In theory, I should've made y'all wait on chapter one...but it was finished and I'm impatient, so here you go!
Much love to Zeiyuu and sanguine-fairy for your very kind reviews! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as the prologue.
Oh, and the requisite disclaimer: As if it weren't obvious...I don't own Inuyasha or Nurarihyon no Mago.
Eight years later
The late afternoon sun streamed in the library windows as Kagome walked down the rows of bookshelves until she reached the right one. Running her finger along the spines, she found the section she was looking for and dropped her bag on the floor. She plucked a few books she definitively knew she needed and stacked them next to her bag, and then turned around to browse the other related works.
The Whorton Anthology of Japanese Mythology. Yokai Folklore. A History of Folklore. Mythological Representations in Art.
At twenty-three, Kagome was in her final semester of college, pursing a degree in history and comparative literature, concentrating primarily on folklore and mythology worldwide. Presently, however, her library research was focused on work for an independent study. One on Japanese yokai folklore, past and present. Sometimes she wondered if she were a masochist.
As she pulled one of the books about mythology and art off the shelf, she paused, tracing her finger over the fanciful depiction of a kitsune on the cover.
Her heart ached.
Kami, I miss them.
Eight years had done little to erase the pain of losing her friends, but it wasn't as raw as it had been, no longer feeling like an exposed nerve.
Kagome's mind wandered, thinking back over the past few years. Once she'd come out of the coma, which had taken roughly a week, she'd quickly realized she needed more training. Anything to stem the seemingly endless tide of energies buffeting at her mind.
The shikon no tama had not deceived her in that sense—it was torture.
As for its curse… Well, not enough time had passed to know whether her lifespan was extended, but Kagome had a feeling it had been. Following her forced return to modern times, she'd done some self-inspection, mentally and physically, and had found what she supposed was the "tangible" evidence of the jewel's curse—the tiniest sliver of youki imbedded in her aura, directly above her heart. In recent years, that miniscule shard of youki had grown fractionally, but aside from random chest pains from time to time, she could only assume what it was doing to her.
Other than cursing her, that is.
Amazingly, it had gone unnoticed by the couple of aging mikos she'd gone to for training, which she figured was probably a blessing in disguise. She had no desire to attempt to explain her circumstances.
It's not like they would believe me anyway. A time-traveling girl cursed by a supernatural gemstone? Yeah, right.
Kagome sighed and then swore under her breath. The book she'd really hoped to find, the one about the legend of the shikon no tama, was missing from the shelf. The catalog hadn't listed it as checked out, so it should have been there.
Guess it's on a cart somewhere for reshelving, or some asshole stuck it on a random bookcase and it hasn't been found yet…
She slung her bag over her shoulder and picked up the rather cumbersome and unexpectedly tall stack of books, which wobbled slightly as she made her way down the aisle.
As she rounded the corner, she tripped over a lump in the aging carpet, toppling herself and the precariously balanced books. She winced as one whacked her on the head and closed her eyes momentarily, bracing for the impact with the floor.
It never came.
"Oi!"
Strong arms grabbed her, and her eyes flew open in surprise, blue eyes meeting brown.
The young man had slightly messy and strange bicolored brown and black hair, and though he initially appeared concerned, he smiled kindly when she made eye contact.
For a split second, her reiki flared, and she got the strangest double image overlaying the man in front of her, a version of him with red eyes and much longer white and black hair.
She blinked, and it was gone.
What the hell was that?
"Hey, are you all right?"
She nodded, feeling her cheeks heating a little with embarrassment. "Sorry, I tripped, and one of the books hit my head and… Anyway, I'm really sorry about that!"
Once he'd ensured she was steady on her own two feet, he released her and eyed her strangely. Kagome wasn't completely sure why.
He probably thinks I'm a total weirdo, that's probably why.
"Seriously, I apologize for—"
He laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it! Are you sure you're okay, Miss…?"
"Oh, um, Higurashi Kagome, but um, you know, just Kagome is fine, and um, yes, thank you, I'm all right." Realizing she was rambling, she snapped her mouth shut.
The man nodded and helped her gather the books, and he even offered to help her to the circulation desk, which she declined. For some reason, his presence was doing weird things to her stomach.
"Be careful, then. I'll see you around, Kagome-chan."
The grin he gave her sent the already agitated butterflies in her stomach into a tizzy, and she could only nod mutely in response.
Thoroughly unnerved by the encounter, she checked out her books and fled to the safety of her apartment.
Later, she realized she'd never learned his name…
Nura Rikuo was restless and bored.
Or rather, he had been prior to meeting one Higurashi Kagome.
A little over eleven years had passed since the defeat of Nue, and as Rikuo walked toward the subway station, he thought back to those turbulent times.
Those first few years were rough.
There'd been copious amounts of damage following the battle to repair, both tangible and intangible. Rikuo had missed much of the immediate aftermath, having been recovering at the Hanyō Village from his near-death experience. However, he'd gotten letters from Tsurara while there and then detailed updates once he'd returned to the Nuragumi main house in Ukiyoe Town.
Apparently someone in the clan—he suspected either Karasu Tengu or Gyūki—had some government connections and had convinced the extremely willing to oblige powers that be to label the whole ordeal a bizarrely executed terrorist attack.
In a way, I suppose they were sort of ayakashi terrorists.
That, combined with Kiyotsugu's efforts to counter Enchō's rumors, helped the incident become far less fascinating to the general public, and eventually it mostly faded from the collective memories of the Tokyo populace, much to Rikuo and the Nura clan's great relief.
Still, forgotten though it might have been to the average innocent bystander, nothing could erase it from the minds of those involved firsthand.
Especially Rikuo.
He'd forced himself back into a semblance of a normal routine, returning to school when he was healthy enough, managing clan business, and resuming his training, both with Itaku and on his own. Depending on the situation, he affected cheerful smiles or cool indifference, and many commented on how well he'd bounced back.
Those who were closest to him, however, knew that was far from true. After all, none of what he and his classmates had gone through was anything twelve- or thirteen-year-olds should ever have to handle, and they all bore the scars, physical and psychological.
Their traumas manifested differently, and Rikuo, plagued with grotesque nightmares, became a chronic insomniac for a couple years, sometimes going days without sleep. At one point it became so bad that Zen had even enlisted Kurotabō and Aotabō's help to forcibly pour a sleeping potion down his throat.
He snorted. Who knew sleep deprivation caused hallucinations?
Fortunately, the sleep aid Zen had concocted was non-habit-forming, so Rikuo had eventually agreed to taking it as needed to prevent exhaustion…and hallucinations.
That only happened once, he thought irritably, and I'm still not convinced it wasn't too much sake or something I ate…
Rikuo shook himself mentally and focused on taking the right train to the station nearest his house. Though he was no longer too tormented by the incidents at Shibuya to avoid the metro altogether, it still was not his favorite of places and he preferred to limit his time in the vicinity as much as possible. Torii and Maki had ceased using it entirely, though he could hardly blame them.
The thought of Torii made him smile slightly. Natsumi, he reminded himself. She'd requested he use her first name since she'd started dating Kurotabō a few years back—wait, aren't they getting married soon?—and now spent more time at the main house. Everyone in the Nura clan had been shocked, not so much at Natsumi's feelings, but rather at Kuro's returning them. Kuro probably wished they'd maintained their dumbfounded state, for as the shock wore off, the teasing had begun.
Yura had, of course, remained in Kyoto, and Rikuo's other friends had all moved away after high school. They had exchanged emails for a little while, but after a while, he lost touch with all but Yura and Kiyotsugu, both of whom he heard from a couple times a year.
Rikuo shifted to make room for other passengers and then sighed, still preoccupied mentally. Unlike his friends who'd gone away for college, he had elected to take classes online, as it was easier than trying to juggle attending classes and his duties as the Third Heir, though he'd finished his degree the previous semester. He supposed that had been part of the source of his boredom and restlessness in the recent months, as well as the resulting edginess and irritability—little change in routine or environment—though acknowledging it had done nothing to alleviate it.
Today, though, things had taken a decidedly less boring turn, what with catching and preventing a rather pretty girl from falling on her face.
As Rikuo slipped in between other passengers and exited the train, a flash of blond out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. "You can come out now. I know you're there, you know."
Kubinashi popped out of the shadows and came to walk beside Rikuo in the direction of home.
"You didn't actually think you could lose me, did you? You might be slippery, but you've got nothing on your father."
Rikuo had heard the stories of his father's antics and Kubinashi's subsequent suffering.
"Fair enough. So did you see that girl in the library?"
"Is that why you seem to be in a good mood? What girl?"
Rikuo eyed him suspiciously.
"Okay, so I may have lost you for about five minutes in the library. But what girl?" Kubinashi asked, looking too interested for Rikuo's comfort.
Oh no. If I tell him, he'll tell Kejōrō, and before I know it, half the clan will think I'm getting married or something crazy like that.
Rikuo affected an air of indifference and said, "Oh, just someone who seemed familiar, but if you didn't see her, never mind."
Kubinashi looked like he might press the subject, so Rikuo quickly added, "Speaking of my father, how exactly did he manage to evade you all the time?"
Kubinashi's expression changed from one of curiosity to that of a long-suffering companion. "Right, like I'm going to give you any ideas. Do you know how much grief the Second caused me, like that time he…"
Kubinashi started telling a story about Rihan that Rikuo had heard many a time, and though he tried to listen, it didn't take long before his mind began to wander and Kubinashi's voice faded into pleasant background noise.
As they rounded the corner, nearly to the Nura main house gate, Rikuo's thoughts returned to the woman he'd met at the library. He was puzzled by both the strange slap of power he'd felt as well as the non-reaction on her part. He had anticipated her at least identifying him as a yokai, but instead it had almost seemed like she hadn't even noticed her power flare.
Perhaps she was too flustered?
He smirked a bit to himself as he replayed their interaction in his head. She had indeed been quite flustered, much to his amusement and her evident dismay.
Still thinking about Kagome, he distractedly responded to the calls of "Okaeri!" he and Kubinashi received from various clan members, looking around until he spotted a little crow yokai.
"Hey, Karasu Tengu, where's my grandfather?"
"Oh, Rikuo-sama, you look like you're in a good mood! Sōdaishō is sitting outside by the sakura tree."
Despite his grandfather having officially retired several years prior, Karasu Tengu—and many of the others in the Nura clan—maintained a centuries-long habit of referring to Nurarihyon as "supreme commander." Rikuo couldn't care less, knowing that it was probably too deeply ingrained for them to even notice doing it, plus it certainly wasn't out of disrespect to him as the Third.
Rikuo left Kubinashi talking with Karasu Tengu and made his way over, sitting down next to his grandfather. He'd just opened his mouth to ask him about Kagome and the energy he had felt from her when Zen walked by and interrupted.
"Yo, Rikuo! You look less edgy, freakin' finally…"
Rikuo frowned. "Why does everyone keep saying that?"
Zen settled on the floor and pulled out a bottle of sake from God only knows where, pouring some for himself and, when Nurarihyon nodded, some for the supreme commander as well.
Rikuo crossed his arms across his chest, his mood beginning to grow sour.
Finally Zen answered, "Lately you've been walking around looking like"—he looked up from the sake—"like that! Pissed off and impatient."
His grandfather bobbed his head up and down, evidently agreeing with Zen's assessment.
Rikuo's eyebrow twitched.
"So, I wanna know what or who changed that. Is it is a girl? It's a girl, isn't it?" Zen asked.
Rikuo jolted. "Huh? Yes, but it's not like that, okay! She—"
Zen cut him off. "Please, kami, tell me you got laid, because I'm pretty sure it's been a while, maybe since that ame-onna, and you have been seriously— Itai!" Zen rubbed his head. "What the hell, Rikuo?"
"Zen, if you don't shut up and let me talk…" Rikuo began, but Nurarihyon laid a hand on his arm.
"Maa maa…ask me what you came to ask, have a drink, and ignore Zen."
Zen scowled at this and made a "hmph" noise, but otherwise remained silent, pouring more sake for himself and this time some for Rikuo as well.
He took a sip and then explained the encounter at the library. "She didn't seem like an onmyoji, and the energy zap was a split second, almost like she didn't mean to."
"Hmm…" Nurarihyon rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What'd you say her name was?"
"Higurashi Kagome."
"Karasu Tengu, isn't there a Higurashi shrine not too far from here?"
The diminutive crow popped his head around the corner, appearing unruffled by the fact that the supreme commander had known he was eavesdropping. "Yes, sōdaishō! I believe it's about a twenty-minute drive."
"Actually driving or as the crow flies?" Zen laughed at his own joke before breaking off into a fit of coughs.
"Serves you right," Karasu Tengu muttered.
"If her family owns a shrine, she could be a miko, though it's been a long time since I encountered one with more than rudimentary powers at best."
"That's the thing, jiji. I didn't really get the impression she was weak. That fraction of a second felt like sticking my finger in an electrical outlet."
"Oh? Well, it's not like humans having unusual abilities is unheard of. I mean, look at the Keikain family, and your grandmother could heal people."
Rikuo nodded. He'd thought the same thing, but something else about the encounter had intrigued him. "Another thing. All the books she was checking out were related to yokai, folklore and mythology and such."
Zen raised his eyebrows, and Karasu Tengu's eyes widened.
Before they could speak, Rikuo hastily added, "Yet she didn't seem malicious. In fact, like I mentioned, the reiki reaction didn't appear to be intentional."
"You don't know that, though!" Karasu Tengu fussed. "We should investigate. She could be laying a trap!"
"At the library?" Rikuo rolled his eyes, and Zen snorted.
"Hmm… Still, it wouldn't hurt to look into, and it'll keep him"—his grandfather jerked his chin at the agitated crow yokai—"from having a fit."
The aforementioned crow harrumphed. "You want my kids to handle it?"
"Nah, I'll handle it," Rikuo said, and sighed. "It'll give me something to do."
Since I've been bored out of my mind…
They both nodded, and then Nurarihyon narrowed his eyes, a sly smile spreading across his face. "So…is she pretty?"
Rikuo thought of the petite woman with ebony hair and bright blue eyes, and was reminded of how she'd felt in his arms. His lips curled in an involuntary smile.
"Not that it's relevant, but, yeah, old man, she's pretty."
Author's notes:
1. For shits and giggles, and since I can, we're going with manga 'verse Kagome's eye color.
2. A brief note on Rikuo and the whole day/night persona thing—this is simply my opinion and/or headcanon, but I don't believe that he maintained two separate personalities beyond the Kyoto arc. To oversimplify my interpretation, I think once he did as Gyūki asked (during the Kyoto arc) and accepted both his human side along with his yokai side, he was simply Rikuo. His father didn't have split personalities, and if we're talking in terms of Inuyasha 'verse, Inuyasha didn't have a different persona once a month when he was human. It will be discussed and explained a tad more in the story later on, but for now, I wanted you to be aware that in this AU/crossover, he is just Rikuo, able to take either a human or yokai physical form (please be advised, some restrictions may apply).
3. I would love to be able to give you an updating schedule for this, but that feels a bit too much like poking the bear and tempting fate with my muse. So for now, I'll say soonish? Feel free to provide offerings and/or wave a rubber chicken over your screen to appease the cranky-pants muse. Oh, and reviews help too ;-)