Reborn finds himself falling and he lands with a jolt in the darkness, far away from the others, chains holding him there. He can feel his set is split up, scattered across the entire mountain range. They're frantically calling for each other through the bond.
Reborn just feels pain and he keeps it in, blocks it from feeding down his bonds even when he knows it'll hurt less if they all share it. Reborn isn't the sharing type.
The darkness lifts and Reborn sees Skull with him, lying in the snow just out of reach. Bermuda is standing on top of Skull's still chest, a grimace showing through the bandages.
Bermuda sighs and just sounds tired. "I suppose I'm going all in with your generation then."
Night flames sink into Skull's chest and after only a brief shudder, Skull blinks awake, his eyes darker but still a beautiful royal purple. He turns his head blindly, seeking out Reborn's Sun flames by instinct more than anything else. "...born?"
Bermuda pauses for a brief moment at how well, how easily Skull takes to the Night flames, how fast he recovered. It might have been because of how young and healthy Skull's body was before death, not drained like Vindice were.
Bermuda leaps back, lightly landing on the deep snow as Skull rolls himself over onto his stomach and crawls.
"You can't bond with Night flames," Bermuda warns. He's tried before, both to test the limits of the flame and out of a genuine want. "But the Sun candidate is strong, he needs to be. He'll survive this."
Skull reaches Reborn and they cling to each other. "Sorry," Skull whispers, laying his head on Reborn's shoulder, the soft silk of Reborn's black pyjama top. He hears the hitman's heart beating, feels the darkened Sky flames curl into him. "Sorry. I love you."
"Shut up," Reborn mumbles back. He's using Skull's body to hide the shift of his arm, the way his hand slides outwards across the pure snow, to the black smear of his fallen gun.
Chains unravel from Reborn and drag the gun further away.
Reborn stares up at the watery, northern sun. "Fuck."
"Can I?" Skull pleads, pushing his flames up against Reborn, pawing at the Sky flames.
Bermuda is watching them cautiously. "Night flames can't bond."
Reborn sighs. "Do it."
Skull re-bonds like a stretched rubber band snapping back into place, and Reborn's eyes roll back into his head because Night flames are a hive mind. Bermuda holds the flames and the other Vindice feed off them, all connected.
Skull bonds with his own Cloud flames, merrily flickering away thanks to the giant Mist and Sun flame boost he's been given while dead, and actually his new Night flame link attaches too by value of being dragged along, and so the entire two dozen Vindice just Guardian bond to Reborn in a split second.
Reborn starts seizing.
Fon stands to the left, Lal to the right and Colonnello sits on the edge of the couch arm next to Lal, ready to spring up. Viper is gone, into the ether. Reborn is sitting on the three-seater couch, surrounded by Skull and Verde on each side.
They're clustered together after a quick patch job by a still trembling Reborn, who looks better but is definitely still not okay from his short but violent seizure. Reborn may have also had a minor stroke, he's not sure, but his Sun flames are having one hell of a time putting him back together again.
The Guardian set are in their sleeping clothes still but most have thick blankets draped over them to ward off the chill that permeates Vendicare prison.
They all stay quiet, listening to a story about the Arcobaleno. Generations of the strongest flame users, cursed into stasis, used as batteries to uphold the Tri-ni-sette that maintains the balance of the universe - keeps parallel dimensions separate and forces timelines into a downward flow, keeps dark things and strange beings from entering.
"We found all of you long before now," Bermuda admits, sitting on the armchair opposite. "But I became confused because only the Giglio Nero can be the Arcobaleno Sky. I'm not sure how the Arcobaleno curse will work with all of you bonded like this and so we left you alone, thinking that you couldn't be candidates while already bonded."
"Why did you give Skull Night flames?" Lal demands. "Wouldn't that ruin this Tri-ni-sette generation since he's the strongest Cloud?"
Bermuda sighs. "The Cloud died due to my negligence in controlling another Vindice. He was already lost regardless and it clearly...upset you all. You would not have ever responded well to a partnership after that. I could have waited but the Man in the Iron Hat is weak currently, this is the best chance we have at forcing negotiations."
Bermuda frowns. "I decided to offer my flames to your Cloud but I didn't know if it would take. You need a strong dying will, something to literally overcome death itself to be able to use Night flames. He took to the flames incredibly well, and somehow retained his Cloud too. Admittedly, not much is known about Night flames, so I cannot tell you much more on the theory aspect of it all."
"Skull doesn't die," a non-existent Viper points out, frustrated. "I almost had him back again, we didn't need your flames."
Bermuda hums placidly.
"No, really," Skull cuts in. "Like I don't die. It's a thing. That's why Reborn's flames were freaking out last week; I died but he knew I didn't completely die so he was looking for me."
Bermuda pauses for a moment but they look serious so he genuinely contemplates how this will now affect the Vindice.
Colonnello sighs heavily. "Skull, why does this always happen to you?"
"What?" Skull retorts. "No, no. This is Reborn."
Reborn shoves him sloppily, too exhausted for anything more. "No, you got the dumb flames and then dragged me into the clusterfuck with you."
Verde side-eyes them. "It's both of you. You both did this."
"I think everyone pitched in," Lal mutters bitterly. "A real team effort."
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A/N: One reader made a crack about Skull joining the Vindice and I just started laughing. Here you go lol.
