World of Secrets
Summary: In the World of Secrets, everyone has to have a secret, given to them at birth, which they must guard with their life. When Tsuna, a commoner, accidentally runs into Prince Hibari, he thinks he's doomed for death, but what he doesn't realize is that their fates are intertwined into a destiny that had been decided for them long ago.
Pairing: 1827
Warning: T for some slightly gory scenes and .Dark Tsuna1\
I don't own KatekyoHitman Reborn! If I did, gyahahaha…
A huge thanks to my editor (Escente on deviantart) for helping pull through this chapter :)
Chapter 1. The Execution
Tsuna padded soundlessly towards the large door. The stone floor was cold, colder than usual. Though intricately designed, the door was caked with dust, but that didn't matter to Tsuna. His body slid in and out of the wood, never touching anything. His feet didn't leave prints on the dirt-covered floor. In this world, his was a lost existence.
The cloaked figure was standing in front of the solitary window. Awatchpiece lay in his hand but as far as Tsuna could see, the hands were immobile. He was murmuring. Some sort of mantra, Tsuna thought, though he couldn't comprehend what exactly the person was saying. It sounded garbled and indistinguishable, perhaps another tongue. Then, as usual, the figure turned, shadows on its face highlighted by the lone burning candle, but before Tsuna could see who it was, he was blown backwards.
Into reality.
The day was gray, like many other days. Mornings were always cold here in Namimori and the wintry air chilled Tsuna to the bone as he trudged along the streets, hands safely tucked into his pockets.
It was the Day of the Execution.
Around Tsuna, people streamed in and out of shops, fetching morning groceries, tailoring new suits. To all of them, it didn't matter that people were going to be killed today. Didn't matter that blood will be spilled, bones will be broken. After all, it happened every year, and had become some sort of a routine for them.
In the World of Secrets, where secrets are keys to people's hearts, every person has to have one secret, the deepest and darkest of his collection,to be kept strictly under lock. It wasn't really a law though, but it would be unwise, extremely so, if one revealed their Secret to a person they didn't completely trust. It was said that the King had eyes and ears all around, and anyone, anyone at all, who seemed a radical in its loosest definition, would be sent to the Execution.
But as long as they were not the ones executed, it didn't really matter, did it, to what happened to those poor bastards who had been.
Every year on the Day of the Execution, some prisoners (of many, it was rumoured) would be brought, tied on stakes to the Square, where they would be openly tortured and then killed, as a kind of sacrifice to the Seer, keeper of the secrets, the god who watched over them, guiding their way. The watching was made compulsory to all citizens above eight. It was a display of sorts, of course, of the Royal Family's power over their people's secrets. To intimidate people into keeping their heart locked. Betrothals were merely made to make sure their race continued.
Tsuna stuck his hands further into his pockets. He hated the way the cold weather dampened his hair. Even when it wasn't raining his fringe stuck to his forehead like glue and his usually spiky hair…drooped.
Lost in his thoughts, he stopped abruptly as he realised he had entered the Square. The Square was more of a circle, actually, which had routes that could access almost every part of the city. One of the routes had been cordoned off today, presumably to make way for the parade.
The parade, Tsuna thought bitterly, was nothing more than a way for the royals to gloat over their people. Flattery for them to shove up their pompous asses. What was it really, to watch over a thousand people grovel at your feet while you decided what order the prisoners would be killed.
He glanced at his watch. The parade would not start for another half hour. His watch brought memories of his dream the previous person…and that tower…they seemed somewhat familiar but he couldn't quite place his finger on it. He unconsciously fingered his watchpiece, no doubt thinking about the one which had appeared to him last night. It wasn't any good as the memory had already been blurred by the events of the morning. The dream had certainly not been very pleasant but at least it was a welcome relief from the nightmares that occasionally plagued him.
A gong sounded somewhere in the distance. It was nine and the parade would start soon. People had already flooded the Square, and Tsuna knew his mother would be somewhere amongst them. She would have gone together with him if not for the fight to snatch up the last bit of good salt before the season went away.
Ridiculously epic music started to play, its tempo aligning itself with Tsuna's throbbing head. From the spaces between the bodies squashed side by side, Tsuna could make out an army of soldiers marching into the Square. It was like that, every single fucking year. Behind them, there would be a large wooden platform wheeled in by another platoon of henchmen, on which prisoners were gagged and tied like sucklings to wooden stakes, their face masks of misfortune and terror. And behind them still, would be the much plusher Chariot of Roses on which the Royalty rode. True to its name, the open-air humongous chariot was decked with dozens and dozens of roses, each bouquet lovelier than the last. And of course, on the chariot, the Royalty would seat: The King, his chief concubine (formally known as the Queen), and the two Princes.
The King was a large man, tall and rather muscular, with condescending eyes and a heart that didn't give a damn about his people, in Tsuna's opinion. The Queen, beautiful as she was, seemed like a typical flower-picking ninny, relying on her thick-headed husband for everything and was definitely not fit to be put on the Queen's Throne. The two princes, different as night and day. The Crown Prince and Heir, was tall and lean like his Father, with the same mocking eyes and a slight smirk. He had blond hair so pale it was a shade of white, and faded brown eyes. His brother was seemingly an exact picture negative, all dark and shadows. Slightly shorter, lithe and graceful like a cat, the younger prince had matt black hair, intense gray eyes, and a face devoid of emotion.
There was no denying that the Royal Family was beautiful, but beneath that glacial beauty were pitch-black souls and hearts of ice.
The crowd had started to cheer, loudly and enthusiastically, at the stately scene in front of their eyes. The fervent cries and well-wishes of prosperity and long-lives to the royals masked the neutrality or dislike the people had towards their rulers. Tsuna had no choice but to join in the clapping and catcalling. To be caught doing anything otherwise lead to certain death.
The army and the two platforms drew to a halt in the center of the Square, where the prisoners would be executed. Tsuna swept his gaze over them, feeling distaste for those whose eyes were drowning in terror, and a grudging admiration for those with looks of acceptance found on men who had foreseen their fate. The King was impatiently tapping his fingers, the Queen clinging to his arm, and the two princes looking on with a kind of bored indifference.
The clock struck ten, loudly and clearly. Then, with a kind of practiced routine, the princes stood and walked down the sides of the chariot in opposite directions, disappearing into specified alleyways, large numbers of bodyguards hurrying after the,. Till they were fully matured, blooded royals were not allowed to witness the killings. Really, Tsuna thought wryly, children of hardly eight years were here to see blood spilt. But of course, the pure innocence of the princes must be protected, mustn't they? The Queen rose, a flurry of silk and lace, and disappeared into the back of the chariot.
At last the King stood, large and commanding. It was time. He twisted his fingers into the symbol of Knowledge, also known as the symbol of the Seer, and pressed his hand against his chest. It was an act of respect towards the Seer, the god who looked after the people of this world, just like the sacrificial killings of those who had broken his rules.
The guards took their place in front of their assigned prisoner. On clean sweep with a blade, and their heads would be off. Then, in a manner of practiced synchronicity, they sliced clean arcs with their swords. In a matter of seconds, the wooden platform of the chariot was littered with decapitated heads and shards of bone. The stumps of necks which the heads had been once attached were gushing blood, spurting it all over the now soulless bodies, the soldiers' uniforms and the lifeless lolling heads on the ground.
Tsuna looked down at his clothes. He hadn't realized until now, but due to his position near the prisoners, his sleeves and shirtfront were stained red with blood.
Blood…red…just like…just like…just—Tsuna started slightly nauseous. The blood had evoked some kind of nostalgic memory within him but he couldn't quite remember. His stomach churned as the rusty metallic smell of blood wafted across the Square, gaining intensity. It was suffocating. Why? I have never felt so disgusted by blood before. The King was making some kind of speech but the words sounded garbled to his ears, like the man from his dreams. Man from his dreams? It seemed worlds away. Then, Tsuna's stomach constricted and bile rose to his ground swayed below his feet. His body stiffened with a gasp as random images flowed into his mind. A gory bloody battlefield, the ground stained metallic red. A woman, her face sallow, her fingers gnarled and twisted, clawing at him before her body erupted into thousands of maggots. A white rose, speckled red, placed before a grave. In a blind panic, Tsuna started pushing his way out of the crowd. His vision was blurred and his ears didn't seem to be working properly but Tsuna still knew, that to do something as disrespectful as collapsing onto the ground during the ceremony would earn him a place in Dante's hell.
As he stumbled away from the the blood, the cheers and the loud music, he could feel the intense urge to vomit. Only his sheer panic and his survival instinct kept it in. He had heard that in the dungeons below the Palace, people had been eaten alive by the rats and flies.Need…need to get to a further place where guard's aren't watching…haha…Mother would have to wash my shirt again…Tsuna had an abstract thought.
As the darkness of the drainage alleyway descended upon him, Tsuna started to feel slightly safer. After all, no guards would wander here right? They would be too high and mighty for that. He had heard stories of the Royal Guard. So close to the King, they thought they had a place sky-high above the normal citizens. But he still wanted to get further away from the Square just in case. Gods, I need to puke. He didn't stop when he heard a voice in front of him shouting. If it was a citizen, he would simply have to apologize later if he had done something wrong. Anyway, anyone with the right sense of mind would get out of his way right?
It was with this thought that he barreled straight into the person coming his way. His body tipped forward, his momentum causing the both of them to fall over. The sudden imbalance was the last straw. His stomach shifted and he vomited, all over the other person.
But this had also cleared his head, a little bit. Tsuna wearily shook his head, hoped that no guards had seen him and prepared himself to apologiseprofuselyto that person. So he looked up.
Straight into the infamous grey eyes of His Royal Highness, Prince Hibari Kyouya.
A/N: Hey guys! Long time no see. I don't usually have time to write fanfiction but this plot bunny has ravaged my brain for ages. I try to update as soon as possible so please support me. Criticism is welcomed.
