Summary: All he wanted was to live a normal life (as normal as an immortal can anyway)… So why did he have to be roped into the Mafia after finally gaining his freedom!? And damn you Death for being such a bloody git! MoD!Harry, Harry as Skull.

Main Pairing: Harry Potter (Skull) / Undisclosed

Side Pairing(s): Canon pairings, although some will change in the future

Warning: AU, MoD!Harry, Mentions of rape, abuse, and cannibalism, Slash (MxM), HP as Skull de Mort

Disclaimer: Why do I have to put this in every chapter? Harry Potter and KHR aren't owned by me.

Date: XX November 1950
Location: Italy, Florance, Skull's apartment

Excuse me?! Was what Skull wanted to shout out loud, but kept his lips sealed and expression relaxed.

Having been mistaken for that dear old depressing git wasn't exactly pleasant. What was awfully curious though – and the reason why he held his tongue – was why Kawahira had even called him 'Death'. Was he dressed similarly to an emo/goth teen? He discreetly checked. Nope. He wasn't.

As he continued to stare impassively at the nervous looking albino, something akin to realization popped into his head. The depressing git must've known Skull's struggles with obtaining a realistic enough passport and identity. Therefore, being the git that it was, helped in the easiest (laziest) way possible.

Which was to basically push the task to another person – exactly like how it had pushed all the paperwork to Skull, not even bothering to give an explanation.

This just made Skull all the more intrigued, however. He pondered why exactly this person was deemed worthy enough for Death. There were billion other humans out there. Why specifically Kawahira? With that question in mind, he closed his eyes and focused on the other.

The result was... fascinating, to put it in easier words. What his magic told him almost made him stutter like a mutated fish.

Astonishingly enough, the man's soul was quite old. As in, old as dirt. This made Skull stare all the more – causing the older to sweat slightly as they continued to remain silent.

Did this mean that Kawahira belonged to a race with a long lifespan? Skull knew that back in his own world, those with great longevity have lower child birthing rates.

If that was the case, did the immortal wish for Death's blessing? That would be quite counterproductive, though. The only blessing (if it could be called that) that Death could give wasn't at all pleasant. The depressing git's twin sister, however, should be the one to be sought after if he wanted to gain the blessing of fertility.

"Alright," Skull broke the silence, causing the other to flinch slightly before gaining back his smiling façade, "Since you've piqued my interest, I'll hear about this deal you speak of." Hm. That kind of came out wrong. He sounded so pompous.

Kawahira, however, seemed to pay his impolite words no mind. The maybe-immortal returned back to his carefree demeanour whilst looking at ease at having gained Skull's curiosity.

Seeing how this discussion of theirs might take a while, Skull went back to his food, promptly shoving a big piece of juicy (and fresh! That's the most important!) meat into his mouth. Ah, how blissful it was to be able to freely eat at his own leisure with no one to sneer at him.

"I know that this is inappropriate of me to ask from Death himself, so I must thank you in advance for allowing me this chance." Kawahira once again bowed, but this time in gratitude and deference.

Skull merely nodded with aloofness. He wasn't Death, but he made no attempts at telling that tiny fact.

He may be called the depressing git's Master, but he was more like a paper pusher than anything else. Sure, he decides the fate of a soul after they were free of their bodies, but Skull didn't think that that kind of work was an important enough job compared to reaping.

Ah... He wanted to reap. Stupid depressing git won't allow him, though.

"May I know how much Your Excellency knows about this planet's system?" Kawahira's words were careful, as if not wanting to offend Skull.

This time, he shook his head, "I'm unaware of the goings of this planet. I have not been here for long." Which was true for both Skull and Death.

Skull hasn't been here long enough to even learn of this world's so-called Dying Will Flames, whilst Death... With such a lazy attitude, Skull knew that the depressing git preferred to remain in its domain that exists in an entirely different plane of dimension. If any problems do pop up, however, it would simply shove them to any of its subordinates/minions... and apparently, that includes its Master as well.

"Then please allow me to explain. As I have said before... My race is dying. Or to be more specific, I am the last of my kind." The immortal's eyebrows furrowed slightly as he stared into his bowl of half-eaten ramen, his reddish orbs showing a hint of loneliness. "I am all that is left to guide the growth and development of life on this planet... My powers may be unlimited in the eyes of mortals... But I alone am not enough.

"Seven hundred years ago, there were two of us still. Sepira and myself. We noticed that our power cannot keep up with the rising population on earth. We are then left with no choice but to rely on the humans for their power. Originally, the Tri-ni-set was in the form of 7 stones. My kind, which has existed way before the humans have come into beings, supports and protect these stones in order to balance the planet's life force.

"Having no other solution, Sepira and I turned the 7 stones into pacifiers – which was then handed to 7 individuals that are reputed to be the strongest of their era. Sepira named them the Arcobaleno, and their duty is to protect the pacifiers at all costs. They each represent the unique colours of the rainbow, with each of them corresponding with their respective Dying Will Flames. Before I begin to explain further about the Arcobaleno, let me go into the basics of Dying Will Flames."

Skull's eyes sharpened.

He was finally going to learn more about the powers of this world. Knowing that he needed to stay focus, he stood from his seat. When Kawahira's face lost a little colour, looking as if he would bolt, Skull was quick to deadpan for Kawahira to pay him no mind and continue his story.

When he started to fill a nearby kettle with water in order to prepare tea for them, Kawahira exhaled softly in relief. Skull pretended to not notice. He was polite, after all.

"Would green tea suffice?" He knew Japanese people from his world preferred that. Oh, and he must thank the depressing git for filling his apartment with all types of tea.

"Ah, yes. Thank you. Hm. Where was I again... Oh, yes. Dying Will Flames. They are a form of high-density energy that is refined from one's own life-force. The Flames resonates with one's emotions and is regarded as a type of battle aura. Unlike aura, however, Dying Will Flames are more similar to real flames, possessing its own destructive properties.

"There are 2 kinds of Flames with 7 types of coloured elements each – the Flames of the Sky and the Flames of the Earth. There are also several special Flames that don't belong to any particular category. Such as the 8th element called the Flame of the Night which the Mafia enforcers wield.

"For the Flames of the Sky; Orange is Harmony and is called the Sky, Red is Disintegration and is called the Storm, Blue is Tranquillity and is called the Rain, Yellow is Activation and is called the Sun, Green is Hardening and is called the Lightning, Purple is Propagation and is called the Cloud, and lastly, Indigo is Construction and is called the Mist.

"For the Flames of the Earth; Earth Flames control Gravity, Glacier Flames control Ice, Desert Flames control Illusions, Forest Flames control Plants, Mountain Flames control Earth, Swamp Flame control Fermentation, and lastly, Air Flames control Wind [1]."

At the immortal's pause, Skull took the chance to hand the albino a cup of green tea before he placed a teapot in the middle of the table. He then sat down in his previous seat, a peaceful expression on both their faces as they took a couple of sips.

"Thank you, Death-sama. It's delicious." Kawahira sounded calm and content as if a weight has been lifted. Hm. Maybe those self-help 'talk about your problems with others' book were all true?

"Skull." He corrected, not taking his eyes off his tea as he enjoyed the bitter flavour.

"Skull-sama."

"There's no need to add –sama to my name."

"I will have to disagree with you, Skull-sama. Forgive me but I won't be able to compromise any further." The Japanese smiled with slits for eyes, making him appear similar to a sly fox.

Skull shrugged. Well, he didn't really mind if the other wanted to put him on a pedestal. He gestured for Kawahira to continue, which the man did without further prompting.

"All Flames, whether they be from the Sky or Earth set, are graded according to their purity and have a direct relationship with the strength of one's resolve. Each Flame also has their own special characteristics. There are also two types of each Flame – Soft and Hard. Soft Flames have great stability, whilst Hard Flames have more volatility.

"I suppose those are the basics... Though I can explain more if you prefer?" Skull shook his head. He could always ask another time. Now he wanted to know more about the immortal's problem. "Alright, Skull-sama. I'll now continue where I left off with the Arcobaleno."

"The Arcobaleno... they're also called the Cursed Infants due to having infantile bodies upon receiving the pacifiers. The only exceptions are the Sky Arcobaleno, who are cursed with short lifespans. The reason for the curse is unknown even to me, but I suspect that the cause to be that the adult human body cannot contain the power of the pacifier for long. The body of a young human is more adaptable; thus, the pacifiers force their hosts to be in a form that can bear such a burden.

"There are also other unfortunate side effects such as weakening and immortality – mortal wounds would still be able to kill them, however. When an Arcobaleno weakens, I would have to forcefully remove the pacifier from them and search for another rightful host, which would then lead to the current host's death or cause them to be disabled. The Sky Arcobaleno is also different from the others... With their sacrifice, they would be able to resurrect the rest of the Arcobaleno.

"Four hundred years ago, Sepira and I noticed yet another imbalance. The Arcobaleno weren't enough to help with protecting the planet. We have no other solutions but to further split the Tri-ni-set into 14 rings. Sepira then gave half of the 14 to Giotto of the Vongola Famiglia whilst she controlled the other half, which she lovingly calls them her Mare Rings."

As he continued to listen, Skull wanted nothing more than to rub his face in exasperation. He knew where this was going.

… That fucking git! Death was pushing yet another one of its workloads onto him! The reason why the depressing git had dropped him to Italy of all places... was to meet this guy. And somehow solve the planet's problem.

Fuck.

He wasn't a hero. He never wanted to be. Should he throw in the towel before things get complicated?

Before he could, however, the immortal albino continued.

"One day, three hundred and seventy-seven years ago, Sepira... left. On that particular day, a winter night... Just as I was preparing to go to sleep... I felt our connection all but disappear. It was sudden. Jarring. She didn't say a word to me. Not even a goodbye. Even now I... remain unaware of the reason." Kawahira sounded bitter.

The albino released a shaky breath before finishing the rest of his tea, those slim fingers having gone bone white at how strong his grip was. Skull wordlessly refilled the immortal's cup; his chest having clenched in sympathy at the other's plight.

He knew what it was like to be the last of his family. Till now, he still felt bitter towards his parents. They could've chosen to leave the country when they heard of the prophecy – to prioritize him. But they didn't choose him. They cared more for strangers and friends rather than family.

It was selfish of him to think that after they had sacrificed their lives for him. But could he be blamed? His childhood was miserable. What came after was worst. He wished they had been selfish like him.

Kawahira continued after a few minutes of brooding silence.

"When I investigated, I found that she had created a mafia family – the Giglio Nero Famiglia. Even till now I still can't bear to forgive her. She wanted to naively coexist with humans, even after I had warned her of their nature. We parted on bad terms. I thought that a few decades of being alone might clear her head. I was wrong."

Kawahira chuckled. It was a broken sound.

"She not only started a mafia family, she bore a child as well. She sullied our bond – a bond that was shared between us from times when dinosaurs roamed – with infidelity and gave birth to a baby girl; half human and half... us.

"I found out about her marriage," Kawahira then looked straight into Skull's eyes, red clashing with purple, a demented and crazed swirling inside that didn't suit him at all. If Skull had not experienced Death's full-on dreadful aura, he might've been unnerved and fearful by such intense emotions in those eyes. "And I made her daughter into the Sky Arcobaleno as retribution. After her death, I continued to force the pacifier to her descendants... Now, the latest Sky Arcobaleno is laying on her death bed... begging me to spare her child. Yet I will still mercilessly present her daughter, Luce, the pacifier afterwards.

"I have become what I promised my father to never turn into," Kawahira's expression shifted, the man's shoulder slumping as his lips twisted into a defeated smile. "-human. I've allowed myself to break our code of neutrality. She, my bonded, opened my inner Pandora's box. And I fear I am unable to seal it back."

Skull didn't say anything, allowing the other some time to recover as he processed Kawahira's words.

Well... He had not been expecting that.

Kawahira had intruded upon his home, acting and looking far too cheerful. But underneath that mask, it was this broken immortal that has seen far too much. Felt too much. Then betrayed by someone he had bonded with – which Skull suspected was their term for marriage.

He inwardly grumbled. He wanted to tell the albino that he shouldn't feel bad. Shouldn't hate himself for doing something any other would do if they were to be in his shoes. Hell, if it were a human in the albino's place, they would've already committed mass genocide or something worst like enslaving the entire planet.

If it were Skull, however, he would have killed off the entire human race. He already felt the pain of betrayal from his two ex-best friends. He couldn't and wouldn't want to imagine the agony of being betrayed by his partner/lover/bonded.

In fact, in his personal opinion, he felt that Sepira's descendants got off pretty light. Skull (Harry) would've literally eaten her whole family, not even leaving their bones for the vultures.

He took a sip of his tea to calm his inner bloodlust, but could only grimace when the cold liquid hit his tongue. Having been too engrossed in the man's tales, he had forgotten to drink whilst it was at a perfect temperature.

Since he was actually feeling quite awkward after such a long time of silence, he decided to close his eyes and concentrate on casting a wandless and non-verbal warming charm to his cup and teapot.

It took much of his effort – he swore he would get better! – and after a few moments did he only succeed. Gleefully, he opened his eyes and saw the steam rising from his cup. Ah, success has never tasted so delicious.

As he hummed under his breath, sipping his tea without a care in the world, he heard a small chuckle coming from the man sitting on the opposite side of his seat.

He raised an eyebrow as he scanned the albino's expression. The immortal looked to be stable enough to continue. Good. Skull wasn't someone who was good with comforting others. Especially after having been stuck in Azkaban for a whole century (his estimation, anyway).

"What is this deal you speak of?" Ah, shite. Skull inwardly facepalmed. That sounded so monotonous that even the depressing git could do better! Remember, Skull, you are a gentleman! A polite and caring gentleman!

Kawahira only smiled, his eyes sparkling with mirth. Skull (once again) suspected that the other noticed his lack of social skills... though thankfully did not point it out.

"With the aid of your timeless wisdom, I would like for us to find a permanent solution to balance the planet's life force. As the population continues to grow, I suspect the need to further split the pacifiers and rings in the future... But I can tell that my powers would not be enough. And if I were to force it, I might perish after my deeds - leaving no other of my kind to continue to maintain the balance and protect the planet."

… Oh no.

If Skull were to refuse, the world would be destroyed in the future. And due to Skull being the MoD, he wasn't going to age. Or die. He was 100% with no loopholes immortal. Fuck. He didn't want to experience the apocalypse first hand.

And even if he were to accept, there was this one 'tiny little' problem.

He didn't know how to fix this since, ya know, he isn't Death.

Skull crossed his arms as he leaned back in his seat, tilting his chin upwards so that he was staring blankly at the ceiling.

Now, how should he proceed from here?

A/N: Oh. Wow. It's been 'bout 2 years, huh... I may or may not have forgotten about this story. (๑ゝڡ◕๑) Whoops.

Hmmm. The majority of you guys/gals got weirded and creeped out by Skull's diet, huh? Makes me want to use that as his permanent character thing. Or his epithet. Cannibal Skull... The infamous serial killer who binges on his victims...! It has a nicer ring to it than The Immortal Stuntman Skull, yeah? Muahahahahahaha!

There was this one Reviewer who wrote that Harry should've called in his Life Debts on Magical Britain. I wish I had thought of that... It would've been an epic scene to write. Ah, damn. ;(

There's also this one that says something super amusing: that Skull feeds the other Arcabaleno human meat. As much as I want to, I can't do that since human meat gives you mental issues due to the hormones and all that weird jazz swimming in our bodies. It makes the consumer go cray-cray. So that scene could only happen if I find a loophole that could potentially make human meat safe for consumption. As for our beloved MoD? Magic magically solves everything.

[1] For the "Air Flames", I'm unsure of what it is really called in the series. The only character that uses this got captured before they had any chance of showing their power... other than to cut people with some kind of wind attack.

Story recommendation for today: Will of D by UnknownRegion. This is for all those One Piece fans out there! It's an OP fanfiction about an OMC being Portgas D. Ace's uncle. The main character is an infamous Informant rather than a pirate or marine - so he's 100% neutral. Give it a shot, ya? :D

Rainbows and Turtles,
GenderlessPerson