Um... So... yeah! Enjoy!
Also, cliffhanger alert...
"What's so funny?"
Natsume swallowed his laughter and tried to calmly explain the situation, but just as his face started to become serious, he burst out into giggles again, clutching his belly. Nishimura turned to glance at Kitamoto with utter confusion, only to find that he was trying to keep himself from laughing as well, with his face buried half-way into the warmth of his blue scarf to hide his toothy smirk.
"What? What's so funny?" he demanded to know and spread his arms to the left and to the right, inviting them to give him an answer.
"Shh…! You'll scare it away!" Natsume whispered through his laughter, waving his hand up and down to calm his frustrated friend.
"I'm going to get a photo of this…" Kitamoto vigilantly took out his cell phone and tried to find the perfect angle for the photo.
"What!?" Nishimura repeated again and blinked with a grimace as the flashlight of Kitamoto's cell phone camera hit his eyes.
The little brownish-black sparrow that had been peacefully sitting on top of Nishimura's head, scratching its wings with its beak as if nothing weird was going on, got scared by the sudden strong light and flapped its wings in panic to get away as quickly as it could, chirping in fear until it disappeared into the dark heavy clouds of the sky.
"What's wrong, you guys?"
Kitamoto showed him the successfully taken picture, and Nishimura couldn't help but grin as well. "How come it didn't get scared?" he asked and finally cracked a smile.
"A sign of luck?" Kitamoto suggested and Natsume shrugged in agreement.
"I sure hope this means that Taki will give me a hug or something…" Nishimura mumbled.
"Whatever. Oh!" Kitamoto suddenly snapped his fingers and looked up with a wondrous expression. "I just remembered! I bought the CD with that ninja movie you wanted to see!"
"WHAT?" Nishimura placed his arm around Kitamoto's neck, literally hanging from him with gratitude.
"Yeah, we should watch it sometime!" his friend gave him a thumbs-up with a victorious smug.
"This movie…What's it about?" Natsume asked with some hesitation, not sure if it was ok to butt in like that.
It was rare for him to express interest in a movie like that, so the two friends realized that this was one of those rare chances.
"We should definitely watch it all together! Today! How about today? I don't have cram school because the teacher got ill! It's the perfect day!" Nishimura exclaimed excitedly.
"And, above all, it's Friday, which means we don't have school tomorrow!" Kitamoto added.
"Perfect!"
"My house! We should buy some snacks on the way!"
"I get the chips!"
"I get the liquids!"
"You're making it sound like we're going to have alcohol or something worse…"
"Um… Sorry, but I can't come." Natsume said nervously, shattering their joyful mood in mere seconds.
"Again? Why is every Friday Chores-day for you?" Nishimura whined and patted Natsume's shoulders with a bit more force than necessary. Natsume smiled weakly as he was shaken back and forth by Nishimura's friendly pats.
"It can't be helped. Since Touko-san has started working part-time on Fridays I decided to help around a bit and cook lunch for everybody on those days."
His two friends, tall and short, turned to look at him with dumbstruck expressions. He stared back awkwardly and the easy-going, usual smile dispersed from his face as he spotted a worrying spark of sudden interest in Nishimura's eyes. "Wh-What is it?" He questioned with confusion.
"You can actually cook?" Nishimura asked with a mischievous smirk and leaned closer towards him.
"Yes…" Natsume scratched the back of his neck absent-mindedly. "Though I'm not that good at it…" he admitted with a nervous laugh.
"That's ok, even a small bit of cooking will attract the girls!" he congratulated with excitement, but then his mood literally swung outside of a spiritual window as he kneeled down on the floor, staring at the dirt gloomily. Nishimura exhaled dramatically and his shoulders drooped even more, while his friends exchanged awkward glares. "Why do you have to have such charisma? At this rate, you're going to be an ikemen! Yes, that's right, you'll be the main attraction-" (he said so with quite a quirky, failed attempt of mimicking an English accent)"-stealing all the girl's hearts, like a roller coaster! Why am I the old, boring carousel?!" he complained childishly.
Natsume couldn't help but giggle at the overdramatic display. Kitamoto sighed with annoyance as he grabbed Nishimura by the collar of his black uniform and abruptly forced him up on his feet. "I think that's enough." He scolded.
Nishimura wiped his knees to get rid of the dirt while shooting his friend nasty glares. Kitamoto ignored that completely." I'd like to see how well you can cook…" he narrowed his eyes suspiciously and held his chin with one hand sceptically, trying to imagine his friend in an apron, holding a pot while mixing some kind of soup in it and grinning confidently. "I've got it!" Kitamoto suddenly snapped his fingers and pointed at Natsume, who backed away in surprise "I'm challenging you to a cooking match!" He announced.
Natsume's mouth hung open. "A-wah-" he tried to stutter.
"Ok, I think that's enough." Nishimura sarcastically imitated Kitamoto's tone and shook his head with disappointment. "You see, Kitamoto's a roller coaster as well!" he explained with some jealously depicted on his stiff expression, refusing to look at his best friend directly.
Kitamoto nodded proudly. "I got cooking lessons 101 from my older cousin during the summer! I can basically nail every dish that belongs in the Japanese cuisine now!"
"And then he says I'm the one whose head gets over the clouds…" Nishimura whispered to Natsume's ear, who chuckled innocently at the truth of that fact. Kitamoto had a laid-back attitude most of the time and knew his limits, but sometimes he did get obsessed with something and acted with overexcitement and confidence. Whenever that happened, his friends were sure to be there when he'd get over it to painfully remind him of his childish behaviour and failures.
Natsume noticed that they had reached the usual spot where they had to split up. He stopped walking and turned to tell his friends that he was going, but they were already waving goodbye at him, having recognized that turn as well.
"How about we watch the movie tomorrow at my house, along with Tanuma and the girls?" Kitamoto suggested.
Nishimura was overcome with joy. "Yes!" he agreed with excitement and gave a little hop. "You know exactly how to spice things up a bit!"
"See you tomorrow then!" Nishimura shouted happily, while Kitamoto kept waving behind him with a calm smile.
Natsume waved back without hesitating, always with his unwavering crooked grin. His two friends stopped looking back shortly after and disappeared into the distance. Natsume turned to look ahead of him as well and started to stride confidently. The supermarket was close by…
Gradually, Natsume picked up his pace. His cheerful expression soon turned grim. He couldn't sense any dangerous presences, but that was what was inexplicably unsettling. The way the wind blew eerily through the empty street, the lack of the usual clatter of the birds at these hours, the feeling that he was being watched by something he couldn't sense and knew wasn't really there, it all made him advance to a worried trot. Perhaps it was because of the upcoming storm and the clouds that loomed threateningly above the small town. There was no reason to be so flustered…
.
.
Natsume entered the yard of his house with contentment, carrying two plastic bags filled with goodies he would need for his cooking. He noticed that Touko-san had forgotten to take down the clothes with a distant smile, staring at the colourful rows of fabric that hung loosely from the washing lines, swaying calmly to the rhythms of the strong autumn breeze. He would have to get them down before the rain.
He took out the key from his school bag with impatience and then unlocked the door. The welcoming creak the door made as it was slid open, along with the sudden wave of heat coming from the inside of the cosy house made Natsume feel nostalgic. Quickly, he snuck in and closed the door behind him. He happily dumped his shoes neatly in the corner and unbuttoned his black uniform to hang it, then climbed that one little step that separated him from the rest of the house's first floor.
"Nyanko-sensei, I'm home!" he announced, even though he was sure the old fat cat had probably already sensed his presence.
Natsume headed to the kitchen immediately and placed the shopping bags on the counter before rolling up his sleeves and washing his hands. Realizing that Nyanko hadn't replied, he frowned with suspicion and decided to give it one more try. "Sensei?" he called as he closed the tap to stop the water from being wasted and waited.
Seeing as no answer came, he sighed angrily and continued his work. "I bet he left as soon as I came back and went to drink again…" Natsume mumbled as he searched the cupboard underneath the sink. He retrieved a pan from there and placed it on the counter.
The cooking process was one that was both exciting and tiring. He had to watch the food constantly and make sure that nothing would be overcooked, or undercooked, and he had to be very careful when cutting the vegetables into little pieces. Last Friday, he had accidentally cut his thumb, and he was stubbornly trying not to repeat the same mistake.
Finally, once everything was done, Natsume placed the food in a large round bowl and stood back to admire his creation with joy.
He allowed himself to rest a bit and sat down on a chair after rolling his sleeves down again. It was strangely silent now that not even Nyanko-sensei was there. Only the irritating sound of the remaining water that was slowly dripping from the tap down to the kitchen sink shattered that tranquil state. Shigeru-san had to fix the leakage problem at some point.
Natsume placed his elbow on the table and leaned on his arm with mild boredom. 'What now? Should I do my homework? Oh, that's right, I have to get the clothes down…' He sighed and the chair screeched as he got up again.
It was quiet. Too quiet. Feeling very uncomfortable, with a nasty feeling starting to build up inside him, he decided to hurry outside.
BAM!
Natsume stopped in his tracks and a chill run down his spine. The sudden sound that came from upstairs had almost scared the soul out of him. "Sensei? Is that you?" he called with some uncertainty, as he tried to catch his breath again. Seeing as no answer came, he remained silent after that, trying to pick up any other following noises.
"Perhaps I forgot a window open and the wind knocked something down…" he speculated as calmly as he could. 'But what if it was a yokai…?'
Nyanko was not there, so he couldn't expect any help. Both of his foster parents were working until late. And to make matters worse, the Yuujinchou was still upstairs. Oh how much he regretted not taking it with him that morning!
On the tips of his toes, he carefully made his way outside the kitchen and to the staircase. Trying not to step on any creaking boards of the floor, he slowly climbed up, with his heart racing with worry. Once his eyes were at a height where he could easily see the second floor, he stopped and scanned the corridor while leaning on the handrail, ready to dash off at any sight of danger. Wearing shocks proved to be troublesome at the moment since his feet started slipping on the smooth surface of the floor.
"Nyanko-sensei!" he whispered demandingly, still hoping that the fat maneki cat would appear at his room's doorway and give him that usual grumpy look.
There was an eerie presence lurking around for sure. Natsume could feel it in the marrow of his bones. All of his senses were at their peak. Realizing that going upstairs was a bad idea after all, he slowly climbed down a few steps, as silently as he could, not wanting to be detected by whatever had made its way in his house. That thing was terrifyingly powerful, to be able to cause so many shivers to his body. And it definitely wasn't there for a friendly conversation.
"Natsume. I CAN SEE YOU, NATSUME. REIKO'S GRANDSON. NATSUME OF THE YUUJINCHOU"
That awfully hoarse, cold and threatening voice made the hair on the back of his neck rise. Without a second thought or even a glance behind him, he ran down the stairs as fast as he could. He greeted his teeth and his face drew back in fear as two giant hands grabbed him from the waste. Natsume yelped and squirmed into the giant yokai's grasp, in an attempt to break free. "Let go!" he bellowed and angrily started throwing punches and kicks everywhere. His elbow found the yokai in something slimy, probably its eye, causing it to yelp in pain.
Natsume quickly slipped away and run down the rest of the stairs, heading right towards the exit. He would have to give that fat cat a lecture afterwards…
But there was not enough time. The yokai quickly recovered and went after him. Its thick fingers wrapped themselves around his body again and he was shoved in the wall. The force with which his body crashed with the hard bricks forced the air out of his lungs, making him painfully gasp for air.
"I AM TAKING YOU TO MY MASTER!" the unknown ayakashi hissed.
Natsume's wide eyes caught a glimpse of the monster's face before a plain white cloth was tied around his eyes. It had green skin and it was bald, the shape of its head somewhat resembling that of a human's. However, two tall horns protruded from the corners of its wrinkly forehead, and its eyes had ebony-black sclera and neon red irises. Its features were harsh and indelicate. But what was most disturbing was the fact that it averted its gaze once their eyes met with shame.
.
.
"I'm home! Sorry for being late, Takashi-kun!" Touko-san announced as she took out her shoes with a tired sigh, having just returned home from work. She held a big hamper of clothes, having just collected them from outside. Luckily, there had been no rain yet.
"I do hope you've already eaten instead of having waited for me," she added sinisterly as she placed the hamper by the door and headed to the kitchen to inspect the situation. Were she to discover that the food had been untouched like last time, she'd have to scold that child for its extreme politeness.
"Takashi-kun?" she called again, but there was no answer.
Touko-san, upon entering the kitchen, saw the bowl of food lying on the table, with the cellophane that was covering it still neatly stretched across the bowl. There were no unwashed dishes to account for either.
"… He ate and cleaned up after himself…" she mumbled with joy, happy to see that Natsume was taking responsibilities. "Or…" then her eyebrows drooped "He still hasn't eaten at all…Takashi-kun!" she called again.
Since there was no reply, her expression stiffened and her smile turned upside down, this time with worry. He wasn't home.
The heat of the house had made her sweat slightly. Touko-san unwrapped a rubber band that was on her wrist and gathered her hair to tie them. The short ponytail that was formed was bushy and messy, but she didn't care about appearances. 'It's not like him to leave without a word… perhaps he left a note on his desk?' She thought as she tightened the ponytail one last time and nodded to herself.
Hastily, she headed upstairs to check if her premonition was correct.
The door of Natsume's room was closed. Touko-san frowned and slowly slid it open, only to gasp with surprise at the freezing gust of wind that entered the rest of the house. Ignoring the cold, she turned on the lights and looked around.
The room was disappointingly empty. Natsume's desk, next to the miniature bookshelf, by the corner, seemed awfully poor, with only a few books scattered on its surface and that old lamp. Opposite it was the lonely wardrobe, and in the middle, there was the short table that one could so easily stumble on. Many times, Touko-san had asked him if he wished to have more furniture or decorations, but he had always shrugged the suggestion off with a polite smile. The big south-view window was wide open, now a pitch black hole leading to the darkness of the night outside, allowing the chilliness to reach inside. The strong breeze caused the blue curtains to sway eerily at its wake, like an ominous warning.
Hurriedly, Touko-san closed the window and then massaged her forehead with a sigh, shifting her weight to one leg uncomfortably. The curtains stopped swaying. The dim light finally seemed to affect the colours of the room and made the light green floor appear softer and more appealing to the eye. She glanced at the desk to her left anxiously. No crumbled piece of paper with Natsume's scribbling was present.
"Where could he have gone at such a late hour? It's already seven o'clock..." she muttered and grasped her rosy cheek with worry. "It's dark outside…"
The unbearable, intense silence was suddenly interrupted by a demanding clack. Touko-san looked around with frustration, but couldn't spot the inexplicable source of the sound. The clattering sound continued for a few more seconds, in which the poor middle-aged lady started to fret, and then a petit, brown vase made of clay that had been discreetly placed on the bookshelf, fell and crashed on the floor, shattering into tiny pieces. Touko-san instinctively pulled back from the fallen object as a mysterious strong wind swirled into the room, causing both her hair and the curtains next to her shoot upwards. The window complainingly screeched as it was being opened by an unknown force. Touko-san let out a yelp and shielded her head, curling in the corner with her eyes tightly shut as the wind made its way outside.
Invisible as he was, Nyanko-sensei, in his prompt, white inugami form leapt into the humid, obscured sky and let out a fearsome roar that scared away half of the bird population in the neighbourhood but went unheard by any humans, including Touko-san. Whoever had sealed him was going to learn of Madara's fury. His big white brows met each other as he scowled, the red lines that formed elegant designs on his face drawn back and distorted and his fangs bared. What really bothered him was that he had been caught off guard so very easily. This could only mean that this time the enemy was not to be taken lightly. And in addition, he had a very bad feeling regarding the origins of the suspicious scent that lingered in the air... A familiar one, that he wished would have disappeared long ago.
.
.
.
"So, this wimp is the mighty successor of Reiko?"
"Yes, master."
"Are you sure? Was that filthy traitor there?"
"Yes master. I dealt with him exactly as master instructed. The seal master gave me worked perfectly."
"How pathetic! Is this all the descendant of the mighty Reiko has to offer? My revenge has to be more passionate. I could end it all by biting his head off, but that would be boring."
Natsume tried to rid himself from the dizziness, but his head still hurt for some unknown reason. He had his eyes wide open, yet a blank white was all he could see since the cloth was still covering half of his face. He recognized the voice of the yokai that had kidnapped him, but the other one, a more hoarse and chilly one, had an uncomfortable feeling about it. He tried moving but found his hands and legs were tied together. Wherever he was, it was cold and humid, and his clothes were slightly dump, making him soak in the cold and tremble desperately. Judging by the rough, rocky surface underneath him, he had been tossed on the floor.
"Leave me, Iwaho. I shall converse with this stinking mutt." The rough voice ordered.
"As you wish, master."
Natsume felt the presence of the weaker yokai disappear, but at the same time, the unpleasant, powerful aura of the other ayakashi, the one Iwaho had referred to as 'master', closed in. The overflow of negativity that stemmed from the yokai was exerting a kind of spiritual pressure that would have crushed him long ago, were it physical.
"I am Madoka. Be grateful for receiving my attention." The hoarse voice introduced itself with hatred seemingly dripping from those words.
Natsume opened his mouth and tried to shout angrily, but no sound came out other than his heavy breathing. Confused, he tried again, but again nothing happened.
"That's right. You're not allowed to talk right now."
He squirmed a bit, but whatever was binding his limbs didn't budge. He was completely at the mercy of that shady monster. So what did it want? The Yuujinchou? It said something about revenge… Perhaps its name was in the book too- no, it would be stupid to tell him its name. Then again, he couldn't talk, nor move… Was he really worth all those percussions?
"Don't look down on me. Not even your filthy grandmother could beat me." The yokai barked. "That woman was useless in the end, just like any other human, even though she had potential. She possessed such power, yet never did use it for anyone's sake. She was selfish and self-centred. She acted like a human. A filthy, weak, human!
I was once her follower, you know. But I realized my mistake soon enough. That's why I had a curse placed on her! A curse of my very own hatred! One that is still being passed down in the Natsume generation. Do you want to know what the curse is? DO YOU? Even though that damn traitor has been eating away at it, it's still there, rooted into you! Just as your ancestors, you are going to die at the peak of your youth, and you're going to suffer in pain for ten days before that, lacking sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, without any senses, unable to communicate with any other being! You're going to die alone, in anguish and in darkness, as my five other siblings did!
That's the truth of the invisible curse you bear. And now that we're discussing truths, I'm going to reveal another secret that the traitor has kept from you, Reiko's Grandson. Have you ever wondered why you are of the select few that can see us ayakashi? Fate? Perhaps, but not in your case. Not in Reiko's case. You've inherited the eyes of a dragon. These eyes have also given you extraordinary spiritual power, as they have become part of you. A little bit of you is not human. You're something in between, something abnormal. A mutt.
That traitor, Madara, has been secretly leeching off your power in order to free himself from Reiko's binds. Unlike me, it seems he hasn't gotten rid of her restraints completely. What a fool. He could have gouged out your eyes and eaten them to end things. Yet he decides to keep his promise to a long-dead human, acting like the pet dog he is!
Speaking of the traitor, I believe he is going to arrive any minute now to watch the show.
I am going to devour you, Reiko's Grandson, right in front of his eyes. But that is after I force your eyes to truly open. I'm going to awaken your blood."
And that's it for now. Major cliffhanger right there. Please review!
Also, please compromise and allow me to use the suffixes like -san, -kun, -sensei (etc) and I'm saying that because I know some people don't like that. It's just that it would feel a little too weird to use the names without the proper suffixes, you know? It's like eating pizza without cheese! It's necessary for me!
Thanks for all the reviews!
