Seven years earlier…
"Why won't you let me follow him! If I don't, who will?" He scrabbles for purchase but finds none hanging three feet off of the ground with only walls near enough to touch.
He's ignored, held by the scruff of his neck like a misbehaving kitten. Since he's not a kitten, it hurts! But he's wondering along the lines of something else right now.
"DAMN IT, LEMME FOLLOW HIM!" Now he's attended to; a finger taps his nose hard and he's stared reprimanding-ly down upon. He sniffles…but then doesn't have the guts to wail.
Hibari continues onward until they're before the doors to Tsuna's office. He opens the door with his free hand and walks in. "You need to keep closer attention on your cow."
Tsuna stops writing whatever it is he's writing; he looks up and sighs, looking sad and confused. "Lambo… Why can't you just wait here for him? He'll be back soon."
With Tsuna, Lambo has the guts to break out into a full on screaming session. "NO! I HAVE TO GO WITH HIM TO MAKE SURE THAT NO ONE KILLS MY REBORN!"
Tsuna pauses… he stands up from his chair and comes around, moving slowly closer to Lambo and Hibari (Hibari still holding him off of the ground) and frowns. "… Lambo, how do you feel about Reborn?"
Hibari puts him down – finally! – and begins a lazy retreat. Tsuna frowns at his back, but says nothing. He looks down at Lambo and waits for his answer.
Lambo snorts and places his hands akimbo. "He's my archrival! It's my goal to kill him!" He pouts. "How can I do that if he's not there! I have to follow him!"
Tsuna sighs and goes back to his seat; he gestures for Lambo to come and the boy slips into his lap without thinking about it, just like old times. He stares up at Decimo with large, annoyed emerald eyes.
"Lambo…" Tsuna begins out almost uncertainly. "You can't follow him everywhere; sometimes - … Most of the time, he's going into a really dangerous situation, you could get hurt! Or you could distract him and then he would get hurt. Do you understand?"
"No." He answers truthfully, a dull expression on his face.
Tsuna sighs. "Neither of you are invincible… You could die, or he could die. So, please… stop fighting us and stay here until he gets back. We just want you to be safe."
"EEEH! You have a funny way of showing it, stingy Tsuna!"
Tsuna stands up, letting Lambo touch ground again. "Let's go find Fuuta, neh?" He ignores completely (except for a strained smile) Lambo's outburst.
"No! I want to find Reborn!" His vision is beginning to blur… It darkens for a moment – only a moment! – and then it clears, leaving him in the arms of a very freaked out Tsuna.
"Lambo, when was the last time you ate?" His voice is shrill.
Lambo blinks… he thinks about it… He begins counting on his fingers. "two… three…four…"
Tsuna's shoulders relax. "Only four hours ago? Alright, let's go getting something to eat, then findFuuta-"
"Four days ago." Lambo deadpans, staring up at Tsuna. "Can I go find Reborn now?"
Tsuna pales. "F-four days ago! Why wouldn't you eat for so long?" The shrillness is back.
"Duh! I've been trying to find Reborn, but some people haven't been letting me! Now I'm really hungry, really tired, and there's still no Reborn!"
"How long have you gone without sleeping?" When Lambo begins counting on his fingers again, Tsuna shakes his head. "Never mind..." Suddenly, a light sparks in his eyes. He crouches down so that he's the one looking up at Lambo, putting his hands on the small guardian's elbows to keep his attention. "I'm going to tell you something, Lambo… You have to be at full strength when Reborn comes back."
Lambo perks up instantly. "Really? Why?"
Tsuna smiles. "Because he expects you to be." It's not entirely a lie; even if Reborn doesn't think much of Lambo's full strength, he will still notice that Lambo's lagging, and then he would have a private conference with Tsuna regarding taking care of each of his guardians without ever telling Lambo.
He tilts his head curiously. "Why?"
"Because, if you're not…" Tsuna's face blanks out; he can't think of anything. "… Because…"
"Because he will EXTREMELY kick your butt!" Ryohei enters the office, a fist clenched level to his head.
"Lawn head's right." Grunts Gokudera, sauntering in behind him. Yamamoto merely laughs in agreement as he follows Gokudera.
"EEEHHH! Who are you calling a lawn head, octopus head!"
They're instantly head to head, currents of tension zinging from one to the other. "Who the hell do you think you're calling an octopus head!" They growl at each other.
"Mah, mah, you two need to calm down!" Yamamoto smiles good naturedly. "This is about the kid, not us." He swaggers forward and crouches by Lambo's side as well. "Reborn's really counting on you to be good while he's away; you have to eat and sleep to be healthy and if you don't, you'll get sick. And if you get sick, you won't be able to see Reborn even after he comes home."
Yamamoto may as well have threatened Lambo with his life because the boy begins trembling, eyes horrified. "I can't get sick! You all need me too much!" His self-proclaimed importance isn't too far off, though not in the sense he believes. He's nearly useless in a battle, but they do love and need him. "I'm too strong to get sick!"
Gokudera huffs. "That's what the baseball idiot is saying, brat! If you don't eat and sleep, you'll get sick."
Lambo clings to Tsuna.
"I'll make an EXTREMELY late dinner!" Ryohei jogs out of the room, smirking.
There's a long moment of silence.
"… We'll tell him we forgot that we ordered out." Gokudera supplies as he takes out his cell phone and dials up a restaurant that makes home orders. Tsuna and Lambo nods, both looking a little sick, while Yamamoto looks creepily serious.
Ryohei's cooking is no laughing matter; he does everything to the extreme… including spices, ingredients, and timing. Nothing tastes like pork that looks and smells like it's been burning in hell for a century.
It's five days before Reborn comes home, collected looking as always and sure of foot. He saunters in like he owns the place ( of course) and reports to a relieved looking Tsuna. When he's done, his former student stands from his chair, comes around his desk, and stares adoringly at Reborn.
"You have no idea how much we've missed you." He goes as far as to dare a hug, but Reborn hits him over the head before he can succeed.
Nonetheless, he's curious why Tsuna's being so daring. Tsuna just smiles, rubs his bruised head, and gestures him out.
It doesn't take two minutes before Reborn gets an answer.
"REBORN!" He grazes the head of the missile on his elbow, sending it up through the ceiling instead of letting it hit him. There's scornful laughter and then Lambo reveals himself, shirt buttoned up wrong, hair a shaggy mess, and eyes bright and dull at the same time. It's four in the morning. "I stayed strong, just so I could defeat you!" His smirk is large as he puts his hands proudly akimbo.
There's a distant explosion as the missile goes off some floors up, making debris fly down the makeshift hole. A falling plank hides Reborn's small quirk of the lips. "It doesn't matter how strong you become, you stupid cow." Lambo huffs at the insulting name. "You will never defeat me." He turns his back on Lambo and walks away.