When they finally (finally, finally, finally) brought Tsuna home for the first time, his body completely free of all the wires and needles and machines, he was healthier than ever.

He looked the way a newborn should, with meat on his bones, blood in his cheeks, and light in his eyes. He cried when he was hungry, at least three times a day, and his voice was clearer than a bell, his lungs stronger than ever; even when he wrenched them from sleep in the middle of the night, it was impossible for Nana and Iemitsu to feel anything other than overjoyed.

Tsuna was going to be alright.

On the other hand, Iemitsu was only able to extend his visit for another month, before he was forced back to work.

He left for the airport in the early morning, sobbing loudly and unapologetically as he climbed into the car. Watching through the window as Nana took one of Tsuna's hands and gently waved it back and forth.

"Say 'Bye-bye' to Papa, Tsu-kun," She murmured with a soft smile. The child blinked, one hand fisted tightly in her shirt as he stared after the disappearing vehicle with wide eyes.

"B…bah…" For a moment, she thought he was about to speak, but he just made a vague, meaningless sound. "Buu…"

She let out a small sigh, some mixture of relief and disappointment, then giggled as he began blowing little spit bubbles. Holding him firmly under the arms, she lifted Tsuna high into the air and grinned up at him as his mouth spread open into a wide, toothless smile.

"Imagine how heartbroken Papa would be if he missed your first word," Her grin broadened as he laughed, waving his arms and kicking his legs happily when she began to bounce him up and down. "We'd better get the camera out. Do you want to help Mama look for it?"

Lowering him back down, she began to hum a lighthearted tune as she turned to go back into the house, cradling her son to her chest. His cheek rested against her shoulder, with his face partially buried in her neck, but his gaze held steady on the house across the street. The early morning light was casting long dark shadows across the ground, making his pupils expand and contract slowly as his eyes struggled to focus on the hazy silhouette of a man tucked away in the alley.

Even Nana, ever the optimist, was acutely aware of her husband's absence. Each month seemed to pass by with agonizing slowness. She checked the mail each day, always hoping to find that bright little postcard sitting inside. The money came regularly, always on time, but the postcards were starting to come farther and farther apart.

She could feel her loneliness starting to weigh down on her. It pulled at her fingers whenever she cooked, making sure she only made enough to feed two-not-three mouths, and it sat on her chest at night, reminding her not to roll over in search of a warm body.

She still remembered the night he called, just a few weeks shy of Tsuna's first birthday. Her blood ran cold when he had begun explaining, that he wouldn't be home for another year, that he wouldn't be able to contact them regularly anymore. She had recited all of the usual reassurances, "We'll be fine, take your time, work hard, don't push yourself," but her eyes had been on Tsuna, sitting in his high chair and tossing his food around without a care in the world, and only one thought occupied her mind.

He's growing up without a father.

When Iemitsu hung up for the final time, she couldn't bring herself to do the same. She simply set the phone down and listened to the faint, droning dial tone as she slid to the ground.

No tears graced her eyes. She simply sat, staring, unmoving…

She didn't stir, even when Tsuna let out a small, disgruntled noise, done with his food and tired of the uncomfortable seating arrangement. When she didn't immediately come to his aid, his protests began turning into tears.

Her eyes slid shut.

She took a single large, gulping, desperate, achingly deep breath.

And she stood, approaching Tsuna with a reassuring smile and outstretched hands.

"I'm sorry," She cooed, smoothing down his hair and wiping some food from the corners of his mouth. "Mommy took too long, didn't she? Ooh, what's wrong, is somebody getting sleepy?"

He quickly settled back down as she pulled him out of his chair and into her warm embrace, back where it was safe and secure. She smiled as his cheek found its place on her shoulder, soft sounds of contentment bubbling from his mouth.

Bouncing him lightly on her hip, she began humming a familiar tune as she moved through the kitchen, setting the phone back in its cradle and switching off the lights.

"Year after year," She sang softly, knowing the lullaby always put him straight to sleep. "Effortlessly, sleep soundly and have a good night."

The dishes could wait until the morning, she reasoned, moving to the front door and double checking the lock before climbing up the stairs and heading to their bedroom.

"Year after year, effortlessly, you grow into a good person," He was already beginning to drift off. She could feel his head growing heavier against her shoulder, his fingers losing their grip on her shirt. "Thank you, God, thank you too, my ange-"

The lullaby was cut short by a small, startled gasp. Tsuna jolted in her arms, lifting his head curiously as she held him tighter, taking two slow steps back. She could have sworn, just now, when she walked by the window…

Had there been a face peering in?

She stood stock still for a moment, every muscle in her body tensed as she scrutinized the window. It was dark, but there didn't seem to be anything – or rather, anyone – there.

She let out a small, shaky breath. Placing her hand on Tsuna's head, she gently pressed it back down onto her shoulder, bouncing him up and down once more. She hoped she hadn't startled him too badly – they could probably both use some rest.

"Year after year," She resumed, "Effortlessly, sleep on Mama's chest…"

Iemitsu had said he would be gone for a year, but that somehow turned into two, and then three.

Even though Tsuna was a late bloomer, hitting almost all of his major growth milestones a bit later than most children, his father still managed to miss every single one of his firsts.

The first time he rolled over on his own, the first time he sat up without any support. The first time he crawled, Nana nearly had a heart attack, glancing away for a moment just to look back and find him clambering up the stairs.

Iemitsu missed his first words, "Mama, up!"

His first steps, "Come on, Tsu-kun, you can do it! Mama's right here, just a little farther!"

His first tooth, his first fall, his first time on the swings, his first time going down the slide, his first time seeing a dog, his first time getting sick…

There were so so many. Nana did her best to document them all, but there was only so much she could capture with a camera. Iemitsu would never feel the surprise, the pride, the fear, the absolute relief when Tsuna finally did something that other children his age had long since mastered.

She sent her husband letters and photos, and he always replied saying how much he wished he was home.

But he never, ever came.

When it grew clear that Iemitsu was going to miss Tsuna's third birthday, Nana had to put her foot down. She wasn't about to put off Tsuna's first celebration any longer. He deserved to have a cake with candles and presents wrapped in brightly patterned paper, even if he didn't have any friends to celebrate with yet. He deserved all of that, and so much more.

So one day she found herself bundling him up in two coats and a scarf, even though it was just barely starting to grow cold out, and told him, "We're going out today, Tsu-kun!"

She fussed over his hair, trying to fit it all under a hat; when he responded, though, her fingers froze.

"To see 'Papa'?" It wasn't a surprise that he would ask that, really – she had been going on and on about it over the past few weeks, talking about how Papa would finally be coming to see them again. He had promised in his last letter, after all (not just some note on a postcard, an actual letter!), and she hadn't yet learned not to put any stock in those empty words of his.

She could hear the quotation marks in Tsuna's voice. Of course, he had been so young when he met his father…he knew he had one, but he didn't know who it was. To him, Iemitsu was just a vague concept, nothing more.

"No," Nana replied, recovering quickly as she pulled the hat snugly over his ears. "We're going shopping!"

He wrinkled his nose slightly at the notion. Shopping had never been his favorite activity – all the walking made his feet hurt, it was crowded and loud, and usually boring. He did perk up slightly, though, when she said, "I'll buy you any treat you want!"

"Like ice cream?"

"If that's what you want!"

He didn't put up any resistance after that.

One of the things Nana loved most about their house was how close it was to the shopping district. It was just a simple five minute walk between locking the door behind her, and stepping onto that bustling street filled with stores and vendors, Tsuna's hand clasped tightly in hers.

"Make sure you point out anything you like, alright?" She repeated, smiling as he nodded with a determined glint in his eye, scrutinizing the shops' windows. She wanted to make sure he would have a pile of presents to wake up to on his special day, like an early Christmas.

Ever since he had started learning to read, he had taken large interest in books of all kinds, so it was hardly a surprise when he tugged on her sleeve and pointed out the first book shop he saw.

However, it was slightly more surprising when a flower shop caught his eye, and significantly more so when the pet store captivated him. Nana had always tried to avoid it, considering how terrified he was of dogs – ever since the first one he met had gotten a little too excited and pushed him to the ground and started nipping at his face, he had never quite been able to see them in a positive light, but he seemed unbothered when they were in kennels. It was a pleasant surprise.

He was usually shy and reserved about what he wanted, so Nana had thought she would have a hard time getting ideas out of him, but by the end of the day, she had a satisfyingly long list. She could stop though another day, when his babysitter was available, and pick everything up. The money Iemitsu sent each month always had just a little extra, so she had saved up a decent amount over the past year for occasions just like this. She could even afford high quality wrapping paper, and a few of those fancy ribbons that were made out of shiny materials and tied into flowers.

It had been a long time since she had felt quite so happy – like things were really going the way they were supposed to, for a change.

Maybe that was just too much to hope for.

She just wanted to get a cake. She could store it in the fridge and focus on cooking up a small feast that night, dedicate her full attention to buying presents the next day. She wanted to make sure it would still be a surprise, though, so she told Tsuna to wait by the entrance of the bakery while she bought the cake.

"Make sure nobody steals the cookies," She instructed. "I'll buy you one if you do a good job!"

She had only taken her eyes off of him for a moment.

One second, he was there, staring intently at the cookies.

The next second, he was gone.

Nana's breath froze in her chest. He had just been there.

Her eyes darted to and fro, searching wildly for a small, familiar form, now nowhere to be seen he had just been there where was he?

The cake she had paid for fell to the ground, the pretty box crushed underfoot as its contents spilled out. She couldn't have cared less.

"Tsu-kun?!" She shouted as she ran out, gaining several odd looks and a quite a few stares. "Tsu-kun?!"

Nothing.

She took several steps backward, spinning around in a slow circle as she continued to call out his name, her volume growing exponentially as she panicked, fear gripping her heart like a freezing cold claw trying to tear its way through her chest and stomach. She couldn't see straight, couldn't breathe right, everything was spinning, where was he?

All the sights and sounds around her were blurring together, one large cacophonous storm of chaos, oh god oh god oh god

"-ma!" One single voice suddenly cut right through the din, clear as a bell. "Mama!"

Nana's head whipped around, homing in on the sound like a beacon, and her eyes immediately found him.

Her heart skipped a beat.

A hand was clamping back over his mouth, arms wrapped around his torso and lifting him off the ground. A car was parked just a few feet behind them, the door open, the engine already running. It was so surreal, the situation didn't quite register: her son was being kidnapped.

Tsuna's small hands were gripping the post of a street light, desperately trying to keep himself from being taken, but he wasn't strong enough, tears in his eyes, hands slipping-

Nana didn't even think. She couldn't even make a sound, her scream stuck in her throat like a pill that was impossible to swallow, all she could do was run. There was nothing soft or kind or polite in the way she shoved strangers aside, using her elbows as weapons and stepping on toes, her eyes burning with too many emotions at once as thoughts tore through her mind like a hurricane,

I'm not going to make it in time

I have to save

Why are they doing this

I'll never forgive

I'm not going to make it

I can't

I'm going to lose him

I'm going to lose him, I'm going to lose him, I'm going to

No

No no no

Nononononononononononononono

She watched in horror as Tsuna finally lost his grip, still yards away from her. It was over almost instantly. The man didn't even look up as he turned around and threw her son into the car, climbing in after him, slamming the door shut.

With a rev of the engine and a squeal of tires, the car was gone, with Tsuna in it, and Nana finally found her voice, one full of anger and hatred and soul-crushing despair,

"TSUNA!"

A/N: I haven't been able to find the title of the lullaby Nana sings. It's from a youtube video, titled "My Favorite Lullaby (Japanese)" uploaded by user Advice2Go. I went ahead and used the rough translation provided by one of the commenters, but I highly recommend giving it a listen, it's a really lovely song. If you happen to know what it's called, by any chance, please let me know!

Aside from that, thank you all for the support you've given this story. Every fave, follow, and review always puts a smile on my face and really motivates me to keep writing, so I owe all of you quite a bit! I'll be trying to update this on a weekly basis, every Tuesday, though my schedule has been a bit rocky so I can't make any promises. I'll be trying my best, though, so I'll hopefully see you all next week! Until then, stay safe!