dancing on bones (our souls of iolites and emeralds)

Chapter 16

When Kusuo had first started living with the Dursleys, he had quickly realized two things:

First, Petunia and Vernon Dursley loved their darling little Diddykins.

Second, Petunia and Vernon Dursley feared him more than they feared for him.

In the beginning, it made Kusuo see the couple as reasonable humans. Sure Vernon complained about his job and Petunia gossiped. That was standard suburban couple behavior. Sure they wanted to stunt their development for some reason and that's why they kept feeding them less than Dudley. It helped that Dudley was a big eater by genetics- one look at Vernon was all it took to come to that conclusion- and so they weren't actually starving them, not really. Being fed less than Dudley actually kept Harry healthy.

But when that fear for them turned into an ingrained habit of insulting him and Harry at every turn? As if every accident, every moment of bad luck or general clumsiness on any household member's part was his- or worse; Harry's fault? When they tried to shove them in the cupboard under the stairs the second he turned two?

Yeah, Kusuo knew a downward turn when he saw it.

Vernon and Petunia Dursley were turning into fanatical child abusers.

Kusuo was, despite himself and his situation, more amused than angry.

Here he was, Saiki Kusuo, now named Felix, Freak, Boy and a combination thereof, all powerful psychic, practically God.

And here they were, a suburban British couple with less brain cells combined than an amoeba trying to abuse Kusuo's brother as if they were doing him a favor.

He was half tempted to kill them for their daring.

He thought of cyanide.

Maybe some poison from the cleaning supplies (cleaning the filth of child abusers instead of toilet scum).

Perhaps Petunia's cosmetics. Despite saying otherwise, Petunia's make-up wasn't exactly the expensive, dermatologist recommended brand. Kusuo had heard enough from horror stories from Mikoto to know how wrong cosmetics can go.

A heart attack inducing mix of Vernon's favorite alcohols? There was a serial killer back in 2006 who worked as a bartender and used to kill his victims that way.

Or perhaps simply putting sleeping pills in their food and then killing them with carbon monoxide poisoning? It would take a while for Kusuo to plan that one out, to kill Vernon and Petunia without burning the house down around them, keeping Dudley and Harry safe and providing safe alternative residences for the three of them. Orphanages may be outlawed in Britain but foster homes could be just as bad.

In the end, Vernon and Petunia Dursley lived to see another day.

Not because Kusuo didn't want to kill them. On the contrary. They lived because Kusuo found a better, long term plan to cause the Dursleys harm. The loving couple loved to hurt Harry by negligence almost as much as they loved to shower their son with affection.

Kusuo decided he would use that. Dudley was only a child. Dudley was barely two then, and barely able to string two sentences along. But Dudley was a very, very affectionate child. He thrived off of his parents' attention and adoration and took it for granted at the same time. It said a lot about how much the Dursley couple spoiled their child that Kusuo was able to see these traits in the personality of a two year old.

He granted Dudley his affections. They weren't much, but Kusuo knew how to form a bond with babies at a young age. He had read the books for baby Misa when Chiyo was pregnant. He had learned with Yuta, how to show his love in soft little touches, how to comfort him, how to show approval and encourage his development.

Dudley took his affections too. Diddykins thought it was only proper when his cousin treasured him and as he grew two and a half, Diddykins began to imitate his parent's behavior. That wouldn't do, Kusuo had thought. So he cut short his first step and proceeded to the second. He ignored Dudley. When Dudley then began throwing tantrum's and imitating some of his Vernon's sneers, Kusuo punished him.

Oh, Kusuo was not cruel. He would never hurt children. Never. But just as Yuta had needed encouragement, he had also needed training and be taught to respect 'No'. He had learned during family court cases how to convey disapproval to children without hurting them.

The basics of it was such: Carrot and Stick worked as well on children as it did on animals and adults. So did ingraining Pavlovian responses. In fact, it worked even better.

Kusuo was never cruel to children, but that didn't mean he was a good person. After-all, Kusuo was only human.

So when Kusuo talked to Dudley at his third birthday party, in front of everyone and even offered him cake, Dudley was pleased. Pleased as punch, proud as a peacock and all evening, the child stole looks at his cousin as if to check whether he still had his approval.

Children. How easy to train them.

Kusuo was sure that Petunia knew at some level something was going on. She didn't know what, wasn't sure even what a two (soon to be three) year old could do. But she was a mother and she had seen the subtle changes Kusuo had been influencing in Dudley.

It was too late though. Kusuo was firmly entrenched in Dudley's heart as 'favorite human'. His favor rated even higher to darling Diddykins than that of his own father. Any changes to that status quo would require more knowledge about human behavior than the Dursley couple possessed and a firmer hand than either of the pair was capable of raising to their own flesh and blood.

Kusuo was glad he hadn't outright killed Vernon and Petunia all those months ago. Turning the son onto the parents was much more fun. And when they grow older, if the couple still hadn't changed their tune and continued to abuse Harry, then Kusuo would turn the son into his parent's conscience too.

Dudley calling the CPS because he thought what his father and mother were doing to his cousins was wrong. If that happened, then Kusuo would surely relish the expression on Vernon and Petunia's face.