Disclaimer: Nuramago belongs to Shiibashi-sensei
Warning: AU, shounen ai, language, etc…
Beta: mittens_220 (LJ) or pika318 (ff net), as always, thank you very much for beta-ing this chapter as well!
A/N: Sorry for the wait. I was kinda freaking out these couples of days. As for the reason, it's in the after note. Also, I want to clarify something. So please read the additional note after the story.
Chapter 9: Hikuro, the Giant Black Fire Serpent
Yura, Ryuuji, Rikuo and Yoru were walking together on a small soil path into the depths of the forest atop Mount Hiei.
"Are we going to visit Enryaku-ji (1) first?" Rikuo asked Ryuuji as the dark haired man read the scroll in his hand. He seemed to be thoughtful while reading.
"Huh?" Ryuuji blinked slightly before he turned to face Rikuo. "What?" It seemed he hadn't heard what Rikuo had asked before.
"Yes, Nura-kun, we will visit Enryaku-ji first." Yura took the liberty to answer for her brother, sighing slightly.
Then why are we using this animal path? Isn't there an easier way to get there?—Rikuo wondered inwardly, a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek.
"We need to ask if the shield can be deactivated before we go further. It was mentioned in the legend that the place we are about to visit is protected with a very strong barrier that prevents both humans and youkai from entering it," Yura said again, pulling her bag up her back slightly.
"Even humans?" Yoru, seeming to be perfectly okay with the ridiculous trip to the mountain, raised his eyebrow at that, looking puzzled somehow.
"Yes," now Ryuuji answered, closed the scroll and put it back in his pocket. "Originally, the barrier was set up to keep something inside the barrier, not to keep something out. However, it's no joke if people or youkai that enter the barrier can't get out again right? So another barrier was added on top of the original one to keep everything else out as well," he explained.
"Huh? Who would want to make a barrier only to keep something in?" Rikuo frowned, very puzzled at that.
…
"For your information, the barrier wasn't even set up by humans," Ryuuji said slowly.
"But, it was necessary precaution, considering the one who was sealed inside…" Yura added, mumbling.
"You meant Hikuro?" Rikuo asked, guessing.
"You could say that," Ryuuji shrugged slightly, almost indifferently, such that Rikuo couldn't help but feel suspicious.
"I can't help wondering…" Yoru spoke suddenly, seeming to voice Rikuo's doubt. "You said this guy… Hikuro, would be Rikuo's Shikigami, right? Then why is he sealed in such a remote place like this with two layers of barriers? As if he wasn't supposed to be approached in the first place… or worse," he continued, narrowing his ruby eyes at the back of Yura and Ryuuji's head.
Yura visibly flinched at that but Ryuuji didn't even twitch. Rikuo huffed seeing their suspicious reaction. He knew it wouldn't be so simple. Ryuuji suddenly suggesting to him to call a Shiki… even though according to the record this Shiki was able to resist Nue, there had to be a catch somewhere.
"Akifusa-san mentioned about the taboo this Shiki committed. Is that why he was exiled and sealed like this?" Rikuo asked now, putting two and two together after hearing Akifusa's partial explanation before, and seeing this fact.
Ryuuji muttered something about 'big mouth' and he looked slightly annoyed somehow. A big bead of sweat dropped from the back of Yura's head before she sighed deeply again, seeming to be giving up.
"Yes, Hikuro was said to have done something a Shikigami shouldn't," Yura said slowly, looking hesitant.
"What did he do?" Rikuo asked again, getting even more curious when Yura seemed not too inclined to explain further.
"What had he done?" Yoru repeated the question, sounding more demanding.
The silence stretched a little longer than both Yoru and Rikuo's liking. It seemed the Shiki Rikuo was about to call was not an ordinary Shikigami. He sounded like bad news, already.
"You know, Nura-kun, maybe we should hurry up to the temple. We will continue this conversation later, where there are plenty places to sit down." Yura said and she made the point across by looking at Rikuo rather desperately. "Or else, you'd fall to the ground since you would lose all strength in your legs after hearing it."
Both Rikuo and Yoru gulped slightly at that. Well, it seemed like Rikuo was wrong. Hikuro wasn't bad news. He was worse than bad news.
~Yoru x Rikuo~
The four teenagers arrived at the Enryaku-ji approximately four hours after the hike started.
"Huh…, we arrived faster than I expected…" Rikuo murmured in a low voice as they saw the big temple in front of him.
"The animal path isn't just a difficult unusual path, huh? It must have been a path that was specially made for people like the Onmyouji… You've heard that Enryaku-ji is the base for the Marathon Monk, right?" Yoru heard Rikuo's mumble and responded to him with an amused smirk.
"Eh, really?" Rikuo didn't seem to have any recollection of that matter.
"No way, you forgot? It's in Japanese History class, Rikuo," Yoru snickered, looking at Rikuo teasingly.
"Shut up. It isn't like everything the teacher told me about the history is true…" Rikuo huffed slightly, pouting. "I wonder why you remember something as trivial as that…."
"I guess… it's necessary to pick up things that have something to do with youkai world… especially if I want to become the Master of All Spirits like Jiji," Yoru smirked again, feeling a bit proud that almost all the necessary knowledge Rikuo had gotten were stuck in his memory.
"Hey," Ryuuji suddenly spoke to Rikuo and Yoru. Both Nura Gumi Sandaime turned to face him in surprise. "Yura and I are going to meet the head of the temple to ask a few things."
"Should we come along?" Rikuo asked.
"No, wait here. I'm not sure about bringing a youkai like him on to the sacred ground. He could be destroyed in an instant," Ryuuji said with a patronizing smirk while glancing at Yoru.
"So rude!" Yoru exclaimed, rather annoyed while Rikuo was trying to calm him down.
"We will establish a connection first before you can meet the Head of the temple. That way he will know that you are not a threat," Yura said, backing up her brother's words.
"Oh, okay then," Rikuo agreed to wait, but Yoru couldn't help but still feel annoyed because of the discrimination and the way Ryuuji spoke to him earlier.
"Seriously… and we had already entered all the old temples in Kyoto while battling Hagoromo…" Yoru muttered slightly while huffing.
"Well, at least we'll get more explanations about Hikuro soon enough without having to fight for it," Rikuo shrugged.
"As usual, you can stay so calm even though you're being underestimated…" Yoru shook his head at Rikuo's calm personality. He didn't know how his other half does that… staying ridiculously positive despite everything.
Well, it was Rikuo's trait from the start. That's why he was the 'day'. He lured people with a false sense of security before Yoru struck at night. Looking it that way, weren't they a pair of ultimate opposite powers that would be unstoppable as long as they worked together?
"Hey, Yoru… do you think I can tame this Shiki?" Rikuo asked suddenly, looking slightly worried for some reason.
"What, you don't believe that you can tame him?" Yoru asked back, raising his eyebrows. What was his other half asking at a time like this? Wasn't he confident that he could do it?
"I know I can… it's just… somehow, I don't have your confidence inside me anymore… it's a little bit unnerving and I can't help feeling rather nervous…" Rikuo looked down, seeming to be depressed so suddenly.
Yoru widened his ruby eyes hearing that. He was surprised at how true Rikuo's words were. After all, Yoru was the one who always encouraged Rikuo from the inside that he was capable of doing anything he wanted if he believed he could.
The silver-black haired youkai then moved closer to Rikuo before he suddenly enveloped the chocolate-black haired, glasses wearing boy in a soft warm hug. Rikuo seemed to be startled by the sudden gesture, but he only looked upward to Yoru who returned his look with a gentle gaze.
"Yoru…?" Rikuo mumbled, perplexed.
"It's okay… you can do it," Yoru said, giving Rikuo a small nice smile that seemed to amaze the shorter boy as he widened his eyes seeing it. "You are Nura Rikuo, Sandaime of Nura Gumi. Nothing will stand in your way. You know that, right?"
Yoru reached his hand to cup Rikuo's cheek, bringing the boy's gaze to focus on his enticing crimson pools even more and he could feel that Rikuo's tense shoulders relax slightly. He was pleased that his touch was comforting to the smaller teen.
Seeing such dazed expressions in Rikuo's face made Yoru want to tease the boy a little. He leaned closer to the boy's lips, intending to give that kiss which was interrupted so rudely by Ryuuji the day before. Rikuo didn't seem to mind, or more like… he didn't realize what Yoru was about to do until his lips were a centimeter away from the kiss.
Though, for some reason, Yoru felt a chill running down his spine before he could carry out the act, so he tightened his hug on Rikuo's body and rushed forward, with the boy still in his arms, to avoid whatever trying to collide with his head, just now.
Well, Yoru had the feeling it was almost the same as yesterday, so he smirked as he glanced behind him, at whom a very pissed Ryuuji with a big paper fan on his hand glared at him in annoyance.
"I won't fall for the same trick a second time," Yoru's smirk widened as he stared mockingly at the dark haired Onmyouji who fumed because his attack was avoided.
Yura narrowed her eyes at Yoru. "Jeez, we can't let you be alone for a second, can we?" she muttered while approaching Rikuo who was still silent, looking slightly surprised as she spoke to him. "You okay, Nura-kun?"
"Eh?" Rikuo looked upward to her, his face slightly flushing. "Um… yeah, perfectly okay!" he said with a wide smile in a panicked manner, but didn't seem to be faking it.
Well, the encouragement project was a success. Yoru smiled fondly at seeing Rikuo's rather embarrassed form before the boy turned to face him again. "What is it?" Yoru asked, ruffling Rikuo's soft hair.
"Thank you," Rikuo said with a very cute smile such that Yoru's heart skipped a beat seeing it.
Now Yoru was the one who was fighting that urge to blush. Damn Rikuo for being so adorable!
Yoru still didn't understand why they were separated, but maybe it was a chance that he was always yearning for… a chance to love Rikuo more freely without having to endure fear of 'no future' hanging beside it.
Maybe… maybe Yoru really didn't want to break this curse for eternity so long as he could stay by Rikuo's side to love him as his most important person in the world.
~Yoru x Rikuo~
"So… this is the rumored Nura Clan's Supreme Commander…" the Head Monk stared at Yoru with awe as he met the youkai for the first time. "I've heard about your scheme since I was a child. You seem very wild just like the story…"
"I'm sorry, but you must have been mistaken. That wasn't me," Yoru denied all the accusation seriously.
"Oh, and you can lie very straightforwardly as well! You seem to live for your name, Nurarihyon," the Head Monk looked cheery as he said it.
A big bead of sweat broke out of Yoru's cheek while the others were trying so hard not to laugh at his expense. He glanced at them with an annoyed glare, even to Rikuo was looking the other way with a trembling body due to laughter.
"I told you you've got it wrong. That's my Jiji you're talking about," Yoru frowned at the Head Monk, but the bald old man didn't seem to want to correct his assumption so he just sighed and let it be. He wasn't in the mood to be arguing with anyone.
After meaningless chit-chat for a moment, they went into the details of the issue. "We can deactivate the barrier for a moment. According to the record, Hikuro seems to be a quiet Shikigami when he isn't angry. He is the most dangerous when he is enraged because he tends to lose sight of what he's destroying. Moreover, unlike the other twelve of the strongest Shiki, Hikuro is the only one who can appear in this realm without using his master's energy. Also, he's too strong to be handled by humans, so no one has been able to tame him since he emerged into the strongest 13 Guardian Gods. Also… there's an issue of his exile…" the Head Monk explained on and on until that particular part where Rikuo raised his hand.
"Excuse me, may I ask what Hikuro did to earn him a punishment of being sealed and exiled?" Rikuo asked earnestly and the Head Monk went quiet for a moment.
"I guess…" He glanced at Ryuuji and Yura who nodded carefully at the silent question whether it was okay to tell them that.
"There are three absolute taboos that a Shikigami must not do for whatever reason. One, Shikigami must not kill humans. As nasty as a human can be, Shikigami aren't allowed to kill him unless they turn into youkai.
"Two, Shikigami must not fall in love with humans. Until now, no one knows for sure for what reason this second taboo exists, but it's considered a great sin to fall in love with humans for them. There are a few speculations, but I'm not going to say it because there's no proof that they're true.
"Last, Shikigami must not defy their master's words no matter how absurd the order is. It will earn them an instant death if the contract is broken. Shikigami put his life on the line when they make a contract with humans. That's why they are given a chance to pick their own master.
"Unlike youkai servants, Shikigami can judge their soon to be masters. If they pass, the Shikigami will follow them for the rest of their lives, if not… some will just let them go, but some can be so dangerous that their power might kill their own master."
"Wait," Yoru interrupted. "But then they will break the first taboo," he said.
"No, the killing humans in the first taboo only works if the Shikigami have the 'intention of killing' when they unleash their power. There are some Shikigami that can kill ordinary humans with just their presence alone. Collateral damage like that isn't counted as killing even though their power is the main cause," the Head Monk explained.
"I see…" Rikuo put his hand on his chin, seeming thoughtful.
"This is a bit more dangerous than I thought…" Yoru mumbled, sweating slightly.
"Moreover," Ryuuji suddenly spoke. "The Strongest 13 are different from the other Shikigami. Their powers are so monstrous that they can be on par with strong deities like The Great Dragon of Fujiyama, Ryuujin-sama. Well, Ryuujin-sama is ten to hundred times stronger than them, though… but the amount of power possessed by Strongest 13 is only the second to Him."
"And," Yura spoke as well, "Hikuro is said to be the strongest Shikigami even among the Strongest 13. His destructive power is so overwhelming that even Abe no Seimei, the strongest Onmyouji in Heian Period, was unable to tame him."
"Shit… the more we hear about him, the scarier he sounds…" Yoru smirked heatedly at the challenge of this Hikuro guy. "Are you serious you want to own this guy by yourself, Rikuo?" he then glanced at the boy who didn't seem to be fazed hearing all of that.
"My question hasn't been answered yet," Rikuo said, not even bothering listening to the explanation about the Strongest 13 or Hikuro. "What did he do such that he was exiled and sealed?" he repeated.
"Oh… what a focused young man you are…" the Head Monk seemed to be impressed by the concentration Rikuo showed him. "Very well… you seem to be qualified enough to challenge Hikuro to own him. As for the taboo that he broke once, you should ask him after you gain his trust and respect to be his owner," he said again with a nice smile.
"Basically… no one actually knows what he did, huh?" Rikuo was thoughtful again. "There's a 1/3 chance then… if the answer is wrong then we're finished…" he mumbled again seriously.
"What are you planning, Rikuo?" Yoru asked again, looking at his other half curiously.
"Don't worry, Yoru… I have my own way," Rikuo looked extraordinarily confident that Yoru couldn't help feeling amazed at that. He smiled confidently in response as well, totally believing in his other half.
"Then we will lead you to the portal where he is sealed," the Head Monk stood up slowly, followed by the others.
"There's a portal?" Yoru raised his eyebrows at that.
"Ooh? You want to go into the forest once again to walk there on foot?" Ryuuji snickered.
"I'll choose the portal," Rikuo said instantly with a certain sparkle in his eyes.
Yoru looked at Rikuo, sweat dropping. "Well, it's better to conserve some energy," he said while sighing. The others' faces faulted seeing it.
~Yoru x Rikuo~
The five people then went inside the temple, deep into its underground path.
"Why is there a portal to where Hikuro is sealed?" Rikuo couldn't help asking then.
"The barrier that was set to keep Hikuro in is a special barrier. Unlike the usual barrier in the human world, this barrier crosses the human realm and spirit realm. The actual place where Hikuro is held is in the spirit realm, but the barrier can be accessed through the human realm. Believe it or not, the barrier is right here, where we stand," the Head Monk said.
"Eh?" both Rikuo and Yoru widened their eyes in surprise at that.
"That's true. This Enryaku-ji is the barrier of where Hikuro is sealed," Ryuuji nodded.
"You could have informed us earlier," Yoru protested at the older teen.
"You didn't ask," Ryuuji grinned.
"He did that on purpose," Yura sighed deeply at the childish prank his brother did. Rikuo just laughed nervously.
"Here's the barrier. Can you feel it?" The Head Monk stopped suddenly, right in the middle of the stairs and both Yoru and Rikuo tensed when they felt it… the heat, on the surface of their hands.
"What… is this…?" Rikuo stroked his skin. It was very warm, despite the cold air in underground path.
"That's Hikuro's 'kuro honoo' (2). Sounds poetic, meaningful and rhymes too, don't you think?" the Head Monk laughed slightly at that.
"Was that something to laugh about?" Yoru asked, slightly baffled.
"Well, the power does live to his name," Rikuo chuckled.
"Don't think it's just his name. Hikuro's 'black fire' is special. Look down on it then you'll be a goner," Ryuuji actually did sound a little alarmed at this.
"Is the black fire really dangerous?" Rikuo asked Yura then.
"I only read it from the records, but… Hikuro's black fire is meant to destroy. It's very destructive and unlike the usual fire, the heat can increase infinitely until the object that it burns leaves no trace, not even debris. Basically… if you're caught in Hikuro's fire, then your physical existence is removed from this world completely," she explained.
…
…
"Maybe you want to reconsider…" the Head Monk began, but Rikuo shook his head.
"Let me in," Rikuo said surely.
"I'll go with you," Yoru said.
"You can't. This is as far as everyone can go as an escort. Only the challenger is allowed to enter," Yura pulled the back of Yoru's Yukata.
"Eeh?" Yoru made a face at her. "Then what if something happens inside? I can't rescue Rikuo if I'm not beside him!" he protested.
"Calm down, Yoru," Rikuo pulled Yoru's hand slightly. "It will be alright. You said that I can do this, or… you don't trust me?" he looked at Yoru's ruby eyes so intensely such that Yoru went quiet at the look.
"I trust you," was Yoru's final answer when Rikuo smiled and released his hand.
"Just wait for me, okay? I'm not going to risk your life too after all," Rikuo said cheerily before he waved and entered the barrier.
Rikuo's form disappeared from everyone's sight.
"Good luck…" Ryuuji said, looking at the spot with a smirk before Yoru grabbed his collar and glared at him.
"What are you planning with this, Ryuuji?" Yoru hissed at the young Onmyouji threateningly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Ryuuji responded calmly.
"As if I could trust your words!"
"Yoru!" Yura pulled the youkai back. "We all know that my brother is planning something, but he won't send anyone to his death for no reason! If it means that we can have a chance to defeat our mutual enemy… then it should be worth it!" she shouted.
"You're kidding, right? Rikuo is more important than defeating Nue!" Yoru shouted back in retaliation, arguing heatedly.
…
…
"Crap…" Yura covered her face at that and Yoru stared at her in confusion.
"As I thought… you are the liability in this connection," Ryuuji looked pissed as he narrowed his eyes at Yoru.
"What?" Yoru looked up at Ryuuji now, getting perplexed.
"Don't give me that crap about that boy more important than defeating Nue! His resolution as a Sandaime is much tougher and stronger than yours, youkai! You are unworthy of being that boy's 'other half' at all! I misjudged you!" Ryuuji yelled at him before huffing and turning around to leave.
…
"What the hell was that about?" Yoru was very baffled now. What was wrong with Ryuuji?
"You know, Yoru… you should think over what you said. Both you and Nura-kun are actually the same being. Prioritizing Nura-kun... is the same as prioritizing yourself," Yura explained with disapproval on her expression as well.
"Aaah? That's not what I meant!" Yoru denied.
"I know that, but it sounds that way to both Ryuuji-niichan and me," Yura countered. "Nura-kun accepted immediately that he might stand no chance taming Hikuro alone, but he said he had you and he believed as long as you were with him, he would be able to. Not even once he mentioned that he was afraid to lose you to something else because he knows… deep down, you'll be with him even if he doesn't make it. That resolution… aside from his overwhelming life energy is the thing that makes Ryuuji-niichan believe he stands a chance, but you obviously prioritize Nura-kun above anything else… above the possibility that he (and you) can make it," she continued.
"Ah…" Yoru widened his eyes at that and then he looked down on his feet. He seemed to have realized his mistake.
The Head Monk sighed deeply seeing the teens. "Let's pray that he can make it, the boy…" he said with a small understanding smile.
"I'll be waiting here," Yoru said as The Head Monk and Yura decided to leave the place and to leave the youkai alone to think and to wait for his other half to return.
~Yoru x Rikuo~
Rikuo felt the sudden overwhelming heat as he entered the barrier. "Ugh!" It was almost like being burned alive… or stuck in the oven that might explode any moment.
"Remember to use your life energy to cover you so as not to get crushed by the spiritual power around you."
Rikuo remembered Akifusa's warning and he immediately released some of the energy to protect his physical body. He believed that he hadn't been in spirit realm yet, but the leaking power alone was already hard to contain.
"As expected from the strongest of the Strongest 13," Rikuo smiled nervously. "But I'm not going to lose. I'm going to greet you, Hikuro… and of course, to befriend you," he said, convincing himself once again that he could do this.
As Rikuo moved forward, further and further inside the barrier, he closed his eyes to concentrate the amount of his life energy used to protect him. Then, when he entered the spirit realm, he felt a lot more pressure of the spirit particles. The density had changed and he needed more life energy to contain his physical body.
Rikuo reached the second barrier not long after that; the barrier that contained the monstrous energy of Hikuro's 'black fire' since almost a thousand years ago.
"When you're about to face the black fire directly, boost your life energy for a moment to make sure you create a path for you to walk forward. Never touch the fire without the protection of your life energy."
"Okay… it's now or never…" Rikuo took a deep breath before he released it slowly. He closed his eyes before he opened them hard while walking inside the second barrier, at the same moment, boosting his life energy to maximum levels and unleashing it around, visibly creating a straight path in the middle of black fire hell.
"Haha…" Rikuo was sweating slightly. "This is… Hikuro's prison…"
Rikuo couldn't help feeling amazed at the view. Everything was covered in black fire, burning creating darkness. It didn't seem better than dealing with Nue.
Rikuo went into alert when he felt the massive fear coming to his direction. It's here?
Suddenly in front of him two… no… five giant black snakes appeared out of nowhere.
Gieeeeh! Five of them? Wait! Hikuro is five giant black snakes?—Rikuo was sweating more profoundly and it had nothing to do with the heat.
"Human…"
"It's human…"
"What is a human doing here…?"
"He's here for Master…?"
For some reasons, the hissings of those giant snakes which length were probably more than 30 feet and diameter were more than six feet sounded like words in Rikuo's ears, so they might really have spoken.
"Don't be ridiculous. He's just a kid. He'll die instantly the moment Master is summoned."
That actually hurt Rikuo's pride a little bit, though he couldn't say he had that when Yoru wasn't around him.
But… it appeared to Rikuo that those five giant snakes weren't Hikuro. Then… they might have been Hikuro's servant. Uh… a Shikigami that has servants… how high and mighty…—Rikuo sweated nervously again as he thought about it.
"Um… I actually… want to see Hikuro," Rikuo spoke suddenly, seeming to surprise the five snakes. "Ah, nice to see you, I'm Nura Rikuo," he then bowed slightly in respect and the other snakes immediately bowed back in panic.
"Oh no! What have we done to our guest?"
"We're sorry, Master Rikuo. We didn't know that you're here for Master Hikuro."
"But… Master Hikuro doesn't really like meeting strangers, so we suggest that you leave immediately because you seem to be a good person."
"We don't want you to get overwhelmed by our Master's presence and perish because of that."
"Please reconsider your intention and turn around."
The five snakes actually spoke to Rikuo very politely, but somehow, it annoyed Rikuo that they thought he was so weak.
"Don't worry about that. I just want to see Hikuro and speak to him a little," Rikuo smiled nicely at them though and those identical black giant snakes glanced at one another with worry in their black-red eyes.
Those snakes seemed to speak through their minds before they nodded in unison. "Very well," one of the snakes said. "We can escort you to our Master's sleeping ground. Ah… but you need to call upon him so he can recognize you as his challenger since he's sleeping at this moment."
"Yes… Master tends to ignore something that is inferior to him after all. You have to make an impression for him to notice you."
He sounds like a jerk!—Rikuo's sweat dropped again.
"Okay," he said, willing to just do that so as to get Hikuro's attention.
Rikuo walked together surrounded by the five giant snakes that he couldn't look around, but he didn't care. He just wanted to get to where Hikuo was so he could try his approach to get Hikuro to fight on his side.
"We're here," one of the snakes said suddenly and the one at the front moved aside so Rikuo could see what was in front of him.
Rikuo almost choke at his own spit at the view. In front of him, in the middle of the blazing black fire was a humongous black snake. Its size was absolutely GIGANTIC, three to five times bigger and larger than the five giant snakes… and they were HUGE already.
This is… the Giant Black Fire Serpent, Hikuro!
End of Chapter 9
Tbc…
Additional Notes:
1)Enryaku-ji: a name of one of the temples in Kyoto, located atop of mount Hiei and is said to be the oldest Buddhist temple in Japan and the base of the Marathon Monk (from Wiki).
2)Kuro Honoo: 'black fire'. Hikuro's name is written with the Kanji 'Hi' for 'fire' and 'Kuro' for black.
About Hikuro: Some people actually asked me if Hikuro is actually Touda, the Hell Serpent from Yami no Matsuei, the answer is a no. Of course, there are similar characteristics like Hikuro has the same 'black fire' as Touda does, and they both have 'black hair', also they are both serpents, but no. Hikuro is an original character I created for this story only (his real form and his personality are very different from Touda, as well as his eye color and his clothes). Besides, Hikuro has never been owned by anyone, while Touda has been in Tsuzuki's care for a long time. There is no Touda in this universe. I'm not sure if Touda is a real Shikigami or if he's a Yami Ei original character created by Matsushita-sensei to enhance the plot of her Yami Ei, but Seiryuu, Suzaku, Genbu and Byakko are already very famous since a long time ago (they are the sacred creatures that represent 4 wind directions from Chinese legend originally), so they can't be replaced. I hope this explanation helps somehow. Thank you for asking question.
A/N: Sorry for the wait, guys~! Well… I actually wanted to update since last week, but… uh… I got hooked on another anime-manga titled 'Kuroko no Basket'. I'm… kinda in love with that anime-manga at this moment, so… my heads are filled with the plot to make fanfic for them already.
NOOO! This is disaster! Just when I'm about to get married! I'm BUSY! I can't have my attention distracted from the big day! GOD I'm freaking out here! It hadn't settled in me that I might have to leave this hobby of mine after I get married… and get busy with all the family things… just when yesterday I went to the ceremonial hall… and it dawned on me after I left that place… that I'm going to get married for real…! I will spend my life with another person for the rest of my life… and we will share everything we have together…!
Oh, my god…! OMG! Can I really do this? Aaaah! I'm so anxious! I want to run awaaaaay!
*coughs* Sorry, guys… I've been really distracted lately. It will take me a longer time to settle down because seriously, I'm freaking out. Even when I'm writing this, I'm FREAKING OUT! Please don't mind me. I'm just ranting.
Anyway, please tell me what you think about this chapter through review, kay? Bye! See you in next chapter!
