Marisay-chan reporting here! Haaa… it was really hard trying to update this, I hope that you readers won't get mad at me for publishing this so late. ^_^'''' However, this might continued until for quite some time, so I hope you will be patient! ^_^
To Hayate The Soul Reaper: I am glad that you like this story, although I am not sure what you mean by similar. The same words? After reading your review, I actually went and read some of Lunaryu's stories (Besides the ones that I favorited), and found out that some words we used are the same! Lunaryu sure is a great writer, that's for sure! ^_^
Disclaimer: I do not own any of characters of course, only the story. ^_^
Please note: For those of you who did not know yet, I have another two stories posted. 'The Nura men' and 'Innocent maid'. Do check them out! For those who know how to read french, check out 'The Nura men' written by Holymagic, who has kindly translated it! ^_^
In italics are thoughts
In bold are flashbacks
In bold and italics are thought in the flashbacks
~Story Starts~
"Of course, the shrine that you saw earlier was just one of the many memorial tablets built on this mountain, in order to stop the rampage of the man-eating creature," Adashibara added in, his grin grew wider.
"You mean Umewakamaru? The person, who had that name, is the creature that was eating the humans?" Kiyotsugu asked.
"Un. Although, that is the name he had while he was a human that is. As a yokai," Adashibara turned his head discreetly in Rikuo's direction. "He is known as Gyuki."
Rikuo furrowed his eyebrows, biting his lips in anxiety.
This is bad…
Tsurara shared his apprehension, looking up at the statue in front of them.
The yokai that lives here at Mount Nejireme is Gyuki-sama. So, we are currently at Gyuki clan's territory.
She turned to Rikuo, who was looking at the statue as well.
By now, Young Master's presence, as well as mine, must have already alerted them. Since we have arrived unannounced, the Gyuki clan might attack us, thinking that we are trespassers, not knowing Young Master is here. To make things worse, the Gyuki clan is exceptionally good at close combats, even compared to the Nura clan. There is no way we would be able to get away unscathed. Young Master does not how to fight yet, so I must protect the Young Master with all my might.
While Tsurara was thinking of ways to protect Rikuo, Kana was looking at Tsurara again.
She is staring at Rikuo-kun again…
"Ahhh!" Saori and Natsumi screamed in horror. "Let's go home already!"
"Hahaha! What are you so scared for? This is a great experience!" Kiyotsugu grinned at them. Although, it seems that he, himself, was a bit nervous as well, as a bead of sweat appeared on his cheek.
"…I am seconds away from hitting you," Saori raised a fist at him, a vein appearing at the hand.
"Torii-san and Maki-san is right. Perhaps, it would be better if we go home now," Rikuo supported that idea, looking worried.
"Even if you leave now, there won't be any trains left," Kiyotsugu told them, placing his hands in front of him, facing upwards, and shrugged.
"Ehhhhhhh?!" Saori and Natsumi jaws dropped at that.
"Besides, like I said, the inn that we are staying is really a high class one, with hot springs, and there will also be a five star course meal waiting for us! All of these are, of course, free, as Adashibara-sensei is the one covering all of these expenses!" Kiyotsugu grinned at them, knowing that he won the argument with all of these conditions.
"Hot springs…?"
"Five star course meal…?"
Both Saori and Natsumi muttered under their breath.
"…And it's all free!" Jiro made a dreamy face at that.
"But…" Rikuo tried to protest.
Adashibara suddenly chuckled, cutting off whatever Rikuo was trying to say, "Even though it has been passed down for many generation, a legend is still a legend. The man-eating creature, and even the claws you saw earlier might not even be real," He tilted his head. "To add on, there are securities against yokais at the inn."
"Security?" Kana blinked.
"See? It's completely safe! If you still have any doubts, don't forget that we still have a key player, Keikain Yura-kun!" Kiyotsugu gestured towards Yura.
"That's right!" Saori and Natsumi brightened up at that.
Yura searched through her frog purse at that, "I must make sure to be ready this time, not to make any mistakes…separating receipts and my shikigami papers…" She then came across a coupon that was expired. "…AH! I-It's e-expired!" She then noticed Kana looking at her from behind, to which Yura gave a depressing look due to the humiliation. Kana quickly looked away, pretending not to see anything.
…Is she really reliable…?
Tsurara could not help but thought of that, sweatdropping as she witnessed the scene.
"So, none of you have any problems, right?" Kiyotsugu questioned them.
"Not at all. Hot springs, here we come!" Saori clasped her hands with Natsumi, getting really excited.
"Let's go already!" Jiro pumped his fists to the sky.
"It's fine with me, I guess," Kana smiled slightly.
Rikuo and Tsurara glanced at each other, before sighing out, knowing they would not be able to stop them with all of them agreeing.
"Well then, I shall take my leave," Adashibara waved at them, walking away.
"Ah, Adashibara-sensei! Won't you please join us? I would surely like to hear more about yokais from you!" Kiyotsugu tried to get him to stay.
"No, no. This is where we should part. My job here was just to let you know more about this mountain, that's all," Adashibara smiled. "Oh! Almost forgotten to tell you. You might not want to go out alone during the night," He chuckled as he continued walking down the stairs.
Rikuo narrowed his eyes at the warning, watching Adashibara walked away along with the rest of the Kiyojuji Squad.
"Can't be helped," Kiyotsugu sighed, rubbing his head. "Well, shall we head to the inn?"
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
Mezumaru grinned as he manipulated Adashibara down to the bottom of the stairs. "That sure was tough work, trying to get them to stay. But I guess that is to be expected from the Young Master of the Nura clan, knowing that it would be dangerous to stay in another yokai's territory uninvited."
Mezumaru looked up when he sensed a presence. Looking to the opposite side of the tree he was at, he grinned.
"Gozumaru! How's everything?"
Gozumaru leaned against the tree as he stood on the branch, "I have informed Gyuki-sama about the situation. Now," Gozumaru watched as the Kiyojuji Squad walked towards the inn. "We will just have to find a way to separate them."
"Already taken care off! If I am correct in my assumption, the human boys should take up the bait that I have set. It seems the Young Master and his subordinate are already suspecting something so they will probably go with the human boys," Mezumaru grinned at him.
Gozumaru smirked back at him, "I will take care of the rest then. You will go and distract the other humans."
"Got it!" Mezumaru then turned his attention back to Adashibara, who was almost reaching the bottom of the stairs. "Thanks for all of your hard work." He then pulled his string, making them tightened, before the tension caused it to snap, falling away from Adashibara. The moment it left, Adashibara suddenly looked up, as if he just woke up.
"…Eh?" Adashibara just stepped down from the last step, looking at his surroundings "…Why am I here?"
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
Rikun hid his hands inside his sleeves as he sat at the top of a snake-like yokai's head, flying through the sky.
Rikun narrowed his eyes slightly, staring forward at apparently nothing.
"Go faster, Hebi Nyuro." He commanded.
Hebi Nyuro increased its speed at that command, disappearing into the horizon.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"Welcome to our inn!" Three women, whom were wearing kimono, bowed at the Kiyojuji Sqaud at the entrance, smiling cheerfully.
"Please take care of us," They bowed back.
Rikuo looked around the inn, taking in the decorations, before glancing at their hosts, whom were still smiling.
…Something feels weird…
"What's wrong, Rikuo-kun?" Kana asked, noticing that he looked a bit uncomfortable.
"…It's nothing," Rikuo looked down for a moment, before quickly smiling at Kana. "It's quite a nice inn, that's all."
"Un! Sure is! You don't get to see inns, such as this, often!" Kana smiled, looking around the inn with awe, not aware that Rikuo continued to look worried after she had turned her head away.
"Hoo! Look at this!" Kiyotsugu walked towards a portrait, where several papers had been placed on top of it. "This must be what Adashibara-sensei was talking about, a security against yokais!" Kiyotsugu pointed at those papers.
The group took a closer look at the papers. On these papers, there were some with scribbles, which resemble horns, while others have a Kanji character, the word 'cow', at the top. All of these papers then have an image of a cow, which was either facing the front or the back, at the bottom.
"This talisman should make us feel safer, right?" Kiyotsugu grinned at them.
Rikuo blinked, a bead of sweat sliding down his cheeks as the rest of the Kiyojuji Squad, excluding Yura and Tsurara, stared in awe at those papers.
That…is supposed to protect us from yokais?
Tsurara apparently shared his sentiments, tilting her head to the side while frowning at those papers.
Yura, on the other hand, kept on looking around at the inn, as if searching for something.
"Well, shall we go in?" Natsumi asked.
"Right this way, please." One of the women gestured to the right, before leading the way.
Following the lady, the group took in their surroundings. Rikuo looked at everything warily.
…It's too quiet…
"Um…excuse me?" Rikuo called out to the woman.
"Yes?" The woman glanced back at him, smiling.
Rikuo blinked, jerking slightly as her gaze landed on him, feeling something stirring inside him. "Uh…Um, are we the only guests here?"
"Why, yes. This whole inn has been booked just for you." She smiled.
Rikuo frowned.
…Just for us…? Is it just me, or does she seems to be referring to me when she said 'you'?
"Really?" Kiyotsugu grinned, before looking at the rest of the members. "We must really thank Adashibara-sensei later!"
"Un! By the way, is there really hot springs here?" Natsumi asked.
"Why, yes. Towards that direction," The lady pointed ahead. "Is an outdoor hot springs for your enjoyment."
"Yes! Let's go then!" Natsumi quickly hook her arms on Kana's, dragging her along towards the hot springs, while Saori pushed Yura and Tsurara, following Natsumi.
The boys stared at their fading figures, blinking at the quick action. Jiro then fell into a trance, drooling slightly,
"An outdoor hot spring…!"
Rikuo gave a deadpanned look at Jiro, knowing that he was not actually excited about the hot spring itself.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"Uwaaaa!" Natsumi and Saori exclaimed, staring at the hot spring in amazement.
"Kana! Hurry up!" Natsumi looked back at Kana, who was slowly strolling in, wrapping the towel tight around her body. "Eh? Where's Yura-chan and Oikawa-san?"
"Eh?" Kana looked back as well. "That's weird…they were just with me a while ago."
~With Tsurara~
Tsurara was seen running down the hallways, glancing at the direction she just came from with horror.
"As if a Yuki-Onna will use something like a hot spring!"
She then looked around the inn.
"I better hurry up and find Young Master."
~Meanwhile, with the boys~
Rikuo was looking at the television, which was at the corner of the room they were placed in, with a troubled expression. For some reason, no matter what channel he switch to, all he got was just statics.
Although it is not uncommon…this just makes me feel ever more uneasy.
Rikuo then continued to switch the channel, hoping that it was just a coincidence, while listening to Jiro, who was still gushing about the hot spring.
"This could be our chance, Kiyotsugu-kun!" Jiro smiled dreamily.
"That's right, this is our chance!" Kiyotsugu smiled at Jiro, as he searched for something in his bag.
Eh?
Rikuo looked at Kiyotsugu, surprised at the agreement.
Could it be that…
"You think so, Kiyotsugu-kun?" Jiro went into a daze. "Ah…I can't wait to see…Oikawa-san's…naked body!" He whispered to himself, blushing slightly.
"Let's go then!" Kiyotsugu stood up.
"Yes!" Jiro stood up as well, visibly excited.
"To hunt for yokais!" Kiyotsugu pumped his right fist in the air.
Rikuo frowned.
I knew it…
"…Eh…?" Jiro stilled at that. "Y-Y-Yokai?" He slumped down, before hanging his head and sighing out, knowing that the chance had came and gone.
"You have heard what Adashibara-sensei said earlier! 'You might not want to go out alone during the night.' That was obviously a hint! Meaning that we might actually meet some yokais if we explore during the night!" Kiyotsugu grinned, grabbing Jiro's shoulder in excitement. "Let's go!"
"Wait, Kiyojuji-san!" Rikuo hurriedly move forward, blocking the exit. "That might not be a good idea! It's too dangerous!"
"That won't stop me, Nura-kun. When it comes to yokais, I will definitely do anything, and I mean anything, to even meet one of them!" Kiyotsugu told him with a serious face, letting go of Jiro and standing in front of Rikuo.
Rikuo bit his lips at that, knowing he would not be able to stop Kiyotsugu from going out, seeing as he was very determined. Quickly, he came onto a decision,
"All right then, I will go with you. It will be too dangerous for just the two of you!"
The doors behind Rikuo suddenly slid opened.
"Then, I will go as well!"
Rikuo looked back to see Tsurara standing there, with a determined look as well.
"Tsurara!" Rikuo called, surprised to see her there.
"Oikawa-san…" Jiro said, before grinning happily, glad that she was joining them. "Let us go then!"
They then went out of the room. Rikuo, being the last to leave, was about to close the door when he suddenly sensed something.
"Hm?" Rikuo looked at the window that was in the room. Seeing nothing but a swaying tree, he frowned slightly.
"Young Master? What is the matter?" Tsurara asked him, noticing that he was not following Kiyotsugu and Jiro, whom had already walked towards the entrance of the inn.
"…It's nothing." Rikuo closed the door, turning to Tsurara, smiling. "Let's catch up to them."
"Yes, Young Master."
Outside, at the tree that Rikuo was watching earlier, stood Gozumaru.
"Hn. That Young Master sure has a great sensing ability, being able to know that I am here even though I had hid my presence," He watched as the group left the inn with flashlights on their hands and heads. "Then again, he is the grandson of Nurarihyon's…but, you should not underestimate the Gyuki clan as well, Young Master," Gozumaru smirked at Rikuo's direction, before following behind them at a distance.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
Yura was walking around the inn, wearing a yukata, before stopping at the entrance of the inn.
…Although they said that we are the only guests…it is still too quiet…what about the people working here?
Throughout the whole exploration, Yura had never met any other people besides the ones that greeted them at the entrance, and it seems that those three ladies have disappeared as well.
Its like they were never here to begin with…
Yura frowned at that thought, looking at the dark hallway that leads to the hot springs. She then narrowed her eyes at that direction.
…
The longer she looked at the direction, the darker the hallway looked, as though there was something coming out from there. She then continued to look at the hallway, when suddenly, a huge amount of presences flew at her.
Yura widened her eyes in realisation.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"Ufufufu! This is going to be fun!" Mezumaru grinned down at the girls as they continued to enjoy the hot spring, not aware that they are completely surrounded by yokais.
"This is heaven!" Saori commented as she dipped into the hot springs.
Natsumi nodded in agreement, sighing out in satisfaction.
Kana, on the other hand, was bothered by the fact that Tsurara was not present.
Ahhhh…what am I thinking? Yura-chan is not here as well, so Oikawa-san should have a reason for not coming…unless…
Kana slowly widened her eyes.
Could it be that…she actually went to find Rikuo-kun? N-No way…! B-But…are they really close? How long have they known each other? Are they…are they in a…
Kana knocked her head with both of her fists, unable to complete that thought.
Haaa…why am I so worried? It has nothing to do with me…right…?
"-na. Kana. Kana!"
Kana jerked out of her thoughts, looking up to see Natsumi and Saori looking at her in concern.
"What's wrong? You look in deep thought there," Natsumi told her.
"Uh…I…" Kana bit her lips, images of Tsurara being close to Rikuo came to mind. "…I am getting out!" Water splash up as she stood up suddenly, heading towards the changing room.
"Eh? That was fast. You sure you don't want to enjoy a bit more?" Saori called out to her, watching as Kana left without a backward glance. "Sheesh, wonder what is in her mind?" She then looked at Natsumi, who was staring behind her in terror.
Saori blinked in confusion, before she realized something. Getting the wrong message, she stood up, a finger pointing at where Natsumi was staring as she turned around.
"How dare you boys peek in o-" Words died in her mouth as she saw yokais, with faces of a cow and spider legs on their backs, surrounding them from above the fences.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"They are not here…" Kana whispered, as she stood inside of the room where the boys were roomed in.
Looking towards the side, she noticed Kiyotsugu's bag was opened, and that a few things were missing from there.
They must have gone out…
She stared at the bag for a while, before nodding to herself. She then grabbed a spare flashlight that was in Kiyotsugu's bag, leaving the room and headed towards the entrance of the inn.
On the way, she happened to miss Yura, who was rushing towards the hot spring, a shikigami paper held in her hand. Once she reached outside, Kana turned on her flashlight, walking up the stairs that brought them to the inn.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"Look at this!" Kiyotsugu exclaimed, looking down from a cliff, shining his flashlights there. "This is called the Ushigakure Cave! Legend has it that, a priest hid in this cave for a hundred days after being chased by yokais!" Kiyotsugu then turned to Jiro. "Jiro-kun, how about you take a look down there?"
"Ehhhh? Me?" Jiro pointed at himself, sweating slightly. "Kiyotsugu-kun, seeing as you are the leader, you should take the lead."
"No, no. As a leader, I should watch all of you from the back to ensure that no one gets left behind," Kiyotsugu grinned, a bead of sweat appearing on his cheek.
Rikuo sweatdropped at their argument, before stepping closer to the cliff, trying to get a closer look at the cave. At the same time, Tsurara was looking around warily, stepping behind Rikuo so she would be able to protect Rikuo when the need arises.
Suddenly, there was a movement in the bush nearby, aspiring Tsurara to take action.
"Look out, Young Master!" She then stepped backwards, pushing Rikuo, who was at the edge of the cliff.
"Whoaaaaaa!" Rikuo waved his arms around, trying to regain his balance, and failing as he went down the cliff, dropping onto the platform in front of the cave.
Tsurara stared at the bush, waiting for the ambush. Slowly, a cat strolled its way in view, glancing at Tsurara before taking off.
"Haaa…It's just a cat," Tsurara smiled, looking back at the boys. "Eh? Where's Young Master?"
She looked around trying to find him, before she noticed Kiyotsugu and Jiro staring down at the cave with opened mouths. Blinking confusingly, she followed their direction, only to gasp in shock as she saw Rikuo down there, rubbing his head in pain.
"Who pushed you, Young Master?!" She quickly made her way down, worried that he was hurt.
Rikuo merely looked at her with a blanked face. Tsurara blinked at seeing that, trying to figure out why Rikuo was looking at her like that. Then, realization hit her hard.
"Ah…I'm…I'm really sorry!" She quickly bowed nonstop at Rikuo, who sighed.
"Oi, Nura-kun! Are you all right?" Kiyotsugu asked him as he and Jiro came down from the cliff.
"Yes, I am fine. I just a bit clumsy, that's all," Rikuo smiled at them, sweatdropping slightly, while Tsurara continued to mutter apologies at Rikuo, to which he quickly waved it off, assuring her that it was fine.
"Is that so? Well, shall we head to the next spot then?" Kiyotsugu said, after taking a look at the cave and finding nothing. "Nura-kun, do be careful next time!"
"Ah…"
~Behind a rock~
"…" Gozumaru blinked as he witnessed Rikuo felling down from the cliff. "Did I make a mistake? Is he really the grandson of Nurarihyon's?"
As the group made their way onto another spot, Gozumaru jumped up to a tree branch to gain a better view. A splash of water up onto the sky caught his attention.
"It seems like Mezumaru has started. I better get going as well," He smirked.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"Ahhhhhhh!" Natsumi and Saori screamed as the yokais broke the fences and attacked the hot spring, landing there, causing the water to splash up to the sky, before falling back down again.
Natsumi and Saori quickly backed up to a corner, looking at the yokais with terrified expression.
The yokais then slowly got up from the hot spring, getting ready to attack them again.
Saori looked around frantically, trying to find something that could help them, and then, she noticed that there was one of the talisman placed near her. Thinking quickly, She tore the talisman off the fences, as the yokai reached for them, holding it in front of her.
"Don't come any closer!" She shouted, in hopes of fending them off.
The yokais stopped at seeing her tearing the talisman off from its place. Natsumi and Saori trembled seeing that, thinking that they had a chance. But that hope was dashed as laughter emerged from behind those yokais.
Looking at that direction, they saw a boy with bluish-purple hair and a horse skull on his head.
"Idiots! I made those talisman, so they won't work on us," Mezumaru smiled at them.
"Eh?" Natsumi and Saori blinked.
"This is the Gyuki clan's territory, so in order to prevent other yokais from coming in here, I set up those talisman on Gyuki-sama's orders."
"The security for yokais…" Saori looked at the talisman she was holding in disbelief.
"…Is actually for yokais…!" That stunned Natsumi.
"So…" Mezumaru's smile slowly fades away. "Don't take them down!" He shouted, angry at them for taking down something so important.
At his shout, the yokais goes forward again, reaching for the girls. Seeing that, Natsumi and Saori hugged each other, shutting their eyes tightly.
However, just as the yokais are about to reach them, Yura suddenly appeared from the doorway.
"Rokuson!" She shouted, throwing a shikigami paper at the yokais.
A deer, with the Kanji of 'Rokuson' on each side of its cheeks, emerged from the paper, pushing the approaching yokais away with its antlers.
"Eh?" Mezumaru jerked back. "A sh-shikigami!"
"Yura-chan!" The girls shouted in relief.
"Attacking girls while they are taking their baths. You are the worse kind of yokais!" Yura declared, glaring at Mezumaru.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
"And this is the famous yokai spot, the One-Eyed Cedar!" Kiyotsugu told them, as they stood in front of a tree with a gap that was big enough for a person to pass through. "Let's take turns to go through it! Who wants to go first?"
"Then I shall-" Rikuo volunteered himself, but was cut off by Tsurara.
"No. I shall go first!" She then went towards the gap, crawling though it even before Rikuo could protest. Slowly, she inches her way through the gap, not aware that she was giving quite a view to the boys behind.
Rikuo sweatdropped, while Kiyotsugu crossed his arms, closing his eyes waiting for Tsurara to finish crawling. On the other hand, Jiro was extremely happy to see such a view, flashing his flashlight at her.
"Haaa…What exactly are you doing, Tsurara?" Rikuo asked her, once all of them had finished crawling the through the tree and are heading towards another yokai spot.
"I am trying to protect you, Young Master! It is really dangerous here, seeing as we are at the Gyuki clan's territory, even though it was only a coincidence that we are here."
"…" Rikuo glanced at her at that last statement. "…Do you think it's really coincidences?" He questioned her, walking ahead of her.
"Eh?" Tsurara looked at Rikuo, surprised at the question. "…It's not?"
Rikuo stopped walking, causing Tsurara to stop as well. "As Kurotabo always says, 'There is no such thing as coincidence, only the inevitable'." He then looked at the other two boys, whom have stopped to discuss about where they should go next as there are two ways.
Tsurara tilted her head to the side, "Isn't that because he is a monk?"
Rikuo sweatdropped at that comment, "…Not exactly what I mean…but even if you view this as coincidence, there are simply too many of them." He then recalled back from when they have arrived at the place to now. "Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence and thrice…" Rikuo narrowed his eyes. "…is a conspiracy."
Tsurara gulped, hearing the serious tone in Rikuo's voice.
"Anyways, instead of thinking about me, we should probably think about protecting them instead." Rikuo looked at the two boys, with worry.
Above them, Gozumaru sat on one of the tree branches, listening to their conversation.
"Hn. I really commend you, Young Master, to be able to think this far. But," Gozumaru placed his right fist to his lips. "You should really worry about yourself." Raising only his middle and index fingers, he started chanting.
"So, perhaps we should…" Kiyotsugu trailed off in the middle of telling Jiro something. The both of them started to look a bit dazed, the chanting getting onto them.
"…Jiro-kun, I think we should head to the right," Kiyotsugu then headed in the direction he said, not waiting for them.
"…Hm? I think it's this way though," Jiro headed to the left.
"Eh?" Rikuo widened his eyes as he saw both of them heading in different directions. "W-Wait, Kiyojuji-san, Shima-san!" He then quickly rushed towards Kiyotsugu. "Tsurara! Go after Shima-san!"
"Eh?" Tsurara stopped in her pursuit after Rikuo, watching, as he got further. "Urgh…What should I do? If what Young Master said is true, then the more I will need to protect him, but I can't disobey his orders either! Um…what should I do?"
However, the decision was taken out of her hands as a figure jumped on top of her. Sensing danger, Tsurara glanced upwards, just as a sword swung down at her.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
Rikuo panted as he ran after Kiyotsugu.
…Something is not right! I'm getting the same burning feeling again! But, who's in danger?
Rikuo then reached a clearing, looking around, trying to spot his friends. Searching around, he stumbled upon a huge bush, where both Kiyotsugu and Jiro laid there, asleep.
"…Waaa…! Did you see all of yokais, Jiro-kun…?"
"…Sure did…"
Both of them muttered under their breath, smiling peacefully in their sleep.
Rikuo blinked at the scene, before noticing there was something wrong with the picture.
Eh? Why is Shima-san here? I thought he went on another direction…
Rikuo glanced back at the direction he just came from, the burning feeling getting stronger. Rikuo widened his eyes in realization.
"Tsurara!"
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
Gozumaru stayed still for a moment, looking in front of him where his sword had struck. Frowning due to the fact that he missed his target, he plugged his sword out of the ground, inspecting it. The blade of his sword was completely covered with ice.
"Ice?" Gozumaru muttered.
"Who are you?"
Gozumaru glanced behind him, where Tsurara stood in her yokai form, mist surrounding her body at the transformation.
"Are you from the Gyuki clan?" Tsurara asked again, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Ho. You are a Yuki-Onna, huh? This should be interesting," Gozumaru flicked his sword with his strength, crushing the ice away from his blade, while facing Tsurara as he ignored her questions.
Taking that as a yes, "Don't be foolish. Do you have any idea who I am?" Tsurara folded her arms in front of her. "If you backed off now, forgiveness will still be considered."
Gozumaru chuckled at that, walking towards her.
Tsurara frowned at that, "What is so fun-?"
Gozumaru suddenly got in front of her, cutting her off, "You are really annoying."
Tsurara gritted her teeth as she glanced down at her right feet, where Gozumaru's sword had stabbed, blood flowing out from her wound. Grimacing in pain, she glared at Gozumaru.
"Even if I knew who you are, it does not matter to me. All I know is that you are a hindrance to our plan." Gozumaru twisted his sword painfully at Tsurara's feet.
"You mean Gyuki-sama planned this?" Tsurara widened her eyes, before she winced in pain as Gozumaru pull his sword roughly out of Tsurara's feet, spilling even more blood.
"Haaa!" Gozumaru then swung his sword forward again. Ignoring her pain for a second, Tsurara quickly blew out, aiming at his sword, trying to break it.
"Noroi no Fubuki, Yukigesho!"
The mist that Tsurara blew out quickly formed ice of Gozumaru's blade. Gozumaru was not deterred by this though, and instead continued to swing it at Tsurara, getting a direct hit and causing the ice to shatter before it could even do anything.
Tsurara flew backwards at the impact.
Young Master's in trouble!
Landing on the ground hard, causing even more pain, she struggled to get up.
…I…need to protect…Young Master…
Gozumaru stood above her, smirking, "I just need you to go to sleep for a while." He then raised his sword in the air, the blade glinting against the sun, which was already setting, before striking it down.
Tsurara could only shut her eyes, waiting for the pain.
And warnings come in forms of coincidence
Wakana hummed as she prepared food for the yokais in the house. Yamabuki was helping her along, bringing the plates and setting it beside Wakana.
"Thank you, Yamabuki-chan!" Wakana smiled at her.
"You are welcome, Wakana-chan," Yamabuki smiled back.
"Oh! Could you pass me a cup from the cupboard?" Wakana asked her, while chopping up the ingredients.
"Sure," Yamabuki headed to one of the cupboards and opening it up. Looking around, she reached in to grab a cup that was rather cold for some reason. Just as she was about to give it to Wakana, the cup suddenly cracked into half and fell to the ground in front of her, shattering into pieces.
Yamabuki gasped, taking a step backwards, looking at the shattered cup in shock.
"Yamabuki-chan! Are you all right?" Wakana abandoned her work, going around the shattered pieces to reach Yamabuki.
"U-Un. I'm fine." Yamabuki reassured Wakana, while holding the other half of the cup in her hand.
"That's good," Wakana looked at the shattered cup. "Ah…Yuki-Onna-chan made this. It must have melted a bit." Wakana then started to clean the mess up with a broom at the corner.
However, Yamabuki continued to stare at the mess, getting more worried as Wakana mentioned that Tsurara made the cup.
…Quite an bad omen…
Yamabuki blinked as Wakana finished clearing the mess.
"Um…Wakana-chan?"
"Hm? Don't worry about it! I'm sure Yuki-Onna-chan won't mind if we explain it to her."
"Um…no, that's not it…" Yamabuki placed the remains of the cup on the sink, turning to look at Wakana with a worried expression.
"I was wondering about something…"
Wakana tilted her head to the side, blinking confusingly at Yamabuki.
~To Be Continued~
My, my, lots of action going on here! Jiro sure is a pervert...and Yura, you sure showed them!
Where was Rikun going off? What exactly will happen to Tsurara? And what did Yamabuki wanted to tell Wakana?
Do let me explain about Tsurara's comment in regards to the statement: 'There is no such things as coincidence, only the inevitable'. Well…I am a Buddhist you see, and there was once I saw this quote in one of the books. I am not exactly sure if it also applys to the other cultures as not many people believe it. So…you know *Shrugs*…Anyways, I apologize first hand if I offended anyone with this comment. *Bows deeply*
For those of you who did not know, Hebi Nyuro is a snake-like yokai that appeared at the second season of Nurarihyon no mago, first episode, where Rikuo rode on it's head.
Things to note:
Yukata = A Japanese garment, a casual summer kimono made of cotton. It literally means bathing clothes.
Noroi no Fubuki, Yukigesho = A technique that freezes the enemy and shatters the ice. (Tsurara was trying to break Gozumaru's sword with this technique)
That's all folks! Do leave me a review and tell me what you think!
Edited on 14th December 2014