"So go on and shoot me, stupid cow." Reborn had mocked, perched on the edge of a coffee table in a hotel room.

Lambo cocked the gun, not moving it away from its pointing between the Mafioso's eyes. He knew he couldn't go through with it. Not now, after all these months of confusion and anger and raging… hormones. Reborn tilted his hat down over his eyes casually.

"If that was all, I'll be going."

Lambo sighed deeply and shut one eye again in his usual manner. Nodding curtly, Reborn lifted himself from his slouched position and walked out the door. Just walking. Alive and well. Lambo's mission had failed. 'Damn it!!! Why can't I kill him? Why can't I just kill him and let it be done with--?"

---------------------

Lambo pressed his forehead against the cruelly cold glass, breathing mist circles onto the car window. He didn't smile at the memory of letting Reborn live.

He would have done, had someone else not made the decision he could not.

The Vongola 10th twisted round in his seat, clamping a heavy but friendly hand on the Thunder guardian's shoulder.

"Lambo, are you okay?"

His eyes were cold, no warmth ran through them anymore. The Thunder guardian spoke not a word, shaking his head in disbelief. He managed only to lightly clear his throat and accidentally choked up a little.

"You don't have to see the body, if you don't want to…"

"No, no, I want to see him… one last time."

Tsuna nodded solemnly before returning to glaring out the opposite window at the falling rain. Lambo pressed a hand against the glass, his fingertips tracing the raindrops that looked so much like the tears he did not wish to release.

'Gotta…stay…calm.'

The Vongola car pulled up outside the hospital and Tsuna, Gokudera and Lambo each got out of the car and opened up black umbrellas to protect them from the rain.

Striding towards the front doors, they saw a doctor wearing a long white lab coat and clutching his stethoscope. The man seemed nervous, sweat beading along his brow.

"Vongola 10th and trusted guardians?" he asked when they had reached him.

"Yes," Tsuna said

"Welcome back, I received word that you wished to see the body again."

"Yes," Tsuna repeated, but glanced warily at Lambo's expression; which was surprisingly passive.

"Then please, follow me."

The four men walked through corridors and passageways deep into the hospital. They heard screaming babies, beeping monitors, laughter, crying, despair, hope.

"As I have previously stated upon your last visit, Mr. Vongola, everyone here did everything that they could, especially Dr. Shamal, who was particularly persistent. He worked on the hitman long after we had given up a-"

"Shut up! You're depressing the 10th even more, teme!" Tsuna seemed to agree, but Lambo did not miss Gokudera's anxious glance in his direction.

All too soon, the three of them were brought to a halt outside a heavily guarded room.

"Dino?" Tsuna asked a blonde guard standing closest to the door.

"Ah, little bro." Dino replied, looking up from under his hat. His words were friendly, but his face stony.

"We'll talk later, Dino. Right now…" he gesticulated towards Lambo.

"Of course."

As Dino swept a card through the entrance access barrier, all eyes seemed to be on Lambo. It was the kind of attention he'd always craved as a child, but now he had it for all the wrong reasons.

'For being in love with a dead man, who never knew…'

They stepped into the room, which was empty save for a long grey table in the middle, covered with a satin white cloth and a beautiful red rose placed on top. It wasn't hard to tell that it was Reborn's body under that cloth, but still Lambo denied the inevitable.

'He can't be dead, he's Reborn. Reborn never dies, he's the cockroach…' Many attempts at Reborn's life flashed before Lambo's eyes. A handful of them were his own, but all of those had failed and several were from a long, long time ago.

Snapping back to reality, he watched Gokudera walk around to pick up the rose from it's place on the cloth and felt Tsuna's hand lightly resting once more upon his shoulder.

"Lambo, you don't have to do this…"

"Yes I do. I want to see him."

He gently removed Tsuna's hand from its resting place and stepped towards the table so that his face was hovering directly over where Reborn's face would soon appear. Gokudera looked to Tsuna for guidance, who shut his eyes and signalled a countdown from three. On one, Gokudera tugged back the cloth to reveal Reborn's still body.

Lambo said nothing. Both of his eyes were open for the first time in forever, he wanted to take it all in and be able to cherish the image of Reborn's face in his mind for the rest of eternity. As soon as the cover was pulled back, it felt to Lambo as though he and Reborn were the only ones in the room. He forgot all other presences and let everything he wanted to say free.

"Reborn, you look like you're sleeping. Come on stupid Reborn, wake up and annoy me. Say it was all a joke. Hit me, like you always used to."

Tsuna shuffled uncomfortably, edging towards Lambo in order to be a support. The Thunder guardian grappled at Reborn's lapels. He was still dressed in his same suave hitman suit.

"You were supposed to be unbeatable! Why were you so famous if all you could do is die?" Lambo spat angrily, clutching on to the cotton fabric.

He was marginally aware of Gokudera yelling something like "let go, stupid cow" but it didn't deter him.

"I'd give anything. Anything you needed, I'd do it, just so I could tell you. I love you Reborn! I f****** love you! Where are you when I need you!?"

Lambo gave up and slumped against the dead man's chest.

"Gotta… stay… calm…" he whispered into the suit, while his tears fell softly, absorbing into the shirt.

He'd already decided that he wouldn't let go, and when closing time came, Tsuna had to deal with a very stubborn cow.

Up until now, Lambo had remained crying upon Reborn's corpse. Gokudera and Tsuna had gotten chairs brought in and had sat in the corner of the room, observing quietly.

Gokudera had had to return home to take care of an important business phone call from Italy. Now Tsuna was left alone, forcefully and physically moving Lambo away from Reborn.

"Come on, Lambo, we have to let him go…"

"No! I'm not leaving him!"

"I know it's difficult, but…"

Lambo stopped, his stomach lurching. The death of Reborn seemed to have finally hit him.

"I'm going to be sick." Lambo claimed, stumbling to place his hand against one of the walls for support.

Tsuna was wise enough to stay away.

Suddenly, a thick burst of purple smoke erupted and a baby-like whine emerged from it.

"Child Lambo!" Tsuna exclaimed, shocked at the sudden use of the 10 year bazooka after an absence of its use for over 3 years. He smiled at the small innocent child who wriggled in his arms, yelling something about "bogies" and "octopus balls".

"You're 8 years old, Lambo!" Tsuna scolded, not surprised in the least at the fact that Lambo was still acting as though he were 5.