Chappie 1
Luisa Bovino is a simple woman. She is one of the top researchers in the R&D department of the Bovino famiglia and has the dream of making time travel possible. Which lead to the creation of the 10 year Bazooka, when shot by the Ten Year Bazooka, the target will switch places with their ten years later (TYL) form. This effect only lasts for 5 minutes before the current and future self switch back. (She also wants to use said method to go back to the past, punch her past self because she wanted to see to her two boy best friends -who were simping for each other- together but they DidN't AnD I ain't never seen two pretty best friends. It's always one of them gotta be ugly.) Luisa is best friends with Ottavia Accetta, a former hitwoman- one of the best- and is often found fawning over Lambo Bovino which Ottavia was tasked to take care of. The two of them were the only ones left of their quartet.
She is born in mafia, lives in the mafia, and will die in mafia. She knows this, she knows that every second of her living her life is a blessing that will eventually end. So Luisa cherishes these simple moments. Moments where Ottavia would drag her out of her lab to hang out at coffee shops in rare days where they are allowed to act like civilians, moments where Lambo would make drawings of the three of them together when Luisa shows up in his room looking as if the world was ending, moments where they would take breaks by going to park with Luisa etching the scene of Lambo playing in the sandbox -proudly showing his imitation ofa castle he says they would live in- at her mind.
She would memorize Ottavia's smile- so warm and kind- , trace the lines beside her eyes, and marvel at how the sunlight hits Ottavia so perfectly, with how it accentuates her brown hair in a messy bun which should not make her hotter than she already is and how it makes her green eyes sparkle like emerald with flecks of blue flashing. 'How beautiful' she thinks. As Luisa finishes that thought she catches sight of her blonde hair flowing freely in the wind, sees her blue eyes reflected in Ottavia's own and smiles.
As she knows this won't last. But she'll be damned if she doesn't try.
Ottavia just sighs as she sees Lusia's eyes flash green. She prepares herself in case Lusia has bitten off more than she can chew.
Lambo is three when Luisa dies. He remembers the day it happens very clearly. Lambo is not a prodigy. At the age of 2 he does not speak of chemical formulas or calculates the timing to accurately shoot the gun to get a headshot of the target in a moving vehicle in a second. But he was gifted with eidetic memory. Sometimes he thinks it is a curse.
So he remembers, remembers how his Aunt Luisa fell, remembers how her hand fell out from his, how he felt cold as the warmth from her fingers were no longer there, how she smiled as she said "I love you". He faintly registers hands pulling him away from brunette but he is frozen, he drifts in the blankness of his mind as Ottavia rages as she discovers that it is one from his famiglia, not family, never family, is to blame.
He cannot forget how his Aunt Ottavia, the only one left besides him in their perfect family, but it's not perfect anymore is it?, cries every night, blaming herself for not realizing someone might kill her beloved out of envy for her achievements, too used to the peacefulness of their life. How she screamed that day when she found him staring at Luisa's lifeless eyes, lips quirked up in a smile, how the blonde hysterically sobbed while she was digging through the pockets of Aunt Luisa's labcoat (Luisa used to hiss when Ottavia would try to clean her labcoat. "It's fine. Come on, Tavi!" she grumbled "You should get used to this already.") as she finds rings which should've been brought out and worn. But wasn't.
How Aunt Ottavia now works herself to the bone, but still smiles at him and tucks him in bed and gives him kisses as if everything is still okay.
It's not.
He remembers it all. But he just wants to forget.
But he should be grateful! He thinks of when Luisa was teaching Japanese and its customs to him and Ottavia because of her fascination to its culture. He thinks of when Ottavia would teach Luisa and him how to act innocent, how to use their unassuming physical appearance to their advantage, how to dissappear in a crowd, how to get information from rumors, everything they would need to survive in the world they live in.
But most of all, he adores the memory of when his Aunts introduced him to Flames. It was rainy day, and they were at the west wing of the mansion at a private space for the Bovino children. They were at the living room and everyone else was busy with their own work or was training. Lambo sat facing the fireplace, a good distance away as he saw the most beautiful thing in his 1 year and 7 months of life. Luisa and Ottavia sitting on the loveseat beside the fireplace, surrounded by blue flames and green lightning dancing around them.
The blue flames seemed peaceful, floating aimlessly, while the green lightning was passionate, flashing quickly around room, carefully avoiding Lambo as it means no harm. And as Lambo looks at his two aunts, he is amazed. Luisa looks at Ottavia with so much love and adoration that he wonders how it feels to be loved like that. Luisa's smile is full of warmth and trust and Ottavia is the same. Ottavia looks at Luisa as if she is a goddess and Ottavia is a devout believer, Ottavia stares at Luisa so desperately as if she is sand and will quickly dissapear.
Luisa hugs Ottavia tight, she hugs Ottavia so very tight as if to shield her from the cruel world but she knows it is foolish. Luisa holds Ottavia like she is precious, like she is important and Lambo thinks- knows Aunt Ottavia does not believe her. She holds Ottavia like someone stuck in a dessert holding water. She caresses Ottavia's face as if the world is ending.
'No.'
Lambo realizes. Herealizesthattheyholdeachotherasiftheworldhasalreadyended.
So he loves, hates, remembers, tries to forget those memories as tears fall down his face.
It all starts after her funeral. The Bovino Boss calls Lambo to his office and Ottavia is terrified. The ones escorting him quickly assures the distraught woman that it is simply about Lusia's will and that after Lambo she would also come to the office. Ottavia calms down but not before wrangling out a promise from the servants to protect Lambo. Its times like this that make Lambo's heart swell with love for his aunt so he thanks her and answer their Leader.
He does not hate the Boss. He does not like him either. He simply serves him for he is born in the famiglia and the Boss himself knows this. However, he respects him for being strong. The Bovino famiglia are not warriors. And in a world where strength is everything, he respects the Boss for making the Bovino admirable in the mafia.
Admirable. They told him his parents embodied the word. Only for an experiment gone wrong to take it all away. He was only 7 months old then. He wishes that they would still be alive but as he looks at his Aunt and at the grave of Lusia, he thanks all the saints he knows and God for letting him meet la madre and la mamma.
He arrives at the office and recieves Lusia's legacy.
He wonders what he should do. Lambo has the future in his hands -literally- in the form of a Bazooka. He could do anything with this. He can make the right choice. He won't be wrong. Lambo can protect Ottavia. And that is all he knows.
He told Ottavia of what he can do and asks of what should he do. She told him about information, how it can end and save a life.(And if he notices that she trains him on lessons for someone- a hitman- twice his age he does not say a thing.) So Lambo learns about the multiverse. He reads notes about parallel universes and about time. He trained himself to be aware of time. To count the seconds, minutes and hours of a day. He trains his body to be quick in response to his split-second decisions, he prepares himself for horrors in the possible futures, to change his expressions in a second, and to take risks to make this timeline the best timeline.
It is a year later when he uses the Bazooka. Lambo is four years old when he becomes a Hitman.
Aunt Ottavia is 30 years old and she is already tired and weary. Aunt Lusia should be 29 as well. In the past year Lambo has not used the Bazooka for he is scared of what he will see. But he knows he can't avoid it forever. He stands in front of a mirror, sees a scared child, aims and fires.
Pink smoke fills his sight.Five minutes.
He spots enemies and his TYL!Aunt. He doesn't even blink. He discharges Lightning and protects his family. Lambo brings out knives in his afro and aims for vital areas of the human body (He was trained to have accurate aim). The surrounding men immediately fall down and he looks at Ottavia.
Ottavia is okay. Ten years in the future and Ottavia is still alive. Although, Lambo wonders 'Why is la madre crying?' He glances down at his feet and sees blood.There is blood on his hands. Why is she crying? Lambo is a Hitman. Sooner or later he will have to take a life. Ottavia is not moving, eyes stuck staring at him with horrified realization, he looks around and sees bodies laying on the ground not moving as well.
He sees Lusia on the floor.Fourminutes.
Lambo finds a yellow note beside him stained with blood, it tells of an Assassination attempt on his Aunt Ottavia, tells about how he killed the assassin and how his potential was seen. It speaks of being the Bovino's lapdog because he did not use the Bazooka to know the consequences of his decision. It tells of his future self's ideas to not get chained down to the famiglia.
It tells tales of the World's Greatest Hitman. Reborn.
The Bazooka makes him important in the mafia. Makes him be wanted in each and every famiglia. Even Reborn would be curious about it. So TYL!Lambo tells current Lambo of his plans to do assassination attempts to the Number 1. Hitman (A cover for his real plan). Reborn's fame goes so far and wide that every mafioso and mafiosa in his range is guaranteed a bloody death. But he won't because he (is Lambo-sama!) has the Time Travelling Bazooka and it is Aunt Luisa's legacy so if Reborn wants to take it away from him, Lambo protect it with his LiFe. Even gods will not be exempt from his rage.
2 minuteshavepassed. Thanks to his memory he processed the words on the note quickly.
The blonde is still. Lambo approaches Ottavia, beams at her and says, "Thankyou for everything". For between the lines in the notes he can see the Bovino's attempts of manipulation (it was one of his first lessons from the hitwoman) and could already see his Aunt's actions to protect him.
Ottavia moves her shaking hands to pull him in an embrace, and kisses his forehead as if saying sorry. So he distracts her, rambles about his day while watching out for enemies. Lambo watches the tension from Ottavia's shoulder dissapper. And remains alert in case TYL!Lambo still has not finished defending his aunt in the past because just because everything is okay in this timeline doesn't mean everything would be fine in his.
10secondsleft. Lambo hugs his mother goodbye and fades in pink smoke.
He opens his eyes to see a masaccre.
The child tells the Boss and Ottavia of what he wants to do when the two of them are summoned in the office. The Boss agrees because it would mean protection from the Vongola for the Bovino and the Bazooka and Ottavia agrees because it would make him safe. The mafia already has set their eyes on the Famiglia. Lambo prepares himself for one year of training.
As he made that decision, he uses the bazooka once more.
He arrives alone in a room and feels Harmony. He feels the tranquil Rain, the eager Storm, the drifting Cloud, an exuberant Sun, two mischievous Mists, and the accepting Sky. And he stays quiet, savoring this precious moment.
He comes back with unwavering Determination to go to Reborn.
Lambo is five years old when he searches for acceptance. (And he finds everything he could ask for and more)
He wakes up in a plane to Japan with tears running down his face which prompted the attendants to comfort him.
But he does not notice for he remembers a memory.
(Aunt Luisa is with him, sipping hot chocolate on a late night while telling stories of brave and valiant heroes and cowardly villains, the two of them cuddling in a loveseat near the window. Lambo tells her he wants to be a hero, but he is scared of dragons and ogres so he cannot be one. The brunette looks at him eyes warm and so fond and tells him "Lambo. You don't need to fight monsters to be a hero.The cowardly can be heroes too, you know? You being yourself is already enough. When you go against a fearsome monster what would you do?"
He who is young, brash, and passionate says "Fight it!". Aunt Luisa chuckles and attentively pats his head. "No, bambino. You run." He is shell shocked. Why would he run? "Run?! But that's so lame!" She smirks as if his answer was expected. "Well, it is kinda lame. But you know what? Your Aunt Tavi and I would prefer you to be safe than to see you fighta monster so big and strong. Surviving is great and mighty too! You can always come back and show it who's boss. Besides heroes don't always have good endings." At this she becomes dazed, eyes looking at the horizon at the window, with lips pulled up in a bitter smile. As Lambo thinks of their conversation he thinks that is okay to be a coward. (He doesn't want to Die after all.)
So he calls himself Lambo-sama because he knows he is precious, one of a kind and is Loved. He obsesses over grape candy because Aunt Lusia would always give him one or more when he has a bad day. He pulls tantrums because he wants to be seen, he does not want to be forgotten. And he acts childish, spoiled and naive because he is not at Italy, and because Aunt Ottavia told him to enjoy his chance to have a normal childhood. He wants to be ignorant.
But still, he uses the Bazooka. Because he is scared of what will happen and he is a Lightning. To draw damage to himself and away from the rest of the Famiglia, serving as a lightning rod is his purpose. He will do anything to keep his Family safe. Even if they do not know what he has done, been doing, will do for them. He is selfish, so he won't let them go yet.
So when he reaches Namimori, everyone assumes that he is naive. That assume that Lambo is childish and annoying. But that's okay. It easy to pretend who you are if you don't know who you were in the first place.
It helps that he met Reborn in a bar while he was wearing his ignorant mask. No one suspects children after all.
Except the Arcobaleno, they're just different.
He sits on a tree branch facing Sawada Tsunayoshi's/Vongola Decimo's room, aims and predictably does not hit Reborn. He knows this, but he is still dissapointed. Something is rushing towards him, he was too stunned to react as he had a glimpse of Reborn's eyes (Dark, it was so dark that he wonders if this is how it feels to stare atanabyss) and could not move his body as it consciously tensed up in a presence of a predator.
Lambo falls from above and meets his Sky's Family.
Lambo introduces himself as Lambo-sama, takes Tsuna as his minion, and annoys Reborn because why not? And as he eats dinner with his Family he knows he is content and satisfied.
Lambo-sama loves Maman! She gives hugs and kisses just like Aunt Ottavia (I miss Aunt Tavi) and even tucks him in bed while telling stories. Lambo-sama will protect Maman because Dame-Tsuna is too weak and when you are the Boss of the Famiglia you need to be strong. And since Lambo-sama is a hitman, Lambo-sama will take care of Maman, Kyoko-nee, Haru-nee, and Hana-nee who are civilians. Lambo-sama will protect Ipin and Fuuta-nii because he is strong enough! (I hope that I was enough in the first place.)
Because Dame-Tsuna is busy with Ahodera and Take-nii, Hibari-niisan with beating yakuza and other mafiaso up with the men with funny hair, Mukuro and Chrome-nee with training, and Ryohei-nii with being extreme! Lambo-sama will not annoy them too much. Bianchi-nee is very strong so Lambo-sama knows that he does not need to worry about Bianchi. And when the house is this chaotic it is easy for Lambo-sama to slip away, kill future enemies, solve problems he can solve and act as if everything is Fine.
He remembers moments where he would go to a hopeless future, and the reason his family does not think he is dead Ten Years Later is because Time itself or the Trinisette sends another TYL!Lambo in Dead!TYL!Lambo's place. He remembers frantically memorizing notes that TYL!Lambo would leave around so he could immediately fix the problem (even if he needs to wait years for the roots of the problem to appear) and make plans to prevent it from happening ever again in the future. He records important dates, even those that lead to events not related to his Famiglia/Family (Lambo knows that there is no diferrence between them now, that family and Famiglia are the same).
He avoids attention when they ask what he has seen in the future with tantrums and breaks down far away from Reborn's prying eyes if it all become too much. Sometimes Tsuna looks at him as if he can't figure Lambo out (Tsunayoshi is still young, so the world prevents him to See why his Lightning is suffering) so Lambo whines and screams to make Tsuna think wrong.
But he cannot do this forever. It is after the Inheritance Arc (Lambo writes down the events that happened ever since Reborn came because it all starts on the day he and Tsuna had met, Lambo calls it Pre-Reborn and laughs hysterically) that Lambo slips up.
Hewishesthathedidn't.