Swallowed the Moon
By: The DayDreaming
Warnings: AU Unfortunately very long. And terribly written. Might be OOC, I don't know. Slight blood and gore. Sappiness? Glossary of Terms and character stats at the bottom! Art at bottom!
Disclaimer: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! and its characters belong to Amano Akira, not me. This is the only time I'm going to say it.
This chapter has not been edited for mistakes. If there are any, please notify me and I'll try to rectify the situation whenever I get off my lazy ass.
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Chapter 4: If It's Not the One Thing, It's Another
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Everything was too heavy. So hard to move, like leaden weights strapped to his limbs. His eyelids burned as he attempted to pull them up, moisture gathering in the crevices as sunlight ultimately entered the pupils.
"Tsuna…"
Mom?
"Wake up, please."
No, he can't.
If he wakes up, he'll most definitely…
"Tsunayoshi, we have to leave soon."
I'll disappear, he thought, just as the sunlight turned to fire.
"TSUNA!"
He jolted awake, shooting up in his bed just as Ieyatsu leaned forward, causing a painful collision that sent both reeling to the floor. He sucked in a haggard breath, clutching his forehead with a trembling palm.
"Are you okay?" Ieyatsu asked, picking himself up without complaint and holding out an expectant hand to Tsuna's prone form.
"I don't know," he muttered, taking the hand and immediately noting the unusual warmth, perhaps for the millionth time since he'd met Ieyatsu, "I was…I think I was dreaming. Or, maybe not. It felt so real. Like I…"
He let his sentence trail off, unsure of what to say. He couldn't exactly remember the dream itself, only the distinctly lonely feeling left behind, a stale aftertaste in his mouth.
"A nightmare, perhaps? You kept muttering something. Couldn't understand it, though," Ieyatsu scratched the back of his head nervously before looking around the room, eyes skimming past lavish furniture and ornate decorations as though he'd seen them a thousand times before, "I was worried. You conked out the moment you hit the bed. I tried waking you up, but you were too tired. I even tried pouring a glass of water on your head."
That explained the stiff strands of hair obscuring his vision. He let out a small sigh; leave it to No-Good Tsuna to fall asleep on his employer at the most inappropriate time, when they were supposed to be discussing job-specifics.
"Hey, it's no big deal," Ieyatsu smiled kindly, patting Tsuna's head and running his fingers through the messed-hair like he was a sort of very scrawny and pitiable dog, "You're probably over-stressed, that's all. You did look a bit peakish last night, if I recall."
And now his employer was treating him like a little kid. There was something degrading about the fact that the person he was supposed to be taking care of (escorting, he emphasized in his mind) was, in fact, taking care of him like he was Tsuna's long-lost second mother. He supposed it couldn't be helped though; Ieyatsu seemed to care about everyone's well-beings a bit too much (at least, Tsuna assumed this was the case). The teen treated each person he met with the utmost respect, from the barmaid at the tavern last night, to the attendants who flooded around the two as they walked to their quarters for the evening.
"You must have a lot of friends," he mumbled, unaware that he had spoken aloud, so lost in his reverie.
Ieyatsu gained a pensive look, one that didn't escape Tsuna's vision as he came back from his musings. He moved to say something, opening his mouth to do so, but then thought better of it, merely smiling warmly at Tsuna and petting his head again.
"We need to depart soon," Ieyatsu eventually intoned, moving away from him and over to his own bed, where a heavy, leather-padded trunk sank into the soft down quilt draped haphazardly over the mattress. He rifled through the contents quickly, picking out a few choice items such as rope and, of all things, a container of what looked like gumballs. More disconcerting items emerged as well, like a magazine of bullets without a counterpart gun, a significantly large tube of super-bonding glue(1), several sheets of paper, a wire brush toothbrush, some pretty, multi-hued vials with various (and unnerving) pulsing glows, and a liquor bottle. The teen stepped back from the bed to examine his line-up of odds and ends, index finger thoughtfully resting on chin; satisfied, he nodded to himself then turned to the perplexed boy behind him with a smile, "That should be all we'll need. Do you have rations?"
Tsuna's brain didn't allow the question to sink in for a couple of seconds, mind still furiously working on why exactly they needed a cleaning implement and radioactive products on their small journey. At his employer's second prompting, he snapped to attention with a start, fumbling for his bag that lay next to the nightstand by his bed, "Y-yeah, right here."
Confused, the other carefully pulled the bag from Tsuna's hand, turning it over and holding it above his head, before giving it a hardy shake and pressing his ear against the almost flat leather. "Uh," he perused the exterior one more time, "I think you might have been robbed."
"N-no! Look," Tsuna snatched the satchel back, popping open the buckle and lifting the flap to allow Ieyatsu a glimpse inside, "It's bigger than it looks."
Ieyatsu looked doubtful, but pushed an inquiring hand into the bag's questionably dark depths, only to find that it kept going far beyond its apparent capacity. His fingers spread out, the empty space they were met with was almost startling.
"Wow," he murmured, entranced as he kept pushing forward, shoulder-deep, before Tsuna cleared his throat and retracted the bag, "How did it do that?"
"It was a gift," Tsuna replied, busying himself with pulling out fresh clothes from the bag, "From a…friend, of mine." (2)
Ieyatsu gave him an appraising look before shrugging it off, "As you say. Anyways, do you mind putting this stuff in there? It's secure, right? I don't want to break anything."
"Ah, uh, sure."
They prepped in silence, Tsuna quickly trotting off to refresh himself with a shower and Ieyatsu fiddling with his mantle and the gloves on his hands. Once Tsuna emerged from the conjoining bathroom, steam rolling out in a cloud behind him, he assembled himself, slinging his packed bag over his neck and hastily pinning the rumpled mouse-eared cloak across his shoulders. That done, he turned to Ieyatsu, who was waiting patiently by the door.
"Ready?" Ieyatsu asked, opening the door and stepping out, Tsuna right on his heels, "We might not be back for a couple days, or, well…"
At his trailing off, Tsuna looked towards him, making a small noise to prompt him to continue. Ieyatsu smiled nervously, scratching his neck, "Well, ever, maybe. If things don't go so well. Like, we die. Or something."
Comforted by the grim prospective, Tsuna managed to walk in a terrified stupor to the stairwell, where he promptly fell after the first step.
The weather outside was fairly gloomy, crusted in a shell of towering purplish cumulous that sagged heavy with the weight of unshed rain. Though the streets had taken on a dusky gleam in the shadows of the overcast sky, people still milled about in the moments before the storm would strike, chatting eagerly in the exchange of information and money.
Ieyatsu and Tsuna stepped out from the shelter of the hotel awning, a hard gust of wind sending their capes swirling in a gush of fabric. Tsuna gripped the strap of his bag tightly, gnawing with a nervous vigor on his bottom lip; this was not a good omen for the onset of their journey. Though, why, he wasn't sure. All he could really focus on were the butterflies in his stomach, fluttering around in an unwarranted panic. It wasn't so much the weather as it was Ieyatsu himself that made him agitated.
The other boy seemed to be a good person from what he could tell: kind, spirited, and confident in all aspects; and still he couldn't help but think that the outgoing teen was hiding something from him. The purpose of their journey was proof enough of that; Ieyatsu had cleverly dodged any questions as to why they needed to go to a place named Heretic's Hollow.
As they stepped onto the uneven stones of the bustling sidewalk, Ieyatsu turned to him and smiled, perhaps trying to relieve some of the tension in the wake of the mood-dampening weather, "You're sure you have everything?"
At Tsuna's nod, he smiled wider and turned back around, blond locks swaying charmingly in his enthusiasm. The teen had the prettiest hair, Tsuna couldn't help but think; it was such a fiery gold, shining even in the dullest of lights. In fact, the other seemed to shine all over, a ceaseless inner-glow encompassing the entirety of his frame. He couldn't help but feel like a tiny, uninteresting rock in the presence of someone equivalent to a polished gem.
The pair proceeded down the populated boulevard, Tsuna following behind his slightly taller guide like a ghost, eyes firmly affixed to the black mantle wrapped casually 'round the other's shoulders. He didn't want to think about all of the other mercenaries staring at them, transfixed by the discorded contrast of the duo. With Ieyatsu, his presence almost a solid, palpable force in the air, Tsuna was all too aware of his own faults and non-existent talents. It was frustrating; he wanted to just stop and curl in on himself, but he strode along anyways, trying to take up as unaffected an appearance as the other.
They crossed the city in this way, Ieyatsu leading with an assured step and unfaltering determination, Tsuna left to stew in his own self-doubt in a sickened haze a quick half-step later. The area around them gradually morphed from a grimy scene of fighters-for-hire and weapon shops to a sprawling shopping district, stores and fine restaurants lining the streets in an eclectic yet still vaguely orderly jumble. Here, there were even more people. Mixed among the crowd of stressed, bartering mothers and hurried businessmen were other boys and girls, dressed in casual, stylish clothes, clumping together and clotting the sidewalks as they walked and talked, lollygagging around and expending as much energy as possible before having to be cooped up in their individual homes while waiting for the storm to pass.
He looked wistfully at a pair of boys and a girl, the lone female walking backwards and smiling while the other two bickered loudly. He could see the affection in their eyes and in their movements; familiarity and devotion ingrained in their predictable conversations and physical jabs. He stopped to stare, a tiny worm of emotion burrowing into his heart. If only…
But that would probably never happen.
Ieyatsu turned when he felt his partner no longer following him, only to see Tsuna stopped quite a bit a ways away, gazing across the street. He looked, not sad, but something mellower. Longing? He didn't like it on the younger boy; it made him look childlike and lost. The kid was too soft, and it strummed a thin string of guilt in his conscience to be dragging the clueless boy into a potentially deadly ordeal such as this.
"Oi! Tsuna! Don't lose sight of me, 'kay?" the shout startled Tsuna out of his reverie; he quickly stumbled into action, almost slipping on the moldy lacquer of a cobblestone. Reuniting with the older boy, he muttered out a quick sorry and bowed his head. Now wasn't the time to be thinking ridiculous things like that; he had a job now, and he couldn't afford to screw-up.
Satisfied at the other's attentiveness, Ieyatsu proceeded forward, moving through the crowds with fluid ease and making sure to keep a watchful eye on the boy.
Past the shopping district lay the wharf. Following along on the edges of the docks, the pair eventually found the main thoroughfare leading to the airdrome and its surrounding associates.
The weather had grown progressively worse along the way, with the thick bed of clouds overhead turning a fierce midnight-blue, pellets of rain skittering down every now and then to splatter onto the already dew-slick road. An almost constant wall of wind battered at those still lingering in the streets; Tsuna found himself in the unfortunate situation of having his cloak wrap spasmodically around his head in an effort to smother him. He caught Ieyatsu smirking for a split second at him every time he managed to push the unruly cloth away from his eyes, following the gesture with a (most definitely manly in every way, shape and form) high-pitched whine.
They eventually stopped at a sheltered bench, the rusty roof of the enclosure giving small peeks of the atmosphere above. A worn sign, designating the area as a bus-stop, swayed in time with the rough advances of the wind, setting an erratic rhythm in the growing quiet of the city. Ieyatsu sat, regally flipping his coat out so that it could act as a barrier between the grimy rust of the seat and his pants. Tsuna was not as graceful, the wind blowing hard and flipping his hood up, blinding him; he collapsed onto the bench in a sightless flurry, almost too embarrassed to pull the irritating clothes away. The other teen smiled but said nothing, opting to instead read the arrival times pasted to the wall of the enclosure.
Tsuna fiddled with the hem of his cloak, unsure of what to do now that they'd arrived. He didn't exactly know where Heretic's Hollow was, or when they'd get there. At least it wasn't in an airship, he thought, idly watching the taxiing planes as they circled the airdrome, sending a barely noticeable hum through the skies. It would be hours before they were cleared for landing, the winds being too strong to safely position the behemoth airbuses into their designated ports. The more precision-oriented sky-vehicles were lucky, still allowed to enter the gigantic facility, though none would be cleared to leave.
He had always wanted to try a ride on an airship; preferably one of the luxury cruisers rather than a more rickety airplane or ornithopter. It was too bad he'd never had the money, reason, or opportunity to do as such. Still, it was nice to think about every once in a while, when he managed to overhear some of the other students at S.A.G.E. talking about their winter or summer vacations spent aboard a slow rider across the great oceans.
Right now though, he didn't want to be up there at all. The usually steady airbuses, bloated blimps used to carry economy class passengers to nearby countries, seemed to be having trouble remaining in steady flight patterns as they battled against the greater gusts of air in the sky; some even seemed to be breaking apart from the pack and making to head out to sea, where calmer waters and the ship's inherent buoyancy would allow for a safer alternative, as well as save on the fuel and magic used to keep such heavy crafts in the skies for long periods of time.
After a while of fidgeting around, alternatingly kneading the fabric of his shirt and pants and bag, he turned to Ieyatsu, who had taken to staring numbly out onto the grey street.
"Ah…I-Ieyatsu," he started, hesitant to break the other's concentration. The blond looked away from a stray sheet of newspaper tumbling along the road and smiled at him, appearing unbothered by the distraction. "We're going to Heretic's Hollow, right?" he nodded. "How are we getting there, exactly?"
Ieyatsu leaned back and tapped the rusty wall beside him, index pointing directly over a bus number, with the time 10:30 AM printed in peeling black paint beside it, "We're going to be catching a bus over to the old Drover's Road—do you know where that is? No? They used to use it to drive cattle to the city before trains became more convenient—anyways, that road starts on the other side of Perambulāre.
"The old Drover's road extends across the entirety of the country, I believe, but it's probably come into disrepair since the only people that really use it are tourists and adventurers on the buses…I think…," he let out an embarrassed laugh. "I'm directly quoting a woman I talked to earlier, so my information is second-hand, at best."
Tsuna nodded, listening attentively. Even though he was rambling a bit, Ieyatsu's every word seemed important, and Tsuna found himself unable to filter out the information that was unnecessary. There was something about him, about his voice, that just made him hang onto every miscellaneous sentence and movement the other boy made, like a moth drawn to flame.
Ieyatsu continued, "One of the bus' stops is at the beginning of the path that leads to Heretic's Hollow, which is about a half-day's hike for us, even longer if we're slow or run into trouble."
"A half-day's hike?" Tsuna yelped, choking on the words as they slipped out of his throat.
"Yeah," Ieyatsu frowned, concerned, "Something wrong?"
"W-well," he stuttered. Yes there was something wrong! He couldn't even walk a quarter of the way across the city without feeling put-out and exhausted, let alone hike up what was quite possibly a mountain! And what about those complications Ieyatsu was talking about? He let out a defeated sigh at Ieyatsu's nonplused stare. The other boy could probably walk up three mountains in a day without breaking a sweat with how indifferent he appeared about the whole matter. He'd have to stick it out and hope the other wouldn't become too irritated with him. "No, n-nothing's wrong. Sorry."
"Well…If you're sure," the blond muttered, leaning out to look down the road at the sounds of a wheezing engine filling the air. "There's the bus now. A bit late, but whatever."
The bus heaved to a stop in front of them, the exterior painted half in olive green and half in beige, the motif of a safari apparent with the words "Phil's Countryside Adventure" slathered in oily black letters on the panels of the bus' excess baggage compartment. The door of the bus puttered open, revealing the smoking form of man past his prime, with frizzy grey hair skirting around a prominent bald patch on his head and a girth pressing slightly against the steering wheel. Despite his unwelcoming appearance, the man pulled the cigarette away from his mouth and smiled at them, "Coming aboard?"
Ieyatsu nodded, grabbing Tsuna by the wrist and pulling him along and up the steps of the decrepit bus. He stopped before the elderly driver and smiled pleasantly, "Heretic's Hollow, if you wouldn't mind."
The man blinked, confused for a moment at the request and cheery attitude of the new arrivals, before smirking and sticking the cigarette back into his awaiting mouth. He laughed and turned a knob, the singular bus door closing with a squeak a second later, "As you wish."
Satisfied, Ieyatsu tugged Tsuna along, settling on a hard plastic bench for two somewhere in the middle. A few other passengers resided in the vehicle, looking up at the strangers before turning away again, uninterested. Two of them he could vaguely recognize as wanderers, with weathered clothes and a weapon or two sitting beside their patched-up bags. The last looked to be a young man in business attire, sleeping with his head against a window.
"It'll be a couple hours before we get there, so it's okay to sleep if you want," Ieyatsu said, patting his shoulder to indicate where Tsuna could put his head, since he'd taken the window seat. Tsuna nodded, but merely stared out the windows on the other side of the bus, watching the grey city streets of Perambulāre thinning out into open fields still dyed in the dark hues of the clouds above. The scenery lulled him, blurring into a monochromatic scale of slate as he tried to keep his eyes open. He really didn't want to fall asleep in front of his employer so inappropriately again; especially since he was supposed to be acting as an escort, but, well…he did feel excessively drained, the weather and cool ambience of the bus drawing him into slumber.
Ieyatsu smiled as he watched from the corner of his eye Tsuna fighting a losing battle against his closing lids. The kid really was too cute and innocent for his own good.
The string of guilt in his chest grew tauter as the boy unconsciously leaned against him.
There were birds. Thousands of them, a torrent, a hurricane. He felt high, one thousand miles of endless sky around him; if he looked down, surely he would fall, so he couldn't couldn't couldn't look down no matter what.
Where's Ieyatsu, he wondered. It felt so lonely. Where is he…
The birds were getting louder, so much louder. A cacophony, an unwavering wail in dissonance. Growing growing growing until at last it sounded not so much a discord of noise, but a sharp, singular scream.
He looked down.
Tsuna shot awake, drawing in a throat-raking lungful of air as he pulled himself up. A dream. When had he fallen asleep?
He settled a hand over his thumping heart, fingers shaking.
"Are you okay?" Ieyatsu asked, touching his shoulder. Tsuna jumped at the contact, losing his balance and tumbling off the bus bench in his panic. "Tsuna?"
"I-Ieyatsu…," he reached out a hand, blindly fumbling for a hold so he could pick himself up. The other quickly grabbed his cloak and reeled him back onto the bench. "T-thanks…"
"Is everything okay?" the blond asked again, relinquishing his hold on the boy as Tsuna set to straightening his rumpled clothes. "Was it another bad dream?"
"I…don't know," Tsuna murmured, holding his head. The vision had already faded, only leaving behind a thin mesh of emotions. It was troubling to think about, this strange influx of odd dreams; though he'd had things like this happen to him before, the occasions were infrequent. Never were the dreams so disjointed and nonsensical, yet still able to infuse a bright seed of panic into his chest.
"That's okay then," Ieyatsu smiled and patted his shoulder, extreme warmth from his hand suffusing into Tsuna's arm and easing the tense muscles. "Just don't think about it. Anyways, we're nearly there, I think. It's been a few hours."
Tsuna nodded absentmindedly. The scenery outside had changed drastically. There was no longer any sign of the city, or civilization in general; the road had altered into thin, crumbling asphalt, sprigs of weedy grass popping through numerous cracks, and the once-open fields had been exchanged for a closed-in canopy of trees.
The rickety bus had also seemed to outrun the storm brewing previously, for the sky was a vibrant blue, dollops of clouds floating overhead like icebergs.
Tsuna turned his attention to Ieyatsu, whom had taken to methodically running his fingers over the metallic 'I' nailed to the top of his right-hand glove. He was mouthing something, silently molding words into sentences as he gazed at a place far beyond where the duo actually was. The other boy was a mystery, though Tsuna held the vague notion that the blond came from royalty just with the finely tailored clothes he wore. The grand hotel that he stayed at also didn't hurt the idea, as well as the fact that the other seemed to be of good breeding. He was beautiful by all standards, and intelligent, though he didn't seem to allow these facts to cloud his mind and make him an unbearably obnoxious prick.
He snapped from his reverie when he felt the bus beginning to slow, face reddening at the knowledge he'd been staring at his companion like a creep. He shook his head and resisted the urge to bang it against the back of the bench before him, instead standing as the clunky vehicle came to a halt with a withering moan. Ieyatsu made no move to follow, still staring into space.
"Ieyatsu," he tried, shaking the other's shoulder. "C'mon. This is us."
Ieyatsu's eyes widened marginally before he smiled and got up, patting Tsuna's head genially, "That's good."
At the front of the bus, Ieyatsu procured a wallet from the pocket of his trousers, handing over the estimated fare and a generous tip, to which the bus driver nodded his head and murmured a gratified 'thank you.' That done, the pair emerged from the bus into the dry air of the surrounding forest. With a whimper, the old clunker lurched into action and rumbled away down the ruined road.
"It'll come back, right?" Tsuna asked. The thought of having to stay stranded here for days was rather terrifying.
"…I dunno," Ieyatsu said. The fact that the idea had never crossed his mind was evident in his voice. Tsuna silently cried.
He turned to examine the area that the bus had left them at, being met only with a curtain of leafy vegetation. Near them, standing on a nearly rusted-through pole was the familiar sign for "Phil's Countryside Adventure," as well as a metal map depicting their location and the surrounding woodlands, with a large red star indicating the stop for Heretic's Hollow.
"Well, let's get going," Ieyatsu muttered, beginning to walk towards a seemingly random bit of roadside thicket. The younger boy followed hesitantly, wondering if they'd have to hack their way through; to his immense relief he saw that the other boy had spotted an entrance of sorts among the trees with a tiny trail snaking along the ground, mostly grassed-over but still there.
Even with the grace of the small opening, the initial path proved difficult to wander through with the dense underbrush clustering around them. Tsuna found himself constantly having to pull his cloak from bushes and low trees where it had snagged in the gripping branches. Disconcertingly, Ieyatsu appeared to be having no such problem, practically gliding through with a steady ease. Tsuna envied him for his grace. He tried removing the troublesome cape, but found that he became the victim of the trees instead, gaining a few scratches for his futile effort. With a sigh, he drew the cloak back around himself and hugged it as tightly to his body as possible.
He moaned. It hadn't been even half an hour and he was already tired of this ridiculous quest. He noticed they were gradually trudging uphill, the gradient incredibly slight but still there. More worrying was the fact that Ieyatsu had pulled ahead of him, the distance constantly growing. He didn't want to bother the other boy, who seemed so concentrated on the task of navigating the thick woods and keeping track of the dwindling trail. He tried speeding up his pace to match the other's, drawing near before growing tired and falling behind again.
It didn't really matter though, right? As long as the blond stayed in his sights, he wouldn't get lost. For not having been in the area before, Ieyatsu showed an incredible amount of aptitude for traveling through their immediate vicinity. He didn't seem bothered at all by the obstructing trees. It made him wonder why it was the other needed someone proven useless like Tsuna to go along with him.
Eventually the gradual slope of the landscape gave way to a steep hike, the trees growing sparser in-between, but the path entirely disappearing. Ieyatsu took large, loping steps, leaving Tsuna to shuffle behind and attempt to keep up; he was almost like a man possessed, refusing to look back even as Tsuna fell several times. Gone was the unhurried, seemingly care-free Ieyatsu from the bar.
Tsuna panted, hard-pressed to keep moving forward as his worn sneakers skidded on a wad of fallen leaves and he almost tumbled again. He felt hot and sticky, despite the cool green cast by the forest around them; he wanted nothing more than to plead with Ieyatsu to stop his ceaseless advancement, though the words died on his dry, chapped lips each time as he felt his air-supply dwindling and he lost his nerve.
Ahead, Ieyatsu crested over the top of the rise, stopping for a brief second, long enough to let Tsuna raise the tiny hope that they'd finally come to a well-deserved break, before plunging down the other side. Tsuna let out a sigh and stumbled along. He was too far behind now; the other had gone out of sight. His muscles burned with exertion and sweat kept dripping into his eyes. How long had they been going for?
He reached the top of the climb, stood in the same place as the blond, and looked down. It almost appeared to be a ridge of sorts he was standing on, falling in a steep gradient, just as the other side had. More trees obscured his vision. Ieyatsu was nowhere in sight.
Tsuna sunk to the ground, taking in deep breaths to try and settle his racing heart. This was hopeless. He wondered if Ieyatsu was close enough that he'd still be able to yell for him. He allowed himself to lie on the ground, letting the sweat cool on his frame. He knew it was bad to be doing nothing about finding the other boy, but he really couldn't think beyond the next panting breath. He had no stamina, something that had been evident to him at S.A.G.E., though it had never seemed like much of a problem until now.
Once his heart had calmed he pulled himself up, though his calves and knees felt like jelly. He stared down at the drop again; he had to go where Ieyatsu was, and the older boy had probably moved with ease at this point… He took a careful step down, then another. Pine needles and old leaves shifted under his feet. He drew in a deep breath, took another step. Again. And again. Then his luck ran out as he made for another; he tripped as loose earth came out from under him, rolling down the hill and hitting various hard roots and rocks and piles of putrefying forest debris on the way. It seemed to be forever, Tsuna screaming and unsure of his surroundings as his hood wrapped around his head and blinded him, which was why he didn't see the tree coming. He slammed into it, fast and strong enough to knock the breath out of him.
He immediately tried to gasp in air, but his lungs felt as though they'd flattened to the back of his ribcage and wouldn't open again. He kept trying, tendrils of panic licking at his mind until finally the smallest of breaths were taken in and he gradually learned to inhale again. He lay still, just drawing in breath after precious breath, until finally he curled into himself and clutched at the trunk of the tree that'd broken his fall, ragged gulping turning into tiny sobs.
He wanted to cry, but he couldn't dredge up the tears to do so, instead clenching his eyes shut against the throbbing pain all over his body. Of course. Of course it had to turn out that way. No-Good Tsuna strikes again; can't even walk down a hill right. Why was he even here? Why was he even bothering when he knew it was no use; that he was no use?
He thought about lying there until he maybe died, or something. It would be so much easier that way. As long as he didn't move, the world couldn't get him. Right?
He let himself soak up the quiet of the forest, trying not to think of anything more complex than how uncomfortable the rock digging into his temple was.
He had been in this position before. Defeated and on the ground, while his classmates filed out from the training grounds. The teachers marked red F's on their sheets and turned away. Not very different at all, except Kyoko wasn't there to come find him for dinner and patch up the bruises.
But, Kyoko wouldn't come this time. She was far away, living a life bright with possibilities and a perfect future; not here to bandage together the battered pieces of No-Good Crybaby Tsuna. No one would come for him.
Grudgingly, he picked himself up, wincing as he felt the forming bruises on his torso. No one would come for him. No one would help him. Now, just for now, he'd help himself.
He gripped the tree for balance and gathered his surroundings. He'd fallen a surprisingly long way before hitting anything substantial. He could just make out the bottom of the ridge in the distance. The slope had also lessened, enough so for easier traveling. He stumbled forward, praying he'd meet up with Ieyatsu soon, though it seemed unlikely with the amount of time he'd taken to rest and wallow in self-pity.
He could feel them calling him; tiny, vibrant pulses in a sea of intangible ethereality. It was maddening to be so close and yet so far. If he could just run more, move a bit faster, he could reach them.
He could not allow for them to fall into the hands of the Varia.
Ieyatsu pushed forward relentlessly, not minding as the sharp edges of trees snagged on his clothes and cut into his skin. Obstacles, that's all they were. They couldn't stop him; nothing at this god-forsaken place could.
That is, until he heard the screaming and realized that in the sphere of absolute silence that had engulfed the world, he could not register the noise of any other living being beyond the pounding of his own thoughts.
It was Tsuna; it had to be. He couldn't see the boy anywhere around him. Was he in danger? Did he need to go save the other boy?
But, he was so close…If he could just get to them, everything would be okay. Surely the life of one admittedly-useless boy was worth it, to ensure a future not beleaguered by him, that upstart.
A booming crash sounded in the distance, followed by another scream, and then an inhuman screech.
"In all honesty, I'm probably about the most useless person you could find."
"…only a failure would try to help you."
"If you say so."
Tsuna.
Could he really sacrifice the life of an innocent boy just to get some trinkets? Could he really just throw away what he found unnecessary in order to get what he wanted?
No. He wasn't him.
"The sky is vast. In order to fly, the wings of one will not fit the shoulders of another; the wind doesn't come when one calls; nor is the world ever without storms and rain," Ieyatsu smirked and began to run, towards Tsuna, and towards his chosen path.
The goings had been okay for a little while. Tsuna tried to remain on a straight path now that the tiny trail they had been following previously had evaporated into nothing but shoots of stiff grass and leaf-strewn dirt.
Everything seemed calm and quiet in the waning afternoon, not a single noise audible in the intense hush of the forest. Even his footsteps seemed muted among the detritus of past seasons. It was, in a sense, very pretty; with the light filtering through the trees to effuse the air with a golden glow and the sweet smell of summer wafting about, Tsuna couldn't help but wonder what was so bad about this place.
As he moved further in, the trees grew progressively taller and thicker, enough so that even when he stretched his neck to look to the sky, he couldn't register their tops. The light was also becoming shaded, dulled to a grey gloam, though it was still only four in the afternoon by his count.
Tsuna sighed and rested his back in the thick hollow of one of the trees' enormous roots. His feet ached, and despite going slower, he was still sweaty and tired. He wasn't even sure what he was supposed to be looking for, let alone where Ieyatsu could be. Was Heretic's Hollow the forest? Or were they going to a specific place? He hadn't really thought to ask the other boy, trusting in the other to not lead him astray. But, now…
He really wished he'd brought a map (not that he could figure out where he was, anyways). Speaking of supplies, he was slightly worried about having all of Ieyatsu's equipment in his bag. What if the other ran into trouble and needed anything?
That thought in mind, he pulled himself up from his impromptu chair, dusting his cloak free of any clinging leaves and dirt. He let out another bone-weary sigh and began moving again, shuffling his feet along the ground to dredge up some sort of sound in the now eerily quiet air. Usually he'd appreciate such a nicety, seeing as places like S.A.G.E. and home had incredibly packed quarters that always held a minimum level of static din. This silence, though, was something else. It raised the hairs on his neck and had him looking over his shoulders in paranoia.
Something pricked at the back of his mind, a tiny, nagging voice; listening to it, he stopped dead, just at the entrance of a relatively open circle of ground. The air felt peculiar, musty with a different sort of scent beyond the earthy smells of wood and grass.
A quiet shuffling.
Tsuna looked to his feet, only to confirm that he indeed wasn't moving in the still. He turned his head back to look behind him, saw nothing, but the moment he moved, the sound of ruffled earth ceased. He gulped and turned his head back again, waited for a minute, then heard the quiet shuffle begin once more. He shot his head back; caught a glimpse of something sliding behind one of the enormous trees, a nubby tail, almost indistinguishable from a root.
"Oh no…oh no…oh no…ohnononono," he whimpered. He faced where the tail had disappeared, prayed that it was his imagination. He waited for another minute, but heard no more of the traumatic shuffling; only the intermittent creaking of tree branches from a breeze that could not reach the innards of the forest. He squirmed for a second, unsure what to do. Investigate? Stay still? Run away?
The third option sounded best. Making sure to keep facing the tree hiding his might-be stalker, he stumbled backwards, into the clearing. The musky scent increased as he made his way further in. He allowed his eyes to wander as he slowly trekked across the small field. It was odd; the trees had slash marks, and gashes lined the ground. Another step back took him into a tall patch of grass, the razor-blade tips of which slid delicately along his arms, pressing nerve-wrackingly into his skin but not beyond the surface.
A loud crack caught his attention, coming somewhere from behind. He whipped around, forgetting the astute sharpness of the turf, unmindful of the thin slice etched into his forearm in favor of stumbling over something much more solid and worrisome.
He lay on his back, uncomfortable feel of rocks digging into his backside. He no longer had to think about the grass, half of which he'd crushed harmlessly in his fall. The opening revealed a rusted sword, dug deeply into the ground, foot-long hilt and a few inches of rusted blade the only parts visible. Tsuna blinked curiously at the marvel; it was covered in dirt and what he assumed to be rust stains. He tried sitting up to examine it more closely, only to stop as his hand landed on something decidedly more round and without the consistent texture of stone.
He lifted the strange mass into his line of sight, only to start cringing and stuttering at the yellowed, eyeless skull, jowl missing and browning patches of flesh clinging to its smooth exterior here and there.
He screamed and threw it behind him, scrambling back on his bottom to get away from the patch of grass, only to see the similar remains of most of the rest of the skeleton, tatters of moldy clothes and other indistinguishable things that had him gagging and spitting out bile scattered about from his fall.
"Oh my aeons, aeons… please, great spirits if you could save me…," (3) he whispered out, fighting to his feet and turning to run, only to be met with the disfigured face of a rat, maws wide as it shot forward to clamp jagged green teeth into his arm.
He howled, voice petering into a sob as the demon tugged its head, dragging him by his bleeding limb across the ground. It shook its muzzle, releasing a grating squeal to blend in with his raw, interminable screams as he clawed at the stiff bark-textured snout, fingernails breaking along the rough expanse and splintering in his fingertips. He could feel his skin and muscle tearing, pulled by the leaf-green fangs as they ravaged his arm, shaking him about like a rag-doll.
In his useless struggling, he managed to dig into the creature's surprisingly soft nose with his jagged nails, squeezing the digits in with all his might. A shriek flew out of the monster's throat; it slung him away, shaking its whole body as it rocked about. From what Tsuna could see in his tear-blurred vision, the rat had incredibly long, branch like limbs that extended down quite a ways from the surrounding tree trunks, almost like a spider, with skin the texture of rough bark. Brown and rugged, it blended in perfectly with its surroundings. Even its teeth resembled green leaves, aligned in oblique bunches to tear and shred.
The moment he'd been released, Tsuna quieted, lying stunned as his flayed limb rested limply in his vision. He stared at the arm, breath hitching, until the thought occurred to him that he had to move, had to get away.
He pushed himself with his feet, clambering up with his shaky good arm, allowing his left to hang loosely in the fold of his cloak. He panted, looking around wildly and running for the first clear space he could see in the opposite direction of the howling rat. He felt dizzy and amazingly coherent at the same time, adrenaline pumping in his veins, even as it drained out of him just as quickly.
He dashed, making it past the tree line and back into the thick of the forest, inhuman cries still reaching his ears. He prayed to every aeon and divine star he could think of to keep the creature from following after, but was disappointed when he heard the cracking of branches behind him. The monster was coming, moving along the tree trunks with fluid ease. It'd outrun him at this rate; he could already feel his stamina draining, making way for a heady feeling of numbness. He stumbled, almost fell, then spotted the blessing of a small hollow in the roots of a tree.
He dove for it, surprised to find that it went deeper than he expected, engulfing him entirely in its chasm. It was dark, without much room, but he wormed his way through and slid to the very rear of the den, cool dirt on his back and massive roots cocooning him. He wanted to sob with relief, but kept himself to quiet gulps of air. He tried to calm his unsteady breathing and wrapped his cloak tightly along his arm, hoping that it might help stem the unrelenting flow.
He could still here the creaking of tree-limbs outside, thrashing and breaking as a minute, two minutes, three, ticked by in eons instead of seconds. He thought it had finally given up when the clamor seemed to have quieted, until, in the still, he heard the familiar shuffling of dirt. It grew louder and louder, pausing every now and then to be replaced with a wet, staccato snuffling. He held his breath and curled in on himself.
What if it found him? What would he do, trapped in a hole and light-headed from blood-loss? Could he attack it? Was he even able to attack? Even in the best of circumstances, his offensive spells fell far from the mark, lapping into mediocre with the rate they backfired on him.
He started whispering, pushing his hand out from his huddled form in an upwards-facing clenched fist, "Igneus Subluceo…Igneus Subluceo…Igneus Subluceo…"
A tiny glow formed, filtering through the cracks in his fingers with a warm, golden light. He let out an allayed sigh. It was his best spell for the fact that it almost never backfired on him, even if it was incredibly weak. Despite that, the rat's nose seemed incredibly sensitive, being hurt merely by his mindless clawing; if he could get his hand around it again without getting it bitten off, he might be able to scare it away. The glow was supposed to be able to heat up metal immediately and, in some circumstances, even begin melting it, all the while protecting the magic-user from the heat with an underlying protective layer.
This was his only hope.
Even as he thought this, the sudden sound of snuffling reached his ears, not ten feet away from his hide-away. It almost reminded him of death knells; he felt the intense urge to laugh then, hysteria shaking his hand and filling his eyes with tears. Now's not the time to think about how stupid it is that a rat's gonna kill a mouse, he hissed internally.
The familiar shuffle-snuffle became even louder as it drew near, until at last its head passed by the slightly elevated entrance, moving its snout methodically across the ground. It seemed to take another step forward, sniffing some more. Tsuna almost thought it would pass right by him, up until what he could see of the creature stiffened, immediately twisting about with a sharp squeal as it stuffed its head into the hole's entrance, spitting rancid globules of sap-like spittle over his huddled form.
He hesitated only a moment, waiting for its muzzle to lower and stop baring its teeth as it nosed around. Sights illuminated by the golden glow seeping out of his hand like a bright candle, he shot his hand out, slapping the palm square over the squishy, slightly bloody snout and pouring all of his strength into the spell.
The rat howled, the screech deafening to Tsuna's ears; it thrashed about, trying to pull out of the tight hole. He held onto the nose with all he could, even slinging his rent arm out to clamp his hand further along the muzzle and what he could feel of its beady eyes, screaming the Igneus Subluceo incantation over and over again.
With a bellow the creature finally removed its head, dragging Tsuna roughly along, only to begin violently shaking its entire body to rid itself of the burning pest in the open.
"TSUNA!"
The shout, along with its familiar owner, startled Tsuna, enough to have him loosen his already weakening grip and be flung into an adjacent tree, sliding down roughly to the ground. The rat continued its thrashing and screaming. It slapped its thick, nubby tree root of a tail against the ground as it lowered itself, dragging its face in the dirt in an attempt to cool the singed skin.
Tsuna could only stare, dazed, as Ieyatsu ran in front of him. The blond looked like he had run for miles, panting to catch his breath. On his forehead, a bright orange, almost golden, flame danced. His gloves were also aflame with the same fire. He looked different, somehow sharper and more defined than usual, his stance that of a trained warrior; he reeked of power.
"You okay?" he turned and asked, voice soft but no less empowered. His eyes had morphed from the crystal-clear blue of skies to a molten amber, capturing Tsuna's gaze easily.
He could barely register the question, but when he did, he tried immediately to hide his flayed arm, movements thick from exhaustion and palms stinging with blisters. He had been so focused on burning that the heat had broken through his insignificant layer of protective magic and managed to burn him slightly.
Ieyatsu observed him, outwardly impassive, but eyes lingering over the other's red-spattered form laying prone on the ground. "I'm sorry," he whispered, though the words rung strangely over the subsiding cries of the monster.
With that he turned, thrusting his mantle aside to raise a fiery fist, gaze narrowing at the singed face of the creature. Whatever Tsuna had done set the creature on fire, bark-skin sloughing off in embers as it slowly spread. He shot forward, disappearing to the naked eye and reappeared over the monster, shattering one if its long legs like a toothpick with a well-placed punch. The creature howled again, swinging down as it lost one its four supports.
He did the same for its other front limb, jumping away as it toppled to the ground, only to slide out of range as its large tail swung out and narrowly missed his legs. Forced to the ground, the monster writhed, attempting to lever itself up again on its stubs. When Ieyatsu saw that it was steadily drawing closer to Tsuna he ran, leaping onto the creatures back with ease and making for the thick trunk of neck. It thrashed, trying to throw his body off, though he would have none of it and clamped his legs around its shoulders. He clubbed the thick spinal column with his fists, pressing with growing enthusiasm as the monster squealed and endeavored to roll around; stopped as Ieyatsu's foot touched the ground and acted as a picket to bar the rat from moving.
With petering cries it stilled under his assault, falling limp to the ground. He cracked into the broken neck a few more times to ensure that it was truly dead, then hopped off, flames and fiery eyes disappearing to be replaced with weary frame and watery blue.
He stumbled over to Tsuna, who'd managed to pull himself up against the roots of the large tree he rested under, staring with disbelieving eyes as he approached. He was trembling, curling backwards as he knelt in front of him, cupping the boy's blood-mottled chin in his warm fingers.
"Forgive me," he murmured, stroking wet bangs from his features.
Tsuna sniffled, curling his hand in the front of Ieyatsu's vest, "You came…you came b-back for m-me."
Ieyatsu gulped and pushed forward to engulf him in an embrace, only to hear Tsuna cringe and scoot away. Confused at the way Tsuna hid the left side of his torso, he grabbed the thin shoulder and twisted it around, ignoring Tsuna's incoherent protests. The arm was torn and ripped, bone visible in bloody patches, gore steadily dripping down the useless limb. He could also see the other's hands, swollen and inflamed with massive blisters. As he looked further down, he made out a broken ankle, and bruises forming beyond the tears in tattered clothes that stuck to open gashes.
Tsuna shuddered and whined, trying to pull away and hide further in his cloak. Ieyatsu could feel the back of his eyes burning, and something had taken to clogging his throat; he swallowed and immediately retrieved the battered but still miraculously intact messenger bag at Tsuna's side. He unbuckled the clasp and flipped it open, reaching in and praying he could find what he needed. He didn't know how Tsuna retrieved things, only preying that by fervently thinking about what he needed he could obtain it. To his relief he felt his fingers come in contact with a few glass bottles among the stark emptiness of the bag's interior; he grasped them and tentatively pulled the delicate glass out, worried as Tsuna's thrashing subsided into listless moaning.
The liquid inside the round-bottomed flasks emitted an orange luminescence, beads of light floating around in the thin syrup like fireflies. Sol Solis philters were of the highest caliber in curatives, holding miraculous healing properties strong enough to waken people from brain-damaged stupors and reattach lost limbs. He pulled out the cork stoppers and set to pouring one of the bottles down Tsuna's throat, rubbing the column to get the other to swallow. Once the sweet essence completely departed the bottle, he poured the other container over Tsuna's rent arm, watching in relief as muscle regenerated and skin stitched together. The boy's twisted ankle reset itself in the proper position, the blisters burst, melting to nothing, and the bruises mottling his skin quickly faded out of sight.
Tsuna, meanwhile, sat still, a feeling of euphoria washing over him as the medicine hid the painful process from his mind until at last the honeyed haze cleared and he could pull his head to the side to stare up at Ieyatsu, whose smile stretched across his face in the widest grin he'd seen on the other boy. He lifted his hand in wonder, turning the tired but otherwise perfectly fine limb back and forth, eyes skimming over the unpleasant patches of blood.
"I-I'm okay…," he muttered, flexing his fingers in wonder. He thought he'd be crippled for sure, the limb needing to be amputated.
Ieyatsu laughed and hugged him tightly to his chest, nuzzling into the other's hair, "That's great! That's really great!" He pulled the boy away to look into his eyes. "I thought I might have been too late. But you…you really held on!"
He laughed and pulled the other up, squeezing him tightly like a long-lost toy. Tsuna choked, air supply cut off. Hearing the other's distress, Ieyatsu immediately let go, wincing as Tsuna thumped onto the ground, boneless.
"Sorry!" he shouted, quickly crouching and grabbing him again, only to swing him onto his back. Tsuna let out a moan at the all the sudden motion and clung to Ieyatsu's sturdy frame. It felt impossible to walk, his body drained from all of the previous stress and exertion, so he didn't really mind being carried, though he felt bad for his companion. Ieyatsu didn't seem to mind either, easily beginning to the slain beast crumpled on the forest floor. Its head lolled to the side, tongue hanging out and beady eyes wide in pain, neck bent and broken. Long, branch-like limbs fell helter-skelter around its body.
Ieyatsu walked around to the back, where the tail hung out like a putrid root. To Tsuna's surprise and disgust, the other gripped the thick tail at the base and bent back, earning a snap as it came away easily.
"Tsuna, could you put this in your bag?" Ieyatsu grunted.
"Ah, what? Why?" he yelped, disgusted by the mere thought.
"Heh, guess it is gross. Don't worry, though. This thing is made out of a very rare wood. It would be foolish to pass the opportunity by to take it. This is also the largest Treerat I've ever seen," Ieyatsu said, letting slip a small 'thank you' as Tsuna pushed his bag, still open from his previous ministrations, forward. He opened the bag wide and slid the limb, surprisingly bloodless and stiff now, into its seemingly infinite depths. "It's also great that it doesn't really smell or bleed after the thing is dead, right?"
Tsuna nodded slightly, but then tilted his head in confusion, "Treerat? You know what that thing is?"
"That? Yeah," Ieyatsu walked back to the front of the beast, stopping to crouch at its gaping maw. He easily broke the tongue apart, throwing it aside before beginning to snap off the various green, leaf-shaped teeth in its mouth. "There are Treerats where I live. Well, I guess everywhere, really." Tsuna blanched at the thought. "They're mostly small things, the largest normally being as big as you. This guy, on the other hand, is massive. Never seen one get so huge."
Ieyatsu examined one of the snapped teeth, holding it up to the dimming sunlight filtering past the massive tree trunks. It sparkled dully, the green tint slowly fading into clear, glass-like monotony. "Really good quality…," he muttered, placing it into his growing pile. He continued on with his explanation, "Treerats are creatures born of supernal energy and the tainted spirit of a tree. Usually when horrid deeds are committed under trees that have been blessed with spirits, the dark energy taints the tree, and, if the tree has the power to absorb the surrounding ethereality, it'll transform into things like this Treerat, or worse.
"They usually survive by sucking up their prey's magic, and that's done by drinking the blood. From what I know, they use their tails to stab their victims in the gut, then draw in the blood until there's nothing left. Really gruesome stuff."
Tsuna shivered and tightened his grip around Ieyatsu's shoulders.
"They have really poor eyesight, but their noses are great; they smell blood from half a mile away, I hear."
"Ah, so that's why…," Tsuna muttered, eyeing the blood on his arm. He must have started bleeding somewhere, probably the same as the skeleton back in that clearing. Speaking of which—"Hey, uh, Ieyatsu?"
"Yeah?"
"Could we go to this clearing for a bit? It's a little ways back, but there's, ah, something there…"
Ieyatsu nodded, finished plucking all of the teeth; he picked up the pile and slid it into Tsuna's bag, folding the top over again and buckling it closed. "Which way?"
Tsuna pointed and Ieyatsu followed, continuing on with his explanation, "Because they have so many nerves in their noses for smelling, their snouts are usually extremely sensitive. It's its greatest weakness. Come to think of it, Tsuna, its nose was really beaten up. Did you do that?"
He blushed and hid his head in the other's neck, remembering his mad scramble at the very beginning, perhaps not even an hour ago, "Y-yeah. It was in the clearing. It got me by the arm and I was just flailing around. But, I grabbed its nose and pressed down really hard, and it let me go. I ran off and hid in that hole in the tree, back there—" he pointed behind him, "When it found me again, I used an Igneus Subluceo spell on its nose…"
"With your hands?" Ieyatsu spat, stopping dead in his tracks to stare at Tsuna, "With your bare hands? Are you crazy?"
"Ah, uh—"
"Do you know how dangerous that is? I thought you had some sort of protection tucked away into that little bag of yours, but—but!" Ieyatsu cut himself off, shaking his head in exasperation. He remained quiet as they trudged within sight of the clearing. Tsuna could make out the recent signs of struggle; churned up earth and broken branches, as well as a few smears of blood on the ground. The air thickened with tension, drying his throat into sandpaper.
He could make out the scowl on Ieyatsu's face, though he wasn't sure why the other was so upset. He spoke tentatively, "Are you angry?"
The other stiffened, then relaxed all the muscles in his body, letting Tsuna slide down his back and make shaky contact with the ground, "I figured you were some type of magic-user; right?"
"Yeah," he muttered. He walked with unsteady feet towards the flattened patch of grass and slumped to his knees, gathering the bones of the fallen warrior. Ieyatsu watched him, moving from foot to foot until he spotted a skull lying off to the side. He grasped it, then walked back over to the busy magic-user, placing it on top of the pile of bones when it seemed the other had finished fishing them out of the grass.
Tsuna stared at the pile contemplatively, then shoved it aside as he began to paw at the dirt, digging a hole.
"Why don't you have a conductor, or at least some gloves?"
He paused in his ministrations, straightening his back before setting to work again, "I…Can't really use them well…When I said…that I was a useless person…last night…"
"That's not true, you know—"
"I know!" Tsuna bit his lip, fighting back the familiar lead weight dropping his heart to his stomach. "I just graduated from Salence's Academy for the Genesic Empyrean. It's a school that allows even kids with the bare minimum of magic required to light a candle to go and study there. I'm not talented, or powerful. I'm completely average in every way, even below average in a lot of cases…"
He could hear Ieyatsu sucking in breath to interrupt him again, but immediately cut him off, "They call me No-Good Tsuna. Do you know what that means?"
"I don't need to! It's a lie, Tsuna—"
"It means that whatever I do, whatever I try, I always fail! I am useless in every aspect," Tsuna said, voice unwavering though the words hammered into his chest with a hot viciousness. He wiped his eyes with his arm, rubbing sweat away as he continued digging a small pit. Ieyatsu quieted, waiting for him to continue, though his face looked uncomfortable, as though he wished he could just erase the situation. "But…somehow, I managed to get past that school. Somehow, I thought that things would really be different for me now that I'm on my own. But, it isn't. I left home a week ago, jobless, apprenticeship-less. This was the only application I could get, escorting you, and I still couldn't do it right.
"I don't know what to do, Ieyatsu. No one's ever believed in me, relied on me to this extent. I've never even relied on myself; always taking the easy way out and giving up. And, y'know, a part of me is okay with that. But another part of me just tells me to keep trying, even if it's hard. So do I?"
He started placing bones delicately into the hole, topping them with the skull reverently, then began sweeping dirt into the grave.
Ieyatsu knelt next to him, holding his shoulder and packing the earth alongside him. He was smiling.
He stood after the deed was finished, wiping grimy hands on his pants before hoisting Tsuna up on his wobbly legs. The cloaked boy bent, grabbing onto the hilt of the sword still embedded into the ground, straining as it stuck until Ieyatsu joined once more and pulled with him, sliding the weapon out with a metallic sching.
Ieyatsu lifted it with ease, examining the detailed hilt and dirty blade, still smiling, "What are you doing right now?"
Tsuna looked down, confused, then opened his mouth, "Uh…"
"Rhetorical. It's hard, isn't it? Moving and talking right now? It was hard to keep fighting when you were injured and scared, right? Yet, here you are. It's the trying that matters, Tsuna. As long as that feeling still burns with you and pushes you forward, you are not useless."
He held the sword up to catch the light of the sun. Despite its grimy appearance, it gleamed elegantly in Ieyatsu's hands, a majestic greatsword in the hands of a knight.
"Don't think you're alone, either. You will find people on your journey who you'll come to love and cherish, and whom will come to love and cherish you. They'll help you, and together you'll find you can be invincible. Kay?" he smiled and flipped the sword, easily grabbing the dull blade and pointing the hilt at Tsuna.
The boy stared at the other in wonder and slight admiration, scrunching his mouth into a tiny smile as he took hold of the heavy sword. It immediately tipped forward, too heavy for him to keep aloft, until Ieyatsu grabbed it again and held on.
"It feels good, right?" Ieyatsu murmured. "Lifting something so heavy, even if you need help. The help makes it better, even. Team spirit and all, yeah?"
Tsuna smiled and nodded slightly. The other smirked, "Let's make a promise on this sword."
"What?"
"A promise. An oath. Alright?"
"O-okay," Tsuna tightened his grip. "What should we swear?"
"Let's promise to…always be friends."
"Okay."
"To always walk our own paths, with our own hearts."
"F-fine…?"
"And, to always, always keep trying."
Ieyatsu smiled, Tsuna quickly following suit, and let go of his end. Tsuna sputtered out a small, surprised 'hii!' as the full weight hit him and he staggered, but the greatsword remained steady in his hands.
"See? You're already stronger!" Ieyatsu laughed. He pulled Tsuna's bag from his side and opened it, taking the sword from the younger boy and sliding it in. He felt a bit bad about taking a fallen warrior's sword, but he felt it was necessary, and now of better use to Tsuna as a symbol and a reminder.
The two stood in comfortable silence afterwards, basking in the late sun. The long evenings of the summer allowed for light to remain well into the periods after noon, and wouldn't disappear for a couple more hours.
Eventually though, Tsuna fell out of his quiet stupor, smile still plastered on his face, "What do we do now?"
"I honestly don't know. Can't figure out where we are, at all," Ieyatsu muttered, looking around. A thought struck him and he bit his lip, suddenly feeling ashamed. He immediately knelt in the dirt before Tsuna, staring up apologetically.
"Please forgive me for running off earlier. I don't know what came over me."
"I-it's alright, just stand up, please!" Tsuna yelped out. He's so eccentric, he thought.
"It's just, the moment we came to this forest, I've felt what I've been seeking. It washed over me, robbing me of sense and awareness. All I could think of was reaching the middle of the forest, holding no regard to your safety or my own. I'm so sorry!" He bowed even more deeply. Tsuna began flailing as Ieyatsu's nose almost touched the ground.
"Okay, okay! I forgive you!" The other boy stood, smiling, before squeezing Tsuna into a tight embrace.
"I do have a hunch as to what is going on, though," he continued, releasing the slightly smaller boy. "This forest holds an incredible amount of ethereality, enough so to give it complete control over its domain, a sort of consciousness and will."
Tsuna blinked, confused, "Are you saying Heretic's Hollow is…toying with us?"
"…I don't think so. It's more like…like…tests! Yes, it's like it's testing us. Do you know why we're here?"
"Uh, not really."
Ieyatsu scratched his head sheepishly, "Sorry again. Anyways, Heretic's Hollow is a place where 'lost objects are found.' It is a living, breathing temple, blessed by the great aeons and spirits. If you've lost something your heart truly desires, it will appear here. I thought it would be as simple as walking in and finding it, but I guess there's more to it.
"I think there are trials we have to go through, like proving we're worthy to receive the blessed gifts bestowed upon us here. The Treerat must have been part of it, I'm sure."
"What makes you say that?" Tsuna asked. It was already a lot of information to take in; he was having trouble filing it all away.
"Not to sound conceited, but I think it's aimed towards me, since I'm the one looking for what I've lost. When I was in that obsessed trance state, I heard your screaming. A part of me wanted to continue looking, but another wanted me to come after you. For a second, I was actually going to abandon you—"
"Thanks."
"But I didn't! I couldn't; I couldn't allow for you to die, just to have my way. I think I did the right thing by choosing you."
Tsuna blushed while Ieyatsu reached out to pat his head, "Great of you to think of me. But, if that's the case, if we're really being put through some trial crap, what do we do now? The trail we were following was lost a long time ago."
"And that's where me thinking it was right to choose you comes in! Look!" Ieyatsu spun Tsuna around, facing towards a wide opening in the circle of trees surrounding the clearing. It was a path paved in cobblestones, gently canopied by massive tree branches. It had never been there before, appearing out of thin air. He could only gape in shock.
"C'mon, Tsuna. This has to be the way! Pass a trial, another road opens for us!" Ieyatsu clamped a hand on Tsuna's shoulder and began to lead him forward. The boy was left to stutter in shock as he was dragged along.
He couldn't believe there was still more to come. Everything so far had been one, measly test. His spirit shriveled a little at the thought.
Could he really make it past another hardship? If the time arose, would he be capable of standing for Ieyatsu?
The thoughts dampened his will to move forward, even as the pair stepped onto the cobbled pathway.
Could he keep moving forward?
Tsuna thought of the sword, tucked safely away, and smiled. He would try.
(1) Super glue! How many ways do you think I can find to rename modern conveniences so as not to invoke copyright infringement and remain in-universe? Let's keep count!
(2) Note how he completely avoids answering the question. He doesn't know either. XD Nor do I.
(3) I'm trying to avoid saying any true religions. This story's lore is based around spirits and deities, but nothing really specific, unless the story calls for it. They're gonna be all my own, since it's a pain to find references (aka I'm a lazy asshole). They're mostly for explaining magic-related things, anyways, which no one really cares about, right?
GLOSSARY
Perambulāre: A city on the coastline. Mostly used for transit due to its convenient location, having its own docks, airdome, vehicular rental services, and is relatively close to a train station. Travelers and mercenaries gather here to find employment.
Phil's Countryside Adventure: (ahaha, will the fun never stop?) Who wouldn't want a rousing bus ride in the country? What's so exciting? We may never know, since we've already gotten off.
Ethereality: Just as the world has an atmosphere of air, so is there an encompassing sphere of ambient magic. Those who are trained can often perceive the waves and tides of the ethereality, and sense otherwise invisible entities, some of them friendly, and others not so much.
Aeons and Great Spirits: Celestial entities that can affect the ebb and flow of magic in the world. Generally plead to for help by magic-users and those who are in the loop. Though they used to be known well, knowledge of such beings have fallen to only those who study the dwindling supply of anthologies about the past.
Philter: (Ahaha here we go again! Another renaming!) A magic potion that generally acts as an extremely effective curative. There are several levels to these philters, with millions of variations. But, not all classes of philters are good.
Sol Solis Philter: (Latin: sun) A sun philter, one of the highest levels. Due to its high quality, it's rather expensive. Generally orange in color, it holds a faint luminescence with lampyrid-esque beads of coagulated magic.
Treerat: A being born from the tainted soul of a tree absorbing the surrounding ethereality. It holds the appearance of a rat made of tree bark, with a mouth full of incredibly sharp, crystalline teeth in the shape of leaves. Its limbs are long, acting as spider leg-like levers as it attacks from trees. It relies on its powerful sense of smell, and is drawn to the blood of its prey, which it sucks away to gather strength. The tail is made of a rare wood, and its teeth are remarkably good magic conductors and are sought after by fashion-oriented people.
Greatsword: a heavy, long, and powerful sword.
Heretic's Hollow: A section of woods off the Drover's road. The ethereality here is so stagnant and powerful it seems to have taken on a life of its own. The woods are enchanted, seeming to have a mind of its own as it plays with travelers passing through. A trial is set, often involving a moral choice made by a traveler seeking the Hollow's riches. The ethereality affects all creatures within the woods, morphing and shaping them into powerful monsters or even sentient beings. (More information to be added.)
ACHIEVEMENTS (you bet I'm gonna have frickin' fun with this)
Tsuna has gotten lost!
Ieyatsu leaves the party!
Tsuna's self-confidence falls to -20!
Tsuna encounters a Treerat!
Ieyatsu rejoins the party!
The Treerat is defeated!
Tsuna gains three levels (gosh he's really weak)!
Tsuna obtains Tail of Treerat! Tsuna obtains Teeth of Treerat! Tsuna obtains Abandoned Greatsword!
CHARACTER STATS (ahaha, a lot of fun)
Tsunayoshi Sawada
Character Class: (pathetic) magic-user
Level: 1—up 3 – 4!
HP: 20—up 75 -95! MP: 10—up 30 –40!
Stamina: pathetic Strength: pathetic Defense: walking target Intelligence: questionable
Equipment: Messenger Bag, Mouse-eared Cloak (jeez Tsuna, you have no protection at all)
Attacks: N/A
Spells:
Igneus Subluceo: (Latin: Igneous Glow) a weak attack that heats up the user's palms to super-high levels, sometimes enough to melt metal. Causes a red-gold glow to emanate from the hand. MP cost: 5
ooo
Ieyatsu
Character Class: ?
Level: ?
HP: ? MP: ?
Stamina: outlandish Strength: prodigious Defense: extraordinary Intelligence: ?
Equipment: 'I' Gloves, Mantle, ?, ?, ?
Attacks: ?
Spells: ?
I hate you. I hate you all. I hate everything that has ever come into existence. That is the loathing that radiates from this chapter into my tiny, garbage-compacted mind. I have severe writer's block for this story, well, this chapter in particular. Nothing would come out right. The characters are awful, the writing is choppy, and everything is rather uninspired before the rat decided to chew on Tsuna's arm like a toothpick, then gets worse immediately after Tsuna is flung away the first time. In fact, I was supposed to have this chapter have everything for Heretic's Hollow; go through the forest, fight ugly rat, go through (spoiler), defeat (spoiler), find (spoiler), then come back. As you might be able to tell, that would have extended the word count to well over 20,000 at my current rate; a whopping 11,500 for the chapter.
So, hopefully we'll finish up next time. And, ahaha, when did this story get so intimate with Ieyatsu and Tsuna? The pairing won't be them (maybe. For this story arc, anyways). Ieyatsu will soon disappear into oblivion. I've also decided to include a glossary of terms, since I realize some people might appreciate a little background knowledge on certain things. We will also get a character stats update every now and then.
Today's my birthday! I'm finally 18, which means I can attempt to get a gun and shoot my eye out (ahaha not really. Though I wish I could do something awesome like that)! Anyways, as my birthday gift to you guys, I have this super-long, boring chapter (what a crappy gift), and: ART! (slightly less crappy)
I've drawn this character art (done really fast and crappily), though it's only a rough idea (I think I'm pretty decent at drawing; not the best, but not the worst, either). It's not the mouse-eared cloak, but what he'll be wearing later on. Maybe. I'm not a character design genius, or good at all. If you guys have any ideas or suggestions, or even want to try coloring the art yourself (since I'm also awful at coloring), feel free to contact me at EcholonxLuvsxPudding (at) gmail. Com.
Pencil sketch, line art, and color versions can be found here: http:/s296. photobucket. com/ albums/ mm182/ TheDayDreamer-Relic/ KHR_Swallowed-the-Moon/
I might try some more art, if you guys like it. Anyways, this is now much, much too long. Please review! They're like birthday gifts to me. :) Pray I don't get my hands on a gun.