Chapter 47: Leonardo Lippi

Chapter 47

Leonardo Lippi

I updated twice today, so if you haven't read Chapter 47, go read it now.

Weeks passed, and nothing of interest happened.

The daily reports came and went, about how Nosaru and Tazaru were healed and how Gamma was going to investigate himself.

I knew what was coming, I just didn't like waiting.

"Yuni-sama!" the same soldier who had come in last time, pushed open my door. "Gamma-taichou, the leader of the Third Squad, from Black Spell has been defeated!"

I swallowed. Gamma, don't be hurt. All I can do is watch from here, but that doesn't mean I'm not with you. "Who has defeated him?"

"The Strongest Guardian of Vongola Decimo: Hibari Kyoya!"

Hibari-sama...of course it was him. The strongest, the best, the one I idolize.

"Gamma has recovered enough to report how Vongola Decimo had reappeared; Vongola Decimo and his Guardians have come from the past, bearing the Vongola Rings." the soldier explained, briefly.

"Bring me a detailed report." I commanded, one of the first orders I had ever given from my own free will. Byakuran was now occupied with his new...assistant, Leonardo Lippi, to deal with me. "I shall go see Byakuran."

"I shall accompany you." the soldier bowed, slightly.

"No need." I dismissed him. "Do not follow me."

Guess who I ran into in the hall?

Alphonse Elric.

Okay, that was a lie, I am not worthy to see one as amazing as Alphonse-sama, but I did see someone who I had not seen in a very long time.

Rokudo Mukuro.

He was disguised, of course, as Leonardo Lippi. He had possessed a seventeen-year-old murderer known as Guido Greco and had infiltrated the Millefiore. "Oh, I'm sorry." Leonardo apologized, lightly, but there was an almost nonexistant underlying tone of sweet recognition under that. "I didn't see you there...Yuni-sama."

"It is most alright, Leonardo Lippi-san." I breezed over it. "You are the new recruit, are you not?"

"I am, Yuni-sama." Leo nodded, slightly. "You are well-informed."

I shrugged. "I suppose. You have, after all, seen first-hand my knowledge, haven't you... Pineapple-sama?"

Leo let out a laugh. "Kufufu~ Is this more of your extensive know-how, little one?"

"Perhaps."

"Is this the side?" he said, suddenly. "The side that you would be forced to be on? The one you told me of, so long ago?"

I thought back, to a conversation that had went down between us back before the Varia Ring Battles.

"In ten years, I will be, by force, on the wrong team. But I want you to be on the Vongola's side then. No matter what."

"Will your side win? Or the Vongola?" Mukuro challenged.

"The Vongola." I said, immediately, with ease. "I will be forced to join the other side, but my loyalties, I assure you, will always lie with the Vongola, Reborn-ojii-san, Tsuna, the Varia, just not now, of course, the Giglio Nero and your Kokuyo team. I can't go into detail about the future, but I do know."

"Yes." I admitted. "The Millefiore will fall."

Leo smirked, an expression that didn't belong on the handsome face of Leonardo Lippi, but did belong on the equally handsome or even more so face of Rokudo. "Will I have a hand in it?"

I nodded. "Of course."

He reached out and patted my head, as if I was some sort of dog. "Good work, Yuni-chan. You have fooled all of the Vongola."

Good work.

Good work.

Good work.

I stared at him for a moment.

For the first time in what felt like months (two months, really), I was having positive contact with one of my friends.

I had friends.

I wasn't alone.

I smiled, then, brightly, widely, the biggest smile I had felt in a while. Tears stung my eyes, filling them up and I flung myself at Mukuro, clutching him - the man I considered one of my best friends, my brother, the family I loved - desperately to myself.

"I've missed you." I sobbed, hugging him, tightly. I'm so sorry for everything.

I didn't care that I was in the middle of the Millefiore base.

I didn't care that we were technically on separate sides of a war.

I didn't care that I had murdered his boss.

I didn't care that he was a mass-murderer/criminal.

It was just me and the man I wanted to call 'brother'. It was just me and the man I can call 'family'.

"I've missed you all." I admitted, once I had finished crying, and was now sitting like a regular human being.

Leo nodded, understandingly. I know he was just being nice, because he knew I held a lot of precious information; even more so now that I had become the second-in-command to the Millefiore. "My Chrome has told me that she is regretful that she had not seen the signs of 'betrayal'. The Chinese one has been very distressed without you."

"The Chinese one?" I repeated, incredulously. "You mean I-Pin?"

He waved his hand, dismissively. "Whatever."

"W-Will you tell the younger Chrome something?" I asked, fidgeting slightly.

I remembered how when I had traveled to a parallel world/future using the Arcobaleno Miracle that time with Mao and how angry Mukuro had been.

"I would," he assured me. "unfortunately, I can't connect as well with my Chrome in the past. I must rely on Mukuro, the Owl."

I cursed. "I remember that. I can't believe I forgot. I should've gotten to Glo Xinia before, dammit."

"My foolish apprentice-"

I cringed, slightly.

"-is convinced that you are an 'evil pineapple witch'." Leo quoted, failing to keep the amusement out of his voice. "Care to tell me why?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I don't have the stupid hairstyle like you do."

Leo twitched. "It is NOT a pineapple!"

"You suck at this interrogation thing." I informed him. "But that's probably only because you're trying not to kill me."

"Don't change the subject." he scolded. "It's annoying."

I sighed. "We keep getting into arguments and it is always, apparently my fault."

He raised an eyebrow. "Always your fault? I'm not surprised."

"Shut up."

"But," he amended. "my apprentice is much, much more annoying than you."

"Thanks." I deadpanned. "I just wish..."

"Wish...?" Leo encouraged.

"I just wish..." I looked out the window of the room we were in (we had returned to my throne room), out at the sky, where I had always wanted to be. "I just wish that we were on decent terms when I had to leave. I just wish that he wasn't angry at me. I just wished we were friends, again."

Leo patted my head, making this awkward. "There...there?"

"You fail." I informed him. "Especially at comforting people."

"You've put up mental blocks." he observed, changing the subject himself. Hypocrite. "Impressive. Where did you learn that?"

"Here and there." I said, vaguely. It wasn't like I could say 'I learned it from your past self!' or something. That'd be weird...

He rolled his eyes. "You are a stupid human being."

"I'm not a human being." I said, pointedly. "And not a stupid one."

"Then what are you?" he demanded, expecting some smart ass answer.

I closed my eyes, leaning my head back against the wall. "I'm just a person. That's all I've ever been and all I've ever been."

"What are you going to do now, person?" Leo asked, sitting down beside me.

I fingered my short hair. "I think I'm going to grow out my hair."

He raised an eyebrow. "What significance does that hold?"

I smiled, fondly. "All the strong people have long hair. Tsunade-sama had long hair from Naruto, Lal Mirch-san has long hair, you have long hair-"

"It's a ponytail." he shot back. "And you have a ponytail too."

"I know." I rubbed my eyes. "I think I'm going to cut off my ponytail and just grow out all of my hair."

"Hair won't make you strong." he pointed out. "You'll always be a weak human."

I opened my eyes. "It's a start. I think I'm going to wear brighter clothes, instead of this ugly Millefiore uniform."

"Byakuran'll kill you." he reminded, helpfully.

I sucked in my breath, thinking it over. "This is my life." I announced. "Me, as in a person. And people can refuse to be controlled."

He patted my head, again. I think that Mukuro was only being nice to me, because I was his only companion in Hell, since he couldn't contact Chrome anymore.

"Will you cut off my ponytail for me?" I asked, turning around. "Please?"

He formed a trident in his hand and sliced off my hair with ease. He wordlessly handed me the ponytail.

"I won't cut my hair again," I vowed. "not until you're out of prison, Mukuro-dearest." That's right, folks. I'm pulling a Superbi Squalo.

It wasn't that big of a deal really, but it kind of was. It was the first sign of my rebellion against Byakuran.

Screw Byakuran. I was going to be me. And if I died in the process, then he would simply be losing everything, himself.

So my hair was now short. I ordered clothes off of the Internet (good old Google!), a yellow undershirt and an orange button-over shirt, with a matching orange skirt.

That's right.

I looked like Gumi, from Vocaloid.

Might as well add in some goggles and we could call me a cosplayer.

I sighed, adjusting the shirt in the mirror. It covered more than my Millefiore uniform, but it wasn't exactly adequate for a girl of my age (14). Better than nothing, I suppose.

When I walked downstairs, to meet Byakuran for breakfast, I attracted tons of looks from both White and Black Spell members.

The White Spell people looked appalled, but the Black Spell people looked almost elated, proud that I was showing signs of the person I had used to be.

Of course, my expression was still blank, emotionless, but I felt lighter, free-er than I had ever felt before.

Byakuran frowned, a rare expression, at me. "What are you wearing, Yuni-chan?"

I kept the laughter from my face as I said, "Clothes, Byakuran."

"Where did you...obtain those clothes, Yuni-chan?" he asked, not amused.

"Genkishi, Byakuran." I lied, simply.

I know, I can't fight, I can't even protect my friends, I can barely shoot a gun. But if there is one thing I can do, it's be a fantastic liar. After months of lying to the Vongola, to the Giglio Nero and to Byakuran himself.

I had perfected the art of the poker face.

Genkishi came to see me the next day, as I sat on my throne, wearing my 'Gumi' get-up. "You lied to Byakuran-sama."

"I lied to no one." I defended, sharply.

That was a lie.

"You dare lie to me?!" he drew himself up, trying to appear as big and scary as possible.

"I would not." I said, coolly.

Also a lie.

"You-!" he snarled, taking an especially angry step forward.

"Take this," I flicked a box at him. "and give it to Gamma."

He caught the box, eyeing it. "What is it?"

"It is a box to aid the Millefiore." I said, briefly.

Genkishi gave me a distrustworthy look.

I inwardly sighed, before choosing to help the situation. "It will protect Byakuran, and if you give it to Gamma, I shall pass along word of your heroics to Byakuran himnself."

Immediately, Genkishi pocketed the box. "I'm leaving."

No one's stopping you, I thought, but simply nodded.

Gamma had given me that box, after we had become Millefiore.

He tossed it to me, a bitter expression on his face. "Keep it."

"Why?" I had asked, no curiosity or desire to know in my voice.

"I'm not using that power to protect anyone like Byakuran." he replied, with ease. "I would only use that power to protect you. But you have better guards now. You don't need me."

I had said nothing, conflicted with what he had said.

"Goodbye."

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I can only wish for so many things before my list becomes bigger than me.

Again, I updated twice today, so if you haven't read Chapter 47, go read it now.

If this chapter was crap like I think it was, personally, I will eventually rewrite it. My mood turned bad towards the end of the chapter, when I realized I haven't even since 6:00 PM yesterday. That's like 24 hours ago.

LeoInuyuka