A/N: I am redoing all chapters, (just fixing some grammar mistakes and bla bla bla.) at least until I'm motivated to continue the story again. Going to change story title too.. Lol.

Warnings: Genderbend.

Disclaimer: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago and the characters, but the OC belongs to me. ಠ_ಠ

Summary: It's summer! The Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol – or more like Kiyotsugu decided to head to Kyoto to do some 'independent' research on youkai, of course, he dragged the others along.

But Kyoto was very dangerous. Reika had to head back home to ask her grandfather about it first. But instead letting her go to Kyoto, Reika was sent to Tōno instead.

"Ahh~ Summer~ I would love to just float like this to somewhere~" Kappa mumbled as he let his eyes flutters close. The kappa hummed softly as his flipper like hands rested on the back of his head.

Hearing no response from the young heiress of the Nura clan, he stopped and opened the slit of his eyes. Kappa threw a glance towards the brunette haired girl – it seemed like her thoughts were absent at that time.

The boy swam a bit closer towards Reika, the young heiress. Later on, he rested his hands at the back of his head once again.

"Are you worried? About the girl I meant" Kappa mumbled, but it was loud enough to grab the girl's attention.

She shifted her mahogany optics to look at him before she let out a rather deep sigh. Reika squeezed the rope in her hand, keeping the pail that was consisted with a watermelon from drifting away.

"I wonder what could be happening in Kyoto now." She grumbled, loud enough to let her water companion to hear her.

The boy with a white plate over his raven head; that looks exactly like a cracked eggshell blinked in curiosity. He had less idea on what the girl was implying. Though, Kappa could read the tense atmosphere surrounding the young heiress. She was clearly worried.

What happened between them and Yura's brother was surprising enough, and now Yura had to hurry back to Kyoto because 'something had happened' amongst the onmyōji.

As Reika drifted into her deep thought, yet again – a voice greeted her from the back.

"Oi! Nura-chan~! We went to your house and they said you're here!"

"K-Kiyotsugu-kun!" Shocked, the girl yelped and shot up dramatically upon hearing the voice. The earlier rope accidentally slipped from her hand, but luckily, Kappa caught it before he dived down to hide from the young heiress's friends.

Kiyotsugu, along with the other members of the Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol approached Reika. The boy was rambling about an 'independent research' and about Yura who had return to her hometown.

"People! Think about it! 'Summer Vacation Independent Research Kyoto'! Can you really say you're not going?" The squad's leader said, getting all worked up, forcing the other members to agree with him.

"On the contrary! There's no way you're not going, right, Nura-chan?" He said again as he turned back to look at his friend.

Reika stared into the empty space, thinking. Should she, or shouldn't she tag along with them? Kiyotsugu looked at his friend's solemn face with anticipation – while the other tilted their head in confusion.

"I..." a word could be heard, breaking the silence.

"– I'll let you know after I ask my grandpa about it!" She replied cheerfully and waved, before turning around to walk away quickly.

The squad members were left, confused. Questions started to pop in their head, one by one.

"..Huh? Her grandpa?"

"Probably because we will be staying for a few night..?" asked Torii, the girl with jet black hair that was pony-tailed to her back.

-n wn-

The young heiress wondered around in the traditional Japanese mansion to look for her grandfather, the supreme commander, Nurarihyon. She was wearing her black yukata, a long, dark blue haori hanging on her shoulder.

The girl perked her head inside the altar room, just to see her grandfather sitting by the altar while fiddling with his old pipe.

'Ah, here he is.' She thought. "Oh Grandpa!" She greeted and started pacing closer towards her grandfather.

"What is it, Reika?" He asked.

"Grandpa... I was thinking of... going to Kyoto." She replied, shuffling forward again, but stopped as Nurarihyon threw a sharp glance towards the girl.

"Reika, do you want to die?" he replied.

Reika stepped to the back slightly, just to notice that her grandfather had disappeared from her sight. 'Wha?' the young heiress turned shifted her glance to the back – it was then, Nurarihyon clicked his tongue.

"You were scared" He said as he get to Reika's side, kicking her stomach; which had set her flying outside the room, straight into the pond where Kappa normally relaxed in.

'W-when did he?' She groaned to herself.

"You little fool, you can't even dodge an old man's kick. Going to Kyoto would mean going to your own death."

It was nightfall as he spoke. Reika's transformed into her night form as she tried to get up from the pond. She groaned as she placed her hand on her stomach, her wet, long white and black locks fell gracefully on her shoulder.

"What the hell was that for, old man?" She protested.

'In a fight between ayakashi, it's a struggle of Fear'

-n wn-

"Hn..? Tsu-chan.. I left my dirty cloth over there..." She mumbled, half awake.

Her left eye was half-lidded. She brought up her right hand to rub her right eye. There was someone staring at her with a creepy grin.

'WAIT WHAT?' Reika jolted and sat up quickly. She was trying to regain what had happened last time, and where was she – though she was more curious on WHY, she was placed in a big bowl.

'What were they doing? Trying to eat me?' She thought – still surprised. What the hell is this place exactly?

"You're finally up? You're one troublesome apprentice!" Said one of the big youkai.

'Apprentice?' She thought again, just to have the bowl she was sitting in kicked by the youkai.

"Go and greet Akagappa-sama!"

The young heiress grumbled as she walked outside towards the river, remembering what had happened earlier today. Reika held up a basket full of EVERYONE'S dirty clothes, and leaped over the rocks by the riverbanks to get up to the drying area.

"WAH!" she yelped, accidentally, the girl had stepped on a moss – which was obviously slippery. Reika tried to regain her balance, but it was to no avail.

The laundry fell off her hand, whist the back of her head was bumped against the rock.

The young heiress grunted out of pain. Rubbing her head, she clicked her tongue out of annoyance.

"Oww... Crap, I just washed those…" She grumbled to herself. Reika stood up whilst picking up the earlier clean clothes... seemed like she need to wash this – again.

"Hey, newbie. I'm leaving this here, get it washed!" a Tōno Youkai appeared, leaving another sack of stinky clothing for the young heiress to wash.

Reika turned around to face the other whilst listening to him complaining about how she couldn't get simple chores done.

"Hey, why must I be the one who do this? Out of everyone out there?" the girl complained.

"Hah? Your grandfather sent you out here. He said, `She wants to die. Get some discipline into my fool granddaughter. Use her however you please` " replied him halfheartedly.

'That... stinkin old man...'

"We're really shorthanded here~ so this is really helping us out~ Well, I'll leave it to you then." the Tōno Yokai replied shortly after that.

"JUST HANG ON A SECOND!" the young heiress yelled to get the Tōno Yokai's attention.

"Why's the washing area... so INSANELY far away from the drying area?" She yelled out of dissatisfaction while pointing towards the area over the hill.

"Well, you see, not only is the village's full of smoke, but there aren't many places reached by the sunlight. And even those places are full of spirit energies" the yokai explained.

'Now that I think about it, it's afternoon, but I'm still a youkai...' She thought whilst staring at her palm. 'Damn it.'

After she hung all the laundy, she leaped down the steeps, towards the washing area once again to continue washing the remainder of those dirty clothes that had just arrived not long ago. She squatted and held the wooden plate with her left hand; right hand was used to scrub the fabrics against the plate.

"Laundry sure is pain in the ass..." She grunted to herself. Suddenly, a flash of Tsurara, the Yuki Onna's face appear in her head.

'It's pretty hard. ...Tsurara, you were always happy to do it for me...' she thought.

"..."

Suddenly, an idea snapped in her head.

'Alright... I'm out of here.'

Less that she knew – this idea was the stupidest idea ever.

'As if I could do this stuff... and no one's looking anyway.' She thought as she started to run sneakily, reaching the edge of a cliff. Reika spotted a long, hanged wooden bridge connecting Tōno and the other side. She grinned – thinking it was her victory.

Though, as she stepped on the 'bridge', it disappeared from her sight. The heiress yelped out of surprise, trying to grasp on anything to prevent her from falling down the – who knew how deep the gap was.

'Crap! It's an illusion?'

"You're sure very stupid… We already told you there are no way you could leave this village," said a mysterious voice. He threw his two sickles, forming a shockwave that peeled the tree barks – which was instantly, weaved together into a large web.

"It's a good thing you were being watched by me, Kamaitachi no Itaku."

The young heiress landed safely on her butt, thanks to the guy who had saved her earlier.

"You really don't know anything about the village of Tōno, do you?" the spiked haired boy climbed down the tree branch he was standing on earlier.

Standing in front of the young heiress, the kamaitachi turned around slightly. It seemed like he was losing his composure. I guess you could blame Reika for that.

The boy, who had introduced himself as Kamaitachi no Itaku, shoved the sickles into the carrier on his back. Clearing his throat, he shot a sharp glance towards the girl once again.

As he was approaching her, Reika carefully crawled through – on the webs of tree barks. Her ruby optics were scanning at each webs to crawl on, fearing the fact that she might fall if she wasn't careful enough.

Reika was near the edge, but then – her legs started to play some tricks. The girl slipped into a surprisingly stupid position; her left leg was trapped in the web, whilst her upper body fell, face first on the ground.

"You're sure stupid." He grunted as he reached out for the web around the young heiress's leg, ripping them to free the other's leg.

"Thanks, I really owe you one right there" the young heiress said awkwardly, standing up as she straightened her clothing.

The boy raised his head, his brown optics were following her every movement. Eventually, Itaku turned around. Letting a deep sigh escaped his lips, he spoke.

"This is a 'Hidden Village', you could say the village itself is a yokai. If you don't have the power to sever fear, you will never leave this place for the rest of your life." He explained while walking away.

For some reason, the heiress felt like she should follow the kamaitachi. She didn't know herself, but she was certain that this guy could help in – whatever the severing fear skill he meant.

"Uh wait! Kamaitachi or whatever you name was... What was that you said just now? The power to sever fear?"

The boy shot a glance over his shoulder slightly, turning around to face her later on.

"That's what I said! But wait, you still plan on running? Are you some kind of moron? That's impossible for you right now" he added. Reika pouted – she understood where he was coming at.

'I see... So this is why you made me stuck out here, old man.'

"Oi! Wait a minute Kamaitachi!" She yelled as the kamaitachi jumped up, leaping from a branch to another swiftly, leaving her behind.

"You should do the laundry first. I'm going to practice." He stated.

"Please teach me the skills you just performed earlier!" Reika grumbled, trying to keep behind the kamaitachi's trail.

It was then, Itaku stopped on his track. The young heiress followed right after and stepped on a branch to stop, though it was barely. Reika was literally flailing to keep herself balanced.

"Idiot." the kamaitachi murmured to himself whilst jerking the obi around Reika's waist to the back, saving the young heiress from an embarrassing fall – again.

Reika perked her head up as her butt had landed on the branch – what the hell is this place? Served in front of her eyes, a big training ground, made out of large tree trunks. The training grounds were divided equally into 4 parts, or so she thought; each part have enough space for the Tōno Yokai to train.

"This's the widest of the few practice battlegrounds in Tono" explained Itaku.

The heiress's ruby optics shifted to one of the battleground, whereas a kappa and amanojaku were facing each other. Claws and Sword met, the two warriors looked like they were fighting with all their might, but Itaku said that they're just using their ordinary moves as they were just warming up.

'You called this ordinary?' Thought her.

"The real battle starts here. See, Amezou is activating his fear."

"Uoh!" the heiress yelped from the sudden air pressure created by the Kappa. She has a priceless shocked face on her face right now. Probably surprised. The Kamaitachi looks at her and laughs sarcastically.

"Idiot! You're overdoing it! This is what 'Fear' is. Too much trouble to explain in words." Itaku said, not bothering to explain further.

Both of them stepped down off the branch to get a closer look on the training. Eventually, the numa-kappa stopped and looked at the unfamiliar face. He blinked a few times with a question in his head.

"Itaku, who's that girl..? Oh, She's a new face?" the green Numa-kappa asked.

"That's her right? The girl that Itaku being instructed to teach." said a pink haired girl, the Yuki Onna, Reira.

Upon hearing this, the kamaitachi's cheek flushed deep shade of pink.

"You idi – don't tell her!" He yelled.

The rest introduced themselves towards the newbie they've just met. They were surprised that the heiress of the infamous Nura Clan would be training here, alongside them. Reika smiled and bowed slightly towards them, showing a slight gesture of politeness.

"But now, she doesn't even know how to use 'fear'" Itaku snorted sarcastically.

The others turned to look at the future successor of the Nura Clan, disbelieved from the kamaitachi's claim. She placed a hand on her waist, trying to remember what her grandfather used to tell her when she was little.

"Challenge accepted. If you meant the activation of fear, I can do it."

-n wn-

The young heiress changed into the clothes that Reira gave her earlier, yellow furisode with an orange scarf. To put it bluntly, it fitted her pretty well. She took the bokutou from Awashima, holding it in her hand whilst walking into the battleground.

"what's with that get up?" Asks the Numa-kappa.

"It's pitiful seeing her in battleground with just sleeping cloth, so I lend her some clothing." Reira replied whilst covering her mouth with a hand, giggling softly.

Itaku, on the other hand, was pretty much astounded by the unspoken beauty of the young heiress. He realized that his cheek had turned hot slightly, but he chose to ignore it knowing the others would make fun of him if he started showing his interest into Reika.

"Show what you got," Itaku challenged.

The ¼ youkai's eyes fluttered close. Holding the hilt of her bokutou in her two hands, trying to remember what her grandfather used to tell her as she tried to calm down.

'Come on grandpa...' thought her. This was actually a battle for her pride as the successor of the Nura Clan. She didn't want the others to look down on the female yakuza, just because she lack experience.

'Meikyou Shisui'

Everyone, even Itaku were surprised that the heiress had suddenly disappear from their sight. Was this… Nurarihyon's fear? Awashima and Reira went into a defensive mode; they were taken by Reika's fear.

"Stop! It's me who's battling her!" Itaku yelled.

'I can remember how the old man did this. If there was a way to activate fear, this must be it.' She thought to herself.

"Activating fear's, Hatsu. Transfer, Hyoui!"

Upon hearing this, her ruby eyes widened from the changes in the Kamaitachi's eyes – noticing the fear that was being concentrated on his sickles.

#SLASH BANG

Loud slashing and thud could be heard from behind her. She turned around, but stopped as she felt some sharp pain on her shoulders. She was dumbfounded by the strength of the Kamaitachi. She fell on her knees, her fingers were balled into a fist, whilst her left hand were covering the wound on her shoulder.

"You're overdoing it Itaku!"

"Are you trying to destroy the training ground again?" Reira sighed, though she was not surprised by the 'usual' damage that Itaku had done.

"Without this... I can't defeat those guys at Kyoto!" the young heiress said. The others turned around and looked at her in surprise.

'Kyoto?' Itaku thought.

"Please, teach me that!" She asked, with some hint of desperation in her tone. Deep frown had formed on her face.

Itaku glanced down towards the desperate young heiress. What made Reika so willing to take a risk to go to Kyoto? He didn't questioned anything, though he was amazed by the girl's determination.

"Looks like you're willing to die trying. Can you do it?" the kamaitachi questioned. He wondered, how far could her determination bring her?

"Compared to going there and dying as a weakling, this is no big deal. I'm willing to stake my life going to battle in Kyoto.." Replied her.

He smirked upon hearing her declaration. Closing his eyes whilst lending the heiress a hand, he sighed. He might be merciless as a trainer, respecting the other as a woman – or a girl would be a must, as there were no warrior that should let a girl kneeling before them.

"Very well."

-n wn-

"She can't do that in one full day. She's just isn't good at that, isn't she?" Dohiko the Futtachi complained as they were outside the main house, sitting in the garden, eating.

"She's full of cuts." Reira replied whilst setting a tray with drinks next to Amezou.

Yukari in the other hand, had set the tray with onigiri next to Reika before sitting next to her. They were basically sitting on the garden's rocks, in a somewhat straight line, eating their supper while taking a breather after a long training session.

The young heiress leaned to the back slightly, sighing deeply as a sign, 'This day is finally over.'

"Ah! Amezou! You took Reika's part!" gasped Reira as she noticed there was no onigiri left on the tray.

The surprised Numa-kappa jolted in surprise, incidentally dropped the onigiri he was holding in his hand onto the sand ground. Reika blinked.

"Ah, it's okay! I'm still full anyway!" She replied.

As if it was a perfect timing like those in manga and anime, her empty stomach growled soon after. It was then, someone had shoved her side slightly – trying to get her attention. She turned around, just to see the kamaitachi holding out the second onigiri of his own part to the heiress.

She didn't refused. She took the offer silently, though she had smiled awkwardly as a thank you.

The two of them seemed like they refused to look at each other. Both of them had those soft red shade, smeared on their cheeks. Awashima and Reira noticed the suspicious behaviour of those two, they just decided to ignore it.

"Spring is coming~" Awashima sang with a slight hint of sarcastic could be heard in her tone – to Itaku's ears at least.

"Spring? Isn't it Summer already?" Asked the innocent, young heiress.

The female Awashima bursted into laughter. She shook her head as a gesture that it was nothing to be bothered about – though he had never stopped laughing.

"Those skills really aren't easy to pick up in one day huh." Reika mumbled. Ignoring the confusion in her head from the earlier confusion whilst eating her onigiri.

"Really? I mastered it when I was five. And we're all youkai, certainly it's in our nature." the Numa-kappa replied rather triumphantly.

"R-really..?" She said, or more like muttered – disbelieved.

"So, what does Reika-chan want to achieve by going to Kyoto anyway?" the Yuki Onna asks.

"They said the 'feared one' has been reincarnated, the place would be dangerous!"

"Yeah... Dangerous for Yura at least."

"Yura? A woman?"

"Is she pretty?"

"Uhm, she's so-so."

"That girl endangered herself to save me, though there's another reason too..."

"D-dad..." Young Reika shivered, shocked to see the frail side of father – collapsing before her eyes.

Rihan was a very good father. He had spoiled Reika a lot and taught her a lot of stuff. He was the one who had brought the Nura Clan to the Golden Age in the Edo period.

The strongest youkai.

"Hm, what's this? I thought I have cursed his bloodline that he could never have a child."

Her eyes widened, taking few steps back as a young – black haired girl started to approach her.

"Another one with a human." the girl clicked her tongue as a sign of annoyance.

"Run Reika!"

Young Reika's memories were fabricated, barely she could remember what had happened...

She was a child, yet she knew –

She had lost someone who was very important to her.

"Hagoromo Kitsune..."

-n wn-

"That face, no matter how hard I'm trying to forget, I just couldn't. My worst memory..."

Reika who was leaping over the slimy rocks along the riverbanks stopped on her tracks as she heard this. He ruby optics shifted to look at the three males in front of her. She has no idea who they were.

"Huh?" the young heiress looks at the older male with longer, grey hair. She didn't understand where he was coming at.

Reika's eyes widened. She jumped to the back in reflect as she felt a threatening figure approached. She dodged that safely, but what if she didn't? She might be dead, from being crushed.

"Who're you? You're the child who was born with that princess? ...No wait..., I don't feel a 400 years presence from you." Namely Kidoumaru, the older Kyoto Yokai said.

"Ah, you're the grandchild? The age should be near," added him.

Reika took a step to her back, she knew if she wasn't careful enough – she would be dead.

"That won't do. Everyone's fear is different." Said the kamaitachi, who was holding his two sickle in his hands, looking at the heiress who was hanging in the net made out of tree barks.

"Converting fear into a skill requires you to make use of the special attribute available only to your type of youkai." the Kamaitachi explained.

"Kappa's skill involving water, and Yuki Onna manipulate materialized ice and snow," added him as he towards the battleground, whereas Amezou and Awashima were training.

Amezou crossed his arms into those infamous Ultraman handsign – water flowed out from it, hitting Awashima directly. Awashima was of course, not amused.

"So, what kind of youkai is the Nurarihyon?" the Zashiki-warashi, Yukari asked.

Reika stared into the space whilst the other two were anticipating her answer.

"Nurarihyon... Is a youkai that goes into people's houses unnoticed and drinks their tea. He's also the supreme commander of youkai." She explained, sounding rather confident with the answer.

She knew it wasn't. She barely had any idea – about Nurarihyon. About her own grandfather.

The bobbed haired girl stares at her, with a confused face.

"I find it hard to understand." She said.

The kamaitachi crossed his arms, and stared at the young heiress, slightly annoyed by her answer.

"That's ambiguous! You're kidding, right?" he spat. Her explanation didn't made grasping her attribute any easier.

"It's not my fault. I'm not kidding!" She replied, half annoyed herself.

'In the blood of Nurarihyon runs a true identity.'

'Remember it. You've seen it once Reika!'

Reika's hand quickly searched for something that she could use to fight. Converting her eyes towards the river, her hand accidentally nudged a large wooden stick.

The young heiress got distracted. She had spotted something else.

'This is...!' She thought.

#Slash!

Not noticing the slashing sound, the young hairess's mind had flown somewhere else. Itaku, the Kamaitachi had come to save her – yet again.

"What are you trying to do? Listen, if you mess with our land, Mr. Kyo Youkai..."

"You will be killed." Itaku warned. The three Kyoto Youkai seemed to not know where they belong.

"Wait, Itaku..." Reika nudged the boy, his expression seemed to loosen up a bit. He glanced to the side slightly to look at the young heiress.

"He... is my foe." the young heiress said whilst pulling the wooden stick, which was stucked in between the river's rocks for who knows how long.

She stood up, staring straight into Kidomaru's eyes. She held the wooden stick up, treating it as a replacement for her Nenekirimaru.

"I remember it now... Kyoka Suigetsu."

The Kamaitachi had the sickle bitten at his mouth, gave his full attention towards Reika now. He noticed that the feeling that the young heiress submitted wasn't fear, but something completely different.

He was interested to see, what the young heiress had just learnt.

The larger youkai leaped and spun around, using his technique to murder the young Nurarihyon heiress. His claw had cut through her – but... She disappeared.

The other Kyo Youkai went right behind Reika, slaying his knife right to the heiress's head – but again, it cut through her. They were intimidated by her skill. It was because, they could sense her presence, but they couldn't even lay a finger on her.

Kidoumaru on the other hand, knew this trick. He knew that the other two wouldn't stand any chance with their current condition. Just then, he detected the young heiress who had charged towards the two Kyoto Youkai fast – taking them down with the deadly weapon; the tree branch.

A strong aftershock from the attack could be felt by the veteran. He was surprised. To think that such young yokai did this…

Even himself had to held up his sword to this face level to protect himself from the aftershock, made by the young heiress.

The attack even cut through the village's fear.

"I once asked my grandpa, what kind of youkai is Nurarihyon..." Reika said as she stepped on the rocks nearby. Itaku, who was rather dumbfounded from the crazy strength of the young girl shifted his mahogany optics to look at the young heiress once again.

"That old man started acting full of himself, and said this – Nurarihyon is a 'flower reflected in the mirror, the moon floating on top of water'. In other words, Kyoka Suigetsu. An ayakashi who is the embodiment of dreams and illusions..." She explained.

She brought the broken wooden stick up – seemed like it could only thus far.

As her mind was averted to the stick, the Kyo Youkai, Kidomaru was ready to take her down.

"DON'T RELEASE YOUR FEAR, REIKA!" The kamaitachi yelled, hoping that Reika noticed the danger preaching her.

'Crap!' Reika cursed whilst turning around, facing the veteran Kyo Youkai with the earlier broken stick. She gritted her teeth, praying that this wouldn't be the last time she saw the light.

#Thud!

Reika fell down on the river banks. A bigger figure had toppled her. His one hand was wrapped, secured behind her back. The other hand was on the side, trying to keep himself up so he wouldn't fall and crush the young heiress.

"I-Itaku" gasped her in surprise.

Her eyes widened, staring into the eye of Kidoumaru – whom was trapped in the ice fortress made by the Yuki Onna, Reira. Reira warned the Kyo Youkai. She demanded an apology or die in the ice fortress.

Alas, the veteran youkai managed to cut through the ice.

He said that he wasn't meant to bring any harm to Tono Village, but if any of the Tono youkai tried to aid the Nurarihyon family, they will be slaughtered.

"Oi... K-kamaitachi... You okay?" She asked, shifting so she could look at his face but it was to no avail. His face was buried into her neck, the grip behind her tightened.

He let go not long after and shot back up.

What had just happened?

A/N: Hey people, I'm back, I'm not dead. I've recently started to feel slightly motivated to continue my story. ಠ/v/ಠ Though for now, I'll be editing the earlier chapters first, so it would be easier for the newer readers to read it. I'm so sorry I had left the story hanging – I didn't intend to but I won't make any excuses. LOL.

Though, to be honest, I had been quite unmotivated to do anything back then. Looking back at the reviews left by my readers made me realized that, even though my grammar sucked, there were still... few people anticipating the story to be updated.

Personally, I thank you – to the little group of people.