#natsume takashi x happiness

[paperlandings]

Footsteps

@natsume-ss gift for @polandspringz! I had a lot of fun writing this! I really related to what you said about liking the more subtle, emotional parts of the series as it pertains to Natsume’s feeling of belonging, and I hope I was able to capture that in this fic. Happy holidays and I hope you enjoy!

TW: implications of bullying, emotional manipulation, and child neglect.

Word count: 1784

When Takashi was five years old, footsteps meant that his father was coming to tuck him in.

The house was big, and old, and sometimes cold, but it didn’t matter because his father would always be there with a warm smile, a gentle voice, and kind hands. At night, there would always be a book tucked under his arm, and Takashi would sit up excitedly in his bed, eyes sparkling in anticipation.

“Read me a story!” he would say.

His father would chuckle and say that he would probably find the book boring.

“That’s okay,” Takashi would reply, scooting over to make space beside him.

His father would sit down, tipping the bed over ever so slightly, and open the book to whatever page he was on. Takashi didn’t always understand what was being read to him but the fact that his father was there, a warm presence next to him, was enough to lull him to sleep every night.

He vaguely remembered the feeling of a blanket being draped over him and the noise of a screen door sliding closed, and he would fall asleep to the soft thumping of his father walking away.

When Takashi was six years old, footsteps meant that the monster was coming.

There was a monster at the end of the hallway who was always following him. But the monster wasn’t real. Uncle and auntie had said so. So when there was knocking on his room door in the middle of the night, Takashi would jam his pillow over his head and ignore it.

But the monster was there. It followed Takashi around the house and knocked on his room door at night. It stood next to him at the table sometimes and called his name.

“What does it want?” they would ask.

“It wants me to draw it a mouth.”

And then they would laugh at him. And then the little girl who lived with him would glare at him. And then he would feel so, so alone.

Uncle and auntie didn’t mean anything bad, he knew that. But he also knew that they thought he was strange and stupid and had too wild of an imagination. They cared for him but they didn’t care about him.

His father would’ve understood though. His father would’ve held him and told him everything was going to be okay, and that they were going to get rid of the monster together. His father would’ve believed him.

He missed his father.

He wonders if uncle and auntie would miss him as he stepped into the car, watching his new home get smaller and smaller behind him.

When Takashi was eight years old, footsteps meant that someone was angry.

Then again, auntie was always angry. And when auntie was angry, his cousins got angry at him too. It didn’t matter that he didn’t do the things that he was accused of, they got angry at him anyway.

They said that he was the one who broke the vase in the hallway even though he had seen someone else do it. They said that he was the one who ate auntie’s cake in the fridge even though the crumbs were at the corners of their mouths. They said that he was the one who started that fight at school and they were only defending him because Takashi was weird and they were so nice. Nevermind that Takashi had never actually been anywhere near that fight.

Auntie’s sandals made a different sound than everyone else’s. They were louder, the slapping on the wood floor more sharp. They came with a decisiveness that he had never heard from anyone else. They made Takashi want to run away and hide in a place where they would never find him.

And when they sounded like that, they were always coming towards him.

Takashi thinks he might have preferred the monster.

When Takashi was thirteen years old, footsteps meant that he had to be very, very quiet.

Auntie always came home late. Uncle says it’s Takashi’s fault, and he thinks uncle might be right.

The first time auntie came home late, Takashi came to greet her at the door. He laid out her sandals for her, offered to make her tea, and tried his very best to make her like him. And then she looked at him, kicked the sandals aside, and blew past him and into her room.

She smelled strongly of alcohol, and Takashi pretended not to notice.

Auntie kept on coming home late. Takashi kept greeting her at the door and laying out her sandals. She kept on kicking them aside, harder and harder until one day they flew straight into his face.

“Just stay in your room so I can forget that you ruined my life!” she had yelled at him.

The next time auntie came home late, her sandals echoing in the empty hallway, Takashi stayed quiet in his room. Auntie came home late every day from then on.

He heard uncle yelling one night, telling auntie that she couldn’t keep on blowing their savings on alcohol, that they had Takashi to think about, that if people found out they weren’t taking proper care of Takashi they could get into very big trouble.

Auntie stormed off and slammed the door to Takashi’s room open, yelling at him that everything was hard because of him. That they could barely afford to live because of him. That she hated him. Takashi stayed quiet and hoped she would think he was asleep.

“He can’t hear you,” uncle said. “He’s sleeping. You’re wasting your breath.”

The door closed and Takashi let out a big, shuddering breath.

Tomorrow, he swore, he would learn to cut his own hair.

When Takashi was fifteen years old, footsteps meant the cold.

He could tell auntie and uncle didn’t like him much. He could tell they thought he was a dramatic troublemaker and a nuisance. But they were nice enough, and their son seemed to genuinely like him, and so he needed to stay with them.

He couldn’t make trouble. Even when auntie deliberately denied Takashi a scarf on cold days despite her son’s insistence. Even when uncle repeatedly forgot to think of Takashi when he brought home treats from work. Takashi wasn’t stupid. He could tell they hadn’t really wanted to take him in the first place. He had to be grateful that they did anyway and took care of him as best as they could bring themselves to. Besides, his new older brother was nice. He would sneak sweets into Takashi’s room when his parents weren’t looking, and loudly proclaimed that he didn’t like a certain shirt anymore and Takashi should have it even though they all knew that he had only bought it the week before. He would help Takashi with school work and insist on walking home with him when they saw each other on the way.

It wasn’t so bad, really, but Takashi was tired.

He was tired of people disliking him before even getting to know him. He was tired of having to be alone all the time. He was tired of going to live with a different person every half year, all of which never wanted him.

Which was why he had to stand down. He had to keep his head down and not do or say anything that would make them want to send him away because he needed to stay here.

He started going on runs at night to keep himself from going crazy. To let out all the pent up energy and emotion that he had to keep bottled up day after day. He focused on the sound of his footsteps on the asphalt and the bite of cold wind through his clothes and just runs until all he could think about was to go to sleep.

He’s grateful no one notices, but sometimes when he comes home to deafening silence and chilling darkness, he wished they did.

When Takashi is sixteen years old, footsteps meant kindness.

The first night he came home with Touko-san and Shigeru-san, they fussed over him until his ears rang. They asked him if his head was still hurting after his fall, what kind of food he liked to eat, what kind of clothing he needed, if he wanted a bed or a futon in his room.

Takashi’s head hurt. None of his previous guardians had ever asked him this many questions before. Especially not about his preferences. 

He apologized and told them he didn’t know, and when their faces fell, he frantically added that he liked manjuu.

The next morning, he found a box of manjuu with his name written on top on the kotatsu in the living room.

Every night after that, right before bed, he would always hear the soft thudding of his guardians’ footsteps coming towards his room. Either Touko-san or Shigeru-san or both would knock at his door, poke their head in, and ask him if he needed anything. Takashi always said no, until the night his body betrayed him and he sneezed right in Touko-san’s face.

She made a small sound of surprise and promptly ran out of his room. Takashi stared at his door in horror, thinking that was it. They were going to send him away. That had been so horribly rude of him and they were going to tell him tomorrow morning that they couldn’t keep him anymore.

And then Touko-san ran back into his room, an impressive pile of blankets in her arms, and proceeded to cover him in four layers of warmth before smoothing his hair back with a smile on her face and bidding him good night.

Takashi sweat like mad that night, but he never took any of his blankets off.

They didn’t send him away when he ruined one of Touko-san’s pans trying to make breakfast to thank her the next morning. They didn’t send him away when he ran home screaming and collapsed on the entryway. They didn’t send him away when he came home with a failing grade, or when he asked to keep the strange fat cat he had found in a shrine.

They were ecstatic when he brought friends with him for the first time. Touko-san fed them until they were full to bursting and Shigeru-san regaled them with tales of his most impressive fishing exploits.

And every night, without fail, they would still knock at his door, asking him if he needed anything. And Takashi would smile, thank them for their kindness, and fall asleep with his heart more full than it had ever been.

When Takashi is sixteen years old, footsteps meant that his family was coming.

[drowsycorvid]

The Occult Science and Research Club is here to wish you a Happy New Year! Let’s hope this one treats us kindly ~

[goodlucktai]

we’re all one phone call from our knees

@natsumeweek 2022 day 1; lost/found

read on ao3

(next)

x

On the coffee table, Kitamoto’s phone lights up. The screen displays an incoming call from an unknown number as the ringtone chimes merrily at half-volume. 

By itself, that isn’t so odd, except that it’s late. It’s past midnight, pushing closer to morning, and Takashi can’t help but glance at the phone and wonder  who on earth could that be?

The only people who call Kitamoto are his parents and sometimes his sister, who are all here in the apartment and asleep for the night. All of their friends rely solely on texts and emails to communicate, when they’re not just inviting themselves over to each other’s houses, cheerfully unannounced. 

“Make it stop,” Nyanko-sensei grumbles, pressing his face against Takashi’s knee.

“Yes, yes,” Takashi says, trying to nudge Kitamoto awake from where he dozed off against Takashi’s shoulder.

In the very beginning they were only friends by proxy. Kitamoto was always kind, but he was in another class, and really only ever hung out with Natsume outside of school because that’s what Nishimura was doing. Their mutual friend was the only thing they had in common.

But it’s been months since then, nearly a year, and now Kitamoto means the world to him. It’s weird to think back on a time when they were as good as strangers. 

Somehow, Takashi is acclimating to this surreal, sleepy little town, and all the people in it who are happy to see him. People who light up when he comes to their door. He’s getting used to being welcome. He still sometimes second-guesses his place at a sleepover, but not enough to not go.

After a few more nudges, Kitamoto heaves himself upright with a put-upon groan and answers the phone without checking the caller I.D. ‘Horrifying,’ Shibata had said with feeling when Taki did the same thing last weekend, and remembering it now makes Takashi smile. 

The whole evening is warm, and sleepy, and comfortable. Looking back, Takashi will marvel at how quickly it all came apart. Deflating as swiftly as a punctured balloon, a merry little ship capsizing in dark water. 

How Kitamoto’s sluggish, unbothered “Hello?” jumped into a wide-awake “Hey, Nishimura—hey—hey, what? What’s wrong?” 

How he bolted to his feet and went flying down the hall with a frightened “Mom!” that had even Nyanko-sensei tense up in Natsume’s lap. 

Within minutes, Kitamoto’s mother is running down the hall with Kitamoto right behind her, and his phone is in her hand, and she’s saying, “It’s alright, sweetheart, we’re on our way. We’ll be right there. Don’t cry, baby, it’s okay.”

Kitamoto is pale and shaken. He reaches for Takashi’s hand, like he’s forgotten that that’s something the two of them don’t really do. Takashi hastily shuffles his cat to the crook of one arm and stands up, reaching back. 

He doesn’t know what’s happening, but—but he knows all about bad phone calls. He knows all about the fear in his friend’s eyes, and the desperate, too-tight grip of his fingers. 

And it’s Nishimura on the phone. Nishimura, the very first friend Takashi ever made, who kicked down a door into Takashi’s life and then held it open behind him for everyone else to come along, too—a noisy parade of wonderful people who filled all the places in Takashi’s heart that he didn’t even realize were empty. 

Takashi squeezes Kitamoto’s hand back. It’s Nishimura. That’s when Takashi realizes he’s scared, too. 

The rush to the genkan for shoes and jackets, the tense flight down stairs to the car, and the drive across town must have happened, for them to have gotten here, but Takashi doesn’t remember any of it. 

When they spill through the front doors of the station, an officer is waiting for them by the desk in the lobby. He’s out of uniform with a badge hanging around his neck on a beaded chain, and trades polite introductions before turning to lead them down a short hallway. 

He’s talking while they walk, probably rightly guessing from her expression that Kitamoto’s mom is ready to bulldoze through walls one at a time if she has to. Takashi tries to listen, but their voices are quiet, and four pairs of hurried footsteps down the polished tile floor is enough to make it hard to hear what they’re saying. 

Kitamoto’s breath is shuddering, and he keeps looking down at his phone, and then back up at where they’re going as if he’s afraid to miss anything. He and Takashi are still holding hands, and Takashi can feel him shaking where their arms are pressed together. 

He doesn’t know what to say. He has no idea how to be a comfort. He thinks that if it helps Kitamoto to have something to hold onto, then he can at least do that much. 

Abruptly, childishly, he wants Touko. He wishes she was here. He’s grateful to have sensei, who hasn’t even complained about any of this yet, a warm and steady weight against Takashi’s chest. 

They finally pause outside a door, and the officer pushes it open and then stands back to let them in. Takashi follows Kitamoto-san into what looks like a lounge, with a small kitchenette and coffee bar on one side, and a seating area on the other. 

Takashi has been in and out of his fair share of police stations—once for truancy, that time he lived with a couple who didn’t let him out of the house, even to go to school; but usually because child services needed a safe place to plant him when a foster family washed their hands of him in the middle of the night—so the nondescript furniture and sparse wall decorations almost make this place seem familiar. He’s barely taking any of it in at all, the details of his surroundings blurring around him as his eyes skate around the room, searching for—

“Satchan,” Kitamoto says, breathless, like it was punched out of him. 

He goes running for the cluster of armchairs on the far side of the room, but Takashi stops dead in his tracks, his hand slipping out of Kitamoto’s grip.

Nyanko-sensei wheezes a bit when Takashi’s hold becomes tight enough to suffocate, but he doesn’t scratch his way free. He just wriggles to make enough room to breathe, needlepoint claws catching in the fabric of Takashi’s sleeve.

Takashi’s heart is racing. Something uncomfortably like grief builds up in his chest like a flash flood behind a dam. Makes it hard for the air to get in. 

Because Nishimura looks like something Takashi might have met in the middle of the woods somewhere. He looks like a ghost. 

Both of his eyes are blackened, and his lip is split, and one side of his face is bright red and beginning to purple—but it’s the way he looks at them. The dullness of his gaze, like he’s not really there. Like he’s gone away to protect himself, and whatever is happening in front of him can’t hurt him, because he’s safe somewhere else. 

Takashi understands. He’s lived that way, too. He knows how to disappear inside, how to make himself feel far away from the bad things, far enough away that it can’t hurt. 

Far enough away that you lose your sense of belonging anywhere. You lose your way back. 

He’d been starting to think of this town as perfect. He’d been starting to think, since he found a home here, anyone could. He thought people didn’t get lost here. 

He should have known better.

[keithtopia]

Kats Anime List (о´∀`о)

Open to any recommendations. This list is MY opinion.

Rankings:

Haikyuu

Jujutsu Kaisen

Space Dandy

Yona of the Dawn

Kimi Ni Todoke

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

Natsume’s Book of Friends

Kamisama Kiss

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Fairy Tail

The Apothecary Diaries

My Happy Marriage

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

My New Boss is Goofy

Your Lie in April

Why Raeliana Ended Up at the Dukes Mansion

Skip and Loafer

Demon Slayer

A Sign of Affection

Attack on Titan

Horimiya

Fruits Basket

Kiss Him, Not Me

Sasaki and Miyano

Spy X Family

Kaguya-Sama: Love is War

A Silent Voice

Your Name

Our Love Has Always Been 10 Centimeters Apart

Given

Banana Fish

The Millionaire Detective

Kaiju No. 8

BLUELOCK

Komi Can’t Communicate

Cherry Magic!

My Hero Academia

Naruto Shippuden

Monthly Girls Nozaki Kun

Play It Cool Guys

Snow White with the Red Hair

Dungeon Meshi

Kuroko’s Basketball

91 Days

Heavenly Delusion

Link Click

Tsukigakirei

Blue Spring Ride

Yuri!! On Ice

My Dress Up Darling

Wotakoi: Love is Hard for Otaku

Ouran High School Host Club

Princess Jellyfish

Buddy Daddies

My Love Story with Yamada-Kun at Lvl. 999

The Disastrous Life of Saiki K.

Tomo-Chan is a Girl

Death Parade

Kotaro Lives Alone

A Galaxy Next Door

Gauken Babysitters

My Love Story

Tsurune

The Ice Guy and His Cool Female Colleague

The Yuzuki Family’s Four Sons

Mr. Villains Day Off

Kakuriyo

The Devil is a Part Timer

Steins Gate

Trigun

86 Eighty-Six

Ron Kamonohashi’s Forbidden Deductions

Seraph of the End

The Yakuza’s Guide to Babysitting

Sing a Bit of Harmony

Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun

Salaryman’s Club

Josee, the Tiger and the Fish

The Garden of Words

The Stranger by the Shore

Kono Ota Tomare!: The Sounds of Life

My Senpai is Annoying

Bungo Stray Dogs

Japan Sinks

Nodame Cantabile

Toradora

One Punch Man

Cowboy Bepop

Ghost Stories

The Way of the Househusband

Edens Zero

Angel Beats

The Royal Tutor

Bananya

I Can’t Understand What My Husband is Saying

The Girl and Her Guard Dog

Plastic Memories

Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World

Anohana

Akira

(As of August 22, 2024)

Watchlist:

Tokyo Ghoul

Soul Eater

Tokyo Revengers

Fire Force

Assasination Classroom

The Rising of Shield Hero

Cells at Work

Parasyte

Violet Evergarden

The Promised Neverland

Seven Deadly Sins

Kill La Kill

Banished From the Hero’s Party

The Daily Life of the Immortal King

Blue Exorcist

Black Butler

5 Centimeters per Second

Barakamon

Hanada-Kun

Ace Attorney

Hetalia

Mieruko-Chan

Daily Lives of High School Boys

Devils Line

Death Note

Sk8 the Infinity

Code Geass

Orange

Lycoris Recoil

I Got a Skill Cheat in Another World and Became Unrivaled in the Real World Too

Girlfriend, Girlfriend

The Angel Next Door Spoils Me Rotten

Classroom of the Elite

Sound! Euphonium

Astra Lost in Space

Shimoneta

Nana

Anime Guys I ✨simp✨ For (๑>◡<๑)

(In no particular order… kinda)

Jujutsu Kaisen

Toji Fushiguro

Nanami Kento

Gojo Satoru

Higuruma Hiromi

Choso Kamo

Yuuta Okkotsu

Fairy Tail

Gray Fullbuster

Loke

Rogue Cheney

Haikyuu!!

Bokuto Koutaro

Daichi Sawamura

Semi Eita

Matsukawa Issei

Osamu Miya

Ukai Keishin

Tanaka Ryunosuke

Ushijima Wakatoshi

Shugo Meian

Yona of the Dawn

Hak

My Hero Academia

Hawks

Natsuo Todoroki

Hitoshi Shinso

Shota Aizawa

Fruits Basket

Hatsuharu Soma

Life Lessons with Uramichi Oniisan

Usahara Tobikichi

Mitsuo Kumatani

Sleepy Princess in the Demon Castle

Cursed Dentist

Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood

Roy Mustang

Naruto Shippuden

Tobirama Senju

Kuroko’s Basketball

Daiki Aomine

Taiga Kagami

Rinnosuke Mitobe

Ouran High School Host Club

Takashi Morinozuka

Play It Cool Guys

Mima Takayuki

As of February 3, 2023

[justaregulardecoratedemergency]

“off on your own again, are you?”

@natsumeweek day 1: wandering/belonging

a natsume yuujinchou x mushishi crossover - i don’t think i’ve come across any art with this particular concept, but it’s easy to imagine an alternate world in which natsume travels the lands as ginko does, without really having any place to call home. 

(and happy birthday, natsume takashi!)

[noctisfishing]

#NoctIsReading Multifandom One-Shots!

One-Shots I’ve read from fandoms I either love or are unfamiliar with, some I would like to try to get into! These writers are also wonderfully talented and are worth showcasing! Will add more to this list as I read :)

Current Fandoms:

Bionicle [Takua]

**Boku no Hero Academia [TodoDeku]

**Elder Scrolls (x2) [Ancano/Illia] **[Illia & Silvia]

Elena of Avalor [Victor & Carla]

Fullmetal Alchemist [Royai]

Good Omens [Aziraphale/Crowley]

**Harry Potter (x3) [Young Tom Riddle] **[Regulus Black/OC] **[Parvati & Lavender & Seamus]

LOST [Hurley]

**Naruto [SasuNaru]

**Natsume’s Book of Friends x Noragami (crossover)

Persona 5 [Ann]

Pokemon (x2) [OC Trainers] [Dr. Platane]

**Sherlock [Sherlock & Mycroft]

Supernatural [Cas & Dean]

**newly added Sep 29 2019

Fandom / Character(s) // Title // Rating // Author // Genre

Bionicle / Takua // Tale of the Toa Stones // T // ArcAngelofJustice // Adventure

Read this because: It’s a fun and light-hearted read-along of Takua’s journey. It gives and insight of his character and how the others in the story see him. The end left me intrigued!

**NEW** Boku no Hero Academia / Todoroki Shoto/Midoriya Izuku // The Elements of Life // T // Crezhul // Fluff (

Read this because: Deku is adorable as an android.

**NEW** Elder Scrolls / Illia & Sylvia // The Bastard // M // alcyonejonquil // Tragedy/Family

Read this because: I find it fascinating to read in the eyes of a mother who chose the path of evil, yet felt betrayed by her rebellious daughter who ended up choosing differently.

Elder Scrolls / Ancano/Illia // Heart // T // alcyonejonquil // Romance/Hurt/Comfort

Read this because: It’s written in the POV of Ancano and shows his soft, romantic side (especially going into this knowing that he’s a villain!) which makes this pairing intriguing.

Elena of Avalor / Victor & Carla Delgado // Dance Another Day // K+ // @lostbutterflyutau // Family

Read this because: It’s fluffy and this father/daughter relationship is so sweet. I love how Carla wants to keep her mother’s memory alive through dancing.

Fullmetal Alchemist / Roy Mustang/Riza Hawkeye (Royai) //  Duration 00:01:52 // T // @kuchee 

Read this because: It’s a story about a marriage proposal written in the form of an epistolary (letters/articles/etc.) and the two characters really only communicate through telephone. Also, I ship these two so hard.

Good Omens / Aziraphale/Crawley // my soul to keep // T // mistrali // Hurt/Comfort

Read this because: The interaction between these two is really sweet. and highly amusing. I am intrigued enough to actually start following this series. :D

**NEW** Harry Potter / Regulus Black/OC // Amortentia // G // unspeakable3 // Slice of Life/Romance

Read this because: Regulus likes to keep to himself, especially on the matter of this love potion, but when it’s finally revealed (at least, to the reader) it’s really sweet.

**NEW** Harry Potter / Parvati & Lavender & Seamus // Moving Forward // T // Emmeebee // Tragedy/Friendship

Read this because: Death of a friend after the Battle of Hogwarts. This fic encapsulates the mood of grieving and moving on. Bonus points for the clever pun towards the end.

Harry Potter / Young Tom Riddle // Tension // M // Atypical16 

Read this because: This story is so aptly titled. It’s written mainly through the eyes of a Junior Auror as she interviews Tom Riddle, though what hooked me was the way she realized just how powerful he was, and his cunning way of doing it.

LOST / Hugo Reyes(Hurley) // Last Man Standing // T // stephanie bean // Drama/Humor

Read this because: It shows you the kind of loveable, good-natured, take-no-crap kinda guy Hurley is. Hurley deserves all the love.

**NEW** Naruto / Naruto/Sasuke // Boy, Interrupted // G // @waffledogwrites // Humor/Romance

Read this because: Sasuke has feelings, but things get in the way of revealing them to Naruto. Things like his friends, his teachers, his own mouth. Entertaining read until the end.

**NEW** Natsume’s Book of Friends x Noragami / Natsume Takashi/Yato // a thread undone, a match unmade // G // minium // General

Read this because: It has an ethereal tone with Natsume entranced at the appearance and presence of a demon unlike any other (Yato). I am all for this crossover/fusion.

Persona 5 / Ann Takamaki //  And where hell is there must we ever be // M // @helloquotemyfoot // Angst

Read this because: It was awesome to read Ann’s torment and emotional thoughts as she and the others have to face Kamoshida. Plus, Ann is a freaking badass.

Pokemon / OC Pokemon Trainers // Unpacking // NR // skippingmud // General 

Read this because: It’s written in only dialogue between two Pokemon Trainers but you can sense what they’re both feeling as they talk to each other about training, and even having to set a Pokemon free.

Pokemon / Dr. Platane // Answering Machine // G // BlackjackGabbiani // Angst (

Read this because: It’s a short read but it will break your heart at the end.

**NEW** Sherlock / Sherlock & Mycroft // You make your deductions, I’ll make mine // K+ // PenguinofProse // Family/Friendship

Read this because: Spot-on characterization and banter between the Brothers Holmes, as well as the unspoken compassion in the friendship between Sherlock and John. 

**NEW** Shouwa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu / Kikuhiko, Sukeroku, Miyokichi // with the telling of it // M // jan // Romance/Tragedy/Angst

Read this because: This beautiful series doesn’t get talked about enough and I was happy to see the name pop up in a rec thread. The fic itself gets the tone of the series right and hits all the right feels of angst and tragedy. There’s also added hints of M/M which fits perfectly.

Supernatural / Casiel & Dean Winchester // Art & Soul // T // Jet44 // Hurt/Comfort/Angst

Read this because: I was entertained by the relationship and dynamic between these two. This was written with great depth of characters and scenery that I felt a sense of understanding what the series was about even if I’m unfamiliar. The appearance of ferrets was also great.

[winterune]

J, K, M, and/or X for whatever you like! c:

J - Name a fandom you didn’t think about until you saw it all over Tumblr.

The only fandoms that I can think about now that I only found out from Tumblr and then went to see what they were and quite like them were Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso, and I guess Haikyuu. And then there’s Net-juu no Susume that I’ve kind of read the premise of but didn’t think much about then saw it on Tumblr and omg this is so cute! Similar thing happened with BnHA and Re:Zero (though they’re not ‘cute’ lol)

K - What character has your favorite development arc/the best development arc?

I’m probably biased but my favorite character arc is Natsume Takashi’s. It’s super slow but it’s there and I’m just so happy when I see this kid found the love that he deserves! And I want to add that Steins;Gate’s Okabe Rintarou also had a really great development so he comes close to second.

M - Name a character that you’d like to have for a friend?

NATSUME!!!!!!! But I guess I’d have a heart attack every now and then if Natsume’s my friend and then one day he’d go missing or he seems different or he comes home injured. Just look at how Tanuma and Natori are after they get to know Natsume better lol

X - A trope which you are almost certain to love in any fandom.

I am almost always certain to love quiet smart/genius tacticians, sometimes with a tragic past lol. Most notably Lelouch from Code Geass. There are also Ansatsu’s Karma Akabane and BnHA’s Todoroki Shouto (though he’s not much of a tactician) and Noragami’s Kazuma and P5′s Ren

Thanks^^ This was fun! From this ask meme

[softyuu-ri]

Tagged by: @probablyalizard Thanks! I don’t think I’ve done one of these on this blog yet actually!

Rules: answer the questions and tag twenty of your followers that you’d like to know better

Name: Karli

Nicknames: ^

Zodiac: Scorpio sun ^_^

Height: almost 5′6″ but doctors always put down 5′5″ >:/

Age: 20

Orientation: ace idfk

Ethnicity: native/white/hispanic/latinx i’m just a whole mix I actually kinda wanna get one of those DNA tests done!

Favorite fruit: MANGOS

Favorite season: Spring ^_^ I love plants and flowers

Favorite flowers: smell wise i think lilac and lavender! looks wise maybe chrysanthemums or peonies ^_^

Favorite book series: not counting hp i loved all of Tamora Pierce’ series!

Favorite scent: vanilla tea, lavender + honey, frangipane in the oven, clean bedsheets, and fresh air in the spring in the morning when the grass is still damp and small birds sing quietly.

Coffee, tea, or cocoa: all of them!! warm drinks are so good and also cold versions

Cat or dog person: i love all animals but i think i’m a dog person. i’ve had both (still do!) but something about dogs they just make me feel so loved! i guess they’re more emotionally needy than cats or something but i just love feeling loved and my dogs are definitely better at that than my cats for the most part my personal cat is pretty needy tho he’s just not as nice abt it as my dog haha.

Average hours of sleep: 8-10

Favorite fictional character: ?!?!?!? idk!

OTP: uhhhhh natsume takashi x happiness, fulfilling relationships, kindness, and love?? my son he deserves so much

Dream trip: Extended traveling across europe! a month in france exploring the countryside, two weeks in paris, a month in greece, 2 weeks in rome, a month exploring north and south italy, a week in austria, a weekend in luxembourg, etc! aaa just thinking about it sounds so blissful, adventuring on my own meeting up with people here and there, learning history and seeing it, touching it, the feeling when you walk into some place rich with history and knowing you’ll never know all of it, that specific feeling when you experience how insignificant you are amidst the majesty and expanse of history and at the same time feel yourself slot perfectly into the continuing story as though you belong there precisely then.

Blog created: it just turned one the other day! i’ve been on tumblr for like 5 years tho?

Tagging: uhhhhhh idk!! most ppl have already done this a bunch so if you haven’t then go ahead!

[floweryfandomnerd]

I was tagged by @juuzous13donuts thank you very much ^-^

Goal: Tag nine people you want to get to know better

Relationship Status: Single and happy that way (no, I swear to you I am not the crazy cat lady. Please believe me, why would I lie?)

Favourite Colour: Yellow

Lipstick or Chapstick: Chapstick, I have like four in my bag right now and that’s after I lost a whole bunch of them

Last song I listened to: Not sure, but I think it was ‘The One’ by Ed Sheeran

Last movie I watched: Lego Batman, it’s actually really funny and kinda sweet too. I loved the ongoing joke of the Joker (haha) trying to ensnare Batman in a relationship.

Top three tv shows: Fullmetal Alchemist (both versions ofc), Natsume Yuujinchou and I’m torn between the nostalgic choice of Phineas and Ferb which I’m currently watching and Arslan Senki. Can I put them at a tie?

Top three characters: Never give me this question again, I have too many. Edward Elric, Natsume Takashi and Daryun. But ask me my top twenty in no particular order and you’ll get a less agonised decision

Top three ships: Edwin (Edward Elric x Winry Rockbell) because have you seen them? Arslan x Etoile and Almei

Okay I’m tagging @1messedupchildxnx @thelazyfanartist @renkocchi @atems-lover (I swear girl if you say Dragonball z I will punch you) @inoki-mikan @vazzle @al-is-my-pal @lostinparisphotography @queenbovine @kardowolf If you don’t want to do it just ignore me of course

[rukari97]

Natsume Yuujinchou Roku - OP  Scenery

I made this so I could have a new background for my anime/manga episode preview comparisons for this season x

Here are some shots of Reiko and Takashi

I’m always happy that they keep the ED style the same 

[goodlucktai]

Could I request some good bro Natori and Natsume stuff for prompts 1,2,3, or 5? Either separately or merged into one frankenfic?

PROMPTS LIST

1. “I apologise in advance for the inconvenience my murder is going to have on your life.” +2. “I hate you.” “Why? I’m lovely.” +5. “This is my life now. I have climbed this hill and now I will die upon it.” “Shut up. We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”

x

When Shuuichi called the Fujiwara house to invite Natsume to the upcoming wrap party, he was braced for the type of dogged, exacting negotiations better suited a hostage situation. 

Instead, after a pleasant fifteen-minute conversation with Touko, he was painlessly gifted custody of his friend for the weekend. 

“Shigeru-san and I need to meet with one of his relatives about some of Takashi-kun’s missing belongings,” she says, a sliver of steel in her sunny voice that promises, in no uncertain terms, that these relatives will almost certainly have a fight on their hands. “I’d hate to have to bring Takashi-kun along, but I don’t like to leave him here alone, so this is quite the neat solution!”

Natsume is grim and resigned when they meet at the train station, an overnight bag slung over his shoulder, his ugly cat tucked into his arms. Shuuichi can’t help but beam at him, having come out of this arrangement fully on top. 

“Shopping!” he announces gleefully. “You’ll need something fancy for the party. And then we’ll get lunch-- my treat, of course. And if you don’t listen to me, Touko-san will be sad!” 

If looks could kill, Shuuichi would almost certainly have met his unfortunate end right then and there. 

xx

Natsume has been uncomfortable all evening, in a fixed position at Shuuichi’s elbow and nursing the same flute of champagne that was foisted upon him at the door. 

He’s in dark-washed jeans and a smart blazer, his hair tucked out of his face with a few strategic hair clips. He toes the line between youthful and stylish well, and his quiet personality comes across as shy instead of standoffish. The cast and crew are all delighted to finally meet the kid Shuuichi talked so much about, and Natsume is doing his best to hold up under all the attention.

So it had taken a bit of blackmail and bribery to get him here-- was that so unusual? 

Networking is a necessary evil, and usually Shuuichi is stuck at these functions until the early hours of the morning. But it’s only a couple of hours before Natsume starts to flag. He’s edging into nonverbal territory, only mustering eye contact for a few seconds at a time, and Shuuichi doesn’t waste time in steering him away from the press of the party and into an out-of-the-way office. 

“Who’s office is this?” Natsume asks quietly. When Shuuichi presses lightly on his shoulders, he sinks into a leather armchair without fuss. 

“Doesn’t matter. I’m famous, I can do whatever I want,” Shuuichi says with a winning smile. 

Natsume is recovered enough by then to scowl at him, a knee-jerk reaction. 

“I hate you.”

“Why? I’m lovely.”

After that exchange, Shuuichi feels alright about leaving Natsume alone with Hiiragi while he sweeps off to make their excuses, and say his goodbyes, and steal some food for the road. 

And now they’re bundled in coats and scarves, making their way back to the hotel. Natsume looks much livelier now that they’re outside, working on the second half of an egg sandwich that Shuuichi smuggled out for him. 

“I can’t believe you do that for a living,” the boy murmurs after a moment. “It’s exhausting.”

“You get used to it,” Shuuichi says. “And I’m good at talking.”

Being charming and personable on cue is one of his greatest skills. No closed door, or VIP entrance, or members-only sign has ever kept him out. 

When they get back to the hotel, an ugly cat is waiting for them outside. Natsume smiles to see it, his pace quickening, and offers the yokai the last bite of his sandwich. 

Madara takes it with a scoff. “This is all you brought me? I want barbecue!” 

“What kind of party do you think we were at?” Shuuichi mutters. 

“Maybe tomorrow, sensei,” Natsume says agreeably, lifting the cat into his arms. 

“Hmph. In that case, I guess I’ll pass the message along.” Settling into a comfortable loaf in the crook of the boy’s arms, the cat squints at them with shining, dark eyes. “Someone came for their name while you were gone.”

Shuuichi stiffens in alarm. They’re hours away from Hitoyoshi, where Natsume’s reputation proceeds him at every turn. To have been tracked this far, despite the wards... 

Natsume only looks mildly surprised. “Are they still here?”

“No, they’re waiting for you in the woods,” Madara says. “Human settlements make them nervous.”

Nodding as if this is all perfectly reasonable, Natsume glances at Shuuichi. Shuuichi, waiting for his cue, says, “Absolutely not.”

“Natori,” his friend says, with the same tone of a tired mother attempting to wrangle an unreasonable toddler.

“In what universe would I allow you to wander off into the forest in the middle of the night?” He opts to ignore the rich orange dusk above and around them, and the fact that the streetlights haven’t kicked on yet. Natsume’s eyebrows are inching toward his hairline, so he decides to play his trump card. “Your parents said I’m in charge.”

Hiiragi sighs deeply. It’s only after Shuuichi says it that he realizes how juvenile it sounded, but by then it’s too late. He has to double down. 

“Let’s just go inside, and we’ll discuss it over a proper meal,” he says with a smile. He waves Natsume toward the door, but Natsume doesn’t budge.

Shuuichi realizes he used up all his authority earlier, in forcing Natsume to the department stores and restaurants and the wrap party. The boy has played along thus far but he’s clearly reached his quota for the evening. He doesn’t even entertain the idea of listening to Shuuichi this time. 

“I’ll be quick,” Natsume says plainly. He turns back the way they came without another word. 

Shuuichi struggles with it for a moment, but he really doesn’t have any choice but to follow. It doesn’t help that the ugly cat is laughing at him, or that Hiiragi is judging him silently with every step.  

xx

Honestly, if Shuuichi were feeling marginally more generous, he would admit that there was some sort of cosmic justice at work here. He had forced Natsume out of his comfort zone all night, and now the tables have turned entirely. 

The trees tower around them as they pick their way up a faint foot trail, stretching up into a dark, endless canopy. The wind combs through branches and leaves in eerie, hushed whispers. They only have the shiki’s night-eyes and the flashlight on Shuuichi’s phone to see by. 

“This is my life now,” Shuuichi complains, out of breath. “I climbed this hill and now I’m going to die on it.”

“Shut up,” Natsume replies mildly. “We’ve only been hiking for twenty minutes.”

He certainly seems comfortable here, for all that he’s never been in these particular woods before. With his green eyes and silvery hair and thousand-yard stare, Natsume might as well be a mountain spirit himself sometimes. 

The thought cinches painfully in Shuuichi’s stomach, and he speeds up a bit until they’re walking alongside one another. 

“How do you know you can trust this spirit?” he asks.

“I don’t,” Natsume says, sounding surprised by the question. “How do you know you can trust any of those humans you work with?”

“Because they’re human.”

For a moment, they just stare at each other. Shuuichi can see his own incomprehension reflected in Natsume’s expression. There’s a sudden chasm open between them, a lack of understanding that goes both ways.

Natsume looks away first. He doesn’t quite hang his head, but he isn’t standing as tall as he was before. Shuuichi remembers, belatedly, just how many humans have hurt Natsume up to this point. He realizes that what he just said was very stupid. And on top of being grossly inconsiderate, he managed to alienate his friend at the same time.

This is what he gets for being so smug all day. 

He puts a hand on Natsume’s shoulder, throwing a line across the chasm and hoping it will hold. He squeezes, waiting until Natsume has mustered the courage for eye contact once more, and only when he has the boy’s full attention does he say gravely, “I have a lot to learn from you. I’m only sorry I won’t have the chance. And I apologize for the inconvenience my murder is going to have on your life.”

Natsume splutters, and then laughs, and those sad, clinging shadows peel away from him as easily as a broken spiderweb. “You’re not going to get murdered!” 

"Hm,” Shuuichi says, deeply unconvinced (and deeply relieved to hear his friend laughing).

“Honestly, if you’re this worried, why not just wait at the hotel?” Natsume asks. He’s animated again, picking his way ahead confidently. Shuuichi is happy to follow, leaving that painful, aborted conversation behind them for another day. 

“Because Touko told me to look after you this weekend,” Shuuichi says mulishly. He’s still clinging to the thin veneer of being in charge, for all the good it’s doing him. “How could I look her in the eye if I let you go charging off into danger?”

“Easily,” Natsume mutters. “Charmingly. And with a bouquet of roses, probably. You said it yourself, you’re good at talking.”

Now it’s Shuuichi’s turn to laugh. He thinks of his conversation with Touko earlier that week-- he thinks of how, even now, she and Shigeru are off getting into a fight with their family for their foster son’s sake, with Natsume none the wiser. 

“You’ve sorely underestimated how protective she is of you,” Shuuichi says ruefully. “That’s fine. I’m sure you’ll get to see it firsthand when I take you home, since I’ve made an absolute mess of this weekend so far.” 

Natsume tips his head curiously, but whatever he might have said is interrupted as they come around a bend that opens up to a glade.

There’s lantern light up ahead. The glow is unnatural, slightly off-color, and the lights sway even though there isn’t a steady wind. Hiiragi goes tense and alert at Shuuichi’s shoulder, and Shuuichi himself feels a cold thrill of anticipation, his fight-or-flight reflexes primed. But Natsume lets out a little huff of relief, and Madara says, “Finally!” as a rabbit spirit steps onto the path to greet them. 

It’s about as tall as Shuuichi’s waist and dressed in a neat yellow yukata. It greets them politely, and apologizes for making them go out of their way, and invites them into the glade. Madara jumps out of Natsume’s arms to lead the way, and Hiiragi follows distrustfully, but Natsume lingers for a moment. 

“What if Touko hadn’t said anything?” he asks, in the tone of someone testing a theory. 

For all of about three seconds, Shuuichi considers lying to preserve his dignity, but he gives it up for a lost cause. He sighs, and musses his hair up even more, and admits, “I’d still be here.”

Natsume might as well be a mountain spirit himself sometimes. But then there are times like these, when his face lights up like a summer sky, and he smiles as though he’s never been hurt, and Shuuichi has never met anyone more human than him.

[kara-no-ai]

Tag nine people you want to get to know better!

tagged by: @have-a-heart-kaneki  every time your name pops up in my notification I both love it and hate the feels it brings 

Relationship status

Single

Favorite color

A deep red.

Lipstick or Chapstick

Neither.

Last song I listened to

Rokutousei no Yoru/Night of the Six Magnitude Stars by Aimer.

Last movie I watched

Eve no Jikan

Top three TV shows

I don’t follow a lot but if I had to choose something…….

1. Gotham 2. The Soup 3. Last Night with John Oliver

Top three characters

Just gonna choose 1 character I really love from a few of the series I’m into most at the moment.

1.  Totsuka Tatara

2. Natsume Takashi 3.  I can’t choose just one between Atsushi and Akutagawa so BSD Edgar Allen Poe 

Top three ships

Just gonna do the same with these

1. Mikoto/Totsuka 2. Atsushi/Akutagawa 3. Kaneki x happiness

Tagging: @swekana @mikototsu-trash @i-8-your-8-bits @sedd-seijuurou @aka-no-o  only if you’d like to, of course.

[goodlucktai]

Prompt! Natsume being protective of/worried for/taking care of Tanuma; OR more of your ffxv au. Or both ;)

x

They’re setting up camp at a haven in Duscae when Satoru says, “Oh, look—it’s Nyanko-sensei.”

Kaname looks up quickly, and Tooru gasps in delight, as the fat cat-like creature waddles up the rune-carved stone.

It’s carrying the notebook in a sling on its back, and Kaname hurries to meet it as Atsushi mutters, “I still can’t believe you call a messenger that stupid name, Satoru.”

“We go way back!”

“Madara,” Kaname says, “how are you? How is—“

“He’s fine,” the creature grumbles irreverently. “You’d know if he wasn’t. Hurry up and read his letter, I didn’t come all this way for my health.”

While his friends clamor around the squat cat-like astral, Kaname flips through the pages of a notebook eagerly to find whatever new message is waiting for him. He’s familiar and comfortable with magic as a concept, but the notebook is something he’s secretly in awe of. It’s as thin and sleek as it’s always been, the number of pages unchanging, but somehow it contains every note they’ve ever written and they’ve never once run out of room.

Kaname takes a moment to brush his fingers over a letter he wrote when he was ten, his childish handwriting hopeful and earnest where it’s preserved beneath a pressed syllablossom. 

But Madara is waiting, dealing with Tooru and Satoru’s affections with ill grace, so Kaname hurries to the last marked page. 

He reads it hungrily, pauses, reads it through more carefully, and then reads it for a third time to make sure he’s read it right. 

“Um, Madara,” he says slowly. “This says Takashi officially denounced the prophecy and left Tenebrae? And he’s waiting for us at the Tomb of the Pious?”

His retinue goes deathly silent, the only sound the rustle of the wind in the grass and the chatter of busy evening insects. Madara says, “That’s because he is, brat.”

“And you just left him there?” Atsushi demands. “The Oracle is just– roaming around Lucis somewhere? Anything could happen!”

Probably the only god who wouldn’t react violently to being spoken to so flippantly, Madara rolls his eyes. 

“He’s got that oar of his and he’s not afraid to use it. And a few of my friends are keeping an eye on him, not that I asked them to. He’s not as helpless as his public image would like you to think.”

“But why has he done this?” Tooru asks, frowning. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m delighted he made it away from an occupied state, but why now?”

“Because the Six finally told him the truth about the prophecy. The truth about what victory will cost,” the little god says. “And he told the Six where they could stick their prophecy, told his brother to pack a bag, and we left within the hour.”

The cat looks gleeful, but he’s the only one. Tooru covers her mouth, horrified, and Atsushi buries his face in his hands as if he doesn’t have the strength to keep his head up. 

Satoru whispers, “Sweet Shiva. We’re all cursed, aren’t we?”

Madara gives him a look that lacks the perpetual annoyance he has for the rest of them. “Why would you be cursed?”

“Don’t be like that, Nyanko-sensei! We’re in this together! If Takashi’s cursed, so are we!”

Kaname kneels, heart hammering. It’s taken him this long to wrap his mind around it, to catch up to the conversation. Takashi, his best friend, his fiance, the boy he promised his heart to whole years before the peace treaty was even a concept, is free. He’s here, in Lucis. He’s waiting for them.

“Where is he?” Kaname whispers. “Take me to him.”

“And what about your babysitters? And your car?” the cat asks dryly. 

“They’ll follow,” Kaname decides on the spot. In the corner of his eye, he sees Atsushi and Tooru gear up for an argument, and Satoru shut them down with two swift swats. “They’ll meet us– wherever. Just take me to him.”

The messenger eyes him up and down for a long moment. Then he makes a big show of rolling his eyes and tucking the notebook back into its sling on his back. 

“Show me your map.”

Madara points out an area of Cleigne, a hidden thicket where a royal tomb is waiting, two days’ drive if Atsushi bends the speed limit wherever he can get away with it. None of them are happy with Kaname’s decision to go ahead alone, but they know better than to put up more than a token fuss about it. He’s safer with Madara than he is with an army at his back. 

“You’ll see me soon,” Kaname says to his friends, loving them for the frustration and loyalty in their faces. “You’ll see us both. And we’ll walk together from then on.”

“Right,” Satoru says, lifting his fist to knock their forearms together. “Get going so we can get going. Sooner we leave the sooner we get there.” 

Madara transforms in a burst of heavy smoke, the runes of the Haven glowing a little brighter as he stands above them in his celestial body. 

“Hurry up, then,” he grumbles, his great voice rolling over them. Kaname climbs up without a second thought. He has time to wave once, and then Madara is leaping into the air and bearing them both away. 

They’re moving quickly, up and up, earth falling away and cloud-mist drenching Kaname’s shirt. He leans forward to shout, “Thank you, Ponta!”

“Don’t thank me, brat. He was hoping you’d come.” 

The admission warms Kaname from the inside-out, until he can hardly feel the cold air rushing past them on all sides. His fingers woven into the thick, downy fur send his thoughts back years and years, after the attack that almost cost him his legs, those stolen, weightless moments late at night when Takashi would help him onto the god’s back, so he could fly even when he couldn’t walk. 

“What was the rest of the prophecy?” he thinks to ask, distracted by thoughts of his love, of seeing him again after such a long time apart. Kaname’s heart is so light that he thinks, without this grip on Madara’s fur, he might float away. “What was the price?”

For a moment, Madara doesn’t answer. Then he says, “Don’t worry about it. It’s not a price we’re going to pay.”

[goodlucktai]

If you're still taking Natsuyuu requests, could I ask for something fluffy with Nyanko-sensei and the Fujiwaras, or else the Fujiwaras and Natori?

x

“Nyankichi is a very smart cat,” Touko says brightly, catching Takashi in the act of palming a piece of mackerel to the spoiled pet waiting beneath the table. “He can talk!”

Takashi freezes, eyes wide. Shigeru stifles a chuckle against the rim of his glass. 

“He can…talk?” the boy asks slowly, looking back and forth between them.

“He has a distinct meow when he’s looking for you,” Touko explains. She reaches over to portion more food onto Takashi’s plate, since he’s sharing. “Like he’s calling your name.”

“Thanks to him, we always know when you’re home,” Shigeru adds fondly.

Takashi colors a bit and ducks his head, studying his meal more closely than it deserves. But there’s a pleased smile peeking out from the corners of his mouth, and beneath the table, Nyankichi meows.

Touko is laying out the futons in their bedroom when Shigeru suddenly remarks, “We have a visitor.”

She looks up to see Takashi’s cat crouched in the doorway like a squat little sentry. He looks so serious and still for such a silly little creature that she can’t help but smile.

“My, my, you never come in here, Nyankichi. Is something the matter?”

He doesn’t move right away, staring at them with those dark animal eyes. Then he paces in a tight circle, and meows Takashi’s name. 

Shigeru only needs a moment to make up his mind. He pushes himself to his feet and sets his book aside. “Lead the way, Nyangoro,” he says with good humor. 

Touko busies herself with straightening out the duvets, but she’s counting her husband’s footsteps down the hall, and listening for the hushed slide of Takashi’s door. Her pillow is just about out of shape from all her distracted patting when Shigeru calls her name. 

She meets him in the hallway. Takashi is in his arms, head listening against Shigeru’s shoulder and face burnt red with fever. 

“Oh, dear, this came on suddenly! He was fine at dinner,” Touko frets, touching his flushed cheek with the back of her hand. “I’ll get his coat and medical papers and meet you at the car.” 

Nyankichi rides in her lap on the way to the hospital, silently suffering her worried petting and watching everything with slitted eyes. He doesn’t make a sound until she smuggles him past the nurses and deposits him in Takashi’s waiting arms. 

There, he settles into a comfortable loaf on Takashi’s stomach. His job is done and now he’s content to ignore the rest of them, putting his head down and closing his eyes to prove it. A rumbling purr builds up from deep in his little chest, and it makes Shigeru and Touko trade fond smiles.

“You’re such a phony,” Takashi rasps, but he looks happy to see him. 

It’s been a week since Takashi never came home. 

The police are working tirelessly, and friends and neighbors have exhausted all resources in trying to find him. His classmates are distraught, and Touko herself is faring no better. 

Their relatives call when the news reaches the rest of the family. 

“We knew something like this would happen eventually,” they say, sympathetic for all the wrong reasons. “He’s not worth the trouble.”

Shigeru throws the phone across the room, hard enough that it breaks against the wall. The sound is almost impossibly loud. He apologizes immediately, pressing a hand to his eyes, and Touko hurries to put her arms around him. 

“We know better than that,” she tells him fiercely. “We know our boy. He’ll come home.”

There’s a commotion in the entry way, and Touko’s heart reacts so fiercely that she nearly chokes on hope as she darts from the sitting room with her husband fast on her heels. 

The front door is wide open, and Takashi’s cat is sitting in the genkan. 

“Oh,” Touko says softly. Disappointment and sorrow make gravity twice as heavy. “Hello, Nyankichi. We haven’t seen you in awhile. I had hoped you would be keeping an eye on our Takashi.”

Nyankichi studies them, his eyes a brighter green than Touko is used to, and then he makes a familiar sound. Touko’s eyes fill with tears. 

“Sorry, little one,” Shigeru tells the cat, sounding aged and sad. “We don’t know where he is either.”

The calico stands up, and paces in a tight circle right there in front of the open door. He meows again, and Shigeru shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. Touko ushers the pet into the house and pulls the door closed. 

It takes a hard yank, and she wonders how on earth a little cat managed to get it open on its own. She puts it out of her mind quickly, because her new cellphone is ringing from where she left it on the kitchen counter. 

She hurries away to answer it. Behind her, the front door slides open again, as if pushed by an unseen hand, and a lucky cat says Natsume.

[goodlucktai]

put your empty hands in mine

chapter seven: hold tight, we’re in for nasty weather

natsume yuujinchou pairing: kitanishinatsu word count: 2002 summary: Kitamoto and Nishimura are soulmates, to absolutely no one’s surprise. But they’re also soulmates with a very shy boy who lives somewhere far away, who writes to them in tiny, careful letters right before bed, who apologizes when the mimicry of bruises pop up on their arms and backs because of him. And that’s a surprise to a lot of people. read on ao3

x

With Nyanko-sensei around to keep an eye on things, Takashi’s life quiets down. Comparatively, anyway.

Nyanko-sensei can fly! Satoru finds on his palm on a school morning, the familiar orange letters rushed and excited. We went up so high I could see the whole city!

How did that little cat carry you? Atsushi asks before Satoru can reach for his pen and demand to know why he didn’t take them flying.

His true form is big, Takashi writes. Really big.

Tsuji is giving them a dirty look for writing notes during social studies, but he has no idea how interesting talking to Takashi is. Satoru pretends not to notice Tsuji’s pointed look at his workbook and instead scrawls a quick, How big?

Draw him! Atsushi adds.

Takashi must be in class, too, because the drawing comes along in bits at a time like he’s trying to avoid getting caught. Satoru’s elbow is propped up on his desk, chin tucked into his hand, so it’s easy to smother the grin on his face that grows a little more with each glance he takes at his arm. Across the room, Atsushi’s mouth wobbles as he tries to keep a straight face.

Takashi is no artist. The creature that painstakingly appears is something between a dog and a woolly sheep, with lots of curly fur and a long wispy tail. It has whiskers and a weird mark on its forehead.

Satoru is tracing this onto his notebook and keeping it forever.

The next time Takashi comes to Hitoyoshi, Shibata is with him. It’s been most of a year since that ill-advised phone call, and by now they’re comfortably joined at the hip. Satoru is jealous Shibata and Takashi are so close, but he’s not going to begrudge his shy soulmate any little scrap of happiness he can find. It’s good he has a friend back home.

And Shibata’s alright, he supposes grudgingly. Nyanko-sensei must approve of him if he’s still around.

“Shibata’s soulmate is someone named Tanuma Kaname,” Takashi says. Satoru and Atsushi are visiting him, this time, and they’re all sitting in Shibata’s kitchen while his mom makes lunch and cheerfully eavesdrops on their conversation. “Do you know anyone by that name?”

“There’s no Tanuma in our class,” Satoru says. He glances at Shibata’s arms, and the writing that peeks out from under his rolled-up sleeves. He feels the last bit of dislike fade away when Shibata rubs his soulmate’s handwriting with a careful finger, like he’s not even aware he’s doing it. “We can ask around when we get home, though.”

“Would you?” Takashi asks brightly. “Thanks, Satchan!”

While Satoru is trying to work a flush off his face, Atsushi asks Shibata, “Have you met him before?”

“We talk on the phone sometimes,” Shibata says slowly.

There’s something kind of vulnerable about him now. It is sort of a personal thing to talk about, and that’s probably why his mom is listening closely, ready to jump in if the conversation takes an uncomfortable turn. But Shibata glances at Takashi, like he’s borrowing extra nerve, and Takashi’s smile seems to settle him.

“Kaname’s really sick, is all,” he tells them. “He’s not up for traveling around, and he has-- “

He glances back at his mother for help. She reminds him gently, “An anxiety disorder.”

“Right,” Shibata says. “He has anxiety, and sometimes he works himself up over even little things, and our parents are worried he might get really stressed out when he meets me and make himself even sicker and-- I don’t want that.” His voice is small now. “So I can wait.”

Ugh. Stupid jerk, making it impossible for Satoru not to like him. He thinks of that day all those years ago, of realizing Takashi was out there somewhere and not even knowing what he looked like. He thinks of Shibata stealing Takashi’s phone to make sure his soulmates were real people, and wonders how much of it was just to be mean and how much of it was some strange, backwards hope.

Satoru reaches across the table, nearly upsetting their cups, and punches Shibata on the arm.

“He won’t be sick forever. I bet he’s probably trying to get better as quick as he can just so he can see your stupid face.”

Shibata blinks at him, and a smile darts across his face, and then he scowls mightily just for show. “I must really look pathetic if Nishimura is giving me advice.”

Atsushi and Takashi roll their eyes in sync, and Shibata’s mother sighs when the inevitable bickering picks up, and Nyanko-sensei pointedly settles in Takashi’s lap like the whole conversation is putting him to sleep, but Satoru thinks they all look kind of happy.

When they’re thirteen, Takashi moves again.

He stayed put for almost three years, the longest he’s ever stayed anywhere since his papa died, and he was happy. But his guardians’ children have outgrown the room they’re sharing, and there’s no space for Takashi in their home anymore.

In the privacy of his own mind, where his brother can’t give him a disappointed look for it, Satoru hates them.

It’s harder for Takashi to leave than it’s ever been; he’s never had a friend to leave behind before. According to Nyanko-sensei later on, Shibata swore up and down that they’d stay best friends no matter where Takashi ended up, and hugged him for so long he almost missed his bus, and made him promise to call his soulmates because he could tell Takashi wasn’t okay.

It’s been so long since Satoru’s had to listen to him crying on the phone that it hurts, this bone-deep ache. The afternoon sun was warm on his skin just a moment ago, but now it feels like he’s been plunged into an icy river. Atsushi says, “It’s okay, Okashi. You’ll see him again, I promise. It’s okay.”

“I never see anyone again,” Takashi sobs. “Everyone goes away and I never see them again.”

“You saw us again,” Atsushi counters. His eyes are shiny like he’s about to cry but his voice is as firm as it’s ever been. “You see us all the time. We haven’t gone away, and neither will Shibata. We all love you, and we won’t leave you.”

Kiyoshi isn’t there when Satoru goes home that night. He bursts into the kitchen expecting the noise to be his brother, but it’s mom, home early from her long shift at work. She takes one look at him, eyes all red and puffy, face wet with tears, and puts down whatever she was about to cook for dinner. Later on, he’ll wonder if Auntie called her and told her to come home.

“Come here, baby,” mom says, and he’s all grown up at thirteen years old, but he flies around the table and buries himself in the safety of her arms anyway. She holds him, and only holds him tighter when he starts to cry again.

And even that isn’t fair. Not really. Not when Takashi doesn’t have a mom to hold him when he cries.

But if there’s one thing Takashi is good at, it’s starting over.

“There’s a girl in my class,” he murmurs over the phone, a week after the move. “She’s really nice. I flinched at a yokai outside before sensei could scare it away, and my classmates started to whisper, but she came over and sat right beside me. She said if they’re gonna talk about me, they have to talk about her, too.”

“I like her,” Atsushi says decisively, pouncing on any good news Takashi has to give them. “What’s her name?”

“Ogata.” Takashi’s voice dips a little into something bashful and pleased. “But she told me to call her Yuriko.”

And so the next time they all meet, their group has gotten bigger.

“It’s nice to meet you!” Ogata says brightly, arm-in-arm with another girl their age. “This is Junko, my girlfriend. And we’re soulmates, too, but she would have been my girlfriend anyway.”

Junko shares a commiserating look of exhaustion with Takashi, who returns it simultaneously, and Satoru can’t help but grin. He’s made friends here, Satoru thinks. He’ll be okay, just like Atsushi said.

Nyanko-sensei, in a rare show of affection, hops down from Takashi’s shoulder and circles around to Atsushi instead. He paws at the leg of his pants.

“What? I don’t want to carry you, you’re heavy,” Atsushi says, bewildered. But the lucky cat just starts yowling, and heads up and down the sidewalk start to turn, so Atsushi stoops quickly to pick him up.

“You’re literally the worst cat in the world,” Shibata tells him succinctly. Since the girls are here, and Takashi doesn’t know them well enough to trust them with his secret yet, Nyanko-sensei can’t respond with anything more than a narrow-eyed glare. Shibata’s smug smile says he knows this perfectly well.

It’s a fun afternoon. They all exchange contact information, and Ogata says they should start a group chat, and Satoru laughs so hard he has to lean against Junko for support when he sees what she’s called it.

“‘The Natsume Protection Squad’?” Takashi’s face turns bright red. Even his cat is snickering at him. “I don’t like that name. Change it?”

“Nope, it’s perfect,” Shibata says, screenshotting it for posterity. “We’re keeping it like this forever.”

They spend the night at Junko’s house because her family is away. All of them know better than to ask why they can’t sleep over at the place where Takashi’s staying, and they keep him occupied with ordering food and picking out movies to rent. In that silent understanding, their friendship inches toward something unbreakable.

“You’re never really around town much anymore,” Tsuji remarks near the end of the school year. “When we have days off, I mean. You and Kitamoto are always gone.”

���Takashi can’t come visit us right now,” Satoru says, digging his gym clothes out of his bag once the girls have gone to change in another room. “It’s easier for us to go to him.”

“Maybe he should try to go to high school here,” Tsuji says. “I wonder if he’d be able to commute, or if someone around here could sponsor him or something.”

Tugging off his shirt, Satoru’s muffled “maybe” gets lost somewhere around the collar. It’s nice to think about, but he thinks if that were possible then Auntie would have brought it up by now. He may be an idiot, but even he knows better than to get Takashi’s hopes up about something that can’t be done.

There’s a loud noise, like a chair clattering to the floor, and by the time he gets his head free of his shirt and glances up, the whole room is staring at him. He stares back, a little self-conscious, and then Atsushi is shoving past the other boys with stark horror in his eyes.

“Satchan,” he says, like it’s all he knows how to say. Satoru follows his stricken gaze to his own stomach.

And he feels like he’s about to be sick.

His whole middle is purple, from the front of his stomach around to the side, a plum color so dark Satoru thinks he could sink his fingers into it like ink. There’s more marks along his chest, down his arms. He lifts a hand, and settles it there against the deepest part of the bruise. Tsuji makes a wounded noise and an aborted gesture, like he wants to stop Satoru from touching it and hurting himself.

“It’s not mine,” Satoru says numbly. He doesn’t recognize his own voice. “Acchan-- “

“Oh, no,” Atsushi whispers, “no, no, please.”

Adachi yells at their classmates for staring, and Tsuji orders someone to go and get the teacher. Everything sounds faraway and underwater, and the room is colder than it should be even when someone settles a jacket around his shoulders. Satoru stares down at his hands, past all the ugly marks and bruises, to the cheerful orange writing that he can barely make out anymore.

Takashi.

[goodlucktai]

put your empty hands in mine

chapter nine: family

natsume yuujinchou pairing: kitanishinatsu word count: 2145 summary: Kitamoto and Nishimura are soulmates, to absolutely no one’s surprise. But they’re also soulmates with a very shy boy who lives somewhere far away, who writes to them in tiny, careful letters right before bed, who apologizes when the mimicry of bruises pop up on their arms and backs because of him. And that’s a surprise to a lot of people. read on ao3

x

The marks and messages a soulmate leaves always fade within a day or two. Mom makes him wait three before Satoru is allowed to pull the bandages off his arms, just in case.

And in that time, Takashi wakes up, he’s cleared to leave the hospital, and they go back home to Hitoyoshi.

The detective pulled a lot of strings, and now Auntie has temporary guardianship of Takashi. It isn’t permanent, but it’s good enough while they figure out the next arrangement.

She made it pretty clear she wasn’t leaving the city without him. The detective looked one part cowed and two parts impressed, and in the end he was happy to arrange a rental van for them, so they wouldn’t have to take Takashi onto a crowded train.

The doctor said to allow at least six weeks for Takashi’s ribs to heal, and to take him to a clinic immediately if he has trouble breathing because that would increase the risk of pneumonia. Mostly he has to stay propped up in Atsushi’s bed with hot tea or soup on hand at all times, but that’s okay.

As much fun as it is to run through the lotus fields, and go fishing in the river, and climb the steps in the woods to visit Takashi’s favorite shrine, Satoru likes having Takashi right here where they can keep an eye on him all the time. He gets nervous when Takashi is gone.

The worst part is that his soulmates can’t crawl into bed with him at night, because they might roll over on him or something and he’s still so sore. It’s weird to sleep with him three feet away. Satoru is used to being miles and miles apart, or not apart at all.

Tsuji and Adachi come by with their classwork, the way they’ve done every day for the past week. Tsuji is determined not to let them fall behind, and Adachi likes the easy excuse to visit Takashi.

Shibata’s school had a teacher institute right before the weekend, so he’s here for three days and can hardly be pried from his best friend’s side long enough to take a bath or go to sleep. His eyes are red-rimmed from crying and he doesn’t look even a little bit self-conscious about it, clutching Takashi’s hand like he could make up for not being there when he was really needed if he holds on tight enough now.

Takashi, for his part, naps most of the time. Nyanko-sensei is his silent sentry, eating far less than a real cat would and watching everything with his dark intelligent eyes. The therapist who comes to talk to them every now and then said she was surprised the cat wasn’t certified already, and helped them get the paperwork filed. Satoru didn’t understand all of it, but basically Nyanko-sensei will be allowed to go wherever Takashi does, no matter what his next guardians will have to say about it. That’s a relief, even if nothing else about the uncertainty of Takashi’s future is.

“Hey,” Satoru says. “You have a house, don’t you?”

It’s Sunday night, and he has to go back to school tomorrow while Takashi stays home without him. It’s hard to fall asleep, knowing that. It’s hard to fall asleep for lots of reasons these days, and he’d rather be up late thinking about stuff than up late because a bad dream chased him awake.

He can almost hear Takashi’s surprised blink. In the futon next to Satoru’s, Atsushi shifts closer to wakefulness than sleep.

Takashi asks, “My parent’s house?”

“That one,” Satoru says. It’s very dark and his quiet voice cuts through the still room easily. “You know where it is?”

“I have directions written down. I keep them in my book. Why?”

“Because when I kidnap you, it would be a good place to go.” Satoru smiles at the noise of disbelief Atsushi makes, and tilts his head over to look up at Takashi, peering down at him with wide eyes over the side of the bed. “The three of us could stay there together forever and I’d never have to say goodbye to you again.”

Takashi doesn’t answer for a long time, but Satoru is used to his silences. He lets his eyes drift away, following the slant of moonlight spilling into the room from a crack in the shutters, but then Atsushi says, “Okashi, what are you doing? Hey, don’t get up-- “ and it snaps his attention back.

Takashi’s still moving, tugging back his blanket with deliberate, ginger slowness, like every move makes him ache. Nyanko-sensei grumbles in the back of his throat, displeased, as Takashi swings one leg over the side of the bed, and then the other. There’s a stubborn set to his mouth, even as his soulmates scramble to their feet and rush to him.

“Quit it, Bakashi,” Satoru snaps, pressing Takashi down by the shoulders. “If you have to go to the bathroom or something you’re supposed to let us know before you-- “

But then Takashi’s bruised hands are folding in the front of Satoru’s shirt, slowly and surely. It’s not so sudden as to be startling, the careful way he pulls Satoru down. Satoru doesn’t even realize what’s happening, keeps right on talking, up until the exact moment Takashi kisses him.

It’s just a brief press of their lips together, a touch as soft as a flower petal feels. It has absolutely no business making Satoru feel as dizzy as it does. He stands there stupidly when Takashi reaches for Atsushi in turn, and Atsushi is grinning almost too wide to kiss properly, a grin that very clearly is making fun of Satoru’s expression. Even Takashi looks like he’s about to laugh.

“I forgot to tell you,” their soulmate says, so sweetly. “Thank you.”

“You don’t have to say thank you,” Atsushi says, sitting on the bed beside him. His arm snakes around Takashi’s waist, and Satoru’s heart aches with joy when the two of them are together. “Nice kiss, though.”

Takashi turns faintly pink, like he’s just caught up to himself. “You kissed me first.”

“That was years ago! And it was a kiss on the cheek.”

“Hey, I’m not complaining. I’m the opposite of complaining.” Satoru has finally found his voice again and he crowds in closer, all but crawling onto Takashi’s lap, even though it makes Atsushi give him a pointed look to be careful. So Satoru minds his sore chest, even as he tugs Takashi’s hands down from where they’re hiding his face. “Pumpkin. I want one more.”

Of course, he’s not actually satisfied with one. And he has to kiss Atsushi, too, because he can’t live in a world where someone else has kissed Acchan and he hasn’t. And they’re awake a lot, lot longer than they should be, totally preoccupied with this newfound way to express all their impossible affection, so happy that sleep is just impossible.

Morning comes obscenely early and it feels like they only slept for about five minutes each. Takashi is sleeping peacefully when Atsushi and Satoru drag themselves around getting ready for school. Auntie gives them knowing looks over breakfast table in the morning, but mercifully doesn’t comment.

Their classmates are relieved to see them, but Sasada and Tsuji must have passed around pretty convincing threats beforehand, because Satoru and Atsushi aren’t mobbed on their way inside. Taki pulls them aside for a tight hug, squeezing the life out of both of them in turn, and a few other kids get away with murmured condolences and welcomes, but otherwise it’s easy to slip back into routine.

Satoru folds his hands together and watches the clock. His sleeves are rolled up so he’ll see a note the second Takashi leaves one, and his phone is on vibrate in his pocket. At his desk on the other side of the room, Atsushi is equally as tense.

Nyanko-sensei is home with Takashi, and no one in this entire town means him any harm, but Satoru has nightmares about what happened the last time they left him alone. It’s stupid, even though the therapist says it’s not stupid. She says it will take a lot of time to stop being scared.

Color appears from the corner of his eye. Satoru glances down at his hands in time to watch familiar handwriting fill the empty space, those neatly drawn characters that Satoru would be able to pick out of a thousand, a shade of orange that makes his heart beat a little faster.

You didn’t wake me up before you left, so I didn’t get to tell you, Takashi writes. Have a good day!

And just a tiny little bit of that senseless fear goes away. With every new day, it goes away a bit more. 

Ogata sneaks away from home to visit on the weekends, even though it gets her in trouble with her mom more than once. Shibata gets on the train to Hitoyoshi on any afternoon he doesn't have extra-curriculars, and on some afternoons that he does, and stubbornly weathers phone calls from his exasperated parents who say things like "just tell us when you're going so we don't have to find out from your teacher" followed by "and give Takashi our love" which takes any sting out of the scolding.

Takashi has had years to get used to his friends and how much they love him, but he still brightens when Ogata or Shibata texts to say they're coming over.

“Are you guys gonna be around after school?” Suzuki asks about a month later, while Satoru is snatching up his books and his bag. “There’s a new game at the arcade you should check out.”

“Next time, maybe,” Atsushi says, slinging his own bag over his shoulder. “Takashi has a doctor’s appointment this afternoon.”

“Hey, no worries,” Suzuki says with a wave, probably sensing the dark stare Tsuji is directing at the back of his head. “Bring him along when he’s feeling better.”

Takashi has been feeling a lot better recently, but it'll still be a few weeks before he's allowed to do more than walk around the house. Today they're taking him to the general hospital for x-rays, to make sure his ribs are healing like they should. Nyanko-sensei comes along, riding on Atsushi's shoulder since Takashi can't carry him yet, and Satoru holds Takashi's hand because the hospital gives him an uneasy feeling. The doctor is very nice, and tells Takashi he's doing well. There's a rattle in his lungs she doesn't like, so he gets a prescription for antibiotics just in case, but otherwise his progress is right where it should be. In another month, he should be good as new.

"Well, since we have to go out and fill Takashi's prescription, I don't see why we shouldn't stop and get donuts on our way home," Auntie says brightly, leading the way out. "We'll get one for Mana, too. Don't tell dad."

"Thanks, Aunt Mikako," Takashi says, smiling up at her. "For everything. Sorry I've been so much trouble."

"Natsume Takashi, if you say 'sorry' one more time, I'm gonna lose it," Satoru informs him with a scowl. "This is what family is supposed to do. Get it through your head already."

But he squeezes his hand so Takashi doesn't feel truly scolded, and Atsushi rolls his eyes at either what Satoru said or the way he immediately backtracked. Auntie looks amused by the three of them and starts to open the door to the lobby, when a sudden voice calls out, "Excuse me!"

Satoru turns, surprised. He recognizes the woman who hurries across the hall to them. She lives in the big house on the very edge of town, and the one time Satoru accidentally kicked a ball into her yard, she sent him on his way with a snack. She presses a flustered hand to her mouth when she reaches them, and beside her, the man that must be her husband smiles at them pleasantly.

"I'm so sorry for butting in," she says. "We're here to visit a friend, and we happened to overhear. Natsume?"

"It's no trouble," Auntie assures her. She puts a hand on Takashi's shoulder. "I don't think you've had the chance to meet my son's second soulmate. This is Natsume Takashi, and he's staying with us for a little while."

Takashi ducks in a quick bow. The woman claps her hands together, looking delighted. "Is that so? Shigeru-san, you were right!"

Her husband laughs, a kind sound. "It's nice to meet you, Takashi. I've heard your name before from a cousin of mine." When Shigeru smiles, the lines on his face fit it perfectly, worn into place from a long life of smiling. "I'm Fujiwara Shigeru, and this is my wife, Touko-san. As it so happens, you and I are family."