Chapter 1! Woohoo! I realize that this isn't that popular yet since there's only a Prologue, but please review! Even if you didn't like it! Tell me why, and I can make it better.

TO THE AMAZING PEOPLE WHO REVIEWED:

Shirayukiz-Ringo: Thank you so much for taking the time to review- and my first one, nonetheless. It means a lot. And thank you for the pairing suggestion. I was thinking about Gokudera as well, but I'm still so undeceive! I'm just trying not to rush it. Thanks again!

juneamber: Thank you so very, very much for the long review! I love the Varia too, but I am hesitant about pairing her with Squalo, mostly because of the age difference. Wait, is there an age difference? Of course, I could always make it one-sided. Bel... Gah, another good suggestion! I think I should wait and see!

Enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Strange New Environment

"Class, I'd like you to welcome the new student, who's transferring here today. I know you must be excited about another one, so soon, too, but please keep the behavior under control. Ah, yes, meet Itagaki Ritsuko," my new Sensei introduced. Clad in my new beige (and itchy) uniform, I stepped into my new classroom.

Namimori was roughly only half the size of Hideaki Academy (my old school). Never before had I been to such a small community, and I've transferred schools over eight times. I turned around and wrote my name on the black board in chalk, and then I turned back to the class. This was really awkward.

"Hello," I began, since no one else seemed to say anything. "I'm Itagaki Ritsuko. It's a pleasure to meet you all," That was as formal as could be. My eyes swept the classroom. Some faces were excited, probably just for the fact that there was a new student, some were uninterested, and some were friendly. This I was not use to, since rich kids never seemed particularly interested in anything besides themselves.

The Sensei chuckled, like he was witnessing a shy five-year old hide behind back because she was scared of new people. I scowled at my feet, already becoming annoyed. For some reason, I felt a haughty 'Your-so-beneath-me-I-can't-even-see-you-' air about him. But he wasn't from a prestigious Academy, was he? At Hideaki, the teachers would suck up to you so much that it would be nearly impossible to fail a class. (but in their defense, Hideaki Academy had some of the best teachers in the country, so it wasn't like you wouldn't learn there, even if you were stupid). This guy had probably never dealt with a student who gets more money for her monthly allowance than his yearly salary (I'm actually not quite sure whether that could be considered a joke, or a true statement). It looked as if there had been a role reversal between the students and teachers. Poor people were so foreign to me.

"Just for a quick 'get-to-know-you', why don't you tell us a few of the things that you like and don't like," Sensei pushed, again with that 'higher-than-you' attitude.
I curtly nodded at him before clearing my throat.

"I like Gymnastics," I droned.

"And?" He pushed. Why would anyone want to know what I didn't like? There was a whole list; both he and this school were on it.

"And I dislike... A lot of things." There, that was easy (and truthful). I didn't need to offend anyone yet, not before I at least meet my target…

I blinked in surprise at little audible squeals (male, oddly enough) and content sighs.

'She's so cool!'

'Super calm, and cold!'

'I bet she's pretty smart, too!'

My scowl deepened. More whispering erupted. Good Lord, these students were stranger than I had first thought.

"Well, Itagaki-san, you can take that empty seat in the fourth row," the teacher informed me. I nodded again and strolled down the rows of students.

I couldn't help it; the moment I realized which one he was, I found myself staring straight at him; Sawada Tsunayoshi, that is. The future Vongola Decimo, and my (hopefully) future friend.

The Day Before:

I flipped the photograph over multiple times, glaring holes into it. My legs were crossed underneath me as I sat on the balcony outside my mom's new room. Lush red pillows surrounded me and supported my back.

"This kid is the Vongola Decimo?!" I half asked, half screamed. This boy, whom was timidly staring back at me, frozen in a fame, was the last thing I'd expected. His hair was spiked up and messing, his build was small and the way he was standing was awkward. His eyes were way too big for his head, and his face was too innocent, too soft. Supposedly, this boy was my age, but I didn't buy it.

My mother nodded at me, unzipping the first of her suitcases and gathering her toiletries into her arms. I had finished unpacking what I had too, but I was still technically undone. Most of my clothes were arriving by jet any minute now, but Fiona said she would take care of that. For now, I needed to talk to my mom and get the detail of this 'daughterly favor'.

"Yes." Mom glanced at me and noticed how appalled I was.

"But he's..." I tried to think a single word to describe him, but I could not think of one. He was just so…

"Give him a break, Ritsuko. He's had a similar situation to yours..." My mom scolded half-heartedly. Earlier she had made the argument that this wouldn't be so bad, since I could use some friends. Apparently, becoming 'friends' with people you don't necessarily like is an important business skill every wealthy woman should know. But I didn't understand what my mother said; what situation was I in? I glanced up and watched my mom heft her next bag onto her king sized bed. This one was packed with shoes, each of different shape and color, but all worth the same price; a lot.

"He was only recently told of his heritage, so he wasn't exactly raised up to be boss material," she elaborated. "Just like how your father dumped your heritage on you and expected you to be okay with it." I scowled deeply at that memory.

"I don't care what he wants, I'm not becoming boss of the D' Angelo family. If this whole little assignment his way of convincing me otherwise…" I spat. My mom shook her head.

"No, honey, he doesn't expect you to be that anymore. I think you made your intentions very clear," Mom said, bemused. "Although, befriending the Vongola Decimo is what he considers you compensation. I would say it's a small price to pay." My gaze returned to the picture, now that the focus had been brought back to him.

"He may as well just give the candidate title up, like me," I scoffed. "…Wait," I jumped up from my perch on the outside balcony, stepping right next to Mom. She calmly glanced up at my alarm, which only served to make me more nervous.

"There are other candidates besides him, right!?" I could barely imagine an entire Famigilia being stuck with just this kid. They would definitely need the D' Angelo family as an ally. I wondered how the rest of the world felt about this boy, and I pitied them. My mom gave me a grim look.

"There is another..." She informed me. I breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. "Unfortunately, he's the complete opposite."

"Unfortunately?!" I echoed. Wasn't that the kind of person they needed? Strong instead of weak, charming instead of awkward?

"The extreme complete opposite. The man's positively spoiled,' my mom scowled and then muttered something I could not catch. I assumed she'd actually met the man.
"Anyway, when you see Sawada Tsunayoshi for the first time tomorrow, don't approach him right away. Just analyze him for a while, see what he's like, what he's interested in, who his allies are, stuff like that. It could be the difference between the success of this 'assignment', or completely pissing the Vongola off," Mom warned, causing me to groan. That seemed like a lot of work with very little benefits.

"Dad said I didn't actually have to be friends with this guy, as long as we looked like we were friends in public." Yes, so my argument wasn't the strongest, but I'd be damned if I actually had to go through with this.

My mom cracked her knuckles and rolled her shoulders before she sat down at the foot of her bed. Her lips formed a wry smile. Affection ran through me; although my mom could be considered the epitome of wealth and royalty, around me she allowed herself to actually be human.

"The public is smarter than it seems. Some people can see trough deceit like a window. It's better to try and form a real bond and to fail than to fake it from the beginning."

I took a seat next to her, sinking into the bed's softness. If I were to do this for anyone, it'd be my mom. I really appreciated how her words and demeanor made this task seem less important than it really was. It helped to calm my nerves.

"Fine. But what makes you think he'll even warm up to me? I'm not interested in liking him at all, and it might be kind of obvious. I've never been good at making friends."

She knew that all too well; when I was little, my teachers often called her to speak about my lack of social skills, and how I never worked well with others. Perhaps I would have had a few friends despite my difficult behavior (in truth, it was never actually mine, but adults believed what they wanted to), but I would just transfer schools before anyone really got use to my personality.

Mom shrugged. "You'll figure it out," she patted my back before abruptly standing at the sound of beating wings.

"I'd say your clothes are here. How about we actually help poor Fiona out this time?" I groaned again, but this time it was light hearted. I placed the picture of Sawada Tsunayoshi on the night stand face down. Perhaps I'd forget about him for the moment if he was out of sight.

"Alright," I relented again. My mom was the only person who could make me do so willingly. "Let's go."

Presently:

He looked just like he did in his photograph. I felt a dreaded twist of disappointment in my gut. This kid was a total wimp. Maybe I had been half expecting some sort of pleasant surprise; some people take awful pictures.

I must've actually scowled at Sawada Tsunayoshi, for he squealed and paled as his large brown eyes caught mine. He spun around in his chair so fast that I thought he would fall over. I took my seat. I was only row behind him and two desks to his left, closer to the windows. This was a good spot, for I could watch him while still facing forward towards the black board.

The Sensei invited me to ask questions if he brought up something I didn't know yet. I informed him that I wouldn't have the problem. He chuckled hauntingly again before starting his lesson. He called on me to answer three times in a row, which wasn't a problem, since this school was behind Hideaki Academy, and much less detailed.

I stared at Sawada Tsunayoshi's back throughout the entire day. His shoulders were hunched, and his ears were tinted red, as if he knew I was watching him.

'Let him,' I thought stubbornly.

The bell rang and interrupted the teacher. The familiar emptiness and pangs of hunger informed me that it was already lunch time. It had caught me by surprise, but I guess my thoughts were pretty rapid today.

Sawada Tsunayoshi turned and peeked at me before whipping back to the front of the room. I thought I saw him shiver. Shrugging, I stretched my arms and yawned.

Fiona had sculpted onigiri for me to share with new friends (yeah, right). I chewed it slowly, recalling the hysterical time I had tried to make my own. Her were much better; mine weren't even edible.

Not unexpectedly, many of the students approached me. They were being polite to the new transfer student.

"Welcome to Namimori!"

"I hope you like it here!"

"How are you getting along so far?"

"Where did you use to go to school?"

I frowned at them, but I answered their questions to the best of my abilities. Keeping one eye on Sawada Tsunayoshi and having a conversation at the same time (with quite a few people) was very difficult. Some seemed to notice my lack of interest and scurried off, while most seemed oblivious (which was very unfortunate, for they had to learn what I really was like the hard way).

"Hideaki Academy!? Really?!" One girl gasped. I rolled my eyes, but nodded nonetheless.

"Is your family that wealthy?" Another nod from yours-truly.

"Why'd you come here, then? Hideaki Academy is one top-notch palace."

My eyes flicked to a newcomer; some apathetic girl with dark wavy hair and crossed arms. Her question had seemed... Less than polite. But what she had said was true; Hideaki was a much more prestigious and well-embellished school. Namimori, albeit somewhat new, seemed run down and wrecked compared to it. I knew someone would question my motivations for transferring, so I'd already had an answer ready.

"My mother's job," I stated simply. My gaze returned to Sawada Tsunayoshi, only to receive quite a shock. Two boys stood at his desk. My mom had said he was pretty much friendless.

The first new boy had spiked black hair and tanned skin. He was easily the tallest kid in the class; he was also easily the most attractive, with a strong chin and warm caramel eyes. The second had a slouching figure, and his hands were in his pockets. He also could have been the most attractive person in the class. He was glaringly foreign, with odd silver hair. Both had more than half the females in the class gazing dreamily at them.

My brow creased in confusion. Wimpy Sawada Tsunayoshi was hanging out with a sporty Adonis and a delinquent model? This school was stranger than I thought.

Sawada Tsunayoshi peeked at me again before squeaking and ducking his head. I watched him dig out his bento from his bag and stand up with the two boys, all the while glancing in my direction and covering his face. He scurried out of the classroom, causing me to curse inwardly. He must be planning on eating on the roof, since he had packed food and didn't need to go to the cafeteria. Unfortunately, I didn't know where that was, nor could I follow him since I'd already started to eat at my desk and was trapped in a conversation. Lunch would be the best time to observe him, too. Damn.

"Umm…" I interrupted two friendly girl who'd been explaining some very strict rules I'd absolutely have to follow. They politely allowed me to speak.

"Do you think we could yet on the roof? I'd prefer it." I felt nauseous at how sweet I sounded, but I needed their help. I was desperate.

"Really? But the weather's awful today!" One of them exclaimed. I sighed, since I had no argument. I guess I had time, so I didn't know why I'd been so nervous about spying on Sawada Tsunayoshi immediately. I was getting way too into this assignment for my liking.

"Your right. Tomorrow, then."

And we meet Tsuna! Plot, COMMENCE!
So? How was it? I realize it's time-consuming to critique something, but I would appreciate it!

Some things I need to mention:

The thing about Ritsuko being the boss of the D' Angelo will be explained in due time, so it's alright to feel confused about it.

This takes place between the episode Gokudera arrives and the one where Bianchi appears.

Ritsuko will be 'observing' for a while, so she won't be there for all of the shenanigans, but she will be caught up.

Reborn is there, she just hasn't meet him yet. That's coming up.

I still need help coming up with the pairing! (Still can't be with Yamamoto or Xanxus).

See you in chapter 2!