Hope you like. I was happy with this first chapter and the whole story idea really! Sorry for any errors and mistakes. I did my best I think. Some paragraphs like to duplicate and I do not know why so tell me if you see something I missed. Thank you! Enjoy!
Disclaimer: Do not own KHR.
Chapter 1
Looking ahead, he sees the forest and the river bank. He's standing at the edge of the river, seeing the river's water flow gently in the warm summer air. The froggy begins to move. He is heading into the river. He feels the water began to wet his feet. At this point, he looks down to see his reflection in the water. He looks at it and begins to feel disbelief fill him. He was 7, maybe 6, years old. He saw scratches decorating his cheeks and chin, his nose had dry blood coming from it, and there was a split lip. Even with all the damage done to him, his eyes were in a different situation. They were untouched. He could feel the soreness of his shoulders and face, but it seemed his eyes survived it without a scratch. 'Ouch,' he thought as he felt the throbbing pain in his body. He moved closer to the water and saw the look in his eyes. They were blank like usual, but to him, he could tell something else was up. He knew what that look was for. It was for his safety. He began to walk again, moving forward in the water. He was walking step by step until finally, he stopped. He looks down one last time to see himself before he sat in the water and laid down. He held his breath while under the water, but he was quickly losing his hold on it. He felt the panic in his chest saying he needed oxygen, but he stayed inside the water. Eventually, he could not hold out anymore-
...
Fran jumped from out of his sleep having been awoken from a nightmare. He felt his head hurt and flashes of the nightmare were still playing in his head. He leaned his head on his hands and rubbed his tired eyes. He was dreaming of the past. 'So stupid,' he thought as he sat up and moved the sticking blanket off himself. He felt hot; he was hot. He looked around and saw he was asleep on the couch in the living room.
"Voi, brat! What's up with you? Had a little nightmare?" said a loud and annoying voice to the clumsy frog-like child.
"Does it matter," he answers his captain coldly. He looked over at the silver, long-haired assassin and gave him his usual look. Empty eyes and no expression on his face. Squalo glared back.
"What was the dream?" He asked him, but Fran was not about to open up. They were assassins, so they don't talk about their feelings and emotions like sappy people. Fran ignored his captain and walked off. He was heading to his room upstairs. "Tsk," he heard from the older man. "Brat! This better not affect your work!" He yelled loudly to the boy. Fran continued to walk upstairs, ignoring the other. "Vooooiii!" he continued to yell making sure Fran knew he was about to whoop his ass if he continued to ignore him.
"I know. My emotions don't exist. Nothing screws up any mission," he answered back.
"You got that right, brat!" he yelled back smirking at the kid's answer. Fran was out of his sight when Squalo had a confused and irritated look on his face. "Damn brat," he said to himself.
Fran was walking to his room down the long and elegant hall of the Varia Mansion. He walked past the other rooms since his room was further down; next to the annoying Prince's. Once at his door, he began to unlock it. Even though it didn't matter that he locked it. After living here for a year, he quickly learned busting down doors was too common. He walked in and closed the door behind himself. Suddenly, he was tackled to the ground.
"Bel-sempai, where you waiting here all day just to attack me?" The blonde prince pulled out a few knives to stab the boy with.
"Shishishi," he laughed. "I've decided today is the day I will stab you dead," he said confidently. Fran just stared back waiting. Belphegor could tell something was up once he got no smart mouth remark. "What's this? Froggy's loss of words," he said still staring at the one he was on top of. Fran just lied there quietly. "Humph," Belphegor said and got off the smaller boy. "Whatever, I guess today wasn't the day." He left glaring back at the brat. "You need to work out whatever shit you're going through. It's irritating," he said as he slammed Fran's door shut. Fran stayed lying there on the ground.
"Whatever," he said and closed his eyes. He was only there for a few moments before his door was slammed open. Fran could feel the anger and aggression coming from the person. Xanxus stood at the door while glaring down at the fool on the ground.
"Scum, get the hell up off the ground!" he growled to the brat. He felt his angry pulse through him because the frog had the audacity to ignore him. Xanxus kicked the boy with anger.
"Ouch," he said in the usual tone that would be uncaring and not serious but seeing as he hurriedly got off the ground, Xanxus was satisfied. He knew the brat didn't want any more punishment.
"What are doing here?" he asked his boss. Xanxus stared at their youngest fool. He could see why Squalo wanted him to check up on him. Then Xanxus remembered what angered him before entering the room. "Oi! Stop Slamming The Damn Door!" he screamed at the frog hooded kid.
"Bel-sempai did it," he countered back.
"I don't care! I was in the middle of some paperwork!" Fran gave his angry boss a weird look. Xanxus's office was on the first floor and not even under his room. If anything Lussuria would be coming to scold him or Mammon. Since their training room and infirmary were under his room. Xanxus picked up on the brat's doubt and glared hard at the brat. "I was in my room you brat!" he continued to yell.
"Oh," was all Fran said back to his boss. Though he was still confused since the boss had so many rooms throughout the mansion. He just decided to drop it. He didn't need to know which room.
"So quit slamming these doors!" He screamed walking out while slamming the door shut behind him. Fran felt the shake that the door caused and sighed. 'Great,' he thought 'now everyone's going to come yell at me to stop slamming the door.' He thought about what to do but decided he was still too tired. He walked to his bed and laid down. He felt the softness of his new silk blankets the Varia all had. He enjoyed the sensation of them around him. They were cool to his skin since he was still very hot. He fell asleep quickly with no difficulty.
...
The wind was so chilly. The air had this breeze that sent goosebumps down his body. He could feel he only had on shorts and a tank top. The usual attire he used to have when growing up with his grandma. There was mist all around him. It was early morning, and most likely, the boy had been there since the afternoon of the other day. The froggy was walking by the river. This time, he was about 8. This was not too long before… He sees this green shade in the river as he looks down. 'Oh, it's my eyes reflection. They look so cold and with so much emotion. I wonder why people say I show no emotion when I obviously do. I mean look. It's so cold and…' Bang.
...
Fran jolted up from his bed and sees a pitch black room. It feels like minutes had passed but no. Hours seemed to have zoomed by him. He stands up to head to dinner. Six o'clock. Varia dinner time. The boy can hear Belphegor slamming his own door shut. 'I better not be blamed for that too,' he thinks to himself as he stands from his bed.
"Froggy! Hurry up!"
It's strange to say, but dinner time was only fun when everyone was home. Maybe it was because with all of them home and stuck together, there was a slight chance one of them might get killed. Fran walks out of his room and down the hall. As he takes the steps down the stairs, he can hear the yelling from the dining room. He sighs. Days like today with all of them together, he would normally be excited to get to dinner, but now he just wishes he will be able to make it through alive. Hopefully, at some point, he might get the chance to escape up to his room. He walks into the dining room. He see's Lussuria and a maid placing down the trays of food they had in their hands as Belphegor was already bothering them about what was for dinner.
"Calm down, Bel-chan. You'll see soon enough. Oh, Fran-chan, please try not to slap your door so much like this troublemaker."
"Sorry," was all he could say not even trying to defend himself even though Lussuria was the most likely to believe him. That Belphegor had been the one slamming his door and Xanxus.
"Shishishi!"
Fran sat and waited quietly for the food to be served. The food arrived on their plates, and they began to eat. Belphegor ate quickly like usual. Fran sighed silently to himself before continuing to eat himself. He ate slower and very little bites. Funny thing is, no one was noticing. At least, no one said or acted like it was weird. Finally, Fran gave up on the food he was eating. He looked to Xanxus. Xanxus look back at him already sensing the brat had something to say.
"What do you want, scum?" He barked at the frog hooded boy.
"I would like permission to go upstairs to my room."
"Why? You still have food on your plate," the boss argued back.
"I don't… I don't think I feel too good," he admitted.
"Oh dear," Lussuria squealed. "Is it the stomach flu or a cold?"
"I don't know," he admitted again. He was beginning to feel angry inside for not being functional. Xanxus stared at the boy, and everyone at the table stared back at their leader and the captain. It took a while, but Squalo was the first to finally speak.
"Fran, head upstairs and lay down. Luss, go get supplies and give him a checkup in his room. Mammon, take into account Fran's absence for a while and let me know what we need to do about it. Including the expense of losing him. Levi, take care of disinfecting everything. He was asleep on the couch earlier too." Squalo saw the death glare and irritation Leviathan had on his face at the order. "I'll help you! You lazy bum!" Squalo couldn't help the grin on his face when he saw Levi's reaction at being called lazy in front of his beloved boss. "Bel, you are on babysitting duty today. You gotta stay close to the brat and make sure things don't get worse on us at night time or anytime. That okay with you, Xanxus?" He asked not really needing an okay, but just a "signature" to his orders to make sure everyone does as they were told.
"Whatever, scum," was all the signature they needed.
He walked out with his plate to his office where he probably went to inform Tsunayoshi of this epidemic. Even if it turned out to be a small cold. A mist user must be at their full power in order to complete their missions. Lussuria followed after Fran in worry. Belphegor complained as he followed after them with more food on his plate. Mammon was already hard at work as he heads out mumbling about money loss. Squalo took Fran's food to the trash in case whatever the brat had was contagious. He made a new plate to save for the younger member for later. He sighed and looked to where they had left through. He knew something was wrong with the kid, but the brat didn't say anything. Everyone could tell that the brat wasn't acting like his usual self. Maybe that is why no one complained about their chores for real or were even surprised when the child announced he was sick. He took a look at Leviathan who was wiping down the seat and table where Fran had been. The swordsman headed to the living area and took a disinfectant spray with him. He began to spray the room and couch. "That brat is such a pain in the ass," he complained to himself.
Fran had somehow ended up in his bed with his covers over him. He was so hot. Why was he so hot? The blankets felt good against his skin again. He sighed and looked to the door where he thought someone was standing at. But when he looked, he saw no one. Actually, he saw nothing. He felt the blankets around him, the bed under him, the eyes staring at him, the hand on his forehead, the pillow under his head, the frog hood on his head. He could hear voices mixing and mumbling. He could hear complaining and whining. He could hear, crying?
...
The rain was hitting the window as it poured down. "Why? Why do they do this to him? He is just a child, innocent and kind. Why does he have to endure this and take all that hate?" Gramma was crying in the distance. He couldn't really see anything. He could only feel the chilly air and hear the tears and rainfall. Soon, he felt himself begin to weep alone and in the dark world. He could hear himself saying something but not know what he was saying himself.
...
Fran jumped up on his bed and sees darkness all around the room except this blue tint coming from the other side of his room. He moves slightly, but before he can look to the light to see what it was, he felt a hand push him back down on the bed.
"Shishishi, why were you crying, Froggy? Such a baby. Stay here. I'll get Luss. He'll want to know you're up." He walked out quickly, and Fran laid there quietly. 'I'm so stupid,' he thinks to himself.
"Fran-chan, dear," Lussuria's voice broke through the room. He thinks of the distance they must have traveled from the flamboyant adult's room to his. It is far, but only in a minute, they were here. Maybe his sense of time was off.
"Finally, you are up! I was so worried! Here's some water!" Fran tilted his head up to drink it slowly. Belphegor sat down on the desk's chair quietly. 'Bel-sempai being quiet? That's not like him,' Fran thought. The froggy moved to sit and maybe try to stand, but the weight on his head told him no. Lussuria placed a thermometer in his mouth to take his temperature.
"I'm sorry," Fran says around the thing in his mouth. He sees Lussuria's mouth moving. 'Is he asking me something? Why am I so sick? I hate not being able to function correctly.'
"FROGGY!" Fran's head snaps up and he looks to the loudmouth fake prince.
"What?" he says.
"Sweetheart, I was asking you if you were hungry since you haven't eaten anything today."
"Sure," he says groggily. He can feel his hunger come back. Belphegor walked out to get the food. Actually, Fran doesn't know if he was sent to go get it, or if he was just going for the frog himself. In truth, he didn't even know if the fake prince went to get him food or not. Fran looked to the colorful adult and saw him smiling at him sympathetically. He took the device out of his mouth and looked at it. His eyebrows lifted.
"It's not as bad as earlier when you passed out, but it still needs improvement."
"What's wrong with me?" Fran asked finally. He didn't know what could be happening to him to cause nightmares and make him so incapable to function correctly.
"I thought it was a cold at first, obviously, but…" Lussuria started but didn't finish. He had this look his face that said he was concerned for the boy and uncertain. Fran looked up into his worried eyes.
"Oh," was all he could say. "I'm pretty messed up then, huh?" Belphegor walked in at that moment with an upset look on his face. Fran could see, from the looks of it, the Prince got a wine glass busted on his head.
"Here," he said and placed the food down on the table glaring, most likely, underneath his long bangs. "Last time I do anything for you. I gotta learn my lesson already. No good comes from helping or being nice. That damn brat lied to me." Fran could guess that he was talking about Tsuneyoshi, the Decimo. Tsunayoshi constantly was trying to give them lessons on manners and such. Fran smelt the aroma of the stew in front of him. His stomach grumbled in want for it. He reached and took some in the spoon blew and tasted.
"So tasty," he mumbled. He felt its warmth go down his throat. He smiled. One of his rare moments, they tell him. Belphegor humph, trying not to let on that it was worth the trouble with Xanxus to soothe the sick kid.
"Sleep till morning, dear. I will see how you are doing then." Lussuria turned to Belphegor. "And you better not keep Fran-chan up all night with your video games," he nagged at the boy. The fake prince grumbled.
"It's not like it ever bothered him before why would it now," the blonde said glaring at the older adult. It is true actually. Fran always passed out playing games. Even when he himself is the one playing the game. A few times when it happened, Belphegor had a lot of trouble forcing the controller out of his hands, so he could continue to play by himself without the sleeping boy. Fran looked to the flamboyant adult and gave him his food tray. He laid down on his bed
"Good night," he mumbled as he lied down ignoring the other two's bickering.
"See," Belphegor said. Lussuria rolled his eyes or at least they think he did because the other was still wearing his sunglasses at this late hour. Fran smiled as he rested his head on the pillow. His stomach was full, and he listened to Lussuria clicking away with his house slippers. Belphegor was already grumbling about the game. Fran could tell he was dying because of the threats he said to the game about murdering it. Fran was fast to sleep.
...
Fran was looking out to the water again. He was playing with this frog that he noticed a few minutes ago. He began to hop around with it. He was feeling happy and content, and he even felt the laughter inside him bubble up.
"Haha, look it's the freak!" someone from a distance yelled while laughing. Fran ignored it as he continued to watch the frog hop around and play in the water. Because Fran ignored them, they began to get irritated. "Stupid frog boy!" The kid yelled out to the smaller boy again. 'They are such a pain,' he thought to himself as he watched the frog began to croak.
"Haha, you're scared," another kid tried taunting him. The bullies were tired of the frog ignoring them. The leader of the three lifted a rock from the ground. An obviously too big of a rock to be tossing around. He leaned back and tossed it. Fran thought it was aimed at him, but it went and hit his friendly frog. The frog flew off the rock after being hit by the big rock.
"Haha, sorry about your friend!" They all began to laugh like crazy to each other.
"Yeah, sorry! Haha!" another boy said. Fran stood from his spot, and the boys jumped back. Fran turned to the boys and-
...
RING RING "Wake up Froggy!" Fran's eyes snapped open again.
"Bel-sempai, you shouldn't be like that to the sickly."
"If the brat can make comments like that, then he should be fine now," Fran heard their captain yell. He stood from his bed and looked to the long silver-haired man at the door.
"I don't think I am," he said softly as he felt a bit nauseous. He sat for a moment hoping the feeling would pass, but it never did. He looked to the captain who was at the door staring at the duo. Fran began to stand and walk towards the swordsman.
"Let's get you some food, brat." He nodded and followed after them.
"Have you figured out what's wrong with me yet?"
"No," was the answer he received from his captain. Fran sighed, wishing he knew what he was sick with. He stared at his captain's boots as they continued down the hall. Once they were at the stairs, he leaned against the railing as he walked down the steps. Belphegor walked next to him to stop him from tumbling down. They made it to the dining room where everyone was at. They were whispering to themselves but stopped quickly when the three of them entered.
"What took you scum so long," Xanxus called out like it was really an issue. Obviously, from the lack of glass shattering, they could tell he didn't really mind or care. They sat down. Belphegor was on his left and Lussuria was on his right.
"What do you think you can eat, dear?" Lussuria asked the small boy.
"Umm, the stew from the other night. It was tasty and warm."
"Alright sweetie." He left for a moment before returning with a steaming bowl. "I had a feeling that would be what you'd wanted." Fran was grateful for the bowl as he smelt the food. His nausea forgotten. Well, it was gone until he got to the third bite.
"Sorry," he sadly mumbled, "I just can't seem to get rid of this nauseous feeling. I'll throw up if I eat more. Maybe later," he said with hopeful eyes.
"Of course, dear," Lussuria said with a sad smile.
"Don't spoil the brat," Xanxus growled to the sunglasses wearer.
"I'm not," he responded. Fran looked at their boss with his usual stare.
"What?" he asked the sick boy.
"Nothing." Fran looked to Belphegor and saw him eating slower than usual. "Can't eat today Bel-sempai?" Fran asked him trying to get a rise out of him.
"I'm fine," he said with an attitude like usual. Squalo was giving Fran looks, like he was checking on him.
"Fran," he finally said. "If you're not able to eat, why don't you head upstairs and rest in your room."
"Alright," he said with no complaint. He stood from his seat and headed to the door. He froze at the door and looked back. He expected to hear chairs scooting and feet following, but he heard nothing. He looked to Lussuria, and the adult was staring at his food not eating. It was like he was forcing himself to not meet his gaze. Fran shrugged finding it weird but continued on. He walked to the stairs and looked up. He was worried about going up there, but he really wanted to be in bed asleep. Though sleeping wasn't all that relaxing as he wished. He took the first step and then the next slowly. He made it up halfway before it got him again. He was dizzy. He began to sway back and forth before he fell back falling from the steps.
"I see," someone from the shadows said. "He does have it. You diagnosed correctly."
"Oh, poor Fran-chan," Lussuria gushed as he now held Fran in his arms from having caught the boy mid-fall. Mammon stepped from the shadows. "What should we do about it, Mammon-chan?"
"Is Froggy gonna be broken forever?" Belphegor asked.
"No, obviously. I told you before. We all go through this, at least once. Rokudo would tell you the same."
"What can we do?" Squalo growled demandingly.
"Nothing," Mammon said to the disappointment of everyone. "It's different with every mist user. We just have to adapt to this until it's all figured out. Let's see how this nap goes." Mammon stared at the boy before floating off to his office. Lussuria and Belphegor took the boy upstairs to sleep. Squalo went back to the dining room to talk to Xanxus about Fran's condition.
...
The world around the boy was dark. There is this one color though. It was so bright and right in front of him. It's Red. 'Blood?' He looked to the left then the right. 'Wow, there's so much red.' He walked down to the river. As he got closer to the water, he looked at his reflection again. He had bruises all over again. He even had a split lip and bloody nose again. 'So much red,' he continued to think to himself. 'What do I do?' He decided to clean off the red in the river. He begins to work on it, but it takes a while. Suddenly, he hears a scream from behind him. 'Oh, it's that bully from before again,' he thinks to himself. He begins to walk out of the water and looks to the bully. 'Oh, wait,' he begins to think, 'That's not the bully. That's right! He's asleep right now, so that must be his mother. They look so alike.' He walks out of the water all the way and heads to her.
"Good morning, Ma'am," he says as politely as he can. 'Why is she running away screaming? Can't she have manners?' He sighs. He walks back into the river to clean up. He looks at his reflection again. 'I wonder why they couldn't get me in the eyes. They got me on my cheeks and shoulders.' He stares into his deeply emotional eyes. 'Oh, the sadness I feel today. Why do I look so sad? I want to cry. I know I do, but I can't. It's not possible.' Even if he knows and feels sadness, crying was only a figure of speech to him. It's not like he could really do it. Ever.
BANG
'Ouch! I got hit on my head.' He now laid in the river where he was washing off the red. He tried to stand up from the water and noticed blood was now dripping from the corner of his left eye. Someone threw a big rock at the frog. 'Why did I get hit?' he wonders to himself. He looks to the person who threw it and now saw more people standing there. A bunch of them had rocks in their hands. Big ones. They were mad but why.'Are they mad at me? What did I do wrong?'
...
Fran woke with a scream. The first to ever truly escape his lips. Even through the worst of pains, he never let himself become a victim to his own emotions.
"Froggy, are you okay? What happened?" said a worried sounding voice.
"Huh?" Fran said as his eyes looked to the left but saw nothing in the darkness. The lights switched on, and Fran shut his eyes quickly. The light hurt but what threw him off was when he felt wetness escaping his eyes. 'Why? I never cry. Why did I dream such a memory?'
"Fran, what's wrong?" said a stern voice. It had come from the person at the door who sounded a lot like Squalo.
"Nothing," he said. He barely remembers his dream now that he is trying to think of it. Even so, he does remember the memories from back then. He looks to Belphegor who looks upset and maybe even concern. Fran sees his extra futon pulled out. The futon was only ever pulled out when Ipin and Lambo came and slept over. Belphegor must have spent the night on babysitting duty again. He usually just plays games all night though. Fran heard footsteps from down the hall approaching.
"You're up!" Lussuria yells as he runs up to the frog. He looks at the boy with wide eyes full of concern, worry, and fear. 'Why are you so scared?'
"Yeah," he says trying to sound uncaring.
"Fran-chan, dear, I was so worried!"
"I just slept all day. Sorry, but I think I might be feeling better."
"Fran-chan," Lussuria says concernedly. Belphegor looks at him with a curious look.
"Froggy, you've been sleeping for two days straight. Almost three full days."
"What?" Fran said as his head began to hurt.
"You passed out and wouldn't wake up," Squalo stated. 'What?' Fran stared at the three of them with uncertainty.
"I thought if I ever ended up in a coma, I'd wake in the infirmary not here." He tried to smart mouth to them hoping it would somehow to get rid of this whole situation.
"Like hell, we'd waste the infirmary with something like this, scum!" Xanxus yelled as he kicks Squalo out of his way as he walked into the room. He now stood in front of the sick brat.
"Voooi! Watch it, damn boss!" The tall swordsman yelled to their boss.
"SHUT UP SCUM!" he yelled back. "BRAT! YOU ARE WASTING OUR TIME SO JUST FIGURE OUT HOW TO FIX THIS YOURSELF ALREADY! I DON'T HAVE TIME TO WASTE PLAYING YOUR GAMES!" Xanxus glared at Fran who looked as clueless as Xanxus thought he was. The furious man turned and stormed out while slamming the door again in the process. Fran looked to the other three who were left in the room.
"What? How am I supposed to fix myself if I don't even know what's wrong with myself?" He looked to Lussuria and saw him avoiding his eyes again. "What? Luss-senpai are you hiding something from me?" The guilty adult looked over at the boy with shocked eyes.
"Can't we just tell the brat already!" Squalo yelled at the scared adult. Fran looked to the swordsman with curiosity and confusion. The froggy began to feel his head spin, but he did his best not to show weakness.
"What? You know what it is! What do I have?" Fran began to speak loudly and angrily at them.
"Squa-chan, Mammon said not until we figure out how to help," Luss spoke softly to the swordsman in the hopes that Fran won't hear him but he did. Well, kind of. He heard them speak, but whether it registered, Fran was not sure. His head was still spinning in circles as he laid there in bed.
"Froggy," someone said. Fran didn't know who. It was dark, so his eyes were probably closed now. He guessed maybe Belphegor was the one who spoke to him. "You need to rest some more and just try not to have any more nightmares."
"Like I can help it," Fran mumbled. His head spun some more, and he passed out again. They stared at the teen who fell quickly to sleep almost with no warning and no sign that he was ever up.
"What's wrong with Fran-chan, Mammon-chan?" Lussuria spoke to the money lover as he came into the room.
"I don't really know his details for sure, but he is facing a mental crisis. His dreams are bringing back terrible memories. The details of these memories are unknown to me. For me, I remember it not just a memory but accepting what has happened to me. That is why I had disappeared, and the other Arcobaleno all thought I was dead. Whatever the dream may contain, he is having to face it even if he doesn't want to. He has to overcome them mentally, and we have to be here for him. If we don't help him through it, he could get lost in his dream. He can possibly die from his dream, or he can even lose his mind."
Belphegor looked to the sleeping boy who was trapped in his nightmare. "Useless frog," he muttered under his breath before walking out of the room leaving the other three to care for the boy for once.
"This is an emotional struggle for him as well," Mammon stated. Squalo looked to the departed teen. 'This whole ordeal is making us forget who we are. We are killer assassins. Damn this all! By the end of it all, we won't be able to go on missions.' Squalo looked to Mammon.
"Can't we tell the brat what's up, so he can fix it himself?" he asked.
"We can. The brat needs to figure out what is going on inside his dream and overcome it in there." Belphegor returned to the room in search for his handheld video game. He saw them staring at him.
"What?" he asked them with anger and irritation.
"Nothing, just babysit the brat." And Squalo left followed by the other two. Belphegor stared at the sleeping boy with a glare.
"Can't you fix this already? Why do mist users have to be such a pain?" He walked to the TV and began to play the video game he's been playing since the start of this ordeal. He no longer felt as tired as before.
...
The next morning came, and Fran still had not awoken from his second coma. Belphegor figured he would call it that now since the froggy's naps seemed to be getting longer. The Prince was waiting for Lussuria to bring him his food and to check on the sleeping boy.
"Bel-chan, dear, why don't you go get breakfast downstairs, and I'll watch the child for awhile." Belphegor stared at the adult with curious eyes. He felt inside himself like he wanted to argue back which was weird to the prince. Lussuria grabbed the boy's shoulders and pushed him out of the room. "Go," he demanded. Belphegor walked slowly out of the room. He didn't feel like this was going to end well for anyone. He walked to the kitchen and heard the others already eating breakfast. 'Everyone's home again,' he thought to himself. Tsunayoshi decided to give them the week off. Hopefully, they can get it all solved by then. Belphegor and the others were not so sure it was going to go well. He walked into the dining room and walked to his seat. Everyone was quiet now and watching the blonde.
"Hey, brat!" Xanxus yelled to the idiot who just sat at the table. He looked to his boss. "Why are you acting this way?" he growled to the young adult uncaringly.
"I'm not acting like anything. I just wish he'd die already, so he can be out of my hair." He glared back to the boss. A maid came in with a plate of food for the prince. Belphegor began to eat quickly. He wanted to finish quickly like he always did. Leviathan began to head out of the room, but before he left, he turned to the blonde brat.
"Don't worry so much about that brat. He'll either be gone before you know it or overcome this shit." He left and Belphegor sat there in anger. 'How dare I let my emotions for that brat take over,' Belphegor scolded himself. The Prince was an emotional kid who, unlike Fran, did let his emotions affect him. He couldn't control his emotions, but as an assassin, he used his emotions to fuel his bloodlust and hate. Concern and care were foreign to him. Squalo stood from his chair next and walked to the brat. He hit him on the head and walked out with no word. The blonde's food was finally all gone from his plate, so he stood up from his chair to leave when he heard his boss. Belphegor froze at the door as he listened.
"If that brat dies, it is a plus for us, but if that brat survives, it proves he's one of us. If you can't survive this, then you are not one of us." The young adult continued to walk out the door not saying anything back. He was unsure why everyone was acting like he's the one in trouble and in pain. But maybe he is. He looked to the stairs and saw Levi walking upstairs. He looked to the living room and on the couch was Squalo laying down. His arm over face probably deep in thought. Belphegor walked to the front door.
"I'm going for a walk!" He yelled back as irritated as he could be. He walked out of the mansion without waiting for an answer. He didn't know why he needed to head out, but he needed to get away from them all.
...
Squalo stayed on the couch all morning and all afternoon. Lussuria decided to babysit the sick teen upstairs. Squalo sat up as he felt Xanxus's presence coming toward him. He looked to the hall where Xanxus's office was located at. The Varia Boss appeared and walked to his recliner and sat. Squalo and he sat in silence for a few moments.
"That brat still hasn't gotten back?" the boss asked with a bit of irritation in his voice.
"No," Squalo answered not even looking at the man. They were quiet for a while longer.
"What are you going to do about the sick brat?"
"Shut up," was the answer he received.
"We have to do something. Shouldn't we at least contact Rokudo about this? Maybe he has some ideas to fix this."
"Shut up," was all the answer he received again. Squalo saw his glare as he looked into the distance. That answered to his question was obvious. Xanxus had already contacted him and planned to keep him in the loop. That also meant that the other brats all knew as well. Squalo growled and they sat there a while longer. Not any closer to an answer. Suddenly, they heard the front door open and looked to see Belphegor walking in with his knives in his hands. His clothes were covered in lots of blood.
"Voi! Brat! If you make a mess, you're cleaning it up!" Belphegor looked to them and continued walking. He began to head upstairs but not without grabbing a towel that they placed at the front door for cases like this. It was not uncommon for them to come back after killing someone. As he walked up the stairs, he heard Squalo call-up, "That includes the bathroom too, brat!" The blonde was gone and Squalo looked to his boss. He had a look on his face that was hard to read even for his second in command.
"Damn scum," he muttered under his breath and sat there with Squalo in silence once again.
…
Belphegor was done with his shower and cleaning the mess he did make. He decided to head to his room to rest a bit longer. Lately, he hasn't gotten much sleep. In truth, he could go two weeks without sleep especially with video games around. But with his emotions going haywire and everything going on. He feels like he needs to rest before pulling an all-nighter again. He laid his head on his pillow but before he could fall asleep he felt this great urge to cry. Having felt it before the night before, he jumped out of bed and ran to the door. Levi was already heading over, and he could hear Xanxus and Squalo downstairs coming up. He went for the door next to his room where he saw Lussuria asleep on the futon, and Fran having jumped out of his coma. He looked to Belphegor.
"Bel-sempai!" Belphegor was surprised that the boy was acting this way when he saw him.
"Fran-chan, what's wrong?" Lussuria answered as the blonde boy was still in shock. Lussuria raised from the futon to reach over to the small teen. but he pulled away 'scared?' Belphegor wondered. Belphegor was pushed out of the way as Squalo walked in to see the boy. Xanxus and Levi stayed outside of the room and watched.
"Brat! What's wrong with you?" The silver-haired adult asked the fearful teen. Fran flinched at the loud voice that called to him. That threw everyone into confusion. Fran went into a curled up position and, to Belphegor, he seemed like a child in fear of everyone he didn't know.
"Fran-chan," Lussuria said softly, "What's wrong?" Fran looked at the flamboyant adult with tears in his eyes.
"Froggy?" Belphegor asked, testing boy's reaction. He looked to him and tears began to flow as he reached out for the prince. Squalo pushed the blonde boy forward.
"You are going to take care of him since he doesn't seem scared of you."
"What" he yelled at his commander.
"You heard me!" Squalo shouted back. Belphegor did not know what to say as he watched them all leave. Mammon appeared out of nowhere and surprised the blonde. Fran saw him and reached out for him.
"Mammon!" He hugged the other illusionist, and Belphegor turned to the greedy teen.
"What's wrong with him, Mammon?"
"I'm not too sure, but it seems he's scared of the older ones. Fran, do you know the other ones that were here?" He nodded. "Do you know them as your team members from Varia?" Nod.
"I remember everything. I know how it was before. But now, now I'm just scared. My emotions are coming out." Mammon turned to the blonde.
"He's at least conscious, but what to do?" the use to be baby wondered. They stood there for a few minutes in silence.
"What's wrong with me?" Fran finally wondered out loud.
"You are having an illusionist disease. This is when a mist user gets sick and loses control of their own illusion making. Now, it is causing you to have nightmares and now this. Something must have happened in that last dream to cause all this. Illusions are making you feel, act, and be sick. Strong ones, and because you are inexperienced, I believe it caused the illusions to seep out and affect everyone else." Belphegor looked at Mammon in shocked.
"It affects all of us. Is that why we are acting like we are?"
"Yes and no. It's making us show our emotions. For example, you. You never show any care and kindness. You might have felt it before but you avoid it. Because of the effect of the illusion on you, you can't hide it anymore. You can't just be angry and sadistic. In a way, it's the same with Luss. He would never allow himself to be down. Depression and sadness for Luss were impossible and not wanted. So he had always acted as the cheery and positive influence. Levi is envious and all about the boss with his admiration. Even so, he is fearful and perhaps even hateful to Xanxus and even has an understanding nature to himself. He doesn't need to be connected and close to the boss at all times. Squalo was easier to tell cause like you he is an emotional person. Instead of his loud, prideful and stern ways, he is really caring, protective, and hiding his own fears and concerns. His dutiful nature is how he hides his mothering side so to speak. Xanxus is a bit harder but if Squalo has a mothering nature then Xanxus has a fathering nature. He is always angry and ready to kill but it is to hide is understanding the care and protective need. Each of us is hiding an inner part of us, and Fran is having trouble with dealing with his own emotions of fear, sadness, happiness, and anger. Since he never had to deal with them before, it will be tougher for him to handle than us. Fran may even have episodes of this for the next few days even. As will we, perhaps, or we will just have to control our own emotions better." Belphegor jumped up from being strangled by the froggy that had jumped from hugging Mammon to Belphegor.
"What?!" he yelled. Shaking with anger and perhaps fear of what's to come to all of them. Fran looked up at the boy from being wrapped around his stomach. His eyes looked scared.
"Another thing," Mammon said as he looks to the frog attached to the Prince. "He is also more lethal and dangerous but not only to an enemy but to us as well since his illusions are out of control already. A mist with emotions is even worse." Bel looked at the serious look on the money lover's face. 'I can't believe our luck,' the Prince thought.
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