A Mother's World

A mother's love

Sawada Nana wasn't stupid or clueless like many believed. She was aware that her husband was a part of the Underworld though she was not sure of his affiliations. She also knew that he left home for long periods of time to protect them from harm, not to build bridges under the sea for fish or on the moon or whatever lies he told her. She pretended to believe him because Iemitsu needed to be reassured that she was gullible and ignorant of his true occupation. Then little Tsuna was born and Nana felt that yes, with her Tsu-kun there she could handle being away from her husband.

Tsuna was her pride and joy. He was not very athletic or smart but she didn't mind. Her son was kind and compassionate; he took in injured birds and fed stray kittens. Nana couldn't be prouder of him. Then the bullies came. God, she hated it when her sweet little son came home with scratches and bruises, claiming to have fallen or tripped somewhere. Of course Nana knew exactly what those injuries were. But Tsuna's wide chocolate orbs, so much like her own, would be pleading with her to believe him that she gave in; he was so much like his father in wanting to protect her by lying. It took some self-control but Nana learnt to smile and patch him up with a slight reprimand to be careful.

In the privacy of her room, though, she allowed her rage to surface. How dare these snivelling brats hurt her son? How dare they, who were not even worthy of Tsuna's sweet and calming presence, call him Dame Tsuna?! If it weren't for her son's benevolent heart, those brats would have found themselves on the wrong end of her knife.

This continued for some years. Once Iemitsu came to visit with an elderly man he introduced as his boss, Timoteo. Nana was wary of him. She could sense that Timoteo was a leader, but not necessarily a clean one. They stayed for about a week and when they left Nana felt that a part of her boy had been taken with them. He was clumsier now, more unfocused but his nature was the same. She smiled and carried on seemingly unbothered.

Then came the fateful day Reborn came to their house. She had found the flyer and felt the same compelling force from it as she had from Iemitsu. She called the number and a voice like that of a child answered, but it was not childish; it had the tone of an adult who had witnessed the world at its worst. Nana was impressed. From the next day, Tsuna's tutoring started and the brunette woman found herself praying, praying that this infant-who-was-not-an-infant could provide her Tsuna with the love and guidance, which he severely needed, and which Iemitsu should have been for. She wished that this fedora-wearing baby could restore the part of her son that's he felt was taken away from her. And he did. Nana saw her son gaining friends and her family expanding, people who would protect her son and people who would be protected by him in return. The first time it happened, the brunette almost cried tears of happiness.

Yamamoto Takeshi had been a surprise. One morning when she had gone to collect the newspaper he had been standing there. Spotting her he greeted her politely and asked if Tsuna was ready yet. She had beamed at him and invited him I for breakfast. His father she knew, of course. Tsuyoshi had been a yakuza to her yankee. They had clashed often and partnered up regularly. Their relationship was based on trust and respect. Then both of them had gotten married. He retired from the sword and Nana herself gave up the knife. They became civilians and lost connection. Later she heard the news of his wife's death. She had gone to the funeral only to find her old sparring partner broken and crying whilst hugging a boy to looked to be Tsuna's age. That was the last she had seen him. Now that very boy was befriending Tsuna. Funny how fate works.

Next came the boy, Gokudera Hayato. On their first meeting, Nana picked up the vibe he gave- desperate for approval, insecure but pure of heart and loyal to a fault. she took him in hoping to become someone he could rely upon, and though it took some time, she became exactly that. More and more people came. Lambo, Fuuta and I-pin were like her own children to her. Hibari Kyoya too was welcomed in her house, despite his reputation. She knew his mother; Suzume- chan had been that same way as a youngster but a fateful meeting with a freelance assassin had tempered her. Nana could see the image of her adolescent nemesis in Kyoya. Sasagawa Ryohei and his sister came next, along with a brunette cosplayer. Then sweet little purple-haired Chrome came, shy and unsure. Nana had no problem with the growing number of people who just barged into her house. She just worked hard to make sure that these children, who had latched themselves onto her son, were well fed and taken care of. She even reconnected with Tsuyoshi; the two of them occasionally shared stories over a cup of tea.

More people came, the Arcobaleno, Dino, Shimon Famiglia, even Byakuran. Nana just smiled and told herself to be patient enough to waut until Tsuna was ready to tell her and he did; a few months after Iemitsu had visited and she had been attacked, a few months after Reborn had come back and started growing, he sat her down and told her everything.

She wasn't very surprised; there had been enough clues to go around. She had been angry though, angry at her husband to do such a thing to their son and then have the guts to never be around. She had listened as her son spoke, quietly relieved. He hadn't stuttered once and had spoken like a true boss. Nana couldn't be happier that her little boy had found something to protect.

(She had a long chat with Iemitsu afterwards, which mostly consisted of her berating him and shouting at him for being such a useless father. It felt good to let that all out.)

After that, the next few years were easy. Tsuna graduated high school with flying colours. Nana knew that he would have to learn about the working of Vongola so, again, she wasn't very surprised when he told her of his plans to go to Italy. She simply wished him luck and told him to visit often. Now aware of his mother's delinquent past, he had taken her veiled threat seriously and visited whenever possible. In the years that followed Nana bonded with her three wards. She was especially happy whenever Tsuna came and made sure to spend time with his siblings as well as his mother. Her little boy was growing up; it had been a tearful revelation.

Now as she stood in the Vongola Mansion's ballroom, clad in an elegant grey dress, she felt those tears return. There, on the dais was her Tsuna, being sworn in as the Vongola Decimo, his Guardians, his friends, at his side. Reborn was also there, to be sworn in as the new CEDEF head. Iemitsu had been pissed off about that one but a word (*cough* threat *cough*) from his wife and son had schooled him. He sat beside her now; face a mixture of joy and displeasure. Tsuna's siblings were also there, Lambo as a Guardian while Fuuta and I-pin attended as guests. Nana smiled as her son stood up to give his commemoration speech. It was beautifully written by her son and his guardians; a mixture of all their personalities visible in the words, veiled threats and promises and steady reassurances. Then came a line Nana had not heard before during rehearsals.

"...My mother has been my greatest inspiration. It was from her that I learnt what it means to take care of a Famiglia. She was the stable rock in my crazy river of a life and provided the normalcy that kept me sane. I know that she got hurt because of me and I also know that she gave up her own lifestyle for me, for that I am eternally grateful and I hope that I am able to become a leader she will be proud of..."

After the celebration had ended she tackled him in a hug. "Oh Tsu-kun that was amazing!" He had embraced her back and whispered in her ear. "Thank you so much, oka-san, for everything. I love you." She had broken down, then, tears flowing even as she smiled proudly at her sweet, little Tsuna. (He will always be little in her eyes.)

So yes, people thought of her as clueless, and she may be, but there was one thing that Sawada Nana was extremely sure of- God only help the person who hurt her Tsu-kun.

A/N: Hello minna-san! This was supposed to be posted on March 31st i.e. Nana's birthday but due to my health being bad it had to be delayed a day. Let me just say that this is one of my favorite one-shots (written by myself) and I really love the idea of a delinquent Nana or a CEDEF head Reborn. Well, I hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time.

P.S.- Happy Birthday to Tsuyoshi-san too, since it's already April 1st here. He is one of my favorite anime parents.