He entered the tavern on silent feet, head turned down and fedora tipped low over his unfocused black gaze. Those he passed by ignored him as he ignored them, an unvoiced agreement to live throughout the night peacefully.

He took a stool at the end of the bar, gesturing to the bartender for his usual, the beginning of his night in red wine. The old man Okayed that with his own gesture and then went about the bottles lined up artistically in front of the full-length mirror stretching the one wall of the pub.

In silence, he considered the bar surface without actually seeing it, something he let himself do a couple times a week ever since that damned child had been murdered, this being the second night in a row. He wasn't really thinking anything, his mind was blank, but he accepted his drink with a nod of his head and tapped his fingers along the neck of the wineglass.

The swinging doors to the inn opened with a murmured 'hello' from an unfamiliar voice, followed by reluctant greetings from fellow drinkers.

A figure settled into the seat beside his, a pale crème hand in view of his. A soft, husky voice purred, "how broody of you, Reborn. I never thought this is how I would find you."

Reborn scowled into his drink, displeased at the interruption; especially by someone who thought they knew him. "Move three seats away and mind your own business or else I will kill you."

"You can't do that… you're a bodyguard to my family, you can't kill me."

"I know everyone in the Vongola family and you are not a part of it." He should kill the stranger for even making up such a stupid lie.

And then he looked up into electric green eyes, so familiar and yet unfamiliar. Wavy black hair was short around a pixie face, pale coffee crème skin unblemished. He wore pastel cutoffs with a cow-print dress shirt, sandals on small feet. He had to be no more than 15 or 16.

Reborn's eyes narrowed on the male, wondering just how he knew the boy.

"My oh my, you just have one hell of an anger issue, don't you?" The child waved the patron over. "Can I have milk and grapes, please?"

The bodyguard's eyes widened almost drastically, as least by his standards. "What's your name?" He demanded, turned towards the boy and glaring in a 'don't deny me' way.

The teenager eyeballed him, love obvious in his childish yet wise stare. "Lambo. Lambo Bovino Vongola." His milk was shot down the bar towards him and he caught it smoothly in one hand, snatching the basket of grapes in the other as it slid down as a companion. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Reborn turned back to his wine, speculating the teen out of the corner of his eye. He couldn't believe it. It was impossible. There had to be an explanation… maybe, even, the kid was trying to scam him. If that was the case, the boy was going to regret coming near him.

"I just want you to know," the teen began, popping a grape down his throat in exactly the same manner Lambo once had, by sucking it into his mouth, "that I really did love you. Even when I was dying, I was thinking to myself… 'I'm gonna make it to Reborn'… Well, I guess I didn't make it that day, but I made it now." He smiled gently as he rubbed another purple delicacy between his fingertips. "I can't explain to you how it is that I'm here now or why it is that I look like this, all I can say is that… I still really do love you."

He stared at Lambo, unable to say anything, think anything, or even do anything.

The teen finished his order, gave Reborn a saucy grin that the man knew only too well, and then slid off his stool. "I promised big brother that I would give him something much better than an open roof – don't ask – so I thought I'd ask you to see him off. Remember that night I told you about the things that landed in my roof? Well, they dropped off their package and now I think Tsuna's handling more than he realizes."

He turned around, just like that, and was about to leave.

Reborn acted on instinct – he couldn't just let him walk away like that, like he planned on coming back which they both knew he wasn't – and grabbed Lambo by his arm, jerking him back instead of apart. As if that had been what the boy had wanted, he turned around in mid-lapse and faced Reborn with such a loving, warm smile on his face, it was painful to look at.

He leaned up and kissed Reborn on the lips, pressuring softly and tasting sweetly of grapes, milk, and a summer breeze. It was so difficult to believe that, just a few years ago, this child had died feet away from him. That this would have been Lambo had he lived long enough. And now, in the most physical way possible, the person who hadn't lived past five was adoring him with a kiss so firm and promising, it was inconceivable that this was the first and last time lips would meet.

Lambo pulled away reluctantly and peered up at Reborn with teary eyes. "I- goodness, I-I've really got to go now… Y-you know, there's only so long I c-can be here… Remember, g-go see b-b-big bro-other… Okay? E-even when you f-forget everything e-else, remember that…"

Before Reborn could even question the absurdity of that request, the teen had already run out of his grasp and then out of sight, the doors swinging behind him.

For a moment, he just stood there, hand outstretched and mind boggled while he remained stoic in appearance. Slowly, almost mechanically, he sat back down.

The bartender came down the counter and peered at the empty basket and glass. "Reborn," the man quivered, "who ordered this?"

Reborn looked from the aged male to the empty order and then cupped his wineglass to his mouth. He remained silent. He couldn't admit to not knowing because he knew for a fact that no one had been sitting there when he had entered, nor had anyone sat there since. He wouldn't have let anyone sit so close to him, much less sit there long enough to finish off their beverage and appetizer.

He glared at his wine, pondering why his lips were tingling and the abrupt urge to see the personification of stupidity that had once been his student… he hadn't seen him since Lambo had died.

For the first time in years, remembering the brat didn't make him bitter. No, it brought about the strangest sensation…

If he didn't know any better, he'd say he actually felt warmth swarm his heart, like love. Or something.

Author's Note: Poor, poor Lambo… no one ever remembers him.