Lelouch wakes up screaming, weeping, something he hasn't woken up to since his fourth life, as a Storm. It's a strange thing to Lelouch. He had died smiling, hadn't he?
But, thinking back, he thinks he remembers flashes, a feeling, a thought that he didn't have in his life as a Snow. Had he lived afterwards? Another life, inbetween? It frustrates him that he can't recall anything else.
Lelouch has lived so many times, worn so many faces which had turned into masks over time, that when he finds out the hard way he's been reborn into an abusive family he has no problem running and creating a new mask for himself, and with it, a new name. To be honest, he's associated the name Lelouch with so many identities that just that name spoken could call a memory to the surface of his mind.
He decides to make the most of this life, decides to pretend the last one didn't exist, and like a few lives before, he tries stunting. This time, he isn't interrupted by a big tree and a broken arm midway through the first jump. He flies, and finally understands Rivalz's passion.
The rush is something he hasn't felt in lives. He's hooked, and even crashing half the time doesn't deter him.
When he finally fails a fatal jump Lelouch expects death, but instead finds Cloud flames multiplying his cells at a rate he's never seen before, mending his bones and skin. He falls still, not having expected to be a Cloud ever again, not after realizing what he'd done as a Cloud and rejecting the Cloud lifestyle forever.
Nevertheless, Skull moves forward, determined to keep his promise to himself to never hurt anyone like that again.
Even when Skull expects that this time, the failed stunt cost him his life, his flames work miracles and he discovers his regeneration rate is both subconscious and near indestructible. He accepts it and lets the awed crowd call him the Immortal Stuntman. He figures it'll be nice to live past twenty for once.
His mask is created a prideful one, boastful, bravado 'hiding' weakness and cowardry. A deeply buried part of him, the part that had once taken the world, hated this mask and wanted to break free from this illusion of follower, but that Cloud's longing for freedom had long ago lead to destruction and pain and Lelouch would never be that again. If no one knew he could make others hurt, no one would try to force him to do it.
He's summoned to the meeting of the 'World's Strongest Seven', and re-introduced to the Mafia. The other six look down on him, which only strengthens his mask. He lessens the confidence and lets more of the pathetic coward shine through, leaving the others to think it was the 'real' Skull. Reborn, Verde and Viper may specialize in collecting truths, but Skull had (too much) experience with masks.
Reborn sees he's powerful, but also has the misconception that he doesn't know how to handle that power and treats him accordingly.
Verde quickly loses interest in him when he observes his Cloud flames are simply extraordinarily strong, and not anything worth studying.
Lal dismisses him as a coward and unfit for battle.
Fon is just worried about dragging a civilian into the Mafia, probably because he's untrained and uninformed and will only be of hindrance to the mission.
Viper knows there's something more about Skull, something hidden, but when they don't find anything all they can do is look at Skull until he reveals it himself.
Luce is an enigma. She treats Skull with familiarity, but never gives a sign she knows about any past lives. She looks at him like he's a civilian. Skull ponders the possibility her visions are limited to his and others' current lives.
Skull would rather not, but he joins the others on a few missions. Rescue missions mainly. Saving civilians is something completely new to him, and it doesn't suit him well. The blood on his hands had long dried.
Then Luce calls a meeting asking all of them to accompany her on a mission, but refuses to give any details. Skull wants to protest, but Reborn's look stops him- if he disagreed, Reborn would try to force him to go, and it simply wasn't worth trying to escape Reborn's wrath while keeping his mask up just because of a bad feeling in his stomach. So he nods curtly, rather unlike his usual behavior because he can't shake the feeling that something is wrong, and goes along.
Viper looks suspicious too, probably only joining them because there was information to be gained, and knowledge was money. Skull looks at the others, but they all seem determined to believe their Sky would never do them harm.
Lelouch knew better. The woman wore a mask just like his, and was as much if not more manipulating as Charles zi Brittania and- Lelouch could admit- himself. Like every one of the Arcobaleno, Luce was the best in her trade.
Before Skull knew it, they were standing at the foot of a mountain, looking up. Skull complained all the way to the top, and this time it wasn't all just playing his part. There was real worry that clouded his mind, and the fact that he didn't know its origin concerned Skull even more.
When they finally reached the mountain top Skull was hit full force with a feeling of danger. He automatically moved into a fight or flight position, muscles relaxing so he could move more fluently in a threatening situation.
The rest of the group had moved towards the middle of the mountain top already, and Reborn glowered at an unmoving Skull.
"Keep up, Lackey."
When Skull didn't bother to respond, too caught up in locating the threat, Reborn growled and started towards him, hands moving to his gun.
"Lackey-"
Reborn was interrupted by an enormous, blinding flash of light and heat and it burned in Skulls lungs for a split second before it went away as quickly as it came.
Skull fell to the ground, gasping, unable to scream in pain with the amount of oxygen left in his still burning lungs. Every bone in his body ached and hurt, but Skulls attention wasn't on that or even on his surroundings anymore.
In his mind, something had stirred. He remembered feeling almost like this- a horrible burning and agony he can't escape no one could escape no one no one no one was there with him he was alone he was ALONE-
Skull tumbled off the edge he'd been so close to. He wildly, instinctively reached out with his arms to grab onto something, anything, but it felt like his body was completely off balance, everything he knew he could reach he suddenly couldn't reach and it only took a moment for him to hit the ground, stomach first, breaking multiple ribs and yet tumbling farther as Skull didn't even get the chance to scream in pain.
Finally he came to a stop, at the foot of the huge mountain, purple Flames completely enveloping his battered and bruised body. He should be dead. Even his Flames shouldn't be able to keep him alive through that, Skull knew, even with his mind fuzzy and spinning. He coughed weakly, tasting blood.
Skull clenched his eyes shut, willing the violent nausea away, and simultaniously trying to unsee the rocks under him stained with blood. It was a familiar sight, the deep scarlet liquid staining every surface, and not one he appreciated.
He remembered now. His previous life. The life he'd lived after dying for his Sky, and waking up in a cage. From the moment he'd woken up he'd known something was different, he could feel the Flames inside of him singing, dancing with a warmth he'd never felt before, only dimmed by the restrictions around him.
Because whatever his flame type, Lelouch had never been one to be caged.
That warmth had soon been turned to cold and bitter emptiness as the ones that were supposed to be his family tested him, tortured him but always kept him just a step away from death. They wanted to create the perfect Sky with the perfect elements to match it, the perfect mafia family.
The agony only truly began when they found the 'perfect' elements. One by one they forced him to harmonize with them, a forced bond that brought only pain to Lelouch, pure oain worse than anything he'd felt, worse than losing everything.
Nine years long the pain and loneliness had persisted before Lelouch saw his chance and ended it. It had been the first time throughout all his lives that he himself was the one to end his own life.
As soon as he felt he could move again, Skull curled into a ball and blocked out the world. The others wouldn't search for him. Maybe they wouldn't even notice that he was gone. Skull honestly didn't really care.
He wished Riku was there.