Komorebi (n.): sunlight that filters through the leaves of trees

Nana resisted the urge to punch the elderly man in front of her. Still, she folded her hands over her lap and listened to what the principal had to say. Her son, Tsuna, shifted in his seat and grimaced from the cut on his lips and Kami knows what other injuries the small boy sustained. She patted his thin shoulder comfortingly, noting to feed him more or get him to fatten up sometime soon. Really, this was just unhealthy. It just made her even guiltier for leaving him home alone most days. The hospital was always hectic and she couldn't even deny the fact that she was avoiding the death of her husband by drowning herself in work.

But now, she had the chance to be there for her son, even though it wasn't under better circumstances.

"So," she said calmly, "are you telling me that my son beat up a boy twice his size because he was unintentionally provoked by the said boy?"

Principal Yoshizawa was a meek man—everyone knew it. Easily influenced by money and prestigious reputation, Yoshizawa always went the easy route with the most minimal repercussions. This had the school funded quite generously, which led to better reputation, better faculties, and better test scores. However, that didn't mean jackshit to Nana. Students should be a school's number one priority. Not taking care of them was basically a sin in her book.

There was a thin line of sweat on the side of the balding man's head. "Ah, well, Satou-san, you know this hasn't been the first time Tsunayoshi was involved in a fight. There were—"

"My son is smaller than most kids his age," Nana said, clenching her hands tighter together. "I know you know that, Yoshizawa-san. He is also a pacifist. There is nothing that could have provoked him so much for him to break that boy's nose unless it was self-defense."

Mrs. Akiyama, the other boy's mother, scoffed and looked at her with her wide brown eyes, thick and prominent with the help of her black eyeliner. "Satou-san, look at my son! He is bleeding! His nose is broken and he must be hospitalized. Surely you would know how serious this is."

Nana's eye twitched. Before Principal Yoshizawa could say another word—useless at this point if Nana might add—she cut him to it. "A broken nose can heal, Akiyama-san. My son isn't faring any better."

The other woman looked scandalized. "Are you saying my son's injuries are nothing?"

"Please don't put words in my mouth, Akiyama-san. And all he has is a broken nose."

"How dare you!" Mrs. Akiyama abruptly stood up and jabbed a manicured finger at Tsuna's direction. "Your animal of a child attacked my son! Over nothing nonetheless! I suggest you leash him somewhere so he won't maim others. I heard he even beat some other students not even weeks ago over something trivial too!"

Nana stood up as well, shielding Tsuna from the other woman's fury. She grabbed Mrs. Akiyama's hand , who froze, her eyes growing impossibly wider.

"I suggest you don't point a finger at my son who did no wrong, Akiyama-san." Her voice was unnervingly calm and restrained. "Before you tend to another thing that is broken."

"Satou-san—"

Principal Yoshizawa flinched when Nana glared at him. She glanced at the other woman's son and was satisfied to see that the little shit was cowering under her gaze. Ah, the dominance over others was a welcoming feeling. Having control of the situation was quite nice. She slightly wrinkled her nose when she imagined her husband chastising her for her haughtiness. Now was not the time to think about that.

She could tell Tsuna was trying hard not to stifle his laughter, only doing so by rubbing his nose. That made her smile slightly.

"Instead, teach your son not to pick on others." Nana narrowed her eyes at the other boy who tensed. "It's pathetic."

Mrs. Akiyama managed to snatch her hand away from Nana's strong grip. "You—You—No wonder your son is an animal. You're a monster!"

Nana smiled thinly. "I take that as a compliment, Akiyama-san."

She grabbed her bag and gently prompted for Tsuna to get up. She directed her gaze at Principal Yoshizawa who only shrank further into his chair. What a pathetic worm.

"This has been going on for too long and I will be withdrawing my son from this school. I'm sure everyone else will be happy with that. This place is doing nothing for Tsuna and is just wasting his time. Now, we'll be taking our leave."

She firmly grasped Tsuna's hand and left the room before anyone could say a word. Once they managed to leave the school building, Nana let out a frustrated sigh and kicked a stray pebble from her path. "Really, I barely managed to pummel the punk right then and there. Did you see him smirking? Kami-sama, and that old man. What a bunch of stuck-up assholes!"

"Okaa-san!" Tsuna said, though there was no heat behind his words. "Someone can hear you!"

Nana rolled her eyes. "I don't care. I'm done with this place. We're through with this place." She looked at her son in concern. "Are you alright, Tsuna? Actually, that was a stupid question. Come on, let's go get you cleaned up. Is there anything else I should know?"

Tsuna smiled weakly. "This is nothing, Okaa-san. I'm fine."

Her heart sank. For her son to just say that it was nothing… She had suspected he was being bullied before but never had the time or the guts to sit him down and make him explain. Too often she would overwhelm herself with work at the hospital rather than to face all her life's failures. But how could she think that her son was one of her failures? He was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Except…she would see Koji whenever Tsuna fussed over her health and made sure she was fed properly, could see Koji's warmth reflected in Tsuna's brown eyes, which she was glad was from her. Koji had darker eyes, almost black, but that did nothing to conceal his kindness.

She steeled herself. No. This wasn't the time to get distracted. So, she turned to Tsuna with a big smile and said, "Want to get something to eat? It'll be lunch soon."

Tsuna blinked. "You have work. I can manage at home."

It was all on a sudden whim that Nana could barely stop herself from saying, "I quit."

Tsuna widened his eyes. "What?"

Nana grinned, mentally making a note to send in a resignation letter tomorrow morning. "Yeah, no more hospital work for me."

"But what about—"

"Tsuna, you're more important. I can't just watch you being surrounded by such a toxic environment."

They both walked across the streets in silence. Cars and pedestrians passed by them as the bustling of Tokyo dominated the air. Nana had never liked the city life—there were so many people and not enough space for her to breathe. It was suffocating. She missed Namimori, a quaint and comfortable town where she was born and raised. Sometimes Koji would tell her how much he wanted to go back whenever he came back from an exhausting patrol round and she could only agree.

They met in Namimori and had wanted to live there for the rest of their lives, but that was only wishful thinking on their part. Life took unexpected turns and Koji was transferred to the Tokyo Police Department. Nana had followed him, not wanting her husband to be alone in a large, foreign environment. There were some ups and downs, but their hearts always belonged to Namimori.

"Okaa-san." Tsuna's soft voice snapped Nana out of her thoughts. "What are we going to do now?"

Nana chuckled sheepishly. "Well, no more school. How about that?" She frowned. "I'm sorry, Tsuna. I kind of just went in and did my thing there. If… If you still want to go, I won't say anything. But I won't agree with your decision. I can't risk you getting hurt anymore."

Tsuna shrugged helplessly. "I'm actually okay with it. Never really liked the place. I'm just worried about you."

What did Nana do to deserve such a kind son? She swallowed a small lump in her throat before forcing a grin. "That's good! For a second, I thought you wanted to go back."

Tsuna huffed. "I'm not a masochist, Okaa-san. I kind of like to be alive, thank you very much."

"Don't sass me, young man."

Tsuna snickered but didn't say anything. They continued to walk in comfortable silence with no set location in mind. A nice breeze caressed Nana's cheek before the earthy scent of a nearby construction site overwhelmed her nose. Tsuna never let go of her hand as they maneuvered through thick crowds and busy streets.

"Tsuna," Nana said suddenly, "what do you think about a change of scenery?"

Tsuna tilted his head slightly. "What do you mean, Okaa-san?"

Nana smiled. "Have I ever told you about Namimori?"

A/N: I hope you liked it! It's a first story from me for the lovely KHR fandom.

See you all (hopefully) in the next chapter, peeps! :^)