The letter remained unread for several days and as the days passed he went through three different families.
He didn't really understand. He been acting fine, he been doing what he thought was a great job ignoring the youkai he saw around town. Had he acted a little too much like he was ignoring something? Had they noticed him staring at what appeared to be empty space? Was he trying too hard? Too little? He wasn't sure what, but he knew he was doing something wrong.
"I'm home," he announced as he returned to the Nakamori house from school. He didn't know how they were related to him but they were somehow related none the less.
There was a very large stack of mail on the front stoop so he picked it up, took off his shoes and headed inside.
Putting the mail on the kitchen counter for the Nakamori's to sort through, a small movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.
It was hiding behind a small pillar by the refrigerator. it had long rabbity ears that framed its face like hair. It had a human face covered by a sheet of paper with markings on it and long brown hair like a woman. It or rather she, was dressed in a pretty red kimono with no adornments.
She had claws instead of hands.
He stared.
She tried to hide.
A loud clattering of socked feet ran across the threshold. The Nakamori's young autistic son stared at Takashi with huge brown eyes.
"Takashi-kun!" he yelled as he slid across the hardwood floors of the Nakamori's home. Some people would hear the word autistic and call that person an idiot. They weren't and Ryuuji-kun was a prime example.
"Takashi-kun, I drew a lot of pictures today! Wanna see?" Ryuuji bounced up to him, a collection of papers in his little hands.
Without looking for conformation he held up several slightly crumpled pieces of paper. The papers were covered in dancing figures in various kinds of dress. Modern fashion, victorian European fashion, yukatas and kimonos were all displayed on the pages. Takashi smiled and took the pictures to leaf through them. The paper was thick and kinda heavy, not like normal paper at all.
He shifted through the pages, the second was a traditional mountain scene with a white fox traversing the craggy cliffs of the mountain. The third, a cubic picture of what appeared to be an elephant. Takashi praised each and everyone of the pictures.
The fourth, however, was very strange. It was drawn on the back of an envelope. The envelope was made of the same thick paper. It had a picture of a grand european castle with a dragon flying over it breathing fire. It was breathtaking.
What really caught Takashi's attention though was the seal on the envelope. Crimson, made of wax, bearing a coat of arms.
He flipped the letter over.
Takashi Natsume,
Third largest bedroom, second floor, the house by the lake,
Osaka, Japan.
Emerald green ink.
His breath caught in his throat.
No return address, just like the last letter he received a week ago.
Takashi wondered how the letter got through the mail without a return address, the other letter didn't have one either he remembered.
He hid his shock from Ryuuji-kun though.
He used his practiced smile to hide it from the smaller boy.
"Wow, Ryuuji-kun, you're really good at drawing. Can I keep these?", he asked.
Ryuuji's eyes widened in excitement and his face burst into a big honest grin that made Takashi smile honestly as well.
"Of course you can!", the boy beamed.
"Where did you get this paper Ryuuji-kun?"
He looked around as if looking for his parents, who would be home put a finger to his lips and leaned in close to Takashi.
"Don't tell mommy or oto-san, but I swiped it from 'to-san's study. It was just so nice looking, and he had lots of 'em."
"Lots of what?"
"Thingys. The paper thingys. He has a lot, so I took some."
"Oh, okay," said Takashi. He held the papers and looked at them, flipping them over to see the kanji filled letters on the otherside.
"I'll be in my room," Ryuuji-kun starts suddenly. "I'm gonna draw more! I'll draw lots and lots!" And with that, Ryuuji-kun left the kitchen, leaving Takashi alone with his thoughts.