Hemp Flowers Meant Fate
Chapter 3
This chapter isn't edited in any way, shape, or form. If you see an error, please tell me!
Warnings: General. Still slight body disfiguration. Rushed writing.
A/N:I was going to go into depth about Harry's therapy in this chapter, which include cognitive behavioral therapy. It's a therapy that works well for both PTSD and depression. But that's another thing to tackle in another chapter. This chapter includes with a glimpse at all the Arcobaleno.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed last chapter, and their opinions about the Arcobaleno! There were a lot of mixed views, especially concerning Reborn, lmao. Some say that Harry shouldn't deal with his shit, while others were over the moon with possibilities at the two meeting.
This is also a bit short, but hey, an update is an update!
Enjoy!
Pigeon Berries.
Indifference.
Harry threw them out without showing anyone else.
-0-0-0-
Shamal stared.
"What is this?" He finally demanded, with a tired sigh. Harry's little smirk widened a bit, and he pushed the banana more towards the mafia doctor. "Are you trying to tell me something, or?"
"You're mafia, right?" Harry challenged. Both of them were sitting across from each other in Harry's favorite used common room. He was bundled up blankets and had a steaming cup of hot chocolate next to him, while Shamal was opposite of him, reading through old magical and medical textbooks. "Mortally wound me with this banana."
Shamal's expression didn't change. "I do not attack my patients," Shamal stressed, glancing away. He added, muttering, "But you're making it awfully hard, trust me," and Harry snorted, dryly, and pulled back. He left the banana in it's compromising position between them.
"Tell me more about Flames," Harry asked, to fill the numb silence. Alfie was all too glad to let Shamal take over the reigns of being Harry's primary doctor, considering the fact that the healer was still needed at St. Mungos on a daily basis. He still came around, on every other day, to check in and make sure Shamal wasn't slowly killing him.
Heh. As if Harry needed help in that area.
"I told you everything," Shamal didn't glance up, thumbing through the textbook. He apparently didn't find what he was searching for, and closed it with a frown, pushing it off to the side. Reaching over the side of his chair, he pulled up another one, and began the process anew.
It was rather boring to watch, Harry had to admit.
Especially since it was mostly just him and Shamal in the huge, vast, Grimmauld Place. Ron and Hermione had, grudgingly, returned to their jobs, though they had promised to continue searching in their spare time. They also had to juggle that on top of being the only link between Harry and the rest of the magical world, dealing with questions from their circle of friends and family alike, and dealing with nosy reporters wondering what was new with Harry. Harry sunk deeper into his chair, pulling his thick blankets tighter around him; there was a reason why Harry had cut off all contact between him and the wizarding world, save for a select few, and having his privacy invaded upon was one of those reasons.
"Everything?" Harry said, bland. He highly doubted that someone like Shamal cared enough to tell him everything. Shamal, Harry had soon figured out, had a phobia of responsibility. Something Harry could relate with, considering his recent pitfall with being generally responsible for his own life, and wellbeing.
The howlers he had received, hand delivered to him personally via his two best friends, were legendary. Molly Weasley, even after all these years, still had a striking pair of lungs on her. Andromeda Tonks was- well, he highly doubted he'd ever experience something so shameful and embarrassing as getting a howler from her. It still filled him with regret, and it was also what made him dread trying to contact her.
Still, he missed Teddy. So he'll have to do that. Sometime.
"Everything you need to know," Shamal elaborated, simply. Harry rolled his eyes, but couldn't find anything in himself to really argue more. So he picked up his hot mug, and slurped loudly from it, staring evenly at Shamal as he did so.
Slurp.
Shamal stiffened. Harry smirked, around his mug.
Slurp.
Shamal focused, rather pointedly, on turning a page forcefully. He jabbed his finger down the line of text, eyes trained hard. Harry had to admire his dedication.
Sluuurrrpp.
"Jesus, you've been drinking from that cup for hours," Shamal finally snapped, straightening. He tossed a haughty look towards Harry, clearly not believing Harry's best innocent look thrown at him. "Will you ever run out?" Shamal sniffed, affronted and glaring at him.
"Nope," Harry shrugged, finally pulling the mug away and setting it down on the table between them. "It is charmed to refill every time it gets low, and has a constant heating charm on it, so it's always hot. That, and this mug has a koala on it! Isn't it cute?"
Shamal eyed the painted picture of a koala bear and some tea bags on his mug with a bland look. "What's that got to do with anything?"
"Because," Harry explained, slowly. "That means everything I drink has some koala-tea to it."
"I hate you," Shamal looked, and sounded, pained. He shook himself out of it, and sniffed the air, lightly. "You don't even get to make that pun, anyways. You're drinking hot chocolate, not tea," Shamal huffed.
"Details, details," Harry brushed him off. He was in a surprisingly good mood today, considering the fact that he was doped up on pain potions and charms. While his chest was practically a constant ache nowadays, today it was numbed to the point of heaviness and discomfort. The potion remedies for his flowers was still a work in progress, and Alfie had some success in the last one.
The only problem with the last one was that they almost disintegrated Harry's lungs while they were at it, which was- well, a problem. But they were getting there.
"Also," Shamal yawned, rubbing at his eyes. He gestured angrily to his own empty mug. "If you had the ability to have a constant refill and heating mug, why wasn't I aware of this? I've been suffering, over here," he glared angrily at his mug, and Harry inwardly snorted, a chuckle caught in his throat. Shamal shifted his glare slightly, and Harry smiled, crookedly at him.
"Obviously," Harry mused. "Here, about this? I'll add the charms to your lackluster mug, if you tell me more about the mafia, and Flames. More specifically, the rest of the Arcobaleno." Seeing as of that Harry was expected to meet them at some point, considering Shamal's not-so-subtle hinting and anxiety.
"I refuse to be blackmailed by my own patient," Shamal grumbled, averting his gaze. Harry huffed, leaning back in his own chair and crossing his arms. Goosebumps rose to his skin from the constant chill his body seemed to be suffering from, but he was stubborn enough to ignore it.
"If you say so, I'm not the one with caffeine for blood," Harry said, slowly, consideringly. No, Harry was the one who was currently dying, but- Harry tried not to think about that, refused to let himself fall further down the rabbit hole of depression and worry. It was better if he ignored everything, and not deal with it, it was easier.
Harry didn't want to disappoint, or be disappointed, by his lot in life.
So that meant not thinking about things in detail.
Psh. Easy.
"Do you really want to know more?" Shamal sighed, finally pushing his mug over towards Harry. Harry smirked, pulling out his wand. With a few delicate swirls of his wand, and slight murmur, Harry pushed the refilled and warm mug back towards his doctor. The magic tingled under his skin, itching at his lungs; Harry tactfully ignored it, focusing on Shamal as he took a long, drawn out, sip of his coffee and sighing. "That's the stuff," Shamal raised his mug towards Harry, and tipped his head forward, looking momentarily grateful.
"I want to know more about the Arcobaleno," Harry offered, staring intently at his doctor. "Who they are, and what exactly they do; especially how they treat their Flames." Different Flames had different properties to them, Harry figured. It was hinted at with his conversation with Ron and Hermione, with Ron being disappointed by Harry's lack of special abilities with his spiritual magic.
Shamal looked very disheartened, even as he contemplatively sipped his mug. At last, he pushed the book he was scouring over away from him and settled back into his own chair with a heavy sigh. "There are 7 other cursed Arcobaleno. In no paticular order, there names are Reborn, Viper, Fon, Lal Mirch, Colonello, Verde, and Skull."
"But there are only 7 known Flames." Harry stated, confused. How could there be 8 cursed pacified Arcobaleno?
"Lal Mirch had a nosy student who stalked her," was all Shamal said, mildly. He shrugged. "Colonello took the title from her, and thus making her cursed- but there is speculation that she will grow out of it, somehow. So far, though, no such luck. Lal Mirch is now works for the CEDEF family, the external advisor familigia to the Vongola Family, and also known for their information network."
"And Colonello?"
"I heard he was stationed at Mafia land."
"Mafia land?" That sounded- nonsensical.
Shamal smirked at him, mirthful. "It's an amusement park on an island that floats around the oceans. It's neutural ground, and is protected by the Vongola Alliance. It's also a great place for freelance work, and can house many young upcomers in the mafia world." Harry stared at him, before internally sighing. Why didn't the wizarding world have an amusement park of their own?
How unfair. "Do you think I could visit?" Harry said, curiously. "I never been to an amusement park before." Shamal snorted, into his cup.
"It gets invaded every other week, it's unsafe," Shamal crushed his dreams with the heel of his loafers.
"It's my dying wish," Harry prodded, and Shamal gave him a bland stare. "What? Is it because I don't have- guardians? Is that what those are called? Or a Family to stand behind me?" Harry sighed, guardians were another thing Shamal had been really vague about.
"Sort of," Shamal shrugged. "You're the Sky Arcobaleno. You're the most valued out of all the Arcobalenos, and will be specifically targeted because of that." That left a bitter taste on Harry's tongue, and he sighed. Just because he was an Arcobaleno, a Sky one at that- it restricted him, and that left him undeniably uncomfortable.
Er- more so than the two dieases that were slowly killing him. Besides those.
"I can take care of myself," Harry justified. Oh well. He'd probably throw up and humilate himself if he managed to go, the way he was currently. "Whatever. What about the others?"
"Hm, Verde bounces around from Family to Family," Shamal explained. "He is a scientist, a weapon scientists. He's valued for his work. He's also a Lightning Flame user. There's Viper, no one really knows who they are, or what they do. Their gender is a question everyone asks about, but they never really disclosed a set one. Maybe they don't have one," Shamal mused.
"What's their Flame?" Viper, huh. It's been awhile since Harry spoke to any type of snakes, he didn't even know if he could. And it wasn't like Harry could go outside in brisk London and search for any in the sprawling city.
"Mist. Which is also the same as mine," Shamal smirked, proud. He faltered a bit, though. "They mostly use illusions, though. They are the strongest Mist in the world, and with the power of the pacifier, they could bring their illusions to life."
Illusionist. Harry disliked any type of trickery and riddles, could never wrap his head around it. He eyed Shamal, wondering what type of personality came with his Flame type. Hermione was determined that all of this was much like a zodiac and horoscope, meaning that this was all bullocks. Ron was fascinated with it, a bit more whimsical view about it.
"There's Skull, who never really settled down. He's a Cloud, and he's a handful," Shamal continued. "Fon, who works with the Triads, is a Storm. He's the opposite of a Storm, though, and is generally the calmest of the bunch. I heard that Viper dislikes him."
"And Reborn? I'm guessing he's a Sun?" Harry had the power of deductive reasoning. Shamal shrugged, answering him. "What was he? I think you told me that he was allied with a very powerful mafia Family."
"The most powerful mafia Family. The Vongola," Shamal sounded somber. "His title is world's greatest hitman. He's really smart, the strongest out of the Arcobalenos. He's also a little shit."
Harry blinked at Shamal's dry expression. "Er, okay." Harry said, mulling over the information in his head. "And they're looking for me?"
"Yep," Shamal answered, dragging his focus back to the medical textbook in front of him. Now that he was properly caffinated, he seemed to dismiss the conversation. Harry let him, settling back into his seat and staring thoughtfully at nothing. His chest itched, the dull numbing ache deepening into something a bit more painful. It burned more than ached, and Harry played with the pacifier that hung above his chest, smoothing fingers over it.
It was hard to think that this little thing was killing him. But it was also hard to think that the horcruxs were actually trinkets with torn pieces of soul shoved inside them. Feeling a laspe against his better judgement, Harry brought Shamal's attention back to him by snapping his fingers, much to the other's irriation.
"I'm not a dog, you know," Shamal sniped at him.
"It was either that, or throwing my steaming mug at you," Harry explained, smirking. "But hey, I came to a decision. I want you to get in contact with the other Arcobaleno. I want to meet them."
"Are you sure?" Shamal eyed him seriously. Harry shrugged, mild. There was no point in delaying meeting the other Arcobaleno, especially if they were searching for him. He'll just let them know that he was fine, and wouldn't interfere with their day to day lives, and just retreat back in on himself, and hopefully die in peace.
The last thing Harry ever wanted was to create trouble, even if he was the one dying.
-0-0-0-
The Pacifier Spring held a sense of nostalgia.
Skull noted this as he glanced around. Huh, it seems like he was the first one out of the Arcobaleno to make it here. It made sense in a way, considering that Skull was still unaffiliated in the mafia underground, too afraid of actually being apart of something bigger than himself. Meaning, he had more free time than the others. Skull appreciated his freedom, nevermind the curse that had in inflicted on him, already making him apart of something bigger than himself- that was unavoidable, Luce told him; it was fate.
To think that something like Fate had something in store for Skull.
Something was practically worse than hell, that's for sure.
The rest of the Arcobaleno were all apart of the underground, now. Even Lal Mirch and her (according to her, "stupid") student were apart of the underground, Lal Mirch being approached by the external advisor of the Vongola Family; the head of the CEDEF himself. Colonello was stationed at Mafia Land, whipping up the slackers of the mafia land who failed the mafioso test into 'shape'. Verde was drifting around from Family to Family, making weapons for various mafia Families. Viper had all but disappeared from radar, only appearing in the Arcobaleno meetings to insult them and tell them things that they haven't known before, but it should have been obvious, right? Then charge them for it-
Of course, no one actually paid.
No one but Skull, that is. All of their debt collected onto his head, and Skull was pretty sure that they hated him. Oh well, it wasn't like Viper was getting a cent out of him; he was basically a broke baby going around from country to country, and if they expected anything more from him, that's their fault, not his!
Fon had retreated back into the Triads, and the only notable news that Skull had heard about him was the fact that Fon's sister had apparently been killed indirectly due to her wish to leave the Triads and to take care of her family. That Triad wasn't around for much longer, from what Skull managed to scrape up. He didn't even know that Fon had a family, to be honest; he just sort of expected the rest of the Arcobaleno to be like himself, orphaned and alone.
But he guessed the only 'alone' one was him, it seemed.
Even Reborn had a Family to count on if things ever gotten rough for him, and that was the Vongola Family as well. Last he heard about Reborn was that he was training the Cavallone heir to be the Decimo of the Cavallone Family, on the request of the kid's father and it was Vongola approved. Skull scuffed his leather boot, staring deep into the spring and seeing his helmeted face stare back at him.
It was weird to see everyone again, especially in the same place. Well, almost everyone- Luce had died, and she- well. Her funeral was private, and Skull was the only one to show up, being allowed in by Aria who held onto him and cried silently throughout the whole thing. He couldn't help but feel even more isolated from the rest of the Arcobaleno, being there, because Aria wasn't the Sky Arcobaleno and he was the only one who showed up to the woman's, who ruined their lives, funeral.
Now the Arcobaleno had to find the missing Sky Arcobaleno for some reason, or another.
Skull didn't know what to think, being with the rest of the Arcobaleno again like this. On one hand, he felt a little less alone, but on the other-
"Oi, lackey, what the hell are you doing here?" A voice warned, and Skull could only yelp as he felt someone kick the back of his helmet. He fell into the spring, and he scrambled out of it, heart thudding in his tiny chest. Reborn stood there, imperiously, staring at him with a slight twitch of his lips.
"What the hell, Reborn-senpai!?" Skull hissed back, after getting back up on dry land. He rolled away, and tried to shake off the water. Water and leather hardly mesh well together, and it stuck uncomfortably to his skin. "What do you mean what am I doing here? What are you doing here?"
"Don't question me, lackey," Reborn ordered, coolly. "I meant, what are you doing here before anyone else? You're usually dead last, as per usual," he said, and Skull twitched. Skull ignored him, staring down at his pacifier, which glowed brighter than before considering his unexpected dip into the pool. "You should have sensed me coming, lackey," Reborn added.
"My pacifier doesn't glow as bright as your pacifiers, Reborn-senpai," Skull muttered. It was true, seeing as of that he was the weakest of the Arcobaleno. Reborn made no noise of disagreement, and Skull dragged his eyes upwards to glare at Reborn behind his helmet. "What are we even doing here, Reborn-senpai?"
This place held memories, especially right before Luce's 'betrayal'.
Did Reborn even remember this place? Skull didn't know, Reborn was different after finally coming out of his seclusion. He was still an arrogant and sadistic asshole, but he was still different; it was honestly unnerving to see, especially after the rumors came forth about his memory tinkering. Still, no one dared to confront the strongest Arcobaleno due to fear, and no one dared to call him by his previous name. Skull felt a bit stronger, and a bit cheaper, at the rumors, and meeting with Reborn whenever he did nowadays.
It's not fair! How can you do that? Are you not strong enough to handle what happened- notfairnotfairnotfair-
Skull had to live with his memories, and the consequences. Everyone here did, but it seemed Reborn had found a different way to deal with this. Everything's easier to accept if you can't remember the things leading up to it, right? Skull clenched his hands, tightened his jaw, and glanced away.
"You really are an idiot, kora!" An unhelpful voice commented, and Skull internally groaned, turning to face the rest of the Arcobaleno. What the- did they carpool here!? Skull wanted a ride, if so. "We discussed this before meeting up here, maggot," Colonello huffed.
Reborn was sitting on a piece of rubble, calm and cool as ever. His animal partner, Leon, was in his lap; when Skull met eyes with it, it stuck it's tongue out at him in a lazy manner, and Skull glanced away. Out of all the Arcobaleno, he didn't have an animal partner yet; his easy and free lifestyle was mostly spent motorcycling around from country to country, and he couldn't afford that. Especially when he could barely afford gas and a cheap place to stay, nevermind eating.
Colonello and Lal Mirch had stormed into the clearing, sitting together on the opposite side of Reborn. Colonello made a rude face at Reborn, who only raised a cool eyebrow back. Verde had appeared behind the two Rains, and his bored expression twitched when he saw Reborn; still, he found a secluded spot away from everyone else, and sat down, his alligator perched on his head. Viper had floated in, and looked like they'd rather be anywhere else but here, and Skull couldn't help but feel like he could relate to that on some level. Fon had came in last, with his serene smile, and his monkey, Lichi, chittered away.
Now that everyone was here, no one spoke. Skull shifted, awkwardly, already having done his reminiscing about this place before everyone got here. The Pacifier Spring before them was clear, and the water was cool; Skull shivered, still slightly damp from his unexpected swim, and shot a slight glare behind him, up at Reborn whose face was carefully blank. Skull quickly glanced away, willing himself to blend into the scenery as much as possible.
Skull didn't want to look for trouble, especially in a place like this.
And especially from Reborn.
"This is the Spring," Viper commented, at last. Their bland voice almost blended eerily into the background, the faint noises from nature surrounding them. This place was surprisingly serene and held a sense of integrity, and Skull felt, entirely misleading by default. The Pacifier Spring was located in an unexplored part of France, and if Skull didn't have his pacifier, he was sure that it would have been entirely impossible to find.
"Indeed it is," Fon remarked. Lichi chittered, beside him, and Fon rubbed a hand behind it's ears, soothingly. "Are you sure this will lead us to the Sky Arcobaleno?" His eyes never left the spring, as distant and dark as they were; his smile never left, but something flakier tugged at it's edges.
"Do you suggest a better idea?" Viper countered, challengingly.
"Perhaps anyone here will have a saner idea," Verde scoffed, frowning. "Are we really going to believe in magic to help us out here? This whole situation is entirely implausible," he stated, glancing away when he noticed everyone's attention on him. He pushed his glasses up. "Even if this doesn't work, which I suspect it won't, there's nothing that we can do to find this lost Sky of ours," he stressed the word, almost mockingly.
It was a sore subject, for anyone here.
"We need to make sure they're not a liability to anyone here," Reborn apparently couldn't resist, staring intently at the Lightning. "If they're an Arcobaleno, that means they're pretty strong. A Sky who is strong is already dangerous enough, not to mention the fact that they might be a civilian at that."
"Whoever it is, they'll be dead in a few years anyways," Verde waved them off, uninterested. "I find no use in protecting a dead-Sky-walking," he continued.
Sky-walking. "Heh," Skull couldn't help but huff out of amusement. That was a movie he hadn't seen in awhile. But maybe he shouldn't have made any outward reaction at all, considering everyone's attention tore towards him. Crap.
"What's so funny, kora?" Colonello snapped, and Skull flinched.
"N-nothing," Skull laughed, nervously. He swallowed. "It's just- well, forget it," Skull inwardly lamented. "You guys wouldn't get it," nor would you like it, Skull thought. It was a childish joke, and he felt stupid for laughing at it now.
"Try me," Reborn said, languid.
"Don't we have better things to worry about?" Skull flushed in embarrassment. "The great Skull-sama needs to be somewhere else," somewhere other than here! And away from them.
"Sure you do," Reborn scoffed, and Skull flexed his fingers beside himself. "But the lackey is right, we have better things to worry about other than what fills the space between the lackey's ears." The insult was underhanded and Skull glanced away, too used to the insults by now. Who the hell cares what they thought?
As 'genius' and 'cool' as the other Arcobaleno were, they all ended up here.
No amount of crazy coolness and smartness could ever make them be like before. Being an Arcobaleno meant being cursed, and that meant allowing yourself to get cursed, and- well, it was hard to hide when you have the body of a toddler and a color-coded pacifier.
"Well, what the hell are we supposed to do?" Lal frowned. "Chant to the damn spring and hope for the best? I refuse to lower myself that far," she huffed, and Skull couldn't help but feel that nothing could ever get them lower than they are right now. Because they're practically babies. They're pretty low enough to the ground as it was.
"Viper, this is your idea," Reborn stated, sending a glance at the Mist. "Any ideas?"
Viper's mouth curled, sour. "A few," they mused. "But that will cost extra."
"I thought you could find somebody with that mucus thingy you do," Skull muttered. Viper sent him a sharp look, and Skull flinched, glad for his helmet. "Skull-sama has met a lot of fortune tellers before, and they could find people better than you." Maybe, maybe not; Skull felt a bit vindictive and felt the need to talk, and this seemed like a good spot to interject himself into the conversation.
"Don't insult me," Viper seethed.
"I'm not," Skull muttered. "But for someone who is all-knowing as you- you're pretty clueless about this like the rest of us, aren't you? This whole idea is stupid! Skull-sama wants to go," Skull scuffed his leather boot against the dusty ground, scraping against the soft grass.
"I'm. Not. Clueless." Viper enunciated, irritation clear in their voice. "If you have any better ideas, I'd love to hear it, lackey," Viper never talked to him before like that, and Skull knew he struck a nerve.
Skull was hardly perturbed considering that he was used to that type of tone and insult. After all this time, being with other people who practically despised him, Skull was tired and was feeling oddly caged and restless.
"Skull-sama doesn't need this, Skull-sama doesn't need you," Skull snapped. Luce was dead, and despite what the other Arcobaleno thinks, Skull did care for her, even after the huge blowout that happened after the curse had taken place. "Screw everyone here, I'm leaving," Skull declared, puffing himself up and turning away to find the mouth of the clearing surrounding the Spring.
"Lackey," Reborn growled behind him.
"Don't lackey me, Reborn-senpai! There's nothing here, and even if there was something here, Skull-sama isn't needed!" Skull retorted, angrily. If he was expecting no whiplash, he was wrong, considering that a harsh tug from the back of his suit had him landing back into the Spring. Reborn stood menacingly before him, as he struggled back out. "Stop that, dammit," Skull muttered.
"We don't need mutiny right now," Reborn commented, collected and in control as per usual. Skull was still kneeling on the ground, and Reborn took the time to aim a sharp kick at Skull's helmet, making him sputter and scramble away, holding himself defensively.
Fon stepped in, "As much as I hate to be the bearer of bad news, perhaps Skull is right. We should give this a rest, we have no conclusive leads and nothing else to go on but our pacifiers." Reborn sniffed, offended, and he sat himself back up onto his previous seat atop the rubble. It was slightly elevated from everyone else's spots, which only served to remind Skull that Reborn was the strongest out of them all.
And he was still an egotistical jerk enough to show it.
"If this doesn't work," Reborn stated. "Then we'll give it a rest."
Viper was still glaring intentfully at Skull, making something shudder inside of him in fear. He glanced away, arms still folded tightly. He was still on edge and cagey, but Skull consoled himself with the fact that these meetings with the others would end soon and then he'd get a brief reprieve from them.
Before Viper would speak, Verde spoke up. "I hate to agree with the idiot, but he does bring up a point. Your psychic ability could not track this wayward Sky because of why, exactly?" Verde's voice held a hint of curiosity, making Viper twitch. A curious Verde was nothing to blink at, Skull had to admit.
Which was also partly the reason why he had made the scientist agree to a contract to not conduct science experiments on him. Skull had a heady reputation of being unkillable due to his Cloud Flames, even before the curse had happened.
"It felt like some type of blockage," Viper admitted, with no little spite. They glanced away. "Now, if people will stop interrupting me," they shot a sharp look towards Skull, who made a rude gesture back. "Why, you-"
"Just get on it," Lal snapped, impatient. "We don't have all day!"
"Lal is right, kora!" Colonello huffed, crossing his arms.
"Augh, fine," Viper seethed, reigning in their temper. They didn't look happy about it, and their pacifier was hazy, from the the amount of barely restrained Mist Flames emerging from it. "Everyone, gather around the spring," Viper ordered, still upset and curt.
Skull toed back up to the spring, shooting wary glances at Reborn, who came to stand beside him. Not that close, but close enough for Skull to feel a sense of dread pooling into his stomach. Reborn shot him a mean smirk, making Skull almost flinch and glance away. Once everyone gathered around the spring, Viper stared distantly into the spring, contemplatively.
"We'll need to push our Flames into our Pacifiers," Viper finally declared, and Skull huffed, gripping at his own. Flames was a weird concept to Skull, even after all these years. He was barely aware of what they even were until almost 15 years ago, when they were cursed. Still, after all this time, Skull had managed to gather up enough control to feel his Flames underneath his skin.
Everyone's pacifiers were already glowing when they all had came into the clearing, Skull's managing to even match up to them considering his two unexpected trips into the Pacifier Spring. So there wasn't any noticeable change in everyone's pacifier if there wasn't a slight shift in atmosphere, a thicker density falling upon the group, making Skull's hackles rise slightly.
"Now what?" Reborn asked, staring into the spring. Skull searched his carefully blank expression, really wondering if he really couldn't remember or not. He glanced away before he could be caught sneaking glances at the other baby, awkwardly.
"Now, we focus," Viper's voice was distant. "Focus on the link between all the Pacifiers," they mused. "If the Spring is compliant enough, then maybe they'll give us a hint to where the newest Sky brat is." It was- really vague, and Skull couldn't really comprehend how a freaking spring could give them answers.
Still, no one said anything, all focusing on the spring.
Skull was starting to feel silly before he noticed a further shift in the atmosphere, a slight breeze going through the slightly clearing surrounding the spring. It rippled the water, almost prettily, and Skull was hypnotized, staring into the clear and reflective surface of the spring.
Memories sprung to the surface, skimming the edges of Skull's mind. His first meeting with the Arcobaleno, and the last one before everything went to shit. Well, more shit than before. The aftermath of the curse- his years of running, from country to country, ashamed of his body, ashamed of himself.
It's fate, Skull, Luce's voice echoed in his mind. I- I did what was best for everyone, I promise you.
How, how was this for the best? How, how, how-
A sharp ring broke everyone out of their reverie.
It was a relief, and Skull jumped away, as did everyone. Fon's expression was tight, and his smile was absent, as he stared up at the luminous sky above them. Viper recoiled from the spring, glaring at the ground with a sour twist of their lips. Verde had stepped back, indifferent as always. Both Colonello and Lal had stumbled back together, Lal grumbling under her breath as Colonello glanced worriedly at her. Skull turned away from everyone, trying to calm his thudding and heavy heart, wondering what the others saw to make them react like this.
He risked a glance at Reborn, who seemed to be the source of the unexpected noise. Reborn showed no negative reaction to the spring, and Skull felt a stab of envy. What would the spring have shown him if he didn't lock away his memories, he thought, watching Reborn answer his transformed animal partner like a mobile phone.
Wait. What the-
"How the hell are you getting signal out here?!" Skull accused, blinking. They were practically in the middle of nowhere! Reborn shot him a cool look, before dismissing him and turning away.
"You what?" Reborn asked, taking a few steps away from the spring. Everyone's attention was on him, now. Not that he seemed to care. "Hm," Reborn mused. "I see. Where are you?" A few moments of silence. "Alright. Keep him occupied until we can get a chance to meet him."
Leon transformed back into, well, Leon, and crawled up Reborn's arm to rest upon his shoulders. Reborn petted him absently, turning back to the rest. "A friend of mine has found the missing Sky Arcobaleno. He is in England."
Skull didn't know whether or not to be mad at the fact that he had came out here all the way to the spring for nothing, or relieved that they weren't going to try the spring again. He settled on both, and hunched in himself. Well, at least they finally found the newest Sky Arcobaleno, and Skull's forced nonchalance at the whole ordeal wavered slightly.
No matter if they were cursed one way, or both ways- it all ended the same for those underneath the Sky Arcobaleno curse.
Skull- didn't want to meet the poor bastard, because Verde was right.
No point in getting close to the next dead-Sky-walking.
-0-0-0-
Harry had gagged up, much to Shamal's still-present horror, eglantine flowers.
I wound to heal.
"Jesus, when is Alfie going to finish that medicine of his," Shamal grumbled, helping him into his bed. Harry curled up on his side, coughing weakly in a laugh. If these flowers were like his little fortune cookies for the future, maybe Harry should try and find a way to keep them without killing him.
But that was a joke, considering the fact that Harry probably didn't have much a future left to look forward to.
Review, favorite, follow, or whatever you do on stories that you read.
Do any of you guys have any fun ideas you'd want me to explore in this story? :'D
I seriously need them, haha.
-mms