"No matter what it takes,
I will find you again.
I promise."
Your Tainted Wings
By: Paio Ichiris Jin (aka Leiyoi)
Inspired by and for breadsticks.
A barren tree, clinging onto a secluded cloud. A young boy with silver hair sat in it, eyebrows scrunched together as though they were scrutinizing the rest of the world with cynicism. He scowled, silver bangs hanging over smoky green eyes, and continued to scoff at the clouds beneath him. They were so puffy. So clean and cheery looking.
Disgusting.
The clear white wings growing on his back stretched out lazily for a moment before flapping restlessly. All the ones living up here were so annoying. Self-absorbed, happy-go-lucky, etc, etc. If it wasn't that they were manipulating others for their own selfish wants, then they were ignorant fools. Ignorant for thinking that everything was peaceful in the world and fools for believing that everyone else thought the same way as them. Idiots, the lot of them.
His wings flapped again as if flicking something away impatiently and his scowl deepened. And then suddenly, he heard it. The sound of a muffled sniffle among those cheery, puffy clouds. A pitiful sound.
"The hell…?" The boy searched the vicinity of the isolated cloud. There shouldn't be anyone around his territory. Much less someone crying. His eyes finally landed on the form of another boy crouching in a small notch on the side of the tree. The boy's face was hidden in the bark and his chestnut hair—that seemed to burst from his head like a gentle flame—bristled, hair ends trembling from the rest of his shaking body. The white wings on the brunette's back were tucked tightly against him, afraid of releasing open.
The silver haired boy leaned over his branch, an eyebrow raised in question. Who the hell…? Why the heck was some cry-baby out here? All alone in this empty place. What good was it to cry to yourself? Why didn't he just not cry in the first place?
"Idiot." The boy in the tree muttered to himself.
That was the first time I met you.
The cry-baby was there again. Face hidden in the bark of that dead tree. The silver haired boy frowned in irritation. This time he had left class earlier just to check. The brunette had been hiding there since even before he came. But this was his place…! The boy ground his teeth together, fuming silently. How dare this puny, weak kid come here and sob. The silver haired boy marched up to the brunette and placed his hands firmly on his hips, white wings stretching open menacingly.
"Oi. You. What do you think you're doing under my tree?"
The sniffles immediately stopped. After a pause, the brunette's head snapped around, eyes red and nose runny with snot. The silver haired boy narrowed his eyes and he inwardly smirked when he noticed the other boy flinch. The brunette's amber eyes seemed to widen in fear.
"I-I-I'm s-sorry…! I...! I didn't know!" The brunette squeaked in reply and the white wings tightened even more. The silver haired boy scowled.
"You think a simple sorry will do? You've trespassed on my land and made me listen to your stupid crying for two days straight already. Who the hell are you? You want to die an early death?"
He could see the other boy visibly gulp. What a spineless kid. Obviously the brunette hadn't been through any hardships. To look so threatened just by a simple sentence of, 'You want to die?' Not only spineless, but stupid as well. Didn't he know that murderers were all exiled and sent falling into that other world, corrupted by snakes and demons? No one killed. Unless they were crazy...
"I'm really really sorry! I…! I…! I had no idea this place was yours…! It… was the only place where I didn't find any people around, so…"
The glare aimed at the brunette intensified.
"Did I ask for an explanation?"
The boy squeaked again and immediately lifted his arms over his head, eyes scrunching closed and body balling up together protectively. The silver haired boy raised an eyebrow at this gesture. How pathetic. It would be so easy to just beat this guy into a bloody mess. He hated these kinds of people the most. Thinking that crying would solve all problems. Wasting time bawling their eyes out when they could be doing something to change whatever it was that was making them cry. Stupid. The kid wasn't worth beating up. He could stay worthless all his life for all he cared. The silver haired boy watched the brunette in boredom, wings flicking out in irritation again. After a few seconds, the boy huddling on the ground peered up hesitantly, staring at the other boy with curious amber eyes.
"You're… you're not going to hit me…?"
The silver haired boy's nose wrinkled in distaste. "Why would I hit you? You're not worth getting my hands bloody. And disposing the body somewhere else is really annoying. Just don't let me see you around here ever again."
The brunette continued to stare and his head lifted a little higher. The silver haired boy scowled.
"What? Go away already!"
"You're not… going to hit me?" The brunette asked again, this time in a voice full of astonishment.
The silver haired boy rolled his eyes and threw his hands up in the air. "What? You want me to hit you that bad?"
After another moment, the brunette's eyes seemed to light up in a sparkling amber color. The sudden change stunned the silver haired boy. And then a beautiful smile that matched the boy's twinkling eyes spread across his cheeks. "No. Thank you!"
Wha? What was this? The silver haired boy blinked a couple times, head spinning from the unexpected smile and sincere gratefulness.
"Umm… I'm really sorry for bothering you…" The brunette was standing now and his wings were hanging loose by his sides. The silver haired boy shook his head once and quickly scowled again to hide his momentary surprise.
"Yeah, whatever. Just leave already."
"Oh… okay…" The brunette's eyes lowered and he shuffled backwards across the cloud. Then, he stopped. The silver haired boy watched him warily. What now? The brunette fidgeted and shuffled from foot to foot. He licked his lips and then glanced at the silver haired boy shyly, mustering up what little courage he held. "Umm… is it all right… if I still come here? I promise I won't cry ever again. You won't even hear me here! It'll be like I never existed, so please…! Can I…?" His eyes lowered to the floor of cloud again. The silver haired boy was about to reject the other boy vehemently but the image of the brunette standing so helplessly yet so hopefully before him made him stop. He frowned. There was something seriously messed up about this kid. Smiling as though a god had just appeared before him after being threatened to be beaten up.
He ran a hand through his silver hair and then turned to the black tree, preparing to climb up to his usual perch.
"...whatever."
The brunette looked up and the previous smile lifted the corners of his mouth again, revealing neat rows of white teeth, brightening his adorable face. He hastily lifted his hands up to muffle a quiet laugh but his eyes betrayed the happiness swelling within him. The brunette scurried to the foot of the tree and huddled against it again, wings now twitching happily. The silver haired boy sighed and leaned his back against the trunk of the tree, wondering what had gotten into him.
That sweet smile of yours. I could never forget. Not in a million years. Not for an eternity.
The silver haired boy lifted a palm up, facing it towards the bright sun in the distance. He turned it a few times, eyebrows furrowed together as usual. Then, his smoky green eyes flickered down to the foot of the tree. Was that guy really there…? He shifted his weight a little and found a pair of white wings, twitching in a strange motion.
He really was there… but he didn't feel his presence at all...! And, just as the boy had promised, he never heard him cry any more…
It was… annoying. The silver haired boy scowled and then jumped, landing heavily in the cloud.
"Okay. What the hell do you want? Why do you keep coming here? You just sit there, doing nothing, saying nothing. Don't you have anything better to do?"
The wings had stopped twitching. The brunette stared at him with unblinking amber eyes, round with shock. Then, his wings pulled in against his back and the boy stuttered in a small voice. "B-But… aren't y-you doing the s-same…?"
"Wha?" The silver haired boy gaped at the brunette. This guy actually dared to talk back! "Hey, I can do what I want here! But you! You have no right to be here! This is my place, you understand!"
The brunette gulped and nodded hastily. "I-I-I'm sorry!"
The silver haired boy scowled and waved his hand. "Just go away. You're an eyesore."
"But I haven't made a sound…! Please tell me what's annoying you and I'll definitely stop it! Please…! Let me stay!" The boy begged earnestly.
"It's because you haven't been making any sounds at all that annoys me!"
"Eh? T-Then, I'll make sounds! I'll do whatever you ask me to do!"
"That's annoying, too!"
"B-But, then… how can I stay…?"
"You idiot, just leave me alone! Go away!" The silver haired boy burst out in anger. The brunette retreated and stared at the other with eyes full of hurt.
"But… aren't we… friends…?"
"What?" The silver haired boy snapped. "Since when? You're going delusional!"
The brunette fidgeted with the sides of his shorts and dropped his gaze to the cloudy floor. "But… you're the only one who doesn't hit me…"
"Haa?" The silver haired boy raised an eyebrow. And that was when he finally noticed all the bruises along the other boy's arms. The boy's legs were also spotted with green and purple blotches. He inched closer, studying the other boy carefully. The brunette didn't move. He walked over and then lifted the white shirt up abruptly, surprising the other.
"Ah!" The brunette blushed as the other boy scrutinized his ribs. He pulled his shirt back down and took a few steps back. The silver haired boy scowled.
So many bruises...
That couldn't be normal.
What the heck happened to this guy when he wasn't hanging around here?
"C-Can I… please stay? Please…?" The brunette asked again, cheeks still pink with embarrassment.
"Oi, what's with all those bruises?"
The brunette's eyes wavered for a moment and then darted downwards to stare at his pale feet. He remained silent. The silver haired boy frowned and raised his tone.
"Oi...!"
"If I answer then... can I stay...?" The brunette asked back. The silver haired boy blinked once. Then, his eyes hardened.
"No."
Why should he care.
"Just go away. I don't really want to know."
The kid was just another one of those idiots out there. He turned and started climbing back up the tree, wings flicking irritably outwards.
"But... but...! I thought we were friends!"
The silver haired boy settled against the trunk of the dead tree comfortably.
"Wait...! Wait! Wait, please! Can't I just—?"
"Go away! You're annoying!" The silver haired boy spat out in finality. He heard nothing in return. No more pitiful protests. No more pleading. When he finally glanced in the brunette's direction, he could only see the small back of the other boy, wings tucked tighter than a spring and figure trotting slowly off into the blurring clouds in the distance.
Sometimes, I wish we had spent more time together...
Because you are an important person to me.
A couple days had passed since the last time the brunette had come. The silver haired boy peeked down at the roots keeping the tree upright in the clouds. That guy hadn't come anymore. Just as he had wanted.
Somehow it annoyed him.
Everything annoyed him.
His wings flicked out in a rapid motion and his eyebrows furrowed deeply, lips pressing together into a thin line. The silver haired boy clenched his fists. The kid wasn't even there and he still managed to annoy him!
"Urgh!" The silver haired boy hit his forehead with his fists, aggravated by a reason he could not come up with. What was it? Was he guilty or something? For turning that guy away when he knew that there was something wrong behind those bruises? "Stupid. Annoying. Kid." The boy seethed through grit teeth as he hit his head with his fists at every word. And then he paused. His wings froze. What was that? A sound...? The silver haired boy whipped his head around in the direction of the cluster of apartments standing on the horizon. Over a fat cloud a few meters away, there stood the brunette, trembling from foot to toe, wings tucked as tightly as ever.
"Hey, No-Good Tsuna, where do you think you're going?"
The brunette was chewing on his bottom lip, shivering heavily like a tiny rabbit. His large amber eyes were already brimming with tears.
"It's impossible for you to escape. You can't fly over that huge gap with how undeveloped your wings are."
The brunette inched to the edge of the cloud as one of the other boys with large wings reached for him.
"Just give up. Accept your beating. You haven't made-up for that last day you ran away yet."
The boys circled in, knuckles cracking and eyes trained gleefully on the brunette.
The silver haired boy watched the brunette duck and ball up right on the edge of the cloud, in a last attempt for protection. He watched, stunned, as the three other boys kicked and punched and beat him mercilessly. The brunette's wings were pressed flat against his back, trying but failing to defend themselves.
"Idiot." The silver haired boy muttered, eyes growing cold as the brunette tottered on the edge of the cloud under the relentless beating.
"Hey, guys. I've come up with a new game!" The boys pulled back and sent glances towards the largest of them. The boy smirked, "Let's see who can be the first to kick him off. Liyo goes first."
The one named Liyo lifted his hands up nervously. "W-Wait, kick him... off? What if we get caught? You know we'll be punished really badly if other people find out... we can't kick people off... at least... without... the law."
"Ah, what's so great about that old fogey? He was only chosen to lead us because our shitty parents liked how peaceful he was. Well fuck that! I say, change can only come through war! Ain't that right?"
"I totally agree with ya, Kai." The second nodded his head, eyes full with admiration. The large boy named Kai grinned and then leered at the brunette.
"Okay, No-Good Tsuna, say good-bye to Cistello." He pulled his foot back, grin growing insanely wide. "Go to hell, you vermin." And then he swung his leg full-force towards the brunette's gut, intent on sending the small body flying out to the horizon. But a voice stopped him.
"Hey... what're you guys doing? Mind if I join in...?"
The three froze and then hastily turned to face the silver haired boy, standing on the isolated cloud with the gnarly dead tree growing in it. The silver haired boy fixed his smoky green eyes on them in boredom, gaze moving from one boy to the next before falling on the brunette still balled up on the edge of the fat cloud.
"Oh." An icy smile quirked the corners of his mouth upwards. "I see."
The boys paled. But the one named Kai stepped forward bravely. "Y-You might be the rumored 'Hurricane Bomb' but... even you have no way of getting over here with those wings...! You're not a full adult yet!"
The silver haired boy ignored the bulky boy's comment and started running towards the fat cloud at full sprint, eyes shielded under a blanket of silver bangs. The three boys backed away in fright, squealing and huddling together like a pack of monkeys. The silver haired boy half-grinned and then in a mighty bound, he leaped off from his secluded cloud, legs bicycling in the blue skies for a moment, wings pumping once, before landing on the fat cloud with a heavy thud. The boys gasped and the brunette peered up curiously from his ball of safety, teary amber eyes open in bewilderment.
"So..." The silver haired boy straightened, dusting off the front of his shirt. "What was that about me not getting here without being an adult...?"
Liyo squeaked and then babbled incoherently before turning to run. The silver haired boy rushed past the other two and easily caught up with the skinny Liyo. He pulled back a fist and sent it heavily into the boy's cheekbone, promptly causing Liyo to collapse and howl with pain. The silver haired boy kicked Liyo in the side lightly, rolling the boy away, and then turned his attention on the next two.
Kai scowled. He gestured to his other lackey and the boy charged forward, right fist raised. The silver haired boy caught the boy's punch with his left hand and in one smooth movement, kneed him in the stomach. His attacker fell to the ground unceremoniously.
The silver haired boy sighed irritably and scratched the back of his head, eyeing the last boy frozen in place.
"Just you left, huh. What a fucking waste of time..." He clucked his tongue and shrugged. Might as well finish what he started. He strolled towards the one named Kai casually and rolled his shoulders a few times to warm them up. These guys weren't even worth using a bomb on.
"H-Hey... you guys... get up and get over here... Now...!" Kai grunted, sweat dripping from his chin and forehead as the silver haired boy drew closer. But his two companions still bawled over their injuries, nursing them carefully. The silver haired boy let out a short laugh. Man, these guys were so useless. He only hit them once!
As he approached the large boy, he chuckled. And then without any further terrorizing, the boy dealt the final blow to the largest boy among them, sending Kai sprawling to the floor. The silver haired boy turned to the brunette, still cuddled over the lip of the fat cloud. The boy's face was stained with tears and bruises, one eye black from a recent attack. The brunette watched him, wings loosening from his body slightly, and the silver haired boy let out an irritated sigh. He crossed his arms over his chest, cheeks blushing a little pink in embarrassment, and he turned his head to the right to avoid the brunette's gaze.
"I-I'm not doing this for you... you know? I just don't like seeing that kind of thing around here." The silver haired boy murmured. The brunette blinked and soon, another one of his beautiful smiles spread over his face again. The silver haired boy gazed at the brunette for a moment and a small smile alighted on his lips as well. It was irrepressible.
But the smile on the brunette's face quickly vanished.
"Behind you!"
The silver haired boy turned in curiosity, just as Kai shoved him, causing him to lose balance and topple over the edge of the cloud. His eyes widened. What...? He saw the sky and clouds beneath him and for a split second, his stomach soared with that feeling a person only got when they were in mid-air with nothing to hold them up. This... would be the end...?
The silver haired boy felt his heart speed up and just as he prepared himself to fall into the depths of whatever lay beyond those puffy clouds below him, his world stopped. His eyes, wide with shock, darted from one cloud to the next, silver bangs hanging down. He should be falling. Why wasn't he falling? And then, he finally registered the soft fingers clutching desperately onto his right ankle. The silver haired boy's head shot in the direction of his feet, finding the brunette biting his lip until it bled, fighting to keep his hold on him despite how weak his muscles were.
"You...!" The silver haired boy gaped, green eyes fixed on the image of the frail brunette struggling to keep him from falling.
"Heh, now look at you, 'Hurricane Bomb'." Kai cackled down at him, "How helpless you look. With only a No-Good Tsuna to save you."
The silver haired boy scowled. That guy was really pissing him off now...!
"Hey, No-Good Tsuna." The large boy nudged the brunette with his foot and the brunette flinched in return. "Heeey, why don't I make a deal with ya, No-Good Tsuna. It's one that you can't turn down. If you let 'Hurricane Bomb' drop, I promise that no one'll eeeever hurt you again. How about it?"
"What?" The silver haired boy snarled and fought to pull himself back up. What had he been thinking? Coming to help this kid... was it worth being condemned to a life of hell? The wings on the silver haired boy's back thrashed wildly. No way! He had to get back up before that guy let go of his ankle. Damnit, why did he get himself in this sort of situation? He was going to fall. He was so stupid. For actually trying to believe once more...
But...
...he hadn't fallen yet.
The silver haired boy's thrashing slowed to a stop as he realized this. He... hadn't fallen yet? His eyes fell on the brunette again, still holding tightly onto his ankle, without the slightest notion of letting go. That guy... wasn't letting go?
"Ohh? Not gonna do it, huh? Well, this makes things simple. I'll just kick you off, too." Kai laughed and sent a foot hurtling into the brunette's side. The silver haired boy watched as the brunette clamped his mouth together to stifle the pained cry and the brunette's eyes watered as another kick went slamming into his soft ribs. But the hold on his ankle never relinquished.
The silver haired boy continued to watch with round eyes full of surprise. "You..."
This guy...
Even while being beaten...
He didn't let go...!
Kai scowled as he smashed the brunette's ribs over and over again with his foot. "Fall off already! Fall off! Goddamn it, why won't you just die already, you worthless piece of—!"
And then a foot suddenly connected with the bottom of Kai's chin, cutting off the large boy's words and causing the boy to bite his tongue, sending blood pooling into his mouth. The silver haired boy had swung up as the brunette heaved him upwards—in an attempt to pull him up—and he had successfully landed a blow on the large boy. All in under a few seconds.
Kai fell back and the silver haired boy followed after to give the boy another few kicks for good measure. In another minute or so, Kai was knocked unconscious. The silver haired boy settled beside the brunette, and they both panted breathlessly, staring at the unmoving body of the large boy.
They turned to each other slowly.
And then a genuine smile lit up the silver haired boy's face for the first time in a very very long while. His green eyes shimmered emerald in glee.
The brunette looked back, awestruck and slightly frightened by the happy expression on the other boy's face, but the silver haired boy paid no mind to the slight fear in the other boy's eyes; too elated by his find.
There was actually this kind of person left in this rotting world...!
"I'm Hayato!"
The brunette blinked a few times in disbelief, mouth parted open adorably.
"I'm... I'm... Tsu... Tsunayoshi..."
The silver haired boy named Hayato grinned and reached a hand out to shake the brunette's vigorously in an almost child-like way.
"Tsunayoshi!"
"Y-Yes...?"
"Tsunayoshi...!" The silver haired boy repeated again, cheerily to himself. "Tsuuunayoshiiii!"
After another moment of listening to his name being spoken so many times and so joyously aloud, the brunette blushed red and stared down at his lap silently. But nevertheless, a warm smile remained pasted on his lips. Hayato grinned widely when he saw the smile and then let their clasped hands lie gently on the cloud beneath them.
"Don't worry, I'll protect you from now on! Tsunayoshi!"
I am so happy to have met you.
Days passed. Weeks. Months. Years.
The two once small boys had now left the chains of the ground and spent a lot of their time zipping about in the sky. Their wings, growing larger and paler than before, beat against the winds, lifting them twirling and soaring to new heights.
Tsuna laughed as Hayato whizzed by waving and the brunette followed after, pumping his own pair of wings hurriedly. He caught up and reached for the other boy's hand, who in turn grinned and squeezed the brunette's fingers playfully.
They had just finished another day of classes at the academy and had left to their usual spot.
No one had dared to pick on the brunette again, for fear of calling upon the wrath of the 'Hurricane Bomb'. And in peace, the two had grown closer than brothers, sharing adventures and misadventures together.
"Jyuudaime, are you hungry?" The silver haired teen asked, calling the brunette by his new name; a name that Hayato now called Tsuna because the Kyuudaime of Cistello had chosen a new leader for the next generation.
The Jyuudaime of Cistello in the near future, Tsunayoshi.
The silver haired youth couldn't agree on the old man's decision ever more. Only Tsuna could be fit for the position of Jyuudaime...!
There had been many protests against Kyuudaime's choice. Many preferred Xanxus, Kyuudaime's son, who held power that no one had seen in decades. But Kyuudaime had shaken his head solemnly. Tsuna would remain the leader of the next generation.
"Umm..." After hearing his other name, the brunette smiled uneasily, a smile he often wore nowadays, "I am a little hungry... should we go dig up some sun yams then...?"
"Good idea! Sun yams are perfect for this weather!" The silver haired teen nodded cheerily, tugging the other teen along with him towards a patch of cloud with a large castle-like structure looming over them. "Those things usually grow in shadowy places, right?" Hayato crouched down against the wall of the building, pulling pieces of cloud away with his fingernails. Tsuna knelt beside him, digging at the cloud as well. As they peeled away the cloud, an end of a small golden brown yam appeared. The two unearthed it quickly and lifted it up proudly. Hayato passed the sun yam to Tsuna with a simple, "Here," and then he scuffled to another spot, squatting again to dig. The brunette followed him, yam in both hands, and quickly peeled away the yam's skin to munch on the juicy yellow insides. Hayato dug up another and sat down across from Tsuna, peeling his own yam to eat. The two chewed silently and then smiles grew over their faces.
Just another peaceful day.
"Wait a second, Xanxus!"
The voice of a person from above them caused the two to stop eating.
"I cannot allow you to carry out such a plan. I must report you to Kyuudaime at once!"
Hayato frowned and stood up slowly, looking upwards. There was something fishy going on...
So.
"Hah, report to that old fart, huh." The deep voice of the man named Xanxus echoed down to the two teen's ears.
"Tsunayoshi is to be the leader of the next generation. Not you. That is Kyuudaime's final decision."
"I know."
"Then... why? This plan...?"
A peal of laughter erupted from the castle. "Ha ha! Why, you ask?"
Hayato scowled, watching the castle terrace warily. He faintly heard Tsuna stand up beside him.
"Yes, why? You know that Tsunayoshi will be Jyuudaime and yet you...!"
"So what?"
Hayato's eyes narrowed. Maybe they should go inform Kyuudaime about this conversation right now, before they were discovered.
"W-What...?"
"The old fart says that piece of trash will be Jyuudaime, so what?"
"You...! You...! You're a monster...! I must...! I must go to Kyuudaime at once!"
The silver haired teen heard a beat of wings. His eyes grew round and he spun towards the brunette standing beside him. But all he was met with was a burst of wind and amber light. Tsuna was gone...! His eyes shot upwards and he found the tips of a pair of wings disappear beyond the wall. Hayato pumped his wings with haste and pushed off from the ground, following after the brunette. What was he doing?
"Die...!" Xanxus's voice rang in the silver haired teen's ears as he soared straight up the wall. When he stopped at the top with a snap of his wings, what he found on the roof of the castle nearly sapped all the energy in him. He landed softly and collapsed to his knees, eyes wide and hands trembling. The feathers that had scattered from the sudden flight floated down around him.
Blood. There was so much blood.
No matter what it takes.
Red. The spray of red across cold stone. The crimson stains blossoming across pure white wings. A man lay in the brunette's arms, eyes dull and face petrified in a look of shock. A large hole was gaping in the man's chest, the red blood seeping through his clothes and draining onto Tsuna's hands and legs. It was staining everything...! Everything...!
Hayato's mouth could not close. He could not move, weak from the sight of the brunette drenched in fresh blood. Those white wings were turning a mesmerizing bright ruby red.
The brunette's eyes were blank, the amber pupils glowing against the darkening red blood soaking his hair and face and body. A trail of tears fell from one cheek.
"I... was too late."
No matter what it takes,
I will make sure...
They had taken him away. Locked him up in some cold cell in the depths of Cistello. Where light could not reach him and warm his face.
The silver haired teen had told the guards that they had the wrong person. The one who had killed Renardo was Xanxus, not Tsuna!
They answered back with a cold, 'Then why are Xanxus's wings pure white and No-Good Tsuna's wings a dirty red?'
Hayato ground his teeth together. Idiots... idiots... all of them! Tsuna would never hurt anyone! He was being framed! It was all wrong!
How could his wings be white? How?
The young man fisted his hands together, head bowed. His fingernails dug into his palms and his knuckles turned pale.
How?
How?
How?
"Dammit...!" He smashed a fist into the stone floor of the building holding Tsuna captive. He bit his bottom lip and then he slammed both his fists into the ground, cracking his skin, and he thrust his head back, howling at the skies. "FUCK YOU ALL, YOU BASTARDS!"
The lasting ring of his ferocious shout continued to echo into the night.
I will make sure that you will...
The murmur of the winged people of Cistello filled the entire hall. An old man with a weary expression sat in the tallest chair, looking down at the people gathered before him. The tall doors of the hall opened and gasps erupted, along with cries of horror, as a pair of guards led in a small, frail looking boy with wings as red as the setting sun.
"Tsunayoshi, you are now sentenced to exile. The charges against you are the murder of Renardo of the Cistello Guard..."
"And treason against Cistello." A man beside him added promptly.
"And... treason against Cistello." The old man sighed.
The brunette remained silent, hands bound in front of him by strong rope. His red wings were tucked tightly into his back.
Hayato pushed through the people, grasping with his hands the railing that kept them separated from each other. He clutched the railing firmly. Maybe if he held on hard enough, it would crumble in his fingers...
"Any last words, Tsunayoshi-kun...?" The old man asked kindly, a tone of sadness in his voice.
...return...
For a moment, the light in the brunette's eyes seemed to return. The young teen glanced around the room tentatively. His eyes finally landed on Hayato, whose face was twisted with worry, concern, and above all, helplessness.
A small, gentle smile spread across his lips and the silver haired youth felt what was left of his heart tear into shreds.
"Umm, may I...?" He watched the brunette timidly ask the old man.
"Of course." The man nodded and the person standing beside him gasped.
"Wait, Kyuudaime...!"
The old man lifted a hand up calmly. "It's all right. Everything... will be fine."
The brunette moved towards the silver haired teen. The crowd backed away as Tsuna drew near. He reached his bound hands to Hayato and the silver haired boy took the small pale hands in his own. The brunette smiled and then leaned forward.
"I'm sorry... Hayato. I'm making you worry..." Tsuna breathed out and stared at the silver haired teen with clear eyes.
"Jyuudaime..." He shook his head, holding onto the brunette's hands tightly.
"It'll be okay. You know that I'm innocent. And that's the only thing that matters to me..."
"Jyuudaime, why are you saying this? You should tell them that you're not guilty...! There's still a chance to convince them...! If it's you, you can do it!" Hayato shook his head fervently, holding the brunette's hands tighter in his own.
He watched the brunette smile again and then lean closer in, brown hair brushing past his temple.
A kiss.
Right on his cheek.
So gentle, like a wisp of wind.
It left his skin tingling.
His hold on those pale hands went slack and the boy said something but Hayato had no chance to think on it as the guards pulled Tsuna away.
"No, wait...!" The silver haired teen snapped forward, arm extending for the brunette being led down the hall; to the door leading towards the pit that would swallow Tsuna whole and spit him out to the hellish land of Threa.
...return to...
The crowd was dispersing, all leaving to find a place to watch the crimson-winged boy fall.
Hayato ripped his way through the people, flying over the crystal dome separating the people from the rift in the clouds. He pressed his hands against the crystal, eyes fixed on Tsuna standing dangerously on the edge.
"Take your hands off of him..." The silver haired teen snarled, watching the guards hold the brunette roughly and then drape him with snakes using hooked sticks. He could see Tsuna shivering and the boy's eyes were squeezed shut. Hayato's eyes flickered and he clenched his hands together again.
"Jyuudaime...!"
As if hearing his whimper, the brunette looked skywards, amber eyes searching and then pinpointing Hayato on the top of the dome. He smiled again, although the snakes wrapped along his wings and body made him freeze up in fear. And then, the guards lifted him off the ground.
Hayato watched the brunette dangle over the hole, feet pointed downwards. Motionless.
The hands let go.
The brunette seemed to float in the air for a moment. Light as a feather.
And then, the crimson-winged boy was gone.
Gone from Cistello forever.
Swallowed.
...return to my side.
Whoops and cries of joy came from the people applauding below.
But for the silver haired teen, only one sound reverberated in his mind as he continued to stare at the empty black rift and recall the words Tsuna had whispered for him. The last words he had spoken before they had taken him away.
"Thank you."