Chapter 183 - Awake

"Homura Ryuu, I like you…"

Suzuki Ara's voice rang clear and true within the confines of the posh vehicle, the lilting sound reverberated in his system, washing over him like welcome pleasant waves.

For the first time in this lifetime, the Koutaishidenka looked as if he just got hit by something. The flummoxed expression on his face was almost comical if it weren't for the fact that he was seriously trying to figure out if he just heard correctly.

As what Kazehaya Gin did when the prince told him that Emi liked him, Ryuu's mouth opened and closed like a fish gasping for breath.

"You…"

Ryuu's voice came out in wonder.

He had known that Ara had become fond of him, but she had always told him that she did, accompanied by the word "think" as if she was still unsure of her feelings. Suddenly hearing this right here and now, with her sounding so confident with her statement, he was at a loss.

"You…"

For the second time, he attempted to ask her to confirm if he was not hearing things, but the words just wouldn't come out.

Ara giggled.

"What's with that look? You don't believe me?" she asked as she shifted on the seat to lean over and cradle his face with her hands.

Their eyes locked once more, each one of them searching each other's expression for confirmation which she happily gave. Her eyes shone – their glint and the way the grey pools warmed as she looked at him conveyed the unspoken admiration she unabashedly shared.

Suddenly, an image of an equally happy young woman with the same face and smile appeared in his mind. Like Ara, she looked up at him with the same admiration reflected in her eyes. Her visage embedded deep within his memories overlapped with his wife's and an overwhelming nostalgia, filled him to the core as his eyes widened, his face donned an expression of enlightenment. 

Something within his brain clicked as recollections surfaced one by one.

It's her…

"I said, Homura Ryuu, I like you," Suzuki Ara repeated, this time more clearly than the last.

Ryuu on the other hand still stared quietly at her as another woman in is memories said the same thing, although called him in a different name.

"Kresnik, your fire has warmed my heart. It stayed in my chest and it wouldn't leave… I like you…"

Ryuu who was Kresnik hadn't realized his face had become fierce as he searched Ara's face, connecting her to the woman in his reminiscences.

"What's wrong?"Ara asked with a frown marring her space between her brows.

The sudden emotional shift had alarmed her, causing her to try to make sense of his reactions. But, before she could even ask the second question, Ryuu had already pulled her close in one tug, making her leave her seat with the buckle miraculously coming undone.

Old memories came flooding out and seeping in within his chest. They took refuge in the depths of his soul as his sleeping heart woke up from its millennia-long slumber. It was as if it was just waiting for this very moment since the time since he was born – no, he'd been waiting far longer than that.

A waiting that spanned thousands of years...

He had been waiting, waiting, waiting and waiting for a long, long time – far longer than anyone could ever imagine for this very instant he could hold her again in his arms.

"Kou?" she called out to him – and it was the last word she could speak as his lips descended upon hers once more, this time, in a more urgent kiss.

He devoured her lips as if she was water from the oasis after his long travel in the desert, quenching his thirst for her. His hand supported the small of her back, pulling her as close as possible as if he couldn't be closer enough. His other hand explored, caressing her now exposed skin as his impatient fingers lifted her skirt so he could run his palm up and down the length of her thigh, the friction painting heat on her white skin.

Ara pulled back after what seemed to be a lifetime of bliss from his deep kisses to catch her breath. Ryuu took this chance to nibble at her lips, nipping the plumpness of her maws before starting the hot trail of kisses down to her jaw, then down to the white of her throat.

The hand that supported her back left its position as Ryuu tugged at her clothes, swiftly opening the buttons of her coat, taking it off her shoulders 'til it slipped on the floor in a nebulous heap. 

Losing her stanchion, Ara reached out a hand to cling onto the back of Ryuu's head, clutching at his hair while she placed the other on his shoulder to anchor herself as he completely placed her on his lap.

The hot kisses then returned to her lips with a vengeance as both his hands started exploring her thighs. He pushed at her clothes higher and higher until both hands cupped her buttocks, squeezing, before inserting them inside the slip of cloth she wore underneath. His palms caressed the roundness of her rump before pulling them closer to him, her front grinding against his lower abdomen.

A throaty whimper escaped her lips as one of Ryuu's hands left her buttock to slide into the front where her most sensitive area was, brushing against the moist nub there, sending electrifying pleasure in her core, making her body tremble.

Hearing her soft cries, Ryuu returned to his senses, and he decided to end the kiss albeit reluctantly. He placed a lingering kiss, pressing his lips on hers for one last time as he withdrew his hands from her body. His fingers straightening her clothes before he pulled back.

Ara looked flushed and confused when he had finally finished feasting on her. Her skin remained flushed, her lips swollen, and her eyes smoky from their earlier passion.

A smile softened Ryuu's face as he noted his wife's appearance. If it weren't for the fact that they would be arriving at the Cedar Palace soon, and that he had Czernobog to deal with first, he'd have brought her to Gaienmae to take his sweet time making love to his beloved as he had always done before.

That's right. He could remember who she was now.

Suzuki Ara was his wife, his beloved fated partner.

She was Alencica.