Most people, at the age of twenty, would find themselves embarrassed to be watching cartoons with a bowl of cereal and a carefree smile. But, then again, Cora Piccolo Bambino was never most people. Instead of being serious, or even somewhat caring, she ran away from all responsibility whenever it presented itself. She was still afraid of closet monsters, her mind was drifty and unfocused, and, in every way possible, she was exactly as her last and middle name. Cora was a little baby. Though she was twenty, her body was that of a fifteen year old and her brain, that of a ten year old. A wise, well-educated, ten year old.

And it was the combination of those two things that had landed her in the Namimori General Hospital.

"Before we begin today's lessons, I'll introduce another exchange student named... Cora Bambino?" the elderly, Japanese teacher peered around the room as he spoke. His glass covered eyes searched eagerly for whoever the child might be. Hopefully, she'd be one of the gorgeous, statuesque, Italian models he saw in the fashion magazines his wife adored so much. That would be a treat, seeing as said wife was turning to gray hair and fat. He had once hated to admit it, but now he welcomed the notion that his marriage was crumbling like a biscuit. Perhaps, soon, it would become so unbearable the dreaded woman would leave him and he could go in search for a young, fresh female. Though, on a teacher's salary, that would only happen in his vivid fantasies.

"I'm here!" a small voice called from somewhere not quite in the room. The child's vocals sounded like they might belong to the Italian model the vaguely creepy teacher was hoping for. She sounded a bit squeaky but, in the right situation, high pitched voices could be attractive. A blur passed through his peripheral vision sharply before the clap of bare feet slapping against tile flooring echoed through his ears. If this girl wasn't as amazing as he hoped, he'd have to chastise her for not wearing shoes inside school. the same sweet voice rang again,

"Sorry, I got curious about the light so I climbed up there!"

The teacher turned his gaze to the new student he'd be attending to, heart beating with anticipation. Finally, he settled his eyes on her. And was immediately deflated. There was no tall, beautiful female before him, simply a less than stunning blob. Before him stood a rather homely child, her face smeared with dirt and debris from some outside adventure. She looked to be fifteen on the dot, and was dressed in an ironed and pristine Namimori uniform. The only two outstanding features on her happened to be a pair of large breasts and, the lesser looked at, a pair of steely gray eyes. She smiled up at her superior with unimpressive, but still vibrant, lips. Her hair was a soft blonde, the color of sweet butter with go-given streaks of dirt brown running through it. The fur had been pulled back with a purple headband, this particular one decorated by a unicorn, to form a mane of sorts. As a finishing touch to her childish looks, freckles dotted the area around the bridge of her nose and on the cheeks beneath her eyes.

"Don't go climbing around on school property! And put some shoes on..." the teacher said, turning sour rather quickly. His anger was met, rather grossly, by a foot being forced into his face. The young woman frowned in confusion as she spoke,

"But my feet are gorgeous!" she let out a cutesy giggle before running to her seat. Cora Bambino, the Little Baby of the mafia world, went skipping back to her seat with a grin. Her youthful ways had earned her such a nickname, though it wasn't very creative seeing as the words were also her middle and last names. The family she belonged to was known for being absolutely adorably psychotic in their ways, and she carried on their tradition with perfection. For the words most often used to describe her were, stupid, naive, sadistic, and adorable. And, even more frequently than the others, sick. Cora was perpetually ill, whether it be the simple sniffle she was experiencing that day or the vomiting blood which happened far too often didn't matter.

She couldn't remember the last time she'd been well, and neither could any member of her current mafia family. Cora belonged to the Chiavarones, a group headed by Mister Bronco Dino. She was the supplier, ranging from typical knives and guns to colonial artifacts and collectible lunch pales, her job was to go out and find whatever was requested. And, despite the tiny brain that resided behind her freckled face, she managed that with extremely seasoned abilities. It was the perfect job for someone like her, no real pressure because of the laid back disposition her boss observed but just enough that she felt driven to actually procure the required device.

Currently, her boss was after someone he asked for often. Information. The Little Baby was to travel to Japan, as she had, and assure that a boy named Tuna Saw, or something along those lines, was residing in Namimori. Secondary jobs were to scout out the perfect hotel with enough rooms for all of the Chiavarone's men and to discover where Tuna Saw lived. Cora probably should have been taking her job a bit more seriously, but she was having too much fun being a student. Her tiny body made her the perfect candidate to carry out such a job because a person can be made up to look much older but never to appear younger than they already do.

"Well, now that that's done we can continue..." the teacher's words blended into the background as Cora let out an impressively gruesome cough. She pulled a small vial of cough syrup from her pocket and slurped it down happily. Her tastes had adapted to enjoy the grotesque flavorings of medicine, though she often fussed when she had to take them simply for the sake of fussing. Sometimes her boss would have to hold her down so she'd take her pills, only because she felt like misbehaving. Cora was a stupidly childish woman. She'd attempted at taking college classes at one point, but flunked out in the first semester because of truancy issues. Apparently, her university was next to a fantastic beach which was too much for her mind to handle. Not to mention, the most work she did in that class was doodle a panda on one of her exams.

Cora waited patiently for the bell to ring and release her from the shackles of schooling. She'd only been in the desk for about five minutes but already felt painfully trapped. The woman pulled a grainy photo from it's spot tucked in the waist of her skirt. Apparently, she was searching for a brunette whose hair seemed absolutely comical. But even more hilarious then his head was the body that lied beneath it. He certainly didn't seem to be mafia boss material, scrawny and bland. Cora snickered, trying to hold it back but only succeeding in coughing loudly. A few flecks of blood landed on her arm and desk, prompting her to raise her hand. For someone constantly ailed, it really wasn't that much of a problem, but Cora's ten year old mind told her otherwise.

"What is it?" the teacher stopped his lesson to inquire. Cora pointed blankly to her desk, in pain but still managing to smile,

"Oh, yeah, I'm dying."

"... So that's why I'm in the hospital! But it's nothing to worry about, the doctor says I'll be fine." Cora nodded, holding a block of plastic and technology to her ear. She had received a call from her boss and had taken about an hour eagerly explaining her previous day while an impatient doctor sat by her bed, waiting to preform a few tests.

"I most certainly did not say that. You might be seriously ill you-" the man spoke up from his seat next to Cora, hoping to get a point across but being brutally interrupted.

"Just fine!" the woman glared over at her medical helper, a hint of danger in her steel colored eyes. She had a strange grin plastered upon her cheeks, almost permanently glued over her lips. Cora fiddled with the empty bowl in her lap, cackling rather loudly. Most people would be apprehensive about coughing up blood but, then again, Cora Piccolo Bambino was not most people.


So, just an odd pet project I've been working on~ I don't think Dino gets enough love! Anyway... YOU MUST REVIEW. And fav and sub and all that shiz~ It probably doesn't seem very good now, but it's only the prologue. I'll continue if more peoples review, so get on it.

~EXB