Sawada Tsunayoshi was not to be messed with. On the outside, the 14 year old was petite, with soft tan skin, silky brown gravity-defying hair, and large caramel-amber eyes. He gave the impression of a small animal, like a rabbit, almost cute enough to pet but incredibly timid.

The students at Namimori Middle knew better, though. They knew that his big caramel eyes could narrow and harden, cold enough to freeze you in your spot. They knew that his hands could be covered in blood if you could catch him. They knew his skin was covered in scars, some faint and some fresh.

The 'small, fluffy animal' was more like a seal: cute and fluffy on the outside and a ruthless killer on the inside, angry enough to bite. Of course, no one realized why exactly Tsuna was like that, which angered him even more.

Tch. I'm so tired of this. Tsuna growled to himself as he stalked through the halls, sending burning glares at everyone he passed.

Tired of what?

Tired of life. It's so… convenient for humans. So ignorant to anything else.

"Selfish." He spat out loud and a group of chattering girls paled and went silent. No one knew exactly why the small brunet hated life or hated everyone. Tsuna thought that it was perfectly obvious. He kept coming to school with ripped clothes, covered in bruises AFTER people saw him go straight home after school, and his incredible aversion to anything about his house or his parents was very self-explanatory.

Just like humans. Too selfish and dense to notice anything besides what they're having for dinner and what's on T.V. later. With that thought, Tsuna slammed open the door to his classroom, a thunderous scowl on his face.

All talking ceased and even Yamamoto Takeshi, the school's happy-go-lucky baseball star, faltered with his grin, paling just a shade.

I want to end this. I want to end everyone. I hate everything. I hate, I hate, I HATE. His scowl deepened and he sat down at his desk, which was in the far corner of the classroom by the window. If he hadn't actually liked his seat, he would've killed the teachers for putting him in the obviously 'safest' spot for the other students.

He winced when he sat down wrong, sending a twinge of pain from his bruised ribs, and rubbed them indiscreetly, trying to ease the wavering jolts of pain. He cursed everyone again, glaring at the students around him.

Does anyone see? Does anyone care? Would anyone help me? No. I've never done anything for people to help me, but I'd still follow them for eternity if they did. If I ever wanted one thing, it would be for someone to HELP me. They could hate me, they could be unkind to me, but I'd still be loyal to them. Even if everyone turned against me, they'd be my bright light.

He remained like that for the remainder of the day, with his inner monologue ranting about how sad it was that the only place he didn't get beat up was the place he hated the second most, the first being his house. When the bell rang, Tsuna stalled as much as he could, stretching slowly and reaching for his bag, which was, conveniently, stuffed in a hard to reach corner between his desk and the wall.

He lamented the lack of time in the sunlight before he had to go back to that place and stepped to open the door when it was shoved open. Tsuna paused, startled, before glaring into the face of Hibari Kyoya, the Demon Prefect of Namimori. Hibari's eyes narrowed and he brought up his tonfas.

"Herbivore. I'll bite you to death for loitering." Tsuna scoffed, holding back his anger.

"Fuck you." He muttered before pushing past the prefect and heading down the hallway. Hibari remained standing stock-still, staring at the place where the herbivorous creature had disappeared. He frowned, pondering the feel of bandages underneath the herbivore's clothes. Then he shrugged and headed to his office, reminding himself to look up anything about the fluffy-haired herbivore.

Tsuna sighed as he reached his house, waiting a few minutes before slowly sliding the door open and shutting it behind his back.

"I'm home." He said, loud enough for his father to hear. Sure enough, Tsuna wrinkled his nose as the thick reek of alcohol filled the house. Iemitsu staggered over to the door, leaning against the wall.

"Oh. It's you." He scowled darkly. "You're late."

Tsuna didn't even have enough time to move before a punch hit him in the stomach, sending all the breath out of his lungs with one explosive gasp. He lay curled up on the floor, groaning and trying to send the black spots away from his vision.

Too late.

Iemitsu stomped on his chest and Tsuna let out a small cry of pain as the foot made contact with his bruised ribs, bandages coming loose beneath his shirt. He felt something crack a tiny bit and his eyes widened. A kick to the side sent him skidding across the floor and into the wall, bruising his thin spine.

The spots in front of his eyes grew larger, dancing around and teasing him as he fought not to close his eyes. Then his father picked him up by the throat, squeezing his hands around it. Tsuna gasped, clawing at the hand weakly as the lack of air, as well as the pain, began to take its toll.

Tsuna watched through closing eyes as Iemitsu stomped up the stairs, opening the door to Tsuna's 'room' and throwing him in, locking the door behind him. Tsuna lay on the floor, breathing ragged and tears of pain and relief welling up slightly. He blinked them away, annoyed.

He hadn't cried in years and he didn't plan on doing it again. He slumped into the wall, glaring around at his surroundings. The room was dark and gloomy. The bed was nothing more than a cot lying on the floor. The walls and floor were stained darkly by the blood from over the years. There was a small desk and chair in the corner and the window were nailed shut.

A jail, not a room. A forbidden existence, not a life. Monotonous anger and hate. No emotions. No joy. Tsuna's lip curled up in an agonized, hateful sneer as he gave in to the black flickering at the edges of his vision, wishing to be taken away from his dreary existence.

A/N: I have a weird obsession with putting my favourite anime characters in pain. Is that just me? ALSO (THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT) does anyone know the name of those electric shock-thingies doctors use to restart people's hearts? I don't remember the name.

PLEASE REVIEW/LIKE/FOLLOW! I promise I will update! If I don't, you guys are free to kill me. THEN I'LL WRITE IT WITH MY DYING WILL!