Title: Little Lamb
Genre: Family, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Supernatural
Pairing:
Summary: All she wanted was to find her family again. She never expected waking up as a baby after her death, least of all, as the opposite gender. Well, at least her – his – goal of finding her family was not unattainable. They were there too after all.
Warning: Reincarnation, Strong! Lambo, Possible Pre-Slash (Yaoi, Boy X Boy…), NOT Self-Insert, Canon Divergence

Chapter Two

One night, his father woke him up and dragged him to a bar – a mafia bar – while he was still dressed in his cow-printed pyjamas and half-asleep. It was something he tended to do to get Lambo used to be around other Mafiosi who were not family or Family, in a relatively safe environment. That night, however, was different, even if Lambo did not find out until much later.

When he went to settle in his usual seat at the bar, his father going to sit with some others of the Family at a table at the back, Lambo found another child already occupying the seat. The young Bovino could only stare. The other child was dressed smartly in a suit with a yellow pacifier around his neck. What really caught his attention though was not the unusual sight of another child in the bar, but the cute chameleon on the other's fedora hat. He was immediately enamoured.

Deciding he was going to make a friend, Lambo let out a squeal and bounced over to the other child.

"Hi!" he greeted cheerfully. "Lambo is Lambo! Do you want to be Lambo's friend?" There was a moment when the other child turned large, dark and undecipherable eyes to him, and Lambo caught himself freezing for some reason as he stared back with wide, curious eyes. Then the other child turned back to his cup of – sniff, yep – coffee and a large bubble appeared out of the other's nose. The chameleon did the same.

Lambo's eyes shone.

That –

– Was –

– So –

– COOL!

Before he knew it, he started babbling about anything and everything that came to mind. He gesticulated wildly, bouncing in his seat as he talked about the chaos that usually happened at the manor when his cousins and uncles and aunts decided it was time to test the new prototypes; when one of his aunts had managed to turn a table into a giant purple elephant that went rampaging through the manor before they managed to subdue and turn it back…

He honestly had no idea what he was saying after a while; all he wanted was to impress the other child. He had never managed to have a friend his age before and he knew that his siblings would be so proud if he managed to get one when they would inevitably meet.

When his father finally came back to whisk him away and back to the manor, Lambo was excited, bouncing and on a sugar high from the sweets the bartender always kept for him.

"Did you have fun tonight, son?" his father asked him as they drove back home.

"Yes, papa!" he giggled back. And then as he realized he had never asked for the other child's name, he gasped, "Oh, no! Lambo never asked Lambo's new friend's name! Papa, we have to go back!"

However, instead, of complying, the Bovino Don sent him a smile. "There is no need, son. That was Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman."

Lambo stared back at him, eyes wide and awed.

Someone just as young as him too.

So cool…

Lambo did not know that Dark-Indigo and Light-Indigo had decided to track down the rest of their siblings, until they found Red. One day there was a sudden burst of irritation and suspicion from Red, Dark-Indigo feeling highly amused and Light-Indigo half-amused and half-concerned, before, with a zing! in their bond, Red quickly went through surprise, confusion and then an overwhelming happiness.

Lambo froze where he had been carrying a tray with parts for his next project in the labs, wide eyes unseeingly staring straight ahead, his attention completely focussed on the bond. With hesitation, he poked at Red and when his brother responded by curling protectively around his consciousness much like he tended to be Before, the tray fell from his fingers and he burst into tears.

You little cry baby, he felt more than heard and that made the tears come faster and louder. He was unmindful of the chaos spreading around him as the Bovino tried to find what was wrong with him.

After all, his family was getting back together.

He basked in the feeling of having Red, Dark-Indigo – who poked at him teasingly – and Light-Indigo wrapping themselves around him. Purple poked at them inquisitively before retreating back while still staying at a reaching distance. Blue joined them hesitantly before Red latched only him and he settled in their warmth. After all, while he might not remember, he was still family and it definitely would not be long until his siblings found him too, if Red was anything to go by.

Yellow was the next to acknowledge their bond. Like he was wont to do, he bulldozed his way in and stubbornly planted himself in the middle of their bond, not an ounce of caution in him. He was curious and poked and prodded at them at first but it was not long before he planted himself right in the middle of their bond and stayed stubbornly put.

With almost everyone of his family finally acknowledging their bond, even if not everyone remembered the past they shared, Lambo had never felt more comforted. Sometimes, when going to bed, he would bask in the feeling of home and safety that he had longed for, for so long and allow himself to be soothed by their familiar presence.

Of course, not everything was perfect; Orange unlike everyone else barely acknowledged their bond. It was almost like he was either ignoring them (which was uncharacteristic of him, the one who had brought them all together in the first place) or that he was unable to really feel their bond. Even Purple was there even if he only stayed on the outskirts, prowling around like the fierce protector he had always been.

All Lambo could do was wait until his siblings went to gather everyone again.

He was accompanying one of the maids on a shopping trip when it happened. Dark-Indigo, Light-Indigo and Red had been roaming Italy from what he had been able to feel the last couple of weeks from their bond. They were close and that comforted Lambo every time he poked at their bond. Yet, he had not realised just how close they were until, during that one shopping trip, he felt a sudden zing! through their bond. Lambo froze, mouth falling open before he darted forward and through the crowd, paying no mind to the maid calling his name in alarm. He skirted between tall legs and threw himself in an alleyway.

At the other end, he found three teenagers waiting for him. The first he caught sight of was a tall teenaged boy with silver hair, dressed like a delinquent and a cigarette hanging limply between his lips. The second was an older teenager with Indigo hair pulled up in a familiar pineapple hairstyle and beside him was a similar-looking young girl.

Bursting into tears, Lambo threw himself at the first person he could, which turned out to be Red who caught his small body with practiced ease.

"I found you! I found you! I found you!" he babbled, tiny arms wrapping around a slender neck.

He felt the other snort, his chest vibrating with the sound. "More like we found you, brat," Red replied gruffly, arms tightening around his small form.

"Kufufu, no need to be mean to our darling baby sister," the familiar voice of their oldest snickered from beside them.

With a sniff, Lambo pulled back and said with a pout, "I'm a boy now." With that said, he leaned forward to rub his snot over Red shirt.

"YOU LITTLE –!" Red pushed him away and he felt his tiny body being caught by slender arms.

"Really?" Dark-Indigo leaned towards him interest, heterochromatic eyes lightening up in glee.

"I've got the dangly bits," Lambo deadpanned at him. Red choked out a laugh.

"Does that make me the only girl again?" the gentle voice of their sister asked with a laugh.

Not deigning to reply, Lambo just curled up into his sister's arms, hand reaching to pull Dark-Indigo and Red into a group hug.

Hm… Home…

After he was found by the maid and gotten thoroughly scolded, Lambo finally managed to make his way to his father's office, back at the Bovino manor. His siblings had already left since they could not stay and they needed to find the rest of their siblings. That did not mean, however, that Lambo was just going to stay behind like before. Before they left, they told him what they were planning.

Apparently, Reborn, the World's Greatest Hitman, the same one Lambo had met at the bar, was calling Red to Japan, the exact same place the rest of their siblings were. He wanted him to evaluate the next Vongola heir (because apparently even after death, some of them were still linked to the mafia – Red, Dark-Indigo, Lambo…). Since Red could not refuse Reborn, he was forced to go and to make sure not to pull Dark-Indigo and Light-Indigo in Reborn's radar, the other two would allow Red a couple of weeks head start before joining him. It should be enough time for Red to find a way to do what Reborn wanted of him and leave before converging back together with Light and Dark Indigo to find their other siblings.

Lambo was not, however, going to be left behind. There was no way he could allow his siblings to leave without him like they used to. He had lived longer than them last time and there was no way he would allow them to leave him out of it. With that in mind, Lambo march to his father office and declared that he was leaving for Japan.

Absolutely perplexed and alarmed, the Bovino boss refused straight away, much to Lambo's consternation. It took some cajoling, some whining and a couple of temper tantrums but Lambo managed to get his way. And that was how one Lambo Bovino found himself on a private plane to Japan with a veritable arsenal of weapons stuffed in his hair, along with his trusty time-travelling bazooka.

He might be the baby in their family but there was no way he would allow his siblings to leave him behind again.

Lambo was in the plane when he felt Blue's side of the bond snapped into place. Detached curiosity and amusement turned to confusion and alarm, before realisation and sudden elation. Red settled into contentment and happiness while Dark-Indigo and Light-Indigo poked at them in curiosity before realisation and delight. Realising that Red had found Blue on his little trip, Lambo laughed aloud.

Lambo was disembarking when a wave of emotion crashed through their bond. He almost blacked out at the painpainpain – whyareyouignoringus lookatuslookatus – that came from Red. Alarm went through their bond as everyone in the know poked at Red urgently. Even Yellow and Purple zeroed in on their bound in alarm. It was only Blue sending waves of calm that reassured them. A question rang through their bond as all of them wondered what was going on.

Their only answer was Orange.

Lambo ran.

Red and Blue found him on the way. He threw himself at the unfamiliar teenager – a tall Japanese teenaged boy with black hair – who caught him with a laugh, though it sounded strained. In his mind, Dark and Light Indigo curled around them, snuggling closer to their warmth.

"Hey there, little sister," Blue rumbled softly at him.

Poking his head out of the hug, he said, "It's brother now."

Blue blinked and then barked out a laugh, this time sounding as cheerful as usual. "That's going to take some getting used to."

Some time later, they settled into a park, Lambo not releasing his hold on Blue. It helped that he was so young and small. He could be held as much as he wanted.

"What happened?" he finally asked. Blue and Red shared a look. It was not comforting. Apprehension filled Lambo's thoughts.

"We found Orange," Red replied cautiously. Lambo almost exclaimed in joy but he held back as usually Red would have sounded more cheerful at finding their brother.

"But?" he prompted.

"He doesn't remember. He can't," Red scowled.

"What do you mean 'he can't'!?"

"We don't know why," Blue explained, his arms tightening around Lambo's small form. "It's like there is something stopping him from remembering. From even feeling us anymore."

"Like a wall," Red added. "He's the one Reborn asked me to evaluate. And Blue's been around him all their lives and yet nothing happened."

"Maybe it's nothing," Blue added. "Yellow and Purple are here too and they haven't remembered either."

"We haven't seen them since we remembered though, so we can't be sure."

Lambo frowned. There had always been something wrong with Orange. He had known this since he had been reborn. He was the only one whose side of the bond almost felt muddled, like there was a locked door preventing him from reaching them. At least it was a happier thought to know Yellow and Purple were also close by.

"Maybe we need all of us for him to remember?" Lambo mused aloud. "He's always been the one holding us together after all. Maybe we need Yellow and Purple to remember first before he can?"

Blue and Red stared at him.

"Well, that's a thought!" Blue grinned. "Look who's all grown up now!"

Lambo huffed. "Excuse you. I lived to be an adult."

Both of them softened.

"Good," Red said firmly.

Lambo reached up and pinched both their cheeks. "No! Not good! I'm not growing up alone again!"

At that, Blue held him tighter and even Red reached forward and joined their hug. "You won't. We'll all stay together this time."

"You better," he sniffled.

"Come on," Blue jostled him gently. "Let's bring our family together."

They found Yellow jogging not far from the park. Through the bond, they felt the curiosity, before the flash of realisation appeared. Of course, Yellow being Yellow, the first thing he did was throwing himself at them, crushing them under his body weight even as he laughed and his side of the bond sang with elation.

"EXTREME!"

As Red yelled at Yellow to move, Blue laughed and Yellow threw his arms around all of them, Lambo giggled in joy.

Of course, that was when Purple came across them, a freaking tonfa in his hand, before he stopped and stared at them. When his side of the bond settled, even as the other teenager huffed in annoyance and glared at them for causing a scene, Lambo could feel the peace and relief from him.

Yes, their family was coming together. Now they only needed to find Orange.

But of course, things were not as simple.

AN: Leave behind a Review and tell me what you think

Leight