Greetings from your jet-lagged writer! I won't lie—I'm actually kind of amazed I'm updating this soon, but perhaps the stars have aligned in our favor. We won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I wanted to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation for everyone who continues to read/follow/review/etc as well as the comments in favor of the pacing thus far—y'all are the best.
And since I can't reply directly to guests, thank you to animefan, CL, Guest(s), and Anon for your reviews also!

I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had fun writing it :-)

Quotes:

"People come, people go
Some grow young, some grow cold
I woke up in between
A memory and a dream"
–Tom Petty, "You Don't Know How It Feels"

"It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it."
–Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre

"Get up."

Rikuo lay flat on his back, panting, as Itaku stood above him, looking annoyed.

"Give me a minute to catch my breath, will ya?" Rikuo said, sitting up and then pulling himself into a crouch, balancing himself with one hand on the ground. His breathing was still ragged, though his heart rate was slowing.

The weasel yokai merely arched one eyebrow.

Then, a heartbeat later, a sickle appeared to impale Rikuo in the chest before his illusionary body dissolved into a mist of Fear.

Itaku's eyes flared golden, and he swung one of his sickles in a wide arc, slicing through a second of Rikuo's illusions. That too split and melted into Fear.

When Rikuo did attack from where he'd hidden behind Itaku, Itaku parried the strike too easily.

"Your form's slipping," Itaku called as he danced away from another of Rikuo's attacks.

They were training just outside of Tōno rather than inside in order to work on something Itaku had proposed three years ago.

It had been during one of Itaku's trips to Tokyo, and evidently he'd made some inquiries about Rihan to Nurarihyon and others who'd worked closely with the Second, as well as even Wakana. Then he'd presented his theory to Rikuo and Nurarihyon.

"I don't think this whole six hours thing is set in stone," Itaku had said. "Maybe initially, who knows, but considering Rihan wasn't human for twelve hours each day, I believe now that Rikuo has accepted himself and his being a yokai, it's more a matter of endurance."

To Rikuo and his grandfather, the idea had come as a surprise, but a welcome one.

Itaku had continued by saying that he thought Rikuo should stay in yokai form as much as possible and attempt to hold it past the supposed six-hour limit, both in training as well as everyday activities.

It turned out Itaku's theory had been correct—with consistent effort over the last three years, Rikuo had built up his stamina for his yokai form to ten hours, and was able to shift between human and yokai whether day or night.

He'd also continued training his ability to use Fear while in human form, though despite being beyond the realm of an average mortal, he was still stronger and more skilled when a yokai. However, with the Nurarihyon genetics rather dominant and not the least bit subtle, Rikuo valued having the option of a non-ayakashi appearance to make interactions with normal humans easier.

Rikuo had found it was harder to push the boundaries of his endurance when he was distracted, a risky and potentially fatal weakness during a serious fight, which was why he continued to enlist Itaku's help.

Which was also why they were training outside Tōno at the moment—the village's Fear enabled Rikuo to remain as a yokai endlessly, without making any effort, so they couldn't train and achieve their purpose unless they were outside.

Rikuo felt his youki reserves falter just as Itaku repeated, "Your form's slipping."

"Oi, I'm not deaf. Heard you the first time."

"Then fix it," Itaku said, smirking.

Rikuo grimaced. "Easy for you to say. You shift into a weasel during the day, but either way you're still a yokai. You've got a distinct advantage."

"Ho? Didn't know the Nuragumi Sandaime was the type to make excuses."

When Itaku lunged, Rikuo dodged a fraction too late, and he felt the sting of Itaku's sickle on his shoulder.

Damnit!

Itaku scoffed. "Your focus has been shit since you got here. Zen said you were distracted by some pretty girl, but I thought he was joking." Before Rikuo could respond, he added, "Either stop thinking with your dick, or get the hell out of here and quit wasting my time."

Rikuo felt his face heat and his jaw clench. He knew what Itaku was doing, baiting him and trying to piss him off, expecting that the anger would give Rikuo a boost of energy.

Lucky for me, it's working.

That aside…Zen wouldn't need to worry about his poison slowly killing him any longer, because Rikuo was going to murder him.

But first, he had to beat this weaselly bastard taunting him.

Rikuo wasn't the only one training.

Many miles farther south, Kagome was pushing her limits as well. She dropped her bow and nearly empty quiver on the ground, rolling her shoulders and wiping sweat off her brow with her sleeve.

Feeling adequately "in the zone," Kagome concentrated on her reiki and visualized shaping it into a bow and an arrow. Physically going through the motions of nocking the energy arrow, she began to draw back her arm, mentally picturing herself pulling the string.

It snapped, and the energy popped her hands as painfully as an actual broken bow string.

"Shit!" Kagome hissed, shaking out her hands.

Why isn't this working? I'm doing everything Genkai taught me. Though…truthfully, I couldn't get it to work then either. Of course, it doesn't help that this specific technique is completely theoretical and even she couldn't do it…

She ground her teeth in frustration and resisted the urge to stomp her feet. It was probably time for a break if she was considering a temper tantrum.

Her stomach growled, and she remembered that her mother had said there was food in the fridge for both her and Sōta, though he wouldn't be home until after six. Both her mother and grandfather would be gone until eight or nine o'clock that night, so she'd made Kagome and Sōta dinner in advance.

Perhaps just a little snack…

As she turned to head to her house, she caught sight of an unfamiliar man clad in a long dark cloak making his way to her. He was fairly short, with messy black hair, the fringe hanging down into his eyes.

"Excuse me?" he called, a sheepish expression on his face. "Can you help me? I think I may be lost."

Figuring he was yet another tourist who'd lost their way, she smiled patiently and stepped toward him. "Of course, how can I help?"

He reached inside his cloak, for his phone or an address she assumed, but no sooner had Kagome taken a couple steps forward than the man pulled out what looked to be a bamboo bottle. He jerked the stopper from it, saying, "Garo…devour."

A wolflike apparition materialized and rushed directly at her.

Unable to think, Kagome merely reacted instinctively, thrusting her hands in front of her.

A heartbeat later, the gaping maw of the creature crashed into the faintly pink dome-shaped shield surrounding her, and it splattered to the ground.

Water?

"Ho? Interesting." Gone was the man's innocent, awkward appearance, and he quirked his lips in a mocking half smile, flicking two fingers in her direction. The water coalesced back together and slammed against the shield again, causing her to flinch and skid backward a couple inches.

Damnit! What the hell is that thing? And who is he?

Kagome slowly backed away from her assailant, heart pounding wildly the whole time, until she reached the bow and quiver she'd laid on the ground earlier. Not taking her eyes off of him, she kept one hand raised, using it as a focus for her shield, and reached down to grab the bow and an arrow.

Oh, thank goodness, there's one left.

Then she waited for the creature to pull back slightly before its next lunge. The instant it did, she whipped her arms into position, dropped her shield, and, channeling power into the arrow, fired.

It collided with the monster, and they erupted into a shower of sparks.

"So, you're not just a pretty face," the man said, smirking. "Gengen, return."

The puddles on the ground flowed back into the bottle in his hand, and he re-stoppered it.

Kagome glanced around her quickly. No tourists nor her family in sight. I don't think I've ever been so happy the shrine was completely vacant…

She glared at the stranger in front of her and shifted her gaze to her now empty quiver.

The man barked a laugh and strode forward, extending a hand. "Ryūji."

Kagome slapped his hand away, the name not registering. "Just who the hell do you think you are, coming onto my property and attacking me?"

Not waiting for a response, she leaned toward him, scowling and pointing her index finger accusingly. "You better have a damn good explanation for this, mister."

Her voice grew more and more shrill, yet the man's smirk simply widened.

"Ah, oops. Should've been more specific. Keikain Ryūji," he said, emphasizing his surname.

She felt her heart jump into her throat. "Kei…kain… Oh, kami, I'm so sorry, Keikain-san! I'm Higurashi Kagome, and I didn't mean to be rude! It's just you're three hours early, and"—here Kagome narrowed her eyes and scowled again—"and not only did you lie about being lost…you also attacked me unprovoked."

"Tch. Call it a test. And, hey, you pass. But why would you contact the Keikain House regarding yokai research? You're a miko—go into town, you'll run into yokai everywhere." Ryūji eyed her suspiciously.

"What are you talking about? I need more materials than that, and besides, don't you think I've done that? I've yet to find any!"

He arched an eyebrow at her. "Hmm… You're not weak, so I can only assume you're blind or stupid." Kagome made an indignant noise, and he shrugged. "Open your eyes, onna. No, really open them. Remove whatever block or wall you've got preventing you from seeing reality. But that aside, just what the hell is that?" Ryūji thrust his hand toward Kagome's chest, pointing at her heart.

She averted her gaze. "It's…a long story. You wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Heh. You'd be surprised. But, whatever, your call." He reached into his cloak, and Kagome stiffened. "Calm down."

He withdrew his hand and tossed a business card at her. "You want access to our archives, right? And other Keikain-specific knowledge? Tell me your story. Or not. Up to you. I'll be in town for a week… Looking forward to your call, Kagome-chan."

He began to walk toward the shrine's exit and then paused, looking over his shoulder at her.

"Seriously, miko." His voice had lost its mocking tone. "You live in the same town as the Lord of Pandemonium, leader of the Night Parade of One Hundred Demons. There are more than enough yokai here for you to be aware of."

With that, he left, Kagome too stunned to respond.

There's that name again…

Once her shock had worn off, anger and annoyance replaced it.

What an arrogant prick! Does he have any idea how rude that was? Or is he such a fucking high and mighty onmyoji that he thinks he's beyond common decency? Grrrrrr…

Oh kami, does that mean that…thing was a shikigami?

Kagome shuddered. If that was the case, she was relieved she hadn't actively pursued that angle of using her powers. Ick.

Then, she turned what he'd said over in her brain and considered his comment about her not looking hard enough or removing blocks.

She knew if she were being honest, he was right. She hadn't lowered her psychic walls nearly enough.

I'm afraid.

In fact, she hadn't done it much at all since she'd learned how to block it all out roughly eight years ago.

Okay, so I'm afraid. Of what?

She laughed a humorless laugh. Oh, she knew good and damn well what she was scared of. It wasn't simply the psychic pain from being overwhelmed—that she was mostly skilled enough to tamp down on or filter.

No, what she was truly feared was actually encountering a yokai again. How would she react? How would they react? And what if it was someone she knew?

Who wouldn't know her.

Tears burned her eyes, and she scrubbed at them with hands clenched into fists. Stupid, freaky-shikigami-using onmyoji asshole. I blame him for this.

Exhausted, she trudged to the house, where she took a lengthy bath and then collapsed into her childhood bed, figuring she had some time before Sōta would be home. Besides, her appetite had vanished.

Sighing in resignation, she dialed the number on the business card, leaving a message when it went to voice mail.

"Keikain-san, It's Kagome. I'll take you up on your offer. Call or text me what times are convenient for you. Thanks."

Ryūji listened to the voice mail as he walked toward the metro, feeling rather self-satisfied. He'd have given her the information she wanted eventually anyway, just so he didn't catch hell from Yura, though Kagome didn't know that.

But this was far more fun. And he found this little miko most intriguing.

Maybe this week won't be so bad after all.

He wasn't particularly looking forward to meeting with the Nura clan, but that could wait. First, he was headed to see the medical examiner. Hopefully he could offer more insight into these crimes than those two bumbling lackwits who'd been put in charge of the murder and missing person cases.

A woman with fiery red hair leaving the station bumped into him, and his lips curled in a snarl. "Hey, watch it!"

When no apology came, he glanced back in the direction she'd been, only to find she'd already faded into the crowd.

Is it so fucking hard for people to watch where they're going? Moron.

He returned his thoughts to the situation at hand. If he were lucky, it'd turn out to be something completely mundane, and he could wrap this trip up without even having to deal with that pain in the ass yokai clan.

Heh. Fat chance of that happening.

He'd learned a long time ago to rely on his instincts.

And right now, his gut was telling him that whatever was going on in Ukiyoe Town was not normal.

Authors Note:
Will Kagome actually tell Ryuji the true story? If she does, will he believe her? Is she ever going to learn the identity of the man she met in the library? Are my readers going to give up on Rikuo and Kagome ever meeting again and abandon me? Will my muse continue to be mostly cooperative? Some of these questions, though certainly not all, will be answered in upcoming chapters!

As always, reviews pay the muse bills.