CHAPTER 1: The Gathering
Author's note: Hello again! This story has sorta been in my mind since finishing TCCACCO. But because of college life, I didn't have the time to do it. With the quarantine in place, though, I've had some time on my hand, so I thought why not, right?
I know it's not the sequel I promised, but I hope you'll like it all the same. Enjoy!
Warning: Torture scene ahead!
In the New Mafia Era, there stood five powerful famiglia that controlled different corners of the underworld.
Before this Era, the underground world was in chaos. Without any unifying power, famiglias were clamming for power, glory, and riches. Blood ebbed through the canals of Italy. And gunshots were often the accompaniment of music in bars.
Famiglias waged war with each other in search of territories. And alliances were broken just as fast as they were formed. It was an era of chaos and violence unlike any other.
However, when Sawada Tsunayoshi took the mantle of Vongola Boss, he was one of the first to try and change the era. He seized lands and took territories.
From here, four other families followed.
Together, they took the mafia by storm. Everyone was left behind the dust.
And when the dust settled, a new Era was born. The Five Pillars of the Underworld led the coming of a new era.
There was an annoying pound in Lambo's head.
Though that is to be expected when he attends the Guardian Assembly. He had been fifteen years old when he obtained the right to have a chair - to have a place - in this table. His brothers would argue that there was nothing to obtain in the first place, since it was Lambo's to begin with. Still, that doesn't help the creeping anxiety and crippling doubt that sips into his heart every time the Guardians convene for a meeting.
"How much?" Tsuna's voice cuts through the room.
It stops the shouts and the bickering of the Guardians. Inwardly, Lambo thanks him for the peace it brings. "How much did we lose this time?" Tsuna reiterates.
"Tenth, this person managed to break into the warehouse," Gokudera explained. Lambo imagines that as Tsuna's right-hand man, he's probably blaming himself for what happened.
"That's not what I'm asking." Tsuna's gaze pierces through Gokudera.
At times like this, the young mafioso can see the difference between Tsuna, his goofy big brother, and Tsuna the Mafia Don to the world's most fearsome famiglia.
With clenched fists, Gokudera answers, "Thirty kilograms, Tenth."
"Pure Cocaine? " Tsuna asks again to which Gokudera nods stiffly. "So you mean to tell me, I lost two million dollars worth. Give or take?"
Gokudera clicks his tongue, undoubtedly pissed at himself, and nods again.
Lambo whistles, "Well shit," hooting at the amount they lost. He chuckles when he sees Gokudera's glare pointed at him.
This has been a problem for about a month now.
It had started with a few of their guns getting stolen from their warehouses. At first, it seemed like a petty crime from one of their runners so they didn't pay much attention to it.
However, the stealing kept happening. Their treasury was hit next. After that, it was their almost botched up operation in Berlin where they lost almost half of their pure grade coke. Though the perpetrators were always caught by Hibari, the timing of these events were too close to one another for it to be individual cases.
It was as if someone was egging them on, whispering sweet rewards in their ears.
"Do we have security footage?" Yamamoto asks.
This time, it was Hibari who answered. "We do. Kusakabe is bringing the criminal in as we speak." Even Hibari was annoyed with the situation. As the head of Vongola Security, he must feel responsible for the situation.
Then again, there's plenty of blame to go around. They have had four encounters now, after all.
"First, it was our guns," Lambo drawled, finally speaking up since the assembly first started. "Then our treasury," he smirks when he sees Gokudera glaring at him again. "Oh and let's not forget that operation in Berlin, the cops almost had us there."
"And now this," Lambo looks at Tsuna. "Four events in a month. Am I the only one who thinks this is fishy?"
"You must all be thinking it right?" the Lightning Guardian egged on. "These people were our runners, they were at the bottom of the food chain. To be able to rob us, they needed information. Our warehouses have a multi-million dollar security system. Hell, our pass codes have their own pass codes to open. And yet, run-of-the-mill workers were able to rob us. Not once, but four times."
Tsuna rubs his forehead. The Mafia Don knows what Lambo's going to say next, but he still asks anyway. "What are you trying to say, Lambo-kun?"
"I'm saying we might have a mole, Tsuna-nii." Lambo looks at Tsuna. "I'm saying that it's time for a maintenance check, don't you think so?"
Tsuna closes his eyes for a moment, thinking. "Lambo-kun, Gokudera-kun," Tsuna calls when he opens his eyes, he's not looking at either of them though, he's looking up. "Do you think two million dollars is a big deal for the Vongola?"
Both of them shake their heads. Not really if you think about it. The Vongola was vastly rich. They have their hands on weapons manufacture and drug cartels. Not to mention the hold they have over some of the most corrupt politicians who offer them tribute or shush money.
No, this wasn't about the money.
It was about the fact that these people had the nerve to bite the hand that fed them, that they were stupid enough to steal from the Vongola Famiglia. It was about the fact that they succeeded.
It was about Vongola's reputation as the strongest famiglia in the underworld. The last thing they needed were whispers.
After all, Rome is listening.
It was a particularly hard mission with Hibari, when Lambo was still living in Japan, that they realized what effective interrogators the duo could become. Mainly, Hibari the stick and Lambo the carrot. Since then, being Head of Interrogation and Tactics became part of his duty as a guardian. Lambo worked in partnership with Hibari most of the time since he was the Head of Security.
Over the next couple of hours, Hibari interviewed (tortured) their thief. His name was Miguel Herrera.
He was a middle aged man who had been working as a runner for them. He was one of those people who takes care of the logistics of selling their drugs to the streets of Rome.
Ever since Tsuna took on the mantle of Mafia Don, he had forbidden selling their drugs to students and low income families. Instead, the Mafia Don had preyed on the rich families of Italy.
Now, looking at the beat up face of Miguel Herrera, Lambo crosses his arms between his chest and sighs. He doesn't particularly like this part of the job.
Time to be the carrot, he thinks wearily.
Miguel is tied up in a chair with his hand behind his back and his legs tied to the feet of the chair. His face has been bloodied to a pulp, courtesy of Hibari's work. He was shirtless, sweat and blood covering his abdomen. The cell they were keeping him in is dimly lit by a single light directly towards Miguel.
"Does it hurt?" Lambo asks. The prisoner only whimpers in response. "This really didn't have to happen, Miguel" Lambo says with a tilt of his head.
"P-please, sir, let me go," he stutters, tears on the verge of falling. "I-I'll d-do anything you w-want please."
"Where's our coke, Miguel?" Lambo asks, completely ignoring his pleas.
"I-I don't know," he cries and crumples down in his place.
"Tch." Lambo glares at the prisoner and cocks his gun. "You know what really pisses me off right now?" He tugs the prisoner's hair harshly so that Lambo can look him straight in the eye. "People with absolutely no loyalty."
Lambo places the gun under Miguel's throat. The man beneath him starts to squirm and beg for his life. "S-sir please spare me. I-I have a family."
"You should have thought of that before, shouldn't you. Where did we go wrong here, Miggy?" Lambo digs the gun harder into his throat.
"We gave you the richest district to run and you still had the nerve to steal from us. That really hurt the boss' feelings."
Miguel stays quiet, whimpering. Snot starts running through his nose now. It disgusts and kinda guilts Lambo a little bit.
"If you're not going to answer that question then here's another one. Who's been feeding you information?"
"I-I don't know what-" Lambo clicks his tongue and slaps him in the face. He fires the gun downwards, the bullet hits Miguel's right foot.
Miguel Herrera's agonizing scream can be heard throughout the cell. He thrash into his chair in pain. Lambo asks again, "Maybe this time, you'll answer. Who's been feeding you information?"
The man only cries.
The Lightning Guardian sighs and scratches his head with the gun in frustration. "Look, I don't wanna be here. And you obviously don't want to be in pain right? So do us both a favor and tell me. Who. The. Fuck. Has. Been. Giving. You. Information?"
Miguel breathes in heavily. "Y-yamanaka Rei." Lambo quirks his eyebrow at the unfamiliar name. "H-he was the manager of the 5th district warehouse. H-he came up to me one time a-and told me about the pass codes at the s-safe and when the guards would take their break, sir."
"See, isn't that so much easier, Miguel? We wouldn't have to be in this kind of trouble if you'd just told me from the start," Lambo smiles."Is that all you know?" He points the gun at him again.
The prisoner looks at him fearfully, "Please! That's all I know! Please!" Miguel cried.
"Okay, I believe you," Lambo replies.
Miguel looks at him hopefully. "T-then, does that mean you'll let me go?"
Lambo smiles. "No." The color in Miguel's face drains. "Kyo-nii, he's all yours."
"Wait! Wait, please, I told you everything! You promised to let me go. Please!"
"I did? When did I promise that? " Lambo hears Hibari's footsteps getting closer. "You stole from us, Miguel. You betrayed us. Does betraying the Vongola look like something you can get away from?"
Behind him, Lambo can feel Hibari. "However," Lambo smiles, " since you told us what you know, Kyo-nii here will kill you quickly and pain-free."
The man continues shouting and thrashing, the bullet wound on his foot seemingly forgotten by the adrenaline-induced fear of being killed.
Hibari's gun went off and the cell was silent again.
Lambo leaves the cell and looks for Gokudera. His head was still pounding like crazy. He rubs his forehead as he walks forward to the hall of Gokudera's Storm Dome.
The Storm Dome was a region on the side of the Vongola Manor, managed and owned by the Storm Guardian. Each Guardian of the Vongola family managed a part of the Vongola Manor, where they did their duties and responsibilities. The Storm Dome, of course, had been designed by Gokudera himself to help serve his duties as both Right-hand man and Storm Guardian.
It was located directly to the side of the SkyScraper to help serve the Tsuna better.
The Storm Dome was built like an office. It is where most of the documentation and paperwork took place. Of course, it had its own training facilities for Gokudera's men but the main purpose of the Storm Dome was to assist the SkyScraper which was where the central governing body was.
When Lambo first arrived at the Vongola Manor, he thought it was something akin to an amusement park. The Manor was vast and every building was an attraction.
There was the Sun Laboratory which Ryohei leads. It was like Vongola's very own private hospital. The Sun Lab took care of their worker's well-being. It was also equipped with its very own gym and most of Ryohei's men were doctors or chemists. The Sun Lab works closely with the Rain Space.
The Rain Space was a product of Yamamoto's eccentric and boyish nature. If Lambo were to describe the Rain Space, it was like taking a ride to Hogwarts where the most nonsensical stuff can appear.
Basically, the Rain Space is the training center for their men. As such, from meditation rooms for concentration training to electricity rooms for endurance training, the Rain Space has it.
Of course, there was also the Cloud Watch. The Cloud Watch manned by Hibari is like a Vindice prison. The Cloud Watch is where the bulk of the task force of Vongola is. Hibari is responsible for the security and manpower of the Vongola, to which Hibari rules with an iron-fist, his very own disciplinary committee away from Cloud Watch is also where the prison cells are.
Then there was his turf, the Lightning Sphere. As head of Interrogations and Tactics, it was Lambo's job to plan for their battle operation, drug cartel, and weapons manufacture. However the bulk of his job is in being in charge of getting information from prisoners, traitors, and enemies alike. As such, he works closely with the Cloud Watch and the Mist Vault.
The Mist Vault is tasked with managing the information Lambo gathers in such a way that it benefits the famiglia. Basically, the Mist Vault is where they keep the blackmail materials for Vongola's enemies. More than that, the Mist Vault also takes charge of acquiring information outside the famiglia.
The people working in the Mist Vault are either spies, hackers, or thieves. Due to the nature of their jobs, the three department heads often work together. And even though the Mist Vault is managed by both Chrome and Mukuro, Chrome often takes charge of the management while Mukuro does the legwork for the department.
Finally, Lambo finds Gokudera in his office. The young mafioso knocks on the Storm Guardian's open door. Gokudera looks up from the pile of paperwork he was reading, "What did you find out?"
"The mole's got a name now. Yamanaka Rei." Lambo enters the office and takes a seat on the couch.
Gokudera nods."Good work, cow. Leave the rest to Chrome and Hibari"
Lambo waits, looking at Gokudera.
"Do you need something else, Lambo?" With a sigh, the Storm Guardian leaves his desk and walks towards Lambo. The young mafioso watches as Gokudera sits at the couch in front of him. "Well?" Gokudera prompts.
The Lightning Guardian licks his lower lip and crosses his legs. "Miguel Herrera," he starts, "can you find his family and wire some money for a funeral also for child support, I guess? You can just take it out of my paycheck."
Gokudera stares at Lambo, like he was trying to find something. After a few tense seconds, the silver-head just nods, and Lambo breathes a sigh of relief. When the sable-teen moves to stand from his chair, Gokudera calls him, "Lambo, you need to get better at this part of the job." Gokudera says slowly and almost with sorrow if Lambo squints enough.
Lambo smiles and nods. "Gotcha. Thanks, Haya-nii."
Later that night, Lambo, Hibari, and Chrome are in the Mist Vault meeting hall. They were scouring information for Yamanaka Rei. As the person in-charge of managing their operations, Lambo blames himself for the lack of oversight when hiring this guy. Now wasn't the time to play the blaming game, though.
As of right now, they had a team break into his house, only to find it empty.
Yamanaka Rei had fled.
Lambo clicks his tongue as he searches for relevant documents that might help them find this guy.
"Fran interrogated some of the workers at the 5th district to know more about the guy," Chrome started, "but he had absolutely nothing on him. The workers said that Yamanaka Rei was an extremely quiet guy. He does his job and then he goes home. That's all."
"It's always the quiet ones," Lambo complains as he reclines on his chair.
"Something isn't adding up though," Hibari states. "Cow, if you were a herbivore, how would you go around robbing the Vongola?"
Lambo thinks for a moment. "Well, for one, it would be a one-time deal. I would get my hands on some money or drugs and call it a day. Disappear. I wouldn't try and get the attention of the higher-ups. And I definitely would use as little accomplices as possible."
"Hnn," Hibari looks at Yamanaka Rei's almost useless file.
"It's almost like he's taunting us," Chrome says, also deep in thought
"The robberies were all small-scaled. If I were to put my life on the line, I would push forward for higher rewards," Lambo continues. "Kyo-nii, do you think there's a bigger thing at play here?"
Hibari stands up.
"We can't know for sure until we find this herbivore. Anyway, it's useless to ponder about such thoughts, Cow."
Lambo looks up at Hibari, the question at the tip of his lips. Almost as if reading his mind, Hibari smirks on his way out. Leaving Lambo alone with his questions, unanswered.
He sighs as he watches Hibari leave. "Chrome-nee," he calls out, "Get your spies out. It's time to listen. Rome is speaking."
Chrome nods. She looks at Lambo for a while and then smirks. "I can ask Mukuro to look into it," she teased.
And okay. Nope. No. They were not going to talk about this. Over Lambo's dead body.
Lambo glares at her. "Yare yare. We are not talking about this."
Chrome rolls her eyes. "Come on, Lambo-kun. This might be your chance-"
Lambo screeches at her. He refuses. He refuses to do this. They are not going to talk about this. Nope. Nuh-uh. "Stop. Neechan, seriously, stop."
"You're overreacting." Chrome was such a troll.
"And you're meddling," he accused.
Important issue aside. He can't help but regret confiding this … thing with Chrome. With anyone for that matter.
See, Lambo has a weird relationship with Mukuro. It's a bit cliche' but he didn't know exactly when it started.
When his brothers all but left him in Japan and he was left alone with Hibari who tried to murder everyone for even suggesting he leave Namimori, Lambo felt alone and abadoned.
It would have been nice if I-pin or Fuuta stayed behind. But no. They left.
They all left.
And now suddenly, the rowdy, chaotic, happy household he loved turned barren and cold.
Lambo only had Maman during those times.
Until the very end, Tsuna and his father never got to tell her truth. Lambo knew though. He knew his Maman was not stupid. She was a martyr, however. She thought that if she remained quiet and happy, if she didn't ask any questions, her boys would be relieved and happy. She was fine as long as they were safe.
And that was fine. Because of that, Lambo still had her. Years later, this would get in the way of Lambo's relationship with his brother. But he didn't know that then. No, he was busy taking care of Maman, making sure she was happy.
Beside Maman, Hibari, Chrome, and Mukuro stayed in Namimori. Hibati stayed for obvious reasons. However, until now, Lambo still didn't understand why Chrome and Mukuro stayed.
With no Tsuna or Yamamoto to calm Hibari and Mukuro every time they get into a fight, Namimori becomes a battleground for the two monsters. Until one day. Lambo came home after school to find two of the demons haunting Namimori glaring at each other at the dining table. And Chrome. Thank god Chrome was there too. Otherwise, Lambo sombers at the thought of dying at the tender age of fifteen.
Apparently, Maman saw them fighting at the marketplace and recognized them as Tsuna's friends. She, then, proceeded to invite them to dinner. Fearlessly.
The woman must not fear death.
Weird things started happening after that.
The dinners started becoming more frequent. The three of them would stay at the house for nothing. Lambo would come home to find Hibari watching tv. Or Mukuro reading in the living room. Or Chrome studying in his room. The three of them seemed to have moved in but didn't want to admit it.
Slowly, their once quiet household turned bright again. Their house was loud. Lambo didn't want to use the word love yet, but their house felt domestic. And warm. It wasn't like before with Tsuna and the others. It was new and different. But Lambo appreciated all the same.
There was Hibari who took him into his pack. Lambo had to chase him though. He pestered and annoyed the man. Lambo thanks his lucky stars for not dying during that time. It took awhile but through his hard work, Lambo had managed to convince Hibari. He trained Lambo. Back then, it seemed like torture but now that he can see the results, he was grateful. Hibari was the first to see him for his potential. And he was the one who honed him. In exchange, Lambo likes to think that he has managed to thaw the cold man's heart. Even just a little bit.
And there was Chrome who was like a sister to him from the very beginning. While Hibari taught him to fight and protect himself, Chrome patched him up after every training lesson and brawls in alleyways. She berated him when he acted like an idiot. Chrome taught him about manners and conduct and erased the immaturity in him. It took a while though.
And Mukuro. There was Mukuro. With his stupid laugh. And his stupid smile. And his stupid face. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupiiiid.
Lambo would again like to reiterate that he didn't know how this happened.
Unlike Hibari or Chrome who helped him grow. And mature. Mukuro did the opposite. He annoyed him and distracted him all the damn time. With his stupid laugh. And his stupid smile. And his stupid face. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Stupiiiid. But Mukuro comforted him all the same. And accompanied him when he was on his own terms. With his own words and actions.
It was stupid. Really really stupid. Lambo still ended up falling.
It isn't for a few more days that the Vongola Guardians start to realize the gravity of their situation.
Lambo was watching television with Ipin. It was a Saturday. And Saturday nights were reserved for Fuuta and Ipin. Fuuta was late though.
Lambo looks at the clock irritatingly.
"Would you stop that," Ipin admonished. "Fuuta will be here soon. Don't worry."
"I'm not worried. I'm pissed." Lambo crosses his arms and pouts. "Do you know how many paperworks are waiting at my desk? And yet I'm here. On time."
"Stop ranting. You love us." Lambo glares at Ipin's smirking face. Yes, he does. That doesn't mean he likes it though.
"By the way…"
Lambo narrows his eyes at Ipin. He knows that teasing face of hers more than anything else.
"Chrome-nee told me something interesting-"
"Oh, no." Lambo interrupts. "Nope. We're not gonna do this."
Ipin's teasing smile gets bigger. "Lambo, there's nothing wrong with it."
Lambo picks up the pillow and throws it at Ipin. "Nope, not listening."
"Come on, Lambo. You can't pretend to feel nothing forever."
He looks at Ipin. "Is that a challenge?"
Before Ipin could answer, the door burst open. Fuuta came inside looking haggard and worried. Apparently, their drug op was sabotaged.
According to Fuuta, the exchange was going fine until unknown men started firing at the Vongola Envoy and their buyer. Gokudera and Chrome who were both present at the scene immediately fought back but their buyer thought it was a set-up and fired at them as well. It was chaos from that point on. Luckily, backup came quickly.
This is really starting to piss him off.
Lambo walked the hallways of the hospital, still in his slippers. He first sees Tsuna, knuckles white with anger and worry, sitting next to him is Ryohei, uncharacteristically quiet for once.
Yamamoto was the first to greet him, his smile strained. "Hey there, Lambo. Doctor says Gokudera will be fine. Just inhaled some smoke," he explained without Lambo prompting him to.
Lambo breathes a sigh of relief. Then his heart squeezes again. "And Chrome-nee? How is she?"
"Mukuro's inside. Fixing her up." Lambo nods. He sits next to Yamamoto.
Suddenly, Tsuna stands up and punches the wall. "They knew our routes," he said. "They knew our fucking routes and two of our friends got hurt because of it."
The drywall cracks and some pieces crumble off. Lambo watches the scene unfold, guilty and angry as well.
"Tsuna, calm down." Yamamoto stands up and walks to the Mafia Don. "Getting angry at this point won't fix anything."
Lambo exhales shakily, "It's my fault. I handle the plans. I'll take responsibility for this, okay?"
"This isn't your fault as well, Lambo," Yamamoto says, ready to argue with Lambo's self-deprecating ass.
"Tch." Lambo glares at the hole Tsuna punched through. "It's as you said, they knew the routes. This mole, whoever he is, completely blindsided us. He has men in our ranks spying for him."
"So we purge them," Mukuro says, surprising everyone as he walks out of the emergency room. He looks at Lambo. "That's our job, isn't it?" Lambo can recognize that mix of teasing and comforting only Mukuro can do.
He rolls his eyes, ignores the small stutter in his heart. "I'm pretty sure that's the job hazard."
Mukuro crosses his arm and leans on the door frame.
"There has been whispers on the streets," he starts. "Of an usurper."
"What?!" Ryohei exclaims.
"How sure are you, Mukuro-kun?" Tsuna asks, his shoulders now tight with worry.
"Tsunayoshi-kun," Mukuro states, his eyebrows twitch, almost as if insulted by the question, "I know this city by heart, every quiver, every beat of its heart, I know it."
And he leaves it at that.
It was a few minutes before someone came again. Lambo sees Reborn walking towards them. He sits next to Ryohei.
"I heard the Perdere Donna Family had a run-in with the police during their drug operation," Reborn said quietly. Lambo looks at him, processing what he's saying and why he's saying it now like it's more important than his siblings' life.
"The Cavallone and Millefiore Family also had their warehouse robbed according to Lal. Not to mention, I heard the Vindice had a prison break-in."
Reborn smirks, "They're all just rumors though." He sighs, "Whispers from Rome's darkest alleys."
"Reborn, I don't think now is the time to be talking about business." Tsuna crosses his arms.
Reborn tsks and shakes his head. "Dame-Tsuna, now is the perfect time to be talking about business."
Tsuna looks at him carefully, analyses what he just says. "You think they're all connected."
Lambo groaned. Why can't Reborn just straight-up tell them anything? Does everything have to be a puzzle?
Reborn nods. "The families are gathering, Dame-Tsuna."
Lambo stands up, if the families are gathering he needs to talk to someone. "Where are you going, Lambo-kun?"
Lambo glances back at him, "To do my job, of course."
The Lightning Guardian hurries over to the Mist Vault, trying to find Mukuro. He finds the Mist Guardian in the Information Center of the Vault.
Mukuro was hunched over one of their computers. Lambo announces his presence by coughing as he nears the man. The last thing he wanted right now was to be alone with Mukuro. But he was a professional. And, he had a job to do. A little crush shouldn't get in the way of that.
He steels his nerves. "How's Chrome-nee?" He asks first. It was an opening question, but he cared all the same.
Mukuro finally looks up from his monitor. "She's stable for now." Lambo breathes a sigh of relief, surprised with how his body sagged as worry left him. It was not the time, however, to relax. The teen scratches his head, he sits at the side of the desk, Mukuro seated in front of him. "And you?"
"How are you?" he reiterates.
Mukuro smirks, he places his elbows on the arms of the chair. Lambo tries not to observe him too much. "Kufufufu, I'm fine. "
Damn his stupid smirk. "T-that's great. I-uh, I heard from C-Chrome-nee before that fixing her up t-takes out a lot on you as well. S-so..." Great now he's stuttering. Why the hell is he stuttering?
Lamboo groaned. It was better to stop talking. He looked at Mukuro, his eyes almost hidden by his bangs. And he was pretty sure, his face was as red as an apple by now. Pull yourself together. Stop staring at him
Mukuro looks straight into his eyes. His eyes were soft, something Lambo rarely sees. The Mist Guardian stands and Lambo feels his body tense as Mukuro's arm plants itself on the desk, caging him. Lambo leans back trying to put some semblance of distance between the two of them.
"Keep looking at me like that," Mukuro whispered. "And I'll kiss you till you drop."
BadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadumpBadump
Lambo stands up, abruptly. "W-what the hell, you stupid pineapple!" BadumpBadumpBadump "This is sexual harassment! Dammit!"
Mukuro laughed. Damn him.
He was sure now that he was flushed-red, top to bottom. "Stop laughing, you stupid pineapple. Stupid stupid stupid," he whispered, feeling like a kid again.
"But you looked so cute. Like an angry cow."
Lambo only glares at him. Be calm. Be calm. Be calm. You're a Guardian, dammit! Act like it!
"Yamanaka Rei," he starts. "Does his name sound familiar?"
Mukuro hums. "I don't really like it when you say another man's name when we're together."
"Be serious here, Mukuro!" Be calm. Be calm. Lambo sighs, at this rate he'll get nothing from the man. He bites his lip and crosses his arms. Think! Right now, the best course of action is to get information from the other families. If what Reborn said was reliable, that means they're just as pissed as he was. Sure, there was the gathering but that doesn't really assure Lambo. False information was a thing among them, after all. He has to put together a te-
Lambo was taken out of his thoughts by Mukuro. His finger was running through his lower lip, his face so so painfully close. BadumpBadumpBadump.
"I especially don't like it when you ignore me."
Stupid stupid stupid.
Yeah, Lambo's heart can't take this. Nope siree. He was leaving. Now. Before his heart sustains anymore damage.
Five families ruled Italy. They were strong. Ruthless. These families ushered in a new era, after all. The Five were scattered all across Italy, each with their own territory. Their very own kingdom.
Some of these families were of new blood.
When terror ran rampant on the streets of Italy, people had a choice, they could either let that fear control them, devour them, strangle them. Or they could control it. And seize this fear for their own.
The people that led their family into glory were people to be reckoned with. After all, they were the ones who controlled the fear and chaos of that era and turned it into powers of their own.
The Millefiore Famiglia of the North had fire and manpower that could rival Vongola's very own.
The North Famiglia thrived under the leadership of Byakuran. Lambo still shudders every time he thinks of the man. He is every bit as mysterious as he is ruthless. Lambo still wonders how Tsuna was able to ally himself, much less befriend Byakuran.
Then, there was the Perdere Donna Famiglia of the South.
Nothing strikes more fear into the heart of mafioso than a woman in a suit with a gun clocked and ready to fire. The Perdere Donna is a female-dominated family. Like the Millefiore, they were of new blood who flourished under the violent nature of old. These women are led by a woman named Lamia. Nothing is known about her. Which is exactly why she's so dangerous. Her and her famiglia.
But while new blood was born, the old stayed and proved their place in the New Mafia Era.
The Cavallone Famiglia of the West is an old ally of the Vongola.
As such, they often share operations, tactics, and routes with each other. Dino Cavallone was like a brother to Tsuna, after all.
Then there was the Vindice of the East.
Nobody is more ruthless than them. And that is saying something. The members of Vindice are all unknown. From the founding of their famiglia to their members, absolutely nothing is known about them. Not even their names. As such, they are just referred to by their family name. They call themselves peacekeepers of the underworld. Upon the ushering of the new era, Vindice took it upon themselves to preserve the laws and tradition of Old.
Lastly, the Vongola Famiglia of Rome, the heart of Italy.
The Vongola were one of the oldest families in Italy. They led the opening of the new era. One less violent, less chaotic. It is not peaceful. No, this was the Mafia after all. But civilians, innocent people who are not part of their world, slept more peacefully at night.
And now, these families are gathering.
When Lambo woke up his body felt heavy. It has been three days now since they're drug op was sabotaged. Both Gokudera and Chrome woke up two days ago and the both of them were pissed with what happened. Gokudera, especially. He had woken up looking for blood.
It wasn't pretty.
Also, two days ago, they received an official invitation for The Gathering. And suddenly, this wasn't just a normal threat. It became bigger. The families were all prideful. And if they were willing to set that pride aside to convene and meet, it means that something is about to come. And it was bound to make Rome speak.
And when Rome speaks, everyone listens.
He sighs. There was no use in worrying about it. Instead, he tries to prepare himself. The ring in his finger felt heavy. Lambo looks at the black suit hanging on his drawer. Time to get dressed.
After showering and fixing himself up, he hurries over to the lobby where all the guardians were about to meet.
And as he looked at everyone, all prim and proper with their suits on, Lambo realized all over again that he was a long way away from Namimori.
They were the last to arrive. As such, all eyes were on them when they entered.
Lambo watches as Tsuna takes a seat at the head of the table. The place they were meeting was an underground base. For safety purposes, the place of gathering was not a neutral territory.
The Guardians took their place at Tsuna's back. From here, Lambo could see the Dons.
They looked untouchable.
Lambo glances at Dino, remembering how he tripped over nothing when he came to visit Tsuna at the manor. He tries to fight the smirk from forming on his face. Now was not the time for such thoughts though. The air was cold. And everyone was on their guard. Everyone was donned with expensive suits that hide guns and knives, like real proper Mafiosos.
"Now that everyone is here. Shall we begin?" Vindice stood up and opened his arms. "Families," he beckoned, " Bring forth your hearts."
Lambo sighs. This is going to be long.
Promptly, Tsuna puts his X-Gloves on the glass table. Lambo watches as the others do the same. Dino pulls out his whip and puts it down. Byakuran doesn't carry a weapon, his whole body is dangerous enough after all. Instead, he puts down his Sky Ring. Lamia rids herself of her gun. While the Vindice does the same with his dull pacifier.
The rule is simple.
During a gathering none of the Family Heads are allowed to use their weapons. Their hearts, so to speak. And since this is a gathering, the Heads have to show sincerity of a peaceful gathering by giving their weapons.
That doesn't mean the people standing behind them aren't carrying lethal weapons of their own.
The Vindice takes his glass of whiskey. The Heads soon follow.
"To the Wolf in the North."
Byakuran raises his glass with a smile.
"To the Lion in the South."
Lamia takes her glass and raises it. Already bored. Lambo smirks, the New Bloods always did hate tradition.
"To the Eagle in the West."
Lambo watches as Dino raises his own glass as well.
"To the Scorpion in the East."
The Vindice repeats the motion.
"Lastly, to the King in Rome, the heart of Italy."
Tsuna takes his glass, raises it, completing the salute.
Vindice stands up. "Rome has come together," he starts. "Rome speaks. Rome fights. Rome conquers."
As one, the heads drink their whiskey.
to be continued...
Chapter 2 spoilers...
Lambo hated this. He hated it when Mukuro treated him like a child. Look at me! Look at me, dammit. I'm not a kid anymore.
With gritted teeth, he slapped off the hand on his head. Lambo pulled at the collars of Mukuro's shirt, bringing his face close to him.
"In case, you haven't notice," Lambo looked at Mukuro head on, angry and sad and embarrassed and so so in love it fucking hurts, "I'm not a kid anymore."
He tilts his head, closing off the distance between them. It was faint but Lambo can definitely hear his own heartbeat. He puts his hand on Mukuro's neck, angling his face so their lips are just a hair away. "Or would you like me to show you." Look at me, Mukuro. " Just how much I've grown."
Notes: WE DON'T DO SLOW BURN IN THIS HOUSE!
Also notice how everyone has brother or sister affixed to their name. But Mukuro is just Mukuro? I'm not gonna be subtle about this kufufufufufu