Title: Spirit Protection
Summary: It was always there, hovering over him. Souji knew it was there. What it was, he did not know. All he knew was that it was always there for him.
~0o0o0~
It was there again. The shadow was hovering over the shoulder of a young man. Pale grey eyes barely acknowledge the shadow's presence as he made his way through the crowd onto the train. The shadow followed closely behind him. No one glanced towards it as they continue on their way.
The silver haired man took a seat next to the window. He stared out as buildings flashed by. His eyes glanced up to see the shadow's reflection before he continued to watch the scenery change. Seta Souji knew about the shadow. He knew since he was a child. It was always around. It used to be only the barest outline. When he finally noticed it, he paid more attention to it. He paid so much attention to the outline, he eventually thought of it as his personal imaginary friend. The longer he paid attention to it, the outline filled out. The form filled into the shadow it was now.
He mentioned it to his mother once, the once outline-now-shadow. She brushed it off, said it was his imagination. His father though, he listened to him. He listened as Souji described the shadow, always there, hovering. Souji talked about how the shadow would appear to listen to him, to play with him, how it was his friend.
Seta Mamoru wasn't a religious man. He believed in a higher being, true, but he didn't believe in only one God. When his son spoke of the shadow to his wife, he was worried. He was taught of spirits, demons, and anything to do with Shintoism. He was worried about the shadow. It wasn't supposed to be tethered to his son. Souji was a young boy, a quiet boy with his stature and coloring but his mother's personality. He had an idea of who the spirit might be, but he wasn't certain. He brought his son to a priestess once, to cleanse his soul. The priestess took one look at Souji and told Mamoru, his son would go far. She told Mamoru how his son will be protected, how he had a guardian spirit nearby.
As much as he wanted to trust the priestess, Mamoru was suspicious. With a few choice words, he warned Souji, he warned him of the spirit. He didn't want it to form into a being. Mamoru didn't want the sprit to become what he feared it was. Souji was a smart kid. He saw how much it was bothering his father. Soon after, Souji treated the shadow as a figment of his imagination.
It didn't leave though. It stayed with him every day, every moment of his life. It never left his side.
The train ride reached the country side. The sight of green hills and blue rivers was soothing. With another brief glimpse of the ever present shadow, Souji decided to nap. Maybe once he woke up, the shadow would have faded away. It was a wishful thought and he knew it.
The shadow remained by the sleeping boy. It didn't fade away as the boy hoped. The train entered a long tunnel and it turned its head towards the window. A glowing blue butterfly fluttered by and the shadow's outline grew slightly shaper. It looked down on itself, surprised by the sudden change. The butterfly was still fluttering next to the train, a symbol of hope for the shadow.
Soon.
~0o0o0~
A/N: Not much substance, but since the admin deleted my drabble/fic of what was supposed to be this one, I decided to rewrite it. I thought of it a lot more, I still remember the reviews from some readers. So i remade it from the beginning. Enjoy and if you found anything that seems out of place or a mistake, please send me a message or something.