80AN: This is my first KHR fic. It's Semi-AU.
DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KATEKYO HITMAN REBORN. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED TO AKIRA AMANO AND ALL APPLICABLE OWNERS OF THE MANGA/ANIME.
OMNISCIENCE
Arc I: Childhood Days
Chapter 1: Lucky Bond
"For all the things my hands have held, the best by far is you." ~ Andrew McMahon
October 14, (Year Zero)
Namimori General Hospital
When midnight struck, the wails of a newborn child pierced the air. A handful of nurses took the baby away to wash off the excrement that coated its small body. Meanwhile, doctors and midwives fussed over a twenty-year-old brunette who breathed heavily as she continued to bleed.
A pair of dark, narrowed eyes watched the medical personnel as they attended to the baby. When the owner of those eyes saw and sensed, with his diluted Hyper Intuition, that there was no threat to his child, Sawada Iemitsu returned his full attention to the woman who laid on the medical bed. She gripped his hand tightly as another contraction hit her in order to dislodge the placenta.
Iemitsu resisted the urge to pull away his cramped hand. Idly, he wondered how the Ninth could have possibly gone through this ordeal thrice.
When his beautiful wife, Nana, finally relaxed and caught her breath, he discreetly removed his hand and stretched his fingers, a grimace on his face. From his peripheral vision, he saw the doctor frown then turned to speak to a midwife. The man gestured towards the placenta on a surgical tray and then towards Nana, an action that caused worry to spike in Iemitsu's heart.
The doctor noticed the apprehension on the man's face and smiled reassuringly. "Iemitsu-san, we're going to need to take a few visual documentations of Nana-san's vaginal opening, hymen, and uterine wall. We've spotted some issues with the delivery but we aren't sure yet, so further examination is necessary."
As odd as it was to hear a man ask permission to take pictures of your wife's vagina, Iemitsu knew that the doctor was a professional and only had his patients' best interests at heart (unlike that damn Shamal). With his free hand, he removed the surgical mask that covered half his face and glanced at his wife. Nana gave him a barely perceptible nod and Iemitsu returned his gaze to the doctor. "Do what you need to do, sensei."
When the medical personnel moved to do their respective tasks, Iemitsu turned to his wife once more, a bright grin stretched across his face. He understood that even though she gave her consent, she was still uncomfortable with the situation.
"You did it, Nana," he whispered reverently. "You did it. You gave birth to our first child."
Nana hummed weakly in reply. Her eyelids closed in exhaustion and her long brown hair splayed over her pillow in disarray. Her flushed face showed just how much effort she had exerted during the delivery. "I… didn't think it would be… so difficult," she took a deep breath as she opened her eyes. "I'm… so happy… you're here, anata."
Iemitsu's grin skilfully hid the guilt he felt. He gently kissed his wife.
The truth was that he almost could not make it. He and the Ninth, after the latter had checked up on Vongola's Japanese branch stationed in Tokyo, were to leave for Italy yesterday. Just as their private jet was to take off, Iemitsu received a call that announced that Nana had gone into labour. For five whole minutes, he sat there in shock, torn between his desire to be there for his wife and soon-to-be-born child, and his duty as the boss of CEDEF. He barely managed to stutter out an explanation to the Ninth's concerned inquiry when the old man kicked him out of the jet and ordered him to stay with his family until further notice.
He was shocked for a moment when the jet left him in the dust—quite literally—that it took a while for him to finally high tail out of there. He managed to stop a car owned by the Vongola before it left and requested (bribed) the driver to give it to him. Then he drove as if the devil were after him. He only paid the traffic laws the minimal amount of attention necessary so the police would not give chase.
(Reborn would never let him live it down if the police caught him of all people.)
Somehow, he managed to get to Namimori a few hours before midnight, and now here they were.
"What should we name him?" Nana softly asked as her fair complexion steadily returned.
"Whatever you want," Iemitsu immediately replied. He tried not to think about how he was not there for the majority of Nana's pregnancy or how they were supposed to think of names for their son or daughter together. "I'm sure it'll be wonderful. You thought of it, after all."
Nana's cheeks heated up as she let out a breathless giggle. Her husband always said the most romantic things. However, before she could reply, a tired yet cheery voice called out to the young couple.
"Congratulations, Nana-san, Iemitsu-san. You have a very healthy baby boy. Well, he's a little on the small side, but it's nothing to be worried about."
The two were struck speechless with the realisation that they were about to receive their child. They did not notice when the doctor and midwives finished their business and filed out. They did not notice the frown on the doctor's face as he spoke with a nurse.
Their attention was completely riveted on the midwife that carefully walked towards them, a tiny blue bundle in her arms.
Nana attempted to sit up and managed to do so with the help of her husband. Both waited anxiously the closer the midwife got. She smiled at them softly as she handed the child to his mother. "You have a very cute son, Nana-san. Very well behaved too, for a newborn. He cried a bit while we were cleaning him but calmed down soon enough."
Iemitsu and Nana only half-listened to the woman, their thoughts occupied by the baby nestled in his mother's arms where he continued to sleep peacefully; tiny breaths of air escaped his button nose every second or so. The baby had a wrinkled forehead, chubby cheeks, and tiny clenched fists tucked under his chin. A tuft of smooth, light brown hair rested upon the crown of his head. Everything about him looked sleep-rumpled and soft.
Iemitsu raised a hand that subtly shook and lightly touched one of the baby's fists, amazed at how small it was when compared with his finger. He tilted his head towards his wife and smiled as she cooed at the baby.
"He looks like you," he teased her.
She blushed. "D-Don't be silly, anata. I think he looks a lot like you."
"No way! Look, he's got your hair!"
"Yes, but–"
Nana's breath caught in her throat when she felt their baby shift. Both parents simultaneously looked at their son just in time to see his eyes open. They were unbelievably wide, their size emphasised every time he blinked sleepily, and were a deep hazel colour. His dark lashes framed them adorably.
Iemitsu always thought that Nana's eyes entranced him to no end. He now wholeheartedly believed his son's eyes would be the death of him.
The blond managed to speak first. "See, he even has your eyes," he whispered, and he felt somewhat foolish at the thought that if he spoke any louder the moment would be broken.
Nana nodded absentmindedly, captured by her son's sleepy gaze. "Un, I guess, but… darling, I think his eye colour came from your side of the family," she replied with an ecstatic smile.
Iemitsu returned the gesture, pleased. Though he adored Nana's wide, brown eyes, the fact that their son had the shape of his mother's eyes and his father's eye colour made him feel proud beyond words.
He promised to protect the innocence that shone in those eyes for as long as he could.
A gurgle of happiness broke the silence that had descended upon them. The baby's eyes flickered back and forth between the man and the woman, as though he could already see them. His chubby cheeks lifted into a semblance of a smile as he displayed red, toothless gums. He raised his small fists and moved them stiffly. Both parents gave each other radiant smiles then proceeded to hold one fist each.
In their happiness, they did not notice the grave look their doctor wore as he watched them from outside the room. The midwife who brought in the baby sent him a worried look to which he merely shrugged. He sighed in resignation then steeled himself, opened the door, and entered the room.
"Iemitsu-san, Nana-san, I need to speak to you about something. It's about the results of your delivery."
It was always terrible to be the bearer of bad news, especially on such a joyous occasion. As the doctor saw the happiness seep out of the young couple, as he watched the woman clutch her baby to her chest and suppress her tears, and as the man before him took on a devastated expression…
He felt like the worst scum on earth.
"I… see. That's very unfortunate…"
'I know it is,' Iemitsu could not help but think bitterly, but he pushed the emotion away when his mind registered his boss' genuinely regretful tone. "Yeah, the doctor said the delivery ruptured her birth canal and… yeah. He said that if she got pregnant again and had to go through the same thing she… might not make it next time. She lost more blood than she should have as it is, apparently," he sighed into his phone then looked up and down the hallway he stood in. Though he spoke in Italian, a language virtually no Namimori native knew how to speak, one could never be too sure in his line of work.
"Iemitsu…"
He forced out a laugh. "Well, it's not like Nana and I didn't expect something like this to happen! I mean, whenever we—or just Nana, really—went to a doctor's appointment, they always said that her body wasn't… compatible… with the baby..."
Timoteo allowed time for his Outside Advisor to regain his composure. His next words were careful and his tone calculated, akin to the voice one used when one had to approach an injured animal. "… What do you plan to do now?"
Iemitsu frowned. His Intuition's warning bells made his gut twist into uncomfortable knots. "What do you mean, Nono?"
"Our agreement—"
"Apologies for speaking out of turn, sir, but our agreement states that my first-born would come back with me to Italy and be trained to become the next Boss of CEDEF when he or she was old enough," he interceded in a clipped tone. "Any child I have with Nana afterwards would be left with her and out of the Mafia." He took a deep breath and rubbed his face in agitation. "With all due respect, Nono… I don't think that's possible anymore. And you know I can't leave Nana alone. He's her son too! I can't… I can't take that away from her…" His eyes shone with pain.
The Ninth sighed. He understood his Outside Adviser's dilemma, however—"What do you propose we do, then? You do not wish to involve Nana any more than necessary, so bringing her here to Italy with your son is not an option," he stated logically. "However, that does not change the fact that we need a successor for your position."
"I know, okay, I know," Iemitsu replied in frustration. He closed his eyes in thought and wracked his brain for the best possible solution. He understood that not all of them could come out of this situation happy but at the very least, most of them would. He opened his eyes and his face took on a tentative and resigned look. "How about this: I'll come back to Italy and look through the CEDEF recruits. I'll take one of them on as a student and—"
"Iemitsu," the Ninth interrupted softly. "If you do that, you will not have enough time for your family. Your son…" He trailed off.
"… I know," he said sombrely. He rubbed his face again. "Listen, Nono, I'll settle the rest of the details with you later. Nana… Nana needs me right now. I didn't exactly leave her in the best condition…"
"Of course, I understand. I wish you the best, Iemitsu, and… for what it's worth… I'm sorry."
Iemitsu did not respond to the empty platitude and merely hung up. He knew, especially being a Mafioso, that an apology could not bring back what was lost. Even an apology from someone as great as Timoteo di Vongola was worth nothing at this point.
Nana wiped away her tears. She attempted to hum to her son as she held him in her arms. If she were not so depressed, she would have smiled at how she held the child, as if he were her life jacket, the only thing that kept her afloat.
After they received the news, a few nurses assisted with her clean up before they moved her to a nicer room they had reserved for her. She had, at her doctor's suggestion, breastfed her son and burped him. The baby had just fallen back into a peaceful slumber when her husband entered the new room.
She gave him a watery smile, thankful that it did not take too long for him to collect himself before he came back for her, as he pulled up a chair to sit next to her bed. She mentally noted how tense and weary he looked even though his grin was as wide as ever. Nana then kissed his cheek, pleased by how he marginally relaxed and how his grin turned a little more genuine. Her husband was so silly sometimes what with the way he tried to hide his pain from her. Although she loved him for that. It always seemed as if he would carry the weight of the world if only to protect her and keep her happy.
"Nana…" Iemitsu started softly. "I got in touch with my boss a while ago and…" He hesitated and struggled with the best way to phrase his next words. He sighed in aggravation. "… Something came up in work," he finally said and his smile turned strained. "I might need to go back soon."
Nana blinked. "Oh…" Her smile faltered and the warmth in her gaze subdued. "That's… oh. Well, I… I'm happy you got to see our child, at least. When are you coming back?"
He hesitated again. "Dear, you see… things are getting a lot more hectic back at work. I might not… get to come home for… long periods of time," he finished lamely.
His wife looked at him, her eyes filled with mixed emotions. He suppressed a shiver, uncomfortable with the look she bestowed upon him.
Nana did not know what to feel. Anger? Sadness? Apathy?
Pain?
Then she took in her husband's tired visage beneath all his bravado. She gazed into his eyes, saw his veiled guilt, and found that all she felt was resignation. She was not the only one hurt by their situation. She could not afford to be the selfish one. He never offered information about his job and she never asked. For a while now, she has had the impression that he was involved in something dangerous with how secretive he was about it… but she never confronted him because she was (is) scared of things changing.
These thoughts had always been the ones she turned to whenever her husband's job inevitably strained their relationship. However, this was not just about her anymore.
She looked at their baby. Their small, fragile son would only have one parent and she was not even certain of her capabilities as a mother, let alone as a single parent. She did not believe she was strong enough to handle it.
The smile Nana gave Iemitsu was small and tight, though it was neither bitter nor happy. "What about…"
Iemitsu slowly moved to sit on her bed so he could hold her and their child close to him. "When we got married," he murmured and his serious gaze halted whatever his wife was about to say, "I promised you I'd keep you safe no matter what… and I'm going to do that and more. I'll keep our family safe. Just… I just want you to know that… this is me, keeping that promise. Please understand."
She melted into her husband's embrace. A few tears leaked from her eyes and then they ceased. "Then, can you promise to come and visit whenever you can? He… He needs his father…"
"Of course!" He replied immediately, greatly relieved that this talk had gone smoother than he imagined. "If I couldn't do at least that, then I couldn't call myself a man, right?"
She laughed lightly at that, a soft bell-like sound that Iemitsu loved. The family of three snuggled together even more. All was quiet; the only sounds heard were their nearly silent breaths and a toddler's cute noises as they enveloped him in blankets and warmth.
"It's early morning," Iemitsu murmured.
"Mm-hm."
"… Can I hold him?"
Nana blinked. She shifted a bit before she looked up at her husband with a smile. "I thought you'd never ask." She held out the bundle in her arms to him. "Be careful with his head. You have to hold it up because he can't do it on his own yet."
Iemitsu could not suppress his grin as he accepted their son and did as told. He always knew his wife would make a great mother.
Nana watched as the man she loved cradled their little gift. For all his flaws, her husband was overly protective of his family and loved them with all of himself. She never thought she could love him any more than she already did but as she watched him now, awed at the fact that he was a father while he claimed that she would be the best mother in the world…
Love did not sound strong enough to describe what she felt anymore. For the first time in a long time, she felt happy, content even… and she had their child to thank for that.
She smiled lightly at the thought. She was happier to have him now, especially since Iemitsu would be away from home even longer than before. She did not like being alone.
She found it sweet, really. Their child was like the perfect blend between her and her husband. She could see, even at this point, how his hair was a shade lighter than her own was, and she knew his eyes would always remind her of her husband's when she grew forlorn for him. Not to mention that there was enough of her in his features to make her happy at any given time. It was as if he represented their bond, that even though Iemitsu was miles away she had a piece of their love with her always.
'Bond…' She thought about it and then said aloud, "Ne, anata. Do you think we can name him… Tsunayoshi?"
Iemitsu blinked. "Tsunayoshi?" He asked as he tested it out. "Why that, Nana? Err… not that I don't like it!" He added hastily. "I just want to know why?"
"Oh! It's just that I was looking through your family tree one day and I noticed that it's sort of a tradition to name the children after Tokugawa Shoguns," Nana replied airily. "I just wanted to continue it since it looked nice, and I've grown to adore the name 'Tsunayoshi'."
"Well… if that's the case then I don't see why not!" He proclaimed. He felt embarrassed of how highly his wife thought of his side of the family to honour them. "Sawada Tsunayoshi. Ohh, it even has a nice ring to it! Great job, honey!"
Nana smiled lightly in response. The reason she gave was only part of why she wanted to name their child that. She did not want to state her other reason out of slight embarrassment and because she knew that if Iemitsu found out, he would feel even more guilty and troubled, and she did not want that. It would just distract him from his work.
She reached out and brushed her fingertips against Tsunayoshi's hair. Her eyes and smile were warm and filled with love. It was a good name, she mused.
"He can be 'Tsuna', for short, since the name's a mouthful," the young mother said with a tone of finalisation. "Or Tsu-kun," she added thoughtfully.
Her husband grinned at the adorable nickname for their adorable son and nodded eagerly, words inadequate to express how much he loved this moment and how much he wished it would last forever.
Their "lucky bond".
'We love you, Tsu-kun.'
January 8, (Year One)
Sawada Household
Nana woke to the cries of her three-month-old child on a cold, empty bed. She rubbed her eyes as she sat up then stood to make her way to a white crib. Tsu-kun, oddly enough, rarely ever cried and usually slept through the night. She grew concerned about this and brought her child to a professional but the doctor claimed that her baby was perfectly healthy. The paediatrician instead advised the young mother to be grateful to have a well-behaved child as not all parents got to have such peaceful nights.
Parents. Nana entertained the idea that Tsu-kun behaved so well because he knew how difficult this was for her without Iemitsu. The sentiment warmed her heart. After all, Tsu-kun had not been this silent the first week after he was born. The restful nights only began after his father left for work.
Though that did not mean her child was silent all the time. Tonight, it seemed, was one of his sleepless nights.
She leaned into the crib, picked up her baby, and cradled him to her chest. His fidgets gradually slowed and his sniffles became few and far in between, but the tears that ran down his cheeks persisted. She felt a pang in her heart. Tears did not suit her child, the woman decided. She rocked him in her arms and hummed as she walked around the room. She inspected the lion beanie on his head, the one her husband bought to keep him warm, and saw it was still secure. She inspected the mittens on his hands and feet and saw the same thing. She reluctantly sniffed his diaper and breathed a sigh of relief when she smelled that it did not need to be changed and she knew he was not hungry since he ate a lot before bed. She felt stumped.
Then Tsu-kun's tears ceased as his eyes widened and Nana stopped in her tracks. The moonlight from the window bathed the both of them in a gentle luminescence, her son evidently entranced by the sight. Nana wiped away the tear tracks from his soft, chubby cheeks. The baby moved his head and gurgled in protest, but did nothing more when she stopped her ministrations. She cooed at the sound and wondered why the moonlight had calmed him. She looked around and caught sight of her child's crib surrounded by shadows.
"Oh Tsu-kun," Nana sighed, now with a good idea as to what scared the baby. She turned herself so that the both of them could look out the window and into the night sky. Stars twinkled brightly in the distance and the child made a happy sound as he raised his mitten-covered fists to reach for the sky.
"You shouldn't be so afraid of the dark, Tsu-kun," she admonished him gently. The infant tilted his head. His mother giggled and kissed his forehead as he yawned sleepily.
Nana smiled warmly. "Did you know? Stars shine the brightest in the dark."
Nana knew what the neighbours thought of her, both the good and the bad.
She may live in Namimori but she was not born or raised here. She thinks Iemitsu was because he seemed attached to the town and almost everyone knew him.
She held nothing against the townspeople as they had given her a warm welcome when she arrived with Iemitsu and he announced that they were married. The people were very kind.
That did not change the fact that she knew almost everyone pitied her.
She can understand them to an extent. She knew the whispers of 'absent father', 'single parent', 'housewife', 'trophy wife', already said much of what they thought of her situation. What she could not understand was why some scorned her and that was something she did not wish to understand. She preferred to resign herself to blissful ignorance. She was not blind; it was simply easier to ignore the opinions of others if she pretended obliviousness.
It was not her fault she had the chance to marry Iemitsu. She feels lucky to have met the sweet, understanding man at all. She knew that, although many of the women she met were kind, many still envied her luck. She wondered why they would not just move on and see that there were many other people out there willing to make them happy. As great as her husband was, he was still only one man among billions.
Even if what you receive is not what you wanted, it did not mean you could not be content or even happy with what life has dealt you. She would make sure to teach that to her son.
January 25
Nana blinked when she heard the doorbell ring. She set aside the blocks she held and smiled fondly when her child crawled to the toys eagerly. She dusted off her grey lounge pants as she stood up and made her way to the door. When she opened it, she found herself faced with a medium-sized cardboard box and a deliveryman who struggled with its contents. He had a clipboard precariously balanced on top of the box and, when he met her eyes, he offered her a professional smile.
"Are you Sawada Nana-san?"
"Yes…?"
"Package from Sawada Iemitsu, miss. If you would just sign here," he gestured with his chin to the clipboard, "to show you've received the package. All other expenses are paid for."
Nana did as requested and directed the man to leave the box on her living room floor. He did so in front of the curious yet shy gaze of a baby.
Minutes later, the deliveryman was gone and Nana sat cross-legged on the floor. Her son squirmed in her lap as he reached for the cardboard box in front of them. She decided she was being hesitant for no reason at all and placed her son to the side so he could entertain himself with the toys scattered throughout the room. She then proceeded to pry open the box with her fingers. When she opened it, she let out a breathless gasp.
Her husband had filled the box to the brim with numerous kitchenware that ranged from non-stick pots and pans to an entire wooden block of assorted knives. The majority of the utensils were made of hard stainless steel while others were made of darkly coloured and thick plastic. Piled together at the sides were various cookbooks that looked to contain recipes from all sorts of cultures. The sight of it all pleasantly surprised her. She spoke to Iemitsu once about her need for new kitchenware and mentioned a desire to learn new recipes as an afterthought. It had slipped her mind the past months and she smiled widely at the realisation that he remembered.
As the last thought struck her mind, her eye caught a small piece of paper, folded in two, on top of all the gifts. She eagerly snatched up the paper and opened it and she beamed as she read the simple note written by her love.
Happy Anniversary Nana. Tell our little Tuna-fishy Papa says 'Hi.'
Nana hugged the letter to her chest. She blushed prettily and softly sighed. She did not know where the "Tuna-fishy" came from but it was cute and the entire package was just proof that her husband had not forgotten them. She gently placed the letter on the floor and looked around the room before she leaned towards Tsu-kun and grabbed him by his armpits. She settled him back on her lap and her dainty hands gently held his arms as they flailed about.
"Tsu-kun," she murmured, "Papa says 'Hi'."
Tsuna turned his head to look up at her with the eyes he shared with his father. His mouth stretched as he mimicked a smile, red gums displayed proudly, and gurgled. Nana gave him a tolerant smile when saliva inevitably dribbled down his chin.
March 31
Nana had a terribly stressful day. It started with a son that wailed at an ungodly hour in the morning and then refused to return to slumber. Then she had to feed the both of them when the sun came up and ready herself. Then she had to go to the town bank to settle her joint account with Iemitsu since so many anonymous donations came in (though not exactly anonymous, as she was reasonably certain it was her husband being secretive, as usual). Then she and Tsu-kun had lunch out before they set off once more to go grocery shopping. (It was long due anyways, Tsu-kun went through his diapers much too quickly.)
While at the market, she bumped into a pair of her husband's high school friends. She would have accepted the invitation for tea but realised that Tsu-kun was not comfortable with strangers yet, as the child was too quiet during their conversation, so she declined. A pity, but she promised to come over when Tsu-kun was older and less shy. They also had a son around Tsuna's age, a fact that made Nana ecstatic. Sadly, they had left the child at home with a babysitter.
The Yamamoto couple were such nice people. Nana wondered if she and Iemitsu could have been like them, if he were around more often, or if the Yamamoto's son was anything like Tsu-kun.
She returned home and went through the rest of her day deep in thought. She managed to breastfeed her son with the same absentmindedness until his mouth clamped around her nipple. The pain jolted her away from her thoughts. She blinked in hurt confusion before she saw something white poke out of one of his gums. Her son was teething! That meant she would have to buy baby bottles soon.
Late at night, when Tsuna was peacefully asleep, Nana tiredly laid in bed and ran through her day in her head. She was surprised to realise that today was, in fact… her birthday. She had been so busy that she never noticed or bothered to think about the date…
Nana buried herself into the covers of the bed she was supposed to share with a husband who was not there. She suppressed her grief as it tried to fill her heart and reminded herself that being a single parent was supposed to be lonely and difficult. Though she felt grateful for her husband's monetary assistance, it did not stop the bitter taste of abandonment at the back of her throat, but she refused to feel resentment towards the man she loved.
She resolved to forget this ever happened. It was not as if a part of her did not expect it. Not after Valentine's Day.
June 15
She cooked Iemitsu's favourites today. After all, just because she had not heard from him in months, it did not mean that they should not celebrate his birthday.
It also did not hurt that Tsu-kun was being unreasonably adorable.
She held in a squeal as her son rolled to his stomach, then to his side, then to his back, then to his other side, then rolled all around the room as he followed her. She smiled widely as she took pictures and videos of him.
Tsu-kun looked at his feet as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. He brought them up to his face and tucked his arms beneath his legs to keep them there to make a very good impression of a fleshy, chubby ball. He then proceeded to roll around from side to side in the same position.
Nana could not hold her giggles back anymore; she was glad she managed to video the whole thing. Tsu-kun, when he heard her laugh, uncurled from his pose and sat up with a toothy grin. He raised his flabby arms and the squeal he made somehow managed to sound bossy.
The young mother smiled as she walked to her son. The toddler could not speak yet, but she knew he wanted her to carry him, and she was only happy to oblige.
October 14
Blank chocolate eyes stared uncomprehendingly at a rice cooker as the water inside boiled. Nana did not want to think about it but it has been one year and she had not heard from her husband at all. Not since the Anniversary present in January. She feared the worst. Did he lose his job and pushed himself into a drunken stupor to try to forget everything? Did someone mug him as he walked down an alley at night? Did someone kidnap him because of something he did? Maybe his job was truly more dangerous than she initially thought and he was actually dead. He was a very secretive man so she would be surprised if anyone knew he even had a family in the first place. Maybe no one bothered to inform her of his death and maybe she was actually a widow now…
'Or maybe…' Tears prickled her eyes. 'Maybe he found another woman…'
"… Mama," an unfamiliar voice whined. The voice was small, as if the owner of it had spoken the word for the first time, and timid, as though they were not aware of what it meant. It was the high-pitched voice of someone whose vocal chords were still underdeveloped.
Nana recognised it as the voice of her son.
She turned around in shock at the boy who innocently sat in his high chair. When he saw that he had caught his mother's attention with that one word, Tsuna happily clapped his hands together. In a fit of giggles, he called out cheerily, "Mama! Mama!"
Nana felt her eyes tear up for an entirely different reason as her hand involuntarily raised to her mouth. She walked as fast as she could to her child and picked him up before she settled him in her arms. "Oh, my…" She murmured in surprise and her voice cracked. "Your first word… Your first word–!"
"Mama!"
Nana laughed out of pure joy for the first time in what felt like forever.
December 25
Sawada Nana, the mother of one very adorable son, barely blinked when Christmas rolled around and there was still no word from her husband. Money still came in, the amount in their shared account increased every time she checked the bank. That most likely meant he was still alive and okay and that was enough for her. It had to be enough. She herself simply needed to believe in him. She has already seen so many families in both real life and TV break up because they did not trust each other enough. She did not want that to happen to her small family of three. Therefore, she chose to place her faith in her husband.
For now, Tsu-kun was more than enough for her. Just the two of them was enough. For now.
"To love somebody is not just a strong feeling—it's a decision, it's a judgement, it's a promise." ~ Bell Hooks
AN: This Arc is going to be long since I have to set the stage for the future Arcs. This fiction is about how I think KHR could have gone if there were more character/relationship developments simply because Tsuna was as "intuitive" as he was portrayed in canon. I already have a plan for how this Arc will go, and if some things aren't canon then I claim creative license. I'm seething a bit since I believe Nono sealing his flames contributed to Tsuna's stunted mental development. After all, Flames are made of "resolve" and sealing Tsuna's Flames probably sealed away any chance he could have to be "resolved" to do much effort in anything.
At least, that's how I see it.
- Dalagang Sora