Hey all,

This is something that has been sitting on my computer for about a year now and I thought I'd share it on a whim. Whether it turns into something substantial is up to expressed interest by you all. Keep in mind, though: Lattices - my HxH fic (which you all should check out if you haven't yet ;) )-is still my top priority.

That being said, hope you enjoy the chapter.

—July, undisclosed location in Italy—

People said that numbers did not lie.

…

But they said nothing about its powers to bore.

Elegua glanced a look at his phone's screen. As of that moment, he and 15 others had been forced to sit through a 23 minutes of slides with colorful graphs and over-elaborate charts that simply stated one thing. He didn't have anything against data and its transmission—data was the one thing that kept the Sfondo together. Otherwise, this international famiglia that specialized in logistics and information brokering would have crumbled a long, long time ago.

However, he did have something against an overabundance of data when only a piece of it and a simple sentence would suffice to prove a point. E.g.—

"The 58% increase in requests for materials transport to Namimori suggest that it is imperative to increase investment in the development of operations center J-05."

There. That simple statement could have saved them whole 14 minutes 36 seconds of time-wasting. But no. No, they had to chuck enough data so that some skeptical and/or lazy asses could be convinced into action.

"This necessity has also been echoed by Vongola Nono Timoteo, as said in a phone conversation with Mercury."

And then they add in a bit about our boss and the Vongola boss to ramp up the urgency. He played with a dark dreadlock, only one of many long strands pulled back into a ponytail.

A heavy-set man in a business suit spoke next in a voice that reverberated across the room. Bythos, the director of recruitment.

"So you see, ladies and gentlemen, that we need to meet numbers and we need to meet them quickly." His arm swung in a wide sweep. "That's where your job begins as Caporales. If you look at your folders, you'll see information on a potential candidate, pulled from the local population. Your task is simple: evaluate the candidate's potential as a Trafficante and offer them an invitation into the Sfondo famiglia."

There was a swish as those present at the meetings opened their portfolios. Elegua did the same and picked up the photo that was paperclipped to the left hand flap of the portfolio. The dark-skinned man in his mid-twenties looked at the photo, at his superior, then at the photo again. Then, as if unimpressed by what he saw, he tossed the folder to the side. "Bythos…I get the feeling you're trying to make me look like a pedophile."

At his comment a rumble of chuckles echoed about the conference table, as well as voices of agreement.

The older man that sat across the conference table from him rolled his eyes. "I assure you, Elegua, that is far from my intentions."

"You sure about that? You are a papist, after all."

That's a low blow. Elegua leaned back in his chair and looked at the person who said that. Of course it was Pazuzu: he seemed to have lost his hair and list of things to hold sacred once he had hit age 30. At this point it was only his business sense and his keen intellect that kept his ass out of the fire.

Bythos just barked a dry laugh to fill the silence. "No…but in all honesty at this point we are trying to meet numbers." He ran a hand veined with age through greying hair. "I assume you have all heard the news—the new Vongola successor lives in Namimori, which is leading to an increase in mafia presence and a greater workload for those responsible for the transportation of those materials—us."

"Where's the guarantee that there'll be enough suitable candidates to meet demand?" asked another man with a crooked nose.

"There is none," Bythos admitted. "We can pull unskilled labor by hiring citizens and using our cover as a shipping company; that's easy enough. But skilled labor is another matter entirely." He straightened and put his hands behind his back. "In an ideal world I would just bring in Trafficantes from the base in Sendai or Yokohama, but the flow of goods to those bases is up as well and they're stretched fairly thin at the moment...hence the need to recruit new blood. It's nothing unprecedented; all Sfondo bases are initially established with recruits from the local population."

The man who had asked the question nodded. "Understood."

"Any other questions."

Silence answered him.

"Then in that case meeting is over. Everybody dismissed."

A clash of chairs being scooted backwards and footsteps streaming out of the room. Elegua, however, did not move toward the door. Instead he walked towards Bythos and tossed the portfolio in front of him.

"I request another candidate."

The reply was crisp and immediate. "Request denied."

An eyebrow rose. "Oh? Why is that?"

"Because candidates have been cemented; no swapping is allowed as well."

An eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "I'd rather not think of myself as a pedophile. Surely you have someone older."

Bythos shook his head. "I have nothing for you."

Elegua sighed. How was he going to get out of this potentially boring and useless endeavor…?

Bythos seemed to have read his mind. "It's an all-expenses paid trip to Japan as well."

His ears perked at that. All expenses paid…considering the fact that he'd been short on cash for a while now, those words were something close to enticing. But as much as going there for fun was sounding, he didn't want to do it if the business side of things bored him to tears.

Bythos continued his onslaught. "The candidate you have been assigned is of Sfondo blood by several generations, reaching back to the 1850s. Aren't you curious to see what a person like that is capable of?"

Is talent guaranteed by blood? Does blood define fate? A warm voice wondered in Elegua's ears and a kind, caring touch from 10 years back ghosted across his forehead. If it does, how does that explain you?

His expression didn't change, but his curiosity was stirred…though not enough to burst into a healthy flame, though. Whether it will or not was dependent on Bythos' answer to his next request.

"If I'm going to test blood, I want an override on the Limitations."

Bythos' eyebrows rose. "Why?"

A flash of teeth, a predator's smile. "To make things interesting."

"By exposure of the candidate to life-threatening situations?" Bythos clasped his hands together on the table. "Elegua, this is not supposed to be an overtly intrusive act. If anything, the candidate should not realize that anything is going on. We minimize the impact we have on their life in the event they are not adequate."

"If this was Sudan or Syria, then I would agree; children there face enough war already. But this is Japan we're talking about. The only time it gets dangerous is when people are crossing roads or waiting for trains." Elegua's arms found their way into his trouser pockets. "How do we know candidates from such a peaceful country can even last in the world of the mafia?"

"People can learn to adapt, Elegua." Bythos' reply was quiet.

"Too risky. They could freeze up and die before they fully adapt. I'm not bringing a candidate that'll drop dead like a fly at the first sign of trouble."

Bythos shook his head. "I appreciate and admire that dedication, but there's very few people born with the caliber you're talking about."

A grin. "I'm testing a person of bloodline."

Bythos pinched the bridge of his nose. "You won't take this job unless I override, will you?"

The grin widened at the promise of victory.

Wearily the man walked out the room and beckoned the dark-skinned man to follow. After snaking through several cubicles they reached an office. Bythos reached in a file cabinet and pulled out a half-sheet of paper. Then he signed it, dated it, and gave it to Elegua. "Whatever happens from now on is your responsibility."

The man nodded. "Understood." He then walked out of the room, fingers itching with anticipation.

=o=

Bythos saw the glee in Elegua's step as he walked out of the room. Elegua had been an examiner for 6 years now, and he already had an almost unprecedented high fail rate, outmatched by only one other person. Of course, that was because he had high standards…although Bythos wondered if they were too high.

He glanced at the shelving in his office, at the small picture of the Virgin Mary holding an infant Jesus, and made a mental note to include the candidate assigned to Elegua in his prayers tonight.

As much as I liked KHR's idea of mafia and such, the execution of the story never blew me away. The comedy of the first arc was absolutely hilarious, but the moment it went Shonen it kind of lost its shine for me. I eventually just quit during the TYL arc...I mean, I expected something more like Black Lagoon or Gangsta, not an organized war game/Black Tournament hybrid with rules to be played by...

But I love stories that deal with the criminal underworld, the idea of flames was pretty interesting, and I liked the characters too, so I came up with content for this series.

Anyway, if you're interested in this, like it, review it, follow it, etc.

Thanks!

-Rhyss