Three worlds intertwine

Here is the next chapter of the story. Also sorry about my spelling error on the title of the story. It was supposed to say 'Three worlds intertwine' instead of 'Three Words intertwin'. Once again, sorry for the error.

Previously on Three worlds intertwine, Nariko's profile:

It had been only one day that I was invited to stay at the Fugen'in temple, and things had suddenly turned strange for me. Ushio and I winded fighting against a snake youkai called Uwabami, and were nearly killed in the process. Luckily we were saved by a shadowy beast, but Ushio winded getting injured by the Uwabami and fell unconscious later on. After we got home safely, I asked Sumako to tell me why the demons seem to hate not only her and Ushio, but Mayuko as well. Boy, I never thought that my life would change in an instant after being welcomed into the Aotsuki family temple.

Chapter six: The shadowy beast and Ushio's past part 2

We return to where Nariko, Mayuko, Asako and Sumako were all sitting together within the living room. Nariko sat across from Sumako as the she-wolf's eyes staring intently at the woman in front of her. After a moment, Sumako gently spoke as she began to tell Nariko the reason why the demons hated both her, Ushio and Mayuko.

"The tale begins long ago before you were born. Many centuries ago, there was a great demon that wished to cause destruction and chaos. It was a monster that both youkai and humans feared. The youkai was a white furred beast with nine tails and had the face of the goblin. The name of the demon was Hakumen no Mono."

"Hakumen no Mono," repeated Nariko as her eyes narrowed slightly. "That was the name the Uwabami spoke of when it fought me and Ushio."

"Hakumen no Mono was a fierce youkai that no human or youkai could defeat," continued Sumako. "It destroyed countless cities and countries on the main continent. It wasn't long before Hakumen decided on which land would be its next target. It took on the form of a beautiful girl, and boarded a boat from China that was set to sail across the sea to Japan. It was around that time that a young woman, who went by the name of Yuki, was born. She was a simple dancing girl who spent her life doing dancing and prostitution. But she was more than just an ordinary women, for she had great spiritual powers that were stronger then those of the priests' and priestesses' of Japan. It wasn't long before Yuki's path crossed with Hakumen no Mono. When it did, Yuki was brought into a war that had both humans and youkai fighting together to defeat Hakumen no Mono."

Nariko's eyes widened slightly at what Sumako had said. Humans and youkai had fought in a war together a thousand years ago? This was something that the young she-wolf had never thought would be possible.

'Of course, I never actually thought that youkai existed either, until I encountered one today,' thought Nariko quietly to herself.

The young she-wolf then return to listening to Sumako's story.

"Humans, monsters and demons battled against Hakumen for many days and many nights, until the great youkai was finally over whelmed and fled. As it did; Yuki and the monsters of Japan pursued Hakumen in hopes of ending the demon's life before it could caused anymore harm. They followed Hakumen out into the ocean, but what happened next was something that Yuki had not predicted. Hakumen had burrowed its body into the keystone that held up the islands of Japan."

Nariko frowned slightly before blinking when she suddenly started to remember something that had happened a few years back. It had been in 2015 when Japan went into a state of emergency. Nariko had been twelve when the orphanage had gotten the news to evacuate and head towards the nearest safety center in their hometown. Everyone had been in a panic when their town had been hit by a large earthquake. The more she remembered it, the more Nariko began to piece together the story that Sumako was telling her. Nariko decided to listen to the rest of Sumako's story before she made any assumptions.

"Not long after that, the youkai who have been following Yuki appeared. With the danger of Japan under threat of Hakumen being buried deep in its keystone, Yuki had no choice but to form a powerful barrier around the white beast. And in that act, the barrier kept the youkai from attacking Hakumen and destroying the keystone. After putting up the barrier around Hakumen, Yuki made it her duty to keep the nine tailed beast sealed away. But many years passed and Yuki's strength began to fade. That was when a new successor was chosen to take on the role of watching over Hakumen no Mono. You see, before Yuki took part within the war with Hakumen, she had a child that carried on her bloodline."

"I see," spoke Nariko in a soft voice. "So for Hakumen to stay sealed away. A person from Yuki's bloodline had to be chosen to take on the responsibility."

"Yes," replied Sumako with a nod. "And the one that had taken on that role of successor was a poor village girl that went by the name of Mikado Hizaki. She never grieved her sad fate though. Instead, she simply took on the duty of keeping Hakumen no Mono sealed away. Yet after three hundred years have passed, her strength finally failed her. That was when another was chosen to take her place in sealing away Hakumen no Mono."

"Wait a minute," said Nariko as she stopped Sumako from continuing. "Did you just say that Mikado Hizaki had lived for three hundred years while keeping Hakumen sealed away from the world? That's impossible. Humans can barely live up to being a hundred years old. So how was she able to live that long without dying?"

"You could say that Yuki's bloodline was special," replied Sumako gently. "You see, she and her bloodline age slower then most people. They were still mortal and can still die."

"Okay, so if that's the case then who was the next successor in sealing away Hakumen no Mono?"

Sumako hesitated for a moment before she took in a deep breath and spoke. "The next successor who took Mikado's place...was me."

Nariko's eyes widened in surprise as she stared at Sumako in shock. The mood within the room became tense as Mayuko and Asako stared at Nariko and Sumako nervously. As for the she-wolf, she could only stare at the women who sat before her. After what felt like an hour, but was only a minute, Nariko finally spoke.

"So...if you're the last successor to Yuki's bloodline, then that would mean that Mayuko..."

"Is also part of Yuki's bloodline," said Sumako as she finished Nariko's words.

Nariko turned to look at Mayuko, who gazed back at her with a sad expression upon her face. The she-wolf stared at the young blonde for a moment before closing her eyes and shook her head to clear her thoughts. She then turned her gaze onto Sumako again before speaking.

"Okay, so I get why the youkai hate you, Ushio and Mayuko. But there's still one thing that needs to be clarify here. If you were down at the bottom of the sea and keeping Hakumen no Momo sealed away, then how were you able to give birth to Ushio?"

"That is a little complicated to explain," replied Sumako in a hesitant voice. "All I can say is that I was able to find a way to keep Hakumen sealed for two years, while I took a break from my duty to see the changes of the world. And when I did, I winded up meeting Shigure. It took a few days to get to know each other, until one day Shigure asked me to marry him. And after we did, Ushio was born. Unfortunately I wasn't able to stay for very long, because after my two years were up, I had to go back to keeping an eye on Hakumen again."

Nariko frowned slightly before speaking. "So the reason that the youkai hate you and Mayuko, is because Hakumen forced your ancestor, Yuki, to make the decision to keep him sealed away. In turn, she had to protect the keystone pillar of Japan from being destroyed, and the islands of Japan from sinking into the sea. And the reason the youkai also have a grudge against Ushio was because he is also part of Yuki's bloodline. But there's just one thing that really doesn't add up. When me and Ushio were fighting the Uwabami, the serpent kept on calling your son the bearer of the Beast Spear. Just what exactly is this weapon and why are youkai so afraid of it?"

Sumako hesitated as a light frown appeared on her face. Nariko noticed this as she stared at the woman before her. After a minute of silence, Nariko finally spoke in a gentle voice.

"If its something you don't want to tell me, then I won't push."

Sumako, Mayuko and Asako looked at Nariko in surprise before the she-wolf spoke again.

"I'm not the kind of girl to push people past their comfort zone. So I'll wait until you're ready to tell me the rest of your story, Mrs. Sumako."

Sumako stared at Nariko in amazement before a smile appeared on her face. Yet she was also relieved that the she-wolf didn't push her to talk about son's past. She felt like it wasn't her place to tell Nariko all of Ushio's past without his consent. Mayuko and Asako also felt the same way for they knew that Ushio still didn't want to talk about his past. Especially when it came to talking about the lose of his friend. Nariko then spoke up with a smile on her face, and what she said caused the three females to look at the she-wolf in surprise.

"Though after hearing that you're bloodline can live longer than normal people. I get the feeling that Ushio will easily hit either three or four hundred easily before he croaks. After all, he has a stubborn attitude that can rival a mule's personality."

Asako, Sumako and Mayuko stared at Nariko for a moment before all three of them burst out laughing. Nariko smiled slightly as she gazed at the three females before her. It took a while before they all calmed down and Asako was the first one to speak.

"You sure know how to break the ice when it comes to tense situations."

"Well...I prefer to have conversations where everyone is more comfortable with each other," said Nariko with a wink.

Mayuko smiled at the she-wolf before she spoke. "You really are something, Nariko-chan."

Nariko only shrugged her shoulders, but was actually blushing underneath her fur. It wasn't long after that Mayuko and Asako had to go back home. They made sure to gather up their shopping bags before they headed towards the front door. Nariko and Sumako escorted them out before the two girls bid them goodnight. Nariko watched Mayuko and Asako leave through the temple gate before she followed Sumako back inside. Nariko decided to take a bath before supper so as to wash out all of the dirt from her fur. Before she did, Nariko had taken off her bandana and stored it away in one of the top draws within the guest bedroom. Once that had been done, the young she-wolf made her way to the bath. She threw her torn and dirty clothes into the laundry basket before she began to inspect her body. As she did, Nariko couldn't help noticing that she only had a few scratch marks on her body. She then started to stretch out her body a bit to see if anything was broken, and she was surprised to discover that she didn't feel anything broken or out of place.

'This is really strange,' thought Nariko quietly to herself as she sat within the warm waters of the bath. 'After battling that snake youkai I should have gotten more serious injuries. Yet none of my bones or any parts of my body are broken, and the only wounds that I got from the fight were a few scratches.'

Nariko frowned slightly in thought as she tried to figure out this mystery. Getting scratches was nothing new to the young she-wolf, for she had gotten plenty of those back when the scientists performed their 'tests' on her. Yet despite the hell she went through, Nariko had only gotten burn marks and scratches.

'Now that I think about it. I haven't really gotten any serious injuries when those scientists put me through those tests that would have cracked any normal human bones.' Nariko then lifted her right hand up out of the water and looked down at it. 'Could it be some kind of factor that beastmen have that makes them resilient to getting serious wounds and injuries?'

Nariko continued to stare down at her hand for a long while before letting it fall back into the water, while letting out a sigh in the process. She then sunk down into the tub with her chin half submerged in the water. The thought of her body being not normal left Nariko with a lot of questions spinning around inside her head. Yet there was one thought that stood out in the forefront of her mind.

'Just what exactly am I?' thought Nariko quietly to herself.

It was a while later that Nariko finished her bath. She now wore a short sleeved, wide neck white shirt and black mid thigh shorts. The young she-wolf let out a tired sigh as she made her way towards the living room. But then paused when she heard voices speaking from within the living room. Nariko recognized the two voices right away to be Ushio and Sumako.

'What's Ushio doing down here?' thought Nariko curiously. 'Shouldn't he be in bed resting?'

Curious about what they were saying, Nariko quietly walked towards the open doors of the living room. The young she-wolf then paused when she was able to hear the two family members without them knowing of her presence. Nariko's sharp sense of hearing quickly caught what the two were speaking.

"Why would you tell Nariko about your past mom?"

"She had the right to know about why the youkai hated both you, Mayuko and I after what you two went through today Ushio."

"She didn't need to know everything about either of our pasts though!" exclaimed Ushio in frustration.

"I didn't tell her everything," spoke Sumako gently. "I only told her a bit on what I felt would be enough to satisfy her curiosity for now."

Nariko frowned slightly after hearing what Sumako had said. There was a long pause between the two family members before Ushio spoke again.

"So...you're saying that she doesn't know about the Beast Spear, Ms. Jie Mei or..."

"No," replied Sumako with a shake of her head. "Nariko also didn't press about knowing your past either. She's willing to wait until you and I are ready to tell her."

Nariko heard a sigh before Ushio spoke again: "I don't think I'll ever be ready to tell her about what I had done in the past. It brings up too many painful memories of what I had lost. Especially that big, stupid jerk."

A sad expression appeared on Nariko's face after hearing what Ushio had said. Whatever had happened to him five years ago must have really left an emotional scar on the young man. Deciding not to listen any more, Nariko turned and made her way towards the guest bedroom she was occupying.

We soon find Nariko lying on her back upon the futon with her hands resting on top of her chest. The young she-wolf stared up at the ceiling of the guest bedroom with a serious expression upon her face. She thought over what had happened to her and what she had learned during her stay in the temple. As she did, Nariko began to think back on the battle with the Uwabami. The serpent had shown a great dislike towards Sumako because it, along with the rest of the youkai, hated the woman and her predecessors for protecting their enemy. Yet when it came to Ushio, Nariko couldn't help feeling that there was a deeper hatred the youkai have towards Sumako's son that she was not aware of.

'The snake demon kept calling Ushio 'the wielder of the Beast Spear'. Just what exactly is the Beast Spear, and why would demons fear such a weapon.'

Nariko then remembered something else that the Uwabami had said. It had mentioned the name of a youkai that Ushio had tamed five years ago.

'Nagatobimaru' thought Nariko within her head. 'I think that was what the Uwabami had said during the battle. Yet the way it spoke, it sounded as if the snake didn't show much respect to the guy very much. Then there's that conversation that I overheard within the living room. I know that there's more to Ushio and Sumako's past then what Ushio's mother had just told me. Yet who is this Jie Mei person that Ushio spoke about? And how is she connected to Sumako and her two predecessors?'

Nariko frowned before letting out a groan of frustration. She lifted her hands up and ran her fingers through the bangs of her hair. Nariko then sighed as she got into a sitting position.

"This is getting me no where," voiced Nariko softly. "All its doing is getting me confused and more curious about the Aotsuki clan's past with demons."

Just then Nariko heard a knock at the bedroom door and she turned towards it. "Yes?"

The door opened to reveal Sumako, who had a gentle smile on her face. "Dinner is ready."

"Oh...okay," said Nariko with a smile. "I'll be right down."

Sumako nodded her head before closing the door again. Once she did, Nariko let out a soft sigh as she sat on her futon for a moment more. She then stood up and headed downstairs to the living room.

Nariko quietly ate dinner with Ushio and Sumako as they enjoyed some pieces of cooked pork, rice, fried vegetables and Sumako's miso soup. As she did, the young she-wolf a glance at Ushio for a moment. She watched as the nineteen year old chowed down on his supper like there was no tomorrow.

"You sure have a healthy appetite," said Nariko as she picked up her rice bowl. "I'm surprised that you're able to move around at that speed after getting those injuries from the youkai we fought today."

Ushio didn't reply as he was busy sipping the miso soup. A sweat drop appeared on the side of Nariko's head before she let out a sigh. She then turned to look at Sumako.

"I'm guessing the medicine you gave him has some incredible healing abilities, huh?" questioned Nariko as she watched Sumako pour tea into a clay cup.

"Yes," replied Sumako as she finished pouring the tea and placing the teapot down on the table. "It's a secret medicine that we had got from a couple of friends Ushio made a long time ago."

"I see," said Nariko with a nod. "Then they must be pretty amazing."

"You could say that," said Sumako with a smile.

Nariko gathered up a small bit of rice with her chopsticks and popped it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. Nariko almost had have the mind to ask either Ushio or Sumako if they knew of a youkai named Nagatobimaru. But then she thought better of it and continued on with eating her meal. There was almost a comfortable silence within the room until Ushio placed his bowl down on the chabudai table and began to speak.

"Hey...Nariko."

The young she-wolf looked up at Ushio. "Yeah?"

Ushio paused for a moment before he spoke again. "About what happened today...I think its best that you stay inside the temple."

Nariko frowned as she gave Ushio a strange look. "What do you mean 'stay inside the temple'?"

"I mean...that you should stay inside the temple where its safe and you won't have to get hurt," explained Ushio in a soft voice.

Nariko sighed as she placed her rice bowl and chopsticks down on the table before her face took on a serious expression.

"Ushio...I hope you haven't forgotten about what you and your father had assigned me to do?"

Ushio blinked as he looked at Nariko in confusion before the she-wolf continued to speak in a calm voice.

"You appointed me to be the guardian of the temple, and to protect you, along with your family and friends, from any danger that might come to harm you."

"Yeah, well we didn't mean that literally," said Ushio with a frown upon his face.

"If that's true, then why did you two force me to become the guardian of this temple in the first place?" questioned Nariko as she narrowed her eyes slightly.

Ushio hesitated for a moment as he tried to come up with an answer to Nariko's question. Yet no matter how hard he tried, Ushio just couldn't seem to find the right words to say to the young she-wolf. After a minute of hesitation, Nariko's serious expression turned steely before she spoke again.

"Was it only because you felt sorry for me?"

"What?" exclaimed Ushio as he looked up at Nariko in shocked surprise. "No, that's not it at all!"

"Then why give me the title of 'Guardian of the temple' if you're just going to say that I should hide whenever danger comes around?" questioned Nariko as her voice began to lower slightly as she felt anger build up inside her. "Were you and your dad lying when you told me that I should become the protector of this place?"

"No!" shouted Ushio as he grew frustrated at Nariko's words. "All I'm saying is that you shouldn't go diving into danger that you don't understand!"

"Give me a brake!" yelled Nariko as she bared her teeth at Ushio. "I'm not some helpless kid that needs protection! I've been doing just fine by myself way before I met you and your family!"

"Yeah, well girls like you shouldn't be fighting demons!" exclaimed Ushio angrily.

Nariko blinked at what he had just said before a growl began to rise up within both her chest and throat. Ushio flinched slightly when he heard the growl and began to grow slightly nervous. Sumako, who had been sitting quietly as she watched the two fight, also tensed up slightly when she felt a strong aura rising up around Nariko.

"So that's what you think of me as?" asked Nariko in a dangerously low voice, which slowly began to rise up an octave. "That I'm some sort of weak little girl that needs to be protected because you think I'm helpless? Now that just ticks me off! I can't believe that you would be the sexist type who sees girls and women as nothing, but damsels that need to be saved all the time!"

Ushio blanched slightly at Nariko's words before he tried to correct himself. "N-no! That's not-"

"Save it!" shouted Nariko as she stood up from the floor and glared down at Ushio in fury. "I don't want to hear anymore of your excuses!"

Without another word, Nariko quickly turned and walked out of the living room while slamming the door angrily behind her. Ushio stared at the door in surprise before letting out a sigh of defeat.

"That...didn't go as planned," muttered Ushio in a low voice.

"I did warn you," said Sumako as she looked at her son in sympathy. "Nariko is quite strong-willed, and she seems to be the type that doesn't back down on people telling her what to do."

"Tell me about it," grumbled Ushio with a pout. "Who knew that she would wind up being another Asako?"

Sumako chuckled slightly before speaking. "I get the feeling that's she is more like you in a way."

"More like me?" repeated Ushio before letting out a groan. "If that's the case, then it'll wind up being a nightmare for me."

Sumako smiled slightly at her son before it changed into a frown. "In any case. I think it's best that we'd let Nariko be by herself for a while until she's calmer to hear reason."

"Probably a good idea," said Ushio with a nod. "I'll check up on her tomorrow to see how she's doing. Right now she's probably in her room fuming on the futon."

Unknow to Ushio and Sumako, that wasn't what Nariko was doing. Instead she was sitting on top of the house's roof with her knees brought up to her knees, and her arms resting on top of them. The young she-wolf was glaring out towards the city of Tokyo, while a warm breeze gently blew through her fur and hair. Her ears were pinned down on top of her head as a soft growl rose up within her throat slightly.

"The nerve of that guy," muttered Nariko quietly to herself. "He doesn't understand anything about me. I don't need his or anyone else's protection. I've been able to take care of myself just fine. Besides, he's the one who doesn't stand a chance when it comes to fighting youkai. He's pretty much helpless without a weapon to protect him."

Nariko then paused as she thought over what she had just say. Her thoughts ran back to the 'Beast Spear' and the story of the samurai that had wielded a spear. Nariko remembered how the spear bestowed the samurai the strength of a beast to fight youkai, while the Beast Spear was a weapon that all youkai feared throughout the centuries. After a while, Narko quickly started to connect the dots before realization came over her.

"The spear that gave samurai the strength of a beast and the spear that all youkai feared...could it be that those two spears are one in the same?"

Then before Nariko could think any further, a harsh wind suddenly blew against her back. Nariko yelp out in surprise as the wind whipped through her hair and fur before stopping after a second later. The young she-wolf shook her head before glancing up. When she did, Nariko noticed a shadowy figure sitting on the wall of the temple. As she looked closer, the young she-wolf's eyes widened when she recognized the figure.

"It's the shadow beast," voiced Nariko in a low voice.

The figure on the wall stared at Nariko for a moment before it turned and leapt into the forest. Nariko quickly stood up and jumped down from the house. She easily landed on her feet before she quickly started running towards the wall that the shadow beast had sat on a moment ago. Nariko then leaped over the wall and landed on the other side. She didn't waste any time in pausing as she ran into the woods in pursuit of the beast. The young she-wolf paused about halfway as she looked around the forest in hopes of finding the beast. Yet she didn't see any sign of her target.

'That beast...was it a youkai?' thought Nariko as she slowly took in her surroundings.

For a moment, Nariko thought about going back to the temple when her eyes quickly caught sight of something. She turned and spotted the shadowy beast hiding behind the tree before it suddenly dashed away into the darkness.

"Wait!" shouted Nariko before she ran after the creature.

As she did, Nariko began to sense a familiar aura surrounding the beast as it ran ahead of her. 'This aura...its the same as the one back at the temple. Could this shadow beast be the same phantom that is haunting the temple?'

Nariko continued to follow the beast before she came out of the forest to stand in a medium sized clearing. The young she-wolf panted as she stood within the clearing, while the full moon shone down brightly over head. Nariko started to look around the clearing, but saw not sign of the shadowy beast. After a catching her breath, Nariko shouted out into the darkness of the forest.

"Where are you youkai? You caught my attention at the temple and brought me out here beast! So now I want to know why you keep haunting the temple, and why you saved me and Ushio from the Uwabami!"

Nariko was only met with silence within the clearing. The only sound that could be heard was the soft rustle of branches from the trees and bushes as the wind gently blew through them. Nariko let out a growl of frustration before she shouted out again.

"Listen; I'm not in a good mood right now! So if you have nothing to say to me then I'm leaving!"

Nariko turned and was about to head back to the temple when the same blast of wind blew in front of her. Nariko quickly lifted her arms up to protect her face from the flying leaves and branches that were being blown at her. Then like before, the wind died down a second later. Nariko slowly lowered her arms before a familiar deep and rough voice spoke up from behind her.

"Man, who would have known that you would wind up being just as short tempered as that brat is."

Nariko's eyes widened slightly before she took in a deep breath and spoke in a calmer voice. "Let's just say that I'm a bit annoyed with one of occupants in the temple right now."

Nariko heard the voice chuckle before it spoke again. "Yeah, Ushio can have that affect on people and youkai when they're around him."

The she-wolf's ears twitched slightly as a look of surprise appeared on her face. How did this beast know Ushio's name? She then quickly remembered the Uwabami mentioning the name of a youkai in one of its rants when she and Ushio had faced it. Nariko frowned before speaking in a guarded voice.

"If you know Ushio...then you must be the youkai that the Uwabami spoke of, right?"

"Yeah," replied the rough voice with a hint of contempt in its tone. "Though the way he mentioned me being weak and trying to muscle his way into my territory had rubbed my fur the wrong way. Not to mention having the nerve to try and eat the one I claimed as my meal to consume one day."

"I'm guessing that you don't like Ushio very much then, huh?"

The voice chuckled once again. "You pretty much, as human would say, hit the nail right on the head. But putting that aside, the reason I brought you out here is because I'm more interested in you."

Nariko's body tensed slightly at what the voice had just said. Why would this youkai be interested in her? As if reading her thoughts, the shadowy beast answered Nariko's silent question.

"The way you're able to call up lighting from your body; how you can hold your own against youkai that are twice your size and you being able to get up after the beat down you had with that serpent. Those are things that no mortal can do, no matter what race they're from. So tell me; who exactly are you and where do you really come from?"

Nariko frowned at the monster's question before answering. "I'm pretty sure you already heard my backstory that I told to Ushio and his family."

"Yeah, but was it really true?" questioned the youkai in a low voice. "If so, then turn around and look me straight in the eye if you have the guts to do so."

Nariko was quiet for a moment before she spoke once again. "If I do turn around, will you swear not to attack me?"

The youkai was silent, but when he did speak it was in a voice that Nariko could swear held a hint of amusement. "I swear upon my title as a Daiyoukai to not attack or kill you."

Nariko's eyes narrowed slightly in distrust at the youkai's words, for she was unsure to whether to trust them or not. Yet after a moment of thinking, Nariko decided to risk turning around to face the shadowy beast. So after taking in a deep breath, the young she-wolf slowly turned around to face the youkai. But when she did, Nariko gasped in surprise and took a step back. The reason for that was because standing right in front of the young she-wolf was the shadow beast. Luckily it didn't stand towering over Nariko. Instead; the youkai sat crouched on the ground with its white eyes glaring straight into Nariko's silver grey eyes. But even though the youkai was crouched to be at eye level with Nariko, the she-wolf still felt intimidated by his size.

'I have to admit. He's pretty frightening up close, even without the intense aura flaring around him like last time,' thought Nariko quietly to herself.

Nariko then noticed something strange about the creature. As she did, the young she-wolf saw that the creature's body looked less dark then when she had first seen him. She also noticed the muted color of orange underneath the shadow that surrounded the youkai's body.

She couldn't help voicing those thoughts out loud. "You don't look so dark anymore."

The youkai bared his white teeth into a smirk as a deep chuckle emerged from his chest before he spoke.

"We now come face-to-face with each other, and that's the first thing you speak in front of me? You must be pretty brave or pretty stupid to say that before a great youkai."

Nariko frowned at the youkai before she decided to get down to business. "So...you want to know if I lied to the Aotsuki family, right?"

"Yeah," replied the beast as his expression turned serious. "And to make sure that you aren't another youkai that's trying to eat my meal."

"Your meal?" echoed Nariko as she cocked an eyebrow in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"

The monster's eyes narrowed slightly before he replied. "I already claimed that brat, Ushio, as my prey. So I'm the one who gets to eat him, you got that straight you little runt?"

Nariko's widened slightly before she frowned. "You're kidding right? Why would I want to eat Ushio?"

"Because that's what all youkai and monsters do. We eat humans," replied the monster with glare.

The fur on Nariko's body bristled in both anger and disgust before she shouted at the youkai in front of her.

"Let's get one thing straight here big guy! I'm a beastman not a youkai and I do not eat humans! And there's no way I'm interested in eating someone like Ushio! If I did; I'll probably wind up becoming stupid like him!"

The youkai's eyes widened in surprised as he stared at the she-wolf in front of him. The creature then smirked before he spoke again in a amused voice.

"Well now, looks like you're also not afraid to voice what your really feel about the brat."

Nariko huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Let's just say that he said some pretty insensitive things to me tonight. So I'm pretty ticked off at him right now."

"Ticked off enough to have the urge to kill him?" questioned the youkai in a neutral voice.

Nariko scoffed as her tail flicked slightly behind her. "No, but probably enough to give him a few whacks in the head to hopefully knock some sense into him."

Nariko then jumped slightly in surprise when the creature suddenly burst out laughing. His laughter was so loud that it boomed throughout the air before he calmed down enough to speak again.

"You're amusing I'll give you that. Now tell me truthfully little wolf pup. Did that story you fed to the brat and his parents really true?"

Nariko's face became serious as she stared straight into the youkai's white eyes. "My story about what had happened to me back at the lab was completely true. I swear upon my very heart and soul."

The beast was silent as he glared down into Nariko's silver grey eyes. As he did, Nariko couldn't help but feel like the youkai was staring straight into her very being. Yet she refused to break eye contact with him as she continued her staring contest with the beast. For a while it felt like it was eternity for Nariko as she continued to glared into the beast's eyes, when it had actually only been a minute. The monster then moved his face closer towards Nariko's, which caused the she-wolf to flinch slightly. Yet she continued to remain standing where she was. Nariko then froze up in surprise when the youkai shoved his snout towards her neck and began to sniff at the half healed burn mark. The young she-wolf remained still as she let the beast sniff at her neck, yet she was tempted to smack the youkai's snout away from her. The beast took his time to sniff at the burn mark for a moment before drawing back.

"*hump* I guess you were telling the truth," spoke the youkai in a low voice.

Nariko let out a sigh as she relaxing slightly. She then spoke in a voice that was half playful and half cautious.

"From the tone of your voice, you sound disappointed."

The youkai scoffed as he turned his head away from Nariko, while a frown appeared on his muzzle.

"I was hoping to find an excuse to kill you," grumbled the beast. "I don't like it when I have to face those who like to get in the way between me and my prey."

Nariko gave the youkai a curious look at what he had just said. "If I'm an obstacle in your way, then why did you help me back when that man in the black suit had me at gun point? I mean, you could have just sat back and let him dart me, then let him drag me away from the temple."

"Then that stupid Ushio would have wind up fighting that guy and his friends just to save you," answered the beast as he scrunched up his snout. "Also; I prefer to take care of demons or monsters who try to make a meal out of the kid myself."

'Why do I feel like that's a lie?' thought Nariko quietly to herself.

Nariko decided to change the subject slightly and asked the youkai her next question. "So do you also have a grudge against Ushio's mother and Mayuko as well?"

The beast scoffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Not in the slightest. Ushio's mother pretty much did this whole island of Japan a favor and it gave me the chance to finish Hakumen off as well. As for the ham-barker girl, Mayuko, let's just say she's next on my list of people to eat after Ushio. You could say she's my 'dezzert' after I'm finished with the brat."

Nariko blinked at what the youkai had just said before she snorted and began to laugh. The beast's eyes widened slightly at Nariko's sudden laughter before glaring at her.

"What's so funny?" questioned the youkai angrily.

"Sorry," said Nariko as she got control of herself. "It's just...you pretty much got some of you wording wrong when it comes to saying hamburger and dessert."

The youkai growled before turning his head away and pouted in anger. Nariko couldn't help but be more curious about the monster in front of her. She could tell that he wasn't the type of youkai that she should mess around with. Yet she felt like she was talking to a person instead of a beast that wanted to kill her. Also, Nariko saw how the youkai was acting more like a curious, yet stubborn child then a monster that wanted to eat people.

'Never thought I'd meet someone like this guy,' thought Nariko quietly to herself.

Nariko then cleared her throat and took on a serious expression again. "Okay, getting back to what's at hand. The Uwabami mentioned that you...hung around Ushio a lot because he held...a certain weapon that all youkai seem to fear, right?"

The youkai turned to glare at Nariko before speaking in a annoyed voice. "Let's get one thing straight here pup. I didn't become the kid's stupid servant or anything. I was haunting Ushio and waiting for a chance to eat him."

Nariko raised her hands up in front of her. "Okay, I get it. You pretty much detest Ushio."

"Good," grumbled the youkai with a huff. "At least someone get's my drift."

Nariko let out a soft sigh as she lowered her hands down to her sides. "So...is that pretty much all you want to talk about for tonight? Because I got ta get back before Mrs. Sumako and Ushio start wondering where I've run off to."

The monster looked at Nariko in surprise before he smirked slightly at her in amusement. "Oh, then go right ahead. After all, I'm not stopping you."

Nariko gave the monster a suspicious look when she saw him smirk. The she-wolf then started to slowly turn to head back the way she came.

"Alright then," said Nariko in a guarded voice. "Then I guess I'll..."

The youkai then interrupted Nariko as he said something that really caught her attention. "Yet I thought that you'd wanted to know a little bit more about the Beast Spear and how Ushio is connected to both it and me? After all; the snake did say that I had been sealed away for five hundred years after battling that brat's samurai ancestor for four days and four nights."

Nariko paused in her steps at the beast's words before turning to look back at him in surprise. How did this monster know about the story of the samurai that fought against the beast within Shigure's story? It only took a second for Nariko to connect the pieces of the puzzle before speaking in an astonished voice.

"Wait a minute. Are you saying that the beast that fought Ushio's ancestor...was you?"

"That's right," said the youkai as he bared his fangs into a grin. "I'm the one who the snake mentioned in his ranting...Nagatobimaru."

To be continued

And here you go. So I'll leaved the story 'Three worlds intertwine' up on the BNA section for two days before returning it back to the crossover section. I hope you enjoy the story and happy reading.

White Hunter, howling out to you and creativity!