Kyaaaaaa~! This will be the last chapter for my story, Storm Clouds. Thank you so much for reading it this far. And again, I apologize if this isn't what you originally expected to happen. I'm really not good in ending stories so, please forgive me in advance. So sorry for the super late update.
I had to rewrite this chapter several times since I got writer's block immediately after I updated Chap 6. My writing abilities had gone down a few levels and I'll understand any negative comments you'll give as long as it's not a flame or anything disturbingly dehumanizing.
-pen's outburst – Nalingaw ko ilaag pangaran ni Prince. Dae na sya laughtrip D':
-Uishishish – haha. Salamat sa pag-antabay te. Para sayo 'to XD
I do not own KHR!
For my darling Michelle who requested the special appearance (again) of Gokudera Hayato (whom I do not own either, but I wish I did), your wish is granted! Hyahaha! Long, looooong chapter up ahead!
Chapter 7 – The Wedding
At the start of December, Vongola Kyuudaime sent Xanxus another letter. This letter was a little personal but more of a request. The Ninth asked Xanxus (and the remaining Varia Guardians) to attend a wedding of a family member in place of him. Timoteo states that he's too busy with paper work and Xanxus should attend because the celebrant is someone close to him. The Ninth also asked Xanxus to 'guard' the relative from possible attackers who wants to delay the marriage. And to make sure Xanxus agrees, the Ninth said that he'll pay them €100k each (approx. $130k, Mammon will love this).
When Xanxus told his guardians about the letter, Lussuria and Mammon were the first ones to agree. Xanxus shrugged and cursed the world. Levi asked when and where will this wedding happen and Xanxus read the letter again. "December 5, Fouturé Castle. I don't fucking know where this place is."
"Fouturé…?" Bel suddenly muttered. Mammon was next to him, so he heard.
"Bel, you know that place?" He asked, all eyes turning on Bel.
"…that's the castle where I grew up. Honestly, I remembered burning it down 15 years ago." He replied to Mammon's question. Fran stared at him. "Bel-senpai, your past is haunting you right now. First was your supposed-to-be-dead big brother, and now your supposed-to-be-burned-down cast—" 3 knives landed on Fran's head.
"Shut up frog. The peasants must have reconstructed it and made it into a tourist spot or something. That old castle dated back to the time of Primo Vongola himself so it's most likely they'd did that." The prince said.
"Waaaaah~! So, if we're going, then we get to see Bel's castle? Awesoooooooome~!" Lussuria giggled.
"I'd like to see Fouturé Castle too. My mum and dad used to attend parties there when they were still alive." Cherrie sighed, recalling memories she thought she'd forgotten.
"Anyways, are we going to this wedding or not?" Asked a certain silverette. He was excited to see where the bratty prince once lived but not too much as the others.
"If it's a relative, then I don't have any choice. Besides, I'm interested to see where Bel once lived." Cherrie said.
"I'm going too." Lussuria and Mammon chorused.
"I want to see Bel-senpai's room, so I'm going. Moreover, the pay is high, so I can't say no." Fran said. Levi and Squalo nodded 'yes' as well.
"Eh? Then I'm coming along as well. I can't have you trashes walking over my property, shishi." Bel grinned. Xanxus shrugged and left the room, saying, "Mammon, go book us a flight to Fiore."
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The notorious assassination group arrived in Fiore two days after they've received the letter. The wedding will be held a week later but the Ninth told them to attend early. He said that cooping themselves up and not socializing with other people is bad for their health. And it allows them to scout the grounds for possible hiding places for assassins.
The gang is now in a hotel where they will stay there until the 'job' is done. Lussuria is paying the bills with Mammon and the rest were busy waiting for the former. They haven't been given a room yet considering that there are 6 males, 1 female and a baby. There was utter silence in the vicinity except for the chatting of Luss and the receptionists.
"Fran, go get me some iced tea." Ordered Bel who was busily tousling his hair and adjusting his tiara.
"Don't wanna. You have legs, use them."
"I'll go. Anybody else want some?" Cherrie volunteered, shifting her head from left to right, seeking for possible requests.
"I'd like some latte." Squalo said and again, silenced followed.
"Okay. I'll be right back." The apple blonde took out her wallet and walked towards the vending machine (which was only 25 ft away), inserted the coins and pressed the buttons for Bel's iced tea and Squalo's latte. She saw a bottle of strawberry flavored milk and purchased that too. Mammon loves strawberry milk.
When she finished, a male blonde bumped into her, making her drop the drinks and her wallet. The male apologized quickly and helped her picked up her things. "Sorry, I didn't see you there." He said. Oddly, his voice was familiar. The Varia saw what happened and they didn't give a damn, until…
"Y-you're Prince Phi-philip!" Cherrie exclaimed, covering her mouth with her hand, disbelieving. Oh, his eyes were the most beautiful green and his hair, randomly messed up here and there, his smile made the maiden blush (the power of Usui Takumi -_-).
"A~re? My, my. Lovely Princess Cherrie de Calligenia. It must be fate that we meet again." Like the first time they met, Philip graciously kissed Cherrie's right hand and even knelt down this time too. "I'm really sorry to bump into you." He stood up and returned the drinks he picked up.
"Ah, it's alright." She smiled back.
The group of men lazily sitting on the couches exchanged weird looks to each other. Who was this man Cherrie was talking to? Xanxus almost fired his guns when the blonde kissed her sister's hand but Squalo swiftly restrained him.
"Prince Philip?" Fran asked. "Bel-senpai, do you know him?" The frog shifted his gaze to the blonde prince who was on the verge of throwing a knife at the man with Cherrie.
Philip walked Cherrie to back to the Varia, hesitantly smiling at the group as a murderous aura emerged. Cherrie forced a smile when she too, felt the ominous sensation.
"Oh, by the way princess, what are you doing here?" He asked.
"I'm here to attend a wedding at Fouturé Castle."
"Oh? I'm here for that reason too. It's quite a pleasure to know someone like you would be attending. I'm honored to be acquainted with a lady such as yourself." He kissed her hand again.
"Flattery will get you nowhere, prince." Belphegor finally lost it. He stood up from where he was sitting from and neared Philip and Cherrie, a vein popped in his head. "Are you forgetting that you're talking to my fiancée?"
"Your fiancée? Oh dear. I'm sorry to forget that detail. My apologies, Prince … it seems I forgot your name too. My deepest apologies, honestly." Philip bowed, smirking at his memory.
"Prince Belphegor de Fiore. How dare you not know the name of the prince of the country where you're standing on?" Bel barked. Sensing the danger if the battle of words between the princes continue, Cherrie gently tapped Bel's shoulder, saying, "Calm down, Bel."
"Tcch." Bel clicked his tongue in annoyance. He grabbed the iced tea in Cherrie's hand and returned back to his seat.
"I must apologize one more time. I probably should be leaving. It was nice meeting you again, princess." He kissed Cherrie's hand no more as he sensed that the raven haired man to his right is almost on the verge of losing it as well. Philip simply bowed and marched towards the elevator.
When Prince Philip disappeared in the elevator, Cherrie sighed deeply. "Bel! Why did you do that?" She screeched.
"I'm your fiancé, remember? It's only natural for me to get jealous." He grinned. Again, Cherrie sighed. She gave Squalo his latte and sank beside Bel.
"Fiancé? A~re? Since when did both of you…?" asked a certain gay lord. Mammon was sitting comfortably between Lussuria's crossed hands. "Muu muu. I never knew you two were engaged. When's the wedding?"
"There's no wedding, damn it. It was just a lie we made back then." Bel grunted. Cherrie nodded with him. "Prince Philip was the son of the king we killed in Switzerland. Bel lied about our engagement beca—" Bel covered her mouth. "Because it's quite scandalous to see a young man and woman of high status to be together without a good reason. That's why." The blonde prince finished her sentence.
"Y-yeah. Bel and I acted like a perfect couple during the event to delude the king and his family…" Cherrie removed Bel's hand from her lips. "I told you before that Bel was a great actor. You can clearly saw what he did earlier." She sighed again, deeply this time. Yes, it was all an act from Bel. Just an act.
"Whaaat~? An act? Ow, and I thought you two had something there." Lussuria wiggled. "Boss won't approve of that." Levi said, observing his boss, slowly calming himself down.
""So does that mean you two have to act like a couple once more? That Philip guy said he was going to attend the wedding." Asks Squalo.
"I dunno. He's only one person and there should be tons of people at the ceremony." Stated Cherrie, giving Mammon the strawberry milk bottle. "Muu muu. Thanks. What you're saying is that you'll only act like a couple whenever he's around?"
"Yeah. And besides, we were asked to protect the bride and groom, so I'm guessing we'll be busy patrolling the area. We don't have time for chit chats, right?" The princess said. Everyone else nod in agreement except for Xanxus. "I don't give a fuck." The liger tamer muttered to himself.
"A~~we. And I want to see Bewie and Chewie hold hands, smooch, hug and stuff like that~"
"Shu-shut up!" The victims chorused, blushing. "Anyway, what's our room number?"
"You five will be sleeping in room 283 while Cherrie, Fran and I will be occupying 284." Mammon said, slurping his milk. He jumped from Lussuria's crossed hands to Cherrie's lap. "We're still not finished with mentally training Fran. Honestly, Rokudo Mukuro hasn't tutored Fran well."
"Eeh? You mean he's still scared of the Vindice? Ushishishi~" Bel teased.
"Th-those shinigamis are really sc-scary!" Fran shouted on impulse. He was sweating hard when Bel said 'Vindice'.
"Bel! You're scaring the daylights out of him." Cherrie said, smacking Bel's head. "Anyways, let's go. I want to see Fouturé Castle ASAP." She grabbed her bags and carried Mammon's too. Walking towards the elevator, the Varia followed her.
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30 minutes after leaving the hotel, the Varia arrived at Fouturé Castle. Unlike what Bel presumed, the castle wasn't a tourist spot but still a castle. There were guards at the gate, gardeners trimming the garden, soldiers patrolling the front yard. Everything what Bel remembered, it was all there. Nothing was changed except the faces of the people there (well, he killed them all 15 years ago). When they stared at the gate, a guard neared them and asked of their purpose.
"Ushishishi. I am Prince Belphegor of Fiore and I believe I have all the rights to enter?" he asked the guard who was obviously confused. He excused himself and called someone on his phone. It took him a while before he could get back to the group.
"Well?" Bel asked.
"Forgive me deeply, Prince Belphegor. It's an honor to have you back again to your home country." The guard motioned someone to open the huge gate. "Will you need someone to show your guests around?"
"No need. I can show them around, can I?" He grinned. Ah, yes. I forgot this feeling. The feeling of being respected as a prince.
"Yes. Well, the master of the house requests your presence, your majesty. She's waiting in your late father's study." The guard said, bowing as he said his sentence.
"She?" The prince twitched.
"Yes. Her Majesty Queen Sharia is now the master of this palace."
My sister? Cherrie thought.
"Eeh~? I thought he owns the castle."
"No sir. His Eminence sold the castle in exchange for the queen's hand in marriage."
"What the fuck?" Bel hissed. "This is irritating. Is he in the study as well?" he demanded. The guard nodded hesitantly. Bel started stomping his way in the castle's entrance, ignoring the greetings of the workers and his fellow guardians who were busy following him.
When they reached the study, Bel paused in front of the massive Victorian-ish door and swiftly kicked the door open. He marched inside, yelling, "What the hell were you thinking, selling father's castle to marry a girl?" The guardians followed him inside.
The study was enormous. Books were covering the walls and in the middle of the room were two couches parallel to each other. In between them was a coffee table and a small vase of roses. Further into the room was a table with a miniature knight in armor standing as a lamp. Behind it was a full-length window. A pair of people was busy discussing stuff when the Varia came in.
At first, an awkward silence enveloped the area after Bel asked his question. But a couple of seconds later, a man laughed.
"Shieshie. (Laugh all you want at this.) Belphegor! Long time no see!" The man said. He moved forward, arms wide open, as if he was expecting the prince to hug him. The man was of mid-twenties. He was wearing a white shirt where the first two buttons were open and a pair of maroon pants. His blonde hair was mildly messy and his eyes displayed sparkling blue orbs. Bel didn't move an inch.
"Why did you sell father's castle?" The prince asked once more.
"Hoh? Didn't you burn it down in the first place?" The older asked.
"Answer my question first."
"A~re. You haven't changed a bit, Bel. Hmm… How do I put this? Can you help me out, Sharia-dear?" The older man turned a bit, speaking to the lady sitting on the armchair. She had beautiful crimson red hair and her lips were as crimson as well (Anne Curtis' lips popped into my mind -_-). She was wearing a light brown dress with pink flowers bordering the hems of her skirt. Her emerald eyes shifted gazes from Bel, to the people behind him, to the older blonde and back to Bel.
"Love conquers all?" was all she said and smiled. Somehow, that smile seemed familiar.
"Ushieshieshie. It's hard to explain Bel, but when you love someone so much, you'll sacrifice anything just for her. Heck, you won't understand me since you love no one, right? With that attitude of yours, no girl will ever fall for you. Am I right?" The older patted Bel's head and asked the last question to the group of people at the door.
Idiot. Of course I love someone. I'm too in love with her and it hurts.
Fran answered in monotone. "Yep. Bel-senpai never had a girlfriend before, even now." Bel threw 2 knives at Fran's head. The frog nonchalantly removed the knives and started to bend them. "Anyway, Bel-senpai, who is he?"
"Ooh? Where are my manners? I'm King Lancez la Pazzo, Bel's older brother. And she is my soon-to-be wife, Queen Sharia de Calligenia." The older blonde said, smiling.
"Bel's older brother?" Everyone except Bel, Sharia, Lancez and Xanxus exclaimed. The guardians' eyes maneuvered their way to stare at Bel.
"Bel-senpai, I thought you said you killed your family when you were a kid, with the exception of Hairy Prince of course." Fran said again in monotone.
"Bel didn't kill me back then since I was studying abroad. When I came back, I ordered the townspeople to reconstruct the castle and I took the position of king." Lancez said. He was the exact opposite of Bel, always smiling and giving off a bouncy aura. Cherrie was silently ingesting the information.
"Queen Sharia." The princess said.
"Yes? And who might you be?" The queen asked, standing up from her seat.
"[ :P ] Onee-san's getting really old, forgetting her younger sister's face. Hyahaha." Cherrie laughed at the queen. And again, the same people, except for Cherrie, gasped, "Younger sister?"
"Cherrie-senpai, that lady over there is your sister?" Fran asked in bewilderment.
"Cherrie? Does that mean that onyx haired man over there is Xanxus?" The queen inquired, pointing her index finger at Xanxus. Cherrie nodded and immediately, Sharia ran towards the Varia boss and hugged him.
"Big brother! So good to see you again!" Sharia embraced Xanxus at his neck (they were almost as tall as each other) and like when Cherrie arrived, he smiled again.
"Bossu smiled!" Levi shrieked.
"Muu muu. It's so priceless to see Boss like that." Said a certain Arcobaleno.
"Onee-san, I'm here too…" Cherrie tugged her sister's clothes, awkwardly smiling.
"CHERRIE! YOU'VE GROWN SO MUCH! OH HOW I MISSED BOTH OF YOU!" The queen acted like a child, squishing Cherrie's cheeks and rubbing Xanxus' hair. The atmosphere in the study was filled with the queen's imaginary flowers and butterflies. The rest of the souls there just watched the happy reunion.
"Cherrie, one question: Do you have a boyfriend?" Sharia abruptly asked, holding her younger sister's shoulders real tight. She pouted as if Cherrie already had a boyfriend.
"N-no. Why do y-you ask me that?"
"Good. I was about to send you a letter about dad's last will and testament. It's a good thing you came here."
"Dad's last will…? What's it all about?"
"You'll find out, soon."
"Fine. If you say so. By the way. Father won't be coming and he apologizes sincerely for that. He asked us if we could attend your wedding in his place." The princess said.
"I know. He personally told us that. And even your task of guarding us."
"But first," Lancez said, "do take a seat." He motioned everyone to the couches in the middle of the room. Everyone seated themselves. Mammon leaped from Luss' hands to Cherrie.
"Don't tell me you!" Sharia gasped as she saw Mammon snugly sitting on Cherrie's lap.
"No sis. This Mammon. He's an Arcobaleno, you know, one of the seven strongest infants? He's our Mist Guardian. Bel's our Storm Guardian and I'm the Cloud Guardian. Next to me is Fran, our other Mist Guardian. Sitting beside him is Squalo, our Strategy Captain and our Rain Guardian."
"I don't really get all these mafia things clearly, but what I know is of all you are assassins, right?" Lancez said, smirking.
"Yeah. We already know Onii-kun's the boss and our Sky Guardian. Levi's his right-hand man and our Lightning Guardian. And lastly, our motherly figure, Lussuria, our Sun Guardian."
"A pleasure to meet you all. I hope Xanxus treats you like family as a father would, ne?" Sharia asked and what followed is pure silence.
"Hyahaha… You could say that…"
"Ne, Cherrie-senpai, if your sister and Bel-senpai's brother are married, doesn't that make you Bel-senpai's sister-in-law? And Bel-senpai would be Boss' brother-in-law…" Fran concluded in monotone.
"Hai, that's right."
"Then your plans on marrying each other will be foiled. Didn't the Catholic Church stated tha—" Cherrie and Bel pounded the frog's head.
"I told you before that there's no wedding!" Bel hollered.
"Oh my. What on earth are you talking about? Please DO tell." Inquired a certain concerned sister.
"E~to, sis. You know we're assassins right?" Nervously, the apple blonde asked her sister. The queen nodded slightly. "Then you must know we're paid to do jobs. And on one of the jobs I took was to kill a certain Swiss king an—"
"You killed King Portezzio?" In an instant, Lancez lost balance.
"B-Bel killed him. I just helped strategize the operation. Ehehe…"
"So you two are behind all that? His wife almost died of heart attack. And his son is working non-stop to find who killed him. Honestly, you two are in big trouble!" Lancez bellowed. The room was silent again.
"Ooohh. You've done it this time senpais. Didn't that prince said he was attending the wedding? He's probably looking for some clues and eventually track you two down." Fran said nonchalantly. His head swiftly glance to Bel then to Cherrie, then to Bel again.
"Who would dare attack the Varia? Ushishishi. He'd be dead meat before he even finds out it was us." Bel cackled, throwing his arms behind his head, grinning maniacally as usual.
"Where does your wedding fit into this?" Pursuing her urge to hear the answer of this her question, Sharia grab hold of Cherrie's hands and glared into her eyes.
"We told you, there's no wedding. Bel lied that we were engage to explain our statuses. If you heard I was in a party with a man you don't know, wouldn't you get embarrassed? Angry even? Even if I am an assassin now, I still have my reputation as a princess." Cherrie answered, forcing out an awkward smile.
"Oh, I understand." Sharia sighed deeply.
"Anyways, what made you visit us this early?" Asked Lancez, never taking off that smile of his.
"We were wondering if we could scout the area to help us familiarize ourselves with the surroundings." Said the Strategy Captain.
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"Woooaaah! Bel-senpai's room is so huge!" Croaked Fran. His voice squeaked a little. "Hitting puberty, eh, Fran?" Teased Squalo.
Sharia and Lancez gave them permission to explore the castle. And first on the list was Bel's room. Immediately, Fran, Cherrie and Lussuria hassled Bel on showing them his room but he disagreed. Cherrie and Fran tickled him and he gave in. Mammon took out his camera, ready to shoot anything worth selling. The rest didn't care. Xanxus stayed behind to discuss some important business with the royal couple.
Bel's room was huge indeed. Upon opening the door, a huge finely woven rug welcomed the visitors; another pair of parallel couches lay on top of the rug. On opposite sides of the room were two beds: the one on the left detailed in black and the one on the right was pure white. Bel said the white one was his and the black one was Rasiel's.
In front of the beds were treasure trunks. Bel said they were filled with toys he used to play with back then but they must've burned down a long time ago. Fran initiatively opened Bel's trunk and saw small dull knives. Bel explained that those were the first knives he ever used to 'attack' his brother Rasiel. They were made from stainless steel that's why it's still shining and not rusty.
The wall opposite the door was a wide full length window, showing the garden where Bel said that that's the place where Siel and he used to train each other. Mammon took pictures of every bit he could find useful to sell (or to blackmail Bel). He found a door under a dirty curtain near Siel's bed and when he opened it, he gasped. Inside was a mural of Bel and Siel. Twins they were, wearing the same clothes but of different colors. Bel in black and Siel in white. They were sitting on a throne with an older blonde, probably Lancez. Something in this picture made Mammon smirk. Of course, the three of them were smiling, no, not that Cheshire cat grin Bel and Siel has, but a genuine one. Who wouldn't smile along? Mammon took photos. Nobody noticed him gone because of the curtain covering up the door.
"Okay, you've seen my room, now get out!" Bel snickered. He grabbed Fran and Lussuria and pushed them to the door. He did the same with Cherrie and the others.
Sighing, they left Bel's room and continued with their scouting.
(I know. I feel that there's something missing here… forgive me for that. Sorry if I fast-forward a bit and if the following paragraphs turn out to be a fail.)
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The Varia patrols the Fouturé Castle everyday, bumping into Prince Philip every now and then. Bel and Cherrie were forced to act like a couple again and again. As the wedding date neared, the population of the visitors increased as well. Pierre sent them some clothes he made (crammed products again) a few days before the wedding. With all the commotion around, the assassination group had to sharpen their eyes for possibly attacks.
A night before the wedding, the apple blonde princess lazily admired the stars. She was outside of a small balcony their hotel room gave. The breeze was relaxing and inviting. She sighed. Suddenly, she heard a click sound from somewhere nearby. The door to the balcony next door opened and a shadowy figure came out.
Next door? But that direction is…
Her eyes widened when the rays of the moon shined upon the angel she saw. The man was blonde and fairly skinned. His spiky hair was a mess but that made him cute. That man was the one she loves, Bel.
Bel. My beloved Bel. Tears fell from her eyes.
After tomorrow, Bel and I will be in-laws. My feelings for him will be forbidden. Wait, forbidden love? Isn't that the type of stories I love to read about? Hyahaha. I knew it would hurt, but I never knew it could be so heart-breaking. Why? How? Oh Bel, if you only knew my feelings, then at least a part of my burden would be lifted up from my chest. I know it will hurt me again if you reject me, but there's nothing I could do right? Damn it.
The prince was drinking from a glass of wine. He was deep in thought. Playing around with his glass, he saw a reflection of someone else. He turned his head to see who it was. He saw Cherrie. She was staring at him. Huh? Are those tears? Instinctively, he jumped from his current position to where Cherrie was standing. The girl snapped out from her trance as Bel wiped away her tears.
"Chei."
"B-bel!"
"Why are you crying?" He asked, a sense of worry evident in his voice.
"I-I wasn't... I wasn't crying…" She blushed, ingesting the atmosphere they were in: a boy and a girl alone in the middle of the night. Stop! Cherrie, stop thinking things like that!
"You dare lie to the prince? Ushishishi." He grinned, twirling the contents of his glass. When she didn't answer, he asked. "Want some wine?"
"Huh? But didn't you just drank from it?" She said, stunned at the offer.
Bel's grin frowned. "You don't want it?"
"It's not that I don't want it, it's just that drinking from it…" Cherrie blushed, unable to continue her sentence.
"What?"
"If I drink from it, then, w-wouldn't that be like, uhm, err, an indirect k-kiss?" she stuttered, face all flushed.
"Eeh? That's what you're concerned about? Ushishishi. If you drink from the opposite side from where I drank, that wouldn't be considered a kiss, right?" His grin returned, amused at the sudden turn of events. His heart pounded fast when he saw her blush. She's too adorable.
"I-I su-suppose…" She took the glass and turned it around to find Bel's lip marks. When she spotted it, she drank from the opposite side. Bel laughed. "What brings you out here Bel?"
"Hmm… nothing really. I just felt like coming outside."
"Oh." Cherrie placed the wine glass on the ledge of the balcony. Her blush was still noticeable. All of a sudden, Cherrie wrapped her hands around Bel's waist and sank her head into his chest. Seconds later, Bel returned the hug, petting her glossy red hair. He placed his lips on top of her head, kissing her. "What'd you do that for, pest?"
"I miss doings things like this with you." He barely heard her but he understood her motive. He, too, misses kissing her and hugging her like she's all that mattered. He missed her dearly. Ever since Xanxus told them to separate, he never had the opportunity to be kind to her again.
Ah, fuck. I'll never have the chance like this again. If I tell her my feelings, will she accept it? Damn. I think I'll die if she ever leaves me. (-OAness, gomen.)
"Cherrie I—"
"Bel, I—"
Both of them said at the same time.
"You first." Bel smiled.
"Uhm, can I … can I see your eyes again, Bel?" She asked, sadness and hope apparently present in her tone. It took a while for Bel to react.
"Why are you so persistent on seeing my eyes again?" He asked sharply.
Cherrie staggered. They're the reasons why I fell for you, idiot. Those beautiful eyes of yours, they haunt my dreams.
"I-it's because they're the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen…" She repeated her first comment on Bel's eyes. Again, she was blushing hard. "Damn you Bel, you made me blush again."
"Ushishishi. Blushing helps your blood circulate."
"B-baka! Well, can I see them, please?" She begged this time.
"Shishi." He leaned his head closer to her face, hands in his pockets. Cherrie lifted her hand to remove Bel's bangs from his face. When his sapphires appeared again, Cherrie's emeralds doubled in size. So pretty. Bel backed away quickly, teasing, "Don't tell me you got lost in my eyes. That is so cliché."
"I-idiot! I told you before. They're so beautiful. I couldn't help but stare." She sounded out. "There was something you wanted to say. What was it?"
"Fo-forget about it." The reason he backed away quickly was because his lips were almost on top of hers. Realizing that made his heart ran a marathon, and if he doesn't stop now, he might just blow up and die.
"O-okay then… It's getting pretty late. We should go to bed now." The girl said, clutching the glass of wine and handing it to Bel. "Good night Bel." She said, casually entering her room and closing the window door. Bel inserted his foot to stop it from fully closing.
"G'night, Chei." He said, patting and kissing her forehead. She jerked and twirled her head in embarrassment. Bel grinned and saw her tucked herself beside Mammon. He jumped back to his room, face all rosy. He sank beside Squalo and closed his eyes, smiling at their little talk. His heart was still pumping mad and he couldn't sleep. He really does miss her. I love her too much; it hurts to let her go.
Cherrie couldn't sleep as well. Her face was burning up with awkwardness. Idiot! Why did you hug him? But she was happy, of course. God gave her some precious time with the one she loves. And right now, she's the happiest woman in the world. I love you Bel.
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(I've been to weddings before but I never pay attention to what's happening so I don't know what to write about the wedding. I'll try my best to write this part of the story.)
Bells. Roses. Velvet red carpets. Sparkling chandeliers. Lovely gowns and handsome men. On that day, Fouturé Castle was an epitome of every little girl's fantasies.
"Perfect! Just perfect!" Said the gay lord, eyeing the bride walking down the aisle. Mammon was the Varia's official photographer for that day and floated around taking pictures. "Muu, muu. If I can assemble the photos and make it an album, people would surely buy this."
Aside from the bride and groom, Mammon took shoots of his fellow guardians as well. They were wearing black tuxedoes but with some minor details: a rose sketch here, a gold rim there. Cherrie's clothing was a simple pale green summer dress, frills bordering the hems and neckline. A small purple butterfly was stitched on the lower-right part of her skirt. The Varia was sitting two rows from the altar; Xanxus sat nearest the aisle, next to him was Cherrie, then Bel, then Lussuria, then Fran, then Squalo and Levi. Mammon can change his position anytime.
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"By the power invested in me, I now proclaim you husband and wife. You may now kiss the bride." (Yes, every little girl's fantasy) The preacher said and the royal couple smiled and kissed each other. The paparazzi gathered dramatically fast for that single moment and clicking sounds can be heard everywhere. Someone shouted "Picture-taking time!" and Sharia grabbed Xanxus' and Cherrie's hands and pulled them towards the altar. Lancez shouldered Bel and forced him to join the picture-taking.
"Muu muu. Ne, Lussuria, what do you think?" Mammon asked, petting Phantasma.
"There's no sign of any threats yet."
"Don't let your guard down." Commanded Squalo. "Attacks can come in any direction."
"Muu muu. Levi, let me stand on your head. I wanna take pictures of Boss." The baby jumped to Levi's head and started taking pictures. Xanxus was being harassed by Sharia and Cherrie was poking Bel. Lancez was messing up Bel's head and pinching Cherrie's cheeks. Xanxus lost it and walked out of the door. "Boss will never change." In a split second, Mammon felt as if someone was watching them with malevolent intent. He shifted gazes from left to right but found no one in suspicious.
"Va-varia!" A familiar voice was heard. Squalo and Levi turned around and saw Vongola 10th's Storm Guardian, Gokudera Hayato and his tongue-tied face. He was wearing an unbuttoned tux and his hair was well-swept.
"Smokin' Bomb Hayato. What are you doing here?" Asked Levi.
"What are you doing here?" Hayato returned the question.
"We asked you first, idiot." Mammon snapped.
"I-I-I was invited, duh! How about you? What are assassins like you doing in a place like this?"
"We were invited too. And shush on us being assassins. We don't want our covers to be blown." Barked Squalo. "Whatever." The silverette snorted and left the group.
Half an hour later, the guests were escorted to the Hall where they will continue the merry-making. Bel and Cherrie rejoined their comrades and shared information. Nothing suspicious. And again, Squalo told them to keep their eyes open.
"EVERYONE! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR COMING! PLEASE EXCUSE MY MANNERS BUT I'M JUST SO HAPPY! FINALLY, SOMEONE MARRIED ME!" Tears of joy fell down the bride's cheeks. The guests laugh at the queen's outburst. Somehow, at one point, they weren't kings, queens, princes, princesses, dukes, duchesses, or any other status, but rather, they were people, celebrating one thing that bind them together.
The party continued after Lancez successfully stole the microphone from Sharia and returned it to the MC. Sweat dropping, the MC sustained the bouncy atmosphere and continued the celebration.
Gokudera Hayato was asked to play a song for the bride and groom. He was caught off guard when Lancez announced that he'll be singing too. Nervously, the bomb man walked up, ignored Bel's mockery and sat down on the white grand piano lying on the left side of the bride and groom.
I just hope Juudaime won't see me do this.
Much to his annoyance, Mammon shot photos of him. Ah, easy money.
Hayato played a relaxing song. And as promised, he sang as well. Once he started singing, the girls swoon and the gentlemen applauded. The Varia was amazed to see their used-to-be opponent have such an amazing talent. Bel was mesmerized by the lyrics of the song; its meaning was slowly affecting him.
[…'Cos I love her with all that I am. And my voice shakes along with my hands. 'Cos she's all that I see and she's all that I need and I'm out of my league once again…]
(-Out of my League by Stephen Speaks-)
I'm out of…my league? The young prince thought. Damn. This song is getting to my head. Annoyed, Bel left and coincidentally, Prince Philip bumped into him. He apologized and Bel sneered.
"Prince Belphegor, can I have a moment with you?" Philip asked and led Bel outside of the Hall. He led him to an empty room, far, far away from the commotion. Bel noticed that this was the armory. The swords and armors are all rusty, but the room was spic and span. Prince Philip laughed suddenly when they entered.
"Fufufu. Belphegor la Pazzo. Belphegor the Insane." He said, nonchalantly picking up an old, broken blade. "You can't hide everything from me."
"What are you talking about?" Bel questioned. His Cheshire cat grin appeared, sensing the ominous aura the other prince emitted.
"I'm talking about you and Cherrie. You're not really her fiancé, are you? And even if you were, you can't marry her now since you're in-laws." He snorted; amuse to see the twitching face of the spiky blonde in front of him.
"Eeh? And so what if we're not engaged? What do you care?" Bel inserted his hands in his pockets, his irritation building up.
"Fufufu. So it is true." He paused and glared daggers at Bel. "Then I shall take her then. I just wanted to make sure. Thank you for the information, Belphegor. Fufufu."
"I didn't say you could take her. She's mine." Bel shot. It's true that they can't marry, but that doesn't mean he can't be with her. He loves her and he can't allow someone to just take her.
"What of it? I already asked the queen if I could take her hand in marriage and she said she'll think about it. Look at me! I'm the quintessence of Prince Charming." He laughed and patted Bel's shoulder. He whispered to his ears, "Did you see the way she blushes when I smile at her?"
"Ushishishi. I don't care if you can make her laugh, smile or whatever. I can do all that too. I am a prince after all. You can't take her, Philip. She loves me too much." Bel lied again. He remembered that this was the son of the king he killed a few weeks back.
"Really? But, Belphegor, people change overtime. She'll soon forget you and learn to love me one day." He snickered.
"Fuck up shit. Or do you wanna have the same fate your father had?" Bel snapped. His irritation bar reached its limits and a vein popped on his forehead. He won't hand over Cherrie to him. He's a bastard, not a prince charming. He won't love her the same way he loves does.
"Ahh. Another info from you. So you were the one who killed my father." The emerald-eyed prince accused. He grabbed a phone from his breast pocket and showed it too Bel. "I know I would find the killer if I came here. Fufufu. I just thought of something." Philip backed away a few feet and confronted Bel face to face. "I believe Cherrie was involved as well?"
"Are you an idiot? Of course she's involved. She was the one to plan our assault. I just had to kill him."
"Fufufu. I put you and Cherrie under arrest for murdering my father. I called the cops and they've had the castle surrounded. With just one press of a button, they'll come here and take you into custody. But, since you love Cherrie, let's make a deal."
"A deal? Ushishishi. Like father, like son."
"I'll tell the police that you and Cherrie were the ones behind my father's death, or I won't tell but you have to hand her over to me."
What the hell? Bel thought. Is he out of his mind? Ushishishi. Does he even know me? I'm Prince the Ripper for heaven's sake! I can escape those commoner prisons the moment I enter. A fool just like his father.
"Do you have evidence that it was I who killed him, eh?" Bel grinned wider, inching his hands to grab his knives.
"I don't need evidence, ju—" Philip couldn't finish his sentence since Bel already threw a knife at his heart.
"Ushishishi. You don't understand, do you? Or you're just too foolish, you didn't know? Either way, since you're dying and all, I'll tell you something." Bel grinned more, seeing royal blood spill all over the armory. His knife hit his heart dead-on and the shine in his eyes were slowly fading. "Thank you for introducing the feeling of 'jealousy' to me. It made me realized how much I really love her. Ushishishi~" To make sure he dies, he threw five more knives at the bleeding body of the Swiss prince. Bel watched him until he was sure he's dead. Those emerald eyes glistened no more and his heart stopped pumping blood. Carefully, Bel left the room without staining his attire with blood.
Boss is gonna kill me for this; killing one of the queen's guests. Tcch. But I bet Boss would kill him the moment he'll ask Cherrie's hand in marriage. Ushishishi.
When Bel returned to the Hall, the festivity continued like nothing happened. Sooner or later, someone will find the dead prince's body and this will have to stop. But much to Bel's expectations, the party went on to the evening. His brother kept on nagging him to hit on girls and settle down as well. But the prince won't do such a thing. Irritated, he grabbed a glass of wine, filled it to the brim, and walked outside to the veranda. He leaned himself on its ledge and placed his glass on it.
It was the start of December then, and the winter winds were coming along. The night sky was cloudless and the stars sparkled like jewels. The moon was at its brightest and highest point in the sky and he surrendered to its beauty. That made him think. Philip had a point. Now that Cherrie has been exposed to the nobles, someone will surely court on her. And he has no power whatsoever to stop it. She'll eventually leave me, one day.
"Lovely evening." Someone said suddenly. Bel turned around to see who it was. And, by golly, it was Cherrie, glowing like an angel. "What are you doing out here?"
Bel didn't answer her question. He was silent as a mouse when he drank from his glass. Cherrie sat on top of the veranda's ledge. "Oi, be careful. You might fall and hurt yourself." He cautioned, looking down below. It was a good 6 feet drop.
"No worries. With your abilities, I'm one hundred percent sure you'll catch me when I fall, right?" Cherrie smiled, making Bel blush. She caught him off guard and he tried to regain his composure. But he failed. His face continued to redden and that made Cherrie giggle. "Sh-shut up, pest. Stop making fun of me."
"I'm not. It's just that, you really are cute when you blush. Really cute." She giggled more, much to Bel's chagrin. An awkward stillness silenced them.
Baka. Why did you let her caught you off guard? Urgh! I want to tell her, I want to tell how cute she is when she blushes too, but. Damn it! Bel! Pull yourself together.
"Ne, Cherrie. I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time now." Cautiously, the prince chooses his words. I'm going to tell her how much I love her before someone else does. It's now or never.
"What is it?" She beamed, gazing at his face with delight.
"Chei."
"Hmm?"
"It was on a night like this when I realized something about you." He said, voice fading and face flushing. He sipped his wine before he continued.
"What did you realized?" Persistently, the apple blonde asked.
"I realized that I … that I've already fallen madly, deeply in love with you." The prince slightly turned his head away from the maiden, hiding his face from the embarrassing confession he just made. Cherrie's face dimmed and she too slightly turned her head away from Bel. The couple said nothing for a while.
"Bel, I … I really hate to say this… but I …" Cherrie forced her words out, her voice a bit sad. Bel froze, only his heart was moving beating faster and faster.
I knew it! She's going to reject my feelings. Well, I anticipated something like this to happen, but I never estimated it would hurt me this much. Fuck it. Say what you want already!
"… I love you too, Bel. I'm madly, deeply in love with you too…" Her dimmed face brightened. Bel jerked. He turned around and saw her smile. He smiled as well, no, not the normal devilish smile he has, but a genuine smile. Something he hadn't done in a while. Tears of joy flowed down the maiden's cheeks and Bel wiped them all away.
The tension, pressure and heart aches the two felt now left them, replacing those wicked feelings with relief, bliss, and love.
Following his heart, Bel hugged Cherrie's waist and kissed her. Not anymore on her cheek or forehead, but this time, on her lips. Cherrie blinked a couple of times before she gave in and kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck and tears continued flowing. Her longing for that person finally has ended.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
At the door to the veranda, 5 men and a baby watched the regal couple as they chatted. When they guessed that the two had finally said their true feelings, Xanxus broke his wine glass.
"I told you before. Those two might fall in love with each other." The long-haired silverette said. The gay lord wiggled at the fluffiness. "But Squ-chan, look, they're already in love~"
"Boss is taking this pretty calmly. He hasn't shot Bel-senpai with a gun yet." Fran said in monotone.
"I promised her…" Xanxus muttered, barely audible.
"What did you say, boss?" Asked Levi.
"I promised her I won't meddle with her love life…" Xanxus said, voice very low. His eyes were gloomy but with a hint of happiness. Her sister finally found a man she can love aside from himself. But that doesn't help him relax. He knows Bel well. His hatred for women may have faded, but it doesn't mean he won't hurt her. If he ever makes her cry, he'll be dead for sure.
"Awe, what a caring big brother you are~" Lussuria giggled. The gay started poking his boss when Lancez arrived.
"Xanxus, can I borrow you for a while?" He said. Xanxus followed him and led him to the study. Sharia was there, waiting for him. Lancez excused himself and left Sharia and Xanxus some privacy. "Xanxus, this is about my biological father's will."
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:
"ARE YOU SURE YOU DON'T WANNA STAY WITH ME?" Sharia hugged her sister so hard, Cherrie could no longer breathe. "ARE YOU REALLY, REALLY SURE?"
"Yes, sis. I promise I'll visit you now and then." She hugged her older sister back. Sharia pouted. Cherrie pinched her cheeks. "I promise, okay?"
Lancez was bidding farewell to Bel as well. "Don't you have something you want to say?" He shuffled Bel's hair. The young prince gave a 'humph!' but was forced to say his sin.
"Sorry for killing Prince Philip…and dirtying father's armory." He said, turning his head away from his brother and brother-in-law.
"You're hopeless, Bel. And with that hopelessness, you'll never find yourself a girl. Ushieshieshie." Bel jerked. He blushed and muttered something Lancez couldn't hear.
Xanxus told them that their private plane is ready to depart and he made his way to the hangar. The Varia soon followed after bidding their goodbyes to the king and queen. It was a really quiet flight back to Italy. Mammon was dozing off in Cherrie's arms and Cherrie was asleep too. Fran was snoozing beside her. Behind them was Squalo who was busy polishing his sword. Levi was reading a book. Opposite to them was Lussuria, applying make-up. Bel was listening to his mp3 and Xanxus was deep in thought, drinking wine as usual.
When they finally step foot on their base, Xanxus immediately said, "Cherrie, Bel. Be at my office in ten minutes." Saying nothing else, the boss continued walking to his office. Ten minutes passed by and Bel and Cherrie was in front of him.
"What is it, Onii-kun?"
Xanxus opened his eyes and glared at them. He just smirked at the two.
:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:.:
-flash back-
"What the fuck do I care about your dad's will?" Xanxus said, glaring at his red-haired sister who was busy reading a piece of paper. She should be at the party, entertaining the guests, not talking to him about private matters.
"It concerns Cherrie and Bel." The redhead smiled widely, her eyes beaming with happiness. "Lancez and I already agreed to it and even Timoteo too. I was waiting for yours, Bel's and Cherrie's opinion."
"Spill it out already." He demanded, not wanting his mind to think of what could possibly be the contents of the will their dad left.
"It seems Cherrie and Bel were betrothed to each other all along."
"What?"
"We're still deciphering what else was in father's will, but that was the first thing he mentioned. We even found a copy of Bel's father's signature on a document regarding their engagement. We found it authentic."
"Again, I don't give a fuck to this crap. Why did you tell me, not them first?"
Sharia stood up from her seat and walked to the window behind her. There, clearly seen under the moonlight were Bel and Cherrie chatting with each other. Huge smiles were implanted on their faces. "I wanted to give those two time to find each other first." She said softly. "Being the big brother you are, will you tell them this information for me?"
Xanxus shrugged and turned around to leave the room. Sharia said something that made him smirked. "I wonder how those two will take the news."
"I'm sure those trashes will be happy to hear it."
-end of flash back-
THE END
OHMAYGAWD. I'M FINALLY FINISHED! FINALLY FINISHED!
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!
Gomen! I know this chapter was a total fail. I'm so sorry! I realized I'm not really good in writing fluff scenes. And I know for a fact that Bel vs. Philip scenes were a fail too. I'm so sorry for my redundancy, wrong grammar, misinformation and everything else you read wrong. Hontto ni gomen nasai! *bow*
Please review! It's the last chapter after all.
Thank you again for those who read and reviewed in the past chapters. You were a great source of inspiration to continue writing this.
Thank you so much! Mua mua chup chup!
Author's final words : [All hail SPQR!]