Not a euphemism

My current thoughts on how this played out are that at some point Matoba found out about the book of friends and attempted to take it off Natsume "for his protection" and Natsume Obviously lost his shit and wouldn't let him, and they got into a pretty intense brawl over it that left Natsume badly hurt, (I'm leaning towards Matoba tried to strangle him again?). Natori (and probably Tanuma and Sensei too) happened to walk in on it, and Natori, assuming the worst, beat the ever loving shit out of Matoba. Thankfully Tanuma and Sensei were able to wake up/resuscitate Natsume, and snap Natori out of it, but Natori's still too pissed over the whole thing to want to look at him, and so ends up vowing to never talk to Matoba again.

I doubt he'd leave behind exorcism fully, but he'd def stop coming to meetings or anywhere he could meet Matoba. I think Matoba might try to mend things, but in his own arrogant way that ends up backfiring and getting him slapped with a restraining order. After that they end up going their seperate ways, Natori relying more on acting, and Matoba accepting that he's fully burned that bridge and doing his best to avoid the area and just focus on Matoba clan business.

Years down the line Natori ends up taking in a relative of his who is the first Natori born with the sight since him, and ended up scorned and/or orphaned as a result. Matoba just gets into some shitty arranged marriage, has a few kids and gets very quickly divorced. And by some hilarious coincidence their kids end up going to the same school and becoming friends. No one realises the connection at first cause: a) the kids end up calling each other their given names, so no one notices the surnames (and Natori's kid might not even have the surname Natori yet depending on the branch of the family) b) Matoba's busy with Head of the Clan business and sharing custody so doesn't actually spend that much time with his daughter (he probably has a son as well but? but this isn't about him), so Natori's only ever talked to his ex wife, who has a different surname and just called Matoba her ex.

...But that ends when Matoba's ex gets caught up and can't pick up their daughter, and asks Matoba himself to go pick her up. And gives Natori the fright of his life.

(Initially he'd probably assume Matoba was there for nefarious reasons, but eventually he realises Matoba's just as confused as he is and decides it probably is just a hilariously unfortunate coincidence)

From there it would just be various shenanigans of them trying to come to terms with their own hang ups from the whole incident 10 years ago.

Matoba's over time come to realise he was being a bit of a dick to Natsume and genuinely does want to make amends if he can (especially after having his own kids), and is also realising he maybe needs to be more present for his own kids (and ex wife) after seeing Natori taking care of his daughter.

Natori meanwhile is having to accept that Matoba is actually trying to do better, and seems to be taking the clan in a less cut throat direction, but also can't really speak for Natsume on whether they can move past the incident from 10 years ago.

Though to be fair Natsume probably would be totally willing to look past it given the circumstances, Tanuma very much is Not. And does insist on being present any time Matoba and Natsume are in a room together even after the restraining order gets dissolved.

That's what I wanted to capture. The bicycles in the front are a big part of it too. To me, they represent freedom and moving forward—being able to ride together, instead of walking away alone.

But here's where my memory gets fuzzy. I vividly remember the friends carrying Natsume on the back of their bikes. But I don't remember if they actually taught him how to ride on his own.

Red.

When he first met the Fujiwaras, he didn’t think much of it until they met eyes. All of a sudden, the room felt a little warmer, as if the blood in their bodies finally decided to show its color. As he stared at his worn-down, red shoes, he thought that—perhaps—it might not be so bad to give them a try.

He started noticing the world around him a little better. Flowers became better centerpieces, fruits seemed much more delectable, and even his injuries seemed a lot more stand-out. Touko went out of her way to include red things in their meals, and Shigero started to wear more red-accented clothes. Even the house was filled with more and more red things. As he stared at the red chrysanthemums and their gray stems, he started to wonder when he’d be able to see what his parents could see.

Luckily, he didn’t have to wait long.

The next colors came in a pair: orange and yellow. As soon as Nishimura turned around to greet him, they both blinked at the sudden introduction of a new color. Without a chance to process what had just happened, Kitamoto—his new soulmate’s childhood friend— came up behind him and brought yellow along with him. They were both ecstatic, since they’ve been able to see colors since they were younger. Takashi didn’t really know what to think of these strangers suddenly breathing life into his single-hued world, but he found that he didn’t mind their presence. If anything, he was starting to feel like he didn’t know what he would do without his new friends. They treated him with kindness and gentle understanding— something he saw in others but never himself.

Next came green when an unsuspecting student approached him about a secret he was going to take to the grave. Afterall, he was scorned and abandoned for his unique sight; seeing youkai is something about himself he didn’t want people to know. When Tanuma confessed his suspicions and green burst into his vision simultaneously, Takashi was too stunlocked to bother trying to deny his special powers. He had expected the usual pit of shame to form in his stomach, but nothing happened. If anything, it was like a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Tanuma was nothing but understanding— He’s grown up seeing the supernatural, too. (Albeit not on the same level, but the headaches seemed like just as big of an annoyance.)

Blue came as a surprise, along with a girl who couldn’t speak. Well— She could speak, but because of her insatiable curiosity, she had gotten into some trouble that, luckily, he was able to help with. A quick youkai beat-down later, and his vision was filled with colors he never thought he would ever see. Taki Tooru was a force he had never experienced before— she never held judgment in her eyes, and her energy easily spread among their friend group. She was quickly accepted into his small circle of soulmates (and the even smaller amount of people who knew his secret secret.)

After these encounters, he thought his new world was complete. He couldn’t even imagine wanting to live in a world void of colors anymore. It seemed silly, now that he thought about it. Fate works in mysterious ways— just like the time he tripped over a famous actor and unlocked the last color of the spectrum he was missing. Natori Shuuichi was someone who he recognized by name but knew little about. Nishimura had shown him a couple of films he starred in, but they never really caught his attention. Meeting the famed celebrity in person was certainly an… experience, especially with the reveal of his second occupation. Soulmate connection aside, the actor-slash-exorcist was the type of person Takashi never thought he could get along with. Yet—for some reason—he couldn’t help but slowly add him to the circle of people he could now call his family.

Went a bit beyond my capabilities here for this @natsumeweek prompt so it’s a bit half-baked, but Reiko was the only one in my heart for this.