I don't own anything.
Chapter 1: Encounter
The group moved silently through the night. They made no noise as they blended in with the shadows. They walked at a steady pace, paying no attention to their surroundings.
They knew the path of which they were taking. It wouldn't be long till they reached their destination.
The sky was turning a light pink by the time they reached it. The leader stepped ahead of the others and knocked loudly on the large double doors of the house.
The group could hear a commotion inside as people scrambled inside. Finally, one of the doors was opened to reveal a woman around thirty wearing a simple kimono.
"Can I help you?" She asked. The leader reached up and dropped his hood to reveal a scarred woman took an involuntary step back before smiling again.
"Of course. I'll fetch him right away. In the meantime do come in, would you like some tea?" The woman said, throwing the door wider.
She quickly ushered the group into the meeting room before leaving to get the master of the house. The group was left alone but they could feel the stares of the lesser demons hiding in the ceiling.
"How dare he keep us waiting." One of the hooded travelers said. The majority of the group mumbled there agreement. The scarred man shook his head, silencing them,
The group sat in silence as tea was served by a Kejoro. The sun had long since risen and sun light streamed through causing some discomfort. The group was starting to get more and more impatient.
One by one they discarded their hoods revealing their human forms. They heard murmuring from the ceiling as the lesser creatures pushed and shoved for a better view of them.
The lone female of the group pulled out a piccolo and fiddled with it absentmindly. Her long black hair fell over her face, curtaining her piercing purple eyes.
"He's coming." The scarred man said. The group turned back to their formal appearance as the door slide open and a young boy of twelve or thirteen years of age appeared.
He bowed respectfully at the group before taking the head seat. The group appeared to be taken back by the boy's appearance. The long haired man cleared his throat.
"We were hoping to talk to Nuraihyon." He said. The young boy nodded, understanding.
"I understand completely. Unfortunately my grandfather isn't here at the time. I am Rikuo Nura, Nuraihyon's grandson, and the Third Head." He said. The lone girl gasped but quickly covered it up as a cough.
"If you have anything to talk about concerning the Nura Clan, please speak to me about it." The group turned to look at each other, unsure what to do. Rikuo looked at the scarred man,knowing he was the leader.
"Would you like to wait for my grandfather?" Rikuo said after the awkward silence had gone on for long enough.
"That would be for the best. I apologize that we have made you wait so long to find out why we are here. This matter is something before your time." The scarred man said. Rikuo nodded.
"Very well then. Someone will be by shortly to show you to a room where you can be more comfortable." Rikuo said as he rose to leave, bowing as he did. The group bowed back and the door slide close.
"I wasn't expecting that." The long haired one said when the coast was clear. The girl pulled out her piccolo and played a simple tune. She felt her fear intensify as she played.
"We can't be serious about letting this happen. When our clans made the alliance we assumed that the grandson would be, how do you put it... bigger." The bald man said.
The others, not including the scarred man and the girl, nodded their agreement. "I can't tell if he is a yokai or not. I couldn't feel any fear from him."
"No." The girl said, lifting her head. The others raised their eyebrows. "It was there. It was faint but it was there. He is the grandson of Nuraihyon, like it or not.
Our clans made a promise. We have to honor that promise. I will marry Rikuo Nura."
Nuraihyon was looking at the sky as he swung on the park's swing. He thought about dinner, Rikuo, but mostly he thought about Yohime. "Our time together was great." He whispered to himself. Memories, both happy and sad, pulsed pass him.
"Head! Head!" Karasu Tengu called as he flew towards the Nuraihyon. Nuraihyon looked at him suprised.
"Oh, Karasu. Is it dinner time already?" He asked, innocently. Karasu looked pained.
"Head! This isn't the time for jokes. You're needed home right now. There are some unknown yokai requesting to speak to you right now." He said, obviously flustered.
"Why can't they speak to Rikuo? He is the head, not me."
"They refuse to talk to anyone but you. They haven't even told us why they're here." Karasu said, tears running down his cheek. "We don't even know what type of yokai they are."
Nuraihyon narrowed his eyes. He searched his brain for a sort of clue. His eyes widen when he realized the connection. He jumped off the swing and started walking home.
"We best get home. Its almost time for dinner." He said. He step was quick as he made his way home. It couldn't be them, he thought. It couldn't.
When he arrived home, the sun was starting to set. He was quickly ushered into the main meeting room where the group was. They bowed respectfully. "I see." he said. "It really is you guys." They nodded. Nuraihyon sighed. "I guess its that time."
"It is indeed that time. We are willing to go through with it if you still are." The scarred man said.
"Perhaps we should ask Rikuo his opinion about this first. He is the head, not me." He said as he motioned for Rikuo to be summoned. It wasn't long till Rikuo appeared and sat next to his grandfather.
The scarred man cleared his throat.
"We apologize for not telling you our reason of coming here from the start. Our clan is passed on a small island. We have already kept to ourselves. That is till a demon Nuraihyon appeared, hoping to recruit demons for his night parade. Our head at the time was deeply offended and challenged him to a duel. Our head lost and our clan was threaten with destruction. But Nuraihyon struck a deal with our head. The deal was that our clans enter an alliance that would be cemented with the marraige between their grandchildren." The scarred man said. Rikuo's eyes widen as he took in all that was said.
"You don't mean.." He asked, unbelieving. Nuraihyon nodded.
"Allow me to introduce our Third's head's little sister, Princess Tsuki. If you agree to it, she will become your betrothed." The scarred man said motioning to the girl. Rikuo's mouth dropped open.
"I can't believe you agreed to this Grandpa. How could you make this decision by yourself?" He said, turning to Nuraihyon. Nuraihyon shrugged.
"I didn't make the decision completely by myself it is still your choice if you want her or not." He said, eyes serious. Rikuo turned to his left, towards the cherry tree. Sure enough there he was.
"What do you want to do?" He asked his night side. Night Rikuo chuckled softly.
"She's strong. I can sense her fear. She would make a wonderful asset to the Nura clan." He said as he leaned in closer to Day Rikuo. "I'll handle it from here." He said.
Tsuki fiddled with her hands as the adults talked. When she finally looked up she gasped at what was before her. In the place of the young child boy was a man. A real man. He had white hair and a serious face.
He was strong. She had never felt a fear such like this. This is the true form of Rikuo Nura, she thought. She couldn't help but smile.
"I agree to the marriage. I hope to get to know you better, Princess Tsuki." He said as he bowed. Tsuki bowed back.
"I hope to get to know you better as well, Rikuo Nura. But perhaps we can continue this conversation later." She said. Rikuo nodded.
"Allow me to show you to your room." He said, raising and holding out his hand for Tsuki to take. Tsuki took it and rose, leaning on Rikuo for support. They walked in silence, but they could feel the stares of the lesser demons.
"Don't mind them." Rikuo said to Tsuki. "They'll take any chance they get to gossip." Tsuki smiled.
"I know this must be very odd for you. Finding out that you're engaged to a girl you've never met before." Tsuki said as they reached her door. Rikuo shrugged.
"You do what you have to do for the family." He said. Tsuki nodded.
"You do what you have to do for the family." She repeated as she slid the door open. "It was nice finally meeting you. I hope you have a good night sleep." She said as she slid the door shut.
