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“Y'know," Natsume recalls with his face buried into Nyanko-sensei's fur. "When Hinoe told me about the mountain lord finally returning to his territory, I didn't expect you to come with me."
"The old witch should have held her tongue," Sensei agrees easily. "I still think it's a waste."
"If you say so," Natsume hums. Thick mist clouds his vision for a moment, its cold structure leaves heavy droplets in his hair. It's going to rain soon, he thinks. "Yet, you're giving me a lift."
"I am your bodyguard," Sensei scoffs. "You would return that stupid name anyway and letting you go alone isn't worth all the troubles."
"Still," Natsume points, "we could've took a walk." Which would be still strange in itself. Nyanko-sensei didn't care about his responsibilities as the bodyguard most of the time, he'd be fine with Natsume going alone. Which means he has something to gain from this. Which leads to only one conclusion: "You just want this kami to owe you a favor, don't you?" Natsume rolls his eyes. He's certain alcohol will also be somehow involved into this.
Sensei groans with exasperation. "You're such an annoying fool! Of course, I want the sake! There's no point in doing free favors to yōkai. Learn this already!"
As if reacting to Sensei's sour mood, the clouds around them grew darker. Natsume shivers as he feels the first drops of the downpour falling on his skin. Within a second, a wall of water becomes all he can see.
"Oh, great. Just great," Sensei whirs. "That's why I wanted to be done with this quickly! Let's land before–" His words are cut by a bolt of lightning.
Natsume freezes, his breath caught in his throat. With pounding heart, he struggles not to panic.
They'll be fine. Sensei knows what to do. They just need to land. They'll be fine.
He wants to close his eyes, to clutch at Nyanko-sensei's fur, but his body won't move.
Sensei is saying something to him, he thinks, but the words are drowned out by thunder. Another lightning flashes so close to them and Natsume's mind goes blank. Sensei's scream roars in the storm as sensation of falling overpowers Natsume.
Next thing he knows, he's dangling few feet above the ground, his leg entangled in tree branches at a sick-looking angle. Pain comes second. Scotching stir that ripples from his ankle to his entire body makes Natsume wince and even this slight motion hurts as fierce raindrops stab his face.
But at least the thunderstorm's settled down, Natsume notes, taking deep breaths to calm the pulse throbbing in his ears.
He wonders if moving would be good idea, but he doubts he can spend the entire time waiting for Nyanko-sensei upside down. That is if Sensei is even alright...
Before Natsume can sprawl out enough to grab at the branches, he slips, thrown off by blow of wind.
Shout of his name that doesn't belong to Nyanko-sensei echoes in his mind. Natsume slumps and the wood cracks underneath him.
Or maybe that just his ribs.
~
He comes to soft touch behind his head and the overwhelming smell of musty earth.
Natsume groans, but doesn't open his eyes just yet, as he feels the pain creeping up on his body, ready to explode with the smallest movement.
"You're awake!" A familiar sounding voice announces, though Natsume can't point where he heard it before.
He tries to catch a proper glimpse of the boyish shape beside him, but his head's too fuzzy, eyelids too heavy and the sudden brightness he sees when finally braces himself to open his eyes doesn't help him to focus.
"Kai...?" he gasps, though that doesn't make any sense.
"I'm living around here," Kai – because the figure that sits next to him somehow is the small kami Natsume encountered so many months ago – says. "When the storm started I saw your cat flying by and thought I'd check on it. Then I found you unconscious." He explains as if he could read Natsume's mind. "You'd helped me when I had sprung my ankle once, so I wanted to return the favor," he tags on with a shy smile.
They're in a cave, Natsume notes, as he stares at the moisty rocks around him.
"Kai– Ugh!" The soft mound behind him moves and Natsume yelps, struggling to keep balance. Neither his leg nor his ribs agree with the motion.
Something tough smacks back of his head and it feels as if he'd been hit by a rock. Sure enough, when he turns his gaze he finds himself face to face with Nyanko-sensei.
"What was that for?!" He yelps at the yōkai who is now back to his rotund cat form. Natsume didn't even notice he'd been leaning against his bodyguard's silky fur.
"What was that for? What was that for?!" Sensei practically yells in Natsume's face. "You panicked and felt off my back, got injured and was grabbed by yōkai and you have the audacity to ask 'what was that for?'!!!"
He tosses himself onto Natsume's ribcage, making the boy hit the ground again. Hard.
Natsume whimpers, his vision darkening a bit. He doesn't mention metallic taste that fills his mouth, but still feels thankful at Kai's attempt to get the fat cat off of him.
"Careful!" Kai scolds. "I healed his leg a bit, not the chest!"
Nyanko-sensei ignores him. His unsettling eyes never once leave Natsume.
"What if it wasn't Kai who took you?" he demands. "What if I couldn't find you?!" What if you died? remains unsaid, but the implication is clear nevertheless. It's only now Natsume realizes Nyanko-sensei had let him use his soft fur as a pillow, when Kai was here to see it.
"I'm sorry." Natsume doesn't know what more he can say. Sensei merely huffs and Natsume wonders just how close to danger he'd got this time to make Sensei admit he was scared.
"Kai, I–" Natsume hesitates. With clenched fists, he struggles to sit. There are things he wants to clarify and he needs to do it properly. Just one issue at time, he tells himself, leaning against stone.
"Thank you," he breathes out, because that's the most important thing. "I know last time we didn't part in best atmosphere..." he starts and Kai immediately turns away. "I didn't work with Nato– with the exorcist, you know." Natsume ignores the ache in his chest as he takes long breath and continues. "I'll admit when I learnt you were a yōkai I was dubious at first. I didn't fully understand why ayakashi might've wanted to live peacefully among humans back then." Even if he was the same– even if he is the same. He wants to live his normal life with Fujiwaras despite his hidden ability.
He looks directly at Kai when he adds: "But I've never wanted to hurt you."
"I know," Kai murmurs. "It took me a while to realize, but I've known for some time." He offers Natsume a wobbly smile and oh– Natsume made him cry again. "I couldn't stay mad at you anyway," he assures, weeping and it's Natsume turn to look away. He has never hoped to be forgiven so easily.
"I'm sorry I didn't come sooner."
"Technically, you didn't come at all." Watery giggle catches in Kai's throat. Natsume has to bit a smile on his own, when the yōkai examines him intensively.
"Your leg should be fine in few days if you don't strain it too much," Kai informs him more seriously, his gaze lingers on Natsume's ankle. "You think you can stand? There's something I wanna show you."
Natsume blinks at Kai's smug smile and in the end it's Nyanko-sensei who helps him walk deeper into the cave.
"We're here," Kai declares and the wheezing breath Natsume takes has nothing to do with pain this time.
Halos of various colors illuminate the entire cavity, as sunlight passes the cave though tiny gap in the granite vault, irradiating hundreds of crystals poured into its walls.
"It's beautiful."
"You dragged us all this way to watch some pebbles?!" But despite all his complains, Sensei turns around to get a better view, mindful of Natsume clinging to him, and Natsume can't help but grin.
"This is why I like coming to this place," Kai justifies. "It always looks prettier after the storm."
Catching a glimpse of puddle glittering below the rocks, Natsume is suddenly reminded why he'd came to the mountains in first place.
"Kai!" he asks. "Do you, by any chance, know–?"
"If you're still thinking about giving back that name, I swear I..." Nyanko-sensei interjects.
"You'll what?" Natsume taunts. "I need to return the name, Sensei. You know that," he tells the yōkai with a sigh. "The mountain lord has been waiting long enough for Reiko."
"You're not Reiko, you're too goody-goody for that! But if you're so insisted on throwing the leftovers of your remaining energy to someone who didn't even ask, I want to see you standing on your own for a full minute."
Natsume averts his gaze. He has to acknowledge the argument is valid.
"Since when were you such a dedicated bodyguard?" he grumbles all the same, though it's nice to hear Sensei actually cares.
"Since I took charge of an insolent brat with a death wish!"
Behind them, Kai just laughs.