It Goes Without Saying
by Starlit Skyline
Taki Tooru was a quiet girl, or that was what most of the school population believed to be true. Taki Tooru was not, in fact, a quiet girl. She talked just as much as any other girl, made jokes, gossiped every now and then and squealed whenever she saw Natsume Takashi's fat cat.
When presented with this display, most people would just shake their heads and murmur something along the lines of "What bad taste."
But these words didn't deter Taki in the slightest. She could finally be the girl she truly was. She didn't care if anyone judged her for who she was. Her close friend, Natsume, however, didn't really agree.
He was glad for Taki, be sure of that. But he was not one to reveal his true self to the world, mostly because of the belief he'd be thrown into a mental hospital if word of his "condition" got out. His friends, the ones who knew his secret, did not push him, though they both wished he'd be more open with them.
Tanuma often voiced this wish and tried to fulfill it on his own on several occasion, which left Natsume with some near heart-attacks and watching Tanuma like a watchdog so the boy wouldn't get involved with the youkai again or do something stupid – or both.
Taki was not as demanding. Whenever Natsume stiffened and went pale, whenever there were concealed bruises and bandages he thought no one saw she held her peace. She was worried, of course, and did what she could to help him when she could – but she almost never questioned or opposed his hastily constructed excuses and abrupt disappearances.
She didn't see what he saw, so she could do nothing when his world chose to whisk him away. She could only hope he'd make it back safely or she'd do her best to lead him back home herself with Tanuma at her side.
But in essence, she couldn't do much at all.
Thus, she stays quiet and didn't say anything. Tanuma tried to convince Natsume to let them help and Natsume looked guilty every time – and sometimes, Taki thought that Natsume did want to tell them what was going on, tell them about everything – but ran away every time.
This cycle repeates itself endlessly.
Natsume drove it forward, Tanuma tried to stop it, to reverse it even, and Taki didn't do anything. She made sure Natsume knew she was there for him, but she knew that was her limit. Her abilities and knowledge were at his disposal, and she readily used them for both him and Tanuma's sakes. But she couldn't follow them into the mysterious world of youkai, because there was nothing there for her.
Taki had always believed in Natsume, if only because she trusted him to come back to them every time that mysterious world of his spirited him away. Natsume would tell them everything one day, but only when he was ready.
Taki was prepared to wait until then.
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