Disclaimers: I do not own Katekyo Hitman Reborn

Chrome watched curiously as Hibari showered the school rooftop with bread crumbs.

"What are you doing?" She asked as the skylark tossed the last of the crumbs onto the roof. Silently, he lifted a finger to his lips to indicate silence. The girl watched as Hibari stood in the rooftop silently, still as a statue. Then, without warning, a whole flock of tiny little birds surrounded him, pecking the bread crumbs and cheeping happily, snuggling up against him.

Chrome smiled.

He was obviously at ease with the tiny sparrows and finches and other types of birds she couldn't recognize. The prefect watched as the crumbs disappeared. With loud chirps, the birds snuggled up to him one last time before they lifted up and flapped away. Hibari turned to look at Chrome.

Raising an elegant eyebrow, he asked, "Well?"

Chrome's heart swelled with happiness that he had allowed her to see his secret. She smiled happily. Hibari allowed a small smirk and beckoned her to come closer. The purple-haired girl walked towards him curiously and hesitantly took his outstretched hand.

He turned her small hand over, spreading her fingers apart. "Go ahead," he said, pouring crumbs into her palm. She blinked, feeling the gritty feel of bread crumbs in her hand. Scattering them on the roof, she tried to stand as still as Hibari did when he had thrown the crumbs. After a few minutes, birds also flocked her, chirping excitedly. However, they would only eat the crumbs and not go near her, snuggling up to Hibari instead. Chrome tried not to feel put down.

"They don't know you yet," he explained. She nodded in understanding.

"Okay, Cloud Person." She said simply, watching the birds contently. After they had flown away, the most surprising thing happened.

He suddenly leaned in and pressed his lips against her cheek softly. Blinking in surprise, she turned to him. He allowed a small smile before walking to the door.

"Herbivore," he said with a nod before walking away.

Chrome could only stare in shock.

*K*H*R*

Luche held a cough back, pressing her lips into a thin line. Reborn was asleep, and if she coughed, he would wake up immediately. He was a very light sleeper. Her body jerked silently with each cough as she coughed into her pressed lips.

Standing up, she made her way into the bathroom and drank a glass of water, hoping to soothe her throat. She gritted her teeth when she remembered when her doctors had suggested that she stay in the hospital where they could keep an eye on her.

Keep her where Reborn would know that she was sick? Let him suffer while she slowly withered away before his eyes? Living her last moments pumped full of drugs and be so high that she wouldn't even remember Reborn?

No.

She was going to live her last moments happily. As happily as possible, anyway. Closing her eyes, she crammed a hand into her mouth to stop from screaming. God dammit, she was scared! She was so scared of dying! Was there another world like heaven and hell? Or would it be just like sleeping, but never to wake up? There wasn't even the color black in sleep; there was just an empty space. Would she know nothing, but only rot in the dirt as maggots slowly ate her? Or would she go to hell, where everything would hurt?

Shaking, she calmed herself down, not allowing herself to think about death.

But she was so scared.

*K*H*R*

The next day, Chrome met up with Hibari at lunch. He pretended as if nothing had happened, and Chrome was happy to know that everything wasn't awkward. Munching on her sushi contently, everything was calm and quiet. Hibari worked on his papers, writing in quick motions, sliding his pen across the page rapidly. It was as if the pen was dancing.

Chrome watched as the prefect worked steadily, the pile of papers slowly diminishing. The girl was worried; Hibari never seemed to take any breaks whatsoever. Standing up quietly as to not disturb the working skylark, she made her way over to the cupboard and proceeded to make Hibari a cup of green tea.

When she had finished, the prefect had shown no signs of stopping. Setting the traditional Japanese cup onto his desk with a soft clink, she stepped back and waited for him to take a break.

He didn't.

He probably didn't even notice that the cup was there.

Chrome gritted her teeth and called out a tentative, "Cloud Person?" hoping that he would stop working and just take a moment to relax. He looked up, scowling.

"Herbivore, I need to work," he said before bending down, and the pen began dancing once more. Chrome's good eye narrowed.

"No." Hibari stiffened, and the smooth, rapid strokes of the pen stopped. Slowly, he looked up, a glint in his eagle eyes.

"What, herbivore?" he challenged her. Swallowing her saliva nervously, she spoke again.

"You should take a break, Cloud Person. I made you some green tea." She gestured towards the still steaming cup. He looked surprised at the cup; apparently, he had not noticed when she had put it on his desk. The skylark looked back up to her and she simply stared back. He smirked a little, and nodded, picking up the cup and sipping it.

He looked surprised for a moment. Chrome was curious.

"What? Is it bad? I can make you another, if you like, Cloud Person," the girl said hastily, turning to the cupboard once more.

"No," he interrupted. "It's good." The purple-haired girl heard him take another sip, along with a contented sigh. Beaming, but not letting him see how happy she was, she went back to the couch to finish her bento before the lunch bell rang.

And the two sat quietly, enjoying their bento and tea together.

*K*H*R*

Mukuro placed the pictures out strategically, eyeing each one with his mismatched eyes. M.M stood next to him, eyes cold and calculating.

"Mukuro-chan, I think some of them are imposters," she said, placing an elegant, manicured finger onto one of the pictures. She motioned towards the rest, adding, "It's impossible for him to get from Namimori Square to the park in less than five seconds. These pictures were taken approximately from 1:45 through 2:00." The redhead gestured to the first picture of Daemon in the ice-cream store before appearing at Department-Depo. The last picture was showing Daemon standing in front of Erika's English school (2).

Mukuro narrowed his mismatched eyes at the pictures. "You don't know him like I do, M.M." He growled at the pictures as if they were a threat. "It is completely possible for this bastard to be in all of these places in a short amount of time." He continued. The redhead glanced at him, but let it pass. She opened her notebook and sat down.

"Alright, first he was seen at the Depo, then at the ice-cream store." M.M drew a timeline, writing the names down. "Then, he was walking past Erika's-," M.M cut herself off, biting her lip. Mukuro snapped his head towards her, eyes blaring.

"What, M.M?" He snarled. The redhead chewed her lip thoughtfully, before turning to her laptop, tapping on the keys. "What?" he repeated, his mismatched eyes narrowing. M.M. zoomed in on the three pictures, crinkling her brow. Then she let out a sigh, pushing the laptop towards Mukuro.

"It's not him," she sighed, indicating to the picture where Daemon was in front of the ice cream store. "See his hairline? Its starts off as brown, before getting cut off to be blue." She slapped her hand onto the table angrily. "It's a wig. They're all fakes. That's how he's getting everywhere; he's using decoys."

Mukuro narrowed his eyes. "He's toying with us," he snarled, noticing that in each picture his brother's henchmen were wearing smirks. "He's only toying with us, that bastard." The purple-haired teen slammed his palms onto the desk, causing M.M to jump in fear. The man's mismatched eyes glittered as he turned to M.M.

"M.M., use your hacking skills to find out everything about his accomplices, where he has been, who Daemon is, and how he got out of Vendicare. I expect a report by tomorrow, got that?" M.M nodded, before patting Mukuro's hand soothingly.

"Mukuro-chan, we'll find him and get him. It'll be okay." She said, and pressed a chaste kiss to his forehead, standing up on her toes to reach. "Everything will be alright," she assured and hurried off with her laptop.

Mukuro watched her walk off, before his red eye began to spin. Turning to the shadows, he hissed out a little command.

"Fuuta, go to Daemon and get recruited; with your talents at analyzing things, it won't be hard." The young boy nodded dumbly, his eyes glazed over. Tucking his huge notebook with contained all of his analyses of different people, Fuuta walked off without a second glance back. Mukuro watched as the little boy disappeared. He smiled grimly.

"Ku, I wonder if that little boy will make it out alive."

*K*H*R*

"Ugh… that boy was so scary!" A man with a beard and glasses moaned. "I got the girl, took her to the car, and we were about to get away, but he followed! Dill's got a concussion and I think Manny's scarred for life." The man grumbled to a blonde, who also had glasses on. The blonde smacked him.

"Julie, it was your fault that he followed! If you were more careful, none of this would've happened! And now, the damn car's broken!" The blonde scowled ferociously. Julie held his hands up defensively.

"Hey now, Koyo! Calm down!" Julie said hurriedly, not wanting to pick a fight. Koyo sniffed disdainfully, turning away. The bearded man sighed, and he jumped when he heard the door knock. Koyo whipped around, crouching into a boxing stance.

"Julie," he hissed, eyes on the door. "Get the others. I'll take a look." Julie disappeared, and Koyo stalked forward, and peered through the peephole.

It was a small, brown-haired boy who looked to be no older than eight. Wearing a red scarf and holding a humongous book, the boy timidly reached up to knock on the door again. The blonde yanked the door open before the brunette could knock.

"Who the hell are you?" he snapped rudely. The boy stared at him with wide eyes. Clutching the book tighter to him, he whispered his name.

"Fuuta. I'm Fuuta." He whispered softly. Koyo crossed his arms, eyeing the boy.

"What do you want, Fuuta?" he tested the name, and it sounded familiar. The boy rearranged his red scarf nervously.

Clearing his throat, he said, "I don't want to speak to you. You're not the top boss." Koyo twitched; who did this kid think he was? The boy continued, as if oblivious to the blonde's thoughts. "Bosses don't answer the door, nor do they answer the doors rudely. It might scare clients away. Judging by the glasses, blonde hair, and irritated look, I suspect that you're not even close to be a person of high rank. I need to write this down." The irritating kid bent down, opened his giant book, and began to write.

The book was full of messy, scrawled letters, and the boy was writing furiously. Julie came from behind Koyo, surprising the hot-headed blonde.

"A boy? You overreacted over a boy?" the bearded man snickered, and the younger blonde promptly hit him on the head.

"Shut up," he snarled, and he turned to the boy. "Why are you here? How did you get here?" Koyo demanded. Julie chuckled.

"You're using the brains your mother gave you. Good job, Koyo." The said man gave him and icy glare, and Julie immediately stopped laughing, rearranging his features to look solemn. It was almost comical.

"I want to join you guys." Fuuta said, closing his book smartly with a snap. Julie burst out laughing, as well as Birds, whom the bearded man had brought along.

"Ahaha! Nice one!" he wheezed after a while. But when Fuuta continued to look at him expectantly, the laughter died away. Julie stared at Fuuta incredulously. "Wait, you're serious?"

Fuuta nodded.

"Nufufu," a chuckled echoed eerily. "The famous Ranking Prince Fuuta. Welcome. I'm Daemon Spade." Daemon materialized out of nowhere, chuckling madly. Koyo, Birds, and Julie stepped backwards respectfully. Daemon knelt down in front of the young boy, making him the same height as Fuuta.

"Daemon-san," the young boy began quietly. "I want to join you." Daemon raised an elegant eyebrow.

"Oh? Nufu, this is surprising. May I ask why?"

"Rokudo hurt me," the boy's eyes filled with tears. "Rokudo hurt me. I want to hurt him." Daemon nodded understandingly.

"Of course," he said graciously. "You may join. Your analyzing skills and ability to rank people are quite impressive. You will be a great addition to our team. That is, nufu, if you really want to join." Extending a hand towards the brunette, Daemon smirked, waiting for Fuuta to take it.

The boy hesitated. Daemon waited, and the people around watched with bated breath. Fuuta took the crouching man's hand, before whipping out a knife and swung it down towards Daemon.

But the blue-haired man had anticipated it, countering the knife with his scythe. Knocking the knife away, Daemon restrained the brunette, all the while laughing madly.

"Nufufufu! You're under Mukuro's curse! My, my, what audacity he has, to send a controlled, pathetic little boy to me." Fuuta's eyes went wide as he struggled to get out of Daemon's grip. The said man turned the boy around, looking into the younger boy's eyes.

They were glazed over, a clear sign that he was being controlled.

Daemon grinned, as his right eye glowed brighter. He stood up, throwing the boy to the ground. "Mukuro, my little brother. This is a message for you." He said, raising his scythe, a glint in his eyes.

And the boy's screams echoed throughout the compound as blood splashed onto the floor.

*K*H*R*

Hibari walked Chrome home, the two walking in comfortable silence. The clouds were rumbling, and it looked as if it was going to rain. Chrome didn't mind, though. As weird as it was, she liked walking in the rain. Hibari shot a look at her when she gave a small giggle.

"What, herbivore?" She smiled happily, practically skipping.

"I like walking in the rain. It's soothing," she explained. The prefect stared, his face scrunching up in distaste. Chrome smiled even wider. "Cloud Person doesn't like it?" He said nothing, his face sullen and moody. The rain slowly began to fall, and Chrome laughed aloud, tilting her head up to the sky. Pouring steadily and heavily, within minutes the two were drenched, their uniforms clinging to them.

Chrome laughed at Hibari's expression. He looked like a wet cat. Grabbing his hand without really thinking about it, she pulled him over to a puddle and proceeded to jump into it, making it splash onto him. He growled and he began to chase the laughing girl.

Shrieking with laughter, she just barely managed to avoid his hands. Suddenly, without any warning, a yellow, wet ball of feathers barreled into her face.

"Chrome! Caught!" Hibird chirped happily. At the distraction, Hibari seized her around the waist and lifted her up onto his shoulder. Gasping with surprise, Chrome tried to get out of his hold, her hands scrabbling uselessly at his shoulders.

"Cloud Person! No! Wait!" she gasped, breathless from laughter.

"No." He replied stoutly. Helplessly, she bounced on his shoulder as he walked towards a tree to wait for the rain to stop. He set her down gently. Chrome pouted childishly; she had wanted to continue to play in the rain. Suddenly, the skylark shook his head, drying his hair like a dog. Chrome gasped as the cold drops came raining down on her.

"C-Cloud Person!" she yelped, her hands held out to shield herself from the onslaught of raindrops. "It's- it's cold!" He stopped, smirking. The smirk practically said "It's your fault."

Chrome stuck her tongue out in retaliation, and he merely sighed at her. Leaning against the tree, the two waited for the rain to stop. After a while, the girl began to shiver. Hibari noticed, but he couldn't do anything because they were both wet. As the rain slowed down to a drizzle, Chrome suggested that they risk it and run back to her house. He contemplated for a while, before nodding.

The two of them set out, running as fast as they could. After training with Lal and Collonello, Chrome had strengthened her muscles, so she wasn't as slow as before. Now, she could keep up with Hibari.

She felt Hibari's shock and inwardly smiled. They slowed to a stop at her front door, and Chrome went in, shivering. Dumping her soaked school bag onto the floor, she called out for Fran.

"Fran, I'm back. Cloud Person is here too." She announced. Fran popped his head through the door in the kitchen. He waved a spatula around with a bored expression.

"Oh, Chrome, good. I was starting to get worried. You," he pointed at Hibari, "… can stay here and dry off." He drawled, before he disappeared back into the kitchen. Hibari watched with an amused look. Giggling quietly, Chrome tugged on the skylark's wet sleeve.

"Come on," she said softly, and they went up the stairs. Chrome went into the guest room, where Skull currently occupied the room. However, Skull preferred to sleep with Mammon, and Mammon didn't like sleeping without Skull. Opening the closet door, she pulled out a white collared shirt and black pants. Chrome handed them to Hibari.

"It's Skull-san's, but it's the biggest we have. Fran's too small, sorry." She said apologetically. Hibari gave a 'Hn', and turned to walk out. "Cloud Person, I'll go heat up the water." She said, and he nodded stoically. Chrome was confused.

As she turned to faucet on, she thought back to what happened. At first, the skylark had even played with her in the rain, but now everything was awkward. Why? Biting her lip, she stood up, not really paying attention to where she was going. Chrome admitted that she had been a little out of character, laughing and screaming like crazy, but why was everything awkward? She called to Hibari as she walked out and…

…slipped on a bar of soap.

Crashing onto the floor and crying out in pain, Chrome clutched her ankle and bit her lip. Shakily, she stood up, holding her ankle and hopping in place, but she tripped backwards and fell into the shower, the hot water drenching her. Chrome yelped in pain once more as she hit the hard tiles again. Hibari rushed in, looking around frantically.

Spotting Chrome in the shower, he strode over briskly. He squatted down, looking at her. "What happened, herbivore?" he asked. Chrome whimpered, closing her lone eye.

"I fell," she muttered, feeling embarrassed and ashamed. Gently, but firmly, Hibari pried her fingers away from her ankle. Chrome let out a breath as she tried not to cry out in pain. However, Hibari noticed. He reached over and turned off the faucet, before he slowly helped her up. Chrome leaned against him, refusing to put any weight on her bad ankle.

She hobbled after Hibari, who, after a while got annoyed with her slowness. The skylark suddenly lifted her up and slung her casually over his shoulder, before continuing to walk briskly. Chrome gasped with surprise.

"C-Cloud Person? What-?"

"Stop moving," he snapped. Chrome shut her mouth so fast that her teeth clashed together with an audible click. Face flaming in mortification, she allowed herself to be carried like a rag doll to her room. Hibari put her down gently on the bed before getting a towel for her.

The prefect had dried off considerably, but he was still a little damp here and there. Handing dry clothes to Chrome, he left the room. The girl slipped out of her wet shirt, putting on her dry pajama top. Struggling a little with the bottom, she finally managed to get the pants on, but her eyes were tearing up in pain by the end of it. Throwing her wet clothes into her laundry basket, she stood up, albeit wobbly.

As if Hibari knew that she was done, he opened the door and walked in, holding a med kit. He caught sight of her trying to walk.

His face turned cold. "Sit," he commanded, and the girl sat immediately onto the bed. He walked briskly towards her and knelt down in front, opening the kit. Gently, he took her ankle and began wrapping. Wincing a little, but holding it in, Chrome watched the older male wrap her ankle with steady hands.

His breaths were slow and even, signaling that he was athletic and healthy. He finished, but made no move to take his hands off her ankle. The two sat in silence, before he looked up at her. "Better?" he asked her quietly. Nodding mutely, Chrome continued to stare. The two teens sat in silence, gazing at one another with curiosity, awkwardness, and something else.

Suddenly, Hibari surged upwards, and he pressed his lips gently against hers. Chrome's eyes widened, before fluttering shut, as she leaned back into him, their lips melding against each other's. Their lips stayed against one another, moving at the same rhythm with some unknown instinct. There was a soft slurp, and Chrome's face heated up. Nevertheless, she continued to kiss him, her arms coming up to wrap themselves around his neck.

Hibari didn't seem to mind the little sound, and he had begun to kiss more insistently. Wrapping his arms around Chrome's small waist, he pulled her closer. They parted for a second, and Chrome could take only a breath before he swooped in again and claimed her lips once more.

They fell backwards on the bed, and Chrome winced, her wounded ankle hitting the edge of the bed. Hibari kissed her softly, as if to apologize. He settled himself between Chrome's legs, continuing to kiss the younger girl. Finally, they broke apart, leaving Chrome panting for breath. A light pink had settled across Hibari's face.

"C-Cloud-,"

"Don't," he warned, nipping her on the lips. She was confused. "Don't call me that," he hissed, his eyes gleaming.

"I-I, H-Hibari-san, y-you," The skylark growled, pushing his lips against hers yet again.

"My name," he breathed on her lips. "Call me by my name." Chrome smiled, this time leaning forward and taking the initiative. Her faint whisper echoed around the room as their lips met once again.

"Kyoya."

*K*H*R*

Skull fed a spoonful of rice to Mammon, who munched on it happily. The male smiled, wiping a piece of rice off the corner of her mouth.

"Skull-san, purple!" Mammon pointed towards his tie, which was indigo colored. He smiled, and shook his head.

"No, Mammon, it's indigo." Mammon stared hard at the tie, before lighting up, her smile stretching across her face. This time, she pointed towards his lips.

"Pink," she declared. Skull nodded, smiling, but feeling that familiar gut-wrenching feeling. She couldn't remember a thing. Not a single thing. He sighed, his face feeling like stone as he tried to smile.

"Right, good job, Mammon." He said. Soon, if this didn't stop, he'd die. He was slowly withering away each time he saw her like this. He wanted Mammon back. He wanted the real Mammon back. The bedridden woman tilted her head curiously.

"Skull-san?" She asked confusedly, before smiling. Pulling the spoon out of his hand, she proceeded to blow on the hot spoonful of rice. The male looked on, mystified. Then, Mammon poked his mouth with the spoon, smiling. "Eat," she commanded.

Skull obliged, smiling. "It's good," he told her, and she giggled. "But I bet you're a better cook than me." Mammon shook her head, smiling.

"No, I can't cook at all. Heck, I don't even really like rice," she said, and her face broke out in an unbelievably huge, yet nostalgic, smile. Skull smiled at sudden growth at vocabulary. "But I love this." She continued, and the male promptly froze as an old, faded memory surfaced in the back of his mind.

+Flashback+

Mammon swallowed the rice, smacking her lips with relish.

"This is really good," she said, picking up yet another spoonful of rice. "I always have to go and pay to get food that's as good as this." Skull beamed with pride.

"Of course! The great Skull-sama is good at everything!" he said, puffing his chest out. Mammon snorted.

"Yes, of course, your majesty," she said sarcastically. Skull chuckled, leaning over to wipe a grain of rice off the corner of her lip.

"You're such a messy eater," he laughed. "The great Skull-sama is much better-ack!" Mammon smacked him, blushing. Wincing, he pulled back. "Ow," he said. She resisted sticking her tongue out at him but turned back to her food. Skull spoke up.

"But I think you're a much better cook than me though," he said. Mammon laughed quietly.

"No, I can't cook at all. Heck, I don't even really like rice," she said, looking down at her food. Skull felt crestfallen, until he heard the woman's next words.

"But I love this."

+End of Flashback+

"M-Mammon-," he choked out. "M-Mammon, do you- have you-?" With shaking hands, he reached out towards Mammon. She smiled, and leaned her cheek against his outstretched hand before turning and placing a small kiss on his palm.

"Love you," she whispered against his open hand.

And, like the unbelievably manly guy Skull was…

He began to cry.

*K*H*R*

Fran stirred the noodles in the pan absentmindedly, almost on autopilot. Dumping the still steaming noodles into five plates, he worked quickly and efficiently. A little too quickly, perhaps, because he burned himself.

"Ow-!" Fran dropped the bowl of noodles, sucking on the red, blistered flesh. Without warning, tears appeared in his eyes, and he hurriedly wiped them away. "The hell-?" he muttered, rubbing his sleeve forcefully across his eyes.

"Dammit, dammit, dammit…" he muttered. Don't you dare cry! He thought violently. He's not worth it! An image of a certain blonde prince appeared, and Fran began to curse fluently. As he slowly calmed down, a bitter smile slowly stretched across his face.

Fran was never going to talk to that idiot again. Bel was his past, and now, Fran needed to clear his mind of that stupid prince. Once again working briskly, not thinking of the blonde, he set the dining table quickly. Fran wrinkled his nose in disgust at the smell of noodles; he didn't feel like eating. He was startled when Skull suddenly ran down, yelling. Fran whipped his head around.

"Fran! Fran! Fran! Fran! Fra-!"

"What?" the said teen snapped. Skull skidded to a stop, his eyes bright with excitement.

"She remembers."

The plates fell onto the floor with a crash, forgotten.

*K*H*R*

Bel kept on throwing knives at his wall, not really caring what he was doing.

Fran.

What had he done?

Should he break things off? Friend-wise, anyway.

The blonde was immersed in his thoughts, and he continued to throw his knives at the wall across him. They landed in the wall with dull thuds.

THUD.

THUD.

THUD.

THU-

Suddenly, Raisel burst in. Bel resisted a growl. "What?" he snarled. So much for resisting the growl. Raisel, however, ignored him, rummaging through the younger blonde's drawers. "Oi, what are you doing?" he snapped angrily, sitting up from his bed. His older brother laughed like a maniac.

"Ushesheshe! None of your business~!" he sang as he continued to assault the drawers. Bel sprang up from his bed, thirsty to take his anger out on someone.

Leaping onto his older brother, he pressed a knife threateningly onto his brother's face. "You want to keep that pretty little face of yours? If you do, go away." He hissed. His brother laughed.

"Ushesheshe, look at who's in a bad mood today~!" he said happily. Raisel grinned, pulling out his prize. "Aha, got it, ushe. Thanks," he told him, and he pushed his twin off, jumping away. Bel scrambled up and followed his brother, hot on his heels.

"Raisel, goddammit, what did you take?" he growled. Raisel let out a maniacal laugh.

"Ushesheshe! Not telling~!" he chuckled, waving his hand. Flipping his long hair back, he sent a cheeky grin to the infuriated brother. "Ta-ta, brother!" and Raisel's pet bat promptly flew out and flew right into the younger prince's face. Bel stumbled backwards, swiping at the bat.

"Stupid-!" he hissed. "Storm!" a mink shot out of a closet nearby, screeching and clawing at the bat. The bat flew away, and the light brown mink gave a haughty huff, as if to say, "Yeah, that's right!" The little animal had bangs covering his eyes, along with a small crown, just like Bel's. With glossy, sleek, light brown fur and small, rounded ears, the mink was undeniably cute. It had a long, narrow body, a bushy tail, and sharp claw. Scrabbling up his owner's arm, he purred happily, although Bel winced when the claws dug into his skin.

The blonde tickled the mink, and it settled itself over his shoulders, wrapping around his neck like a scarf. "Ushishishi, good boy, Storm," Storm gave a little bark, but swiped the blonde in the face. "Ow!" Bel glared at his pet, rubbing his stinging cheek. The little mink nodded towards the place where Raisel once was.

Bel growled and held out his arm. "Get him, Storm," he commanded, and the little mammal shot off his outstretched arm, sniffing rapidly. A few moments later, Storm perked up and gave a little bark, before scurrying away. The blonde followed silently.

He crept up to a door, and both the master and animal listened closely, eavesdropping through the door. Raisel's laugh came through the walls.

"Ushesheshe! My stupid brother just broke off the relationship he had with the peasant." The said teen resisted a growl, and he pressed his ear harder against the wall. "No, no, my idiot of a brother won't do anything~! Ushe, he'll just wallow in despair, wondering whether or not he should make things up with the peasant. But while he does that, I'll go in and take that cute little peasant for myself, ushe."

Bel's hidden eyes went wide, and, stumbling away from his brother's door, he ran out of the house, an anxious mink following.

He hopped onto a motorcycle and roared off, his pet clinging to his shoulders tightly. Storm let out an indignant bark, nipping on Bel's cheek sharply. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" he hissed, speeding up. I will not let him. I won't.

Unbeknownst to him, Raisel looked out of his window, watching him. He let out a malicious giggle and held the phone up to his mouth.

"Ushe. He fell for it."

*K*H*R*

Bel hopped off his bike and took a deep breath as he stood in front of his Froggy's door. Raising his hand slowly, he knocked on the door before realizing that there was a doorbell. Damn, he thought, mentally slapping himself in the face. He didn't have time to prepare though, and he straightened up as someone answered the door.

"We don't collect-" Fran's bored, green eyes widened, shock flitting through those once-emotionless eyes. Bel fidgeted, swaying awkwardly on his feet.

"U-Ushishi! Hi Froggy!" he tried to chirp as cheerfully as possible. "How are you?" Fran swallowed, his green eyes flicking towards the ground. "What's wrong, ushi? Frog in your-?"

"What," Fran said hoarsely, "Do you want?" Bel's smile faded a little.

"The prince just wanted to see-,"

"Go away." Fran muttered, swallowing audibly. A lump jumped into Bel's throat.

"Wait, Frog-!"

"Stop." The younger boy said, voice cracking. "Please." he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut. Bel didn't know what to say.

"F-Froggy-," Bel began, taking a step forward. Automatically, Fran took a step back, and a little hiccup escaped. The blonde froze at the little sound before he mustered up his courage. "I'm sorry for-,"

"It's okay," Fran muttered. "It's not your fault that I'm sick in the head." Bel's hidden eyes went wide.

"No, no, I didn't mean-!"

"It's not your fault," Fran repeated softly, and then he shut the door with a soft, "Bye."

And Bel's world came crashing down.

*Owari*

Done! Oh my gosh, how long has it been since I last updated? Whatever, I'm just so sorry, but I ran into a writer's block, and this time it was like a HUGE one. So yeah. *gets bricked* Anyway, I'll try to update ASAP! Bye my lovelies, and please review! It helps motivate me!