"You useless bitch!" Isana yelled as she kicked Tsurar straight to her face. Then Isana bounded her to wall by using ice. Both Tsurara´s legs and arms had been tied, and she couldn´t move.
"You stay her until I know what we do next", Isana said and locked the sell's door. Tsurara had been locked to a small room which had no windows and all walls were made of stone. Tsurara just hung her head and tried to hold her tears.
"Shit!" Sere yelled and kicked the wall and made a small crack to it.
"Calm down Sere, that does not do any good", Shire said as she sat on the floor.
"I know, but I´m just so pissed of! I can´t believe I felt fear towards that kid!" Sere yelled.
"Well, you shouldn´t be ashamed", Icy said as she walked to the room.
"Icy…" Shire said and looked at her.
"She has nearly ten times as us, maybe even longer. And on top of that she´s a lot stronger than us. And she knows that too", Icy said as she sat to chair.
"That´s true, but don´t forget, that I have a whole control over her", Isana said. The Ice triplets were surprised as their master walked to the room.
"Ma-master!" Sere yelled and all three of them bowed down to her.
"The real problem is what we should do now", Isana said and looked all three of them.
"Yes…" Icy said.
"We should take them all down!" Sere yelled and punched the wall.
"And how?" Shire asked and looked at Sere.
"It's not like we can just walk to their head-out and take them down", Shire said and that silenced Sere down.
"No, but we can call them here", Isana said and all three of them looked at her very surprised.
"The last one laughs the best, ha Nurarihyo!" Isana yelled and walked away. After a while the Ice triplets followed her.
"But master…" Icy started.
"What should we do now, Supreme Commander?" Crow asked and looked at Nurarihyo with very desperate eyes.
"I don´t know…" He said very thoughtfully.
"It seems she really did find the slayer of the 1000-youkais", Crow an
"The slayer of the 1000 youkasi, huh…" Nurarihyo said and everyone in the room looked at him.
"How long has it been since I last saw her…" Nurarihyo said without thinking. Then everyone in the room looked at him very surprised, but only Kubinashi was able to ask the question out loud, which was in everyone´s minds.
"You have met her…Supreme Commander?" Kubinashi asked and gulped very loudly.
"Yes…" Nurarihyo said and laid back.
"It was about 600 years ago, if I remember correctly…" He said and started to tell the story.
I was visiting an old friend, who was worried because of the 1000-youkai slayer. It had only been few years when it had happened. At that time we still didn´t know who it was. We were sure that it was a human and a man, of course. But what we saw that night was far beyond our expectations. We were at my friend´s place and he had arranged a party for me. He had always been just a partier, until that night. It started very late. Soon a group of youkais came screaming and terrified to us. They yelled about how their clan had been completely assassinated. I, of course rushed immediately there, to see the scene myself. What I saw there was far beyond my expectations. A whole city had been put to flames and everywhere I looked I saw blood and more blood. The further I got to the city the more damage and destruction I saw. Then I got finally to the city´s centre and what I saw there got me completely numb. There was huge mountain of bodies and on top of there was young woman which was holding the clan´s leader´s head. The woman was covered in blood, but still she was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen. Her gold eyes which were completely empty, her light blue hair, her perfect body, everything about her was perfect. I couldn´t move as I looked at her. Then she noticed me and threw the head away. Then I awakened and remembered the situation I was in. But before I could draw my sword, she was already in front of me looking at me. I couldn´t help myself, even though had never feared anything, I feared this, so beautiful yet, so dangerous youkai, cause I felt how strong she was.
"Are you going to kill me?" I couldn´t help myself from asking.
"Do you want me to kill you?" The woman asked to me, with empty and cold voice.
"What question is that? You neither kill me or not!" I yelled at her, the sudden fear was gone.
"That´s right", the woman said and suddenly a blade formed to her hand. She got ready to stab me to death and didn´t hesitate at all. Then, sudden voices stopped her and we both looked behind me. The subordinates which I had brought along were running towards us. I knew that that woman would kill them all. Then I turned to look at her. She had lowered her sword and looked at my subordinates.
"Would they be ready to die for you?" She suddenly asked.
"Yes", I just answered.
"And…would you be ready to die for them?" She asked and looked at me with those gold eyes, but this time they weren´t empty, there was sadness and hope in them.
"Yes", I answered. The woman smiled and the sword in her hand disappeared. Then she turned around and started to wall away, but suddenly stopped.
"I´m jealous, I wish I had someone like you to protect or someone who would protect me", the woman said and walked away.
"Why you don´ have anyone like that?" I yelled after her. She stopped.
"Because I don´t live in a world like that…" She just said and walked away.
After Nurarihyon had finished his story everyone were quiet.
"Someone to protect her?" Kubinashi asked quietly and then everyone started to talk very loudly.
"Someone powerful enough to be able to protect, her?"
"Someone to protect her from?"
"What she would have to be protected from?" Kurotabo then asked.
"From herself." Everyone turned to look at the door. Night Rikuo had appeared from it.
"Master Rikuo!" Everyone yelled.
"Ooh! You´re awake Rikuo", Nurarihyo said.
"What do you mean, master Rikuo?" Kubinashi asked.
"Someone so powerful is always wanted, to be tainted or used. That person can never be sure, if people around her are trustworthy, is she really accepted. And just once to feel the feeling of protecting someone important to her or fight for that person. Or that that person would try to protect her, even if she wouldn´t need it. Just to feel even once to be understood and needed. Not just fight because you have to or you are forced, to fight for your own free will", Rikuo said and looked to the roof.
"Master Rikuo…" Kurotabo said quietly.
"How…how do you know those things?" Kubinashi asked.
"Ii saw it in her eyes…those eyes were filled with rage, sorrow, fear, pain, but over all there was the feeling of loneliness, and desperate need for someone to understand her. You all saw how that woman treated her, she is been forced to stay with her, to fight for her", Rikuo said and his words were filled with rage.
"Yes, I´m amazed that she is able to control her. But how?" Kurotabo thought.
"It´s an ancient contract", Nurarihyo said.
"Contract?" Rikuo asked.
"Yes, it´s also a curse. It´s forbidden to use, in that two people make a contract, each one of them add their own terms and then they form the contract by drawing their arms a symbol. The contract brakes, if neither one of them break the rules", Nurarihyo explained.
"Is it possible to make the contract that way, that only the other person can brake the contract, and not both of them?" Rikuo suddenly asked and everyone turned to look at him.
"So you noticed it too?" Nurarihyo asked and looked at Rikuo. Rikuo nodded.
"Noticed what?" Kubinashi asked and looked both of them.
"It seems that Isana has made it that way that only she is able to break the contract", Nurarihyo said.
"But that is…" Crow yelled.
"Yes that´s the greatest taboo what there is in contract making, but I have to admit that Isana has been very clever, cause that way she can control her in anyway she wants without any worries of her betraying her", Nurarihyo said and rubbed his head. Then Rikuo stood up and walked away. The sun was coming up and his form would disappear soon. The last thought he had before his form changed, concerned Tsurara and that mysterious woman, and how much they resembled each other.
Rikuo went to school like nothing had happened. But he was very quiet and moved on his own, and didn´t talk to anyone, not even Kana. After school he went straight to home without talking to anyone. At home there was a big commotion going on and everyone rushed one place to another.
"Ooh! Master Rikuo!" Kubinashi said and stopped running.
"What´s going on?" Rikuo asked very tired.
"We got a challenge letter!" Kurotabo yelled as he rushed Rikuo.
"What is a challenge letter?" Rikuo asked. Kurotabo and Kubinashi looked at him like he was some airhead.
"Are you serious?" Kurotabo asked.
"Yes, I am!" Rikuo said very frustrated.
"It is a letter from other clan, which invites the other clan to come and battle against it, or something like that", Kubinashi explained.
"Aah…okay…" Rikuo said and started to walk away, then he suddenly stopped and backed up.
"When you said "we", you meant?" Rikuo asked.
"Yes, I meant you and your Night Parade, which means us", Kubinashi said and nodded at the same time. Rikuo swallowed.
"And the challenger is?" Rikuo asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"The Ice Clan", Kubinashi said. Rikuo turned around and headed straight to his grandfather´s room.
"This is absurd!" Crow yelled very angry.
"Calm down, Crow", Nurarihyo said and sipped his tea.
"Grandfather!" Rikuo yelled as he entered the room.
"Ooh, Rikuo you´re home", Nurarihyo just said.
"I just heard about the challenge!" Rikuo yelled to him.
"And now you´re saying that you´ll fight against her", Nurarihyo said and sipped his tea again.
"I…I mean that…" Rikuo tried to say.
"Master Rikuo! You don´t have to say yes to that rude and arrogant woman!" Crow yelled and flew in front of his face.
"Crow…" Rikuo said.
"If someone is rude enough to sent a challenge to Supreme Commander´s grandson, she should be executed without any second thoughts!" Crow yelled.
"Isn´t that right, Supreme Commander!" Crow yelled and looked at Nurarihyo.
"I think that…" He said and sipped his tea again. Both Rikuo and Crow looked at him.
"I think that, Rikuo! You should decide your own what to do!" Nurarihyo suddenly yelled and Rikuo almost fell to his back by surprise.
"Bu-but supreme commander?" Crow yelled.
"So, Rikuo what are you going to do?" Nurarihyo asked and looked at Rikuo. Rikuo thought for a while before he answered.
"I think I have to talk to everyone before I can make any decisions", Rikuo said.
"Very well", Nurarihyo said and nodded to Rikuo. Then Rikuo left the room.
"But…" Crow started.
"He is already a grown man, he has his own Night Parade and he should be able to deal this kind of matter by himself", Nurarihyo said and sipped his tea again.
"But, what about that woman?" Crow asked.
"Yes…" Nurarihyo said and put his cup down.
"That might be a problem", Nurarihyo said and looked at the ceiling.
"But I trust Rikuo to do the right choice."
"…so I´m asking your opinion", Rikuo finished and his Night Parade looked at him with very calm eyes.
"This matter touches you as much as me, so I thought I should ask you what to do", Rikuo said. Everyone were quiet for a while, until Kurotabo spoke.
"Master, what you were planning to do?" Kurotabo asked and everyone looked at him with waiting eyes.
"I?" He asked and everyone nodded. Rikuo started to think and crossed his hands.
"What should I do indeed? In all matter I should fight, because of the pride of the Nura clan, but since when has I cared about that? But still…I think I want to help that woman, and I´d like to see her again so…" Rikuo thought.
"I´ll go!" Rikuo announced and everyone´s faces looked very pleased.
"I won´t force anyone to go, but I´m going to fight and lead you!" Rikuo said.
"Then…" Kurotabo started and stood up with everyone.
"We will…" Kubinashi said.
"Follow you, master!" Aotabo said and everyone yelled to Rikuo.
"Thank you everyone", Rikuo said.
"Then I suppose, I should take over", a voice suddenly said inside Rikuo´s head. In the past Rikuo would have been surprised but not anymore.
"Yes, please do and…" Rikuo thought.
"What?"
"Win, for us and…for her" Rikuo said.
"Of course", The voice replied and then Night Rikuo took over, and Rikuo sifted forms. Then Night Rikuo stood before them.
"Let´s go!" Night Rikuo said to his Night Parade.
"Yes!" Everyone replied. And so they left to fight with the Ice clan.