Chapter 230 - If There's A Way

"You're cool."

Homura Ryuu chuckled as she said that. Ara could already imagine his amused expression, his ice-blue gaze dancing in mirth as his lips stretched into a smile.

"I know – that's why you like me so much," her husband answered with so much confidence she could also see his smug look as he said that, and she laughed.

Where did her quiet husband go? Who is this confident playboy?

But of course, Ara already knew that Ryuu only acted like that towards her and no one else. Hers alone. Knowing this filled her heart with pride once more.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm so crazy about you," she told him flippantly, like someone just saying it to make the other shut up. But for Ara, it was the truth.

She didn't know how it happened. But it was as if a hidden well of feelings had emerged within her, and she just found herself crazy in love with him, right after discovering she liked him.

Crazy.

Ryuu laughed at her words. "That's why study hard, woman. I'm going home as soon as I can," he promised.

"I will."

"Are your brother and Chiaki going to be with you at Denechofu?"

The question made Ara pause and think about the two in question.

"Well, technically, yes," she answered. "But I'm not sure if they're going to be home tonight," she continued as she told him the rest of what happened. She didn't miss anything until the time her brother cornered the secretary into having a personal conversation with him.

"Oh, Aki's one brave fella," Ryuu murmured in approval, making Ara chuckle.

"Well, if he didn't really do anything I'd have been really mad at him for being such a coward. The girl's very flighty and if he doesn't sweep her off her feet in surprise she wouldn't give him the time of day."

"Uhuh,"Ryuu agreed.

Ara noted that her husband knew the score between Chiaki and Aki, and she reckoned her brother had probably told him. Then again, he might have also found out from the detailed report on her background before they met again. Well, it didn't hurt to ask.

"My big bro told you about them?"

"I found out at the IBEC," Ryuu answered, and Ara remembered that her husband attended the first day of the conference since Gin was sick.

"I met your uncle there too. They had a confrontation and I heard them talking. Aki told me about him and Chiaki after when I asked him for relationship advice."

Eh?

"You asked my brother?"

Ara couldn't think of a funnier scene. Of all people, she had to ask her brother for advice.

"I didn't know how to propose to you earlier than planned," Ryuu confessed, and Ara thought he was so cute.

"Well, whatever my brother said, it must have worked," Ara commented with a laugh.

"Yeah, he said not to ask him so I just did it on my own. It was a piece of good advice."

Huh?

Ara let out her laughter this time. Her brother's completely hopeless.

"Big bro's an idiot," she commented. "Well, at least he's going to try and change his fate tonight," she continued indicating Aki's talk with Chiaki.

"Let's wish him well then," Ryuu agreed before changing the subject. "While they're away, you should focus on your studies. Behave."

"I am behaving," Ara countered with a low growl, before laughing again. "Well I will try okay?" she added.

At least Ryuu now knew she's a demigod and was inclined to mischief. He'd forgive her for a bit of naughtiness, wouldn't he?

Ryuu seemed to realize what she was thinking. "Don't cause too much trouble, okay? The people trailing you for security are all humans," he said, indicating the people taking her to Denenchofu now.

"I'm so sorry I can't give you protection from our own people. We are very short on staff at the moment."

Ara sighed. Her husband worried too much. "It's alright. I already told you I don't even need one. It'll take an army with full artillery to take me down."

Ryuu laughed. "I'm more worried about the humans you'd beat up, okay?" he teased before clearing his throat and speaking seriously. "Ara, Even if you can take them on, you still can't let people know what you can do, else we'd have a different fight in our hands."

He was talking about humanity in general, and Ara had nothing to say to that. It was after all true. Humans had a great fear of the unknown. If they found out that there were people who possessed powers beyond their understanding, they'd hunt them down to study or purge in their fear. Ara had seen far too many movies not to know that.

"As much as we can, we should live like them while protecting them in the shadows," Ryuu continued. "When I return, I will tell you the whole story of the Homura House okay?"

Ara smiled. "Okay…"

There was still so much to talk about between them – more hidden stories her husband hadn't told her yet. Ryuu seemed to know her well, but Ara herself had no idea about her own person anymore. Knowing the fact that she had lived with a parasite from the underworld, Ara's thirst for the truth was fierce. Sadly, there were more pressing things she and Ryuu had to deal with first before they could deal with them.

Still…

"Ryuu?"

"Hmmmn?"

"Do you think you can help me recover my memories?"

Ara wondered if there's a way to remember the real ones – not the ones that the shadow lurker engrained in her.

"Why?"

There was a short pause before Ryuu asked that, and so it gave Ara the idea that there might be no method to regain her real memories, and she felt sad. She answered him anyway.

"Because I want to know the truth," she confessed. "All this time, since I found out about my tampered memories, I've been wondering…"

An image of a silver-haired, amethyst-eyed young man flashed in her mind, and a great feeling of guilt stabbed her chest.

"I've been wondering whether there's a chance for me to see my brother so I can apologize…"