Author's Note:
Enjoy
Disclaimer: Don't own it, never did.
Chasing a Memory
As a little kid, Lambo recalled the many differences between boys and girls. Girls seemed to be boy-crazy at such an early age that it could scare anyone, the holder of the ring of thunder being an example. I-Pin followed him everywhere, shouting at him in Chinese so many times that he couldn't remember.
It wasn't like she liked him, though. In fact, it was the exact opposite. Lambo was to say, an egotistical pest. She just had a crush on Hibari-san. That, Lambo remembered. As they got older, he remembered the first time I-Pin had gotten her period.
Heck, anyone would have remembered. As soon as she had sat up in the middle of class during the middle of a test, Lambo had noticed the red stain forming outside of her skirt. Needless to say, he had blabbed out and loud, "I-Pin got her period!"
As soon as he said that, he had ended up getting a black eye as I-Pin showed her "appreciation." Crying while the nurse had gotten him an ice pack, he shouted how unfair how someone as shrimpy I-Pin could be taller than him and how she thought she was better than him. The nurse tried calming him down, simply stating that girls matured faster than boys.
Well, that was the old Lambo. The Lambo now—age fifteen and soon to be a graduate at Namimori Middle School—was mature. He had a charm to him at this age that now proved to be more effective of gaining friends than repelling him with tears and his high-pitched voice. In fact, that charm had somehow made him the eye candy of many girls.
But, one girl in particular—who he would have thought he'd ever fall for in a million years until now—he actually saw as a girl. Her brown hair was gorgeous, and she still considered herself to be mature. Her braids fit her perfectly, because Lambo wouldn't have been able to imagine her with anything otherwise. Her body was full and curvy as any girl at their age, and she was a girl to him. A very elegant, stunning, and classy girl.
The both of them had done a lot of growing, which went without saying. Everyone assumed that the two of them would end up together soon, and neither Lambo nor I-Pin ever seemed to deny it. There was still light bantering—like the type that got Lambo punched painfully in the arm for saying something he shouldn't have, but other than that, she would have just had her attention on something else.
He'd never forget though, how the two of them were such good friends as little kids. Of course, that friendliness was hard to express between his teasing of her and she of killing the broccoli monster. He'd always have to run to get away from her, but she was always persistent in getting him to listen.
"Hello? Helloooo? Lambo!"
The boy snapped out of his thoughts. He let out a yawn and looked back over to I-Pin, who only pouted. "Yes?"
"I was telling you how Li and Mei had set me up on a blind date while I was in China!" I-Pin frowned and let out an exasperated sigh. Mumbling something in Chinese that Lambo couldn't exactly hear, she continued to stir the ramen.
"I can't exactly keep up with every detail, you know," Lambo mumbled. The truth was, he had only zoned out since she was gushing over the blind date of hers. I-Pin had gotten back from studying abroad today, and Lambo was her escort. Everyone else was apparently too "busy," which was hard to believe.
I-Pin crinkled her nose and puffed. "Hmph. Fine then."
"It feels like forever since I've seen you," Lambo only smiled and shrugged. "Just... reminiscing."
"Really now?" A smile quirked her lips. I-Pin turned the stove off and sat down in the chair across from the other teen. "Remember when we were in grade school and you accidentally went into the lady's room?"
"How could I forget?" Lambo cringed. "You came out of the bathroom and kicked me out. Literally."
"True," the girl giggled. "Well... remember when we first met?"
"Yes. And your eyesight hasn't gotten any better," Lambo replied. He laughed as she shot him a nasty glare.
"Well... remember when I asked Hibari-san to take me to the dance?"
Lambo stopped laughing. He closed his eye and looked in a different way with a nonchalant shrug. "Yes. You somehow got him to say yes and he ditched you for some guy."
"No," I-Pin frowned and folded her arms. "He had to go into another room because he heard that some kids brought alcohol into the school."
"So the details are sketchy."
The girl softly smiled and dreamily sighed. "Remember what happened afterwards?"
That had a smile playing on the boy's lips. "Yes. You were crushed and I had left my date to dance with you on a slow song."
"Yeah!" I-Pin nodded her head. Her cheeks flared red as her smile widened. "And you and I almost kissed—"
"But my younger self used the ten year bazooka and I had kissed the younger Hibari-san instead," Lambo wrinkled his nose. "You know how angry he was for that?"
"At least your mood wasn't ruined by abrupt crying," I-Pin frowned. Her frown worsened. "And lucky! I'd give anything to kiss Hibari-san!"
Lambo wrinkled his nose and frowned. He shrugged, trying to look as apathetic as he could. "I thought you got over that crush."
I-Pin grinned and shrugged. "He's still cool, you have to admit!"
"I don't see why you chose him to ask to the dance. I would have gone with you, you know," Lambo mumbled. He shrugged. "You have bad taste."
"Bad taste?" I-Pin's voice rose in offense. She stood up and folded her arms. "Hibari-san is so cool! I mean.. come on, he was cool back then too. When we were younger... you were a crybaby."
Well, that was true.
"And you whined so much and cried a lot too. You always had to have it your way, and at least 10 times one day during the school year you had turned into a little kid because Reborn had something to you or Gokudera-san had hit you."
Okay, so that was true too.
"And, when you did have it your way as a little kid, you would brag and gloat about it. You had no common sense and you called yourself Lambo-san."
And, that was true.
"And you had such an ego as a little kid, and you were pushy all the time and dragged Mama everywhere. Even now, you're such a wimp!"
Okay, now that hurt the ego. Lambo shook his head. "Okay, okay. I get it."
"Good."
Lambo looked back at the girl and squinted at her. She looked like she felt accomplished with herself. It was the same as when they were little kids. She'd attack him when she had to to teach him a lesson. "Hey... remember when we were little kids and you used to chase me everywhere?"
The smug look went away. A dreamy smile fell upon I-Pin's face as she nodded her head. "Definitely."
"Well... why'd you stop?"
"Because. You weren't as whiny and pushy and self-centered and—"
"We just went over this."
"Plus," I-Pin grinned and brought her hands behind her back.
Lambo arched his eyebrow. "Plus?"
The girl kissed him and went back to the stove. She looked over her shoulder, immediately seeing the shocked look he carried. Her smile widened. "I finally caught you."