Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“That which shields me, reveal thy name!” 

It’s like an endless cycle, a repeated series of actions that have become so familiar to him that he barely bats an eye at it anymore. A Yokai shows up, claims he’s Reika, and then attempts to murder him while demanding for their name back. If this was his fate, for the rest of his life, he told himself that perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad. And perhaps it wouldn’t be. Because despite all of this, despite the pain, he’s learned and knows that not all Yokai are bad. Not all Yokai would like to see him torn apart and turned into a full course meal. 

The Book of Friends, a green bound flip book, was his Grandmother’s legacy. A collection of names bound inside, hundreds of them, that belonged to the Yokai that she defeated in ‘combat’. And those names were held for years as his Grandmother died young and none of them knew. Trapped forever at her servitude unable to move on. 

Natsume Takashi, her closest living relative in blood, looks, and ability found the book and since then he’s struggled with returning them. Most of the time it’s not a hard task. It takes a lot of his energy and afterwards he feels like he’s been hit by a truck but it’s far from difficult. To return the names to the Yokai he simply has to picture them in his head, hold the book open and say; that which shields me, reveal thy name. The book finds the name for him, he rips it out and puts it in his mouth. The spell requires Reiko’s breath and saliva or blood and as her next descendant Natsume’s own works. He focuses, breathes out and the name returns to the Yokai. 

Everytime he returns the name, images fly into his head. Memories of the Yokai or thoughts of his Grandmother, perhaps both, he’s not sure. He sees Reiko, the Yokai, how they met and what happened in the years they were alone without his Grandmother, looking for her. Lost and crying out. Each time it breaks his heart. 

With the name returned the Yokai vanishes, gone back to wherever they go, and Nastume’s strength finally gives out. He sinks to his knees on the ground, the book dropping in front of him and complete exhaustion consuming his body. He takes a few minutes to collect himself, breath coming out rapidly and hard. The pounding in his head is familiar and he wants nothing more than to crawl back home and sleep. The most he can handle in a day is three, the one time he tried to do four he ended up blacking out and even the hours after waking up were fuzzy. He doesn’t remember how he got home. 

This was the second name he had to return today, he couldn’t do another. 

Slowly Natsume picked himself up off of the floor, grabbing the Book of Friends and sliding it into the bag on his shoulder. Safely tucked away he lifted his gaze to the trees and pathway in front of him. “Nyanko-sensei! Where are you?” The entire reason he wandered away from his class was to find the cat and so far all he’s done is get himself into trouble. He should just leave the Yokai to fend for himself. “Nyanko-sensei!” 

He couldn’t spend forever looking for the other, he had to make it back to his class to take the bus back to town. He walks further down the path, hands cupped around his mouth and calling for his so-called ‘guardian’. Natsume loved Nyanko-sensei, but the Yokai definitely only managed to cause him trouble. Most of the time. 

A sigh left his lips and Natsume stopped walking, turning to look behind him in the direction he came from. If he wasted any more time he was going to miss the bus and Tanuma was already worried enough about him running off. As he moved to take a step back a scream from the hill beside him instantly drew his attention back to the wooded area. Before he can investigate it a figure breaks free from the bushes and trees and Natsume watches in growing horror as they realize there isn’t ground anymore but a cliff. Their foot hits the edge of the ground, slides in the mud and falls forward. 

He reacts on instinct, rushing forward and reaching his arms out. The other crashes into him, knocking them both painfully onto the ground with Natsume breaking their fall. They lay there for a few seconds, groaning on the ground and his headache growing even worse. Natsume squeezed his eyes shut and felt the other kid suddenly push himself up with a sharp gasp. They shoved their body to the side, rolling over and Natsume finally took the chance to open his eyes. 

He should have kept them shut. 

What hovers over them is terrifying, the empidemy of a nightmare creation. It’s body is entirely black, looking more like muck than actual flesh. It drips from its body a liquid that sizzles when it touches the ground and Natsume has no doubt would burn them like acid. The only part of it that seemed solid was it’s sharp fangs and pure white mask that covered the upper part of its face and seemed broken off where it would have covered its mouth. 

A mouth he watches open and breathes three words; “return my name.”

The kid beside him gasps in fear and Natsume suddenly becomes aware that he can see it. For the first time in years he’s met someone who can see them. Not like Tanuma, not like Taki. But like Natori and Matoba. Not the best people to compare it to. Like him? He can’t be sure, he’s even different from Natori and Matoba. 

No time to think about this. Very slowly Natsume reaches over and grabs the other kids wrist. The Yokai watches the movement and when he sees that they’re going to move he jumps to his feet and drags the other with him. Blindly he starts running down the path, body struggling to keep up and lungs burning. He’s got practice with this but he’s already exhausted from everything earlier and his body hurts. Gasping he calls over his shoulder. “Is there a shrine nearby!?” 

“What?” 

“Shrine! Is there a shrine?” 

“I--I think there’s one at the end of this path, up the stairs.” 

He better be right. If there isn’t any holy ground nearby they were going to be in trouble. He can feel them catching up, breathing down their necks. The whining sounds it makes are far from anything he’s ever heard before. Natsume’s seen a lot over the years, it takes a lot to truly terrify him but this-- where is Nyanko-sensei? “Run!” He tugs the others arm roughly and pulls him along as quickly as he can. 

The stairs finally come into view and Natsume pushes as much force as he can into his legs. He takes the steps two at a time up, trying not to slip and fall. He does lose his grip on the other but at that point they’re stumbling over the final step and he hears the creature hit the spiritual barrier and wail. 

He stumbles a few steps forward and collapses against the ground, he loathes his short stamina abilities, gripping the fabric of his pants and breathing heavily. His head bows forward and hits his legs, lungs and throat burning. He’s almost tempted to just curl up against the cold stone of the ground. 

“Are--are you-- alright?” The kid gasps his words out between breaths and Natsume just nods against his knees, stomach flipping in his chest and burning. He almost felt like he was just going to throw up. “I uh-- can you see that?” A heavy breath is drawn into his lungs and slowly Natsume picks his head up, turning to look to the side where the Yokai was still shoving itself against the barrier screaming. 

It was a horrible sound. One that was making his ears ring. The same type of one you would hear in your nightmares. His eyes drag over to the other kid and he finally gets a good look at him. Older than he thought, probably only a year younger than him, with black hair and very blue eyes. It was a stark contrast to his own silver hair and green eyes. 

Natsume inclines his head slightly and contemplates his answer. The lie hovers on his lips but he doubts it would be believed and given what just happened and their question they have to be able to see the Yokai too. He can count on one hand the amount of times he’s admitted this outloud. “I can.” 

The reaction he got was not what he expected. A bright smile lit up the others' faces and he leaps at Natsume, grabbing his hands in both of theirs. “Wow! I’ve never met someone apart from Abeno who can see them!” Whose Abeno? “Ah--I wasn’t supposed to say that oh no! He’s going to be so mad! ” The confusion only grew and the image Natsume had appearing in his head was of some elderly exorcist waving a cane angrily at this kid. “My name is Hanae Ashiya! It’s a pleasure to meet you!”

“Natsume.” Ashiya let’s him go and instead grasps his left hand, helping him up to his feet. Natsume stumbles a bit forward, legs protesting the movement but manages to steady himself enough. “Thanks.” He brushes his clothes off and looks to the side at the Yokai. It didn’t seem like it was going to give up any time soon and he knew first hand how persistent they could be. He really hoped Nyanko-sensei found him. 

His gaze turns back around to look at Ashiya. “Do you have a plan that might help us not be trapped here?” 

“Well, see,” oh no. “I’m not actually even supposed to be here Abeno told me to wait behind. But he needed help and--” Natsume held his hands up placatingly and Ashiya took a deep breath that rushed out all at once. Did he always work himself up so quickly? “Why did it stop chasing us?” 

He was starting to wonder what he got himself into. “Shrines and temples are spiritual grounds, the paper wards around the place keep certain Yokai out. It doesn’t work on all of them, and the stronger ones just tend to be weakened behind the barriers rather than kept out at all.” He turns his head to one of the red pillars that were plastered in paper wards and decorations. There was a wind chime hanging off of the rope that dinged. “We’re safe here, but we’re also trapped. See the problem?” He turned back to Ashiya who nodded his head solemnly. 

“Let me try getting a hold of Abeno.” He honestly had no idea what that meant and only got more confused when Ashiya turned and ran off into the shrine’s property. This might be the first time that he’s questioned the sanity of someone who could see Yokai. No, no, he did that often with Natori. He turns back to the Yokai and considers his options. There might very well only be one without Nyanko-sensei around. 

He reaches down into his bag and grabs the book of friends, pulling it out and taking a deep breath. Three in one day, he was pushing it. And yet, despite knowing this, he steps down from the stairs until he’s beyond the barrier and staring up at the Yokai. 

“My name, Reiko.” It’s broken up, hardly understandable, and he wonders if it takes the Yokai as much energy to talk as it takes him to return the name. As they reach a dripping, goop of an arm toward him he takes a step back and quickly to the side, flipping the book of friends open. It’s not hard to picture this Yokai. 

“That which shields me, reveal thy name!” The pages spin and he stumbles back again, nearly losing his footing when he missteps on the stone stairs. The book stops and a single one stands up. Without hesitating he rips the page out and folds it in half, clenching it between his teeth as the book of friends is tucked underneath his arm. Tilting his head upward he sucks in a breath and then lets it out as he claps his hands together. 

“Heh, you’re a pretty ugly Yokai aren’t ya?” A bat stabs at the Yokai’s head, making an echoing sounds each time it bumps against the white stone mask. “Hmm no one is gonna wanna be your friend with a face like that.” Arms spread wide Reiko twists the bat around and drops it on her shoulder, a grin wide and twisted as she considers the silent Yokai. “Ugly got your tongue?” 

“See… me…?” 

“And you can’t talk!” She laughs and it’s a cruel sound. Skipping a few steps forward the girl bends over and looks up at the Yokai. “Hey, if I beat ya in a duel I’ll be your friend. If you win, I’ll be your slave and bring you offerings! Hah hah! Take that!” The bat swings over and whacks the Yokai in the mask, fracturing the bottom part of it and breaking off the half that covered it’s mouth. 

And yet, she still laughs and cheers that she won. “Now, write your name in my book, alright! And I’ll be your friend!” 

“...mean.” 

Natsume’s eyes fluttered open and he found himself on the ground, sprawled across the steps and with the Yokai hovering over him. He stares upward and as always feels his heart break for the Yokai. He tended to justify Reiko’s actions by understanding how she felt, a human that was tormented by the things she saw the people around her. Accepted by neither of the two. But each time things turn out like this, he finds himself torn between understanding her and knowing how curel her actions were. 

He can’t find something to say in time, his body aching and head pounding against his skull hard enough for him to fear moving. The Yokai watches him and then like the others… leaves. It heads back into the forest, floating around and still groaning. He lays there for a few more minutes and then finally pushes himself up, standing shakily to his feet. 

“Natsume, you’re as unbelievably reckless as always.” Finally, always late but finally, Nyanko-sensei lands on the ground in front of him. Gone was the lucky cat form and instead the large dog demon rests in front of him watching him with those narrowed eyes. He takes a stumbling step forward and finds his body caught by the leg of his friend. “You should have just waited. Now you’re next to useless.” 

“I was waiting and looking for you.” It’s a weak defense, he should have just sat down and camped, but nothing bad happened. “I missed the bus didn’t I?” 

“I’ll take you home this time.” Any time. Nyanko-sensei complained but he was someone that Natsume could always rely on. If he waited long enough anyway. A smile pulls on to his lips and Natsume pushes away from the other, looking toward the shrine. Ashiya never came back. He doesn’t think he abandoned Natsume but then again, you never really knew a stranger did you? He should have been more careful about voicing the things he could see or not. At least he didn’t see Natsume use the book of friends. 

He climbed up onto Nyanko-sensei’s back and the Yokai took him home. 

Chapter Text

“Takashi, are you alright?” He smiles and it’s not the same, practiced smile, he used when people asked that question. It’s the same one that he always had when Touko was unbelievably kind to him and spoke to him in that same soft worried voice that she had. He leans forward a bit toward her as she fumbles with his hair, that worried expression being one that he wished he could stop causing her. “You’ve been acting upset since you came home late after that school field trip exhausted and dirty. Are you sure you didn’t get hurt when you fell?” 

“I’m sorry to worry you Touko, I’m alright though. Really.” She didn’t seem to believe him but like always she let it go and smiled that sweet kind smile. She pat his cheek gently and stepped away, picking up the laundry basket and heading for the door.

“Would you mind running an errand for me today, Takashi?” 

The flower store that his guardian sent him to was in the same town that he had traveled to for his field trip with his class. The address she had given him was in the general area but not quite the same place. He took the train a bit further than the bus had carried them and then headed down a small quaint street that seemed close to both the local high school and a shrine that he definitely mentally took note of. Just in case. 

The directions Touko gave him was good enough to get him in the general area and then he simply looked for the address on the paper he had. It didn’t take him long to find the place, not with the amount of flowers that decorated the outdoor area and the store itself. He slipped the paper into his pocket and grabbed the little money envelope. Careful of the flowers he stepped inside the small store and searched around for the owner. Eventually he spotted a woman with a flower pot, short black hair and blue kind eyes. She smiled when she spotted him and sat the flowers she was carrying down. 

Wiping her hands on her apron she calmly approached him. “Ah, good evening, can I help you?” 

“Good evening.” A smile played on his lips and Natsume offered her the envelope as he explained. “Touko Fujiwara asked me to pick up some flowers she had ordered.” She took the envelope and opened it up, pulling the money out and looking at the small note Touko had put in there to remind the woman of what she ordered. Apparently Touko was taking them to the grave of a friend of hers so she had wanted chrysanthemums of different colors. 

She nodded and wandered away, telling him to give her a moment. Natsume took the chance to look around, glancing at all the different flowers and decorations that she had displayed. As he wandered toward the entrance of the store someone ducked inside of it and brushed against his shoulder. It wasn’t them that instantly drew his attention though it was the little ball of white fuzz that rolled into his calf. 

“Hanae! You have to be more careful!” The woman, he hadn’t gotten her name, scolded the kid. The ball of fuzz hadn’t been noticed and he could already tell why as he watched them. It was a Yokai, the spirit of a dog, who stared up at him with these wide adorable eyes. It noticed he noticed it and smiled the happiest smile he’s ever seen in his entire life while blushing. “I’m sorry for my son, here are the flowers Touko wanted.” His attention moved from the ball back to the flower shop owner and he took the bouquet with a smile. 

“It’s quite alright.” He lifted his gaze from her to her apparent son and blinked as he recognized the boy from the shrine. “Ashiya, right?” They smiled incredibly wide and his mother looked between the two of them confused. Apparently Ashiya hadn’t mentioned him to her but then again, considering what happened, he couldn’t be surprised. He did up and vanish. 

“Natsume! I was worried when I couldn’t find you. What happened?” Nasume glances briefly to the boy's mother. Considering she didn’t see the ball of fuzz he assumes that she doesn’t know about Yokai and he wasn’t going to say anything in front of her. Apparently Ashiya notices. “Ah, why don’t you come inside for some tea, you live pretty far right?” 

They end up in his room, the flowers stuck in a pot with water and a tray of tea with snacks. He’s not sure why he agreed to come in, Nyanko-sensei seemed irritated he did, but Natsume had to admit that he was curious about others who could see the things that he did. Although considering Matoba and Natori that doesn’t tend to end well for him. The fuzz ball had made himself comfortable in his lap which had been vacated by Nyanko-sensei, the fat cat eating the cookies and rolling around next to him. 

“His name is Moja.” Natsume makes a hum of understanding and runs his fingers through the Yokai’s furr. He certainly was soft, and Natsume found him endearing. It was hard to see Yokai like him and then remember the Yokai that actively attempted to rip his skin from his body. But, it does remind him, that not all Yokai are bad. 

“The glutton of a cat is Nyanko-sensei.” Who hisses at him for the descriptor but has his mouth far too full to yell at him. 

“He’s a Yokai too?” Natsume nodded in response, still distracted by Moja but paying attention. “Why does he look like the Lucky Cat?” 

“Nyanko-sensei was sealed away for several decades in a Lucky Cat statue, I accidentally broke the bindings that kept him there.” Which he’s heard wasn’t actually an unimpressive thing. Natori and Matoba both kept seeming to believe he was strong compared to a lot of exorcists. Perhaps even stronger than Matoba himself and his name was known throughout the exorcist community. He’s never quite sure what to make of that information. 

Ashiya shifts and Natsume recognizes it as a nervous gesture, his head picking up to look at the other. After staring at each other Ashiya finally takes a breath and asks his question. “Do you do stuff like that?” He waits, to see if the other elaborates, and then he does. “Exercising Yokai, hurting them?” 

“Oh, no, we don’t.” We, because Nyanko-sensei was as much a part of everything he does as Natsume is. Even if he’s supposedly just waiting for Natsume to die so he can claim the Book of Friends. “That Yokai yesterday was looking for something.” He turns his head back down to Moja and runs his fingers over the gentle Yokai’s head. “I helped him find it and he left us alone. I would have waited for you but I had to catch the bus.” It’s not a complete lie but enough of one. He can’t tell Ashiya about the Book of Friends though, it’s not safe. 

“That’s like Abeno.” Ashiya folds his arms over his chest and nods his head, like he just connected dots together . 

“You mentioned him before, and you went looking for him yesterday, who is Abeno?” 

“Oh! Sorry, haha—” he watches Ashiya rub the back of his head awkwardly and avert his gaze. “Have you, um, heard of the Mononokean?” Natsume blinks confused but Nyanko-sensei suddenly flips over and leaps into his lap, knocking Moja off of him. The Yokai narrows his gaze at Ashiya, posed protectively over Natsume. Instinctively he rests his hand over the top of Nyanko-sensei’s head. 

“What would you know of the Mononokean, boy?” 

It might just be his imagination, Natsume doesn’t know Ashiya well enough, but the other looks incredibly uncomfortable. As if he just said something that he might not suppose to have. But he watches Sensei, gets this conflicted look , perhaps by two different things he’s been told. Before Ashiya’s head explodes, Natsume turns his gaze down to Nyanko-Sensei. “What’s a Mononokean, Sensei?” 

Whatever he was expecting it was not  the answer he got. “It’s a Yokai.” He’s still watching Ashiya but at the very least he starts to explain more. “The Mononokean is a very rare and very unique Yokai in that it can go wherever it wishes and takes the form of a room.” 

“A room?” 

Nyanko-sensei nods and turns now to look up at Natsume. “A tea room. And it expresses itself, talks I suppose, with the use of a scroll. From what I remember it had a rather—bubbly personality. It had a very strong fondness for it’s master.” He turns his head to look over at Ashiya who was paying attention quite closely but overall seemed to already know this information. If Natsume had to guess he would assume that Ashiya was trying to gauge what Nyanko-sensei knew about the Mononokean. 

“Have you been inside the Mononokean?” He blinks and twists his lips down, watching the way Sensei seems to hesitate in answering him. Not a good sign. 

“I knew the Mononokean’s Master.” The answer is vague, but then most things regarding what Nyanko-sensei said were. He never seems to give away much of his past, even things regarding Reiko. Before Natsume can press, the Yokai speaks again. “And so did Reiko.” He turns a bit again and looks up at Natsume, seeming to completely ignore Ashiya’s presence entirely. “When Rieko started to get more out of hand one of the Yokai she dueled went and sought out the Master of the Mononokean for help. The Mononokean’s entire purpose is to serve Yokai, for a price of course.” 

It would make sense then with the way that his Grandmother acted that Yokai would get upset enough to search out someone to help. Yet still, that didn’t give him much information and he needed more. Clearly, the Mononokean never did anything if the fact the Book of Friends existed was proof enough. 

“Whose Reiko, if I can ask.” Ashiya’s voice is soft yet curious, a vast difference from that over excited air he usually had. Natsume hesitates at the question, watching Nyanko-sensei for any reaction to Ashiya’s question. He doesn’t give one though and after a brief moment of waiting he picks his head up to look at the other. 

“My Grandmother.” He replies, licking his dry lips and sucking in a breath. “She could do this too.” He motions to Sensei and the fuzz ball that had fallen asleep in Ashiya’s own lap. “She could see Yokai but that didn’t make her a kind person. What happened between Reiko and the Mononokean, Sensei?” 

“Nothing. The Mononokean has no control over humans so apart from the Master looking into it I don’t think anything came from it. Not that Reiko would have cared anyway.” That was a fair response and one that Natsume assumed. As he goes to ask another question Nyanko-sensei turns to Ashiya. “You never answered me, what do you know of the Mononokean?” 

Ashiya pinches his shoulders together and a sigh falls from his lips. It really seems like he doesn’t want to answer yet he speaks anyway. “I know the Master.” It’s vague and he can see how Nyanko-sensei picks up on that. 

“Aoi’s dead.” Slowly so as not to startle the Yokai, Natsume places his hand on their back and gently starts running his fingers down. Ashiya clearly hadn’t expected either the answer or Sensei’s reaction considering the way he tensed up but remarkably he still held the Yokai’s gaze. “Which means someone replaced her.” 

Something Natsume realized though his time spent with Sensei was that he didn’t get along with many Yokai. There were the exceptions of course, like Misuzu and Hinoe, two Yokai that gave Natsume permission to call upon them with the Book of Friends. But, he never heard Sensei talk about another Yokai like he cared about them. 

He might have just found the exception. 

“I’m sorry Ashiya, I think we might have overstayed our welcome.” Natsume gathered Nyanko-sensei up in his arms and stood from the floor, balancing the Yokai carefully. He needed to get those flowers back to Touko anyway before they started to wilt. As he made his way toward the door he felt his wrist gently grabbed and tugged on. Turning back he found the other passing him a piece of paper with a gentle smile. 

“If it’s alright I’d like to be friends , Natsume. This is the number for our house phone, call me whenever you want, I mean that!” The smile is so bright, so kind, that he finds himself smiling and actually nodding his head. He tucks the paper into his pocket and collects the flowers from the vase. Natsume could count on one hand the amount of people that knew what he could do and considered them a friend, and now he just added one more person to it. It actually made him feel quite—happy and warm. He liked the feeling.

Touko was quite happy with the flowers and even more that he had made friends with the son of one of her friends. Apparently Ashiya’s mother and her were quite close and she’d called Touko when he had agreed to tea to tell her he’d be late. She encouraged him to give Ashiya a call and talk with him more. When he wasn’t busy with school anyway. He had been right about Ashiya’s age, while Natsume himself was Eighteen and in his last year of school Ashiya was a grade below him. 

Nyanko-sensei didn’t seem to care much for his new friend. After getting back he’d left for a long time and Natsume had a feeling he was looking into the Mononokean and whoever replaced whoever this Aoi was. He wondered what they were to Nyanko-sensei but more so he wanted to know why it was bothering Nyanko-sensei enough to go searching for whoever replaced the Master of the Mononokean. 

He waited up for Nyanko-sensei for as long as he could, sitting on his bedroll and looking out the window. Finally, when he couldn’t stay up any longer waiting for Sensei, he decided to leave out some food and Sake the Yokai’s favorite drink and curled up to go to sleep.

Chapter Text

Since getting the phone number that Ashiya gave him the two of them had met up on several occasions to hang out, most of the time without Nyanko-sensei. They had tried to keep the conversations away from Yokai and simply get to know each other and surprisingly it was easier than Natsume thought it would be. He liked talking to Ashiya, getting to know him, hearing his plans for the future and about Ashiya’s family. It felt nice that the two of them could hang out, like friends, and Natsume could do it without pretending to be someone else. 

If they saw a Yokai they both saw it and they could both talk about it. They even stopped and helped a few who just needed simple things like a lift up or some food. It was just-- it felt normal, as far  from normal as anything regarding that was, and Natsume had fun. For the first time in what felt like his entire life he had fun when being with someone else around Yokai. 

He still had never met this infamous Abeno or the Mononokean, but Natsume didn’t push it. He assumed when Ashiya became comfortable with him he’d be able to finally talk about it, open up and tell him  about those two things. No matter how curious he was and no matter how much learning about it might help Nyanko-sensei. Although for the most part the Yokai had seemed to improve in his mood he was still distracted lately or just quiet. 

Sensei was never quiet. 

He wanted to help but there simply wasn’t much he could do. The Mononokean served Yokai and to find it apparently seemed quite difficult. He hadn’t looked much into it, mostly because he wasn’t over interested, but what he did get from Ashiya and Sensei proved that much. But he still didn’t understand, it was quite a complicated situation to understand. It was a Yokai with a Master that served other Yokai, he’s never heard anything like that before. 

He had been waiting for Sensei again, the Yokai having gone out to visit some others he knew that were having a party. He was about halfway through his homework for the day and was trying to knock off an essay, Nyanko-sensei’s food resting on the corner of the desk with a bottle of milk. 

Tap.
Tap. 
Tap. 

The sound of fingernails against his window draws his attention slowly from the paper to behind him. He holds himself still and listens, watching the darkness outside for any sort of movement. After a few minutes, the sound comes again. 

Tap. 
Tap. 
Tap.

Natsume pushes his chair back and stands, stepping over to the window and pushing it open without hesitating. He’s become used to Yokai dropping by VIA the window asking for their names returned. However, when he leans out and searches, he finds Hinoe standing at the bottom waving her fan at her face. He waves at her and then pulls himself back in, closing the window behind him and grabbing a sweater. 

He meets her down by the forest's edge, pulling the edges of his sweater closer to fight off the freezing night air. Hinoe was undoubtedly a beautiful woman with long, dark-blue hair that she always had tied with golden ornaments and a silver hairpin. It definitely drew attention to her ghostly pale skin but somehow still managed to make work. 

She wore the same clothes, always, like most Yokai he noticed. However, her’s seemed very human considering it was just a traditional kimono with vivid colors and flowers. Always purple, even her lipstick, eyeshadow, and long painted fingernails. 

It made her red eyes all the more unnatural, however. 

Hinoe was very important to his Grandmother. To the point that he couldn’t even define their relationship. Honestly, Natsume was sure that they both had romantic feelings for each other yet for some reason, and he was willing to bet it was because she was a Yokai, they kept it from each other. Hinoe wasn’t shy about her feelings for Reiko, and from what he understood Reiko was only ever kind to Hinoe. There was something there. And those feelings, he’s betting, were why Hinoe was kind to him. Willing to be called by him. Didn’t want her name back. 

It did make him wonder if a relationship between a Yokai and a human would ever be possible. He knows they can love each other, he’s seen it. But being able to do that didn’t mean it was possible in the end. Just that the emotions were. 

“Hinoe, are you alright?” He shivers and tugs his sweater tighter around himself. How was she fanning herself? 

“Good evening Natsume, I see that damned cat isn’t with you.” It’s not worth pointing out that Nyanko-sensei isn’t actually a cat, she knows and doesn’t care. She lifts her pipe up to her lips but doesn’t actually use it, instead watching him through her eye lashes. Finally, she says; “Misuzu is sick.” and he feels his stomach drop. 

Hinoe led him through the woods at a quick pace but slow enough that Natsume didn’t need to stop and breathe due to his short stamina. They reached the open grove area that he tends to be familiar with, a place that Hinoe and Misuzu can often be found hanging out in. 

It wasn’t hard to spot Misuzu considering his size. “Misuzu!” The large dark skinned bull Yokai didn’t even move at his call, not even so much as a twitch. He was been sprawled across the ground, his light lavender kimono ripped in a few parts and been stitched up no doubt by his followers. His eyes were closed and if it wasn’t for the subtle rise of his chest Natsume might even had assumed he was dead. 

“What happened?” He stops beside the Yokai, stepping over his bull hoof toward his head. “When I last saw him he was fine.” And that was only a few days ago, when he usually did the natural check-ins on the Yokai that lived near the Fujiwara’s house. Not to mention Misuzu was a Yokai he’s relied on for help so checking on him was just natural. 

He turned to Hinoe who pulled her pipe out of her mouth and blew out the smoke. “Don’t know. His followers came to get me. Apparently, he got into a fight with another Yokai and--this.” She motioned toward him with her pipe, his limp form that was clearly losing its color. “He hasn’t moved, hasn’t responded, hasn’t woken up. It’s quite possible he’s been poisoned but if he was…” She trails off and Natsume swallows. “No human method will cure a Yokai.” 

“Human?” He takes a step toward Misuzu and reaches his hand out, placing it on the bulls forehead. It’s hard to say if a Yokai has a fever but if he was willing to guess given the way Misuzu was sweating, he did. “Do I need to find a Yokai Doctor?” Hinoe chuckles at him, hiding her smile briefly with her hand before dropping it. He’s not sure what’s funny about what he said. 

“You won’t find one in the mundane realm, human.” Of course, because why would anything be easy. He turns to look at Hinoe fully, briefly digging his teeth into his bottom lip before heaving a sigh. 

“Hinoe, please, how can I help Misuzu?” 

This time he gets a sigh, her smile gone and back leaning against a tree. She’s not looking at him but rather Misuzu and he can see the way that her expression softens. No matter how cruel and twisted Hinoe may seem he knows that she is a kind person that cares. A person that likes Misuzu and wouldn’t have come to get him if she wasn’t worried. The kind of person he can see his grandmother having grown quite attached to, because of that kindness and that edge. The type of person she would have no doubt loved. 

“When Yokai tire of the Mundane world, we can return to where we came from, the Underworld. Our home. I lived there at one point and it’s quite hard to get out once you’re in. But, it’s not good for us to stay up here for terribly long periods of time. You saw it with Tsuyukami, how small he got. It can get worse then that.” He can only imagine what she’s referring to and doesn’t press for how bad it could get. 

“Regardless, the collective of us live in the Underworld. And in the Underworld is a friend of mine, Kora.” He’s not sure about this with the way she says friend. He’s never actually even heard Hinoe call someone a friend before. “Kora is the Master of the Kiyakudo, an Underworld medicine shop. Whatever is wrong with Misuzu she’d definitely be able to cure.” 

Natsume runs his hand down Misuzu’s snout, above his nose and along the bridge between his eyes. He watches the bull Yokai for a few minutes before turning his gaze back to Hinoe. He wasn’t going to like this, he could already feel it. “How do you get into the Underworld, Hinoe? I’m human.” 

“Have you heard of the Mononokean, Natsume?” 

He found Nyanko-sensei on the way home who had already been made aware of Misuzu’s situation and had apparently been looking for information before telling Natsume. In his words there was no point in dragging Natsume in if what was wrong with Misuzu couldn’t be cured. Apparently from what he had found out, Misuzu had indeed been poisoned, by a Yokai who was fighting him for territory over the forest. 

And, apparently, Sensei hadn’t considered a trip to the Underworld to cure him. In fact he had considered simply letting Misuzu die because it all sounded rather grim and incurable. None of that had made Natsume happy at all. 

With Nyanko-sensei balanced on his shoulder he snuck back into the house and made his way toward the phone. It was still early, just a little after seven, but the Fujiwara’s had already gone to bed and he didn’t want to bother them with his problems. Picking the phone up he dialed Ashiya’s number from memory and placed the receiver against his ear. It rang, and rang, and he didn’t get an answer. 

Sighing softly Natsume dropped the phone back down and reached a hand up to scratch the side of Sensei’s head. “It’s a weekend tomorrow I can drop by his place and see if he’s home. Hinoe said that the Master of the Mononokean can travel freely between the Mundane and the Underworld.” 

“Did you miss the part where I said for a price they serve Yokai, Natsume?” 

No, no he didn’t, but what was he supposed to do? If this Kora could cure Misuzu then he needed to risk it, he needed to do something. Misuzu had helped to him when he needed it and he was there for Natsume when he called. The list of people he felt he could knowingly go to for help wasn’t that long and Misuzu was on that list. He didn’t want to lose anyone important to him, Yokai or otherwise. 

“I can’t just sit by and let Misuzu suffer, Nyanko-sensei. If I can help him I’m going to. Even if it’s just seeking out help and paying someone.” He didn’t have much money but he did get an allowance from the Fujiwara’s. He saved every coin of course, for when Yokai tended to break things he needed to replace, but he would use that money to pay the Mononokean if he had to. 

“And what if they don’t want to listen to you? The Mononokean serves Yokai, if you haven’t noticed you’re a human. They might even just want to send Misuzu to the Underworld rather than healing him. That is the Mononokean’s job.” 

Natsume pauses in rubbing the Yokai’s ear and turns his body to look at the other. “Nyanko-sensei, what do you have against the Mononokean?” 

He watches him, for any sort of a reaction and instead of getting one Nyanko-sensei jumps down from his shoulder and starts heading toward the stairs. Natsume watches him a moment before slowly following after him, taking the stairs two at a time until they reach his bedroom. He scooped Nyanko-sensei up into his arms before the Yokai got too far away and then slipped inside the bedroom. He walks over to his bed and sits down on top of it, sitting Naynko-sensei next to him. Reaching up to his desk he gathered the plate of food and drinks he’d left out for the other and sat it down in front of him. 

Natsume keeps his voice quiet as he speaks, watching Nyanko-sensei eat the onigiri that Touko and him had made. He doesn’t want to push too hard but he does want answers. “You knew the Master of the Mononokean, Aoi, right? I remember that. You said Aoi died but that was it. Are you just upset that someone replaced Aoi as the master?” 

“No one knows how Aoi died, most Yokai speculate that she got sick.” It didn’t sound like Nyanko-sensei believed those rules. “Whoever replaced Aoi won’t be as good as she was. Aoi had an understanding and commitment to Yokai that was above anyone else, but Aoi also adored humans. She was one of the few that could be seen by humans, even without spiritual powers, if she chose to be.” Natsume’s eyes widened at that and he remained silent. “Aoi could shapeshift into human forms, their true form was that of a cat.” 

As the Yokai shoves another onigiri into his mouth Natsume turns his gaze away, looking toward the bag that carried the Book of Friends inside of it. A Yokai that could take the form of humans and be seen by humans, the power that had to be was incredible to think about. He licks his dry lips and moves to lay down on his bed, turning to face Sensei. “How does someone become the Master of the Mononokean?”

Sensei pauses in his chewing and seems to consider the question before giving a very short reply. “They’re hired.”

Chapter Text

Natsume got up early to catch the train and head to the Flower Shop that Ashiya’s mother owned. Nyanko-sensei was tucked inside his bag with the Book of Friends, head poking out of the top and eating whatever food Natsume had brought along with him. He shifted the bag a bit as he continued down the street, the cool air brushing against his skin and slipping beneath his scarf. The sun was still rising and he wondered if he might be too early but he worried about not being able to catch Ashiya. 

They finally reach the flower shop and Natsume stops outside the door, looking to the closed sign and off lights. He took a breath and stepped forward, raising a hand up and knocking against the door. The sound echoes and he takes a step back, resisting the urge to fidget with the strap of his bag and rocking on his feet. 

There is silence for a while and then the sound of footsteps are heard just beyond the door. A moment later it’s pushed open and Natsume looks up into Ashiya’s gentle blue eyes. A confused look crosses the others face before a bright smile lights it up and the other boy steps outside to join him. “Good morning, Natsume!” 

Kind, warm, he found that the other was so very welcoming any time that he spoke to him. Apparently no matter how early in the morning he might be. “Good morning, I’m sorry to intrude right now. I know it’s early but--”

“No it’s fine! Do you want to come in?” 

He gives a small nod of his head and steps inside the store with the other, the door clicking shut behind him. They step into the house and Ashiya informs his mother that Natsume was there and they’d be heading up to his room. She shouts that she’ll bring some tea to the room in a bit. It’s such a welcoming atmosphere, much like Ashiya’s personality himself. He still feels unused to it outside of the people he keeps close to, the people he doesn’t tell about Yokai.

Once inside the others bedroom he helps Nyanko-sensei outside of the bag and takes a seat on one of the cushions, tucking his bag and the Book of Friends close against his side. “So what’s up?” Ashiya throws himself onto the cushion across from him and Moja pats over to sit down on the others lap as Ashiya pats his head. 

“You mentioned that you knew the Master of the Mononokean, right?” Ashiya nods his head, taking on a more serious expression as he watches Natsume. There’s a pause here and Natsume lets out a breath before speaking. “I need to talk to them.” 

"Can I ask why?" Ashiya replied after a moment of silence, leaning forward into Natsume's personal space as if he was waiting to be whispered a secret. Which, normally, Natsume supposed it would be. But Ashiya already knew everything... Well, as his hand tightened on the bag that held the Book of Friends, he supposed not everything. 

"Would it be alright if we found out if I can even speak to them first? Rather than repeating myself twice?" The words weren't said without kindness and Natsume offered Ashiya the same gentle smile he gave everyone else. 

Ashiya nodded and stood from the mat, brushing himself off and quietly excusing himself. Apparently, getting a hold of the Mononokean was a lot harder than it needed to be. Ashiya had left the room more than once to make phone calls in between just sitting around and waiting. Hours of waiting they filled with mindless chitchat. He gathered, from watching Ashiya, he was waiting for some sort of secret sign--of what that was Natsume didn’t know but it certainly took a while. The oddest thing was that Ashiya occasionally got up and opened a few doors, much to Natsume’s confusion. Finally, when he couldn't take the sitting around anymore, he picked up Nyanko-sensei and pulled his bag on to his shoulder. 

“Ashiya I appreciate the effort but I should probably head home. I don’t want to inconvenience you more than I already have.” The others mouth opened and closed a few times, startled, and Natsume made his way toward the door. They leaned forward after him, reaching his hand out and trying to catch Natsume’s wrist. He missed and Natsume reached the door, grabbing the handle of the door and sliding it open. 

He didn’t find the hallway on the other side. 

Natsume blinked a few times, eyes widening in shock and body tensing up. Before he can fully process what he’s looking at Nyanko-sensei leaps down from his arms and just patts inside without a single moment of hesitation. There’s a bell sounding to the side and Natsume’s head snaps over in the direction of it, watching a scroll write it’s own words. 

MADARA, YOU’RE ALIVE. ＼(≧▽≦)／    

“Hmph. Did you really think I was dead, Mononokean? What an insult.” 

A hand grasps his shoulder and nudges him forward, startling Natsume out of his stupor. They step inside and Ashiya closes the door behind him, Natsume’s gaze searching around the entire room. It was, very much, a tea room. Tatami mats, sliding doors, and a small little alcove that held the scroll that Nyanko-sensei was having an argument with. And in the middle of it all sat a boy, who had to be Natsume’s age or Ashiya’s, in a red kimono. 

“Are you Natsume?” He speaks and Natsume takes a few steps forward before sitting down on one of the mats. He folds his legs beneath him and slides his bag off of his shoulder, resting it beside him. He nods in reply to the question and gets the feeling that the other is judging him. “I’m Abeno, Master of the Mononokean. Ashiya said you wanted to talk to me?” 

So this was Abeno? The person that Ashiya kept talking about. They were certainly younger than Natsume assumed they would be. The bell rings again and everyone’s attention drifts over to the scroll that Nyanko-sensei was batting at. 

WELCOME NATSUME! ヾ(*'▽'*)    

I AM THE MONONOKEAN! ARE YOU A FRIEND OF MADARA’S? (=⌒‿‿⌒=)    

“I am not a cat you idiotic tea room!”

“Nyanko-sensei, be nice, we are guests in here.” Natsume sighed and ignored the glare that the Yokai threw at him, instead choosing to reply to the scroll. “It’s a pleasure to meet you Mononokean, and Sensei and I are indeed friends. He was trapped inside the statue of a Lucky Cat for several years, I accidentally let him out.”

WOW! ヽ(°〇°)ﾉ    

THAT’S IMPRESSIVE TO BREAK A BINDING SPELL STRONG ENOUGH TO TRAP MADARA! 

YOU MIGHT BE AS STRONG AS ITSUKI! (´ ∀ ` *)    

He had a feeling they meant Abeno, considering the way the other shot a glare at the scroll. Nyanko-sensei went back to arguing with the scroll and the three of them returned to their conversation about Natsume’s reason for being there. “I did ask Ashiya to help me reach you, and it’s for a very important reason. Nyanko-sensei and I live in the next town over, it’s a good hour from here by train but not that bad.” Except when he has to get up at four AM to catch the train half an hour later and then be here before six AM to catch Ashiya. 

“My Guardians and I live next to a forest there and that forest contains many Yokai, a few who I even consider friends.” Abeno keeps his expression completely straight, serious. What he’s thinking Natsume can’t tell and he’s not sure if he likes that so he gets to the point. “One of the Yokai came to me last night and told me one of them fell ill. I went to see what she was talking about and she was right.” Natsume’s hands grab at the fabric of his pants, clenching them tightly as he averts his gaze. 

Even the Mononokean stopped arguing with Nyanko-sensei. He doesn’t like being the center of attention and talking about these things, not even with Natroi and especially not with Matoba. “Misuzu is a bull Yokai with several followers who depend on him, he protects the forest. When I saw him he was laying on the ground, unresponsive and breathing shallow. I think he even had a fever.” 

Abeno nodded his head and turned his gaze briefly to the side, looking toward Nyanko-sensei before turning back to Natsume. “What do you want me to do?” 

A breath leaves him heavily and Natsume lifts his head up once more, determination settling in. “Hinoe, another Yokai that lives in the forest and a friend of Misuzu’s, said that the Master of the Mononokean can travel freely between this realm and the Underworld. And she said there’s a Medicine Shop in the Underworld run by a Yokai named Kora.” He can tell that Abeno knows what he’s talking about with the sharp look Abeno gives him. “She said that Kora might be able to help Misuzu, that she might be his only shot.” 

“It’s true, Kora runs a medicine shop.” He knows her personally, then. “But getting medicine for a Yokai I don’t know or even what is wrong with him, won’t be easy. Kora could inadvertently make something that could cause him more problems than cure.” 

He hadn’t considered that and even more so if Misuzu was poisoned that would make this all the more difficult. He lets out a hard breath and lowers his gaze, squeezing his pant legs tightly. After a few minutes of silence Ashiya speaks for the first time. “Abeno, what if we take Natsume with us?” The others head whip toward Ashiya, eyes wide. “He knows the Yokai and what's wrong with him, if Kora talks with him they might figure it out. It’s better than blindly guessing and leaving the Yokai to die.” 

“We can’t just take anyone into the Underworld, Ashiya. Do you understand he could die down there? You alone got hurt several times and sick your first trip.” 

“But the Mononokean called Natsume strong! He has a far better chance at doing well down there than me. And he’s the best shot this Yokai will have at getting better. Aren’t we supposed to help Yokai?” 

“If they come to us, this is different.” 

“I’ll go.” He interjects over the both of them, looking at Abeno and holding his head high. “I’ll go, if it means Misuzu could get better, if you’ll take me.” 

“This is a terrible idea. He’s not an employee of the Mononokean, Ashiya.” He didn’t deny that Natsume was the best shot Misuzu had at getting well which meant he undoubtedly agreed. A sigh fell from Abeno’s lips and looked away from the both of them, a hard line settling across his face as he narrowed his gaze. “You can’t even enter the Underworld without letting the Justice know.” There was something there he was missing, something he didn’t understand, especially considering how Ashiya’s shoulders pinch together tightly. Like a string pulled taunt. 

“I’ll stay behind with the Mononokean while you take Natsume to Kora.” He smiles but it’s far from the one that Natsume was familiar with. “If you end up with the Legislator you can let me in?” 

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.” 

The bell rings again and their attention draws over to the Mononokean’s scroll as words draw across it. 

ITSUKI. THE RULES STATE THAT YOU MUST TELL THE LEGISLATOR ABOUT THIS. 

YOU KNOW IF HE FINDS OUT HE WON’T BE HAPPY. 

“The rules state friend, he’s not my friend he’s Ashiya’s.” Oddly enough even Ashiya seems confused by this, the two of them sharing a bewildered expression. “I’m just completing a job. Ashiya, let Natsume borrow you shaw. It’ll keep him from getting eaten.” Eaten?

The pink and red wrap thing he borrows did not look good on him with his white hair and green eyes, if anything it made him stand out more and he didn’t like that. Apparently it was just to keep him from getting ate which he could put up with it for that. As they step outside into an open area, from a shrine the Mononokean teleported into, he turned to look at Nyanko-sensei. “Are you coming Sensei?” 

“I shouldn’t. You’ll have more luck if I’m not with you for this. It’s easy for a Yokai to get inside, harder to get out. A lot of rules. And there are some people down there who aren’t happy with me.” He doesn’t elaborate but the way he says it makes Natsume think it’s someone strong who they would need to be worried about. “Natsume, be careful, don’t tell anyone.” about it. About the Book of Friends, about his Grandmother. Sensei lowers his voice and Natsume leans toward him. “I’d even advise that you use your first name down there. Just to be safe.” He turns around and struts back into the Mononokean, calling over his shoulder. “You better not get eaten down there! We have a deal.” 

“I’ll be careful, Sensei.” 

He joins Abeno’s side and stands beside him, watching as the Master of the Mononokean seems to ready himself. After taking a breath he kneels down and places both hands against the ground. “Abeno Haruitsuki, Master of the Mononokean, requesting a portal to the Underworld.” The wind seems to pick up and something materializes on the floor, Natsume soon realizing it was a set of double doors. They opened and Abeno jumped right down inside, not even waiting for Natsume. He’s quick to follow after the other, dropping down inside and following after him. 

“Don’t stop walking and if you feel like you’re getting sick tell me.” Sick, why would he feel sick? “If anyone asks you work for the Mononokean, it’ll keep the Yokai from wanting to murder you. Most of them anyway. And don’t wander off on your own. No matter what.” 

They walk silently for a while after that, Natsume always a few steps behind Abeno. He doesn’t know why but it doesn’t feel right to walk next to or in front of him, although he knows that Abeno isn’t exactly above him. It’s interesting to him that even with all the Yokai he’s interacted with, not one of them ever mentioned the Underworld. He wondered how that was possible, although to be fair most of them were obsessed with Reiko and Natsume had other things to deal with, like the Book of Friends. Nyanko-sensei seemed very worried about it being down here, he hoped he didn’t mess up. 

The tunnel opens up and a light shines through, breaking the darkness of the tunnel for the world that they stepped into. It--looked a lot more normal than he thought it would. Like a modern town right out of pictures of Japan. From where he stood he could see houses, mountains, trees and clouds. It was so normal and beautiful at the same time. 

Abeno calls for him to follow and Natsume does, jogging to catch up and continuing to walk behind him. They follow a dirt road down into the town and Natsume tries not to stare at the Yokai that they pass. They continue on for a while longer until they reach a small house with a sign that reads Kiyakudo. “Shrine of Turtle Medicine?” He blinks several times before following Abeno inside the building. 

It’s a little girl Yokai with a tail that greets them. 

“Abeno, welcome, we don’t have your order yet--oh, you brought someone else with you. Did you get another employee? Hello! My name is Shizuka. I work for Kora.” 

He offers her a bow and straightens back up and as he goes to give his name he quickly reconsiders it and follows what Nyanko-sensei said. “Takashi.” He can see Abeno turn slightly to look at him but doesn’t say anything on the sudden change in way to be addressed. 

“He doesn’t work for me and no I’m not here for the medicine. Is Kora here?” 

She gets this sad look and then shakes her head a few times. “No she went out to run an errand but I’m sure she’ll be back soon! You’re welcome to wait for her.” And so they did, taking a seat on the step and watching the entrance of the store. They’re silent, something that makes Natsume incredibly uncomfortable and finally it seems that one of them can’t take it anymore because Abeno actually talks to him. 

“What’s with that Yokai you have following you around?” 

“Nyanko-sensei?” He gets a brief nod and the other continues to watch him. “He’s a beast Yokai that’s--I wouldn’t say trapped just chooses to take the form of the Lucky Cat? I know he was trapped inside of the statue for years, so he might be having a hard time shaking off the exercists magic. His real form is a wolf, and quite large. He’s very powerful honestly.” He smiles slightly and tilts his head forward. “He’s also my friend.” 

Abeno nodded his head accepting the answer Natsume gave. “It seemed like more than that, he seemed worried about you coming down here but you seem perfectly fine. And he said you two have an agreement.” 

He fell silent at that and instinctively tugged the bag on his shoulder closer toward him, despite the fact that Abeno can’t see the Book of Friends through the bag. Thankfully they’re interrupted before he’d have to come up with an answer, just not by Kora. Instead, Natsume hears a funny little sound, almost like a bumble bee and through the door floats a tadpole. Like a little blue balloon. It was weirdly adorable. 

It stops right in front of Abeno and he seems to ignore it up until it starts buzzing in his ear. Growing frustrated he smacks the tadpole and it starts talking. 

“Itsuki, how rude of you to visit and not give me a heads up. You know you could have come straight here. Ah, wait, you asked for a door. So you didn’t come alone, right?” 

“What do you want?” 

“I want you to pay a visit and tell me what’s going on. It’s a rule. See you soon!”

Natsume blinks and watches the other stand up suddenly, Kimono falling down around him. He lets out a frustrated breath and runs his hand through his hair before looking at Natsume. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Chapter Text

“You call me here and then you make me wait.” The irritation in his voice is clear to hear, back pressed against the wall of the room while The Legislator settles behind his desk smiling cheerfully at him, as if none of this affects him. Abeno would very much like to make it clear that this absolutely does effect him. Not that The Legislator would even so much as care if Abeno’s upset with him, or if he’s interfering with his work. He’s just hoping, that if there is any luck for him at all in this world, that the other guy doesn’t get himself into trouble when he’s away. 

“Aw, Itsuki, don’t give me that look. I’m a very busy person you know. You’re the one who made the impromptu visit down here without telling me. It’s so rare you come in person.” This bastard was wasting his time because he’s bored, Abeno is sure of it. “You didn’t bring Ashiya with you right? No, you wouldn’t risk that. So, who did you bring, Itsuki?” 

Although he had already assumed it would be the case, Natsume was quickly realizing that time here moved differently. He wasn’t even sure that their ‘sun’ or the version of it that existed down here, set like normal. It never seemed to move no matter how long he watched the sky and the environment around him didn’t darken. But time very clearly passed and quite a bit of it at that too. His body was getting sore and stiff from sitting in the same place for as long as he was. 

The girl-Yokai who was here before, Shizuka he thought her name was, had left to go make deliveries and he assumed that was about an hour ago. Abeno had left him here what felt like three. The longer time dragged on the more he felt like he was wasting whatever time was left in Misuzu’s life. 

He needs to stretch his legs before he drives himself insane. Abeno said to stay here, he didn’t say Natsume had to keep sitting here, right? Right. As long as he didn’t leave the general area it should be fine. He just had to not cause trouble. 

Adjusting the strap to his bag on his shoulder Natsume stood and arched his back, cracking his stiff bones and putting feeling back in his legs. Pushing the curtain of the Kiyakudo back he stepped outside and into the sunlight. It was the same as when they got here, a busy street filled with life and Yokai going about their everyday life. It was interesting to see such a populous of them living together in a society. Natsume had seen Yokai gather around together, with Matoba and Natori but those types of gatherings… well they were never safe and never for anything as mundane as this. 

He wondered if any of the Yokai he had met in the past and helped were down here, like Tsuyukami. Although he was rather doubtful of that as Abeno had a very specific way of sending Yokai here and Nyanko-Sensei made it sound like getting in was just as hard as getting out. Natsume attempted to shake the darkening thoughts from his head and took a step out into the street. He didn’t intend on wandering far from the Kiyakudo. 

Something small and light suddenly rammed into his side, causing Natsume to stumble in step. He reached his arms out to steady himself, sure he looked more like a flailing chicken then anything else. His gaze fell downward, settling on the child looking Yokai now sprawled across the ground. Others stopped, stared, whispered and a growing sense of panic now started to settle in his stomach. 

“Are you alright?” It was probably his fault, he was distracted watching all of the Yokai around him and hadn’t paid attention to where he was. Abeno had given him very simple instructions and he was definitely screwing that up. 

He reached down and offered his hand to the other, the least he could do was offer to help them up. The Yokai blinked, golden slitted eyes that definitely reminded him of a snake, and then reached their own hand out. 

Natsume’s heart slid right into his throat when they latched onto the strap of his bag and yanked it from his shoulder. White hot fear crawled through his veins as they climbed up to their feet with an inhuman motion and took off running through the streets. His reaction was a split second to late but his feet soon carried him after the Yokai, breath already coming out short and labored as his lungs burned in his chest. He was good at running, he spent his entire life doing it, but he couldn’t last more than a few minutes. 

“Wait, stop! You can’t take that!” If he lost the Book of Friends down here Nyanko-Sensei was going to cook him with Misuzu’s medicine and feed him to everyone! 

They stumbled into some sort of forest and Natsume stopped, grasping at his chest and trying to get enough oxygen into his lungs for his vision to steady. He glanced around trying to figure out which direction the Yokai had gone and then just blindly started walking. There were clear paths through here, maintained fairly well and there was a voice in his head that was telling him he definitely should stick to the paths and not venture into the forest. A voice that frightfully sounded like Nyanko-Sensei and was telling him he was an absolute moron for losing the Book of Friends. 

He knows better than this! 

The sound of footsteps startled him and Natsume took off running again, branches from trees smacking him in the face and arms leaving behind small cuts that sluggishly bled. When he finally broke through into a more open space his body locked up tightly and he stumbled to a stop. 

There, less than five feet from him, was a huge Leopard that had the Yokai he was chasing trapped beneath it’s paw. A purple Leopard. Well, he’d seen weirder things, at least he was sure of that. 

“Ah, good timing, is this bag yours?” 

So it was a Yokai then he really wasn’t surprised. “Yes. They bumped into me in the market and fell over, when I offered to help them up they took my bag. Please, I need it back. It’s very important.” Well, not so much the bag, but what was in it was. The Leopard watched him and he got the distinct feeling he was being judged for lies. He’d never met a lie detecting Yokai before but he wouldn’t say they didn’t exist. 

“Very well, grab the bag, I’ll deal with this one. Stealing isn’t allowed here in the Underworld.” Refusing to read more into that than he needed to, least his brain come up with some unneeded visuals in what ‘handling it’ meant, Natsume stepped forward and cautiously reached down. The second his fingers closed around the strap to his beg he yanked it up quickly and moved away. 

A sigh of relief slipped from his lips and the Leopard moved it’s paw back. The Yokai he had been chasing was definitely unconscious and he wonders if the Leopard had intentionally cut off their breathing supply to knock them out. Or was he just assuming the worst? Probably that. 

When he moved his gaze back to the Leopard he found himself looking at a very human shaped body. The strange Yokai was binding the one who stole from him and when he finished his task he stood up. “Take him to the White Sand Prison.” Smaller Yokai appeared from the trees, grabbed the one on the ground, and just as quickly as they came they were gone and he found himself alone with the Leopard. 

Instinctively he clutched the bag with the Book of Friends closer to him. The other's purple gaze took him in, settling momentarily for a long unblinking second on the pink and white shaw across his shoulders and then moved back up to his eyes. “I’m the Justice.” 

Was that a title or an actual name? “My name is Takashi. Thank you for getting my bag back.” He felt he should bow but he refused to take his gaze off of them. The Justice simply nodded his head. 

“Are you here with Abeno? Did he hire a new employee?”

This- why did this feel like a trick? In fact this entire conversation felt like something he had no control over. It was strange, considering it was definitely more than one sided. He got information and gave it yet it felt as if the Justice was guiding and controlling the entire thing. More so over, considering earlier, he genuinely didn’t believe he could lie to this man. 

No. Not that he couldn’t. But that something bad would happen if he dared to even try. 

He could lie, he felt that he shouldn’t. 

Abeno told him if he was asked that he should say he was an employee to the Mononokean. Maybe he should have been more clear on who he could actually use that lie with. 

“No, I’m a customer.” 

This seemed to genuinely catch the Justice off guard. The Yokai’s eyes widened briefly before settling into that bored and exhausted look Natsume was starting to assume was just his normal. “I didn’t realize the Mononokean was taking human customers now.” 

“A Yokai I know is very ill, he’s dying. I went to the Mononokean to find medicine for him from a Yokai called Kora. Abeno brought me since I can tell Kora what’s wrong with him.” Was that strange? Was it not allowed? Abeno even seemed unsure about accepting his request. “He got called away by a blue Tadpole. I really should get back-” 

“A blue Tadpole? I know where he went. Come on.” He didn’t wait for Natsume, simply turned and started walking down a random path of this seemingly endless forest. With no better option, other than blindly wandering in an unfamiliar forest (something he’s done before and not eager to repeat), Natsume followed after him. When he fell in step with the Justice the other continued speaking. “Are you familiar with the Underworld, Takashi?” 

“No, I can honestly say this is my first time here or even knowing it exists.” He should have realized that even the Yokai had a place to call home. Still though through his entire existence with them none had ever mentioned it. 

“Are you new to seeing Yokai?” 

This was reaching levels he was uncomfortable with and yet the others presence wasn’t actually unsettling him. “No, I’ve been able to see them my entire life.” 

“Abeno’s the same.” A slow blink at this and Nastume draws his attention over to the Justice. He hadn’t expected to get information on others from this Yokai, he thought they were  just collecting information from him. “He could see Yokai for as long as he’s known and has been helping them for just as long. From my understanding Ashiya is different. Yokai are new for him but he seems to share the same passion for helping them as Abeno.” 

He’d realized that too, when Ashiya had argued so strongly for Abeno to take Natsume with him so that Misuzu could get the best help possible. It almost makes what he’s doing seem selfish. Spending his entire life running from them, blaming Yokai for his problems and while a lot of that is true and more than his fair share have hurt and nearly killed him, not all Yokai were bad. It was a lesson Natsume had to learn as true as the lesson on not trusting them. Yet even still there were some Yokai he trusted with his life, and Misuzu was one of them. It’s why he was refusing to let the Yokai die without even trying to help them. 

If it was just some random Yokai, would he be doing the same? Natsume couldn’t say yes. 

“We’re here.” 

“A lake?” More than a lake but it was the first thing that drew his attention. Natsume wandered over to the edge of the pathway and looked down, blinking at the lilypads and the frogs that gazed back at him. They were… oddly cute. Definitely not normal frogs. 

“Newt Lake, specifically. The Legislator lives here. Come on.” The Legislator? He was starting to get a picture here of who he’s talking to and what he’s walking into. Still, Natsume’s feet carried him after the Leopard Yokai and to the large doors. He didn’t need to knock or even open the door, they opened for him by an odd looking Yokai that resembled the ones he’d seen in the forest carrying the other one away. The Justice moved through the building with familiarity and Natsume kept close behind him, trying to keep his gaze from straying. The last thing he wanted was to get lost again, that would be humiliating. They reached a set of doors and this time the Justice knocked and waited for a verbal reply to enter before stepping in. 

Well, he definitely found Abeno and the moment the man's gaze landed on him he could see the rage that coursed through him. 

“Oh, Justice, I see you found our guest! Welcome, welcome, make yourself at home Itsuki was just about to tell me all about you.” 

He was laughing, undoubtedly, even if not physically. You could hear it in his voice. Like this was all a game to him. The Justice turned to him and honestly despite what Natsume thought before, he looked even more exhausted than he did earlier. “This is the Legislator, be more careful about wandering in forests.” Was that a threat? It seemed like a threat. He was willing to bet that the forest was part of this guys territory. The Justice turned back to the Legislator. “I’m leaving, I have to deal with a thief.” 

“Oh! Interesting. Tell me about it later?” He didn’t get a reply but he was sure they’d be discussing this entire event when Abeno and him were gone. Natsume moved to the side and let the Justice pass him before turning back to the two occupents in the room. 

Abeno seemed to be stewing in rage, much to the Legislator’s amusement, who was now watching him with what appeared to be growing interest. He looked so normal, even Hino had parts to her that clearly marked her as a Yokai. But this Yokai was the type of person you’d see on the cover of a magazine. Like the Justice who had shades of purple to him this man had light blue hair but offset it with a black and red Kimono. Not very dissimilar to what Abeno was wearing. 

What was with the pipe though?

“Well, since we’re all gathered here, why don’t you call Ashiya in? Might as well have the whole group here.” 

“He doesn’t work for the Mononokean.” 

The Legislator blinked at that and waved his pipe toward Natsume. “Yet you gave him the shaw. I’m sure he’s said he does while he’s been down here.” 

“Um-” Natsume did his best to not flinch when two sets of eyes snapped to him. “I actually haven’t. The only person I’ve talked to was the Justice and I told him the truth.” 

Was that relief in Abeno’s shoulders? He was certain now that not lying to the Yokai that called himself Justice was the smarter choice. 

“Well then, what exactly is the truth? And if you could give me your name.” 

He glanced to the side at Abeno, to judge the other's reaction to the question, but his gaze was firmly placed on the Legislator as if attempting to judge their reaction to all of this instead. Well, if he wasn't objecting, Natsume assumed it was safe to answer. His own gaze instead returned to the Yokai. 

"My name's Takashi." 

At this the Yokai's smile widened. "Now, I know I'm not human, and some of your little habits escape me. But given Itsuki and Ashiya, I do assume you have more than one name." 

He couldn't show hesitance, he couldn't think more into that, because a reluctance to use his name would give something away. So he didn't. "Natsume. Takashi Natsume." 

This time he is sure he didn't miss the brief look of surprise on the others face. That contemplation and calculating gaze. Because he's seen it before, on other Yokai, when he says his name. And it's never his first name that matters, because the only name they connect to Reiko is the name he shares with her. 

Nyanko-Sensei is going to be pissed with him. 

"Natsume. What an interesting name." It is. "As you've been told, I'm the Legislator. Itsuki's boss, if you will." He waves toward Abeno who is still attempting to burn a hole into the Yokai's very existence. "I'm very familiar with him and the Mononokean, and anything that goes on with it is my business. So, if you wouldn't mind, who are you?" 

He's smiling, it's a gentle kind of smile, the one that would make you probably want to trust him. Natsume doesn't. He's seen people with that smile before and it always ended up with him getting hurt. His entire childhood was filled with people smiling at him like that. But if he refused to answer he's sure he'd be either dying right here or leaving without Misuzu's medicine and he refuses to fail in that task. So he answers. "A friend of mine, a Yokai, is horribly ill. My other friend said he's dying. I'm not familiar with how diseases and illnesses work in Yokai but she said someone down here could make the medicine he needs to get better. But the only person who can move between the Underworld and the Mundane world is the Mononokean. So, I came to Ashiya for help, who sent me to Abeno." And that was the entire story, one he was getting sick of repeating and still not getting any closer to Misuzu's medicine. 

At that thought his gaze moves to Abeno. "I don't know how much longer he has, Hinoe said he wouldn't live more than a day." His lips press together tightly and he meets the others eyes. "Please, I need that medicine for him." 

"You heard him, I have a job to complete, so we'll be going." Abeno goes to move and Natsume could almost cheer, but the Legislator holds his hand up and the man freezes. 

"As I'm sure you've noticed time passes differently here than in the Mundane world. Itsuke, call Ashiya, he can give us a time estimate."

Apparently unable to refuse the order this time, Abeno turns to a cupboard behind him and grasps the handle. "Mononokean, come." He slides the door open and inside the tea room Ashiya pops his head down. Moja rolls past him into the room and calmly pads over to Natsume's side, pawing at his shoes. 

"Ah! Abeno, are you done? Oh Natsume, hello."

He nods his head in greeting while Abeno scowls. "How long have we been down here?" 

The answer comes, but not from Ashiya. "Four hours. You need to hurry Natsume, Hinoe called for me earlier, Misuzu is getting worse. How long do you intend to keep screwing around?" He doesn't flinch but it's a near close thing. Nyanko-Sensei is standing at the small entrance, looking in at him with that same unreadable expression. But Natsume can see it, can see the question he doesn't ask, the narrowed eyed look as he takes in the room. He wants to know if Natsume's in trouble. 

A chair moves and the Legislator makes his way over to the entrance to the Mononokean, arms folded into his robes and gaze solly focused on Nyanko-Sensei. He stops beside Abeno and Natsume inches his way over a bit to see better. "Madara." 

"You." It's an actual hiss, the one that usually is responded to with Natsume picking his friend up and removing him from the source of his anger. "So this is what's taking so damn long. You're forcing your annoying existence on other people again." 

The smile is gone from the Legislator's face and Natsume actually gets a new expression on him. Bored annoyance. "Aren't you banned from the Underworld?" 

"I'm not in it, am I?" 

A bell chimes brightly inside the room and Natsume actually has to pop himself up beside the Legislator to peek inside the room. The Mononokean's scroll fills with text. 

STOP FIGHTING. 

SOMEONE'S LIFE IS ON THE LINE, ISN'T IT? 

ITSUKI DID YOU GET THE MEDICINE? 

Abeno shakes his head and Ashiya physically deflates at that. "Abeno, Natsume, you have only an hour before sunset. Do you guys… need help or something?" 

"No we don't need help!" Ashiya moved back away from the door, a sheepish smile on his face as he held his hands up placidly. "I need to get back to Kora and quit wasting my time here! Come on, Natsume." This time he does turn, storming towards the entrance to the room. Natsume follows after him, not having a better option. They just make it to the door when the Legislator speaks up again. 

"You should consider hiring him, Itsuki, it's not often we find someone else who can see Yokai." Natsume doesn't turn, doesn't look at him, but he is tempted. He just doesn't want to prolong this conversation, he needs the medicine. "And Natsume?" Don't turn around. "I know why you didn't give your last name down here." 

They escape. 

Natsume didn't let himself breath until they were at the very least outside the building. Abeno always stayed a few paces in front of him, a silent guide as they made their way out of Newt Lake. When they were a good way out, when the tower the Legislator lived in was no longer within sight, Abeno glanced over his shoulder and looked to him. 

"Why weren't you giving your last name out?" 

Abeno didn't trust him. Natsume understood that and could even relate to the feeling. Since Matoba and Natori he hasn't started blindly trusting anyone who can see Yokai. You never know what they want, what they're up to, what they're thinking. It's simply not safe. So he doesn't. No matter how much Natori insists that he can trust him, and no matter how much a part of him wants to trust both of them. 

He values honesty, and he trusts honesty. But he can't. Not right now. The truth is not an option. But he can give part of it. "My Grandma, I share a last name with her. She could see Yokai as well, but that didn't make her a good person." He shook his head briefly and glanced away from Abeno. "The name Natsume doesn't exactly make Yokai happy with me. Even though I'm not her." 

"Time moves differently for Yokai than it does us. You might not be her but to them it doesn't matter. You're her blood." He understands that, he's figured it out on his own. He carries her sins with him. Just in the form of a book that's trapped several hundred of them under his command. 

Yeah. He's gonna leave that part out. 

"I understand, I don't hold it against them." It just annoys him. The amount of times he's had to repeat that he's not Reiko out numbers the amount of Yokai names in that book. But, the answer seemed to appease Abeno who nodded and let the subject drop. 

The Legislator though, he couldn't get those words out of his head. How much does he know? Does he know about the book? Is it going to be a problem for him? Hopefully Nyanko-Sensei will know the answer.  

They reached the Kiyakudo shortly, apparently the forest he had run to was a lot farther away than the Lake. He stopped outside the door and looked to Abeno before the two of them ducked back inside and we're greeted once more by Shizuka. "Welcome back, I got worried when I returned and your friend was gone." 

"We got sidetracked. Is Kora finally here?" 

"Itsuki, you're not here for your usual right? I'm not done yet." Kora, the mysterious woman he had been struggling to meet, was definitely not what he expected. But she reminded him a lot of Hinoe. Which perhaps was why Hinoe talked about her the way that she did. Like she cared about her. He could see them being friends. 

Before Abeno could speak he stepped forward further into the room and stopped before her. "Excuse me, my name is Takashi Natsume. Do you know a Yokai named Hinoe?" 

She seemed startled by his bluntness for a second, looking at Natsume with an open expression of interest. Her gaze flickered across his body and then settled on his hair and a genuine smile that seemed almost predatory spread across her face. "You have such unusual hair for a human. A stunning shade of silver. I bet it would make lovely medicine." 

He hates this place. 

"Please," don't beg with Yokai, he knows better. "Hinoe, do you know her?" 

"Hinoe is a name I haven't heard in a very long time. But belongs to a very beautiful Yokai." He ignores the way Shizuka seems to bristle in the corner at that. "Hinoe is a very good friend of mine, though she so laments to admit that out loud. Now, do you know her?" 

"Hinoe's my friend too, and we share a mutual friend named Misuzu. He's-"

"A bull Yokai, correct? Exceptionally large, wears a kimono, bells on his ears?" Natsume nodded his head a few times, clutching his bag tighter. "Hinoe's talked about him a few times. I must admit it's been a long time since I've seen her. Well, long by your standards. She should visit."

He'd pass the message along. "Misuzu is sick, Hinoe said only you could cure him. Will you help me?" 

Long before they've reached this point he was sure she had already reached that conclusion. She didn't seem surprised but her gaze did move from him to Abeno. "Customer?" 

"Kind of? This Yokai, Hinoe? Apparently she sent him to me. I've never seen a human doing a Yokai's bidding to the Mononokean though, and he's certainly not paying me." 

Natsume turns his entire body to face Abeno at that. "I told you, anything you want. I will give it. I owe Misuzu my life." More than just his, he owed that Yokai the life of his guardians too. This was the least he could do. 

"Unfortunately your money isn't good here, normal money anyway. We deal in underworld currency. However, I will wave the fee for both of you, simply tell Hinoe she owes me a favor." Which meant he would owe Hinoe a favor in turn. Fine, if that was the price for this, he would pay it. "If that's fine for all involved come tell me what Misuzu is suffering from." 

Whatever she got from his description of Misuzu's condition, the cure for it smelled absolutely revolting. Like wet eggs smothered in sweat that were left in the direct sun for days. When he asked her what Misuzu was sick with she said it wouldn't translate into human tongue. He didn't ask for further details. The vial she passed him at the end was warm and he could actually feel it moving around inside even when he was holding it still. It was very disturbing. 

"Don't lose that now, that medicine is expensive and difficult to make. However, Misuzu shouldn't get sick again. At least not during your lifetime." That was reassuring, in a way. Although the prospect of Misuzu getting sick later when he can't help is rather distressing. He won't think about that right now. 

"I understand, thank you for all your help." He bowed to her and her assistant before turning back to Abeno. "Can you take me to my house with the Mononokean? Misuzu lives in the forest nearby." 

With a brief nod and a parting word to Kora and Shizuka he moved to exit the Kiyakudo. "So, the Master of the Mononokean is bound by certain laws in the Underworld. One law is that we can't use the Mononokean to travel back to the Mundane world. However, we can do it from the Legislator's office." Great, of course it wouldn't be as simple as picking a door and leaving. "We better hurry." 

Returning to Newt Lake was not in his travel plans today, but they got there with a surprising amount of speed. As they reached the doors Abeno let himself inside and then traveled the same path through the halls to where the Legislator's office was once more. Abeno knocked on the door and the same familiar voice called out to let them inside. 

"Itsuki! You've returned." 

"We got the medicine, we need to go." He was already moving to where he'd called the Mononokean before. 

"Of course, of course. Don't let me stop you. So long as you promise to visit me again, and bring your new friend of course." 

"He's not my friend. Mononokean, come!" 

"Ah, itsuk, don't be so cold." 

Natsume couldn't tell if he was pouting or not. It seemed like it. Holding the medicine bottle close to his chest he moved over to the small entry way into the tea room. Ashiya was already at the entrance, holding his hand out to help Natsume up into the room. "Here, gimmie your bag it'll be easier." He hates that he hesitates, he truly does. Natsume knows Ashiya won't run off with it, he knows Ashiya is a good person, he knows Nyanko-Sensei is there in that room. And yet, he hesitates to hand over the bag. To hand over the Book of Friends. And he knows they can see it. Quickly before Ashiya can question it Natsume shrugs the bag off his shoulder and holds it out to Ashiya who takes it and places it on the floor of the Mononokean. Again he holds his hand out and Natsume takes it, letting the other help him up and into the room. 

"You got it then, Natsume?" 

Nyanko-Sensei is sitting on the bag, tail swaying back and forth as he watches him. Natsume nods and shows the other the small bottle in his hand before clutching it close again. Abeno swings himself up into the room and slams the door shut before the Legislator can presumably start talking to them again. 

"Natsume, where do you live?" 

"Oh um, I live with my guardians, the Fujiwara's ,in the countryside not far from Ashiya. Half an hour by train." He gives the address and Abeno tells the Mononokean to open a door to the house. He stands when they arrive and heads over to the door, grabbing the handle and sliding it open slowly. He looked around briefly to make sure not to startle either Touko or Shigeru. Finding the house clear and quiet he stepped fully inside and turned back to the others. "Are you coming with me? You can, if you want, to see if Misuzu gets better." 

"Yeah! I wanna go!" Ashiya was out the door before even Nyanko-Sensei was, the fat cat Yokai padding after him and rubbing his body against Natsume's legs. "Abeno, let's go, come on." 

Touko wasn't home and neither was Shigeru, something he was grateful for. Sometimes they go out to eat if Natsume isn't home yet and they probably assumed he's still with Ashiya. He'll get in trouble for not calling but they'll be fine. Natsume heads into the forest beside his house and pauses briefly to collect his barring's. He knows this place now but sometimes in the dark he struggles to see clearly. Nyanko-Sensei takes the lead when he hesitates, rushing them through the forest at a speed Natsume could keep up with easily.  

A movement to the side of him catches the corner of his eyes and then Hinoe is meeting them in a clearing. Natsume stopped instantly and turned to face her, breath panting out and the small vial held against his chest. “Hinoe, is Misuzu still alright?” 

“He’s still alive, if that’s what you mean.” Her gaze flickered behind him to Abeno and Ashiya before returning to Natsume. “You brought the Master of the Mononokean with you? Did you get the medicine?” 

“His name’s Abeno and that’s Ashiya. I do have it, Kora said you owe her a favor.” She covered her face with her Yukata sleeve at that and shrugged briefly, turning away from him to head further into the forest. Natsume followed after her in quick strides, spotting Misuzu’s form long before he saw the Bull Yokai himself. “He has to ingest it, we’re going to have to try and get it into his mouth.” 

Misuzu definitely wasn’t conscious enough to drink it which meant they were going to have to try and sneak it into his mouth. Hopefully Misuzu didn’t wake up halfway and decide to bite their heads off. He made his way around to the front of the Yokai’s body, stopping near the giant nose and mouth. Natsume rolled the bottle around in his hand a few times and frowned at Misuzu. 

“What if Abeno and I lift his upper lip and you sneak it between his teeth? It is liquid right?” Natsume nodded his head briefly to the last part before turning to Hinoe for her input on this. 

“It’s the best we’re going to get.” She pulled her pipe from between her lips and lowered her arm to wrap around her waist. “I’ll help too.” That was genuinely surprising but he wasn’t going to actually voice that. Natsume put himself between Abeno and Ashiya and knelt down beside Misuzu’s head. With the three of them they managed to lift Misuzu’s upper lift and Natsume reached his hand to the back of the Yokai’s mouth. Quickly and to the best of his effort not to spill any he tipped the liquid into Misuzu’s mouth and pulled his hand back. 

He stood up and moved away, watching the Yokai closely for any sign of change. Of course he knew it wouldn’t be instant, even Yokai medicine wasn’t that magical, but he had perhaps hoped at the very least that Misuzu would wake up. Even that apparently was to much to hope for. “I’m not going anywhere till I know he’s okay.” 

Taking a seat near a tree he folded his hands into his lap and tucked the Book of Friends slightly behind him. Nyanko-Sensei crawled up into his lap and made himself comfortable as Ashiya to his genuine surprise sat beside him with Moja in his own. 

“I assume that means you’re not going home either then? Geeze.” Despite the man's harsh words, Natsume actually got the impression that Abeno was pleased with Ashiya sitting with him. Perhaps the other wouldn’t have left either until he knew the Yokai was well again. He joined them on the ground, red kimono sprawled out around him as he sat in a fairly perfect posture. His hands rested behind him keeping him up straight and his gaze focused on Misuzu’s breathing. 

Hinoe had made herself comfortable in the tree above Ashiya and himself. “You’ll know if he’s better or not within a few hours, his fever would break and he’d wake up.” 

“You know what he’s sick with then?”

She shook her head and Natsume frowned in confusion. “I just recognize the medicine that Kora gave you. Typically it works like that.” 

Silence settled over them after that and Nasume curled in a bit around Nyanko-Sensei, taking his warmth from the cat feline. It lasted that way for nearly an hour, Natsume nodding on and off only to be nudged awake by Nyanko-Sensei. As an hour and a half rolled around he sat up fully and bumped his head against the back of the tree, turning his gaze down to the Yokai in his lap. 

“Can I ask a question?” Nyanko-Sensei slid his eyes open and blinked up at Natsume, clearly just waiting for him to ask it anyway. “That Yokai in the Underworld. You seemed really familiar with him.” 

“Mm, the Legislator. Truthfully though I’m far more familiar with the Justice.” 

“That doesn’t surprise me, he said you were banned from the Underworld.” Abeno’s reply was muttered yet clear, his own eyes shut as he rested his head in his left hand. “Gotta admit I’ve never actually heard of a Yokai banned from the Underworld.” 

Honestly given what he knew of Nyanko-Sensei’s personally, it didn’t sound all that surprising to him. At least from what he saw and understood a lot of Yokai feared him. Perhaps he’s changed since then but if this happened in the past, which it clearly did, he wasn’t that surprised. “I am familiar with the Legislator though, him and his annoyingly tedious personality. He’ll trap you there for hours talking to you and you’ll have no control over the conversation. He’s manipulative and plays games. You’re nothing but a toy to him.” 

This time Abeno didn’t speak up but the lack of commentary he gave honestly made Natsume believe he was inclined to agree with Nyanko-Sensei. “Despite my… transgressions we’ll call them, the Justice and I are actually friendly with each other.” He wondered how that worked if Nyanko-Sensei was (probably) considered a criminal to the Underworld. 

“The Legislator said he was the Mononokean’s boss.” At this he glanced briefly over to Abeno but the other clearly wasn’t interested in adding to the conversation. His gaze moved instead to Ashiya. “He told Abeno to hire me.” A wide bright smile was flashed his way and Ashiya clearly seemed interested in the prospect of that. 

“It’s a trap, Natsume, don’t fall for that stupidity. Besides, we have enough on our plate.” A paw tapped his face, void of claws which he was grateful for and Natsume turned back to the Yokai. “If you’re eager for more work I’m more than happy to give you meaningless tasks too.” 

“Hey, Abeno and I work hard to help Yokai, what we do is far from meaningless.” 

“Ignore him. He’s just an asshole.” Natsume shoved the cat away from his face and turned his gaze to Ashiya who was now hugging Moja to his chest and pouting. “If it wasn’t for you guys I wouldn’t have gotten the medicine for Misuzu. I won’t take that for granted and genuinely appreciate what you did for us. Thank you. Even if it doesn’t work, the fact you tried to help means the world to us.” Less Hinoe and Nyanko-Sensei, but the sentiment was there all the same. 

“I have a question now.” Turning away from his friend (were they friends at this point?) Natsume looked to Abeno. “What are you? You and the Mononokean seem to know each other well.” 

Nyanko-Sensei settled back down into Natsume’s lap, lazy slow blinking eyes watching Abeno from over his knee. Natsume settled his hand on the cat’s back and dragged his fingers down across his spine. “You may call me Nyanko-Sensei. I’m Natsume’s bodyguard.” 

“The Legislator called you Madara. As did the Mononokean. And some bodyguard you are, you let him go somewhere dangerous and if it wasn’t for the Justice he would have been Yokai food.” 

Though offended he wasn’t going to argue. 

“Being banned from the Underworld tends to mean you can’t enter it. If you were unfamiliar with the definition of ‘banned’.” 

“Okay, okay, let’s not start a fight.” Ashiya gave a nervous laugh and reached forward to pat Nyanko-Sensei’s head. “Natsume told us he’s a beast Yokai who got stuck in the form of the Lucky Cat. Before that though when we were waiting for you he told us he knew the old Master of the Mononokean.” 

“Aoi.” The Yokai settled back down, head laying on Natsume’s knee. “They were a shapeshifting Yokai who usually took the form of a black cat. She died around the time I found myself sealed away. I was rather preoccupied at the time and didn’t get a chance to look into the details and now it seems anyone who does know what happened isn’t in the Mundane world or won’t talk.” It was said such matter of factly that Nastume couldn’t tell if Nyanko-Sensei was upset or not. 

Though Abeno didn’t comment he could tell the man was still listening by the way he shifted uncomfortably. Before another conversation could start Hinoe leapt down from her tree branch and made her way over to Misuzu. She reached her hand out and felt his forehead. “His fever broke, that’s a good sign.” As the words were spoken a large eye slowly opened up and Misuzu groaned into the ground, huffing out a  breath that nearly knocked Hinoe over. She steadied herself and lifted her hand up, hiding her glare at the Bull Yokai behind the long sleeve of her Yukata. 

It seemed as though he struggled to open his eyes a second time but the moment they managed to he slowly started to push himself upward. “Hinoe.” His large and intimidating gaze swept across the forest floor and then settled on Natsume and the others. “Natsume.”

“Misuzu, you shouldn’t push yourself to much. You were sick, probably still are, do you remember?” Nudging Nyanko-Sensei off his lap he stood to his feet and moved toward the Yokai. “This is Haruitsuki Abeno, Master of the Mononokean and Hanae Ashiya, an employee. They helped me get medicine for you.” 

Misuzu nodded though it was more of a brief incline of his head, perhaps all he could manage with his limited strength. “I owe you then Master of the Mononokean. And you as well, Natsume. Thank you.” 

“You don’t owe me Misuzu, you never will. For everything you’ve done for me this is the least I could do.” He manages a smile, brief and small as it is. “You should rest, I’ll check on you again tomorrow.” He reached his hand out and gently touched the side of the Yokai’s face. Both as a brief parting and to assure himself the fever was indeed gone. Satisfied he tucked his bag more firmly over his shoulder and reached down to pick Nyanko-Sensei up. The Yokai settled himself on Natsume’s shoulder and he gave a goodbye wave before heading toward the direction of the Fujiwara’s. 

They parted ways at the house, Abeno calling for the Mononokean and Ashiya leaving with him. Natsume saw them off before making his way quietly inside and upstairs to his room. As he got himself ready for bed he turned his gaze over to Nyanko-Sensei and asked the question that had been bothering him since the first parting with the Legislator. “Nyanko-Sensei, do you think the Legislator knows about the Book of Friends?” 

The Yokai paused in his drinking, sake bottle settling beside him and seemed to think the answer over before replying. “It wouldn’t surprise me. Aoi undoubtedly did a full report on Reiko before dismissing the case as outside her control. Even if he forgot if he just looked that up he’d know.” 

Was it going to become a problem? “Do you think he’d have Abeno do anything about it?” 

He got a shrug for his question. “It would be within our best interest to just limit further interaction with all of them.” That wasn’t what he truly wanted to do though, he enjoyed his time spent with Ashiya. Was it selfish to want a friend who was like him? 

Chapter Text

“I knew this was a bad idea! Why doesn’t he ever listen to me!” Although he was talking to no one but himself Natsume certainly felt better yelling at the walls of the old abandoned building he was in. There was a gash on his shoulder that was continuing to bleed, the entire right sleeve of his shirt and jacket stained red. Touko was going to be incredibly worried. He might actually just throw it out rather than having to subject her to that. He’d rather have to lie that the jacket was stolen at school that have her panic at seeing so much blood. 

He turned another corner and skidded to a stop, pressing his back against the wall. Reaching up he clenched his shoulder with his left hand, biting the inside of his cheek in pain, and listened. Quiet, far to quiet considering what he was running from. A chill ran through his body and Natsume pressed harder into his bleeding shoulder, slowly tilting to the side to look around the corner of the corridor. He heard something, a scraping sort of sound, and there dragging itself around the corner was the Yokai he had fled from. 

It was long, definitely taller than Natsume but not unnaturally tall. If he had to guess it was around Tanuma’s height and his friend was a decent height for someone their age. What was unnatural about it was it’s arms, which were as long as his entire body and dragged along the ground. The claws that made up it’s fingers, which were scraping against the concrete of the ground, made the sound he heard. Like nails on a chalkboard. He ducked back around and squeezed his eyes shut, his own fingers digging into his wound. 

The nails were what had cut him, the Yokai having lashed out at him before he fled. This entire thing was Natori’s fault, and he should have known better than following him into this place. He wasn’t even sure Natori was still here, they had gotten separated while running and when Natsume fell through the floor. 

Natori had gotten word from another exorcist that Matoba was supposed to be here, hunting down a Yokai that was claiming to have hurt people. What Natsume understood so far of this was that, yes the Yokai was hurting people, but the people it was attacking were construction workers that were attempting to demolish it’s home. Natori enlisted Natsume’s help in convincing it to move, therefore no one would have to continue to get hurt and the Yokai could have a new home. 

If that failed, Natori was going to exorcise it himself. Which wasn’t what Natsume wanted at all. If they could avoid it, he didn’t want them to get hurt. Which Natori knew, and was why he told Natsume what he was going to do. It was why he led the entire thing by telling him that Matoba was planning to exorcise it in that cruel way he had of doing it. 

By convincing him to come along, Natori got to watch Natsume which was another thing he wanted. To see and learn what Natsume was capable of. He thought Natsume had power, that he could be an incredible exorcist if he let himself. It was a conversation they’ve had before, a similar one he’s had with Matoba in between his kidnappings, and a conversation he hated having. 

Natsume didn’t want to be an exorcist. Not even in situations like this. Not even when his life was on the line for what felt like the hundredth time (and probably was). He didn’t like hurting the Yokai, not even in self-defense. Though he was sick of being hurt by them he knew sometimes they didn’t mean it. He met good Yokai, he had Nyanko-Sensei, not all of them deserved to be exorcised, regardless of what Matoba thought. 

Golden beady eyes gazed at his face and Natsume jerked back so hard he smacked his head on the wall. Dropping to a crouch he missed the swipe to his head and took off running again, rushing for the stairs and throwing himself down them. He nearly missed a step and knocked himself down them, but he managed to grab the railing to catch himself. Spinning around he looked up at the Yokai, watching it crash into the wall and slowly back out shaking its head. It had no neck, it was like one solid mass with eyed and arms. There weren't even legs, how it moved was beyond Natsume. 

It hadn’t said a single word to Natsume and he wondered honestly if it could even speak. As it turned to look at him Natsume took off running down the hall again, trying to remember exactly the layout of this place. The building they were in had six floors, him and Natori had walked up to the fifth before finding the Yokai. Natsume had fallen through a hole in the rotten floor up there and crashed to the level below it. He was on the third floor then. 

Where on the third floor was beyond him, hopefully somewhere near the stairs to get down. His throat burned from running and his legs were exhausted. Tears were beginning to form in his eyes from pushing himself so hard and the pain in his arm. If he got out of here he was going to yell at Natori. 

Rounding a corner he nearly stumbled over his own exhausted feet, passing something red in the hall that quickly moved out of his way. “Natsume?” He didn’t stop, didn’t even think of stopping, but did glance over his shoulder to look at Ashiya and Abeno. 

He blinked, briefly looked past them to the hall and then swallowed to yell. “Run!” Then continued to do so himself. He reached the next set of stairs and hurried down them, stumbling at the last step and finally knocking himself to the ground. He scraped his hands on the scattered rocks and concrete, feeling them burn and the prickling bits of blood that started to form. He let out a heavy sigh, sucked in more air quicker and clenched his eyes shut. 

In the end, Matoba hadn’t even been here, just one of his lackies that ran at the sight of Natori. Some of them knew better than to pick a fight with Natori, the others were more than willing to get their hands dirty. 

“Oh no, Natsume! Are you alright?” A hand settled on his shoulder and Natsume looked up into Ashiya’s blue eyes, the kind gaze of the other looking him over. “You’re bleeding!” Yes, he did realize that, though he didn’t bother pointing that out. Ashiya slipped his hand underneath Natsume’s arm and started to help him up. Gratefully accepting it he unsteadily got back to his feet and looked down to his hands. Great, Touko was going to be worried now, there was no hiding this. “Are you alright?” 

“No, not particularly, is it still following me?” Spinning around he looked up to the stairs and reflexively took a few steps back. He bumped into Ashiya who stepped around and partly in front of him. 

“We didn’t see the Yokai, but I assume we came for the same one that was chasing you. Unless there’s another one here.” Abeno folded his arms into the sleeves of his red haori. “What happened?” 

So he lost it, or at the very least, it gave up. They hadn’t seen it until they reached the fifth floor, he wondered if there was something specific about the last three floors of the building that the Yokai was protective of. Maybe a room up there that it had considered theirs? “The building has been condemned, it’s not safe, so construction workers planned to tear it down. There’s been a lot of accidents surrounding this place recently, a few workers even died. Did you hear about it?” Abeno nodded for him to continue. “I came to look into it with someone else, well more accurately they asked me to come along. It’s—a thing.” How did someone explain Natori? It wasn’t easy. 

Abeno frowned, clearly trying to read into that but otherwise didn’t ask about it. Natsume was grateful for that, he wasn’t sure he could make sense of it. Natori was and wasn’t a friend. “We didn’t see anyone else here, and I don’t hear anyone about. We only ran into you.” 

“We got separated, I don’t know where he went.” Natori wouldn’t abandon him here, especially if he got hurt. But there was the chance Natori thought he left and went looking for him. He’d have to find out. “We got to the fifth floor and I fell through some rotten boards. It chased me down there, got me pretty good, and I’ve been running and hiding from it trying to find my way back out.” 

Which got him to where he currently was, standing with them on the second floor. So close to the exit, he really wanted to go home now. Ashiya walked around to Natsume’s side and sat his backpack onto the floor, pulling it open and getting out a first aid kit. “Natsume, take your jacket off, I’ll see what I can do for your wound.” 

“No, it’s fine—“ Ashiya glanced up at him, raising an eyebrow and clearly intending to not go anywhere. Relenting mostly because his arm was still bleeding and burning, Natsume sat down on the ground next to him and pulled his jacket off. 

As Ashiya got to work with the wound Abeno moved closer to the stairs and looked upward toward where they came from. “Do you know anything about the Yokai?” 

“Um… I can only really say what I speculate and saw before. It’s got a gelatin like body, it seems to be one big grey mass, moves like a blob. It has incredibly long arms though and nails for fingers. Sharp too.” He rolled his shoulder in reference and Ashiya scolded him. “But it seems protective of the top three floors, that’s when it came after us. I think it sees this place as its home, but I don’t know what the building was.” 

“It was a nursing home, closed down a few years back, think it’s structural integrity was compromised after an earthquake.” Natsume nodded and Abeno turned back to look down at him. “A Yokai that lives nearby paid the Mononkean to look into the people getting hurt around here, apparently the fuss this one has been working up is annoying the nearby population.” 

“I see.” Ashiya wrapped his arm in the bandage and Natsume pulled his jacket back on carefully over the wound. Looking to the other he offered him a gentle smile. “Thank you, I really appreciate it.” 

“Yeah of course! We’re friends, that’s what friends do, Natsume.” Oh, were they friends? He hadn’t… well he had the thought that he wanted to be but he didn’t think they actually made it that far. Friends knew things about each other and the most he thought he knew about Ashiya was basic information. Maybe they were beginning to be friends, and to Ashiya that translated as friends, in his head. 

Apparently he was quiet for too long because Abeno stepped up to them and held a hand out. He got Ashiya back up and then Ashiya pulled Natsume to his feet, the both of them gathering their things up and settling their bags onto their shoulders. Natsume checked the Book of Friends, ensured it was safe and then turned to the others. 

“Do we need to do something?” 

“Ashiya and I need to do something, you need to go home.” 

Abeno got a glare from Ashiya at that before their gaze returned to Natsume. “If you want to help us that’d be great. More eyes are better, right, Abeno?” 

“No. It means more people to watch who might get hurt. He’s already injured.” 

Right, this was getting them nowhere. Natsume sighed and turned, heading up the stairs and leaving the bickering two behind. He got to the third floor again before hearing the two of them behind him. Glancing around, he made sure he was fine before cupping his hands on either side of his mouth and calling out. “Natori!?” Silence followed and Natsume frowned in worry. 

As they walked around he tried to keep an eye out for Natori, calling out only when he was sure that the Yoaki wasn't around. They headed up to the fourth floor, where Natsume had fallen onto it. Looking up he gazed at the hole, the rotting floorboards and then away. 

“Natsume?” He turned and looked back to Ashiya. “Where is Nyanko-Sensei?” 

“He went out drinking last night, I couldn’t wake him up.” Ashiya’s mouth fell open and Abeno said something rather unpleasant under his breath. “He does that sometimes, he really likes Sake.” 

“Right… makes… sense.” Abeno grabbed Ashiya’s arm and leaned over, whispering something in his ear that Natsume couldn’t hear. Turning away from them he continued along toward the stairs that lead to the next level. He got one foot on the step before a white mask appeared in his face. 

Ashiya let out a scream and Abeno yanked him behind his back. Natsume simply blinked at the single eye that stared at him. “Hiiragi! Where’s Natori?” 

Leaning back away from him the blonde haired Yokai pointed upward to the fourth floor before looking back down to Natsume. “He’s exercised the Yokai.” Natsume’s shoulders tensed, hands clenching into fists that irritated the small cuts on his palms.

“It injured you and tried to cut my head off.” Gaze lifting upward he looked to the top of the stairs where Natori stood, adjusting his glasses on his face. Hiiragi moved away, standing off to the side as her master made his way down. His gaze ran over Natsume’s body before focusing on the wound on his arm. “It was beyond reason, surely you noticed that when it nearly severed your arm.” 

“The cut wasn’t that bad, I’m fine.” He shouldn’t snap, on some level he’s sure Natori is right. But sometimes—there were those times where he just didn’t agree with the other man's methods. It was that line between them that kept him from crossing the boundary between “friendship” and “acquaintances” with Natori. That, and his desire to test the limits of what Natsume could do. There was a reason he was so uncomfortable confiding in him about the Book of Friends. 

“Ah, are you mad at me again, Natsume?” He smiles and reaches his hand out, ruffling Natsume’s hair. “You get so defensive.” 

Brushing the hand off he turned away from Natori, taking a few steps away until there was a decent amount of distance between them. Abeno took that chance to step forward, the look on his face one Natsume had never seen before. It looked like rage. “You’re an exorcist.” 

Natori blinked and raised an eyebrow, looking at the Kimono and red Haori that Abeno wore. “Indeed I am. And who are you?” 

“Haruitsuki Abeno, Master of the Mononokean.” 

“I see.” The smile was still there but Natsume saw the strain that fought to keep it in place. He really hoped a fight didn’t break out between them right now, he was far too tired to deal with it. “I suppose you have a problem with what I did too. The Mononokean doesn’t believe that Yokai can be evil, not without a reason.” He takes a few steps down until he hits the ground level. Natori was taller than Abeno and Natsume could see he was using that to his advantage. 

“Yokai tend to have a reason to be upset, as a result they lash out and that is when the Mononokean helps them. It’s my job to help the Yokai.” 

“You’re still so young.” A shake of Natori’s head and he steps around Abeno. “Let me tell you something then, sometimes Yokai can be evil just to be evil. Humans are the same. You can’t save all of them, especially when they don’t want to be.” He reaches Natsume’s side and pats his shoulder. “I’ll see you later, Natsume. Hiiragi, let’s go.” 

He watched him go and a breath that he didn’t even realize he was holding was let out. This day was exhausting, his head was killing him and he could really use a warm cup of tea. “You have some interesting friends.” 

“He’s not my friend.” A quick shake of his head and Natsume looked back over to Ashiya. “He’s someone I know, who's helped me a few times. He’s a good person, even if I question his—methods. Him and someone else I know. But, like with us, the exorcists think they’re doing the right thing too. And, as much as I don’t want to, I know first hand that sometimes Yokai can’t be reasoned with… which does make them a danger. I’m sorry, if you don’t agree.” 

Turning away from them he started down the hall, his hand reaching up to grip his shoulder that still throbbed. That was simply the truth, it was something he experienced and saw first hand. Yokai could be dangerous, Yokai could hurt people, and they could kill. As Natori said the Yokai here had murdered people, even if it might have been unintentional. When Natsume was a kid there were several Yokai that had nearly killed him. 

It was why when he was in the underworld and talking to the Justice, he had that thought that he couldn’t completely dedicate himself to Yokai. Because that selfish part of him saw how cruel they could sometimes be. Natsume wanted to say that he could see the good in all of them, that he wanted to help, but that wasn’t always the case. Yes, he did help, yes he knew good Yokai. 

But not all of them had good intentions. Natori was right, just like humans there were good and bad Yokai. If that made Abeno and Ashiya mad at him then that was it. If that made them not want to be his friend, he understood that. 

It was hard to live your life raised to protect Yokai and then face the hard truth of it, if Abeno could even see the truth in his words. Natsume was the opposite in that case, he was raised haunted by them and fearful until he was faced with the good that could exist in the world of Yokai. 

Two sides of a coin, he supposed. 

He stopped outside the building and let out a long sigh, reaching a hand up to run through his hair. He pulled it back from his face, looked up to the sky and was relieved to see it was still daylight. Touko won’t be that worried then, even if the blood will greatly upset her. 

“Natsume!” Blinking he glanced back at Ashiya, watching him rush out of the building and stop at his side. A grin was on his face and he reached his hands out, clasping Natsume's left wrist and tugging on him gently. “Do you want to come over? I thought—I know you worry about upsetting your guardians so if you spend the night we can work on getting the blood out of your clothes and taking care of your wounds!”

After their conversation he had been so sure that Ashiya wouldn’t want anything to do with him. Apparently he greatly underestimated the kindness in him. He already knew he was a good person but that just cemented the fact even more. Swallowing he turned his gaze away, a smile twitching on his lips and then nodded his head. 

Yeah, he actually probably would, really like that. He hadn’t had a sleepover since he was a child and even then—well, his childhood wasn’t the best. That particular nightmare he just won’t think about. 

“Great! Come on, I have clothes you can borrow and you have your school bag already. You can call the Fujiwara’s from my place! Abeno! Hey, Abeno! Give us a lift!” 

“Shut up Ashiya, I’m already doing it. Mononokean, come!” 

The tea room was warm, it was always warm, and smelled of a particular tea he couldn’t quite name. Like earthy with mint at the same time. It wasn’t the kind he thought he would enjoy drinking but rather just smelling. He settled down on the floor, bag beside him and listened to Ashiya and Abeno talk about the job they had been given. 

“So, what do we tell Teyasu?” 

Abeno sighed and shook his head. “The truth. We won’t take his money because we didn’t do anything. I’ll give it back.” 

“The Legislator isn’t going to like that.” 

“Yeah well, he can deal with the exorcist if he wants to and I doubt he does. Humans aren’t his area. Besides, they exist; it's just a fact we have to deal with.” The shrug was heard in the words but so was the frustration he was feeling. Natsume did feel bad, there might have been something he could have done to convince the Yokai that himself and Natori couldn’t. It was too late to find out now, unfortunately. 

Once everything was settled Abeno had the Mononokean take them to Ashiya’s house and let them out. “Remember we still have that case for Maseru tomorrow. Since we don’t have class I want to get a head start, I’ll be picking you up early.” Ashiya nodded and stepped out of the Mononokean with Natsume. The door shut and the two of them were left to the silence of the other's house. 

“I need to call Touko, your phone—?” 

Touko wasn’t upset he wasn’t coming home, she was actually quite happy his friendship was progressing. She was upset he didn’t inform her ahead of time. Natsume apologized several times before hanging up, hand resting on the phone as he gazed down at it. He really did cause so much trouble for them, no matter how much he tried not to. One day, they weren’t going to forgive him so easily. He hoped when that happened they’d still care for him as much as he did them. 

They were the nicest family he’s ever stayed with, distant relatives or not. The memories he shared with them were by far the greatest ones he had. He really loved them. 

Gathering himself up he returned to Ashiya’s room and found the other tucked in front of the table in his room. Tea and snacks were laid out, probably brought from Ashiya’s mother, and he sat himself down across from him to get a cup. The tea warmed his body and soothed some of his pains. “Thank you for having me over, you really didn’t have to do that.” 

“I did. I was worried about you and I know you were worried about going home. This might be a… rude question but do you have friends? That you stay with when something like this happens. I only ask because you seem to worry a lot about the Fujiwara’s and that makes me worry that you just—sleep in the forest or something when you get hurt.” 

Natsume blinked and looked down to the cup in his hands, tightening his grip on it slightly. It wasn’t rude when it came from a place of worry but without the rambling added the question certainly would normally upset him. Ashiya was too good of a person to be that cruel though. “I have a friend, Kaname Tanuma, he’s the son of a shrine priest. I—try not to burden him with all of this, I don’t want to drag him into my problems.” 

He doesn’t look to Ashiya, his gaze focused on the ripple of the tea. He turns the cup in his hands a few times, stroking the side of it. Ashiya is quiet in his thoughts, long enough Natsume wonders if he won’t speak up, but when he finally does it’s soft. “If he’s your friend keeping him from it probably worries him more than being involved.” 

Tanuma is like that, he often expresses his desires in wanting to help. However, it was hard for Natsume to understand that when he sees Tanuma get hurt or sick. “Tanuma has a very little amount of spiritual energy. He can sense spirits and Yokai, sometimes see their shadows. But that’s it and when powerful Yokai are near… he gets really sick.” Lifting the cup he took a sip of his tea and sat it back down. “I won’t burden him if it makes him sick.” 

He finishes his tea and sets it down on the table, the silence settling among them as Ashiya drags his homework out from his bag. It scatters across his side of the table as he gets to work and Natsume leans over a bit to see what he’s working on. Nothing he hadn’t done before when he took those classes. Ashiya seemed to struggle a bit, if Natsume had to guess he was perhaps an average student and these nightly runs with Abeno were probably affecting his grades to some level. Something he understood all too well. 

Speaking of, he had something to do tomorrow with Abeno. “Can I ask what your job tomorrow is?” 

“Hm? Oh! For Maseru?” Natsume nodded and Ashiya sat his pen down. “He asked us to look into something that happened a while ago, something that traps him in the mundane world. He said he made a bet with a human decades ago who won and made him sigh his name in a book. So long as that person has his name, he can never leave the mundane world.” 

Honestly he was really lucky he had already sat the teacup down or he’d be cleaning a mess right now. His throat suddenly felt very dry and Natsume sat his hands in his lap to hide the clenching of them. “He wants to go to the Underworld?” 

“More like he has to. He’s getting sick, which happens when Yokai stay here too long, Abeno said. If we can help him get to the Underworld, Kora can treat him.” Guilt settled in his gut like a brick and Natsume reached back to grasp the strap of his bag. 

“Could I—go with you, tomorrow?” 

“You want to help?” He nods, because technically he does and also because he’s the person they’re undoubtedly searching for. “Great! We could use more eyes, Abeno and I haven’t made much progress. We’ve been working this on the weekends between other jobs because we have more time.” 

“Yeah, I don’t have anything to do tomorrow.” Now, that is. His schedule was just completely cleared. “Could I borrow your shower now?” 

Ashiya loaned him some clothes and Natsume stepped into his bathroom, locking the door behind him and leaning against it. How he was supposed to do this was now beyond him. Natsume couldn’t just ditch them at some point to find this Yokai and deliver its name. He also couldn’t just rip the page out and give it back, he had to see what the Yokai looked like. He should have known it would become a problem eventually, he asked Nyanko-Sensei weeks ago if the Legislator was going to become a problem, if he knew. 

Now the problem was getting too close to home. What would Abeno do if he knew the truth? If he saw all the Yokai his Grandmother had imprisoned? Natsume wasn’t above her, he had used the names in there when he needed to. Even if Misuzu had given him permission to use it. 

He really—didn’t want to ruin the friendship he seemed to be growing with these two. He was enjoying hanging out with Ashiya. 

Nyanko-Sensei would call him soft. He was right. 

Often enough he was overly soft when it came to things like this, when it came to wanting to help the Yokai. Nyanko-Sensei had picked him up off the ground several times when he had gotten hurt trying to help them, pushing himself to the limits to give Yokai back their names. The problem was Reiko had spent decades collecting those names, there was more in them than he realized and some had gotten damaged to the turns of time. 

He still remembered those Yokai that had their pages stuck together, that he had to hunt down to deliver both at the same time. If he hadn't realized just what happened there and he ripped those pages trying to separate them, he could have killed them. 

Since then Natsume had tried to be extra careful with the Book of Friends and the names in it, but what if he just spills water on it one day? Surely, Abeno and Ashiya would wonder the same thing. Would Abeno confiscate it and deem it the Mononokean’s job to return the names? Natsume considered the book his burden to bear, his Grandmother’s mistakes to fix. His legacy. 

That wasn’t something he could just hand it over. 

He wished Nyanko-Sensei was conscious and had come with him now. 

The shower helped to ease his mind a bit but Natsume still couldn’t ration out what was going to happen. He cleaned and bandaged his wounds when he was done and dressed in the clothes that Ashiya had given him to borrow. Once he returned to the room they sat down and Ashiya popped in one of his favorite movies before they settled down for the night. He’d borrowed a spare futon and blankets, making a small comfortable place out of them where he wouldn’t be in the way if Ashiya got up in the middle of the night. 

Still, he didn’t really sleep. Normally, Natsume didn’t sleep well. He was the kind of person that was often plagued by nightmares which kept him up, even worse if he was in the middle of a job. He did notice they were worse when Nyanko-Sensei wasn’t around and apparently being away from home just added to it. He slept perhaps an hour at most before giving up and just laying there. He might have rested on and off as the night dragged on but by the time Ashiya was up Natsume was well already awake. 

He borrowed more clothes, jeans and a button down shirt. They’d given up on his own at some point that morning and Natsume just trashed them figuring he’d buy another jacket. Thankfully though given the weather Ashiya had an older one he could loan him when they got ready to leave. 

Ashiya’s mother Nara cooked breakfast for them. He tried to wash the dishes as a thanks and was quickly shoved out of the kitchen with a scolding from the woman. Ashiya walked to the front door with them and passed Natsume the coat he could borrow as he tugged his own on. Just as they finished getting ready the front door opened and Abeno, dressed in a different set of clothes than he was used to, rushed them inside. 

He was more laid back today, he had pants on which was surprising enough to Natsume. It wasn’t a bad look, he looked normal, it was just so different from the Kimono and Haori that it confused him. 

“Alright, since you’re already here I guess I’ll deal with it.” Abeno opened the door to the Mononokean again and instead of Ashiya’s house on the other side they’d been taken to a forest a few miles from where the Fujiwara’s lived. Natsume peeked his head out first, looked around and then stepped into the open air. “The plan here is simple, we need to walk around and ask a few Yokai about a human taking names.”

While the premise was simple, Natsume was familiar with the Yokai around here. None of them were quite so… intimate with humans. Not even the Master of the Mononokean. He’s not sure what kind of answers Abeno is likely to get, if he’ll get any at all. 

“Alright, it’s information time! Let’s go, team!”

“You should be careful.” Natsume adjusted his bag on his shoulder and looked back to them. “Nyanko-Sensei’s drinking buddies are around here. I know them, good Yokai. But, there are some around here that are… less friendly. I’ll go that way.” He motioned toward the forest and nodded his head in parting before walking into the woods. 

The woods in the morning were always so much better than when he got stuck in them at night. Though the trees blocked the sunlight the bit that it let through was nice and pleasant to look at. More so however was the fact that the Yokai didn’t tend to be as active in the daylight as they were in the night. At least the ones that tried to eat him, anyway. Natsume had far more problems when he was wandering around at night. 

When he reached the spot where Nyanko-Sensei tended to have his nightly drinks he looked around for the Yokai, he quickly ended up empty handed. Of course his buddies only gathered here at night but sometimes he could collect Nyanko-Sensei in the morning from this spot. Apparently that thought process was in vain. Letting out a sigh he kicked a rock, watched it roll across the ground and bump into an empty bottle of Sake. One day he was actually going to leash that cat. 

“Natsume, what brings you all the way out here again?” 

A pause in his steps and he tilts his head upward, blinking to Hinoe in the tree. She had her pipe out, taking long drags from it and watching him with that narrowed gaze. When he took a step back away from the tree she jumped down to this side and leaned into it. “Hinoe have you seen Nyanko-Sensei?” 

“Mm, that damn Madara leave you on your own again? What a useless bodyguard he is. Honestly, you’re going to get eaten one day.” 

“Your confidence in me is always so inspiring.” 

“I’m glad.” She took another puff of it and he waved away the smoke. “No, I haven’t seen him, thought he was with you.” 

She watches him for a few more minutes and then really looks at his face. Hinoe straightened up and took a step toward him. “Are you in trouble? Do you need help?” 

Quickly he shook his head. “Not really, no. Abeno-San, the Master of the Mononokean?” She nodded to show she remembered him. “He took a job that unknowingly involves the Book of Friends. I don’t know what I should do.” 

“Well, my advice would be to avoid them.” 

“Advice I gave you weeks ago.” 

A breath rushed out of him quickly when he spotted Nyanko-Sensei landing beside them, the large beast form standing tall above them. He lowered his head down and bumped his snout against Natsume’s injured shoulder, making him wince but pat the Yokai’s head. As he shifted forms in a cloud of smoke Natsume caught him in his arms and hefted him up, feeling Nyanko-Sensei curl into his chest. “You’re late.” 

“I can’t be late when you left without me.” An argument he would normally agree with but after what he just went through in the last twenty-four hours he won’t. “You get into so much trouble when I’m gone. Where are those two idiots anyway?” 

“Asking Yokai about Reiko. Well, they don’t know her name but the fact still stands.” If they still didn’t know her name, anyway. 

“Hmph. They’ll find it tough to get answers around here. Even for who that Abeno man is.” Nyanko-Sensei crawled his way up onto Natsume’s uninjured shoulder and got himself comfortable. “Do you know who they’re looking for? Maybe we can beat them to returning the name without them knowing.” 

“I only have their name, I don’t know what they look like. Ashiya called him Maseru.” He reached back for the book of friends and pulled it out. Balancing the green flip book in his arms he opened it up and started looking through it. Name after name he tossed his way through them all until Nyanko-Sensei told him to stop. There, written in words he could read that looked like scribbles to anyone else, was the name of the Yokai. And something else. 

“What is that?” He turned the book a bit until the scribbled characters were facing him. 

Hinoe leaned closer and covered her face with the sleeve of her Yukata, a huff of laughter leaving her. “That is another Yokai’s name. Hatomo.” 

“She wrote two Yokai’s names on the same page? Does that even work? I thought these were used for summoning, that’s typically a one paper kind of deal.” He could hit himself with the book right now, he really could. 

“Well, we all know Reiko didn’t exactly do things traditionally.” Reiko might be the only family he really had that he could understand but right now he almost wishes he wasn’t related to her. “If it was just Maseru we wouldn’t really have any problems but Hatomo is a rather—hateful Yokai. If I remember right a Priest that used to live in the area attempted to exorcise him, took off half his face but didn’t succeed.” That sounded horrible and Natsume gripped the Book of Friends a bit tighter. “Maseru is just an old man. Probably tired of being around us.” 

“Ashiya said he’s sick.” Nyanko-Sensei made a sound of understanding and Natsume sighed as he closed the book. “Well, at least we know what we need to do. We just… have to do it before them. Hinoe, do you know where we can find them?” 

She nods and motioned to the North end of the forest. “There is a shrine up that way, Maseru lives in it. Hatomo I believe mostly wanders around in the area around it. You can’t miss him, he’s a Kitsune.” 

Fantastic. “I’m assuming not the good kind of Kitsune either, right? Like just a fun kind that will play games with me.” Nyanko-Sensei sighed and shook his head, fluffy ears rubbing against Natsume’s neck. 

“He used to be.” They left it at that and Natsume couldn’t blame them. He nodded his thanks to Hinoe and turned to head up the hill, moving deeper into the forest. There hadn’t been any sign of Abeno and Ashiya and he hoped that they were alright. He knew they probably were, Abeno was strong from what he understood and clearly took care of Ashiya when they worked a case, but there was still that lingering fear in the back of his mind that was cause enough for concern. 

They hiked up the mountain and Nyanko-Sensei pointed out the shrine that belonged to Maseru in the distance. It wasn’t that small, not like how he expected it to be. Though it was clearly worn down with age, boards falling off and the protective circle broken, it was still decent looking. It was about the size of a chicken keep, a nice sized shrine. He might send Tanuma’s father over to take a look at it when they were done here, it was in good enough shape they could patch it back up. 

Stopping outside the door Natsume knelt down and reached his hand out, rasping his knuckles against the wood. A small head popped out from between the doors, a figure the size of a little girls doll stepping forward into the light. It’s bald head bobbed side to side and a snake-like singular eye blinked up at him. “Oh, good evening gentlemen. May I be of assistance?” 

“Maseru?” They nodded and Natsume offered a smile. “My name is Takashi Natsume and this is Nyanko-Sensei. My Grandmother was Reiko.” The head tilted and he wondered if Maseru even remembered the name of the woman that trapped him, it didn’t seem to be the case. “Years ago she made you play a game with her and in exchange for winning, you wrote your name in a book.” 

“Oh, ho-ho-ho, yes. We played hopscotch, she was quite good at it.” Natsume smiled more and nodded his head. “Though I’m afraid I’m getting rather ill keeping that deal. This old man isn’t quite as he used to be.” 

“I heard.” Natsume shifted to a better position and sat the bag with the Book of Friends next to him. “My Grandmother passed away and I inherited the book that has your name. I can give it back to you, of course. However, there appears to be a problem.” 

The book was placed in front of Maseru and Natsume explained to him that in order to return his name he had to as well, at the same time, return the name that belonged to Hatomo. Maseru was deeply understanding of the situation and only lamented that he couldn't leave to get medicine sooner. It was a situation that hurt Natsume’s heart but he’d rather do this the right way than risk hurting one of the Yokai. Both were suffering, just in different ways. And he couldn't risk one to help another quicker. 

Maseru knew Hatomo, from before his accident and after. He explained that Hatomo was a kind Yokai before the accident and that after it—he just became reluctant to interact with anyone, and that included Maseru. Hatomo used to play with the kids that could see him, the ones that seemed lonely and would wander into the forest. It was those actions that led the local Priest to him, and the following events. Maseru didn’t think Hatomo blamed the kids, just humans in general. 

After Natsume helped the both of them Maseru said he wanted to try and get Hatomo to leave with him, he thought it would be better for his mental health to no longer be in the Mundane world. Natsume agreed that it would be for the best if they at the very least tried to get him somewhere safer. 

Maseru decided to go with them, taking Nyanko-Sensei’s place on his shoulder. His small hands clutched the fabric of his borrowed jacket and they made their way through the forest, looking for the Kitsune. As they made their third loop around the place he was supposed to live in, Natsume finally ran into Abeno and Ashiya. They were quietly talking to themselves, Abeno having changed into the clothes that Natsume was far more familiar with. 

They stopped when they crossed into Natsume’s path and Abeno briefly looked to him before offering Maseru a bow. “Maseru, are you feeling alright?” 

“I could be better.” He chuckled, a rattling sound that soon broke into a harsh cough. “I feel we’re getting closer though.” 

“Oh, did you make progress then, Natsume? Good evening, Nyanko-Sensei.” Ashiya attempted, poorly, to pet the cat Yokai. Nyanko-Sensei instantly hissed at him, hair raising on ends and teeth bared. Natsume nudged him with his foot and rolled his eyes. 

“Um, kinda. I’m looking for another Yokai that lives in the area. Do you guys want to wander back the way you came? He’s a Kitsune.” His hair was harshly tugged on and Natsume snapped his head in Maseru’s direction, looking to the distance. There, standing among trees brightly lit by the sun, was a figure. It was dressed in a deep blue Yukata, head facing in their direction. The mask it wore covered only half of its face and the single green eye he could see was directed right at them. 

“That’s Hatomo, Natsume-Dono.” Well, it seems he wasn’t escaping this after all. 

“Hey, that was easy.” Ashiya waved his arms widely and while Nastume thought the gesture was quite endearing, he also wanted to push him down this hill. Kindly, for his own protection. 

“That’s really not a good idea.” The words were barely out of his mouth before Hatomo moved, appearing directly in front of Ashiya and taking a swipe for his head. Claws raked at the air inches from where his face was moments ago, Ashiya now sprawled across the ground after being tackled by Nyanko-Sensei. 

He took several steps back himself and then started to run, reaching up to grab Maseru. “Forgive me.” He dumped the Yokai into his bag and ducked behind a tree. It really didn’t do much for him, the moment he stopped moving Hatomo was standing in front of him, green eye staring emotionlessly at his face. 

Natsume ducked, spun around the tree and froze when his path was blocked by the very same Yokai. 

“It’s an illusion!” Abeno hauled Ashiya back up to his feet and shoved him backwards. “You said it was a Kitsune right? Illusions are their specialty!” And claws apparently considering it kept trying to rip his face off with them. This time however, when it reached for him he felt the jacket caught in their nails. His body was yanked forward and as his face came inches within theirs he felt himself become unbearably hot. 

Hot. So hot. Fire! Blindly he reached out and drove his first into Hatomo’s body, shoving them off of him and knocking them to the ground. Quickly he tossed his bag to the ground and started to rip the jacket off, throwing it in any direction that wasn’t near him. He patted his arms and moved away from the Yokai, tumbling over his backpack to the ground. 

They needed to do something, at this rate if they didn’t go offensive they were going to be burned alive. He didn’t care if the illusion was fake, it felt far too real for his heart to survive something like that again. 

“We’re not here to hurt you!” Hatomo stood in the middle of them all, head bowed down to the ground and that same blank look on his face. He didn’t even flinch when Abeno spoke, just continued to stare at the ground as if he was empty. “My name is Haruitsuki Abeno, I’m the Master of the Mononokean, I’m here to help!” 

“No one can help. Humans are all the same.” It was the first time Hatomo had spoken to them and even it’s wounds sounded as void as it’s face. Like emotion had been ripped from it and all that was left was a hollow shell. As it picked it’s head up a circle of fire started to grow around it and outward, reaching toward them. 

They were really running out of options here. Natsume sat up and placed his hand down for support, palm falling flat over the top of the Book of Friends. Glancing down to it his fingers curled around the edge and he picked it up, gaze falling back on the Yokai. 

He would do what he had to do. Clenching his teeth, Natsume climbed back up to his feet and raised his head high. 

It wasn’t hard to hear the curse that Nyanko-Sensei let out when he looked at him, fanged barred and hackles raised. “Natsume! Don’t!” He wished he had another idea because honestly he was sure this was only going to cause him more problems. 

Instead of sparing the cat Yokai a response he turned his gaze to Ashiya and Abeno. “This is going to look bad, I promise it’s not what you think.” He took a breath, opened the book in his hands and let his mind wander to the two Yokai that he needed to return the names to. 

“That which shields me, reveal thy name!” The pages spun, carried by the spiritual energy that powered the book. They flipped through until a single one stood up. Natsume grasped it, ripped it out and folded the paper in half. Settling it between his lips he tilted his head back and clasped his hands together. As he breathed out he prayed for Maseru and Hatomo to take their names back and free them from their oath that bound them to his Grandmother and him. 

As the paper vanished his mind filled with the memories that it carried of Reiko. 

“You lost!” Reiko laughed, sitting at the end of the hopscotch game that had been drawn far too large for someone the size of Maseru. The games she played never had to be played fair, they just needed to be played. If they were tilted in her favor to win, well they only complained once they lost. Maseru was given a pen and the book she crafted was flipped open, a random page left open. 

Though Maseru lamented over his loss, the older Yokai of course wrote his name down just like all the others. He had been kind, eager to play and cure a few hours of boredom. It was always a treat for them, when someone could see them. 

Once his name was gone Reiko closed the book and tucked it away, eating the apple that had been left at the shrine as an offering as she left. Tossing the pen up and down a few times she stumbled across another Yokai, this one just staring at the sky as if it held answers to unspoken questions. 

When she got within range they looked over, single green eye staring at her. The mask was void of any design, just a white shell that covered half their face. “Hey, wanna play a game?” 

“Humans are burdens. Leave, or I’ll make you.” 

“I feel that. Wanna play a game anyway? If you win, you can kill me.” She reached into her bag and pulled out a blindfold. “Let’s play Hide and Seek, Kitsune like those games, right?” 

“Natsume!” His eyes snapped open and he blinked several times. Ashiya was staring at his face, eyes wide and full of fright. The fire that had started was gone and thankfully the several copies of Hatomo seemed to have gone with them. As he looked around he spotted the Kitsune off to the side, Maseru held in his arms as the older Yokai animatedly talked to him, small body waving as he flailed his arms. 

Ashiya shook his shoulder and Natsume looked back to him. His head felt like it was full of cotton. Returning two names at the same exact time never got any easier on him. “Please don’t shake me.” He actually might throw up if Ashiya did it again. “I’m sorry, are you hurt?” 

“Am I hurt? You practically collapsed after whatever you did!” His lips pressed together and he looked down to the Book of Friends. Instinctively Natsume held it tighter to him, edges digging into his hands. “What was that?” 

“That was the breaking of a contract.” The harsh words didn’t make him flinch but it was a near thing. Abeno stared down at him, arms crossed over his chest. He clenched his jaw tightly and though he hadn’t really appeared fond of Natsume at any point during their acquaintanceship this was definitely a negative look he was getting. “Care to explain yourself?” 

“I told you it’s not what you think.” He shakes his head and instantly regrets it when the world tilts. Ashiya thankfully caught him before he face planted right into the ground. 

A sigh and Abeno looks away from them. “Let me deal with those two first, then I’m afraid something has to be decided.” 

“Wait, Abeno, what’s that mean!?” Quickly forgotten for the moment, Ashiya chased after Abeno who walked away to find a large enough spot to summon the doors to the Underworld. 

In the moment they were gone his lap soon became occupied by Nyanko-Sensei who sprawled himself across Natsume’s legs. The relief he felt at feeling the Yokai back with him was enough to nearly make him sag in relief. Instead he tucked the Book of Friends back in his bag, strapped it to himself once more and let his fingers sink into Nyanko-Sensei’s fur. He got a purr of appreciation as they curled closer to him. “You’re an idiot.”

A fond smile plays on his lips. “I know, but I did what I thought was right. They deserved to be free.” 

“Even the one that nearly burned you alive?” 

“Even him… was the fire even real?” 

“The charred remains of your jacket say so.” 

Then he definitely made the right choice.

“Haruitsuki Abeno, Master of the Mononokean, requesting a door to the Underworld!” Hatomo and Maseru were escorted to the Underworld with directions and a reference from Abeno for Kora. Whatever Maseru was sick with, Abeno was sure that Kora could treat it easily, which was a relief to Natsume. They waved goodbye and the doors closed, sealing the Underworld once again. 

They used the nearby shrine that Maseru occupied to summon the Mononokean and after they had all crawled into and gathered in the Tea Room a tense silence settled amongst them. Nyanko-Sensei never left his lap once he was seated, eyes closed but clearly listening and tense with the way he was so quiet. Natsume kept sinking his fingers through his fur, hoping to calm him a bit. It was silently agreed that they would not leave here without the Book of Friends. He didn’t care what Abeno said. 

“I have to report this to the Legislator.” That wasn’t exactly how he expected this conversation to start. 

“Why?” Ashiya shook his head and looked up to Abeno. “Natsume didn’t do anything wrong, he helped them.” 

“There’s the problem of why he had those contracts in the first place, but more so how many of them there are. You saw that book, Ashiya, it’s thick.” Thinner that it was, which is not the best argument to make right now no matter how true. 

“You’re thinking the worst of me and I haven’t even explained myself yet.” Accidentally he grips Nyanko-Sensei’s fur in his hand and though the Yokai tenses he doesn’t protest. The movement is enough to make him relax a bit. “It’s not mine. Not—not exactly, anyway.” Abeno arches an eyebrow at him and Natsume sighs. “It belonged to my Grandmother.” 

“Regardless of how you came into possession of it, you’re still using it which is a bigger concern. And—I’m bound by the rules to tell the Legislator. You’ll have to explain your case to him.” That was not what he wanted in the least bit, but arguing doesn’t seem to be getting him anywhere. He could run, but he didn’t really want to. Besides, Ashiya knew where he lived. 

If he had to fight, so be it. He would argue his best with words first, rely on Nyanko-Sensei second and lastly, rely on the book. Misuzu would answer his call, if it even worked in the Underworld. 

The small door to the side slid open and Abeno climbed down inside, turning to face them a moment later. Ashiya dropped himself down, supported by Abeno and then finally Natsume threw himself down inside it. Oddly enough, banned or not, Nyanko-Sensei clung to him and followed him in. Apparently his guard wasn’t leaving him alone this time. They appeared right in the Legislator’s office, the man himself tucked behind the desk and looking quite surprised at their arrival. 

“Just curious, I thought we couldn’t enter the Underworld from the Mononokean?” Natsume turned and looked to Abeno before the Legislator at his desk. The Yokai, curious, leaned forward elbows resting on top of the table. 

“Because of an experience earlier this year, Ashiya has special rules for entering, which breaks that particular rule. He can only come as far as this room.” Huh, he wanted to ask more but wisely thought it better not to given the way Ashiya tensed at Abeno’s words. 

The Legislator grinned widely and looked at all of them. “Hello boys, what brings you here?” 

“A case. Get comfortable.” 

They sprawled themselves out across the room, Abeno and Ashiya sitting off to the side and Natsume making himself comfortable in a chair in front of the Legislator’s desk. The moment he spotted Nyanko-Sensei the two of them seemed to have a staring contest that was determined to set one of them on fire. Neither of which relented no matter how much Natsume tried to shake the Yokai out of it. Even flicking Nyanko-Sensei’s ears didn’t work. 

“You’re banned.” 

“Special circumstances.”

“They don’t apply to you.” 

“Don't care, I make my own rules. I see you're still petty.” 

“Excuse me, I need to go home sometime today, can we talk?” Natsume tried his best to smile and only ended up grimacing. He pulled his friend tighter to him in his arms, hefting him up on his chest. Nyanko-Sensei didn’t stop glaring at the Legislator. They at least looked up to him and smiled. 

A breath held as the Yokai leaned forward, blue eyes looking him over before settling on his face. “Alright, talk. You’ve apparently been keeping a secret from us, Nat-su-me.” The way he broke his name up and slowly said each syllable was enough for him to be sure they knew what was connected to it. 

Still, he had to ask. “Do you know the name Natsume Reiko?” 

The Legislator leaned back in his chair, hands folding inside his Haori as he watched Natsume. “One of the older cases from the Mononokean, during Aoi’s era. What would it be now, thirty years?” 

Time really didn’t move right for these beings. “Try fifty. She was my Grandmother.” The Legislator nodded his head and Natsume reached for his bag. He pulled out the Book of Friends and rested it on his knees in front of Nyanko-Sensei. “This book was created by her, it’s called the Book of Friends and holds the name of hundreds of Yokai. I’ve returned… maybe twenty-five percent of them.” Taking a breath he lifted his head and looked to the Legislator. He’d start from the beginning. “My Grandmother could see Yokai, but she hated them as much as she hated humans. She was tortured by both of them and as a result became a very spiteful person. To get revenge she ‘fought’ Yokai and made them write their names in this book.” 

He placed his hand flat over the top of the book and shook his head. He’d seen Reiko through the memories and he didn’t believe her to be a horrible person. She was by no means good, but she was very lonely and that could drive people to do many things. “I found the book when I moved in with relatives. Nyanko-Sensei and I have been returning the names to the Yokai trapped since breaking the bond requires my DNA.” 

The Legislator blinked and frowned a bit. “Nyanko-Sensei?” Vaguely, Natsume gestured toward the Yokai in his lap. “Madara… you’re calling yourself… kitty teacher?” Pure amusement filled their face and Nyanko-Sensei hissed at him, gaze narrowing. He looked ready to pounce across the table and rip him apart. Natsume quickly wrapped his arms tightly around the cat and held him close. “Why are you even still like that?” 

They were definitely laughing. 

“I’m having some problems recovering after being imprisoned for several decades!” 

“Right, right, of course.” He waved his hand, smile still twitching on his face before hiding behind the sleeve of his Haori. “Well, I suppose you wanted me to do something about this, Itsuki? Unfortunately, it’s a bit of a grey area. This is the sort of thing Exorcists have been doing for millennia and truthfully, the fact that Natsume is returning the names is more than we can expect of something like this.” His hand falls onto the table and he looks between them all. “We would consider it a crime but Natsume isn’t the one that committed it. To punish someone for the mistakes of their ancestors, it’s not my area of expertise. I’d have to call the Justice.” 

Was he really going to go to jail just because he picked a book up and decided to help? That’s hardly fair, Natsume didn’t have to return the names, he did it because he thought it was the right thing to do. Nyanko-Sensei wanted to use the book for his own purposes, at least he claimed, that was far worse than anything Natsume had done. 

His face must have given something away because the Legislator seemed to lose some of his amusement in the situation. “It hardly seems appropriate to punish someone for trying to help Yokai. Isn’t that what the Mononokean is for?” Abeno suddenly sat up straight and the Legislator powered on. “I have a deal.” 

Oh no, deals were how he got himself into this mess in the first place. Natsume slipped the Book of Friends back into the bag at his side and pulled Nyanko-Sensei closer. “You’re not going to—“ Abeno barely started speaking before the Legislator waved him off. 

“Natsume, I’m going to call you Takashi because this is about to get confusing. Instead of charging you for your Grandmother Natsume Reiko’s crimes, we’re going to help you.” Help him. Right. “The Mononokean can reach more Yokai and make returning the names easier. I think it would be beneficial for us to hire you as an employee.” The smile was back, wide and like they had won something. 

Natsume raised his hand and the Legislator nodded. “I don’t think I can commit to something like that. I’m in school, I live far from those two and I’m in my last year of secondary education. I’m preparing for college. I really have a hard enough time with this book.” 

The Legislator leaned back and tapped his fingers against his desk, clearly at least considering Natsume’s side of the proposal. “Alright, how about a part-time employee? A… consultant really. Work at least one job a week with them, and then anytime a case with the Book of Friends comes up. That seems fair, you help already anyway.” 

Except—not really. He accidentally met them a few times and then was forced to work with them for Misuzu. That isn’t really the same thing. Besides, why did he have to do this because he was trying to help Yokai? But, it really would make returning the names easier. There were a few times he really did need help, but Natsume hated dragging other people into his problems. 

He folded a bit into himself, Nyanko-Sensei uncomfortably crushed in his arms. The Yokai didn’t complain though, it was so unlike him. 

“I think it’s a great idea!” Ashiya stood from his chair and smiled widely at Natsume, drawing their attention over to his bright personality. “We could really use some help. Maybe you can teach me some things. Abeno is horrible at teaching.” 

“I am not, you’re just terrible at learning.” A huff and Abeno turned away from him, arms crossed over his chest as he scowled at the wall. “If he can teach you anything I’ll be surprised, though he’d definitely be better than you at the job.” 

Oh, they were trying to make him feel welcome in their own way. Natsume blinked, turning their bickering out and shifted his gaze back to the Legislator. His smile was less creepy now, softened in a way that made him more pleasant to look at. He—didn’t think this Yokai was bad. If he threw him to the Justice, he wondered what would have become of this situation… would it have been much worse? Abeno said time and generations didn’t matter to Yokai, would he have been charged for his Grandmother’s crimes? 

Did the Legislator just save him? 

“One job a week.” He repeated, looking at Yokai’s calming blue eyes. They reflected the same color as the water he saw outside in the Newt Lake. 

“One a week, Takashi.” 

Chapter Text

“Hey, do you want to get something to eat on the way home? I saw this new ice cream place when I was on my way to school. We could even get some for Nyanko-Sensei, I’m sure they have something he’d like.” Tanuma smiled brightly at him and Natsume gave a nod of his head, it would be good for a change to do something so normal. “Great! It seems like it’s been a while since we’ve gotten to hang out Natsume, and I know you’ve probably been busy. I just—“ He stops by their classroom door and looks at him. “I worry about you. It feels like you’ve gotten yourself into something again.” 

“It’s not like that Tanuma.” Not exactly, anyway. “I have been busy though and I know I should have given you a call. But I also know after that case those couple weeks ago you got really sick…” 

Tanuma caught his wrist before he opened the door and Natsume looked up to him. “Are you still blaming yourself for that? I know my limits, I know what I was getting into when I helped you. That’s not your fault.” He let Natume go and grabbed the door, pulling it open as he spoke. “I want to help you and if that makes me bedridden for a few weeks then… that is…” 

Great. Natsume sighed as he stared into the Mononokean, Abeno sitting on the floor and drinking tea. Their gazes met, a silent argument over time and places before Abeno looked at Tanuma with an arched eyebrow. Tanuma himself still seemed frozen but could clearly see Abeno sitting there with his tea. “Natsume, there’s a boy—floating in darkness.” At that Abeno’s eyebrows seem to climb higher into his hair. 

Natsume reached his hand out, placed it over Tanuma’s and slowly slid the classroom door shut. “It’s not empty, it’s a Yokai. One that can go wherever it wants to. The boy in there was human, it’s why you could see him.” So, even the Mononokean appeared as a shadow to Tanuma. His skin complexion had seemed to lose several shades, hopefully he didn’t throw up on Natsume. “Hey, I think you should drink some water. I’m—going to deal with that. Let’s get ice cream tomorrow, alright? My treat.” 

“What? But we just talked about—“

Natsume shook his head and pat Tanuma’s shoulder. “I’ll try to explain what I can later, get some rest. The Mononokean is a powerful Yokai, alright?” He stepped back, grasped the door and slid it open. Slipping inside he shut the door quickly. Hopefully Tanuma wasn’t upset, he really hated making Tanuma sad. 

“A friend?” 

Natsume turned and looked to Abeno on the floor, still sipping his tea and dressed in his school uniform. Was that where he had come from or had he skipped? Considering Ashiya wasn’t here and he had a hard time believing that Abeno was just in class himself, he assumed the boy skipped. As he made his way over Natsume nodded his head in reply. Tanuma was a good friend to him, someone who could see right through all of Natsume’s shields. He knew him, his expressions and when he was hiding something. It used to unsettle him how close Tanuma had gotten, but his friendship was invaluable to Natsume. It’s why he tried so hard to protect him from all of this. 

Taking a seat on the tatami mat Natsume rested his hands on his lap and looked to Abeno. “Is there a reason you stalked me to my school?” It was lucky he was done for the day, the bag with the Book of Friends never let far from his sight. He didn’t have Nyanko-Sensei though, considering the cat couldn’t exactly attend school with him. Though he was never far from the building. 

“Right, we have a case. A Yokai came to the Mononokean for help, and as soon as I collect Ashiya from school I’ll explain the situation.” 

Natsume tugged his bag closer to him and frowned slightly. “Does it involve the Book of Friends?” He asked, because that was the entire reason he was trapped in all of this, wasn’t it? He had agreed to the Legislator’s request because it involved the Book of Friends. It was a way for him to return the names, help the Mononokean and the Yokai who came there, all by extension. 

Abeno shrugged and Natsume resisted letting out a sigh. “I’m not sure yet.” 

“Alright, I need to go home first.” Abeno dropped him off with a time limit and Natsume made his way to the kitchen where Touko was starting the rice cooker for dinner. He excused him for the day, saying Ashiya invited him over for dinner and then made his way upstairs to his bedroom. He collected Nyanko-Sensei, the cat grumbling at them being used already and quickly made his way back downstairs to the Mononokean. 

He let the Yokai loose inside the room and sat down on the floor once more, tucking the Book of Friends behind him. Abeno moved the Mononokean to his school and opened the door, nodding to Natsume before stepping out. It didn’t take him long to collect Ashiya, the moment he was gone he was back again dragging the other teen behind him into the room. He shut the door and let Ashiya go, returning to his seat on the floor. 

“It’s so much work to collect us when there’s more.” He seemed annoyed, which actually made Natsume feel bad for living so far away. Not that it was his fault but it made him feel like he was a burden. 

“Natsume, hey! Good evening!” Ashiya took a seat next to him and smiled widely. Moja crawled across his lap and got comfortable, face pressing into Natsume’s stomach. There was a very unamused look from Nyanko-Sensei but the Yokai was too busy with the Mononokean’s scroll to truly object. They seemed to be having a conversation but Natsume was struggling to follow the topic of it. 

I THOUGHT IT WAS COOL. IT’S NICE THAT YOU’RE HELPING SOMEONE TOO. MAYBE THEY’LL EVENTUALLY LET YOU BACK IN. (o_ _)ﾉ彡☆

“That implies I want to go back.” 

DON’T YOU MISS IT ALL, MADARA? I THOUGHT YOU WOULD AT LEAST MISS THEM. (ಥ﹏ಥ)

“The only person I miss, it doesn’t matter if I do or not.” 

“IT ALWAYS MATTERS.” 

Ashiya leaned over and Natsume tilted his ear toward him as he whispered. “What do you think they’re talking about?” 

“I can’t tell. I only gathered from everything so far that Nyanko-Sensei is very intimately familiar with the Mononokean and perhaps even the Legislator. I suppose that makes sense given he said he was friends with the Justice. Or—as much as one can be friends with Nyanko-Sensei.” His hand slipped through Moja’s fur and the fuzz ball wiggled closer to him, a small nose tucking against Natsume’s stomach. Tilting back he bumped his head against the wall of the Mononokean and listened to the bell of the tea room ring again. 

There was a lot he didn’t know about Nyanko-Sensei, questions he wanted to ask but didn’t think he should. He wondered if Nyanko-Sensei would get better at any point and be able to hold his real form for longer. It was such a large one though, surely he didn’t use to just walk around like that all the time? The Justice was a large leopard, but could take a human form. Could Nyanko-Sensei do that? 

Then, there was the entire way he reacted to hearing Aoi’s name. He wanted to think they were friends, but the definition of friendship with Nyanko-Sensei seemed so difficult to label. He wasn’t sure what he considered a friend, if Natsume fit in that label or where it even began. 

Nyanko-Sensei often considered him a burden, but not in a negative way. Not in the way he spoke of and looked at Natori and Matoba. No, when he called Natsume a burden it always seemed joking and self-deprecating at the same time. Like he blamed himself for not being there in time, even if the fault rested with Natsume. 

Hinoe called him a terrible bodyguard, and sometimes he truly was, but there were so many times that Natsume would have died without him that he couldn’t completely agree with her. Nyanko-Sensei tried and when he failed he got upset with himself. There were a few times Natsume thought all of that contributed to his drinking. 

Then there was Reiko. Sometimes, he thought Nyanko-Sensei blamed himself for her death but Natsume knew she died of old age, the turns of time not in her favor. She got old, lived what of a life she could, had a kid who died themself and left Natsume where he was now. 

The Mononokean’s bell rang again and Natsume tilted his head back down to look at the scroll. The tea room was scolding Nyanko-Sensei for his language now which drew a small chuckle from him. 

“Alright, let’s discuss the case now. Cat, if you’re helping get over here.” Abeno gazed back and Nyanko-Sensei hissed at him, hackles raising. 

“I’m not a cat!”

“Mhm. The case we were given is from a Yokai named Yonami.” It wasn’t a name that Natsume recognized and when he glanced at Nyanko-Sensei he watched the Yokai shake their head. So, not one he recognized either then. It was quite possible this had nothing to do with the Book of Friends. “They said they lost something, but can’t remember what it is. They just know that they need it back.” 

“Wait, how are we supposed to look for something if we don’t know what it is?” Ashiya frowned and rubbed the back of his head. “That’s like looking for an invisible needle in a haystack.” 

“They know where they lost it and it’s personal in nature, so it’ll carry a bit of their energy with it. Yonami said we’d know what it was when we found it.” That was not helpful in the least. Were these the types of cases that the Mononokean took on normally? Lost items? Was this seriously what he had gotten himself into? He shakes his head and let’s his eyes fall closed, head resting back against the wall again. 

Well, at least this shouldn’t be too hard. Finding something precious to a Yokai imbued with their energy, so long as it was a decent amount of energy, wasn’t difficult for him. 

Sitting up again he rubbed his face and looked to Abeno. “We could try using a paper doll.” He’s used it with Natori to find a Yokai once, surely they could use it to find something that belonged to a Yokai too. 

“I’d rather not use exorcist tricks until we run out of options. If we can’t find it just by looking we’ll give it a try.” Abeno stood and moved to another door, vanishing behind it and dismissing the topic. Well, he was just trying to save them time. It wasn’t like Natsume was an exorcist, he’s only done it once and if it works, it works. 

“Can I ask what a paper doll is?” 

Natsume nudged Moja off of his lap and stood, pulling the bag with the Book of Friends back onto his shoulder. “It’s a trick that exorcists use to do small things, like finding Yokai. They’re little paper dolls, like the name implies, with a binding seal written on them that connects them to the user. Then, feeding off of our spiritual energy, they do the bidding requested of them.” Like finding things. “Natori said they require a lot of concentration and an understanding of how spiritual energy works. You can’t use too much or too little. If you can’t control the flow of energy you’ll quickly run yourself dry.” 

“Really? That sounds useful!” Ashiya leaned forward and smiled, patting Moja on the head as the small Yokai wandered closer to him for attention. “I wonder why Abeno is against it.” 

“If I had to guess,” Nyanko-Sensei sat down in front of Natsume and scratched his head. “It’s more with the principle of it. The Mononokean is a service to Yokai, exorcists and their tricks are hunters. The idea of the Mononokean using tricks that are typically used to cause us harm wouldn’t set well with the Underworld.” That was perhaps the first time Nyanko-Sensei had agreed with something Abeno did or said. Maybe there was a point to his reluctance after all. 

There might be a learning curve to figuring out how to do this after all. Natsume had worked with exorcists, he’s never worked with people who instead dedicated themselves to helping Yokai. He didn’t quite count Tanuma since his friend helped Natsume rather than the other way around. 

Abeno returned dressed as the Master of the Mononokean and then opened the doors to where they were apparently conducting their hunt. They exited the tea room into what appeared to be an old abandoned temple, the large red arch of the place very familiar to Natsume. Though the spiritual energy in the land was either minuscule or nonexistent. He looked around a bit and then turned to face Abeno and Ashiya. 

“This place has been abandoned for a while, the Priestess that used to live here died and when others tried to take over years down the road they suddenly became incredibly ill and didn’t return.” Abeno looked away toward the buildings and folded his arms across his chest. “I’m not expecting you to be helpful Ashiya, just look around for strange things.” 

“Hey! I’ve gotten better!” From the way Abeno frowned at the word ‘better’ he wondered how bad Ashiya actually was. 

“Right, I’m going to check the storage house over that way. Nyanko-Sensei?” They wandered off, splitting up and Ashiya storming away from Abeno angrily. The place was definitely old, if he had to guess it had been abandoned for a decade if not several. The items he was picking up in the storage room looked like something out of the Taisho period. 

He stopped in front of the Priestess clothes, hung up displayed yet covered in dust, and ran his gaze over them. They looked normal, the usual red and white, fans hanging beside it and open. They were pretty, drawing his attention away from the clothing. The designs on them reflected the area nearby, trees and hills painted over the fabric. They looked hand done. Natsume leaned a bit closer, squinting at the figure painted on them. It wasn’t a human. 

He reached out, fingers itching to touch them, and froze when a yell echoed through the shrine. Turning back away he hurried out the doors followed closely by Nyanko-Sensei. 

Ashiya sat on the ground, Moja sprawled across his lap and sweat coating his forehead. Natsume had apparently been inside the storage room for nearly two hours, a fact he had no idea about and found himself deeply confused by. So, there was something about that room. What, he wasn’t sure. Was it the Priestess clothes, the Hakama and Kosode, or the fans? Something else entirely? He’d go back but Ashiya seemed distraught. 

“I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong! Abeno says to ‘sense’ what we’re looking for but how do you sense anything?” He tumbled backwards and fell onto the ground, hands gripping his hair. 

Nyanko-Sensei scowled and turned away, walking back toward the storage room. So, he realized it too, then. “You’re going about it the wrong way.” Ashiya opened his eyes again and looked to Natsume, sitting up on the ground. Abeno had made his way back by now but was just watching them, gaze focused on Ashiya and his increasing plight. 

“What do you mean?” Genuine bright blue eyes focused up into Natsume’s own green ones. So honest, he really wanted to learn how to do this. How odd… Natsume often wondered if his life would be easier if he couldn’t do this, if he would have had a better childhood, if his family would have loved him. Yet, here this boy was, thrown into this world with a chance to escape but eating it up. 

Natsume wouldn’t stop doing what he was, not when it brought Nyanko-Sensei and Tanuma to him. Not when… he got to meet these two because of it. But when he was younger he might have. He didn’t think Ashiya would ever consider the same. 

“You’re trying too hard. It’s not something you can force, not something you should force. Feeling Yokai, their energy, the changes in the atmosphere, it's something that comes naturally.” Setting himself down in front of Ashiya he looked into the boy's eyes. “Do you force yourself to breath? To hear? To think? To feel? Doing what we do is just like one of our senses. It’s natural.” 

Ashiya frowned and looked down at his hands, curling his fingers into his palms. He shook his head and looked back to Natsume’s eyes. “I’ve tried that, it doesn’t work and I just give myself a headache.” 

“Because you’re forcing it. You can’t make it happen. Here, give me your hands.” Holding his own out Ashiya slipped them into his and Natsume curled his fingers around Ashiya’s. He held them loosely and lowered them between the both of them. “Close your eyes and just focus on the area around you. Don’t think about what you’re doing and looking for, just hear the sounds, feel the air and relax. Turn your head off.” 

He did as instructed, closing his eyes and letting his body relax a bit. Natsume watched him a few moments and then let his own fall shut. He gave in to the area around them, the feeling of the wind against his skin and the slight chill of the weather. There was still that feeling in the back of his head, where the storage room was. 

His eyes opened again and looked at Ashiya's face. He spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the boy too much. “What do you feel?” 

His brows pinched together and he breathed deeply. “Tired. Cold. My head still hurts.” A smile twitched on Natsume’s lips and the hands that he held squeezed him slightly. “But, I feel something weird.” 

“Weird? Where? Go with that feeling.” 

Ashiya released his hands and opened his blue eyes, standing to his feet and brushing his clothes off. When he started walking Natsume stood and followed behind him, the both of them making their way toward the storage building where Nyanko-Sensei had vanished to. They stepped inside, Abeno finally having joined them, and Ashiya headed back toward where the Priestess clothes and fans hung on the wall. 

“Hey, these fans are pretty.” 

“They are. I also think they were painted by a Yokai.” Ashiya froze and slowly looked back at Natsume, his eyes wide. Giving a nod of his head Natsume walked up to the other boy’s side and reached his hands out, pulling the fan carefully off of the wall and turning back to face the both of them. “You did good, there was something about this room. I lost two hours in here without even realizing it. But, more importantly, look at this fan and tell me what you see.” 

Ashiya leaned over his shoulder and looked at the painting, head tilting slightly as he took in each of the pictures depicted on it. “It’s the temple… but what is that?” 

“They’re Yokai.” Natsume pointed to a few of the smaller figures with a smile. “I’ve seen those ones, they’re like spiders but cute. Little creatures with really long legs that carry leaves.” 

“That’s incredible! Do you think this is what we were looking for?” 

Natsume nodded and held the fan out to Abeno who took it. Ashiya got the other one down off of the wall and Natsume turned to look at the Priestess clothes. “I wonder if the Priestess who used to live here… could see Yokai.” 

“That would be interesting and make sense.” Ashiya held the other fan up, looking at the painted picture of the Priestess and another figure. It was human shaped, but had horns and a pair of pitch black eyes with white circle in the middle. A Yokai, then, and it held the hands of the painted Priestess. 

“That’s Yonami.” Abeno took the fan that Ashiya held and looked to the picture on it. “So, this is definitely what we were looking for then. We should return it to them as quickly as possible.” He looked to Ashiya and nodded his head. “Good work, Ashiya.” Tucking the fans into his arms he headed to the door of the storage room and called for the Mononokean. He headed inside and left them to follow him. 

Yonami was a tall Yokai, he barely fit inside the Mononokean when he came to collect his items. A table was sat between them, tea set up on it. Abeno sat at one end, Yonami at the other. Ashiya sat slightly behind and to the right of Abeno but Natsume took a seat directly at the side of the table, not caring if he was supposed to or not. 

Nyanko-Sensei certainly made himself comfortable, sitting directly on top of the table and looking at Yonami. He blinked as the Yokai picked the fans up and then set them down directly in front of him. “You lost your memory.” It wasn’t an accusation but a direct fact. “Did you have a run in with an exorcist or something?” 

Yonami blinked, his black eyes rather unsettling. When he looked to Nyanko-Sensei he seemed to realize the Yokai was there for the first time. “I’m unsure. It seems to come back in feelings rather than pictures. I felt I lost something, I feel this is that item and yet there is still that emptiness. I had hoped this was the answer I was looking for.” 

“Those were painted quite a while ago.” Nyanko-Sensei stood and walked forward, placing a paw on the top of one of the fans. “If your memories are taking this long to return it’s more likely you were cursed. And, as time wanes on, the curse lessons and fragments of your memory are returned. Exorcist can curse, but—“ his gaze fell to the picture on the fan. “So can Priestesses when binding Yokai.” 

“You don’t think—“ Ashiya leaned forward and was stopped from approaching by a hand on his shoulder from Abeno. 

He was nudged back and Abeno looked to Nyanko-Sensei. “What are you implying?” 

“I’m not implying anything. Do you want me to just say it?” He lifted his gaze and looked Abeno in the eyes. “He was cursed by the woman on this fan. By a Priestess.”

The room lapsed into silence, even Yonami didn’t have a comment for that. The five of them sat there, staring at the fans on the table and clearly rolling Nyanko-Sensei’s words through their head. Natsume wasn’t sure what to make of that, the fans seemed to paint a very gentle and calm, even happy feeling, but the reality that Nyanko-Sensei painted seems cruel. To paint that type of image to them, memories that seemed important to this Yokai, from someone who seemed important to them—it was hard for Natsume to swallow. 

“You can’t know that.” Abeno frowned at Nyanko-Sensei, his own eyes still focused on the fan. “That picture looks like something completely different.” 

“I know Nyanko-Sensei can be rather—hard to understand and get along with, but he’s quite intelligent when it comes to these sorts of things, Abeno.” Natsume tried to defend Nyanko-Sensei, mostly because he tended to be right but because he was his friend. And, if he was right, they would have to find a way to help this Yokai. 

Abeno shook his head and turned his gaze again to the fan. “We have no proof, we can’t just start messing with things because a cat thinks it might help. We could do more damage than good.” 

There was a chime from the Mononokean’s scroll and they turned to look at it in the corner. Words formed in such rapid succession that even Natsume struggled to keep up with what it was saying. 

ITSUKI, YOU SHOULD TRUST MADARA. HE ISN’T JUST A YOKAI HE WAS SOMEONE THAT WE HAVE RELIED ON IN THE PAST. HE’S QUITE KNOWLEDGEABLE IN THESE THINGS. IF HE HAS AN IDEA, YOU SHOULD GIVE IT A CHANCE. 

“And the Mononokean speaks.” Nyanko-Sensei blinked at the scroll and turned his gaze back to Natsume. “I do have an idea, I can’t say for certain if you’ll enjoy it or not though, Natsume.” 

Great.

“I’m not sure this is a good idea.” They were back in the temple, this time with Yonami along for the ride. He held his fans close to him, tall and intimidating form slouched over. Even like that he was still looming over them, Natsume might have reached his chest in height at most. 

In front of them was the Priestess clothes that had previously been hanging in the storage building. The idea that Nyanko-Sensei presented to them was definitely one he wasn’t looking forward to. The idea here was for Natsume to put the clothes on, take the fans and try to tap into Yonami’s memories. Doing it wasn’t the problem, he’s seen Yokai’s memories before, it always happened when he returned a name and involuntarily when he slept. If Yokai let him in he could see them. 

The problem was he’s never done it like this. By force, with a curse, and with a Yokai that couldn’t remember anything. The idea of going in blind was actually terrifying and if something went wrong the effect this could cause, to either Yonami or himself, was rather unsettling. 

Reaching down he picked the Hakama up, the smooth fabric of the top pleasant to the touch and clearly holding some form of power. Although he thought Nyanko-Sensei was right he also thought the situation wasn’t as negative as they believed. Maybe he was optimistic but the picture painted a different type of emotion. 

“If something happens, Natsume, I’ll pull you out of it.” While he wanted to believe Nyanko-Sensei could do that, it was also something they hadn’t tried before. Forcefully severing the connection might just be as bad. 

He did want to help though. 

“Alright, I’ll give it my best, Nyanko-Sensei.” He nodded his head and picked up the rest of the clothes before settling into the shed. The clothes were supposed to be a trigger for Yonami, the fans were to be the link and Natsume was to be the connection. By Nyanko-Sensei’s thoughts all the items combined with his spiritual energy should break the remains of the curse and trigger the memories. By being the anchor he would be dragged into the memories and Yonami would be freed from his curse. 

The clothes were a bit confusing to put on, there were quite a few layers involved and they didn’t exactly fit him that well, but he did manage at the very least to figure it out. He dressed in the red and white traditional clothes, sandals in all, and then returned back out into the room where the others were waiting. He looked at his bag that held the Book of Friends and made his way over to Ashiya. Holding the bag out by the strap he nodded to the boy determined. 

“I’m counting on you.” To keep it safe, to protect it. Something he’d never done with anyone else before. 

Maybe he was starting to consider them better friends. 

The shock that spread across Ashiya’s face was almost enough to make him reconsider but he quickly took the bag with a smile that shattered any and all of those thoughts. “I’ll keep it safe.” It was strange to watch someone else put the bag on and Natsume has the strangest feeling that Ashiya was more surprised that he trusted him over Abeno with it than the fact Natsume handed it over. It wasn't a hard choice to make, Natsume did trust Ashiya more. 

Turning away from them he made his way back over to Yonami and looked up at him. "To do this, you know you have to trust me completely, right?" A single minuscule nod but one regardless. "You know you have to let me in?" Another one and Natsume breathed deeply. "Whatever you feel then when you try to remember, let yourself feel that. If it's anger, frustration, sadness, it doesn't matter you need to feel every inch of those emotions. I'll be relying on those feelings to guide me." Holding his hands out Natsume took the fans and tucked both of them into the waistline of the Kosode. He then took the stone white hands of the Yokai's and held them in his grip. 

Natsume let his mind water to Yonami, grasped onto the anger and pain he felt, and used that as a guide for his spiritual energy. It latched onto the Yokai, fueled by something else that Natsume realized that the spiritual energy left on the Priestess's clothes was reacting to the curse. It pulled him in like a dying fish desperate for water and Natsume was left swallowed by the darkness. 

The world around him was shades of grey, the only colors present were the Red of the Priestess's clothes and the gold of Yonami's horns. They lit the place up like a beacon, drawing his attention over to them. He stood in the middle of it all like an out of place traveler, his body feeling strangely completely numb. This wasn't how this normally worked. Natsume tended to relieve the memories of either Reiko or the Yokai, he never stood like a third party. He couldn't even feel the world around him, touching his hands together resulted in him wondering if he was even doing it. 

He pressed his lips together and tried to distract himself by following after the Yokai and the Priestess who had already taken off. The room they wandered into was a small shrine, a circular table in the middle that held an assortment of tools he'd frequently seen at other shrines. The woman knelt on one end and picked up the sakaki tree branch, holding it in her hands. When she raised her gaze to the Yoaki he was stunned to be met with nothing. 

Grey eyes blinked but remained unseeing in Yonami's direction. 

She was blind. 

"Yonami, how long do you intend to follow me around? I'm fine, you know." The Yokai hummed in response and took a seat beside her. When he brushed her shoulders she didn't flinch, much like Natsume expected, but rather leaned closer into the inviting space. 

The smile she has is full of life, kind in every meaning of the word. She held no hatred, disgust or resentment—and she had to know what he was. Even unseeing a Priestess as strong as she was to leave an impression on the clothes Natsume borrowed had to feel a Yokai's presence. To think otherwise would be naive on his part. Natsume didn't stay alive this long by not knowing to trust his instincts. 

"My only wish is to help." The reply from Yonami pulled him from his turbulent thoughts back to the scene. "Chihiro, my only wish is for your happiness and safety." 

"So you've said. Hey, Yonami, will you paint what you see for me? By feeling the texture of the paint I'll be able to 'see' your world." 

They moved outside and Yonami gathered painting supplies from the shed. While he was busy with that Chihiro took her fans from the table and brought them back out. She moved like she could see, expertly and without a single bit of hesitation. She knew her surroundings well and trusted herself. He wondered if she even did it consciously or if this was just something that came from years of living in the same place. 

She was a beautiful woman and though Yonami was a fantastic artist, enough so that Natsume could identify the Yokai he drew with barely an effort, she was still somehow more gorgeous in life. 

They sat beside each other and Yonami started to paint, looking outward to where Natsume stood without ever seeing him. The pictures he had seen dried and preserved with magic through the decades slowly took life in front of his eyes. The first one was finished and Yonami sat it aside, taking the next and turning to look at Chihiro. This time when he painted his gaze rarely left her figure, the adoration and dedication easy to see reflected in his gaze. He almost seemed reluctant to stop but the sun began to set and Chihiro was clearly getting tired. 

He wondered if an illness plagued her with the way her energy just seemed to drain from her. Perhaps something that was cured easily now in the modern age. Back then even getting the flu would take someone within days. 

Yonami picked up the painting that had dried while he was resting and reached out to take Chihiro's hand. She let him guide her and settled the tips of her fingers on the rough paint. As he moved them about the various strokes and lines he explained to her what each thing was. From a tree to the small little bug like Yokai Natsume had thought were adorable. 

"Your world is so fascinating, Yonami, I wish I could see it but your art is just as wonderful as if I could." 

It seemed like such a wonderful relationship, whatever it was. And yet, Yonami was still robbed of these memories. He took a few steps forward, wanting to hear what Chihiro whispered, but suddenly the entire world spun and dropped him somewhere else. Disoriented and briefly feeling a pull of exhaustion, Natsume gripped his head with both his hands and tried to blink the motion blur from his vision. His ears rang, like he suddenly shot up in an airplane and when the world started to settle the numbness returned. 

He opened his eyes again and glanced around, finding himself this time standing in a bedroom. The Priestess Chihiro sat on a futon, a doll that hadn't been there before laying on her lap. The painted fans weren't far away, resting alongside her body and within reach. There was another person this time, a man, dressed in a Yukata with a basket beside him. A doctor, then. Or as close to one as they got back then. 

"I'm afraid you might not live till morning, Priestess Chihiro. Us, the entire village will pray for you of course. Please, try to get some rest. I'll send someone to check on you every chance." The older man stood, offered her a bow and then left the building. The shoji door slit shut behind him and Natsume turned to look back at her. Yonami appeared, taking place beside her where the doctor had once sat.

"Yonami, don't be sad. You've sulked and hardly left my side these last few days." Her smile is still there, but when Natsume looked closer he saw the tremble in the corner of her mouth. "I fear what will become of you when I leave this world. Human lives are so fragile, aren't they? Not like the Yokai." She laughed, a broken sound that caused tears to fall down her face. 

"Chihiro…" she shook her hand and the smile returned, giving him it even through her tears. 

"Yonami, do you remember what you always wanted for me?" He nods, even if she can't see it, she's clearly not expecting a real answer. "I want that for you, as well. So, I'm going to be selfish and I hope that one day you will forgive me." 

Clearly not following her words Yonami frowned and looked at the Priestess over searching for the answer. She didn't give another response, simply reached her arms out and beckoned him closer. He didn't hesitate in moving closer, his arms wrapping around her shoulders to hold her close. 

Natsume watched helplessly as she stuck a Talisman on his back and slammed her palm over it. "I'm sorry, Yonami. Please forget me." The power that activated it was something he felt even as a bodiless overseer, his arms reaching up to shield his face. The reality he stood in cracked, shattering like a piece of glass and tossed Natsume from the world that had been created around him. 

He was strongly aware of the feeling of pain, a hot burning feeling that seemed to consume every inch of him. A scream tangled in the back of his throat, trapped between his teeth and lips. He thinks he moves his arms, digs his nails into his neck and tries to rip the fire from his body. Hands settle on his wrists, yanks them away and his hearing seems to kick in. 

"Why isn't he waking up?!" Abeno, he thinks it's Abeno, but he's not the one holding Natsume down. 

"I don't know, does someone care to explain what happened?" That is the person holding him down and he suddenly becomes uncomfortable with the idea of who it is. 

"He helped Yonami get his memories back, it worked what he did. Yonami said he remembered the Priestess, that she didn't mean to hurt him." Ashiya, he's somewhere close. "He said that he was fine, but Natsume didn't wake up." 

"He broke a curse in a Yokai? Who thought that was a bright idea?" A silence follows no one offers up a name, but the Legislator gets an answer. "Why am I not surprised it was you, Madara? Do you realize he could have shattered his entire mind? There are reasons there are steps to investigating and breaking a curse. Rules exist because of situations like this." Somehow he gets the feeling the Legislator isn't smiling, which he's realized is odd for him. Nyanko-Sensei always seems to draw negative reactions from this Yokai. A Yokai who hides his emotions so well. 

"The plan worked, Natsume is strong. I know he'll wake up." 

"Not if he bleeds himself to death first. Itsuki, go back to the Mundane world and get your human medicine."

He can hear the scowl in Abeno's voice. "It’s not magic, it won't wake him up." 

"No, but it might lower his fever. He's burning up, probably why he tried to claw his throat open." 

A hand settles along his forehead and Abeno lets out an unpleasant string of curses. "I'm going." 

"Takashi, if you can hear me, try not to rip your throat open when I let go." He does hear him and he thinks he tries to nod, he's not sure he makes any sort of movement. Not that it matters, the Yokai let's go and a cold cloth settles along his throat and head as he feels himself drift away again. 

This time when he comes to he feels his eyes open, the unfamiliar ceiling of the room he was in instantly kick-starting his heart. He sits up, feels his head spin and something wet tumbles onto his lap. A cloth, two of them and a soft blanket was settled over his body. He reached down, blindly feeling for the Book of Friends and instead felt his hand sink into something silky. 

When he looks down he finds Ashiya's black hair. He was resting against the couch, Natsume's bag still over his shoulder and Abeno's head on his lap. When he turns away from them he finds Nyanko-Sensei passed out at the foot of the couch, laying on his side and snoring loudly. Moja was curled up against his back, nose tucked into Nyanko-Sensei's neck. 

"You're awake." There, tucked behind his desk, was the Legislator and in a chair in front of it was none other than the Justice. The purple haired Yokai still wore the same bored and tired expression he'd always seen on his face. "I'm glad you lived, for a while there we were worried. Your Mundane medicine is rather ineffective. How you people survive is beyond me." He's not sure if he should be insulted or not. 

"Stop harassing the ill human." The Justice sipped whatever he was holding and lowered the cup back down. "I came to deal with Madara, would you mind waking him?" 

Turning away quickly Natsume reached out and shook Nyanko-Sensei. The golden cat eyes slowly opened and he mumbled something before rolling onto his stomach. "Natsume, you're alive, I'm glad." His voice woke the other three nearby, Abeno rolling over to bury his face into Ashiya's stomach and Ashiya instantly sitting upward.

His electric blue gaze snapped up and a bright smile bloomed across his face. "Natsume! I'm so glad you're okay. How are you feeling?" 

"Sore." He answered honestly and turned his gaze to the Justice. "And worried. You can't take Nyanko-Sensei from me, he's important to what I'm doing… and me."

The Justice frowned and looked to the Legislator, a silent conversation following. "Madara is calling himself what?" A mumble and amused laugh from the Legislator before the Justice turned back to them. "Do I want to ask?" It seemed the words 'what a burden' hung strongly on that sentence. 

"Technical difficulties with transforming, I can't hold my original form for long. I'm slowly recovering." That seemed to bother the Justice more than anything but he relented the conversation to the Legislator's laughter. Apparently they found it more funny than anything else. "What did you want anyway?" 

"Technically speaking you broke the rules of your banishment." His gaze flickered to Natsume before turning back to Nyanko-Sensei. "But I've been… convinced to alter your sentence after new enlightening information. So long as the human answers my questions honestly." The purple gaze of the Yokai settles on Natsume. "Madara was banished for crimes against the Executive…" a heavy sigh leaves the Justice, "and stealing Sake from the Legislator. No, he still won't let that go, Madara." A hiss from the Yokai in question. "The Executive would have had him killed, however he doesn't proceed over sentences. I do. Not that banishment from here is any better for a Yokai." His gaze settled on Madara for a long moment. "It might be why you're still stuck like that." 

Natsume hadn't considered that, but the Underworld was a strong place for the Yokai. Could being here actually help Nyanko-Sensei? He didn't get to ask as the Justice turned his gaze back to him. "So, I will ask you a question and you must answer honestly. I will know if you don't." A slow nod from Natsume, his heart beating quickly in his chest. "Does Madara actually help you return the names of the Yokai?" Ah, he saw the question for what it was. Did Nyanko-Sensei change, was he helping Yokai, was he on their side. If he was repenting the sentence could be changed. Thankfully, the answer was easy for him to find. 

"Nya--" he saw the press of the Justice's lips and cleared his throat. "Madara is an invaluable ally to me. He's saved my life many times and without him I wouldn't have been able to do most of the things I've done." He looked at the cat and smiled fully, his hand reaching out to pat his friend's head. "He helps me through your world, understanding the places around me and the Yokai I meet. He's carried the injured ones on their back and knocked some sense into the ones that have given up. He's friends with so many of them and don't think he's a bad person." He turns back to the Justice and nods his head. "I've left the Book of Friends in Madara's protection before, and I'd do it again." 

A hum from the Legislator and he looks to the purple Yokai. "You have your answer, Justice, what will it be?" 

"I believe him, but I never thought negatively of Madara in the first place." They were close, Nyanko-Sensei had said. Perhaps they were friends after all. They nod their head and stand from the chair, beckoning Nyanko-Sensei toward them. The Yokai jumps down from the bed and pads his way over, the frown on the Justice's face growing more. "You look ridiculous. Madara, are you opposed to a little pain?" 

Nyanko-Sensei sits in front of him and rubs his face with his paw. "Depends, your definition of 'little' tends to vary." The response is dry and he looks up to the Justice. 

They turn and look at Abeno who at this point had rolled over to watch them but was still laying on Ashiya's lap. He seemed exhausted, honestly, and Natsume wondered if he was alright. "Abeno, I want to see if you can revert Madara to another form." 

“Technically speaking I can revert him to his original form, which he appears to be able to hold for a limited amount of time.” Abeno sat up and brushed his hair from his face, looking at Nyanko-Sensei. “I’m not sure how you think that’ll help him.”

“It’s a cautious theory. If it’s the residual effects of the priest that bound him in the shrine then perhaps forcing his form to change will break that. Madara was one of the strongest Yokai among us, I believe theoretically he might be able to guide the influence to a different form than that of the beast.” The Justice looked down to Nyanko-Sensei who seemed in deep thought contemplating the others' words. He didn’t immediately object though, which was curious enough for Natsume. Did he think it would work? “Either way, it won’t drastically hurt him or kill him, just be uncomfortable.” 

“Again, your definition of ‘pain’ and mine have always greatly differed.” A sigh from the Yokai and he looked back to Abeno. “However I don’t have anything to lose and you have seemed to want to hit me.” 

“I’m not hitting you.” Abeno pushed himself up to his feet and adjusted his Haori on his shoulders, pulling the collar properly in place as he made his way over. Crouching down he knelt in front of Nyanko-Sensei and looked into his eyes. There was a softness in his gaze that was rarely there when he dealt with the Yokai. Natsume truly believed that Abeno cared for Yokai, far more than he did humans. “I’ll leave how you do this on your end to you, I’ll just push my influence into you. If you need me to stop at any point, tell me.” 

“Let’s just do it.” 

Abeno nodded and reached his hand out, placing his palm over Nyanko-Sensei’s head. Natsume blinked and rubbed his eyes, swearing he saw a light blue glow seeming to form around Abeno. When he looked again it was just faintly there, like a wisp of air around him. Nyanko-Sensei seemed to flinch at the first bit, curling up a bit into himself, and whimpered. Natsume started to rise from the couch but was caught by Ashiya, his grip on his wrist keeping him in place. 

Suddenly Abeno pulled back and stood from the ground, stumbling backwards as Nyanko-Sensei popped with a white cloud. It was the same clouds that usually appeared when he transformed from the beast to the cat, exhausted from trying to hold the form. 

When the clouds (smoke?) cleared the form that was left behind was neither a cat or a beast, the ones he had become accustomed to with Nyanko-Sensei. Instead what sat on the ground was a very human looking being with hair so white it almost glowed falling down their back. The markings he had gotten accustomed to on the face of a beast, when Nyanko-Sensei took that form, now covered the human looking one. His eyes were still gold, a very bright color, and were lined with those red markings. “Just so you know,” Nyanko-Sensei looked up to the Justice. “It hurt.” 

“It also worked.” A kimono was thrown from the Legislator and caught by the Justice. He shook it out and settled the clothing over Nyanko-Sensei’s back. “I don’t think it’ll hold anywhere outside of here, but the more time you spend here the better you’ll regain your strength.” 

“Hmm.” The kimono was pulled properly over his body and Nyanko-Sensei stood, tying it in place around his waist and shaking his long white hair out. It fell around his lower body, thick and heavy, and Natsume spotted on top of his head a pair of dog ears. He had the urge to get up and touch them. “You make it sound like I should want to be here. The last time I was here I was banished. By you of all people.” 

“You brought that on yourself.” A tired and bored blink from the Justice but Natsume swore he saw the hints of a smile on his face. “Regardless, I am lifting your sentence. You can go as far as here, Newt Lake and the White Sand Prison.” 

It was weird being able to see Nyanko-Sensei smile, but that was definitely what was on the Yokai’s face. A smile that reflected all the way to his eyes as he watched the Justice. That settled it for Natsume, he found someone that Nyanko-Sensei genuinely cared about. “Admit it, you want me to visit.” 

“I’m leaving.” The Justice’s gaze found his watchful eyes and they nodded their head briefly toward him. “I was caught up on your case. I have to admit I’m not pleased that the Legislator took the situation in his own hands but I understand the difficulty of it and that you have been doing the right thing. In this exception I will allow his ruling to stay.” Turning he shot a look over to the Legislator. “Next time, I want to be involved.” 

They showed themselves out and the door clicked shut. Natsume fell back onto the couch and breathed out a sigh of relief, dipping his head forward into his hands. He was very tired and could use another nap. “Well, I never thought I’d see your face again. I almost prefer the cat, it was cuter.” 

“I can’t believe you’re still mad I drank your sake. You realize it wasn’t even good sake, right?” 

“I’ll have you know that bottle was a gift that was specially made for me.” A tap of fingers against the table and Natsume lifted his head from his hands to look at the Legislator. “This is why I would never leave you alone in my office, you have sticky fingers when it comes to alcohol.” 

“This from the Yokai who usually drinks so much Aoi and his replacement has to pick them up.” 

A startled laugh fell from the Legislator’s lips and he leaned back in the chair, a wide smile on his face. Natsume can’t tell what he’s actually feeling, if that was a genuine laugh or just a forced one. He was so hard to read and though before Natsume swore he just saw disdain for Nyanko-Sensei this seemed like a friendly batner. It just confused him. “I can return that. You, who so strongly resented humans, is now babysitting one. I have to wonder, Madara, is your name in that little book of his?” 

“Don’t be ridiculous, I’m far too intelligent to be tricked like those mongrels.” He had said the very same thing to Natsume and it was something he actually started to believe now. Nyanko-Sensei was smart and he didn’t seem to have a very high opinion of Reiko, just found her entertaining. A way to pass the decades. On some level he does think Nyanko-Sensei cared for her, just in a very complicated way. 

Everything seemed complicated with Nyanko-Sensei. 

“Well, either way, at least we settled one thing. You’re not stuck like you are, just far too exhausted to keep your form. Whomever trapped you must have been terrifying.” Nyanko-Sensei doesn’t reply but Natsume catches the pinched look on his face, like he’s remembering something desperately unpleasant. “I see. Madara, I am glad you’re alright.” 

“Hm… I suppose… it’s not a fate I’d even wish on you.” Being trapped in a shrine must have been rather awful, and considering what he’s seen Matoba and Natori do—he too wouldn’t wish that on any Yokai. “Do you have sake?” 

A click of his tongue, a shake of his head, and the Legislator reached down beside him pulling a bottle up to place on the desk. Nyanko-Sensei reached forward and poured himself a cup of alcohol. Lifting it up he took a long drink of it and sat it back down, filling it again. 

“Well, guess we should move on to our first problem.” His gaze rested on Natsume and the Legislator leaned forward to smile at him. “You are a very terrifying person.” A blink and Natsume frowned in confusion. “How did you break that curse on Yonami? I’ve never seen anything like it. A human who can see the memories of Yokai.” There’s a pause and a smile plays on his face. “Are you sure you’re completely human?” 

His shoulders tense slightly and he feels Ashiya grip his hand tightly. “I am human.” Though his hair color had made many Yokai and Natori question otherwise. He was sure Natori meant it as joking, however. “It’s just something I’ve been able to do.” When he was little his dreams were often filled with the memories of the Yokai that were following him around. They were haunting nightmares that kept him awake, woke him screaming, and irritated the relatives or foster parents he was staying with. 

He didn’t want to think about it. 

“We don’t have much information on your Grandmother. From the report we got from Aoi, Natsume Reiko was reported to the Mononokean for stealing names. Aoi went to look into it and found themself confronted with the human.” A book appeared on the desk and the Legislator looked down to it, flipping it open and leafing through it. “Apparently Natsume offered to fight Aoi, if they lost she’d return the names and if Aoi lost they would have to sign their name in the book. Aoi said that they refused to fight the human.” He closed the book and placed his hand over it, gaze focused on the desk. “Aoi didn’t say why. I can only speculate that they thought it would be unfair and that if they did lose having the Mononokean bound to some human would be worse.” 

He’s not actually sure what Reiko would have done if she had the Mononokean on her side. Lifting his gaze to Nyanko-Sensei he found the golden eyes of the Yokai gazing back at him. He shook his head and Natsume got the unspoken words. Whatever Reiko would have done with that power, neither of them wanted to speculate. It probably… wouldn’t have been good. 

“We don’t have any recording of her powers, if she was anything like you though I have to think that such a woman had under her belt some powerful Yokai.” 

“Natsume’s stronger than Reiko was.” Nyanko-Sensei picked up the bottle of Sake and took a long drag from it, missing the brief wide eyed look that the Legislator gave him. When the bottle was lowered back down the Yokai was already composed, a smile in place. “Do you know the Matoba clan?” 

“Their exorcists, of course we know them.” He inclines his head toward Nyanko-Sensei, giving him his attention. 

“Natsume’s gone head to head with their leader a few times, stopped them and even has been kidnapped in the hopes of recruiting him. They want him.” 

He feels Abeno and Ashiya turn to look at him, Abeno’s own expression hidden behind a blank expression but Ashiya’s open wonderment. He let out a sigh and turned his gaze away from the both of them. “It’s not like that, he’s just crazy.” Which was something Natsume would repeat until his grave. “I’ve asked him to stop kidnapping me.” 

“You asked your kidnapper… to stop kidnapping you.” It’s Abeno, the disbelief in his voice making the words sound deadpanned. 

“He’s not so bad, a pretty good host. When he’s not making Nyanko-Sensei sick with all those barriers the main branch family estate has. I’m mostly frustrated with his beliefs and how he treats his Shiki’s.” Nyanko-Sensei often said he tried too hard to see the good in people. But he genuinely believed Matoba could be a good person. There was a point where he had hoped they could be friends, until he saw the way he treated Yokai. 

Murderer was a word he often associated with Matoba’s actions. 

Abeno sighs and Natsume looks back, his gaze settling on the Legislator and seeing the contemplative expression he wore. “I’m starting to think you see the world as blindly as Ashiya does.” The smile on the Yokai’s face widened at Abeno’s words and Natsume found himself trying to read between the expression, to what he was truly thinking. 

“Hey, I’m just an optimistic person.” 

“At least you don’t get kidnapped. Is that something we genuinely need to be worried about?” Abeno folded his arms across his chest and Natsume offered a shrug in response. 

“He usually returns me a day or two later, makes sure I check in with the Fujiwara’s. Typically it’s been when he’s after a specific Yokai and wants to use me.” Natsume tensed suddenly and looked away. “He did that once… before… it didn’t go well.” 

“That would be an understatement.” Natsume tensed further and he felt Ashiya tug on his hand. “He used you to murder a Yokai. Then he thanked you for your help.” It was not a good day, he thought he’d never manage to pick himself up from that. Tanuma helped with making him realize it wasn’t entirely his fault and still even then he thought it was to some degree. 

Matoba was just a really good manipulator. The kind of person that hid his true intentions and made you think you were in control. 

Until it was too late and it no longer mattered. 

Until there was a pool of blood around you. 

Until someone died. 

“Matoba Seiji, he might be someone we need to keep a closer eye on. I should probably report some of this to the Executive.” Ashiya tensed behind him and glanced to the side, trying to assess what exactly that meant. Something must have happened between him and the Executive, that much he understood, but whatever it was pushed a deep fear into Ashiya. “Worry not, Ashiya, I’ll keep you out of it and our new friend as much as I can. I’ll just give him the basics that he needs to know. A fierce exorcist murdering Yokai.” He tilts his head to the side and looks at Nyanko-Sensei. “Madara, if you could write a report about the Yokai that you know Matoba killed, that would be helpful. I’ll reward you with more sake.” 

“Deal.” The words were out of his mouth instantly. He was so easily bought with alcohol. 

“So, while it seems you are quite impressive Takashi, you still nearly got yourself killed earlier. There is a method to removing curses, you know.” 

He shakes his head and the Legislator arches an eyebrow at him. “I don’t even know what that was that Abeno did earlier. The only teacher I have is Nyanko-Sensei and he certainly… takes his time educating me.” The Yokai snorted at that and finished off the bottle of sake he had. 

“Really? So you what, just—what’s the human term—winged it?” 

Natsume shook his head and let out a sigh. “I already knew how to see the memories of Yokai, I just did that. It was Nyanko-Sensei’s idea to wear the clothes and use the painted fans as an anchor. I think it was the residual energy of the Priestess on the clothes that broke the curse.” At least that was what it felt like. It used his own spiritual energy as a boost, and very nearly killed him apparently, but it did work apparently. 

A hum from the Yokai and the Legislator stood from his chair. Walking around the desk he leaned back against the front of it and looked to Natsume. “Come here.” He beckoned Natsume forward with a wave of his hand. 

Standing from the couch he shook Ashiya’s hand off gently and walked forward till he stood before the Legislator. This was perhaps the closest he had been to the Yokai and that intimidating atmosphere he thought he first felt was definitely there with how close he stood. They were quite nearly the same height. Though he had a few inches on Natsume he was pleased to see that his head at least reached their nose. 

The Legislator looked down at him, blue eyes seeming to try and read into his very soul, to see what it was that Natsume hid in there. It was definitely an intense look, one that seemed to suck him in the longer he watched his eyes. There was something inhuman about them, about the way the blue seemed to ripple like water being dropped into a pond. Each time Natsume blinked it seemed like they moved in a different way, never a constant thing, almost like a river. Or, a lake. 

How fitting.

“Give me your hands.” He held his own out toward Natsume and after another look into those eyes he turned down to the outstretched hands and slipped his own into the Legislator’s. His grip was cold, which wasn’t what he was expecting. Nyanko-Sensei practically radiated heat, Misuzu too, and Hinoe just felt normal. This one was like sticking your foot into a pool, the first touch is freezing until your body adjusts to the temperature. The longer his hands rested in that grip the less cold he felt, like he adjusted to them. 

The grip was tight but not painful, like he was just holding Natsume in place and then he felt an increasing pressure, intruding and searching. He flinched and the Legislator tightened his hold, keeping him in place. The pressure was uncomfortable, bordering painful, and the headache he had been nursing definitely increased. “Take a breath, relax, don’t fight it.” 

“Legislator.” Nyanko-Sensei took a step forward, the sake bottle sat down on the corner of the desk. His golden gaze was narrowed, threatening, but he didn’t interfere yet. 

“He’s alright. Takashi, I won’t hurt you.” 

Oddly enough, he actually believed that, so he did his best to follow what the Yokai said. He closed his eyes, tried to force himself to relax, and that painful edge to whatever he was doing slowly started to vanish. It turned almost relaxing, a soothing sort of feeling that searched through his veins. He leaned toward the Legislator and felt his head brush against their chest, hands still caught in his grip. He could feel them breathe out, the way his breath moved Natsume’s hair, and the intruding feeling finally vanished entirely. Instead it felt like they were just one person, one being, existing in space. 

The Legislator let go and Natsume felt his knees buckle, shoulders caught by the Yokai as he practically collapsed against him. What was that? It seemed to steal his strength away from him, taking all the energy he had managed to recover back in the last few hours. 

“Itsuki, drag the chair over here.” Bodily moved he found himself sat in a chair, slumping into it and eyes far too exhausted to drag themselves open. He let out a rush of air as he leaned back, still held in place by a hand on his shoulder. “I did an assessment of your spiritual level, which was why it felt so intruding at first. You have a good set of defenses. It’s quite impressive.” Natsume nods because it’s all he can manage. “You are quite strong, if I had to guess your family line probably comes from a long list of people in the spiritual field. Be it Shamans, Priests or Exorcists.” 

“I’m tired.” The admission is soft, Natsume leaning forward and forcing his eyes open. The hand on his shoulder released him and Natsume felt it press against his forehead instead. That cool feeling returned briefly, taking the edge off of the dull pain. 

“You won’t recover well here, I think it’s best we get you home.” That sounded like a good plan, and he nodded his head despite the motion causing him more pain than anything else. 

It takes Ashiya and Abeno to get him standing, nearly dragging him over to where Abeno summoned the Mononokean. They get him up into the tea room and Natsume let himself just curl up on the floor, head pillowed by his arms. The other two lifted themselves back into the room and Nyanko-Sensei jumped inside last with Moja. He’d returned to the cat form, energy no longer holding the human one outside of the Underworld like the Justice thought. He padded his way over to Natsume and curled up against the back of his head. 

It’s there he falls asleep, the exhaustion finally taking him from his forced conscious state. 

Chapter Text

It’s been a few months since Natsume started working with Abeno and Ashiya, and he’s stuck to exactly what he promised he would do. Working a case once a week and anytime a Book of Friends case came up, which wasn’t nearly as often as he had hoped it would be. They’ve only had two cases in the months he’s been working with them and that was actually slowing his progress down somehow. School had taken up a majority of his time too, as was applying for different colleges. Touko had suggested that he actually take a gap year to apply and find what he wanted to do, and though he was worried about being a burden–he knew it would actually help him. Shigeru had agreed with his wife, saying it would be good for his healthy, which he hadn’t even realized was a concern. 

He had a few months before he even needed to be concerned with this, and he was still sending applications out. If he got accepted into one then he didn’t need to worry about it. He had more than enough money for a college fund, from his parents life insurance, no matter what he ended up doing he’d be set till then. 

Snow had started to fall, it was around late November, and Natsume had gotten out his brown long coat and scarf. He even bought Nyanko-Sensei a nice blue one for his neck to try and help him stay a bit warmer. The harder the snow fell the more difficult it was for the Yokai to waddle his way through the snow, which meant he spent more time being carried around by Natsume. Which was fine enough, he didn’t mind carrying Nyanko-Sensei around. But the cat stole all the warmth from his body when he was carried around. 

They were somewhere deep in one of the forests a bit further from his home than he wanted to be, looking for this Yokai they’d been hearing rumors about. Natsume bought a map from the store on his way over and had drawn a clear line to where he needed to go. Or rather, where they thought they needed to go. For the most part all they had was a general area of where the Yokai was. They didn’t even have a name or anything else, just a list of complaints from some of Natsume’s friends who were, more or less, scared. 

The Yokai was a strange one, and he only had a vague explanation to go off of and a rather–unhelpful drawing someone scribbled down for him. He was told they had dark black hair, long and trailing down their back, grayish colored skin, a mask over their face and dark red haori. It was certainly something he felt he could find. Part of him wonders if he should have asked for help. If this angry Yokai wasn’t in the Book of Friends, he doesn’t know how he’s supposed to help them. 

Natsume is quite a few things, but he is not an exorcist. 

Climbing his way over a fallen tree log Natsume heads further into the forest, briefly glancing at his watch to check the time. He should get a cellphone, Abeno and Ashiya got ones recently and it would be convenient to be able to text. Maybe he’d ask Touko about that and see what she thought. Shigure would probably take him out today to get one if he asked, they’re always eager to jump when he actually voices about something he wants. 

“Nyanko-Sensei, do you sense anything around us?” He asks, turning back around to help the cat Yokai over the log. He pulled him into his arms and turned to continue making his way through the forest. 

“No. But we should be getting closer based on the information that Gokushi relaid to us. He said the last time they saw them, it was near the river's cross.” But a last known location of a Yokai didn’t really help him, that could be rather useless information. Natsume finds that Yokai stick to a general area typically, like his forest Yokai, but that area they stick too is rather large. They could be out here for hours searching and they could wander enough that Natsume would struggle to find them. 

He had a feeling he wasn’t going to get much sleep tonight, if he even made it home before the Fujiwara’s started to worry. 

“I guess we just keep walking then.” Natsume says with a soft sigh, adjusting Nyanko-Sensei so he could climb up onto his shoulder and get comfortable there once more. Gently he scratched the cat Yokai’s ears, keeping his eyes out. “Nyanko-Sensei, do you think I should have asked Abeno and Ashiya for help? It just–” it felt odd to have someone he could even ask for help from. Someone he could reach out to. Natsume was so used to doing everything on his own, the thought he could reach out to others and ask for their assistance was something that seemed to skip his mind. 

Even with Tanuma, asking him and Taki for help was a bit too much. Especially something like this. Wandering so far from home, in the middle of a forest, without even a bit of an idea of what he’s really looking for. Any normal person would look at him like he was insane. 

He’s tired of being looked at like that. 

Matoba and Natori were out of the question too. Even if he had a way of contacting them, which he doesn’t really, they’d sooner join him just to exercise the Yokai and he doesn’t know if it needs to come to that. He really hopes that it doesn’t. 

But Abeno and Ashiya, they would have been useful in doing this. 

“You have me with you, I don’t know what you’re worrying so much about.” Nyanko-Sensei finally replied, glancing at Natsume’s face. He held a look, one that Natsume couldn’t really define at the moment, before finally turning away. “The Mononokean’s reach is fairly far, in a situation like this where we might have needed more information than we do, perhaps consulting with them might have been useful. But the amount of time it takes to get ahold of them is more frustrating than it’s perhaps worth.” 

“I thought about asking the Fujiwara’s for a cell phone. I’ll–think about it a bit more. I don’t like troubling them and costing them money.” He can’t make a burden of himself to the people who have given him a chance when no one else did. 

“I think you worry too much, but it’s not my business. If you can make getting a hold of those pests who are using you easier, then do it. When we're in the middle of nowhere without a phone to call them it’s rather inconvenient.” 

A soft sigh falls from Natsume’s lips and he reaches his hand up to flick Nyanko-Sensei’s ears. “They’re not using me.” 

“Oh, you right, It’s the damn Legislature using you.”

He can’t argue with that one, so he doesn’t. Turning his emerald gaze over toward the path ahead of them, he finally slows down a bit to a stop. “Nyanko-Sensei, there’s a river ahead.” As the cat leaps down from his shoulder Natsume fetches the map from his bag with the Book of Friends, opening it up and looking at where they are now. Keeping a clear idea of where they are and where they were going would make it easier for him to get back, the last thing he needs is to be lost in the middle of the forest. 

After checking the map he picked his head up and made his way over toward where Nyanko-Sensei had gone. He was looking around the edge of the water, a calculating look on his face. Natsume hummed softly and crouched down beside his friend. “Anything?” At least anything worth drawing their attention to. 

“If they were here, they’re not now. Or, they can conceal their scent from me. Which would be rather impressive, but not impossible.” Nyanko-Sensei sat down and rubbed at his head and Natsume turned to look around them. Between the trees and toward the distance, trying to find out what he was going to do now. Was this a waste of time? 

A shadow moved between the trees and Natsume tensed, trying to track its movements with his eyes. It was so quick and so dark it was hard for him to focus on what he was looking at. Natsume squinted and went to take a step back, his voice soft as he called down to Nyanko-Sensei. “Wait, I think I–” the words were just barely out of his mouth when the very air was sucked from his lungs, the shadow he had swore he saw appearing in front of his face, it’s own body as straight as a board and emanating a chilling aura. One that Natsume would actually associate with the feeling of death. Of voidless life. 

He heard Nyanko-Sensei hiss but his gaze never left the Yokai in front of him, staring at the porcelain mask inches from his own face. It was pure white with a black singular eye drawn on it, no other facial expressions. Just an eye. Staring at him. 

Natsume sucked in a breath, his lungs protesting the lack of air and burning. His trembling body screamed at him to take a step back and as the thought to do so pierced the terror clouding his mind, the creature reached its hand out toward him. Finally intervening Nyanko-Sensei jumped up and sunk his fangs into the Yokai’s arm, piercing the haori and trying to pull their attention away from Natsume. 

It didn’t seem fazed at all and Natsume watched as they flung their arm out, tossing Nyanko-Sensei away from them. “Nyanko-Sensei!” Attempting to rush to the cat’s side his arm was quickly caught by the strange Yokai who yanked him back, forcing his gaze once more up to the creature’s white mask. Realizing now he definitely needed to fight back, Natsume tugged on his arm, attempted to yank himself free. Panic was something Natusme always felt easily when it came to dealing with Yokai. For the most part, he was able to deal with it, but right now that feeling seemed doubled by whatever the creature was doing. Maybe that was why the Yokai that came to them had expressed such an intense feeling of fear. 

Whatever they could do, it was strong. It was terrifying. Petrifying . 

“Let go!” 

Taking a risk he swung his left fist at the creature's face–and they vanished. Gone in the blink of an eye, as if they had never even been there in the first place. Natsume’s first went through air and he stumbled forward, blinking at the ground as a wave of confusion settled over him. Straightening back up he glanced around, looked toward Nyanko-Sensei and then following the cats gaze he turned around. Slowly he looked behind him, looked toward the river, and standing directing behind him was the white masked Yokai. 

Their freezing gray skinned black nailed hand shoved against his chest. When you jump into a pool of below freezing water in the middle of summer your body goes through shock. It’s called Cold Water Immersion, which leads a person to hyperventilating, an increase in heart rate and even blood pressure.

That sudden sensation is what Natsume felt overcome his body. He doesn’t even realize he’s on the ground until he’s grabbing at his chest and trying to breathe, just pull a few breaths of air into his lungs and calm his heart. He wasn’t one to cry but he can feel the tears gathering in his eyes, clouding his already hazy vision. 

He just can’t breathe. 

He can’t think. 

It hurts. 

The lack of air makes his vision go black, makes his brain unable to think and his body just seems to give out from the stress. 

The Fujiwara were really going to be upset. 

The smell of tea is very strong and seems to be calming his mind quite a bit. It’s warm and welcoming, though it takes far too long for his mind to catch up to the fact he shouldn’t be smelling tea. Which brings to the front of his memory the last thing he had been doing, the freezing cold weather outside and the lake–with that Yokai. Stress settled over him like a blanket and his arm reached instantly to grab at the bag on his shoulder. The Book of Friends was still there. 

Feeling a little better he slowly opened his eyes and blinked at the tea room. This was the Mononokean, which was certainly not where he’d been the last time he was awake. Natsume blinked and then slowly sat up, pulling his bag into his lap. A quick glance around tells him he’s alone, as alone as one can be inside a Yokai, even Nyanko-Sensei wasn’t in here. 

A bell chimed and he turned his gaze over toward the scroll on the wall. 

YOU’RE AWAKE. WE WERE QUITE WORRIED. 

His lips pressed together at that and Natsume looked down toward his lap. The bell chimed again and he glanced toward the Mononokean again. 

MADARA BROUGHT YOU TO ASHIYA, WHO CALLED ITSUKI. THEY WENT TO LOOK FOR THE YOKAI THAT GOT YOU.  

“Except we didn’t find anything.”

“Natsume! You’re alright!” 

He found himself collided into by Ashiya, the younger man clinging to him like he’d seen Natsume half dead or something. He doesn’t think it was that bad, although to be fair he didn’t actually know. He tried to lean away from the other, finding he couldn’t actually go that far. Ashiya just seemed to grip him harder. He shifted his attention to Abeno instead. “You couldn’t find it? Nyanko-Sensei and I were looking all day for it, and then it just appeared. It came from the trees, like a shadow.” There was a weird pain in his chest still and he reached his hand up to rub at it. 

Abeno sat down at the tea table and adjusted his jacket. He lacked the haori of the Mononokean he noted. Shaking his head he leaned against the tea table. “Nothing. Even your cat was rather useless. He had no idea what we ran into either.” 

Speaking of; “and where is Nyanko-Sensei?” 

“He went to look for the Yokai. He said he had a really bad feeling, but he wouldn’t tell us why.” Ashiya moved away and sat down at the table, frowning at Natsume. “Why didn’t you ask for our help? You help us enough, we’d of course do what we can to assist you.” 

Natsume pressed his lips together and turned his head away, the answer not really coming to his mind easily or escaping from his lips. Telling Ashiya that he didn’t want to be a burden or trouble him wasn’t going to be a good answer. It wasn’t going to be something that Ashiya wanted to hear, no matter what said. He gives a soft sigh and drags his gaze back over toward the two of them. “Does the answer I give you matter? It doesn’t change what happened.” His chest really hurt now and he shakes his head, turning back to his coat. Undoing the buttons he started to take it off. “I’m not used to having people around who can see Yokai either. Doing this sort of thing alone, or even with just Nyanko-Sensei, is second nature.” 

He tugged his coat off and sat it down beside him, undoing the first couple of buttons on his white shirt. He tugged it open a bit, glancing at his chest–“That’s probably not a good thing.” The words were muttered quietly and Ashiya immediately pressed back into his personal space, tugging on his shirt as Abeno leaned over the table to get a closer look. On his chest, where the Yokai had definitely shoved his hand against him, was a pitch black spot that had spider web like marks spreading out from it. 

“Don’t touch it.” Abeno snapped, reaching out and grabbing Ashiya to drag him back from Natsume. “That Yokai that grabbed you, what did it look like? Did it touch you anywhere else?” 

“It was a rather strange looking Yokai. Tall, thin, like a tree branch almost. It wore a white mask with an eye, and a dark red haori.” Natsume rolled up the sleeve of his wrist arm and looked down at his wrist. There was a bruise in the form of a handprint but otherwise his arm was fine. “In terms of Yokai it was fairly normal I suppose.” He feels like he needs to call Natori, or even Matoba, whatever was on his chest–he didn’t think this was something they were going to be able to easily deal with on their own. Not without the help of an exorcist. 

“Abeno, what is it? What’s wrong with Natsume?” 

“I think I need to make a phone call.” He voices softly, picking his gaze up to glance at the two of them. “Can I borrow your phone?” That idea of a cell phone was becoming more and more urgent. Thankfully Ashiya does pass him his own and Natsume excuses himself outside to dial Natori’s cell number. He shut the door behind him and finds himself in his own bedroom. The Mononokean was rather good at what it did, that was certain. Sitting down at his desk he pressed the phone against his ear and heard it ring several times before a very sleep hazed sounding Natori’s voice carried over the line. 

“Hello?”

“Natori-San, it’s Natsume.” 

“Natsume? Do you have any idea what time it is?” 

“No, actually, I spent the past few hours unconscious. Hold on.” He glanced around his desk and then picked up the small alarm clock in the corner. “One in the morning. I’m sorry, did I wake you? I can call again–” 

“Wait, wait, back up. Why were you unconscious? Are you alright?”

Seemed he wasn’t hanging up then. It actually sounded like Natori was getting out of bed. “I was attacked in the forest, a couple hours from where I live. Nyanko-Sensei and I were investigating some rumors we heard. I’m calling because it actually left something on me. I think I–” he pressed his lips together. He really hates asking for help, and he doesn’t know how Ashiya and Abeno will take to this. Natroi is an exorcist after all. “I think I need an exorcist to look at it.” 

The man was definitely getting out of bed now and even getting dressed, Natsume could hear the sound of his dresser. “I’m going to be right there in about thirty minutes, meet me outside.” And the phone clicked shut. Natsume sighed softly and stood from his desk, heading back over toward the Mononokean. Slipping inside he gave Ashiya his phone and looked at Abeno. “Can you let me outside?” 

True to his word, within the thirty minutes he promised, Natori arrived at the Fujiwara house. Uncomfortable with being so close to his guardians and disturbing them, he gets everyone over to the forest and out of the way of the house. Abeno refused to let an exorcist inside the Mononokean and he didn’t entirely blame him. Even if he was sure Natori wouldn’t do anything to the Mononkean, he can’t put it past him either. Natsume explains the story to him with as much detail as he can while the man examines the mark on his chest with a rather deep fitful look on his face. 

Natsume can’t remember the last time he saw Natori actually look worried. Maybe it was the case with Hirragi. He finally let his shirt go and took a step back, crossing his arms over his chest. “You’ve been cursed.” He readily informs him, which doesn’t surprise Natsume at all. “It’s also, kind of in the easiest of explanations, a tracker. The Yokai that got you seems to feed on the life forces and negative emotions of those around it. Be it mortals or other Yokai. It’s likely going to drain you dry before it finally eats your soul.” 

So he had an ax hanging over his head essentially, that didn’t make him feel very good. “So you’re saying it’s going to hunt me down and linger around me slowly draining my life force until I’m practically dead?” Which meant it would be hanging around the Fujiwara’s, his school, his friends, probably looking for it’s next target after Natsume’s been turned in a great meal. “What do I do about it then, Natori?” 

“I’m going to hunt down the thing that got you and exercise it before it kills you.” 

Well, that’s one plan and he can already see it wasn’t going to be an accepted one. 

“You’re not hunting down a Yokai and killing it. This is already a case the Mononokean is working on.” Abeno interjected and Natori turned to him like he was looking at a toddler. 

“I’m sorry, are you even legal enough to argue with an adult?” 

“I’m seventeen and I’ve been doing this a lot longer than you. I’m telling you, exorcist, to step back and let us handle it.” 

“So what’s your plan here then, hm? You’re going to find and try and rationalize with a Yokai who's just looking for a decent meal?” He motioned toward Natsume, the current meal, and continued to glare at Abeno. “You’re going to risk Natsume’s life over a gamble that you can rationalize with a creature that certainly doesn’t want to be rationalized with?” 

“And how do you know that if you haven’t even tried yet? Maybe they were afraid and lashed out unintentionally.” 

“Or maybe they’ve done this enough times because it’s just food for them. Have you considered that aspect? In your perfect little ideal world, everything is written down neatly and laid out passively. Well let me tell you, kid, the real world isn’t like that. Not every Yokai can be rationalized with and Natsume is going to die with you trying.” 

Natsume raised his hand, drawing both of their attention toward him. “Can it kill me if it can’t find me, Natori?” He asked, motioning toward the mark. “Does it work long distance?”

Natori frowned and pressed his lips together, considering, before speaking. “I’m not sure. But I told you, Natsume, it is a tracker. That means regardless of where you go, it will find you.” 

“Only if it can get to me.” 

Touko was not happy that he hadn’t come home last night and Shigure brought up the idea of getting a cellphone before Natsume could even do it himself. They agreed to save a little bit of money first, and then go out in a couple of weeks to get him one. He made sure this time to let them know he’d be gone for a couple of days, and not to worry. He’d be home before they even realized that he was gone. After he packed a few changes of clothes into a bag, he let Ashiya know he was ready and the next time he opened a door he was sliding into the Mononokean with the two of them waiting. 

“I don’t like this plan.” Abeno argued and Natsume glanced at him. 

“Well, I don’t really want to die, and you don’t want the Yokai exercised so until we have a better plan this is what we’ve got. Besides, maybe the Legislator will have a better one. Either way, we should ask his opinion. Did you guys happen to see Nyanko-Sensei?” 

“He didn’t come home last night?” Natsume shook his head and Ashiya frowned. “Maybe he’s still looking. We’ll look for him too when we’re out there, after we drop you off.” That at least made him feel a little bit better. 

Abeno moved over to the small door inside the Mononokean and concentrated briefly before tugging it open. He slipped down inside first and then turned to help Natsume and Ashiya down inside the Legislator’s office. The Yokai himself was seated behind his desk and he glanced at them briefly in surprise before setting down the brush he was writing with and leaning forward on his desk. 

“I have guests.” 

“Ashiya and I aren’t staying long, we just need you to babysit Natsume.” The Legislator blinks at this and glances at Natsume in what might be amusement. 

“I’m not being babysat.” 

“I don’t care what you call it, but we need to get ahead of this before the exorcist beats us. So let’s make this quick.” Abeno moved over toward the Legislator’s desk and yanked up a chair to sit down across from the man. While he started explaining the situation Natsume headed over to the couch and sat down gently, placing his bag in his lap to keep it close. The idea of staying down here for prolonged amounts of time was worrying, he didn’t know the effect it would have or what could even happen in that time. Hopefully, he wouldn’t need to be here too long. 

Abeno seemed quite convinced he could settle this without harming the Yokai and while Natsume hoped he was right, he didn’t want this to be a situation where he’s stuck here for a long while because they can’t reason with the Yokai. 

They always seem to cause him problems somehow. 

“He can’t stay here too long, Itsuki. I don’t want it to become a danger to his health or some other reason. The sooner you settle this, the better. If you can get them down into the Underworld, the Justice will take it from there. Either way,” his gaze slides upward toward Natsume and their eyes meet, “we won’t let anything happen to you.” 

“If you don’t get it settled, I know Natori will. The threat to my life in this situation is actually the last of my concerns.” He glanced toward Abeno who was frowning, perhaps frustrated at his words. 

“The fact you even called the exorcist bothers me. We could have found out without involving them.” 

Perhaps, but that wasn’t a risk Natsume was ready to take. As confident as he was in Abeno’s abilities, he did have a very pacifist approach. For understandable reasons, the Mononokean did serve Yokai. 

Natsume doesn’t. 

“I didn’t ask for your help.” He states first, watching the man. “I went out there on my own, I got into trouble on my own, and if Natori hadn’t said he was going to deal with this and you weren’t here I would have still gone and dealt with it on my own. You seem to forget before either of you stumbled across me, before I ended up down here for Misuzu, I was doing this on my own without any help other than from Nyanko-Sensei.” Abeno opened his mouth and Natsume held up his hand. “Let me finish. I am glad I met you, being able to meet anyone else who can do the things we do is incredible. Getting to learn more about Yokai, getting to see this place, even meeting the Legislator–it’s been a life experience I can be grateful for. Ashiya is a good friend. However,” he continues softly, 

“I’m more used to handling my problems on my own. And, in any situation involving the Yokai, the exorcist have always known more than myself. Natori and Matoba have done this a lot longer than me, and when Nyanko-Sensei is gone the pool of people I can rely on–it’s just not as big as yours.” 

He breathed out and his hands fell to the Book of Friends on his lap. “I’ve learned that no matter how much you want something or someone, no matter how many times you scream for it, sometimes it’s out of reach.” 

The silence that follows his words is rather deafening and he has to keep himself from fidgeting. Eventually Abeno stood from the chair and made his way over toward the couch. His hand settled on Natsume’s shoulder and he picked his gaze up to meet the other’s eyes. “I guess I just need to teach you that you can rely on us more than you do those exorcists.” He takes his hand back before Natsume can reply and heads over toward the Mononokean. “Come on Ashiya, let’s get this settled.” 

They climb back up inside the room and the door shuts behind them, leaving Natsume sitting awkwardly in the Legislator’s room, effectively trapped. Well, that was the point of this. If the Yokai can’t get to him, when he’s in an entirely different world, he can’t drain Natsume’s life from him. 

It was a half baked plan at most, but it was a plan and it was more of one than they had in the beginning. Apart from Natori’s idea at jumping to murder. He fights back another sigh and digs his fingers into the bag. 

“Madara is probably out looking for the Yokai, though what he plans to do I actually can’t imagine. Stuck in a form like that, with such little energy. I suppose if he really wanted he could shift for a few moments and eat them, but that might not actually solve your problem.” The Legislature had gone back to his work, brush in his hand and the end of it lightly pressed against the corner of his mouth. He had a rather elegant look about him, Natsume would admit. He hadn’t really spent to much time thinking about the Yokai’s appearance, but he was rather nice looking. 

He wonders if he turns into a frog like the Justice turns into a tiger. 

Natsume quickly covers up a laugh with a cough, drawing a curious look from the Yokai. “I’m sorry–Nyanko-Sensei got thrown like a ragdoll when he tried attacking the Yokai. He seemed just as confused as I was over whatever it was doing. I don’t remember anything else, given I was unconscious when he brought me to Ashiya.” 

He hummed thoughtfully and sat his brush down again. “Abeno said he didn’t say much, just rushed off to hunt them down. Truthfully, I don’t know the Yokai they described to me. I could try asking the Justice about it, see if there’s a record of similar cases. If they’ve been doing this for a while, there should be.” He pushed away from the desk and stood, tucking his hands into the sleeve of his haori. “Stay here, I’ll return shortly.”