Gekko no Senshi (Moonlight Warrior)
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
A/N: Before you start reading this chapter, I just want to let you know a few things: this is an AU story, so I twitched and tweaked certain details of the original storyline, doing my best to keep each characters personalities intact. With that said, as you might have read, I made Rikuo and Rihan brothers, with the latter being the eldest. Also, Yohime is alive and she's the mother. Nurarihyon keeps his young appearance. Two important characters are dead (but I won't tell you which one yet). This story is developed in present times. I will gladly answer questions.
Chapter 4
Rikuo was walking out of the school grounds when a sight before him made him stop in his tracks and curse to himself.
What the HELL is HE doing here!
"Rikuo-kun, what's wrong?" Natsumi asked as she stopped behind him.
"My brother," Rikuo gritted under his teeth.
Natsumi and Kana (who also was there) looked up to see a tall, godlike being with dark hair leaning on the school's gate, chewing a straw, and looking as I said before, godlike. The mystical Greek god Adonis had just personified himself. At least that's what Kana and Natsumi thought as they gawked and drooled upon Rikuo's older brother.
"Is that your brother?" asked Natsumi, still in wide shock.
"The asshole! What is he doing here?" growled Rikuo holding a fist. Without answering Natsumi, the boy walked towards the now forming crowd of adolescents around the hanyou.
"Rihan!"
A group of girls turned around.
"Ah, Rikuo-chan!" chirped Rihan, as he say his little brother's face.
"Stop calling me like that, you asshole!" now everyone was staring at Rikuo.
"No, no, no, what a potty mouth, little brother. What would okaa-san think of her precious little boy…"
"Damn you! Now let's go!" Rikuo strongly grabbed Rihan by the arm and peeled him off the wall; not before Rihan twisted his body around to wink and wave a good-bye to the crowd. The girls almost fell like a swarm of bees.
Rikuo just wanted the earth to open up and swallow him. This is embarrassing!
Natsumi and Kana just watched as Rikuo pulled his brother away from the school grounds.
"I can't believe you did that," started Rikuo when they where far enough from the school.
"What's wrong with coming to pick up my little brother from school?" whined Rihan.
Rikuo snorted, "Please, you just wanted attention."
"Don't I always, Rikuo…" smirked the eldest.
Rikuo didn't bother to answer. Whatever.
Rihan walked behind his brother humming, quietly to himself. And even though Rikuo was mad at first, the lullaby seemed to calm him down. It was one Rihan had created out of nowhere, one night when Rikuo was sick with a high fever. Mother Yohime tried with all her might to take away the pain, but the fever didn't budge. Rihan stayed by his side the whole night. When he started humming that song, it seemed to calm Rikuo's heaving chest and he soon started to sweat away the fever. Whenever Rikuo remembers that night, he thinks to himself that his relationship with his brother is not all lost; there is still good memories.
Everything changed when she left…
First Rihan submerged himself into a deep depression that seemed not to have any saving. A few months after, he went on a rampage rage, assaulting and disrespecting everyone in the house. Later he just calmed down and would only stare at the yamabuki flower garden for hours straight.
He became himself again when he met her…
That human girl with the 'toothy smile'… that's how Nurarihyon liked to call her.
And then again, she left us too…
"Excuse me," Rikuo heard someone say.
"Hey!" this brought him back to reality.
"Oh, yeah, sorry, what can I help you with?" he looked up to see this tall girl with a high ponytail and icy blues starring back at him. She averted her gaze away from him and then back at him. With this, Rikuo turned around. He had totally forgotten his brother was with him.
And apparently, the moron forgot how to talk.
"Gomen ne, I'm trying to find this address," the girl shows Rikuo the paper. "It should be around here… but I guess I'm lost…"
Rikuo sensed the girl hated herself for getting lost; she seemed pretty irritated.
And the moron still hasn't said a word…
"Don't worry, I can help," Rikuo gave her a genuine smile. The girl seemed surprised by it, but smiled back.
"Just walk down that street, after you pass the first lamppost, make a left… the house should be right there."
The girl beamed with excited. "Domo arigato!"
"You're welcome. Be safe!"
The girl yelled another thank you as she ran towards that direction. Rikuo smiled to himself. Then he turned to look at his gawking brother.
"I can't believe you. This always happen whenever you see a girl," Rikuo said boredly, bringing Rihan back into reality.
"Perhaps you're the one to talk; you do the same whenever you see that Kana girl," responded Rihan.
"I do not," answered Rikuo, turning around, walking straight back to the mansion.
There's something about that girl… I feel like I know her from somewhere, Rihan thought to himself as he made his way into the mansion.
Thank Kami that boy helped me, I would've just wondered like a total dumbass, Tomoe thought to herself as she straightened her skirt and shirt to look presentable. She undid her ponytail and shuffled her hair, put the ponytail back on, but this time it was a low.
"Kon'nichiwa!" Tomoe called from outside the gate. A short lady with very short gray hair appeared from the back. Tomoe peeked and waved.
"You must be Tomoe," she said sweetly.
"Yes, Yatogami Tomoe at your service, okaa-sama," said Tomoe respectfully as she bowed. The lady bowed back.
"So good to have you here," she said, "My husband is in the back, sipping some ice tea, please come." She nudged the girl to follow her as the turned the corner on the right side of the house. The backyard had a small pond, a nice small garden with chrysanthemums, but what caught Tomoe's attention were the yamabuki bushes that flourished so vividly. It made her heart grow warm and sad. She felt a yearning, a deep regret… now that she thought of it, she always felt like this whenever she saw yamabuki flowers, but she never understood why she felt that way.
This is so strange…
Then the image of that night, of that youkai with dark, gravity-defying hair and piercing golden eyes, struck her mind like a thunderclap, making her gasp. Her heart sank deeper and she felt like tears where threatening to come out. Why does the image of such youkai causes her pain when that was the first time she's seen him, hasn't she?
The question in her face, with her mind sunk in deep thought, had made her tune out the external world. Wasn't until she felt someone touching her shoulder that she was brought back to reality.
"Young lady," the grave voice of the retired soldier made her feel self-conscious.
"My lord, I apologize for being rude," she bowed.
"Worry not, child. The yamabuki flowers can be striking at this time of day. Does it bring back memories?"
When he said memories, her head shot up and the image of that man struck her again. She felt the blood leave her face.
"It does my lord, I'm sorry."
"Don't worry yourself, child. Glad you made it in time for dinner. Inoue's duck stew is the best in town," she saw the soldier fill his chest with pride. She felt herself smiling and the blood returning to her face.
"I haven't introduced myself," Tomoe cursed under her breath, "My name is Yatogami Tomoe."
"And I am Tsubasa Ken, former general to your father," he gave her a slight bow. "Please make yourself welcomed at our home."
She immediately started to like this couple. They where kind to her and they had this aura around them that gave you peace.
Inoue-sama had her place her luggage near the back door and told her to sit in the table. Tomoe asked where she could freshen up before dinner. Inoue-sama showed her the washroom and she entered. After she was done using the toilet, she washed her hands. Then she lifted up her face to catch her reflection in the mirror; what she saw made her gasp loudly, putting one hand in her mouth and the other on her chest: a strikingly beautiful woman with pale skin, sleepy dark eyes and even darker hair.
This, this isn't me? What's going on? Am I going crazy? Her chest heaved in astonishment. She regained her composure, washed her face and looked up again, this time seeing her own reflection in the mirror. She sighed.
"Tomoe-chan! Dinner is served!" she heard Inoue-sama called from outside the washroom.
Tomoe finished drying her face and stepped out. Dinner was uneventful; they asked her some questions about her father, the army, etc. She wasn't sure if to tell them the real reason she was here. She didn't even know if General Tsubasa knew she was a youkai. He explained to her that he used to lead the army before he got a fatal injury. It was a miracle he didn't die but it crippled him. He couldn't lift a sword afterwards.
If he used to lead the army, it means he should know about youkai. Should I tell him?
Tomoe decided against it. Now is not the time.
After dinner was done, Inoue-sama brought some white tea, they chat a little more and soon after, Tomoe started to yawn. She showed Tomoe her room and before she knew it, Tomoe drifted into a deep sleep, with the image of the young man with golden eyes embedded in her thoughts.
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