Byakuran honestly couldn't believe this was happening to her.
Staring wide eyed at the group of kids who stood crowded around her with scowls of disdain planted on their young faces, Byakuran couldn't understand why they would do this to her. The children of the clan had no problems with her up to this point and she was left wondering what happened?
"BASTARD CHILD!" One of them screeched, whipping out an arm that caught her shoulder harshly.
Surprised at the sudden burst of animosity, Byakuran fell in reverse. She laid there for a few seconds blinking rapidly, ignoring the stinging on her back.
She had only approached them in a desire to play with the ungrateful brats. As the niece to the head she would need connections if she wanted to be known but when she had spoken to them this was what she got. Listening to them chatter nastily above her she twitched with every scathing word.
"My mother said she thinks Sojiro-sama has gone senile letting a non-clan born stain live with us even if it is his sister's child."
"I heard that she has bad blood, like there's dirt in her veins."
"Ew! Like the kind on the ground?"
"Even worse." They laughed, the sound like ice chips to her stomach. It disgusted her immensely.
"Wouldn't expect anything better from the clan's bastard."
It felt like a stab to the heart. That pathetic moniker that shouldn't have hurt so much felt like acid in an open wound.
Bastard.
A child born out of wedlock.
A sneer twisted her mouth as her fingers dug grooves in the ground below her.
It was an smear to her.
A smear to her unknowing father.
A smear to her uncle.
A smear to her mother.
Her teeth dug harshly into her lip, red falling over the white of her teeth.
...how dare they?
...how dare they even
speak that way towards her?
...
HOW DARE THOSE LITTLE SHIT HEADS INSULT HER FAMILY!
Leaping to her feet she clenched her fists until her fingers burrowed deep into her skin and bloody crescents appeared. Drawing herself up, Byakuran growled at the boy who had pushed her and threw dark looks at the surrounding boys.
"Apologize." Byakuran's voice came out low and strained, eyes narrowed dangerously as her frame shook with barely restrained anger.
"No." The boy answered. This nameless unimportant boy answered, placing his unimportant hands arrogantly on his unimportant hips. Expression haughty and high bred and Byakuran itched to knock him straight.
How. Dare. They? They didn't even have the right to look at her with their stupid little condescension inherited from unimportant clan - not family, never family - members.
"I. Said. Apologize. Now." She punctuated, taking a step closer with each word. The ones behind him shifted slightly at her voice but the leader - obviously dumber than the rest - became emboldened. Little fuck.
She'd show him, just like she'd show the rest.
"Do it or else!" She threatened, and was pleased that he minutely flinched but no dice. He just kept running his stupid, stupid mouth.
"Why would I say sorry for calling you what you are?" He questioned, acting faux confused before sneering and Byakuran could feel her muscles coiling. "You're just lucky enough I didn't call your mother what she is. A lying clan betraying whor-"
Byakuran lunged with a war cry flying from her mouth. She had him screaming before the word even touched his tongue. Eyes sharpening she took off after the others. They would all get what they deserved.
Byakuran sat in an uncomfortable seiza with her back stiff and straight and tiny weights tried onto her wrists as her hands were held out to the sides.
With a scowl she turned her face from her uncle and his exasperated sighs. Stubbornly staying silent she ignored her trembling arms and refused to meet his gaze.
Byakuran would not feel remorseful. She wouldn't.
"So," Sojiro began for the tenth time in the past minute. "will you tell me what spurred you to attack them? Did they insult you?"
Silence. Glaring even harder into the corner of the room Byakuran gritted her teeth. If they had only done that then maybe she wouldn't have broken that kid's nose...and fractured his ulna...and torn some ligaments...Shaking her head she erased the dark grin of satisfaction from her face and dutifully pretended not to hear her oji-sama's question.
After a while he sighed in exasperation. Again.
"Tatami, come deal with your child while I go deal with the other ten." He grumbled passing by her and exiting through the sliding door.
Though she was pleased they would also be in trouble she flinched slightly at his dismissive tone before she quickly steeled herself as her mother sat across from her.
A contemplative silence settled over the two of them and Byakuran grimaced.
Byakuran could feel her eyes drilling into her head, and she couldn't explain what she felt.
Her mother wasn't looking at her like her uncle had been. Hard and seeking answers to his questions, probing and interrogating. She was simply looking, gaze soft and understanding. Asking her to tell when she was ready and it made her feel what Sojiro had failed to inspire.
Guilt.
With no small amount of anger, Byakuran could feel her eyes tear up and her chest tighten. Had she reacted unnecessarily to their taunts? Did she got too far?
Gritting her teeth Byakuran seethed internally, of course she had! She was practically ten plus years their senior in her mind, she could have handled that with more finesse befitting of her station.
Was her mother disappointed with her?
Byakuran's heart skipped at the mere notion but she wouldn't feel remorseful!
She wouldn't!
She refused to!
"I-I'm sorry!" She stuttered, arms fluttering close to the ground as she wiped at her eyes. The telling wetness on her yukata sleeves made her curse herself for her weakness. Wasn't she older than tears?
"I didn't mean to hurt them I-I swear! They just made me s-so angry!" She sobbed, emotions out of control her words regained their childish edge.
"I told them to apologize b-but they didn't and I just r-reacted!" Byakuran admitted through hiccups and half screams.
Her mother's silence was not encouraging. At all.
"And I know that you think attacking family is d-disgraceful and I'm sorry I dishonored the clan." She snivelled bowing her head to the floor. "I ask your f-forgiveness."
In a wild displacement of air, Byakuran found herself wrapped up in her mother. Arms around her shoulders she was pulled into a warm embrace, deft fingers untied the weights and messaged her wrists.
"Don't you ever," Her mother snapped and Byakuran stiffened and tried to fall back into her dogeza but failed as Tatami pulled her closer. "say you are sorry for defending yourself."
"B-but I dishonored-"
"You dishonored nothing!" Her mother hissed, lilac eyes blazing something fierce. "Disciplining those in the clan is the job of the Shogun's family. You did nothing more than put those who spoke out of turn into their place."
The sureness and righteous fury in her voice resprung the tears in her eyes. Bawling loudly Byakuran buried her face in her mother's kimono and took the comfort that was offered.
"In this life people will call you many things. Murderer, tyrant, bastard-" Byakuran flinched. "-but don't let those words chip at your heart or wear at your soul." Tatami explained, placing her chin on the top of her head.
"Instead allow them to be a barrier, to motivate you to higher heights. Let them see how strong the 'bastard child' will grow." Tatami whispered, rubbing slow circles in her shoulders and spine.
Byakuran was not ashamed to admit that she brawled at those words.
Nodding into the bosom of her mother she pulled back after some time, her face red with tears.
"Now then why don't you tell me the whole story?"
"...so then you grabbed them by the hair and swung them into each other?" Her mother questioned with a raised brow and Byakuran nodded.
"And all of that earned you the nickname of the Awai Bakemono?"
The woman tilted her head.
"White monster? Hm, It fits."
"Kaa-chan!" Byakuran cried but was thoroughly ignored.
"Hm, I can't fault you for successfully but sloppily using the clan fighting techniques when you haven't been formally trained wasn't the brightest idea. Not to mention you allowed yourself to take too much damage in the process."
She winced as her mother ran a green hand over the various bruises and cuts on her body and shrugged.
"It gets the job done."
"Yes but at what cost? Some of these I will have to leave there to get my point across" Tatami smiled causing a shiver to roll down her spine. Scary~.
"Hey kaa-chan?" Byakuran called and received an answering hum.
"Why do you know iryo-jutsu?" This made her mother pause in wrapping her chest before giving another contemplative hum.
"My brothers were a reckless bunch." She chuckled, tucking the last of the white wrap around her arms and Byakuran blinked in confusion.
"Brothers? I thought only Sojiro-oji-sama was my uncle?"
"Not quite my little orchid."
"Then where are they?" Byakuran questioned.
"Two had died defending the clan and the last joined our special force." Tatami explained and Byakuran nodded.
"Ah." She knew of the special force. In their clan who didn't? The Ken no Kage. Shadow of the Sword. Self explanatory really, they were similar to Anbu but instead they wore cloth hoods and scarves to obscure their mouths, nose, and forehead. Only leaving their identical eyes on display. Really disillusioning when someone began to think all of their opponents were the same person.
"Will I ever meet him?" She asked and Tatami smiled real slow.
"I think the real question is will you meet him at the same time he meets you." Her mother giggled and Byakuran shivered.
Wait a minute...
"Are...Are you telling me...that my uncle...has been pulling some Samurai Anbu stunts on me?"
This time Tatami outright laughed - or cackled, depending on how you viewed it - and patted her daughter's head placatingly.
"Of course he has, what, did you think he would pass up the chance to stalk his little adorable niece?"
"Actually ye-"
"Anyways," Tatami chirped, cheerfully cutting her off. "I think it most definitely time to teach you my Ken no Michi. If you're old enough to brawl I think I can teach you how to properly fight."
Raising to a stand Tatami smiled disarmingly. "I hope you are prepared for a long day of torture."
She carefully closed the door behind her leaving Byakuran to stew in her words.
"You know even though you said you weren't mad," She called to her mother with a pout. "this sure feels an awful lot like a punishment!"
Her only answer was the tell tale sound of her mother's signature cackle.
It was official, her mother was a sadist.
Edit: 1/23/16