Colors of the Rainbow
Summary. Because Lambo attracts the Arcobaleno like moths to a flame. Six times Lambo was loved, and the one time he loved back. ArcobalenoxLambo.
Rating. PG-13
Warnings. For this chapter: ghosts, Italian researched areas, some spoilers for Inheritance & Future Arcs.
Pairings. ArcobalenoxLambo; AriaxLambo.
Disclaimer. KHR! belongs to Akira Amano
A/N. the idea would simply not leave me alone D:
Lambo had very fond memories of a woman with black hair and a strange mark on her cheek that would sometimes play with him when she visited Tsuna's house. She had the patience of Mama and a willingness to play with a five-year old that he had only found in Rauji, who was now gone. She didn't come around often though, but whenever she did appear she'd bring gifts and toys and candy for Lambo and I-Pin and Lambo liked her very much.
One day she stopped coming. Several weeks and months passed, and Lambo eventually had to ask,
"What happened to the nice lady with the strange mark?"
It took Tsuna a moment to realize whom Lambo was talking about, and when he did, a shadow seemed to cross over his face, as his eyes spoke of a wisdom beyond his years. The moment soon passed though, as Gokudera came barrelling through the front door, Yamamoto hot on his heels.
Lambo wouldn't find out what happened to the nice lady until many years later, when he met a child named Uni who was head of the Giglio Nero Family and seeking an alliance with his Boss. Once Lambo managed to connect the dots and realized what no one had ever bothered to tell him, he asked for the afternoon off. The reactions of his fellow Guardian's to the news ranged from sneers to dull, envious smiles. They thought he was going to simply waste his afternoon fooling around with the girl's of the town.
The teenager did go to the small town which was near the mansion, but he didn't seek out the company of any of his lady friends, as Gokudera called them. Instead, he spent the afternoon going through every single flower shop of the town. By the time he was done the once-blue sky was painted in a plethora of oranges, pinks and reds.
Lambo went back to the mansion and then ordered a car bound for the Reggio Calabria cemetery. The drivers all groaned at having to go so far, so late for a teenager and going to a cemetery so close to nightfall, but Lambo was firm. Finally, one of the younger drivers, Pietro, agreed to take him, so long as he didn't have to actually go into the damn place. Lambo agreed, and off they went.
As they left the mansion and passed through the town, Lambo slowly felt a sense of guilt creeping up. He was also mad, though. Mad at Tsuna, at Gokudera, at Yamamoto, at Reborn, just- all of them. Because they hadn't even bothered to tell him that someone who was actually dear to him had died.
And yet…and yet, if he were to be honest, he was mostly angry at himself and feeling guilty for not pushing the questions more, for not realizing that something was decidedly off about that woman's sudden disappearance from his life.
Finally, the car arrived outside the imposing gates of the cemetery. The sky was becoming gradually darker now and Pietro shivered slightly as he opened the door for the teen. The driver turned to his passenger,
"Are you sure you want to go in there?"
Lambo was also beginning to ask himself the same question, but he'd made up his mind to correct his ignorance and he wasn't going to back down now. As he began to walk through the cemetery however, shortly after being greeted by the dark and sulking manager (who could have very well been a corpse himself), he began to seriously reconsider his decision.
Although the dead were his only company, Lambo was sure that he heard footsteps behind him. A few more minutes into his walk, and a chilly breeze which came from nowhere forced him to tighten his hold on his flimsy jacket, looking around in fear. The marble walls of the vaults, filled with good wishes from the families of the deceased, were beginning to look ominous as the sun continued its descent in the distance and shadows played tricks with the young Bovino's eyes. Lambo gulped.
Finally, finally, Lambo reached the vault he was after. The Giglio Nero was not the most prosperous of Mafia families, but they were well-off enough to have an imposing resting place for those of them who had moved on. Of the inscriptions outside the vault, Lambo zeroed in on one: Aria. The flowers next to her name had been freshly changed, probably by her daughter or one of her men. Indeed, the entire outline of the transcription plus the vault itself was decorated with flowers. Lambo's modest bouquet paled in comparison, and he blushed, but he shook his head and placed it next to the others.
His contribution, at least, was the only one that consisted solely of orange flowers. And these were not limited to one kind – Lambo had bought hibiscuses, daffodils, buttercups, azaleas – any kind of orange flower he had managed to find for the money he carried in his pockets.
Lambo set his own gift next to the others, standing before the vault and her name once more. He bowed his head slightly, mentally thanking her for all those times as a child she would play with him, and apologizing for how long it took for him to visit her.
What happened next, Lambo is still not sure of. All he knows is that, at some point during his mental monologue, he had closed his eyes. And then, the next thing he knew, a warm pair of what could only be lips pressed against his own firmly. Lambo immediately jumped back, falling over and wincing in pain. But when he opened his eyes, sputtering, he realized there was no one there. He looked left and right, but still he couldn't find anyone, there were no tell-tale sounds of someone rushing away. The cemetery was peaceful and quiet as ever - no one had been there. Then he looked back at the vault, and the grave marker, and her name.
Aria.
Lambo paled.
It wasn't possible, right? It just…couldn't be, no?
His cheeks, which had lost their color abruptly, reddened. The cow-loving teen then rushed back the way he had come. He noticed, as he ambled his way through the graveyard, that the ominous feeling from before was gone - instead he felt an almost calming, warm presence guiding him back. The familiarity of the presence only served to heighten his nerves, however, and he quickened his step in earnest.
By the time he got back to Pietro and the car, his blush was still strong. When Pietro asked him what was wrong, Lambo didn't say anything, shaking his head and telling him to drive.
After all, who'd ever believe Lambo even if he told them the truth - that his first kiss was stolen by a ghost?
A/N. totally not what i originally intended this to be. the idea struck me about halfway and i ran with it. anyway, onto some interesting, geeky, tl;dr info:
- although the region/island of Sicily is usually more associated with the Mafia, nowadays the most prominent Mafia is located in the region of Calabria, and it's my headcannon for the current location of the Vongola Italian HQ.
- as a result of the above, i used the Reggio Calabria cemetery. if this isn't in the correct area, then it means i need to do my research better OTL
- i think it's like this in Italian cemetries, but i'm not sure: there's certain family vaults for those prominent, and their ashes/coffins are all in one big place, with multiple names on the grave markers shown outside the vault. feel free to correct me here!
- timeline explanantion, for anyone interested: post-Future Arc and post-Inheritance Arc, Aria does die of illness but Uni is still alive because it's the past.
- Pietro is a cool name. yeah. the Vongola have personal drivers. more headcannon fun.
this was actually kind of fun. Lambo is weird in this chapter, though, methinks, possibly because the entire thing is so bizarre. i kind of like it though, but characterization tips are always welcome.
um. yeah /slinks of to figure out A Look Through Glass and other pending fics.
this will have a continuation…someday. um. long A/N is long. apologies.