We did it guys! We're finally on double digits! I know it's not much, but I'm surprised (and very happy!) that we actually got here! Thank you very much for your patience!

A special thank you to Raine (Guest) for sparking an idea for this chapter! I'm sorry I cannot reply to you privately, but your questions will be answered in some way as the story progresses (I hope I don't leave any unanswered!). Please bear with me!

By the way, yes. I agree that I need to 'tone down the angst'. I too, felt it was a bit repetitive heh... Sorry to everybody reading this, I will keep this in mind for the future.

So this chapter may be a little... different (hopefully in a good way!).

I hope you like it?

Chapter 10 – Little Lamb

Days turned into a week since Yamamoto's visit, and by then, Tsuna had made a remarkable recovery... according to Bianchi anyway. Somehow all his dizziness, vomiting and fever had fixed itself up while he was out- which he was thankful for. He didn't know how long he could stand the pain, and, it felt like years since he had last gotten by a day without feeling like puking, or the very least, fainting just by sitting up. Speaking of which, he didn't have much of a memory from the past few days… Perhaps he was still really out of it.

"Bianchi-san?" He called out to her, right as she dropped off his lunch tray, consisting of curry rice, a small bowl of salad and miso soup. Along with a dessert he had come to love during his stay for its sweetness and cooling effect, custard pudding. It came affordably in nearly every convenience store.

"Hm?"

For the entire week he was under her care, Bianchi barely made an effort to maintain a conversation, sharp and to the point, really only talking when she needed something such as 'how do you feel, 'do you still have that headache from nights ago?' and 'do you feel any dizziness when you sit up?'. Once she got what she need, she left. She did have other patients she needed to check up on.

It was then Tsuna also learnt of Bianchi's… inability to cook anything edible. What she did give was quite noticeably different from the usual hospital food. Normally, the food he received was slightly warm, but there were occasions where he was served piping hot dishes straight from the kitchen. Those oozed of deliciousness, and had an appetising aroma. The only thing coming out of it would be steam.

Bianchi's creations however, looked… funny. He could say they were quite creative, actually. They were visually appealing, in a way that it seemed more suited for Halloween, with the way it bubbled and flowed with a strange goo-like substance (especially her cakes). Most of the time, he even spotted a dead bug mixed somewhere in the lot (who knew what else was inside it). And they were almost always purple with dangerous looking gas radiating off of it.

Ominously, she called them, "Poison cooking."

Tsuna had learnt his lesson quite quickly after one try of her baked specialties, a 'chocolate chip cookie'. It was delicious on the first bite, despite its wicked appearances, but right after, he actually heard his stomach complain with a lurching gurgle, and immediately, he had curled into a ball in an attempt to ease the pain. To make matters worse, Bianchi had just watched with her half-lidded eyes, both hands on the tray of cookies as she towered above him, asking in a way that screamed absolutely menacing, "How is it?"

The brunette gulped with wide eyes, and even as his stomach refused, he stuffed the rest of the cookie into his mouth, "I-it's y-yummy! I-it…"at her glare he finished quickly, "could do with more time in the oven!"

She only glanced down once at the tray, gave a small hum of thought, before leaving the tray on the bedside desk, with a stern, "You better eat all of that. I took time to specially make that for you."

And she left.

I don't really want to eat anymore though… He thought glumly as he stared at the remaining ten cookies.

He didn't really think it was part of the job description to really connect with patients. Was it? It probably was optional to become more attached to patients. Who knew when their days ended?

"How long do you think I have to stay in hospital?"

Her emerald green eyes slowly moved to meet his, and really, was there ever a day Tsuna saw her smile?

No. Not even a tug on her lips to indicate any amusement.

Was he really that bad at talking to others?

As usual, she looked utterly bored with her job. She flicked her smooth hair over her shoulder, shrugging, "Who knows? Depends on Shamal really."

He glanced back down at his arms, ignoring the scarring tissue, then to his feet as he wiggled them experimentally. He seemed to be okay now, he could feel down to his toes, and even move them without much difficulty. His chest didn't hurt either.

She didn't answer his question, but he was fine with her answer. She did say something back, so that was better than all the days she hadn't entertained his curiosity.

"Okay."

The day drifted on, and even the new pile of work brought in by a classmate wasn't enough to distract him from his problem with a certain new friend.

It may have actually worsened it.

Of course, said classmate had to be Yamamoto.

The baseball ace had hastily looked away once they locked eyes as he entered the room. He looked to be about to say something, before deciding against it and shaking his head. Along with his uncharacteristic frown, Tsuna recognised those eyes, especially the emotions trapped within it.

Guilt. Uncertainty.

"Yama-"

Before he could finish anything, Yamamoto had turned and swiftly left.

See, he hates you.

He never was your friend to begin with.

Doubt filled his being, and as much as he wanted to believe the opposite and in Yamamoto's genuineness, maybe, just maybe, the voice inside him was telling bits of the truth.

"-moto."

Tsuna blinked, expression forlorn, looking back down. Then he noticed the sticky-note, stuck right at the centre of the sheets.

I'm sorry Tsuna, but please give me a bit more time. If you need any help, I'll try to help. Just call: 001-659-7803

A small smile. Maybe he was mistaken.

As Yamamoto left the room, his grip on his bag had not loosened a bit. He gritted his teeth, annoyed and most of all, disappointed with himself. He just couldn't do it. He was weak, and cowardly; unable to face Tsuna without turning his head in shame.

Damn it! The teen thought as he briskly walked home. Why can't I do anything right?

"I'm really sorry Tsuna. I just… need more time to think."

Leaving a message was the least he could do. He didn't want Tsuna to get the wrong idea. And, he wasn't ready to face the brunette… yet.

Would he ever be?

What would he even say?

Tsuna seemed to have calm down since the day he left, but would he forgive him? Was it the right choice to intervene?

Telling the truth to Reborn about his bullies would help Tsuna, right?

What if he only made matters worse?

Yamamoto didn't want to think about it.

There was no point in regretting and berating himself right now.

After all, there was nothing he could do now, but take responsibility and face the consequences of his actions, just as his old man had taught him... right? Right?

Or you could just run.

A thought slithered up to him, spitting. He stopped along the side of the road, with wide eyes.

Just as you always do.

Yamamoto later realised with a shudder. It was his own voice.

The next morning Tsuna woke, he noticed that he wasn't alone. Which normally, Tsuna would be thankful for. But...

To be frank, he wasn't entirely sure what to do in such an odd situation. With all of the many hospital rooms, what was the probability of rooming with this person?

Isn't that...?

His hair and attire was a stark contrast with the white of the hospital sheets and pillows. There was nothing weird with the way he looked, really, it was just strange that the infamous and definitely feared (yet somehow respected and idolised?) school prefect of Namimori middle school would be in hospital.

In the same room as him.

Resting right opposite him.

I don't know which one is worst, Hibari-san sleeping opposite me, or next to me. Either way, it's awkward without the curtains drawn.

Tsuna eyed the metal poles hanging above him, and followed the railing to the wall, where the sheets were bunched up.

Maybe I should close it.

He looked back at the sleeping student (he was still a student, right?), who didn't seem to have moved an inch. The brunette silently wondered if the other was truly asleep. Honestly, Hibari looked dead from how unnatural his position looked. Even his arms rested, crossed over his chest. Wasn't that usually how people in caskets rested? Not even a strand of hair looked out of place.

Who could sleep like that comfortably?

Deciding not to do anything, Tsuna stayed still, and laid back down, sighing quietly.

Moving the curtains would only draw noise, metal sheathing against metal. He shuddered, what a horrible sound it would make. Even if it were some sort of plastic, it would still create some sort of disruption. If he were to voice his thoughts, now that he thought about it; he didn't mind the atmosphere in the room.

It was quiet, almost silent, minus the world outside and the occasional rolling of carts or footsteps from beyond the sliding door. But it was different from when he was all alone.

That was painful. One of the worst kinds of torture to exist.

This time, he had someone else filling the other half of the silence.

If he listened closely, he could hear the faint breathing of the other, or a rustle when he shifted from time to time.

That was more than enough to reassure and validate for him, another presence was in the room.

And most importantly, he was not alone anymore.

A cookie later, and a loud growl echoed in the room.

Maybe I should've just thrown these away instead of eating them…

Hibari this time, was awake, and eating his share of lunch. Bianchi had come in again, dropped their trays, eyed the batch of diminishing cookies next to Tsuna, before making direct eye contact and saying, "My, I'm touched. You're actually eating them."

Wait. 'Actually'? Did she expect me to throw them away?

Tsuna only could nod through his stomach's consistent gurgling, and smile wearily.

Finally, only two left.

As Bianchi left, Tsuna noticed the clink of cutlery had eased, and lifted his head to accidentally meet his roommate's long stare. The other then shifted his gaze to look at the cookies left.

"U-um… Would you l-like a cookie?"

Hibari's cold eyes immediately snapped back to Tsuna's warm ones, before he closed them, and turned back to eating his own food, "I don't want any."

Lunch continued without any trouble, and by the time Tsuna was eating his desserts, Hibari was reading, his dishes left to the side.

Why was he in hospital? He didn't look injured, nor did he look particularly sick.

The brunette wondered, not realizing that he was openly staring, and that the prefect had paused his reading and met his curious eyes.

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them, "Why are you in hospital?"

Oh no. Tsuna mentally panicked, gaping. He had just interrupted Hibari. What was he going to do?

But to his surprise, Hibari didn't do anything, but answer, "I've got a touch of pneumonia. I've almost recovered, but I wanted to play it safe."

The shorter of the two blinked, letting out a shaky, "I-I see."

Like Nagi.

Gosh, he could still feel his heart pounding nervously, as Hibari was an unpredictable individual.

"Shall we play a game?" the senior asked casually, putting his book back down. "It's a game I make anyone who rooms with me play."

Somehow Tsuna felt a sense of forebodingness, and wisely choose not to say anything.

"The rules are simple," Hibari continued, once again getting comfortable on the bed, "If you make the slightest noise while I'm sleeping," he somehow whipped out a pair of tonfa out of nowhere and smirked, "I'll bite you to death."

The herbivore's doing it again.

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Why?

He leant back, and closed his eyes. He decided to add, just to mess with the brunette, "Just to warn you, the sound of a leaf falling is enough to wake me up."

Tsuna nearly groaned. Just what did he get himself into? He didn't even agree to play! And, perfect, there was a vase filled with roses sitting innocently by his side table.

Hibari's breathing soon evened out, and the brunette could've screamed right then and there. The game's already started!?

Sadly, he looked down at his hands. I didn't even get to eat my pudding…

Would it make too much noise to open the lid?

He could try, right?

Tsuna bit his lip, reaching for the flap. Oh gosh, didn't this packet usually make a really loud tearing sound whenever he opened it? It would, wouldn't it? No, maybe if he opened it really slowly it wouldn't wake Hibari up. Maybe this time, he'd be lucky and open it without a sound. With the spoon still between his middle and index finger, he attempted to pull open the lid.

This is a thousand times harder when you're trying to be quiet!

His breathing hitched, and he eyed Hibari apprehensively, noting there was no change in his breathing pattern.

Okay, maybe he could still do this.

He tried once more… and nearly cried out loud when the door suddenly opened. His heart nearly skipped a beat as he accidentally dropped the spoon, and he watched in terror as it fell down in slow motion-

And hit the bed with a dull thump.

He let out a shaky breathe, staring at the god-forsaken spoon that was responsible for nearly giving him a heart attack, completely forgetting the reason he had dropped the metal cutlery in the first place.

"Yo, Tsuna!"

Oh God. Never mind the spoon he dropped.

Dino stepped into the room, beaming as he waved, "Enzo says hi too!"

At first, Tsuna didn't know what was going on. All he heard was Dino coming in, saying hello, before there was some sort of flutter, and the next thing he knew, Hibari was up and standing in front of the blonde with a scowl on his face.

Dino raised an eyebrow at the sudden attack, blocked with his whip, but a cheeky smile made its way onto his face, "For someone who's hospitalized, you sure are lively."

Hibari made little humming sound, as if in thought, before lunging forward with another well-aimed swing, and Dino's eyes widened in surprise. He barely made it in time to stop the tonfa from hitting his chest, "And quick too."

Tsuna blinked at the speed of the prefect, as well as Dino's apparent experience in attacks with the way he wielded his whip, "Um… Hi… Dino-san… What are you doing here today?"

The young boss released the tonfa from his weapon, and neatly folded it back into his jacket, "I came by to visit you, isn't that obvious? Dr. Shamal told me you might be ready to leave in a few days."

Hibari, not appreciating being brushed off, swung his arm again, this time to interrupt the conversation as Dino made a quick parry, "Herbivore," he addressed Tsuna, and at his growing panic, the prefect grinned, "For waking me up and losing the game, I'll bite you to death."

"Hey, hey," before the teen could attack once more, Dino had his whip out again, somehow tied to the end of the tonfa securely, "I'd appreciate it if you didn't add any more injuries to my little brother."

'Little brother'? Is that supposed to be me?

"Eh, I hope you don't mind Tsuna," the blonde continued, once Hibari had eased his stance, "I've… never had a sibling so…" he scratched the back of his head, embarrassed, "I guess I've wanted to have someone I could call a little brother?"

Romario smiled wistfully, knowing fully well how lonely his boss had felt as a young child.

Oh.

"I-I don't mind. T-thank you?"

"Hey, you," The Chiavarone turned back to Hibari, who in bare feet, had taken another defensive stance, with his arms raised, "Fight me."

Dino acknowledged Hibari's strength and stubbornness when it came down to fighting. He was probably one of those types to insist until they got what they wanted. In his case, a good fight. But now, really wasn't the time to be fighting. He looked back at Tsuna, who seemed frozen at the sight of the gleaming, silver weapon. He spoke calmly and with authority, as if talking to another mafia don, "If I fight you, you have to promise you will not harm Tsuna."

Hibari watched the said brunette. Again. The herbivore's just staring.

Disinterestedly, he gave his answer, "Only if he does not disturb the peace of Namimori, and is not in need of disciplining." Quickly, he reversed his grip on the tonfa, and struck Dino on the shoulder, "Now fight me."

"Woah there!" Dino exclaimed, "I never said I'd fight you today."At Hibari's irritated gaze, he added hastily, "Besides, we're in a hospital. We'd be disturbing the peace if we fought here, now wouldn't we?"

Ow, that jab was shallow, but it hurt. He winced as he tried to rotate his shoulder. A lot.

Apparently satisfied with the small dash of pain he had caused, Hibari accepted Dino's reasoning and backed away, returning back to his side of the room, "You better keep your word, herbivore."

I didn't think that would work.

"Don't worry," he assured, "I will." he then turned to Tsuna, cheerily asking, "So, how has my little bro been?"

The tranquility of the afternoon soon stumbled, with a small rumble, and then the loud footsteps coming closer and closer to the room.

Tsuna expected for the horde of thumps to pass, but to his surprise, as well as Hibari's (only through his eyes opening to immediately pinpoint the disturbance), the door slammed open and obnoxious laughter followed right after.

"Gyahahaha, you'll never catch the mighty Lambo-san!" The child stuck his head out to the hallway, and with his pointing finger, pulled just below his eye with a long, "bleeeeeeeh!"

The boy didn't look any older than 10, judging from his height and voice. It wasn't the squeaky voice kids in the neighbourhood had at 5 years old, but the words he formed and his voice were clear, but most definitely immature. Tsuna was absolutely certain even most primary school children had stopped spewing such things.

It was confusing.

For a child so tall (he would probably reach his shoulder), he acted awfully childish. Unless he was one of those kids exceedingly tall for their age. From his curly, black locks and jade green irises, it wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that the boy had some western blood mixed within him.

Is this supposed to be a prank?

He briefly glanced around the room for hidden cameras. No, that couldn't be it.

That would be silly.

Tsuna just watched the strange boy, taunting someone with a playful smack of his bottom.

And that was it. This boy claiming to be 'Lambo' then shut the door quietly with care.

He turned, and when his eyes met with Tsuna's confused ones, the first thing the teen realised was the recognition, and then the growing beam on his young face.

The first thing Lambo screamed at him was, "MAMAAAA!"

The next thing he knew, the child clad in a t-shirt with cow prints was on his lap, rambling on and on about someone called 'I-pin', and then, "What's for lunch?", "We visited Yuni!" and finally, "When will you come home?"

Tsuna was stunned, and by the looks of it, Hibari too... to an extent. He glanced at the senior, and found that the prefect had not, as he had feared (from all the terrifying rumours going around) beaten the child and him to death for 'disturbing his sleep' (especially since Dino wasn't around), and instead, looked at the child with a strange look in his eyes.

The look was gone however, in an instant, and without saying a word, he closed his eyes again.

Perhaps there was nothing to comment on.

There was still another pair of feet, albeit much lighter, almost like the sound of rain, running around and a faint and higher pitched cry, "Lambo!"

"Nee, Mamaaaaa," his attention was brought back to this 'Lambo', whining on his lap, tugging on his shirt like a baby, "Lambo-san is hungry..."

"Sorry, I'm not your mo-"

"There you are Lambo!"

The door slid open with a loud bam and this time, a young girl stood at the entrance, panting. Quite a cute but upset little girl.

"Lambo!" Her call faded as she realised there were two more people- strangers looking at her and she blushed, lowering her head a little bit.

Unlike Lambo, this girl looked to be of Asian descent, black hair styled into one tail braid. Along with her Chinese-styled clothing (Tsuna wondered if it was an outfit for martial arts), she held a plastic bag of steaming... Meat buns?

She stood tall with perfect posture, but there was still this air of shyness and gentle humbleness about her. Tsuna guessed she would just about reach Lambo's chin. All in all, the impression Tsuna got was that she was a good kid.

"Nyahaha I-pin lost!"

And just like that, her previous accusing frown reappeared, "Ah!" She cried pointing a finger at said culprit, "Lambo took my meat bun!"

With lowered eyelids, he mumbled, looking away, "You know, Lambo-san doesn't know what you're talking about."

Tsuna nearly laughed, feeling an invisible tug on his cheeks. He obviously does.

"Do you need glasses?" The boy continued, still sitting on Tsuna's lap, "Lambo-san doesn't have annnny meat buns!" He made a motion, exaggerating his empty hands.

I-pin, for such a gentle and harmless looking girl, looked ready to throw a hard, solid punch at Lambo, if her tightening grip on her bag was anything to go by. "It's no fair!" She pouted, "I-pin saw Lambo eat one!"

They stared at each other, daring their opponent to back down and admit their fault.

All was quiet, and surprisingly tense for such a silly reason between the two.

All for one eaten meat bun, Tsuna thought.

Finally… one of them yielded.

"It was only one!" Lambo cried, exasperated. In a split second, as if a button had been switched, his tone suddenly turned into one of ultimate teasing, like he knew he had won the round, "I-pin left it alone on the table so it's. Your. Loss~"

He stuck his tongue out at her, but before she could interrupt he shouted, hugging Tsuna, "But the great Lambo-san found Mama first, so he wins!"

The children's bickering quieted quickly, as I-pin paused and took a moment to look closely at the teen Lambo had called 'Mama', who still hadn't a clue what was going on. She blinked, stepping closer with a scrutinising gaze, joy, and then suddenly sadness washed over her features. She couldn't look at Tsuna, "Lambo... That person is not Mama..."

The energy of the room plummeted.

Like a toy running out of battery, Lambo's actions stilled, and he turned, hesitantly to face Tsuna.

Instead of realising and scrambling away from a stranger as Tsuna had imagined him to do almost comically, the boy only stared at him, and shook his head.

He insisted.

"This is Mama!"

"No! She is not Mama!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

"Is!"

"Not!"

Their voice grew louder, and the boy looked close to crying with every shout; his voice shook as he echoed her words, "N-not Mama...?"

"M-Mama?" Lambo hugged Tsuna tightly, "No!" He shook his head, and warm droplets dampened Tsuna's shirt as he buried his face into his shoulder, "This is Mama!"

Not knowing what to do, Tsuna awkwardly patted his back, looking at I-pin. She avoided his gaze, hands brought together to hold the forgotten bag of meat buns. She too, looked conflicted about her words.

Just who is this 'Mama' of theirs?

I-pin swallowed nervously, and softly spoke, as her friend's crying faded, "Lambo?"

But the child laid unresponsive, still holding on, like a koala on a tree.

As Tsuna shifted to balance Lambo's weight on his legs, he noticed the tear marks and the frown that followed the boy, even in his dreams. It hurt to see such a pained expression on the other's face, and he thought that Lambo's smile and laughter (although they were bound to become borderline annoying at some point) were better suited for such an energetic child.

A happy smile was better than sad tears.

He patted the child's surprisingly soft hair, "He fell asleep."

Two knocks and a familiar, but muffled voice came from behind the door, "Pardon me."

Another newcomer appeared at the doorway. Hibari was vexed by all the interruptions, but Dino had made a point that it would be 'disturbing the peace', and he was a man of his word. Besides, he didn't get this kind of entertainment drama every day.

"Well, this is certainly a surprise," she waved, shutting the door gently behind her. "Hello, Tsunayoshi-kun."

"G-good afternoon, Aria-san."

She was another unfamiliar face to Hibari, another stranger to Namimori. Though, he did not feel any ill intent or threat from her, he couldn't help but feel wary with the way she looked at him. There weren't many that could unnerve him. Her deep blue eyes almost seemed bright, and held many secrets. Even with her radiant smile, he didn't feel any comfort in it.

The prefect's eyes narrowed in response to her appearance, but he made no move interrupt her from moving towards Tsuna.

"No need to be so uptight Tsunayoshi-kun!" she laughed, standing by his bed, "Oh, and I'm sorry for the trouble we have caused you," Aria turned to Hibari, "and you too, Mr. Prefect."

The lady picked up Lambo, maneuvering his arms to go around her neck, and his chin to rest on her shoulder. She huffed, pushing the sleeping kid up on her arm to keep his balance, "To think Lambo's grown this much in such a short period of time…" at Tsuna's questioning gaze, she continued, "I don't think I can carry him anymore."

"Um… Aria-san?"

"Yes?"

Tsuna was still bothered by what had happened between Lambo and I-pin, especially about his mistaken identity. It seemed that even I-pin was nearly mistaken, until she had taken a closer look. Even now, I-pin had yet to stop looking at the ground.

"Earlier, Lambo called me 'Mama'. Who…," he trailed off.

Would it be rude to ask of something personal? It would be, wouldn't it?

He shook his head, "Um, never mind."

Aria looked at Tsuna solemnly, her eyes downcast, "I'm sorry, but I don't know," she glanced down at I-pin, "Lambo and I-pin seem to know someone who looks a lot like you, and called them 'Mama'. Brown hair, brown eyes, a kind face. It seems that they haven't seen her recently."

"Ah, no, that is more than enough," he gratefully told her, "Thank you very much."

What a polite boy.

"I'm really sorry again, Tsunayoshi-kun," the sky arcobaleno smiled apologetically. "I guess we'll be taking our leave then, to let you all rest. It's been quite a busy day has it not?"

She motioned to I-pin, encouraging her softly, "I-pin, say 'bye-bye' to Tsunayoshi-kun and his friend."

The little girl fidgeted, but eventually spoke. "I am really sorry for disturbing your rest," she apologised sincerely, "I hope you forgive us."

She bowed, and Tsuna noticed her growing blush as she caught eyes with Hibari. Her onyx eyes were glued to the flood once again, and she approached the prefect with shy footsteps.

Without a word, she held out the bag, the top neatly folded to contain the heat of the steaming buns. She didn't look up, nor did she make any unnecessary movements.

Hibari stared at her, and with gentleness Tsuna had never before heard of, confirmed, "This is for me?"

I-pin nodded, and once she felt the other take the bag, she turned on her heel and disappeared out the door, her face a beet red and steaming the entire way.

Aria giggled, following I-pin, "Please excuse our interruption. Until we meet again, Tsunayoshi-kun, Hibari-san."

Well, they were in a hospital, so I decided that episode 17 would be a perfect reference for this chapter! I had a lot of fun re-watching that episode (and many others) so hopefully I'll have a better understanding of each character!

I have pushed forward the introduction of Lambo and I-pin just a bit, but I'm glad it seemed to work out!

But darn... I feel half-satisfied, but at the same time, half-unsatisfied? A lot of mixed feelings about this chapter... Maybe because I haven't really done anything with Lambo and I-pin? And since they're quite cheerful and playful, I guess I wasn't really sure how to get scenes written out haha...

Thank you very much for being patient and reading! Have a wonderful day/night!