Natsume Yuujinchou

Phantasmagoria

Chapter 1 ~ Akatsuki Homura赤月炎

"Mama, why didn't you tell me that there was a visitor?"

"Eh? What are you talking about, Homu-chan?"

"There," he said, pointing at where a woman with long hair stood near the door.

His mother had something like fear registered in her face, but she soon smiled and petted his head. "You shouldn't talk to those kind of people, okay?"

Hours later he heard his parents talking.

"He's seeing them again. Those… spirits."

Akatsuki Homura opened his eyes, staring at the light coffee color of his bedroom wall over his pillow. He had just moved here yesterday, to this countryside. And he was tired.

He can see things that most people can't—ayakashi. He had been 'gifted' with that sight since birth. He felt quite the opposite. It was a living curse.

His parents were successful, and they were rich, but they were almost never home. They knew about his sight, and treated him well, pretending not to notice. Until now Homura didn't know whether his parents loved him, or were just good at pretending.

After they received a job offer overseas, he was left in the care of his aunts, always shifting around sometimes when they had problems. It didn't go too well at either of his aunts'. The bullying just seemed to get worse and worse, so it was no wonder he had to move after every incident that went too bad.

But he had a friend at Aunt Mizuka's. A true friend, one he could really depend on. He hung out with him, even though he pretty much knew he was strange from all the rumors.

But he's dead now.

Homura got up lazily and stretched, yawning. Guess I'd better explore this place.

He got out of his room, and stared around at his new apartment. After Seiji's death he moved here to live alone. His parents gave him some money for furniture. They even bought him an apartment.

After showering he crossed the living room on his way to the kitchen, and passed the 'picture wall'. He stared at the picture frames hung around the wall, stroking his piano. It was formerly his parents', but they couldn't possibly have hauled it all the way overseas, so it's his now. There were pictures of his family, some more recent ones with Seiji, and some other random ones he took.

He scanned every picture, and stopped at one. It was his birthday, and after school Seiji pulled him to his house and threw a little birthday party for him there. In the picture they were posing dramatically in front of the little cake, along with Seiji's eight-year-old sister Shiina.

He smiled a small smile. "Good morning, Seiji."

Homura stopped at a nearby house. So that's my school… he thought as he watched the students file out the gates.

He heard shuffling on the ground, and looked down to see a fat cat.

What an unusual cat… Or is it actually a white-and-orange species of rare raccoon? he thought dryly.

"Ceh. Where is that Natsume? I'll make him pay for making me wait!"

…Eh? Homura looked left and right, then back down at the cat. Did it just talk?

He watched it walk away, and turned to walk the other way.

Must have been my imagination…

"Natsumeee~" Nyanko-sensei latched itself on Natsume's feet.

"Nyanko-sensei!" Natsume bent down and picked him up.

"Eh? Your house's cat?" Nishimura said. "Amazing! It can remember the way to school! Don't tell me it can flush the toilet after using it too?"

Kitamoto shoved him lightly. "What kind of nonsense are you spouting, Nishimura?"

Natsume laughed as Nishimura and Kitamoto fought. They were walking along the path with thick trees on either side. It was where the first time Natsume talked to them, after he sprang out of the bushes, chased by a giant one-eyed youkai.

"Kaaa~ I can't wait to eat Touko-san's food! She's such an awesome cook!" Nishimura gushed, changing the subject.

Natsume noticed some rustling amongst the bushes ahead of them, to their left.

Don't tell me it's a youkai, he thought warily.

Somebody jumped out of the bushes and dropped down to the ground, startling all of them. His clothes were dirty and his hair was messy, and he was panting, like he was being chased by somebody.

"Hey! Are you alright? !" Kitamoto rushed to him, shaking him. Nishimura knelt by them.

Nyanko-sensei sniffed the air. "Something was chasing him."

"Youkai?"

The cat nodded.

"Natsume!" Nishimura said. "What do we do? He's asleep! Don't tell me he's gonna be Sleeping Beauty here!"

"Let's take him to Touko-san," Natsume said. "It's the closest to here.

Homura opened his eyes slowly, trying to work out what happened.

Oh, right.

He was chased by a youkai when he was walking around in the woods. He had run a really long distance and had been scratched here and there by branches but he didn't stop. If he stopped he would die. With that thought constantly in your mind who would?

He quickly realized something. He wasn't lying in his bed. He was in a futon in an unfamiliar room.

Oh no.

He was instantly on his feet, and burst out of the room, looking left and right. He noticed the stairs and bound down them two steps at a time.

Just as he reached the bottom somebody talked to him.

"Ara, you're awake. How are you feeling?" a kind-looking elderly woman said.

It sounds pathetic, but it scared the living hell out of him. He backed away, and felt the wall behind him. He noticed the front door to his right.

"Oh, I didn't mean to scare you," she said. "You were unconscious and Takashi-kun and his friends brought you here. I'm Fujiwara Touko, just call me Touko-san." She held out her hand for a shake.

Homura gasped slightly, looking at the outstretched hand. He jumped back and bowed shortly.

"S-Sorry…!" He quickly got in his shoes and ran.

"Wait!" He could hear her shout behind him.

He ran for some distance, and stopped momentarily.

No way… Where am I…? The sun was setting; soon 'they' would come out. He looked to his left, panicking. If I'm right that's the way to school. I'll get back there and retrace my steps back home from there. He ran in that direction.

Running. He was used to it. He ran away from youkai, he ran away from bullies, he ran away from humans. He ran away from everything. His life was a constant race of him against everybody else; he would never reach the goal.

Homura didn't understand. Even from a relatively long distance youkai would already sense him. They shouldn't be able to know that he can see as soon as they set eyes on him, and they wouldn't shut up about eating him because he smelled delicious.

As for the humans, they would approach him nicely at first, introducing themselves and holding out their hands for a hand-shake. But once they noticed he wasn't normal, they would either turn him away in case absurdity and lying was contagious, or they would sneer at him and bully him. They always do. Only Seiji didn't, and because of that Seiji died.

He noticed a tiny little youkai, a tiny little version of Thumbelina. He ignored it.

He finally reached home, and sprawled down on the couch, breathless. A blood-covered Seiji entered his mind.

He won't let anyone close to him anymore. No more. No one should get involved.

But of course, Seiji wouldn't allow him to do that.

He won't get anyone involved. They wouldn't even know. From now on he would become a different Akatsuki Homura.

He would start to live a lie. He'd most probably become the biggest liar in all of Japan, or in the whole world, but he'd do it.

To protect others.