Chapter Text
Natsume stared out the classroom window. It was autumn and already past the equinox, so the days were shortening rapidly, darkness becoming far more abundant during the waking hours. Even during Natsume's last class of the day, the light in the room would fade, giving everything a soft, dreamy edge — making it more tempting than ever for the young man to lay his head on his desk, and sleep through his history teacher's lecture.
With his grades being so average from sleeping through many of his classes, sometimes Natsume wondered what he could possibly do after graduating. Were his marks good enough to get into college? Did he even want to attend college? Or did he feel like pursuing a career which involved ayakashi instead? Natsume wasn't sure, and nor did he give it much thought. He was a second-year and still had time to figure things out.
The dilemma was that, he wanted to do better in school, but the spirit world called to him constantly. And he couldn't deny the pull he felt, couldn't ignore how it effortlessly swept him up in its arms, time and time again, ensnaring him with its supernatural wonders.
Deep in his heart, Natsume Takashi actually knew what he would be doing after graduating. He could never possibly hope to live a normal life as the rest of his classmates did. And that was okay. He would make do, as he'd been managing thus for his entire life.
"Natsume?"
The quiet interjection startled Natsume out of his thoughts, and his head twisted to the left, directing his gaze at the person of his closest friend and confidant, Tanuma Kaname. Natsume swallowed, his heart fluttering weirdly in his chest for a moment before he willed the sensation away. "Hi, Tanuma."
"Daydreaming again?" Tanuma raised an eyebrow at him, grinning a little, and Natsume felt his face heat up traitorously. "Class is over, you know."
"Ah..." Natsume glanced around the classroom only to find it empty. He looked back at Tanuma, only to find the other boy looking at him with concern now, rather than a teasing smile.
"Is everything okay? Are the yokai bothering you again?" Tanuma asked in that characteristically kind way of his, which Natsume had come, not only to expect from him, but more importantly to take comfort in.
Natsume was certainly better off now than he had been years ago, when he'd had no one to rely on but himself — no one to understand him in this world except his own person. But now he had others, notably the Fujiwaras, who loved him as if he were their own son. But even they could not understand Natsume as completely as the boy standing before him did.
Somehow, receiving Tanuma's concern these days also seemed to set off the butterflies in his stomach. Natsume averted his eyes, hoping his face was no longer radiating heat as obviously as it likely had been before. "It's not the yokai. I've just been tired. Long night," he said by way of explanation, and it wasn't a lie either. He had been kept up by the unexpected arrival of some name-seeking yokai last night, hence his desire to sleep through his final class.
Tanuma nodded, concern mostly assuaged for now. "Let's head out now, alright? You can come over if you want, my dad's out of town."
"Really?" Natsume asked, getting up from his seat while putting away his school things. He slung his messenger bag over his shoulder, then followed Tanuma out into the hall.
"Yeah. We can play go if you like. Or just study, whatever's fine," Tanuma offered with a smile.
Studying sounded like an awful way to pass the time with his best friend. "Go sounds good," Natsume replied and Tanuma laughed at the quickness of his response.
The walk to Yatsuhara was brisk but pleasant, and Natsume noted how time seemed to always pass quickly when the two of them were together. Once they arrived at the temple however, there was an unusual sight waiting for them at the entrance. At the top of the steps leading to the terrace, there was a small pile of five-yen coins, glittering golden in the late sun of the afternoon. Tanuma stopped short of the stairs and Natsume followed suit, eyeing the coins before turning to his friend. "What is it?" Natsume asked.
Tanuma continued to observe the pile of money for a moment before looking at Natsume. His expression was untroubled but there was tension there, hidden behind a slight smile. It wasn't fake, per se. Nothing about Tanuma was ever disingenuous. But Natsume could tell when someone was hiding something, because he himself was a master at the art.
"Looks like someone left another donation to the temple," Tanuma laughed, then climbed the steps to get a closer look at the money. He prodded at the coins with a finger, causing the pile to collapse and emit a faint series of clinks. Natsume came to kneel beside him on the terrace. "Five-yen coins again."
Judging from the meager amount, this donation had to be made by someone who was either extremely thrifty or poor. Either that or it was a prank of some kind. But who would go through the trouble of leaving such a small sum of coins in front of the Yatsuhara temple? And what could they seek to gain from doing such a thing? The temple was out of the way of everything, an isolated place within the woods. Natsume gazed at his closest friend, wondering. "Has this happened before?"
"Yeah," Tanuma nodded, running a hand through his hair. "It's been going on for the past week or so. My dad always says we should be grateful for any donation given to the temple, and I agree with him."
"However," Tanuma put fingers to his chin, observing the heap of currency critically. It was a small number of coins, and the denomination was so small that the sum total amounted to nearly nothing. "There's something odd about this. This wasn't here when I left for school this morning, which means someone must've come by while I was away at school. But the day before, the donation appeared in the morning, while I was heading out. I was sure it hadn't been there last night, since I'd taken out the garbage before the sun set. So they must have stopped by while my dad and I were sleeping."
Natsume thought about it, then nodded. "It feels odd to me too, though I don't see anything strange in the area." He swept an eye around their surroundings for a moment before shaking his head. "Nothing seems off and you don't feel anything, right?" Tanuma shook his head. The dark-haired boy was past the point of feeling headaches now, whether that was because he'd finally grown out of them or something else. But Natsume knew Tanuma could still sense the presence of ayakashi, so nothing could've been tipping off his sixth sense at the moment. "Should I go home and get Nyanko-sensei?" Natsume offered. "Maybe he'll have some ideas about this."
Tanuma smiled. He looked at Natsume and his eyes were gentle. There was nothing strange about the situation, not really. This was more or less an average day in Natsume's life, in the life of one who could see strange things. However, kneeling on the steps with Tanuma by his side, a warm presence in the otherwise chilly autumn air, with Tanuma's gaze fixed kindly upon him — it made butterflies erupt in Natsume's chest. His eyes darted away immediately upon the uncomfortable feeling, not knowing what was happening to him or what was changing between him and Tanuma. He had some idea, from helping so many ayakashi with their interpersonal problems and relationships. However, he hadn't expected that this would ever happen to him.
And with his closest friend, nonetheless. Natsume was royally screwed.
But. He pushed the thought to the furthest recesses of his mind, because now was not the moment to ponder such things. He would have time while staring at his bedroom ceiling tonight, trying to fall asleep and instead dwelling on thoughts of the one sitting next to him. Instead, he focused on the situation at hand, waiting for Tanuma to answer.
"It's alright, Natsume," Tanuma replied. Was it Natsume's imagination or did his voice sound a bit off too? Natsume wished he could put his cold hands to his own cheeks to cool them down, but such a gesture would be way too obvious. "Whoever's doing this, I don't think they're malicious. At least, that's the feeling I get. We can talk more about it but let's head inside. It's getting cold."
Upon Natsume's agreement, Tanuma scooped the meager donation to the temple into his palm, then let them both inside the compound, sliding the door shut behind them to keep out the chill of oncoming winter. The interior of the temple was blissfully warm, and Natsume excused himself before shedding his shoes by the entrance, following Tanuma to his room.
Though it had been an impossibility from the start, all thoughts of studying truly fell to the wayside once Tanuma set up the go board between them. They played a match and Natsume lost, predictably. Tanuma offered a rematch which Natsume declined, asking the other boy instead to teach him how to put go pieces down like a professional.
"What?" Tanuma laughed, twirling a game piece between his long fingers effortlessly. Natsume tried not to feel envy at the semi-serious air which the other boy always had when sitting before a game board.
"You know, when you put the go piece down on the board — pachin. It makes that nice sound." Natsume hoped his expression was serious but realistically, it probably looked more like a pout. "Please teach me how to do that."
So they spent the next hour or so impersonating professional go players. It was quite silly and not at all serious and Natsume didn't really learn anything, except for how much his back hurt when he laughed for too long. When the sun set, Natsume borrowed Tanuma's landline and called home, asking Touko-san if he could stay at Tanuma's for dinner, which she allowed. They cooked udon and ate their fill, then cleaned the kitchen before sitting back down at the table, a pot of tea between them.
The scent of jasmine flowers wafted up to Natsume's nose from his teacup. He closed his eyes and breathed in, content.
"You know, Natsume," Tanuma said. He was seated on the other side of the small, square table. "I was thinking, have I ever showed you around the temple grounds?"
Natsume opened his eyes, looking at his best friend. "You mean around this building? Sure you have."
Tanuma shook his head, hair falling into his eyes at the action. "This temple includes all of the forest surrounding this compound, where I live with my dad. Within the forest there are shrines and other places of worship. This is the main building," the dark-haired boy explained, "but years ago, I heard that people used to travel the forest to access the other parts of the temple."
"Really?" Natsume asked, fingers playing with the rim of his cup. He kept his touches light though, not wanting to burn himself on the hot porcelain.
"Yeah. The paths are still there, I think. At least most of them are, but dad and I don't maintain them anymore. They were overgrown by the time we moved in, since they were no longer being used. But I was thinking..." Tanuma lifted his gaze to the ceiling for a moment, considering. Then he looked at Natsume again and said, "Will you come with me? I want to show you something."
Natsume nodded, standing from his chair as Tanuma did the same. "Should I get my jacket?" Natsume asked, figuring Tanuma wanted to show him something outside.
But the taller boy only smiled. "We aren't going out," he said enigmatically. "Follow me."
Tanuma led them through the compound, past a disorienting number of shoji screens. How the other boy managed to not get lost in his own home on a daily basis was baffling to Natsume, but finally they came to a stop. Tanuma pushed aside the nearest screen to reveal an austere room, mostly empty save for a desk and chair, along with a number of books and scriptures organized into shelves.
"My dad's study," Tanuma explained, inviting Natsume to follow him over the threshold. "He lets me come in here, don't worry." Tanuma paused on his way past the shelves, pulling out a scroll and taking it with him as they went over to his father's desk. Then he unfurled the paper, weighing it down with paperweights as Natsume let his gaze rove over the contents.
"A map?" the silver-haired boy wondered aloud.
"Of the temple." Tanuma smiled at him.
"It's huge," Natsume said, impressed by how much of the temple grounds was actually hidden from view by the forest.
"Even my dad hasn't seen all of it yet," Tanuma said, turning his own attention to the map. "But this is what got my attention." He pointed a finger at a landmark on the diagram.
Natsume leaned closer to the surface of the desk, inspecting the inscription there. "The fisher's well?" he read off.
"Right." Tanuma straightened up, crossing his arms. "There's a legend about that place, which I heard about some time after moving here. The story goes that people used to visit this well to pray for their loved ones, especially if they were seriously ill. The spirits protecting the well were believed to confer good health upon those who dropped a five-yen coin into the waters there."
Natsume raised his eyebrows, realizing the connection that Tanuma had made. "A five-yen coin?"
"See what I mean?" Tanuma said, confirming Natsume's suspicions. "I'm thinking of going to pay that place a visit."
"Should we go now?" Natsume asked automatically, then nearly bit his own tongue at how embarrassed he felt by his own eagerness to accompany Tanuma.
The other boy's eyes widened, lips parting with surprise. "I doubt we'll be able to find the path at night," he said regretfully and Natsume nodded, admitting the reason in that statement. "Truthfully, I was thinking of giving the well a visit before school tomorrow."
Natsume bit his lip, looking at the floor as he thought of what to say. The gentle touch of Tanuma's hand on his shoulder, however, quieted every thought in his brain. He short-circuited.
Oblivious to Natsume's predicament, Tanuma said kindly, "Do you think this might have something to do with the yokai, Natsume? Don't worry, if I find anything suspicious, I'll find you at school and let you know. But the temple grounds are usually pretty safe, that's what sensei always says, doesn't he?"
"I..." Natsume stammered, still acutely aware of where Tanuma's hand rested on his shoulder. He felt too warm. "I... I just don't... w-want you getting hurt?"
At this, Tanuma himself seemed to color, withdrawing his hand to cup the back of his own neck instead. "Well yeah," he said, dark eyes looking away from Natsume, "but I don't want you getting hurt either."
The silence which followed was deafening.
It endured for about five more seconds before it was completely shattered by the ring of the telephone.
Both boys jumped, then looked at each other sheepishly. "I'll go get that," Tanuma said, running off to locate the nearest receiver while Natsume floundered in place, trying to decide whether or not to put the map away. The polite thing to do was to make sure the study looked as it had before they'd entered. But what if Tanuma still needed to look at the map to find the well tomorrow morning...
"Natsume?" Tanuma's voice rang down the hallway, making the silver-haired boy jump out of his skin for a second time in the past minute. "It's Fujiwara-san."
In the end, Natsume left the study as it was, leaving the room to receive the call instead. Touko-san wanted to know whether Natsume needed a ride home, since it was getting late. Feeling bad about inconveniencing her, Natsume struggled to find a response until Tanuma said, "I can take you home."
"What?" Natsume asked quietly, covering the mouthpiece of the receiver so Touko-san wouldn't think the question was being directed at her.
"On my bike." Tanuma smiled. "What do you think?"
Natsume told Touko-san that Tanuma would bring him home on his bike, and she implored them to both be careful. Being two teenage boys, that was a difficult order for them to follow. Natsume gathered up his things, then they both donned their jackets and shoes and left the compound for the chilly evening air.
Tanuma wheeled his bike out from the small lean-to where it was held, then invited Natsume to sit on the rack over the rear wheel while he himself straddled the seat. "Hold on, okay?" he said, and in the next moment, they were flying down the dirt road leading to the temple.
Natsume perched his shoes on the hub of the back wheel, and held onto the edge of the rack with an iron grip. He felt the nearly irresistible urge to wrap his arms around Tanuma's waist, as that would surely be more secure. But no, it was impossible, because there would be absolutely no salvaging his friendship with the taller boy if he dared such an unequivocal gesture.
Or maybe... Tanuma would be so nice and understanding about it, seeing it as something done purely out of necessity. And then what? Natsume would feel so disappointed about it, Nyanko-sensei would surely notice once he got home. Then the perceptive yokai would infer the reason from him, and Natsume could never live that down. Sensei would pester him about it forever.
Neither outcome was favorable. Hard as it was, Natsume kept his fingers clenched around the frame of his makeshift seat the whole ride home. However, it didn't stop him from looking at Tanuma. From where he sat, he could only see the back of the taller boy's head, but the way his dark hair danced in the wind made Natsume ache to reach his hand out and touch him.
Later that evening, after he had said goodbye to his best friend and implored him to be careful on his way home, Natsume made his way up to his bedroom. He shut the door behind him, looked around and saw no trace of Nyanko-sensei. He went to open the window a crack, shivering at how easily the chill of evening invaded the warmth of his bedroom. Then Natsume sat down heavily before his desk, burying his face in his forearms as he leaned against the tabletop.
He stayed there for an indeterminate amount of time, long enough for the position to become uncomfortable, until there came the sound of something soft and weighty falling to the floor, coming from the general vicinity of the open window. Nyanko-sensei padded over to Natsume, jumping onto the desktop to sit beside him.
"Mu, what's wrong with you," the yokai asked. Natsume smelled the scent of sake coming from the vessel. He didn't even bother to wrinkle his nose or make a comment on it.
"I'm tired, sensei." Natsume buried his head further into his forearms, bangs brushing against his skin at the action.
"All because a couple of yokai came to see you last night?" Nyanko-sensei scoffed. There was the sound of liquid sloshing into a cup, a satisfied slurp, then a quiet belch. "For someone with so much power, you're quite the weakling, aren't you?"
Natsume had no energy to quip with Madara this evening, which the yokai seemed to pick up on. "You better close the window, Natsume," he continued, "unless you want to be disturbed again tonight."
Unwilling as he was to get up, Natsume saw the merit in this suggestion. Against the protest of his body he stood to close the window, then retrieved his bookbag on his way back to his desk, pulling out his notebook. He was so tired, but at minimum, he felt obliged to review his lecture notes — at least the ones he took during his last class of the day, which he'd barely paid attention to. Sitting beside his lamp, Nyanko-sensei continued to watch Natsume, calmly pouring himself some more sake while never taking his eyes off his ward.
"What is it? Were you with that brat this evening?" he quipped.
Natsume flicked his eyes over to the yokai, wondering just how exactly he figured out these things. The boy sighed, "He's not a brat."
"Did he do something to you?" Madara asked, voice deceptively calm.
Natsume ran a hand through his hair, then opened his notebook to the desired page. "It's nothing, sensei. I have to study now."
"Humans," the yokai scoffed. His tone was equal parts condescension and amusement, as it often was when referring to the impenetrable behavior of mortals. "How unnecessarily foolish they always are. Generous with words until they actually need to use them. How droll. And since when do you study for anything, Natsume? I'm hungry you know, sake doesn't fill an empty stomach. Where's my dinner portion..."
In the end, Natsume had just enough energy to review his history lecture. It turned out they were starting a unit on the local history of Hitoyoshi. Natsume found this somewhat interesting, seeing how he was still quite new to the area and didn't know much about the town at all. He briefly wondered if Tanuma might also find the subject interesting, since the other boy had moved into town even later than Natsume had.
Then the silver-haired boy realized that his thoughts had strayed to Tanuma again, and that just made him feel even more weary. He closed his notebook and switched off the lamp, then fell into bed without even bothering to change his clothes. He heard Nyanko-sensei tsk at him before following him onto the mattress, using his teeth to pull the covers up and around Natsume's body as he said under his sake-flavored breath, "What an incorrigible boy you are, Natsume."[1]
The corner of the boy's mouth curved up a little, and he patted his sensei twice on the head in lieu of a response. Then he quickly drifted off to the realm of sleep, carried by the fumes of alcohol and visions of dark eyes, dark hair and a kind smile.
***
Natsume woke up to rain the next morning. To make matters worse, he was running late after sleeping so soundly the previous night. On his way to school, the bottom of his dress pants quickly became soaked through, despite his best efforts to dodge the puddles collecting on the street. Nyanko-sensei ran beside him, and the one good thing about being late was that none of his classmates were there to witness the strange sight of this boy running through the rain with his cat.
"Sensei, why didn't you wake me up?" Natsume asked, somewhat anguished as a pool of water soaked through his shoes and socks.
"Mu, Natsume. You should be more grateful to me. Some more yokai came last night to have their names returned, but I chased them away." Nyanko-sensei looked at him out of one eye, arcane smile pasted equivocally on his face, giving nothing away. "I believe some payment shall be in order, don't you think?"
"Argh."
The main issue on Natsume's mind, however, was Tanuma. Natsume couldn't help but dwell on the other boy as he made his way to school. I wonder if he's okay. Did he really visit the well this morning, in this rain? Natsume thought to himself as he peeked out of the cover of his umbrella, looking up at the pouring sky. A raindrop splashed against his cheek, wetting his eyelash.
Upon making it to his classroom, Natsume found his seat and unbuttoned his jacket, feeling simultaneously hot and cold from having exerted himself in such unfriendly weather. His socks felt uncomfortably damp. Nishimura found him and teased him a little for looking out of sorts.
"You alright there, Natsume?" he asked jovially, and Natsume shot him a halfhearted glare while wiping his face with his sleeve. Luckily they had a free first period, which meant that Natsume's lateness wouldn't count against him in this instance.
It also presented the perfect opportunity to go touch base with Tanuma. After excusing himself, Natsume headed for the doorway — where he promptly ran into the one he was looking for.
"Natsume!" Tanuma's face lit up as they crossed paths on the threshold. By the looks of it, the dark-haired boy had been talking to someone just inside Natsume's classroom, possibly asking that student to flag Natsume's attention for him. But now there was no need, and that third party vacated the doorway to give the two friends a chance to talk.
Natsume mirrored Tanuma's smile, but he spared no time in asking, "Are you okay?" His green eyes anxiously ran over Tanuma's appearance, looking for anything out of sorts. As far as he could tell, Tanuma was unharmed and there was nothing possessing him, but Natsume was not omniscient, and there were times where things also slipped his notice.
Tanuma smiled warmly at him. "I'm fine, Natsume. But what about you? Are you..."
He reached out his hand, extending his fingers to the side of Natsume's face. The silver-haired boy felt the very tip of his fringe being brushed away from his jaw, before Tanuma seemed to be struck with realization. The taller boy retracted his hand immediately, as if burned, reappropriating it to scratch the back of his head.
Natsume didn't want to know how his face looked in that moment.
"Ah, no. Um," Tanuma made a gesture with his hands, as if patting the air down around his head. "Your hair, it's a little..."
Self-consciously, Natsume clamped his hands down on his head, feeling how the strands under his fingers had become damp and disheveled during his trip to school. Nishimura had warned him, hadn't he? Natsume did his best to smooth down, what was sure to be the start of a bad hair day. But then the other boy gestured for him to stop, expression sobering.
"It doesn't look bad, Natsume. Just different," Tanuma's tone was exceedingly kind and calm as always. "Did you happen to run into any trouble on your way here?"
Natsume let his arms fall back to his sides, reassured by the words of his closest friend. "Well, yes. But nothing supernatural, it was only some rain." The two boys shared a laugh. "More importantly, what about you?" Natsume asked, growing serious. "Did you visit the well this morning?"
Tanuma nodded. "I did. Actually, if you don't mind, are you busy this afternoon? I'd like for you to accompany me there if you have time."
Surprised at how forthcoming Tanuma was, Natsume blinked before agreeing. "Of course. I have to make one quick stop on our way home, if that's okay."
"No problem," Tanuma agreed, always amicable. He put fingers to his chin, thinking. "It's just that... after you left yesterday, I thought it over. The five-yen coins that were left on our doorstep, maybe someone put them there because they wanted to make a wish at the well, but were unable to pay a visit themselves. Maybe they wanted me or my father to make the wish for them," the dark-haired boy reasoned. "In case that was true, I brought the coins with me before I left this morning, planning to throw them into the well once I got there." Privately, Natsume marveled at the understated thoughtfulness which Tanuma always seemed to exhibit.
"Anyways," Tanuma continued, "the path there was overgrown but the trail is still clearly marked. The rain made the ground soft in places, but with boots, it's manageable. When I came out of the woods, I discovered that the monument was actually located on a little hill."
Natsume raised his eyebrows. "Really?" A well on top of a hill? Not the most logical place to build one, seeing as water collected deep underground.
"It seems strange, doesn't it?" Tanuma agreed. "But once I climbed the hill, I found that there wasn't a well at the top at all."
"Oh?" Natsume's brows raised even further.
"There's only a small shrine built there. It's still in good condition, though as far as my dad and I know, no one has been looking after it. Inside the shrine, there was also a little statue of a bird."
Curious. Natsume thought about it for a moment and figured, the statue could surely be a vessel for some kind of spirit. This was often the case in the situations he had previously dealt with. "Did you feel anything strange coming from the shrine?" Natsume asked.
"A little, but the presence was faint," Tanuma said. "I couldn't see any trace of the spirit if there was one, and the aura wasn't malicious."
"I see." So with Natsume there, if there was a spirit inhabiting the shrine, then he could act as a medium, and Tanuma would be able to ask the spirit if they knew anything about the five-yen mystery.
They agreed to meet each other at the school gates after classes finished. When Natsume returned to his classroom, Nishimura came back to his side. The latter pulled a comb out of his pocket, offering it to the silver-haired boy with an air of gravitas. "Even Tanuma noticed something," Nishimura said seriously, "and that guy always needs a haircut." Refusing the comb, Natsume didn't know whether to hide his face from embarrassment or chuckle with mirth.
Nishimura's offer meant that he'd seen Tanuma reach out to touch Natsume's hair, and that thought alone made the silver-haired boy feel warm. But the whole situation was so strange that Natsume couldn't help to find a bit of humor in it.
*
Once classes were finished, Natsume quickly packed up his things — he'd actually managed to stay awake the whole day. Meeting Tanuma at the appointed location, they began their walk home. Nyanko-sensei took little time to make an appearance once they'd separated from the crowd somewhat, jumping down from the school wall which ran parallel to the walkway. He landed on Natsume's right shoulder, making the silver-haired boy stumble left from the impact. Tanuma steadied him from his other side, causing Natsume to stutter out an apology. Tanuma reassured him that it was fine, but Natsume still vented his embarrassment on his sensei, saying that he was too heavy to be attempting such maneuvers. The yokai simply told Natsume he needed to eat more.
After stopping by a food stall not far from the school, all three were newly equipped with warm, golden croquettes. This was the payment Nyanko-sensei had been referring to in the morning, on Natsume's way to school. It wasn't a bad trade though, the silver-haired boy figured. Tanuma had also bought some extra croquettes, the plastic bag holding them rustling at his side as they returned to Yatsuhara. Tanuma's father would be coming back that evening, and would surely appreciate something to eat after his long trip.
After arriving at the temple, the two boys spared a moment to drop off their things before Natsume borrowed a pair of boots from his best friend. They were a little big, but served their function just fine. As for the weather, it had started to drizzle lightly once again on their way back. Tanuma pulled a large umbrella out of the closet by the entrance, and the three of them sandwiched under its protection as they made their way to the hilltop.
The forest was peaceful and mostly devoid of yokai. There were a few which peeked out from the tree trunks, observing the trio as they made their way through. But these spirits were harmless, merely observing. Under the temple's domain and Tanuma-san's influence, it was simply impossible for malevolent spirits to stay here. Even without the area being purified by the formidable monk, the spiritual power of the temple itself was enough to repel evil.
The ground was slick and muddy, and rain continued to filter through the tops of the trees. It was early autumn, so the leaves were not yet colorful, still verdant but on the cusp of changing. The setting was peaceful. Feeling clumsy in his borrowed boots, Natsume tripped on a tree root which had broken through the surface, and Tanuma caught his arm with the hand not being used to hold up the umbrella.
"Careful, Natsume," Tanuma said. His voice was close to the silver-haired boy's ear and made Natsume inexplicably nervous. He swallowed with some difficulty, looking up. Tanuma gazed back at him kindly, still holding onto his arm until the shorter boy pulled away, thanking him. They continued on their way, though Natsume couldn't help but notice the way Nyanko-sensei was eyeing them knowingly, as if exasperated.
Once they broke through the trees, Natsume was surprised to find that, indeed, they were at the foot of a small knoll. The ground was drier once they began to climb the hill, which made for easier going. As they crested the rise, a small stone shrine came into view. It was roughly shoulder-height and, as Tanuma had relayed, the little structure was well-made and in good condition. However, it wasn't just that the shrine was sturdy. The grass and weeds around it had been controlled, so that they could not overtake the modest devotional.
"Someone's been taking care of this place," Natsume murmured. As he continued to observe the shrine, his ears began to pick up on a different sound. Underneath the sound of rain falling onto their umbrella, there was a splashing kind of noise — the kind of noise generated when water falls into more water. Natsume looked around and saw, some meters away, a small pond.
"The well..." Natsume said, awed. It was a beautiful little pond, with water clear as crystal and stones lining the bottom. The surface was continuously broken by the arrival of raindrops, and the sound this produced wasn't unlike the quiet chime of a sweet bell. The silver-haired boy turned to his friend, pointing to the lovely water feature. "There wasn't a well at all, Tanuma. It's more like a pond. How misleading."
Tanuma followed Natsume's finger, gazing in the vicinity of the pond, but then shook his head. "I can't see anything there, Natsume." His voice was not unkind though, but honest and patient.
Natsume felt his heart sink. This happened from time to time, where the difference in their abilities made itself very obvious. There was no one to blame, which made it somewhat more painful. "I'm sorry. There's, ah..." The atmosphere had become a little awkward.
Tanuma took a step closer to him, so that their arms brushed together. Natsume looked at him, surprised, but Tanuma continued to gaze in the direction which Natsume had pointed towards, squinting. "Will you tell me what it looks like?"
The silver-haired boy smiled. He did his best to describe the scene to Tanuma, all the while, leaning subtly into his warm touch. Afterwards, he returned his attention to the shrine, observing it more critically. When he saw something inside it, Natsume bent closer to the ground to take a look within. Sure enough, there was a little bird statue resting on the inner pedestal.
The sculpture had also been crafted from stone. However, unlike the shrine which it was encased in, the statue was in poor condition. There was evidence that it had once been painstakingly crafted, as some fine details were still apparent — the markings of the individual feathers, as well as the careful and deliberate curve of the bird's fine beak. But most of the craftsmanship had been eroded away. It was also missing its eyes — the sockets empty as if they'd been filled with something before — and there were various fissures lining its body.
The statue was surely fragile. If one were to pick it up, it might even break apart in their hands. Natsume commented, "The shrine and the idol inside aren't the same age."
Tanuma bent close to the ground to see for himself. "I agree."
"A kingfisher..." Natsume conjectured quietly, then glanced at Tanuma. "It's a kingfisher, don't you think?"
"Do you think so?" Tanuma raised his eyebrows. "I've never seen one before."
"Me neither, but I've read about them in books," Natsume murmured thoughtfully. "The fisher's well..." Just then, Tanuma placed his free hand to his forehead, furrowing his brows a bit. Concerned, Natsume asked, "Are you alright? Do you feel something strange?"
Tanuma grimaced. "There's pressure," he said, touching his fingers to his temple. "I felt it when I came here this morning too."
They stood back up and Natsume asked Tanuma to accompany him to the pond with the umbrella, so he could take a closer look. Perhaps under the water, there was some kind of aquatic spirit which was causing Tanuma to detect something. Gazing under the surface, Natsume noted that the pond was actually quite deep, and he hadn't been able to see it from a distance, but there weren't only stones lining the bottom. Natsume's eyes widened. There were also —
"Excuse me." A small voice called out and Natsume twisted around, almost losing his footing on the wet ground. He managed to catch himself before doing something even more embarrassing, such as fall into the pond.
"Natsume?" Tanuma asked, concerned, but Natsume only stared at the back of the shrine which he could now see around from his new vantage.
"Can you see me?"
There was a small girl crouching under the eaves of the shrine. She was young, not even a decade old by the look of her face. Her long, straight hair was dark but with a bluish tint, while her eyes were pale and translucent. She peered at Natsume unblinkingly, looking up at him with a doe-like stare from her spot on the ground.
"There's a girl there," Natsume informed Tanuma. For all intents and purposes, she looked just like a human child, but with a somewhat unusual coloring.
Nyanko-sensei finally broke his silence, commenting, "It took you this long to notice her, Natsume. All because you were making eyes at something else. Or should I say, someone —"
Natsume quieted the yokai with a punch, then chuckled nervously at Tanuma who raised an eyebrow at the silver-haired boy. Clearing his throat, Natsume turned to the little girl. "I can see you."
Upon hearing Natsume's answer, she stood up. She was not even as tall as the shrine, and wore a simple dress made of pale fabric. The smock was pristine, clearly otherworldly. She brushed out the wrinkles in the fabric before smiling. "Thank goodness. Someone finally came."