Chapter 157 - Divine Blood

"The people themselves need to realize what they truly want and use their own power to achieve their own happiness." 

Suzuki Ara knew this very well. She herself even said that morning to her brother and Gin that to be happy, one needed to work hard. It was the same with dreams. In order to achieve them, one had to move and claim it for himself or it would remain a dream.

In any relationship, for it to work, both parties should do their part. But in Emi and Kazehaya's case, Ara felt like even being in the same room was already one huge problem – what more working hard together.

Hmmm… Come to think of it…

Ara remembered that uneasy feeling she had this morning and turned her quizzing gaze at Ryuu. "Kou? Why does it feel like Big Bro Kaze has some hostility towards Emi? Did something happen between them?"

Ryuu was quiet for a while as if deep in thought. "Not really between them per se," he started and Ara looked troubled as she listened. "But it's more on their history."

History? What history?

"Er… You heard the history of the Homura House right?"

Ara nodded.

"So you know that in Hakone the Kazehaya House is there too."

Ara nodded again.

"Didn't you wonder why the Kazehaya House which was on equal footing with us suddenly became part of our clan?"Ryuu asked which made Ara realize that he was right. She did wonder about that.

"Well, our family has archaic traditions. We have beliefs that may be peculiar for some people, but for us, they are absolute. If we don't follow them, we will be cursed."

"Cursed?"Ara was dumbfounded. She was surprised that humans here on earth still believed them. Then again, like what Kou said, their family was very archaic. She shouldn't be surprised.

"Well…"

Ara watched as her fiancé take a deep breath.

"Ara, I will tell you something, but don't be mad at me okay?"

Of course, she was taken aback by the suddenness of his words. It seemed there were tons of other things that were kept a secret from her, but she really shouldn't mind. After all, she was the one who was keeping the greatest secret of all time.

Whatever Ryuu wanted to tell her, she would listen carefully and understand. Well, at least, try her best to, as whatever he was going to tell her sounded something she would be angry over normally. Her husband was giving a great effort, to be honest with her. She should do her part and hear him out.

Husband…

She even surprised herself at how she easily could call him that now.

Oh well...

She'd be a good wife and listen then.

"I won't," she promised, and Kou nodded.

"Our families, the Homuras and Kazehayas are strong believers of reincarnation. Whenever the future master is born, sometimes a prophecy is made. But when that happens, then it means that the soul within the child must be a powerful being."

Ha?

Ara was flummoxed. Powerful being?

"Like a prominent ancestor reincarnated," Ryuu continued to explain and Ara finally understood. 

"Oh, you mean like Oda Nobunaga being reincarnated among his descendants? Something like that?"

Ryuu smiled at the reference, but he nodded anyway. "Something like that."

"I see," Ara totally grasped the idea now. 

It was after all similar to the Returners to Ancestry in her old world. The original god, the most powerful ancestor descended from the heavens to be born amongst his bloodline.

"Well, according to the prophecies, the heirs are given specific people to be their life partners – their fated ones. If they managed to be together with them and have children together, then the bloodline will prosper. If not…"

Ryuu paused as if trying to find the words. It seemed it's either a bit complicated or farfetched that he needed to carefully choose his words.

"If not, the bloodline would be cursed to die out." Ryuu watched as her face looked stumped.

"Die out?"

"Yes," Ryuu nodded. "Like the divine blood running in our veins would die out and we will be complete humans."

Eh?

Ara was now totally… shocked.

"I already told you, I'm a god," Ryuu told her with a bit of a pout as if he was unhappy she did not believe him.

On the other hand, Ara remembered well her Japanese history and finally understood what he meant.

The Homura House was considered a noble house. Even if they had nothing to do with the current monarch, it was rumored that an ancestor was actually a princess ergo the precious noble bloodline. If this was true, then Ryuu's reference to himself as a deity was understandable. In the history of the country, it was believed that the royal family descended from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu.

However, in the midst of World War II, the Allies gave out the Shinto Directive which abolished the country's support for the Shinto religion that led to the Humanity Declaration of the current Emperor of that time. It renounced the idea that the Emperor was a living divine being, and shelved the value of "myths and legends" for the Emperor's status, although they continued to perform many traditional ceremonies privately.

So yes, for Ryuu to say and use the term divine blood is understandable. Still…

What an archaic tradition…

"Alright, don't pout. I believe you," Ara cajoled with a smile.

"You do?" Ryuu looked at her suspiciously.

"Yes, yes, yes – You're a god. I'm a goddess too," she said flippantly making him sigh. "So what happened to the Kazehaya House?"

"Well, let's just say, that the heir failed to follow the prophecy. So, their bloodline diminished. For now, almost none of them have the original founding father's divine blood anymore. The only remaining ones who had it are Aoi and Gin-nii, but…"

Ara wondered why Ryuu suddenly stopped and frowned.

"But?"

"Aoi has more human blood than deity." The Koutaishidenka sighed heavily. "And, Gin-nii is… sick," he said.

Huh?

"He was born with a condition – a malady that has no cure as was in the curse," Ryuu continued, and Ara was totally shocked.

Big brother Kaze, the chipmunk on energy drink was dying?

Oh…

Ara regretted calling the man many names and even wanting him to die when he was teasing her last time.  Oh no…