Hearth and home
Five years old was an important age for Lambo. Five years old was when he left home for the first time, escaped from a family that never quite had enough attention for yet another overly energetic child.
Five years old was when he found his sky, shockingly, unthinkably young, but he’d always been strong for his age and Tsuna-nii had needed him, and… when it came down to it, he’d needed Tsuna-nii. Had needed somewhere, someone to call home, had needed that bond, even if most mafia brats weren’t even introduced to potential skies until they were in double digits.
Five years old was when he met Ipin. Who was playmate, and childhood friend, and common sense to his recklessness. Ipin who he might have loved, but he’d still been a teenager when he died, and he never was quick to understand his own emotions.
Now, second time around and five years old was still such an important age. Five years old was when he remembered. A jolt of lightning from a stray Raiton jutsu (Cousin Chouichi had been in so much trouble for that) and he’d woken in the hospital surrounded by the worried faces of his new family the Akimichi, and the knowledge that there was another family he needed to find.
Not that there was anything wrong with his new family. His new family were amazing. Especially when compared to the Bovino’s good natured disinterest. The Akimichi doted on him. They always had time to play with him, to explain things to him, and they always always had a treat, or sweet to spare for him. They piled his plate high with food at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and always made sure he had snacks to take with him when he went out to play. Lambo was in heaven.
It took an embarrassingly long time for him to realise they thought he was dying. Or at least very ill. He’d actually panicked for about a week after he figured that out, worried that they knew something he didn’t. Then he realised they were worried mainly because he wasn’t putting on weight, no matter how much they fed him. It certainly explained the many, many hospital visits, and the way they were always so eager to feed him. The med nins had repeatedly assured them they couldn’t find anything physically wrong, but most of the Akimichi were still pretty convinced he had some kind of life threatening metabolic disorder. He’d calmed down once he’d figured that out. He was pretty sure the reason he wasn’t putting on weight was a combination between the fact that flame actives, particularly young flame actives just burnt more energy than their civilian counterparts, and his utter inability to stay still for five minutes at a time (In his past life Ahoudera had muttered darkly about ADHD on days he’d been particularly loud). So he wasn’t actually dying, he just wasn’t likely to put on the kind of weight his clan was known for.
As a result he was unlikely to ever be able to use his clan jutsus, but that wasn’t so bad. He was already pretty awesome, and there was after all only so much awesome the world could handle, being able to use his clan jutsus would be overkill. Not that there was anything wrong with overkill, but usually that was what Hibari was for, well Hibari and Tsuna on an HDM rampage.
Anyway his new family were amazing, but they were also a little… overprotective. It had taken some pretty epic temper tantrums to get them to let him enrol his frail and sickly self in ninja academy. It wasn’t like he could just explain to them that his family from another life would probably be enrolled there too and he needed to find them. It was a little frustrating being treated like he was helpless and needed to be protected, but it was also comforting. Like the first time he’d been five, with Tsuna-nii and everyone doing their best to shield him from the worst of the fighting, and Mama Sawada looking after them all. He knew he was strong, but it was nice knowing there were people who wanted to protect and look after him anyway.
It was also, he admitted, quite nice to be able to get away with acting his apparent age. Things that an adult or teenager would get dirty looks for, got indulgent smiles when you were small and cuddly, when you demanded sweets adults laughed, told you to say please, and then gave them to you, when you were upset you could throw a really truly satisfying temper tantrum and feel better an hour later. He liked being five, and if acting it helped to prevent people getting suspicious… well that was a bonus.
Anyway ninja academy, and he’d been right, his family were there waiting for them. Ok so not all of them remembered yet, but Tsuna-nii remembered, and Lambo knew without asking that the others would follow. They always followed where Tsuna led.
Tsuna had folded him back into his sky as easily as breathing, and it had been strange, being nearly the same age as his Sky, he was still the youngest but now it was by months not years. Tsuna-nii said it was because they all died at the same time, and so their reincarnation cycles started at roughly the same time. It made as much sense as anything ever did. The important thing was that he was home, green flames intertwined with orange and he loved the Akimichi, really he did, but they couldn’t compare to this.
It didn’t take him long to track down Ipin. She didn’t remember, but that was ok, she was still herself, and he still knew how to get under her skin. It took a day for them to be best friends again, and another piece of Lambo’s life settled into place just as it should be. Yes five years old was always an important age for Lambo.