Summary: Lambo returns to Namimori to reminisce the candy coated dreams of his past and to embark on a mission to revive his Family.

A/N: This story is probably the saddest story I am going to write about KHR. It is a series of defeat/deathfics – one for each guardian except Lambo who is trying to revive their memories before they are all lost in the time paradox. It's a fairly new concept of mine which was developed only on the desire to write the demise of each of the guardians *evil laugh*

Reviews are most appreciated.

I put some notes at the bottom of the page for some explanation.

Disclaimer: KHR is the brainchild of Akira Amano and is not mine. I am just borrowing them for this fanfiction. :D

** EDITED**

Thanks to Captain 9009 for the amazing beta. This story would suck if not for you. ^_^

CHAPTER 1: Candy Coated Dreams

The night sky was under attack. Booms of thunder and stabs of lightning scoured its dark abyss as it attempted to veil one man reaching the outskirts of Namimori. Despite the obvious danger of the scattered bolts of lightning, Lambo Bovino didn't even spare them the slightest of inclinations. At twenty-five, the cracks of thunder had become but a lullaby to his mind, and the lightning, a kitten of the softest fur. It was a dangerous night, but the man insisted to speed through fearlessly on his motorcycle under the electricity filled sky. Any normal human being would have run away to look for shelter from the fury of the gods but he smiled. He adored this kind of weather - it was this weather that he felt the strongest.

He stopped right at the border of the town proper and looked around. After a few more revs of his engine, his unnoticed hunger led him to a small diner situated on a dark corner of the town. Inside and eating a quick dinner at local spot that was nonexistent in his time at Namimori, the idle buzz of a weather man filled the desolate place. "Well folks, I can only advise you to stay home, or, if you're still out, to start heading home. This is going to be a big one."

He scoffed when he heard the man's advice, but smiled politely when the waitress asked him to have a safe trip.

Forget that, he thought.
The man loved this weather.

Lambo dismounted his motorcycle and scanned his surroundings. Anyone who'd seen him would have thought he was some kind of ruffian. He wore a worn overcoat made out of animal hide that was roughly sewn, repaired and patched by the same clumsy hand. The collar was laden with fur and touched the pale face of the traveler. The man's long dark hair which flowed just past his shoulders tousled in the furious wind and a hand thoughtlessly reached up to rake its calloused fingertips through the thick and wavy mass. But the slow and fluid motion was interrupted by a pair of gold horns that nestled snuggly within the messy mop.

"Finally, It's good to be home," he declared to himself as he mounted his green Ducati and revved the engine before beginning his descent to the heart of the town he had grown up in.

He raised his jade colored eyes to look at the road ahead. A small smile formed on his weary face as the familiar landscape indicated his destination was near. Not much further; his long journey would end. It felt good to come back here after such a long time. It was a place that he knew so well, a place he thought he would never see again.

Namimori.

How long has it been since he was in this town last? Fifteen years, at the very least. He started to hum a nursery rhyme that Mamman used to sing for them as children. He slowed down and let nostalgia set in. Namimori didn't change so much in the last fifteen years, he mused to himself. He could still identify the places which were memorable to him. Some stores had been replaced, most of them were renovated, but there were still some distinct landmarks that had never changed.

To his left - there was the road to the temple. He had been there many times with Tsuna and the rest of the Family. He remembered the fun times he had there with Mama and I-pin and even Fuuta who used to race with him to the top of the staircase. He never always stopped halfway up the steps, whining to whoever was closest to help him. Yamamoto or Ryohei-niiwere the usual helpers. This preceded a scolding from Bakadera about how Lambo wasn't a man, along with how weak he was.

He laughed to himself as he went past the temple grounds, into the heart of the town. It was late and most of the stores were already closed. The few 24-hour shops were also almost empty as well, apart from the worried salesclerks who watched the storm through the windows. With a yawn came the realization that he was tired already.

What time was it anyway? He frowned and looked around. A digital clock that was installed just above the old subway entrance said that it was 11:46 P.M. No wonder his eyelids felt heavy.

He looked longingly at the Ramen shops that were open, inviting people to come in and take shelter from the coming storm. He wished he could. He wouldn't mind a bowl of ramen or udon* right now. A bed or a couch would be nice too since he had neither a good meal nor decent sleep in the past few days. But he walked away before the tempting thoughts can sway him further—he had a deadline to catch.

He emerged from the darkness onto a street full of bright lights. Despite the urgency of his mission, he could not resist going around town to check out places he used to frequent as a child. It was his favorite place as little calf. Trips to this place always brought about good memories. Mama used to take him here all the time and she would treat him to grape candy, sweet buns filled with red bean paste and other savory things he loved. Looking at the large display window of the grocery, he then rememembered way Tsuna had flailed and complained as he dutifully babysat him. From the few memories he still had of being summoned by the Ten Year Bazooka, he was certain that his younger self had been a handful for the guardians. There were many moments of scolding, and there were many moments of driving Hayato Gokudera crazy.

And like the lightning that he holds so dear, various memories that were almost forgotten, began to flash inside his mind. He remembered all the fun timesthey had shopping there. He remembered Mama's face that smiled down at him warmly as she wiped his sticky mouth. He remembered the Bakadera's glare when he had gotten lost or when he broke something in a store, causing Tsuna distress. He remembered the way I-pin giggled happily as she clutched onto a new book or some sweet roasted chestnuts that she loved. He remembered the way Haru and Kyoko would talk excitedly about the latest cakes coming to the local patisserie. He remembered trying to run with Ryohei-nii once. He even remembered the times when Yamamoto would take him to Take Sushi for some of his father's delicious sushi.

The Ducati slowed to a calm cruise, allowing his eyes to wander around the areafor more memorable places he frequented as a child. He passed RakuRaku-ken where I-pin used to work. To his left was the ice cream shop he used to raid when Mama and him went out grocery shopping. Then looking ahead a few meters, Lambo saw the local pet shop. He could only shake his head to the memory of Yamamoto telling him how he fell asleep in one of the holding cages. He let a low chuckle out as he passed the street where many times as a child he and Gokudera Hayato had their friendly fights. The dynamite and grenade marks were still there – a destructive and crumbling proof of their dysfunctional yet brotherly love.

He loves Namimori.

It made him happy that the Bovino Family Boss sent him there to defeat Reborn. He missed Mama and her great cooking; the times he had played around with I-pin; arguing with Gokudera; Yamamoto's baseball games; and who couldn't miss being babied by Haru and Kyoko. He even missed teaching Chrome Dokuro basic Italian. He missed the times he had spent in this town, being rude, loud and rowdy. You could even say the home and the family he made with the Young Vongola was something with the Tsuna and his familymade his childhoodcomplete.

He wanted to relive it. He wished he could reminisce with them. He wanted to tell them how he had missed them.

But that was impossible now.

It had been years since he last smiled without restraint. He thought that he actually forgot how to relax. The Mafia War as of late had hardened him, making him into a man who didn't want to show the slightest of sentiments or emotions. It was a tough world he lived in, butit made him glad that he was given a chance to revisit a place where he had once laughed freely. A world where he forgot how to laugh; a world where candy coated dreams like his memories Namimori were only flashes of lightning. The world he lived in right now was dark and war stricken—it was a world where everyone lived in fear.

A world led by a single man, a man no one could defeat.

He let out an airy sigh as he was jolted back to reality. Everything in the past was perfect. The memories were like the grape candies he coveted so dearly, quickly shoving them inside his afro for safe keeping. Though he wished that he could keep them forever, he knew that all good things must come to an end.

Lambo shook his head again as he revved the engine of the Ducati, making a sharp turn towards the residential district. The younger him had no idea what role he was about to play in this world. But just as well, if that young calf knew what was waiting for him, he wouldn't have enjoyed his sweet carefree life. However, it was too late for that now. The desire to see them once more, to thank them all for everything, to help them if he could — it burned deep. Despite the burn that could easily set this whole world afire, the possibility was zero. The 10 Year Bazooka had been destroyed a year ago, and the BovinoFamigliaare all but gone.

He skidded to a stop in front of the old Sawada house. He paused for a few moments to gaze at it. It was old, almost dilapidated as years of neglect had done its toll. The bright yellow paint on the walls was chipping off. The grass on the lawn needed mowing badly, and the hedges need trimming. The colorful flowers that used to be Mama Sawada's pride and joy were dried now. But Lambo didn't care about all that. He was home.

He turned off the engine of his motorcycle, dismounted and wheeled it in front of the gate. Carefully, he pulled out an old keyring with the number 27 on it and expertly found the key to the gate.

"Taidaima*," He whispered to himself softly as he opened the gate. After wheeling his motorcycle to the side of the house (where it wouldn't be visible to the neighbors), he made his way back to the entrance of the house.

Lambo let himself in, narrowinghis eyes to the darkness ahead of him. He fished out a flashlight from his pocket and shone the light to see around him. Dust and cobwebs had gathered on the furniture and floor of his old home, but it was still all there, just as they left it aboutfifteen years ago. He walked around the dark living room and fingered the white sheet that covered the couch. He would have a lot of work to do tomorrow if he intended to stay here for a musing to himself as he continued to walk towards the kitchen where he knew the electric breaker was, the Lightning Guardian crossed the kitchen and smiled as he walked past the old dinner table he had spent so many meals with the family.

The cow frowned and scratched the back of his head as he tried to figure out which cupboard the breaker was behind in. He reached up easily to the overhead cupboards he used to just stare up on as a calf. Finally, finding the breaker in the furthest cupboard from where he started, the cow pulled the switch down to turn on the electricity and tested it by turning the kitchen light on. The light flickered for a moment and the 25 year old Italian smiled before a loud popping sound followed by darkness engulfed him making his shoulders sag in defeat. He made a mental note to change that bulb and probably most of the bulbs in the house.

The Lightning Guardian then made his way from the kitchen to the hallway and up the staircase to check out the old room that he shared with Fuuta as a child. He opened the door and another wave of nostalgia hit him as he turned on the light of his childhood bedroom. The old gravure posters that used to be plastered on the walls had fallen to the floor, but they were still present. His old bed was still there, covered in cowprint covers that were way too small for him to sleep in now. Fuuta's old desk was also there, as well as his own smaller study desk.

The Italian chuckled as he towered over the tiny table that was vandalized with colored markers. He reached down and opened the desk drawer to reveal the old stash of magazines and manga that he had kept there. A mischievous grin formed on his lips as he reached further into the drawer and pulled out a small metal flask from within its depths. Shaking it to check its contents, his smile widened as he heard a slight swishing from within. He quickly opened the flask and the familiar scent of Papa's Magic Water filled his nose. It was amazing that it was still all intact, everything was still in place, and if not for the dust and cobwebs that covered everything in the room, he would have thought that a young calf still lived within that room.

He felt an insistent buzz from his pocket that threw monkey wrenches in his thought process.A large hand fumbled inside the pocket, answering the phone without a single glance to the name on the screen. The Bovino felt no need to check who it could be. There weren't a lot of people that called him anymore.

"Lambo, are you there yet?" the familiar voice of Bianchi was heard on the other line.

"Yeah, I just arrived. It's all still here, Bianchi. It still feels like home."

"Good. Remember, you only have 10 days, Lambo. You're the only one who could do this. You have to bring them back - it's your duty."

"Yes, Bianchi-nee, I know," he sighed heavily. She didn't have to remind him. He slumped down to his old bed and frowned. His heart felt heavy at the looming task he had ahead of him. He had to focus now. There was no time to dilly dally. He needed to find items that contain each guardian's spirit to help set them free.

He was commissioned to decipher hidden clues within memories of the past to find out how to get Vongola Decimo and the guardians back from the limbo that they were trapped within. The answers to these riddles may help him restore the Vongola Family and restore existence of the guardians before they disappear forever.

His green eyes hardened with resolve as he accepted the task he was about to undertake. He didn't come back to Namimori to take a leisure trip down memory lane. His reason only reason for being in Namimori was for a single mission.

He was going to bring them all back.

NOTES:
Udon – a Japanese soup consisting of a broth from soy sauce, egg noodles, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and peppers (sometimes for mild spice). Very tasty stuff.

Tadaima – an announcement made when indicating arrival; "I'm here!" or "I'm home!" or "I'm back!"