KANA

A/N: ya don't think I'd stop at one chapter update now, do you?

Ch7

"Um… Rikuo-kun."

"Hm?"

"Um… Y-you can let me go now."

She felt his sigh caress the top of her head and his left arm tightening around her. When she wiggled a bit to put some distance between her back and his chest, he used his other arm to keep her body flush against him, causing her cheeks to take on a pink hue. She shivered when he lowered his mouth to her ear and spoke up, the tenor of his voice vibrating her eardrums and made her bite her lower lip to prevent herself from swooning over the narcissistic ayakashi.

"No way. You were the one who wanted this didn't you?"

"B-But… I didn't ask for you to… to… do… to do this!"

She could feel his smirk against her earlobe. "Do what?"

The light pink on her pale cheeks turned a bright scarlet as she felt him rest his forehead against the spot where her shoulder joined her neck. When she was too busy being conscious of how warm and so close –too close- his body was instead of answering him, he shrugged nonchalantly.

"Why are you so embarrassed anyway? I thought we've already established that being this close shouldn't be a problem to both of us. You didn't seem to mind that time when we were in your room."

Instantly, the events of the past week when Hotaru had burnt down a dojo resurfaced. She frowned as she tried to pry his hands off her.

"What does that have to-"

Then she realized what he meant, when the recollection of how his hands had felt as he cupped her face and how close they were that time decided to butt in. Her fading blush returned full force as she remembered how they were so close to… do… something… before Ryota-neko barged in on them. Rikuo even seemed to notice that she finally realized what he meant, and his smirk grew wider. A few seconds later Kana swallowed, and her hands tried to pull his hands away half-heartedly.

"Rikuo-kun… you pervert."

He let out that low chuckle of his, and Kana cursed herself for letting her body tremble at that oddly relaxing sound. "Am I now?"

Her hands finally stopped moving. She looked down at both of his hands that were resting snuggly against her flat stomach, his fingers lacing together to make a point that he was not going to relinquish his hold on her unless she stayed still. Tilting her head to the side, she gently traced all five of his long fingers with her own, the soft pads of her fingers ghosting over his pale skin. He peered down as he rested his chin on her shoulder, watching silently as her fingers ghosted over his knuckles and continued to trace a visible vein on the back of his hand. She stopped at the back of his wrist for a heartbeat where the ends of his Yakuza tattoo was visible and continued the exploration of what seemed to be the tail of a Nue tattooed along his forearm. She stopped as she reached the edge of the sleeve his white yukata.

Kana turned her head enough to feel her temple touching his chin and frowned as she glanced at the way his lips were set in a straight line. It was already past bedtime, and all the residents were asleep. Hiromi had followed Kubinashi, Kejoro and Aotabo on a night patrol and wouldn't be home until the break of dawn. She should be sleeping, with Hotaru curled up by her side, not sitting up in a Sakura tree that was blossoming magnificently despite it being close to winter.

She supposed it was partly her fault that Nura Rikuo had thought that sitting on his favorite spot with her nestling cozily in between his legs was a good idea. She had only voiced out that it must be nice to sit in a branch and watch the fluttering lights of the hitodama floating around the cemetery on the hills. When he saw her excited face as she wondered how pretty the sight would be, he took it upon herself to grab her and settle down on his favorite branch, Kana being his unsuspecting company.

She suddenly remembered she was supposed to be mad at him, and that she had forgotten his earlier question.

"Am I now?"

She squelched the urge to snap her head backwards just so that she could have the satisfaction of bruising his chin for being a pervert. Geez, she couldn't comprehend him at all. He was dangerously handsome and attractive, and he knew that as well and was not shy in using that against her. He knew that he could affect her, because his lips turned up into a smirk when he realized she was staring at his mouth.

She didn't bother answering him, and finally relented. Rikuo, realizing this, finally loosened his hold on her and brought up his right knee so he could rest a hand on it.

Rikuo, noticing that she had been staring at his mouth, spoke up again. "What are you looking at?"

Her frown was gone as she looked up at him. Rikuo tilted his head to the side, as she suddenly hummed in contemplation.

"Rikuo-kun…"

The smirk he had on disappeared as he watched her. "What?"

Her brown eyes shifted to the side as she thought of something, and they turned back to look at him squarely in the eyes.

"Tsurara-san… who is she to you?"

For a second, he blinked as he digested her question. He raised a brow after a while as her cheeks suddenly colored a faint pink when she turned her face away from him in favor of his right hand dangling from his knee.

"I-I mean… well… she seems to… you know… she seems to have a crush on you."

He couldn't relate how Tsurara's crush on him had anything to do with Kana. He decided to ignore that question, just to spite the woman he was cradling between his long legs, but decided against it.

"She's a subordinate. And I am aware of that."

Kana swallowed as her hands begin to twist together. She didn't know why, but lately she felt bad for the Yuki-Onna. There had been more than one occasion when she would notice how Tsurara would hold back on showing her affection towards her master, and she couldn't help but notice the youkai's crestfallen face at being treated as one of the guys and nothing more. The Onmyouji knew Rikuo was aware of the snow youkai's affections, but he didn't seem to notice the hurt in Tsurara's eyes when the powerful ayakashi would sometimes call out to Kana.

She sighed as she turned towards a stray leaf that had flown over their heads. "It would definitely hurt her if she were to see us huddled up like this. I knew I would feel jealous."

The red eyed youkai stayed silent for a while, before he took her hand in his, testing the feel of her small one in his cool, long fingers.

"She should know better. We were actually engaged, and she was the one who broke it up."

At that, Kana nearly fell off from her spot as she turned around to stare at him wide-eyed. He tightened his left arm around her to stop her from falling off the high branch. "You were engaged?"

He ignored her question and shrugged nonchalantly as he avoided her bright eyes to look at the moon before he continued.

"If anything, I'm the one who's supposed to feel hurt. I don't see why she would still feel hurt after pulling a stunt like that a few years ago."

The woman in his arm stared at him, her eyes flashing a barrage of emotions one after another.

Surprise, anger, relief, confusion… and pity.

He closed his eyes as he rested his forehead onto hers, just like how he did a week ago.

"What now?"

She was silent as she contemplated her response. She could ask him what happened, but she shouldn't pry into those kinds of matters. Besides, it wasn't as if they were in an actual relationship. Sure, she knew there was something between them, but she couldn't risk stepping into a relationship just yet, because she still had a part in her that wouldn't let her fully accept the long-lost feelings she once had for Rikuo. And part of her was afraid to love again after losing Ryuuji.

So she settled for something else.

"I'm… sorry…"

The pity in her voice amused him, and he chuckled. She bristled at his sudden reaction. What was it that he found so amusing?

"Hey, what's so funny? I'm being overly considerate of your feelings here, you know?"

He lifted his face as he put some distance between them and shook his head, his chuckles trailing off. When he opened his eyes, the red rubies were so clear and something akin to endearment flashed in his eyes.

"Kana, you don't have to feel sorry for me. The engagement had been one of convenience, since we were on the verge of extinction since a lot of female youkai had married off to other clans. Though at one time I did have some sort of attraction to her… but yeah… she thought I wanted her as my wife because she was convenient…"

She frowned again as he brushed his thumb over her pink cheek. "Oh… so… you used to like her…"

He smirked again. "Are you jealous?"

Kana rapidly blinked her eyes, sputtering incoherent curses in her peculiar Kansai dialect. "'m not! Wha's wrong with ya, shootin' yer mouth off like tha'."

His smirk widened at her reaction, and he fought the urge to stop her lips with his own. He couldn't help it, she was just adorable. Gently, he placed his thumb over her bottom lip, and she immediately stopped.

"There had been a time when I felt something for her, to be honest. She was a comfort to be with when I couldn't tell my friends who I really was, and she was special to me, in a way... but I also felt something for you, even before you left for Kyoto during high school."

He watched as she set her mouth in a straight line, her brown eyes looking at a spot behind his shoulder in an attempt to look away. He cleared his throat.

"Kana, you're important to me."

The fading blush came back, slowly coloring her cheeks a darker shade of pink. She bit her lips, contemplating his words over and over in her head, and finally opened her mouth

"I… I was in love with you, Rikuo-kun. All those years I was in love with you and I couldn't have loved anyone else but you. But then I met Yura-chan and Ryuuji-kun and Hidemoto-sama… I found someone else to love."

She felt him withdraw his hand from her face as he let it hang from his upturned knee, and hesitantly, she dragged her eyes to face his red ones. He saw the hurt and confusion clouding her big brown eyes, and he felt like taking all of it away and locking it somewhere thirty feet under his manor. Her eyes flickered towards his Adam's apple as he swallowed, and a pained smile stretched her lips.

"I had loved Ryuuji-kun so much, and then to suddenly lose him… I… I don't think I can… I don't know what I should do right now."

He felt sick, sick at having to hear her voice out her love for a man he had fought against, sick that he had to be the one listening to her declaration of love for a man who was not him, and sick at having her think that she does not deserve and could not accept his affections. She wasn't ready yet, he knew. And that was what gave him hope, even if it was little.

"Then I'll wait. Like how you waited for me, Kana."

Kana raised her brows as she heard him sigh resignedly. He brought up a hand to ruffle her mop of brown hair, eliciting a surprised yelp from her mouth.

"Wh-what? What?"

Rikuo used that same hand to pull at her cheek, and gave a small smile.

"Nothing, I just felt like teasing you a bit."

At this, Kana huffed. "Is it okay if you return me to my room now? I'm kind of sleepy."

Rikuo shook his head, and used both arms to pull her flush against him once again. "I don't want to."

He let her mumble incoherent words, and could feel his lips tugging up into a small smile as he felt her sigh and relaxed her body. She immediately fell silent, and he chuckled softly as he realized she was fast asleep, her small hands covering his interlaced ones on top of her stomach. He swept his gaze over the fluttering lights of the hitodama fireballs dancing in the distance and let his mind wander off for a while, before he finally decided to carry the Onmyouji to her room and settle her into her futon. Hotaru had been sleeping next to the pillow when Rikuo laid Kana onto the futon. As if on reflex, the little fox blearily opened his eyes, and took a few steps to curl into a ball next to his sleeping master.

He slid the doors shut, and spent a few minutes as he leaned against the shoji doors, staring into nothing. He saw a sleepy-eyed Tsurara coming from around a corner heading towards the washrooms, and she stopped in her tracks to acknowledge him. Her eyes turned towards the closed doors of Kana's room to her master, and hesitantly greeted him.

"Rikuo-sama."

Said name brought up a hand to massage the kink on the back of his neck, pushing himself off the doors to look at his subordinate.

"Tsurara."

When she stood there, contemplating what to do, he spoke up first.

"There had been a time when I had affections for you, Tsurara."

The snow youkai sported a blush on her cheeks ad she looked up at him, eyes wide. He let his hand drop on his side as he continued. "I used to think that you were the most important person in my life, but then I met Kana and Kiyo and Shiima…"

Tsurara tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she listened to her master. He continued as he let out a chuckle.

"I never thought that I would feel the same towards Kana. When she left for Kyoto, I think that was when I realized that the feelings I had for you were no more there."

At this, the Yuki-Onna smiled resignedly. "Thank you, Rikuo-sama."

Rikuo nodded, and turned around so his back was facing her. "I owe you an apology, Tsurara."

She let out a gentle laugh. "It seems that I've already lost to Ienaga-san, not that I mind, really. She's a very…"

Tsurara stopped a while to think about Kana, and when she saw Rikuo turn around to look at her over his shoulder, she smiled.

"She's a very nice and interesting person. Kind to a fault, and silly sometimes. But she is special to you, that much I know."

He nodded, and then he left her, a smile ghosting his lips as he made for his quarters.

As corny as it sounded, and he was anything but that (Nurarihyon was, unfortunately, very cheesy in his opinion. Because seriously, who would declare his undying love to a woman on a roof while a crazy demon was trying to rip his heart out. Obviously, his Jiji would) but he knew that he would wait for her.

He didn't know for how long, but he was sure as hell going to wait for her.

The clan elders be damned.

A/N: I know, it's short. But the next ones are going to be longer, I promise. Please review and tell me if it's a bit rushed. I'd really appreciate that. ^^

Hugs and kisses.