Skull took a shaky breath, closing his eyes and cradling Yuni's hand against his cheek for a moment. He wanted to tell her. He wanted to spill everything right then and there….but he wouldn't. After a moment he opens his eyes again and lifts them up to stare at the others, all of them hovering close by and looking rather angry.
He takes another moment to cradle Yuni's hand before taking a breath and closing his eyes once more.
When they open again, they're hard and steady in a way the Arcobaleno have never seen before. "I am sorry." He tells them, and he means it, he means it more than he will ever be able to convey accurately to them.
He knows they realize this when he sees them all lean back just a little, their eyes narrowing as they wonder what it is he is apologizing for.
A lot of things. For the lies, for the danger he has put them in….for the way he is going to leave them. For many things.
"I am sorry." He repeats it because he feels he needs to before he stands, his back unbending and straightening into a steel line, his eyes hard and jaded and dark with the memories he can't quite shove behind his barriers.
He scans the faces of his friends, of his family.
He'd searched for family for so, so long. Even before he had known he was searching. The Dursley family had been the start. He'd been three years old and couldn't understand why he was treated so differently from Dudley. And then the Wizarding World had given him hope- Ron and Hermione and the rest of Ron's family….it had all been shattered during the war. They had all perished in the war aside from Bill, Fleur, Charlie and George. Harry had left with their blessings and he still kept in contact with the four of them-because they had seen what the pressure the Wizarding World was doing to him. (Destroying his soul)
He hadn't found out until later that part of the suffocating feeling was that he was a Cloud and he had been caged. All he had known was it had been smothering his spirit and he had left.
Potter Luck had attacked with a vengeance after that.
All the things he had done in the war had strengthened his Flames. He knew now he'd been using them and causing them to grow even more thinking it was just another part of his magic. No one in the Wizarding World had realized it either, thinking it was just some sort of wandless or accidental magic that manifested in purple flame-like magic. Either way it had made his Cloud Flames the strongest in the entire world and so Checkerface had come to him and offered him a job. Something had whispered to take it-that job. He'd thought it would be a good distraction from the war.
Next thing he knew he was sitting in a room with the World's Strongest and being thrown headfirst into the Mafia.
But he had found family while he flailed with this new world.
He refused to see this family be lost to another war as he had watched the Weasleys be whittled down to three and one by marriage.
He couldn't see it. He couldn't go through it again. He would shatter like fragile glass. So he would leave them. "I need to go."
He whirled around and strode away.
A hand clamped down on his shoulder.
The only thing that saved Reborn from the war honed response of violence so close to the surface after what he had seen and what he would need to do, was the fact that Skull knew it was Reborn. He still tensed up. "Reborn." His voice was soft but hard with warning and command.
He refused to allow these people to get involved.
"Let go." His voice was soft but diamond hard and he felt Reborn's hand tighten for a moment.
"Lackey…" Reborn growled.
Violet eyes turned his way and pinned Reborn in place with the rage and pain in their depths. It took Reborn a moment to realize that Skull's eyes were glowing with his Flames.
(He ignores the memory of Skull jokingly referring to this as the Lantern Warning System)
That was bad news. It meant that something was pushing Skull into dangerous levels of rage and managing to prod at the instincts that came with being a Cloud at the same time.
Clouds were the second rarest Flame Type after Sky. They were rare because most didn't survive into teen years much less adulthood, mainly because they were possessive little fucks and were perfectly willing to get into the face of anyone who stood in their way. Most of these Clouds would eventually run into someone who was stronger than them and they'd keep going back for more until they won or were dead. Other Clouds were found by Families and recruited due to the status boost that came with having a Cloud following the Family. Some were lucky- like Hibari- and were recruited properly so they wanted to be there. Others were forced into serving the Family and would die trying to escape or would be smothered to death. No Cloud could be chained. They needed freedom like they needed air. If a Cloud was 'chained' somewhere for too long it would smother them and they would go out in a blaze of rage and death. The stronger a Cloud was the worse it would be.
Something had stepped all over Skull's instincts. "What happened?"
Skull took a breath.
He wanted to be selfish.
Just once, he wanted to do what he wanted.
He knew he could wipe the memories away from the Arcobaleno, that he could make it so they didn't even know anything was wrong. He knew he could make the whole issue go away, but he didn't want to. He'd already lied to them about his past, Skull refused to play with their minds the way he had played with Death Eaters and Ministry workers.
He refused.
These were his family members staring at him. You didn't do that to family. He didn't want to do that to them.
So told them a part of the truth, his eyes blazing violet as his anger grew "They took something that is mine and I will ensure it never happens again." Skull pulled his shoulder away from Reborn and begins to walk away again.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
The Arcobaleno's eyes widen.
They had long ago realized that Skull was a Cloud that claimed people as his territory.
The pieces they had been given rearranged in their head, snapping to form another picture entirely of the situation.
Skull was angry in a way they had never seen before.
Skull was angry enough to break that man in the bar.
'They' had taken something Skull considered 'his'.
Skull was in a towering rage even now, and he was leaving to 'deal' with it.
So that left them with the knowledge that someone had taken someone their Cloud considered important and had either hurt them or killed them. They remembered the way he screamed.
Had some fucker killed someone important to Skull?
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Skull takes the moment the Arcobaleno are absorbing what he has told them to stride away from them. Each step is painful and he can feel as Skull slips away and The-Man-Who-Conquered rises from the ashes.
That's painful too.
All the more reason to ensure he is never called upon again.
The sneer that pulls at his lips is worthy of his old Potions Professor at his finest.
They had taken George and Bill and Fleur to lure him in. That man-wizard in the bar had had it all in his mind, laid out in near little plans. Skull knew what they planned now, what was happening and what they wanted from him and how far they were willing to go to get it.
Fair enough.
Harry had learned quite a few new tricks since the last time the Wizarding World had seen him. The Wizarding World was about to get one hell of a wakeup call about their 'Savior.'
They were about to meet Skull and these bastards would quickly learn just how far a Cloud, how far Skull was willing to go to defend what was his.
There was only one thing Skull forgot to factor in.
Just how far the other Arcobaleno were willing to go for family.
O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~O~
Sorry this is long but first:
I'm addressing something that a few people have worried about here: Why doesn't Skull just say 'screw it' and walk away from or kill the wizards?
Conditioning.
He's a badass make no mistake but he's been conditioned since the moment he understood words and actions to do as he's told (Dursley family) then he gets to the Wizards and he's told he's their 'savior' and pulled into one mess after another where he's pushed into the role. When he tires of this, after a war, he gets pulled into the Mafia and the other Arcobaleno who all unknowingly expanded on that conditioning to 'do as your told and fit into our mold for you' (Lackey. Weakest link.) All the while he hasn't really dealt with any of the issues that come from being a war survivor from the front lines.
And now? Now it's all shoved in his face again. It's instinct at this point.
There are other reasons but this plays a huge part in it.
Hope that cleared some questions up, the rest will most likely show up as we go.
Also: little late but Happy New Year! And THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS ALMOST 150 WHAT HAPPENED GUYS? And Guest reviewer Reader: thanks so much