KHR: After the Rain (Fran, Bel)
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Mild Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Fran is witness to the keeping of a promise. Continuation of Meeting of Mist and Storm Warning.
This took so long because the ending I had planned does not want to be written. Xanxus is an ass and doesn't care if his family falls to pieces. So this story continues until Bel and Fran somehow reach an understanding... damn, this is never going to end.
After the Rain
"Commander Idiot, we've successfully taken over the Millefiore base in Florence."
"Good. Any casualties?"
"One near miss." Fran held out his coat by the tips of his fingers so that light filtered through the holes in the tattered garment. "Hit by 'friendly' fire as soon as I turned my attention to the enemy."
Squalo shrugged, unconcerned. "Bel tries to kill all of us from time to time. But we're still alive, aren't we?"
"Except for Mammon. Which is ironic because I bet he's the one person senpai never tried to kill."
"Vooiii, brat, that's where you're wrong. He's tried to kill Mammon plenty of times. Mammon's tentacle illusions were a result of Bel's constant attempts on his life. When he first came into the Varia, Mammon favored wrapping his enemies with barbed wire."
Fran could guess the rest. "But then Bel-senpai would go crazy at the sight of his own blood."
"Mammon came up with the tentacles to restrain Bel until he was subdued."
"Ah, I see." Fran looked pensive, then raised a hand. "So, Commander Idiot, you're saying that not only Lussuria and Levi-san, but that Bel-senpai and Mammon are - or were - also perverts? That's a little troubling, since I'm not into S&M."
Squalo slapped a hand to his face and let it stay there. "I can't tell whether you're being serious or just trying to be annoying. But as I see it, you have two choices. One, figure out how to deal with Bel. Or two, get killed by him."
"How about option three, I kill Bel-senpai," Fran counter-offered.
"Voooiiiii!!! There is no option three!!! And I'm taking away option two! Now go make peace before I kick both your scrawny asses for insubordination!!!!"
Fran sighed in resignation. "Yes, sir."
-----
"Bel-senpai? Are you in there, you anorexic mop of hair?" Fran called out, easing the door to Bel's room open with his foot. When no knives embedded themselves into the doorframe, Fran risked decapitation and poked his head in.
The gauzy canopy was pulled back on the four-poster bed, revealing rumpled but empty sheets. A quick scan around the room confirmed that the resident was out.
Fran shut the door, wondering where to search next. He had been passive-aggressive in his avoidance of Bel since their confrontation during his induction ceremony. He didn't know much about Bel's hobbies or where he vanished to in between missions. Frankly, he thought he was better off not knowing.
If Mammon was still alive, Fran guessed that would be where he would find Bel.
In a flash of inspiration, he turned to the room right across from Bel's.
The door opened without a squeak and Fran looked around with curiosity. It was his first time seeing Mammon's room. The old mist guardian had guarded his privacy jealously, shrouding himself in mystery, shunning command positions like Levi with his lightning squad, and keeping a distance from all but the core Varia members.
In contrast to Bel's lavishly decorated bedroom, this room was very plain and functional, with dark carpeting, basic white walls, and sparse furniture. It wasn't unheard of for an illusionist, who could change up the scenery with a touch of his mind.
Fran walked around, stirring up a layer of dust. If Bel had come in here, it hadn't been anytime recent. The exploration of the room turned up no significant memento, no dramatic insight into its former occupant's character, only neglect and emptiness. It was as if a ghost had lived there.
Fran didn't know why he felt so... let down.
Sneezing, he patted the dust off his clothing as best as he could and headed to the balcony for some fresh air.
He leaned against the railing, crossing his arms on the warm stone and resting his chin on them. As he stared blankly at the garden below, Bel sauntered into view.
"Ah, Bel--" Fran cut himself off as he noticed Bel's unusual appearance. He was out of uniform, but not in the striped shirt that he was fond of lounging around in. He wore an impeccable white suit, pressed pants, vest, and long, form-fitting jacket trimmed with gold, the ensemble dressed down by a dark scarf tied into a sloppy oversized bow around his neck.
Bel's hands were in his pockets, and tucked under one arm, was a giant bouquet of red roses. He disappeared into the wooded area south of the castle's border, leaving Fran puzzling over what he had just seen.
The idea of Bel going on a date was weird and white wasn't practical for assassination. Not that practicality would stop Bel from killing, but they had just returned from the siege in Florence. Even Bel's thirst for blood should be sated for a few more days.
Fran vaulted over the railing and landed lightly in the garden four stories below. Wrapping himself in illusion, he quickly headed in the same direction that Bel had gone.
Tailing wasn't difficult. Bel hadn't bothered covering his tracks, and his footprints were clear in the wet soil. They led Fran up to a clearing, where they abruptly disappeared.
"..."
Fran eyed the roses tossed on the ground like a baited trap, then raised his head to canvass the tree branches above. An aerial attack was most probable.
"Senpai? Are you here? I outgrew hide-and-seek in primary school."
He walked out into the open, still fully on guard. When nothing happened, he eased his way to the roses, noticing for the first time, the granite slab behind it.
Fran crouched down, resting his hands on his knees.
Rest in Pieces
Mammon
b. ??? - d. ???
Killed by his own stupidity
An infuriatingly stubborn bastard and
Fran reached out to move the roses out of the way to read the rest. He felt the killing intent a split second before the shift in air. He leapt out of the way in time for the knives to shred through the roses and thunk into the tombstone.
"Shishishi. What's this? Annoying little flies buzzing around a decaying corpse?"
"Mammon isn't buried here. His body was never recovered."
Bel looked like he was about to argue, but simply shrugged. "No, it wasn't. But the Prince made a promise and princes always keep their promises."
Fran stepped aside, giving Bel full berth to retrieve his knives. Bel rested a hand on top of the stone.
"Ushishishishishishi~"
Bel raised his arms and started to sway.
"What are you doing, senpai?" Fran felt compelled to ask.
"Shishishi. You should be able to tell by looking. I'm performing the royal dance."
"Oh. I thought you might be having a seizure. I was prepared to get a shovel to make use of this fake grave."
"Shut up, peasant, before I rip you into so many pieces that there won't be enough left to scrape into an urn," Bel threatened pleasantly, continuing his strange ritual.
Fran took heed of the suggestion for about five seconds.
"Bel-senpai, I hope your father fired your ballroom instructor. The only thing even remotely princelike about you right now is your appearance. I can't tell if you're trying to honor or insult Mammon's memory."
"Mammon was a thousand times cuter than you," Bel remarked snidely. "And he was an uncute bastard."
"Ouch. That wounds me, senpai. If I apologize and say your dance is awesome, will you bring flowers to my grave?"
"No. I only did it to irritate Mammon, since he hated unnecessary extravagance. He would have complained that I should have just given him the money instead. Shishishi, that miserly penny-pinching midget..."
The two of them stood in silence, the fake prince and the fake mist, sharing a transient truce over the fake grave marked with the alias of a person who had lived a life of illusion. There was something fitting about that.
"...muu."
Bel looked up sharply.
"Ah, don't mind me, senpai. I just felt like trying it out."
"Hmm..." Bel tilted his head and studied Fran, fanning and unfanning a set of knives.
"You don't resemble him in the least," he decided, tucking his knives away.
There was something in the way he said it that caught Fran's attention.
"Senpai, I didn't think it was possible that anyone would take you into their confidence, being that you're a mean, petty person who takes self-involvement to a whole new level... but did Mammon show you his true form?"
"The Prince is privileged to all sorts of secrets," Bel declared snobbishly and Fran rolled his eyes.
"I saw him," Fran offered. "The day he left, I caught a glimpse of him as a dark shadowy wizard. He radiated the same powerful aura as my master."
"Ushishishi. That wasn't him." Bel lazily stretched his arms and laced his fingers behind his head. "He just showed you an illusion of what he wanted you to see. Pretty pathetic of you to fall for it, as another mist."
"Then what was he, really?"
"Mammon was just Mammon, nothing else." Bel's tone was final, discouraging further discussion. "Now stop following me, pest, before I cut out your eyes and cram them up your nose. The Prince is through mingling with ill-mannered commoners like you."
-----
to be continued
-----
Genre: Mild Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Summary: Fran is witness to the keeping of a promise. Continuation of Meeting of Mist and Storm Warning.
This took so long because the ending I had planned does not want to be written. Xanxus is an ass and doesn't care if his family falls to pieces. So this story continues until Bel and Fran somehow reach an understanding... damn, this is never going to end.
After the Rain
"Commander Idiot, we've successfully taken over the Millefiore base in Florence."
"Good. Any casualties?"
"One near miss." Fran held out his coat by the tips of his fingers so that light filtered through the holes in the tattered garment. "Hit by 'friendly' fire as soon as I turned my attention to the enemy."
Squalo shrugged, unconcerned. "Bel tries to kill all of us from time to time. But we're still alive, aren't we?"
"Except for Mammon. Which is ironic because I bet he's the one person senpai never tried to kill."
"Vooiii, brat, that's where you're wrong. He's tried to kill Mammon plenty of times. Mammon's tentacle illusions were a result of Bel's constant attempts on his life. When he first came into the Varia, Mammon favored wrapping his enemies with barbed wire."
Fran could guess the rest. "But then Bel-senpai would go crazy at the sight of his own blood."
"Mammon came up with the tentacles to restrain Bel until he was subdued."
"Ah, I see." Fran looked pensive, then raised a hand. "So, Commander Idiot, you're saying that not only Lussuria and Levi-san, but that Bel-senpai and Mammon are - or were - also perverts? That's a little troubling, since I'm not into S&M."
Squalo slapped a hand to his face and let it stay there. "I can't tell whether you're being serious or just trying to be annoying. But as I see it, you have two choices. One, figure out how to deal with Bel. Or two, get killed by him."
"How about option three, I kill Bel-senpai," Fran counter-offered.
"Voooiiiii!!! There is no option three!!! And I'm taking away option two! Now go make peace before I kick both your scrawny asses for insubordination!!!!"
Fran sighed in resignation. "Yes, sir."
-----
"Bel-senpai? Are you in there, you anorexic mop of hair?" Fran called out, easing the door to Bel's room open with his foot. When no knives embedded themselves into the doorframe, Fran risked decapitation and poked his head in.
The gauzy canopy was pulled back on the four-poster bed, revealing rumpled but empty sheets. A quick scan around the room confirmed that the resident was out.
Fran shut the door, wondering where to search next. He had been passive-aggressive in his avoidance of Bel since their confrontation during his induction ceremony. He didn't know much about Bel's hobbies or where he vanished to in between missions. Frankly, he thought he was better off not knowing.
If Mammon was still alive, Fran guessed that would be where he would find Bel.
In a flash of inspiration, he turned to the room right across from Bel's.
The door opened without a squeak and Fran looked around with curiosity. It was his first time seeing Mammon's room. The old mist guardian had guarded his privacy jealously, shrouding himself in mystery, shunning command positions like Levi with his lightning squad, and keeping a distance from all but the core Varia members.
In contrast to Bel's lavishly decorated bedroom, this room was very plain and functional, with dark carpeting, basic white walls, and sparse furniture. It wasn't unheard of for an illusionist, who could change up the scenery with a touch of his mind.
Fran walked around, stirring up a layer of dust. If Bel had come in here, it hadn't been anytime recent. The exploration of the room turned up no significant memento, no dramatic insight into its former occupant's character, only neglect and emptiness. It was as if a ghost had lived there.
Fran didn't know why he felt so... let down.
Sneezing, he patted the dust off his clothing as best as he could and headed to the balcony for some fresh air.
He leaned against the railing, crossing his arms on the warm stone and resting his chin on them. As he stared blankly at the garden below, Bel sauntered into view.
"Ah, Bel--" Fran cut himself off as he noticed Bel's unusual appearance. He was out of uniform, but not in the striped shirt that he was fond of lounging around in. He wore an impeccable white suit, pressed pants, vest, and long, form-fitting jacket trimmed with gold, the ensemble dressed down by a dark scarf tied into a sloppy oversized bow around his neck.
Bel's hands were in his pockets, and tucked under one arm, was a giant bouquet of red roses. He disappeared into the wooded area south of the castle's border, leaving Fran puzzling over what he had just seen.
The idea of Bel going on a date was weird and white wasn't practical for assassination. Not that practicality would stop Bel from killing, but they had just returned from the siege in Florence. Even Bel's thirst for blood should be sated for a few more days.
Fran vaulted over the railing and landed lightly in the garden four stories below. Wrapping himself in illusion, he quickly headed in the same direction that Bel had gone.
Tailing wasn't difficult. Bel hadn't bothered covering his tracks, and his footprints were clear in the wet soil. They led Fran up to a clearing, where they abruptly disappeared.
"..."
Fran eyed the roses tossed on the ground like a baited trap, then raised his head to canvass the tree branches above. An aerial attack was most probable.
"Senpai? Are you here? I outgrew hide-and-seek in primary school."
He walked out into the open, still fully on guard. When nothing happened, he eased his way to the roses, noticing for the first time, the granite slab behind it.
Fran crouched down, resting his hands on his knees.
Rest in Pieces
Mammon
b. ??? - d. ???
Killed by his own stupidity
An infuriatingly stubborn bastard and
Fran reached out to move the roses out of the way to read the rest. He felt the killing intent a split second before the shift in air. He leapt out of the way in time for the knives to shred through the roses and thunk into the tombstone.
"Shishishi. What's this? Annoying little flies buzzing around a decaying corpse?"
"Mammon isn't buried here. His body was never recovered."
Bel looked like he was about to argue, but simply shrugged. "No, it wasn't. But the Prince made a promise and princes always keep their promises."
Fran stepped aside, giving Bel full berth to retrieve his knives. Bel rested a hand on top of the stone.
"Ushishishishishishi~"
Bel raised his arms and started to sway.
"What are you doing, senpai?" Fran felt compelled to ask.
"Shishishi. You should be able to tell by looking. I'm performing the royal dance."
"Oh. I thought you might be having a seizure. I was prepared to get a shovel to make use of this fake grave."
"Shut up, peasant, before I rip you into so many pieces that there won't be enough left to scrape into an urn," Bel threatened pleasantly, continuing his strange ritual.
Fran took heed of the suggestion for about five seconds.
"Bel-senpai, I hope your father fired your ballroom instructor. The only thing even remotely princelike about you right now is your appearance. I can't tell if you're trying to honor or insult Mammon's memory."
"Mammon was a thousand times cuter than you," Bel remarked snidely. "And he was an uncute bastard."
"Ouch. That wounds me, senpai. If I apologize and say your dance is awesome, will you bring flowers to my grave?"
"No. I only did it to irritate Mammon, since he hated unnecessary extravagance. He would have complained that I should have just given him the money instead. Shishishi, that miserly penny-pinching midget..."
The two of them stood in silence, the fake prince and the fake mist, sharing a transient truce over the fake grave marked with the alias of a person who had lived a life of illusion. There was something fitting about that.
"...muu."
Bel looked up sharply.
"Ah, don't mind me, senpai. I just felt like trying it out."
"Hmm..." Bel tilted his head and studied Fran, fanning and unfanning a set of knives.
"You don't resemble him in the least," he decided, tucking his knives away.
There was something in the way he said it that caught Fran's attention.
"Senpai, I didn't think it was possible that anyone would take you into their confidence, being that you're a mean, petty person who takes self-involvement to a whole new level... but did Mammon show you his true form?"
"The Prince is privileged to all sorts of secrets," Bel declared snobbishly and Fran rolled his eyes.
"I saw him," Fran offered. "The day he left, I caught a glimpse of him as a dark shadowy wizard. He radiated the same powerful aura as my master."
"Ushishishi. That wasn't him." Bel lazily stretched his arms and laced his fingers behind his head. "He just showed you an illusion of what he wanted you to see. Pretty pathetic of you to fall for it, as another mist."
"Then what was he, really?"
"Mammon was just Mammon, nothing else." Bel's tone was final, discouraging further discussion. "Now stop following me, pest, before I cut out your eyes and cram them up your nose. The Prince is through mingling with ill-mannered commoners like you."
-----
to be continued
-----