I know he's an OC, but it spawned anyway.

xxxx

"Tsunayoshi-sama, Fon," Shī greeted easily as Tsunayoshi's young Storm greeted Kuro from the Sora—presumably he was of similar position to Shī's own, though the head of the former First Triad had never actually asked. The Momokyokai had not been individually worth enough attention for him to have known its leader by name, and only Tsunayoshi-sama's interference had raised them enough to start the Sora.

(He was ever so slightly disappointed that Tsunayoshi-sama didn't deign to give the united Triads a new name, but the smiling assassin-eyed Rain had laughed and explained that the Sora had named themselves, and Tsunayoshi had only intervened enough to keep his actual name from being used. As it was, they'd already started paperwork with only 'Triads', with all individual group names having been dissolved. Not terribly original, but at least it required very little reworking.)

Tsunayoshi smiled warmly, "Shī, welcome. Did Reborn explain what's going on?"

"He said you could use my support, but did not explain fully. The fenghuang was an… interesting method of transportation."

Tsunayoshi gave a wry smile, "Moeru has proven to be quite helpful, yes. I am going to have something of a discussion with the Vongola Nono regarding his care and handling of both his family and Famiglia. Should he prove to be… reticent on cleaning up his own messes, I will be asking that he step down so that I can clean them up for him. I'd rather he take care of it himself, though. I have quite enough to handle without taking over Vongola ahead of schedule."

Shī blinked, "Ahead of schedule? You were planning to overthrow Vongola?"

Tsunayoshi blinked back, "Ah, no. You misunderstand. The Nono sent Reborn to train me as Vongola Decimo—I'm the only currently eligible blood-heir to the proverbial throne."

Shī took a moment to consider that fascinating little revelation before nodding. "So you are well within your rights to disagree with current handling, then. I presume that if Vongola Nono proves to be stubborn, you do not wish loss of life?"

Tsunayoshi dipped his head briefly in agreement, "They are mine, after all, even if most of them don't know it. However, the Nono does profess to share my views on both family and Famiglia, so I am hoping to settle this peacefully and have him clean up his own messes. It would save me a great deal of trouble."

A reasonable desire. Still, if he was worried about needing the show of force… "Is there cause to be wary?"

Tsunayoshi sighed, glancing at Kuro who had settled with the others in the room to listen. "I have met the Nono once in my memory. I was five years old, and crying after having fallen out of a tree when the neighbor's dog startled me by barking quite loudly. My hands lit with an orange light, and that man pressed his Flame-tipped finger against my head, and made my whole world go cold and broken. He has mishandled his family affairs so horribly that he lost all four of his sons to it, though he may have a chance to regain one, should Xanxus wish it. He is old, clearly making poor decisions, and currently the head of what is generally believed to be the strongest Mafia Famiglia, and I am not yet recognized as Decimo by any but the Varia. Frankly, he likely still thinks of me as a Flame-sealed ignorant civilian child. If a show of force can correct that quickly, then a show of force he will have."

That man had sealed Active Flames? Not only Active, but a Sky, and of his own blood? Certainly, Shī knew it was possible—but the Triads had forbidden the sealing of Active Flames before Vongola had even been founded. If there was one too dangerous to be allowed Flames who was already Active, they were executed. It was mercy.

(Inactive was another matter. To place a seal over Flames not yet Active merely prevented later activation. To seal a soul already drawn to the surface and burning bright, though… it broke those sealed, always. Sometimes in horrible ways. And only once did the records show the sealing of an Active Sky—a young man who'd gone mad at the loss of all of his bonds at once in a terrible tragedy, and been sealed to keep him from damaging the world around him… and broken in an entirely different way, terrified of the world and screaming in pain from the loss until he'd gone hoarse. His own father had killed him not two days later, unable to bear watching his suffering. How was Tsunayoshi still sane?)

Shī felt his own Flames shift restlessly. He was a Sky, one of the few in the Triads, but his own Flames were quite weak. Nearly useless, if he were honest—his skills lay elsewhere. Still, he could not imagine losing them, and that one so Flame-strong as Tsunayoshi had not only had his Flames taken from him but had survived it, sane, and had gotten them back…

And now was choosing to go face the one who had inflicted that agony on him, and face him with words instead of simply cutting him down. He was stronger than Shī had imagined.

And Shī was not imagining the heat at his back, the heat of Flames that were not exactly Sky. Tsunayoshi was looking past him with a reassuring smile, though, so Shī would not take that heat as threat. "It's fine, Xanxus. My father did ask him to, so I can't blame him too much for it."

Blindsided, Shī barely kept from staggering at those words. Not the lack of blame—although that in itself was stunning—but that Tsunayoshi's father had… did they not know? Was it ignorance? Surely no father would deliberately inflict such torture!

"Shī, calm," Tsunayoshi instructed, firm but gentle. "That's not a matter for today. I will address my famiglia-oriented grievances with the Nono and inform him of what I intend to do if he does not. You and Kuro-san are here because I need it clear that I have allies of my own and am not reliant on Vongola for support."

Shī took a breath and focused on the mild offense he felt at a detail of those words, "We are not allies, Tsunayoshi-sama, you are our liege."

Kuro had a similar protest, stepping up, "Juudaime, you're our leader! We only answer to you!"

Tsunayoshi huffed, smiling reluctantly.

Then the source of the hot Flames spoke, "I'm inclined to give you the same, Brat. The Ring accepted you, so you're Decimo—and I've got no intention of bowing to the old man. Varia may belong to Vongola, but our oaths weren't to the Ninth."

Varia. Hot Sky-tinted Flames. The name Xanxus that he had overlooked.

Well. It seemed that Tsunayoshi had the most powerful of the Vongola subsidiaries as his own already. Shī nodded slightly, "Indeed you have begun to build your empire, Tiānzi*."

Tsunayoshi made an exasperated noise, "Why does everyone want me to rule?"

A certain Sun popped up next to him. (Shī did not flinch.) "Because you're good at it, dame-Tsuna," he chirped, sounding justifiably smug.

(The fenghuang cooed and the unicorn whuffled. Shī decided he liked being with this group.)

xxxx

*Points at reviews* This, I like better. Yes? It does feel like it makes more sense.