Chapter 1: Birthday Celebration

Sunlight peaked into the window of the eldest child one morning, telling him, along with the rest of the world, that day was now upon them, and they should make the best of it. A mop of dark brown hair and a single curl stuck out from underneath the blankets, and the person attached to it really wanted to sleep in. He tried to go back to sleep, but there was a knock on the other side of his bedroom door.

"Master, it is about time you woke up." A feminine voice called to him from the other side.

Reluctantly, the one with the curl opened his eyes and tossed his blankets aside. The night before had been a long one for him, however, he knew that today was a very special day, and he couldn't get out of it, whether he wanted to or not.

"Alright, come in." He answered to the voice on the other side.

The door opened to reveal a woman with long, wavy brown hair, pushing a cart with tea into the room. "The tea I have prepared for you today is a Darjeeling blend with a teaspoon of milk, just as you would prefer."

The cart stopped next to the boy's bed. "Thanks, Elisabeta."

She smiled and bowed. "Of course, Master."

It wasn't until he finished his tea, that he noticed a boy younger than him, standing next to the maid, smiling. His hair was slightly lighter than the older one, and his curl pointed towards the ground. His eyes were closed, and he wore a huge smile. He could barley contain his excitement. "Fratello! Fratello! Guess what! Guess what!"

The older boy was well aware of what day it was, since he had been preparing for it for awhile now. "Yes, let me guess..."

"It's my birthday! I turn ten years old today"

The maid, Elisabeta, laughed. "He was up since early this morning."

"I can't help it! I'm so excited!"

Honestly, when his brother was like this, the eldest just didn't have the heart to ruin it for him, even though he always seemed a bit tough on the outside. "Lovino, what did you get me this year?"

That question threw him off guard a little. "Feliciano, you know that if I told you, it would ruin the whole purpose."

"I know that, but I am just so excited!"

"I can see that."

"So, when is the surprise party?"

Elisabeta raised an eyebrow. "Surprise party?"

"Well yeah. I overheard that you all were going to throw me a surprise party and it was supposed to be a secret...oh, wait."

Elisabeta couldn't help but laugh. "You sure know how to sneak around, don't you?"

Feliciano's smile grew bigger. "It's easy! I just have to be really quiet!"

"Yeah, I can see how you'd manage to pull that off." Lovino muttered under his breath, unheard by the others.

"Come on! I want to eat cake!"

Lovino sighed. "Alright, alright, let's go already."

"Yaaaaaaaayyy." Feliciano excitedly ran off into the main room.

Once he left, however, an air of seriousness filled the room. "Is it ready?" Lovino asked.

Elisabeta bowed. "Yes Master. We had it prepared for today's events."

She revealed a black box that had been placed on top of the cart. Lovino nodded. "Good. Let's go now."

Elisabeta nodded. "Of course, Master."

Later in the day, the party was about to take place. Elisabeta had told the servants that there was no longer a need to keep it a secret, since Feliciano had already known. The youngest child was amazed by everything he saw. They were really going all out this year. Maybe he shouldn't have eavesdropped when they were planning it.

"Um, Feliciano." The young boy turned to see that his older brother was the one who called his named. It seemed that he was hiding something behind his back. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Curiously, Feliciano nodded. "What is it, Fratello?"

"Um, I know this is a little early, but..." He revealed a black box out from behind his back.

Feliciano's curious expression suddenly turned into a huge smile. "For me?!"

Lovino nodded and smiled a little. Eagerly, the younger brother opened the box and saw a beautiful silver cross necklace with a big blue sapphire embedded in the middle. "...It's so pretty."

Lovino got down on his knees to his brother's height and removed the cross from the box. He put it around his brother's neck and spoke with a calming voice. "Fratellino, this cross is very special. It has protective qualities that make it a good charm to have around. You should only activate its protective powers when you're in danger. It's just a little reminder that I am always with you."

Feliciano felt like he wanted to tear up from that beautiful speech. "Oh, Fratello! I love it! Thank you so much!"

Lovino was tackled in a bear hug, which took him by surprise. However, he returned the hug, with a just as tight, if not tighter, embrace. The hug soon came to an end, and the two separated. "Now, let's get to the party already."

Feliciano smiled. "Yeah."

"Did you have fun today?" Elisabeta asked as she put the youngest brother to bed.

He smiled. "Yeah, I can't wait until my next birthday."

The maid smiled as she put took the candle with her and made her way to the door. "Good night, Young Master."

Feliciano yawned. "Good night, Elisabeta."

She then quietly shut the door to the younger brother's room, only to see the older brother standing in front of her. "Let's go. We have a big night tonight."

She nodded seriously. "Yes, Master."

The two of them made their way down the long hall, all the way to the wall, where a painting stood. It was a picture of the brothers after their family had died. Slowly, Lovino tilted the edge, revealing some sort of button. He pressed it, and the wall started to move, resulting in an open door. They started down the dark new hall, making sure that the door closed behind them. Lanterns lit their way, giving them light to see by.

Once they reached the end, they entered a room filled with people. In one corner, there was a blonde man with bushy eyebrows reading the newspaper and drinking tea. At a small table, there were two blondes, twins it seemed, playing a board game, and the louder of the two was obviously winning. On a desk near the opposite side of the room, there was a man with wavy blonde hair that fell to his shoulders, writing something down on paper.

In the kitchen, there were two people. One was a brunette man with a large smile on his face, making something, and the other had a ponytail and was eating dumplings. The last person was sitting in the far east corner, reading a book on Dictatorship. He had white colored hair and was radiating a creepy aura. The fifteen-year-old clapped his hands together and got everyone's attention.

"Alright, we have a big job tonight. The Ferro Family has betrayed our syndicate, so we have to get rid of them all. Am I clear?"

The one with the bushy eyebrows nodded. "Yes, of course."

"We will do anything to avenge the previous Head, aru." The one with the ponytail answered.

Lovino nodded. "Also, they may be withholding information on who killed my parents. We must find out and show them no mercy for betraying us."

Everyone nodded in unison. "Alright, let's get going! The night won't last forever."

And so, the fifteen-year-old Mafioso and his secret syndicate went out into the night, ready to pull of yet another big job.