Chapter Text
The party had gotten obnoxiously loud. Newlyweds Sawada Nana and Iemitsu were still celebrating their recent wedding, but Iemitsu had gotten obnoxiously drunk and was particularly loud. Nana herself was smiling, politely laughing at Iemitsu's terriblejokes, but she was generally quiet and reserved.
In fact, she was so quiet that no one noticed when she was gently pulled aside and disappeared from the rest of the party goers. The young brunette followed the mysterious Italian away from the crowd, not at all concerned about strangers. She'd seen this man before, on a few occasions while she and Iemitsu were still in university, and he had seemed the trustworthy type. Ah, but what was his name... Red...? No, uhm... Roberto? Definitely not... Rafael? She shook her head. Wrong again. Just what was his name...?
"Reborn." The other man finally spoke.
Oh! Right, that was it. She knew it was something different like that.
"Reborn-san, I'm sorry." Nana smiled, bowing slightly. "It's just been so long, and we've never had a real conversation before."
"Don't worry about it." Reborn shrugged nonchalantly, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He pulled a card from his suit pocket and handed it to Nana. "I just pulled you away to give you my card, that's all. Iemitsu isn't the... Most tactful of people, so it's possible that he could get into trouble sometime. If you get dragged into that trouble, call me. The moron is really fond of you, and it would be a shame if something happened to such a pretty innocent bystander."
Nana giggles, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.She took his card regardless before gently sliding it securely in one of the folds of her gown. "You're just saying that because I'm all dolled up and in my wedding dress, Reborn-san. But I really don't see what kind of trouble my husband could possibly get into. He works at oil fields overseas, right?"
Reborn thanked his many, many years of training that he didn't flinch. This poor woman. She really knew absolutely nothing. That moron Iemitsu has been keeping her in the dark the whole time they've been together. He should fucking tell her; what if they have a kid? Doesn't Iemitsu know who that kid is going to be? Instead of flinching, Reborn sighed. If Iemitsu was going to keep the woman – his "cute, wonderful, perfect Nana" - in the dark for the rest of her life, someone was going to have to watch over her and her future children. Reborn had the sinking feeling that the task would fall to him because he'll be the one bringing it up.
"...Yeah." Reborn frowned as he confirmed Nana’s delusion. "Regardless, call me if anything dangerous happens."
Or if you need anything. Fuck, he was already starting to think of her as a kid sister or some shit. Nono was going to laugh at him – actually, the entire Vongola was going to laugh at him.
"Well, thank you, Reborn-san, for your concern." Nana smiled up at him brightly (far too brightly)."I won't lose your card, and I'll definitely call you if I need anything. But I should probably get back to my husband now."
Not that he'd noticed she'd gone missing...
The brunette newlywed turned and padded off to return to Iemitsu with a delighted bounce in her step. Reborn had to wonder how she even managed to pull that off in those heels and that dress. He certainly hoped their kid – if they had one – took after her, because grace was not something Iemitsu had.
Reborn sighed and adjusted his fedora before walking toward where Vongola Nono had been watching the wedding like a fond old man – grandfather, even. Reborn rolled his eyes at the idea. Sometimes he wondered (only rarely) if he even knew he was the boss of a mafia organization so powerful that it rivaled even Cosa Nostra.
"How did it go, Reborn?" The old man smiled genially when Reborn sat next to him.
"She doesn't know anything," Reborn grunted, pulling his fedora down to shield his eyes. "The moron – your young lion – has kept her completely in the dark. She believes he's an oil miner for Christ's sake. Look at the idiot – he's not even wearing a suit, just that stupid miner's costume. What kind of dumb ass wears a miner's costume to his own wedding?"
Timoteo just laughed and pat Reborn on the back. "You sound worried about her."
"He's deliberately putting an innocent woman – his wife – in danger by keeping her in the dark."
The old man next to him sighed, and nodded. "That's why I want you to keep an eye out for her. I know you have a lot of assignments as it is, but you're the only one I trust to look out for the Sawada family."
The two of them watched Iemitsu laugh and joke around, Nana going back to her routine of politely laughing at jokes she didn't quite understand. The sight made Reborn uncomfortable. Just how much, other than his work, was the man keeping from her? His friends, sure. That was clear when Nana had forgotten his name, even though they'd met a handful of times before. Even Timoteo seemed mildly discomfited by the idea that Iemitsu was nothing but secrets and lies to his young wife. Just what was Vongola's Young Lion thinking?
Not much, apparently.
Reborn hoped that one day, Nana would learn everything. That she'd understand and even be open to the idea of being part of the Vongola, whether directly or indirectly. The Italian sighed, standing up. "I need a drink."
"You always need a drink, Reborn." Timoteo chuckled softly.
"Well, then I need to talk to someone."
"That's a first," Timoteo mused, looking up at Reborn. "Go, do what you need to do."
Reborn nodded and left, shoving his hands in his pockets in the process. Today was turning out to be a God damn nightmare, joyous occasion aside. Sure, weddings were great, but the idiot blond that was the groom... Reborn wanted to strangle him. He really did.
Putting a bullet in his brain would be nice, too. It would be damn fantastic, actually. But, unfortunately, murdering the groom at his own wedding was generally frowned upon.
And that was the very reason why Reborn hunted down Iemitsu's best man to enlist his assistance in what was now officially an assignment to protect Sawada Nana and her future offspring. Yamamoto Tsuyoshi wasn't a hard man to find. Occasionally, he could be just as boisterous as Iemitsu, and in this case, he was.
Without so much as a proper greeting, Reborn dragged Tsuyoshi away from the laughing crowd. Gone was all the gentle grace that was used to escort Nana away. Tsuyoshi barely protested, if at all. He may have been drinking, but he wasn't plastered like Iemitsu was. And even if he was drunk, he knew better than to struggle against Reborn. Once they were far enough away from the crowd, Reborn let Tsuyoshi go. The retired assassin-turned-sushi-chefcasually brushed his suit clean of any imaginary dust before meeting Reborn's gaze.
"What could be so important that you felt the need to literally drag the best man away from his best friend's wedding party?" Tsuyoshi folded his arms, only mildly annoyed. If it was Reborn, it was definitely important, and no laughing matter.
"The moron hasn't told his wife anything." The words were simple, clear cut.
"...She has no idea he works for Vongola?"
"Absolutely none. She believes he's an oil miner." Reborn mirrored the folding of Tsuyoshi's arms. His expression was stern, but his eyes betrayed his anger.
"...Does he realize how much danger he's putting her in?" Tsuyoshi was baffled. Then, his expression melted into furious concern. "She's pregnant, Reborn. That's why they got married today, right at this very moment. If he hasn't told her anything, he's putting not only her, but their unborn child in danger, too."
Reborn scowled. So Iemitsu was a horn dog AND a moron.
"I told my wife everything before I even thought about marrying her," Tsuyoshi continued. "So she would know exactly what she was getting into and so she could feel free to leave if she felt it was too dangerous. And you know what? She married me anyways, and now we're expecting a child ourselves."
"Be that as it may, Iemitsu hasn't breathed a word of it." Reborn hissed under his breath. "And to your credit, you're not an idiot like he is."
"Fair enough." Tsuyoshi uncrossed his arms. "So, what are we going to do?"
"Nono has me on assignment to keep an eye on Nana, but you're well aware I can't be here and do my other assignments at the same time." Reborn shoved his hands in his pockets, scowling again. "So I need you to look out for her, too. Nono said I'm the only one he trusts, but he also trusts my judgment, and I trust you. Besides, Nana knows you. She and your wife are friends. She doesn't know me, at least, she acted like she didn't, if her forgetting my name is any indication."
"Seriously?" Tsuyoshi blinked. Reborn wasn't an easy person to forget. "Yeah, sure, no problem. But we'd better get back to the party or we'll be missed. They're starting up dances again, and you know how my wife loves to dance, even if she is pregnant. We'll continue this conversation later."
Reborn nodded, and they both headed back to the party, both in particularly sour moods. At least, they were until they were both dragged onto the dance floor, one by his wife, the other by the bride.
"...Nana, what are you doing?"
"My husband is so drunk he can barely stand up." Nana laughed, a light, airy sound that resembled a gently ringing wind chime. "And we've already had our dance. You didn't come here with anyone, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a dance! Besides, this kind of feels like dancing with an older brother. I've never had an older brother before! How exciting!"
Reborn chuckled softly, feeling the tension drain away. "If that's what you want me to be, so be it."
Well, this turn of events would certainly make his job of watching over her a lot easier.