Bel whimpered as he was thrown onto the ground. He didn't know what had happened; just that, one minute he'd been waiting patiently for Mammon and Rasiel, and then the next, he had willingly wandered off with someone he had thought he'd never see again.

"You've done well today, trash."

Bel looked up at the familiar voice. Tears welled in his eyes; seeing Xanxus and Squalo standing by him sparked so many emotions within him, he couldn't possibly begin to disentangle them. On one hand, it was frightening to know he was back with the ones who had tortured him, but on the other, it brought him relief he wasn't sure he had ever felt, almost as if he had wanted this all along and hadn't even realised. He knew how stupid it was of him to have missed Xanxus and the others; they had abandoned him and left him to die, but was it so bad he was sure he still had love in his heart for them? They had taken care of him eight years, and they hadn't treated him too badly… They just… They were just harsh on him because he deserved it… They loved him too; Xanxus had told him they loved him…!

"I'm surprised the little cocksucker hasn't killed himself yet."

Bel flinched when a scarred hand he knew all too well reached out to grab his hair. He tensed; he knew what was coming, and after all these years he still knew what to expect. He wasn't surprised by the hard punch to his jaw; he had been a bad boy for not coming back to them sooner; he deserved this punishment.

He cooperated as he was pulled to his feet and dragged into a room off to the side in the mansion he had been brought back to. He didn't question anything; he simply followed his abductor so he could show them how good he was now and that he didn't need to be punished all the time anymore.

He was going to make Xanxus proud of him; he was a good child, and he hoped Xanxus and Squalo would see that now.

Bel wasn't sure how long he had been locked away in the bedroom for, but he did know that since being thrown into it, he had only sat in one of the corners with his knees drawn to his chest; how long was he going to be in here for? Was he still being punished? He must be; maybe they were still mad at him for having never tried to find them again.

He wished he could fall asleep, but the anxiety was consuming him. He tried closing his eyes but the darkness only frightened him more so he opened them again and focused on the tiny pool of light that filtered through the tiny window just below the roof.

It could have been minutes or hours since Bel had been locked in here, but finally, when the door opened again, he looked back in eager anticipation of Xanxus; finally, he could show the other how much of a good boy he was now! Maybe it was wrong of him, but his heart broke when he realised it was only Lussuria – but why was it breaking? He loved Lussuria, too! …Right…?

"Sweetheart, why did you put yourself in this situation again…?" Lussuria stepped into the room so he could close the door behind him. "You know what this place is like… Please, go back home…"

Bel shook his head; how did he explain things? "…"

The man sighed as he knelt by Bel so he could wrap his arms around the blond. "You're too sweet for this life, Bel-chan… Please go back to where you were before now…"

Again, Bel remained silent. He couldn't find the strength to so much as look at the man; he just kept his eyes on his lap as his hands trembled in anxiety. Why was Lussuria doing this to him? Why was the man trying to confuse him as to what the right thing to do was? Did he go back to his brother, or did he stay here?

Why was it so hard to decide who he loved more…?

When the pool of light Bel had been so fascinated by disappeared and Lussuria was entering his room with a steaming hot bowl of ramen, the blond figured night must have fallen already. He didn't say anything as Lussuria sat next to him and begun feeding him; he only stared blankly at the wall opposite him.

"Bel-chan?" Lussuria lifted his hand to brush golden bangs away from Bel's face. He sighed when the other's purple eyes darted to the side to avoid eye contact. "Bel-chan, look at me, okay? Sweetheart, I'm going to get you out of here. You don't need to come back to this; anything is better than this. I promise you, I won't let them hurt you anymore than they already have; I'll get you out of here even if it kills me."

"…" Bel dropped his head once more. He didn't reply; he couldn't. He felt as if he were back in that stage again, just after he had been abandoned and where he could hardly open his mouth, let alone speak to others.

"Bel-chan…" Lussuria held the blond tight as he hid his face against the top of Bel's head; he should have tried harder all those years ago to get Bel away, to make sure that Xanxus and Squalo would never find him again – and yet, here he was, trying desperately to think of how he could get the younger away before anything more happened to him.

Lussuria wanted nothing more than to help Bel, but how was he supposed to do that without getting them both killed? Surely there had to be a way…