This isn't my usual genre of writing, but I needed a change of pace. Please critique me so I can make sure I'm on the right track.

When Fon arrived at his sibling's home one cold afternoon in order to pick his nephew up, it wasn't surprising to find that the raven-haired skylark was locked away in his bedroom as usual; if his nephew ever did come out of his bedroom, he had never been there to witness such a miracle. The younger's pet bird was nestled in his soft locks as he moved his hedgehog from the floorboards up to the mattress of his bed before his dark eyes fixed on Fon and an agitated sneer crossed the sixteen-year-old's face. His fingers twitched once they had ever-so-gently dropped the hedgehog onto the light blue comforter, and an uncomfortable aura surrounded him; Fon's nephew never had been good with people – even family – intruding on his personal space.

"Kyouya, are your parents not home?" Fon's voice was as gentle as ever. His hands were hidden beneath the silky red sleeves of his hanfu in a sign that he meant no harm; sometimes it was hard for his nephew to not feel so on edge when other people were around.

The teenager named Kyouya shrugged before he lifted his hand to his head and extended a finger to invite his fluffy yellow bird onto his digit. "I haven't heard any fighting, so I assume they are not."

"Would you like to stay until they come home so you can say goodbye?" The man stepped further into the room. He looked around at the traditional Japanese bedroom, finding that only a few personal belongings seemed to have been packed; a single bag rested against the wall, along with a bird cage and a small pet carrier.

"No." Kyouya looked up at his uncle before he moved to his belongings. He slung the strap of the shoulder bag over his body before he coaxed the bird into the cage. He made sure the door was secure before he picked it and the pet carrier up and took them over to the bed so that he could rest his hedgehog in the towel he had placed inside. "I want to leave now."

Fon understood; he knew his nephew's family had been falling apart for years now, and the effect it had had on Kyouya was devastating. Now that a divorce had been finalised after all this time, the martial artist had taken it upon himself to get the boy out of it all, just glad he had finally received permission to do so; he didn't like conflict, and he hated the idea of leaving his beloved nephew in the midst of it.

"Let me take that for you." Fon took the bird cage from the younger so that Kyouya was only carring his bag and pet carrier; he wanted to make sure the student was happy, after all. "Is there anywhere you'd like to go before we get to my home? Some lunch, perhaps?"

"No." Without a word, Kyouya was gone.

Fon sighed to himself before he, too, started to leave the house; there was no point sticking around when Kyouya's parents may not even come back in the first place; he may as well just get the boy to his home where he could start trying to build a better future for the younger – the man could only imagine where the teenager would have wound up had he not intervened; Kyouya was already on a very slippery path as it was, especially with his peers.

Now that he's out of such a negative environment, he should hopefully start to calm down. Fon nodded to himself at the thought, knowing that he was doing the best thing for his nephew by getting him away from this.

~~XX~~

When Fon parked his car in the driveway, Kyouya waited until the vehicle had been turned off before he exited. He was silent as he carried his belongings to the front door and stared at the well-maintained garden as he waited for his uncle to unlock the door.

"It's been a while since you were here last." Fon looked over the front lawn. His expression softened as he took in the neatly-trimmed grass and the blooming flowers against the white picket fence that surrounded his property; it was serenity in its most natural form. "The garden wasn't nearly as full of life back then as it is now. You should have come to visit more often, nephew."

"…" Kyouya walked into the house once the front door swung open, and he found himself in an entrance hall he hadn't stepped foot in since he was but a small child; had his family problems really been going on for so long?

"Let me show you to your room." Fon took the first doorway on the right and lead his nephew into the spare bedroom. He waited for the smaller male to stand beside him before he said, "My room is just next door. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask me. I've already bought you some clothing; it's in the wardrobe. Please help yourself to anything you wish; this is your home now, too."

The skylark looked around his new room. There was a single bed pressed against the far wall and a wardrobe next to the doorway. A desk was pressed against the large wall window where it overlooked the street outside. A smaller window rested above the bed, where it looked out into the spacious backyard full of gardens as lively as the one out front. A laptop rested on top of the desk, one that Fon must have bought for him as the older male didn't care much for such technology. A large, albeit empty bookshelf took up the entire wall across from the furnishings, Fon knowing just how much the younger liked to read.

Kyouya felt comfortable with this simple setup; it wasn't something magnificent, and was well-suited to his interests. He nodded to his uncle before he moved towards the desk where he sat the pet carrier on it and opened the gate so that he could reach in and let his hedgehog out to explore its new home

"Where shall I put Hibird, Kyouya?" Fon was still carrying the bird cage, but he didn't mind in the least; he enjoyed listening to it chirp its owner's name.

"You can let him out." Kyouya slipped his bag off his shoulder and dropped it onto the swivel chair tucked beneath the desk. He opened it so that he could take out his neatly-folded clothing and sit them on top of the pet carrier. There were no other personal items in the bag; Kyouya didn't need anything but his pets to be content.

Fon did as instructed and let the bird fly free. He smiled as it immediately headed for soft black locks once again and nestled in against the skylark's hair. He placed the cage down by the door before he backed out with a soft smile on his face. "I'm going to make some lunch now. Please, make yourself at home."

Kyouya nodded. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed and listened to the soft thud of the door closing before he looked out of the window to watch as cars passed by every now and then. It was peaceful here, and he no longer had to worry about the silence being broken by fighting.

With a sigh, the skylark lay down on his side and closed his eyes as he took a nap; it wouldn't do to get used to this new environment if he were too tired to enjoy it, after all.