"Fireworks"
by: Setsuna-X
Summary: Natsume and Tanuma are at the autumn festival and more than the literal sense of fireworks are going on.
Warning: Slight boyxboy (shonen-ai, yaoi, 801, slash, etc.)
Note(s): Contains Spoilers for Episode 13 of the first season. OneShot. Very Mild AU.
The air was mildly cold as the people mingled in the festival. Both sides were jam packed with activity, filled with games and food. Spring had passed and now the cool and vibrant autumn season had taken it's place. The tree leaves were a mesh of brilliant oranges and deep reds, several of them covered the ground. A cool breeze would ruffle the leaves gently as it passed. It seemed like a most wonderful evening.
After finding out that Nyanko-sensei was indeed a spirit, Tanuma began to feel that maybe there was something that he and Natsume shared. He was pretty sure that no one else knew about Natsume's abilities to see spirits. Although Sasada did suspect and possibly knew something, Natsume was always adamant in denying all claims, thus ensuring Tanuma that Natsume really didn't trust Sasada. Or maybe it was just that Natsume didn't want to let others know of his secret.
There had been many hints during their brief conversations that had lead Tanuma into thinking that Natsume's otherworldly ability had led to very painful and lonely experiences. Tanuma himself never had experienced anything like that. Although he could sense spirits and oftentimes see their reflections his ability was nowhere near as deep and powerful as Natsume's. He usually felt inadequate measured up to the other boy, but over time as their friendship grew he did not measure himself anymore, but was more aware that he wanted to help Natsume more than compete with him.
Overtime he began to feel more for the other boy. Natsume always seemed to be looking off into the distance, his mind completely floating away from the present. It was weird at first, but Tanuma became used to it and simply chalked it up into one of Natsume's traits. Although later he found out it was because Natsume has had so many new and different experiences that no one else would probably be able to comprehend his thoughts even if he did speak them aloud. Yet, Tanuma couldn't help but wonder that if maybe someday Natsume would confide in him about those things.
Their coincidental meeting on the road was an excellent chance to be with Natsume again. The fair-haired boy always seemed to be running around doing things and he usually only was able to see and talk to him at school. Even then it was a little hard to gain his attention since they were in different classes. Sasada, Kitamoto, and Nishimura were always hanging around him too, making it even more difficult to speak to him alone. But the moments they shared always seemed a little special, like they shared a secret.
Maybe the reason why Natsume was able to speak to him about the things he saw was because he could sense them and see some things as well. Sasada merely talked and speculated, but at least Tanuma had some ability. That thought alone made him feel warm inside. He wanted to become useful to Natsume, to be able to help and even protect him when things went bad.
As they arrived at the festival it had already began growing dark, the days becoming shorter as winter steadily approached. Despite the cool air neither boy was wearing a coat and the bustle from the people around them made the air warmer. Delicious scents engulfed the air, food being cooked in every third stall.
"Natsume, buy me something to eat."
"But you just ate a whole fish not ten minutes ago!" exclaimed Natsume. Tanuma just chuckled lightly at the conversation, glad that Natsume was comfortable around him enough to act like his normal self. Natsume would usually become very quiet and reserved at times, but there were other moments when he just let it all fly out and acted like the teenager he is without having to care about what others expected or thought.
"How about we go to my place? It's only a little further away and we could come to the festival in a bit," Tanuma offered.
Nyanko-sensei and Natsume stopped arguing as soon as the invitation was heard. "That sounds better, hope you have something tasty to eat," said Nyanko-sensei as he walked ahead of them.
"Sorry about him," apologized Natsume as he looked on at the small form wobble as it walked on ahead.
"Don't worry about it, it's no problem," reassured Tanuma as he easily grinned at Natsume. "Shall we go?"
"Sure."
Both boys continued on to walk in companionable silence through the small forest and finally came upon Tanuma's home.
"Just wait here," Tanuma instructed, leaving Natsume and Nyanko-sensei alone in the living room. Natsume took his time looking around the room, noticing the bare wood walls. He sat down at the lone table in the middle of the room as his mind wandered. It was odd how he felt when around Tanuma. The black-haired boy was always helping him out, especially when Sasada would not let up on the whole 'spirit seeing' thing. He had thought about talking to Tanuma several times about what he saw and his experiences, but figured that the other boy would not care or would not like him anymore.
Whenever he revealed his ability to see spirits other people would become frightened and would leave him alone, making him more lonely than he thought possible. Perhaps he just didn't want to lose this very valuable and important friend.
Tanuma soon came back with a plethora of snacks and pastries along with some tea. Nyanko's nose perked up at all the delicious smells. As soon as the tray of snacks was set on the table the cat jumped right at them, taking away two pastries and some candy in one mouthful.
"Sensei!" reprimanded Natsume, but without any effect. Tanuma just watched with wide eyes as the food was devoured so rapidly. Natsume stood up from where he was seated and punched the multi-colored cat on the head. Tanuma assumed this was a natural occurrence. Nyanko stopped eating enough to stare into Natsume's angry, yet blushing, face. Swallowing another mouthful, Nyanko stared right back.
"Why are you blushing, Natsume?" questioned the cat slyly, enjoying the way that Natsume's face only grew redder.
"Wh-what?" stuttered the embarrassed teen. He seemed to be making a fool of himself. Tanuma just looked on the scene with amused, yet stunned eyes. Natsume was indeed blushing and he had to admit to himself that it made the flaxen haired teen look so much cuter, his angry face only adding to the effect.
"Well, someone has to be embarrassed for your behavior," huffed Natsume as he flopped down onto the floor again.
"It's no problem. I brought the snacks expecting something like that to happen," said Tanuma as he sat down as well, pouring out two cups of tea. Looking up suddenly, Tanuma caught the time on the clock that was hanging on the wall.
"Hey, Natsume, take a look over there," he said as he pointed to a corner of the room closest to the door. Natsume's eyes swiveled in that direction as he stared at the ceiling. Very slowly an image reflection of a pond appeared on the wooden ceiling. The swirling water looked so real as it moved about. Even the shadow of a fish swam by.
"Pretty, isn't it?"
"Yeah."
"Look, come here," said Tanuma as he stood and walked over to the open doorway. Natsume followed and looked out into the back garden as well. "See, there's no pond out here, but the reflection is very clear," he stated with warmth in his voice.
Natsume could only look out the door and stare solemnly at the bright and clear pond. Sometimes it hurt to be reminded that only he could see these things. Tanuma looked at Natsume's changing face. One second it had such a gleeful expression, now it looked saddened and a bit guilty. Could it be that Natsume could actually see the pond and therefore felt guilty that he couldn't? Tanuma had to admit that he was a bit jealous of that, but the look on Natsume's face easily countered that feeling.
After the tea and snacks were eaten the two boys and cat went back into the festival. Things had become livelier than before as evening grew, more people milling about. Before Natsume could stop him, Nyanko-sensei took off. Only the smell of very delicious food would make the cat move that fast. Natsume and Tanuma were left standing at the festivals entrance, looking on as the cat got lost in the distance.
"We should probably go look for him," offered Tanuma, thinking that Natsume was worried.
"No, don't worry about him. He'll be fine," responded Natsume with a smile. Tanuma could only stare at the other teen. "Well, shall we go?"
"Uh, sure, let's go."
Both boys took off and began to walk around, enjoying the atmosphere more than anything. The rest of the evening passed like that with mild conversation and obvious enjoyment. They tried their luck at catching a goldfish, put on the masks that were for sale and got some food as they walked around. They noticed a few other people from their school there, but both seemed hesitant to mention it. It was as if meeting with them would ruin their time together.
As the night grew chillier and the sun set it was finally time for the fireworks. They had been unable to find Nyanko-sensei during that time and so opted to just see the fireworks themselves. They climbed up a small cliff in order to get a better view.
As they stared at the darkened sky, a sea of color suddenly exploded. Reds and greens invaded the sky as more colors soon joined them.
"I thought they wouldn't be as good since we're at the countryside," said Tanuma as he stared at the fireworks.
Natsume only continued to stare into the sky after making a sound of affirmation.
"Ne, Natsume?" began Tanuma, gaining Natsume's attention. "You could see the pond in the garden, right?" he asked, but without accusation in his voice, only fact.
Natsume looked to the dirt ground, feeling that small touch of guilt again.
"Hey, it's okay. It's no big deal. I should have just assumed you could since your spirit senses are stronger." Natsume raised his head as he stared into gentle eyes. He was happy that Tanuma wasn't upset with him. He didn't want to lose anybody else. "Can you tell me the color of the fish that swim there?"
"They're red," responded Natsume with a soft smile.
"Red, huh? That's nice."
"Do you wish you could see them?"
"What? The fish?" asked Tanuma, confused. Although he did wish he could see the fish, it really wasn't that big of a deal. He was glad he could at least see their reflections and shadows.
"Well, yeah. And other spirits too. Do you wish you could see them like I do?" Natsume asked, talking with a feeling of easiness he wasn't sure he could ever feel when speaking about this.
Tanuma stared at Natsume a while longer then turned his head to look at the fireworks once more. "Sometimes I do, but probably not for the reason you think."
"Huh? What reason do you have then?" asked Natsume, confused.
Tanuma turned to look at him once more, eyes serious and full of conviction. "I want to be able to see them so I could help you out when you're in trouble." Natsume was shocked at the answer. He didn't know what to reply. All he could do was stare at the boy in front of him, his face steadily growing warm.
"I, uh, what do you mean?" was all Natsume could manage out.
"Just what I said. Look, I know that you are probably harassed by some of the spirits, Nyanko-sensei even told me that he was your bodyguard. It must be tough having to deal with that every day your whole life. I just wish that there was some way I could help you."
Natsume took this all in. He could feel that his face was indeed red this time. No one had ever told him that they wanted to help him. Although it was mostly due to the fact that those people didn't even know he was having problems, the fact that Tanuma did know and did want to help him managed to strike a chord deep within him.
Before he could form a reply, Tanuma continued to speak. "You know, even though I can't see them, I do want you to feel comfortable and free to talk to me about your experiences or if you're having problems," Tanuma said as he reached out for Natsume's hand. Natsume startled when the other boys soft hand grabbed his, but his body instantly relaxed under the touch, as if it was something natural that belonged there.
"I-I don't want to trouble you or anyone else with this," Natsume finally said, his eyes cascading to stare at the floor once more. Tanuma reached his other hand over, gently lifting Natsume's face.
"It really is no trouble at all," he said right before placing his soft, dry lips onto Natsume's, bringing them together for a chaste kiss.
Natsume's eyes grew wide as he stared at the boy in front of him. His hand was still being held, but he didn't know what to think. Had Tanuma really just kissed him?!
Seeing the shocked look on Natsume's face Tanuma reluctantly released the warm hand he had been holding. His eyes swirled with sadness, but it was unfair to force any feelings onto Natsume. He let out a small sigh before speaking. "I'm sorry about that. But I did mean when I said that I would like for you to confide in me. I may not be useful in sensing spirits or be much help if they ever trouble you, but I would like to know about the things you go through and be able to help you in anyway possible." Tanuma could feel that he was rambling as Natsume just continued to silently stare at him.
"I know that you probably don't want to trouble anyone and that you don't want people to hate you or leave you alone or think you're weird, but you shouldn't have to worry about that. Especially not with me. I guess it's pretty obvious that I don't and couldn't hate you and I just wanted to let you know that if you need me that I'll be there. And if you ever needed ---"
His last words were cut off as Natsume's own lips captured his own. It was a pleasant sensation and it caught him by surprise. He wasn't sure what to think anymore. He was sure that Natsume wouldn't want to hang around him anymore and although he had talked about still being friends, he was prepared for Natsume to hate him. Thus why this kiss came about as a complete surprise.
"Thank you," softly muttered Natsume as he stared at Tanuma with gentle eyes.
Tanuma just stared right back at him and just as gently once his surprise wore off. He captured Natsume's hand once more. They smiled lightly at each other before diverting their attention to the last of the fireworks, both content at their new revelations.
End.
A/N: I've been reading the manga for a while and am almost done with watching the second season of the anime. But I caught myself re-seeing the last episode of the first season and simply had to write this. It probably isn't all that good and I wasn't sure how to go about this, all I did know was that I wanted them to kiss at the end and behold! this emerged. Hope you enjoyed reading. Since this was my first Natsume Yuujinchou fic, any creative criticism is completely appreciated!