Haru's Love

Uncle Jin said, "You see, Aiden-san, you're an important piece of the puzzle in my nephews' lives." He chuckled. "Oh, now you think I'm talking gibberish. But I'm serious, Aiden-san. Haru needs you. I would say to the extent that he won't survive without you." He paused, a frown appearing across his face. "Not just you, but your other brothers, too, Noah-kun, Mason-kun, and to a certain extent, Isaac-kun."

Aiden was getting confused. Yes of course, he knew that Haru loved their brothers, but to the extent that he wouldn't survive without them? That was just bullshit.

"Can you please come with me, Aiden-san?" Uncle Jin said, rising from his seat.

Aiden had no choice but to follow the man, who was already heading out the door.

At the corridor, Uncle Jin opened a door. "My office."

Aiden nodded and followed the man in.

The room was beautiful and neat, with a great view of the lake and mountain in the distance.

Uncle Jin said, "See that mural there?"

Aiden turned his attention to see a beautiful Japanese mural on the wall. It was of a beautiful girl, with long, silky black hair and pale skin wearing numerous layers of colorful kimonos. Surrounding her were some sort of spiritual animals—a golden dragon, silver fox, white snake, and black cat.

"That's a beautiful piece," Aiden said.

"Hm." Uncle Jin nodded. "It belonged to our family, the Onos. It dates back to the Heian era, the exact year is around 1058 AD. Ono Haruka, the girl in the mural, she is the family's first Shrine Maiden."

Aiden turned to look at Uncle Jin. "The Shrine Maiden is real?"

Uncle Jin chuckled. "No one believes in things like that anymore, but yes, the Onos' Shrine Maiden is very real. And those four sacred animals, they're spiritual beings. Guardians of the Shrine Maiden." He turned to Aiden and asked, "Do you ever wonder why Sana, my young sister, moved to America to marry your father when she only met him twice, Aiden-san?"

His father and stepmother had only met twice before deciding to get married? He didn't know that.

Aiden shook his head.

Uncle Jin said, "Sana, you see, was trapped. She wanted to save her sons, Reo and Haru. She wanted to free them. Well, Reo more or less has his own freedom, though very limited, but Haru…"

He turned to look at Aiden. "It looks like I should tell you a story, Aiden-san." He moved over to sit on the sofa. "Ah, that's better."

Aiden did the same and came to sit on the armchair opposite the old man.

Uncle Jin said, "Back in the Heian era, our ancestors supposedly formed a contract with the four guardians."

Aiden said, "The dragon, fox, snake, and cat."

He nodded. "In exchange, we must offer them one of our children. She must be beautiful, and beauty in the Heian era is nothing other than silky black hair, alabaster skin, and an exquisite face that has the power to bring men to their knees. They gave the girl the title of Shrine Maiden. Under the contract, the Shrine Maiden is trapped to live with them for all eternity, or so the legend goes."

Though the tale seemed farfetched, Aiden was intrigued.

Uncle Jin continued, "When the Shrine Maiden died, for she is human, after all, another would be born to replace her. Her soul and her power continue in another child's body. It's called reincarnation, Aiden-san."

Aiden said, "Are you implying that Haru is really a Shrine Maiden of your family?"

Uncle Jin nodded. "A Shrine Maiden in our family brings wealth and prosperity. Do you know that the Onos were one of the most powerful families in all of Japan, Aiden-san? That is, until the Shrine Maiden disappeared."

Aiden said, "When Haru moved to America."

Uncle Jin nodded.

Aiden said, "You mention Mom Sana wanted to save Reo and Haru?"

"Yes," Uncle Jin said. "She did and she succeeded. You see, the Onos are horrible at treating their most prized possession, their Shrine Maiden that has the power to bring them wealth. They kept her existence a secret, hidden away from the world. Sana and her sons, you see, were made to live in a small village near the mountains, cut off from modern civilization. Their every move was monitored. They had no freedom. They were…prisoners of their own family."

Aiden said, "Are you saying you're not Reo and Haru's only relative?"

Uncle Jin shook his head. "Far from it. The Onos are a big clan, Aiden-san. But since the Shrine Maiden's disappearance, the family has broken apart, businesses failed, and the Ono clan is no more. Ten years, it only took ten years for everything to be destroyed." The man chuckled. "But deep down, I'm glad Sana managed to escape and took her sons with her, because they were no longer prisoners of their own bloodline. I cut ties with the Onos after Sana left and started my own business here, from scratch. Of course, I kept in contact with Sana because we were close, and eventually, Reo. Your father and I planned her escape together, you see. He fell in love with Sana at first sight when he met her all those years ago."

That was right, Aiden thought, he remembered their father traveling to Japan for a business trip on two occasions, and he and his brothers had a stay-at-home housekeeper to look after them. When he had returned the second time, it was to announce that they'd be getting a new mother, as well as two brothers.

"See here," their father said, showing them a photo of three people—a beautiful Japanese woman, a teenage boy, and a little boy.

Back then, the moment Aiden had seen Haru's adorable face, he felt drawn to the boy and had felt that he could love this boy for the rest of his life.

"Sana's first husband," Uncle Jin's voice drew Aiden's attention back to the present, "a distant relative, was dead a year after Haru was born. The last time I saw Haru and Reo had been at the airport ten years ago. Haru had been very sick, but of course, that's normal. The Shrine Maiden usually has a weak body but strong spiritual power."

Haru had a weak body and fell sick easily. Could this explain why?

Uncle Jin said, "I don't expect you to believe what I've just told you, Aiden-san. I know myself that it's farfetched, the tale, but I've seen it firsthand, the existence of the Shrine Maiden and what her guardians can do."

Aiden said, "You speak of guardians, which are spiritual beings. If Haru is truly a Shrine Maiden and he has four guardians with him, why have I never felt anything? We've lived together for ten years."

Uncle Jin smiled, his eyes twinkling. "You believe the guardians to be some spiritual creatures just floating around the Shrine Maiden?" He shifted his gaze to look at the mural on the other side of the wall. "They're not."