Happy Marriage

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A long time ago, some families had the power to fight ghosts and evil spirits. In a small village, a small baby was born into one of these families; the baby’s name was **Ouka**. Ouka's mother and father’s marriage was forced by their families. When Ouka was 3 years old, her mother died. Ouka's father then married another woman. Ouka’s stepmother had a daughter named **Sachi**.

Sachi and her mother troubled Ouka a lot and used to beat her very badly. They made her do all the housework because she had no powers, while Sachi could see ghosts. Ouka would cry every day and go through a lot of trouble. She used to think, "Why don't I just die?" and she just waited for her death. Time passed, and everyone in her house troubled her—her stepmother, her dad, and even her sister. She lived in the house like a servant, even though she was from a high-status family. Ouka was exhausted; she had given up and lost all hope. She thought she might never get any happiness again.

Now both sisters were of marriageable age. Ouka was doing the housework like every other day, and there was a stillness on her face; it seemed like she had forgotten how to laugh. Her stepmother had thrown away all of her mother’s memories. There was a tree belonging to her mother, and they cut that down too. She wore torn clothes and used a broken comb. Her condition was worse than that of the servants. She suffered torture every day; her stepmother and Sachi would boss her around. The poor girl obeyed silently; even without any mistake, she was beaten and given very harsh punishments. She felt that she would probably never live a good life.

Poor Ouka thought about when death would come to set her free from them: "I can't bear this anymore." Every day, Ouka would cry remembering her mother and then fall asleep. In her dreams, she saw everything that her stepmother, her sister Sachi, and her dad had done to her. She would wake up and feel scared, yet she obeyed every command of her family. Now, she had no hope of living. She was very beautiful, but she never got a chance to work on herself. She wore torn, old clothes and did every task without any complaint.

Her family threw her out of the house. Poor Ouka kept crying and begging for mercy, but no one listened to her. While Ouka was wandering and crying, she met **Arata**. Arata was very powerful, kind-hearted, and handsome. He was a very good person at heart and very rich too. He was a great ghost hunter, but people called him a "Satan," stone-hearted, and cruel. Ouka was terrified.

Arata took Ouka with him to his house. Arata took care of her and gave her food, but Ouka was scared because he was a brave ghost hunter. He told his maid to take care of her. Ouka would wake up early in the morning, cook food, and do the housework. Arata started liking her; he gave her new clothes and some gifts. Ouka realized that people misunderstood Arata.

Arata asked Ouka for marriage, and Ouka said "Yes." But Ouka didn't know what a family was really like. Ouka wouldn't tell Arata anything, no matter how much trouble or fear she was in. Arata found out about her past and learned what had happened to her in her childhood. Arata asked Ouka, "Do you have any problems?" Ouka said, "Everything is fine." Ouka was feeling lonely, so Arata hugged her.

The next morning, Arata went to work. Ouka said "Bye" to him and went inside the house. After some time, Ouka’s family took her back because Ouka’s powers were waking up. Her family troubled her a lot and kept her tied with a rope. When Arata came home, he saw that Ouka was not there and got worried. He understood that her family had taken her. There, Ouka was screaming that she wanted to go to Arata, but they wouldn't listen. They beat her badly so she would stay and use her powers to make them rich. Ouka refused them, saying, "I will never leave Arata."

Then Arata arrived there; he defeated Ouka’s family and took Ouka with him. Ouka was badly hurt and unconscious. Arata brought her home, bandaged her wounds, gave her medicine, and took great care of her. He looked after her all night and slept right next to her. Ouka saw how much Arata cared for her. Ouka became happy; happiness returned to her life. After a very long time, Ouka laughed.

Ouka thought about making a gift for Arata. She made a beautiful ring with a lot of hard work, but she was scared to give it to Arata. Ouka was a bit shy, but with great effort, she gave the ring to Arata. Arata was also a bit shy and felt very happy. He said to Ouka, "This is very beautiful." Ouka was happy because, until today, no one had ever praised her.

Ouka was very happy. Arata told Ouka about his childhood—that since he was small, he didn't like his parents. Arata said, "I have always lived alone, away from my house." Ouka asked, "Why don't you like your parents?" Arata said, "Since childhood, my parents made me feel like I was their puppet—that I must do whatever they say. That’s why I live here, far away." Ouka held Arata’s hand and said, "I will be with you forever." Arata became happy; there were tears of joy in his eyes.

The next day, Arata went to work. Ouka was alone at home. She thought, "I should start studying." In the evening, Arata came home, and Ouka welcomed him. Ouka gave Arata food and said, "I want to study." Arata said, "Okay, I know someone who can teach you." Ouka was happy. The next day, a beautiful girl arrived. Arata said to Ouka, "This is my big sister, her name is **Banri**. She will teach you from today."

Ouka was happy and thanked Arata. Then Banri said, "Wow, what a lovely sister-in-law I have!" Banri told Ouka, "Don't worry, you will learn everything slowly." Banri was cheerful and bubbly; she explained things to Ouka like a big sister. Banri said to Ouka, "Arata has always been alone; he doesn't know how to talk to others. Don't leave him alone."

On the other side, a big trouble was waiting for Arata. Someone had opened a grave, and clouds of danger loomed over the whole city. Everything now depended on Arata and his team to end this trouble. This time, thousands of ghosts attacked together, causing harm to many people. Whoever fought them got injured. Arata had a lot of work now; he even came home late.

Now, Ouka and Arata spoke less. Ouka was also studying with all her heart; she wanted to become worthy of Arata and give it her all. Arata apologized to Ouka and said, "Ouka, please forgive me. I am not able to spend time with you now. Please forgive me." Ouka said, "It’s okay, I can understand how much work you have. Give your best to your work and take care of yourself."

Arata happily stroked Ouka’s head. Ouka felt shy, and her face turned red. Arata asked, "What happened?" Ouka said, "Nothing, just take care of yourself." Then Arata went to work. All day, Ouka kept thinking, "What happened to me then? Why did my heartbeat get so fast?" Arata came home in the evening, and Ouka felt shy and turned red. Arata asked, "What happened?" Ouka said, "Nothing."

Then Ouka gave Arata food and they talked a bit. Ouka kept feeling happy remembering what happened in the morning. Arata asked her repeatedly, "What happened?" but Ouka shyly said, "Nothing." Ouka and Arata went to sleep. While Ouka was sleeping, she had a dream where she was near her mother's tree, and her mother said, "Well done my daughter, you did it!"

Ouka woke up from her sleep. Just then, Arata came and said, "Are you okay, Ouka?" But Ouka was nervous; she felt something strange. Ouka said, "I am fine." Then Ouka went back to sleep but she was scared. Arata knew Ouka was in trouble, so he stayed right there.

The next morning, Ouka felt a bit tired. Then Banri came and said, "We won't study today." Banri told her, "I got married at the age of 17. I didn't know what to do to save that marriage. I didn't know how to cook; my mother-in-law used to scold me a lot, but my husband would explain things to me and teach me. One day, my mother-in-law scolded me so much that my husband and I had a fight and we separated. If I knew how to cook like you, Ouka, we would be together today, living our lives happily. Anyway, leave it Ouka, I have regrets."

On the other side, Ouka’s sister Sachi was working in others' houses because they had lost everything in that fight. Ouka didn't know she had such power that could create a new world and change this world entirely, but Ouka was unaware of this power.

Arata came home and said, "We are going out tomorrow, just the two of us." Arata could feel how dangerous Ouka's power was. Arata had found out who opened the grave—it was all done by their old King to kill Arata and Ouka, but he wasn't successful. Ouka's power had stopped him. The King was also afraid of that power, which is why he took such a step.

Arata now slept with Ouka. The next morning, they both went out and had a lot of fun. Ouka gave Arata a flower and said, "Thank you, Arata, for bringing happiness into my life." Arata and Ouka returned home and went to sleep, but they didn't know that someone was waiting for them—someone who would change the very definition of fear.

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