Chapter 2

Harry might have been new to Cloud flames, but flames were simple in the way that the key to controlling them lied merely in will.

And Harry had never lacked for will.

She hated him. She hated him with everything she had, for tying her up and binding her to him when in the end he'd leave her alone. He would abandon her in the end, like everyone that once filled her life, and she'd be all alone, again, like always, and it will hurt, hurt, hurt- and she wouldn't ever forgive the bastard for making her a promise bound in soul that he couldn't ever follow through-

Furious Storm flames rose to meet her Cloud, to face her off and bend to submission, but that hardly bothered her.

She wrapped her small hands tightly around his neck. Her hands were too small to do the job properly, but that didn't matter. Her flames could do the real choking, she was never good in the physical aspects of fighting anyways.

The Sky's bare neck was hot to the touch and the tanned skin flexed, struggled against her. And wasn't that lovely? He was struggling, and she was strangling him, smothering him as if she could snuff out his life with enough force.

Because she could. Just a few more seconds now- seconds, or was it minutes?

And yet every time her own flames brushed against his sky, she couldn't help but fall in love with him a little. She loved the feeling of being whole, of home and safety, empty lie as it was. When was the last time she felt this? Why did her heart feel like shattering to a million pieces? Everything was so heartbreakingly lovely and painful. And this love she was feeling only fueled her desire to snuff out this Sky, to kill him before he could do anymore harm.

Everyone would be so disappointed in her. But that didn't matter, because they were all dead.

She had to end this before she fell completely. And to be honest, to be completely honest-

Harry knew she'd already lost. But damned if she wasn't even going to try to spare herself a bit of pain.

(Because at least she didn't have memories of him yet. At least for now he was just flames, but she knew this could change any moment once this Sky, this beautiful Sky opened his mouth or moved or gave her anything she could treasure him by.)

Harry loves. Harry hates.

But the man wasn't giving up.

Harry felt a bit plaintive over that. Why? Why wasn't he giving up?

He was still clinging, red eyes vivid, like spitting lava, and for the life of her, she couldn't understand why he was clinging onto his life so fiercely, so desperately.

But she was Harry fucking Potter, the unwilling Master of Death and nothing, nothing could hold a candle to her.

(It helped that this Sky was too furious, that his Storm overpowered his Sky, and the fury of the Storm was easier to resist than the home the Sky provided.)

This was nothing.

The struggle was there, but she was doing it. She was killing him. And soon he would be just another body count after so many.

He was ash-grey now, and now she only needed a small push to relieve him of his life. At least she was, except when she was about to snap that last fragile strand of his, she realized that there were several others entwined with his life.

He… he had other guardians.

...Of course he had other guardians, a powerful Sky like him. It was obvious as the sky was blue.

Could she doom them all? No. If she killed him, she would kill the rest of his guardians as well. It would be mercy killing, and they would be grateful, glad- they would be happy, even. They could die.

They could be together forever.

Because Harry would give anything, anything to die just as this Sky would, just as his guardians would soon after…

But ridiculously, the fact must have bothered her on some level. Because she had loosened her hold on him, enough so that the Sky could talk back at her.

"After using me to stabilize yourself, you've decided that you could simply kill me?" hissed the man under her. "So eager to entwine your flames to mine, but I suppose after seeing your actions I should have realized you were completely insane."

"…I, what?!"

She had tried to bond with him?

Horror filled her, and the hold she had on him vanished.

I forced a bond?

Now free, but the Sky pressed closer to her. It didn't cross her mind that anyone normal would be running the other way, not trying to get closer to the would be murder just seconds ago.

"You didn't force a bond, trash," he replied harshly. "As if I would let you. I accepted your flames and we went straight for Harmony."

She looked into his red eyes, furious yet steady. Truth. This man was telling the truth.

"I… I can't," she said, helplessly. "I can't. I can't." She was begging now. And tears gathered in her eyes.

"I can't Harmonize, it will destroy me."

She looked into his eyes, begging him to understand.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," she said, trembling. She buried her head in her hands.

Then she peeked up from her huddle. "Can't you just die?" she pleaded, quietly.

The man's eyes narrowed.

"Can't you just die?" Her words picked up pace. "I'll kill your guardians too, so they won't be alone," she offered.

Quick as a striking snake, the man slammed his hands to her neck. She was the one choking now, but she didn't resist.

"You're crazy," he hissed, "If you think I'll let someone who threatened me and my guardians go freely, bonded to me or not."

His voice was sarcastic as it rang, "And here I thought you were powerful, worthy."

A ridicule, but she didn't care.

She choked, choked, and she felt her mind leaving her.

She wished with all her heart it was permanent, this time.

But she knew it never was.

The girl was dead. The absolutely insane trash, who bonded with him, who had the most powerful flames he'd ever seen including the Acrobalenos and the Ninth- and she was dead.

He would never admit it, but Xanxus was incredulous that he even managed to kill her.

It seemed impossible, because he was so embarrassingly outmatched. He'd never felt that helpless before, he had never been that helpless before, not even when he first entered Vongola as a street rat who'd just recently realized who his father actually was.

But she hadn't resisted in the end.

Why hadn't she resisted?

Xanxus stood there, in front of her cooling corpse, and contemplated giving her a grave.

When he reached for her, still undecided, he flinched.

It was shallow, and uneven, but it was there. Her breathing.

His hands flew to the pulse point on her neck, and to his incredulity, there was a heartbeat.

Xanxus laughed.

Ridiculous, this was ridiculous. He'd killed her, he knew that. And yet she was alive.

"I can't Harmonize, it will destroy me."

Intelligent red eyes thought of the impossible puzzle, but the path he would take was clear.

He made up his mind, and picked up the Cloud again.

She was dangerous, and undoubtedly insane. But she was his.

It was as simple as that.

AN: I wrote the entire chapter in present tense and later realized I wrote the first chapter in past tense. ㅠㅠ Also, I've never felt this guilty writing a character, but here it is. I almost feel sorry.