Me: Haha! Take that, Yuki Onna! It hasn't been a month yet, but here I am, updating.
Yuki Onna: Oooh. You're so quick.
Me: Thanks!
Yuki Onna: That was sarcasm!
Me: I love Sarc Asm. Me and him are best buds.
Yuki Onna: Ugh.
Me: Take it away, Nura-kun!
Rikuo: InuApril does not own Nurarihyon no Mago. But she wants to. But she never will. There, I did it. Are you happy now?
Me: Not until I read about your battle with Kazeshima.
Rikuo: Ugh.
Me: Who's this "Ugh"? Anyway, story time!
Rikuo walked into a disaster area, and he knew it as soon as he opened the door.
"Well, well, well," Kazeshima said, an ever broadening smile on his face. Rikuo wondered how he could simply ignore the destruction that had used to be a guest area/relaxation room. The floors were torn up, the ceiling smashed down. Rubble was everywhere, and even Nura's sandals couldn't help the discomfort that it caused. The only thing about the room that was intact was the paper door Rikuo had entered from and closed behind him. "Sorry about the mess, but I kinda went on a rampage after you cut my hair. I mean, the scissors and bucket were nothing. But my hair? Do you know how hard it is to make it look evil enough to impress you opponent?" Kazeshima started hyperventilating.
Rikuo tried not to smile so obviously. Kazeshima somehow managed to calm himself and then continued his gloat. "It was easy to not mess up that door. After all, I couldn't have that omnyoji girl coming after me without you here." Rikuo pretended to look at his watch. "Am I boring you?" Kazeshima asked in what could be described as a screech.
Shrugging, Rikuo said, "I could care less about your little plan at this point. See, that omnyoji out there told me I had five minutes to reason with you, but if you want to waste that time gloating, I'll be more than happy to listen. However, be aware that it is my duty to rid my house of such a nuisance as a rogue yokai, so I myself will give you thirty seconds to tell me who you work for and why." Rikuo already knew half of that answer, but he had to hear it for himself, just to be sure.
What, you don't trust me? His Night Form bugged in. Rikuo mentally scoffed.
Not today, I don't.
Actually, Night Rikuo said rather pointedly, it's tomorrow today. Midnight passed awhile ago.
Rikuo could barely contain himself. Less than eight hours of this torture. Then Kazeshima rushed in at him. Oh, joy! Rikuo thought dismally, getting ready to block the attack.
...
"HERE'S YOUR TEA!" Yuki Onna shouted as she rushed into the room with a tray filled to the corners with eight tiny cups. She rushed around the room, dropping each cup off at its desired location with incredible speed and agility. She was at Zen and Shoei, the last people on the right side of the table, when all the cups spilled, covering the two yokai in tea.
"OHMYGAWSHOHMYGAWSHOHMYGAWSH! I'm so, so sorry Lords Zen and Shoei. Please, let me clean you up!" Yuki Onna made a big show of picking up all the tea cups and placing them back on the tray. Five other yokai still hadn't gotten their tea. "I'll be right back for you all."
Then Gyuki rose, addressing the rest of the table. "I think I will go and assist little Yuki Onna. She has her work cut out for her."
With that he left the room, followed closely by Yuki Onna with Zen and Shoei taking up the rear. When they had exited, Mokugyo Daruma stood. "Under these circumstances, I say we adjourn this meeting and wait until the Supreme Commander can hear your arguments, Hitotsume. In the meantime, I still want my tea, so I bid you all ado."
Now Hitotsume was left with Mottainai Obake, Sorobanbo, and Mitsume Yazura. If looks could kill, those yokai would also be gone. Hitotsume had never been so enraged.
"Well?" Mottainai Obake asked, stuffing more food into his mouth between gulps of tea. "He said meeting adjourned."
"No he didn't!" Hitotsume shouted.
Obake shrugged. "He said those two words in the same sentence, and that's good enough for me." Taking all the food that he could carry, Obake left the room as well.
The two remaining lesser yokai looked up at Hitotsume expectantly. Through gritted teeth, the Cyclops made a decision.
"We must do what has to be done. For the Nura Clan. We cannot have a weak human leading us! It doesn't make any sense! Even if he is skilled in battle, other yokai groups will come after him, and he will falter. It's time that everyone in the house came to realize that. Come, Sorobanbo, Mitsume. If that idiot Kazeshima hasn't finished him off by daybreak, then we will."
Sorobanbo and Mitsume nodded, obedient to their own, true master. The Supreme Commander may have been the leader of the night, but no one could have their respect like Hitotsume. He had earned it with planning, cunning, and sometimes backstabbing.
At daybreak, Rikuo Nura would be gone, and the Nura Clan would be in good hands once again. A yokai would take up the reigns.
Even Hitotsume would have a chance of being the new Third Heir. He'd have to write a touching speech commemorating Rikuo when he was done with this.
...
In the kitchen, Yuki Onna was giggling uncontrollably.
"What exactly is going on?" Zen asked, using a towel to wipe off the stain that the tea would surely leave. "And why did you spill tea on us?"
Gyuki answered for Yuki Onna. "Hitotsume had a bigger plan than trying to change our opinions about the Third Heir. Right at this moment, Rikuo Nura is fighting an evil wind yokai called Kazeshima, too distracted to even notice that such a meeting is taking place, and when he is defeated, Hitotsume will have finally proven how weak Rikuo Nura really is."
"Rikuo Nura will win," Shoei said without looking up from his wet cloak. "Hitotsume will fail in two things tonight. The meeting was a disaster, and Rikuo will have proven himself. Again."
Yuki Onna had finally gotten ahold of herself. "But shouldn't we help Rikuo with Kazeshima? I mean, he could always use the back-up."
Gyuki shook his head. "The Supremem Commander has known that this night would come months ago. I told him myself after Rikuo had defeated me. He then went on to tell Night Rikuo. The day form of Rikuo must defeat Kazeshima himself. If he gets help, Hitotsume will just throw another challenge at him."
"Wait, so Rikuo's day form had no idea about this? Why didn't he transform as soon as night fell, then?" Yuki Onna wondered aloud.
Gyuki shrugged. "That, you'll have to ask Night Rikuo."
There was a pause in the conversation, where the only thing to be heard was Zen and Shoei trying to rid themselves of the tea stains. Then Mokugyo Daruma, who had been listening silently the whole time, finally asked, "Wasn't there an omnyoji on the premises hunting the very same yokai that Rikuo should be fighting?"
Everything stopped.
"We have to distract Yura!" Yuki Onna exclaimed, rushing out the room in mid-transformation from yokai to human. Everyone else quickly followed behind her, hiding their demonic traits in the process.
Me: Ooooh! Everything's starting to make sense now! Loving it!
Rikuo: You're the only one.
Night Rikuo: Not true. I'm enjoying this story as well. And, based on the reviews, I'd say a few more people are as well.
Me: Yeah, good point, Night Rikuo. Thanks for all the reviews, guys! You don't know how much I appreciate it!
Rikuo: Man, Hitotsume tells them to review, and they do? How is that fair? Bad guys get all the cool stuff.
Me: Because that gives good guys like you a harder time, and people like me more joy. Anyway, please, review! And thank you so much for everything thus far! I'll update soon! -ish. Bye!