Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It’s never unusual for celebrities to be the center of the spotlight, both on-stage and off-camera. Whether they like it or not, they have to deal with unending attention that sometimes connects to unwanted exposure of their personal lives. This sometimes leads to many scandals—some harmless, while others, devastating. Regardless, it’s something that all celebrities, without exception, needed to brace themselves for at some point in their career.

But Natori Shuuichi was used to being an exception.

As he grew in popularity, many magazine companies and paparazzi have attempted to find out more about him beyond what he willingly showed to the public eye. Some investigated his background, while some persistently barraged him with prying questions and invasive inquiries. Some have even resorted to tailing him for days at a time.

Still, Natori was no stranger to keeping secrets. Information on his family, especially its history, was safely hidden behind the veil cast by the exorcist world—as was any relevant information pertaining to youkai, spirits, and exorcists in general. Anything that the nosy scoop-seeking paparazzi shouldn’t know—they would never know. Even if they asked him directly, Natori was more than accustomed to redirecting the conversation or avoiding the topic with his signature dazzling smile, regardless of how insufferable the personality he was dealing with. (He would sometimes silently thank Matoba for the practice.)

And as for any hard-headed pests that attempted to stalk or tail him—well, they had no way of gaining the upper hand on him when he had more ways of surveilling them than they did him.

“She is still there.”

A single figure-shaped shadow was cast against the light-stained floor of his apartment unit, accompanied by a curt report. Natori sighed and turned his head around to meet the masked gaze of his shiki.

“Still? It’s been a week now.” Irritation began to leak into his exasperated tone as he scowled at his coffee mug.

He usually wasn't too bothered by paparazzi at this point and had learned to leave them be for a few days until they gave up on their own. Sometimes, it was an inconvenience when he’d have to leave on an exorcism job, but even then, with his shiki scouting ahead, he had his ways of getting around them.

But this one seemed to be a particularly enthusiastic newbie who was far too eager for a scoop on the life of the elusive actor. Natori had a tricky youkai to exorcise soon, and he really preferred not to have a pesky human to deal with at the same time.

Still, by experience, he knew that engaging with these types in any way would only serve to encourage them further. So rather than giving into his impatience and going out to drive her away, the smart thing to do here would be to wait it out, no matter what.

“Oh, she’s talking to Natsume now.”

Natori spat out his coffee and decided to abandon smartness altogether as he made a mad dash for the elevator.

Natsume was in town to run a few errands for Touko, so he figured he could come by to check if Natori happened to be home. He wasn’t actually expecting him to be home, though—between his acting career and exorcist job, the young man often had many more places to be than in his barren apartment unit. Still, Natsume couldn’t help but hope that his friend was home anyways.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him,” he said to the fat calico cat he was hugging to his chest. “So it’d be nice to see Natori-san doing well, at least.”

The cat barely purred in response when somebody suddenly popped out of the bushes behind him, making his shoulders jump and fist clench reflexively at the loud voice.

“Excuse me!”

The young lady was wearing a white blouse and black slacks, along with an ID hanging around her neck. She had a notepad out on one hand, a pen on the other, and unhinged curiosity sparkling in her eyes.

“Could you be the young man who’s been spotted with Natori Shuuichi before?”

Her eyes somehow sparkled even more as she leaned onto him, oblivious to the boy’s growing discomfort. All she could see before her eyes was an unprecedented scoop. “I’ve heard very few rumors about Natori Shuuichi being seen with a younger man on his days off sometimes,” she began eagerly. “But there are always all sorts of rumors around him, so it’s hard to tell which is true or not—but then I heard you say his name just now. Are you here to visit him? Are you close enough to visit him? What’s your relationship? How did you meet? Oh, and if I could also have your name and—”

“U-Um,” Natsume said, cutting her off. He held his hands up in front of him and took a step back. “Who… are you?”

At that, the lady gasped. “Of course! How rude of me,” she said as she held out her ID. “My name is Hasegawa Kotomi. I work for Spotlights, a magazine that covers the latest trends and news in showbiz! I’m trying to come up with an article on Natori Shuuichi, since he’s been getting really popular recently, but there’s barely anything on him, you know? Do you think you could help? A lot of people would love to know more about him.”

Natsume blinked, stunned by her rapid-fire introduction that somehow immediately circled back into her initial questions anyway. “But I don’t think Natori-san would like—”

“So you do know him!”

Once again, she was leaning eagerly over the boy, this time even grabbing his arm. She never noticed him flinching and pulling back, or even his face turning pale, much less the flash of childhood memories that ran across his expression at her sudden, unkind touch. The boy’s voice shook slightly, and the cat who was now on his shoulder was practically glaring at her.

“Um, p-please let go—”

“Come on, I’m just—”

And suddenly, she heard a step behind her.

“What do you think you’re doing to my friend?”

The journalist shuddered at the cold tone of voice—so cold that it felt as if it were creeping right up the back of her neck, but when she turned around, the man was standing an arm’s length away. It was Natori Shuuichi, and she instantly brightened up.

“Natori Shuuichi! So this boy really is your friend,” she said, delighted. “I’ve heard here and there that you would sometimes meet a young man on your days off, but I didn’t think that—”

“So what if I do?”

That cold tone, a second time—intentional and unwilling to be glossed over. That finally made the undeterred girl fall silent as she looked up at the actor in shock. His handsome features, always smiling and sparkling in movies and posters and commercials, were now flat and dark and, quite noticeably, irked.

“You’ve been lurking around here for an entire week now,” he continued. “I normally let you lot be until you get bored, since dealing with each and every one would be a pain… but if you’re going to drag my friend into this, then perhaps I should finally call the police on you?”

“Huh?! B-But I’m just sitting here! I haven’t—”

“Might I remind you, young lady, that what you’re doing is essentially stalking,” the man said, sternly interrupting her. “And while I can be lenient for myself since my work is what it is, here you are, forcing yourself onto a young boy who was just passing by. Have you not learned any manners or common sense?”

“Urk… I-I was just…”

“Was just what? Just trying to force an innocent boy to talk when he clearly didn’t want to? Just ignoring basic social etiquette to gain a scoop that would boost your career? Just what?”

This time, it was the journalist who was shaking. She never knew that a person could be so dazzling yet dark at the same time, and the cold pressure from the man had all but crushed her desire to write anything about him—to step anywhere near his boundaries.

“I’m sorry!”

That was all she said with a swift bow before she ran off.

When she left, the actor sighed, and the dark mood around him dissipated, leaving just a touch of irritation in the air. Beside him, his young friend still looked a little pale and shaken.

“N-Natori-san, wasn’t that a bit too harsh…?”

Those were the boy’s first words after being pestered by possibly the worst type of journalists in the industry. He looked a little bit hesitant, a little bit guilty. Seeing that expression of his had even the remaining bit of irritation leaving Natori entirely, as he instead placed a hand on his young friend’s head with a resigned sigh.

“You really never change, Natsume,” he said fondly. “That one’s been lurking much longer than usual. I’ve been wanting to chase her out for a while now, and you just happened to be here when I did. Don’t worry about it.”

“Y-You’re talking as if she’s a youkai…”

At that, the man let out a hearty laugh. “Honestly, I think I’d rather deal with a pesky youkai than those types,” he said with a wide smile that was anything but pleased. “At least I can exorcise youkai if need be—but those? Way too much trouble.”

Natsume was looking at him unsurely but suddenly let out a small gasp. “Oh, but, um—thank you,” he said in a hurry, looking somewhat embarrassed that he nearly forgot to. “For jumping in and—and helping me.”

Seeing the boy fidget nervously, Natori’s smile softened in an instant. “Of course, Natsume,” he said brightly. “More importantly, what brings you here? I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry for the sudden visit…”

“Nonsense. It’s a pleasant surprise.”

Natsume gave him a small, shy smile. “I just happened to be passing by the area while on an errand,” he explained. “I thought I’d quickly drop by to check if you were here.”

And with that, Natori’s surroundings were sparkling with flowers once more. “Is that so? I’m glad you did. I’ll make some tea, so would you like to come up and chat for a bit?”

Natori Shuuichi was no stranger to keeping secrets. The things he could see, his exorcist work, his techniques, his knowledge, his weaknesses, his true feelings and intentions—he’s hidden everything that could be hidden behind his dazzling smile and eloquent words. Secrets were things to be kept by necessity, close and secure and out of dangerous hands, for letting them loose would spell objective disaster for him.

But with Natsume, it always felt a little different—for the first time, it felt like this secret was something to protect.

Chapter Text

Later, when the journalist got back home and calmed down, far separated from the source of her fear, she gasped and thought to herself—

Couldn’t I make a scoop out of this?

Natori Shuuichi, an actor known for his dazzling smile and amicable behavior, fiercely defends his young friend from unwanted attention. He had a hidden scary side to him, yet it only emerges out of protectiveness over his friend. The journalist knew that it was something that most fans would swoon over for sure. It was by no means a harmful or scandalous scoop, and it’s not like she had anything to reveal of the boy himself, so there’s no way Natori Shuuichi would spite her for it, right?

That was how she convinced herself to turn her laptop on and begin typing up an article. But the moment she opened a new document, her screen suddenly turned black, leaving her to stare at it in confusion. Did she hit the power button by accident? Or perhaps it glitched and shut down on its own? She turned it back on, and the message that popped up indicated that it was, indeed, not shut down properly.

Odd, she thought. I don’t think I bumped the power button.

Regardless, she powered it up once more, opened the document again, and—a black screen. The same thing, a second time. Then a third.

As she was fumbling and panicking over her buttons the fourth time, her laptop suddenly made an alarming noise, causing her to yelp and jump back. When she looked back, her screen was cracked—almost as if it had been smashed by something sharp.

The journalist shuddered. What in the world was going on? She looked around her room, but there was nothing there. No sign of a random stray ball having crashed through her window and onto her laptop screen. No sign of anything. She had been living alone for the longest time now, but suddenly, the silence of her apartment unit felt louder and scarier than ever.

She grabbed her bag and rushed out.

Her second attempt was made in the public library, far from her home, when the sun had already begun to set. She took out a sheet of paper and began writing, when suddenly, the lights went out. Hushed voices of surprise and confusion surfaced around her, and the librarians and staff scrambled to check the circuit breakers, but the journalist could feel the horror rising from within.

When the lights came back on soon after, her paper had been scribbled all over with random, haphazard lines, leaving her no space to write. Her pen was nowhere to be seen. Shakily, she reached into her bag to check for her pad of paper, only to find it missing.

She was scolded by the librarian as she blindly ran out of the library.

Since that day, she tried to tell her colleagues about her horrific experiences. How she met Natori Shuuichi’s young friend, how hostile he became when she approached him, and how all these creepy things have been happening each time she tried to write about him and the boy. But every time she opened her mouth to do so, she could feel a cold air around her. A hand crawling on her shoulder—and she shuddered.

“What’s the matter?” Her colleague looked at her strangely when her face turned pale.

“…It’s nothing.”

The journalist known as Hasegawa Kotomi never tried to bring it up ever again. Much to the surprise of her colleagues, she seemed to have suddenly lost all interest in the up-and-coming actor she was so insistent on covering and requested to be moved to the fashion department of their small magazine company.

The creepy things stopped happening as soon as she gave up on her article, but each time the thought of writing it came to mind, the sound of rustling paper, growing closer and closer, haunted her nightmares.

For a week after the encounter, exorcists would hear Natori grumbling about having one less shiki to help with his work for a while. When asked where he had sent her off to, he would smile brightly and say, “Just off to keep a pesky one at bay for a while.”