Title: Mercy
Rating: T
Word Count: 3722
Pairings: Slight hints of JillxBel if you squint.
Summary: Belphegor hadn't always been an insane, sadistic killer. Someone else played a big part in influencing him.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Katekyo Hitman Reborn.
---
"Aiieeeee!" shrieked the maid, stumbling backwards at the sight of the cockroach, dropping the breakfast tray with a loud clang. Broken shards of glass flew everywhere, spilling freshly cut fruit all over the kitchen floor.
"Silly girl!" yelled the red-faced cook, striding over to the small bug and stamping on it. Grabbing a dustpan and broom, she swiftly swept up the mess, dumping the crushed remains in the bin. Then she whirled around and started cursing at the cowering maid.
"That was His Highness's breakfast, you clumsy oaf!" she bellowed. "Now I'm going to have to make it again! He's going to be kept waiting and you know how furious he is when his breakfast comes late!"
Sipping his glass of milk quietly, the small prince grinned as he watched the scene in front of him. Eyes shining with amusement, he picked another cookie from the freshly baked stack in front of him. He enjoyed waking up early and talking to cook, getting cookies sneaked to him before breakfast. He felt sorry for the maid of course, his little childish heart sympathising with the poor girl when she had to face his angry father so early in the morning. Kicking his feet out and nibbling the corner of a cookie, Belphegor waited for his twin to join him. Jill had never been one to wake up early- one of the things that distinguished him from his physically identical twin.
After half an hour of cursing under her breath, cook sent the maid to the king and queen's chambers with a newly prepared breakfast. Turning around to face Bel, her expression immediately softened as she smiled down at his angelic face.
"Cockroaches should be disposed of quickly and quietly. They're insignificant and causing a fuss like that silly child only serves to draw attention to them," as she intoned one of her daily snippets of wisdom. Bel, the ever attentive student listened to her, storing the fact in the back of his memory.
---
"You're only ever going to be a prince"
But that didn't stop the young Belphegor from striving. He was a naturally fast learner, surpassing his brother in many areas of study. Jill was the lazier one of the pair, not putting any effort into his education. The twins' parents despaired as the oldest of the pair fell further and further back in his studies. What were they to do about the future king? Why couldn't he be more like his younger brother? They tried to push him, to motivate him in any way but Jill was as stubborn as he was lazy.
Sometimes the king and queen wished Bel had been born first. Those few measly seconds had made all the difference.
---
"We'll always be together"
Even if his brother was mean, even if he was lazy, stubborn and rude, Belphegor still loved him. The one that shared his birthday, his room, his thoughts. The closest person in his life. He didn't care if Jill was brash towards him, didn't care that he was arrogant because as soon as the doors were shut at night and they were tucked into bed, his brother dropped all acts and became the Jill he really knew.
When they were alone, all the walls between them were broken down.
---
"My my, what absolute daaaarlings these twins are!"
And what a sight they made as they walked into the lavishly decorated room, hand in hand. Ribbons and streamers adorned every wall, colourful snakes of colour dripping from every corner and crevice. Bel and Jill, dressed in their best party clothes entered the room. Jill's confident aura filled the room as soon as they set foot in it, as he led a slightly shyer Bel behind him like a faithful shadow. The other children (sons and daughters of other nobles, of course) rushed and crowded around the pair, chubby hands reaching out to hand them presents and congratulate them on growing another year older. Jill, puffing out his chest proudly commanded everybody's attention as he loudly thanked each child, leaving Bel to quietly accept the gifts, passing them on to a nearby butler.
The twins' sixth birthday was the most impressive one yet. Tables groaned under the weight of the huge variety of cakes, cookies and candies as the children poured into the grand dining hall. Jill and Bel sat at the head of the largest table, watching as their friends settled into their seats as well.
Trumpets blared as the cook strode in proudly, followed by three manservants, staggering slightly under the weight of an absolutely massive cake. Decorated impressively with luscious cream and artistically cut and arranged fresh fruit, it was a sight to behold. The rows of little children clapped gleefully at the thought of tasting the masterpiece as they watched it be carried down to the head of the table where the birthday boys sat, eyes shining in anticipation.
A smile graced Bel's features as he watched the cake settle in front of him. He glanced sideways at his brother only to find him facing a thunderous-looking Jill.
"Do you expect me to eat this?!"He yelled, standing up suddenly.
The hall was immediately silent as dozens of pairs of widened eyes turned towards the head of the table where Jill stood, fuming. The cook, bewildered, could only stare as the small boy slammed his fist onto the table.
"Cherries! You know I hate those!" he screamed in her face. The shocked cook paled as she recalled the older twin's strong dislike of the fruit.
"I'm a prince and this is MY birthday! Fix it! Fix it!"
Bel sat meekly in his seat. Why couldn't they just sit down and enjoy the cake that cook had put all the effort into making? He personally didn't dislike cherries and couldn't understand why his brother was making such a fuss.
---
"Quick, quick my children! You're going to miss the presents!"
A little girl and her younger sister stumbled into the royal playroom, slipping quietly into the crowd of children gazing enviously at the two princes. The cake incident had been resolved and a rather scared cook had been ushered out, the queen promising Jill that he would have another cake within the hour (bought from the best pastry chef in the kingdom) this time without cherries.
Present after present were brought up in pairs and Jill and Bel eagerly tore off the finely-printed wrapping paper, exclaiming at the wonders held inside.
The queen and king had approached the pair, smiling. In their hands were two velvet boxes.
"For our darling little princes" they announced to the room.
The twins took them, Jill immediately removing the top while Bel turned the box over in his hands curiously. Jill's gasp of joy prompted Bel to remove the lid of his, revealing an intricately wrought crystal tiara. Fascinated by the lights dancing off the tiny jewels, he spent what seemed like an eternity examining the present. Jill however had grabbed his own present, a tiny crown encrusted with rubies and placed it on his head, laughing smugly.
"See? You'll never be a king. I'll always have the crown!"
And after that, everyone noticed a change in Jill, though it was not for the better.
Strutting around the palace, he would exercise his every right as the future king to terrorise and manipulate everyone in the household. His ever-widening grin was now plastered almost permanently on his face as he sent all the poor servants dashing to and fro, carrying out every single one of his whims, sometimes changing his mind in the process just to frustrate them. Needless to say, Jill fell out of everyone's favour rather quickly.
Then the king fell sick.
He lay on his bed, ever-so-close to Death's door, and called for his family. The queen dashed into the room, all royal pretences forgotten and sobbed loudly when she saw her husband's frail body. Jill and Bel followed quietly behind. The younger twin silently pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and approached his distraught mother, carefully putting it in her hands. He was struggling to hold his own tears back, eyes watering, little hands clenched. The king beckoned weakly with one finger to Jill and he walked over, his expression blank. The king whispered something into the boy's ear and then closed his eyes for the very last time. The queen started howling in anguish and Bel couldn't stop his tears anymore.
No-one noticed the gleeful grin spreading over Jill's face.
---
"King… I'm the winner!"
Jill began abusing his power even more after the king died. The whole court was worried as the soon-to-be king became more and more violent towards everyone. He was moved to his own chambers (by his request of course) and soon became withdrawn and moody. Naturally, Bel was worried about his twin more than everyone else. The distance between them grew as Jill started to ignore him, shunning even his own brother. He treated everyone as inferior and began to show the slightest signs of madness. The fear surrounding the older twin intensified as bodies were discovered in Jill's chambers. Bloody, mangled corpses that had obviously been tortured before the victim was ruthlessly killed. The killer was obvious enough to everyone, as they scurried to and fro avoiding Jill's gleaming eyes. No-one could do anything. He was the king after all.
---
"You're my brother"
His brother had called for him.
Desperate for any contact with him, Bel had rushed up to Jill's chambers in the dark hours of the morning, his heart lightening from the fact that his twin was paying him attention. Dashing up the stairs, he pushed open the heavy doors to the bedroom. Pulling them shut, he turned to face Jill. Bel's elated expression turning into horror as he saw his brother pick himself off the ground, licking his newest victim's blood off his hands, a sadistic smile plastered over his face. He saw the knives littered all over the floor, saw the corpse's face twisted into an agonised grimace of pain, its last scream torn silently from it's throat. He saw his beloved brother push himself off the bloodstained wall and stagger towards him, an insane giggle escaping his lips.
Bel took a step back, only to have his back meet the hard wood of the double doors. Paling, he whirled around, fingers scrabbling at the handles. This… This monster was not, could not be his twin. His other half. The one who understood him better than anyone else in the world. He had to go tell Mama. Run to her and tell her to find the real Jill. The one that he loved. To get rid of this imposter.
He could not make his escape fast enough. Cold steel pressed again the back of his neck and Bel felt an arm encircle his waist from behind, pulling him backwards. He stiffened as he felt the breath of his twin on the nape of his neck, coming in short excited pants.
"Where do you think you're going hmm? I called for my dear Bel-chan and he's trying to leave before I even get to play with him?" Chills ran up the younger boy's spine as his mind whirled in panic.
"Play?" he asked hesitantly, "I-I'm not going anywhere" Though he said this, his eyes darted around the room, looking for an escape route or hiding place under his lengthening fringe.
The knife was lifted from his neck but Bel did not let himself relax a fraction. He felt himself being swung around and met the deep red eyes of his mirror image, one that had an impossibly wide smile on his face. Smiling nervously, despite his fears, the younger twin put as much cheerfulness he could muster into his voice.
"We'll play like we used to, okay?"
His expression fell when Jill shook his head slowly.
"No, brother. Let's play something new."
And with that, he lunged at Bel with the knife.
---
"Why won't you play with me?"
Belphegor's scream pierced the silence of the night as Jill drove the knife into his arm.
Trying desperately to stop the tears leaking from the corner of his eyes, he managed to choke out a strained, "Wh-wh-why..?" before his legs crumpled and he collapsed on the floor.
"Because you're my brother, "Jill replied, grinning. "I wasn't this nice to everyone else I played with", you know?"
Bel's heart sank as his worst fears were confirmed. His instincts screamed for him to run, to do anything to escape the room but a small part of his mind refused to. It told him to stay, to reason with his brother. It was this part that made him endure the next knife, now embedded in his other arm.
"Shishishi…"giggled his brother as he pulled out a bunch of knives, fanning them out between his fingers. "I thought you would have put up more of a fight Bel-chan. Everyone else did."
Tears streaming down his cheeks, Belphegor reached a trembling hand out to his brother.
"But you're my brother. I-if you want to play, I'll play." He would endure as much pain as it took to get his brother back, anything to make him happy.
Smirking, Jill yanked out the two knives, delighting at the way his little brother jerked and fell limply to the ground. Letting the sharp tools drop to the floor, he bent over his fallen twin and traced a finger lightly over the broken skin. He loved it when people didn't struggle. It made him feel even more like a king, even more untouchable. Especially beside this boy who was only seconds away from stealing that title at birth.
Sobbing, Bel curled up on the soft carpet, watching his blood drip steadily onto the floor. He tensed as he felt Jill's presence over him, forcing his own head up to meet his eyes. Jill absentmindedly licked his fingers before bending down to kiss his other half on the lips, staining the pale skin crimson red.
---
"Such a co-operative toy"
Belphegor's vision swam. He was dizzy from blood loss as his twin repeatedly drove his knives into him. He had given up screaming and was numbed by the overwhelming pain and abuse his slight frame was being subjected to. Squeezing his eyes shut, he forced his mind to another place, trying not to meet Jill's shining eyes.
He thought back to their earlier years. The matching toys, clothes, the matching love that their parents showed both of them. Why? What had happened along the way to change his beloved brother into something so horrendous like this?
Unfortunately, Jill didn't like his playthings ignoring him. Infuriated by his brother's faraway look and lack of response to his ministrations, he impatiently shook him roughly by the shoulders. Bel blinked at him and smiled weakly.
"I don't like it when my toys think about other things," his mouth curled into a sneer and he grasped a clean knife tighter. Grabbing his brother's chin, he forcefully yanked his head to face him. Pushing his face right in front, he pressed the tip of the knife to Bel's forehead. Smirking triumphantly as his brother's eyes widened in fear, he pressed the tip down slightly, drawing out a bead of blood.
Belphegor tensed, all worries pushed out of his mind as soon as his brother brought the knife to his face. He silently willed Jill to leave his forehead alone. To return his attention to his stomach, his arms, anywhere that wasn't so…so… Visible.
But his thoughts went unanswered as Jill dug the knife into the soft flesh on his forehead and dragged it down. Screaming in pain, he thrashed against his brother's restraining hand as a fresh wave of pain washed over him.
"Ushishishi, so now you pay attention to me," grinned Jill as he jerked the knife out moments later. Surveying the fresh cuts carefully, he smirked in triumph and held up a small, ornate mirror to Bel's face.
Barely conscious, the younger brother squinted through the blood streaming into his eyes at the mirror. What he saw reflected in the glass caused him to shake uncontrollably as his reflection stared fearfully back, the words 'MINE' carved into his skin. Breaking into fresh sobs, he pulled away from Jill's hand, sickened at what his twin had done. Attempting to stand, he leaned against the blood-splattered wall weakly but his legs gave way, causing him to fall back down. Jill made no move to stop or help him. Bel shifted, drawing his legs up to his chest and clutched his face, blood and tears mingling and running down his mauled face.
Abandoning his tools, Jill stretched his arms out and embraced his toy, giggling to himself.
"Isn't it wonderful?" He breathed, wrapping his arms around the bleeding boy, "No-one will ever mistake us for each other anymore. They'll see that you belong to me. The king. And they'll understand"
---
"Cockroaches should be disposed of quickly and quietly. They're insignificant and making a fuss would only draw attention to them"
Bel was tearing up. Physically and emotionally. He was beyond grief and had all but lost all his trust, all his love for Jill. He knew that before, he would die for his brother but now uncertainty stared him right in the face. As he lay on the floor, bleeding in the arms of his torturer he made up his mind.
This was not Jill.
Not his dear brother.
Not the one he shared all his laughter and joy with.
He had to get rid of this imposter and find his real brother. The one whose care for him was deeper than the depths of the ocean.
This person whose arms he lay dying in was nothing but a cockroach.
Through his weakness, Belphegor's will pushed through. As his sadistic companion for the night stood up and waltzed over to his bed, a knife was already grasped in Bel's hand.
Two steps away, Jill stopped in his tracks as a knife was plunged into his back. Without flinching he turned slowly and stepped back to dodge the next swipe. Frowning slightly, he watched his twin stagger towards him.
"Toys aren't meant to walk on their own. Stay put." He announced, lashing out with his hand as he slapped Bel squarely on the cheek. He watched smugly as the younger boy sprawled on the floor, whimpering as his wounds opened and bled afresh. What he didn't notice was the almost invisible stretch of wire Bel had secretly pulled from the edge of the toybox and attached to his sleeve. Discreetly stringing one of the discarded knives that littered the floor Bel launched it along the wire.
Wincing at the sound of Jill's cry when the point embedded itself deeply in his wrist, Belphegor gathered his strength and launched and another few knives along wire he managed to randomly hook onto his brother's shirt when he came into contact, hoping desperately that they would do some damage. The shrieks that tore from Jill's throat were unearthly, chilling. They pushed Bel to approach his screaming twin, all pain forgotten as he drove another sharp point straight into his chest. Sudden adrenaline flowed through him as he marvelled at how the blood blossomed on Jill's nightshirt. He finally understood why his brother killed, why he took so much joy in dragging the cold steel across bare skin. As he mirrored Jill's earlier actions, he watched the boy on the floor writhe on the floor while licking his bloodstained fingers.
He had disposed of the cockroach.
Perhaps the real Jill would return now, Bel mused to himself as he watched the body go limp. Perhaps he would come and praise his younger brother for ridding the world of that imposter. While he waited patiently, he located the toybox again and began to remove all the wires from the pull-along toys. Fatigue long forgotten, he thought back to the strange thrill he got when those knives were let loose.
---
"Wh-what happened to all of them?"
He heard the door handles turn and turned as the doors were flung open. Belphegor's blank eyes met the queen's terrified ones. Raising a hand, he slowly took a step towards his mother.
Before he could get any closer, the queen let out an ear-piercing scream. Covering her mouth at the scene in front of her, she pointed a shaking finger at the boy in front of her.
"Wh-wh-"She managed to whisper before she collapsed onto the floor, eyes widening in fear as Bel padded towards her.
"Did I do well, Jill?" Bel said to himself, eyes shining with sadistic humour. He could feel his brother returning, stepping out of the shadows to greet him. Opening his arms and his mind, he embraced Jill, willingly merging their minds into the same body. Now they would never be separated.
"See, Mama? Brother hasn't left us at all." The sadistic grin was back in place, this time unable to distinguish which boy was the one smiling. Eyes never straying from the shaking form on the ground, the united twins felt the bloodlust well up inside them. They didn't need anyone else, not even their mother, for as long as they had each other, nothing would come in their way
"Shishishi… Look brother, I think we've found another toy."
Tug tug went the invisible wires.
Swish swish went the flying knives.
For the second time that night, another victim was claimed. The queens shrieks of pain poured through the open doors, shaking the whole castle awake. Servants and royals alike scrambled towards the source of the noise.
There was dead silence when they stopped in the doorway. Unable to walk into the spider web of wires dripping in blood, they could only stare in horror.
The boy painted a lonely picture. A picture stained deep red as he stood in the center of the room. With the head of his mother clutched by the hair in one hand, he straightened the tiara on his head that was threatening to fall off. Insane smile plastered on his face, Jill and Bel turned to face the rest of the castle. The rest of the world.
And they showed no mercy.
---
-Panda's little corner-
Phew, finally! I've managed to finish my first fanfic in three years! -wipes forehead in relief-
So... Panda does love Belphegor to death. This fic is basically my take on Bel and Jill's childhood. I started writing this after Chapter 221 of the manga so maybe it doesn't really run with the current storyline. -shrug- But it's fanfiction yes?
Special thanks goes out to my Yama/RaiRai, Fran/Froggy and simmering-tofu for their wonderful suggestions and for enduring my constant presence/annoying-ness around them! -cuddles-
Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this to some extent~ Reviews are greatly appreciated! Flames... Not so much, but still accepted I guess. -sheepish grin-
Ciao~!