At last, it's complete! I have a problem with writing one-shots—they always turn out to be long. This fic was meant to be published on Christmas itself, but I couldn't make it! T.T Sigh… Me and my deadlines. Let me tell you something. Natsume is a very complex character to portray, and since there are minor differences between anime Natsume and manga Natsume, I somehow ended up with a mixture of the two. Hope you guys don't mind.

Also, I've decided to follow the manga and make Natsume's eyes green. So, without further ado… Merry Christmas (belated) everyone, and enjoy!

I don't own Natsume Yuujinchou.

A Thoughtful Present

A puff of white air.

A breath, mingling with the gently falling snowflakes.

Takashi raised his head, staring into the dark clouds above. His gaze followed one of white speck after another as they landed on the ground before him. The lights hanging from various trees, bushes and lampposts bathed him in a soft yellow glow, enhancing his already ethereal look. Takashi's lips then curled into a ghost of a smile, and he paused in mid-step, fully taking in the magical scenery around him.

"What're you staring into space for, Natsume?" Madara waddled up beside him, the end of a candy cane sticking out of the corner of his mouth.

"Nyanko-sensei…" Takashi acknowledged the Maneki Neko. "No, nothing."

"Hmph." He plodded forward, leaving cat footprints in the thin layer of snow beneath him.

The smile on Takashi's face grew a little larger as he followed Madara back towards home. Shigeru had set up a small, simple Christmas tree in the living room just yesterday. Touko and Takashi helped with the decorations, spending practically the whole day digging out old boxes of Christmas balls, lights and even some long-forgotten silver tinsel to place on the tree. Madara settled for the honour of placing the star on the top. In the end, Shigeru commented that had they ended up with a rather cute tree.

It was beautiful, was what Takashi thought.

"I'm home!" He called out, kicking off his wet shoes and stepping lightly into the dining room.

He nearly dropped the plastic bag he was holding when he saw the familiar mop of yellow ochre hair and smoldering red orbs at the dining table. To his left, Madara was in a similar state of shock, the candy cane hanging precariously from his wide open mouth. That man was conversing with Touko, making her laugh quietly with his various responses. Touko stood up from her seat, with an air of pleasantness surrounding her. Madara was the first to recover.

"What?" He bristled. "What is this shady guy do—mph!"

Takashi had swooped down to pick the large 'cat' up and held a firm hand in front of Madara's mouth. The rest of the words were quickly muffled.

"Takashi-kun, welcome home! Oh, dear." She approached him. "Is Nyankichi alright? He seems to have trouble breathing." A frown marred her face as she heard the heavy grunting.

"Be quiet, Nyanko-sensei!" He hissed urgently, thankful that Touko had not heard the earlier words. "T-Touko-san. Nyanko-sensei's fine. He's just suffering from… indigestion." His eyes slid over to the man who was currently sipping tea, curious.

"Oh, I see." Touko took the bag from Takashi, leaning in close to whisper to him. "You didn't tell me you had a friend coming! We could've gotten four cakes and asked him to join us for tea." She admonished him quietly, but not unkindly.

"Hello, Natsume." The famous Natori Shuuichi greeted him with a warm smile, the scenery sparkling behind him.

"Natori-san." Takashi answered, warily eyeing the red roses that had started to appear as well. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just wondering if you'd like to go on another hot spring trip with me."

Takashi raised a delicate eyebrow, "Don't you have work to do?"

"Haha! You're worse than my manager, Natsume. I was only joking." The actor laughed, resting his chin on the palm of his hand.

"Would you like some more tea?" Touko, who had just put the cakes into the fridge, came back with a teapot.

"Ah, I'm sorry for the trouble, Touko-san. Let me—," Takashi took a step towards her.

"Don't be silly, Takashi-kun." Touko said in a no-nonsense tone. "It's no trouble at all."

"Actually, it's alright, ma'am." Shuuichi stood up, glancing at his watch. "It's almost time for me to leave anyways."

"Is that so?" Touko wiped her hands on her apron before holding her cheek. "What am I saying? Of course. I'm sure you have a date or two lined up for today. It is Christmas Eve after all." She smiled up at him.

"Not really…" Shuuichi chuckled a little ruefully. "I've often spent Christmas with none other than myself."

Eh? Takashi looked at him. Shuuichi continued the conversation, oblivious to the searching green eyes.

"I just thought of dropping by since I was in the area. I hope I didn't cause any change of plans." Shuuichi lowered his head respectfully.

"No, no." Touko shook her head. "Christmas is a simple affair for us."

Takashi observed the whole exchange, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips once more.

"I see. Then, I shall get going." Shuuichi donned his black hat and coat. "A good day to you, ma'am. And Merry Christmas."

He made his way to the door, with Takashi walking a few paces behind him. Madara had freed himself from Takashi's hold, and had quickly returned to the kitchen, probably to see what other Christmas-themed foods he could eat. Touko's soft humming could be heard over the sound of running tap water as she washed the cups that were used earlier.

"Hiiragi's not with you?" Takashi's voice was low, noting he did not feel her presence.

"No." Shuuchi began tying his shoelaces. "She's doing some investigating for me. There's a town further up north that… Well, that needs help." As he straightened, he held up a finger. "And no, I'm not going to be telling you anymore because I don't want you getting involved."

"But—!" Takashi started.

Shuuichi was reproachful, "Natsume."

Takashi swallowed the barrage of questions he had wanted to ask, and instead chose another, "You still have that sort of work on Christmas Eve?"

It was only then did the young boy start noticing the dark circles under the actor's eyes.

"It was more or less forced onto me." Shuuichi exhaled slowly, obviously preoccupied with other thoughts.

"Oh." Takashi said, for lack of anything better to say.

"But enough about that. It's Christmas—you shouldn't be thinking of those things." Shuuichi patted Takashi's head fondly, before progressing to caress his cheek lightly, his palm lingering for a few seconds before letting it fall. "Speaking of which, I have something for you."

"Eh?"

The actor-cum-exorcist revealed a small, velvet box that was cobalt in colour, the kind you normally see in movies (pun not intended) containing diamond rings, and held it out to the boy.

"Merry Christmas, Natsume."

Takashi blinked twice in quick succession before receiving it with a breathy and rather shy 'thank you'. His chest grew warm, very warm as he felt the texture of soft velvet on his hands. There was also a slight dusting of red on his cheeks, that comes with the joy of being given a gift. It was rare that he received anything from anyone. He would be lying if he said he wasn't happy. Shigeru and Touko were the first, among all the families he'd stayed with, to get him birthday and Christmas presents. Simple things—like a book or a muffler. Nonetheless, it filled him with joy. Also, after meeting Kaname and Tooru, the girl had suggested that they do a gift exchange every year for Christmas starting from last year. Nishimura, Kitamoto and even Sasada did not hesitate to get Takashi a little something.

Thanks to that, there were a lot more wrapped boxes under the tree than when he had first arrived.

Still not accustomed with the idea, Takashi slowly, awkwardly accepted each gift and proceeded to return the favour to each and every person. Then, he discovered that shopping for presents was a very tiring and difficult process. Add that to the fact that he had little idea of what to get for anyone except maybe Touko and Shigeru.

With a slight wave of his hand, Shuuichi then took this moment to leave, pulling Takashi out of his thoughts. The gecko-shaped mark crawled round the raised hand, as if it were too, bidding Takashi farewell.

"My, my!" Touko came up to him, teasing. "That certainly looks expensive. You'll have to wait until tomorrow to open it though. Come, let me put it under the tree for you."

"Thank you." Takashi passed the box to her, watching her put it on top of another colourful package.

"Your friend really is nice. He even brought us souvenirs from the city!" She gushed a little. "Tokyo Banana! They only sell them in the city centre, you know. I'm a big fan of those. And I think Nyankichi has become one too."

Takashi returned to his room, sitting down at his desk. There was a book in front of him, sitting beside the Book of Friends. It was a storybook he had gotten from Shigeru last year. Yet somehow, he couldn't really concentrate. Natori-san… has always been alone during Christmas. He laid his head on the book, fiddling with the edge of a page. Was he lonely? Hiiragi's not with him so that means he will also be by himself this year… Will he be lonely?

Takashi sighed, not knowing where he was going with this train of thought, "I wonder what Natori-san got for me…" He sat up, closing the book he had tried to read.

"Who knows?" Madara, who had been dining on a cushion behind him, spoke through a mouthful of bread and butter pudding. "But if it were a ring, you'd soon be his wife, right?" He added with a snigger.

"…What?" Takashi deadpanned.

"Don't humans normally do that?" The clay cat waved his silver spoon in a scholarly fashion.

"I seriously doubt that Natori-san was proposing to me." Takashi retorted, not in the least bit amused. "But… I would probably have to get him something now, won't I?"

"What for?" Madara huffed, getting to his feet. "Don't bother. He might not even be here tomorrow."

"Oh, yeah," Takashi's shoulders slumped slightly in defeat, "and I don't know where he lives so I can't drop it off or mail it to him…"

"See? What did I tell you? It's so troublesome."

"But still… I can always give it to him the next time I see him." Takashi began scratching behind Madara's ears, causing him to purr. "It's the thought that counts, right?"

"It's no good." Takashi let out an extremely long, extremely tired sigh, walking out of the umpteenth store. "I just don't know what to get for him."

"Geez, dragging me out here so early in the morning." Madara complained, clearly unhappy and half-asleep. "Why didn't you get him one the day before?" He snapped.

"Because I couldn't decide then." Takashi glared at his bodyguard. "And someone kept me busy the entire day yesterday."

"Hey! I was searching for an extremely delicious sake that only comes once a year, after the winter solstice! You just don't know how to appreciate such refined delicacies!"

"You're just a drunkard, Sensei!"

It was no help that some potential presents were way out of Takashi's league. Would anyone buy a 100ml bottle of cologne for 22,000 yen? Or a wallet for 30,000 yen? These prices were enough to make almost anyone's heart stop and hightail out of the store (not just Takashi). And if that weren't enough, the salespeople were at every corner of the store, presenting him million-dollar smiles when he knew that were mentally willing him to spend somewhere around the same amount.

It was stressful business.

Even so, Takashi thought, as an actor, he should be able to get anything he wants. Which makes it all the more harder… He could practically feel the flame of hope, and his willpower, diminishing by the second.

"Natsume! Natsume!" Madara all but deafened Takashi when he yelled from his vantage point, Takashi's shoulder (which meant his mouth was inches away from Takashi's left ear). "They have grilled squid-flavoured candy cane! Grilled squid flavour—would you believe that!" His paw was gesturing wildly in the air. "Get one for me!"

"Sensei," Takashi gave him one of the most exasperated looks he could manage, "you're supposed to be helping me, you know."

"Fool! Who cares about that half-baked actor?" Madara flailed, as he saw the queue extend further. "More importantly, hurry up and buy it for me! Quick! It's going to be sold out!"

"This is going to be your Christmas present then." Talashi grumbled, taking out his wallet. "You better enjoy it."

The main clock in the shopping mall had both it's hands on twelve. They had been here since ten. And Takashi still had not found what he was looking for. Heck, he did not know what exactly he had to look for.

"Where on earth did Sensei go…?" Takashi muttered as he scanned through the throngs of people.

And to top it all off, Madara was nowhere to be seen.

In the midst of searching for a fat, white, clay cat, he came across some others. Grinning, he inched his way over to the two of them, squeezing deftly through the crowd.

"Taki! Tanuma!"

Both turned at the sound of their names, holding drinks, with their eyes widened. Surprise was clearly reflected off their features.

"Natsume?" Kaname was the first to respond. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same." Takashi's expression turned puzzled. "I thought you both had plans for Christmas?"

Their shoulders tensed as Takashi trailed off, leaving a somewhat awkward silence to settle between the three. A certain memory flashed before Takashi's eyes. It was right before the year end break…

"Christmas is such a beautiful holiday, isn't it?" Tooru leaned back, enjoying the cold wind that ruffled her hair. "I really enjoy the gift of giving."

"Yeah, it is." Takashi agreed from her right. "It seems like everyone's busy around that time of the year."

"Speaking of which, you're spending the entire day with your family, aren't you?" Kaname was standing in front of them, relishing the warmth from a canned drink.

Family.

"Yeah…" There was a certain glow about Takashi, especially from his eyes. "Yeah, I am. What about you guys?"

"E-eh?" Tooru's face coloured. "Us? Well, I…" She avoided Natsume's questioning gaze, nervously tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. "I suppose I'll be busy."

Not that Kaname was any better, mind you. His cheeks, though already flushed from the cold, seemed to grow a deeper shade of red as he rubbed the back of his neck just as (if not more) nervously, "I'll probably be busy too."

He stared, pointing first at Kaname, then at Tooru. Whilst in the process of reaching the 'everything clicked' moment, Madara stepped in, snapping him out of it.

"You're as slow as ever, Natsume." Madara shook his head helplessly. "Isn't it obvious? They're on a date!"

"Date." Takashi echoed, dumbly.

"Date." Madara repeated, hopping onto the boy's shoulder once more, feeling very pleased with himself.

Both Tooru and Kaname fidgeted. Tooru, much to Madara's utter relief, was too embarrassed to go ballistic when he arrived on the scene. Tooru started chewing on her bottom lip while Kaname's blush grew steadily worse. You could practically see the bodyguard raising an imaginary eyebrow at the flustered two, with a paw held up in front of him just in case… Just in case…

"Sorry, Natsume-kun!" Tooru blurted out, instinctively bowing. "We really didn't mean to keep it from you."

Now, Takashi was just plain confused, "Huh?"

"Yeah, sorry about that, man." Kaname's blush receded as he took a more serious tone. "We wanted to tell you, but we weren't sure of how to go about it."

"Ah, no." Takashi smiled. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. But I can't say I'm not surprised." He gave a rare chuckle as he saw the two getting worked up again.

However, Takashi was glad. The awkwardness had been dispelled. And, this didn't mean that he was going to lose them both. They were still his friends. Madara, on the other hand, sulked. His fun was short-lived.

"Are you here with Touko-san and Shigeru-san?" Tooru asked, reverting back to her normal self.

"No. I'm actually here to get something for Natori-san." Takashi contemplated the problem, before tilting his head to one side. "But I haven't been successful at all."

Upon hearing the name, Kaname's eyes narrowed slightly in suspicion.

"Natori-san? As in Natori Shuuichi, the actor?" His voice had lost some of it's earlier warmth.

"Oh, I remember! He was standing in front of our school once, right? Some of the other girls were really excited." Tooru recalled.

"Tanuma?" Takashi turned to his friend, curious.

"Nah, it's just… How do I put it?" Kaname held his chin. "I just don't trust him. It's like he always has some hidden agenda, y'know? You might want to be careful." Tanuma shrugged, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"Ho~" Madara gave the dark-haired teen an appraising once-over. "You seem a little sharper this time, boy. I'll give you that."

"Nyanko-sensei!" Takashi scolded him before laughing lightly at the image he got from Kaname's words. Somehow, Natori Shuuichi with an eye patch, a parasol and long hair didn't quite gel. "He may look like it," A corner of Takashi's mouth was turned up a little, "but he isn't the type to be deliberately cruel."

He probably has his reasons. Takashi thought, remembering the first time he had seen the exorcist at work. But he's not like them… the Matoba clan. Takashi's fist clenched, his knuckles turning white. He's not like them.

"I see…" Tooru said slowly, listening to each word. "Is he here for Christmas?"

"He dropped by yesterday, but I don't know whether he's still here." Takashi sounded a little wistful. "But it looks like I have to go back empty-handed. Shigeru-san and Touko-san's expecting me for lunch."

"Alright, see you then." Kaname knocked fists with Takashi.

"See you, Natsume-kun!" Tooru grinned, waving. "Bye-bye, kitty! I'll get you next time!" A glint of malicious intent entered her orbs.

"Nyuh?" …Plastered upon Madara's face was a look of absolute horror.

The newfound couple walked off, each lost in their own world.

"You know, I never knew that Natsume-kun could have that sort of expression on his face."

"Yeah, me neither." Kaname met her gaze, rolling his stiff shoulders. "He looked… happy."

Tooru held her hands behind her back and giggled, "That actor must be important to him, don't you think?"

"Takashi-kun!"

"Yes!" Natsume's back snapped straight from it's earlier crouch while a yelp escaped from Madara's mouth, beside the boy's feet.

"It's already this late!" Touko appeared from behind him, face contorted with worry. "I was so worried! It's nearly three o'clock. You told me you'd be back by one!"

"She was in such a state of panic, she couldn't even eat when I suggested that she and I have lunch first. I hope you don't mind, Takashi-kun." Shigeru chortled from his seat at the dining table as they entered the house.

"I—," The joy that had bloomed in Takashi's chest was quickly replaced with an unbridled fear, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you worry. The train ride from the mall took longer than expected." The boy bowed low, his posture and apology sincere.

"Would you come sit down?" Shigeru motioned at his usual spot at the dinner table. "You too, Touko. We'd like to have a talk with you, Takashi-kun."

Takashi's breath caught painfully at his throat as his pupils dilated. The pounding of his heart was strong and fast in his ears, and his palms shook, suddenly clammy with sweat. This has happened before… When was it again? His eyes flitted around wildly before choosing to settle on his clasped hands, trembling at his lap. When they told me I had to move. He tried to swallow, his mouth too far dry to form any proper words. Did they finally notice? All the unexplainable things that had been happening? Did they overhear him and Madara talking about the Book of Friends? Did Natori-san give away something? The thoughts swirled around his mind at breakneck speed. He felt sick, so sick—he wanted to throw up, but that would cause trouble and—

"You haven't opened your Christmas present, Takashi-kun." Touko pressed him gently, handing him a medium-sized box from under the tree.

"E-eh? What?" Takashi's voice was shaky. "Oh."

Mustering up more of his courage (he wasn't really sure whether that was the last of it), he unwrapped the present, bit by bit, painstakingly slow. He began with the thick red ribbon, then the deep green wrapping paper. The Fujiwaras watched him intently, without saying another word. When the cover of the box was finally revealed to him, Takashi froze. He couldn't move from the position he had assumed. Dumbstruck and speechless, he was at a complete loss. His earlier fear was simply forgotten, blown away by what was on the table, right in front of him.

"We had been considering for a while…" Shigeru chose his words carefully, glancing once at his wife before continuing, "And we've decided to give you this. It'll be much easier for all of us now—we can contact you at any time, provided you charge the battery."

At the sound of his words, Takashi raised his head, and just stared at Shigeru.

"The first two numbers registered are ours. Touko worries too much, you see." Shigeru laughed quietly as his wife replied with an indignant huff. "And it isn't good for her heart, so she claims…"

"Shigeru-san!" Touko did not know whether to be exasperated or to start laughing along with her husband.

"No, I can't… I can't accept something so expen—," Takashi tried to argue.

"Please accept it, Takashi-kun." Touko cut him off briskly. "You have to accept it. Lest you want me to worry to my death."

"But it's a handphone—,"

"Takashi-kun." Shigeru interrupted him this time, stern, resulting in the child jerking his head to look at him with orbs that reflected his inner conflict, "Nothing," A fond smile graced the middle-aged man's features and his eyes softened incredibly, "nothing can ever be too expensive, to pay back for the joy and happiness you have brought us."

Natsume Takashi's heart stopped yet again… before it started to beat once more… One beat, two beats… Painfully… Singing out a melody of it's own…

Salty drops landed with an almost inaudible patter on the plastic packaging with the new phone inside, glistening brightly under the kitchen lights. Shigeru and Touko held their breaths, afraid that they may have accidentally done something wrong.

"—nk you…" Takashi choked through a sob, requiring a herculean effort to stop his shoulders from jerking. "Th-Thank y-you."

Touko took his hand in her right and Shigeru's in her left, chest puffed up victoriously. Madara lounged beneath the table thoughtfully, choosing to remain silent.

As tears continued their steady stream down his cheeks, Takashi hoped with all his might that those words alone would be enough to convey all his gratitude and love to these two very, very precious people.

"What is this?" Takashi's fingers ghosted across the exquisite item.

It was paper thin, had the shape of a water droplet and shimmered with all the seven colours of the rainbow. Only slightly bigger than thumbnail, it made a curious ring when he flicked his finger at it, instead of the dull tap he had expected. Madara then waddled into his room with an extremely satisfied mien, sucking on another candy cane (strawberry-flavoured this time). He caught a glimpse of Takashi on his back, with one hand holding the shining object, and another rubbing at his swollen eyes.

The half-eaten sugary treat clattered loudly onto the floor as Madara's jaw fell open.

"Natsume, where did you get that from?" He bounded over, landing none-too gently on a soft belly, eliciting a shocked cry of pain from the silver-haired owner of the Book of Friends.

With a swipe faster than Reiko's grandson could blink, Madara was now balancing the item on one of his claws.

"Nyanko-sensei!" Takashi rolled him off and scrambled to his feet. "Give that back—you'll scratch it! It's from Natori-san!"

"Fool!" Madara's head crashed head-on with Takashi's forehead, knocking the thin body down. "Do you not know what this is?"

"Ow! Sensei!" Takashi growled, holding his now, very sore forehead. "Why you—,"

"Greetings~" A female voice drifted over them sensually. "Gosh, Natsume! When on earth did you acquire a mermaid scale, of all the things?"

"Hinoe!" Takashi and Madara stopped their brawl, with Takashi's fingers pinching Madara's cheeks and Madara's paw just short of hitting Takashi's chin.

"Natsume-sama~!" A whole horde of youkai passed through Takashi's bedroom window, the excited chorus of voices permeating his personal space.

He was suddenly pushed up against his door.

"Wait, stop!" Takashi barred them as best as he could, holding up each arm at it's length. "I did say you could all come into this house! What—," His horror grew as they sat down in a sort of semi-circle with him in the middle, starting to pour sake, "What are you all—,"

"Merry Christmas!" All of them raised their cups at him.

All of them. Hinoe, Chobihige, the kappa, Benio, the youkai that resembled a radish (holding his long rope), the youkai with one eye and his partner that looked like a bull (namely, Chukyuu A and B respectively) and a few other lesser ones.

And it wasn't even past four in the evening!

"Takashi-kun! Is everything alright?" Touko's voice came from downstairs.

"Yes! I just tripped over something!" He called back.

Takashi sank onto the floor, in a cross-legged position and let out a defeated sigh, at a loss of words. He opened his fist, only to see what he had been clenching inside.

"Oh~!" Benio edged herself next to Takashi. "How exquisite! It's a mermaid scale. A very fine one too."

"Nyanko-sensei?" He turned to the cat for confirmation.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you!" Madara set his cup down with an angry flourish. "A mermaid scale is as hard as a diamond. Nothing but itself will be able to damage it."

"My, Madara-sama!" Benio scooted over to the white clay cat, stars in her eyes. "How valiant! How did the battle go? I'm sure she was no match for you! Did you rip out her tail with your magnificent fangs?"

"No, no." Chukyuu A waved his hand dismissively. "It must've been Natsume-sama who fell her with his purifying fists!"

"Fists! Fists!" Chukyuu B followed.

"Hohoho… As expected of Natsume-sama." Chobihige hid his mouth behind his long, green sleeve.

"Heh?" Takashi recoiled from shock. "You have to kill a mermaid to get this?"

Hinoe let out a bark of laughter, after nearly choking on the smoke from her pipe, "That's the traditional method of getting one. It can be given as a gift too, if one has earned enough gratitude from a mermaid. The stronger the mermaid, the more beautiful her scales will be."

Takashi rotated his wrist, letting the scale capture light from different directions. It shone a different colour at each angle, and all the colours could be seen if it was laid flat. He was drawn to it, seeming to appreciate it's beauty with every passing second.

"Youkai would often give anything to get one of these." A little one explained further. "Even their lives. Rumour has it that it grants it's owner protection from evil. But it also makes very nice jewelry. It is popular among the kappa too."

"Natori-san…" Takashi voiced the name, trying to imagine how did the exorcist come across such a thing.

Is he still here? The cheerful banter around him dimmed. I… want to see him.

"Ah!" The kappa dropped his cup of sake when he caught the glitter of the scale. "Natsume-sama! Is that a mermaid scale?"

"Yeah." Takashi opened his curled palm, letting the kappa see it.

The sea creature practically wilted, as if having spent hours outside of water on a hot summer's day.

"Eh? Are you alright? Do you need water?" Takashi glanced around, searching for a source.

"No, Natsume-sama. It's not that." The kappa shook his head sadly. "It's just that I've been tricked by another youkai into getting a mermaid scale for him. I've searched high and low for one lovely enough that would satisfy him for the past few weeks but to no avail. If I do not find it in six months, he said I would have to clean his river for the rest of my life!"

The other Ayakashi around him, hummed, sipping their sake and empathized with him as he told his story, telling him to 'drink up' and 'forget about it' for tonight. Madara had one eye on Takashi, his ears twitching lazily. The grandson of Reiko seemed to be struggling with himself, the turmoil written all over his face. He clutched at the scale tightly, as he dropped his head forward, his long bangs casting a shadow over the top part of his face. The cat ambled to him, sitting down in front of his knee. The other Ayakashi continued partying, not noticing their Natsume-sama's distress.

"Sensei…" Takashi reached out, managing a small smile as he rubbed the top of Madara's head.

Since when have I become so selfish? In the end, it's just a scale. I can easily give it to the kappa so that he will be free from the agreement. It's just… All of a sudden, I just don't want to let it go. His hand stopped petting. Is it because it was from Natori-san? He went through all that trouble to get one for me. Should I really give it away just like that?

"…Speaking of which, there was a human who could see us today." Chukyuu A crossed his arms and nodded gravely. "He was extremely rude. We were making a new banner for Natsume-sama whilst on the way here, and of course, we had to right Natsume-sama's name on it. That man took one look at it and laughed!"

"He laughed, he laughed!" Chukyuu B said it with less outrage.

"And off he was on his merry way before we could react! Boy, if I could get my hands on him…"

A pair of small but strong hands shook him by the shoulder before he could proceed with the rest of his rant.

"Did the man have red eyes? Was he also wearing a black hat and a pair of glasses?"

"Why yes, Natsume-sama!" Chukyuu A replied, incredulous. "Do you know him?"

"Where did he go?"

"Eh?" The Chukyuu scratched his head, frowning in an effort to remember. "If I remember correctly, the run-down old shrine near Yatsuhara. Remember? We played shadow tag—,"

"I'll be back!" The youth sprinted off without another glance backwards.

"Natori-san!" Takashi gasped out, stumbling as he recognized the familiar hat and coat.

"Natsume!" Shuuichi's head snapped in his direction, stunned. "What are you doing here?"

Takashi had doubled over, hands on his knees, panting harshly.

"Were you running away from another youkai again?" Shuuichi helped him up. "Or were you just being reckless as usual?" He shot Takashi a hard look.

But it wasn't very effective, as worry soon seeped into his tone.

"No." Takashi's breathing slowed and his words became clearer. "It's just that… the present…"

"Oh." Shuuichi blinked once. "Did you not like it?"

"No. It's not that." Takashi cleared his throat before speaking again. "I liked it. Really. But there's this kappa who needs it more than I do and—Did you go through a lot of trouble to get it?"

"Trouble?" Shuuichi's brows furrowed, "No, not really. There was this man who didn't know the goldfish he was keeping was actually a young mermaid. The mermaid had put a spell on him, making him constantly have nightmares of drowning. So I just bought her and released her back into the sea."

"And she gave you a scale in return?"

"That's right." Shuuichi nodded. "What's this, Natsume? You're acting strange—asking me about this out of the blue."

A sudden realization struck Takashi. He didn't care whether the actor had risked his life to get the scale or simply picked it up from the street.

He just didn't want to part with it.

"Knowing you, you'd probably want to give the kappa the scale, am I right?" Shuuichi chuckled as the boy nodded. "Then, you should. The moment I passed it to you, it's yours. You can do whatever you want with it."

"But… it was given to me by you, Natori-san." The words were out before Takashi could stop them.

Shuuichi's orbs grew large behind his glasses.

"I'm happy that you find my present to be precious to you, Natsume." Shuuichi held his shoulder tenderly as he met Natsume's gaze. "Um, how about I get you another Christmas present then?"

Takashi glared at him, "That's not funny, Natori-san."

"Then, how about I just compensate with a kiss?" Shuuichi wrapped one arm around Takashi's waist, pulling him close until their foreheads were nearly touching.

"Wha—,"

He saw Shuuichi lean in… And…

Peck!

Smooth lips pressed lightly on the tip of his nose for just two seconds.

His glare increased tenfold.

"Pfft." Shuuichi's shoulders started to shake as he tried to control his reaction. "Ahahaha… I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You just looked so—haha—serious."

"Oi. That was sexual harassment just now, wasn't it?" Takashi was clearly very annoyed.

"It's normal to feel like that, Natsume." The man shrugged, avoiding the question smoothly. "You'd feel very attached to something given to you by the Fujiwaras or your other friends, right? It's the same thing. If it's precious to you, of course you'd be reluctant to give it or throw it away."

Takashi relaxed in his hold, feeling some of the weight on his heart lessening, "I'll give it to the kappa…" He paused, then added. "Tomorrow."

"I see." The exorcist smiled knowingly at him.

The two stayed like that for while, relaxing in the warmth of the embrace. The silence that had descended upon them was comfortable.

"Oh, yeah!" Takashi tapped Shuuichi's forearm. "Natori-san, do you have some paper?"

"Natsume," Shuuichi winked, sending a shudder of unease down Takashi's spine, "you're asking a Natori here."

Shuuichi released his hold on Natsume, fishing out a blank piece seemingly from thin air. The paper doll rustled as Takashi took it.

"Normal paper?" Takashi said, exasperated.

"This one's not enchanted. It just has the same shape."

"Alright, then." Takashi pressed the piece of paper back into the brunette's hand. "Merry Christmas, Natori-san."

…

"Eh?" Shuuichi was somewhere between baffled and utterly confused. "Na-Natsume-kun? What…?"

"It's a blank coupon." Takashi clarified. "Write what you want. Just… not anything too expensive." He finished rather lamely.

"You really are a nice kid." Shuuichi murmured with what one could call awe.

A warm, familiar hand descended upon the top of Takashi's head, moving with a rhythm he had grown used to. Just once… only this one time… he allowed himself to be a little selfish, and hesitantly closed his eyes, leaning into the touch. The hand disappeared a little after while, and there was the sound of a pen running across paper. Takashi watched the actor write with bated breath, partially because he hoped he could afford it and partially because he honestly wanted to get something that Shuuichi would like.

The pen clicked shut and the paper was returned to him.

Written on it were the words, 'Don't be reckless'.

"Natori-san…"

"Don't forget, Natsume." Shuuichi said as he pocketed his pen. "That you're precious to the people," He cocked his head to one side, "and I suppose, the youkai, around you too. So… do try to have a bit of self-preservation. It'll do us all some good."

"I'm eternally grateful to you, Natsume-sama! This scale is just perfect!" The kappa cried tears of joy, prostrating himself. "Thanks to you, I won't have to worry about scrubbing the riverbed for the rest of my life! Thank you! Thank you!"

"I'm glad." Takashi's smile was genuine as he saw how the kappa practically leap out of his room.

Takashi exhaled slowly, through his nose as he lay down on the floor and stared at the ceiling. Rolling onto his side, he picked up something that was small and white. His fingers, not yet used to the device, slowly pushed at the buttons that were lighted up.

To: Natori-san

From: Natsume

Sub:

I gave the scale to the kappa. He was very happy.

His fingers came to a halt, resting lightly on the keypad. A few seconds passed before they resumed their typing.

Thank you for your help.

Snapping the phone shut, he slipped it into his pocket with a satisfied grin.