Hi guys! So, this is my first fanfic. It's a little bit different than what I'm sure you're all used to, but I wanted to do this type of story as sort of a test for myself to see how well and accurate I can write this. Feedback is very much appreciated and I would like to hear all your thoughts on it!

About: This fanfic is about the cast of Katekyo Hitman Reborn in an AU where they act more like… a... mafia... I know they're already a mafia, but modern mafias are more power-hungry and ambitious. I thought that it would be quite interesting to see how Tsuna and the rest of the Vongola Famiglia would act as a modern day mafia, full of pride and seeking to expand their power. I know it's a bit far from what their normal personalities would be, and I doubt it's something they'll ever do, but that's just what makes it all the more interesting. My goal is to be able to portray them in such a way while still keeping their "canon" personalities. Either way, I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think! Feedback helps me improve, so again, I would really appreciate it.

This chapter is more of an introductory one, so there won't be much action here, but instead, the setting and some characters will be established. There will be some OC throughout the story, but not many. The protagonist will be an OC though, and she will be elaborated more upon as the story progresses. So with all that said, please, enjoy!

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It all started on a bleak Monday morning. My thoughts never truly processed in my mind on such days, so I guess that's why I ended up digging my own grave. I did my best, I truly did. But I guess all important things are always overlooked.

Born into a religious family, I was always told that everything happens for a reason. Whatever happens though, God will always be by my side. I never questioned it. I simply obeyed like a good little girl. Everything was fine with my parents, until they found out about my boyfriend, Riki. He was a bit of lone wolf, but a caring man nonetheless. But that wasn't what ticked them off. No, the finishing blow was the fact that I moved in with him at the age of nineteen, without marrying him. A man and a woman must be married first before living under the same roof, they would preach. So naturally, my "rebelling" was a cause of distress for them. But I didn't care. Perhaps I should have. Maybe then I wouldn't be all tied up and gagged.

I moved in with my boyfriend in an attempt to save money for college. We supported each other, and got along fairly well. But of course, every fairy tale must end. All was well until we both graduated, and moved to a small town east of where we had went to college. I had pursued my passion of journalism while he had managed to become a cop. "This way I'll be sure to earn some respect," he would joke, grinning. The company I worked for was a fairly small one. Temporary only, I was reassured. Either way, I got to do what I loved most, so I didn't mind it too much. Things were slow for a while, and then it happened. An explosion in a small town not too far from ours. I rushed to see if I could perhaps go to investigate it, but instead, my boss simply brushed me off with a quick wave of his hand. It was only after I kept insisting that it should be covered as a story, and after I was ungracefully shoved out of his office, that I was told why. "That explosion was caused by THEM," Marcelina, one of the secretaries, told me.

"Who?" My ignorant self questioned.

"THEM," she repeated, as if the knowledge of who she was talking about would miraculously pop into my head.

"Who?" I repeated, this time more firmly.

Marcelina seemed to shrink back, eyeing me nervously. I was about to walk off - I had no time to deal with this business - when another coworker by the name of Alan came up to us. "Is all this ruckus really necessary?" he commented, rubbing the back of his neck. "And just when I was thinking the day couldn't get any louder."

"How can you be so carefree?" I demanded. "Did you not hear what happened?"

He looked at me. "If you're talking about that explosion that happened over at Cambridge, then don't bother. You won't be hearing anyone in their right mind talk about it." He then leaned forward, his normally carefree and bored face taking on a more serious look. "You know why, right?" I wanted to respond with something quirky, something to retaliate against his carefreeness, but instead I simply shook my head no, a tense and nervous feeling rising up into my stomach. Alan leaned more closer until he whispered in my ear, "Vongola is their name, and you better remember it if you want to live."

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"I don't understand," I told Riki later that night during dinner. The plastic forks, knives, and plates reminded me of home, of easier times. "I thought the point of journalists was to report and publish stories. Cover them! But all that the ones at my workplace are doing is wasting such a good opportunity…"

"Uh-huh."

I paused in my eating, and glanced at Riki. "That's all you can say?"

He looked up from his plate, his face one of conflicting emotions. "What do you want me to say?"

"A reporter's job is to help people by telling them the most recent and important news. But these people are doing anything but that. They're being so useless!"

He gave me a pitiful look, and I could feel my face burn in anger. "Don't judge them too harshly," he said. "Did they tell you why they won't cover the incident?" I said no. "Well, at the station they did mention something…"

That peaked my interest. "What?"

Riki grabbed the nearby salt shaker, the one that had been a gift from a friend. He toyed with it as he spoke. "They say the explosion happened at a factory, one that distributed toys." I had to contain my dark chuckle. A toy factory of all places? I knew it was no laughing matter, but still. Why a toy factory? Riki continued.

"The factory is run by some powerful people. Because it makes seemingly harmless toys, it's praised by the whole town, especially the parents."

"Of course."

"But it's anything but harmless." By this point he had put the salt shaker down, and was now threading the table cloth through his fingers. In, out, in, out. I had loved doing that, albeit usually only when I was nervous. "The toys were pretty harmless, but the factory? It was only established to wash money for a family." I questioned him, "Family?"

"Fancy way of saying mafia gang." He sounded bitter, so I let him continue. "Said family would wash money through that factory for various clients, or so they say. It was perfect, no one suspected anything. But then, another family found out about this. A rival family. One who had much to lose to this one. Naturally they wished to cripple them. And what better way than by taking out an important factor to their grand plan." He sighed. "That's all I really know. It's just mafia war. People can't do much about it."

I sputtered. "B-But-What about the police? Can't you guys do something about it? I mean, an entire factory was blown to pieces! How can people just go about their own business?"

"I'm telling you, it's mafia business. Common folks can't get involved just like that, especially those who have a lot to lose." He glanced down. "Besides, the family that caused that explosion is quite powerful, maybe even the most powerful. Getting involved is like being an ant trying to fight against a whale. You can't enter their territory and they're just too big for you to fight."

Vongola, Alan had said. The name resonated in my mind as I recalled it. But who exactly were they? I didn't want to find out the answer, and yet, I wanted to.

I wanted to ask more, to argue more, to defend the innocent people who had their lives brutally taken away by that raging fire, but instead I bit my lip to prevent any further insults. I could tell Riki was feeling troubled just mentioning this type of thing, and he had already been kind enough to tell me the information he knew, so I decided to let the subject drop. I finished my meal and went about to wash the plates. The uneasiness in my stomach from earlier that day returned. This topic would not get buried beneath all the rubble, I decided. It was both my best decision, and my worst.

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This is all I can do for now. My thoughts whirled around in my head. I knew I was going against everyone, especially my boss, but this was something I had to do. As I paced around the printing machine impatiently, a few people glanced my way as they passed by. I greeted them as politely as I could. Some held steaming cups of coffee, while others rushed past clutching onto briefcases or manilla folders. I could imagine they had no time to deal with my petite self. I rolled my eyes with discreet and turned my attention back to the printer. The two pages had finally been processed and had been printed, the black ink standing out amidst all the white. I pulled them out and returned to my desk. Once I skimmed it over and made sure there were no errors, I grabbed my favorite pink pen, the one that had been with me since I first joined this company, and stroked my signature across the bottom.

Rebecca Avariella.

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So there you have it! That's the first chapter of my story. I apologize if it seems a bit slow, but the action will happen in due time. Some more introductions will occur next chapter as well as some clear-ups. Please review and let me know what I can improve upon, and also all of your general thoughts too. Thanks for reading, and I hope you look forward to the next chapter!

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