It was early in the morning; birdsongs filled the morn as the sun shone its light through transparent windows. Outside those windows were the trees that surrounded the Arcana Famiglia grounds. The cobblestones were dry from the sun, for it hasn't been raining recently. Birds flew about, looking for their meal. The wind pushed against the trees, making their leaves rustle.

Footsteps echoed in the empty halls of the mansion. Her sighs slipped out of her mouth as she walked towards her father's office. Her long hair swayed to her movements. Her eyes were both filled with sadness and excitement. Ever since a certain someone had left their lives, they have been eagerly waiting for her return.

Her eyes darted from one corner to another, taking a glance at the paintings hanging by the corridor walls. She notices the newly picked flowers in beautiful vases as she passed by them.

The redheaded girl wore her same uniform, never had any changes for the past two years. She was already content with how she wore it. Her long hair was tied into pigtails with black ribbons. Her body build was slim and petite build. She considered tall, having a five foot and four inch height. The girl also had long legs. She wears a black suit jacket with a white high-collared shirt, black skirt & a black tie with a little corset on her stomach. On her left arm, she wears a buttoned white glove. She also wears above thigh-high black stockings with a white thick belt on her left thigh, which is to hold her knives for fighting and black lace-up heeled boots.

Soon the latter reached a door at the end of the corridor. She reaches out her hand and opens the door, immediately seeing her father at his desk with his wife beside him. Her father was a tall man with short, red, laid back hair that reached to his shoulders. He also has a beard. He wears a white coat and pair of pants. Underneath it was a gray shirt with a black tie. He is known as the "Papa" being the head of the famiglia.

His wife was a beautiful and tall woman who has long, silky straight black hair, with neat bangs, reaching just above her eyes, and is decorated with a white flower paired with a red ribbon and yellow lace tied to the upper left side of her head. She is seen donning a white kimono (inner fabric colored black) that hangs off her shoulders and reveals a portion of her cleavage, along with a large patterned black belt and black lace-up boots. Her eyes are a grayish-violet and she wears visible makeup. Her nails are very long, painted a dark red, almost black; and wears a red ribbon choker around her neck.

The girl walks towards her beloved father, who smiled at the sight of her. "Ah, Felicita, good morning." He greets followed by her mother's warm kiss and embrace.

"Good morning, dear." Says her beautiful mother who smiled affectionately at her daughter.

Felicita smiles, "Good morning, Papa. Mama." She replies.

"I assume you're here to see if Angelica had sent a letter?" Asks Mondo.

His daughter nods, keeping a stoic face on, though her eagerness shown through her eyes.

He sighs, "Well. She is doing good." The man confesses, shocking Felicita. "She successfully found contractors for two Taroccos, Il Diavollo (The Devil), the fifteenth card, and Il Carro (The Chariot), the seventh card. But earlier on, during her travels, she was forced to make a contract with La Giustizia (Justice), the eleventh card." He adds.

Her eyes widened, "What? How was she-"

"La Giustizia was one of the four Arcana Taroccos who wanted to make a contract with her." Explains Papa, putting his hands together. "I think she accepted in desperation when I had been feeling pain for quite some time."

"But I remember you telling us that three wanted to have her as their contractor!"

"Yes, I did." Agreed her father. "But before she left, I gave her the authority over the eight remaining cards. La Giustizia immediately wanted her to be her contractor, but Angelica rejected the offer. The other two cards also wanted."

"Anyway, her success helped ease the pain." Interjects her mother, stepping forward. "But only temporarily since there are still four remaining cards."

Their daughter tenses. "Should we for after her and lend a hand?" She asks, concerned for her friend.

Her father shook his head, "No. We can't." He replies, disappointment in his voice.

"What? Why not?"

"The woman refuses to give her location, saying that she could do it alone, plus having us help her will only trouble us. Especially, the fact that she ran away. She's making it up for us." Explains Papa.

"So what if she ran away? She-"

"We don't know what the others are thinking, Felicita." Interrupts Mondo. "We may know that you really do care about your friend, though she ran away without much of a goodbye. But that is only you."

"Now Mondo dear," cooed his wife, "we mustn't think lowly of the boys."

Mondo narrows his eyes, "None of them even muttered a word about her. Or at least in front of me." He points out. "Sumire, if they really cared about Angelica, they should be as eager as Felicita here. You know that she is the only one who asks how she is." He says.

His wife's eyes dropped to the ground, "True." Sumire replies, defeated.

"Did Angelica say where her stigmata is?" Asks an eager Felicita. "And how is Shandor and the others?"

"She never mentions them." Replies Mondo. "Remember that she never sends information about her welfare, except when they concern the Taraccos." He continues.

"I see." Comments a disappointed Felicita. "Well. . . what else did she say at least?" She asks.

"Nothing." Came another disappointing answer. "Only said that she'll continue to look."

"Okay. I'll be on my way then." Says the girl, turning her back on her parents and walks out the door; closing it behind her.

The couple sigh as the door shut close, knowing that the news only disappointed their daughter. It couldn't be helped. "It's been nearly six months isn't it?" Remarked Sumire. "She's doing well, but. . . we don't know if she herself will come back."

"Let's just continue to have hope that she will return alongside the other new contractors.

********

Men and women bickered about as they dealt with their customers. Vendors sold their products to strangers who came to see the town of Regalo. Cats slept lazily underneath shades, purring from time to time as they dream. Children dashed about as they chased each other, enjoying their childhood. Above their heads, birds twitted as they flew with the sea breeze. In an old shop, old man sells his antiques to his customers who have taken interest in some old treasure.

Walking in the street, a cloaked man strolled on the streets, darting his eyes at one corner to another. His hood hid his face, letting off a mysterious aura. A chestnut mare with white stockings on its legs and an irregular blaze on its face trudged alongside him as he held on the reins. Looking for a stable, he asks a saleslady selling apples. She grinned a friendly smile and told him the directions there. He thanks her and soon found the designated stables.

Seeing a stable boy he approaches him and asks the boy if his horse could stay there. The boy (probably in his early teens) readily accepts then asks for the fee. The man quickly takes out a few coins and hands it to him. Once done so, he leads the man's horse into one of the boxes after he removes the reins and bit; hanging them on hooks by the box. The man watches the boy remove the harness and saddle placing them into compartments for horse tack (equipment).

The hooded man thanks him giving him some tip as a sign of gratitude. The boy smiles brightly then went on his way to tend to other wandering travelers.

Patting his beloved mare, the man coos to his animal's ear: "I'll be having lunch. Just wait here, okay?" His whinnies in response, bringing a smile on the man's face.

Up in its highest peak, the sun shone brightly on the near-noon sky. There were less people in the streets since they were now having their lunch. Glancing at one restaurant to another, the man debates which one would suit him best. He suddenly catches a glimpse of an elegant looking one. The man walks over to it and reads the sign saying, Deli Cielo. Deciding that he would eat there, he opens the door and walks in. He was immediately greeted by cheerful waitresses who immediately asked him for his order as they led him to a table. He humbly asked them what their menu was, embarrassing them when they realized that they didn't even inform him of this. One of them hands him a menu that he quickly looks over. Recognizing one of the foreign dishes, the man gives them his order, which they quickly went off to bring him.

Close to his table were three men in black suits. Two of them were eating neatly while one was happily gobbling up his lasagna. He had brown wild hair with his bangs nearly covering his right eye, except that it had a lift. His eyes were of golden color. He was fair skinned as well and muscled. Unlike the other two, his suit had no necktie and one button left unbuttoned, revealing his collarbone. The cloaked man notices that he also wore black-framed glasses. The other two with him only laughs at the sight of him, but the bespectacled man simply laughs as well.

One of his companions had sleek, silver laid-back hair with an eye patch over his right eye. He had a lean built and dark skin. He neatly wore a black tuxedo with some white motifs and wore black fingerless gloves.

Then lastly their other companion had curly black hair. His bangs were messily placed in the middle of his forehead, forming a V. His eyes were violet, having fair skin. He also wore a black suit like his companions, but he had a thin ribbon instead of a necktie like his silver-haired companion. He wore white gloves and a black hat with a white brim. The hooded stranger that the black-haired man had white detailing on his cuffs.

"Here's your order, sir." Interrupts a waitress with pink hair. She was a petite lady with red eyes. Her hair was tied into a messy bun with a V hairline. She was also fair-skinned and had a friendly expression.

"Thank you, miss." He replies as she placed his food on the table. The girl smiles and bows, leaving his side with the tray underneath her arm.

"Cecilly!" Calls out the bespectacled man from before.

"Yeah, Pace?" She casually replies as she hurried to their table.

"I'll order another round of lasagna." He says, beaming at her.

The waitress lets out an exasperated sigh, "But you already had ten servings!" She cries.

The man chuckles, "There's still room in my stomach." He says.

"It isn't my fault if your stomach acts up." She huffs as she went away to get the man another serving of lasagna.

"Couldn't you just contain yourself more?" The black haired man asks exasperatedly.

The silver-haired man chuckles in amusement, "I would rather have had heard you say that you were actually more hungry for her." He tells the bespectacled man, grinning at his friend mischievously.

"Nah, even if she's my girlfriend I wouldn't say such lewd things, Debito." His friend replies calmly, taking no offense.

"She might like it though." Leered the man.

"Debito, don't you ever say things like that!" Cried the black-haired man. The silver-haired man just grinned in response, making his friend sigh in exasperation. Seeing that he had seen enough, the hooded man turns back to his food and started to eat.

After paying for his meal, the man returns to the stables to get his horse. As he was approaching the stables, he hears a racket going on along with a frantic and irritated cry. Hurrying there, he sees several burly men standing outside. He squeezes in between men until he was inside the stables. The man scowls when they see the boy getting bullied by the men as they threw his hat around. He was yelling at them to stop and leave, but they simply mocked him, saying that he is pathetic to be a son of the poor innkeeper.

He yells at them to leave once again, but they tell him that they will in exchange of five horses. The boy refuses, but ends up being shoved aside as the men took a look at the horses inside the boxes. One of them gazes at the chestnut mare, and then quickly calls out to his comrades.

"Hey, guys this one's a beauty!" He exclaimed. Quickly getting the attention of his friends.

"That one looks expensive." Comments one of the men, followed by snickers.

"All the more we should get it." Replies the man from before. They open the box, quickly taking the reins from the hook. The horse starts to whinny at the sight of the men, who started to drag it out from where it was.

"Hey, you can't do that!" Yells the boy, but was interrupted when one of the men pulled on his wavy brown hair causing him to wince.

Angered, he starts walking towards the man, but was stopped by a huge hand. "Where do you think you're going?" Sneered a tall, bald, burly man. "Our boss is currently choosing horses right now."

The hooded stranger narrows his eyes, "That's my horse you're bothering, bastards." He fumed.

Hands immediately grabbed unto his arms and dragged him to the man's presence. "She's your horse, hm? Well, she looks like one of those rare ones telling from her coat and markings. "Hope you won't mind us taking her." He snickered.

"Not happening!" The hooded man yells angrily, suddenly breaking loose from his captors' arms, giving their boss a blow in the jaw.

Crashing to the ground, the man grunts in anger, quickly ordering his men to come are the attacker. The hooded man skillfully dodges their every move, giving them blows every once in a while. It only angers them, causing them to go all out. Their efforts were futile though for they were unmatched for his incredible agility and reflexes. One of them suddenly pulls out a gun and shoots at him, making the boy cry to the hooded stranger, but he pulls out a sword that blocked the pellet. The men gasp in shock, awed by his apparent skill.

"My father used to tell me that men who use guns are cowards." States the hooded man. "And I say that he's right." He charges at them and butts them with his sword's pommel, not removing the sword from the scabbard to avoid casualties.

Seeing the pained boy, he rescues him from his captors; coming at them like lightning. Grabbing the boy by the wrist, he pushes him towards his horse to protect him from the men. He grabs a black ball from his pouch underneath his cloak and throws it at them, immediately exploding a black smoke. Taking the rest of his horse tack, he equips his horse and quickly mounts himself on the saddle, grabbing the boy and quickly heads toward the exit, knowing that the men had gone out.

His assumption was right and his mare quickly started galloping. But suddenly they heard a loud bang. Everything suddenly went into slow motion as the stranger felt himself fly from his horse and sees the boy's shocked face. He crashes hard on the ground, making him tumble across the street followed by screams of the townspeople. Glancing around, he saw the boy unconscious and an injured mare that panted. Quickly getting up, he felt blood trickle from his forehead. His hand quickly wipes it off and he realizes that he was uncovered.

His forehead was scrunched into a scowl. His ocean blue orbs emitted obvious irritation. Standing up, he is revealed to be tall and had a lean and muscular build. He had a handsome face, making the woman around him gasp in awe. He had messy black hair, though some of his bangs were soaked in blood.

"You're really annoying me." He growled, pulling out his sword. Charging at the men, he was suddenly stopped by a boy with blue hair and neat bangs.

The boy donned on a black suit like the men at the restaurant, making him assume that they were affiliated. He was a lot shorter then he though, probably just a little above his shoulder. The boy was using a katana, immediately giving off the impression that he was Giaponese. "What do you think you're doing?" He barked, surprising the man.

He scowls, "What does it look like I'm doing?" The man asks coldly.

"There are rules here." The younger boy counters.

"I'm not from here." Says the man. "And Ginger was my only way of traveling and is my only companion since I left my country." He explains.

"You aren't from here? What are you doing in this town?" Asks a suspicious boy. "And in case you're wondering about those scoundrels, they have been taken cared of." He adds, drawing back and places his sword into its scabbard. Glancing behind the boy, he sees several other men in black suits take the men easily, putting them in chains. The man even saw the men from the restaurant.

The older man draws back as well, returning his sword to where it belongs. "I'm looking for my sister who disappeared seven years ago."

~~~

Yay!! Finally posted the next chapter!

So how was it? Is it good? Hahaha, sorry that it took a while, y'know I have other books, too. I even deleted two books, The Time Leaper and Ardent.

So yeah, welcome to the new book, guys!! Thanks for all the support you have given me, and in case anyone hasn't read Book 1, I will be adding some details from the first book for their sake.

Please tell me what you guys think. And vote, too. And if possible follow XD

Here are the goals: (Yes, there are goals X3)

-10 votes (as of the moment, the goal will go higher as this book gains more readers)

-20 comments

Thanks guys!! I hope to post again next week, so please tell your friends about this book!

-Raita