Too Late

Reborn had received Colonnello's letter and knew that instant that something terrible had gone wrong. Colonnello was never the kind to ask for help. The fact that he asked for help shows the dire situation. The situation on the other side had gone wrong and was out of control.

At once, Reborn had Vongola's fastest ally dispatched. However, the closest ally there was Viper which meant involving a ridiculously huge sum of money. Reborn decided otherwise.

The best course of action to take right now was to board a plane from New York to Washington immediately and see to matters personally. This was what Reborn did.

He arranged for a chaffer to fetch Colonnello from the small town Digsby and prepared other things like accommodation. Besides, he needed to find out more.

Colonnello drove through the night at top speed without even stopping once. It was about eight in the morning when he finally arrived at the small town Digsby. Lal had yet to awaken from her ordeal last night. Abandoning the car, Colonnello took his belongings and carried Lal who still slept silently on his back.

Searching for a sign to see Reborn's arranged chaffer, he scanned the mass and found a shiny black car parked in the middle of the small town square. It was not the man in black or the car he drove that caught Colonnello's attention. The man himself was of no significant importance. It was the white bird perched on his right shoulder that caught Colonnello's attention. To be more precise, it was Colonnello's pet seagull and he recognized her instantly.

He made his way to that man and ignored the strange stares he got from the folks of Digsby town on the way.

"Reborn sent you." He said. The man nodded and confirmed "Yes. You must be Colonnello. May I inquire as to who is that lady with you?"

Colonnello told him "This is Commander Lal Mirch." The man frowned and Colonnello added in a low voice, "Hit man Lynx." Understanding instantly flickered across his face although there was a hint of surprise and he let them aboard.

Once in the car, the chaffer slowly drove away so as not to attract anymore unnecessary attention. The moment they hit the highway, Colonnello begin to feel the power of sleep lulling him. No sooner than five minutes, he was fast asleep.

They arrived at the hotel in the evening. Both Colonnello and Lal had awakened but they both remained silent throughout the entire journey. The chaffer was in an awkward situation with the unusual silence of two strange yet extraordinary people at the back of his car.

Both of them saw Reborn waiting for them at the lobby of the grand hotel. Their casual dressing made it seem strange but neither of them cared. They were too depressed to talk about anything much. Out of courtesy, both of them mumbled their unanimous greetings.

It was then that Reborn understood the problem lies not with the dealings. He noticed immediately that Lal was not her usual self.

In the past, she would have look at people with those fiery eyes. Now, looking into those eyes was the same as staring into hollow sockets. Her eyes held not a single sign of life and it was frightening to see how much she has changed.

Colonnello on the other hand showed nothing but guilt and grief. Reborn then decided it was best to hold on to his questions even though he was dying to get an answer.

"I've reserved rooms upstairs and dinner would be ready once you both have settled down. I shall see the both of you when you are ready." So saying, reborn sent them off.

After a silent dinner with Reborn, Colonnello came to knock on Lal's room. "Lal," he asked gently "may I come in?"

There was no reply initially and Colonnello was about to turn away when Lal opened the door. Colonnello was a little surprise. He entered Lal's room cautiously, not wanting to further hurt Lal. He knew he had done more than enough and should be thankful she did not hate him. Lal showed not one sign of resistance. This was worrying Colonnello greatly.

Her actions made Colonnello's heart ache and it was harder to say what he had come to tell her. Still, nevertheless, he mustered all he could afford and told her "Lal, I'm sorry."

Lal wanted to hear no more. Her eyes brimmed with tears and she forced a sad smile. "It's not your fault."

"Please Lal, forgive me. I know I should have come earlier and I know I could have but I didn't. I'm sorry Lal, please forgive me. Give me… give me another chance please. Please Lal, I love you."

"I'm sorry too Colonnello." She told him softly. He backed towards the door. "It's too late now. What's done can never be undone. You've done your best already. I love you as well." With that she started to close the door and bid him goodnight.

Colonnello's heart shattered completely. He suddenly went limp. His heart previously filled with sorrow was now numb. Turning around, he saw an unlikely face and froze for a long time as their eyes met.