Disclaimer: I don't own Nurarihyon No Mago. That would be cool if I did, though…

A/N: Yeah, not much to say on account of it has been a long time since I've updated, and I'm not really sure anyone is really paying attention to this anymore. We'll see, I guess. And if you are reading this and enjoy it, leave a review please! I'd like to know if my writing this story is still okay. Enjoy the chapter!

"Die!" Zerukado launched the spikes on the shoulder of his arm at the rats, impaling two of them. They tried to scream, but the blood that was no doubt filling their lungs muted the sound. The three spikes quickly retracted back to the arm, ready to be used again. Instead of that, the cloaked yokai chose to run at the rats, slashing apart some of them.

All the while Yura was throwing ofuda, some rats caught on fire due to them while others simply were engulfed in an explosion. The duo of onmyoji and yokai were making quick work of the rats. It would not be long before they were all killed.

It was why both Zerukado and Yura were worried why the leader still held that sinister smirk on his face. That as, until a scream was heard behind them. Yura's eyes widened in alarm. "Kana!" She called, turning quickly.

"Help!" Kana pleaded, surrounded by various small rats. While that in itself was not particularly dangerous, rats could carry horrible diseases. If even one of them bit her…

"Let her go! She has nothing to do with this!" Yura glared at the Kyuso clan leader.

"Please. As if I would play fair against a duo like you two. If some…underhanded techniques are required to win, then so be it." He looked at the intimidating yokai that had been responsible for most of the rat's casualties. "Call off your lackey, would you? He is just such an eyesore."

Zerukado narrowed his eyes. "As if I would-" He was cut off by a bright flash, finding that his weapon arm had turned back into a mere piece of paper. "Yura! What are you doing!?"

"Zeru, go. I'll handle this." Yura ordered.

"What? No! I can't just-" Zerukado began to protest.

Yura interrupted him. "I'm not going to let Kana get hurt over this. Please, Zeru…go."

Zerukado hated it, but he wasn't about to disobey orders from Yura. "Fine…you." Zerukado pointed to the blonde haired man. "You had better not hurt her, or I will make you suffer horribly!"

The rat yokai waved a hand dismissively. "As long as you do not bother us, she will be fine."

Zerukado hesitated a moment longer, taking a glance back at Yura one last time. Then, he jumped out of the alley over the rooftops. He was gone.

"There." Yura looked up to where Zerukado had gone. "He's gone. Now what-" Yura was interrupted as the leader was suddenly in front of her, slapping her in the face and sending her down to the pavement.

"Don't struggle. You and that other girl will be coming with us."

Zerukado was furious.

No. Furious would be an understatement. Yura had been captured by those pathetic rodents and he had been able to do nothing but turn around and flee like a frightened kitten. It filled him with a great shame words could not describe. He had been unable to stop them. He had been unable to save Yura.

He had failed.

Such a…foreign, concept. The last time he had failed had been years ago, before he had begun protecting Yura. Even then, he didn't consider that a failure anymore, per se. It had been a humbling experience and he may have lost an arm for it, but he liked to believe he had been better for it.

Regardless, reminiscing would not help Yura. While he did prefer going by himself…he would be killed if he chose that course of action. They had numbers, and while he was powerful, without Yura's help he had only one arm. Even if he used his bloodlust ability, it was still too risky. If he died trying to rescue Yura, he was certain they would kill her afterward. Such a circumstance was unacceptable. So, there was only one truly 'viable' option left.

The Nura boy.

Zerukado was no fool. He would never leave Yura unsupervised if he could help it. Though she said she was fine and could handle herself, (which he had no doubt she could) he still worried she would be attacked. Those summons of hers were nowhere near as powerful as the one-armed yokai himself. Therefore, he had been there when Yura met the Nura boy and his motley crew. He also knew that the human that was captured with Yura was a friend of the boy. Zerukado was certain that the boy would jump to go save his friend even if he would not for Yura.

And, that would take care of Zerukado's main concern. The Nura heir had numbers and could level the playing field. Then, he could make the leader of those disgusting creatures pay. If he did anything to Yura before he returned…

Zerukado shook his head to dispel the terrifying thoughts. He couldn't care less if a normal human was concerned, but Yura was a different matter entirely.

With that in mind, Zerukado sped up his pace to the Nura Clan household.

"Why was he here…?" Rikuo thought to himself as he stood under the Sakura tree, just as he had so many other nights. It was almost like something of a ritual to him. This night was no different, aside from the worries plaguing his mind. He felt there was some larger reason the rat had been in the house, but he couldn't place it to save his life.

"Rikuo! What are you doing out here?" Rikuo smiled as he heard Tsurara's voice call out to him.

"Just thinking, Tsurara. No big deal." He reassured the girl, turning to her with a smile.

Tsurara frowned, "You're worried, aren't you? About what happened earlier? You can't fool me."

Rikuo chuckled. "You know me too well. You can always tell when something's bothering me." The third heir looked back up into the night sky as petals slowly descended to the ground. "But honestly. I am thinking about that, though I doubt it's anything too serious. See, I'm just thinking that the rat might have been up to something bigger." He shook his head. "It was probably just some freelancing yokai, though…"

Tsurara seemed to ponder that for a moment. "Actually, I don't think your hunch is too far off, master…"

Rikuo raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well," Tsurara began, "you heard that the Kyuso clan beat back the Bakeneko clan and took their territory, right?"

"Yeah…I did. The Bakeneko aren't as skilled as the Kyuso in terms of fighting. It's not good, but we all expected it to happen sooner or later." Rikuo confirmed with a grimace. "Bastards."

"I heard some of the members of the council talking about that rat being part of the Kyuso clan. They can't really act against it, though. There's no proof, since the Keikan girl killed it." Tsurara explained.

"Is that so…" Rikuo glared into the sky, thinking about this bit of information.

"It is."

A new, deep voice rumbled, as both Rikuo and Tsurara turned to see a large cloaked bipedal figure. The most notable feature was the missing arm.

Which Tsurara immediately recognized.

"YOU!" She shouted, startling Rikuo and the newcomer. "How DARE you show your face before the young master again!" She yelled before forming an ice spear and lunging at the other yokai.

While startled, the yokai dodged the spear and hit it with force, shattering it and causing Tsurara to stumble back. Before she could hit the ground, Rikuo caught the Yuki Onna with one hand, a sword held in the other. He leveled an even stare at the cloaked yokai.

"…Who are you?" The third heir asked, unmoving.

The yokai straightened, seeming to calm down now that he wasn't in immediate danger. "My name is Zerukado. We have met before, child."

"I could assume that based on Tsurara's reaction. I'm sure you can guess, based on what happened I'm not exactly willing to trust you just yet." Rikuo announced as he narrowed his eyes.

"I mean you no harm. Well, I don't. Someone else does, even if it is…indirect, at the moment." Zerukado stated.

"Are you under their orders?" Rikuo knew most battles it was nothing personal. That was how assassins worked, for example.

"You misunderstand. Our intentions would be mutual in this matter." Zerukado informed the heir.

Rikuo raised his voice slightly. "Then stop dancing around the subject. Tell me what's going on. Now."

Zerukado frowned. "I'm not one of your henchman to order around-"

"No, you're not." Rikuo interrupted. "You appear to be an enemy of Tsurara. Which makes you an enemy of mine. So, if you don't want me to react in the way someone normally does to an enemy, cut to the chase."

The silence after Rikuo's command hung in the air. Zerukado was actually impressed; the boy he had seen long ago was gone. Instead, he was replaced with a quarter yokai who, Zerukado would admit, had at least the potential to be a leader. He at least knew how to act in a situation with more unknowns than known's. Assume hostility.

Zerukado could respect that. He lived by the same principle.

Finally, the tall yokai spoke, "Fine. The Kyuso clan has taken both Yura Keikan as well as a girl I believe to be your acquaintance, Kana. I witnessed this with my own eyes and, regretfully, despite my efforts they were both captured."

Rikuo's eyes widened, Tsurara appearing to be surprised as well. Then, his eyes narrowed, "How do I know I can believe you?" The question hung in the air for a few moments before Zerukado's head turned to the side, as if something had caught his attention.

"It seems that another will prove that for me. I suggest you be alone and act ignorant or the rats may suspect something. At least trust me for only a moment, and this messenger will prove to you I speak the truth." Zerukado requested.

"…Fine." Rikuo conceded, moving Tsurara out of his arms to stand on her own two feet. "I'll meet this messenger alone."

"But Rikuo-sama!" Tsurara began to protest.

Rikuo silenced her by putting a finger to her mouth. "It's fine. I want you to watch from far away. If anything happens," Rikuo glared pointedly at the cloaked yokai, "then freeze whatever you need to. I trust you. Watch my back."

Tsurara nodded determinedly. "Okay!"

"And…Zerukado." Rikuo turned to the foreign yokai, "Mark my words. As third heir of the Nura clan if you do anything to Tsurara, I swear to whatever deity there is I will dedicate the entirety of my existence to making you suffer! Losing your arm will seem like a birthday present in comparison."

"Rikuo-sama…" Tsurara mumbled, surprised by his protective attitude.

"Got it?" Rikuo stressed, still glaring at Zerukado.

If Zerukado was intimidated by Rikuo's threat he didn't show it. "I swear upon my honor I will not hurt the Yuki Onna."

"Does that mean anything?"

"A lot. To me, anyway."

Rikuo stared at him for a moment longer. "Alright. Tsurara," he turned to the Yuki Onna, "if he gives any hints of turning on us, don't hesitate to freeze him on the spot. I don't want anything to happen to you."

She shook her head, "I'm more worried about you, master."

Rikuo smirked. "I appreciate it. You'd better go hide. That messenger could be here any second now." He directed a questioning gaze at Zerukado.

"In about a minute, if that." The tall yokai confirmed. "I will be watching." With that, the cloaked figure jumped away out of sight.

"Nothing will happen to you while I'm around, master!" Tsurara smiled, and then she too, vanished. Rikuo simply resumed looking up at the Sakura tree.

"Excuse me, Rikuo-sama."

'That was fast,' Rikuo thought as he turned to the small clothed rat. He pretended to look surprised, which was easy since many of his pranks required him to be a good actor. "Do I know you?"

"No. I am but a humble messenger from the Kyuso clan. They sent for you as we have witnessed friends of yours being captured." The rat detailed.

"What!?" Rikuo yelled. He had to sell it after all. "Where are they!?"

"I myself am not sure. If you come to the Kyuso clan house, I am sure we can find out from them." The rat explained.

'Luring me onto their home field? How deceptive.' So far everything Zerukado said was adding up. Might as well play along and see just how far this would go. "Hurry then! Let's go!"

"Of course, Rikuo-sama." The rat began to run off the grounds of the Nura clan, Rikuo hot on its heels. It wasn't long before they reached the house, a concrete wall and metal gate surrounding an elegant mansion. Rikuo took a moment to scan the area, looking around to see if there were any ways to escape quickly should things go sour. The small messenger rat had already gone inside to inform his superior the third heir had arrived. "What's taking so long?"

"Rikuo-sama! Look out!" He suddenly heard Tsurara's voice and, reacting quickly, jumped to the side as a massive blast of cold air swept by him, no doubt due to an ice blast from Tsurara he barely managed to dodge.

Getting up from the ground Rikuo quickly put himself on guard. "What is it? Tsurara?" He easily spotted the ice woman standing next to two identical ice blocks with matching rat yokai encased inside of them.

"These two tried to attack you!" Tsurara pointed an accusing figure at the encased yokai. "It's a good thing I was here! Just think of what might have happened to you waka!" She shouted, running over to Rikuo and embracing him.

"Hey, I'm fine. Not a scratch! Thanks for the help." Rikuo was quick to reassure the Yuki Onna, patting her head fondly, Tsurara smiling at the attention. "By the way, where's Zerukado?"

"Oh!" Tsurara took a moment to collect herself, reluctantly stepping away from the third heir. "He stayed back. He said that if they saw him, they would get suspicious! I don't know why, though. But if they see me, they'll think I'm just guarding you. Which isn't exactly untrue!" She finished, winking at him.

Rikuo took a moment to ponder that, "We should ask him what his motivation is once we get back then. For now…" the quarter yokai motioned to the frozen rats, "…let's ask our little friends here what they wanted shall we?"

"You got it!" Tsurara agreed, thawing out their heads so they could speak.

"Huh? What? W-what happened!?" One of the rats began to panic.

"Well, nice to meet you!" Rikuo greeted cheerily, leaning toward the frozen rats. "I couldn't help but notice that you were very…eager, to see me. So, what is it you wished to ask me?" The rat suddenly began sweating as he found a sword beside his neck. A sword the third heir was currently holding. "Or could it be…you intended to injure me?"

The rat began to laugh uneasily. "N-no…ehehehe…of course not. W-we were just going to tell you our clan l-leader wanted to see you…" He stuttered, sweating buckets at this point.

Rikuo was still smiling happily. "Oh, I see. In that case, why don't you go ahead and escort me to him? Tsurara, would you mind?"

"Of course not Rikuo-sama. Please treat the young master with more respect in the future you two, okay?" Tsurara requested as she thawed out the two Kyuso clan members.

"Yeah, yeah! Sure!" The rats agreed immediately. "Um…right this way, third heir." The rats directed, opening the gate for him. Rikuo gave them a nod of acknowledgement as he walked past, Tsurara latching onto his arm as they drew closer to the large house.

"Master, be careful." Tsurara whispered into his ear.

"Only if you are." Rikuo bet, as they finally walked inside into a luxurious room lined with various plush cushion with a clear 'filthy rich' air about it. Of course the room was filled with many members of the Kyuso clan, but most notable and the one who clearly commanded the most attention was a blonde haired man with a white suit on.

That high-and-mighty smirk pissed Rikuo off, too.

"Ah! If it isn't the third heir! Welcome, welcome!" The man greeted with open arms that smirk still plastered on his face.

"Leader of the Kyuso clan. I heard from your messenger that you wanted to have an audience with me concerning the whereabouts of some acquaintances of mine?" Rikuo cut straight to the point, staring evenly at the rat yokai. The man practically oozed trouble, and Rikuo did not want to be here any longer than he had to be. He felt Tsurara tighten her hold around his arm. That was another thing; he did not like how some of the rats were looking at her. He pulled her closer to provide some reassurance, which she seemed to appreciate greatly.

If the Kyuso clan head noticed, he didn't mention it. "Of course, of course. You see, it just so happened that we were just strolling by, when all of a sudden we were attacked!" He put a hand to his forehead dramatically, "Imagine my surprise! And then some of my own were killed…it wounded me deeply. Well, I certainly couldn't just stand by and watch, so I captured the two unforgiving villains. As you can see." He waved his arm as the curtain at the back of the room lifted, revealing a cage with an unconscious Yura and Kana.

Tsurara let out a gasp, as Rikuo narrowed his eyes. Zerukado had been telling the truth after all…although he guessed that ever since those rat yokai at the gate had attacked him. "Those are some acquaintances of mine. If you would hand them back over to me, I'm sure-"

The Kyuso leader smiled evilly, "Oh, I'm afraid I can't do that…unless you would be able to reimburse me with a favor! After all, they so brutally killed my precious allies!"

Rikuo frowned. "Cut the act."

The Kyuso leader frowned. "I'm sorry?"

"It's obvious that you are not trying to make nice. I also know that you kidnapped those girls and instigated the fight that killed your allies. The Nura clan has eyes everywhere." Rikuo stated. Even if it wasn't Nura clan intel that told him that, these rats didn't need to know that.

"Well…you're smarter than I thought. Fine." The Kyuso clan head motioned to the unconscious girls. "I promise to return these girls to you, unharmed…if," He smirked, "You make a formal agreement to give up the seat to become the next leader of the Nura clan and send the notice to all the clans affected."

Rikuo glared, "Why…would you want that?"

"That's my business," The blonde haired man replied quickly, "All that should concern you are their lives, right?" He said, jerking his thumb toward the cage. "Now go. I am tired of your presence. If the letter is not sent before the sun comes up, I'll kill them."

Rikuo was pissed. He just didn't show it…he could not appear weak here, of all places. "Very well. I will take my leave." The third heir, Yuki Onna latched onto his arm, quickly led the way out of the building and back onto the street, heading straight for the Nura clan house. It wasn't until they had a reasonable distance between themselves and the Kyuso clan house that the silence was broken.

"Whew…that was scary." Tsurara let out a sigh of relief, loosening her hold on Rikuo's arm, if only a little bit. Although the third heir wouldn't admit it aloud, he enjoyed her touch. He imagined most would complain about the cold, but he found it both reassuring and pleasurable. He supposed she felt the same about him, since she seemed to like physical contact with him so much. His feelings around the Yuki Onna had been confusing lately…he resolved to think about it later.

"Don't worry…we'll be okay, now." Rikuo assured the unsettled girl, smiling at her.

"Okay!? But master, he said you would have to forfeit your candidacy for becoming the next leader of the Nura clan! I don't think I could deal with that!" Tsurara reminded him.

"I know." Rikuo said, "But I can assure you I have no intention of forfeiting that. The only things that will be forfeited due to this unfortunate circumstance are the lives of the Kyuso clan. As the third heir of the Nura clan, I cannot allow people like them to roam free, especially when they would so blatantly hurt others without good reason. I have to make sure the safety of those protected by the Nura clan is secured, and they have already proven hostile to the Bakeneko clan. I will make them regret their actions." He finished his small speech.

"Master…" Tsurara looked at him with adoration. She didn't know that he was that determined to look out for what was best for the Nura clan.

"I can't avoid my duties forever. I'm just sorry that it took something as drastic as this to get me to move." Rikuo stated with a bittersweet smile.

"It is good that you recognize that."

Rikuo and Tsurara turned to see Zerukado moving to walk along with them. "Zerukado." Rikuo acknowledged, "Seems you were telling the truth all along. Sorry for doubting you."

"No, it was no fault of yours. If you trusted someone who threatened to kill you as a child right off the bat, then you should apologize. Your caution was rightly placed. Regardless, I assume that you will allow me to help in this matter?" Zerukado asked, leaning toward the third heir slightly in anticipation.

"After your help, certainly." Rikuo affirmed, causing Zerukado to nod his head contentedly. "Although, I still don't really see why you want to help. If it would not be too much trouble, could you explain just what your motives are?" the quarter yokai questioned.

The tall yokai sighed. "You would find out later anyway. I may as well tell you…though there is some background to it, so it may take some time."

"At this pace, we will have quite a bit of time, I'm sure." Rikuo informed Zerukado.

Zerukado seemed to collect himself for a moment. "It all started the night I attacked you, and lost my arm…"

-Flashback-

"…I won't forget this. Both you, snow spirit, and your damnable 'master' will pay for this! One day…" Zerukado growled out as he used the last of his strength to activate bloodlust and dash away faster than the eye could follow.

'My arm is bleeding badly…if I don't get it patched up soon…damn human-loving yokai!' Zerukado thought angrily as he ran. He lost track of how long he had been running. "I must hurry and-GAAAHHH!" Zerukado screamed as his stomach began spurting blood as his bloodlust technique immediately cut out and he fell, hard, down onto concrete pavement, doing nothing for his injured stomach and bleeding stump that used to be his arm. "No…I can't…die here!" Zerukado tried to lift himself, only for more blood to leak from his broken body, sending him straight down to the ground once again.

"Hey…are you okay?"

Zerukado weakly lifted his head to see a young girl, no older than the boy he had been trying to kill moments ago. She was a black haired girl, wearing some strange clothes for a human to be sure. He was going to ignore her until he noticed a symbol on her clothes. His eyes widened.

The symbol of the Onmyoji Keikan clan was sewn on her clothes.

"Oh no! You're in horrible shape!" The small girl ran over to the immobile Zerukado, whom was quickly losing consciousness. "Your arm!" She gasped. The only thing Zerukado could think was about how the Keikans were going to kill him as his world turned completely black.

Movement. Shadows. A…slight breeze.

Zerukado opened his eyes slowly, light filling them. He squinted until his eyes adjusted to the light. When they did, he peered around. He was in a…garden? No…he collapsed here, and then he saw the Keikan girl.

He was still there.

Zerukado scrambled to get up, only to receive a searing pain in his abdomen for his trouble, sending him right back down to a sitting position. He cursed his luck, being completely immobile and in the garden of the Keikan clan. It was one of the worst situations he could have been in.

A question tugged at his mind. Exactly why wasn't he dead yet? For all intents and purposes, he should be dead. That Keikan girl had discovered him, and he figured would have told someone to kill him by now. It was then he realized he wasn't in agonizing pain. Looking at his stump, he was surprised to see it wrapped rather skillfully with bandages. Looking at his stomach, he found it was covered in similar bandages. Taking into consideration all he found was a dull ache, he decided to try to get up again, more carefully this time.

He immediately went back down due to the screaming pain.

"Hey! You're still too hurt to move! I know a bad wound when I see one."

Zerukado looked up to find the same black haired Keikan girl from before walking over to him, with what looked to be a glass of water. This baffled him. A Keikan was helping him? He must have already died and was in some strange, twisted afterlife where such ridiculousness was common. "It's a shame to be dead…" Zerukado hung his head.

The small girl seemed to take offense. "Dead? Hey! I did good enough to keep you alive!"

Zerukado suddenly glared at the girl. Not the afterlife then. He figured that was too far-fetched anyway. That didn't explain this particular anomaly, though. "Then explain why you kept me alive. Torture?" He asked.

"What? No!" The girl cringed, "That's gross!"

"Gross?" Zerukado repeated, confused. Well she was young…probably blissfully unaware of the world's dark side. "Why did you help me?" Zerukado questioned as he grew more and more convinced she was simply ignorant to what he was.

She tilted her head, looking puzzled, "You were hurt…so I wanted to help." She explained as her eyes drifted to his stump.

So she didn't know. No doubt she was already being taught yokai were evil. She would find out sooner or later. He took a deep breath he expected to be among his last. "I am a yokai."

Silence reigned for about a minute.

The Keikan girl looked at him oddly. "I knew that. It was kinda obvious."

Zerukado blanched. "Then…why haven't you had me killed!?" He tried to get up once more before the pain put him down again. "Ow!"

The girl puffed up her cheeks in frustration, "Stop moving! You'll hurt yourself more! Stop being so worried…"

Zerukado scoffed at that. "How could I not be? I'm a yokai in the Keikan clan's backyard, completely helpless. Are you stupid?"

The girl glared at him. "Call me stupid again and I really will tell my parents about you." Zerukado shut up after that.

After a long silence pierced only by the girl fiddling with the bandages on Zerukado, she spoke again. "Don't you want that?" Zerukado followed her finger pointing to the glass of water she had brought, placed next to his remaining arm.

"That is for me?" He asked uneasily. He still felt uneasy about accepting help from who was no doubt an Onmyoji in training.

"Duh." She responded, Zerukado finally taking the glass being careful not to crush it in his hand. He drank, letting out a relieved sigh when he finished.

"Better?" Yura smiled.

"After what I have been through? Very." Zerukado replied.

"Yura."

"Hm?" Zerukado turned his head to the girl.

"Yura Keikan. That's my name. What's yours?" Yura asked hopefully.

"My name is Zerukado. I don't have a last name I know of." He introduced, reluctantly relaxing. If something did happen, he would be far too weak to stop it.

"Okay. Nice to meet you, Zeru!" Yura cheerfully greeted.

"It's Zerukado." The yokai reminded her.

"I know." Yura replied, still smiling. The two leaped into an odd silence, Zerukado's mind racing with the possibilities of what the Keikan clan could do to him, while Yura's was filled with thoughts of what fun she could have with a new friend.

Yura skipped back to the Keikan garden happily, two muffins held securely in her hands. "Zeru! I'm back!" She shouted as she went into the dense part of the garden Zerukado stayed in to avoid being found. His condition had improved considerably over the two weeks he had been staying there, and he could walk with no trouble since he had resolved to get over the imbalanced feeling the loss of his arm had given him.

"Yura. It is good to see you." Zerukado greeted her as she broke into the small clearing he resided in. He took a seat on a large boulder in the clearing.

"Zeru! Look what I got!" She proudly held up the muffins for Zerukado to see. "This one's for you!" She announced, handing one of the muffins to the yokai.

He took it, inspecting the treat curiously. "What is this?"

Yura was stunned. "You've never eaten a muffin before?"

"…You eat it?"

"It's great! Like this," Yura took a bite out of her muffin, making a pleased noise.

Zerukado inspected it for a moment longer before taking a bite, however awkwardly with his four mandibles. "Not bad." He commented, actually rather enjoying the taste.

"Told you!" Yura cheered.

They were silent for a moment before Zerukado decided to ask Yura something that had been bothering him for a while. "Yura…"

"What is it, Zeru?" The child happily asked.

"Why did you help me?" Zerukado asked.

She rolled her eyes. "I already told you-"

Zerukado cut her off. "No. If you had been a regular trainee for the Keikan clan you would have had me killed on the spot. Something must have happened. If you don't want to tell me that is fine…"

"I'll tell you." Yura informed him. Zerukado looked down to her, seeing a sad smile on her face. "It's not that long a story. It's actually kind of simple." She sighed. "My family took me to the park about a year ago, I think. I met this person there, about my age, who wanted to play with me. We did for a while, and had fun. Then when my parents came back…" She sniffed a little. "…they told me to get away from them. The person looked surprised, and the next thing I knew one of my father's summons was killing them." She smiled up at Zerukado, her eyes a little watery, though no tears escaped. "I don't think that yokai was evil, no matter what anyone says."

They were both silent for a long time, each pondering the situation. Zerukado was the one who broke the silence.

"Yura." The girl looked up at Zerukado, "You saved my life. I owe you a great debt."

She shook her head. "Zeru, you don't-"

The yokai cut her off. "No. I do. Therefore I will dedicate what remains of my existence to protecting you, and fighting for you. I know you will get summons eventually, but I guarantee that I will be more effective. This is what I have decided." He leveled a determined gaze on Yura. "Please do not attempt to change my mind."

Yura smiled brightly. "Okay, Zeru. Thanks!"

-End Flashback-

Zerukado smiled slightly, "That was how I came to meet with Yura. I have sworn to help her. That is why I am so eager to save her. To be honest, I couldn't care about that Kana girl at all, especially since she is the cause for why Yura was captured." He spotted the look of distaste on Rikuo's face. "I have no opinion of her, you must understand. To me, she is simply the one who let Yura get captured."

Rikuo sighed, "Alright, fine…I guess you still don't like humans for the most part."

"I do not antagonize them as I used to. I still find them…annoying, sometimes." Zerukado admitted.

"Master, we're back!" Tsurara announced, pointing ahead at the Nura house.

Rikuo smiled, "Just in time. We must prepare everyone for battle."

The blonde haired man smirked, "Did you know that a human's blood is always the tastiest just before the crack of dawn?"

Yura cringed, stepping away from the bars slightly as Kana looked at all the rat yokai in fear.

"I'm going to enjoy this!" The leader of the Kyuso clan declared, when suddenly the door of the mansion exploded inwards, taking most of the front wall with it as well. The rat yokai turned to see what the cause of the destruction was, only to find a massive procession of yokai at their doorstep, all headed by a man with red eyes and white and black hair.

"What the!? Who are you!?" he asked angrily, tensing.

The leader of the new group of yokai smiled, "What…? It's not obvious? This is the night parade of one hundred demons."

The Kyuso clan leader's eyes widened. "W-what? No! That's not possible! Only the supreme commander can declare such an order!"

His words only caused the red-eyed yokai's smile to widen. "Well…naturally, the third heir would have the same rights, don't you agree?"

"Third heir? But…that boy from earlier was…!"

"Me." The quarter yokai informed. "Zerukado!"

"I've got them!" Zerukado shouted as he appeared in the back of the room next to the cage.

"Zeru!" Yura cried in relief upon seeing the cloaked yokai.

"Hurry you two!" Zerukado requested as he slashed the bars apart with his clawed hand. "Let's go!"

The two girls hurriedly escaped the page, making their way out of the Kyuso clan house with the safety Zerukado's presence guaranteed. "Damn you!" The Kyuso clan leader cursed, turning back to 'Rikuo' with a scowl. "Attack them! Kill them!"

"Fool." The red-eyed yokai simply said as both forces charged and met in a flurry of attacks. It was clear straight away which side had the advantage. When the two sides met it was as if the rat yokai had attempted to turn away a tsunami. They were bowled over immediately as rat yokai began to fall in droves.

"Grr…I will not be defeated so easily! The Nura clan is too weak and old-fashioned! A new power is needed!" The Kyuso clan leader cried as his body increased in size to become a massive rat.

The new Rikuo smiled.

It would be wrong to call it a fight. Rather, it was a one-sided slaughter that the Kyuso clan leader fell in, along with the evil yokai which followed him. It was only a short time later that they were outside, a pleasant mist in the air as the Nura yokai prepared to leave, separating from Yura, Zerukado, and Kana.

"It's still early." Rikuo commented as he walked through the mist beside Tsurara on their way home. "What do you say we take a little detour?"

Tsurara smiled, "I'd love to!"

A/N: It has been a long time coming, but here is chapter 5. I hope anyone who is reading this found it enjoyable! And please, leave a review! No flames though.

Until next time, this is Kirbboy. Seeya!