If anyone else reading this story is doing NaNoWriMo this year, I hope your words flow smoothly; that for every hole you dig yourself into you find a window to jump back out of; that if you have doubts, you let them provide you with hints as to what isn't working but don't believe them if they say "everything"; and that however far you get, you have a lot of fun doing it. (I know I certainly intend to!)
Warnings: … Gore? Maybe? There's a very short bit of semi-graphic imagery. I don't think it's bad enough to need calling out specifically, but I don't have a good feel for where the lines are, so … here's a warning just in case.
# # # Chapter 10 # # #
1. Basic necessities
Shuuichi tapped his pen against the paper as he thought. It's a good thing this place is so old. We've got the well for water, and an entire forest behind us for wood. Only a couple of rooms that we could safely keep a fire in, but come winter it'll still be better than nothing.
He glanced up at the light overhead. Still shining as steadily as before the world had gone mad the previous day. But for how much longer?
Sewage … Ask Grandfather about it, perhaps. Didn't he say at one point that his father didn't modernize the house until after he'd enlisted? He grimaced at the idea of trying to have a constructive conversation with his grandfather. Better yet, ask Sekihara-san to ask him about it. He paused. Or ask Sekihara-san. As I recall, before he sold it, his was an old traditional home as well.
Food … I'll need to talk to Sumi-san. Figure out what she needs; what's possible. We should stockpile nonperishables while we can. I don't know what we'll do once that runs out. I don't even know the first thing about farming.
The sheer scope of the problems ahead of him – ahead of them all – threatened to raise up and consume him. He sat back and made himself just breathe for a moment. He didn't have time to feel overwhelmed.
2. Investigate the shadow creatures
It took work to keep his fists from clenching. Once he had a way of dealing with those things …
3. Figure out what to do about Matoba
Since he was alone in one of their multitude of sitting rooms at the moment, Shuuichi allowed himself to sigh and rub at his temples. He hadn't brought Matoba's proposal up the previous night; he hadn't had the energy or the patience for the argument that would no doubt ensue. Not to mention the fuss Grandfather would have kicked up if he'd realized the discussion had been held in his absence. But he suspected it was only a matter of time before one of Matoba's shiki – or worse, Nanase-san – showed up at his door, politely requesting a response.
Cooperation, for sure. It would be good to know what their plans are for survival – if it's something we can contribute to, or if they're using tactics we can adopt. Anything else? I just don't know.
He didn't like the idea of giving anyone that much power over himself and those he was responsible for. Especially not Matoba.
Even if it he did find it incredibly tempting, at the moment, to make all of this someone else's problem.
A distant jangling sound distracted him from his dark contemplation of the list in front of him. He stood, folding it and tucking it into a pocket. Who would be calling the landline –? Perhaps someone who heard one of the messages Father left last night?
At this point, he'd welcome any good news. Even if it meant dealing with his father.
He stepped into the hall and almost ran into Souji. "Sumi-san asked me to come get you," he said hurriedly, breathing slightly heavily. "It's for you."
Shuuichi raised an eyebrow. Who would call him here? Only a handful of people even knew this number, and they all knew his cell number, too. He hadn't missed a call, had he?
"Did she say who?" he asked, reaching into his pocket.
No phone.
Note to self: leaving it on the charger overnight "just in case" only helps if you remember to take it back off in the morning.
Well, that at least explained why he hadn't heard anything.
Souji shook his head. "She just said you'd want to know."
Probably someone Sumi-san knows, so unlikely to be Natsume's classmates. Who else...?
Most of the rest who knew this number were exorcists, and he suspected that anyone who had survived, he'd seen in person the previous night.
He turned the final corner, and smiled at Sumi-san. "I hear I have a call?"
She smiled back. "It's from a Takuma-san, so I thought you'd want to –"
He crossed the remaining distance so quickly he couldn't remember himself actually moving, hand held out. She blinked and placed the phone in his hand, and he remembered himself just enough to thank her before bringing it to his ear. "Takuma-san?"
"Shuuichi-san?" Tsukiko's voice, tense but not panicked.
They're alive.
"Where are you? And your father? Is he also all right?" Calm. Act calm.
"I'm fine, Father's fine, we're at home," she said. "He's trying to contact some friends of his, I should be doing the same, but … Shuuichi-san, what happened?"
"No one really knows," he said. "Many people disappeared simultaneously yesterday afternoon, shadowy creatures have been seen roaming the streets, like youkai yet not. No one knows why, yet. Where were you two, yesterday? I tried to call." I thought you were dead.
"We were on a two-day hike," she said. "I'm sorry, I had my phone with me, but I turned it off – I didn't want to be disturbed, not unless we needed to call out in an emergency –"
"It wouldn't have mattered," Shuuichi interrupted. "I only called your home phone. I'm not sure I even have your cell phone number." He shook his head. Not important. "You didn't see anyone else while you were hiking?"
"No, but … we usually don't, so we didn't think anything of it. But then on the drive back …" Her voice trembled. "There were crashed cars everywhere. We ended up having to get out and walk just to get home. And I know it's midmorning, so I didn't expect to see many people out and about, but I didn't see any. Do you think they all disappeared?" A suddenly indrawn breath, loud enough that he could hear it. "Shadowy monsters? Do they –?"
"Yes." Shuuichi said, as gently as he could. "I haven't seen it happen personally, but apparently the effect is nearly identical to the initial disappearances. Nothing remains." He paused, then added, "I suspect you two are very lucky, to have made it home safely."
A long pause. "… What are we going to do now?" she asked, almost inaudible. "What can anyone do?"
Shuuichi covered the microphone, looking towards Sumi-san. "Can we support two more?"
He wasn't sure what he'd do if she said no. He would not stand idly by and watch the Takumas disappear. Not if preventing it was in his power.
Sumi-san said nothing for a long moment, meeting his gaze evenly.
"… Shuuichi-san?" Tsukiko said, audible despite his having pulled the receiver away from his ear.
Finally, Sumi-san sighed, shaking her head. "You expect I'd have the heart to say no?"
He smiled. Small, and thankful, and as real as most of his smiles ever got.
She smiled back. "Just don't go expecting me to be the one to explain to your grandfather about our new guests."
Shuuichi laughed. "Yes, Sumi-san." He turned his attention back to the phone, uncovering the microphone. "Tsukiko-san, how would you and your father feel about moving?"
#
Shuuichi turned onto a familiar road and pulled out his cell phone, one eye to the number he dialed and one eye on the road. If he had been thinking ahead, he would have added it to his speed dial.
"Um." Souji said hesitantly from the passenger seat. "Isn't it illegal to use your cell phone while driving?"
I think if there are any cops left, they have bigger problems to worry about.
… And that was why he was completely unsuited to mentoring children. "Well, I'm the only one with a license, so … congratulations, you've got phone duty." He tossed his cell over, Souji catching it without a fumble. "Put it on speakerphone, would you?"
Soujistared at the phone for a moment, then pressed a couple of buttons. "—uichi-kun?"
"Takuma-san. We just entered the neighborhood." Shuuichi said, keeping an eye out for any suspicious-looking shadows. The street was quiet, all the cars still politely parked where their owners had left them. It had been several kilometers since the last time he and Souji had been forced to get out and move a car out of the way.
He didn't know whether to be pleased or worried that he hadn't seen any of the shadow creatures yet. While Takuma-san's house was in a suburban area, his town wasn't that small. Assuming the frequency of those creatures really was tied to population density. "Are you two about ready?"
"In terms of clothing and other necessities, yes," his old mentor replied. "We're still cleaning out the kitchen. Do you need any more dishes or cookware?"
Shuuichi pursed his lips. It's always the thing you don't think to ask. "I don't believe we do," he finally replied. "Let's target getting everything else in first, and then wedge those around the edges if there's still room."
"Makes sense. Tsukiko?" A distant reply, too quiet and garbled to be able to tell much more than tone of voice. "Leave off the dishes for now, unless that's all you have left." A response. "Hm, good question. Shuuichi-san?"
"Yes?" He took another turn faster than he really should have, nudging the curb with his back tire.
"How well is the main compound set up in terms of exorcist supplies? All my old supplies are useless to me, of course, but …"
"The storehouses have barely been touched for decades," Shuuichi said. "We should prioritize any books or scrolls you have, in case our storehouses don't have any copies."
"You think there is something about those … shadow things you mentioned, in there?"
"I certainly hope so," Shuuichi said quietly. "Surely someone …" Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Souji look towards him. He winced inwardly. He'd been trying to keep a confident face up in front of the kid. So much for that.
"I wonder," Takuma-san said. When he spoke next, his voice was brighter. "Regardless. Necessities and books. We should have that much ready by the time you get here for sure. We can wait out front –"
"No!" Shuuichi's hands clenched on the steering wheel. He took a deep breath. Calm. "Please stay inside until we get there. We don't know whether those creatures can travel through walls, but especially with as many protections as your house has, it's probably safer than otherwise." Unless those creatures feed on protections like they did on my attack.
"We only just got back a few hours ago, and it was fine then," Takuma-san pointed out. "You really think one of those things would have moved in between then and now?"
"It's unlikely," Shuuichi admitted. "But not impossible. I'd just be more comfortable if I could see it for myself, first."
"Since I can't, anymore," Takuma-san said, quietly enough that Shuuichi suspected he hadn't meant their side of the conversation to hear. "All right. We'll be waiting in the front hall."
"Thanks, Takuma-san." Shuuichi turned another corner. "We should be there soon."
Takuma-san hung up, and Souji flipped the phone closed. "Who is Takuma-san?" He asked.
"An old acquaintance," Shuuichi said. "He … I suppose you could say he mentored me," as much as I let anyone do so "when I was first starting out as an exorcist."
"How old were you, when you started?" Souji asked eagerly.
It's a lot easier to understand Takuma-san's perspective now. Shuuichi thought wryly. None of these kids should be getting involved in this world, not any deeper than they have to.
"Second year of high school," he said. "Younger than I really should have. I got lucky more often than I probably should have, and Takuma-san pulled me out of more than a few bad situations." Matoba did a couple of times, too. But I never asked for his help.
"High school …" Souji said speculatively. He looked out the window. "Is there even going to be high school, anymore?"
"… We'll work something out."
"That means no, doesn't it?" Souji asked, startling a laugh out of Shuuichi.
"It means I don't really know," he admitted. "I'd say if nothing else, there won't be school for a little while yet. But once everything else is sorted out – once we have a better idea who survived, and how, and figure out how to destroy or at least ward off those creatures …" He shrugged. "It may not look like the school you're used to, but we ought to be able to pull something together."
"… I'd rather learn how to hunt those creatures than maths, anyway."
Shuuichi smiled wryly. You and me both, kid. "Perhaps. But maths are important, too." He spotted a familiar house up ahead. "Ah, here we are."
He pulled just past the driveway, then backed in, turning to look. "How do things look on your side?"
Souji looked out the window. "Clear on the left, as far as I can see." He hesitated. "If Takuma-san was your mentor … what did he mean, he couldn't see? He'd have to be able to, wouldn't he?"
"He used to be able to," Shuuichi said. He hated explaining this, but he'd rather be the one to do so than force Takuma-san to. "About two years back, he suddenly stopped. It happens occasionally. No one really knows why, or why it affects only some exorcists."
Souji was silent for a long moment. "I wonder," he said, then stopped.
Shuuichi pulled to a stop, as far up the driveway as he could go while still leaving enough room to pop open the back gate. He looked out his window. Clear as well. He turned off the car, then turned to look at Souji, who was still staring forward, an unreadable look on his face. "You wonder?"
The boy blinked. Bit his lip, and looked down. "I wonder if my parents would still be alive, if they had lost the ability to see," he muttered.
Shuuichi sighed. "It's possible," he said. "Or it's possible you would still have lost them, in a different place, in a different way. Losing the ability to see is dangerous, more dangerous than not having been able to in the first place. At least if you can see, you can fight."
Souji shuddered. "I don't know if I could stand it. Knowing that there were things out there that might be after me, but not being able to tell."
"It's why we try to keep people who can't see from getting involved in our world," Shuuichi said. "And it's why we exorcists exist, to protect them."
Though with the world like this, I don't know how much longer our secrets will last – or whether they even should – or how much our supposed protection is actually going to be worth.
He shook his head, then placed a heavy hand on top of Souji's head, pretending to ignore how the boy squirmed. "For the record, Tsukiko-san – that's Takuma -san's daughter – has never been able to see. So I'd not bring it up too much. It's a bit of a sensitive subject."
The boy nodded solemnly, and Shuuichi graced him with another smile. "Good. Now let's go rescue some friends."
About halfway to the front door, Shuuichi waved Souji onward. "You go ahead and start helping them carry their stuff out. Here's the keys to open the trunk." He tossed them.
Souji stopped walking. "Why, where are you going?"
"Just something I want to check out," Shuuichi said easily. "I don't think it's one of those creatures, but I need to get a closer look to be sure."
"I'll come with you," he immediately offered.
"No, you'll do as you're told," Shuuichi said, then forced himself to continue more gently. "I'll be fine. I'm not going to approach any closer than I have to. And even if it is something dangerous, I can take care of myself."
Hiiragi swirled into existence at his shoulder. Souji flinched back. "I will ensure no harm befalls him." She said.
"… Okay," Souji said reluctantly. He started slowly walking towards the front door, turning back frequently as though hoping that Shuuichi had changed his mind.
Shuuichi strode across the grassy lawn towards the stand of trees that bordered the property. As he did, the roughly human-sized shadow he thought he'd seen stayed where it was, slowly resolving itself into a youkai, staring at the house.
A very familiar youkai.
He stopped about a meter away. "Benihimo." One of Takuma-san's former shiki, who Natsume had released from her bond. He still very much wanted to know why the process had seemed familiar to the boy. Though I suppose it may not matter, anymore.
She turned to look at him, long black hair stirring slightly at the movement, but did not speak.
"Why are you here?"
"Danger to Takuma." She said.
"You were released from your bond. Why are you still here?"
She tilted her head. "I may no longer be his shiki, but Takuma is Takuma. I will not allow harm to come to him." She almost seemed to inflate as they spoke.
Shuuichi kept his gaze level and his expression unimpressed. On his own he might have been a bit concerned, but with Hiiragi at his side and Sasago and Urihime in reserve? "I'm not here to harm Takuma-san. I'm here to help. To take him somewhere he will be safe." As safe as anyone is.
He studied Benihimo. "Have you been here all along? I thought you were planning to leave, once your bond was released."
"Being around Takuma is sad, because he can no longer see," she said, looking down. "But a great danger approaches, and I will not allow him to come to harm."
"What do you know about this danger?" Shuuichi asked. Hiiragi also mentioned feeling that something terrible was coming. What is it that youkai are feeling, that we humans cannot? Are they connected to this new menace?
"It is a terrible danger," she said. "It eats and eats and is never satisfied."
Right. It would have been nice if Takuma-san had bonded slightly more intelligent shiki. "Do you know how to stop it?"
She shook her head rapidly. "You cannot stop it. It just keeps eating and eating –"
"Right, it eats." He resisted the urge to rub at his forehead. "Well, Takuma-san and Tsukiko-san are coming with me. I swear I will do everything in my power to keep them safe."
"I will come with you," she said. "I want to protect Takuma."
He hesitated. If she was still his shiki, it would be fine, but … after the trouble they caused, can I trust her not to do something like that again? He glanced towards the house in time to see Souji leave, dragging a rolling suitcase. But telling her 'no' at the moment will probably just delay me further. "I'll consider it."
He turned and walked away, Hiiragi falling into step beside him. "You might as well let her come with you," she said quietly, once they were out of earshot. "I suspect she'll just follow if you don't."
Shuuichi grimaced. "You're probably right."
At the door, he narrowly avoided running into Takuma-san. He had to stop for a moment, drinking in the sight. "It's good to see you."
The other man smiled thinly, pushing his glasses up on his nose. "I could wish the circumstances were better."
"On that, we agree." He looked at the jumbled bundles – one suitcase left, most of the rest stuffed in bags or wrapped in what looked like spare bedsheets. "Is this the rest?"
"There's a few things left in the storeroom that I'd like your opinion on," Takuma-san said. He grimaced slightly. "And a few that you will need to deal with on your own, I'm afraid, if my memory holds true."
Shuuichi raised an eyebrow.
Once they reached the storeroom, it was clear what the man had meant. Shuuichi rushed over to the only corner of the room that didn't show signs of having been ripped through. "Binding restraints ... and what else do we have here?" He picked up several charms, their designs unfamiliar.
"Would that I could tell you." Takuma-san's voice held a familiar note of frustration and sorrow, and Shuuichi looked at the stack with new eyes. He knew that the restraints were invisible to normal human eyes. Did that mean the charms also were …?
"I can point you towards the sources I used," Takuma-san added abruptly. "See how much I can remember offhand; some of them were of my own design. Some of them are Takuma family secrets, but … I don't suppose it much matters, anymore. Wouldn't have, even if all this hadn't happened."
Shuuichi nodded, putting the charms back down carefully, before turning more fully towards Takuma. The older man laughed. "Oh, stop looking so gloomy, Shuuichi-san. I should have passed them on to you a long time ago, honestly. But it was … easier to forget. Do you think they'll be helpful?"
Shuuichi shook his head. "No one really knows anything, at this point. Direct attacks don't work – at least, it ate my paper dolls – but maybe something less direct will."
"Dare I ask why you were close enough to one to know this?" Takuma-san asked dryly.
Shuuichi treated him with one of brightest smiles. "A suspicious, shadowy creature appearing shortly after my entire film crew disappeared? What else was I to do?"
Takuma-san looked at him closely. "You were the only one left? Shuuichi-kun, are you all right?"
"I'm fine," he said breezily. "It was a new project, I didn't know any of them all that well."
"That doesn't change the fact that they disappeared before your eyes," he said sternly.
It might have been easier if they had. Maybe if I had been able to watch one of them disappear, I could have learned something, even if I couldn't do anything to prevent it. "I'm fine." He smiled again, edged. "Once we know how to affect those things, they won't know what hit them." He looked around the room for something to carry the charms in; finally found what looked like an ordinary canvas grocery bag. He raised it, eyeing Takuma-san.
The man smiled. "For smaller jobs, a grocery bag is a great deal less conspicuous than a duffle bag. And if I end up with some spare room left over, I can always go grocery shopping on the way home." He paused. "Could," he corrected softly.
Shuuichi turned away, stacking the charms in the bag as hastily as he could and still keep them more or less in order.
He could hear Takuma-san sigh behind him. "Just … don't do anything too reckless, all right? I won't be there to pull you out of trouble anymore."
"… I have been doing this on my own for quite a while now," Shuuichi pointed out.
"And still biting off more than you can chew more often than not, I'd wager."
… I suppose I can't honestly argue that point. "Hiiragi's pretty good at keeping me honest."
"Hiiragi? Oh, your new shiki. I think you mentioned her last time." Takuma-san sounded wistful. "I wish I could have met her."
I suspect you two would have gotten along far too well for my own peace of mind. "So do I."
The last of the charms safely stowed away, Shuuichi slung the bag over his shoulder and turned in place. "Anything else you wanted from here?"
Takuma-san glanced around the room, eyes weighted with memories, then shook his head. "Not unless you can see anything else you want."
Shuuichi looked around as well, shook his head. There were things here that would be useful in a pinch, but nothing that the storehouses back home didn't also have. And he suspected they were already nearing his father's car's capacity. Particularly since all four seats would be filled on the way back. "We can always return if we need anything else."
He stepped back out of the room, watching silently as Takuma-san slid the door shut and stood in front of it for a moment, head bowed. Then he turned and walked away, and Shuuichi rushed to catch up. "That boy who was with you the last time you visited," Takuma-san said as Shuuichi drew even with him. "Natsume, was it? How is he?"
Shuuichi was aware even as he faltered, scrambling to come up with something pleasant and optimistic, that his silence spoke for itself.
"I'm sorry," Takuma-san said quietly. "He seemed like a good kid."
"It's not certain," Shuuichi said, hating the way it sounded like an excuse. "According to one of his classmates, they lost track of him shortly before people started disappearing. And he does have something of a habit of running straight into messes."
"Not unlike certain other people I could name," Takuma-san said dryly.
"Haha." Shuuichi shrugged, deliberately casually. "He's good at getting himself out of messes, too, so … maybe he'll pop back up."
Takuma-san's hand landed on his shoulder. "It's all right to be worried about your friend."
Shuuichi shrugged his hand off as he leaned down to pick up a couple of bundles at the front door – only a few remained; it looked like Souji and Tsukiko-san had kept themselves busy.
Takuma-san chuckled quietly behind him and picked up the remainder.
Shuuichi almost ran into Tsukiko-san as he left the house. She looked past him to her father. "That's everything?"
Takuma-san nodded, then turned back towards the house, looking upwards, face carefully blank. Tsukiko-san stepped around Shuuichi and leaned into her father's arm, looking up as well. He glanced down at her, then wrapped her in a half-hug. "It's been a good home, hasn't it?" He said quietly. Shuuichi looked away, feeling like an interloper.
"Yes." She said quietly. "It really has."
Souji lingered by the car, talking to a tallish woman with graying, curly hair. His eyes narrowed. Ginro?
They both looked up as he reached the car. "Shuuichi-san, she wants to come with us," Souji said, looking reluctant. "But isn't Takuma-san …?"
"Ginro chose not to be released from the shiki bond." Shuuichi said. He looked at her. "I have no objections, but I don't believe that there will be room for you in the car, unless you can go into stasis still. Can you follow later?"
She shook her head. "I stopped being able to when Takuma lost his power, as it drew on both his power and my own." She looked towards the car. "I can hold the handles on top."
Shuuichi looked up and blinked. He'd forgotten that his father had installed a roof rack on this car. He'd certainly never seen him use it for anything. "I suppose that will work, if you can hold on."
Ginro shrugged. "Even if I fall off halfway there, it will get me closer than I would be otherwise."
Shuuichi eyed her. "Benihimo seemed very twitchy about this new danger. Why aren't you as affected?"
Ginro just looked at him. "I will die before I let one of those creatures touch Takuma."
#
Ginro is one thing, but how did I let myself get talked into bringing Benihimo along too?
Shuuichi cast one eye upwards, even as he kept most of his attention focused on the road. He suspected that if Hiiragi had been out, she'd have been laughing at him.
"The streets are surprisingly clear," Takuma-san observed from the passenger seat behind him. "—Wait, you can't turn that direction, it's one way."
"If anyone appears to protest my breaking the law, I'll invite them to join us," Shuuichi said dryly.
"We're retracing the route we took to get here," Soujisaid from where he sat next to Takuma-san. "Shuuichi-san said that that would save time since we wouldn't have to stop and move cars out of the way again."
"… So you're going to be driving on the right side of the road all the way back?" Takuma-san sounded vaguely appalled.
"Just pretend we're in America," Shuuichi said flippantly.
Takuma-san chuckled and didn't protest further, but when he glanced to the left, Tsukiko-san looked worried. After a moment, she said, "… Do you think that America was affected, too?"
"No way," Souji immediately protested. "There's no way it can be that wide-spread. Right?"
Shuuichi was glad that watching the road gave him a good excuse not to turn and look. "We don't know," he finally said, when Takuma-san's conspicuous silence proved that he was not planning on rescuing Shuuichi. "But given how deeply impacted everywhere I've seen has been so far, there's no way the rest of Japan – or if all of Japan is affected, the rest of the world – would have failed to notice. It may have only been a day, but I think we'd have seen something by now if anything was coming."
"… And if no one's coming, it's probably because they have their own problems to deal with?" Takuma-san said. "I'm not sure I like the way you think, Shuuichi-kun."
He just shrugged. I don't particularly like it either.
Takuma-san sighed. "But you're probably –"
"What's that?" Souji asked, leaning forward and pointing through the gap in the front seats and upward.
Shuuichi looked up at the approaching pedestrian overpass and swore.
Haze covered the entire span of the bridge.
What is one doing up there?!
He slammed the accelerator. Ground looks clean, Tanuma-kun said they don't like changes in elevation, too close to come to a full stop before we get there –
"What's going on?" Takuma-san, sounding a bit concerned.
"Is that –?" Souji, a great deal more worried.
"Yes."
They shot under the bridge as solid shadow hung over the edge and dropped. Souji shouted, he flinched and swerved – too late – and reflexively turned the windshield wipers on full blast.
At first, the wipers simply seemed to spread the shadow around and he cursed a steady stream under his breath – words he hadn't used since that one time he played a foul-mouthed detective with a heart of gold, and he hadn't thought about that particular contract in ages –
"Can it eat through the windshield?" Souji asked.
"Can what eat through –?"
"I don't know," Shuuichi cut Takuma-san off. "But I think if it could, it would have by now."
Part of the shadow coalesced, right in front of Shuuichi's eyes. The next swipe of the wiper blades seemed to scoop under it, flinging it off the windshield.
After two or three more rounds of that, the windshield finally looked clean. He hazarded a glance backwards. Rear windshield also looked clean, and if anything had followed, he couldn't see it.
He allowed himself a quiet sigh of relief.
"Would you mind explaining –"
A thump on the roof. Shuuichi froze.
Ginro and Benihimo.
"What was that?"
"Shuuichi-san ..."
"I'm stopping the car." Shuuichi said abruptly. Hopefully it's safe. And hopefully we're not too late.
Takuma-san was no Isuzu-san, to go mad with grief and lust for vengeance. But regardless of the fact that he could no longer see them, he would not be pleased if serious harm had come to his former shiki. Nor would it sit well with Shuuichi, to have allowed them to come to harm when under his protection.
He forced himself to slow to a stop instead of just slamming the brakes. As soon as it stopped, he threw the car into park and rushed out, almost forgetting to undo his seatbelt. He remained only half-aware of Souji following him out, or the argument as he tried to convince the Takumas to stay inside.
One of Ginro's arms and about half of Benihimo's hair wrapped around various parts of the roof rack. Benihimo crouched, half-covering Ginro, who lay mostly supine.
"Let go." Ginro insisted, with a fury he could only remember seeing in her that time she had tried to warn Natsume and himself away. She let go of the roof rack and pulled backwards, bringing her other arm into view. The wealth of Benihimo's hair wrapped around it had turned her forearm almost completely black.
"Hiiragi." Shuuichi said quietly.
It wasn't just Benihimo's hair.
Takuma's two shiki turned to look as Hiiragi touched down at Shuuichi's side.
"Cut this fool's hair before she –"
"Please, Ginro's arm –"
"What nonsense are you spouting now?! You need to protect –"
"You protect Takuma better than me. And it's too late." Benihimo reached up a spindly arm, running her fingers through the stretch of hair wrapping Ginro's arm. Shuuichi couldn't see any trace of shadow on her hair, but even with that momentary contact, when she pulled her hand away, her fingers had leached black.
She turned her attention back to Ginro, holding her hand up between them, black now almost to her palm. "It's … cold."
Shuuichi closed his eyes. "Hiiragi –"
"Yes." She disappeared from his side with a quiet whoosh of displaced air.
By the time Shuuichi reopened his eyes, it was done. Ginro clutched what was left of her arm – Hiiragi had cut it off just above the elbow – and Hiiragi knelt at her side, sword still drawn, her attention focused on Benihimo.
Ginro's arm bounced backwards, striking the windshield once, but disintegrating before it could hit the hood of the car.
"Sasago." His original shiki swirled into existence, taking in the situation with a single glance – or some related sense, if her blindfold truly was to cover blind eyes; he'd never asked. She hopped onto the roof of the car as well, gently pulling Ginro away and beginning to bind her arm, though for such a severe wound there was surprisingly little blood. Meanwhile, Hiiragi remained focused on Benihimo, who still held out her stained hand, the black slowly creeping past her wrist.
"There is still time," Hiiragi said, frustration clear in her voice. "If I cut away your hair and your hand, the rest of you will be fine. But it must be now, before the taint reaches your head."
Benihimo shook her head rapidly. "Not my hair! It is my only weapon. And I can't show my face to Takuma without –"
Oh for crying out loud. "Your hair will grow out," Shuuichi said sharply. "And even if Takuma-san could see you in the first place, I'm sure he would far rather see you alive and bald than dead."
"Of course I would!" Takuma-san forced his way out of the car, staring wildly across the top. "Where is – oh, never mind. Benihimo, after coming all this way to protect me, don't you dare go dying on me now!"
The long-haired youkai bowed her head. "… Do it."
Hiiragi's sword flashed so quickly Shuuichi's eyes could barely follow, and so close to Benihimo's head that he flinched sympathetically, though the other youkai never moved an inch. At the end of it, she was not quite bald, but the hair on that side of her head was certainly very short. She seemed to curl into herself more without her hair to hide behind, but still had the presence of mind to run her other hand through what hair she had left.
Shuuichi breathed a sigh of relief as that hand came away clean, and Benihimo held her tainted arm out towards Hiiragi. "Please."
Ginro, sufficiently bandaged for the time being, settled at Benihimo's side. "It appears we shall be a matched set."
It figures that youkai would have a dark sense of humor.
Benihimo smiled weakly back at her, then winced as Hiiragi sliced efficiently through her arm. She aimed the cut upwards and outwards, sending the detached limb with its dangerous payload bouncing away on a similar trajectory to its predecessor.
Shuuichi resisted the urge to rush over and try to get a closer look. Hiiragi would not be amused. Not, it appeared, that there would have been much to see: Benihimo's arm disappeared almost as quickly as Ginro's had.
I wonder why? Certainly, youkaioften dissipate when they die, and I suppose it would make sense for the same to hold true for detached limbs, but it's usually not anywhere near that fast. Some sort of adverse interaction with the shadowy creature?
But for something that apparently consumes humans near-instantly, why was it acting so slowly? Was it just the comparatively small amount? Or the fact that it was just the shadowy part, not the haze that hangs above it? If only we knew more –
He forced himself to put those thoughts away. Some knowledge wasn't worth the cost.
Takuma-san met his eyes over the roof of the car and inclined his head away from the car. Shuuichi nodded, cast another quick look over the proceedings – Sasago and Hiiragi appeared to have Ginro and Benihimo well in hand, and Souji appeared to have given up on Takuma-san in favor of explaining recent events to Tsukiko-san – and moved to join him.
They stopped well just out of earshot, though still with a clear line of sight. Shuuichi turned to face Takuma-san, and he just looked at Shuuichi for several seconds.
"… How are they?" He finally asked.
"Ginro lost her right arm just above the elbow. Benihimo lost her left just below it, and most of her hair."
"And Jinbe?"
It took Shuuichi a moment to place the name. Takuma-san's third shiki. "She didn't come."
Takuma-san looked back down the road. "I hope, wherever she is, that she's safe."
If not, there's not much any of us can do for her. And after the trouble she'd caused, Shuuichi had to admit he wasn't entirely sorry that she had not appeared to demand her inclusion as well. At least Benihimo hadn't appeared to be actively involved in attempting to call disaster down on the house, that time.
"Why didn't you tell me before we left?" Takuma-san asked.
"… You seemed like you were dealing with enough already."
He sighed. "I suppose you're right. It never even occurred to me to ask if Ginro –" He shook his head. "It sounds like it happened when we passed under the pedestrian bridge? Your young friend was … less than entirely coherent in his explanations."
Shuuichi nodded. "You didn't see anything?" Takuma shook his head. "… So they really are only visible to those with the power to see." More proof that the things that Natsume's friends had run into and the things they were dealing with now were one and the same. That was … he hesitated to call it 'good'.
Information. It was information. He'd leave it at that.
He caught up with the rest of the statement and chuckled. "Yes, Souji-kun can get a bit … enthusiastic at times, from what I've seen. … He's a bit too much like me for my own comfort at times, though."
"Ah, well. He'll figure things out eventually," Takuma-san said. "No one really enjoys being that age, even if they can't see. The stories I could tell about Tsukiko …"
"Are there any that it's actually safe for me to hear?" Shuuichi asked dryly, and smiled when Takuma-san laughed. He sobered quickly. "I apologize for allowing such a terrible thing to –"
"You couldn't have known," Takuma-san said.
"I could have guessed. I'd heard they don't like elevation changes, but I shouldn't have just assumed that that meant they couldn't split off like that. And I wasn't even thinking about the fact that they were still on the roof –"
Takuma-san held up a hand. "It was a mistake. I wish you had mentioned it; both Tsukiko and I would have been happy to help figure out a way to fit them inside the car as well. But that is water under the bridge now, and I suspect that it's only thanks to your quick thinking that either of them is still alive and well."
Shuuichi shook his head, looking back towards the car, where his shiki still kept Takuma-san's shiki company on the roof, patching up their wounds. Benihimo's remaining hair flared counter to the breeze, the longer parts looking like they were trying to shift to cover the shorter areas. "I just stood there, really. Hiiragi and Sasago did everything."
"That's what shiki are there for, sometimes. To do those things that you can't." Takuma-san said, following Shuuichi's gaze with a nostalgic, yet lonely expression. The sort of expression that Shuuichi had foolishly avoided bringing up his shiki initially in an effort to prevent.
After a moment more, he shook his head. "In any case. I assume you will have no problem with letting Benihimo and Ginro sit in the car for the rest of the trip?"
"Of course," Shuuichi said. "If I had thought there was real danger before –"
Takuma-san held up a hand. "I know. And we know better now." He paused. "Although … is there much blood?"
"Initially quite a bit, but I do believe their wounds are both well bound now. I don't expect they will drip on you too much, if that's what had you concerned."
"… I'll pay for cleaning the – hm." Takuma-san paused, an arrested, then sad look on his face. "I suppose it's unlikely there will be any services to pay, anymore."
"Probably not," Shuuichi agreed, then shrugged. "On the bright side, it's youkai blood, and neither my father nor my grandfather can see. We could just leave it there."
Takuma-san looked vaguely appalled. "You can't just –"
"Ahahaha. I'm joking, Takuma-san. I'll get it taken care of somehow."
"… Well, if nothing else, I see your sense of humor certainly hasn't changed."
#
Shuuichi's cell phone rang. With a mental curse and more swerving within his lane than was really preferable – yet another benefit to there being no one else on the road – he dug it out of his pocket and tossed it at Tsukiko-san, sitting in the passenger's seat. "Answer that, please?"
She fumbled the catch, then nodded. "Hello? Yes, this is Takuma Tsukiko. Yes, we're on our way back, there was just … a bit of a delay. Okay. Okay. Let me see." She pulled the phone away from her head. "Sekihara-san said to tell you that you should come around to the back entrance. Apparently one of those creatures is blocking the front. He wanted to know if you had any advice?"
It took a great deal of self-control not to slam the brakes. "Are the wards holding?" He could just imagine what a disaster it would be if they had to evacuate. They only had the one car, and it couldn't even hold everyone, much less all the supplies they'd need to bring with them.
Tsukiko repeated the question, and Shuuichi resisted the urge to tell her to put it on speakerphone. "He says that as far as he can tell, the wards are still at full strength, and seem to be holding the creature at bay."
Shuuichi breathed a quiet sigh of relief. "Well, that's something. Tell him to just stay back for now. If it sticks around we'll have to see if we can figure out how to do something about it, but I would suggest that any attempted interactions with those creatures only take place when there's sufficient backup nearby."
"He says that makes sense. How far out are we?"
"A little less than thirty minutes, I believe."
The final leg of the journey passed mostly quietly. Both Tsukiko and Souji made occasional attempts at conversation, but they were all too tense to give the conversation the attention it deserved. Even Shuuichi, usually the first to engage in small talk, found himself refraining. He couldn't do that while concentrating on the road (and especially on any other bridges, though thankfully there were relatively few and none of the rest showed any signs of being inhabited).
"I hadn't realized your home had a back entrance." Takuma-san remarked mildly, as they drove up to the thankfully-clear gate.
"We don't advertise it. Souji-kun, if you would?"
"Sure!" The boy scrambled out of the car and over to the gate, looking extremely happy at getting the chance to get away from the back seat, now rather over-crowded with the addition of Ginro and Benihimo. Particularly since unlike Takuma-san, who probably simply felt mildly claustrophobic, he had been able to both see and feel them for the rest of the ride back.
He normally paid little or no attention to the wards, but today, Shuuichi was hypersensitive to their presence, only properly relaxing once the entire car had passed through the gate and into their compound. He idled briefly to pick Souji back up, then headed inward. Their compound might not be on par with the Matoba family's main compound, but it still covered a lot of space, and had not a few detached buildings scattered both near the main building, and out in the forested area they now drove through, which covered much of the back of the compound.
"I asked that Sumi-san prepare rooms for you in the main house," he said as they drove by one of the detached buildings. "I'd prefer everyone stay close for now. But you two are welcome to claim any other rooms, or one of these buildings, if it suits you better. Please feel free to treat this as your home."
In the rear view mirror, Takuma-san shook his head slightly. "The main house would be good, for now. I think we would all be more reassured, to be able to check on everyone else's status quickly." He hesitated. "If I haven't said so before, I thank you for your hospitality."
Shuuichi shook his head. "It's nothing." I'm just so glad you two are okay.
He finally pulled to a stop in front of the garage. "Souji-kun, could you help get the Takumas settled? I need to go get a status report from Sekihara-san."
"But I want to –"
"Your guidance is greatly appreciated." Takuma-san said. Shuuichi shot him a grateful look, and received an amused one in response. "I have only been here a couple of times, some years ago, but never much past the front entrance."
"Oh. Um."
Shuuichi slipped away before Souji could recover enough to try again. He'd be in safe hands with the Takumas. "Sasago, Urihime." They appeared. "Would you work with Ginro and Benihimo to get them settled as well? I don't know what will suit them best, particularly while they're still recovering. Ask Souji-kun to act as an intermediary if you need one." He was once again struck with uncertainty - was this really the right course of action, to take in two unbound youkai?
But neither Takuma nor (he had to reluctantly admit) his own conscience would allow him to do anything else.
Urihime nodded and Sasago said, "Of course, Master."
"Hiiragi," she called. His third shiki touched down at Sasago's side, brushing down her still-bloodstained clothes. (Would machine washing work on youkai clothing? Would they be willing to do it if it did? ... Would the electricity and running water last long enough for it to matter?)
"Watch over Master," she said.
Hiiragi bowed her head. "Of course." Sasago and Urihime headed back towards the car, and Shuuichi turned started walking again, Hiiragi easily maintaining the pace.
"I can look after myself, you know."
"Because your first encounter with one of those creatures went so well."
"I do learn from my mistakes."
Shuuichi suspected Hiiragi's silence had been intended to be pointed, but they both lost interest as they rounded a corner that gave them line of sight to the front gate.
Unlike the pedestrian entrance, which was properly sized and more or less traditional, some ancestor of Shuuichi's had decided that for the main driveway, the gate should be some enormous wrought-iron monstrosity that looked like it had come straight from a Gothic novel. (For all he knew, it had – some of the materials he had read hinted strongly that the Natori family had been among the first of the major exorcist families to start offering their services to certain receptive foreigners during the Meiji era.)
He'd always been a bit surprised that no one had replaced it, given his family's fear of youkai. The gap between the bars was easily broad enough to let any number of suspicious creatures in. They couldn't actually get in, of course – even before Shuuichi had strengthened them, the wards had been more than strong enough to keep out the small fry.
But whether through tradition or simple apathy, the gate had stayed. And he had to admit, as he stopped beside Sekihara-san, that in this particular instance, it came in handy. It meant they could look outside with ease, without having to open the gate or climb the walls. (Not that Shuuichi hadn't done the latter any number of times as a child. The gate was heavy and it squeaked.)
"It looks a great deal larger than the first one we encountered," Hiiragi observed. She hopped to the top of the wall.
"Don't cross the wards." Shuuichi called.
She turned to look back at him just long enough that he suspected she was rolling her eyes behind her mask, then peered downwards. "It's mostly concentrated in front of the gate."
"Interesting. Does that mean it has some way of sensing entrances?"
"It may just be that the wards are stronger here," Sekihara-san said.
Shuuichi nodded to acknowledge the point. "And you've seen no degradation?" The wards still looked strong to him, but by this point, Sekihara-san was probably far more familiar with them.
The older man shook his head. "They still seem to be holding."
Shuuichi crossed his arms. "Have you seen any change in the creature? It getting bigger, or the haze above it getting darker? Any suspicious movements?"
Sekihara-san shook his head. "It's just been sitting there since … probably somewhere around lunchtime."
Shuuichi's stomach grumbled, reminding him that all he'd had for that meal was a couple of onigiri while he and Souji attempted to move yet another car out of their way. He pointedly ignored it and approached the gate, kneeling in front of it.
"Master …" Hiiragi's voice sounded torn between warning and weary as she landed behind him.
He waved a hand. "We've seen proof that the consumption process isn't instant. Huh, look at that, it really was teeth I saw before." He resisted the urge to poke his hand through the bars – and the wards. Hiiragi might claim otherwise, but he did have some self-preservation instincts.
Plus, the creature apparently decided it would come to him.
He fell backwards and yelped as a tendril of shadow about the width of his thumb suddenly arced out of the main body straight for his head. And stopped, just outside the gate.
"Master!"
Shuuichi held up a hand as Hiiragi practically teleported to his side, looking like she was on the verge of repeating her grab-and-run of the previous day. "Well, now we know that wards work against attacks, as well," he said, a bit giddy from the rush of adrenaline, and looked up at Sekihara-san. "Still no change to the barrier?"
"The barrier is fine." Sekihara-san said, giving him a disapproving look. "Though I can't say the same of my poor heart."
"Haha, sorry." Shuuichi levered himself to his feet, stood there for a few seconds to see if the creature's attack would change in any way – it didn't – and then took several careful steps backwards. "That's … very good to know." His thoughts returned briefly to Natsume's friends and their classmates, and in particular that girl, Taki. Assuming this reaction isn't just because of the strength of the ward, that Chrysanthemum Circle should have done some good after all.
He spared an additional moment to lament forgetting to acquire at least one phone number in return for giving them his. (If any of them even had cell phones? Many of his coworkers still didn't. But he could have asked.) It would be … good to be able to check up on them. Assuming any were left. Stop it.
"I should let Nanase-san know, in case they don't already," he said aloud. "Alliance or no, every little bit of information may be critical."
"Alliance?" Sekihara-san asked. "Ah. The power grab you mentioned last night?"
Shuuichi nodded.
The older man hesitated, then asked slowly, "And ... will we be throwing our lots in with the Matoba clan?"
Shuuichi gave in to temptation and sighed, eyeing the gate. He considered prevaricating – he'd told Nanase-san he needed to consult with his clan, after all. But then he thought of Isuzu-san, who'd probably try to kill Matoba again if she ever saw him again. Of Ginro and Benihimo, the latter no longer a shiki and the former one practically in name only, and how Takuma-san would likely react to any disparagement of them.
He thought about what Natsume would likely say to the sort of humans-and-shiki-only society that he suspected was Matoba's goal, and had to swallow against the burning in his throat at the reminder that he'd probably never see his young friend again.
In the end, he had all sorts of excuses to do what he'd wanted to do from the start. He shook his head. "I really don't think it would work out."
Was that amusement in the older man's gaze? If so, none of it touched his voice as he nodded and said, "No, I don't suppose it would."
#
Supper was plainer and smaller than what Shuuichi remembered as being typical in this house. (Although still of far better quality than he often ate coming off a particularly intense job of either sort.)
Sumi-san apologized repeatedly, but before Shuuichi had figured out how to appropriately phrase his response, his grandfather surprised him by waving it off. "Only so much you can do, times like these."
She bowed her head, face stubbornly suggesting she did not agree, but unwilling to outright contradict the head of the house.
He gestured. "Now come. Sit."
"I couldn't –"
"This is not the time for that. I assume this will be a working dinner" Shuuichi blinked when he realized that his grandfather's eyes were on him, but quickly nodded, "and your input will be useful."
Sumi-san nodded stiffly, then disappeared briefly to acquire herself a place setting and a chair. Once she settled at the foot of the table, Shuuichi's grandfather looked around at everyone there. "This keeps up, we'll need a bigger table." He said.
No one laughed outright, but Shuuichi wasn't the only one who cracked a shadow of a smile.
He nodded to the Takumas. "I heard a bit about your journey here. My condolences for your loss." His mouth twisted at the words – a reassuring sign that his youkai-fearing grandfather had not somehow been replaced by something completely foreign – but the fact that he said them at all was astonishing.
Takuma-san bowed his head briefly back. "I appreciate your kind words. Thank you for being willing to take us in."
"Hmph. Least we could do." His grandfather's sharp gaze turned to Sekihara-san next. "What's the front gate looking like?"
"The creature is still there, but the wards are still holding steady," the older exorcist said calmly. "I agree with Shuuichi-san's assessment that the wards are likely to continue to be effective against them."
"And they don't need to be taken down for repair, or anything, these wards?"
"Strengthening and minor repair can be done with the wards in place, and Shuuichi-san did a good job of shoring them up several years ago. Barring disaster striking, the wards shouldn't need major enough maintenance to warrant removing them entirely for decades."
His grandfather grunted again. "Let's hope we've filled our allotment of disaster for the time being."
Two mentions of him in less than a minute, and neither his grandfather nor his father had given him more than a sideways glance. Shuuichi eyed Sekihara-san thoughtfully. He wondered what the other exorcist had been up to in his absence. He wasn't sure that even a disaster of this magnitude would have been enough to convince his family to treat him with this level of benign disdain without external interference.
And neither of them has even hinted at the idea that I might be the cause. Perhaps they finally found a disaster of sufficient magnitude that even they couldn't buy that argument.
"Shuuichi."
He blinked. "Yes, Father?"
"That … rescue thing you did today. Can you do it again?" He drew a folded piece of paper out of his kimono and held it out. Curious, Shuuichi put down his chopsticks and reached across the table to take it. Unfolded, it turned out to be a list of five names, annotated with single-digit numbers – headcounts? – and addresses.
He looked up. A couple of the names were very vaguely familiar, from bits and pieces of half-heard conversations growing up. "Your associates? These are all that's …"
His father looked away, lips pursed.
Shuuichi refolded the paper and tucked it into his breast pocket. "I'll see what I can do." He needed to double-check several of the locations against a map. He wasn't as familiar with this town as he had once been. He probably needed to figure out where the nearest self-service gas station was, too. "Are you sure we can support …?" He looked from his father to his grandfather.
His grandfather frowned. "From everything Sekihara-san has said, they're sitting ducks out there. I won't stand for that. And the more of us are in one place, the more of a chance we have to figure out how to defeat those things."
Shuuichi doubted that a bunch of people who'd never heard of youkai before would have anything useful to add to that conversation. But he agreed with his grandfather otherwise, and saw no point in starting a fight. He nodded. "I'll get started in the morning. Sumi-san, is there anything you'll need?"
The housekeeper pursed her lips. "How many?"
Shuuichi passed the note to her. "Fifteen, if they're all still alive."
"My. We shall have to start cleaning out some of the empty buildings." She sounded oddly pleased by the idea. "Souji-kun, you'll help me out, won't you dear?"
The kid looked like he really wanted an excuse to say no, but didn't quite have the heart to find one. "Um. Sure?"
Amused, Shuuichi said, "I hope you don't mind if I still have you help me out with the other pick-ups."
"Not at all!" Souji said immediately, looking happier.
"We'll help with the cleaning too, won't we, Father?" Tsukiko-san said brightly.
Takuma-san smiled down at his daughter. "Of course."
Sumi-san nodded sharply. "In that case, our main concern will be food. Perhaps another grocery run, as part of one of your trips? I can give you a list."
Shuuichi smiled his most glittering smile. "Only the best for you."
There were benefits to sitting out of range of a slap to the arm. Particularly when he still had a great view of her fondly exasperated expression.
He let his smile fall away as he turned back to face his grandfather. "So you intend to transform this place into a sanctuary?"
"I do." His grandfather looked down his nose. Shuuichi knew he was several centimeters taller than his grandfather, but he never felt like it. "Is there a problem with that?" Especially not when he was making him feel like he was still the same sulky teenager he thought he had left behind for good.
I thought I'd left this place behind for good, too. He met his grandfather's stare calmly. You're an adult. Now act like it. "No, for once we are in complete agreement."
His grandfather had the gall to look almost surprised for a moment before he nodded grimly. "Good."
#
After dinner, Shuuichi followed the Takumas back to their rooms to make sure they were settled properly, ran into Sumi-san on the way back and ended up discussing her grocery list in detail – since he was driving anyway, she had some strong suggestions about where he should get certain items – checked up on how Benihimo and Ginro were settling, and caught Souji on his way out the front door.
"No," Shuuichi said, staring down at the boy. "Not at night, and certainly not alone."
Souji glared at him. "But I need to see it, too. I need to know what we're fighting!"
Shuuichi wished he could say that Souji wouldn't have to fight. But he tried not to promise things he couldn't deliver. "Not at night," he repeated. "If it's still there tomorrow morning, we can take another look. All right?"
Souji deflated. "I guess." Though the way he kept sneaking glances at the door left Shuuichi unconvinced.
In the hopes of distracting him, Shuuichi asked, "Have you called your friends already? We could add them to the list of people to pick up."
Souji looked away, shoulders slumped. "I don't really … have many friends. I'm just too …"
Right. Shuuichi liked to forget just how little he'd enjoyed middle school. "Well, if you think of anyone, just let me or Sekihara-san know." He smiled grimly. "At least you wouldn't have to hide your abilities anymore."
Souji shook his head. "Most of my classmates are … fine. But I don't know anyone's phone number."
"Do you have a school directory?" Shuuichi experienced a moment of doubt. "Or do they not do that anymore? Sumi-san probably knows where a phone book is, if you know anyone's parents' names."
Souji nodded slowly, looking like he was thinking hard. "I – maybe I'll do that. Thanks." He looked away again, fidgeting, then looked back up through his bangs. "Um. What about your other friends, Shuuichi-san? You're an actor, right? You must have a lot of friends from all the shows you've done."
He blinked. After his current crew disappeared on him, it honestly hadn't occurred to him to look up any of his other former contacts. He supposed somewhere inside, he'd just assumed they'd all gone the same way as his current crew. Particularly since he'd stayed in intermittent contact with only few of them, even fewer of whom were local to the area. "I don't have very many close friends, either. But you're right."
He'd have to look through his contact list, and his old address book. He didn't expect much, but better to try and fail and know than to lose someone who he potentially could have helped save.
Then there were Natsume's friends and classmates. He'd invite them if he was given another chance. (Why had he not thought …?)
The Fujiwaras. He flinched inwardly at the thought, because even more than his friends, Natsume's family was inextricably linked to him in his mind. He'd want me to help them, if I could. I want to help them, if I can.
"Shuuichi-san?"
He smiled reassuringly down at his young ward. "It's nothing, I was just thinking of another friend of mine. I wish you could have met him." Maybe Natsume would have had some advice for Souji. "Now if you'll excuse me, I think I have a few phone calls to make."
Souji smiled tentatively back. "I guess I have some things to look up, too." He sketched a quick bow and scampered down the hall.
Shuuichi watched him disappear, then sighed. If I'm going to do this, I might as well do it right. "These creatures. They're as much of a threat to youkai as to humans?"
Hiiragi faded away from the wall to join him as he turned down the other corridor. "It's difficult to tell relative degrees without testing the hypothesis – and no, Master, that's not a suggestion." Shuuichi smiled faintly. "But they certainly are a threat."
He nodded, and resisted the urge to sigh again. "At some point in the near future, can you work out with Sasago and Urihime how best to let the youkai in the area know that they're welcome here, too?" He held up a finger. "Within limits. There will be zero tolerance for mischief or malice against the humans here, and we won't be weakening the wards, so anyone who can't make it through is, unfortunately, on their own."
Hiiragi was silent for a long moment, and Shuuichi shrugged uncomfortably. "What. If we're providing sanctuary for one, we might as well do so for the other. And until we have a better understanding of what those things are, any insights would be welcome."
"What about the others?" She asked, voice neutral.
Right. I'm not on my own anymore. He rubbed his forehead. "I guess I should discuss it with Sekihara-san, at least. All right, hold that thought. I would still like you to discuss it with Sasago and Urihime if the three of you can find some time, but don't take any action yet."
"Yes, Master."
His room felt like far more of a sanctuary than it had the previous night. It was still the same ill-fitting shrine to his high school self as before – though it appeared that someone had tidied up the scrolls on his desk, maybe Hiiragi? – but at least it was empty of other people, and his.
He flopped crossways on his bed, staring dully up at the largest of the posters above his desk. He doubted he'd even remember the man's name if not for the fact that it was emblazoned across the width of the poster. I ought to redecorate.
I also ought to stop procrastinating.
I really should have made this call last night. But how do you tell a parent that their child has – At least now I'll have something to offer, even if it's incredibly paltry in comparison.
He forced himself to move over to the desk chair so that he could charge his phone as he called. The battery was usually good for a little less than a week, and for all he knew, the cell towers wouldn't last that long, much less their normal electricity. But better to charge now than to regret it later.
The phone rang, and kept ringing.
He glanced at the clock. Well past dinner time, but not late, yet. He'd stayed up past this time working on homework regularly, when he'd been in high school, even on days when he hadn't spent (he refused to call it "wasted") his afternoon haunting the storehouses.
Answering machine.
Almost angrily, he flipped the phone shut, back open, dialed again.
Ringing.
Touko-san had been fine. She'd known to be cautious, even if she hadn't known exactly what to be cautious of. He didn't know about Shigeru-san – wracking his brain, he wasn't even sure he'd ever met the man before – but Touko-san at least should be fine.
Answering machine.
Try again.
Ringing.
Natsume may have known nothing of wards, but his bodyguard suffered no such deficiency. The last time he'd visited they'd been full of small holes that tiny (or particularly determined) youkai could wedge their way through, but strong, for all their leakiness. If those creatures couldn't get through the Natori wards, they shouldn't be able to get through the pig-cat's wards on the Fujiwaras' house, either.
Answering machine.
"This is Natori Shuuichi." He said quietly, the words tasting like defeat. "If you get this message, please call me back." He gave first his cell phone number, then the land line, then clicked his phone shut one final time.
"Urihime!" No response. He resisted the urge to shake his head at himself. Right, she's still helping Benihimo and Ginro.
He wavered, almost physically repelled by the idea of leaving his room again that evening. But what if it couldn't wait until the next morning?
(Even if the most likely possibility of all was that it would be too late then, that it was already too late now, that there was nothing he could have done.)
He navigated through the halls almost without seeing them; barged into the room that Benihimo and Ginro were staying in until they had recovered enough to find a more permanent residence – Benihimo most likely in the forest; Ginro he wasn't entirely sure of yet. "Urihime, mission."
She looked up. "Yes, Master." Exchanged a handful of words with the other four youkai – it appeared this is where Hiiragi had disappeared to – then came to stand in front of him.
"I want you to go take a look at the Fujiwaras' house." He said, quickly explaining the phone conversation – or lack thereof. "Look for any evidence of what might have happened to them, whether it was the creatures or … something else." Though he found his imagination failed at the idea of there being something worse.
She nodded. "As you wish."
"Oh, and Urihime?" She tilted her head slightly. "Be careful. If you encounter one of those creatures, run. This information is not worth your life."
She smiled faintly. "Yes, Master." And left.
With nods to the other four, Shuuichi left as well. Once back in his room, he contemplated showering – his hair was starting to feel unacceptably greasy, and who knew how much longer they'd have running water? – or starting in on the momentous task of trying to sort through what information they had in search for any record of what these creatures might be.
In the end, he just turned off the light and crawled into bed. Showering, like the rest of his problems, could wait for morning. He'd done all he could tonight.
He hoped.