(Because there's always a part b.)
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Altair was starting to wonder if this whole thing was worth it. Finding Claudia had been one thing, but finding Ezio was going to be another thing entirely. He was not so easily tracked down, and Altair had already used up all the points he had amassed with the mysterious man on the telephone. But still, he had to try. After all Ezio was… sort of family… he guessed.

Once the driver had dropped him off back near his house, Altair had thanked him, and then begun wandering in the same general direction he had seen Ezio bolt off in earlier. He had briefly contemplated stopping by the house to see if everyone was okay, but it wasn't on fire, or a pile of rubble, so he was able to assume everyone inside was at least relatively okay.

He found himself wandering through the streets of the small city for what must have been at least an hour or so, because it was starting to get dark, and the streetlights were beginning to turn on. He was starting to wonder if he should just call it a day, but a voice in the back of his mind would not let him leave Ezio out in the street all night. Though knowing his luck, Ezio had wandered back to the house and was safe inside while he trekked through the streets looking for him.

Still this theory proved to be incorrect, and as the sun was just barely still shining some light upon the land, Altair spotted Ezio, sitting dejectedly on an old rusted playground. It wasn't totally surprising to find him, here, since they brought the other children there quite often, to play on what Altair was sure was an ambulance ride waiting to happen. Still, he sighed and braced himself for what he was sure was the fifth time that day he'd have to have an incredibly difficult conversation. He hopped over the small fence that separated him from the old playground and slowly walked up to it, where Ezio was sitting and staring off into space. He walked up to the creaky wooden structure and looked up at Ezio, while shoving his hands into his pockets, and once again found he had absolutely no idea what to say.

"You know it's like eight o'clock, right?" Ezio suddenly spoke up, leaning into his hands, that sat folded over a metal bar.

"Huh?"

"I ran away at what… Three thirty? It took you five hours to find me?"

Altair felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. "Sorry."

"Or did you just think I'd get over it and come home."

"No, Ezio, that's not it…" The smile was gone and he sighed reaching up to rub the back of his head. "Look, can you just come down here? We… need to talk."

"I can hear you fine from right here."

"Ezio, please."

"No, I don't want to come down."

"Stop being a brat."

"That's a fine apology."

"Ezio…"

"No, forget it." He murmured into his hands. "If you're not here to apologize, then go away."

"I found your sister."

Everything was silent for what could have very well ben an eternity. Ezio leaned back away from the pole and stared down at Altair with wide eyes. "What?"

Altair sighed and looked at the ground. "I found Claudia."

Suddenly, Ezio couldn't get to the ground, fast enough. "You found her? Where is she? Is she close? Is she alright?"

"She's fine. She's worried about you, but… she's alright. She's at the Blooming Rose Girls Academy. I can take you up there sometime, but…"

"This is great!" Ezio gasped, holding a hand to his forehead. "I can't believe you found her, Altair!"

The words wouldn't come all of a sudden. He looked up at Ezio, who was staring with such hope, and such happiness that it made Altair feel like the worst person alive. "I… also found out about… your brothers too."

"You did?!" Ezio reeled back, before reaching up and grabbing Altair's shoulders. "That's great! Altair, you did that for me? Really?! I can't believe it! Where are they?"

"Ezio…"

"How did you even do it? In the span of five hours, you did what I was trying to do for at least a year. That's incredible. You're incredible."

"Ezio, I…"

"Well? Tell me where they are! I'm gonna see my family again!"

"Ezio!" Altair reached up and grabbed his shoulders. The younger boy fell silent, and stared up at him, suddenly grasping how serious the scenario was. "Ezio, I… Claudia told me that…"

"Told you… what?"

Altair sighed and let his head droop. He shook his head. "She said that Petruccio took a bad turn, Ezio. She said he's in the hospital, but she doesn't know what his condition was, and that Federico was…"

Ezio's face was unreadable as he leaned forwards. "Was…?"

Altair pushed away from him and reached forwards and grabbed his finger again. "She said there was an accident."

"An accident?"

"Ezio, I'm… I'm so sorry. I'm sorry about what I said, I'm sorry to tell you this, I'm sorry about everything." He raised a hand to his face. "I feel awful."

Ezio remained silent for a few seconds. "He's dead?"

"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry, Ezio."

The two boys stood in the middle of the play ground, Every form of apology Altair knew crossed his mind, but every one of them died in his mouth, and he wasn't able to say anything. He and Ezio just stared at each other, Ezio's face an unreadable mixture of sadness and grief, and what might have anger. The two just stood there, staring at one another, as the world around them got darker and darker.

And then finally, Ezio moved. He leaned forwards and put his head onto Altair's shoulder. Altair started a bit at the sudden contact, but then wrapped his arms around Ezio and held him there. Altair had never felt an over abundance of control in life, especially not recently, but this was the first time he had ever felt so completely helpless. He wanted to take back everything, and just go back to this morning, when everything was fine, instead of staying in this world, where it seemed like nothing was ever going to be fine again. And all he could do, was hold Ezio, and let him stay there for as long as he needed.

He wasn't sure just how long they had stayed that way, but it had nearly startled him out of his skin when Ezio spoke. "Altair?"

He looked down at Ezio, and then looked back up at the sky where he had been staring. "Yeah, Ezio?"

There was a long pause, and then Ezio shifted against his shoulder. "Can we go home now?"

Altair felt his throat tighten and he held Ezio just a little tighter to him. "Sure. Lets go home."