Creaking Cycle – Epilogue

Characters in the chapter: Skull, Reborn, Tsuna, Colonnello and Lal.

Pairings: Platonic!R27 / implied!ColoLal

Rating: T

Warnings: Well, a bit of violence but otherwise, none.

Length: 20 chapters in total, unless I add some bonus scenes, or take requests (if there's any). So yes, this is the last chapter.

A/N: This chapter is set a few months later. Skull's POV.

Hope you'll enjoy nevertheless!

"Are you trying to kill me, Colonnello?!" Tsuna shrieked as he dodged another Maximum Rifle shot, resulting in creating several craters to where he was previously standing. He got up from his rolling evasion move, still protesting. "I'm not even in Hyper Dyin – "

He squeaked at the Maximum Burst that cut him off and he threw himself on the ground to avoid getting it in the face. He coughed at the dust that had risen at the attack, squinting his eyes at the young blond adult who was openly grinning at him, his rifle on his shoulder.

"How am I doing, kora?" He asked, positively gleeful.

"Terribly." Lal commented from the side, where she was watching them with arms crossed. "I expect better than that – from both of you."

"Lal!" Tsuna looked scandalized at her unhelpfulness.

"Right." Colonnello agreed. "We're not here to enjoy the nice view of the mountains, kora. Time to train!"

Tsuna shot a helpless look at the two other people who were watching from a bit far off. Skull only gave him encouragements while Reborn smirked with sadistic amusement. The Cloud shivered from his place beside him, inching away instinctively. He knew all too well this expression.

"I can always switch with Colonnello." The hitman offered, watching how his soulmate blanched at that. "Or better yet, join them."

"Please don't!" Tsuna squeaked in horror before he was forced to leap sideway to avoid a sudden punch from the ex-COMSUBIN member. He then entered Hyper Dying Will Mode to block a series of corporal attacks, expression shifting to an exasperated frown.

Reborn chuckled in amusement, watching his student being trained with and by the two fellow former Arcobaleno. Skull glanced at him pensively. He could feel that Reborn's soul was somehow lighter, freeing itself from the emptiness that had been threatening him since his reincarnation. There was still the danger of him snapping, his soul still cracked from past wounds and a vicious guilt, but it was mending itself as days passed. Given time and Tsuna's constant presence with his soulmate, it would heal and recover from the harsh blow. It wouldn't be back to what it used to be. His soul would stay cracked, a hole still threatening to take over at a correctly applied push. The danger was there but as long as Tsuna was there, it would be alright.

Skull could only hope that, when the time of a new Cycle came, both Reborn and Tsuna would accept it more easily and seek each other in their next lives.

Speaking of which –

"If there's one thing you'll retain from this Cycle, it's that hypnosis is not the most efficient way to recognize your soulmate." He grinned, teasing. "Especially considering that said soulmate was with you for more than a year and you didn't even realize it."

"Shut it, lackey." Reborn scowled, kicking him.

Skull laughed, barely feeling the hit.

"Hell no." He snorted. "You so deserve it for being an idiot."

"I'm starting to think than I would rather deal with your pathetic and bubbly persona than the actual smartass that you are." The hitman smirked then, an unsettling glint entering in his eyes.

Skull started to back off cautiously, eyeing him warily, not liking it one bit. Reborn reached for his gun and cocked it lazily.

"Still interested to learn if you're living up to your name, Immortal Skull?"

Skull blanched at the tone. Mustering his courage, he did the only thing that suited the threat. He turned around and ran away as quickly as he could, throwing himself into the intense battle going between Colonnello and Tsuna. The Sky paused in his movement at the sudden apparition of one of his Clouds. Colonnello just cocked an eyebrow.

"What the hell are you doing here, kora?"

"Chaos shot."

The three of them turned in sync to watch in horror at the hitman who smirked at them, finger pulling the trigger. Unsurprisingly, the name suited the attack well. The bullet split into several ones, gleeful Sun Flames rushing down on them to strike true. Skull didn't even try to dodge, knowing that he wasn't fast enough. Colonnello let out a creative curse at them, engulfing his own body in his Rain Flames to try to numb Reborn's ones. Tsuna was the first to react, reflex born from the uncountable number of times when his tutor shot him, and leapt on the side with a burst of his Sky Flames, successfully avoiding any damage. He missed Reborn's proud smirk.

When the cloud of dust settled down to let appear a crater with a groaning Skull at its center and a coughing Colonnello, Lal and Tsuna approached it and peered down at them.

"Are you okay?" He asked in concern, glowing eyes assessing them.

"Reborn, you bastardo!" The blond climbed out of the depression to glare at the hitman. "What the hell did you think you're doing, kora?"

"You're getting rusty if you can't manage to evade a simple shot like this." Reborn lazily retorted, cocking his gun. "The lackey, I can understand but even Tsuna got away without injuries."

"Hey! What does that mean?" Tsuna huffed, crossing his arms, recognizing the jab.

"He's right, idiota." Lal snorted at Colonnello. "I can see that you still need me to train you, Colonnello."

"I wouldn't mind it from you." His former student flirtly answered, mood completely turning around.

Skull laughed at Tsuna's vaguely disgusted expression, cringing away from them. He picked himself up and made his way to the teen, promptly dragging him away when Lal started to smack Colonnello to hide her embarrassment while yelling in Italian.

"Why are my friends so violent?" He muttered, slipping out of Hyper Dying Will Mode.

"Otherwise, you'll be bored." Skull claimed with a grin, his wounds already healing.

"And you love taking care of others." Reborn added as the two of them walked up to him. "You wouldn't have it any other way."

"I must have gone completely mad." Tsuna smiled, more amused than anything.

Skull stayed slightly away, observing Lal and Colonnello as the latter teased mercilessly his fiancée and listening to Reborn and Tsuna bickering fondly with each other. Tsuna wasn't completely wrong, he mused as he looked at the destruction around him. They were a bunch of violent people with a tendency of disrupting peace by creating chaos as much as they could, revolving around an exasperate but fond Sky.

"By the way, sempai, "Skull spoke up, remembering one of his questions. "Have you told Tsuna that you're his soulmate?"

That instantly stopped their bickering, Reborn shooting him a glare and Tsuna staring at him wide-eyed. He took one look at the irritated hitman and let his jaw drop in disbelief.

"I take that as a No." Skull laughed, enjoying the mess he had just provoked. "Have fun with explaining it to him then!"

He let out a bright laugh as he darted away, running as quickly as he could, ignoring Reborn's sharp command to 'Come back here, lackey!" and Tsuna's stutter, flushing furiously.

(For the first time in a very long time, he had not thought about his immortality, not even once. The burden that he had carried around was suddenly unnoticed as he lost himself in the warmth of family and companionship.

For once, he was glad to still be alive.)

A/N: There, it is officially complete. As I've stated before, I might add 'Bonus Scenes', more so if some of you are interested. It is not definitive, just a possibility. And to think that it was just a one-shot before it evolved into this. I am still a bit surprised.

Anyway, thanks for reading, don't hesitate to point out any mistakes, ask a question or share your thoughts!

See you next time~