Well.. I`ve already finished making this but I waited to have reviews before posting this one.. Hehe.
Oh! And I`ll skip the part about Yuko and Watanuki`s encounter by the way..
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Chapter 2: Of Habits and Lies
"Damn it.." Watanuki snarled as he forcefully polished the dusty ceramic.
"Why must I always do this things?! Argh! Im so mad! Why is there so many dust! What are you thinking! Putting this here takes up too much room!" He rambled on, teleporting in between places while dusting, polishing and even moving at the same time.
Now that`s you call multi tasking.
"You really do have a way with cleaning.. Even thou you comment in almost everything." Yuko praised as she leaned on the wall, her long leg dangling at the opposite one.
"Way with cleaning! Way with cleaning!" Maru and Moro chanted as they held brooms while twirling at the same time.
"THIS STOREROOM IS FULL OF JUNK!" he exploded.
"This is no ordinary treasured room.." Yuko deadpanned.
"This a room full of treasure piles~!" Yuko drawled as she twirled along the room with Maru and Moro following her lead.
"Treasure piles~! Treasure piles~!"
"You call this a treasure?! I mean, what the heck is THIS?!" Watanuki held up a wand with wings and a beak.
"Ah! So that's where it was!" Yuko chirped happily.
"This is used to create magic.. I too had wanted to have this thing." Watanuki looked at the wand wide eyed.
"This.. This thing?!" He sputtered incoherently.
"To bad it's a fake model.." Watanuki fell on the floor in shock.
"The creator of this thing is an evil guy.. And to think that he had a relative that cute.." Yuko grumbled, unknowingly pouting.
"So are you his relative then?"
"Why would I be relative to him?" Replied Yuko, a tick mark pulsing on her forehead while her grip tightened on the wand.
"Well, you did say evil." He nonchalantly answered.
"Why do I feel angry?" Yuko asked herself, hinting the sarcasm on Watanuki`s voice.
Looking at the wand with a critical eye, Yuko suddenly started ranting at the said thing.
"How can someone so evil create such a cute thing? That four eyed demon.." she said before turning mysterious in a second, her face growing wistful.
"I haven't heard of the girl and her boyfriend lately.. But I guess I`ll see them soon. I think it was around the same time.."
"What?" Watanuki asked, suddenly creeped out by the witch`s cryptic words.
"Tadaima.." The familiar voice made the two black heads looking at the direction of the entrance.
"She`s home~! She`s home~!" Watanuki watched as Maru and Moro skipped out of the room, chanting about someone`s arrival.
"EH?! Your`e leaving with someone?!" Watanuki gaped in disbelief.
"SHE`S HOME?!" A childish voice piped in and Watanuki nearly jumped out of his skin.
Gaping as a boy looking quite like Maru crawled out of a random hole on the floor, the bespectacled boy was left looking at Yuko as said witch laughed at his face blatantly.
"Who the hell was that?!" Yuko snorted before answering.
"That`s Miro.. He only comes out when she`s home." Yuko answered.
"She?"
Both occupants heard an amused chortle from the unknown person as the three children`s chime like voices giggled in glee.
"Yuko… where are you?" the voice called out.
Oddly enough, Watanuki recognized the voice. If he wasn't mistaken, it was the voice of the pretty upperclassman that helped him yesterday.
"We`re here in the store room Kaggy~!"
"We?" The person asked seeing that Maru, Moro and Miro, had greeted her at the door.
"Yes.. This is the one I told you about!" Yuko shouted back. Not soon after, the sound of sock claded feet went nearer and nearer towards the store room.
When the mysterious person peeked at the dusty creaky door, Watanuki`s conclusion was proven true.
"It`s you!" Watanuki yelled as he pointed an accusing digit at the older girl`s face.
"Eh? You know each other?" Yuko slyly inquired as he casually choked the boy by holding him by the neck using her slender arm.
"Each Other~ Each Other~ Each Other~" The now three soulless children sang as they hooked arms before dancing, forming a circle around Kagome.
"Yes Yuko.. We met yesterday at school.. He was lost so I guided him to his assigned classroom."Kagome replied as she sent a smile at the choking Watanuki.
On the other hand, Watanuki took heed at the familiarity of the two*..
"I suggest you let him go Yuko.. You`ll kill him." Kagome mildly said as Yuko pouted before letting the blue boy go.
"Hello Watanuki-san, I assume that you`ll like working here more seeing that Im going to keep you company rather than this old hag here." Ignoring the indignant 'hey' of the said female, Watanuki managed to crack a smile.
"I guess so.." he shyly replied, remembering how kind his sempai was to him yesterday.
Suddenly, both Yuko and Kagome looked at the direction of the store`s entrance as the three children soundlessly walked outside the storeroom.
"I`ll go prepare some tea." Kagome said as Yuko nodded in understanding.
"Watanuki-san, would you like to help me?" Nodding, Watanuki followed his sempai towards the kitchen.
"So, Watanuki-san.." Kagome began.
"Higurashi-sempai.. I don't like formalities really much." Watanuki stated as they entered the kitchen.
"Okay then, Watanuki-kun.. Call me Kagome then." Smiling, Kagome took out the kettle and turned the stove open.
"Hai Kagome-sempai." He fetched the round wooden tray and took the tea cups out.
"So, Watanuki-kun.. What`s your wish?" The miko`s sharp eyes took notice of his sudden stiffening and remained quiet.
After a tense silence and Kagome finishing the two cups of tea without Watanuki noticing, said boy finally answered.
"Its about the.. Spirits." He mumbled.
Kagome walked out the kitchen with the tea, Watanuki following somberly.
"Let me guess.. They come after you or literally stick themselves on you right?" Watanuki stared at Kagome wide eyed.
"Don't look at me like that kouhai.." She said with a chuckle. "After all, we share the same problem." With that statement left hanging, Kagome left the gaping boy as she served Yuko and the customer tea.
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"Its this finger." Sharply, Kagome looked at the pinky and inwardly blanched. The said finger was coiled stiff by a spirit and damn did it smell awful. Hastily taking the wooden tray with her, she walked-run towards where Maru, Moro, Miro and Watanuki was hiding.
Turning sharply, she collapsed, sitting beside the equally disgusted boy as she leaned her head on the shoji.
"My nose hurts." She mumbled.
"You can smell it too Kagome-sempai?" Watanuki quizzically asked.
Instead of answering, Kagome looked at him with a deadpan expression and flicked him on the nose.
"Itai.."
"Didn't I tell you that we- mrmph." Both students immediately clutched their noses as the stench suddenly grew.
Sure, Kagome was a powerful miko-not that Watanuki knows of it- but damn did it made her nose itch.
Peering at the shoji, the two workers looked at the shop owner and customer. Watanuki`s blue eyes widen at the sight of the putrid stench hovering above the woman while Kagome frowned knowingly.
"It`s one of those people again." Kagome mumbled.
"If you want to wear it, just put on your finger.." The dimensional witch said.
"Will my pinky feel better if I wear this?" The auburn haired woman said as she took the golden gem encrusted ring.
"Think what you want.. You can throw it away if you want to..Just remember, what is the point of having a pinky?"
Watanuki bent his pinky, not noticing the knowing look Kagome was sharing with their employer.
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~The next day after school~
"I gotta go quickly!" Watanuki yelled as he shove everything inside his school bag.
"Going where?"
"Where?! TO THE SHOP OF COU- Kunogi-san?!" Watanuki spluttered as he saw the 'love of his life' smiling at him with glee.
"Himawari is fine.. I saw you rushing to get to some place.. Do you have some after school activities?" Himawari asked curiously.
"Ah.. yes."
"A part time job?" She guessed.
Automatically, a picture of Yuko laughing diabolically popped out of his memory lane and he winced… But suddenly a picture of his pretty sempai popped in as well, smiling that smile of hers.
"It is a part time job.. but.." he trailed off, confused between twitching because of Yuko or blushing because of his co worker.
"But?" Himawari pressed as she smiled.
"No its nothing." He replied while swinging his arms as if to disperse the imaginary picture.
"Oh.. Then sorry I held you up. Go work hard ok?" She smiled and Watanuki saw stars.
"See you tomorrow!"
"See you tomorrow Himawari-chan!" Watanuki yelled back as he skipped outside the school.
Watanuki ignored the weird looks he got and remained bouncing like a ball soaked in energy drink.
"Look, look! Higurashi-dono is waiting for someone!"
"Is she waiting for her boyfriend?"
"I heard she never dated anyone before.."
"A friend perhaps?"
Ears twitching at the familiar name, Watanuki halted his tirade and looked at the schoolgates.
"Ah~ Watanuki-kun!" he found himself being subjected to glares and stares as he approached the waving girl.
"Kagome-sempai-"
"Oh! The nerve! Calling her by her first name.."
"How shameless!"
"Isnt he the boy with the weird face?"
"That weirdo.."
Suddenly shrinking back at the whispers aimed at him, he`s early encounter with his crush were left forgotten. Memories from middle school resurfacing from his mind.
"Oi.." blinking when he felt someone draping an arm around his shoulder, he raised his head and went face to face with the understanding blue eyes of Kagome.
"Hey!" Kagome shouted, easily earning the attentions of those who are present.
"Listen guys.. Watanuki Kimihiro is my friend.." Surprise by his sempai, Watanuki couldn't do anything but gape.
"He`s my kouhai so that means he`s under my protection.." Inwardly insulted by her lack of belief on his masculinity, Watanuki noted that he`ll talk to her later about said issue.
"And if someone dare insult him, you insult me." Watanuki warily watch as Kagome said it with a smile.
The smile itself was the one that put the boy on edge. It was different from the smile she usually gave, instead, it made Watanuki shiver in fright.
"So I`ll tell you guys one thing.." her eyes closed and damn did Watanuki froze as her smile widen.
"Leave him alone.." at that moment, he didn't know why but Watanuki looked over Kagome`s shoulder and was shocked at the sight he saw.
A man. A translucent man. He was leaning on top of his sempai, elbows on top of Kagome`s head as he watched the happening in amusement, his head on top of his palms, red eyes glittering while tendrils of ebony hair hung down his back.
"-nuki-kun? Watanuki-kun?"
"Huh? Who? What?" Snapping out of his daze, he looked at Kagome`s eyes and blushed.
"Ahh.. Nothing! I just thought I saw something.."
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"Your face looks terrible." Watanuki froze at Yuko`s blatant statement..
It was on the way to the shop when Kagome asked him why he was grinning like an idiot earlier, he answered enthusiastically, forgetting about the red eyed spirit in a spur of moment.
"Yuko that`s rude.." Kagome said with a sigh.
"But `Gome, it's the truth.. He does look bad." Yuko said as Maru and Moro glomped the twitching boy while Miro glomped the priestess who had caught him and was now spinning him in circles.
"Really bad~! Really Bad~!"
"But you aren't talking about his physical face but your fortune.. Is that right Yuko?"
"Huh?" Watanuki perked.
"Your face is bad, therefore your fortune is also going to be bad.." Watanuki was about to rage but the memory from earlier made the boy grinning with joy, not noticing the way Kagome looked at him with an unreadable expression.
"It`s not going to happen~!"
"And pray tell, why?"
"Because I talked with Himawari-chan~!" Watanuki said in a sing song voice.
"Ah girl huh?" Yuko inquired.
"Yeah, and she`s really cute too.." He said, his face growing red.
"But talking to someone might change your future Watanuki-kun.." Kagome suddenly said as the three children hung from her body.
"What?"
"She`s right Watanuki.. And based on your aura, this Himawari-chan is not your lady luck.." seeing Kagome walking out of the room, Yuko immediately added;
"Who knows, your lady luck might be closer than you think.."
Watanuki was about to retort when the putrid smell of something invaded his nose..
"This is.."
"Ah.. Welcome." Said Yuko as her red eyes focused on the woman in front.
"Before I could help myself, I`m already inside this place." The woman stated.
"Don't worry.. it was fated." Yuko then saw the dirty ring and inwardly frowned.
"You can wear it.. But it wont change anything.."
"What?"
"Say.. How old are you?" Yuko asked the woman who brightened up at the question.
"Im 21 yrs. Old." At the statement, the smoke rapidly grew and Watanuki would've been suffocated if not for the handkerchief suddenly in front of his nose.
Looking sideways, his eyes widen at the sight of Kagome looking at the woman coldly, not a handkerchief in sight.
'It doesn't bother her anymore?'
"Working?"
"Yes."
"Where?"
"Advertising company, Marketing department.." The smoke grew with an eerie squee and Watanuki clutched the handkerchief close to his nose as the putrid scent penetrated the soft cloth. Looking at his sempai once more, he inaudibly gulped at the darkened face of Kagome..
And he thought her killer smile was terrifying.
"The habit.. You really don't have one?" Yuko asked as she approached the woman.
"Habit?"
"Yes.. This habit.." Yuko pointed a finger on the woman`s lips. "And this habit." Her hand fell down and pushed gently at the other female`s chest.
"Any other part that feels weird?" Yuko suddenly asked.
"Now that you mentioned it, my wrist also feels stiff."
"If you didn't find that out a little more than later, it could`ve been too late."
Watanuki followed the steady stream of smoke and silently gasped at the sight of the ring.
'The ring.. It looks dirtier than the last time..'
"Would you like some tea?" Yuko offered.
"No thank you.. I`m meeting with someone." The woman answered with a polite smile.
"With who?" Watanuki sharply looked at Kagome, noticing that it was her first time speaking. The customer looked at Kagome and smiled as well.
"My boyfriend." Watanuki staggered as the smoke grew even more, almost touching the ceiling.
"I see.."
"I have to go now.. Maybe we can have some tea next time." Yuko looked Grim as she stared at the walking woman.
"Maru, Moro, Miro, please escort the guest." Kagome calmly stated.
"Kay~!"
"But I don't think she`ll be coming back for tea anymore.." Watanuki looked curiously at Kagome, silently asking for elaboration.
"You have be careful too Watanuki." Yuko said as she sat on her plump seat.
"That smoke.. What is it?"
"It`s her habit of course." Kagome suddenly piped in.
"The reason of her stiffness.. The pinky and the wrist."
Watanuki bent his pinky over and over to see what`s the meaning of the witch`s words.
"Anyway, that girl you said earlier."
"You mean Himawari-chan~?!" He sang.
"Be careful next time you talk to her.." Watanuki immediately back pedaled.
"Wh-Why? Will something bad happen?"
"Nothing in particular.."
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Watanuki was walking through the thick crowd with Kagome accompanying him when he saw a familiar face.
"That person.." Watanuki began.
Kagome remained silent.
"I heard that she`s going to be 28 this year.."
"Eh really? If you haven't told me I wouldn't know.. She looks too cute to be a 28 year old."
"Well, because of that, she often try to change her age.."
"Its not just her age.. She`s always been like that.
"That`s her bad habit."
Watanuki froze as realization dawned on him. Meanwhile, Kagome watched silently as the woman lied over and over again as well as watched Watanuki fidget as the smoke grew and grew.
"UWAAAAa!" Watanuki shrieked as he felt someone tap him on the back.
"Kungi-san.." He heard Kagome said.
"Kagome-sempai! I told you to call me Himawari!" Himawari cheerily stated.
"You know each other?" Watanuki asked as he glanced at the lying woman.
"Why, Kagome-sempai here helped me when I was being cornered by thugs the other day.." Himawari explained.
"THUGS?!" Watanuki shrieked in alarm.
"Do you work around here?"
"Yes, in fact, Watanuki-kun is my co-worker."
"Really? How nice!"
"Listen to me!"
"Where do you guys headed too?" Himawari asked.
Watanuki pointed at the opposite direction from where the woman had left.
"Maybe we can have some tea?" Watanuki perked up at the offer.
"Yuko can wait.." Watanuki mumbled before agreeing with the twin tailed girl.
"Then lets go to the café I usually go too!" Hooking both of her arms at the two, she lead the two towards the lying woman`s path.
"Is something wrong?" Himawari asked, seeing the troubled look on Watanuki`s voice.
"Nothing.."
"What kind of doctor?" They heard someone said as they walked towards the pedestrian lane.
"A pediatrician.."
*squee*
"Married?"
"Not really but I have a boyfriend."
*squee*
"Ah! Did he give you this ring?"
"Yes! Its an antique."
*SQUEEEE*
Watanuki`s back hunched as the offending scent hit him square in the face.
"Watanuki-kun?"
Kagome silently went between the two as she observed the ring crack under the spirit. Tipping her head as she watched, she got ready as the tell tale signs of unusual happenings appeared.
Watanuki watched as the woman walked her way across the pedestrian lane. Half way there, she stopped and made a move to take the ring off.
"DON'T TAKE IT OFF!" The moment the ring slipped out of the woman`s finger, Watanuki felt someone tug his collar.
Kagome acted fast.
Turning the two kouhai forcefully with a spin on the shoulder, she threw her arms around the two and forced the two to stay in that position.
"Don't look.."
*CRASH!*
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Anti climactic.. I know but dang it people! Let me rest!
*In Japan, calling other people without suffixes such as; san, kun, chan, sama, dono are deemed disrespectful unless you're a really really close friend or family. Yuko calling Watanuki, Watanuki is fine since its only his surname.
And about the one Watanuki saw.. I will let you guess who that spirit is.