Author's Note:
Man, oh man, the latest chapter brought forth some giant contradictions to my story! Who would've thought the Sky Arcobaleno would return? And the chapter even showed a picture of Aria herself! Well, time to flex that writer's brain of mine to fix this right up!
Chapter 40: A Fated Encounter II
Atop a high, windy hill looking over the City, I stood in my usual winter-wear of a light-blue sweater and a pair of mittens. I looked around and saw the blanket of snow that covered the City had all melted away, leaving a fresh, clean view of the City, just in time for New Years. Standing there, in the middle of the road on the hill, my eyes gently closed to listen in on the calm, relaxing sound of the waves pushing back and forth. It has become something of a hobby of mine.
A tap on my shoulder, however, brought me back to the top of the hill and the sight of the city.
"Listening to the waves again?" A familiar voice, calm and deep, asks out to me. Turning to see Sergio in his usual winter-wear, white, long sleeved jacket with a scarf around his neck, I greeted him with a relaxed smirk and a nod. "Hah! Sometimes, you can be quite the old man. You even had that look in your eyes." He continued, walking to my side with a bag in hand, and looked towards the view of the city.
"It's just, something I like about this City..." I replied, feeling strangely calm and relaxed as I said it. After a few more seconds of admiring what we saw, we nodded to each other as a wry smile appeared on our faces. From my back, I pulled out a skateboard, and did a final check on the neighborhood. It was a bit loud from the New Years festivities, but the road was dry enough. With nothing holding me back, I began skating down the slope, pushing my feet onto the piece of board with wheels.
As the wind picked up, trying its best to stop me by blowing against my skin, I could feel myself going faster and faster. Frantic as it was, I began to wonder if Sergio could ever catch up.
Ba-bump. Ba-bump. Ba-bump.
The feeling of the wheels sliding against the stone-paths was exhilarating. It felt very much like a roller-coaster ride, only without much safety present. My heart-beat racing, I did my best to balance myself on the piece of wood. As I struggled, I saw Sergio push himself in front of me, riding on a pair of roller-blades. I wanted to laugh as I saw him waving his arms about, but nearly falling off my own board brought my attention back. Mind you, I'm not good at skateboarding. Heck, I never stepped onto one before today!
"W-whoa!" I screamed out involuntarily, shifting my body side to side to balance myself after tilting too much to the right.
"Where did you get the skateboard?" Sergio yelled out to me with a frantic voice, squeezing out the words when he could. Of course, I have never seen Sergio rollerblading before either!
"Found it in the mansion!" I replied, yelling back while keeping my eyes glued to the front, which was difficult considering how my eyes seemed to dart all over the place as I skated my way down the hill.
Down the street, to the side of the road, a couple of teenagers came to our sight, chatting and talking to each other. Laughing, the different groups seemed to be enjoying the New Years proper. Dressed in winter-wear, their clothes looked as fashionable as always. It took me a while to realize most of them actually goes to Venice High. With their voices ringing through my ears, I skated passed them, trying my best to not fall off the board. Soon, all of their eyes fell to us.
"Hey, look! They're at it again!" A girl cried out to her friends, pointing her finger our way. It made me feel a bit happy that she actually recognized us.
"Again this year? What are they doing now?" One of the inattentive boys asked out loud, turning to try and catch a glimpse of us after we rushed passed him.
"Skateboarding and rollerblading!" A few other students cried out in unison, cheering and laughing at us as they watched.
The name of the game was Capodanno, which literally translates to New Years. During this time, the popular belief is that anything you do on New Years, you'll also be able to do it for the rest of the year. That's why we were skating and rollerblading down the hill without a care in the world. Every year, Sergio and I would pick what we want to do for that year, and everything else just falls into place on Capodanno! Actually, we have a lot of other beliefs for Capodanno, such as having big feasts without a care in the world, or just enjoying the fireworks that's put up every year. There's even the one where you throw old things out the window, and replace them with new ones.
As the thought flowed through my mind, one of the girl's misstep caused her to pushed herself onto my path!
"Hey, look out!" I cried out, and at that moment, whether it was instinct or something I knew before, I kicked on the edge of the board. Next thing I knew, I was flying over her, the kick propelling my body into the air, twisting the board as I did. Landing back on the other side safely, I was surprised the board didn't break.
"Awesome!" Sergio applauded what I did with a thumbs up. "How did you do that?" He yelled out once more, clearly surprised.
"I don't know!" I yelled back, the adrenaline rush almost too much for me to handle.
"Zanna, I love you!" Another girl cried out, followed by a series of laughter and giggles from her friends. As I pushed passed Sergio, I turned towards her voice and felt confused and happy all at the same time. Alas, I couldn't actually catch her face. Still, reminding myself that Gina's the one I like, I brushed the feeling off.
That was when I zoomed past a figure that stood out amongst the crowd. She was beautiful, with long, dark hair touching her shoulders, which flowed with the gentle breeze of the wind. Her eyes glowed blue under the light of the sun. Suddenly the interest hit me hard, and even as I glided down the street straight passed her, my head turned to seek her out, desperately trying to have a better look at her. Somehow, her features struck me as familiar. Deep inside, I felt as though I saw her before.
"Amato! Store sign, watch out!" Sergio's voice called out to me, but it wasn't enough to pull my attention back. The last thing I saw was the figure noticing me before a flat sign struck me on the back of my head, knocking me off the road and, out of consciousness.
The sound of steps, as well as the feeling of my body dragging on the stone-path woke me up. My heavy head slowly cleared up, and sight returned as I pushed open my eyelids. What I saw was stone after stone, the image jiggling and swaying from side to side as I felt someone else pulling and supporting me. Shadowed by the brightness of the morning sun, Sergio's green hair was shining in the light, as he carried me by the shoulder. He looked like he was chatting up quite the storm with someone.
That was when I pushed my head the other way, and saw the girl from before, holding up my other arm. She laughed, her face blurred off by the sun, and the dizziness of my mind. It wasn't long before I dozed back off into unconsciousness, my body stumbling home with the help of my friend and the familiar figure.
"WHAT?"
A scream of voices spread across the mansion, the tone united as it boomed out. I jumped back a few steps, my face stiff in shock because of the surprise. Even those usually calm and serious had raised their brow in a comical fashion. My Famiglia were gathered in the living room, well, the five of them that came back early from the break, with our guest sitting on the sofa, looking right at us. The only ones not surprised were Sergio and Johann. Sergio stood beside her, with a smile on his face, amused at the situation, while the latter seemed confused, probably because he never met our guest, even before he lost his memory.
"You're Aria?" I argued back at her, still disbelieving my eyes. She sat there, poise and calm, a little upset at our reactions. She looked completely different, with a red blouse and long, black pants, with small, orange ribbons tied around her elbows and her waist. Her hair looked really pretty as the bangs were pushed behind her ears, the ends touching her shoulders. Of course, she still had the mark of the Giglio Nero just below her left eye.
"Hey! I'm just trying out a new look, okay! Why are you guys acting like this!" She spoke back, her eyebrows furrowed, obviously a bit frustrated. I guess she expected praises and compliments, a more pleasant reaction from us.
"You've grown taller!" I just blurted out without thinking, comparing her height to mine. She's nearly my height now. At my comment, her eyes glowed bright blue as she bounced up from her seat, feeling extremely proud. Right, that's one of the main reasons everyone else thought she was a child when they met her for the first time.
As my hand instinctively reached for the back of my head, the wound still felt sore, throbbing by the second.
"Ow.." I whined out loud, catching Sergio's attention.
"Should've kept your eyes in front of you, especially when you're riding the skateboard for the first time ever, you know?" Sergio lectured me gently, reminding me of the incident. Kiera and Vito shook their head at my foolish error. Walking to my side, my eyes went from Sergio to the skateboard and the pair of roller-blades sitting beside the fireplace.
"Man, I never was tall enough to reach that sign, why did it hit me?" I complained, still confused over what happened. The year before, we went down the same hill, myself on a bike, and Sergio on a scooter, and we never got hit by the piece of wood! Sure, we crashed and all, but that was because of another reason!. Sergio looked at me with a surprised look of his own, as well as the look of disbelief.
"You've grown taller too, haven't you noticed?" He told me the explanation. I was left thinking hard to myself. Could I have been taller when I met Aria? Maybe I'm not so short anymore! Strangely happy because of this revelation out of nowhere, my attention went back to Aria. Why did she come here? And where's Gamma? Her eyes catching mine, she flustered for some reason.
"It's a growth spurt, okay! It's coming in late!" She exclaimed, her cheeks slowly becoming red. That's what she's so excited about?
"Why did you come here, Aria? Alone, nonetheless. There must be a reason.." I asked out, putting on a more serious look. Somehow, I felt like asking her, even though it was kinda rude. The eyes of the room fell onto her once more, the excitement slowly dying down because of my words. The Boss of the Arcobaleno suddenly appearing before me, a nagging feeling told me it wasn't just a simple visit. "And where's your Pacifier?" Another question popped outta my mouth. That's right, her very symbol, the orange gem around her neck, gone.
Seriousness returned to the face of my Famiglia, as we waited for her answer.
"I.. I saw.." She muttered out, bringing her hand to her chin, uncertain of what to say. It looked and felt like she had a reason, but was unsure whether she should tell us or not. Her lush, dark hair swayed gently from side to side as she as she stumbled up to her feet, and towards the wide window. That was when I realized it was already dark outside. Just how long was I out just now?
A single light exploded, bright lights covered the dark, blank sky. A spark of light gave birth to a million others, igniting the shadowy darkness with a multitude of colors. Each color bursting forth into more, whistling and shining the joy and spirit of New Years throughout the streets of Venice. Even through the stainless glass of my window, I could feel the cheers of the city, roaring through the night. The feeling of calmness filled my mind and body, distracting me from the situation. Looking towards Aria, I involuntarily walked towards her, and put my hand on her shoulder.
"All right, you don't have to tell me if you're not ready for it." I declared with the most gentle smile I could come up with.
Behind me, I could feel my Famiglia smiling with me, chuckling as if my action was expected. Standing in the calm, peaceful setting that was my living room, I looked around to see it the same as always. A simple room, the only decoration being a couple of vases, a rug and a fireplace. As much as I tried to distract myself, the question remained in my mind.
Suddenly, something soft pressed against me, and a faint, alluring smell washed over me. My eyes wide open, I heard a couple of gasps from behind me before I realized it was Aria hugging me.
"Thank you very much, Zanna Decimo." Her words felt true, like it came from the bottom of her heart. I could feel her soft skin, her gentle pulse gently throbbing in her body.
"Uh.. All right. Um.. Let's all.. go outside! To enjoy the fireworks!" My words came out stammering, as I flustered over the sensation came over my body. My Famiglia looked reluctant at first, but after much persuasion, they agreed to follow me out. My feet pushing my body towards the main hall, Aria followed behind me, smiling and teasing me about how red my face had become. Soon, the main doors were unlocked, and I pushed them open as my fingers touched and felt the traditional symbols carved into the wood.
"Huh?" The door opened to a stranger's face, his voice coming out involuntarily. He took a few steps back, surprised as he was. The man looked to be middle-aged, but the most striking feature he had was his hair, separated by two clashing shades of brown, darker at the back, almost blending into the night, and a striking lighter shade at the front. It took him a while, but soon, a smile appeared on his face.
"Ah, the Boss himself, in the flesh, huh?" He gave out, his eyes scanning my body. "Not bad, not bad at all!" He exclaimed loudly, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.
"Ganauche! Stop fooling around!" A strong, rasping voice yelled out the stranger's name from behind him, catching his attention.
I shifted my eyes to where the voice came from, and the view opened up to a sea of men and women in suits. They looked organized, powerful, armed with weapons, some of them I've never even seen before. A number of them stood in my front yard, checking out the place, as my gates stood opened. In my mind, I thought up of a couple of scenarios. Are we under attack? Who are these people? A rival famiglia? Further back, limousines and other cars filled the streets, I could even see the road closed off by the police.
In front of them were five other guys, that looked to be the ones in charge of the group. There was a man, with long, gray hair, wild as they touched his shoulders, bearing metallic arm. At his side stood another, his eyes deadly serious, his hair pushed back with a scar on his face, in the shape of a cross. Scanning the surroundings was a man with hair coming down calmly, split at the top of his left eye, with a lizard tattoo on his face. At a corner behind them, a man with a grizzled beard and sunglasses stared at me with sharp eyes. And lastly, another stood by the gates, his dark skin tone and hairstyle, coming down in the middle of his head like a tail, as well as another reaching his shoulders, struck me as exotic. The man named Ganauche made his way down the stairs towards them, joining the five. There was no denying they were exceptionally powerful, their presence dwarfing the grunts around them.
Slowly, the main members of my Famiglia walked out from the entrance, their eyes serious as they checked the surroundings as well as the situation. It was a bit overwhelming, the rest of my Famiglia were still on the break I gave them. That was when the eyes of the opposing famiglia turned towards the entrance, following the footsteps that rang through the silence that filled the scene from the figure's arrival.
"This is.." I gave out as the steps got closer, the figure revealing himself to be a man, wearing a rather olden-styled suit, checkered with red lines.
"Vongola.." Kiera whispered out to me, as we watched the man walking towards us. My Famiglia and I watched as the man paced on, commanding respect from the other members. He had a full head of white hair, and his eyes were calm, serious. In his hand held a traditional scepter, metallic front tip with a finely carved, wooden body.
At Kiera's words, I realized who they were. As the man stopped in front of me, looking up to me from the yard, I couldn't believe my eyes. Without a thought, I blurted the words that formed in my mind.
"Vongola Nono, and the Ninth Generation.."
So, are you guys okay with the way I'm integrating Aria so she fits with the canon storyline? Although it's mainly her looks, if you guys think it's too much, tell me in your reviews! Just what is her reason for visiting the Zanna mansion? And just when all the excitement's done, the Vongola appears! Just what are their intentions? Well, you'll have to wait for the next chapter to find out!