"Arata, you here?" Mao called out to him as he was standing in the garden of the school.
"Over here." Alexis' voice answers as he and Arata tend to their flowerbed.
Mao goes to where the two are and finds that along with Sakura, Mayumi and Shizu, they were tending to their beautifully blooming garden.
"Are you guys busy?" Mao asked.
"Not really." Arata answered with a gentle smile. "Why?"
"Well, there are some things Theo and Will wanted to confirm something with you." He answered.
Arata, who already knew what they wanted to confirm followed him. When he arrived at the cafeteria, all of the Braves in school as well as the Zodiacs were present. Dino and the Crests apparently went off to search for information.
"Arata, it's about our Crests." Monica said. "They've..."
"They've been altered, correct?" He asked as he sipped the tea Lia made him.
"Did you do it?" Hatori asked.
"I didn't do it. Well, not voluntarily." Arata answered.
He took another sip before telling them what was the reason why their Crests had changed.
When the power of the Le Fleur awakens, all Braves within the genealogy of the current Le Fleur are 'gifted' with a greater power.
As such, It was no surprise that the Vassal Braves, Regal Braves, Quasi-Braves and Petal Braves Crests were changed. As for the Braves like the Zodiacs and common Braves, apparently, the power was slightly passed between them. It's basically a family tree like event. As Hiro who was a Regal Brave had members under him, they were boosted by him. The power is basically passed down this way. Those who were under Hiro were boosted, those who were under Mayumi in the Student Council were also boosted but it's only slightly as they aren't directly related to Arata's Crests.
"Then, why was my Magician affected by it as well?" The White Tiger asked as it was in it human form with black hair and white skin and black eyes.
"Autumn and Sakura were technically under my genealogy as Braves. After all, the one who revived Autumn and the Azure Dragon was me." Arata stated. "As I had emparted a bit of my power into them when I revived them, it was only natural that they were also affected by my growth."
"So, what does that 'gift' mean for us?" Touya asked.
"I don't know as well." Arata smiled. "'Gifts' are individually distributed and are made to match each individual. I have no idea what kind of Gift you recieve."
"How do we find out exactly?" Mao asked.
"It'll come to you, one way or another. Once you're know it's name you'll immediately know it's properties." Arata smiled. "Now then, that isn't the only reason you called me here, right?"
The others were silent for a moment thinking what to say when Diane breaks the silence and asks Arata the question that had been eating away at all of them for a long time now.
"Arata, do you trust us?" She says.
A hush falls unside the room, the atmosphere is tense, thick like a fog and no one can know that all of them were bracing for the answer.
"What are you talking about, of course I do." Arata answered jokingly.
"Arata, seriously. Do you trust us?" Mayumi asked.
This time, the temperature of the room dropped and everyone began to stiffen up. Noticing that they were serious, Arata checks everyone around him before answering.
"I do. Why?" Arata, who had a serious expression this time asked them.
"Then why don't you tell us when something is wrong?" Liam asked him.
Arata pauses for a moment, unable to come up with an answer. It has always been because he believes that his problems can be dealt without bothering them. That he doesn't have to burden them with his pains or his worries but it seems that he has hurt the people he loves the most as a result.
"My problems... I sometimes just want to bury them deep down or lock them away. Because, if I ever share them with others, I feel like they'll only be burdened by it." Arata abswered and Lina slapped him, hard.
"You idiot!!" She snapped at him.
"Lina..." Arata could only sit there, taken by shock and surprise by the slap he took.
"What's the point of calling us friends if we can't help you with your problems?! What's the point if you won't tell us what it is that's weighing on you?!" She exclaimed.
Arata, who took a slap from Lina sat there, before answering the only thing that he could say.
"I'm sorry." He said as tears dripped down his cheek. "It's not that... I don't... trust everyone... it's just... I'm afraid..."
Arata was afriad of his problems, he was afraid to confrotn them was he knew he had to, even so, it scared him. The darkness that he saw left a deep wound in him, causing him to never want to look or think about it again.
As tears dripped down his cheeks, Will sighs abd picks him up and sets him down on his tights. He hugs Arata and pats his head.
"There, there." Will pats his head gently with a smile. "It must've been hard, keeping it all bottled up. But you know, as your older brother, it frustrates me when I can't help you. It's the same for everyone."
Arata nods and as Will holds him, Arata cuddles close to the warmth he gives him. Lina calms herslef and pats his head but not before she makes him promise her.
"Arata, promise me, from her on out, no more secrets." She said to him and he nods.
"I promise." Arata answered amd they all nodded before patting his head.
Arata, smiles happily and for the first, lets go of his qorries, his pains and everything that has been bearing down on him. He lets himslef succumb to the gentle warmth that was being given to him by everyone around him.