#was thinking about my boy shibata today for some reason

[goodlucktai]

Have you done 4, 49, or 52 yet? If you did sorry. Oh... And will you post these on ao3?

PROMPTS LIST

49. “I have a concern.” “Just one?” “No, but I didn’t think you’d let me speak my piece if I told you how many I actually have.”

all of these prompt fills will make their way to my oneshot collection eventually :)

x

Shibata just happens to be there. 

Nishimura wanted snacks, and volunteered Natsume to go to the convenience store with him, and Shibata invited himself along. He’s only here for the weekend, after all, and Nishimura gets to have Natsume’s attention all the rest of the time. 

Natsume sighed, because he knew they’d bicker all the way to the store and back, but he still held the door and waved them through, arguments and all.

Now they’re walking back to Natsume’s house, the plastic bags between them bulging with sandwiches, and pancakes, and rice balls for poor, boring Tanuma. Natsume isn’t carrying a bag because he’s carrying that lazy sensei of his instead. 

Their breaths cloud in the crisp January air. The pink and orange of sunset has faded from the far corner of the sky, leaving it a deep, vivid blue. 

And it’s there, as they step off the sidewalk and head through the grass, cutting a familiar path through a familiar field of weeds and wheat, that Natsume seems to stumble upon courage.

“Hey, Satchan,” he says, “can I tell you something?”

It’s so casual, almost off-handed. Shibata almost misses it entirely. He’s trying to make sure his new shoes don’t get too muddy, distracted and looking at his feet while they trudge along. 

Nyanko-sensei’s eyes are very green in the fading light, glinting with animal brightness. Nishimura tips his head, silly and flighty at all other times, but super attentive when a friend calls his name. Particularly so when it’s Natsume.

Shibata can’t even make fun of the cutesy nickname, because Nishimura is impossible to embarrass. And Shibata has slipped up and used it before, too. 

“You can tell me anything,” Nishimura says plainly. If anything, he’s confused that Natsume thinks he needs to ask. 

And it’s this moment. Here, in the sprawling, rambling countryside. Here, in the blue hour, when the sun has gone down but the sky is still rich with color. Here, where home is just down the road and their friends are waiting.

Natsume says, “I can see spirits. I’ve always been able to see them.”

Shibata nearly trips, and it takes some real expert maneuvering to save his bag of convenience store food from an unfortunate meeting with the dirt. Nishimura stops walking abruptly enough that it’s almost a trip, too. His eyes are round and full. 

“I’ve never told anyone before,” Natsume goes on, sounding amazed by his own daring. “Well-- not really. Not since I was in grade school. No one believed me back then.” 

He’s always so pacific and detached, even when he’s in pain or afraid, that the edge of nervousness creeping into his tone now almost seems out of place.

For his part, Shibata is gaping. He can’t believe this. He wasn’t prepared. His eyes dart from Natsume’s anxious expression to Nishimura’s stunned one, and he starts shoring himself up. If he has to intervene, he will. He’s seen more proof than any reasonable person needs, and he’ll shove Nishimura’s face in it like a disobedient dog if that’s what it takes to make him understand. 

But it’s only a moment-- only seconds really-- before Nishimura’s face clears. He shuffles his bags to his left hand so his right one is free, and he touches Natsume’s arm the way Shibata has seen him do a thousand times. 

“That makes sense,” he says, nonsensically. “More sense than my esper theory, anyway.”

Natsume’s expression would put the sun to absolute shame. His smile is slow at first, but inexorable, like a stream of water picking its way around the bend that meets the river. He must be the brightest thing for miles. 

“You thought I was an esper?” he teases, laughter in his voice. “You watch too much TV.”

Nishimura throws up his hands, the contents of his shopping bag rattling ominously. “I saw you float in homeroom once! Like, a foot off the ground! ESP is way more plausible than you’re making it out to be, thank you very much.”

Shibata stares at them, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Waiting for this scene to shift. It can’t be that easy. It can’t be that painless. Nishimura must be lying to save face, or hiding what is most certainly a freak-out of epic proportions, because belief like this is impossible.  

Except now Natsume is introducing Nyanko-sensei properly, and Nishimura is talking to the cat-- surprise and wonder melting into acceptance as easily and naturally as a spring thaw. 

“You knew exactly what you were doing every time you stole my food!” Nishimura complains, tugging on one of Nyanko-sensei’s soft ears. “Natsume, your cat owes me money.”

Natsume laughs. He laughs, head tipping back, healthy color rising in his wind-chapped cheeks. In this moment, he’s so far removed from that tiny, overshadowed boy that Shibata used to bully on the playground that he might as well be another person entirely. 

Could it have been like this back then? Shibata wonders suddenly. The thought is intrusive and unwelcome. 

If he had been a kinder child, if he had suspended his disbelief for long enough to get to know the strange little boy no one wanted to sit next to in class, would Natsume belong to him the way he belongs to Nishimura and Kitamoto, Taki and Tanuma, Shigeru and Touko?

"Shibata,” Natsume says, in the tone of someone who’s said it more than once. “Hey, are you okay?”

Shibata blinks, arresting his attention. Natsume is watching him with a puzzled frown. Nishimura is waving his arms around and inching forward, as if he’s playing a strange, abridged version of Marco-Polo.

“Fine,” he blurts. “What’s your idiot friend doing?”

“He’s yours, too,” Natsume says peacefully. “And he’s looking for Nyanko-sensei.” 

“What, he poofed?” Shibata looks around the empty field, too. “How did I miss that?” 

“Who’s the idiot now, Sumi?” Nishimura calls over his shoulder. 

The annoying nickname slides right off Shibata like water off an oilskin coat this time. He’s still trying to catch up to this conversation. He almost feels winded, like he’s huffing and puffing across the finish line of a marathon that no one had the decency to warn him about. 

“I can’t believe you just blurted it out like that,” he says, barely mustering the strength to talk above a whisper. “You took ten years ojf my life, easy. I was hyping myself up for a big fallout or something.”

"I can’t believe it, either,” Natsume admits, smiling. “But it wasn’t even that scary, really. Definitely not as scary as I always thought it would be. Maybe because you were here.”

Shibata very quickly looks down at his hands to readjust his shopping bags and not because his eyes are stinging in a telling way.

Nishimura gives a sudden squawk of surprise, hands spread out against the empty air, eyes huge and moon-like. Then his face splits in a grin, and laughter comes bubbling out of him as easily as it always has, and he smooths one hand to the side as if he’s petting something. As if he’s petting Natsume’s ugly cat where it’s fallen asleep in his lap.

His trust is a wild, reckless thing. It’s almost infuriating to watch. 

Could it have been like this back then? If I was a better person?

“You said he can fly, right?” Nishimura demands. “I wanna fly! Tell him to take us the rest of the way home! He owes me at least a dozen rides, considering all the food I’ve given him.”

He’s already searching for handholds, trying to find a way up. Natsume stoops to gather the forgotten bags of snacks and loops the handles around his wrist before making his way over. To Shibata’s intense dismay, rather than tell Nishimura that it’s a stupid idea and he’s stupid for thinking of it, Natsume helps him climb up instead. 

“I have a concern,” Shibata says dryly. 

Natsume huffs. It’s not really a laugh, but it’s not not a laugh, either. “Just one?” 

“No, but I didn’t think you’d let me speak my piece if I told you how many I actually have.”

“You can walk if you want to,” Nishimura calls down. “No one’s making you come along.”

It’s very surreal to see him sitting on nothing, well above Shibata’s head. It’s still very annoying to watch him take to this strange new world with enthusiasm and aplomb, as if he was simply born to exist in this moment and be Natsume’s friend. 

Never one to be outdone, Shibata ignores his own uncertainty to drawl, “And miss the chance to watch you make a fool out of yourself in new and unprecedented ways? Never.”

Nishimura crows with laughter, too delighted to take offense. Natsume sighs just like he did before they left, when he resigned himself to their noisy, obtrusive company. He holds out his hand the same way he held open the door. 

He’s always standing on that threshold. He’s always holding out his hand. 

Shibata has already missed so many chances to reach out and take it. He’s not going to miss any more. 

[pellicano-sanguino]

Now that Kurenai Yuzuru's taidan is drawing closer, I wanted to write something short about some of the roles she's done that I have fond memories of.

These are mostly from Reon's era, since most of my Hoshigumi shows are from that time. I need to see more shows from Kurenai's own top star run.

Mercutio from Romeo&Juliette 2010

This was the first zuka show I saw, and still my favourite show to this day. I could go into all the details about how I love this musical, but now I'm just going to mention the casting. It was perfect. Everyone got a role that fit their acting style perfectly. Kurenai was a natural Mercutio, the best one I've ever seen. She nailed Merkku's immaturity, playfulness and – most importantly in my opinion – his recklessness.

Memorable scenes are Mercutio's song number when he tempts his Montague buddies to go with him to crash the Capulet's party, him and the boys bullying Nurse, confronting Romeo after hearing the news about his wedding (I was quite shocked to see Mercutio threaten Romeo with honor violence, claiming he's going to slit his throat if he won't give up Juliette) and the fight scene followed by Mercutio's death including a final song of ”goodbye friends and PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES!”

I admit, I don't usually care for it when zuka gives a dying character one final song that they sing in weak, slow voice, milking the tragedy for all the drama its worth. It often fails to be sad and just feels cheesy and soap operaish. But I found the song of dying Mercutio very touching, when I saw the scene for the first time I cried real tears. Despite the language barrier, Kurenai managed to reach to me with her voice and her acting and make me shed tears for Mercutio's death.

Sid from Officer and Gentleman

Officer and Gentleman isn't the kind of movie I'd thought would get a zuka adaptation and yet it exists. Zuka is very clearly targeted for women and this movie is more for the male audience. I know it has a romance and is therefore regarded as a love story but in my opinion this flick is more like a coming-of-age story about the character growth the male lead goes through (also, it oozes toxic masculinity, a thing more common in films for men). Anyway, the zuka version is actually a pretty good show. Ouki Kaname totally steals every scene she's in. But today I'm here to talk about Kurenai.

Kurenai is probably best known for her talent in comedy. Sometimes I've heard people say that's the only kind of shows she should do and that always made me sad, because Kurenai isn't a one trick pony trapped to do only one character type. I have been very impressed at her talent in playing sensitive men. Many otokoyaku roles rely on strong and cool male image, but Kurenai sometimes gets roles that let her show emotions, the men she plays are allowed to be vulnerable. Sid is one of these. Sid is young and a bit naive and makes stupid decisions, but when he thinks he's done a mistake, he is ready to take responsibility of it. The scene where he goes to propose Lynette breaks my heart every time. That look on his face when he finds out he's been lied to, it just hits me right in the feels. There is something so naturally charming and lovable in Kurenai that seeing her characters get hurt makes me feel awful. Like, no, don't do this to her!

Karenin from Anna Karenina

I have not read this book, but its one of my mother's favourites, so we watched this show together and she pointed me all the things that she thought zuka had adapted well and the parts that they had changed. She was especially impressed with Kurenai's Karenin. According to my mother, the character of Karenin is often done quite poorly in other adaptations of the book, he is often portrayed as just a onesided, simple man who's a little dumb and doesn't have much depth of character. Much like Sid, Kurenai's Karenin is allowed to show his emotions and not be just a boring, stoic figure who reacts to his wife's affair with mild disinterest. There is kindness in Karenin, it's not always easy to see, but it's there. He lost his own parents and a brother that was dear to him, and because he remembers how horrible it is to be alone and lose your family, he adopts Anna's and Vronsky's child, not wanting her to be left alone.

Antonio from Tale of Coimbra

I have opinions concerning this show. Namely, I think it misses a golden opportunity to put the zuka trope of reunion of lovers in the afterlife to proper use. Big part of the Coimbra legend are the coffins of Pedro and Inez being placed so that when they rise in Doomsday, the first thing they see is each others' faces. And zuka just had to go and twist the story so that Inez doesn't die (and they don't even get a happy ending despite that! Poor Pedro, he just can't win.). Also, very, very disappointed at the lack of Corpse Queen and tearing out assassin-Makaze's heart with a line ”You broke my heart, therefore you have none!”

Ahem. Sorry about the rant. Anyway, Kurenai is in this musical. He plays a guy named Antonio, who is...   umm... I think a pirate or a robber or something along those lines. The group of robbers/pirates gets made into scapegoats for Inez's murder, and Pedro, Pimenta, assassin-Makaze and some soldiers mercilessly slaughter them all. Kurenai's role gets very little stage time, but I wanted to mention this role, because I was very impressed with her stage swordplay skills. I don't know if I should credit the director for this, or if Kurenai did some research of her own, but her legwork is strong and sometimes I can even identify the poses she makes as part of real swordplay moves.

Warrior seeking to fight with Reon, from Takarazuka Floral Dance Scrolls

This is my favourite nihonmono revue. The music, the dancing and the costumes are all great. In one of the numbers Kurenai plays a warrior who doesn't get along with another warrior, played by Reon. I don't know what their beef is about, Kurenai just hates Reon's guts and sends ninjas to ambush him when he's spending time flirting with local ladies. Reon being Reon, he defeats all the ninjas and makes a daring escape with courtesan-Nene. They are heading towards a river, intending to ride a boat to safety, but by the riverside Kurenai confronts them. Holding his sword he opens his arms like inviting Reon for a hug. Come at me bro! And so they fight, doing the samurai slash thing where time freezes after they've struck at each other and then the one who lost slowly falls. The one who falls is Kurenai, and Reon and Nene proceed to their romantic boatride.

This number has left an impression on me, because I think the nihonmono look suits Kurenai really well. She made a very handsome and cool-looking warrior.

Shibata Rihito from Mei-chan's Butler

Takarazuka and shoujo manga have walked hand in hand since the days of BeruBara Boom and even before, inspiring each other. Every now and then zuka does a show based on a manga. This one, unfortunately, is based on a manga I have never read and therefore I had no idea what was going on during most of this musical. But I still found it rather entertaining (the prop work sure was something different, with weird video projections, shadow theater and parachuting puppets). I admit, the many colourful side characters steal the show from Kurenai quite often, being wilder and weirder than her character is. I will have to give special mention to Makaze's evil butler, I love it when Makaze plays villains. But at the end, this is Kurenai's show. She was a very dashing butler.  

Memorable scenes include a weird, artsy, dream-like interpretive dance scene where the shadow theater is put to good use for * symbolism *.

 Because I haven't read the manga, I have no idea what is going on here. My bet is on drugs.

Also among the memorable scenes is the fencing. I still think Kurenai is pretty good with a sword.

I need to come up with name for this trope, where the opponents lock their swords for a while to glare at each other and chat.

Bourguignon from Second Fortuitous Meeting

Many zuka comedies are wasted on me because so many of the jokes are language based and I still don't understand much Japanese. But this one I liked very much. Admittedly, I got to read a translation once, so this time I got the jokes, but even ignoring the spoken jokes, it's just a really fun show. Every character was fantastic, Kurenai's role as a manservant forced to fake being his own master included. Her talent in comedy is very strong, she masters small things like the tone of her voice, the expressions of her face and simple bodylanguage and makes her character absolutely hilarious. I have noticed  that one character pair zuka shows tend to have is pairing a cool and serious master with a sassy, loud, no-filter-between-brains-and-mouth servant, who works as a comedic relief softening the seriousness of their master. In a show like Second Fortuitous Meeting, where everyone is sassy, loud and has no filter between brains and mouth, Kurenai needs to tone her comedy up quite a bit so that Bourguignon will appear even funnier than his master.

Most memorable scene is Bourguignon sitting down in protest like a misbehaving infant when Dorante demands they leave.

This show got a sequel. It was just as fun as the first one, even though this time I had no translation and so had very little clue what was going on. Something involving a pumpkin thief.

Beniko and Reon's father from REON!!

Otokoyaku in drag for comedy reasons is quite a common thing in zuka, and usually I find it as amusing as real men in drag (in other words, not very). But I adore Beniko. The reason why her comedy works is that the joke isn't just putting otokoyaku in drag, Beniko is a carefully designed sketch character. Her costume, her curls that she constantly keeps shoving back over her shoulders, the way she speaks (this has to be some sort of dialect, I swear), she is just incredibly funny. I don't think I can properly explain why I find her so amusing, after all I don't even understand what she says. There's just something about Beniko that always makes me smile.

There was also a number where Reon sang about her family. Makaze and Kurenai played her parents. Makaze made a very charming Japanese beauty in her apron (I usually don't like it when they make her wear dresses, but here she looked so natural it suited her well). She had to bend her knees a little to appear shorter than Kurenai. Kurenai as Reon's father was weird looking, with thick eyebrows that made him look like a comic character. But he was a very sweet father, eagerly making faces and shaking a rattle at baby Reon, and smiling even when the fighting kids accidentally poured a tea kettle on him. I've always felt that Makaze and Kurenai had great chemistry together and seeing them play a married couple was adorable.

Gemini from Etoile de Takarazuka

Again, putting otokoyaku in drag isn't fun if you don't give her character. Well, in this revue Kurenai had to put her skills to the test by switching between two characters several times during the same number. The split-personality Gemini suffered from manic-depressive behavious. 

The female side was happy and giddy and optimistic (”Everybody loves me, I'm so pretty, and so witty, I'm so gay!”)

...and the male half was gloomy and depressed and had no self-esteem (”Nobody loves me, everybody hates me, guess I'll go eat worms...”). 

I have to respect her for managing these quick switches between otokoyaku and onnayaku, cheerful and gloomy, the changing between characters was done smoothly.

Also, I want that dress...   suit...   costume...   thing...   I want that dresssuitcostumething. I would wear it to every dance ball ever.

Frederic de Marmont from Napoleon

This show had a ton of characters, many of them quite colourful ones, and unfortunately Marmont was often left as only the observer of things happening around him (well, the story is being told by him, so it kinda fits). Nevertheless I think Kurenai was very handsome in the uniform, and I think Marmont got some important scenes. He knew Napoleon from the military school and there's a song number where he voices concern for his friend's endless thirst for more victories. In the end, he is the one who decides to surrender Paris, understanding that it's madness to keep fighting and lose more lives when losing the battle can no longer be avoided.

The part I remember Kurenai most in this show is actually from the minirevue. She dances a rather romantic dance with Makaze. I will say it again, these two had great chemistry together.

Philippe from Sun King

I know there are probably only like a handful of fans who like this show besides me, but I loved it. I've always been a sucker for French imported musicals in zuka. This show is another example of good casting, everyone gets a character that no one else would have done as well as they have. Kurenai, being the best there is at comedy, gets the comedic relief character Philippe the gay-tailed pheasant, who also shows to the audience how the royals and nobles lived in a fantasy bubble completely separated from real life. She gets three songs and she sings them well. I haven't mentioned it before now, but I really like Kurenai's voice. It's a very recognisable, charming, unique voice. I also have to show respect at how easily and naturally she wears the gaudiest costumes. This show has some really ridiculous costume designs for the nobles to show how separate they are from common folks, but Kurenai wears hers with pride. I can almost picture her looking at a costume desing and being like ”Wow that is the ugliest thing I've ever seen, when can I try it on?”

Percy Blakeney from Scarlet Pimpernel

When Reon and Nene graduated, my star also left Hoshigumi and I followed her to a new home troupe, so I haven't seen that many Hoshigumi shows after Reon's era. But when I saw that they were going to make Scarlett Pimpernel, I had to get it. I had seen Kurenai perform Percy as a shinko role and I thought she was brilliant even then.

Of course I was going to use screenshots of the fencing scene. What else did you expect?

Once when I was sick and couldn't even read books, just rest, I borrowed some audio books from the library. This is how I was introduced to Scarlet Pimpernel. I liked the audio book a lot, especially the menacing, raspy voice they gave to Chauvelin. I was delighted to discover one of the first stories to use the idea of a masked hero. Men who like Batman are not allowed to make fun of me for liking Scarlet Pimpernel.

Scarlet Pimpernel is such an entertaining story and Percy is such a charming hero, saving innocents and having fun while doing it. I like Kiriya Hiromu's Percy a lot too, but Kurenai's is my favourite. She really gets into the character and makes a very lovely Percy. Having to wear disguises in this show, she once again shows her ability to fit into all deliciously awful outfits (like the suits they wear to the party held by the prince of Wales). But even out of disguises, I've got to admit Percy's got style. I also obviously adored the sword dance in the mini revue. Kurenai's Percy brings a smile to my face whenever he's on screen. This is probably the role I will remember her most from.

I will miss Kurenai terribly. Whatever she decides to do after leaving Takarazuka, I wish her good luck and happiness as thanks for all the times she brought me lauhter, tears and joy.

[natsuhikoshidou]

Invisible Ch.5 - Stylish Situation (Summary) Part 2

the second half of chapter 5, in this half we learn about souhei’s dark backstory

Read Chapter 5 p 1 | Read Chapter 6

When they get back home, Souhei feels like he understands the reason why invisible people want to stay inside the city. Though the trip was short, it was really tense.

Seiji welcomes them back. He says they can hand the items out at the fire tonight, and then asks Souhei what’s wrong. When Souhei asks about the fire, Seiji just says “it’s fun”.

It was as Seiji said, that night, a large fire was burned on the rooftop of the Invisible City.

About 10 people collected in advance that were called for the preliminary arrangements. There were people rolling oil drums that made loud and rumbling noises, people bringing logs and pieces of paper, people preparing chairs and tables, people making food and so on.

When they realized that situation, immediately other residents appeared. They finally came late and diligently joined the preparations. Then, more other residents gathered, and in the blink of an eye, it became a large family of about 50 people. Then before he knew it a large-scale campfire had begun.

The fire went for a while, he heard a stiff 'go-n' noise. It was from the clock tower.

Souhei sits down and eats a ham and mayonnaise baguette that Jirou made. Seiji comes and sits next to him, asking him why he’s spacing out so much. Souhei just says he’s tired.

Seiji asks how it went. Souhei says it was hard, and then complains about not being told he would have to steal. Seiji laughs and says that if he told Souhei originally, he probably wouldn’t take the job. He explains that they don’t have any choice sometimes and that he’s sorry for not telling Souhei.

Looking over at the fire, he can see some men relaxing on reclining chairs, some playing mahjong, Shibata and his friends roasting fruit and marshmellows from fishing rods, some boys throwing firewood at burning oil drums and some girls burning trash from their rooms.

Seiji tells Souhei to be careful around the fire. If a fire goes of in the city, in the end the city is contained by the walls, so it could be really dangerous.

He sees that Riina is beginning to hand out some of the procured goods. Seiji says that because today’s his first job, he can leave it to her. Basically the reason they have a bonfire is because collecting all the residents in one place is easier than having to go around and hand everything out. The signal from the clock tower is a signal that the procurement is finished.

Shibata and Jirou come and sit behind them. Shibata asks about Souhei’s job.

Shibata spoke in a curious way.

"It was hard. But I think your job is more heavy labour, Shibata." Souhei answered, and turned towards Jirou. "Thank you for the sandwich. It was tasty."

"No need to thank me. I ordered some knife's whetstone. We're both the same here."

Then they start talking about if you could use skateboards for a procurement. Shibata seems bummed out when Souhei tells him that would be suicidal.

Then, a 30 year old man who was laying down sits up and begins playing some bongos. Everyone cheers him a little. Then a 20 year old woman comes over to him and begins playing the flute. It sounds mystical. People begin to dance around them. Seiji says it’s improvised.

Suddenly, Souhei remembers something. "Seiji, don't you play the guitar?"

Shibata makes a weird noise and Jirou grabs Souhei, telling him in a stern tone that that’s a taboo subject. Seiji gets up in silence and climbs down the ladder leading to the roof.

He didn't understand why, Shibata now answered.

"Though it's been quite a while, a story has spread from when Seiji was the lead singer in the band. Back then, there was a guy who persistently urged him to play the guitar. Seiji actually had a guitar. He hadn't ever been seen playing it, though. So, when he felt like 'this is kind of a bad atmosphere', he beat the guy up. He lost about 3 front teeth."

"It was a tragic accident." Jirou nodded. The fire was reflected on his bald head.

It's hard to imagine Seiji beating up another person. But it didn't seem like he was telling a lie.

Jirou tells him that, though they don’t know why, the mood seems to get worse whenever people talk about <<clouds>>. Souhei also remembers when they first met in the bar, when he mentioned it everybody went quiet. He wanted to apologize to Seiji.

Soon Seiji comes back up the stairs. This time, he has his acoustic guitar with him; it looks like he’s going to play it. Seiji makes his way between the flute and bongos as the crowd waits in anticipation. He manages to play it in time with the others. 

More people begin dancing in a circle, stepping around in a circle, clapping, Jirou and Shibata jump into the circle too. However, Souhei could see that Riina was still sitting at the edge of the rooftop by herself.

At some point Seiji gives Souhei a notebook and pen, telling him that people will gather to purveyors so he can write the items they want down. Souhei is constantly interrupted during conversations, meals and reading by people who had things they needed him to get. People even come to his room in the middle of the night.

"Purveyors are popular." Jirou said looking at his state. "Well, Riina isn't though, cuz she's unsociable."

One day when he’s inside <<JIRO>> playing cards with Jirou and Shibata, there was something that stood out from the usual stuff he could get at the home center and shopping mall.

When in <<JIRO>> he asks where Seiji is. He’s noticed that Seiji likes to keep to himself most of the time, he shows up at meals and the fire, and then he leaves. 

Suddenly, the door opens and two people come in. One is the chubby blond guy from the fight, who we learn is called Takehito, the other is Seiji. 

It turns out Takehito needs calcium carbonate. He works in a field that grows vegetables. It turns out that calcium carbonate can be mixed into the soil to keep it in good condition.

Jirou acknowledges you can get it from the home center, but ideally they need a lot of it. Souhei nods and says it’s fine. Everyone seems shocked, but Souhei says he knows where he can get some.

Souhei and Riina decide to leave at nighttime. The place they’re going to isn’t that far away. It’s near Hachiougi park and Souhei’s house; it’s Souhei’s middle school. No lights are on in the school building.

Riina seemed like she has no idea where they were. They climb up the fence; Riina in one jump, Souhei with a few climbs.

The school’s sports grounds are completely empty. It’s strangely peaceful. They head towards a prefab hut towards the side of the grounds which hadn’t changed since Souhei was last there.

There was a padlock on the door. The key is in the staff room, but getting into the building would be tricky. Riina hands Souhei a rock, he swings it down on the metal part which holds the padlock. It makes a large noise, but it didn’t seem like anyone nearby heard. He hits it a few more times and the padlock finally comes off.

Inside the shed is pitch black; Souhei remembers that there was a flashlight hanging in it somewhere. When he finds it and turns it on, looking at all the sports equipment makes him feel nostalgic. 

Immediately, he finds the 6 large bags of calcium carbonate. There’s a field marker machine next to them.

"How?" Riina said from behind. "What?" "How, did you know?" "...I'm not sure if I said this before, but I was in the track and field club. I used this prefab hut almost every day. So it remained in my memories. Calcium carbonate is used to draw the white lines on the sports grounds- however it seems like they used caustic lime a back then."

Souhei soon begins to remember Hijiri. Then, with that, he remembers some other painful memories, the pencil case opened with holes and the desk thrown out in the hallway, Mizuguchi's words and the broken accessory, his other classmates, and then Haruka.

Riina asks if he’s ok. For the first time, she looks a little worried. Souhei didn’t notice, but he's breathing heavily and sweating. She asks him what happened- seeing Riina worry makes him feel a little glad, considering she usually doesn’t express her emotion.

"I just remembered something a little bad..."

Souhei sucked in a deep breath, and breathed out thinly. Just that alone made him feel calm.

"Tell me." Riina said. "---Tell you?" "Yes, It will make you, feel better."

Souhei realized that nobody ever said anything like that before. He couldn’t confide in other because he didn’t have anyone to confide in. But now Riina asked to hear it; he opens his mouth to talk, but then-

 Za za za za za... they both hear the sound of someone’s feet outside getting closer to them. Riina signals for him to turn the flashlight off. Souhei does and drops it on the floor, but that was a bad idea.

Because the light went out, the people outside were now aware that someone was in there. Immediately a middle-aged, casually dressed man and a security guard enter the shed. The normal man demands that whoever’s inside leaves.

The problem wasn’t about them being seen; the shed is not very large and there is sports equipment on all the walls stacked up to the ceiling. Souhei backs up to the wall as much as possible, the security guard is right in front of him, picking the flashlight up. Souhei thinks about running.

The security guard and the other guy, who turns out to be teaching staff, talk a little. In the end they guess some kids got in and ran off somehow. When they turn to leave, the teacher touches Souhei’s arm. As he panics, Riina jumps out in front of the two men.

She then kicks the teacher. He falls over, knocking a hurdle over with a loud crash. She then picks a bag of calcium carbonate up slowly, right as the security guard points his flashlight right at her.

"...It's floating?"

It seemed totally careless. Riina spun the bag she held in both hands, applying centrifugal force she threw it at the security guard's face.

The security guard was hit in the nose, falling with upright posture, he didn't get up. Souhei peered at where that body fell. His eyes were wide open to their whites and his mouth shook. The teaching staff was breathing too. It's unclear where he was hurt, but they both couldn't do anything.

After that Souhei pulls both the men outside the shed, hoping that maybe the security company would get worried after a while and come looking for them. He puts the flashlight by the security guard, just in case.

Riina is really shaken up, worrying about if she exposed invisible people. Again, her face lacks expression, but she can’t hide her anxiety.

Souhei thanks her for saving him, and assures her that they’ll probably think it was something else. If they don’t tell anyone, there won’t be any problems. 

On the way home, Riina still seems to regret her actions. Because of this, Souhei thinks it might help if he tells her his story from earlier. It might make her feel better about her mistake.

"Tell me" Riina said.

What am I doing like this. As Souhei thought that he opened his mouth.

"When I entered middle school, I immediately joined the track and field club. I had been fast since I was young, and since everyone said I should use that, I wanted to try it out. When I said I was joining a club, my childhood friends Hijiri and Haruka joined it together with me- but the girl Haruka became the manager.

Ever since I was a freshman I ranked at the top in city tournaments. Because I grew faster than everyone else, that might have worked to my advantage. The event was called 100 meter hurdles, it's a competition where you run and jump over obstacles. Hijiri - who specialized in 200 meter sprint - was also fast, since we went into our second year, he got good results."

On the road, a roar of a large truck raised up and passed by. Souhei continued the conversation.

"In the middle of our second year Hijiri was appointed as the head of the club. That guy had leadership skills, naturally because everyone trusted him. Of course I didn't complain. I don't have the ability to lead others. The autumn tournament went by smoothly. But if you saw from the results, it wasn't that we were doing well. Back then Hijiri told me often "I'll absolutely go to nationals for the spring tournament".

Then winter ended, it was before the tournament. If we lost here we would both retire. So whatever happened, we had to win. That's what me, Hijiri and Haruka thought. However an accident happened during practice that day. That day, the baseball club and soccer club had a tournament and a practice game, so they weren't on the school sports grounds. The two didn't have club activities, the grounds were hogged by the track and field club. So we exerted ourselves too much. Everyone was delighted and called it "the perfect day for practice""

Riina walked in silence. However Souhei knew that she was absolutely listening to the story.

"When club activities start we do the necessary stretching, all the members do easy training. When that ended it finally changed to practice for each competition. There usually wasn't enough practice for Hijiri's competition, the 200 meter sprint. Because the three club activities are always crowded together, competitions that use the track for a long time inevitably are only able to practice around the first start- but that day it had been widely used. So before I started my own practice, I decided to to go around and help out. I stuffed the tools we used for training in a box, while I held that I crossed the sport grounds. Then I planned to bring it to the prefab hut from earlier.

I left from the shed, immediately Hijiri and the other team members doing the 200 meter sprint began running. They formed a straight line once they started from the curb- then, Hijiri fell."

Souhei was quiet for a while. He still remembers the sight of Hijiri falling back then now. After rolling like a scrap of paper, his hollow eyes looked towards midair.

"When you leave off at full speed something like falling over is really dangerous. Hijiri actually hit his head, and was immediately taken off by an ambulance. Haruka and I should have followed it together. However, there was something we realized we had to do no matter what."

"Something you realized?" Riina said.

"...Yeah. The moment Hijiri fell, we saw something shiny fly out from his feet. We wanted to make sure what it was. We found it immediately. It was a whistle usually used for practice. That little guy-"

Souhei formed a small U-shape with his index finger and thumb.

"-that should have been in the box I put away in the shed. When I crossed over the sports grounds, it's obvious that the whistle fell out of it. Hijiri stepped on that and fell over- that's what happened. Something like an obstacle falling out is something that shouldn't happen. I should have been more careful. Hijiri ended up fracturing his ankle, in the end, he couldn't participate in his last tournament. That's the cause of why I'm hated by him."

Riina spoke immediately.

"That's not, something you can help. You're innocent, Souhei."

Souhei raised his head. He wasn't sure if this was the first time she called him by his name.

"...I certainly am innocent. But this wasn't a simple fracture. It seems hard to heal from something like an ankle fracture, moreover despite that the after-effects still come and go. Even though it healed so he can run a light amount, he still can't run at full power."

Riina closed her mouth. Souhei continued.

"But, at first, Hijiri wasn't angry. I apologized, and he even laughed because it couldn't be helped. 'Because it's a pain don't tell the other members' he said. I couldn't believe it. Something like laughing and forgiving me, who injured him. At the hospital bed he told me 'when we go into high school I'll become a manager'. Though I betrayed that too."

"What do, you mean?"

"My family isn't that wealthy, so it took all my effort to get into high school. The tools for club activities and excursions to tournaments cost some money. It's difficult to get a part-time job when you're in school. So, when I graduated from middle school, I finally realized I had to be frank. 'I can't continue track and field in high school' is what I said. However I felt I was taking it a little lightly. Somewhere in my heart, I felt I wasn't sure if he would forgive me again-"

Souhei continued.

"-But it was no use. It was the first time I saw Hijiri mad like that. 'I thought I could trust you.' he said. 'You betrayed me.'. If I could do it, I would have. The part of Hijiri that couldn't run wanted to run too. But it was impossible..."

Then when Hijiri becoming injured became well-known recently, Souhei became persecuted in the classroom. They were completely Hijiri's allies. When he was finally aware of the bullying towards him, and then when he understood the reason for their actions, Souhei thought it was only natural. Clearly Hijiri was the victim, and he was the bad guy. 

Souhei didn't tell Riina up until Grade 11 Set 5. It didn't matter what he says, he didn't care to tell any more of this extremely miserable story.

She was quiet. From her profile lit up by the city lights, he couldn't perceive which emotions she held after hearing that story. However, Souhei regretted a little, wondering if he might have made it excessively dark. He wasn't sure of if he should have told this story.

The two return home at around midnight. Most of the residents Souhei knew are awake and greet them. As they pulled out 4 bags of calcium carbonate, everybody cheers. Takehito is also thankful, and hugs Souhei.

Seiji greets them. He seems surprised. When Souhei told him they got it from the school, Seiji seems worried about them getting caught. Souhei laughs, saying it they didn’t and that it was easy.

After that, he eats some food Jirou made and heads off to his room. Just as he's about to go in, Riina says to him:

"I don't think, you're bad, Souhei." "...Eh?"

She looked over to him intently.

"Thanks, for, today."

He felt she was thanking him for keeping the affair in the hut a secret. But the one who was saved was him. I should be the one thanking you- when he tried to say that, he noticed blooming on Riina's lips was a faint smile. It was truly small, and it seemed like if the wind blew it would disappear, but she definitely smiled.

While he watched absentmindedly Riina returned to her room, as Souhei stood there for a while.

[goodlucktai]

put your empty hands in mine

chapter six: the lucky cat

natsume yuujinchou pairing: kitanishinatsu word count: 2639 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

“Ugh, Takashi,” Satoru says with distaste. “I can’t believe you’re friends with Shibata.”

Takashi gives him a guilty smile, but finishes tapping out a reply to his new email anyway. While he’s distracted, Atsushi shoots Satoru a warning look over the top of his head, and Satoru rolls his eyes.

“I’m just saying. I was gonna beat him up for being a jerk, and I can’t do that if Takashi’s friends with him.”

“He’s not so bad,” Takashi says in his soft, insistent way. “He apologized for taking my phone, and he makes the other kids leave me alone. School is a lot more fun now.”

Satoru can feel himself relenting, because Takashi’s eyes are so big and brown that it’s impossible not to melt under them, and that’s annoying. He crosses his arms and sulks at the river, and sulks a little harder when Atsushi says, “Ignore him, he’s being an idiot. I’m glad you have a new friend, Okashi.”

Takashi still turns a little pink when they call him by a nickname, but that’s ninety percent of the reason why they do. He puts his phone away and lifts his bare feet up out of the water, crossing his legs and leaning over until he’s comfortably slumped against Satoru’s side.

Then he pulls out that orange marker of his, the cap squeaking as it’s twisted off. Satoru can’t resist looking down at his own hands as Takashi’s familiar handwriting appears on the inside of his left wrist.

Satoru watches the characters form, and sounds them out in his head as they do; su-ki da yo.

“Ughhhh,” Satoru says again, with even more feeling this time. He throws his arms around Takashi and topples them over sideways, squeezing him hard and rolling him into the muddy bank, mostly so he won’t notice how red Satoru’s face probably is. “That’s so cute! It’s annoying!”

Takashi’s alarmed yelp morphs into helpless laughter as he struggles to get free. Atsushi scoots aside to avoid their tangle of limbs and doesn’t lift a finger to help him.

It’s the best summer they’ve ever had, because Takashi is visiting for a whole month before the next school term. He got to meet all of Atsushi and Satoru’s friends, and they all liked him immediately-- even grumpy Adachi, who doesn’t really like anyone that's not Tsuji. They’ve spent countless hours playing tag in the tall grass, and begging cool treats from storekeepers, and filling their pockets with bugs and crushed flowers and little frogs to bring home to Mana.

Takashi brightens with every afternoon he spends in the countryside under the beaming sun, until his skin is a gold that matches his eyes, and his grin is waiting just around every corner. Satoru wants to keep him here forever, until he forgets what it was like to be shadowed and sad.

“Mom’s gonna be mad at you,” Atsushi says dryly, when they’ve run out of energy to wrestle anymore. “She already did the laundry today.”

“We can just hop in the river and get all the dirt off,” Satoru retorts. “It’s so hot today we’ll be dry again before dinner.”

Beside him, Takashi suddenly goes still. He sits up quickly, all the playful vibrance gone out of him to make room for something tense and alert, like a rabbit that senses a hawk in the sky. Satoru follows his eyes, but there’s nothing to look at; just a stretch of riverbank they have all to themselves, and an empty bridge over the water.

But still--

“Something’s there?” Atsushi asks. He’s already getting to his feet, reaching down with both hands to pull Satoru and Takashi up, too. “Where is it?”

“On the other side,” Takashi says quietly. He’s staring at the opposite bank. “I don’t think it wants to cross the river. If we hurry we can get away.”

Satoru will never understand how people see Takashi like this and still call him a liar. He’s looking at something-- his eyes are moving inch by inch to follow it, wherever it’s going. There isn’t anything faked or forced about it. Atsushi is still holding their hands as they pull away from their comfy spot by the water, and Takashi points them in the direction of a little footpath that wings toward the treeline.

“There’s a shrine up there,” he says. Somehow he knows better than Satoru does where all the shrines are, and Satoru’s the one who lives here. “We’ll be safe at a shrine.”

The first time something followed him, he told Satoru and Atsushi to go home without him. They scolded him so much for even thinking they’d leave him to deal with a mean ghost by himself that he never brought it up again. He just holds their hands tight and pulls them along, as quick as he can without tripping them up, dodging low-hanging branches and jumping over protruding roots.

They spill out of the trees and onto a wider path, and nearly bowl Tsuji and Adachi right over.

“What in the fresh hell are you doing?” Adachi snaps, shuffling to hide the fact that he’s holding Tsuji’s hand. Any other time, Satoru would be delighted. “Natsume, don’t let them drag you around.”

“Everything okay?” Tsuji asks, as unflappable as ever. He’s frowning a little bit. “Are you running from someone?”

“No,” the three of them chorus, which is probably the most suspicious thing ever. Tsuji, class president and resident mom friend, narrows his eyes at them. “We’re just showing Takashi around,” Atsushi adds more convincingly.

A branch snaps somewhere behind them, and Takashi jerks an involuntary step in the opposite direction, yanking his soulmates with him.

“Anyway, seeya,” Satoru says by way of farewell, and the three of them take off again before their friends can get a word in edgewise, tearing up a slight incline and diving into the cover of some heavy brush. “Jeez, the one time there are other people walking around in the woods-- why would you walk around in the woods? Weirdos!”

Atsushi laughs breathlessly. “We hang out here every day!”

Their meandering route finally leads them across the shrine stairs. They head up, bare feet tapping the sun-warmed stone, the red torii gate looming in welcome just a few meters ahead.

Looks like we made it, Satoru thinks victoriously--

And then wind roars behind them, like a hunting creature. Takashi makes a strangled sound and pulls them to the left sharply. Satoru’s foot catches on something around ankle-height and he goes sprawling with a startled squawk, and he drags Atsushi right down with him. Takashi manages to stay upright because Atsushi does the sensible thing and lets go of his hand, but his face is pale.

“Um,” he says, sinking to his knees gingerly. “Do either of you know what this was for?”

Satoru picks himself up with a groan to get a look at what Takashi’s talking about. The fair-haired boy is holding two ends of a snapped straw rope-- probably the thing Satoru tripped on. Its little paper streamers are crushed and dirty, now.

“It’s a shimenawa,” he goes on, looking at the two of them beseechingly. “It’s-- like a ward? Or a barrier? Do you know if-- it was here for an important reason?”

“You broke it,” a gruff voice behind them says. All three of them flinch wildly, and Satoru and Atsushi both spin around, ready to plead their case to whatever old man happened upon the scene, because it was an accident!

But there isn’t an old man. There’s just a little wooden shrine, with more of the paper shide streamers hanging across the door. Satoru blinks, and looks around for whoever spoke. Atsushi crawls over to where Takashi is kneeling and says, “Hey, what is it?”

He grabs for the hand Atsushi offers him. He looks terrified. The doors of the shrine are rattling now, as if there’s something inside trying to burst out. Satoru looks down at the broken rope on the ground, thinks of what Takashi said about a barrier, and has a realization that comes in the form of a succinct, internal, oh no.

The doors burst open.

There’s a lucky cat statue inside.

They sit there frozen for a moment, staring at the innocuous porcelain figurine. It stares right back, with its waving paw and painted smile. It’s so anticlimactic that Satoru lets out a huff of laughter, and Atsushi’s tense shoulders slump in relief, and Takashi says, “Well, thank goodness for-- “

The shrine explodes.

Wood bends and snaps, a plume of stirred dirt rising like a cloud, and the three of them duck closer together to keep it out of their eyes. Satoru squints from behind his hand, though, watching the round figure of the calico cat come to life.

It lands next to the splintered remains of its home and squints at them with its dark, slitted eyes.

“You’re not going to cower at the sight of me?” it asks, in the old man voice from earlier.

“You’re not very scary?” Takashi replies. It comes out sounding like a question. He’s probably used to spirits that are scary. The cat huffs, like it’s amused.

“Little brat,” it says, not entirely unkindly. It waddles a few steps forward to give Takashi a sniff. Atsushi is tense, clutching Takashi’s arm with both hands, but Satoru isn’t sure what he’s so freaked out for. It’s a fat old cat-- if it tried anything, they could just throw a rock at it or something to make it go away. “You smell like another human I know. You look like her, too, but she was bigger than you are. Nowhere near as runty.”

“He’s not runty,” Satoru says, offended. “We’re ten, this is as tall as we get!”

The cat gives him a once-over. “You’re the brat that broke the barrier. Well done.”

“It wasn’t on purpose. And if I’d known what you were like beforehand, I’d have hopped over that old rope and left you stuck in there.”

Atsushi is making a sound like he’s dying, but Satoru ignores him. He’s not going to be polite to anyone who decides to be mean to one of his two favorite people in the world, and he doesn’t care if they’re humans or one of Takashi’s yokai.

The cat doesn’t look too bothered, anyway. It seems like it would take a lot to impress it one way or the other. And then Takashi is leaping ahead of the conversation to say, “What human do I look like, maneki-neko-san? Who was she?” so Atsushi doesn’t get a chance to call Satoru an idiot, which means Satoru won that round.

“Her name was Natsume Reiko,” the cat tells him. There’s something odd about the way it’s looking at Takashi, as though it’s sizing him up for something, or making some kind of decision about him. “She must have been a relative of yours.”

“I think that was my grandmother’s name. I’ve heard some of my relatives talk about her,” Takashi says slowly. “They don’t say nice things. Was she-- like me?”

“She was. She could see ayakashi, and she was always alone.”

“That’s not like Okashi, then,” Atsushi interjects abruptly, apparently having kept quiet for as long as possible. “He’s got lots of friends.”

“We knew he could see ghosts before we even met you,” Satoru says. He doesn’t add “so there” even though he wants to. “That’s why we were running through here like crazy in the first place.”

The cat blinks once, twice, unhurried. It says, “Something chased you here?”

“Yes,” Takashi says. “It was-- big. It had long, tangled hair and one eye in the middle of its face. There was a smaller yokai with it, with, um-- sort of wide, feathered ears? Like a dog’s?”

“Do things chase you very often?”

“Yes, ever since I was small. That’s why I was going to the shrine. They don’t bother me there.”

Atsushi’s hands squeeze where they’re holding him, and Satoru leans into his back a little more. They can’t be there with him all the time, as much as they’d like to be. He lives so far away from them that he has to handle the scariest things all by himself. All they can do is comfort him after the fact, try to cheer him up when he gets quiet and sad, write reminders to him in colorful ink that no matter what, he’s never really alone.

And that’s nice and all, but when a monster chases you home from school and looms over your bed at night and whispers your name from every corner of the house, it’s not much.

“Hmph,” says the cat, and then it crawls right into Takashi’s lap.

Takashi gasps, perfectly stunned, and Satoru can’t say he expected this turn of events either.

“Um,” Atsushi hedges. “Maneki-neko-san--”

“Come up with a better name for me than that, brats,” it grizzles. “That’s a mouthful, and it’s none too creative. Your heads must be full of cotton.”

While Satoru is offended and Atsushi is getting that way, Takashi looks somewhere between hopeful and delighted. “A name?” he asks, lowering his hands slowly to the calico fur. “Are you going to stay with me?”

“That’s right,” says the grouchy cat. “Not because I want to-- I have better things to do-- but I owe your grandmother a favor. She’d curse me from the afterlife if she knew I let her little descendant get into trouble on his own.”

“This thing reminds me of Adachi,” Satoru mutters. It’s not a compliment, and Atsushi turns away to muffle a snort behind his hand. “So you’re gonna look after him, is that what you’re saying? Why don’t you just say that?”

The cat glares at him. Satoru has never been less impressed by a glare in his life. Takashi bites his lip, looking worried. “Um, I don’t think my guardians would let you stay, neko-san. They don’t-- they’re not-- “

“They don’t have to let me do anything.” It folds up its paws and puts its chin on Takashi’s knee, every bit as though it’s settling in for a nap right then and there. “I can make myself invisible to most humans, you know. It’s only in this form of mine that your little friends can see me.”

“Lucky us,” Satoru mutters.

“Satchan,” Atsushi laughs helplessly.

But Takashi is enamored. He likes cats, Satoru remembers. He sends them pictures of the strays he feeds at the park.

He’s kneeling there in the dirt, damp and muddy from an afternoon spent by the river, barefoot because they didn’t remember to pick up their shoes before they went running off, his arms full of a fat talking cat that they accidentally broke out of a warded shrine, and none of these things seem particularly strange to him.

If anything, he looks happy.

“Can I call you Nyanko-sensei?” he asks eagerly, which is exactly the sort of adorable thing Satoru should have anticipated he would say.

The cat grumbles a lot, but it doesn’t look displeased, and it’s exactly like when Adachi rolls his eyes at Tsuji, who literally everyone knows is Adachi’s best friend. Takashi scoops it up when he climbs to his feet, and turns to throw a beaming smile at his soulmates, hugging his new cat to his chest in both arms.

“Wait till I tell Shibata!” he says brightly.

“Ugh,” Satoru replies, remembering to be annoyed about that.

But he has to admit, even if he’ll never say it out loud, that it’s nice knowing Takashi’s got some people looking out for him when Satoru and Atsushi can’t. Even if one of those people is an annoying reformed bully, and the other is an annoying talking cat.

[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."