The silence was deafening between them.

Fon still sitting in his cross legged position, still lacking his smile and still having his eyes solely focused on her.

Leilani was fidgeting with the tentacles of Oodako, her blanket wrapped around her again. It wasn't that cold recently but she still felt like she was freezing.

"How long have you been homeless, Skull?"

She hesitated, in all honesty she had been homeless since she had lost hogwarts. "Straight after the curse. I… It's not like I could have gone back to the circus." her voice was quiet, more mumbled than actually speaking. "It's not like… I could have gone anywhere."

"You could have come to us. We would have helped you."

She shook her head "No."

"You could have gone to an orphanage."

"Why? To be treated like a toddler? To constantly have to run away?"

"You would have had a roof over your head."

"It's not.. it's not that bad. Really…"

He didn't answer but his gaze made her flinch.

"I mean it's… it has been complicated but… I at least knew how."

"What do you mean?"

"I was on the streets before the circus… so since I was 14… I knew it. It was harder like this but… I mean… It's not that bad."

"You don't even have money, do you?"

"I … had money.. it just ran out but… I mean I can find food and I bought a fishing rod. I can manage."

"And did you ever catch anything?"

"I caught Oodako."

"And you're gonna eat it?"

"No!" she hastily looked back down as soon as her eyes met Fons "I mean… he's my friend."

"You're starving Skull."

"I can manage."

"No. No, you can't and you know it."

"What was I supposed to do?"

"Come to us."

"For what? What would you have done?"

"We would have helped you."

"Not without a price."

"That's not-"

"Yes it is true! I don't trust any of you. You lied to me. You let me… No. No. No, Fon. No. I-I don't trust you."

Leilanin pointedly kept her gaze on Oodako, pulling her legs closer to her.

"Let's get some food, alright? We can talk later. But I want you to eat something."

"You're gonna run off and leave me with the bill?"

"No! Skull, no. I would never"

"I don't trust you."

"Would you trust any of the others more? I can get them."

"No. I want you to leave me alone."

"Not before you have eaten."

She chewed on her lip. She was hungry, she knew it. She hadn't had prepared food in way too long. She wanted it. But it wasn't like she could trust his word.

"I'm going to pay up front. I can even give you the money beforehand so you can pay if you like it better but please Skull. Please let me buy you food."

"Why do you care?"

"Because you mean something to me Skull. You mean something to all of us. Do you think we would have tried to find you for so long otherwise? You are one of us."

"I'm not."

"Yes you are."

She just shook her head repeatedly, still more sceptical than anything but she was hungry. She really was. She wanted it more than anything.

She could hear the crinkle of paper and when she looked up she saw Fon standing, a stack of bills in his hand

"You can have it alright? Just come with me to eat. I won't let you sit on the bill. You will have the money beforehand and you can keep it. i'm still going to pay but you will have this as reassurement. You will have money. You won't be left with the bill. But please Skull. Please come with me."

"I… want to pack my stuff.. I don't trust you."

"You can. I can help you or I can wait. Whatever you need to feel more secure as long as you let me get you food."

"I don't want you to touch my stuff."

"Alright." he still held the stack of money towards her.

Leilani slowly stood up, Oodako completly latching onto her as she slowly made her way over. The mistrust clearly showed in her eyes as she snatched the money from his hand, pocketing it before slowly starting to pack up her tent.

Sure, in a way it was wrong to accept money like this and in all honesty she wanted to make it on her own but she wasn't delusional. She knew she needed this money and it would be easier with money even if he decided to screw her over again.

She still held promises way too high even though she knew that it was different than it had been at Hogwarts. promises had been kept in high regard. While only unbreakable vows had the worst consequences it was still a problem if you broke a normal one. It could have end badly if magic deemed it so.

Leilani knew the rules of her world didn't apply here but she still couldn't let go of it. She gave her promise and as long as he kept his bargain it would go fine.

She got money and she would get food and afterwards she would be on her way again. It would be okay… at least that's what she tried to tell herself.

Leilani was completely tensed up as she started to push her equipment into her backpack. She hadn't been able to enlarge the backpack much but it had been enough for her to get her equipment in.

Fon was itching to take the backpack from Skull. The cloud was way too skinny and with the huge backpack it just looked like he would fall and break every last of his bones under the weight but at the same time Fon knew that Skull wouldn't let him and that it would only make the cloud more reluctant to deal with him, maybe even attempt to run away again and even while Fon was the fastest… Skull had always been able to get away.

No one knew why. Even the few mafiosi that actually had several flames never had them to the extent Skull had and especially not that much of control. What Skull did with his flames was unheard off and he didn't really repeat his tricks.

They all had tried to ward it off, to block it but for the most part they weren't even able to undo it afterwards.

Skull had once welded Reborns tie to a wooden bench and no matter what anyone had tried, no one was able to get it off.

Verde had even kept it in his laboratory and even 5 years later it still stuck together.

Leilani was again chewing on her lip "I'm ready."

The walk had been more on the silent side, Fon switching between asking questions and getting trapped in his head at the implications of what he heard and what he had seen. He felt terrible and his eyes were practically glued to Skull the whole way,

He couldn't even get himself to pull out his phone to text the group chat. Honestly he feared that the moment he would lift his eyes off the cloud he would be gone and by the state he was in and their track record in finding him? There would be no Skull left to find.

He cursed himself for only having this little amount of money on him, 300 euros was seriously not a tiny amount but… still. It wasn't enough to make sure that Skull could make it until anyone else could get the chance to slip him money.

Kidnapping Skull and keeping him forcefully somewhere didn't work. Even before the curse had it almost been impossible to contain the cloud and their saving grace had been that they always knew where Skull was heading. But this was different now. Way different and Skull had changed vastly. With the skill he earned there was no chance in hell that one of them could keep the cloud contained.

Sure, they still could beat him in a fight, as several attempts in the past had shown. They were still stronger and trained. Skull had no fighting ability at all. But what he did with his flames? That was enough to be sure that there was no way to keep him locked somewhere save.

They all knew it. They all had tested it but there was no hope ever in containing the cloud. Honestly they should have known. Skull was a cloud and not just that. Skull was the strongest cloud in existence. Even if he lacked in every other aspect his focus was on escaping and in that he excelled.

In a way it had shown all of them why Skull had his place between them. It wasn't the most conventional strongest but… when not even the strongest of the world could manage it then it meant something.

Skull was one of them, not just because of the curse, the time when they had learned to adore him or the fledgling bond they all shared. No, Skull was one of them because he earned his place in a manner no one had seen coming.