Disclaimer: Rikuo and Tsurara don't belong to me. As far as I am concerned, Rikuo belongs to Tsurara and Tsurara belongs to Rikuo. Period. Oh, and both belong to Shiibashi Hiroshi but that is kinda obvious.

The most of first scene here, and all of the dialogues, was made up by Hiroshi Shiibashi (chapter 210.5) with narrative and Rikuo's monologues being my touch. The rest of the story of this fic was designed and written by me.

NOTE: this fic takes it for granted that you have read the Manga so if you have only watched he Anime, expect some confusion.

Chapter 1 - Crush

A thirteen years old boy called Nura Rikuo was in the gym's storeroom. He was supposed to bring chairs out for a big school meeting, though the chairs have been a bit too heavy. A friend of his, Ienaga Kana, came with him to help him but she remembered that she had something to do at home so she left.

Rikuo wondered if he should ask his clan for help. Although he was only a quarter youkai, Rikuo led one of strongest youkai clans in Japan and due to coming out victorious from a recent war against an half-youkai Onmyouji Abe no Seimei, he was even hailed as the Master of all Youkai.

Yet, his human sensibilities told him to not bother his clan. They do so much for him and he thought it would be disrespectful to demand from them to help him with something this trivial.

Then he saw a familiar figure run towards the gym's storeroom: Oikawa Tsurara, his head aide. She no doubt ran to help him, a kindness usual for her. "Ah, Tsurara! Did you come here to help me?" he greeted her. He knew her well enough to know better than dissuade her from helping him. "Just the right timing too…"

As the girl entered, she loudly closed the doors behind her. Rikuo was not sure why, but she looked a bit angry… no angry, would be a wrong word: she looked all confident for some reason.

"Eh…" But why would that make her close the doors like that was beyond him.

Tsurara didn't immediately answer and walked around, as if she was looking for somebody. "Where is Ienaga-san?"

"She remembered she had something to do so she went home." He answered from behind her.

"Eh." Tsurara looked surprised.

Rikuo wasn't sure why, but for some reason the two girls had a rivalry going on between them. "Maybe they fight for my love?" The youkai part of him suggested. That thought made Rikuo lose his balance a bit, enough to hit the numerous boxes behind him and cause a domino effect that would soon end up in everything in the guild to fall down.

His aide, however, did not seem to notice the incoming catastrophe. "Is that so… I was just… this and that-"

"TSURARA! LOOK OUT!" he screamed and threw hisself at her, causing both to fall down on one another.

"Uwa!" Tsurara muttered as countless boxes and equipment fell around them, many on Rikuo's back. "Ouch…"

None of them were hurt, but they found themselves in an awkward position: Tsurara lay on her backs and Rikuo was standing on his all found above her.

Had someone seen them, they would have thought the two of them were preparing to do something dirty. That, alongside being this close to her, made him feel awkward… though interestingly not really uncomfortable.

"Ah… Tsurara…?" he wasn't sure what to say so he muttered her name.

"U… wa… Rikuo-sama…?" she seemed to feel as awkward as he did.

He tried to move away, but his backside was blocked by tables so he could not raise up. Not wanting the awkward silence to continue, he decided to say something: "What should we do? I can't move…"

"Y… yeah." She agreed, though we was not sure to what. Probably just wanted to say at least something.

He then got an idea of how to get out of this situation. "Ah, but if you use your ice techniques then we could get out." He suggested as he moved his head away. For some reason, looking at her made him not want to suggest anything.

Strangely, Tsurara didn't immediately say anything and only after a few moments of silence did he hear her speak: "Th-that's right…" her voice made it sound like she was hesitant about it. "We could get out… really quickly…"

He turned his eyes back towards her, noticing that she really does seem hesitant.

"But just for a little bit longer…" she suggested. "…can we stay like this?"

Rikuo did not think about why she said those words… but the fact that she told him that she didn't mind them being like this made him stop feeling awkward or embarrassed about their situation and he could focus on looking straight at her.

Her silky black hair, her mesmerizing eyes, the face that showered him with kindness and love since he knew her and even the cold she created around her… he was aware of these features of hers, but he never looked them as features of a girl.

He also felt a strange need to touch her hair and her skin… as well as those lips of hers. Without thinking what he was doing, he moved his hands and grabbed her shoulders, as if fearing that she would move away and this was a silent way to ask her not to.

"Ri-Riko…sama…?" Naturally, she seemed a bit surprised about it.

However, she didn't try to get away from his grasp or complain about it. to him, it felt as another green light. So he slowly started moving his head downwards, so their lips could touch. When he got close enough, he closed his eyes.

He could feel the cold air reach his lips, though he did not mind it… he liked it actually and made his desire grew. The air became so cold he was certain that their lips were about to touch…

"UUUUUUOOOO!" an incredibly loud scream came from somewhere and the tables and equipment around them were thrown away. Rikuo and Tsurara both jumped away, as if they tried to pretend they were kneeling there the whole time. "Are you alright Rikuo-sama?! It is your longtime classmate, Kurata Aotabou!"

Rikuo and Tsurara stayed with their backs turned to one another, thinking about what almost happened instead of listening to what Aotabou was saying.

Didn't stop Aotabou from talking though. "Phew. I was surprised. I felt your Fear dissipate and found you burried alive." The fact that they were almost caught in act just made Rikuo feel more embarrassed. "Alright, now lets go home!" Aotabou said and walked up to Rikuo. "And about the chairs: just leave them to these guys!" he pointed aside.

Rikuo moved his head and noticed Aotabou's biker gang walking around and taking care of Rikuo's work. Yet, he did not care much about it at the moment.

"Eh? Is it okay to have so many youkai at school?" Aotabou answered a question Rikuo didn't even think about asking. "Hehe… it'll be fine for a little bit…" he then moved towards his gang and shouted: "Oi! You guys had better do a better job!"

Aotabou did not even notice Tsurara rise up and walk up to him. She tapped his shoulder a bit and he moved his head towards her. Somehow, Rikuo felt that Tsurara had a dangerous look on her face.

Be it as it may, Rikuo took his backpack and tied to sneak out before Tsurara noticed him.

"Huh? Yuki-Onna?" Aotabou started talking to the silent girl. "Oi. You were here to-"

"AO YOU IDIOT!" she screamed, which made Rikuo turn his head a bit to see what was going on, and then she breathed out an entire blizzard into his face.

"GYAA! MY EYES!" Aotabou screamed back. "WHY?!"

Rikuo remembered what he was about to do, but was too slow.

"Waka, lets go home!" Tsurara said and started walking next to him, as per usual.

When he saw her face, Rikuo felt embarrassment crawl up his spine and immediately turned his head away. He was simply too embarassed to look her into the eyes.

Tsurara, confused at his behavior, tried to get into his eye-sight again to which he turned away again. Acting like that just made him feel more embarassed about it.

"Whats wrong?" the girl he was about to kiss jumped into his vision again.

The girl he was about to kiss… he was about to kiss Tsurara, the same girl that now walked beside him and tried to look at his face.

"It's… it's nothing!" he answered, thinking he looked pathetic.

"Heh." Tsurara giggled and Rikuo looked at her with one eye, noticing that she was smiling.

"What?" he asked, trying to keep calm beside her.

However, Tsurara just continued looking at him with a cheerful expression.

He moved his head away again. "What…?" he asked again, but got no answer again. Seemingly, Tsurara found it fun to tease him like this.

He was not certain how he will muster courage to speak to her casually again… but he was certain that their relationship has changed without return… a fact that strangely he did not mind.

)(

"Heh heh." Tsurara giggled.

"What?" Rikuo said, for who knows which time. Yet there was no annoyance or anger in his voice, thus she had no reason to stop teasing him.

The idea that Rikuo might like her was something Tsurara was afraid to even think about, yet alone hope for. That the boy whom she saw grow from a baby to a great and respectable man and whom she adored to no end would like a mere servant like her… this used to be something she could only dream about.

The cause of all that was fear… fear of uncertainty. She was afraid that Rikuo may not like her. She was afraid that Rikuo might reject her, telling her they were nothing more than a servant… such a rejection would make it impossible to even dream about. And there was the fact that she was his servant and hoping her master would love her as a woman was something she feared might be a taboo.

Yet her master… Rikuo that is… was just about to kiss her. It was no accident and it was no misunderstanding. He was about to kiss her.

He liked her. There was no fear she would be rejected, no fear she would be his friend at best and even the whoel master-servant taboo ceased to matter for a simpel reason that he liked her.

The boy she adored… the boy she would die for... that boy loved her. Her cold body felt warm, her heart was singing and the entire world was shining. For she loved him and no longer felt embarrassed about it. She could love him with all her heart, no longer having to restrain he actions.

She jumped in front of him, smiling from ear to ear. "Rikuo-saamaa!"

Rikuo stopped, her blush growing again. "…what is it?" he asked, averting his eyes away.

"What were you and the rest discussing few nights ago?" She asked. "You know, that night you got a bit drunk."

Rikuo only looked at her for a few moments, trying to remember what she was talking about. Then his skin turned into a tomato and his mouth opened wide.

"N-n-n-nothing! Absolutely nothing important!" he shouted and continued walking with a fast pace.

"Wait for me, Rikuo-saamaa!" Of course, Tsurara knew what the topic was, but still played ignorant. "Come on, tell me!"

"Nothing! Really, it was nothing!" he shouted. Just like before, there was no anger, annoyance or any other negative emotion in his voice that would make her back down.

"Well, I guess I will ask Karasu Tengu."

"No! No need… we talked about… you know… how the minor clans were doing." Rikuo was sweating.

"Really?"

"Yes… really!"

"Hmmm… didn't Shouei-kun mention the topic was…"

"Lies! He fell asleep before we even began talking!"

Tsurara felt it would take time for Rikuo to get so bold with he again. But she didn't mind it: just being able to tease him like this was enough for now.

IIIII

Author Notes:

And here we are… I promised Dennou I would make a RikuTsura fanfic someday and decided I could do it as part of anniversary special for my other fanfic: The Shin Sekai which's birthday is on 13th of December. This fanfic, The Sakura and Saxifraga, will follow Rikuo's and Tsurara's relationship from the scene in 210.5 until their marriage, with a new chapter coming every second day until 13.12. after which the second part starts, where we will have the two of them raising their kids who are the main characters of The Shin Sekai.

Anyway, hope you liked the first chapter and will continue reading on. If you never read The Shin Sekai, maybe you could give that one a chane as well ;)

- on the name: each of Nura wives had a flower relation given to them by Hiroshi-sensei. For Youhime it was Sakura, for Yamabuki it was Keria (Yamabuki in Japanese thsu her name), for Wakana it was plum blossom and for Tsurara it was a Saxifraga. Sakura is also related to all three Nurarihyons so the title is practically "Rikuo and Tsurara"

- there were a fee fanfics that dealt with what came after 210.5 and I have noticed that they had Tsurara be all shy about it. However, at the end of 210.5 and in Q&A section of the volume (where a reader asked if or when will Rikuo and Tsurara marry) Tsurara was the bold one and Rikuo the embarrassed one. I try to have Tsurara act closer to how she acted in canon as well as find out why the shy girl suddenly became so bold after she was almost kissed. Hope I did a good enough job on it…

- for those confused about what discussion was Tsurara talking about (and which made Rikuo turn red), it was a reference to chapter 210.2. For those who don't remember (or have not read that omake), the topic that was brought out there was the fourth heir… or more exactly, with whom shall he father the heir. Tsurara was a bit mean to bring that up while Rikuo's heart was so sensitive :P

- I said a new chapter will come every second day but lets be honest: plans can go awry due to RL and stuff. But I promise I will give my best!

All in all, thanks for reading and hope you review!