I've had the first chapter of this written for over a year but lost the motivation to work on the next chapter for a while. Since Reborn day is coming up I decided to post this as my contribution. Hopefully having this posted will give me the motivation to keep working on it, but I can only hope.
Edit: I was re-reading this chapter as I once again tried to write chapter two and corrected a few grammatical errors. Will chapter two be coming out soon? I honestly don't know. I've started and restarted chapter two a dozen times now, so your guess is as good as mine at this point. Sorry to get your hopes up.
La Palourde was the most expensive five-star restaurant in the Namimori area and attached to an equally expensive hotel. It catered mostly to well-to-do business men and the entire building was opulent and elegant in every line. It was also over-the-top; the entire back wall was just a large aquarium filled with tropical fish, a large gold and crystal chandelier hung in the center of the restaurant, and underneath it was a marble fountain. Large floor to ceiling windows let in the fading light of the sunset.
Tsuna felt extremely out of place, even in an expensive, three piece white suit that cost more than anything he owned all together. It would take most people two weeks of pay to afford anything on the menu, and there sat 'dame'-Tsuna in one of the throne-like chairs.
Not only was the atmosphere beyond him, but he was here on business, Vongola business, complete with a bodyguard in the form of Takeshi. The entire restaurant was rented out for the occasion, chefs and waiters and all, which seemed excessive to Tsuna but his advisor assured him it was completely necessary. Vongola had an image to uphold.
"We of the Shirozaki-gumi are pleased to do business with Vongola." The Yakuza, who sat across from Tsuna, had remained politely differential though their meeting but there was naked greed in his eyes. "Please don't hesitate to let us know if you need anything, bocchama."
It had been two hours since the start of the meeting and their meals had long since come and gone. Tsuna was tired and more than ready for it to be over.
"Thank you, Ogura-san," Tsuna replied and could only muster up a small smile. At this point, he knew that the respect shown was more towards who would back him up than anything he had done. That would change, and it would not be by him succeeding Nono. It would take more than Vongola's name to command respect; he would have to prove himself capable, strong, and resolute. (Though he hated to admit it, intimidation wouldn't go amiss either. After all, that was the purpose of holding their meeting in La Palourde- a reminder that Vongola was powerful even in Japan- though it had also sparked the greed in Ogura's eyes.)
"I will think on your offer," Tsuna added as polite dismissal.
Ogura stood from his seat and offered a bow. "I'll be leaving first, bocchama." With a gesture to his bodyguard, who stood a distance away with Takeshi, he turned and walked out of the restaurant.
Once they were out of sight, Tsuna allowed himself to sag forward and bury his face in his arms with a groan. With the Shirozaki-gumi willing to cooperate that meant all the Yakuza in the Namimori area were now allied with Vongola. It had taken months of meetings but it was finally over.
Familiar, bubbly laughter reached Tsuna and he pulled his head away from the table.
"That bad, huh?" Takeshi meandered his way through tables towards his boss, a grin on his face and Shigure Kintoki carried over his shoulder, and slapped his hand down on Tsuna's shoulder. "At least it's over now."
"For now," Tsuna agreed and offered his Rain Guardian a smile. Whenever it seemed that pessimism of his future would overwhelm him, Takeshi would say something to ease his mind.
Takeshi's hand gently squeezed Tsuna's shoulder before he released him, and reached up to tug the tie of his own suit loose. "At least it's those branch guys that will have to deal with them." As usual, his tone was glib as he passed the buck.
Tsuna allowed himself to relax more because that was truly a relief.
Now that the deals had been made, the Yakuza would pass on requests and information through Vongola's Japan branch in Kyoto before it reached Tsuna. The branch was responsible for covering up the chaos caused by the heir and his Guardians while they were in Japan, but the Head of the branch was also currently acting as an Advisor to said heir. She was responsible for preparing Tsuna for what was necessary for running a large organization, though it would be Nono would conclude that lesson when he graduated and moved to Italy.
As practice, Tsuna had been put to the task of claiming his hometown as territory and given various resources to do so. Any arguments he made against it were dismissed. After all, he had already called in favors to build the underground base to house Kyoya's 'Foundation,' which was the equivalent of announcing that Namimori would become a future base for Vongola.
Sometimes, he was glad that he had to deal with the branch less than he had before. Not that the Head was awful; she was a patient teacher and logical, but she wasn't what he was used to. She wasn't Reborn.
"Should I call the car around," Takeshi questioned and jerked his thumb over his shoulder.
"You take the car." Tsuna sat back up and rolled his own shoulders to release the tension in them. "The driver can take you straight back to camp before curfew."
As it was summer, the baseball team was having its usual summer training camp, and Tsuna felt guilty about calling his friend away for this meeting. There hadn't been much choice since only his Rain, Cloud, and Thunder Guardians were the only ones currently in Japan, and obviously Takeshi had been the best choice among the three. Patience had never been Kyoya's strong suit, and Lambo was still something of a loudmouthed brat that wouldn't understand the situation in full.
The carefree expression on Takeshi's face slipped to something more serious. "Are you sure, Tsuna?"
"I'm sure. It won't take too long for another car to be sent," he assured as he fiddled with his Boss ring, and smiled the smile he reserved for his friends and family. "Everything will be fine."
Takeshi hesitated for a bit longer- Hayato would probably murder him for even thinking of leaving their precious Boss- but nodded in the end. After all, they were still in Namimori which, more than being Vongola's, was Hibari Kyoya's city.
Most Mafiosi thought twice about doing anything to gain his ire.
"Alright, just remember to call me if you need anything," Takeshi reminded, slight tension around his eyes despite his smile. "Anything at all. I'll have my phone with me at all times."
"I will," Tsuna promised, his smile softening. "You don't need to worry about that so have fun, alright?"
Takeshi chuckled and his expression smoothed into a cheerful grin. "Sure, sure. I'll tell you about it when I get back in a few weeks." He nudged Tsuna playfully. "Don't have too much fun without me, okay?"
"No promises." Tsuna's smile turned wry; he had a feeling that things would be getting chaotic no matter what he did, but he kept that to himself. "Goodnight, Takeshi."
"Night, Tsuna." The teen pulled out his cell phone and flipped it open to press a few buttons. "I'll call for a car before I leave, so wait inside until they call for you, alright." He held the phone up to his ear, waved his free hand, and then made his way to the exit.
As Takeshi's voice faded, Tsuna straightened his suit jacket nervously and sat up straighter in his seat. It was only when the restaurant was completely silent that he looked pointedly at the seat in front of him.
"He's gone so you can come out now."
A ripple of air and the illusion peeled away in wisps of smoke to reveal a woman sitting opposite of the young Don-to-be. Her painted lips curled into a small, pleased smile. "It is nice to meet you, young Vongola," she murmured and dipped her head in respect.
Ingrained manners had Tsuna mirroring the gesture. "Uh, same here," he replied, a little nervous, but he didn't get the sense that she was there to attack him.
Not that she was harmless- even with her relaxed posture, something about her let him know that she was dangerous, a trained professional with nothing to hide. It reminded Tsuna of the various hitmen that he had met since his normal life had been turned upside down. She was dressed with class, her black dress expensive if plainly-cut, and her dark, wavy hair pinned back in an artful twist; she looked prepared for a meeting with the heir of the largest, most powerful Mafia Family… if not for the baby sling she wore across her chest.
A small head of dark, messy hair peeked from the top.
Tsuna stared.
The woman broke into a sudden peal of laughter, her eyes lit up with open amusement at whatever expression that had crossed the young Decimo's face.
'I just made a fool of myself,' Tsuna thought to himself and failed to keep a blush from covering his cheeks. There were just times where he could not keep his composure in the face of the weirdness of the Mafia- he was still far from desensitized even after all these years.
(Not that it was something most normal people could easily accept, he would protest.)
"I'm sorry," she giggled, reigning in her laughter. "I had hoped-" she stopped herself with a shake of her head. "I am relieved to see that I've made the right choice."
Her smile was more open and gone was the minute tension she had carried in her frame.
The baby squealed quietly and squirmed.
She softly shushed the babe, a hand coming up to rest on their back, and pinned Tsuna in place with her stare. "Young Vongola-"
Tsuna leaned forward slightly in his seat.
"- will you look after this child?"
"What?!" he spluttered in disbelief, voice tight and strangled, and blinked rapidly in alarm. He quickly reigned in his reaction and cleared his throat. "I mean, You're asking Vongola to take in your baby?"
"No," she said and shook her head. "I'm asking you, Sawada Tsunayoshi, for your help."
Tsuna frowned. "Me?" It was an odd distinction to make- he was the future of Vongola, whether he wanted to be or not- but he could tell it was important. She was asking for Tsuna, the teenage boy, and not the Mafia Don to be. "Why?"
"I think," she started with a smile, rising from her seat, "you'll understand once you see him." The woman walked the few steps to be at Tsuna's side, and, without preamble, pulled the child from the sling to set him in Tsuna's lap.
All his previous experience of holding the kids had Tsuna immediately supporting the baby, his arms curled behind the child's back before he could even think. As his mind was still scrambling to catch up, he blurted out the first thing he thought of when he finally got a good look at the baby.
"C-curly sideburns?!"
In his lap, the baby blinked up at him in surprise, their chubby face framed by said sideburns. With the large eyes, dark as the void and seemingly bottomless, and the messy dark hair, the baby was eerily familiar.
Reborn, Tsuna almost shouted, what happened to you? Because his tutor's cursed form was sitting right in his lap.
"They're quite charming, aren't they?" The woman's tone was breezy, relaxed, and she mimed the curl of the baby's hair next to her own face. "He gets them from his father."
Father…? A second look made it more obvious; the keen, feral intelligence of his tutor was missing from those eyes that blinked up at him in guileless curiosity. Also, Reborn's signature suit was missing and instead the child wore a yellow onesie with a cartoon dinosaur on the front.
It was not something Reborn, not even with his cosplay, would have been caught dead wearing.
Tsuna resisted the urge to sigh and mentally despaired over his life where things were so bizarre that he automatically assumed his tutor had been cursed again instead of believing he held Reborn's progeny. It shouldn't have been so hard to believe. He had seen the curse of the Arcobaleno broken with his own eyes- fought with everything he had to see it so and watched Reborn return to his adult form.
And, Reborn had been… not unattractive with a handsome face and fierce, piercing eyes. Not to mention his tutor had spoken of 'Mafia seduction' before, as if it was some skill he had mastered long ago. Really, Reborn having a kid shouldn't have seemed so out of this world.
(Yet sometimes it all seemed like a dream. Had it really happened, had Reborn truly been by his side? Or was it some fever dream Tsuna had conjured to keep him company when he found himself suddenly alone? Like a phantom, Reborn had disappeared shortly after the Representative Battle and left no trace that he had ever been there in the first place. If it wasn't for the scars and his friends and the way his life had been turned upside down, he might question if Reborn had ever existed.)
Tsuna swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Do you need me to contact Reborn?" Not that Reborn had left any way to contact him.
"No." The woman shook her head, her eyes faintly wistful. "That man is not why I am here."
Something about the look in her eyes was familiar to Tsuna, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Then why are you here?"
It was then that the baby decided to let it be known that he didn't like being held by a stranger. He whined low in his throat, squirming and kicking his little legs at Tsuna.
Under his breath Tsuna whispered "sorry mini-Reborn," and gently bounced the child on his knee, one hand cradling the infant's head.
The woman chuckled softly, obviously hearing Tsuna's whispered words. "His name is Renato." She folded her hands on the table and smiled at them both. "My name is Maria-
A fake name, Tsuna could tell.
"-and, as I said, I am here for you, Decimo." She- Maria for lack of anything else to call her- turned a thoughtful look at the baby. "I suppose I should start at the beginning."
Tsuna nodded, still bouncing Renato on his knee, and gave her the go ahead.
"I met Reborn when I was a young girl, still impressionable and," her lips quirked into a crooked smile, "I was very impressed. He outshone everyone he met and could charm the stars right out of the sky. Of course I fell."
It was difficult to reconcile her Reborn with the one Tsuna was familiar with, the imperious demon who demanded everything with a haughty tone and sharp words. The same man who quickly resorted to violence with a certain maniacal glee when people didn't just bow down to his whims. That Reborn? Then again, Reborn did have a certain charm, even while tearing Tsuna's life down around his ears. Not to mention his personality was incredibly hard to ignore.
"But, I was just a child, and he had no intentions other than to string me along and disappear without a word."
Tsuna winced. Yeah, that definitely sounded like Reborn.
Maria, however, smiled openly. "I am thankful that he did; without his shadow to chase, I would never have never realized my calling to be a freelance hitwoman." She shook her head lightly. "But, about a year and a half ago, Reborn and I reunited. I thought he had changed," she added, not quite able to keep some bitterness out of her expression, "but I guess neither of us has changed very much."
Sensitive to his mother's mood, Renato babbled out some baby-talk, turning his head towards his mother's voice, and squirmed again.
"You can see the result," Maria gestured to the baby, but the bitterness eased as she focused on Renato. "Reborn… has many enemies. Some have even approached me just for being somewhat close with that man." She shrugged, letting the teen come to his own conclusions.
Tsuna's eyes narrowed and he cradled Renato closer to his chest protectively. He may have only just met the infant, but already his heart burned with protective urges. Renato was not his tutor, but he would protect him just the same.
A pleased smile came across Maria's face. "I am truly glad that it is you I chose to come to. I cannot protect Renato, and," she murmured almost to herself, "I would not trust that man with a child."
Knowing what was coming, Tsuna straightened in his seat.
"Please," Maria bowed her head deeply, sincerely, "please take this child and protect him, young Vongola."
Tsuna nodded without hesitation. It was hardly a question that he would, even if he wasn't 'the most unable to refuse a request.' But-
"I could protect you, too," Tsuna stated firmly, his eyes alight with the glow of his Dying Will.
Maria, for an instant, looked startled, as if he had said or done something completely unexpected, but then she hid it with a smile. "No." She echoed the firmness in Tsuna's voice, but smiled all the same. "I am a killer for hire- I belong in the dark underworld, not in the warmth of a family."
He listened without interrupting, but her words brought a pinched look to Tsuna's face. Clearly, he did not agree.
Some of his most precious people had been hitmen, were still hitmen, and he couldn't imagine believing them somehow undeserving of a family and happiness. No one would convince him that they didn't belong in his family, that they did not deserve his affection or kindness, not even them.
In his mind's eye, he could picture Reborn, alone and cloaked by shadows. (How often had he hovered at the edge of the group after the curse had been broken, that distant expression on his face?)
(Had Reborn thought such lonely things, after all they had been through?)
"Besides," Maria continued, her voice pulling Tsuna out of his thoughts, "I'm not suited to be a mother. When I look at him all I see is that man, reminding me of all the good and bad times we had together…" she trailed off and her expression closed off. "He deserves more than that."
To be more than someone's ghost, she left unsaid.
Seeing her point, Tsuna nodded solemnly. "I will protect him with my Dying Will," he promised, resolve plain in his words, "and, if you ever need help, Vongola will aid you as well."
She smiled shakily, relieved and saddened all at once, and her eyes glowed with warmth. "Thank you, young Vongola. I will keep it in mind."
Liar, Tsuna thought but didn't say.
Silently, Maria- or whatever her name truly was- rose from her seat, her eyes lingering over Renato. There was a shade of regret on her face, but it was mostly overwhelmed by hope, and some tender emotion lingered in her eyes.
Tsuna opened his mouth, about to ask her if she would like to hold him one last time...
But, she had already turned away. She didn't look back, not once, her stride even and unhurried.
Some day, Tsuna realized with his throat tight, he might tell Renato about his mother and how he let her walk away without a word out of his life. He wanted to say something, anything, but his voice was stuck in his throat.
Then it was too late; she was out the door and gone, disappearing into an illusionary mist.
Slowly, Tsuna looked away from where she disappeared to stare dumbly at the baby in his lap. Perhaps he would leave this part out of any stories, and he would definitely leave out the moment of near panic he had when he realized he was suddenly and solely responsible for a human life.
Renato, bored with being stared at, reached up and smacked Tsuna's nose with his small hand.
It was enough to snap Tsuna out of his thoughts. "Oww," he mumbled, one hand coming up to rub his nose, "don't tell me you take after your dad."
"Baaba," Renato answered with all seriousness and kicked him a few times.
"Right," Tsuna rose from his seat and hiked Renato up on his hip. "Of course you do. What was I thinking?" It was then that he noticed a plain dufflebag on the floor next to the table. That definitely hadn't been there while he was talking to Ogura-san earlier.
As he leaned down to pick it up, his phone began to buzz loudly in his pocket and he had to juggle both bag and baby to answer it (because if he took too long someone would come barging in after him). Baby clutched to his chest and duffle bag dangling from his wrist, he flipped his 'Boss' phone open.
"Yes," he squeaked into the receiver.
"Sawada-sama? Are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Tsuna cleared his throat, and firmed his grip on Renato. "What is it?"
"I'm parked in front of the pick-up point, just waiting on you."
"I'll be right out, thank you." He snapped his phone shut and shoved it back into his pocket. "Alright," he muttered to Renato. "It's time to get you home." Carefully, he shifted Renato back to his hip and pulled the strap of the bag over his shoulder, and then walked towards the front of the restaurant.
"Mamma," Renato called out hopefully, looking around the empty restaurant for her. "Mamma?" When she didn't magically appear, his brows pinched together and his bottom lip wibbled dangerously as if he was on the verge of tears.
It made Tsuna's heart clench in his chest. "I'm sorry," he croaked back helplessly. "Your mom had to go away, but I'll take care of you." There was little hope that a baby so young would understand, but he muttered sorry a few more times as he pushed open the restaurant's front entrance.
A black luxury sedan was idled right in front of La Palourde, as promised. The crest on the door confirmed that it was a Vongola car, so Tsuna wasted no time and climbed in without waiting for the driver to open the door for him.
The driver, a professional, did not bat an eye and simply put the car in drive. "Do you need to make any stops, Sawada-sama?"
"No." Tsuna pulled the door shut with a snap and shifted Renato to lay against his chest. "Just take me home, please."
"Yes sir," the driver answered primly and drove out of the parking lot.
Renato, lips pinched together, blinked owlishly up at Tsuna with wet eyes and clenched his fist in the lapels of Tsuna's jacket. He looked sullen and mulish, as if he objected to anything and everything around him. But, all too soon the motion of the car lulled him to an uneasy sleep, his legs twitching every so often and his fists clenching and relaxing in turns.
Tsuna watched him sleep, reaching up to rub his knuckle softly over Renato's chubby cheek. In that moment, he swore to himself and to any force that was listening, that he would do more than just protect this child. He would give Renato a home and the love of a family.
Carefully, Tsuna pressed a kiss to Renato's temple.
Welcome to the family, Ren-chan.
I had some notes somewhere about Maria (so I could feel more comfortable writing her) that included her real name and backstory, but I can't find it? I can remember a few details but I'm so sad that I've forgotten so much; she's a pretty kickass lady. I had a lot of help with this idea by kyogre-blue. This idea has been changed many times and she helped me settle on this version and helped me when I got stuck during the writing of this chapter. I'm so grateful to her :).