THIS IS THE REAL CHAPTER VIII! I MISTAKENLY POSTED CHAPTER IX AS CHAPTER VIII *FACEPALM* WELL, HERE IT IS, THE REAL CHAPTER VIII! SUMIMASEN! *BOWS AGAIN AND AGAIN*

Gintama is owned by the one and only Hideaki Sorachi-sensei and Nurarihyon no Mago by Hiroshi Shibashii-sensei.

Chapter VIII: Kagekisei

The leaves of the sakura tree fell like feathers from its branches. Slowly, they colored the brown earth with the gentle color of pink.

"Kirei na?", The boy was dancing merrily under the raining petals.

"Hai!" The little girl smiled wildly. A smile of innocence. She then gladly watched the boy as he bathed himself with the pink petals. Laughing, the boy raised up his hand towards the branch of a tree.

"Are?"

The boy's eyes opened up slightly. He then stood transfixed, his eyes meeting those crimson eyes.

A black figure was sitting over the branch. The boy tried his best to recognize the figure. It was daytime, the sun was shining bright, yet oddly, no amount of life seem to hit on the black figure. It was as if—he was just a shadow.

Then the black figure smiled.

The girl then looked at her back, eager to call more of her kind to enjoy the scenery. "Oi!"

She then ran towards the boy, who was lying over the bed of pink blossoms. The blossoms continued to fall, as if they themselves were enjoying in bathing the boy.

Except that this time, the boy did not laugh. The girl's smile vanished. The boy's eyes remained opened, his face deathly pale. And on his chest, was a huge red spot, red liquid flowing out of it, nonstop.

That was when she saw that it was not a bed of pink that blanketed the earth anymore.

It was red, red, red blood.

"Aniue…"

And that was when she saw a black figure fleeing past her, a crimson sword dangling from its waist.

***
When Reiya woke up, the first sensation that she felt was the gentle touch of the single sakura petal which nestled over her lips. Oddly, her neck felt stiff. It must have been the sleeping position. Sighing, the young mistress massaged the part, and stretched out her hands. Reiya stood up, feeling a bit more better, and slid the door open. The sakura tree as always was looking beautiful.

A faint voice spoke from behind.

"Reiya-sama."

Reiya turned around, finding Kurotabou.

"The enemy made another move again."

"Oh…"

Kurotabou sighed. "The same technique they used on Rikuo-sama when we were still up against Sanmoto Gorozaemon ."

"Ah…are."

Kurotabou nodded. "They are currently circulating in Edo the news about what happened inside the convenience store you were working."

"Sou ka. So, are you telling me they just televised on Edo that I was some sort of—eto…", Reiya closed her eyes, accentuating her long lashes, "Criminal on the loose?"

"Eh. They have alerted the Bakufu to catch you the moment you step foot on Edo."

"For the Bakufu to be alerted, this only means that the Gomi House is connected with the Amanto.", Reiya walked past Kurotabou. She then snatched some clothes. "Edo has been controlled by these space aliens for many decades, and the Bakufu will not ever move on its own without the blessing of the Amanto."

"Which means are enemies have increased yet again."

Reiya sighed as she put her cloak. "Shikattanai. With great power comes multitude of enemies. As our fear grows, the more headache we get."

"R-Reiya-sama, massaka…"

"I am going to Edo. Zen will be accompanying me."

"Demo—"

"Kurotabou, do you expect me to show myself to humans?", Reiya snapped. "And besides, I got a strange feeling that this Shinsuke is also connected with the Amanto. Maa, not that he's also involved with these bunch of omnyojis up against—that's my hunch."

Kurotabou bowed in defeat. "Ja, ittarasshai, Reiya-sama."

"Ah sou da, before I forget. Watch over the movements of our clan."

The monk looked rather surprised and raised his head immediately. "Eh? What do you mean Reiya-sama?"

"My guts were just telling me. Watch over the movement of our members. Ii jou. Otsukare, Kurotabou." Reiya pulled the hood of her cloak, and waved her hand.

Kurotabou bowed once again. "Wakatta."

Reiya smiled and walked ahead.

The monk gazed at the sakura tree. What could his mistress have meant? Watch over the members, is she telling him to watch over their safety? But the demons of the hundred parade were all demons of their own caliber. They have survived and made their way through many battles—the Hagoromo Gitsune, the Haykku Monogatari clan, the Gekidoin clan. Is mistress words' made little unless—

Nura Rikuo. "Ah…here you are after all."

"Rikuo-sama…", said Kurotabou, somewhat startled.

"Reiya's been being busy again. Ttaku, and she left without even dropping by his father.", the Third only shook his head and sat at the veranda, at the exact spot where Reiya had sitted.

"De, any news?"

"Zen will be accompanying Reiya-sama to the Yoruzuya-danna who defeated the Benizakura. They were going to investigate about the House of Gomi."

"Oh? And where exactly are they going?"

"Hm…tashika ni…the mistress mentioned yesterday that it was the House of Ketsuno in Edo, a clan of omnyojis who have been helping the Bakufu and the Shogunate in their administration of Edo."

"Oh…"

"Kurotabou."

"Have you heard of the demon named Kagekisei?"

"Kagekisei?" Kurotabou raised an eyebrow. "Was he not a shadow demon?"

Nura Rikuo smiled. "Sou. A shadow demon whose presence cannot be felt, a presence that could not even be felt by a Lord of Pandemonium like me. He had the appearance of a mere shadow, entirely faceless."

"Massaka, moshikashite…"

Nura Rikuo at the branch of a sakura tree. "Kagekisei. A shadow demon who has been known to steal swords and possess them. Aside from that, it is known to be a demon of corruption and temptation. He lures power-seeking demons, and even humans, to the swords he had possessed and makes them evil themselves. After that, the possessed sword is said to attach itself to the body of the host wielder, making it a parasitic weapon who seeps out—not only the strength, but the sanity of the wielder. What makes him an ideal thief is of course, its invisible presence. Even a Lord of Pandemonium like me would not be able to sense him unless he shows himself to that person."

"Then, Nenekimaru was—"

"Stolen by this Kagekisei. And before I forget—"Kagekisei, a sword thief demon, is also called the Demon of Possession. Which means apart from swords,, it can reside inside the bodies of humans, and demons."

Nura Rikuo's crimson eyes remained fixed at the branch of the sakura tree. He then brought out his pipe, and lit it. Placing his lips at its end, the Third Lord of Pandemonium blew the smoke so that it lingered with the wind which had been blowing the pink petals.

"For the Nenekimaru to be stolen. And to think only the most trusted of the clan members knew its whereabouts."

Watch over the movement of our members.

Kurotabou clenched his fists.

"Ah. Reiya has said it. Watch over the movement of our members. Sou. There's a traitor among us. Traitor? Maybe not exactly."

The Third blew the pipe once again.

"It seems that we have found another great pain in the head."

The wind caused the pink blossom to fall from its branch.

As Nura Rikuo closed his eyes, the blossom slowly made its way to the ground.

The blossom turned black.

***
Silence. It was the melody which serenaded the array of towering trees of the forest. When darkness falls, it is said that one who gets lost in this labyrinth would never get alive. For there, hidden in the niches of the seemingly everlasting dark, were little glints of light, glaring faintly in the dark. But once you find them, you should never rejoice, for these lights would not give you the way to exit.

For these lights belonged to the eyes of a hundred watchers—

A hundred demons who silently watch over their prey, waiting for its strength to be drained, until it no longer finds the strength to be able to run from their clutches.

The creatures whispered excitedly to each other. The wind was a messenger for them, carrying the scent of an approaching prey. The little demons braced themselves, never blinking their wide eyes as they waited to catch a glimpse of the figure of their would-be prey.

The Mistress of Pandemonium sped like a wind amidst the endless array of trees, her black cloak resembling a black shadow bestowing its swift presence upon each. Her foot hardly touched the branches—she might as well have flown. And as she fled past, traces of dark mists lingered around, mixing the wind. The creatures stumbled backwards, and cowered with fear.

They could only watch their Mistress trance gracefully , her smile a beauty to behold despite the mocking way her lips had curved themselves, the thirst of carnage reflected by her crimson eyes.

***
It was a closely-shut door which greeted Zen as soon as he arrived at the Yoruzuya. He was on the verge of destroying the wooden door when he noticed a letter attached to it.

The letter had been apparently written in a hurry, a clear statement of that the honored trio had no intentions whatsoever of being involved in a mess with demons.

Zenzen-chan,

Yoruzuya has closed. It is in our deepest regrets to inform you that Yoruzuya has closed. Yeah. You're not seeing things. We're closed.

So yeah.

We're closed.

DAKARA ITTA DAROU, WE'RE—"

The poor letter was torn into bits. Zen had clearly no intention of finishing a letter which contained nonsense, especially a letter which christened him with such a stupid name.

But of course, even more stupid was the fact that he could clearly sense their presence, just beneath the floor on which he stood. And who was the one who said it's the idiots who survived in this world? He might even finish them before they become useful. Nevertheless, Zenzen-chan opened the door, only to find the huge white dog Sadaharu.

"Worf!"

Zen stared beadily at the dog. Come to think of it, he rarely gave the humongous creature a glance as he was too busy wooing the three idiots just so they would lead him to the whereabouts of the House of Ketsuno and the House of Shirino, the two omnyoji houses who probably knew something about the Gomi Clan.

"Anata…you're a demon dog aren't you?"

Sadahari barked once again.

Zen smiled. "Perfect."

He then raised his hand. "Reveal your real self. Seal. Uplift!"

A huge golden pentagram surrounded the huge white dog. The blinding light immediately engulfed the whole room.

"Yare yare."

Zen grinned. "Yappari."

It was no dog who stood at the center.

The man scratched his head, making his ruffled white hair even more ruffled. He wore a white kimono, bearing black markings which flowed in the shape of a wild dog. He looked annoyed, as if he had just awakened from a deep sleep. At the center of his head was the symbol:

犬.

Inu.

He then stretched out his hands, letting the sleeves of his kimono slide lazily against his muscular built.

"For a bird demon to awaken me. This is annoying. And then all you'd do is ask me that question: "Oy temee, where did your idiot masters go? Ttaku." The man scratched his head again and yawned. "And I was so enjoying my screentime as the cute giant mascot of Yoruzuya."

He then focused his eyes at Zen, a pair of jet black orbs which bore strange markings at the center.

"As the guardian of the mysterious power that sleeps in this Amanto-conquered city, you're too laxed to be a demon.", Zen said mockingly.

"Listen. It's not my problem if you lost the demon-slaying sword. I wonder how much of a sleazebag your mistress is."

The bird demon clenched his teeth, fear emanating from his silver wings. "You will not insult the head of the Nura Clan."

The demon dog, smirked, allowing Zen to see his fangs.

"Nura Reiya. Do you realize just how much harm your mistress are causing to our kind? The mere fact that she have come to Edo only means that she is leading our kind to discovery. These Amantos have been brutal enough to destroy this city—the city of samurais. And as these swords—the very soul and pride of these warriors—came to be snatched from their hands, so did us demons of Kabuki-chou trailed into non-existence. Hundreds of years we have existed in guarding this city, but these space aliens, they have reduced us to nothing but a bunch of myths…And so our fear, our osore, by time, diminished."

The white-haired man leaned against the wall. His eyes stared at the Terminal. "That structure...it is the symbol of the Amanto's invasion of this city. And along with it, we demon guardians are forced to sustain its power for this city to operate."

"Then why don't you just lot help the samurais?", snapped Zen. "Why the hell do you allow yourselves to be enslaved by these aliens? Don't you have the pride of a demon?!"

The demon dog in his human form laughed. "Rebel? Goodness know how many times have I craved to destroy those wretched bodies of theirs! Oh how many times have I dreamed of tearing them limb to limb, but no, never would I devour them! Us demons, we hold the pride of our fear, just as samurais hold the pride of the Bushido. Shikashi, much as we have wanted too—"

It was then that the white-haired demon etched a symbol on the wall with his pointed nails.

ごみ

Gomi.

Zen's eyes widened.

"Sou. This clan of omnyojis who have been using us as their familiars. They have been keeping ties with the Amantos in exchange for power. And with that, we were placed under their seal, forced into being kept in our weak forms. Thus the reason why I have been living my life as a cute dog.". Zen braced himself. He could feel his heart thumping with excitement. Who would have imagined that the answers lie on this huge white dog who seemed to be just some bystander yesterday? It seems that he had no need for those idiots anymore.

"But I was able to lift your seal."

"Sou. And that was because they have not counted the possibility of the Nura Clan defeating the House of Gekidoin, their master house. In other words, they left it in the care of that house because they thought that your Mistress' clan had no chance against such a powerful group of omnyojis. And so the House of Gomi was left to take care of this city. But then the Sandaime won. And now, it is the Yondaime's reign. They were now scrambling to keep your clan from coming into Edo, terrified of having their evil deeds discovered. And that is why—"

"They stole the Nenekimaru.", Zen continued. The pieces of the puzzle are slowly coming into to fit the whole picture of reason. "But how? Even I myself could not comprehend it, the Sandaime's extreme sense could not have missed it…"

"But still it was stolen."

"Bird demon, have you ever heard of the demon Kagekisei?"

"Kagekisei?"

"Kagekisei. A thousand year-old demon known to take the form of a shadow. It has no body. All it can do is take the body of some creature—be it a human, a demon, or whatever. As a shadow, it has the exquisite power of hiding its presence—not even a Lord of Pandemonium could sense it."

"Unless you shed it with some crimson light."

The two demons turned at the direction of the voice.

The Mistress of Pandemonium leaned against the door.

"Zen, otsukare. Demo ne, we still need those three. Nenekimaru is obviously under the hands of these Gomi Clan. As for Benizakura, we need to find the surviving daughter of the man who forged the prototype crimson sword." Nura Reiya sighed. "This is becoming more and more difficult."

"Reiya-sama."

"Saa, ikou zo. And you." Reiya's crimson eyes fell into the white-haired demon. "Anata no namae wa?"

The man smiled. "Sadaharu desu."

Reiya chuckled. "Such a cute name for a guardian dog of this city. Well then. Sadaharu, you're coming with us."

"And what if I don't want to?"

"Well, it's either you just want to see your three masters suffer in an upcoming war between demons, omnyojis, and Amantos. Dou da?"

The man faced Zen. "Turn me back into my cute mascot form. I don't think my masters would survive the truth of my real form."

Zen smiled. "With pleasure."