A Throne of Fire

The Purest Sky, the Calm Storm and the Fierce Cloud

Cherry blossoms fell from the large, hundred year old tree that sat in the courtyard of the Hibari clan compound. The petals twirled and danced in the air like a light pink, unmelting snow. It was peaceful. A nice change from his usually hectic life.

Fon exhaled and sipped at the tea his niece had brought out to him moments ago. He had somehow managed to make time in his busy schedule as a hitman for the triads to visit his only living family, something he hadn't been able to do in quite some time. Last time he had managed to slip away, it was for his niece's wedding to the head of the Hibari clan. It had been seven years since then, and he now had a five year old grand nephew who seemed to not like him. At all.

He had tried, of course, but the boy only growled at him, called him a 'red carnivore', and tried to attack him with his pair of little wooden tonfa that his father had given him. It was both amusing and concerning.

With the topic of his grand nephew on his mind, he started wondering where Kyoya was. The boy should have been back from kindergarten by now. Perhaps he had taken a detour to 'bite to death' some delinquents, as he liked to say. Despite his age, he could still soundly beat middle schoolers. Give him another decade and he might even be able to land a blow on his Storm Arcobaleno of a great uncle.

As this train of thought ran its course, Fon sensed his great nephew's cloud flames arriving at the compound gates. But he didn't seem to be alone. He could feel the burning flames of a sky, and a strong one at that, walking beside him. Fon furrowed his brow, what was his nephew doing with a sky flame user? They clearly weren't a threat, if they were, Kyoya's flames would be fighting tooth and nail to get away. They were, instead, leaning towards the sky. The two were linked, like an unbreakable chain. A new guardian bond. Fon widened his eyes as he realized this. He would have noticed the beginnings of such a significant bond if they were there yesterday, so they had to have just come into existence today. But Bonds like this, as strong as this, didn't just happen. They usually took time and effort from both parties. Just how strong was this sky his nephew had stumbled upon?

Fon heard the shogi doors to the sitting room slide open and shut, snapping him out of his musings. He placed his usual serene, closed eye smile on his face as he turned to greet his nephew and his Sky.

"Ah, Kyoya, I see you made it home safely, and that you brought a friend with you.", he said in his usual polite and airy voice, opening his eyes in an attempt to catch a glimpse of his nephew's sky. He was disappointed as said Sky was hiding behind their Cloud. All he caught was a glimpse of dark black hair.

Kyoya glared at him, "No, I have not brought a friend. I have brought you a baby carnivore, my new alpha.", the boy said, puffing out his chest in pride. He then nudged the child behind him forward, bringing them into Fon's line of sight.

The sky that had been the cause of much musing for Fon was a little girl, no older than 3 or 4. She had long, fluffy looking black hair, big chestnut brown eyes and pale skin. She would most likely grow up to be very beautiful, he mused absently. But her appearance wasn't what he was concerned with. Fon probed the child's flames gently, trying to get a feel for just how strong they were. With just a light brush, he felt warmth and contentment unlike anything he had felt with Luce. This child's flames were warm and happy and home, just like that, his own calm storm was irrevocably linked to this child's all accompassing sky.

This was something the child seemed to recognize as well, because as soon as the bond was formed her face lit up and she ran towards him, her earlier reservations forgotten. She embraced his torso as he looked down at her, surprised by her boldness. Then, she uttered a single, impossibly true word.