The great obsidian gates of the Akatsuki Manor creaked open with a soft groan. The setting sun bathed the courtyard in orange and gold.
Aria, cloaked in black and crimson, stepped through the gates with a rare smile tugging at the corner of her lips. Her blue eyes glimmered.
Leaning against a pillar ahead, arms crossed, stood a young boy clad in regal attire: silver cuffs, deep blue robes, and a blade strapped to his back. Renji, her younger brother by three years, raised an eyebrow.
"You look happy. That's dangerous."
Aria didn't slow her stride. "Is it a crime now to be in a good mood?"
"It might be. Father's furious. You vanished again. No guards. No escort. He said—" He lowered his voice to a gravelly imitation. "'She's reckless, irresponsible. She's not a child anymore.'"
Aria rolled her eyes, brushing past him. "Exactly. I'm not a child. I don't need permission to breathe."
"Would you say that to Mother?"
