Ok new chap

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Nurarihyon no Mago, if I did all the characters would be squiggles or stick figures…LOL

It was a normal day at the Nura mansion and the main house was budding with activity, apparently a huge meeting was going to be held at the nura main house and every clan head under the Nura clan would be attending. No one had anything big to report just the usual happenings but most of the people were exited because their master's sworn brothers, Tamazuki; Dassai and Zen , would be attending. Risa on the other hand was not that elated, she liked Tamazuki but Dassai she found very annoying because he always tried to flirt with her, not that it had any effect other than getting on her nerves.

Unexpected Discovery: The Painting

Rikuo walked along the hall, occasionally bumping into hyped ayakashi. He had nothing to do in particular and being so free of tension made him strangely uncomfortable. As he strolled past the kitchen his senses picked up a foul smell originating from the room.

He opened the sliding door to see Risa stirring a green slush in the tea pot. "Ummm, what are you doing?" Rikuo asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. "I'm making tea, of course!" she replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. The fourteen year old sweat dropped, whenever his sister made anything it was he who had to taste it.

"Why is there so much?"

"It's just for you, me, Okaa-san and Oji-san."

Rikuo sighed, well at least the old geezer would suffer with him…..

Later that after noon, when Risa had finished making her "tea", she made her way towards the living room. She hummed carrying a tray consisting of a porcelain teapot, matching cups, a pot of sugar and spoons. She stopped when a brilliant flash of color caught her eye. It was a huge painting containing a portrait of every member of the nura clan .It was dated May 19, 1935. She stared at it, wondering why she hadn't seen it before. "What are you looking at, Hime-sama?" a voice jerked her out of her thoughts. She looked up to see Kubi-nashi. "Oh, I was just wondering why this picture was painted." Kubi-nashi smiled and said "I had this painted specially to commemorate the last Grand meeting we had; Rihan-sama even had to call off his plans with Yamabuki-Ottome!"

"No, that can't be…."
"Well, Rihan-sama did spend the whole day sulking about it…"

"You see, I have all her memories and I'm pretty sure he took her out for dinner and told her that he had found a way out of the meeting."

"He must have used the technique I just learned." A new voice said, joining the conversation. "From what Yui told me he had practically mastered it and that if he wanted he could give his duplicate its own will and a variable amount of his own power."

After the confusion was cleared up the siblings made their way into the dinning room, they found Wakana and Nurarihyon already seated there.

Risa poured the tea into each cup and handed it out. Rikuo reluctantly took his cup and noticed that his sister was looking distracted all of a sudden. He watched as she raised the cup to her lips, held it there for a second and then her eyes widened in shock as if she had just realized something of great importance. The cup fell from her dainty hands and onto the floor and smashed in to a hundred bits. "That's it!" she mumbled in a rushed voice then raised her voice "Rikuo, Otou-san is alive."

"What?"

"I told you the Mao's hammer had absorbed way too less power compared to what should have been obtained from Nura Rihan, it was because it wasn't him!"

The whole room went quite in shock. Risa's eyes focused on her mother and she could see the faintest trace of wetness in her eyes.

"Well that would explain it!" Nurarihyon exclaimed, breaking silence.

"Explain what exactly?" Rikuo asked, still in shock.

"The day your father died, his favorite sword went missing. It was given to him as a gift when you were born; I just assumed that Minagoroshi Jizo or Hagoromo-Kitsune had taken it."

The sword Nurarihyon was talking about was a fine piece. It had a dragon engraved on it and if you looked very closely you could see the Nura emblem of fear engraved on its body.

"But why would he go away?" Rikuo asked timidly

"I don't know but maybe Kurotabo knows" Nurarihyon directed his glance towards the door "Do you have anything to add Kuro?"

The door slid open and in the entrance stood a very sheepish looking Kurotabo. He bowed and said "Please forgive me, supreme commander, I did not mean to eavesdrop but your words caught my attention. But I do know something that might be of use to you."

He told them that a few weeks before his 'death' Wakana was attacked by some Kyoto ayakashi luckily Rihan had been near and had killed them. Later that day Rihan had told Kuro that the Kyoto ayakashi wanted revenge on him and would either kill him or his family. "I would gladly offer myself to them but I have no guarantee that my family will be safe and how can I live in a world where they don't exist?" is what Rihan had said.

After that everyone dispersed into their own room with different thoughts and worries on their minds.

Rikuo gazed out his window, the sun had started to set and the first stars of the night became visible in the sky, and smiled "I knew you wouldn't break your promise"

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Rihan had comeback after three or four days, he had been gone to settle some troubling yokai that kept trying to invade the northern territory. He was greeted by everyone in the main house but he didn't get the cheerful hello from his son. He made his way to the back garden and found his son there. "I'm back!" Rihan said, expecting an answer but the boy just stayed silent. "Are you mad at me?" Rihan said pouting a little, the boy nodded his head. "Why? What did I do?" he whined in a complaining tone. The boy turned around and said "You didn't take me with you again, I asked you shoo many twimes! It's not fair? 'ow am I gonna be the th-th-third if I can't fight aya-ayakashi? I gonna be Lord of pandinomiun, just wike you" the little boy said, envy and a little anger still in his eyes.

The grown man laughed at his three year old son. "How about, the next time I go out, I take you with me?"

"Promise?" the boy asked extending his pinky.

"Promise" the man answered.

Sadly this exchange took place a day before Rihan's Death.

(OK so I'm not going to describe what happened in the garden, it's just too damn painful and you all already know, let's just see Wakana's reaction shall we?)

The next day.

Wakana, as cheerful as always, was hanging the laundry, unaware of the news that was just about to strike her, a humming a cheerful tune. As she did so she saw a somber looking Kubi-nashi making his way towards her, his expression somehow made her nervous, very nervous.

"Wakana-sama? Will you please spare me your time?" He asked, his voice as grave as his face.

"What's the matter Kubi-nashi?"
"I hate to be…the bearer of this news, my lady…Today, Rihan-sama was…." His voice faded, he couldn't speak any more but he forced himself to get out with it "… was attacked by an enemy and he was with Rikuo…he tried to defend him and gave him time to run back to safety but lost….his life…I am very sorry."

Tears hit the ground but these tears did not belong to Wakana, they belonged to Kubi-nashi. Wakana just stood there staring past Kubi-nashi, who was kneeling on the ground, her face expressionless. And it happened so fast the Kubi-nashi could never have anticipated it. The word 'Rihan' escaped her lips and in a split second she was on the ground, unconscious.

Kejoro exited the room with a grieved Tsurara following behind. "She is slipping in and out of coma." She told an anticipated Kubi-nashi. "This is no good, first the second and now her" Tsurara said, her voice quivering, showing all the efforts the snow woman to stop her tears from flowing from her eyes.

Later that week, Wakana was still in the same condition and the house was more somber than ever. Nurarihyon walked through the mass hallways of the main house just wanting

to kill the time that didn't seem to pass, the last three days had seemed like years to him.

As he walked he spotted his grandson sitting outside the room in which his mother lay.

"Hey,Ojii-san" the little boy asked "where did my father go?"

The old man felt pity and sadness fill the place where his heart used to be.

"He has gone away from this world, my boy."

"NO!" the boy said furiously, startling old man. "He promised, he promised that he'd take me if he went anywhere far away, so he can't have left me. And if he really has gone away…. I heard Kejoro….. What if Okaa-san goes away too? They will be together, will they leave me alone here? I don't wanna be alone!" the boy let out all of this then burst into sobs. "I don't know what will happen but I can tell you this Rikuo you will NEVER BE ALONE!"

Unknown to the boy and the old man their conversation was heard by the woman in the room. 'I…I can't just die, for Rikuo's sake." She thought. She wasn't one to give up easily. And so the next morning she forced herself up and got out of the room and grabbed a broom and stared to clean up all the mess that had gathered in the past several days and believe me when you live in a house filled with over a 100 yokai who are too depressed to clean after themselves, a lot of cleaning is needed.

She hummed while cleaning, the sweet melody seemed to draw everyone near, soon some of the small ayakashi started to help her and then one by one everyone was rushing about cleaning, sweeping, rubbing, scrubbing and wiping. Even the ever tranquil Gyuuki was sweeping a corridor. Wakana stopped to flash a smile at a very furious Hitotsume and continued. He mumbled something like "Accursed human, using her hypnotic abilities to make me fell embraced, I suppose I have to uphold my image as an active member of the main house." He grudgingly grabbed a broom and started sweeping like Gyuuki. The mansion seemed to teem with life once, people ran hear and there, some times a giggle or to would escape from some.

Even though she was just human Wakana was undoubtedly a very important member of the family, no one, not even Hitotsume could deny that….

TANNAAAAA. What do guys think? Please leave a review, you guys have no idea what it means to an author to have her story reviewed, constructive criticism very much appreciated! Love all those who read it. Oh yeah only few more days till chap 208 is released wheeeeee!