"Hey, Fran…?"

Fran's emerald eyes opened at the familiar voice. He sighed before he pushed himself into a sitting position, rubbing at his eyes. His sleep had been interrupted by Tsuna, and he wasn't very happy; he hadn't gotten a minute of sleep last night, and he was exhausted - to be woken when he was finally getting some rest...

"What…?" Fran couldn't stop the bitter tone from seeping into his voice.

"I was just wondering…" Tsuna glanced away, clearing his throat, "…why you have so many bruises and cuts…"

Fran looked down at his body, realising that his illusion had indeed faltered in his exhausted state. Casting it back over his body, he shrugged. "What? I don't have any of those."

"I saw them, Fran." Tsuna frowned, hating to confront the boy like this, but knowing Fran would never admit it otherwise. "I know you're hiding them with illusions. I just want to know what I can do to help."

"I don't need help." Fran spat out the last word as if it were poison on his tongue. "I am just fine by myself."

"No, you're not..." Tsuna sighed. "Look, I'm sure you're used to being by yourself, but... you don't need to be, Fran."

"I don't -"

"- Belphegor gave those to you, didn't he?" The brunet wasn't a stupid person; he knew what Belphegor was like. "Why don't you just leave Varia? They have Viper back; they can't force you to stay with the excuse that they need a Mist Guardian, much less an illusionist."

Pushing himself off the bed, Fran hissed, "You know nothing, Vongola. Don't ever act as if you do." With that said, Fran shrouded himself in mist, slipping out of the base and back to his comrades; he didn't need to feel as if he were being judged for things out of his control.

-XX-

The walk back to the hotel should have been silent considering Fran was by himself, but instead he was forced to listen to Mukuro's cackling inside of his head.

"Can't you leave me alone, Master?" Fran hissed out loud, taking no notice of the looks passers-by sent him. "Stay out of my head!"

Kufufu~ Little slutty Fran is thinking indecent thoughts again. A loud moan resonated through the boy's head, ripping a shudder of disgust from Fran. You like thinking about when Belphewhore and I fuck you into a bleeding, crying mess, don't you, my little one? You try so hard to remain stoic when we make love to you, but you always end up breaking in the end. It's so beautiful seeing your face flushed and wet with tears; it makes me want to take you even more.

"You don't make love to me, you bastard," Fran snarled hatefully, pretending he didn't hear the bystanders around him whispering. "You rape me. You always have. I've never once wanted sex with you or my senpai - no seven-year-old wants it with their master, especially not when they grow up after having been forced into it for ten years."

You've got it all wrong, little one; you can't rape the willing - how many times have you came from my touch alone?

"It's hard not to when all I can feel is hands pulling me." Crinkling his face up in disgust, Fran shook his head. "I hate you so much, Master; I wish I never got you out of Vendicare."

So why did you do? Kufufu~ If you hate me so much, you could have just as easily left me to rot in that tank, but instead you got me out and helped me recover. What is your excuse, my beautiful little one?

"That if I did leave you, you'd have torn my mind apart more than you already do. I hate you more than anything else in my life, you paedophilic, disgusting old man."

Such a rude kid you are, my useless student. Didn't I punch that out of you when you were little?

Fran didn't reply to this, remembering only too clearly the pain he had been put through at such a young age by his 'guardian'. Tensing unconsciously, the boy tried to change his train of thought before Mukuro saw what he was thinking about.

Too bad he wasn't fast enough.

Kufufu~ Why are you thinking about that, little one? Do you want me to pin you to the wall with my trident and starve you again?

"Fuck you."

It'd be my pleasure, Fran.

Shaking his head, Fran continued on back to the hotel, hoping he would soon be able to drown out the other's voice with sleep.

~~XX~~

To the illusionist's relief, the other Varia members left him alone to sleep; Xanxus and Squalo were fighting amongst themselves again while Lussuria and Leviathan played a game of drink monopoly. Belphegor was spread out on his bed with Mammon curled up on his chest, playing with the Arcobaleno's puffy cheeks. It had been easy enough for him to walk into the hotel room without drawing much attention, and then he finally collapsed onto his bed without so much as a lingering glance on him.

Having slept for hours, Fran was disorientated when he came to and found himself in darkness. He could sense the other Varia sleeping around him, but something about the situation didn't feel right; something was wrong, but he couldn't pick out what.

"Bel-Senpai...?" Sitting up in his bed, Fran rubbed at his emerald orbs. "Bel-Senpai, are you awake?"

Only silence greeted the youngest, so when a hand grabbed his shoulder without warning, he felt himself becoming panicked; someone had been able to sneak into the room and not disturb a bunch of highly-trained assassins - this was very, very wrong.

"Bel-Senpai!" Not even sure of why he was calling out to the blond who would do nothing to help him - if anything, Belphegor would only hurt him further - Fran tried to pull away from whoever had grabbed him. "Bel-senpai, help!"

"Kufufu~"

The teal-haired boy shuddered at the familiar laugh, scrunching his eyes shut; he understood now how the room had been so easily infiltrated, and why he had been the only one to sense something out of the ordinary; he had lived with Mukuro for so long, resented the man with every fibre of his being, he naturally could sense the one who had caused him so much misery in his short life.

"Call out all you want; none of them will hear you, little one." The soft voice was right by Fran's ear, and it sickened the younger; part of him had been relieved when he had finally left Mukuro's care, only to go back to the Varia who treated him just as badly. "What would Belphewhore do for you, anyway? He'd probably just ask to make love to you alongside me, wouldn't he?"

"Fuck off..." Starting to writhe in his teacher's hold, Fran was helpless to escape; long arms just wrapped around him, restraining him. Even illusions couldn't get him away; not when everything he knew had been taught to him by the man bent on making his life as horrible as possible – everything he could do, Mukuro could do a hell of a lot better. "Don't come near me! I don't want anything to do with you!"

Pulling the boy into his arms, Mukuro smirked as he got to his feet. "Ah, but little one, I want to keep you for as long as I can; you are just so irresistible; your body, and the way you cry out at your climax - but even they cannot beat the beautiful tone in your voice as you cry and beg for me to stop."

Fran closed his eyes, wishing with all his being he had never been taken away from his grandmother. He wished he was still in France, eating the horrible bentos the old woman put together for him. He missed her terrible cooking, and the way she always smiled at him, encouraging him no matter what.

She had been a sweet old lady, loving her grandson unconditionally, despite the way the other villagers seemed to resent him for things he didn't understand. Fran had never truly known what it was like to not be loved until Squalo and Belphegor had kidnapped him and shipped him off to Mukuro for training.

Not a day went by Fran didn't regret playing by the river; if he had stayed home to look after his grandmother while she was sick, he may never have been brought into this life - but alas, his only living relative had passed shortly after his kidnapping, and never again did he receive a gentle, loving touch from anyone.