#hyperzero

For some inexplicable reason, he couldn’t shake the feeling of wrongness that clung to him like a second skin. Even as he made his way silently through the back-alleys of the small Italian town towards the Vongola mansion, Alaude glanced warily back over his shoulder to make sure nobody was following him. He had only been gone a little under a month, things couldn’t have changed that much - Alaude would have known, he had kept a close eye on things at home in his absence.

A sharp, cut-off scream piercing the otherwise quiet night had the Cloud immediately tensing in preparation of a fight as he abruptly changed course. There truly was something amiss. Stalking the shadows as close as he could, Alaude rounded the final corner to where he was certain the scream had originated from. To his surprise, it seemed a certain somebody had already beaten him to it. Even in the dark, barely-illuminated alley, the familiar head of blond hair and softly billowing cloak was all Alaude had to make out to know instinctively who the other was. “Giotto…” He paused in his tracks as he caught the strong and unmistakably metallic scent of blood. With Giotto’s back to him, it was impossible to tell if the blood was coming from the victim or the blond. “Where is the perpetrator?” There was nobody else in their general vicinity, not that he could detect with his flames.