Creaking Cycle – Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! This is true for every chapter posted for this fanfiction.

Summary: Skull is really immortal and also kind of invulnerable. He has yet to find a way to end his life. Reborn is not exactly immortal. He gets constantly reincarnated and 3 times out of 4, he remembers his precedent lives.

Characters in the chapter: Skull (as main POV), Arcobaleno

Pairings: (Platonic!R27) / hinted!ColoLal

Rating: T

Warnings: The chapters follow the Canon!Events with some alterations however, due to the Platonic!Soulmate!AU and to Immortal!Skull. The A/N note gives information about the timeline and the POVs that regularly switch. The Chapters are in Skull's POV as well as the Epilogue. The Interludes switched to someone else. It will be precised.
Skull has suicidal tendencies that made an apparition in his lack of self-preservation and recklessness. Swearing. Mention of death, emotional trauma, and a fall into madness. Mention of violence and questionable morality (because Mafia). SPOILS for anyone who hasn't read the manga until its end. Ah, and Tri-Ni-Set weird explanation on a later chapter.

Genres: Hurt/Comfort, Friendship, Family, Drama, Humor.

Length: 20 chapters in total, unless I add some bonus scenes, or take requests (if there's any).

A/N: This chapter is before the Curse, during a meeting, so Adult!Arcobaleno. Skull's POV.

Hope you'll enjoy nevertheless!

Skull observed the meeting in silence, deliberately choosing to fade in the background. The others were currently sending quips at each other, testing the grounds and building limits. They had seemingly completely forgotten about him, barely aware that he had retreated in silence. His gaze shifted between the different members in contemplation, filing away any evolution worthy of note. Sensing Luce's eyes on him, he resolutely stared at Lal but couldn't refrain from shifting. There was something in her that unsettled him.

While the group they formed was supposed to be composed of the Seven Strongest, Skull was a bit more special than the others. He looked everything like the average punk guy from his piercings to his motorbike suit. His noticeable childish behavior betrayed a youth that automatically put him as the youngest of them. His lack of authority and his continued silence only served to further convince his teammates of his shyness and low-confidence. They knew of course about his strong Cloud Flames but it seemed as the only outstanding element to remark.

How wrong they were.

Skull wasn't by any means the average guy. First, he was way older than his looks and behavior could suggest. He was without any doubt one of the oldest – if not the oldest, debatably – in the room. Second, he knew himself – including his abilities – very well. He was an observer first and foremost, analyzing the situation before springing into action. An incorrect evaluation of his environment could lead to his death. That is, if Skull weren't already cursed.

Indeed, Skull had the unfortunate luck of being cursed to be invulnerable and consequently, immortal. His body could take any shock without any problem. He never got sick. He never got drunk either. He never suffered from fatigue. He didn't grow old, probably because his cells either rejuvenated or they constantly and efficiently got replaced with young ones. Whatever happened, people who tried to kill him – including himself – failed miserably. Though, to be perfectly honest, he had yet to try to get atomized. Anyway, with a body resistant to everything and anything, Skull had finished by acknowledge that he was as immortal as anyone can be.

It was a boring life. It wasn't even a life anymore. It was more a matter of survival, trying to find something to hold into to keep his sanity. Skull had yet to plunge into destructive and harming darkness. His apathy had never been high enough to urge him to kill people for his entertainment. No, instead, he developed another skill.

He could see souls.

Well, to be accurate, he could sense them. There was no aura or halo or colors surrounding people and telling him that this guy was a misunderstood saint and that girl was the devil incarnated. No, it was more subtle than that. He couldn't get into people's heads or hearts, virtually knowing everything about them with a single look. He just could perceive sensations from others, perceptions that he had learnt to associate with different concepts, generally linked to strong feelings or deep changes in someone. For example, Skull didn't know why the driver had vociferated at him earlier for seemingly no reason or even why he was in such a foul mood. Skull had simply noticed that his soul was quivering in misery, affecting his behavior or more generally his entire life.

Skull perceived each day snippets of sensations from every single soul around him. It was exhausting but kind of interesting in a at-least-I-won't-be-bored-to-insanity-with-my-freaking-immortality.

Souls were of course all different. And yet, some were clearly more interesting than others.

Luce was a good example. Honestly, Skull had only met one person who had shared strong common points with her soul. It was a masked man who had come from nowhere and created this current group. He had felt both here and elsewhere, Mist Flames flickering incessantly around him. His soul had been even more elusive. If Skull didn't have so much experience in sensing souls, he would have certainly missed it. Overall, Skull had kept a deep distrust from the guy. To say that the apparent leader of their group had a soul nearly identical to the Masked Man was worrying. Despite her gentleness, Skull couldn't help but keep his distance from her, ignoring as best as he could her alluring Sky Flames.

(Skull briefly wondered what sensations his soul would give to another sharing his talent. Having lived for so long and changed so much, it was bound to be as weird as Luce's).

Renato was another striking example. Skull had yet to determine if the man was cursed or if his soul was just a bit particular. Even his soul mate was affected, sharing to a lesser extent the same trait. Simply put, Reborn's soul got constantly reincarnated and 3 times out of 4, the hitman actually remembered his precedent lives. His soulmate suffered from the same cycle without memories, or at least, without conscious ones. Skull had no idea when the process had begun but he suspected that Reborn was one of these old souls, older than Skull or anyone else. Actually, Renato was only another reincarnation, another one that Skull had met during their existences. They had met several times, enough to recognize each other, but they were not by any means friends. If anything, the currently-hitman seemed to enjoy shamelessly teasing him. Both of them were the constant of the others, bar Renato's soul mate.

Though, in this life, the teasing seemed to lack its usual light-hearted fondness. Skull found a concerned frown creased his features as he glanced at Renato. He had a hypothesis on the reason behind the change but was hesitant to ask for confirmation. It was a delicate matter after all; best not to approach when the group was still there. Besides, he had noticed that the sensations he usually got from the hitman were different from before. His soul felt cracked, as if something vital there had given way at one point, leaving a hole or a damage that was slowly infecting the wholeness.

To say it was worrying would be an understatement. It was catastrophic. Renato's soul was very old and trapped in eternal reincarnation for some reason. What would happen if it suddenly snapped? Would Renato cease to exist? Would Renato still reincarnate broken again and again? What about his soulmate? Would they be affected? Would they also shatter?

(Awful questions to which Skull had no answer to, despite his age, he had yet to find someone or something that could teach him about souls or even about curses.

He was alone. He had been alone for so long. He had forgotten what companionship and love meant. It was more and more abstract as years passed).

Skull snapped back into focus when Lal suddenly started arguing loudly with Colonnello. Her former-student had apparently decided to tag-along once again on their mission. Fon and Luce were trying to placate the worried Lal who still attempted each time to dissuade Colonnello from coming with them. Verde wasn't paying attention, scribbling about something or another on his numerous papers he always took with him. Viper couldn't care less, already calculating the budget for the mission, including the impulsive student by sheer habit. Skull caught Renato's eyes as he looked with disinterest at the verbal confrontation. The hitman raised an inquisitive eyebrow, acknowledging that Skull wished to talk to him.

Renato gracefully rose from his seat, waltzing out of the room to get to the patio. The house they were currently holding their meetings actually belonged to Skull who had offered the place as a base of sort. It wasn't as if he spent time in there, preferring to wander around the country on his motorcycle. He was used to travel anyway, being an extremely popular stuntman. So, in theory, Skull was the proprietor but Renato certainly seemed to be excessively at ease despite being a guest, almost acting as if he was the owner.

Skull took out his packet of cigarettes and offered one to Renato. The hitman refused and watched the stuntman took a drag, exhaling slowly.

"How long has it been?"

"Thirty years, give or take." Skull shrugged. "I don't really count, you know."

Renato shot him a knowing glance, relating. Skull watched his cig softly burn, debating over his next words.

"So," he began as casually as possible, "have you found your soulmate yet?"

Wrong choice. Skull distinctly felt Renato's soul flinch and waver in despair as his Sun Flames flickered and almost burst to life, radiating destructive intent. He dropped his smoke, startled, and cursed softly at the waste. He showed no fear, aware that he would need so much more to get some damage. Renato's lips twitched as he fought the sneer or scowl that made its way on his features.

"Not yet." He replied curtly. "More than once, I had to wait decades before meeting them."

"It was a long time ago, Renato." Skull pointed out not unkindly. "You said that finding them is easier and easier as you go through the cycles."

"An odd occurrence." Renato dismissed the remark, convincingly feigning indifference if it weren't for the way his soul was writhing in languor.

Skull watched the man, silently impressed by both his self-control and his strong denial. He remembered the last time they had met, before Renato got reincarnated, during this precedent life that was the starting point to these horrible cracks.

(Skull probably would never forget this scene. In all of his lives, Renato had changed little. He was a stubborn, intense, proud, intelligent, cunning, sadistic, strong and devoted man. Skull had never thought he would see him crushed. He wished he hadn't.)

"Your births are probably far apart." The stuntman suggested, silencing the possibility that his soulmate was already dead.

By the hunted look that had appeared in his dark eyes, Renato was all too aware of the possibility.

"Perhaps." Renato whispered, looking unfocusedly at the cloudy sky.

His expression suddenly twisted in brief horrified pain before his features settled down once again, adopting a blank mask.

(Skull wondered what could have caused it. Several answers popped into his head and he prayed that he was wrong on all accounts).

A/N: Also, the chapters will greatly vary in length, from 1,000 to 300. For example, chapter 2 is (very) short.

Anyway, thanks for reading, don't hesitate to point out any mistake or ask a question!

See you next chapter~