Me: Ahahaha!...I HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR NOT UPDATING SOONER. EXCEPT FOR THAT LIFE SUCKS AND I SHOULD BE DOING HOMEWORK RIGHT NOW.

Yuno: Excuse us for being so late.

Yuna: That's what you get for procrastinating.

Gin: BUT OMG THIS IS LIKE TOTALLY COOL THAT WE ACTUALLY LIKE HAVE REVIEWERS LIKE FOR THIS STORY AND WE SHOULD LIKE TOTALLY-

Me: *smacks Gin* WHO THE F-CK INTRODUCED THIS IDIOT TO POLAND!?

Yuna: France.

Yuno: I thought it was Spain?

Me: I DON'T CARE WHO IT WAS SOMEONE'S GOING TO DIE!

Gin: Can you, like, totally get off me?

Me:...*pulls lever*

Gin: *falls down trap door screaming* THIS IS TOTALLY NOT COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooo oooooooooooooollll*voice fades away*

Me:...Well, now that nusicence has be taken care of, let's get on with the show, shall we? CHAPPY ROLL!

This person was…

"Jiji..?" Rikuo breathed out the word, starring at the once innocuous-looking, little silver cherry blossom with widening eyes.

It couldn't be.

His grandfather, the Soutaichou of the Nura Gumi, the Master of Pandemonium, that silly old man that snuck into people's houses just to mooch off their food, who he had sworn as a child to grow up to be just like, his beloved jiji who was silly and cool and wise at the same time, his jiji whom he had not yet been able to beat yet in a proper duel at his best, just couldn't be dead!

It wasn't possible.

It couldn't be possible.

It shouldn't be possible!

But it was.

Rikuo doesn't notice his legs give out underneath him as he stared blankly at the piece of his aura.

He doesn't notice as tears began to fall from his now silver irises.

He doesn't notice as the other hundreds of cherry blossoms swirl around him in a flurry of movement.

He doesn't notice as Abe no Seimei begins to show alarm when those cherry blossoms begin to take up wispy, familiar forms and spread out his miasma.

He doesn't notice as his presence begins to rival and then even overshadow Abe no Seimei's own enormous and potent Fear.

He doesn't notice anything, until before his eyes, the silver cherry blossom begins to float, and begins taking shape.

But, what formed wasn't the figure of a short, bald, wrinkly old man.

What formed was the figure that all youkai had hailed as the Master of Pandemonium.

Nurarihyon.

Rikuo was so surprised by the see-through appearance of his grandfather in his prime, he stopped crying. He merely stared in awe at the visage of his jiji, who stared back with gentle eyes and a soft smile.

"Yo, Rikuo."

Rikuo's only reply was the widening of his eyes.

Nurarihyon sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He looked at his grandson, a bit annoyed, although the kindness in his eyes did not disappear.

"Rikuo, can't you even say 'hi' to your beloved grandfather?"

Unable to completely snap out of it, Rikuo could only ask, "H-how?"

"Well," Nurarihyon drawled in that oh-so-familiar way, "It's mainly because you, unwillingly or not, absorbed our souls. And when I say 'our,' I mean everyone who died for your sake."

Rikuo winced at this, but Nurarihyon continued on, nonplussed. "This means, whether you like it or not, we will live on inside of you, will never die until the day you do, and in the age that would have been or was the year of our prime. Which is why, I, Nurarihyon-sama," he strikes a flirty pose and winks, "am currently SEXY!"

Rikuo face-faults, before getting back up again irritated.

"BAKA-JIJI! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

Nurarihyon, deciding that he hadn't gone deaf, shrugged. "Meh. I think it is."

Rikuo could feel a vein pop on his forehead. "Yeah? How?"

Nurarihyon merely points behind his grandchild with a joyful expression and too cheerfully exclaims, "Like that!"

Rikuo, confused, turns around to see what he is talking about, and promptly blanches.

"W-w-what the hell!?"

The reaction was understandable, considering that behind him stood the specter-like visages of those who had fallen in battle for his sake, for the sake of the world, only moments before.

Every single one of the beings was painfully familiar, but different from what he remembered. Some looked younger, placed back into their prime, like his jiji. Others looked to be older, made to have met their golden age, much like how he himself was. Others still seemed to be different other ways, be a change of color, the growth of a horn, or some other added constituents that made their change more apparent.

He could pick out an older Tsurara in the crowd, as well as an older Tamazuki and Sanba Karasu, all who looked like graceful nobility. He could see the yokai from the Gumi household who arrived after it was attacked (he dared not think of the deaths that happened there; of his mother.). He could see a healthier Zen, a taller and older Shouei, a younger and bigger Karasu Tengu, and a more beautiful Kejero. He could see Aotabo, Kurotabo, and Kubinashi in their former glory. He could see the various Onmyojou decked out in their formal wear, with Ryouji looking less haggard, and Yura looking more matured.

Rikuo looked on with wide eyes, eyes that only grew larger as before him, all of the apparitions that were formed from the silver sakura bowed as one, calling out, "ALL HAIL RIKUO-SAMA!"

An annoying voice cut through his awe of the venerable army that stood before him. "Oy, Rikuo-chan~!"

"-CHAN JANAI!" he instantly retorted, silver eyes narrowing into slits and mouth forming into a fierce scowl as he whirled upon his smirking grandfather. Unfortunately for Rikuo, it would have been more effective at intimidating someone if he hadn't had a blush spread across his face.

"I think not. You're just as adorable as you were when you were as a child, Ri-ku-o-chan~!" Nurarihyon mocked, although he truly believed his words.

Rikuo felt himself flush.

"Who the hell are you calling cute!?"

Nurarihyon cracked up, and laughed, saying all the while, "Hah! That just proves my point! Rikuo-chan wa, hontoni kawaii-desuyo, ne?"

Rikuo felt a vein snap. "KAWAII-JANAI!"

Nurarihyon snickered, "Hai, hai. Whatever you say."

Then, abruptly, Nurarihyon expression sobered, causing Rikuo to be taken aback by the sudden change.

"Ah, I knew we were forgetting something," Nurarihyon scowled darkly, and from the corner of his eye, Rikuo saw the expression mirrored on the apparitions. "This is going to be troublesome."

"What are you talking about, jiji?" asked a wary Rikuo, sakura blossoms beginning to twirl in response to his agitation as he gripped Nenekirimaru.

"Perhaps you should pay more attentions to your surroundings."

Me: AND THAT'S THAT.

Yuno: That's it?

Yuna: No sh-t Sherlock.

Me: LANGUAGE! *face of doom*

Gin: GAH! That's like, totally scary!

Me: WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT TALKING LIKE THAT!

Gin: I LIKE TOTALLY CAN'T HELP IT ANYMORE!

Me: Well you're going to try, because if you don't than I will like, totally, make you wish that you like, totally, never, ever existed. Get me?

Gin: *whimpers* Totally.

Me: *smiles* Good. SEE YOU ALL NEXT TIME!