Chapter Text
It is not talked about in the Nura clan, to the point that most have forgotten. But once upon a time Nurarihyon had a daughter, once upon a time Rihan had a little sister. Unlike her big brother or her father she did not choose to stay in the yokai world, she in many ways took after her mother's side of the family more than her father's. She was a beautiful young woman, she had brown hair like her grandmother. She has her mother's kind heart and soft nature, all those in the Nura clan adored her, and she adored them in equal measures.
But she was not made for the world of Yokai and Ayakashi. Her closest friend and confidant was her older brother's fiance and eventual wife.
While she inherited much from her mother, she did inherit traits from her father as well. The Supreme Commander; Nurarihyon, a yakai most well known in the human world for their tendency to sneak into houses; steal their food and play pranks on the poor humans. To the Ayakashi he was the Supreme commander and yakuza leader. To them he was the Supreme Commander who earned that title through defeating great, powerful, and terrifying opponents. She inherited her fear, her inability to be touched when it suited her, and her stubborn, strong willed nature from her father.
She stayed in the Nura clan manor and home-base for most of her life, that along with her uninterest in fighting, evil deeds, and most yokai things other than freedom and fun pranks led her to be considered the spoiled half Ayakashi princess of the Nura clan. There were no deeds that would gain you the anger and wrath of the Nura quicker or more thoroughly then hurting or messing with the little Nura princess.
When Nurarihyon and princess Yōhime had their first child they named him Rihan; Ri meaning carp in hopes that he would grow to be a strong and courageous young man like his father. Han; meaning companion or partner in hopes that he will never be alone and his night parade would never leave his side.
Even as Rihan Nura grew, Yōhime and Nurarihyon began to worry. He was half yokai, he was a question that none truly knew if it had been asked before. And they worried their son was lonely being an only child of such an unlikely pairing of an Ayakashi and a Human. And honestly their son was very independent and strong willed, traits he got from his father. Making Yōhime miss his more clingy and childish days.(not to say that her husband and son don't both have days of being the most childish people in the mansion.) She also worried for both of her boys, they were Yokai, ghosts, spirits, monsters, even if her son was only half he would still live so much longer than she herself had any hopes of.
So she hoped that giving her boys just one more piece of her, just one more person to share that feeling with, would make them even the slightest bit happier when she is finally gone.
Nurarihyon loves his wife and son very much. But after their son was born he thought that he would never have another. That birth was hard on Yōhime, and he thought he would never put his Princess in that state ever again. He thought that they agreed that one was enough, especially with the curses that Hagoromo Gitsune put on his blood that they still didn't quite know what it did. But then came the day that his woman, the most beautiful being in the universe, begged him for another. He tried to stand firm… to tell her that he couldn't risk, almost losing her before her time, just like last time. But she was persistent, she begged, and he gave in, because he is weak to his family, and especially his wife.
The birth of their daughter was not easier than their son, but she miraculously recovered quicker. They named her sari; sa, meaning Blossom, for she was the Nura clan's little flower. A hope for them to always be together, and the yet unseen potential that she holds. Ri; meaning white jasmine, absolute grace, amiability, and compassion, in hopes that she will enjoy those traits whether she decides to be a Yokai or a human. Just like her mother.
When Yamabuki left, leaving only a poem and a branch of the Yamabuki Rose, Sari Nura felt empty. She was still young, and never really fell in love but she loved Yamabuki Otome like the sister she never had, she was her closest friend, and she left her without even saying a proper goodbye to any member of her family. She stayed though to take care of her aging mother and her broken hearted older brother…. Her best friend was gone, her mother died of old age, her father was doing well, and her brother was healing. She stayed for 65 years after her friend and sister in law left to never be seen again. And she was getting restless.
Sari Nura long decided that she preferred the world of humans and humanity to the world of Yokai and Ayakashi. So her brother and father left her out of most of that business. But the world had just gotten so much bigger. There was so much of the world to see and explore. And she wanted to do so. She talked to her brother and father about going to see the world outside of Japan and Asia. They didn't like the idea, it took almost 30 years for them to allow her to go, and almost 50 to let her go alone. She had to continuously prove herself capable of defending herself that whole time. But she was now allowed to see the world on her own, to learn who she truly is without the Nura name.
Throughout her travels she learned it was best to change her identity every once and a while to not make too many people suspicious. She learned that humans can to be just as bad and evil as ayakashi. She learned that Yokai and the supernatural creatures she grew up with were not the only pantheon to exist. She was sitting on a beach in New York(Montauk she thinks it's called), planning to go home, to finally stop wandering when she met him for the first time.
He came out of the waves, like a dragon in mortal disguise, his hair was black like the fear she inherited from her father that she keeps hidden away, like the nights she spent with her family under the blossoming flowers. Like the deepest part of the seas. His eyes; sea green, a shade no human could or should have, seemed to be pools made from the waters he emerged from itself. His body is that of a fighter, who takes his enemies by surprise( like her brother, like her father, like herself, like the sea.). He would not look too out of place at one of her family's meetings with the highly ranked Ayakashi of the clan. For the first time she fell in love at first sight. But growing up a Nura and along her travels she knew how to spot one who isn't human, and how to spot one more powerful than yourself.
And she could tell at a glance at this man's fear, no, aura? That he was both more powerful than herself and very much not human.
He turned to her, feeling her staring. She bowed politely, not too much, but enough for both of them. She did not know who the attractive man was, or what he was doing here, but she would not bother him, or get in his way. She walked away from him as the grace given to her by being born to the Supreme Commander and a noble woman of the late Sengoku period to the early Edo period allowed her in front of a more powerful individual with no backup.
After that she saw him every once and a while at the beach. They did not talk, but every encounter had them drawing closer and closer together. Until one day Sari saw a group of teenagers harassing a lone baby seal. “Hay!” She yelled with all the authority of one who could have, at any moment, made her own night parade of a hundred demons, but chose not to. “Leave them alone.”
“Or what?” one of them had the strength or stupidity to ask. To that she released a small portion of her fear. Making them run away immediately. Sometimes every once and a while she considers her original decision in being human and not yokai, and thinks she should have chosen differently. Seeing the human youth torturing innocent creatures is one of those times, she always considers how easy it would be to be more Ayakashi then human, to make them pay. But she is afraid of going too far. Her brother is strong and he made the clan flourish in the Edo period. Her father destroyed Hagoromo Gitsune, and became the lord of pandemonium. She… she just wanted a normal life. She made it very clear that she wanted no part in being in the line of succession to lead the clan. She had no delusions that she would make a good leader for the Yokai.
She walked closer to the yung seal, but not too close. “I'm sorry if I scared you little one. I'm going to stay right here and make sure no more evil humans will touch you while we wait for your mother.” She smiled kindly at the baby seal as it paired up at her with its sea green eyes, as she sat down on the beach not too far away. “I would try to help you more, but sadly I didn't inherit my mother's talents with healing.” She smiled sadly at the seal, it still hurt, even a hundred years later, but the pain was dulled. “Don't worry little one, I'll keep you safe.”
sari didn't know when it happened but at some point she fell asleep. She woke to the beach being quiet, dark, the moon reflecting clearly in the dark calm waters of the sea… and the baby seal gone, in its place was the man she had been seeing around. “The seal's mother took him back home a while ago. He's safe. I figured you'd like to know.” The man's voice was deep and strong, the sound of tidal waves crashing into the land, the sound of danger, the sound of restrained energy, the sound of fear. Of power. The sound that reminded her of home. Of a power you can feel but not touch.
“Thank you.” She gets up to leave. With the grace that still hasn't left her even through her travels.
“Wait.” he said, almost commanded. “What is your name?”
Sari Nura thought for a moment, on what she would tell the obviously non-human attractive man. Her standing with her back to him. “My name is Sally Jackson, and if our destinies deem it fit we will meet again stranger.” and with those parting words, a subtle and clever use of the fear she inherited from her father. She vanished from his sight. Maybe she will stay in New York a little longer.