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Chapter 7: Light pillar
In the morning, after entering the study for their lesson, Reborn produced a box from the folds of his clothing and put it on the desk at which Tsuna was seated. The box was adorned with the seashell and the two swords of the House Vongola.
"What is it?" the young man asked.
"It is time I tell you about the Vongola rings."
Tsuna's curiosity was immediately piqued. The High Advisor had already mentioned them several times, but he had never told him much about them.
"Many centuries ago, to protect the world and guarantee the peace between the kingdoms, several magical objects were created: the Tranquility stones and two sets of rings. The first ones were given to the seven strongest mages, who became the keepers of magic and its laws. One set of rings, which were later known as Mare rings, was given to the House Giglio Nero and the other rings to King Giotto of the Sky kingdom. The latter are the Vongola rings," he explained while Tsuna was listening carefully. "The duty of the king and his Guardians is to protect the kingdom and the world, as the sovereigns did before him."
Then, Reborn reached for the key hanging on the necklace hidden beneath his clothing, and opened the box. Inside, on a velvet cushion, laid several silver rings in the shape of a shield with a symbol on it, all different.
He took the ring which was engraved with the coat of arms of the House Vongola.
"This is the Sky ring, which belongs to the king. As I have already said you can't properly use the Dying Will Flame without it, but don't think that it means you will not have to learn how to control it. I won't lie to you; the training will be hard."
Tsuna gulped. The training he was doing already left him completely exhausted and covered in bruises.
"Following the tradition you would have received it during the coronation, but after what happened I decided with the royal council to give it to you sooner." The prince nodded. The advantage of the Sky ring was that unlike the sword of Reborn, it didn't require of him to be near Tsuna. Thus, if they ended up separated during a fight and he faced a strong opponent, he would be able to defend himself on his own.
"By taking the Sky ring, you agree to fulfill your duty as the king and protector of this kingdom," he stated. "Do you accept it?"
Tsuna looked at the silver band in the palm of the High Advisor, then at him. His expression was serious, his eyes piercing. The young man was still unsure about being the best person to rule the kingdom, but he knew that if he refused it could threaten peace.
"I accept to be the bearer of the Sky and to fulfill my duty," he finally answered, his voice shaking slightly. The High Advisor gave a satisfied nod. "Now you have to swear the oath." And so Tsuna repeated after him.
"Storm, Sun, Lightning, Mist, Cloud, Rain
When the darkest night falls
I will bring the dawn,
Become the sky and carry them all."
Reborn gave him the ring and Tsuna slipped it on his finger. He felt energy rush through him before vanishing.
"Although you are now the bearer of the Sky ring, you will not be fully acknowledged until you pass the trial of the Sky ring," he informed. Tsuna started to worry again.
"A trial? Do you mean that I will have to fight?"
"Unfortunately I can't answer your question with certainty. The nature of the trial depends on the quality the ring wants to test. If you succeed, you will unlock your true potential." Tsuna was confused by these words.
"The Sky ring will test me? How is it even possible?"
"Each of the Vongola rings has a piece of their first bearer's spirit. When the time comes, it is them who test the new Guardians and king."
"I-I will be tested by King Giotto?" he asked, eyes wide in disbelief.
"Exactly." He then turned to the box containing the other rings, completely ignoring the young man's distress at the prospect of disappointing his ancestor.
"I suggest you choose your Guardians quickly, Your Majesty. They will be helpful allies and you will be strengthened. A king without Guardians might be seen as a vulnerable king by the people coveting the crown."
He winced slightly. "I don't even know how to choose them."
"The only condition is that they must be of the same Flame than the ring you give them, otherwise it will not work. It is then for you to decide who is worthy of becoming your Guardians."
"Well, I might have an idea," Tsuna said, thinking "but I don't know for the rest."
"Each Guardian has their own qualities, but you must remember that their role is to serve you and to help you in protecting this kingdom. Thus, they must be strong, loyal, and above all completely trustworthy. I will be here to advice you, but you also must to learn to follow your intuition."
Gokudera was walking at a brisk pace, acknowledging with a nod the servants and soldiers he met in the corridors. A guard had informed him this morning that the prince asked for his presence for a private audience, and since the warrior had been wondering what it was all about. Considering that the coronation had not taken place yet, the captain knew that it was not to make him Right Hand of the King. Was it about the Guardians, then? Although his greatest pride and happiness would be to become Tsuna's most trusted man, he would be deeply honored to be his Storm Guardian.
His thinking was suddenly interrupted by the sound of someone falling into steps beside him.
"What do you want? I can't speak with you for now; Prince Tsunayoshi asked for my presence."
"That will make two of us, Captain," he replied with a smile. Gokudera grumbled internally upon realizing what it meant. The only reason that could explain why he was here, and if he was right, was that he had been chosen to be a Guardian. He knew that the lad was talented –although he would never say it openly- but he was also irritating and on several occasions he had displayed a dreadful naivety about the world. Gokudera was painfully aware that he would have to work with him even more closely than they already did, and he was not exactly thrilled at the idea.
"Do you happen to know why Prince Tsunayoshi asked for us to come? Do you think it could be about the Guardians?"
Surprise almost showed on the man's face. Almost. Indeed, being a member of Tsuna's guard, in order to protect and serve him more efficiently Takeshi had had to learn things about the kingdom that were unknown to him before, but still Gokudera had not expected him to know about the Guardians so quickly.
"We will have our answer when we see Prince Tsunayoshi."
When they entered the room several moments later, they found Tsuna standing in front one of the large windows, hands clasped behind his back. The High Advisor was also here, and they greeted him before bowing.
"Your Majesty."
"Please, rise" he said as he turned to face them.
"How can we serve, Your Majesty?" Gokudera inquired, wanting to find out if what he was thinking was true.
"I have summoned both of you because I have something very important to ask you." He went to Reborn who was holding a box, opened it and took something.
Then, he walked towards his friend and stopped in front of him, his expression serious but also slightly anxious.
"Captain Gokudera Hayato, would you accept to serve and protect this kingdom as my Storm Guardian?"
It was one of these rare times where his frown or serious expression disappeared, replaced by a bright smile and eyes shining with happiness.
"It will be an honor, Your Majesty." Tsuna gave him a small smile, and the captain repeated after him the words of the oath.
"The heart ignited
With roaring fury,
Nothing will stop me.
To protect I will never rest."
Gokudera had been the most obvious choice. he was deeply loyal, a great fighter and genius, and he had always protected him. When Tsuna had informed Reborn about his decision, the king's advisor had stated that he was perfect for the position of Storm Guardian considering his fighting style and his temper.
Tsuna gave him the Vongola ring engraved with a tornado.
"I will not disappoint you, Your Majesty. I promise," he claimed. Tsuna smiled at him, a bit embarrassed by the enthusiasm that was radiating from him, and turned to Takeshi.
"Yamamoto Takeshi, would you accept to serve and protect this kingdom as my Rain Guardian?"
It was Reborn who suggested Tsuna to make Takeshi one of his Guardians. He had told him that he was not only an ally and a friend, but also a man who was certainly going to be one of the greatest swordsmen, and that they would need such a talent to protect the kingdom.
"I will be your Rain Guardian, Your Majesty." Although he felt deeply honored –if it was not unheard of, it was not very often that a commoner was chosen for such a position- his reaction was more contained.
"The water for the dry earth
The calm for the restless,
I will bring peacefulness
And heal what is hurt."
He received the ring engraved with a raindrop.
"Although you are the bearers of the Storm and Rain rings, you will not be completely acknowledged as Guardians until a trial. You will be tested by the first Guardians and if you succeed you will be able to use your powers at their full potential. Nevertheless, you did increase your abilities; it is for you to discover what you are now capable of," the young man informed. "Do you have questions?"
"No, Your Majesty. We simply want to tell you that we are deeply grateful that you trust us enough to name us as your Guardians. It is an immense honor," Takeshi said.
For once, Gokudera completely agreed with him.
"You do not need to thank me," Tsuna gently protested. "I chose you as my Guardians because you showed me that you are skilled, and more importantly that I can trust you with my life."
On their way to the royal council, Tsuna and Reborn took a path that led them near the courtyard used for the guards' training. The unmistakable sound of steel clashing against steel –a sound that Tsuna knew all too well now- told them that some of the guards were practicing. And indeed, as they grew closer they saw two men fighting with swords. The smallest of them was obviously less experimented than the other, and the prince assumed that he was certainly a new recruit. But as soon as he took off his helmet to wipe the sweat on his face, Tsuna realized his mistake and came abruptly to a halt, shocked.
"La-Lady Kyoko?" he said, completely amazed.
The woman turned in the direction of the voice, and smiled when her eyes fell on him.
"Your Majesty," she bowed, carefully putting the sword away. Her brother, who had also removed his helmet, did the same.
"What are you doing here?" Tsuna asked, still trying to recover from his surprise.
"Captain Hibari allowed me to train here with my brother, Your Majesty," she explained. By the look on his face, she understood that he had not been informed. "I-I am sorry, Your Majesty; I thought you knew," she stuttered, suddenly embarrassed.
Unlike the sight before him, it was something that did not surprise the prince at all. It was typical of the captain to deal with things on his own, especially when it was related to the royal guard. Unbeknownst to them, when Kyoko had asked for his permission he had been about to refuse. However the warrior had changed his mind when he realized that Ryohei would be with his sister, which meant that he would not be annoyed by him.
Kyoko realized too late that she might have put Hibari in a delicate position.
"Please, do not blame Captain Hibari. It is also my fault; I should have asked for your permission as well, or at least inform you."
"As long as you have Captain Hibari's permission, I have no objection," he said with a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, Your Majesty," she said, returning the smile.
"If Sir Ryohei happens to not be available because of his duties, I would suggest you to train with Takeshi. I know from experience that he would be an excellent sparring partner," he stated, gesturing at his friend who was escorting him along with Gokudera. The latter did not know if he should be vexed that Tsuna had not suggested him, or deeply relieved. Indeed, he usually avoided the company of women by whom he was easily annoyed because they tended to try to seduce him –he had yet to figure out what he had done to deserve such an attention from them- but he also feared that Takeshi, who had grown close to Tsuna, take his place as Right Hand of the King.
"It would be a pleasure, Lady Kyoko," assured the man with dark hair.
She accepted, and they left after Tsuna turned down Ryohei's offer to fight with him. It was not the first time he asked him that with great enthusiasm, and although the prince knew that he would never hurt him, he did not want to face this knight whose built had nothing to envy to the castle's gates.
The tonfas sliced the air before taking their original position.
Hibari breathed deeply, and was about to move again when he sensed the movements of a bird on the ground. Scanning his surroundings, he located the little animal not far from him. He put his weapons back to his belt and walked towards the bird, careful to not frighten it. Having a better look now that he was close, he noticed that the bird kept one of his wings close to its body. It was certainly broken, which explained why the animal had not flown away when he came near. Hibari did not move, staying a few inches from the bird, and slowly extended his hand.
"Come here, little one," he encouraged softly. "I will not hurt you."
The bird looked at his hand, and then the captain. The bearer of the Cloud Flame stayed still, patiently waiting. As the animal saw that he meant no harm, it eventually hopped towards him and into his hand. Hibari stood up, a tender smile on his lips. He loved little animals, especially birds, and thus he could not bear see them hurt.
"Now, little one, we need to find someone to help us."
Haru put aside a dress for Kyoko so she could change after her training, and turned her head as she heard someone knocking at the door.
"Captain Hibari. What can I do for you?"
"I need your help to take care of a little friend of mine," he said, bringing up his hands that were protecting something.
"Is it a bird?" she asked, hearing the sound. The captain nodded and slightly opened his hands for her to see. It was a small bird whose feathers were yellow with touches of dark brown and green.
"I think its wing is broken," Hibari said.
"Indeed," she confirmed upon examining it.
"I came to see you because you seem to have more knowledge than me about that kind of matter," he explained. She looked up at the captain, her eyes full of determination.
"I will make sure that your friend is fine. We have to go to the infirmary; everything we need is there."
Hibari clenched his teeth. Going to the infirmary meant taking corridors and thus meeting a lot of people. Nevertheless, he knew he could not ask her to bring her supply with her and to go to his quarters, which were more secluded, to take care of the bird. It would not be proper and he absolutely did not want to be annoyed by the servants' gossip that would inevitably ensue if she was seen alone near his room.
There was no one in the infirmary when they arrived, which allowed them to work without being disturbed. While Hibari held the bird in place and reassured it, Haru made a splint and made sure it will not move. Her work finished, Hibari released the bird and gently placed it on his shoulder.
"I will check regularly to see how the bird is doing," she informed with a smile. "I will also see what they have in the kitchens for the food."
"Thank you, Miss Miura."
As you might have noticed, all the chapters are named after weather phenomena or elements of the sky.
Light pillar: a band of light that appears above or below a source of light coming from the sun or the moon.
