Cloud AU's

Now he's Ours

Skull goes through the Carcassa's training along with Zachary and the rest of his Squadron - Grey 1/23.

Grey, signifying they were all formally civilians (white) and in the process of becoming official mafioso (black). Higher ranked Carcassa squads are given a bone symbol according to rank.

The 1 signifies they're the first of their unit and the two digits after stand for the year their training began.

In educational terms: Skull was a mid-term transfer in his squad, which is unusual.
He should've been out in a later squadron so his training was thorough. Yet as he had been in the mafia for a while already - beside the Arcobaleno! - he was put with them.
They'll judge his progress and if he becomes a bottom-feeder move him to another squadron. But should he rise in it... Well, then that's an opportunity for them all.

Skull, after coming to the resolution he might as well try his best to at least not hinder his bunkmates, ends up gaining infamy with his singular codex: Stand behind you, protect them. Stand beside you, respect them. Stand before you, help them. Stand against you, show them no mercy.

Also, he does have anger.
Lots and lots of it, he'd just been conditioned not to release it, so he could only ever cry when angry. Suppressed rage in him, festering into a monster.
An interesting phenomenon his bunkmate had discovered when the other was sleep-fighting. (No, Zachary isn't kidding.)
He'd leave dorm, head to the grounds while crying and beat himself into it while breaking dummies he couldn't even put a dent in during the day.

That had been reported, and Skull received training to act on his anger. The day he'd beaten the supervising drill Sargeant (the man had nothing on Reborn, his vice nothing compared to Lal) into the dirt while 7 knives potruded his own skin was the start of his legend. He'd been promoted to vice leader of his squadron, gaining his first real authority. The leader was still Max, the boy he'd first seen with not-slit eyes that guided him to Zachary. Max was a lightning and, while not a Cloud, imposed his will on established structures. Skull shook them up and Max kept him in his sights. Not as an enemy, but a thing to be wary of for his strength and prowess.

Then they went on missions a year later, no longer novices but official combatants. They got captured, some killed but ultimately ended up with one casualty. How it happens that some died while only having one casualty in the report, a contradiction that remained in official documentation?? Skull.

Cloud flames acted out and bounced theirs back 'online' for the healers to get them back. Skull ended up the most beaten and nearly flame exhausted.
He was comatose when coming back to headquarters, snapping back out after the healers deemed him ready and the Mists drew his mind back on the right track, cemented in Reality. L. was the one to bring him back to the squad and surprise him over his newest promotion to squad leader, Max' position as the other became his vice in turn. Skull expected him to be angry, possibly try and throttle him, but he spoke, for possibly the first time to him, and said his thanks.

Color him surprised, but it seems the other wasn't mad with him. No, he's proud.

"A squad leader ensures the plan's success while retaining as many resources as possible; I failed that responsibility. If not for you, I'd have lost more than duty I could no longer uphold."

Skull was speechless, and giddy. He did good!! He accomplished something and was thanked for it!!

He was now captain rank. His newest tasks involved attending meetings with commanders of higher rank, coordinating strategies with other captains, organizing training sessions... He was pushed into learning to be a leader.

And he excelled in his own way, unexpectedly.

His codex pushed his squadron to pick fights as one. If one of them started a fight or got picked on then the rest followed them into battle - like angry hornet's. They fell in line with each other, understood how they worked. They picked up the slack and defended the others' weaknesses where it was necessary though left it be during training for them to improve. Something purred darkly in Skull's chest.