"Hey, Natsume," Kitamoto says, cutting Nishimura off mid sentence. Nishimura thinks about feigning annoyance for a second, but his friend's tone is casual, far too deliberate, and it makes something like worry twist in his stomach.

"Yes?" Natsume tries to match Kitamoto's tone, but falls just short.

"Have the Fujiwara's always had a horse?"

"A what."

It's answer enough. Kitamoto's expression shifts from careful confusion to absolute bafflement. Nishimura strains up on his tip toes, trying to see over the neighbors' walls and hedges. He is jealous of the extra centimeters that apparently put his friend in the perfect position to see into the Fujiwara's yard from here. Natsume is doing the same, expression twisted with confusion and concern.

"Wow," Nishimura says as they draw closer. "It really is a horse."

"A what?" Natsume repeats, and this time his tone shows the barest hint of emotion. He sounds a little like he's choking on something. He takes a few steps closer, leans just a little further, and Nishimura can see the exact moment his gaze finds the strange intruder in his foster parents' front yard.

"Ah," he says.

"Yeah," Kitamoto replies.

"That sure is a horse," Nishimura chimes in helpfully. He's never seen Natsume look so done, so quickly. He smiles and claps his friend on the back, doubling him over just enough to ruffle his messy hair. "Let us know if it's friendly! Maybe we can learn how to ride."

Natsume covers his face, though that does nothing to muffle his groan. Nishimura laughs and trails behind them as Kitamoto gently leads their friend to his front door. They're careful to keep their distance from the massive horse, who is watching them with a worryingly intense gaze. Nishimura keeps his eyes on it until the moment they've locked the door safely behind them. Just in case. Right as the door shuts, he swears he sees the horse dip its head to him, strange horsey face looking approving…somehow.

He shakes it off, deciding it's probably better to just ignore that.

.

Natsume asks Misuzu to be a more common animal, like a dog, and Misuzu complies. Of course, that means there's suddenly a dog the literal size of a horse standing before him, so it isn't any better. In the end, Natsume begs him to just turn back into a horse before anyone notices the massive grey dog or panther sized tabby cat haunting the small yard. The spirit does so without a word of complaint. His eyes are bright, though, and if Natsume didn't know any better, he'd almost call it amusement. Or maybe mischief.

Nearby, Misuzu's frogs are singing cheerily. Natsume wonders if Touko-san will notice if he digs a hole in her garden and just...lays down in it for a while. Maybe if he sleeps long enough the problem will fix itself.

"Can you please leave?" He asks instead, not really hopeful that the answer will change from the last three times he's asked, and Misuzu tosses his giant horsey head as though offended by the question. Natsume sighs, knowing it's not worth the fight, and amends, "Can you at least not cause any trouble?"

"I would never cause trouble for you, Natsume-dono. I received word that Madara was shirking his responsibilities as your caretaker, so as such I will be accompanying you from this point forward."

"I'd prefer if you didn't."

Misuzu stomps a massive hoof but does not otherwise acknowledge Natsume's plea. Nyanko-sensei is nowhere to be found, unfortunately proving the point.

.

Touko and Shigeru are confused but not upset about the unexpected new addition to their yard. Touko worries to herself about what to feed it while Shigeru wonders aloud if there are any city ordinances against keeping such a large animal at a residential property. Natsume assures them that he'll take care of anything the horse needs until he can find its rightful owner.

Misuzu has made it very clear that he isn't going anywhere for the time being, so Natsume is glad that his guardians aren't forcing him to get rid of the strange visitor, because he's not sure he could make the spirit move no matter how much he tried. Misuzu is enormous in any of his forms, and Natsume isn't exactly known for his muscle mass. Considering that he's pretty sure punching Misuzu when he looks like this would just make the Fujiwaras and their neighbors upset, the only option left is to just deal with having the spirit camped out in the yard.

He breathes a sigh of relief when Misuzu tells him that he will not require food or shelter while he is there. Natsume still finds the largest bucket he can and fills it with water. The frogs croak happily when he places it in the yard, climbing up its metal sides before flopping contentedly inside. Misuzu watches, pleased by the small act of kindness.

.

Misuzu turns out to be a better body guard than Nyanko-sensei after all. For the first week that he is there, Natsume gets more full nights of undisturbed rest than he has since the day he found the Book of Friends. There's the tiniest sliver of lingering guilt when he thinks of the spirits that must have been frightened away when they came seeking their names to be returned, but he likes to think that none of them will be too inconvenienced by having to wait a little while.

It's nice to have a break, and he certainly won't complain about actually being able to stay awake during his classes, but there is the small issue of ahorsefollowing him to and from school. It's embarrassing, more than anything else. He hears all the whispers and giggles surrounding him whenever his classmates look out the windows and see Misuzu at the gates.

At least they seem more impressed than weirded out by it. He's always left a bit awed by the kindness of the people in this town; he's certainly found himself the school pariah for less than this. Maybe he'll never understand the people around him, but he's grateful for their kindness nonetheless.

.

"It seems to really like you," Kitamoto says, very deliberately not turning back to look at the massive beast clip clopping demurely at their heels.

"It would seem that way," Natsume replies, his voice heavy with the burden of seemingly being loved by the strangest of creatures. The horse makes a loud, breathy sound, and it sounds so much like a laugh that Nishimura has to stop himself from turning around to eye it suspiciously. Just to make sure it isn't actually two giant men in a horse costume or something. Natsumehasbeen known to attract the strangest kinds of people, so it's not outside the realm of possibility.

"Have you had any luck finding its owners?"

Natsume shakes his head. He looks resigned, if somewhat pained by that fact.

"He found his way into the Fujiwara's yard, so I'm sure when he's ready to go home, he will." The words are delivered through gritted teeth, and Natsume throws a very pointed look over his shoulder at the horse. When Nishimura dares a look behind him, too, he shudders at the sight of dark lips pulled back to showwaytoo many teeth.

It's hard not to flinch away when the horse meets his eyes directly. There is way too much intelligence behind the strange, pale grey irises as it stares unblinkingly back. Its eyes crinkle, the lips pulling wider to show teeth that seem just a little bit too sharp, and…. He's…pretty sure that's supposed to be the horse equivalent of a smile?

Natsume sure does find some weird pets.

.

The golden-orange glow of sunset bathes the yard in warmth and deep shadows. Misuzu keeps his vigil, ears swiveling despite the way his eyes are half lidded. His tail flicks every now and then, and it's almost funny how very normal it seems.

Natsume checks on him between homework questions, eyes straying from math equations and messy kanji to the oddly serene view outside. Misuzu is as unobtrusive as a horse can be, standing like a statue in the yard, never making a sound. Compared to Nyanko-sensei's near constant stream of complaints and nagging, it's almost unsettling how placid such a massive and powerful creature is.

With a sigh of relief, Natsume closes his textbook, happy to be finished. Night is approaching, and he still needs to replace the frogs' water before it gets dark. He smiles, glancing towards the window once more out of habit, and freezes. His stomach rolls, heart stuttering in his chest, as Touko approaches Misuzu.

He's been trying so hard not to impose, to make sure that this unusual intruder doesn't cause any trouble for his foster parents, that the sight of the two of them in such close proximity makes him feel sick. He doesn't think that Misuzu will hurt either of the Fujiwaras, but…there's always the worry lingering in the back of his mind. A faraway memory of a youkai offering to eat his latest foster family and steal him away; the promise of a life away from human cruelty as horrifying as it was enticing. Sometimes, it's hard to separate those strange and dangerous attempts at kindness with the gentler ones he experiences now.

He opens the window, mouth already open to call out, to distract and misdirect until the two halves of his life are separated into their neat little boxes. Before he can, though, he hears Touko's soft voice carried on the wind, so full of delight and that warmth he treasures so much, crooning to Misuzu. Any warnings he may have called catch in his throat, dissipating before they can ever reach his lips.

Natsume watches as Touko offers their visitor an apple, sees her smile when it is accepted after a brief hesitation. A careful hand raised, palm out, and he thinks about the way she offered her hand to him so many months ago, asking him to come home with her and Shigeru. Misuzu's eyes close as he dips his head, pressing a velvet nose into her waiting hand.

Natsume settles himself back down, smile soft as he closes his eyes and rests his head against the wall beneath the window, listening to Touko's soft murmurs and eventual coos of delight when she discovers the frogs that have made their home in Misuzu's water bucket. She's already making plans for a small pond for them, calling Shigeru out to join her to offer his own expertise on the coming landscaping project. A gentle breeze ruffles his hair, warm and somehow familiar. Somewhere, a bell chimes, and he knows that the Fujiwaras have unknowingly found themselves a new friend in a being they'll never be able to fully understand.

They're good at doing that.

.

When Nyanko-sensei returns from his trip into the mountains, he's red cheeked and far too tipsy to notice the unusual visitor. Natsume debates hitting him for being the root cause of all this trouble, but by the time he's sitting up in bed and ready to do so, Sensei's already settled down at the foot of his futon, fast asleep and purring loud enough that Natsume might almost swear he feels it echo in his own chest. He sighs, and his fists unclench, and he runs one gentle hand down Sensei's back, rubbing briefly at the spot that always makes him melt. Even in sleep, Sensei curls closer, huffing with delight.

Not a cat, his ass. Natsume smiles, weary but content, and settles back down for the night. There's sure to be a commotion in the morning once Sensei realizes they have a visitor that he can't easily bully into submission, but for now, things are peaceful. From the yard, he hears Mizuzu snort and the frogs start singing again, lulling him back into a gentle sleep.

.

(When the morning comes, the sound of a cat's angry yowls and a horse's strange laugh-like whinnies will fill the air. Natsume will bury his face in his pillow and wonder why he was cursed with such a strange life. He'll be smiling the whole time.)


Four years ago I made a joke comment on AislinCeivun's NatsuYuu fic. Today, I finished the fic I'd begun a draft for back then. It was most definitely not worth the wait. Sorry.