Happy 2019 everyone! I'm very sorry that I didn't finish my 5+1 story last month but all my inspiration for it has disappeared for the moment. I will be finishing it off- a quarter is already written. I didn't want to right without my muse because it feels like I would be ripping you all off and not giving the story the attention it deserves. I also started applying for different courses and uni papers. I also have to choose a Bachelor's Degree by the end of May so no pressure... Not!
Enjoy reading this. I already have started on the next chapter so I can post early with a shortened chapter if my muse runs out.
If someone was to ask Skull who his favourite teammate was, he would always say Reborn-Sempai was his favourite. It was backed up with a frightful tone and quick, paranoid glances around the room. The person would think no more on it and either leave or steer the conversation in a different direction.
If that person had looked closer, past the mirage Skull expertly wove, they would see that what he said was a lie. Well, partially at the very least. Skull loved all his teammates equally, how could he pick a favourite? However, he felt a particular connection to Colonello. The blonde soldier who wasn't destined to become the Rain Arcobaleno. The one who denied Checkerface and his strings of half-truths and lies.
The thing that drew him the most to Colonello was his occupation of a mafia soldier. A little known fact about Skull was that he had been a soldier. It was well hidden in a web of omissions, half-truths, and make up.
The scars that spoke of hardship and brotherhood were all hidden by the leather get-up he refused to remove. The ones on his face were the hardest to hide but still manageable with some work. The tattoo covered up the scar he got fighting with a crazed swordsman. The concealer and foundation worked to cover up the small, white scars that peppered his face. Those were from shrapnel bombs, barbed wire, and all around wear and tear. The lipstick and piercings drew eyes away from where his scars lay and aided his cover story.
Colonello had scars similar to his in the way that they spoke of war; of battles long gone but never forgotten. He had seen the worst of humanity. Had fought for it. He would understand much more than the other Arcobaleno what Skull had seen and fought.
One could say the other Arcobaleno would understand just as much. Were they not part of the mafia, a place that held the darkness and sins of many. They were right, in a way, that the others would understand but there was a difference between hitmen and soldiers. Hitmen wanted to see blood shed by their hands. Soldiers wanted to prevent blood shed by theirs. Yin and Yang. Night and Day. He would acknowledge that there were exceptions to that rule, but it was a good general rule of thumb.
Or maybe it wasn't. He himself had purposefully spilled blood many times. Most of those times, he thought with shame, were unnecessary. He was a good soldier; he followed orders to the letter and never questioned his superiors even if the actions he was ordered to do was wrong.
In his case he was to serve the military or be called a traitor and face execution. At the start he had been willing to serve, his family needed him to survive. This changed after the bombings his government had ordered. He had rushed to his family only to find them dead; burned limbs and ashes the only thing left.
A gaping maw was carved into his heart the day his family died. It wasn't until decades later, when Checkerface appeared, that he had healed. It was hard at first, acting happy and untainted by the darkness the mafia produced in great capacity. It was harder to reopen old wounds that had only just scabbed over. The persona he crafted took over his world and through his antics he gained a family. They wanted Skull, not him, so he locked the Soldier away and didn't look back.
Of course, nothing can stay hidden forever. It was only a matter of time until his past surfaced and the truth came spilling out in all its horrifying glory; and on this day, the history he had thought long gone resurfaced with a great spectacle.
XXXXXX
The Arcobaleno were having a relaxing picnic that was long overdue. They were in a beautiful clearing that was a ten minute walk from their mansion. Unfortunately, Viper was on a mission for the Varia, but they had promised to try and finish early so they could make it. A warm, calming aura of peace was settled in the air and relaxed even the tensest members. They were all sitting or lying on the large blanket and heaping their plates with food.
Skull himself was reaching for another mini-sandwich when he caught a glint of silver out the corner of his eye. Without a single warning he swung himself to the right just as a bullet imbedded itself where he just was.
The cheerful atmosphere dissolved immediately. The others dove for cover amongst the trees and boulders of the forest. There was a long pause where they readied their weapons however no more bullets came flying their way. Instead, a man's voice was projected through a speakerphone.
"Give us the Soldier and you will be left in peace."
Colonello blinked as his colleagues turned towards him. "I have no idea who that guy is."
Skull, who had joined them behind the wall of trees, paled and closed his eyes in regret. This was the defining moment of his life with them. Does he reveal himself? Could he pretend that they were looking for Colonello? The next words spoken robbed himself of his only hope.
"Мы знаем, что вы здесь предатель. Приходите спокойно и ваши друзья не умрут" The man said with a smug tone. "Для всех них есть снайпер. Хотите рискнуть?" [We know you are here traitor. Come quietly and your friends will not die. There is a sniper for all of them. Do you want to risk it?]
Reborn translated what the man said, and they froze with narrowed eyes. They looked at Colonello with bated breath. "What do they mean by traitor?" Verde asked. "What have you done recently?"
Colonello was insistent. "I have no idea who these people are and what they're talking about." He started to look a bit panicked. "I don't even speak Russian!"
Skull took a deep breath in and dropped his shoulders. Just why did his past have to come knocking? He had burned the organisation to the ground decades ago! There was no more time to contemplate how this could have happened as the man spoke again. "Если вы не выйдете через десять секунд, солдат, я дам приказ снайперам убить ваших друзей." [If you do not come out in ten seconds, Soldier, I will give the order to the snipers to kill your friends.]
Colonello went to rise despite having no idea what was going on. He couldn't allow his comrade to die for him. Skull pushed himself off the tree, pressing Colonello into Fon, and walked into the clearing. He ignored the looks the Arcobaleno sent him and spoke with a weary tone they had never heard before. "What do you want?"
"That is simple," The man spoke. "I am here to sentence you to death for the crimes you have committed against this organisation and the country we serve." He stepped into the clearing and looked Skull in the eyes with unflinching resolve. "Imagine my surprise when I discover the Soldier hiding in Italy. Did you have fun masquerading as a pathetic idiot?"
Skull's lips twisted into a sneer. "You are a fool for confronting me."
"Oh?" The man asked. "I think you are a fool for not realising the power I hold at my fingertips."
Skull shrugged, "That may be so, but it must not be enough if you only have ten soldiers with you." The man faltered in his confidence. "Do you still think I am a fool?"
Cloud Flames flickered on his fingertips as he stalked towards the shaking commander. "Would your sniper, I know there's only one, be able to kill me before I kill you?" Puzzle pieces clicked together, and Skull smiled a truly terrifying grin. "There is no organisation is there. You wanted to mimic one the bloodiest organisations in history simply to look powerful."
The man trembled pathetically. "Stay back or I'll give the order to shoot you."
"And who would be able to?" Skull asked. "Have you not noticed your men fled when they realised just who they were dealing with?" The man glanced behind him and drastically paled.
Completely forgetting his audience in the face of this man's audacity, Skull stood high and became Soldier once more. "I am a myth, a legend who's story is told to scare children. I am the one who hides in the dark and brings death to all. I am the Soldier. The Traitor. The Immortal."
Moving forward, Skull grabbed the man by the neck and held him tightly. "I am the Executioner and you are no one." With one quick twist, the man's neck snapped loudly and became limp in his hold. Disgusted, Skull threw the body to the ground and turned away. "Pathetic."
A noise made his head snap to the left and the remnants of Soldier dissipated under the cold ice that crept through his bones. The Arcobaleno had stepped out from the cover of trees at some point and were blatantly staring at him. He acted on instinct and ran.
His heart thrummed, and adrenaline sped through his veins as he ran from the people he cared so very much for. Tears threatened to overcome his vision as he remembered the way they looked at him. Stares filled with horror and disgust, all aimed at him. He had to choke back a harsh sob as he tried to push away the image.
Skull was so distracted that he tripped over a stray branch and fell with a nasty thud to the forest ground. It was so tempting to lay there and bemoan his life, but he needed to get away from his friends before they could find them. He didn't move. They would find him soon, but he just couldn't go any further. No matter what they thought of him, they were his and he would not abandon those that were his.
It could have been minutes, or hours, since he fell when the other Arcobaleno found him. He only had a brief notice of crackling leaves before he was pounced on by Colonello. His reaction was a complete turnaround from what he thought it would be. A cry of relief pierced his ears, "I found him!"
He didn't move as Colonello searched his body for any injuries, nor did he react when Colonello did basic field treatment for his broken hand. He numbly watched as the Rain gently bound his hand. Any attempts Colonello made to induce conversation were ignored. Soon the others arrived and began assessing him. He didn't care.
Skull didn't feel Fon carding his fingers through his hair. He didn't hear Verde and Colonello talking in low murmurs. He didn't smell the wet soil when rain began pouring down. Piece by piece, he slowly shut down and blocked out the world.