UPDATE! Natsume/Nuramago Cross! Hope of Love 6: Mutual Enemy (Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo; Pg-15)
Hope of Love
Fandom: Natsume Yuujinchou/Nurarihyon no Mago-Cross Over
Rating: Pg-15 (maybe up in later chapters)
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Pairing: Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo, Yoru/Rikuo
Summary: One night, Natsume found an injured Youkai who turned out to be the Young Master and the Sandaime of the Nura Clan… what might happen afterwards? Chaos? Friendship? Or is it… love?
Disclaimer: Natsume Yuujinchou belongs to Midorikawa Yuki, Nuramago belongs to Shiibashi Hiroshi. Luna only borrows the characters to play with ^_^.
Warning: AU (cross-over is an AU, so it's not the same as CANON), hints of shounen ai-yaoi (the pairing is Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo and Yoru/Rikuo), slight oOC-ness (I hope not too much), slight violence and blood, also language (courtesy of Yoru, mind you)
A/N: Yeah! Hello, everyone! Luna-chi is back again! And together with my lovely beta mittens_220 who has just come back too from her vacation (I miss you! Thanks for the beta, dear~), so this chapter is ready for you guys to read! XD
Now, I know you've been waiting for it, so~ ENJOY! ^_^
Chapter 6: The Mutual Enemy
"He is a quarter youkai, Yoru Nura Rikuo…"
Natori turned at Natsume with a slightly surprised expression. "A quarter… youkai?"
Yoru now focused his attention to observe the taller man in front of him with calm expression. He felt a spiritual power from this person. It felt similar to the power he had felt when he was with Yura.
"Natsume… why did you bring an Onmyouji here?" Yoru asked as he turned to face Natsume, guessing that this amber eyed man was really an Onmyouji.
"Huh, you knew he's an Onmyouji?" Natsume turned to Yoru now, looking surprised.
"Actually, no, but you just confirmed that," Yoru smirked slightly.
"Aah! You tricked me," Natsume pouted at him and Yoru chuckled.
Natori was still quiet as he seemed to observe Yoru and Natsume's exchange. Natsume turned to the older man again and reached to hold his hand, pulling him closer.
"This is Natori Shuuichi," Natsume introduced them to each other. "Natori-san, this is Yoru-san."
"Natori Shuuichi… the drama actor," Yoru recognized him immediately after Natori took off his glasses. Some of Rikuo's female friends had been talking about him a lot in school. He appeared on television too, so he knew him even if it was just from the news.
"You knew that too?" Natsume looked at Yoru in total surprise.
"I lived in Tokyo once. It's not that surprising if I knew, right?" Yoru asked, raising one of his eyebrows.
Natsume looked away while mumbling something intangible. It seemed he didn't recognize who Natori was the first time he saw the actor.
"Have you been following me around?" Natori asked now, narrowing his eyes at Yoru in suspicion. "There are not many people… or youkai for that matter, that know I'm an Onmyouji," he continued.
Yoru smiled calmly at him. "You have a similar power to a friend of mine. She's an Onmyouji too, so I recognize it," he said truthfully.
"An Onmyouji… a friend of a youkai?" Natori looked skeptical.
"You don't have to believe me if you don't want to. But… if you're an Onmyouji, you must have at least heard about Keikain Family from Kyoto, right?" Yoru asked.
"Keikain…?" Natori widened his eyes, seeming to recognize it. "The Keikain Clan…, do you mean the clan that has been the protector of Kyoto from youkai since more than 400 years ago?"
"Yes, that…. The current head of that family, Keikain Yura, is my friend," Yoru said.
"How is that even possible? The Keikain Family is very similar to Matoba Clan who hunt youkai indiscriminatingly for living! You tell me, a youkai like you who would be in their target hit-list is a friend of the head of the family?" Natori obviously didn't believe that.
Yoru was silent for a moment, thinking. "Well… it's true that she wants to exterminate me whenever we meet, but… she's quite fond of my 'human' self, so she never went through with that plan in the end," he said after that, shrugging.
"Huh?" Natori looked at him ridiculously. "Your human self?"
"He's a quarter youkai, Natori-san. He turns into a human in day time," Natsume explained helpfully. "Oh, and before we talk further, we should probably go inside first. I need to hear more details of your conversation just now too and Tanuma… I meant, Kaname-kun must want to know as well," the shorter boy said, pointing in the direction of the temple.
Natori reacted immediately at the name Natsume mentioned. "Kaname-kun?" he asked, looking surprised. "You're in the first name basis with your friend, now?"
"Euh…" Natsume blushed slightly. "W-well… we're trying to get closer to each other…" he fidgeted slightly while looking away, still flushing.
Cute!-was in Yoru's mind when he saw that, and it must have been in Natori's mind too because he had an awed expression while staring blatantly at the shy boy as well.
"Natsume…" Natori was suddenly in front of Natsume and then sneaked one of his hands to hold Natsume's waist while the other was holding Natsume's hand, bringing it on his chest. "You can call me Shuuichi too if you want to get close to me and I'll call you Ta-ka-shi-kun," he said while making that nice appealing sparkling actor's smile to entice the boy, who looked at him with a bored expression.
"No thank you, I think I'll pass," Natsume said indifferently, looking away slightly until his eyes landed on the amused ruby ones, which observed their behavior in interest.
"Natsume is so popular, huh?" Yoru snickered slightly and Natsume blushed furiously at that.
"W-wait, it's not what you think, Yoru-san!" Natsume said hurriedly, looking very embarrassed so suddenly. He didn't want Yoru to see him like that and get the wrong idea about his and Natori's relationship. "Natori-san, please let go of me!" he yelled at Natori then, annoyed.
"Ah, sorry… every time I see Natsume, I seem to be unable to control how my body reacts," Natori said while slowly releasing the slenderer body and then he held his chest while making a face as if he was hurting.
"That sounds so wrong, so please stop making comments that can make other people misunderstand!" Natsume protested hard, sweat dropping awkwardly, before he turned his back at them and stomped towards the house in annoyance.
Yoru was still trying to hold back his laughter as he saw Natsume's retreating back. "He's just so cute," he said, shaking his head.
"He is, definitely," Natori agreed, hearing Yoru's comment. But then the Onmyouji turned to face him with somber look. "That's why, if you somehow cause Natsume trouble, or get him hurt accidentally or not, I'll make sure you'll get exterminated completely without any way to reincarnate," he said it with a smile, but the threat was clear in the way he spoke and looked at Yoru.
A bead of sweat rolled down Yoru's cheek. "Don't worry. I'll try my best not to cause Natsume any trouble… I've enough regret as it is, I certainly don't want to add more in the platter," he said solemnly, closing his eyes as he also walked away, following Natsume's step to the house.
Natori didn't say anything to that as he followed a second later as well.
~Natsume x Nuramago~
"Welcome, Natsume," Tanuma greeted with a smile as he saw Natsume on the door and Natsume, after pouting for awhile, immediately waved at him the moment he noticed Tanuma's presence, with a slight smile on his face.
"Sorry for intruding again," Natsume greeted back as he entered the house.
Tanuma then saw Yoru follow the boy entering the door and smiled to the quarter youkai as well. "You changed," he commented.
"You're adapting quite fast with my body's oddity," Yoru chuckled.
"You live in my place. It'd be weird if I didn't get used to it," Tanuma replied smartly and Yoru chuckled again. True, it was kind of embarrassing how he had reacted when he saw Rikuo changed into Yoru the first time. Now that he had gotten used to after several times seeing it, he could laugh at his own stupidity.
Now that Tanuma remembered about Rikuo, he needed to ask. "Is Rikuo okay? He seemed quite exhausted today," he was a little concerned too about it.
"He's asleep now. Our condition right now more taxing on him after all," Yoru answered. "Thank you for your concern," he added it as an after thought. It was what Rikuo would do after all. Though, coming from him, it was probably slightly weird.
"No need to thank me. We're friends, aren't we?" Tanuma smiled again at Yoru and the taller silver-black haired youkai blinked once before he smiled back gently.
Tanuma was awed for a moment as he saw his expression. Yoru was indeed very gorgeous. It was different from Rikuo's super cute expression, of course, but the alluring persona was the same. He could attract people with his expression alone.
"Sorry for intruding."
Tanuma snapped up as he saw another person enter his house. "Ah, Natori Shuuichi," he blinked several times as he saw the very handsome actor with light brown hair and amber eyes in front of him.
There was a brief silence as Tanuma was thinking and then he punched his palm lightly when he remembered. "Oh yeah, Natsume… I meant, Takashi said he would bring you here today. Welcome," he immediately greeted the actor/Onmyouji.
No, Tanuma didn't forget him on purpose. It was just… he didn't really want to think about Natori Shuuichi and his strange fascination with Natsume.
"Nice to see you too, Tanuma-kun," Natori smiled.
"It's been a while, ne? Now… please come in. I have warm tea to enjoy while we're speaking," Tanuma then brought all his guests in the living room and prepared tea and sweets.
~Natsume x Nuramago~
Before long, everyone was seated on their pillow seats in front of the square coffee table. "Please, enjoy," Tanuma said.
"Then… itadakimasu," Natori took the teacup and drank the tea. "Hmm… it's delicious, Tanuma-kun," he said while smiling politely.
"Thank you," Tanuma responded to it accordingly. Natsume and Yoru took their share as well, but since they were already familiar with each other and Tanuma, they had dropped the formality.
Well, Yoru didn't have that formality since the very beginning, though. He was the type of person (youkai) who did things at his pace, and Tanuma was glad for that. Or else, it would be too awkward since they lived under the same roof now.
Moreover, as Yoru's mirror, Rikuo was very polite and always tried his best to help Tanuma with house-work even though after some time, Tanuma noticed he was bad at cooking and doing laundry. Rikuo was great at cleaning the house though. That was more than enough for a guest of his temple to do, actually, so Tanuma never complained.
"So… I'd love to chit-chat a lot with Natsume, or taking a bath together or even sleeping together with him, but I'm sure that's not what Natsume wants me here for, right?" Natori asked after he put down his teacup. "Why am I here?"
Natsume flushed pink prettily at the unnecessary lines before the last question, Tanuma almost choked on his own tea as he heard it and Yoru's sweat dropped in response.
"Wait a sec, Natori-san!" Natsume yelled at Natori angrily again.
"What?" Natori raised his eyebrows. "It's not like we've never seen each other naked before," he said.
"Aaaah!" Natsume's face went even redder if it was possible. He didn't believe this. Why did Natori always act like this?
"In… in what occasion did you see each other naked?" Tanuma's head was full of mental images he didn't want to see at all, but he still blushed at the possibility.
"It's just onsen! ONSEN!" Natsume shouted at Tanuma in panicky, totally red in the face because he knew what the dark haired boy was thinking then. "Natori-san too! Please don't say any more ambiguous lines!" he turned to Natori and begged him to stop.
"Eeh, but we were going out together that time, just the two of us," Natori smiled teasingly, looking very amused somehow.
"Natori-san!" Natsume yelled even louder, totally warning that he would seriously punch the older man if he didn't stop.
"Natsume was helping me seal a very dangerous youkai after all…"
Natori still continued his teasing, but he also told the entire story of how grateful he was to Natsume for agreeing to help him with his job that time. He reached and stroked Natsume's head in the process, seeming very fond of the boy who just pouted, looking annoyed and embarrassed.
"Ah, I see… it was for a job…" Tanuma didn't know if he wanted to feel relieved or jealous, but Natori and Natsume seemed very close, because Natsume could get angry and annoyed at him like that.
"So, back to the topic. Natsume wants me here, but it doesn't seem urgent," Natori said again as he turned to Yoru who was silently observing them, still looking amused seeing the humans' interaction.
"Yes, well… I actually haven't talked to Yoru-san about this," Natsume also turned to face Yoru. "Sorry for taking action without consulting to you first, but I think… if you have Onmyouji on your side… they can help with your problem, somehow," the honey colored eyed boy looked at Yoru's eyes concernedly and timidly.
"Getting help… from Onmyouji…?" Yoru looked at Natsume with solemn look. "No… I don't want… I don't need that…" he looked away, declining.
"But…! If you team up with the Onmyouji… somehow there will be a chance to win against Nue, right?" Natsume said, persisted.
"You don't understand!" Yoru raised his voice suddenly, surprising Natsume, Tanuma and alarming Natori who had touched his pocket in reflex, just in case if Yoru suddenly went mad or something.
"You don't understand…" Yoru softened his tone for a bit as he covered his face. "Dealing with Nue… with those youkai he commands…! Don't think that no one has tried something…. Many tried… Even I tried…. I tried… I tried my hardest, but in the end, a lot of humans were involved. So many people died in front of my eyes…! How many more people must suffer for this? I just… don't want to see any more humans… becoming victims in this dispute…!"
Yoru looked very pained when he said all of that. It looked as if he was about to cry.
"Yoru-san…" Natsume looked at Yoru with sad face.
"What… are you talking about? Nue?" Natori asked, seeming not catching up what Yoru had said.
Tanuma gulped. "Natori-san, Yoru said that there's a war between the youkai families right now. A big war… one is lead by Nue, one is by Nura Gumi. The situation is very dire… and Nura Gumi is going to lose once they capture or kill Yoru here," he tried to explain the big picture.
Tanuma himself didn't really get how the youkai world worked, but apparently, there were also leaders and disputes among the youkai, if he wanted to give an analogy, it was like gangster war.
"The war among youkai doesn't have any to do with humans. What do you mean a lot of people die because of it?" Natori asked again, looking serious now after he heard what Tanuma said.
"It does have to do with humans now," Yoru said after he had seemed calming down enough to talk again. "Because Nue… because that evil bastard was the reincarnation of Abe no Seimei… his hatred for humanity drives him to move youkai to conquer humans…!"
Natori widened his eyes at that. "W-what…?" He looked very shocked now. "Abe no… Seimei… you said…?"
"No one knew about this except the ones involved in battle to stop the rebirth of Nue in Kyoto three years ago, but from Tsuchigumo, we found out that the strongest Onmyouji that had ever lived… was actually a Hanyo who controlled Hyakki Yako at night and controlled humans at day… a Nue," Yoru said, gritting his teeth in anger. "And now, because he hates humans so much for what they had done in the past, he tries to make darkness rule the entire world…! He wants to destroy humans… and creates a world with only youkai and ayakashi in it…!"
Now, this news was so much worse than Tanuma had thought before. Apparently, it wasn't just him who went into shock, because both Natsume and Natori's faces turned very pale as well, as pale as Tanuma right then.
"I've never heard… something as horrid as that… before," Natori whispered in disbelief.
"We tried to keep it quiet…" Yoru said, closing his eyes again and his expression turning painful again. "We tried to deal with and stop him in secret, but then…" he stopped, unable to continue as he seemed remembering something very bad. "We just couldn't anymore…. Humans… turn against us because of 'kotodama'," he continued.
"Kotodama?" Natsume asked, seeming curious and slightly confused.
"Kotodama… it's a form of power that can turn 'words' into weapon. You're telling me… that this Nue has ability to entice people and youkai with only his words to do his bidding?" Natori asked again, turning even paler.
"Probably… that's why you don't realize how 'messed up' Tokyo right now. His Kotodama can reach everyone as long as their mental strength is weaker than him. As long as people don't realize it… they will be alright. Not opposing Nue means they can live… even though their minds and actions are controlled by him, it's better than dying," Yoru said, clenching his fists.
"Then… why aren't you affected by the kotodama as well?" Natori asked again.
"Some people and youkai who are strong enough to resist his kotodama do exist. Our Nura Clan and its members for example, Tsuchigumo, and then those Onmyouji from Keikain Family... There are some of my humans friends as well, but even they had their share of doubts and confusion. They can hang on so far just because they have faith in me. I'm… I'm different because I'm a mix-breed, just like Nue. His kotodama won't work against me," Yoru explained. "I… can reverse his kotodama with rational thought and arguments, somehow… that's why he hunts me down, trying to destroy Nura Clan and trying to kill me," he finished, looking down slightly in defeat.
"So… you're opposing him, that's why you decide to hide because you don't want to endanger your family and humans?" Natori spoke again, guessing.
"No… even without me, Nue is still killing humans… but, I'm holding the only hope that can defeat Nue," Yoru said, his hands went to his stomach. "As long as the hope is still here, we haven't lost yet," he said, getting slightly encouraged when he thought about it.
Suddenly, someone hugged him from behind, surprising the hell out Yoru. "W-what…?" he turned slightly only to find Natsume who tightened his hold more on his shoulder. "Natsume…?"
"It's painful… right?" Natsume whispered quietly, closing his eyes sadly. Yoru went very still at that. "You have to go away… leaving everything you love behind because you have to stay alive for their hope… Not knowing whether they survived or not… but you still have to hold on…! It's… very painful… right…?"
Natsume's body was trembling and he probably held down not to cry. Yoru could only touch the arms that held him close and felt the warmth of another human besides his Rikuo flowing inside him.
Suddenly, Yoru felt something rising from the depths of his heart. Something hot… and suffocating… and then he felt that something reaching his eyes, gathering in another form, blurring his sight. "Huh…?"
Tanuma gasped when he saw the tears, dripping on to his cheek. Natori also widened his eyes in surprise.
But, out of everyone, the one who was most surprised by that… was Yoru himself. It wasn't like him to cry. He didn't even know that he could… he never did after all, before. He thought Rikuo was there for something like this. Because the boy was kind hearted and was emotional, he often cried when no one was looking, and he cried for Yoru's share as well. Yoru always believed that….
But now… why…? Why was he crying right now? Moreover… why was he crying in front of other people just because Natsume understood how painful it was for Yoru?
End of Chapter 6
Tbc…
A/N: For some reasons, this story turns into more like friendship rather than romance… T_T. When will I be able to make Yoru/Natsume or Natsume/Rikuo moments more suggestive? *sighs* The plot won't let me do that for some reasons. I have to try to finish the problem fast before I can make Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo act lovey-dovey to each other *lol*
So, what do you think? Tell me what you think, people, because your reviews are my muse to write. Without it, I won't be encouraged to write more, so the update will come later than later as well… T_T
Next: Chapter 7
Previous: Chapter 5
Fandom: Natsume Yuujinchou/Nurarihyon no Mago-Cross Over
Rating: Pg-15 (maybe up in later chapters)
Genre: Adventure/Romance
Pairing: Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo, Yoru/Rikuo
Summary: One night, Natsume found an injured Youkai who turned out to be the Young Master and the Sandaime of the Nura Clan… what might happen afterwards? Chaos? Friendship? Or is it… love?
Disclaimer: Natsume Yuujinchou belongs to Midorikawa Yuki, Nuramago belongs to Shiibashi Hiroshi. Luna only borrows the characters to play with ^_^.
Warning: AU (cross-over is an AU, so it's not the same as CANON), hints of shounen ai-yaoi (the pairing is Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo and Yoru/Rikuo), slight oOC-ness (I hope not too much), slight violence and blood, also language (courtesy of Yoru, mind you)
A/N: Yeah! Hello, everyone! Luna-chi is back again! And together with my lovely beta mittens_220 who has just come back too from her vacation (I miss you! Thanks for the beta, dear~), so this chapter is ready for you guys to read! XD
Now, I know you've been waiting for it, so~ ENJOY! ^_^
Chapter 6: The Mutual Enemy
"He is a quarter youkai, Yoru Nura Rikuo…"
Natori turned at Natsume with a slightly surprised expression. "A quarter… youkai?"
Yoru now focused his attention to observe the taller man in front of him with calm expression. He felt a spiritual power from this person. It felt similar to the power he had felt when he was with Yura.
"Natsume… why did you bring an Onmyouji here?" Yoru asked as he turned to face Natsume, guessing that this amber eyed man was really an Onmyouji.
"Huh, you knew he's an Onmyouji?" Natsume turned to Yoru now, looking surprised.
"Actually, no, but you just confirmed that," Yoru smirked slightly.
"Aah! You tricked me," Natsume pouted at him and Yoru chuckled.
Natori was still quiet as he seemed to observe Yoru and Natsume's exchange. Natsume turned to the older man again and reached to hold his hand, pulling him closer.
"This is Natori Shuuichi," Natsume introduced them to each other. "Natori-san, this is Yoru-san."
"Natori Shuuichi… the drama actor," Yoru recognized him immediately after Natori took off his glasses. Some of Rikuo's female friends had been talking about him a lot in school. He appeared on television too, so he knew him even if it was just from the news.
"You knew that too?" Natsume looked at Yoru in total surprise.
"I lived in Tokyo once. It's not that surprising if I knew, right?" Yoru asked, raising one of his eyebrows.
Natsume looked away while mumbling something intangible. It seemed he didn't recognize who Natori was the first time he saw the actor.
"Have you been following me around?" Natori asked now, narrowing his eyes at Yoru in suspicion. "There are not many people… or youkai for that matter, that know I'm an Onmyouji," he continued.
Yoru smiled calmly at him. "You have a similar power to a friend of mine. She's an Onmyouji too, so I recognize it," he said truthfully.
"An Onmyouji… a friend of a youkai?" Natori looked skeptical.
"You don't have to believe me if you don't want to. But… if you're an Onmyouji, you must have at least heard about Keikain Family from Kyoto, right?" Yoru asked.
"Keikain…?" Natori widened his eyes, seeming to recognize it. "The Keikain Clan…, do you mean the clan that has been the protector of Kyoto from youkai since more than 400 years ago?"
"Yes, that…. The current head of that family, Keikain Yura, is my friend," Yoru said.
"How is that even possible? The Keikain Family is very similar to Matoba Clan who hunt youkai indiscriminatingly for living! You tell me, a youkai like you who would be in their target hit-list is a friend of the head of the family?" Natori obviously didn't believe that.
Yoru was silent for a moment, thinking. "Well… it's true that she wants to exterminate me whenever we meet, but… she's quite fond of my 'human' self, so she never went through with that plan in the end," he said after that, shrugging.
"Huh?" Natori looked at him ridiculously. "Your human self?"
"He's a quarter youkai, Natori-san. He turns into a human in day time," Natsume explained helpfully. "Oh, and before we talk further, we should probably go inside first. I need to hear more details of your conversation just now too and Tanuma… I meant, Kaname-kun must want to know as well," the shorter boy said, pointing in the direction of the temple.
Natori reacted immediately at the name Natsume mentioned. "Kaname-kun?" he asked, looking surprised. "You're in the first name basis with your friend, now?"
"Euh…" Natsume blushed slightly. "W-well… we're trying to get closer to each other…" he fidgeted slightly while looking away, still flushing.
Cute!-was in Yoru's mind when he saw that, and it must have been in Natori's mind too because he had an awed expression while staring blatantly at the shy boy as well.
"Natsume…" Natori was suddenly in front of Natsume and then sneaked one of his hands to hold Natsume's waist while the other was holding Natsume's hand, bringing it on his chest. "You can call me Shuuichi too if you want to get close to me and I'll call you Ta-ka-shi-kun," he said while making that nice appealing sparkling actor's smile to entice the boy, who looked at him with a bored expression.
"No thank you, I think I'll pass," Natsume said indifferently, looking away slightly until his eyes landed on the amused ruby ones, which observed their behavior in interest.
"Natsume is so popular, huh?" Yoru snickered slightly and Natsume blushed furiously at that.
"W-wait, it's not what you think, Yoru-san!" Natsume said hurriedly, looking very embarrassed so suddenly. He didn't want Yoru to see him like that and get the wrong idea about his and Natori's relationship. "Natori-san, please let go of me!" he yelled at Natori then, annoyed.
"Ah, sorry… every time I see Natsume, I seem to be unable to control how my body reacts," Natori said while slowly releasing the slenderer body and then he held his chest while making a face as if he was hurting.
"That sounds so wrong, so please stop making comments that can make other people misunderstand!" Natsume protested hard, sweat dropping awkwardly, before he turned his back at them and stomped towards the house in annoyance.
Yoru was still trying to hold back his laughter as he saw Natsume's retreating back. "He's just so cute," he said, shaking his head.
"He is, definitely," Natori agreed, hearing Yoru's comment. But then the Onmyouji turned to face him with somber look. "That's why, if you somehow cause Natsume trouble, or get him hurt accidentally or not, I'll make sure you'll get exterminated completely without any way to reincarnate," he said it with a smile, but the threat was clear in the way he spoke and looked at Yoru.
A bead of sweat rolled down Yoru's cheek. "Don't worry. I'll try my best not to cause Natsume any trouble… I've enough regret as it is, I certainly don't want to add more in the platter," he said solemnly, closing his eyes as he also walked away, following Natsume's step to the house.
Natori didn't say anything to that as he followed a second later as well.
~Natsume x Nuramago~
"Welcome, Natsume," Tanuma greeted with a smile as he saw Natsume on the door and Natsume, after pouting for awhile, immediately waved at him the moment he noticed Tanuma's presence, with a slight smile on his face.
"Sorry for intruding again," Natsume greeted back as he entered the house.
Tanuma then saw Yoru follow the boy entering the door and smiled to the quarter youkai as well. "You changed," he commented.
"You're adapting quite fast with my body's oddity," Yoru chuckled.
"You live in my place. It'd be weird if I didn't get used to it," Tanuma replied smartly and Yoru chuckled again. True, it was kind of embarrassing how he had reacted when he saw Rikuo changed into Yoru the first time. Now that he had gotten used to after several times seeing it, he could laugh at his own stupidity.
Now that Tanuma remembered about Rikuo, he needed to ask. "Is Rikuo okay? He seemed quite exhausted today," he was a little concerned too about it.
"He's asleep now. Our condition right now more taxing on him after all," Yoru answered. "Thank you for your concern," he added it as an after thought. It was what Rikuo would do after all. Though, coming from him, it was probably slightly weird.
"No need to thank me. We're friends, aren't we?" Tanuma smiled again at Yoru and the taller silver-black haired youkai blinked once before he smiled back gently.
Tanuma was awed for a moment as he saw his expression. Yoru was indeed very gorgeous. It was different from Rikuo's super cute expression, of course, but the alluring persona was the same. He could attract people with his expression alone.
"Sorry for intruding."
Tanuma snapped up as he saw another person enter his house. "Ah, Natori Shuuichi," he blinked several times as he saw the very handsome actor with light brown hair and amber eyes in front of him.
There was a brief silence as Tanuma was thinking and then he punched his palm lightly when he remembered. "Oh yeah, Natsume… I meant, Takashi said he would bring you here today. Welcome," he immediately greeted the actor/Onmyouji.
No, Tanuma didn't forget him on purpose. It was just… he didn't really want to think about Natori Shuuichi and his strange fascination with Natsume.
"Nice to see you too, Tanuma-kun," Natori smiled.
"It's been a while, ne? Now… please come in. I have warm tea to enjoy while we're speaking," Tanuma then brought all his guests in the living room and prepared tea and sweets.
~Natsume x Nuramago~
Before long, everyone was seated on their pillow seats in front of the square coffee table. "Please, enjoy," Tanuma said.
"Then… itadakimasu," Natori took the teacup and drank the tea. "Hmm… it's delicious, Tanuma-kun," he said while smiling politely.
"Thank you," Tanuma responded to it accordingly. Natsume and Yoru took their share as well, but since they were already familiar with each other and Tanuma, they had dropped the formality.
Well, Yoru didn't have that formality since the very beginning, though. He was the type of person (youkai) who did things at his pace, and Tanuma was glad for that. Or else, it would be too awkward since they lived under the same roof now.
Moreover, as Yoru's mirror, Rikuo was very polite and always tried his best to help Tanuma with house-work even though after some time, Tanuma noticed he was bad at cooking and doing laundry. Rikuo was great at cleaning the house though. That was more than enough for a guest of his temple to do, actually, so Tanuma never complained.
"So… I'd love to chit-chat a lot with Natsume, or taking a bath together or even sleeping together with him, but I'm sure that's not what Natsume wants me here for, right?" Natori asked after he put down his teacup. "Why am I here?"
Natsume flushed pink prettily at the unnecessary lines before the last question, Tanuma almost choked on his own tea as he heard it and Yoru's sweat dropped in response.
"Wait a sec, Natori-san!" Natsume yelled at Natori angrily again.
"What?" Natori raised his eyebrows. "It's not like we've never seen each other naked before," he said.
"Aaaah!" Natsume's face went even redder if it was possible. He didn't believe this. Why did Natori always act like this?
"In… in what occasion did you see each other naked?" Tanuma's head was full of mental images he didn't want to see at all, but he still blushed at the possibility.
"It's just onsen! ONSEN!" Natsume shouted at Tanuma in panicky, totally red in the face because he knew what the dark haired boy was thinking then. "Natori-san too! Please don't say any more ambiguous lines!" he turned to Natori and begged him to stop.
"Eeh, but we were going out together that time, just the two of us," Natori smiled teasingly, looking very amused somehow.
"Natori-san!" Natsume yelled even louder, totally warning that he would seriously punch the older man if he didn't stop.
"Natsume was helping me seal a very dangerous youkai after all…"
Natori still continued his teasing, but he also told the entire story of how grateful he was to Natsume for agreeing to help him with his job that time. He reached and stroked Natsume's head in the process, seeming very fond of the boy who just pouted, looking annoyed and embarrassed.
"Ah, I see… it was for a job…" Tanuma didn't know if he wanted to feel relieved or jealous, but Natori and Natsume seemed very close, because Natsume could get angry and annoyed at him like that.
"So, back to the topic. Natsume wants me here, but it doesn't seem urgent," Natori said again as he turned to Yoru who was silently observing them, still looking amused seeing the humans' interaction.
"Yes, well… I actually haven't talked to Yoru-san about this," Natsume also turned to face Yoru. "Sorry for taking action without consulting to you first, but I think… if you have Onmyouji on your side… they can help with your problem, somehow," the honey colored eyed boy looked at Yoru's eyes concernedly and timidly.
"Getting help… from Onmyouji…?" Yoru looked at Natsume with solemn look. "No… I don't want… I don't need that…" he looked away, declining.
"But…! If you team up with the Onmyouji… somehow there will be a chance to win against Nue, right?" Natsume said, persisted.
"You don't understand!" Yoru raised his voice suddenly, surprising Natsume, Tanuma and alarming Natori who had touched his pocket in reflex, just in case if Yoru suddenly went mad or something.
"You don't understand…" Yoru softened his tone for a bit as he covered his face. "Dealing with Nue… with those youkai he commands…! Don't think that no one has tried something…. Many tried… Even I tried…. I tried… I tried my hardest, but in the end, a lot of humans were involved. So many people died in front of my eyes…! How many more people must suffer for this? I just… don't want to see any more humans… becoming victims in this dispute…!"
Yoru looked very pained when he said all of that. It looked as if he was about to cry.
"Yoru-san…" Natsume looked at Yoru with sad face.
"What… are you talking about? Nue?" Natori asked, seeming not catching up what Yoru had said.
Tanuma gulped. "Natori-san, Yoru said that there's a war between the youkai families right now. A big war… one is lead by Nue, one is by Nura Gumi. The situation is very dire… and Nura Gumi is going to lose once they capture or kill Yoru here," he tried to explain the big picture.
Tanuma himself didn't really get how the youkai world worked, but apparently, there were also leaders and disputes among the youkai, if he wanted to give an analogy, it was like gangster war.
"The war among youkai doesn't have any to do with humans. What do you mean a lot of people die because of it?" Natori asked again, looking serious now after he heard what Tanuma said.
"It does have to do with humans now," Yoru said after he had seemed calming down enough to talk again. "Because Nue… because that evil bastard was the reincarnation of Abe no Seimei… his hatred for humanity drives him to move youkai to conquer humans…!"
Natori widened his eyes at that. "W-what…?" He looked very shocked now. "Abe no… Seimei… you said…?"
"No one knew about this except the ones involved in battle to stop the rebirth of Nue in Kyoto three years ago, but from Tsuchigumo, we found out that the strongest Onmyouji that had ever lived… was actually a Hanyo who controlled Hyakki Yako at night and controlled humans at day… a Nue," Yoru said, gritting his teeth in anger. "And now, because he hates humans so much for what they had done in the past, he tries to make darkness rule the entire world…! He wants to destroy humans… and creates a world with only youkai and ayakashi in it…!"
Now, this news was so much worse than Tanuma had thought before. Apparently, it wasn't just him who went into shock, because both Natsume and Natori's faces turned very pale as well, as pale as Tanuma right then.
"I've never heard… something as horrid as that… before," Natori whispered in disbelief.
"We tried to keep it quiet…" Yoru said, closing his eyes again and his expression turning painful again. "We tried to deal with and stop him in secret, but then…" he stopped, unable to continue as he seemed remembering something very bad. "We just couldn't anymore…. Humans… turn against us because of 'kotodama'," he continued.
"Kotodama?" Natsume asked, seeming curious and slightly confused.
"Kotodama… it's a form of power that can turn 'words' into weapon. You're telling me… that this Nue has ability to entice people and youkai with only his words to do his bidding?" Natori asked again, turning even paler.
"Probably… that's why you don't realize how 'messed up' Tokyo right now. His Kotodama can reach everyone as long as their mental strength is weaker than him. As long as people don't realize it… they will be alright. Not opposing Nue means they can live… even though their minds and actions are controlled by him, it's better than dying," Yoru said, clenching his fists.
"Then… why aren't you affected by the kotodama as well?" Natori asked again.
"Some people and youkai who are strong enough to resist his kotodama do exist. Our Nura Clan and its members for example, Tsuchigumo, and then those Onmyouji from Keikain Family... There are some of my humans friends as well, but even they had their share of doubts and confusion. They can hang on so far just because they have faith in me. I'm… I'm different because I'm a mix-breed, just like Nue. His kotodama won't work against me," Yoru explained. "I… can reverse his kotodama with rational thought and arguments, somehow… that's why he hunts me down, trying to destroy Nura Clan and trying to kill me," he finished, looking down slightly in defeat.
"So… you're opposing him, that's why you decide to hide because you don't want to endanger your family and humans?" Natori spoke again, guessing.
"No… even without me, Nue is still killing humans… but, I'm holding the only hope that can defeat Nue," Yoru said, his hands went to his stomach. "As long as the hope is still here, we haven't lost yet," he said, getting slightly encouraged when he thought about it.
Suddenly, someone hugged him from behind, surprising the hell out Yoru. "W-what…?" he turned slightly only to find Natsume who tightened his hold more on his shoulder. "Natsume…?"
"It's painful… right?" Natsume whispered quietly, closing his eyes sadly. Yoru went very still at that. "You have to go away… leaving everything you love behind because you have to stay alive for their hope… Not knowing whether they survived or not… but you still have to hold on…! It's… very painful… right…?"
Natsume's body was trembling and he probably held down not to cry. Yoru could only touch the arms that held him close and felt the warmth of another human besides his Rikuo flowing inside him.
Suddenly, Yoru felt something rising from the depths of his heart. Something hot… and suffocating… and then he felt that something reaching his eyes, gathering in another form, blurring his sight. "Huh…?"
Tanuma gasped when he saw the tears, dripping on to his cheek. Natori also widened his eyes in surprise.
But, out of everyone, the one who was most surprised by that… was Yoru himself. It wasn't like him to cry. He didn't even know that he could… he never did after all, before. He thought Rikuo was there for something like this. Because the boy was kind hearted and was emotional, he often cried when no one was looking, and he cried for Yoru's share as well. Yoru always believed that….
But now… why…? Why was he crying right now? Moreover… why was he crying in front of other people just because Natsume understood how painful it was for Yoru?
End of Chapter 6
Tbc…
A/N: For some reasons, this story turns into more like friendship rather than romance… T_T. When will I be able to make Yoru/Natsume or Natsume/Rikuo moments more suggestive? *sighs* The plot won't let me do that for some reasons. I have to try to finish the problem fast before I can make Yoru/Natsume/Rikuo act lovey-dovey to each other *lol*
So, what do you think? Tell me what you think, people, because your reviews are my muse to write. Without it, I won't be encouraged to write more, so the update will come later than later as well… T_T
Next: Chapter 7
Previous: Chapter 5