The gentle breeze swayed the grass along the stony path, a set of clops and the subtle crunching of stones beneath the carriage's wheels were the only notable sounds within the vicinity. The coach tugged on the lead line, the horses neighing softly before halting. Arata stepped out of the carriage, inhaling deeply and sighing in satisfaction, his appreciation for the change in scenery evident in the small smile he wore.
A set of clops and a neigh alerted Arata of the presence of another party who halted before his carriage, her appearance and his lack of surprise notified his guards that she was an expected visitor. She hopped down from her horse, her light blue mantle fluttering as a result of her swift movements. The lady donned silver armour, her mantle and the azure lines that ran along the edge in an intricate design complimenting her long navy blue hair tied up in a ponytail. Asides from her cerulean irises, which was another feature the Arashi shared, her beauty and femininity didn't let the facial similarities she and Arata had go unnoticed.
Walking briskly to him, she pinched his cheeks, an action that didn't surprise the onlookers, after all, Arashi Kiyoko was known to be the doting sibling. Pulling his face angrily, Arata's impassiveness further annoyed Kiyoko, her troubled gaze focusing on the bandages that wrapped around his eyes.
"What stupid shit did you get yourself involved in this time, Arata?!"
With a small smile, he gently took her hands in his, saying, "Where did the prim and proper Lady Kiyoko go?"
"Don't give me that shit, you brat." She yanked her hands away, sighing angrily, "No wonder Father asked me to meet you here. If the Order of Storms was seen in such a state, I can only imagine the uproar."
"It is good to see you again, nee-sama," Arata stated with a slight bow, Kiyoko's face contorting in disgust at the greeting.
She sighed exasperatedly, and Arata chuckled, observing his older sister with a smile.
"Let's go home. From the looks of it, you have a lot to inform us about, right?"
"Yes."
She clapped twice, announcing to the onlookers, "Let's be on our way then." A smile graced her lips as she watched Arata nod and board the carriage.
While Kiyoko might've seemed angry -and she was- she was also relieved that her little brother was safe and sound, although it was a bit worrisome that someone like him was in such a state. Kiyoko sighed inwardly, she was finding it difficult to acknowledge that Arata was no longer the little boy who scampered around the mansion, causing trouble everywhere he went. He had become a quiet, firm, and strong man who was willing to push past his limits just to affirm his beliefs.
Exhaling audibly, she looked up to note Arata facing her inquisitively, it seemed like she had been far too quiet. After some contemplation, she decided to make small talk but to her surprise, Arata beat her to it.
"How's Hiro-san?"
Easing into the coach's chair, she replied, "He's doing great, being a doting father and all."
Arata's lips parted slightly, the corners of his mouth tilting upwards while he asked, "And my nephew? Is he as troublesome as I was?"
Kiyoko's brows furrowed while she gave her brother a sidelong glance, "Unfortunately he takes after his dad, so yes. Though he's not as tiring as you were, he's far more troublesome than I was as a child." Her brows shot up at the sound of his snort, her surprise morphing into a glare when Arata broke down into a laughing fit.
"Sorry, sorry, it seems that ever since Father and Mother let us know about how you were as a toddler, it has been the perfect topic to tease you with."
Kiyoko smacked his shoulder with a glower, another snort escaping the bandaged Arashi. The laughter soon gave way to a comfortable silence, it was consoling for the Arata siblings to know that the other hadn't changed as much during their time apart.
Kiyoko spared Arata a glance, truly taking in the appearance of her kid brother, who now bore the title of the Order of Storms. Being the only son meant Arata was to be the heir to the Lord of the Arashi; but as it seemed fate had other plans for him, he was noted to have the talent to fuse with the Arashi's world-class danger beast; the storm dragon, Kirin.
"Thank you," Kiyoko muttered, Arata tilting his head curiously at her unexpected gratitude.
"For what?"
She stared at the carriage floor, her hands balling into fists at her side, "I don't think I'd have been able to bear the weight of becoming one of the Supreme Order."
Arata smiled, taking her hand in his affectionately, "There is no use crying over spilt milk. While you may have had a higher affinity for Kirin than I did, the extra training to close the gap was a good learning experience for me, it helped me mature."
Her gaze moved from his bandages to the black trenchcoat and white t-shirt he donned, vividly recalling what she as his older sister put him through, just because she was scared.
It was just as Arata had said when the tests for the next generation of Kirin's host were done, Kiyoko's body had the highest chance of successfully accepting the storm dragon's heart, but the life she dreamed of was the complete opposite of that. Unlike Arata who as a child, spent most of his free time wreaking havoc, Kiyoko loved reading. From novels to poems to historical accounts, whatever literary work she could get her hands on, she read, and the history of the Arashi and the Supreme Order was no exception. So unlike her peers who thought of the Order of Storms as a cool title with awesome powers, the Arashi firstborn was fully aware of the burden that came with being the bearer and that knowledge broke the vibrant and cheery little girl. Her smile vanished, and her enthusiasm and at a point even her will to participate in her mandatory daily activities seemed to vanish.
Upon learning the cause for his sister's behaviour, the young Arata tampered with the results and was announced as the next Order, much to Kiyoko's surprise. At first, she believed there was a law of the sort that prevented females from fusing with Kirin as no woman had been known to hold the post in the past, but she soon found out no such rule existed and she was simply reaping the fruit of her nosy little brother's affection.
At first, she attempted to confront him, but the Arashi could not muster up the courage to do so, especially since a major part of her simply wanted things to remain as they were. Ridden with guilt, Kiyoko decided to support Arata; cheering him on while he practised, teaching him any written knowledge he failed to understand and treating any and every wound he got from overexerting himself. But even though she was present, showering with as much affection and support as her guilty mind let her, the dazzling smile Arata usually gave to reassure her that he was fine, slowly vanished and a few years after Kirin's heart was transplanted into him, he left only to appear four years later with a material used to forcibly suppress a world-class danger beast's influence if the bearer cannot withstand the strain.
"I keep thinking that…" she paused, Arata's attention urging her to go on, "...maybe, if I had confronted you and taken responsibility or at least supported you wholly out of love instead of guilt, maybe, just maybe things could've been better?" She ended unsurely, her comment coming off more as a question to herself rather than a statement.
Arata sighed and rested his elbow on the carriage door, his closed fist supporting his face, "If it makes you feel any better about the guilt, a part of me despised you."
Kiyoko turned to him wide-eyed, silently waiting for him to continue. "I cannot deny that going through that training knowing I could have avoided, it set free some of my…inner demons. 'Why did she not take responsibility?' 'Does she even care about me?' 'She knew I would suffer like this but said nothing, why?' But as I said," he turned to her, his lips drawn in a thin line, "What is done is done. I have no grudge against you and thanks to this, I experienced a whole lot that I am thankful for."
She sat back, shooting glances at Arata before sighing tiredly. Kiyoko had no idea he felt like that and even though he was right that holding onto past mistakes would not going to solve anything, a part of her couldn't help but feel guilty about her actions.
"Did you know Father was aware from the start?"
"...yes, on the day before my wedding, he told me he'd known the truth all along but he chose to respect your decision and make you bear the consequences for your action."
Arata chuckled, assuming his previous position by the carriage door, "I wish he could have been a bit less harsh on me during training."
A weak laugh escaped Kiyoko, "I can imagine."
A tap on the coach's window attracted the Arashi siblings, a hoarse voice announcing afterwards, "We've arrived, Arashi-sama."