Chapter sixteen – This is where I leave you

Disclaimer :

Warning: Violence, creepy pedo vibes, vulgar language and feelings.


"To say goodbye is to die a little"

Raymond Chandler, The Long Goodbye

Having stopped off at a photocopying place, Tsuna was happy when he walked up to Rinko's workplace. He had managed to get the pictures printed and he couldn't wait for Rinko to see them! He was excited that he would get to help the woman whose kindness could never be fully returned. However as soon as he saw her standing outside, no bouncer in sight, with shades over her eyes and a cigarette between her lips, he knew something was wrong.

"Rinko-san!" Tsuna said as he ran up to her. Even the aura around her was different from when they parted that morning. Rinko forced a smile his way and he stopped before he could meet her.

"How did it go?" she asked and the hoarseness of her voice gave away the fact that she had been crying. Usually he would've asked what was wrong, but the hint of a purple bruise poking free from those black shades told him all he needed to know.

"Here" Tsuna said as he handed her the envelope. He watched as she opened it with shaky hands, having thrown away the cigarette and stomped on it. He watched as tears slipped down her cheeks as she saw her son gladly accept her gift. She tried to stifle down her sobs but she couldn't help it. She openly wept in front of him.

"Oh….Kami…It's been such a while" she whispered as her thumb ran across his pictured face lovingly.

"How long?" Tsuna asked as he held onto the straps of his backpack. She hugged him instead of answering. "That long, huh" he whispered and Rinko nodded as he pulled away.

"This…I can never thank you for this, Tsunayoshi-kun. This is the best thing someone has ever done for me" she said and Tsuna shifted his weight on his feet, a little embarrassed. Before he could register what was going on, she took out more money from her cleavage and hastily placed them in his hands.

"Rinko-chan…" Tsuna was ready to complain but she stopped him.

"This is for you too" Rinko said and handed him a train ticket. "I know you would have difficulty getting one, so I had Mark-san help me get one for you" she added, though he had no idea who was Mark-san.

"She told me to tell you something" Tsuna said and Rinko arched her eyebrow as he tucked the ticket safely in his backpack with the map as well as the guidebook from Aoi. Before he could explain, the bouncer walked out of the building, a worried look on his face.

"Rinko, the boss wants to see you" he said and frowned at Tsuna.

"He's okay, Mark-san" Rinko said and Tsuna whispered an 'Oh'. "Tsunayoshi-kun, I think it's time you get on that train" she told him as she hurriedly fixed up her face to look like she wasn't crying. He could tell something was wrong, that whoever that boss was, he was bad news. She was in pain. Tsuna knew that.

She could see that he was battling with himself, no doubt ready to help her and it warmed her heart to know that he was willing to be her knight in shining armour even though he held no power to do so. "Its okay, Tsunayoshi" she whispered and kissed him on his cheek. "We can't all be saved" she told him with the saddest fucking face that screamed for him to do just that. "Go find your grandfather, Tsunayoshi. Go home" she said as Mark guided her towards the building.

Without warning, Tsuna pushed past Mark and grabbed Rinko's hand. "Tsunayoshi-kun what are you doing?" she asked with a startled gasp. She had to stop Mark from approaching them. She looked down when he tugged her arm.

"Saving you" he said and their gazes locked, she couldn't help the teary smile from etching its way onto her face.

"Rinko-chan" Mark said, a warning for them both. Rinko looked at her friend and he sighed at the conviction in her eyes. "Iwao won't let you go, you know this" he told her as he ruffled his head, before glancing at the building behind them.

"Come with us" Rinko said as she took his hands. Mark looked at her, and he wished he could say yes but….. "We can be free, Mark-san" she pleaded and he squeezed her hands.

"I'll buy you some time" Mark said as he pulled away. Rinko frowned but Mark gave her a gentle kiss on both cheeks. "You need the freedom more than I do" he whispered near her ear and when he straightened his back, he wiped away the tears that ran down her cheeks.

"Thank you" Rinko said as she attacked him with a hug. Mark chuckled and ran his thick fingers through her hair.

"Look after her for me, okay kid?" Mark gruffly asked and Tsuna gave him a serious nod. "Alright, now go" Mark told her as he pulled away from her. Rinko quickly wiped her face and grabbing Tsuna's hand, they ran as fast as they could without looking back.


From the moment they returned to her apartment, she knew she made the wrong decision. Rinko locked the front door and watched the confusion etch its way on Tsuna's face as she gripped her hair in her hands. "Fuck!" She screamed and flinched when a tiny hand landed on her shoulder. Brown eyes were worriedly looking down at her and bile threatened to burn a hole in her throat. "I shouldn't have left! I have to-I!" She shouted as she grabbed on the door knob, ready to beg Iwao for forgiveness. A tug to her wrist stopped her rattled rants and Tsuna smiled sadly at her.

"Listen to me" he commanded and her shoulders drooped. "You have to leave. If not for yourself but for your son. Yuiji, he misses you" he added and her lower lip trembled. "He will only get to see you, if you leave this behind you" he whispered as he wrapped his hands around her shoulders. " Sometimes, you are the only person who can save yourself" he told her and she dropped her face in the space between his neck and his delicate shoulder. He was so fragile and bony as she clung to him, afraid and unsure. He was the only thing, grounding her through her hurricane of emotions. She didn't' move for a while, messing up the shoulder of his shirt, with mascara and snot, but like the gentleman he was, Tsuna didn't' complain. He patiently waited until she was finished, running nimble fingers through her hair as her body shook with her sobs, as her fatigue finally caught up with her. How could he even offer up comfort to the one person who was putting him in this mess, in the first place? Where did his strength come from? How did he manage to get up even after all the times people threw him to the ground? For what felt like the hundredth time, she wondered exactly who this kind boy was.

Having cried enough, she pulled away and wiped her face with the sleeve of her coat. She could feel his gaze on the ugly black swelling of her eye, and she patted his cheek. He was the only light in her life, and like a deranged moth, she felt herself gravitate towards him. She would follow his advice. For her son.

She felt motivated for the first time in years. She took him by the hand and smiled.

"Help me pack" she said and she led him to her bedroom. Shoving some clothes in a bag, she grabbed the little possessions she had, ready to run, ready to start over…when a shadow crossed the window. "Shit" she hissed under her breath as her hands began to shake. A cold numbness crept over her body as realization took root in her mind. They found her

She would never get away, but that didn't mean Tsuna couldn't. She could still save him.

Tsuna's eyes widened and she slapped a hand over his mouth before he could say anything. She pulled him by the arm, half dragging him to the bathroom. She quietly opened the window, just as they heard someone smash down her front door. She could see the protest in his eyes as she lifted him up, but they knew, deep down that this would be as far as she could get. "Run and don't look back" she demanded, even as a muscular man grabbed her by the throat. Tsuna fumbled as she screamed and kicked against her attacker. Another man rushed in and made a grab for him, but he pulled his legs up, evading the gloved hands. "Run!" She shrieked, kneeing the man in the crotch, giving her enough time to slip out of his hold. The other man punched her in the stomach and Tsuna reached out as she crumpled to the floor.

"Run and we will kill her" the man threatened as he pulled her up by the hair. She was doubled over in pain, clear liquid dribbled down her chin as Tsuna sat on the window pane. "Get down here, boy" the man sneered and Tsuna hesitated. Even as he moved to run, he could see Rinko asking him to stay, to save her. If he left, it would stain his soul, but if he stayed, it meant not completing the race, it meant never seeing Teruko again, it meant never getting home. "But"… he thought looking at Rinko, he wasn't the only one who had a home or people he needed to go to. So, with a heavy heart, he obeyed. He ignored Rinko and her soft sobbing because he had been the one to convince her to run, the least he could do was remain at her side. He allowed the man to push him out of the bathroom and into the kitchen where a man sat at the table, sipping on a cup of tea. He was a handsome man, with skin as fair as any he had seen, dark eyes that spoke of nothing but danger and a cruel smirk on sakura pink lips. He was lean and tall, a posture you can see even when he was sitting. He wore a simple white shirt, black pants on long legs that stretched as they were crossed, and a coat that was folded on his lap. His fingers were decorated with silver rings and a gold Rolex sat heavily on his wrist. On his neck there was a black tattoo of a snake that seemed to move as he twisted his head. His black hair was neatly cut, the sides shorter than the top, the 'hip' styles he had seen some of his classmates taken in their quest of popularity. When Tsuna was forced on his knees, his gaze grew sharper. "And you are?" He asked, his voice as slimy as they came.

"He has nothing to do with this, Abe! Leave him alone!" Rinko begged and with a nod from Abe, the one who captured Rinko, swiftly kicked her in the stomach. Tsuna clenched his teeth as she vomited blood. Cold fingers bruised his chin as Abe looked down at him.

"Your name, boy" he harshly ordered and Tsuna bit his finger when the man used the pinky to scratch his nose. Abe laughed and waved his hand, as the others moved towards them. Tsuna could see pity in one of their eyes, and he knew what this man would give and take.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.

He was in deep shit.

How would he get out of this?

His mind raced, struggling to come up with a plan even as his kneecaps burned from exertion but terror kept his mind blank.

He looked at Rinko who was pressed against the floor, a boot planted on her back.

He looked at Abe, who was looking at him through half lidded eyes, licking his lips when he saw the fear expressed in his shaking hands.

As the window of possible escape felt further away, an image of Teruko entered his mind.

He thought of the race, of his grandfather, of his mother, and of his father, ignoring the tears that wanted to gather in his eyes. He wouldn't break. He would get out. He would get Rinko out.

He would….He blinked as his face started to sting. The man, Abe had slapped him. He could hear Rinko groaning for him, but he ignored her too. "I like that look in your eyes, boy. I wonder, will you fight even to the end?" he laughed as he picked up his coat. "Too bad the boss needs you, or else we could have so much fun together. Maybe when he's done with you, he'll give you to me" he smiled as he signaled at the other man. He left after ordering the remaining two to bring them to the boss. Tsuna felt fear wrap itself around his heart and squeezed. One of the men left the room to get some rope. Tsuna looked over to the sobbing woman and ordered Rinko to remain quiet with his eyes, as the remaining man picked up his phone to answer a call. He could hear a car leaving from downstairs, and he knew that he had to fight. He would use their underestimation against them. He glanced at the knife on the small table and without hesitating, he stabbed the thug in the crotch. With a high shriek, the man fell to the floor and the other ran into the room. He was so focused on the man writhing on a pool of his own blood that he didn't see the boy ducked low or the knife that ran through his side.

"Motherfucker!" he shouted and pulled at the boy, but he didn't move. He moved to scream, when a fork was jammed into his right eye. Rinko trembled, as she pulled away, her hands shaking like jello. Tsuna moved away as the man plopped face first on the floor.

"Let's go before they come back" Rinko whispered at him, and pulled him towards the back door. They stumbled towards the door and down the rusty fire escape, both hopped up on adrenaline. When she slipped, he urged her to go without her shoe. Their legs and lungs burned as they sped down the alley, tears blurring their gazes. He gripped her hand tighter as they ran without looking back, hoping to never see that man again.

As they got closer to the street, a loud gunshot stopped them in their tracks. Her knees knocked together as she whimpered. From the squeak of those expensive shoes, she knew exactly who it was.

"Turn around" Abe ordered and Tsuna gripped Rinko tighter as they did as they were told. "Who do you think that idiot was talking to?" he laughed as he slowly walked up to them. He pointed the gun at them as the smile slid off his face. "Are you going to come quietly or am I going to have to tear you down" he snarled.

"Take me but leave him alone" Rinko said, stepping in front of Tsuna. Abe laughed and looked at her, an eerie mask of indifference as he stared at her.

"Hmmm" he hummed and tapped his lips. "I don't think I will" he said and a scream tore from Tsuna's throat as a bullet pierced Rinko's stomach.

Tsuna fought to keep her standing, but she slipped from his hands and unto the dirty ground. He kneeled over her, pressing his hands on the wound, hoping to stop the geyser of blood gushing out of her stomach. He focused on her stuttering breaths, ignoring the warm, sticky liquid that surged against his hands.

He could save her.

She would live….

For her son…

He would save her…..

He ignored his own quick breaths as warm tears mixed in with the blood.

"She'll live. Barely" Abe whispered and a blinding hot rage, burst through his veins at the smug look on Abe's face as he tucked his gun back into his holster. "So, now are you going to tell me your name?" He asked and before Tsuna could lunge at the man, Abe groaned.

They both looked down at the metal blade which prodded from Abe's chest, slicing through flesh and blood, staining that white shirt of his. Abe fumbled before he knelt as the sword was pulled out of his chest. Nao nodded at Tsuna, who wiped the blood off of his blade.

"It's Tsunayoshi" he smirked down at the man who glared up at him before unceremoniously falling on the ground.

Running and slipping to his knees, he placed his hands on Rinko's stomach again.

He whispered words of encouragement in her ears, trying to expel the panic in her eyes.

He winced at the blood slipping down the corners of her mouth. "It's going to be okay" he murmured in her hair, that smelt of blood, sweat and the tangy citrus of her shampoo. His arms shook and his face was wet, as he soothed Rinko.

He was so busy whispering, so caught up in trying to maintain his facade of comfort, that his body jolted as a gun was pushed in front of his face. He blinked and frowned. "Wha-..." he questioned and shook his head when the sharp realization of exactly what Nao wanted him to do, crashed down on him. "No" he declared. Nao shook the gun in his face and he screamed again so he could get him to stop.

"SHoOt HeR" Nao told Tsuna who goes to decline. "ShE wIlL sUfFeR" he expanded on his words.

Tsuna shook his head again, his body hunched in, as he buried his face in his bloody hands.

He would save her, damn it!

"Do it" Rinko gasped as blood filled her lungs, her trachea and her mouth.

She could feel it.

Like a beacon of light guiding her back home.

His eyes peeked down at her, through a web of bloodied fingers, and she wanted to be brave, for both their sakes, but she was afraid.

Her heart was giving up and she knew it would come, her death was near.

"I want to live. I want to see Yuiji. I'm scared" she confessed and he hushed her gently.

Tsuna's shaking hand held the gun and looked at Nao who shook his head. He wasn't going to do it. Tsuna had to be the one.

"Everything is going to fine" Tsuna lied as he ran his small fingers through her hair. Rinko started to gargle and wheeze.

"I can't die just yet…I need to…." Rinko kept repeating and Tsuna's whole body started to shiver as he brought the gun closer to her head.

"I know" Tsuna whispered and squeezing the trigger, feeling as the bullet went into her body, as her last breath seeped away.


A/N: Woooohoo.

Been a while.

I'm alive. Unfortunately.

My laptop is giving trouble. Certain letters are not working, so typing is a hassle. I promise to get it fixed asap.

I'll answer all questions in the next chapter.

I can't promise when, but it will be soon.

PS: Bet you weren't expecting Abe to be so handsome, ne? Lmaooo. He's still a pervy Pedo, so….

PPS: I have a new tumblr, if ur interested. It's a Stony blog tho, so if that is your thing, hit me up. It's uzulover, so…..do with that as u will.