I tell Aoi that we should go there at night since that is when the miasma is weak."Also it would be good if you brought something sweet. Do you have any leftover fruit from what we brought the other day?"

"Fruit?" Aoi repeated

"They are good against evil," I say

Aoi starts cooking with me. "Come to think of it, there was a time you gave me a dorayaki before. Could your favourite food be..." says Aoi

I interrupted her while I peeled a mango. "I do like dorayaki, but it's not my favourite. At any rate, dorayaki with fruit, huh? That's my wife for you."

Aoi retorted, "To think that you like helping me to cook... you're quite a strange ogre. "

When it was ready, we went to the entrance of the dragon palace.

"Yikes," said Aoi looking at all the purple flames.

"They're harmless. " I say, "Aoi. The place up ahead is full of miasma...What do you want to do?"

"I will go," she said, "Because the mermaid scale is there."

I hold her hand as we walk in.

"Is this the dragon palace?" Aoi asks

"No, this is just an entrance. We can see it now" as we walk further into the cave.

"How pretty," says Aoi looking at the palace.

"What strong miasma..." I say, seeing it ahead, steeling myself against it. "That cave earlier was nothing compared to this."

"What? Does it bother you, Master?" Asks Aoi worriedly.

"I grew up around miasma like this." I say, "That being said, I don't want to stay here long."

Aoi acted like she heard her name be called and then disappeared before me into the ground.

"Aoi!" I called to her, but somehow, I knew she was ok as I felt a gentleness like my old master before I had to put her down.

What concerned me was the sign of an evil ogre in the palace with all the skulls lying around. I had to figure out how to get through the barrier without destroying the palace.

When I got there, Aoi had found the mermaid scale and was being attacked by my evil brethren.

"I never thought that I'd be treated to a feast here," I heard it say, making my blood boil.

"What am I going to do?" Gasped Aoi worriedly "he's going to eat me!"

I got there in time and moved Aoi out of the ogre's way.

"Master!" Aoi said

"I'm sorry it took so long for me to get here, Aoi."

The other ogre was furious, not even recognising that she was marked as my bride by the Ai flame she carried. "You Bastard...Are you trying to snatch her?" It asked so twistedly.

"No wonder I felt a suspicious presence..." I say to Aoi.

"Let me eat that woman!"

I see an old spearhead on the ground, and I pick it up and stab him.

"You Bastard!" The old evil ogre says.

"Looks like you have abducted and eaten many children. "

"Let me eat her! Let me eat her!" It screams, digging its ogre nails into my shoulders."

"Sorry to say this after you have survived for so long, but this is it for you."

It laughs at me, not understanding "You're an ogre like me!"

Aoi says, "Master!" Now concerned for me.

My blood is boiling at the old ogre before me, and I use my ogre fire to end his life instantly. "An ogre who lived on the miasma of this place...he was the product of the southern land curse."

Aoi seeing my shoulders, gasps "You're bleeding from your shoulders!"

I laugh at her concern. "Oh...it's nothing. " I say, knowing that I will heal fast from a defeated ogre's wounds.

Aoi, still worried says, "Your fighting power must've been reduced by half because I clipped your fingernails!"

Wow, I wasn't expecting her to say that "Calm down. " I say to reassure her, "Clipping my fingernails wouldn't--"

Aoi continues to fret, "My towel is soaking wet with seawater! I can't treat your wounds like this!"

"Calm down, Aoi. I'm alright." I say, holding her hands while tears form in her eyes. "Aoi?"

"I'm sorry, master." She sobs.

I sigh. "Are you afraid of me, Aoi? Because I'm an ogre?"

"No!" She says, shaking her head "That's not it. It's because you're... so hurt...the shoulder wounds too, but... It's not just that... I felt something sad."

Realising that she had started to connect with me ..."Aoi..." I say and touch her face gently, wiping the tears from her eyes. I went to kiss her mouth, but I watched her eyes. At the last second, I changed to kiss her head. Deep down she still isn't ready for me. I want her completely prepared for me.

"Are you done crying?" I ask.

"I was so surprised, and then it was anticlimactic, so my tears stopped," said Aoi blushing. Then Aoi sneezed, so I took off my outer coat and covered her so she wouldn't get sicker.

"Let's go back now. This place is full of miasma." And walk towards the exit.

Aoi looked back at the throne. "I wonder if Princess Iso's corpse is still lying deep in there."

"She and Ougon-douji often used to make sarcastic remarks to each other and have tea. Those two were close." I say as we leave the temple.

We were walking the beach, and Aoi held the mermaid scale up to the moon, and she said, "I want to make the ceremony a success. I want Gingi-san and Ranmaru to return to how they used to be. " Aoi looked cold, so I covered her with my outer cloak.

"If that happens, " I say, "Ginji may no longer come back to Moonflower, you know." Pointing out the flaw in what she said, as I know she wants Ginji to return with us.

"Even so, I don't think that they should stay this way. Either way, if they keep snarling at each other, I feel like the ceremony won't succeed. I've decided. I'm going to cook the dishes made of Ocean treasure." Aoi said, looking at me determined.

"If that's what you have decided, then so be it." I acknowledge.

"Aren't you going say that's reckless and laugh?" Aoi questions.

I feel a little insulted; I don't think I have been like that... even though it is reckless, it is right. I answer seriously, "Actually, I think that Tenjin-ya should give them a hand with the ceremony from behind the scenes this time. "

"Master!" Says Aoi sounding grateful.

"We do have a history with Orio-ya, but what is a husband for if he doesn't support his wife's determination?"

Aoi looked pleased by my statement and then asked me, "Please have Tenjin-ya help."

I look at her, surprised that she would ask formally, and nod. "I'll go back to Tenjin-ya first."

I walk her back to the old kitchen area, and she returns my cloak to me. I watch her walk up the stairs and leave for Tenjin-ya to organise my guests and staff to come back here to Orio-ya.

Ginji wrote, saying that Ranmaru agreed to let Aoi cook the dishes of Ocean Treasure as Umi-bouzu was getting sick of the same food. He wasn't happy about it.

I wrote back saying Support Aoi in her endeavours. It will be fine.

I get back, "Yes, master!" I smile, knowing that Ginji will support Aoi in this now.