Summary: Tsuna wished for a simple life. Not one involving magic, towers, hunters and certainly not a powerful group of demons. Arcobaleno27

Unbeta'ed

The Final Tower

Chapter 4

1

Their walk – walk? More like them dragging their feet – to the next room is a lengthy one. With the injuries Tsuna and Colonnello sustained, they make sure to take it slow and have breaks when needed. In between these walks, they begin to chat about anything. It is through this Tsuna learns about Colonnello and what he is doing here. The man had said through gritted teeth and a pained expression that he is a hunter who had become trapped in this tower when his partner had betrayed him. His partner then proceeded to leave him behind after stabbing him in the leg with a knife. Tsuna could only stare at Colonnello in doubt as the man tells his story. Who would leave a person to die? Is the thought that ran through Tsuna's head. Despite this question, a sensation in his chest reappeared as the man continued his talk. It was not the sensation which previously warned him of the danger ahead. No, this sensation was different. It felt as if something is gripping his heart and squeezing all the blood out of it. It's then Tsuna instantly recognises what it was. He has felt this feeling before. With his own mother. When she lies. But why would the man be lying? And what was he lying about?

There are no answers to Tsuna's questions and it's not like he could accuse the man outright. Tsuna also had a feeling that they will need each other and he's not the type of person to leave an injured man behind. Help the helpless, is a belief his father had taught him. This was during one of the occasions where his father did not anger him and chose to speak to him as if they were equals. A family, even. Occasions like those don't happen often but when they do, it makes Tsuna forget the bad parts of their relationship and leaves him craving for more. It never lasts though. Soon enough, they would find themselves arguing about something and Tsuna would storm away in a gust of fury. Sometimes Tsuna wished that he had a normal family. Not one filled with hunters and their secrets, but he is not a child and knows that wishes do not come true. Not even under a star-filled night.

Returning his thoughts to his current predicament and away from bad memories, Tsuna is sat on the floor with Colonnello right next to him. The man is close enough that Tsuna can feel the breeze of his breath brushing against his hair. Colonnello's arm is also still around his shoulders in preparation of them needing to get up and start walking again, but that will not happen any time soon. Tsuna needs to catch his breath from walking for so long. His legs are starting to feel like paper from Colonnello leaning his weight on him.

"You feeling okay?" Colonnello asks in what seems to be a hint of worry.

Tsuna raises his head to face the man and nods. "Yeah, just a little tired. I would normally be in bed by now and I had a draining first day in class."

"Class? You go to high school, kora?"

Tsuna wants to sigh in exasperation. It is not the first time someone had mistaken his age. He gets it a lot but learns to deal with it. He knows it should be a compliment of some sort, but it becomes more of an inconvenience when he is constantly asked his ID to do things.

"Not high school," Tsuna decides on saying. "University. I went to my first class."

Colonnello hums in interest. "So you study hunting?"

"No," Tsuna replies but it comes out much harsher than he intended.

Colonnello raises an eyebrow at the unexpected tone but says nothing.

Tsuna can feel blood rushing to his cheeks. "Sorry," he says. "No, I don't study hunting. I study photography."

"Photography?" Colonnello repeats as if he heard Tsuna wrong. "Then can I ask what you're doing here? In this tower, I mean."

Tsuna is not surprised that the man is curious. After all, why would a person without hunting experience be found within a tower? It makes no sense. Tsuna opts to answer the question as he had nothing to hide.

"I was attacked and dragged in here," Tsuna tells him plainly.

This causes Colonnello to look at him with his mouth a little open. "Attacked?"

Tsuna explains what had happened to him. He talks about the person in the grey cloak and the glowing key. Then the attack and the pain which came after. He explains it all in as much detail as he can, but his memories seem hazy as his head still aches. It feels like there's a second heart in his head from the way his wound throbs in a dull discomfort. Thankfully, the bleeding has stopped as he can no longer feel liquid seeping down his hair. It's obvious to him that his own wound will need stitches but how many Tsuna does not know. He only hopes this whole situation will be over soon.

Colonnello stays silent through his explanation. It's only after Tsuna finishes speaking that the man begins to talk.

"So you are not after what's at the top of the tower?"

Tsuna slowly shakes his head as to not make his headache worse. "I just want an exit."

Colonnello does not say a word after that and Tsuna does not mind.

2

They reach another room shortly after their tenth break. Tsuna has been counting the number of breaks they've been taking as there was nothing else to do. For some reason, Colonnello has been deep in thought or what looks like it. It's at times where he would have an expression that tells Tsuna he wants to say something, but he holds himself back in the last second. Tsuna pretends not to notice this and focuses his attention on finding a way out. It is only after a while they see the light of a tunnel exit and take tentative steps towards it. That is what brings them to this room. A room, Tsuna notes, with no pond or waterfall. It is only a large space filled with nothing other than torches which keep the place well lit.

Well, this is different, Tsuna thinks as he skims over the area and sees nothing unusual. In spite of this, he keeps his guard up. There must be a reason why this room is not similar when compared to the others. So he proceeds to give the space another look over as he and Colonnello continue walking to the other tunnel. Although there is nothing to observe, a sense of danger pools at the bottom of Tsuna's stomach. The feeling persists as he reaches the middle of the room. That's when the change happens.

The room shakes.

So much so that Tsuna loses his footing and tumbles to the ground. Colonnello is dragged along with him and almost crushes Tsuna with his bodyweight as he falls directly on top of him. But neither of them move from their position, knowing it's best to wait the earthquake out. Or what must be an earthquake. There is no other way to describe it. Many years of earthquake training from kindergarten to high school has taught Tsuna to hide under a table or desk, but there is nothing like that here. Only Colonnello's body which rests above his own like a human shield. The noise the room makes is worse. The trembling sounds of rocks crashing together or scraping across each other cause his headache to intensify. Tsuna cries out in pain and closes his eyes in an attempt to gain back some sense of control. Colonnello must have heard his cry as his grip around Tsuna tightens which pulls him closer to the tall man. This is when Tsuna can faintly hear Colonnello saying something, but the noise of the room as well as his headache drowns it out.

Tsuna loses track of time once again. He does not know for how long the room has been shaking or for what amount of time he has been lying on the floor. All he knows is that he wants the trembling to stop. The pain from his wound is becoming too unbearable, numbing the rest of his senses to the point Tsuna feels like he is no longer in his body. That his existence is only made up of agony and nothing else. He can no longer think, breathe or even feel Colonnello holding onto him in that moment. Pain is the only thing that is real. Everything else declares itself to be fake like all the sensations from earlier were only a figment of his imagination. It seems so distant.

Then it stops.

The earthquake stops, and Tsuna finds himself gasping for air.

"–na?! Tsuna?!" Colonnello's voice slowly begins to fade in as well as his touch, his arms still around Tsuna. "Breathe. Like me. Breathe in. Breathe out."

Tsuna follows his instructions. He breathes in. Then out. Then in again. He continues the cycle of breathing until the pain from his head begins to dial down enough for Tsuna to open his eyes. There he sees a blurred Colonnello looking down at him with a concerned look upon his face. Tsuna blinks to help get his eyes into focus. His vision soon sharpens enough to notice Colonnello is sat upright with his arms snaked around Tsuna's waist, holding him close to his chest. This makes Tsuna have to crane his neck to look up at the man.

"I'm fine," Tsuna slurs out, his mouth feeling as numb as the rest of his body. "I just… need some time."

Colonnello does not buy it though. "You look like you are a second away from collapsing, kora."

Tsuna cannot argue against the man. All he wishes to do is sleep away the day and forget this place even exists, but he knows he cannot do that. He is most likely suffering from a concussion and the effects are now beginning to show themselves. So he cannot lose consciousness now. Not when it could harm him or knock him out cold for hours. He needs to do his best to stay awake, especially with another person depending on him.

"What happened?" Tsuna says, changing the topic to something else.

"It's gone," Colonnello whispers with shock colouring his features. "They're both gone."

He is no longer looking directly down at Tsuna but at the tunnel they were heading towards. Tsuna turns his head in the same direction and can only stare in a stunned silence. The tunnel is gone, covered by what seems like a round cave door. Was that the cause of the earthquake? A rock door sliding over to cover the tunnel? It's the only explanation. The door does not seem to be an ordinary one for that matter. There is something written on it, but Tsuna cannot make it out from this distance. They need to head closer to figure out what has happened. And didn't Colonnello say both? Tsuna turns his head in the opposite direction and observes that the same thing had happened to the other tunnel, but this one has no symbols upon it. It looks like the door had merged with the tunnel, making it seem as if it never existed in the first place. One thing is very clear to Tsuna – they are trapped and with no visible means of escape. The only hint seems to be the door with the words written upon it.

"The door," Tsuna murmurs. "We should move towards the door with the writing."

A conflicted look flickers across Colonnello's face. "Are you sure? We can rest for a while. It's not like we're going anywhere anytime soon."

Even though that's true, the sensation of danger has not eased up and remains growing within his chest. Something else is coming so now is not the time to rest. With the threat fast approaching, Tsuna says, "Yeah, I'm sure," in the best 'there's nothing to be concerned about' voice. Hopefully, this will get Colonnello to not disagree with him. It does. Colonnello nods and softly releases his hold on Tsuna. This allows him to slowly make his way up to his feet. Tsuna almost stumbles a few times but after a few attempts, he is able to stand steadily.

With a sigh of relief, Tsuna turns to Colonnello and tells him, "I don't think I can carry your weight yet."

"I know. If you help me walk now, you'll collapse like a stack of cards."

Tsuna snorts at the humorous image which in turn makes Colonnello smile.

"Yeah," he says. "But I'll check the door and tell you what it says."

Colonnello agrees to his idea, and Tsuna begins his walk to the door. It takes only a few moments as Tsuna drags his body towards it. When he reaches the door, he finds himself out of breath and panting for air, but he ignores his lungs plea for rest. His eyes scan the door and the writing carved upon it. It appears to say, you can have me but cannot hold me; gain me and quickly lose me. Tsuna cannot help but stare at the words. A riddle? He thinks. But why would there be a riddle here? And how would he give his answer? Will he have to shout it for the door to open? This is not the only thing that catches Tsuna's attention. Beneath the words is a sigil. It is made up of a circle within a box which also has a diagonal line cutting through.

This makes Tsuna recall a time his mother had taken him to a young hunter class as a fifteen-year-old. He had been forced to go at the request of his father and his mother was all too happy to listen. Tsuna had endured the day filled with hunters explaining how great it is to become like them, but none of them explained what hunting actually involves. They seemed adamant to not let anything slip. It's only when Tsuna asked to go to the bathroom that he found something he will have to keep a secret for the rest of his life. It was a journal which lay next to a sink. Tsuna thought it probably belongs to one of the students who had gone to the toilet earlier and forgot all about it. So Tsuna had no issue picking it up and skimming through it. The book was filled with strange symbols and notes next to each one of them. It's then he realises that this journal does not belong to a student but a hunter. Tsuna made sure to check the bathroom stalls before reading any more.

It is during that time that he learnt about sigils and their meanings. According to the book, there are seven main sigils; sky, storm, rain, sun, lightning, mist and cloud. These sigils, the book had said, give individual powers to the holders and a hunter can only possess one. In order to find out what sigil a hunter possessed, they would need to be appraised by the Hunter Association which gives them their results. But the main sigils is not what's on the door. No, this one is different and if Tsuna remembers correctly, this is the sigil for trust. Was this the answer to the riddle? It seems like it. But what sort of riddle gives the answer away so easily? It did not make sense. Unless…

Tsuna looks towards the side of the door and sees a hole large enough to place a hand through. He wonders if this means he must place his hand through it and trust whatever is inside. It is the only option Tsuna currently has or else he and Colonnello will be trapped in this room until someone new finds their bodies. Not wanting that to happen, Tsuna steps towards the hole in the wall and places his fingers inside. The hole is deeper than he thought so Tsuna leans further in. It's then he feels a button of some sort and his instincts tell him to press it. He does and waits. Soon the sounds of something rushing can be heard in the distance. It echoes right above Tsuna. It almost sounds like…

Water?

Before he can react, water begins to gush from the ceiling and down the walls. The water hit Tsuna and soaks him. This causes him to stumble backwards in surprise.

"Tsuna!" Colonnello yells out from behind him.

When Tsuna turns to face him, the water is already up to his knees. Right now, Tsuna should be freaking out as this seems to be the way he is going to die but he feels unnervingly calm. The sensations in his body telling him that everything will be okay as all he has to do is listen. But to what? What does he listen to? Colonnello? Tsuna begins to push through the water to reach back to the man who is sitting on the floor. The water is up to his shoulders and continues rising to his neck. When Tsuna reaches him, he does not grab Colonnello and help re-place him onto his feet. Instead, Tsuna sinks to his knees and joins Colonnello in the water.

Colonnello can only watch him in disbelief. "What are you doing?!"

"I don't know," Tsuna replies with honesty. He is only following what his body is telling him to do.

The water is now above Tsuna's neck and caresses his cheeks as he gazes up towards the ceiling. Trust, the sigil says. Who is there to trust? The sigil does not mean the hole in the wall. That is obvious now. It does not mean Colonnello who is calling Tsuna's name. The only thing left is the water.

This is who he trusts.

The water which spreads across his face and pulls him under.

Tsuna is able to keep his eyes open despite being underwater. Having no experience with swimming, he is stuck in the same position and is unable to move without flailing about. But Tsuna does not need to move, his body tells him. He only needs to sit, and he does. Directly across him, Colonnello takes a final gasp of air and joins him beneath the water. This makes Tsuna smile. Now they are both where they have to be. They are not meant to die today. Not in this room. Not by drowning. Tsuna does not understand how he knows this, but he trusts. Like the sigil is telling him.

The room is now filled to the brim with water and Tsuna is running out of breath. He needs to breathe and now. Trust, he thinks again. The water will not harm him. It fills him with a sense of tranquillity and peacefulness that Tsuna has never felt before. This is the true answer to the riddle.

So he opens his mouth and takes a deep breath.

Author's note:

Ended on a cliffhanger haha. I hope it's not too harsh of a cliffhanger.

Once again, thank you guys so much for the reviews. It makes me so happy to know people are enjoying this. I should say that I have an idea of where the story is heading, but at the same time, I'm winging it. Hopefully, the story is still coherent.

Please review and give your opinions!