So I'm probably either insane or an idiot for starting this right as the TYL arc ends and Reborn is probably on the verge of telling the actual backstory, but OH WELL, I did it anyway.

Unfortunately, what with all the flashbackery, there'll probably be several OC's in this, but I swear on my life that the Arcobaleno are the focus.

And why not? They're too much fun not to be.

Also foreshadowing! Foreshadowing for everyone! (And constructive criticism would be much appreciated.)

All-Encompassing Sky

Luche had one monster of a headache. It clamped down on the nape of her neck like a vice, pressed behind her eyeballs, and filled every square inch between her temples with miasmic, sickening agony as the Trinisette shrieked its warnings of destruction and desolation, urgent and endless.

Her ears were ringing. She hadn't eaten since her doom-ridden premonitions had started, two days earlier. Sleep was completely out of the question.

Luche sighed, closed her eyes briefly, and relaxed her face into a pleasant smile, trying her best to ignore both the Trinisette's continuous flashes of apocalyptic disaster and the feelings of discontent radiating from her fellow Mafia bosses.

"Gentlemen," she said sweetly, beaming around at the four men assembled at the table. "I'm sure you're all wondering why I've called you all here today."

Agosto of the Calcassa family cut straight to the chase. "What the fuck, Luche!" he roared, slamming his massive fists on the table. "We're Mafia dons, not housewives, we got plenty of shit we should be taking care of and better places to be right now. If you're gonna be calling last minute meetings like this, the reason better be damn well important!"

A scepter smashed down on the knuckles of Agosto's right hand, causing him to snatch it up with a sharp cry. Timoteo of the Vongola family flashed Agosto a mild-mannered smile.

"I don't think Luche was quite finished, Agosto," Timoteo said, tapping his fingers meaningfully on his flame-wreathed weapon. He nodded to her. "You were saying?"

The look of gratitude Luche gave the Vongola Ninth was genuine. "Thank you, Timoteo. The matter I'd like to discuss today, gentlemen, concerns your collective investment in the Trinisette."

The atmosphere of the room immediately chilled. Timoteo's mouth thinned, and Agosto turned red, on the verge of a second explosion. On the other side of the table, Santo of the Estraneo family's eyes went wide in shock as Wen of the Nero family slumped down in his chair, face drained of color.

"I have reason to believe the Trinisette is in danger, and I'd like your collective support in protecting it. I take it you've all heard of the Arcobaleno?" Luche continued, clasping her own hands tighter in her lap. She'd hoped it would never come to this. She'd had nightmares that it would come to this.

"Oh, hell no," Agosto snapped, standing up in his seat and—after a nervous glance at Timoteo—placing his hands gently back on the table. "You rob me of one of my men, Luche, I want some kinda compensation. This ain't fair."

"Unfortunately," said Santo, looking grim and resigned, "it's quite fair, Agosto. There is not a family in our alliance that hasn't agreed to lend unconditional aid in the case of a Trinisette emergency. The Giglio Nero family may be its guardian, but we've all been reaping its benefits for generations."

He glanced at Wen. "I must question the Nero family's involvement, though, Luche. They're a bit new to the game to have been involved in that agreement, aren't they? And I can't help but recall that they were part of your own family not so long ago."

Luche fought to keep her expression neutral. Santo had always been a bit too sharp for her liking.

Agosto seized on to this idea like a drowning man. "That's right!" he shouted. "The hell are you trying to pull? Stacking the odds against us by including your chink offshoot—"

Wen's chair screeched along the floor as he shot up, his expression incredulous as he whirled on the Calcassa don. "The Nero family is independent!" he said, accent thickening with indignant anger. "We have proven this and our connection to that woman is no greater than yours!"

"Bullshit!" Agosto said, lips drawn back in a snarl as he glared at the Chinese Mafioso.

Wen scowled back. "The Nero family has not been involved with the Giglio Nero family in years. We are the only Mafia connection to Asia and we deserve a part in this as much as you!"

"It's true," said Timoteo, gesturing for both men to back down. He glanced at Luche. "You're after that assassin of theirs, aren't you?"

Luche nodded, resisting the urge to either crawl in a hole and die or bash her head against the table until the pain stopped. She'd expected the negotiations to go this badly, but it didn't make her feel any better to know she'd been right. Wen gaped at her.

"You…you want to take Fon?" he asked faintly. "But he's the best we have! What kind of deal is this?"

Agosto smirked in satisfaction. Santo eyed her expectantly. Luche sighed.

"You'll get him back," she said wearily. She smiled at Agosto and Santo. "You'll all get them back, and with the abilities of an Arcobaleno to boot. That's a significant fraction of the Trinisette's power guaranteed to every single one of you. All I ask is that you lend them to me for a bit so I can complete the ritual."

"Who do you want?" Santo asked, sitting up straighter and adjusting his thin spectacles.

"Viper would be the ideal candidate." She turned to Agosto. "And I'd like Skull if he's still working under you."

Agosto snorted. "Skull? Really? That clown's all you want?" He waved a dismissive hand. "Yeah, sure, why not."

Wen still looked apprehensive. "You will give him back?"

"Of course," Luche said. She felt her lips wobble. How much longer was she going to have to keep up this stupid charade?

"How long?" Wen asked, and the smile dropped off Luche's face.

Damn it. She'd known someone would ask eventually, but she'd hoped they wouldn't think of it until they'd all calmed down a bit, or hell, if she'd been really lucky, outright agreed. There was no way this was going over well.

"Two. Perhaps three. Two and a half is the most likely," she said, fidgeting.

"Months, right?" said Agosto with a sneer.

"Years," she muttered. Immediately the table was in an uproar again, Wen, Agosto and Santo all on their feet and up in arms. Her eyes met Timoteo's, the calm in the storm, and she saw his fingers curl around the scepter again.

Thank God for the Vongola family.

"Gentlemen," Timoteo said, his voice uncharacteristically cold as he rose to meet the other three Mafia bosses, the Dying Will flame flickering in his hand. "It's rather rude to interrupt a lady, isn't it?"

The others went silent, eyes drawn to the flame like particularly suicidal moths. Luche quietly reminded herself that the sight was in no way amusing or satisfying. She cleared her throat, and all three men jumped.

Well. Maybe it was a little satisfying.

"The Arcobaleno are more than simply guardians of the Trinisette," she explained after the others had all taken their seats. "They are one with its energy. No human being can endure such a union without preparation. The years they will spend with me are meant to prepare them for the final transformation. That's all."

She gave them a moment to process the information.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to rush you," she said, spreading her hands out on the table and giving them a warm smile. "Just give me their reply within the month, and I'll arrange a meeting date when I have them all. Should any of them decline, I won't hold it against you, but I'd appreciate it if you'd help me find a replacement."

Santo nodded, seemingly satisfied with the proposal.

"At the very least, I can ask," he said, standing once more, "although I can't guarantee Viper. Vittore's quite attached to his protégé, and I can't see him letting go of him for all of two years without a fight." He offered Luche his hand. "I'll do what I can."

She shook it gratefully. "Thank you, Santo."

Agosto shifted in his seat, tapping his fingers on the table and watching the Estraneo boss discreetly exit the room. "Just Skull, right?"

"Just Skull," Luche confirmed.

Agosto threw up his hands. "Ah, fine. Why not. S'not like he did much anyway." He stood up to leave and snapped his fingers as a thought occurred to him. "Hey, what about that creepy lab rat you got. He on the list?"

Luche felt herself tense. "Verde, you mean?" The mere thought of the scientist made her headache triple in intensity.

Agosto grinned. "Yeah, that's the one. Great guy. Makes toys I've never seen anywhere else."

"Why do you ask?" Luche snapped. She pinched the bridge of her nose. Clearly the pain was finally getting to her, she was never this short tempered. Then again, talk of Verde usually helped with that.

Agosto shrugged. "Guy does business with anyone. I was just wondering if I needed a new tech dealer when this Arcobaleno business gets rolling."

Agosto was planning something. Luche could practically see the gears turning in the massive man's head, the devious grin he was struggling to keep off his face. She began massaging her temples. She was in no mood to deal with it at the moment.

"Yes. Yes he is," she answered finally, and Agosto's face broke out into a huge smile.

"All right then. Thanks." He lumbered out of the room. Luche resisted the urge to throw something after him before turning to the room's two remaining occupants.

Wen slumped in his chair, still caught in indecision. Timoteo reached across the table and patted the other man's shoulder.

"Just say yes," the Vongola boss advised. "The benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, and whatever hardships should befall your family in those two or three years, you can count on the support of the Vongola."

"And the Gilgio Nero," Luche added quickly, seizing the opportunity Timoteo had given her. "Just because you've chosen to separate yourself from us doesn't mean we need not help one another, after all."

Wen smiled weakly at the pair of them. "Much obliged. I'll be sure to at least ask him. But I am not certain he will say yes." He stood and bowed. "I will let you know either way."

They watched him leave in silence.

"You look terrible," Timoteo said after the door had clicked shut, eyes wide in earnest concern. Without the aura of authority and his Dying Will flame, Luche noted wryly, her mild-mannered friend hardly looked the part of a Mafia boss. "When was the last time you slept?"

Luche groaned and buried her face in her hands. "Tell me, does your wonderful Hyper Intuition ever give you this sort of trouble?"

Timoteo chuckled. "What, you mean the horrifying nightmares and constant migraines? I can't say I've ever been graced with any because of my Intuition, but you'd be surprised at the muscles one strains after several hours of fighting with the Dying Will flame."

Luche rummaged around in her purse for some aspirin and washed them down with the glass of water she'd been nursing throughout the impromptu conference. "I think the world is going to end," she told the glass morosely.

There was an awkward pause as the news sunk in.

Timoteo gaped at her in shock before grabbing her hand, eyes wild. "How?" he asked. "When?"

Luche laughed despite the ringing pain in her skull and shook her head. "It's nothing our generation will have to worry about, in all likelihood. I'd say we have a good thirty, forty years, and by then all the current bosses will be old and senile." She poked at his sleeve. "Possibly even you, Timoteo."

He only tightened his grip, expression grave. "This isn't funny, Luche."

She sighed. "No, it's not. Something is going to try to seize control of the Trinisette, and frankly I'm not certain even thirty years is enough time for the Arcobaleno to be able to prevent it." She reclaimed her hand and rested her head in her arms. "My sight is limited. There's only so much I can do."

She felt Timoteo's hand settle in her hair, fluffing it and combing it like he'd done so many times when they were children. "It'll be enough," he reassured her gently. "And whatever you need of me, I'll give to you."

Luche closed her eyes and steeled herself. "I need Reborn."

The hand stilled, and she heard him inhale sharply. "Oh," he said. The hollowness in his voice made her stomach sink. Luche bit her lip.

"And Lal Mirch," she added quickly. "Reborn and Lal. Lal's still with the Vongola, right? Or has she finally committed to Comsubin?"

Timoteo said nothing. Luche squeezed her eyes shut tighter.

"Please, Timoteo. There's no one better for the job, you know that."

The hand left her hair. "Two years, you said?"

"Two or three," she said, opening her eyes and sitting up. Timoteo looked pensive. She didn't push him. Pressuring Santo or Wen was one thing, and frankly Agosto was a colossal bastard, but Timoteo had always been the closest thing she'd had to an older brother.

"That's more than fair," said Timoteo finally, giving her a forced smile. He patted her on the head again, mussing her hair into disarray. "After all, who can I trust if not my darling little cushion hat queen?"

Luche growled good-naturedly and swatted his hand away. "Why do you think I wear it all the time?" she asked, dragging her fingers through the tangles he'd created. "Today's the first meeting I've gone without it in months, and you've already assaulted my hair."

Timoteo only laughed, breaking the tension between them, and Luche smacked him with the brush she'd pulled out to undo the damage. He jabbed her with the scepter in response, and Luche sternly reminded herself that they'd have to put a stop to this before someone burst into the room and got the wrong idea. She dumped the remainder of her water on his head anyway. Timoteo sat on her.

"It shouldn't be too hard to convince them," Timoteo mused sedately after Luche had finally cried uncle and tossed him a towel to dry himself off with. "Lal won't stop complaining about how that student of hers is driving her up the wall, and as for Reborn, well, being one of the best in the business doesn't offer him too many challenges these days. That Nero assassin's supposed to be quite skilled, isn't he?"

Luche dragged the brush through her hair and tried not to wince as it caught on snarls. "Fon? So I've heard. Can't say I've ever actually met the man, though."

If she'd had the chance, she would have liked to have looked into her Arcobaleno potentials in greater detail before setting off this train wreck, but the Trinisette wasn't known for its patience. She could only hope that the short time she spent with them would prove the others as worthy as they appeared on paper.

Timoteo noticed the look of apprehension on her face and poked her in the stomach. "It'll work out," he reassured her over her own high-pitched shriek. "If nothing else, you'll have the Vongola family behind you every step of the way, and I include Lal and Reborn in that promise whether they like it or not."

Luche smiled in spite of herself. "Thanks, Tim." Timoteo's kind heart was liable to get him in trouble some day, but she couldn't help but be grateful for it at that moment.

He glared at her in mock outrage. "I believe you meant to say Timoteo, miss boss of the Giglio Nero. Or should I start calling you Lulu again?"

Luche snorted. "Oh, please, no. Anything but that."

The moment was cut short by a frantic Vongola Mafioso bursting through the door, sounding desperately out of breath. "Boss, you—"

He caught sight of Luche and paused. "Ah, my apologies Lady Luche, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Luche flashed him a dazzling smile and discreetly slipped the brush back into her bag, inching away from Timoteo. They didn't need any unnecessary rumors starting, after all. "Please, family comes before business. Don't mind me."

The man flushed and cleared his throat before continuing. "Vongola Nono, it, uh, seems Reborn's returned from his mission and. Well." He stopped talking and stared at some point on the ceiling several inches to the right of the two Mafia bosses, sweat rolling down his face.

Timoteo sighed, threw down the towel, and picked up his staff. "Speak of the devil, eh, Luche?" he said with a weary sigh. He kissed her on the cheek. "Good luck, and don't worry. Whatever the hell he's done now is probably reason enough for me to pressure him into this Arcobaleno business. Arrivederci, my dear."

"Arrivederci," said Luche, giving him a quick hug. She watched him leave and collapsed back into her chair, pressing her palms to her forehead. "Are you happy now?" she muttered to the frantic whispers of the Trinisette, and almost slid out of her seat with relief when the voices began to die down.

Finally. Silence.

She sat there for a full ten minutes, basking in the glorious silence as she decided on her next move. She had only one option.

Luche staggered out of the chair and flung the door open. "Este!" she shouted, and her wide-eyed second in command came flying out of thin air to stand by her side.

"Yes, boss?" the blond-haired young man asked eagerly, his expression one of devout servitude.

Luche felt the corner of her mouth twitch and resisted the urge to pat Este on the head. The poor boy had taken a little too well to upholding his late father's position, and while he had all the zeal of a loyal puppy, he had none of his father's experience. It really didn't help that she could remember seeing Este in diapers.

"Do I have anything important scheduled for the rest of the day?" she asked him.

Este produced a clipboard from seemingly nowhere and began scanning it. "Well, for today you have…" he trailed off as he noticed the fatigued expression on her face. He pulled out a pen and began scribbling furiously over several lines of text.

"Today you have absolutely nothing!" he said brightly. "It's the strangest thing. Maybe you should take a lie-down, boss."

Luche actually threw her arms around the boy for that one, and pretended not to notice as his fair skin turned bright red. "Thank you a thousand times over, Este."

"S-sure thing, b-boss," he stammered, fiddling with his tie as she pulled away. "Should I tell the others not to bother you?"

Luche grinned. "Oh, yes, please." She spun around and marched off in the direction of her bedroom.

"I am going to sleep forever."