Welcome to Lambo's Corner!
It's a few days late but I have a valid reason which is explained at the end of this baby.
WARNINGS: Mafia business, a near-death experience, Lambo being an idiot, Tsuna crying, and mistakes all around. Grammarly, thanks for trying.
Thanks to Fi Suki Saki, ilovecartoonsgirl, and emalf lover for their reviews. I won't lie, I chuckled at your reactions. Oh, and thanks for all the favorites and follows!
Without further ado, P is for…
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"Tell me how old you are," Shamal orders and Lambo answers without hesitation.
For the last fifteen minutes or so, Shamal had been testing the drug's limitations by ordering the teen to answer truthfully or doing stupid things around the infirmary. He'd ordered Lambo to do some cleaning, push-ups, squats, sit-ups, and even told him to drink some medicine. Thankfully, Shamal had ordered him to stop before actually doing it. The teen could only hope the doctor's curiosity would be satisfied soon so he could stop his stupid experiment.
"Tell me if you were the one who stole my blueberry cupcakes last week,"
Lambo tries to hold it in but he answers, "Yes, it was me," He winces from the slight pounding in his head.
"I can see why the Bovinos were pissed. This is quite a potent drug; their boss could use it to become the most powerful man in the world. I'm sure one of the kinks they were working on is the headaches and the other was to get the subject completely under its control. Seeing as you can still lie unless being ordered not to, you still have free will. Does your head hurt when you try to resist a command? I noticed you winced a few times,"
Lambo nods, "I'm aware of what's going on but it's like something is pushing me to obey and when I try to fight back, I get a headache. The more I tried to ignore you, the more it hurt. The nosebleed is new, though."
Shamal nods as he looks over some papers. "Your brain is being forced to fight itself, the bleeding is normal but not a good thing. For now, we'll need to be careful with what we say around you. If we do give you a command, just do it. I don't know how much your little brain can take. I'll go see if your blood results are ready,"
"Pervy-sensei, don't leave me like this. At least tell me if you think I'm going to die,"
The Vongola doctor grins, knowing he could easily use this chance to scare the crap out of the kid who annoys the hell out of him on a daily basis. "If I'm going to waste time treating a guy, I might as well make sure he lives. You'll be fine, Lambo, Sawada won't settle for anything less." Of course, just because he can doesn't mean he will. As annoying as the kid is, he has a way of pulling you to his side.
"I really messed up, huh?" Lambo asks as he lies back down. He'd made Tsuna and the others mad before but not once since coming to live with Tsuna had Lambo seen his brother that...livid! At least, not towards himself. He had looked at Lambo the way the teen has seen Tsuna look at an enemy. He feels a pang in his heart. If there was a gap between them before, now there's nothing but an empty abyss. He'll never be one of them.
"Yeah, you messed up badly,"
Lambo pulls the covers over his head, still feeling guilty over everything. He'd tried to help but he can't lie to himself, he also wanted to make sure nobody forgot he had some use. Even after all these years, he feared they'd see him the way the Bovinos did; useless, worthless, replaceable. He was afraid I-Pin would take his place and he'd be thrown out like yesterday's trash. "What do I do?"
Shamal takes pity on the kid and pulls up a chair next to the bed. "We've all messed up in one way or another. Rokudo was a serial killer before joining Vongola, he seems to have fit in."
"But that was before he joined. Nobody has messed up since joining,"
The perverted doctor raises an eyebrow. "They really keep you in the dark, huh?" He mutters.
"What do you mean?"
Shamal shakes his head. "Just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it doesn't happen. Trust me, kid, I've stitched up many of their messes. They're not perfect,"
"So, I don't know about their messes but everyone knows about mine?"
The doctor chuckles, "That sounds about right for being the youngest. Try not to let it get to you, you'll be there with them sooner or later." He gets up and heads back to where his machines are beginning to beep. Lambo can only assume that means his blood results are back.
"Can you please tell me what they say?"
Shamal looks over the printouts with a frown and Lambo isn't sure he wants to know after all. What if he's dying? What if he was poisoned and will die after following a bunch of commands? What if his brain explodes? What if- Lambo shakes his head. Calm down and breathe, he tells himself. Nothing good ever comes from jumping to conclusions. He should know...
"Shamal-sensei?" He's definitely worried if he's not using any of his many nicknames for the doctor. Shamal looks over at Lambo and smiles.
"I'll be right back, Lambo,"
Lambo quickly shoves the sheet over his legs and practically jumps out of bed as he rushes to the door. "Don't do this to me, I'm not a little kid, remember? I should at least know what's happening to me,"
"Sorry, brat. I need to tell Sawada first but I'll make sure to hurry back. I'm sure he won't keep you waiting, either,"
"What am I supposed to do until then? Now, I'm even more worried because it sounds like there is some bad news on those papers,"
"There's nothing to worry about, I told you that," Shamal says as he makes his way out of the infirmary. "Go have some of that candy you love so much, I'll come to get you after talking with Sawada." He calls back to the worried teen.
Lambo doesn't fight the order. He leaves the infirmary and makes his way to the main floor, ready to take the stairs up to his room to get some candy. That's when he remembers he's out of his favorite grape sweets. His body changes direction and heads to the door. He puts his shoes on and walks outside without anyone noticing. Some security, he thinks.
Oh, it's cold. Lambo thinks as soon as he steps outside. He should have grabbed a jacket before leaving but his body is basically moving on its own. He reaches his second favorite candy store and heads inside. While he loves the candy sold here, it doesn't compare to Sweet Nothings from back home. Jacko's candy is one of a kind; pure and simple but full of flavor.
"Welcome,"
The small shop is bright and full of color. The walls are lined up with shelves holding all types of pre-packaged candy; tables in the center full of chocolates and specialty candy. Towards the back of the shop are the candy dispensers where Lambo usually gets bags full of candy to take home. He hopes he never outgrows his love for sweets.
Lambo waves a greeting as he makes his way to the counter. "Hello, Kato-san, I was hoping you had some grape candy,"
The man behind the counter nods his head, "Sure do. Would you like gummy or the hard kind this time?"
"Gummies, please,"
The man heads to the back and Lambo sighs, his brothers are not going to be happy with him but technically it's not his fault. They knew better than to leave him alone so this is on them. He turns his head towards the outside of the shop where he notices some older kids laughing. Lambo had seen them before, some local bullies with nothing better to do. If he's not mistaken, one of them seems very familiar. He'd have to make a run for it to avoid them. He did not want to get told to do something he knew would hurt.
"Here you go, Lambo. Do you want me to put it on your brother's tab?"
The teen nods. Tsuna can afford his addiction and Lambo didn't bring his wallet with him. "Thank you, Kato-san,"
Lambo takes his bag and heads outside knowing to be careful of the bullies. He hurries in the opposite direction but one of the guys grabs him by the shoulder before he can make it too far. "Hold it right there, squirt,"
Damn it all… Lambo mentally groans as he waits for them to say something else. Lambo notices that the one who looked familiar is actually the older brother of a classmate. What was his name...Giichi, Ginji, Goichi?
"Well, well, who do we have here?" His classmate's brother asks. Great, he's been recognized.
"You know this shrimp, Choki?" The other guy asks.
Wow, not even close to the names he was thinking. Choki nods, "You're in Atzuya's class, right?"
Lambo nods, "I'm sorry, I need to go home before I get in trouble. Excuse me," Lambo tries to push through but Choki's friend blocks his way.
"What's the rush, shrimp? We just want to talk with you for a second,"
Yeah, sure. He needs to leave, now. Before Lambo can turn around to run, Choki grabs his arm a little tighter than Lambo likes and he winces. "Let me go,"
"You can go as soon as we get that candy bag you're holding."
"Get your own," Lambo glares up at Choki. He knows he should just hand it over but after the lousy day he's had, he will not give up his candy no matter what.
"That's what we're trying to do. Now, hand it over,"
Lambo can almost feel his brain pulsing against his skull from the force he's placing on himself. Unfortunately, he's not strong enough. He passes the bag over with a trembling hand and clenched teeth. He hates bullies so much.
Choki takes it with a grin, "That wasn't so hard, was it?"
"You'll pay for this, nobody takes my candy and gets away with it." Tsuna already hates him, his Famiglia was already disappointed in him, what did he have to lose?
"What are you going to do about it, shrimp?"
Lambo doesn't waste any more time. He uses the moves Hibari taught him and takes them both down in a matter of seconds. At least, he tries to but Choki is stronger than he seems. The older teen grabs Lambo's right arm when the youngest Vongola tries to strike and twists it around. Lambo feels something pop but not bad enough where he thinks it's broken. Oh, his shoulder popped. He holds back a cry of pain as he falls to the ground, quickly turning and just manages to avoid getting kicked in the face. He hurries to his feet, ready to attack once more but thankfully, he doesn't have to. Choki is panting, standing in a defensive position but staring at something behind Lambo. Not one for giving his back to the enemy, he backs away a few steps before turning his head around a bit.
"I've told you not to come by anymore, Choki. The police is on its way so you better leave now,"
Kato-san is standing there holding what looks like a rifle and Lambo has never been so happy to see him. Choki doesn't need to be told twice, he grabs his friend and quickly leaves before Kato-san gets any ideas with that rifle. Lambo is trembling from adrenaline and pain at this point but he's still furious. This day has been the worst ever and he didn't get to get rid of all his frustrations.
"Lambo, are you ok?"
The teen nods, "Just bruised a bit,"
"Why didn't you call out for help? I would have been out here a lot sooner if I'd known what was happening. You're lucky another customer saw you and asked me to help,"
"They took my candy,"
Kato-san runs a hand down his face. "I would have given you another bag. It's just candy,"
Lambo doesn't feel like arguing so he just shrugs. That's when he remembers his dislocated shoulder. He groans out loud, tears gathering at the corner of his eyes.
"What is it? Where are you hurt?"
"I didn't know you had a rifle," Lambo does not need more attention. He'll head back home and have Shamal put it back in place.
"It's an air rifle and it's empty. It's mostly for show but don't tell anybody. I'll call your brother and have him come pick you up, you don't look so good."
Now that he mentions it, he does feel sick. Not just from the pain in his shoulder but like flu sick. His stomach is churning, he feels a bit lightheaded, and he's sure he's getting a fever. Great, just what he needed.
"I'm fine," Is all he says because damn it if somebody else is going to tell him what to do.
Kato-san nods towards the store, "Right, prove it by swimming across the lake," He shakes his head as he makes his way to the store. "I'd love to see you try a backstroke with that arm out of place. I know a dislocated shoulder when I see one," He looks back to make sure Lambo is following but the teen is nowhere to be seen. "Seriously?" He heads inside and dials the number he knows so well. After just one ring somebody answers in a rush.
"Kato-san? Please, tell me Lambo is there with you,"
The shop owner winces, it sounds like Lambo is in more trouble than he thought. "He was until a second ago,"
"Damn it! Please, tell me everything that happened, exactly as it happened,"
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Lambo rushes across the street as soon as the sign gives him the all-clear. His head is pounding, his stomach is threatening to throw up anything he might have had to eat, and his arm is on fire. To top off his misery, he's on his way to the closest lake to take a swim because he can't shut off his stupid brain. He knows if he jumps into the lake, the chances he'll drown are extremely high.
Why had he gone after the stupid drug himself? Why had he been so worried about being replaced in the first place? He knew his family loved him but was that enough? Could he live knowing that's all he'd be to Vongola, its youngest member without use? He wanted to be of use, he wanted to prove himself to his brother and let him know Lambo could be trusted to help. Of course, he kind of sees Tsuna's point now.
Lambo would never be a true Vongola member. The ring didn't mean anything if he couldn't make proper use of it. He might as well hand it over to I-Pin and resign himself to being the one left behind. He'd stay with them, there was no way he would ever leave his family, but he'd just be the background character. The one that was always left behind, the disposable brother. That hurt Lambo more than he thought possible.
He had been able to help his family more as a five-year-old than he could now. How embarrassing. Lambo snaps out of his thoughts as he watches the lake come into view. Damn it, he was going to die and there was literally nothing he could do to help himself. Wait, maybe there was. He needed to stop his brain from working just long enough for his brother to find him. Tsuna was probably on his way, no, he definitely was, but Lambo needed to buy him some time.
As Lambo makes his way to the lake, he pictures his legs frozen in place. He imagines himself stopping but the more he thinks about it, the more his head hurts.
"Stop walking, stop it,"
He feels something warm run down his nose but doesn't stop trying. He's getting closer to the lake, his inevitable death. Without thinking, he does the only thing that might work. He walks up to a tree and slams his head against it. He stumbles a few steps in a daze, everything becoming blurry and he's not sure what he just did. For a split second, he thinks he hears somebody call his name but he's not sure. He'll never be sure because that's when he takes one more step and falls into the freezing lake. He tries to use his left arm to swim but it's useless; like him. He feels himself sinking and there's nothing he can do to stop it. He's sinking and Lambo thinks it's not the first time. He's been sinking, just not in a lake.
"I'm sorry,"
Just as he can't hold his breath any longer, he feels somebody pull him up, his right arm protesting the movement. They're still underwater but they're close to reaching the top. Why hadn't he jumped into the shallow end? The second he breaks the surface, he takes a deep breath, beginning to cough out the water that had managed to get inside his mouth and nose. Another pair of arms grabs and pulls him out of the lake, dragging him on the ground. He's coughing and sputtering water but he knows he's not drowning anymore.
"Are you ok? Lambo, can you hear me?"
Lambo takes one more breath before nodding at whoever is asking. He's laying on his side, somebody gently hitting his back. He tries to sit up but the burning pain from his right arm stops him. He lets out a hiss as he remembers he's got a dislocated shoulder. Somebody helps him sit up, Tsuna, he realizes. The second he meets his brother's eyes, Lambo lowers his head back down in shame. He'd let Tsuna down in the worst way imaginable, Tsuna hates him now.
"Lambo, I need to reset your shoulder. It's going to hurt but you'll feel better once I'm finished,"
Tears begin to gather in his eyes but he manages to nod his understanding. He forces his eyes shut when he feels Ryohei grab his arm, Gokudera holding him in place by the shoulders. He holds back his cries as his older brother moves his arm straight out but he can't stop himself when his arm is pulled. He feels it pop back in place, the pain immediately lessening but he can't stop the tears from running down his face.
"All done. You did great, Lambo,"
The teen doesn't bother to reply, instead, he folds into himself. All the stress of the day draining him of any leftover strength. His body is trembling, from the cold or pain, he's not sure. Lambo feels somebody gently put a jacket over his shaking self and he feels even smaller. Even after everything that he's done, his family is still there trying to make him feel better. He doesn't deserve it. He pushes the jacket off and quickly stands up.
He stumbles for a second but he ignores the offered hand for help, he can't accept it. He's not one of them, he proved it himself today.
"Lambo, don't move your arm so much. We need to put it in a sling then get some x-rays done just to be sure nothing is broken."
He immediately stops moving his arm; damn this drug in his system. He looks at the present members of Vongola: Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and Ryohei. Yamamoto is soaked which means he's the one that jumped into the lake to pull him out. He'll thank him later.
"I want to leave,"
Ryohei nods, "Of course, the car's over-"
"No, I mean, I want to leave Vongola. I want to leave you,"
They have all perfected how to hide what they're thinking so Lambo has no idea what is going through their heads. He's still shaking, his head is pounding even worse than it was earlier but he needs to tell them.
"I've always been the source of embarrassment for our family, we all know that. I'm rude, stubborn, insecure, and I need constant reassurance from you guys. I know I'm annoying, I know I'm useless as a guardian and I know I don't belong here. I don't belong with you,"
"Lambo-" Yamamoto begins to say something but Tsuna stops him with a raised hand. Lambo feels the tears again and he doesn't try to stop them.
"I-Pin would make a much better guardian than me. Fuuta or even Fran could take my place and we all know it would work out better for the Famiglia. The other families would stop making fun of Vongola and I wouldn't be your weakness anymore." He says between sobs. "You would all be better without me,"
Lambo drops to his knees as carefully as he can, bowing until his forehead touches the ground in a sign of the utmost respect he can show them. He feels small. So tiny compared to his brothers. He knows they can do better than him and after everything that happened today, he knows they're aware of that, too. Which is why he needs to do this.
"But I wouldn't be better without you," He cries. "I need you guys, I can't see myself with anyone that's not Vongola. You're more than a Mafia Famiglia, you're my family, my brothers. I know you deserve better but please, don't give up on me. I will train every hour of every day until I earn the right to be one of you. I won't be your weakness, I won't be the weak link, I won't be an embarrassment to Vongola. I will become strong and dependable,"
Lambo is sweating, from nerves or the pain, he doesn't know or care but he feels sick. "I'm sorry for what I did, for my behavior. Please, forgive me for going behind your back, forgive me for betraying your trust; I will work hard to gain it back but until then, please," He closes his eyes. "Don't throw me away,"
There. He'd said what he needed to say. He knows he isn't much right now but he'll work his butt off to change that. He'll become a mafiosi they can be proud of. He'll become the strongest man Tsuna will have watching his back. He'll...he feels sick.
Lambo hears somebody approach, somebody squatting in front of him and he knows who it is without looking. "Lambo, can you please sit up?"
It's not an order but Lambo does as he's asked. He sits up and can't help but grimace in pain. Lambo looks at his brother, the brother who has always been there for him even when he didn't deserve it. Tsuna is looking at him with a pensive frown and Lambo worries he won't be given another chance. He can't be thrown aside, he needs to be a part of Vongola, he needs to be their brother. He feels so sick.
"Lambo, I-Lambo!"
The last thing Lambo remembers is the terrified look on his brother's face as everything disappears into the darkness.
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"Little Lambo, what a pleasant surprise running into you,"
Lambo rolls his eyes at his cousin's voice but turns around to face the older man anyway. "Surprise? You knew I'd be here, Timo,"
It's true. For some reason, Lambo comes by this school every day, even though he's not sure why. He feels some sort of connection to Namimori High, almost as if something or someone wants him here. Whenever he stops by, Lambo feels this indescribable feeling of belonging. He feels wanted; safe.
"I don't understand why. You don't go to school here nor do you know anybody that attends. Perhaps you killed somebody whose relative goes here."
"Killed? I haven't killed anyone." Lambo states but it feels wrong like he knows he's lying.
Timo chuckles, "Now you learn humility. Little Lambo, have you forgotten all the mafiosi you killed?"
Lambo feels his blood go cold, his head begins to ache. He doesn't remember killing anyone, he wouldn't do that. Tsuna wouldn't let that happen. Wait, Tsuna? Who's Tsuna?
"Ma-mafiosi?"
"Yup, you've killed plenty of rival famiglias for the Bovinos. Just yesterday you helped us eliminate the Vongola; worthless excuse for a boss."
"Vongola?" Lambo feels ill. His hands are shaking and he begins to sweat. Vongola sounds familiar but he wouldn't have killed them. Vongola is...good?
"I'll be honest with you, I didn't believe the men when they said you took out their boss yourself. I guess I never thought you had such a treacherous side to you. To think you'd be able to infiltrate Vongola and take them out one by one. You really are worthy of being the next Bovino Boss."
No, that's not right. He didn't...Lambo wouldn't.
"I wish I could have seen the look on Sawada's face when you stabbed him through the heart. To think he would willingly die instead of fighting you. He must have grown to actually love you, the fool."
Lambo's head hurts. He can't keep doing this, he wants it to stop.
"Stop? No, Little Lambo, this isn't going to stop. This is your new life until you finally die,"
"What is going on? This-this doesn't feel real, this can't be real,"
"That's because it's not. You're being forced to live here for the rest of your life, Little Lambo. You're being forced to relive the time you killed all of Vongola,"
Lambo shakes his head, tears streaming down his cheeks. "No, no, that's not true. I didn't kill anyone. I don't belong here, I need to go back home!"
Lambo runs out of the school which is now crumbling to the ground, cries of help reaching his ears. How? How did he end up here? Where is here?
He's running through the empty streets, not a soul to be seen. Lambo recognizes he's in Namimori but it's different. It's dark and it's painful. His chest is constricting, it's getting harder and harder to breathe but he doesn't seem to care. He wants to die, he doesn't want to keep reliving this.
"Lambo!"
He stops running at the shout of his name. He looks back but the second he does, he wishes he hadn't. He sees himself fighting with men he recognizes now. His Famiglia. He's fighting Vongola. He's not strong, he's not even that good a fighter but he watches as he takes out each member, one by one. It's not because he's strong, it's because they're letting him win. They're not fighting back.
"Lambo, we're not going to hurt you,"
"You're our brother, we won't hurt you,"
He can't turn away from the scene. His brothers all lay on the ground, dead. I-Pin, Fuuta, Fran, all his older brothers, and Chrome are all dead. He watches Tsuna lift his arms in surrender and Lambo can't take it. He runs to help, runs to stop his other self from killing the one who never stopped believing in him. "Tsuna-nii!"
Tsuna turns his way and smiles. The damn idiot smiles at him just like he always does when Lambo is feeling alone and scared. "Tsuna-nii, no!" He's too late. The Vongola boss, his brother, falls to the ground dead. They're all gone and he's the one who killed them.
Lambo falls to his knees, screaming in agony as he understands what he's done. He betrayed them. He betrayed his Famiglia. He-
"Here you are, brat,"
Lambo screams in shock, falling back on his butt at the new voice. No, not new. He knows this voice, but it can't be. He's dead.
"Kufufu, you look surprised to see me,"
"Mu-Mukuro? But you're dead, I killed you."
The illusionist raises a perfectly trimmed eyebrow as he grins. "You? Killed me? I will give the Bovinos credit, they sure know how to make a powerful drug. Killed me? Kufufu, how adorable,"
Lambo is so confused. "What's happening to me?"
"You threw yourself into a coma. My darling Chrome and I have been searching your mind for almost two weeks but the drug had managed to keep your consciousness hidden. Until now, that is."
"I don't understand. I-I don't know what's going on,"
Mukuro frowns. "I see you're as slow-witted as always. Well, I don't have time to explain and if I did, I still wouldn't. I do hope this works, though, otherwise, Tsunayoshi will be impossible to live with."
"You hope what works? What are you going to do?"
Mukuro's grin is back and Lambo feels a terrible chill run down his back. "I'm going to kill you,"
Before Lambo can even process the illusionist's words, Mukuro stabs the teen with his trident, Lambo gasping in pain before everything begins to blur together. The last thing he sees is Mukuro's grin morph into a frown. If the Mist Guardian looks worried, Lambo figures he's probably going to die. Again.
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A scream. Lambo hears a scream the second he wakes up.
"Lambo, hey, it's ok. You're ok; it's us, you're safe now. Lambo, you're safe,"
That's when Lambo understands he's the one who's screaming. He looks around as he tries to control his breathing, his whole body is shaking but he can't do anything about that right now. He's in a hospital room, no, he's in the infirmary back at the Vongola Estate. He's home? He looks at the people in the room and isn't sure how to react to seeing them alive again. The last time he'd seen them, they were being killed. By him!
His fellow guardians are all there plus I-Pin, Fuuta and Fran. Reborn, Fon, Verde, and Colonello are there as well and Lambo isn't sure he's really alive. Why would they all be here? They wouldn't be here just for...him?
"I'm still dead, this isn't real." He begins to cry. This is his hell, his Famiglia being so close yet so far. Will he kill them in this hell, too?
"No, no, Lambo, no. This is real, you're awake, I promise," Dream Tsuna says but it only makes Lambo cry harder.
"I betrayed you, I ki-killed you!"
Tsuna slides into the bed and pulls Lambo into a tight hug, his head resting on the weeping teen's. "Shh, Lambo. You didn't betray us, you could never do that."
"I did! The-then I-I killed you all,"
"Tsk, he's still a moron," Reborn states.
"And you're still short!" Lambo shouts back out of habit. He hears the click of a gun then Fon's calm laughter.
"Come, let's give them some privacy. Tsuna, we shall wait with the others upstairs,"
Tsuna thanks the martial artist. Lambo watches everyone leave, Yamamoto being the last one out. "Welcome home, Lambo," He says before closing the door.
That felt real. Lambo tries to stop his crying but he can't. There are so many emotions running through him and he can't get them under control. He wraps his left arm around Tsuna's waist and figures he might as well take advantage of this dream or hell or wherever here is.
"I missed you, Tsuna-nii, I missed you so much,"
Tsuna tightens his hold around the teen but doesn't say anything right away. Lambo can feel his brother shaking but for some reason, he doesn't understand why the Tenth would be crying so he asks.
"Why are you crying?"
Tsuna scoffs, Lambo hearing the anger behind it. "Because I failed you, Lambo. I let you down in the biggest way only a brother can."
"It was my fault, not yours."
"Everything happened because I wanted to protect you from the world, from me. You were born into the mafia, you didn't know what it was like to be a normal child and I wanted to give that to you. I didn't want you to worry about anything related to the Mafia or to risk you getting hurt but I pushed you away instead. I forced you to go behind my back because you felt me pushing you away. I'm so sorry, Lambo,"
Dream Tsuna sounds so sad. No, real Tsuna. This isn't a dream, this is real. Lambo shakes his head, leaning back to look at his brother. Or at least, he tries. Tsuna doesn't want to let go.
"Tsuna-nii, I'm Vongola. I want to share your burdens, I want to be of use to you,"
"You're not a tool, you're my little brother."
"Then, I want to be your real little brother. Brothers are supposed to be there for each other no matter what."
"I wanted to protect you…"
"You can't protect me by leaving me behind in a locked cage. I need to learn how to protect myself because you can't always be here with me,"
"That sounded so cool! I gotta remember to write that down," Lambo thinks.
Tsuna releases a deep sigh after a few seconds, "You're right. I'm sorry for hurting you, for everything."
Lambo smiles, "And I'm sorry for everything, too. I know I should have gone to you with my worries. I'm sorry for not being obedient but I'll try harder to behave from now on. Can we have a do-over?"
"Do-over, when did you become so wise?" Tsuna asks with a laugh.
"Probably while I was in that com-oomf!"
Tsuna, who had just been loosening his hold, immediately tightens his arms around Lambo once more. "Don't joke about that, please. Don't even mention it,"
"Tsuna-nii,"
"Just-just stay here for a minute more. Please, just let me hold you," Tsuna practically begs and Lambo finally understands.
"That bad, huh?"
Tsuna laughs but it comes out as a sob. "I don't know how you're here. Shamal says you should be dead, you shouldn't have woken up."
"But Mukuro found me, he woke me up from the coma,"
Tsuna actually begins to sob, shaking his head as he speaks, "Shamal had you on specially created antibodies to fight off the drug's effects. Your body was fighting it off like a normal cold but it wasn't enough, it needed help. It seemed to be working but then-" Tsuna chokes back a sob, "Mukuro found you after you'd died. You'd died, Lambo. He found you because the-the drug had stopped working after you'd died." Tsuna pushes him back to look at his face. Probably thinking Lambo's about to lose it.
"Oh," He says after a minute of silence. Tsuna shakes his head once more.
"Oh? That's all you have to say after what I've just told you?"
Lambo shrugs followed by a wince, his right arm doesn't hurt anymore but it still feels sore. He doesn't really understand the seriousness of his death because he, well, he didn't feel it? He kind of remembers the hell he was in but it's slowly fading away from his mind.
He's not the one who sat by his bed day after day watching as his little brother's breathing became more and more shallow. He didn't watch his brother suffer seizures, and vomiting uncontrollably. He didn't watch as his brother took his last breath while not being able to do anything to stop it from happening. Tsuna hopes to every deity he can think of that Lambo never remembers any of it.
All Lambo knows is he was gone for a bit and Tsuna missed him. Well, he's back now and he's not going anywhere. He hugs his brother, enjoying the warmth of his brother's arms when Tsuna returns the hug.
"Tsuna-nii, I'm home," Lambo whispers.
Tsuna weeps.
.
.
.
Well, there you go. I think it may have been a bit extra...emotional. I've been emotional. My sister's dog, Mumu, passed away on the 25th, a few hours after I posted the previous chapter and it really got me. See, on October 27th, my Mili died after 12 years then the following month, my baby sister's dog, Chispita, died on Thanksgiving. They died a month after the other which is crazy because they were sisters. It was hard. Then, on Sunday, you all know what happened. It got too much for me and Lambo had to deal with my crazy emotions.
Anywho, I hope you enjoyed it. I probably should have written these last two chapters as an individual story but I'd never finish this ABC's thing if I had. I never should have started this... Lol Thank you in advance for the three or four reviews! ^_^ As long as you enjoy it, I'll keep writing.
See you next time in Lambo's Corner! You do not want to miss it!