Chapter 201 - Precious

"I will never be with anyone other than you no matter how many times we die and be born again. I will always follow your soul and be with you…"

Homura Ryuu's words were like a warm hand wiping away all the insecurities and worries that Suzuki Ara was feeling right now. She knew that it was only temporary. There would always be concerns and other thoughts that would cloud her mind and affect her way of thinking.

But because Kou, her husband was here with her now, Ara knew that no matter what the future would bring them, they could weather it together. She's no longer alone in this world. She had a new family in Aki, new friends with Rin and the others, and now, she had a new anchor, her man, her husband.

Tears welled in her eyes, but they were tears of happiness. Ryuu misunderstood, however.

"Why are you still crying?" he asked softly as he wiped her tears away with his thumbs. "Is my promise not enough?" he teased, making her laugh in spite of her tears.

Ara shook her head. "No, it's more than enough," she said in between sniffles. "I'm just happy and relieved," she added as she too wiped her face like a child would before throwing herself on her husband.

When she first came into this world, she had never thought she could tell anyone about her deepest secret. Surprisingly, Ryuu found out on his own and accepted her so easily, telling her it was alright.

Ryuu of course easily caught her in his arms, and pulled her close, savoring the feel of her body against his. He held her like that for a while, not letting go, cherishing this moment when he could sense her warmth, smell her fresh scent mixed with vanilla, and just spending time alone with her like this.

For Ara, it was the same. His heat, the feel, and the sound of his heartbeats, his firm hold, and the manly scent he exuded – they were precious, precious things – simple ones she wanted to treasure from this day forward.

He was her treasure.

The realization made Ara's heart pound in her chest. It was louder than when she first realized she was attracted to him and liked him. With her lips opening wide, as another thought crossed her mind about what she could be feeling right now, she shifted in his arms so she could look up at him – stare in utter amazement at his face, her silver-grey pools locking with his blue gaze, boring deep as if she was trying to look for the answers there.

She loved him.

She didn't know how it happened when it's too fast too soon. But it did.

She loved him.

She was now sure of it.

"What's the matter?" he asked softly, and her gaze fell on his lips.

As if in a trance, she reached out to touch them, feeling the warmth of those soft, red rims under her finger. Ryuu let her do what she wanted for a while before he spoke again.

"Are you feeling better?" he asked, and she nodded.

Realizing she was in love with him gave her more reassurance but at the same time felt a different kind of euphoria. The butterflies in her stomach started fluttering their wings once more, as happiness bubbled within her, going up to her throat, nearly over spilling, escaping her lips as a dreamy sigh.

"Which place did you come from?"Ryuu asked, but changed his mind before she answered. "No, don't answer that. You're Perun's bloodline, and so, you must be from Ritz."

The way he said it was brimming with confidence that Ara was again dumbfounded. "H-how did you guess?"

It was one thing to deduce that she was not from this world correctly. It was a totally different skill to know where she came from specifically. Also…

"How did you know I'm a descendant of Perun?"

Ryuu smiled. "You have always been a child of Perun, my love. In the past and even now, you are and will always be the beloved child of heaven."

Oh.

The way he spoke again made her want to believe everything he said to be true. Then again, if one would analyze her life so far, it should be. If she was not loved by the heavens, she wouldn't have had this chance to live again – to experience a life that's totally a different one – a far cry from the tragic end she had received in her original world.

"I… I was the Princess of Ritz," she began in a small voice.

Ara had the urge to tell him a lot but had no idea where to start so she just decided to tell him the main ones first. After all, they didn't have much time. He would have to leave soon.

"What were you doing before coming here?"

Ara was aware that he knew that she died and that her brother had a hand in it. Normally it would be okay. But for some reason, she didn't want him to hate Alistair even if the chances of them meeting would be close to none.

"I… I was a warrior," she told him. "When my brother ascended the throne, I begged him to allow me to serve our country as a soldier."

Come to think of it, now that Ara was no longer angry about her death – at least not as much as she had before, she could recall things clearly without bias. She remembered somewhat forcing her idea on her brother. Alistair totally looked like he didn't want her to join the army because he didn't want her exposed to danger, but because of her insistence and possible anger, he let her.

It was always like that. Her brother tried to keep her away from danger but it was she who insisted being in the middle of one.

And she was a broken soul…

Now she knew that it was in her nature to wager with death, and almost all the time, Alistair tried his best to keep her from trouble.

Huh?

"And he had you killed?"

Ara turned to her husband whose hold on her tightened as he frowned, and she shook her head.

"But you said before…"

"I'm not sure anymore!"Ara exclaimed hurriedly as she held onto him as well.

Now that she finally thought about it, Alistair couldn't be the one who had her killed.

"What do you mean?"

"I think…" she began, and the image of her smiling brother flashed in her mind. "I think it was a setup."

Ryuu studied her face, noting the realization she on her expression and nodded.

"If you think so, then it must be so…"