Title: Toy Soldier
Word Count: 2,860
Definition: Skull was a runner; running from his past, from all the lies and deceit, the deaths that haunted his footsteps, and the expectations placed on his shoulders. He didn't want to be a hero. He didn't want to be a toy soldier, laying around for anyone to play with. Skull didn't want to be Harry Potter. All he wanted was to be free.
Warnings: mentions of Wizarding World bashing, HarryPotter-is-Skull, Skull/Fon if you squint in places, slight OOC in places
This is the story of a dreamer, a soldier,
Skull de Mort was loud, he was flamboyant and showy. With his purple hair and violet eyes, he was noticeable; he was always in the spotlight, preforming death-defying stunts as the crowd roared his name. He was a maverick.
Everyone knew it.
But what they didn't know, was that he was a frightened eighteen-year-old running from his past; running from all the lies and deceit, the deaths that seemed to haunt his footsteps, and the expectations that were always placed upon his thin shoulders. He didn't want to be a scapegoat, he didn't want to be a hero.
He didn't want to be Harry Potter; the toy soldier laying around for anyone to play with.
Harry Potter was meek, he was compliant, and he was amenable. He didn't want to be controlled, regulated, repressed. He was tired of being lied to, being controlled and manipulated.
All he ever wanted was to be free.
Harry Potter wasn't free; but Skull de Mort was.
So at eighteen, after defeating an evil megalomaniac and discovering all he knew was a lie, Harry Potter -the frightened, abused little boy-, became Skull de Mort; the enthusiastic, confident stuntman.
When Skull ran away from one secret society filled with psychopaths, he never expected to get dragged into another.
With the weight of the world upon his shoulders,
Skull stared around the round table suspiciously, violet eyes wary. He could feel the power pulsing off these people in waves, the strongest, by far, coming from the brooding dark-haired man in the fedora. He subconsciously realized how much younger he looked compared to them (he really hoped the makeup did it's job hiding the fact that he wasn't even a legal adult yet), the youngest, a woman in military garb, looking to be in her mid-twenties.
"Um..." The lady who had contracted him about the job, the one in the marshmallow hat, approached the table, holding a tray of cookies in her hands. "My name is Luche. I made some cookies," Luche smiled warmly. "Here you are."
The military lady turned away, "I never eat anything given to me by someone else." She said dismissively.
Skull watched as Luche's smile fell slightly, before she forced it back up, and without a word he reached forward and plucked a few of the baked goods from the tin before taking a tentative bite.
Luche giggled and moved onto the green-haired man who was bent over a large notebook. "Would you like a cookie?"
The scientist didn't even have the decency to look up, and with a (slightly pained) smile Luche made her way to the next two; the fedora-man and a man who wore Chinese-styled clothing.
"You two should also take some."
The Asian man smiled gently and dipped his head into a polite bow, "Thank you,"
Luche's smile widened, then she shifted towards the man in the fedora, "Would you like some?"
"I have no interest in anything sweet." He dismissed with a clear Italian drawl.
"Really?" Luche asked, straightening. "How about some coffee, then? I made some delicious expresso-"
"You don't seem to understand," The Italian interrupted, and Skull shivered slightly at the dangerous edge to the man's voice. "What I'm trying to say is..."
Luche's gentle laugh interrupted him, "If you don't trust me, shall I drink some first-"
Damn that lady had balls.
"-paranoid Hitman-san?"
Skull nearly choked on his cookie, eyes widening in shock. A hitman? He was sitting at a table with a hitman?!
Dark eyes peered from under the brim of his fedora as the hitman looked at the blue-eyed woman standing beside him.
Luche's smile never faltered as she poured the Italian hitman a cup of expresso, ignoring said hitman's piercing gaze.
"I get it,"
"Huh?" Luche paused, staring at the hitman as he stroked his (rather impressive) curled sideburns.
"I'll have some, I happen to love expresso."
She placed the cup gently in front of the dark-haired hitman, "They're lovely," at his look, she clarified. "Your curly sideburns are adorable."
This time, Skull really did choke.
What were those bloody things made of?! Brass?
Whose got a little room to grow,
Better days are near,
Reborn, the Italian hitman with the rocking sideburns (not adorable, no matter what Luche said, he had a sense of preservation, thank you very much), was by far the strongest of them, with Fon, the Chinese martial artist, coming in second.
Skull wasn't very surprised to find that he was the weakest.
He would never admit it out loud, of course, but he had never known about the 'Dying Will Flames' until the day Fon had gently explained it to him after seeing his confused expression while the others were talking about their 'Flame Element'.
Turns out he was a Cloud-user; who knew?
Hope is so much stronger than fear,
And now he had the body of a baby.
Goddamnit! He thought he was done with all this crazy shit!
His wide, violet eyes surveyed the others around him; Viper had pulled his hood back up to hide his face, Lal was sprawled on the ground, eyeing her blond boy-toy in stunned disbelief while Colonello -who had shoved Lal out of the way- stared at his hands, Verde looked rather excited, Fon's calm mask was gone, leaving him looking staggered, Luche rubbed at her bloated stomach dully, and Reborn looked both thunderous and dazed at the same time.
Around each of their necks was a glowing pacifier. Indigo for Viper, blue for Colonello, Lal's looked corrupted and gray, Verde's was green, a red one lay against Fon's chest, Luche's pacifier was orange, and Reborn's was yellow.
Dangling around Skull's neck, was a shimmering violet pacifier.
Bloody Hell! He was an infant! They were all fucking infants!
Don't stop, march on.
The Curse of the Arcobalano, that's what it was called.
Their era's I Prescelti Sette, The Strongest Seven, had been gathered and then cursed with their infantile bodies, each possess a pacifier that represent the different colors of the rainbow, with each color corresponding with their respective Dying Will Flames.
They were the ones who "walked out of time"; they couldn't age, nor could they die of old age.
Skull had once again become a toy soldier in someone else's game.
And he didn't like it.
Baby, remember when we learned how to fly,
Luche was dead.
Apparently another part of the Arcobalano curse was their Sky's short lifespan. Luche had given birth to a healthy daughter, whom she managed to live long enough to see turn nine before her Curse caught up with her.
Luche had been weakened to the point where she couldn't even get up to bake those cookies she so loved to make. Slowly wasting away in front of their eyes.
Luche was dead, and the Curse of the Sky Arcobalano was passed onto young Aria, only nine years old and such a burden resting on her tiny shoulders.
But Aria, so much like her mother, continued to smile. She never broke under the pressure, she continued to stand tall and proud, leading the Giglio Nero with all the grace her mother had before her.
Aria was a good girl, and she reminded Skull so much of who Harry Potter had once been, before all the lies and manipulations and deaths, that it hurt.
He really hoped history didn't repeat itself.
The world really didn't need anymore toy soldiers.
Play make believe, we were young and had time on our side
Vongola Decimo was a good kid, a natural leader who simply didn't know it yet. Sure he was clumsy, a little slow, and a bit of a coward, but he cared for his friends. He put their needs and wellbeing above his own.
He was a proper Sky, his guardians were lucky to have him (even if some of them were pretty scary).
Sawada Tsunayoshi was a good kid, and an even better boss. Sure he didn't like fighting, but he was brilliant at it when he had something to fight for.
He was a lot like Harry Potter in that way; but unlike Harry Potter, Tsunayoshi had proper friends, ones who would go through hell to see him smile.
Tsunayoshi was going to change the mafia, he would take the underworld by storm and completely overhaul it. And with his Guardians at his side, Vongola Decimo would succeed where Harry Potter failed.
He would change the world for the better.
Were stuck on the ground, got lost can't be found,
When Skull died -really died, properly died-, he went out protecting his friends (when did he start considering the other Arcobalano his friends, he wondered).
They were gathered in a clearing, eyes wide as they stared up at the fiery ball of potent Sky Flames heading towards them, and Skull acted before his mind could truly process what was happening. (Damn Gryffindorish tendencies)
"MOVE!" He screamed, magic and Cloud Flames exploding outwards, knocking his fellow Arcobalano back before wrapping them in a protective bubble, shielding them from the oncoming blast and hiding them from the Millefiore's eyes.
Snarling, Skull began to flare his Flames, intertwining them with his magic, and layer upon layer of magical Cloud Flames slowing the decent of Byakuran's attack, until finally, the glowing ball of orange Flames simply broke apart.
But Skull wasn't about to let his guard down.
"Ho?" Byakuran's smile was gone, "What's this? Where have the other Arcobalano gone?"
"What are you doing, Lackey?" Reborn demanded.
Skull glowered, thick waves of his Flames rolling off of him. "I won't let you."
Byakuran's head tilted to the side, a mocking smile lifting his lips. "You... won't let me?"
He stood his ground, head held high as violet eyes stared defiantly at the white-haired psycho.
"Skull!" Colonello cried, kicked fruitlessly at the shield around him and the other Arcobalano, keeping them from their weakest member. "Damnit -kora! Let us out!"
Byakuran laughed, "So you've somehow managed to hide them from us, have you?" He mocked, "It won't work for long if you're dead." Orange Flames began licking up the Millefiore Head's arm as he prepared his attack.
"Get away, Skull!" Fon exclaimed, his calm mask in shatters, brown eyes staring at their youngest member in distress.
"Didn't you hear? Death hates me." Skull informed him, "I doubt he'll want to keep me around for long."
Then Byakuran struck, a large explosion of Sky Flames bathed the clearing in Orange light.
"SKULL!"
And Skull closed his eyes as the Flames fell upon him, allowing them to swallow him, his Flames and magic pulsing in a desperate attempt to shield their user. Protect them. Please, please protect them. He could feel the overwhelming, burning pain as his body was repetitively destroyed before knitting itself back together.
What felt like hours was really only a few moments, and then Byakuran's Flames dissipated.
And Skull continued to stand tall.
For all of one heartbeat, it seemed like everything would be fine. Glazed violet eyes turned to stare at his fellow Arcobalano, and they immediately knew something was wrong.
A small, pained smile twisted Skull's lips, Damn it hurt, it hurt everywhere, was this what it was like to die? "I'm sorry."
Then his body shattered, and the Arcobalano watched in stunned disbelief as violet particles of Flames scattered, leaving a cracked pacifier to drop to the ground with a dull thump.
"S-Skull..." Colonello whispered in horror, blue eyes locked on the rapidly dimming violet pacifier that was all that remained of their teammate.
And the shield around the Arcobalano didn't drop; infused with Skull's final and dying wish to protect his friends.
"No! Skull!" Fon cried, eyes wide and panicked, while Reborn grit his teeth, coal eyes flashing is barely withheld rage.
Skull de Mort was the first of the Cursed Pacifier holders to fall.
Remember that you're still alive
The world reset itself; Byakuran was defeated, and the Arcobalano had been revived.
Everything was right in the world once more.
And then Colonello spun around, fist lashing out and it clipped Skull across the cheek, sending the violet-haired infant staggering onto his butt.
"O-ow... That hurt!" He looked up and froze in fear, a slight squeak leaving his mouth as his fellow Arcobalano loomed over him, each looking furious.
Even Fon, the ever calm Storm, was glowering at him.
"Lackey..." Reborn snarled, eyes shadowed by the brim of his fedora.
"S-s-senpai!" Skull squeaked, scrambling away from the Sun Arcobalano, only to bump into Viper and Verde, who made no move to let him past them.
"What the hell were you thinking -kora?!" Colonello exploded, "You moron! You just went and decided that we'd be fine with you dying like that?!"
Skull blinked in surprise, a puzzled expression on his face. "C-Colonello?"
"You just - you -argh!" Apparently the blond was too furious to even form a coherent sentence. He gestured heatedly at the Cloud, spluttering erratically in his anger.
"You think we didn't care?" Fon asked suddenly, stepping forward aggressively, brown eyes nearly red in outrage. "You sacrificed yourself for us, and thought that we wouldn't care?"
Skull flinched back as Fon's arms moved, then made a strangled noise of surprise, body tensing, when their Storm wrapped his arms around him in a tight hug.
"Idiot." Fon murmured, sounding almost choked. "Never, ever do that again."
Skull hesitantly returned the hug, relaxing after a moment and melting into the hug. "'m sorry." He muttered weakly, addressing not only Fon, but the others as well, "I just- I'm not used to- No one's ever cared before..."
"Well, we do." Fon assured the smaller Arcobalano.
"But don't think we're going to go easy on you because of it -kora!" Colonello grumbled, "You're still a weakling."
"I expect an expresso as an apology." Reborn added.
"Strawberry milk." Viper agreed.
Skull snorted against Fon's shoulder, burrowing further into the Storm Arcobalano's arms.
He finally felt like he belonged.
Keep marching on.
After thirty years of wandering the Earth, cursed in the form of an infant, the Curse of the Arcobalano was broken.
A brilliant grin spread across Skull's face as he pumped his fists with a shout of triumph; he was very nearly radiating childish joy as he spun and lunged at Fon, glomping the taller man.
Fon barely staggered when Skull's full weight latched onto him, and he looked over his shoulder at the violet-hair young man who clung to his back, much like an overgrown baby monkey, a wide smile on his face.
"This is amazing!" Skull crowed, "I have my awe-inspiring body back! The great Skull-sama has returned to normal!" The Cloud Arcobalano laughed brightly.
Fon chuckled in amusement, while the others snorted.
A great weight had been lifted from each of them; while the pacifiers may still hang around their necks, a symbol of what they had once been, the curse had been lifted.
After thirty years of a cursed existence, the Arcobalano were finally free.
This is the story of a dreamer, a soldier,
With the weight of the world upon his shoulders,
Whose got a little room to grow,
Better days are near,
Hope is so much stronger than fear,
Don't stop, march on.
Baby, remember when we learned how to fly,
Play make believe, we were young and had time on our side
Were stuck on the ground, got lost can't be found,
Remember that your still alive
Keep marching on.
~Battle Scars (Reprise) by Paradise Fears
A wild KHR!XHARRY POTTER plot bunny appeared!
So there you have it, another random one-shot. Maybe I'll make a continuation at some point? I dunno... Maybe. I got the idea of a Skull-is-Harry Potter story after reading A Change in Occupation by GenderlessPerson, hope you enjoy it!
Please review with your thoughts or comments.
~TDU
UPDATE:
Oh lookie here! I added on to it! The song lyrics do not belong to me, they're Paradise Fear's music.