Disclaimer: I make no claim on Natsume Yuujinchou. It belongs to Midorikawa Yuki.
A/N: this was written for natsume week 2016. the prompt was family/friends. it was originally on my tumblr account, and then posted on ao3.
Reiko probably waited for the spirits to visit her, coming after the book. Most of them were lonely. The spirits, who mostly lived by themselves, were lonely.
'And Reiko-san probably was, too,' Natsume Takashi thought as he gazed fondly at what was once the famed (mostly to the ayakashi) Book of Friends on his lap.
When he first got it, along with some of his grandmother's things, it had been thick and heavy. He vaguely remembered grimacing at the weight of his bag every time he went to school. He remembered the almost daily incidents with the ayakashi who were trying to attack him for the book. Thankfully, after a few years, it had died down. Now, there were still instances where some band together, aiming for the book; but it has become few and far between, it had become almost peaceful.
That didn't mean that his life has become ayakashi-free, though. Some still tended to drop by from time to time; whether it be to ask help and/or advice, to trade news and rumors, or to just meet the famed Natsume of the Book of Friends.
Natsume smiled as his fingers gently traced the title on the cover. Maybe Reiko-san did create the Book of Friends because she was lonely. Because God knows he was when he first laid his hands on it. That loneliness was quickly remedied by each youkai coming for its name.
The Fujiwaras might have given him the first step from that lonely life, but it was the ayakashi who gave him the means to fully open up to others. Those days, though dangerous, hectic, and somewhat painful, gave his life color and taught him that he didn't have to be alone.
He finds it weird sometimes that, while Reiko-san created the book to make friends, he achieved the same while dissolving it. It was the Book of Friends in more ways than one.
Now, there were only a few pages left. He had been wondering what to do about it. Most of the names left were those who decided to remain in the book. He had recently come up with a decision, he just hoped they weren't too stubborn.
As he heard the sound of the front door opening, Natsume Takashi set aside the book and went to greet his visitors.
The youkai of Yatsuhara were gathered once more, drinking like they always had. Every little occasion deserved a drinking party. Besides, there were a few trees struck by lightning in a storm the day before so the sake was free-flowing. As the Chuukyuu started some semblance of a dance, some of the bushes rustled.
"Who's there? Show yourself!" the one-eyed youkai said. "Yeah, show yourself! Show yourself!" the ox-like youkai followed.
The bushes rustled again before revealing a child with dusty blond hair and golden brown eyes. Everyone stopped and stared.
"Uhmm…" the child said, scanning the faces of the gathered ayakashi.
"Natsume-sama!" the ayakashi exclaimed in various degrees of excitement.
Surprised, the child took a step back.
"Natsume-sama, why haven't you joined us lately?" one asked.
"You're looking a bit smaller, Natsume-sama." another one said.
"Why are you wearing such dark clothes, Natsume-sama? It's so hot out. You don't want to faint again like last time, do you?" one called out from the back, worriedly.
"Have some sake, Natsume-sama. There was a storm last night so we have plenty to go around!" another said, handing him a cup.
"Uhmm, sorry, I..." the child said, an unreadable expression on his face.
The youkai shared questioning looks.
"I'm looking for someone… Is, uhm, Nyanko-sensei around?"
"Madara-sama? Well, he's…." Chobihige said worriedly, motioning to a cat-shaped figure drinking some distance from them.
"Oh, uhm, thanks." the child said, bowing slightly before heading to the cat.
"Well, that was strange." Chobihige mused, eyeing the child's retreating back.
"Hmm… he smelled different. Like it was Natsume-sama but different," one-eyed chuukyuu said, frowning. "He did, he did." ox-like chuukyuu followed.
"What do you want now?" Madara said as he heard footsteps approaching him, "I thought I told you I wanted to be left alone. Do you want me to eat you? Because I-" In retrospect, Madara decided he should have checked before turning around.
"Oh…" his words died in his throat as he saw a child, familiar and yet not, settle in beside him.
"Hi. I'm Seiha. You must be Nyanko-sensei?"
Madara stared.
"Uhm, Nyanko-sensei?"
"What?" he finally said, gruffly, turning away, his eyes settling back on his sake cup.
"Here," the child said, offering him something. He didn't need to glance at it to know what it was.
"J-jii-chan wanted me, wanted me to give you this. He said to give it to you d-directly a-after..."
"I don't want it."
"B-but-"
"Keep it."
"He said-"
"Hmph. It's fine. Keep it. Don't you want something of your grandfather's?"
"Yes! He told me it was a precious book that made him gain precious things. Of course, I want it! I want to know what kind of precious things he got with this book." the child said, his eyes sparking. Then he paused. "But he said he promised to give this to you a long time ago." he finally said, "so I'm giving it to you now."
There was silence. It's been so long. He had thought the brat had forgotten. He, quite honestly, had. It had been years since he last saw the book and had assumed every name had been returned. And, 'precious things'? His throat felt tight at that.
"It's of no use to me now."
"What?"
"It was interesting at that time." he said, eyes fixed at some place distant, "your grandfather made it interesting."
"Oh."
"Keep it." when the child was about to protest, he continued. "You can see us, right?" A nod. "Can you read what's inside?" A pause. The child opened the book and flipped through the pages and then another nod. "Good. Keep it. Those are names, names of ayakashi that were your grandfather's friends."
"Really?" the child said, excited.
"Hm."
"Is your name here?"
"Me? No. Your grandfather's grandmother made that book, taking names from ayakashi she defeated. She didn't defeat me."
"Oh. But you said it was jii-chan's?"
"Yes. After he got that, he started returning the names. The ones left are the ones who wanted to stay contracted with him, though he has other friends who are not in that book. Those idiots drinking over there, for example." he said, motioning to the other youkai drinking not far off.
"Oh." the child said, gazing back at the book, flipping through the pages. After a while, he took a deep breath and said, "Do you think they'd want to be friends with me like they did with jii-chan?"
"I guess," he shrugged.
The child smiled. "W-will you be friends with me, too?"
"I don't make friends with brats," Madara huffed. "But," he continued before the child could reply, "there are still some youkai who want the Book of Friends. The brat would curse me if something happens to his family so I'll just make sure to keep personal tabs on you."
There was silence after that. Madara sipped his sake while the child traced the cover's title, a small smile on both their faces.
"Even if it kills me, I'll dissolve the Book of Friends. Please lend me your power."
"...Can I? When you fall, can I really have the book?"
"Yeah."
"Very well… I'll personally keep tabs on you."