Viper.

The boy is barely conscious, Viper thinks. I could leave now and he'd never know.

Viper thinks this, but doesn't move from its spot anyway. It stares down at the boy bleeding before him. The stupid, insolent boy who only ever gets in the way. It's never really had a conversation with him before, but it has seen the moronic ways he goes about things.

There's really no reason to be here, Viper thinks. There isn't any money in it, no profit whatsoever. I could leave right now and he'd never know.

Viper thinks this, but instead of leaving, moves to a kneeling position next to him. The boy's eyes are glazed over, but they seem to focus right onto it. It shutters, feeling slightly uncomfortable. It gazes right back at the boy. There's some sort of feeling welling up in his chest, but Viper had killed its emotions so long ago it doesn't know what it is.

I have other things to do, Viper thinks. I could leave now and he'd never know.

Viper thinks this, but instead of getting up and walking away, it moves its hand forward slightly, nudging the other's. A moment passes. Then, slowly, the boy's hand moves too. It grasps the other's tightly, despite the injuries he has sustained. The boy's lips twitch in what could've been a smile.

He's dead before it's fully formed.

There's no reason to stay, Viper thinks. I could leave now and he would ever know.

Viper thinks this, but instead of leaving the small cave they're in, stays and stares at the boy who is slowly becoming colder by the minute. It's not sure what to think. So it doesn't.

Eventually, Viper stands outside the cave, staring into the dark depth of the rock where the body lay.

There's no reason to do this, Viper thinks. I could leave now and no one would ever know.

Viper thinks this, but instead of turning and never looking back, it does something that surprises even itself. It flicks its wrist quickly and the mouth of the cave crashes in. The dust clears, Viper is untouched. The mouth of the cave is sealed and will probably never be found. Still, just to be sure, Viper places the illusion of solid rock instead of tiny boulders toppled on one another.

No one will ever see the boy again. No one will ever know.

Time passes.

Viper's new name is Mammon.

He still remembers that boy.

Lal.

Lal leaves him there. She has more important things that need to be done. Things that are for the good of all of them. Many have died in this fight already. Why should it matter if one more goes? Especially if that one got in the way all the time. Sacrifices are needed in this war. It's for the best.

At least, that's what she tells herself.

Reborn.

Reborn tilts his head to the side, eyes boring holes into the person in front of him. They've been beaten into an inch of their life. They're broken and bloody like so many before them. The helmet they always wear is gone, unable to hide the swelling on his lackey's face. Useless and weak until the very end he was.

"Well?" the broken form before him asks. The voice that echoes around is small in this large room. "Aren't you going to yell at me now?"

Reborn has had too many go before them for it to hurt.

"No." he responds. The figure seems startled the hitman actually replied.

"You're not worth it."

And that hurts worse than anything else Reborn could've done.

Fon.

Skull is there, unconscious and breathing only for now. His head is in Fon's lap, the most comfortable place Fon could think to put him. Fon looked down at the young man- no, boy before him and sighed. He didn't have long.

They'd been ambushed and in the flurry of battle Skull had been hurt, too injured to do anything about in this state. There was no way to get him the proper medical treatment like he needed. There was no way he could live without it.

The mafia was no place for a child, Fon thought. Yes, Skull was just as trained as the rest of them, seen things the others all had. But in the end Skull was still a boy, a child of only nineteen who'd been caught up in the tragedy of it all. He didn't deserve a life like this. Fon prayed he'd be reincarnated into another, better life. One that didn't involve so much pain.

Fon closed his eyes and looked at the sky that seemed too happy. Nothing was fair anymore.

It took him a moment to realize Skull had stopped breathing.

Verde.

"You don't have any more use."

Bam!

It hurt more than he expected.

Colonello.

They've all been caught again, but they're the only two still fighting, unable to run like the others.

Lal, Reborn, Fon- everyone has already scattered. It was up the two to create a distraction for them to get away, long enough for the others to get safe before bolting themselves.

Things aren't really going as planned.

Skull is there, racing around everyone in a blaze. His cloud flames are absorbing the other flames around him as protection. With more enemy flames being eaten, the more his are being spread. He's being careful not to get close to Colonello though, who's off to the side of Skull's vision through his helmet. His fingers are a blur at the trigger, firing off bullets faster than the younger can see. He's doing pretty well.

But they haven't made any progress in getting an opening to leave yet either.

Skull has just gotten rid of the enemies off to the east and, for once, others don't immediately fill the space they left. It was there chance to run. He turns to tell Colonello and sees what's coming.

Colonello is busy with those in front of him, but quick as he is, he doesn't see those sneaking up from behind. What was is Lal said, don't let your guard down? He'd heard Colonello had a problem with that when he got cocky.

The enemy, attacker, criminal, person is just one faceless person in a sea of other faceless people but Skull's eyesight is locked right on him. He's drawing his gun, quietly so the owner of the rain pacifier won't hear and Colonello will never turn in time and Skull doesn't have a gun because he's not the best when it comes to long range and-

-and he's off running before he even knows it.

"Sempai!" he screams. He can't see anything else.

The gun goes off.

As he knocks his sempai back the blonde looks startled. Skull doesn't fall back with him and suddenly there's a sharp pain that's more than a sting in his chest. He collapses with a yelp, face first onto the grass that feels so cool against his hot chest.

He thinks the bullet might have pierced his heart or somewhere damn close to it. He tries to clutch at his wound but it hurts too much. Gasping in pain, he tries to stand but falls back down instantly. He can't move much after that.

Skull can see Colonello still even though most of his face is buried in the dirt. Colonello takes one quick look at him, then where the shot came from. The entire forest is still for a moment in time, everyone absolutely star struck that they'd actually managed to hurt an arcobaleno, even if that's what they'd been aiming for. No one had really been expecting it.

Then Colonello is on his feet again, face one of pure hatred. He's out of Skull's sight in an instant, but he can hear what's going on around him. There are screams of terror and agony, shots that ring out and shake the earth. He doesn't know what happening, but he's glad he can't see it.

Just as soon as it starts, it's over. Colonello is back in his line of sight again, flipping him onto his back and tearing off his helmet. It's tossed carelessly to the side. Skull tries to keep his scream in as he's moved roughly but lets out pained sound anyway. Colonello, who has always enjoyed the pain and suffering of Skull, winces. He doesn't know what to make of that.

Skull sees Colonello remove his jacket and press it to his chest. It burns, but he knows pressure must be applied to the wound. That doesn't make it any easier.

"Stupid." He hears Colonllo mutter. "Why would you do that?" It's to himself. Skull isn't meant to hear it, but he responds anyway.

"I don't know. 'Cause you're better. 'Cause you're older." He lets out a small chuckle, mouth tasting more like copper every second. "Cause I'm dumb."

Skull feels awfully sleepy. He lets his eyes slide close slightly but Colonello slaps him awake.

"Ow, sempai! That hurts…"

"Thank you, Captain Obvious. You've mastered the feeling of your nerves." Colonello was looking at his chest a moment before, but he stares Skull straight in the eyes for his next few words. "Don't pass out, okay? You might not wake up, kora."

He doesn't look away until Skull nods. Then he goes back to whatever he was doing with the bullet wound. That's odd, Skull thinks. It didn't really hurt that much anymore.

Skull lifts up his right hand to move aside Colonello's now soiled jacket, but it's smacked away before he can touch it. Colonello doesn't even look up from his work. He supposes it's better he doesn't see the wound.

He tries, he really does but Skull has a hard time keeping his eyes open. He doesn't know how long they've been there, but they're not leaving anytime soon. His eyes start to droop. Colonello catches him again, but this time the slap feels like a mere brush and he cannot open his eyes again.

"Hey, wake up. Wake up, stupid, you- Skull! You open your eyes now! Say something, damnit"

There is something in his sempai's voice Skull can't identify but it doesn't really matter right now. What does is the fact Colonello is shaking him wildly and making him feel sick.

"Wow, sempai," he whispers. The shaking stops abruptly. "That's the first time you've said my name."

"And it'll be the last time if you go and die on me." Colonello growls at him, voice sounding a bit off. He chalks it up to anger.

Skull opened his mouth to speak when something wet hits his cheek. He doesn't know what it is, but then another drop hits his face.

"Funny," he whispers. "I don't remember it being supposed to rain today."

The rain poured down on Skull.

The sky was cloudless that day.

Almost.

It wasn't a dark, stormy night like it should have been when Skull was shot. It wasn't even night. In fact, it was one of the brightest days in a while. The sky was a brighter shade of blue than he remembers it being the last time he looked up. It was warm for this time of year, but not uncomfortably so. There was a light breeze ruffling the cherry trees, a beautiful sight.

It figures that not even the weather thinks him worthy to be mourned.

His stomach is burning, burning, burning when he crawls to the shade of the trees in an attempt to hide from the watchful eyes above. He rolls over onto his side, where it hurts the least. He can see movement in the bushes but he no longer has the energy to do anything if it's an enemy. It's not like he cares at this point anyway.

His helmet is gone, missing somewhere along the wreckage of horrible machines of destruction. He's hurt but he doesn't know how bad it is, how long he's been bleeding, how much time he has. (There's no if he makes it, he is going to die here.) The adrenaline has kept him going for this long, but now that it's wearing off he can feel the full pain of hot metal buried in his stomach.

He's glad that for once in his life someone isn't there to see his failure. At the same time he almost wishes someone were there to make fun of him, just so he wouldn't be there alone, dying under a tree where someone will probably never find him.

Almost.

He's muttering to himself but he doesn't know what. His senses are fading. All sound is muffled, but every now and again he makes a word out. Eventually, after ages, he figures out what he's been mumbling, no- singing, in his delusional state by focusing on how his lips move. It takes him longer than it should to register the words.

He doesn't remember learning this song.

"Floating beyond time

there's a city made of wind.
Please, dear, take me there,
where dreams draped

in white flowers come true"

He's pretty sure he's hallucinating, what with the blood gushing out of him and the pain that isn't even pain anymore, just some dull ache. There are shouts off in the distance, but he's not sure he's really hearing anything at all.

He wonders what the others would say or do in this situation, if they were there with him.

"Holding anxious hands-
calm me with a kiss and then
please, dear, get me there.
Where now that was forgotten
can bloom."

Viper would probably offer to make him believe it didn't hurt as much if she (he? He could never tell.) were in a good mood. He'd still have to pay money up front though, stingy bastard. Skull wouldn't take the deal for lack of money and then he (she?) would leave him like he is now. Viper would try to make money off dying men no matter who it was. If there was no profit, she (he?) wouldn't stay to keep him company.

Lal wouldn't stick around. She'd have dragged him to the shade and then took off. Lal wasn't the type of person to stick around when there's work to be done, not for someone as incompetent as him. Maybe she'd come back for his body later, maybe drop it off to be cremated somewhere or something. Either way, he'd be in the same position he is now.

Heaven forbid Reborn to be there. He'd call him useless for getting himself so injured. Like Skull did it on purpose. Reborn would probably think about making his wound worse, but wouldn't because that would get blood of the stupid all over his nice shoes. He'd insult him up until the last moment of Skull's life. He'd probably even try to get him to do something else before he died, as a lackey should.

Reborn was an ass, even in Skull's imagination.

"And early in the afternoon, asleep in the sun
And wake to our time when the hunting is done
And then when I see you,

I'll know in my heart what I've won
Please, dear, take me there."

Verde would leave him, just like all the others. If Skull was unlucky, he'd take his body to do weird experiments on. Science was more important than what means accomplished with. Skull didn't want to think about it.

Fon would most likely try to make him as most comfortable as possible, valuing people and what's right over other pressing things. He'd tell Skull to relax, breathe deeply. He can't really. There's something causing his breath to be sharp and ragged. Maybe his lungs have been cut. He doesn't know. All he knows is that Fon would try his best to help the weakest of them be okay in his last moments, tell him to try meditating. Fon was always his favorite.

Colonello would tell him to suck it up, be a man for once. His sempai would try to make him tough and then berate him for complaining about it hurting.

Excuse me for being fatally wounded,Skull would say to him.

Then Colonello would say no, you're not, kora. Don't be such a baby. Then he'd get yelled at some more and suddenly it's Reborn all over again.

Almost all the people I know are bastards, Skull thinks. He's still singing the meaningless words from before.

"And early in the afternoon

asleep in the sun
I dream about our time together

and what we have done
and then when I see you,

I'll know in my heart what I have won..."

He misses Luche. If she were still around, he'd want her there. He immediately takes it back; he wouldn't want her to see something like this. It's too war like for someone like her, even if she's seen her fair share of destruction and death. Luche is- was like his mother, if he ever had one. He wouldn't want his mother to see him like this.

He wouldn't want to see his mother cry.

The colors are fading. The edges of his vision are black, sucked into the empty void of death. Everything that seemed so bright before is now dull, fading away as he struggles to take in more air. It's a futile effort. He hasn't been in pain for a while now, feeling nothing but the ghost of human touch. Even that's almost gone.

Skull wants to cry.

Instead, he closes his near sightless eyes and sings.

"Please dear, take me there."

"L-Luche?"

"It's nice to see you again."