Everything hurt.
Natsume felt so numb, so detached.
Was he standing or sitting?
Why was it cold?
Right, it was snowing. Snowing, it was snowing, right?
His throat felt scorched. Was he still screaming? He couldn't remember.
Did it even matter anymore?
He bit back another sob. He didn't want to be here. He wanted it to end.
Make it stop, make it stop, make it STOP!
A roar suddenly rang out in the air, so deafening loud that it flung him out of his growing hysteria. A blinding light surged before him. Was someone calling his name? He reached out towards the sound with trembling fingers…and the scene before him erased itself completely.
Immediately, Natsume startled, jerking straight up from the blankets. He gasped. Blearily, he glimpsed something white and furry before him. Was that… "Nyanko-sensei? I-is that you?" Natsume asked, voice quavering.
Madara turned to stare straight at him. "Natsume".
With just that so familiar deep grumble, comfort and relief flooded Natsume. Before he realized what he was doing, Natsume found himself lifting his arms and hugging Madara, catching both of them by surprise. His surprise filtered through quickly, though. Natsume merely tightened his arms and pressed his cheek to the warm fur. Natsume could smell the sharp tang of sake oddly offset by an earthy musk. It was a scent that always seemed to accompany Nyanko-sensei and smelling it again, as strange as it sounded, brought consolation to Natsume.
Meanwhile, Madara shifted, uncertain how to react to the impromptu hug or rather more importantly, how to deal with an emotionally distraught Natsume. He could feel Natsume still trembling from the remnants of his nightmare. He could smell, even almost taste the fear that lingered in the air. He growled. That nightmare really did shake up the brat, didn't it? The brat had nightmares before; Madara knew that. Nightmares even that left the brat in a cold sweat and woke up Madara a countless amount of times. But on every occasion, the brat would merely avoid Madara's eyes and steel himself, breathing in and out until he calmed down. Never once did Natsume talk to Madara about his dreams, much less look to him for comfort afterwards. Never once did he scream like that. He...really is scar-
"That-that really was just a dream right?" Natsume asked, voice quaking once more with tears.
Disrupted from his inner debate, Madara gazed down. The sight of Natsume in his rumpled pajamas, the beseeching tone in his voice that spoke volumes on how badly the dream affected Natsume...
All of it was disquieting. Everything felt…
Wrong.
Unbidden, a strong wave of protectiveness washed through Madara. In a rare show of affection, Madara lowered his head and gently nuzzled Natsume's head. "It was a dream, Natsume. Just a dream. I'm here now, aren't I, kid?"
Natsume nodded his head and mumbled, "Yeah."
His shuddering sobs gradually (thankfully) quieted into soft sniffles and Madara could feel him relax. He still didn't let go of Madara though…and Madara found no reason to discourage him to. If this was what the brat needed, then…so be it. Besides, Madara wasn't sure if he could have handled a heart-to-heart conversation anyways.
It was ironic that he, one of the strongest yokai around, a beast to be feared and revered, who believed that the strong ruled- er, well - ate the weak, was comforting a human, this stubborn, troublesome boy, Madara mused with a wry sigh.
As his eyes roved around the room, Madara caught Hinoe (Huh, she was still here.) standing in the corner of the room with an expression that wavered between surprise and soft affection. Raising an eyebrow, Hinoe smirked. No doubt thinking the same things he was. Tcch. Madara scowled. Before he could say anything, Hinoe raised a finger to her lips. With a wink and –ugh- another smirk, she slipped silently out of the window. No doubt, she would tease him about this tomorrow. Nah, knowing her, he'd never hear the end of it for an entire damn decade. Whatever. Madara groused to himself. He let his body go lax and yawned. Might as well get comfortable here then.
Natsume, on the other hand, didn't notice Madara's turmoil. He was too focused on trying to calm down and to push the nightmare as far away from his mind as possible. Natsume did, however, notice that Madara had unconsciously curled his body even closer to Natsume.
Almost like a proxy hug, Natsume thought with a twinge of amusement. If this was any other time, he probably would have teased Nyanko-sensei about it, but he didn't want Nyanko-sensei to pull away. Surrounded like this, Natsume felt like he was encased in a cocoon of warmth and safety. Yes, for now, Natsume was content to prolong this companionable silence that surfaced between the two of them.
So I tried to write more this time, but...eh. (It's hard!) At least, I updated! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I tried my best to keep them in character. Also, this is unbetaed, soooo... Oh, well. Thank you to all of you who have following and reading this story. Again, reviews or comments are welcomed. ^^