Chapter seventeen – What goes around?

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't own anything except this messed up plot

WARNINGS: Violence , Gore, and the referenced death of a child


"Men are punished by their sins, not for them."

Elbert Hubbard, Love, Life and Work

Tsuna was around eight years old, when he first encountered death.

His dog, the one that had been around since he was born, had gotten sick.

Shino, as his father had named him, was a tiny Shiba-Inu*, who had retired on his doggie bed in the far corner of the living room. After two days of refusing meals and groaning, they took him to see Mr. Tanaka.

According to the kind Mr. Tanaka, the veterinarian who lived two streets away, Shino had something called stomach cancer. When he looked up at sad eyes between large glasses, he understood that they couldn't save Shino.

So when they got back home, with Shino whining in pain, brown eyes lined with tears, Tsuna sat with him.

He sat on the floor, heart in his throat, hoping to provide little ease for the dog who always stayed with him, especially when the nightmares got too real.

Tsuna stayed with him, refusing to go to school, refusing to eat as well, because Tsuna felt like Shino's pain should be his as well.

His mother tried to reason with him, but he wouldn't be moved.

He would stay with him, just as Shino stayed with him under the covers for years, providing comfort for the lost scared boy that he was.

As he sat with his back pressed against the cold wall, he thought about death.

He had heard about it from his classmates who lost parents and family to the curse, but he never understood the weight of loss.

It felt like something that would never show up on his doorstep, and yet…. "I know" he said to Shino who howled at the assault of pain.

He bowed his head over Shino's and cried.

When his father came home, three days after the diagnosis, Tsuna heard his parents furiously whispering in the hall. "We can't put him down, papa. Tsuna-chan would be crushed" he heard his mama muttering to his father. He could hear his father bargaining, coaxing and pleading, when Tsuna finally stood up. Looking at Shino, at the way he writhed in pain, he knew that he had to make a choice, not for his own selfish sake but for Shino's.

With tiny feet, he shuffled out in the hallway, watching as they froze at his appearance. He refused to look at his father who looked ready to fight against whatever Tsuna would say. He walked past his mother's open arms and trembling lips.

"Put him to sleep" Tsuna commanded and walked past them, ignoring his mother's cries for him to stop. He slammed his door shut, anger surging through his body, warming his skin and pooling in the pit of his stomach. With his fists curled in, he didn't pause, as he drove them in the wall. The heat pushed him over the brink of reason, as he pounded into the plaster of the wall, over and over, paying no mind to the sharp pain that it caused.

No, he continued, even as the hatred bled out of his quivering body.

He didn't stop, even as bone poked out of the flesh of his knuckles.

Because even though Tsuna's anger was rare, it was deadly and unforgiving.


Tsuna knelt near Rinko's still body, looking down at the gun in his hands and the blood that trickled down the dirty floor to gather under her body. Tsuna had closed her eyes, glazed over when her spirit leached out of her flesh, living behind a bruised corpse. He could hear his heart beating in his ears, as he looked at how delicate she looked, her legs bent out in an unnatural pose, her dress stained with blood, her eye still blackened, evidence to the harsh life she lived. He looked at Rinko, and the sorrow was pushed behind his heaving, building fury.

If he couldn't save her, he sure as hell would make sure she was avenged.

He threw the gun to the ground, and held out his hand to Nao, who knew exactly what Tsuna was requesting. Without a word, he placed the katana in his hand. Tsuna zeroed in on Abe. The man, who remained with his bloody chest hard-pressed against the ground, was dragging his body, with both his hands and elbows.

Gripping both hands on the Same-Hada*, he stalked towards Abe whose chin was scraping against the ground, as he struggled to pull himself towards the end of the street. As Tsuna grew closer, the light grew further away, devoured by the sweltering black rage that guided each of his movement. The katana felt heavier, as his senses grew duller and more muffled with each wheezing breath. "He killed her" something viciously snarled and laughed as Tsuna looked down at Abe. "A life for a life" something cackled and Tsuna could feel a fire explode behind his eyelids.

This was his fault.

He would pay.

With blood.

CrAcK.


Blood staining his teeth and mouth, Abe pushed himself on his back so he could look at the boy. "So what now? Are you-…" his words vanishing under the coldness that rippled across his skin. Huh.

A Titan had taken the boy's place, as brown hair fell over his eyes, obscuring his gaze. Yet Abe could feel that unnatural gaze on him, urging more blood into his lungs and mouth.

Abe knew what a monster looked like. He had seen it reflected in the mirror more often than he could tell.

Hell, he even saw it on the boss' face every time someone screwed up.

But more than that, he had seen the exact wrath from a man that no one, not even the underground would whisper about.

He had gotten a glimpse of a true demon that wrapped himself in human flesh.

Now, as the boy towered over him, in a ghostly stillness, he was seeing another glimpse of evil manifested in blood and bones.

This darkness….runs deep and quiet.

Almost like….Abe smirked. He wished he could see the boy's progress in the future…but oh well. He would be contented with this.

When the boy tilted his head to the side, Abe spread his arms out to his sides, with his palms placed upward in submission. What a way to go out, he thought.

"Oh, for my death to be by your hands" he whispered and welcomed the blade as it was plunged down into his chest again by ruthless hands.


Whispering a silent prayer for the dead woman, Nao stood up and unclasped his hands. He never allowed himself to feel sentiment, but he had to admit that he felt something akin to pity as he eyed the woman's corpse. From what he gathered, she was one of the many prostitutes that were shackled to Iwao's services, something she was roped in from someone she deemed as a friend. "At least now she was free" Nao thought, though he was interrupted by the squelching noise of metal slicing through flesh. He glanced over to where Tsuna was, watching as the boy continued to massacre the shrieking man. From the moment Tsuna asked for his katana, Nao knew that he had to stay out of the boy's way. The blankness in those eyes of his, reminded him of Soke-sama and he knew then, that the boy was more than he appeared to be. Having picked up the gun, Nao turned to Tsuna. The boy had one knee pressed against the floor, his hands gripping the Mekugi Nakago* of the katana that was rooted in the middle of the man's chest. Abe was dead for sure, from the way his chest was eviscerated. Muscle was on display, the ribs sticking out from the hole that Tsunayoshi had carved with the blade. "EnOuGh" Nao said as he placed a hand on his shoulder, helping him to his feet. Nao whistled at the destruction and without any remorse, pulled the katana from the man. "CoMe WiTh Me" he instructed and he guided Tsuna to the other end of the alley, where a black car was waiting for them.


Tsuna followed Nao into the abandoned warehouse, after they got out from the car that Nao had stolen from Abe and his goons. He was sure he should be grateful for his inference, but Tsuna felt empty. He watched as the strange masked boy opened the door, ushering him into inside with a nod of his head. He rubbed his arms, still caked in blood as he looked around. There was a lumpy, dirty cloth that probably served as a mattress in the middle of the dingy warehouse. Near the cloth, was a large trash can that served as a fire pit and a few cans of food lying around it. There was what Tsuna assumed as a makeshift bathroom, with a hose that ran from outside and a piece of cloth acting as a curtain. "ClEaN" Nao ordered him, as he picked up a black duffel bag from the trunk of the car. Tsuna nodded and walked over to the bathroom, and methodically stripped off his clothes. He only hoped the water could wash away all of the blood from his hands.


Nao watched the boy as he walked back over to him, wearing a simple white T-shirt and a pair of washed out jeans. His dirty clothes was wrapped in a ball under his arm. Nao motioned to the bottle of water and power bar, taking the clothes from the boy. He would have to burn them, along with the car and everything else. The boy slumped down on the cloth, curled into himself as he pressed his knees against his chest as he slowly chewed. He could see the fatigue and desperation in the boy's eyes, the brutality from before, having bled out of his system. The boy who killed Abe wasn't in front of him right then. Picking up a branch, Nao wrote 'It gets better' but Tsuna remained silent. 'You learn to ignore the blood' he added and Tsuna turned his head away.

"I feel like I lost piece of my humanity today" Tsuna finally rasped with a hoarse voice, having emptied his stomach twice in the stolen car. Nao looked down at his gloved hands as Tsuna finished off the power bar.

'What is humanity then?' Nao dug into the ground. The corner of Tsuna's mouth lifted wryly.

"It's knowing that killing that man is wrong" Tsuna replied as he sipped on his water, trying to keep his hand still so that it wouldn't spill on him.

'He would have killed you. You did what you had to do to survive. Why is that wrong? Isn't that what makes us human?' Nao asked with a clenched fist.

"Because I liked it!" Tsuna screamed with a red face. Nao blinked and Tsuna sat back down, quickly sopping up the tears from his cheeks. He laid down on the cloth and turned his back on Nao. "It doesn't matter anymore. I signed up for this. I deserve to rot from all of these evil things I've done" he muttered and Nao watched as he fell asleep, leaving him to his thoughts.


Tsuna came to consciousness, with a wet gasp and a scream ready to spill from his gaping mouth. His anxiety warmed and cooled in the bottom of his stomach, rattling around in his chest as he tried to calm his frantic heart. He took long deep breaths to settle his wheezing and when he had a better handle on his body, he blinked away the sleep to look around. Nao was looking at him from his perch on one of the high beams, no doubt choosing there to sleep. His katana was on his lap, as he kicked out his feet forward and backward in a taunting manner. Tsuna should feel ashamed but…such a trivial thing had been forced out of him days ago. "It's time to go" he thought to himself. He only had one day to get to Iga and he wasn't going to fail. Standing on unsteady feet, he walked over to the makeshift bathroom to get ready.


When he came back out, Nao was standing by the door, duffel bag in hand and what appeared to be a guitar case strapped to his back. "No" Tsuna stated as he crossed his arms. Nao leaned his head to the side in a questioning manner.

"YoU nEeD mE" Nao told him and Tsuna picked up his own bag. Luckily Nao had grabbed it before they left for the abandoned warehouse. "YoU wIlL fAiL" he added and Tsuna threw the bag on his back and shook his head at him.

"Why do you even want to help me? What's in it for you if you do? Who are you?" he shot at the boy, who looked like he was moments away from just knocking Tsuna out so they could board the train. Tsuna was right to be wary though, because the one thing he learnt from the last few days, was that nothing came free. Everything had a price.

"AlLy" Nao said and didn't wait for Tsuna to respond. He clicked on the straps of the mask and Tsuna nearly looks away. His throat bobbed as the mask slid off of Nao's face. Tsuna nearly flinched at the scorched scar on his left cheek. From the edges of the burn, he can see….Oh….It was a brand that had been seared off. Tsuna looked away and Nao stepped forward before writing 'There isn't much I can tell you, not out in the open like this. But I come from one of the branch families under Soke-sama's control'. Nao nodded and then used his feet to brush the words away. 'Someone gave me a task. To look after you. To make sure that you made it to Iga and to the clan house' he wrote and Tsuna frowned.

"Who is this someone? Is it that old bastard?" Tsuna asked and Nao scowled at him.

'Yes' he wrote and Tsuna sighed. 'He knew that you would need all the help that you could get. You're the only one who doesn't have any sort of training to help you through this race' he added and Tsuna huffed.

"And so he sent you" Tsuna said and Nao nodded. "Why should I even believe you?" he asked.

'Because without me, you would've died already' Nao wrote and Tsuna gulped. 'We don't have much time. Already, from what I've been told, three people have already made it to Iga. We need to keep moving' Nao wrote and Tsuna nodded.

Nao erased all of his words with his feet and moved to get the matches ready to burn all the evidence that they were here, when a hand was extended towards him.

"It's a pleasure to be working with you" Tsuna smiled and Nao's throat closed at the gesture. "You shake it" he whispered and Nao rolled his eyes but glided his own hand into Tsuna's.

"AlLy" Nao repeated and couldn't help the little smile that blossomed on his own face.


Meanwhile ~

Iwao couldn't believe his luck. He couldn't believe…..One of his henchmen lowered his eyes as Iwao swept all the paper from out of his desk as his frustration got the better of him. "Abe?" he sneered and someone shook his head. Iwao rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Rinko?" he asked and the same man spoke up.

"Dead. The police found it in an alleyway not too far from the apartment" the man said and Iwao slumped down on his seat.

"The boy?" Iwao asked and another man shook his head. "So the boy is missing and he took Abe's car?!" he shouted as he slammed his fists on the table. Abe should have never taken only two people to get Rinko. He was always careless….

"Boss!" someone shouted and before he could swear at the man, Iwao's eyes widened. He knelt immediately at the Oyabun* who swept into his office. The man, who was nearly fifty years of age looked at the mess and sighed.

"You've been busy, Iwao" the man said as someone got him a seat. Even Iwao's men didn't dare breathe in the man's presence. Iwao didn't answer because he knew better than to speak up when he was told to. "Did you know that someone came to me this morning?" he asked and he slipped out a red envelope from his kimono. Iwao slammed his head on the carpet, as his heart clenched at the sight of such a seal. "Care to tell me why the Head of the Matsuoka Clan wrote to me, asking me why someone had threatened his grandson?!" he shouted and everyone flinched at his booming voice.

"I didn't know" Iwao meekly said and he gritted his teeth as tiny footsteps were ushered inside.

"A mistake like this could have cost us another war, Iwao. One that we have no hopes of winning" Oyabun said as he stood up. Iwao closed his eyes as the boy shouted for his father. "I'm sorry, Iwao but I have no other choice. The Soke demanded a sacrifice. Unfortunately for you, it means your son" he declared and Iwao bit down on his tongue, as he was forced to listen to his son's last breath.


A/N: Yooohooo

That's a wrap.

Wuttt? Two chapters in the same week? Damn.

As I wrote this, I was just smiling to myself, thinking, WOW! Karma is such a beautiful thing. *sighs*

*Shiba-Inu- is a type of dog, obviously.

Same-Hada* and Mekugi Nakago* - both are located on the hilt of the katana. Please Google it and you'll see what I'm talking about.

*Oyabun- O.O I know the people who've read or watched Yakuza anime/movies will know what this is.

If you don't know, it's translates to "Father", and is a position in the Yakuza Organisation. If you want to learn more, there is an excellent document called "THE OYABUN-KOBUN: A JAPANESE RITUAL KINSHIP INSTITUTION" By Iwao Ishino. (Ironic huh)

Yuki: I'm here! I'm back! *bows* sorry.

Minh Th Bi: That is an excellent question, one I can't fully answer because it will spoil the future plot. However I can say this though: More Canon characters will be introduced. In fact, I have plans to include the older characters in future chapters. *hint, hint*

Suifeng Crimes: :O Thank you so much. I'm glad you are enjoying this so far.

Just wanted to add, might change the rating of this fic because it's going to get darker. Like wayyy darker. Like deep down into the abyss we go, darker.