I don't own Nura no Mago

It was a chilly night, the wind whistling as it passed through the branches of a certain sakura tree. Small, vibrant, pink petals were plucked from the bark they rested on and washed away into the darkness. Dark clouds floated high above in the sky which caused the light from the moon to be diminished. A certain yokai who was three-fourths human was staring out into the dark abyss of the night as his mind wandered farther away from the real world. Though, before it could get too far, a soft voice called up to where he was sitting on one of the branches of the sakura tree.

"Rikuo-sama."

The young Nura looked down into shining, yellow eyes that held a good amount of concern in them. Rikuo blinked as he tried to focus on the words leaving the blue haired girl's mouth.

"What are you doing up this late? It's way past a reasonable time to be sitting out in the cold." Tsurara asked her master.

Rikuo looked confused by the question at first but soon his mind caught up with him. "I was just thinking."

The worry never left Tsurara's eyes while she continued to gaze up into two pools of crimson. "About what?"

Rikuo looked back up into the sky, his thoughts traveling back to what took place only a few hours before. He had just left Bakenekoya after he spoke with Ryoutaneko about issues the cat yokai was having with another clan. The young Nura was walking down the street that led to his house when he spotted a lone figure walking in the same direction he was going in. After a few moments of staring, he had realized that it was his childhood friend Kana.

Rikuo shrouded himself in fear while he walked closer to the brunette, appearing by her side in seconds. He let the fear dissipate as he leaned closer to the girl and whispered, "Hello."

Kana jumped and let out a small squeal of surprise. She turned her head to her left and met a pair of crimson eyes. Her heart fluttered from fear and something else as her face heated up just the slightest bit. Kana turned to look back at her childhood friend, a small smile forming on her face.

"Why are out at night?" The brunette realized it was a stupid question while she asked it and knowing he was part yokai.

He chuckled and chose not to answer the question. "I was going to ask the same thing."

"I was out shopping with Maki and Torii." Kana said, holding up her bags for Rikuo to see.

Rikuo held out a hand as he said, "Let me help you carry those."

The brunette smiled at him and gratefully gave him half of her load. They walked in silence as the sounds of crickets chirping washed over them. It was a peaceful night with the moon shining bright and the cool breeze traveling through the town. It wasn't long before the two reached Kana's home and Rikuo gave his friend the bags he held, hoping to return to his own house quickly. As he said goodbye and turned to leave, a small voice called out to him. The quarter yokai looked back to see Kana clutching tight to one of her shopping bags while a blush filled her cheeks.

The brunette held his full attention now. "What is it?"

The color in the brunette's face darkened as she turned her head. "There's something I've w-wanted to tell you."

The young Nura stood still while he waited patiently for his friend to speak again. She looked so embarrassed and Rikuo wanted to know why that was. It was a few minutes of Kana opening and closing her mouth silently before the girl spoke.

"W-well..." Silence took over the two again when Kana suddenly blurted out, "I-I like you."

The brunette hadn't realized she closed her eyes as she peeled them open, afraid of the response she would receive. She kept her head down as the wind that was blowing seemed to grow stronger, the whistling sound it made the only thing she could hear. There was a slight rustle of clothes and that was what forced Kana to lift her head, her eyes meeting crimson ones. Her heart fell as she saw the look on the boys face, one of rejection. The girl grabbed all of her belongings and quickly ran into her house, not wanting to hear what Rikuo had to say.

Rikuo walked home slowly after that as his mind replayed what had happened over and over. Kana was one of his closest friends and he cared for her deeply, but he didn't feel that way towards her. He wanted to explain himself to the brunette but she ran away before he could say a word. Rikuo knew it would be awkward the next time the two saw each other, but he would properly talk to her to clear everything up.

The quarter yokai was brought back to reality by a soft voice. "Rikuo-sama?"

Rikuo sighed and jumped off from his perch on the tree, landing gently in front of his most trusted aid. Tsurara looked slightly dazed as she looked up at her master, her yellow eyes slightly widened. Rikuo stared back down at her with a thoughtful expression, wanting to ask her something.

"Kana told me she like me." The words escaped the boys mouth unexpectedly as he looked at the yuki-onna's expression.

Tsurara looked saddened by this while a burst of jealousy hit her. She tried top keep her face in a neutral mask but it was difficult as she asked, "What did you say?"

Rikuo rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes flitting to the falling sakura petals. "She ran off before I could say anything."

Tsurara continued to gaze up at her master with sorrow filled eyes. "Do you like her?"

Rikuo looked back at the ice maiden who was gnawing nervously on her lip. "As a friend, but nothing more than that."

Rikuo could see the tension leave Tsurara's body and the relief entering it. A small, pink object made its way into Tsurara's hair, and Rikuo reached up to get rid of it. His hand lingered in her blue hair as he noticed how the yuki-onna's face became red. She gnawed furiously on her bottom lip while keeping her eyes locked onto pools of crimson.

"Oh." was the only soft spoken word Tsurara could utter.

A small smirk crossed Rikuo's features as he continued to play with the strand of Tsurara's hair in his hand. "Besides, I like someone else."

The ice maiden's breath hitched, her cheeks flaming. Hope slithered its way into her as her eyes gleamed in the dark night. She wanted to ask her master who it was he liked, but couldn't bring herself to say the words. It seemed possible, from the way he currently looked at her, that she could be the one he was talking about. She thought that maybe right here, right now, she could confess her love for her master and he would tell her the same thing. It felt like her dreams could become reality, and that she wouldn't have to hide her feelings anymore, that the two could be happy together. Tsurara had imagined how it would feel to become more to Rikuo than a servant but never thought it would be possible. Tsurara opened her mouth to finally tell her master how she felt when something stopped her.

Master and servant.

Those two words always stopped Tsurara from saying or doing anything. They defined her relationship between her and Rikuo, and made her realize it could never change. It wasn't possible for the two to become more. It was Tsurara's job to serve and protect her master, and having a relationship beyond what they had now put both their lives in jeopardy. They would only think to protect each other even when others would be in far more danger. It brought many complications to things and Tsurara didn't think she could handle being a burden to people. Besides, there were many girls Rikuo knew and he could be talking about anyone of them.

With that thought in mind, the yuki-onna forced a smile on face and spoke. "She's a lucky girl."

Rikuo stared at the ice maiden in surprise, and went to explain to her when she cut him off. "Well, it's late and I'm tired so I'll be heading to bed now. You should do the same soon before you catch a cold."

The yuki-onna turned around and heading back inside the house. Rikuo watched her as her shoulders became hunched as she hung her head down in defeat. His hand outstretched to grab a hold of her arm when a wall of wind seemed to force him back and wash away his words to the girl. The small amount of light shining from the moon disappeared, leaving the young Nura boy in complete darkness.

So this is my first one shot but I've wanted to get this out for a while. This is one of my favorite couples and I hope you all enjoyed reading this!

R&R