Disclaimer: I bought Dishonored and Arkham City so I now own the right to play those games!

Anyway, Marry Christmas to all my beloved readers :D

What came before: Keikain Ryuji had taught his son to always keep a low profile and never attract too much attention. However, his son Ryuzan forgot about that advice and ended up defeating too many members of the Gyuki Group. Now, he is forced to have a rematch with many of them as well as to fight against one of their strongest members.

Chapter 25

Ryuzan ran through the forest, as quietly as possible so he would not let the gyukis notice that he already went into offensive. He could feel his challenger's Fear from afar, but felt noone else's.

I feel quite confident about my chances… and that's what worries me. It was one thing to not be affected by a weak youkai's Fear, but gyukis were more formidable. Although he did beat many of them today, Ryuzan was certain that only few of them used all their Fear while fighting him. He was certain that Kumo no Senshi and those that were to fight alongside him would not hold back as much. It was to be expected that he would feel worried, even if they haven't targetted him yet. Yet the only worry came from his rationality, not his instincts which were what the Fear affects.

No, remember what dad said: always think outside the box. Ryuzan heard that youkai could learn to control their Fear more delicately. It was possible that he was affected but didn't notice it yet… that his rationality was fooled by their Fear.

"Can you feel anyone around?" Ryuzan asked his Tiger Shikigami.

"Listen Ryuzan, as an Onmyouji it is your duty to-"

"Alright, I get it." Ryuzan cut him off before he could start another lecture. As mentioned already, this was an support type shikigami and he tended to go to extreme about it… though Ryuzan suspected that he may have started lecturing him in order to hide the fact that he doesn't feel anyone either.

Ryuzan would have wanted to summon another Shikigami to aid him alongside the Tiger, but Tiger was Yang and, since the Yin-type Rabbit was dispelled by Gyuki, the next in line of summoning was Dragon who was also a Yang type and Ryuzan couldn't have two shikigami of the same energy type summoned at the same time. Sometimes, Ryuzan really hated all the convulated rules of his Onmyoudo.

So, he had to either unsummon Tiger and summon the Dragon and the Snake but lose Tiger's enchantments or keep Tiger but have one shikigami less to aid him.

He would have decided to keep the Tiger because the Dragon was better used as a surprise. However, others made a decision for him.

A tingling feeling stormed through Ryuzan. Fear suddenly erupted from all sides and two figures ran past him.

He didn't need to turn around. He could feel that Tiger was defeated by these two figures.

But before Tiger's spiritual support vanished, Ryuzan used all of it to run away away at high speed before the attackers could turn at him.

Luck was on his side so he was able to run far enough before the Tiger's spiritual support vanished. He could also feel no more Fear so nobody intended to attack him… but that didn't really make him feel any better seeing as it assured him that he was definitely safe for only the next second or two.

)(

"So, you have finally become an Onmyouji, Ryuzan." Keikain Ryuji, Ryuzan's father, started talking to his son once the initiation ceremony for the ten years old Keikain Ryuzan was over. They were both sitting at their home, alongside Ryuzan's mom. "You sure took your time."

Before his son could say anything Ryuji's wife, Keikain Asumi, jumped in. "Oh really? You wer' so happy last night when ya got the news about Ryu becoming an Onmyouji at such a young age."

"Hey, he still isn't-"

"And it really's great Ryu!" Ryuzan's mother now turned towards her son, continuing to speak in the heavy Kansai dialect. "Ya can now go bang bang at youkai and look cool just like your dad does!"

"Woman, if you are so happy about it then go cook him something or whatever!"

"Hey, don't ya treat me like that!" she complained but rose up anyway. "But ye, that's a good idea. I'm gonna make something you like Ryu!"

When she left, Ryuji sighed. "Why again did I marry that woman? Anyway, now is the time for the two of us to have our father and son speech!"

"Again?" Ryuzan replied back.

"Yes, again!" Ryuji answered and pulled his ear. "And this time pay attention to what I say!"

"Yes, I will!"

"That's a lie!" Ryuji pulled his son's ear further.

"You were the one who taught me to lie!"

"I did not teach you to be so bad at lying!" he pulled his ear even more and then let it go. "Now listen…"

"How long is this going to-OUCH" Ryuzan wanted to ask how long it would take but his father cut him off with a chop.

"It will take as long as it needs to take! Now shut up and listen!"

"Yes father…"

"Now, although you are formally an Onmyouji don't just-"

"Ryuji, did ya drink all the milk again?!" Asumi shouted from another room. "Drinkin' milk ain't gonna make ya any taller ya know!"

"Shut up woman, I am trying to have a serious discussion with our son here!"

"Well have it while ya go buy more milk!"

Both father and son sighed.

"She just keeps thinking that she can order me around!" Ryuji complained as he and his son left the supermarket, each holding two bags of milk. Ryuzan doubted that mother needed that much but his father insisted. "I am an Onmyouji, I have better things to do then buy milk!"

"Dad, can you just get back on the topic?"

"Bah!" he grumbled. "Listen, although you are formally an Onmyouji now don't just depend solely on your Onmyoudo. You smarts have to be your strongest asset, not your powers."

"…because Onmyoudo may fail but smarts can be used in any situation… yes dad, you told me that already."

"But you didn't get it! You see…"

"…a proper and well planned use of even a weak technique can be far more useful than using one powerful technique."

"…since when have you been listening to me?"

"Since the very start. It is your fault you got deceived by a kid."

"Ha, I…"

"…will now say something tsun-tsun because I like looking tough and tall no matter what." Ryuzan cut him off.

"You are lucky that I am carrying all this milk…"

"Haaa… so nii-san really is being forced to do slave labor for his wife." A woman's voice greeted them. The two Ryu's turned towards its source and saw Keikain Yura, the head of the family. Like everyone else, this young-looking long-haired brunette was taller than Ryuzan's father.

"Yura-sama." Ryuzan bowed to her.

"Idiot, what are you doing all the way here?" Ryuji was less humble towards her, probably due to being her older brother.

"I was looking for him… dwarf." Yura walked up to them.

"Tz…" Ryuji was annoyed by her insult, even though he deserved it due to using it on her in the past. "Well sorry for not using perverted, forbidden techniques on myself."

"WHO IS USING PERVERTED TECHNIQUES YOU STUPID BROTHER!?" no matter how refined Yura tried to seem, her short temper continued being her greatest enemy.

"So, what does the disguised tomboy want from my son?" Ryuji continued.

"Grrr…" Yura's face became red but she then turned her head away and crossed her arms "Hmph! Why am I even bothering with you, dwarf?"

"So, what do you need from me, Yura-sama?"

"Hey, stop being so formal to this idiot." His father suggested.

"I am here to talk to you about your training. Come, we can talk while walking. And let me carry one of those." Yura said and took one of Ryuzan's bags. "The results from your tests suggest that astronomy based Onmyoudo would be the best fit for you. Are you alright with it or is there another form of Onmyoudo you'd want to train in?"

"Wait, I see where this is going!" Ryuji cut in before his son could reply. "If he chooses to pursue that form of Onmyoudo, you are going to be his mentor right?"

"If he wants me to be. I have too much free time anyway."

"Listen Ryuzan, don't let her looks and position fool you." Ryuji turned towards his son. "If she trains you, your IQ will drop-OUCH!"

"Shut up stupid brother!" Yura said and tried to hit him with her bag but Ryuji evaded it.

"Gah… as I said, brawns but no brains!"

"I'd be honored to train under you, Yura-sensei." Ryuzan gave his answer before the situation could escalate any further.

"Ah… Yura-sensei…" Yura blushed at hearing that term.

"As I thought it was-" Ryuji started but nobody payed attention at him.

"So, do you have any idea what kind of Onmyoudo you want to use?" Yura asked her nephew.

"I… if you don't mind, I'd like to try and develop my own."

"Oh, that's ambitious!" unlike his father, Yura seemed more supporting of that idea. "I take it that you already have some ideas about what you want?"

"Yes… and I look forward to your help, Yura-sensei." Ryuzan called her sensei again, knowing how much she liked to be called that. Like his father always said, she was easy to manipulate.

And so his training realy begad. His father taught him all he knew about barriers while his aunt helped him with Shikigami. As time went on, he found more instructors, one of whom was a member of House Gokadoin.

)(

Ryuzan was on his nerve's end. He fought many youkai in his life, but he was rarely as terrified as he was now. Nuras weren't overestimating the Gyuki Group by saying that they were their finest wariors.

Ryuzan earned a few scratches since the Tiger was defeated, but they were nothing compared to the psychological scratches. Actually, he was certain that gyukis could have finished him by now but they wanted to prolong this, likely to 'teach him a lesson in humility' how some would call it. The scratches also did a fine job of hitting his nerves in the right spots.

Just like when they took down Tiger, the gyukis would suddenly jump in, attack and then disappear, their Fear disappearing with them. And sometimes they would just release their Fear to shaken him up, but they would not attack.

Soon, it became even worse: they used illusions to create fake attackers and make the environment look unnatural, like change the color of the sky in Ryuzan's eyes or make the trees look dead and have face-like forms, like in all these kiddie shows.

Tz, the hell should I do? Maybe he could stand a chance if he summoned the Dragon, but even if he took down these guys it would not change the fact that he would have to face Kumo no Senshi and it would probably be a good idea to keep the Dragon for him.

But while he had a strategy on how to deal with him, he still had to deal with his current enemies. He regretted believing that he would be able to catch them off-guard.

Another attack, this time from above. Ryuzan managed to dodge it, but the warrior with a straw hat quickly turned around and swang with his spear's blunt side, hitting Ryuzan into abondmen with such force he was thrown into a nearby tree.

"Should have realized sooner that it was the shikigami that made you so inhumanly strong." The youkai spoke to him.

"Ah, I remember you…" Ryuzan tried to keep up a confident face as he staggered on his feet. "You were that guy who kept me away from aiding Rihan." Ryuzan guesses he was here for vendetta thus why he didn't retreat after making a strike like the ones before him did.

"Quite a few of us have returned for a rematch, Onmyouji." The youkai spinned the spear in his hand, ready to use it again. "Don't think we will go easy on you this time."

"No shit, I wouldn't have guessed it without you." Ryuzan said and fell onto his knees. "Well, guess this is it for me."

"All you humans are just talk… without your shikigami, you are nothing." the youkai said and more of them appeared around. "Stand still, I will knock you out."

"No, just tell him to surrender!" one of the females said. She was the white one of the four sisters whom he lured into a cave where he knocked them one by one. "He is-"

"No, I want to hit him." The youkai rejected her offer and walked up to Ryuzan who was still on his all fours. "My name is Shigemaru." The youkai said and raised his hat, revealing a bearded middle-aged man with a narrow jaw under it.

"My name is Ryuzan and these are my talismans." Ryuzan said and moved his hand up, revealing a paper talisman on the ground beneath it. "Be careful, they will blind you!"

"You cowardly little-" Shigemaru could not even finish his sentence when a dozen talismans Ryuzan hid around flew up and electrified every youkai near them. Since this kind of talismans get stronger the more of them there were, a few of the gyukis fainted while the rest were paralyzed. "What… you said it would blind us…"

"Fool you once, shame on me." Ryuzan rose up, showing that he was still in good condition. "Fool you twice, shame on you. Also, we Onmyouji depend on three things actually: Shikigami, talismans and our superior, human intellect." Without looking at them for long, Ryuzan continued running towards his target. He defeated only a few, but it still gave him confidence he needed to have easier time rejecting their Fear's influence on his mind.

Good thing he never forgot his father's advice: smarts were the Onmyouji's most useful tool.

)(

"Ryu, is something bothering ya?" Asumi asked her eleven years old son who sat on his bed and read a magazine.

"Nope, everything is fine mom."

"Yer lies don't work on your mom." She sat next to him and took the magazine from his hands. "What is bothering you?"

Ryuzan just turned his head away.

"When you are bothered, yer parents are bothered even more." She continued in attempts to make him speak. "And it is not nice to bother others." She pinched his cheek. "Come on, tell ya mom."

"It is about yesterday's mission." Ryuzan decided to speak. Since she wasn't a Keikain nor an Onmyouji, he hoped he could get an unbiased opinion on the matter. "Me and Reitsugu went on an exorcising mission." Ryuzan never used honorifics when talking with his parents simply because he was using them to feign humility rather than because he himself was polite or humble. "Some youkai were causing trouble in someone's house, but I found out that their pranks were completely harmless. However, Reitsugu insisted that we hunt them down and cleanse them."

"And did you?"

"Reitsugu caught a few… but I helped the others escape."

"Did Reitsugu-san notice it?"

"No, I made it look like they escaped." Ryuzan raised his head towards the ceiling. "But it made me think… who exactly are supposed to be my enemies?"

"Hmm? What do ya mean?" Asumi asked, smiling for some reason.

"I can understand hunting youkai that want to harm humans. I have seen the graves of those killed by Hagoromo Gitsune years ago… some youkai deserve to be punished, that is a fact." Ryuzan lowered his head again. "But most don't seem any different from humans… I have sneaked into a bar where youkai hang around and they didn't seem any different than human bars. Furthermore, if youkai are evil like dad says, than what about Nuras? It is a public secret that we are practically allied with them."

"Ha ha ha…" his mother laughed. "Ye Onmyouji always make it so complicated."

"Mom?"

"Don't over-think it, just beat up the bad guys whatever they may be. Ye don't need to be a stuck up asshole like Reitsugu-san to beat up bad guys, do ya?"

"That makes sense I guess… but the others would-"

"Oh come on!" his mother hugged him with one hand. "Both auntie and dad are also like that, they are simply tsun-tsun and you know it. As for the rest…" She pinched his cheek again. "You are your father's son so what they don't know makes them none the wiser, right?"

"Ha ha… that's true…" Ryuzan finally smiled. "Thank you mom."

"Ye welcome. Now go, auntie is already getting impatient because you are late!"

"What?!" Ryuzan looked at his watch and jumped up. "I forgot I had to meet her an hour ago! Why didn't you say it sooner?!"

"Because your auntie is cute when she pouts." Asumi shouted when her son rushed outside.

It was this conversation that made him decide on what route his life would take and after meeting Kashaimaru soon after, Ryuzan decided not only to protect both but help in making them get along.

)(

The ones who didn't get caught in Ryuzan's trap took care to stay more cautious. Attempts at striking Ryuzan were now rare, though now they actually tried to knock him down ratehr than play around. However, Ryuzan used their caution against them: whenever he was in danger, he would just swing a random talisman and they would retreat.

However, those were far from the only techniques they used. There was an archer amongst them who tried to shoot him down, but since he disliked archers Ryuzan always had a few talismans ready to guard him from any Fear-based arrows. However, each talisman could only resist a number of arrows and once he spent all of them, he would be at the archer's mercy.

And of course, they used illusions. However, not only were illusions easy to resist if one was aware of them, but the more a youkai was afraid its target, the weaker those illusions got.

In other words, for the time-being he was time was against him and sooner rather than later those gyukis will make a more major move.

And then he found himself flying at high speed, hitting every branch on his way but somehow evading large trees. It was obvious someone hit him at high speed and pushed him on as he ran, but it was so sudden that Ryuzan felt like he flew himself.

Then, before he could even think about what was going on, that someone stopped, grabbed his arm and threw him with a large force, breaking a few smaller trees with Ryuzan's body. Had Ryuzan not used some of talismans that Kashaimaru made for him years ago, he was certain that he would have lost consciousness due to this fall.

But as he opened his eyes, he saw the world changed to a reddish color, with crows flying around and making rhythmical noises as if they were singing a song. Growling could be heard all around him, as if he were surrounded by monsters.

However, it was not only the world around him that changed. His skin looked like it was rotting and by touching his face he noticed that blood was coming out of his mouth… and his eyes. He felt pain even from his insides, as if something was squeezing his innards.

"How do you like my illusions, boy?" a female voice said from the direction he was thrown from.

Ryuzan forced himself to rise up and look in her direction but the one he first saw was not a woman, but the youkai who challenged him: Kumo no Senshi how Ritsura called him. Something reddish was coming out of him, though Ryuzan could not see what exactly. He was certain it was him who made him fly through the forest.

He then noticed that many gyukis were around them, some in human forms and others in their real forms which looked like giant ox-headed spiders.

"Hello, boy?" the female seemed annoyed by the fact he didn't answer or look at her yet.

"Sorry, I was marveling at your painting." Ryuzan said with a smile as he finally turned towards her.

The woman stood just beside his challenger. She was tall but slender woman, wearing a dull brown yukata and a small straw hat. She had a blindfold over her eyes, with multiple red eyes drawn all over it. In her hands, she held what looked like connected paper-cut dolls. Judging by her voice and lower part of her face, Ryuzan guessed she looked like a mature woman.

"Ah, a painting… That's the first time I got such a compliment." she seemed pelased by his choice of words. "Though I admit, your composure and lack of screaming annoys me a little."

"Don't worry, my love." Ryuzan's challenger comforted her by putting his arm around her. "A bit of push and then he will see how pretty it is to be scared inside your illusions."

"Ah, thank you darling!" She put her head onto his shoulder. "You are one lucky boy you know! The 'T Squad' is made of three members: me, Kurenai, who uses illusions, my darling here who uses brute force and Atsushi, the assassin. But only the two of us are here now so your chances are a bit higher than they could have been!"

"But a bunch of other youkai are here in his place." Ryuzan commented. "Not exactly sure this is such a fortunate situation."

"Oh, if you want a fair fight we can ask them to leave." His challenger suggested. "I heard you were barely holding against them alone and I assure you, with me and my honey here this battle is going to be much harder."

"No need." Ryuzan smiled. "But may I make the first strike?"

"Bold… I like that ha ha ha!" Kumo no Senshi nodded. "Alright boy-"

"Don't, he is a lying weasel!" one of gyukis shouted. "Just strike at him and be done with it!"

"Ah Shigemaru, fancy seeing you here!" Ryuzan waved at the gyuki he defeated twice. "Glad you are okay!"

Shigemaru turned red after his eyes met Ryuzan's. "Lying bastard… I swear that I shall kill you…"

"Enough! Shigemaru, your request is denied though I will keep your words in mind if the battle goes on!" Kumo no Senshi ended their little argument. "Anyway, why are you all here? I only called for my closest comrades!"

Ryuzan did not bother to listen to rest of their argument but concentrated. Due to illusion making him feel pain and discomfort, concentration was hard to achieve but he had to if he wanted to have a chance at winning.

He raised his two hands, both of which had gloves on them. Left glove had gray-colored symbols of Chinese zodiacs of the yin energy and the right hand the white-colored symbols of yang energy. Thanks to Gokadoin Kashaimaru's help, he was able to summon his Shikigami by using gloves instead of paper talismans which was more convenient for a variety of reasons.

Symbol of the Dragon on his right glove started radiating and then the symbol of Snake on his left hand did the same.

"Look, he is already making his move!" Shigemaru was the first to notice that Ryuzan did not wait for them to stop arguing.

"Ha ha, what an opportunist!" Kumo no Senshi didn't seem to mind Ryuzan's deception.

"Alright, time for the fun part to start." Ryuzan whispered. Now that his target was here, there was no need to hold back.

He summoned his Shikigami…

)(

Sounds of running and shouting woke up the now twelve years old Ryuzan from sleep. He could not hear what exactly they were shouting, but two words repeated: 'youkai' and 'attacking'. To an Onmyouji, that was all he needed to know so he jumped up and immediately dressed, taking his talismans with him. Looking at his watch, it was past midnight.

He was worried about the fact that youkai were attacking the Keikain Family's grounds. These youkai were either stupid or dangerous. Either way, Ryuzan would have to prove his worth in the upcoming onslaught.

He ran out into the courtyard where many Onmyouji stood prepared for a fight.

"What happened?" Ryuzan heard one Onmyouji ask.

"An Hyaki Yakou is breaking through our barriers." Another Onmyouji answered.

"An entire Hyaki Yakou? And able to penetrate Ryuji-sama's barriers? This can't be…"

"Onmyouji, prepare yourself!" the head of the family, Keikain Yura, finally appeared and everyone went silent. "Take your ground!"

"Yes!" the Onmyouji stiffened their bodies, their talismans and weapons prepared for a battle. Ryuzan did the same.

"Hold your heads high and proudly!"

"Yes!" no matter what, the Onmyouji would face the invaders with their heads held high.

"Put down your talismans and weapons and cross your arms!" Yura ordered, crossing her own arms and making a large grin.

"Yes! Wait, what?!" the Onmyouji were surprised at this order of hers.

Then, someone broke the gates and everyone turned their heads back.

"Now now, it sure was a while since the last time we were here…" a man's voice said. When dust cleared, Ryuzan could see that it was a samurai with white hair that opposed gravity. Beside him walked a white and teal haired girl of Ryuzan's age, wearing a gray kimono.

Ryuzan and other young Onmyouji were terrified to see a large number of all kinds of youkai behind the man and the girl. However, in contrast to them the older Onmyouji just sighed as if there were no danger.

"It is the Nuras…" Ryuzan heard someone whisper and realized that this was just a false alarm. Everyone in the Keikain House knew that they were on good terms with the Kantou youkai of the Nura Clan. And now he understood what everyone meant when they said that Nuras were quite a troublesome group.

"Damn it Youkai, could you not come at a more reasonable time like normal people do?" Ryuji was the first to talk to Nura Rikuo, the leader of this Hyaki Yakou. Most of the Onmyouji decided to return to sleep, only the young ones and the biggots staying in the courtyard.

"That would be no fun." Rikuo winked and then turned his head to Yura. "Long time no see Yura. We are visiting another youkai clan in Kyoto and decided to stay here."

"Stay as long sa you like, youkai… I know well enough that I can't stop you. But just so you know, you are paying for the damage you and your youkai have done here." Yura tried to sound stern but was obviously not bothered by Nura Clan's arrival. She then turned towards the girl that came with Rikuo. "However, you are the one I didn't see for a long time."

"The same goes for you, auntie Yura." The girl nodded. "Can I leave you guys to my dad?"

"Already bored of us?" Yura sighed. "Where is Rihan?"

"Rihan wanted to stay home." Rikuo said, his face showing signs of melancholy.

"Dad…"

"Yes my little princess, you can go play around. Don't cause too much trouble."

"Yes!" the girl turned around and her golden eyes immediately caught Ryuzan's. "Oh!" the smile on her face suggested that she saw something she liked.

Ryuzan was a bit creeped that the youkai girl just starred at him and was taken aback when she suddenly appeared beside him, her cold hand hanging around his shoulders. "Gya!"

"Hey cutie! I am Ritsura and I want you to show me around."

"Of course." Ryuzan smiled and showed with his hand towards the gates. "All friendly youkai are asked to pass through those doors."

"Are you all Onmyouji so tsun-tsun?" she forcibly turned him around and made him walk. "Come on, show me some fun stuff… or lets play a game or something."

"Now listen here youkai…" he pulled himself away from her grasp. "I am an Onmyouji. You are an youkai. We exist to fight one another." He was past believing that, but had to keep a facade in front of other Keikains.

"Ooh… now I get it!" Ritsura smiled and raised her hands. Cold air collected between them and soon she held a staff made of ice. "So you are a fan of fighting."

Ryuzan was surprised for a moment but then smiled back. "Now that seems like a fun idea." He said and took out his talismans.

The adults also saw them challenge one another.

"Don't get hurt!" Yura shouted at them.

"Ha ha, this looks like it will be a fun show!" Rikuo smiled and sat down to watch them.

"Ryuzan, don't get too flirty with a youkai or I will disown you!" his father threatened him.

The rest of Onmyouji and youkai cheered at the upcoming fight.

)(

The Dragon was Ryuzan's strongest shikigami. However, it would allow only one strike and at only one person. So it was a waste of spiritual energy to use him on anyone but the strongest youkai in the group.

The Snake was an enchantment type youkai, similar to the Tiger. However, while the Tiger made one more confident and physically stronger, the Snake made Ryuzan wiser and his regular Onmyouji techniques were stronger.

Ryuzan didn't waste time and immediately sent the Dragon to attack Kumo no Senshi and without looking at how the Dragon would fare, he took out three paper talismans and used them. Those were amateurish talismans and would normally be able to hit three youkai at most. However, thanks to the Snake their power increased and he could use one talisman on five distant youkai as long as they were close to one another.

It goes without saying that he took down the few archers he could see in order to save himself from their projectiles.

"Oh no boy, you won't!" Kurenai shouted and mist appeared around Ryuzan, no doubt to hide the other gyukis.

It also told Ryuzan that Kurenai was likely unable to make her comrades invisible even though her illusions changed the appearance of everything around Ryuzan. It was unfortunate that dispelling illusions was not something the Snake made easier, though their effect was lessened.

He was uncertain if the visual element of her illusion affected only Ryuzan or everyone around them, so he could not depend on using the mist to hide himself. He would need to take Kurenai down in order to even the playground.

The Dragon then got unsummoned, either due to being defeated by its enemy or because he did his role. Since Snake was Yin and the next shikigami in line of summoning was Yang, he could now summon the next Shikigami.

But then his mind blurred for a moment. It was not due to Kurenai however, but because he was getting exhausted. He was already a bit exhausted when he was challenged, and after summoning the Dragon, who requires a lot of spiritual energy, he was on verge of collapse. I need to finish this soon…

He managed to regain some of his balance, no small part thanks to the Snake who made it easier to keep a clear head, and raise his right hand.

However, the gyukis attacked immediately and three giant ox-headed spiders appeared in front of him. Probably due to Kurenai's work, they were surrounded by black smoke and they radiated with a darker aura than usual. Even though he understood that this was only an illusion, they looked terrifying and that had a negative influence on Ryuzan.

He turned around and started running but didn't stop from trying to summon his next shikigami. Due to attempting to use another technique, the nausea hit him again and his feet almost went numb after each step. But he managed to keep himself concentrated and summoned his next shikigami.

He jumped and the Horse appeared under him. The Horse enhanced his confidence and, what was more important right now, allowed him to move at quick pace. He circled around where those three gyukis were supposed to be, successfully dodging the attacks by their claws and made the Horse sprint towards where Kurenai used to stand.

He soon saw her her stand where he saw her before, with a noticeable surprise on the lower part of her face. The Horse itself jumped right, successfully evading something that looked like a claw. Also, the air was hot for some reason and Ryuzan was not sure if it was an illusion or something else.

Ryuzan couldn't afford to bother with anything but Kurenai at the moment so he made the Horse attack her with its feet. Kurenai fell down, her hands being unable to hold her papers. Ryuzan then made the Horse run past her while his hand grabbed the floating papers. After a few gallops, he tore it apart and Nejireme returned into its former state.

Then the heatwave came again and some kind of horizontal strike finished Ryuzan's shikigami in one hit, making him fall down. Due to nausea, he almost lost consciousness but the heat behind him reminded him that he was still in danger. At least Kurenai's artificial pain was gone, making it easier for Ryuzan to keep his concentration up.

He was glad he broke the illusion… the sight of his challenger was fearsome enough without Kurenai's help.

Kumo no Senshi got badly injured by the Dragon, that was for sure: his armor had cracked on many places and left part of his ox mask was destroyed, revealing an empty eye socket.

But it was not his body that was fearsome, but what was around him: eight spiky, giant red claws burning in flames. Ryuzan was sure that, if he wanted, this youkai could both cut down and burn entire Nejireme had he so wanted. Even entire towns could be destroyed by these giant, burning claws.

"It is not nice to attack a woman." His voice sounded more monstrous than before. "But I am so excited… I am afraid you might have to spend a few weeks in a hospital, boy."

There was no time for evaluating all of his options. Ryuzan had to gamble with the first plan that came to his mind.

So he ran towards his enemy.

"Bold eh? I love 'em bold!" the youkai said and started moving some of his claws towards Ryuzan.

Hoping they were of illusionary nature, Ryuzan used anti-illusion talismans to shield himself. Although created barriers broke after a while, they managed to slow his claws enough for Ryuzan to evade his attacks.

The youkai in front of him took out his katana, which was also engulfed by the fire. "This is the end of you, boy."

As if it were a gun, fire flew from the sword and engulfed Ryuzan.

Auntie Yura was the one who helped him with his Shikigami… but his father taught him all he knew about barriers, with Ryuzan mastering the elemental ones. Thus, the fire had no effect on him so Ryuzan managed to get to two meters distance to his enemy. He stopped after reaching that point.

"What?!" the youkai was surprised. "Tz, gotta do this the bloody way then?" he prepared to run at him and stab him with his vlade, but Ryuzan was quicker.

He put two fingers in front of himself. His Snake shikigami left his body and moved onto his enemy. Ryuzan was able to lend his Shikigami to anyone, including his enemies.

"Wha-" the youkai didn't manage to stop the Snake from mixing into his Fear. "What did you do?"

"Just sentmy Shikigami to you." Ryuzan forced himself to smile. "Do you feel good?"

"Why yes… it is a wwird thing to say but I feel much smarter than I usually do!"

"Good." Ryuzan then moved his two fingers upwards. "This is a technique I developed to aid Ritsura. Later, I will have you apologize to me for spoiling it on you."

"How does making me smarter accomplish anything?"

"Oh no, the point is that one of my Shikigami, no matter which, is with you." Ryuzan continued smiling. "I am an expert with elemental barriers you see. But I can use them only on myself or on those I touched… but due to my spiritual connection to my shikigami, my shikigami can be used as a substitute for me. In other words, I can now cast a barrier on you."

"Make me smarter AND protected? Now that just makes no-eh?" the fire around his claws disappeared and his skin lost some of its color. "What are you…"

"Surrender or I shall cleanse every part of your body and blood from heat." Ryuzan warned him, still smiling with sole purpose of terrifying his enemy. "I did it now to a small extent, but if I strengthen the barrier inside you… well, I am not sure your body could take it."

"Do you think I am not strong enough to beat an exhausted Onmyouji's barrier?"

"Maybe… but is it worth the risk?" Ryuzan continued to keep a confident face, even though every part of his body and mind begged him to just lay down and rest. "Is it worth risking your life and Nejireme's safety for pride?"

The youkai continued looking at him for a few moments… and then his claws disappeared and he put his hand on his mask, removing it and revealing a human face underneath it. He looked like a man in his forties, partially shaved like the warriors of old tended to do. His left eye was not there and half of his face was filled with scars.

"Tesshin." He whispered in a low tone so only Ryuzan could hear him?

"Huh?"

"That's my name." Tesshin explained and put his mask back on. "Only those I accept as equals or stronger are allowed to see my face and know my name… in other words, that is my method of surrendering!" he shouted the last part so everyone could hear him.

In return, all of the youkai bowed their heads. Ryuzan was now accepted as someone worthy of Gyuki Group's respect.

"Ha… that's good to hear." Ryuzan released his shikigami and sat down under a tree, finally allowed to rest.

)(

"Ugh…" Ryuzan woke up in his room. He remembered dreaming about youkai as well as having a fight with a Yuki Onna… which he lost.

However, he felt pain on parts of the body where the youkai hit him. The loud celebration from outside this deep in the night also hinted that this was not a usual night and that what he remembered wasn't a dream but something that actually happened.

"Damn, I guess I passed out after she hit me that time…" Ryuzan rose onto his legs and returned outside. It was still early and sun had yet to rise.

The youkai of the Nura Clan were celebrating and running around. Some Onmyouji kept a stern eye on them while some joined them in celebration.

"Well look there, the Onmyouji warrior woke up!" a Nattou Kozzou shouted and eyes of many youkai and onmyouji were now on young Ryuzan.

"Will you demand a rematch, Ryuzan?" one of the Onmyuji that celebrated alongside youkai asked.

"No thank you, that was enough beating for one night." Ryuzan replied.

"A shame… you did well enough." Someone said but Ryuzan didn't check who. Instead, he looked around for Ritsura, not sure himself why he was looking for her.

"Isn't that girl celebrating with you?" he asked them.

"Oh, you mean Ojou-sama?" the youkai asked. "She was here but said she wanted to rest."

"I see." Ryuzan turned around in order to check around and see if he could find her.

"Why are you looking for her?" someone asked in a sly tone. Ryuzan recognized it as an attempt to make an embarrassing 'love joke'.

However, Ryuzan was not someone who could easily be embarrassed by such attempts. "Why, I am going to steal her lips and maybe even ask for her hand." He gave them a sly smile and continued walking with his hands in his pockets.

"WHAAAAT HOW DARE YOU EVEN TALK ABOUT DISGRACING OJOU-SAMA?!" the youkai did not like what he said. "YOU ARE TOO WEAK FOR THAT!"

"PROPOSING TO A YOUKAI?! DON'T TALK ABOUT SUCH DISGRACEFUL THINGS, RYUZAN!" the Keikains were equally dissatisfied.

Pleased that he made them this excited, Ryuzan went on his way. As soon as he got far enough to no longer hear singing and shouting, he noticed there was another sound in the air… sound of music.

Unfortunately it was not some enchanting music one usually hears in stories, but a clumsy tune as if played by an amateur.

Interested in what it's source might be, Ryuzan looked around and concluded it was played by someone on the roof of one of the Keikain Clan's buildings. By climbing a tree, he got on top of it and there he found its source… which was conveniently the girl he was looking for.

Ritsura sat on the roof, her backs turned to the courtyard where humans and youkai were celebrating. She was trying to play a flute, but as already mentioned she did not do a good job with it.

"So, how long have you been playing with the flute?" Ryuzan asked her.

Ritsura stopped playing. "Ryuteki." She said. "It is a Ryuteki."

"Does it matter what kind of flute it is?" he asked and sat beside her.

"Grandma said that Ryuteki represents dragons which ascend from the skies." The girl replied. "It would be so cool if I could summon a dragon."

"I don't think you can summon a dragon with it…" Ryuzan commented, resulting in Ritsura giving him a mean look. "So, let me ask again: how long have you been playing it? "

"Grandma got it for me a few weeks ago. She plays another instrument but thought this one would be more fitting for me."

"Well, you sure have a long way to go with it…"

Ritsura sticked out her tongue and then said: "A boy should always tell the girl that she produces a nice tune."

"Only a boy who wants to charm the girl would say that. A boy who likes a girl would be honest, even if it hurts."

"Oh." She smiled. "And why is that so?"

"Because then the girl would try to get better and the better she is, the more beautiful she becomes."

"Oooh… and who told you that?"

"My own conclusion."

"Oooh really…" she smirked at him. "So you are just a charmer and not a boy who likes."

"Are you suggesting I lie?" Ryuzan pretended to be insulted.

"Your fighting style was filled with deceptions, not to mention you tried to confuse me with your words while fighting." She winked at him. "But I will give you a second chance. Who told you that?"

"My mom of course." He admitted.

Ritsura starred at him for a few moments and then burst into laughter. "Fuahahaha! This is the first time I see a boy be that honest!"

Although she laughed at him, Ryuzan continued smiling. Entertaining her like this was his intention.

"So, why are you here?" she asked. "Other than indirectly saying you like me?"

"Just wanted to congratulate you on the victory."

"Thank you. By the way, you were pathetic." She said with a shining smile.

"That's rude…" he pouted.

"A girl that just wants to charm lies. A girl that wants to make the boy grow is honest, no matter how much it may hurt him."

"Hahaha… stupid from me to not have realized that immediately." He laughed. "Well, I have been having serious training for less then a year and I still have to create my own Onmyoudo. Next time you see me, I will be much tougher."

"Heee… looking forward to that." she smiled. "Once you get stronger, come to Tokyo. There is less competition amongst Onmyouji there and that means you can have more fun."

"You just want me to beat your rivals for you, don't you?"

"Yep!" she admitted.

"Alright, I promise to see the big city when I get stronger." He promised, to which the girl smiled.

And thus, the two natural enemies became friends.

)(

Sound of music woke Ryuzan up. He was still sitting under the tree, but there were no gyukis in front of him anymore.

That didn't surprise him. Once the battle was over, he rejected their offer of help and told them he would find their leader, Gyuki, himself once he rested for a few minutes. He also promised Tesshin that he would come visit him at his home so they could take a drink and talk for a while.

And once everyone left, Ryuzan's pride finally allowed him to fall asleep.

But now he was awake, although he still felt exhausted. The music continued playing and he noticed that the air was cold.

And source of both sat under the same tree, left of him.

Just like in his memories, the white and teal haired beauty played a flute. But unlike four years ago, he could not call it clumsy. It was not a masterpiece, but it became his favorite music piece none the less.

Ritsura saw him and smiled, but went on playing for good fifteen minutes. No matter how exhausted he was, Ryuzan found it easy to force himself to listen to the end.

"Your music has become better." Ryuzan said after a few moments of silence.

"As did your Onmyoudo." Ritsura smiled at him, putting the flute somewhere inside her kimono.

"Well, I did promise you I would come to Tokyo only once I got strong enough." He replied back. "And as promised, Tesshin was defeated."

"I know, that's why I played for you. That was part of the deal after all." She said with a kind smile. "Anyway, I don't think he wants his name to be given left and right."

"I fought in the name of the Hyaki Yakou's leader." Ryuzan smiled. "So all my victories and earnings are yours as well."

"An Onmyouji calling himself a part of a youkai's Hyaki Yakou. That sounds bizarre." Ritsura grinned.

"Yes, my family would skin me alive ha ha."

Ritsura raised her right hand and turned it into a fist. "In that case, this Youkai and Onmyouji are from today on sworn comrades." Ritsura suggested and winked.

"Sounds like a fun start of a story." Ryuzan raised his left arm and bumped his fist with hers. "Now, why are you here and not with Gyuki?"

"I sent Heiko to let Gyuki know I would be taking a detour… well, not that anyone told me to hurry up to begin with."

"Oh my, have you been spying on me?"

"From afar." Ritsura winked. "But don't worry, I have not mixed myself into your fight."

"Oh… I have been spied upon while I fought. Now I know how girls feel when me boys spy on them while they enjoy their time at an onsen."

"What would a pervert like you know about worries we girls go through whenever we take a bath with boys close by?" Ritsura complained but continued smiling. "Be careful, wrong answer and I am freezing you."

"I apologize for my ignorance, Ritsura-sama." Ryuzan stretched his arms and then yawned.

"Well, lets go then so you can take a rest." Ritsura said, rose up and clapped her hands. As if ordered, the flying snake Hebinyoro appeared in front of them. "Alright Ryu, time to fly away."

"Hey, wait a-" he started but Ritsura grabbed his hand and threw him onto the snake. "Oh no, I can't guarantee that I would be able to stay balanced and not fall down."

"Oh don't worry about that, Ryu." Ritsura put a finger on his forehead. "Good night! Cursed Blizzard, snow pile kill."

"Wh-" Ryuzan couldn't even finish a word when Ritsura's technique forced him into slumber. It was a technique that her mother taught her, which made someone fall asleep due to extreme cold.

Ritsura grabbed him and sat on hebinyoro, holding Ryuzan's body with her right hand and letting his head rest on her shoulder. "Alright, lets go!"

IIIII

Author Notes:

And Ryuzan's chapter of the Nejireme Tests arc is over! Now only Ritsura remains!

- this chapter had two stories go in parallel: Ryuzan's fight against the gyukis and the flashbacks from his past, including the one where he met Ritsura for the first time

- writing the flashbacks was easy, but constructing the battle was a bit tougher thus why this chapter did not come a week after the last one as per late tradition

- Papa Ryuji is a fun guy to write XD

- mind you, there is still interesting stuff in Ryu's past ;)

- just like how her grandma Setsura liked playing an instrument, so does Ritsura… thought it would be a neat touch

- the technique Ritsura used is the same as the one Tsurara used to make Kana fall asleep during the Yami arc

- I apologize for the lame attempt at showcasing Asumi's Kansai dialect… for those who don't remember, Asumi is the girl who appeared during the "Cannibal Village" arc

Guest: "I loveeed it!. Heiko is such a dearie. I was wondering when she was gonna play a role. As for Gozumaru...(SIGH) You still holding a grudge. I mean come on you played a minor role when Rikuo was still around and still is weak. Its about time you stepped up your game."

Glad you liked it :D Don't worry abut Gozu, he will have a lot of time to prove himself!