Chapter 2

...

Natsume had been dreaming that night, of things he wished he could just forget, when he woke up with a gasp. His eyes strained at the darkness, trying to understand what had woken him when a sound crept through the house. It was as if something was dragging itself over the floor, and the noise would stop for a time, then once again it would creak. It was coming closer and closer. Natsume stood and backed up to the (open, Sensei! He could at least shut it some time!) window. Natsume's door slowly slid open, and and arm grabbed on to the frame. A head was soon dragged into the picture, and Natsume felt himself back even further into the window frame.

"Do not leave, boy, I have something to say" the voice rasped, but the body stopped it's movement.

Natsume stood frozen, his shadow, made large by the moon behind him, fell directly on the youkai's face.

"Do not speak, for I only will say this once. Leave, boy, flee, flee while you can still walk. This land will fight you soon. I have come only to warn you. You are no longer welcomed here." The face's mouth went slack and slowly the body moved backwards, thunking down the steps one at a time.

Natsume didn't move from the window, but once he heard the front door shut, he slid down the wall.

He closed his eyes until his heart calmed down. He breathed in through his nose, and then looked back at his doorway. With shaking limbs he pushed himself up and closed his door. Knowing he would not fall asleep again that night he moved towards the window to stare out at the moon. A movement caught his eye and the window was quickly shut as he saw the figure slide into the bushes at the edge of his house. With a sigh he fell onto the chair at his desk. He breathed in and out, doing what he always did whenever he was scared. He opened his eyes and took out a small piece of paper.

"Outline your thoughts, Natsume," he whispered to himself.

The paper filled itself with words like, "New threat," "youkai," and "ask sensei in the morning," and thought some words were repeats, Natsume kept writing until his head gently thumped down on the wood of the desk, his eyes closed and mind asleep."

…

Nyanko-Sensei was more than annoyed when he was forced to use the downstairs window, because for some reason Natsume had decided to close his. And he was about to let Natsume know.

"OI, Natusme!" Madara yelled as he entered the boy's room, and then stood back as he watched Natsume jump up from his slouched posture, then fall over out of the chair.

"Sensei," Natsume groaned, but then his eyes seemed to focus and he shot up and ushered Sensei inside, shutting his door again.

Madara may be oblivious, but he was a top notch youkai, and when Natsume neared him he could smell… something.

"Did you return more names last night! There isn't going to be a book when I get it!" Madara grumbled, but stopped when he noticed Natsume had sat down against the wall, looking forlorn.

"I didn't return any names," Natsume breathed in and then Madara noticed as he straightened himself out.

"A youkai came last night, and it told me to leave," Natsume's voice was serious, but very quiet.

"That isn't new Natsume, almost every youkai that comes here wants you to leave, with or without the book, however, is the real question," Madara smirked but soon felt it slide off his face.

The look in Natsume's eyes was not right. Not like the times he had been hurt, or afraid, or even annoyed by all the stuff sensei did. He seemed… closed… as if something in him was close to giving out and he had to hide it.

"I...I don't think that is the case Sensei…" Natsume began, "this youkai, it felt… different. I would even say it was trying to look out for me… or something like that.. it said, that this land didn't want me any more, and I should leave…" Natsume trailed off, his mouth a tight line, "Have you ever heard of something like that?"

Sensei huffed a bit then looked out the window, maybe a youkai who had claimed himself god of this region didn't like Natsume? Maybe a group of youkai's were coming after him? Felt like every other day to Madara.

"You'll be fine, you always are," Madara shrugged, "You even beat off that youkai that came after your house."

"This feels different, Sensei," Natsume's whisper made Madara turn round to fully face him, "Something bad is going to happen, I can just tell."

"Well good thing you have me around to protect you!" Madara forced a grin on his face, black thoughts curling at the back of his mind, "but it is going to cost you...Ten Manjuus!"

The exclamation seemed to pull Natsume out of his thoughts, "Ten? Even you can't eat ten!"

"And they have to be the good ones," Madara nodded to himself. With one final look over at Natsume he walked over and jumped up to his shoulder, "I guess I am going to have to see who is after you."

"What do you mean you? I should help!" Natsume turned to look at Madara, confusion evident in his eyes.

"Not this time, you will just be noticed, I need to be stealthy," Madara face soon switched from smug to indignant as Natsume began to laugh.

"You, be stealthy, now I really want to go just to see this!" Natsume smiled and then sighed, Madara was happy to notice his eyes looked lighter, "All right, Sensei, ten manjuus it is."

"Good," Madara nodded, " and I will even get Hinoe to check up on you if I'm not back! Ha, I am the perfect body guard," with those words Sense opened the window and jumped out, soon disappearing from sight.

…

Natsume walked back from his school, his head hung low. He paused every time he heard a rustling in the grass. His eyes and ears strained to see anything, but what he was searching for did not appear. Sensei had left three days ago, and not a word had been heard form him since. Even Hinoe, who had actually come a couple of times to check on Natsume, could not seem to find him. Natsume soon found himself just sitting outside, looking around him.

I could call Natori? He thought, but then groaned, what would he say, "Oh yeah, you know that youkai that I have been living with, he has disappeared and would you happen to know where I could find him?" No, he had to find Sensei himself. He nodded and scrambled up. Suddenly he felt himself being pulled backwards. A hand grabbed his ankle, another the back of his shirt, and he toppled into the tall grass.

"WA-"

His scream was cut off as the hand moved from his shirt to his mouth silencing him. He was about to struggle when he heard a noise. It sounded just like the wind, but he felt the same fear he had earlier, that something was just not right, that it wasn't something that he should ever have to see.

"Stay still boy, I don't like him more then anyone else," a familiar voice whispered.

A huge gust came by and suddenly Natsume was released from the grip, he rolled onto his back, and noted that he had been correct. It was the youkai from that night.

"What was that!" Natsume whispered, looking over his shoulder.

"That was what I was warning you about silly human!" The figure groaned and squirmed back, "even the greatest of youkai don't want to get caught up in the games of land gods. Did I not warn you to leave?"

Natsume shrugged, "I just… can't, this is my home, why does it want me to leave?"

The figure hunched up on it's elbows, "You are too strong, it feels that you have come to take it's territory. But you are not strong enough to defend yourself from it." The figure began to slink away, but Natsume lurched forward and grabbed onto one of it's wrists.

"I think it may have taken my friend," Natsume whispered, "Do you know where I can find him?"

"Give up on your friend boy, he is already dead, no one can stand up to the might of a land god."

"Please… please tell me. I-I need him," Natsume grabbed onto the youkai's hand, "Please tell me where I can find him."

The youkai grumbled, but then looked up into Natsume's eyes, "I have done my duty as promised, I have warned you, I have even protected you, whatever happens next can not be blamed on me," Natsume nodded, and the youkai continued, "I can not tell you where your friend is, it is impossible to find his home, but if he was to find you then he would bring you there. After that I know not would happen, except you will probably be very dead."

"But how can I find him," Natsume sat up and tried to keep the plea from his voice.

"Just hang about somewhere, he is looking for you, and unfortunately it seems like he will find you. Now I have finished my duty. Goodbye, Natsume Takashi," and with that she slithered away.

Natsume slowly stood up, and moved back to the side of the road, he placed his bag around his shoulders and clung to it. If he was right, and if Sensei was there he could hand off the book to him before anything could happen.

He looked up at the setting sun, and refused to let melancholy thoughts cloud his mind, but as the hours passed melancholy began to turn to fear. As the sun set inch by inch Natsume could feel the fear coming through him, shaking his hands and making his teeth clench. He forced it down and continued to look at the sun. He moved his hands to warm them up then found himself falling, he tried to steady himself but there was nothing to hold on to, he just kept falling. A scream broke through his mouth and he struggled to find something, anything! There only was air. He tried to turn to see where he was falling, but he couldn't roll over. The only thing he could do was scream. His head began to hurt, and at first it was a weak tickle it was building into a crashing crescendo. It felt as thought someone was squeezing his thoughts, pressing all of his worries and fears together, while restraining him from fighting back. He needed a release, so he began to scream, but the sound was cut off. He couldn't hear, he couldn't see, he couldn't even breathe. He felt everything going black around him, and then he lost all control. He felt nothing.

…

~ Not necessarily in between