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It’s the sort of job Shuuichi likes to take. Somewhere a bit quieter, away from the hustle and bustle of his actor persona. Today’s destination is a small town down south, Yatsuhara. The initial report is rather straightforward. Sasago confirms it, having seen the youkai wander around the old shed at night, risked an attack to see how close she could get.
“It’s no good,” she tells him on the train, quiet even though there is no one around to hear her besides Shuuichi. “They attacked without hesitation once I got near the shed. There’s a rope around their neck, although they won’t tell me anything about it.
Shuuichi hums. “Did the rope go into the shed?”
“From what I saw, yes.”
Another hum from Shuuichi. Sasago narrows her eyes at him.
“Remember what happened last time you tried to spare a haunting youkai.”
“I know Sasago.” That encounter had left him with nothing but broken glasses and a nasty set of wounds on his chest. What he gets for being kind, he supposes. And other exorcists wonder why he shows such kindness so rarely.
Youkai were vicious creatures by nature, whether it comprised them or they were forced into such a nature by humans. It made no difference in the end, because an aggressive youkai is one that will always hurt the innocent.
There are exceptions, of course, as there always is. Sasago beside him, Urihime in that tree all those years ago promising to become his shiki. But youkai, at their core, are dangerous creatures that must be exterminated.
Even if they seem innocent.
Shuuichi takes the afternoon to walk the quiet streets of Yatsuhara. He isn’t scheduled to meet with the family who put the request in until sundown, when the youkai appears, so he might as well take the time to relax. The town is teeming with spiritual energy, small youkai plentiful.
“You know, you’re free to go explore around, there shouldn’t be anything too big in town,” Shuuichi mutters out of the side of his mouth, so that it’s near unnoticeable to the few passersby.
Urihime materializes beside him, frowning. “I’m not so sure.”
“How so?”
“It’s fleeting, but there are traces of powerful spiritual energy. I don’t-” Urihime grimaces, face pulling taut. “I don’t know if we would be able to deal with it, should issues arise.”
Shuuichi pauses at that. If even Urihime is admitting it was something beyond their skill range, he has more than enough reason to worry. “Let’s investigate.”
“Master…”
“We won’t engage. Just scope it out and see if it looks violent.”
“Be careful,” Urihime warns, but she dissipates, and Shuuichi knows an acquiescence when he sees one. They both know a powerful spirit wandering this close to town cannot simply be ignored.
He sends a summon for Sasago, his shiki appearing only a moment later.
“What is it?”
“Urihime sensed a powerful energy residue, we’re going to investigate it.”
“Shouldn’t we do so after we deal with the assignment?”
Shuuichi shakes his head. “Better to scope out the area just in case. We won’t engage if its too strong.”
Sasago hums. “Fair.”
“Now will you help me?” Shuuichi says, raising an eyebrow. He can practically feel Sasago’s eyes roll in return and he smiles. “Take a tracking talisman and search town for anything particularly strong, me and Urihime will go to the forest.”
“Be safe,” Sasago bids, taking the charm Shuuichi holds out.
“We will,” he says to empty air.
Shuuichi continues forward, the relaxed air of the town gone with the knowledge of a greater threat. It’s a sad loss, but he comforts himself with the fact that this may turn out to be interesting, if nothing else. He has always liked a good puzzle, and this one is obscure and confusing like the best of them. What kind of high level spirit could explore town without causing a disturbance?
The forest might seem serene to those without the sight, but to Shuuichi it is teeming with the chatter of youkai, uncaring of his presence. He isn’t keen on drawing their attention, ignoring them with practiced ease, but keeps his ears pricked for any interesting conversations.
After a while spent wandering, Urihime only furrowing her brows in frustration, Shuuichi decides to investigate the shrines. While most will deter smaller youkai, it’s common to find the stronger ones taking up residence in one.
There are small ones littered around the forest, in various stages of decay, but all are empty. The sun above him warns about the limited time left in this search. When he finally finds a larger shrine, its stone stairs in front of him, he’s decided that this will have to be the last place he checks today. It annoys him, but there is no use wallowing in the feeling so he presses onward.
He reaches the top with a huff, looking around. Eyes landing on the form of a boy standing by the shrine building, he opens his mouth to call out when Urihime materializes, bristling.
“Master, that is him,” she mutters, voice low. “Do not be fooled. He is very strong.”
“Nyanko?” The not-boy says in a soft voice, head perking up. He turns, and it is only then that Shuuichi realizes the mask he is wearing. It looks like a simple festival mask, save for the small charm hung from the side, white fur attached. “Did you-”
The not-boy cuts himself off sharply when he sees Shuuichi, and though he waits to see what the not-boy does, they simply remain frozen there, unmoving. Shuuichi takes the chance to observe the boy. The clothes are modern, a collared shirt with slacks that reminds Shuuichi of a school uniform. The mask is odd, two conflicting states of being that makes him want to laugh at the sight. He might have, if not for the cold press of Urihime’s hand against his back, giving him awareness.
As an exorcist, Shuuichi has had years to become attuned to the energies of youkai and fellow exorcists alike. His control is not fine tuned, but he can get a general read of strength, which is all he needs. He should have known the creature in front of him wasn’t human from the air around him, teeming with a power that even Shuuichi could sense. Still, he pales at the sheer scale of the power he can feel with Urihime’s help.
“Hello,” Shuuichi says carefully, because despite the depths of spiritual energy, he can’t help but be reminded of a scared deer in the way the youkai is standing so perfectly still. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
When the spirit doesn’t make a sound, Shuuichi presses onward, feigning ignorance. “What’s your name? I’m Natori Shuuichi.”
“...Natsume Takashi.”
An alias then. It must be a spirit that mingles with humans often, which would explain the lack of destruction around town. Still, his strength is worrying. Shuuichi wishes he could have some base for judging its emotions, but the mask is smooth as stone, and the human body a strange mix of signals; It shrinks away, hunched as if to hide, but what would something so powerful have to hide from?
Urihime starts, and without thinking Natori sends a summon for Sasago. A binding talisman is at the ready, despite him knowing it won’t do them any good. They’d need something far more potent to seal this youkai.
There’s a gust of wind, one that nearly blows Shuuichi’s hat away, and as he adjusts it, the fattest, most oddly shaped cat he’s ever seen wanders over to lounge at Natsume’s feet.
The cat proceeds to open its mouth in a half yawn, and says, “Oi Natsume, those weaklings are long gone.”
Alright, obviously another youkai, although he can’t tell their relationship. Master servant? But there is none of the differential behavior that spirits use to signify such a thing. Friends then? That seems more likely.
“Thank you,” Natsume says, and the cat leaps onto his shoulder with practiced ease. Black eyes narrow onto Shuuichi and Urihime, considering.
“What’s an exorcist doing all the way out here?” The cat asks, and Shuuichi knows he must answer this question very, very carefully.
“I’m just exploring, I heard these forests had a lot of youkai in them, so I wanted to see for myself.”
The cat’s gaze remains on him, somehow squinting more. Shuuichi wonders if this is the day his smooth lies get discovered, but the cat just sneers, disdainfully pulling his nose up in the air. Far more alarming is the full body flinch that Natsume gives at the mention of youkai, taking a step back.
“You...you can see them?”
Not the question he was expecting, but by far the easier one to answer. “Do you mean youkai? I’m seeing you right now, aren’t I?” Shuuichi can’t quite keep the teasing out of his voice, the small stature of the youkai’s disguise making him instinctively want to poke and prod like he had with his cousins when he was younger, before his sight revealed itself.
Natsume shakes his head in a way that Shuuichi wouldn’t have caught, if not for the charm’s movements. “I’m different.”
There’s something in the muttered statement that Shuuichi can’t decipher. It hints at a deeper meaning, something complex and hurting, but he is left clueless as to what.
“You’re strong enough that even regular people can see you,” Shuuichi says, despite how fruitless the observation is. “I can see the less powerful ones too,” he nods towards Urihime. “Like her.”
Natsume takes another step back, curls in further on himself somehow, halfway sinking to the ground. “You can see them. You can see them.”
“Yes?” Shuuichi says, taking half a step forward before a sharp glare from the cat stops him. His confusion is slowly morphing into concern, and he can feel Urihime beside him grow equally bewildered.
His attention is drawn away from the youkai as Sasago appears beside them. She takes one look at the situation, and inclines her head towards Natsume. Shuuichi nods, but motions her down after she takes a defensive stance.
“Uh, is everything okay?” Shuuichi feels strange, asking such a human question of a youkai, but everything about this encounter has been odd.
“It’s fine,” Natsume stands, voice shaky but calm. “I just...you’re the first person I’ve met who could.”
Shuuichi blinks. “Well then...Nice to meet you, I suppose.”
Silence blankets over them again. Thankfully, the cat speaks up before it drags on for too long. “Shouldn’t you be leaving?”
Natsume starts, turning his masked face towards the fellow spirit, but if he says anything, Shuuichi doesn’t catch it. Sasago taps his shoulder, and he glances over.
“It’s nearly time to meet our clients.”
Shuuichi can’t help the sigh that escapes him. He desperately wants more time to get to the bottom of this, to figure out what exactly Natsume is hiding, what could make a youkai like him sound so raw and open at the revelation that Shuiichi could see them.
“Actually, I think I’m a bit lost- if you don’t mind, could you show me a way back into town?” For emphasis, Shuuichi gives an embarrassed laugh, doing his best to exude a bashful air of innocence.
The cat laughs, sharp and knowing, but before it can say anything, Natsume nods, agreeing with a quiet, but firm, “Sure. It’s not too far.”
Shuuichi lets Natsume walk past him, being sure to keep both youkai in sight. Sasago and Urihime remain at his side, and he assumes their presence isn’t an issue. That is, until Natsume turns to look back, as he’s been doing every few steps, asking, “Why do you have youkai with you, if you’re a human?”
“These are my shiki. We made an agreement. I help keep them safe and they help me with my assignments.”
“So you’re...partners?”
There it is again, the undercurrent of pain seeping into Natsume’s voice, still frustratingly elusive. Still, he nods, pretending as if he isn’t trying to pick apart Natsume’s mind piece by piece. “Yes.”
Natsume hums, but says nothing else.
“How long have you been in Yatsuhara?”
“Not long.” The answer seems purposefully vague to Shuuichi’s ears. He won’t- or rather, can’t- press further.
“Do you like it?”
Natsume considers this question for a long while, weaving through the trees. “Yes,” he decides at last. A hand comes up to touch the charm hanging from his mask, fingers ghosting it with care. “There are kind people here, and I’ve met kind youkai as well.”
That’s reassuring to hear, a youkai that’s fond won’t be eager to attack, even when wronged. And to be fair, Shuuichi hasn’t felt threatened outside of the massive amount of power that flows off the youkai. The cat is powerful too, he’s sure, not because he can feel it but because he can’t. Ever since it appeared, it has had barely a presence. Even the lowest ranking youkai would have more energy. More so than Natsume, Shuuichi is wary of it. Likely, it is stronger than Natsume, to conceal itself so well, and doesn’t seem nearly as fond of people.
“Natsume! Natsume!” The cat leaps down, sprinting ahead at a pace far faster than expected for having such short legs. The edge of the forest is in sight, and internally Shuuichi gives a groan. He had really been hoping Natsume was underestimating the distance.
The cat races towards the edge of the forest, but curiously, doesn’t step past the edge and onto the dirt path, instead whipping back around to yowl, “Natsume, let me steal some buns this time.”
“You’re fat enough as it is,” Natsume sighs as he stops alongside the cat, amusement clear. “Besides, you can’t steal from them too often.”
Shuuichi pauses beside them both, and Natsume leans away from his presence, head lowered in what Shuuichi instinctively wants to call contriteness, despite how vague the motion is.
“Is this as far as you can go?” He asks, curious as to how the spirit will respond.
Natsume shakes his head. “We can go but it’s better without so many people.”
Shuuichi revises his current theory about Natsume’s origins, the spirit is likely powerful, hidden away from people for a long time if he is to consider a town as small as this too many. The casual, nearly human like way he holds himself tells a different story though. Quietly, Shuuichi slips a tracking talisman from his sleeve, rolling his shoulders to hide the flick of his wrist that guides the small paper man into the fold of Natsume’s collar.
“Well, it was nice meeting you,” Shuuichi says, but he lingers, hesitant.
His hesitation proves to be warranted. Natsume coughs, hands coming up as if to remove his mask, before settling on the charm, stroking the fur there. “I…” He leans down, stroking the cat’s back. “How long will you be in town?”
“A few days at least, it depends on how difficult this job is.” Shuuichi draws back at the question, worried as to the intention behind it. He can discern nothing from the quiet way Natsume speaks, the tremor of his voice the only tell that the spirit is feeling anything at all.
“If-”
There’s a rustle in the bushes, a low hiss, and that is all the warning they get before something lunges. All of them leap back, impossibly wide jaws of a serpentine youkai snapping shut around empty air. Shuuichi can’t think of a reason for it to have targeted him, but then its skittering eyes focus on Natsume.
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you, Natsume Reiko.”
Wait. Reiko?
Whatever it is, it’s not nearly as important as the very enraged spirit. Shuuichi holds on though, waiting to see how Natsume will react. The cat looks similarly unaffected, almost bored. Another flash of teeth as the snake lunges, but this time it ends with the snake curled up in pain on the ground, and Natsume’s fist extended.
Well...certainly not the way that most youkai chose to fight. Shuuichi had been sure Natsume would shed his disguise. Another thing to add to the growing list of oddities. Still, the snake has enough fight left in it to blink its eyes open, rearing up for another strike.
Enough is enough, Shuuichi decides, he might as well repay Natsume for the kindness. He slaps the binding talisman onto the snake’s exposed backside. Pulling the sharpened piece of wood out of his bag, he drives it in on top of the paper man that is wrapping itself tight around the torso. Moving in practiced motions, he goes to exterminate the youkai, but a solid weight slams into him before he can.
“How dare you touch our master.” He hears Sasago hiss, and the weight- Natsume, Shuuichi realizes, Natsume had tackled him. Sasago shoves him off- stupidly, recklessly, they all know what Natsume could do to her. But Urihime is there too, binding Natsume with her vines. Sitting up, Shuuichi can see how the cat leaps between Natsume and his shiki.
“Keep your hands off my prey,” the cat growls, light flashing. It passes over Shuuichi like a breeze of wind, and his jaw must be on the floor. He is right about the cat’s strength, and for two youkai this powerful to be working together- what a disaster this could become.
“That’s enough Natori,” Natsume says, shaking but alight with anger. “Is this what exorcism is? Do you hurt every youkai like this? Shouldn’t there be another way?”
Shuuichi slips his glasses back into place, pushes himself to his feet. The ever present lizard tattoo decides to show itself, slipping past his sleeve and resting on his hand. He blinks at Natsume, uncomprehending. What kind of youkai would act so shocked at his methods? This was a rather merciful way to go about it, and it wasn’t like the snake youkai was doing any good. They had a nasty habit of going after children when they get bored.
“Natsume...do you know what an exorcist is?”
“I didn’t- I didn’t think you would be like this. I just-” Natsume turns away, pulling the wood out of the snake youkai. It slithers away, binding talisman still attached, and Shuuichi lets it leave. Urihime and Sasago slip back into their place beside him, thankfully unharmed, if a bit dazed.
“It’s no use Natsume,” the cat says, eyeing Shuuichi shrewdly. “He smells of hatred. Our kind must have hurt you a lot when you were younger.”
With Natsume turned away from him, all Shuuichi can see is the way his shoulders hunch inwards, trembling. There’s a part of him that wants to reach out, to comfort, but it is only the youkai’s boyish disguise making him want to do so, so he ignores the urge.
“I exorcise what I must,” Shuuichi offers. Natsume says nothing. He wants to tear his hair out, just a bit, because nothing about this is making sense. A tug on his sleeve from Sasago means that he really is out of time. But as he stalks past Natsume, he can’t help but pause. “I’ll be at the house with the cursed shed tomorrow.”
It is stupid, giving that kind of information to spirits, a rookie mistake in trusting that youkai were good and kind just like humans. Words cannot be taken back, and so, with a nod, Shuuichi exits the forest, hoping that he hasn’t just doomed him and his shiki to a painful death.
After seeing the nail and rope tethered to the shed’s wall, Shuuichi feels a tired resignation settle over him. There is no doubt about the nature of the curse, and the unwillingness of the spirit caught up in it, but there is no time to figure out a way to tear the nail away peacefully. The curse has been increasing in its intensity- it won’t remain at harmless antagonism for long.
That night, he finds himself awake in bed, watching the lizard trail up and down his arm.
“Master, about Natsume…” Sasago says, quiet.
“I don’t expect him to come tomorrow.”
“It was foolish still.”
Shuuichi drags a hand down his face. “I know. But we need to know more about him.”
“You placed a tracking talisman on him.” Trust Sasago to point out the lapse in logic. He sighs.
“Something about this is wrong . You have to know that.”
Sasago nods begrudgingly, admitting, “Natsume...he had a large amount of spiritual energy but it felt off somehow. Not like a youkai’s.”
Shuuichi furrows his brows, face creasing in confusion. “Not like a youkai? Could he be…?”
“He didn’t feel like a human either, nor did he smell like one. He smelled like the cat.”
“None of this makes any sense. There has to be something we’re missing,” Shuuichi says with a groan. Sasago hums in agreement, but even she is clueless as to what the missing piece of this is.
“After exorcising the youkai tomorrow, we can investigate more- carefully .”
Shuuichi nods, “I’ll ask the agency for a few more days off.”
He needs to find out the secret behind Natsume and that cat, if not for Yatsuhara and its innocents, than for himself.
“Natori?”
Shuuichi nearly drops the supplies in his hand at the voice that sounds in front of him. He looks up, and there is Natsume, mask bright in the sunlight. The cat is nowhere to be seen. “Ah, hello again,” Shuuichi greets, doing his best not to seem as flabbergasted as he is. Natsume had been so upset yesterday- and what self respecting youkai helped an exorcist outside of shiki?
Natsume simply nods, watching as Shuuichi continues his work. Shuuichi doesn’t ask the spirit to help him, nor does Natsume offer. The silence is thick between them, and is only broken once Shuuichi places down the last sheet of paper.
“Do you know the youkai you’re exorcising today?” Natsume asks.
“I know it is cursing the people here, and will kill them before long.” Shuuichi knows his voice is too cold, his distaste too prominent for how cautious he told Sasago he was going to be, but he can’t help it. The accusatory lilt in Natsume’s voice incites that familiar annoyance in him. There have already been enough young and hopeful’s that have tried to argue their case for ‘peaceful’ exorcism, only for Shuuichi to hear reports of their deaths. He doesn’t need such condescension from a youkai of all things.
Natsume shakes his head. “Do you remember a youkai with a rope around her neck and an injured hand? One that you bandaged?”
Shuuichi squints, searching his memories for such a thing. It comes up empty. “What do you mean?”
“Natori, you don’t-” Natsume turns, words dying in his throat as the youkai appears. It’s also wearing a mask, although it is a dual horned mask, with a painted face and singular eye. Grey and worn, it was a harsh contrast to the bleakness of Natsume’s mask.
“Stop,” Natsume yells, running forward. He’s going to warn the youkai, Shuuichi realizes. Warn her and stop his exorcism. “Don’t come here you-” Urihime, ever faithful, shoots her vines, one wrapping around Natsume’s throat to silence him.
The youkai is steady in its progress, marching towards Shuuichi, clueless as to the disguised circle on the ground. Something in him twists, because despite Urihime’s interference, Natsume’s warning had been clear enough.
The youkai keeps walking.
It is the real victim here, they all know that. Shuuichi watches as Natsume struggles and thrashes, helpless to get all of Urihime’s vines off of him. Well, if it’s lucky, the youkai will live, free of the rope.
That is the best Shuuichi can do for it.
Step by step, it nears. The first foot that crosses the boundary activates the arrangement. Although it is helpless to escape once caught, the spirit makes no effort to leave, instead, inching closer. Shuuichi now can understand why Natsume struggles so violently.
He brings his hands together regardless, feeling the power grow forth. There is a bout of noise, and then Shuuichi is startling backwards as Natsume jumps into the array, arms spread out protectively.
“I can’t stop it,” Shuuichi hisses, oddly panicked. “No matter how strong you are- it might eradicate you too.”
Natsume grunts in pain but holds his ground. Shuuichi can almost see a determined glare from behind that mask, and swallows. Before he can blink though, the cat is there as well, sitting by Natsume’s feet as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.
“Stubborn brat,” the cat sighs. Shuuichi finds that he quite agrees with the judgement. He doesn’t get time to focus on that though, as with a puff of smoke the cat is gone, and in its place some kind of huge wolf youkai crouches over the two. His snout hides Natsume and the other youkai from his view, the red markings reminiscent of Natsume’s mask.
With both Natsume and the cat...they have a chance. A very real chance.
Shuuichi closes his eyes to the light that covers the three spirits and hopes.
Shuuichi holds a broken mask in his hand and his eyes won’t leave Natsume’s face.
His very much human face. There was not a hint of the otherworldly, no sign that he was a youkai. All Natsume has is the mask, and in Shuuichi’s hands, he can feel the plastic texture of it, something a youkai wouldn’t stand for. Pieces were falling into place, in a way that left him frozen, horror growing, unable to do anything but stare.
“Figured it out, did you?” The cat says, the only one of the trio to emerge conscious. He wobbles over to stare up at Shuuichi, ignoring the way Sasago and Urihime bristle. “Not surprising. Brat can’t lie to save his life. Lucky he has that mask.”
“He...why is he with you?” Why did he side with youkai instead of people, Shuuichi wants to ask. He thinks the cat senses that too, because all Shuuichi gets in response is a snort before the cat wanders back over to curl by Natsume’s head.
Mask in hand, Shuuichi stares. The youkai is alive, rope charred into oblivion. It wasn’t spared damage, as is obvious from its ruined robes, but Natsume has succeeded.
Shuuichi doesn’t know if he’s more relieved or concerned.
“Let’s move them somewhere more private,” Shuuichi says, his shiki nodding. He elects to take Natsume, carefully positioning the boy onto his back with Sasago’s help. The cat watches the interaction with half lidded eyes, clawing his way up to Shuuichi’s shoulder once he stands.
They travel in silence, and it is only when they reach a grassy hill near the forest that Shuuichi realizes he forgot to report the results of the exorcism to his clients. There will be time for that later. For now, Natsume and the youkai were the bigger concern.
Fishing the pieces of the mask out of his bag, Shuuichi holds them in front of him again. He fetches some talisman paper from his bag, scribbling a sealing incantation in quick, practiced motions. It isn’t exactly a conventional use, but it should work all the same. Pushing the two edges of the mask together, he attaches the talisman to the inside, laying it equally across both halves as best he could. There is a hum of power, and the talisman does its job, sealing the halves together until only the tiniest crack is visible from the front.
Whole again in his hands, Shuuichi can’t help but hold up the charm for closer inspection. Here, it’s obvious that it is a miniature omamori, hand sewn and lovingly made. The fur is separate from it, almost crudely attached. It is wrapped in some sort of metal, string looping through that of the omamori. He aims a questioning glance at the cat, who huffs.
“It’s mine. Helps hide his stench. The charm was a gift.”
That explains why his shiki weren’t able to discern the truth then. Still, there are so many unanswered questions. “So…”
“It’s Lord Madara to you human.”
“Madara,” Shuuichi compromises, because there is no way he is calling a fat cat any sort of title. “Who-”
“You can wait until he’s awake to ask your questions,” Madara says with a pompous sniff, going back to his spot curled around Natsume’s head. The boy looks at peace, save for the way his eyebrows twitch on occasion. He’s young- fuck he’s so young. He couldn’t be older than 16. Too skinny, too frail, Shuuichi notes, focusing on the dip in Natsume’s cheeks, the dark circles under his eyes.
Shuuichi sighs, placing the mask beside Natsume for when the boy wakes up.
Just what on earth had the boy been through for him to end up living in the woods of all places?
Had Natsume expected Shuuichi to be like him? To be friends with youkai? The notion makes Shuuichi want to gag. Sasago and Urihime are exceptions. As his shiki, he can trust that they won’t turn on him, but even then, he would describe their relationship as close business partners at best.
Speaking of youkai, the shed’s haunter jumps into awareness, one hand around its neck and the other clenching at the grass desperately.
“I- I’m still here,” It says, sounding surprised.
“Thanks to Natsume,” Shuuichi responds, and the spirit flinches, turning to face him. Much like with Natsume, he has no way to tell what it is thinking with the mask on.
“I told him not to interfere,” it says in a distinctly put out sort of way, as if it’s offended by Natsume’s intervention.
“He seems like a stubborn kid.” Shuuichi smiles a bit, then evens out his face into something more neutral when he feels the youkai’s stare on him.
“Thank you.”
Shuuichi blinks. Out of everything, that was far from what he was expecting to hear from the youkai he had just tried to exorcise out of existence. He can be forgiven for his shocked mutter of, “What?”
“For helping me.”
Shuuichi doesn’t have much to say to that. He eyes the bandage on her arm with care. Natsume had asked him about that, hadn’t he? No such memory comes to mind, but he can feel his walls softening. “No need. You know it was more likely to kill you.”
“Still.” The youkai stands, walks towards him. He keeps track of it warily, talisman at the ready. It bows before him, forehead halfway to the ground. “If you would, please take me in as a servant.”
Shuuichi can only stare at it for a moment, mind grinding to a halt.
Somehow, it bows lower, adding, “Please. I would be honored.”
“If...if that is what you truly want.” Shuuichi could always use the extra help, it is a decent strength, not inherently malicious, and is asking to join him. All of his qualifications for a shiki have been met. “Sasago? Urihime? Any objections?”
“Just that I am the only one you need to protect you,” Urihime declares, and Shuuichi rolls his eyes, smiling all the while.
“Agreed,” Sasago eyes the youkai. “But I suppose you could do worse.”
“Alright, it’s decided then,” Shuuichi says with a nod. “Do you have a name you'd like to be called?”
“Hiiragi.”
The ceremony is quick, slimmed down to its basic necessities. If Shuuichi was back home, it would have been much more proper, but this works all the same. Not every exorcist has the benefit of time and material, and a new shiki can change the tide of a battle.
“Thank you,” Hiiragi says with another bow, Shuuichi lets her, despite how he wants to argue about his moral corruptness.
“We’ll take it from here Master,” Sasago says, latching onto one of Hiiragi’s arms.
“Give her a proper introduction, no being too mean,” Shuuichi warns. He isn’t worried though. Any youkai that couldn’t stand up to Sasago and Urihime’s antics was worth their weight in salt.
The three vanish without another word, and Shuuichi is left to his contemplations. To pass the time, he fiddles with his talismans, debates removing the tracking one from Natsume’s collar, before deciding against it. When he is reduced to playing with his glasses, he sighs. Sure, he cannot avoid thinking about Natsume forever, but he would like to. What should he do about the boy?
Well, that answer is obvious, take Natsume away from this forest and its youkai, get the kid set up in a place that would accept his sight. Maybe even try to get the kid to become an exorcist, with how much talent he would have for the craft. Just imagining the strength of Natsume’s paper talismans is enough for him to get excited.
There is one fatal issue with his plan though, Natsume. He doubts the boy will come with him, much less want to be an exorcist. Yesterday’s visceral reaction still rings in Shuuichi’s head, made more bitter by the knowledge of Natsume’s humanity.
Shuuichi is deep in thoughts of convincing Natsume to his side when the boy awakens with a gasp. His hands come up to his face, searching, and exposed, Shuuichi is now witness to the obvious panic in the boy’s gaze. When Natsume sees his mask sitting next to him, he pulls it close, visibly relaxing. He frowns at the crack in the mask, thumb running gingerly over the damage.
“Hey,” Shuuichi says softly. Still, his voice makes Natsume jump.
Natsume stares at Shuuichi, then down at the mask in his hands. His face goes very pale. “Natori, I…”
“It’s okay Natsume,” he says, because he is not going to start this off with the kid terrified of him. “I’m not mad. It’s your choice to tell people about yourself and well, I made some assumptions of my own.”
Natsume nods jerkily. “The youkai?”
“She made it, thanks to you.” Shuuichi pauses, unsure if he wants to continue or not. “I gave it a 50/50 chance of her surviving that, and the rope burning off. I’m glad she made it.”
Natsume is looking at him with an expression akin to hope, and Shuuichi squirms under such an honest, open gaze.
“Natori, do you hate youkai?”
Shuuichi really had hoped they wouldn’t get to this so quickly. He sighs. “It’s complicated. I will say that I don’t understand why you are living with one, presumably?” Maybe fate will be kind and Natsume has an actual home.
Natsume looks away, confirming Natori’s fears. “It’s a long story. But Nyanko protects me. Well, when he’s not slacking off and drinking.”
“Hey!” Madara snaps. “I am a flawless bodyguard. Who made it so you don’t get mobbed every two seconds, huh?”
“Mobbed?” Shuuichi might just have to drag Natsume away kicking and screaming, if things were like this.
“Ah- not that bad. Nyanko is just exaggerating. Most youkai don’t like humans so sometimes I get attacked. It barely happens anymore.”
“Natsume, why don’t you come with me?” Shit. He hadn’t meant to say that this soon. The words had just sprung loose, and judging from Natsume’s wide-eyed, paling face, it was the wrong thing to ask.
The mask falls into his lap, and open mouthed, all Natsume does is stare at Shuuichi. There is a flash of something in the boy’s eyes, before his expression closes off, shuttering into a distant stare and half frown. “I’m okay where I am.”
“Are you sure? For now, you’re alive, but how long will that last? Even if you're strong, living with them is dangerous,” Shuuichi says, fairly sure that his desperation is clear despite his attempt to hide it. “They aren’t like people.”
Natsume hums, something noncommittal and certainly not in agreement. He scratches Madara behind the ears, and the cat actually leans into the touch. “I have friends,” he says, just above a whisper. “There are kind youkai.”
Shuuichi seethes at the implication, the childish, angry part of him wanting to lash out, but the sensible adult in him sees past that, and to the aching loneliness that shadows Natsume’s words. He knows of such loneliness, when there is no one who will get close to you out of fear. Hell, Natsume didn’t even grow up in exorcist society, given his complete ignorance. Alone with no one who even knows what the sight is. Shuuichi shudders at the thought. Of course the kid is going to open up to the creatures that understand his ability.
Now, Shuuichi has the chance to steer him over into a healthier crowd, away from the malignant influence of youkai. Besides the Matoba clan. He is resolved to keep Natsume as far away from their covetous hands as possible.
“But,” Natsume is looking at him again- when did that happen? “I really wanted to talk to you.”
“Yeah,” Shuuichi responds, quiet and honest. “I think I wanted to talk to you too.” And because he can’t help himself, he asks again, “Please, come with me?”
Pained and as close to tears as Natsume looks, he still shakes his head. “I can’t- I can’t watch what you do to youkai.”
“I thought as much.” Shuuichi could try, he knows, to convince Natsume. To argue and snap and jostle until the boy gives in. The line of Natsume’s shoulders, drawn high and rigid in that stubborn way he had protected Hiiragi with, stops him from doing so. Madara at his side, the worst thing Shuuichi could do was drive the boy away. “We don’t have to agree on everything, you know.”
Natsume nods, but can’t hide his relief. Shuuichi smiles. Madara is right about him being a terrible liar.
Because he must know, Shuuichi asks, “Did you live around here before…?”
Natsume shakes his head. “We’ve been travelling. I have...things I need to do here.”
Shuuichi furrows his brow and bites his tongue at the prying questions that fight to escape. He needs Natsume’s trust first.
“If you ever change your mind about coming with, call me,” Shuichi says, holding out a business card. Natsume takes it gently, as if he might break it through the mere act of touch.
Natsume nods, silent as he examines the card. “Thank you. Thank you,” he says, a quiet sniffle coming from him. Shuuichi reaches out, but Natsume leans away from the touch without even looking at the outstretched hand, Madara slipping between them.
Silver fur blocks Natsume from sight, and Shuuichi looks up to see Madara eyeing him. Even crouched down as he is, the youkai towers over Shuuichi.
“Ready to go, Natsume?”
Whatever Natsume’s response is, Shuuichi doesn’t hear it. He barely sees Natsume as he clambers onto Madara’s shoulders, mask back in place, before the two are gone, streaking through the sky and deep into Yatsuhara’s forest.
Shuuichi’s hand stays outstretched for a moment. He brings it back to run it through his hair with a sigh.
As Shuuichi boards the train northbound, he takes a window seat that faces the forest, staring out like Natsume would appear just from him glaring hard enough.
“Master,” Urihime says. “Are you sure it is okay to leave the matter here?”
Shuuichi shakes his head. “No- but there is nothing more we can do. I doubt we would be able to beat the two of them in a direct confrontation, and besides, I don’t want to be at odds with Natsume.”
“Do you really think you can convince him?”
“I must. For his sake.”
Shuuichi’s gaze returns to the window, and he does a double take at the recognizable masked figure that stands there.
Natsume raises a hesitant hand, and Shuuichi readily waves back with a smile.
Natsume Takashi. Shuuichi had done a quick search of the name last night. All he had found was a news report of a missing kid from nearly a year ago, in a province far from Yatsuhara. Another piece of the puzzle that surrounded Natsume. He’ll see if he can’t go talk to the kid’s family, try to find what went wrong.
Shuuichi will come back for Natsume, that is a promise.