video;

[spiritually]

[ The video starts with a deep moaning, echoing through a cave. It's dark, but there's enough light to see what's going on. A blonde man named Natori, older than Natsume with glasses, holds a pot before him and is chanting in the center of a large magic circle.

Natsume stands about forty feet from the circle, his eyes narrowed in determination. A rock in his hand. After another deep groan, Natsume throws the rock up toward a huge, mindless monster, visible for once to all, perhaps because the community simply decided to make it so-- maybe something else, we may never know. The giant looks to him and Natsume runs toward the circle and the monster takes chase.

It's too fast, much faster than Natsume and the creature picks up him with his hand, drawing him toward a huge, gaping mouth that seems to have a dark gas seeping out of it. ]

{{ OOC note: Bold is Natori, italics is Matoba, and underlined is the unnamed woman. }}

Natsume!

[ Natori stands to run to aid Natsume, but there's no way he'd be able to make it. Just as the monstrous youkai is about to throw Natsume down his gullet, suddenly an arrow with a fuda shoots him in the back. ]

Ye who rest in the Earth and hold the keys, come to me. Ye is the one who disturbs the stones. Take away the inhuman one.

[ It's a strange man with long, black hair and a strange eyepatch. Matoba. A flash of green light fills the cave, then the monster begins dissolving with a cry of pain, leaving Natsume to fall to the ground. Natori runs to him, helping him sit up. ]

If you don't need a youkai, don't waste time on it. Just blow it to bits. [ Matoba stands with a long bow in his right hand at the entrance to the cave, an older woman in a suit by his side. ] I don't care about the youkai or that.. but you interest me.

[ The video closes in on Natsume's face. He's glaring. There's a slight quiver in his breath, but he doesn't speak up. Despite being saved, Natsume's obviously not okay with this man. ]

We'll meet again. It was a pleasure to make your acquaintance.

[ Natsume continues glaring at him as he turns and leaves, but there's another voice to the side. A woman, clawing through the pile of ashes that was left of the youkai, muttering madly, desperately. ]

I can't forgive him.. Matoba... I'll never forgive him!

There's nothing you can do for them now. You'll have to forget it all. [ Natori's speaking calmly, even as the woman's on the verge of tears. ]

Could you forget!? Could you forget..? [ The ashes begin to float up and she reaches up for them, crying out, breaking down into sobs. Natsume's expression changes. He feels bad for her. Even though she just nearly killed them all by releasing that... but he can't say anything. She runs off, crying, and he can't say anything.

Finally Natori suggests they go and Natsume follows, silently. There's blood on the sleeve of his left arm. As they walk out, Natsume runs over to an injured Nyanko-sensei toward the entrance of the cave and picks him up silently. Natsume's not the only one with blood on him. It looks like Nyanko-sensei was shot with an arrow as well.

Natsume didn't understand. He didn't understand how Matoba could just dismiss the spirits like they meant nothing. How no one else seemed to see or understand the pain that that woman had gone through from losing a dear friend. He couldn't understand how they couldn't see how much the spirit who had asked him to help with this had risked to save her friends. Were all humans connected to the spirits like this? Would Natsume be like them soon?
Natori and Natsume don't say anything as they leave the cave, Natsume simply holding the unconscious Sensei close and not looking at Natori. ]