Act II


tanukis, onmyoji and school clubs


It kind of said something about Rikuo that when he came to school again for the first time in many months, he was late – lunch time late.

Inside the classroom was chaos. Most of the class was on one side, on the other Kiyotsugu was surrounded by the rest and had the attention of all as he held what was probably his latest speech.

Rikuo approached the smaller group from behind. "Hey, I'm back."

Everyone did a gratifying jump of surprise. Even Tsurara (strange seeing her as a human…). Everyone but a girl with dark hair who, come to think of it, Rikuo had never seen before. She must be the onmyouji.

Kana-chan and Tsurara's eyes slowly widened in horror. Rikuo realized too late that he had a rather telling grin on his face.

Tsurara turned so fast her hair slapped Rikuo in the face and she made some really funny noise while Kana-chan pushed Rikuo back and out of the classroom so fast and smooth, he almost didn't notice. Wow. Rikuo had had no idea those two could do teamwork on anything.

"Whatever you are thinking about stop," Kana-chan whispered fiercely. "It's a bad idea."

Rikuo extracted himself from her grip. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Kana-chan made a sound of deep despair. "Yura-chan is an omyouji, Rikuo-kun. I heard from Oikawa-san all about what they do to yokai. Do you want to die?"

"Don't be silly." He smiled. "Why would she do anything to me? I'm human." Pause. "Right now." He glanced past her into the classroom. "Anyway, lets go. Tsurara looks to be terrified out of her mind and I've got to see this Kiyotsugu who deeply admires yokai in general and me in particular." That felt really weird to say. Rikuo and Kiyotsugu fought and argued and competed – the thought of being admired by him the way his clan did...was very, very, very strange.

Also, awkward. Which was definitely a first for Rikuo. Even more so since Rikuo had gone to no particular lengths that day a few years ago to hide who he was. All those who didn't write the attack off as an hallucination were definitely able to figure it out if they really wanted to. Some of the Clan must have addressed him by name once or twice, even.

It had been very interesting when his classmates hadn't called Rikuo out on it later, but well. He hadn't disliked it at that point anymore, because it was like tricking the humans which was always fun.

But now, being some third person target of admiration from someone who definitely didn't admire Rikuo usually was. Well.

There was no way Rikuo was just going to come out and say what he was.

"Rikuo-kun," Kana-chan groaned as he re-entered the room.

"-and with this I found the Kiyojuji Paranormal Investigation Squad! Congratulations fellow students for with this you are guaranteed to be at the very front of yokai research!" He clapped Kekain-san and Shima on the shoulders. Tsurara looked to be done with the world when Kiyotsugu's noticed Rikuo and Kana approaching. "Very well. Ienaga-san, Nura-kun you may join as well. In fact, Nura-kun, if you offer your house for a yokai search this afternoon, you can even become a member with special honours!"

Rikuo looked at the onmyouji, smiled, and clapped his hands. "Sure, why not. Come over, everyone. You're very welcome."

Rikuo could just see how Tsurara's hair stood on end. Kana-chan made a choking noise at his side like a dying cat.

Grinning evilly was probably telling so Rikuo tried his best to keep his expression even.


"Oi, Gyuki."

The old demon paused as he passed by Rikuo's room. "How can I help you, Rikuo-sama?"

"Me and my friends – the human ones - "he clarified, grinning, when the commander's eye began to twitch. "Are going to take a trip to Nejireme over Golden Week."

Gyuki turned, which in the precise way that he had was directly proportional to the amount of attention paid. "Do you wish for a welcome to be prepared, Young Master?"

"No, leave it. I'm not coming in official capacity. Just thought you might want to know."

"...I appreciate your forethought," Gyuki said eventually. Inclining his head, he left in a pace subtly more hurried than before.

"I already spoke with Gozu," Rikuo called after him. Gyuki froze."He said they didn't have any assignments then. Maybe we can hang out." Don't try to sneak them away just cause you know I'm coming to visit.

The ox-spider demon's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Understood. Would it be too much to ask that you do not repeat the...incident from last time? Gozu and Mezu are still young after all."

"Of course." Rikuo nodded his sincere assent. "I don't know how many times I have to repeat it, but that was an accident, I swear."

If possible, Gyuki's shoulders slumped further. "Of course, Rikuo-sama. Please enjoy your studies."

Tusché. With a look of great disdain Rikuo pulled his attention away from fun machinations and towards algebra. Urgh.


"This is the last way west. There weren't any disturbances in our security, but if someone could sneak through anywhere, it would be here."

"Hmm." From high up in the trees, Rikuo looked down at a path that was hardly even there. "I see."

"I don't get it, Rikuo-sama." Mozumaru complained. "If you had wanted to inspect security, just say so. Why go through all the trouble of sending sending your little human club here so that you can come here? That's rude, you know."

Rikuo knew that. "Yeah, I'm sorry I dragged you in to this."

"I don't want a sorry. No way. Spill." Said Gozumaru, annoyed. "Why didn't you go directly to the Nidaime or Gyuki-sama if there is something?"

"That's just it, you see. I'm not sure if it is 'something'. With the unrest brewing in the west, the big shots have enough to do without me adding more to it." And oh boy, was that true. "As heir and potential Third, it is my responsibility to take care of baseless things before they become an issue."

"Well, it can't be completely baseless if you're bothering to come all the way here, you spoiled prince." Pointed Gozumaru out reasonably, giving up his comfortable position of leaning against the tree as Rikuo started on the way back. "Or let me rephrase. It had better be something for dragging us all the way out here and especially if you expect us to keep silent about this to Gyuki-sama."

"You can tell him if you want," Rikuo offered immediately. "I don't want you to compromise your loyalty. But while I was in Toono, I heard some rumors."

Mezumaru snorted as they jumped to another branch. "You 'heard' a rumor? I'm surprised you managed that with as many rumours as we got to hear from there. You can't have possibly found the time."

"Don't be jealous, Mezu," Rikuo joked. "I'll make sure to invite you along next time." Pause. "Not that I admit there was anything to get invited to." Pause. "Not, if there had been any such thing, that I did it on purpose."

"It's a deal," Mezumaru said.

Gozumaru did a very impressive eye roll that came across even in the near complete darkness, grunting, "keep me out of it. Gyuki-sama would have my head. Back to the point, what rumors?"

"Nothing substantial, like I said." Rikuo shrugged. "I mean, new yokai clans are rising all the time and falling just as quickly. There's no reason to think the one I heard about is any different."

"But?"

"But-" Gozumaru tensed in mid jump. Rikuo cut his words off.

Gozumaru landed on the ground, staring fiercely into the black forest, hand going to his sword.

Mezumaru followed suit, a tick slower as he moved into a protective position in front of Rikuo.

Rikuo extended his senses but there was no foreign Fear for him to detect. "What's wrong, both of you?"

After a long moment of deliberation, Gozumaru held out a hand, and a spider dropped into it from above. Yokai and bug stared at each other for a moment before Gozu clicked his tongue. "There are stragglers in the woods. Really, a warning would have been appreciated, Rikuo-sama. What do you want to do?"

Rikuo tried to make sense of that for a long moment before it clicked and he groaned. "If you could distract them for a bit. I want a moment to speak with the onmyoji.."

The two Gyuki demons grinned so wide their teeth gleamed in the moon light.

"A bit, I said. And no traumatising."


"Shohei."

"Rikuo-sama."

"I'm sorry about your father. Hihi will be greatly missed."

Shohei let out a sound close to a growl. "Thanks but I don't care. I just want the bastard who did it to pay."

"I understand." Rikuo looked out into the garden of the Great Ape Alliance estate. It was surrounded by trees and bamboo rose far higher than the walls. It was idyllic and isolated. "The Nidaime has left the matter to me."

Shohei whirled. "What? Why isn't the Nidaime personally -" He bit off his words, aware of how close they came to unacceptable disrespect and who it was he was speaking to.

Rikuo fully entered the room Shohei had been brooding in since it happened and sat down across from him. "How much did you hear from your old man about what is going on?"

Shohei grunted. "Not much. I wasn't interested. Until this happened I thought I could live as a human, y' see."

"I don't see why you can't still do that. I'm doing both. But that is neither here or there." Rikuo studied the yokai he had grown up with, the Fear rolling off him, the anger, the curled yet aggressive posture. The glowing, passionate eyes. "There is something happening in the west. They are keeping it very close to their chests, I'm not even allowed to sit in on all meetings. And this – Hihi. It's got nothing to do with that."

Shohei bared his teeth, rage growing. "Are you saying my old man is less important than whatever shit got those old bastards robes in a twist?"

Rikuo leveled a look. "I'm saying that the Clan must hold together in times like this and I'm saying that that can't happen without trust. Father has bestowed on me the task to deal with those who struck down one of his trusted advisers, a long time valued member of the Clan." Rikuo leaned closer, feeling his eyes glow. "Do you doubt me? Father expects me to chose those I want at my side while I'm doing that. I'm here to ask you if you can swallow your anger long enough to listen to my orders while we're hunting those bastards down."


"Oi, Rikuo."

Gold eyes rolled lazily down to him.

"This upstart tanuki didn't come to challenge the Nura Clan or me or Rihan."

Nurarihyon's grandson lounged comfortably in the blooming the tree, sakura petals glowing in the moonlight.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

Rikuo puffed out smoke. "Cleaning this up isn't yours or the old man's job. It's mine." He smirked.

The brat's grandfather doubted very much that Rikuo would have turned down dealing with it had it fallen at anyone else's feet. "Not that," he snapped.

Rikuo leaned back against the bark, twirling the pipe in his hand. "That he came to challenge me means my name is getting out there." He didn't grin this time, though the gleam in his eyes was eager and heated. "I am getting noticed."

"After the stunt you pulled with those Toono brats only a moron wouldn't have heard of our third heir." The first nurarihyon grunted, rolling his eyes at Rikuo's subsequent smirk. "That's not the problem."

"Oh?"

"This time will only be the first." The First joined the prospective Third in the tree. "You are a new generation. Any Clan hoping to break the hold of the Nura will aim for you and will challenge now, while you are still inexperienced. While change is happening."

Rikuo eyed him for a long time before dropping his gaze in thought. That was new, a souvenir from Toono, that thinking first.

It was change and he wasn't sure he liked what that did to his cute little grandson.

But then Rikuo's lips curled and it was the same as it used to, eager, confident and no little amount of arrogance. "Then let them come. I will defeat them all and add them to my Hyakkiyako if they are worthy."

The yokai who Rikuo got those golden eyes from blinked, startled. Then he laughed out loud. Laughed and laughed until many curious eyes disturbed the solitary garden.

Rikuo smiled and ignited a new batch of tobacco with a fingertip of blue flame.

Wait.

"Oi, Rikuo. Is that my pipe?"

"If it was?"

"You little brat, I got that from your grandmother! Give it back right now! You're still way too young to be smoking!"

"Don't want to."

Making a grab for the insolent kid turned out to be futile, because his form wavered and melted away.

"Don't think you can get me with my own trick, Rikuo!" And off he was, jumping after the unruly kid who was way too cheeky for his own good.


Much to her embarrassment, when Yura came home to her apartment and turned the lights on, she almost screamed.

"Yo," said the yokai lounging on her window sill, one foot out the window, smirking arrogantly.

"Rentai!" She shouted, and fused a shikigami to her hand. "Be gone, yokai!"

Her most powerful attack, Yura Max, split in half and did nothing more than soak her walls and floor.

"Oi, oi, that's dangerous. Careful where you aim that." His form wavered and disappeared. Fear. Damn it! And Yura still couldn't sense him.

"Where are you hiding, you cowardly demon! I'll destroy you!"

"If that's supposed to be encouraging, you still got a ways to go, Onmyoji."

Yura whirled, aimed. Nothing. With her free hand she summoned Tanrou to guard her flank. For shikigami more her apartment wasn't big enough.

"Could you quit that? I just came here to talk." The tilt of the voice was more amused than irritated, though.

"As if I'll believe anything a yokai says! A yokai who sneaks into a girl's home at night! Shame on you."

An eerie chuckle echoed. "My bad, my bad. But I noticed the wards and just couldn't turn down the challenge."

"I didn't do them for your fun!" Her face burned of anger and shame and embarrassment in equal parts. Her wards! Her ofuda! How could a yokai just sneak past them? "Who are you? Name yourself."

He appeared in the same spot he had disappeared from. For a disconcerting moment Yura wondered if he had ever moved at all. Gold eyes gleamed. "Finally willing to listen?"

Yura lowered her Rentei-arm, but Tanro kept growling. Clearly, she was at a bigger disadvantage here than she'd thought. "Talk." She eyed him. She had thought so, but it really was the same one she met at Nejireme-yama. What was he doing here? Wasn't the mountain his territory?

He raised an eyebrow at her and at Tanro and the way she really hadn't disarmed herself. "Right." He shrugged, dismissive of the danger she still presented. "This town, all of Kanto really, do you know whose territory it is?"

She raised her Rentei-arm a bit. A threat that he had better not be here to waste her time. "Nurarihyon."

The yokai, who looked young, though that didn't actually say anything, nodded. "Nurarihon. The Nura Clan to be precise." He glanced at her lazily. "I'm its Third heir apparent."

Her weapon lowered without permission. "Nura Clan." She repeated dumbly. Nura-kun's face flashed in front of her eyes. She looked at the yokai. But there were no similarities to her friend from school.

(Or were there?)

"What does an 'illustrious' yokai like you want from me?" Yura demanded, heavy on the sarcasm.

It didn't faze him. "A truce."

What?

"What?" She stared at him. "You are not serious. Don't make fun of me! I'm an onmyoji! What do you think I do for a living?"

"Hunting yokai," the yokai invading her home said carelessly as if he couldn't see the contradiction.

For a long minute Yura just waited for his own words to catch up with him. It didn't seem like they did.

Just as she was about to blast him out of her home and house, he spoke up again, voice more serious. "We're in a state of war at the moment. With whom or why is not of your interest, but I want you to be aware of it and understand what's going on here." His gaze drifted to her and all of a sudden she could see it – how this demon could be...something. Something more. The casualness and harmlessness he had so obviously been projecting before was gone.

Yura swallowed, and dismissed Tanro and Rentei. Had he wanted to harm her he had been more than able to from the moment she entered.

"Thanks," he said. "Anyway. The Shichinin Dogyo – you already clashed with one of them – don't care about collateral damage or about the humans they involve in their problems with us. Which is why I'd be grateful if you could keep aggressions against us to a minimum while we are dealing with them. After all, we would only get into each others way of protecting the city – and the humans- if we fought each other as well and that could easily cost someone their life."

Yura eyed him with barely hidden contempt and skepticism. "Protecting humans. Don't make me laugh, yokai. What's your real angle?"

The yokai, the nurarihyon, just gave her an unamused stare. "Do you see me comparing you to murderers and thieves on the streets? It might be wise for you to keep in mind that there are as many differences between yokai as there are between humans." He changed his position, swinging his second leg also out the window. "In the end, it doesn't matter if you believe me, Onmyoji. Not beyond convenience, that it. But just remember the consequences if you don't. After all, I watch out for humans because I want to. You do it because its your duty."

Swishing of wind and fabric and he was gone, disappeared into the night. Yura dashed to the window, looked out, then slammed it shut, growling. Only after she had pulled the curtains closed did she allow herself to sink to her knees and acknowledge the trembling of her body's stress reaction.

She wasn't good enough an onmyoji yet, by far. She had to practice more. She had to be better. If she wanted to stand a chance at taking down that yokai, never mind his entire hyakkiyakko.

Never mind two preceding generations.

(...were they alive, those generations? Did they just go into retirement or...did they kill each other?)

How did the Main House in Kyoto ever forget to mention this?

Not for the first time since she came here did Yura started to seriously doubt her abilities.


TBC