Ren didn't expect where their destination ended up. It was near Nami shrine and what she was looking at was a huge Japanese mansion, she was pretty sure it was nearly as big maybe bigger than Tiean's. Kyoya walked right through the gate without even knocking, which finally told Ren something about whose house this was, it was his. Feeling an unpleasant jolt of shyness she followed him inside.
Kyoya opened the door and the scent of freshly brewed green tea scented the air, "I'm home." He announced in a slightly louder voice than usual. Ren saw the instant change in his attitude, as a slight smile lifted his lips and his body relaxed completely, she wondered if he was aware of how his guard disappeared. She followed him inside and closed the door behind her glancing around the inside, the floors were of a light wood and pale green tatami mats and the sliding rice paper doors all had beautiful and elegant paintings on them. The one nearest her had a peaceful mountain scene with waterfall emptying into a clear pool, it opened to reveal an elderly woman wearing a simple burgundy Kimono, with black hair streaked in silver pulled back in an elegant braid then pinned up nicely leaving a few strands to frame her face. Her face was creased with lines of old age but only added appeal to her face and made her slate blue-gray eyes stand out a bit more.
"Welcome home Kyoya. Oh- you brought someone with you." She said quietly her voice was kind and caring, Ren couldn't help but think it resembled a gentle breeze scented with jasmine in the summer, but there was something in it that also made her sad, it was motherly. Not like Tsuna's mom's motherly voice but something that made Ren think of her own dead mother and that this was what she would have sounded like, and it picked something sad in her heart.
"I'm Alauda Ren, I'm sorry to intrude." Ren said bowing in respect to the woman.
"I brought you hear, you're not intruding." Kyoya said with a sigh stepping into the house.
Ren looked up giving him a look, "It's called manners Kyoya, I was being polite. You may have brought me here but she lives here as well." She pushed her shoes to the side and followed him further into the house. Kyoya gave her his usual 'hum' before going up to the older woman.
"It's quite all right Alauda-san, technically this is Kyoya's house I'm just his manager of his estate until he's eighteen. I'm his grandmother Hibari Sayuri." She offered a hand and Ren shook it feeling the strength in the calloused palm, Ren liked this woman already she decided. "Now, I just finished making tea and pancakes for breakfast there's plenty for you as well Alauda-san let's go and eat."
Ren followed and sat down in an old fashioned table, she sat Indian style and set her bag on the tatami beside her as Hibari-san passed out plates. She smiled thinking it a bit funny that such an American food would be served in such an old and traditional house. They said thanks and began to eat in silence. "So Alauda-san are you the one that Kyoya likes?" Hibari-san said. Ren choked a bit at the sudden unexpected question and felt her face heat a bit.
"I-um…" her face heated even further as she stuttered a bit which had Kyoya looking up at her with interest. He had certainly been able to embarrass her before but never to this extent, never had he heard her stutter like that nor turn that red before.
"Grandmother…" Kyoya and gave the older woman a look, she laughed.
"Now now, there's no reason either of you should be embarrassed, especially you Alauda-san to others, Kyoya's not very talkative but he's not very good at keeping things from me." Hibari said.
"Really~ that's interesting." Ren said with a mischievous smile that had Kyoya looking unhappy.
"Your last name what is it, I'm pretty sure it's not Japanese." She asked.
"No, it's not." Ren said feeling a bit better this was a topic she was on better footing with. "It's Italian it means ironically enough, Skylark."
"Really that's interesting, are you a part of that underclassman's mafia family like Kyoya?"
"Yes, Tsunayoshi is the tenth Vongal, I'm one of his seven guardians, the Guardian of Wind. And you don't have to keep calling me Alauda, Ren is just fine."
"If that's the case then you must call me Sayuri."
"Oh, I-uh… a-alright." Kyoya looked up again at the stuttering, Ren was looking hard at her food as she ate. He was going to have to find out how to get her to do that as he found it was rather…cute was the word that came to his mind though he didn't like it.
"Good, now tell me you two why the both of you are all torn up."
"The Ring Conflicts." Kyoya said as he set down his bowl of rice.
"Oh, how are they going you said last time that it was still up in the air, are they finished yet?"
"Yes." Kyoya said but didn't say any more to which didn't satisfy his grandmother.
"We won, last night was the last battle and Tsuna beat our enemy and won." Ren said finishing what Kyoya had left out.
"I see that's good, were you injured, is that why your leg is bleeding?" Both Ren and Kyoya looked up then she glanced down at her leg as Kyoya came around to see. Blood was soaking through the light blue scrubs she was wearing, but what had surprised her was she hadn't even felt it. Kyoya made a noise and left the room.
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry. I often worry about him, he doesn't get along with many people and when he told me about you I just got so excited. Who was this person that they could make my stoic cloud so excited and interested. I just had to meet you and I'm glad I have he may not show it but he cares deeply about you."
"I know he does, and I love him for it." Ren said with a gentle look in her eyes, a look all women got when talking about their love.
"Oh my, then he better hurry up and realize he has the same feelings for you or he might lose you."
Ren laughed. "No, he had no reason to worry. He is the cloud, solitary and Nobel and I am the wind, the silent companion that's always changing to suit his path." Sayuri smiled feeling very happy at having met someone that cared for her grandson so much.
Kyoya returned a moment later, "I ran a bath, there are some clothes you can borrow in the bathroom." Ren stood up and he gestured to the open door at the end of the hall, he noticed as she walked away from that her steps were different, and not like she was limping from her wound.
"I like her Kyoya, she's strong and brave, as well as smart, and above all, she cares deeply for you." His grandmother said.
"So do I."
"So you finally admit it." She teased him, he smiled a little. "Well you better tell her then, I know you were listening to us when we were talking. She's a woman that's true to herself but will change whatever needs to follow you, but it's not a good thing for her to do just the changing you do as well."
"I'm aware. First I need to get her back to Nami, my paperwork's piling up." She smiled, maybe her grandson had done some changing as well, if anyone else had transferred out of his school he wouldn't have cared and it wouldn't have distracted him, but it was because it was Ren that it unsettled him and distracted him from doing his work. She felt the sudden heaviness in the air and looked towards him. "She nearly died last night." He whispered in a different voice.
"What happened?"
"She fought the enemy's wind guardian last night alone after being weakened already so that I could free a couple of the other guardians. Her opponent uses a paralyzing poison and she had been hit with it enough that it had started paralyzing her lungs, an ally of ours barely got an antidote to her in time."
"I bet that scared you. Fear isn't always a bad thing it can be a good thing, in this case, it told you something about how much you cared for her right." He nodded, "Good, then don't be afraid to embrace those feelings, they are not a weakness they can become a great strength, and with your two's fighting powers it can make you an unbeatable pair." Kyoya nodded again then heard the door to the bathroom open and Ren came out in his clothes, and a rush of possessiveness came over him as well as a feeling of satisfaction of seeing her in his clothes.
"Thanks for letting me use your bathroom and your clothes." Ren said and he nodded before disappearing into it to clean up himself.
Ren felt warm and safe sitting at the table wearing Kyoya's clothes, she was a little surprised that they fit her so well and to find he was a bit taller as well. She was wearing a simple long sleeve white button ups shirt and black pants, and every time she moved Kyoya's scent wrapped around her. She could use the comfort after what she had just found out while in the bathroom, the injury on her leg and the surrounding area were all completely numb, she couldn't feel it at all and she worried it would be permanent not something temporary.
"So if I may ask Ren-chan, why did you come here instead of going home after leaving the hospital? I'm sure your parents are worried." Sayuri asked.
"No, they are not worried, there both dead, I live with my mother's mother, and we don't get along well." Ren replied sipping her tea.
"Oh, why not?"
"Well, I think it's a mixture of the fact she doesn't like that I like to fight, she's very traditional and believes that a woman has duties to her house and that the men should do the fighting. I don't agree." Sayuri laughed seeing what first had gotten Kyoya's attention. "The other part of it is that she hates my father, she believes that he seduced my mother then abandoned her to die when she became pregnant with me. As for why I didn't go home, is because she transferred me to an all-girls school with a horrible uniform which I refuse to where and in an attempt to force me to wear it she's taken all of my clothes."
"Oh my, but this uniform it can't be that bad can it?" she asked then grimaced after Ren had shown her the picture of the school's uniform. "I take it back what school is making you where that?"
"Saint Vlad's girl's peremptory school, my grandmother is trying to force me to be her version of a lady and I won't do it. I won't sit back and let others do things for me when I am perfectly capable of doing them myself. When she found out that Kyoya and I were together she wouldn't let me go to school the next day and actually put a padlock on the outside of my room door so I wouldn't go anyway. Hayato, one of the other guardians and my best friend, and Kyoya had to come and break me out so I wouldn't be late for my fight that night."
"That seems rather extreme, I'm sorry you have to put up with that, being forced into something that you don't want to do is not a pleasant experience." Sayuri said remembering her younger days as well and the things her mother wanted her to do and her not wanting to have anything to do with them.
"I just have to put up with it for a few more years then I'll be free, I just hope Kyoya finds a way to get me back to Nami, I miss everybody there. There the first real friends I've ever had."
"Kyoya mentioned something about you and your father traveling a lot."
"Ya, I loved it but I guess I didn't know how lonely I was until now, I loved seeing the world with my father and thanks to it I've got a pretty good base on almost any langue but I wouldn't trade it for the people I'm close to knowing. I love Nami, I just hope I can make it living in her house, we really don't like each other."
"Ren, it's time to leave." Kyoya said standing in the doorway, Ren glanced at the time and was surprised that it was time to go or she would be late to her school. Ren said goodbye then followed Kyoya back out of the house.
"I like her, care to trade grandmothers?" Ren said and got a snort of amusement from Kyoya.
"Not a chance." Ren frowned, then groaned when she had to split off in another direction, she waved to Kyoya who caught her arm before she left. "I'll find a way, soon you'll be walking the halls of Nami again." Ren nodded then continued on her way when he released her.