia had any real interest in her, although none of them really recognized her as the young assassin from Italy that disappeared a few years ago. Anybody else that talked to her were usually men, although they never had anything interesting to say. Eventually, though, the attention died down, relatively, with the occasional greeting happening every now and then. Rosa merely stuck to the borders of the room and examined the crowds. She could identify a few of the Guardians, but not all of them. Including most of the late appearances, it seemed they were at least dressed for the occasion. Although, there was one crows nest that had just entered that was bothering Rosa. Rosa squinted to get a closer look.

"The presentation begins in seven minutes." A machine's voice spoke. Rosa's body jumped.

"Jesus!" she cried, "W-"

"I was told to remind the Guardians of their roles in this ceremony as it is almost time to begin the presentation," Ai explained, "Are you aw-"

"Yes, yes, you don't need to remind me a million times," Rosa interjected rudely, "Stand there, look pretty, do as the young Vongola prompts, exit stage left, blah blah blah. You know, its really rude to sneak up on a person and start talking without first saying 'excuse me', you got that?"

"I understand," Ai said dully, before walking off somewhere. Rosa rubbed her hand across her face before searching the crowd again. Crow's Nest wasn't all that difficult to find, seeing as he stuck out like a swore thumb. It looked like a comb had never gotten near it alive in months. Not to mention his clothing was completely wrong for the occasion. And, what was that? A backpack? Did he think he was on a vacation or something?!

Just ignore it Rosa, she thought to herself, don't get involved and ruin your image. Nonetheless, it seemed as if he was getting closer and closer to her! Or rather, she was getting closer and closer to him. In fact, her vision was bobbing and her speed had increased somewhat dramatically. Before she'd even realized it, Rosa was storming toward him, the Storm Guardian. If I'm going to be standing as part of a group, I'm at least going to have some dignity.

"You! Yellow!" she called. Her face was contorted into a scowl, but then again, it almost always was when she was near the other Guardians. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You can't wear... this when you get on that stage! You're going to make me look awful! Besides, what the hell do you think Vongola's going to think when she has to stand with her Storm Guardian. I'll bet she'll feel real awful, oh, but it's not my fault. Some Storm Guardian you are!"

"Excuse me," a voice interrupted.

"What!?" Rosa turned to see Ai's dull gaze staring back at her again.

"I was told to remind the Guardians of their r-"

"You did already!"

"I was referring to the Storm Guardian," Ai gazed upon him with no sense of judgement in her eyes, "Are you aware of your role in this presentation?"

Clearly, the woman was dead. The typical rise-and-fall of a chest still struggling for breath, the palpitations of a distressed heart fighting to function. The flicker in the eyes. The grunts and moans and screams. It'd all ceased some while ago, and yet he found that he could not stop. He could not stay his hand.

Again, he stabbed her. This time, the serrated edge of his switchblade entered the right side of the woman's chest, under the ribcage. As quickly as he'd pushed it in, he removed the blade, only to stab her once again, this time in the gut. The blade met little resistance, like he was cutting through hot butter. Blood spurted from this fresh wound, some of it landing on the cuff of his suit, though he'd be lying if he said he cared.

He repeated this process several times, stabbing the corpse in different areas and observing the results. Though the woman had long since stopped screaming, her corpse did seem to stir every now and then. That brought a smile to the kid's face. Ah, yes. He was perfectly content. The woman's blood had begun to pool beneath his feet, though he was careful not to let it stain the fronts his loafers. His mother would have his head if he ruined another pair of expensive dress shoes.

A small cry caused the kid to perk up, breaking him out of his amused stupor. Instantly, he was alert, scanning the room with his eyes. They'd taken out the lights and the blinds were drawn, so the hotel room was nearly pitch black, with some streamers of sunlight filtering in to dance lazily along the walls. The random mix of sunlight reflecting off the bloodied walls reminded the kid of a kaleidoscope, busily turning over and over in on itself, revealing the sordid secrets the darkness kept hidden.

The remains of a decapitated man lay on the bed in the center of the room. His remained were dressed expertly in a gray suit and tie, both besmirched with clotted blood. Elsewhere lay another man, this one still in one piece, though he remained face down in a particularly large puddle of crimson. There was a petite gash in the back of his neck, at the base of his skull, where some small blade weapon had pierced him. He wasn't moving.

They were both covered in eerie black flames, though they didn't much act like flames. They didn't spread. They didn't immediately consume the corpses. They just sat there, burning, the wisps waltzing to some unknown beat.

A grin slowly wormed its way onto the boy's face as he admired his handiwork, breathing in the scene. Three targets. Three corpses.

Then the kid's eyes landed on something interesting. Something they'd missed.

Behind the dresser and fully cloaked in the cover of darkness cowered a wide-eyed little girl. At first it was hard to spot her, though now that he knew she was there, his eyes had already begun to adjust, making her into more than just a silhouette.

The boy stood, turning his body to face this new person. Interesting! The child looked eight or nine years old. Not much younger than him. She was dressed in a fancy piece of fabric, no doubt a dress crafted specifically for the Vongola ceremony. Unfortunately, it'd been marred by the blood of these inconsiderate corpses. In fact, her being here led the kid to believe that she was related to them. Probably a daughter of one of the deceased. Yeah. That made sense.

It took him but a few steps to make it over to where the girl was hiding. She didn't much react to his presence. Probably still in shock over witnessing the death of her loved ones. The kid made sure to drag his feet across the room's expensive carpet as he moved, just to make sure he wouldn't track blood outside when he left. Plus, he still wanted to keep his shoes clean. Can't fault him for that.

After a few moments of staring down at her menacingly, the boy squatted, the innocent grin returning to his face.

"Hi! I'm Alastor." The kid beamed, his countenance genuine. "What's your name?" Instead of responding, the girl simply stared at the knife in Alastor's hand, its edge glistening with the blood of his victims. Her parents. Alastor continued. "Hey, don't worry," he whispered, placing a hand on her shoulder. The physical contact caused her to look up at him, her eyes slowly gaining focus. "If my mother wanted them dead, she probably had a really good reason. She's not a monster, you know." His stepford smile didn't crack one bit. "They were probably alien sympathizers, like that Vongola X guy... or at least they will be... or would have been... or are..." Alastor leaned backwards, the majority of his weight on his heels, his face scrunching with concentration. He used the base of his switchblade to scratch the back of his head. "... or... uhh... were? Whatever, time is stupid."

Just then, Alastor's eyes grew large with realization, his grin morphing into a smirk. "Buuut, that means, in the future," he began, raising his knife above his head, its tip pointed towards the ceiling. His words lost all of their warmth. His eyes gave up their youthful light. The innocence bled from his countenance as if from an angry wound. "You'll become a problem too, won't you?"

Without an ounce of hesitation, Alastor flipped the blade in his grasp, its edge facing downward, and brought the weapon down upon the girl's unprotected head—or, at least, he would have. He froze mid-swing, the blade coming to a stop mere inches from the girl's forehead.

"Stop." The order had come from another. One who was also in the room. The one who'd orchestrated the attack. His voice was deep, tempered by experience and honed by power. It had a certain gravitas to it, like a king unleashing an edict, and Alastor was helpless but to obey.

Looking over his shoulder, the boy eyed the man who'd commanded him. He, too, was dressed in an immaculate black suit and matching tie. He sported an eye-patch over his left eye, his right glowing a soft red in the darkness. He looked like a shadowy demon. Then again, Alastor was pretty sure his eyes matched the man's in both hue and intensity. That'd make him a demon, too, wouldn't it? He almost chuckled at idea. "Come on, she's—"

"She is not one of the marked ones," the man stated, his tone indicating that the discussion was over. With both hands he straightened his tie. It was a sharp maneuver. Curt. There were no wasted movements. Without further ado, he pivoted on his heel and began walking towards the room's exit. He didn't need to ensure that the boy would follow because his commands were unequivocal. Undeniable. Absolute.

The black flames that were busy eating away at two of the corpses seemed to jive excitedly as the man strided past them. After a moment, they lept from the corpses and clung to him like loving pets, though he didn't seem to bothered by this. In fact, it appeared as if he were absorbing the flames into his body. An instant later, they ceased to be.

"Tch." Alastor said more, but he chose to mumble the words under his breath. Begrudgingly, he flipped the switchblade closed, tucking it into his sleeve. The smile was gone from his face, replaced by a child's grimace. He was definitely pouting. He gave the girl one last look before turning to follow the man out the door, hands stuffed into his pockets, careful not to step in any more blood.

---

The main lobby of the Vongola's gymnasium emptied straight to a spacious balcony area, where many suit-and-tie types were greeting each other before moving down the stairs and merging with the main crowd below. Most of the guests entered the lobby via the elevators, which were used to whisk people to and from street-level. There were two long rows of elevators, each opening, releasing a few people, and closing in rhythmic intervals, returning to the surface every now and then to ferry even more suits-and-ties to the starstudded Vongola event.

Out one of these elevators stepped two burly men. From their Secret Service -esque uniforms, it was obvious who they were: CEDEF agents, under the command of Lorenzo DiCaccio. The two men were conversing in an animated fashion, though their voices were constrained to a whisper.

"Yeah, the call just came in about an hour ago, but they're trying to keep it all under wraps," said the man on the left. Immediately upon stepping out of the elevator, he turned and began walking towards the balcony. "We don't want a panic right before the ceremony."

"Chief, you can't be serious," his partner replied, keeping pace. "Was this DiCaccio's call?"

"Orders should come down for your squad and the other agents momentarily," he replied, sidestepping the question. He was head of CEDEF's security forces within the auditorium. The commissioned officers that served under him referred to him as "chief," even though he'd indicated on multiple occasions his disdain for the nickname. "I'm pretty sure the brass is still deliberating. And get this: there were only three casualties."

The other agent narrowed his eyes, the wheels spinning in the back of his head. "The Bovino family is weak, but not that weak. Surely that had security at the hotel?"

"They did. Not a single bodyguard was killed, only brutalized into unconsciousness. The Bovino heir was also spared."

"There was a kid in that mess?"

"Their daughter, yeah. Apparently she saw all of it, but she isn't speaking yet. And whoever did it... it was a fucking bloodbath, Davis. A bloodbath. Whoever did it was trying to send us a message."

"And right before the ceremony, too." The CEDEF officer, Davis, frowned, pushing his spectacles back towards his face with his forefinger. "Do we have any leads? Has any other attendee been attacked?"

"We have no reports of any other attacks." The chief let loose a heavy sigh, wiping the sweat from his brow as he walked. He was not a young man anymore, and all this walking was starting to get to him. "I'm thinking Trad 6 or the Simon might be involved, but that's just a hunch and we can't go pointing fingers yet. Especially since they're also attendees." The chief paused for a moment before answering the agent's first question. "There was evidence of unencountered flame types being used. Other than that, we have nothing. Yet."

The two agents eventually passed through the tunnel connecting the lobby to the balcony outlet and into the gymnasium. There was a noticeable excitement in the air as people packed the gymnasium below, waiting for the Vongola's big reveal.

"Hey, chief... isn't Barbra here?"

The chief nearly tripped at the words. Right. Yes, his wife, the pulitzer-prize-winning journalist, was here in what she called "an official capacity". She wasn't going to miss the Vongola's first public event in decades, and he had to run security as CEDEF brass. That inevitably meant...

"Yeah, she is," he muttered. "And she probably brought Joey, too." Joey. That was his young son.

Davis chuckled softly. "The wife gets what the wife wants, huh?"

"Yeah yeah," the chief said jovially, waving away Davis's banter with his free hand. "We have an event to secure, remember?"

"Yes, sir."

Several meters ahead of the agents, leaning against the banister that lined the perimeter of the balcony, stood two figures. The first was a man of average height, sporting an olive-colored oversized winter coat, its furred hood resting along his shoulders like the beginnings of a cape. He had his back turned to the CEDEF agents and seemed to be surveying the crowd below. The second was a boy, short, with his back to the banister, a bored expression on his face.

Davis and the boy both caught each other's gazes at the same time. The boy went wide-eyed for a moment before levelling Davis with the most fiendish leer the agent had ever seen on a human being... and he dealt with criminals and vagrants on the regular. The intent behind the expression was obvious: I'll kill you. With his elbow, Davis nudged his chief who caught sight of the boy's demonic visage almost immediately.

The two CEDEF agents made a beeline towards this new and suspicious target.

Noticing his mistake, the boy completely changed his countenance, adopting a child's smile and breaking eye contact, but it was far too late for that and he knew it. Begrudgingly, he reached over and gently poked the man standing next to him.

Of course the man ignored him, choosing instead to keep his eyes on the crowd below.

As the CEDEF agents drew nearer, the clack! clack! of their synchronized steps echoing across the ceramic, Davis muttered a question to his superior. "Do you recognize them?"

"No," the chief responded, drawing back his long coat and revealing the handle of a gun. He rested his hand there in full view for all to see. Of course, he'd need permission before he could engage, but it could still be used to intimidate. "I was on the cameras all day. I didn't see anyone even remotely matching their descriptions go through any of the official entrances."

Back at the edge of the balcony, the boy poked at the man beside him once more. "Hey," he whispered, his voice urgent. Still, he was ignored. The boy gripped the fabric of the man's coat and gave a hard tug. "Alastor."

Apparently, this was annoying enough that the man, Alastor, was forced to acknowledge the child. "What?" He hissed.

"Uh, we kinda have a problem." He gestured with his chin towards the fast-approaching CEDEF agents. Alastor turned just as the agents came to a stop, leaving about a half-meter of space between them.

To Davis, the two looked like twins. They both had similar hair—stringy and black—though the styles were radically different. They also had the same eyes. The same red-amber irises. Similar facial structures. Surely they were from a specific famiglia, though the agent had never seen them before.

Suspicious.

"Identify yourselves," the chief demanded, hand still resting on the gun at his hip.

Immediately, Alastor's expression transformed from a semi-surprised frown into an amiable and well-to-do smile. It looked genuine. "Good day, agents," Alastor began, his voice and tone warm and pleasant to the ear. He was positively charming. "Are you doing well?"

"I said: identify yourselves." He repeated, his tone firm and harsh.

"Certainly," Alastor said, his voice inflecting a bit. He shrunk back a bit, his eyes taking on a slightly-confused look, his voice shaking a bit. "I'm Alastor. Alastor Rizzo. And this here is my—" he paused for a millisecond longer than normal, though the agents didn't notice "—brother. My little brother. We call him Al. He's kinda shy though, just turned 11 yesterday." Alastor looked down at the boy. "Say hi, Al."

The boy Al's expression had morphed to one of reticence. He'd shifted towards taciturnity, his shoulders hunched, his eyes cast downward, his posture becoming soft and demure. To any onlooker, he looked like an innocent and unassuming child.

"H-hi," he muttered meekly, grabbing onto Alastor hand with one of his own, keeping his eyes cast downward.

The air between the two CEDEF agents and the two brothers changed, with the agents becoming a bit less sure of themselves.

Davis reached for his 2-way radio. "Control, I need you to check a name for me," he said, depressing the radio's call button as he spoke. "An Alastor. Rizzo." He over-enunciated, speaking slowly so as to not be misheard. "He has a brother here, too. An Al."

He got a response almost immediately. Will do.

While Davis radioed in, the chief kept pressing. "Do you have identification?" With a smile, Alastor reached into his pocket and withdrew a wallet, handing it to the agent. In it was a license that had his name and picture on it. "And why are you here, Mr. Rizzo?"

The warmth of Alastor's smile even reached his eyes. "Just to observe. We wouldn't miss this for the world! Isn't that right, Al?"

"Observe?" Davis replied, his tone skeptical.

Al, still clinging desperately to Alastor's hand, nodded quickly. "Mommy wanted to be here, but she said we should come instead." Alastor followed up by chuckling, a fluffy sound full of joy.

"Don't be scared, Al. The nice men just wanna know more about us."

"L-like... friends?" He pronounced it "fwiends".

"Yeah!" Alastor mussed Al's hair with his hand, eliciting a smile from the boy. "Just like friends." He turned back to the agents. "Isn't that right, gentlemen?"

At that point, Davis's radio sputtered to life. CEDEF-12, this is Control. Without taking his eyes off the pair, Davis reached for his radio, depressing the call switch. "Go ahead Control." It was a second before he got a response, the silence deafening.

That name you gave us, Alastor Rizzo.

The agents looked at Alastor, who simply smiled with his entire face, his eyes becoming narrow. He waved slightly with his free hand, as if to say that's me.

CEDEF-12. Alastor Lorenzo Koenig Rizzo. It checks out. He's on the admittance list.

The two agents first looked at each other, then at the radio, and then at Alastor and his brother.

"Er, yeah." The chief handed Alastor his wallet back. "Sorry about that, guys."

"No problem at all!" Alastor motioned with his hands. "Perish the thought, you're just doing your jobs. There're a lot of bad people out there."

"Yeah, definitely. Thank you very much for understanding." The chief said, bowing slightly in apology. "Please, enjoy the rest of the ceremony."

"We will, thanks."

With looks of embarrassment fresh upon their faces, the two agents turned and began walking away, headed for one of the staircases that lead to the gymnasium's ground floor, where a majority of the guests were currently located.

"That'll teach us to profile people, huh," the chief muttered, sighing. "Can't let crap get to us, Davis, or we'll get sloppy."

"Yeah. They just... something was off about them."

"Something's off about everyone." The chief replied, his tone becoming softer. He was staring off into the crowd below as he spoke, a smile spreading across his face as if he'd just seen something incredibly beautiful. "Gotta let the detective thing go, man. You're CEDEF now."

Davis couldn't help but crack a grin at that. "Yes, sir."

CEDEF-12, this is Control.

Davis reached for the radio. He slowed his pace as he did, lagging behind his superior, who'd already reached the top of the staircase. "Go ahead, Control."

CEDEF-12, be advised, there is no entry here for a brother to an Alastor Lorenzo Koenig Rizzo or an "Al" on the admittance list or anywhere in our records.

"What?" Davis didn't depress the call button that time, but still spoke as if expecting confirmation. Immediately, he narrowed his eyes in suspicion, turning back towards the pair of brothers. Alastor gave him a curt wave, the smile returning to his face. Though he'd tried to conceal it, Alastor had been watching the two agents like hawks the entire time. The kid, Al, hid behind Alastor's leg, hand still grasping his brother's.

The agent's eyes went wide. He'd just noticed something.

Davis began walking at a brisk pace, except he wasn't headed towards his chief and the stairs. He was headed back towards the duo. As he approached, Alastor maintained his sanguine demeanor, but the boy, Al, frowned deeply, his eyes narrowing, the innocence visibly draining from his countenance. He let go of Alastor, placing both of his hands behind his back instead.

When Davis came within arm's reach of the duo, he completely ignored Alastor's greetings, instead kneeling and snatching at Al's right wrist. He caught it.

A look of shock flashed across Alastor's face. "Sir!" He began, his tone indignant. "You're being very rude to my—!"

"Shut up." Davis interrupted, holding up Al's hand as if it were some sort of prize. The boy struggled to remove his hand from the man's grip, but it was to no avail. "You see this shit?" He nodded towards the kid's wrist, his tone caustic. There, on the otherwise pristine white cuff of his suit, were speckles of red.

Upon noticing it, Alastor's visage of the "perfect-happy-man" cracked ever so slightly.

"This?" He held up Al's cuffs. "I know this. This is blood."

"Ah, sir," Alastor began, his voice calm. "Surely—"

"Shut the fuck up," he snapped. "You two are coming with us."

Several meters behind the agent was the chief, who'd just noticed his fellow agent hadn't followed him. At a jog, he was rapidly closing the distance. Noting that his chief was inbound, Davis returned his full attention to the boy before him, his expression steely and confident.

Al responded with the icy stare of a hardened criminal, his red-amber irises nearly glowing with the effort. From the sleeve of the remaining hand he had hidden behind his back dropped a small elliptical black object. It landed silently in the boy's palm. Without looking back at or moving his arm, he flicked a switch on the object, causing a sharp silver blade to pop out without making a sound.

It was a switchblade.

Suddenly, Al sneezed. It was a big one that rocked his little body. He stepped forward, as if regaining his balance. The force of the sneeze combined with his pushing against the agent with his arm caused Davis to lose his glasses, which fell from his face and onto the ground. It was painfully obvious that the boy had done this on purpose.

Davis frowned at him for a few moments before reaching down to pick up his spectacles.

And that's when Al struck.

Brandishing the weapon for all to see, the boy reached up and slammed the blade—its metal coated in mysterious black flames—straight into the base of Davis's skull. There was no hesitation in his actions. There was no mercy in his eyes. Only glee.

However, before the attack could connect, Alastor snatched Al's hand out of the air, knife and all, pressing his thumb into the boy's wrist and twisting it around his back, forcing the hand upwards towards his shoulder blades. It was a particularly brutal hammerlock, and it had been executed expertly. Al yelped in surprise but didn't otherwise move, lest his shoulder become dislocated. Alastor wasn't finished, however. He squeezed hard on the boy's knife hand, causing the sharp metal handle of the switchblade to dig into his tender skin. Even when blood began to dribble from the boy's hand and onto the floor, Alastor refused to relent, and Al refused to cry out.

The kid had to be punished for this insolence.

Davis returned his glasses to his face. It was just then that the chief came upon the scene, and he'd seen everything. Without delay, he went for his weapon, unfastening the protective slip and nearly drawing it from its holster. It was the tone of Alastor's voice that gave him pause.

"You two are CEDEF, right?" By now, Alastor's face had changed. It was as if he'd been swapped with a completely different person. The agents could see it in his eyes. He'd become cold. Calculating. Dangerous. "And you," Alastor motioned to the chief with his chin. "You look like you're high up in the ranks." The chief narrowed his eyes, but Alastor continued. "I was watching you. Primitive people tend to stare at shiny objects, don't they?"

The chief took a step forward. "Enough. Come with us—"

"You don't get it, soldier-man. I was watching you. Just now." Alastor motioned with his chin. "Those kids over there. You were awfully interested in them." Alastor's eyebrows shot up, as if his question weren't rhetorical. "You have a kid here?" The color drained from the agent's face. Alastor continued, a smile touching his lips. "Ah. I thought so." Alastor turned his head, looking over his shoulder and down at the crowd. "You see that guy next to those kids?" He motioned with his chin to the gaggle of kids who'd surrounded a particular gold-haired young man. This man was dressed in a long-sleeved green shirt and loose khaki-colored cargo pants. "His name is Cornelius. He's a good friend of mine—one of several I have at this event. Loyal. Ready to flip on a dime."

Alastor nodded slightly as he spoke his next words, he eyes boring into the agent's, his voice growing softer in volume yet more intense. More dangerous. "You wanna know what he can do to those kids?" He didn't wait for a response, shaking his head from side to side as if answering for the agent. "You don't wanna know what he can do to those kids." Alastor took a step forward, once again nodding as he spoke. "Wanna know what he'll do to your kid?" Again, he didn't wait for a response, shaking his head on the agent's behalf. This time, however, he let the silence sit for a few moments before continuing, his eyes growing wide, taking on a frenetic quality. He looked like a man capable of anything. "You don't wanna know what he'll do to your kid."

The agent didn't respond. He just stood there, frozen. The other agent, Davis, looked up at his superior for direction. "Chief?" Still, he did not respond. Beads of sweat had taken to his forehead. The man was assessing his options. "Chief?" Davis repeated, his tone hinting at exasperation. "Are we going to take them?"

"Check," Alastor uttered, sighing in contempt. Like a flash flood, the menace in his expression and demeanor vanished, replaced again by the visage of the perfect-happy-man. He sported a smile so warm and genuine that the skin around his eyes wrinkled. "No false moves, okay? I'd hate a repeat of the Bovino family tragedy." He met the chief's eyes once more. "Do we understand each other, soldier-man?"

"Chief?!" Davis repeated a third time, looking for direction.

It was then that the agent made his decision. Abruptly, he turned on his heel and began to walk away, refastening the strap that held his gun to his belt. He was headed for the staircase at a nonchalant pace, as if the past five minutes hadn't even happened.

Davis did a doubletake before releasing his death grip on Al's wrist and jogging to catch up with his superior. The two men moved downstairs and disappeared into the crowd.

"Checkmate," Alastor uttered as they disappeared, a viciously arrogant smirk spreading across his face. A while later, he released his grip on Al's knife hand. The boy nearly cried out at the sharp pain that exploded in his shoulder. Instantly, Al dropped the knife, the bloody thing clattering to the floor. He brought his hand in front of his face, eyeing the damage.

"You jerk," Al hissed.

"You fool," Alastor snapped in retort. "The Vongola guardians aren't even here yet. Creating a scene now would have given us away. Get it?"

From the front jacket pocket of his suit, Alastor removed the red handkerchief, using it to wipe Al's blood from his hand. "One day you'll learn the value of patience." Al was just staring at his bleeding hand, saying nothing. Without warning, Alastor wrapped the handkerchief around the boy's wound. It was large enough to completely surround his small hand twice over. With a tug, Alastor tied off the handkerchief, fashioning a makeshift bandage. "I know this for a fact."

Al didn't respond, choosing instead to kneel and retrieve his switchblade, which he buffed on the leg of his suit pants before returning it up his sleeve. Once again, Alastor turned his back to the rest of the balcony, his gaze panning over the crowd of suit-and-tie types below him.

After a while, Al joined him, balancing his weight atop the balcony railing with his forearms. "Was that an okay move, letting them go?"

"Hah." Alastor looked back over at Cornelius, who was still talking to the children around him in an animated fashion. "They know their place now. People are my playthings, afterall. Speaking of..."

Alastor held up his index finger. Through a series of practiced hand signals, he could communicate to his people the location of any target. Like local GPS for any Rizzo that happened to be watching. If they caught his eye in return, they could signal him to request a specific Vongola's location. Just now, Alastor had spotted the one person he'd been waiting all day for.

Reida Sawada. The number one. The legendary Vongola XI.

She'd begun to make her way forward towards the podium and staging area at the far back of the auditorium. Arriving along with her was the Vongola's Sun guardian, the young Trevor Sawada. As a person, Alastor didn't much care for children. Too insolent. Too naive.

He shot a glance at Al, who remained wholly unaware.

He'd also been tracking the movements of the Mist guardian. The race-traitor Shaji Ai. He'd read all about her. Just as well, he noted the existences of the Cloud and Storm guardians, Rosa Kuromaku and Troy Takumi, the latter appearing a bit later than expected.

He couldn't help but grin. He'd just signaled to a particular person in the crowd. The target of his correspondence was a large clean-shaven muscular man in a trenchcoat, dressed like a highly decorated general in some country's military, his stringy black hair gelled-over into a series of small stylish spikes. His only oddity was the eye patch he sported.

"Looks like my King piece is on the move. Just a few more Vongola to go and things can finally get started."

Troy continued to wander the crowd, a bit lost. He didn't see any other Vongola guardians and forgot where and what he actually was supposed to do here. The only thing he knew is that this is some type of ceremony where he's involved. Ai and Reida explained it to him earlier but....he really wasn't listening much. "I'm sure it'll work somehow. These things tend to work themselves out on their own," he said to himself.

"You! Yellow!" Troy didn't need to even look back because he already knew whose voice that was. The one and only demanding doll-crazed girl that calls him 'Yellow'. He looked in her direction and saw her storming his way while disregarding all of the other attendees at the event. "What the hell do you think you're doing?! You can't wear...this when you get on that stage!" He almost gave a reply but she continued, "You're going to make me look awful! Besides, what the hell do you think Vongola's going to think when she has to stand with her Storm Guardian. I'll be she'll feel real awful, oh, but it's not my fault. Some Storm Guardian you are!" A grin appeared on his face as he watched Rosa's monologue.

"Excuse me," Ai said as she approached.

"What!?"

"I was told to remind the Guardians of their r-"

"You did already!"

"I was referring to the Storm Guardian. Are you aware of your role in this presentation?"

Troy couldn't hold it in any longer. The interaction between Rosa and Ai was hilarious to him. He laughed pretty loudly gaining the unneeded attention of others at the event. He started to slowly quiet down and replied, "man you guys are a riot, haha."

He glanced at Rosa, then quickly adverted his gaze towards Ai to addressed Ai first, even though he 'should have' replied to Rosa since she ask a question first. "Yes, I know my role in this presentation. Just stand up there, look good and smile," he said with an overly expressed smile, "I'm obviously wearing my garments for the stage. I'm more than prepared to walk up there." However, he actually forgot what this affair was about and his role.

He looked back to Rosa already knowing she was a bit annoyed by his appearance and nonchalance to this ceremony, "Hey...Doll face? My attire is fine, we'll look great as Vongolas and I'm sure Reida won't mind. You know how the saying goes, 'Come as you are!' So just grab your dolls, present them on stage, and we all can have a tea party together, yay!" Troy was being a bit of the brat, and knew he shouldn't be as much, but Rosa is 'entertaining' for the most part. "So Ai, where should we be going?"

Rosa was obviously visibly irritated at the pink girl's attitude. Did this little upstart really think she could make smart little remarks at Rosa like that? Of course, what was possibly even more irritating was that rather than appearing to be visibly enjoying catching Rosa off guard, she just continued with her dull demeanor like she meant nothing by it. It made Rosa uneasy, but she wanted to desperately regain her composure quickly.

Although, she was caught off guard once again by the uproarious laughter of somebody else, the ill-dressed kid whom was grinning like an idiot the whole time. "Man you guys are a riot, haha." Rosa glared back at Troy with a death stare, but Ai was completely unphased. Not that she ever was visibly phased.

"Yes, I know my role in this presentation. Just stand up there, look good and smile, I'm obviously wearing my garments for the stage. I'm more than prepared to walk up there." Rosa scoffed at that remark, yet Ai had made no reaction, although she did share Rosa's opinion that he could have appeared slightly more presentable, as it was important that a good impression would be made on the audience at this event. Seven teenagers being the new highest ranked members in a rather large company wasn't exactly a very reliable image. Maybe DiCaccio had some sort of plans in mind that he had not told Ai in terms of fixing this issue, but it wasn't of too much of a concern to her anyway. She was only really concerned with this event in particular.

"Hey...Doll face? My attire is fine, we'll look great as Vongolas and I'm sure Reida won't mind. You know how the saying goes, 'Come as you are!' So just grab your dolls, present them on stage, and we all can have a tea party together, yay!" Okay, obviously he was trying a pathetic attempt to mock Rosa, but Rosa resolved not to let it phase her. It was all his kind looked for. People like Troy tended to try and mock her about her box weapon of choice being dolls, to spoil her image, but that's never phased her, merely because that's how she liked her image. Elegant, talented, refined and with a particularly good artistic sense for dolls. Her attraction was merely poetic at best. Besides, nobody actually knew how much she actually cared for dolls, they wouldn't even have a clue. To most, it would seem she cared only for them as tools in combat.

"Hmph, don't group me with you, bum," Rosa replied spitefully, "At least I'm not the one who probably came here after evading law enforcement, vandal" she said it with that repulsive 'I'm so important' tone she always liked to use to spite others. It may have been a guess, but seeing as it happened to Troy often and judging from the fact that he came with cans of spray paint of which he would have no use for here, meant he was at least was defacing some sort of property and was unable to dispose of the evidence.

"So Ai, where should we be going?"

"The presentation will occur shortly," Ai said "So as to be prepared, I would suggest both of you go backstage as soon as possible. I have been assigned with the task of locating the Guardians and reminding them of their roles, before fulfilling my own, so I will continue to carry out that task. I have been assured the Cloud Guardian already knows of her role."

"Hmph, I'm not going until the presentation begins," Rosa said just for the sake of being of contrary. There was no way she was taking orders from this little upstart of all people, whatever her name was again. Ai something? "A princess is always prepared, unlike a certain crow's nest not worth naming," she didn't glance at Troy as she said that, in an attempt to make herself appear more snide. She reached her arms behind her hand in the appearance of stretching to emphasize the dress she was so proud of before walking past Troy, her expression flaring up very briefly has she glanced at him at the moment where their faces were only inches from each other, like a cat hissing. Indeed, she knew she was better than him, he just needed to be reminded that she was royalty and he was common as dirt.

"I understand," Ai responded, looking in Rosa's direction as she walked off before looking back at Troy, "I will now locate the other guardians." With that statement, she too walked off.

"Vincenzo, where are you going? My dear weapon?" A sweetened voiced called for her, but she ignored. However whomever this voice belonged to was persistant, "Are you going to see those Guardian children?.." No answer. "Why do you waste your time there Vincezo?" Again this voice was followed by silence, but this voice was clever, knowing the girl's weak spots, "Is it because you have hopes to help your father, Dante-" "Dont you dare say his name." Vincenzo snapped, but she quickly wished she didnt, because she knew she just gave in. This made the voice smile, "Oh dont be so angry dear, its scary to see you so uncomposed.. look, even the driver thinks your crazy." At this, V.V took note of the cab driver's expression in the mirror, startled and wary of the girl. Why? Well, the women which Vincenzo saw didnt even exist. There beside V.V was just an empty seat, but to her, there sat her nightmare.. "Um, Miss.. Are you alright?" The cab driver interjected carefully, but Vincenzo quickly dismissed, replying curtly, "Stop here please."

Paying the man, she slipped out of the cab and started toward her destination on foot. From the distance she was currently at from the HQ, she predicted she'll be a little late, so she began to quicken the pace. Hopefully she wasnt the last one, it wasnt in her best interest to put attention on herself, especially around people she didnt know so well. See, Vincenzo arrived in japan not too long ago, in per request of past guardians and members of the Vongola. Of course, she wouldnt have gone if it wasnt for her father's persuasion that she finally gave in. Her stoic expression frowned slightly, wondering how her father was doing in Italy without her assistance in the field. 'He was the one who taught me.. he should be fine.'

With reassuring thoughts, her mind began to leave her like it usually does, her surroundings becoming a blur. For seconds seemed like a few minutes in her thoughts, and after a few brief moments, she already arrived. Taking hold of the door, she entered, IDing with people who checked her. A man took a step back, wary of her demeanor, but he recognized her characteristics. "New Guardian I assume?" The man asked, and she nodded, not particularly used to the new name. "Well the others should be in there, good luck Miss."
Following his directions, she found a few personals that she recognized, Ai, Troy, and Rosa. Getting closer, she greeted the three with a curt nod (not really sure what to say, as always in social gatherings). But as she neared, Ai began to leave, saying something about locating the other guardians? 'Well Im here.'
Deciding to remain quiet, she glanced at the other two who remained. Troy, he was an ecstatic artist if she remembered clearly, and Rosa.. A girl who had an affinity for dolls. A particular choice of weapon, but she saw stranger. However she just never understood the concept of.. toys.. for she never had any. Her "toys" were guns, and she was taught to love them. While Troy's talent for painting was also a mystery, for she never was one for any sort of art- Music, sculptures, etc. "Whats the plan?" She asked, deciding that she had to say something. [Sorry this is a bit choppy in a hurry, but Athaia's post will also arrive shortly, thank you for your patience!]

"You really should watch where you're going, you know. If I had been one of those suits over there, you would probably have a stern look given to you, hehe," the guy standing before him said, pointing somewhere to Trevor's left. The boy followed with his eyes, spotting a bald man in a military dress uniform. He immediately disregarded the man, returning his eyes to the person standing before him. The guy looked... old, though Trevor's perception of age was understandably biased. He also had a frenetic quality about him, so much so that the tension was palpable—at least to Trevor. No one else seemed to notice that this guy carried himself like a cheetah forced to walk amongst the gazelles.

Though Trevor found this stranger interesting, you wouldn't have been able to tell by his face alone. It was as if someone had turned out the lights behind his sterling-gray eyes and robbed his countenance of the baseline warmth and energy inherent in all living beings. To some, he looked perennially tired. To others, he looked inescapably bored. As for Trevor himself, he was too young to really notice he was different, unless he was staring in a mirror, which he rarely tended to do.

"So kid," the guy continued, "what's your name? I'm Tyde. You as bored as I am right now?"

Trevor considered the questions for a moment. Ever since the demise of Reida's grandfather, he'd been strictly warned about the dangers strangers posed to the family... but this guy seemed friendly, if a bit off. "Trevor," he replied, his voice flat. "Trevor Sawada. Sorry for bumping into you. I was following Reida." He didn't consider that Tyde might not know who "Reida" was.

Before he could continue, another voice rang out. "Ty-Ty tan!!!" Another stranger, apparently an acquaintance of Tyde's, materialized out of the crowd holding a plate full of sweets. "You too tan! Try it, tan! It will be awesome tan!" Instead of accepting, Trevor took a step backward, creating some distance between himself and these two strangers. He noticed that whenever older people gathered around him, they tended to pat him on the head or try to touch his hair, which he didn't much care for. Plus, like Tyde, something was off about this new guy, though Trevor couldn't put his finger on it.

Most importantly, he still had to catch up to Reida.

"Hi," he said, both as a greeting to the new guy and a farewell to them both, fully intending to walk off.

Suddenly, Trevor inhaled sharply, his pupils constricting, his eyes growing noticeably wider. A sharp pain stabbed at the back of his head like an ice pick. Reflexively, he gripped the side of his neck with his right hand, the pain rapidly becoming more intense. This agonizing discomfort was not entirely foreign to him—it was a migraine, that much he knew. Though he regularly took medicine for it, they still managed to strike randomly every now and then.

This time was a bit different, though. Unique, even. His migraines typically came about gradually and lasted for a long while. This one, however, came out of nowhere and was more painful than any he'd experienced in his life. It was so jarring that it even affected his perception of reality. The people around him began to fall away, everyone except Tyde and this new stranger, their presences filtering in through the pain as waves of awareness. It was almost as if he could feel them... but they weren't the only ones. He could feel several others, dispersed in the crowd. One... three... six, maybe seven in total. Seven unique sensations. It was as if they were tugging at his very soul, attracting his being towards them like magnets.

And then, as soon as it had come, the migraine ceased, as if it never was. His head cleared. The pain gone. He blinked a few times, reorienting himself, his expression returning to its eerily neutral state. The whole experience had lasted maybe a couple of seconds at the most.

Though he failed to notice it, a familiar voice had called his name.

Akio Yamada

Akio rushed off into the building to make it to the ceremony. He was sure the other guardians were already there. He was late again as usual. His collar was all loose, his tuxedo shirt was wrinkly, and his tie was arranged into several strange knots. Formal wear was definitely not Akio's style. Lucky for him most of his sloppy appearance was hidden under the coat he always wore. Akio couldn't shake the feeling that a certain Cloud Guardian would want to yell at him about his absence for the majority of this 'important' day. Still, it would be great to see everyone again. Before Akio knew it he was in a room full of people. Akio immediately scanned the area for need sign for the other Guardian's hoping they were close by. Well, it seemed luck didn't like him today he couldn't find any of them.

There weren't to many times Akio wished he wasn't blind, but this was one of those time. The teenager's frown deepened and he walked into the crowd, his footsteps barely created any noises as he weaved in between people in the crowd. until he came to a halt. His nose caught a familiar scene "Boss". He had known Reida long before he Became one of her Guardians ...and she used to be the only connection with the human world that he had...if it was not for her, Akio was sure that he would become a crazy serial killer or just a mindless zombie... Just like he parents wanted. He was always thankful to her for that. A huge smile escaped the teenager's lips, well...he guessed now she wasn't his only connection with the human world after all. He had the other Guardians ...even if he just only knew them for short time , he had already felt a deep sense of connection with each of them, some were fainter than the others but it was there... Akio swiftly followed the 11th scene until he was close enough to play his favorite game. "Sounds like you lost a pound and a half since the last time i seen you boss. Lets hope your not losing weight do to the stress of being the 11th." Akio joked.

It's so full of people...Kurai's dark eyes scanned the crowd before looking at the woman beside her. Alastair had given them orders to fight the Vongola guardians at the very day of the so called coronation, where the rings were passed down from the tenth to the next generation of the Vongola familinga. Forth isn't day itself, she had probably been practicing weeks in advance, reading up on flame types of the Vongola and then the members themselves, etching everyone of their faces into her mind. Was it worth the trouble? She sure hoped so. Kurai wasn't sure if she had done a good job mastering the Rizzo's flames either, but there was hardly any time to feel hesitant about the whole business. Still, it was her first time fighting people, not aliens. Not to mention the fact that they have flames of their own...

Snapping back to attention, she glanced around nervously. This was a first, being around so many people. Usually she would have felt a lot more comfortable staying in, but this time it was necessary to launch the attack. In fact, she couldn't get this over and done with right now, but patience is a virtue. Taking a few deep breaths, the girl held out a small black box and looked around furtively. "Good, there's no one watching..." She murmured under her breath as her hand that was holding the box burst into dark flames, causing a small cat to come out. It purred as she stroked it's small head, nuzzling it against her palm. Kuro always managed to calm her down, no matter what situation she was in. Even if she was feeling rather uncomfortable in the growing crowd. Setting Kuro up on her head where it nestled comfortably into her hair, the dark matter guardian was feeling a little better as she decided in her next course of action.

"I should... Find the others?"
When in doubt of what to say, find the noisiest of them all. Kurai immediately pinpointed the two figures, both with striking hair colors along with a small boy. Isn't that the sun flame guardian of the Vongola? She didn't believe her eyes, but nevertheless eased herself through the crowd muttering a few apologies under her breath.
"Hello..." She managed to reach the two just as the small boy's facial expression changed. From his normal, bored look it turned into one of shock and pain. By instinct, her eyes darted to the two with a slightly accusing look. Did they do something again? Judging from their personalities it was very possible, but before she could speak again the boy's expression cleared and became normal again, as perpetually bored as usual. This was getting awkward again. Kurai had a compulsion to hide her face right now, but the nearest pillar was quite far away to escape to without being noticed, so now she must wait it out. Chewing slightly on her lower lip, she gave her best smile and tried to make polite conversation.
"So... How was your day?"

Call it Alien intuition, but Ai was very uncomfortable. Perhaps it was part of Ai's complex systems involved in decision making, a system developed over billions of years of evolution and direct intervention meant to make good decisions based on all perceivable factors, information from the future and her somewhat relatively underdeveloped trust system. Perhaps that was the part that was malfunctioning. No, not malfunctioning, just working as expected. Ai had experienced an attack on herself a day before the inheritance from a foreign factor, and the conditions of this day fit that day very well. The chances of the unlikely event happening again were still extremely low, but it had happened before. Ai was programmed to take chances every now and then, it was the secret to her success, but what that meant was that she was to occasionally accept something of slightly lower probability or effectiveness as true. Now, this was only meant to effect her decision making and not her caution system, which was programmed to take all things with a probability over 1% into account, but perhaps something in her system was triggering the effect to be cautious about another introduction of foreign elements. Was it an error that was coming from the vessel's mind? The instinct of self-preservation?

Regardless, Ai wasn't comfortable with the decision to ignore such an unlikely threat. She was told to put it out of her mind, however, so she did her best to try to do so. Right now, she had a duty, locating the Guardians. She already had spoken to the Storm and Cloud guardians and she had identified the Rain, Sun and Lightning Guardians and the Boss, meaning everybody was present. Now, she had to make sure they were aware of their duties. Of course, she was going to to them in order, and Trevor was next on her list.

When Ai had first identified him, he was interacted with two men, but now it seemed a young women about Ai's apparent age was speaking to him. Still, Ai felt it important to interrupt. Of course, she was going to take the advice the Cloud guardian had given to her. After all, mannerisms were one of the most difficult things to master in human culture.

"Excuse me," Ai called dully yet politely, ignoring the girl's presence, "Sawada Trevor. I was told to remind the Guardians of their roles in this ceremony as it is almost time to begin the presentation. Are you aware of your role in this presentation?"

On a second notice, however, Ai witnessed the presence of another organic create seated on top of the woman's head. No, it wasn't organic. It was a box weapon. Maybe to somebody lesser trained it would appear ordinary, but Ai could tell it was a box weapon. She couldn't identify the flame, however, as it was not immediately obviously giving off flames, nor were the properties identifiable by mere presence alone. Maybe she could guess if she lit a flame of her own in her presence, but a direct sampling would have been preferred over mere observation. Either way, the presence of a box weapon meant that the girl was associated with the mafia in some way.

As Rosa walked off, she caught wind of another one of the guardians, the Lightning one, Vincenzo. The seemingly perfect guardian whom was nearly superior to Rosa in comparison. Nearly. Rosa wouldn't accept that. She couldn't be completely faultless. After all, she was late.

"You're late," Rosa told her with a glare as she walked off elsewhere, not taking a single glance back at the two guardians. She disliked every single one of them for some reason or another. Why? Perhaps she just had difficulty getting along with people in general, so instead of attempting to be friendly, she found a reason to be disagreeable. Maybe she disliked regarding others positively as she believed all others were below her. Or perhaps she hated the fact that people didn't follow her every beck and call and acted as she pleased like a doll did. Or maybe she just thought they were annoying.

Now, sure Rosa said she was prepared (and it wasn't like she ever ran her gums without thinking or something) but she felt that there was no such thing as being too prepared. Rosa felt it would probably be a good time to check her makeup. Now, she fixed her makeup multiple times during the time she was there just for the sake of perfection, and the last time she did so was about 10 minutes ago. Now, she probably didn't need to check it, but seeing as the presentation was about to begin and she was going to be standing up there, even if briefly (and hopefully not next to a bum like Troy,) she felt that she needed to be absolutely sure she was beyond dazzling.

Of course, Rosa's makeup kit was in her handbag. Sure, it took up most of the contents, but she had other things such as her Box Weapon, a storage box which contained all her box weapons and armaments which she could equip at a moments notice. Her mother would constantly remind her it was for emergencies only, but Rosa really hated when her mother interfered with her combat abilities. Now, she didn't expect to use it at all today, but she rarely ever left home without it in her handbag.

Rosa wasn't carrying her handbag, however. She didn't want to carry it around all evening as she felt it clashed with her dress (although it consisted of the same three colors, red, white and blue) so her mother was carrying it around. Rosa would constantly find her mother every time she felt she needed to check and fix her makeup to grab her bag and head to the restrooms to do so, and return the bag every time she was done. Her mother did indeed come with her to the ceremony, seeing as she wasn't on duty, although she was trained to be able to react to a hostile situation on a moments notice as well.

Although, Rosa couldn't seem to find her mother this time. The gymnasium had gotten both loud and crowded and her mother wasn't by the punch bowl as she had been most of the time. Had she gone to the restroom? Rosa was getting impatient and probably didn't have enough time to look for her. Rosa sighed. Maybe she didn't need to fix her makeup, although she had to be sure. She didn't have a mirror on her person however...

Ask somebody, her quick wit told her. Most preferably somebody she knew. One of the guardians had to do. Of course, she wasn't going to go ask a favor of one of the three cretins she just spoke to, that'd be improper. Rosa looked around the room, until she laid her eyes on somebody else she hadn't seen all day. The Rain Guardian, Akio, shuffling unsteadily through the crowd. Yeah, he could check her makeup.

Or maybe Rosa was going loony, seeing as he was blind. He wouldn't even be impressed by the dress she wore. What a shame. Rosa watched him a little further, however. His blind little shuffle seemed to have some purpose to it, like a bloodhound being led to a target by their nose. Eventually he found his target, however.

Reida Sawada, the young Vongola, the woman of the hour, the herbivore. Rosa didn't like her one bit. Yet, it appeared she was the only option. Rosa took a deep sigh before heading in her direction.

"Hey, Vongola!" she called, without any hint of respect in the name 'Vongola'. Rosa approached her quickly, completely disregarding Akio's existence. "The presentation's about to begin in about five minutes or something. I need you to check my makeup!" Walking right up in front of her, Rosa shoved her face into Reida's, presenting her face at various angles, though clearly not happily. She did her best not to wrinkle her fact though. "Is, is anything wrong? Like, at all? Come on, I can't stand here all day."

---

---

Anna had never been very fond of gatherings like this. There were too many voices, blurred together into a single roaring sound that pricked at the eardrums. Her line of sight was constantly interrupted by figures that were much taller than her, and she'd been bumped into at least four three already.

"Four times," she counted in her head as she stepped to the side, placing her foot down firmly to steady herself after the arm of another body had pushed against her back.

"Sorry, miss! I didn't see you there!" The voice came from a young man in a suit with a boyish face, clearly someone who was still new to attending such events. She had no reply to him other than a furrow of her brows and the narrowing of her eyes as she gave him an annoyed glare before turning and walking away. She had no desire to accept the apology of someone who didn't know how to keep their eyes in front of them. Was she so transparent that even someone who was coming straight for her wouldn't be able to see her until colliding with her? If she were a child, she would've fallen right over and started crying. That man wouldn't of been so carefree about running into someone then.

She let out a sigh and pressed her thumb and pointer finger against the middle of her forehead, stopping in a somewhat more open space within the mass of people. Originally she'd been placed rather close to her fellow Guardian, Althaia, but after attempting to avoid making physical contact with as many people as possible, she'd found herself quite a ways away from her previous position. Though she could still spot the Moon Guardian thanks to her gleaming white hair, her line of vision was repeatedly blocked by the mass of bodies. This was why she preferred to watch from the sky where she could easily spot her targets, but she'd been ordered to observe the ceremony from below, so she of course didn't argue.

Hearing a single, barely noticeable footstep beside her, she turned her head and rested her eyes on the familiar face of Elysia. She was wearing a rather fancy dress, maybe a little too fancy for the occasion. Anna herself hadn't bothered dressing up. Or rather, she refused to. Instead, she had on the uniform she always wore, finding it pointless to put on a fancy outfit that would only make it difficult to move around in when the time came to engage the enemy.

"Have you located your target yet, Elysia," Anna said in a calm, yet serious tone as she moved to stand behind the the taller woman. She was now standing about five inches from Elysia, with her back mirroring hers so to not look too obvious that she was engaging in conversation with her. It wouldn't really be unusual to see a couple of young ladies talking with each other, but Anna wanted to act with caution any how. One could never be too careful.

Speaking of targets, Anna's eyes had just locked onto the one person she'd been keeping an eye out for since she arrived. The Vongola Thunder Guardian was only just arriving, her lateness pricking at Anna. If it were one of her own allies that arrived late, she wouldn't hesitate to punish them properly. From what she's studied about the Vongola Boss, the Sky Guardian probably wouldn't even notice her subordinates tardiness.

Her eyes followed Vincenzo for only a moment before she looked away. She had spent many hours reading about the Thunder Guardian, she wouldn't be surprised if just watching her for too long gave away her intentions.

Within the tips of her fingers, a sliver-sized needle shined silver as it reflect the lights overhead, though it was covered in a soft, yellow film. She was already in the perfect spot, with a clear view of the stage so that her aim wouldn't be faltered by the crowd. The second Alastor gave the order, she would be ready.

Elysia had never been the kind to start a conversation without purpose. It is either she had been asked to or there is concern for that individual. That is why as she stood near the vicinity of the Star Guardian. There were no words coming out of her lips, for in the end, Annalise was not someone she is overly concerned about when it comes to duties. Annalise had always been proper and reliable in every order or responsibility tasked to her. It is why she remained still and silent as she allowed her emerald-like eyes observe the bustling crowd. It was then she caught sight of Cornelius treating the younger guests with a story. The scene brought a small yet whimsical smile upon her lips. The Quasar Guardian is kind, for children would not gather someone who does not resonate such innocence, even if there was also a terrifying side to him. Well, everyone has that portion inside of them.

She also followed Cornelius' antics to the sweets table and consequently showing it to the Meteor Guardian, Tyde. Those two are the closest among them as they get along pretty well. A gentle look is reflected upon her eyes, but it changed into curiosity when a presence of a Vongola Guardian was present among the two gentlemen. She remembered that the young person is the Sun Guardian, Trevor Sawada. There was also another present in the midst who was the Dark Matter Guardian, Kurai. There was concern in her eyes as she knew that Kurai was not inclined to such huge crowds such as these. She knew that Kurai was doing her best and for that she shall respect that endeavor as she prevented herself from going to where the younger girl is.

It was then Elysia's attention was briefly taken by Annalise who had directed a question at her. They were not looking at each other as she remained in her position with her back reflecting that of Annalise. "Yes. He is already here along with the Vongola XI." The assigned target for her by the Master Rizzo is the Sun Guardian, Trevor Sawada. She was uncertain to the reasons why he is her assigned target, but she has no complaints, no matter who is supposed to be her enemy, she will answer to it as long as it is the Master Rizzo's wish. Her eyes fixated on the Sun Guardian as she recalled all the details she had read about him. It was then he noticed the presence of another who is deemed as the Mist Guardian, Ai Shaji, an alien by her provided files. She has no personal feelings about of the aliens or even towards anyone else for the matter. Sometimes, she wondered if that was fine to feel no sense of any strong emotions. Truly odd, is it not?

Her musings had been disturbed when her eyes coordinated her to the Cloud Guardian, Rosa Kuromaku. She seemed very expressive of her thoughts as the records had indicated. There seemed to be a bit of discussion going on with the Storm Guardian, Troy Takumi and soon after with the Thunder Guardian, Vincenzo Vongola. It seemed the Vongola Guardians are complete for the Rain Guardian, Akio Yamada was now with Reida Sawada, the infamous Sky Guardian and Leader. It was then she felt the connection with the Master Rizzo. Her eyes raised a bit to find her Master at the balcony. The uneasiness inside of her subsided upon seeing him. Her eyes held comfort and relief, but solidified into an air of seriousness when she noticed one of his gestures. It was about to begin and this place would be a battlefield.

Leveling her gaze in front of her, Elysia briefly closed her eyes. "Annalise. They are all here. We shall soon begin." She simply stated as the crowd did not even amount as a casualty to what was about to occur. It did not level with her as all that existed in her reasons are the order and the lingering attachment to her fellow guardians. "Please stay unharmed." It is her only wish for her fellow guardians and nothing else even to the unwitting people surrounding them or to the Vongola Guardians. These people were all here for the Ceremony of the Vongola Famiglia which was the same for them, albeit with a contradictory intention. Their purpose was not to serve as witnesses but to take the rings as theirs for certain reasons.

Opening her eyes again, Elysia knew that the next events shall be inevitable and for someone her who appeared to be frozen. It was only during these kind of moments, she can move.

When Trevor said his name, Tyde began to show a warm smile. The boy was such a nice kid. He even had respect for his elders and seemed innocent enough. It was amazing to think of how he would react when everyone began screaming there in a few moments time. The new thought in his head was enough to keep him going through the boredom.

"Ty-Ty tan!!!"

Tyde looked over his shoulder to see that maybe the Vongola kid wouldn't be his only form of entertainment. "You bud. Whatcha got there," he asked staring at the boys hands.

"Lookie tan! They're delicious tan! Come on try them tan!"

Tyde took the plate of sweets from Conelius and began stuffing his face with all the goods. There were cupcakes, candy, chocolate, and other delectable things to enjoy. Tyde forced as much into his mouth as he could and began chewing slowly with his cheeks puffed out. "Tiz si benny joog." He meant to say that the sweets were very good, but the sound was muffled through the food. It was almost automatic. At that moment Tyde was actually happy that they had went to the past. Weren't a lot of sweet things where they came from. Though, at least you could kill people there without having to worry about timeline junk.

However, something happened to ruin the moment they were having. Something that was entirely more entertaining. Vongola sun had began to have a headache. It seemed really painful. So painful that Tyde just looked at the kid for a second before doing anything. Then he waited longer wondering how long the headache was going to hurt the kid. It was really peculiar. He didn't remember any major sickness records being given about the boy, but then again, he slept through most of the meetings. He used to be able use his imagination, putting Alastor's mom, the scariest person he knew, in different crazy situations. Soon it began to bore him and he wasn't able to get a smile out of it so he decided to just sleep. Usually his dreams were interesting.

He looked back at the Vongola kid, trying to think about what he had on his mom before he started reminiscing when Kurai stepped up to Trevor and started talking to him. Tyde grabbed Cornelius's shoulder and pulled him close to whisper in his ear. "Hey, don't look now, but I think Kurai is starting to talk to the Trevor. Don't make any sudden sounds, she might get startled." Tyde had to admit his surprise. It may have been the first time he had seen the girl start a conversation with someone who wasn't one of them. Tyde looked over to his friend and smiled, a wide cat like one. "So, you ready for the game later? Got any special tricks up your sleeve?"

---

---

Her eyes were once again skinning over the speech she had written, the paper held closer to her face than probably had to be, but she was too focused to realize that its surface was just inches from her face. She had already memorized this speech two days ago, but out of anxiousness she couldn't help but read it over and over. It would just be embarrassing if her words suddenly slipped her mind while she was standing in front of hundreds of people.

She shifted her weight to her right leg and returned the pages to their folded state before sticking it into the fold of her skirt. She had her hands clutched into fists at her side and a determined glint in her eye as she stares out at the crowd. This would be first first time speaking publicly as the new boss of the Vongola Famiglia. For the sake of her Guardians and for the company itself, she had to give the best first impression she could give. She was fully aware that there were many who couldn't look at her as the head of a mafia family. After all, she was still just a middle-schooler, but her grandfather was even younger than her when the infamous Reborn begun to teach him the ways of the mafia and what he needed to do to become the boss.

A faint smile had made it's way onto her face, the corners of her lips curving upward as a flicker of excitement sparked in her chest. This was her chance to officially introduce herself, as well as confirm her authority. Her chin lifted towards the stage where the External Adviser, or really more like the current acting head of the Vongola Famiglia, Lorenzo DiCaccio, had placed himself to be ready to begin the ceremony. It wouldn't be long now before she would be standing up there with her Guardians behind her.

"Sounds like you lost a pound and a half since the last time i seen you boss. Lets hope your not losing weight do to the stress of being the 11th."

Turning her head quickly at the sound of a familiar voice, her smile widened at the sight of her Rain Guardian. She opened her mouth to give him a friendly greeting, but no words came out as she realized what he had just said to her. As usual, her cheeks were beyond her control as a light shade of red brushed over them. "I'm not under any stress! If anything, I should be gaining muscle from all the exercise I've been doing. E-Either way, you shouldn't comment on a girl's weight, Akio-kun!"

She crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head away from the pink-haired boy as she tried to force her skin to return to it's natural color, but her attempt was cut short when she heard another familiar voice, this time coming from Rosa, the Cloud Guardian. Before she could respond to her, though, the blonde girl leaned in and pressed her face close to Reida's.

"Revealing..."

Though Rosa had asked Reida to inspect her makeup, Reida's eyes had been drawn to the dress her friend was wearing. She felt her cheeks grow hot again at the thought of herself being put in such an outfit. Rosa could put on anything with the confidence of a queen, but there was no way Reida could ever wear something so showy.

"Is, is anything wrong? Like, at all? Come on, I can't stand here all day."

"W-What!?" Reida's eyes moved back up to Rosa's face that was still leaning close to hers. "Oh, no there's nothing wrong. You're makeup looks great as usual!" she said, giving the girl a reassuring smile.

She turned her gaze to the two others that had followed Rosa over, her eyes stopping on her Thunder Guardian.
"It's good to see you, Vinco-san," she said, looking up at the older girl. She hadn't had as many chances to talk with Vincenzo as she would've liked, but she would definitely make time to get to know her better after the ceremony. She would've said something more to the girl, but Troy's appearance had caught her attention and she moved her gaze onto him.

"Defacing public property again, Ta-ku-mi-kun?" She said this with a smile, but her eyes clearly showed her true nature as she took a step towards him. Raising her bawled-up hand, with her other hand placed on her hip, she tapped the Storm Guardian on the head. "You're covered in paint! The least you could do is clean yourself up after vandalizing the neighborhood! You-" Her lecture stopped abruptly as she noticed a splotch of paint that was stuck to Troy's hair. She removed her fist from his head and placed her hand over her mouth so not to burst into laughter. Normally she would've pointed it out and then offered to help pull it out, but this time she decided to let him find it later.

"Never mind, we should all be taking our seats on stage now. Just Ai and Trevor are left, right? They'll know to come over once they see us in our seats." With that, she made her way up the steps, careful not to trip in her heels, and gave a brief nod to DiCaccio before taking her seat.

["You're late." Slated gray eyes slid towards the puppet girl, and according to her expression, she remained unmoved. It was one thing that Vincenzo already acknowledge her own tardiness, and this may have been.. if ever the first time it has happened. In Italy, her subordinates would have been anything but merciful, however they weren't redundant so there were no need to say what has been obviously done.
It was another thing that Vincenzo knew this girls had an obvious dislike for most everyone in the group, excluding the youngest, Trevor. So she didn't feel the need to question Rosa's irritation for her, since she clearly wasnt the only one.. besides for something like a comment.. or a girl she just met to bother her? 'That would be wasteful.' And pathetic.
She seen plenty and realized that somethings arent worth an ounce of thought. Also V.V wasnt one on "friendship" either so.. 'hm..' Glancing at Troy, she simply turned away and started toward the stage. 'It seems like asking what the plan was nothing but redundant as well.' She thought plainly, before stepping on stage. However she remained in the dim light, inches from the center stage and she took this time to scan the crowd. From what she saw at first glance was nothing out of the oordinary, but Vincenzo knew better than to drop her guard. Her eyes narrowed.

"Father." Vincenzo said as she slipped into the room. In the centered sat a timely man, who was merely cleaning his worn down gear. He glanced at her, then her suitcases, " I suppose youre ready to go?" She nodded. "Well then.." The room went silent, before he spoke up with a cough, "Be safe.." She simply nodded again, about to turn to leave only to stop in mid step, "And be alert." V.V blinked, curious. His green eyes met hers, and she responded with an affirmative before finally leaving.

'be alert.' She thought. 'For father.. to remind me..' She glanced at the chairs, before casually walking into center stage, 'He must know something I dont.' Which irked her in a way, but it was no matter. V.V did ponder the reason for this, and then wondered why the.. ring bearing event was such a large one. People were still coming in and out, sitting themselves down among the crowd, and she resisted a frown. Yes, she did realize they were being watched over by past ringer bearers and hitmen, but was it always enough? V.V imagined the laughter she would receive from telling her worries to others, and rolled back in shoulders in disregard while taking this time to double checking her member's positions. V.V, usually aware, was now on her toes now. If anything out of the ordinary appears.. she brushed her trench coat, subtly feeling her weapons.. she would be ready.
With that all in her head, her expression didnt move at all.

---

Althaia brushed her hair back, before gently adjusting her collar, as if she was anxious about her appearance. People gave her several glances, some because of her.. astonishing beauty, others for her apparent nervousness. It made a few people chuckle at her 'cuteness' and some decided to pat her on the back for comfort. She could only think of the thoughts that were going through their heads.. maybe they thought she was a relative.. or she was just a nervous little lady who wasnt used to being among mafia members of the sort. She sure didnt look like one.

Her red eyes gleamed. Looks can be deceiving however.
Feeling her smile brighten, she sat herself down, habitually brushing down her skirt before, merging in the crowd. But ever so subtly, her nose twitched- and seconds later she caught scent of her members. A useful pro of being.. a rabbit, there was no need to look around. 'But it is awfully loud in here..' She thought sullenly, her sensitive ears having a hard time canceling them out. But tuning them ever so slightly, she heard a few recognizable voices, which seemed to relax her even further (if that was possible). "Have you located your target yet, Elysia," She blinked. Annalise. Her cool voice was anything but a stranger. From where she heard the voice.. 'Shes exactly where she's supposed to be.' Seems like the plan was sliding in together perfectly.
Her eyes found ( NOT SURE WHO HER TARGET IS YET TBA ) and she merely continued on, scanning the stage like nothing caught her eye. 'Tick tock tick tock.' She hummed.

[Sigh, little rushed, but I want this story going!]

That's right! The sweets are pure awesomeness. They weren't much of these desserts in the time where he originally came from, so this was perfect for him. Cornelius was also very happy that Ty-Ty was enjoying it the same as him. But in regards to the Vongola Sun Guardian, he simply stepped away and said hi, after that, he went away. Well, he won't force it at all. That child has things to do like the ceremony and stuff. He was simply being polite as often told to him by Lia and Elysia. So technically, no harm was done to him. It just means more for him. He happily chomped on the sweets while understanding what Tyde saying about it even if it came out all jumbled. It was not only his eyes were sharp that accompanied his ears especially when it's about things he really likes. "They're really are tan!"

His ministrations were a bit interrupted when he heard Kurai greeting them. He happily looked at the youngest guardian among the Rizzo Famiglia. "Rara, come come tan! Try these sweets they're awesome tan!" He announced once more presenting the plate to the girl. But, he was slightly held back by the sight of something on top of Kurai's head. He was completely ignoring the accusing look from Kurai as if he and Tyde did something or the sudden discomfort brushing on the Sun Guardian. He even did not care for the other appearance of the Mist Guardian who was querying Trevor Sawada. All he cared about was the creature on top of Kurai's head which was similar to the giant stuffed toy he was carrying on his back much like a cape.

Cornelius was only jolted out when he felt the pull from Tyde and whispering in his ear that Kurai was initiating a conversation with the Sun Guardian. He was also told not to make any sudden movements. But, it was hard to do it as the lure of the Animal Box Weapon was far too much. "I'm so sorry Ty-Ty tan! But, I want Kuro tan!" He said and then ran over to Rara without much of a hesitation. His hands reached out and grabbed hold of Kuro as he hugged it immediately. "Kuro! I miss you so much tan!" He rubbed his cheeks to the dark matter cat. There was no question about it, he was the most animated of the Rizzo Famiglia guardians and has the extreme liking to cats. "It's good that Kurai brought you Kuro tan!" He smiled so brightly much like that of a child, actually he was more of a kid than the ones surrounding him at this moment.

He then pulled away a bit from Kuro and looked at Tyde. Games? Oh, that's right. They were here for a purpose and not for the party. It slipped a bit from his mind but he did told the children earlier that if they were good, there will be something exciting going to happen. "Yes tan! I have a lot of tricks tan!" That was true. When the boss-man gives the signal, there will be a performance like none other. But, he was unaware that Alastor had already noted his attendance to two CEDEF agents and even used him as a leverage to avoid a minor scuffle. Well, it was of no consequence to him. He was fine with it because, he will do what was asked of him while enjoying himself in the process. "I can't wait tan! I already told the children earlier tan. You'll also enjoy it a lot Ty-Ty tan!" This was something he was certain of.

"... Are you aware of your role in this presentation?" Trevor blinked twice, catching the last bit dialogue. Several steps behind him were two adults munching on candy and whispering to one another like the kids back at his school... and right before him were two girls—one familiar and one a stranger. They were both looking at him with an air of expectation, as if he were in the middle of a conversation with each of them. He was pretty sure one had called his name... or maybe it was both of them?

Trevor's eyes shifted between the two in confusion, eventually settling on the more familiar face of the Vongola's Mist guardian, Shaji Ai. "Um... yes," he said, stuffing his hands back into his pockets. "I guess so." After a few awkward moments, he turned back to the other person standing before him. The stranger. She was at least as old as he was, perhaps a bit older. She was definitely... beautiful?, though Trevor wasn't exactly sure why that thought crossed his mind. "Hello. Sorry, but I have to go." His words were utterly sincere, but his tone (or lack thereof) might not have conveyed that.

Without waiting for a response, he turned and began making his way through the crowd once more. His older sister expected him to be on stage with the others, and he didn't want to disappoint.