To say that the Sky Battle hadn't gone as the Varia had expected it to was an understatement; the poison from the wristwatches the participants had been handed had been unforeseen, much less the effect it had had on them all – it was supposed to be a quick and easy slaughter, but instead it had been a fight for their own lives as well.

With the Vongola Rings being key to the antidote, it had been a relief for the Varia's youngest member to see the Storm Ring being knocked down into the corridor he was trapped within. However, as pleased as Belphegor had been, it soon became clear that whatever they had been drugged with was too much for him to even be able to crawl forwards and grab it; he could do nothing but watch as his opponent snatched it up for himself, the silver-haired male taking the antidote component and leaving the other alone on the ground.

The Varia Storm could only lie there, waiting impatiently for someone – anyone – to come back, but after what felt like an eternity, it soon became clear that it was mostly wishful thinking; if anyone was going to come back for him, they should have done it by now.

The commotion from the courtyard could easily be heard from where he was situated, and Bel couldn't help but wonder what side was winning; if it were his own, would someone come back for him after victory? He was an invaluable asset, but if he had been bested here and now through a battle of strength...

The odds of his teammates coming to look for him weren't very high.

As expected, it hadn't even been one of his own that had found him; it was the Vongola Rain who had noticed the lack of manpower for the other team and had taken it upon himself to see if the blond was okay or not, knowing how painful it had been to have the poison coursing through one's system; it wasn't in his nature to leave someone to suffer, especially not when he believed they were simply playing a game they had won.

Barely conscious from the draining effects, the blond could do nothing but growl weakly as he felt hands on his shoulders. He was rolled onto his back, unable to comprehend what was being said from above him; were they even talking to him or not? Trying to blink the haze from his eyes, Bel could hardly see who had gathered around him – the only thing that made the slightest sense was when one of them pushed him into a sitting position and then picked him up from the ground, carrying him out of the corridor.

Unable to do anything but lean limp against whoever had hold of him, the boy let his eyes slip closed, a soft keen escaping his lips; he knew that being vulnerable before someone else could lead to his messy end, but did he really have a choice right now? He could barely move his own limbs; he had no hope of defending himself against this unwanted action – he would rather be left alone to die than have to rely on the enemy for their help, his princely pride too great for this.

Powerless to stop his head from lolling onto the shoulder of whoever had him, Bel soon became conscious of the cold wind blowing against his quivering body. He tried to force his head up to see what was happening, but he didn't have the strength; all he could do was listen as the familiar voice of Mammon filled the air.

"I was curious as to why I hadn't seen Bel anywhere." The accustomed feel of the Arcobaleno's tiny fingers brushed against the bandages on the Storm Guardian's hand, her soft voice echoing through her comrade's head. Bel whimpered and tried to move closer to the only sense of normality in this situation, only to hiss and fall back as the pain in his body flared angrily.

"Gokudera, give him the antidote."

"Fuck off!"

Bel sighed at the sound of arguing, having not expected for his Vongola counterpart to give him the antidote; he wouldn't have done it, either. He tried to say something, only to have his words come out in an unintelligible murmur, causing further distress to him; he was so used to being in control of himself, it was frightening to have to rely on others like this.

"Gokudera, give it to him; it's hurting him."

Trying to focus on Mammon's small hand, Bel sucked in a sharp breath as his body started convulsing, the pain in his upper right abdomen took over his senses as a tsunami of nausea washed over him. Fighting it back, the boy was barely aware of someone grabbing his hand and slipping the ring into the wristwatch, activating the antidote – but even as minutes passed and the Varia member's obvious distress only worsened, it became clear that for whatever reason, the antidote wasn't working for the blond.

"I think he needs a hospital; he's not looking any better."

Bel recognised the Rain Guardian's voice, uncertain of whether or not he was hearing genuine compassion; in a profession such as his, it was rare to encounter anything but hate and pain, having ever-so-rarely received kindness from anyone – it was kill or be killed for him, and that was what he liked.

"He'll be fine." As always, Mammon didn't seem bothered by what was happening. "Hospitals cost money; if he needs one, he'll be taken back to our own private wing to be seen."

Unsure of who had grabbed him next, Bel flinched when rough, careless hands yanked him from the gentle hold he had slowly been getting used to. He tensed further, his already-racing heart beating faster in fright as he realised his boss had been the one to grab him; he already feared the man on any given day, and he knew that with having lost this fight, the other would be in a worse mood than usual – anything could be done to him in this state, and he had no means to protect himself.

"Should leave the trash to curl up and die," Xanxus snarled, his fingers curling painfully into his subordinate's body. Bel keened at the pain, his breaths coming in short, harsh pants. "He shouldn't have lost that fucking ring to the bomb trash. He's weak."

Feeling as if he could throw up when he was shaken violently, Bel moaned in distress, wishing his body would just give in already; his pride had been damaged, and he didn't want to know what the other would do to him for his failure – he had never lost before, so he had no idea what to expect from the man he greatly looked up to.

"No!"

A strangled sound escaped Bel's lips as he was thrown to the cement beneath them, certain he could feel his brain swishing around inside his skull from the impact; he had never felt so dizzy, and he wondered if that was blood he could feel in his hair.

"Xanxus, don't!"

Bel lifted his eyes, finding the barrel of a gun pointing straight at him. He knew it was aimed between his eyes, a sure sign that Xanxus wanted him dead. Bracing himself for what he knew was inevitable, Bel cracked open his eyes when nothing happened after a few seconds.

Finding that the Rain Guardian had gotten in between them, Bel let himself faint; his head felt like it was splitting from his sudden ache, and his entire body felt as if it were on fire – while he had always had a very high pain tolerance, this was worse than anything he had been able to comprehend existed.

Lying motionless on the ground, Bel was limp as someone picked him up again, carrying him away from the battlefield. A trail of blood followed behind from the wound on his head, but that didn't compare to what his body was going through; whatever poison he had been given was enough to make him feel worse than he ever had before, and that coupled with the fact that he knew he was going to be punished, made him want to die for the first time in his life.

Was it normal for him to be feeling so confused? More emotional than he normally was? He didn't know if it was from the injury to his head or from the poison, but Bel truly didn't feel like himself, and it terrified him to his very core; never before had he felt so lost and out of control, and he didn't like it.