Disclaimer: I don't own Nurarihyon no Mago, this is just a fanfiction. I won't repeat this as we are not allowed to post stuff we do own on this site in the first place so this disclaimer is kinda useless.

NOTE #1: this fic will take it for granted that you have read the Manga so if you only watched the Anime, you will need to finish the Manga first in order to fully understand what is going on. Watching the OVAs and reading Light Novels is not necessary (I will give more descriptions whenever something from those is referenced)

NOTE #2: illustrations of the two main characters (their youkai forms at the moment) can be found in my Bio. There is an illustration for another character but I suggest not checking it until you have finished 35th chapter

Chapter 1

"Wake up Rihan." A voice and a touch of a cold hand woke up the sixteen years old boy with black hair that almost reached to his shoulders, called Nura Rihan.

"Ah..." He opened his eyes. "Oh, good morning mom." He greeted the young looking woman with black and blue hair, wearing a kimono and a scarf. Her name was Nura Tsurara. She was a Yuki Onna and this boy's mother. "Isn't it too early for school?" He did not need a clock to see what time it is as one look at the window in front of him was enough to make a good guess. It was another dreamless night... I guess I have been quite lucky lately.

"Usually it would be dearie, but today is the ceremony to welcome the new headmaster, remember? So you need to come to school earlier."

"Ah yes, right..." he said and raised himself up from his futon into a sitting position. A high-ranking member of their clan has been, with help of the Clan's yakuza connections, appointed as headmaster of his high school. Members of the Nura Clan, always looking for an opportunity to hold a celebration, have taken it upon themselves to make this a memorable occasion. Rihan wasn't in a celebratory mood though, both because he disliked the family's yakuza nature and because he understood that the headmaster's role was to keep an eye on their Clan's inheritors.

Suddenly, a bowl with some rice appeared right in front of him. "Here is breakfast, Rihan-sama!" said the voice of Oryou, one of the Tsukumogami who served his mother. That little fairy-like youkai was, undoubtedly, the one holding the bowl. He found such sights entertaining, and when he was younger, made them carry around all kinds of things bigger than them for that exact reason... though it never looked like they minded his bullying.

"Oh, thank you Oryou." He said and took the bowl of rice into his hands. In response, Oryou flew up and smiled.

"Well, now I am going to wake up your sister. Wish me luck you two." Tsurara said with an awkward tone and walked out of the room. More often than not, the responsible mother and the irresponsible daughter ended up bickering over something, or she would be missing from her room. Luckily for the Clan, she never went too far and rarely caused serious trouble for them.

And while two parties bicker, the third enjoys the show. "So... wanna bet?" Oryou said to the young Rihan with a naughty smile on her face. The young Rihan's relationship with many of the clan's youkai wasn't as good as it could be, but Oryou was one of those he considered a friend.

"Alright. Let's see... Today is an important day for our school and our clan, so mother expects both me and nee-san to take this seriously. So I bet she is not even in her room."

"RITSURA, WHERE ARE YOU?!" His mother shouted from another room, confirming his theory.

"Yay, you are right again Rihan-sama!" She flew up and gave him a small fist-to-fist, as per their tradition. "Well, I guess I owe you another favor." The little Tsukumogami noted.

"AHH, ONCE AGAIN SHE LEFT HER CELL HERE!"

"By the way Oryou..." He started a conversation while eating, no longer being interested in what went on between his mother and his missing sister. "...it is kind of silent here. Where is everyone?" Due to being filled with all kinds of youkai, this mansion had a tendency to be loud all day and night. It was quite unusual to see that the only loud thing was his mother's hysteria.

"Mostly at school. Kejorou-san is part of school's staff, due to her pretending to be a nurse, so she has to be there earlier than usual."

"DO YOU GUYS KNOW WHERE MY DAUGHTER IS?!"

"Kubinashi-san has volunteered to help with decorations so he is also there."

"ARCADES?!"

"Aotabou-sama got some idea of assembling that biker gang of his, and will be using it to spice up the ceremony."

"That can't end well." Aotabou often ended up going too far, and when his biker gang was added to the mix, it tended to go very far.

"SINCE LAST NIGHT?!"

"But it will be fun! As you know already, your father, the Supreme Commander Rikuo-sama, Kurotabou-sama, Daruma-sama and Shouei-sama are in the USA on some important business."

Important business eh? Although Rihan wasn't nearly as interested in the Clan's affairs as his sister was, even he knew that his father's trip was far more serious than just some business.

"DO YOU KNOW AT WHICH ARCADE?!"

"Karasu Tengu-sama is on a diplomatic mission while Gyuki-sama, and his clan are taking care of some business at their turf. The rest have gone to your school to help with preparations." The war against the Nue may have ended in a complete victory for the Nura Clan and it may have cemented his father's claim to be the Lord of the Pandemonium, but it did not make all of the Clan's enemies disappear... as a matter of fact it created some. And for the last few years, there was this weird feeling that the Clan would once again find itself in some major war.

"JUST YOU WAIT LITTLE LADY, ONCE I GET MY HANDS ON YOU..."

"And Tsurara-nee-san has just left to find your missing sister." Oryou ended with a smile.

~)(~

"Just... one more game left..." declared a seventeen years old girl in an arcade. Her white and teal hair and golden eyes, alongside being dressed in a light gray kimono and wearing a white scarf in the summer, made her an unusual sight. But, for some reason nobody paid attention to her strange appearance. "Yaaawn..." And due to not sleeping at all for more than twenty four hours she was a little tired, to say the least.

"This is not good, Ritsura-sama..." said Jiizo, one of her mother's Tsukumogami and the one who kept an eye on her since yesterday. He looked like an old grandpa due to his long beard and a cane, although he was no older than the other Tsukumogami. "Your mother is going to be angry at both you and me... I beg you to at least take a nap!"

"NO!" she proclaimed loudly. "I swore I'd get in Top 5 at all games here before today's classes started!" She threw a small glance to a seat next to her, where a red-haired human girl was sleeping. "Though I'd wish the challenger didn't fall asleep half way in." It was no rare thing for Ritsura and this girl to end up in come kind of contest.

"But... today is the... it is very important that you-"

"No... Don't you understand? This is a question of my honor!" She continued talking while playing a fighting game. "What will the other Youkai say if the heiress of the Nura Clan broke promises left and right?! Or even worse... that she sucked at these simple games! My Fear must reach everything, even a game's high score!"

"But you know this will end badly! Your mother will be enraged!"

"Every battle leaves scars." Ritsura said, trying to sound wise.

"Basically, what you are saying is that you accept the responsibilities for this deed of yours," a female voice from behind her asked, "right?"

The tired girl answered without thinking or turning around. "Yes, I accept it and..." she stopped after realizing it was not Jiizo who asked the last question, but another very familiar voice. She slowly turned around and then smiled. "Hi mom."

"Young lady, you are in so, so much trouble." Her mother said while a GAME OVER message appeared on the arcade's screen.

~)(~

"Tell me dearie..." Rihan's and Ritsura's angry mom started lecturing her daughter. She was silent while bringing her daughter back home, allowing herself both to calm down and prepare for an argument with her daughter. "Why does this have to happen all the time?"

"Umm... ha ha ha..." Ritsura, who sat right in front of her, answered in a feeble tone. As usual, not a sign of regret could be seen on her. In a way, it reminded Tsurara of Rikuo while he was still a boy.

Thinking of that comparison made Tsurara want to giggle, but at this moment she had to do her duty as a mother and properly reprimand her daughter. "That's not an answer."

"What can I say...I am a rebellious girl?" Ritsura said back, admitting that she was simply rebellious rather than pretend that her actions could be justified.

"We know that. And that's the problem! Look at Rihan!" Tsurara said and pointed right, towards a table where her son was writing something into his notebook.

"What? I, for one, finished my homework!"

"I am not doing homework." He complained to his sister. "I was bored, so I just started doing some of the other assignments." Of course, the real reason was to annoy his sister by pretending to be the nicer child. Such sibling squabbles were usual for them since they were kids.

"Ever heard about helping your nee-san?!" The angry sister asked.

"No. And I think mom just got angrier." Rihan had no wish to become a part of their little fights, especially since it usually resulted in his sister making him share the punishment.

"Oh." She looked back towards her increasingly irritated mother. "Well, you see mom..." She tried to make up an excuse, even though she understood well enough how futile that was. "I am an adolescent girl in late teens. You know how it is... I am sure you used to be one too."

And he still didn't get over the last time he got into trouble because of her. "You had been like that for ages though."

"Thank you little brother. I am trying to pour some water into the fire, and you come and help me with some freaking oil!"

"Enough!" Tsurara stopped their bickering. "We will talk about this after you get back from school..." She then gave a seemingly kind smile to her daughter. "When you will take responsibility just like you promised. Now eat your breakfast, change into your uniform and go to school! And I better not hear about how you fell asleep!"

"But today the classes are-"

"Doesn't matter! You will-"

Tsurara was cut off by the paper doors being loudly opened and a bewildered red-haired human girl, with a ponytail and glasses, entering the dining room. "Can someone explain to me why I woke up in here?"

"Mom has turned evil and desires some human liver!" Ritsura replied, showing that she already forgot (or didn't care) that she did something bad and was in trouble. "And we choose you as a sacri-OUCH!"

"Good morning Ichinoe-san." Tsurara said with a smile, after softly chopping her daughter on the head. "I saw you sleeping in the arcades..." she then turned her gaze to Ristura and stopped smiling "...where my dear daughter was fooling around..." then she turned back to the human girl "...and I thought it would be wise to bring you here. Oryou, breakfast for the girls!" Tsurara said and clapped her hands.

"Here, here!" Oryou flew with two bowls of rice and put them on the table. "Do you want seconds, Rihan-sama?" Oryou asked the boy but he just shook his head.

"Well, thank you. Yaaawn." Araya said and sat down to eat. This girl, Ichinoe Araya, was a friend of Ritsura and Rihan since middle school. Her special abilities included putting her nose where it didn't belong (which was why it was hard to keep secrets from her), having a limitless amount of energy (which was why she was always up to something) as well as getting everyone she knew into trouble (which Rihan suspected was the reason why his sister did what she did). Oh, and she had seemingly an infinite amount of money which she was never too shy to spend.

"Now if you excuse me, I have chores to attend to." Tsurara said and started leaving the room. When she reached the doors, she turned around and, with a creepy smile, said, "And plan my daughter's punishment! Prepare yourself, dearie, fufufu..." After saying those ominous words, she left the dining room, leaving the kids to themselves.

A few moments later, once she was sure that her mother was no longer nearby, Ritsura shouted at Araya. "I was just a minute away from beating the last game!"

"What game?" The human girl asked with a disinterested tone and feigned ignorance.

"What?! Last night you challenged me to beat all the games in the arcade until it was time for school! Are you claiming you don't remember it?" Her brother's suspicions have, thus, been confirmed. Araya really did cause this trouble for her best friend.

"Ah, yes... the challenge that was supposed to get you into trouble." Araya said bluntly and then turned towards Rihan with a wicked smile on her face. "Oi, you will tell the details of the punishmeeent 'kay?" She requested and winked, which made Rihan's heart skip a bit. After all, he found her attractive, though he highly disliked the attitude she sometimes had.

"Okay." He said. While both girls in the room have a terrible personality, Araya was on another level and he'd prefer not getting on her bad side.

"Eh?" Ritsura froze for a few moments and then spoke: "Your true motives aside, I claim I won the bet!"

"Alright, alright... I'll send you money after I am done eating." said Ichinoe Araya, also known as the Tycoon Princess... alongside many other nicknames.

"Yes... YES!" Ritsura started rubbing her hands as if she were a cartoon villain. "Never enough yens… fufufu…"

For a moment or two, Araya ate in silence, Rihan wrote in silence and Ritsura was being greedy in silence when...

"Hey, what do you mean you wanted to get me into trouble?!" It was downright surprising for how long she ignored the fact that Araya outright confessed her true motives for the bet.

"I take pleasure in watching people suffer due to my misdeeds." she said while eating, blunt as always. But then, that bluntness was probably what made those two girls so friendly with one another in the first place. "Can I have seconds?"

"Here ya go!" Oryou flew to her with another bowl.

"You are not human... you can't be human!" Ritsura said.

"Unlike some here, I am a pedigree." She looked towards Rihan. "Anyway, your brother sure has become cautious of me... getting him into the trouble is turning into a real challenge I must say."

I like to believe that I am getting experienced, but maybe it was just luck. Rihan thought to himself. Araya's games tended to be a mixed blessing: sometimes he found them annoying, other times he secretly found them fun.

"Forget about that! Why does mom never get angry at you?!" Ritsura started a new topic. "What is your secret recipe Little Brother? Tell me!"

"Because I am a good and responsible son." He closed the notebook, no longer in the mood to solve the assignments. "But look at it this way: Mothers tend to be stricter towards their daughters, especially when they have high expectations."

"Not to mention you are more of a Yuki Onna than a Nurarihyon." Araya joined in. "So it is natural that she has very high expectations from you. But I guess you are just-"

"Oh you guys are making me blush." Ritsura suddenly started blushing and acting like she was in heaven, and, as a result, the room got colder, making Araya shiver (Rihan, though, enjoyed the cold temperatures so he didn't mind it). Ritsura then grabbed one of her mother's Tsukumogami that was flying around and put some ice onto the glass on its head. "Here, have some shaved ice. It is on the house."

"...sister, you are so easy to manipulate..."

"Dammit, I accidentally brightened her mood... and isn't that technically spit?"

~)(~

The door opened, and a blond boy with prickles on his face walked into the dining room. "Hey Nuras! I was just walking to school when I realized I got up waaay too early so I decided to visit you guys and..." then he opened his eyes and suddenly stopped. "EEEEEEK! Why is Araya-chan in Nura's house this early in the morning?" He immediately turned his eyes towards Rihan, as if thinking that he was the culprit of a crime. "Nura-kun, is there something you have to say to your best buddy!?" Without waiting for his answer, he turned towards Ritsura. "Or is it you Nura-chan... have you finally fallen to the delicious dark side..."

The boy's name was Shima Ryu, a childhood friend the siblings knew forever due to him being the son of their father's friend. He prided himself a womaniser, and was kind of an airhead.

"Shima, you are jumping to conclusions again..." Rihan sighed. "...and incredibly stupid ones to boot."

"Yeah... I was just kidnapped so they could eat my liver." Araya said, seemingly taking a liking to Ritsura's liver conspiracy.

"Wha-..." the ever-naive Shima froze.

"But don't worry Shima!" Ritsura smiled. "She bought herself out of it and offered us... YOUR liver!" She said while slowly, yet dramatically, standing up.

"Yeah, you saved me from the effort of having to lure you here. Thanks, I will pay you back with a nice and extravagant gravestone so everyone knows that you were a hero!"

"You guys are kidding, right? Right?!"

"Fufufu." Ritsura laughed and stretched out her hand, probably to freeze him a little. "You are not leaving, little human."

"But why?" He dropped to his knees and started shivering as if he were freezing. However, Rihan doubted that Ritsura went that far. "I thought we were... pals..." He let a tear go down from his face. "But at least... it is for you guys... whom I love... and not for some-"

"Want some rice before school Shima-san?" Oryou flew to him with a bowl of rice, completely ruining the dramatic scene. No doubt, she felt sorry for the poor guy.

Shima looked up towards Rihan.

"They were joking man." His buddy said. Rihan was certain that Shima just went along with them, but at times like this he wondered if Shima really was just an airhead. "She and sis were at arcades until morning and mom brought them both here."

"Oh." the boy rose up and turned towards Oryou. "Oh Oryou-chan, of course I will take some rice." He gently took the bowl from her and acted like the scene from before never happened. "If you weren't so tiny, I'd even ask for your hand. You would be a perfect wife, I am sure of it!" He said with a flirtatious bow. Rihan sometimes thought he'd flirt with everything that can be identified as a female.

Little Oryou blushed. "Well... that is..."

"See what you have done Rihan?" Ritsura spoke to her brother. "Now we have to witness him flirting with Oryou rather than enjoy looking at his petty reactions. You must be so proud of yourself!"

"Go change and let's go to school already..."

~)(~

Four high school kids just arrived at the train station. The fact that they were frantically running certainly caught the attention of the crowd of numerous people, but everybody was too busy to actually care about it.

"Good, we came in time." Rihan said.

"Damn it girls!" Shima yelled while fighting for his breath. "I love you as both friends and girls, but sometimes I hate you for all the life-threatening troubles you cause us!"

"Sorry, sorry." Ritsura, who was just like her brother in good shape, apologized. Her sin was that she, due to not getting any sleep the night before, fell asleep while changing into her school uniform thus wasting their time. Good thing that Rihan correctly guessed what happened so this problem was quickly taken care of.

"If that is supposed to be a confession, Shima-chan, have a rejection." Araya said with a smile while fighting to stay on her feet just like Shima, who was a fellow human, did. Her sin was that, in order to kill time while waiting for Rihan to find his sister, she started walking around the mansion and, due to some bored youkai who liked to play pranks, she got lost.

"Now listen you two!" Shima Ryu started. Although the first impression made him look like someone who liked fooling around, he was actually the one who complained the most about his friends' unorthodox behaviour."The only thing I want is to have one week... ONE week... without one of you turning my entire day upside-down!"

"Now where is the fun in that?" Araya asked with a smile. While Shima was the extreme fan of normality, she was an extreme fan of abnormality.

"Come on now, I just-"

"Ah, there you are." a female voice interrupted him.

The group turned towards the source of the sound. The voice belonged to another friend of theirs, a girl with long, curvy orange hair called Onieda Mayuri. Like them, she was dressed in their school's caramel sweater and black jacket, but had an air of elegance around her. Like Araya, she was from a rich family but actually seemed to have been educated in good behaviour... or at least cared to behave well.

Shima's foul mood completely disappeared at the sight of the only other normal person in their group of friends. "Oh, my beloved Mayuri-chan! Did you wait for us here, refusing to leave until..." Shima started fooling around but after seeing that she had an angry expression on her face, he stopped. "Mayuri-san, why are you looking at us like that?"

"You guys were late. And you guys came together. You have been fooling around together, haven't you?" She then turned sad. "Why was I not invited?" Of the three girls, Onieda Mayuri was the only one whom Shima classified as normal. However, she always tried to fit in this weird group and thus got sensitive whenever it looked like she was being left out.

"Well, you see Mayuri-chan..." Shima started sweating, as if he did something wrong. "It is not like we planned anything! It is a coincidence we got together, honestly!"

Always leave it to Shima Ryu to make a truth sound like a lie. "Yeah right." she then shook her school bag and it produced a sound that made it obvious there was glass in it. "I make some tea for all of us, yet you guys... sometimes I wonder why I even bother."

Knowing that his time has come, a hero stepped forward. "Shima-kun is actually saying the truth this time." Rihan said to her in his seductive tone. "If you want details, I'll explain it all in the train while we drink some of the tea you made for us." he then smiled. "Okay Mayuri-san?"

"Well..." she blushed and looked down. Leave it to a Nura to crush anyone's fighting spirit with a wink or a smile. "We gotta hurry into the train anyway so I guess I'll listen to your story."

~)(~

A boy, seemingly in late teens, was sitting on a bench just over the street of the Ukiyoe High School. In contrast to the unusually loud and cheerful school, he was silent and focused. However, he still merged into the surroundings by pretending to read some comics.

After all, he was an assassin, so he knew how to hide his presence, even without using his Fear. No, since his targets were youkai, using his Fear might actually draw attention to him.

He followed his targets for three weeks now, always choosing another location to stalk them, never allowing anyone to notice him. Stalking Nurarihyons, who owned inborn talent in hiding their presence and slaying their targets before they could notice them, for so long, is a stressful job. But having to be patient even in the most tense situations was something he got used to.

Then he noticed someone. It was not the Nura Clan's heirs however, but a human girl with short black hair and a plastic flower decoration on it. She had a large, cheerful smile and was of short stature... and was walking in such a way that he felt like she wanted to start dancing.

He knew this girl. Unfortunately, she knew him as well. "Ah, is it Yasha-kun?" she proclaimed the moment she saw him. "What brings you here?"

"It is Yashagoro." He replied and put down his book.

"Uwww... too hard to pronounce."

"It is not. 'Ya-Sha-Go-Ro'." It is the old name of the villain in 'The Tale of the Gallant Jiraiya'. You should already know how to say it, damn it! To be honest, he'd have preferred to not use his true name, but she overheard one of his friends talk to him. After that incident, he told his comrades to not approach him while he was out, in order to avoid any similar incidents from happening.

"Alright, then I'll say that it is way too un-cute." she replied and sat down on the bench beside him.

This girl's lack of manners... He met this girl called Kibiki Sakura two weeks ago. Her curiosity must have been higher than his skills and she ended up noticing him. For a reason completely unknown to him, she marked him as friend material. And of course, gods found it funny to have her stumble upon him all the time. He tried to break all contact with her but, after a few failed attempts to force her to stay away from him, he gave in and befriended her.

"So, what are you doing here?" she asked again. "Oh, are you maybe curious at what is going on in my school today?"

"Oh, so this is where you go to school to?" due to the tendency to stumble upon her near this school, he already concluded she attended it. However, he pretended to be oblivious.

Just as expected, she nodded.

"Well, I was passing by it today and noticed that it is louder than usual so I took interest."

"Well, it is because we are getting a new headmaster... who seems to have some influential and cheerful friends so..." she stopped for a moment, as if in thought. "Hyaaah!" she suddenly screamed, making Yashagoro jump up for a moment. "Hey, why don't you come in? It is open to everyone today and I'd be very happy to show you around!"

"Ah... is that so... " Dammit! I put myself in a bad situation here. Usually, he would consider this to be a good opportunity to check how the school looks like from inside, but he already broke into it a few nights ago so it would be useless.

"Yep, it is!" she said with a happy smile. "So, come with me!"

"Mhm, I'd be glad to." After admitting his curiosity, he had no choice but to say yes. Though, he doubted that this girl, who seemed to have developed a crush on him, would have accepted a no anyway. I always make such blunders around this girl... guess I am getting too relaxed in her company. Damn, I can't afford to act like some teenager on a date!

"Then let's go!" she grabbed his hand and pulled him from his bench.

Fortunately, she didn't seem to know the Nuras so there was little risk of him meeting them. After all, it was preferable for an assassin to be fully unknown to the targets and those close to them.

Talking about the Nura's, his youkai eyes noticed both of them and their three friends walking in the distance. He moved his gaze away, not wanting to risk getting noticed.

And so the tense patience shall continue until an opportunity shows itself.

And an opportunity will no doubt show itself... and once it does, the snake shall bite.

~)(~

California, USA.

Michael Dower McRein, a wealthy man and co-owner of one of America's most profiting store chains, was staying in a restaurant in a small town in California.

Usually, people of his status tend to eat in more luxurious locales or at home, but he preferred the atmosphere in places like this one, possibly because it is a place like this where his career started. For thirty years now, he sat in simple locales, eating simple food and using his computer to control his assets when he is not in his office. And he has no intentions to abandon that habit.

But something was weird today. He couldn't put his finger on what, but some strange sensation ran through him. He thought it was due to that meeting from an hour ago, but now he was sure it was something else, so he decided to finish what he was doing on his computer earlier. He had already finished his food and all that remained was to call for his driver and bodyguards and leave in his limousine.

But when he rose, he saw something was amiss: the locale was empty. It was 2PM so the locale should be bustling with customers but even the employees have gone somewhere.

But what really creeped him out was the fact that the window shutters were closed. Besides his computer and cellphone, there was no light here. The place was pitch-dark.

"What... how did I not notice anything?" he thought loudly. It is impossible to not notice such a change in lighting.

Then someone said something in a foreign language. He looked around but saw nobody. "What? Who's that? Where are you?!"

"Because making people not notice me is my Fear." A sound came from the seat opposite to where he was sitting.

Dower jumped back. "What? When did you come here?!" he yelled at him.

"I was here for around ten minutes." The voice said.

"What? I am sure you were not there a moment ago!"

"I was. As I said, it is part of my... oh sorry, you may not know what I speak about. Let's say it is my magical ability to make people not notice me."

"Magical abilities? Don't give me that crap!" he started walking backwards and bumped into someone. Dower turned around and saw a tall, hooded man. "Eeeek!" he retreated.

He then noticed that this tall person was the only normal thing here. His eyes soon saw a weird old man in orange Japanese clothing holding a Japanese sword. He also noticed some Japanese monk with a spear and a huge hat.

"What is...who are you people?"

"We are a Yakuza." The voice behind him said. Dower, whose eyes got used to darkness, turned around and looked at this person. He was wearing common clothing but his eyes were red and his hair... unnatural. "A Youkai Yakuza to be exact."

"Yo...ukai?" youkai was a word for Japanese demons if Dower understood it correctly. Due to that project, he tended to hear it often these days.

"Yes, youkai. I am Nura Rikuo, leader of the strongest Youkai Yakuza." he stretched his hand towards the seat where Dower was sitting up till now. "Please sit. I want to have a talk with you."

"Youkai... Are you part of that group? I already met with one of your guys today." he said and sat, not wanting to take any risks.

"No, I am not part of that group. To be more precise, I believe they might be my enemies."

Dower's heart started to beat faster.

"No need to make such a face. Trust me, I am not bad guy." he gave him a smile. Something in that smile calmed him down, but his rationality continued to make him feel endangered.

"W-What do you want from me mister Rikuo?"

"Just to be sure we are on the same page here, the man you had talked with an hour ago, was from that group that calls itself New World, right?"

"New World?" Dower started laughing. Seems this youkai made a mistake. "No, no, they are called Shin Sekai. I think you-"

"Ah, so they are using the Japanese name..." Rikuo put a hand on his own cheek and looked aside.

Dower's smile disappeared. He felt stupid for not realizing that the group's name must have meant something in Japanese.

Rikuo Nura turned his gaze back to Dower. "Anyway, who was that man and what were you talking about?"

"...do you think I can just say something like that, Jap!? If they find out I told you anything, they shall-"

"Don't worry, I am not merciless. You see, I have a thousand strong youkai serving under me and you can be sure they are stronger than anything this Shin Sekai has to offer. I'll send a few to protect you until it is safe." he then sent him another comforting smile. "Deal?"

"Just to be sure, can I trust you? I have a wife and two sons, one of whom will give me a grandchild in few months. Do you promise me that they will be safe?"

Nura Rikuo said a simple "Yes." However, Dower could see strong determination on his face. He did not know anything about this man, but something told him he can trust in him.

"Alright then. These guys make me feel disgusting so I'll help any way I can. What do you need from me?

"Just say all you know."

"Alright." he took out some cigarettes from his pocket. "Mind if I take a smoke?"

"Feel free to."

"Anyway, I don't know much about this group." Dower started. "One day some creepy men came to my office to discuss a business proposal. They announced themselves as some Computer Security Experts, but as soon as they entered, I knew that something was amiss."

"How so?"

"Guess it is that Fear you mentioned for I sure was filled with fear soon enough." he replied, breathing out a big puff of smoke. "Anyway, they didn't lose time in showing me that they were not normal humans. Four people entered, and two of them turned into...," Dower stopped for a moment. The memory was so unnatural and unbelievable that he wanted to think it was just a dream, "...into monsters. I tried to scream, but suddenly another monster appeared behind me and put a hand on my mouth. Suffice to say, they were even less pleasant than your bunch! Then, they started talking about some youkai stuff but they soon realized that I really didn't want to know anything about it so they stopped, instead focusing on how they could help me and how I could help humanity."

"Humanity?"

"Yes, humanity. Though I am not sure how monsters like them can..." he noticed Rikuo narrow his eyes at him using word monster. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to… anyway. They said that computer technology is not the only way for humanity to advance and said something about enslaving and using youkai... now that I think about it, I think they even used that word Fear... well, they made many big promises, even offered to give me a few monsters for a gift, an offer I kindly rejected."

"What did they want from you?"

"They wanted to change the world with it they said... guess that's where the name comes from." Dower continued, not immediately answering his question. "What they needed from me were funds. As long as I give them funds, other sponsors and I will be rewarded in future."

"And you accepted?"

"As I said, I have a wife, two sons and soon a grandchild. They were insane and had monsters. You think I was stupid enough to reject?"

"Yeah, good point."

"Anyway, that's all I know. The man from today came to tell me that I don't need to invest that much anymore. However, I know enough of business to know how to read between the lines: they wanted more funds or I am getting removed from the deal. And I don't even want to know what it means to be removed from the deal by them." Dower put his cigarette into the ashtray. "I don't care what they are. I don't want to know. I want to keep my family safe and I will continue giving them funds for that. Please understand." He looked towards Nura Rikuo who nodded. "Thank you. However, I am not proud of this and I hope you do something about them, if you truly can. I don't know anything about you youkai, but I am sure they would be bad news for everyone." He got up from his seat. "Can I leave now?" Rikuo nodded and the man left.

"So we didn't find out anything useful." Nura Rikuo put his hands behind the back of his head and yawned. He also released this place from his Fear.

"At least we found out what these Financiers do as well as that they don't know much about this Shin Sekai." Daruma said. "It ain't much, but with such secrecy, even this is worthwhile."

Employees came back and started wondering who closed the shutters. They paid no heed to Rikuo's group.

"We also found out that they claim to be fighting for humanity's sake." Kurotabou added. "Claim." he repeated as if to put emphasis on it. After all, he was once manipulated by a man who claimed the same and wanted the opposite.

"At least it is a bit more than what we found out back in Japan." Shouei joined in.

"Still, it is not much. What Dower said is what we already expected." The shutters opened and Nura Rikuo's form became more human and his white hair turned into brown. As to not put a burden on him, his companions also took a more human form.

The Shin Sekai (The New World). A highly secretive group that appeared few years ago and had mixed itself with some of the events that happened in the youkai world, making Rikuo highly suspicious of their intentions. After a year of searching, the Nura clan found out disturbingly little about them.

But what they know is worrisome. They know they have onmyouji and youkai in their ranks. Furthermore, these youkai seem to be young, hinting that they even have Hyakku Monogatari's remnants as their allies, a youkai clan Rikuo was not fond of.

And, as if those two were not enough, they have other resources at their disposal as well, like money and computer hackers. Due to an archive of an Internet chat, part of which they managed to read before hackers destroyed it, they suspect they even have armed human forces. It is as if the whole world had united in order to accomplish something bad.

And Rikuo was certain it was bad... and that they wanted to do something big. Even their name suggests it.

And that's why Rikuo was in USA: the group was careful in Japan but the Nura Clan found some clues that the Shin Sekai acts outside Japan as well, and that they make connections with people who could be more talkative.

Michael Dower McRein was one such person and while they didn't find out much, they got a decent amount of information from that one man, although still less than they have hoped for. Rikuo was sure one of other financiers, likely one who is more interested in this project, could give them more information.

"Anyway, is it alright for you to leave your turf for so long? You could have just sent us here, Rikuo-sama." Kurotabou changed the topic.

"Nice sounding idea. I sure would like to go home to be with Tsurara and the kids, but..." he took out his cell and opened the document with people they need to pay a visit,"...do you really expect me to sit at home and do nothing? Also, it would be too dangerous to send you guys alone here. We have an army in Japan, but nothing overseas."

"Which endangers you, Rikuo-sama. You are more valuable than..." Shouei started.

"Please cut it. If I protected my skin like that, I'd have gotten nowhere."

"True, but this brings me to another question..." Daruma started. Rikuo already knew what he wanted to say and they have gone through it a dozen times. "Isn't it about time to make Ritsura or Rihan the underboss? While Gyuki-dono is skilled and trustable and your wife responsible, it would be better if your blood governed the affairs at home."

"It is still too early." Rikuo rejected him.

"But you were younger when you became the Surpreme Commander, Rikuo-sama." Shouei complained.

"The situation then and now is different. Back then I had no choice but to take over the leadership. However, there is no reason for the kids to bother with such stuff until they at least reach the human age of adulthood." He put an emphasis on the last part. "Let them lead their school life in peace. There is plenty of time to bother with this stuff later on, if they wish so."

"But..."

"Enough! We have a long ride ahead of us and I am getting tired."

Thirteen years may make you an adult in eyes of the youkai, but not in the eyes of the humans. And Rikuo agreed with the humans on this matter. He still remembered how burdensome it was to become a commander at such a young age, and the last thing he'd want was to force those responsibilities on his own children, especially since it was not needed. To allow Ritsura and Rihan to lead better lives is currently the thing he cares the most about.

IIIII

Author's notes: ...and thats how one day I decided to start writing a fanfic for one of my favourite Manga series (Nayrael's lame attempt to skip over hard-to-make first sentences ;P )

The story happens around twenty to twenty five years later, with Rikuo's and Tsurara's (had to make a tough decision on which girl's kids would give the best setting and story) kids being the main characters, though quite a few both canon and original characters will be present. Since I didn't know how the Manga would end at time I started planning it out, freely consider this a partially AU fic, though I'll give my best to stay loyal to the lore of NuraMago as much as possible (EDIT: the Manga is over and I don't think there any contradictions to canon).

The name itself implies a few things. One of them is the obvious reference to the villainous faction described in Rikuo's part of the chapter. However, it also signifies ambitions of some of more radical characters and, mostly, change in generations. But to tell you the truth on why I chose this name... I suck at picking titles so I took first thing that sounded good ;P

Might also comment on the names of the children: Rihan was chosen because of naming conventions in the Nura Clan: Rihan practically means Ri-half, Rikuo Ri-quarter and now that the son's ratio of human-youkai blood is around 50:50, Rihan looked like an obvious choice, not to mention that naming your child after your dear parent or grandparent is common.

Ritsura may sound like it was inspired by a pairing nickname, but it is naming conventions again: Ri- from Nura family and -tsura- which is present in both Tsurara's and Setsura's name.

Anyway, hope you enjoy reading it and hope you post your reviews and opinions!

Many thanks to my Alpha-reader Citsimsan who helped me a lot with his advices and opinions these months as I planned and wrote it and many thanks to my Beta-reader Suki90 who saved me from embarrassment called "Horrible Grammar mistakes dude!".

UPDATE: And also many thanks to silvergoldmoonlight for Betaing the revised chapter!