24Sorry for such a short chapter after such a long wait between updates! To be honest, I'm sort of flying by the seat of my pants on this fic. When I first started writing it I wasn't really expecting anyone to actually read/like it, so I'm struggling to actually write it with any sort of coherency most of the time. Haha. So I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviews, favorites, follows, and all that jazz. It means an awful lot to me and you all are the reasons I try to write anything for this at all. (Don't get me wrong, I love Natsume with all my heart! I just have a difficult time writing for it, for some reason?) Anyways, I hope you enjoy this short chapter and here's to hoping that more will come soon.
There was a little house nestled at the base of a mountain. It was an older style of home, a leftover relic from a shrine that had once been sprawling and huge, that had long since been torn down and paved over, much to the sorrow of the man who had once watched over it. The contractors had allowed the squat little house and the shrine itself to remain standing on a small plot of land, albeit reluctantly. They had given into the old man's stubborn refusal to be bought out, and had worked around him instead, unwilling to wait for him to die. They had figured that as soon as he did, it wouldn't be much work to be rid of the last eyesore.
If it had been possible, Tanuma would have lived forever, simply to spite them.
As it was, he had to content himself with the knowledge that his son would take the shrine over after he was gone, and with it, the burden of being the living host to a god.
It was a heavy burden to bear, the weight of a second mind, a second soul, living within oneself. But the god was powerful and it was responsible for keeping a delicate order that Tanuma couldn't quite wrap his head around. For all it's power, though, it was also very sick. If it didn't have a host, it would die in a matter of weeks. Tanuma just couldn't bear to let that happen.
Besides, it wasn't like it was all bad. Having the god within him had led to his spiritual powers becoming augmented by its own powers, just enough that the headaches stopped and he could see and hear what had once been shadows quite clearly.
It wasn't rare for low level youkai to cross through the land his home sat upon, though the number of those visiting the human settlements had been steadily declining as the years passed. He was outside sweeping dead leaves from the path when he heard the approaching creatures, their high pitched voices carrying on the wind. He smiled, and didn't let on that he knew they were there as they drew closer. They were arguing, and he watched their rabbit-like ears bob with each movement they made from the corner of his eye, grinning.
"I saw it!" the grey one shouted, paws waving above his head. The brown one scoffed, paws hidden in the folds of its tiny kimono.
"It's impossible," it shot back, nose twitching. "Natsume-sama has been dead for years."
Tanuma nearly dropped his broom.
"Reiko is the one who's dead," the grey one insisted. "I saw Natsume-sama inside his home. I remember going there for our names. Don't you? I saw him there just today, I did!"
The broom did clatter to the ground at those words, the hollow sound echoing through the air as it hit the stones of the path. The two little youkai jumped with surprise and bolted, disappearing into the underbrush before Tanuma could manage to find anything to say to call them back. He watched the spot for a long moment. His hands were trembling and he felt something stir within him.
"What is wrong?" a voice whispered, soft as the wind through the leaves of the old tree that stood above the shrine. Tanuma shook his head and slowly, carefully leaned down to pick the broom up from the path. His back twinged and he groaned softly. There was the feeling of concern, and even after so many years, it was still a strange sensation to feel emotions that were not his own.
"I'm alright, Akiko," he assured. He knew that that was not the god's true name, but it had been the name it had given him, and after so long it felt natural and comfortable as it fell from his lips and was carried away by the wind. He sighed, watching as the wind carried the leaves he had just cleared from the path back onto it, and said, "I just heard something that surprised me."
He felt Akiko's uncertainty, but slowly the god settled back down, curling into the back of his mind. It was content to observe, woken from a slumber but unwilling to go back to its rest just yet. It always seemed to be more tired during autumn and winter. Tanuma smiled, as amazed and amused as he had been from the beginning that such a powerful creature could care so much for someone like him.
Slowly, he resumed his task of clearing his home's walkway and planning his day out. His son was overdue for a visit; he should call him later tonight. As the thought passed, he found his eyes straying back towards the place where the rabbit youkai had disappeared, mind wandering towards their words. He could feel Akiko's interest piqued. He thought that perhaps, he was overdue for a visit somewhere, himself.
