Disclaimer: I do not own KHR. This story was made from appreciation for the original author and her work.
Note: This story is set in a different universe from my other KHR fanfic. This story began as an idea that wouldn't just leave me alone. Also, I had no idea Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Character Cards existed. (This story was not created with knowledge about them.)
Warning: Expect explicit profanity. There will be Iemitsu-bashing and likely Vongola Nono Bashing (or extreme dislike). Implied Non-consensual intimate contact/actions.
Chapter One: Stranger
'—interesting flavor. Now, please tell me step-by-step what you did.' said a familiar male voice.
'Papa….'
'It's lesson time, sweetie.'
'Then I'd rather be practicing with the knives…'
A woman's voice spoke up behind Her. 'I heard that pup. Let me remind you that you wanted to follow your Papa today."'
'Mama! I'm not a puppy!'
Slender hands picked Her up, and She instinctively clutched the white shirt of the woman. She leaned into the warmth, and the smell of old books and sunshine enveloped Her. She relaxed and snuggled closer, ignoring the woman's amusement.
'What did you make with your Papa, pup?'
The man chuckled, and She could feel her ears burn as he boasted, 'Our daughter made this all by herself, love. I was not to 'meddle' she said!'
'She did, did she? Hmm…maybe I should check if she snuck away any sweets.'
The woman started tickling Her belly.
She erupted into giggles and squirmed wildly. 'Mama, no! Papa help!'
'Don't worry, sweetling! I'll save you!' The man wrapped both arms around the woman, resting his hands on the slightly smaller set of hands holding Her up. The woman laughed softly as she stilled her fingers and leaned back against the man.
'Are you sure that's enough to stop me, Husband?' The woman bared her teeth playfully. The man merely raised an eyebrow and looked back at her with soft eyes.
She watched as the man press a kiss against the woman's smiling mouth. She could feel Her heart emit fondness towards them, even as part of Her felt exasperated by their public display of affection. She wiggled free from the woman's hold and huffed loudly.
'Mama! Papa!' She announced impatiently, 'The omelets are getting cold! We have to eat them now!'
The man and woman burst into laughter. She could feel Herself smiling in response to the good mood. Her heart felt so incredibly warm and full, She wished this moment could last forever.
rememberWhatisthisrememberwhoarethesepeopleremeberwhydoesitfeelsorealremember
Sawada Household, Namimori
A child with wild curly hair ran out into the hallway, laughing and hollering without a single thought towards the early hour.
"MAMA! I WANT ICE-CREAM! ICE-CREAM! ICE-CREAM!"
"Broccoli-monster no wake-up Mama! Let Mama sleep! I-Pin stop Broccoli-monster!"
"I-pin, Lambo hush! We'll wake up Mama!"
"ICE-CREAM!"
Despite his attempts to keep up, the two energetic five years old ran ahead of their older playmate. To the slightly older boy's annoyance, he kept being delayed by Lambo's traps and randomly thrown objects. He groaned when Lambo managed to hit him with his Spider-Net trap, binding his legs together as he lost his balance and fell onto the floor.
Meanwhile, the loud child burst open a certain bedroom door and ran towards the slender figure in bed. He leaped with a victorious cry that was cut short when the little girl promptly landed next to him on the bed. In his haste to get away, the boy slipped and stumbled against the pillow next to the woman. The girl opened her mouth to scold him, but his sudden frozen form confused her. She carefully walked towards him to see what was wrong. Within seconds, she understood why Lambo fell silent.
The two young children fell into an uncomfortable silence as they exchanged worried looks. Finally, the girl took a deep breath and gently shook the woman's shoulder.
"Mama?" asked I-Pin quietly.
Only trained reflexes allowed the younger children to avoid a collision as the startled woman sat up in bed.
"Oh! This is a surprise!" cried the woman.
"Mama…okay?" asked the girl worriedly.
"Hmm? I feel fine, I-Pin. Goodness me! Look at the time! I need to get up and make breakfast! Why don't you two go brush your teeth and get dressed? Maybe later today, we can visit the park. Wouldn't that be lovely? I'll see you two shortly. I just need to get ready for the day~"
As she spoke, Nana felt the corners of her mouth shift into its usual upward position. Unconsciously, her brow furrowed slightly as the youngest children in her household continued to stare at her. I-Pin's eyes kept darting around Nana's face as though she was trying to look for some hidden clue, and even Lambo was unusually serious with no loud cries or jokes. Nana tilted her head to the side in confusion, and the faintest twinge of genuine worry began to creep into her heart. She flinched as a sharp pain suddenly erupted within her forehead, forcing her to close her eyes and rest the palms of her hands against them. Unknown to Nana, the curly-haired child flinched and grabbed I-Pin's hand, pulling her out of the room with unusual tenseness. The little girl complied with an unfamiliar meekness.
When the pain faded, Nana lifted her head and blinked at the empty space around her. She dismissed the children's strange behavior as symptoms of hungry bellies and headed towards the bathroom. When she flipped on the light switch, Nana froze.
She watched as the woman in the mirror tentatively raised a hand to her face, slowly tracing the tear stains on her cheeks. Nana frowned in confusion as she tried to remember her dream. Nana hissed as the pain returned, so she stopped trying to remember and closed her eyes. For the next few minutes, Nana focused on her breathing. When the pain faded into a mild headache, she impulsively tried again to recall her dream. The pain came back reinforced, and Nana rested her forehead against the mirror; she found comfort with the cold glass. Unknown to her, her hands clenched the sides of the sink so hard that the knuckles were stark white.
The sensation seemed to last for hours. As soon as it became more bearable, Nana pushed away from the sink. She opened the cabinet and breathed a sigh of relief when her fingers wrapped around a bottle. She carefully took out two burnt orange-colored pills and dry-swallowed them. Nana rested against the sink, waiting for the medicine to take effect. When the pain disappeared, she reopened her eyes and straightened herself. Nana smiled fondly at the bottle and put it away with great care. Then, she started to get ready for the day without another thought about last night's dream or the head pains that had struck her moments before.
"I should thank Ietmisu again the next time he comes home," said Nana absently. She smiled fondly at the thought of her husband. "The pain-relief medication he always gives me never fails to make me feel better! It's like magic~ I'm so fortunate to have such a hard-working and thoughtful husband!"
As Nana spent the rest of the morning humming and smiling, the two youngest children were so relieved to see her back to normal that it slipped their minds to question her previous state. No one within the Sawada Household was aware that deep down, an important aspect of the woman called 'Nana Sawada' was screaming in fury and agony.
Unknown Hotel Near Namimori
"VOI! Shitty Boss! Why aren't we preparing to return to Italy already?!" A tall man with long silver haired pounded the dining table with his prosthetic arm. "We should be making plans to find that Mist-kid and retrain the recruits! That fucked up past is not happening on our watch!"
The Varia leader took a swing from his tequila and leaned back against his chair. His red eyes stared straight at Squalo, ignoring the curiosity on Bel's face and Mammon's indifference.
"She's here
"WHAT?! We're still here because of a fucking woman?! Are you—"
"Got a hunch it's Cloud, scum."
Squalo's jaw snapped shut so quickly Lussuria-the-Medic was vaguely concerned for his teeth. The greater Varia part of Lussuria was filled with curiosity.
It was sweet, young Bel who said what they (even Levi) were thinking. "I thought you didn't have a Cloud guardian, boss."
Bel flinched as the bottle smashed against the wall behind him. He discreetly caressed his knives underneath the table as Xanxus glared at him with an intense fury that was rarely directed at him.
"It's been over ten years," said Squalo evenly in a much-lower volume than before; he was almost speaking like a regular person to Lussuria's bemusement. Squalo looked at his leader unflinchingly. "How confident are you that it's really her?"
Xanxus glared at his second-in-command, ignoring the other members on his squad.
This turn of events greatly intrigued Lussaria. Although most assumed Squalo was Xanxus' first guardian, there were a few early rumors during the boss's accession in the Varia about a female assassin who shared a unique bond with Xanxus before his first encounter with Squalo. It was never confirmed if she was his Cloud guardian, but Lussuria had his suspicions considering how the Varia Cloud Guardian position was still officially open.
Peeking at his teammates over a glass of water, Lussuria barely withheld an amused smile at Mammon's sudden interest and Bel's badly hidden excitement. According to one of Squalo's rare drunken tirades, Mammon had used all available resources at the time and still supposedly failed. Levi was – as expected – torn between his faith in Xanxus and irrational jealously towards the unknown person who still managed to have a place in the boss's heart.
Lussuria felt his lips curl in distaste at Levi's heart-shaped eyes, which remained fixated on Xanxus. The Sun Guardian sniffed and returned his attention to Xanxus.
Finally, the man seemed to be just about done with the staring contest against Squalo. Perhaps now, things can pick up the pace.
As he stared straight at Squalo, Xanxus said lowly, "If I don't check out this feeling, shitty shark…I know I'll regret it ten years later."
"…FUCK!" roared Squalo as he snapped to his feet. He scowled at Xanxus even as he began shouting orders. "VOI! MAMMON HANDLE LOGISTICS—"
"My fee is—"
"LUSSURIA HANDLE THE FUCKING PAPERWORK! WE'RE STAYING UNTIL THIS SHIT SORTS OUT!"
"Oh~ Well since you asked so politely, Squ-chan~"
"DON'T CALL ME THAT!" snapped Squalo. His eyes twitched with anger when Lussuria merely blew him a kiss. "WE'RE GOING TO KEEP A LOW-PROFILE, GOT THAT?! WE DON'T NEED REBORN'S EYES ON US, GODDAMN IT!"
"Ushishishi, the prince will—"
"VOI! YOU GO NEAR THAT FUCKIN SHRIMP AND HIS GUARDIANS, AND I'LL HAVE LEVI SIT ON YOU, BRAT!"
"What?!"
"SHUT UP LEVI! SOMEONE GET ME A LINE TO HEADQUARTERS!"
Despite the erupting chaos, Lussuria hid a smile as he caught the surprise in Xanxus' eyes. Boss seemed to have underestimated adult Squalo's loyalty. Although it's been months since he was defrosted, there were still moments that reminded Lussuria that sixteen-year-old Xanxus was frozen for eight years in a semi-conscious state and left alone in the following darkness.
Some days, he really wanted to break a certain someone's bones to pieces, heal them, and break them all over again. Hmm…a blonde-haired fool flashed in his mind.
Okay, there were multiple bodies he wanted to maim. Maybe Kuu would like a go? His Pavone del Sereno was mainly positioned as a healer-support type in the Future-That-Could-Never-Be, but Lussuria can just feel a hidden bloodthirstiness just waiting to be unleashed.
Lussuria sighed dreamily.
Shopping Center, Namimori (*Implication of non-consensual sexual activity*)
Nana hummed absently as she strolled through the supermarket with bags of groceries in both hands. She wished Tsuna had called, before she bought so much. While it was wonderful that Tsuna was having so much fun with his friends, he really should have been the one to inform her about the party at Takesushi than Reborn. On the other hand, the spirit in his eyes is a splendid change compared to his pre-Reborn like Tsuna was becoming more like his father with each passing day, going from one place to the next with stars in his eyes and loyal companions by his side…
leaving her behind like she was worthless until something needed to be cooked or clean
Nana stumbled. She winced and decided to stop by a café for some rest. Her thoughts were becoming a mess. As she sipped from her ordered cup of tea, Nana let her thoughts wander. She could go to the party, but Nana suspected that her presence would only disrupt Tsuna and his friends. Maybe she'll soak in a nice long bath instead. There was no need to worry about dinner, and Iemitsu wasn't in town…
Oh Iemitsu! Nana felt herself flush as she recalled the last time Iemitsu and herself had the house to themselves. He was so handsome and romantic! Surprising her in the kitchen…lifting her up in his arms…stepping over the empty sake bottles and beer cans to enter their bedroom upstairs…convincing her to relax as she tried to go back to the kitchen to finish dinner…laughing at her worries…and reminding her that she was the LoVe Of HiS lIfE.
ignoring her requests to slow down and not fucking listening to her when she said-
"Hon, are you feeling okay?"
Nana's head snapped up, and she blinked at the colorful stranger in front of her with his bright green mohawk and gold-rimmed sunglasses. Remembering the question, Nana immediately plastered on a polite smile and nodded her head energetically.
"I'm just fine, Stranger-san!" chirped Nana.
The foreign man looked at her over his sunglasses. "Are you sure?"
"Oh, I'm fine. I just got lost in my thoughts. Just one of those days, you know," babbled Nana as she hurriedly stood up with her groceries. "Would you look at the time? I really should go home and put away these groceries. Thank you for your concern, Stranger-san, but I have to leave now."
The man pursed his lips, and the expression on his face was unreadable. "At least take this to wipe your face. I insist."
Flustered and embarrassed by her outburst, Nana tried to refuse the handkerchief and leave. A large calloused hand gently but firmly caught one of her arms. Instinctively, Nana slammed her free hand on the man's arms. To her chagrin, the man still managed to curl her own fingers over the piece of cloth. Too upset with herself for her outburst, Nana nodded with teary eyes and embarrassed red cheeks. She quickly fled the café.
The man watched silently as the petite brunette quickly became a distant figure. He glanced down and raised both eyebrows at the small bruise on his arm.
Now how did a civilian housewife manage to bruise the current Varia Sun Guardian?
"Mammon dear," purred Lussuria once he heard his teammate pick up the phone. "I have some questions for you…"