Hey readers (if anyone is alive and reading). I want to say sorry for not updating for a long time. During the hiatus, I was debating to just stop writing and shutting down all of the incomplete stories so I'm not tied down to anything. While that was happening, I was stuck in childhood lane in college. I got back into drawing, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Pokémon. So, I was distracted. But those things gave me reasons to go back to writing. And it took a little longer because I thought no one would be interested and a massive writing block. But just enjoy this update.

Chapter 29: Warmth

The night had already rolled over and the sound of drums thundering through the village echoed. Each lantern that was carefully hung on the roof of the buildings illuminated the path that led to the forest. People from the village stood aside as they watched the next sacrifice walked down the aisle. Tsuna could feel his body sinking lower to the ground. The kimono Mila kindly offered added unnecessary weight to his small body. He had to admit to himself that he was shocked that he hasn't tripped and fallen over himself. Yet.

Tsuna cautiously looked over his shoulder to see Gokudera and Yamamoto. They were holding the ends of his outfit to prevent him from falling and getting it dirty. Their expression looked stern as they kept looking forward. Lambo and Ryohei stood behind them as they waved to the crowds. The guardians didn't breathe a word since they left the restaurant. Tsuna suspected as much, but he didn't do anything to change it. He thought it would have been better for him.

His brown eyes lingered longer on his quiet meister. The brunet had hoped for Yamamoto to say something to him. Anything that could have convinced him to back out of his plans. However, not a single word was exchanged between them after the meeting. They didn't even look at each other. Tsuna was led to believe that his meister no longer cared for him anymore. He knew perfectly why he didn't care either. They don't have the meister-weapon bond like they did before. They were not the best teammates in the world and their actions proved that time and time again. No one can blame him for assume Yamamoto would prefer his girlfriend as his weapon over him.

Tsuna turned away and stared at what was ahead of him.

Yamamoto was likely dying to return home and be with his girlfriend. They seem close enough and she's exactly the weapon Yamamoto wanted. They were a perfect match like everyone at school had said. The brunet lowered his eyes and unconsciously bit on his lower lip. He hated how his thoughts would come to that. He was perfectly happy too. He now had friends that cared about him, a loving boyfriend, and was able to transform into a weapon. He was supposed to be happy.

Yet, something was troubling him.

"Tsuna, are you feeling well?" Mila asked, quietly.

Tsuna glanced at Mila, who was standing by his side. She took his hand and gave it a small squeeze. The brunet couldn't help himself from smiling. He assured her that he was fine. Mila could only look onward as she smiled sadly from the unsatisfying answer.

The village's priest was the one that was leading them all to the forest, sending prayers to the heavens. As Tsuna listened, he thought about the little things that happened up until now. It was kind of ironic to him. He had always started out as a loser since he entered DMWA. Now, he's literally walking to his impending death to possibly save someone that he wasn't sure is there. He went from being a zero to a hero-ish person

The beating drums faded away in the background as the old priest led them all down to the forest. The only light Tsuna could see was the fire on the torch.

It was a twelve minute walk — Tsuna assumed from his counting — from the village to the cave where the monster resided. Tsuna's heart was beating against his chest as he stared inside the dark hole. He gulped when Mila and her son stepped away from him and the priest gestured for him to stand in front of the cave. Mila had Gokudera and Yamamoto settled the end of the kimono to the ground and stand by her.

"Before you go, is there anyone among us that would like to say their final piece? Do it now or forever hold your breath." The priest said, weakly.

Tsuna stared at his guardians with a blank face. He didn't want to appear weak to anyone. Inside, he was scared and was begging for someone to stop him. He didn't want to go through with this, but he has to. It was him or someone else. He didn't want that. Gokudera stepped out.

"Tsunayoshi, I—"

No one had expected for Yamamoto to hold out his hand as he steps forward. Of course, Gokudera knew that it was meant to silence him. He was about to speak once more until he saw how Yamamoto was staring at him, intensely. Gokudera sealed his lips. When everything settled down, the priest waited for a moment to see if anyone else would speak up. No one did. Tsuna couldn't help himself from feeling his heart dropping out of his chest. The old man nodded his head and handed over the torch to Tsuna.

"This fire will guide you through the cave. Before you do that, an escort will lead you to ensure your safe trip." The old man spoke.

Tsuna barely blinked when he felt his wrist being dragged into the cave. Yamamoto had already assigned himself as Tsuna's escort before anyone else got the chance to say anything.

Gokudera was flabbergasted. When the priest said that, he had full intentions on taking Tsuna's hand and leading him safely through the cave as his right-hand man and protector. Bursting with energy, he ran towards the dark cave, but he couldn't enter it. The priest was holding the collar of Gokudera's clothes and dragged him backwards. Gokudera couldn't help himself from screaming every obscene word he knows at the 'crazy geezer' to release him. Everyone else followed along.


Tsuna couldn't keep up with the pace Yamamoto was going. His meister hadn't looked back at him once since the brunet was dragged in unexpectedly. Luckily, he didn't drop the torch from the sudden tug.

"Y-Yamamoto, please stop. You can catch up with everyone else if you went back now."

Yamamoto let go his wrist and took a few steps forward. Tsuna stood where he was as he stared at Yamamoto's back. Again, he hasn't said anything. Tsuna was really hoping for an explanation for all the rash actions.

"I know you want to get back home. I do too. I'll make sure this is quick. So, please, go back to the others." Tsuna insisted.

"Tsuna, do you really want to do this?" Yamamoto asked.

Yamamoto approached the brunet with a stern face. Tsuna suddenly took a step back, feeling intimidated. Yamamoto's amber eyes were staring down at him as if he was hoping for a reasonable answer. The brunet turned his head away, staring at the flames on the torch.

"Yes, everyone would be safe. They don't have to worry and I can go and see if Reborn and the others are down there."

"I didn't ask what everyone else would think of this. I'm asking if you, and only you, are okay with this."

Tsuna went mute.

"You have to answer me, Tsuna. I want to know how you feel about all this."

Tsuna realized that he was holding his breath.

"I'm scared." Tsuna whispered.

His voice was so quiet that Tsuna wasn't sure if Yamamoto would have heard him clearly. The brunet wrapped his arms around himself as he crouched down. He avoided the heat coming from the torch. Yamamoto's eyes were locked on the curled form of his weapon. He lowered himself as he pulled the brunet into an embrace.

"It's okay if you're scared. I'm your meister. Even if I'm not, you're still important to me. You're not alone." Yamamoto assured.

Tsuna buried himself closer to Yamamoto, accepting it all. It was odd to say, but the feeling Tsuna was getting from Yamamoto felt so familiar. He felt safe and loved. Though, he couldn't really point it to anything specific.

Tsuna closed his eyes, enjoying it.


Sorry again. Hoped you enjoyed it. If you want this to continue, tell me. Because I'm technically doing this for you guys. If you guys don't, I'll just shut it down. Simple as that. Again, thank you for reading and your time.