Longest chapter I've written in a long time. There's one or two more chapters left. It's been a good time, everyone!

Chapter 18

He threw his body forward, practically relishing in the loud thump and the impact the damn demon against his shoulder. The head flew far into the air, a cartwheel of hair. Madara leaped off the ground, intent on catching the bastard and making him pay.

For all that he was a head, he was agile. Claws flying, teeth gnashing, but in the end, it was only a replay of their previous encounter.

Frustrated, he released a blast of energy, but again the other demon dodged. "Will it kill you to stay still for one second?" he yelled.

He caught movement flitting in the corner of his eye. A paper doll.

Madara snorted. He scanned the ground below him and caught sight of the exorcist (with his very distinctive hat). The human was standing over a circle, making last-minute adjustments with all the fussing of a mother hen.

The head flew towards him again. This time, instead of aiming at the body (of the head), he twisted and grabbed at his flowing locks. With a cry of pain, the demon halted to an immediate stop the moment he felt the pull at his scalp.

Madara ignored him and sailed downwards. "I hope you're ready!"

Natori caught the dog spirit's eyes and nodded. Madara threw his cargo as hard as he could against the ground. Still moaning, the demon didn't even respond as blue-white light enveloped him.

Within a few seconds, he was gone with only his screams of fury echoing to nothing.

"Well, that's that," said Madara.

Natori, who was in the middle of a sigh of relief, snapped his head up to glare at the spirit. "Yes, and I suppose leaving me behind to deal with those two alone was all in a day's work too, was it?"

"Something like that."

"I'm just glad one of them flew off. Where's Natsume?"

The spirit opened his jaws to respond, but then froze. He had been so caught up in the action he hadn't been paying attention to his surroundings.

Counting Natori, there were two presences in the vicinity. Human presences, that is, and since Natsume didn't qualify for that category anymore, that left an extra person.

With that other demon being present, it only took one guess as to who that person was.

"Ahead! There! We have to hurry." With only those words, Madara shot forward, legs bringing him flying over the ground. Three shapes appeared beyond the sparse trees, and he arrived just in time to see the largest teeter and collapse to the earth. The words "Yuujinchou" reached his ears. He snarled. He hadn't expected the name of the accursed book to appear now, of all times, and from him, of all people. The asshole had probably squeezed it from some loose-lipped demon.

He skidded to a halt, placing himself between Matoba and Natsume.

"So the loyal dog arrives at last. Or should I say cat?" the exorcist said, finally taking his eyes (eye?) off his charge.

"I'd hate to be categorized as something so simple as that," retorted Madara. "Take another step closer, and that pretty head of yours will no longer be attached to your shoulders."

"Quite protective, aren't you? Tell me, are you waiting for his trust before you devour him whole, as you demons are wont to do?"

"With a sprig of parsley on the side," replied Madara. "What I do with the boy is none of your business. Leave."

Behind him, he felt footsteps and he knew it was Natori, dragging the shocked Natsume further back.

"And you think I'd listen to a beast? Trust me, I can take on one of you, even one as powerful as you," said Matoba, reaching into his pocket.

But what he was about to draw out, though, Madara never found out because at that moment a large whirlwind exploded next to the man. He shielded his face. When he lowered his arm again, there was not one demon in front of him, but three.

"About time you got here, stupid rocking horse."

"Madara, it seems you've attracted yourself quite a troublemaker here. Of all people, did you have to get him involved?"

Madara frowned. "It wasn't my fault. It's not like I called for him to show up."

"Yes, but knowing your luck, it was probably ultimately your fault."

Hinoe shoved herself in between them. "There, there, big babies. Stop quibbling like children. Look, he's already getting away."

Sure enough, Matoba was no longer standing in front of Madara. In fact, he was quite some distance away. "Coward," the dog spirit grumbled. "The moment he's outnumbered, he tucks his tail between his legs and runs."

"I shall make sure this stays that way," Misuzu said, lifting himself off the ground and jetting away in the exorcist's direction.

Watching her friend go, Hinoe hummed thoughtfully. "In this case, it may not be such a bad idea. You can't fault him for being brainless, at least."

Before she could fly away to join the chase, though, Madara stopped her. "Wait. I need you to see something."

"Oh? The great Madara needs my help?"

"It's about Natsume."

Hinoe's teasing smirk fell from her face. "What is it?"

"I think you'll have to see. You're the one good with spells." He turned and led the way. Back a ways, Natori was still holding the fox that was Natsume in his arms.

The exorcist looked up when they approached, Madara releasing a puff of pink smoke as he returned to his cat form. "Is he gone?"

"I wouldn't be back if he wasn't, fool. How is he?"

"Still holding the tanuki in a death grip. He won't answer me when I talk to him." He looked down with sad eyes.

"Hold him any tighter and you'll be the death of him," said the cat. "Natsume! Hey, Natsume! Snap out of it!" He lifted a paw to slap at the fox's face, but was interrupted by Hinoe behind him.

"Oh my, that is Natsume?"

He rotated his head around to see her. "Pickle, isn't it? Did you have any idea?"

"No, of course I didn't." The shock was evident on the woman's face. Madara wondered what was going through her mind, knowing that her favorite boy was actually a fox. "Natsume Reiko was human, so I just assumed…"

"Reiko … Natsume's grandmother?" asked the exorcist, slowly.

Hinoe narrowed her eyes suspiciously at the unfamiliar human, but Madara jumped in before she could throw a fit about being in such proximity of a male. "Hinoe, meet annoying stupid friend of Natsume. Natori, meet crazy obsessive stalker-lady of Natsume. OK, introductions over."

He felt slightly better (in this overall very rotten day) when both of them glared at him.

In a ladylike manner only she could have managed, Hinoe turned her nose up at him. "Hmph. Yes, Reiko was most definitely human. This, though…" She leaned forward, running a hand through Natsume's fur and up to one of his small ears. "This seems real," she said, playing a bit with its softness.

"Real. So it's not a spell?"

"No, Madara, I'm afraid not."

"You mean he was a fox this whole time? That's impossible! I've known him for—"

"And I've known him for longer, kid," cut in Madara. "There's always an explanation for these things." He wasn't as sure as he sounded, though. How could he not have noticed, if this had been his charge's true form all along? It was then he heard a soft groan.

"Natsume?"

"Natsume!"

Yellow eyes blinked blearily, and slit pupils dilated and contracted, adjusting to the light. "Natsume… That's me, isn't it?" he said, slowly.

"Do you remember anything?" prompted Natori.

"What happened?" groaned the boy. "Ugh, I feel like my head's been put through the wringer…" Suddenly, a gasp. "The exorcist! Igari! Where's Igari? What about Ren?"

"Hmph, worried about others before yourself, even without your memories? You never change."

Natsume turned and focused his attention on the cat sitting just a little ways away. "Where are they?" he insisted.

Madara sighed. "I don't know anyone with those names, but if you're talking about your friends, one's in your chokehold right there," Madara said as he gestured towards Natsume's chest.

The fox looked down. He registered his friend's presence, still warm and alive, and loosened his grip. "Ren, you're alive."

"Surprising you haven't strangled him to death."

"Cat! Now's not the time…"

"What about Igari?" interrupted Natsume.

"Igari?"

"The boar demon. The one who … who was stabbed just before…" He flinched. Whether it was from the pain of the memory or something else, Madara didn't know.

"Over there," he said, cocking his head in the other's direction. "There where the bastard left him."

"Igari!" With a cry, Natsume broke free from Natori's grip and stumbled to his feet. Haltingly, as though drunk, he slowly made his way to the fallen demon. Upon reaching the demon, he plopped himself down. The boar was still alive, it seemed, and he opened one eye slowly.

Madara was too far away to make out any words.

A ringing of bells chimed overhead, and once again Misuzu appeared before them.

"Happy hunting?" greeted the cat.

"Hmph, slippery as an eel, or a worm, that one. He escaped."

"You must be growing dull in your old age, Misuzu. A great demon like you can't catch a human?"

"I don't see you trying."

"All right, all right, pipe down, boys," Hinoe chimed in, dampening the sparks before they actually started a fire.

"Where is Natsume-dono?" asked the horse spirit. "I have yet to lay eyes on him and confirm his safety for myself."

"See? Blind."

"Quiet. I sense him in this vicinity, but I do not see him."

"Over there, Misuzu," waved Hinoe. "The fox, by the boar. That's Natsume."

Misuzu hummed thoughtfully. His pale eyes stayed on the small form exchanging quiet words with the boar demon.

"Speaking of which … Madara," said Hinoe.

"Mm?"

"You're much more like yourself with him back."

Madara frowned but made no comment. Had he really acted that differently from his usual self?

The question must have appeared on his face because Hinoe nodded. "You were a great old crab. I was honestly surprised the boy's foster parents hadn't sent their 'son' to a mental institution by the time you left, given how you were acting. They might've been less alarmed if you were more your overbearing self."

Misuzu finally emerged from his thoughts. "I see…"

"Well I did better than you would have!"

"Not that, fool. Hinoe, is the form natural?"

"As far as I can tell, yes. I don't sense any spells around him."

"Then the answer is easy. That is Natsume-dono's original self."

"That's impossible!" Natori insisted again. "I've felt him before. He has skin and hands, just like a human's. He has human parents. There's no conceivable way he's a fox."

One eye of Misuzu shifted down to stare at Natori's relatively small form. "And who may this be, Madara?"

"Friend of Natsume's," replied the spirit dismissively.

"Human, I find it amusing you do not consider the possibility that Natsume-dono has tricked you this whole time," said Misuzu. "After all, it is not unusual for a fox, especially one of Natsume-dono's power, to appear human and cloud even the strongest's senses."

Natori bit his lip and managed to look somewhat guilty. "The idea did occur to me, but he's not someone who could pull off such deceit. Judging from his reaction, it's almost as though…"

"…he didn't know," finished Madara. "When he didn't know about his true nature, he appeared human. The reason he's here as a fox would be because he's lost his memory, then."

"So … I'm really not human?"

All three spirits and one human froze and turned their heads towards the canine sitting between Madara and Misuzu, hidden behind their large figures. His head was turned downwards, and ears drooped forward in dejection.

It was Natori who first shook his head. "Natsume, I'm sorry."

The fox lifted his eyes and met the exorcist's dejectedly, but almost with a resigned air. He then turned and looked up at Madara. "Why do I look like this now? You said my memories were the key, but that doesn't make sense, not if I didn't know who I was in the first place."

Madara hummed a bit. "You didn't know you weren't human. Does that mean you still see yourself as one?"

"Until recently, with that person's words. Now I see fur and claws instead of hands and nails. The grounds a lot closer than I remember, too."

"Do you feel any differently?" asked Hinoe as she came up to Natsume. She set down her pipe as she kneeled down beside him.

Natsume shook his head. "It's weird. When I think 'run,' my legs automatically all move even though I just feel myself moving forward. I thought I'd get tripped up more. It all just … comes naturally."

"Your memory was lost, and along with it, your conviction that you were human," said Misuzu. "Natsume-dono, you conferred with the spirits and, with your mind as a relatively blank slate, you were no longer under the illusion cast upon you all your life."

"What illusion?"

"That you were human. In short, you thought you were human, and so that was what you saw. When that illusion was broken, you saw how you really are."

"I never sensed anything this whole time," lamented Madara. He shook his head. After all this time, all these revelations, this had to be the most shocking of all. Was he growing senile and blind in his old age of near-immortality?

"Because fox illusions are much more subtle than usual spells," said Hinoe, who was busy running her hand through Natsume's fur. The boy didn't seem to mind and was even starting to nudge back at the petting. "I doubt any one of us had a clue. Considering how illusion spells work, it's little wonder."

"'Belief is the key. All the spell needs is for you to believe who you are and what you are,'" murmured Natsume quietly.

"What was that?"

The boy looked up at Natori. "Something Ren told me. He taught me some tricks with illusions, and I played around with them, but I never for a second thought it was something I'd been doing my whole life. He just said I was a natural." Natsume buried his head in his paws. "How could I not have realized?"

"Well," started Madara, "you were born human, saw your parents were human, and just used logic. You believed yourself to be human, and then for all intents and purposes, you were."

"My parents? Were they…"

"Spirits? I never met them."

"Are they still alive…?"

Madara only shook his head.

Natsume visibly deflated.

The demon sighed. "For what it's worth, I believe the Fujiwaras are just as good as any."

"The Fujiwaras?"

Surprisingly, it was Natori who cut in. "They're distant relatives of your father. They adopted you when you came in hard times with your previous family."

The cat raised a suspicious eyebrow. "How, exactly, do you know this? More importantly, why?"

The human turned slightly red as he scratched his cheek. "It … was imperative I did research into someone I was planning to take as my apprentice."

"Stalker."

"Come again?"

Hinoe interrupted the two quarrelers. "That would mean Natsume's father is human. His mother is then Natsume Reiko's daughter…"

"…who would be the likely provider of Natsume's heritage," continued Misuzu. "I must say, I am not displeased at this turn of events. It comforts me some to leave my name in your care now."

"Name…?"

Madara coughed. "Enough of that. A little at a time. We should go home. Natsume needs rest." He shifted into his cat form and looked down when the fox didn't make a move. "What's wrong? Hop on. We'll go much faster this way. If you don't have opposable thumbs now, you can always compensate with your claws and teeth. I will allow it this once."

Natsume's ears were slightly laid back. The spirit supposed this would make identifying his emotions and intentions so much easier in the future. "Was what he said true?"

"…What who said?"

"The exorcist, that you'd eat me. You didn't deny it."

"I'm your body guard, Natsume. I'm here to make sure no one else lays their hands on you. We have a complicated relationship. Besides, you shouldn't give a damn about what that stupid worm tells you. He's the enemy."

"That's right, Natsume," said Natori, who came up to the fox and pulled him into his arms, shocking the boy. "I don't like the cat a whit, but even I have to agree. We're your allies, your friends. You can trust us."

There was a moment of silence, and then a whisper. "Yeah, I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust you guys too."

A soft nudge from the human to the fox. "Come on. Let's get on. I'll help you up."

Natsume shook his head. "No need." A small smile on fox lips, and then, the next moment Madara blinked. Instead of seeing a fox, there was a human again.

Natori's eyebrows were lost in his hairline. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Misuzu chuckled. "So, you've managed to master the skill already! I am not surprised."

The boy looked down in embarrassment. "It's kind of strange. It doesn't feel like anything's changed, but I see things differently."

"Remember that an illusion is just that. Yours is just stronger because of your spiritual powers."

"…So basically, if I tried to bite someone, it would really, really hurt."

"Because you are biting them with fangs rather than blunt human teeth, yes."

Natsume scaled up Madara's thick white fur, grabbing bunches with his hands. "So, when I'm climbing, I'm just … somehow doing it as a fox, but it looks like I'm doing it as a human?"

The horse demon nodded.

Madara waited until the two slight weights on his back settled (not that he really cared about the exorcist) and shook slightly. "Ready?"

"Let's go home, Madara."

The dog flinched at his usage of the name. He heard some whispering behind him, somewhere along his shoulder blades, but he couldn't hear the words. He did catch a snort and a chuckle.

"I'm sorry. Let's go home, N- … Did I really call you this? Nyanko-sensei?"

Upon hearing the familiar name, Madara felt a twinge race through him, like a spark before a warm hearth fire. He threw his head back in a raucous guffaw unbecoming of one of his stature, but he didn't care.

"Yes, let's," he said as he kicked off into the air, the other two following closely behind.

He couldn't care less about appearances to the other two spirits, or to that human on his back. His Natsume was finally coming home, and he couldn't have felt any better.