*Sniffed* Marisay-chan…*Sobs*…writing here….WAHHHHHHH! They made a hole on my laptop! A hole! WAAAHHHHH!
Rihan: M-Marisay, please calm down.
Marisay-chan: NO! WAAAHHHH! And stop calling me so casually!
Tsurara: I-It is just a small hol-
Marisay-chan: WAAAAHHHHHH!
Nurarihyon: *Coughs* I will take over for now, dear readers. To those who wish to know what happened, please look for Hayate The Soul Reaper, she knows what happened between Marisay-chan's laptop and the Nura clan.
(The rest was answered/done by Nurarihyon at this point of time, as everyone else was busy trying to pacify the crying author)
To Hayate The Soul Reaper aka Hayate-chan: She apologizes for not being able to reply to your PM, so it will be stated here. Marisay-chan said that she does not have any permanent jobs in mind, but she hopes to do more of video editing kind of jobs. (She majors in Special Effects)
To 'Unknown': …Hiroshi Shiibashi-sensei? Marisay-chan said that she was flattered to read such a review.
To 'shirayuki': Marisay-chan was very happy to read this review of yours.
To Midnight Kei: Marisay-chan thanks you, and congratulation for being the 100 reviewer in this story.
To Holymagic: Find out in this chapter.
To DaughteroftheRedKing: Marisay-chan thanks you for reading this story of hers. However, Marisay-chan would like to warn you that, if you are originally put off by the love between Rikun and Rikuo, you ought to be careful while reading the next few chapters. Things between them will get even more…intimate, as time goes by. (She will understand if you wish to stop reading due to that) As for the markers, she said that she had not really thought about it, merely writing what comes to her mind that suits the chapters.
Disclaimer: Marisay-chan does not own any of the characters, only the plot.
Please note: There is a poll up for "Life as a Nurarihyon". So please do vote for it. Also, to those who still do not know, sequel to "Pure" is up, do go and read it. Just one more thing, Marisay-chan actually did interviews with some of us from behind the scenes of "Life as a Nurarihyon". If interested, please go to her profile to read it, for it will be removed soon after this chapter is posted.
In Italics are thoughts
In bold are flashbacks
In bold and Italics are thoughts in the flashback
*In Italics within stars are Telepathic thoughts between Rikun and Rikuo*
In Italics and Underline are scenes that are imagined
~Story Starts~
~Nura main house~
"GYYYAAAAAAAHHHHH!"
A scream ran through the house.
Small yokais, whom were at the yard, was startled by it.
BANG
They turned their attention to the opened door, which lead to Rikuo's room, to see Rikuo standing there with a really red face. They watched as Rikuo quickly moved away from the door, heading off for breakfast, muttering under his breath constantly.
"Haa~ah," One of the small yokai sighed out. "Young Master's screams has really become a normal routine in the morning."
"What's even more surprising is that, this routine is not broken even as we are facing some dangers here," Another yokai commented.
The others nodded in agreement.
"…I wonder what Third Heir always do to Young Master?" An orange fish yokai placed a hand on her mouth. She sweatdropped when the others stared at her with looks of disbelief, "I-It's natural to be curious!"
"Then, it is too bad that you will never find out," A voice came from inside Rikuo's room.
"T-Third Heir!" Every one of them bowed, seeing Rikun standing there, leaning against the door with his arms folded.
Rikun yawned slightly, "Which way did Rikuo go?"
"Young Master seems to be heading off for breakfast, Third Heir."
"Ah," Rikun nodded, rubbing the back of his head. The small yokais, taking that as a dismissal, left to do their own stuffs.
"Good morning, Third Heir."
Rikun turned to the side to see Kurotabo, "Yo, Kurotabo. Where's Zen?"
"Zen-sama is currently still resting in his room…he asked me to pass you a message, Third Heir."
"Oh?"
"Please forgive me for this, Third Heir."
Rikun blinked confusingly at him.
Kurotabo took a deep breath, a bead of sweat forming on his cheek. He then opened his mouth, " 'STOP HARASSING YOUR OWN BROTHER AND WAKING OTHER PEOPLE UP, YOU BRAINLESS, PERVERTED, USELESS THIRD HEIR!' "
Rikun was blown back a little as Kurotabo screamed into his face.
"…He told me to repeat this to you in the way that he did," Kurotabo coughed into his fist.
…
..
.
Rikun twitched his eyebrows, "I will have you know that, I am neither brainless nor useless."
"A-Ah," Kurotabo nodded his head in acknowledgment with a huge sweatdrop.
He did not deny the perverted part!
Rikun huffed and stared out to the yard. He suddenly glanced to the side sharply, where there were tree branches hanging just over the outer roof wall.
Kurotabo blinked at the sudden silence, "…Third Heir?"
"…" Rikun stared at that place for a while, before turning back to Kurotabo, "Let's head off for breakfast, I wish to catch Rikuo before he leaves," He grinned, walking off.
Kurotabo sighed out, following Rikun "…I don't think Young Master is going to like that…"
Leading to confrontation
~Behind the tree branches, where Rikun was looking at~
"Keh!" Inugami snarled. "He has good senses at least."
Inugami bit his thumb, trying to think of some plan to trap the Third Heir, "…He is too well protected now. I will not be able to reach him."
He then glanced back at the house when Rikuo's voice could be heard shouting at Rikun.
…Che! Targeting the brat will not do me any good as well…If only I had some sort of ways to get the bra-
Inugami blinked, images of the humans that were always with Rikuo came to mind.
"…Looks like I have found a solution," Inugami smirked, watching Rikuo leaving the house with his bodyguards.
With a gentle sway of the tree branches, Inugami vanished from the spot he was at.
~Inside the house~
Rikun tilted his head, smirking when Rikuo left with a blush on his face once again.
"You really got to stop doing that, Rikun-kun," Yamabuki sighed, exasperated.
Rikun chuckled, glancing outside to the yard with a faraway look.
"Rikun-kun?" Wakana tilted her head, taking the empty bowl of rice from him.
Rikun merely smiled at her, "Thanks for the meal."
Leading to confrontation
~Meanwhile~
Danuki, Nurarihyon and Rihan walked in a heavily fogged forest. Sounds of thumping echoed through the place as each of them hit their own stick on the ground, helping them to walk.
"Tamazuki used to be a very kind-hearted child," Danuki broke the silence. "Always so amazed by how I ruled the 88 demons of Shikoku with Fear. He once told me that he would take over once I retired."
Nurarihyon and Rihan stayed silent, listening to his tale intently.
"…Actually, now that I think about it, Tamazuki's birth was not exactly planned."
"Eh?" Rihan blinked while Nurarihyon looked at Danuki in slight surprise.
Danuki actually smiled sheepishly at them, "…My 88th wife and I actually planned to stop after our seventh child…but…things happened."
Nurarihyon had a bead of sweat on his cheek while Rihan had a huge sweatdrop.
"…Also, it was kind of unexpected," Danuki continued. "When he was born, he possessed such a mystical beauty that it bewilders me. Almost feminine…" Danuki cleared his throat. "…His powers he had inherited were also amazing. I named him Tamazusa due to a legend, for him to know what was right and what was wrong, for fear that he might misuse his powers…"
…More like you named him that because you thought he was a female…
Rihan thought, the sweatdrop on his head grew when he saw Danuki's eyes sparkled as he talked about his son.
"…I suppose every father became sentimental when it comes to their children." Rihan then grinned at Nurarihyon, "Were you like this with me as well, Oyaji?"
WHACK
"But then he changed his name," Nurarihyon stated, ignoring Rihan, who was clutching on his aching head.
"Ah…" Danuki nodded. " 'To covet the throne'. That was what he had renamed himself, as an aspiration to his goal."
"When did he renamed himself? And why?" Rihan asked, rubbing his sore head.
Danuki stayed silent for a bit, "…He changed it a long time ago…when he heard of the massacre."
"Massacre?" Rihan muttered.
Danuki looked up at the sky, "…The day when our clan fell."
Leading to confrontation
~School~
"E-mail?" Rikuo frowned.
"Yes!" Kiyotsugu yelled out, getting excited. "Today, I received information from a trusted source that, there are definitely yokais in the abandoned building behind our school!"
"A trusted source?" Rikuo frowned even more.
"Ah? The abandoned building? I thought all of you went there before?" Saori raised her eyebrow, looking up from her magazine.
"Yes…" Kiyotsugu hung his head at that. "But!" He held out a fist with a determined look on his face, "This time, there will really be yokais over there! I am sure of it!"
"Desperate, aren't he?" Saori deadpanned to Natsumi and Kana.
Natsumi nodded in agreement while Kana laughed nervously. Yura was absent from school for some unknown reason.
"On the E-mail, it says that, there should be a projector that would attract yokais, if it is on. So! Shall we meet at the abandon building at 5.30pm? Since it would be-"
"Good luck," Saori waved drearily, standing at the doorway with Natsumi.
"What! Again! Maki-kun, Torii-kun, you are-"
Rikuo tuned out the rest of the statement, thinking really hard.
…Right after we caught the spy? …I got a bad feeling about this…
Leading to confrontation
~After school, Nura main house~
"We are home!" Rikuo took off his shoes as Kappa and Kubinashi bowed, leaving to get some rest.
"By the way, could you help me check if Kejoro is all right?" Rikuo asked Tsurara and Aotabo.
Due to her injuries, Rikuo insisted that she stayed at home instead of accompanying him.
"Yes, Young Master," Tsurara and Aotabo bowed at him and left to do his bidding.
Rikuo sighed as he thought about the E-mail that Kiyotsugu received.
…Should I tell Rikun about th-
RING RING
Rikuo jerked a bit when the phone at the main entrance rang. Blinking a few times, he reached for the phone and picked it up.
"Nura residence."
"…"
Rikuo frowned at the silence, narrowing his eyes a bit. He could hear someone breathing really loudly through the phone.
"…Hello?"
"…Nura…Rikuo…"
Rikuo widened his eyes.
"Who is this?"
"...Received my invitation?"
…Invitation?
Rikuo frowned in thought, before realization dawned upon him, "You are the one who sent Kiyojuji-san the E-mail."
Laughter was heard on the other side of the phone, "Make sure you turn up, Nura Rikuo. Otherwise…well, who knows what might happen to your little human friends."
Rikuo gritted his teeth, "Don't touch them!"
"Then you simply need to appear…alone. See you soon, Nura Rikuo," The phone then hung up.
Rikuo clenched his hands on the phone, slowly putting it down.
…Telling Rikun and the others is out of question now.
"Rikuo?"
Rikuo jerked towards the voice, startling Rikun, who was standing there with his hands up in a defending position, due to Rikuo's reaction.
"Whoa! No need to be so surprised," Rikun puts his hands down. "…What's wrong? You look out of sort."
Rikuo blinked rapidly at the sight of him.
…Speaking of the yokai…
Rikuo bit his lips, knowing he will have to keep the phone call a secret.
"…I…have to go out today. With Kiyojuji-san and the others."
Rikun frowned, "…At this point of time?"
Rikuo nodded nervously.
"…The others are coming with you, right?"
Rikuo swallowed, "Y-Yes, of course!"
I-I just told a lie to Rikun! I-It's a good thing he can't hear my thoughts now…
Thankfully, after knowing Rikun was able to control his thoughts, Rikuo managed to get Rikun to teach him how to block off certain thoughts from reaching Rikun.
"…I see," Rikun reached out a hand to grab Rikuo's, spinning Rikuo around and pulled Rikuo's back to his chest, before wrapping his arms around him.
"Waaa! R-Rikun?" Rikuo glanced up at him. "W-What are you doing?"
"Hm?" Rikun laid his chin on Rikuo's head, "…Just feel like hugging you."
Rikuo blushed, placing a hand on Rikun's arm, "…You are getting more and more audacious as time passes by."
Rikun chuckled, "Is it wrong of me to show affection towards my love ones?"
Rikuo blinked, "…I would like to see you act this way with Otou-san or Jii-chan." He tried to imagine what would happened if Rikun ever did this sort of things to their father.
"Oyaji!" Rikun ran forward and wrapped his arms on Rihan's waist, hugging him from the front. He then nuzzled his face against his father's chest.
"R-Rikun?" Rihan hesitantly placed his hands on his son's shoulder, "I-Is something wrong?"
Rikun shook his head, before looking up at Rihan with a blinding smile.
"I love you, Oyaji!" Flowers and sparkles bloomed around Rikun when he said that.
Rihan froze up seeing that, as Rikun continued to smile sweetly at him.
"Pft-!" Rikuo tried to control his laughter. "That…haha… will be quite a scene!"
Rikun felt a bit nauseated, "…Don't ruin the moment, Rikuo. Besides, they are not the ones I love romantically…" Rikun tilted Rikuo's head to the side so that he could reach Rikuo's ear. "They are just not you."
With that, Rikun bit Rikuo's ear, nibbling on it, causing Rikuo to jerk at the sensation.
"Ahn!" Rikuo tightened his grip on Rikun's arm, eyes shutting in reflex, his whole body shivering as Rikun made his way down to his neck, planting soft kisses there.
Wh-What's wrong with me? U-Usually I would have pushed him away by no-
Rikuo gasped when Rikun kissed his sensitive part of his neck, "Ah…! Ri-Rikun…"
"…T-Third H-Heir, Y-Young M-Master…"
That brought Rikuo out of his dazed state. He glanced behind him to see Kurotabo standing behind Rikun with a huge blush, trying to advert his eyes from the scene.
Rikuo flushed, before letting out a small moan while looking straight into Kurotabo's eyes, as Rikun had not stopped his ministration.
That caused the both of them to went completely red on the face.
Leading to confrontation
"I-I am going to my room to change before I leave," Rikuo stuttered out, rubbing fervently on his ear and neck.
"Want me to come with you?" Rikun smirked.
"N-No! Do you want me to hit you again!" Rikuo pointed at Rikun, who was spotting a bump on his head, which was given by Rikuo to stop him earlier.
Kurotabo currently had a hand on his straw hat, covering his face, too embarrassed to look at either of them.
"Why so embarrassed? It's not like Kurotabo does not know about us, right Kurotabo?" Rikun looked at Kurotabo, who did not respond, simply pulling his straw hat further down.
Rikun then looked back at Rikuo with a glint in his eyes, "Anyways…those sounds that you made are absolutely…delicious." Rikun licked his lips slowly.
Smokes could be seen coming out from Rikuo's ears, "I-I…K-Kurotabo! Please make sure that he stays far away from my room, all right?!"
"U-Understood."
"Ahhh…You hurt my feelings, Ri~ku~o," Rikun sang out while grinning, a hand over his heart.
"Y-You-! Stupid Rikun!" Rikuo stomped off, the redness on his face not going away.
Rikun chuckled, watching Rikuo going away, "How adorable."
Kurotabo lifted his hat slightly, "…You did that intentionally, did you not, Third Heir?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about, Kurotabo," The grin was still plastered on his face.
Kurotabo stretched his mouth into a thin line, before pulling his hat back down.
Rikun chuckled once more, the grin on his face slowly morphed into a smirk as he continued to look at the direction Rikuo went off.
Leading to confrontation
~Evening approaching, abandon building~
There are just no words to describe that-that…yokai!
Rikuo huffed in frustration, placing a hand over his eyes.
"Are you all right, Rikuo-kun?" Kana asked him, noticing he had been sighing a lot.
"A-Ah. Don't worry about it…just some…annoyance at home," Rikuo gave a deadpanned face at the mention of that said annoyance.
Kana giggled, "Your brother?"
"E-Eh?" Rikuo was surprised. "H-How did you…"
"Rikuo-kun always have this expression on whenever it is about Rikuo-kun's brother. You must really love your brother a lot."
The open confession caused Rikuo to flush up, "W-W-What?!"
How did she know about us!
"It must be nice to be close with a family member," Kana smiled.
"A-Ah…" Rikuo held a hand over his racing heart, trying to calm it down.
…She meant it in a platonic way…This is really bad for my heart…
"Although Rikuo-kun always says things like: 'He is an annoyance' or 'I just can't stand him' ," Kana tried to imitate Rikuo's voice. "…Rikuo-kun always have this gentle look, like you are really happy about it."
Rikuo stared at Kana for a while, before hanging his head, a gloomy aura on top of him.
"…Am I that obvious?"
First Kappa, now Kana-chan. The next thing I know, even Kiyojuji-san will be able to catch on…
Kana giggled again.
"Oiiiii! Nura-kun! Ienaga-kun! Hurry up!" Kiyotsugu waved at them from the entrance of the abandon building. Jiro was standing beside him.
"C-Coming!"
Leading to confrontation
~Inside the building~
"This place still gives the creeps even with the lights," Jiro glanced at the setting sun from the window.
"Which is a perfect place for yokais to dawdle in!" Kiyotsugu grinned, leading the group to where the said projector was.
…You don't have to sound so happy about it…
Rikuo sighed, looking around cautiously. The heat within him was shimmering, warning him of the danger. Rikuo bit his lips, knowing he would not be able to do anything about it.
"Ah! Here we are!" Kiyotsugu stopped in front of a door, which had a label 'Projector room' at the top. Sliding the door open, Kiyotsugu headed straight for the projector that was in the middle of the room.
"We have never been to this room, have we?" Kana asked, looking at all of the equipment that comes with the projector.
"Not at all! This room is located at the end of third floor hallway, we never came here as we only explored the first and second floor the last time we were here," Kiyotsugu said, already toying with the machine, trying to get it to work. "The person who sent me the E-mail was kind enough to sent me a map to this place. Speaking of which, it says that one person would need to go to the great hall and watch the screen."
"I will go," Rikuo volunteered, knowing it was for him.
"Counting on you, Nura-kun! Tell us immediately once the yokais appear, all right? Jiro-kun, give me a hand here, would you?"
"Here, Kiyotsugu-kun!" Jiro gave Kiyotsugu his right hand, smiling cheekily.
"Maybe I should come with you, Rikuo-kun," Kana suggested as Kiyotsugu stared blankly at Jiro's hand.
"No, no, no!" Rikuo immediately reject the offer. "Just stay here with Kiyojuji-san and Shima-san. They might need some help," Rikuo added, a bead of sweat appearing on his cheek as he watch Kiyotsugu questioning something like 'Why are you giving me your hand?', which was answered by Jiro's 'You told me to.'
"U-Un. Be careful then, Rikuo-kun."
"Un."
Leading to confrontation
~Back at Nura main house~
"EEEEEEHHHHHHHHHH!"
Footsteps echoed through the house, before a door slid opened.
"Y-Young Master is not here either!" Tsurara shouted out in horror when she saw the empty room.
"M-Maybe he is with Kappa? At the pond?" Aotabo looked around frantically as well.
"I just went there, he is not there as well," Kubinashi appeared behind them, worry filled his eyes.
"What is all the ruckus about?"
The three of them turned to the side, seeing Rikun and Kurotabo, who was behind him.
"T-Third Heir! Y-Young Master is gone!" Tsurara wailed out.
Rikun blinked, "Ah."
"Eh?" The other four yokai stared at their Third Heir, stunned by how calm he was.
"W-Wait a moment. Did Young Master not say that all of you were going with him?" Kurotabo's eyes went wide.
"We never heard of that," Aotabo shook his head. "We were just going to report to him about Kejoro's condition, only to find that he was not here."
"What should we do, Thir-" Kubinashi paused, seeing a smirk spreading on Rikun's face. "T-Third Heir?"
Rikun chuckled, "Get Kappa. We are leaving."
"Y-Yes, Third Heir!" Tsurara quickly went to fetch Kappa.
"…You seem to be quite at ease about this, Third Heir," Kurotabo commented, watching Rikun heading towards the main entrance.
Rikun looked at him amusingly, "Why, Kurotabo. Did you think that I did that earlier stunt for fun?"
Kurotabo stared blankly for a while, before his face exploded to red at the mention of the earlier incident, while Kubinashi and Aotabo had no idea what they were talking about.
"Y-You already knew Young Master was lying at that time?"
Rikun smirked, heading out to the front gate once Kappa and Tsurara had arrived.
"What kind of mate am I, if I can't even sense unease from my own future mate?"
Leading to confrontation
~Abandon building, great hall~
Rikuo stood alone at the great hall, looking at the screen cautiously. The hand that was clenched on his shirt tightened, the heat within him getting stronger.
Without looking around, Rikuo could tell that, he was surrounded. Rikuo patted his shirt, staring at the screen, waiting for Kiyotsugu and the others to get the projector working.
Leading to confrontation
"This thing must be very old," Kiyotsugu grunted out, lying on his back and trying to fix the projector. "Some parts are totally rusted out!"
"So…much…dust!" Jiro coughed out from beside Kiyotsugu, holding on to one of the parts as Kiyotsugu moved another one.
"Are the two of you all right?" Kana asked, handling a wrench to Kiyotsugu when he asked for it.
"Don't worry, Ienaga-kun! I will definitely fix this so we can see the yokais!"
Kana laughed nervously.
I don't really want to see them…but if it was that white-black hair yokai…
Kana blushed, shaking her head while leaning backwards. In doing so, she pressed on a switch without her knowledge. It caused the projector to be switched on, and lights shone out from the lens and onto the screen in front of it.
However, all three of them were so focused on working on the projector from below, they did not notice it.
Leading to confrontation
"Nura Rikuo."
Rikuo tensed up when a shadow showed up on the screen.
"How nice of you to join us," The voice mocked him. "It must be fun, playing with those humans."
Rikuo narrowed his eyes, "…What do you want? What is your purpose for drawing me out here?"
A snort sounded, "Is it not obvious? I am using you as bait for your precious Third Heir of course."
Rikuo stayed silent, as the yokais that were hiding around the place started appearing.
"Say goodbyes to your little friends, because after we have captured you, they will probably get eaten."
Rikuo widened his eyes.
He was not planning to let them off at all!
A smirk appeared on the voice's face, "Get him."
At that, all the yokais headed straight for Rikuo.
Leading to confrontation
~Just outside the building, night~
"This…is...endless!" Aotabo punched another yokai out of the way, allowing them to move forward.
"We just need to move forward. Young Master is probably inside, seeing as these yokais are all over place," Kurotabo shot out his weapons at a yokai, killing it instantly. Kappa was flinging yokais away with his water techniques.
As they continued on, Kubinashi noticed that, Rikun was not taking out his sword, only evading the yokais or kicking them aside. After he finished slicing another yokai's head, he ran forward until he was by Rikun's side.
"Rikun-sama, why are you not using your sword?"
Rikun nodded in thanks to Tsurara, who froze a yokai that was coming his way, before turning to Kubinashi.
Rikun then gave a wry smile.
"Nenekirimaru is not with me."
Leading to confrontation
Inugami growled out as each and every yokai, that was supposed to take down Rikuo, went down instead.
"…So you know how to fight…" He stepped onto the stage, making himself visible to Rikuo. "I would have thought that you were just a pampered brat."
Rikuo stood in the middle of the room, panting heavily. On his hands, was Nenekirimaru, blood glistering on its blade.
Rikuo flicked the sword, getting the blood off, facing Inugami.
…Good thing Rikun continued to teach me even after Gyuki-san's incident…I hope he don't mind me borrowing Nenekirimaru…
Earlier, before he left the house, Rikuo had sneaked into Rikun's room, took Nenekirimaru and hid it in his shirt.
…He will probably be amused…by the fact that I actually took it without his permission.
Rikuo leveled Nenekirimaru in Inugami's direction, sweating slightly as he thought about how Rikun would react.
"Just because you are able to take down a few yokais, does not mean anything! I will just take you on myself!" Inugami slowly transformed into a large wolf, damaging the rooftop, as well as the place where Kiyotsugu and the others were.
"Kyaaaahhhh!"
"Kana-chan!" Rikuo looked at the direction where he heard Kana's voice, only to bring his sword in front of him as Inugami charged at him, going head on with Nenekirimaru, forcing him backwards.
Leading to confrontation
"W-What was that!" Jiro quickly got up to his feet, shocked as the wall in front collapsed, which almost landed on them. "Kiyotsugu-kun? Ienaga-san? Are you two all right?"
Kana coughed, waving the dust off, "Y-Yes."
"What about you, Kiyotsugu-ku-ah," Jiro paused, seeing Kiyotsugu was knocked out, due to him bumping hard onto the projector when the wall collapsed.
Jiro sighed, "Good thing we are all rig- What is wrong, Ienaga-san?" He asked Kana, who was staring at where the wall had collapsed with horror.
Kana pointed a finger shakily to the front, making Jiro followed her finger. He widened his eyes.
In front of them was a gigantic wolf, its back facing them.
"W-W-WHAT!?" Jiro's body trembled at the sight, before quickly covering his mouth, afraid that the wolf would notice them. Thankfully, it seems to be focusing on something in front of it.
"W-We got to g-get-"
Someone cut Kana off, "…Get them out of here."
Kana widened her eyes, turning around to face the door.
"Y-You are-"
Leading to confrontation
"Always under the protection of your own clan! You have no idea what we have done to get to where we are now!" Inugami pushed forward, making Rikuo slid backwards. "Tamazuki will definitely destroy all of you and take over your Fear!"
Rikuo said nothing, focusing on pushing Inugami back, however, it was quite futile as the creature before him had way too much strength than him.
Inugami turned his head slightly and flung Rikuo onto the stage hard, causing dust to rise up from the crash.
"Is this all you got, Nura Rikuo?" Inugami howled, taking a step towards the stage.
A cough sounded, catching Inugami's attention.
"If you want to be on the stage, at least try not to destroy it."
"What?" Inugami jerked back.
The dust slowly cleared, revealing two figures instead of one.
"Then again, it's not like you are the main character on this stage." The dust dispersed, and in its place, stood Rikun, who was carrying Rikuo bridal style. The moon shone on them from the destroyed rooftop, giving them a mystical glow.
"Ri-Rikun…" Rikuo looked up at him, stunned that he was here.
Rikun glanced down at him and smirked, "Learning bad things now huh, Rikuo? I remembered someone telling me that, stealing was bad."
Rikuo blushed. "B-Be quiet! I-I was just borrowing it! I can't fight empty-handed," Rikuo defended, using the same words Rikun had told him before.
"…Who are you!?"
Rikun switched his gaze to Inugami, "…Always targeting around me instead of at me. Shikoku yokais are really unrefined."
"…I see. You are the Third Supreme Commander. This is just great, I will take down your head right here, right now!"
Inugami charged forward, clamping his jaws at where Rikun and Rikuo were, only to find that they were not there.
"Whoa there."
Inugami looked up, seeing Rikun standing at the edge of the broken rooftop, with Rikuo clenching on his kimono.
"That was dangerous," Rikun smirked, before jumping off the rooftop, away from Inugami.
Inugami howled out and chased after him.
~With Kana and the others, just outside the building~
"Hurry and return home now, before anything else happens," Kubinashi told Jiro, who was carrying Kiyotsugu, and Kana.
"W-Wait! Rikuo-kun is still inside!" Kana told them.
"Everything is in order, you need not worry," Kurotabo reassured her.
A howl caused all of them to look up in the sky.
Kana and Jiro widened their eyes as they saw Rikun jumping off the rooftop, seemingly to be heading towards their school. Thankfully, Rikun's blue cloak managed to cover Rikuo completely, hiding him from sight.
Shortly after, the large wolf they saw earlier followed after the yokai. Seeing that, Kurotabo, Kappa, Aotabo and Tsurara quickly rushed forward to follow them. Kubinashi turned to the three humans and waved them off.
"Go now."
Before he, too, ran off as well.
"C-Come on, Ienaga-san," Jiro stuttered out, not being able to believe what he just saw.
"U-Un." Kana looked up at the sky, hoping to catch one more glimpse of the person who saved her yet again.
Leading to confrontation
"Bad, bad, bad, bad Rikuo."
"Will you quit saying that?!" Rikuo glared at the smirking Rikun.
"No."
Rikuo let out a sound of frustration, placing his head on Rikun's shoulder to hide the blush that was creeping up on his face.
Rikun smiled, "I will punish you later."
"P-Punish?" Rikuo looked at Rikun in shock.
"Right now, we have something to deal with..." Rikun glanced behind him, noticing that Inugami was catching up to them.
Inugami growled out, his neck slowly stretching out.
"?" Rikun narrowed his eyes when he saw that.
Inugami's neck suddenly broke away from his body, his head heading towards the both of them at a faster speed.
Giving a look to Rikuo, Rikun allowed Rikuo to step on his shoulder, so Rikuo was able use it to propel himself higher into the air, while Rikun landed on the roof of Rikuo's school.
"Foolish move!" Inugami took advantage of Rikuo while he was airborne, heading straight for him.
Acting quickly, Rikuo threw Nenekirimaru towards Inugami's head, to which he dodged it easily.
"Where are you aiming? Die!"
Inugami opened his jaws wide, intending to devour Rikuo, who was falling from the sky. However, just inches from reaching Rikuo, blood suddenly splattered out from his mouth.
"W-What…!"
"He was never aiming for you."
Inugami turned around, just in time to see his body falling to the ground, spurting out blood as it fell, before Rikun, who appeared beside him with Nenekirimaru in his mouth, kicked his head to where his body was landing.
Taking Rikuo back into his arms, Rikun gently landed on the ground, at the same time as Inugami's body and head fell in front of them. Settling Rikuo on his feet, he let Rikuo sheath Nenekirimaru for him.
"Y-You…" Inugami's head merged with body again, slowly transforming back to his human form. "I-I will…"
"All right, that is enough."
Rikun and Rikuo watched when a swirl of leaves suddenly surrounded Inugami. When it stops, Tamazuki was standing beside him, a hand on Inugami's shoulder.
"T-Tamazuki," Inugami looked up at him. "I-I can still-"
"I still need you, Inugami," Tamazuki smiled at him. "There is no point in continuing this fight."
Inugami looked down in defeat.
Tamazuki turned his attention to the Nura siblings.
"We meet again, Nura Rikuo," Tamazuki smiled at Rikuo, who tightened his grip on Nenekirimaru. "Cute as always."
Rikuo blushed, before Rikun stood forward, hiding him from Tamazuki's sight.
"Oh?" Tamazuki looked at Rikun, who had a vein popped on his head. "Ah…you must be the Third Supreme Commander."
"…" Rikun stared at him, not saying anything. As this was happening, Kubinashi, Kurotabo, Aotabo, Kappa and Tsurara, arrived at the scene, standing beside Rikun and Rikuo protectively.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Tamazuki slowly raised his hands. "Nura Rikun." He then placed two fingers on his lips and showed it to Rikun.
The five bodyguards and Rikuo widened their eyes at the shown gesture.
I can't believe he actually did it to Rikun as well!
Rikun remained impassive, though Rikuo could tell that he looked a bit ill at the unexpected gesture.
"I suppose there is no need to target anyone else now," Tamazuki tilted his head. "…Shall we settle this at another time?"
Leaves started swirling around Tamazuki and Inugami.
"…See all of you…very soon..." Tamazuki's smirk was the last thing they saw before the two yokais disappeared.
Silence descended upon them as the last of the leaves went away.
Rikun then broke it by landing a fist on Rikuo's head, just enough to hurt slightly.
"Ow!" Rikuo rubbed his head. "What was that for, Rikun!" He looked at Rikun, only to be taken aback by the intense look he was given.
"You are really reckless."
"E-Eh?" Rikuo widened his eyes as Rikun placed a hand on his cheek.
"When I said you should not hide anything from me, that includes lying as well." Rikun then pinched the cheek.
"O-Ow, ow, ow, ow!" Rikuo took hold of Rikun's hand, trying to lessen the pain.
The other five yokais watched on with smiles and sweatdrops.
"Lying to me, taking Nenekirimaru without permission," Rikun continued pinching. "You ought to be punished, Rikuo."
"Owwwwww! I-I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Tears started gathering in his eyes.
Having mercy on him, Rikun let go, not before giving one last pinch on the red cheek.
Rikuo hurriedly hold his abused cheek, "…That hurts…Rikun…"
Rikun folded his arms as Rikuo rubbed his cheeks gingerly, "…Do you have any idea how worried they were?"
"Eh?" Rikuo looked at Rikun, who gestured at the five yokais.
Taking the hint, Kubinashi stood forward, "That's right, Rikuo-sama. You just suddenly disappeared without informing any of us. We were afraid that, those yokais had gotten a hold of you."
Aotabo and Tsurara nodded fervently.
"Even with your friends in danger, you should trust us, trust us that we will be able to handle it, Young Master," Kurotabo said.
Rikuo looked down in shame. "I-I'm sorry…"
Kappa blinked, "Young Master." When Rikuo looked up at him, he continued, "Please tell us next time…we are…both of your Night Parade of a Hundred Demons after all," Kappa softened his eyes.
Something flashed through Rikun's eyes.
"Un," Rikuo nodded, smiling at them. "…I'm sorry. I promised not to do such a thing again."
"…All right then. Shall we move on with the punishment?"
"Eh!?" Rikuo gaped at Rikun. "Was that not punishment earlier?"
"How is pinching on the cheeks punishment?" Rikun moved forward until he was in front of Rikuo.
Rikuo shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the pain that would come. In doing so, he did not notice the smirk that was spreading on Rikun's face.
Kurotabo took one look at that and hurriedly turned around, back facing them.
"Kurotabo?" Tsurara blinked, seeing that action.
"I suggest that all of you do the same as well," Kurotabo warned them.
"Aw, Kurotabo. You should watch. It is Rikuo's punishment after all," Rikun grinned, taking a hold of Rikuo's chin and tilting it to the side.
"I will pass."
What are they talking about?
Just as Rikuo was about to ask, Rikun suddenly leaned down and bit on his neck. As in really biting into the flesh.
"Ahn!" Rikuo snapped his eyes open and quickly took a hold of Rikun's arms. "W-Wait! Ri-AH!" Rikuo tried to push Rikun away, but failed, "…Hurts!"
Rikuo trembled as the pain flowed through him, making small whimpers as Rikun continued to bite down on his neck.
Kubinashi and Aotabo gawked at the scene, before quickly doing as Kurotabo had said. Kappa had already done so when Kurotabo first said it.
Tsurara's eyes are swirling around, her face beet red, before Aotabo quickly turn her around as well.
After a while, Rikun released Rikuo, a string of saliva attaching from his mouth to Rikuo's neck, before it snapped. Rikun then pulled Rikuo close, seeing as he was still reeling from the pain. "There, that was for taking Nenekirimaru and making us worried."
Rikuo's face was flushed, tears seeping through at the pain he had received. He clutched on Rikun's sleeves, embarrassed at the form of punishment as well as the others witnessing it. He used one hand to touch the place Rikun had bitten and gasped when he actually felt indented teeth marks.
"It will show for the next few days," Rikun proudly told him, grinning all the way.
"Y-You…! How am I suppose to hide this…stupid Rikun…!"
Rikun chuckled, turning to the other yokais, "Come on, let us return home."
"Y-Yes, Third Heir."
Leading to confrontation
~Nura main house, at the corridor outside Rikuo's room~
After which, Rikuo suddenly recalled something.
"Rikun?" Rikuo called for his attention, sitting near the edge, swinging his legs.
"Hm?" Rikun responded, while lying on the wooden floor behind Rikuo, eyes closed.
"Earlier, you said that you were punishing me for taking Nenekirimaru and worrying all of you, right?"
Gaining a positive hum, Rikuo looked behind at his brother, "…What about for lying to you?"
Rikun opened one of his eyes to look at him, "…Want more, huh?" He grinned.
"W-What? No!" Rikuo blushed.
Rikun smirked, "I have punished you for that previously."
"W-When?"
Rikun reached out a hand and pulled Rikuo towards him, making Rikuo land on top of his body. "Wah! R-Rikun?"
"…At the main entrance…" Rikun whispered to his ears.
Rikuo widened his eyes, face becoming red. He buried his face on Rikun's chest, "…You knew…? But I thought I blocked you off?"
Rikun huffed, "You still have a long way to go before you could hide your thoughts from me. To add on, that yokai, Inugami if I am not wrong, was prowling near our premises this morning…Besides…you are a horrible liar."
Rikuo pouted, "Stupid Rikun…"
Rikun smiled, a hand on Rikuo's back to hold him close, simply enjoying the comfortable silence as they watched the cherry blossom petals floating around the backyard.
…
..
.
"…Does that meant that you heard the one about you and Otou-san as well?"
Rikun placed his other arm over his eyes, "…Please don't remind me about that…"
Rikuo laughed, "You should try doing that, I would really love to see Otou-san's reaction."
"…I will never do that...It…is just plain disturbing, Rikuo."
Leading to confrontation
~With Tamazuki~
Tamazuki looked out of the window. Slowly unsheathing a sword he held in his hand, he held the blade horizontally above him.
"…Hmmm."
His lips twitched into a smirk.
"…We shall settle this sooner than you think, Nura Rikun," Tamazuki chuckled. "I can't wait for them to arrive."
His sword gleamed, as if sharing his excitement.
~To Be Continued~
Marisay-chan: *Sniff* Sorry about the earlier drama. Thank you, by the way, Nurarihyon-san, for doing all those for me.
Nurarihyon: *Smiles and patted her head* It's fine, just stop crying. You are making everyone uncomfortable…It was our fault anyway…*Sweatdrops*
All right…so, ahahahahaha! Did anyone else laugh at the scene between Rihan and Rikun? I was banging on my table non-stop as I wrote it haha! Even yokais have their...moments *Nods with a sweatdrops* …but still, you ought to control yourself, Danuki (Am I the only one who thinks that the name Tamazusa, is more feminine?)…And Rikun and Rikuo's moment is getting more and more… *Wriggles eyebrows*…If possible, I wish to end the Shikoku arc in the next chapter. (Good Luck, me!)
Looks like the end is near, Tamazuki will be making his move soon, but, how soon?
Omake 1:
As they continue to watch the petals floating around, Rikuo remembered something.
"…Did Tamazuki just…flirted with you as well?"
Rikun groaned, hugging Rikuo close to him. "…Another disturbing point…"
Rikuo blinked, "…I am not sure how I feel about that…"
Rikun glanced at Rikuo, "Jealous?"
Rikuo jerked in surprise. "W-What? I am not!"
Rikun merely grinned, hugging Rikuo tighter, "Don't worry, you are the only one for me." He placed a kiss on Rikuo's head.
Rikuo blushed, not saying anything.
…
..
.
"It's nice to hear that you are jealous for me, Ri~ku~o."
"I just said that I am not!"
Omake 2: (In reference to the above author note, read it first so you don't get confused)
Rikun sighed. "Exactly how you want us to repay you, Marisay-chan?"
Marisay-chan was sniffing at one corner, looking at her laptop in depression.
"I don't know! Think of some way to repay me!" Marisay-chan sniffed. "…My laptop…"
"Technically, it was Aotabo's fault…" Rihan rubbed his head while looking at Aotabo, who was looking down in shame.
"I don't care! You are the leader of your clan, take responsibility!" Marisay-chan wailed out.
Every yokai in the vicinity winced as Marisay-chan's soft sobs grew to out loud crying.
"D-Do something!" Rikuo whispered to Rikun, glancing at the crying author in panic.
Rikun grimaced, "What do you want me to do, Rikuo? Offer myself?"
Marisay-chan stopped crying at that, looking at Rikun with teary eyes.
Rikun twitched at the look that was given to him. Rikuo looked between Marisay-chan and Rikun, before getting an idea.
"Y-You can use us to do a scene that you like, Marisay-chan!" Rikuo said, smiling awkwardly.
"R-Rikuo!" Rikun protested, but was hushed when Rikuo nudged him not so gently.
Rihan nodded as well, placing a hand on Rikun's head. "T-That's right, so don't cry anymore, all right, Marisay?"
Marisay-chan stared at the hand that was on Rikun's head, before nodding slowly, "…All right."
Everyone sighed in relief.
"So, what do you want us to do?" Rihan asked, ruffling Rikun's head.
"Get your hands off me, Oyaji!" Rikun growled, slapping Rihan's hand.
"Don't be so cold, Rikun!" Rihan grinned at him. "Give your father a hug, why don't you?"
"Go burn in hell."
"…I want to see it." Marisay-chan suddenly cut in.
"Eh?" Rihan and Rikun stared at her.
"…I want to see Rikun-san hugging Rihan-san happily," Marisay-chan gave a small smile.
"W-What! There's no way I am going to…" Rikun paused, seeing tears welling up in Marisay-chan's eyes. Rikun twitched uncomfortably at that.
"Just this once, Rikun," Rikuo urged him.
Rikun stretched his lips into a thin line, before sighing grudgingly. "…Just…this once…"
And that is how the scene of Rikun hugging Rihan came about.
That's all folks! Leave a review once again!
Edited on 15th December 2014