Chapter 8: The Definition of Impossibility

"Your existence is not impossible. But it's also not very likely."

-Welcome to Night Vale

"Cloud, are you… all right?"

I shifted tired eyes to Dino, who was giving me a very worried look from across the table. He shifted, concerned and uncomfortable in the silence before I answered.

"Fucking peachy," I muttered, which was a lie, of course. Peachy did not describe the obvious bags under my eyes and my more than sour mood. My eyes shifted again and I stared into my coffee blankly. Dino blinked and looked back at Romario who shared his troubled expression.

"What should I do?" he mouthed to his right hand man.

The said right hand man simply shrugged his shoulders. Dino narrowed his eyes, clearly disappointed and mouthed again,

"You're useless."

Meanwhile, I was still in the same state, finding my coffee to be the most interesting thing in the world. Well, more interesting than the headache that has been depriving me of sleep for the past few days.

"Have you tried getting more sleep, Cloud?" Dino asked hesitantly, clearly testing me. My head shot up, glaring at him.

"Really, Dino? You'd think I haven't tried that? What, are you going to tell me to stay hydrated or drink more milk or something next?" I remarked sharply. His frown deepened, slightly hurt, and immediately, I regretted my words. Under his gaze, I decided to elaborate more:

"It's this motherfucking headache!" I nearly cried, clutching my head, "It's been going on for the past couple of days and it gets worse every time I try to sleep! Usually, I'm able to tolerate it more around 10 or so, but when night hits and I try to go to sleep, 'bam' and it's back!"

My head made a solid thunk sound as it collided with the table, and with this collision, I groaned loudly. Dino stared at me and leaned over to pat my head gently, not really knowing what else to do. He knew not to ask any other stupid questions, knowing that I would have already tried every commonly known way to cure a head ache. So, he did the only other thing he could do at this point and tried to physically comfort me.

Well, he got good-big-brother-points for trying.

Concealer did wonders to hide the dark bags under my eyes. Although I was slightly dismayed that it diluted the freckled on my face, I knew that the makeup was sorely needed; I looked awful, with the small amount of sleep I had been able to get. But today, I needed to look presentable, at the least.

It was Reborn and Bianchi's wedding after all.

Dino had gotten a call just the other day and before I knew it, I spent a sleep deprived plane ride getting told what I was supposed to do in the wedding over the phone by the bride herself. Bianchi had held me in such high regards for telling her where Reborn was all those years ago, that I was the maid of honor in her wedding. She had even coerced (threatened) me in wearing a dress and everything. I didn't mind, finding it to be an honor and all, but was still slightly disturbed, despite knowing it wasn't a real wedding (Reborn was like, what? 50 something technically? And Bianchi Was 17?). Well, at least my head ache was getting to the tolerable stage by this time, leaving me in a lightly more bearable state as we rode to the wedding.

Immediately, Dino called Reborn as soon as we got in the car and headed off to the church.

"Hey, congrats on the wedding Reborn," my brother began as I leaned my forehead against the window, still agonizing over the head ache. He continued, "Haha, what do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about?"

I saw Dino 's reflection in the window pale and almost drop the phone.

"WHAT?! YOU'RE RUNNING AWAY! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S UP TO ME?" I groaned and threw my hand back, patting Dino's face until I found his lips and covered them.

"Ssssshhh," I hushed him, "Loud words... not now." Dino sent me an apologetic look as he whispered back into the phone.

"What do you mean by replacement?" I gave him a thumbs up, approving of his new volume setting. "Is that really going to work, Reborn? Wait, don't hang up!" He leaned back and sighed in anguish as his tutor cut off the conversation.

"Problems?" I mumbled, my voice muffled from pressing face against the window.

"Yeah, Reborn ran off. I think he was sleeping when Bianchi asked him to marry her and she misunderstood his nods as a yes," Dino explained running his hand through his hair.

"Ah, sounds fun," I drawled, not surprised at the least. Dino blinked at my lack of reaction, but put it off as my lack of sleep.

"You really need to get that problem fixed, Cloud," he said seriously. "It's starting to really affect you." I pushed myself up with a little effort, waving him off shakily.

"I'll be fine," I assured him pathetically, only to fall forward, leaning on the seat in front of me. "Just charging for the wedding." Dino sighed at my state, and continued his explanation.

"Reborn has left a replacement doll to put in his stead for the wedding, so I'll be busy controlling that. If the poison scorpion finds out her bailed on her, the results with be catastrophic."

"That's nice..." I commented, beginning to slide down the back of the seat. Dino frowned and pulled me back up, gently.

"Are you even listening, Cloud?" He asked, smoothing my hair out. I nodded drunkenly.

"Yes; Bianchi has a cat trophy, right?" He stared at me. I sleepily blinked back at him.

"No..."

The moment I stepped out of the car, I was ushered to the bride's waiting room and changed into a very pretty light purple bride's maid dress. It was all kind of a blur getting ready, trying to ignore the head ache and everything, and before I knew it, Kyoko, Haru, Tsuna and Nana were there, gushing over Bianchi.

"Thanks you guys," Bianchi said shyly, putting a hand to her cheek. "I've always wanted to be a June bride. I asked Reborn about it, and he nodded in agreement many times."

"June bride! How wonderful!" Haru cooed, a dreamy look on her face.

"I want to be one too!" Kyoko agreed and then turned back to me with a bright smile, "and Cloud-chan looks pretty too!" Haru nodded in agreement, enthusiastically. I waved them off, putting on a happy face for them.

"You're too kind!" I held back a wince and another pulse went through my head. Tsuna glanced over at me, a concerned look on his face (stupid hyper intuition).

"Reborn's just in the room next door. Are you going to take a look?" Nana asked her son.

"Yeah," Tsuna nodded, looking away from me. I got up and grabbed his shoulder, leaning on it somewhat.

"I'll come too," I informed him as we walked out, "I haven't seen Reborn yet either." I left out the part that I knew I could wallow in agony in the other room since it was just him and Dino. He's already worried about me anyways, so it wouldn't hurt to fall apart in their company. Tsuna knocked on the door and peeked his head in once we arrived.

"Reborn?" He stepped inside the room. I went straight for the comfy chair in the corner and plopped down in it, making myself as comfortable as possible. Tsuna lit up upon seeing his tutor:

"Wow! You're looking all formal too! The clothes really do make you the man! For something like this you should have told me earlier! But, still..." he took to the figure's arm to shake it, "Congratulations!" There was a cracking sound. I watched lazily as the arm in Tsuna's hand just popped off.

"IT CAME OFF!"

I winced at the volume, clutching my head and curling up further in the chair. Another figure burst into the room

"Who is it?" Dino called out, but instantly relaxed when he saw us, "Oh, it's just Tsuna and Cloud."

"DINO-SAN! REBORN'S H-" I nailed him in the head with my shoe.

"Ssssshhhhhh!" I hissed at him, clutching my head. Tsuna stared at me, rubbing his head tenderly.

"What's wrong with Cloud?" he whispered, lowering his volume wisely.

"She's been having a really bad head ache for the past few days and hasn't been able to get any sleep," Dino explained, the worried look returning, "I'm having her checked out when we return." Hesitantly, he turned his attention back to the subject at hand: "Oh, and that's a doll. That's why the arm came off."

"A-a doll? Then where's Reborn?" Tsuna questioned, keeping his inquisitions at an acceptable volume for once.

"He didn't come. In fact," Dino admitted sheepishly, "you could say that he ran away."

"THE GRO-" I shot him a glare - "The groom ran away?" Tsuna hissed. Dino nodded and repeated what he had told me earlier in the car.

"Then it was a misunderstanding on Bianchi's part! And if Bianchi finds out that Reborn ran away..." Tsuna concluded, paling.

"We'll all be dead," I finished lamely for him, then tacked on "Actually, that would be a lot less painful than the state I'm in now..."

"I think Reborn saw this coming," Dino continued after they gave me pitiful looks.

"This is a replacement? Won't we get busted immediately is we use a doll?!" Tsuna reasoned.

"Say that again if you have the guts," the doll said in an exact copy of Reborn's voice. I sighed and put a pillow over my head as Tsuna let out a shrill scream. Dino laughed, but then winced, sending me an apologetic look.

"Even you thought it was him," Dino said, patting Tsuna on the shoulder to calm him. "It's pretty well-made. I heard he was made with Vongola's newest technology," Dino explained, holding up the remote that controlled the doll, "You can use this remote to have him do simple actions and say basic phrases and words."

"He looks exactly the same when he moves!" Tsuna admitted.

"I've already sent someone to look for Reborn, so now all we can do is use the doll to hold out for as long as we can," my brother explained. Tsuna's look he gave Dino, however, was very un-hopeful. Dino gave him another reassuring pat on the back, escorting the younger out of the room, making the doll walk out with, letting the door slam shut behind them in their exit.

I blinked at the closed door, waiting blankly.

"Gah!"

There was an exclamation from the hallway, and they burst back in, grabbed me and set me up on my feet. They dragged me out the door and shut it again. I blinked at my bare foot.

"I need my shoe..."

Surprisingly enough, the wedding itself went smoothly. At the reception I sat by Bianchi as her maid of honor (well, technically, junior maid of honor), with a blank and sleepy expression on my face. Luckily, the wedding didn't require much out of me, just to basically stand there and look pretty. I could do that easily enough.

I stopped myself before my head landed in my plate of food.

Yeah, I could do that.

Tsuna and Dino sat at a table nearby in hearing range, responding to Bianchi via the Reborn doll. I had to admit they were doing a pretty good job, and weren't fucking it up as quickly as I assumed they would. .

"Ah? Aren't you going to drink Reborn?" Bianchi asked, gazing lovingly at the doll.

"I don't need to."

"I had your favorite especially prepared," Bianchi gestured at the glasses before them, frowning only slightly. Dino barely stiffened at this small trace of suspicion from the bride, but moved to answer her remark through the doll:

"I don't need to."

"Don't be like that," Bianchi raised his drink to the doll's lip, tilting it in his mouth, "Come on." Tsuna and Dino freaked out from there table and the doll went haywire, jerking violently as it's voice box emitted obnoxiously loud noises.

"SHANANANANANANANANANA!" I winced at the loud clamor that it was producing while Bianchi fumed beside me, finally catching on.

"This... isn't Reborn. Reborn wouldn't talk like that," she concluded, her features darkening. I blinked and Bianchi had guns in her hands. I blinked again and rubbed my eyes, trying to figure out where she had those hidden. Everyone else in the room froze with shock. My brother made the first move, standing and emitting a nervous (forced) laugh.

"What are you talking about, Bianchi? Look, it's Reborn!" He gestured to the now calmed doll standing on the table.

"Ciaossu."

"This is a wedding reception! Even he would be nervous!" Dino continued, clearly scrounging to come up with excuses.

"Nervous!" Bianchi looked shocked, not having thought of that possibility. She then enveloped the Reborn doll lovingly in her arms. "You're right... I didn't consider his feelings at all. I still love him enough. Forgive me Reborn," she begged, rubbing her cheek against the doll's.

I blinked again, slumping into my arms and staring at the couple.

This woman is a different type of crazy.

After I changed into my next dress (courtesy of the bride), I slipped into the groom's changing room in the middle of Gokudera agreeing to help Dino and Tsuna. Ignoring everybody else completely, I dove for the chair I deemed most comfortable. The other occupants of the room hadn't seen to notice me enter. I watched idly as Lambo popped in, wanting to play with the remote that controlled Reborn, much to Dino and Tsuna's dismay. Grumpily, I turned around and covered my ears, trying to block out the noise. My headache had only grown stronger throughout the ceremonies, and was reaching it's climax.

As I closed my eyes, the drumming in my head overtaking all my other senses. I could feel it vibrating through me, nearly in a physical sense. I squeezed my eyes tighter, opening them to find myself in a small, metal, square shaped room.

But despite its compactness, I felt even tinier, curling my bared body up against a corner, skin against the cold metallic walls. My lips quivered, but I formed them into a tight line, glaring at the opposing wall; the source of the beating, the wall shaking with each blow. Putting a hand against cold metal, I pushed my small body forward and up, keeping my hand on the wall to brace myself. Despite my latch onto the wall, I shook as I yelled,

"Get out! Get out, get out, get out!" I yelled, eventually, balling my fist and then clutching my head as both my own volume and the aggressiveness of the beating grew. I fell to my knees, the contact emitting a sharp clanking noise.

The beating stopped all at once, as if it had heard my outburst.

I let out a shiver of a breath, the hot air from my mouth visible. Still shaking (scared, tired), I warily approached the wall, a small hand going to touch it. But I froze, seeing movement at the corner of the wall,

And I screamed as the head of a snake writhed and entered through a small space between the metal. Immediately, I kicked it with my bare foot, shoving it back into it's forced opening, scrambling back as it was sealed with ice. The beating began again and I pushed myself to the center of the room, the noise far more vicious than before.

I let out a guttural scream, overcome with frustration and emotion, and with this cry, ice spiraled from around me, leaving a small beacon of metal where I sat. The ice continued to spread, covering the box, and cracking as the beating continued, only to be covered again by more layers of ice.

Tears, hot and steaming, leaked from my eyes, morphing to pearls that clinked to the floor. I hugged myself harder as the drumming increased, something I didn't think was possible.

"Go away," I whimpered into my folded arms, then buried my head deeper in them, hugging my knees to my body, "Please, just go away…," I pleaded again as a new voice echoed through the box I had trapped myself in.

"Cloud..."

"Cloud...!"

"Nikita!"

Dino caught my arm as I lashed out at him, my eyes wide and cheek stained with tears. I stared at him in shock, and drew my hand back, that fact that I tried to hit Dino sinking in and mortifying me.

"I'm sorry," I choked out. I winced as another pulse went through my head, and more tears followed as I continued to shake my head, repeating, "I'm sorry, Dino, I'm sorry…."

Dino continued to stare at me. Suddenly, he shocked me, enveloping me in a warm hug. I hesitated, my arms still shaking,

And I hugged him back, throwing my arms around my neck and burying my head into his shoulder, repeating, repeating,

"I'm sorry, Dino, I'm sorry!"

"You weren't waking up," he told me, and with these words, I realized that he was shaking as well. "Cloud," he said again, leaning back to look at me (and there were tears, the bare traces of tears, in the corner of his eyes), "Cloud, you weren't waking up."

Cold, far more striking the ice that had enveloped my dream, raced through me with these words;

when he enveloped me in a hug. I was about to say something, when I noticed that he was shaking.

Walking in to see his sister in distress while she's sleeping, trying to wake her up only to have the sick realization that she's not waking up. Not knowing what else to do, because she is not responding. She's not waking up.

He must have thought I was dying. I would have thought the same thing if our positions were switched.

He released me, and I covered my mouth with my hands, still thinking of what he had to go through. The tears came again, and I shook my head, repeating, repeating,

"I'm sorry, Dino… Oh my god, I'm sorry…."

He scowled at looked away from my distressed state.

"We need to do something about this."

Dino Cavallone could count on his fingers how many times he had seen his sister cry, and he didn't even need an entire hand. In their relationship, she had always been a calm wash for his anxiousness; something that he had learned to conceal after years under Reborn's tutelage, and tame with real life situations. But in times like this, seeing his sister break down like she had after the wedding?

His old habits reared their ugly heads, and Dino found himself worried and anxious, fiddling with his fingers and looking over nervously at his sister as they waited for the results from the doctor they had raced to as soon as they arrived in Italy. If not wringing his own hands, he found his fingers around his whip under his jacket, but no: this was not a problem he could physically fight, nor could his much-improved diplomacy solve this issue.

Her usually tanned skin was ghastly pale compared to its typical glow, her freckles resembling mars, and her brilliant green eyes (their mother's eyes), dulled.

He hated seeing her like this, and despised the fact that he couldn't do anything. And apparently, neither could anyone else:

"Physically, we can see nothing wrong, but there is has been an abundance of activity in the occipital lobe, the limbic lobe and the insular cortex. Other than that, there's nothing else really to say."

Oh, how he wanted to lash out at this poor man, to take his anger out on the doctors who could nothing, to somehow take this rage and anxiety out on himself,

But one look at his sister, Nikita still clutching her head and staring blankly at the floor,

He thanked the doctor, and put an arm around his little sister,

Gently leading her out the door.

(He hated this, seeing her suffer)

Maybe it was thanks to my head ache that I heard the invisible assassins talking about killing my brother.

It was a logical conclusion to make, seeing that I was using every sound to try to block out the head ache I was still suffering from. Without it, I would never have kicked the spots where I heard the assassins, thus breaking their camouflage suits and revealing them. They were immediately tackled by the men nearby.

"How is this possible?!" One of them wailed, "Verde said that nobody would be able to see us!" I groaned and clutched my head.

"Yeah, well you might want to try being quite next time you're plotting my brother's death," I informed them as I walked off, going to lay down.

Lay down, but not sleep. I hadn't slept since I had that horrifying nightmare.

"Bel?"

"Princess" he greeted on the other side of the phone, tacking on his typical giggle. There was a pause, and then he continued, "You sound like shit. What's wrong with you?"

I sighed, and let out a puff of humorless laughter. Of course he could tell something was wrong from just hearing me say his name.

"Listen, I really need to talk to Mammon," I said, not wanting to waste any time.

"The baby? Why would you want to talk to them?"

"Just get them, Bel," I snapped, irritated from lack of sleep. Then, I added, softer, "Please. If all goes well, I'll be seeing you soon enough anyway." I took the silence on the other end as confirmation that he was getting the illusionist.

"What do you want?" A small voice said on the other end. Blunt and straight to the point as always, which I appreciated at this time.

"I need you to look into my head," I said, returning the favor of not beating around the bush, "I think something's wrong; I've been having horrible headaches all week and it feels like someone is literally trying to break into my head. You're the only one I know who might be able to do something about this."

For a moment, when they didn't answer, I thought for sure that they were going to refuse. But the Arcobaleno eventually spoke.

"Come to the headquarters in the next hour. Don't," they demanded, "keep me waiting."

I heard a distinct click as he ended the call. I sighed, relieved, slumping into the couch I was laying on.

Maybe I was finally going to get this head ache thing solved.

(Hopefully, dear god, hopefully)

Bel greeted me as I got out of the car, casually walking down the steps of the Varia Headquarters. Immediately, he slung his arm around me and escorted me into the building per usual.

"Mammon told the prince of the princess's condition," he explained to me as he led me through the hallways to meet up with Mammon. He added on with a snicker (a forced one, attempting to lighten the mood), "I always knew there was something wrong with your head, ushishi." I feebly flicked him off only causing more laughter.

"Hey, I'm friends with you, right?" I shot back weakly. Bel frowned.

"The princess wasn't lying when she said something's wrong after all," he mused, his grin barely twitching downwards "Luckily, Mammon's good at these things. And besides, I'll be pissed If you die or something, so I'll make sure," he said, his smile sharpening, "that the baby fixes this."

And with that lingering threat (sending a shiver down my spine, being reminded of who Bel really was and how possessive he was over me), he opened a door and walked us into one of the many lounging areas in the mansion. Mammon was sitting on the couch, waiting.

"About time you got here," they huffed. The frog on their head turned into a halo, and Mammon floated over to us. "Lay on the couch," they ordered and I complied, pushing off Bel from where I had been leaning into him, and plopping down. Bel leaned over the back and Mammon floated over me.

"Now, close your eyes," the Arcobaleno instructed, voice softening, almost becoming melodic, "I need you to listen very carefully. I need you to clear your mind completely. You're going to feel a presence but try not to reject it."

I nodded hesitantly and closed my eyes. Blocking my surrounding, I cleared my mind, just as my master taught me. It was difficult with the drumming, but I managed to do it for the most part, thanking the storm Arcobaleno for his teachings.

I held myself back from lashing out when I felt an unfamiliar disturbance in my head. Yet, it was different than the drumming, which was forced and violent. This presence was careful and mindful, not trying to force its way in. I opened my eyes to find myself in the square room again, still covered in ice.

I sniffed and looked up to see a tall cloaked figure, nearly threatening if I did not know their identity.

"Mammon?" I asked, my voice small and hesitant. The figure turned its head, and despite me being small and looking from a lower angle, their face was still in shadows under the hood, with only peeks of purple triangles and tufts of hair clear on the lower half of their face. Despite them being taller than me, I could still see that they were small, short in stature; but the aura they emitted was far from small, immediately taking presence in the confined space of what was (apparently) my mind.

They nodded, and I felt a spark of comfort, safer with someone familiar. The ice around us slowly thawed back, to where it was only covering the walls. Mammon allowed their heeled boots to meet the metal ground, resound a small clunk through the space. They hummed, looking around as I pushed myself up to stand beside them (Mammon chose to ignore how my hand encased part of their cloak, and allowed me this contact, which I appreciated).

"How strange," they almost cooed, taking on a tone of curiosity, "It took more effort than I thought to enter." Mammon then knelt down to look at me, taking the hand that clutched their hood, and encasing it with one of their own. "You have a very strange mind, Cavallone," they allowed, smiling lightly (but their was an edge to it, curiosity with intention).

I stared back at them, blankly, too vulnerable to be distrustful.

"It's almost like your mind wasn't fit for this world," they admitted, dropping my hand and rising again. I raised my eyebrows, and coldness swept through me, causing the ice to spike, and spiral around me, once more covering the ground we stood on. I grew uncomfortable as the ice grew up my legs, but Mammon avoided this simple by floating again.

"What do you mean?" I asked hesitantly. Choosing to ignore my inquiry, Mammon looked to the wall where the drumming was emitting from. I winced, once again being remined of the problem at hand.

"You're lucky, Cavallone," Mammon stated, approaching the wall curiously, "I'm not interested in things like that," They brushed it off, "I'm only doing this so you owe me after all." I frowned and swallowed, knowing that Mammon would be wise in using this favor. But that, was for me to worry about later.

I winced and fell to my knees, clutching my head as another rather loud thud came from outside the wall. Mammon frowned, looking at my pain as a minor inconvenience.

"It's clear what's happening," Mammon stated plainly, "Someone's trying to get in. And I can see why, with the curious state of your mind…" they muttered, looking around once more, "They're powerful. A masterful illusionist, though nothing compared to myself," they scoffed, then continued their explanation, "Because of the… unusualness of your mentality, your mind rejects any unknown presence. This happens in all minds, but yours is rather... violent. Even I had trouble getting in, and I wasn't forcing my way, like this other person is. Whoever they are, they're formidable. A threat," they defined, "To a mind like yours. Considering you're not an illusionist, it's slightly impressive that you've lasted this long. If you hadn't come to me, and waited then this intruder would have eventually completely broken your mind," they finished coldly.

I shuddered at the thought and the air grew icier around me as I did this. Suddenly Mammon was in front of me and grabbing my shoulder.

"You're hurting me," I hissed out, my small hand weakly grabbing their wrist.

"You need to control your emotions," they warned me, voice stern, "This is your mind; it reflects everything you feel and think. You're scared, it's clear. You're the one making the ice. You need to control yourself. Learn discipline in your own mind if you don't want to become overtaken by it."

I nodded, shaking slightly, but determined. I took a breath, focusing on my training with Fon, when he had explored similar subjects.

The ice retreated back to the corner it had started from, but warily, I kept that ice there, still afraid that the snake would came back again. Mammon gave a small nod of approval.

"Now, I can take down the barriers holding the intruder," they noted, putting their hand on the wall. I looked away from the beating wall to stare at them in shock. "I can't stop them from doing this," they explained, "since it's your mind and I might damage it if we start fighting. Which if I did anything to truly damage you, it would be troublesome, with Bel and Squalo…" They tutted, then continued, "Besides, I'm only here to stop the headache, and after I remove the barrier you put up, it should stop. This will let the other illusionist in your mind, of course, but you can confront them later. I couldn't care less. It's up to you, Cavallone," they finished, carelessly, blasé as usual.

I huffed, but excepted this attitude; I had expected no less from Mammon, and was simply glad they were helping, no matter the debt I now owed them. I looked to the wall, and frowned.

"I won't see them now, will I?" I asked, a little nervous, my breath becoming visible as I said this.

"I can make so I'll be removing the barrier as soon as you wake up," Mammon assured me "But you'll have to face them eventually." I hesitated, but I nodded, calming myself. I blinked, surprised to see that was not as tall as I previously thought. I looked down, however, realizing that I had grown, not as small as I had physically been throughout this exchange. I seemed I was my proper age and in my usual body.

"I'll deal with this intruder later," I said to the Varia's illusionist. Almost hesitantly, I added, "When I'm ready." I lifted a foot, but with another breath, I stepped forward, feeling warmth beneath my bare feet. Stones and vines seemed to grow from two opposing walls, while the other two fell to grass and water, a stream swelling from my footsteps as I walked to the center of the deteriorating cube. The air became warmer, pleasantly so, despite the threat of dryness it still held (apprehension? I still had to face this person after all).

"I'll take down the barrier now, completely," Mammon informed me, holding their arms up, but paused. "Remember, Cavallone," they turned back to me, "this person is a powerful illusionist. When you confront them, remember that this is your mind. Learn control, or fall under theirs." I nodded, swallowing again, but pushing aside this uneasiness.

"Thank you, Mammon." They snorted, their voice body, everything, turning into a haze and fading.

"Just remember, you're in my debt now, Nikita Cavallone."

I woke up to Bel poking my cheek. He let loose a Cheshire grin when he saw that I was awake.

"About time you woke up, Princess. The prince was getting bored just watching you sleep." I shooed him away from my face and looked up to see Mammon.

"Well?" I asked them.

"The barriers are down," they informed me, "but I didn't see who was trying to get in. They must have sensed my presence and left. Smart move," they tutted, floating out of the room, washing their hands in this business. I sighed, loving the feeling of the lack of drumming in my head.

"Oh, well. They'll no doubt be back later," I shrugged and pushed myself up from the couch, feeling rather elated at the moment, despite my lack of sleep (Eh, I'll just crash later when I get back home). "Right now," I said, stretching my arms up and biting back a yawn, "I need to get back and get some sleep."

Bel frowned and leaned on the back of the couch, pouting.

"The prince," he began, jutting his chin, "is pissed that the princess only came to see the baby and then leaves so quickly," Bel informed me, spinning his knife around to show his irritation. I waved him off, knowing that he wouldn't use his knives on me.

"Stop pouting," I nearly scolded, "We'll do something sometime soon, promise. In case you forgot, I haven't had sleep for the past week, and I'm eager to go home and catch up on it," I finished, sticking my tongue out at him. He snorted, pushing himself off the couch, and folding his arms behind his head. He indicated to the door before leading the way out of the room, making his final statement,

"Fine, but the prince gets to decided what we're doing."

And I paled slightly, not exactly liking the idea of my best friend planning our activities.

Truthfully, I think I fell asleep even before I hit the bed. I could kiss Mammon for what they did, but I knew that it came with consequences; I had to face the intruder that had been trying to get into my head. It was a scary thought, to face a dangerous stranger that actually had the power to get into peoples' heads (an illusionist, a powerful one at that); but at the same time, I wanted to face them because, quite frankly, I was pissed. I missed a week of sleep because of them, and worse, they were the reason that my brother was worried sick over me.

So there was a possibility that I may kill them after meeting them.

I blinked, eyelashes fluttering as I was met with the green covered walls of my canyon. The soft trickling of a stream met me as I pushed myself up, feeling the tingling of grass beneath me. I took a sharp breath at the scene around me. It was a beautiful, vibrant garden, slightly resembling the one we had at the mansion, merging with the canyon landscape of my past life. The scene was filled with numerous amount of glorious plants and flowers, all of which my mother taught me the names of in my childhood. Warmth flooded me, as I was bombarded with memories, each flower blossoming further and growing more vibrant with these thoughts. In that moment, I forgot where I was and what I was doing, until a voice startled me, pulling me out of my wonder.

"Kufufu, well after all this time, it's a pleasure to meet the owner of this strange mind."

I whipped around and stared at the stranger who I immediately recognized.

"I'm Mukuro Rokudo, but," his mismatched eyes narrowed as a dangerous smile slipped onto his face, "you already knew that."

AN:

Shorter chapter, but I like leaving it off there. Hopefully, I can knock a lot out in the next chapter. I'll come back and really look for mistakes later, but right now I must be off to finish the work I'm actually supposed to be doing, and then go to sleep. Because sleep is important kids. Tell your friends.

Also, reminder, that my tumblr blogs Leigh-Lingo and she-has-her-fathers-eyes are taking requests, if you request anything, please consider buying me coffee if you can, since I've kind of hit hard times with everything that's been happening. And even if you can't, request something anyways! I'm always happy to talk to you guys, it really brightens my day.

And for those asking about how Bel would react to knowing about Cloud and Yamamoto, that will definitely come up int he next chapter, haha

Thanks!

-Evenly