Chapter 38: The Sky Pacifier and Mare Ring

Chapter 38

The Sky Pacifier and Mare Ring

A day without sunshine is like, you know, night. - Steve Martin

You know what your problem is, it's that you haven't seen enough movies - all of life's riddles are answered in the movies. - Steve Martin

Today's Reviewer Quote

America is the land of the white ladies. The women have overturned the men and have finally made their own kingdom in America. And now, Yuni will be headed there to take over it all. QUEEN OF THE KINGDOM OF WHITE LADIES. MUAHAHAHAHAHA- *cough cough* *splutters* *hacks up a lung* - NAO-chan33

I told Bermuda what color hair Kawahira had (white-ish), in exchange for transport to Florence through his warp tunnel/portal things. Oh, and I told him he was a fucking bastard for keeping Mukuro. He ignored that comment. Bitch.

Warping was probably the weirdest feeling I have ever had. Ever.

I was being stretched and pulled every which way, poked and prodded, squished and squeezed, yet not. It was pretty intense, and kind of hard to put into words.

Bermuda fulfilled his half of the bargain alright. By dumping me in the middle of the road.

A Mack truck went barreling by as I threw myself off to the side, narrowly missing a decked-out Mercedez-Benz. Okay, it's official. I hate Bermuda more than I previously had.

"Alright." I stood, dusting myself (still in snow-apparel. I was so in-style. Wearing a giant coat and snowpants during fall in Florence. Genius, Yuni, genius.) off. "Next step in the plan. Find Tsuna."

My phone - not to be mistaken as Yei's - rang seconds after that. I spent a moment cursing and trying to find it - it was inside the pocket of my regular pants, under the snowpants.

"Greetings, the great and powerful Yuni-sama speaking. You may now proceed to worship the very ground I walk upon."

"Yuni-chan! You're still alive!"

It was Tsuna. Speak of the fucking devil. Except Tsuna was far too sexy to be a devil. Unless it was one of those sexy devils. Mmmm.

"No shit, Sherlock."

"Sherlock...Homies?"

"Holmes, dipshit."

"I NEVER READ THAT BOOK."

"Too bad. So you rang me?"

"Oh yeah. You know how you went missing?"

"Mmm."

"And how you told me that you were headed for 'La Dame Blanche'?"

"I'm shocked you still remember it."

"H-Hey! Anyways, I asked Gokudera-kun-"

"I don't care. Unless the story includes Hibari-sama, of course. And Mukuro, too."

"-what that meant in French-"

"Even though I already told you, you racist, stereotypical bastard."

"-and he told me it was 'The White Lady', another name for Monte Bianco, the giant mountain up north."

"I already told Lal about this. You could've just asked her."

"L-Lal Mirch-san? S-SHE WOULD'VE KILLED ME."

"She's nice, you twerp."

"Nice...? Sure."

"Glad you agreed."

"I-I was being sarcastic!"

"You failed."

"B-But-"

"Anyways, I'm not even near the French border anymore, Tsunayoshi-chan."

"I knew it- wait, what? You can't travel that far so fast!"

"I got some...old, really old, friend, I guess, to help me."

"No one can travel that far!"

"Tell that to Bermuda von Veckenschtein."

"Who is...Bermuda von Vecken...what?"

"Forget it."

"What?"

"Good job. Can you help me find someone?"

"Who?"

"The Cervello, if you wouldn't mind."

"...meet me at the usual place, and we'll talk."

"Thanks...and you sounded like a drug dealer."

"Wha-"

"But being a mafia boss, I guess, is a much better deal. Luv ya, dearest~"

"Oh shut up."

I ran (like twelve blocks. I was friggin' tired.) to the 'usual place': a small coffee shop that made the best vanilla bean on this side of the universe. Tsuna didn't care much for coffee, much rather preferring the simple, tradition jade tea, but...bitch please, their vanilla bean would've converted Byakuran to the good side.

I glanced up at the sky, thoughts shifting to the future. Speaking of Byakuran...that ought to be coming up soon, right?

Mao answered, dutifully. After Aria...passes.

I sighed, eyes flickering back to the ground, as I walked the last few streets to the shop. Isn't there a way I could possibly prevent her death, Mao?

She hesitated, probably thinking it over. No...because you require the Sky Pacifier. I understand that you want to save the lives of as many people as possible, like Gamma, Timoteo-san and his Guardians, and possibly the Arcobaleno, but-

I know. I don't like it, but I know where my duties as the Sky end and where my duties as a human being begin.

I sat down in the coffee shop, waiting for Tsuna. If he was going to drag me out here, he was paying for it.

A tall-ish shadow fell across my table. I blinked, believing Tsuna to have arrived. A girl, wearing a mask, with long pink hair and tan skin loomed over me, two girls who looked exactly like her standing behind. "Are you Yuni of the Sky, Tenth Boss of the Giglio Nero, Future Sky Arcobaleno and the Princess of Knowing?"

I swallowed, unsurely. "Depends who's asking."

"The Cervello are asking." the girl reiterated, patiently. "So who are you?"

I tensed. "Yuni of the Sky, Tenth Boss of the Giglio Nero, Future Sky Arcobaleno and the Princess of Knowing?"

"Do you have a form of identification, to prove your identity?" she asked, blunt, but politely.

"I have my tattoo." I offered, and the girl's gaze flickered to my cheek, where the bright orange Giglio Nero insignia was displayed. "And my Cloud Mare Ring."

"Please hold up your Mare Ring."

I did.

The Cervello girl inspected it. "This is the real Mare Ring." she announced. "Yuni of the Sky, Tenth Boss of the Giglio Nero, Sky Arcobaleno and the Princess of Knowing. Please follow me outside."

I did, obediently, but my hand gripped a gun inside my bag, nervously. If this was going to turn into a mafia fight, I would have to just shoot and hope I hit. I had no other battle skills. I would die.

I prayed for Tsuna to arrive soon and realize I was missing.

A little thing that I happened to notice was that she called me 'Sky Arcobaleno', not 'Future Sky Arcobaleno'.

We walked until we arrived at an open park. It was almost empty, considering how it had randomly decided to begin raining, but we had kept going. There were a few strangers walking around with umbrellas.

The center Cervello girl held yet another wooden box. She handed it to me. "The Cervello offer their condolences in a time of loss."

'Time of loss'? 'Sky Arcobaleno'? What's going on-

I paled, realizing just what was inside the box. "I-Is this...?"

I didn't have the strength to finish the sentence, managing only to open the box with shaking hands.

Sitting upon a bed of satin, was the Sky Pacifier on its silk ribbon and the Sky Mare Ring.

The Cervello girl gingerly lifted out the Pacifier and hung it on my neck, and placed the Ring onto my finger, beside the Cloud Ring, as I stood, frozen.

Pacifier...Ring... my mind lulled, trying to connect the dots where there were none. "What...?" my mouth was dry, feeling like sandpaper. I swallowed, trying to calm myself down. "What happened to the...to the past Sky Arcobaleno, Aria?"

"She has passed on." the girl said, emotionless. "The Cervello offer their condolences in a time of loss."

I took a deep breath, don't cry.

I took another, it's all your fault, but don't cry.

And another. Don't cry or you will have been weak.

And another. Don't cry or you will have failed worse than you already have.

And another. Don't cry, Yuni.

Don't.

Aria was dead. I had known it was coming and done nothing to stop it. Nothing. Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing. I killed my mother. I killed her.I killed her. I killed her.

I clutched at my head, the pounding inside echoing, as if it was inside a giant hall.

I killed her.

The Pacifier that hung around my neck felt like it was going to burn right through my chest, glowing with power.

She's dead.

It seemed accusing, as if it was telling me off for killing it's former owner.

Everything seemed accusing suddenly. The glowing Pacifier that burned my neck, the Ring that glinted on my finger, the Cervello's eyes, behind those masks, the sun hidden behind the rain that was pouring, the storm that roared, the lightning that flashed, the clouds that were so dark and angry and the sky, all grey and furious.

It was all my fault.

"Hey, that girl...is she alright?" someone faintly said, in the background on my mind, but I didn't recognize it.

I killed her. I killed her. Ikilledher. I did nothing.

"She's hyperventilating!" the same voice cried, surprised, and I could feel the presence of people around me.

Go away. Don't touch me. I'm vermin. I'm scum. I don't deserve people who treat me kindly.

I was guilty.

Everything around me was real, and up until now, I hadn't been treating it like it was real. I told myself, everyday, 'today, I'll do something to make the world of KHR! better', but I had done nothing.

Aria's death, the death of so many under Byakuran already, Genkishi's betrayal...could that all have been prevented?

All of it...it never had to happen.

I tried to calm myself down.

Think of good things, Yuni. Think of cats. Babies. Alphonse Elric-sama.

Keep going, Yuni, keep going.

Hibari-sama. Mukuro. Tsunayoshi-chan. Google Chrome-san. Ryohei's EXTREME-NESS. Yamamoto-san's smile. Gokudera-san's explosions. Lambo-san's obnoxious laugh. I-Pin's badass ramen. Fuuta-kun's ranking. Hot chocolate. Nana's cooking. Reborn's sideburns.

Come on, Yuni, let's go.

Squ-chan's VOII!. Lussuria's sense of style. Bel's sense of style (shiver), no, forget that. Levi-hentai's moustache- FORGET, FORGET. Xanxan's perfect aim.

Think, Yuni, think!

Gamma's balls (heheheh). Nosaru's cheeze-fetish. Tazaru's quietness.

Anything else, Yuni? Anything?

Fran.

I eventually calmed myself. Apparently, I had began hyperventilating and then un-hyperventilated. I think that was pretty impressive.

The Cervello were still there, standing silently off to the side, and observing.

I walked over to them, as tall as I could. This was the next part of the plan. I pressed the Sky Mare Ring into the center girl's palm. "Give this to the leader of the Gesso Famiglia, please."

Surprisingly, she couldn't mask her shock. "B-But-"

I smiled, as warmly as I could. "Consider it a request of the Tenth Boss of the Giglio Nero, would you? And make up some sort of badass prophesy to go with it, alright? I just love those."

She nodded, unsure of what to do. "Yes, m'lady."

I beamed. "Its just Yuni...? What's your name?"

"Sentinel 9574." she recited, from memory.

"That name sucks." I deadpanned. "You are hereby Christian-ed, or Buddhist-ed or whatever 'Arisa Horigome'."

'Arisa Horigome' nodded. "Yes, m'lady."

"Now shoo." I made a gesturing motion.

'Arisa' and her pimp friends nodded, jumping up and disappearing into the trees.

I sighed, stressfully rubbing my forehead. I had to learn how to do that.

Hey, we weren't fated to meet by chance

I probably happened

to be the last place

You took refuge in

Still, that was the beginning of the inevitable

The buried shards of memories from the past

Unable to fade away even yet

I still remember without change, even now

Someday it will

all be connected... and never disappear...

During a rusted era like this

I'll always be praying from here

Hoping that this will be the end

That all things tormenting you

will come to an end soon...

Hey, the radiant, vexed eternity of the day

when we promised each other

Was actually more distorted than anything else

I knew from the beginning that

I want to focus on tomorrow more than anyone

Though I know that walking forward means bearing a cross on my back

Before something begins to break quietly

I held on tightly so I won't let go

Someday everything will

overlap... hoping I can feel that way...

In a rusted scenery like this

Everyone searches for a radiance forever

Hoping to be proud tomorrow

That all things that will make you happy

will be close to me...

During a rusted era like this

I'll always be praying from here

Hoping that this will be the end

That all things tormenting you

will come to an end soon...

-Last Cross

I had another cab pick me up. Thankfully, it wasn't anyone I knew, so I had them drop me off at the corner of Setsuna and Kioku streets.

I started crying, again, on the way home, but I wiped them away with my shirt sleeve, plastering a big, fake smile on my face.

I know this sounds cheesy, Yuni-chan, but always smile, please? It reassures everyone to have their little ball of sunshine bright, you know.

I'd try, Mama. I'd do my very best.

Inside the Giglio Nero compound, there was complete silence, aside from the sounds of the few who brushed away tears.

Gamma was still away, on his mission, but I knew he'd return soon. Tazaru apologetically handed me the Giglio Nero boss' uniform, with that awful marshmallow hat and the matching cape, with the white robes. I was only twelve and already looked like a Jedi Knight, dressed in all white.

That's my new title, everyone. I thought, miserably. Better than the twelve-year-old mafia boss.

I tugged on the clothes, reluctantly. The only ups, I thought, to being a mafia boss was the sudden access to tons of information...information that I either knew, or could have easily figured out by hacking into the other systems.

I crept, silently, into Aria's now empty room. I stood, in the shadows beside an open window, staring at the bed. My sleeve was sopping wet with my tears, but no one noticed, or had commented.

Mao?

...yes?

Did you not want her to die?

No one likes death, Yuni.

You really didn't answer my question.

No, Yuni, I did not want to see her die.

We didn't see her die.

I didn't want her to die. Happy?

No. I haven't been, for a while now.

Since your blowup with the Fran boy?

Yeah...I bet that if we weren't extremely pissed at each other, then right now, he would be standing beside me, just as blank, or even more so, because he's always been really good at things like that.

I figured.

And then, he would've snarked something about how tons of people had lost their mothers before, and that I was nothing new.

What would happen after that?

I would've found a fork and stabbed him with it.

Sounds just like something you might do.

Yeah...I wish...I wish a lot of things, Mao.

As do I, and any other human being on the planet.

I regret a lot of things too.

Everyone has regretted or will regret or do regret something, Yuni.

One of the things I regret is not apologizing right.

I...regret never telling the one who I loved sooner than I did.

What ever happened to him?

He died.

I'm sorry.

I...I'm sorry too.

For Aria, or for that guy you liked?

For both, Yuni. For both.

Thank you.

Out of all the people among my friends and acquaintances who had apologized, I think that only Mao had meant it the most.

Tsuna called me a little after that. "Yuni-chan! I heard that you-"

"Met the Cervello."

"...alright. And that your-"

"Mom died."

"...sorry. And that-"

"Gamma is away and I'm all alone and the fucking boss of the fucking Arcobaleno and the Giglio Nero."

"...yeah."

"Bye, Tsuna."

"W-What did I-"

"Goodbye, Tsuna."

I hung up, a little more upset than I was.

Tsuna had been ditched earlier, so I guessed that I at least owed him an apology, but I didn't apologize to him over the phone and he didn't seem angry, so...

But he had, unthinkingly, brought up the topic of my mother's death, and just completely breezed over it, like it was no big deal!

Like my mistake was no big deal.

Like my mother's death was no big deal.

Tears burst out from my eyes, unsuspectingly, rising to the surface and spilling everywhere. It was a big deal! It was, and I had basically been the entire reason that that had happened.

No. No. No. No. No. No. No.

Life, I decided, wasn't fair. It wasn't fair to the mafia. It wasn't fair to the good. Or the bad. Nothing was really what it was meant to be. Nothing was really what it appeared to be.

Gamma returned, hours later. Genkishi quietly explained the events to him. Gamma's eyes widened in horror and shock, as he stared, slackjawed, at the empty bed, with the turned down sheets.

The moon had risen high in the sky, and the light that had previously been in front of me now rested directly upon me, singling me out. Tears sparkled upon my face, as I just stood there, letting them fall, my expression one of utter pain and contempt.

Gamma crossed the room in two steps and hugged me to him, but I didn't move, or embrace him back.

I was too busy surrounding myself with self-pity to even spare him with a thought.

.

.

.

.

.

I'm searching for the the map of the future in the center of the intersection. I believed in dreams always coming true on the other side of the sky!

Jump! is one of my more favorite songs by the KHR! people. It rocks awesome-ly.

Reviews!

coldgazeproduction - I don't know why I make so many Lion King references. I just love that movie. *shrug*

akuma-chan25300 - I think I have a plan.

Aquamarine Lacus - I think I have a plan...AND IT WILL WORK.

SophieQueenOfTheWorld - Will do, ma'am, will do.

Rd - Long wait will take forever and I don't like having really, really long chapters.

catrinebatrine - The Titanic jokes? Really? Have we really sunk to that level?

CrimsonSkyTamer - I'm prodigious. *shrug*

Paigecat - I asked...just to screw you over. Alphonse, return! ...dammit, why can't FMA work like Pokemon?!

CuteDork - Glad to know your heart is warm and toasty.

shirokuromokona - Don't cry, shirokuromokona-dear!

Furionknight - So do I, my friend in shining armour. So. Do. I.

CC - BURN THOSE MARSHMELLOWS.

Autore Raita - Now, Aria has passed away. *moment of silence*

icecream flies - Insanity?! *sobs*

Asumi Ayumi - Thanks :3 My japanese person and I got the better part of an essay written and typed. *shrug* prodigiousness at its best, I suppose.

NAO-chan33 - Aria just died, plotwise. And Mukuro doesn't lie about his shitting tube. *shakes head*

Vanessa Celestine Blanchette - I'm glad to know you like my website :3 I spent like...an hour figuring out weebly. -.- Yuni's first word...I'm so proud.

MeWubFranxx - Thanks for the TACOSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

RikiRenaH42 - Laziness affects all of us...you stand not alone *bows*

ResyaAfhirsa - Thanks for your suggestions :D I LOVED THEM. And the Reviewer Quote thing is just hilarious things that my reviewers have said that I found awesome, and had to share it with the rest of the world because it was so awesome to the extreme.

MeLikesROFL - Thanks for the correct number of S's. *sobs* YOU ARE MY NEW BFF.

Lanaught - Pi day was extremely hilarious. People were wearing I (image of pie) 3.14 shirts. I loved it. We're so nerdy. XD

FreeWeirdGal - I'm always craving Mexican. *shrug* it's in the blood.

The Ice Sorceress - She didn't fool the Vindice. The Vindice-man who she met at the door recognized the name of Checker Face, and the Hell Rings, and immediately took her to his leader, Bermuda. And she didn't fool Bermuda either. He knows that she knows a lot, but he doesn't know why. There is NO WAY that Yuni's that awesome. She may be prodigious, but that's pushing it.

Khorale - Maybe Mao is the real Yuni...maybe not. AGKHJGKE MWAHAHAHAH Kufufufu~

Sachikothepeacock - I'm glad you liked it :D

Pailrose - *shrug* I just know all those Japanese people in my veelage. (sayin' village just ain't enough, anymore).

Hisawa Kana - Mao-chan? I can't give up details about her! Maybe next chapter...

QUESTION:

What's your favorite TV show? EVER?

Leave a review :D

And Stitch from Lilo and Stitch.

And peanutbutter. Yum.

Expect an update sometime this weekend, probably :D

LeoInuyuka