⚠️Warning: Graphic scenes, triggering content.

"Aiden!, look who we caught!"

"Lee Donghae..." whispered Jake stunned, it was more of a prayer than a whisper. For the first time Jake saw how feresome Donghae actually looked. He stared dead straight at the Falcons, his gun already marking out it's target.

A small seed of doubt crossed Jake's mind, was Donghae actually loyal to the falcons? Or was he playing along all this time? but Jake quickly disregarded the thought. Trust was crucial here.

Laverè was dressed in a stark red leather garment, already prepared for the battle. Jake clenched his jaw... This was going to be tough, especially because he could see that the Cosa Nostra guards had outnumbered the Falcons two to one. And it didn't help with all of them pointing guns right at him.

"I should have known" laughed Jake, shaking his head, "Nothing can escape you"

"Nothing indeed" smile Laverè, glancing casually at her nails, "I fooled all of you"

"Nevertheless, I didn't think someone like you would stoop so low" said Jake smirking. He was pleased to see a line of doubt cross her face.

"Your point Maranzano?" She demanded.

"My point is that" said Jake with a scornful look at Donghae, "I didn't think you'd bow down to a third rate organization like Cosa Nostra"

He prayed to heavens that Donghae wouldn't get offended. But it was hard to read any emotion that was going through Donghae's head. All in all, Luca had trained him perfectly

Laverè let out an incredulous laugh, "There's so much you don't know Jakey" she said with an annoying flick of her hair, "did you know that your sweetheart was a SPY!?" She spat the word scornfully, her eyes luminous with pure malice and spite

She said it...

Rage tore him from every inch of his body, commanding him to pic up his gun and rage havoc through the hall. He was almost about to show Laverè what exactly his knowledge on spying was, when he locked eyes with Donghae...

Donghae's fresh brown orbs shone golden in the dim light, halting Jake from what was about to happen. Within a fraction of a second, Donghae gave a small shake of his head, and with immense willpower, Jake stilled his hands...

"Do you know who he is Jakey?!" mocked Lavere, her voice screeching manically, her hands gripping Donghae's shoulders, "He is Aiden Luciano!, Leader of Cosa Nostra! the one you've been searching all your life! and he was right under your nose Maranzano! all this damn time!".

Throwing her head back, she let out a howl of laughter that quickly spread through the ranks of Cosa Nostra guards. "You were such a fool to believe in him! A complete fool!"

With a firece growl, Luca stepped forward from behind Jake, his fingers already in the process of aiming his gun at Lavere's throat. But Jake put out his hand, stoping Luca. The big bodyguard was heaving with rage, his whole body was rigid and his teeth were clenched to the limit. He glared at Hyukjae; something he has never done before in his life.

"Steady Luca" mused Jake, pulling his hand down, "Its not the time" he glanced at Lavere... "yet"

"YOU TRAITOR!" thundered Luca at Donghae, "I will-"

"Your threats are worthless as always Luca" said Lavere, "You should've chosen the right side when I told you to"

Luca spat on the ground. Raising his weapon, he stared hard at Lavere, "The only right side is the side that puts a fucking bullet through your head you trecherous bitch!"

Lavere merely laughed "Let's see about that Castelli", she said still smiling, "but sadly, my first priority here is Jake, but don't worry, if he cooperates, then it'll be fine, I promise, right Jakey?"

Jake kept his eyes locked at the woman, every pulse in his body craving to tear her apart. Jake closed his eyes for a second to contol his ragged breathing... control.. he needed to control himself

"What do you want?" he said at last, glaring at Lavere.

"Simple enough Jake" she said, walking a little forward. "The Luciano family pendant in your hand would be a good start"

Jake glanced at the Jade pendant he was holding. "You mean this?" He held it up for Laverè to see, and he could see how impressed she was.

Donghae simply looked indifferent, but Hyukjae saw the expression change in the woman who was standing next to him.

"Exactly" hissed Lavere, "Now give it here like a good boy"

Jake threw a sweet smile at her, if she wanted to play with him, then she would have it... and gladly.

"Looks like you want it so much" he said, pivoting the pendant around it's chain at hight speed, "I almost want to give it to you"

For a moment Laverè was taken aback, but she growled when she realized the hidden threat in that sentence.

"It does not belong to you Maranzano!" she screeched, "It is the rightful property of the Lucianos-"

"Which you stole from them" completed Jake with a knowing smile.

Lavere halted in her tracks, her fists cleanched as she glared at Jake, "Cor-rect" she said, "Now I'm giving it back to them... and I wouldn't care about what I'd do inbetween to get it"

Jake laughed out loud, "Shit I'm scared" he chided while sliding his hidden dagger between his thumb and forefinger. "Fine, I'll give it to you"

There was a collective sharp intake of breath from Luca and, as Jake suspected; from Hisui who was still lerking somewhere at the back.

Ignoring them, Jake took a good measured glance at Lavere. She was always out of clear range, and the posibility of of harming her without harming Donghae was very slim. Jake narrowed his eyes.

Lavere was all smiles and charms again, "Very good Master Maranzano, now don't hesitate"

It was in a blink of an eye, but Donghae saw it with perfect clarity... In a fraction of a second, almost at an impossible speed, Jake flicked his left hand, releasing the dagger that had been concealed. It flew through the isle like quicksliver, finding it's target with deadly accuracy...

The second in command right next to the Captain clutched his throat, thick blackish blood splattering on the ground from his gawking wound and mouth. With an inhuman gurgle the man sank on to the floor, his eyes rolling to the back of his head. Donghae raked his eyes back to Jake... there it was again, the insane look of murder in his eyes...

"I never hesitate" growled Jake while Lavere swore in frustration.

"Long shot one control!" shouted Luca immediately giving Falcons the order to open the attack. There was a noise that ressembled the whole world being blown apart as both sides started free shooting eachother.

Luca took one look at Jake, who nodded back at him with fierce ditermination burning in his luminous blue eyes. With a grunt, Luca discarded his gun and pulled out the Katana and shorter Wakisashi from his back-strap. The razor sharp Japanese warrior blades gleamed with omininous luster in the half light as the bodyguard ran forward, driving the deadly steel tip through anyone that dared to get closer to him.

Luca's face set to a merderous growl when he spotted the Captain among the Cosa Nostra guards who were shooting at the Falcons. The man's face blanched when he saw Luca approach like a ghost through the massacre...

"Ciao Captain" said Luca with a deadly smile, flicking off the boold from his Katana, "We meet again"

Chaos raged before her eyes as Lavere watched the scene unfold before her...

The Cosa Nostra army was being slaughtered by the Falcons with such a brutal efficiency that Lavere feared that the Falcons were not human after all.. she felt Maria gasp besides her and saw that the Captain was engaged in a furious battle with Luca. By the look of his face, and the blur of swords on Luca's hands, the Captain was merely fighting for his life...

Laverè knew instantly that this was that one battle he would never survive..

Donghae felt like he was stranded in time. Everything looked so unreal... the brutal killings, the shouts of men and the clash of weapons... he felt as if he was looking at all this from a great height, as if his body was strangely detached from his mind..

Everything slowed down to a sluggish, blurry image. From the corner of his eyes he saw Laverè turning towards him, her eyes were red rimmed with fury and her mouth was set to a furious growl. She was shouting something... shouting at him..

Suddenly, every sensation flooded into his senses, returning back like a crack of colours and motions. Donghae felt as though someone had pressed the fast forward button inside his brain.

Lavere turned towards him like a wreaking ball, anger spilling out of her eyes, and Donghae realized what she had been shouting at him all this time,

"Kill him Aiden!!"

Donghae turned his head just in time to see Jake walking towards him... he wasn't carrying his usual title 18, instead, his hands bore the formidable looking steel blades that moved in a silver blur as he chopped his way towards them. His eyes were luminous blue with rage and blood was splattered all across his arms and clothes. His midnight hair flew across his forhead as he roundhouse kicked a Cosa Nostra guard before bringing the 2 steal tips brutally across the guards neck...

Donghae felt suddenly terrified... this was barely the Jake he knew and trusted... like a fallen angel, this was someone else..

In an instant, Jake stood in front of him. His eyes bored into Donghae like an effigy of destruction, unyielding and totally incontrol, as if demanding Donghae to attack him... Donghae's eyes glanced at the sparkling golden chain of the Lucaino pendant that was hanging from Jake's neck..

"Somehow" whispered Donghae, his fingers craving to touch Jake, "that's not how I imagined you walking down the isle"

For a moment, the fire in Jake's eyes glitched, and his old sleet grey eyes returned as he looked down at Donghae, blood and sweat running torrents down his heaving body.

He didn't say anything at all, but Donghae swore he saw a ghost of a smile through Jake's lips.

"What are you waiting for Donghae?!" Screeched Laverè from behind them,"I said KILL him!!"

As if heeding her command, Donghae lifted his gun at Jake. Fingers slipping with sweat as he held the weapon infront of his supposedly sworn enemy... Jake's eyes never wavered as he watched him.

'Should I?' Asked a tiny voice in the back of his head... one final chance to turn against the Falcons, to regain his family honour.. to be the leader of Cosa Nostra.. to gain his mother's approval, to avenge his father's death...

'I love him too much'

In a heart beat, he swirled backwards, his finger pulling the trigger of his gun as he turned. The bullet shot was loud... so loud that it might have been a bomb explosion.. blood spilled out from somewhere underneath Lavere's left ribs, the momentum hurling her off the ground and flinging her backwards right underneath the massive glass dome. She looked up, her crazed eyes wide as dinner plates... a guttural howl escaped from her lips

"So" she heaved, clutching her wound from where the blood stain was blossoming fast, "this is how you repay Cosa Nostra huh?"

"Cosa Nostra should've never been born, and even if it did, this is not the way it should've been running" said Donghae without a flicker of emotion that made Jake glance at him in a hint of surprise, "I am simply firing the staff"

He raised his gun again... this time, aiming at her heart

Laver let out a soft laugh which gradually turned into a crazed cackle, she got up unsteadily to her feet. Suddenly long metal talons slid out like fangs from her fingers in one fluid motion.

"You have to do better than that to fire me boy!" She laughed, blood dripping down her red soaked clothes, "that's why Aiden, I have little parting gift for you"

Donghae felt his blood run cold.

"Attack!!" Yelled Lavere. If it wasn't for Donghae's fine tuned training, he would've been dead then and there. There was a swirl of motion just from the corner of his vision, and without hesitating, Donghae let the motion pass through him, safely leaping away from the cutting edge of the gleaming short blades. The attacker wore a mask that covered his whole face, but the skill in which he wielded the swords threw a clear message at both him and Jake.

He would chop them into infinite pieces.

"Still in good shape aren't you?" Growled the Captain as he flung his arm out, trying to get a clear shot at Luca. "The last time I saw you, you were a wreak"

Luca growled, his blades dripping with the Captain's blood. But no amount of fighting has been enough to injure the man gravely. Luca silently cursed himself for being so distracted. His principal was unprotected and his guard was down... clenching his jaw, Luca stooped low, the Katana and wakisashi twirling in his palm as he adjusted their grips. Luca refused to talk, as it would break his concentration. But the other man kept the conversation going enough for both of them.

The last time Luca had encounterd the Captain, he was a very weak man, claiming to attack the Falcons once and for all. But who stood before Luca now was a highly formidable trained assassin... with no sense of fear or regret.

"I promised Lavere that I would take your head" he growled, putting his gun away and pulling a knife out in a blink of an eye. "Let's see how this goes Luca"

Luca waited, giving the Captain the opportunity to strike first, with an inhuman battle cry the man shot forward, his arms moving like a thunderstorm... It took every ounce control Luca had not to drop his swords.

The short blade crashed down towards Luca's head with multiple arcs, and Luca blocked them by crossing his blades above his head just in time to block the final contact, making red-hot sparks fly from both weapons. But he knew this would dangerously exposed the lower area of his whole body.

The captain growled, applying pressure against the two swords that blocked his path. Luca shot out his leg, side kicking the man on the hips. The Captain howled in pain, releasing the his blades away from Luca. At this moment, Luca took the opportunity to go for the man's neck, cutting his way diagonally across the Captain's shield. Luca quickly attempted an autumn leaf strike, by clashing his Katana twice in quick succession on the Captain's short blade.

This bore fruit as one of the short swords clattered on the floor. Luca looked up at the Captain, breathing heavily

"Ahh" said the Captain, suddenly smiling, "the old move... how about we try a new one?"

Luca never had the time to react as a steal tip appeared through his body, he only felt the coldness of the blade as his white shirt began to flood crimson. The steel tip disappeared and reappeared at another place as the Cosa Nostra guard behind him laughed gleefully.

Luca fell onto his knees as blood sprouted out from his body. Everything became a whirlwind of deluded sounds and emotions. Luca could only hear his own ragged breathing, it felt as if he was hovering on the edge of consciousness. He was just about to drift with the current when he heard a familiar voice calling out to him. With an immense effort, he slowly turned his head to see Jake...

He was so small, his huge gray blue eyes looking up at him from within the cupboard.. his tiny hands shaking with his mother's blood on them... tears were streaming down from his eyes... he was terrified!

"LUCA!!!!!!" screamed Hyukjae

Luca's eyes shot open. Like a warrior in a trance, he pulled himself back up, ignoring the seering pain of his battered body. Luca flung himself at the surprised guard who had been laughing behind him. He grabbed the man's writs and snapped it as if he was spliting firewood. He slashed his Katana across the man's throat, cutting out his pathetic scream.

Blood dripping from his blades, Luca charged at the Captain, flourishing a reeling backhand at the man's Jaw. The Captain tried to side step, but Luca whirled behind him like a warrior possessed, he drove the steal Katana through the man's shoulder from behind, the blade instantly puncturing through his left lung and heart at the same time. The Captain dropped on the floor like a rock, a thin trail of blood pouring out of his gawking mouth. His eyes were wide open with terror... Luca eased the man on the floor

"You never kept your promise" he mutterd, getting up.

Luca staggered three steps before pain ricocheted through his body. His eyesight blurred and black dots started appearing at the edge of his vision...

'No.. no! Jake' thought Luca desperately, clawing at his bloody wounds, 'he needs me!'

He tried to walk again, but the pain was unbearable. Clutching his injured wounds, Luca's knees gave out below him, making him fall on to the ground unconcious.

It took both Jake's and Donghae's strength to stop the assassin from hauling the massive blade through them. Jake's face was set to a scowl as he aimed at kick at the guard's body armour. Donghae had shot him four times, but the man refused to go down.

Donghae knew that Jake was exceptionally skilled with the short swords, but even he was finding it difficult to penetrate through the man's line of defence.

Jake pivoted on spot with lightning speed, roundhouse kicking the guard hard across his abdomen. The man reeled backwards, but didn't lose his step. With a growl he charged again at Donghae who simply side stepped and crashed his knuckles onto the mask the assassin was wearing... with a thud it fell on the ground, reveling the foreign face underneath

"If I'm right, you must be Gray" drawled Jake, "pretty sure Ventura wanted to wipe his hands off through you"

The man's expressions were unreadable. He simply growled at them and charged like an enraged bull. Jake was waiting for him, his hands became a blur as he engaged Gray into a tooth and claw sword fight... Donghae saw another Cosa Nostra guard hulking towards them. He raised his gun and shot the guard on the knees, making him topple face-first on to the muddy floor.

Fear nagged at Donghae, he looked around, and there was no sign of Laverè.. or his mother. Wildly Donghae searched for the two of them, but they simply looked like they'd disappeared into the chaos.

Jake whirled around and grabbed Gray from the back of his neck, pinning him into a cruciating arm lock, but not pressing enough to crush his windpipe. Gray trashed under him, his face turning blue with his oxygen starved brain...

"You should've never stepped in here outsider" growled Jake

Gray just laughed, still struggling in Jake's lead like vice, "I'm not.... here for ... you"