Disclaimer: I do not own nurarihyon no mago. I only own my OCs and my story plots.

Retsu is currently 7 years old.

Belladonna

Chapter 25:

Interlude

While the Shikoku forces and Nura Clan' final showdown reaches its climax. Somewhere far off, a little boy with light coloured hair, styled into two low tails on either side of his head peers up into the sky curiously. He wears a white Onmyōji uniform and a bōshi hat flopped to one side. Olive green eyes narrow slyly, an ever present smile on his young face as he hums thoughtfully.

Yosuzume has been forcefully dispersed.

His smile widens. So the Nura Clan still has some capable Ayakashi left. That's unexpected. After all, they've all lost their drive and fangs for years now. Then again... Nura Retsu's return might have been their second wind.

Enchō relays to him from what he has gathered from their infiltrator, that the little girl has been actively curbing rogue yōkai population in Nura Clan turf for some time now. She even has her own group of rag-tags, the beginnings of a Hyakki Yakō. Based on the information their Brain shared with Minagoroshi Jizō, who is staying beside Hagoromo Gitsune to keep a literal eye on things, she doesn't talk or smile as much as when she had been living in Kyōto. During meetings, she only says the barest minimum, it's like she became a completely different person. Withdrawn.

She probably broke free from Minagoroshi Jizō's brainwash, much to the yōkai's bewilderment. Although... it shouldn't have been possible to do so, since even the Kyōto yōkai didn't notice anything off. Even centuries later, the yōkai Nurarihyon still holds much mystery.

Ideally, the Shikoku yōkai has given the Nura Clan some trouble at least, even if he doesn't have particularly high hopes for them in actually succeeding with flying colours. Since Yosuzume has been forced to bodily disperse... chances are, they have failed spectacularly.

Abe no Ariyuki waves his hands, forming familiar hand signs needed to resummon his Shikigami. His eyes widen in mild surprise when there was no reaction.

The contract was broken.

'... That's not... that's unusual.' He hums, lips pursed. He tries one more time, still nothing. The narrowing of his eyes and an unpleasant gleam shining within them are the only signs of his displeasure.

Shikigami are not easy to kill.

They are on a level higher than demons, more than the average Tochigami since Shikigami are attack types little deity helpers. They can be forcibly dispersed or have the contact broken by killing the user, but Shikigami themselves cannot be killed by normal means, similar to Tochigami.

A commander level demon had done it, and not just any yōkai even then. He surmised.

...Was it Nurarihyon? ...Or one of his grandchildren?

I feel winded...

A solid weight is pressing down on my chest as my consciousness gradually resurfaces back to reality after a long period of time being under. My body feels so sluggish, limbs extremely heavy, alike to having extra weights attached to me. When I finally peel my eyelids open, a pair of turquoise-purple, slit-like, heterochromic eyes peers right back. Suzu blinks and meow, extending a paw out from her loaf position to bat at my face. '...No wonder it was getting so hard to breathe.'

Heaving with great effort, I move my arms to grab the feline by the underarms and drag her down so she is now settling upon my abdomen instead of my chest. Her claws dig in and down my blankets went. The familiar wooden ceiling of my bedroom greets me and I suck in a deep breath of the morning air. It feels warm. 'Is it afternoon?'

I tilt my head and let it loll uselessly to the side, gauging the level of brightness seeping in from the window. Seems like it. Drawing in a couple more deep breaths to wake my body, I finally register the complaints of my exceedingly dry and parched throat. 'So thirsty.'

Shifting onto my side, Suzu is forced to vacate from my belly with a crisp ring of her bell, whilst I blindly feel around on the low table beside me for the mug and pitcher I know is always present. Fingers grazing the cool clay, I grip the cup and pull it over the side of the table, carefully setting it onto the tatami. Leaning on my elbows, I slap one hand on the low table to better heave my upper body up, before bringing the cup up to my lips and I down the water in a few greedy gulps.

Setting it down with a clack and a sigh of satisfaction, I glance at the pink penguin alarm clock sitting upon that very same table and squint at the time. Not believing it the first time around, I blink hard, rub my eyes, and refocus. 'Bloody hell, it's three in the afternoon...?'

Groaning softly, I rub at my face and lean against the table a couple more moments, then haul myself up to a stand. My vision swims black for a moment and I take deep, even breaths. Once it clears, I make my way over to the fusuma. The moment I slide it open, a small body sitting outside by the door is quick to fling themselves to grab at my legs, crying in a subdued manner. A glance down reveals the form of Ame, blubbering out nonsensical stuff between sobs and sniffles that, I couldn't for the life of me, make tails nor heads of. My bladder complains.

"How do you feel?" Tozen asks me quietly from his seated position on the other side of my door, reddish mahogany eyes peering at me.

"Blargh." I say, pinching my nose, which just about sums up my unusually sluggish brain and body. 'Why are they sitting outside my bedroom?'

"Ame... lemme use the bathroom first." I mutter with a restrained sigh and after a brief pause where the words sink in, the rain yōkai immediately lets go, scampering backwards.

...

"What's the last thing you remember?" Tozen queries, tone even and low, once I'm back in my bedroom. A couple familiar faces are present, more members of my group looking back at me curiously.

A while earlier, on my bathroom break, Kejōrō has notified me that Zen-nii would be dropping by for a quick check up before my meal. I was so out of it, I didn't even think to question her 'why' and simply nod in acceptance.

Tilting my head back, I squint my eyes pensively, trying to piece together the fuzzy events as Ame looks on, tears dried for the meantime. "Shikoku was dealt with right?"

"Yes." Tozen nods in confirmation.

"... Supper." I say, pausing, wracking my brains for the details afterwards. "At Bakenekoya. I ate two sets of pork belly rice... and fell asleep?"

"You were dead drunk, Chibi." Yūga informs me with a deadpan expression, arms and legs crossed, his back against the fusuma. "Passed right out at the table."

My mind short-circuits, brows furrowing together. 'Drunk?'

"Even snored." Yūga continues in an obnoxiously bland tone. "And drooled—"

"Ready the stove, we're having canine meat." I roll up my kimono sleeves threateningly. The Ōkami is out of my room in a split second and sprinting down the hallway with an evil guffaw.

"The catnip juice, or rather, the Matatabi cocktail is a sweet alcoholic drink. Twelve percent rum, so..." Kyō tells me tentatively from the side, making a sleeping gesture with a grimace.

I put my face into my hands. "Urgh."

...

Zen stopped by my room to check on me as promised, taking a look at my complexion, then measuring my heart-rate, breathing-rate, and asking a couple standard questions. Any headaches, nausea or vomiting.

"None, just feeling sluggish." I reply, rubbing between my eyes.

The physician hums thoughtfully. "Alcohol is poisonous to children... your body probably treated it as such and took care of it. Alright, you're good to go. However, if you don't feel well at anytime, come and find me."

Muttering a slow thanks, he nods and takes his leave.

...

Over breakfast— err, brunch— late brunch, I have to watch Umizatō lovingly caress the perfume bomb he received yesterday that was supposed to be used to deal with Inugami in the main hall. I tear my gaze away, shivering, opting instead to pay attention to my meal. Ame hovers nearby like a helicopter guardian. It seems like I won't be rid of him and his guilty conscience anytime soon. The rest has split up to resume their odd jobs and chores around the mansion.

Today is Friday and defying all expectations, Rikuo is back in school after having little to no sleep yesterday. Not to mention the stress accumulated from the past few days with Shikoku. Gotta hand it to him though, that boy is really something. 'Why is he so adamant on attending anyway? Does going to school help him destress or something?'

Chalking him as one of those people who actually enjoys going to school and socialise on a near daily basis, I shake my head. He can do whatever he wants as long as it doesn't affect the Nura Clan in a negative way. I shovel rice into my mouth hungrily, picking at the grilled fish and tofu, chewing languidly. 'Now that the Shikoku event is over...'

I feel my mood change and body tense involuntarily. 'Kyōto is next.'

Suzu tries to sneak a bite of my fish, and I had to push her away. The excess oil isn't good for her. 'When was the Kyōto arc again? A couple weeks later? ...I think it was during summer vacation... Rikuo's classmates went there too, didn't they?'

'So... when is summer vacation?' If I ask Rikuo again about dates and whatnot, he's going to know something is up. No, I'll have to find someone else.

'Tsurara should know.' I recall, deciding to question her once she gets back from bodyguard duty.

Today is break time. Dealing with Shikoku for the past three days had been relatively simple, but no less nerve-racking due to a few certain demons' involvement. However, now that the brain and heart is gone... that's one less headache to plague my dreams and every waking hour.

Before brother comes home from school, I have the peace and quiet of the house to myself. ...To an extent.

The smaller yōkai are as chatty as usual, and majority of the main house members are carrying out their assigned daily household chores. Overall, it's like the Shikoku hadn't just been dealt with last night. The tense atmosphere from before had all but evaporated, leaving behind a light airy feel.

Feels like it might be a good day to go out for a walk.

I step out into the veranda and noticed our garden is unusually dark at this time of day. The wind picks up, humid and icky. Glancing up at the looming grey clouds saturated with the promise of heavy rain, I decided against it.

It is a good day for Ame and all water type yōkai, however, I have no intention of getting wet from the rain today.

'Maybe I'll play with the puzzle Rikuo bought.' I head back inside.

It is sometime after sunset, before dinner time, when I finally manage to get a hold of Tsurara. Glancing around for good measure to make sure that Rikuo is nowhere nearby to eavesdrop, intentionally or not.

"Summer vacation?" Tsurara blinks at me, then looks up in thought, a finger pressing to her chin. "It's right around the corner. There's only three more weeks of school."

I knew it was soon, but getting a solid time gauge is still stressful. 'Around three weeks till Tōno arc arrives. Then, it's a couple days to about a week or so till Kyōto arc.'

"Thank you." I turn on my heel to head back to my bedroom, allowing a bewildered Tsurara to return to her dinner preparation duties. There's still something I have to look through. While sighting reports on rogue yōkai have seen a steady decrease, something still need to be done about the Hyaku Monogatari Clan. I need to plan.

Since I had exorcised their Brain and Heart, his main body in hell shouldn't have any means left to contact those in the world of the living. The same might apply for Seimei, but he's crafty, so he might have other methods— as expected of a Kitsune's child. I pursed my lips.

'Sanmoto should know that he had lost two of his body parts... which means Seimei would be alerted. They shouldn't know it was me. But just to be on the safer side, I'll have to keep an eye out for Seimei when he is revived.' Kurotabō mentioned Sanmoto had a loyal aide, named Yanagida, whose current status is unknown. The name sounds vaguely familiar to me though, which meant that he's probably still alive and sneaking around.

I'm extremely confident that the Hyaku Monogatari would not attack the Nura Clan anytime soon, despite loosing two important body parts. Not only do they currently lack the power and means, the capital demons' invasion of Kyōto is happening soon. If they are anything like their original, they are cowards who would rather make use of others to crush us. The chances of winning are higher for them that way.

This will proceed as per what went down in the manga and anime, however... I sat down at my study table, eyeing the maps strewn across my walls, filled with circles and crosses. The Hyaku Monogatari Clan might just double their efforts now that the Brain and especially the Heart is gone. We will have to seek them out once Rikuo and I are ready, we mustn't wait for them to make the first move, it would be too much of a hassle then.

There shouldn't be a problem. Rikuo's learning progress is on a much better track, with a little nudge from me here and there in the right direction to become stronger. We'll clean up our territories after our training is complete and the immediate threat of the Kyōto yōkai is resolved. My blood simmers beneath my skin. 'Less than a month away till the big war is upon us.'

Her pale face framed with long, straight, jet-black hair appears within my mind's eye and my fingers twitch.

...

'Time sure flies. ...It's been a year and two months since I had left her side.'

Our one day of break came and went in a blur. It is around sunset on Saturday, when Karasu Tengu told me that another small meeting with our closest advisors will be held. This time, it concerns solidifying a solution to deal with the Hyaku Monogatari Clan. In the next council meeting where all executives would be present, it would be most beneficial that the main house is able to provide some concrete plans to the matter.

Mulling it over for a moment, I gave my acknowledgement before retreating to my room to bring along all related documents and personnels to the meeting. By the time I reach the council room, refreshments such as tea and snacks are laid out. I have a small feeling that this might take a while.

Rikuo is attending in his demon form. Recently, his night form has made more frequent appearances once the sun has bid the day adieu. Ojii-chan is there as well, sitting side by side with my brother. Karasu Tengu takes the seat beside Nurarihyon, with Daruma on the other side. Gyūki and Hihi, sits on the right side of the meeting room.

Yūga and Kurotabō followed me to sit further down the left row from Daruma. I head straight for my usual spot, between Rikuo and the advisor of the Nura Clan, setting down all maps and notes to the side, within immediate reach. Rikuo casts a cursory glance at them, a gleam in his crimson irises.

Karasu Tengu clears his throat. "Today's meeting would be deciding upon an action we should take against the Hyaku Monogatari Clan. I believe investigations would be prudent. We still do not know of their exact whereabouts and base of operations."

Rikuo turns to look at me and the other executives follow his example, which lead Ojii-chan to look over as well with a marginally raised, virtually nonexistent brow. Considering that I've been overseeing this matter in recent months, alongside having dealt with their infiltrator, I am, technically speaking, most familiar with the current problem.

"I'm assuming not hearing from their infiltrator has already alarmed them. Nonetheless, they will not move just yet." I begin calmly. "From what I've heard, the Hyaku Monogatari Clan are made up of despicable cowards who likes to hide in the shadows. If someone else could wipe us out for them, that would be their most desirable outcome. ...Also, since they used the Shikoku yōkai as cannon fodder, they are, in all likelihood, getting impatient."

Glancing at Rikuo, I continued. "Judging by the time... Onii-chan was declared the third head candidate not too long ago, which is something they deem as 'not in their favour'. Suggesting that they aren't one hundred percent confident that their plan— whatever it is— would fly should Onii-chan get stronger."

"As per what Karasu Tengu mentioned, investigations will need to be held. There are currently three locations that I would like to be checked thoroughly." I pull out the map of Tokyo, pointing at the circled areas. "The first would be Nishikigoi District that was once under their control back in the Edo period. The Arawashi Clan is now in charge of that street. There were no reports of any alarming news or strange sightings from them, but... I still need someone from the main house to double check the area alongside the Garakuta Market."

I look up at Gyūki. "I'm hoping Gozumaru and Mezumaru would be willing to take this job. I do not want to alarm the Arawashi Clan nor the Hyaku Monogatari Clan if they are indeed hiding nearby."

Gyūki incline his head cooly. "I will send them over."

"Great. The second place is the underground of Tokyo. They managed to evade the Tengu Clan for such a long time, so they must be hiding somewhere sheltered but close by. Request the Ōmukade Clan to assist in narrowing down their whereabouts. Tunnels, sewers, any pockets of space below ground that could hide any demons, search all of them."

Karasu Tengu nods. "Understood."

Ever since the Ōkami had been included in the patrol systems, they informed me that due to the sewers ever-present, pungent stench, it is hard to pick up— let alone distinguish— a demon's scent amidst all of that. So we literally could not sniff them out. They've really picked quite the place to hide. I guess we'll just have to rely on the centipedes to see if they might have better luck.

"The last place is the area where the Hyaku Monogatari Clan used to live. I heard that their mansion was once in Fukagawa, Kōtō. For this spot, only Ojii-chan, Rikuo or myself is allowed to check. No one else."

Immediately, Rikuo turns to me. "You think they're there?"

I pause, considering my answer for a moment. 'I wasn't completely sure but... I think that's where their headquarters was in the manga... right?'

Finally, I shrug. "Could be."

"Most of your 'could be', might as well be 'this is it'." Yūga points out, snorting lightly, dark coloured eyes gauging my body language to see what else he can pick out.

"Just in case I'm wrong about it." I intone dryly. "Kyō is tracking the accounts that had been spreading the rumours online. It'll take him a little while longer to pinpoint the exact location of the person uploading the tales."

Karasu Tengu fills in. "I'll issue out a warning to all of our allies to look out for any suspicious activities in their area and report accordingly. Specifically about rumours and stories."

I nod once to give my non-verbal assent.

"Once we've determined the enemies' exact location, then it's time to deal with them." Daruma half-questions, half-states as he looks over at me.

I have to let him down once again, and it seems like he is expecting it when I met his eyes. "Yes, that is the ultimate plan, however, we have two more problems. One of which is a much bigger pain than those sewer rats. The Kyōto yōkai are going to make a move very soon."

At this, I have everyone's full and undivided attention.

"They've been arming themselves since early last year, waiting for the seal in Kyōto to weaken in order to strike. On a side note, they are apparently short-staffed." I informed, deciding to leave out the tidbit of them going to Tōno no Satō to recruit, since they were far from successful about it anyway. I look up to meet the gazes of every single Ayakashi present. "The Kyōto yōkai takes first priority in terms of immediate threat. I bet that the Hyaku Monogatari Clan is also counting on them to defeat, if not, at least, weaken us."

Offense is the best defense. To be frank, at this rate, we either take the war to them, or wait for them to take the war to us. Honestly, I do not look forward to the clean up in the aftermath. I'd rather the mess be over there. Once the battle is said and done, we can just simply up and leave. However, it is still not my position to declare war on them. I do not have that kind of authority, we'll just have to wait to see Rikuo's intentions.

"The other problem is... even if we did smoke them out from the sewers." I gesture to both Rikuo and myself. "Neither of us are anywhere near as strong as Niidaime was to properly eradicate them all in one fell swoop. If any one of them gets away, the humans living within Tokyo will be the ones taking the full brunt of our failures. It'll be all over the news, and by then, they'd have made their existence known to the whole country or even the world, depending on the channel. We cannot allow them to expand their influence anymore."

A small wave of apprehension spreads through the room.

"... Indeed, that would not spell anything good for us." Daruma frowns. "The cleanup would also be nigh impossible if things ever blow up to that scale."

"Ayakashi from all over Japan— even worse, those from across the seas— should they hear of this, surely some ambitious fellows would make use of the turmoil to stir up more problems. By then, things will become never ending for a long while." Karasu Tengu adds his two cents.

Kurotabō frowns, pointing out. "I sincerely doubt they would want things to go as far as the whole world knowing, since they initially did want to control Edo. If that scenario did come to a head, they would have competitors as well."

"True, but hey, more belief equals to more Osore, equals to more power. They wouldn't be too worried by then." Yūga shrugs.

"... They have been preparing for over three hundred years." Gyūki finally chimes in, unhurried. "Whatever elaborate revenge they have decided upon may be, it would be specifically tailored for the Nura Clan. However... this 'concern' of ours would make for a good scheme for them to gain power easily, does it not?"

Kurotabo jolts, his face paling a margin. "It... does sound like something he would do. He never did care who he involved as long as it benefits him."

Rikuo frowns, and Ojii-chan's face also soured.

'...The hell, did my paranoria actually help in figuring out their nefarious plan?' I stare at the group blankly. "Now that you've mentioned it... it doesn't sound half bad in their point of view."

Yūga snorts in disbelief at my absentmindedness, while Rikuo arches a fine silver brow at me for that comment.

"Well, whatever their plan is. As long as we get the jump on them, we will have no issues." I reassure as best as I could. "Right now, Onii-chan and I both lack a few things. Two of which, is battle experience and sheer raw power. Which is why the both of us should first focus on training and continue to carry out the usual pest control. Besides, they have already been festering for the past three hundred years, what's a couple more months until we can successfully wipe them out once and for all."

I know what's going to happen, it shouldn't deviate too much from the original storyline. From what I know, they need more time as well before their plan can be put into action, which suits us just fine. Kurotabō had given me a large hint, the Hyakki Teakettle which once controlled him. It stores Osore. The more it possesses, the better for them. Gathering a large amount of Osore needs time.

'...But why do they need so much time and Osore for? Wouldn't they just gain a shit ton by wrecking havoc— oh.'

"Oh my—" I rubbed my face tiredly, barely holding back from cursing, signing at the new discovery.

"What?" Yūga looks at me warily. I turn to Kurotabō instead.

"Remember the special item called 'The Hyakki Teakettle' you told me? It stores Osore and can convert them into an addictive tea, right?" I added for the benefit of those who did not know.

"Hai?" The assassin monk half-asks me, nonplussed.

"I was just wondering why they would need so much Osore for, and guess what?"

"What?" The Ōkami humours me.

"It's for their leader's revival."

Silence.

"What?" Kurotabō's voice is unusually soft.

"I said before, when a revival, resurrection, whatever, that type of dark magic would typically require hard to attain items and or conditions. Think about it. A large amount of Osore gathered for over three hundred years, Mao's hammer— which is now destroyed— had once gathered quite some influence in Shikoku, didn't it? It had also absorbed Niidaime's Osore. We haven't include what the rest of his body parts had been up to, the spreading of their stories and tales. Basically, they've already gathered a lot. And for what? Can't be just to make that tea. There's way too much. All they had to do is make up a story of their leader's revival and just channel all that Osore they have gathered towards him. The conditons all seems to fit, otherwise, they could have just wrecked havoc and made themselves known nationwide by now. They would gather Osore so much faster and in bulks that way."

Dead quiet greets me. I hastily redirect the conversation back to topic. "Well, nothing we can worry about right now. So anyway, investigations and more training for the two of us. Any objections?"

Looks were exchanged amongst the executives, however, there are no protests. Good.

"How do you know so much about dark magic?" Yūga eyes me suspiciously.

"TV shows." I reply sagely, causing a few yōkai to nearly pull a Zen and hurl up blood. In the corner of my peripheral vision, I see Rikuo giving me a side-eye look of distaste. He knows I stay up on occasion to watch late-night horror shows with the other smaller yōkai.

Just then, I thought of something. I suddenly realised one glaring factor. One that I should push to rectify.

"Onii-chan."

He looks over.

"You might want to consider taking an indefinite leave from school." I tell him, gauging his reaction.

He blinks slowly, then, the first, very typical, concern of all students comes flying right out of his mouth. "It's the exams period next month."

The blood-vomit inducing thing is... I understand him, I was kinda like him too in my other life. A goody-two shoes student right up until the second last year of high school. My rebellious phase really took its own sweet time showing up.

"You can take the exams if you really must." I reply dryly. "The school should be just about done teaching new topics, aren't they? I heard from Tsurara that revisions are held for the next month. You never score below ninety for any of your subjects anyway, except for English. Not getting straight 'A's for your first year in middle school won't kill you."

Rikuo gives me the look. The one that clearly says he did not appreciate me doing my homework on his school exams procedure but, knowing me, it was well within his expectations and he isn't even that surprised anymore. He really knows how to express himself with minimal effort... or maybe I'm getting a little better at reading him.

"We don't have much time. I'm ramping up the difficulty of our training sessions. In other words, you will definitely be too exhausted after late night trainings to be able to listen in class properly the next day." I explain my reasonings for recommending his extended leave from school, in hopes that he'll understand from my point of view.

"When the Kyōto yōkai strikes sometime in the near future, you have to be in tip top shape. No one cares if you want to go back to school once the matter is settled. However, it should be very clear that should we fail, not being able to attend school will be the last thing you'll have to worry about."

This got him in a contemplative mood.

"Think about it."

"No need." He replies near immediately, and I stare at his quick response. His crimson eyes were calm. "I'll inform the school."

I hum, turning away. 'Wise call.'

He knows I won't accommodate the training sessions for his human life schedule. It's either he goes to school feeling and looking like a zombie, or he chooses one.

The old Tengu chips in with an update, as if recalling the information only moment's prior. "Ah yes, the reconstruction of the shrines are currently underway and going smoothly. The Tochigami should be able to move back in within the week."

"Good job." Rikuo inclines his head marginally, and I could almost feel the 'good riddance' in his nod. The Tochigami had been hassling him for a good while these past few days.

"There are eight empty spots, isn't there?" I questioned, knowing that there were eight shrines we couldn't get in time to.

"Yes, the rubble has already been cleared. It might take some more time before the spots are filled." Karasu Tengu informs me.

"Reserve the outermost spot." I told him, and the Tengu looks over at me curiosity. "Build a bigger shrine there than the previous one. Once things have settled down, a Tochigami will reside there."

"Of course, Retsu-sama. Do you have any preferences?"

I stay silent, feeling for Kirin's input. There wasn't any. However, I do recall the shrine the deity used to reside in is fairly large. I gave my order. "Just make sure the shrine is sturdy and big enough to house a two meter stone statue."

"Understood, I'll contact the architects to handle the layout and order a stone statue. What will the statue be of?" Karasu Tengu questions professionally, his expression barely changing. Kuromaru really did inherit his earnest personality.

"A Kirin."

The crow demon halts, sputtering.

Rikuo peers at me, eyeing my hands folded neatly upon my lap, where he last saw the aforementioned deity. I pointedly ignored him.

"A two meter Kirin stone statue, Retsu-sama?" Karasu Tengu confirms once he regains his bearings and I nod in affirmation.

"Understood."

There was a beat of silence. Seeing no one had anything else to say or add on, Nurarihyon leans forward. "If there's nothing else... then, this meeting is adjourned."

In a dark world devoid of sound, sensations and feelings, 'I' slept.

A solid 'thump' of something small that is neither soft nor hard, but has a distinctive weight, lands upon my chest and forcibly drags me from limbo.

My heavy eyelids flutter open.

Once my vision focuses, I saw a face, inches from my mine. A pair of round and glowing crimson red eyes peers back.

My soul shakes and wavers in that instant, extremely... disturbed. Disgruntled. Tired.

... I knew it was way past my supposed time. I was so close to disappearing too. I... did not enjoy being called back from the void.

An unsettling feeling encroaches like a mass of disgusting worms crawling about and the baby began to make noises of displeasure. I glance around feebly and I see it. A black mass of cold, foreign shadows creeping in from all around us, towards the sakura tree I had slept beneath.

My translucent hands reaches up to hold the baby, and I force myself to sit up with a breathless heave. Her little hands pat at my cheeks as if encouraging me while my form flickers dangerously. As I left the safety and the warm, comforting embrace of the grass I was so close to being one with, I choke back a sob of immense loss. Just a little bit more and—

I have never felt so weak and dead.

A solid pat on my cheeks and I opened my eyes, unknowing when I had closed them in the first place. Crimson eyes looks at me, lips pursed into a pout. My heart clenches and I force myself to stand up, holding her close to me.

She is heavy.

The darkness is drawing closer, and she squirms. I knew we mustn't be touched by it, whatever it is.

I take the first desperate step, bare feet sinking into the soft grass, and as I drew further and further away from the place I was resting, I feel myself getting stronger.

My feet hits water that is neither cold nor lukewarm, and I continue on. Wading through the dark water coming up to my waist and leaving behind the little island with the ancient sakura tree.

The baby clings to me more tightly than ever as we pass into another space. I clamber up onto a crumbling concrete platform. I knew I cannot put her down, it will not be good for her. I have to carry her. We have left for a space that was not hers, but not quite mine either. It's more of... whatever was left of it. Like the last remaining dregs of my spirit, it was supposed to be absorbed and wiped clean to make way for something new.

For her.

I lie down at the edge, near the water, exhausted, and cradle her to me. She settles down quietly on my chest and we rest in a place they cannot possibly hope to reach.

I suddenly jolt awake from the disturbing dream, a glance at my penguin clock shows that it is nearly dawn, and I feel like I might as well have never slept a wink at all. Taking a deep breath, I sigh, burrowing back beneath my covers to try and get some more beauty sleep.

Nearly five months had gone by since I first gained the ability to manipulate water. Five months of no less than an hour of daily training to get rid of my initial awkward movements and embarrassing fumbling. I had progressed to the point of being able to move more fluidly with the glob of water like it was an extension of my body, the footwork I learnt from Kubinashi being a huge help. It was almost like using a dance ribbon.

I've come to realise what exactly I had been doing wrong when I tried to execute a pressurised water attack. Before, I've always stood in the same position. My attacks were weak, awkward, wobbly and I was willing the water to move with my mind instead of my body. Water follows my movements, so when I attack like how I always do— by using momentum and throwing my entire body weight into a punch or kick— the water flows at the target with steady velocity, fast enough that gravity helped it along to find its mark, hence, solving the issue of loosing volume the further it got from me.

I am now able to draw water towards me and strike with ease. Since I'm confident enough to know that I wouldn't fall on my butt whilst controlling water, I decided to begin real combat training with Ame and Kameosa. I want to be able to utilise water in battle to increase my chances of survival by the time the siege on Kyōto rolls around. That means, I'll have to learn how to freeze water around a person's ankles at the very least.

I do not expect myself to become an expert within six months of being blessed with this ability, but I do want to be able to impede my opponents— surprise them just enough to give me the meagre scant few seconds of an opening to deal a final blow on an executive level Kyōto Ayakashi. Kidōmaru and Ibaraki-Dōji obviously won't go down that easily, but if there's anything I've learnt from Niidaime's death, is that no one is invincible.

Catch someone off guard just enough, no matter how much stronger they are, they will fall.

However, I have to begin the water freezing training now or I'll never be able to utilise it with enough speed for the war. For that, I need our resident professional ice maker, Yuki Onna.

...

Melting the ice should be easier than freezing it, since I am already familiar with water, or, well... that's the general idea.

Tsurara watches me intently from the side, waving around 'you can do it' little flags in her hands, as I try and try to liquify a block of her ice floating in the middle of the tank. At the rate I'm going, I'm only just slightly hastening the melting process. Summer is beginning to come at us full throttle this year, even though it is sunset now, the heat from the afternoon has yet to fully disperse.

My hands flop down to my sides, sore from being held up in mid-air for so long, and then, my forehead makes contact with the edge of the ceramic tank with a dull thud. I hit my head on the tank one more time just for good measure, not too hard that it'll crack of course, the tank is not cheap. Tsurara smiles— god bless Setsura for sending her here— and hands me some water to drink.

"It's okay Retsu-sama, you'll get it soon! The ice was melting faster towards the end!"

I'm sure she's just trying to make me stop sulking but... a dead groan of defeat emits from me, forehead still pressing against the bowl.

"Come now, Retsu-sama! It's dinner time!" Yuki Onna ushers me up and out of my bedroom. It was then that my body decides to mimic that of slushing around like a slime, mental exhaustion plaguing me. Tsurara rolled up her sleeves and haul me off straight to the dining hall by my waist. I let her.

"You can try again after dinner!"

...

I did try again sometime after dinner, an ever faithful Tsurara on stand by beside me, cheering me on. Uwan sits in its designated flower pot near the window, gobbling up a bowl of shaved ice with syrup poured over it with unrestrained glee. The dessert in question made by none other than Yuki Onna. Neko, Suzu and Yūga is lazing about behind the table, the former two taking a cat nap, while the latter watches me practice in boredom.

A presence manifests outside my room, then, night Rikuo slides open the fusuma door without a single announcement. I know he's supposed to be training with Kurotabō in the underground dōjō, so it's odd to see him up here. He doesn't tend to skip lessons once he's set his mind to it, even if he did skip school this time.

"Waka?" Tsurara blinks in surprise, lowering the little flags in her hands. Rikuo's narrow crimson gaze is focusing on me, so I know he's asking me when he suddenly springs a question.

"How do you do it?"

I tilt my head, uncomprehending, and he elaborates. "That overwhelming power you use during aerial combat."

'... Offense Osore?' I blink, immediately connecting the dots and ask. "Why?"

"I want to get stronger." He replies earnestly without missing a beat. "Teach me how to use it."

Well... this is new. I don't think he is that driven until Tōno arc. Then again, this time around, he have me as a measuring stick to gauge his own level. But he's got it wrong, although, not wrong-wrong. It is indeed good for getting out of pinches when cornered and definitely makes it a hell of a lot easier to cut through other's Osore, however... should he break through and can't switch back to defense, he will become a literal sitting duck. He is not old enough to possess the same amount of Osore as Kidōmaru or Gyūki, which, when released fully, is enough to suppress any lesser yōkai with its sheer pressure alone. If he learns offense Osore and doesn't know how to switch back to defense mode while going up against the fox, he's going to die.

I drop my arms from their position over the floating ice, turning my body to face him fully. Tsurara looks back and forth between us anxiously the longer I take my own sweet time to consider. 'In Canon, Rikuo doesn't actually learn Offense Osore until next year. So it's not a real concern whether he learns it or not by Kyōto arc. On the other hand, if I teach him now and he uses it in Kyōto and can't change back to defense... I would have indirectly put him in harm's way.'

After weighing the pros and cons, I finally settle upon on a decision. "It is called 'Offense Osore'. ...Do you know what's so special about that technique?"

Rikuo, to his credit, thinks for a moment before replying. "It packs a punch and it's great for dealing out mid-range attacks?"

"Yes, but it also broadcasts your location to everyone— enemies included, within immediate range." I tell him, and he blinks, as if recalling all the times I've used it and how much more of a presence I had been exuding.

"Once you're in that state, you cannot activate Meikyō Shisui. You would need to switch back to your current state, the defense state in order to do so." I point at him, as if it would somehow explain the differences. "At our current strength, especially for you, it is more detrimental than useful to learn how to activate Offense Osore if you cannot switch between the two within a split second while in the middle of combat. The technique is the complete opposite of discrete and is absolutely useless against opponents like Gyūki or Hagoromo Gitsune, who possesses more Osore than us. You will die."

Rikuo went silent all of a sudden, confusion and a little bit of some other emotion churning in his eyes. It was when I retraced what I've said did I realise I had uttered the fox's name. 'Ah, shit.'

"Onii-chan." I call out sternly and he snaps out of whatever trance he was in. Mentally, I relax.

"But you use it just fine." He points out, visible confusion on his face. He's probably thinking that since I could use it well, as someone older, he shouldn't have too much of a problem. I nearly laugh, but I suppress it since he's actually being serious.

"That's because I can switch between offense and defense mode within a second. It took me nearly two years since I could access it to get this far."

Tsurara takes a second before she balks, nearly questioning me until she remembers herself and mutter beneath her breath instead. "T—two years...?!"

"You've already managed to learn Meikyō Shisui, in other words, the very first phase of yōkai combat. Learn the second technique of the yōkai Nurarihyon and master it, then I'll tell you how to switch Osore modes." I throw out my condition.

He quirked one fine silver brow, intrigued. "Second phase?"

"Go ambush Ojii-chan a couple more times and learn from him, because I can't use it." I wave him off dismissively, as if he's an irritating fly buzzing around me.

He seems surprised at that. "You can't?"

"I'm seven— turning eight years old in two and a half months time. Not enough Osore." I shrug as a way of explanation, before adding ominously. "Yet."

Although I really must try again to see if I could make even a small shadow of myself. It would be extremely useful. I don't have to be great at it, or hold it for very long, or be exceedingly proficient at its usage. I just need to be able to activate and hold it for a short amount of time to win a battle.

It's been nearly a year since my last attempt to use it. A year ago, my Osore wasn't enough. A year ago, I was barely seven. A year ago, I didn't have the Nura Clan's belief in me. Now, I'm a year older and I have more belief. Only activating Kyōka Suigetsu and holding it for long enough to end a battle. The barest minimum.

"Alright." Rikuo relents after a moment of contemplation, turning on his heel to leave. The fusuma door slides shut behind him with a dull clack. Uwan looks up curiously, blinking at us before licking the bowl clean of ice shavings.

I breathe out a small sigh, resuming my practice. The lump of ice floats languidly in the middle of the tank. 'I suppose Rikuo being motivated to get stronger earlier would be a good thing. He should be more well prepared for Kyōto arc than in the original.'

Tsurara watches on from the side, a little more quieter than before, although she was quick to put a smile back on her face and continue to wave the flags around. Yūga's puppy form lets out a huge yawn as he stretches lazily.

...

Towards the end of the night, I finally uncovered the trick to defrost and freezing. It was surprisingly, stupidly simple. The trick is in the finger muscles; tense to harden and freeze, tense then relax to unfreeze.

I flop onto the tatami on my back once I double checked that the successful attempt wasn't a fluke, and dismissed Tsurara for the day to get some rest herself. Yūga follows suit, off to begin his nightly patrol duties. Uwan settles comfortably in its flower pot, pulling a big leaf over the lid and gets ready to sleep. I have to start training with Ame and Kameosa first, then, once my movements aren't as awkward, I'll upgrade to sparring with Kappa. Blinking, I jolt with a small start, recalling an important issue.

'Ah right, before I forget... best try and see if I can finally use Kyōka Suigetsu.' Closing my eyes, I grope around my core for that familiar, warm and smokey Osore. Willing my blood to begin boiling and yōkai form to take over. I shift quickly.

Neko stirs a little from his sleep, peeking one yellow-green eye at me before rolling over. Suzu scoots closer to the other without looking. Drawing a deep breath, I open my eyes and the ceiling of my bedroom came into view. The little indents and chips of the polished wood much clearer to spot with my sharper eyesight. My fingers twitch.

'Kyōka Suigetsu, huh.'

Calming my heart and clearing my mind, I activate Meikyō Shisui, wrapping my dense Osore around myself much like a thick quilt on a cold winter night. My body disappears from view of outsiders.

This is Meikyō Shisui.

Next stage is Kyōka Suigetsu. An illusionary image of me.

I increase my Osore output, brows furrowing in concentration as I set to moulding an illusionary me that is detectable to the general populace. Inky black vapour waver and writhes, forming a dense glob beside me. The Osore shifts, and I see jet black hair and a face forming from within the deep, dark depths. Yet, it possesses no colours.

'It's taking too long.'

I pulled my youki back into me and decide to try another method. Standing up with a heave, I concentrate again. Activating Meikyō Shisui, but with a thicker amount of Osore shrouding me, I will it to maintain my appearance in that exact same spot as I take a step back, removing only that one layer of Osore covering me to remain invisible. A mental and physical stretch weighs down on me, as a fairly hefty chunk of my energy separates from my main body, connect together almost like a puppet with no strings.

Looking over my handiwork, my head tilts as I study the back of my clone's head. My brows furrowing together from the strain of using this technique. 'Is this what I look like from behind?'

A peculiar mild heat exudes from my illusion, mimicking the warmth of a real body, however, it actually sort of reminds me of Offense Osore. It's presence is much more potent than that of my own, easily drawing attention to it. Serving its role as distraction effectively. Yet, it also possesses the chilling air of youki, given off by the black fume-like tendrils around her, covering her arms, legs and parts of her body.

She looks fairly solid, exempting the wavering Osore in a couple areas. I can see why many would mistake our illusions as our real body. It is pretty convincing.

I will her to turn around for further inspection.

A wavering, illusionary image of me stares back with crimson red eyes, lightly tanned skin and a little smile on her lips.

I smile back before allowing the technique to disperse. Relief is instantaneous. The pressure on my mind elevating and I let out a small sigh, feeling a little drained.

Seems like my Osore reserves are much larger than last year, at least I can manage to get it to activate. Although, judging from the missing chunk of Osore I can feel in my core and the mild pounding in my head, I can't use Kyōka Suigetsu willy-nilly.

A desperate measure move it is then.

Rikuo got his ass handed back to him again by a highly amused Nurarihyon. Notably, he lasted a couple seconds longer this time.

'He's just a little dumb, isn't he.' I muse to myself. I might actually have to tell him to keep practicing on the activation of Meikyō Shisui, so the transition is faster and smoother. At least the dumbass know not to stand in the exact same spot once he turned invisible this time, since I whooped his ass real good the day before. Our first day of training together— that he knew how to use Meikyō Shisui— and he's standing there like a mentally challenged duck after my offense Osore sliced right through his defense. ... ...Taking with it a layer of skin and a small portion of flesh. My little heart damn near stopped in the process.

'... Ah, that's probably what triggered his desire to learn offense Osore.' I sigh, shaking my head and turning away from the window. 'He learns fast, but sometimes... I wonder where his common sense flew off to.'

Friday snuck up on us, and our aerial combat session with Kuromaru resumes after having taken the previous week off due to the fiasco with Shikoku. Rikuo is still lagging behind in this area when he fights alone, however, our cooperation has seen a drastic improvement compared to his first lesson five weeks ago. Plus, he has now acquired the skill 'Meikyō Shisui'.

For four long sessions, our tactics heavily depended on flashy offense attacks and ambush. With me dealing out deadly, long-ranged Osore concentrated strikes, while Rikuo attempted some sneak attacks, nonetheless, without Meikyō Shisui, our attempts were feeble at best. Towards the end of today's lesson, Rikuo finally took the initiative to propose a strategy. I already had one, I was simply wondering how long it'll take for him to come up with one.

When he mentioned that he wishes to borrow one of the twin-chain heavy swords I have in my arsenal, I know it's about damn time. I lend him one and high above the ground, I see Kuromaru's hackles being raised. I too, wanted to test out how my new fighting style fares against aerial opponents, since it was supposed to quickly nullify the distance between my enemy and myself, judging from the observations noted during practices with Kurotabō.

Once we both activated Meikyō Shisui, disappearing from the Tengu's sight, I stab a marginally shrunk down Masasmune into the earth and place one foot on its guard. Holding tight to the handle and willing it to enlarge, within a split moment, the blade's size increased to incredible lengths. I soon found myself high up in the air, the wind rushing past my ears and ruffling my hair as the sword reaches for the night sky.

Standing upon the now platform-like guard a couple dozen meters above ground, the humongous blade reflecting the moonlight and scenery of the forest surrounding us, I grin when I observed that my position now is around the same height as an oblivious Kuromaru hovering not meters away. Suddenly, Rikuo reappeared near the Tengu, having taken a big leap up, and managed to snag a chain around one of his legs. Before he could fly off, I pulled out my dagger and lunged for Kuromaru, Meikyō Shisui still in activation, and the sudden appearance of the extremely large katana so close to him made him turn to look.

By then, I am already on his back— mindful to not actually squash his flapping wings— one arm wrapped around his neck in a chokehold, while the other points the dagger to his face. My stomach drops when Kuromaru is roughly tugged downwards. Rikuo's sudden descent back to earth causing me to nearly poke the eldest Tengu's blue eye out.

There were no unfortunate causalities to report by the end of the fifth lesson. Kuromaru merely lost a couple strands of his hair and got a nasty shock of a close call. I shoot Rikuo a dirty look, to which he promptly looks elsewhere, finding that particular bush very intriguing all of a sudden.

Another week, another wave of rogue yōkai reports.

Old road tunnels with sudden appearances of a car or ghostly sights, causing fatal accidents. Closed down hospitals with moving shadows and spine-chilling sounds in the dead of the night. Downtown face-snatcher at the end of a zebra crossing at sunset— pretty sure it was called 'Toranyase the slasher'. The name feels vaguely familiar, so it must belong to one of the Hyaku Monogatari Clan's tales. An old, stale plus haunted water well sitting in the middle of the dwindling forest. All in a couple centuries' worth of bullshit.

I stare down a dripping wet skeleton spirit with raise its hands raised up in a universal gesture of surrender, the gleaming tip of Honjo Masamune pointing at its throat— spine. The aforementioned waterhole the spirit once dwelled within is now almost dry and in absolute shambles, uninhabitable even by demon standards. I made sure of that.

Tozen sits atop of Ittan-Momen, floating to the side, the duo having peered into the stale well earlier to check it out before the resentful pile of bones came crawling out like a demented spider. They probably wouldn't be peering into any old abandoned wells anytime soon.

"You have three choices." I tell the skeleton, who surprisingly still has the sound of mind to be wary of me. "One, get out of Nura Clan territory and never come back. Two, join me. Three, perish now. Choose."

The skeleton hesitates, seemingly considering us carefully with its empty eye sockets.

...

"This is Honeonna, our new member." I gesture to the bone spirit, who turns out to be a pretty woman once she changes into her more humanoid looking form. Although, almost everything about her is still pale and near white, down to her illusionary hair, eyes and skin, her kimono had also seen better days. Nothing a good wash can't rectify.

"A pleasure to meet you." She bows stiffly in greeting to the rest of my members in all her awkward posture and raspy voice. I don't blame her, she probably hadn't need to use any social etiquette for years.

Saki seems happy that there's another official female member she could possibly chat with. Since Suzu, the maneki-neko, have yet to learn how to speak in any human languages. It might take her a century before she could plausibly assume a humanoid form and the vocal cords to go along with it. As for the miasma butterfly, Shizuka, she rarely ever speaks unless absolutely necessary or prompted. Speaking of, I don't think I've heard her voice in a while now.

"Ame, show her around." I tell him.

The rain yōkai gives me a salute. "Hai!"

I made a beeline towards my room to stamp the yōkai sightings reports with a bold red 'Done'. The main house has gotten just a tad quieter with the naggy Tochigami moving back to their newly reconstructed shrines. Kokehime is especially pleased with the nice closet for her expensive kimonos.

Demon Rikuo repeatedly went after Nurarihyon that week. Once every two days, sometimes even every night.

It kind of feels like he's getting a little agitated.

The older Ayakashi finally indulged him on the third day, not that he caught much of it. Rikuo's expression sits firmly in the 'what the fuck just happened' category after he was sent flying into Kappa's pond once again in a swirl of bewildering Osore, perplexed in which how he got there this time.

'On one hand, I'm a little worried about his progress, but on the other... it's bloody hilarious. I wonder if I'm showing signs of being slightly sadistic?'

The moon shines serenely in the twilight, giving off an ethereal white glow. A far distance away, below on earth, it's reflection is clearly seen upon the surface of a tranquil pond situated beside an ancient Sakura tree, the occasional petals falling into the water causing ripples. The reflection of the moon wavers to and fro before stilling once again.

Nura Rikuo stares contemplatively into the pond, seeing yet unseeing, his profile completely blank on the outside. Crimson red eyes narrowed in concentration, a small hint of what seems to be frustration churning deep within.

The Hyaku Monogatari Clan.

The Nura Clan couldn't move because he was incompetent, they couldn't flush out the infestation that they knew is there because he wasn't strong enough. They weren't strong enough. Retsu said they both needed more training, and Rikuo is lagging behind his baby sister as is... To know that she's also not quite there yet makes him wonder just how much of a gap he needs to close before he is deemed passable.

Closing his eyes, he breathes out lowly.

Jiji showed him once. Recall it.

He opens his eyes and looks at the reflection of the moon. A pink petal falls in just then, sending out a little ripple, causing its image to distort and waver. He blinks.

An old memory of when he was young resurfaces.

He recalled playing in this exact same garden, and the moon was out, even though it's broad daylight. He had dipped his little hand into the pond and laments the disappearance of the moon's reflection. His grandpa only laughed and told him a bunch of stuff he couldn't quite comprehend then.

Meikyō Shisui.

The water's surface, smooth as a mirror, can be shattered with just a ripple.

That's right. Retsu's volatile demonic energy tore through his own like wet paper, spreading wide over an area and slicing it clean in half to reveal his true whereabouts.

But with Kyōka Suigetsu...

A ripple on the water will make the moon waver back and forth, and slip away from you. You can't reach it and it won't disappear.

Slippery as an eel.

Just like us, the Nurarihyon.

Rikuo thinks he got it. A reflection. Combined with Meikyō Shisui.

He activates his Osore, channeling more youki than ever before. Inky tendrils trails up like smoke all along his body and he took a step back with Meikyō Shisui wrapped around him.

An Ayakashi that personifies dreams and illusions.

The Nurarihyon.

He sees a replica of himself standing in front of him and reach a hand out to grab it. The illusion disperses at the point of contact, and it's feels warm yet cold to the touch simultaneously. The separated Osore manifests itself somewhere close by, seemingly mocking to any other people.

A small smirk of accomplishment and some parts relief makes it's way onto his face.

'Finally.'

He takes off, eager to show off his second ability that for once, Retsu didn't already have in her arsenal. Now, she will have to teach him that Offense Osore thing.

Now he can do one thing that she couldn't. It's not a lot, but it's one more. With this, he'll be able to better protect.

With this, he's gotten just a little bit stronger than Retsu. Add those offensive techniques she always uses, they can finally take action on the sewer rats living underground.

And when enemies stronger than her show up like she almost always hint at during conversations about the west, she can finally rely on him.

...

"I've learnt it. Teach me Offense Osore."

Retsu considers him for a moment, just like when he finally figured out how to activate Meikyō Shisui, she always did the 'doubt first and then confirm it.' This time, her confirmation is in the form her special blade extending out from her hand— no, sleeve— and the gleaming sharp blade slices right through his illusion.

He reappears elsewhere with a smug smirk, preening himself on a nice show and his eyes nearly pop when the blade is coming for him once again. He barely dodges it and makes a face. "Hey!"

"I remember very clearly that I said 'learn and master it', not just 'learn it', or did you have selective hearing?" Retsu monotones, ruthless in her feedback, her expression bland.

Rikuo furrow his brows as he tried very hard to remember exactly what she had said before. 'Did she say that?'

One look at her face as if pointedly telling him 'I dare you to deny it', and he quickly made up his mind. '...I think she did.'

Retsu doesn't lie. She is not that type of yōkai.

"Practice more." Was the words that left her mouth, and it felt like a bucket of ice cold water had been dumped over his head. Still, he couldn't help but smile at the expected reaction. It is almost cute in an angry kitten way. A rabid kitten. Suzu is so much more cuter.

Another two weeks flew by just like that, and before I know it, summer vacation is about to begin.

The July monthly general meeting went over as well as it could, with the news of the capital yōkai arming themselves for war unsettling many within the Clan. We also appeased the executives that we are currently conducting investigations on the Hyaku Monogatari Clan before a mass-scale wipe-out. Until we hold more concrete information, we would then update them of the news. That, and also having them keep an eye and ear out on strange news in their parts of the territory.

Hihi's compound has been repaired, although he is still internally weeping over the loss of his beloved bonsais that he had carefully cultivated over the past couple hundred years. On a side note, Shōei seems to have taken an interest in yōkai business after the fiasco with the Shikoku, so that is one good news. He attends the meetings with Hihi, sitting behind him to observe and learn.

Kyō's investigation on the online scaremonger hasn't made much progress. He manages to trace it all the way to a couple internet cafes around Tokyo and that was it. A look through the CCTVs yields no results, for the cameras all short-circuited due to the influence of youki during the supposed time the suspect is supposed to be in. Kyō would have to actually lie in wait at the place for them to show up, which is really a hit-or-miss type of stakeout. The scaremonger is being awfully cautious. So instead of wasting time, he has been keeping an eye on the accounts instead and only move to find them when there are new posts made.

Regarding the other investigations on the Hyaku Monogatari Clan, Gozumaru and Mezumaru did not have much to report from their surveillance at Nishikigoi District. Which I suppose is good news. They will continue to keep watch around the area. The Ōmukade Clan has reported that they have found some traces of rogue yōkai activity underground, but nothing concrete that directly links to the enemies in question. Those rats are experts at hiding.

On another note, true to his word, Rikuo only pops by the school to take his exams and I did not bug him about it. Otherwise, he skipped all revision classes to make time for intensive training at night. Well... he skipped most of his school lessons. Tsurara still attended to keep him up to date and let him look through her notes when he's revising.

Kubinashi is still instructing Rikuo's gradually improving footwork and hand-to-hand combat, while Kurotabō is making sure his sword skills are up to par. Aotabō joins in on his Tuesday lessons every now and then to allow him a taste of an opponent whose physical capabilities far exceeds his. Wednesdays are fun, because it's a switch. Sometimes, it's a group ganging up on him, they could be the Nura Clan core members, or those from my own group, or it could be Umizatō making a piñata out of the both of us.

It wasn't as easy to find us with our Osore activated, especially Kyōka Suigetsu—Rikuo gave me a 'le gasp' expression once he found out I could also ustilise it, albeit, to a much shakier extent— however, the ancient Ayakashi possesses extremely sharp instincts unlike our underlings. He found us, or rather, me, at least half the time, while Rikuo fared better in that regard. It's still a huge headache for me to maintain that technique for an extended period of time. At least one of us has a higher chance of surviving against the blind old man should things go south.

Aerial training difficulty has also been upped. We had improved rather well within six lessons of aerial training that Karasu Tengu deem it necessary to assemble the Sanba Garasu to face us. We ran a stimulation, on the off chance that our airborne enemies have good teamwork, strong combat forces, and venue advantage. We sparred in an open area with no places to hide or take cover. ... Our results for that lesson wasn't nearly as disappointing as our first. So it's an improvement.

By now, my dear feeble brother has sharpened his instincts, and honed his potential to a much more acceptable level befitting that of a clan head candidate, although he still has some ways to go.

During sparring session with me, he knew how he should parry some of my attacks and what exactly he should be dodging before I cleave him in half. Alongside predicting my next plausible appearances when my Meikyō Shisui is activated in order to land hits on me, where I could be attacking from to avoid me, he's gotten so much better. Apart from my nasty trump cards I have yet to unleash upon this oblivious world, in a full out fair and square fight, I have to be extra attentive lest I am defeated.

His Kyōka Suigetsu could use some more polishing, and there are still some ticks he has that needs curbing. More battle skills he could learn, along with tactics and improvisation, however, all in all, I have very little left from my own arsenal to teach him. I would cry tears of joy at his increase in battle prowess if I didn't have a stoic image to upkeep.

As for me...

I've made enough progress in water manipulation while mock fighting Ame, Kameosa acting as our water supplier, since we're training in the underground dōjō. At first, my control techniques are the equivalent of fun-splashing amongst children, but as time passes, my motions became smoother and hold a lot more finesse.

Ame shot a barrage of water bullets in my direction and I immediately brought a hand up to pull the water from the air, diverting its trajectory while merging them together simultaneously. The water bullets looses its initial speed and strength, allowing me to easily move my arm in a circular motion for a U-turn, and return the now condensed liquid with a forward leap and palm strike.

The rain demon dives to the side with a panicked yelp, and the volley ball-sized water hits the ground with enough force to take a chunk out of the wooden floorboards. He tuck and roll, flinging more water bullets my way. Hands outstretched in front of me, I twirl on my feet, moving clockwise and drag the water out of the air once more, concentrating the liquid on my left hand, then punch towards the boy once he's within my line of sight.

He barely manages to move back, a constipated look flashing across his face as the water ball grazes his front and passes by him. Moving my feet back so they are now shoulder width-apart, I straighten up, and flexed my fingers, eyes trained on the excess water beneath us. Ame jumps, knowing what's happening next, and the floor freezes over in a thin sheet of ice.

The rain demon succeeded on not getting frozen feet. However... I watch him land on top of the slippery ice.

He did not stick his landing.

...

While Ame is off nursing his bruised butt, the scent 'Yoko Yoko' strong in the air, I went on ahead in search of an unsuspecting Kappa. Time to arrange for an upgrade in difficulty.

After a nice warm shower and a soak in the hot tub, I tune in to the background buzzing coming from up in the rafters. The smaller yōkai are awfully chatty lately, something juicy must have happened.

"Ryōta-neko is at it again!"

"Again? What did he do this time?"

"He almost lost the deed of the Bakenekoya to a Tanuki swindler! Thankfully, Rikuo-sama was there to see through the trick!"

"He never learn, does he?"

I arch a brow. 'To think someone who opens a gambling den would be addicted to it as well. ...At least it was settled.'

Stretching my arms up above my head, I inhale deeply and let it go. Ever since I took up water manipulation, my shoulders have become a little stiff and sore. I head back up to my bedroom, pretty sure that there's some reports Kuromaru brought back that needs looking through.

...

Assault cases. The first case took place behind Ukiyoe Cinema Hall, while the second is near First District. Happens once every three nights, seemingly random victims collapsing from blood loss, puncture wounds noted around the neck, shoulders and wrists area. The two yōkai, a one-eyed demon and an Oni, had been brought over to Zen for treatment and made a smooth recovery. However, when questioned, there seems to be missing pieces in their memories during the actual assault.

The suspect is a female, wearing a school uniform and pretending to have a tummy ache to lure in her targets. Vampiric type in nature. I lean back in my seat, brow pinching together. 'Sounds almost exactly like a vampire. ...It couldn't be foreign demons making a move on our territory, right? ...From the sounds of it, she's most likely working alone.'

The Sanba Garasu had tightened their patrols around the afflicted area, the Ōkami wolves keeping their noses on the ground, so I suspect they will solve this soon enough. I turn to the other reports. 'Which infestation place should I tackle next? ...The old abandoned school building behind my brother's current place of study?'

...

That night, after a couple long days of monitoring his progress, I roped in Rikuo for the pest control after deeming him ready for this next step. I made him watch from the sidelines this once to see how I usually deal with the event. Afterwards, I screen through some reports and have him take care of a few places with his bodyguards and a couple others, while I went ahead to tackle the rest. It feels nice to see the files on my desk dwindle down that much within the span of a single night.

...

Three days later.

Turns out, the blood sucking issue is related to the forest slash mountain yōkai. It involves a blood sucking tree being forced to uproot itself from the once-home-turned-construction-site and wrecking havoc in the city. A rather typical story these days. Zen-nii coincidentally solved it and gained a new customer in the process as well. I let up a pent up breath, leaning back in my chair. 'False alarm. That's good.'

Right at that moment, I hear Karasu Tengu's shrill voice nagging Rikuo travel from all the way in the main hall to where I'm playing cards with my group after dinner. Something about handling Nenekirimaru with more care so it doesn't fall into the wrong hands.

'Did the idiot lose it?'

Judging from Karasu Tengu's tone, it isn't a panicked pitch, which he gains when something urgent has happened but hasn't been solved yet, so I guess the matter is already dealt with.

The fusuma with our clan's insignia printed on it slides open just then with a dull 'tack'. It was Ojii-chan, he pauses the moment he saw us gathered around.

"Oh, Retsu. Have you seen my pipe? I can't seem to find it anywhere." He grumble, a small perplexed frown on his face.

'... Pipe?' I think hard of when I last saw it that wasn't being cradled in one of Ojii-chan's hands. Coming up blank, I could only shrug. "Never seen it."

The rest shook their heads negative as well.

"Is that so? Where did I put it then?" He mutters to himself, leaving the same way he came from.

In the depths of a dark pitch, many meters underground, stagnant air and the stench of a place which has never seen the sun nor moonlight, two visible shadows meet. A figure paces frantically back and forth, while keen, disinterested eyes and a couple more pairs hiding beyond the rubble watches on.

"Even Yosuzume...!" The male's hisses under his breath, his sandals making scraping noises along the dust covered, loose gravel ground. "She was supposed to be guarding Sanmoto-sama's Heart!"

"Then... Sanmoto-sama's Brain went missing!" His hands flew up to his head, fingers digging into already disheveled blonde hair.

A pair of cavernous, onyx eyes watches the blonde, in the way that his hands shook, shoulders trembling and sporting a wild, unhinged look in his amber eyes. The other lets out a small breath.

"Things will still proceed according to our plan." He reassures, although a small sinking feeling of 'what if's' had begun to fester deep in his mind. Something at large is at play here.

Where is the miscalculation?

Yosuzume failed in guarding the Mao's hammer. Nura Retsu, in a feat, successfully vanquished them both. The child shouldn't have known about their connection with the Hyaku Monogatari. They've kept it under close wraps.

Perhaps it was instinct. That she is simply keen enough to know the possible threat the Mao's hammer could pose and made sure that the danger is promptly nullified. She had met that sword once, it wouldn't be farfetched to say she may have vaguely remembered the sword but couldn't quite put her finger on why. Yosuzume, was merely collateral damage, for getting in the way of the destruction of the sword. She was most probably dispersed, Shikigami could be resummoned after all.

Brain went missing before the decisive battle with Shikoku. Not a word about him had come from the Nura Clan nor those beneath their wings. Even the Three-Eyed party had seemingly and quietly replaced their clan head with a new candidate. It seems as though the event was kept under wraps by orders from the higher ups. No one had any idea how Brain was found out and most likely, offed.

Because they don't want people to find out someone had successfully infiltrated the clan for years? Was it to save face? Or... to not give them hints? Right now, without a single visible reaction from the Nura Clan, he couldn't predict what they know and work from there.

Did one of the Nura Clan's advisors' suggested this tactic? He could picture the one named 'Gyūki' doing so. From the tidbits of information the Brain shared during their last meet up, it is likely.

"Sanmoto-san will be revived and the Nura Clan will fall. Do not do anything hasty in the meantime." Things shall go as per to their original plan, of course, with some missing pieces. But they will make do.

The blonde looks up at him, distraught and frazzled, almost lost. As their acting leader, Enchō had to calm and organise their members with efficiency. He allows a little bit of his special skill to bleed into his voice, to make those who hear his words, through sight or ears, to believe in him wholeheartedly.

"You are our 'Ears', simply continue to 'collect tales' and allow me to 'spread them'. Sanmoto-san will be revived without fail."

Summer vacation has officially begun.

With school out of the way, I do hope it'd be one less thing for Rikuo to fuss over. Then, his friends came along and asked him out for the day. I kept out of it. As long he's back in time for his own training, I don't really care what he does during his free time. Besides, it's only one day.

...

It is sunset. The sky is painted in a beautiful gradient of pink, orange and red, with sparse clouds decorating the vast canvas here and there.

Dinner is being prepared in the steaming, warm kitchen, pots and pans bubbling, sizzling, while knifes got to work on the ingredients, hitting the chopping board in a rhythmic; tack, tack, tack. Mama is by the stove, humming a tuneless song as she waited for the water to fully boil, while Kejōrō prepped the vegetables, aided by the little kitchen Tsukumogami ambling about, hauling carrots and the like to and fro.

One member from my group, a little fire bird, Hidama, manages the fire output of the stove, picking up charcoals with its beak and chugging them down. Enenra's smoky form hovers above, funnelling the exhaust and steam outside the window. The yōkai working in the kitchen all mentioned how much cooler the place is with the apparition's arrival. I stuck around, hungrily watching the food get ready and cooked, keeping one eye on the cookies in the stone oven.

All of a sudden, a sense of unease prickles my skin like sharp needles, making me turn to look at a certain direction instinctively. My brain unable to keep up with my triggered instincts yet.

The Ayakashi in the household all seem to simultaneously pause in their chores, hands holding onto laundry baskets, cookery lids and utensils. Their heads tilt up, eyes glazed as if seeing somewhere far off. Everyone seems to be holding their breath, as if a single puff of air will disturb the tension, and make them loose whatever empathy that has struck them. Mama pauses and looks over curiously, ladle in hand, but doesn't say a thing.

Something is off.

Dark shadows closes in, unsettling me. Someone dear, of great importance to us, is in trouble. Both my blood relatives are right here in this mansion, which left—

Onii-chan.

My eyes shift to the side. 'What could be threatening Rikuo this much that all of us would feel this sense of urgency?'

Everyone drops and set aside whatever they were doing and rushes out of the kitchen. Aprons and hats comes off, flying towards the wooden cabinets by the entrance and more Ayakashi rushes down the hallway from elsewhere. Only the various kitchen Tsukumogami, Hidama, Enenra, a bewildered Mama and I were left.

Thoughts and concerns flash past my mind in a whirlwind, making me almost numb. 'Was there an event like this in the original storyline? ...I can't recall anything big happening between Shikoku and Tōno. ...Or did I go too far and the Hyaku Monogatari Clan decided on a hastily planned ambush? But no... it doesn't sound like something they would do. What then? Rogue yōkai? Who did I miss? I had already curbed so many.'

Kejōrō doubles back from the doorway after chucking the apron aside, recalling something. She tears off the little white handkerchief tying her hair back as she turns back to face the only full human in this house. Her tone is hurried, earnest, but centuries of experience and having served as an Oiran before allows her to keep her voice even in an effort to not alarm Mama too much.

"Wakana-sama, please stay within the mansion until our return."

Mama is quick to give a reassuring smile, waving her off. "Alright, Itterasshai~!"

Kejōrō inclines her head and darts off, undoing the strings keeping back her long kimono sleeves, as the rest of it drags on the floor behind her. She disappears quickly from view. I glance out the window, at the last rays of sunlight still beaming brilliantly on the horizon, and feel more dread ensnarl my heart.

The sun is still up, I can't shift.

My mind supplies another alarm bell.

Neither can Rikuo.

Tozen is out at the carpenters again, and I had paired Ittan-Momen with him for precaution reasons. My ride isn't in at that moment. 'What about Hebi Nyoro?'

Out of my peripheral vision, I see something white pop it's head into the kitchen just then. Looking over, I see that it is only Yūga in his wolf pup form. His head tilts in a questioning manner, big ears flopping a little from the motion, beady dark eyes silently asking, 'You going?'

I didn't really need to think twice. Looking up, I tug at the sleeves of my mother's pastel yellow kimono. "Mama, I'm going out."

"Okay~ Itterasshai~" She agrees readily, turning back to shovel the veggies Kejōrō had been preparing into the boiling pot.

"Ittekimasu." I say, taking my leave with the Ōkami.

...

Yūga has morphed back into his original form, that of a large silver-white wolf, while I hitch a ride on his back, holding onto him tightly as he sprints through the neighbourhood laden with long shadows. The wind howls in my ears, carding through my hair with the affection of a rough, playful bestie. My hands did not fully encircle around his canine neck, and it's taking all I can to cling, plaster myself onto him for fear of falling off and wasting more precious time.

I eye our darkening surroundings zipping by in a blur with no small amounts of trepidation, what with the speed which he is running at. Still, it offers little comfort to the inner turmoils churning beneath my skin.

Almost everyone of the main house is on the move, even Gyūki and his two subordinates, they're all already heading towards Rikuo. Probably even by his side by now. While we are gaining distance, there is still the niggling fear of being 'too late' and the unforeseen situation happening right now.

'It can't be Kidōmaru... right? He wouldn't dare step foot into our territories, not with Ojii-chan being hyper-vigilant ever since—' I couldn't finish the thought. 'He recognised Umizatō from before, when I ran into him, he should know he can't beat them. So... if it's not Kyōto yōkai, then it's the Hyaku Monogatari after all...?'

The sun has set, plunging the world into darkness quickly, and I allow my blood temperature to swiftly rise to a boil. My transformation from a human into a demon has never been quicker, fuelled by pure urgency. With a much stronger grip now, and better reflexes, I can finally let go of my death grip on Yūga to lean back, getting a better view of my surroundings. The wolf demon speeds up. My heart remains calm, for with my senses sharper, I could now accurately pinpoint Rikuo's vague location, and that he is still alive and kicking. With the sun taking a rest for the day, he could now battle in his yōkai form.

'He knows Meikyō Shisui, and now, Kyōka Suigetsu, he won't be done in too easily. Whoever it is—' My gaze narrows, a frown marring my face at the prickling, familiar sensation of... spiritual energy.

'Onmyōji.'

Shoulders that had been so tense before immediately relaxes, a feeling of calm washing, soothing over my frazzled nerves. The spiritual energy is young, and there wasn't even a lot of it. It wasn't anyone who poses a great amount of threat. Most importantly, it wasn't the Hyaku Monogatari. I sense our clan's Osore rallying just up ahead at an old, deserted mall, and it seems like they've managed to reach him.

A glance around showed me that we are now on the outskirts of Ukiyoe town. It took us a little over five minutes or so to arrive. 'What is Rikuo doing here?'

Yūga took a shortcut and leapt on top of the building, instead of rounding towards the back. The sight that greets me is vaguely familiar, and I suddenly felt stupid for worrying so much earlier.

Karasu Tengu and Gyūki is right up there when we land next to them, alongside with Gozumaru and Mezumaru flanking the latter's sides. The executives spares a glance in my general direction, but otherwise, kept their gazes honed in on the scene unfolding down below. I follow their example and Yūga sits down, sliding me off his back in one smooth motion. The Ōkami morphs back into his humanoid form, crouching, ready to spring into action at a moments notice while I stood to the side, interest piqued.

Keikain Clan Onmyōji. Three in total, and the two siblings are looking worse for wear.

Night Rikuo is sitting on his ass, clothes wet and appearance disheveled, little specks of blood marring his face. He is currently surrounded protectively by the main house core members. I find Yura standing agape to the side, and her older brother somewhere between, his position marginally hunched, seemingly favouring his left side. Tsurara arrived not too long ago on the scene, and is kneeling on the floor.

Kubinashi holds the tallest human back with his red strings.

Aforementioned strings snapped.

With a crackle of bright yellow electricity and spike of spiritual energy, the Onmyōji rushes towards my brother, startling Kejōrō and Tosakamaru with his sudden attack even with so many demons around. The annoying sound of static and sparks made me twitch involuntarily, reminding me of an old, unpleasant experience. One of his hand extends out, reaching for Rikuo's face. My blade is out and enlarged before I even know what I am doing.

The sharp end of the katana buries into the ground in front of the Onmyōji with a metallic 'shing', and he skids to a halt just in time to not run head first into the steel wall. Ao and Kurotabō had placed themselves in front of Rikuo in the split moment their opponent moved, but pauses once they saw Honjo Masamune embedded into the ground, separating the enemy.

Ryūji's dark narrow eyes traces the blade back to me for one second before yelling at his partner. "Stop, Mamiru! That's enough!"

The teen... gives me an uncomfortable feeling. There's something residing within him, around his abdomen area, a being that is neither demon nor of the mortal realm. I know the yellow sparks of lightning he wields originates from them. 'A Shikigami?'

Mamiru looks back, face void of emotions and tone even more flat, he acts and sounds almost robotic. "I won't stop. I cannot let a yōkai go."

"Calm down. Do you think we can win against these numbers?"

To his credit, Mamiru sounds absolutely confident when he answered, "Yes."

That promptly earned him slight scowls of disapproval from the Nura Clan's strike team captains before he was promptly taken down by Ryūji. Water erupting from his mouth and forcing the teen to his knees, hacking and coughing.

"I told you to stop." Ryūji grumbles, and he seems to have zero intentions to continue fighting. "It's too much for the two of us. Besides, we came to tell Yura something."

"What?" Yura looks over, perplexed.

Ryūji faces his young sister, and I found him managing to keep his cool amidst a horde of demons really fishy. "It's bad news, Yura."

Tuning in to my surroundings more, I manage to muddle my way through the thick spiritual energy hanging in the air and pinpoint the currently active energy buried deep below in the earth. My fingers twitch, curling up into my palms experimentally, and I felt some resistance from the liquid, not allowing me to pull the water out without some fight. 'No wonder he's so calm. He's got a double water barrier set up below us.'

"Bad news?" Yura mutters, face creased into the beginnings of worry.

Ryūji's face is solemn when he delivers the news. "Shuji and Koreto are dead."

There is a lull of a second as he lets the information sink in. Yura is aghast. "Shu-Shuji nii-chan... and Koreto nii-chan..."

"They've started moving."

"They..." Yura takes a moment to connect the dots and gasp. "You don't mean?!"

"Yeah. The mortal enemy of the Keikain Clan... the great yōkai that unties all of the Kyōto yōkai, Hagoromo Gitsune." Ryūji informs her earnestly.

Immediately, the atmosphere around us turns absolutely grim, our core members tense. I feel a slight drop of my stomach, a foreign feeling in my chest upon hearing her name again from someone else's mouth after all these months.

Gyūki mutters to himself. "Did he say Hagoromo Gitsune?"

"I'm not surprised, I did say they are moving soon." I reply to his rhetorical question in a hushed tone, so as not to be heard by everyone present. Mezumaru casts me a cursory glance.

"They've broken out of the eight Kekkai Barriers that the Keikain maintain in Kyōto." Ryūji continues. "The head, Keikain Hidemoto, has added Mamiru to the main clan and has ordered you back from your training. Yura, return to Kyōto."

While Yura takes the time to absorb the information, Ryūji flings Nenekirimaru towards Rikuo. The end stabbing into the ground some paces from my brother with a sharp metallic ring.

"I have a message for Nurarihyon when you see him. A message passed down through the generations." The Onmyōji leans forward, close enough to almost share breaths with Rikuo. I withhold the urge to yell 'Now kiss!' at them. Seriously, was there really a need to be so close? "Never come around to our house again! We won't feed you if you do!"

"Huh?" Rikuo narrows his eyes in skepticism.

"The trauma still lives on, it seems." I snort and Yūga huffs a mean chuckle.

"That's it." Ryūji turns around to leave with a grandiose swish of his dark cape. "Oh, and take care of that sword."

Both Onmyōji hastily makes their way out of the rundown area, and the higher ups watches them leave, until they were blocked off by a few of the smaller yōkai.

"Who do you think you are, acting all high and mighty?"

"You know you're surrounded, eh?"

"Stand down." I ordered the three yōkai barricading the two Onmyōji, and they pause, turning towards me with confusion. "And step back. His Shikigami is right beneath us."

Ryūji casts a wary glance over his shoulder at me, and I met his calculating gaze with a blank expression. He recalled his Shikigami. "Gyogen, I'm done for today."

Dark coloured water bursts out of the ground around us and retreats back into his bamboo container, eliciting shouts of surprise and shock from the smaller demons gathered around. I watch with a keen eye, ready to divert the unusual water should they stray too near any clan members.

It didn't, and the two Keikain Onmyōji left almost huffily soon after.

"Who were they?" Kuromaru utter softly after a beat of perplexed silence.

A half-smile appear on Rikuo's face. "They are masters of deception."

Yura stares after the disappearing backs of her clansmen. "Nii-chan..."

The tense atmosphere dissolves and the other yōkai gather curiously around the only remaining Onmyōji, chattering amongst themselves, and Yura turns indignantly after they said something offensive to her, hoping to gain distance only to stumble from the pain of her wounds.

"Tsurara." Rikuo calls out.

"Hai!"

"Bring her home and tend to her wounds."

"What do you mean 'bring her home'?" Tsurara queries, unable to catch his drift at the get go. Then, it registers in both the girls brains, and they turn to each other simultaneously, jaws agape.

"HEHHHH?!"

'Eh, shows over.' I withhold from rolling my eyes and turn on my heel to leave. Yūga gets up to follow me.

...

I quietly and peacefully ate my dinner in the main hall. ...Well, as peacefully as I can with Yura and Tsurara's raised voice echoing from a couple rooms over. I chewed on my rice and fried veggies, ignoring the argument.

Some minutes later, I hear a resounding splash of someone hitting the pond in our backyard and Yura's indignant sputtering clued me in on the victim. Night Rikuo's voice carry over in the air, sounding vaguely amused, and I retreat back to my room once I'm done.

Today, I am slotting in some more hand-to-hand combat lessons with Kubinashi even though it is not a Monday. I woke up feeling restless, almost anxious, and it only got worse the more I sat around in the afternoon, left to my own devices. I steered clear of Mama today, consciously unaware of the reason why. I thanked my subconscious though, when I finally realised what was happening. She would have known something is up. I didn't want anyone to see me like that.

I kept to myself as much as I could, quietly preparing as I went about my day, oblivious to the impending event myself. Suzu and Neko are different however. They knew. Yūga too. He's keeping close today, forgoing his duties and rest, his wolf pup form looming right at the corners of my peripheral vision. He snuggles up against my legs whenever possible, while Suzu plants herself on my lap.

Puzzles didn't work to quell my restlessness, neither did drawing and the words on the reports seem to swim mockingly in front of my eyes. Nothing went in my brain. I only brushed and brushed Suzu's fur, moving on to Yūga in his full wolf form when I ran out of areas to brush. By the end of it, I have enough fur to making another wolf. As night drew ever closer, signalling the end of yet another day. I finally snapped.

"You're making good progress, Retsu-sama." Kubinashi tells me with a kind smile, amber eyes soft.

A completely harmless phrase, one he says ever other lessons when I finally got rid of the bad habits and ticks he had previously pointed out.

Today however... those words... triggered something I had kept a tight lid on within me, and that container... cracked. Kidōmaru flashes across the forefront of my mind once more, closely followed by Ibaraki Dōji and his crackling lighting, then, her face. It felt stark, real, impending, forbidding and my throat seizes up. A single unwanted thought leaks out.

'Was it good enough to beat them?'

Kyōto arc is next.

All it ever was until now, it was an arc that is incoming. A word. An event. It has yet to fully sink in that... I would be going back there again after a year plus. To fight. For war.

Kyōto arc is next.

"I don't feel so good." I mutter to Kubinashi, and hastily move to walk past him, heading for the underground dōjō door. "Today's lesson ends here."

My felt my eyes burn and I blink rapidly to clear it away. 'Hold it in. Hold it in. Not yet. Bedroom, make it to your bedroom.'

"Retsu-sama?" I hear worry in his tone and the anxiousness in me spike. "Shall I call for Zen—?"

"No." I cut him off too quickly, voice soft, small. Pausing by the doorway, I swallow once in hopes of smoothing the lump in my throat, take one quick steadying breath and blinking rapidly to clear my vision. I carefully kept my face angled to the front, so he doesn't see my expression. "I just need rest. I'm tired."

I close the door and left the training grounds without another glance back. As I make my way back upstairs, back to my room, I felt more pieces crack, and more of those black, dark things come spilling out. My gaze is focused on the hardwood steps of our staircase, and when my vision blurs, I blink hard to clear it again. Ugly, burning anger filling me from my core and my hands trembled, wishing to grab something that hurt.

The glass cracks, and it's unsightly contents comes flowing out.

My hands balled into fists, my gaze trailing to the wall beside me, teeth gritted. 'Hold it in. Don't you dare.'

Feel the warm blood trickling between my fingers once again.

Anything, to focus on. Find it.

I'm in my demon form. There shouldn't be tears. Shouldn't be that easily influenced by my own humane emotions. I hurry up past the first floor, eyes trained upon the floorboards, praying the smaller yōkai keeps their noses out of this when they walk past. Their chatter trails off when I breeze past, half-reaching out to call a greeting to me but deciding against it at the last minute, instincts blaring. I pick up my pace.

My heart skipped when I saw a ball of white zip past my feet, up the stairs. Turquoise-purple heterochromic eyes peer at me, and it brought me a small amount of relief to know it wasn't the other, bigger, white fluff of fur. It was only Suzu. Her meow is sharp, and I wince at the much too loud sound.

I kept walking, and she followed me. With no small amounts of relief, I made it to the safety of my unlit bedroom, Suzu slipping in before I could block her way, and by then, I'm too tired to deal with shooing her out the room. She stayed.

Picking up a wooden bar by the side, I place it on the tracks and locked the fusuma door. Not that it's any effective in a yōkai mansion, the ceiling and window isn't locked, but it is a blatant 'do not disturb' sign. They respect me enough to give me that much privacy at least, I've never used that wooden block before.

Pulling out my futon, I methodically picked up a towel for a quick wipe down, having worked up some sweat from my sparring session earlier. The first drop of tears slip down my cheeks, and I haphazardly run my sleeves over my face to erase the evidence, the cotton material searing my skin. I dive into the bed, curling up on my side and Suzu is quick to squeeze her way into my arms and flop back against my chest. I hug her close as she purrs, my own ears perked, focusing on the sounds around me.

It is too quiet despite the rustling from the Sakura tree outside, gentle flower fragrance wafting in. Still, the soothing, familiar presence manages to ease half of my anxiousness.

But it's not enough.

Suzu purrs louder and I press my face into the pillow, lips pursed tightly together and wobbling when the emotions crested. I kick and fumble with the duvet, getting it to settle just the way I liked. Angry, unsettled, and so, so restless.

I hate it.

Another meow stopped my fussing, and I tune in to the purring chirp of our resident maneki-neko. My eyes slips close and I curl up tighter beneath my futon. Tears slip out between my squeezed eyelids uncontrollably, the salty droplets quickly absorbed by the pillow. I grit my teeth and finally, let it out.

Tinkling sound of glass shattering into millions of pieces.

The painstaking months of my impromptu road trip, successfully but temporarily kept these unpleasant feelings stuffed inside a container, and buried deep down. These things I do not wish to bring back and unleash upon the clan members, they finally got out.

Within the clearer part of my mind, I knew it would do me good to flush all these pesky emotions from my system before returning to Kyōto to fight them. They won't give me the time to let it out once we step foot in there. There wouldn't even be time for crying. It is a luxury I can afford to indulge in now.

I hear a hushed, familiar voice announcing their presence by the door and knew Yūga probably informed a selected few of my mood swing. My tears kept on coming, but I immediately stopped sobbing silently. For I knew if they wanted to, they can hear my irregular breathing.

"Is there anything we can get you?" The voice belongs to Tozen.

'I want to be left alone.'

"... Windchimes." I whispered all of a sudden. Wondering where the hell that came from. I never really liked it that much in my previous life to listen to it day in and day out.

Now... I want to hear them. It sounds eerily similar to shattering glass but not quite. However... not just any metal and glass windchimes. Those make a noise that are too sharp, ringing much like blades coming out of their scabbards. One that produces a reverberating, comforting, hollow sound that clears all bad things from my head. Like wood, sea shells, or... bones.

"One that makes a hollow sound." I could barely hear myself, so I have no idea if the Tsukumogami heard me at all. If I raise my voice, I knew it would crack.

"Okay." Tozen replied, and I suspect Yūga is outside as well— his hearing is much sharper. He quietly got up from the other side of the fusuma and left to go retrieve exactly what I want.

Once I felt no one is outside, the whirlwind of emotions came back to swallow me whole. All I hear for the next long hour is the disgusting sound of sniffling, rustle of blankets as I reach for the bod of tissues to clear my clogged up nose. I tire myself out eventually and fell into a deep, fitful sleep.

...

A soft lullaby of clacking hollow objects hitting each other rhythmically, the wind being their conductor greets me when I blink awake. Glancing up towards the window, with the pale moonlight shining in though the ajar opening, I find a rather large bamboo windchime hanging there.

It felt like my soul has finally been appeased and is settling down after a long temper-tantrum. I stare at the bamboo windchimes swaying in the slight breeze for a long while, as if in a trance. Right before my eyes slip close near dawn, I think I saw a ghostly hand with pink kimono sleeves running their fingers through the instrument languidly to keep it moving despite the absence of a breeze.

For the first time since I could remember, sleep is blissful.

Over the next two days, the awful feelings gradually subsides and I've never felt so relieved to be out of that hellhole. The bamboo windchimes stays hanging on my windowsill, keeping my mind clear, and soul calm.

I sometimes find Kubinashi and a couple other yōkai from our household, alongside our newest member, HoneOnna, hovering near my room on the ground floor. Listening to the rhythmic clacking of bamboo with a serene expression on their faces before duties called and they snap out of their trance.

Rikuo's out again, with a watermelon and a bucket to cool the fruit in the river running through Ukiyoe town. I heard his friends had stopped by earlier, asking for him and was then directed to his current whereabouts.

Yura has went back home now.

Cicadas are chirping. The beginnings of Tokyo's unbearable summer heat settling in. My winter wardrobe has been switched out with thin breathable materials to compete against the rising temperature.

I look up at the clear blue skies, noting the humidity in the air. 'Looks like it's gonna rain tonight.'

He's been rather focused on his training and nightly studies lately, which is exactly what we've all been hoping for. I noticed a certain tension has left him after he learned how to use Kyōka Suigetsu. His night form is even relaxed enough to make some light-hearted cracks at my own whenever he manages to outmanoeuvre me during sparring sessions. I was quick to wipe off that smirk of his face when he's distracted though, pulling some water out from underneath the floorboards and freezing his feet to the ground.

... Although... he tends to space out a bit more recently. Whenever he thinks no one is looking.

Thinking back, it probably began after I mentioned the fox's full name. Then, a couple days prior, the Keikain Onmyōji's delivered the updated news. 'Did he perhaps recall some pieces of memory from that time?'

I pursed my lips. 'It's about time isn't it? Tōno arc.'

There is not much he could learn here anymore. No matter how many times I told the Nura Clan members to not go easy on us during training, they never did engage in real combat stimulation with me or Rikuo. At this rate, he isn't improving as much as he could be. There is, however, one small comfort in knowing that he wouldn't need to go through the basics of combat once he reaches Tōno and instead could just skip right to the more advanced lessons.

I fiddle with the pale pink fabric of my yukata, the hems decorated with simplistic Sakura patterns. I hope we get sent to Tōno soon... I don't know how much longer I can take feeling this restless.

If it doesn't happen soon, I guess I'll just have to push for it.

That night, right after the sun has bid this side of the world goodbye, I felt a spike of Osore and a commotion taking place at the side yard where our ancient Sakura tree resides. It sounded intense, unlike the friendly ambushes from before, so I sneakily went to take a peek.

The deeper voice of Night Rikuo's carries over, sounding really agitated. Peering carefully round the corner from my place in the shadowy inner hallway, I see my brother and grandfather in a stand off within the garden. Karasu Tengu hovering fretfully some paces behind the latter like a helicopter. Rikuo is kneeling, intense Osore emitting from him like smoke from a kettle— Kyōka Suigetsu— his face carefully schooled, trying hard to play off his pain. Nenekirimaru is out by his side, his silver hair stark amongst the shadows surrounding the area. He probably took a nasty hit in the chest area and barely avoided another blow.

His Osore activation is still too slow judging from the results. Even though I was ruthless during training, barely giving him much time to react to my strikes.

Light, cold mist manifests in the Osore charged air, hovering near the grass, and they glowing faintly beneath the darkening sky. Ojii-chan's youki is ancient, powerful and familial, tingling against my skin. It wasn't oppressive nor scary to me, since that exact same Osore had protected me from Kidōmaru before, but it's not exactly approachable right now either. He holds another blade at his side, currently unsheathed. I couldn't see his face, but from the marginally hunched position of his shoulders, he's far from happy.

Rikuo is facing towards the house, and with his enhanced senses, it wasn't a surprise that he immediately noticed me standing behind the wall. He visibly pauses, red eyes meeting green ones briefly before just as quickly, shifting away back to Ojii-chan, mouth clamped shut.

There's something he doesn't want me to hear.

"The Hyaku Monogatari Clan." Rikuo says gravely, eyes shadowed as he slowly gets up from his kneeling position, Osore continuing to emit from him in steady waves. "Unless I go and settle things over there first, I can't get started on these guys here."

It felt like the question is directed at me as well, for I am the one who said the Kyōto yōkai takes priority.

"Right? Jiji!" He roars, charging forward.

He manifests a couple inches away from Nurarihyon, Nenekirimaru extended. I readied Honjo Masamune, pointing the tip in between them— ready to enlarge it within a moments notice in case he actually lands a hit on our grandfather. Our grandmother isn't physically around to heal such a wound anymore. He might actually die.

Ojii-chan slides into a stance of his own and brought up his own blade within a split second, dense youki not unlike Offense Osore that makes every hair on my body stand on end bursting from his strike. Kyōka Suigetsu disperses, revealing Rikuo's real body to the side. A redirection of Nenekirimaru and another blow later, he is promptly thrown back into Kappa's pond with another loud splash. I put down my hand.

Seconds ticked by, the ripples upon the water surface gradually evens out, and yet, Rikuo fails to resurface by himself.

Knocked out just like that.

A small displeased frown shows on my face. 'Did he not know how to shield himself with his own Osore to combat stronger opponents'? ...Seems like I've missed out on the finer details of combat training. No... I've never once taught him survival training.'

My lips pursed, closing my eyes and signing inwardly in hopes of perhaps temporarily erasing the failure that just happened in front of my eyes. 'All these time... I've been thinking the Nura Clan went too easy on us... yet, I am no better when it came to my brother. I kept spoon-feeding him. I forgot the survival training I've been undergoing since I was in Kyōto. Rikuo didn't just need combat training, he needs to know how to survive as well. Stupid.'

"Aren't you being too harsh on him?" Karasu Tengu flaps his tiny wings, coming over to Ojii-chan's side, worried eyes focused on the pond. "Fighting your own grandchild and drawing blood is too much."

I peer over at Nurarihyon. Since his stance shifted, I can now see the pensive expression on his wizened face.

"No..." Ojii-chan finally replies, turning around to head back inside. "I've been too careful with Rikuo."

After a beat of silence, he adds. "Hey, Karasu, call them in."

Karasu Tengu startles, staring after his retreating back in disbelief. "W-what?! You're not going to send Rikuo-sama there?! That's reckless! Do you want to kill him?!"

"Silence. That's enough, Karasu Tengu." Nurarihyon replies gruffly.

"Sōdaishō!" The old Tengu's pitch went up as he follows after the other.

Pushing off the wall I'm leaning against, I decide to go fish my brother out of the pond before the rain starts to fall. Dipping both my hands into the cool water, I take a second to pinpoint his location near the bottom before focusing the water around him and pull.

There is a slight strain of encompassing a big, solid object with water and moving them. But other than that, it doesn't hinder my control at all. Rikuo's unconscious form stays submerged in the glob of water that floats up and away from the pond. I dump all of it on the grass, watching his prone form with a blank expression. Traces of blood gradually seeps out from his front where he had been cut.

'I will definitely... be heading to Tōno as well.' I turn on my heel to call for Aotabō and Tsurara to come take care of him. Then, I'm going to find grandfather.

That village is my literal final chance at getting near-real combat battle experience against experts. I must cherish this golden opportunity to absorb as much techniques and strategies as I can before we head off to war.

...

"Ojii-chan." I later find him chilling within a dimly-lit room in dead silence, smoking on his pipe. In the background, the pitter-patter of heavy rain hitting the earth out in the streets and occasion rumble of thunder in the far distance a soothing melody to my ears, the temperature steadily dropping. Wisps of grey fumes trail up into the air mesmerisingly, albeit, the tobacco smell left much to be desired for my nose.

He hums in acknowledgement, his mood much calmer than earlier, although his brows are still furrowed marginally.

"Wherever you're intending to send Onii-chan, make that for two." I demands.

His eyes open just then, giving me a weird reaction, sounding almost strangled. "Hm?"

There's a barrier.

I pressed my hand again the dark opaque veil, chilling and uncomfortable sensations travelling up from my fingertips straight to the bottom of my stomach. I resisted the urge to hurl.

Flimsy but sturdy.

The red eyed baby squirms within my arms and I held tight, gently as possible, shushing her. I pushed once, hard, and the black mass moves, pushing back, resisting. Pressing my side against it and slowly distributing my body weight towards that point of contact, I leaned. The black substance gives way, moving back marginally.

It is sentiment, but only to an extent.

I can work with that.

OMAKE: Reminder

Bakenekoya's business is smoother than ever before, with lesser rogue yōkai attacks in the vicinity, more customers are willing to come from further away. Tonight is of no exception, the restaurant bustling with rowdy Ayakashi and drunken laughter.

"Hey! Barkeep! Prepare some sake for the members of the main house!"

A glance over showed that the Nura Clan's core members are indeed present. The strike team captains, Aotabō and Kurotabō, leading the front with Kubinashi, Kejōrō, Kappa and Tsurara meandering behind. The Bakeneko in charge of the drinks section takes another careful look of the group, making sure a specific little brunette isn't hidden from immediate view before calling back.

"Alright! Coming right up!"

He grabs a few bottles of warm sake from the shelves and heads over.

At the back of the counter, towards the side, a lone, white-pink gradient coloured wine bottle with a pretty little red bow tied to its neck, stood. Upon closer inspection, cherry blossoms can be seen decorating the sides of the sticker displaying its contents.

Grape and peach wine, a spring select edition.

Written on a yellow post-it note and taped to that bottle, is a date of when it should be opened and only on that day.

The date is Nura Retsu's thirteenth birthday.

Author's note:

Regarding my tenses and grammar... all I can say is that I will continue to try and improve, so... FORGIVE MEEEEEEE! TTATT

Apologies for the long wait, to summarise things, I went on a small break from writing Belladonna to jot down some plot bunnies I've had for a long while, finish up some old artworks, and one of my best friend's wedding took place in late October, so preparation for clothes, gifts and etc took up a couple weeks time there.

Windchimes actually has a superstition, due to its sound not dissimilar to the ringing of bells, it soothes restless spirits, therefore, attracting them. So it is not recommended to hang up windchimes willy-nilly in certain places unless the spirits are welcomed.

Ps: There's a photo of the bottled wine on my tumblr, some new drawings and an attempt at a meme! Do check it out! X3

Thank you all for much for your patience, love, encouragement and support! We are now at 480 Favourites and 518 Follows! XD

Current members:

•Amefurikozō (Ame)

•Sunekosuri (Neko)

•Tozen (bow Tsukumogami)

•Uwan (the bush)

•Kogane no Gyōza (Koi fish)

•Saki (Flower Ayakashi)

•Fūri (blue fur with leopard patterns)

•Enenra (smoke yōkai)

•Umizatō (the blind one)

-Sazae-oni (clan member)

•Ittan-Momen (cloth Tsukumogami)

•Kameosa (jug Tsukumogami)

•Hidama (small fire bird)

•Yūga (wolf yōkai)

-Kōga [Clan Head, father of Yūga and Ryōga]

-Kiba [childhood friend]

-Ryōga [younger brother]

•Suzu (maneki-neko)

•Kirin

•Kyō (computer-dwelling spirit)

•Menreiki (Gigaku mask Tsukumogami)

•Shizuka (miasma butterfly)

New additions:

•Honeonna

~kirakira_bluemoon