Got Married Because of a Prank
"Hey Yuki-onna, what do you think? How did mom and dad get together?" Rikuo asked Tsurara. His eyes were staring at the footpath below their feet as they walked along with their friends to Nura's household. Rikuo was speculating about his mother and father a lot. Tsurara stared at Rikuo wearing a perplexed expression on her face. She was well aware that her master had been thinking about something and this kept him day dreaming. He never paid attention to what was going on now days. It was expected of her master to say something or the other out of blue but she didn't ever expect that the thing he'd be so worried about would be this. Before Tsurara recovered her perplexity to reply Shima interrupted them.
"Hey Oikawa-san, which Yokai is your favorite?" Shima questioned her. She quickly turned to him.
"Uh... favorite Yokai..." she muttered before starting to debate about it in her mind. 'My favorite Yokai... surely it's Master Rikuo-sama... but must I say that? Or should I say Ayakashi instead... come to think of it, they won't come to know about Master being a Yokai if I tell my former option...' Tsurara surrounded her chin with her finger and thumb when she went into a thinking mode and finally decided on an answer. She turned back to look at Shima who was looking at her the whole while she was thinking. When she turned to him, it made him blush because he had been staring at her but she was too dense to know that he blushed because he was caught staring at her. For the matter, she wouldn't even know that Shima has a crush on her even if he keeps staring at her and insist on helping her constantly. "My favorite Yokai is the Master of N... I mean Nurarihyon" she sighed as she saved herself from saying 'Nura clan'. Everyone turned to look at her especially Kiyotsugu.
"Really? Mine too Oikawa-san~" Kiyotsugu flew up to her. Last time when Rikuo's friend circle had come to visit Rikuo, they started a liking to his house and this time again decided to go there for their Kiyo Squad meeting. They asked Rikou about it and he didn't seem to mind at all so everyone happily started on their way to his house. "Oikawa-san have you ever met the Nurarihyon?" Kiyotsugu asked.
"I... uh... um..." Tsurara glanced at her master and then looked at Kiyotsugu and others who were looking at her, waiting for an answer.
"Oikawa-san was once saved by that guy I guess" Kana suddenly said. Everyone turned to Kana shocked at what she just told.
"She was saved by the Nurarihyon? When?" Kiyotsugu wanted an explanation. Tsurara turned to glance at her master again, who yet again was looking down. This got her really worried. She didn't like seeing her Master this way. She'd go and tell Wakana to tell her story to Rikuo as soon as they reached home but she'd have to make sure that everyone else was not around at that time. The whole Squad will be reaching Nura's home after walking two more streets. Normally with her master by her side she never thought that their school was far from their home while walking but right now she thought that it was indeed really far away.
"Well I am not sure how and where, heck I am not even sure if he even saved her. I just saw him on Mt. Nejireme at night coming downstairs towards where we were staying with Tsurara unconscious in his arms. He handed her to me saying that he had something to take care of and went away" Kana explained remembering the time when she was searching for Rikuo-kun, Oikawa-san, Kiyotsugu-kun and Shima-kun. She remembered that person's face clearly, it was like she saw him just yesterday. She remembered it clearly and even the nostalgic feeling she felt at that moment. She wanted to see him once again, be with him for some more time. She liked him, quite very much. He had saved her so many times now, just who was she to him? No one, yet he saved her. He even knew her name since the first time they met.
"What? Oikawa-san was in his arms?" Shima freaked out. They had reached Nura's house by then.
"Oh hello, everyone" Wakana greeted everyone with a smile and invited them in. They all sat in the main hall. Yura, Torri, Maki, Kana, Tsurara, Rikuo, Shima (who tried to sit next to Tsurara but failed) and Kiyotsugu all sat in a circle. Kejoro suddenly entered the room and greeted everyone while serving them tea.
"Well Oikawa-san is really lucky to have had an opportunity to be held and saved by the Nurarihyon! Why am I the only one in this group who never meets Yokai?" he sucked while Kejoro giggled under he breath. 'Well Tsurara is super lucky then? She is always saved by Master and even has opportunities to save him, she also escorts him to school!' she thought to herself as she excused herself from there and went out of the room to where Kubinashi was.
"I want to tell everyone something important today!" Kiyotsugu said suddenly yet seriously and with darkness present in his voice. Everyone looked at him surprised that he didn't say it enthusiastically this time. "I... am a Yokai who has taken a form of a human! I will be eating you all now" he laughed evilly and made a scary face. Everyone narrowed their eyes at him. A sweat dropped down his forehead. "What? Aren't you all scared?" he asked.
"You don't need to fool us" Torri said.
"We know today is 1st April" Maki added. Kiyotsugu dropped on the floor with disappointment. Everyone else sighed.
"Is there something wrong Rikuo-kun?" Kana asked. She also noticed that Rikuo didn't look much happy and lively these days. What was with him? And Oikawa-san too... she looked worried whenever she looked at him, actually she looked worried otherwise too since he started spacing out. Rikuo snapped up at her question.
"huh? No, not at all Kana-chan! I am totally fine!" he faked a smile. Tsurara knew better than to think it was real and Kana just smiled back at Rikuo even after knowing that the smile was fake as Tsurara didn't look convinced either.
"That's good" she replied. She couldn't do anything if he didn't want to tell her. Even if she'd force him he won't tell her. It hurt her how he always kept secrets from her. There was so much about Rikuo-kun she did not know and Tsurara did even though here Kana was the one who was Rikuo's childhood friend. "I... I guess I should be going now..." Kana said as she suddenly stood up, not wanting to stay with Rikuo or Tsurara any longer for now. Everyone looked at her with confused faces. "I don't really feel much good right now" she said. Maki and Torri stood up too followed by Yura "We'll be going too then" they all said simultaneously and went out with Kana.
"Hey! What about the meeting today?" Kiyotsugu asked but everyone was gone. "I guess then we'll have to continue tomorrow" he said as he stood up. "Come on Shima-kun" he said and started walking out. Shima looked at Tsurara.
"Oikawa-san aren't you going to come too?" he asked with jealousy quite clear on his face but not clear enough for Tsurara to read as she was always so busy with her Master.
"uh? No... I'll be going after some time... I have... to meet Rikuo's mother first!" she stuttered trying to find the right words. Shima didn't look much convinced but let it go. He along with Kiyotsugu exited the place. It was already evening by now. Tsurara stood up and went over to where Wakana, her master's mother was.
"Wakana-san" she called as she entered the kitchen.
"Yes Yuki-onna?" Wakana smiled at her.
"um... Wakana-san, Rikuo-sama... wants to know how you and his father met..." Tsurara told her. Wakana chuckled remembering her's and Rihan's past.
"Well then I should tell him about it today itself" she said with a smile and walked with Tsurara to Rikuo's room. After everyone was gone he had walked to his room silently. Originally he was planning to ask Tsurara about his parents alone but after everyone was gone, she had gone somewhere too. He had thought that she would have stayed but he guessed that she wasn't as attached to him as he previously thought she was. He sighed as he laid down on his bed speculating yet again all the events that happened till now. He came to know that his father, Rihan loved Yamabuki, an Ayakashi, he even married her but they weren't able to have kids because of the Kitsune's curse and she left him not wanting to be a burden on him. 'Come to think of it, she is quite like Tsurara yet so different from her at the same time. Yamabuki-san gave up on having a child and ran away, not wanting to be a burden while Tsurara always tries hard to not be a burden on me, even if she was she would never run away but try to lift away that burden.' he thought with a smiled appearing on his face but soon it was gone as the thought occurred to him that maybe his father married his mother just to have a heir to the clan. Suddenly there was a knock on his door. 'It must be Tsurara' he thought to himself as a weird feeling of satisfaction washed over him which confused him.
"Come in Tsurara..." he called and looked at the door which was just across to the bed he was laying on. It was not as he had expected, I mean sure Tsurara entered the room but she entered following Wakana's lead, Rikuo's mother. Rikuo stood out of his bed with a jump.
"Okaa-sama?" he asked in surprise.
"Hello Rikuo" she smiled at him then continued, "Tsurara told me that you wanted to know about how me and Rihan got together?" she said it in a manner that it seemed like she was questioning him.
"Y-Yes okaa-sama" he nodded. Wakana nodded and sat down on the bed in Japanese style and instructed Tsurara and Rikuo to sit across her. They did as they were told.
"Well, Tsurara already knows about it..." Wakana said. Rikuo looked over at Tsurara with a puzzled face.
"I thought that Wakana-san would be able to explain it much better" Tsurara answered him with a smile when she read his unasked question on his face. He nodded and looked at his mother.
"Rikuo I must say that I am surprised that you asked about this today itself" she chuckled, confusing Rikuo. "Well it was a few days before 1st April, a year before you were born... I had just transferred here with my parents and was neighbors with your dad in those days." she started as her mind blended into the memory. "That's when I saw him for the first time..."
(Flashback)
I was just walking around this new city at dawn when I saw Rihan for the first time. His hair were black, spiky and were flowing in the air. He was wearing a black kimono and slippers as he walked past me amazing me with his beauty. It was impossible not to turn and look at him once again. When I turned to look at him, he had turned to look at me too with a smirk on his face which made me blush and I was sure that at that moment any girl who would have been standing in my place would have felt the same. I had developed a crush on him since then. On that same day, in the evening his father had come to see me.
"Oi, what's your name?" he asked me.
"I'm... Usami Wakana" I told him with a shy smile.
"So Wakana, you must have already met my son..." he started. I nodded knowing that he was the father of the guy I saw on the street. I had seen him in the afternoon again while he was talking to his father. "His name is Rihan. You must know that after a few days is April fool's day right?" his father asked me with a smirk on his face. I was confused but I smiled anyway and nodded. "Well you see I am planning to play a prank on my son. It would be nice of you if you would help me with it" he said. I tilted my head in confusion, though this time with no smile on my face. He whispered the plan to me and I agreed to it. He told me to come to his house the next day at dawn. I agreed to it and came right at the time I was asked to.
"Oh welcome Wakana-san" he greeted me as his son looked at his father with a confused expression. It was hard to believe that Rihan's father was this old when Rikan looked just around twenty. They invited me in. I was sitting across Rihan while his father was sitting in the middle, in the leader's position.
"Rihan, I have decided to marry you with Wakana, your marriage is on 1st April" his father said seriously. Rihan's eyes widened.
"But..." before he could say anything his father interrupted.
"There is no reasoning Rihan" he said in an ordering voice. After I was gone Rihan had asked his father if I knew about Yokai which his father replied with a no. Rihan told me about him being a half Yokai the next day and explained everything about the Yokai world which I accepted calmly. At that moment I thought that it was a mere prank too but I was wrong. On the day of marriage, my family had come to the Nura house too knowing that it was a prank as well, they agreed to join in to make it look more real. Though just before the marriage could take place Rihan's father announced that it was just a prank to which in response Rihan glared at him. We both had started liking each other better in the past few days and actually were happy about the marriage even though I knew it was a prank. His father after seeing his glare gave us an option that if we really wanted to marry than we could as everything was already ready. Rihan agreed to marry me for real so I agreed too and with that my parents agreed as well. It was at that time I came to know that whatever Rihan had told me about Yokai was true but that didn't change my mind. I really liked Rihan especially because he was really honest. Before the marriage he had told me about his first wife whom he hadn't really divorced but she had run away because they couldn't possibly have a child. He had allowed me to choose if I wanted to marry him after I came to know that. I had said yes to the marriage of course. After a month or so of the marriage, Rihan and I started loving each other the way we must have before marriage and after an year or so, our son was born and we named him Rikuo.
(Flashback over)
"...I think your grandfather was planning on this the whole while" Wakana giggled. Rikuo smiled when the story ended. At least his parents did love each other. "Well I must go now, I still have to cook food for everyone" she said as she excused herself leaving Rikuo and Tsurara all alone in the room.
"It seems like Young Master is happy now" Tsurara said with a cheerful smile once Wakana was gone. Rikuo smiled back at her and nodded.
"I guess I was just over thinking it" he said as he laid down on his bed again.
"Well I guess I must go help Wakana-san cook" Tsurara said as she stood up and was about to leave the room but Rikuo stopped her.
"Oi, Tsurara... you have to tell me what happened these few days... I guess I was spacing out too much..." Rikuo said quite embarrassed about that. Tsurara nodded cheerfully and sat across him on his bed as she started telling him everything that happened, in full detail.
I hope you liked it. Please review... sorry for the mistakes I made! I know it's not such a good story and maybe even a rush yet again (I wonder when I'll learn to write without rushing it), I just wanted to make something on April Fool's day... sorry I am making it quite late...