KANA

WARNING! : There will be content bordering mature themes, so little kiddos below 18 and those who are not perverts should not read this.

Cheers!

Ch8

She heaved a big sigh, and brought up a hand to wipe the perspiration beading on her forehead. Through the thick fog blanketing the mountain, she knelt onto the ground and dug through her trusty bag pack for a box of matchsticks and a summoning scroll where she used to store her bulkier items. She had traded a pair of hiking boots for the invaluable scroll, and had to admit it had been a very good bargain. After a few incantations, there was a small puff of smoke that came out from the surface of the scroll and a lantern popped out. The small lantern youkai residing in it smiled shyly at her, and began lighting up brightly as she lit it up with a matchstick. Her watch suddenly beeped, and she flinched at the sudden sound.

"Oops." She turned the alarm off, and raised her brows as she glanced at the time. "It's only 5 but it's so dark here."

She held the lantern up and sniffed around the fog. "Must be the miasma then…" When she felt goose bumps down her spine, she shivered and rubbed the back of her neck. "Creepy."

Muttering some light incantations under her breath, she started to walk through the fog until she found a flight of stairs, leading up the mountain. She looked up the flight of stairs only to find the upper half disappearing into the thickening fog.

"Up there is where Tengu-san is."

She took a few steps, and stopped as she felt another chill run down her back. Taking another calming breath, she reminded herself why she was up in the mountains looking for the sealed demon-eating Tengu in the first place. It was because the villagers were in danger. Children were being kidnapped and young mothers were hunted for their livers. She had tried purification ceremonies, and even used her two Shikigami to fight the blood-starved ayakashi. But she had been running low on energy since she didn't eat, sleep and rest properly ever since she came to the village upon a request from the head villager. She had done a rookie mistake, and that was to underestimate the strength of the ayakashi, and the numbers.

Oh, she couldn't forget the numbers. As improved as she might be, Kana was still a newbie in exorcism, there was no way she could have defeated three hungry monsters at the same time.

Then the village council had suggested she look for a partner, a strong one. The night before she had hiked up Mount Yoichi, an elderly woman had come and visited her, and gave a sacred scroll.

'Use this, Kana-chan. The demon-eating Tengu is of great power to have, but no one had managed to unseal him.'

She had been speechless, and had stared at the scroll bearing ancient scriptures. 'But… I can't possibly… I mean, I don't have any right to. This is a family heirloom, is it not?'

The old woman had smiled then, a very wistful smile, one Kana hadn't seen in such a long time. She took Kana's hands in hers, and closed the younger woman's fingers over the ancient scroll.

'Let's just say… I'm doing this for the sake of my village. This village here… it's my life. I would do anything to protect it, and the families living here. Surely you can understand why I'm doing this, right?'

Kana nodded, and the elder covered the Onmyouji's hand with her own wrinkled one. 'I trust you to use this power wisely, if you manage to call upon the Tengu.'

She stopped her hike up the stairs to catch her breath. "If I manage to unseal him huh…"

The fog had thinned, she noted. After she rolled her shoulders, she punched the air with a tightly clenched fist.

"Yosh! Tengu-san, here I come!"

It took her another ten minutes of climbing up the insanely long stairs, but she finally managed to reach a clearing. Immediately, her fading vigor renewed as soon as she caught sight of a large rock in the middle of a circle made out of rope and a chain of sealing paper tags plastered the circumference of the big rock. Four knee-high pillars embedded at four corners connected a length of rope, forming a square around the rock.

The sight of the big rock had caught her speechless for a few seconds. She had imagined it to be enclosed in a shrine or something, but then, the sealed creature was a demon after all. Not a deity.

There was another smaller rock a few feet away from the encircled one, and she immediately put her lantern on it before she used the sleeves of her kimono to wipe the beads of sweat on her forehead. Taking a calming breath, she took out the ancient scroll the elderly woman had given her, and walked towards the sealed rock. Standing before the numerous seal tags, Kana knelt down onto the dirt as she unrolled the scroll. Taking out the dagger Ryuuji had given her from within her clothes, she unsheathed the blade and made a small cut on the tip of her left forefinger, wincing just a little bit as she swiped her blood across the scriptures written in the laid out scroll. The long swipe of her blood disappeared into the paper, and Kana closed her eyes, clasping her hands together.

"Please, Onikui Tengu. Answer to my call."

For a while, the air around her stilled. Nothing changed, and the scroll didn't show any response except from that of consuming Kana's blood.

She tried again, putting her resolve into her prayers.

A chill ran down her spine, but other than that, nothing happened. It was quiet, no signs of demon-eating Tengu popping out any time soon.

It was after a curse spoken in Kansai dialect and her fifth attempt, did something really happen. There were tremors on the ground she knelt on, and when she made to jump backwards to retrieve her lantern and get the hell away from there, the rock cracked. A blindingly white light escaped the rapidly propagating cracks, causing her to cover her eyes with the back of her hand. She took a few steps back, and fell on her bottom as she accidentally stepped on the hem of her red Hakama.

Her eyes were still shielded behind her hand when she felt the brush of soft feathers tickling her skin. Cautiously, she lowered her hand, and blinked at the sight of black feathers floating around a tall man. He was holding onto a staff, wearing a white formal kimono and red Haori, white flame patterns adorning the hem of the magnificent Haori. Jet-black eyes ran over the sleeves of his white kimono, as if figuring out what he was wearing, and his long black hair that reached his waist moved with his head as he turned to look at her, some strands falling over one dark eye as he studied the human in front of him. The large black wings on his back slowly lifted, and was abruptly brought down, creating a gust of wind, blowing stray feathers into her face.

When he spoke, his voice was guttural, an aftereffect of not being able to use it for more than 400 years. However, it didn't sound as frightening as Kana had thought it would be.

"Is it you who summoned me?"

Kana swallowed, and managed to sit upright as she nodded. He towered over her as he stayed perched on the rock that had sealed him for more than four hundred years, and she had to force herself to look as every bit the brave and proud Onmyouji she was as she lifted her chin towards him.

"My name is Ienaga Kana. I was the one who summoned you."

The Tengu closed his eyes for a while, and when he opened them to look at her, something strongly akin to regret and sadness flashed in the depths of his two black irises.

He looked… pained.

"Why? I was sealed here because I have sinned."

Kana didn't know what came over her, but something about the sadness and pain in his eyes triggered this over-protectiveness in her being that she thought had never existed. Let alone for a Tengu as strong as the one standing before her.

With sure steps, she walked towards the strong, powerful, yet lonely –so lonely, so pained- creature in front of her and offered her right hand.

"Then let's wash away those sins and find a new reason to live for, Hiromi-kun. Together. With me."

He was surprised, and the big wings on his back stilled in their movements due to the unexpected answer. Then she had smiled at him.

A bright, wide and trusting smile. His wings moved, lifting him in a manner so graceful only an angel could have, and she soon found him standing next to her.

"Hiromi? Is that my name now?"

Kana nodded, and held out her hand to him, meaning to shake hands with his pale and large one. Instead, he shocked her when he knelt on one knee and took her hand in his, planting a kiss at the back of her hand. A furious blush colored her cheeks, and she was eternally grateful that he didn't look up into her face as he swore his life to her.

"I look forward to serving you from now on, master."

The young woman cleared her throat, and laughed nervously. "K-Kana. Call me Kana."

He tilted his head to look at her, a dark brow raised. "Kana-sama?"

"Yes. Kana. And from now on, we're gonna be a great team."

Wakana, as Kana had observed and soon concluded, was a very mysterious person. Even during the days when she was younger and tagged along with Kiyou and the gang as they came over to the Nura manor to play with Rikuo, she had always thought of Wakana as a very cheerful, friendly and weird mother; yet still maintained a very mysterious air at the same time. They never knew when exactly she had been married into the Nura family, and her age when she gave birth to Rikuo. The only true human in the Nura manor - before Kana came - looked young, quite young if she were to be compared to Kana's own mother who she last remembered to have been seen with a few slight wrinkles in the corners of her eyes.

Wakana blinked, and turned around to look back at the staring brown-eyed Omyoji. She smiled good-naturedly as she addressed the young woman.

"Do you need my help, Kana-chan?"

Startled at being found out staring at the older woman, Kana blinked, and shook her head.

"No, nothing… I was just… looking at you sweeping the yard… and then I probably zoned out, I guess."

"Oh, okay then. You can help yourself to the donuts I made. I put it there, with the tea, so Ojii-chan can eat when he gets bored playing shogi with Kurotabo."

She finished with another smile before she continued raking the leaves. After every three minutes or so, she would stop and massage her shoulders, then she would continue while humming a folklore song. Kana, not knowing what to do, sat down on the patio overlooking the large yard where Wakana had just finished cleaning. The omyouji watched as the older woman proceeded to do the laundry, flapping out white pillow cases and colorful futons. A few minutes into the laundry, the woman let out a satisfied sigh and sat next to the still-staring Kana, her back facing the Omyouji. Kana sat there, watching the nostalgic view of the older woman's back as she reached behind her in a futile attempt at massaging the sore spots.

Kana had nearly forgotten how her mother looked, for it had been years since she last saw her. If she had to say something that she missed most about her mother, it was the indescribable feeling of warmth she felt whenever she saw the reassuring back of her mother during those times; as she watched the older woman fussing over the shredded tissue paper that got stuck in the washing machine. She remembered herself as a child hugging that same back whenever she felt extremely sad or extremely happy. Brown eyes softened as she saw the perspiration gathering at the back of Wakana's neck, and then came to the realization that the older woman must have been quite lonely to be the only human before she moved in, despite her cheerful disposition and carefree laughter. That indescribable warmth she had felt when she was younger suddenly washed over her and instinctively her hands reached to massage Wakana's stiff shoulders.

The sudden contact had Wakana jump a little bit before she turned her head just enough to look at Kana confusingly with an eye.

"Kana-chan?"

The Omyouji smiled, and continued to massage the stiff muscle on the older woman's shoulders.

"Let me help you, Wakana-chan."

The older woman seemed a little confused at first, but then she relented, and smiled contentedly. She folded her hands in her lap as she let Kana massage her, while she sighed in relief whenever the younger woman reached several sweet spots.

"Thank you, Kana-chan. Say, where did that cute little fox of yours go to? And handsome Hiromi-kun?"

Kana laughed at the way Wakana described her fellow companions, and she shrugged.

"Hotaru's probably chasing natto kozo and Sannokuchi again. He seems to be attached to those small youkai."

"Yep, poor natto kozo."

"Hiromi, I guess he might have gone somewhere to search for anpan. He does that sometimes."

"Hm… I see." Wakana yawned. "I'm quite curious, Kana-chan."

Kana blinked as she heard Wakana. "Of what?"

Wakana yawned again."Are your wounds healing nicely? You've been here for almost a month now, don't you get bored?"

Kana stopped to ponder for a while. She heard the sudden yip of Hotaru from somewhere in the distance and the laughter of several youkais, a giggle broke out as she heard Kubinashi hollering out as he searched every nook and cranny for the Sandaeme who seemed to have vanished –literally- and she shook her head, continuing with her massage.

"No, not really. I enjoy being here, with all these many youkais. It's weird, huh. For a Omyouji to say that."

Wakana chuckled tiredly, and yawned again. She asked Kana to stop and curled up on the cool patio.

"God, I'm sleepy. I guess I'll take a nap. Thank you so much Kana-chan."

Said name shook her head. "You're welcome, but I didn't really do much."

Wakana closed her eyes, and laughed softly. "There you go again Kana-chan. I'm really glad you're here… sometimes I just… I don't know, sometimes I just forgot how human company feels…"

She cracked open her eyes for a while, and a tired smile formed on her lips. Kana smiled back."Wakana-chan… have you felt lonely before?"

The older woman blinked slowly, and she closed her eyes. "Let me just… just think…"

A few seconds passed when Wakana didn't open her eyes, and instead she fell into deep sleep. The sudden clank sound the broom made as it fell to the dirt distracted Kana, and she decided she should help a little. Grabbing the broom and a leaf raker, she headed to an empty back yard secluded from view, the one place she had never been to ever since she came to the Nura manor. Dried leaves were everywhere, and the many trees that were taller than the walls surrounding the perimeter of the Nura ground swished about as the wind blew. It was a little bit quiet than normal, but Kana shrugged it off. Despite all the youkais playing around and some of them sparring together, not to forget the occasional Kejoro pranks and the competitive squabble of Kurotabo and Aotabo, there was actually a quiet space within the grounds.

Kana put the broom and the raker down, and started to roll up the sleeves of her yukata. With a silent encouragement which she chanted for herself, she started raking the leaves, all the while reminiscing about the times when she used to be a trainee in the Keikain clan.

She had covered most of the area, when a very peculiar sound distracted her. She stopped raking and looked around, aware that something was nearby, but couldn't see. It was a youkai, no doubt. A small one, but she still sensed a youkai nonetheless.

"Mreaaawww…"

Slightly startled, she looked around, looking for the source of the peculiar sound and saw a black cat, its midnight eyes staring back at her, as if daring her to play with it. The cat made that weird sound again, and jumped onto the rooftop in one swift movement. It was then Kana noticed that the cat did not have a butthole.

"Oh, so you're a youkai huh? Never seen one like you."

The youkai licked a paw and meowed again, and this time it leapt off the roof and flew over Kana's head, eliciting a surprised laughter from her. It landed graciously underneath a lush tree without so much as a sound. Kana finally gave up sweeping to walk over to the cat.

"You're playful aren't you? C'mere you-"

Crack.

Fwip.

Tug.

In a span of 0.7 seconds, Kana suddenly found herself staring at the ground. The cat youkai meowed, and watched her as she tried to make out what really happened that second when she walked towards the cat.

"Wha- What is-"

Realizing the sudden tug of a rope around an ankle –quite belatedly at that-, she tried to look down –or up- when she finally realized that she was hanging upside down from a tree. The snagged leg throbbed around her ankle as she tried swinging herself from side to side in a fruitless attempt to escape, while her hands tried to hold up the skirts of her yukata from sliding up her legs. Fighting off the queasiness in her belly from being in a very unusual and precarious position, Kana turned to the youkai cat helplessly.

"A- Ano…"

"Mreaaawww…"

The cat blinked quizzically at her, probably aware that Kana was in trouble but not knowing the urgency of it, and suddenly went off somewhere. Kana huffed as she tried to perform acrobatics by bending her body to untie the rope from her ankle. She bit her lip as a fingertip grazed the tight knot, and after a cramped abdomen and few futile huffs later, she gave up trying.

"Hi- Hiromi-kuuuun! Please help me!"

No one answered, and she tried bending again, just grazing the rope around her ankles yet again before she gave up. She looked around, and huffed before she called out again. "S-Somebody! Please!"

When there was yet no answer, she tried to reach into the sleeves of her yukata for her shikigami all the while trying not to let her legs be exposed. When it seemed to be impossible to try to hold down her yukata while shuffling through her sleeves at the same time, she cried out in frustration. The urgency to cover up her legs seemed to be very important to her at that time, despite the predicament she was in, and it frustrated her to no end. Her head was starting to throb due to the bloodrush, when she felt a gentle whiff of wind brushing her exposed legs. She blew away the strands of hair tickling the corner of her mouth, and suddenly she found herself blinking owlishly at a pair of red ones. The owner of those eyes sported a pair of his signature training hakama with the Nura emblem, a shinai in his hand.

"Kana? What are you doing upside down?"

She decided that just for that time, she should not let her pride stop her from getting down from the tree. With a red face, she swallowed and opened her mouth.

"I-Uh… I don't know h-how th-this happened… I mean, one second I was raking the leaves and then this black cat came and… and I seemed to step on a trap. And I tried to escape but… but… Why was this here in the first place anyway?"

The look of confusion on Rikuo's face as he discovered Kana hanging upside down was immediately replaced by an amused smirk as he saw the state of the Omyouji.

"Being the skilled Omyouji you are, aren't you supposed to sense these kinds of traps? What ever happened to those stealth trainings? Seriously, you make me laugh."

A vein popped on her temple, as she reached her hands to strangle him… only to quickly retract them when her lightweight yukata slid up her thighs almost immediately.

"Y-You… H-Help me! How can you just stand there!"

He shrugged, and approached her dangling form to inspect the rope around her ankle. From the looks of the rope and the green moss growing around it, it seemed to have been buried under the leaves for quite some time now. The trap had been waiting for something, or someone to trigger it, and he was quite surprised that the rope, being as old as it looked to be, held Kana's weight just well. But then, her head had just been dangling five or six inches off the ground, so the tension probably was not enough to snap the rope and let Kana drop unceremoniously onto the dirt. Her caught foot was at his eye level, and he could see her trying to wiggle her toes in an effort to give some feeling to her probably numbing legs.

"What, are you feeling dizzy already? Why didn't you use your shikigami anyway? You could've reached into your sleeves."

Kana, her face looking at anywhere but his smug one, huffed in reply. "I-I can't… Not with my hands trying to conceal what little dignity I have left. So j-just help me, okay? Please?"

Just for good measure, she said it again. The almighty magic word. "Please."

He cocked his head to one side as he noticed that despite the urgency of the situation, she could still be stupidly stubborn sometimes. He cleared his throat when he saw her futile attempt at covering her legs, her face blushing scarlet. His eyes had already caught the sight of the creamy white skin of her slim legs and thighs. She was beautiful, that was no doubt. It wasn't as if he wanted to actually see them, though. He was a serious and honorable man who does not ogle women. But it didn't mean he couldn't appreciate beauty when his eyes happen to chance upon them. Miles and miles of smooth and white skin, just begging to be caressed, just calling him to sink his teeth into the supple skin of her thighs and lick the bitemarks and hear her-

"Please."

His thoughts were cut short by that simple sweet word. No wonder teachers had drilled into children that it was a magic word.

"Alright, stay still. You're wiggling too much."

She replied with a meek 'okay' as he dropped the shinai and reached for the rope tied around her ankle. With nothing much as a warning, Kana fell to the ground with a distinct thump.

"Ooomph!"

Kana didn't know which surprised her more; the fact that Rikuo had just let her fall down unceremoniously just like that, or the fact that he actually used his bare hands to break the rope holding her. But then, the latter shouldn't have surprised her, he was a strong ayakashi after all. She bit her lip as she saw the painful red welt the rope left around her ankle and ran her fingers over it. She looked up from her bruise as Rikuo crouched in front of her, a cheeky smirk on him as he held his bamboo sword.

"That was actually a trap I had set up years ago. Sorry about that."

Judging from his amused reaction to her predicament, she was convinced that he didn't actually feel and look the least bit sorry, if any.

"Thanks… but why would you set up a trap anyway? Jeez…"

He chuckled a little, and helped her up. She winced as she tried to adjust to the pain, and just when she was about to wobble back into the house, she heard Rikuo say something about a welcome party that night. She looked at him, ignoring the pain for a while and spoke up. "A welcome party? For who?"

Rikuo nodded. "For you of course. Why are you even asking that?"

Kana pouted, and he was sorely tempted to kiss her pink lips. But of course he didn't. She would have stabbed him in the solar plexus with her sharp elbow if he tried then.

"You guys don't have to! It's gonna be such a waste of food and everything. I already feel welcomed here, and isn't the party overdue anyway?"

Well, it had been a month since she came.

He smirked. "Well yeah. But Jiji just wants an excuse to have fun and drink sake, since Zen brought back a tonne of 'em. And the youkai from Tono are coming here for a visit, so it's a good time for the guys here to relax."

Oh yeah, she almost forgot about the daily and night patrols. The Nura turf seemed to be expanding more than ever, all the more reason for Rikuo and his subordinates to be extra careful.

"Ah, I see. It must be fun then."

The silver-haired youkai nodded, and then suddenly his smirk widened a fraction. "And you're going to dress up nicely as well. But do you have something else to wear other than those miko clothes you have?"

Kana pouted again. "How rude. I actually do have a few nice kimonos, and I'm not a miko. I'm an Onmyouji."

Rikuo chuckled then, she really was cute when her cheeks turn pink and puff up. "I'm sure you do. I have something for you by the way, but I'll be giving it to you after the party."

He watched as her face turned from that of annoyance into curiosity in a matter of seconds. "O-Okay." She stuttered out meekly, and her cheeks colored a light shade of pink as Rikuo continued to watch her, his head cocked to the side.

He seemed distracted as he watched her tuck her hair behind an ear, and suddenly a small smile spread across his lips before he spoke up, his voice oddly quiet.

"Okay then." Then he vanished from his previous spot, leaving Kana blinking.

She bit her lip, and forced her blush to go away as she wobbled towards the medical chambers.

"Geez, he's doing that on purpose. Being all handsome and everything."

Location: Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kyoto

Subject: Ienaga Kana and Hiromi

Sex: Female and Male, respectively

Age: 20 years and 17 hours old and 713 years old, respectvely

Having travelled with her for almost a year while she made a living by offering exorcism services, purification ceremonies and kagura rituals, Hiromi gathered that Ienaga Kana was a healthy twenty-year old woman. From his understanding of the new era he was living right then, women her age were busy worrying about lovers, college assignments and what to wear to classes. But Kana was not doing any of that. Right then, she was bent over a pile of leeks, busy buying materials for a coming vengeful spirit purification ceremony at an abandoned shrine later that night. Being her ever-so loyal bodyguard, Hiromi tagged along and watched her quietly as she socialized with the locals of the neighbourhood. He saw a maiden sweeping the front yard of the humongous shrine they were currently staying at for probably another six more months (probably three if Kana would be called again by some other shrine for her services), and suddenly he felt the need to call out to his master.

"Hey, Kana-sama."

She looked up from a bunch of flowers she had been looking at. "Hm? What is it, Hiromi-kun?"

Stuffing a hand into the pocket of his slacks, –the pants, white button down shirt and black blazer he was wearing were part of the disguise Kana had picked out for him, though he suspected that was just an excuse for her to dress him up a little bit- Hiromi motioned towards a group of young girls, most probably around her age, who were trying on some shiny jewelry at one of the street vendors.

"I've never really seen you fancying over glittery women things. Don't you ever have the urge to?"

Kana blinked owlishly at him. Again, the thought of how pretty and bright her eyes were to him was kept to himself. "Why would I? Is it because I'm a girl?"

Hiromi nodded. "Well, obviously. I mean, you should give yourself a break, you know. It's not normal for a young woman like you to be travelling around with a Tengu on tow."

The Omyouji laughed and adjusted the shopping basket she had with her so that it would not feel so heavy. "Are you worried about me, Hiromi-kun? Of course, as a girl I kind of like shiny glittery things but right now I think that there are other things I should prioritize on."

A five year old boy was running from a little girl of his age in a game of tag, when he accidentally bumped into her. Kana smiled brightly as she lowered herself to ruffle the boy's head, picking out a few dried leaves that had somehow lodged themselves in his mop of dark brown hair, and told him to be careful not to trip on something and hurt himself. The boy gave her a huge grin, and Hiromi saw the longing in her eyes as she watched the boy patted his clothes in search of a blue marble which he then gave her as a thanks. He watched as that look on her face remained for another few moments as she watched the boy resume his running, his small hand waving at her. She waved back, and then turned to her bodyguard, lips upturned into a small smile.

"There are still evil out there, Hiromi-kun. There are souls to be purified, and families to protect. I don't have anyone else in this world but you and Hotaru, and I would hate for someone else to lose a loved one. And it's better if I preoccupy myself in working, else I'd be thinking of depressing things, and those bad memories will come and pester me."

They saw the little boy finally being caught by a little girl, and watched silently as the children laughed together. It was then Hiromi realized what he saw a few moments ago when Kana had been talking to the boy. She was probably thinking of the things that could have been had she not lost her lover, and the memories that could have been made had she not lost Keikain Yura.

'It's better if I preoccupy myself in working, else I'd be thinking of depressing things, and those bad memories will come and pester me.'

The Tengu nodded in understanding. "… That's understandable."

Kana contemplated for a while, before she flashed another warm smile. "I'm glad you do. How about Hiromi-kun?"

A dark brow rose. "What?"

His master –Gods, he never thought that he would end up with a young woman as a master- stopped by a stall selling hair ornaments, and picked out a Tsumami Kanzashi hairpin. The pair of red and gold folded silk flowers nested white pearls in their centres, and three strands of two-inch tsumami streamers accompanied the fabric flowers, each end sporting a pink pearl. The hairpin was simple and elegant, and for some reason Hiromi thought it suited Kana's hair perfectly. Not that he would tell her anyway. She put the hairpin down, something akin to longing flashed in her eyes –again - which lasted no longer than a heartbeat, and turned to him.

"Do you like pretty little things?"

Hiromi stared at her, unsure of what to look like, before he shrugged. He did like the way her eyes would sparkle when she laughs, and thought that her eyes were 'pretty little things'. "Sure, why not."

Kana seemed happy with the roundabout answer, and said something about black ink before she resumed her shopping.

Subject: Ienaga Kana

Age: Twenty-three years and nine weeks old

Location: Nura Clan Manor

Occupation: Freelance Exorcist slash freeloader

He was in between getting hounded by the elders for an heir and his grandfather forcing him another cup of sake when she walked in, accompanied by a cheerfully smiling Tsurara and a smug Kejoro. Wakana, who was eating next to him, gasped pleasantly as Kana bowed to the audience and apologized for being late. The mass of youkai partying and playing around the large hall greeted her as she seated herself between Hiromi and Kubinashi.

She brought up a hand and tucked a stray strand of brown hair behind an ear, and that was when her eyes found his red ones.

Rikuo could no longer feel the migraine he was subjected to as soon as he met the slightly drunk elders, instead he felt as if the wind was knocked out of him in one big whoop. She blushed a little and nodded slightly at him, acknowledging him before she turned to hear something Tsurara was telling her.

He knew Kana was pretty, but he never knew she could be even more. Beautiful seemed very insignificant as he watched the way some of her smooth hair escape the bun Kejoro had done for her when she tilted her head to the side, listening to the Yuki-Onna. The white furisode she wore was patterned with silver and light blue butterflies on the lower part of her kimono, and she had put on a dark blue Haori with white flowers lined with silver thread stitched onto the hems of the dark sleeves and the lower hem of the outer kimono. A pair of wine-colored hairpins secured her long hair into a stylishly-twisted bun, and what caught his attention were her lips, painted slightly with red.

A smile adorned her lips, as the neckless youkai next to her offered to pour some sake for her. She nodded, and the party continued as three beautifully-dressed Tanuki Geishas walked in and performed a dance, courtesy of the visiting youkais that came all the way from Gion. One of the dancers pulled out something from her Hikizuri, and blew on the hand holding it towards Kana, and suddenly butterflies fluttered around her. The amazement in her eyes was priceless, and the three dancers smiled as she thanked them for such a pleasant surprise.

From her side, Hiromi, who was wearing a dark blue plain kimono and white sleeveless haori, nodded approvingly as he saw how much fun Kana was having with the dance and magic performance. His large black wings were revealed in favour of his master, who wanted them all to let loose for the night. The Onmyouji clapped her hands as the three dancers started spouting off black fire from their mouths, and turning the flames into black stallions that danced around her, before disappearing into air. Rikuo swallowed when he saw her flash another bright smile when the dancers retired for the night. How he wished she would smile at him like that for the rest of his life.

Nurarihyon ruffled his grandson's hair as he noticed the way Rikuo was watching the woman, his grandson silently sipping on his cup of sake. He chuckled when his grandson scowled at him, the fierceness of it lost somehow.

Poor boy. He didn't know what to do with his own feelings.

Wakana nodded approvingly as she watched Kana. "Ojii-chan, Kana-chan is so pretty! Don't you think so too, Rikuo-kun?"

Red eyes watched as Kana clapped her hands, laughing at a prompt Tsukkomi performance taking place. "Hm."

His short response was met with a loud laughter from his grandfather. "Oya, Rikuo-kun is too flustered to say anything else. Look at him, speechless and all."

If it wasn't below him, Rikuo would have rolled his eyes. He was wishing for the day when his grandfather would find it boring to tease him.

"Shut up Jiji. I was just surprised, is all. Didn't think she'd have dressed up like that."

That was met with another loud laughter, and he watched from the corner of his eye as his grandfather stood up, Nenekirimaru in hand. The elders were long gone, excusing themselves for the night before they got too drunk. "Well, looks like I'm leaving too, Sandaeme-kun. Don't forget to have fun. Wakana, you too."

He watched as the elder Nura waved to Kana as he exited the hall. Rikuo knew the old man was going to have some time alone for himself, as he would always do during nights like this. He knew Nurarihyon would sit on top of the roof, nursing his pipe and watch the moon with his beloved Nenekirimaru by his side, as if his deceased grandmother was there too.

"Be careful, Hotaru."

He turned to Kana as she watched with bright eyes when Hotaru yipped and chased around a ball of fire that one of them had produced, and laughed as the other young youkais made chasing the ball of fire into a game. In a corner of the hall, a few youkai and Ryota-neko were gambling, and somehow they managed to drag a serious-looking Hiromi to join as well. He was busy watching the Tengu strike a few lucky wins when he saw Hotaru hopping towards him, abandoning the fire ball chase in favour of snuggling against his lap. Wakana cooed at the small bundle of white, giggling as the fox licked at her outstretched hand. She gently ran her fingers through the thick white fur over the head and a smile reached her lips.

Something tugged in Rikuo as he watched his mother relax after what seemed like a long time. He felt bad, not being able to really talk with her about normal things. Clearing his throat, he turned to his mother.

"Mother…"

Wakana looked up at him, a curious pair of eyes blinking back at him. It was then when he noticed the slight wrinkles in the corners of her eyes. "Yes, Rikuo-kun?"

He watched as Hotaru played with his own tails, still comfortably staying in his lap.

"Thank you."

It took a few moments for the words to sink in, and then his mother laughed softly. "Really, Rikuo-kun. You're so cute!"

Her son bristled at the comment, and he frowned. "I'm not cute."

Still, the older woman smiled warmly at her son, her grown-up son. "You're welcome, dear. I love you, Rikuo-kun."

She laughed as she saw his ears reddening at her confession, and stood up. "Well then, this old mother of yours need a good night's rest. Goodnight, Rikuo-kun. Don't stay up too late, alright?"

He nodded, and watched as his mother too made her way out of the hall to retire for the night. Hotaru yipped, and he silently watched as the little fox ran towards a standing Hiromi, ready to leave the party. The Tengu was saying something to his master, and she nodded and waved at Hotaru as the small fox hopped into Hiromi's arms as he walked out. Kana made to follow suit, thanking Tsurara, Kejoro and the other youkais for a good and entertaining party before she left the hall. She stopped by the sliding doors, and turned to him, a pretty blush coloring her cheeks either from the little amount of sake she consumed or something else.

For a second, Rikuo would have liked to think it was because of him.

"Goodnight, Rikuo-kun. And thank you. I had a great time."

He nodded to her, still not knowing what to say as he saw the way her relaxed smile lit up her face. The doors closed behind her as she excused herself, and suddenly he remembered that he wanted to give her something.

He waited for a few seconds, making sure everyone was either too drunk to notice or too occupied with the still ongoing party before he walked out of the hall.

"Thank you, Hiromi-kun. For coming to the party with me."

The Tengu nodded, and his wings moved. "It's my duty to accomopany you, Kana-sama. Besides, it was nice letting loose once in a while. And it was nice seeing you enjoy yourself."

"Yes, I did, didn't I? Well, goodnight O-great Tengu-sama."

Hiromi chuckled and walked towards his own room a few doors away from hers. Kana smiled as she watched Hiromi bid her goodnight and disappeared into his chambers, Hotaru perched on top of his head. She gasped when she felt Rikuo's presence, and turned around to see him standing a few feet behind her, leaning against her door. The moonlight shone across the hallway, and the soft lights from the garden lanterns gave the impression that his hair was glowing, his red eyes made even more prominent in the ambience. She could feel her blush returning, watching as his tall body neared her. The corners of his lips turned up slightly as he watched her, watching him with her doe eyes. Her brown irises looked glazed over, her pale face and her faintly blushing cheeks looked softer within the glow of the lights (an after-effect of a few cups of sake on his part). His eyes watched as she licked her lips, making him forget for a second.

"Rikuo-kun?"

He chuckled, a low and relaxed chuckle, and pulled out something from beneath the folds of his kimono. Kana looked down into her hands as he wrapped her fingers around the object he had pulled out, and her eyes widened.

"I was out with my mother yesterday. Thought it would suit you."

It was a Tsumami Kanzashi, which looked surprisingly similar to the one she found a few years ago near the Fushimi Inari Shrine. She traced her fingers gently over the intricate red and gold satin petals, and a smile adorned her face.

"Thank you, Rikuo-kun. I love it." The pink on her cheeks darkened as she smiled at him.

That bright and warm smile she had on just a few hours ago.

Nura Rikuo was a man who would have his own set of rules and his own set of discipline when it came to temptations. He was the type of man to make true to his promises, and he would make sure he would stick to whatever is necessary in fulfilling them. He was patient in getting what he wanted, and he had always waited for the best opportunity to strike when needed.

'I'll wait for you.'

He knew he made that promise, and he should be patient. Yet, watching her everyday just walking around making friends with anything and everyone, her cheerful laughter tickling his ears and just warming his chest, the smiles she would give him, and now seeing her being so beautiful and so damn inviting had made him think twice about the promise he made.

Why would he wait? When he could just strike now. When she seemed to also feel the same way.

"Rikuo-"

Kana was barely able to gasp at the sudden rushed movement when a pair of lips crushed themselves against hers, her face cradled between a pair of large and calloused hands. Her eyes widened and she froze, unresponsive even as those lips melded themselves against her own. She felt him push her back until it hit the wall next to her sliding doors, and her body trembled as she felt him hum against her soft lips.

Rikuo could feel every cell in his body dance in euphoria for finally, finally having given in. He might or might not regret it later, but he found out he didn't care anyway when her lips felt so soft and sleek. He moved a hand from her face to run his fingers through her hair, pulling out the two sticks binding her soft hair and letting them fall to the floor, before he grabbed the back of her head, tilting her head backward so that he could press himself closer against her.

Kana eventually closed her eyes, shyly opening her lips as she felt his tongue caressing her bottom lip, begging for entrance. Her hands tightened into fists, the fingers clenching around the soft lapels of his kimono. She could feel his tongue entering her mouth, an unfamiliar sensation that made her body tingling and quivering at the same time. It felt so good and she unwittingly parted her lips further, though she remained hesitant and unsure of how to respond.

Her willingness was all the persuasion Rikuo needed when he brought down the hand cradling her face to wrap around her waist, melding her soft body to his, bringing out a moan from her. He ravished her mouth heatedly, determined to trace every crevice of her delectable mouth until she was dizzy with thoughts of him. He growled, his chest rumbling with the vibration, and it was all he could do to stop his body from further responding to her, which was a battle he was losing all too soon.

She just tasted so damn good.

She gasped as she felt something hard pressing against her lower abdomen. "Rikuo…-kun…"

She was silenced as he covered her throat with his mouth, his teeth teasingly grazed at the delicate skin. He dragged his mouth over to her earlobe, and Kana bit her lip as she felt her body tremble at the smooth baritone when he whispered her name.

"Kana…"

He pulled back, and her eyes glazed as she saw his eyes. Eyes that promised a lot of things.

She released a silent breath as he slowly, achingly slowly, unwrapped his arm from around her waist, and released the back of her head, his fingers gently caressing her cheek before he pulled back. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, trying not to scare her off more than he already did with the sudden straining of the lower part of his body. He watched as Kana tightened her fingers around the hairpin he gave her, and closed his eyes when she brought up her left hand to caress his face.

"I'm not sorry. For kissing you that is."

Kana's fading blush returned when he opened his eyes to look into hers, a wry grin on his face.

"O-Oh… U-Um… I…"

She swallowed, not knowing what to say when he covered his hand over hers, and brought it to his lips to plant one last kiss into her palm before he vanished before her.

Automatically, she turned around and entered her room. Only when the doors closed behind her did she finally collapse onto the floor, her face brightening up into a fierce red as soon as she remembered what she had felt pressed against her abdomen a few moments ago. She never knew she could affect him that much. Taking a pillow, she stuffed it against her face as she squealed.

"R-Rikuo-kun you pervert!"

1. The cat without a butthole thing… I made that up. It was 2 a.m and I couldn't sleep, so blame my weird head for that.

2. Tsumami Kanzashi – a type of hairpin which uses fabric-pinching techniques to produce flower petals. Google for image. ^^

3. a shinai is a bamboo sword.

Sorry, for the heated kissing scene, but I warned you didn't I? I can't help it, since I'm a pervert and all. Thank you for the reviews and favorites for the last two chapters. I'd appreciate it if you leave a review for this one also.

Hugs and kisses!