NOTE: This was written for fun. Each chapter will go over some episodes, and also telling the story of why they are doing this and how they all get out and all their reactions and so and so. I know this is a bit crack-ish, but bare with me.
Rewind
Prolouge
Reiko groaned, her head throbbing. She could hear a ton of talking and it echoed around like she was in a cave. She tried to rub her head, but realized her hands were tied down. Down to a chair. She hissed, struggling to get lose. Nothing worked and she sighed, trying to think about ways to get out.
"Mom?"
Reiko stopped and looked to her side. There, she saw her daughter and son-in-law, whom were both also tied to chairs. When was the last time she had seen them? Oh yeah, when she was alive and her daughter was just a girl. She could be happy that she had grown up to be married, but she was still pissed over the whole being tied to a chair thing.
"What's with this chair thing!? Where are we!?" Reiko hissed.
"We'd love to know when you find out!" Her son-in-law said.
"Honey, i'm scared." Her daughter whimpered. (Her son-in-law) turned to her and tired to comfort her.
Reiko took a look around and saw that next to her daughter and her husband was another couple. They weren't young looking, and she didn't know them. Well, the man looked...looked familiar. But never mind that. She twisted in her chair to see that behind her was a ton of people...and youkai. They were all tied down to chairs too. What the hell? On one side were humans and on the other side were youkai.
"What is this?" Reiko growled. She could tell by the way some of the humans looked at the youkai weren't invisible to them anymore.
"WHAT'S GOING ON?!"
"WHERE ARE WE?!"
"SOMEONE DO SOMETHING!"
Their yelling of confusion was starting to get easier to hear. However, all of it stopped when a door in front of them opened. A few men, no, youkai came in , dragging in a boy. A boy who looked like a highschooler. Maybe 17, maybe 18. He had short, blonde hair, but she could not see his eyes. Before she could ask herself or her son who that was, a voice from the crowd was able to answer that.
"NATSUME!"
The boy attempted to escape the youkai's grasp, and he was able to stand on his feet and show his face, but the youkai kicked him down again. Reiko could tell by the feeling in the room that this boy, almost everyone in here knew him. But that name Natsume...it was her last name, and was the last name of her daughter and son-in-law. Did she have a grandchild? Or was this maybe a sibling? She couldn't remember if she had any. No, her siblings would we dead by now. Or really, really old.
"GIVE ME BACK MY PREY!"
The youkai hissed and turned around, ready as a larger youkai flew through the door. It was a big, wolf-like youkai that had red marks on it's fur. It attacked the youkai who had forced the boy in , but was hit with some sort of staff, of which shocked the youkai. The youkai disappeared in a puff of smoke, only to reappear as a calico cat. The cat was picked up and thrown in a cage.
"Sensei!" The boy yelled, standing back up while the youkai were not looking.
"MADARA-SAMA!" Some youkai's voice yelled through the crowd.
"Natsume!" The cat yelled, it's voice weak now.
Reiko remembered the name Madara. Was he one of the youkai she met and had their name written in her book? Her memory wasn't the best, but...
"Takashi-kun!"
"Takashi!"
Reiko turned to see the unknown couple yelling the boy's name, but also saw a look of shock on 's face.
"Takashi? Who is that?" Reiko asked, assuming her son knew the answer.
could hardly answer.
"It's...It's T-takashi." He turned to his wife. "It's our son!"
Reiko ignored the sound of her daughter's gasp and turned to gaze at the boy. That boy was her grandchild, huh? It made sense.
"Sensei!"
Natsume Takashi, still unknowingly in front of every person and youkai that he knows, had known, or has something to do with, fought for his guardian, Madara. Madara, still stuck in the cage, struggled to get out. But it wasn't working. He would get tired after a while. As for Natsume Takashi, he was grabbed by a few other youkai and forced into a chair, of which was facing towards everyone. He was tired down and forced to look at everyone. His eyes widen.
"Look." The youkai behind him hissed. "And be astonished. This took years to make."
Natsume's eyes scanned the two groups, humans and youkai, but landed on the row in front. He could feel the worry of Touko and Shigeru, but his eyes stopped upon the sight of three people. His mother, His father, and his grandmother. He could feel the tears in his eyes already.
"Natsume!"
"What is this!?"
"Why am I here!?"
"Natsume!"
Within the crowd was everyone. There was Natori, Tanuma, Kitamoto, Nishimura, Sasada, Taki, Nanase, Matoba, Ogata, Miyoko (and her parents). There was Misuzu, Hinoe, Kai, Little Fox, Akagane, Asagi, Benio, Chobihige, the Chukyuus, Hiiragi and the other servents, Gen, Hishigaki, The mountain gods. Every human and every youkai that Natsume has ever met or had anything to do with. They were all here.
But why?
"What's going on!?" Natsume hissed, glaring at the youkai who had forced him here. "What is this!?"
"Natsume Takashi." The youkai to his left sighed.
"QUIET!" The one to the right yelled, and due to some odd youkai trick, everyone was forced to shut up.
"Thank you." The left one said.
"This is Natsume Takashi. You all know him, even when he might not know you all." The right went on. "He has lived his whole life being able to see youkai. For a long time, this has caused him pain and suffering. But for some reason, this human has decided to like them. Befriend them."
The youkai on the left grinned evily.
"To give them back the names that his grandmother," He pointed to Reiko, " Once stole from them."
Reiko didn't know to be angry or ….or what? He gave them back their names, but...well, never mind. She was still too upset of the whole situation.
"Anyway, he befreinded the youkai who goes by the name of Madara, but also Nyanko-sensei. This youkai has chosen to protect the human, even when Natsume has been"
The right cut in, counting his fingers. "Has has an axe almost decapitate him, chewed on by, almost eaten, almost murdered, fallen off a cliff, almost drowned, cursed, almost chopped in half."
"You know, the list could really go on."
Natsume felt so akward. He knew none of these were Madara's fault, no matter how much it seemed like it. Well, some of them were, BUT ANYWAY. Natsume could tell that the look on his closest friends and family's faces were horror and shock. Touko was probably passed out by now. I mean, "Has has his head almost decapitated by and axe" is pretty shocking.
"HEY! YOU CAN SHUT UP NOW!" Madara yelled.
"Well!" The youkai to his left sighed.
"So you all may want to know why you are here, right?" the right one asked.
There was some nodding and a few muttering of "yes", but no one dared to speak loudly.
"Well" The two youkai put their hands on Natsume's shoulders. "We want to...oh, how would you put it?"
The left one laughed. "Make Natsume Takashi suffer."
"more or less." The right one grinned.
"Don't you lay a hand on that boy!" Hinoe screamed.
"We won't let you live a single second if you do." Misuzu's dark voice echoed.
"Hold on, Natsume!" Natori yelled.
"SILENCE!" The two youkai yelled and, again, all was quiet.
"We will not be hurting the boy physically. Mentally...maybe." The two chuckeled.
"So what is this!?" Reiko yelled, clenching her fists. "What do you plan to do!?"
"Shh, our dear Reiko. Don't you want to know what your grandson has been up to? Don't you want to know what he's done with the Book of Friends?"
"It's none of our business!" Natsume's father yelled in defense.
"NEVERMIND!" The left one yelled. "START!"
Behind them, a large video screen appeared. They turned Natsume around so that he could face the screen. The two youkai vansished, leaving them all to watch what was playing.
What was playing?
Natsume Yuujinchou: Episode One.
The Opening, of course, being first.