Hey guys, I want to warn you that the next few chapters won't differ too much from canon seeing as there isn't really a need. Some things will change, but maybe not the outcome of the battles... the reasons for their outcomes however...well you'll see ;)

Dear guest, Great: I don't know why you think I'd kill Lambo off, though I won't ruin this chapter for you so please do read on. Thank you for your kind words, and please enjoy this chapter, stay awesome.

Dear guest, Lady Ariadna: I will try my very best to reply to everyone's reviews, I have such a wonderful reviewer base and I start to recognise the names of those that review; yours is becoming one of them :p I am so happy to know that I have not ruined canon for you. The results of the battles I don't know, I tend to write rather intuitively, whatever feels right generally gets written down, so my intention is to keep – in this instance- close to Canon are not guaranteed to happen. Sorry 'bout that XP. I'm happy the cafe scene was taken well, and the chapter was OOBER long. Ah, will the rest of the guardians see the strings? I guess we'll just have to wait and see ;) Thank you for your continued support dear reader! It means a lot to me, so stay awesome! Ps.

Thank you to all of those people who favourite or follow this story. It means more to me than I could ever thank you for.

Beta'd by the marvolous mercyn~~

The knots that Tie and the Strings that Bind.

Lightning stance.

For the entire day no one commented on Tsuna's tense, jumpy posture. If any of them were to comment it would be that he was holding up remarkable well, all things considered. He and Lambo spent the afternoon in the garden; the training was disguised as rough-housing and even Fuuta and I-pin joined in. It had been decided- not to the children's pleasure- that only Lambo would accompany them to the match. Tsuna couldn't admit to being terrified of scarring both the black haired young girl and the sandy haired pre-teen. Lambo agreed solemnly because he too didn't really want either of them to watch his match.

"Lambo-sama is too awesome for either of you."
"Lambo!" I-pin chastised, she wacked him on the back of his afro and proceeded to chase him around the backyard. "I am far better at fighting than you are!"

Tsuna despite himself couldn't help but laugh, it was strained, and a little tense, but it was still a laugh. Fuuta slipped his hand into Tsuna's and smiled; the boy coaxed a more relaxed smile out of his older brother and tugged him inside instead.

"It's time for dinner, Tsuna-nii." He giggled, "Mukuro-nii aid that if you didn't get inside soon he would cook instead! I would much prefer not to have food poisoning, so please cook dinner, Tsuna-nii." The last part was whispered behind a hand and Tsuna actually chuckled before ruffling the sandy locks of his almost-thirteen-year old brother.

Dinner was a quiet affair, people chatted rather peacefully, there was some –Tsuna would have to admit artful and accurate- cutlery throwing between a certain disciplinarian and illusionist, and some banter between the sun, rain and storm. Reborn, Tsuna could see, simply sighed at the head of the table with barely concealed contentment. Even Ken and Chikusa has joined them that evening, for the past week they had been training away.

It was only later that the tension finally mounted as Reborn entered the living room. "It's time to get the cow and go Tsuna."

Tsuna could only nod, gather his guardians and get the kids ready. It was situations like this that were even beyond his ability to alter fate. "We need to drop the kids off with Mom before we go to school."

Reborn could only nod before he herded the rest of the teens outside to wait for their boss.

As they were walking to the school, everyone sombre and weighted down by the unconscious terror and resolve leaked along their string, Tsuna suddenly stopped with Lambo's hand in his. He gestured for everyone else to go ahead and walked a little further down the road with his little brother.

Lambo was not an idiot. He was a little dense –as a majority of children were- and he wasn't a prodigy like Fuuta-nii was. But Lambo Bovino Sawada was not an idiot. He knew what his brother was going through; the people at the mafia academy taught him that. Even Reborn-nii taught I-pin, Fuuta and Lambo about what Tsuna was doing –for them, the others, the mafia, - and what he was sacrificing –his freedom, innocence, his entire self- and Lambo was determined to do what was needed to ensure his brother's safety, smile, and most of all, that amazing feeling he would get of love and compassion and sheer I Will Die For You No Matter What protection that enveloped him whenever his brother looked at him. That was Lambo's, he had to share it with so many people, but it was something he could wholeheartedly call his. Something only his Tsuna-nii could give him.

He was terrified. Soul crushing, heart stopping, My Adrenalin Isn't Enough petrified. But he was going to fight and win.

"Lambo." They had stopped in a shield of Sakura trees, they were in full bloom and sheltered Lambo and Tsuna from prying eyes and moonlight, instead an eerie pink-silver colour floated through the gaps and lit Tsuna's eyes like burning pools of oil. "I want to know if this is what you want."

Lambo was confused at first, because it didn't matter, surely, if he wanted to fight or not. He had to.

"I... need to fight, Tsuna-nii. I need to fight for you." He hoped they were the right words, but the way his brother's eyes crushed together and his chest seemed to collapse on itself tore at Lambo's small heart. Obviously he hadn't been right.

"Lambo, you don't need to ever do anything for me." Tsuna elaborated, he was trying admirably to keep the wobble of tears from his voice, but he could slowly feel his throat constrict with the beginnings of a panic attack. "I will never expect you to fight for me. If you want to stop, or run away or even cry- that is all I will ever expect from you." He elaborated.

"But Tsuna-nii what about Vong-"

"No!" Tsuna abhorred, "you are my brother –Ryohei, Mukuro, Chrome, Kyouya, Takeshi, Hayato- are my siblings, Reborn is important to me, they and you will always come before anyone else in my lives, and most certainly before something like Vongola; you, Fuuta and I-pinare my top priority and I will do anything for you."

"Before Vongola?" Lambo was really confused, but slowly he was beginning to realise what his brother meant.

"If you don't want to do this, don't. You will always have a place in my family, lightning or not. Know you will not be replaced; it is your position. But you don't need to fight."

Silence compressed the brothers as Tsuna's burning, fuming eyes bore into the startled green of his brother. There was no unease in the silence, or in the string joining them practically to the hip and heart. There was simply a sudden rush of appreciation and a sudden clicking solidity that sent Tsuna's orange spiraling and braiding with the electric-green in a locking manner Tsuna hadn't seen in a while.

"I want to fight, Tsuna-nii. You are the only one I will ever fight for Tsuna-nii; so don't worry." Lambo pressed himself into Tsuna's chest and his brother could only nod and gather the boy into his arms.

Walking back was silent; it felt like Tsuna was going to put Lambo to death. Maybe he was. No, he certainly wasn't, Tsuna knew that, because he would get involved before it came anywhere close to that.

Knowing that soothed the panic a little, and instead it was simmered on a back burner in his mind.

Tsuna carried Lambo into the school and up the stairs; Hayato and Takeshi met him on the stairs and flanked him as they headed to the roof. Tsuna appreciated the gesture more than the teen boys understood, but when their friend's shoulders loosened just that little but it was enough for them. All they had to do was get the smile back on his lips.

As they entered Tsuna noticed everyone gathered around various lightning rods, they held grim expressions as lightning crackled in the sky. It wasn't very comforting to see. Tsuna set Lambo on the ground with one more pointed look. Lambo of course understood the none-too-well-hidden worry; if you want to stop I will make sure we stop.

"Are you ready, lightning?" the Cervello looked on with perfectly disguised impatience. Judges they may be, but their patience dwindled around children.

An explosion of pink smoke surrounded Lambo before he was to enter the ring. Tsuna's initial fear suddenly bubbled over from its simmer and exploded in his chest as he watched his little brother –at the moment eighteen years in age But That Didn't Matter- walk into the ring. He felt it slowly creep in on him, the darkness in his vision.

He was on his knees just as the Cervello's speech on rules and the beginning of the match entered his ears. Before anyone could react his knees smashed onto the roof and sent him collapsing into them soon after. He shook as if he was embodying all the earthquakes in the world and he was mutely aware of his guardians calling out his name in a panicked, confused chorus of stopped hearts.

Mukuro tried to cover his boss' eyes from behind him, he knew from experience that taking away at least one sense helped to calm the mind- it helped Ken in a way that Mukuro was eternally grateful for; Chrome was knelt to his left, shaking his arm and subtly grabbing the strings to send waves of anything down them; Hayato was in front of Tsuna holding his face, trying to speak ever so slowly to him, reassuring and stable, now was not the time for raging storms; Takeshi and Ryohei were on Tsuna's right, calling him, putting hands on him, and even Reborn was completely useless beside Chrome as he tried to rile his student out of this sudden and rather serious panic attack. Kyouya hasn't even reacted yet, he was still shocked by the sheer, overwhelming wave of terror and panic that subdued him from the orange-violet string wafting in front of him.

The last thing Tsuna saw before the blackness of Mukuro's hands were on him was the worried, sad expression on an eighteen year old Lambo's face as he pulled a deep-red grenade from his pocket and made a small gesture of good faith. A quick mouthing of 'it's going to be alright.'

"No need to panic, Tsuna-nii."

It was the deep, melancholic baritone that started to pull Tsuna out of his reprise; the sound was naturally soothing, because it was the voice of someone far older and wiser than you layered with age and emotions Tsuna had yet to experience. When he finally stopped shaking and Mukuro's hand fell from his face Tsuna was faced with a much older, much wiser Lambo who looked on at him with such deep, sheer, drowning love and appreciation Tsuna found himself unable to breathe for new reasons.

He never imagined he'd be on the receiving end of everything he tried to give his guardians.

There was silence all around the lightning battle, Levi had a strict look of concentration on his face, and he opened his mouth to accuse cheating when the man-cow spoke for his own case.

"I am still Tsuna's lightning guardian." His voice was stiff and wise, there was underlying strength and compassion while still that fiery spark of resolve that seemed to light his form in electricity. "My... lineage... simply allows me to utilise the time-grenade." With that the Cervello simply nodded, they had no argument against the move after all. Levi could use his umbrellas, Lambo could use his grenade.

However, Tsuna was not truly aware of the conversation taking place; his mind was concerned with two things. The first was that the strings were simply breathtaking. As soon as 20YL!Lambo had entered the scene the strings had erupted in sheer brilliance of light and energy. Rushing, colliding green lightning had arced and sparked around the green string and those around it, as if real electricity was arcing between charged metals. To the outside observer it would look like an electric current or field, to Tsuna and the others it was pure, concentrated Lightning-flames, ones that they had never seen the nine-year-old conjure. To see the boy with such power, such raw resolve comforted the gathered teens, though few would admit it Lambo was their little brother, Tsuna wasn't the only one completely distressed by the idea of him fighting.

The second thing occupying Tsuna's mind was that, while Lambo was fighting time was ticking away. Lambo had roughly five minutes, only two of those were left for adult Lambo. After that the child would return and the battle would end one way or another. Though, Tsuna allowed himself a moment to marvel. The fighting style was so unique. The man still used his thunder set, but without the limitations of his youth. The man needed to no longer charge and his form was even lazy as he stood, surrounded by the energy of his blood-line.

He actually used the string too. Something in Tsuna told him that that piece of information was inexcusable important. Lambo's strings acted as conductors, when Lightning struck- Levi scattering away so as not to be injured- the strings gathered and channeled the energy into the thick, brown horn on the man's head. Tsuna could see the sheer capacity of the horns and noted mutely that Kyouya was staring intently after the paths of fire.

The strings not only acted as conductors but conduits, as Levi moved into attack this older Lambo dodged effortlessly, graceful but powerful and as me moved he strung more strings around Levi, though the man did not see them. The power surged through the strings as Lambo called upon his attack and Tsuna could not help but be awed, because the display of light of pure green-resolve shattered along the strings and seemed to completely destroy Levi every time the charged passed through the green strings and the Varia member's body.

It was breathtaking, even if Lambo only got one attack off. Leviathan screamed of course, the strings of their rings writhing under the strain of an individual unmistakable more powerful with a more sold fate. Tsuna would have believed that they could win, that Lambo could win.

Then the five minutes finally ticked away and he awaited the worst, in fact, anyone watching closely enough – Mukuro, Chrome, Reborn and Kyouya for instance- would see his body sparking with dying will flames, preparing to enter the ring and end the match.

Then four more minutes ticked by and 20YL!Lambo was still battling. "You, Tsuna-nii are too intuitive for your own good. Soon after this, once everything... passes over, you get to work improving the technology my bastard family left me. No longer am I –or any future selves- subjected to a five minute blast in the past." He stopped to doge another umbrella, wrapping his green string another time around Levi before he landed "You've made it almost possible for time lapses to last an entire day. This one, will last for ten more minutes."

"Thunder Set!" this time the voice was solid and full of sheer, ripping finality. The final attack from the twenty-nine years old man. Another rain of electric flames assaulted the towers and roof top. The string lit –to Kyouya's, Tsuna's, Mukuro's and Chrome's eyes only- and downed Levi in a shocking display of power, courage, and confidence. The older Lambo nodded and as he pulled the smoking ring form the Leviathan's neck he casually uncoiled the green strings from the downed man. His string glimmered proudly, still sparking with charged flames that to the 'sight-less' looked like a massive electric field surrounding Lambo.

Cerevello announced the winner and one of them stalked off with one pissed-off Varia leader and the various remaining members, Levi was left in the smoking ring, and for once Tsuna couldn't bring his compassion to the surface; there was only one person occupying his mind at that moment.

The twenty-year-old stalked up to his brother without any of the lazy, arrogant stride he had entered the battle with. There was a deep desperation in his green eyes, and his arms twitched for a moment. As he stood before his brother, at least a head taller than the growing teen, a smile- broken, sad, happy, on-the-verge-of-tears-smile broke onto his face and he pulled the smaller teen into a hug.

Tsuna felt the man inhale in his hair, and Tsuna could not stop himself from pressing tighter to the male, breathing in the rugged, smokey scent of the leather jacket and gripping the body with desperate love. He had been terrified, Tsuna knew Lambo understood that, but now this was just his baby brother, and for some reason the desperation of the hug was foreboding. It was as if his baby-cow-brother hadn't been hugged for years. That sent Tsuna's intuition bristling with unease. Nothing would ever stop him from hugging his brother, no matter his age or position.

Then there was sharp tugging on the green and orange laced string, there was a painful pressure but it was because the grip was desperate and shaking. Tsuna on instinct alone flooded warmth and a kind of embracing security back and he felt more than saw Lambo loosen up; if only minutely.

"You don't need to worry Tsuna-nii. We all accept it. We all learn from it. Keep your chin up, little-Tsuna-nii; things'll get tough until...everything... blows over. But you'll do it this time. I know it." He pulls away with just a kiss to Tsuna's cheek and a longing look over the faces of his brothers and sister. "But please hurry. I miss you."

With that and an explosion of red smoke, Tsuna was left with an arm-full of sleeping Lambo who had no signs of wear but complete exhaustion. He imagined that the boy was training in the future with someone during his twenty-minute trip through time.

They left for home before the Cerevello's next words truly left their mouth. Everyone was pleased by the outcome, assured that their future –in Lambo- was secured and safe.

"Next battle...Storm battle."

Reborn just pulled his fedora down with a deep contemplative look on his face. He had never been as terrified as when Tsuna had broken down at the beginning of the match. And unlike usual, it wasn't for the future of Vongola that his chest tightened, but simply for the future of his student. If for no other reason than his own peace of mind, Reborn had to figure out a way to rid Tsuna of the debilitating panic attacks he seemed to be having.

So, people may think Tsuna's reaction was a little OTT but I beg to differ. I have a similar relationship with my sister, and a similar age gap. I know for one thing that if this was happening to me and my sister had to fight trained mercenaries- mafia blood and training or not- I would be an absolute wreck and would either throw-up or pass out. Nothing scares me more than this thought. So maybe I'm OTT... you can tell me your thoughts VIA PM or review.

Thanks for reading! Another battle in the next chapter! Look forward to it kora!

Love you all,

~~Bleach-ed-Na-tsu :3