Chapter Warning: Blood and violence, I guess.

x x x

Chapter 32: Adriano's Story

"Show me."

Mukuro nodded his compliance silently before casting mist around them. Once he deemed it dense enough, he cast the images from the day of their interrogation as seen through his own eyes. The dream-like quality of images could have deceived had they not already known that it was really a thing of nightmares they were about to witness. The first sounds were of Adriano's cries, a sound that was now a bit haunting to Tsuna as a shiver tickled his spine.

Reborn appeared to show patience, but only just, as the young Italian calmed himself enough to speak. Once calm, Adriano began his story. He started with how he hadn't meant for any of this to happen the way it had. Tsuna could believe that, the sincerity in the broken voice. And yet...

Adriano then spoke of his family, of things they had known previously. Of the attack on the small famiglia, how they had been massacred, because they had given their allegiance to Vongola. When pressed on who had made the attack, Adriano couldn't say. He just cried, repeating that he didn't know. There was truth in his words, yet something hidden. Something Reborn seemed to pick up on as well. Which began the assault.

Mukuro attacked Adriano's psyche, trying to get him to either confess more or find something hidden in the images of his memories. However, he got nothing. When the youth wouldn't give any other answer, Reborn relented and made him continue. It took a few minutes for the teen to calm but finally he continued, voice shakier than before, moving on to Vongola's assistance. How he had been taken in by Tsuna and how he was grateful. How even though they had thought they had defeated their enemy, someone must have escaped because a few days after his rescue he had been contacted by letter.

Which led to Reborn questioning him on who had sent it. Again, Adriano didn't know. Which began another assault. Images of the letter flashed through, but nothing telling. That had Reborn asking why he hadn't brought the letter to attention. Adriano cried that he had been scared. What if there was someone among them, watching him? Again, truth to his words...but something he was hiding. Annoyed, Reborn demanded to know what the letter said.

The attacker wanted Adriano to know they knew he was still alive. That he was a traitor. But he would be spared if he helped them. The attack on his famiglia had been a warning, nothing personal. He would be spared if he did one small task: Help them capture the Vongola leader. Adriano was quick to defend that he didn't want to. He didn't want any part of something that would hurt Tsuna in any way, to which he received letters that they didn't want to hurt anyone. They just wanted to get their warning through. They wanted Vongola to stop ruling over the smaller families. They just wanted to scare the young boss, to let him and his family know they were serious.

He had only agreed because he had been promised Tsuna wouldn't be hurt and the letter sender had threatened more attacks on the smaller families if he refused. Distrust filled Reborn's eyes as he took in that explanation. Mukuro attacked once more. Unfortunately the memories matched up with Adriano's story, nothing appearing to be hidden. There were flashes of the letter, though no clear words. Flashes of his time spent with Vongola. A flash of something that niggled in the back of Tsuna's mind, but he was distracted when some embarrassing images of the teen flashed through. Of privates moments, alone in his room.

Luckily Mukuro had stopped his assault soon after. To distract, Reborn began questioning on how the attack had happened. Adriano was silent for a moment before explaining how he had been sent a muscle relaxant, disguised as a personal prescription, to use on Tsuna but he had accidentally ruined them in the tea he had prepared for Tsuna, so he changed to a sedative. In the end, Adriano figured, Tsuna would sleep through his capture and wake up once he was safely delivered back to his family.

This angered Reborn, who insisted there had to be more to it than that! That he was lying! That this family had known the layout of the estate! That they had known the routine of the family members—more than that, the routine of Guardians! This made Adriano start crying again, bringing Reborn to accuse him of feeding the enemy that valuable information. Adriano quickly denied it until Mukuro attacked and memories incriminated him of being especially observant of certain family members.

Upset, Adriano confessed to sharing information on the Guardians but it was only to make sure they didn't interfere with the abduction until it was time for them to.

That confession made Tsuna's heart sink a little.

Reborn didn't relent, accusing Adriano of giving them information on the house as well. Of their defense. Adriano denied it. No one was supposed to come for them. That had Reborn arguing it made no sense. How was Adriano suppose to get Tsuna out? That made Adriano pause.

Tsuna didn't need these memories to know Adriano was lying. He had his own. Adriano had begged him not to fight, that he wouldn't be hurt if he didn't resist.

Again, Adriano's mind was attacked until he cried out that they were just supposed to sneak Tsuna out! That was all! Reborn demanded to know who they were but Adriano couldn't tell him. They could tell he knew...but didn't know. And there was no way to force it. Adriano just cried after that.

The memories ended there.

As the mist began to dissipate, Tsuna looked down at the body on his lap. He felt confused. And suddenly sick. The stench, the memories, it was—

"I—I'm going to be sick!" He gasped, feeling the bile rise as he tried to move from underneath Adriano's body. He tried to be gentle, which led him to not being able to move far away before he lost the contents of his stomach to the floor.

"Juudaime!" Gokudera's voice called from behind him before a gentle hand was placed on his back.

He couldn't help trembling as his stomach settled, the hand on his back moving to help him stand. He was surprised when the scent of lavender hit his nose, his eyes moving to meet those of Hibari's instead of Gokudera. He didn't have time to feel any kind of happiness at this revelation, though. For the first time in a while, Hibari's scent wasn't comforting in the least. Instead it made him feel dizzy...to the point he passed out.

xXx

It wasn't a sleep for rest, it was for a quiet moment of peace to just absorb everything he had taken in. To gather his thoughts to him and sort through what he was feeling. To plan what his next moves would be. To find the answers he would need to give. He separated everything into pieces in his mind and looked at each once carefully before resolving how to handle it. With time to think and the information he had, everything seemed more simple. Decisions easier made.

He only found struggle when it came to Adriano. He had forgiven him—he still did, despite some of the new information. But...what had he been hiding? Why? Something niggled in the back of his mind. The flashes of Adriano's memories—oh!

Caramel eyes shot open as he inhaled sharply through his nose, startled from his sleep. Confusion fell over him for a moment until his brain caught up with everything. The journal. He needed to find the journal! Had it already been found? No. No, he was sure that if it had been then he would have been told. There were important clues in that small book that Adriano had been forever writing in. He just knew it. Sitting up, he looked around the room for a moment only to wince when his ribs protested the movement.

The pained groan that fell from his lips had someone entering the room.

"You're awake!"

Looking to the person, he was surprised to see it was Kusakabe. When a few seconds rolled by and no one else followed the older man, like Gokudera, he was even more surprised.

"Kabe-san." He greeted lightly. Where was everyone else? "How long have I...?"

"Only about an hour." Kusakabe supplied helpfully before giving him a once over. "Don't take offense, but...you look like hell, Tuna."

The affectionate nickname had a smile falling over his lips until he registered what his friend had said before that. Frowning, he looked down and understood what was meant. He was still in his same clothes. His shirt was covered with dried blood and filth. Rino's blood—Rino! Right.

"Kabe-san, where are the others?" He questioned as he carefully got to his feet, ignoring his ribs as much as he could. Another quick look around the room told him it was a guestroom. Which meant no clothes would be found here. Wait. Did he even have his own room here anymore? What should he do if—

"Kyou-san went to get some air and Takeshi-san went to find you some clean clothes. Dino-san went to check up on his family and the loud one said something about making preparations." Kusakabe explained as he watched from where he still stood by the door.

Preparations? Well, he supposed that made sense. What with the return of not only himself, but of Reborn and Xanxus as well. Again, ugh. Rubbing his forehead tiredly, he nodded his understanding. "Right."

"Tsuna, are you—" Before Kusakabe could finish his question, Yamamoto arrived with clothes and a relieved expression at seeing him awake.

"Hey! How are you feeling? Do you need to rest more? Food? Drink?" His friend asked, fussing over him as he set the clothes down on the bed.

"I'm fine!" He insisted, batting searching hands away then turning his attention to the clean clothes. Ignoring the other two men in the room, he quickly set to changing. "How much longer do I have before the root of all evil and Xanxus arrive?"

"Reborn is about an hour out and Xanxus could be here any time, really. It's hard to say." Yamamoto answered, politely looking away while he dressed.

Taking that information in, he nodded to himself. "Okay. I...have something I need to do, I'll see you later."

"Tsuna, wait!" Yamamoto called out, reaching for his arm. "Where are you going?"

"Relax, I'm not leaving." He huffed, managing to dodge, figuring that's what had his friend worried. "I just want to look into something. On my own, okay?"

Yamamoto looked hesitant but relented in the end.

Sparing the two a quick goodbye, he left the room he was in and wandered for a moment until he could figure out exactly where he was. Once his navigation was on point, he moved to where he remembered Rino's rooms being. Along the way he took in the place once more, the familiarity making him happy and sad all at once. This had been home for him for the past three years, yet he had always felt a bit of an outsider.

Making it to his destination and entering, he found that it had already been searched and cleaned up. That wasn't good. Surely they would have found the journal upon clean up. Maybe someone had and had figured it wasn't anything important. Or maybe...there just wasn't anything important in it after all.

Disappointed, he moved to plop down on the bed to rest for a moment before going to find Gokudera. Jumping a little, he instantly regretted the action when his ribs throbbed. Hissing, he was startled a second later when he heard something clunk loudly against the floor under the bed. Heart jumping to his throat, he quickly scrambled up before dropping to his knees. Looking under the bed he was surprised to see that a board from the bed frame had come loose. That was odd.

He was about to get back to his feet when he suddenly found himself freezing. Wait. No...no way! This was too easy! Excitement filled him as he carefully lowered his body to the floor before sliding his way under the bed. Making it to the loose board, he quickly check around, but nothing. No journal. Disappointed once again, he moved to slide himself out again only to wince when he brought a knee up too soon and accidentally knocked it painfully against the frame. Muttering a curse, he was distracted from the pain a second later when something fell and bounced off him before landing next to him.

Eyes wide, he shot up to see what it was only to smack his head against a low board. Tears stinging, he whimpered in pain before trying again. Carefully this time. Twisting his body a little, his heart seemed to stop a moment at the sight of the leather-bound journal he had been looking for. No. Way!

"YES!" Quickly reaching for it, he had just managed to get it in his grasp when he noticed a pair of feet walking around the bed. The sight of the shoes had his body tensing as sudden foreboding fell over him. Eyes following the footsteps, his breath caught when they stopped next to where his feet were.

Flee! He wanted to obey but he was trapped. He was just about to roll over to his stomach when his ankles were grabbed and he was dragged out from under the bed.

"Hiiiih!" He couldn't help the squeal, partly from fear and partly from the pain in his ribs.

He's going to kill me! Was the first thought that flitted through his head at the sight of the man before him, from his signature curls to his signature fedora. "R-Reborn—augh!"

Pain burst from his shoulder to his wrist as he was thrown into a dresser, leaving him momentarily stunned until he heard the safety release of a gun. Instinct had him scrambling out of the way as a shot was fired.

xXx

Hibari opened his eyes slowly, irritation filling him as the annoying voices of the two squabbling came closer. Did they ever stop? Maybe if he bit them they would learn the value of silence. He was just about to get up and find a different place for solitude when a name caught his attention.

"Gokudera, you know Reborn won't actually hurt Tsuna—" Yamamoto started to say until the shorter man cut him off.

"I don't know that—you don't know that! This isn't a game! We aren't training anymore, damnit! And what Juudaime did was—" Gokudera growled out, on edge, until the sound of a gunshot cut him off.

Both men froze in their movements before looking to each other with mirrored worry.

"Tsuna!"—"Juudaime!"

A second shot had them running toward the sound without a second thought. Hibari didn't even think about it before following.

xXx

"Dino-san!" Kusakabe called out in relief at having found a familiar face. He had thought about following after Takeshi but decided he wanted to find Hibari instead. He hadn't thought about asking the swordsman for help until he had already set off. "Have you seen...what's wrong?"

Dino shook himself from his distracted thoughts with a small frown. "Nothing. At least I hope it's nothing—no. I'm sure it's nothing."

He had missed something. Something big. "Are you sure—"

The sound of a gunshot had them both jumping, Dino's attention jumping to the ceiling. "Reborn!"

"Wait—what?" Kusakabe asked, confused and a little alarmed. Just what was going on?!

A second gunshot had Dino running, drawing his whip. "Oh, God—Tsuna!"

The mention of Tsuna's name had Kusakabe following without hesitation.

xXx

He had managed to dodge! Just barely, but he had managed it! He had just made it to his feet when a second shot nearly caught him in the shoulder, but luckily only managed to graze him as he managed to dodge a second time. He didn't even try to talk to the crazed Italian as he threw a chair at the man, distracting him long enough to make it to the door. A third shot missed as he made it past the door frame.

Think! Think! Think! He had to run, he knew this, but he could only get so far. Reborn would hunt him down without end. He was a hitman, after all. But he couldn't be caught. Not yet at least. Glancing down at the journal, he decided his main goal would be getting it to Gokudera. Gokudera was smart. He could figure this out if he could just get it to him! And the task shouldn't be hard. The bomber had to have heard the gunfire. Which meant that his 'Right-hand' would make it his first objective to locate and protect him. He could, at the very least, survive Reborn's apparent wrath that long!

Journal tight in hand, body aching, he took off to first find more open space. Closed spaces and Reborn were not a good combination! Destination in mind, he moved toward it as he felt his adrenaline spike at the sounds of Reborn's footsteps following. The sound of a gun cocking had him taking a right before he meant to. Mentally cursing, he took the short hall out to a side landing before yelping in surprise when he was suddenly knocked over.

A firm body fell with him upon impact.

"Ah—Sawada!"

Wincing, he pushed himself up to see it was Ryohei who had crashed into him. He was about to apologize until he remembered he had something more important to do! Jumping to his feet, he took off just as Reborn came flying after him. Another missed shot herded him to the rail of the landing. Glancing over, he decided he could make the jump before actually thinking about it. Something he regretted a moment later when he vaulted over only to land on his right ankle painfully. The pain shot up his leg like fire, making him stumble. Luckily he managed to stay on his feet.

Looking around, panting heavily, he saw he was now on the main landing which led to the main staircase. Maybe this was better. Making his way to the staircase, he was distracted when he heard someone call his name.

"Tsuna!"

Turning to the call he saw it was only Dino, Romario, and Kusakabe. Seeing no sign of Gokudera, he decided to ignore them for now. Unfortunately the distraction was enough to be used against him and fire bloomed along his side, filling his veins with nothing except mind numbing pain as a shot finally found its mark. His scream of pain rang loudly in his ears as blood flowed hot and sticky over the hand he quickly brought to his wound.

Many voices called out his name but none of them stood out until...

"Juudaime!"

Gokudera!

Eyes opening against the pain, he found his Storm guardian a floor below him. Gokudera was coming his way...but not fast enough. With Reborn's approach behind and pain making it hard for his mind and body to connect, he didn't think about how reckless his next move was as he pushed himself forward. Making it to the railing, he hurled himself over it instead of taking the stairs.

Instead of crashing to the hard floor, however, he found himself falling against a body.

"Tsuna!"

Yamamoto.

"Tsuna, you're so—" Yamamoto's voice cracked with emotion, but he didn't let him finish. Hands trembling, covered with blood, he shoved the journal against his friend's chest.

"Gokudera..." Was all he managed to get out before he shoved the swordsman away, turning just in time to block Reborn's kick with his arms.

Reborn arched a brow at the block before kicking out at him again. This time, though, he had no energy to block. The kick nailed him in the stomach and sent him backwards. He found he couldn't move from where he landed, not even to breathe as the wind was knocked out of him. Still the hitman approached. But before he could reach him, Hibari was there, standing in front of him with tonfa drawn and engulfed in flame. This had Reborn pausing, the hitman taking the new guardian in critically.

A smirk fell over the handsome face. "Dame-Tsuna, if this is how it's going to be you should have just stayed dead."

Those words hurt.

He didn't get a chance to respond as a volatile presence made a destructive entrance.

"WHERE IS THE TRASH?!"

Xanxus.Adrenaline gone and pain bearing down on him, Tsuna found himself falling to darkness once more at the worst possible time.

xXx

"It's taking too long! Why is it taking so long?!"

"Gokudera!"

"It's not exactly a small wound, of course it'll take a bit longer than—"

"No one asked you, stupid horse!"

"You asked why it was taking so long!"

"Dino, don't goad him—please."

"Sure, defend your boyfriend!"

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!"

"Will you guys just stop?"

"Who the hell are you, again?! Oh, right. No one!"

"Gokudera!"—"Don't talk to him like that!"

"He is no one!"

"Stop...fighting...please." His voice was raspy, his throat dry. And there was a weird sensation at his side, though no pain.

"Juudaime!"—"Tsuna!"

"Don't move, Sawada. I'm not quite done healing..."

Those words had his eyes fluttering open, blinking against the bright light. It was artificial and everything seemed overly white. Ah. Must be in the clinic. Once he was able to keep them open, he looked down to see where his Sun guardian was at work on his side. Where he had been shot. By Reborn—wait! Before he had passed out, Hibari had been—

"Kyouya!" He gasped out, trying to sit up only to have Kusakabe and Yamamoto appear at his sides and push him back down, holding him still while his healing was finished.

"Hey, easy Tuna..." Kusakabe said gently, squeezing his arm lightly.

"No! Kyouya—and Reborn! X-Xanxus!" He tried to explain, worried, as he struggled against his captors.

"Tsuna, everything is okay. Everyone is safe and accounted for, in separate rooms." Yamamoto jumped in, trying to get him to calm down. "Relax. Please. So Ryohei can heal you."

He stilled at those words, looking from Yamamoto to Kusakabe, then to Dino and Gokudera. Looking back to Ryohei, he frowned. "Reborn shot me..."

Gokudera growled, but that was the only response he got. No one seemed to know what to say. Silence fell over them until Ryohei declared he was done, to which Kusakabe and Yamamoto helped him sit up. He was now free of pain, though the wound on his side was still on the mend. The sun flame could only heal so much after all. Given the all clear on his health, Dino excused himself and left the room. Tsuna watched him go before looking back to Kusakabe. "Kabe-san? Where is Kyouya?"

Kusakabe looked surprised before falling into a thoughtful look. "Not quite sure, to be honest."

Frowning, Tsuna opened his mouth to ask if his friend would find him for him when Chrome walked into the room, looking a little nervous when all eyes fell on her.

"What do you want?" Gokudera spat at her, taking a step closer to his boss.

"I-I..." She faltered for a moment at her fellow guardian's glare before giving her full attention to the Vongola heir. "R-Reborn-san said there is to be a family dinner tonight. All are to attend, no excuses."

With that, she turned and quickly left the room.

"Hey! Wait! What to hell do you mean all are to attend—stupid woman, get back here!" Gokudera yelled as he ran after his fellow Mist guardian, annoyed.

"I should go make sure he doesn't cause trouble. Just rest, okay Tsuna?" Yamamoto smiled at him lightly before leaving the room as well. Ryohei followed the two silently.

Kusakabe watched them go before pulling out his phone. "I should make sure Kyou-san gets the message."

The older man left before he could ask him to say. Feeling slightly abandoned, he huffed and plopped back against the pillows behind him. Nice. Rolling his eyes, he thought about getting up and taking a shower when his eyes fell on the small table next to his bed. Resting on it, covered in dried blood, was the journal. Heart skipping a beat, he froze in momentary surprise before slowly reaching out for it. Once in his hand, he pulled the book onto his lap and just stared at it for a minute. This. This could hold answers for him.

Or. Or it could just be the silly thoughts of a teenage boy.

Well, he would find out either way. Slowly reaching for the leather cord that held the journal closed, he untied it before opening the cover. The first page was blank. The next few pages were of some random doodles, probably done out of boredom. And then...

Mother says I should use this thing to keep my most

private thoughts. 'A boss has many things that must

be kept to himself—most important being his thoughts.'

I don't get it. I don't know why she thinks they would

choose me. I don't want them to choose me. I don't want

to run this family.

Brows furrowing, he flipped through the next few pages quickly. A few more drawings and some jotted names or numbers.

They want me to learn this stuff that I have no interest in

and it's annoying. I want to hang out with my friends or

worry about stupid things, like kissing Niva, not whose

names are important to know or which families are allies

and which are trouble. This mafioso business is old age!

Why don't they just leave it in the past where is belongs?

Tsuna was confused. This...this sounded like—he flipped through some more pages, until:

They want me to do it! They ACTUALLY want ME to do it!

To do the Inheritance Ceremony on my next

birthday. Adriano Medici of the Medici Famiglia.

This is insane.

There are too many rules! Too many customs! Don't do this!

Don't trust this person! You can't go out alone! You can't

be friends with these people anymore! You have to hold

yourself up to THIS standard, Adriano. Don't embarrass

us, Adriano. Meet these people, Adriano.

Sign this, Adriano. JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!

Vongola. I have heard of this family. My family doesn't want to

be allied with them, but feel like they have to to avoid trouble.

Like I care. They want me to personally present the Medici family

to theirs. Why? I'm not boss yet.'Because you're next, Adriano.

Make a good impression, Adriano!'

Tsuna paused in his reading, staring blankly at the journal's open pages. Rino...Medici? But he had said his name was Banucci! Just an innocent member, not the next heir! And the negative attitude toward Vongola? They hadn't asked for any family to ally with them!

A man with red hair approached me today. He said he was

sorry to hear that Medici is now allied with Vongola. Like

I had any say. He said I could, though. I was next in line.

I don't get it. Does it really matter? He thinks it should. He

said that Vongola shouldn't get to rule over all of the smaller

families. That the smaller families wanted to be separate

and ruled by their own. That smaller families are needed

to make a stand against Vongola—that our family had been

needed. I guess he kind of had a point, though I still don't

see what the deal is.

The man with red hair came to me again, asking for my help

though giving me no name. When I pointed this out, he merely

explained that he didn't trust me yet. I don't know why he wants

my help, then. He wants me to help the small families. I am not

really sure what I can do, but I suppose I can lend a hand where

needed.

Man with red hair? Was this a clue? Was this something he needed to take note of? Intrigued, he quickly flipped through the next few pages, looking for something else.

This is wrong! It's wrong! They're so angry! They want to

challenge Vongola! This wasn't suppose to be how it was

to go! They won't listen to me.

They want to attack. I don't know what to do. This seems foolish

and they won't listen to me. They want me to do so much as a

boss before my time but only if it's what they want to hear. I

have a bad feeling about this.

Vongola is coming. A new face, young and handsome they say.

There is anger at this. That they are sending a baby in Timoteo's

place. Hopefully Vongola will clear this up. They won't listen to

me and really. This whole thing is stupid.

Trap. It was a trap. I don't understand. They're all gone. Everyone.

Vongola destroyed them.

Tsuna had to stop for a moment as the awful memories of that day came back to him. Trap? By who? Everything was so confusing now, what with Adriano seeming to paint a picture different from what they had thought it was at the time. Different from what the Italian, himself, had said it was!

I still don't know what happened. Someone somewhere lied. And my

family paid the price for it. They allowed an outsider to use them

and it destroyed them. The thing they had feared from Vongola...

Tsuna is a kind man. I am thankful to him and hold so much guilt

inside that it makes me sick. The lies I told, out of fear...from changing

my name to what actually happened that day. I don't want my family

to go down as traitors. It's the least I can do for them, I suppose.

I received a letter today...

He swore he felt his heart stop when he turned to the next page and there, between the pages, was a folded piece of paper. Different from the paper used in the journal. He took it out slowly, setting the journal aside before unfolding the paper. A quick scan had his heart jumping into his throat.

This was it! Eyes widening at the actual letter, he quickly read it twice before his eyes took in the odd crest at the top. Yet, it seemed a little familiar—but in a strange way. He had seen it before...recently. But where? Shaking his head, he moved to pick the journal up again.

The man with red hair contacted me. It's not over. This nightmare

isn't over yet.

His heart dropped out of his chest when he read those words and something just seemed to...click. A man with red hair. The crest and where he had seen it.

Enma.

-Chapter 32 End-

x x x

Author's Note: First off, thank you so much to everyone who has commented on this story in one way or another. To those who expressed their happiness with the previous update! Your happiness, truly, makes me happy! :')

So, another chapter done! Yay! :D Yes, I realize it's a bit on the short side. And I apologize for any spelling mistakes or whatever. Now to explain, for those who may question: Reborn.

He got there earlier than stated because, hey. It's what he does. Plus he didn't want Tsuna to expect him. His reaction to Tsuna? Anger. Testing. He has his reasons...along with the fact that Tsuna just plain effed up. I'll try to make sure to explain this more in the next chapter or so.

As for poor Tsuna? Well, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?

Adriano's journal—we shall see more from this later. And learn more information from it. Until then I need sleep.

x x x

NEXT CHAPTER: Facing The Consequences. . .

"Kyouya!" He called out, hurt and slightly desperate to stop this all from happening. "Y-You...you said we should never be apart!"

Hibari paused in his steps at those words before replying with an annoyed, "I can't escape you fast enough."

"Kyou—" He started to call out again, only to be stopped by Kusakabe's hand on his shoulder. A small shake of the head from the older man had him finally accepting defeat as his heart broke in a whole new and even more painful way.