Reborn just... stood there. Right in front of him. He hadn't reacted to Skulls push or words other than to move back a bit. The disinterested bastard didn't even have the courtesy to act effected!

No, instead, The Mighty Reborn, the oh so great, oh so powerful Reborn. Strongest Flame User in the Strongest Seven Reborn!

Friend, Tutor, Advisor to the second coming of The First Generation Vongola, the Neo Primo Vongola, Reborn!

Handsome, womanizer, hypocritical, cruel, uncaring, smug, self-righteous asshole REBORN!

Had the nerve to stand in front of him, demand where he's been then act like nothing when Skull had finally gotten enough courage to tell him what he'd been thinking for the last forever.

How dare he. How dare he.

Wasn't it enough that he'd died for this dick? Why? Why was it always him?! Every time he'd tried to leave, tried to find some equilibrium in his life after being dragged into this fantasy world, the Great Reborn was there to drag him kicking and screaming back in.

Every chance at happiness he'd had, every friend he'd ever made, every person he'd ever fucked always, always got lured away by the so very spectacular Reborn!

Always chasing him, always commanding him, always tugging him along like a puppet in a show.

Why?!

"What. Do you want. Reborn." He needed to leave. He wanted to leave. But unless he found out what the others wanted now he'd have to keep hiding until they got over it. If they just told him what they wanted, he'd give it to them then hopefully they'd leave him alone again for a couple of years until they wanted something again. That was the normal pattern from… before. Skull hoped like hell the pattern would stay true.

Reborn started back at him, face frozen in ice as always. Those black eyes of his gave nothing away (they never had) and his stupid hat was tilted rakishly to the side.

And he still refused to say anything.

Skull could feel his face twisting into something ugly. He hated this. He hated how all these horrible feelings would come out in the presence of this one man. How he could always stir his temper like no one else. Change his normally carefree Flames into a Maelstrom of fury.

"I'm leaving." He tried. Oh how he tried to spit that out with only spite, but he could feel the pressure building up behind his eyes, something was blocking his throat but he would not cry in front of this man. Not ever again.

"No. Your really not." Reborn's voice was subdued in tone, but those words were enough to make the first few tears drip down his face.

"You can't stop me." Skull knew he wouldn't win in this confrontation but he would not go down without a fight. Not this time, not ever again. When he'd said he was done, he'd meant it.

Skull took a faltering step forward, better to get this beating over with then draw it out. It always hurt more when he tried to avoid it. But he stopped after that one step.

Because Reborn had done something interesting. Something that had never happened in all the years of their relationship.

He'd stepped back.

Skull furrowed his brows as he took another step forward. This one with slightly more confidence. What was he…?

Reborn stepped back again.

Skull stopped and stared at Reborn. But Reborn wasn't even looking at him anymore, now focused on the entrance of the ally way. He was still as relaxed as he'd been when he'd tackled Skull off the roof and into this ally but something was different. The atmosphere had changed in some earth shaking way.

Something had shifted in Reborn.

Every time Skull got within touching distance from Reborn, he would very casually move just far enough away that he couldn't touch Skull without effort.

What had changed hit Skull with all the delicacy of a brick to the face.

Reborn thought he was weak.

Reborn thought he was weak. Not the weak he'd always told Skull he was, but below him weak. Reborn had watched him take on an Army and lose. Something that would have never happened to Reborn. He wasn't even an equal any more to him. He was lower than that. Something Reborn didn't even want to touch anymore.

"You... You bastard! Skull lunged at him, relishing in the muted confusion that covered Reborn's face for a split second before the emotion was covered again. But it wasn't enough. How dare he. How dare he!

The first punch went to high, Reborn having dodged down under it. He came at Skull with a hand of his own but stopped just before connecting. All this did was piss Skull off more.

'I can't even take a punch now?! I'll show you! I'll show all of you! How dare you, how dare you!'

But no matter what he did, how he came at him. Reborn just kept dodging. Over and over he'd dodge just out of range of Skulls suddenly Flame infused punches. No matter what he screamed at him, what he tried Reborn just wouldn't hit back.

He hated this man. He hated him more than he'd ever hated anyone ever before.

He wasn't weak!

He'd died for him! Died for them all! Gotten ripped apart by his own Flames in the end, a last kamikaze attack to take out as much as he could, buy enough time for the others to get away, find Tsuna, find Yuni.

Take down the man who was trying to end the world. He'd even refused to come back when Yuni's Sky Flames had called to him. She was so young, she'd never deserved any of this, her or her mother. She was the others Sky, (even if she'd never became his) he couldn't take that away from them.

And this was all he had to show for it. The man who'd tormented his life from the moment they'd met, refusing to give him even this small amount of acknowledgement.

That little bit that says, 'I see you.'

He hated him.

(He wondered though. If he hated Reborn, why did this hurt so very much?)