Brother and sister stared at the glow from a distance. The fire reflected in their young eyes as they watched their old house burn. He reached for her hand only to find it limp and cold to the touch. He glanced at her and saw her pale face staring blankly, in shock, in disbelief, in horror, he couldn't tell. He gave her hand a squeeze.
"Like you said, it's us against the world. It'll always be us against the world."
She stepped off the plane after a grueling 13-hour flight. It had been over a year since she'd been back home in Japan. Her schooling in the United States had kept her busy during the school year and the summers were full with internships in France, so there wasn't a time for her to come home. The flight was made more bearable since her brother had paid for her ticket and surprised her with a first class seat. At the time she thought he was being irresponsible for buying such an expensive ticket, but now after arriving, she was extremely thankful that he did.
She quickly made her way to the restroom to brush her teeth and wash her face. Flying always made her feel icky, first class or not. She then walked the long way to the baggage claim where she picked up her two gigantic bags. This time, she was coming to stay for good, as she had just gotten her first real job out of school. Excited couldn't even begin to describe her feeling as she walked out of the airport to meet her brother.
Like a pro, he was standing right outside the door, leaning against his sleek BMW.
"Tai!" she greeted as she started walking toward him.
"Sora!" He ran to her and picked her up with a big hug causing her to drop the handles of her bags.
"Whoa, watch it, Tai!" she laughed as her bags fell to the ground. "It's great to see you, too."
"I missed ya, Sor," he said with a huge grin on his face.
"I missed you too, little bro," she said and reached up to tussle his already messy hair. "Have you gotten taller or have I shrunk?"
"Probably both," he said with a smirk. He reached down and picked up her bags. "Glad to have you back in Japan for good this time."
"Yeah, I'm so glad to be moving back. And thanks for letting me crash with you until I find my own place."
The two walked to the car and Tai hoisted her bags into the trunk.
"You know you don't have to get your own place, Sor," Tai said. "I've got plenty of room."
"I know. It's just I want to make sure we each have our own space. We are adults now, you know."
"Hardly," Tai said with a laugh.
Suddenly their reunion was interrupted.
"Excuse me, Mr. Kamiya!"
"Ugh, not this again…" Tai groaned.
"Can you make a quick comment on the upcoming games happening this month? How are you and the rest of the National Team feeling? It is AFC year after all, and you've gotten matched with some tough opponents. And who is this beautiful young lady with you?"
The barrage of questions from the reporter didn't affect Tai at all. He was used to this kind of treatment, being a soccer superstar. Tai rolled his eyes at Sora, but then transformed his facial expression to a big smile as he turned to face the reporter.
"My team and I are feeling good! We've been having great practices and are meshing well, so we're not worried about our matchups," Tai graciously answered the reporter's questions. "But right now I've got to take my sister home, so if you'll excuse us." He quickly put his hand on Sora's back, opened the passenger car door, and guided her inside.
Inside the car, Sora could hear more questions being fired at her brother, but he just laughed and quickly made his way around the car to the driver's side and shut the door.
"Sorry about that," he said with another eye roll.
"Don't be sorry," Sora said with a smile. "You can't help your fame after all. And you're so generous with those reporters who seem to constantly be stalking you."
"Yeah, my agent said I need to keep up my public appearances so I don't come off like an asshole."
Sora laughed. "I get that, but because you're so nice, I read that you're Japan's most eligible bachelor these days," she teased and pinched his cheek.
"Ugh, don't remind me," he said.
The siblings chatted all the way back to Tai's condo. His place was on the top floor of a magnificent building. Tai rolled up to the front door, and threw his keys to the valet as he got out. "Hey, Saito! There are some bags in the back if you could bring them up later."
"Of course, Mr. Kamiya! Right away!"
Sora turned to her brother as they made their way inside and into the elevator. "I still can't get used to this bougie life you live," she laughed as she shook her head.
"It has its perks."
"And meanwhile I've been a starving architect in the States, barely able to afford my own 1-bedroom apartment!" she laughed.
"You know, you didn't have to go the States for school," Tai said semi-seriously. "I wanted you to stay here with me."
Sora looked at her brother knowing that she had struck a nerve without meaning to. "I know," she said and patted him on the arm. "I could've stayed, but I also wanted to chase my dream. You know that."
"Yeah," Tai said. "I want you to chase your dream, but it was hard not really seeing you for the last 3 years."
The elevator opened on the top floor and they walked over to his condo door and went inside.
"I've missed you too, Tai," Sora said gently. "I know it was a tough decision for me to pursue my studies in the States, but I'm back now. It'll be like it was before."
Tai looked intently into her eyes, which took Sora aback a little bit. Normally he was the goofy, carefree, younger brother. This look she'd only seen on a few occasions, and it always meant something serious was on his mind.
"Hey," Sora said and gave Tai a hug. He hugged her back, holding her tightly. She grew a little more concerned as they held each other. "Is everything ok?"
"I just…" Tai mumbled, but then held her closer. "I just missed you, that's all."
Sora pushed back a little so she could smile up at her brother. "I'm here now, Tai. It's been hard for both of us, but I needed that time in Chicago. I worked so hard so that I could come back and be successful, just like you." She tussled his hair again. "You've grown up to be the star I always knew you would be."
"I wouldn't have made it without you."
"I think you would've either way, Tai," Sora said. "You're the talented one between us, you know."
"You're talented too."
"Sure, sure," Sora said. "But enough with the frowns, let's get something to eat! I've been craving real okonomiyaki for months now!"
Tai rolled his eyes and laughed. "You think about food more than me sometimes."
"Like brother, like sister," Sora said and punched his arm. "Come on, let's go out!"
The two spent the evening hopping from one nostalgic place to the next, eating their way through Tokyo. Even though they had kept in touch over the last year via phone and text, they had so much to catch up on. It was an AFC year, so Tai told Sora about all the mounting pressure he felt as the youngest ever team captain appointed to Japan's national team. Sora was starting her new job at an architecture firm the next week, so she was eager to tell her brother her stresses and excitement as well. The two of them had been inseparable since they were little. In fact, they had only had each other for most of their lives. The three years Sora spent in the States were incredibly difficult, but now that they were together again, both of them felt the anxiety and stress leave their bodies as they told each other everything about their lives.