So finally an update on this story. WOW! Procrastination sucks. So Eevee-chan and I finally got to updating this... so yeah. School happened, homecoming happened, and I got a kinda-boyfriend out of all that. The quarter is almost over though (what the heck?). Now stop reading this boring update on a life you probably don't care about and go on to the story already!
Kiyotsugu laughed. "So, do you consider yourself familiar with yokai?" he asked Karen. She stopped cursing herself and looked at Kiyotsugu in surprise.
"Um… yes?" she responed. He seemed to have brushed her comment aside after she came up with that lame excuss. She turned to look at Miya and smiled. Things are turning out to be okay, she thought. I didn't screw everything up!
Miya rolled her eyes and looked at some pineapples instead which for some strange reason were sitting on the roof. Karen eyes went wide and she rushed over to them.
"... I guess she likes pineapples as well?" Torii asked Maki.
Maki shrugged, "Apparently, I don't even know where they came from."
Torii nodded. "They just appeared out of nowhere, didn't they?"
"It must have been a Yokai's doing!" Kiyotsugu exclaimed, surprising the two girls. They frowned at him.
"Not everything has to be the doing of Yokai, you know," Maki said while Torii shook her head. Kiyotsugu closed his laptop and pointed at their new companion who was holding one of the pineapples. Karen looked at him and quickly set the pineapple down, embarrassed.
"We must search for what did this!" he said and quickly got everyone into groups of two to start looking around. Surprisingly enough, Karen ended up with Rikuo. It was a good thing, too, because he had some questions to ask her.
Karen and Rikuo set off to look near the door. Near the begining of the search, Rikuo decided to ask her the one thing that had been burning in his mind.
"How exactly do you know so much about us?" he asked her. He had meant to ask her when she identified him, his grandfather, and Karasu Tengu earlier, but she had run off.
Karen stared off into the distance for a moment, thinking. Should I… tell him the truth? I told Miya, so I should tell him, too. Karen shook her head and turned to Rikuo, smiling.
"That requires a very, very long explination. It would be best if I told the whole Nura Gumi, wouldn't it?" she asked and giggled. "No, wait. It would be best if you explained it to them. I'll tell you then." Karen paused for dramatic effect, which was starting to annoy Rikuo. Couldn't she just get on with it?
"I'm not from here. Not this town, not this country, and not even this world… well, not exactly," she said. Rikuo looked at her in confusion.
"I'm not sure if I follow…" he said and Karen shrugged. She didn't expect him to. She didn't understand it herself.
"Basically I wished to come to this world. The world of Nurarihyon no Mago," she said and brought out a copy of the manga she had carried with her into this world. Rikuo looked at it in surprise. It looked to be a story of him and his companions. Karen handed him the book and he flipped through the pages, recognizing the events that happened within them.
Miya noticed Karen and Rikuo-sama and went over. She saw the book and said, "Hey, she showed me that earlier."
"Yeah, and you got all sad because you weren't in it, right?" Karen asked, knowing the answer. She ducked behind Rikuo when Miya glared at her.
"How…?" Rikuo asked in surprise. What the hell was this thing? he thought. How does this have the events of the past couple of months?
Karen shook her head and put her hand in her pocket. She brought out something so small she nearly lost it. When Rikuo finally got a good look at it, he stared at it with confusion; she was holding a paper crane.
"I… guess I only have one, but this was the last crane I folded out of a thousand of them," she said. "THIS IS THE CAUSE!"
Tsurara goes over to the little group. "What's going on?" she asked and saw the book in Rikuo's hand. "Whats that Rikuo-sama?" she asked looking at it confused.
Rikuo closed the book and shook his head. "I'll… explain when we get back," he said when he noticed that Kiyotsugu-kun was on his way over.
"Nura-kun!" he shouted as he walked over. "You didn't find anything, did you?"
He was followed by some very annoyed people. Guessing on their expressions, they hadn't found anything.
Maki pulled Torii along and over to the cluster of people. "What's going on over here? Did you guys find something?" Rikuo shook his head and handed Karen's book back to her.
"We didn't either," Torii said. Karen nearly missed a sigh of relief escape her lips.
Shima came over, "You guys didn't find anything? Me neither." he hufffed and looked at all of them.
"I would have expected more of you," Kiyotsugu complained. "But I guess it can't be helped." He looked around and smiled. "Let's meet here tonight to look for that one Yokai I was telling you guys about. I'm sure you don't have anything planned?"
"Nope." Shima and Maki said, Maki shrugging and stood next to Torii. Torii sighed; sadly, she didn't have anything planned. But maybe I'll run into that one Yokai who is always saving me, she thought hopefully. I still need to thank him.
"Rikuo-kun!" Karen said and jumped on said person. "You're going, right?" Her eyes widened as she tripped, her face was getting closer to his. No no no! I am not going to have my first kiss here! Especially with him! It's just not supposed to happen!
Miya frowned and when Karen started falling towards Rikuo-sama she nearly forgot she was in the presense of humans and almost used her water abilities to keep them apart. Instead she grabbed Karen's arm and pulled her towards herself to keep them apart. Once Karen was steadied she let go and glared at her intensly.
Karen was never more greatful for what Miya had done, until she saw that she was glaring at her. "Oops~" she said. She then looked at Rikuo whose face had turned beet red.
Tsurara stepped in between the two of them and smiled at Rikuo-sama. Her back turned to Karen. "Rikuo-sama, you don't have to go, besides I'm pretty sure you have stuff to do tonight right?" she said stiffly.
"Uh, right..." Rikuo said and then leaned in closer to Tsurara. "I'm sure the meeting can be pushed until tomorrow. Plus Yura isn't here to protect them if they do run into that Yokai."
Tsurara moved away a little when he got closer, a pale blush crossing her face. "Umm yeah I think it can be pushed back a bit..."
"Good," he said with a smile. He turned to the rest of the Kiyo Cross Squad. "Yeah, I'll be there."
Tsurara took a step back away from Rikuo. She glanced over at Kana, who had been staying quiet for a while now, then back at Rikuo-sama.
Kana then decided to speak up, "I'll go too!" she smiled. Karen looked at her with a glare then started fliping through her book. "I thought you didn't like Yokai?"
"Eh? I don't really, but if everyone else is going…" she trailed off and glanced at Rikuo. Karen smiled. No, it's totally because of Rikuo-kun… um, both forms… yeah, she thought.
"Alright, that's everyone, right?" Kiyotsugu said and then looked at Shima, who was looking at Tsurara. "I know Shima is already going, although you leave in a couple days, right?"
"Uhh? Oh yeah thats right!" he said.
"Tonight then!" Kiyotsugu declared, ending the meeting. Rikuo, Tsurara, and Miya started heading down the stairs of the building when Karen ran down to stop them from leaving her.
"Please, can I stay with you?" her question was mainly directed at Rikuo, but he didn't have time to answer before Tsurara objected.
"A human shouldn't stay in a house of Yokai." she said simply, trying to give Rikuo a good reason not to let Karen stay. Karen glared at her and puffed up her cheeks.
"He's technically a human right now," she argued. "And his mother's human. And he lets his human friends come over once they know that he's a…" she trailed of and quickly closed her mouth. Rikuo stared at her curiously. "That… he's a... Yokai…" she finished. Ah! Spoilers! Why, Karen, why?
"They… they find out about me?" he asked in surprise. Karen cursed herself and quickly turned to him.
"You really weren't supposed to find that out, Rikuo-kun," she said and shook her head quickly. She looked to the two Yokai. "Do any of you have some of that super strong Yokai sake or whatever it was called?"
"Umm, no. Why?" Tsurara asked confused.
"If he gets drunk off of it he won't remember what I just said," she pouted and turned back to Rikuo. "I made a huge mistake in telling you that."
"We'll remember though." Miya stated looking at Karen.
"I would have trusted you two not to say anything," she said and then shrugged. "Let's just go."
"But we'll still remember." Tsurara said as they all started walking again. Karen shook her head.
"Just forget about it!"
Tsurara sighed as they walked up to the main house. "So Rikuo's friends find out we're Yokai?" she asked again and looked at Karen, she couldn't forget about something like that, she didn't want Kana finding out Rikuo-sama was actually the grandson of Nurarihyon. Karen nodded her head; she was still mad at herself.
Luckily she had an idea…
"Ah, you're home, Rikuo. And you brought the human girl with you," Nurarihyon said, greeting the group. Karen nodded and started walking past him.
Zen was walking out to greet Rikuo, Tsurara, and Nurarihyon, when he bumped into Karen. "Hey it's you!" He exclaimed and glared at her. Karen looked up in surprise, making a sound like a mouse, and hid behind Rikuo.
"What are you doing here?" he asked angrily. Rikuo pushed Karen a little furhter behind him.
"You know her, Zen?" Rikuo asked.
"Yeah she ran into me this morning, too!"
Rikuo stared at Zen. "That's not really 'knowing' her…"
"It's close enough!" he said grumpily and crossed his arms then starts to cough up blood. Rikuo ran over and kneeled next to him. "Zen, you can't go overexerting yourself like that!" he exclaimed.
"Stupid Rikuo, you can't tell me what to do!" Zen said through his hands. Karen started panicking and rushed over to Zen's side as Rikuo tried to help him up.
"Ah! Do you need help?" she asked. Zen glared at her.
"No! I can manage!" he said through more coughs. Karen ignored him and helped Rikuo help him up. She turned to him and smiled.
"I can bring him to his room," she said. Rikuo looked at her in surprise. She knows where that is, too? he thought, but he nodded and let her take him in the direciton of the Main House. Zen protested her help whole-heartedly but didn't move away.
Rikuo turned to look back at the others and noticed that his grandfather had dissappeard. Of course he had. He was Nurarihyon.
"So, your weird Yokai obsessed friends find out we're Yokai?" Tsurara asked Rikuo-sama.
"I… I guess they do," he said and shook his head in disbelief.
"I wonder how…?" she asked curiously, wanting to know if there was a way to prevent it. I have to protect him, after all, she thought. Who knows what those humans would do if they found out Rikuo-sama was a Yokai?
Zen kept walking with Karen and looked at her as his coughing calmed down, though he was clearly still coughing. "How do you know where my room is?"
"I don't," she replied and smiled at him. "I just need your help with something."
"What?" he asked grumpily. They stopped walking near the front of the kitchen so she could tell him. She looked around for a bit to see if anyone was near.
"I need to know where that one special sake stuff for Yokai is," she replied.
"Umm, why?" he looked at her confused.
"If I give him sake he'll forget what I told him which I really shouldn't have!" she explained. "Spoilers, you know?"
"Umm, no I don't know. Why should I give you that sake? Because I'm not planning on it." Karen glared at Zen and flung her arms into the air.
"Fine, I'll find it myself!" she said and started walking away.
"Fine, good luck," he glared back and walked the other way, to his room.
Rikuo walked down the halls of his house, searching for his grandfather. He had to tell him that Karen was going to be staying with them for the moment. Behind him were Tsurara and Miya, who for now had replaced Aotabo for an escort. Apparently he was too busy with his biker gang.
"Have you seen the Supreme Commander?" They asked some of the Yokai that they passed. The Yokai shook their heads and started crawling/walking away. Rikuo sighed heavily and turned a corner.
"Oh!" a girl said as she bumped into him. Karen looked at him in surprise with a bottle of sake in her hands. She looked down at the bottle when they started staring at it and gave a nervous smile.
"What are you doing with that?" Rikuo asked her. She looks rather suspicious, he thought.
"I wanted to thank you for letting me stay here," she explained as a bead of sweat rolled down the right side of her face. If I could fool the Kiyo Cross Squad with a phony story, maybe I could with them, too! she thought. They can't find out my true intentions.
"Uh, it's no problem," RIkuo said. There definitely had to be something up with that botte of sake, he thought.
Tsurara raised an eyebrow, "Though, why are you thanking with sake?" she asked suspiciously.
Miya looked at the sake then at Karen. "Why do you need sake to thank us?"
"B-because I have nothing else to thank you with!" Karen said quickly and gave Rikuo the bottle.
Thank you Guest person, whoever you may be, for those reviews. They make us think!
Now to all the other readers, constructive criticism is always appreciated and we want to hear from you guys! So review, favorite, yada yada yada yada. See you next time!
