The next Natsume chapter should pick up a bit. Sorry for the slow pacing =P
Please leave a comment if things get too confusing?
Kousetsu's kanji is "煌雪". Rinne's is "林音". I have little doodles of these guys in my notes. My art shall forever be inferior to Midorikawa's XD
Chapter 7
Kousetsu was already waiting on the fields by the time he climbed through the forest. "I'm sorry I'm late."
The old man spirit, back hunched as he leaned on his cane, shook his hand in a placatory gesture. "Do not worry, Nushi-sama. We may be tight on time, but this will not take you all the time, if what little Ren told me is the truth."
He must have looked confused because Kousetsu continued, "He tells me you have a natural ability for spells. This is mostly likely a result of your large spiritual reserves."
The way the elderly spirit was talking about this seemed like it was all predetermined fact. "Is that why you chose me?" he asked.
Kousetsu chuckled. "Dear Nushi-sama, did you think you were run-in-the-mill? Such humility is pleasing to old men like me, but you should be more self-conscious."
Now that the spirit mentioned it, though, he did remember something on this. It was because of this spiritual power that he could see the monsters in the first place. He supposed he must have been a fairly odd boy, meeting and talking to beings that no one else could have seen. "But I could have been someone aiming to destroy all of you. Humans exorcise demons, usually, don't they?"
He felt Kousetsu's gaze rest on him longer than necessary, and he had to consciously stop himself from shuffling nervously. The spirit soon picked up the implicit question, though. "Rinne is good at listening to the hearts of other beings. He had already known you were good to the core of your essence by the time you entered the forest canopy."
He looked away. It was embarrassing to be talked about in this manner. There was more important information concealed within that statement anyways. "So you saw how I got here?" If he remembered correctly, during the brief introductions two days ago, Rinne was the long-limbed spirit who didn't talk much – or at all, seeing as how Ren had handled his introductions. He was supposedly the spirit of one of the older trees, so it was possible he could have seen something.
"Yes. To be frank, it was quite difficult to miss. You were being carried by rather large demon across the skies. When you had flown over the forest, you woke up and struck the spirit. He loosened his grip on you then, and you fell."
A large demon? He closed his eyes, trying to imagine the scenario (since trying to remember it was fruitless; it wasn't like he hadn't tried before). He remembered the aches on his body and felt the phantom pain along his legs and torso. Teeth marks? The spirit must have had him in his jaws when he punched him … probably in the eye, knowing himself.
He put a hand over where he still felt blunt molars digging into his chest. "I'm not very good at thinking ahead, am I?"
"Hm?"
"Otherwise I would have found some way that didn't involve falling from midair and hitting my head on the ground."
Kousetsu threw back his head and guffawed. "Nushi-sama, I do not believe you had a choice, but whatever the circumstances, we are grateful you have come to us."
He paused, trying to think of how to word his question properly. It was rare for these spirits to be this forward with information, so he was willing to take what he could get when he could get it. "You mentioned humans, on the first day. That was why you said you needed me."
"You are correct." Kousetsu looked up towards the sky, contemplative. "Long ago, humans and spirits lived in harmony." Catching sight of his skeptical look, the spirit chuckled. "That is to say, they completely ignored each other. However, with modern times, the forests have diminished, and we no longer have the option of keeping to ourselves."
"What happened?" he prompted, when the elderly spirit seemed to have no intention of continuing.
"Oh, the usual mischief young ones are always up to," Kousetsu replied dismissively. "However, it attracted the attention of quite a few exorcists. Now, all you see are those that are left." The spirit acted like it was all in the past, water under the bridge, but to his eyes, it seemed like it was a fresh wound. He was practically bleeding regret and bitterness. "I managed to erect a barrier that would hide all spiritual aura from outside eyes, but it will not work against any who enter, and by then it was already too late."
He fell silent. There was no way he would be able to comprehend their pain; even if he had any memories, he was certain that nothing like this had happened to him. In a vague way, he supposed they were like a family, closely knit out of necessity and friendship, rather than any sort of kinship, and the loss of any would have been devastating, let alone the majority of the group. The only thing he could do was to listen and lend his strength.
His sadness must have shown on his face because the next moment, Kousetsu clapped his hands, causing him to jump. "Now then, enough idle chit-chat! I am here to give you a lesson, and so a lesson I will give!"
Staring at the sudden change in the spirit's attitude, he brought himself to attention.
"Today, you shall learn about charms and runes…"