Disclaimer: The Reborn manga and anime series do not belong to me
Skull
He had never been a "lucky person". His life had started out in the gutter and he'd lived on the streets for most of his childhood. The only bright spot in his life had been his love of speed, he loved the adrenaline rush and the way that the world seemed to blur together, but most of all he loved the feeling of freedom that it gave him. If only for a few moments he could forget his rubbish life and focus completely on going faster and faster. The day he got (cough stole cough) his first motorcycle was one of the best of his life. The things he could do with it were amazing.
It hadn't taken him long to get involved with the Mafia, where he'd come from it was almost inevitable and he'd learned to fight, to strategize and to kill. Though he never gave up his love of speed or stunts, "Skull from Hell" they'd called him and that was probably when his ego had started to grow. Despite his background he was a proud man and to finally be acknowledged and recognized at being the best at something was an addictive feeling that he yearned for. For a while it had seemed like his luck was changing.
Then he'd met Reborn. The family he was working for at the time had called in a favour with Vongola, they wanted someone to polish up the rookie before he was sent out into the field. Vongola had sent them a devil in human form. Dear god the hours and hours of torture that had been labelled as training, the never ending stream of insults and a constant flow of bullets fired at his head. Nothing he did was good enough for the hitman and he hated it. The work he'd put in to get him to that point seemed worthless in those damned judging eyes. Reborn had never acknowledged him as anything more than an errand boy.
The Famiglia he'd worked for had sent him out on various missions across the world and he had varying degrees of success but was never exceptional. It was his motorcycle that helped him to strand out, he only rode the ones that he built himself, so that he knew every single detail about the machine. At that point he only felt true happiness, pure and untainted when he was flying through the air or when he'd survived a particularly dangerous stunt. His nickname "Skull" became his real name and he made sure that he would always be the best at what he loved. That's when he could see the admiration and respect in the eyes of his peers, that was when he didn't feel so...useless.
Perhaps it was for that reason that he agreed to take on the cloud pacifier. It didn't really matter any more, the ritual had been completed and he was now stuck in an infant body. What made him 100 % certain of his status as the unluckiest man on earth was when Colonnello had joined the little group. Apparently there was someone as bad as Reborn out there and the only thing the two did more often then fight with each other was push him around. He had mistakenly thought that his status as an arcobaleno would gain him at least a little respect from his old teacher, yeah right.
He was the weakest of them and the loudest. The only ones who didn't seem annoyed by him were Luce and Fon, and even that was probably more out of politeness than real regard. Strange that the curse which had tied all of their fates together had left him feeling more isolated than ever. Still he had carried the curse with his head held high, suddenly he was one of the most powerful people in the Mafia and his new animal partner, Squirt, eased the loneliness slightly.
He still felt unlucky though.
Then he'd met her. The only person who may have been more unluckier than him.
Tsunayoshi Sawada. The reluctant candidate to be the Decimo of the Vongola. He'd taken one look at her and knew, he knew that it would destroy her. Wide brown eyes revealed a heart that had no place in the Mafia world. Soft small hands that would be lost under a flood of blood. A smile that touched even the coldest of hearts would eventually disappear as she was drawn deeper into their world. What made it worse was her naivety, she truly believed that she had a choice in the matter, that Reborn would one day give up on her and leave. He wondered how long it would take for that delusion to be shattered. Sure they would offer her the illusion of choice; she would be given a final yes or no offer but by then she would be too involved to refuse.
Each time he met her he could see the marks being left behind. When he had to help "train" Hibari for his succession trial her eyes had held shadows and there was a glint of steel in them. What had she seen that had changed her this much? To his surprise Reborn seemed almost protective of her, of course he hid it behind the training he was inflicting for her but for the first time Skull could see the humanity in him. They didn't speak much to each other, just a few hurried words of thanks before they disappeared to whatever battle they'd been fighting. Yet just before she'd turned away her eyes had met his through the visor of his helmet. Brown met purple and something happened. Later he would shake it off and forget about it but in that moment a bond had formed between two people who had shared the same pain; the pain of feeling useless. A quick smile had crossed her face and he had moved his head slightly to indicate that he'd felt it.
It was hard to explain but he didn't feel so alone any more. That girl had connected with him, and the feeling hadn't been totally unpleasant.
The next time they'd met she'd been alone. He had just finished a meeting with the boss of the Carcassa family when one of his subordinates had appeared telling him that the Vongola Decimo had arrived at the base and wanted to see him. That had stunned him for a second, but he'd followed the man to a room where she'd been waiting for him. She had just celebrated her 18th birthday last week and he was a little shocked at the transformation.
Standing before him was a woman who could potentially bring the male side of the Mafia to its knees. It wasn't just her looks, there was something inherently good about Tsunayoshi and it drew people in like moths to a flame, a candle in the darkness of the Mafia. The smile on her face radiated joy at seeing him again and for the life of him he couldn't understand why.
"It's really good to see you again Skull-san." Shaking himself he felt relieved that the helmet prevented her from seeing the suspiciously red colour of his cheeks. When faced with surprise he reverted back to the arrogant, loud infant that she knew.
"W-What are you doing here Sawada? This is the headquarters of the Carcassa." She simply raised an elegant eyebrow and nodded.
"I actually wanted to ask Skull-san for a favour?" Once again he was thrown for a loop and when he spoke it was in a much calmer tone.
"What is it?" He was curious now what could the Vongola Decimo, head of the most important family in the Mafia possible want from him. He didn't see anything that she would need from him.
"W-Well Reborn told me that I needed to learn how to drive a vehicle, because it would be wasteful on my dying will flames for me to fly everywhere. I haven't had any success with anything yet, I actually crashed one of the cars into the Varia headquarters heh, that was a long day. So I was speaking to Lal Mirch and she told me that you used to drive the motorcycle." Her cheeks flushed a bit and she suddenly seemed to find the bland carpet on the floor very interesting. "So I was wondering if m-maybe you would be w-willing to teach me how to ride a motorbike." If she had bothered to look up from the floor she would have seen a Skull popsicle standing in front of her.
He had frozen. He hadn't ridden a bike since the day of the curse, his pride wouldn't let him in such a pathetic body. Here, standing in front of him, was the chance to touch his past again, to feel the freedom of speed. He also realised with a grin that no-one else would be a better teacher than he was, not even Reborn. For a second his ego inflated to massive proportions and he opened his mouth to tell her that he had generously agreed to teach her but he would have to be called "Skull-sama" and obey his every command.
Then she'd looked at him again, and that strange feeling from before had resurfaced.
She'd come to him for help. They both knew the pain of evil tutors and had both suffered and grown because of it. She was so similar to him in ways that he couldn't bring himself to inflict the same treatment that had been inflicted on him. He simply clapped his hands together and spoke:
"I suppose we better start then." The smile he'd been rewarded with had more than made up the loss of being the evil tutor for once.
What had followed had been three weeks of fun, for him at least. He would sit a little in front of her on the bike and instruct her on the proper way how to ride a bike. It may not be him riding it but that old thrill and rush of adrenaline still sang through his veins. He was patient with her, he taught her the way he knew that he would have liked to have been taught, with patience, guidance and a more relaxed pace. There was no denying that Reborn's method of training her had been effective but she seemed relieved at the softer training which meant that she could actually enjoy what she was doing.
Towards the end he had managed to convince her to try one or two of his stunts and he was surprised at how quickly she had picked them up. He recognised that joy in her eyes all too well, it made some sort of sense that he could only pass on his skills to someone who had been as useless as he had been.
And what did he get in return for all those hours of training? Respect, acknowledgement, friendliness and even a little bit of admiration, all from her. After the first week she stopped treating him like a complete stranger, the second she had fully accepted him as a teacher and at the end of the final week he would go so far as to call them friends. It pleased him immensely that he had become so close to her after just three weeks when Reborn had taken a couple of months at least.
Sadly, reality had returned with a bang. Her guardians, the Vongola and it's allies had stormed the Carcassa stronghold demanding to know where their beloved boss was being held captive. Apparently she had forgotten to tell them where she was going. Skull had suffered a nasty whack to the head courtesy of Reborn but that had been repaid when he saw the stunned look on their faces as Tsuna (when had she become Tsuna to him?) drove circles round them on her bike. Vongola needed her and she had to leave but not before giving him a hug and a thank you for his time, which had earned him the death glare of nearly every male in the vicinity, and left.
One year later and the idiot Verde had finally found a cure for the curse. They would still bear the pacifiers but their bodies would return back to their adult forms. All that he remembered was a feeling of expanding and a blinding orange light. Next thing he knew he was on the floor staring up at some creepy-ass machine that Verde had built. Struggling to push himself up he glanced around the room as the ex-infants were helped by their comrades. One of his subordinates was already at his side asking if he was alright but is eyes were fixed on something else. Tsuna was helping Reborn, the naked concern and worry on her face felt like a punch to the gut. How could she worry over him so much, the man that had done nothing but torture her since he'd met her?
Was this anger he was feeling? No, it was much more sharper and colder than anger. Despite his aching body he forced himself to leave the room as soon as possible. Completely missing the look that she made around the room and the frown on her face when she realised that he wasn't there.
"Reborn can you see Skull anywhere?" It was the first time that she had seen her tutor look so weak and it was, frankly, disturbing.
"I'm sure the idiots fine, probably boasting to his men about something." The frown didn't disappear and she looked around once more, hoping that the cloud arcobaleno would appear.
It was about two years later when they next met. She was talking to the Carcassa about a possible alliance and had casually made a request to meet with the commander of their forces. She had been directed to a newly built training ground outside the headquarters, from which one could hear the unmistakeable rev of a motorbike engine.
Tsuna entered unnoticed and watched him. Her eyes took in his skill and talent. She could practically feel his happiness, almost taste it and she smiled, glad that he was able to do what he loved once more.
"What are you doing here Sawada?" His voice cut through her thoughts and flushed when she realised how dizzy she was acting. Brown eyes narrowed at the purple rider and hands dropped to her hips.
"I'm here speaking to your Family boss about an alliance, I wanted to speak to their commander. However, since you apparently hold no urge to speak to me then perhaps I should just leave."
"Excuse me for not taking time out of my schedule to drop by for tea."
"You haven't contacted me in two years Skull! I thought that we...I thought that you were my friend." He slid the helmet off his face and stared at her. For some reason his gaze caused her blood to rush to her face.
"I've been busy." He muttered and all her previous ire returned.
"Busy, you've been busy? I'm not asking for a fortnight's holiday I was asking for a phone call or a letter, hell even asking one of the others to pass on a message. Whenever I've tried contacting you there's always been some stupid excuse to avoid me. What did I do? Why are you avoiding me Skull?" With each sentence she had gotten closer and closer until there was only a couple of inches separating them. "Is it because I'm no longer good enough for "Skull from Hell" to talk to?"
She honestly didn't know why she was so upset with him or why she was letting her emotions get the better of her.
"Damn it that's not true!" He snapped.
"Then why?"
"Because I could never compete with those guys around you." Silence descended on the area as she stared at him. Her eyes wide and her mouth open, not believing her ears.
Screw it. He thought, if this was the end of their friendship then he wanted one final memory of her. His mouth descended on hers and her surprised squeak was muffled by his lips. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to simply feel the woman standing before him, everything about her entranced him and just for this one moment in time she was his.
Eventually, they had to part and he waited. He waited for the slap or the yell that would signal and end to their relationship. It never came.
If Skull had been able to think when Tsuna pulled him down for a second kiss, he would have thought that he was maybe not as unlucky as he thought.
AN: I'm so sorry for the lateness of this update and the lag on my other stories. My only excuse to offer is that life has been extremely hectic lately and I'm very sorry. I'm not sure how I feel about this one because I haven't written one in a while so please tell me what you guys think.
P.S. It's gotten too hectic to figure out who requested what first so I'm going to start taking them from this chapter onwards. Either PM me or review with your request thank you.
