Chapter 5

July 1953

"Get down!" Ritvik shouted as he threw himself at his fellow Sun, whose eyes were once again bright yellow. He vaguely heard the Sky fall to the floor but most of his attention was directed at Renato. The hitman struggled, the two of them rolling around the bed as the newly Bonded Guardian tried valiantly to reach Harry.

Renato growled low in his chest and the doctor had to use every trick he had ever been taught to hold the man down but the hitman was willy. He froze, every muscle relaxing before he bucked upwards against Ritvik's hold. That was all it took for his grip to slip and for the feral Sun to throw him clear off the bed.

The doctor pried himself from the floor with great effort and stumbled towards the other two. Renato had the smaller man restrained against a wall engaged in a furious kiss. Harry attempted to struggle, even tried to knee his Guardian but the Sun shifted their legs until that was not possible. After a moment to catch his breath Ritvik charged the pair.

However Renato was running on instinct, to claim his Sky and to protect, and bodily pulled Harry away from his fellow Sun all the while keeping their lips locked. Ritvik plowed right into the wall, leaving another man sized hole. He shook his head to clear the stars and glanced around to find that the hitman had retreated to the bed where he had the green eyed man pinned.

With a sigh the doctor heaved himself back to his feet and threw himself at Renato… again. He did not know why he felt the strong need to save the Sky from the hitman's amorous and possibly deadly embrace but he suspected it had to do with Harry's pure Flames. The hitman rolled sideways, taking his Sky with him, causing Ritvik to go sprawling. Thankfully, however, the move caused their lips to separate.

"Stop!" Harry screamed.

~0~

Renato froze, every muscle seizing at the command, and he felt his entire world shift back into a slightly more normal pattern. He took a deep breath, his body suddenly trembling as if he was coming down from his first hit. He sat back and lifted a hand to cover his mouth as nausea over his complete loss of control surged behind his teeth.

His Sun that Raged hotter and Burned more deeply than any other Flame was a double edged sword and the black eyed male had walked the fine line of Chaos with it long enough to know that he had very nearly been Scorched. As it was Renato felt more wounded and backed into a corner then any time that he cared to remember. He swallowed down bile and looked down at his pissed off Sky.

"Get the bloody fuck off of me." It was the softest whisper from dry lips which sent a bolt through his, frighteningly accurate, danger meter and had him moving fairly quickly out of self preservation. He sat as far from the green eyed man as possible without leaving the bed, mostly, because he was unsure if his legs would hold him in his state.

The Sky sat up slowly; his pale face splashed red in his fury and his green eyes sparked in a way that made Renato think strongly that the other might have a Lightning Secondary. Then like a switch had flipped, Harry's shoulders slumped and a sigh, one that sounded too big for the petite man, escaped those bruised lips.

"At least that answers my question…" The quiet words meant more to the Sky than face value if the tears that glazed emerald eyes were any indication. Renato was very confused as the man seemed to shrink into himself even as his Flames remained strong and solid as they had been since his waking. If anything they danced around the small man in great looping waves that rubbed tantalizing against the hitman's own constrained Sun, in total opposition to their wielder's turbulent emotions.

"I feel there has been a grave misunderstanding here…" Ritvik's pained voice came from where he lay sprawled. After a moment the doctor clawed his way up to poke his head over the side of Renato's bed. "The Bond between a Sky and his Elements is not meant as a means of subjugation. It is Home and a man will do crazy things if his Home is threatened even if by its own foundation."

Renato refrained from looking at the other Sun or snorting at his hedged words, if only just. Crazy did not equate to what he had just been willing to do but he didn't say anything as his associate tried to talk his Sky into a more agreeable mood.

"A Sky is the center of our universe Harry," Ritvik went on in a coaxing tone. He finished getting to his feet and ran a hand down his haggard looking face. "I am sure that Renato is sorry for this terrible misunderstanding, it that not right Renato?"
Here the doctor gave him a pointed look and the hitman nodded sharply though his lips remained sealed in a firm line. He had not apologized for anything in a long time and even if he meant it the words would have sounded hollow and meaningless. It seemed that though Renato was normally the more verbose of the pair that Ritvik was better suited when it came to speaking to the temperamental Sky.

"I guess…" Harry sighed as he rubbed his forehead with a scared left hand. Renato felt fit to burst remembering the array of marks carved into that small body but effort blanked his face and mind, it would not do to cause another incident so soon. "I am sorry as well. I should have learned a long time ago to watch what I say."

"No…" Renato choked out because his Sky shouldn't have to watch his words around him. Shouldn't have to hold back his thoughts to spare the Sun's feelings. This whole thing was because he couldn't keep control of his Flames and the hitman was fairly sure the bubbling in his gut was embarrassment which was not something he had felt in a long time.

"No one is really at fault here," The Doctor said calmingly, his charming smile surfacing as he seated himself once again in the chair by the bed. "This is an unprecedented situation, Harry. Most people who were Sealed like you were never Activate and if they do it's a bloodbath."

"What do you mean?" The green eyed man asked with a concerned look on his face.

"When someone Activates it's like an explosion of Flames. If that person is a Sky…" Ritvik fell silent for a second as his eyes darted to the hitman. "Well… It is not uncommon for a Sky to Bond with another Flame user or two during this but with someone who was Sealed it's like a Nuclear incident with the Sky as the epicenter. The Sky doesn't normally survive and any Flame user caught in the shockwave are like fireworks in a crowd. Beautiful bright flares that only last a short while but cause massive damage."
"You mean…" Harry whispered.

"Yes, if you had died then I am not sure Venice would have survived."