Title: Fast Forward to the Stars
Author: modern warfare king
Fandom: Nurarihyon no Mago
Pairing: Yoru (Night!Rikuo) and Rikuo Nura (Day!Rikuo)
Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing from Nurarihyon no Mago. I only own the plot! I hope you guys enjoy the ride anyway!
NOTE (PLEASE READ): This fanfic is AU. No incest or anything. They totally live on separate worlds. And yes, this is SHOUNEN-AI. No flames or anything of the sort. I've already warned you.
CHAPTER 4 – THE DISTANT SHADOW FOLLOWS
"Rikuo-kun? Rikuo-kun!"
Rikuo shook his head and snapped it up. Kana tilted her head and looked at him with worry.
"Are you okay? You've been spacing out ever since this morning," Kana said.
"I'm just a little sleepy, is all," Rikuo said, smiling.
"If you say so," Kana said, a small pout forming on her face. She felt Rikuo was hiding from her and it seemed unfair because they were close friends.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Kana-chan," Rikuo said with an apologetic smile. Kana nodded and went back to her seat. He then sighed to himself. He couldn't get over from last night.
"I'll be courting you," Yoru whispered softly to Rikuo's ear with a smirk across his face.
"First he says he loves then immediately courts me," Rikuo thought, his cheeks lightly reddening. "And he didn't even ask for my permission. He's such an idiot."
He wondered what his answer would be if Yoru ever did ask permission. His eyes widened and regretted ever thinking about it.
From afar, Kiyotsugu and Shima noticed Rikuo acting weird, spacing out and… blushing? That didn't sound right.
"What's up with Nura?" Shima said. "I mean, look at him. He's in his own world right now."
"He's still sick, I guess," Kiyotsugu said. "But he still went to school. He's that motivated to learn. I salute Nura-kun!"
Cold sweat dropped from Shima's forehead. "I don't think that's the problem." It's definitely something else.
AFTER SCHOOL
They were about to go on their separate ways for the day when Kiyostugu patted Rikuo's shoulder. Rikuo blinked.
"You don't have to force yourself to go to school, Nura-kun," Kiyotsugu blurted, grinning. "Rest as much as you can."
Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"See? You can't even think straight," Kiyotsugu commented. This made Rikuo even more confused.
"Eh? But—"
"He's right, Rikuo-kun," Kana agreed. "You just… aren't yourself today."
Rikuo looked at Kiyotsugu and Kana, dumfounded. He had no clue on what they were talking about.
"Uh…" Cold sweat dropped from Rikuo's forehead. He didn't know the exact thing to say at that moment. And before he could have his say, Kiyotsugu and the others already left.
Last time Rikuo checked, he was A-OK. So what's with that?
NURA RESIDENCE
"I'm home," Rikuo said as he entered the house. Wakana walked to the hallway to greet her son.
"Welcome back. Hm?" Wakana blinked. Rikuo didn't look himself again. "Something on your mind, Rikuo?"
Rikuo smiled nervously. "Yeah… Kiyotsugu-kun and Kana-chan don't want me to go to school tomorrow for some reason."
Wakana blinked. "Huh? Are there no classes tomorrow?"
Rikuo shook his head. "There are definitely classes tomorrow."
"Really? Hm… I wonder why they said that," Wakana said, tilting her head.
Rikuo shrugged and smiled wearily. "I asked myself the same thing."
"Then so be it," Wakana declared. "No classes for you tomorrow."
"Eh?" Rikuo's jaw dropped. "But…"
"They told you not to go to school tomorrow, right?" Wakana said. "It must be for a very important reason." Rikuo sighed. He knew he couldn't argue with her.
"Okay, fine," Rikuo groaned as he rolled his eyes. He didn't know if he was happy that he wasn't going to school tomorrow or not. It was all confusing for him, really.
And after the mother and son ate supper, Rikuo went to his bedroom. His eyes spotted the book he read the other day on the table by his bed: The Adventures of the Lord of Pandemonium and his Hyakki Yako. His cheeks immediately became bright red. It reminded him of Nurarihyon, grandfather of none other than that crimson eyed yokai, Yoru. He sighed and scratched his head. He looked outside the window and all he saw was darkness. It was already night, after all.
Rikuo narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. He felt like he was forgetting something really important here.
"Yo."
He almost jumped from the sound of Yoru's voice. Oh, so he forgot about Yoru and his nightly visits. Big mistake. He turned his head to Yoru slowly, in a robot-like way. The yokai sat on his bed. He was cross-sitting, his hands placed on his lap. Rikuo became too nervous to move then.
"Ah, Yoru. Didn't expect you here," Rikuo told the yokai with an obvious fake smile on his face.
"That's cold," said Yoru sarcastically.
Rikuo chuckled just as sarcastic. "Yeah, right." Somehow, sarcasm eased his nervousness. An emotional break-through. However, it seemed it wasn't going to be of any use when Yoru lifted his blue cloak to the side and took out a sakura branch from it.
"Here," he said as he handed it to Rikuo. "For my beloved."
Rikuo's cheeks became even redder. He looked away as he hesitantly took the flower from the other. "Um… thank you."
The very sakura branch held so much meaning and significance to their relationship. They first met at a sakura tree, after all.
Rikuo obviously didn't want to sit beside Yoru so he sat in the chair by the bed and sighed.
"Something's obviously troubling you," Yoru said, gazing thoughtfully at the chocolate hair. Rikuo looked at the yokai and nodded. There was no use in denying.
"I'm glad you noticed," Rikuo said. "You could have been the one millionth person today who'd ask if I was okay."
Yoru raised an eyebrow. "You are okay, right?"
"Absolutely," Rikuo nodded then sighed. "But somehow, I got a feeling that everyone's ganging up on me all of a sudden. I mean, my friends and my own mother don't want me to go school tomorrow. What's up with that?"
Yoru blinked. He heard each and every word Rikuo said loud and clear. But a phrase caught his full attention. "You aren't going to school tomorrow?"
Rikuo rolled his eyes. "What did you think I just said?"
"Perfect," Yoru chuckled. Rikuo regretted ever having to open his big mouth and yap about his day. The yokai got out of bed and approached Rikuo, smirking seductively again. He bent his back and leaned closer to Rikuo, their faces inches apart. Rikuo bit his lip and averted his gaze from the other, his face flushed.
The cute sight of the chocolate hair made Yoru blink. It seemed he realized something. "Ah. So that's why…" he muttered. Rikuo narrowed his eyes at the yokai accusingly.
"What are you mumbling to yourself now?" the chocolate hair grumbled.
"You'll find out soon enough," Yoru said. He then took Rikuo's hand. The cold hand sent chills down Rikuo's spine. "Hm… Rikuo?"
"What?"
"Since you're free and all tomorrow, we should go out," Yoru declared.
Rikuo blinked. "Uh… come again? Coz I swear I heard you asking me out just now." He couldn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it.
"I am asking you out," Yoru said, deadpan.
Rikuo wanted nothing more than to jump out of the window and fly away to the abyss. He was on the verge of melting from sheer embarrassment. Why was life being cruel to him? It wasn't fair to him at all. Yoru squeezed Rikuo's hand to snap him out of his trance.
"So? Your answer?" the yokai asked. He looked like he knew the answer already.
"Uh…" Rikuo shifted his eyes, unable to think and concentrate.
"Rikuo? Is someone there with you upstairs?" Wakana asked from the living room.
"Nope! Just talking to my classmate over the phone," Rikuo replied, pulling his hand away from Yoru. Yoru blinked and looked at the door blankly.
"Is that your mother?" he asked.
"Uh-huh," Rikuo said.
"I see…" Yoru said as he stood erect and walked towards the door, to Rikuo's surprise.
"Where do you think you're going?" Rikuo said as he grabbed Yoru's arm and dragged him away from the door.
Yoru blinked. "I'm courting you so I suppose it's necessary to introduce myself to your mother."
"Huh? No! And for Pete's sake, stop saying such embarrassing things!" Rikuo exclaimed, extremely embarrassed. Yoru smiled as he wrapped his arms around Rikuo's waist, pulling him closer. Rikuo's heart was going wild at that moment. How could he let the yokai do what he wanted? He hated himself for that.
"You'll get used to it," Yoru whispered, smirking. At that moment, Rikuo had the sudden urge to embrace the yokai.
"Rikuo?" Wakana called over from outside the room. She was walking towards her son's bedroom, her footsteps getting louder with each and every step.
Yoru blinked and let go of the chocolate hair. For some reason, Rikuo felt disappointed.
"I'll be coming over your house tomorrow night. This time at the front," Yoru said, grinning. He ruffled Rikuo's hair and jumped to the edge of the window. Rikuo frowned and folded his arms. He couldn't believe that the yokai decided everything on his own.
"Whatever," Rikuo sighed as he rolled his eyes.
Yoru smiled. He loved how Rikuo played hard to get. "See you tomorrow."
Rikuo looked away. "See you."
And again, the crimson eyed yokai vanished into darkness. Wakana opened the door and saw Rikuo standing alone, gazing at the window.
"Ah. So you were talking to your friend over the phone. But your friend's voice sure sounded as if he was here though," Wakana said, smiling. Rikuo's eyes widened. Just how much of their conversation did she hear? Hopefully not the totally embarrassing ones.
"Sorry about that. He's just that loud-mouthed, you know?" Rikuo said, smiling playfully. He mentally crossed his fingers, wishing she wasn't going to be suspicious or anything. That's the last thing he'd want to ever happen.
"Oh, you're talking about Kiyotsugu-kun, right?" she asked.
"Er… no…" Rikuo hesitantly replied. What could he possibly tell his mother about Yoru that was believable enough?
"A new friend?" she asked, tilting her head.
"An old friend, actually," Rikuo said, looking away. "I met him two years ago." Was Yoru actually his friend? He didn't know what the yokai was to him, really.
Wakana's face brightened. "Wow! So are you guys planning to have a reunion sometime? Is that why you guys talked?" she asked excitedly. "I want to meet him!"
Rikuo's eye twitched. "He'd love to meet you, Mom," he thought nervously. It was as if his mother and Yoru had the same mindset. Not good for him at all. He then scratched his head, a hint of red forming across his cheeks. "Actually… he will come over tomorrow…" he muttered.
That was when he realized… was Yoru actually going to show himself with that long hair and traditional clothes of his?! He regretted talking too much again. He hated how the words just slipped out of his mouth carelessly. It was like his curse.
Wakana squealed in excitement. "Oh, I can't wait! I'll prepare a marvelous meal tomorrow."
Rikuo chuckled nervously. "Uh… I don't think you need to do that. We'll be going somewhere else anyway."
Wakana slumped and sighed in disappointment. "Oh, okay. I understand…"
"Sorry," Rikuo said wearily and apologetically. "You better look normal tomorrow or you'll regret it," he thought.
Why was it that more unexpected twists happened in his life ever since he met Yoru? Maybe life was full of surprises, after all.
THE NEXT DAY
This was the first time Rikuo ever had a good night's sleep in a school day. He owed the person who didn't want him to go to school big time. But on the other hand, today was his so-called date with Yoru. A human dating a yokai? The words just didn't fit. He shook his head. No way was he letting the date be all lovey-dovey. He just couldn't imagine it. If he ever did imagine it, his head would explode.
He sighed as he got out from bed. "I didn't say no to him so I guess it's definitely a yes to him," he thought, disappointed with himself. He missed his straight-forward and casual self. Whenever he was with Yoru, those two words didn't seem to exist in his dictionary.
Hours passed since he woke up. He watched TV boringly to pass the time. The shows were the usual anime, soap operas, news… Nothing seemed to pique his interest. His mind was somewhere else. It was one of the few reasons why he had to go school. Boredom was always killing him.
And finally, it was nightfall.
"I guess you're waiting for him, right?" Wakana asked, wiping a china plate.
"Er…" Rikuo looked away, embarrassed. "Not really."
"He didn't have school today too?" she asked.
"Yeah, sort of," he said, shrugging.
Wakana blinked. "What a coincidence."
Ding-dong!
And speaking of coincidences, it must be Yoru at the front door. Rikuo immediately rose up from his seat and walked hurriedly to the door. His mother quickly followed him. Rikuo was nervous not only because of Yoru himself but because of his own mother and her reaction to the yokai. Would Yoru be a complete idiot and dress like a samurai flamboyantly outdoors? And in their so-called "reunion"? Or would there be change for once?
Rikuo opened the door and met eyes with none other than Yoru. Apparently, his hair became much shorter (normal length, if one could call it), he wore a blue vest over a black t-shirt and black pants, chains dangling from the sides of his pockets. It resembled his traditional look greatly. He didn't care much about his crimson eyes though. Most people would think of it as his style. It suited him very well. All in all, he looked perfectly… normal.
And cool.
And handsome.
Rikuo shook the thoughts off his head. He looked at his mother, who was completely bedazzled by Yoru. Seriously, who wouldn't be mesmerized by his looks?
Rikuo felt relieved and Yoru wasn't such a complete moron, after all and at least had common sense to dress normally in public.
Yoru smirked at Rikuo as he waved his hand. "Yo." Did he have to say "yo" every time they meet?
Rikuo almost spaced out. He was new to Yoru's modern and fresh look . "Oh, hi."
Wakana's eyes sparkled. "You must be Rikuo's friend. It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm Wakana Nura, proud mother of his fine young boy over here."
Yoru smiled at her and bowed. "The pleasure's all mine. Actually, I've been wanting to meet you too—" Rikuo felt goosebumps when Yoru said that. "My name is Yoru."
"Yoru… What a lovely name," Wakana said cheerfully. "It suits you."
"Why thank you, Mother—" Rikuo muffled his hand over Yoru's mouth, laughing nervously. They needed to go. Immediately. Wakana blinked then smiled happily.
"It's okay to call me 'mother'. I don't mind it at all," she swooned over Yoru. Rikuo flinched and shook his head.
"Huh? No, no! I'm your only son," Rikuo defended nervously. He glanced at Yoru and saw him smirking menacingly. This only meant bad news…
"Oh, but I feel like he's my son too," she said, her eyes still sparkling at Yoru.
Rikuo's eyes widened. He heard the sound of his life falling apart. Yoru really was getting away with everything, was he? "What? No, no, no!" he thought, panicking.
"Thank you. I'm so honored to hear that… Mother," Yoru said endearingly. Rikuo glared at the crimson eyed yokai. He then grabbed Yoru's arm and dragged him away from the residence.
"We'll be going now," Rikuo said.
"See you boys later. Hope you have fun," Wakana said, waving her arm.
Yoru chuckled as Rikuo frowned, letting go of the yokai's sleeve.
"Well, that was easy," Yoru whistled as he dug his hands into the pockets of his pants.
Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"
"Isn't it obvious? She already accepted us," Yoru said.
Rikuo flushed bright red. "Huh? No! You misunderstand. She doesn't know anything about us. She just found you charming, that's all."
"At least your mother knows it," Yoru huffed.
Rikuo folded his arms and looked away. "Oh, shut it. Where are we going anyway?"
Yoru smirked as he held Rikuo's hand. "You'll see…"
Rikuo wanted to pull his hand away but it just felt… right and comfortable. On the other side of it, something bugged him. But he was with Yoru anyway. What could possibly go wrong?
Little they did know they were being followed by a distant shadow.
A/N: Chapter 4 up! I ain't satisfied much with the chapter so I'm gonna do better at the next one. Still, I love Yoru's human form. -swoons- Dear Lord, I think my writing juices are running out. Where are you when I need you inspiration, gosh darn it! Just when it was supposed to be semestral break! xD Anyway, I hope you guys still enjoyed the fluffiness between the two. I think action will finally ensue in the next chapter. I really do hope I can pull it off. Stay tuned for the next update!
