"A game?" Bel narrowed his eyes under his fringe. The girl in front of him was the one that got him into games. She knew this. Flan didn't.
"She's like you, se-"
"Ouch."
Flan picked out the knife Bel had sent flying into his head.
"I'm like you?" Hollie's eyes glinted with humour, having heard Flan's remark despite Bel's attempt as shutting him up. "It seems like neither of your friends here know about me, I'm upset by this, Bel-chan."
Bel grimaced at the endearing voice she used for his name, but supressed most of his emotions. He managed to speak in the same monotone as Flan when he replied to her.
"What game?"
"WHY ARE YOU TWO TALKING ABOUT-"
Bel sent five knives in Squalo's direction, but Squalo batted them all away before they could hit. "VOI, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"
"Shut…up…" Bel said with slight urgency in his voice. Hollie was more patient than he but he could feel it diminishing by the second.
"HEY YOU," Squalo yelled, addressing Hollie. Bel sighed. There was just no stopping him. Squalo jabbed his sword in Hollie's direction. "WILL YOU HAVE A MATCH WITH ME AFTER THIS?"
Hollie raised an eyebrow and eyed Squalo's sword. "You're a swordsman…" she murmured before her eyes revealed that she was motivated and enthusiastic about the offer. "I will," she said.
Happy with his answer, Squalo walked a few steps back and sat down by a tree where Flan was already.
"Let's play the game we often played as children, shall we?" Hollie suggested. "Our favourite."
What remained of Bel's smile disappeared as he recalled the day the game came to be.
"Beeeeelllllll," a girl called.
Bel stopped polishing his knives at the sound of her voice. He put his cloth down and brushed his white shirt free of any dust.
"You can come in you know," he said to the closed door. When it opened, his only friend stepped in. Her black hair was longer than a normal girl of nine, reaching past her waist. She wore her typical white shirt similar to Bel's and her pants that were a little too short for her. She was the only peasant allowed into his parent's castle, soon to be his, as soon as he killed his brother.
"I'm bored," the girl whined. Despite being a year older than him, she acted childishly, unlike Bel, who was more mature than most children.
"I can't play with you, I have to kill my brother," Bel said, turning back to his knives.
The girl puffed out her cheeks. "I want to play a game, Bel!"
"No," Bel replied, even knowing what was to come. He stiffened when Hollie spun his chair around so he was facing her. The green eyes meant business. They sparkled. Bel didn't have anywhere to run, and before he could even devise a plan, Hollie grabbed Bel's neck and pulled him to her. Then she began to kiss him.
"Okay..." Bel managed to say between the never ending attacks of kisses. "We'll play a game!"
The kissing ceased and a smug smile took over Hollie's mouth before she jumped off him. She smirked. Kissing never failed to get her what she wanted.
"But…instead of playing one, can we make one up instead?" Bel suggested, wiping his mouth. "I still need to kill my brother."
Hollie, knowing how important killing his own twin brother was to Bel, reluctantly agreed. And knowing this, she smiled, having thought of something. "Let's call it the Killing."
"Why?" Bel was curious.
"Well…" Hollie was a genius herself, when she wasn't being childish. "I want you to kill your brother so you can spend more time with me, so let's create a game…"
Bel had already thought of the rest of the sentence. "To play where a death is inevitable…"
Bel's smile grew slowly, till it became his trademark grin once again. It was the memory of his brother's death that made him smile. And it was partially thanks to that game, that Bel overwhelmed his brother. Poison playing another part. And his skill and determination being the one finishing him off.
That was till he somehow revived – but Xanxus had dealt with him.
"Remember the rules?" Hollie asked in a voice that made her sound bored. It would have been convincing if her eyes didn't show otherwise. Emotions being so visible… it was a reason why Bel hid his eyes. That way, no one could read him as easily as peasants do on a daily basis. Another reason was because no peasant was worthy of seeing his princely eyes.
"I changed them around a little, though," Hollie said, twirling some strands of her hair with her finger. "And I thought the name of the game was too tacky so I changed it too."
"Care to fill me in, then?" Bel said.
"No, not really," Hollie replied. Bel was hardly surprised. She never played fair – not as a child, not now. So he thought to himself, why should he play fair? He wouldn't abide by any of the rules if she wasn't going to tell him of the new ones.
The game was probably going to turn out as a bloody brawl. Or not bloody – depending on which side gains the advantage.
"Before we begin the game, I want to know what your objective is," Bel said. "Otherwise – your prize that you wish for if I were to lose."
"Your death," she replied with a shrug. She pocketed her hands. "But also to take your place in the Varia, I suppose."
"WHAT?"
"Captain long hair can't remain silent for long…" Flan remarked to himself.
"YOU CAN'T JUST KILL A MEMBER AND TAKE THEIR PLACE, THAT'S JUST-"
Squalo paused long enough to swat away Bel's knives. "STOP THROWING THINGS AT ME."
"Shut up, this isn't your fight," Bel said before turning back to Hollie. "I agree to your terms, shishi..."
Hollie's eyes narrowed upon hearing her opponent's laugh. She told herself not to get distracted, and to be alert for any traps Bel may set. His laugh usually meant something was funny, but since nothing really was funny in this situation – he was plotting.
"But I have my own terms too," Bel said. The sun shone its morning rays across the forest, illuminating everything within. A flock of birds flew above them, cracking the silence with their chirps. What followed was a strong wind. Bel didn't bother tilting his head so the wind wouldn't blow his fringe away.
Thus, part of his fringe was blown aside, revealing a hollow right eye, visible for all to see. "I want your eye."