The next morning...
Like what Kurama said to Riya, he headed out to Hokkaido as early as he could. What he didn't plan, though, was for the rest of the gang ー including the wielders and the demon shinobi siblings ー to come along with him. According to them, they received a call from Ritsuko and Haruna saying that they should come along, as well. They made sure, however, not to let Riya come with them since the issue had something to do with her.
In fact, it was her grandfather's request.
Upon arriving to the airport of the said island, Ritsuko and an old man probably not older than 50 greeted them. She said that he was the head butler of the family. With a bus waiting for them, all of them rode in it and they headed to the Miyuzaki estate where Riya's grandfather was waiting for Kurama's arrival.
Riya's grandfather ー Shoutaro Miyuzaki ー was one of the revered clan elders and one of the former heads of the family before Haruna took over the position in Hiroto's place. He was the person that Ayako's father once guarded. But despite being the forner head of the family, his authority to the clan hadn't diminish one bit and so did his health. In fact, at the age of 87, he could still walk without any wheelchairs or canes. Surprisingly, he could also do some martial arts that were powerful enough to be feared by his enemies. In addition to that, he was called the Spirit Summoning Arts' Master of the Masters. He could summon spirits of any of the four elements to use its powers in order to defeat the enemies. It was he who taught Ritsuko how to harness lightning as a weapon ー an ability that Riya later inherited and learned.
Shoutaro Miyuzaki was strict when it comes to family rules, especially those that had something to do with his direct descendants. That was why he called for Kurama's presence that day since the issue they needed to discuss had something to do with his only granddaughter. Moreover, the old man also asked for the presence of the wielders and the team, as well. If Kurama wasn't mistaken, his parents Shiori and Kazuya were called, too. Suuichi was supposed to come, as well, but his stepbrother's camping trip prevented him to do so. Thinking about that again made him breathe heavily as he looked out of the bus window he was currently riding on.
I guess I shouldn't have belittled this conference. I wouldn't be dealing with just Riya's grandfather but the entire clan, too. This is definitely one serious issue to be discussed, he thought. As he continued to watch outside, a certain spot caught his eyes. His heart beat faster for some reason. He was frowning as he looked at the place again. I felt like I've been there, though. I'm not sure if I really went there before. But he had to think about that later. Right now, all he needed to worry about was the upcoming family conference.
He could only hope he would survive this. This might not be a part of the trials he needed to deal with but he has to do what it takes to prove himself worthy for Riya. And if dealing with the entire Miyuzaki clan would do so, then he would gladly take the challenge.
A few minutes more had passed and the bus finally reached the Miyuzaki estate. Those that hadn't been there were definitely awed to see such an enormous estate. Yumi could only smile at them. Aside from Ritsuko and the head butler, Yumi also lived in the Miyuzaki estate since birth. Until now, the Fire Wielder and her mother lived there as they served the family loyally.
The bus stopped in front of the estate and one by one, they went out. Several maids and houseboys waited for their arrival, as it seemed. One of them said that the Miyuzaki clan lord was already waiting at the conference room along with some people required to come. Now Kurama knew that the scary part began. But this was no time for him to be scared.
"Hey, Kurama. Are you sure you're alright?" Yusuke asked in a whisper as to not let the others notice.
The red head just answered with a smile and a small nod. Then his face turned serious the moment they all reached the conference room ー which turned out to be an enormous Japanese room with futon prepared for each of the guest who were called for that meeting. All of them then entered the room. Surprisingly, even Hiei entered the said room that confused the rest of the team but the fire demon chose to shrug it off and ignore it. Only Yumi knew the reason why he was going with the flow.
"Woah! There sure are a lot of people in here. But what could be the reason for us to be called out here?" Kuwabara asked.
"That's what we're about to find out," Yukari said seriously and each of them began taking their positions on several vacant futon. Kurama sat on a futon in front of the old man whom he recognized already as Shoutaro Miyuzaki. On the old man's right was Haruna with her daughters Misako and Sachiko and her son Satoshi. On Shoutaro's left was Ritsuko and Yumi's mother Saeko Hisakawa. Kurama then figured that those people were some of the most important members of the clan.
Despite his heart beating fast, he faced the Miyuzaki clan lord with courage and determination. Shoutaro had a stern lool on his face, the rest of the family's faces were serious, too. And that alone intensified the tension they've all felt inside as soon as they entered the room.
"Kurama," Lord Shoutaro started. "It wasn't a secret to me about who you are in the past. In fact, I was surprised that a time will come for me to meet a legendary demon like you. It didn't come to me ー not once ー that I would meet you in this situation. But I still want to ask this to you." He paused and faced the fox demon gravely. "Is it true that you want to ask for my granddaughter's hand in marriage?"
That question, however, caught everyone surprised. Even Shiori and Kazuya didn't expect that question. They never realized that the issue to be discussed in this meeting was something crucial and extremely important. But this didn't budge Kurama at all. He was still firm as he faced Lord Shoutaro.
"Yes, it's true," he answered firmly.
"Nonsense! The princess just turned 17 this month," someone from the guests blurted out sarcastically.
That made Kurama heave a sigh before continuing to speak. "I was planning on marrying Riya after her college graduation. I already talked this out to both her mother and her sister-in-law before. They gave me their blessings but they also said that I needed to at least have Shoutaro-sama's blessings with regards to this. And I agreed, that's why I'm here now."
"And how do you expect our Lord to believe in those words? To think it would come from a fox demon," the same person who blurted his opinion earlier did it again. Of course, a lot of people were enraged at that.
Kurama tried to keep his cool even after those words were said. Like what Haruna had said to him before, the other clan members' opinions weren't important in this one. As long as he could have Lord Shoutaro's blessing, it was more than enough. He then faced the said person and to his surprise, the old man had a small smile on his face but only for a short moment. Lord Shoutarou's face turned stoic and faced the person behind Kurama.
"Yukari-chan, if you don't mind," the old man said. Somehow, the blue-haired girl knew what it meant. With that, the girl flicked her fingers.
When Kurama turned around, he saw a white ball of light came out of a man's mouth and it flew to Yukari where the girl held it with care. Of course, that caused amazement ー not to mention fear ー to most of them there.
"One more disrespectful side comment like that without the clan lord's permission and you'll lose your voice forever," Yukari said sternly and sighed. "Only the people concerned in this issue should talk and that's final. If you know how to respectfully ask permission to talk, then do so."
Even Yukari can be this serious. I guess that's why she was called for this meeting, Kurama thought before facing Lord Shoutaro once again.
"I can tell that you're serious with your intentions, Kurama. To tell you the truth, you're not the first person who came to me and ask for my granddaughter's hand in marriage ー let alone court her. But Riya wasn't interested in any of them at all. For a long time, her heart was bound with the chains of the past and her duty to this family and to the three realms prevented her from expressing her true emotions to almost everyone. I thought it would go on forever. But when she decided to transfer someplace else after the Legendary Weapons chose their masters, everything about Riya started to change. But I think she started to break down her barriers when she met you, Kurama. My son Katsuo and my grandson Hiroto surely thought about the same thing. Thee knew you're worthy for my beloved granddaughter. For you to survive my son's trials was already enough for me to believe that," Lord Shoutaro said seriously. But for him to mention something about the trials surprised Kurama.
"Your son's trials? You mean the three trials that I went through during the course of our mission?"
Lord Shoutaro nodded. "Accepting my granddaughter and loving her no matter what you may find out about her, bearing the loneliness when she lost her memories but still love her no matter what as you find a way to retrieve it, and destroying her vengeful and ruthless personality ー Katsuo devised all of the trials related to her ever since he learned Riya's fate and destiny as the mistress of the Legendary Weapon Wielders. He wanted to ensure Riya's future to someone who could survive those trials ー to someone who could accept her completely without doubts, reluctance and pretense. You proved yourself to be that particular person, Kurama. I couldn't be more proud of you."
Kurama wanted to smile to show to the clan lord his gladness upon hearing all that. But he knew everything was far from over. He could feel it. As for the others who were there and heard everything, they couldn't say anything with regards to that.
"But still, I want to know something from you," Lord Shoutaro started again that made Kurama focus his attention to the old man. "How far will you go for the sake of my granddaughter, Kurama? I want your honest answer to this. However, in which way you answer this question, it won't change the decision I have right now with regards to your request."
All were surprised to hear that. Even Ritsuko and Haruna couldn't hide the stunned look on their faces. But they completely knew that the clan lord was serious about it. As for Kurama, though he was thoroughly thinking about his answer, he couldn't hide his worry with regards to the old man's last sentence. And yet, he was willing to take a risk. It was the only way for him to be with Riya. He had to do what he could.
The red head faced the old man somberly.
"When I first met Riya and I found out the truth about her connection to me five and a half years ago, I said to myself that I was willing to go as far as sacrificing my life just to ensure her safety. But our mission thought me something else with regards to that. None of us could stop the prophecy at the time and it only brought her so much suffering. That suffering forced her to sacrifice what was extremely important to her at the favor of bringing me back to life. I don't want something like that to happen to her again. Not anymore..." his voice trailed off. The could sense the pain in his voice and most of them ー the wielders and the team ー knew that Kurama remembered a painful memory. "Her sacrifice opened my eyes for me to realize how far would I go for her sake. Risking my life for her wasn't the answer that I have right now. I won't die. No matter what happens, I'll come back alive. To live and protect Riya until the end, that's what I'll make sure of. I've failed her once, I don't want to do it again. To live for her; that is my answer."
All eyes were on Kurama after he spoke tha answer. They couldn't hide their awe and amusement for the fox demon who spoke the answer firmly. It wasn't a surprise for Lord Shoutaro to see some of the guests enraged. Unknown to Kurama, those "some of the guests" happened to be Riya's previous suitors. Why previous? It was because Riya flatly rejected them before she transferred somewhere.
Lord Shoutaro let out a soft laugh that caught everyone's attention before facing Kurama at a small smile. "You never cease to amaze me, Kurama. I never realized that I'd be able to meet someone like you in this lifetime." After that, the old man faced Shiori. "Shiori, I'm so proud of you for raising such a son. His identity might have been a shock to you."
"No matter who he was before, he's still my Shuichi. He's my son and always will be. I want him to remember that," Shiori stated that made Kurama smile at her.
Lord Shoutaro smiled at Kurama. "Kurama, I might not have known you too well but I know my granddaughter will be happy with you. Her heart had been a little too picky when it comes to loving someone. But I can tell now that there's a reason for that. Her heart was waiting for someone like you. I'm glad that it was you, Kurama. I knew she made the right choice."
"Shoutaro-sama..."
To Kurama's surprise, Lord Shoutaro bowed deeply before he spoke. "Please take care of my granddaughter from now on. I'll entrust her to you." And then the old man returned to his sitting position after the others did the same thing he did which surprised the fox demon even more.
"Does that mean...?"
Lord Shoutaro nodded with a smile. "I give you my blessings, Kurama. I can only entrust her future to you ー just like how my son entrusted her future to the person who survived his trials."
Kurama bowed in front of the clan lord to express his gratitude. "Thank you so much!" He faced him with a smile on his face. Even the wielders and the team have smiles on their faces.
But then the gladness that surrounded that room faded when they heard someone suddenly yelled.
"I can't accept this!"
xxxxxx
I did state that only three chapters left before, right? It turns out, I didn't divide the chapters properly. Sorry. This is for real. Only three chapters left this time before this story ends. Chapter 57 will be titled "Conclusion". Chapter 58 is "Preparation" and the final chapter is "As Long As Have You".
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