Takeshi felt a sick feeling in his stomach as he drove his car into the garage; he hadn't said anything about his phone call to Bel, and he hoped with all his being that perhaps his friends were just playing some sort of sick joke on him and there was no Lightning Arcobaleno waiting for them in Bel's home. He couldn't even fathom why the Varia would let Verde into the mansion like this; he knew he wasn't the only one out for blood after what had been done to Bel…

So why… was this happening…?

After putting the gear into neutral and lifting the handbrake, Takeshi looked over to Bel. The blond was fast asleep, tired from having spent so long playing with his daughter. Likewise, Chiara was also sleeping, and he truly didn't have the heart to wake either of them – not if what Tsuna had said was true and they were going to have to deal with something like this…

But alas, the Vongola Rain knew he couldn't leave them in the car, so instead he got out of the vehicle and moved to Chiara's side so he could carry the girl inside himself. He didn't wake her; she was fine sleeping in his arms and he had every intention of taking her to her room to let her sleep. It was Bel he had to wake, as much as he didn't want to; the blond was looking so peaceful for once, and he didn't want to ruin that now of all times.

"Takeshi…" Bel murmured the younger's name before he rubbed at his eyes. He let out a sigh. "I'm tired…"

"I know, Bel-chan." Takeshi held get the older male out of the car before he said, "I know you're tired, but can you please put Chiara to bed and then meet me downstairs in the living room? I… Squalo texted me earlier and said there's a meeting."

Bel groaned in disdain; he would much rather just go straight to sleep instead of messing around with meetings. "Too tired for that…"

"I know… Trust me, I wish I could let you go to sleep, but… it's orders."

"Stupid orders…" Bel stepped into the mansion as Takeshi held the conjoining garage door open for him. "Stupid Squalo…"

Takeshi chuckled. He passed Chiara over to her parent before he said, "Go upstairs, but make sure you come back, alright? I love you."

"…Love Takeshi, too…" Bel disappeared around the corner to go upstairs, while Takeshi braced himself for what he was about to be walking into; he was angry at the idea of running into Verde, and all he wanted was to join Bel upstairs and protect him from everyone who would ever seek to hurt him.

But instead, all Takeshi could do was walk into the living room and find the usually-empty area was overcrowded for once. He could see the rest of the Varia were gathered, as was the Vongola Guardians, just like Tsuna had said. And, to his dismay, the Rain Guardian saw the Arcobaleno scattered amongst everyone; so Verde really was here…

Takeshi didn't have to stay in the room for long until he felt the tension amongst everyone; the room was thick with it, and everyone seemed to be on edge. He looked over at Squalo, and he wasn't surprised to see the man was staring daggers at Verde, who sat opposite the close-knit Varia wearing a smug grin on his face that showed he felt no remorse for what he had done to Bel.

"Why is he here?" Takeshi, who had always been one of the most level-headed, calmest guardians of them all, couldn't keep the bitterness from his tone as he pointed to the Lightning Arcobaleno. He couldn't help but shake from the rage quickly growing inside of him, and it was taking everything he had to keep his cool.

Tsuna was the one to answer his guardian. He spoke in a tone full of anxiety as he said, "The Arcobaleno… are here to assist us with a threat…"

"But why him?!" Yamamoto took himself by surprise when a shout escaped his lips. He fell silent for a few seconds as he tried to reign in his anger, and when he spoke again, it was in a pained voice. "What he did to Bel… Why are you all still trusting him?!"

"Yamamoto!" Tsuna stood up and moved to his friend's side. He put his hand on shaking shoulders, knowing how the taller male would be taking it harder than most of the others. "Yamamoto, we… We know what he did, and none of us are excusing him from it… But we need him…"

The raven-haired male shook his head. "Why would you do this to Bel, Tsuna?! Why would you force him into the same room with someone who did that to him?! You didn't… You never spent the time with him that I have… He can't… He can't do this, Tsuna… He can't… He's still in pain…"

"Takeshi…? What's going on…?"

Takeshi could have vomited when he heard Bel's anxious voice from the doorway. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the blond refusing to step foot past the doorway after realising how many people there were. "Bel-chan…"

"My, my, I'm pleasantly surprised to see you still alive and kicking; I had almost expected for you to have kicked the bucket by now."

Bel froze as he heard the voice that still haunted his dreams at night. He was barely aware of the tears that were rolling down his cheeks; all he knew was that he felt just like how he had as a teenager at the mercy of Verde's hands. "…"

Takeshi didn't have the chance to say anything; Squalo had already snapped after seeing the look of pure terror on his subordinate's face. "You motherfucking piece of shit! Don't you fucking talk to him! Don't even look at him! I'm going to snap your fucking neck, you sick fucking trash!"

"Squalo! Stop!" Lussuria jumped to his feet and restrained the younger male before the Rain Guardian could do anything; he knew Squalo was serious, and as much as he wanted to assist his superior, now wasn't the time for that; there were other matters at hand, and getting revenge for Bel would have to be held off for now.

"I'm going to fucking kill him for what he did to Belphegor! You hear me, Verde?! You're dead!"

"Yeah, why should we have to make Bel be the one to suffer instead of him?! How is that fair on Bel!?"

"Yamamoto!"

"Shut the fuck up, trash!" If Xanxus' shout wasn't what had shut everyone up, it was the following gunshot that did the job. The man glared around the room angrily as his pistol smoked from the tip, and when he spoke again in a deadly voice, it was clear that there was no room for arguing. "We have a job to do, and if any of you fucks sabotage it before it's finished, I'll kill you and the prince trash myself; he can wait until this is over. Now that all of you have shut the fuck up, the Sawada scum will be explaining everything."

Bel stood silently in the doorway as he cried to himself. He felt as if he were frozen in place, and even when Takeshi moved over to him to try and guide him into the living room, he still could not move; all he could do was stand there and shake in terror. He didn't listen to anything that was being said in the room; his mind was going too fast for him to be able to focus on external stimuli.

Takeshi was worried; it wasn't like Bel to clam up so badly, and he could only imagine what the older male was thinking about. And then, as if testimony to just how badly this situation was affecting him, the blond fell to the ground, unmoving and unconscious, as if the only way he had been able to protect himself was by fainting.

Takeshi didn't know much of what had happened in that moment as he had been so distraught, but what he did know was that his anger was only growing more and more, and for the first time in his life, he was sure he was starting to hate someone.

~~XX~~

Bel's room was dark, the only light that of the moon shining through the windows and illuminating a small section of the room. He felt numb, as if the terror he had felt earlier had consumed every last bit of feeling he had left in him. He knew that Verde was still somewhere in the mansion, and though Takeshi couldn't stay with him as he had to be with the other Vongola, he felt far too empty to be able to do anything other than bring Chiara into his room and keep a watchful eye on her so she wasn't taken away from him, too, just like the other children he had tried to birth while Verde was around.

For the first time since the assaults, Bel's mind wasn't running a mile a minute; instead, all he could think about was – well… nothing; all he was doing was staring out of the window and at the moon. He almost missed the sound of his bedroom door being opened, but he didn't turn around to face it; even if it were Verde coming back for him, what could he do? Nothing; he was powerless against the Arcobaleno – the fact that he had been held captive for so long proved that. He was weak, and there was no point in trying to resist the other as it would only make things harder on him.

But if the Arcobaleno was here for Chiara? Well, Bel would fight tooth and nail for her even though he knew it was pointless; how could he give up the daughter he loved so much so easily?

"She certainly has grown into a fine specimen, hasn't she?"

Bel groaned quietly in dismay when Verde's voice floated up to him. He sighed, but he didn't even have the energy to speak, let alone roll around and face the baby. "…"

"She would be four by now, right? She may have grown faster in the womb, but here it looks as if she has aged normally." The voice Bel hated so much had gotten ever closer until the blond could feel Verde jumping up onto the bed next to him. "I am curious; has she developed just like any other child her age? Or has there been developments of hers that have been as advanced as her birth? The other children I kept of yours have all showed varying results in my research."

Bel twitched at these words. When he spoke, it was in a whisper. "My babies… are still alive…?"

"Yes. Well, some of them are; of course, it was natural that some of them could have not handle my further research and succumbed to it. From what I am witnessing here, it seems as if this baby has the most normal development of them all. I truly wonder why that is…"

"You're not touching Chiara…" Bel pulled his sleeping daughter closer to him. "I want my kids back…"

The blond flinched when a tiny hand touched his hair and played with the golden locks. He fought against tears as he felt hot breath billow over his ear. When Verde spoke, he could have vomited. "You can have them back, of course… But first, I want you to do something for me…"

"…What is it…?" Was Bel seriously considering siding with the one who had done this to him? At this point, he had no idea what he was thinking; all he knew was that he was desperate to have the kids he had birthed back in his arms so he could love them like he loved Chiara.

Verde's fingers caressed Bel's cheek. "My, my; you certainly are growing up into such an attractive young man; if I wasn't cursed with body, I just might… Ah, but that's a story for another night. What I want you to do is to bring me two people in particular; I have my own research in mind for them, and while I am here, it is a perfect opportunity for me to take them. Did the Vongola really think I would come to aide them? Of course not; I'm here on my own agenda, and you're going to help me."

"…" Bel opened the eyes he didn't realise he had closed. He stared out at the moon once more, feeling more detached from the world than he ever had. His whisper was barely audible, and Verde knew he had won. "Who do I have to give to you…?"

"That loudmouth you call a captain, for one."

"…Okay…"

"And, of course… Yamamoto Takeshi."

"Takeshi…?" Bel pushed himself up with his elbow and looked over his shoulder at the Arcobaleno. "Why Takeshi…?"

"He would be a most perfect test subject, don't you agree?"

"No… Not Takeshi…"

"But don't you want your babies back?" There was a taunting in Verde's voice now, and if Bel was in his right mind, he would realise that there was more than just what Verde was telling him. "If you give him to me, you can have them."

"…"

"Did you know they ask all the time where their father is? Why they have never met him? What am I supposed to tell them? That their father didn't love them enough to try and get them back? It would break their little hearts."

"…" Bel curled into a ball as he grit his teeth. Maybe it was the emptiness that was consuming him, or he had just had his sanity snap for good, but whatever it was, it made him nod. "…Alright…"

Verde smirked. He turned around to leave the room, but before he did so, he said, "Make sure you lead them clueless to one of my hideouts. I will leave directions for you in the coming days. If you do this, you can have your kids back."

Bel said nothing; he didn't understand why, but even now, he was still feeling as numb as he had been since he regained consciousness earlier.