Kyandi: Hey there, guys!
Roksana: We apologize for not posting yesterday.
Kyandi: My computer glitched and deleted my entire chapter right as I was finishing it.
Roksana: She had to re-write the whole thing.
Kyandi: Which sucks! Anyway, bobbig216 and Einkley both asked me questions, so here's the answers.
Roksana: What happened to my flying squirrel?
Kyandi: Pinattsu didn't go to the future with Roksana. She doesn't always carrying the little thing. If you're asking what happened to the future version of Pinattsu, well...Northern Flying Squirrels have a life expectancy of ten years in captivity. Roksana already had her for a few years before the start of the story, so, by ten years in the future, especially after the loss of her owner, Pinattsu would be dead.
Roksana: The last question was kind of shared between the two. Are we going to have the first generation bless Tsuna and us?
Kyandi: As I said, I'm following the manga. The little arc in which they go back to the past and under go a trail to inherit the blessing of the first guardians, is anime exclusive. If I was to include it, it would throw off some things that happen in the manga, so...no, I'm not including that.
Roksana: So, no, Einkley, you didn't skip that part.
Kyandi: With all that said, let's get on with the chapter. Everyone, enjoy and review!
Roksana: Kyandi-sama does not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
Chapter 47 Sacrifice
"Did you say that Tsunayoshi-kun will defeat me?"
Byakuran was on the verge of laughing at the serious look on Reborn's face.
"That's right." Reborn replied.
"Haven't you been watching, Reborn-kun? Tsunayoshi-kun was just taken down by me!" Byakuran said with a laugh.
"Don't underestimate the strength of Tsuna's Dying Will. Besides, I'm not talking about whether you can win. Tsuna, you've got no other choice than to defeat Byakuran." Reborn said, calling out to Tsuna.
Something that had Byakuran laughing once more.
Roksana was really starting to get tired of his laugh.
"Hahaha! What a surprise! Your last resort at a time like this is to try and slap some fighting spirit into him!?" Byakuran demanded.
"This is my method." Reborn told him, focusing his attention back on Tsuna. "Listen, Tsuna. You're not the only one who's fighting a battle of Dying Wills. Yuni's sacrificing her life in order to return you all to a peaceful past! The revival of the Arcobaleno does more than bring back order to the world. It's the key to returning you to a peaceful past. And Yuni intends to sacrifice her life to achieve that."
"Eh? Is that so?" Byakuran asked.
"Grandpa...why do you know?" Yuni asked.
"Of course I know. I guessed as much. You and your grandmother, Luce, are two peas in a pod." Reborn replied.
"Hmm. Then I must stop you from doing such a foolish thing. After all, Yuni-chan's life exists for my sake." Byakuran said, taking a step towards Yuni.
He paused, though, when Roksana, her head still wanting to spin from fatigue, pushed herself to her feet. Yuni tried to stop her, but Roksana merely laid a hand on her shoulder and pushed her back. Roksana found her feet, placing herself between Yuni and Byakuran. The girl looked like she was just one mild gust of wind away from toppling over, her flames drained to all time low, but she steeled herself, refusing to back down.
It amused Byakuran to see her stand there, back straight and eyes determined. Her flames, which had been drawn out of her by the Acrobaleno pacifiers, had died out, her stamina too low to even ignite a flicker anymore. Without her flames and with her body weak from the drain, Byakuran knew she was no threat to him.
"What are you going to do, Roksana-chan? You're on your last leg. Just step aside and be patient. I'll get to you soon enou-"
"Oh, shove it, you walking, talking cum-shot. When I want the opinion of a wadded up tissue, I'll give it to you." Roksana snapped. "Your mother really should have spit instead of swallowed."
Roksana didn't know who it was, but she heard a couple of snickers and snorted laughs from her comrades. Given how...unique their laughs were, she was pretty sure that Mukuro and Bel were among those laughing at her , on the other hand, frowned at that one. He wasn't exactly thrilled with the implications behind the "wadded up tissue" part of her comment. Or the cum-shot part either.
If he was being honest, the whole thing was highly offensive.
"Now, that wasn't nice, Roksana-chan." he told her.
"I never claimed to be nice." Roksana retorted.
"Come now, Roksana-chan. You don't have to be difficult." Byakuran told her, trying to appear friendly.
"Kiss my pale Russian ass."
Apparently, it didn't work with Roksana.
Anyone among her comrades could have told him that it wouldn't work with her. Roksana was the type that lived to defy others. She had done it when she first met Hibari, she had done it with Mukuro and then Xanxus, and, now, it was Byakuran's turn.
"You're going to insist on being difficult, aren't you? It would be so much easier for you to just admit you're defeat. Accept your fate." Byakuran told her.
"Admit my defeat? Accept my fate?" Roksana repeated. "You're an utter naive fool."
Byakuran's smile faded his eyes opening wider to stare at Roksana's serious expression.
"And what makes you say such rude things?" Byakuran asked.
"Don't feel alone. There are several men here today who have made the same mistakes. It's obvious that you don't know the first thing about me. Admit my defeat? Defeat is when you're dead. I'm still breathing. Accept my fate? Fate can kiss me where the good Lord split me. I don't do what anyone tells me to do. You least of all." Roksana told him.
"You are quite the stubborn one, aren't you?" Byakuran asked.
"Stubborn, you say? Yes, well, I have a delivery for some stones. Did you say your glass house was on the corner of Delusional and Hypocritical?" Roksana retorted, using her own way of saying that those in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. Byakuran actually laughed at this one, which was not what Roksana had aimed for. It had Roksana pressing one hand to her face. "I really hate people like you."
"Oh?" Byakuran voiced, sensing the shift in Roksana.
"I'm so tired of people like you who try to tell me how to live and what I should and shouldn't be. I'm so fed up with people like you who try to tell what to do. I'm so sick of people like you who insist on telling me that I will burn and I will not be free." Roksana said, the tension growing as the girl tried to keep her temper in check. Lifting her head, the glare directed at Byakuran, had the man's smile vanishing in the face of the icy sting of murderous intent. "People like you need to understand that I'm not going to change and I sure as hell am not going to listen to other's orders. This is my life and this is who I am. I'm not about to change that for anyone. You think you get to decide what I or Yuni exist for? Don't make me laugh."
Byakuran's smile was gone by now.
"What are you trying to say, Roksana-chan?" he asked.
"Whether I want to admit it or not, whether they want to admit it or not, everyone here is my family. Even if half of them make me want to strangle them periodically. They're all family. That includes Yuni." Roksana said, making Yuni look up at Roksana's back in surprise. "What you and several others have failed to realize is that I'm a very unrepentant type of person. I'm not sorry for who I am and I'm not going to change it. And the person I am...protects what's hers."
Roksana meant every words. Everyone there, from her friends, to Dino and their other friends, to Xanxus and his group, and even Mukuro and his group, were a part of her family.
Though she really hesitated to admit those last two.
If there was one thing Roksana had always done, it was protect her family. For her family, she would give everything, right down to her dying breath. They weren't blood, but that didn't always make a family. In some cases, blood made things all the worse, and, despite how the saying went, blood was not always thicker than water. They weren't blood related, but they were her family, through and through. Roksana had faith in her family, knew what they were made off.
And that included Tsuna.
She knew Reborn was right. Tsuna would be the one to defeat Byakuran. If that meant she had to defend Yuni until he got back to his feet, well...she would do just that. The Moon Guardian was suppose to guide the family into a new cycle of rebirth, right? Then she would do just that. Through thick and thin, she would struggle and claw, kick and scratch, use every under handed trick she had to protect what she cared about.
Tsuna would bounce back and help her, she knew that.
Until then, she would pull her weight.
"This is my family and I'll be damned if I just roll over and die. I will give everything to protecting my family, even if it takes my dying breath. You can take Yuni and pacifiers, and you can take my ring, when you pry them from my cold, dead grip!" Roksana snapped, her determination and resolve blazing through in her eyes.
With the firm declaration of her resolve, her ring blazed to life once more, her resolve, like her flames, giving new life to her flames. Yuni jolted when the same flames erupted around the pacifiers in her arms. Yuni wasn't sure if Roksana was doing it on purpose or not. The others outside the barrier were all shocked speechless in the face of Roksana's firm resolve. Many of them had already known that Roksana would do whatever it took to defend her friends, but they hadn't know just how far her loyalty extended.
Byakuran peered into Roksana's eyes and saw there the truth of her words. She had faith in Tsuna and until he got back to his feet, she would stand strong, or die trying. He needed her alive, at least for a little bit, so he was going to have to find a way around her stubbornness. Especially with the renewal of her flames.
Coughing snapped Byakuran out of his thoughts and had him turning to find Tsuna pushing himself up off the ground. Amused by the continued struggle of Tsuna, Byakuran grinned.
"Haha, I can't believe Tsunayoshi-kun really woke up from your reproachful encouragement, Reborn-kun. You two really make an astounding team. Or was it Roksana-chan's speech that did the job?" Byakuran asked.
"I won't...hand Yuni and Roksana...over to you." Tsuna insisted, despite looking like a beat up mess.
"Haha! You're quivering! The body is so honest, don't you think? Yours remembers the fear of being beaten hallow. Haha, your quivering is almost contagious." Byakuran mocked.
"This is bad...Tsuna's Dying Will is waning. He can't fight like this!" Dino said.
"How unlucky of you to wake up in a situation like this. Ah! But then again, I suppose your middle school years have been unlucky from the start, Tsunayoshi-kun. I know quite a lot about you. Not too long ago, you were merely a failure of a student who skipped school, and then an assassinator came along and told you, you were a candidate to become boss of a huge mafia group, which threw you into this scary world. Since then, despite hating conflicts, you've been forced to fight for the title of boss and such. Your biggest misfortune, however, is that you came to this generation. If you hadn't been brought here, you wouldn't have had to go through all this. Don't you curse your own fate?" Byakuran asked.
There was that word again.
Roksana was really starting to hate the word, "fate". Especially when it was coming from Byakuran's mouth. Tsuna, though, didn't agree with Byakuran for another reason.
"No. That's not...exactly true." Tsuna said. "Well...the future is scary...and painful...and full of uncertainties. There's been very few times where I've felt happy since coming here. But I feel as though I understand all that now. It's not about what's good or bad. Everything that happens here...is a precious part of my life."
"You sure have an odd way of perceiving things. But I want you to think very carefully. If you die, that'll only be a way to comfort yourself." Byakuran said, concentrating his flames into a small dart. "In his state...a mini White Dragon through his heart should be enough."
"W-wait!" Tsuna insisted, trying to get Byakuran to stop.
"Don't wanna." Byakuran retorted before throwing the dart at Tsuna with a flick of his wrist.
Roksana tensed as the dart hit Tsuna right in the chest. She shifted, holding out an arm to keep Yuni behind her, as Byakuran turned on them.
"Now, Yuni-chan, Roksana-chan! You're knight in shining armor is gone." Byakuran said.
"You sure about that?" Roksana asked, looking past him and raising an eyebrow.
A low "Ow, ow, ow!" reached Byakuran's ears, making him turn back to Tsuna as the boy pushed himself up, digging something out of his shirt. it turned out that Byakuran's dart had hit the ring Lancia had given Tsuna, the ring saving Tsuna's life.
"It's true after all. Everything has helped me in some way. Nothing that has happened since I came to the future has been pointless. The bitter things, the painful things, the fun things...it's because of everyone that I'm here right now. All the things that I've found since coming here-the skills and the weapons. None of it would have done any good if I'd been alone. It's because everyone was here that I was able to achieve them. Would you call that unlucky? I wouldn't. The time I've spent here with everyone is a treasure to me. My flames were born because of this world you've taken over. These are everyone's flames! The fact that you've hurt all those innocent people...I'll make you regret it!" Tsuna declared.
Much like Roksana's determination had given new life to her flames, Tsuna's resolve brought his flames back to life. The whole thing, though, just made Byakuran laugh all the more.
"Hahaha! I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but you've solved nothing at all! The difference in our strengths hasn't changed since you collapsed!" Byakuran said.
"I wonder about that."
Roksana jolted as, with the ring of all of the Vongola guardians, her ring lit up, projecting something into the air in front of her. Smiling back down at her, was the projection of a woman that could have been Roksana's twin. The only differences between Roksana and the woman was that the woman had a beauty mark under her left eye and where Roksana's hair was a silver-blonde, her eyes a green streaked blue-purple, the woman's hair, pulled back into a ponytail, was a golden blonde, her eyes a pretty emerald green.
Looking at the projections from her friends' rings, Roksana saw that each of them had a projection of a person that resembled them greatly in appearance. Roksana was sure that this was the first generation boss and guardians of the Vongola family.
"That child's words are the same as our boss's." said the projection from Lambo's ring.
"The same blood runs through him." added the projection from Yamamoto's ring.
"He's an extraordinary man." agreed the projection from Ryohei's ring.
"It's a shame, that kind of weak idea is useless for Vongola." remarked the projection from Mukuro's ring.
"How dull." chimed in the projection from Hibari's ring.
"You should just do as you please, like you always do." said the projection from Gokudera's ring.
"With a little help, though, of course!" the woman from Roksana's ring said as she gave Roksana a wink.
"You're right, G, Stella." From Tsuna's ring appeared Vongola Primo. "Decimo, I agree with your thoughts. I wish I could lend power to my true successor, but unfortunately, I can't. Instead, I'll free you from those shackles."
"What kind of joke is this? Who is that? That man next to you, Tsunayoshi-kun? And the woman with Roksana-chan?" Byakuran asked.
"It's Vongola's first generation boss and Moon Guardian, Vongola Primo and his sister, Stella!" Yuni exclaimed.
"Primo? Hahaha, now is not the time for games. That's foul to program such an ancient ancestor to project at a time like this." Byakuran said.
"They're not a projection! I'm sure you can tell. This is something that could never happen inside the Trinisette, your Mare ring, or my pacifier. It's the Vongola ring's "Miracle of the Shield Dimension"." Yuni told him. "There is a song that has been etched in my memory since the day I was born. "The sea knows no limit to it's vastness, shellfish live through the ages, inheriting their shapes, and the rainbow appears every now and then, only to face away again, and the moon marks the cycle to repeat again.". Mare means "sea", Vongola means "shellfish", and Arcobaleno means "rainbow". Yes...this song portrays the different skies of the Trinisette. The endless "Mare" is the horizontal dimensional axis. In other words, it lives across the parallel worlds. The Vongola, which lives through the generations, is a vertical dimensional axis. Which means it lives from past to present, preserving tradition. The Arcobaleno, which never stays in one place. It exists not as a line, but as points within the two dimensions. And lastly, the moon which is born again, renewed each generation like the cycles of the moon, exists, fades, dies, and is reborn again."
Roksana wasn't quite sure she was following Yuni.
"Just like Byakuran has the ability to share knowledge across parallel worlds, Sawada-san has inherited Vongola's own "time"." Yuni said.
"Time...that's right, I remember!" Tsuna said, remembering what had happened when the future Hibari had trapped him within his hedgehog sphere.
"Sorry, but I don't see any credibility to that story. I didn't even have my Mare ring yet when I first became aware of parallel worlds." Byakuran said.
"That is because you were chosen as the rightful wearer of the ring. Just like Vongola Primo." Yuni replied.
Roksana peered past Byakuran to where Tsuna stood face to face with the first Vongola boss, Giotto.
"Now, Decimo. I shall remove those shackles." Giotto said.
"Shackles?" Roksana questioned.
"The current form of the Vongola ring, is only temporary. In order to preserve strict succession of the Vongola ring, it was divided into two between the boss and the outside adviser for protection. However, in order to sustain the division, there was a need to restrain the highest output of the flames, unlike the Mare rings and the pacifiers of the Arcobaleno in the same Trinisette. There is no need for that anymore, for I know that you'll understand both the true meaning of the ring and my will." Giotto said.
In the next moment, all of the rings flared to life, and, before their eyes, changed shape. Inside of the rather plain ring in the shape of the Moon Guardian crest, Roksana now looked down at a silver gem on which was etched the Vongola crest and a crescent moon symbol.
"This is the original Vongola ring?!" Tsuna asked.
"Decimo. Give that Mare boy what he deserves." Giotto told Tsuna before vanishing.
"Before I go..."
Roksana looked up at the woman who had to be Stella, the first Moon Guardian. The woman floated down to Roksana, getting down close to the girl's ear. Once there, she whispered something only Roksana could hear. Her friends watched as Roksana's eyes widened before Stella pulled back, giving Roksana a smile and a wink before she, too, vanished.
"Haha! What a fool of an ancestor you have!" Byakuran remarked. He wasn't laughing for long when Tsuna was suddenly behind him, hitting him with a hard blast to the back. "Hmm...it looks like it's become a bit more efficient!"
Byakuran attacked then, Tsuna meeting him, head-to-head. The two clashed, Tsuna pulling back a fist to hit Byakuran with another powerful blast. Byakuran was only able to stop it with his White Applause.
"Haha, too bad. I've only shown eighty percent of my power so far." Byakuran remarked.
"I've only shown half." Tsuna retorted.
Tsuna got behind Byakuran again, hitting him from behind once more. Before Byakuran could be knocked away, though, Tsuna grabbed him by his wings, and, giving a great twist, slammed a foot down on the top of Byakuran's head, to send him crashing towards the ground, all the while, ripping the wings from Byakuran's back. Roksana winced as Byakuran crashed into the ground below.
"What's wrong, Byakuran? Are you nothing without your wings?" Tsuna called down.
Byakuran appeared from the smoke of his crash, bloody from his crash, but still grinning widely.
"You're amazing, Tsunayoshi-kun. You're the only one of all the parallel worlds that has managed to make me spit out blood! I'm so happy! I never thought this day would come! What am I happy about, you ask? For the first time in my life, I'm able to fight with all my body's power!" Byakuran declared, what looked like blood spraying from where Tsuna had ripped out his wings to form new wings.
"You won't be able to win against me. Just because your appearance has changed." Tsuna told him.
"Haha, who said it was just my appearance? It's about time you stopped playing games!" Byakuran said, launching himself at Tsuna.
Roksana watched, ready to defend as Byakuran and Tsuna clashed. She was only able to barely track the two as they fought, Tsuna landing a direct punch to Byakuran's face. Byakuran replied with a pair of dragons, though these were no longer white. Tsuna slipped between the two, aiming directly for Byakuran, who defended with an upraised arm.
"Is that all you've got? I've only just gotten started." Tsuna remarked.
"Ha! Then this is only the start of the start for me!" Byakuran replied.
Even though the situation was serious, Roksana couldn't help thinking that the two really could use better trash talk.
The dark wings on Byakuran's back shifted shape then, turning into several clawed hands that reached for Tsuna. Tsuna quickly cut them off, the claws heading straight for Roksana and Yuni. Roksana tensed, ready to defend them when a ball of orange flames blazed to life around her and Yuni. Roksana instantly looked down at the heirloom ring on her right hand, but she was pretty sure that hadn't been her. Turning, Roksana found that the flames were coming from Yuni.
With the added flames from Roksana, the process of reviving the Arcobaleno had been sped along and was now entering the final stage.
"The dispensing of the flames into the pacifier has really begun. You're really going to do this, aren't you, Yuni? You're really going to sacrifice your life for these pacifiers!" Byakuran said, looking down at Yuni.
"Wait, Yuni!" Tsuna called down. "There's no reason for you to sacrifice yourself for the Arcobaleno!"
"He's right, Yuni. Remember what you told me? You don't always have to be the sacrifice." Roksana told Yuni.
"And just like you told me...for my family, everything is a must. I must do this. Their revival is crucial in order to return you all to a peaceful past." Yuni replied with a smile. "And, in turn, it will save many innocent lives as well. The time has finally come for me to be able to make good use of my powers. This is the only chance I can take...and my destiny, which I cannot escape from."
"Then...at least let me help." Roksana offered lowly, reaching for Yuni.
Yuni shook her head.
"Your part comes later. She told you, didn't she?" Yuni gave Roksana a knowing smile, Roksana realizing that, when it came down to their feelings for the ones they loved...the two of them were the same. They were both more than willing to give their lives for those they loved, even if they were afraid. "Just one last thing. I have seen your future, Roksana."
"My future?" Roksana asked.
Yuni nodded, a sad smile taking over her expression as she peered up at the taller girl before her.
"Peace for you...sadly, it won't last long. You still have your own demon to confront and he's coming soon. He's growing impatient and will enter the battlefield himself." Yuni told her.
Roksana's lips pressed into a thin line, color draining from her face as she looked down at Yuni. She couldn't even pretend to not know what Yuni was talking about.
"When?" Roksana asked.
"I'm not sure. Please, for your family's sake...be careful." Yuni told her.
The sudden clash of Byakuran and Tsuna, had Roksana whipping around to look up at them. The two were locked in a struggle, Byakuran tying to get to Yuni and Tsuna refusing to let him touch the girl. Roksana had to throw up her arms before her, shielding herself as the two crashed into the ground nearby. Moving her arms, she peered out from behind them as the two continued to fight. Only the dimming of Yuni's flames around them, had Roksana turning away, finding tears rushing down Yuni's face. As the girl crumbled to the ground, gripping her arms around herself tightly, Roksana hurried to her side, dropping to a knee in front of her.
"Yuni?" Roksana asked.
"Maybe...she's fearing death?" Byakuran asked.
Of course she was.
Despite being the leader of the Arcobaleno, Yuni was still a child.
"Yuni...it's okay to be afraid. We can find another way." Roksana told her.
Yuni raised her head, looking Roksana in the eyes.
"How are you never afraid when you put your life on the line?" Yuni asked.
"Fear comes from uncertainty. When we are absolutely certain, whether of our worth or worthlessness, we are almost impervious to fear. It is not the absence of my fear, but rather my judgement that something is far more important. I do not fear death, because I know we all die some day. The goal isn't to live forever, but rather, to create something that will. As long as the family I've created for myself, lives and continues on...I am content with however I leave this world. It doesn't mean I'm not afraid, just that my faith, my love, is far greater." Roksana told her. "But you don't have to do this, Yuni. We can find another way, together."
Yuni shook her head, getting back to her feet as her flames grew once more. Roksana, she knew, had a point. She knew that everyone died someday and that there was no other way to return Roksana and her friends to a peaceful past.
"I'm sorry, I'll be fine. There is no other way." Yuni said, Roksana rising to her feet too. "Thank you, everyone."
"Yuni, please." Roksana said, reaching for the girl.
A crash with the barrier around them, had Roksana turning. Her friends, using the combined attack under Basil's Alfin, had created a crack in the barrier just big enough for someone to drop inside. Both Roksana and Yuni were surprised when Gamma landed before them, a smile on his face as he looked down at Yuni.
"Hey, Princess. I finally get to see you, only to have you slip away yet again. That's not very fair, is it? Won't you use my flames too?" Roksana took a step back as Gamma walked up to Yuni, pulling her into his arms to hug. "I won't leave you alone."
"Gamma..."
Roksana trailed off as Gamma looked at her. He gave her a smile and a nod. Even without words, Roksana knew what he was trying to say. Though she wanted to stop them, she knew there was nothing she could say or do to stop it now. Pressing her lips into a thin line, Roksana nodded and Gamma turned back to Yuni.
"Do you remember what you whispered in my ear long ago? I still haven't given you an answer." Gamma said, leaning down to whisper something in Yuni's ear. Yuni couldn't stop the tears that began anew. "Come on, that's not the face to show at a time like this. That's not what your mother taught you."
Looking up at Gamma, Yuni, despite her tears, smiled happily. In that moment, she fully understood what Roksana had told her, what Roksana felt every time she stepped up as a sacrificial buffer for her friends, her family. Yuni turned one last look upon Roksana.
"The rest is up to you." Yuni told her.
And then they were gone, their clothes and the pacifiers falling to the ground.
END
Kyandi: I just re-read my reviews from the last chapter.
Roksana: How the hell can I cheat on Hibari if we're not even in a relationship!? And why would it be with Xanxus of all people!?
Mukuro: It could be me instead.
Roksana: Hell to the no! I would rather gag.
Mukuro: Kinky.
Roksana: Kyandi-sama!
Kyandi: Okay, okay. Mukuro, it's time to leave.
Roksana: ...
Kyandi: I think its a good time as any to call it for the day. Everyone, enjoy and review.
Roksana: Unfortunately, we'll be back tomorrow.
Kyandi: Bye-bye!