Jan 31st 2025 [| 12:30 PM |]
"Ushishishi..." Bel laughed, a bit more confident that his frog would win.
"Ushosho... no problem." Kagami laughed in response. Fran got even more angry when Kagami's laugh synchronized with Bel's, why couldn't he have a laugh similar to Bel's?
"eh... alright..."Tsuna stuttered, and Gokudera turned to his boss.
"Juu-dai-me! This small things shouldn't need juu-dai-me to think about! I'll take care of it!" Gokudera exclaimed proudly, Yamamoto just laughed, saying, "Isn't that great?"
"Gokudera, daijobu, it's actually quite a big event." Gokudera felt sweat running down his forehead and stuttered, "Oh...is that it...well, if juu-dai-me says so..."
"So, the rules, do you, Fran-san or Kagami-chan, have any ideas already?" Tsuna continued, a bit more confident after Gokudera's interruption.
"I was thinking there would be a room just for us to battle in." Fran announced, everyone nodded in agreement.
"Since we are not allowed to use any mist qualities, how about we give in our rings?" Kagami suggested, and began taking off her rings. Fran threw his to Bel and smiled as if lending his own confidence to Bel. Bel smiled back.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 1:00 PM |]
Everyone followed Fran, who led them to an empty room with metal walls. Xanxus smiled devilishly, as if he had planned this room just for this purpose.
"At 3:00, come and check on our progress. The person who can still move by then will walk out of this room." Fran muttered, his back turned away from everyone.
"Alright then... let it begin." Tsuna muttered and closed the door to the room, leaving the two contestants inside. Ryohei muttered, "Good luck Kagami," then left without another word. As everyone else left, Bel stood in front of the door, trying to hear what was going on. They were only talking... but the metal door didn't let much sound come through, and all he heard were mumbles barely audible.
"Please win, Fran-kun." Belphegor smiled, then prayed silently to the Gods. As he realized what he was doing, he remembered that sensation from before. If Fran won...he would confess to him. How embarrassing, but he couldn't stand just always waiting and waiting for Fran...he wanted more from him. He would confess if Fran won. If Fran won.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 1:30 PM |]
Battle Room
"Humph." Kagami grunted as she lunged for Fran, but he always escaped the lunges. 'An advantage of always getting aimed at by Bel,' he thought to himself as Kagami plunged herself at him.
"Attack, Fran!" Kagami screeched as her energy slowly got sucked away. Fran only smiled in response, "Dammit, attack! You're not even playing real here!" Kagami shouted again.
"I...do not wish to hurt a girl." He responded as he blocked a metal stick that Kagami had found nearby, "now, that was dangerous, Kagami."
"Ushosho...let's see if you can keep that up!" Kagami screeched, now weaponless. Fran turned his back to Kagami, and reached for the stick. He knew that Kagami would attack him when his back was turned. He slowly knelt down, felt Kagami's footsteps, and threw the stick at Kagami's knees. She fell to the ground, clenching her knee.
"I told you it was dangerous, Kagami." Fran smiled. Slowly, he would take this girl's energy away.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 1:32 PM |]
Belphegor...
Bel wandered in the mansion, opening rooms door by door just to kill time. Why was he feeling so anxious? That Fran had trained so hard for this day... he had gotten fevers, bruises, bled...just for this day and he, here, wasn't even believing in Fran's skill. Bel criticized himself for thinking so badly, then laughed, "Ushishi...," but remembered how strong Kagami was in the first battle. If Fran won this battle, he could overpower Kagami in the battle. He could win, but if Kagami won, there would be no way of turning around and no way of escaping. The entire Vongola would be a witness, he would be an escaper...something prince's and genius's don't do.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 1:45 PM |]
The Battle Room
"You are not giving up yet?" Fran asked Kagami, then closed his eyes to laugh. Just as he was laughing, the metal pole was taken from his hand and hit on his head. Blood started flowing gently at first, just covering the sides of his face, then it started gushing...Fran wasn't Bel, he didn't get excited at the sight of blood. Fran used one hand to cover up the wound, and located Kagami. She was panting in one corner, one hand holding her knee that was bleeding as well, and the other hand barely grasping the metal pole.
"Will you play real now?" Kagami panted, she lifted her hand with the pole to hold onto her stomach, which probably had a cramp. Fran swooped over, kicked Kagami gently in her injury again, and used both hands to grasp the pole. Kagami's injury was worse now.
"I told you before, I will not hurt a girl too badly, and I will not give sempai over either." Fran gasped, and lifted one hand to clench his head. It was beating so fast, and his eyes were starting to blur either. He took a look at his watch, 2:10 PM. Fifty minutes more. He just needed to keep his advantage until then.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 2:20 PM |]
Guest's Lounge
"Daijobu desu-ka?" Tsuna asked Ryohei. Ryohei shrugged, then leaned further downwards on the couch.
"She will be fine, I guess."
"You guess? That's not the way to treat a girl, lawnhead!" Gokudera shouted, getting agitated.
"I just don't know what she is doing here. She was so sad when I broke up with her, I always felt sorry for doing that. I just thought it was too dangerous for her to be with me." Ryohei muttered.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 2:50 PM |]
Fran sat against the wall, looking at the time. The wound had almost recovered, thanks to his thirty minutes clenching it. He now used both hands to grasp the pole, from time to time checking where Kagami was. She was half-conscious, her blood still pouring out since she never bothered to clench it for more than five minutes.
"Hey, what do you like about Belphegor?" Fran suddenly asked. Kagami opened both eyes in shock, then managed to stand up.
"I..." She muttered...then stopped as if she were thinking. 'Weird,' Fran thought, 'I can think of all the things I like about sempai...' then he stopped himself thinking in that weird direction again.
"Do you like sempai?" Fran asked again, he felt that this girl was fake about Bel...that she never liked him truly.
"Yes! Of course yes." Kagami responded way too quickly, as if she were covering something up.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 2:58 PM |]
The guardians gathered in front of the door, waiting for the two minutes to be up and to open the door and see someone walk out. They didn't hear any more battling, no screaming or those clues that hinted there was a battle going on. It was just silence. Those times in animes where wind comes along and one leaf is blown across. Each tick on Bel's watch was another minute of anxiety and curiousity. That stupid frog...better...win.
Jan 31st 2025 [| 2:59 PM |]
"It's almost time..." Kagami muttered, and managed to stand up. Fran looked at her in shock. If that girl fought even for one more second, she would faint...but she carried herself to the middle of the room, "Fight me, Fran." Fran didn't want that girl to get hurt either, he knew that the Ryohei would be really mad if she was unconscious. Thirty seconds more.
"FIGHT ME!" Kagami screeched, lunging for Fran, but Fran stepped away and Kagami fell to the ground once again. His heart ached to see someone die like so, but he was used to making illusions of him and Bel dying. Kagami placed one hand on the wall, and used the wall to pull herself up. "FIGHT ME, FRAN!" Kagami lunged once again, scratching Fran's shoulder, but not making enough of a mark to let it bleed. Kagami hauled herself over to Fran again. Fifteen seconds left. Kagami used her remaining energy, trying to strike Fran and punch Fran, but that mischievous frog ducked every attack.
"Kagami... you should rest now." Fran said calmly as Kagami tried to punch him in the stomach. Seeing Fran escaping her attacks so easily, she lunged for Fran again, and when Fran escaped her attack, she fell to the ground. Five seconds left.
"NO!" Kagami screeched, but it was only a breathless gasp now. Fran walked over to the door as Kagami grabbed onto his leg.
Four seconds left.
"Let go." Fran ordered, but the girl continued grabbing onto his leg with all her remaining energy.
Three seconds left.
Fran frowned at the girl who was trying so hard.
Two seconds left.
Fran kicked away the girl's arm, and the door opened at the same time. Fran walked out of the room without giving another glance at the girl...but his heart was aching as well. Seeing Belphegor's grin eased all of the pain.
Seeing the boy walking out of the room eased all the anxiety in Belphegor's heart, and he reached out his arms as if expecting Fran to jump into his wrath. 'How is that possible?' Belphegor thought to himself, but still wanted to give it a try. Fran, seeing Belphegor opening his arms to himself remembered the aching in his own heart as well, the wanting for Belphegor. He didn't care if Xanxus was watching, if the girly Lussuria was going to take millions of photos of this... he only wanted the warmth of Belphegor.
Fran smelt the ramen again, and laughed silently to himself. He remembered how Belphegor had pretended to be a girl for Mammon's arcobaleno test, how he had awarded himself ramen after that as well. Bel never knew that Fran was the boy behind their table at the dessert shop, the boy that was silently stalking him, the boy that peeked in through the flap of Yamamoto's father's sushi store. Now he remembered it all. Feeling the boy in his wrath, Bel felt exeptionally good, he had an urge to ruffle Fran's hair...which was under his hat. So he took of the hat and ruffled his hair, like any prince would do. Feeling the silky hair underneath his fingers, he leaned down further to smell it. Sakura. The smell was both addicting and welcoming, and the feeling of Fran hugging him tightly only made it more addicting. It was only them, in the middle of the hallway. Fran couldn't get enough of this man who was hugging him so tightly, ruffling his hair to his own interest, and sniffing it bossily, but he didn't care. He felt his energy leaking away, but he thought it was because of Bel's tight hug. Belphegor suddenly pushed Fran away.
"Fran-kun, I once told you that I didn't know what I felt for you, that it was this tight feeling that was both good and bad. And today, when you were battling... I finally understood this feeling. I finally did. And the truth is, Fran-kun, I...I like you." Belphegor felt witless saying all those words, but he knew that it was the truth, and he wanted to know the answer as well, "Uh... What do you...think about me?"
Hearing Bel's confession, Fran's eyesight became more hazy...
"Belphegor...what I feel for you is definitely….. love..." and he collapsed in Bel's arms.