The nighttime sky,

darkness rolls like ocean waves,

angels hidden in the watery cloak,

the kingdom advances on moonlight.

Rikuo walked out of the school grounds humming a soft tune a small smile plastered on his face. After the final fight with Seimei, his Human friends' memories of him being a yokai disappeared. Yura had also forgotten that she could summon Hidemoto the 13th. The only human that he knew of that still remembered was Yura's older brother.

"Rikuo! Over here!" Kana cried out happily bounding towards him.

His smile got wider as he saw her 'So cheerful...' he thought '...even if she is unable to remember my night form'. Rikuo turned towards her smiling brightly. Kana tilted her head to the side looking at him with a curious expression. Rikuo round slightly "Is something wrong?" He asked.

In the omnyouji mansion, Rikuo slowly sat up careful to not reopen his wounds he slipped into his new black kimono with gold edges tying the blood red obi around his waist. Sliding open his door only to see an overly excited Kiyotsugu arguing with Maki and Tori.

"Oh, come on! He won't be mad!" Kiyotsugu shouted, "If anything he'll be excited!"

"We're not all yokai freaks like you—" Tori shot back, Rikuo cut her off by clearing his throat.

"Would you guys mind explaining to me what's going on?" Rikuo asked.

"Ah! Nura! Would you please tell these non-believers that you want to go on a yokai hunt!" Kiyotsugu exclaimed spinning around to face the object of the argument.

Rikuo winced it seemed Kiyotsugu still loved to go on yokai hunts 'Odd.' He thought 'I would have thought that he would be too preoccupied with the Nura clan's yokai... And why did he call Maki and Tori non-believers? Old habit?'

Shrugging it off he broke out of his thoughts, "Ah, actually I can't. I'll be gone all day visiting an old friend of my Grandpa's that lives on the outskirts of town." He said before noticing their expression, "Is something wrong?" He asked.

Maki and Tori were openly gaping and even Kiyotsugu had a stunned expression on his face. Tori was the first to break the silence "Wow Rikuo!" She grabbed his wrist tugging him out the door towards the dining room while Maki ran ahead and Kiyotsugu trailed behind.

Rikuo looked Tori questionably while he heard Maki say "You guys have to see Rikuo! He looks like a total bishie!" Tori reached for the door sliding it open tugging Rikuo into the room.

Shima and Kana gasped, Tsurara blushed and Yura and Ryuji raised an eyebrow. Tori nodded excitedly "I know right?"

"Know what?!" Rikuo snapped feeling some of his hair fall into his face ignoring it, he looked at his classmates.

"Looked in a mirror lately, Grandson?" Ryuji scoffed.

Rikuo turned looking at the black exorcist "What do you mean by that?" The older exorcist didn't answer instead deciding to continue with his meal.

Yura decided it was time to interrupt "Big Brother, Nura you two know each other?" She asked looking at them suspiciously.

Rikuo eyebrows raised in surprised while Ryuji looked at his sister questionably "Of course we've met." He snapped laying down his chopsticks.

Yura tilted her head to the side, "Really? When?"

"We bumped into each other on the street." Rikuo deadpanned '

'Is this Yura's idea of a joke?' Yoru asked, 'If it is, she's got no career as a comedian. I honestly don't see the punchline.' Speaking up for the first time that morning.

"Ah. I see." The female exorcist then turned back to her meal as if nothing had happened.

"Off topic!" Tori announced, "Let's get back to Rikuo turning into a bishie overnight."

Rikuo paused 'Am I still in my night form? Is that why they're making a big fuss?

'No, I don't think so. We would notice if we were.'

'True.'

Finally, Rikuo had enough "What are you guys talking about?!" He yelled.

Kana, Maki, Tori, Shima, Kiyotsugu, and Tsurara stared at him in surprise. Yura opened her purse and handed him a small handheld mirror. Looking at it quizzically he looked at his reflection 'I look... like Oyaji' Yoru finished his thought 'So this is where all his looks went I always wondered why I looked more like the old man but it seems you look more like our Dad.' He said.

And it was true. Although his hair wasn't the same color as his father's, when he didn't sweep it back like he usually did in the mornings it reached just about to his shoulder although he could have sworn it wasn't as long as that yesterday, he also wasn't wearing his glasses either so he could see his eyes without them being hidden by the glare from the light bouncing off of them, the kimono didn't really help either

"See?" Maki said "Total bishie." Tori nodded in agreement.

Tsurara suddenly looked worried having already noticed the similarities between Rikuo and Rihan "Ma—Rikuo are you alright?" It caused all head to swivel in her direction before they turned to Rikuo who was still staring at the mirror.

"I look like Otou-san..." Rikuo muttered out load this time. He had always thought that his human side only had his mother's looks but he could clearly see the resemblance to his father. He smiled looking up "Yeah. I'm great." Glancing at the clock he realized how much time had passed. "Ah. I'd better hurry up." He muttered.

Kana who had been oddly silent too busy staring at Rikuo finally spoke up "Where are you going?" She asked.

Rikuo blinked "Ah, Tsurara and I are going to visit an old friend of my Grandpa's." At this Shima and Kana looked slightly troubled.

Ryuji looked up "Is it a yokai?" He asked. Rikuo opened his mouth to answer but was interrupted by Yura's scandalized scream of "Brother!"

Kiyotsugu nodded in agreement "Why would Nura's Grandfather know a yokai? Besides, it's more likely that I would know a yokai rather than Nura! Um... No offense Nura." He said.

"N–none was taken." He muttered locking eyes with Ryuji before looking at the door. "Well," Rikuo smiled "We'll be off now. Don't wait up for us. Have fun with the yokai hunt." Before walking out the door.

A few seconds later Ryuji stood up, "I'll be going as well." He said he too walking out the door. Turning the corner he saw the two yokai.

"Do you know what could have happened to them?" Rikuo asked, "It's as if they don't remember anything."

Ryuji sighed "I don't know. I'll ask around and see what if anyone knows anything. It seems that only you guys can remember. Act as everything is normal and see if any of your... Associates can think of anything."

Rikuo nodded "We can compare later." And with that the separated paths.

Kana turned suddenly looking at a gathering group of students. "I wonder what's going on over there. Maybe something happened?" She paused once again turning to face him "How about we go check it out?" She asked.

Rikuo nodded although he was not really interested in what was going on. Despite not having anyone in his clan besides his grandfather, Zen, and Tsurara nobody knew that he was merging with his night form.

Subtle signs had begun to show. His hair getting longer while it started to get lighter on the top and darker at the bottom it now reached just past his shoulders usually falling in front of his face like Rihan's once had the other yokai had noticed and decided to hold a celebration in the fact that Rikuo's human side was growing into his father's good looks.

Rikuo's normally wide eyes were narrowing and although it could have been overlooked as a sign of adulthood many had noticed that it made his gaze more seductive it didn't really help that his eyelashes had grown long then most females, his skin had paled as well only further pronouncing his eyes and hair and giving a soft shine to his lips.

Rikuo's normal friendly human attitude was beginning to disappear but not completely instead he became quieter and reserved, his love of mischief and pranks began to appear again and he himself had started to become more fond of the night then the day often he found himself starting to sleep away the evening when he could spending more time with the yokai at night. The personality switch was nearly unnoticeable when it was spanned out for a long period of time.

Rikuo arrived upon the scene staring in shock there in front of him was his friend since childhood of a flagpole by his clothes was Zen.

Zen yelled at the students who were laughing. His appearance couldn't qualify as a human with his pale skin and red eyes along with his furious expression. It didn't help poisonous feathers were beginning to swirl around him. Zen yelled angrily struggling to get himself down.

Rikuo frowned looking down 'When they get over the amusement it would be easy for them to tell he's a yokai but I have to get him down as soon as possible... ' he shook his head breaking out of his thoughts soon walking over to the flagpole pulling himself up. His classmates stared at him.

Rikuo settled his hands firmly on the flagpole flipped his legs upwards wrapping them around the pole his back arching. He released his hand swinging his back, his arms grabbing onto the pole before repeating the process until he reached the top. He ignored the gaping faces of his stunned classmates.

Rikuo stared at Zen lifting an eyebrow asking a silent question. Zen frowned his eye twitching slightly he stopped struggling and crossed his arms looking at Rikuo "Please let me down... Happy now?"

Rikuo nodded smiling using one hand lifting Zen up effectively releasing him before letting him go as he dropped to the ground. Zen and Rikuo landed on the ground. "What are you doing here Zen? You're not supposed to be out of bed." He scolded the bird yokai shaking his head.

"How is it my fault the-" Zen was cut off by a sudden yell of "Get back that man is a yokai! Run!" Yura ran towards them exorcism papers in her hand. Rikuo froze not moving 'Shit, I forgot about that omnyouji.' Not noticing he had called her by his night self's name for her.

Yura frowned 'Why isn't Nura moving out of the way? Has that yokai paralyzed him?' she prepared her Shiki getting ready to throw them "You yokai! What have you going to Nura! Release him immediately!"

Zen ignored her instead of turning to Rikuo "Thanks for getting me down Rikuo." Rikuo smiled sadly "No problem Zen but do you know how I'm going to get out of this mess?" He gestured to Yura and the rest of Paranormal Investigation Squad who had just arrived upon the scene.

"Ah... Sorry about that." Zen said rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.

"It's fine"

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure. What are you doing out here anyway?"

"Ah, some weird yokai wearing black came up to me and knocked me out when I wasn't looking," Zen muttered

"Hm... I wonder if they could pose a threat? What do you this-." This time it was Rikuo who was cut of Yura throwing her paper Shiki.

Yura could honestly say she didn't understand what was going on. One minute she was having a lovely day, that was all ruined when she sensed a presence outside of the school. Of course being the omnyouji she prided herself on being she had immediately rush to the scene only to find Nura causally chatting with the spiritually weak yokai.

After yelling at Nura several times and noting that he was not indeed captured by the yokai. She had come to the conclusion that somehow he and the yokai had met somewhere before. Therefore the sweet, innocent, and kind Nura she knew had obviously been tricked by the weak looking demon.

Meanwhile, others were having different thoughts. 'It was a YOKAI! Finally, he had discovered a yokai!' Kiyotsugu thought 'I had so many questions! What species is he? Did he have a name? What could he do? Did he know The Lord of Pandemonium aka their Savior? Would he be thankful to Nura for getting him down?

Kiyotsugu momentarily paused in his obsessing as a new flood of questions filled his mind 'Speaking of... Since when is Nura an acrobat? How was he able to lift the man so easily? How was he able to jump from that hight so effortlessly? Who knew Nura was a strong acrobat who knew a yokai and yet never told them? When this was over Rikuo was going to have some serious explaining to do! And he would not stop until he found the answers to his questions.'

'Rikuo-kun? What was he doing? Why? Why was he acting so weird lately? I-I don't understand! What was... Why was he talking like he knew that yokai?

She knew he was changing... His smile seemed more forced and it didn't quite reach his eyes. When Rikuo-kun had shown up at school and had started smirking devilishly with this strange glint in his eyes at times. She was both confused and frightened by it. Frightened because it wasn't natural for the kind boy that she knew being so... unnatural!

She had caught him smothering chuckles when pranks happened instead of rushing to help the person who was pranked like he normally did, he did his homework in class before pulling papers out of his bag written in odd-looking kanji, he had stopped volunteering to stay after class instead disappearing after class at his first chance. The changes were subtle, barely noticeable even.

But what confused her the most was the more time that passed the more he reminded her of their Savior. However, she was frightened. She could tell that he was slowly disappearing from their little circle of friends and spending more and more time with Tsurara and Kurata.

'I feel like I'm losing him! Like everything is falling apart!' Kana thought wildly clutching her blouse 'Why does he have to change? Why does Oikawa have to be apart of the new him? Why do I have to lose him?'

"Nura why protect a yokai?" Yura questioned still prepared to attack at any moment.

Lacuna (n.)

A blank space, a missing part.