A Royal Summer Chapter Four
You people told me to rest, and I rested. Hehe, but now it's back to business! XD Apparently, you guys control mah life. *drinks pineapple juice*
Fran: MASTER!
Me: Chill your pineapples, Fran, it's not Mukuro.
Fran: Oh... *sigh of relief* Okay...
Me: I heard that the next arc of the manga's gonna be all about the Varia... don't quite know if it's true yet...
Now Beta'd by ikuto anime love. Make sure you thank her!
Later that night...
Bel took the seat beside Fran, and yelped with suprise when the older man suddenly grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hug.
"Hehe, got you, senpai," Fran chuckled, before kissing the top of Bel's head and combing through his hair. Bel, not happy with being teased, pushed his kouhai off of him and got back into his own chair, sending a small glare at the Mist.
"Stop that," he mumbled, even though he wouldn't be able to say that he didn't enjoy the small moments of being caught off guard.
"I can't help it," Fran protested, "I've never had the opportunity to play around with you like this."
Bel blushed at his kouhai's choice of words, and looked down. 'Damn... I'll bet I've got all sorts of comebacks for this in the future,' he thought in frustration.
'Actually, he doesn't mind,' Fran replied telepathically, 'Ten years from now, we'll be a lovey-dovey sort of couple. You know, good night kisses, 'I love you's before one of us leaves headquarters... that sort of fluffy crap.'
Bel looked at Fran, incredulous that the older man had dared to infiltrate his thoughts, but he frowned when Fran wasn't even looking at him, but was instead looking away innocently. He made an irritated face, before-
STAB.
putting another knife in the older man. Fran chuckled.
"Sorry, senpai, sorry," he said, pulling the knife out of his side. No blood. "But please try to be happy with me. I'm still your lover."
Bel mentally agreed with Fran, and took the knife back, putting it in his pocket. 'That's right. Even if Froggy's not acting very cute, Froggy is still Froggy, and I love Froggy.'
'You sure did say Froggy a lot there, senpai.'
'DON'T MESS WITH THE PRINCE'S THOUGHTS!'
Fran smiled, and Bel felt his kouhai back out of his thoughts. But just when he was about to go into a huge arguement with himself over Fran...
"VOI! LUSSURIA! YOU BETTER BE DONE WITH DINNER!"
"Hai, hai~! Just need to get stuff on plates~!" called the Sun guardian from the kitchen. Squalo made a small growling noise and took the seat across the table from Fran.
"Voi, so how'd you get here?" he asked Fran.
"Reverse version of the Ten-Year Bazooka, appropriately named the 'Negative Ten-Year Bazooka'," the Mist guardian replied.
"Alright...," Squalo mumbled, "So... why?"
"Can't say," Fran told him, before taking a drink of water, "When my younger self returns, he will tell you."
"When will he get back?" the Rain asked, "I mean... you've been here since this morning, haven't you?"
"Indeed I have," the illusionist agreed. Suddenly, Mammon floated into the room, looking exhausted.
"There's a guy from the future in here, right?" he mumbled.
"Ahh, Mammon! It's so good to see you," Fran greeted. Mammon paused and stared at Fran, slightly disturbed.
"Fran...?" he asked, "Don't tell me you're... being... polite?"
"Haha, ten years, Mammon, I'm not a brat," the older illusionist laughed, smiling. Mammon took a seat beside Belphegor, still giving Fran an odd look.
"Ten years... I suppose it is enough time for change," the Arcobaleno breathed.
"Indeed," Fran agreed, "Anyway, Captain Squalo, to answer your question, I'll be here until the beginning of autumn."
"Yes!" Mammon cheered, "A non-snobby Fran for three months!"
Fran chuckled with amusement and looked over at the kitchen just as Lussuria walked out, holding a few trays of food. The Sun was humming a random tune as he placed the trays on the table, before he paused and stared at Fran. After a few moments had passed, he smiled widely, "You look so mature at that age, Fran-chan~," the gaylord said, tapping his index finger against his lower lip.
"Why thank you, Lussuria," Fran said, smiling. The Sun guardian squealed and took his seat, unaware of Belphegor's death glare against his back.
Xanxus walked in, only giving Fran a nod in acknowledgement, and sat down beside Squalo. "After dinner, scum, I'm going to have to talk to you."
"Yes, I know," Fran said quietly. There was a momentary silence, before the ever-so-loud Rain guardian decided to break it.
"VOOOI! ARE WE EATING, OR WHAT?" Squalo yelled.
"I'll eat when boss eats," Levi mumbled. Everyone- including Fran- ignored him and began to eat dinner.
About an hour later.
"Alright, boss, let's talk," Fran invited, standing. Xanxus looked up and stood as well.
"Right..."
Bel sprung to his feet and stood next to Fran. "Can the prince come, too?"
"No, senpai," Fran said immediately. Bel looked crestfallen, but cheered up slightly when the illusionist leaned down and kissed him lightly. "I'll meet you in our room later, okay?"
"Okay...," Bel mumbled.
Fran followed Xanxus out to a meeting room, and they sat down on opposite sides of each other, both looking very serious. "Why are you here?" Xanxus asked after a moment.
"My younger self needed to train in the future," the illusionist said quietly.
"Why?"
"To save someone," Fran told the boss.
"Who? One of us?"
Fran shook his head. "No, it's a Vongola," he replied.
"Why are you training to save one of THEIR members?" the boss asked.
"He's important. Both to me personally, and to the Vongola."
"Rokudo?" Xanxus asked. Fran shook his head.
"I'm forbidden to tell you."
"What's the point of that?" the Sky said, frustrated. "What will it change?"
"Everything," Fran whispered, "I've taken a great risk to simply tell you what I already have, boss."
Xanxus settled, but he still looked dissatisfied. "What's the worst thing that could happen?" he asked.
"I don't know," Fran said honestly, "but let's just say I told you everything. About the enemies, about ourselves. What if I unknowingly gave you false information? Right now, our knowledge of our current foes is very hazy and mostly rumors. I don't know what's truly right or wrong."
"If that's the case, then won't they be giving you from THIS time wrong information?" Xanxus pointed out. Fran shook his head.
"No. My younger self will be told what is absolutely true. And that isn't much. All they will do is teach him what they must, and then send him back," he replied.
Xanxus leaned back in his chair. "Can you tell me anything about the Varia? Have we grown?"
"We are unchanged," Fran said, "if not weaker."
The boss looked concerned. "Weaker," he repeated. Fran nodded.
"This much is inevitable," he told the Sky.
"... Alright."
"Now I did want to tell you something else," Fran told the boss, "about the training."
"Okay."
"If things go accordingly, I will not exist in the future," he said, placing a hand over his chest. The boss arched a brow.
"Will you have sacrificed yourself for the Vongola?" he asked, an edge to his voice.
"No. I mean... this... this version of me," the illusionist informed him. "We plan to direct this past into a different future. A different parallel world."
"I see...," Xanxus said, "And you know that the future in this other world is stable?"
"We don't," Fran said, "It's certainly a gamble. Once I return, you're on your own."
"All of this to save some Vongola... what the hell is my future self thinking," Xanxus grumbled. The other man laughed lightly.
"Sorry, boss, but you didn't have much choice. I was really set on saving him."
"Well, whatever. I better not die any earlier because of you."
"Hehe, okay, boss," Fran laughed.
Ten Years in the Future...
"Senpai, let me out. This is stupid," Fran protested, squirming, "Let me out of the damned chair already!"
"I told you, Fran, you have to get out on your own," Belphegor sighed, "Your older self could do it in under a second!"
"Well I'm not thirty yet, senpai!" Fran protested. The illusionist had figured out where he was very quickly, seeing as everyone had looked much older, and they let slip the 'ten years in the future' several times.
"It's not PHYSICAL strength," the prince muttered, "Goofball."
Fran sighed, frustrated. "Senpai, illusions can't break me out of a physical object."
"Come on, Fran, just try it. You've been in there all day."
"I know. I'm really sore, I'm tired, and I need to use the restroom," the kouhai muttered.
"Then TRY!" Bel said, starting to get annoyed. Fran sighed and closed his eyes, then tried to cast an illusion to free himself. Bel facepalmed, snapping Fran out of his concentration. "Not THOSE illusions!" he growled, "Your HELL ring!"
"Oh," Fran said, lighting his Hell ring. He began to undergo the transformation into a demon, uncomfortably developing the scaly black tail and growing claws. His canine teeth became fangs, and he looked back up at Bel. The prince appeared to be waiting for something. "What now?"
"You aren't done, are you?" Bel asked, "You have to let more of it take over! Using it now would merely bring up your attack power by fifty percent!"
"But if I let more take over, I might lose myself!" Fran complained.
"No, we need to press this. Let more go. I'll stop you if you start to succumb to it."
Fran looked at the prince, and felt a strong sense of security. Yes. Belphegor would protect him, no matter what. That in mind, Fran let himself put more energy into the ring.
-End Chapter
Phew! Sorry, people, I would've gotten it up YESTERDAY, but I got a terrible case of writer's block!
Fran: For once, she isn't lying about it!
Me: As if I've ever lied about it before... Whatever. Keep the reviews comin', people! You know I like 'em!
Make sure to thank ikuto anime love for her beta'ing! XD