Saya and the others walked into the mansion as Ugetsu folded his umbrella. Kevin watched her with deep concern; Saya's Rain Flames were still surging, making her body so deathly cold it felt as though she were still drenched in a storm. The sight brought tears to the little boy's eyes.
"Kevin, I'm fine. It will go away soon, okay?" Saya sat down and pulled the boy into a hug. He clung to her tightly, refusing to let go, truly terrified for her. She gently stroked his back to soothe him before Ugetsu stepped in, lifting the boy away to speak to her.
"Even though the Rain Flame is considered the weakest in terms of offensive power, it is still very dangerous," he warned. "It is a flame that can suppress many things—including the heart."
Saya froze, only just realizing the weight of that truth. Kevin, hearing this, immediately went silent, his fussing replaced by solemn stillness.
Looking ahead, the other Vongola members were gathered. Giotto sat on the stairs, his collar disheveled and his tie undone. G looked much the same, standing and smoking a cigarette. Lampo was in the best physical shape but was huddled near the left doorframe, his face buried in his knees.
"Gentlemen…" Ugetsu began. "Lord Giotto?"
Giotto nodded. "Lampo's matter will take a little more time for him to understand. Complex problems sometimes require complex solutions."
"…Your father only wants you to be stronger," G added. "Lord Francesco doesn't do anything without reason. But if you keep living like this, you're the one who will suffer the most, Lampo."
Lampo remained silent, huddled in his corner. Saya looked toward Giotto; the golden-haired man noticed the abnormality in her aura. His eyes widened as he called out her name. "Leyla!"
G turned and was equally stunned. Upon hearing her name, Lampo snapped his head up and rushed toward her, followed quickly by Giotto and G.
"What's wrong with you?" Lampo asked urgently.
"It's just my Rain Flames surging," Saya said, feeling her heart skip a beat. She stumbled back slightly. Outside, the rain intensified, accompanied by the low rumble of thunder.
"Take him, please," Ugetsu handed Kevin to G while Giotto supported Saya, helping her sit on the floor. She had never let her Rain Flames surge for this long before—Yamamoto and Squalo were usually there to balance her in time. She never knew it could drain her strength so completely.
"It feels like my heart is going to stop," Saya whispered. Ugetsu ignited his ring, which glowed with a clear blue gem similar to G's. He took her hand, and after a moment, the flames erupting from her body subsided. Outside, the rain began to let up.
"Leyla," Giotto called to her as she rested in his arms. Ugetsu checked her pulse, his expression turning to one of surprise as he looked at Giotto.
"Lady Leyla's pulse is quite extraordinary, as suspected," Ugetsu said. "Her life force is unstable and fluctuating. Moreover, she shows signs of constant internal injury."
Saya's body was as cold as if she had been caught in the rain for hours, even though the episode had been brief.
"I'll take her to her room," Giotto said, lifting her in his arms and silently heading up the stairs. "There will be a family meeting tomorrow morning. Tell everyone to be ready for something important. And Ugetsu, I'm entrusting Leyla to your care tonight."
"As you wish, Lord Giotto," Ugetsu followed them up. Pedro saw his master carrying Saya and led them to her room. Giotto placed her gently on the bed and ordered Pedro, "Bring plenty of blankets and hot water… and fetch Cayo and Dasa."
"Mr. Giotto, I'm alright," Saya said weakly, her face pale. "I'll be better soon."
Hearing this made Giotto even more uneasy. She looked so frail, yet she kept saying she was fine. She had almost fainted from a fever earlier that day, and now her heart had nearly stopped.
"Who usually balances your flames, Leyla?" Giotto asked. "If your condition is truly as you say, it means you need at least seven people to look after you."
"My friends and acquaintances usually do it," she replied. "Normally, the element changes every day. I thought I was getting better after some treatment."
Giotto fell silent, his eyes fixed on her. Ugetsu pulled up a chair. Giotto took her hand, rubbing it and blowing warm air onto it. Even so, the chill coming from her body was alarming.
"I have done something inexcusable to you, haven't I?" Giotto finally said. Saya paused before asking, "What do you mean?"
He didn't answer, but when she looked at Ugetsu's calm face, she understood.
"I don't even know if it's a mistake," she said softly, surprising Giotto. "Part of me came here willingly. If there was a wrong, it only needs to be corrected. I don't know if there's anything to forgive, because so far, there has been nothing but kindness."
Giotto stared at her, his blue eyes a mix of surprise, sympathy, and guilt. Saya gave him a bright smile. Thanks to the Rain Flames, the pain in her face had faded to a dull ache, even though the wounds remained.
"On the contrary, I must thank you for saving me from that auction. Thank you so much, Mr. Giotto."
"The blankets are here," Pedro announced, entering with Cayo and Dasa. Giotto and Ugetsu took the blankets while the maids prepared warm water. They helped Saya sit up and soak her feet in the basin, with Cayo providing a relaxing massage to restore warmth to her body.
As Saya sipped the hot tea Pedro brewed, Ugetsu produced a cloth wrap containing acupuncture needles. "Lady Leyla, for a swift recovery, I must perform acupuncture. Have you ever undergone such a treatment?"
Saya shook her head. "I've seen it, but never tried it."
"I do not know the methods used in your home, but acupuncture can clear the blockages in your life force (Qi). It is a form of elemental balancing," Ugetsu explained. He sterilized a needle over a candle flame. "I shall begin. If you feel dizzy or strange, tell me immediately."
"I trust you," Saya said. Ugetsu smiled gently, checked her pulse, and carefully inserted needles into her wrist, neck, and behind her ear. Giotto held her perfectly still, afraid any movement might interfere with the treatment. After a while, Ugetsu removed the needles.
"Mr. Pedro, I will write a prescription. Please have it brewed for her to drink," Ugetsu said, handing a note to the butler.
"How do you feel?" Giotto asked. "I can breathe much easier now," Saya replied. Giotto smiled warmly, still loosely holding her hand before helping her into bed. "Thank you, Mr. Ugetsu."
"It is my pleasure," he replied. "I may need to do this often. Your condition stems from an imbalance of Qi. While I don't know if it can be cured, it will allow you to live almost normally until a better remedy is found. May I also have permission to study your pulse? This is the first time I have encountered such a case; perhaps I can find a way to help."
Kevin came rushing in as soon as G let him go. Giotto made room for the boy before the medicinal tea arrived. After Saya drank it, Giotto helped her lie back down.
"Kevin, would you like to sleep in my room tonight?" Giotto invited. "I have many interesting things there."
"Interesting things?"
Giotto smiled and showed him the pocket watch. When the lid opened, it played a melody, but then Giotto pressed a side button. The face of the watch disassembled and retracted, revealing a rotating star map inside.
"Wow! How does it do that?"
"It's a secret," Giotto whispered. "The man who made it said it holds a hidden secret I've yet to find. He told me I would discover it one day."
Kevin's eyes sparkled. "Can I help you find it, Mr. Giotto?" "I have many more items like this in my room. Let's go explore together."
Giotto tucked Saya in and led Kevin out.
"I'll visit you in the morning," he promised. He nodded to G, who knew exactly what to do. Both Kevin and Lampo needed care—just in different ways.
"Go to sleep, Lampo. Let Leyla rest," G told the boy as they walked away. Lampo looked back at Saya, who had closed her eyes with Ugetsu sitting beside her. The Japanese man smiled at him. "Do not worry, she is safe with me."
Lampo said nothing but followed G out. He stopped suddenly. "If I become the Lightning Guardian... will I be able to help her?" G raised an eyebrow. "If Ugetsu and I can help, I suppose you could too." Lampo turned toward his room without another word. G watched him go, a slight smirk playing on his lips, before glancing back toward Saya's room with a thoughtful gaze.
...
...
That night, Saya dreamed she fell into a bottomless sea. The cold burned her from the inside out. Her lungs filled with water, but someone was swimming desperately toward her. A silver sky shimmered above, making it hard to see him clearly, but she remembered he was white—a pure, angelic white.
When she opened her eyes, she was in the same white room. She felt a surge of relief that she hadn't woken up in a cage. "Are you awake, Lady Leyla?" Ugetsu was still there. Cayo and Dasa were leaning against each other on the floor. "I feel better, but very sticky," Saya said, smelling herself. The medicine had worked through the night.
"The medicine was meant to expel toxins. It's normal to have a fever during the process," Ugetsu explained. "I suspect your condition was even more severe before coming here."Saya nodded. "It was terrifying." "Would you mind telling me about it?"
Saya hesitated before sighing and explaining her symptoms. Ugetsu was stunned as he listened, taking notes. Cayo and Dasa woke up and quietly began their chores. As she went into the details of her "clones" and their antics, both of them ended up blushing furiously.
"Angel Sister!" Kevin ran into the room but stopped, sniffing the air, and retreated a few steps, covering his nose. Giotto entered and immediately understood, his brow twitching. Cayo and Dasa arrived just in time to save Saya's dignity. "The bath is ready, Lady Leyla!"
...
...
After her bath, Saya felt refreshed. Pedro led her to the dining room where the Guardians were already seated: Giotto, G, Ugetsu, Alaude (who looked like Hibari), and Lampo. Beside Lampo sat a tan, muscular man in a priest's habit with a bandage on his nose. This was the Sun Guardian, Knuckle.
"Isn't Daemon Spade here yet?" Giotto asked G. "He'll be here. If you say it's important, he won't miss it." As G spoke, a mist formed in the empty chair next to Alaude, and the final Guardian appeared. He had sea-blue hair and dressed like high nobility. "You said this was important," Daemon Spade said, his gaze shifting to Saya. "Is she the 'important matter'?"
"Yes," Giotto said. "Now that all the Guardians are here, I would like to introduce Leyla Starfield, Vongola's honored guest. And this is Kevin Giordano, son of Anis Giordano."
"Giordano? The heir to Roland, the legendary watchmaker?" Daemon asked. Giotto nodded. "Anis was attacked by pirates and Kevin was nearly sold. Anis is currently recovering with the Simon family. Now, before I announce the next matter, let me introduce the Guardians."
Giotto went through each member: G (Storm), his right hand; Asari Ugetsu (Rain), his left hand; Alaude (Cloud), the head of intelligence; and Daemon Spade (Mist), the investigator. Daemon gave Saya a chilling smile that made her skin crawl—like a snake watching its prey. Be careful of Daemon Spade, Leyla, G's voice from the ring echoed in her mind. Despite this, she greeted him with the graceful curtsy of a noblewoman, surprising the aristocrat.
"And this is Lampo, the Lightning Guardian…" Lampo cleared his throat. "The prospective Lightning Guardian," Giotto corrected.
"Just prospective! Only prospective!" Lampo huffed, then looked at Saya. "You needed help, didn't you?"
"Thank you, Lampo," Saya said warmly, making him puff out his chest with pride. "Hmph, I'm just doing my duty as a gentleman."
Finally, Giotto introduced Knuckle. "He is the Sun Guardian and the priest of our chapel, looking after war orphans."
"Blessings, Father Knuckle," Saya curtsied. "No need for formalities! God bless you," Knuckle beamed. "I'm just a man who left his past as a boxer to find God's love." Saya was speechless—a boxer turned priest? "I see. It's nice to meet you, Mr. Knuckle."
"Now, I have introduced my Guardians, but one key player is missing," Giotto said. G nodded as the door behind Saya opened. An old man with a cane walked in slowly, stopping before the girl.
"Giotto, you cannot have the main event without me."
"Old man Talbot?" Giotto asked. Everyone was confused; the old man had been sequestered for days helping repair the mansion.
"Fate calls me, Giotto," Talbot said, turning to Saya. "You. Come and help me."
"Me?" "Follow me." Talbot turned around. Saya looked at Giotto, who nodded after a brief hesitation. Saya and the Guardians followed the old man deep into the mansion.