Technically a part 2 to the last chapter. A lot of the stuff (not all, but a lot) in this chapter I wasn't planning on writing, just alluding to in a short little sentence later. The Lavina stuff was supposed to happen. That's about it. I'd been really anxious and sleep deprived over the last few weeks and everything I wrote was an absolute disaster (there's a new BNHA fic I posted that is absolutely me just... word barfing. Everywhere) so I didn't want to try to approach the plot until I was in a better mind state. Which I am! I escaped into the wilderness for a few days and it was great!

Anywho's this chapter is a continuation of the very end of the last with mostly just cute moments of the family bonding together. They're all super cute together. Next chapter is a bit of a timeskip, a week tops, to get to Tsuna's and Reborn's birthdays so these moments were going to be mentioned but not really expanded on. Then I went crazy. So they're here now. I hope you guys like the cute!

Nana has parenting worries

Snake calls bullshit

Tsuna is a precious baby bean brother

Lavina needs a hug

Kouske needs a hug?

Let's go shopping!

-00-

Interlude of Cute

-00-

Nana bit their thumb anxiously as they walked back to TakeSushi.

"What are you worried about this time?" Snake sighed.

"Reborn said Futa doesn't have any family," Nana started.

"I did say that," Reborn agreed, watching them curiously.

Nana shushed him. "He's older than Lambo-kun and Ipin-chan. So he's going to understand more things automatically than they have."

"Yes, that does seem to be the trend with children of differing ages."

Nana rolled their eyes, hand dropping from their face. "That means I need to talk to him about potentially adopting him."

They hadn't talked to the other two about it, not really. For I-pin they wanted to wait until the mystery surrounding her 'master' was cleared up and with Lambo's mentality they were pretty sure trying to have a serious conversation about it would just confuse and upset him. He called Nana 'Maman' but Nana didn't know if that was because he actually wanted Nana to be his parent or if Lambo was projecting his own parents onto Nana to fulfill his familial dreams. Either way, Nana didn't want to shatter the consistency he was starting to build. As soon as he was more confidant in his place in their home, and he matured a little more mentally, then Nana would sit him down for a talk.

With Futa it was a whole different kind of ballpark. Futa was, clearly, a highly intelligent boy. Emotionally and mentally he was far more likely to question everything and with the tiny bit of history Nana had on him putting that kind of conversation off would only make Futa suspicious of their intentions.

Nana was an adaptable person. Big changes didn't usually stress them out as much as other people so adopting a kid right after meeting them wasn't shocking or stressful enough to make Nana put it off. They knew what their answer would be a week, a month, a year from now so there was no reason to wait.

For a young boy that had just gotten away from a group that hunted him down from another country, it would probably be overwhelming and difficult to believe.

How should Nana greet him? How could they broach the topic without scaring him away? Did they do it tonight, to make it clear right off the bat that they planned to care for him all the way until adulthood if Futa wanted them to, or did they wait until tomorrow? Normally they'd choose the next day so Futa could be fully rested but he was a mafia kid. Mafia kids viewed the world very differently and waiting might give him the wrong impression.

Nana groaned and started biting at their thumb again.

"I'm afraid I fail to see the problem," Snake said, confused. "You have been eagerly awaiting the chance to officially adopt Bovino Lambo and I-Pin, I had assumed you would be overjoyed when an opportunity to actually go through the process presented itself. What makes it so different for Futa de la Stella?"

"Lambo-kun and I-Pin-chan are toddlers," Nana flailed their hands around. "Futa is a child, yes, but he understands a lot more than them."

They weren't really sure how to explain it properly.

"Ah," Snake realized. "You are afraid he will say no."

"N-no!" Nana flushed to their ears. "That's not what I was trying to say!"

"But it is what you meant," Snake pointed out. "You are afraid that with his greater mental awareness and observational skills he will deem you an unfit parent should you do one thing incorrectly."

Nana spluttered.

"I suppose that reasoning could make sense, in a way," Snake sounded thoughtful. "The younger children are far less likely to notice any mistakes and by the time they are old enough to really process everything you will have endeared yourself to them enough that they will most likely choose to stay with you of their own volition despite any missteps you might have made."

Nana knelt down in the middle of the sidewalk and buried their face in their knees. They crossed their arms over their head. "Why do you always have to call me out like that?" they said, soft and a little hurt.

"Because if I did not you would allow these ridiculous thoughts to build up to the point of detriment. I do not understand how, after everything you have managed to achieve, you could hold such thoughts towards yourself but I do recognize that despite the illogical nature of your thoughts they are still very much real beliefs you hold. Nana- I do hope you will actually listen to me this time when I say this- you... are an idiot."

Nana muffled their snort in their knee.

"Only a fool would think of potential future mistakes as the defining feature of any deal. In adopting Futa de la Stella you are making an agreement in which you will provide him food, clothing, a roof over his head, educational opportunities, and a safe environment in which he can pursue his own goals and interests while only requiring the occasional chore and basic safety rules in return. Regardless of any oversight on your part, this is clearly a beneficial deal to him and a wrongly worded sentence or a moment of forgetfulness is not going to take away those benefits. I could, perhaps, see your worries as being valid in Bovino Lambo's case currently as he is a child that prioritizes his most immediate emotional response over any sense of reason but Futa de la Stella has survived this long by being logical and rational about what he gives and what he takes. Judging by his ranking of you earlier I have no doubt he has already guessed at what you are planning. I wouldn't be surprised if Tsunayoshi has already asked him to stay at this point either. He is going to say yes because I can think of no other reason for him traveling to Namimori and searching out your son specifically than that he wanted your family's help in particular. Simply being open and honest with your expectations is the best approach and any of the emotional bonding you are wanting to add will naturally occur over the years you spend together."

Nana lifted their head, wide-eyed. "...What kind of books have you been reading?" they breathed. "How do you- how did you do that?"

"How did I so succinctly point out the ridiculousness of your own thought patterns before rerouting them with logic?" Snake said proudly and a little bit full of himself. "You are rather predictable when it comes to your insecurities Nana, I have had years of practice."

Nana rolled their eyes so hard it almost hurt. "Deflate your head a little there buddy."

The coiled feeling of dread in their heart was gone and their stomach was settling. Nana stood up fully and brushed off their pants. All of that made sense. Futa had come looking for help, of course he had. If Snake was right and Futa had come searching for Tsuna in particular then that was even better! Tsuna would win that boy over in a heartbeat. Even if Nana messed up again, Futa would trust in Tsuna. Tsuna would never betray that trust.

Nana patted their chest, breathing out. This was good. This was fine! Futa would stay with them and Nana wouldn't have to live in heartwrenching worry that a little boy was being hunted down and forced to probably live on the streets in constant fear.

Their eyebrow twitched.

Nana would need to look up the famiglias those men belonged to.

"How long have you been able to talk to your ghost?"

Nana looked down. Reborn was watching them with an odd glint in his eyes, twisting one of his curly sideburns between his fingers. They pursed their lips.

"He will know if you lie," Snake warned.

That was pretty high praise. Nana rarely saw a need to truly hide things, not with the friends and family they had, but whenever they thought it was necessary they could do so with ease. If Snake was saying that Reborn would catch them in a lie even if Nana was seriously trying...

That was a bit unnerving.

"Since I was born, I'm pretty sure," Nana answered honestly. "I've heard his voice since I was very young."

"And is he truly a ghost like Lavina says?"

Nana shrugged. "He told me he doesn't have a physical form."

Which was true. Snake had said that. When Nana was eight. He didn't bother trying to fool them about that anymore.

Reborn's eyes flashed. "Do you think he has a physical form somewhere?"

"I hope he does," Nana sighed. "I want to give him a good solid punch for his bullshit. And a big hug. He seems like he could use a few of those."

"Nana," Snake sighed.

Nana grinned at the slightly flustered waver in his tone.

"Lavina knows a lot more about those kinds of things than I do though," they continued. "If there's a ghost problem I'd trust her over anyone else."

Reborn released his sideburn with a tiny flick, making it bounce. He stared at Nana for a good long moment (Nana was so grateful they hadn't inherited their Dad's sweaty palms).

"Shall we get moving?" Nana directed, motioning their arms down the sidewalk.

Reborn shrugged and started walking.

Sweet. Nana's luck for narrowly missing death was still going strong.

"Thank you Nana. I would prefer it if Reborn did not have a lot of information about me."

Nana nodded. Reborn knowing things about you was horrifying. They could see why even Snake would want to avoid that.

They got to TakeSushi quickly after that. They had honestly only been around the corner when Nana decided to have a nice fight with their inner turmoil. The lights were on but the sign was flipped to closed.

The door was unlocked.

"Thank you for adopting me, Maman," Futa bowed deeply before grinning up at him.

Nana froze, hand still on the handle and barely a foot past the threshold.

Tsuyoshi slapped his hands on the counter, laughing so hard tears came to his eyes.

Nana blinked, sniffling.

"Nana, there really isn't a need to cr-"

"Welcome to the family son!" Nana cried, swooping Futa up into their arms.

Futa laughed. "Wow! Tsuna-nii was right!"

Nana patted his head, elated beyond words. They'd been wanting to call Lambo and I-Pin their son/daughter since they first showed up. Having to bite their tongue all the time had been making them anxious and this kid (who was fricken adorable, look at those giganto eyes) just straight up took Nana's first move!

"I'm Futa de la Stella," he introduced himself happily when Nana finally calmed down and released him. "Tsuna-nii said I could stay with you and that you would take care of me!"

Nana let their eyes slide over to their son who was hiding his face in the corner.

"H-he doesn't have any parents Dad," Tsuna explained, using his hand as a barrier for his eyes. "And he s-says people try to kidnap him a lot. To make him do things he doesn't want to do."

"Things? What kind of things?" Nana straightened. "Futa-kun, how old are you?"

"Nine!" he held up his hands.

Nana threw their hands up in the air as well, but less in a counting way and more of a 'what the fuck is wrong with this world' kind of way. "Why are people trying to force you to do things for them? Is it the ranking thing? Natsuki and Snake mentioned it but that doesn't seem like a very good reason to be hounding children! It is the ranking thing right? Do they try to make you do anything else?"

Futa tapped his chin, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Usually just the ranking."

"Usually?!"

"Well, my rankings are always correct as long as it's not raining. A lot of bosses think that's very useful so they try to make me rank all their enemies."

"It is true that his rankings are a fearsome weapon," Snake lectured. "He is an extremely rare person to be able to communicate with the stars the way he does. Only three other people have ever had the ability since the beginning of mankind. Futa de la Stella is a resource people would kill to have."

Nana opened their mouth, then thought better of it.

They placed a hand on Futa's shoulder. "You… are really cool. It seriously sucks that people keep trying to make you do things you don't want to do, I get why you were running away. You can stay with us for as long as you want Futa-kun, no one here will ever make you do anything you don't want to. Except maybe chores sometimes."

Futa stared up at him, blinking. A blinding smile took over his face. "...Thanks!"

"Welcome to the family," Nana repeated simply, locking this child away in their heart forever. "Do you have any things you need to get before you pick out a room?"

"Nope!" Futa chirps, folding his arms behind him and rocking on the tips of his toes. "I don't need anything except my book!"

"And clothes," Nana was aghast. "And food. And literally everything else required for living."

Futa shrugged.

"First chore," Nana decided robotically. "Love yourself more. Please."

"I like myself fine though?"

"We'll work on that," Nana promised. "First, let's go get you a room and introduce you to everyone."

"Okay!"

Nana stood up. Tsuyoshi was still chuckling as he pointed at a large bag at the end of the counter. "Everyone else already ate. Take that with you when you go."

Nana debated on staying irritated with him for still laughing but the gratitude for food won out.

"Thanks Tsuyoshi. Where is everyone else?"

"Miyu-chan should be at home by now. Ryohei-kun and Kyoko-chan practically carried her out of here when she was done eating," Tsuyoshi laughed again, softer this time. His eyes were warm. "They were cheering the whole time."

Nana nodded strongly. Good. Miyu deserved all the cheers. The fact that she approached clearly dangerous men, when she still flinched away from someone like Tsuyoshi if he startled her, for children that weren't even her own was awe-inspiring in Nana's opinion. It must have taken all the courage she could muster to walk towards them, let alone punch someone. Kouske had looked proud when he noticed the man with the broken jaw (Nana hadn't even had to tell him it was Miyu that punched him, which was kind of weird, but Kouske was kind of weird so what did it matter).

"Takeshi, Hayato-kun, and Dino-kun are all asleep upstairs. They didn't last very long after dinner."

"As long as they make it to school on time tomorrow," Nana said fondly. "I'll let Lavina know Hayato is here."

Something in Tsuyoshi's eyes changed at Lavina's name. He glanced at Tsuna quickly.

"Tsu-kun," Nana tugged at their son's arm, "can you take the food and Futa-kun home? I need to check in with Aiko about what we're doing for Sports Day before I leave and it's starting to get late. I don't want Futa-kun to stay up any longer than he has to."

"Oh, um, sure," Tsuna grabbed Futa's hand from Nana into his own. Nana helped him balance the food in his other arm. "Will everything be… okay?"

"It should be," Nana fixed his hair for him. "Kyoya took all of those guys away and there didn't seem to be any more of them running around. Besides, Reborn will look after you two. Won't you Reborn?"

Reborn popped his head up from Tsuna's hair with a smirk. He looked at the bag of food with a glint in his eyes. "Of course."

While Tsuna panicked about not realizing Reborn was in his hair (again), Nana ushered them out the door.

"Stay with Tsuna, okay Futa-kun?"

"Okay Maman!"

Nana clutched at their heart.

Tsuna was tugged along by the smaller boy. He kept glancing back worriedly while Nana waved until they turned the corner. Once they were gone they went back in.

Tsuyoshi was sitting at the counter now, a little plate of sushi in front of the empty seat next to him. Nana folded into it with a sigh.

"Got yourself another one," Tsuyoshi leaned his cheek against his hand, grinning like the cat that caught the canary. "You'll have your own personal baseball team soon."

Nana rolled their eyes but smiled back. "You don't fool me, if Tsuna hadn't told him I'd take him in you would have done it yourself."

"He's just like a little Takeshi!" Tsuyoshi cheered. "But with books instead of a bat! Aiko would love him to bits."

Nana had to agree with him there. Aiko was absolutely smitten with I-Pin and she made snacks to bribe Lambo over to play all the time. If they didn't know any better Nana would think Aiko was going to go out to get her own wayward child.

"Does he have any siblings?" Tsuyoshi asked curiously.

...Maybe it would be Tsuyoshi to go looking.

"Snake?" Nana checked.

"Futa de la Stella is an only child."

"Nah," Nana answered their friend. "No siblings from him."

Tsuyoshi clicked his tongue. "Ah well, I'm sure more will come."

Nana hated that he was probably right. Tsuyoshi let them eat a bit before speaking again.

"Have you heard anything from her?" he asked, picking at a slight divot in the counter.

Nana shook their head.

He sighed. "Has Kouske said anything?"

"Nothing new," Nana ate their sushi slowly, suddenly exhausted. "He hasn't seen today's test results yet but… I doubt anything has changed."

Tsuyoshi wrapped an arm around Nana's shoulder, resting his head on theirs when they leaned on him. "It's gonna be okay. Kouske'll figure it out."

Nana licked their lips, blinking quickly to get rid of the water building along their lower eyelids. "...Yeah."

They sat together silently while Nana finished their food. Aiko showed up just as Nana was leaving, sweaty and with a longbow draped across her shoulder. Nana got stuck in a smothering hug between the two as they greeted each other like the love-sick teens they had never changed from.

"Alright, alright," Nana wriggled free. "Gods you two are sickeningly sweet."

Tsuyoshi placed an absurdly large kiss on his wife's cheek, adding in a loud "mwuah" sound.

Nana laughed.

"Oh. Oh!" Aiko clapped her hands together suddenly. "I know it's late, but do you want to see something cool before you go?"

"That is never a question I'm going to say no to," Nana said.

Aiko grinned.

-00-

Children were… kind of exhausting. Tsuna hadn't realized how difficult it was to keep track of such tiny people. Mom had looked stressed when they left TakeSushi so he had tried to get everything ready for the night before she got back. That was easier said than done.

Lambo was always a challenge. He had been prepared for that. I-Pin was usually good so long as he kept her separated from Lambo long enough for her to go into her room. That particular bedtime routine was easy once he got Lambo in the right hold to keep him from wriggling away.

Everything was fine until Futa started levitating and gravity turned off.

Because gravity could do that.

Turn off.

Like an on/off switch.

Thankfully Ryu-san had walked in and been kind enough to lend a hand. Tsuna let him hold Lambo while he put I-Pin to bed (and made sure she had her Rainbow Phoenix Man action figure, gifted by Lambo, of course). They both decided to let Futa finish up whatever he was doing while he mumbled to himself in the air. Lambo went down once he was burrito wrapped in his blanket and Tsuna started singing (which was so, so embarrassing but it worked okay).

Futa ended up not floating forever, which was great. All the things that had been floating around him also stopped, which was less great. Thankfully nothing was broken but it was a pretty big mess. Futa promised to help clean up once he was done writing down his new rankings but Tsuna didn't count on it. He had said a lot, they'd definitely finish cleaning before he was done.

"I'm home," Nana called softly from the entrance.

"Welcome home, Nana-san," Ryu passed by with an armful of pictures, carefully setting them back where they belonged.

"Welcome home Mom," Tsuna rushed over. "Did anything happen? You were gone for a while."

"Yeah," Nana slumped.

"D-did you get attacked?!" Tsuna fretted.

"No, no, nothing like that," Nana promised. "Aiko got back as I was leaving and she wanted to show me this new trickshot she had learned. Then Tsuyoshi wanted to try hitting it out of the air with the sword he just... keeps behind the bar apparently. Aiko seemed all for it so I had to stay to be the voice of reason."

"You stopped them?"

"Nah," Nana yawned. "I just had her shoot at me instead."

"What?!"

"Maman!" Futa rushed around the corner, giant book in hand. "Your house is so big! It ranked 6th out of 34,605 homes that are child friendly and give you that warm, nostalgic feeling!"

Nana's face contorted into an odd mixture of pride and weirded out. "...That is a very specific category. But not a bad one! More importantly though, why are you still up Futa-kun? I thought you'd be in bed by now."

Tsuna shriveled. Nana didn't sound stern, just curious, but he had promised to get Futa to sleep before she got back.

"There were too many things to rank!" Futa held up his book excitedly. "And Tsuna-nii was busy putting everyone else in bed. Hanazawa Ryu helped him clean up after my ranking was done so there wasn't any time for sleep!"

Ryu waved happily as he put the last picture back in place. "I heard the commotion and thought I would come out to help."

Tsuna wondered if Shoto-san was already asleep or if he just didn't want to bother with the inevitable war zone that was bedtime with Lambo.

"Thank you, Ryu-kun. Lavina usually helps too," Nana's eyes flicked to the stairs. "Was she tired?"

"No," Tsuna shook his head. "She actually went out for a walk when I got home."

The green around his mom flared out alarmingly.

"It's a nice night for a walk," Nana said happily.

Tsuna frowned, worried. His Aunt had looked more energized when she left, her colors had been swirling more erratically than usual, but it was true that she didn't usually leave before all the kids were taken care of.

"Mom," he said carefully.

Nana placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay Tsu-kun. She had a doctor's appointment today, you know those always put her on edge."

"Yeah…"

Ryu looked between them. "Well, I suppose I'll turn in for the night."

Nana sent him a grateful smile. "Thank you again for helping Ryu-kun. Sleep well."

"You three as well."

Futa tucked his book away, folding his hands in front of him. "Should I go to bed too?"

"Have you picked a room?"

"Yup!" he chirped. "It's next to I-Pin-chan's room!"

Nana ruffled his hair again, melting when he leaned into it. "Then I would definitely say it's time for bed. Can you handle getting ready on your own?"

Futa seemed like an independent kid. He probably wouldn't appreciate Nana hovering over him like they did with the younger ones.

"Of course!" he ran up the stairs with a laugh.

"He's adorable," Nana watched him with a happy little grin.

Tsuna had to agree, even if the floating thing was really weird. He was a lot more well behaved than Lambo, and it was easier to hold a conversation with him too. Not that I-Pin didn't try, but her stilted Japanese and Tsuna's poor retention of Chinese made it a little difficult to keep up with a topic.

Playing imagination was the best way to get through to both of them, but with Futa he seemed to just want to talk. About everything. Tsuna could definitely appreciate talking over running around and getting his ankles chopped at with cardboard swords.

Tsuna leaned into the hand that ruffled his hair before flushing and pulling away.

Nana smiled at him warmly. "Head to bed Tsu-kun."

Tsuna shuffled his feet. He twisted his hands together and looked at the door.

Nana hugged him. "Got to sleep. I'll wait up for her."

"Okay," he said softly. He hugged them back quickly before rushing up the stairs. Reborn was already asleep in his hammock so he had to tiptoe his way through his nighttime routine. He grabbed his large headphones and his gaming pad, hiding them under the blankets. Then he waited.

Mom's footsteps were too soft on the carpet to hear, but the sound of their fingers trailing along the wall, following the pattern of the painted flowers Aunt Lavina had made, always let him know where they were in the hall. He heard Lambo's door open. Then I-Pin's. Futa's was too far away.

Fingers brushed plaster outside his door.

Nana peeked in. "Goodnight Tsu-kun."

"Night Mom," Tsuna yawned.

The door closed. Tsuna waited for a little bit longer.

He heard the front door open. He could hear the lock click into place.

Pulling out his headphones he plugged them in and opened up the math matching game his teacher from last year had recommended. It wasn't a difficult one, not anymore. Not with Reborn there. It was time-consuming though. Mom never told him anything important about Aunt Lavina's hospital trips. Aunt Lavina was even more evasive. The only thing he had to go off of was their colors but those couldn't really help with something like this.

They didn't want him to know. They didn't want Hayato to know.

His heart clenched. He couldn't force answers out of them. Especially not with something so personal. He could wait up for them though, to make sure they made it home safe.

Tsuna tapped his toes together softly to the theme song of the game.

He waited.

-00-

Nana found her in the clearing. THE clearing, apparently, since this was the same place Nana kept finding herself drawn to throughout the years. It was where she had first decided to try unlocking her Flames. The place she had her first lesson with Kyoya. Where she had told Tsuna about Iemitsu and herself.

Now it was where she found Lavina, bathed in the silvery light of the moon. She was at the center, sitting criss-cross with her arms wrapped loosely around her stomach. Her back was turned to Nana, but her head was tilted down to the ground instead of up at the beautiful star spattered sky.

Nana stepped out from the treeline, unfolding the blanket she had brought with her as she went. She draped it over Lavina's shoulders, setting one of the thermoses full of the silverette's favorite tea next to her as well.

"...Nana?" Lavina whispered.

"Hey."

Nana looked her over. She wasn't wearing her makeup for the first time in a long time. She was always so careful about putting it on before she left her room, no matter how early it was. Gods, the small wrinkles around her eyes and lips made it look like she'd aged twenty years in the few hours since Nana had last seen her. Her skin was red too. She must have scrubbed her face raw trying to get it off out here where she knew no one would see her.

There were papers in her hands, crumpled to the point of nearly tearing from the grip she had on them. Nana reached out, gently uncurling her fingers and smoothing out the papers but keeping them folded. Lavina would tell her what they said when she was ready and honestly… Nana wasn't sure she was ready to know.

"Here," Nana picked up the thermos, pouring a good amount into the lid and guiding it into Lavina's hands. Once everything was as good as it was going to get Nana sat down with a few inches of space between their shoulders. She opened her own thermos, letting her free hand rest palm up between them.

Then she waited.

It took a while. Nana finished her entire thermos, and she'd only been sipping at it intermittently. Lavina still hadn't touched hers.

It must have been half an hour, at least, before Nana felt trembling fingers curl around her own.

Lavina sniffled. She set her cup in the grass, lifting Nana's hand and pressing the back of it to her forehead.

Nana blinked quickly, staring up at the stars.

Lavina's illness was exceedingly rare. So rare, in fact, that there were only three other known (potential) cases and near to no information about it. The other three people had died, suddenly and without warning, before anyone even really knew something was wrong.

Just like Lavina almost had, that sunny day in Italy.

The only thing known, as a fact, about the illness was that it was degenerative. The first man with a recorded case died because his lungs just… stopped working. The second person died when her nervous system failed during the night and no one thought to check on her until it was too late. The third man, it was his brain. Lavina's heart had stopped.

Lavina was the only one to have survived one of her bodily functions stopping, due to the pure chance that Nana had been with her and Snake had been so quick to assist. Everything that happened after was carefully monitored and scrutinized and still, still no one could figure out what the fuck was causing it.

Lavina's body, her entire body, has been slowly eroding away for years. Coming to Namimori had slowed it down somehow, but even at a snail's pace it had continued to decline. Her medicine, the countless times they had to change it, was because not a single one of them worked. All they did was numb the pain enough for her to try to live as normal of a life as she could.

The kids didn't know. Lavina didn't want them to know yet, and Nana didn't trust herself to be able to stop talking once she started so she hadn't even told Tsuna that the hospital Lavina so frequently visited was owned by Kouske. If Nana told him that Kouske was a world-renowned medical scientist then Tsuna might start to notice that even with Kouske around them all the fucking time Lavina wasn't getting better. She was 'stable', maintaining the same level of health she always had, until you looked at pictures or videos over the years and noticed the subtle loss of weight, the bags under her eyes, the tremor in her legs because she was curving downward so slowly that it sometimes looked like a straight line.

"Nana," Lavina choked, hunching in on herself. She clung to Nana's hand like a lifeline, gripping it with all her strength.

Nana could barely feel it at all.

"It's okay," Nana said, reaching for her friend. She lifted Lavina easily, tucking her into her arms and settling her head under Nana's chin. "It's alright. Let it out Lavina, I've got you."

Lavina still had her hand but her face was pressed into Nana's shoulder now. Nana hugged her, humming softly under her breath as Lavina cried. It was the song Lavina always played at school when Nana was scared, or dysphoric, or so afraid of the future she couldn't move.

Nana didn't want to know what the papers said. She'd had enough hospital rooms and repressed tears from her last life, she didn't want to go through it all in this one too, but Lavina was such a special existence in Nana's life and she deserved every bit of support the world could offer.

"I-I'm s-s-sorry," Lavina whimpered, straining so hard to stop herself from crying too loudly. Even out here, in the middle of the woods, she didn't want anyone noticing.

"Hush," Nana pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "You're safe here Lavina. Don't worry about anything else right now. I'm here with you."

Nana wanted to tell her to stop holding back. To let everything out and scream as loud as she needed to.

Nana remembered her brother, from so long ago, letting go of so much he never found a piece left behind to keep.

Lavina muffled her soft cries in Nana's shoulder, and Nana let her.

Nana stopped humming for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady herself. She startled, suddenly, when she realized she could still hear the song she had been singing. Quiet, barely there, but there was definitely another voice. It wasn't coming from Lavina, obviously. It sounded odd, too. Like it was coming from her head-

Oh.

"Fuck," Nana said as the first tear rolled down her cheek.

Lavina hugged her tighter when her breath hitched.

Snake continued to hum softly in the back of her head.

Nana's face crumpled. She hid away in Lavina's hair, hiccuping along with her.

Lavina wasn't going to Italy.

-00-

Kouske punched the desk hard enough to crack it. His knuckles were bleeding when he pulled back. Natsuki had gotten him that desk. She'd had it custom made so that he wouldn't break it on accident.

He punched it again, the papers on top of it flying off and to the floor. The desk split in two.

Thin, immeasurably strong fingers glided over the top of his hand, stopping him from striking the third time.

Natsuki looked up at him calmly.

Kouske twined their hands together, using his other hand to rub away the headache growing behind his eyes.

"There is nothing wrong with her," he scowled.

Because there wasn't. Every single medical condition, from a simple virus to genetic deficiencies, had a defining characteristic that caused the medical issue. Not everything had a cure, not yet, but it had a cause.

Lavina was completely healthy. All of her blood tests came back normal. She passed every cognitive development test Kouske could assign. She didn't have any growths where there shouldn't be, she didn't have cancer cells anywhere in her body, and her immune system was so strong she'd avoided catching so much as a cold for years. Her hormonal levels were normal. Everything was normal.

Kouske couldn't even say that the level of degeneration her body was going through was unnatural, because it was the exact same kind of degeneration he saw in every single living person. The natural declination of health as a body grew, caused simply by the wear and tear of time. Lavina was going through the exact same process but at an increasingly heightened rate and Kouske couldn't figure out why.

Natsuki pulled their hands up, kissing the side of his thumb. "What do you want to do?"

Kouske sighed, heavy and angry. Finding answers was his job.

"I'm going to go visit my other locations," he decided. Namimori was his biggest investment, especially over the last few years, but he had several other hospitals he owned at might provide at least a bit more information. "There is a case over in France that is similar to this one. I need to check on it."

Natsuki hummed. She looked down at their feet, tapping her bare toe on a specific paper that had landed near them.

"And the girl?"

Kouske bent forward, resting his head on top of Natsuki's. "If Lavina continues the way she is Nana won't be able to care for them both."

Natsuki wrapped her arms around him. "I'll take care of it."

"You said you didn't want-"

"I want it now. I went to visit and I saw what you told me about. Leave it to me."

He loved his wife. Nana would mock him, if he admitted to believing in the sentimental existence of miracles, but there was no other logical way to explain Natsuki.

"Kyoya won't be pleased," he said instead of asking her if she was sure. If she didn't want to do something she wouldn't, even if Kouske was the one to ask. It was just one more thing to love.

"He'll be delighted," Natsuki corrected. "He's never wanted to be your heir."

Kouske blinked. That… was ingenious.

He pulled back, lifting his hands to cup her face. He kissed her forehead reverently, to show his appreciation for her intelligence.

She smiled, lifting herself up on her toes to kiss him properly. "We won't be seeing each other for a while then."

Kouske scowled again. Natsuki laughed lightly, pulling at his hand to guide him towards the door.

"Why don't you take someone with you? I don't want you feeling lonely," she teased. "I'm sure Tsuyoshi and Aiko would love to have their own little adventure with you."

Kouske made a disgusted sound in the back of his throat.

Natsuki turned to him, amused as they entered their room. "Well, Nana can't go with you they'll be in Italy. Miyu won't agree and Lavina has to stay in Namimori."

"Kyoya."

Natsuki's eyebrow raised, the mirror image of their son. "He would jump out of the plane if you tried."

Not if Kouske tied him down well enough.

"I don't need anyone to go with me." He opened the closet, pulling out a pair of sleep pants and throwing one of his shirts at his wife. She changed faster than him, lounging on her side of the bed while they talked.

"No, but you should bring someone anyway. You get too stressed when you're alone."

Kouske rolled his eyes as he got on his side, meeting her in the middle so they could lay down together. It was her fault he was overly aware of silences in empty rooms.

"Think about it," she urged, kissing the underside of his jaw and curling around him protectively. "I'd hate for you to get sick again."

Kouske sighed. "I'm only taking one of them."

Natsuki gave a please hum, brushing her fingers over his face as he relaxed. "That's good."

-00-

"Aright," Nana parked the car then turned in her seat to look back at the three youngest. "Lambo-kun would you like to explain the rules for shopping together?"

Lambo laughed proudly, nose in the air. "Lambo-san knows everything! You have to hold hands if there is a lot of people, and if you want to go anywhere different you have to tell Maman! Maman gets scared if you disappear so you have to say where you're going! Everything costs money, so you're not supposed to just take stuff," Lambo lectured I-Pin and Futa. "You can get one toy! If you're really, really good you might get two!"

Nana unclipped her seatbelt. "And what do you have to do to be really good?"

"Stay safe!" Lambo threw his hands in the air. "If you get lost stay in one spot so Maman and Crybaby Tsuna can find you! If Maman says no then no arguing! Return things you accidentally took from someone's pockets!"

"Or," Tsuna sighed, "just don't take things from people's pockets."

Nana smiled. "Are you all ready to go shopping?"

"Yeah!" Lambo and I-Pin cheered. Futa nodded quickly, fiddling with his seatbelt.

"Remember, we're here to get new clothes for everyone and find some things to put in Futa-kun and I-Pin-chan's rooms. If you want anything else you have to ask."

Money wasn't really a problem any more thanks to the Hibari family but Nana didn't want to spoil them too much. Lambo especially needed to mature a bit more than the others, so teaching him manners and restraint was extra important. He was doing pretty good though. He'd shared one of his absolute favorite action figures (something about a rainbow rocket man from space?) with I-Pin the night after they met so she could have someone to keep her safe while she slept.

It was cute as heck, and it definitely endeared him to the girl after their disastrous first meeting. Nana couldn't get the adorable picture of a Lambo Broccoli monster out of their head and, judging from her occasional terrified glances, neither could I-Pin.

Nana got Lambo and I-Pin out of their chairs, leaving Futa to Tsuna. Once they were all standing side-by-side Nana squinted at the parking lot around them. The big mall in the town next to Namimori wasn't terribly far away if you had a car (which Nana promised Miyu a nice meal for letting her borrow), but it was always so crowded. They had to park a lot farther away from the entrance this time thanks to so many cars packed together. The original plan had been to have Lavina come with them, she'd wanted to grab a few things herself, but with the sudden addition of Futa as well as... other things it was best that she stayed home. Without any of the kids to interrupt her rest.

"It looks like it's really busy today," Nana mumbled. She nodded, looking at her kids. "Buddy system today, guys. We'll try to all stay together but we need to always be with our buddies at the very least, okay? Lambo sweetie, you're buddy is Tsu-kun. Make sure he doesn't get lost okay?"

Lambo grabbed Tsuna's hand, clinging to it with a wide grin. "Don't worry Maman, Lambo-san will keep Crybaby Tsuna safe!"

Tsuna rolled his eyes but held the toddler's hand without complaint.

"I-Pin-chan and Futa-kun, you two are buddies as well. That means you hold hands and look out for each other."

"Yes," I-Pin saluted like she'd been given a mission. She reached up to grab Futa's hand with a heavy amount of determination.

Futa smiled down at her.

"Hm," Nana looked at them all. Tsuna had a phone so if they got separated he could just call Nana and let her know where they were. She pulled out her own phone and handed it to Futa. "Do you know how to work a cellphone Futa-kun?"

"Yeah," he said, looking confused. "Isn't this your phone?"

Nana nodded. "I know where all the help centers are here, so if I get lost I can find other ways to tell you guys where I am. Since you two have never been here before it would be better for you to have the phone. If you two get lost call Tsuna and he'll come find you, okay?"

Tsuna twitched a little at the three pairs of sparkling eyes that turned to look at him. Nana hid a smile at his flustered look. He was still getting used to being a big brother, Nana couldn't wait to see him realize how cool the little ones thought he was.

"Now that we all know what to do let's get going!" Nana cheered. Her kids cheered with her, even Tsuna (though he was a lot quieter, and mostly forced by an excited Lambo).

They walked in together (Nana had to videotape Lambo teaching the other two the proper way to cross the road with all the confidence a five-year-old could have). The walkways through the mall were clear enough for them to get around comfortably put some of the stores were pretty packed.

"Let's get clothes after lunch," Nana decided, grimacing at the ridiculous throng of people in all the clothing stores. "Maybe things will die down a little. Futa-kun, I-Pin-chan, would you like to go pick out some paint for your rooms?"

"I get to paint it?" Futa looked starstruck. I-Pin swung their hands in a wide arc excitedly.

"Whatever colors you want," Nana promised. "What do you want your rooms to look like?"

Lambo had wanted his to look like a forest so his walls had a bunch of trees painted on them. It was a cute, silly little forest with Nana's basic pine trees, Tsuna's round puff trees, Lavina's eerily realistic oaks, and Lambos… cute little blobs.

"Can I- can-," Futa stumbled over his words for a second, giddy with ideas. "Can I have a space room?"

"Ooh," Nana clapped, "that would look awesome! We can definitely do that. What about you I-Pin-chan?"

"Dragons!" she jumped up and down.

Tsuna tilted his head. "Like the ones on some of your clothes?"

"Yes!"

Nana would definitely need Lavina's help with that one.

"Let's do it. We can order the colors and look at some furniture while we wait for them to be made."

It took them nearly an hour to decide on colors once the kids got distracted by the wall of paint cards, then another hour and a half after that to decide on only a few pieces of furniture (Nana was not buying three entire furniture theme sets, heck no). Nana filled out an order slip as they went so everything would be delivered to the house later instead of dangerously Tetrised in Miyu's truck. Futa picked a space rocket bed (of course), a desk, and some bookshelves while I-Pin preferred a simple futon of her own. She didn't seem to want much so Nana got her small shelf, a dragon lamp she had been staring at, and a chest to keep her current and future things in. Nana would have to watch her play with Lambo to see what kind of toys she preferred. She seemed to be the polar opposite of the afro haired boy so Nana would need to be more aware since I-Pin didn't seem the type to ask for things. They all got some clothing hangers for later and once the paints were ready they marched back to the car and then it was time for lunch.

"You guys go sit," Nana pointed to a miraculously open table in the food court. "I'll get our food and meet you over there okay?"

Lambo whined a bit but allowed Tsuna to pick him up and carry him away. I-Pin and Futa followed with Futa in the middle holding both their hands.

Nana wished she had her phone to take a picture.

As she waited in line Nana pulled out her shopping list and went over what was left. Clothes for Futa and I-Pin, new shoes for Tsuna as well as the game Nana had promised him, a game for the other three once they saw Tsuna was getting one, books and toys for Futa and I-Pin, a new skillet, and some gloves for Lavina. The mall was Nana's go-to for huge shopping trips so they would be able to get everything here. The question was if she would be able to get everything before the kids got tired and cranky.

Well, out of all the challenges in Nana's life it wasn't the worst.

"Don't forget to get yourself new boots," Snake pointed out. "Even if you could find the one you lost in the forest it is far beyond repair now."

"Oh shoot," Nana scratched her head. She'd forgotten about that. "I'll grab some when we get Tsuna his shoes."

"And your own gloves have a hole in them."

Nana added that to the list as well.

"Am I forgetting anything else?"

"Not that I am aware of."

"Perfect," Nana tucked her pen back into her pocket, folding up the list crisply.

The kid's ate their food quickly and Nana could almost see their energy levels rising back up with each bite. Soon enough they were ready to tackle the clothing challenge.

And it was.

A challenge.

I-Pin discovered hoodies. Nana dutifully ignored her ecstatic ramblings about how many weapons you could hide while wearing one. Lambo wanted to try everything on but then whined and complained when, after deciding they weren't cool enough for the Great Lambo, he had to put them all back in the right place. Nana wouldn't let him get anymore cow onesies so he was building towards a nice little explosion in the corner of the dressing room after he had tried to run out of the store screaming. He'd knocked a few of the mannequins over but thankfully they hadn't broken. Futa was fine. Until he started floating. The only one that was actually helpful in the situation was Tsuna, bless his heart. He kept trying to calm Lambo down or pull Futa out of the air. Nana felt bad about it, he usually had so much fun on these trips but he was practically shaking with stress by the time they were done.

Nana let him get two games and promised him a day out with just the two of them next time, which seemed to boost his mood a bit.

"I want a game too!" Lambo raged.

Nana bent down in front of him. "What do you need to do to get a game?"

Lambo huffed, sniffled, and blubbered. Nana wiped his face gently, waiting.

I-Pin raised her hand.

"Yes, I-Pin-chan."

"Be good!"

"If Maman says no then no arguing," Futa added.

Lambo gripped his sleeves, crying.

"Were you good today?" Nana asked him.

"No," his voice cracked.

"What could we have done better?" Nana urged.

Lambo rubbed at his eyes. "N-not... run out... or screamed. Or knocked the dead people over."

Nana bit her tongue. "Mannequins aren't dead people sweetheart. Now, what was the good thing you did?"

Lambo scrunched his eyes up, confused.

I-Pin raised her hand again. "Said sorry!"

"Did you say sorry Lambo-kun?"

Lambo thought about it. "...Yeah."

"Did you help put everything back the way it should be?"

He nodded.

"Are you going to run out and hit things again?"

He shook his head, fast enough to make himself stumble.

"We still haven't gone to the toy store," Nana reminded him. "We can't get two toys today, but if you show me how you can be a nice, good Lambo-kun then I'll let you get one."

Lambo smiled dorkily. "The Great Lambo promises to be good."

They sealed it with a pinky promise.

The rest of the trip went great after that. Tsuna got his games which looked like it made his whole day better, Futa got one too to play with the others which was sweet. I-Pin got two toys (a stuffed dragon and a red space action figure that looked like the one Lambo had given her), Futa got one (a book, technically, but he loved it), and Lambo got one (a sticky slapper hand thing that Nana knew was going to be a disaster in the making) even though he was clearly upset that the other two got to get more. He held in well though, turning his focus to his own toy instead.

Nana patted his head. "I'm very proud of you Lambo-kun."

He giggled, wiggling and hiding his face in his hands.

On the drive back the three kids fell asleep almost immediately. Tsuna didn't seem too far off either, just resting his head on the window the entire time. Nana sent the younger ones to their rooms with the lightest of bags once they got back. Shoto had been in the main room so she'd bribed him into helping with the promise of a dessert all his own later that night.

By the time everything was settled and the truck was returned Nana was ready for bed herself. Lambo and I-Pin were playing in the front room together while Futa read on the couch.

Nana paused on her way to the kitchen.

I-Pin was playing with the rainbow spaceman action figure Lambo had given her.

Lambo was playing with the red one.

"Look, look!" Lambo showed it off. "I-Pin gave it to Lambo-san!"

Nana held her heart. "Oh really?"

They both posed dramatically. "Protecting the house from evil monsters! Space Squad!"

"Space Squad!" Futa cheered.

Nana skipped the rest of the way to the kitchen. Even Shoto's hovering as she made him two (two, the absolute blackhole) batches of chocolate chip cookies couldn't ruin it. His stomach was growling the whole time, even though he had eaten several helpings from dinner just a few minutes before.

Lavina and Hayato did the dishes together, chatting and laughing like usual. Nana, as an adult parent that knew exactly how bad repression could be, repressed the fuck out of her memories from the night before. Hayato was observant. She couldn't slip up around him. And her heart hurt. This had been a happy day. She wanted to keep it that way.

"Maman! Futa-kun is floating again!"

Nana hugged Lavina on the way out, like she always did.

Everything would be okay.

-00-

Did I forget to mention the sad stuff? Cause there's sad stuff too.

Speaking of sad stuff, there's a lot of sad stuff going around right now. Please, stay safe out there friends. Be the greatest person you strive to be and look out for the people around you. An act of kindness is never wasted, even if all the bad makes it look like it is. It's like a star. One tiny drop in a lot of inky black, but paired with all the people around you, filling this world with good, you come together to make something breathtakingly beautiful. Keep filling your night sky. Love you all.

Megi Keishii: Right?! Right?! And what an interesting visual you have there... *evil cackle*

KawaiiSadist: *covets and hoards the love like a dragon* Thank you! Laurie knows whats up XD XD. Thanks for being so sweet! Happy and healthy thoughts headed your way!

Righello Di'Tutti: I'm gonna need a brain refresh friend. What's Gojima?

Yuki Nagasawa: Unique OC's are great OC's! I love hearing (reading) you talk about them, it's clear you love them a lot and hold them very close to your heart.

bloodshound: Even just your username brightens my day now, not to mention the incredibly BADASS words that always follow. How they are with other, more intense games... *nervous laughter* XD. What a cute response! XD Nana will learn about it at some point, worry not! Kyoya already knows, he's on the case. Nana. Nana pay attention. *snaps fingers*. NANA! Kyoko is a huge reason for Tsuna's survival XD I love writing her and her interactions and bonds with everyone, especially with the people she didn't interact with a lot in canon (her and Hayato, they gonna be those BFF's XD). Stupid button glitches! That happens to me all the time too, and always right in the middle of writing a huge response! AGh! Futa definitely has some sneaky cards up his sleeve. It's how he's gotten this far XD Tsuna would have done his best. Miyu did do her best! She's so cool! She's modeled after one of my friends who is, like, my absolute hero in everything. Love her. Do not run with straws! It is dangerous! It was definitely... appreciation. Maybe something a little stronger *evil cackle* The house is gone be... pretty big. Not too much more than it is now, I have plans for things in motion, but it's gonna be the kind of house you drive by and go 'Daaammmnn'. The current guests are going home soon actually. They have stuff they need to do. It's always such a delight to hear from you dearie! You keep being as awesome as you always are! I launching all the good feels and happy thoughts at you! Don't dodge! They're gonna get ya!

Greatazuredragon: That... is a very good question XD Thanks as always for being a sweet bean azure, you're a sweetheart!

hellocherryblossoms: cute name. XD you have got Natsuki and Kouske down to a T XD For your question, yes! Nana has those big doe eyes and their hair is currently very long. Nana doesn't particularly care about the length and messing with it makes Lavina happy so they keep it long.

thewhiteangel213: Thank YOU for taking the time out of your day to let me know you liked it!

Guest: Ohhh, you have them all figured out! XD The Hibari have a very strong, step-by-step courting plan. Good catch. You're asking them hard questions. I love it! Natsuki loves her husband very much. More than anything. And at first it was just about making him as happy as he can possibly be, which she didn't mind cause Nana was strong and cute. It was just that. At first. *evil cackle* Nana *continues to be very, very dumb*: Hey! I'm not dumb! XD Glad you liked it so much friendo!

Frozen teen: Natsuki is a Cloud like her son. Kouske... is a secret.

summberbones: Nana: *nervous and anxiety-riddled laughter* this is fine... XD Xanxus is gonna be so much fun.

Anya: Oh jeez, thank you! You gotta tone down those words, they're liable to kill me. *smacking anyone that tries to take them from me and wrapping them up like a burrito* Squeal away! I do it all the time (with varying results of passerby reactions XD) I'm living for your imagery Anya XD Your response was crazy cute too! One Piece is just one of those things that will NEVER LET YOU GO, FOR THE LOVE OF- yeah. Sabo. Sabooo T-T You are soooo beautiful~ XD Am I- am I really an inspiration to you? That's... really cool. and so very sweet. And liable to melt my heart forever. Seriously, that means... so much to me. Thank you Anya. You're such a sweet person.

ADDBaby: Hoooolly shit, I forgot what an adrenaline rush I get when I read your writing my friend. Like, damn. Look at you. LOOK AT YOU! You're adorable, and super motivating. I read your comment and got so much shit done. SO MUCH! Nana is gonna have that pie! Laurie is the most adorable little red head you're ever gonna see! Kyoko IS the dangerous chemical component holding them together until she's ready to literally EXPLODE! XDXD Aiko and Tsuyoshi are the dream goals, both for relationships and friends. Love them. LOVE THEM! Reborn is have the time of his fucking life. He loves Namimori, he's never been so entertained! Look at these little animals, running around and fucking shit up. Look at them! Futa is gonna call everyone out. He's got a list. XD For Lavina... I totally did not help your worries with her. I probably just made them, like, 100x worse. Mah bad. 'you Gucci lovely boo~' XD XD Oh my god, the shriek of laughing delight when I read that. You're adorable ADD. And to nice to be real. Seriously, take all my happy, hopeful thoughts and horde them! ONly good things for you! ONLY GOOD THINGS! Ps. You are the BOMB! P.S.S. Awww, that's so sweet! Your sister is such a sweetheart! I love those blankets, my grandma would make them sometimes! I made one with her for my big brother when I was little and he still has it (i gotta make him a new one, seriously). Try not to melt away! My life would be a lot darker without you in it!

Kirie Mitsuru: Futa can be pretty devious, but he's still a kiddo with not a lot of love aimed at him. UNTIL NOW! *Nana and Tsuna burst through wall like Koolaid man*. Miyu is. so. cool! I adore her. Kyoko is certainly not a damsel in distress. She's a damsel that puts others in distress. Happily. Knowingly. XD The ship is sailing! Full speed ahead! Precious, precious Laurie. She knows what's up. Maybe the signal the Hibaris were trying to send to Nana bounced off and hit her XD Kouske is not a patient man. Natsuki is not a patient woman. But they have a foolproof plan. When they want something, they are downright meticulous. *evil laughter* I'm glad you like it and the puzzle pieces that are these characters! It's nice to hear from you again Kirie!

katsekala: Chrome is a humongous plot point that's gonna come up and I can't wait to see how you guys react to what happens with her. Like, holy shit. I can't even describe how excited I am for it. Eeeeeeeeeee! There shall be NO SELF DEPRECIATION HERE! NONE! I've got your votes tallied for the future dear. Many hugs! Thanks for the book encouragement, I appreciate it. I appreciate you!

ChaosHearth: Chaos! Of course I'm gonna reply to you, you're always so supportive and sweet! I love hearing your thoughts too, they're always so interesting and uplifting! Have confidence in you writing dearie! It's all about getting your mental image across and even just from these short conversations you always manage to do just that! You are a delight!

Tifbaby101: You are a sweet bean! A SWEET BEAN! I'm glad you liked it dearie!

Mel writer: Kouske *in the most deadpan voice you can imagine*: that is so my aesthetic. XD XD And oh my gosh! It was your birthday! What fortuitous timing! Happy (now belated) birthday my dear! I hope it was as awesome as you!

SnowLeopard167: The whole thing?! Hot damn friend, that's a lotta words! It's super uplifting to know you liked it so much, you rock!