The Eye of the Beholder


(Early Morning at Varia Headquarters)

His stoic face stayed the same as always, even with several knives puncturing the back of his hood. It seemed that the only thing his cursed frog hood was good for was protecting his skull from those razor sharp daggers from Hell. Of course, this was of much distaste to the Prince.

Belphegor smiled, letting lose his signature "Ushi-shi-shi," and easily let fly another round of knives. Each one of them found its target with deadly accuracy.

"Oi sempai… Would you stop?" Fran said. His distaste and pain were unnoticeable behind his constant mask of calm.

"Why?" Bel's smile widened as he answered his young annoyance.

Fran inwardly scowled and ignored the question, slowly starting to pull the knives out. Each one was clean of blood, keeping his weaknesses a secret from the psychotic Prince. He dropped them one by one onto the floor, but not before bending them in half, earning himself a scowl. Fran turned and looked at his older sempai.
Bel stood slightly taller than Fran. He was skinny, but the two in comparison showed Bel was obviously bigger. His clothes gave him a slightly childish, with the striped shirt and all, but the rest of his Varia uniform fit him well. Then of course was his face, mostly covered by his blonde hair, and always adorned by that eerie smile upon his lips. A small, ornate, silver crown sat at an angle upon his head.

This was the Belphegor he had grown accustomed to: the regal prince who was known as Prince the Ripper. This was his sempai that he had to follow because of orders from Xanxus. This was the man that constantly tried to stab him for who knew what reason and bothered him with his creepy laugh.

It wasn't until this moment, when Fran stood scrutinizing his sempai for his looks and actions, that he realized something. In the entire time that he had been a Varia member he had not once seen the eyes hidden behind those golden locks.

Fran tilted his head, a few strands of his own teal colored hair falling into his face, and stared at the Prince. Fran's sudden change in demeanor and attitude caused Bel to cock his own head to the side in a matching pose.

"What Frog?" He said, clear and regal, like his personality demanded.

Fran shook his head, not wanting to admit the sudden urge to lift Bel's bangs from his forehead and stare into the unknown depths of Belphegor's face. He never wanted to admit that he was busy imagining the cools disks of color behind his hair. Bel shrugged and turned on his heel, bored with the Frog.

Fran heard him mutter an 'I'm going for food' before he disappeared out the door. As soon as the Prince was gone Fran sunk into a seat. He placed his arm over his eyes and sighed inwardly.
What was this feeling that had taken over his senses so strongly?

Why was he feeling so hot all of a sudden when he had been cold earlier?

Why did his face burn as if he were blushing when not a single sign ever showed on his face?


(Late Night)

Fran tried to ignore the feelings welling up in his chest. They had been there consistently throughout the day and were growing stronger by the minute. His curiosity was getting so bad, and his mind so cluttered, that he could not stand it for much longer.

Luckily it was raining lightly outside. For Fran this was the perfect escape: a nice walk in the cool misty air. This was his element and as such it was a great was for him to clear his mind and think things through.

As he walked in the direction of the main stairs he noticed a door that stood slightly ajar. Curiosity piqued and he simply had to look inside, if only because he had never investigated where this door had gone before. In fact, he didn't know what a lot of the rooms in the Varia Mansion were or where they led to.

Fran quickly stepped inside and scanned the room. There was a large window, opening to a spacious landing, and giving a beautiful view of the gardens behind the mansion. To the right of the window was a wardrobe, closed tight against all intrusions. Who knew what secrets could be lurking in a thing like that. In a corner of the room sat a large chair, not too unlike the one Xanxus had, but a lot less worn down. Piles of dusty old books surrounded it and covered the small glass topped table at its side. The most ornate thing in the room though was the bed. The mammoth of a sleeping area was decked out in thick, but soft blankets and an assortment of fluffy looking pillows. The headboard was carved into an intricate design that displayed the scene of a castle in the mountains.

Fran had never seen anything like it before. He was almost too distracted by the room's presence to notice the dark lump in the center of the comfortable fortress. When he noticed his heart leapt into his throat and thumped quickly at the sight before him. Bel lay sound asleep, serene and in his own little dreamland.

"This is sempai's room…" Fran thought and tried to turn himself away before he did something stupid, but the temptation was too great and the chance may never come again.

Slowly Fran tiptoed closer to bedside. He leaned over and took in the sight of the sleeping Prince. His face was calm, so unlike when he was awake, a pale blush spreading across his cheeks.

How could this crazy, psychotic boy be so adorable?

One more moment of gazing led to Fran wanting more. He just could not help it and wanted to see those always hidden eyes so desperately.

With a shaky hand he reached over and lightly pushed away half of Bel's bangs. Long eyelashes framed Bel's pale cheeks and Fran's calm slipped. He blushed noticeably and leaned over farther so that he could discover more of his sempai's face.

A soon as Fran caught the glimpse of his sempai, his whole sempai, those closed eyes fluttered open and his moment of secret adoration was brought to a quick and silent halt. The sheer look of sleepy amusement on Belphegor's face when he saw Fran did not register in the younger boys brain. He was too far gone in bliss, too completely hypnotized with something else.

Blue.

His eyes were royal blue.
"Froggy, you're staring," Bel said with a smirk on his lips.

Fran broke from his trance slightly and stood there staring down at the Prince in silence. One knee was on the bed and he was extended at an angle, leaning over Bel.

Before he could be asked of his purposes for being there Fran stood, turned, and headed directly for the door. He ignored all of the protests coming from the Prince behind him and he casually strode back to his own room. Once there he stripped, changed, and crawled into his own bed, enveloping himself in his warm blanket.

The feelings he had now were nothing compared to what they were before.

Could this be more than just a student-sempai relationship I yearn for?

Fran lay there for a long time, thinking out all of his options. In time he might tell the Prince: test the waters if you may. Though, for now, he would lie and try to convince Bel that he was merely studying him for personal gain. Seeing Bel would have helped him with his illusions.

That one thought would continue on in his brain though and he would cherish that moment of sweet discovery.

His eyes are a beautiful shade of blue…


Authors Note: Wow. My first one-shot complete in only two days and I have to say that I am impressed with the results (especially since I have never written anything like this before). This couple is one of my favorites in the history of anime and I found it quite easy to write about something that even I have been wondering since the dawn of my Katekyo Hitman Reborn obsession: Bel's eyes!