Notes:

Wow. This really wasn't what I should be writing but... oh well. I wanted to write something for MatoNatsu weekend...
Well, I'm here now!
A few things to note:
-I went with addressing Natsume by his first name because... Takashi means noble and... he's a god so... yeah. That's it. xD
-Natsume has his manga look. Meaning the silver-white hair (although it is a little longer) and the green eyes. I figured it went nicely with the whole god AU

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Chapter 1

Green eyes slid open behind a solemn-faced bear mask to appreciate the gentle swaying of the trees. With a stretch, silver tresses spilled free from where they'd been tucked between Takashi's back and the thick tree branch he lounged upon, lost in thought.

Takashi always believed he was a fair god to his followers, human and youkai alike. He never sided with anyone based on whether they were human or one of his kind, it was probably why everyone trusted in his judgement with little complaint.

He was one of a handful of gods who still retained the power to reveal themselves to humans and was probably the only one who had any inclination to do so.

It helped him to deal with arguments between youkai and humans. One of the most troublesome decisions he'd had to make had involved youkai torturing local farmers. He'd investigated the matter and discovered that the humans had started the problem by clearing out part of the youkai's forest to grow more crops for the village's rapidly growing population. He'd allowed the farmers to keep the land, since the forest had already been destroyed in that area, but he'd warned that the youkai had full rights to the land, and if they chose to eat the crops planted, the farmers couldn't complain. The youkai had picked a few of each crop to spite the humans but had listened to Takashi's secret request to let the humans keep most of it.

Distantly, he heard his followers milling about, enjoying their afternoon drinking party. He seldom took part in drinking, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't fully enjoy playing games with his drunken friends towards the end of their festivities.

He smiled to himself with anticipation when he began to hear the increasing amount of slurring beneath him and stood to make his way down from his perch. Gathering his grey robes in preparation, he was distracted by the sound of a human child's cry. He took a moment to place its direction and leaped across the branches to investigate. The greatest thing that worried him was that it was only a single cry… and in his limited experience with humans, he'd never known a child to scream like that only once if they were okay.

His silver tresses brushed against the leaves, but none of the foliage dared to snag a single strand in his haste. He maintained his pace until his ears caught the sound of footsteps stumbling through the brush. He almost missed the panicked child that ran under him heading in the direction Takashi had come from.

He was startled by a malicious voice screeching, "It's mine! It's mine! Give it to me!"

Lifting his gaze from the terrified child, Takashi discovered a monstrous youkai crashing through the forest in pursuit. Its energy burned through the trunks of the trees where its skin brushed against them, leaving indents of black and splintered wood.

Takashi knew human children were cruel, especially to things different from them, but he couldn't imagine a child doing something so grave to warrant the murderous glint of hatred lighting the youkai's eyes.

He waited until the child had safely passed under him before jumping down to intercept the youkai's path. The moment the youkai crashed through the leaves and made eye contact, Takashi could see it was torn between charging past him or through him. When its face settled into an impossibly deeper snarl, Takashi braced himself and raised a hand towards the youkai, the sleeves of his robe sliding up his arm to reveal faintly glowing skin.

Energy crackled at his fingertips in warning. Paying no heed to his threat, the youkai rammed into Takashi's hand at full speed.

The force made Takashi's bare feet leave grooves in the earth when he slid back, but he remained standing firmly.

"Get. Out of." The youkai shoved against him, using its energy stores to push against Takashi. "My… way!"

With a great heave, Takashi was knocked aside and into a tree, cracking it from the force of his impact.

Wincing, Takashi watched as the youkai sped past him and after the human once more.

A surge of righteous injustice consumed him and, in his wrath, the only thought coursing through Takashi's mind was to exact his vengeance upon the one that had slighted him.

Lifting a hand, he channeled energy into his palm. All his fury surmounted into a chaotic flame that he hurled towards the youkai's back. The second it touched the youkai's back, it burst into flames with a demonic screech.

It turned to him in equal parts rage and disbelief, before fleeing in a brilliant mass of fire that streaked behind it.

Takashi hid his shaking hands inside the sleeves of his robe, pausing long enough to recover after expending so much energy at once.

He tracked the human's scent until he found it lying face up on the ground.

Judging from the single, now leafless low hanging branch, Takashi was willing to wager that the human had concussed itself. Taking a whiff of the air told him the human was only unconscious.

Cautiously, Takashi knelt to inspect the child further.

Its skin, while pale by human standards, was still a few shades darker than Takashi's own, and its inky black hair was a stark contrast to Takashi's silvery locks.

He waited patiently for the human to awaken, watching the sun sink further down the sky when he lost interest in observing the child, and listening to the sounds of the forest's inhabitants.

His ears twitched when the child began stirring with a groan and he turned his attention to it.

Brown eyes cracked open and Takashi had a few seconds to marvel at how closely they resembled the dark wood of the trees before the child sat up with a gasp. It curled forward, clutching its head with a whine.

It looked around warily. The second it saw Takashi, it scooted back in fear. "Who are you? Where's the monster?"

Takashi tilted his head at the odd term. "Monster?" His eyes widened. Perhaps the youkai chasing the human did resemble a monster to one so weak. "I sent it away from here. Which is what I'll be doing to you." He gave the human a stern look. "Children do not belong in this part of the forest."

The human's eyes widened further, and it stood before bolting deeper into the forest. Takashi growled with mounting frustration, humans always made things more difficult than they needed to be.

He chased after the child and caught it shortly after, wincing at the scream the human let out.

"Let me go! Let me go!" It repeated, over and over again.

Takashi gently lifted the child by its clothes until it was at eye level. He waited until the human stopped.

"Why are you doing this? Just leave me alone." It whimpered, covering its face with its tiny hands. "All of you… just leave me alone."

"Poor child." Takashi lamented, feeling his anger dissipate. Humans had long since lost the ability to see youkai as they once had. Children, however, were an exception. He reasoned it was due to the belief in the fantastical that gave children this ability. The biggest problem with that being the fact that humans seldom had any spiritual ability to defend themselves.

He set the child down, making sure to support its weight until it could stand on its own.

"Are you ready to return to your home?"

The child nodded uncertainly, and Takashi turned on his heel to escort the child out of his forest. "This way then."

Takashi kept his pace slow enough that the child could keep up without having to stop and catch its breath. It would be one of the longest treks through his forest, but it wasn't like he had anything better to do.

"Doesn't that hurt?"

The sudden question from behind him made Takashi still. Turning back to the child, he tilted his head, checking his body for any wounds he might have unknowingly received. "Doesn't what hurt?"

The child pointed to Takashi's bare feet. "There's lots of twigs and rocks. Can't you feel them?"

Takashi chuckled, lifting his robes a little higher so the child could see that his feet were clean and unscathed. "The earth and 'twigs' are part of this forest. As its ruler, I am allowed safe passage anywhere I please. Shoes are unnecessary…" He shuffled with discomfort at the thought of covering his feet, "And uncomfortable."

With that, he set off again. The sound of dirt being scuffed behind him let him know the child was following him.

"Uncomfortable?"

Without stopping, Takashi answered, "I like to feel where I'm walking. The one time I wore shoes," Purely out of curiosity, went unsaid, "it felt like I was going to trip and fall with every step. I haven't worn shoes since."

The child seemed to accept that answer, because it didn't say anything afterwards.

The sun had set completely, and Takashi sighed when he saw the various markers indicating he was only halfway out of his forest.

An owl screeched in the distance and Takashi felt his right hand clutched tightly. He went to pull away, sending the child a scathing look for having the audacity to touch him, but paused when he saw the terrified look marring its face.

Perhaps he could allow the child to do as it wished, for now. It would be a greater hassle if he had to chase after the child should it run in fear of the nightly ambiance.

He loosely gripped the child's shaking hand as they continued. It appeared to ease the human somewhat, but it would still look around wildly at every sudden noise.

The movement was jostling him, and Takashi couldn't help his growing annoyance. Finally, he stopped and turned to the human.

"Would it soothe you if I illuminated our path?" he questioned in a curt tone.

The child looked up at him in confusion, its eyes continuing to dart around nervously. "What?"

Straining himself not to get any angrier, Takashi began to repeat himself, "Would it soothe you if I-"

"I heard you. I just don't know what that means." The child snapped, fear and perhaps rising exhaustion giving it the courage to stand up to the god.

Raising his eyebrows in surprise, Takashi chuckled in disbelief. Both at the child's sharp remark and his own forgetfulness. It was easy to forget that human children lacked the vast vocabulary they'd grow into.

"Would some light make you feel better?" He amended.

The child's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Yes!"

Looking up, Takashi freed his right hand from the child's grip, so he could lift both hands, beckoning the leaves of the trees to part so he could see the sky. The moon had yet to rise, and while beautiful, the stars hardly afforded enough light to comfort the child with him.

Takashi sighed mournfully at having to use more unnecessary power before he focused energy into his left hand, producing a softly glowing orb of light.

He heard a quiet gasp from beside him and turned to find the child watching the orb with delighted fascination.

Without thinking, he offered his right hand back to the child and only realized what he'd done when he gently tightened his fingers around the tiny hand. The child didn't notice anything odd and Takashi wasn't going to admit how flustered he'd made himself at the action.

"Thank you, Kumamon-sama." The human whispered a short while later.

Takashi stilled at the child's gratitude, searching for whatever spirit had managed to get close to him without his knowledge. When he didn't see anything, he looked back at the child to find it smiling up at him shyly.

"Kuma-" Takashi stopped, realization dawning on him when he scratched the side of his head where the black bear mask rested. The child was probably referring to it.

Takashi smiled. "That is not my name, child, but you may refer to me as such if you wish."

The child looked incredibly disheartened by the news, but it recovered quickly with a smile. "Then what is your name?"

Takashi let out an incredulous laugh before lifting an eyebrow. "My, they really don't teach children anything about youkai anymore. Haven't you learned that knowing a name holds the power to control its owner?"

"Really?" The child looked down in what appeared to be deep thought. Takashi almost began to drag the child along to get it moving again, but it lifted its head with a bright smile.

And before Takashi could stop it, the child announced, "Then it's only fair if I give you my name first. It's Matoba Seiji."

Takashi froze before smacking a hand to his forehead in disbelief. "You should never give your name to a youkai, child! What am I to do with you?" he groaned, making Matoba laugh.

After he'd recovered, Takashi scolded the child thoroughly, finishing his rant with a huffed, "You are lucky that I have no ill intentions."

Looking properly cowed, Matoba followed Takashi quietly. It wasn't until they'd reached the edge of the forest, when Takashi began to bid the child farewell, did Matoba speak again.

Looking around nervously, Matoba asked, "What if the monster comes after me again?"

Glaring at the child half-heartedly, Takashi answered shortly, "You should never enter this forest again. You will be safe if you heed my warning."

Matoba shook his head vehemently. "No! The monster… it chased me into the forest. I only ran in because I was trying to lose it in the trees."

Takashi tilted his head in confusion before he kneeled down to the child. Leaning forward slowly, so as not to spook Matoba, he took a few whiffs of his hair. He flinched back from the malevolent scent on the edge of Matoba's own.

"Have you made a deal with that youk-… monster?"

Matoba shook his head once more. "I've never seen that one before. I was exploring when it popped out of nowhere trying to eat me!"

Takashi hummed. He didn't bear the child any ill will, and the problem was likely the result of its ancestors.

"Give me a piece of your hair." Takashi demanded.

Looking confused but having faith that whatever Takashi had planned would keep him safe, Matoba plucked out a single strand of his hair. "Like this?"

"This should suffice." Takashi answered, taking the strand carefully and eating it with a sour look on his face at what he was about to do. Matoba shared the look, though it was probably for a different reason.

When Takashi raised his hand, a large leaf floated down into it from the trees above. He pricked his index finger on one of his bottom fangs before writing his name in blood on the leaf.

Before handing the leaf to Matoba, Takashi listed a few conditions. "This leaf is very important. If you let anything happen to it, the same will happen to me." To demonstrate and prove the severity of his warning, Takashi ripped the tiniest bit into the tip of the leaf, wincing when a large cut appeared on his arm. Matoba gasped, taking a step back in horror. "You must never let anyone else have it, understood?"

Matoba nodded his head gravely.

"When you die, this leaf will lose its power. This contract is between the two of us, not your bloodline. That's why I used your hair." Takashi explained, offering the leaf to Matoba who received it like he would the most fragile glasswork.

"How does it work?"

"Hold this leaf in your hand and remember my face. When you call my name, I will come to your aid."

Looking at the name, Matoba read aloud, "Takashi." It appeared to be an unexpected development if the confused look on the child's face was any indicator. "Takashi-sama?"

He nodded his head in acknowledgment, "Correct, Matoba-san."

Matoba blushed, scratching his head with embarrassment. "You can just call me Seiji. I'm not big enough for san."

"Very well. Seiji. I bid you farewell." Takashi bowed his head in a polite goodbye, Matoba bowing at the waist in response.

Smiling, Takashi finally left the child to find his way home.

He was twelve steps in when he felt the tug of a summons. Growling, he reluctantly allowed himself to be pulled. When he arrived in a puff of smoke, he looked down at Matoba in annoyance.

"Sorry!" Matoba bowed again. "I just wanted to test it."

"You now know that it works, yes?"

"Yes." Matoba answered quietly.

"Then my task is complete. Goodbye."

Not taking any chances that Matoba might ask him for something else, Takashi vaulted into the tree tops and made his way back to his favorite perch with haste. He was finally able to hear his followers' drunken calls for him when he was summoned again.

Appearing before Matoba with more smoke than necessary, Takashi relished the coughing fit he'd made Matoba go into with petty joy.

"Yes, Seiji?"

"I don't know where I am." Matoba confessed after he'd recovered. "I tried to find my way back on my own, but nothing is familiar."

"What is it you would like from me?"

"Could you… take me home?"

Feeling a mysterious, angry throbbing in his head, Takashi lifted Matoba from the ground, cradled him close to his chest, and leapt high into the air, earning a breathy scream from the human. Gathering the energy beneath his feet, Takashi skated through the air, dancing on the water particles occasionally to keep himself airborne.

"Does anything appear familiar to you yet?"

When he received no response other than the tightening of Matoba's grip on his robes, he realized the child was shaking in his arms. "Seiji?" He shook him carefully to see if he was awake and had to flinch away from the hoarse cry Matoba unleashed. "What's wrong?"

"Put me down!"

Realizing he must have scared Matoba, Takashi gently glided to the ground, setting Matoba on his feet. "Are you alright?"

"Don't do that again!" Matoba ordered before his wobbly knees gave out and he fell.

"Sorry." Takashi apologized earnestly. He was upset that Matoba was abusing his ability already, but he hadn't intended to scare him so.

There was a moment of silence before Takashi asked quietly, "Does anything look familiar now?"

Looking around, Matoba tried spotting anything he remembered. His eyes widened. "Yes!" He stood up and dusted himself off. "That's my house!"

Without sparing another second, Matoba took off in the direction of his house. Takashi watched him go and followed after him, the summons and order compelling him to see Matoba returned home.

He made it to the gate before he froze. A chill running up his spine at the aura. This was an exorcists' domain. He turned his attention to the small child in front of him to find Matoba watching him curiously.

"Takashi?"

Takashi's voice was cold when he spoke, "I have one more condition." He stood rigidly. "Matoba Seiji," The child before him straightened at the sudden odd feeling gripping him at the use of his name, "you are never, under any circumstances, to summon me while you are on this property."

"Why not?"

They were interrupted by one of the people inside seeing Matoba and calling his name before marching over faster than Takashi would have liked.

He departed while Matoba was focused on the newcomer, hoping the spell he'd cast on the child with its name would be enough to insure Takashi wouldn't be summoned into a needlessly dangerous situation.

Takashi may have been a god, but to exorcists, he was nothing more than another spirit that needed to be bound or sealed.

Notes:

To explain why Natsume has fire powers well... I was researching lore about the Kumamoto prefecture (where Natsume Yuujinchou takes place) and I discovered their mascot Kumamon (who is adorable). Apparently there were a lot of pictures floating around on social media where Kumamon was seen standing around a fire. People took pictures and naturally began to caption it with phrases like: "Why? For the glory of satan, of course!" So I could NOT resist giving him the fire ability (it also ties in perfectly to canon when he punches spirits leaving smoke/steam to rise from their heads, something I plan on keeping xD).