A/N: This came about from alternately watching Haikyuu and Natsume, and thinking that Natsume and Kenma have similar personalities and looks. I was also looking at fanart of supernatural AU Haikyuu, and noticed that Natsume and Kenma as kitsune/general yokai are even more similar. So, I thought I'd write what might happen if they met. It was only supposed to be about 2K, but ended up more than 8 :) As usual, any and all reviews/comments/faves/follows are much appreciated, but otherwise, enjoy!
"Hey, Kenma, look! There's the cat I told you about! See?"
Hinata pointed to the road below, where a boy was walking with his schoolbag held casually over one shoulder. The animal in question, a rotund white cat with a large stripe of orange and grey running down its head and back, trotted along by his heels, rather in the manner of a dog being taken for a walk.
"What about it?"
"It looks kind of funny, doesn't it? Like one of those lucky cat charms people have in shops and things. Don't you think?"
Kenma shrugged, his soft voice sounding bored as usual as he replied,
"I guess."
Hinata's cheeks puffed out comically as he pouted at his friend's lack of enthusiasm. He'd seen the cat by chance a couple of days before, and had dragged Kenma out to share the discovery. Normally, if there was one thing guaranteed to make him show interest – indeed, any sign of emotion other than vague annoyance or boredom – it was cats, but apparently this time, that wasn't the case.
"Aw, that's no fun," he complained. "I brought you here 'cause I thought you'd like it. You do like cats, don't you?"
"Normal cats, yes," he replied. "That one's different. Can't you tell? It's got some kind of power. I don't like it, it feels weird."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Narrowing his eyes, Hinata peered down at the road, taking a closer look at the boy and his pet. Sensing the presence emanating from the feline, his eyes opened wide in surprise.
"Oh, you're right! Woah, that is weird! But that boy's human, isn't he?" Confused, Hinata turned back to Kenma, his head titled quizzically at the older boy.
Golden eyes narrowed in response, unease written across his face.
"I don't know," he replied. "But it doesn't matter. We should get back before someone sees us, or everyone will start wondering where we are."
Hinata sighed. "Yeah, I guess you're right. I wouldn't want Daichi-san or Suga-san to get mad." Reluctantly, he got up, stretching his arms before hurrying to catch up to Kenma's retreating back. Turning his head for one last look at the boy disappearing around the corner, he shrugged ruefully. Black wings unfurled as he leaped up into the sky, joining the bakeneko as they headed back to the mountains and the safety of their shrines.
Back on the ground, Nyanko-sensei looked up at his self-styled 'pet'.
"You saw those two Yokai, didn't you, Natsume?" he asked, his slitted eyes narrowing further in amusement when the boy sighed in response.
"Yeah."
"What do you think they want? Come to get their names back?"
"Probably." He looked up at the sky, watching the clouds lazily pass by as he continued walking. It would be nice if his life could be as peaceful as the summer sky, but his grandmother's heirloom ensured that wish would currently remain as unreachable, and as intangible, as the clouds floating above.
And as likely to get him soaked, he thought idly, remembering the many times he had either fallen, dived into, or been pushed into various lakes and ponds he had visited during his efforts to return the names stored in the Book.
"eh, Reiko certainly caused a lot of trouble, hmmm?" Nyanko-sensei's musing lifted Natsume out of his thoughts. He glanced down, meeting the cat's sly gaze. Knowing he was just teasing, Natsume shrugged, humming vaguely in response.
Absently, he thought back on the yokai whose names his grandmother had collected over the years. It was true that some of the owners of the names he returned had been rude, demanding, or outright dangerous, but there were equally those who were nothing but kind and polite about the situation, and even some that had actually been quite pleasant to meet. It was the Book of Friends, after all.
Natsume saw the pair of yokai again the next day. He was heading to the shops, running errands for Touko-san, as she was visiting a friend in the next town over. He had met Tanuma along the way, who, in the absence of anything else to do, had decided to tag along. As usual, Nyanko-sensei trotted beside the pair, hissing furiously when Tanuma greeted him with "oh, Ponta's here too". True, he may currently have the same overall shape of a swine, but he was the mighty and fearsome Madara, whose very name struck fear into the hearts of lesser yokai! Not some common pig! The nerve of the boy. If it weren't for the fact he was one of the very few people Natsume actually called a friend, he would teach the boy to greet him with the respect he deserved. One day…
Unaware of Nyanko-sensei's (or Ponta's) inaudible grumbling, the boys' conversation remained light and carefree, discussing school and nothing in particular, until Tanuma noticed his friend's expression becoming more and more irritated.
"It's yokai, isn't it? Are they following us?" he asked, looking around in an attempt to determine their presence. He couldn't see them, of course, unless they were powerful enough to take a visible form like Madara could, but if he concentrated, sometimes he could sense them, or see the vague shadows cast by their bodies.
Natsume shook his head.
"Not exactly," he replied, casting an annoyed glance over his shoulder to where the offending pair were hidden amongst the trees.
Tanuma tilted his head, concern evident on his face. "What do you mean? Are they dangerous?"
Natsume shook his head again, this time a little harder to reassure his friend.
"No, I don't think so," he said. "Just curious. I saw them yesterday, they seemed interested in Nyanko-sensei. Can't imagine why."
"Oi! Cheeky, brat, it's only natural for lower-level yokai to be attracted to my power," Madara said indignantly, his bulky chest puffing up even further than usual.
"Whatever. Are they dangerous?"
Miffed at the slight, Madara jumped up at Natsume's back, butting his head before landing on his shoulder, where he turned around to stare up at the yokai.
"heh, a couple of yokai like that are nothing compared to my power," he boasted.
"Sensei…"
Finding himself plucked up off his perch and swung around to face a pair of irritated amber eyes, Madara huffed, closing his eyes as he shook his head.
"No, they're not dangerous," he relented. "Just curious. They've probably heard the rumours about Reiko's grandson and come to investigate. You're pretty famous in these parts, eh?" he said the latter part quietly, aware that Natsume hadn't told Tanuma about the Book yet.
Natsume's expression told him exactly what he thought of that fact, but he was stopped from voicing the retort on his lips by Tanuma, who spoke up after being silent throughout the exchange.
"What kind are they?" he asked.
"Ah, sorry," Remembering Tanuma couldn't see the beings the two were talking about, he hurried to fill his friend in.
"There are two, a karasu tengu and a bakeneko. The tengu's wings are black, but his hair is orange, and he looks quite short. The bakeneko is a little taller, he's got calico markings and yellow hair."
"I see." There was a lull in the conversation after that, until Madara unexpectedly spoke up.
"He looks like you, Natsume. The bakeneko."
"What? He does not! Sensei, stop saying weird stuff all the time!"
"Really? It does? Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be able to see them…"
"Yes, it would! And you, stop laughing! Exactly what part of me is alike?!"
"Stupid yourself! He does. You have the same hair. And your eyes are the same colour!"
"You…!"
Grabbing Madara in a chokehold, Natsume rubbed his fist into the cat's oversized head, a vein throbbing at his temple as they continued arguing. Left out of the loop, Tanuma could only laugh at their antics, used to their bickering by now. Unseen by the trio, the yokai watched them go, hidden once again in the shelter of the trees.
"Crap, he saw us!" Hinata had ducked back down into the safety of the foliage as soon as he realised Natsume could see him, but it had been too late to avoid being discovered.
"Ah, Daichi-san really will be mad at me now! What should we do? Do you think he'll tell anyone?" Panicked, Hinata cringed, imagining the lecture that would surely endue when the patriarch of the clan found about his recklessness.
"Shoyo, you're being too loud," Kenma complained, annoyed at the younger yokai's agitated display. "It's fine, he won't tell anyone. Most humans can't see us, remember? Even if he did tell someone, they probably wouldn't believe him."
Hearing his friend's calm reassurance, Hinata raised his head from where he'd been pulling at his hair in self-chastisement.
"Oh. Yeah, that's right," he said sheepishly. "I got a little carried away there, huh?"
Kenma shrugged. "It's fine. It is kind of strange to see a human with the Sight, there aren't many of them these days. It's the first time you've seen one, right?"
Hinata nodded, replying, "Yeah. Some of the monks at the shrine can see us, kinda, but that's the first time there's been a normal human who can!"
"Monks are normal, too, Shoyo."
Interrupted by Kenma pointing out the correction, Hinata made a face, scrunching up his eyes before relaxing them in his usual grin.
"You know what I mean."
"mm. We should go before he comes back, though, just in case."
"Alright."
"Will they be here again tomorrow?"
Arms full of groceries, Natsume looked down, startled out of his thoughts.
"Nyanko-sensei? How did you know…?"
Pleased at the expected reaction, Madara's eyes narrowed in amusement.
"Baka-Natsume," he snickered. "It's written all over your face. 'I wonder if those annoying yokai will be in the forest again tomorrow'?"
Annoyed at being so easy to read, Natsume sighed, nodding ruefully at Madara's answer.
"Yeah, I was thinking about them," he admitted. "I don't like how they keep appearing, it's annoying. I don't know what they want. If they want their names returned, they should just say."
"If they do, what will you do about it? Will you give them back?"
Natsume shrugged, as best he could around the bags in his arms.
"I guess," he replied absently.
Madara scowled. "Baka-Natsume," he repeated. Jumping up, he clawed his way up Natsume's jacket to perch on his shoulder, swatting at his head with a paw before leaping back down to land in the middle of the path, forcing Natsume to stop.
"The Book of Names is thin enough as it is!" he reprimanded. "At this rate, there won't be any left for me to take when I eat you!"
Used to the grumbling, Natsume laughed. "Sorry, sensei."
"Idiot, if you really were sorry, you'd stop returning them." Huffing, Madara grudgingly stepped aside, letting Natsume resume his pace. He knew by now that his demands for Natsume to stop returning the names his grandmother collected would fall on deaf ears, as evidenced by the fact the Book was noticeable thinner. However much he may deny it, the boy was kind-hearted to a fault, somewhat of the opposite to the way Reiko had been. That kindness had often got him in trouble in the past, as his attempts to help both yokai and humans alike often resulted in dangerous situations, either for himself or the very people he was trying to protect. It usually seemed to work out in the end, though.
"Yeah, they're here today too." This time it was Natsume's comment that interrupted Madara's thoughts.
Glancing up at the trees above, Madara caught a flash of bright orange before it hastily ducked into the cover of the leaves. He gave a disdainful sniff at the failed attempt at stealth, then returned his gaze to Natsume's increasingly irritated face.
"oh? That's not a very nice look, Natsume," he remarked. "Are you finally going to do something about them?"
One eyebrow twitched in annoyance at the barb as Natsume sighed, conceding defeat. "If it will get them to finally stop following me, I suppose it's best to get it over with sooner rather than later," he muttered, though the dark look it was delivered with showed he'd rather not deal with them at all, if that option had been available.
But it wasn't, and Madara's eyes narrowed into his usual sly grin. Whether he was amused at Natsume's annoyance or simply glad he had finally come to a decision, Natsume wasn't sure.
Halting on the path, he looked up in the direction of the trees the offending yokai were perched in. Pitching his voice a little louder than normal, he called out.
"I know you're there. Just come out and get it over with already, OK? I'll return your names, just stop following me."
An 'eep' of surprise sounded from the trees, followed by a quietly exasperated "now you've done it", but the pair obeyed. Branches rustled as the tengu jumped down, wings flaring slightly as he landed. The bakeneko followed after, twin tails waving gracefully as he floated down to land a few paces behind his friend. He remained there, tails twitching uneasily as he surveyed the human and his pet with wary eyes.
Up close, Natsume could see the resemblance Madara had spoken of before. The bakeneko did indeed have the same golden tint to his eyes and hair, framing a delicate, pointed face, as well as a similar slender build. But more than mere physical features, the cat held a similar aura – a sense of distance from the world and those in it; a wariness that spoke of being hurt in the past, and a quiet, calculating shrewdness that assessed the surroundings and carefully planned around them.
In contrast, the tengu appeared to be vibrating with energy, like a fraction of the sun's power was barely being contained within the tiny body. A friendly, open face gazed up at Natsume, honest awe and slight trepidation evident in his large orange eyes.
After a few moments of the four sizing each other up, Natsume broke the silence. Sighing, he bent down, placing the bag of groceries by his feet before straightening up to unzip the Book from its' pouch.
"Alright. Who's first?" he asked, looking between the two expectantly, only to be met with blank expressions in return.
The tengu tilted his head in confusion.
"For what?" he asked. "What does that book do? It isn't something scary, is it? Please don't cast a spell on us, we aren't going to hurt you!"
Natsume sighed in exasperation. Great. It seemed these yokai weren't here to have their names returned after all – they were simply attracted to the Book's power, without having a clue what it actually was, let alone how to use it.
"Your names aren't actually in here, are they? The Book of Names." he clarified, the hint of irritation seeping into his voice making it more a statement than a question.
"Book of Names…?" he repeated, still confused.
"I think I've heard of it." The bakeneko spoke up quietly, seeming uncomfortable when the attention turned to him.
"Kuroo told me about it once. A few years ago, there was a girl who travelled around challenging yokai to games, and when they lost she took their names as punishment. They were gathered into a book called the Book of Friends, and whoever owns it can control the yokai who's names are in it."
'A few years ago' was stretching the term rather loosely, but to beings who lived for centuries, if not forever, Natsume supposed it probably did seem that way. Repeating the phrase he had said dozens of times over at this point, he replied.
"That was my grandmother, Natsume Reiko. I'm Natsume Takashi."
"Scary…"
Realising he had said the thought out loud, the tengu frantically waved his arms in front of Natsume.
"Ah, no, I didn't mean you! I meant your grandmother! Wait that sounds bad, I mean the name thing, not her…I mean…er, sorry…" trailing off, Hinata flushed, staring at the ground in embarrassment.
Madara snickered at the poor tengu's discomfort, but Natsume ignored him.
"Whatever. But if your names aren't in here, what do you want? I'm not going to give you the Book, so stop wasting my time." He knew he was being rude, but by this point, Natsume couldn't really bring himself to care. He was hot, tired, thirsty – the sun was directly overhead now, and the canopy didn't provide enough shade to cover the path – and getting increasingly fed up with having to explain himself time and time again.
Taken aback by the blunt reply, Hinata drew back a little, unsure how to explain without getting further in trouble.
"Um, I, well…" he stalled.
"Yes?"
Spurred on by the prompt, and accompanying impatient glare, Hinata gulped, continuing.
"I just…wanted to meet you," he said. "I saw the cat-"
"Oi! My name is Madara, crow!"
"eep! Er- Madara-san - sama! – and, um, then I saw he was with you, and I wondered if you were a human who can control ayakashi, because I've never met one before. Well, I've never actually met any humans, because Daichi-san says it's not safe to talk to them, even though the monks at the shrine seem nice, but they can't really see me, and anyway they don't really count because monks all have power, and, um…" wilting under Natsume's unimpressed look, he trailed off, having eventually run out of breath.
"So, you just wanted to meet a human? Is that all?"
"um, yes…" sheepishly, Hinata scuffed his foot along the path, realising how foolish the idea sounded now he said it aloud.
Natsume closed his eyes as though gathering patience, then looked over at the bakeneko, who had remained quiet throughout his friend's chatter.
"And you?" he asked, somewhat friendlier than before.
Startled at being addressed again, Kenma's shoulders hunched inward slightly, defensive.
"Shoyo wanted me to meet you, too, and Madara-san. He wouldn't stop pestering me, so I came. I'm sorry we wasted your time. We'll be going now."
So saying, Kenma bowed to Natsume and Madara, but Hinata made no move to leave.
"Do we have to?" he complained. "I wanna talk to Natsume more. Come on, Kenma, can't we stay a little bit more?"
"No, you can't. I'm busy. Besides, won't you get in trouble if you stay here? That Daichi person you mentioned, if he's that strict that he told you not to talk to humans, I doubt he'll be happy when he finds out you came here. In fact, I bet you didn't tell him you were leaving the mountains, did you?"
Hinata's guilty (and more than a little scared) expression proved Natsume had hit the nail on the head.
"Yeah, we really need to go, Shoyo. I'll get in trouble too if Kuroo and Yaku-san find out, you know."
"heh. Looks like you two are already in trouble, cheeky brats. Serves you right for sneaking out."
Madara's unexpected comment had the pair whirling round, wings and claws flared and tails rigid, as they looked around for the source of his warning. It was too late for them to flee, however, as the sound of powerful wings came from above. The breeze stirred up by the new tengu's landing set the branches swaying; Natsume's hair whipping in the wind as the yokai touched down before neatly folding his wings away behind his back.
Seeing the newcomer, Hinata's expression turned from chagrin, to outright panic. Now he'd really done it. A glance over at Kenma's face proved he was thinking the same thing. Already slitted pupils narrowed even further to a needle-thin line of anxiety, as he tensed up in preparation for the lecture the pair were about to receive.
"uh, hey, Suga-san…we were just…um…-"
"Don't even start, Hinata. You can explain on the way." Mercilessly cutting off Hinata's desperate, and futile, attempt at defusing the situation, Sugawara reached out, grabbing the cuff of the younger tengu's tunic to prevent him from making an escape.
"Ah, wait! We haven't even said goodbye! Natsume – we didn't even tell him our names!"
"You shouldn't be talking to him at all!" Sugawara hissed, shaking the collar to emphasise his point. Spots of red bloomed on his pale face as he realised the extent of Hinata's disobedience had gone further than he thought. A moment later, though, a look of suspicion caused his brows to furrow in thought.
"Wait…Natsume? It can't be…" Looking over to the human standing opposite him, Sugawara's expression slackened into shock, the hand fisted in Hinata's collar losing its' grip as his eyes widened in recognition.
"You…" he murmured, eyes running up and down as he searched Natsume's face.
"No, of course not. It's just a coincidence, of course. It's a common enough name, after all." The words were spoken mainly to himself, but Natsume heard enough to understand the gist. Sighing, he repeated himself yet again.
"Yeah, if you're talking about Natsume Reiko, she was my grandmother. My name is Natsume Takashi. And before you say anything, no, I don't do what she did. I'm not going to steal anyone's name."
Recovering himself from the surprise, Sugawara nodded once, slowly.
"Of course, my mistake. It was just a surprise, hearing that name. I'm sure you've heard it many times, but you really do resemble her. Your grandmother, I mean."
"Yeah, I get that a lot." The not-so-subtle jab was delivered flatly, but thankfully the tengu didn't seem to take offense.
"My apologies, Natsume-kun. But if you don't mind me asking, does that mean you have the Book? I heard Reiko-san passed away, but I never knew what happened to her possessions."
Natsume nodded, holding it up slightly. "Yeah, I found it in a box of her things. My- the people I'm staying with now, they gave it to me, since I'm her only direct relative."
"I see. May I see it?"
Natsume hesitated, subconsciously drawing the Book closer to his side. This Sugawara guy seemed nice enough, but he knew that the more powerful the yokai, the better able they were to conceal their malicious intent. And if the way Hinata was acting was any indication, Natsume could tell this particular tengu was more than an average level.
Seeing his indecision, Sugawara waved his hand in a placating gesture.
"It's fine, never mind. Of course, I understand you wouldn't hand it over to anyone who asks, especially yokai like us."
There was nothing to say to that, but Natusme nodded all the same. There was an awkward silence for a few moments, then Kenma spoke up again.
"Um, Sugawara-san, can we go now? Kuroo will be wondering where I am."
Startled, Sugawara looked over at the bakeneko, realising for the first time that Kenma had been there all along. The cat was so quiet before, even he hadn't noticed him.
"Of course, we really should get back. Natsume-kun, it was nice to meet you, and I apologise for wasting your time. I'm sure your family will be waiting for you, too. Please, take care of the Book, and be careful. There are many yokai looking for it, and not all of them are as friendly as us."
"You don't have to tell him that. Besides, he has me to protect him. Lower level ayakashi are nothing compared to my power." Nyanko-sensei, who had been silent until now, couldn't resist the parting boast.
Realising the other cat was more than just a pet, Sugawara looked down, eyes widening as he took in the cat's current form.
"Madara? Is that you?" he asked incredulously, unable to stop the disbelief colouring his tone.
The stubby tail bristled as Madara scowled, as much as possible with his rounded eyes. "Things happened," he stated, refusing to elaborate.
"I see," Sugawara replied delicately, politely dropping the subject. "Well then, I leave the Book in your hands. Maybe we'll meet again sometime, but now we really must be going. Goodbye, and good luck in your future travels. And Takashi, thank you for your time."
"You, too. Goodbye."
Lifting a hand in farewell, Natsume watched as the yokai bowed before taking off, silver and black feathers glinting in the sun. The bakeneko slipped away into the forest, his form blurring like water before resolving into an ordinary housecat with calico markings, and then he was away, with a flick of his tail as he disappeared into the trees.
Finally free from the disturbance, Natsume took a moment to savour the quiet, before reaching down to retrieve the bag of groceries which had lain forgotten at his feet during the interaction. Turning around, he resumed walking back to the house, enjoying the silence.
It didn't last for long, though. Unable to remain quiet, Nyanko-sensei felt the need to speak up.
"Well, that was different. A nice change of pace, eh, Natsume?"
Natsume raised an eyebrow at the cat's remark. If one defined 'a change of pace' as 'not being attacked and almost eaten', then, yes, he supposed it was rather refreshing to simply be approached for a midday chat. Of course, if he'd had any say in the matter, he'd rather not associate with yokai at all, present company not necessarily excluded.
"I suppose," he replied. "At least I didn't have to return any more names, so you must be happy. They were still annoying though. That tengu was way too energetic. The cat was alright, I suppose. At least he was quieter than some." Given the scowl accompanying the last word, it was clear he was referring to the yokai who swarmed around him with loud words and voices; namely, the cyclops and bull who seemed to have made it their mission to annoy Natsume as much as possible until he snapped, all under the guise of praising his power.
"Heh, so you admit it, then. You two are alike," Madara chuckled, pleased that the boy had accepted he was right after all.
"What? No, we aren't! Sensei…"
Nimbly dodging the admittedly half-hearted kick aimed his way, Nyanko-sensei continued laughing at the vehement denial. Their bickering continued as they headed on down the path, back to the house where Touko-san and Shigure-san were waiting.
A few days after the meeting, Natsume had put the incident out of his mind, when he received a reminder of the yokai from before. It was early evening, the sun not yet set, and he had just come out of the shower. Beads of water dripped from the towel slung around his neck, more drops glistening in his still-damp hair as he opened the door to find a piece of paper lying on the floor, a bottle of sake and some kind of pouch resting on top to keep it in place.
"Huh? What's that? A note?" Leaning down, Natsume bent over to pick it up. "Sensei's probably going drinking again…let's see. Oh, it's from them." Scanning the first few lines, Natsume saw the note was not Madara letting him know he'd be out late drinking, as usual, but a letter of invitation from the tengu.
Natsume-sama, it read,
I hope this letter finds you in good health. I know this may come a little late, but I wanted to apologise again for the trouble we caused you before. I understand it can hardly be pleasant to constantly be sought out by me and my kind, especially as not all of us have friendly intentions. Please, accept these gifts as my offering to you, as thanks for the service you provide to those whose names you return.
I realise this is contradicting my previous words, but if you ever visit the Miyagi mountains, stop by the shrine sometime. In fact, we're holding a moon-viewing ceremony on the day of the full moon - if you like, you are more than welcome to attend. My clan and I will make sure you receive full hospitality.
Take care, and give my regards to Madara.
Sugawara, of clan Karasuno
Once he'd finished reading the invitation, Natsume looked at the calendar on his desk. The full moon was two nights away, so he had a couple of days to decide. Sighing, he lay down on the bed, debating whether it was worth the trouble.
The soft pad of paws on the tatami mat alerted him to Nyanko-sensei's return from wherever he'd been.
"eh, Natsume, what's this? Sake? Oh, there's something else, too."
"hmm? Oh, yeah, I found it in the room when I came back. The yokai from before left it here," Natsume explained, pointing lazily to the letter. Madara nudged it open with his nose, scanning the lines before turning to the gifts.
"So, a moon viewing ceremony, eh? Will you go?" he asked, picking up the bottle and plucking the cork out with an expert claw. Taking a sniff, he grinned.
"ooh, the good stuff! Hey Natsume, if they have more of this, we should definitely go!"
Natsume rolled his eyes, getting up off the bed to retrieve his own gift before it got stained with any sake.
"That's your answer to everything with alcohol involved, sensei," he told him. "I'm not going all the way to Miyagi just so you can get drunk."
Ignoring the slight, Madara took a sip. "Fine then. What about going to thank them? That crow came all the way here to give us these, the least you could do is be grateful, brat. You don't seem to mind when the kitsune comes to give you things. You even gave him that bowl you made."
"That's..."
"What? That was different because you chose to give it to him?" Nyanko-sensei's pointed question evidently struck a nerve, as Natsume opened his mouth to argue, only to close it again with a frown.
"I don't know," he said lamely. "But if you're going to be like that, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go. I can ask Natori-san to come with me as well, just in case."
Madara grimaced at the mention of the exorcist – the two still didn't really see eye to eye, though he had to admit the man could be useful at protecting Natsume when he wasn't there – and purposefully changed the subject.
"So, what's in the pouch?" he asked. "It's for you, open it."
"Alright, alright. Geez, sensei, you're so impatient. Let's see…" Pulling the strings open and turning it upside down, Natsume shook the contents of the little bag into his palm. A little paper charm fell out, a silvery feather pressed onto the square, with a protective sutra written beneath. A good luck charm, then, presumably from the shrine.
Seeing it, Madara gave a disdainful sniff. It was about what he'd expected, though being as powerful as he was, he saw no use for the charms humans gave each other. After all, all it had taken was for Natsume to fall into one to break the seal that had been binding him. Not that he wouldn't have been able to do so himself at any time, that is! He'd simply chosen not to. Of course.
Unaware of the cat's internal monologue, Natsume tucked the charm back into its' bag and placed it on his desk. It was a nice gesture, even if Madara didn't agree. Laying back down on the bed, Natsume took out his phone, sending a text to Natori to explain the situation, and invite him to join the celebration. A few minutes later, he received a reply that yes, he would love to join Natsume, and he would even pick him up so he would have an excuse for Touko-san and Shigure-san.
Inwardly, Natsume sighed in relief at the last part. That was the one thing he hated the most about being able to see spirits – constantly having to come up with excuses to explain the way he acted or things he did. He hated having to lie to the Fujiwaras about where he went when he visited yokai, or why he came back to the house with scratches and bruises and mussed up hair, or why he sometimes appeared startled when nothing was there. It wasn't that he thought they wouldn't believe him if he told them the truth; they were so kind and gentle, he thought they probably would, or at least not mock him like so many others had before, but it was a world he was glad they weren't a part of. They were too kind to be dragged into his mess, and besides, at this point Natsume wasn't sure how he'd even go about it.
'Touko-san, Shigure-san, I have something I've been meaning to tell you. By the way, I can see spirits. In fact, there's one on the dining room table at the moment.' No, it was better to keep them in the dark, and let them continue to live their lives in peace.
When Touko called him down to the said table for dinner a little while later, Natsume gave her the succinct version: Natori-san had invited him to a moon viewing party in Miyagi, and was that alright? He'd be staying overnight, and Natori would cover the cost of travel and an inn. Of course, Touko agreed, happy that Natsume had friends who invited him out to occasions such as these.
With the outing accepted, the rest of the evening passed in peace. Conversation flowed naturally around work and school, whether the weather would stay dry or not, and other such pleasantries.
The next day stayed peaceful as well, with no more yokai than normal bothering Natsume. Hiragi stopped by to confirm the details of when Natori would arrive to pick him up, but otherwise the time passed without incident.
And then, it was late afternoon on the day of the full moon, and Natsume was alerted to Natori's arrival by the sound of a car horn as it drove up outside. He waved from the window, signalling Natsume to go upstairs and retrieve the backpack with his things. A last minute pause had him remembering to take the charm Sugawara had given him in the letter, tucking it into his pocket for safekeeping. Heading down, he bid goodbye to Touko-san, smiling when she wished him a pleasant time and a safe journey.
As they drove to the station, Natsume repeated the events of the meeting that had led to the invitation, filling Natori in of the details he hadn't been able to send over text. Natori listened patiently, laughing at the description of how the younger tengu had been caught out by his matriarch, and humming an interested "oh, really?" at Madara's insistence of the resemblance between Natsume and the bakeneko.
They caught the train after purchasing the tickets, then Natori lead the way to the inn he had arranged for them to stay at for the night. It seemed he was familiar with the hostess from a previous visit – they'd met during one of his films, he explained, which had been shot in the area. She showed them to their room, then bid them goodnight, wishing them a pleasant evening, as Natori had told her they were visiting friends for the moon viewing.
Natori treated him to oden from a local pop-up stall as well, discovered when he had wandered off set during a break before. It was lucky he had found it, he said, as the owner tended to travel around all over, along with his young son. Said youngster had stared at the pair with wide-eyed wonder, peering around his father's apron timidly. At Natori's gentle urging, he had shyly showed them his most precious prize, the end of a broken-off arrow, flecked with alternating black and white feathers. It was an ordinary arrow, from a high school archery club, by look of it, but it was imbued with a powerful protection aura, such that even Madara had commented on it.
'A gift from a friend' was all the owner had to say when they asked where it had come from. 'You would get on well with him, I think', he said, giving Natsume a knowing look.
Rather mysterious, but as there was no way of knowing who the kindly owner was referring to, Natsume didn't pay it too much thought. In any case, the oden was delicious, well deserving of the praises Natori had sung of it. Natsume tucked in gratefully, savouring the aroma as much as the taste of the meal itself. Once they had finished eating, they bade the owner and his son goodbye, Natori asking them to pass his regards onto 'the witch and her friends', whoever they were. Natori met many people in his jobs, both the mundane and the magical, and sometimes both, depending on whether the role was of exorcist or actor.
Soon, it was time to head to the shrine. Making their way up the steps set into the mountain path, the pair began the climb up to the summit. As they walked, they heard exited whispering coming from the bushes either side – the local yokai wondering who these humans were who held more power than the average pilgrim seeking to pay their respects.
Thankfully, Madara's warning growl made sure they didn't get too close, contenting themselves with curious stares and nudges as they whispered, pointing to the satchel Natsume carried on his hip.
As they neared the top, a path appeared at the side, a worn dirt track leading away from the main shrine. At Madara's insistence, they followed it, the cat leading the way with a confident air.
"I can smell the sake," was his explanation, when they asked how he was so sure that this was the right path.
"Of course," Natsume muttered sardonically, but he left it at that. Nyanko-sensei's nose for alcohol aside, as they followed the path upwards where it curved around the mountain, the sound of music and cheers began to filter on the breeze, growing louder as they came onto the top proper.
Once at the top, the pair took a moment to catch their breath, and enjoy the view. The view from the summit was definitely worth the trouble it had taken to get there, Natsume had to admit. A feast of food and sake was laid out in front of them, and to the east the moon was beginning to rise in full, in all her shining glory.
"Ah, you made it! I wasn't sure if you would be coming." Sugawara greeted them as they passed the entrance, smiling warmly at the sight of them.
"It seemed fair, you did come all the way to give me the letter. And I wanted to say thank you for the charm," Natsume replied politely, ignoring the knowing grin Madara shot in his direction.
Sugawara waved the thanks off with a gesture. "Don't mind!" he said. "It's the least I could do, since Hinata kept interrupting your day like that. He told me he'd been following you, which I'm sure was kind of a pain. I'll make sure he apologises himself, but for now, why don't you come join us?" So saying, he lead them to one of the blankets spread out on the grass, where a bottle of sake was laid out in a basket, along with a plates of a variety of foods.
"So, who's your friend?" he asked, once they were settled (Natsume politely refused the cup of sake offered to him, substituting it for a cup of water brought from the nearby stream).
"Oh, sorry. This is Natori Shuuichi, he's an exorcist of the Natori clan," Natsume explained. "We met when I helped a yokai, and she formed a contract with him."
"Nice to meet you," Natori bowed, Sugawara copying the gesture as he repeated the phrase.
"And thank you for helping her, it's nice to know humans can still form bonds in friendship, not force."
"Of course."
Pleasantries conducted, Sugawara turned to one of the other members of his clan, a tall, dark haired tengu with tanned skin and a pleasant smile, and beckoned him over with a wave of his hand. If his stature wasn't enough indication, the way the lesser yokai gathered subtly cleared a path for him told Natsume he was of the same high status as Sugawara, if not higher.
"This is Daichi, our patriarch. He was the one who suggested inviting you here tonight," Sugawara explained. Natsume recognised the name from when Hinata had mentioned him before. So, this was the one he'd been afraid of getting in trouble with. Natsume could see why, though the aura he carried felt more protective than stern.
"I'm glad you could come," Daichi said, inclining his head in a slight bow. "I'm sure Suga said this already, but I'm sorry for Hinata's behaviour. He's never met a human before, as you know, so he got a little carried away."
Natsume nodded, inwardly struck by the thought that the pair sounded more like exasperated parents apologising for their sons' antics than the matriarch and patriarch of a clan. Though, he supposed part of their duties were to protect and provide for the safety of each of the members, so it wasn't that far from the truth, really.
"Oh, Natsume! You came! Suga-san said you were invited, but I wasn't sure you'd actually come!" Whatever Daichi might have been about to say next was interrupted by Hinata's exuberant shout. Turning to the smaller tengu, Sugawara fixed him with a stern frown.
"Yes, he's here. And I think you have something to say to him, don't you, Hinata?" he hinted, the order emphasised with a pointed look.
Chagrined, Hinata nodded. Hands clasped by his sides, he bent over in a deep bow, eyes screwed shut as he said,
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have followed you, and I'm very sorry if I caused you any inconvenience. I won't do it again, I promise!" The speech sounded a little rehearsed, but there was no denying his sincerity.
"uh, whatever. It's fine. You can stand up now," Natsume said, embarrassed at the attention the ginger's apology had gathered.
Mercifully, he was spared any further awkwardness by the appearance of another tengu, this one taller than him and with a shock of jet black hair falling across a deep scowl.
"Stop it, dumbass. You're being way too loud," he complained. "Stop bothering the human, he doesn't want to talk to you."
"But Kageyama, I was going to ask him about that game the humans play!" he whined, "you know, the one with the ball that goes fwaaaah! and whoooosh! and ka-blam! when it goes over the net!"
"It's called volleyball, idiot, and you don't even know if he likes it too."
Pouting, Hinata dropped dramatically, but allowed himself to be dragged away all the same, waving goodbye as he went to join the rest of his clan. One of them, even smaller than he was, with a stripe of blond that stuck out against the rest of his darker fringe, was enthusiastically regaling the others with a story, his face alight with excitement. Next to him, his friend nodded sagely, in contrast to the image of his close-cropped buzzcut.
"So childish," the blond seated nearby muttered, the kind-looking, freckled boy next to him nodding in agreement.
"So, anyway, is this your first time in Miyagi?" Sugawara asked the pair, ignoring the bickering that had started up behind him at the snarky comment.
Grateful for the diversion, Natsume replied. "Yeah, I've never been before. Natori-san has, for work, though."
Interested, the attention turned to the latter. "What is it you do, Natori-san?" Daichi asked, bringing him into the conversation.
"I'm an actor," he replied. "I do films, advertisements, that kind of thing. Outside of being an exorcist, that is. I travel around a lot because of it, so I've been to most places, I guess."
"Sounds like fun. You should talk to Oikawa, he works in the entertainment industry as well. One of the few yokai who works in the human world, too."
Sugawara pointed at an oni seated a few paces away, a chestnut haired oni with a charming smile, who grinned even further at the attention.
"Talking about me, Suga? You shouldn't spread gossip, you know! It's bad for my reputation!" he called cheekily, winking across at the tengu before resuming his conversation with the group around him. The oni next to him reached up and cuffed him around the head after the remark, muttering something too low for the rest to catch.
"Ouch! Iwa-chan, that hurt!" he complained, rubbing his head, though the deliberate pout to his shapely lips said it was more for the sake of it than any actual pain.
"Serves you right, Shittykawa," the oni said bluntly, completely immune to his mate's indignant cry.
"Is that who I think it is?" Natori asked, peering closer at the chestnut oni. The tattoo on his face rippled across his cheek as he leaned forward. "I'm sure I've seen him on tv before. He's a singer, right?"
Sugawara nodded. "Yes, he's what you call an idol, I believe. He attends a local school, too, I think; he's very popular with the female students."
Hearing that, Natsume rolled his eyes. Now that he thought about it, this Oikawa was familiar – half the girls in his class seemed to be obsessed with him, though he had no idea why. Well, there was no accounting for taste, he supposed.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of loud cheering coming from across the clearing. Nyanko-sensei, who had wandered off at some point to join the more serious drinking, was engaged in a drinking contest with a boisterous tengu with spiky grey and black hair and sharp hazel eyes. The match was being officiated by a very bored-looking tengu who looked as though he'd really rather be elsewhere, away from the noise.
"AKAAASHI! Did you see that? I won!" he yelled, grinning triumphantly at Madara's angry (and not a little unfocused) glare.
"Keep it down, you guys. You're so loud," Kenma complained unhappily, sitting next to the referee with an irritated look.
"Kitten, if it bothers you that much, go and talk to this Natsume boy," the bakeneko by his other side told him. "Sounds like you two have a lot in common."
Kenma frowned. "Geez, Kuroo, not you too. For the last time, we do not look alike, no matter what Hinata kept saying."
"Whatever you say, Kitten. Just go talk to him."
"ugh, fine." Scowling again at his rooster-haired mate, Kenma got to his feet and headed over to Natsume's group, standing awkwardly at the side when he approached, unsure what to say. Thankfully, the rest of the group picked up on the atmosphere and gracefully let the conversation die, Sugawara and Daichi heading off to another group, and Natori going over to join Oikawa, to discuss the business of work and fans and other such details of the industry they shared.
"Um, hi," Kenma murmured, shyness and awkwardness evident in his tone as he sat down. "I guess we didn't really talk before. I'm Kenma. Kozume."
"Natsume Takashi, but you knew that already."
They were silent for a minute, the noise of the party washing over them, before Kenma spoke again.
"I'm sorry, I don't really know what to say," he confessed quietly. "Kuroo always says I'm too quiet, but I don't really know how to interact with other people. I always seem to say the wrong thing."
Natsume regarded him with a flick of the eyes before returning his gaze to the moon in front of them.
"I understand," he replied. "I don't like talking for the sake of it, either. Most people either don't have much to say, or end up talking about themselves. I suppose it's better now I'm older, but it's still hard sometimes."
"Because you can see us?" Kenma asked.
Natsume looked over, startled at the bakeneko's astute observation.
"How…?"
Kenma shrugged, resting his head on his knees as he replied. "When we saw you, you seemed like you were avoiding us. Not like other humans do because they don't know we're there, but more that you were trying to pretend you couldn't see us. Most humans can't, so I guess it must be difficult to know how to act around them, like you're just the same as them. It's hard to fit in." It seemed like he was talking about himself more than Natsume, but he nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, I suppose you're right," he said. "When I was little, I couldn't tell the difference between humans and yokai that looked like humans, so I ended up being bullied a lot. People didn't like a kid talking to thin air, or crying about monsters no-one else could see. It's easier now, I guess, but it's still hard for me to…I guess connect with people, would be the way to say it. I moved around a lot, so I never really made many friends."
"But you have some now, right? That other guy, Natori, he seems OK."
Natsume nodded again, leaning back. "Yeah, Natori's a decent guy," he agreed. "And I've made a few friends at school who know I can see spirits, and they don't mind. Tanuma can sense them sometimes, since his father's a priest, and Taki has a circle that lets her see spirits if they go into it."
"mmm."
The conversation lulled naturally again, but this time it was more in contented peace than awkwardness.
"You know, It's been a while since I really spoke this much with a yokai," Natsume observed off-handedly. "Just talking to one, I mean. The yokai I normally talk to either just want their names returned, or want me to do something for them. Or try to kill me," he remarked, the tone light but with a hint of underlying bitterness.
"It's the first time I've spoken to a human this much, too." Kenma said quietly, tilting his head to look at Natsume.
Natsume raised an eyebrow, lips lifting in a gentle grin. "Do I live up to expectations?" he asked, teasing.
"mm. I'm not sure." The deadpan reply caught Natsume off guard; he laughed quietly, the genuine sound bringing a shy smile to Kenma as well.
Hearing the noise, Madara looked over, sensitive ears pricking up.
"Heh, looks like Natsume's making another friend," he slurred. "Good for you, brat!" he cheered, picking up the cup he was drinking from and pouring another serving. He lifted it in a toast, the other yokai around him following suit, even if they weren't quite sure what it was for. At that point, though, it didn't really matter.
Ignoring the rowdy celebration behind them, Kenma and Natsume smiled at each other, content to let the words die down again as they stared up at the moon, taking in its' serene beauty.
Like the moon, they were both people who preferred to let the light shine brightly from someone else. At once seeming unreachable and distant, they were also filled with quiet purpose, calmly ebbing and flowing to their own tides. They may not take centre stage, but they still made the world a brighter place just by being in it. And as Natsume gazed up at the moon as it hung in the sky surrounded by points of twinkling light, he realised that Nyanko-sensei had been right all along.
The two of them were alike, after all. And really, that was no bad thing.
Bonus points if you get the references! :)
Also, quick note on the yokai used here, if you don't know them:
Tengu (天狗, "heavenly dog") - crow yokai, depicted with human bodies and faces (often bright red), either with beaks or a long nose, and wings. They live in the mountains and were originally thought to be harbingers of war in Buddhist mythology, but are now more commonly thought of as simply mischeivous spirits. Other examples in anime are the karasu-tengu in XXXHolic that protect Zashiki-Warashi, and the tengu in Kamisama Hajimemashita (Kamisama Kiss).
Bakeneko (化け猫, "changed cat") - cats that have lived with humans for seven or more years, at which point they become yokai. They have powers such as shapeshifting into human form, dancing, talking, cursing people and necromancy. Some legends hold that a cat which has been killed by a human in anger or violence will turn into a bakeneko, and will try to curse or harm the one who hurt it. Bakeneko are related to nekomata, which are also domesticated cats that have run away to live in the mountains, and eat people. They have two tails, and I used a combination of both bakeneko and nekomata for Kenma. I could have made him a Kitsune as most fanart depicts him as one, but strictly speaking they're foxes, not cats. Another example in anime is Kuro in Blue Exorcist.
Oni - an umbrella term for otherwise non-specified yokai that have one or more horns, often with red, blue or green skin, who carry iron clubs. I used oni for Oikawa (and the rest of Aoba Johsai) because he's normally shown as a traditional 'devil' with two rams horns and a forked tail, but I couldn't find if that particular yokai has a name. Like Kagerou in InuxBoku:SS, or Maou in Hataraku Maou-sama! (The Devil is a Part Timer!).
OK, long author note over now. See you next time! :)