Un Nuovo Inizio

The setting was Southern Italy, Naples Airport. Looking around, it wasn't too much to really admire; the bustling building was held up by shoddy looking wooden iron beans while multitudes of people –both foreign and native- rushed around as if they were in a massive hurry. Outside, the sun shone as bright as ever—the temperature was exceedingly high as usual; to the point that people felt as if they were melting!

"…Dammit…" A certain figure hissed as the rushed to the help desk; they were a slim young man of average height with rather messy black hair, which almost reached down to their shoulders, along with some strands pointing upwards on top of their head and a prominent tuft obscuring most of their forehead. He had red eyes with slit pupils like a snake's. Despite this dark look, he wasn't really evil; in fact, he was quite the opposite. He was also wearing a simple white shirt with black jeans and a dark green overcoat.

He handed a handful of money to the help desk and queried with a kind smile, "… Potete dirmi quanto costerebbe prendere un taxi in città?" Of course, he was asking how much it'd cost to take a taxi into the city. This person had studied up on his Italian, but of course, it was about as legit as if he got it off Google Translate.

The woman in the both had a kind and considerate air about her, and she simply replied, answering him straight away, "Probabilmente circa 64200 a 80250 Lire." That was basically her saying, "Probably about sixty thousand, four thousand, and two-hundred to eighty-thousand and two-hundred-and-fifty Lire." Lire was the national currency of Italy. The man smiled and nodded, before beginning to leave the airport.

As soon as he got out of the airport, the smoldering heat hit him rather heavily. Nevertheless, he glanced at the photo he withdrew from his back pocket, which had a certain female figure etched on it. He thought to himself, "…My name is Gunha Teishin. Some time ago, my friends and I destroyed the Goddess of Death, Izanami, who, with her powers, sped up time to the point where the universe ended. Of course, as the only one left, I somehow managed to take down Izanami before it was completed, preventing her from creating her own universe, which led to a new universe where things fated to happen occurred—this world, for short."

He sighed and shed a single tear. Even though Gunha defeated Izanami and the other heroes had counterparts in the new universe, none of them had any memories of their previous life and they were, for the most part, complete strangers to each other. Only Gunha remembered their adventure—so, he was completely, utterly alone. Nevertheless, that wasn't the point here—"…The reason why I'm here is simple; it's to find the girl in this photo. Her name is 'Gaikou Ryūsei', and she's 17 years old. That might sound like a guy's name, but she's definitely a woman. Apparently, she's Japanese with Italian blood. She's currently in a boarding school, and I know the address…"

"…The craziest part of this is…" He reminisced some more. In his memories, in front of him, was a woman who had long light purple bangs that framed her face, and the rest was a dark purple. Her bangs were shoulder length, while the rest was mid-back. Her eyes were a green-blue color that had a similar colour to a deep ocean. She had a rather small figure, and was quite petit in appearance. She wore a black spaghetti strap tanktop, or cardigan, with black baggy navy pants. She also wore a pair of black platform boots that rose to her ankle, as well as a plain red bandana-like scarf around her neck.

The woman demanded from him in a stern tone, "I want you to get a sample of her skin and send it to me, Gunha…so I can check her genetic structure." Her words were as simple as that.

Gunha, of course, couldn't help but question, "…Her genetic structure? What do you mean, Gaika? And besides, who is this girl?"

Gaika smiled and replied, "That's what I'm trying to find out. She's not a dangerous character, but just in case, try to avoid coming into contact or speaking with her. Just get a sample of her skin, no matter how small. That's all I want." She playfully petted his head. Alongside Gunha, Gaika was the only person who retained the memories from the great universal reset. "I would have done this myself, but you're more suited for the job. Your Eshajōri will be able to approach her without being noticed, unlike me. …Oh! And also, all your expenses are paid for; you can think of this as holidays with a part-time job."

Gunha exclaimed, thoroughly surprised. "…Wait, you're not joking around, right? …I know how you picked up some habits from Nika…all expenses paid!?"

Gaika merely nodded as Gunha stared at the photograph. "…But this woman…she reminds me of Gai for some reason…"

Back in the present, Gunha continued to trudge forwards; but he couldn't help but wonder, "Why is she investigating that girl…she didn't wanna divulge very much…But! The fact that all the expenses would be paid drew me in, and that's why I'm here." he scratched his head and carried on with his business. Glancing around at the old-timey buildings, Gunha sighed, "…Eh, I'm not too interested in older countries like this. I'mma just get the job over and done with and head over to Disneyland in Paris."

Suddenly, something caught his attention; he whirled around to notice a truly amazing sight. Right in front of him was a extremely beautiful woman who had a tall, slender and toned figure; with glistening ruby eyes and dirty blond hair which was bleach-blonde at the tips with one greenish tip standing out. She wore a pair of armoured dark purple sleeves at her forearm with dark brown gloves, getting lighter as they descend. Her top was sleeveless and was of a light purplish colour, which was also the colour of her thigh-length mini-skirt and knee-length boots. She wore a dark purple strap at her chest that fastened around her chest, allowing for her to keep a combat-oriented attire.

He didn't know why; but this woman's beauty wasn't that of a human being. Her slim proportion wasn't the shape of anything seen before. Anyone would get their heart taken by her regardless of gender, after witnessing her beauty. Her beautiful skin, which was white as snow was remarkable. Beautiful; that was the only word to describe her.

Small hips, white long legs and thighs, and a nice curved rear. Gunha noted that he'd seen so many attractive figures in his life, though this woman's body was far more beautiful than all of those. It could be classified as art; a body with perfect shape. It looked like a nude body painting or statute on display at the museum.

However, that aura of attractiveness she exuded was quickly shut off; as Gunha could have felt his stomach turning—quickly, the woman grabbed her whole left ear with her hand, before stuffing it into her entire head. She had a mischievous smile about her, as spectators commented, "Haha! Danni, ora la questione quante volte io vedo che, sta disgustando come inferno." He was telling her, from what Gunha could tell, "Haha! Damn, now matter how many times I see that, it's disgusting as hell."

"Stupendo, stupendo!" The cheers of other spectators echoed in Gunha's mind quickly, as they continued to compliment this woman. How was it possible for somebody to fit their whole ear into that hole? It was pretty gross, for one.

A man told her, "Bene, grazie per mostrarci un buon tempo." Gunha assumed that he was thanking her for a good time, as they began to walk off; one of the men slipped her a packet of cigarettes, from which she quickly slid a note 10000 of Lire from. Gunha quickly noticed this, as the man tipped her head, telling her not to cause much trouble before walking off.

Of course, the woman then noticed Gunha as he was walking off; she asked him, "Ohero~ A taxi? Are you lookin' for a taxi by any chance, eh?" Gunha suddenly froze up; not only did this woman speak pitch-perfect Japanese, her manner of speech was strikingly identical to that of Gai Nagareboshi's.

Gunha stopped in his tracks as the woman placed her hand on his shoulder. "…So, you want a taxi or not? This is just my part-time job, and I'm on my way home now. So, I'mma give ye a discount. How about 128400 Lire to take ya into town?"

This woman followed up with, "…You're Japanese, amirite? You speak boss Italian; have you ever lived 'ere, by any chance, hmmm?" Her words possessed a flirtatious air around them; almost as if they were drawing him into her seductive allure.

"Er, that's 'cause I asked Gaika to make so I can—" he suddenly realized his grave error. Gunha swallowed his spit as he explained properly, "Uh…! I mean, uh, erm, I learned…" He straightened up, "B-But anyway, you're gonna drive, right? You look like you're in middle or high school…Can you even get your license when you're young—"

The woman cut him off, "…In any case, dun' worry 'bout things like that, 'k?"

Gunha further questioned, "And what were you handing those airport guards? I saw some Lire, but what was it for, exactly?"

The woman batted her eyelashes in a relaxed manner. "Oh, that! That was just a parkin' fee, so just relax, why don't ya?" She pressed her pointer finger to her lip. "…Hmm, how 'bout 16050 Lire, then? I won't even ask for a tip—Exactly 16050 Lire to get ya into the city, how 'bout that?"

Gunha considered his options, "Why would she suddenly drop it to 16050 Lire…" She really was a trickster, much like Gai before her. He blurted out loud, "Erm, sorry! No thanks," and he quickly began to leave. "I don't want to talk anymore…" He suddenly looked at the massive line for the other taxi and pouted. "…Dammit, that's a pretty damn long line right there…"

The woman called out, "Still don't wanna take my offer, hmm?"

Gunha had but one question on his mind. "Oi, you. Why aren't you asking people in that line if they want a taxi?"

The woman bluntly stated, "Hey, hey. If you're gonna refuse, then I may as well."

Gunha paused for a brief moment and considered his options. "…So, you're serious about the 16050 Lire, right?"

The woman nodded in confirmation. "Yup. But I'mma hafta ask ya to put your luggage in the passenger's seat—I'm working without a tip, y'know."

The woman flashed him an eerie angelic smile. "Welp, it's decided then!" She opened the passenger's door in the bright yellow taxi; "You, the passenger, will sit in the back, and your luggage will go in the front seat!"

Gunha remained wary as he stuffed his bags in the front seat. "…Listen up. I'm going to tell you this; don't think that I'm a mere naïve Japanese tourist who's never travelled before. Don't underestimate me, woman; so just take me to the hotel."

The woman had an uncanny smile plastered up her mug. "…Of course, I'll take you straight to the hotel." Suddenly, all the doors on the taxi slammed shut as she laughed, "However, only with your luggage."

Gunha just applied his palm to his forehead in exasperation at this, realizing that he didn't have enough foresight to actually see this coming. People around were laughing their asses off at this sight as the woman sped off. She popped her head out the window and shouted at him cheerily, "Ciao!"

Gunha just gritted his teeth and utilized Shunpo to catch up in a blink of an eye, thoroughly surprising the woman, who puffed her cheeks out as he suddenly stopped the car with one hand, grabbing it and lifting it with a single hand. "Didn't I tell you? Don't underestimate me."

The woman just turned around and grinned at him. Of course, if it were any other person, they would make an expression of panic, or defeat, or even a smidge of guilt upon knowing that her plan had failed. But…she didn't seem to be feeling any of those things. This girl was merely smiling.

Gunha demanded, "You can run if you want. As long as I get back my luggage, I'm fine."

The woman simply glanced at Gunha with that composed, calm smile; her expression conveyed a shining serenity, or at least, that was how Gunha felt upon witnessing her smile. Without a further second of thought, the woman dashed off without a second thought.

Gunha could do nothing but remain absolutely flabbergasted; all the locals did was comment, "Hehe, la bellezza come Vittoria sporcò di nuovo su. Poi di nuovo, io indovino quello è quello che accade quando lei tenta di imbrogliare un turista giapponese quando lei è mezzo-giapponese stessa!" Basically, it was "Hehe, looks like Vittoria screwed up again. Then again, I guess that's what happens when she tries to trick a Japanese tourist when she's half-Japanese herself!"

They continued, "Bene, nessuno potrebbe indovinare quella Giovanna Vittoria era giapponese, a causa di quelli capelli di bionda! Apparentemente lei non lo tinse - lei aveva capelli neri ma diventò recentemente biondo. Matto, destra? Lei dice che lei l'ottenne da suo padre che andò perdendo dopo che lui fallì un anni di scienziato fa come." Basically, "Well, nobody could guess that Vittoria Giovanna was Japanese, because of that blonde hair! Apparently she didn't dye it- she used to have black hair but it turned blonde recently. Crazy, right? She says that she got it from her father who went missing after he failed as a scientist years ago."

Gunha realized something. There was without a doubt that this Vittoria woman = Gai Nagareboshi. Not only did they share that massive cowlick and same manner of speech; their fathers had similar stories. He suddenly thought of something—by bringing Vittoria to Gaika, she could restore her memories of being Gai. The other mission suddenly flew outside the window as he decided what he wanted to do.

Nevertheless, Gunha searched the stolen taxi, looking for his luggage. "…!!" Before he realized it; he noticed that it had been compressed by pure spiritual energy into the form of a sphere. Leaning in closer, he suddenly got that for some reason, a small frog was inside of the sphere. It's black eyes leered up at him as the sphere suddenly burst and the frog swallowed his luggage before running off. "…What in the world…!?"

As Gunha chased after the frog, the snarmy little creature crawled into the sprawling sewers—realizing this, Gunha let out a deep sigh of exhaustion; there was no way that this could get any worse.

Meanwhile, Vittoria was leaning on a hollow tree, whistling to herself without a care in the world. The sun blazed down on her snow-white figure, making her let out a short sigh of fulfillment. All was right in the world for her.

"…?" Vittoria's senses perked up; something wasn't right. She looked to her left- then her right, before noticing a poor-looking man with a bowl-cut with shabby clothes approaching her quickly. His practically torn overcoat had many dusty rose patterns on it; and he had a certain drag in his step; he dragged a shovel with initials "S.P.Q.R" engraved on it's head. From his left eye, tears were continually dropping.

"You're Vittoria Giovanna…right?" He questioned with a slight stutter. Vittoria calmly nodded in response.

"…You're Leaky-Eyed Luca. I've heard that you've refused to back down from a fight, despite even that yer opponent jammed a knife into yer face. …And even though that wound's healed, your eye keeps on tearin'." Luca wiped his face with that tissue he somehow continued to keep on his person at all times.

Luca smiled and then seated himself down upon a park bench. "…Mind doing me a favour and sitting down next to me, lovely? It hurts my neck whenever I have to look up for too long."

Vittoria remained perfectly still as Luca then patted the seat. "…C'mon, just siddown, already! …Speaking of which, how old are you?"

Vittoria responded, "I'm 17."

Luca exclaimed, "Wait, 17!? Whoa, you're young, aren't you?" Luca suddenly leaned in closer; his stench was unbearable. "Listen, Vittoria. There's three don't's you want to avoid in order to establish a good friendship. The first one's 'don't lie', the second one is 'don't bear grudges', and the third is 'don't forget to be respectful'."

Vittoria seemed unamused. "…Did you want something, by any chance?"

Luca's face contorted into an expression that showed naught but malice, as he thrust the handle of the shovel against Vittoria's chin, snapping, "I'm the one doing the talking right now! Who the hell gave you permission to ask questions, you idiot!?" Despite all this, Vittoria remained as calm as ever.

"Hmm, I've heard you've been doing some work at the airport, huh? I, 'Leaky-Eyed Luca', haven't received a gift of respect from you yet, lovely…" He held her around her waist aggressively, refusing to let her go; though Vittoria made no response. "…We can't be good friends like this, can we?" Luca reached around to her back pocket. "Show me your wallet for a second, huh?"

Vittoria, with a stoic expression, uttered, "Luca. I've already paid for your protection. I have no money."

Luca sifted through Vittoria's wallet, before noticing a certain photograph; that was her father; who had disappeared before she turned even ten. "So, you paid the security guards, huh? Well, it's too bad that has nothing to do with me!"

"The hell is this? A family photo? What, is this a photo holder? Where the hell is your wallet?"

Vittoria shot Luca a furious glare that was still, nonetheless tranquil. "…Luca, don't make me say the same thing twice. When I have to repeat something that only needs to be said once, it means that the listener is unintelligent."

Nevertheless, Luca persisted. "C'mon, where's the cash? Gimme your damn wallet!"

Vittoria's growl increased in volume. "…I've told you that I don't have money, because I already paid. Do not make me repeat myself a third time."

With this, Luca was absolutely pissed off. With a *swish*, he swung his shovel right towards Vittoria's face, who merely bent backwards, nimbly avoiding the strike. "You little bitch…!" as he prepared to swing the shovel again, the frog from before hopped out of the drain.

Slowly, the frog climbed up until it was holding on for dear life on her soft skin. Luca scowled at this, "What the hell is that thing doing there? Swat it off, now!"

Vittoria glanced down at it for a moment. "So, you've come back to me after all, have ya? This frog ain't involved in this whole ordeal. It just happened to return to me, 'k? I'm a sucker for animals like this, so there's no way I'm shakin' it off."

Luca howled, "You don't see I'm giving you an order, and besides, I've already ordered you to pay up! You're gonna ignore both, huh!? So, you're gonna say no to both, to Leaky-Eyed Luca, huh!?"

Vittoria was as calm as ever. "This is a living creature, with a will of it's own. As such, it can think for itself. You should really stop this, Luca…and I'm sure as hell not gonna kill it, 'k?"

"You're…you're…" Luca then swung the shovel straight at Vittoria… "Finished!"

Vittoria protested as she inched back, though she retained her calm expression, "Stop! It's harmless as long as you don't attempt to attack it!" WHAM! The head of Luca's shovel impacted upon Vittoria's body, exactly where the frog was. A heavy *THUD!* rang throughout the area for a few moments…

…Vittoria suddenly glanced up at Luca, and sternly lectured him, "I told you to stop—this frog isn't necessarily obedient towards me…It's only trying to protect itself. It has a life of its own to protect, got that?" Luca's eyes widened in horror as he realized that the frog was practically unharmed; in fact, its creepy, unblinking stare bored into his soul as it stared straight at him.

Suddenly, Luca let out a hoarse scream of pain as a shovel-head shaped bruise quickly embedded itself in the back of his head, destroying most of his skull. Vittoria explained, "Any attack directed towards it will be deflected back, resulting in death."

Vittoria then grabbed Gunha's luggage and began to walk off, giving a brief aside glance to Leaky-Eyed Luca's body, which slowly crumpled to the ground. "…'Cides, I asked you not to make me repeat myself a third time. Making me repeat myself…is useless. It pisses me off 'cause it's useless, useless, useless…"

Meanwhile, Gunha was running towards Vittoria, snapping, "Oi, you! Gimme back my luggage…!!"