I updated! (Author does happy dance)

Note: Author got too annoyed at stupid missing asterisks and too lazy to type (Time passes or some other equivalent phrase), so the horizontal line thingies will represent either a period of time passing by or a shift of focus on other characters and perspectives

K, enjoy! ^^

Mmn. Natsume scratched his cheek. He could feel random patches of itchiness where his cotton pajamas chafed the skin. He kicked up his legs and shifted in irritation. Too hot. Much too hot. Natsume thought fuzzily. Natsume could feel a stifling heat smothering him from all directions. It was like the room was a pressure cooker, intent on steaming him alive.

Natsume huffed. He kept his eyes closed more tightly and promptly decided to ignore the sauna that his room had become. Determined to go back to sleep, Natsume turned from his side and laid flat on his back. Immediately, he grimaced at the feel of sticky perspiration on his back. Sighing in defeat, Natsume sat up reluctantly. Slowly, he cracked open his eyes.

Agh, too bright. Dizzying dots of blue bombarded his vision. Natsume winced. Closing his eyes and then cautiously opening them again, he squinted, trying to make out the source of his irritation. The sun blazed through the window, flooding the room in a blindingly golden wash. Natsume frowned. Did he leave the window open last night? He rubbed his eyes and slowly looked around him curiously. Stilling in surprise, Natsume stared uncomprehendingly at the mass of white fur in front of him. The gears of brain turned sluggishly before realization widened his eyes. Images of last night played through in his head as Natsume struggled to remember.

Snow.

Blood.

Red. Red.

Screaming himself hoarse.

Cold.

Light. Nyanko-sensei yelling his name.

Natsume breathed heavily. His fingers trembled at the memory of the snow, the blood, and the pure fear that he felt in the nightmare. His heart beat skittishly, drumming so loudly through his veins that Natsume thought the sound would threaten to burst from underneath his skin and surely wake up the whole house. No, no. Not good.

Even Natsume himself could realize that he was starting to panic again. He lurched up towards the doorway to head to the bathroom, all the while taking painstaking care to avoid waking up Nyanko-sensei.

Natsume hurriedly walked to the bathroom. Closing the door, Natsume immediately slumped down to the floor. His nerves tingled, making his stomach sway with unease. Natsume could feel his throat, already sore and hoarse, starting to choke up. His chest felt heavy and he could now distinctly hear his uneven pants echoing throughout the room. He held his head between his knees and breathed in deeply.

In…

Out…

In…

Out...

In…

Out…

Slowly but surely, his breathing evened out and his heart rate settled down. Natsume bit his lip. He hadn't suffered these episodes since he was a little kid, when he had just learned that he had to grapple with the pain of losing his parents and the juxtaposition of the human world and the youkai world.

Natsume then carefully stretched and stood up. Walking towards the sink, he splayed his palms out on its surface. The cold porcelain instantly soothed his burning skin, a comforting contrast. Peering up at the mirror, Natsume grimaced at his reflection. He looked completely worn out. His eyes were puffy and red. And his nose also sported a rosy red, no doubt from the crying last night. He reached out and turned on the faucet. Splashing some cold water onto his face, Natsume hoped that it would at least tone down the redness. He stared at his reflection again.

He really, really hoped that Touka-san and Shigeru-san would not notice that he had cried recently. Then again, Natsume supposed that he should be thankful that Shigeru-san and Touka-san went out to visit an old friend yesterday, and were unable to come home last night.

Natsume swallowed hard. If they had been home and they heard him scream like that, he...he could only imagine the concerned looks on their faces, Plus, his own refusal to explain things would probably only increase their worries. To explain that he dreamed that they died because of his interactions with the youkai…

And that the dream only confirmed his own worries…

That was a conversation he did not wish- no, that he was determined not- to have. It would not be fair to burden them like that. Not with issues so outside of the normal mundane world.

Natsume clenched his fist. This could not happen again.

No. This family...this home…this was what he treasured, what he would do anything to protect.

The nightmare, no, the dream was probably due to built-up stress and insecurities, Natsume decided. He just needed to exert more control over himself. That was all. Maybe he would listen to Nyanko-sensei, for once, and pace himself in returning the names. He was fine. Things were fine. Or at least Natsume would make sure they would be.

Tugging at his sweat-soaked pajamas in distaste, Natsume decided taking a nice long shower would probably be a good first step in doing so.

Opening the door to his room, Natsume noted with some surprise that Nyanko-sensei was no longer there. Hmm, did he wake up?

He shrugged and continued to towel dry his hair. While digging in his drawers for a T-shirt and a pair of pants, Natsume stilled at the sudden metal clanging sound that rang throughout the house. His heart instantly pounded with sudden fear and he reflexively tensed his body. Did something happen? Could it be a youkai intruding the house?

He held his breath and craned his ears, praying that he would not hear any screams. That he was wrong.

The metal din was then accompanied by Nyanko-sensei's mewls and Shigeru-san's amused laughter. Lips curving in a faint grin and his body immediately going lax with pure relief, Natsume realized that Shigeru-san and Touka-san must have gotten back already.

Natsume glanced at the clock. It was about 1:30 in the afternoon now. He must have completely overslept...and taken a far longer shower than he expected. He clutched his chest and deeply exhaled. He was overreacting. Severely so. Natsume silently chastised himself.

It was probably for the best that Natsume hurried down though. Preferably before Nyanko-sensei made an utter nuisance of himself. Slipping on his clothes a little carelessly, Natsume then hastily brushed his hair. A quick glance towards a mirror revealed that although his face was no longer splotchy, he definitely still looked tired. Natsume sighed. Oh, well. It could not be helped, he supposed.

"Natsume!" Touko-san's warm, cheerful voice greeted him as soon as he stepped into the dining area. With her bright brown eyes and familiar pink apron, Natsume could not help the sensation of comfort and nostalgia washing over him. His lips unknowingly curved in a relieved smile.

"Natsume?" He blinked in surprise as Touko-san's face appeared up close. She reached a hand towards his face, and with a look of slight concern, she asked, "Sweetie? You look a little pale. Did you get enough sleep?"

Before he could reassure her, Touko-san's motherly instincts were already on full alert. "Or maybe, you need more nutrients? Did you make sure to eat dinner yesterday? Oh dear, I think I've heard of a cold going around too. Takashi-kun, sweetie, how do you feel?"

She immediately felt his forehead, eyes creasing in concentration to confirm if he had a fever or not. "Maybe you should lay-"

Shirgeru-san's hearty laugh interrupted her, immediately drawing both Natsume's and Touko-san's attention towards him. "Dear, I think you're overwhelming him."

Touko-san pouted and opened her mouth to protest before Shigeru-san continued, "I believe that Takashi is just still sleepy."

Touko-san tilted her head in confusion. Shigeru-san then smiled and gestured towards Natsume's still wet hair. Natsume immediately understood what he meant. With a sheepish grin, he scratched the back of his neck.

Touko-san immediately widened her eyes in realization. Raising her hands to her face in embarrassment, she giggled. "Oh goodness, me! I think I got too far ahead of myself."

She swiveled around and faced Natsume. "You must be hungry by now! I'll cook up something quick for you."

"Oh, Touko-san. You don't have-"

Before Natsume could stop her, Touko-san marched to the kitchen with a cheerful hum.

Shigeru-san waved his hand dismissively. "No, no. Let her. It makes her happy to do these things for you, you know."

At Natsume's tentative nod, he continued, "Come, sit! Sit!"

Natsume smiled, knowing it was futile to resist. He walked forward to the dining table and pulled out a chair. A quick glance towards the table told him that Shigeru-san was having his usual cup of tea with his newspaper.

Or at least Shigeru-san would be reading the newspaper if it was not for a certain calico cat who was currently lounging on it as a makeshift pillow.

Nyanko-sensei curled his tail around himself and closed his eyes, the picture of innocence and ignorance…or so it seemed. The slight twitching of Nyanko- sensei's eyes revealed that he definitely was not sleeping and was doing this on purpose to annoy Natsume. Natsume narrowed his eyes. Fully intending to shoo Nyanko-sensei away, Natsume reached out his hands and half stood up- only to be stopped by Shigeru-san himself.

With a good natured grin, Shigeru san remarked, "Ah, it's fine, Takashi. Nyangoro seems very comfortable there." He laughed. "I'd hate to disturb his rest."

After seeing that Shigeru-san truly was not bothered by it, Natsume conceded and sat down again. However, he could see Nyanko-sensei cracking open an eye and smirking, smug at the little victory. Natsume rolled his eyes. Really, Nyanko sensei? He turned to face Shigeru-san. With a slight smile, Natsume apologized. "I'm sorry for his behavior. You really don't have to be all that considerate of him."

Out of the corner of his eyes, Natsume could tell that Nyanko-sensei was responding with an eye-roll of his own. He mentally grinned.

Shigeru-san laughed again, dismissing Natsume's words. Instead, he leaned forward and with a conspiratorial wink, Shigeru-san asked, "It's fine. Now how about you tell me why you're waking up so late in the afternoon. It's not like you to oversleep. Did you stay up late playing games or watching T.V.?"

Natsume felt a little nervous at being prompted to reveal the reason for his tired state. He masked it with a sheepish grin and instead decided to play along with Shigeru-san's assumptions. "Something like that. Sorry."

Far from rebuking him, however, Shigeru-san laughed merrily and merely stated, "Boys will be boys. Don't worry, I won't tell Touka-san. And besides, it is not a school day. It's fine. Really."

He paused, and deliberated silently for a second before casually stating, "Although it is odd."

Natsume's eyes widened slightly in worry and surprise. "Odd?"

Shigeru-san nodded. "Mmm, don't you have that bike ride later this afternoon? With your friends? You might be too tired for it."

Natsume raised a hand to his head and groaned. How could he have forgotten? He had agreed to a bike ride on Sunday with Nishimura and Kitamoto.

At Natsume's expression, Shigeru-san realized that Takashi had completely forgotten about the appointment. He shook his head, admittedly entertained since Takashi, so serious for his age, was usually very on top of things. Maybe this was a sign that Takashi was starting to let down his barriers and act more naturally.

Shigeru-san smiled. He really wanted Takashi to be able to experience his youth in its entirety, without having to think and consider the repercussions of every action. There was such a thing as too much considerateness. He simply wished for Takashi to be happy.

Shigeru-san reached out and ruffled Natsume's hair. He joked. "Oh? Did you forget? Leave the forgetfulness to us old people."

Natsume smiled in response. "I'll keep that in mind. I think I can still make the bike ride though."

"Bike ride?" Touko-san asked as she began to set the soup and the dumplings down on the table.

As Shigeru-san happily recounted the version, Natsume was content to eat while listening to the comforting tones of Shigeru-san's voice and Touko-san's joyful laughs.

Meanwhile, Nyanko-sensei surveyed the scene with a contrasting mixture of relief and irritation. He had seen and heard what happened to the brat in the morning. He scoffed. Did the kid truly think that he could just sneak by a youkai, as magnificent as himself, without waking up or alerting him? After all, he was the great Madara, was he not?

Thinking about it sent another pulse of hot irritation through him-and made his tail involuntarily flick from side to side angrily. Sure, he was sleeping. But when the brat woke up, with a quick heartbeat and uneven breathing, he immediately woke up. Detecting a person's presence was a necessary skill for a hunter-er, bodyguard- after all. He feigned sleep only because he knew Natsume needed time to be alone. But ah, wasn't that the problem?

When Natsume walked into the dining room, he could tell that Natsume was visibly relieved by the presence of Touko and Shigeru. It was evident in the way Natsume relaxed his body and could still laugh to Shigeru-san's jokes. But, he did not forget the way Natsume evaded the questions.

Nyanko-sensei scowled. The brat was always, always carrying all of his burdens by himself. Tcch.

That predilection was irritating. Natsume did not like troubling others with his problems.

Well, he was already troubled by the kid's problems! Nyanko-sensei mentally growled. The kid, by tackling all of his problems by himself, made it harder for him to be a bodyguard! Did Natsume not get that?!

Sure, he still thought it was a complete waste to return the names when you could use the names. You know for power, entertainment, and whatnot. And ok, yes, he really, really would have much rather eaten the puny, annoying youkai who came to beseech Natsume to help them. He was a predator, damn it! The instinct to hunt came naturally with his position at the top of the food chain.

He was supposed to be feared.

You incited fear by threatening to eat them for dinner. No one had ever said that oh, to strike fear in the hearts of the stupid idiots, you should threaten to give to charity and help them!

At this point, Nyanko-sensei had jumped off the table and was currently pacing back and forth on the ground, too caught up in his rant to notice.

He was severely underappreciated for his work.

Had he eaten any one of the youkai who came to get their names back?

No. Reluctantly so. But no.

Would that made things easier in the end? Yes! Goddamn yes!

He couldn't count the number of times those stupid youkai had either threatened Natsume before realizing that the boy was more than willing to return their names or had gotten Natsume into some stupid dilemma.

Or god forbid, because he was apparently not understanding enough, Natsume would neglect to inform him of his decision to continue helping a youkai or pursue some quest that he had explicitly told Natsume that it wasn't worth getting into.

Or that it was too suspicious.

That it was too dangerous.

But did the boy listen?

No!

So stubborn for a mere human. Natsume would still persist in helping them.

What did that give him? A lot of damn unnecessary work.

He would have to track down the insolent culprits and Natsume. Then arrive just in the nick of time to save Natsume from being eaten or worse. (And yeah, so he may have gotten a little distracted by the beautiful temptation that was sake. But if the kid was more obedient and listened to him once in a while, he was pretty sure he could afford to take drinking breaks without having to risk a missing Natsume and then presumably, deal with a hostage situation).

But he magnificently refrained from eating them on the spot, didn't he?

Even though they were practically asking for it. Nyanko-sensei muttered angrily under his breath. Daring to put a hand on his prey.

Some of the youkai were definitely getting more foolish nowadays. One of these days, he'll have to go on a rampage to reestablish his name and reputation and remind everyone just why he should not be crossed.

And why?

All because the boy was all too nice for his own good.

But hey, he and Natsume had made a deal. He'd protect Natsume and Natsume would give him the Book of Names in the end. Although at this point, Nyanko-sensei internally complained, all he would be getting would be the cover page and the back page- and that was if he was lucky.

So all that saving the lesser youkai business?

That was not him going soft.

That was not compassion.

That was professionalism.

Nyanko-sensei sighed. The kid was so much trouble. He took on so much more than he needed to. In fact, Nyanko-sensei had the sinking feeling that if he passed out-er he meant- deigned to return from his drinking escapade and had not been there to witness Natsume's nightmare, he would never have known.

Nyanko-sensei then stilled. Did...did he just send a significant portion of time complaining about Natsume? He shook his head promptly. Nope. Nope. Argh, no wonder people thought he was going soft. Nope, he was just…deliberating the schematics of Natsume's situation, which was what any competent bodyguard would do.

With a languorous stretch, Nyanko sensei yawned. Well, now that he did his hard work of the day, he could focus on other things, Nyanko-sensei grinned, like helping Natsume finish his dumplings. With that in mind, he jumped up to Natsume's plate, sparking Natusme's cries of alarm and Shigeru-san's and Touka-san's amusement. As he munched on a stolen dumpling, Nyanko-sensei had to admit, if there was one benefit to this job, it was Touko-san's cooking.

Natsume closed his eyes. It was nice out. The weather signaled the beginning of summer. A lone breeze twirled through the spring green leaves of the nearby trees. Looking up from canopy of the overhanging branches, he could see brilliant blue patches of sky. The sun shone fiercely, weaving golden threads throughout the forest. The scene brought to him a deep sense of peace that he had been sorely missing. Natsume reveled in the feeling of freedom, the slap of the wind on his face as he rode on his bike.

Or at least he was until his feline passenger, who was sitting in the basket, began his unneeded commentary. "Oi! Natsume! Stop paying attention to the trees. And pay attention to the road!" Nyanko-sensei rebuked. "I'm too young to die a victim from your reckless driving."

Natsume rolled his eyes and retorted, "I'm riding a bicycle, not driving. And besides, Nyanko-sensei, aren't you at least a hundred years old?"

Nyanko-sensei swiveled around to face him. "Riding, driving. Same difference. You're on the road regardless. Be responsible." He paused for a moment and then continued, "I am older than you, so what's with your attitude, huh? You should respect your elders, Natsume!"

Natsume laughed. "Whatever you say, Nyanko-sensei."

Nyanko-sensei drolly remarked, "How sincere of you."

Natsume merely hummed in response. After a few moments though, Nyanko-sensei spoke again, with a deliberately casual tone. "Hey, Natsume."

"Yes?"

"Have you been returning names recently?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow. "This again?"

Nyanko-sensei let out a long-suffering sigh. "Just answer the question, you ungrateful brat."

Curious as to why Nyanko-sensei was adamant on his answer, Natsume decided to appease him. Although he was willing to bet that once he gave his answer, Nyanko-sensei would launch another one of his customary, long-winded rants. "Well, two last week."

As predicted, Nyanko-sensei dramatically rolled his eyes and began waving his paw in irritation. "Stupid Natsume! Really? I'm going to inherit an empty book at this rate, Natsume! What do you say about that, huh? How are you going to compensate me? How about you think of that for once?"

To which, Natsume waved off his concerns. "Yes, yes, Nyanko-sensei."

"Don't 'yes, yes' me!" Nyanko-sensei mimicked. He swished his tale in vexation. This conversation was just reviving the rant from earlier-as well as the feelings of irritation that it brought. This brat was going to be the end of him. Damn it. He was getting off track.

Visibly calming himself down, Nyanko-sensei huffed with exasperation. "And? How did it go? Were they difficult? Did either of them attack you?" He turned to level a sardonic glare at him. "I don't know if you remember this, but you do have a bodyguard. And it would be considerate of you to, I don't know, mention this to a certain bodyguard. Hmm?"

Natsume crinkled his face in confusion. It was rare of Nyanko-sensei to invest so much interest into what happened when he returned the names or even weirdly yet, to inquire about his safety. He asked curiously, "No, it went fine. There was nothing to worry about. They were some of the lower level youkai. Nyanko-sensei…is something wrong?"

Nyanko-sensei sent another annoyed glare towards Natsume. He ignored Natsume's question and continued, "Were those two the only youkai you met last week?"

Natsume's perplexity only grew at Nyanko-sensei's strange question. He opened his mouth to demand an answer but stopped at Nyanko-sensei's warning glance. For once, Nyanko-sensei seemed uncharacteristically serious. A little exasperated, Natsume answered, "Well, they were the only ones who asked for their names back. But there were some others I met on the road who I helped too, I guess. Plus, then there are the usual youkai that we always meet in the field, remember?"

Nyanko-sensei stared at him in disbelief. He spluttered with outrage, "Y-you guess? Oi, I didn't ask for an estimate. Be more specific! How many more did you meet with? What type of youkai were they?"

Natsume stared back at him with a mixture of confusion and slight irritation. "Nyanko-sensei, you know I see youkai frequently. I can't remember all of them. Why are you interrogating me about this?"

Nyanko-sensei snapped, "I'm not interrogating you. These are all things I'm supposed to know in the first place. In fact, you're supposed to tell me, without me asking!" He bristled with obvious offense. "Sheesh. I bother to do this and what do you do? Be difficult."

Natsume stared at him in surprise. "You were never concerned about this before."

Nyanko-sensei directed an annoyed look at him. "This is my job, you know. Stop looking so surprised. It's insulting." He turned and jabbed his paw into Natsume's face, much to Natsume's alarm and displeasure. The sudden movement caused the bike to swerve for a moment before Natsume regained control.

"Sensei! Don't do that! We're still on the bicycle."

Nyanko-sensei, undeterred, continued jabbing, enunciating each word with a well-aimed poke. "Appreciate. Me. More. "

Natsume rolled his eyes. He was about to counter with a sharp retort of Nyanko-sensei's eating and drinking habits when a sudden memory of last night surfaced.

He bit his lip. Nyanko-sensei had stayed up with him, hadn't he? He called him out of the nightmare, going so far as to transform into his original form. Nyanko-sensei had comforted him, when he desperately needed someone to and Natsume knew that to do so was probably out of Nyanko-sensei's usual comfort zone. Now to think of it, Natsume had not thanked him yet, had he?

"Sensei. Thank you."

"You ungrateful brat! You- Wait, hah?" Nyanko-sensei had all been too ready for a smartass remark to come his way, but did he hear right? The kid was thanking him, not arguing with him?

He started in surprise as Natsume reached out to rub behind his ears. Natsume continued, this time in a softer voice, "Thank you, Nyanko-sensei. For being there for me last night."

With that, Nyanko-sensei deflated and instead turned to rub against Natsume's fingers, which in turn, made Natsume laugh. It was hard after all to stay mad at the brat when he looked like that, complete with a light grin and a sincere gaze. He sighed. "I wasn't talking about that, you know."

Natsume merely continued petting him. The two continued on in silence before Nyanko-sensei said, "Hey, Natsume ~? "

Natsume stopped and stared at him with slight wariness at the familiar mischievous gleam in Nyanko- sensei's eyes and his sly smirk. "Yes?"

"If you really want to thank me," Nyanko-sensei continued, this time thumping Natsume's hand with his paw. "Then thank me with food! Not with words! Ooh, buy me some of those manju buns again!"

Natsume shook his head. He really should have expected this. With a fond grin, he gave in, "Yes, sensei."

He bit back another laugh at the sound of Nyanko-sense's excited holler.

Oh, oh, but don't just stop there! THERE'S MORE!

Gasp. Next chapter?! Already?

Yup, yup. I was on a roll and wrote a lot! (Yay! For once.) So I split it up into two chapters to make it easier to read. XD