Hello.

I'm so sorry, I haven't been updating, I'll get started right away. This is the last chapter I'm going to do in this saga of fanfic, when I get inspired after this expect more of my (not) short stories! I promise. I just don't want this to be super long. Let us begin, eh?

#19

Title: Several bits of scenes that have been scattered throughout my head as I wrote this, but I couldn't organize them into a story.

Features: A lot of people….just read.

(A/N: Don't be surprised if this doesn't make much sense, It's just a bunch of little scenes I've had in my head since I started reading Nurarihyon no Mago last July. Enjoy!)

Rikuo bounced on the balls of his feet as he stood up in the chairs in the back of the bus he rode, his backpack haphazardly thrown where he was supposed to be sitting. His head could barely reach the top of the chairs and therefore he was stuck looking at the plastic-like leather of the seat before him, energetically pushignt he top of it.

"Shut up, will ya?" the irritated older child sitting in front barked behind at Rikuo's animated chatter to his (only ) friend, who was timidly sitting, buckled properly into the chair beside him. Rikuo merely stuck his tongue out and continued the one-sided conversation with his friend.

"Hey, Rikuo?" she finally addressed him.

"Yes?"

"We're here! You almost made us miss our stop!" Kana giggled as he pulled off and ran down the aisle and out the door just before the driver closed it. He walked, slow and relaxed, though his face betrayed his excitement.

"Why are you so excited today, anyway ?" she asked questioningly.

She was quite used to Rikuo's bubbly self, though it was only on certain days he was ever this animated. He grinned, wide and coy.

"My grandfather's going to have some visitor's today! And Zen-san's going visit!"

Kana smiled, thinking back to all the strange and wild stories Rikuo never failed to make her smile about the supposed 'yokai' that lived in his house.

Though she would never admit it, it kind of frightened her; his unfalliable and adamant belief that they were real.

"That's nice Rikuo. My mom's just going to make me help her make dinner again."

Rikuo stopped and turned at Kana's house. His house was still several blocks away, and he waved goodbye to his reluctant friend, who watched his retreating form as the sun went down over their quaint neighborhood.

"Bye!" she called.

He waved his arm at her voice as he disappeared up the hill.

And Kana worried for her friend, who she knew was very alone in the big house of his.

(A/N: Alright, that was one of them. But I just couldn't think up a story to go with that scene! Here's another one.)

Youhime was in her room, late at night, waiting on her husband's return. Though she had never admitted it, and probably never would, she felt alone….

It was only to be expected. She loved her husband with all her heart, oh yes she did, but she couldn't help but feel just a little bit…inferior.

She knew her husband loved her, and would never leave her, but really, what was a lonely woman to do when her love was surrounded by more powerful yokai women? Women that could hold their hold in a fight, and stand proudly beside him?

Nothing, she silently decided, rocking her fussy baby in the night, where the moon's shine fell in through the thin curtains, and a light summer's breeze ruffled them in the silent empty halls.

She would be the clan's one stable person, and even if she couldn't go around gallivanting with her love, she had someone else to watch at the point.

Even if he does end up with another woman….

She pushed the thought out of her head. Nurarihyon was faithful. She knew it. She had bore his her son for him out of her certain assurity, even if she was young…

No….my son, too.

Youhime picked up the cooing hanyou from the place where he had been lying with her.

"Isn't that right little Rihan?"

(A/N: Right…..so that's scene two! What else… )

That's it…I'm gonna kill the little brat.

Even for a well, matured, fully hanyou, Rihan was by far the most immature one she'd met in addition.

"…calling me old….poking fun at my cooing skills—which is perfectly fine, isn't it Miss Tsurara?"

She gazed down at her little baby and grinned, sadness poking at her, which she shook off.

She didn't need to think about what was going to happen. She was going to enjoy herself, and enjoy the time she had left now.

"Oh, Tsurara, I can't believe I'm actually going to leave you with that idiot…"

She smiled wider when the baby yokai grasped her petite fingertips.

"Wel! Let's go! Rihan-sama's not going to come get me, and I'm hungry, aren't you?"

Setsura continued her one-sided conversation all the way to the kitchen.

(A/N: ….? Continuing…)

"All right, that's that! All men shall remove themselves from the vicinity of this house, starting now!"

Kejouro stood bossily at the gates, ushering out most of the main house of the Nura clan.

"We ladies are going to have the house to ourselves tonight! Ain't that right Wakana-chan!"

Freshly married and merely a young woman, Wakana nodded feverently and waved at the protesting men.

"Bye, Rihan-san! See you tomorrow!"

Giggling as the men closed the gates, Kejouro excitedly dragged the young woman inside the house, and so the 'ladies night' began.

Wakana had had no idea that there were so little women living inside the main house, in fact, the only people ones that were permanent residents of the Nura clan main branch were, her, Kejouro, a couple other and a young yokai named Tsuara. Most were rather reserved, but that all vanished once Wakana brought the alcohol out.

Within an hour, the women were all thoroughly smashed, Wakana introduced a formerly unknown skill.

"*hiccup* Hey Kejouro, can I see your hair?"

The yokai giggled and leaned forward, letting, waves of thick dark hair fall on Wakana's lap.

"*gasp* This is so pretty! I had a roommate with like, this-" she motioned exagerratedly with her arms, "long hair and she showed me how to braid it!" The woman pouted. "My hair's too short. It hasn't grown back in forever! And I cut it when I was thirteen."

"Really?" the only sober one at that point, Tsurara looked incredulously at Wakana.

"Mmmm-hmmmm! It never grows. That's why, when I first saw Rihan I thought he was a girl!"

The group of women broke down into fits of laughter, imagining he undoubtly masculine Rihan in women's clothing, cleaning.

"Ooohh, Kerjouro! Do you know what I'm gonna do?"

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm gonna braid you hair!"

Downing another glass of rum—they had thoroughly expended their store of sake—Wakana tackled the pretty yokai and started braiding her hair.

When all the men returned in the morning, they were surprised to find their ladies passed out in Wakana's room, hair done up in complicated and fancy Chinese-style braids.

And then they noticed they were also half dressed…especially up top.

By afternoon they were being yelled at by a cranky Kejouro and an even crankier Wakana to scrub their blood off the floorboards, all while the women were trying to cover themselves up.

(A/N: What possesses me to write this crap? Any, that's that for a few of the scenes I have no idea what to do with, though they wouldn't leave me alone…the rest, I have an inkling of an idea…. Here's the conclusion to #18! I was intrigued! This is the result of thinking too much!)

#20 (Final story)

Title: More of #18

Features: Night Rikuo, Tsurara

Tsuarara had been merely relaxing, when much to her surprise, she saw Night Rikuo roaming the hallways in an aimless sort of fashion. During the day.

During the day?

She rushed forward and peppily greeted him.

"Good morning Rikuo-sama! Are you hungry? You haven't eaten much at all, and the rest of the household is starting to get worried, or at least," her face dusted pale pink, "I was getting a little worried. Anyway," Tsurara chattered on and on, filling the comfortable silence that soon filled with morning noises as the yokai arose to lazily get some breakfast and relax.

Just before Tsurara could turn into the hallway where he assumed they were going to split, he grabbed her arms roughly and dragged her out the door into the garden. She squealed as they were pushed into the plentiful and lovely flower bushes that bordered the open space.

"Wha-" she began, but he quickly silenced her and leaned in close.

"Tell me," he breathed," Is my Day form this weak that he has to be doted on by his subordinates? In that case I really do wonder if I should just stay in control. He practically handed it over to me…"

Tsurara whimpered slightly and requested, though muffled, "Can you please release me Rikuo-sama?"

He scowled and let go of the yuuki-onna.

"Rikuo-sama, why do you speak so badly of…yourself?" she asked tentatively. She never had truly understood her masters double—and as she now realized—conflicting personalities. She had always just fooled herself into believing they were the same person. Things were just easier that way. She had always just told herself don't think about it.

Night Rikuo scoffed. "That weak bastard isn't me, and he could never hope to be me. I would say I'm almost ashamed on having to share a body, nonetheless a name and title with the little shit."

Night Rikuo seemed almost sinister.

Tsurara pushed herself off his chest.

The double-haired yokai an a hand through his hair and flashed her a crimson gaze.

"Tell me, and tell me honestly, do you really respect him? Like a true sandaime or a friend—no a toy."

Tsurara said nothing when she realized she really couldn't disagree. Though she somewa enjoyed her boss in his Day form, there was something about his Night form that was ust so…alluring. The perfect yokai.

"Answer me!" His grip was back around her wrists, and she knew she had to say something then. She had presumed in letting her silence answer for her.

"I don't either, Rikuo-sama, Rikuo-sama. I-I don't know. You're just so confusing. I was the first to swear sakazuki with you, the very first. But now your asking me to choose…but I love both my masters. It is Rikuo-sama who can't decide."

She turned a pale, dusty pink and proceeded to kneel, slightly afraid.

Breathing hard, Night Rikuo sank to his knees and leaned his head against the wall.

"He won't talk to me, Tsurara."

Tsurara lifted her head and smiled at Night Rikuo sadly. She really didn't know what to say, what exactly it was that Night Rikuo wanted from her. But she would try her best, and the only thing she had was telling the truth.

"You know, no one in the clan coddles you," she began, but was interrupted.

"Oi, I told you, I'm not him. He made that clear enough. Damn human can't mind his own business."

There was an awkward silence before Tsurara requested she continue, and he waved her assent. "You don't have to ask," was all he said.

"Anyway, no one in the main house coddles you. It's just that, you always look so sad. And you are our Sandaime, we're supposed to take care of you."

"It's supposed to be the opposite way," he argued back. "I'm supposed to be strong enough to protect my clan and everyone under it from harm. And he," he paused a cool anger settling on his features, "he's too weak. He'll get everyone I care about killed with this type of softness."

Tsurara was actually a bit stunned, to find out that anyone could be so ridiculously, stupendously, clueless about himself. She bit her lip and thought about a way to go through this softly.

"Rikuo-sama," she asked, "have you ever talked to your aibou?"

He snorted, as if the question was incredulous, though he was slightly uncertain about it. In fact, other than bending his human part to his will and ordering him to stay away, Night Rikuo had never really talked to Day Rikuo. This morning had been their first conversation, and it had been an argument.

"Yeah, course I have," he said airily.

Tsurara gave a memorable admonishing look, the one that simply screamed, 'Fess up, missy.'

He sighed.

"No, I haven't. You happy?" Night Rikuo asked, sarcasm dripping from his every pore.

Tsurara merely smiled and left the room, rushing out the door the way she had been dragged.

Night Rikuo let out a deep, unsatisfied breath. Whatever he had hoped to accomplish had been left with no result, and now he was even more, depressed wasn't quite right. The fact was, he had no idea what to do with himself. The mansion was actually pretty peaceful, and he had no idea what yokai did during the daytime, when their power was reduced.

"What the hell am I going to do?" he moaned out loud, covering his face and resisting the urge to hit something. With a deciding breath, he deftly entered his inner world.

What had been his, and solely his alone now was more varied, brighter, yet ominously dark at the same time. It was sprinkled with small bushes and stunted trees bursting with flowers, all holding that strange, heavy aura around them. Frankly, it was starting to creep the yokai out, and irritate him.

"Oi! What the hell did you do to place!" he shouted as Day Rikuo stood up from his kneeling position, completely and absolutely ignoring the taller, more frightening, imposing figure looming angrily above.

Day
Rikuo still looked like absolute crap; perhaps a minimum of 24 more hours rest and he might've been able to get rid of half of the shadows beneath his eyes.

"I guess I just lost my internal bet," he said to himself with a cynical grin, so different from his normal 'don't worry about it' face, "You've already come running back for help."
Night Rikuo grit his teeth and grabbed his other self's arms tightly, pinning them to his sides. Day Rikuo, much to the yokai's aggravation, looked slightly bored, his wide chocolate brown eyes alight with maliciousness, a rare expression few yokai ever got to see.

"Yokai's power is based on fear, and whether they can overpower their opponent by causing them to fear. But me, I don't see anything to be afraid of at all."

"Shut up!" Night Rikuo roared, tossing the smaller body aside. The human fell in a heap and wiped his now bloodied nose.

Night Rikuo stalked forward and prepared to draw the sword strapped at his side. He would kill him, he would kill the midget parasite in this proud yokai body…

Night Rikuo kicked his Day Form over onto his stomach and prepared the sword, ready to stab him when…

"Wouldn't you be the parasite?" Day Rikuo inquire, staring straight ahead. "I mean, I was here first. I didn't always have a demon lurking around in my head, abusing my body and calling me weak and unworthy at least once a day." His enormous brown eyes looked everywhere but at the yokai with the sword. "I guess you can finish whatever you've started. I've got nothing worth here to lose, and you've got everything here to gain." A sardonic smile twitched at Day Rikuo's lips. "I had no idea you were suicial, though. Well," he motioned vaguely, "finish me off."

Night Rikuo's crimson eyes focused on his Day form before he raised his sword…

And stopped.

The young yokai leaned forward and touched all the aspects of himself; his face, round and pleasant, his hair, short brown, and black, felt the dark, bruised skin underneath his large brown eyes.

How on Earth was this weak little human supposed to be him?
_

Go to the next chap...