Happy Mother's Day everyone! (even if this is a day late.)


"Thank you for your business, have a happy Mother's Day!" To his credit, the shop owner had every right to be jovial, if the somewhat elderly woman sitting in the delicate chair to his right was any indication. Despite that, Yukino could only will a tight smile to her lips in return as she exited the small store.

Why am I even doing this.. The thought weighed heavily on the celestial wizard's mind as she started walking away from the storefront, a small bouquet in her arms. Yukino hadn't celebrated this holiday once since the death of her own mother, and any celebration that they'd held while the woman had still been alive always ended badly.. but after hearing Lucy-sama speak so highly of her own mother, and how she planned on visiting her grave today, Yukino decided that she would at least give it a try.

After all, she couldn't be yelled at and accused of messing anything up now, could she?

The thought left a bitter taste on the tip of her tongue as she made the slow trek down the cobble-stoned streets toward her destination, but even with the lingering bitterness that tugged at her heart at the relationship her new-found friend had been able to have with her own mother, Yukino couldn't help but find herself longing for the same thing. To be cherished and protected in such a way… it had to be nice.

Her steps paused as she turned the corner down a quiet side street, amber gaze directing itself down at the flowers in her arms. For a moment, the mage entertained the thought of simply going back to the guild hall and pretending like none of this ever happened. It wasn't as if anyone back at the guild knew where she was, they wouldn't ask how her 'visit' had gone. With a quiet sigh, Yukino discarded the idea and continued on her way, determined to leave her offering and let the woman rest in peace. It wasn't as if she could miss Yukino as she was now anyway.

Even so… The more her thoughts drifted back to the woman she called her mother, Yukino couldn't find a time her her life where she'd ever truly hated her. Disliked her, maybe even lived in slight fear of her, but not hate, never hate.. She'd known this fact for some time now, but the reasoning behind it had always eluded her until just then, as one small hand left the bouquet to rest over the covered guild mark on her abdomen. For the first time in a long time, Yukino actually found herself genuinely happy; she'd made a formidable wizard out of herself, and she now had close friends not only in her own guild, but in some of the other guilds as well.

It was in that moment that she truly didn't feel as if she were a burden to those around her, and the realization left a warmth blossoming in her chest that Yukino hadn't felt since the quiet moments she'd spent with Sorano all those years ago. Vaguely, the young mage found herself wondering what her mother might have thought of her now from her place among the angels..

Upon arriving at her destination, Yukino set the bouquet of flowers to rest at the base of the unmarked stone in front of her. As she knelt down on the soft grass she took a deep breath, feeling the tension that built up inside her during the trip here melt away with the soft sigh that passed her lips. "Happy Mother's Day… Mother." The words felt akward, even to her own ears, but the mage pushed the thought to the side as a flash of pale grey-blue caught her eye from among her flowers. Figuring it was just a little card the florist decided to write something nice on for her after Yukino herself had declined doing so, she reached over and plucked the card out from between the stems before flipping it open and reading its contents.

"Forgiveness for one and a new beginning for the other, the white tulips and rain liles join together and look toward the future."