Title: Nurarihyon
Author: RESTIA
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Might contain OOCness.
Summary: In the olden days, humans feared youkais. The youkai who stood at the top and led the tumultuous horde of demons was given the title Lord of Pandemonium, ruler of all monsters, goblins and spirits, master of fear and terror. They also had another name for him... Nurarihyon.
Disclaimer: Only the story concept is mine. The rest is owned by their respective owners.
To my reviewers: Really, telling me this is "bad" does not tell me anything. How can I improve? What can I work on? I don't mind criticisms, but I do mind uninformative reviews.
"Follow me, my Hundred Demons."
Nurarihyon
Humans are bound by what they see, what they perceive as natural, and cling to what they know and understand. They then call this "reality". But knowledge, understanding and perception are all subjective and ambiguous.
What can be called "true" or "realistic"? There is no universal answer.
One man's reality could be another man's illusion. In a world where lies and deception are the shadows that shapes the world, what one man calls "reality" can simply be a mirage. All humans live with assumptions that they believe to be fact, with the vague concept they deem "logical", "rational", "scientific". Their world, shaped by their beliefs, molded by their close-mindedness, is enclosed, small, tiny.
Bounded by science, shackled by logic, humanity in the twenty-first century have evolved and gained so much, and yet have lost so much in the process. Improving their technology, advancing forwards to what they believe to be a brighter future, what have mankind lost in the process?
Humanity have lost the ability to connect with the environment. Frivolously and flippantly expanding their urban settlements, mankind have abused their power to wreak havoc and destruction among the natural environment, polluting the seas and the skies, all for the sake of "mankind's future".
It is no wonder the Earth, the world is flooded with malice, malevolence and enmity.
Humanity have also developed a tendency to limit their horizons. Forsaking all their ancestors once believed in, labeling the gods, deities like Zeus and Amaterasu, as "myths to explain lightning and the rise and setting of the sun in the past", calling it primitive nonsense, mankind believes they have advanced so far with their technology. They became judgmental, close-minded, and refuse to accept anything else other than science as "truth". They call the myths "supernatural", and they live in their "natural" world.
They have lost the ability to see.
They have lost the ability to hear.
They have lost the ability to perceive.
As a result, gods, angels, demons, devils, creatures of all supernatural origins, beings from all sorts of myths and religions became invisible to the average mortal. Humanity willfully blinded themselves, so as to continue deluding themselves in a fantasy where their "reality" is "true".
Humans fear what they cannot understand. As a result, they rush to give a "logical" and "scientific" explanation for everything. For there is nothing "irrational" and "illogical" in the world.
As a result, myths became myths and religions became religions. They are fictional, false, illogical.
But they are very real. They exist. Angels, demons, devils, dragons... they exist, and they live. There are a myriad of legendary creatures straight from myths, folktales, lores and religions of all kinds, from all cultures that coexist in the world today.
And among the thousands of "illogical" creatures that inhabit the Earth today, there is one single group of creatures which stands at the top in sheer chaotic irrationality. Being a very broad category, comprising of creatures which ranged eclectically from the malevolent to the mischievous, these creatures brought fear, instilled terror and created awe in the night.
From animal spirits to demonic trees, from possessed tea-pots to the undead, these creatures varied from each other drastically in appearances, nature and powers. They were youkais, creatures that instilled fear, inspired awe, created terror, lorded admiration.
In the past, when humans still believed in the supernatural, humans feared youkais, for they were a "mysterious apparition", an "unknown calamity", an "unaccountable phenomena". Unscientific and hence fictional, these creatures were an aberration to the humans' "logical" world.
And the sole youkai who stood at the helm and led the tumultuous horde of demons was given the title Lord of Pandemonium, ruler of all monsters, goblins and spirits, master of fear and terror, demon king of Kyoto, King of the North Star.
The humans also had another title for him... They called him...
Nurarihyon.
Mt. Hiei
Mt. Hiei. A mountain to the northeast of Kyoto, lying on the border between the Kyoto and Shiga prefectures of Japan, this mountain had a famous history and was well-known to be the subject of a large amount of folktales in Japan over the ages. It was also once thought to have been the house to the gods and demons of the Shinto religion.
It is on this mountain where our story begins.
Under the pale creamy disc that was the moon, under the jet black sea that was the sky, two individuals stood at the peak of Mt. Hiei, their clothes fluttering in the mild breeze, the wind gently tussling with their hair.
The first individual was a man that appeared to be eighteen years of age to the human eye. Through closer inspection, this individual was a handsome and intense fellow with unkempt dirty blonde hair that seemed to spike all over the place and defy gravity, with eyes a shade of azure blue that resembled the seas and the skies. Donning a red leather cloak with designs of black flames sewed on the hemline, with a design of what appeared to be a spiral with a pointed edge on the back, over a black kimono, and wearing a geta. Fastened to his hips was a beautiful blade, the blade with the kanji characters for Kurama emblazoned within its steel. With a hilt of crimson red, with a circular handguard, it was sheathed in a scabbard painted the red of blood. The most unique feature this individual possessed were three lines chiseled on each cheek on his face, which looked similar to whiskers from a cat... or a fox. Even if he looked deceptively human, he exuded a curious aura of power, of strength, of charisma, one that belied his existence as one that lied outside the boundaries of all human knowledge, wisdom and power.
Appearing as a beautiful young woman with a voluptuous figure, the second individual was a vixen that truly exemplified and defined the words femme fatale. With long and wavy golden blonde hair that reach down to the knees, with blank eyes of amber honey that shone with emotions, with a skin the tone of alabaster, of milk, clad in a shrine maiden hakama, calling this individual beautiful would be an insult. The most curious and noticeable features the woman carried would be the beautiful and furry fox-like ears of the same color as her hair that lied on top of her head, and the nine unusual golden brown tails with white tips that whipped through the air. Her body as whole seemed to be designed to be translucent, to resonate all of her separate features into a being of ephemeral beauty. Hers was an existence that lied outside the boundaries of all human knowledge, wisdom, beauty.
For they were yokais.
The man stood at the edge of the cliff, a tinge of vacancy in his eyes as he gazed at the distant horizons, his vision piercing through the thick veil of mist and fog to the treacherous and rocky terrains around him. The woman stood at the back, silent, patient, waiting.
"...It is slightly unfortunate that it is mid-autumn.", The man spoke, his voice flat, monotonous, concealing any emotions he might be feeling. "Were it spring, we could have enjoyed the beautiful blooming flowers."
The women held a red maple leaf to her lips, her tails swishing to and fro as she softly replied, "Autumn has its own appeal. And now, I am here with you, in the autumn. That alone... is more than I can ask for."
"You endured my absence... thinking of that?" The man replied, his voice audible even over the harsh winds.
The vixen merely smiled, her silence enough of an answer to the question.
"I see... It have been tough on you, leading Kyoto, our capital, in my absence." The man stated emphatically, his voice melancholic with sorrow. "I must apologize, and once again thank you for your loyal service... Yasaka."
"...I merely did what was natural." Yasaka commented, while tilting her head to stare at the boundless sky above. It was true, after all, to her, loyally serving the man in front of her was as natural as breathing, as instinctive as eating, as visceral as drinking. "Yes, I merely did what was natural as one of your attendants... Naruto-sama."
The now-named Naruto sighed, but refrained from commenting. Yasaka's lips crawled up in an amused smile as she heard the irritated sigh. Naruto's dislike for suffixes was almost legendary to his subordinates. She found Naruto's adverse reaction to formalities amusing.
Naruto then closed his eyes as he listened to the gentle humming of the wind, a small smile on his face.
"Yasaka, was that previous youkai a herald?"
Yasaka demurely smiled, as she replied with, "Yes. He brought a message regarding the situation in the joint Gremory-Sitri territory in the Human World. Kokabiel is attempting to start another war between the Three Factions. Just as you predicted... Naruto-sama."
At that, Naruto looked over his shoulders, his eyes glinting with amusement. "That warmonger, trying to reignite the sparks of war? Haha, well, we can't let that happen, can we?"
"...So you are going?"
"Of course.", Naruto paused, his eyes drinking in the sight of the distant horizons. "Another war... would not be beneficial to the Three Factions, and to us as well. After all, they are fighting on our territory, our land. It is time to show the world why we yokais are to be feared!"
Yasaka merely bowed, lifting her right hand to clasp over her breast, over her heart to show her subservience.
"The question isn't whether I can do it. I shall judge that crow myself, to see if he lives or he dies..." Naruto remarked, turning around to move backwards from the cliff-side and towards Yasaka. He quirked a small smile, "I've been causing you nothing but trouble. I get carried away by my own desires, and impulsively, selfishly do what I want. I have without a doubt caused a large amount of headaches for you."
Yasaka tried to protest, "That's not..."
Naruto merely clasped his palm on Yasaka's shoulder, cutting her off, giving her smile that made her feel light-headed and flushed, pushing his face to mere inches away from Yasaka's, almost as if he was about to kiss her, before continuing his words. "...But your service shall not go unrewarded."
Letting go of the vixen's shoulder and turning back, Naruto angled his neck to gaze at the abyss that was the base of the mountain, and its unlimited scenery that spreaded infinitely. "I should not have brought you outside unnecessarily. But I simply wanted to feel this... the sensation of the world as it spreads beyond."
Naruto chuckled humorlessly, "Yet another one of my whimsical desires."
Naruto suddenly straightened his back, as black feathers started to rain from the sky. A pulse of energy signaled the beginning, the initium of a spell. The rustled shuffling of feathers resounded behind the two individuals, the rain of feathers eventually letting up to reveal a cloaked and nondescript kneeling figure with ivory white hair and bloody, crimson orbs for eyes, with three pair of wings of the darkest black sprouting from the figure's back, akin to that of a bird's.
A Yosuzume, or a Night-Sparrow. A yokai which was rumored to hold dominance among the darkness and the skies, their feathers was said to be able to infiltrate the closest opening in one's eyes and totally blind one to the world, trapping them into a realm of eternal darkness.
Naruto looked over his shoulder, and asked, "What is it... Erisu?"
"Ha." The bird-yokai muttered, testing its voice which was undoubtedly feminine in nature, before continuing with, "My lord Commander. The preparations for the parade have all been completed."
"Good work, Erisu." Naruto smiled at that. He then paused, as he turned to look at his two subordinates, his coat dramatically fluttering in the wind. "Well then, it appears that it is time to make our exit. Let us go, to ride among the night once more."
The mist and fog started to thicken, coming together to cloak the figures above the mountain top from view, boiling together in a veil that blocked all vision. When the mist eventually and finally cleared up, the cliff was found to be empty, void of all beings.
Kyoto
Deep within the less savory areas of Kyoto, on a misty, foggy night, a woman was bolting for her life. Panic, fear, terror, each and every one of these dark emotions fueled her, pushing her onwards. For she knew if she was caught, her fate would be worse than death. For she was being chased by the worst of men, the lowest of the dregs of society, the vilest of the scums of humanity, the most despicable trash of mankind.
"Hey, ojou-saaaaan, c'mere! I'll guarantee you'll feel good!"
Rapists.
Repulsion, disgust, revulsion, abhorrence, all of these filled her entire being, as she looked at the the pigs behind her. She shuddered to think what they would do to her if they caught up to her. Adrenaline pulsed through her body as she pushed forward, dodging down several back alleys in an attempt to elude her chasers. She continued running, continued racing even when her muscles screamed, even when her body begged to stop, she ran, racing through the dark alleys of Kyoto.
But lust was a powerful motivation. They could drive a human to break the limits of their inhibitions, break the constraints of their normal human body.
She was prey, a pound of flesh merely born to pleasure them. They were the hunters. And the hunters would not be denied their meal.
"Someone... anyone... help me!"
She made a left when the road she was running through split into two directions, and despair resounded through her beings when she saw an obstacle. A wall, a barrier that prevented her from running further. She immediately turned around, hoping to double back, when she heard the steps of her demise.
"Hehehe, she certainly gave us a good chase, wouldn't you say, boys?"
A roar of agreement filled the air, as six scruffy vagabonds slowly walked towards her, each of them salivating over her flesh. She stared with fear, with despair, with hopelessness in her eyes. Her eyes diluted in shock, as she witnessed her would-be rapists slowly sauntering over to her. After all, she was trapped, cornered, caged. She had nowhere to run. Nobody would rescue her... her fate was inevitable. She would be violated here, in this dark alley, with nobody the wiser.
She was nobody, and her fate would forever be unknown, would forever be cloaked in blood.
Each step the men took closer to her send pounding reverberations throughout her entire being, as she slowly stepped back, until her back reached the wall. She squeezed her eyes shut, tears streaking down her face, as she sobbed in silent despair.
She could feel it, the rancid breath of the scums before her as they slowly walked closer, their mind driven by the appetition known as lust. She could feel it, despair, anger, hatred, she lamented her weakness, and most of all, she hated the scums before her. She gritted her teeth in agony, she balled her fists until her nails drew blood, and she resigned to her fate.
"So this is my fate..."
Click, clack.
The sound of wooden sandals against the ground resounded throughout the alley.
"Not so."
Two simple words. Like a sword of light through darkness, like a beacon of light in a stormy sea, the two words, delivered in a smooth baritone, instilled hope in the woman who had given up hope. The woman opened her eyes and gasped. For before her was hope, before her was salvation.
"I-I'm saved..."
The woman, hope blossoming in her chest, finally blacked out and succumbed to darkness as the exhaustion from her long run took the toll on her.
The six criminals immediately turned around upon sensing a witness to their crime. Hidden by the dark night, overshadowed by moonlight, veiled by darkness and cloaked in a mysterious mist, all they could see was the visage of three figures.
"Who the hell are you?!" One of the criminals, presumably the leader, shouted.
The figure on the left tensed, her hands, formerly hung at her sides, arced upwards, her palm facing her foe and her fingers clutched inwards. "Shall I take care of these trash, my lord Commander?"
The figure on the middle smiled, a smile that promised death. "No... I shall handle this myself. Let this old timer stretch his bones once in a while, Yasaka, Erisu."
Yasaka merely smiled, her eyes crinkled up in amusement, while Erisu lowered her hand, obeying their lord's orders without a single hesitance, without a single question. "If that is your wish..."
"Now..." Naruto cracked his neck, eyes narrowed into tiny slits, "Shall we begin? The endless night is just beginning."
Call it foolhardiness. Courage. Stupidity. Whatever the case may be, the would-be rapists, instead of fleeing like most rational creatures would do, decided to confront the enemy in front of them. It might have made sense to them at that time. After all, it was six against three. What were the odds of the other party's victory?
Thrusting their hands into their pockets and coming out with pen knifes, the six criminals grinned, confident in their victory. The one who stood in the middle, presumably the leader, idly flipping the blade he was holding, sneered derisively. "A hero, eh? HA! How foolish. Now we'll have to kill you. No hard feelings, alright?"
They were remorselessness. Unrepentant. Unregretful.
And therefore - they must die.
This was the conclusion Naruto came to. His eyes closed in slight regret, for what he was about to do. For even if nobody would miss them, for even if he despised such beings like those in front of him with every iota of his being, they were still humans, creatures that he had sworn to protect all those years ago. But alas - a cancerous and poisoned limb must be cut off before it spreads and infects the rest of the body. This was a universal fact of life.
The strange, eerie fog grew thicker. Naruto reached to his hips, his hands coveting his blade. He grasped the hilt, holding it with a care reserved for one's precious treasure, and for a few seconds, he stood in a form so fluid it was seamless, as though time itself had frozen in his very presence. His azure eyes glimmered with a harsh light from an unknown star, glinting with wrath, with anger. His eyes blazed.
"Immersed in ecstasy in defiling the weak, a burdensome corpse with no benefit to people. In both of my life as human and yokai, I have witnessed uncountable people like these... like you. And someone possessing these despicable qualities... I will never forgive."
"Who cares about your forgiveness?! Don't say something so impertinent! Get'em, boys!"
"...Die."
Suddenly, he was gone. Vanishing instantly into thin air, whispers of black flames consuming his form, disappearing into the mysterious mist, it was as if his existence itself was erased. He could not be seen, he could not perceived. Yet, they could still hear him, the sound of the wooden clogs meeting the pavement as he steadily approached. The contrast between sight and sound was disconcerting, it was ghostly, it was eerie.
"Wh-where the hell did he go?!" One of them gasped.
Click, clack.
"I can't see him." Another gasped. "Did he seriously just vanish?!"
"That's impossible!" Another one screamed. "He's there, I can hear him! Bu-but... why can't I see him?!"
Their terror became palpable, each second heightening their fear. Each step the invisible demon took was one step closer to their death. They, who previously brought fear, now felt fear. They, who were the hunters, were now the hunted.
"You can't see... as long as you're trying to see."
And then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, a flash of silver grey - akin to that of steel - filled the air, his blade coming up in a beautiful arc of pure destruction, his sword cutting through flesh and bone so quick, so fast that only the barest blur could be seen.
And then there was five.
"When a being meets another far greater than itself, it begins to fear that existence and stops noticing it, instinctively placing it on a dimension far above itself. As a result, you are unable to perceive it... even if you can hear it." Naruto continued from where he trailed off.
Thunk.
Upon hearing the sound of flesh dropping onto the floor, the remaining five turned around, and saw a horrifying sight. Their dead comrade, standing there as normal, but were strangely missing his hand and spouting blood from the neck like geysers. Cut apart cleanly at the neck, the man's head rolled on the ground, his terrified expression frozen forever on his face.
He felt no pain; he died to quickly to even perceive pain.
"Wh-wh-what the heck?!" They cried out, shocked, fearful.
Another felt him; or rather, felt the silver blade, sensed a brief prick of pain as the sword plunged through his heart, stabbing through flesh and sinew.
And then there was four.
Naruto turned, his blade whirling into motion. He was maelstrom of destruction, a force of chaos, an unstoppable juggernaut. In a flash, he bisected another through the stomach, splitting him into two halves. The man, shocked, looked down on himself, and touched his split body where blood gushed, as if he could not comprehend what had just occurred. He screamed in pain, and his entrails spilled out. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Still another gurgled on his blood when the sword buried itself in his throat, the blade tainting itself in the essence of life, the viscous liquid, the crimson red of blood.
The second last to meet Death was one who possessed the natural instincts of an animal, the ingrained reaction to a dangerous situation. "Flight or Fight". That man chose flight. That was the wisest choice he could make under the circumstances. Unfortunately, his fate have already been sealed, his future predestined. His Death was without mercy.
"And where do you think you are going?" The man was cut down into pounds of flesh, grinded to ribbons of meat, chopped into strips of muscle. But by then Naruto had already moved on to his final victim.
And then there was one.
"Ho-how the hell are you doing this?!" The final man screamed, shivering with despair, shuddering with fear. "You monster! Demon!"
The eyes, the eyes of the demon in front of him seemed so hollow, so empty, as if it pierced through his entire being, weighing his existence and judging the value of his soul... and found it lacking, wanting.
"And that... is my power..."
-Click, clack-
"AHHHHHH!"
The blade blurred and sheared off the head of the final man, silencing him forever. He toppled to the ground, and knew only silence. Within short order, there were none left to scream.
And then there were... zero.
Materializing back into existence where he stood, looking as prim, as proper as usual, with not a single hair out of place, Naruto sheathed the tainted sword back into its scabbard, silently promising himself to wash it later. He stood up straight, a grim smile of slight regret on himself. He regretted what he did, but recognized the necessity of it.
"The power of..."
The power of the one who created fear, sowed pandemonium, and planted the seeds of chaos and terror in the hearts of mortal men.
"Nurarihyon."
The crimson red liquid that painted the walls. The eerie fog, the haunting beats of steps from a geta, the pale milky orb that hung in the sky. Each and every one of these came together to reflect the haunting beauty of the phantasmagoric night, to paint the scene into one of ghostly, ephemeral and gory beauty. It instilled fear, and inspired awe.
This was indeed... the work of yokai.
"As powerful as usual, Naruto-sama. I see the years of your absence have not waned your powers in the slightest."
"Hm." Naruto walked to the unconscious body of the woman, kneeling down, peering at the sleeping face of the slumbering lady. "You were lucky, woman. I hope you have learned your lesson, not to wander around the shadier parts of the city at night."
The women gave a non-committal grunt in her sleep, as if in reply. Naruto's lips curved up into an amused smile at that.
"Erisu."
"Yes."
"Take the woman to her home, and wipe her memories of this night." Naruto commanded, with the tone of a ruler. "All things yokai are to stay yokai. Even if she only caught the barest glance of us, it is still necessary to wipe any hints that may reveal our existence to humanity. After that, meet us back at the compound."
"As you command, my lord Commander." At that, the Yosuzume disappeared and reappeared next to the resting figure of the woman in a shower of black feathers, the rustle of feathers and the fluttering of wings accompanying the high-speed movement. Grabbing hold of the woman with her hands, Erisu disappeared once again, leaving behind a rain of midnight-black quills, the only proof that the yokai "Yosuzume" once existed in that dark space.
Naruto stood, turning around with a grin on his face. "Well then, let us continue back to the compound. My parade awaits."
Yasaka bowed, before the two beings disappeared in a pool of mist and flames.
And the alley, the blood, the strewn body parts, all hints of a supernatural occurrence eroded into mist. For such was the way of the yokais - a mysterious calamity, an incomprehensible disaster, an illogical catastrophe.
The dark alley was quiet once more.
"He who possesses the blood of a demon in his veins, reigns supreme in the darkest of night. He who possesses the heart of a human, invokes awe in all who follows under his banner."
Uzumaki Naruto hummed as he approached the Konoha mansion nestled deep within one of the many districts in Kyoto, alongside Yasaka. It was here where his tumultuous horde resided, protected by hiding in plain sight, amongst the humans. It was quite ironic, for he himself was a yokai of "deception", and was intrinsically linked to a yokai who was most famous for its illusions and "deception".
"Supreme Commander."
Naruto, former human and the Supreme Commander of all Yokais in Japan, looked up as a voice called his title. A woman. Donning a dazzling white kimono, which glittered with a light from an unknown source. It made a perfect match for her cream colored skin. Brown, auburn and honey brown hair framed a face from which grey eyes shone. Holding a khakkhara in one hand, she perfected the appearance of a saintly priestess.
"...Seira." Naruto greeted, a smile on his face.
But she was no priest. For within her flowed the rich and thick blood of a yokai, a demon, a creature of the dark.
She was a Hikari-onna, a light-woman. Within her was the ability to conjure light at will and manipulate it to her heart's content. Light was her weapon to wield, her shield to defend, and her toy to play with.
"We have awaited your return, Supreme Commander." The light woman lightly raised her staff and gently tapped it on the ground.
The gates which stood at the mansion's entrance swung inwards to reveal creatures of all sizes, colors, appearances, nature, creatures which spanned only as far as one man's creativity and imagination, creatures which all stood bowing before him as one, their heads inclined in reverence and respect for their returned lord.
Naruto grinned as he walked past his subjects, Yasaka the Kitsune and Seira the Hikari-onna following behind him silently. He was their Supreme Commander, their lord, their leader. They relied upon him for his guidance, his rule, and in return for his gracious rule, he relied upon them for their steadfast loyalty in turbulent times.
A small cyclone of black wind and feathers formed and dispersed behind Naruto, revealing Erisu, who joined Yasaka and Seira in following their lord. "Your orders have been fulfilled, my lord Commander."
"Good." Naruto reached out for sliding paper doors and pushed it aside, walking in with a gait that belied his status, as the true master of the mansion, heading towards the back garden. Already, the lord of all yokais could hear the thunderous roar of his parade, of his army, of his subordinates who celebrated his return.
"My Strategist, Yasaka."
"Here."
"My General, Erisu."
"Present."
"...And my Priestess, Seira."
"At your command."
"With my Trinity, with my family...", Naruto thought to himself, his lips curled up in bemusement. He raised a saucer full of sake to his lips, as he flung open the door separating him from the rest of his clan. "I am supreme and unstoppable."
A/N: And this is the story idea I was talking about in King of Heroes, Uzumaki Naruto. One where Uzumaki Naruto is a yokai himself. After all, the canon Naruto is intrinsically linked to Kurama who is based on the Kyuubi no Kitsune, one of the most famous yokais of all time(no thanks to Japanese media.)This work, of course, is heavily inspired from the anime and manga Nurarihyon no Mago.
I admit it, the Trinity idea came from Shakugan no Shana and HunterxHunter.
Of course, this Naruto is not the "strongest". That would just plain spoil this story.
Well, I implemented the poll about the story you all want me to continue the most. Hope to hear from you all soon :)
Hope you liked it! Review, thanks :)