A/N: Hello my readers! It's been a while since I've updated, yeah? Sorry about that. I sometimes lose grasp of this story, but your reviews always motivate me to write more. So here I have written down this chapter. I hadn't included Taki's view in a while, or Natsume's situation while everything is happening, so here we take a pause from Tanuma's world to see what's going on. I hope everyone likes this one!
I'll update as soon as I can!
There were things she would consider normal of a person who has gone through as much as Natsume had gone through in his past years of living. Never accepted, never truly cared for, tossed from one dwelling to another carelessly without even a single consent from the eyes of those that were supposed to hold him close. True he should have tried harder, perhaps to socialize, to behave as their standards required, but it seemed even as so Natsume was not worthy at the eyes of his familiars. He was simply lowly. He was simply unfitting.
Taki couldn't particularly relate, sadly. She could not sympathize with her beloved friend whom she just wished to protect with all her life, and was sure he would do equally for herself; had he had been himself at that very moment.
She was observant, eying Natsume from the corner of her eyes without allowing even a split second to leave her field of vision. At first Tanuma's accusation seemed absurd. She would have laughed any other occasion it had not been for the great brawl caused not many days ago between her two best friends. A fight was never usual for the ever so pacific Takashi Natsume whom, even though she had known for at least one or two years then, she knew him enough to know, to understand to the extent of seeing what was wrong with his attitude, seeing he was not himself lately. At least when Natsume had problems with himself, with anything that truly concerned him, especially with youkai, he would aid to either of his friends. Although many times he didn't wish to push such heavy burdens upon their shoulders (even if they thought it to be otherwise) he went to them at some point.
Natsume had isolated himself completely from the grasp of all, even those who knew not of his power, and that was confirmation enough. Natsume was not himself, thus something was wrong.
As she studied him from her spot a few desks behind to his right, she could see it clearly. His book was open, the teacher was speaking clearly, yet his eyes were focused on nothing. They were dazed, and she was very sure if the teacher were to direct a question his way he would not even rise his head to acknowledge his words.
Surprisingly, it was indeed the situation she had expected.
"Takashi Natsume!"
Taki blinked in surprise. She hadn't expected her speculations to become a reality and was mildly taken aback by the scene that enfolded before her. The teacher, an old man with gray hair, but wise enough to realize his student's head was nowhere near the lecture, stood in front of his chair and waited impatiently to gain his attention.
Natsume didn't respond. The teacher was waiting. The students were observing. Taki grew distorted. Her feet buzzed her to stand but she refused. She kept her place despite the urgency of her whole body to tell her to take hold of Natsume and run as fast as she could and protect him, but-
In a heap the teacher's heavy literature book fell upon the disoriented student's desk, yet despite the acute sound the male did not even flinch.
It was then, before anyone could realize the unusual behavior, Taki gave into her impusles and flung from her chair and took a death grip onto her friend's wrist. Giving a nervous chuckle to the teacher and a hasty excuse about Natsume being sick, she rushed out of the classroom with the young male at her side who oddly enough followed her lead.
They ran, she was not sure were but she kept going praying not to be caught by any stubborn teachers who decided to abandon their classroom to see what all the commotion was about. The teacher had called out to her but she kept running, preventing from thoughts of her sure scolding of this. At the moment her friend's well being was much more important than anything else.
She found herself rushing out the gates of the school and into the woods. Deep into the woods not sure where else to go, for where else did she have to hide? Well, her house would have been a good idea she realized after about five minutes of speeding into open wilderness, but it was too late to turn back and in her desperation all she wanted was to get out of that dreaded place and prevent Natsume from falling into greater consequences from his state.
Heaving a sigh, she stopped, Natsume doing the same behind her, and lost grip of his wrist to hold her stomach and pant loudly. She was not one to run often, although when adrenaline hit her she ran as far as her whole power allowed her. It took her about a minute to subside her agitation before she turned her attention to Natsume. Her brown eyes focused on him, standing there, looking unaffected by the marathon they just witnessed. Blank, standing straight, neutral. He expressed no facial feature and Taki, more than any other time, had no clue what was on his mind, if anything.
"Natsume?"
Her voice was not replied to. There was no sign of acknowledgment from his part and it struck a pang to her chest. The possession had become worse.
"Natsume?" she tried again but something told her that her voice would not reach him, no matter how much she tried. Heaving another sigh she looked sadly at her friend, feeling an odd sensation at the back of her throat, her eyes burning before she realized tears threatened to fall. Preventing them from forming and not wishing to fall under weakness, she shook her head and forced them to dry. She took hold of Natsume's hands and lead him through the forest.
"Hey, I'll make sure to protect you, alright?" she tried to sound demanding as she usually would, keeping a strong face and a strong grip on his hand, but she was sure he could feel the slight quiver that ran through her hand. She was worried. The feeling in her heart was increasing each time she took glimpse at her hopeless friend.
No, not hopeless. She refused to believe he was hopeless because she trusted each and every one of her friends. She trusted Tanuma and she was certain he would bring back a remedy. She knew Tanuma. He would give his life for Natsume's, as so would she.
"Tanuma is out there doing his best. He'll find someone to cure you," her words were solemn even as she tried her best to smile, and desperately to believe them. As they ambled through the forest and Natsume obediently synchronized with her steps, Taki dwelt on possibility. She kept her mind positive even when the back of her mind screamed all was lost.
She would not give into weakness.
"Heh..."
Eyes shot up from the floor she had not realized she had been focusing on for the past minute. Wild were the bronze that searched for the source of the sudden laugh, the sudden chuckle that had momentarily filled the air. Someone was around, surely. The least she needed now was a spirit to come by. She should have known better, going around without Natsume being himself meant she was vulnerable to the spirit world. She needed to be careful.
She shot a quick look at the boy besides her, ensuring he was still there. Indeed he was there, but what she saw had not.
"Heh...foolish human."
Her hand was slapped away with such force that nearly made her tumble back. A smirk, a chuckle, and the shivers that rushed up her whole body were not anything of normality. Natsume...this was not him. No matter how much Taki forced her vision to shift, to change in some supernatural way, it was impossible. Yes, the face before her, the body was Natsume's countenance, yet that smirk, those lips curved at the side in such unnatural phase, it was not him. Natsume did not carry himself with malice. There was never an aura of threat, an aura of vile following behind his tail.
It was always peaceful, placid at his side.
But the sinister look upon those once hazel eyes was not her best friend. Not any more.
"Wha-"
"You think you can save your friend, don't you?" he questioned, and even his voice was slightly different. He never spoke with such an acute tone, such hostility in it that made her back up onto a tree in case he lashed out on her. Truly, she was frightened. "You should know by now it is futile. Your friends came along before you dragged me out of there, looking for a cure, even had that Seiji Matoba come around and see if they could fix him. Such idiots." There was a pause, and the wide, fully spread smirk rushed down its form and turned opaque, like it had never beheld the lips of amusement. Now it looked grave, threateningly dark. It held all the fright she felt inside. "Tell your friend to give up..." he breathed solemnly, abruptly gaining back his previous countenance before rushing to her face and signing, "Or I'll kill them all!"
He laughed, the sound so horrid Taki could feel tears rushing back to her eyelids, but denied shedding a single one in fear to be seen. Natsume...or the youkai within him... went away. He took a last glimpse at his host's friend and decided to spare her life on a whim before taking his leave and leaving behind the scared girl.
Taki didn't realize, after minutes of backing forcefully into the tree, that the youkai had left and that she had been shaking like a child who was cold. Her eyes were dried, but a tear had slipped, leaving a trail on her right cheek. Quickly brushing it away, she pushed herself from her cowering position and stared all directions, lost to the world. What now? She was all alone, deep within the forests with no sense of direction. Of course following the path back was wise, but she was chilled to the bone. Her fright was beyond comprehension, and she was still shaken from seeing her friend in such a deafening state. It took her so long, those she thought were eternal as thoughts bewildered her mind. Countless, vast, and endless. Not a single thought was forged straight, except one.
Protect Natsume.
It was then she knew what she needed to do. The assigned task. What she had promised Tanuma she would do earlier that day. Protect her friend. Never lose hope as she had forced herself to believe. Shaking herself from her dreaded state and pulling herself together, she ran back to were she remembered the youkai heading, but found herself stuck within the midst of the forest. She was sure she had followed the correct path, but even as she kept running it lead to the same place, the tree she scarcely remembered she had leaned on for it bore a peculiar spiral mark she had noticed after crossing its path for the second time. She did not take focus on the mark, but on her destination and how she was going in a circle.
Her breath caught her back again. It was heavy, shallow breaths leaving her throat. The desperation was getting to her and she could feel the fresh tears making way to her eyes and determined to fall this time. But tears meant hopelessness, and Taki had promised herself not to feel this way.
But soon nighttime was falling, darkness tainted the skies, the color that told her no hope. Everything lost, and her breaths quickened when once more she held out her hand to the symbol upon the same tree.
"Damn it!" her voice cracked at the single curse and she punched the bark with aggression, feeling weak knees, burning tears, and shaking shoulders, but never falling.
Taki was not one to curse outwardly but as she ran and ran in an endless circle of desperation, always leading to the same destination, her voice boomed loudly, disturbing the sparrows that had been perched upon the same tree. Her tree.
She was losing hope.
When the rain commenced, and she'd reached the same tree for what she guessed was the hundredth time, when nighttime had finally fallen she realized it would be the first time she would be breaking a promise not only to her beloved friends, but to herself.
