I Am With You

(Naruto x Natsume Yuujinchou Crossover)

Warnings: Fem!Takashi, Not-Reincarnated!Takashi, probable OOCness

Ever since I was small, I have sometimes seen strange things.

As others cannot see them, they are most likely what you would call ayakashi.

Unlike her alternate counterpart, Natsume Takashi was born a girl and given the name Takara instead which meant "jewel". Another difference was that she was treated in high regard by other ayakashi due to her kind and pleasant personality towards them. She never feared their appearance and their presence because she understood what it was like to be ignored and isolated by others.

It could be sympathy at the very least but Takara knew it was something more.

Of course there were some ayakashi who felt threatened by her and wished to kill her or eat her or even maybe take the Yuujinchou from her. It did not hurt that she had a powerful inugami spirit as her bodyguard, together with some other powerful ayakashi that she had befriended, to help keep them away.

ooo

Natsume Takara was born on the eighth day of April, the start of the season when sakura would bloom. She was born with her grandmother's caramel brown colored hair and golden colored eyes. Her chakra reserves, as to be expected, were similarly average to what a civilian-born baby would have, the only difference being that she had quite a large amount of spiritual energy.

It was because of that certain fact that she had gained the ability to see ayakashi.

She was only three years old when she had finally managed to talk to an ayakashi. There were several times she had pointed out to the odd but unique creatures yet they only told her she was seeing things. She didn't want to be labeled as a liar!

It was only a given that when she pointed this out again to her foster parents (her biological parents having died early when she was born due to an unlucky fate), they thought that she had simply been seeing things and told her once again. She rebuffed them when they had done so and ran to the follow the blue-winged ayakashi she had seen, into the forest.

When he finally stopped, she was left tired and panting, but she would not give up! So she called out to him.

"Hey! Why do you have wings?" She asked.

He turned around and looked around, his eyes eventually landing on her tired but still-standing form. "Are you talking to me?" He asked with a slight tilt to his head. She beamed and immediately nodded.

"Yeah! So, why do you have wings?" She repeated her question.

"It is because I was born this way." He answered as he flew down in front of her. She gasped loudly as soon as he landed and looked in awe upon his appearance. "Pretty..." She murmured.

"Oh my. Thank you for the compliment." His long and slender fingers reached down to grasp her head, gently ruffling her hair. "It has been a long time since I heard a human compliment on my appearance." He told her with a gentle smile on his face.

"Long time...?" She echoed. "Why...long time?" She struggled with her limited vocabulary. She wasn't sure what to say but it seemed that the ayakashi had understood what she was trying to ask.

"You see, little human, I am not a human." His ruffling on her hair stopped. "I am actually an ayakashi, a being that cannot be seen by humans. That is why it has been a long time since I have been talked, much less complimented to, by a human. "

"Why...can I...see you...then?" She was picking her words carefully in order to form a proper sentence.

"You are not an ordinary ningen, it seems that you have more spiritual energy than the norm." He explained. "That is probably why you can see me."

"Okay..."

He let go of her hair and stood up.

She panicked.

He was about to take flight, thinking he was done with the human child, when he felt the cloth of his white yukata being pulled back. He looked down to see the human child pulling on the edges. She looked up to him with her begging golden orbs. They looked teary as if she was about to cry. "W-wait! W-what's your name? I wanna know more about ayakashi!" She cried out.

His heart softened and he had her let go as he bent down to her level. "My name is Riou, I am the guardian of this forest." He said as he introduced himself. "What is your name, child of man?" He asked her.

"Takara. Natsume Takara."

A gentle smile graced his lips as he looked at her. "Then it's a pleasure to meet you, Takara-chan."

ooo

A year passed, Takara was now four years old. She had grown closer with both Riou-sama and the rest of the ayakashi that lived within his forest. Yes, she often visited them within the forest but that would change now. Her foster parents were getting fed up with her claiming to be able to see ayakashi and decided to send her to her other relatives.

Konoha.

It was very far from where she currently lived.

Her heart clenched in fear and sadness. She did not want to leave them, her precious family. When she told them that she was moving, the rest of the ayakashi cried out in outrage. They did not wish to see their favorite human to leave. Riou-sama told them to to quiet down and they did.

"I-I'm planning on running away! I-I'll live here with you guys!" She suddenly burst out.

The blue-winged ayakashi sighed and then patted her head. "Takara-chan...please don't do that." He said.

"Why?!"

"It would do no good." He answered.

"Why not? Why won't it do any good?!"

"A sudden disappearance...rumours would start and people might begin searching. I do not wish for trouble to befall on any of us."

Takara began to cry. She knew and understood it was futile even if she wanted to do it anyway. But it did not hurt to tell them at least, Riou-sama always knew what to say.

She backed down as soon as her tears began to dry. "O-okay...I'll be going now..." She muttered before running away.

"Wait! Takara-chan!" He called out but it was too late, she was already gone.

It was Takara's last night in her village. Tomorrow at dawn would be the time she would be leaving the village together with the caravan. She felt alone more than ever while wishing at the same time that there was some way to remedy this situation. She did not dare to return to forest in fear of seeing her ayakashi friends again. Yet at the same time, she wished she had said goodbye to them at the very least.

This is it, she thought. I am finally leaving this village.

The village merchant's caravan began to move.

She was seated right beside one of the drivers with her average-sized pack in front of her and on her knees. She looked at the scenery sadly and then her eyes widened for a moment.

It couldn't be -

"OOIII! NAATSUUMEE!" An old man's voice called out to her in particular.

She squinted her eyes a bit and saw the familiar pudgy-sized maneki neko running straight towards her. It looked quite comical actually and she started to giggle softly as she watched. Once he was near, she opened her arms to catch him as he leapt up towards her, startling the driver who sat beside her.

"What on earth - ?" The driver muttered hysterically.

"Nyanko-sensei! What are you doing here?" She asked the fat cat in her arms. He was huffing and puffing loudly, looking very tired as he shut his eyes to rest.

An eye opened.

"Look at the trees." He said before falling asleep in her arms.

And she did so.

Much to her surprise, she found several other of her ayakashi friends waving at her goodbye. She beamed once she was Riou-sama amidst the crowd. He was her very first friend. Benio-san and Hinoe-san were also there. Together with some of the middle-class ayakashi.

She waved back in happiness and shouted goodbye, not caring what the driver thought of her shouting at nothing. She stopped once they were out of sight and quietened down. Her face showed that she was in bliss and contentment.

She would not forget them.

ooo

Konohagakure no Sato.

The main and central village of Hi no Kuni. It was the most dominant village in terms of military power within the Land of Fire.

Takara looked upon the large entrance gates of the village in awe.

This was the start of her story.