I could have posted this earlier but I was kinda having a mind block for this chapter. T.T Gahhh I hate mind blocks, I can't think properly. In return for taking a little longer than usual, here's a longer chapter! Do tell me what you think of this please!

"...no, you can't go in!"

"Why not?"

"Because she's still asleep!"

"I'll wake her up then!"

Loud noises outside the room roused Reika from her sleep. She looked up groggily and frowned at the unfamiliar room that she was in. Feeling a little disoriented, it took her a few seconds to remember what had happened yesterday and why exactly was she staying in the Nura House.

Ahhh... Is it morning already? She only managed to fall asleep a few hours later after she got back to her room last night. The image of Rihan and his wife kept flashing through her head repeatedly, which absolutely irked her.

When she could still hear the noises outside, she got out of bed quickly and put on proper clothes that were already prepared for her before walking to the shoji doors. When she slid them open, she wasn't surprised to see Rikuo standing outside with a small natto-looking youkai.

"What're you guys doing?" she asked them curiously. To her, they both sounded like they were debating over something. The youkai must have heard things from the others because he only looked slightly taken aback at her appearance. He has stayed with the Nura Clan for about four hundred years already and of course, this meant that he knew about Otome.

"Onee-chan, ohayou! We were waiting for you!" Rikuo exclaimed at the same time when the youkai beside him mumbled "nothing". She raised both eyebrows at them questioningly.

"I-I'm Natto Kozo!" the tiny creature spoke up and introduced himself. "Yuki-Onna wants us to bring you to the dining room once you're awake."

"Oh, thanks," Reika replied. Smelling a foul odour, she wrinkled her nose in disgust. She knew exactly where it was coming from...

Coughing once, Natto Kozo straightened his back and announced loudly, "I may stink, but I'm actually friendly-"

Without wasting a second, Rikuo stepped towards her and slipped his hand in hers before dragging her along with him, leaving a very annoyed Natto Kozo behind. What an impatient boy Rikuo was, but she was silently grateful towards him for saving her from the dumb speech that the half-witted youkai was saying.

When Rikuo brought her to the dining room, most of the youkai in the Nura House were already there. The room was actually big enough to fit hundreds of people in. Servants entering the room were carrying trays of scrumptious food and serving the rest of the youkai.

The loud and animated chatterings were overwhelming for her. If it wasn't for Rikuo's hand holding hers, she would have backed out of the room immediately. Taking a few steps into the room, she was aware that a couple of youkai have started to notice her presence. They turned to their partners and started whispering into their ears while staring at her. The chatterings died slowly and murmurs went through the room instead. All eyes were eventually on her as more youkai noticed her.

"Who is she?"

"She looked like the Nidaime's late wife..."

"Seriously?"

She ignored their stares and her eyes scanned through the crowd for a certain someone.

Apparently, she didn't have to look because Rikuo dragged her to where his parents were, ignorant to whatever was happening around him. She spotted the person that she was looking for. He was sitting at the centre of the room with a woman.

Since it wasn't nighttime now, Reika was able to see clearly how Rihan's wife looked like. She was just an average-looking female with brown eyes and short hair. Wearing a light yellow yukata, the image of a yakuza wife didn't really fit her well. She was setting down a food tray and speaking to Rihan with a bright smile on her face. Even if Reika was looking at her from a distance away, anyone could tell that there was an aura of cheerfulness around Rikuo's mother.

"Mommy and Daddy! Look who I've brought!" Rikuo called out excitedly. The couple looked up instantly and smiled at them, especially Wakana. Her radiant smile was starting to annoy Reika. She forced herself to relax and put on her best smile.

"Ohayou gozaimasu to you both," Rikuo's mother greeted them warmly as they sat down. Her eyes shifted from Rikuo to Reika. "Ara, you must be dear Hanako-chan! Rikuo was right, you are very pretty! I'm so glad that the kimono looks good on you too!"

Reika thanked her politely for the compliment. The "proper clothes" that she was currently wearing, was a plain black kimono with a pattern of pink lotus flowers on it. It probably looked nice on her partly because of her pale skin and red eyes.

"I'm Wakana. Nice to meet you, Hanako-chan! I hope you're feeling much better-" From the corner of her eyes, Wakana saw her son trying to hold the chopsticks correctly with his small fingers, but gave up and attempted to eat with his hands. "-ah, Rikuo! Before you eat, did you wash your hands?" She turned around to help him and all her attention was fixed on Rikuo now. This left Rihan and Reika sitting alone.

"Are you feeling any better, Hanako?" Rihan's voice was laced with concern and worry. Reika turned to look at him before replying. His gravity-defying hair fell past his shoulders in his human form in a low ponytail and both of his eyes were opened now. In his youkai form, only his left eye was opened.

"Yes, I'm feeling better."

He threw her a doubtful look. "You don't look fine at all. Didn't you manage to get a good sleep last night?"

Obviously I didn't. No thanks to you.

She cleared her throat and answered him quickly. "I'm really fine. Perhaps I'm not completely well yet." She flashed him a demure smile, hoping that he would just let it go.

Surprisingly, he did. He picked up his cup and drank from it, a thoughtful look crossing his face. She stared at him cautiously, wondering if he suspected that she was lying all along.

He placed his cup on the tray slowly. "Can I ask something?" His voice was hesitant and careful.

Reika nodded her head, puzzled. What was he going to question her?

"Your mother... What was she like?" he asked quietly.

She stayed silent and thought hard, her mind searching for the right words to say so that she wouldn't slip out anything that might gave away her real identity.

"My mother was a gentle and beautiful ayakashi. She loved yamabuki flowers so much that she would often bring me to a small garden that was close to our house to see them." She let out a wistful smile on her face. "It was just me and my mother living together in our humble house."

Hearing her words, Rihan remained quiet. But he spoke again after a few seconds.

"May I ask for her name? If there's anything I know about her, I can help you to look for your father," he spoke seriously and earnestly. He seemed desperate to know about her mother's name. His hands were clenched tightly and his hopeful eyes stared straight into hers.

No, you may not. She wanted him to suffer and die in suspense. However, if she didn't want to tell him, wouldn't he start to get suspicious?

Before she could reply him, they were interrupted by her savior, Tsurara, who brought Reika her meal. "Sorry for making you wait. How are you feeling, Hanako-chan? Nidaime has told us about your situation," Tsurara said to her. Reika, who was relieved from being freed from Rihan, started answering her lively to avoid looking at him. Even Rikuo helped her unknowingly by coming over to her and staring at the tamagoyaki on her tray hungrily. She resisted the impulse to roll her eyes at him and shared her food with him instead.

While chewing on her food, she noticed from the corner of her eye that Rihan was silently staring at her intently with a weird look in his eyes. There wasn't a chance for him to speak to her when Rikuo, Tsurara and his wife were around them. However, she knew that he would definitely ask her a second time privately where no one could interrupt them.

When they were halfway through their meal, Karasu Tengu appeared beside Rihan suddenly and spoke quietly to him. "Nidame, my apologies for interrupting you during your meal..."

Rihan stopped eating and placed his chopsticks on the tray. As they spoke to each other, their faces were strained. Reika chewed on her food slowly while trying to listen in on their conversation. Her eyes focused on her food so that nobody would realize what she was actually trying to do. Karasu Tengu's voice sounded urgent and serious.

"Gagoze Alliance and Jorogumo Clan have left our clan and joined the Yami Clan instead," Karasu Tengu reported.

This was a piece of good news for Reika and she was pleased. Her clan was growing bigger and stronger, like what she wanted. She trusted that her subordinates would handle themselves well in her absence.

Rihan sighed and folded his arms into the sleeves of his haori, a habit that he always did whenever he was thinking carefully about something. "I'm aware that they weren't always happy with us for siding with the humans, but I never expected them to be traitors." An unhappy look crossed his face.

"The Yami Clan... Any idea who's their leader?" he asked Karasu Tengu.

Reika stopped chewing instantly as she waited to hear Karasu Tengu's response. If they did know that the Yami Clan's leader was her, she was prepared to fight them.

"Apparently, it's a woman," Karasu Tengu began saying. Reika found her body stiffened after hearing his words.

"However, it doesn't seem to be Hagoromo Gitsune because none of her loyal followers are in the Yami Clan. They wouldn't serve anybody else besides her. But the Yami Clan's leader has been gathering her own followers, all strong youkai, from all places for over the past few months."

Rihan narrowed his eyes and pressed his lips in a thin line. "I want a confirmation of that," he ordered. "If it's really another youkai and not Hagoromo Gitsune, I want a description of her appearance too."

His loyal subordinate obeyed and bowed deeply before leaving. Rihan clearly wasn't in the mood to continue eating as he sat there deep in his thoughts. The look on his face simply told Reika that he would definitely be leaving the Nura House soon to investigate on his own. Probably at evening, though, when he was in his youkai form. This has frequently happened in the past too, where Rihan would disappear for a couple of days, or sometimes even months, to look into situations that have arisen in the Nura Clan.

After finishing their meal, Reika was forced to keep Rikuo accompany because he was pestering her non-stop. When she looked around to search for Rihan, he was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he has left to discuss the issue with the others.

She spent the rest of the day with Rikuo at the courtyard - watching him pulled pranks on others and playing games with him. His demand for her attention was just too much for her and she found herself helpless around him. After what seemed like eternity, Tsurara tried to persuade him to let Reika rest and head back to her room. But this actually caused Rikuo to throw a tantrum unexpectedly.

He made an angry noise before wrapping his arms and legs around her left leg, clinging onto her. A moment of silence passed before Tsurara started shrieking loudly and hurriedly tried to pull him off her. But Rikuo wasn't bugging to let go.

Reika was... Well, she was dumbfounded. She didn't know how to react except to stand there helplessly as she watched the two wrestled beside her like little kids. It was a torture for her and she hoped that her leg didn't get itself detached from her body. Rikuo was very strong for a four-year-old kid.

"Hmm, what do we have here?"

A hoarse male voice interrupted them. All three heads turned to look at a short old man with eyes that held mischief but wisdom. His bald head protuded from the backwards from his face, like a gourd.

Nurarihyon!

Reika was stupefied by his looks. He has aged so terribly much and his appearance changed greatly. He used to be so much more taller and handsome, but old age has reduced him to this pitiful state. She only recognized him because of his eyes and the way he spoke.

Rikuo released her when he saw his grandfather and dashed towards him instead. She heaved a sigh of relief, grateful for being freed. Tsurara greeted Nurarihyon while he was ruffling his grandson's hair happily.

"Where did you go, Grandpa?" Rikuo asked.

Nurarihyon beamed at him and petted his head. "I went to check out something. It's nothing big." And then he turned his head to look at Reika intrigueingly. "Who's this beautiful young lady?" he asked.

Tsurara stepped forward and explained to him everything. As he listened, he nodded his head thoughtfully and scanned Reika from head to toe. His piercing eyes met hers and he studied her impassively for quite a while. Nurarihyon wasn't just an average old man. He was clever and it was hard to figure out what he was thinking. He was starting to make her feel a little nervous.

She returned his stare back. "What's wrong? Is there something on my face?"

His face broke out into a smile and masked whatever he was thinking earlier. "No, no. I was just captivated by your looks. You just look very much like someone I used to know." His eyes twinkled with amusement.

She threw him a blank look. "If I may ask, who's this person that I resembled to? Everyone has been giving me weird looks."

He paused a little before speaking again. "It's just someone who used to belong to the Nura Clan. No worries, child." He waved the subject away. "Anyway, do you guys want some sweets?" He changed the topic and showed them the bag of candies that he was carrying. Reika shook her head and turned down his offer politely. She wanted to know what he was actually thinking. Did he suspect anything?

Nurarihyon smiled at them once again before he left and headed into the house, leaving the three of them alone. Reika looked down at Rikuo, wondering why was he so quiet. But it turned out that he was actually pondering over what game to play next. She took the golden opportunity immediately to make her escape.

She coughed and rasped, her hands clutching her chest painfully. It was probably convincing because Rikuo's face scrunched up with worry. Tsurara came towards her to pat her back a few times.

"You should really rest, Hananko-chan. Right, Rikuo-sama?" Her voice hinted at him.

Rikuo gave a small nod. He was obviously disappointed but didn't want to whine any further. Reika promised to play with him the next again and faked a smile at the poor child before retreating to her room. Thankfully, he didn't make a move to follow her this time.

As the sun set, the previously blue sky was now streaked with beautiful colors of red and orange. Reika realized that time passed very quickly when she was spending time with Rikuo. She was on her way back to her room when she bumped into Rihan unexpectedly.

He was sitting on the veranda alone, lost in his thoughts. His black and silky hair was now back to defying gravity. He didn't even notice her coming up from behind him until she sat down beside him.

"Is there something wrong, Rihan-sama?"

Startled by her sudden appearance, he turned towards her with wide eyes, but relaxed when he realized that it was only her. "Nothing," he replied solemnly. When she casted him a worried look, he decided to tell the truth.

"Fine, there's something bothering me. But you don't have to worry about it, I'll handle it somehow." He sighed deeply. Reika nodded her head and turned to look forward. The both of them gazed at the sunset silently for a couple of minutes.

This feeling... It was as though she has traveled back to her past. She and Rihan would always sit together and enjoy the view. But right now, things were completely different. She didn't love him anymore like how she did before she died.

She glanced at Rihan and stopped breathing, realizing that he was watching her. How long has he been staring at her? Their eyes locked and neither one of them moved. They stayed like that for a few seconds.

And then his right hand reached out towards her face slowly. Reika made no attempt to stop him as her body refused to move.

Can you see me, Rihan? Can you tell who I really am?

As much as she hated admitting this, a small part of her betrayed her and hoped that Rihan would recognize her. Her eyes followed his hand as it got closer and closer to her.

When his fingers were just an inch away from her face, he pulled his hand back quickly, as though realizing what he was about to do. His eyes were full of remorse, pain and guilt as he tore his gaze away from her.

She blinked a couple of times to clear her thoughts and remember her real objective for being here. Sadness pricked at her heart but she shoved it away. She refused to possess any of those traitor feelings.

"TROUBLE! THERE'S TROUBLE!"

A hysterical cry made them break apart. Rihan stood up quickly, his eyebrows pinched together in worry as he wondered what has happened. Reika followed and stood up too. They could hear a number of people shouting over at the other side of the mansion. A few seconds later, a frantic-looking Kubinashi came running towards them.

"What happened?" Rihan demanded. Kubinashi stopped abruptly before them, his forehead slicking with sweat.

"Nidaime! There's bad news! The Yakushi Clan has been attacked and all of them are either killed or badly injured."

Rihan clenched his fists tightly and his jaw tightened. His face darkened and he began shouting out orders to him. Reika stood behind them, unfazed by the whole situation. She remembered what she did last night.

She stood at the yamabuki garden alone under the night sky with the sound of crickets filled her ears. There was not a single person in sight probably because they were all asleep.

She extended her right arm. A black raven flew down from between the trees and perched on her arm. It wasn't a normal raven because of its dangerous-looking red eyes. She brought the raven's face closer to hers and spoke to it coldly.

"Wipe out the Yakushi Clan first, before destroying the One-Eyed Demon Clan."

The youkai bird's eyes glowed a darker shade of red as her commanding words embedded in its mind.

"And after that, come for me. I'll be waiting."

Once again, she extended her right arm and the raven took off quickly. She stared after it as it flew away with a satisfied look on her face.

"Hanako, stay in the house, okay? I'll be back soon," Rihan said firmly. Reika nodded at him. She knew that he would be leaving to check out the situation at the place where the Yakushi Clan was staying at.

"Be safe, Rihan-sama."

Hearing her words, his eyes softened. "I will. I'll see you soon." He gave her a last smile before hurrying off. She stared after him until he was out of sight.

Yes, I'll see you soon, Rihan.

But the next time we meet, we'll be facing each other as enemies instead.

The next chapter will be from Rihan's POV and it will be out by this weekend! Keep a lookout for it and I'll see you soon! :D