ChApTeR 20 – That which swallows those who manage to make it at the top

Disclaimer: No, no, no….I don't own, own, own,

Warnings: Violence, gore… reference to animal cruelty (though no animals were hurt in the creation of this fic), broccoli discrimination and overall craziness from Hiroshi.

Bonus chapter - Because I managed to finish before hand, I decided to publish it. So here ya go.

Oh and I changed the rating to M.

"Time takes it all whether you want it to or not, time takes it all. Time bares it away, and in the end there is only darkness. Sometimes we find others in that darkness, and sometimes we lose them there again."
― Stephen King

Today was a good day !

Niisan would be so happy when he saw her picture.

Mama promised that she would mail her drawing for her.

So Teruko had to be a good girl.

She would be good for Tuna-kun, because she loved him more than she loved Apples. And she would fight Momo-chan for Apples, and Momo-chan was her best friend.

Apples were the best, no matter what Haru said.

Haru was a doo doo bird.

He was worse than brocu…brocc-…brocculi…broccoli.

Nasty!

Bad brocc…oli! (Ugh)

Brrooooo…

…ccooliiii

"What are you doing, hun?" her Mama asked, interrupting the tiny girl's inner monologue. Teruko, who was lying on the floor, her tummy pressed against the hard wood, looked up at her Mama and her eyes widened at the plate of sliced Apples.

"Apples!" she shouted and Mama smiled as she placed the plate next to her drawing.

"Oh, is that for Tsuna-kun?" her Mama asked and Teruko nodded, gripping her yellow crayon. "You miss him, huh?" she added and Teruko paused before she could eat one of the apple slices.

"Love him, mama" Teruko said, looking down as tears filled her eyes. She sniffed as Mama ran her hands through her hair. "Like the sun loves her flowers" she recited, something her Niisan had taught her and Teruko frowned as something dark flashed across her Mama's face.

Sometimes, Mama wasn't Mama. "Niisan be okay?" she asked, pushing her face against her mother's bosom. It was okay. She loved her Mama too.

"Oh, honey, he'll be just fine" her mother said, rubbing soothing circles against her back as Teruko cried. Or else there would be hell to pay.

Tsuna felt time slip away from him like water pooling out of his hands. He tried to keep focused, to remember that they had to get to the clan house, but the fever made his brain mushy. His thoughts were narrowed down to the pounding of his head that matched the throbbing of his leg and the heat that reddened his face.
Sweat had gathered and stained the armpits, the neckline and even the edges of his shirt, leaving a musky scent in its wake.
"I can't... The leg is going numb" Tsuna huffed and Nao gently stopped so he could get a breather. They were nearly to the top, according to what Nao had said, they only had a few more minutes to go. As Tsuna sat on the boulder, Nao slipped the black bag from his shoulder and pulled out a green pill.
"FoR PaIn" Nao said and Tsuna didn't even ask for its name. He gulped it down with the offered water Nao presented to him. "I wanted to hate her you know" Tsuna said apropos of nothing. Nao who was inspecting the wound, looked up and tilted his head in an unspoken question of: who? "I wanted to, Kami knows I wanted to but I could never" Tsuna whispered, his voice breaking from the exhaustion.
"ImōTo" Nao spoke up and Tsuna nodded without looking at him. Nao stood up from his squat and dusted his hands. "WhY nOt?" He asked when Tsuna used the silence to catch his breath.
"I guess I love her too much" Tsuna shrugged and Nao's eyes roved over his face, calculating and curious.
"What is l-" he was going to ask, when the rustling of a nearby shrub made him tense up. Without wasting time, he unsheathed his katana and stood his position in front of Tsuna. They watched as Hiroshi stepped out from the bushes, his mask secured on his face as approached.

"I see you were caught, little bird" Hiroshi said, as he slowly advanced on them. He was confident in his slow strides, his silence stifling as he stopped some steps away. Tsuna could hear the sharp inhale Hiroshi took as he saw the blood that dotted the gauze on his feet and Tsuna felt an urge to run. He felt cornered, even as the vastness of the forest surrounded them. He felt helpless as he looked at Nao's tense back. Not even his skills would be enough to get them both of there.

This trap was more dangerous than the one that caught his leg. On cue, the injury swallowed up his attention as a sharp stabbing sensation made itself known to Tsunayoshi. Hiroshi looked up at him, and he chuckled.

"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes"* Hiroshi quoted and Tsuna felt when all the breath swept away from his lungs.

There he was, the demon who walked among men, wrapped in a kimono and haori. Matsuoka Hiroshi.

He could feel Tsuna bristling behind him but Nao didn't move, didn't dare keep his eyes off Hiroshi, because it would mean their death. "Because I'm feeling rather generous tonight, I'll give you a choice, half breed. You can either save yourself or the boy" Hiroshi told him, laughing his face when Nao shifted his right foot. He inwardly swore.

It had was only an inch, but even that could have been an opening. He squeezed the hilt of his katana until his callouses compressed against the rough material, debating on the choice he would have to make.
'He isn't worth it' a voice whispered in his ear and Nao had to resist the urge to close his eyes. 'Your survival above anyone else's. Just like I taught you' Mari's voice cut through his thoughts. "Choose, now" Hiroshi demanded and Nao glanced back at Tsunayoshi. The boy had not spoken up since Hiroshi had approached them. He was watching... Him? Tsuna was looking at Nao. There was no hope, no fear, no anger in those brown eyes of his, instead only sad acceptance sat snugly in their place.
Nao's eyes widened as Tsuna patted his chest twice. *Got it* Tsuna's eyes softened at the watery hue that Nao's took on, and squeezed his wrist. Nao looked down and when his stance slackened, Hiroshi laughed again.
"Leave now before I change my mind" Hiroshi barked, hysteria creeping into his voice.

Nao turned to Tsuna and flattening his hands, he tapped his right hand to his left wrist, bringing it upwards*. Thank you. Tsuna smiled, a warm thing that made the walls around his heart crumble at its foundation.

He would thank Tsuna, because it wasn't goodbye. He would get help and then they would make it to the Matsuoka clan house. Together (Lol Avengers much)

"Go" Tsuna mouthed and Nao nodded.

As he ran, he didn't dare look back.

"Those Isshiki always had betrayal in their veins. Try not to let it get you down too much" Hiroshi taunted as he stepped closer. Behind his mask, he arched an eyebrow as the boy sat back down. Outwardly, the boy held the guise of someone who held no regard for his safety, but Hiroshi could smell the fear wafting from the boy.
"You do know he's gone to get help, right?" the brat asked and shifted his leg a little, so he could get comfortable.

"Do you think they could make it to you in time?" Hiroshi sneered but the boy just lifted his shoulders in a mocking manner.

"Maybe, maybe not" the little shit just said and Hiroshi wanted to laugh. He held his stomach and hunched forward, as laughter threatened to slip from his mouth. "Before you start…" the weakling piped up and Hiroshi gazed at him through the mask. "…Why did you betray the old fart?" he asked and Hiroshi straightened up. Oh, this little shit was Nana's son for sure.

"Think you can handle the truth, boy? Even if it flays you alive, would you still want to know?" Hiroshi taunted and the boy looked at him without flinching.

"Is that what happened with you?" the boy asked and Hiroshi snorted. "There has to be a reason for you to betray your Uncle. I mean he practically took you in, when nobody wanted you" the boy said with a light hum, his pupils dilated and a cruel smile on his face. Heh. It seemed like there was Matsuoka blood in him after all.

"Kind of like your own father, ne?" Hiroshi asked, his kind voice a stark contrast to his jagged words. The boy didn't react as he wanted to, just continued to lazily lounge on the boulder.

"I would like to get an answer before the old man comes, you know" the boy said and Hiroshi shook his head.

"How about a story, Tsunayoshi-chan?" Hiroshi asked and clapped his hands behind his back. A raised eyebrow was all the reply he got. "Unlike what people will tell you, my mother DID want me. My parents, before my father died, had tried about ten times to conceive before one day, finally one of the mid wives rushed in with great news. She was ten weeks pregnant. She was elated, overjoyed with the news. She wanted to scream it to the world, wanted to run to her husband to relay the news, but little did she know, that the shadows were conspiring against them. So, the night that she planned to tell her husband, was the night poison made its way into his stomach. He died, never knowing that his son would be coming into this world" Hiroshi said with a shrug. "Time passed. Her child grew and her belly got bigger, her husband's killer was beheaded, things were normal for a while. Then one day, as she was reading to the baby, she could feel something running down her legs. Blood. She was swept into the delivering room, ready to bring her boy into the world, when something went wrong" he told him, tapping his left foot against the snow. "You see the boy had always been a fighter and so, when he saw his opening, he tore through her body without any regard for her life. I mean, what kind of child would kill their own mother?!" Hiroshi screamed and Tsuna looked down. "A monster, they called him when he was only five years old. And on most days, he felt like it, because this boy wasn't like the other kids. He couldn't feel what they felt. Couldn't relate to the feeling of love or comradery. He kept telling himself "Why am I like this? Why am I so empty?" Hiroshi mockingly bemoaned, with an air of nonchalance. "Until one day, he had stumbled upon a little bluebird. He had broken his wing you see, and so when the boy looked at it, the little bird chirped for help. The hope in its eyes, Kami, you could tell that the stupid thing believed that he would help it. Tragic, really" Hiroshi mused and Tsuna angrily glared off at the side. "His body moved on its own and when he broke its little neck, the boy felt what it meant to be truly ALIVE" Hiroshi laughed as he threw his hands in the air, as though receiving benevolence from the blackened sky. "It had been the first time that contentment settled in his stomach. So, a little thought chirped in his mind. The voice of Kenshukai himself had asked, What if…What if you opened it up?" Hiroshi lamented but Tsuna didn't want to hear anymore. "So, with the same kunai he promised that he would use to protect his clan, he slit open the soft belly. And the voice of Kenshukai was so quiet, that the boy couldn't help but EAT the offering he had made. It was disgusting, really but for the first time in his short life, he understood what he was meant to do" Hiroshi spoke up.

"You're a lunatic" Tsuna spat out and Hiroshi's head snapped in his direction. "There is no happiness to be found in harming others. You're a coward to believe otherwise" He shouted at Hiroshi, who frothed at the mouth at the boy's insolence.

"You are right, Tsunayoshi-kun" came a voice from behind them and they watched as Hisao made his appearance. "A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." He quoted as a circle of shinobi enclosed around them.

"Kind of hypocritical, don't you think? Coming from a man who heads the Gen'yōsha. From a man who killed his own son" Hiroshi threw at Hisao who raised his hand to stop his shinobi.

"You never did have the whole story, Hiroshi. You don't have the aptitude to understand and accept truth" Hisao countered and Hiroshi snarled at him. Nao emerged from behind Hisao, his eyes strained on Tsuna. "You were a fool to approach him tonight" Hisao said and Hiroshi rolled his eyes behind the mask.

"You of all people, dear Uncle know that fate cannot be stopped. The boy will learn of the destiny that awaits him" Hiroshi preached and it was Hisao's turn to roll his eyes.

"But not today" Hisao refuted and Hiroshi just shrugged before he turned to Tsunayoshi once more.

"From the day you accepted that man's offer, you were thrown out for the slaughter" Hiroshi warned, sliding the mask so his eyes could find Tsuna's. "You'll see, little bird. One day, you'll find yourself with a broken neck too. And do you know who will be your executioner? The same man you call grandfather" Hiroshi prophesized and Hisao tightened his hold on the cane. "I'm not the only demon of the Matsuoka clan" Hiroshi laughed before he dashed away, the shinobi hot on his heels. Tsuna was left reeling with questions, when a hand landed on his shoulder. He looked up and saw his grandfather watching him.

"Let us be on our way" the old man told him but Tsuna jerked away from his touch.

"When this is finished, you WILL tell me everything" he hissed but followed anyway, heavily leaning on Nao once more.

Once they passed the Torii, Tsuna was struck by the vastness he was met with.
It was a hidden village nestled away from Iga and within the mountain. There were Minkas* situated on opposing sides of the river that ran through the mountain, large bridges connecting the traditional houses with one another as well as the courtyard itself. These houses were spread in a distorted C, with a circular courtyard in its dead center, right above the water. In the middle of the yard was a large camphor tree hanging low, its branches touching the water underneath it. "We'll get you cleaned up once the ceremony is over" his grandfather told him and Tsuna nodded. He could see the other candidates gathered in two neat lines, standing still in front of ten older men and women. Nao looked over at Tsuna, gauging his reaction, almost expecting to see anger or hatred but Tsuna just smiled at him before taking his place in the second line. He wanted to study the other candidates, had a desire to memorize their faces but Tsuna barely had any energy remaining other than to keep his eyes open.

He squeezed his fists tighter, nails biting into his palms and watched the way his grandfather inspired fear and awe as he slowly marched to the front of crowd, his face impassive as ever. "The Gen'yōsha, welcome you. I, your Soke, congratulate your hard work and dedication for making it here, to this point" his grandfather said, his eyes sharp as he surveyed the group of candidates. "You all have made each and every one of your parents proud. Your victory tonight is just another stepping stone to becoming Soke" he added, as the Elders nodded behind him. Hisao could see some of the candidates, the Ito girl, especially eager and greedy at his words. "The race has ended, my dear candidates, so you may rest tonight. You all have earned it" his grandfather stated, but the others don't even react. Tsuna had been the only to release a sigh of relief. "But before you go, there is one final lesson for the night I must teach all of you" he said and they watched as five figures were marched outside. They were all wearing white, immaculate kimonos with a black bag covering their faces.
"My dear candidates, this lesson is one of loyalty. We may not have a bushido, but we have a vow that we must never break. A vow of loyalty to our blood" he said and Tsuna gaped as the figures knelt on tatami mats that were placed on the concrete ground, right before the candidates and their parents. His throat tightened at the 'slick' that echoed across the silence as they unsheathed their tanto.
"Watch, and see what happens to failure. Wield your anger and your grief, so when the time comes, you will never break!" he shouted and in eerie synchronization, the metal sliced into their bellies. Tsuna closed his eyes as red stained white.

As the bodies dropped forward, their guts spilling out of their twitching corpses, Tsuna pried his eyes open once more. When he looked up, he had been met with a controlled pride from the parents who refused to react their children's death visibly. They were all lunatics. All of them.
"Blood above all else" was whispered around Tsuna and he felt the light grow further away from his dirty hands.

"You're going to get punished again" was softly spoken behind her as she poked her stick at the rocks that were settled at the bottom of the river. "You know better than to question sensei" Hinami said, frowning at the girl's feet that wiggled in the water. She had the legs of her pants folded to the knees, as she waded away from Hinami.

"You're wrong! He's wrong! This whole thing is wrong!" she said, throwing the stick into the bushes.

"Why are we the ones wrong?" Hinami gently asked and the girl with the brown pigtails shook her head.

"There's something inside me, Hina-chan. Something that is clawing at my ribs, screaming at me, telling me that what we're doing, what we're learning is not the right way to live" she told her, with her hands pressed against her chest.

"This is our tradition, ***. This is our life and the blood that runs through these veins? That is what makes it right" Hinami argued but the girl just kept walking further away from her.

"You don't get it, Hina-chan. You don't see the way that with each life we take, how it stains our soul. Our purpose was never to just take" she said, bending down to pick up a stone, glistening with the water. "Death will never be our servant, only our master" she whispered, skipping the stone over the surface.

"Where is this coming from?" Hinami asked as the girl turned to her. "Talk like that will only get you into trouble" she admonished.

"What purpose does all of this serve? Money? Tradition? Purpose? It doesn't make sense to me, is all" the girl countered and Hinami shook her head.

"For your sake, I hope you keep those thoughts to yourself" Hinami told her but the girl looked out at the lush forest, and the feelings inside her only grew. She wanted to create rather than destroy with her hands. Hinami turned to the river's bank, where the other girl's leather bound book was lying along with some scrolls that she had taken from the clan's library. "I hope you're studying for the Kinshi Test, instead of writing down your 'feelings' again" Hinami said, sneering at her with her air quotes.

"Maybe, I'll be the one to change the clan" the girl said and Hinami only frowned.

"I highly doubt it" a voice drawled and Hinami missed the way the girl froze at the sight of Hiroshi. "Talk like that will get you the pit" Hiroshi said, as Hinami gazed into his eyes. "And we wouldn't want that, would we?" he asked. The girl matched Hiroshi's hatred with her own, which only made his smile grow wider.

"Why are you here?" the girl asked and Hiroshi looked around, his gaze wickedly landing on the book.

"Just walking around. Fresh air is good for the soul, you know?" Hiroshi told her.

"Do you even have a soul in that body of yours, Hi-ro-shi?" the girl taunted and Hinami turned around to glare at her. Hiroshi just smiled.

"How pitiful. What would your father say, if he heard his daughter, the great *** speaking in such a manner. Tsk, tsk, tsk. He would be devastated" Hiroshi said, with the back of his hand pressed against his forehead. "It would be fitting though. A weak daughter to crush a weak heart" he muttered, but only the girl had heard him. Hinami had been too busy, glaring at the other girl, too preoccupied with apologizing to Hiroshi, to hear him.

"What a nasty boy, I see. My eyes do gaze upon a tragedy" the girl rhymed and Hiroshi rolled his eyes.

"Oh, what is that in front of me? That which is filth, I decree" Hiroshi whipped at her and Hinami sighed.

"Really?" she asked them both. Hiroshi shrugged and the girl turned her head away from them.

"Hold fast, little bird. We'll see how long you will last" Hiroshi sang and the girl scoffed as he left.

"I hate him" the girl declared and stomped out of the water, to fetch her things.

"I don't see why" Hinami said and the girl just lowered her pant legs as she sat down on the rocky bank, so she could put on her sandals. When Hinami turned her back to watch Hiroshi walk off, the girl could feel the chilly wickedness behind that blank mug of his. Damn bastard.

"Because he's a demon" the girl mumbled and looked up at the birds that flew over their heads, disappearing into the white clouds. Maybe, she wasn't strong enough. "Gekko, I don't know if I can do this" she sighed and stood up. "Let's go" she said, grabbing up her things. She didn't even wait for Hinami as she walked off. She was too busy thinking about the future to stop.

Notes:

"By the pricking of my thumbs,
Something wicked this way comes." (IV.i44-45)

William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

*Two pats to the chest is "Got it" in Japanese Sign Language.

* A coward is incapable of exhibiting love; it is the prerogative of the brave." - Mahatma Gandhi.

*Minkas - are vernacular houses constructed in any one of several traditional Japanese building styles.

Q&A

Blade: Hah! He's moving because of pure determination and the author's cruelty. Frosty-sensei is sorry.

Yuki: Oh what another awesome review.

You're really observant. Asking all the right questions and giving Frosty-sensei some compliments TOO! ~(^.^)~

For your inquiry: Is the girl really Nana? And was the boy Hiroshi, at the beginning of the last chapter?

Maybe….Maybe not.

I don't want to spoil anything too much but these snippets of the past and the diary entries are vital to understanding Hiroshi and the mess that's happening in the Matsuoka clan and the organization on a whole.

You're right about the position of Soke though.

Originally, I was going to follow the typical path and make it something that the heir would inherit but when I thought about it, the shinobi were so strong, that they were considered the boogeymen/women (because I'm all about equality) in Japan at a particular period in time.

The more I read from the articles I got online, I realized how much dedication, training and secrecy that surrounded these shinobi and in order to at least give them the most justice I could offer in this fic, I made the position of Soke, something hard to obtain. So you're right "Ass kicking equals authority" (Awesome quote by the way)

TheLaughingStalkGuy: You really did make me laugh, my dude. I was going for the brotherly trope, so I don't know how it managed to translate as 'Yaoi' to you (Oh I am about that life too but they're like really young in this, so it wasn't my intention to include such spiciness in this fic)

Does anyone get that vibes or was it just this person?

A/N:

HEADS UP:

There be a time skip in the future. So look out for that.

Just wanted to thank the people who read AND added this to their favorites or their follows.

To the frustrated ones: We're diving into canon in Chapter 22. So worry not. (Decided to delve into canon earlier so...had to scrap some plans and rewrite some stuff)

Frosty-sensei knows what she's doing. (Ha I'm lying)

Talk to you in the next chappie.

PS: For my Stony shippers out there (No Anti-Tony please), I'm on tumblr as uzulover. So holler at me so we can scream at the beauty of our soft bois together.