If there's typos, it's because this was an insomnia fueled update, fix it when I get back to work. While Lily really didn't have anything to do with this chapter I'm throwing props her way for helping me come up with the idea. Please enjoy and review, I'm gonna try to catch a half hours sleep before I have to wake up.
As he was being led along by the ever so adorable Tsunako Sawada, Byakuran couldn't help but wonder why the hell this little girl was allowed to wander outside her home without escort. 'Stranger Danger' was not a new concept in the west and the simple fact was there were creeps who would gladly kidnap such a...pure child for the sole purpose defiling her.
Byakuran grit his teeth in anger at the very thought, what the hell were her parents thinking?!
At that he received a brief flash of a vapidly smiling blonde man and mist flame addled brunette woman in his mind that just as quickly faded.
Oh for fucking real? He doses his wife with flames to make her more malleable and vapid? After a few moments of thought on the subject Byakuran decided that he was being too generous in his assessments; he most certainly could believe someone as self centered as Iemitsu Sawada would alter his wife's perceptions to fit his world view.
"Ran-nii are you ok? You look upset," Tsunako rather innocently stated and damn if Byakuran could barely resist the urge to hug the little girl in response. He could feel the seal on her soul, her bright smoldering inner fires lashing against the foreign will forced upon her and how it stilted her as a person.
Byakuran realized quite readily that the girl was existing in a twilight state, her hyper intuition and natural grace smothered under the vile power of a man who should have known better. All simply because he listened to his idiot adviser who insisted his family have no connection to the mafia, thus the child suffered alone as her fires burned down to embers, destined to suffer for years to come.
That is, of course, until it became convenient for her to have these powers, convenient she carried Vongola blood, convenient that she could elevate her father's position in the organization he consigned his family to.
Fuck, did Byakuran ever hate Iemitsu Sawada to the depths of hell.
"I'm fine little sister," coming to a stop he stared down at her a moment before taking a knee, grasping her hands tightly he asked, "Would you like to see something neat?"
The little girl nodded and Byakuran released his grip while turning his hands upward, a moment later brilliant orange flames erupted in his palms. Tsunako stared at the fires in wonder and before he could stop her she cupped them in her own hands, cheeks pinking slightly she sighed and then let out a happy giggle as the flames danced between her fingers.
"Ran-nii is warm..."
Shocked beyond words Byakuran allowed his flames to dance around the girls form and much to his surprise the horrific seal around the girl's own fires cracked like cheap plaster. Bright, brilliant stunning orange flames sputtered between the cracks as they intertwined with his own, then the girl let out a satisfied sigh as the pale pallor of her skin brightened slightly.
Gulping slightly, not fully sure what just happened, Byakuran stood and took her hand as he guided her towards her home saying nothing else. The girl for her part was just happy to feel warmth for the first time in months and leaned into the boy's side as they approached her home.
When he passed the front gate the child quickly rushed to open the modest home's door without question letting the Italian boy lead her into the foyer, this bit he remembered about the culture he found himself in and removed his shoes placing them in the shelf Tsunako pointed to.
This was one of those things about Asian culture he never really grasped, it seemed silly and severely out of place in modern times, but on the same note it amused him as he rather liked things that made no sense and simply rolled with it.
"Mama! Tsu-chan is home!" A few moments later a brunette beauty stepped into the hall and giggled as Tsunako ran up and hugged her with all her might.
"Oh is my little Tsuna ready for dinner already? We're going to have fried eel tonight, your favorite!" Pausing a moment she glanced at Byakuran while cocking her head to the side, "Oh and who might you be?"
Byakuran's eyes widened in honest horror as he saw the shear amount of mist flames burning around this woman's body, he had to suppress his gag reflex as the implications hit him. Did this woman even have control over her own actions at this point? Fuck, no wonder she let that adorable little girl wander about on her own, with this kind of interference it was shocking she was able to function as a human being!
Releasing his own flames he let the Sky fires permeate his surroundings which had Tsuna sigh happily and quickly burnt away the weakling mist flames surrounding her mother, who, for her part, suddenly stood up straight and looked about the room with suspicious flinty eyes.
Oh shit, the woman under the veil was definitely more than she had seemed, this could prove most amusing!
"This is Ran-nii mama! Other kids were hitting Tsu-chan and he stopped them! No one has ever protected Tsu-chan before! Can he stay for dinner?" The woman stared at her child seemingly noncomprehending before giving her a bright grin and nod in turn.
"Of course Tsuna! Why don't you clean up while Ran-nii helps me set the table?" Giggling the little girl ran off and as she turned the corner Nana snatched a knife from it's holder while turning towards Byakuran glaring at him warily.
He for his part raised his hands slowly, "I mean no harm, I saw your daughter being bullied and I stopped it. When I realized a kid that couldn't be older than four or five was on her own I offered to take her home, that's all that happened I swear."
The woman looked like her head was about to burst but she managed to hold the knife before her without shaking too much, "Why? Why do I feel like I'm barely in control of my own actions?"
Byakuran sighed at that as the boy fell into an open chair while shaking his head listlessly, "Because someone, and if I were to hazard a guess, it was your husband who is heavily involved with the mafia by the way, brain washed you with something called mist flames. Nothing severe of course, just altering your perceptions, making you think oddities were to be ignored and to just pass through life blithely ignoring the obvious. It's the primary reason why you have ignored the fact that your daughter has been abused and assaulted several times by older children and done nothing to stop it."
She dropped the knife as she fell to her knees, Byakuran could only sigh in understanding as this was fairly consistent through his trillions of lives. Iemitsu Sawada was an absolutely shit husband and father, and he'd made his family suffer for his self righteous, self serving, and downright idiotic ego in nearly every universe he existed in.
"Why?" A simple question with a simple answer honestly.
"Your husband is chauvinistic pig who thinks he knows best about everything and decided that it was best that you and your daughter remained ignorant of the facts. He's with the Italian Mafia, you're both liabilities, and, in Tsunako's case, a spare heiress in case the primary leaders sons die, which is why your husband has been given such leeway to play with your mind. If the other heirs die, Tsuna will be whored out to a prominent family and used as a brood mare to ensure the survival of the family line, they don't look kindly on women after all."
Byakuran paused a moment before snorting in dark amusement, "Aside from Daniella, the Eighth boss, they tried it with her, she just killed them all for the trouble and took over."
Nana sat there on the ground as tears ran down her cheeks, the reality of her situation hitting her like an out of control truck. Eventually, she glanced up and, with hope in her voice, she spoke up.
"Can...can we do that for her? Ma-make it so my Tsu-chan can protect herself? So our family is safe from..." for the barest of moments Nana Sawada's face contorted into a violent mask of hatred, "...safe from manipulations?"
Byakuran tilted his head to the side examining the prone woman a moment before replying, "Are you asking me if I can train your daughter to be strong enough, scary enough, that your husbands associates would be too frightened to even contemplate going after her?"
Nana wiped her tears clear with her sleeve and after a few moments, dropped her arm as she met the not-child's gaze evenly, "Yes."
"Tsu-chan is clean! Can Tsu-chan help with dinner now!?" As the little girl rushed into the room Nana quickly pulled herself from the floor and smiled down at her daughter while grasping for a spoon to serve out rice.
"Of course love! Why don't you have Ran-nii help you out?" The little girl giggled and rushed over to the food gathered on the stove as Nana glanced to Byakuran who, after a few moments, grinned at her earning a smile in turn.
"I always wanted a little sister."