Prologue

Warnings: Will contain gore, Ooc behaviour, an older Tsuna and Kyoko. No romance though.

"Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak."
―Sun Tzu,The Art of War

Grade 4: Age 10 years old

Ever since he was little, Tsuna had been good at nothing. It was a little cruel to think about oneself in such a way, but for Tsuna that was his reality from the day he was borne into this world. He was the first to notice such a truth and when he was old enough, others around him started to notice as well. As such, they started to prey upon him. It wasn't his fault though, he kept on telling himself, even as the bullies tripped him. He could feel his body gravitate to the cold, hard ground and he submitted himself to the pain that would no doubt follow. Snow crushed his face as he finally fell, the laughter in the background just as hurtful as his now bruised face. "You really are good for nothing!" one of them taunted and Tsuna didn't even bother to defend himself. He found that it was better to wallow in the pain and ignore them. So, just as always, Tsuna remained as he was, with his face glued to the ground, the snow burrowing its way into his nostrils, his eyes and his mouth. It was bitterly cold and it threatened to numb his skin.

"Stop it!" someone screamed and he knew exactly who it was. Those who had surrounded Tsuna scampered as his ferocious best friend defended him. "I'll beat you all up if I see you harassing Tsuna-kun again!" the girl yelled but they were all gone. He felt when a hand landed on his shoulder and gently turned him. "Are you okay?" she asked and when he finally opened his eyes, he was gifted with the sight of Kyoko looking down at him with a soft smile on her lips. He took the offered hand and allowed Kyoko to help him up.

"I'm just peachy" he joked and Kyoko frowned as he dusted the snow off of his black jacket.

"You forgot this in class today" Kyoko told him as she pulled out an orange scarf from her bag. His eyes widened and she shook her head as she wrapped the scarf around his neck.

"I didn't even…" he was going to say but stopped himself. How could he forget about such a precious item? Because of his carelessness, he almost lost his treasured possession.

"It's okay, Tsuna-kun. You forgot, it happens" Kyoko assured him once she saw the shadow that fell over his face. When she saw that her words held no effect on her best friend, she bopped him on the head.

"Ow!" he yelped and she chuckled as she walked off. "What was that for?" he asked as he caught up with her.

"That was for thinking too much" Kyoko said as she snuggled into her own scarf as they trudged through the snow. He mumbled something under his breath though there was a small smile on his face. "So, are you going to tell me what's going on?" she asked as the cold wind whipped against them.

"I don't know what you're talking about" Tsuna said as he looked off into the distance. Namimori had been covered in a white blanket. Kyoko arched an eyebrow but said nothing. As the silence stretched on, he relented. "He came home last night" Tsuna mumbled and Kyoko's eyes narrowed. She knew exactly who he was referring to and she hated the man just as much as Tsuna did.

"So that's why you've been so moody today" Kyoko said and rubbed her red nose. She hated the snow as much as Tsuna's father. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked, allowing the hurt she felt to filter into her voice.

"Because I didn't want to make a big deal out of it" Tsuna sighed and Kyoko turned to him. "I know it sounds stupid but I just….ugh!" the boy said as he threw his hands in the air in frustration. "I just hate him so much" he whispered, trying his best not to cry in the middle of the street. Though there weren't anyone around, it would still be embarrassing if he broke down in public.

"I know" Kyoko whispered as she placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. They stood there for a while, Tsuna struggling with his own emotions. He knew it was wrong to hate his father, but it was also hard NOT to.

Ever since he was a little, the man was never around. He was always making up some stupid reason for his disappearance, and as he grew older, it was hard to believe the man. He wasn't as naïve as his mother was. Yet if Tsuna was honest with himself, he would admit that the real reason why he hated his father was because he blamed the man for his own weaknesses. He always secretly thought to himself, 'If he had been around, maybe I wouldn't be so weak'. If his father had been there for Tsuna, maybe the man would have taught Tsuna how to fight off the bullies that always flocked around the smaller boy. Maybe, he wouldn't be known as 'No Good' for all his life. He knew it was wrong to blame his own faults on his father, but hey, if the man was never there, it was easier to lay the accusations on him rather than own up to them. Besides, it didn't help that his father always seemed to be home for his younger sister. In fact, the blonde always made time to see Teruko, more than he had ever done for Tsuna. While he was arguing with himself for all the reasons why his father sucked, he felt it.

A cold sliver of fear raked down his back like an invisible fingernail. Someone was watching them. Tsuna's pupils dilated and his muscles locked up. He tried to see if Kyoko felt it as well, but guessing from the neutral look on her face, he knew she hadn't. When she noticed the pure distress that enveloped Tsuna on the other hand, she immediately moved to ask him what was wrong, when a shaky hand was placed over her mouth. She cringed as his sweaty palm pressed against her lips. "Tsu-…." She was going to say but stopped when she saw the panic on her friend's face. Not even when Tsuna was faced with bullies, had she seen him look that way, so she decided to remain silent, seeing as that was what he wanted from her.

The gaze on his back felt sharp, as though the person would physically hurt him with just a look. His stomach clenched as he tried to turn around but every movement he made felt like razors were digging into his flesh. His body jolted when a wave of something sinister rolled towards him. His vision darkened as the presence invaded his senses. It robbed him of all sight, of all scent, of all sound, of all taste. All that he was, and all that he could feel was terror. It slithered into every nook and cranny of his body. It felt like the sick sensation that the person brought churned through his soul and left him feeling vile. Tsuna stumbled away from Kyoko and slowly pivoted his head a fraction to the right. The bloodlust intensified and suffocated him. It drowned all rational thoughts from his mind, only for the words "DiE, DiE, DiE, DiE, DiE" to schizophrenically echo in the walls of his consciousness. Feeble hands rose to cover his ears in an attempt to block out the presence, when he felt it shift. NO! NO! NO! He could feel it slowly turn to Kyoko. Grabbing onto the little bravado and courage he had, he stepped in front of his friend, his body shaking like a leaf. "L-leave h-h-her a-alone" he stammered as he finally got a glimpse of the person. A white kabuki mask was what he was met with. Two lines of red ran down from the eye holes like blood. The man, as Tsuna deduced from his height and stature, chuckled. He raised a hand at Tsuna, his index finger pointing at him.

"YoUaRe ThE OnE" the man croaked out and before Tsuna could blink, he disappeared. A veil seemed to have been lifted from Tsuna and the boy fell to his butt.

"Tsuna-kun" Kyoko whispered as the boy trembled as he hugged his knees. "What's…." she was saying but the frantic look Tsuna shot her, caused the words to die in her mouth.

"Y-You….s-s-s-saw…t-that t-t-too r-right?" he asked and Kyoko kneeled in front of him as she held his face in her hands.

"Saw what, Tsuna-kun?" she asked and that only served to cause more panic in the boy. Kyoko could only hold onto her best friend as he sobbed on her shoulder.

Sawada Nana stood in front of the stove, a blissful smile on her face as she stirred the sauce in the pot with a wooden spoon. She could hear her husband and six year old daughter in the living room, both laughing as they played hide and seek together. She glanced at the clock and frowned. Tsuna-kun hadn't reach home as yet, and she was getting worried. Before she could ponder too much on the thought though, there was a knock on the front door. "I'll get it!" she chirped to her husband. She took off the apron that was secured on her slim waist and with a little hum, she moved to greet whoever it was that showed up on their front step. Yanking the door open, the usual blissful look on her face, cracked.

"It's been awhile" the man with haori on his shoulders said as her hand gripped harshly onto the doorknob. His white hair shimmered in the dim light of the porch. "Well, are you going to let me in, dearest daughter?" he asked, his voice dripping sweet like honey, though his eyes were sharp as a snake's. Nana smiled, though it didn't reach her eyes as it normally did.

"Papa!" she gleefully said as she moved forward. The man moved to the side and she pouted. He on the other hand chuckled as he glanced down to see that glinting silver had disappeared in the sleeves of her sweater. "What are you doing here?" she asked, tilting her head to the side, her eyes closed as her mouth formed a smile.

"It has begun" he annotated and without another word, Nana opened the door wider for him. As he walked into the house, he pushed the peeping white mask back into his pocket before the door was closed behind him. It had indeed begun.

Author's notes:

This idea has been wiggling around my mind for a while….and it was only recently that it started to nag me. I know that I have a lot of stories to update and continue, but this story was so painfully demanding, that if I didn't bring it to life, I swore I would go mad.

More of the plot will be revealed in the next chapter.

Ps: I've decided to name Tsuna's sister Teruko, as in 'shining child' instead of the usual Natsume as most writers choose.