I've been reading too much abuse Tsuna with sibling fanfics, that's all the explanation I can give, hahaha!

Big warning is that I don't really update often, if at all, so this might just die off, or someone else picks it up. It was a once in a blue moon kind of muse and I just thought it'd be nice to share it instead of keeping it locked up somewhere.

Disclaimers; Well. This is a fanfiction.

DARK THEMES AHEAD. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Sawada Iemitsu was in the middle of a talk with the Vongola Ninth when news reached them of his beloved wife in Japan, being wheeled into Namimori Hospital and about to give birth while cursing his name in 27 different languages. He was half impressed, half startled to find his wife able to pick up so many vulgarities, but was nonetheless swept away more by his increasing jittery emotions that followed him as he traveled back to where he should be.

Fortunately, he was late, which saved his fantasies of an innocent, beautiful wife who definitely wasn't that demoness who almost tore one of the doctor's arms out. He had just enough sense to know that he'd be viewing his wife in a vastly different perspective if that were to happen.

Unfortunately, a multitude of little things occurred. He was shocked and dread crept up his mind as he saw the two newly born sons by his lovely Nana's side. A part of him was delighted to have them, whilst the mass of the other parts of himself knew the reason for his darkening mood. Images of the two brothers, fighting over the chance to be the heir of Vongola... He shook his head and harshly throws his thoughts aside. It will not happen, he thinks darkly, trying mightily hard to convince his own self that the brothers would end up working together instead of against each other.

Sawada Iemitsu was a conniving, manipulative bastard mafiosi, but there were times like now when his own self honed nature came back to bite him in the ass hard as he succeeds in tricking himself, blinding himself as he smiles brightly at his wife, gathering them into a loving embrace.

The next thing he knew as time flashed by quickly was that Nana continued to stay in the hospital.

Her body was over pressured, the doctors had said, shaking their heads at him and pitiful glances towards his sons. There was no saving the woman and absolutely no way the woman should be left at home with two newborns.

And thus, Iemitsu had to pull all the favors he found and managed to hang around for two whole years before he was pulled away. He refused to let himself think that he was running away from the sight of Nana, so weak and fragile and his younger son, Sawada Tsunayoshi, beginning to grow more and more like his mother.

It was one thing to see the elder son, Yoshimitsu, begin to have a particular glint in his sandy brown eyes that mirrored his own, but the way he saw how Tsuna's own appearance changed into what could have been a healthy Nana when she was a toddler broke the man's heart. He turns away each time he sees the wide, innocent caramel eyes and starts taking lesser and lesser care of the younger child. This also resulted in the diminishing times of when he would visit his wife, the guilt of the times when he could've been there for her while she was healthy and happy eating away at him on the inside.

With all these conflicting emotions, the man became careless. He was even less aware of his own actions around his family even as he plasters a grin and tousles the dull yellowish brown colored head of his eldest son, ruining the slightly straighter hair and conveniently forgets the soft fluffy tuft of chocolate color behind them. Yoshi peeked back curiously, annoyed at their father's actions, but too young to comprehend the other part. The little toddler didn't really care though, as it meant that he had all of papa's adoration on himself and he thought it only right, considering he was the older one, oblivious to how eerily quiet his younger brother was as he sat there and simply watched.

The day came when everything would begin spiraling downwards, far sooner than Iemitsu had felt, though he couldn't deny the relief that bubbled up as he catches the sight of his youngest son through the corner of his eyes. He stiffened at how the little one didn't make a peep of a sound, didn't even realize how easily it was to simply forget his existence and hastily turns his attention to his crying Yoshi. He knelt down, feeling another little crack form and smiled, ruffling the other's head and effectively cutting off sobs. "Now listen here, Yoshimitsu." He says with a serious look on his face, emphasis placed on the purposeful use of his full name, the toddler stopping immediately to stare up at him with a confused expression, "When Papa is gone, Yoshimitsu will be the big man of the house. And as the big man, you should know to protect the people of the house, right?" The khaki headed toddler nods his head slowly and his father smiles, ignoring the traitorous spike that had snorted at him when he couldn't even say the other two close family members' anymore.

Next came the one sentence that would, ironically, become the biggest root of all problems.

"No matter what, we'll love you, alright?"

With that, Sawada Iemitsu ups and leaves the two toddlers in the care of an empty house, a daily visit of a care-taker who frankly didn't care what they did and only ever turns up at seven in the morning to prepare breakfast, lunch and dinner all at once along with a quick, brief cleaning of the house along with a forgotten wife in the hospital who gradually falls into a coma.

"No matter what, we'll always love you, alright?"

These words echoed in Yoshi's head day after day, and as Iemitsu was no longer there, the only company he constantly had was Tsunayoshi.

He turns his attention quickly on Tsunayoshi.

How to deal with him? The toddler didn't know. He was a toddler, after all. He thinks back to the sentence again and a sudden sadistic streak enters his eyes.

Did the 'we' include his baby brother? He himself, he knew, didn't hate the younger toddler. In fact, he was quite certain that he liked having the little one waddling behind him, cowering silently each time there was too loud a squeak or the shadows wavered in a way unnatural to the young mind.

He wanted to test it out.

Tsuna should love him no matter what, he thinks, because Tsuna is his younger brother, and nobody else's. Besides, Iemitsu never even took a proper look at the other anymore and the times when Yoshi had given the other anything a little close to affection had sent into him a thrill of satisfaction when he saw the small hope in those big, round caramel eyes flicker and die when it stops at their father's figure.

Two weeks after their father's departure, with enough time to realize, even for young children, that the care lady wasn't about to come back any time soon after twelve in the afternoon, Yoshimitsu begins his first 'experiment'.

He starts out small, picking up a pot and making a loud clanging sound with it, finding that little thrill back when he noticed his Tsuna flinching and jumping in fright from the sound.

It takes a whole week of making the brunet paranoid and terrified enough to cry out from all the pots and pans he'd managed to get his little hands on before he gets bored of the sobbing mess curled up in the corner of the living room.

He throws the pan he held aside, ignoring the flinch from the other as he approached and hugs his younger brother, "Shh... Shh..." He continues in his broken toddler talk amidst the quiet whimpers, "Dun cwy... Does Tsu-chan still luv me?"

He feels delight shivering up his spine, feels his smile curve up into something that didn't, shouldn't fit a child's face when the younger one tilts his head up, terror in his eyes and nods his head, "T-tsu-chan l-luvs his b-big bwother..." He mumbled, having learned throughout the week that it was this one sentence that Yoshi wants to hear and anything else that implied otherwise would spark up very dangerous flames.

And thus, there was nothing that stopped him anymore.

He gradually moved on from making loud noises, to stepping on a stray dog and watching as it snarled and snapped at Tsuna, who was trapped and terrified between them.

It was barely a year before he drags the same dog back, with the exception that it had its' tail severed and a decapitated squirrel was clasped on the tiny hand on the other side.

Tsuna couldn't think, couldn't comprehend which was worse. That the dog may have later been cut open and had its' insides smeared all over the wailing brunet who quickly shut up when Yoshi threatened to shove it down his throat, or that the dog was long dead when the other child had gotten bored and felt irritated with the way the mutt dared to bully his Tsuna without his permission, even though just half a second ago he'd been appreciating the sight.

Or perhaps that Yoshi had kept part of the remains and later shoved it into his mouth anyway.

In the end, Yoshi would always ask the same thing, holding him in that same way and expecting the same answer.

"Does Tsu-chan still love me?"

"... Tsu-chan l-loves his big brother..."

There would be a week of nothing but smiles before Yoshi moves on and gradually became worse with all the years he had with his Tsuna.

On the brother's fifth year was when the dog incident happens.

On the seventh year, Yoshi claims Tsuna as a sick child and keeps him at home even as he attends school. He couldn't keep the facade up for long and begrudgingly allows the inevitable schooling, lest his 'affections' were to be found out. Luckily, Tsuna didn't stand out at all and blended in with the wall so much the teachers often thought that the smaller boy didn't attend class. Unluckily, bullies still gravitated towards him, along with the appearance of an amused Yoshimitsu lingering behind. However, he never lets the bullies do too much damage to his beloved brother and would chase them away before his annoyance comes in and ruins his sadistic glee.

On the ninth year, he begins joining in with the bullies. It becomes worse when the two brothers are home alone and Tsuna begins wearing more and more long sleeved clothing and pants and anything that covered as much of himself as he could.

On the twelfth year, Yoshi takes a look at the naughty magazine he holds in his hand, than at the effeminate younger brother of his that was taking a taste test of the soup from the ladle he was holding. His eyes roam on the small, petite frame, ignoring the bandages peeking out from around the edges of sleeves and compared it with the magazine he holds. His grin reaches another level of madness and he throws the magazine aside, harshly sliding out of the chair and observing with excitement the way the other flinched and turns to face him with a rapidly reaching unhealthy pale face and caramel eyes that struggled to hold on to the rags of himself.

That night, with the kitchen a mess and the knowledge that the carelady hadn't been around ever since Tsuna had showed that he could clean, cook and do every household chore perfectly fine, Yoshimitsu turns to the slender form in his arms and grins in an almost feral way.

"Does Tsu-chan still love me?"

He feels a satisfaction he had never before felt as the caramel brown eyes, robbed of life, gazed back up brokenly and the voice, muted out, echoes from the lips that formed the words.

'Tsu-chan loves his big brother...'