Welcome to Lambo's Corner!
I have a confession to make, this started out as B is for in my A-Z Lambo Whump but somehow I lost control and it formed into something else. It has Lambo's point of view but I think it kind of turned into more of Fuuta's story. I don't know, you be the judge and let me know. Also, please answer the question in my ending author's note. I would appreciate some feedback.
WARNING: No beta. I used Grammarly but at almost four in the morning, I'm sure I missed a lot. As always, I will go over it later with fresh eyes. I just wanted to get this out. Also, violence, language, bullying, death, and murder. Tum, tum!
Disclaimer: I still don't own and will more than likely never will. I don't make money but I'm happy enough with reviews. Please feed me!
Without further ado, enjoy Lambo's Corner with a major hint of Fuuta.
The school is huge! The building itself is three stories high as most high schools but the length is greater seeing as this one is a middle school as well. And this is just the front; he hasn't taken the back part into consideration.
Younger students are heading into the left side while the older ones are on the right; the division obvious. The school is certainly colossal compared to Lambo's primary one.
"It's really not that big," Fuuta says with a smile from the side. "You don't have to look so scared."
"I'm not scared! I'm just worried about getting lost."
"If you had come to orientation you wouldn't be scared, you know."
Lambo narrows his eyes at his older brother as he places his hands on his hips. "I was sick."
"You weren't sick. You were nervous about starting middle school and thought you could somehow be spared from furthering your studies by missing orientation. I don't think I'll ever understand your way of thinking, Lambo."
Fuuta says it with a laugh but stops when he notices the slight trembling of his little brother's hands which are clenched at his sides.
With a frown, he asks, "Hey, what's really bothering you?"
Lambo looks like he's about to deny anything is wrong but Fuuta's raised eyebrow stops him. With a defeated shrug he replies, "I wasn't very popular in primary and most of those kids will be coming here. What if they decide to continue teasing me?"
Teasing wouldn't be the word I'd use, Fuuta thinks. Lambo's final weeks in primary school had not been good ones. The youngest member of the family had been bullied by several students for no reason other than the year was ending and it would be fun. Lambo had been pushed around, laughed at, and who knows what else.
Being Lambo, of course, meant he didn't tell anyone about it. He'd acted fine; nobody had been able to tell anything was off. If Nana hadn't found a picture of Lambo being held down while somebody poured milk on him, nobody would have ever found out.
Fuuta had never seen his mom so upset. She had stormed into the school and demanded why nothing had been done to protect Lambo. Unfortunately, the school had been unaware of what had been going on since the kids had made sure there were no witnesses to the bullying. The kids had been expelled even though the administration hadn't wanted to at first. They had insisted suspension would suffice since the year was almost over but the second Hibari had shown up, well, they'd agreed to expulsion rather quickly.
"Fuuta?"
The sixteen-year-old mentally scolds himself for spacing out. "They won't bother you anymore. Tsuna-nii made sure they all went somewhere else along with any siblings they had, remember?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean they don't have friends here."
Why hadn't Fuuta considered the possibility his brother would worry about new bullies? He'd known Lambo was anxious but he'd figured it was just normal nerves from starting a new school. Not once had the older boy thought Lambo would be concerned with history repeating itself.
Fuuta crouches down then puts his hands on Lambo's shoulders, making sure the younger boy is looking at him. "If they have any friends here, they'll know better than to mess with you. Tsuna-nii made it pretty clear what would happen if they kept bothering you."
"But still-"
"Lambo, you'll be fine. But if anybody and I mean anybody bothers you then promise you'll tell me right away."
Lambo knows he has brothers taking care of him, they both do. But Fuuta wanted to make sure Lambo knew he could come to the former ranker as well; he was his big brother, too. He may only be sixteen but Fuuta could protect Lambo just as well as Tsuna and the others.
Lambo looks at Fuuta a bit unsure but sees the seriousness in his usually passive brother and nods. "I promise, Fuuta."
"Good; text me if you need me and I'll be there but it better be an actual emergency." Fuuta ruffles Lambo's hair. "And I don't mean the 'I ran out of food' kind of emergency you tend to call me for."
"Ha, ha, very funny," Lambo replies with a roll of his eyes. "I did that once and you never let me forget."
"I'll mention it during my best man speech at your wedding."
"Who says you'll be my best man? I-Pin is my best friend so she'll be it."
Fuuta laughs at his brother's words. He had never seen someone so deep in denial with their feelings. At least I-Pin didn't have to try hard to hide her crush; Lambo was too oblivious to notice anything, anyway.
They both turn to the school at the sound of the bell. Lambo once again pales but Fuuta assures him everything will be fine.
"I won't be far away in case you need me but you'll be fine. You're thirteen now, go and have fun."
Lambo nods albeit a little uncertain before taking a deep breath. "Right! Don't worry, Fuuta, I'll become more popular than you in no time. Don't come crying to me when everybody loves me more than you!"
Fuuta watches with a smile as Lambo runs off laughing into the building; looking every bit a child instead of the teen he is. Once his brother is inside, his smile turns into a frown, a crease forming between his brows. Tsuna had made sure Lambo's former bullies had been dealt with but something the youngest had said made him worry.
"…that doesn't mean they don't have friends here."
Any friends of the bullies would have been aware of what had happened. They wouldn't dare mess with Lambo after that. No, his brother would be fine. If Lambo encountered any new bullies then they'd be dealt with as well.
With a shake of his head, Fuuta makes his way to his side of the school. They were overthinking things, everything would be fine.
The classroom is similar to his old one except this one doesn't have any colorful pictures hanging from the walls. Lambo is definitely not a little kid anymore.
He doesn't recognize any of his new classmates which Lambo takes as a good sign; a fresh start. Of course, that didn't mean he was any less afraid. Even with Fuuta close by, Lambo is still scared. When he had walked into his classroom, he had been sure he was going to start crying but managed to hold it in.
Luckily some students had introduced themselves with smiles which helped ease his nerves. Maybe this year would be better.
His homeroom teacher walks in, introduces herself as Funai Sensei and begins to take attendance. She's rather tall and she seems nice so Lambo feels himself relax. He is worrying over nothing, he'll be fine.
"Bovino Lambo."
Lambo stands when his name is called, "Present."
He answers with a smile wanting to make a good first impression then slightly frowns when the teacher just stares at him with narrowed eyes. Had he said something wrong?
The teacher clears her throat then nods for him to sit as she continues. Lambo slowly sits back down wondering if he had really seen hatred in her stare or if it had just been his imagination. She couldn't hate someone she'd just met, could she? Of course not, he's being paranoid and needs to calm down.
The rest of the day goes without incident. The other students were mostly nice to him; few normal exceptions. The homeroom teacher was pleasant after the attendance issue and Lambo knows he was seeing things earlier.
After the final bell of the day rings, Lambo pulls on his backpack and walks outside. There are students rushing down the hall, some looking for new club members which Lambo ignores. Clubs were not something he was interested in; although, his brothers will more than likely encourage him –by force- to join.
"Bovino-kun?"
Lambo turns around and sees his homeroom teacher walking towards him, "Yes, Sensei?" He asks nervously. The teachers throughout the day had been respectful and nice but Lambo still felt a bit apprehensive about this one. Funai Sensei seemed pleasant but there was something about her that warned the Vongola teen to be careful.
"How was your first day?" She asks with a warm smile. Lambo pulls on his backpack a little tighter, shifting from one foot to the other.
"It was fine."
"That's good to hear. Well, I'll see you tomorrow."
Funai Sensei begins to walk past him then stops, "Oh, I heard you like candy and I just happen to have some with me. Would you like one?"
All common sense goes out the window the second Lambo sees his favorite kind of candy. Throughout the years his love for grape candy had been weaned by his annoying brothers but the second he saw some, he went for it.
"Can I?"
"Sure, here you go."
"Thank you so much, Funai Sensei." Lambo takes off the wrapper and shoves it in his mouth with a smile.
"You're welcome. Have a nice evening."
Perhaps Lambo had judged her too quickly; she was really nice. He happily heads to the exit but stops when someone calls his name again. This voice he'd recognize anywhere.
"How was your day?"
Lambo gives Fuuta the biggest smile he can muster as he continues to suck on his candy. He tries to answer but it comes out a gibberish which Fuuta laughs at.
"I think you're trying to tell me it was fine?"
Lambo nods and begins to tell him all about his wonderful day, leaving out his earlier doubts regarding his teacher. He'd obviously been wrong. Suddenly, Lambo felt much better and knew this would be a great year.
"Lambo, can I talk to you for a minute?"
The teen who was just heading to the student store stops then heads back to where his homeroom teacher is waiting. "Yes, Funai Sensei?" He asks lightly.
It's been three weeks since school began and Lambo has never been happier. Classes, although difficult, were going great and he had already made tons of friends. Not to mention he had found his favorite teacher.
"First, I got you a grape candy."
Lambo accepts it with thanks but doesn't unwrap it just yet in case he needs to speak.
"I know you need to buy your lunch but I wanted to ask if everything was ok with you."
The teen tilts his head to the side, "With me? Um, yes," He answers a bit confused as to why she'd ask.
"I know it's probably nothing but, well, can I trust you to keep a secret?"
Without hesitation, Lambo nods, "Of course."
Funai Sensei looks around as if making sure there are no other students listening in. "I heard some of your other teachers talking and they were saying you weren't doing too well with your classwork."
Lambo frowns at this information. Why would they say that? He knows he's not the smartest person but he thought he was doing fairly well. "They did?"
"I'm afraid so. They were going to call your parents to schedule a meeting but I asked them to give you another chance."
Lambo's heart begins to beat fast. It was a new school year, he can't be messing up already Tsuna-nii will be so disappointed.
"Thank you, Funai Sensei. What can I do? They haven't told me anything so I didn't know. Should I ask for extra homework?" He asks on the verge of tears. His family had helped him so much the previous year, the least he can do is get good grades.
"No, you mustn't let them know I told you." The teacher says with a hint of worry. "I could get fired if they find out I told you. The thing is they want to see you improve on your own without teachers helping you. The only reason I told you is that you're my favorite student and I don't want you to get in trouble."
Lambo couldn't be more grateful to have such an amazing teacher. She's risking her job just so Lambo doesn't get in trouble. "I won't say anything, I promise."
"I know you won't, I trust you." The smile that she gives him makes Lambo feel extra special. "I'm sure your family will be disappointed if they find out you're doing bad only three weeks in. But just because you're a little dumb doesn't mean you're not working hard."
The teen lowers his head in shame. It's no secret he's dumb but to hear his favorite teacher say it so bluntly hurts.
"And I know you'll become smarter than the whole school if you really try."
He looks up with determined eyes. That's right, he's gotta work extra hard to not only catch up but to get ahead of the others. He can do it.
"I won't let you down, Funai Sensei. I'll work harder and make sure I'm the best."
The smile Funai Sensei gives reminds him of Ken Joshima just before he pounces on his prey; weird. Lambo shakes his head; he needs to take this seriously. He will push himself to become better. The last thing he wants to do is disappoint his family; again.
"Good, make sure you work very hard and don't let me down, ok?"
Lambo promises before heading back to the lunch line. After a minute, he scolds himself. Why is he bothering to eat when he needs to be studying? He clenches his fists then heads back to class. He will work hard and he will become better no matter what.
"Fuuta, dear, can you tell Lambo dinner is ready?"
"Yes, mom,"
Fuuta puts down his pencil then heads to the stairs with a slight frown. For the past two week, Lambo has been studying a lot more than usual and although it should be a good thing, Fuuta can't help but feel worried.
Lambo has spent almost every day this past two weeks either locked in his room, down in the living room or staying late at the library studying. Fuuta had suspected his little brother was up to something but Lambo had really been lost in his homework. The younger teen had barely eaten if anything at all some days and was starting to get dark circles under his eyes from apparent lack of sleep. Even Nana is starting to get worried.
She had called the school just the day before to find out if maybe Lambo was falling behind which would explain his extra study sessions but they'd said he was doing fine; great, even.
Fuuta knocks on Lambo's door, "Mom said dinner's ready."
"I'm not hungry."
Fuuta sighs, that's the same response he's been getting each night. "Lambo, you need to eat. You can continue your work once you're finished with dinner."
"I'm not hungry, Fuuta."
The older teen opens the door and walks in. Lambo is at his desk, books opened as he takes notes. Fuuta can see his little brother's eyes which are slightly red as if he hasn't even had time to blink.
"If you're struggling with something I can help you study after dinner."
"I'm fine."
Fuuta frowns, the same frown he's been sporting more and more often whenever Lambo is involved. The former ranker walks over to the studious teen and rests his hip against the desk, arms crossed over his chest. "Lambo, did something happen at school?"
It's over so quick, Fuuta can't be 100% sure it happened, but he's sure Lambo flinched before continuing his work. "Lambo?" He asks with concern.
"I already told you I'm fine." The younger boy stops writing and looks at his brother, eyes narrowed in irritation. "Just because you don't have to study as hard doesn't mean I can do the same. You're always telling me to apply myself and to do the best I can so why are you complaining now?"
Fuuta glares back, "I'm not complaining about your new study habits, I'm concerned you're not taking care of yourself in the process."
"Do I look like I'm not taking care of myself? I'm perfectly fine and if you took the time to take your head out of your ass you'd see that."
"Lambo," Fuuta is shocked at his brother, when did the younger of the two become so angry?
"I've told you so many times I'm fine, I'm studying to become better but I feel like you keep wanting me to fall back to my old idiot self."
"What is your problem, Lambo? I'm just worried about you."
"What the hell is your problem? I'm not the one being an annoying asshole just because I feel threatened." Lambo snaps, standing up and pushing his chair back violently.
His patience has reached its limit and Fuuta leans forward to his brother and angrily asks, "Why would I feel threatened by you? You can barely keep an average grade for less than a month before failing just like you always do."
"I may be a failure but at least I'm not a conceited know it all who thinks he's better than everyone!"
"Maybe it is a good thing you're studying this hard because you're a total idiot."
"Take that back, you jerk!"
"Why should I? You're the one acting like a dumb, spoiled brat!"
Lambo lunges forward, catching Fuuta by surprise and landing a strong jab on the older boy's face. Fuuta stumbles back from the force but immediately regains his footing.
Fuuta grabs Lambo by the collar and shoves him to the floor where the younger boy pulls him along. They struggle against each other as they roll around, each one trying to gain the upper hand. They're so occupied in their fight they don't hear Nana rushing into the room shouting at them to stop nor when she frantically runs back out.
They continue their brawl, neither slowing down. Fuuta is frustrated because he knows something is going on with Lambo and isn't able to help his younger brother who won't tell him what's wrong.
Lambo is exhausted from the all-nighters he's pulled in the last two weeks with no results to show. Funai Sensei had told him just this morning that she was disappointed he wasn't improving. He was trying so hard, barely having time to eat and sometimes throwing his meals away without being touched; he didn't deserve to eat when his studies were hurting so much.
"I'm sure you're trying your best, Bovino-kun but maybe you aren't meant to be smart. It's ok to be dumb; there are plenty of jobs for, well, people like you. And I'm sure your family won't be too disappointed since they'll be busy being proud of Fuuta."
Lambo growls in anger as he remembers those words, kicking Fuuta in the stomach. The older boy falls back which Lambo takes advantage of and straddles his brother; landing a couple of punches.
Fuuta flips himself over and quickly stands just as Lambo does the same. The latter shouting with rage, "I hate you!"
Without thinking, Fuuta punches Lambo before coming to his senses. "Crap, I'm sorry, Lambo! I didn't mean to…Lambo?"
Lambo, who'd fallen down when Fuuta's punch met his face, lay unmoving on the floor. Fuuta knows he didn't hit him that hard, training with Hibari had taught him how to control his strength so why wasn't Lambo getting back up?
"Lambo, hey," Fuuta kneels down next to his brother immediately checking for a pulse which he thankfully finds. It's fast but it's there.
Aside from a bloody lip and some bruising, Lambo looks fine. Fuuta knows he wasn't trying to really hurt Lambo; he just got caught in the moment.
"Lambo, wake up."
The younger of the two moans before slowly opening his eyes. Fuuta lets out a sigh of relief when he sees his brother's bright green eyes.
"Hey, you ok?"
Lambo blinks a couple of times as he tries to figure out if he's won or not. He stares at his older brother who's sporting a bloody nose and bruised cheek along with a nice black eye that will look great in the morning.
"Did I win?" He mumbles. Fuuta scoffs then extends his arm to his brother.
"You wish. Can you stand?"
Lambo nods as he accepts his brother's helping hand. Fuuta helps him up then releases his hand when Lambo stands but quickly grabs him once more when the younger teen looks like he's about to fall.
"Lambo?"
"Sorry, I'm just a little dizzy."
"I didn't hit you hard enough to cause any serious damage. What else do you feel?"
Fuuta guides Lambo to his bed, helping him lie down. "I feel exhausted."
"I'm sure you do. How long has it been since you last got a good night sleep?"
Lambo groans, "I don't know. I've been so busy studying I think I may have skipped a night or two."
"Lambo, why would you do that? You need sleep otherwise you'll get really sick. No wonder you look like a walking corpse."
"I don't want to fall behind. I need to work hard."
Fuuta frowns, "There's a big difference between working hard and working yourself to death. Besides, the teachers say you're doing fine. You don't have to push yourself so much."
Lambo blinks, "What? You spoke with my teachers?"
"Mom did; she spoke with a Funai Sensei and she told mom you were doing fine."
"Oh, Funai Sensei sure is kind covering for an idiot like me."
"I know but if don't try harder I'll become stupid again."
"You were never stupid."
Lambo scoffs, "I am. Why do you think I was teased last year; they knew I was the dumbest student. I probably deserved it."
"Where is this coming from? Lambo, they were bullies who wanted any reason to hurt you. None of that was your fault and you certainly didn't deserve it. You also don't have to hurt yourself because you think you're stupid."
Lambo stays quiet not wanting to start another argument which he knows will happen if he keeps it up. When he'd told Funai Sensei what had happened the previous year, she'd told him that sometimes students will do what they think is best to encourage their friends to work hard.
"They must have known you were stupid and wanted to help you get better. It's basic science, really."
Maybe Tsuna and the others had overreacted; maybe they shouldn't have gotten the kids expelled if they had really been trying to help Lambo.
"You think I'm stupid, too." Lambo whispers but Fuuta hears him. The older boy lowers his head, embarrassed for what he'd said.
"You're not stupid, Lambo. I'm sorry I said that and I'm sorry for everything I said. I was mad and said what I knew would hurt you. It was wrong and cruel. I'm really sorry."
"I'm sorry for what I said, too. I didn't mean any of it; I could never hate my favorite brother."
Fuuta laughs; gently brushing Lambo's hair away from the younger's face. "You're forgiven if you forgive me."
"Deal,"
"Do you think we can keep this between us?"
Lambo is about to agree when they both freeze. Their hearts are beating so fast, they're sure they'll explode. There's a deadly aura filling the room and they both know death is coming for them in the form of an irritated older brother. Fuuta quickly stands and Lambo does the same albeit a bit shaky. They turn to the open door of Lambo's room, listening to heavy footsteps that can be heard coming closer.
"I'm sorry for everything, Lambo. Just know that I love you."
"I love you, too, Fuuta. When we end up on the other side, I call dibs on whatever's best there."
Their eyes widen in horror when Hibari steps inside, his face one of absolute fury. The Monster of Namimori looks from Lambo to Fuuta and back, knowing full well what has apparently happened.
"You're both dead."
Without missing a beat, Lambo and Fuuta point to each other at the same time saying, "He started it!"
Nana silently drinks her tea in the kitchen, ignoring the screams of terror coming from her two youngest kids as Hibari teaches them a lesson about fighting at home. "They need to learn violence is never the answer."
"Bovino-kun, can I talk you for a minute?"
Lambo can feel his hands begin to tremble. He already has an idea what Funai Sensei wants to talk about and he doesn't think he can face her. During homeroom this morning, she had ignored him completely. She had even skipped his name during attendance. He had been a mess for the rest of the day. He'd been so happy when the final bell had rung.
After his fight with Fuuta he'd had so much on his mind, he hadn't been able to focus on the test the next day. When he'd received it back today it was to see a big, fat 37 on it. He had felt like crying. Funai Sensei would be upset. He wouldn't be her favorite student anymore.
"Yes, Funai Sensei?" He asks trying to keep his voice from breaking.
"Are you ok?"
Lambo shakes his head as tears start to fall. The teacher gently pulls him off to the side so they can have some privacy before she speaks.
"Don't cry, sweetie. What's wrong?"
"I failed my math test yesterday. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."
Funai Sensei kneels down to be at his level then offer him a small smile. "It's ok, that's no reason to cry. I'm sure you tried your best."
"But you don't like dumb kids. I don't want to stop being your favorite student, Funai Sensei."
The teacher chuckles, resting a hand on his shoulder as she continues, "You're not dumb, Bovino-kun." She leans close to whisper in his ear. "You're stupid."
Lambo begins to cry, feeling like a massive failure. "I'm sorry."
"You have nothing to apologize for. Please, don't cry." She says with a slight frown, putting on a caring act for the students passing by.
"You're trying very hard and it shows in your work." She gives him a quick hug. "It's ok if you never amount to anything. Some people are born just to be pathetic and that's not your fault."
Lambo knows this. Funai Sensei has been telling him that for a while now and he knows it's because she cares. She doesn't want him to live a lie thinking he'll be anything more than a loser.
"I really tried."
She pulls back with a smile, "I know you did. You look exhausted, Bovino-kun, try and get some rest between studying and don't push yourself too much."
"Lambo?"
Lambo looks behind Funai Sensei to where Fuuta is quickly approaching, a worried frown on his face.
"Fuuta, what are you doing here?"
"I got out early and came looking for you when you didn't come out right away. What's going on?" He asks with a glare towards the teacher as he steps in between his brother and the apparent threat.
"Fuuta, this is Funai Sensei. She's been helping me with homework."
"Ah, you must be de la Stella-kun. I've heard so much about you. Lambo really looks up to you and can't stop talking about how great you are."
Fuuta doesn't stop glaring at her. When he'd spotted his brother crying, Fuuta had felt furious when the teacher seemed to be pleased with Lambo's pain. She looks nice now but his gut is telling him to protect Lambo from her.
"I see. Well, we have to go. Goodbye, Sensei."
Fuuta wraps an arm around Lambo and guides him down the hall to the outside of the school. All the while Lambo keeps struggling to get loose.
"Fuuta, what are you doing? You were so rude to Funai Sensei; you need to apologize to her."
"Tell me why you were crying and it better be the truth or I swear I'll call Tsuna-nii right now."
Lambo gulps at the serious tone in his brother's voice. "What's wrong with you?"
"What's wrong with me? How would you feel if your brother was crying with a teacher standing over him almost laughing? I won't ask again, Lambo."
Lambo sighs, "I failed my math test yesterday. I was crying because I felt like a loser but Funai Sensei was trying to make me feel better."
Fuuta stops walking and stares into his brother's eyes. He can't detect a lie and feels himself relax a bit. "You promise?"
"I promise. She's been helping a lot, Fuuta; more than the other teachers. You need to apologize for your rude behavior."
"I'm sorry, I guess I overreacted and thought the worst. I'll apologize tomorrow."
"You promise?"
"I promise. Now, let's go home and I'll go over your math test with you."
"Alright, men; you all have your assignments. Call if there are any problems."
The men bow before making their way out of the building, leaving Tetsuya Kusakabe alone in the main training room. He goes around picking up any leftover debris and takes a mental inventory of equipment that will need to be reordered.
He's throwing away some broken glass when his phone rings. "That was quick." He mumbles but stops when he recognizes the name on his caller id.
"Hello?"
"Good evening, Kusakabe-san; it's Fuuta. I'm sorry to bother you so late."
"You're not bothering me, Fuuta-kun. Is everything ok?"
There's silence on the other line then a sigh.
"I have a favor to ask you but I'm hoping this can stay between us. I can't say for sure if there's anything wrong and would rather not irritate Kyo-nii unless I'm absolutely sure."
If there is one thing Kusakabe hates doing, it's keeping Kyoya in the dark about, well, anything. Not only does it rarely work but when Kyoya finds out he really lets Kusakabe have it.
"Uh, Fuuta-kun, is that really necessary? You know Kyo-san will be upset when he finds out he wasn't made aware of any problem, no matter how small."
"I know and I'm sorry to put you in this position but I need to find out if there's a problem at all before setting Kyo-nii after a teacher without proof."
Kusakabe sighs, "I will try my best. What do you need?"
"Lambo's homeroom teacher, a Chinami Funai, can you get some information about her?"
"Chinami Funai, did she do something to Lambo-kun?"
"No; I don't know, actually but I know there's something wrong with her. I can't really explain it but I think she's behind why Lambo's been acting weird. When I saw her today I got the feeling she wanted to hurt Lambo but it was gone before I could be sure. That's why I don't want Kyo-nii to know anything just yet. I don't want him to kill an innocent person by mistake."
"I understand, Fuuta-kun." He laughs. Everyone knows Kyoya is prone to kill first, ask questions later. "I'll get a full background check on her and get back to you as soon as I can."
"Thank you so much, Kusakabe-san. I owe you one."
"You're welcome. If anything happens, let me know. I'll contact you soon."
Kusakabe hangs up with a sigh. He would have the necessary information in no more than two hours; a piece of cake. The hardest part would be keeping this a secret from…he sighs.
"I think this is a new record, Kyo-san."
"Hm, call me once you know everything."
"I take it you'll be making a quick visit to a couple of brothers?"
"This is not over, Tetsuya. I will deal with you later."
"I can hardly wait, Kyo-san," Kusakabe mutters. The tonfa to the head makes him think he should have kept his mouth shut.
"How could you do this to me? Funai Sensei is the only teacher that has ever cared about me. She wants the best for me!"
"I'm sorry, Lambo but there is something about her that is really bothering me. I had to do something to make sure you're ok. You know better than anyone to listen to your gut no matter how little sense it makes."
"Tell me what happened."
"Kyo-nii, please don't hurt her just yet. Lambo might be right, she might be completely innocent."
"She is innocent!"
"I won't ask again."
With a sigh, Fuuta sits down next to Lambo. He should have known Hibari would find out sooner than later.
"Lambo failed his math test and was crying to Funai Sensei. When I saw them, she looked…happy. I got the impression that she was happy Lambo was crying. As I got closer, I heard her tell Lambo not to push himself too hard but it sounded like when Mukuro-nii says he's not going to kill someone and you know he is. I felt like she was telling him to do just that to push him more."
"That's not true! I've been studying hard because I want to; she has nothing to do with it."
"Maybe you're right but I didn't want to take any chances. You've been pushing yourself a lot and I think she's the reason why."
"That's bullshit!"
Lambo gasps when the tonfa smacks into his stomach, "S-sorry…"
"You're lucky Mom is helping Grandma-Chiyo down the street or she'd have cried at your dirty mouth." Fuuta chuckles then groans when Lambo continues to glare at him. "Look, if I'm wrong I'll apologize not only to you but to her as well. I'll even do your chores for a month."
"Two months." Lambo pouts while rubbing his sore stomach.
"Deal,"
Hibari feels like hitting them both just out of habit but his phone ringing stops him. "You're on speaker."
"I have some bad news, I'm afraid. Fuuta-kun, you were correct in your assumption of Funai Sensei."
Lambo falls back into his seat, there's no way that's right.
"What did you find out?" Hibari asks with a growl. All the teachers went through a thorough background check by the Foundation. How could she have made it through?
"I searched her name just like we did at the beginning of the year which turned up with nothing. Her record was clean, nothing out of the ordinary. But an incident that happened when she turned twenty-five drew my attention."
Fuuta looks over at Lambo with guilt. He hadn't meant to hurt his brother again but if it meant Lambo's safety then so be it.
"She was in an accident with her best friend, a terrible fire. Her best friend died but she was saved before the building collapsed. I looked up her best friend, Mari Ashikaga, and her record is bad. She was an infamous psychologist who was arrested after being blamed for the suicide of ten of her patients.
She was released on bail and died in that fire before her trial began. I searched for pictures and both Ashikaga and Funai look very similar. The burnt body was too damaged to make a proper identification and Ashikaga might have paid off to change her dental records. I think we might be looking at an identity switch. Ashikaga is still alive and acting as Funai."
"You're wrong. Funai Sensei is a good person; she cares about me even though I'm an idiot." Lambo softly states, looking down at his hands.
"Lambo…"
"No! You're all wrong! This is my fault, she said I'd mess up; she knew I'd get her in trouble but she still helped me. This is what happens when you help stupid people!"
Hibari ends the call, putting his phone into his pocket then walks to the door. Fuuta is the only one that notices how tightly his fists are clenched. Lambo immediately gets up, rushing to his side.
"Psycho-nii, you can't hurt her! She's a good person, she really is." He cries in desperation. "I'm the stupid one, punish me!"
Fuuta feels anger coursing through his veins. He wishes he'd been wrong about the teacher but now that he knows the truth, he hopes she suffers for the obvious mental and physical torment she put Lambo through.
"Lambo, this wasn't your fault." Fuuta pulls Lambo away from Hibari who looks like he's about to bring down an entire building. He leads his younger brother back to the couch as the Namimori Monster takes his leave.
"It is my fault, Fuuta." Lambo cries. "She knows I'm a loser but she was going to help me adjust. She was looking out for me."
"She was going to help you adjust? To what, grow up as a loser?"
"Funai Sensei knows what she's talking about. You heard Kusakabe-san, she was a psychologist."
"A psychologist who caused ten people to kill themselves then she killed her best friend and stole her life! Lambo, do you have any idea how crazy that is?"
"No, you don't understand. She even explained how last year was my fault; the kids were trying to make me stronger. I was just too weak."
"Oh, Lambo…"
Fuuta drops unto the floor in front of Lambo who's sitting on the couch. The younger of the two curls into his side, crying from guilt. The former ranker has no idea what to do. He stands up and walks out into the hallway where he chokes back a sob. This was his fault.
He knew something had been wrong with Lambo but he hadn't looked into it deeply enough. If he had, Lambo wouldn't have gone through a new type of bullying. Lambo had been bullied on his watch; again.
Fuuta pulls out his phone with trembling fingers and dials the one person who'll know what to do. He needs help and he needs it now.
"What?"
Fuuta struggles to breathe, now was not the time to get a panic attack. He hadn't had one since his ranking days.
"Haya-nii, I need to-" Fuuta gasps for air, he needs to calm down.
"Count to ten. One: inhale, two: exhale. Three: inhale, four: exhale."
Once Fuuta can breathe normally, he realizes Tsuna was the voice in his head helping him through his panic attack.
"Are you with me, Fuuta? Are you ok?"
"Tsuna-nii, I'm sorry." He leans against the wall, laying his head back with a thud. He can still hear Lambo crying in the living room.
"I'm going to call Kyoya, ok? I want him to check on you."
"Kyo-nii is a little busy right now. He went to kill Lambo's teacher." Fuuta says it calmly as if it's the most normal thing in the world. He can't help but laugh.
"Fuuta, take a couple of deep breaths. Don't fall apart on me, now."
"Ok, I'm ok. I'm fine."
"What do you mean Kyoya went to kill Lambo's teacher, what happened?"
And with one last deep breath, Fuuta tells him everything. As he's speaking he can hear movement and silent orders being given around. He can only guess as to what's going but he's sure Tsuna is going to be heading to Japan real soon. Fuuta finishes telling him what's happened and feels his legs give out. He falls to the floor, back still against the wall.
"This is not Lambo's fault just like it isn't yours, either. The only one to blame is Funai or Ashikaga, whatever her name is. You have nothing to be sorry about, understood?"
"I understand, Tsuna-nii, but it's easier said than done."
"I know. We're boarding the jet now and should be there in a few hours. I need you to be strong until then and keep Lambo safe. Hold your frustrations in until I get there. Can you do that?"
"Yes, Tsuna-nii, I can. Um, should I try to stop Kyo-nii?"
"I doubt anyone can stop him from doing anything right now. No, you stay with Lambo and let me worry about Kyoya. Remember, whatever happens, has nothing to do with either you or Lambo."
"I know; I'll see you guys soon."
"I love you, Fuuta."
"I love you, too, Tsuna-nii. Fly safe."
Fuuta ends the call then closes his eyes for a bit. He snaps them open when he hears footsteps coming from the living room. He stands just as Lambo reaches his side. Fuuta's heart breaks seeing how miserable Lambo looks with red, teary eyes on top of his exhaustion.
"Tsuna-nii is coming, isn't he?"
Fuuta nods, "Yeah, he's coming."
Lambo wipes his nose with the sleeve of his sweater. "I'm in a lot of trouble aren't I?"
"No, no you're not. Lambo none of this is your fault."
"If-if Funai Sensei really is a bad person," Fuuta doesn't bother correcting him, he'll come to terms soon enough. "Then I let her get to me. She chose me because I was weak, just like the kids from last year."
"You are not weak. You're one of the strongest people I know. You made it through last year and you'll make it through this because of who you are; strong. The reason you were picked on is that you have one of the kindest and most trusting hearts of anybody out there. You're a good person and sometimes people take advantage of that." Fuuta states as he wraps his arms around his little brother.
"I hope you're all wrong."
"Me too, Lambo. Me too."
Fuuta watches Lambo sound asleep. It had taken a couple of hours but he'd finally given in to exhaustion. The older boy closes the door to Lambo's room and heads back downstairs to make some coffee and sandwiches. He knew once his brothers arrived, nobody would be getting any sleep.
He's just finished starting the coffee machine when there's a knock on the door. Fuuta knows his brothers won't be here for another half hour or so which means it's either Mom or Hibari with some news.
Although, Tsuna had called Mom to tell her to spend the night with Grandma-Chiyo because they would need some time alone with the teens. She'd agreed knowing it must be something regarding Lambo's recent behavior. She shouldn't be here unless she had forgotten something.
"Who is it?" It's during moments like these that he wishes they'd had that peephole installed. When there is no reply, he begins to get a little nervous.
He's seen enough scary movies to know something is wrong. He slowly backs away, pulling out his phone to call the police when something blasts the doorknob clean through.
The door swings open and Fuuta forces himself to calm down. There at the door is Funai Sensei with a gun in her hand. It has a silencer which explains why the noise wasn't too loud.
"Hiya, kiddo; I'm making a house call for my favorite student. Where is he?"
Fuuta knows he needs to stall for time. He needs to be smart about this or she might kill both him and Lambo.
Play it smart. He laughs. "You picked the wrong night to visit him. Mom had to take care of an elderly lady and guess who she took with her?"
Funai frowns and Fuuta hopes he can bluff his way out; he'd done it once before. "But please, feel free to look around. The police will have gotten here before you're done checking the rooms." He says as confidently as he can while showing her his phone. She snarls, grabbing the phone then tossing it out the door.
"Then I guess you'll have to do. Say, you wouldn't happen to know anything about somebody breaking into my house earlier, would you? Fortunately, I wasn't there but my explosives were. The house blew into smithereens along with anyone inside."
Is that why Hibari hadn't returned? Fuuta can feel his anger begin to rise. No, there's no way Hibari would be taken out that easily. He had faith in his brother.
"No idea. If that's all you wanted, why don't you go before the police arrive?"
Funai laughs sending a shiver down Fuuta's spine. She was dangerous. "See, I know you had something to do with the intruder, I don't believe in coincidences; which means because of you, I didn't get a chance to break Lambo down. I was close; he would have been mine in no time. I could have told him to jump off the roof, run into traffic and he would have done it."
"You're sick."
"Maybe a little but it is so much fun to watch." She says with a grin and Fuuta wants to wipe it clear off. "Now, let's get started." Funai pulls out a kitchen knife from her boot and runs her tongue over it.
"This is starting to turn into a terrible horror movie."
Fuuta stays in place as she approaches him, knife in one hand and gun in the other. It's ok, as long as Lambo lives, everything will be fine.
"Funai Sensei?"
Fuuta closes his eyes. Damn it!
"My, my, I thought he wasn't here?"
"Lambo, run!" Fuuta shouts, turning to see where his brother is standing on top of the stairs. He falls to the floor when something hits the back of his head; blood immediately pouring out. His eyes closed for a second then open only to see Funai Sensei slowly walking up the stairs to where Lambo is still standing in complete shock.
Fuuta struggles to stand but the second he does, he runs to the teacher. She hears the footsteps and turns with the gun in hand. He throws himself at her with the gun not going off.
"You bastard!" She shouts, obviously having thought Fuuta was out for the count.
Fuuta grabs the hand with the gun and tries to get her to let go of it. "Lambo, go to your room! Call the police!"
Lambo does and Fuuta is grateful. The gun drops to the step and Fuuta pushes it off. He sees her reaching for the knife which she dropped in the struggle but he's faster. He grabs it just as she throws herself towards him.
They both stumble down the steps, Fuuta worried about losing his grip on the knife. He knows he doesn't have to worry when he feels it breaking the skin, warm liquid covering his hands.
Once they reach the bottom, Fuuta quickly backs away without loosening his grip and pulls the knife out of Funai's chest; blood pouring out and staining the carpet as it seeps through.
She makes a gurgling sound a couple of times, her body convulsing; her eyes staring at the ceiling as blood continues to pump out of her body. He knows he should do something but he's not sure what. He then remembers that people usually apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding and starts to head to the kitchen when he sees her stop moving; her chest no longer rising. She's not moving at all.
"Oh, my god. Oh, my..."
Fuuta stumbles back to the stairs and falls into the steps, knife still in his tight grip. He'd just killed someone. He killed someone.
"Fuuta?"
"Lambo, go back into your room. I have it under control."
"But Fuuta-"
"I said, go back to your room!"
He can hear Lambo close the door to his room, glad he hadn't stepped out to see what had happened. He's not sure how much time passes when the door swings open and he doesn't care. He figures it's the police so he just stays seated on his steps, still staring at the body of Lambo's homeroom teacher. He wipes his nose on his sleeve and tries to ignore the blood on his hands.
"Fuuta, you're ok now." A soft and gentle voice speaks.
Fuuta slowly looks up and is surprised to see Tsuna standing in front of him. "Tsuna-nii, I…" He tries to look around his brother but can already see his other brothers have covered the bloody mess.
"Look at me, you're ok."
"Lambo is in his room. I think he's scared. I think I scared him."
Yamamoto and Chrome carefully walk up the stairs around Fuuta, each gently ruffling the former ranker's hair as they go find Lambo.
"Tsuna-nii, you should go with Lambo, he's been asking for you." His voice is breaking and he knows it; his breathing quickening.
"He'll be fine. Can you let go?"
Let go? Oh, right, he's still holding on to the murder weapon. Fuuta hands it over to Tsuna with trembling hands; bloody hands. Tsuna hands it over to someone behind him, probably Gokudera.
"You're ok, Fuuta. I'm here now. You don't have to hold it in anymore."
Hold it in? He's not holding anything in. What's Tsuna talking about?
"Tsuna-nii, I feel sick."
He barely registers strong arms helping him up and out the door into the yard. The bright lights of the police cars make him dizzy and he only just manages to reach the grass. He throws up whatever food he'd had for lunch while somebody rubs his back.
After a few minutes, he can feel his legs shake and about to give out but Tsuna helps him to the ground. Fuuta is shaking, his breathing coming in short gasps and he knows he's hyperventilating.
"Deep breaths, Fuuta; come on, deep breaths."
Two panic attacks in one day? How fun.
He finally calms down and leans against his big brother who softly runs his fingers through Fuuta's unruly hair.
"Tsuna-nii, I'll be fine. Lambo needs you more than I do."
"He's ok. Takeshi and Chrome are with him."
"But he's the one that's scared. I'm fine, Tsuna-nii. I'm…" Fuuta closes his eyes then opens them. He turns to look at Tsuna. "I killed her."
"You saved yourself and Lambo."
"I killed her, Tsuna-nii."
Tsuna grabs Fuuta's face and makes sure his brother is looking at him, "You did what you had to in order to keep your brother safe. You did what you had to in order to keep yourself safe. You did what you had to in order to survive. You did nothing wrong."
"Her blood is on my hands. I heard when you kill someone their blood never comes off and you live with that blood for the rest of your life. I killed someone, Tsuna-nii."
"Oi," Fuuta looks up at the voice and stares at Gokudera with terrified eyes. "You're not wrong but you're not right, either."
"What?"
"When you kill someone their blood never comes off, that's true, but only when you kill someone without a reason; just because. You protected the brat and yourself, you had no choice. That blood you see on your hands, it'll come off and you'll never see it again."
Fuuta looks down at his hands and can't believe he took a life. He can hear what his brothers are saying but he can't really process their words, not yet.
"I made coffee." He sobs once, then twice. Tsuna pulls him into his chest and Fuuta begins to weep. He loses control to his grief; cries full of remorse, pain, and guilt fill the night. He has never felt so broken; so defeated.
Today, Fuuta de la Stella killed someone and the worst part is that he hates himself for not caring.
Fuuta feels a slight discomfort on his head and he reaches back to see what it is. His hand is gently grabbed then pulled back down.
"You have stitches. They need to stay on for a while."
Fuuta slowly opens his eyes, blinking a couple of time to clear his vision. When he can see clearly again, he notices he's in a hospital room. Why is he in a…oh.
"Is-is Lambo ok?"
"He is. He's down the hall with the others waiting for you to wake up."
"Oh, why aren't they here?"
Tsuna sighs, "I wanted to make sure you were ok for visitors. I asked them to wait outside just in case-"
"In case I freaked out again?"
"I'll tell them to come in."
"No," Fuuta clears his sore throat and just notices his voice sounds like he's been screaming for days. "I mean, I don't want to see them just yet."
Tsuna sits back down with a nod, "Ok, they won't come in until you're ready."
Fuuta nods his thanks then licks his lips. "Is Lambo mad at me?"
He can tell the question catches Tsuna off guard because the Tenth looks confused. "Why would he be mad?"
"Because he didn't believe Funai Sensei was bad, he thought she was trying to help him and I, well, I kind of killed her?"
Tsuna stares at Fuuta, trying to figure out what to say or how to say it. "He understands you did something to keep him safe. If anything he feels guilty you had to do it not because she's dead but because he knows you're hurting."
"He shouldn't feel guilty."
"Neither should you."
Fuuta looks up from where he'd been looking at the ceiling and turns to his brother. "I know. I know but it's going to take some time to fully believe it."
"I'll be with you until you do; we all will."
Fuuta nods then with a gasp sits up, "Tsuna-nii, she said her house blew up because someone broke inside. Is Kyo-nii, is he ok?"
Tsuna laughs at this and Fuuta immediately relaxes. "As if something like a couple of explosives could take Kyoya out. He's fine; only suffered a couple of minor burns, cuts, and bruises. He's outside waiting with the others."
The relief he feels overwhelms him and he lays back down, exhaustion taking over him again. "Go to sleep, we'll still be here when you wake up."
Fuuta believes him and nods off into dreamland once more.
"You should have seen him, he looked like burnt toast! Haha!"
Fuuta laughs when Hibari attacks Yamamoto with his tonfas, both brothers not caring for anything they might break. It had been four days since the incident at home and one since he'd been released from the hospital.
He'd been terrified when the doctor had said he was cleared to leave and nobody could understand why until Lambo had spoken, "He's afraid he'll see the blood."
Tsuna and the others had then assured him everything was clean and repaired. He wouldn't even be able to tell where anything had happened and they'd been right.
"Guys, come on. Mom will be mad if you break a window again."
Tsuna says with exasperation but the joyful glint in his eyes doesn't fool anyone. They're all happy that everything is over. Although Tsuna and his Italian bound siblings hadn't known anything until it had been too late, they were relieved the teens would make a full recovery.
Lambo had spoken with Fuuta and apologized to which Fuuta said there was nothing to be sorry about. Then, Fuuta had apologized to Lambo to which the younger of the two had responded in the same manner. They had laughed, cried, and hugged until they had felt better.
Now that they were home, things would start getting back to normal and Fuuta couldn't be happier. He would never forget that he'd taken a life. Gokudera was right; after his hands had been washed he hadn't seen the blood again but he would still remember and do everything in his power to make sure it didn't happen again. He knew being involved with the Mafia would make that a little bit more difficult so he made a vow. He would do everything possible to avoid taking a life but if the life of an innocent depended on that choice, he would not hesitate to do it.
"Hey, guys?"
They all stop laughing and turn to Fuuta, "I love you."
Tsuna smiles and tightens his hold on the teen's hand while the others coo and aw as Yamamoto ruffles his hair, mindful of his stitches.
"You're still in trouble, little brother."
"What? I haven't done anything to get in trouble for."
"Um, Psycho-nii and Mama told them about our little, uh, scuffle."
Fuuta looks at Tsuna with disbelieving eyes. "Really; after everything we've been through you're still going to ground us for having a minor disagreement?"
"Minor? Kyoya said that's where you got the black eye from and Lambo his busted lip. That isn't minor."
"But Tsuna-nii, we worked it out ourselves and had called a truce before Psycho-nii even showed up. We handled it like men; just like Take-nii and Haya-nii."
"Now, now, sucking up won't help you in this situation."
"That's because you're not a man, idiot."
"Haha, I guess sucking up works on the weak-minded."
"Why you little…"
Gokudera and Yamamoto begin to fight which causes Tsuna to sigh and Fuuta to laugh.
"If you don't ground them for this then it's incredibly unfair to ground Lambo and I. You need to treat us all fairly."
And just like that, everything had gone back to normal. Complete and total chaos filled the Sawada residence along with laughter. Fuuta and Lambo shared a smile.
"It's good to be home."
Wow, 10K words…I think that's a new record for me. Yay! Happy dance, everyone! Well, this was my surprise baby that I didn't know I had in me until it popped out. Lol, I hope it was up to standard but do let me know just so I don't get nervous. I need my muse to be fed.
Now, my question: When I started writing this and realized it wasn't stopping anytime soon, I thought about separating it into two chapters. Would you all prefer one long chapter in one day or two short(er) chapters in a week? I thought long and hard but since I already have two unfinished stories, I didn't want to add another one. As short as it may be.
So if you have a minute to review please let me know what you think about the length of chapters. I would hope most of us like to read a lot but I also understand sometimes it might feel a little cluttered, I guess. Your opinion is greatly appreciated!
See you next time on Lambo's Corner! You do not want to miss it!