"I must repay this favor. To Thank you… I shall restore your youth."
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After helping Tsukihigui, Nyanko-sensei was left alone with a confused young Natsume Takashi. Nyanko-sensei tried explaining to Natsume that he is not the way he is right know.
"Alright listen carefully! I'm Nyanko-sensei, your life saver. You are eternally indebted to me. You're my servant! You're currently a high school student with average grades and no girlfriend. You're a freeloader living with Fujiwara Family!"
"…" Natsume just gave him a look of disbelief
"Don't give me that look, It's the truth."
"Anyway, let's go home Natsume, and think for our next move."
"Go home? ….You mean to where to those Fujiwara people live? But if what you're saying is true, Tanuki, is it okay for me to show up looking like this?"
"Damn it. If we bother the Fujiwaras with this matter, Natsume will surely rip the fur off my tail…!"
Natsume slipped away as soon as the tanuki youkai was distracted. Strangely while he was outrunning the fat tanuki youkai, the areas he ran into seems so familiar. The field that blooms a lot of lotus during spring, the shrine were festivals are held, the river that cuts across the footpath and the road on the way he was walking through. Is the tanuki youkai telling the truth? Friends, family, and a place the can call home…?
That's too good to be true. That much sounds like a fairy tale to me…
"And where do you think you're going Natsume!"
"Waaaah!"
While he did outrun the fat tanuki youkai, a large white beast appeared before him. Making him stop to his tracks
"Y-Youkai…!"
Nyanko-sensei narrowed his eyes before closing them and engulfed his beast form from a puff of smoke, returning to his usual maneki neko form.
"It's just me Natsume."
"Tanuki…"
"How many times do I have to tell you! I'm not a Tanuki! It's Nyanko-sensei!"
"Why do you keep following me…."
"Hmph it's ju-"
Nyanko-sensei stopped and suddenly starts mewling at the same time rubbing his head against him.
"H-Hey—What do you think you're doing!"
Then he heard footsteps behind his back and heard an elderly woman's voice.
"Ara? Nyankichi-kun? What are you doing?"
Natsume was startled and began whispering to Nyanko-sensei.
"Eh? By 'Nyankichi-kun' did she mean you? She doesn't know you're Youkai?"
"Yes! Yes! She means me! Now play along!"
Natsume slowly turned his way back where the elderly woman was, and talked to her.
"Um—Good day to you…Does this cat belong to you?"
While Touko was on her way home, she saw Nyankichi-kun playing with a young boy. She smiled at the scene she saw before calling out. She was surprised when the child was wearing clothes too big for his size also similar what Takeshi-kun was wearing earlier. Not to mention he looks a lot like Takeshi-kun albeit a child version of him. She snapped out of her thoughts when the child asked if the cat belong to her.
"Yes… it's our family cat, Nyankichi-kun. Thank you for playing with him."
"Um it's no problem at all…um?"
"Ah how silly of me! My name is Fujiwara Touko, may I know your name?"
The boy flinched and looked like he was hesitating to tell but told her regardless.
"Um-, I'm Natsume. Just Natsume is fine…Fujiwara-san"
Natsume? Maybe a relative of Takeshi-kun?
Regardless of the matter she couldn't help but ask why was he was doing all alone by himself.
"Um, um I'm…"
Perhaps he ran away… but really…
"Do you perhaps… Do you not want to go home?"
The boy only looked down muttering something but inaudible. Touko smiling sadly as she remembers the first time she met Takashi, this time she will help this boy unlike last time.
"Well then Natsume-kun, do you want to come to my home for a bit and eat these with me? I just bought sweets from Nanatsujiya and I I'm sure Takashi-kun and Shigeru-san won't mind"
"B-but I don't want to be bothering you Fujiwara-san."
"Just Touko is fine. Don't worry about it, I'm the one whose bothering you anyway."
She held her hand towards Natsume, signaling to follow and giving him a warm smile.
Reluctantly Natsume took her hand.
Is this real? Do I really have a place where I can call home? Touko-san's hand is so warm…and familiar…
Natsume felt something stir inside, he remembered what Nyanko-sensei told him. That he was living with the Fujiwara couple and that they care for him very much. Then he thought, what if they discovered that he can see youkai? Will they shun him like his other relatives did to him? Will they call him a liar? Or…
"Natsume-kun?"
"Ah yes Touko-san?"
"Where here now. I hope you can make yourself comfortable the mean time."
"No…Thank you for having me…"
When Natsume saw the house, he felt a sudden familiarity. The makeshift garden, dining room, living room and his room on the second floor.
Wait…my room…?
"Now why don't you change your clothes? I'll lend you Takeshi-kun's old clothes, it must be hard moving around with the one you're wearing."
"B-but..."
"Don't worry about it. Now why don't you take a sit for a moment while I prepare you some clothes."
"Yes…. Thank you very much Touko-san"
While Touko was preparing his clothes, he looked around and saw a picture frame by the counter.
"Hey…Nyanko-sensei."
"Hmm? What is it?" Nyanko-sensei who settled in his arms questioned him.
"Is that me? And you with the Fujiwaras?
"What do you think it is! Of course it is idiot-Natsume!"
That was all it took before tears started to form.
"Huh? Why am I?..."
Natsume cried silently as he felt a surge of familiarity of emotions and after a few moments before Nyanko-sensei hopped off his arms and told him to wipe his tears.
"Natsume why don't you wipe those tears off. I don't want Touko blaming me the that I made you cry and I don't want to miss shrimp today."
"…If they are…will they believe me…?"
"Idiot… Of course they will."
"I'm home!"
"Shigeru-san! Welcome home!"
"Hmm? Those clothes…?"
"Ah we have guest. You'll be surprised when you see him"
"Hnnn, really…"
As the Fujiwara couple headed to where Natsume is, Shigure was quite surprised when he saw him.
"He looks a lot like Takeshi…"
"And Natsume-kun reminds me a lot of Takeshi-kun too."
"Natsume? Do you think he is…"
"Yes, but I didn't ask him about it."
"Well then how about we try?"
The Fujiwara couple stared at Natsume before Touko broke the silence as she noticed that there were tears on his face.
"Ara, Natsume-kun what's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"Eh? Ah Touko-san I'm sorry it's just… nothing."
Natsume tried wiped his face, but tears just kept flowing. Then Shigeru knelt and pat his head in attempt to soothe him.
"Are you all right Natsume-kun? I'm Fujiwara Shigeru. Shigeru is fine."
"Um, yes. I'm sorry…Shigeru-san…Touko-san."
"..."
Shigeru and Touko stared at each other before nodding.
"Natsume-kun I know it may be sudden but, do you perhaps know Natsume Takashi? Ah but if you feel uncomfortable it's fine."
Natsume was in a shocked state. This is what Madara was expecting. Of course, the Fujiwara's will be asking that to Natsume. Well there's no use in lying in this matter. He pawed Natsume by his feet, making him stop in his shocked state and stared at him before Nyanko-sensei nods.
"Um…I'm…"
Natsume stopped and closed his eyes…
Sigh…I guess he needs this…
"Well the cat's out of the bag. Let me explain Fujiwara couple."
"Nyankichi-kun/Nyangoro!?"
"This child here is Natsume Takashi. He had been reverted to this form as child together with his memories by a youkai called Tsukihigui."
"His memories are gone…?"
"Youkai…does that mean you are too Nyankichi-kun?"
"Yes, you could say that."
"But Nyangoro… why did the youkai 'Tsukihigui' turned Takashi to a child?"
"A lot of youkai tend to get themselves of trouble and this brat tend to help them out of trouble."
"Really…That's…"
Natsume stared down before lifting his head when Touko and Shigeru pat his head with closed eyes smiling at him.
"…sounds a lot like Takashi/Takashi-kun would do."
Madara stared at them before giving them smile.
Really…Natsume
"Well then… I better get going."
"Nyanko-sensei where are you going?"
"I'm off to find Tsukihigui to return you back, you don't want to be like that forever don't you?"
"Nyankichi-kun… Thank you for being with Takashi-kun…"
"Nyangoro… Thank you for protecting him…"
"Hmph…! I'm just stuck with him."
Madara ran off then a puff of smoke reverting to his real form.
"Oh my? Nyankichi-kun suddenly disappeared…."
"Um… about that Touko-san and Shigeru-san will you hear me out?"
Natsume looked down with a blush in his cheeks while waiting for their approval.
"Of course we will…"
"He's always a magnet for trouble. He should've left the pot on the guy's head."
As Madara looks for Tsukihigui, he reminisces the words Natsume told him.
"Will there be a time that you will become attached to me Sensei?"
I'm already at that point...huh…hmm that smell
He saw a figure wandering around and approaches it.
"Found you!"
"Why, we meet again. What's wrong?"
"What do you think?! You better be able to turn Natsume back."
"Of course. But why? All things… Have such brief lifespans. Wouldn't they be happier if they could turn back time and have youth restored?"
"Whether to turn back time and be renewed… or build upon the time they have… mean different things to everyone."
The two stared at each other before Tsukihigui broke the silence with a question.
"Then do you know which one Natsume-sama prefers?"
"Natsume is…"
"Ever since I was little. I've seen the strangest things. If other people does not see them they're probably what they call youkai."
Natsume paused before looking both at the Fujiwara couple and continued after seeing them listen intently to him.
"I…don't know if this is real or not. Earlier I kept thinking that…Nyanko-sensei, Touko-san and Shigeru-san are youkai making fun of me again…"
"…"
"But I feel like I can almost remember, but then I'm afraid of the scary and painful things that'll come back too."
Touko and Shigeru slowly looked at each other and smiled before engulfing the teary-eyed child Natsume into a hug.
"Touko-san and Shigeru-san… and Nyanko-sensei too are you my….family?"
"We are Takashi… We are…"
"I know if I don't assume the worst… I'll just be disappointed later. But I really hope it's all true."
Touko cried, hugging Natsume tighter. Shigeru smiled and strokes Natsume's head.
"It must have been painful for you Takeshi…don't worry that gives us more reason to love you more than we did."
"Thank you Takeshi-kun, for telling this to us. At least let the both of us lift that burden off your shoulders."
"…When I return back to normal, I hope that this moments will be with me..Touko-san, Shigeru-san and Nyanko-sensei are my-"
"Takashi/-kun"
"My, my he fell asleep."
"He sure is…"
The Fujiwara couple looked at the sleeping form of Natsume and smiles.
"We'll accept you no matter what. Because you are our precious son."
A few hours later Natsume returned to normal, unfortunately he didn't remember the events that occurred. But he noticed the following days after the events, he is being spoiled a lot by the Fujiwara couple. He can't help but also notice that Nyanko-sensei's food was always served with shrimp or squid.
Author's Note:
This story is inspired by Midorikawa-sensei's afterword on the manga and the anime. She debated to whom little Natsume be taken care by the Yatsuhara youkai, Natori and Tanuma and Taki. In the end she decided that Nyanko-sensei, Tanuma and Taki were the best option since they had a different approach to Natsume.
That's when I thought how about the Fujiwaras?
This story hasn't been proofread yet, I apologize if there are any grammatical errors
EDIT: The whole story have been revised. I kind of removed Tanuma and Taki part.