I honestly believe that Nana needs more love. I think she's such a great, loving character. I honestly don't believe she's as oblivious to the mafia thing as everyone thinks she is, and I also believe that she actually believes in her son a lot.
Maybe I'm just stupid and uses the word believe too much. But whatever, ending mini rant.
I realized a lot of other fics have been written on the same topic. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE.*w*

Turning on the faucet, Nana hummed a song she had heard earlier on the radio. She placed the dirty lunch dishes into the sink before dowsing some blue dish soap into the running stream of water, effectively causing a large mass of bubbles to form.

Deciding to let the dishes soak a bit, she left the kitchen and examined the house. The trash had been taken out, the carpets had been vacuumed, I-Pin and Lambo were outside playing… All that was left was Tsuna's room. Sighing to herself, she walked up the stairs and opened the teen's door.

As expected, it was a filthy mess. Books, papers, and random articles of clothing tossed about, his bed unmade and some leftover dishes teetering precariously on the edge of his desk. She opened the window to let air flow through before picking up the dishes, scowling at her son's filth. Old habits die hard. Making her way to the door, something caught her attention. Turning towards the slightly ajar closet, she squinted slightly, before setting the pile of dishes down and heading towards the object that had caught her attention.

Pushing the door open further, she sighed again. In a haste, her son had obviously forgotten to successfully hide or throw away the ragged and bloody shirt. A weak smile played on her lips at she grasped the material and examined it. It was once a faded orange t-shirt, with a white circle and an orange 27 on the back. Now, it had many holes and rips, some burnt slightly around the edges. Dried blood dotted the shirt.

She really hated lying to her son, but really, it was for his own good. He didn't need to be worrying about his mother at times likes this, when he should be out fighting. Then again, she reasoned, it wasn't like he ever actually asked if she was aware of what he did. She did a pretty good job of acting.

Like when he had randomly appeared after the earthquake a few weeks ago. She had automatically tensed up, on red alert of the sudden noise. However, sensing her son near, she forced herself to relax and put an oblivious face on, asking him why he was there and not in his room, if he was hurt, etc. She also asked him where he got his bandages from, and he had lied automatically, even when she noticed his new rings. He, as always, said it was nothing. And she simply smiled and accepted it.

It really killed her to not grill him right on the spot. To ask him if he was hurt, if he needed help, what had happened to him. She would probably never know. Maybe, in the far future, but he would try to keep it from her as long as possible. It went against every motherly instinct she possessed, but she knew that involving herself in Tsuna's world would just complicate things for him. The less people he had to worry about, the better.

Her frown deepened as yesterday filtered back into her brain. Iemitsu had come home, but Tsuna had not, instead calling her and spontaneously deciding to stay over at Yamamoto's. She remembered asking Iemitsu about his day, and out of the corner of her eye, watched his smile falter. It was a split second change, before it shifted back to its usual full grin. But she had seen the slip up, and it didn't take long for her to connect the dots. Whatever they were doing, it had caused some sort of serious disturbance between the son and father. It wasn't like Tsuna adored his father in the first place, but when it affected her husband, who loved his son with all of his heart…

In between Tsuna and Iemitsu, Nana would choose Tsuna in a heartbeat.

A clatter shook her out of her thoughts, and Nana turned towards the noise. The tower of plates and bowls had toppled over, one plate breaking. Throwing the t-shirt over her shoulder, she quickly cleaned up the mess, balancing the dishes once again as she headed downstairs. The mother set the dishes in the bubbly sink before putting the shirt in a spare grocery bag and throwing it in the garbage, safe from prying eyes. Her smile lifted across her face again, and she heard the back door open, followed by a "Lambo!"

She watched the two children run past the kitchen and around the table, I-Pin running after Lambo.

"Ahaha! No one can catch the great Lambo-san!"

Turning back to the dishes, she took the sponge and began to wipe the food remnants away.

~*Later*~

"Mom?" Tsuna called, peering into the door.

"Hello, Tsuna." She greeted, grinning at her son as she carried a sleeping Lambo.

"Is, uh, is dad here?" Tsuna asked, looking around the house as if the older man would just randomly pop up out of nowhere.

"No, Tsuna, he hasn't been home all day." She answered. The boy visibly relaxed, before practically sprinting up the stairs.

"I'm going to stay at Yamamoto's again if that's ok!" Tsuna explained as he made his way up. "I just need some things!"

She nodded, though he had already disappeared. Her gaze shifted over to the baby standing in the door way. They stood silently for a moment, a look of understanding passing between them.

"You'll protect him, won't you?" She asked, folding the now dry laundry into neat stacks.

Reborn smirked slightly. The women was just as perceptive as he knew she was.

"Of course."

She smiled faintly at the suit wearing child, and he returned it. Steps resounded from the stairs again, and Tsuna gave his mom a wave before heading out the door, Reborn following.

Nana closed her eyes for a moment, letting air out through her nose. She had, of course, noticed the new scratch down Tsuna's arm, the bruise on his cheek. But she wouldn't ask. Maybe one day, she would know everything, and she could stop hiding herself from Tsuna, but for now, she was content.

Review?~
For anyone confused - the italics were a quick memory... thing...
Also, if you'd like to suggest ideas/plots/prompts, feel free to! :D I'm really bored and plot bunnies are slipping between my fingers. =_="