A/N: It's been a while since I've written fanfiction, especially for this fandom but this story's been bouncing around in my head for a few days so I decided why not. Of course, I don't own any of these characters, y'all know the drill.

This story does take place in NY and all the characters can speak English; it just makes things easier that way. Also this story is set some time in the future, during the summer break after Tsuna's first year at college so the characters are substantially older.

Enjoy!

New York, Tsuna decided, was not a city he could ever get used to.

It was large, for starters, far larger than his hometown and there were just way too many people and noises. Coming from a decent-sized city, Tsuna assumed he would be fine in the Big Apple, but so far he had been proven completely wrong. Namimori was nothing like New York, with its towering skyscrapers and throngs of people that always, always seemed to be in a hurry to get somewhere. It didn't help either that Tsuna was small, even by Japanese standards, and trying to avoid being trampled by hoards of people far larger than himself proved a daunting task.

The city however, wasn't all bad. You met some very interesting though rather eccentric people and Tsuna always appreciated any time he could spend with his close friends. It was summer vacation and, at Reborn's insistence, Tsuna had traveled abroad with his home tutor, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Kyoko and Haru. Tsuna had initially wanted to stay in Namimori and relax after his first year at college, but Reborn was having absolutely none of that.

"It's important to understand different cultures, Tsuna" Reborn had told him, "New York is the perfect place to start. As a mafia boss, you have to know what's appropriate and what isn't appropriate given your audience. New York is also one of the major markets for the Vongola; you're going to be spending a lot of time in that city so you may as well get acquainted with it."

"Wait what markets are you talking about" Tsuna had asked, eyeing Reborn with apprehension.

"You'll find out in time." Reborn had smirked, "New York will be an invaluable experience for you. Plus you need to work on your English; we can't have the head of the Vongola speaking English with an accent."

So on the last day of classes, Tsuna had been dragged to the airport, packed up on a private jet along with his friends and shipped off to New York. They had been in New York for about three days and those three days had been packed with Reborn's so-called lessons, of course giving the group no time to get over their jet lag. Some of the lessons had actually made sense this time, like the numerous cultural and historical explanations they had been given of the city or the fine dining etiquette lessons that had absolutely wrecked Tsuna's nerves. Only Gokudera seemed at ease with etiquette; the rest of them had failed miserably, attracting scandalized glances and whispers from other customers at the restaurants that Reborn had selected.

Today was different though. Since the curse of the Arcobaleno had been broke, Reborn had been aging like a normal person and currently looked to be about fourteen or fifteen years old. Unfortunately, puberty was awkward for everyone, even if you were the world's greatest hitman and it was your second time around. Reborn, as it turned out, was not immune to some of the less-appealing side effects of puberty, including random growth spurts that seemed to happen every other month. As such, he was constantly buying new clothes, generally dragging Tsuna along on his shopping trips to "properly instruct him how to dress for the mafia". Reborn had mentioned that he was going to use their trip to New York as an opportunity to do some shopping, since the brands he preferred were apparently cheaper in the States and had left the hotel early that morning to do just that, finally giving Tsuna and his friends their first day off in their summer vacation.

"This really is something, isn't it Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked, slinging an arm around Tsuna in a friendly manner as they made their way down the crowded streets. They had plans to go visit some of the museums in the city that day, but were really in no particular hurry to get there.

"Tch." Gokudera glared at Yamamoto before Tsuna had a chance to answer, "What did I say about acting so familiar with the Tenth?"

"Ah-It's fine, Gokudera!" Tsuna quickly assured his friend, "Really I don't mind at all."

"If Tsuna says it's fine I don't see what the problem is" Haru interjected, "Really Gokudera you get so touchy about Tsuna."

"Of course I do!" Gokudera blustered, "It's you lot that are the problem. We have to be on our guard, especially now! We can't get all friendly and touchy when we're supposed to be paying attention and preventing any and all threats! Reborn isn't here so it's up to us as his guardians to make sure absolutely nothing happens. We're in the middle of a crowded city; this is the perfect place for someone to assassinate the Tenth!"

"Don't say something so terrible!" Kyoko cried, "I'm sure we'll be fine. Who would want to assassinate Tsuna anyways?"

"How would you like that list organized?" Gokudera shot back, "Alphabetically or in order of how badly they want the Tenth dead?"

"Hey, hey calm down." Yamamoto laughed, "I'm sure Kyoko's right and we have nothing to worry about. Plus it's not like Tsuna's taken over the family yet, right?"

"He's the only legitimate heir to the Vongola legacy at this point, it doesn't matter if he hasn't taken over yet!" Gokudera hissed back, "I can name twenty decent-sized families off the top of my head that would love to see Vongola without a successor, especially since the Ninth is so old."

"Gokudera we'll be fine." Tsuna reassured him, "Nobody in the mafia world, I mean other than those that we've had to deal with in the past, should know who I am. I've been pretty adamant about keeping the identity of Decimo quiet, and from what I understand the only thing most of the mafia world knows is that I'm Japanese. Plus you know those that know who I am will keep quiet. They may all be completely deranged psychopaths but they're, um, well, reliable in their own way."

"Also rumor has it you can fly!" Yamamoto piped up, grinning, "But you know, between all the flying Japanese, they'll never find you!"

"If I start zooming around New York, I have a feeling I'll attract a bit more than just mafia attention" Tsuna responded, laughing, "Though from what I've seen of New York in the movies, they're used to people flying around and destroying their city. Doesn't it happen in like every disaster movie ever made?"

"You can never be too careful, Tenth." Gokudera said, a small smile pulling up the corners of his mouth nonetheless, "But if that's how you feel…I'll still keep my guard up, mind you. Someone's got to do the job since none of these idiots will."

"Who are you calling an idiot!?" Haru cried, bristling.

Tsuna sighed, mentally tuning out the argument that quickly broke between Gokudera and Haru. He was long used to it by now and had realized some number of years ago that the fastest way to get those two to stop fighting was to simply let them go until they had run out of insults.

About eight years had passed since Tsuna had first met Reborn and been introduced into the terrifying world that was the mafia. Though he had, under the threatening tutelage of his so-called "home tutor", done work for the Vongola family, he still maintained that he had no intentions of taking over the business once the Ninth died.

"I don't care how much you change the title; Vongola Decimo, Vongola Neo Primo, it's all the same and I don't want it!" he had told Reborn one night as they were arranging contracts for the family (something to do with international arms agreements; Tsuna really hadn't wanted to read too deeply into them), "I'm going to go to college, get a nice, average job, one that does not involve bloodshed or violence of any sort, marry Kyoko, buy an average house, have one or two kids, retire, have grandkids, and die in my sleep. See? I already have my whole life planned out and it will be normal if I have anything to say about it!"

Of course the only constant in Tsuna's life since Reborn's arrival was that he didn't have a say in any major decisions of his life, so he couldn't say he was too surprised that it was at that moment that Gokudera had chosen to demonstrate some new explosives he had just bought, blowing up half of Tsuna's room and Tsuna's attempt to convince Reborn to allow him to just lead a normal, non-deadly life.

Despite his rather trigger-happy friend and insane home tutor though, Tsuna had managed to fulfill part of his dream. His grades had improved substantially throughout high school, largely due to Reborn's death-or-pass teaching methods, and he had even managed to pass the entrance exams for the local university, Namimori U. He was attending the school now, studying business and economics. While it was difficult at times, he had to admit it was rather interesting overall and even found himself actually enjoying some of his classes. To make things better, Yamamoto, Gokudera, and even Kyoko were all attending the same school, though they were studying different subjects.

With his excellent grades, family background, and high test scores, Gokudera had initially been accepted to a number of far more prestigious schools, both in Japan and abroad. However, upon realizing that attending another university would involve being separated from his beloved Tenth he had soundly rejected the offers, screaming something about how a right-hand man could never abandon his post for something as trivial as university. He was studying astronomy and while Tsuna knew he had probably the highest grades in the class, he also knew Gokudera's obsession of the subject had little to do with the science behind it and far more with the possibility of contact with the extraterrestrial.

Yamamoto was far more focused on his baseball career than school, really only attending college at the insistence of his father who maintained a strong mind was just as important as physical prowess in becoming a skilled swordsman. He was studying some sort of sports medicine, though it was rather clear he was not too focused on the subject, spending far more time in either the dojo or the baseball field than the library or classroom. Despite this lack of focus on school, he was still passing all his classes so Tsuna assumed he had managed to find a balance between school, baseball, and the sword. That or his guessing instinct was as sharp as ever, Tsuna really couldn't be one hundred percent sure which.

Kyoko, like Tsuna, had been accepted into Namimori University and was pursing her degree at her own accord. Though she had initially talked about her dreams of becoming a policewoman again, she had changed her mind and decided to aid the criminal justice system through the legal process by focusing on criminal law, much to Tsuna's discomfort.

"It's fine, isn't it?" she had asked him one night, "I mean you said you weren't taking over the Vongola right? So I don't have to worry about prosecuting you in the courtroom? And even if you do take over the Vongola, I'm sure you'll find a way to stay honest and legal."

"You're absolutely right!" he had laughed nervously in response, pointedly ignoring Reborn's stare, "I'm determined to become a law-abiding citizen!"

While Tsuna, Kyoko, Haru, and Yamamoto had managed to stay in the same school, most of their friends had scattered. They had managed to stay in touch though, calling each other a few times each month to make sure everything was fine. Lambo and Ipin were both attending Namimori Middle School and Fuuta was at Namimori High School. All three were still living at Tsuna's house, completely unwilling to leave "Mama", along with Bianchi who not only helped Tsuna's mother with the care of the three children but further instructed Lambo and Ipin in their training.

Haru had been accepted into one of the best universities in the nation and was studying to become a researcher in some sort of mathematics. (Tsuna really hadn't understood it when she tried explaining it to him, something to do with models and the spread of infectious diseases.) She still also running a small costume business on the side and Tsuna knew she hadn't yet given up on her dream of making it in the movie industry as a costume designer.

"New York will provide a valuable opportunity for me to see real costume designs up close!" she had exclaimed when she first heard about the trip, "Maybe I'll even have a chance to see the behind the scenes of a Broadway play and get more costume tips there! I am the future wife of a mafia boss, after all. Doesn't that mean I get some special treatment?"

Chrome, Mukuro and the rest of their little gang had gone abroad to somewhere in Europe. Last Tsuna checked, Chrome was focused on medicine and god knows what the rest of the group was doing. It was probably completely illegal and horribly violent either way, and Tsuna wanted absolutely no involvement in it whatsoever. He still made sure to call them up occasionally though, mainly to check that their diet consisted of more than chocolate snacks or chips. Though Mukuro was now with them, as well as that music girl, MM, Tsuna wasn't entirely sure that they were actually capable of feeding themselves properly and would, from time to time, try to send them a care package that contained food with actual nutrients.

"Oya, oya you really don't trust us do you?" Mukuro had asked Tsuna, during one particularly harried phone call that involved Tsuna trying to ignore the many screams that were coming from Mukuro's end, "I feel like I suddenly have an overly-concerned mother watching over me."

"Excuse you, Mukuro but did you see what your friends were eating while you were gone?" Tsuna had responded, wincing slightly as one particularly high-pitched scream nearly deafened him.

"Hm. Point taken."

Hibari, of course, remained a mystery and while Tsuna knew he still hung around and protected Namimori, rumor had it he had already established his dominance in the Public Security Intelligence Agency. Tsuna really didn't talk to Hibari, but he did stay in contact with Kusakabe, who maintained that Hibari hadn't changed one bit from the day they had first met.

"He said he's not interested in anything to do with the Vongola unless you've got a good fight for him", Kusakabe had explained when Tsuna extended the New York invitation to Hibari (again, at Reborn's insistence), "Plus he's…busy. I can't say with what but he is busy."

"Wait, so the rumors that he took over the PSIA are true then?" Tsuna had asked.

Kusakabe had hung up immediately after that question, confirming Tsuna's suspicions.

Ryohei had moved to America, leaving the country to fulfill his dreams of boxing in Madison Square. One of the quirks of visiting New York for their vacation was that they could finally see Ryohei box professionally. He had invited them to one of his first "extremely major" boxing matches as he had put it and the group was planning on attending it to see how Ryohei was coming along.

"I'm so excited to see brother again!" Kyoko exclaimed suddenly, "Though I really do wish he had pursued something a bit safer...but I guess anything else really isn't "extreme" enough for him."

Tsuna laughed and nodded. Ryohei's match was that evening and the group was planning on attending, then spending some much-needed catch up time with their friend. They had wanted to see him as soon as they had arrived in New York, but he had been too busy preparing for his tournament ("Blowing the Tenth off like that, what does he mean he's busy, he's a Guardian doesn't he know where his priorities lie!?" Gokudera had growled)

"The match is at nine, right?" Haru asked, "And Ryohei sent us directions. I printed them out so we should be okay. We'll spend the day at the museums, eat dinner, and then head over to the match?"

"Sounds good." Yamamoto said, smiling back, "But as for dinner suggestions can we pick somewhere that doesn't have fifty forks we have to distinguish from?"

"Bah you're just uncultured" Gokudera snorted.

"No I think Yamamoto's onto something" Tsuna quickly nodded, the memories of last night's dinner where he had not only managed to horribly insult the owners but also received a duel challenge from one of the patrons flashing in his mind, "Let's just eat somewhere casual tonight."

"Well if the Tenth says so." Gokudera said hesitantly, "I did research on which restaurants in New York were considered the best and divided them up based on type of food, price, and even what kind of attire is expected at each restaurant so we should be okay in selecting a worthy place to eat."

"Gokudera you really didn't have to go so far…" Tsuna muttered.

"It's for the Tenth's stomach, of course I did!" Gokudera said cheerfully, "Now how far are these museums again…?"

Shaking his head, Tsuna smiled at Gokudera and the group continued down the street in search of the museums.

A/N: So yea that's the first chapter. Sorry it's so slow but it's an intro chapter and I thought it'd be a good idea to just establish where everyone was. It'll pick up in the next few chapters!

And I may be wrong about this b/c I'm not familiar with Japanese intelligence agencies, but from my understanding the Public Security Intelligence Agency (I'm calling it PSIA for abbreviations sake) is the Japanese national intelligence agency. If I'm wrong please correct me; I'm really not sure about this one.

So yep that's that!