Disclaimer: I do not own KHR. This story was made from appreciation for the original author and work.
Note I: 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.
Warning: Expect explicit profanity. There will be Iemitsu-bashing and likely Vongola Ninth Bashing (or extreme dislike). There will be OCs and made-up places.

Note II: SUPER Long chapter. Use of Google Translate. Feel free to correct any misuse or misspelling of Italian words.

Chapter Two: Where is Everyone?

The words fell out of Her mouth without a thought. "Knives are better, Papa."

"Why?" asked the man. It was the same man? His face was still blurry, but what She could make out appeared…Japanese?

"They're small, sharp, and easy to carry with one hand—either hand." She hesitated before admitting to the man, "Swords just seem like heavy sticks to me, Papa."

The man's mouth twitched. "You wouldn't be the first to say that to me. When your mother and I first met, she looked at my sword like it personally offended her. She couldn't believe that I carried it out in the open like it was no big deal; your Mama even asked if I was going to a costume party. Mind you, we were in Italy at the time, and it was holiday-season."

"What did you say?"

"'You would be surprised how many people think it's a fake.'"

"And was it?"

The man gave a wide smile. "Let's do a couple more exercises before we stop training for today."

"Papa!"

"Hmm? You want to run laps first? Okay; let's go for ten! With the weights?! That's my girl!"

She spluttered, but the man merely laughed as he picked her up and carried her out of the practice room to the backyard.

During her fifth lap She saw the woman. She immediately changed directions towards her and jumped. The woman caught Her with ease and pressed Her close to her bosom.

"I was only gone for a little while, but you already miss me this much?" cooed the woman. "What has my pup so worked up?"

"Mama," came out of Her mouth, but She was too tired to protest the nickname. "Papa made me run extra laps!"

"I saw," agreed the woman.

"I don't really like sword training. It's…" She struggled to find the right word and gave up, saying awkwardly, "Swords are hard to use."

The woman chuckled. "What if I told you that I could use one too?"

She felt skeptical. "Really, Mama?"

"Of course; just because I don't use it often, doesn't mean I don't know how to use swords. Ask your father if you don't believe me."

"Papa?"

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he walked over. "I don't recall such a thing…"

"Husband," warned the woman, though the glint in her eyes betrayed her good mood.

"A practice match may be just the thing to jog my memory," suggested the man with a straight face. "What do you say, Wife?"

The woman laughed. "Are you sure you want a spar? You're not as young as you used to be."

"Hearsay!" cried the Man in mock rage.

The woman snorted, finally lifting her head to look directly at the man. "It's not an attack if you're speaking the truth. You are older than me, remember?"

"I demand a duel of strength, wits, and skill," continued the Man with exaggerated hand movements, ignoring her comment. "We shall begin once our daughter has settled down to be our judge."

She ignored the man words and tugged on the woman's shirt. "Papa's been acting really really really silly all day. Is he sick?"

The woman's eyebrows shot up, and she looked at the man suspiciously, her good humor fading into a more serious countenance.

"Unforeseen misfortune!" cried the man. "For my own daughter to lose faith in me! Oh, woe is me! My daughter's delation against her father makes my heart heavy like a stone thrown into a pond. I am gast, gast I say!"

She shook her head and scowled as She cuddled closer to the woman. The man switched his attention to the woman, who gave him an unimpressed look. The man's hopeful eyes dropped down comically.

The man cried, "Et tu, Wife? I should draw upon my cunning friend for advice about my family's sudden abhoration of me. I am still brave, yet I have just been fronted by the most unexpected! Ah! There is also need for me to thank him for sending that gift which I have inherited several hours ago…I shall summon him with haste! But wait! What was the string of digits needed for me to request the company of my dear bosom friend? Foolish fool I am, forgotten I have! 'tis a turn of most unhappy events…never has a sudden change been so desired as much as I say so now! Mine mind methinks is muddled with clutter; a mind palace may be what I need, but how can I even construct a castle of memories and matters of import when it was so easy for my dear companion's contact information to depart? Fool! Noodle! I am a noodle-minded fool! You might as well use me up for ramen! I am noting but something worse than the common!" *

"And now you're rhyming," muttered the woman. The woman sighed with a sudden realization as the man continued to dramatically lament. "Pup, did you see Papa receive something from the mail today? A medium-size box with a giant red bow, maybe?"

She nodded, and the woman growled in frustration. The woman turned on her heel with Her in her arms. With the smell of sunshine and ink surrounding her, She started to feel drowsy. Words drifted in and out.

"Fool I am! What—"

"—box opened—"

"—fool I will always be!"

"…going to kill that fu—"

"Language!"

"—pieces? You—"

"Friend!"

"The alcohol content—"

"Oh! More edibles!"

"You're lucky I love you."

"I love you too, wife!"

rememberWhatisthisrememberwhathappenedremeberwhydoesitfeelsorealremember
(* Note: If it wasn't clear…this was drunken rambling with a tendency for rhymes and Shakespearean words)

Sawada Household Neighborhood, Namimori (OCs present)

"Sawada-san!"

Nana blinked rapidly and looked around herself with startled eyes. She winced at the sunlight; her head felt like someone repeatedly slammed a sledgehammer against it. She really needed to take an extra pill when she got home.

"Sawada-san! Please tell me you didn't drift off in the middle of our conversation!"

Nana turned her attention to Ryoko Mochida, who stood in front of two fellow neighborhood housewives: Ami Fujima and Suki Gojo. Together the three blocked the path, forcing her to stay in place. Ami and Suki were long-time friends who were reasonably polite to Nana before Ryoko moved into the neighborhood with her white fur coat and leopard high heels.

Nana readjusted her grip on the bags and smiled in embarrassment, which only caused Ryoko to curl her bright red lips in disapproval.

"Ryoko-chan was just telling us about her son. He's the Kendo Club's star," quipped Suki as she tucked a lock of dyed blonde hair behind her ear.

Ami nodded her head energetically, short hair flapping through the air. "As talented as the Yamamoto boy before he quit baseball."

"Why did he quit?" wondered Suki aloud as she tapped her cheek thoughtfully.

Ryoko answered without taking her eyes off Nana. "Didn't that happen around the time he started meeting with your son, Sawada-san?"

Nana sensed something strange in her neighbor's tone, but her headache made it difficult to focus on any hidden nuances. A larger part of her urged her to be pleased that Tsuna wasn't being called 'Dame-Tsuna,' so she continued to smile.

Despite her strange mood, Nana tried to nod happily. "Tsuna's friend circle has gotten much larger. Isn't it great?"

"Wonderful," commented Ryoko dryly. "Perhaps you can help us understand why the middle school's baseball team practically has no chance at the tournament anymore?"

"I'm afraid I don't know," said Nana puzzled, trying to hide how much she didn't really care. "I'm sorry, but I really need to put away these groceries, so I will take my leave n—"

"How is your son?" interrupted Ryoko, changing the topic. "He's in the same grade as our children, isn't he?"

"Yes," said Nana slowly with a questioning lilt. Her brows furrowed, because didn't they already know that based on their questions? She opened her mouth to continue, but Suki interjected.

"Your son's name is Dam—I mean Tsuna, was it?"

Nana laughed softly, even though she didn't really feel amused. "Tsunayoshi is his full name, but everyone calls him Tsuna. His full name is a bit of a mouthful, you know?"

"Ah, that makes sense," nodded Ryoko thoughtfully, regaining control of the conversation with a side glance at Suki, telling her without words: I'm speaking. "Well, he's really coming out of his shell this year, isn't he?"

"Oh yes," chirped Nana; her good mood restored. "Ever since he met Reborn-san – his home tutor – Tsuna's been making great progress socially and academically."

Suki muttered to Ami, "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Suki-chan," scolded Ami lightly, biting her lip to contain her giggles at her friend's boldness. "Be nice."

Nana felt like she missed something but didn't know what. Her headache wasn't getting worse, but it still ached and made it difficult to think deeply. "Excuse me?"

Ryoko sighed and shook her head disappointedly at her friends, but Nana caught how her eyes brightened at Suki's comment as though it provided her the perfect opening. The other woman took a step closer and used her greater height to her advantage as she physically looked down on Nana. "There's no need to make up cover stories, Sawada-san. I speak for everyone in the neighborhood, when I say that we understand if you needed some…unconventional help caring for your boy. But perhaps he's reaching too far, too soon."

"I'm sorry, but I don't understand." Nana laughed weekly. "'Reaching' is such a funny word to describe a teenager, isn't it?

Ryoko sighed dramatically as she ignored the question. "I find it lovely that you're trying to teach your son responsibility when he's so…"

"Underdeveloped?" suggested Ami as she fiddled with the various bangles that adorned her too skinny wrists.

Suki muttered. "Stupid"

"Slow," finished Ryoko. "He seems to have brightened up with the company of that toddler. I'm glad he found some friends, but I don't think he's quite ready for…big kid interactions, unlike my son."

"And my daughter," added Suki.

Ami hummed. "And my lot too, silly and messy as they tend to be."

Nana felt her smile dim. "Tsuna is a regular teenager"

"Of course, he is Sawada-san," assured Ami condescendingly. She badly whispered to Suki, "Is she still stuck in the denial stage?"

"Tsuna's fine," insisted Nana a bit too loudly judging by Ami's suddenly wide eyes. Nana didn't care; there was a growing need within her to correct any misconceptions these women had about her Tsuna. "He's clumsy but healthy, and he has his father's spirit."

Ami nodded slowly. "Right, his father."

She whispered to Suki, "Who is she trying to fool?"

Suki rolled her eyes. "I know right?"

Nana blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Sawada-san," interrupted Ryoko sharply. "You can't keep bringing up the father like he's coming back."

"W-what?"

"Surely you understand how this thing can't be helping your son's development," frowned Ryoko. She looked pointedly at Nana's hands. "Practically everyone knows, so I don't see the point in maintaining this charade."

"What thing?" asked Nana, utterly baffled.

Ryoko tossed her long brown hair impatiently. "Everyone knows that Tsuna's father is out of the picture. Sure, old Grandma Honda insists that he's visited the town a few times, but I doubt a loving husband would willingly leave his wife alone with a troublesome child to raise for years. A boyfriend? Maybe. A deadbeat boyfriend who couldn't handle the reality of a child and unwilling to abandon a bachelor's freedom? That I could believe."

"How dare you?" cried Nana, feeling genuine anger for the first time in a while. (Part of her relished the anger, but the rest was horrified and panicked because what if Iemitsu saw her like this?!) The words came out without control. "I am married! My husband is away due to work!"

Suki raised an eyebrow. "No vacation time or sick days?"

"No holiday leave, even for Christmas coming up and the New Year?" added Ami doubtfully.

"H-he's busy!" Nana griped her bags tighter, her rage making it difficult to speak. (She will not throw raw eggs at her neighbor even if they deserve it; she won't!)

"Sawada-san, you're not even wearing a wedding ring," accused Ryoko with a pointed finger.

Nana blurted out, "My husband went off to become a star!"

Once those words left her lips, their tones quickly shifted. Ignoring the sounds of their squawking, Nana squared her shoulder and shouldered past the other three housewives. They called out for her to stay, but Nana could hear them begin debating the validity of her statements and beliefs before she even made it to the corner.

Sawada Household, Namimori

Those wit-no—bitches. Nana clenched her jaw as she marched into her house. Dropping the groceries down on the kitchen table, Nana took a few deep breaths. She couldn't let the children see her upset. Some hot water will do the trick. She needed to remind herself that she wasn't with those women anymore.

As Nana went over the usual motions to obtain a cup of hot water, her mind kept circling back to her neighbor's commentary. Their implications about Tsuna made her furious, but her stomach twisted uncomfortably for some strange reason. She leaned back against a counter and cradled the mug between her two hands.

The heat felt nice.

Periodically, she took sips. She barely felt the burn on her tongue as her thoughts tried to make sense of her neighbors' assumptions and attempt once again to understand the strange feeling that arose whenever she thought about Tsuna. A mother should love her children, and she is a mother. Therefore, why does something feel off about their relationship?

Before Reborn entered their lives, she was at her wits end with Tsuna. He was still a newborn when Iemitsu got called away for work, and Nana wondered at times if she should have tried harder to make her husband stay. Tsuna was a fussy baby, and it was always a struggle to get him to settle down. There were so many sleepless nights and tears that she nearly convinced herself that there was something wrong with their connection. When she called Iemitsu for advice, he laughed and said she was too worried. He told her to relax and remember that Tsuna was their first child; it was natural to be anxious.

The doctor also kept assuring her that there was nothing physically wrong with either of them, so she forced herself to keep trying. The stress didn't help her headaches, because soon there weren't many pills left.

Fortunately, toddler Tsuna kept her so busy that she didn't experience as many headaches as she feared. To her joy, things even seemed to improve as his mobility and speech got better. She remembered his first belly flip, his first crawl, and even the first time he sat up by himself. Nana chuckled when she recalled his wide-eyed look of wonder as he looked around his room from where he sat on his bottom. He let out the cutest noise when she handed him his favorite lion plushie. Those were the good days, mused Nana. The only thing missing was her husband.

Then, Iemitsu came home for a visit shortly after Tsuna's fifth birthday.

Nana's brow furrowed as she tried to recall that day. Her memory was…hazy, which made sense all things considered. Nana had the worst headache in a long while that day. Iemitsu took one look at her and settled her back into their room…

HeFoRcEd HeR bAcK

Nana's hand jerked, and hot water spilled onto the floor. She hissed and quickly put down the mug; only she must have misjudged the distance because the mug fell onto the floor. For a moment, Nana just stared down at the shards scattered on the wet floor…Did she have to be the one to clean it up? Wasn't someone else supposed to—

A sudden burst of pain came from her head. Unconsciously, her eye closed, and she had to focus on her breathing. When she reopened her eyes, Nana burst into a fit of giggles. If there was a touch of hysteria, then Nana couldn't hear it.

"What was I thinking?" questioned Nana aloud, once the giggles faded. She shook her head with a gentle smile. "I need to clean this up before any of the kids come in and get hurt. I'm such a klutz."

Nana picked herself up from the floor, got out the mop, and carefully began to clean the floor. Her smile widened when she started to dream about Iemitsu's reaction to their clean kitchen. She noticed the groceries on the table and laughed at herself for forgetting about them. She really should have put that away immediately after she entered house. Nana wondered why she didn't…

"Oh well," reasoned Nana aloud. "It couldn't have been that important."

Surely, it couldn't have been more important than a dirty floor.

Nana hummed a random tune as she decided to take this chance and clean up the whole house. But first two pills: one for the little episode from earlier and one because…she needed to? Strange, but two pills felt right. So, two pills it was!

(Behind her smile and glazed eyes, a part of her raged with renewed vigor.)

Nana knocked on the door of the last guestroom and waited. No one responded, so Nana turned on her heel and went back downstairs. Tsuna must have taken the kids to the party, and Bianchi was still on her trip. When she entered the living room, Nana noticed a piece of paper on the table. Strange, she didn't notice it before. Nana tilted her head in puzzlement and picked it up.

Maman,

Lambo, I-Pin, and Fuuta are with Tsuna and his friends. They will be staying at Takashi's house for the next several days to help them prepare for exams. The earthquake has affected the school's schedule, and Tsuna suggested that they stay together to help each other focus. Do not worry about the children; Bianchi returned from her trip while you were out. She and I will watch over Tsuna and his friends. We'll make sure they don't get into any trouble. Please take this time for yourself. I will notify you if anything changes.

Ciao,

Reborn

A bit loss at this sudden information, Nana just looked around herself. She was home alone…again and will be for some time. For some reason, the house seemed larger than before. The house was already big, because Iemitsu and her had initially planned for a large family but were only blessed with Tsuna. She never thought the house was unnecessarily huge…until now. Maybe dinner and an early bed? Nana nodded resolutely and proceeded to make some soup.

It'll be okay, Nana assured herself. She could clean the house, work on the garden, and go to the bookstore to pick up the new cookbook from her current series. Oh! She'll have time and space for experimenting new flavors and fiddling with her current dishes. Nana comforted herself; it was okay for Tsuna and the kids to spend time together without her. They were young and spirited. She should leave them be.

She'll be fine by herself.

Really, she should be used to it.

It's not like Iemitsu and Tsuna told her everything.

At least, someone let her know this time.

Even if it was an unrelated man who was hired to help guide Tsuna…

(Nana quietly ate her humble dinner and went to bed. There was nothing visibly different about her, but somewhere deep within her subconscious…something raised its head and examined the new cracks with interest)

A's Café: Bar, Coffee, and Delights; Namimori

Lussuria opened the door with a flourish. A middle-aged man in a white shirt was behind the counter. He looked up, and Lussuria noticed that he was quite handsome even with the facial hair around his chin. His hair was starting to have specks of grey, but his slender frame was firmly muscled. Possibly a past dancer? To his credit, the man didn't blink at Lussuria's mult-colored dyed hair, black sunglasses, and trench coat. He simply used his thumb to point at a back door.

"Your friend's in there," said the man.

Lussuria winked at the man. "Thank you, mister…?"

To his delight, the man looked vaguely amused as he finally out down the cup and rag. "I'm a bit old for you, ain't I brat?"

"Are you, really?" purred Lussuria as he drew close to the counter. "Based on my experiences, age has never really been a problem. What should I call you, hmm?"

Lussuria had to suppress the urge to preen as the other man's eyes casually looked him up and down. The man returned his eyes to Lussuria's own, and Lussuria noticed with great interest that his eyes were an unusual amber behind his spectacles.

"I'm sure you've had some nice times." The man's lips quirked. "Call me A."

Lussuria smirked as he looked at him over his sunglasses. "Would you like a 'nice' time with me, Mr. A? Sadly, I have plans for tonight. But we could meet up again later. I promise that it'll be fun."

A snorted and shook his head. "Go meet up with your friend, brat."

"Not a brat," pouted Lussuria, even as he took a step back from the counter.

"Go," repeated A as he rounded the counter to refill a nearby customer's cup of coffee.

Lussuria hummed questioningly. "You sure? Why wait when you and I could have 'now'?"

When A drew close to Lussuria on his way to the customer, he tilted his head a little and Lussuria felt a thrill crawl down his back.

A gave a slight smile. "You shouldn't keep your friend waiting, brat."

A resumed walking, and Lussuria unashamedly looked at him, or a more specifically, a certain part of him.

That is an ass I could—

"Are you done?" a blunt voice cut through Lussuria's imagination.

Lussuria smoothly turned around and grinned at the tiny cloak-wearing baby floating in front of him. "Mammon-chan!"

"Hurry up," ordered the baby. "And stop bothering A."

Before Lussuria could speak, the baby disappeared into smoke. Lussuria ignored the sounds of a nearby customer choking on his coffee and hurried into the room. Not only did Mammon have information, but he also knew about the cute (old) guy!

Lussuria smiled and wave his fingers at the real Mammon who was eating a strawberry shortcake with strawberry milk nearby.

"You're late," said Mammon accusingly.

Lussuria pouted as he saw down in the chair across from the Mist Acrobaleno. "You didn't tell me that there would be a cutie. How do you know him?"

"Information like that will cost you." Mammon paused. "Knowing you, you'll just steal the money from one of the loud ones, blame me, and then cause a scene that will raise hell and make it hard for me to count my money in peace."

"Yup," said Lussuria popping the 'p".

"Fine," growled Mammon. "A is an acquaintance. After Iemitsu and Nono set up their network in Namimori, I needed a few trusted eyes. His brother owed me a favor, and A was looking for somewhere reasonably peaceful to live."

"They must be Quality to get your attention and help," mused Lussuria. He put both elbows on the table and interlocked his fingers.

Mammon eyed him suspiciously, before stabbing a strawberry. "They makes one of the best free strawberry cakes around here. If you jeopardize that for me…"

"Oh, let me have some fun in this dreary little town," pouted Lussuria. "Boss told us to stay away from Tuna and Co. He never said anything about others. The cutie's not even a normal civile, since he knows you."

Mammon gave him a flat stare. "You only paid for an hour of my time, and twenty minutes have already gone by. Go ahead and waste more. I'm still getting the money."

Lussaria rolled his eyes. "Fine, fine. So? What did your ears pick up, you little miser?"

Mammon materialized a folder from the table, and Lussuria accepted it. He opened the folder, and his brow furrowed as he took out its contents.

"I asked for an entire background check Mammon. This is…" trailed Lussuria, "barely three pages."

They bit the strawberry. "It's been almost five hours since your call. You're lucky I was even able to identify the woman."

Lussuria quirked an eyebrow. "I've seen you get more intel than a couple pages in three minutes. What's going on, Mon-Mon?"

Mammon glared but Lussuria remained unruffled. Irritated, Mammon shoved another bite of the cake into their mouth. Lussuria pursued his lips and waited. His friend was as unreadable as always, but Lussuria has been the miser's friend for years now.

"Mu. It's unusual but these things happen," said Mammon finally. "Normally, there's a lot of information about a civilian, but sometimes a person is exactly the way they appear. Nothing more, nothing less."

"What do you mean?"

"Apparently, she used to be a waitress. Then she married Sawada and had kid Sawada. A housewife, since the day she got married. My sources say everyone knows her as the air-headed housewife with a troublesome child. No one could really describe her beyond those terms. That's all I know."

Lussuria frowned. "What do you mean?"

"I mean they literally repeat: 'wife,' 'mother,' 'housewife,' 'air-head,' and 'Yamato Nadeshiko.' There's nothing else."

"If we go by that, then she should be obliviously happy," pointed out Lussuria. "What would cause her to be upset earlier?"

"Life?"

"Mammon!"

"Well she's not making any money or handling anything but the checks and allowances Iemitsu gives her. Having to rely on that idiot financially would make anyone with a brain cry. Have you seen how tired the CEDEF staff look? How stress they get after a mission with him? Or, even their financial records?"

"Mammon! Focus, please! And there's more to life than money!"

"Money's the most useful," muttered Mammon. They spoke louder, "You might have just caught her on a bad day."

Lussuria pulled back his sleeve and showed Mammon the lingering bruise. "A regular civilian wouldn't have been able to do this."

Mammon peered at the mark. "There's no mention of her having any combat or physical training. But she was distressed, correct? It was likely an emotional response fueled by adrenaline that caught you unaware."

Lussuria gaped. "Are you telling me that I'm getting weak?"

"No," deadpanned Mammon. They continued, "I'm telling you that it was a spur of the moment reaction to an unexpected tall, unfamiliar foreigner. You're taller than her by thirty centimeters and visibly stronger. She's probably skittish. I mean even her own child is hiding things from her, but she still goes on like everything is normal."

Lussuria frowned. He looked at the papers in his hands.

Mammon finished their drink. "Why are you so caught up with her? Boss wants us to look for the Cloud, and he ordered us to stay away from the Decimo and his associates."

"You didn't see her," argued Lussuria.

Mammon rolled their eyes. "If you want to waste your time around her, then it's your business. But don't blame me when Squalo catches you slacking off to make friends with the mother of the child that beat Xanxus. Anyway, you got five minutes left"

Lussuria pouted. "Does this mean you won't help me anymore?"

Mammon sighed. "What else do you want?"

"What if you meet her at least once?" questioned Lussuria. He started to smile as his mind pounced on the sudden idea.

"What."

"You might be able to sense something in her physical presence, or at least learn something new. She has a soft spot for kids, so you won't even need to put in much effort! If you can tell me that there's honestly nothing interesting about her, then I'll leave her alone."

"Stop." Mammon floated towards Lussuria, who leaned back against his chair at the ominous black tentacles looming over him with malicious intent. "You want me to waste more time – time I could use to make more money – to help you understand the mother of a person who our boss ordered us to keep at arm's length? You want me to risk Bel's annoying calls? Levi's stupidly loud fanatical cries about disobedience? Squalo's damn screams? Boss's wrath?"

Lussuria smiled nervously. "I'll dou—quadruple your hourly price?"

Mammon twitched, and the tentacles paused.

"And get you five crates of your favorite chocolates?"

"…You have my attention. Go on."

"Mammon!"

"Shame; I thought there was something—"

"I-I'll keep Bel busy for the next three practice sessions with our divisions when we're back in Italy!"

"…Let's discuss more about your idea. I'll extend our consultation session and be paid accordingly, of course."

"Charge away. Since we'll be here for a while, I'll just order something to drink…"

"Leave. Him. Alone."

"But he's cute!"

"Now you have ten minutes."

"Mammon!"

The baby relented after Lusurria answered an unexpected call from Squalo about the records of a certain person's stocks going missing.

TakeSushi, Namimori (Extra Scene I considered leaving out but figured why not?"

"My love…is it wise to leave Nana alone?"

A baby with curly sideburns glanced at the beautiful young woman next to him. Her pink hair had grown longer since she first arrived in Japan, which stood as a testament to her attachment to her little brother and his new Japanese friends. Her ten-years-later counterpart was obviously fond of the girls: Kyoyko, Haru, I-pin, and likely Hana. However, there were too little interactions between her and Nana Sawada in the future-that-will-not-be for him to detect any further closeness. It made her current concern for Nana curious.

Bianchi was a mafia daughter; she didn't fidget, but Reborn's eyes caught how her fingers twitched before she curled them. He turned towards her fully and waited patiently.

"Maybe I should return to the house," suggested Bianchi with an uncharacteristic tentativeness that he hadn't seen since she was a child. It was different from her usual acts of bashfulness towards her 'love.'

"It's better for Hayato to get used to your face now rather than later," countered Reborn. "We won't always have the fortune of goggles, and you can't live your life with half your face covered."

Bianchi looked bemusedly to the side. As if to prove Reborn's point, once Hayato's eyes caught her own, he immediately lost his grip on the plate of sushi and collapsed against a surprised Tsunayoshi who squawked at the sudden weight. Takeshi merely laughed as Lambo grabbed the fallen sushi and gobbled them. Fortunately, Yamamoto's father left earlier to cook for a sick elderly neighbor.

The Sun boxer, Ryohei, was having a one-sided eating contest with Hibari who was ignoring everybody as he calmly ate from his own sushi platter in the far, far corner. Chrome watched Ryohei inhale the food with a wide-eyed look of shock. Her hands absently accepted the pieces of sushi that I-Pin and Fuuta gave her as they alternated between eating and talking.

"Bianchi."

She turned her head back to the baby hitman. As always, his dark eyes seemed to see her more clearly than anyone else. Her heart swelled with fondness. She could always count on Reborn to see her. He wasn't distracted by her beauty nor intimidated by her poison cooking abilities.

"Bianchi. Why do you want to go back to the house?"

His question snapped her out of her daze. Bianchi forcibly put aside her feelings for her beloved and concentrated.

"I'm concerned about Nana's…unawareness," started Bianchi. "It's almost the end of the year, and Nana is still largely in the dark."

Reborn tilted his head. "We were given clear instructions about Nana Sawada. Until Iemitsu or Tsuna talk to her, we can't expose her to the mafia world."

Bianchi stabbed a tamago sushi. "She's already associated because of her marriage."

"Association is not the same thing as awareness." Reborn sipped his tea and grimaced slightly. He preferred coffee any day. "Her ignorance supposedly protects her."

"Does it really?" questioned Bianchi doubtfully. She gestured around them. "Everyone here has been in a battle for their life; they all have the skills and experience to at least fight back. Each of them also has opportunities to grow and improve. However, Nana does not. If anyone comes after her, then how will she protect herself? Can she protect herself?"

"Your concerns are valid," said Reborn. "But ultimately, it is not our place to inform her. Additionally, I have alarms and traps set around the house. And don't think I didn't see you give her a panic button a few months ago. For a civilian, she's reasonably protected."

Bianchi frowned. "For how long? Eventually, the boy must move to Italy. His friends will follow, but will his mother leave him alone without question? Without any answers, it's more likely that she'll try to follow him. She is his mother.

Reborn hummed. "If Tsuna does not inform her, then she must stay in Namimori. Omertà deve essere osservata, Scorpione Avvelenato."

"Concordata," replied Bianchi softly, the sounds of her motherland gave her a wave homesickness. "Tuttavia, l'amore di una madre per suo figlio è una cosa potente. Senza alcuna risposta, temo che farà qualcosa di sciocco."

"Lei è una donna semplice. Un'altra verità riposi qualsiasi preoccupazione." Reborn pushed forward a plate of sushi with an unusual red sauce "Abbiammo ancora tempo. Per ora, mangiamo e recuperiamo. Try some of these; you're getting too skinny."

"I'm fine," objected Bianchi even as she used the chopsticks to pick one up. She chewed, and her expression made Reborn smirk.

"It's quite a—" started Bianchi.

"Reborn. Bianchi. Please tell you were not talking about my mother," said Tsuna with a deceivingly mild tone. Startled, Bianchi snapped her head to the side to see the Vongola Decimo standing near them with his hands clenched to his sides. Catching a glimpse of movement over the fluffy-haired teen's shoulder, her eyes followed and saw…

A smirking Mukuro Fucking Rokudo.

He wasn't even ashamed as he started to move towards the Cloud guardian with a taunting expression in his eyes.

On the plus side, her little brother was awake again.

The gravity in Tsuna's next words caught her attention. Everyone in the room paused as Tsuna spoke.

"My mother is not supposed to know anything about the mafia, and she will not be further exposed to that world. Leave her alone." His normally peaceful brown eyes flickered with the amber shade they took on during his Dying-Will-Mode.

Observing the boy in front of her, Bianchi had an idea why her future self willingly chose to aid him even when it was clear things were going to be worse for anyone associate with the Vongola.

"Is that an order, Dame-Tsuna?" purred Reborn dangerously.

Tsuna's hands shook but his face merely showed resolve. "I still don't want to be a mafia boss but as long as I'm involved, I will not allow anyone – even you Reborn – to drag my mother into the underworld. She is a civilian, and I refuse to expose her to danger."

Silence

Bianchi saw how the prolong silence broke down the boy's confidence. His eyes returned to normal, and he started visibly fidgeting on the spot. She opened her mouth to stop his misery, but Reborn spoke before her.

"Mama will be fine." Reborn adjusted his hat. "I will do everything in my power to ensure her safety while I'm your tutor."

"However," continued Reborn as he raised his head, enjoying the sight of blood leaving Tsuna's face. "It's still too early for you to even think about ordering me around, Dame-Tsuna. I hope you're prepared for the consequences."

As Tsuna proceeded to try and avoid Reborn's mallet and Lambo's weapons (because the toddler thought they were 'playing' and wanted to join in), he was also forced to mitigate other situations, or more specifically the quite possible three-way fight between an arrogant Mist, an irritated Cloud, and an exuberant competitive Sun.

Tsuna briefly smiled at the familiar chaos. It was loads better than the events in the other future. He shook his head and focused on Reborn's next move, ignoring the faint familiar feeling that something was off with his mother. His intuition always sensed…something around her, but it was always easy to ignore it, and nothing had ever really happened. Tsuna considered bringing it up to Reborn.

"Ahahahah, you can't catch me because you're just a poopie-head!"

"Stupid cow, that's not the saying!"

"Maa, maa~ He's just a kid, Gokudera."

"Shut up, sword freak!"

"Kufufufu. What loud people? I'm glad I took over for my dear Chrome."

"Go left Tsuna! Now right! SO MUCH PASSION! LET ME IN, TOO!"

"Herbivores..."

…Maybe later, decided Tsuna before he tripped. He braced himself for the impact of the hard floor, but he felt something else…a body?

"Herbivore, get off me now."

Fuck me, thought Tsuna with dread.

Reborn and Bianchi's Conversation (English Translation):

Reborn:Omertà must be considered, Poison Scorpion.

Bianchi: Agreed. However, a mother's love for her child is a powerful thing. Without any answers, I'm afraid that she'll do something foolish."

Reborn: She is a simple woman. Another truth will lay rest to any worries. We still have time. For now, let us eat and recover.