There were bells ringing.

"Takashi-kun! Quickly!" shouted Touko-san's voice, elated.

Natsume blinked open his eyes, feeling strangely happy. The light seemed to be dancing around the room. The sweet scent of flowers floated around him, teasingly giving just a hint of sweetness to brighten the day.

The bells continued to ring, even with his eyes open and his mind clearing up. Not loud, booming church bells like in movies – these were more like wind chimes.

For the first time since he'd moved in, Touko-san burst into his room, a flurry of excitement and cheer. She rushed over to the window, flinging it open. "Wake up, Takashi-kun! Look what happened last night!"

Sweet little voices were humming along with the bells' tune, and with a start Natsume was awake and remembering the events of last night. The voices, the sprouts, the comfort and joy and pure happiness. Even without looking he knew the sprouts were still on his arms and it was them that were humming along.

"Takashi-kun!" pressed Touko-san, leaning out the window, eyes wide and delighted, waving him over.

It was instantly obvious what she was so elated about. Every single plant and tree that could had burst into flower overnight. Even those that couldn't were absolutely beaming with health, sparkling in early morning dew and the bright sunlight of a perfect day.

And what she surely couldn't see – the spirits and yokai of every shape and size loitering absolutely everywhere, dancing from tree to tree, twittering amongst flowers, parading around with flags and instruments, all laughing or chatting or singing with not the slightest hint of competition or bloodlust. Not paying the slightest mind to the ignorant humans. They'd even set up decorations, hanging paper lanterns and streamers from trees. He could even swear he saw some setting up fireworks a ways off.

What was this? Some sort of universal day of good cheer? He hadn't even known there were so many spirits in this neighborhood! Actually, he was pretty much positive there weren't! He barely recognized five or six out of the dozens he could see just from his window!

"It's all over the news, even!" exclaimed Touko-san, his almost-mother excitedly taking his hands in her own, her smile beaming. "No one has any idea how this is possible, or how long it will last, or anything! It's a miracle!" She laughed. "Do you think the gods are having some sort of grand celebration, Takashi-kun?"

Natsume was speechless. He heard the sweet little voices inside his mind giggling at his bewilderment and awe. They actually felt all too satisfied about something. A sneaking suspicion crept into his mind that this might having something to do with the sprouts. He really hoped not. This was not one of sensei's comparatively simple drinking parties under a blossoming cherry tree.

But, at the same time, everything was so unbelievably amazing. Magical. The infectious cheer floating among all the spirits and even the humans. The addictive yet completely harmless party atmosphere. The beautiful day and impossibly beautiful flowers and the bells that still rang sweetly.

"I'm going to open every window in the house!" explained Touko-san excitedly, taking Natsume's hands in her own and squeezing them. "And if you hurry and get ready, we can enjoy breakfast outside before you have to leave for school!"

He couldn't help but smile back at her exuberance. "I would like that, Touko-san," he said, a little bashfully.

Her eyes sparkled as she reached up and gently patted Natsume's face. "Get ready, dear. I'll be waiting in the kitchen when you come down," she explained, leaving to open the rest of the windows.

Now, where was that fat cat? Not in his room, that was certain. He leaned out the window, eyes darting around for either a fat cat or a huge white beast – either of which would fit in perfectly with the amazingly eclectic assortment of yokai running around celebrating. Not seeing either form, he frowned slightly and went to start getting ready for his day.

"Not happy?" queried the sweet little voices, concerned and confused.

Natsume smiled slightly as he pulled off his pajama top. "It's not that, exactly," he said softly, examining the squirming leaves once his arms were free. They seemed to bask in his attention, even as they gave the mental equivalent of snuggling for comfort.

"What's wrong? We help!"

"Nothing's wrong, just… well, I suppose that's a lie," chuckled the teenage boy gently, finishing changing his clothes. "I'm just confused about what's going on out there. Hoping it has nothing to do with you guys. Worried about sensei and hoping he gets home soon to explain things."

"Festival! Miracle!" started cheering the voices, in that strange more feeling than words impression in Natsume's mind. "Be happy! Precious home! Everyone happy!"

'But isn't it dangerous? All the spirits being out like that? Surely the exorcists won't let this go,' thought Natsume, heading to the bathroom to begin his morning routine.

"Happy! Home loves spirits! No worry!" cheered the vines, completely not answering his worries at all, though confirming that they could read his thoughts.

"Na~shuume!" slurred a very obviously happily drunk cat, wheeling around the corner. "The miracle'sh come!"

The boy let out a breath of relief at seeing the cat before he replied. "That makes no sense, sensei. What is going on outside?"

"Free booze!" laughed the spirit. "All week long! Yessh!"

"Sensei!" exclaimed Natsume, getting a little upset at being pretty much ignored. "What about exorcists? All the flowers -! It's obviously supernatural! What if someone gets hurt!"

The fat cat sprawled on his back, waving a paw dismissively. "Nah. The gods're protectin' this area pershonally while they look for the miracle'sh bed."

Natsume paused, comb in hand facing the mirror. "Bed… like flowerbed?"

"Yep!"

"Sensei…" began Natsume, paling. "Um…" He abruptly sat on the ground and pulled up his sleeves. "I don't suppose you mean…?"

Nyanko-sensei immediately sobered. Well, mostly. He lunged forward into Natsume's lap, sniffing and licking at the shadowy green leaves. In turn, the little sprouts wriggled in delight and Natsume couldn't help a giggle as their emotions bled into his own. He blushed and cut it off when the cat looked up at him, eyes wide in concern.

"Natsume," began Nyanko-sensei seriously. "Do you know what you agreed to?"

"I… I was just trying to comfort the… the seeds? I heard them in my dream last night. What's going on, sensei?"

The cat groaned and suddenly turned into his massive beast form. He must've adjusted his size, because even though he really shouldn't be able to fit in the restroom, he managed to wrap himself comfortingly around the human child. Natsume buried himself in the long, thick white fur.

"I don't understand either, Natsume. Yes, you're powerful, but… it's supposed to be a spirit, even a god that's chosen…" the beast murmured gently, sounding almost as confused as his boy.

Natsume began shivering. "The celebrations… are for me? Or rather, these sprouts? The gods are looking for me?"

The great head nudged him lovingly. "It'll be okay, Natsume. The miracle will never bring harm. It's a great privilege, the greatest honor. That is why we celebrate. That is why the flowers bloom and the gods take notice."

The little vines in Natsume's head were panicking in their attempts to comfort him. "It's okay! Love home! Protect! Safe! Happy!" they continued desperately, not understanding the human's fear, only making Natsume more emotional.

"I can't reject them," whispered Natsume, frightened. "They need me. They love me. I don't even know why. I love them. Why? But what's going on? What's going to happen?"

"I don't know," answered Nyanko-sensei honestly, nuzzling the boy. Now that he was paying attention, he could already smell the changes in the boy's scent. There was no way they could hide this for long.

"Takashi-kun!" came the muffled sound of Touko-san's voice through the bathroom door.

Natsume gently pulled away from the great beast.

"Stay home," advised the beast, worry shining in his eyes. "It'll take longer for them to find you. Even gods won't enter human dwellings without permission. Just tell Touko-san that you're sick."

Natsume looked up at the great white beast, the huge expressive eyes. He reached up and pet the side of the large head. "Are they going to take me away, sensei?"

"Probably," replied the beast, regretfully. "The miracle has never chosen a human, Natsume."

"Then I want to have breakfast with Touko-san. I want to go to school and see Kaname, Nishimura, Kitamoto, and Taki. I want to have dinner with the Fujiwaras. I want to pretend nothing's changed, for as long as I can. Please."

Nyanko-sensei sighed and returned to his lucky cat form. "I'll come with you."

It was the fourth day, as best Natsume could tell. A day since the revelation that the miracle the spirits had been rejoicing over was a magical healing flower. Since Matoba's declaration that Natsume (or, rather, what Natsume had become) belonged to the Matoba clan. And now Matoba was back.

Today was different, though. Instead of stopping behind him and examining the bindings and vines, he came around in front of Natsume, his single eye appraising the pathetic view in front of him. The filthy half-yokai, half-human teenage boy kneeling in dirt, shirtless with his arms bound above him.

Natsume couldn't even raise his eyes for more than a glance. Couldn't help but cower beneath that stare swiping him up and down. Was unable to hide the yelp when a hand came forward and gripped his chin, tilting his head up.

"You look ill," stated the clan leader coldly. "I suppose we can't completely disregard your human form."

He pulled a knife out of his sleeve, and before Natsume could even panic, he chanted a spell and sliced through one of the anchor cords, a sort of spoke in the spiderweb of a spell circle.

A surge of power and pain rippled through Natsume and he cried out. Matoba grabbed the bound wrists, holding him in place as he cut the rest of the 'spokes' that held the boy in the center. With each sliced rope the surge slammed into the boy, each more powerful than the last. With the final slash, Natsume screamed as if he was being electrocuted. Matoba released him and he collapsed bonelessly to the ground, very nearly losing consciousness.

To think being released from a spell circle was more painful than being trapped within it in the first place. His arms lay limp and unresponsive, buzzing with incredible pain as every nerve cried out in protest after so long of feeling nothing. He could actually feel the blood shoving its way through the nearly dead limbs, even with them still bound together with the cords – the bindings were far too intricate to completely unravel, even with being released from the spell circle. His legs were very nearly as painful and just as useless.

Matoba laughed.

It stung, the confirmation that Matoba no longer saw him as human. That he would laugh at seeing the 'spirit' collapsed in pain. A part of Natsume's heart ached that anyone could laugh at someone in as much pain as he was in, spirit or not, enemy or not.

"I hardly need to bother," chuckled Matoba, leaning over and securing the ends of the bindings around Natsume's wrists and arms, making sure they were still impossible to remove. As before, the intricate winding cords traveled in a series of knots and twists from elbow to wrist and even between the fingers, completely rendering the limbs useless. After that, he took the knife to Natsume's pants, slicing them to mid-thigh.

Natsume was too exhausted to protest, even as he saw Matoba pull out a calligraphy brush and a small pot of paint. It wasn't until Matoba began drawing symbols on his legs that panic began to flood through him again. But he couldn't so much as twitch a toe or finger, even though he told himself to squirm in the hopes it would ruin Matoba's spell.

Curse, he corrected himself, closing his watery eyes as Matoba began to chant and the symbols began to burn into his legs, from the back of his thighs to his ankles. The dark aura and burn was unmistakably evil in essence.

After the burn of the curse activating settled down, Matoba scooped Natsume up like a small sleeping or injured child.

"Wh-where?" Natsume managed to choke out weakly.

"Bath," was the one-word reply from the man, who didn't even glance down at him.

It didn't take long to figure out what the curse did.

He couldn't feel his legs.

Author's Notes: Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed, and please review!

I honestly rewrote this chapter at least three times, but I think I'm finally happy with it. To those that are curious, I've decided to try my hand at a dual-storyline. Heh, this might get complicated! Feel free to send me suggestions, even if they feel like just filler or character development – I love hearing ideas and comments from readers!