AN: So Surprise! A chapter for my followers, I have been in a crafty sort of mood lately. I think it is because I have been in a sort of reading rut lately. Come on other author. But anyways if you can't tell already from reading this chapter or you don't know the anime the boy introduced is from a show called Natsume Yujin-cho. There are just not enough stories written that incorporate him. In fact it might be good to cross that anime with Kamisama Hajimemashita. Plot bunnys for another time though enjoy the chapter.
Chapter 3: A Boy Chased by Spirits
It was not near as bad as he was dreading when he had first been snapped into action. Okay he was fibbing slightly the first month as Harry's power settled was pure hell for all of them. All was put aside as they tended to the shrine and their new god-ling. After the power tremors faded Harry became more happy and affectionate, though he was still cranky because he was at the age of teething. Once he calmed down he was a delight to raise. Tomoe sent thanks to Harry's dearly departed parents for having such a normally non-demanding and pleasant baby. He had read books, watched others in the park, and heard horror stories of never ending crying, lack of sleep, or time to themselves.
Sure it took him a while to learn to slowly increment the lesson times for the developing god's intellect. He had started with long winding lectures and displays that left Harry cranky and fussy. He quickly learned that while Harry liked the sound of his voice he liked to crawl around and play more. He scaled the lessons back into short informative burst often telling them in a story format to keep Harry interested. The stories growing longer and more technical as Harry's brain developed quickly. It was a year later and Tomoe was happy to admit that Harry was smarter than most of the young children that frequented the park they visited.
They had there ups and downs the Tantrums, oh but the horrible Tantrums. They deserved to be capitalized events. Normally Harry was a sweet child but he had his moments of tears, snot, and screaming. Luckily those were very, very rare events.
It had been about four years since Harry had become the land god that he made his first and best friend. The young five year old was lounging on a pile of pillows behind the screen that his worshipers normally prayed by. He had heard three prayers to get into a good university and another five about love.
It had been quiet now for a while and he was about to wander off to pester Onikiri and Kotetsu to play with him when he heard the scrambling feet and heard the shrine door slam open just to quickly slam close again. He saw a young boy about five or so through a crack in the slightly open shoji door. He was panting and clutching at a stitch in his side. There were tear tracks already beginning to dry on his cheeks as the boy worked to calm himself down. He listened to the prayers that the boy feverishly prayed in his mind for and found the problem. He could sense the spirits and youkai that hovered just outside the territory of his shrine.
"Tomoe," He spoke and seconds later his faithful caretaker appeared kneeling by his side. "Go take care of the trash loitering outside they're scaring my worshiper." The fox quickly vanished as Harry rose in the many layered kimono that he had always known. The rich patterns elegant and without wrinkle despite his former lazy position, the elaborate gold head piece that would most likely snap the neck of a normal five year old from the weight. Not a hair was out of place. His mind briefly chuckled as it drifted to why it was necessary apparently god status had given the Potter hair curse a life of its own and it was only tempered by the special hair ornaments. He snickered as he recalled the battle of the scissors as he called it before Tomoe gave up trying to cut his hair entirely. His silk slipper clad feet made no noise as he padded over to the shoji door. The boy had in the meanwhile calmed and came to kneel at the shrine and send thanks for the protection that the grounds offered.
He sent out a wave of peace and calm as he opened the secret door normally hidden by the shrine. The boy's head jerked up as he took in the boy. Harry heard the boy's thought racing a he wondered if a spirit had somehow gotten into the shrine before his aura made the boy calm and push aside the thought as silly. He smiled a bit as he invited him into the back room for some tea. It was the start of a beautiful friendship in his opinion. Sure others might see their friendship as unequal but it was hardly his fault once the boy found out about his god status he would not stop with all the –sama's and –dono's.
At least that didn't stop his new friend from playing with him. Other children could sense him. They could see the expensive looking clothing and saw the careful monitoring of his will-o-wisp in disguised as body-guards on orders of Tomoe. The parents and children thought he was the child of some old and rich family. It ticked him off but he knew how necessary it was after several kidnapping attempts by other demons and exorcists while off shrine grounds. They may not be able to sense his god status thanks to his kitsune's charm on his forehead but they could still sense his vast, barely contained spiritual power.
His best friend was also very powerful and while he could not learn the things he could with the twist of his thought. He could learn many other things. Harry commissioned a fussy Tomoe to teach his friend how to best utilize his powers. He was a quick study to say the least. All subjects presented to him were taken to with fervor.
Their peaceful friendship was almost halted when Natsume's spiteful relatives decided he was too much of a burden to raise. The young boy had run with tearful eyes to Harry. Sobbing out how they were sending him away tomorrow. Harry hugged him close and shot a look to Tomoe and got a nod in return. Harry patted Natsume and soothed his sobbing until he cried himself to sleep. Harry laid him down gently onto the pillows and rose with a thunderous look to his features. He strode forth and paced around his shrine grounds as he waited for Tomoe to return.
He had just finished another circuit of the grounds and was standing in front of the batch of trees when Tomoe flittered into his view and kneeled before him. "It is done. They have signed over custody of Natsume to the shrine. He will be marked down as a priest-in-training." Harry felt the knot his heart had been in ease at the words.
"Gather his things. I will not have him spend a moment longer with them." Tomoe blinked away again as Harry trotted back to Natsume. He smiled when he saw him peacefully sleeping. Never again will his friend know the hardship of being shuffled from home to home. Unwanted and unloved. He was Harry's now and gods were nothing if not possessive.
