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taizi · 6 months

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run, boy, run

chapter four

natsume yuujinchou pairing: one-sided kitanishi word count: 3k summary: Nishimura has a cursed mark on his arm, a crush on Natsume’s famous idol friend, and a whole lot of brand new problems that start and end with the taboo circle on his arm. full circle au

read on ao3

Satoru’s first clue that something is off is the black town car with dark-tinted windows parked a few blocks down from his house.

Most of his neighbors don’t have cars, and the ones who do have little boxy, fuel-efficient numbers that live under tarps in driveways until it’s time for the bi-monthly grocery haul.

The unfamiliar vehicle makes his lizard brain stir uneasily, but Satoru has been having a hard time lately distinguishing between things he should actually be worried about and things the curse is twisting all out of proportion.

Since no one else on the street is outwardly panicking, he takes that as his cue to keep walking.

Satoru’s second clue is what gives him real pause. Fish, perched on his shoulder, is making a noise he’s never heard from her before. It’s a subvocal thing, low and rumbling, and her beady eyes are fixed without wavering on the car.

Or something near the car.

Automatically, his hand drifts toward his pocket, and the cellphone there that’s practically bursting with the names of people who made him swear to reach out to them if he was in trouble.

Kiyoshi was still home when I left, Satoru thinks. I could just turn around.

But mom was still home, too, and if he walked back through the front door at the same time he should have been walking into homeroom, she would blow a fuse.

The thought of her tirade causes his arm to twinge sharply, and he drops his hand away from his pocket. Be normal, he scolds himself. You promised Kitamoto you’d be normal. Normal people don’t worry about random cars.

Since he first discovered Taki’s circle, Satoru has seen dozens of yokai around town, big and small, mostly minding their own business. And their own business had very little to do with Satoru unless he stuck his nose in it. If there’s a spirit over there on the other end of the street, one that’s causing Fish to bait her wings and grumble, then there’s a good chance it doesn’t have anything to do with Satoru anyway.

At the very least, he’s certain that it isn’t the monster that cursed him. He and Fish have an agreed-upon signal for that, which is essentially just Fish screeching like a klaxon until help shows up.

Still, Satoru pivots on his heel and cuts down a side-street. He’ll take the long way to school today. He doesn’t want to go near that car.

“We keep meeting in alleys,” an unfortunately familiar voice says cheerfully, just before a hand lands on his shoulder.

Fish takes off in a flurry of feathers, a distant speck in the sky before anyone could even think about catching her. The first thing Satoru feels is relief that she’s gone. Right on the heels of relief comes a cool wash of dread, and a dull, steady ache in his arm. He turns, already knowing who he’ll find behind him.

As easily as if they’re old friends, Matoba Seiji smiles.

At school, Nishimura’s friends are lingering by the entrance, getting more and more restless with every second. When the bell rings, and they should all be in class, detention is the last thing on their minds.

Over the last week, one or more of them has always been there to walk with Nishimura before and after school, but he insisted and they agreed to let the constant guard taper off a bit.

He’s been doing a lot better since their war council with Natori, but the curse is still active and present in his mind, and they can see it when it goes to work on him. When Nishimura starts to think his friends don’t trust him to do something as simple as make it to school on his own, and his arm blooms with vivid, obscene color, the only thing they can do is assure him. Tell him of course that isn’t true, they do trust him, and if he thinks he doesn’t need an entourage, then they’ll be willing to back off a bit and give it a try. Anything that might give him a foothold to wrestle control of his mind back.

But he was supposed to be here nearly ten minutes ago, even accounting for the way he constantly gets distracted by cute dogs and weird bugs and talkative neighbors. Tsuji, who lives a few houses down from Nishimura, once famously dragged him into homeroom by the elbow and announced, “I bumped into him in the combini this morning, holding the bento he bought for lunch in his hands, and he told me he forgot about school until he saw my uniform.” It was hilarious at the time.

“Sensei left early to make sure he got here,” Natsume says tersely. “Something’s wrong.”

“I’m calling Kiyoshi-niisan,” Kitamoto says, phone already pressed to his ear.

Taki, who has been pacing in restless circles since Nishimura didn’t show up on time, says, “He can’t see. He doesn’t have the circle anymore. What if—”

“Don’t,” Tanuma says, not unkindly, but more like he can’t bear to listen to her bolt down that frightening rabbit hole. “I’m sure he’s okay. Fish would have told us if he wasn’t.”

At about that moment, in an example of the most absurdly perfect timing any bird has ever had, an agitated magpie flutters down onto the closed gate and raises the alarm.

Sitting in the backseat of the town car, his arms folded tightly across his front to hide the way his hands are trembling, the unconscious Nyanko-sensei a heavy, boneless weight in his lap, Satoru says, as firmly as he can manage, “I told you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“I think you do,” Matoba replies easily. “Your little pet is proof of that.”

Even more glad now that Fish seized the opportunity to bolt at the first sign of trouble, Satoru insists, “She’s just a bird. There’s a ton of birds just like her around here. Natsume’s mom has crows in her garden.”

He doesn’t know how long he’ll get away with playing dumb—when Nyanko-sensei scared Matoba off that night after the visit with Natori, the lucky cat spoke in front of them both. There’s no way this guy forgot about that. But Satoru has no idea what is safe to discuss with this boogeyman Natsume was so careful to warn him about, so he defaults to bald-faced denial.

Something darts across Matoba’s face that looks like curiosity when Satoru mentions Touko, there and gone again in a split-second.

“This conversation would go a lot smoother if you’d do me the courtesy of honesty,” is what Matoba says, as if he’s been the epitome of good manners this entire time.

The half of Satoru’s brain that isn’t spinning in anxious circles puffs up in indignation.

“Courtesy? You’re the one who abducted me on my way to school!”

Rather than offense, Matoba seems to take delight in his attitude. He’s weirdly likable, for all that he’s also very dangerous and powerful, if Natsume and Nyanko-sensei are to be believed. It creates a sense of conflict in Satoru’s head, because part of him wants to sit here and argue with the friendly, conversational man, while another, much larger part wants to run far, far away.

That larger part wins, because Satoru is literally in the backseat of a strange car, alone, with his phone sitting out of reach on the dashboard up front.

He wonders, for a brief, hysterical moment, if anyone is missing him yet.

“I can see why you and Natsume are friends,” Matoba says, as if he’s a proud relative and Natsume is a charming, if ornery, little cousin. “And I can see that you know more than you are willing to share with me. Is that loyalty, I wonder? Or ignorance?” He leans in, his long hair falling over his shoulder, and says, “Are you being kept in the dark?”

Satoru presses his arms tighter against his middle, trying to think past the hurthurthurt that pulses through the curse mark. He’s glad he wore long sleeves today.

He’s beginning to see shadows again, even here in the well-lit interior of the car. It’s a fog that creeps into his head, past reason and logic and common sense. Sometimes Satoru can feel it starting to happen, his mind turning against him as dark sympathetic magic makes him doubt, but there’s nothing he can do when that happens except cling to what he knows and hope it’s enough.

He remembers, against better judgement, being made to wash the seeing circle away. Natori’s face frowning at him from across the table, even though he got what he wanted.

Was he being kept in the dark?

No, Satoru thinks. It was for his own good. His friends were worried.

Were they? Then where are they? If they’re so worried about him, why aren’t they here?

They don’t know where I am, Satoru thinks wildly. No one knows where I am.

He doesn’t know where he is, either. They’ve been driving for what feels like a long time, and the windows are too dark to see through unless he presses his face against the glass and he won’t do that while Matoba is watching him. Nyanko-sensei, Natsume’s unofficial shiki and glorified babysitter, is sprawled across Satoru’s knees in an unnatural sleep and dead to the world.

He’s on his own.

“I’m sure you must have heard stories about me,” the man says, almost gently. He’s still smiling. “But really, I’m not so bad. I just want to have a talk, and then I’ll drop you off wherever you want.”

Rattled, Satoru dares to glance sidelong at him. Matoba’s smile widens.

“All you have to do is tell me the truth,” he goes on. “Just level with me. Are your eyes the same as mine? Do you see the same strange world that I do? Is that why you and Natsume are such good friends, hm? A common perspective? It would explain a lot.”

Something about that remark wriggles past everything else, a slippery eel darting through muddy water. It’s the first clear-headed thought Satoru manages to grasp.

“What’s that mean?” he asks. “What does it have to do with us being friends?”

“Well, historically, Natsume doesn’t have the best track record, does he?” Matoba’s voice is rich with laughter. It isn’t mean-spirited, but it rubs Satoru wrong anyway. “I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“I don’t,” Satoru blurts. The pain in his arm recedes and the shadows peel away—he’s still afraid, but it’s the normal sort of fear now. It’s not the influence of a monster, leaning on him until he can’t see or think or hear straight. And it’s eclipsed, easily, by irritation. “He’s my friend because he’s funny and sarcastic and nice to everybody and a sore loser at trivia games. I like him. Our whole class likes him. It has nothing to do with whatever you’re talking about.”

That curiosity flicks across Matoba’s expression again, like something Satoru told him is brand-new information, completely unheard of.

It doesn’t do anything to curb his knowing smile which, in Satoru’s opinion, has become less likable and more punchable with every second Matoba talks about Natsume like he actually knows anything about him.

“And even if he did see your strange world, or whatever, what does that have to do with me? And what are you accomplishing by kidnapping me?”

“I would hardly call it kidnapping—”

“There are so many other things he has to worry about without worrying about you,” Satoru goes on, warming up to the subject. “You just show up and make his life difficult and threaten him and drag him into dangerous situations like he doesn’t endanger himself enough as it is! Yeah, he told me stories about you, because you scare him.”

For the first time, Matoba seems genuinely thrown-off.

“No I don’t,” the man says. “He’s well aware that there are better things to be afraid of.”

Satoru knows that much, too. Being cursed by a yokai on the edge of the woods was equally as scary as being forced into a car by a stranger. Maybe those two situations were entirely different, but the way Satoru’s heart thundered in his chest, the way he wondered for a brutally honest split-second if he’d ever see his brother or his friends again, was exactly the same.

“That's the point,” Satoru says belligerently, aware that he’s digging his own grave, “Natsume knows a monster when he sees one.”

Matoba studies him with keen eyes. His smirk is a quiet, thoughtful thing now.

“One last question,” he says. Lifting a pale, elegant hand, he points to the other side of the partition, at the burly figure in the driver’s seat. “What do you think of that guy?”

Burying anxious fingers in Nyanko-sensei’s thick fur, Satoru darts a glance that way, trying to find the trap in Matoba’s words. The driver, for his part, doesn’t turn to look back or acknowledge Matoba in any way.

“I don’t know,” Satoru says defensively. “He hasn’t said anything this whole time.”

Matoba’s smile widens, as pleased as a cat with a canary.

“That’s fair,” he replies, and gestures with his hand. The driver catches the signal somehow and twirls the steering wheel, pulling the car around in a neat U-turn. “A deal’s a deal. Where am I taking you?”

Home, Satoru wants to say, except mom will be there, and she’ll be angry if he shows up when he’s not supposed to. Kitamoto, is his very next thought, filled with wanting, so he says, “School. Even though I’ll definitely have detention thanks to you.”

“Studious,” Matoba says with a laugh. “I admire that.”

Rubbing one of Nyanko-sensei’s velvety ears between his fingers, Satoru asks, “When will sensei wake up?”

“I’d give it another hour,” Matoba replies, his tone reassuring. “He’s a little too eager with his teeth when it’s just the two of us, so I figured it was best to be extra cautious.”

Secretly, Satoru wishes Nyanko-sensei had managed to get one good bite in. Then maybe Matoba would have slightly less to be smug about.

Something strikes the windshield, and Satoru flinches in surprise. The car continues gliding smoothly forward, but another tiny projectile joins the first, and then another after that. Satoru stares as all the windows on the car are plastered with scraps of paper until the vehicle is entirely covered.

The interior is dim now, cave-like, and Satoru clutches Nyanko-sensei closer.

“Oh, don’t worry,” Matoba says, making another gesture. The car slows and comes to a stop. He sounds unbothered, unlocking the doors with the button panel by his arm. “They’re here for you.”

When the door lock springs up, Satoru grapples for the handle and wrenches it open before Matoba can change his mind. He all but topples out of the car, Natsume’s cat clutched in the crook of one arm.

By the time he’s managed to find his feet, large hands are on his shoulders, guiding him upright. He jerks back reflexively, whipping his head around, but it’s not another stranger. It’s Natori, and the breath goes out of Satoru’s lungs in a rush of relief. He doesn’t even question how the man is standing here in front of him, the last place on earth a famous actor should be.

“Easy,” the man says, studying Satoru’s face carefully. “Are you hurt?”

Satoru shakes his head. For all that he was running his mouth a moment ago, he’s got nothing to say now. He lets himself be pushed behind Natori’s back as Natori makes himself a wall between Satoru and Matoba.

“There is such a thing,” Natori grits out, glaring murder at his shadowy counterpart, “as going too far.”

“You’re always one step ahead of me, Shuuichi-kun,” Matoba replies genially. “It seems like every remarkable child I manage to find has already been snatched up by the Natori clan.”

“This child has a family willing to press charges,” Natori bites back. “If you don’t think his aunt would take you to court and drag your name through dirt until she won, that’s only because you haven’t met her yet.”

Kitamoto’s mom, Satoru’s Auntie Mikako, is a force of nature. If she got wind of this, it’s over for Matoba already.

But he remembers Natsume’s warnings, how he talked about Matoba’s connections and his powerful family, and he doesn’t want the Kitamotos anywhere near him.

“Natori-dono,” someone behind Satoru says.

Jerking his head, as if shaking off a collar someone tried to put around his neck, Natori says, “This is far from over. But for now, get lost.”

“It’s always such a pleasure,” Matoba laughs, and leans out the door Satoru left hanging ajar to pass Satoru’s phone to Natori. After snapping the door shut smartly, he rolls down the window, because of course he has something else to say. Satoru tenses when Matoba looks at him, and Natori makes a furious sound, but the strange man only adds in parting, “Natsume is lucky to have a friend like you. I hope he keeps you close.”

From anyone else, it might have been a threat. From Matoba, it sounds genuine. For the life of him, Satoru can’t get a bead on this guy at all.

When the car pulls away, Natori says, “Follow. Make sure he leaves,” which Satoru assumes is a command to his shiki. He’s too busy staring down at the lucky cat in his arms and keeping his breathing steady to worry overmuch about what’s going on around him now.

That is, until Natori touches his chin, a gentle instruction to lift his head. The man looks angry and exhausted and worried, his eyes sharp behind his glasses.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” he demands.

“I’m sure,” Satoru replies. “All he did was talk to me. He asked me questions about Natsume and the guy driving the car and then said he’d drop me off at school. He’s really weird.”

Natori’s face does something strange. “There wasn’t a guy driving the car.”

Satoru frowns at him, pushed well past his personal threshold of stuff he’s willing to put up with. He’s over today. He’s going to have to deal with an unexplained absence from school and his mom’s temper when she finds out, but that sounds like tomorrow’s problem. All he wants right now is his bird and his best friend and a stack of comfort movies and sugary snacks, and maybe his brother, too. He doesn’t think that’s too much to ask for.

“It’s not like it was driving itself,” he mutters.

“No,” Natori says slowly. “You misunderstood me. There wasn’t a human driving the car.”

Satoru blinks at him. As he watches, a little black tattoo crawls up the side of Natori’s face, coming to rest on his forehead.

“Oh,” he says dumbly.

Belatedly, he looks over his shoulder, and finds Hiiragi lingering behind him, where she’s probably been this whole time. She’s a little hazy around the edges, like he needs to squint to see her properly, but she’s there.

“You’re not wearing the circle?” Natori asks in a quiet voice. He sounds like he already knows the answer.

Satoru shakes his head, wide-eyed.

“Guess my eyes adjusted,” he whispers.

#natsume yuujinchou #natsuyuu #nishimura satoru #matoba seiji #natori shuuichi #my writing #full circle #natsuyuu fic #and it only took me 2 years :)

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coquelicoq · 1 month

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hmmm for the shipping meme! matonato and hankim or yoohankim?

[ID: A graph with the x-axis labeled "makes sense" on the left and "doesn't make sense" on the right and the y-axis labeled "compels me" at the top and "doesn't compel me" at the bottom. points labeled MN for matonato, HK for hankim, and YHK for yoohankim have been situated on the grid: MN in the top left (makes sense, compels me), HK at the top and to the right of MN (makes some sense, compels me), and two points labeled YHK, one slightly above and to the left of the center (makes some sense, compels me some) and one in the bottom right (doesn't make sense, doesn't compel me). /end ID]

wow this threw me off because for some reason i assumed that makes sense would be on the right instead of the left! so hopefully i made all the necessary corrections to what i originally wrote lol.

matonato: makes sense, compels me. probably obnoxiously obvious to everyone at this point. do they get a happy ending? i mean it's very fun to think about and i love me a good actually-together-matonato concept, but probably the most compelling thing about them is the star-crossed aspect. it's not will they won't they, it's why they why not they. why do they want this and why can they never have it? it's, how can i make this about natori's self-hatred? it's, who is matoba if he quits the exorcist business? (EXTREMELY JUICY AND COMPELLING QUESTION 2 B ASKING.) it's, what changes in their individual priorities and self-conception would be necessary before they could get together? asking myself these questions and understanding why they in their current forms can't be in a relationship helps me to better articulate who exactly they are and what motivates them and gives me avenues for thinking about possible character development. but like i said i do really love thinking about matonato endgame, and even though i know it's never going to be canon (which it doesn't need to be, obviously! we are in our sandbox making our own dreams come true), i'm reading the homura arc like girl why did you do that. where are you going with this??? fellas is it gay to stalk your homoerotic rival's enemies and the answer is a resounding YES. they are a good ship because thinking about each of them in the context of the other expands my understanding and appreciation of their individual characters, but also because it would be sexy for them to mash their mouths together. both are very important elements of shipping 2 me.

hankim: i want to say this is one of the most compelling relationships in orv but they are all compelling, it's actually insane. however hankim is definitely tied for first (with twenty other relationships). her love for him is the beating heart of the story. like the entire plot hinges around her loving him so much she would [redacted], but also the central themes are exemplified by how she feels about him and what she does about it. and he trusts her in a way he can't really trust anyone else, because she knows enough about the world that he can be open with her about things he can't tell others, and because he trusts her to be competent and able to achieve his objectives. mostly to me though their relationship Is About her love for him because of how badly he needs it and how little he can understand it, and how central it is to his entire character that he needs but cannot understand receiving that kind of love. i have not yet succeeded in imagining any kind of compelling sexual relationship for them, except the somewhat indirect one where he gives her permission to make a kim-dokja-looking avatar with which to fuck yoo joonghyuk while kim dokja is elsewhere minding his own business, but that's fine, they don't need to be having sex to have a compelling relationship, obviously. so yeah it's compelling af and it does make sense, but i'm taking some sense points off because the kdj-to-hsy direction is pretty standard shipping material while the opposite direction is like the entire point of the book. it's a lil unbalanced.

yoohankim: this ship fascinates me because i definitely never would have come up with it myself. hankim? see above. yookim? see below. but yoohan - DESPITE THE WHOLE DEAL AROUND WHO YOO JOONGHYUK IS AND HOW HE GOT THAT WAY - are just like. Only Here For Kim Dokja. any relationship they have with each other is a proxy for a relationship with kim dokja, mediated by their feelings for kim dokja, and put through the sieve of who the other person is to kim dokja. i think they have a very psychosexual thing going on where they're having a lot of sex with each other but mostly in order to feel close to kim dokja, who is not involved lol. which is its own kind of compelling, certainly. i guess you could say yoohankim is the ONLY way that yoohan makes any sort of sense to me whatsoever, so in that regard yoohankim is squarely in the northwest quadrant. but at the same time i feel like if kim dokja is actually present, their relationship with each other is more like in-laws than anything else. it's indirect. they don't have divorced energy…they don't even have metamour energy. i don't know. they're like this is my sister's mailman and i have no idea what he's doing at my nephew's piano recital, which is insane to me because they should have (nonsexual) parent-child energy if nothing else. so i also have to put yoohankim in the southeast quadrant. so far this is where most yoohankim fic i have read falls, but probably i just haven't yet found the one that would unlock it for me.

to close the loop i gotta talk about yookim (joongdok). the most enjoyable thing about it to me personally is that yoo joonghyuk so clearly wants kim dokja to hold him down and it's very fun to see kim dokja have to shift his entire paradigm to make that make sense. i mean, i think all of kimcom wants to hold kim dokja down (most of them nonsexually imo), but yoo joonghyuk is the one guy who's like "if you would just stop trying to kill yourself for two seconds then i could let you out of these handcuffs so you could have your way with me. you bastard." they make me crazy because they work together SO well and trust each other SO implicitly while also being like, wow this idiot has terrible priorities and so i have to manipulate him into furthering my agenda (keeping him safe) instead of his agenda (keeping me safe). they're also that evergreen combo of guy with low self-worth who's oblivious to other people's love for him/guy who loves so hard but never uses his words about it that makes me wanna read about them getting together 100 different times. in a slightly different sense than with matonato, thinking about them as a twosome better elucidates aspects of their own individual personalities and worldviews, which makes for a compelling shipping experience.

#it's funny after i wrote the matonato part i was like wait. am i actually saying matonato DOESN'T make sense to me?#and i decided that no it does. it makes sense to me that their current iterations can never be together. but in a way where i'm #still shipping them #it makes sense that they don't make sense. and 'here's how [ship] can still win' is a backbone of the shipping economy #natsume's book of friends #orv #natsume yuujinchou #horrible exorcists #natsuyuu meta #shipping #asks #not anon #thank youuuu for asking <3333 v fun to think about!

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loquatenjoyer69 · 8 days

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WRT the Shinobu vs Seiji paying Ban poll, this made me think about how Ban would actually get money, and given that Matoba (Seiji) made it sound like the Ban family was a branch of the Matobas or in some other way part of their clan, I don't think Ban was like a contracted employee or anything like that...

I imagine the way it works is that exorcist families that are under the protection of another clan obviously gain the benefit of the power of the head family being used to protect them, and in return they offer their own powers, resources, and probably money. Additionally the Matoba family (or clan?) probably like (searching for words)...when they receive or hear about exorcist job opportunities, they list them or in some other way make them known to the community, it seems like (based on Natori saying he takes job assignments from the Matobas in the Cousin arc though I should look at the raws again to see what he actually says...).

I wonder if they primarily keep this within the clan. I think that would be the more logical move, because then any money that was made from that job would in part come back to them if one of their own family members didn't take on the job. It would be weird if the clan was just handing out free jobs to outsiders, unless taking a job from them involves agreeing to pay them a cut, which I could also see happening... But it still seems like you'd want to keep that stuff mostly within the clan, if only as another benefit and incentive to stay with the clan.

This raises the question of why Natori was given the assignment for Mitsuru but it's not hard to come up with plausible explanations about that so it's not that concerning to me.

Anyway so as for whether or not Seiji or Shinobu pays more, I guess I don't know that Seiji really paid Ban since I don't think Ban was like employed by Seiji personally. And whether or not he is paid by Shinobu depends on what his reasons are for following her and what the nature of their relationship are. Like, is he following out of loyalty and making money off of jobs they do (if they still do exorcism...they have to get the antiques budget from somewhere right? How successful is Shinobu's writing career)? Is he loyal to her and she's financially compensating him, meaning she makes enough money off writing to support another adult, or she still somehow has access to Matoba money (did she make a separate bank account when she left, did she sell a bunch of her old stuff, how does banking in this situation work actually...)? Is he literally employed by her for some purpose such as bodyguarding, antique hunting, menacing...? Do they both earn money and split it evenly? Does he have a side job? Who can say...

#that was pretty much what went though my head when I saw that poll lol #my meta #matoba shinobu #matoba seiji #ban #when will we know his given name....

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treecakes · 1 month

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do you think midorikawa has a plan for the rest of the series, or is she just gonna keep going until she runs out of ideas? where do you think the characters will be at the end? are we going to see natsume and co graduate and have to decide what to do afterward? do you think any loose ends (e.g., natsume's grandpa, how sensei knew reiko, various shinobu/matoba family drama) will be left hanging? will there still be names left in the Book? will we see any other people lose the ability to see youkai? et cetera!

AHHH okay this one i have to answer first because i’ve been thinking abt this so much lately and it’s so fun to me. i do think she’s wrapping up it’s been such a non-stop pace lately arc wise and i can’t imagine what else she could be doing. i’m not sure how much the different plot threads connect but i think we’ll get natsume grandpa lore and nyanko and reiko lore that is roughly tied together SOMEHOW. maybe grandpa has something to do with why nyanko was sealed in a a shrine for like. 50 years or so 😭.

as for matoba sibling drama i FEEL like this will unfortunately tie in somehow with the book of friends. matoba has been sitting on his knowledge of the book of friends since eastern forest and he’s pushed at natsume like “oh you’re leaving your bag behind /_^?” in letter from the exorcist. scares the hell out of me but i think someone on either side may or may not catch word of it. who knows. and then natsume power of friendships them or something. 😭 i really hope it does not go this route but for the life of me why the hell is shinobu a character….

i think the series will be left with SOME loose threads there’s just too many right now. i don’t think we’ll see the end of the book of friends unless there’s a timeskip last chapter. i think we Will get to see natsume tell the fujiwaras and nishimura and kitamoto about everything. i think tanuma will get to know what colour the fish are. and i WANT natori to quit his job as an exorcist but i doubt it’ll happen. and i don’t think anyone else will lose the ability to see youkai though it would be fascinating for say. matoba. to lose his power. but it won’t happen.

i think it would be so fun to see natsume graduate but again unless there’s a timeskip i can’t see it happening he’s been stuck in his freshman year of highschool for 20 years now 😭

my biggest unknown is how the mask from the natori house plays into all of this. it’ll probably tie into the book of friends theory i mentioned earlier but i can’t figure out How. that whole situation is so convoluted.

also. YORISHIMA. we’re all talking abt how maybe he’s grandpa and i really hope he’s not. i couldn’t take it. but i think he’ll be utilized somehow in natori’s character arc just because the youkai arm lends itself almost too well to natori’s gecko situation. but i feel like this just leaves out too much. what Does he know about reiko and the book of friends. he knows Something!!! and it’s really making me frustrated. i love him though. i love you peepaw.

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nin-deer · 10 months

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Day 3, finally something that's not just natsume lmao

also the only one where i didn't take forever on the background so so far my fav :)

ID under the cut!

[ID: Matoba and Natori stand back to back in the middle of the image. Both are smiling. Natori has his hands in the pockets of his jacket, while Matoba is holding an open umbrella over his own head. The background is split diagonally, the left being black and the right being white. The black side has a spider web drawn in white, covering most of the space. The white side has some flowers around the border of the image.]

#my art #natsume yuujinchou #natori shuuichi #matoba seiji #idk not much to say about this one #just glad i didnt have to draw a background lmao #natsume week

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lunasohma · 7 months

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part xv: walk in, locked in

[ a twist of lemon / bakery au tag ]

[ << left and stranded (but not for long) / chapter list ]

[ ao3 / ff.net ]

This crush is disastrous.

Spoiler: Named Miss Matoba!

A small warning for a knife injury.

—

“Uh, Matoba.” Natori turns to face him, a sheepish expression familiar on his face. Seiji doesn’t let his gaze linger. He’s been getting better at that. And at least it’s rather dim in here. His sister always says that he has a propensity to blush. He sorely wishes she was wrong.

Seiji hears it now—the futile jiggling of the door’s handle.

What in the ever-loving rom-com—

—

Swanning about the place and, in Seiji’s opinion, barely scraping by on charisma alone, this Natori Shuuichi is impossible to ignore.

Like some celestial body pulling everyone around him into his orbit—Seiji has to scold himself for thinking in metaphor.

He does not have a type.

Natori is an unaccounted-for variable in Seiji’s kitchen. And it’s beyond infuriating that he can fix just about anything—botched recipes or persistent late attendance—with a grin as carefree as a breeze or a tongue as quick as silver.

Again, this poetical thinking.

“Locked?” He forces himself closer to the door. Towards Natori.

“It would appear so.”

—

Matoba Seiji holds himself like a prince and is very easy on the eyes. He would be Shuuichi’s undoing, typically, but Matoba doesn’t give him the time of day. Instead, he has perfected ten different glares reserved for Shuuichi alone. Maybe he should be touched. It’s something.

Shuuichi is not unused to staring, though it can be tiring and meddlesome.

He’d had a brief but fun (and ultimately disastrous) stint as an actor. That proved the meddlesome aspect most of all.

But Matoba’s stares are electrifying.

And though he knows better, Shuuichi can’t get enough.

—

It’s thanks to his hairpin that they get out. But of course! Seiji could hit himself. This proximity is dangerous for his mental faculties.

The sooner he’s out of this small, enclosed space with Natori Shuuichi, the sooner he’ll regain them.

—

“Ha, where’d you learn that?”

“My sister locked me in a closet once.”

“What? That’s terrible!”

“Only once.” A cat-eye’s gleam in the low light. Just the one. Matoba’s hair, now undone, has fallen over the right side of his face.

Shuuichi doesn’t think twice. He brushes it back, tucks it neatly behind his ear.

Matoba freezes.

Oops.

—

Seiji can feel everything. Too much.

The sweep of Natori’s knuckles as they brush his temple. That scar—not yet fully healed?—courtesy of a slip of Natori’s knife. So careless! Seiji’s heart had nearly beaten out of his chest at the sight of so much blood. Natori had smiled all the way through; Seiji elected the one to patch him up.

“Oh.” The sudden absence of his touch feels wrong. “My bad.”

Natori opens the door. “After you.”

—

Shuuichi is late, but Hinoe has nowhere in particular to be. Playing harmless tricks on commuters is entertaining after all and Takashi isn’t here to scold her. She returns their little trinkets only when their mounting hysteria becomes annoying.

When Shuuichi finally arrives, Hinoe has just given a cat-shaped lollipop back to a young child on the verge of tears.

As if she wants to hear any of that.

—

“No sweets today? Madara will have your head!” A worryingly cheerful declaration as Hinoe tucks her arm through Shuuichi’s and tugs him along. To his end at Madara’s jaws, no doubt.

“It’s not really my fault,” he mutters.

“No?”

The Incident has been replaying in his head the whole way home.

“You’re all red!” She delights in his now-visible anguish. “Who is it?” Hinoe’s appetite for gossip is ever unsatiated.

He waffles internally for a moment before deciding. Maybe he would feel better if he talked about it.

“Well, get this—”

—

“Your hair!” Shinobu cries in dismay. She’d spent over an hour this morning on that updo, damn it! “Seiji, get back here!”

His bedroom door slams in her face. How rude!

She contemplates the door but decides she won’t pry for now. Of course, she won’t be deterred so easily.

Investigative journalism is what she does best, after all.

[ a few chapter notes, if you are interested! ]

#horrible exorcists #bakery au #pre-canon lol #matoba seiji #natori shuuichi #hinoe #miss matoba #shinobu #my fic #fanfiction #natsuyuu #natsume yuujinchou

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joelletwo · 2 months

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v as a fun example of i can pull symbolism and meaning out of anything. look at how [as elena pointed out] matoba's cursed body part is hidden in shadow and natori's is thrust into light in the forefront and these are vertically aligned. and i can go nuts about this. even tho im the one that drew the pic and none of that was on my mind while i was making it and i dont believe it was a subliminal thing bc im dyslexic and dont know my mirrored left from right kjsdfg

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scorpionatori · 2 years

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祓い人 • Exorcist

[fanart of natori and matoba. the left half has natori against a scarlet background, surrounded by paper dolls and pieces of paper fluttering about. he has prayer beads in his left hand and a string of paper dolls in his right. the right half has matoba against a light blue background with a bow and arrow he has ready to shoot. there are falling red maple leafs around him.]

#natsume yuujinchou #natori shuuichi #matoba seiji #I forgot to paint natori’s shirt black whoops

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sarukui · 2 years

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since i returned to this site AND im in the natsume yuujinchou phase (yet again), i rediscovered my natori appreciation post that i wrote back in 2017.

i remember writing this post right after roku ended based on the tags my gifsets were getting as natori was fairly misunderstood especially with the season finale. it was more amusing than anything else seeing how divided the fandom was on him lol tho i assume five years later his reception has grown more positive? if not, season 7 where u at.

my post was more so a timeline laying out canon events and i think the main point i was trying to get across was to reiterate that natori was being protective over natsume (no he was never a bad person) and why he viewed the book of friends as dangerous (thinking back to all the ‘u should live a normal life natsume’ lines he had) and looking to the similar parallels and hardships they faced as kids from being able to see yokai and therefore ostracized and blamed for the misfortunes around them and not to mention the responsibility they hold in the case with natori and his clan vs natsume with reiko’s book of friends. though one point is despite the similar path they shared, it ended up branching to different directions: natsume, also being more empathetic with yokai, found peers he can open up to and trust and to this day i continue to emphasize on how the whole exorcist deal is depressing af on a general level and u’re there to defend urself, taught to use others for ur own benefit, and the whole hierarchy and power struggle between clans and all. and how natori got caught up in that despite growing to not have the same convictions as other exorcists.

maybe one day i’ll type out of a part 2 for the heck of it with all the many new points that can be added from the manga chpts (matoba and natori will be a thought for another day too) i am thinking back to the loquats and miharu arc, but also homura arc, the cousin arc and how natori’s perspective on the book of friends has shifted over the course and how he acted on it (which @ cousin arc i still need to read fully bc the raws have me on the FLOOR) and his evergrowing character arc, being an exorcist and all, also *hand on my chin* thinking about the lizard yokai and his left leg, possibly symbolizing self representation and acceptance too.

#natsume yuujinchou #*szlg: text #the hold natori will continue to have on me i love his character so much #and not to mention he's a scorpio (affectionate)#tell me why i told myself this would be a short post and then here i am turning this into three paragraphs worth of text #but in the end i literally just reiterated the same outdated points lol #u know it gets serious when i put on my computer glasses to type this #meanwhile multitasking by texting irl friend about irl stuff and typing this on the side #also since when was rearranging tags a thing on here #nice to be back on here instead of trying to shove my thoughts into tweets

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deadgrantaires · 3 years

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WAIT FUCK HOLD ON ONE MORE THING

re matoba alone like. when matoba was looking at the river all sad and picturesque and natori was like ‘wow hes lonely just like me :(’ but matoba at the time desperately trying to come up with the right way to try to reach out to a natori who wanted nothing to do with teamwork and was too competitive to work together properly and then with natoris internal monologue decision that him and matoba couldnt be close that they couldnt be a team and then when he fell asleep and even tho natori DEFINTIELY closed off from matoba, matoba STILL WENT TO FIND HIM and contemplates about natori and sits on the windowsill beside him because he still wanted to be friends so badly but natori had already decided it wouldnt be so. oh fuck i am hurting myself thinking about matoba finding the one person who entered this world who could maybe really understand him and then being left hanging. im sad

#natsume tag #natsume talk #evil serotonin

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dogcircle-scans · 5 years

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Thanks so much for posting summaries of the new chapters! This new arc is getting really crazy. I have a question. At the beginning of the 100 chapter, what does Natori see when he is talking to Matsuzaki? Maybe I'm missing something or it hasn't been explained yet, but I'm confused as to what that scene is about. Thanks again.

Hi Anon~ Thanks for the ask! Just in case, I’ll put this under a “read more” and drop a warning first…

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR THOSE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH THE LATEST CHAPTERS!!

DON’T CLICK IF YOU DON’T WANT TO BE SPOILED!

GOT IT?

Now the rest of you can go ahead and click lol.

Okay, back to business. At the beginning of Chapter 100 (which is Part 1 of the Homura arc), what Natori sees is the pot right behind Matsuzaki.

Circled in red for your convenience owo)b

This was also addressed in Chapter 102 (Part 3), in the conversation between Natori and Matoba.

Matoba: It would be great if you could answer me now. / Why were you monitoring Ban? Natori: ……… // ——Because I saw it at Matsuzaki’s residence. // The “Impregnable Pot”.

(Can I just pause for a moment here and mention how Matoba actually looked SURPRISED?? Like, this dude always gives off an air like he’s two steps ahead of everyone and here we got a pot that took him off guard. Please don’t be an insidious pot, please…)

Later in the chapter, Natori mentions it again when Nyanko-sensei asks him about his relationship with Matoba.

Nyanko: …In any case, / have you known that Matoba for a long time?Natori: Huh? …Well, since the time we were students. / But, from the beginning, I’ve never been fond of his methods———…… // ——Now that I think about it,

Natori: that was the time // when I saw that pot…

Aaaaand that’s all we got about the pot for now.

Now from here on, this is just my own analysis and speculation:

Natori’s shiki didn’t react to the pot at all (as shown when Natori left the Matsuzaki’s residence in Ch 100), so it probably doesn’t give off any sort of presence. It could actually be housing a youkai, and the pot is just so strong that it closes off the youkai’s presence… or the pot is completely empty. We don’t know, and I have a feeling the contents of the pot is likely insignificant to this story at the moment. The most important thing is that the pot is there, and Natori and Matoba know what it is.

The pot is also related to Ban in some way (it caused Natori to start keeping an eye on him), so it’s probably either some sort of rare exorcist-collectible that Ban and his lady master like a lot, or it used to belong to Ban, the old Ban family, or his master (I suspect it’s one of the latter). Somehow, it ended up at Matsuzaki’s. Considering how Matsuzaki is just displaying it for everyone to see, the dude probably thinks nothing of it, or is doing it on purpose (that close up of his eye does seem preeeeeetty suspicious).

Natori also mentions that the pot has six-petaled “ajisai” flower(s) painted on it (I’m assuming there’re multiple flowers on the thing, but Natori doesn’t put a number to it, so it could even just be one single flower). I translated “ajisai” as “bigleaf hydrangeas“, as that is what Wikipedia calls it, but from what I know, sometimes the Japanese uses “ajisai” to refer to all hydrangeas, and not just that specific species. But I didn’t want to assume, so I decided to specify it. According to my favourite Hanakotoba website, the ajisai holds the connotations of “whimsical”, “You are being cold”, “heartlessness”, and “having an affair”. Wow, what a horrible flower lol.

It’s also hard to say what kind of meaning the “six-petaled” bit is, but a “six petaled flower” is a phrase to describe snowflakes. Might be related to the whole “coldness” meaning of the ajisai flower, or I’m just reading too much into it.

And, last but not least, the pot is highly likely related to both Natori and Matoba’s student days, so I’m hoping we get some sort of resolution with that.

Seriously, this arc has had 3 parts so far, and it feels like we have more questions than answers at this point? I hope this arc has like 5 parts or more, because I honestly don’t know how all these loose ends are gonna be tied up in just one more chapter.

- Niji

#natsume yuujinchou #natsume's book of friends #natsume spoilers #spoilers #ask dcs #sorry for the large babbling at the end #i just love to analyse stuff like that #feel free to share your speculations or opinions on the matter too!#i always love to read them :3

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taizi · 3 years

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when the bones are good

@natsumeweek 2021 day 4; sweet/sour

read on ao3

(previous part)

Yousuke Takuma looks like he regrets inviting the Natori brothers into his house. They tend to have that effect on people.

“I shouldn’t be reading these,” he says in a very calm tone. “These are the sacred property of your clan. They shouldn’t even have left your property.”

“It’s not like anyone is going to miss them,” Shuuichi replies plainly. “My grandfather still thinks I can’t get past the locks on the storehouse door. Even Takashi can get past those, and he’s eight.”

“Sometimes I just ask Urihime to get me the keys,” Takashi admits. “She doesn’t get along with grandfather so she likes having an excuse to take stuff from him.”

It’s a nice way of saying ‘she fucking hates him’ but Takashi is a nice person.

The kid is chronically honest. Always has been. He’ll strive to frame it kindly, but the truth is all you’re getting from him. It can be annoying, but mostly it’s pretty funny, and at the end of the day Shuuichi is glad that Takashi doesn’t feel the need to lie or make up stories. Even about the really unbelievable things. He just says what he’s thinking, because he knows it’s the truth, and his big brother will back him up if anyone gives him any trouble.

Shuuichi doesn’t have a lot in his life to be proud of, but he’s proud of that.

The right people don’t care if a little kid tells ghost stories, anyway. Hinata thinks they’re great. She keeps threatening to write them all down and adapt them into her first screenplay.

Takuma puts his face in his hands. Across the room, Tsukiko giggles, clearly not as focused on her homework as she would like for the rest of them to believe she is. Ginro sets a tray of tea down on the table and gives Shuuichi a stern look for having the audacity to stress her master out so soon after his injury. Chastened, Shuuichi lifts his hands in apology.

“If you really don’t want to look at them, I’ll put them away,” he says. “But I trust you not to—run off with them and patent them under your name, or whatever it is you think I should think you’re going to do.”

That works a huff of wry laughter out of the man, and he looks up at Shuuichi with a warm expression. It’s the way Shuuichi thinks his dad might have looked at him if he’d been born a proper son.

“Lunch first,” Takuma says, “then we’ll take a look at this paper magic of yours. Though if a couple of little geniuses like yourselves can’t figure it out, I don’t know what you think this old man will be able to do.”

He adds the last bit with a smile for Takashi, who beams up at him from where he’s been not-so-subtly sneaking Jinbe rice crackers. Jinbe is the most unsettling of Takuma’s three familiars, but he’s also—to Shuuichi’s resignation—Takashi’s complete favorite. It appears to be mutual.

“You’ve kept your promise, haven’t you?” Takuma asks after a moment. “About staying away from those meetings?”

Shuuichi sighs performatively. “Of course I have. It’s not like I could bring my brother with me, and he’d hardly just stay home. He’s very disobedient.”

Takashi scoffs. “Hinata-neesan says I’m your most redeeming quality.”

“Nowhere in there does she mention ‘obedient,’” Shuuichi replies without missing a beat, and grins when Takashi makes a face at him.

“Alright, alright,” Takuma says, laughing properly now. “As long as you’re keeping your word, I don’t care about why.” He pushes himself up to his feet, moving a little stiffly, and smiles at his daughter when Tsukiko hurries over to take his arm. “There should be some margherita pizzas in the chest freezer. I bought them on a whim the last time I was at the supermarket. Should we try them?”

Of course they should. Takashi scoops the last of the cookies off the table and piles them neatly in Jinbe’s greedy hands, even though Takuma sighs and makes noises about spoiled shiki. Tsukiko gives the disappearing treats a bit of an odd look, but she seems more fascinated to be in the company of spirits than unnerved.

Shuuichi is beginning to think that his relatives are just bad people.

“By the way, have you made any progress on,” Takuma starts, and finishes with a nod towards Shuuichi’s arm.

The lizard is scurrying around in busy little circles, as if it’s feeling restless. Shuuichi covers it with his hand, something that sometimes works in calming it down, like putting a blanket over a bird cage. In this case, it crawls onto his hand instead and resumes scurrying there. Weird little thing.

“I still have no idea what it is,” Shuuichi says ruefully, “but Takashi is trying to teach it tricks.”

Takuma stares at him, and then at his brother. Takashi offers, “It knows ‘roll over’!”

“Go,” Shuuichi’s mentor says firmly, pointing them down the hall. “Kitchen. Lunch. We’ll discuss this later.”

A knock on the door interrupts their noisy exodus, and Takuma frowns. Clearly, he isn’t expecting company. The amiable man’s posture tenses as he gestures for Tsukiko, Shuuichi and Takashi to stay put. Ginro and Benihimo flank him on his way to the front door.

Exorcists tend to be a paranoid bunch.

But with a dangerous ayakashi on the loose, Shuuichi thinks, with a prickle of unease all his own, maybe it’s better safe than sorry.

“Urihime, go collect all our scrolls and put them in my bag,” Shuuichi says swiftly. “Sasago, stay right here.”

His shiki both nod, and Urihime disappears.

Tsukiko is picking up on the atmosphere, even if her eyes aren’t the same as theirs. Even normal humans have a sixth-sense sense for certain things and it’s not to be taken lightly. She shifts nervously, and something in Shuuichi’s chest goes warm when he realizes she’s put her arm around Takashi’s shoulders protectively.

“Seiji?” Takuma asks. His voice is raised in surprise, carrying from the genkan. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Relief and dread fight each other in the pit of Shuuichi’s stomach. Dread wins. He’s only encountered Matoba Seiji twice, once at the summit he inadvertently followed Amasaki to, and then again in passing for a few minutes in the woods, but those brief meetings were enough.

Even normal humans have a sixth-sense for certain things. Usually danger.

“Tsukiko,” he says casually, “can you and Takashi go get lunch started?”

To Tsukiko’s eternal credit, she doesn’t hesitate. “Of course. Takashi, will you help me? Dad buys so much weird stuff when he goes shopping that it might be hard to find the pizzas.”

Takashi gives Shuuichi a look that says, very clearly, that he knows when he’s being fobbed off. Shuuichi ruffles his hair in a way that ruins the careful work Sumi-san (the only member of the Natori house staff who will still talk to either of them) put in that morning with half a dozen bobby pins. Now it flops into Takashi’s eyes and he makes an outraged sound, reaching up to shove Shuuichi’s hand away.

“I’ll fill you in later,” Shuuichi says. “Promise.”

That’s enough for Takashi. Mollified, he trails after Tsukiko without argument, and with only one curious look over his shoulder. Jinbe drifts after them watchfully, and probably only partly in hopes of more snacks. Sasago remains at Shuuichi’s side, a stalwart presence that he’s come to depend on.

It’s Shuuichi’s job to keep the monsters away. Whatever form they might take.

Takuma looks irritated as he leads Seiji into the sitting room. With a nod of his head, he invites Shuuichi inside, too. The tea tray from before has vanished, a new one sitting in its stead, and Shuuichi notes with some inward amusement that Ginro didn’t lay out any snacks this time.

“Well, what do you know,” Seiji says, as enigmatic as ever. “Shuuichi-san, I never would have expected to find you here.”

It’s impossible to tell what this guy is actually thinking.

“Did you come by to check on Takuma-san, too?” Shuuichi asks. He has to work to keep his tone from biting, but he manages it.

“In a sense,” Seiji replies politely. “I was hoping to find out more about the ayakashi that attacked him. Going after it before it hurts anyone else is an exorcist’s job, don’t you think?”

It’s bait, as clear and obvious as a cricket dangling from some fishing line. If he were still the bitter brat he used to be, maybe Shuuichi would have risen to it fiercely, like a tide, surging and crashing against Seiji’s unchanging stone facade. He would have said, ‘You don’t care about helping people. You called Takuma-san weak. You’re just looking for someone to use.’

Which is all perfectly true, and perfectly justifiable reasons to not want to drink tea with this guy and discuss the differences in their conventions, but it’s not like calling Seiji out would do any good. It probably wouldn’t even be satisfying. He would just gaze at Shuuichi with that stupid cat-that-caught-the-canary expression and make him feel like an idiot for existing.

He gets enough of that at home, thanks.

“You’re right,” Shuuichi says mildly, with a smile of his own, “that is an exorcist’s job.”

Takuma eventually tells Seiji what he wants to know, clearly having given up on keeping the teenager away from exorcist summits and dangerous ayakashi, but he does afterword his information with warnings to be careful.

Urihime sets Shuuichi’s bookbag beside him and he nods his thanks. Seiji clocks the two-second interaction with sharp eyes.

“Look at that! You have a servant?” His eyes follow her when she moves to stand next to Sasago, next to both of Takuma’s shiki along the side of the room, and he whistles. “Two servants. Pretending to be an exorcist on the sly, are we, Shuuichi-san?”

More bait. Another cricket. Shuuichi sips from his teacup. “They belong to my family. I don’t know why they follow me around. They must be bored.”

All of which is true, technically. Takuma’s eyebrows shoot up toward his hairline, but he doesn’t comment. Sasago turns her head very slowly, and her eyes, hidden beneath their blindfold, seem to bore into the side of his head. Urihime is less subtle and outright hisses at him.

“Hmm, jury seems to be out on that,” Seiji says, and laughs.

The sitting room door rattles open and Tsukiko peers through. Shuuichi’s fists clench in his lap, because sure enough, Takashi is right behind her, his brown eyes peeking curiously into the room.

“Sorry, papa, but is your guest staying for lunch, too? Only, I don’t know how many pizzas to put in.”

“No, no, I couldn’t impose,” Seiji says. “I’ll get going and leave you guys to enjoy the rest of your afternoon. It looks as though you were having a pleasant time before I barged in.”

We were, Shuuichi thinks, but he keeps it to himself. He and Takuma stand up to see Seiji out. Seiji pauses when he spots Takashi behind Tsukiko, and his amicable expression takes on an edge that Shuuichi can’t define. He looks more engaged now than he did during the entire conversation with Takuma.

“Hello again,” Seiji says in a pleasant tone.

“Excuse me?” Shuuichi interjects loudly. “‘Again’?”

“Hi,” Takashi replies at length. His gaze is fixed on Seiji’s face as though there’s something interesting happening there. Jinbe drifts like a shark behind him, mask pointed towards Seiji suspiciously.

“As I thought, you have good eyes,” Seiji remarks, whatever that’s supposed to mean. He looks across the room at Urihime and Sasago, down at the bag by Shuuichi’s feet, at the lizard mark curled up on his arm, and then finally up at Shuuichi himself. Smiling widely, he adds, “I look forward to seeing what becomes of the Natori clan.”

Takuma escorts him out properly, and Tsukiko goes back to deal with the pizzas. Alone save for a scattering of trusted ayakashi, Shuuichi kneels and beckons his brother over.

“C’mere, squirt.”

Takashi crosses the room to him. Standing in front of Shuuichi like this, they’re almost eye-to-eye.

“Have you met that guy before?” Shuuichi asks.

“Only once. It was when you had classroom duties and Hinata-neesan took me to the 7-Eleven to get chicken nuggets,” Takashi explains. “We met Matoba-san while we were walking. He said he was your friend.”

“I don’t have any friends.”

Takashi nods very seriously.

“That’s what Hinata-neesan said. She took out her pepper spray and waved it at him. I think Matoba-san thought that was funny, but he said he didn’t mean to upset her, and he left. It was the right thing to do, probably, because he didn’t have any spirits with him, and Urihime was getting annoyed that he was talking to me.”

Shuuichi feels like he’s aged thirty years in the past three minutes. He digs the heels of his hands into his eyes hard enough that there are spots in his vision when he looks up again.

“Takashi, listen,” he says, “stay away from him. If he ever approaches you for any reason, tell me about it, okay? Promise?”

He holds out his pinky. Takashi rolls his eyes, much too grown up at eight years old for things like this, but he hooks his finger around Shuuichi’s gamely.

“Whoever lies has to swallow a thousand needles,” they recite together, and then Shuuichi ruffles Takashi’s hair again just to make him squawk.

“Sorry about that, boys,” Takuma says when he comes back.

He pauses in the doorway and his bandaged face creases in a smile to see them rough-housing playfully, Takashi struggling to free himself from Shuuichi’s headlock, the tense atmosphere from before banished like an errant spirit.

“Bring those scrolls with you to the kitchen,” Takuma says warmly, “and I’ll help however I can.”

Seiji can think whatever he wants about Takuma, but the man is clever. By the time Shuuichi and Takashi are ready to leave, packed up with a leftover pizza and some cookies for the road, they’ve puzzled out the array that they were stuck on and Shuuichi managed to make a paperman fly.

Takuma had looked over the notes he’d taken ruefully. He couldn’t help but absorb some of the practices for himself as he helped the boys study them, and clearly he felt guilty about that. Shuuichi leaned forward across the table and caught his eye.

I trust you, he wanted to say. You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to a father. But there was absolutely no way Shuuichi could say something like that. Not out loud, with his mouth, where someone might hear him.

“Clan trade or not, if you’re ever in danger and any of this paper magic could help you, I want you to use it,” he said instead. “No secret is worth keeping if it means you get hurt. Right, Takashi?”

“Right,” Takashi piped up, his little voice clear and bright in that sunny kitchen. He was watching intently as his paperman wobbled precariously across the table, trying to carry a note to a delighted Tsukiko, and didn’t bother looking up even as he added, “It’s just paper, ojisan.”

“Yeah, ojisan,” Shuuichi teased laughingly.

Takuma rolled his eyes, but gave in with a smile, as if he couldn’t help but be charmed by their noisy, obtrusive presence in his home. For a second, even though he was clearly the one who had gone out of his way to help them—wasting an entire day working with them on magic he didn’t fully approve of them studying in the first place, an entire day he should have spent recuperating—Takuma looked as though they were the ones who had done him a favor, just by being there.

“What did Seiji mean when he said you had good eyes?” Shuuichi will remember to ask his brother a little later, when they’re walking home.

“Oh, I guess because I noticed the weird mark on his face,” Takashi says.

“Weird mark? What did it look like?”

Takashi hums thoughtfully, glancing around. He trots off the road a little bit to pick up a stick, then crouches in the dirt and starts drawing a strange, crooked symbol. Shuuichi leans over him to watch.

It’s not a symbol he’s ever seen before. Yokai writing, if he had to guess.

“What does it mean?” he asks the shiki.

Sasago drifts over and inspects the drawing, her face giving nothing away.

“‘Something owed,’” she translates after a moment. “I think the closest human word would be ‘debt’.”

“Huh,” Shuuichi says. He offers Takashi a hand and hauls the kid back upright, frowning thoughtfully. “And you said it was on his face?”

“Yup, above his right eye. Didn’t you see it?” A thread of anxiety works its way into Takashi’s voice that Shuuichi is quick to smother.

“I didn’t have my glasses on,” he says smoothly, “so I must have missed it. You know your eyes are better than mine.”

Takashi grins up at him, appeased, and they spend the rest of the walk playing with bits of talisman paper. It’s habit by now to keep their pockets stuffed full of scraps. Shuuichi manages to make a couple of them fly, and Takashi claps his hands together in glee every time.

To anyone who might be watching, it probably looks like the wind is catching the scraps and lifting them out of their hands instead of the shaky first steps of magic it really is. There won’t be anything to question about the sight of two brothers, taking their time getting home to a place where no one is waiting for them, laughing and jumping as they try to catch those floating pieces of paper.

#natsume yuujinchou #natsuyuu #natsumeweek #natori shuuichi #natsume takashi #yousuke takuma #matoba seiji #my writing #natsuyuu fic #second hand

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coquelicoq · 9 months

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me: how about...natori contracting some kind of youkai illness & matoba finding out about it & showing up to his set & natori dragging him off to his trailer bc it would be bad for his sparkly reputation to make the angry faces he feels coming on in front of his coworkers & matoba offering to help but in that smarmy condescending way that raises natori's hackles so he refuses but unfortunately he doesn't know how to cure it so matoba just keeps showing up every day & natori keeps carting him off to the trailer every time & being suuuuper cagey when people ask him who his visitor is & what if his coworkers get the wrong idea & matoba is fully aware of this & what if one day in the trailer natori reluctantly agrees to let matoba help him & matoba's like okay fine off with your shirt i gotta paint this spell circle on your bare chest & what if he's in the middle of doing that when they hear somebody opening the door to the trailer & obviously they don't want anyone to know what they're actually doing in there bc youkai-exorcist confidentiality so matoba's like no worries i got this & he KISSES NATORI omg classic kiss-as-misdirection trope & the person at the door is like whoops my b carry on gentlemen & after they've left natori is like wtf matoba????? & matoba's like well it's what they all thought we were doing anyway & your mouth was right there & it allowed me to cover the writing on your chest with my body & also you kiss people for a living so i figured it wouldn't be too complex for you & your part-time exorcist training to handle & natori recovers admirably quickly & is like WELL for your information that was a TERRIBLE kiss & no one is gonna buy that i professional makeout artist natori shuuichi would be swapping saliva with somebody on the reg without any of my considerable skill rubbing off on them & matoba's like so what do you propose we do about it & natori's like obviously i have to teach you how to kiss in case they come back -

the bedtime story fairy who thought this was gonna be an easy assignment: please just go to sleep im begging u have mercy ur brain cells are dying

#my other bedtime imagine also features misunderstandings in natori's trailer/dressing room but this time it's established relationship #natori and his costar are in his trailer practicing a kiss & matoba comes in & thinks natori is CHEATING 😲#& packs up & goes back to the matoba estate & natori's calling him daily like i LITRALLY dk what i did wrong...miss u baby...#but also tell me what i did wrong u asshole!! you just left & didn't even tell me if/when you're coming back! wtf!!!#and eventually matoba comes home & they talk & natori's like mkay well first of all kissing that lady is my literal job that pays me #but i understand that it upset you bc we were alone in my trailer & looked startled to be interrupted. hey i know #why don't you come with me to set & you can see just how incredibly unsexy these practice sessions are?#so matoba accompanies him & it's literally just natori & his costar like calculating exact face tilt angles & figuring out #their precise height differential during the scene in question based on the shoes she'll be wearing & testing out ideal #degree of mouth openness & choreographing switching sides of the face to correspond to the movement of the camera #(bc obviously it's one of those epic 360-degree shots with the swelling orchestral score and w/e 🙄)#& figuring out where they should put their hands & whether it makes sense for them to be smiling at this point in their arc &c &c #& matoba starts like observing them from multiple angles & critiquing their technique & giving pointers to the costar #& grabbing natori's chin & bodily arranging his limbs like a mannequin & showing the costar the best ratio of lip give to firmness #by demonstrating with his own lips on natori's lips. & so on & so forth. meanwhile #the sleep i am forgoing in favor of having these thoughts is something i will NEVER get back.#natsume's book of friends #horrible exorcists #f #my posts #i am such a clown to watch one of the sweetest and most poignant shows i have ever seen and for what?#to get fixated on imagining ways to get these chuckleheads to smush their mouths together? unbelievable.#like these scenarios barely (if at all) have anything to do with what makes them so fascinating as characters. i just want them to Kiss #idk though i do feel like their first kiss has to be some sort of dare or 'accident' or w/e like these weirdos can't just KISS each other!#who does that! have you heard of a little thing called pride and invulnerability and plausible deniability!!!!#but i also completely imprinted on this one established relationship fic i read last year so sometimes i just skip ahead #to the kinds of misunderstandings and shenanigans and conflicting priorities they could get up to as a couple #i guess i just want the fact that natori is famous for kissing people to be Matoba Seiji's Problem in some way or another #is that so much to ask #(i also CLEARLY imprinted on a fic in which natori teaches matoba to kiss at a bar?? i should reread that one)

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aoimitsu · 5 years

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“You” and “Me”

Series: Natsume Yuujinchou @natsumeweek

Characters: Matoba, Natori, Natsume

Rating: General

Cross posted on Ao3

Day 5:

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

Natsume left school with his friends following close beside him.

Nishimura rambled on about a food stall he had happened upon on a whim of taking a different route one day. He swore it had never been there before. And after trying the taiyaki that he claimed “melted in your mouth,” he wanted his friends to experience it too.

Everyone seemed up to it. Natsume agreed, but felt rather contented in simply listening to the conversation around him. Even still, it was Taki who noticed the man in the distance first. Maybe because she held Nyanko in her arms who also grew wary of the figure.

Her sudden stop to stare drew the group’s attention, and they all looked to see what had caught her eye.

Natsume frowned when he saw who it was.

“Hmm? Does anyone know that man? Why’s he staring over here like that?” Nishimura took a subtle step in front of Taki and Natsume who had been standing side by side.

“Ah, I’ll go see what he wants.” Natsume made to step in the direction and found both Kitamoto and Tanuma holding him back.

“Do you know him?” Kitamoto asked, his gaze still lingering on the man.

“...Yes, I do. I guess we were supposed to meet, and I forgot.”

A few brief seconds passed before Kitamoto released his hold. Tanuma didn’t.

“We can wait until you’re finished then.” Nishimura’s voice was as guarded as his stance, now more shifted in front of Natsume.

“It’s okay. You can go ahead. I’ll be fine.” He tried to reassure his friends, but all they did was trade glances, undecided on what to do.

Nyanko squirmed in Taki’s grasp, and she passed him off to Natsume.

“We’ll see you tomorrow then, Natsume.” She nudged Tanuma slightly not to draw the other’s attention to the action. Tanuma sighed.

“You’ll be okay on your own, Natsume? We can wait if you want.”

Natsume smiled at his friend, and shook his head. “I’m fine.” He reassured, and Tanuma finally let him go.

“Then, we’ll see you.”

Natsume nodded as his friends all reluctantly left. Sparing glances behind them from time to time until they were out of view.

Natsume turned back to the man and his smile dropped to a frown immediately. He made his way over to the suit wearing exorcist all the same.

“You shouldn’t have come to my school, Matoba-san.”

“If I tried to send a formal invite, I’m certain you wouldn’t simply drop by. ”

“Are you surprised?”

Matoba waved his hand in the air as if physically waving away the issue. “I wanted to see you, Natsume. Is that wrong?”

“Why?”

Matoba laughed a hollow laugh. “Is this how you treat Shuuichi as well? Or is he special ?”

Natsume remained silent.

“Why don’t we go somewhere and talk?”

Natsume quickly came up with an excuse to why he couldn’t. “I have to get home.”

“It won’t take long. We should talk now. It would save me the trip of showing up to your house, or at your school again. Though, your guardians and friends all seem like lovely people. Do you think they would mind?”

Natsume grit his teeth, and tightened his arms, squeezing his cat bodyguard more firmly into his chest. Nyanko didn’t make a sound. His eyes only narrowed at the exorcist before them.

In the end, Natsume ended up following Matoba to a small tea shop, and the two were shown to a secluded table. A tea shop worker appeared soon after and placed teacups of steaming liquid in front of them.

“Why don’t we get straight into it?” Natsume remained silent. “It’s dangerous to wander around without someone to look out for you. It would be a shame if something were to happen.”

“Are you threatening me, Matoba-san?”

“I’m only concerned about your future. It would be a shame to have your talents go to waste. And, you have to do something after graduation after all.”

“I have no interest in becoming an Exorcist. Or working for the Matoba clan.”

“I wonder if you would change your mind if the invitation came from Shuuichi.”

“Why do you keep bringing Natori-san into this?”

Matoba tilted his head, running the tip of his finger around the rim of his mug. “Well, he is an exorcist after all.”

“Yes, but Natori-san wouldn’t ask me to join, or threaten me to do so.”

“Oh~ You seem to trust him well enough. Maybe his tactics are quite efficient after all.”

Natsume was a bit taken aback.

Nyanko heckled in Natsume’s grip. “Why don’t you stop wasting time and go. You’ve already asked what you wanted, unless there’s something more.” His words caught both of their attention.

“What a temperamental kitty.” Matoba spoke mockingly, and Nyanko all but hissed. “But he’s right after all. I am quite a busy man, but I’ll make time for you, Natsume. Call me if you change your mind.”

He got up from the table. Nyanko’s gaze trailed after him until he was out the door. Natsume didn’t look up from the table.

When Natsume and Nyanko left the tea shop, Natsume was quiet- lost in thought. Nyanko had almost fallen asleep before the boy had finally spoken.

“Do you think he’s right, Sensei? About Natori-san.”

The very thought of it made his heart clench. A sick feeling washed over him.

“It’s hard to tell what that shady Exorcist is always thinking.” Natsume frowned, and his gaze drifted further away. “You trusted him enough to tell him about the Book of Friends. I hope you don’t go blabbering about my property to just any old character.”

“I-” A heavy sigh escaped Natsume as he went around and around on Matoba’s words. He knew that Natori had indeed asked him to be an exorcist before. But that usually felt like another lifetime ago. Before they truly got to know one another. Before they got so close. Natori was special to him, and he didn’t want to lose that. Not only could they both share the same scenery- because people like Matoba could too- but Natori had become different because they shared a bond. To Natsume, he was now as irreplaceable in his life as his friends- both humans and yokai, and the Fujiwaras.

“I don’t know what to think.” The only thing he could think about was Matoba insinuating that Natori was only getting close to him to use him.

“Just ask him. You humans make everything so complicated. Oww. Brat!”

Natsume huffed after hitting Nyanko over the head. What would Nyanko know anyway? Were the words now circulating in his head.

“Natsume!”

The boy nearly jumped out of his skin as he heard his name called. When he turned, he saw Natori jogging toward him. A small smile on his face.

Natsume tensed, wanting to run. Wanting to avoid whatever he feared would come next, because the only thing he could think about was Did Natori also track him down to find him the way Matoba did? Did he seek him out because he wanted something?

“Natori-san.” Natsume greeted, holding Nyanko even tighter. The cat looked between the two of them, his gaze observant.

“I didn’t expect to see you today.” Was that actually true? “Did you just come from school?”

He nodded. “I was heading home.”

“Hmm, well that’s good. Don’t get into trouble and make your family worry.” Natori reached out to rest his hand on Natsume’s hair. The boy flinched at the action, his foot moving back involuntarily to get out of the way. He stopped himself at the last moment, but Natori seemed to notice.

“Is something wrong, Natsume?” He eyed Nyanko, and spoke teasingly. “Did the pig-cat do something?”

“Don’t bring me into this, you shady human!” Nyanko fussed, shaking his stumpy limbs in any direction he could. Natori laughed at the sight.

“...What are you doing here, Natori-san?”

The exorcist-actor’s laugh trickled to a stop. “Oh, I had a shoot today. But I’m happy I ran into you.”

“Really?” Natsume wanted to believe it.

Before anyone could say much else, another voice rang out in the distance. “Natori! There you are! We need you back on set.” A man in a barret, a towel around his neck, stopped short when he found his target and promptly keeled over to catch his breath.

“Oops. Seems they’ve found me. I guess I have to- huh? What’s wrong, Natsume? Do you not feel well?” Natori quickly switched to concern when he saw the look on Natsume’s face. So many emotions seemed to well into the boy that he didn’t know what to do with them. He felt like he would burst. His lips trembled as he looked as if he’d been struck.

“N-Natori-san! Please stop running away from your work and causing others trouble.”

His reprimand was the only way he felt like he could contain himself over all the feelings of relief, and guilt, and sadness, and- and everything else.

The older man chuckled again. “Alright. Because Natsume-kun asked so seriously, I’ll do my best.” A small genuine smile lingered on Natori’s face. When he reached to touch Natsume’s hair once more, the boy didn’t retreat.

Natori soon left as it looked like the person who had come to find him would drag him back to their set willing or not.

“Sensei.” Nyanko looked up at him, as Natsume stood and watched the two disappear.

“I want to trust him.”

#exorcists #natsume yuujinchou #natsume takashi #natori shuuichi #matoba seiji #natsumeweek #character analysis #mild angst #day 5 #identity

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