Sorry this took a little longer than expected, but I had to work a few kinks out. Thank you all for your reviews and comments, and I really appreciate y'all being patient! :-)
Anyway, when we last left our intrepid heroine, she'd just asked the question we were all waiting for…

Quotes:

"I have a face I cannot show
I make the rules up as I go
Just try and love me if you can"
―Sheryl Crow, "Strong Enough"

"'No proper princess would come out looking for dragons,' Woraug objected.
'Well I'm not a proper princess then!' Cimorene snapped. 'I make cherries jubillee and I volunteer for dragons, and I conjugate Latin verbs—or at least I would if anyone would let me. So there!'"
―Patricia C. Wrede, Dealing with Dragons (If we substitute miko for princess and yokai for dragons, can't you imagine Kagome as Cimorene?)

"Are you a yokai?"

She slapped a hand over her mouth. Kagome, you idiot! What happened to waiting? Removing her hand, she tried to formulate an excuse, an apology, something.

Rikuo had jerked back at her question, his body tensing. Then he relaxed, shaking his head, and chuckled. "I don't want to lie to you. Yes, I am a yokai—well, technically a quarter yokai."

A weird sensation rushed through her, equal parts apprehension and excitement. Perhaps because of that, again she blurted out a question before thinking. "What are you?"

Real smooth, Kagome.

Rikuo's lips curved up on one side in that sexy half smile of his. "Thought we'd established that I'm a yokai?" Before she could object to the quip, there was a surge of youki, and Rikuo's appearance blurred slightly as his hair lengthened and changed to white atop black, and his eyes shifted from chocolate brown to crimson.

She couldn't help it. Her jaw dropped. That hair…those eyes… He looks exactly like what I saw at the library!

As she stared, dumbfounded, Rikuo grinned and, with the flourish of a slight bow, said, "Nura Rikuo, Kanto yokai sōdaishō and Nuragumi sandaime, at your service."

Nervous giggles bubbled up out of her at his over-the-top antics. "How very dramatic, sir. Does this mean I need to call you Sandaime? Nura-dono? Rikuo-sama?" she asked playfully.

Rikuo rolled his eyes. "I get enough of that from everyone in the Nura clan to last a lifetime. With you, just Rikuo is more than sufficient, blue eyes."

Something about his admission niggled at the back of her mind. Then, "Chotto—that was you the posts on the paranormal investigation website were talking about?"

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "What posts? On what… Oi, don't tell me you're on Kiyotsugu's site!"

She felt her cheeks heat but waved her hand impatiently. "That's not important. You're the Lord of Pandemonium who had his Hyakki Yakō out last Thursday night?"

Rikuo shrugged, though a roguish smile spread across his face. "New moon—it was nice and dark. And to be honest, we all needed a night out."

Kagome shook her head. "So which one of you drank all that poor guy's sake?"

He hummed thoughtfully. "I drink a lot of sake… I can't be expected to remember where it all comes from."

"That makes you sound like a drunk, you know…"

Rikuo held his hands up in mock innocence, still grinning wickedly. "Nevertheless, a yokai never tells."

All the questions she had raced through her head, so many it was nigh impossible to choose what to say next, and as she ran her gaze over him, over the yokai—he really was a yokai!—standing before her, to her horror, she felt tears sting the backs of her eyes. She swallowed hard around the sudden tightness in her throat and blinked rapidly.

Rikuo's expression changed instantly to one she'd seen Inuyasha and Miroku wear on rare occasions when either she or Sango had cried, and if she hadn't been so busy trying to rein in the sudden onslaught of emotions, she might have laughed.

"Oi, oi… Are you crying?"

"No," she said emphatically as a traitorous tear simultaneously slipped down her cheek.

As he thumbed away the lone tear, Rikuo smiled gently, but his eyes darkened with concern. "Hey…you all right? What's wrong?"

Kagome bobbed her head up and down, swiping at her eyes with her fingertips. "It's just… I just…" Struggling to articulate everything she was thinking and feeling, she couldn't prevent the words "I missed you!" from tumbling out.

Rikuo cocked his head, clearly baffled. "Me?"

"Not you specifically, baka. Yokai in general," she said, frowning, though her annoyance was more for herself than him.

He grinned. "You know…you're a very strange miko."

This time she did glare at him, though his teasing did serve to alleviate her tears. "Okay, one, that answers another question—if you knew—and two, that's rude."

He simply smirked, but before Kagome responded, a sudden realization hit her. Though he clearly had his youki suppressed, he also didn't have it hidden from her entirely, and it was familiar. Very familiar.

"This youki… You! You're the one who returned my umbrella when Oitekebori stole it!" It burst out like an accusation, though she hadn't intended it that way—she really was grateful he'd returned it.

He adjusted the cuff of his shirt sleeve nervously. "Eto… I wasn't trying to spy on you or anything like that! I was just coming in from out of town and happened to see that twerpy ghost snatch your umbrella. I didn't want you to have to walk home in the rain."

"No, I didn't mean it like that! What I meant is thank you. It's my mom's umbrella, and she would've killed me if I'd lost it." She paused. "How'd you get it back, anyway?"

"Well, as I'm sure you figured out, Oitekebori grabs an object of value from individuals in her territory. What you don't know, and took me a little time to learn myself, is that she has a sweet tooth. I happened to have some sweets with me, and I made a trade."

"A sweet tooth? Huh. Who'd have thought? Not like being aware of that would've helped me at the time," she grumbled, still a tad peeved about being outsmarted by the specter.

Rikuo nudged her playfully with his elbow. "Don't worry too much about her. Remind me to tell you about the time she stole my sword." At Kagome's incredulous look, he laughed. "I thought Zen was going to have a coronary. It's not exactly an easily replaced sword…"

She perked up. "Is it a yokai sword? Can I see it? Hey, what kind of yokai are you, anyway? You never clearly answered that… Some research indicates Nurarihyon is the leader of the Hyakki Yakō, but you don't really resemble the pictures… Of course, we both know that folklore anecdotes aren't always the most credible resources, and they don't always have reliable illustrations of the supernatural, right? Well, that's not the point. The point was what kind of yokai you are. Do you really have one hundred yokai in your night parade? And aren't you kind of young to be the Kanto yokai supreme commander?" She took a breath, and then continued. "Oh, wait, how old are you? Now that I know you're a yokai, or part yokai, whatever, I guess it's foolish to assume you're the age you appear—"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down," he said, laughing. "For the record, I'm twenty-four. Years, not decades. But…while I understand that you have a lot of questions, and I'm more than happy to answer any and all of them"—he held up a hand, ostensibly to stop her from launching into another litany of questions—"you agreed to this date under the terms of me helping you study, specifically helping you pass, and I always make good on my word. So…math first, questions later?"

She groaned and then swore under her breath. "Math…bane of my existence." Oh, but what if… Kagome chewed her lip, and then a sly smile emerged. "How about a trade? For every, oh, I don't know, fifteen or twenty minutes of studying, you answer a question for me?"

Rikuo barked a laugh at her bargaining attempt. "A fan of the carrot rather than the stick approach?"

"More like not a fan of math and looking for some way to make it more enjoyable." She glared at her textbook. If I were a cat, I'd bury it in the litter box…

An insistent beeping sounded from Kagome's phone, and she blew out a sigh of relief, ruffling her bangs. "First break, finally."

Rikuo grinned, unable to contain his amusement at her utter disdain for math. "It's really not as bad as you're making it out to be."

They'd decided to work in the cat room, figuring the cats would enjoy the company, and had settled comfortably on the floor, spreading her materials out around them. Now, Kagome stretched and leaned back, resting her hands behind her, laughing lightly as a couple kittens made a beeline for her now-accessible lap. She straightened slightly, taking care not to jostle them, and looked at him pointedly as she stroked their fur. "So. Question?"

He nodded, snagging a cat dancer toy and waving it distractedly for a hyper tabby. "Ask away."

The smile Kagome gave him reached all the way to her sapphire-colored eyes. "All right, to start, what kind of yokai are you?"

"Tch. Don't waste a question on that—if you've been on Kiyotsugu's site, you should know the yokai supreme commander is a Nurarihyon. Which is true." He snickered when she stuck her tongue out at him. She sure can be feisty, not that I'm complaining…

"Okay, well, then what sort of a yokai is Nurarihyon?"

Rikuo laced his hands together behind his head, thinking back to his first trip to Tōno and his own struggle to answer that very question. "Honestly, it's a little complicated. The short answer is, yes, a Nurarihyon is one of those yokai that sneaks into people's houses, eating their food and drinking their tea."

"Or sake," she added.

His lips quirked into a half smile. It had been good sake, too. "Or sake. Kami knows my grandfather is guilty of having dined and dashed more than a little. But it's more than that. At the heart of that less-than-impressive reputation lies part of a Nurarihyon's skill, which, for lack of a better term, is somewhat akin to illusion."

"Illusion? Like a kitsune?" Kagome asked, absently rubbing the heel of her palm against her chest, which he'd noticed her doing occasionally. Was it an unconscious habit? And if so, why?

Rikuo refocused on her question and frowned. Though he no longer despised Hagoromo Gitsune as he'd once done, he still wasn't overly fond of kitsune, and being compared to them rankled his yokai pride. "Not exactly. Okay, let's back up. Illusion is not quite right." He rested his chin in one hand, considering. His grandfather's explanation was probably the best option since he was striving to keep things brief for the moment.

"Okay, imagine when you see the moon's reflection on the surface of water, like in a pond. It's not entirely an illusion—you see the moon floating in the pond. If you try to touch it, it slips away from you, disappears yet reappears. As my grandfather calls it, 'kyoka suigetsu' or a yokai who embodies dreams."

Kagome tilted her head and eyed him. "So you Nurarihyon truly are slippery like eels?"

Rikuo smirked. "Exactly. I should have known you'd be familiar with that. Anyway, that's both a vague and oversimplified answer, but I can give you more details later. Now, back to math."

She grimaced but complied, and another twenty minutes passed by quickly. As she scribbled down notes, he wondered about her rubbing her chest. It was near the area her youki seemed to emanate from…was it linked to her curse? He'd have to ask her, when the time was right.

At their second break, she'd acted nervous about her question, avoiding eye contact and biting her lip before finally asking him how he'd known she was a miko, and when.

"Uh, well, pretty much since that day at the library. You know, you zapping me with what I figured out was reiki after I talked to my grandfather. He suggested you were a miko, and then Ryūji was the one to confirm it."

Kagome's fidgeting ceased, and her eyes narrowed. "You talked to Ryūji about me? And your grandfather?"

Oh fuck. He couldn't gauge by her expression if she was annoyed or curious, and while he hoped it was the latter, he worried it was the former.

"Yes?" he answered cautiously.

"About what precisely?" Her tone conveyed no more than her expression, and Rikuo decided at this point, best to be honest and beg forgiveness than to go against his better instincts and try to fib his way out of it.

He kept the overview of his conversation with his grandfather after their initial meeting concise. He considered skipping Karasu Tengu's involvement, but figured she'd likely hear about his and Tsurara's visit from her grandfather eventually—if she hadn't already.

"So…then we paid a visit to your family's shrine, though you weren't there. Your grandfather seems very nice by the way."

Her eyebrows flew up. "You went to our shrine?"

Uh-oh. He hoped he hadn't made a terrible error in judgment. "Yeah… Uh, look, I know it might seem stalkerish and all, but—"

Kagome cut him off. "No, no, well, maybe. Okay, yeah, in theory, but I can understand your reasoning. I mean, I can't say I'm thrilled that you suspected me as a threat, but I can't blame you. But…um…" Her hands flexed and curled into fists against her thighs. "What exactly did jii-chan say?"

That's what she was worried about? Rikuo couldn't have explained it, but he got the impression that her nervousness stemmed from more than the possibility of her grandfather saying something embarrassing. Pushing the feeling aside, he told her about their visit, though he didn't mention his suspicions that the old man had been hiding something. He'd ask her about that at a better time. Sometime when she seems less skittish about the subject.

The tension gradually left Kagome's body, and she gave him a small grin. "Be thankful he didn't realize you and Tsurara-san were yokai. He'd likely have doused you in holy wine and plastered ofudas all over you!"

Rikuo chuckled. "Wouldn't be the first time. Ryūji wanted to kill me the first time we met—and I'm not exaggerating. But that sounds like you speak from personal experience?"

For a split second, anguish shone on Kagome's face. But as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone, leaving Rikuo to wonder if he'd imagined it. No, I didn't imagine it. But what caused it?

Her voice held no trace of emotion when she answered. "Well, let's just say you wouldn't be the first hanyō he'd met."

He raised his eyebrows. "Ho?"

She nodded and then glanced at her watch. "Guess it's time to get back to work, huh?"

Her evasiveness only made Rikuo more intrigued, and although he didn't press the subject now, he made a mental note to do so at a later date. That seems to be becoming a trend today… he thought wryly.

And so the next hour and a half passed by swiftly. From time to time, they had to shoo away a cat or two who wanted to lounge atop her textbooks or chew on her notebooks, and once, a poorly timed pounce resulted in a page of notes requiring rewriting. During the agreed-upon study breaks, Kagome asked about his life as a part yokai, such as which of his parents was not fully human, a topic that first led to them discussing how both of their fathers were deceased, then to how his father was murdered, and then to how he became the Nuragumi sandaime. These subjects he had to overgeneralize, and the resulting discussions had to be severely curtailed due to time constraints. All in all, though, Rikuo had to admit Kagome had handled his confession far better than he'd anticipated, and he found it only made her that much more appealing to him.

He really wanted to ask her a few questions himself, such as about her youki, about the so-called curse as Ryūji had referred to it, but Rikuo decided that for today, he'd let her be the one to pose the questions. Plus he had a sneaking suspicion that the conversation wouldn't be a brief one, and as he'd promised to help her pass her math test, he knew getting into some of these more complex topics was liable to be more than a little distracting, not to mention make for a late night.

And we're back to that annoyingly omnipresent theme for today—"we'll talk about it later." He snorted, and Kagome regarded him inquisitively.

"Sorry, just thinking that a lot of the things we've brought up today warrant more lengthy discussion."

She rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Holy hell, do I hate math. It ruins everything."

"Oi, oi, I wouldn't go that far, blue eyes. In fact, I'd say you owe math a thank-you."

The look she gave him was a blend of disbelief and pure disgust. "Oh really? How so?"

Rikuo grinned. "Thanks to your math test, you get to spend the afternoon, and evening, with me."

Kagome groaned loudly and mock glared at him. "I should zap you with my reiki."

He laughed. "Ryūji would like that."

She wrinkled her nose slightly at the mention of the onmyoji. "I'm loath to do anything that he would approve of; however, if it takes that ego of yours down a peg…"

"Ego?" he asked with artificial incredulousness. "What ego? I'm confident." He drew his shoulders back and held his hands palm up, making Kagome snicker.

"Yeah, okay…"

"As a yokai, especially a yokai leader, you have to be. But I wasn't always. And truthfully, there are times I still doubt myself. But I can't. I can't have self-doubts or be weak—if I'm weak, it affects my Hyakki Yakō, and they deserve better," Rikuo said, dropping the self-assured swagger.

He knew what he said made sense logically, but he was surprised to see her nod slowly, her eyes flicking upward as though remembering something. She muttered something to herself that he didn't quite catch—surely she didn't say Sengoku?—and when she glanced over, finding him staring, she flushed guiltily, hastening to apologize.

"Sorry… I was just messing with you. I didn't mean…"

He gave her a half grin, and her blush deepened slightly. "I know. And I'm not saying you should stop, either. Just wanted you to know I'm not completely conceited."

"Only mostly?" she replied, grinning in return.

He shrugged, though he couldn't resist directing a mischievous look toward her. "Hey, is it really 'arrogance' if it's true?"

Kagome half groaned, half laughed. "You're kind of undermining the whole 'I'm not an arrogant ass' thing."

"Oh, so I'm an ass now? My lady miko, you wound me."

Instead of the snarky retort or rolling eyes he expected, Kagome's smile wavered and she stared down at her lap.

What the fuck?

"Oh, so I'm an ass now? My lady miko, you wound me."

For a moment, his intonation and expression had reminded her so very much of Miroku, Kagome was whisked back to the past and she half expected Hiraikotsu to bash him on the head. Gods, she missed them.

She didn't even realize she'd looked down until a gentle hand tipped her face up. "Oi, what's that look for?" Gone was his playful demeanor, his ruby-hued eyes serious and concerned.

"I… Sorry. It's nothing." Nothing, except that you reminded me of a dear friend who's been dead for centuries.

His eyebrows furrowed. "Doesn't look like nothing, blue eyes, but I won't pry."

A part of her wished he would, that he would ask the questions she was scared to answer and not allow her to evade. The larger part of her, on the other hand, was relieved. It was selfish, to be sure, but she didn't want to tell him yet, didn't want to potentially ruin the way things were if the truth wasn't received well.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Rikuo tilted his head to one side. "For? Not prying?"

She shook her head slightly. "No. I mean, yes, but more than that… Thank you for letting me see the real you—for telling me the truth about you being a yokai. It means a lot."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Ah, hell, I should be thanking you for not being angry at me for keeping it a secret for so long."

Kagome averted her eyes, trying to ignore the guilt constricting her chest. "Hmm… Well, we all have secrets." She watched a couple of the younger cats scamper across the room, one swatting a ball and making its bell jingle.

Rikuo tapped her knee, and she turned back to face him, his intense gaze causing her stomach to flutter. "True, but I'd rather not hide anything from you. Being dishonest doesn't come easily to me," he said, lips curving upward.

And here I am being evasive as fuck. Nope, not awkward at all… The band of guilt crushing her chest tightened further. Taking a deep breath, she crammed the guilt away into the far reaches of her mind before exhaling slowly. Then, she managed a weak, "That's not a bad trait to have, Rikuo."

He shrugged. "Perhaps, but there are those, especially yokai, who would say deceit is a useful skill."

"Yeah, well, strategic deception and being a generally dishonest individual are two different things, if you ask me." She smiled at him. "Besides, I think you've got the whole subterfuge thing down pretty well. You managed to hide your presence from me even when you were asleep!"

Rikuo startled. "Huh?"

Kagome bit her lip. Damn her speaking without thinking. "So…remember on Saturday how you fell asleep here?" He nodded, and she explained what she'd done and discovered, or the lack of her discovery, really.

She wondered how he'd react. Hopefully he won't be pissed… Her shoulders drooped slightly.

To her surprise, he laughed. When she stared at him, wide-eyed, he said, "Gomen, Kagome. It's just… The thought of you being paranoid about asking me, and me being worried about telling you… We're quite the pair, aren't we?"

Relief flooded through her. "Hold up. You were worried?"

"Oi, blue eyes. Though you're the first miko I've met, drawing on my experiences with onmyoji, as a general rule, a smart yokai avoids pissing off someone whose powers are uniquely designed to kill them, no matter how pretty or friendly she is."

Ignoring the urge to preen—compliment aside, there was something pleasing about her being his first miko—Kagome said nonchalantly, "I wouldn't have killed you. Sealed you, maybe."

He laughed again, but when she didn't, it trailed off a bit nervously. "You're…joking, right?" She twisted her lips, pretending to think. "Right? Kagome?"

She pressed a hand to her mouth, but the laughter still snuck past. "Sorry…" She sucked in a breath. "It's just… You…" Another deep breath. "Your face…"

Rikuo stared at her for a moment and then snorted. "You're evil, you know that?"

"Evil? Excuse me, which one of us is the yokai here?"

"That's a matter of perspective and human propaganda."

All attempts at composure fled. "You can't be serious! 'Human propaganda'?" she giggled.

He affected disbelief, saying, "C'mon, now, you don't really believe yokai are evil, do you? Sure, we can be, but so can humans."

"Okay, okay," she conceded. "That might be true, but propaganda?" She raised an eyebrow.

He made a sound that she interpreted as poorly stifled laughter. "Oh, hell, I don't know. Though you can't deny it does sound like something some crotchety old onmyoji might try."

The mental image of a grizzled Ryūji, back curved under the weight of age, passing out pamphlets warning against the dangers of yokai came to mind, and entertaining as it was, she also found it all too plausible. "Fair enough."

Rikuo gestured toward her textbook and notes. "You feel more confident now?"

"Definitely!" she said brightly, and it was true—she did feel much better about going into the exam now.

He looked more than a little smug at the confirmation, but then asked, "Hey, not that I'm complaining about getting to spend time with you, but why didn't you ask Natsumi-chan for help?"

Kagome winced. Now that you mention it…oops. "It didn't occur to me?"

"Hmm…let me guess. You don't ask for help very often, do you?" His tone remained lighthearted, but those crimson eyes were serious as they held her gaze.

She glanced away temporarily, not sure she wanted to delve into something like that. Then, with the mention Natsumi, Kagome recalled her remark about believing in yokai and then her evasion when Kagome had asked her about Rikuo. "Hey! Does Natsumi-chan know you're a yokai?"

Rikuo looked taken aback at the swift change in subject. "Uh…yeah? Of course she does."

"Of course she does"? What does that— "Oh, hell, don't tell me Kurotabō is a yokai too?"

"Okay, I won't tell you."

Ignoring him, Kagome scowled. "I am going to kill her."

"Nahhhh, don't be too upset with her. It isn't like we tell a lot of people, and then also with you being a miko, not that Natsumi-chan knows that… Well, anyway, cut her some slack. My best guess is she was waiting for the right time to mention it. Plus she probably wanted to check with Kuro to see if it was all right to tell someone outside the clan. Speaking of which, you'll have to come to the main house sometime, meet everyone." He grinned. "Knowing them, they'll use it as an excuse to have a party…"

Kagome felt as if all the air had left her lungs, and she mercilessly crushed the squeal of glee that wanted to erupt from her at the prospect of meeting an entire clan of yokai, safe yokai who wouldn't try to maim or eat her, but would rather throw a party. Struggling to keep her voice level, she said, "Sure! I'd like that!"

"Me too. So…you free tomorrow night?"

Kagome nodded—she hadn't made any concrete plans with Natsumi yet. Did he mean for her to meet the clan tomorrow? Surely not…

"All right, how about we go out, then? It can either be in congratulations for surviving the test or in consolation if you think you failed miserably."

"Hey!" She poked his arm. "Wasn't the whole point of today so that I don't fail?"

"Truthfully, no." Rikuo grinned impishly. "The point—for me, at least—was to spend time with you. You passing is merely a bonus— Itai!"

Kagome smirked at the yelp he produced when she sent a tiny spark of reiki at him. "Something wrong?"

"Oi! You know damn well what's wrong, so don't give me that innocent act, Kagome. I ain't buying it."

She shrugged nonchalantly and scooped up a cat, hiding her broadening grin as she kissed the top of its head. I wasn't lying when I said I missed yokai…and I missed this. Being able to be me…well…mostly me. The guilt she'd locked away earlier strained at its containment, but she only shoved it further. I'll tell him later…eventually…

Rikuo had crossed his arms, giving her a feigned stern look when he caught sight of her grin. Then he jumped as one of the more wild adolescent cats darted across the room and leapt up to playfully attack the end of his long, gravity-defying hair. It warmed her heart when he didn't react with anger, but rather laughed, then gently pried the claws out of his hair, set the cat down, and tossed a catnip toy its direction. Then he glanced at her. "You hungry?"

"Mmhmm. Where—"

Rikuo's phone ringing interrupted her, and he squinted at the screen and frowned. "I'm sorry. I need to get this."

She waved her hand. "No, it's fine!"

"Hey, Zen, everything okay?" A pause. "'Cause you hardly ever call me. Uh-huh… Seriously though…is there a problem?" he asked, voice tinged with apprehension.

As he talked, Kagome watched him. When he answered the phone, she had never seen him so serious, but now he'd relaxed significantly, his worried frown fading. What's that about?

"Wait, Tuesday morning, as in tomorrow? Shit." Rikuo raked a hand through his hair. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go." A soft smile tugged at his lips. Just who was he talking to?

After another moment, he scoffed. "Oi, oi, I don't want to hear that from you! You're the lazy one—I'm going to be stuck training with Itaku while you get to lounge around in the hot springs. Huh? Yeah, okay…" He stopped, and his gaze met hers. "Hey, lemme let you go. I'll see you at the house later, and we'll work out the details then."

Rikuo hung up and then smiled apologetically at Kagome. "Sorry about that," he said. "I wouldn't have answered, but Zen… Well, he doesn't call me very often, and his health isn't so hot."

"It's fine—is everything okay?"

He sighed, one of long-suffering. "Yeah, it's nothing bad. He wants me to go with him to Tōno, and truthfully, I don't mind going with him, but he didn't exactly give me much notice. You cool with us rain-checking dinner tomorrow? I wouldn't normally ask that of you, except it's Zen…"

"Uh-huh, sure, that's fine," Kagome replied distractedly. She could tell he did feel bad, and she truly didn't mind, but she was too busy internally freaking out over something else he'd said. Tōno? As in, Tōno Monogatari? Kagome did her best to hold in her inner folklorist and yokai fangirl. Tōno isn't going anywhere. Maybe you can finagle a way into getting him to take you there some day…

Rikuo gave her a strange look. "You okay?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Uh-huh. It's…um, Tōno is kind of a hotspot for folklorists, ya know?"

"Just folklorists? Or also yokai fans?" he asked, lips curved in a mischievous smirk. When she averted her gaze, he laughed. "Trust me, it's not as cool as you think. Although, they do have a nice hot spring… And some good sweets… And I do have several friends there… Well, I guess it's all right, aside from the literal weasel bastard of a trainer I have." She could tell by the way he said it, though, that he felt nothing but fondness for his instructor.

"You're only making me more jealous, you know that, right?" Kagome twisted her lips in a frown.

Rikuo snorted and shook his head. "Come on, let's get some food. You've got a test tomorrow, and I've got the trip up to Tōno with Zen to prep for."

After she did a quick check on all the cat sanctuary residents, they headed out the door, but after locking up, she hesitated. "If you don't have time to do dinner tonight, I understand."

"Whoa, who said anything about not having time?" He grinned at her. "For you, I'll make time."

She felt her cheeks grow warm. Smooth jerk has to know what he's doing. "So where to?"

Rikuo shrugged. "You pick. Anything you want."

Kagome gave him a broad smile, and she said cheerfully, "I know just the place!" Then, she grabbed his hand, tugging him down the street. "I hope you like oden!"

Not too far from her apartment was a quaint little restaurant on a side street, with limited seating. They were lucky to snag two spots right as two other guests were leaving. Kagome's mouth watered, and she all but quivered in excitement as their food arrived. She disregarded Rikuo's curious glance and then muffled laugh in favor of digging in.

After several mouthfuls, Kagome hummed in satisfaction. "It's almost—not quite—as good as my mom's. You'll have to come over the next time she makes it for us."

The instant the words left her mouth, she regretted them. Oh kami, what was she saying? Had she really just invited him to meet her family, have dinner with them, so casually…and so soon? She held back a wince, uncertain how he'd respond.

Rikuo smiled. "I'd like that."

He'd like that? What does that mean? Kagome had no idea how to interpret that, but she was relieved he hadn't discounted it entirely. And to her surprise, she found that she wanted him to meet her family…and she wanted to meet his, a desire that went beyond her curiosity over the yokai. Fuckfuckfuck…what does that mean?

In her mental panic, she somehow managed to inhale broth and half-choked, half-coughed.

"You okay?" Rikuo asked, tone laced with concern.

She nodded as she continued to cough, waving a hand in front of her, and then took a sip of her water. "Sorry. Down the wrong way. Anyway, um…" Kagome paused and took a careful bite, scrambling to change the subject. "So…"

The universe took pity on her, as Rikuo was the one to do so. "So, random change of topic, if that's okay?"

Oh by all means… "Of course!" she said brightly.

He hesitated, as though he were considering his next words. Then, "You know Ryūji?"

Her lip curled involuntarily. "Yes…"

Rikuo grinned. "Right…forgot you're not especially fond of him. Like I told you, he has that effect on people. But he's not all bad."

"I'll take your word for it," Kagome said dryly.

"Anyway, he and I are working together on something… A, uh, project…"

"A project?"

He drummed his fingers on the table and then snapped them like an idea had occurred to him. "We're writing a book!"

What? "A book?" she asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Is he serious? There's no way…

"Yeah, a book about yokai and these two detectives…" Rikuo gave her an expectant look, and it hit her.

Ahhhh, I get it now! She ducked her head to try to hide a mischievous grin. She just couldn't resist. "Right, right, sorry. I forgot you two are romance novel writers. So this one's romantic suspense?"

Rikuo's eyes widened, and then his lips twitched. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, and a second later, her phone chimed.

Rikuo: romance novels? Really? you're having way too much fun with this
Kagome: but you made it so easy though! ;-)

"You were saying?" Kagome said out loud, attempting to keep her tone innocent.

He snorted. "I wanted to get your…hmm…opinion. So the, uh, main characters, the detectives, are a…yokai guy and his, uh, partner, who's an onmyoji."

"Let me guess—the onmyoji is an asshole?"

Rikuo grinned. "Nailed it." He sobered. "Anyway…so the onmyoji guy gets contacted by the local police, who want their help on a case they're having trouble solving."

Kagome nodded. "Ahh, of course, the quintessential useless police trope. A mystery staple." She fought back a grin as she ate more of her oden.

He rolled his eyes and tapped on his phone briefly.

Rikuo: not helping

Kagome couldn't contain her smirk then and sent a shrug emoji.

Rikuo gave an exaggerated sigh, but one corner of his mouth slanted upward. "Well, to be fair, it isn't entirely the police's fault; they're not exactly used to dealing with the paranormal."

"This is true. All right, so they're not completely useless."

He arched an eyebrow. "Careful, you're starting to sound a bit like that onmyoji character…"

The smirk dropped off her face, and this time she was the one to shoot off a hurried text.

Kagome: remember earlier? you, my reiki, bzzzzzz

A wheeze came from the other side of the table, and she glanced up to see Rikuo cough into his sleeve.

"You get oden down the wrong way too?" She tsked. "We really should be more careful."

Rikuo half coughed, half laughed. "I swear, blue eyes, you're going to be the death of me. Would you please let me finish?"

"Yes, sorry. Just…hmm…don't compare me to that onmyoji character, 'kay?"

He proceeded to tell her a tale, which she assumed to be fairly edited for their current surroundings, of murder, kidnappings, and a vague supernatural link. He kept his tone light and peppered the story with a dash of humor, yet Kagome could sense the seriousness that lay behind his façade.

How the hell was all this going on without me noticing? Kagome squashed the tendril of guilt that tried to worm its way through her. You couldn't have known. And you know now.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but it seems to me that your characters have hit a bit of a wall. Is that…hmm…writer's block or part of the plotline?"

Rikuo shrugged and exhaled harshly, clearly frustrated. "Both? I guess Ryūji and I aren't sure, uh, where to take our characters." He paused for a moment, and then awkwardly scratched the back of his neck. "Oh, there's one other part of the story…you know, since we're romance writers, and all…" He looked at her pointedly. "The yokai character…"

Kagome's mouth went dry. Where is he going with this?

"He's met this girl, someone pretty special. Turns out she's a miko and has a fair amount of knowledge about the paranormal."

Kagome took a gulp of her water, swallowed. "And?" She flinched at the hopeful note in her voice.

Rikuo gave her one of his half-grins that she found utterly appealing. "And he likes her a lot. But he's worried about all this shit going down, concerned she might be a target, even though he knows she can probably take care of herself."

"Probably?" she huffed, though mostly in teasing. "I should hope that your character would have enough faith in her. If not, you should, hmm, consider revising that part. Just my oh so humble opinion."

Rikuo laughed. "Consider it revised. Still…you can't blame the guy for worrying about someone he cares about, right?" His gaze held hers captive, and for a moment, she swore she caught a hint of red in those brown eyes.

The idea of him caring about her, and being concerned for her safety, warmed her to the tips of her toes. And apparently, the tips of her ears as well, if the flush she felt in her face was anything to go by. She cleared her throat. "R-right. Um, has your character thought about asking this girl for her help?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. But when he returns from a, uh, 'business trip'." He made air quotes and she giggled.

This is insane. We're insane. She eyed their empty bowls. "Ready to go?"

"Oh, hell, your test tomorrow. Right."

They headed out of the little restaurant and toward her apartment. Kagome tilted her head up to look at the sky as they walked, and Rikuo heard a wistful sigh escape her.

"Yen for your thoughts?" he asked.

"I miss seeing the stars. They were so bright back then…" There was a melancholy note to her voice, a soul-deep longing that almost had him offering to take her to Tōno with him tomorrow, but he knew he couldn't put her in that position. It wouldn't be fair—she'd definitely want to skip her test to go.

Instead, he said impulsively, "I'll take you with me to Tōno next time. You can see the stars really well there. And, well, I know there are other reasons you'd enjoy it."

Kagome startled at his offer, nearly tripping. "Really?"

Rikuo wanted to smack himself. I have no fucking clue how I'm going to get Itaku to agree to it… However, the way she smiled at him, the unrestrained joy on her face filled him with such happiness, he'd be damned if he didn't find a way to make it happen. "Really."

She pressed her lips together, as though holding something back, and turned around to face forward, continuing their stroll toward her apartment. But he didn't miss the tiny skip in her step as she did so.

Why does making her happy make me so happy?

The answer was obvious, and he knew it.

Well, shit. Didn't see that coming.

Author's notes:
1. The part about "kyoka suigetsu" is from Nurarihyon no Mago chapter 72

2. I hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and that it made up for the cliffhanger last time ;-)