Chapter Text
The hushed whispers got louder as more people were drawn to the source of all the commotion.
“Is that-”
“No, it couldn’t be-”
Natori used to hate all the gossip, the whispering about him. Sneering from his classmates, hushed insults from the exorcists, complaining from his relatives. But this-
“Did you see him in that new movie?”
“I saw an ad for his new single the other day, and he was shirtless!”
“He’s sooo hot!”
He didn’t mind these whispers so much. It got a little much at times, and he did have to worry about the occasional creepy fan, but overall, he enjoyed the attention. A nice change from the snide comments and slanderous gossip he had to deal with before, and still did sometimes. Natori waved at a couple bashful girls as he walked past them in the park. He heard barely-contained squealing from behind as he moved on. The whispering continued.
“Is that Natori Shuuichi?”
“Oh my god, it is!”
“He’s just as handsome in real life as in the movies, if not even more!”
“Isn’t he that actor?”
“Natori?”
Natori turned around at the familiar voice behind him.
“Tanuma?”
The boy smiled shyly, his thick, charcoal-black hair slightly covering his dark eyes.
Natori flashed a cheerful smile back at him.
“Long time no see. How have things been?”
“They’ve been good… um…”
“Is something the matter?”
“Yeah, actually, there’s something I want to talk to you about… Since you’re here…”
Natori felt a slight alarm bubble up in his chest.
“Is everything okay? Did something happen to Natsume?”
The boy looked slightly annoyed at this question.
“No, Natsume is fine. This is about me. I…” He looked around a little, his arms folded. Then he gave a respectful bow and said:
“Please teach me exorcism!”
Tanuma kept his head down, awaiting an answer.
“You want to learn… exorcism?”
Tanuma stood back up straight. “I do. I know… I know I can’t do much. I can’t even see youkai. But… but that’s why I want to learn! I want to learn how to be useful. I’m tired of not being able to do anything, I’m sick of it. So please…”
Natori smiled. He stood there for a moment, and then spoke.
“There’s a lot of noise here. My apartment is close by, so we can talk there.”
Tanuma followed Natori into his spacious apartment. It was definitely… nice. In an expensive kind of way. Fitting for a celebrity. It was a bit empty though. There was a couch and coffee table, and a TV, but not much else. Natori opened his mostly empty cabinets and pulled out an elaborate china tea set. Tanuma sat silently on the couch as the man prepared tea for the two of them. He felt nervous. It must be a good sign that Natori was willing enough to hear him out that he even invited him over for tea, but he still feared what answer he would receive.
No need to be nervous. I won’t recruit someone who’s only slightly sensitive.
Tanuma frowned. He already was rejected, back at that mansion. Why would Natori bother bringing him here when he clearly had no interest in him? Why did Tanuma even bother asking?
“Here’s that tea ready.”
Natori set ornate tea cups down for both of them and sat down. The two sat quietly for a bit, sipping on the hot tea. Then Natori spoke.
“The world of exorcism is dangerous for children.”
Tanuma looked over at him. He then looked down and frowned again.
“I’m sure Natsume-”
“It’s especially dangerous for Natsume. I don’t like him involved in that kind of thing. I don’t like him involved with youkai at all, if I’m being honest. I can’t bring you into that world.”
Tanuma might as well have known he’d receive an answer like this, but he couldn’t back down now.
“Please! I know it’s dangerous, but that’s why I want to know this stuff… if I knew how to keep myself safe… how to keep other people safe…”
How to keep Natsume safe…
“I just want to be able to help.”
Natori looked at him. As always, he was kind of hard to read.
“Like I said, I can’t bring you into the world of exorcism. I won’t take you to any meetings or have you perform actual exorcisms, but… that doesn’t mean you can’t learn stuff. You want to help your friends, don’t you? I understand.”
He went over to the small table by his door where the phone was, and flipped through a notebook.
“I don’t have anything scheduled this Friday. You live at the Buddhist temple in Yatsuhara, right? Meet me at the edge of the forest near your home at 5:00 p.m.”
Tanuma beamed happily and jumped up.
“For real? You’ll really teach me things?”
“Haha, don’t get ahead of yourself. There’s not much I can teach you yet, but I can introduce you to some of the basics. Maybe learn some useful talismans. Maybe a spell if I think you’re ready for one.”
“Natori, thank you!”
“No problem, haha. I’ll see you then?”
“Yes! Thank you, again, so much.”
“Hey, Tanuma!”
“Natsume? Hey!” Tanuma smiled.
The fat cat sat on Natsume’s shoulders and stared at him with his weird eyes.
“Do you want to hang out? Nyanko-sensei discovered a new shop on a stroll, and we were going to drop by on the way home from school.”
“Oh? That sounds fun. Sorry, but I’m busy today. We’ll have to go some other time, though!”
The two waved goodbye, and went their separate ways.
Should I have told him?
Tanuma wondered about this. Should Natsume know he’s going to be learning exorcism stuff from Natori? Would Natori tell him anyway? How would he react? Would he be happy? Mad? Scared? Tanuma shook his head. It didn’t matter what Natsume thought. This was his choice. He wanted to learn exorcist techniques to help protect himself and others. Natsume had no say in this.
“For creatures so obsessed with keeping track of time, humans aren’t very punctual.”
“Hiiragi, it only just turned 5:00.”
The horned spirit stood gazing towards the temple, intently waiting for the boy to arrive. She couldn’t care less about the passing of time, but she didn’t want him keeping her master waiting. That would be impolite.
“Master, are you sure this is alright?”
“I told you, it only just turned-”
“I mean this,” she said, gesturing to the bag he held, full of various exorcism tools.
“Last time you tried to teach a child about exorcism, it didn’t end very well.”
“It ended well for you, didn’t it?”
“I suppose. But I know you still regret what happened.”
Natori looked down.
Hiiragi supposed she was glad to survive her predicament, but she did think Natsume had been a fool for doing what he did. And though she wouldn’t say it out of respect, she knew Natori had also been foolish by getting him involved. Maybe she also bore some blame for his involvement. Though it’s not like she would have guessed a human child would have endangered himself for a youkai.
“It’s different this time. Tanuma actually wants to learn this stuff. It’s not like when I tried to make Natsume learn. And besides, it’s not like I’m getting him involved in any actual exorcisms. I’ll teach him some protective talismans and such, but nothing too risky.”
He sighed.
“But still, I am a bit nervous, if I’m being honest. I don’t want to make any mistakes again. I can’t.”
Hiiragi looked at him. It was rare for her master to admit things like this. Though she remained skeptical, maybe this would be a good experience for Natori. She saw the boy, Tanuma, walking through the small field over to the edge of the forest where they stood. She glanced at Natori’s watch. 5:01. He was late.
“Tanuma, just on time!” Natori called out, waving. The man leaned against a tree, wearing a brown jacket and a black bucket hat. Tanuma smiled. It was funny seeing a popular celebrity standing out in the woods. Though he supposed it had been much weirder seeing him dressed up as a youkai at a mansion.
“Hi, Natori. I hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“No worries, I got here pretty early. I hope your day’s been good.”
“It’s been fine.” “How are you feeling about this evening? Still up for this?”
“I’m honestly a bit anxious, but I feel excited too. Thank you, again.”
“Well then, should we get going?” Tanuma smiled and nodded.
The two began walking through the trees, which got denser and darker further in. Tanuma thought it was a bit spooky, even with an adult by his side. The awkward silence was starting to get uncomfortable. Maybe some small talk would help. He didn’t really know much about Natori. If they were going to work together, maybe they should talk some.
“So, Natori, when did you start doing this stuff?”
“You mean exorcism? Ummm, when I was a second year in high school.”
“You mean you were about my age?”
“I thought you said this stuff wasn’t for kids," Tanuma frowned.
“Haha, it’s not.”
Tanuma smiled.
“I see. How did you get involved in this stuff at such a young age?”
“My family used to be exorcists, actually.”
“Used to be?”
“Well, they were an old, powerful clan, but the ability to see youkai died out for a long time until I was born. By that time, they had left the business.”
“They must have been relieved that someone could finally see again.”
Natori’s face darkened a little at this.
Shit. That was definitely the wrong thing to say.
“Sorry, it wasn’t my place to ask-”
“It’s alright.” There was an awkward silence as they walked a bit more.
“My family is actually quite scared of my abilities. They think I attract misfortune.”
Tanuma looked at him.
“I see.”
He didn’t know what else to say. Even someone who was born to a powerful former exorcist clan was hated by his family. Just because he could see things they couldn’t.
Something else he and Natsume have in common.
Tanuma felt a little sick at this. He felt… jealous? Natsume and Natori both could see things others couldn’t. They both suffered because of this. They knew the same pain and anguish. They both shared a world others were unaware of. How close were they? Natsume didn’t really talk about Natori. Tanuma didn’t even know they knew each other until the mansion. He didn’t even know exorcists were a thing until then. He didn’t even really know they were actual friends until Natsume casually mentioned hanging out with him to go pick loquats.
More things he didn’t know.
He walked a little closer to Natori.
I need to change the subject.
“You have youkai servants, don’t you? Are they here?”
“Oh, sorry, I wasn’t thinking. Yes, one of them is. Do you remember Hiiragi? She was the one who stayed with you at the mansion.”
“I remember a little. Let’s see… straight blonde hair, long robes, had a sword on her back, her mask has one eye and two horns. Oh, and it was cracked down the middle if I remember correctly. Is it like that naturally?”
Natori looked at him.
“Sorry, I keep asking personal things.”
“Haha, it’s okay. It’s kind of awkward to say, but it’s my fault her mask is like that. She was trapped by a spell when I found her and I had to use an exorcism circle to break it. And, well, her mask broke from the force of the exorcism. It’s just a good thing she wasn’t hurt too badly.”
“Oh, I see… Um, is she beside you right now?”
Natori smiled and nodded. Tanuma looked over to the other side of him.
“Hi, Hiiragi.”
Natori looked over and then back to Tanuma.
“She says ‘hi’ back.”
Tanuma smiled.
He got to talk to a youkai again.