Possession

Summary: Yuuko-sama receives a guest, and Watanuki helps with his first wish granting as her new regalia.

Notes: Written in full by username_goes_here, aka. Rémy, and edited by Arisprite

Thank you for reading chapter 2! Coming up, we will see more of Watanuki settling in and helping with the customers, getting to know the temple dwellers, and learning more of what it means to be a regalia.

Be sure to check out the Tsubasa side of this story, Humanity of Souls: Our Whispered Beginning to find out what Syaoran, Sakura, Fai and Youou (Kurogane) are up to!

Yuuko quickly became the bane of his existence. Apparently 'assistant' meant 'servant' and 'servant' meant never leaving the temple and cooking and cleaning and organizing and basically just catering to Yuuko's every whim.

Which wasn't very pleasant.

But, hey, this was what Watanuki - as was his name now - had signed up for so he had to deal with it.

Honestly, he didn't even know what it was Yuuko even did at her temple. He hadn't really gotten a straight answer yet, despite the fact that it had been a few days. Wasn't that enough tenure to know who you were working for? Really though, any tenure at all should be enough to know who you were working for, in Watanuki's opinion.

Mokona - some sort of weird spirit-thing, he supposed, that looked like a deformed bunny plush toy with blue jewel stuck in its forehead - was of no assistance. Any time Watanuki brought up anything of importance with it, it just hopped off and drank sake with Yuuko.

Yuuko's two other regalia (her only other regalia) - twin girls named Maru and Moro - weren't much more helpful. They'd say something vague in unison and then skip away.

And Yuuko herself? Gods she never answered any questions about anything. Watanuki wondered if all the gods were like this, or if he had just been stuck with the worst one. Part of him hoped it was the former, but for the sake of humanity, he kind of hoped it was the latter.

The priest at the temple - some jerk named Doumeki - was rarely even around to ask questions, let alone answer them. When he was around, he'd say a maximum of two words and leave. What a idiot, honestly.

The bright spot of his life (well, his death) was Kunogi Himawari. Sweet, precious Himawari. She was the cutest girl Watanuki had ever seen, and he wasn't just saying that because she was the only girl around his age (maybe?) that he'd met as far as he could remember. Her smile could light up the world, he was pretty sure. It lit up his world at least. She was the only one who would interact with him like a person. Unfortunately, she was also the only one in the usual group who didn't live there. Apparently she just sort of hung around the temple sometimes. She and Doumeki were childhood friends, but how someone as wonderful as Himawari could stand such a stoic, unfeeling jerk as a friend, Watanuki just didn't understand.

He was along this train of thought while dusting some old vases in a large and rather unorganized storage room (he'd have to clean that later, ugh) one day when he was finally told what exactly Yuuko did.

Well, more like shown what exactly Yuuko did.

A voice rang through the temple. "Oh, Watanuki!"

With a sigh, he tossed aside his duster and began stomping his way towards the sound of Yuuko's yelling.

"Watanuki!" she repeated, more loudly.

"I am /coming/ don't rush me!" he yelled back.

His respect for her godly nature had dissipated very quickly when she forced him to cook a four course meal at four in the morning, only an hour or two after he had been found and brought to the temple. The meal was finished off with sake and a four hour nap. The woman was ridiculous, and Watanuki would make sure she knew it.

"Well, hurry it up! We have a guest." she snapped.

A guest? Sure, Yuuko would hear the wishes and desires of the desperate - Watanuki knew that - but he had figured it was more of a 'pray at the shrine' kind of thing. Not a genuine in-person plea to the god herself.

He walked into Yuuko's sitting room and found her draped over a chair at the table, which was unsurprising. More surprising, was the woman seated across from her. She was turned away from Watanuki, but he could feel that there was something off about her. Something unpleasant. Something that… smelled? He wasn't sure though… It did seem a little odd that something like that would happen, so Watanuki assumed he was imagining it.

"Ah, Watanuki, could you bring us some tea?" asked Yuuko, that mysterious frown on her face. The one she wore when she was trying to look mysterious and dignified. It worked.

"Of course, Yuuko-san." Watanuki did his best to be pleasant, for the sake of the guest.

He returned through the other side of the room, behind Yuuko, so that he could get a better look at the customer.

At first glance, she seemed perfectly normal, but something about her still put Watanuki off.

She was entirely focused on Yuuko and paid Watanuki no mind until he started pouring her tea.

"Oh! I didn't see you there!"

Didn't see him? How could she not notice him? He was literally right there in the room and, honestly, probably staring at her.

"That's alright. I'm just here to bring the tea, don't mind me," he said, a little confused.

He began to leave the room, but Yuuko lightly touched his arm before he left. "Wait in here."

And now Watanuki was even more confused, but he didn't protest. No need to make a scene, and he truly was curious about this woman.

Watanuki sat in the only empty seat - Yuuko's couch. It was too large and the ornateness made him feel uncomfortable and small. He made a mental note to avoid it in the future.

All his thoughts on furniture stopped, however, when the woman took her right hand out from under the table in order to pick up her drink.

If you could call it that. It looked like claws… Or more like a talon.

Watanuki was no longer questioning his senses. The odd tingle in the back of his mind. The faint smell of rot that was starting to induce nausea. The sight of a dark, grotesque talon in place of the entirety of woman's hand, though it faded at the wrist, giving way to a normal human arm.

There was no way he was imagining all of that at once.

Unless he was going crazy. Which was a very real possibility, considering the working conditions he was under. Was there some sort of regalia union he could join? There must have been. It wouldn't make sense not to-

"Now." Yuuko's voice broke his thoughts. "Tell me about your problem, Natsuki-san."

The woman - Natsuki - shifted uncomfortably. "Well, it may sound a little strange…"

A little strange? She had a talon for a hand. Now, Watanuki didn't have many memories, but he was pretty sure that that wasn't normal.

Yuuko just smiled. "Try me."

"Well, it started about a week ago," she began. "I woke up one morning and my pinky felt a little weird. It didn't hurt, really, but it just didn't feel right, you know?"

Yuuko nodded.

"I ignored it, you see, because it was just my little finger and it's not that important, right? I just went about my day. The next morning, more of my hand felt weird. And the same thing the next morning. Now it's all the way up my wrist."

"Is that all?" asked Yuuko, looking for all the world like she already knew the whole story.

Natsuki looked away and shook her head. "No. Sometimes my hand will just… do things now."

"What sort of things?"

"Bad things. I'll be walking on the street and suddenly be holding someone's wallet. Or I'll be at a restaurant and suddenly I'm intentionally spilling my drink on the waiter. The other day, I even hit myself." She looked back up at Yuuko, eyes earnest. "I swear it's unintentional! It's not like I want to do these things!" she insisted.

"Don't you?"

Well of course she didn't - she'd just said, didn't she?

The woman shook her head, and stroked the tea cup with her right hand. Or rather clawed hand. Why wasn't she mentioning this?

"Go ahead - throw the tea in my face," said Yuuko suddenly.

"What?"

"I know that's what you're thinking. And what your hand wants to do."

"Why would I want to do that?" the woman asked, startled.

Yuuko leaned forward on the table and fluttered her lashes ugh why does she do that? "You tell me. Once you gain control, you won't have a problem anymore."

The hell was that supposed to mean?

"I- I don't know what you're talking about. Can't you just fix it?"

Leaning back, Yuuko hummed. "It would be better if you fixed it yourself… But yes. I can help."

Natsuki looked hopeful for a moment, but fell when she heard Yuuko's next words.

"For a price."

"You gods deal with five yen coins, yes? I- I have that-"

"No. I deal in equal trade. Balance. Equivalency. No gods truly deal like that without price to themselves, Natsuki." Watanuki had never heard that before. Did prayers go unanswered because humans refused to meet the balance? What sort of price would a god pay to equate the missing payment? What sort of balance did the gods - or perhaps the universe? - require?

The woman spoke then, interrupting Watanuki's musings. "Oh… I see…"

"I will, however, give you a trial period."

"A trial period…?" Natsuki looked hopeful, but skeptical.

"That's right." Yuuko then looked to Watanuki and gestured for him to come to her. "Watanuki, could you please bring me that green trunk from the storage room?"

The guest suddenly looked up and gave Watanuki a startled and confused look. Weird, sure, but not weirder than her hand or her… presence.

"Where did you put it?" asked Watanuki, having no idea what sort of green box she was asking for. Besides, there was no way he was going to find anything in there without some sort of direction.

Yuuko hummed. "Not sure. I think it's near a painting of… something."

Watanuki grumbled, but made his way to the storeroom anyways, muttering the whole way. "That is no help at all. How can I be expected to do anything around here if she can't give me even a little bit of leeway, I swear we are organizing that damn room this week - how am I supposed to find something as obscure as a green box or trunk or whatever in this mess, she is awful and oh, there it is," he finished after spending one minute in the room and immediately finding it near the door. "My point still stands though. We are organizing the whole thing."

The trunk was heavier than appreciated, and it took a lot to drag it through the halls. He ran into Doumeki on the way. The taller boy turned around and looked down at Watanuki, who was pulling the trunk behind him with all his strength. His dark eyes were sharp, but unfeeling, Watanuki was pretty sure.

"Get outta my way I am working," Watanuki huffed, trying to catch his breath.

Doumeki picked up the far end of the trunk, but said nothing.

"Oh please, I don't need your help here! Why don't you go do whatever it is you do all day and leave me alone - don't you have some sort of priestly duties or something?"

"No. Keep walking."

Watanuki picked up his end of the trunk, and together they hefted the trunk into the sitting room.

Without another word, Doumeki went outside. Gods, what a jerk. It's not like Watanuki wanted any help and then here he comes waltzing in rubbing everything in Watanuki's face and giving him that abnormally impassive look. Doumeki was the true bane of his existence, for sure.

Watanuki dragged the trunk the next few feet to rest near Yuuko.

"Thank you, Watanuki," she said before opening it. Inside were a number of abnormally shaped items, all wrapped in cloth. Yuuko picked up a small, square box from the top and set it on the table. "You can take the rest of that back."

Oh, there was no way in hell he was dragging that trunk all the way back to the storage room now - not after all that. Watanuki couldn't believe how demanding Yuuko was sometimes. Why didn't she just tell him to get the stupid box in the first place instead of the whole damn trunk?

"Careful, Watanuki, you'll knock the table over onto our guest if you continue throwing your arms around like that."

Oh, that's right there was a guest. And he probably looked like a crazy person.

"Ah, ha, sorry about that. I'm just going to-" he cut himself off when he got another look at the woman's hand - or where it should have been. The talon was larger, and started further up her arm than before. The smell was slightly worse too. He wasn't imagining all that, was he?

"Can I help you?" she guest asked, affronted and pulling away.

"No, no, I just… your… hand…"

Yuuko gave Watanuki a knowing look. Knowing of what, Watanuki had no idea, but she obviously knew something.

The woman looked from her hand to Watanuki, then back to her hand.

"Nothing, it's just… nothing," he said, trying to cover for himself, but obviously failing. He went back to the couch and stayed quiet.

Yuuko pushed the box at the guest, then leaned back in her chair.

Natsuki opened it and pulled out a very plain ring. "What am I supposed to do with this?" she asked.

"You wear it, of course," Yuuko told her, explaining what was obvious, but also too obvious. There must have been something else.

The woman put the ring on what would have been her right pinky finger, and within a few minutes, her hand looked almost normal, if a little blackened. The smell was still there, but at least her hand looked like a hand. Not that it seemed anyone else cared to notice it in the first place.

"Oh wow, my hand already feels much better!" Natsuki insisted, turning it around to marvel at its lack of abnormality, Watanuki supposed.

"This is only a bandage, Natsuki-san," Yuuko said seriously. "You need to resolve your own problems before it's too late. Come back to me in two days. I either expect you to return the ring at that time, or make full payment."

"Which is…?"

"Equal to your wish." Yeah, that wasn't ominous.

Both Yuuko and the woman stood up and left through the door. Watanuki followed them outside and watched the woman leave.

"Was there something wrong with her?" Watanuki turned to ask Yuuko, only to find that she had gone back inside and left him outside alone with Doumeki who was sweeping leaves as if it was the most important thing in the world.

He looked up at Watanuki at the question, and Watanuki froze. He didn't say anything, but being at the receiving end of that blank stare was disconcerting and Watanuki did. Not. Like it.

"Whatever, fine, don't say anything, I wasn't even talking to you in the first place and it's not like I want answers or anything just sweep your stupid leaves and have fun."

Doumeki looked back down at his leaves and Watanuki stormed back inside.

By the time he got back inside, Yuuko was already draped across her couch like some sort of lumpy blanket that sighed a lot.

"Yuuko-san," Watanuki began, but didn't get to finish.

"Watanuki, I thought I told you to take that trunk back the the storage room," she said, lazily pointing at the green trunk she had so maddeningly asked him to drag out minutes earlier.

"Firstly, it was a ridiculous request to have be bring out that whole trunk when you could have just told me to get that little box out of it - in fact I ran into Doumeki in the hall and he had to-"

"I saw that! Doumeki was able to help you- that was so kind of him!"

"It was NOT!" Watanuki insisted loudly. Hopefully loud enough that it would get through Yuuko's thick skull, but the probability was low at this point.

"Honestly Watanuki, I think you two get along wonderfully!"

"No. He barely talks to me and when he does, he doesn't say anything and he just stands there and stares and he just gets on my nerves!"

"Like I said, I think you two get along wonderfully!"

"WERE YOU LISTENING TO ANYTHING I JUST SAID?"

Watanuki waved a hand in front of his face and moved on before she could respond - of course she wasn't listening.

"Listen, Yuuko-san, I have some questions," he said calmly.

She sat up a bit, which was as close as he was going to get to her paying attention.

"What was wrong with that woman's hand?"

Yuuko smiled. It was disconcerting. "Of course you would see it."

"It? You mean those claws?" Why did it seem like she was insinuating something weird…

"Watanuki, that's not something any ordinary person would have seen."

He considered this. "Is it because I'm a regalia, or…" Hell, he didn't even know what a regalia was at this point. No one told him anything.

"No. Maru and Moro wouldn't have seen it either. Not this early on. They may have felt something was off - Doumeki as well, perhaps - but only you can see what was affecting that woman."

Watanuki frowned. "You're not making any sense. What was affecting that woman? Why wouldn't anyone else see it?"

"What she has on her is a parasite." Finally some straight answers, but not the ones he really wanted. "A spiritual one. A very small, very weak ayakashi that grows stronger each day."

"Ayakashi…?" The word was almost familiar to him. Something he may have known some time, but had forgotten now.

"Spirits of ill intent. Some are the ghosts of the dead, like you, but twisted."

Watanuki gulped - was he really no different than some sort of disfigured phantom?

"But most are bred by and feed on malicious thoughts and actions. They're creatures of the Far Shore."

"The Far Shore?"

"The great beyond. The world of gods and spirits. Our world, Watanuki. Goodness, it's as if you've learned nothing! Humans are the Near Shore and we? We are the Far Shore. The unreachable, and undefinable."

"You're not unreachable though. You literally live in a temple in the middle of a major city."

Yuuko gave him a pointed glare. "That isn't what I meant."

This woman was infuriating.

"Alright, alright, we'll come back around to that then," he conceded, knowing full-well that he would have to force the topic later. "The woman though… She's possessed?"

"Yes."

"But you said she had to fix it herself. How can she fix something like that herself?"

"As I said, that creature is feeding off of her ill-intent."

"But she said that the hand is doing things on its own - how could she-"

"The hand is acting on her own thoughts and desires. If she can control those, the ayakashi will leave."

"How bad were that woman's thoughts that she could have drawn some sort of demon to her? I mean, I've had some rude thoughts about certain people," he pouted, thinking of a certain priest and a certain god, "but I'm not possessed or anything…"

Yuuko sat up then, and made severe eye-contact. "Would you ever act on those thoughts?"

"What?"

"Do you take those thoughts seriously? Could you ever see yourself following up on any of those mental threats?"

"No… I suppose not," he decided after a brief pause.

"Good, then you're not in danger of possession. They only affect those who truly consider these things. Everyone has thoughts from time to time, Watanuki, but only some might follow-through. Those people are a breeding ground for ayakashi."

"And how would that ring help?"

Yuuko waved a hand in the air impassively. "It will hold the ayakashi back long enough for that woman to regain control of her actions. If she can do that, the ring can be removed and she can go about her life again with only a small price to me. If she cannot…" Yuuko paused for effect. "Then she will pay the price for a very serious exorcism. It will not be cheap."

With the state of her arm, he would imagine not.

The next day, Watanuki couldn't get the story about ayakashi out of his head. He asked Himawari about it, hoping she might be able to elaborate.

"No, I think you got all of it," she said from her chair in the kitchen. She was generally around when Watanuki cooked, but he never made her help because he wouldn't want to make her work or anything - that would just be cruel. No, he was the one here to work, apparently. Which brought him to a few other points he wanted clarified.

"But Yuuko-san said something about some of them being… being spirits of the dead," he said, losing momentum on the egg whites he was beating.

"I suppose that's true…"

Watanuki sighed and turned towards her. "What does that make me then?" he asked.

Now, he didn't really want to be concerning Himawari with these sort of matters - no, no, she deserved to never deal with serious issues, especially not his own. Such a cute, nice, sweet girl shouldn't have to listen to Watanuki ramble about all this.

But…

She was the only one answering his questions.

"You're a regalia," she said simply. "Ayakashi are vindictive spirits, Watanuki-kun. You're not vindictive."

"So why aren't there more regalia? Are most people just vindictive, or are there a lot of other regalia not around here…" he trailed off, unsure where the thought was headed.

Himawari looked up and away, as if searching for an explanation. "Regalia are generally spirits that didn't want to go. Most people's souls, when they die, reincarnate." She spoke slowly, choosing words carefully, it seemed. "But the souls of regalia… I guess they didn't want to."

The answer just frustrated Watanuki more. What sort of unfinished business did he have that was so important that he wouldn't allow himself to move on? It better have been pretty damn important, because he couldn't think of anything worth this existence. He sent some hatred to his past self, regaining the energy needed to stiffen the egg whites.

"Do all regalia get their memories wiped? What's the point of lingering if you can't remember the reason you did it in the first place?"

Himawari ran her hands through her curly pigtails - ahhh, she was so cute - and took a breath. "All regalia have no memories of their lives, yes. But I don't know why, Watanuki-kun. I wish I did."

Watanuki sighed, again losing steam on his egg whites, and setting the bowl and the whisk aside for the moment. At least he had a bit more information. "So do the gods just run around collecting lost souls or something? What's that about?"

She let out a short laugh. "They name the souls and mark them, taking them in as their own."

He rubbed the kanji marked on the inside of his wrist.

She saw and frowned. "Regalia are a form of protection for the gods." Oh so he was just useful to Yuuko? "And in turn, the gods protect them." Or make them be their slaves, more like.

"This is stupid," he decided for the fiftieth time since he'd come to the temple. "What part of protection means make all my food and clean my whole temple and do my laundry and organize everything and do it faster, Watanuki because maybe the definition changed last I heard." He picked up the bowl of egg whites again and began whisking again. Why didn't they have an electric beater in this place?

"Gods give them a home, and ways to protect themselves from dangers."

"What's to stop me from going away and renting an apartment on my own, hm?"

Himawari shifted in her chair. "People… they won't notice you. Ayakashi will flock to you. You'll be defenseless."

The information hit him like a blow to the chest. He faltered in his whisking, but picked up the pace again quickly, distracting himself. "People won't notice me…?" He thought about the woman, having to be reminded of his presence every time he entered the room

Himawari shook her head. "No. If you draw attention to yourself, then they will, but… they'll forget soon after." She paused and looked down. "I'm sorry."

So he was going to live forever as an invisible teenager. Great. Wait.

"B-b-but… you notice me, Himawari-chan. And you'll remember me, right?" He hoped so. To be forgotten by Himawari would be… would be… He couldn't…

She nearly jumped out of her chair. "Of course! I spend so much of my time here, I couldn't forget! And when you become close to a regalia or anything else Far Shore, then forgetting is just - it isn't an option!"

Ahhhhhh~ she thinks we're close! Himawari, the cutest, nicest girl in the world, thinks we're close!

"Which is why Doumeki-kun and I would never forget you!"

Doumeki.

The egg whites were stiff enough, so he dropped them into his batter and started folding them in with a wooden spoon, scowling all the while.

"I'd be happy if that guy forgot me and left. I don't like him at all - and he doesn't like me either! He barely talks to me and puh-lease as if we could ever be friends he's like a tree with a face - there's nothing there!"

"Oh, but he's a very nice guy if you talk to him once in awhile," she insisted.

"I don't want to! He's the worst! He's such a jerk!" He punctuated his point by tossing the wooden spoon into the sink next to him. He was done with the batter anyways.

"Well, I think you two will be great friends."

He deflated inside. She was so wrong. So cute, so nice, but so bad at reading relationships. Well, no one's perfect. He could convince her otherwise. Later.

"Yeah, whatever." He began collecting the ramekins from the cupboard below him, the turned back to Himawari, arms full of little white dishes. "Do you want a soufflé?"

"Of course!"

Natsuki was back the next night, as Yuuko had requested of her two days previous. She looked concerned, and her whole right arm and part of her face was blackened and charred. She was still wearing the ring, Watanuki could see, and her hand was still a hand, but somehow it looked and felt worse. The smell was certainly worse. Gods, was he the only person smelling that?

Watanuki stayed out of the way, and true to Himawari's word, Natsuki didn't notice him, except when he sneezed before Yuuko came into the room. She forgot he was there soon after though.

It was becoming more and more troublesome to find any sort of positivity in this life. Death. Existence. Whatever.

"You've been wearing the ring?" Yuuko asked as she made a dramatic entrance wearing a tight, red dress that showed off her assets in a way you really couldn't ignore.

"Yes, Yuuko-sama, I have, but… Although it felt better that first day, it just got worse after that. My whole arm feels weird - and I think it's going up my neck too!" She was panicked, and looked desperate. If she felt as bad as she looked, well, Watanuki couldn't blame her.

Yuuko took her seat and lifted her brows. She looked absolutely condescending and it irked him.

"You didn't do what I told you."

"I did! I wore the ring!"

"But you didn't. Do. What I told you."

The woman hadn't changed at all. In fact, she must have only gotten worse.

"Can you fix me or not?"

Yuuko took a sip of her tea and let her guest stew for a moment. "The fixes I offer are temporary at best. I can give you time to fix yourself.

"That's not good enough!" the woman screamed, standing up and knocking her tea off the table dramatically. Great, Watanuki would have to clean that up. "I told you to fix me! This place is a joke! You're no god!"

Yuuko stood up, her height and presence much more impressive than Natsuki.

Before Yuuko could speak, however, the woman stormed out of the temple. Watanuki immediately ran out after her, concerned at what she might do.

As he ran through the gate - the gate he never left - he caught a glimpse of Himawari talking with Doumeki in the courtyard. They both looked at him, but only Himawari ran after him.

A few blocks away, the woman stopped in the middle of a street. She was illuminated only by a streetlamp as she turned back towards Watanuki. "You! Why are you following me?" She was pointing, but not quite at him. At Himawari.

Himawari stopped and put her hands up. "I wasn't chasing you- I-"

"Everyone just leave me alone!" As the woman panicked, she began to pull off the ring.

He reached out his hand to stop didn't know what would happen if she took the ring off, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

And he wasn't wrong.

The woman was twisting the ring around her finger, grimacing and tugging, until finally she got it off. There was an immediate reaction. The dark, rotten skin he'd seen on her arm earlier began to consume her whole body. There was a stench in the air, and some sort of undefinable pressure weighed on Watanuki. He stared, mouth agape, unable to look away as the woman fell to the ground, limp, and the skin was...squirming. It rose up, forming a dark shape above the woman, leaving her motionless in the middle of the street.

"Watanuki-kun, run!"

Himawari ran away as fast as she could, but something - probably fear - kept Watanuki from moving from his spot on the sidewalk. He watched as the blurry figure began to take more shape. It was dark, smoky, clawed, and had far more eyes than any being should possibly have.

It turned to Watanuki, and grinned with a mouth that took up what would be its entire face, were it human.

"smELls gOoD," it said in an abnormally high-pitched voice for something as terrifying as it looked.

Finally, he found control of his body again, and he sprinted away as fast as he could. The beast was chasing him though; he could hear it repeating the same phrase over and over again - SmeLLs GoOd sMeLLs gOOD smELLs GOod.

He'd be safe at the temple. He just had to get to the temple. Was it left, or right? Maybe straight ahead? It was impossible to think with the beast hot on his trail. Nothing looked familiar, the streets were getting more and more narrow, and saw less and less people, none of whom seemed to notice his plight.

He was rounding a corner - what might possibly have been his last - when he saw Doumeki running towards him.

Doumeki held a drawn bow, but no arrows. He stopped and aimed right at Watanuki. What was he planning to do?

"Duck," was all he said.

Watanuki considered objecting, but in the moment he paused to take a breath, the scent and feel of the ayakashi loomed up behind him. It was closer than he thought, and a sharp pain gripped his left arm. Suppressing a yell of panic, he followed Doumeki's order and dropped to the ground.

As he fell, he saw Doumeki pull the bowstring back, and an arrow began to form from white smoke. When he released the string, the arrow flew straight into the beast, which was nearly right on top of Watanuki.

Watanuki threw his arms over his head, as the monster shrieked - a shrill unwelcome sound that Watanuki hoped to never hear again. He felt the presence rear back, and turning, he watched as it writhed, a solid arrow in its forehead - or what could possibly be called its forehead, if you squinted and tilted your head. Its body was cracking around where the arrow had pierced it, and the pieces that broke off were turning into smoke. In a moment, there was nothing left of it.

Watanuki laid on the cold, dark sidewalk, stunned. The pain in his arm was more like a burn now, and felt like it was spreading. He ignored it for now though, instead preferring to call Doumeki out on his poor performance this afternoon.

"WHAT THE HELL? WHY DIDN'T YOU SHOW UP SOONER, THAT THING COULD HAVE KILLED ME! COULD HAVE KILLED HIMAWARI-CHAN! WHAT DID YOU EVEN- oh no, the woman…"

Watanuki scrambled to stand back up and ran as fast as he could, hoping to find the spot where he'd left the woman lying in the street. He didn't have to look hard though - he just followed the sound of sirens in the distance.

When he arrived at the scene, there was a small crowd of people gathered around. Watanuki slowed down as he neared them, hoping… hoping she wasn't…

"She's dead," he heard a man yell from the center of the small crowd.

Watanuki fell to his knees, unable to process. He looked down, and saw that her ring had made its way to the sidewalk, right in front of him.

He picked it up, and held it in his hands as it crumbled to dust.

Doumeki and Himawari came up behind him, and Himawari put a hand on his shoulder.

"We should go," she said.

Watanuki moved to stand, but the pain in his arm had definitely spread, and the shock of it caused him to lose his balance and fall right back down.

"Watanuki-kun, are you alright?" asked Himawari.

"I'm fine, I'm fine, I just think the thing scratched me is all," he said, waving off something that hurt far too much for a scratch.

"You were scratched by it?"

"Yeah, but I'm sure it'll be fine."

She looked to Doumeki, and the two of them shared a panicked look.

Honestly, it was just a scratch, right? Nothing to get worked up over…

"I'll tell Yuuko-san," Doumeki said, breaking into a run.

"Doumeki-kun, you can't just…" Himawari trailed off when he turned around a corner, then looked back at Watanuki. He'd never really seen her so concerned before.

"We have to get you back to the temple," she said slowly, as if he couldn't understand her or something.

"Sure, okay, I mean, I don't see what all the fuss is about, really, but there's no reason not to - augh." His sentence was cut short by the burning pain in his arm.

Himawari positioned herself under Watanuki's right arm - currently his good arm - and supported him as he stood.

"Luckily, we're not too far from the temple. Just help me out here, okay?" She smiled brightly - she really was cute.

"Okay," he slurred.

It was a long and painful walk back to the temple. It was so nice of Himawari to help him like this. She was just so kind and gentle and sweet and cute and why was his vision blacking out?

By the time he made it through the gates, his whole arm, shoulder, and part of his neck felt like it was on fire.

Yuuko stood alone in the courtyard.

"Take him to the back," she said, and Himawari nodded gravely.

Yuuko led the way, and he and Himawari followed, as they went clear around the temple to the back garden. He could tell Himawari was getting tired, but he couldn't help but lean against her.

Why was no one else helping? Why were they taking him to the back? Why was no one there? What was wrong with him?

Yuuko came to a stop near a well and gestured for them to stop. Himawari helped him sit on the ground gently, as his balance was still askew.

"Take off his shirt and leave him here with me," said Yuuko. "You may return inside now."

T-take off his shirt? Why?

Without a word, Himawari undid the buttons of his shirt, and helped him take it off. She looked at Watanuki with concern, but smiled anyways. "You'll be fine, Watanuki-kun. I'll see you in a little while, okay?"

"Okay?" he repeated, unsure.

He watched as she ran back, then risked a look at his arm.

It was black and purple and looked almost like the arm of that woman but... Watanuki hadn't done anything bad, had he?

"Yu-Yuuko-san? What's going on? What happened to me?" he asked, unable to look away from what looked like rotting flesh all along his arm.

She was hefting a large bucket from the well, and looking away when she answered. "You were blighted by an ayakashi."

Blighted? What the hell did that mean?

"Is this what happened to the woman? Am I possessed like she was? Am I- am I going to die? What did I do wrong?" His questioning stopped and his panic increased as he felt a jolt of pain throb through his arm.

"As I said, the ayakashi are malevolent spirits. They can also corrupt. Regalia and gods and other beings of the Far Shore are affected by this. If the infection spreads, yes, you will die."

His breathing quickened and he found he could barely think straight. "What do I do? What do I do, I don't want to die, not again, oh gods not again, please, how do I stop this, Yuuko-san I-"

His pleading was stopped with a splash of water in his face.

"What the hell are you doing?"

He looked up through his glasses, unable to see anything but drops of water and a blurry outline of Yuuko holding something over his head - presumably the bucket she was drawing from the well earlier.

"Cleansing you, Watanuki, now don't fuss."

He closed his eyes as another splash of water fell on his head.

He hissed in pain as the water trailed down his arm, stinging the already irritated wound - or rather, blight?

"Yuuko-san, I don't-"

Another splash of water fell on his head and the rest of his words came out as a sputter.

The stinging began to lessen, and when he looked down, he could see even through his wet glasses that his arm looked a more normal color.

A rag fell on his head, and Yuuko set the bucket, which was only a quarter full by now, next to him.

"Make sure it's all gone before you come back inside. That blight is contagious. It spreads by touch. I don't want it corrupting myself, or anyone else."

With that, she turned and went back inside.

Watanuki dried off his glasses with the towel before wetting it in the bucket. He couldn't help but feel dirty as he rubbed the blight away.

It didn't take too long to finish, but it felt like longer in the dark, with only cicadas chirping and the breeze blowing to fill the silence. He left the bucket and rag on the porch, and entered the temple reluctantly.

Yuuko was right inside with a larger towel and a change of clothes. She handed him the pile, and he took it from her with a bow.

"Watanuki, there is a reason I advised you not to leave this temple," she said, face impassive. "It's unsafe, and you cannot go alone. There are dangers out there."

"Yeah, I got that-"

"Some far worse than that ayakashi you ran into."

Was she… concerned about Watanuki?

"Losing a regalia is no small thing. I can't allow that to happen."

No, of course not. This was all about usefulness. He should have known.

"But you'll allow human beings to die."

Yuuko frowned. "That woman wouldn't change her actions, and she paid the price."

"Which was her life?"

A pause. "Yes."

"How is that fair?" he asked, verging on a yell.

"Ayakashi are greedy creatures, Watanuki. They don't care what is or isn't fair. She invited it in, and it took her with it. Should her price have been her life? Likely not. But do the ayakashi care what balance is?"

Watanuki didn't suppose so.

"They don't," continued Yuuko. "That is why they're so twisted. They don't heed the balance and equivalence of the universe, and it twists them further."

Yuuko really had a thing for balance, didn't she?

"Why didn't you help her?" he asked softly, after a moment's hesitation.

"That woman wouldn't help herself. Why would I fix something that will only be broken again?"

Yuuko had a point. A warped and cynical one, but a point nonetheless.

"Go to bed, Watanuki."

He nodded, and slowly made his way down the hall.

Doumeki's door was open, and he saw him in there with Himawari. They abruptly stopped their conversation and turned to him. Himawari wore a cheerful smile, but Doumeki looked as impassive as ever.

"Watanuki-kun, it's good to see you're alright. I was just leaving, but I'm glad I saw you first."

Ahhh, she was glad to see him? Despite his day, he felt like he could float the rest of the way to his room.

"I'll leave you and Doumeki-kun to talk then."

"Nooo, nononono no- it's alright! You can stay, Himawari-chan! I'm feeling much better now, we can talk and I can make you a dessert - I'm sorry I worried you!"

Doumeki said nothing.

Himawari giggled and stood up. "I need to get home anyways. My parents might be concerned if I stay out too late."

Watanuki's face fell.

"But I'll be back to see you tomorrow after school!"

"Ahhhh~! I would love to see you then - I'll make you something special when you come by! Anything you want, Himawari-chan!"

She smiled. "I'm sure anything you make would be delicious."

It felt like Watanuki was flying through the air, and he nearly fell over with the force of her compliment.

Doumeki stood up then, and led her out of the room. She said something to him that Watanuki couldn't hear, but he shook his head at her. Gods, he didn't appreciate Himawari for what she was: perfect.

Watanuki waved as she left, lovestruck, then turned to back to Doumeki's room just in time to see the door close.