Slight AU. Nue/Seimei does not exist, but Hagoromo-Kitsune does. Everything else you'll discover.

No Yaoi.

Cursing ahead. T for everything. Rikuo will be OOC, because he's raised differently and such has a different personality. I promise, he will be the Rikuo we all know and love by the end.

Italics = Thoughts

I can't wait for the OVA in December. We get to see what Rihan was doing in military garb!

Full Summary:

Rikuo's been shuffled from home to home since his abusive family died, he curses his ability to see youkai, and he's also the leader of the most powerful gang in Hiroshi, The Deathside Demons at the age of 15. But when he visits a town called Ukiyoe to set up trade, things take an unusual turn. He encounters the largest Youkai clan, and discover he's part youkai. Something else is up, and new problems are popping up for his gang every day. Can he balance his loyalty with his gang and the new family he won't admit he's found?

This chapter was edited on November 4th. If you read this chapter before then, some things may have changed. The next chapter will be edited and posted soon. If you are just now finding this story, and/or gave up the story earlier, please reread this chapter

10 years ago.
It was a beautiful night to walk through the gardens, and three figures were taking advantage of it. Cherry blossoms fell silently, and the night wind keep the hot air away.

Rihan Nura, the famous half-youkai son of Nurarihyon, and well-known leader of the Nura clan was easily the most distinguishable of the three. Pure wavy black hair that defied gravity, gold eyes, and relaxed pose suggested something different then a prankster who liked to slip his bodyguards, or the powerful leader who defeated the Hyaku Monogatari clan.
He was currently dressed in his usual garb, a kimono with green and black stripes and a white cloth draped over his shoulders.

The smallest figure, with his childish laughter and matching grin, was Rihan's quarter youkai son Rikuo Nura, dressed in a yutaka and red haori. His hair was nothing like his father's, with short chocolate brown hair, which darkened closer to the boy's neck.

It was hard to believe but when little Rikuo grew up, he would have to choice to become the 3rd head of the Nura Clan, which was one of the largest youkai clan with over 10,000 youkai members. Right now though, he was a childish 4 year old who wanted nothing more than to play tricks on his youkai attendants, avoid baths, and dine and dash with his grandfather, the Supreme Commander of the Nura Clan, Nurarihyon.

The last figure was a teenage girl, with pale skin and long black hair dressed in a simple black dress. She resembled Rihan's first wife, and was invited to play by the innocent Rikuo.

Rihan was currently the 2nd heir, and he was busy with bringing forth a stronger Nura clan then his father. Rihan married a human sometime after his first wife Yamabuki Otome. She was Wakana and strong-willed and optimistic person. Rikuo was born sometime after, and a new happiness took over the Nura headquarters, replacing the depression from when Yamabuki left.

While Rihan had always be in tune with his youkai side, Rikuo was born human and had yet to show he had any youkai in him at all. Many of the Nura members openly showed their displeasure at this, comparing Rikuo to his father, which just wasn't fair.

Since Rikuo remained human, Rihan and Wakana swore to keep Rikuo away from the dangerous youkai side of the world as much as possible, and his attendants were sworn as well. They faithfully followed these instructions.

Rikuo, having spotted something interesting ran ahead, leaving his father and 'friend' behind.
Rihan stopped and watched the kerria plants release their petals in the wind of the night. He spoke a poem very close to his heart, the same one that his first wife left as a goodbye note, grief heavy in his voice.

"Flowers bloom sevenfold and eightfold, but the kerria laments, for not a single fruit does it bear."

That was the code. The code to kill Rihan.

A scream was heard from the gardens, silencing the sake drinking party being held inside.
"Rikuo-sama?" Yuki-Onna, the ice maiden, was very familiar with that voice, but usually it was filled with warmth and happiness, not cold fear. She dropped the plate of sake, before dashing out to the gardens, sensing the quickly fading Fear from the 2nd Head. The other youkai rushed behind her towards the sound of the scream.
Yuki-onna screamed, and the two assault officers leapt to her side, expecting an attack, not the 2nd Head surrounded by his own blood, dead on the ground.

"Rihan!" Wakana burst into tears upon seeing the scene, rushing to her beloved's side.
Nurarihyon was silent, his face taut with anger, and a tight grip of his sword. It was apparent that Rihan was only dead for a few minutes, so the murderers must had been close by.
"Rikuo-sama! Rikuo? Please come out! It's not hide and seek time! Rikuo?" Yuki-onna, noticing a missing person, began her frantic calling, her voice became more strained.
"I was supposed to protect Rikuo-sama." She choked, before breaking into tears, fearing the worse.

"Spread out! I want Rikuo AND the murderer found!" The Nura Clan jumped into action.

The youkai said nothing, and the smaller grouped into pairs while spreading out to cover the garden, while Rikuo's attendants and the remaining youkai took the search outside the gate. Word was sent out to all the members. Rikuo was missing, and Rihan was dead. The killer was to be found.

It was considered the day the Nura Clan died.

Neither the murderer or Rikuo was found.

He propped a chair up by the door, to keep Beni out for a short while anyway. No doors had locks in the house, a rule followed by most fosters. Some went farther and had no doors, but that was rare.

The teen silently opened his window, having greased it last night to prevent that squeak that almost got him caught. He jumped down, before closing the window and placing a piece of wood to keep it from closing and locking him out.

The boy wheeled his bike out from its hidden location behind the trees, hopped on, and set off for tonight's fight. He veered off course, towards where he kept his gang gear in the safety of a locked box in the abandoned building nearby. He leaned his bike against the wall, and pulled out the metal box. He unlocked it with ease, having done this a thousand times without light, and threw on his jacket, with the Deathside Demons symbol on the back, as well as his protective gloves. He removed his glasses, and changed to more comfortable shoes. The full moon was perfect for a fight tonight, and it set his blood afire.
Hidden in the box was his special Tora-oni, or Tiger Demon, a 3 feet long metal sword specially crafted for him when he took over the Deathside Demons, an upgrade from his previous sword that was destroyed before he became commander. He withdrew it slightly from its sheath, before slipping it through its holder on his belt.
He locked the box back up, before setting off for his gang's current meeting place.

"Rikuo-sama's here!"
The lowest members of his gang, who usually lasted less than a month, greeted him as he arrived. More members flooded out of the current meeting place, each with a weapon and a urge to fight.
Even with his rather short stature, he could still strike fear into the hearts of his opponents. He had proven himself to be an excellent fighter, almost as good as Fujimoto at planning and strategies, and smart enough to retain his cover the two times he needed to.

He had taken the ropes from the previous leader, who was now serving time for a framed robbery.
He didn't know it at the time, but the leader was training Rikuo to take his place. He was in charge of numerous raids before that, and had proven his worth to all of the higher ranked Demons, and most of the lower ones followed him without worry as well. Injury and death was almost unheard of, except for the times that you strayed from the orders.

Good luck then.

His previous guidance counselors all claimed he had some famous general or something in his bloodline, considering how often he was placed in charge of school groups. He could care less then shit about them. He had limited memories of his parents, and they were rather abusive anyway, other than his brother Shuu.

He rode through the warehouse that was the current home to the Demons, checking over the newest supply and shipments. Rikuo had increased the range of the gang dramatically, and the gang already had two other locations, one in Ukiyoe, the other of the other side of Japan. They were under trusted commanders, who were skilled enough to run with Rikuo on almost everything. Some decisions were still up to Rikuo, but that was a rare occurrence.

By merging with another gang, they gained a new supply. Of toilet paper.
It was a quick sell, so the shipment was moving out tonight. The few members who didn't fight were in charge of that.
"Greetings Rikuo-sama!"
"It's a great night for a fight!"
"Don't get hurt tonight, Ri-kun!"
He sighed as he went by the fangirl Akita, who was always one for familiarity. She was someone you never wanted to get caught with alone, and Rikuo had fought off her advances more than once.

He stopped near the entrance of his bike tour, having spotted three of his most important Demons.
"Is everyone here, Fujimoto?"
"Hai Rikuo-sama." Fujimoto was a badass girl with a hatred of jerks and the color red. She kept her long dyed black hair in two small buns, and was studying to become a nurse. She joined the Deathside Demons because they were the most friendly gang around. Most of the fights were to destroy gangs who did cowardice things, ranging from raping and stealing. It was also the only gang that accepted girls easily. She was the 2nd in command, having proven her fighting and strategy skills long ago. She was stubborn and headstrong, but very calculated. She was also the one who kept the previous leader on a tight leash, as he was very charismatic and known to dash headlong into things.

Next to her was Yasuo and Kunai Morioka.
Yasuo was the 3rd in command, and was loyal to the, slightly large, bone. He was one of the first to follow Rikuo, and was repaid greatly for it. He relied on his Nagamaki, which had been passed down to him from his father. Those around him knew he had a crush on Fujimoto, but she was working for her career, not a boyfriend. Yasuo was training to become a lawyer, and such was the best for the stupid members who needed to escape jail. When he graduated college, he would probably go on to become a top lawyer. He joined to make extra cash, but had stuck around long after that.

Kunai Morioka was the shortest at 5 feet and the only natural blonde of the gang, and the unofficial mascot. Although the girls thought he was super adorable, give him set of throwing knives, and you'd be dead meat. Even his martial art skills were better than most. No one was sure exactly how old Morioka was, and only Rikuo knew why he joined the gang in the first place. He had quite a temper, and was rarely far from Rikuo at all times. He was Rikuo's bodygaurd, and took his job very seriously.
Kunai joined Rikuo sometime after Rikuo joined the Demons, and wasn't an official member, but he was loyal to Rikuo 100%, and regularly passed messages and orders.

Rikuo took his place in front of the crowd, before getting their attention.

"The Smoking Scorpions have invaded our territory." The gang members booed.
"They have preyed on the innocent. Blackmailed our customers. Refused to meet with me and settle this peacefully." More boos.
"They have done everything against the Deathside Demons' Code. It ends tonight. We shall obliterate their gang and return peace to Hiroshi."
Rikuo let a rather evil smirk grace his face as fists went up in agreement, some with the Deathside Demons' tattoo, others with weapons.

Other gangs and a few Demons said this nightly hunting was like a Hyakki Yakō, which only irritated Rikuo, due to the fact he was trying to get away from anything youkai related.
He withdrew Tora-oni, before raising it to the sky.
"We're hunting rats till dawn!"

The walls shook from the bass of the music, while sweaty socks and the smell of hair dye filled the air. Flakes of paint were peeling off the wall with every thump of the speakers. Rock posters hung on the black painted walls, and the room looked like a typical slob of a teenage boy.
"Rikuo, you son of a bitch! Turn that damn music off and get down here! The school-bus will be here in a minute!"
The blob of blankets on the bed grabbed the remote off the nearby table, and turned the music up even louder to spite the foster-mother known as Beni.
Hell on Earth is more like it.
The speakers compiled for a short 30 seconds, before overloading and dying, with a noise best described as a sad sigh.

He'd have to let Tanaka, his best engineer, take a look at them again. Tonight hopefully. He didn't want to buy another set of speakers. He was trying to save up to move out. Not spend it on useless purchases.

Curses were muffled under the blankets, before the blob finally threw the blankets off. Even though the fight took a short time last night, he still wasn't tired. He was never tired, and he took this as a good thing.

Black ruffled short hair was seen first, followed by the the brown eyes of a disgruntled teen. He took his last clean shirt and pants from last night. He grabbed his backpack, and stuffed the mostly completed homework in it and Hamiltonian, his trusted knife, which had saved him from more situations than he knew. Against humans, anyway.

He glanced in the mirror, mostly satisfied with what he saw. His brown roots were starting to show, and a glance in the drawer told him he was out, so he would have to ask Fujimoto to hook him up. He grabbed his small allowance off his dresser for lunch, and placed in it in his wallet, which was full from last night's fight. Even though the gang was small in member size compared to other gangs, it reached farther than others did. They still had quite an amount of merchandise which was sold for a nice profit. His gang was successfully mostly because every member followed a code of conduct. Those who didn't, weren't heard from. The rules weren't very extensive, but mostly it made sure that no one was killed for trivial reasons. (The cops looked down on that) Customers liked that, and such flocked to the Deathside Demons.

He grabbed his glasses on the dresser, and slipped out the window to the school-bus as it pulled up. He took a seat in the back, before setting to work on his paperwork/homework, separated by two files. Anyone who paid attention to the weirdest kid in school say he spent more time filling out paperwork than homework.

No one ever did though.

His number one goal was graduate ASAP, to escape from the foster system. And he couldn't do that by flunking. He was also saving up money with help frominvestment in stocks and bonds, courtesy of Hakuhi, the gang's top investor.

Rikuo Nishimura. That was his adopted name. Last name was common enough not to attract attention, but not rare enough to attract attention either. He was 15, and short for his age, unfortunately. He kept his hair dyed black, and stayed out of school trouble. He spent most of his time working for the gang, and had little time to socialize. And such, had no friends at school. His current social worker wished that was different, but Rikuo was a leader, not a follower.

Being a gang leader meant you were more responsible and mature than the average high schooler, and such he had a hard time getting along with the boys who were interested in sports, sex, and sports.

The school bus chugged onwards, before something smashed into the window, causing Rikuo to flinch. A large mass of a snake-like person was stuck against the window. Rikuo ignored him, as did every other person of the bus, although they couldn't see them.

Ayakashi. youkai. Demons, whatever you want to call them. He ignored them almost 100%, because he wanted nothing to do with them. His hatred of them stemmed deep. He'd seen innocent people killed by youkai, and a youkai had started the fire which killed his parents and the only person in the world he cared about, his older brother Shuu. Shuu was always amazed at how well he naturally handled a sword, and did his best to make sure Rikuo always had something to practice with, and someone to practice against. He'd set up lessons for Rikuo, which he faithfully took until he was placed in foster care. He continued by himself, and found teachers wherever he went to continue.

He spent the last 8 years being shuffled from house to house alone, after being picked up by the government after the house burned. No one blamed him, since he was 6 at the time, although the newspapers that he found said that everyone was surprised he survived at all, which was comforting. His first foster was very nice, although he explicitly banned any sharp weapons, as the last foster-child slit his wrists and tried to die. This was the start of his second life at night.

What did you expect a skilled swordsmen who needed money to do?

He joined the first gang he came upon after defeating a rather well known swordsmen, and went up in the ranks. He hated the way that the gangs treated normal people, and when he was shuffled to another house, he was a little more picky with which gang he chose. At his 2nd school, he took up fencing until he transferred again. At the 3rd school, no one wanted anything to do with him, having heard rumors that were unfortunately true, and such Fencing was out. He was lucky to find a man outside school, who in trade for Rikuo helping his hobbled wife do chores around the house on the weekends, he got lessons for free.

The 3rd foster was a new start. He joined Deathside, and enjoyed the gang life until Rikuo took over. The recruitment was lacking for a few months, but it jumped again after they defeated the largest gang in Hiroshi, merging the travel routes and trade partners. Using a technique which soon became known as Rikuo's 'Fear', leadership skills and the strategy skills from Fujimoto, almost no gang stood in the way.

The snake youkai continued to pound and slop against the window, before grinning at Rikuo.
"Fooooodddd?"
He glared at the youkai, mixing in some Fear from anger. The youkai peeled off the window, and was gone. He turned his attention back to the paperwork, and getting through the day without pounding someone into the concrete, which passed through his head often at this school.

"They expressed interest in meeting with us?" Usually it was the other way around, but he liked clans that weren't spineless. He looked up from the request at Fujimoto.
"Hai, Rikuo-sama. They will arrange you to go to Ukiyoe Town and meet the current head to set up trade."
"They have one of the largest routes, and providers." He stated what he knew from memory, knowing she would correct him should he get anything wrong. "It's worth the risk, although not alone. Kunai will be coming with me unofficially. I'll be gone for 3 days and no longer. You and Yasuo will share my duties equally. You can call me at any time if anything important comes up. And if Taue goes off and tries to get himself killed, let him. He's starting to become more expensive than he's worth." He chuckled, knowing that the man owed him his life 4 times now.
He glanced over the papers in front of him, signing off a few last orders. "Arrange it with the Shirohebi clan. We leave tomorrow."