"N-no, p-please, I beg you— I—"

He narrowed his blue eyes in distaste, hating the sound of her voice more and more as her moans became higher and higher. How annoying. His hand carelessly carded through his locks of red, ruffling his already disheveled hairstyle before he silently exhaled.

His eyes snapped open, glinting dangerously into the night they zeroed on the woman's figure. He couldn't take how similar to that starlet she looked, the more he gazed at her, the more similar they seemed. He felt his mood plummet with the seconds.

Killing Fujimoto Akari without making her suffer was an error, he should have played with her more before breaking her.

Then again, the girl was going to begin her collaboration with Kise. He couldn't afford to let the boy fall into her trap once more. He remembered all too well how much he had suffered from the rumors previously, accusing him of sexual harassment, bordering assaults—

He breathed, soothing his nerves before rubbing his sinuses in a circular motion with his fingers. The high pitched voice of the girl continued to invade his ears, making his head throb with a headache.

He waved his hand, ushering the black suits next to him to keep her silent. Ahh, how tiring. He couldn't wait for the Winter Cup, then he could fly back to Japan, forget about Korea for a bit.

"Your orders, Young Master?" one of the black suits asked from beside the redhead in fluent Korean.

Song Hye waved his hand dismissively. "I don't care, look into whether or not she can return the money, otherwise add a 15% interest rate and send her to work at one of the bars," he paused, feeling a bit too lenient with the girl before adding. "If she doesn't cooperate, dal with her."

The black suit gave a curt nod, followed by words of understanding before turning to look down at the weeping girl. Her mouth was gagged, following their Young Master's previous orders and her eyes begging for forgiveness. He mentally sighed, pitying the girl for her features and the timing of her debts. The Young Master usually wasn't so ruthless when it was his first visit.

He shrugged, well, who was he to question the Young Master?

Although Song Hye was adopted, his features being enough proof of his western descent, it didn't mean that he was any less competent than the Master and Lady of the house.

While Madame and Mister Song focused more on managing bars, casinos, loan companies, and the likes, the Young Master was more of a long term strategist, looking for an opportunity to let the family business flourish in less shallow waters.

Though none of them voiced it, the black suits were all immensely proud of this Young Master that they saw grow since he was adopted.

Song Hye observed with some boredom as the girl got beaten some more in inconspicuous places. The men were careful not to let any visible marks on her body, selling damaged goods wasn't good for business.

He gave a nod of approval before turning on his heels and exiting the room, leaving some of his men behind to deal with the girl and her debts. His varnished shoes flatly hit the floor as he neared the residence's exit to his sleek limousine.

For a moment, as one of his men opened the car door for him, he wondered if taking the limousine to go out was too much. He shrugged the thought off the moment he made contact with the comfortable seat of his drive, who cared about whether or not he took a limousine?

Comfortably seated, he swiftly fastened his belt before signing at his chauffeur to drive— the other black suits would catch up to him later and he already had a car of them following behind his drive.

Focus on his cellphone, a slight smile tugged at his lips at the name of the sender of his newly received text message, Kise. His eyes softened, images of the blond coming to his mind before a frown marred his face.

The content of the text was quite simple and direct, not beating around the bush the blond asked him whether or not he would come to the Winter Cup. Although Song Hye had long since confirmed the fact, he didn't dislike the interest the blond showed in his agenda. On the contrary, he quite liked it.

No, what he disliked was the unknown name mentioned in the teen's text, Mikaël.

"I want you to look into someone for me," he ordered, knowing the black suits at the front were listening and taking notes. "The name is Mikaël, male and most probably works as a model under Seasonelle."

There was no reply but Song Hye knew it didn't mean that he was ignored. Feeling less unnerved than before he closed his eyes if he had some time he should fly to China, see how Zhao An's cake shop is doing.

::

"Tell me again why I am riding the same plane as you?" Ryota complained with a deadpan as he stared at the indigo head nex to him.

Mukuro beamed one of his famed smirks at Mikaël, dismissing the obviously fed up light in the other's golden eyes as he chuckled away. "Kufufu, wasn't it because of you dear Brother?" he rhetorically asked with an innocent shrug of his shoulders.

Though happy to spend some time with another undead, Mukuro felt extremely bitter regarding Fran's situation. The boy was a baby, had a bad personality, and didn't know the first thing about Mist Flames or their uses.

Then again, he supposed all was not lost as he could still instinctively use them and easily controlled them to fit his desires— or so Mikaël had said when he asked him.

Ryota gave an exasperated sigh, regretting that he didn't sit next to Claude for their flight back to Japan and instead got stuck with the ex-prisoner as his seatmate.

"Ah, whatever, how have you been? No, when did you get out? Also, how come Ken and Chikusa are there but Chrome isn't?" he fired, not bothering to let the illusionist answer right away.

Mukuro simpered, his custom laugh slipping past his lips as he reclined in his seat. "Well," he drawled. "I've never been better if that's a thing. After all, the Vidice isn't after me anymore and I got released," he said matter of factly, a pensive look adorning his features.

"How did I get out? Well, did you attend the Vongola's inheritance ceremony? From what I heard it all began from there."

Ryota refrained the snort at the dramatical tone the teen adopted before shaking his head in denial. "Nah, Elder Mar— I mean, one of the members of my fa— of the Bratva asked me if I wanted to attend but I declined," he said.

Mukuro hummed in acknowledgment, taking note of the other's slips regarding his father and one of the members of the Russian organization. "Fufufu, a shame, from what I heard it was quite the party if you know what I mean," he joked, wriggling his eyebrows to highlight his point.

Ryota pursed his lips, obvious distaste coating his eyes at the word 'party.' Surely, when Mukuro used the word it wasn't the same as when Daiki or Taiga said it. "Hearing you, I'm even more glad that I didn't come," he confessed with false laughter.

Mukuro smirked. "My, my, you don't know how to take a joke," he teased before resuming in a sing-song tone. "Anyway, the Simon Famiglia, one of the Vongola's allies, turned their back on them and supposedly blew up the party—" Ryota swore he heard the disappointment in Mukuro's voice at that moment. "I wish I was there to see those old men's faces you know, so rewarding I bet," he exhaled with some regret.

Ryota blinked, not finding any joy in the description until he changed the Vongola's faces with Kasamatsu's and Nijimura's. Both captains' pissed faces after a successful plan— my, that did sound particularly entertaining he admitted with an approving nod.

Seeing the green head nod in agreement Mukuro laughed. "One thing led to another, they went at war—"

"War!"

"Yep, war, where people kill one another and all this stuff," he paused. "Though I must say I'm disappointed as there was no dead man on either side of the fight," he lamented with a defeated sigh. "The only dead man was an old guy who wanted to take over my body but was long dead already—"

"Wait, take over your body?" Ryota reiterated. "Are you okay?"

Mukuro snorted, pushing his hair back as if he was casting for a shampoo add he gave the green a proud smirk. "Of course I am! But what can I say? My body is simply that attractive," he bemoaned. "If you need a co-star for your photoshoots I'm always there, yeah?" he grinned.

Ryota didn't know whether to laugh or to cry at the boy's words, settling for a practice sham grin he gave the indigo head a silent nod.

"Back to me. Once this guy was out of the picture the Vindice released me, cleaning my charges and making me 'crime-free' if you know what I mean, fufu."

"I don't, but let's pretend I do, yeah?"

Mukuro gave him a sidelong glance. "Kufufufu, sure."

Silence settled between the two males, leaving them to muse on the situation at hand and how they got there. In the end, Fran decided to follow Mukuro who happened to be friends with his brother.

It was the occasion to follow Mikaël back to Japan and bond some more with him. Of course, Renée wasn't all that pleased about it, but when Fran played the pitiful kid card she couldn't help but relent. Either way, Franc was homeschooled at the moment, him being in France or abroad didn't change much, only the mailing address for his lessons.

"Say Big Bro," Ryota's eyes rolled to the side to look at his little brother who stood in the aisle, his obnoxious illusion of a hat still on his head. "Can I sleep with you tonight?" he asked, referring to his lodgment once they landed in Japan.

"Ah, well, of course, you can, but you'll have to ask Six for his input. He's your teacher after all yeah?"

Fran pursed his lips, a discontent look on his usually blank face, he scowled at his brother's lack of enthusiasm to spend time with him. Did Mikaël not see that he came for him and not the Pineapple Fairy next to him?

Mukuro sneezed, he shivered. "Kufufu, I feel like somebody just insulted me," he confided with narrowed eyes.

Ryota rolled his golden eyes at the teen's words, disregarding them as nonsense while Fran looked at the boy in a new light. Not only was he a Pineapple Fairy, but he could also hear people's thoughts! As expected of his brother's friends, they weren't ordinary people!

"Ne Master!" he called out, his voice much more enthusiastic than before when he monotonously talked to the older boy. "Can I sleep at my brother's place?"

"Kufufu, of course not. This isn't vacations, it's training!"

Fran pursed his lips, his evaluation of Mukuro plummeting just as fast as it previously skyrocketed.

::

"The curse that turned you into Arcobalenos, the Rainbow Curse. Do you want to dispel it?" the masked man, otherwise known as Checker-Face asked, voice laced with hidden mirth as he fearlessly stood before the seven strongest beings in the world, and targets of his Curse.

It didn't take long for the Arcobalenos to process the man's words and answer them. After all, since day one all they ever wished for was to end this ridiculous farce and return to their adult body.

Fon felt himself getting closer to gaining his body back, but like Reborn had said they couldn't blindly trust the man. Checker-Face was the one who lured them all in the first place before placing them under the Rainbow Curse. It was pure madness to put all of his trust into him.

And he was right, Checker-Face's following words doused them all with cold water: "I plan to decrease the Arcobalenos by one."

By one.

One.

Not Seven but One.

Did he want to see them go at each other's throat to satisfy his perverted fantasy? Fon wondered, how distasteful. Fon didn't let himself get overwhelmed, easily he recollected his nerves.

"Why so suddenly? Please tell us the circumstances there are many things we don't know," he flatly stated.

"I plan on telling you someday, but right now I can't say anything."

Fon frowned, this answer again. Whenever it regarded the curse the man would tell them the same thing. Later, he would tell them later. But when was 'later'?

Fon listened with rapt attention to Checker-Face. Like every Arcobaleno, though it pained him to listen to the man's nonsense, he didn't have any other choice if he wished to get out of his circumstances.

The more he listened the more he frowned, disliking the words the man used and the way he referred to them. It was so clinical, so detached as if he wasn't really involved yet directed the whole ordeal.

Though suspicious, Fon agreed to the man's terms. He didn't have any better lead after all. And anyway, finding representatives wouldn't be too hard, he already had a few names in mind when it came to who he wanted to take in his team.

Now, he only needed to wait for those 'presents' Checker-Face would send them while recruiting his representatives. He hummed to himself, he already had an idea on who the others would recruit while they didn't know who he would go for, that was an advantage.

His eyes flickered, sweeping over the rest of the Arcobalenos and he narrowed them.

He doubted Skull would find a decent team by the beginning of the match, so he wasn't a threat. Reborn, as much as he suspected Checker-Face's motives would definitely ask his pupils, which meant the Vongola and probably the Cavalonne Don.

Mammon was prideful and greedy, but their thirst to gain their original form back knew no bounds. As part of the Varia, it was guaranteed they would ask for their Boss' help. He narrowed his eyes if Fon was to be honest, he felt the Varia was more of a threat than the Vongola. Silently he put Mammon's team atop of his temporary lookout chart.

Then Colonello would seek the CEDEF, Lal was there, she would help without questions and if she did so would the rest. CEDEF was strong, but apart from Iemitsu, Fon didn't consider the other members as threats. Lal was still a child, she wasn't back in her adult form yet which greatly reduced her ability. Taking experience into account he supposed he could place them before Reborn's team. Then again, Iemitsu and Tsunayoshi were father and son, he shouldn't take out the possibility of an alliance.

Yuni wasn't there, but the girl was the leader of the Giglio Nero and future co-leader of the Millefiore. From his information network, he knew the girl and Byakuran weren't on bad terms, him stepping in wouldn't be surprising. If he came, then so did the Funeral Wreaths. Giglio Nero had Gamma who was acceptable. It was a strong team, probably stronger than Mammon's if they organized well.

Last but not least, he looked at Verde. The scientist was deep in thoughts. Unlike the other Arcobalenos who had some easy ties to identify, Verde wasn't the social type. He had some dogs working for him, but he wasn't mad enough to enter the game with them as his representatives. If Fon was honest, the one he feared most was Verde, not knowing the enemy made him all the more difficult to deal with.

He frowned before smoothing his features. Either way, Verde too, didn't know who his representatives would be. he supposed it minimized the disadvantage.

Fon hummed to himself, closing his eyes he reopened them to stare at his ceiling. Ah, he was back.

Note, Zhao An is a female name.

Thanks for reading, until next time^^

Character pic:

-Song Hye: