PLG: Welcome to Warmth of Family and Fire. A Rise of the Guardians fic.

Gaia: You are obsessed. First Naruto, then PJO, then HTTYD, and now RoTG!

PLG: …shut it and say the disclaimer.

Gaia: *sighs* PLG doesn't own RoTG.

PLG: ROLL THE FILM!

Warmth of Family and Fire

Chapter 1 Gone

Zephyr's POV

My name is Zephyr Matapang, a ten year old boy. I have unmanageable tousled black hair, brown eyes, and lightly tanned skin. I usually wear casual clothes but I always wear the long sleeved light blue turtleneck jacket that my sister made.

My older sister's name is Aphrodite Matapang. But believe me. She's not girly, AT ALL. You could say she's a bit of a tomboy. She's a fifteen year old girl that has long black hair that almost reaches her hips and always puts it a high ponytail, tanned skin (slightly darker than mine) and dark brown eyes that could make a glare that would make a full grown man cower and run in fear. She usually doesn't care what she wears, usually throwing on the nearest clothing she can reach, but there are three things she never wears unless forced to: skirts, heels and dresses.

Me and my family live in a small apartment in the Philippines. Our parents can barely send us to private school with the many jobs that they have so they're not home that much.

Unfortunately, me and my sister are not exactly on good terms and have a bit of a love-hate sibling relationship (more the hatred side though). If you could call shouting at each other, me annoying and bothering her (I admit, almost every day…fine, every day), she bossing me around (sometimes), me accidentally almost killing her on several occasions (she never really forgave me for those times, but I guess since I never apologized that was the reason, but I blame my pride!), and many, many more. I guess being, I'm sad to admit, the favorite doesn't help that.

But one day changed everything forever.

~~~"More than Santa Claus, your sister knows when you've been bad or good."-Linda Sunshine~~~

Aphrodite's POV

My brother and I were riding in the front seat of the small school bus, not talking to each other like usual. To tell the truth, I was tired of being bad siblings to each other, I wanted to be real siblings again.

"Hey, Zephyr," I suddenly said.

"Hmm…?"

I sighed. This was going to be hard. "Look, I know we aren't the best of siblings. But I want us to have a fresh start," I turned to him, "So, friends?"

He looked at me uncertainly.

I grabbed his hand and looked at him in the eye. "I promise I'll always be by your side, that'll we'll always be friends, no matter how annoyed at each other we are, and you'll never be cold ever again."

He gave me a small smile. "What's the last one about?"

"You're always claiming your cold, right? So you're never going to be cold as long as I'm here!"

We grinned at each other, we can finally be happy as brother and sister again, just like before.

But unfortunately that moment ended.

I didn't exactly remember how it happened. I heard screeching of tires, screaming, the movement of the bus as it began to swerve, a big crash and there was searing pain everywhere.

It took me a minute to look up to see the driver and everyone else was gone, except me and Zephyr. And I saw some fire in the back of the bus. Shit.

Underneath me, my little brother who was barely wounded thanks to me shielding him opened his eyes and stared at me and began shaking. "B-b-big sis…y-y-you're hurt."

I gave him a pained smile, feeling the shards of glass in my back digging painfully in my skin. "I-I'm fine, Zephyr," I coughed a little, feeling the coppery taste of blood pool in my mouth and a bit of it streams down from my mouth, "W-w-we need to get you out of here."

My assurance didn't work at all, if anything, it only made him start shaking even more. "I-I'm s-s-scared, Big Sis…"

I smiled a bit wider, as much as it pained me. "I-It's okay. I'm s-scared too. B-but I-I'm with you, remember?" I glanced quickly at the growing at the back, if we don't get out soon the bus will probably explode but then I glanced back at him, "C'mon, y-y-you can do it."

He manages to stop shaking a little and struggles to remove the seatbelt and I help him with it. He finally got the seatbelt off him and he tried to open the side doors of the bus, but it was no use, they weren't budging.

I got an idea and lowered the small window of the side door nearest to me until it was completely down.

"Z-Zephyr," I called weakly, "G-g-go through the w-window."

He looked at me, looking scared, "B-but what about you?"

"I-I'll go a-after you," I cough a bit more, I was getting weaker every second that passed, "J-just please, go."

He hesitated before giving me a quick nod and attempted to go through the window and I helped him the best I can.

Soon he was gone and I tried to unbuckle the seatbelt. But no matter how I tried it wouldn't get off.

I sighed, giving up, knowing I was going to die. Even if the bus won't explode I'll die of blood loss.

The edges of my vision were slowly darkening as I slowly loss the feeling in my limbs and everywhere else.

I was going to die, but I counted my blessings in my life. I had loving parents (though a bit biased), I had a home (no matter how small it was), I had food every day, I had water that I could drink and bathe in everyday, I went to a good school, and I finally reconciled with my brother.

Was this fate? Did fate just wait until me and my brother reconciled before bringing me to the hands of death? Or was this just a coincidence? I probably won't know.

The darkness was quickly spreading and my felt my eyes getting droopy.

My only regret was that I never told my little brother I loved him.

I heard a loud booming sound. I saw shrapnel and fire. All I felt was pain.

Then nothing. Just darkness.

~~~"I'm smiling because you are my brother, I'm laughing because you can't do anything about it!"-Unknown~~~

Zephyr's POV

I'm really worried, my sister should've gotten out by now.

I was about to turn around to go back to the bus but then something exploded from behind me and I was thrown forward and onto the ground from the impact of the explosion.

I inspected myself quickly and I found myself lucky to only have a few scrapes and scratches and I turned around and saw the horrible scene of what was left of the bus was in flames and my sister was nowhere in sight.

I felt myself go numb, time slowed down and I heard muffled sounds from around me. I barely registered those things as I could only stare at the flaming inferno that used to be the bus I was in. And my sister was still in it. But she couldn't have survived that explosion, not with those injuries.

My legs lost strength and soon my knees were on the ground, my eyes still on the flaming wreck the firemen were trying to put out.

We just made up…we were friends again…but…this happened.

Soon, a body was pulled out of the wreckage, I ran to it as soon as I could and all I saw was an unrecognizable charred body. But I recognized something on the body's neck.

It was a necklace with a round black stone with a heart-shaped carving in it. It was my sister's necklace. That body was my sister.

I tried to choke back a sob as I removed the necklace and I stared at it as it rested in my palm. Then I couldn't hold back the tears as realized so many things.

I'll never argue with her again.

I'll never hug her again.

I won't be able to kiss her on the cheek and she'll wipe it off again.

I'll never receive her death hugs anymore.

I'll never be able to pester her again.

I'll never hear her lectures on a Pokemon game again.

I'll never hear her complaining on how I always keep her up all night with my sleep talking again.

I'll never hear her sweet lullabies she always sings to me at night that I claim to hate but I actually love.

I'll never hear her laugh again.

I'll never be chased again by her when I pull I prank on her again.

I'll never see her again.

"N-n-no…y-you p-promised me…y-you p-p-promised t-to a-a-always b-b-be b-by my s-side…t-t-that w-w-we w-would b-be f-f-friends a-a-again…t-t-that'll I-I-I'll n-never be c-c-cold a-a-again…B-B-Big S-Sis…w-why did y-you h-have to go…? D-d-don't l-leave m-me…" I took a shuddering breath as I clenched the necklace and closed my eyes, and whispered the thing that will probably my biggest regret in my whole life that I didn't say it to her when she was alive, "I love you…"

What happened after that? I'm not sure exactly. There was only one thing that was stuck in my mind and that I couldn't accept it.

My big sister was gone…gone forever…

PLG: …Okay, I admit, that was a really a sad and kind of suckish ending even between OCs.

Gaia: What was your first clue? *faces readers* Please review, favorite, and follow and flames shall be burned in the remains of the wreckage in this fic.

PLG: See ya next time, peoplz!