I can't believe I forgot to put a disclaimer! Of course, xxxHolic belongs to the CLAMP ladies who are wonderful artists. Any characters from other CLAMP works who may appear in this story belong also to CLAMP. You know how CLAMP themselves love crossovers, and it's one of the reasons I love CLAMP!
The curtains opened, and out stepped a tall, slender young woman with long black hair and large dark eyes, in several layers of long wide open robes, the upper layer dark blue, the rest light green, and white kimono and red hakama under the robes. The young woman gave her hand to someone in the palanquin, and another, younger girl came out, she looked very much like the first, but her robes were yellow and purple. And there was a spirit snake coiled around her.
'So Awamorishouma-in isn't deserted any more,' the older girl said. 'Are you the priest?'
Watanuki made a deep bow.
'One of them. I'm Watanuki Kimihiro. And my friend Doumeki Shizuka is the abbot.'
'I'm Minamoto no Asagao, and this is my younger sister Minamoto no Hirugao. Pleased to meet you, Watanuki-san.'
'Pleased to meet you too.'
'We always visit this temple when we travel here,' Lady Asagao said. 'It's so beautiful! It's good that it isn't empty any more.'
'We'll take care of it,' Watanuki said firmly.
'I'm sure you will,' Lady Asagao smiled.
'Please come in,' Watanuki said.
'Thank you,' Lady Asagao said.
Watanuki led Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao down the path to the abbot's residence. The servants with the palanquin followed.
'Doumekiiiiii!!!' Watanuki shouted. 'We have guests!'
Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.
Watanuki left the watering pot in the grass outside and led Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao into the house.
Doumeki came to meet them.
'Doumeki Shizuka,' he said with a deep bow.
Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.
'Minamoto no Asagao, and this is my younger sister Minamoto no Hirugao.'
'Pleased to meet you,' Doumeki said. 'You have beautiful names.'
'Thank you, Doumeki-san,' Lady Asagao said.
Doumeki looked at the spirit snake around Lady Hirugao and then at Watanuki.
Watanuki nodded.
'Please sit down,' Watanuki said. 'I'll see about the food.'
Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao nodded. They sat down and Doumeki sat down beside them.
Some time later Watanuki returned, carrying a tray with sushi, onigiri, four cups of sakura yu and two pairs of chopsticks. He put the tray down and sat down himself.
'I apologize that the meal is poor, we came here recently,' he said.
Lady Asagao took a sushi with her chopsticks, ate it and sipped some sakura yu.
'Oh, this isn't poor at all,' she said. 'Was it you who made this, Watanuki-san?'
'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.
'Doumeki-san is fortunate to have you,' Lady Asagao said.
'Yes,' Doumeki said.
'What do you mean yes!?' Watanuki shouted.
Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.
'Hirugao-chan, how are you?' Lady Asagao asked.
'Rather well, thank you, oneesan,' Lady Hirugao said.
'Hirugao-chan feels feeble, no one knows why,' Lady Asagao explained.
Watanuki and Doumeki looked at each other.
'When did you settle here?' Lady Asagao asked.
'Recently,' Watanuki said. 'We were traveling, and people that live near told us about this temple.'
'And how do you like it here?' Lady Asagao asked.
'Very much.' Watanuki smiled. 'It's beautiful here.'
'Where are you from?' Lady Asagao asked.
'A prosperous town called Tokyo,' Watanuki answered.
'It's good that Yamato people live in this temple again, and such fine young men, too!' Lady Asagao said.
Watanuki blushed.
'You two seem very close,' Lady Hirugao said.
Watanuki sighed.
'Have you visited the South before?' Lady Asagao asked.
'No,' Watanuki said.
'How do you like the South?' Lady Asagao asked.
'It's wonderful here.' Watanuki smiled.
'So it is.' Lady Asagao smiled.
'Do you know each other long?' Lady Hirugao asked.
'Several years,' Watanuki said. 'We went to school together.'
'Went to school together and now are inseparable.' Lady Hirugao smiled. 'How wonderful!'
Lady Asagao smiled too.
They finished eating by that time. Watanuki took a deep breath and asked Lady Asagao:
'Asagao-sama, you say that Hirugao-sama feels feeble. Did she feel feeble all her life?'
'No,' Lady Asagao said.
'Asagao-sama, there's a spirit snake coiled around Hirugao-sama,' Watanuki said gently. 'I think it feeds on her ki.'
Doumeki nodded.
'I think so too. I can see it too.'
'Oh!' Lady Asagao said.
'Don't worry, Asagao-sama, Doumeki can exorcise it,' Watanuki said.
Doumeki nodded.
'A-all right,' Lady Asagao said.
Doumeki went out to get his bow.
'Don't worry, Hirugao-sama,' Watanuki said. 'Everything will be all right.'
Lady Hirugao nodded shyly.
Doumeki returned carrying his bow.
'Now, Hirugao-sama, Doumeki will have to shoot the snake. But don't worry - he never misses. He was the best archer in our neighborhood. He was winning all the competitions, girls admired him for this.' Watanuki smiled.
Lady Hirugao smiled shyly.
Doumeki stood right across Lady Hirugao, drew the bowstring, aimed carefully at the snake's head and shot. The white arrow of ki flew straight and hit the snake's head. The snake dissolved.
'Oh, I feel all right now,' Lady Hirugao smiled.
'Hirugao-chan!' Lady Asagao said. 'Doumeki-san, Watanuki-san, thank you! I shall donate a lot to your temple!'
'Thank you, Asagao-sama.' Watanuki bowed deeply.
'I'll tell Minoru-san about this,' Lady Asagao said. 'Maybe he can get help here.'
'Yes!' Lady Hirugao said.
'Who is he?' Watanuki asked.
'Fujiwara no Minoru-san is Hirugao-chan's fiance,' Lady Asagao explained. 'He suffers from a strange condition too.'
'We'll be glad to help him,' Watanuki said.
'Do you play mahjong?' Lady Asagao asked.
'Yes,' Doumeki said.
'Excellent!' Lady Asagao said. 'There are four of us, as needed.'
'But I'm only a novice in mahjong,' Watanuki said.
'If you don't play, you'll never learn,' Doumeki said.
'But we don't have a mahjong set,' Watanuki said.
'We have,' Lady Asagao said. 'Please look in our palanquin, Watanuki-san.'
Watanuki went out and looked in the palanquin lying outside and found a box with mahjong tiles. He brought it back inside.
'Excellent,' Lady Asagao said.
She took the box, put it on the floor, opened it, took the tiles out and turned the box so that it formed a board.
'Obviously, we won't play for money,' Lady Asagao said. 'Instead the one who loses will have to answer a question honestly.'
Watanuki gulped.
'Do you know what Hong Kong rules are?' Doumeki asked.
'Yes,' Lady Asagao said.
'Excellent,' Doumeki said. 'Let's play by Hong Kong rules then.'
'All right,' Lady Asagao said.
'What are Hong Kong rules?' Watanuki asked.
'Classic rules,' Doumeki said. 'They are simpler.'
'Okay then,' Watanuki said.
They shuffled the tiles. Then Lady Asagao threw dice. She got five. Then Lady Hirugao threw dice. She got three. Then Doumeki threw dice. He got seven. Then Watanuki threw dice. He got two.
'Well, Doumeki-san, you are the East,' Lady Asagao said.
Doumeki nodded.
'Then Hirugao-chan is South, I am West, and Watanuki-san is North,' Lady Asagao said.
Doumeki then built a row of tiles in front of him - seventeen tiles long and two tiles high. Others did the same. Then Doumeki threw three dice. He got nine. He counted counterclockwise, starting with himself as one. Nine was him again, so he took nine tiles from the right edge of his wall and shifted them to the right. Then he took four tiles to the left. Lady Hirugao also took four tiles to the left, and so did the others, until each of them had a hand of thirteen tiles.
Watanuki looked at his hand - he had three Six Bamboos, two Three Circles, two Character Eights, two Green Dragons, three North Winds and one East Wind - a promising hand. Now if only the right tiles would come! He watched discards.
'Red Dragon,' Lady Hirugao announced, when her turn came.
'Pon,' Doumeki said, took the tile and put it in front of himself, took two similar tiles from his hand and put them alongside with the first tile.
'Three Circles,' Lady Asagao announced after some time.
'Pon!' Watanuki exclaimed, took the tile and composed a pung.
'South Wind,' Doumeki announced.
'Kan!' Lady Hirugao said merrily, took the tile and three from her hand and put them together.
'Damn, melded Kong!' Watanuki said. Lady Hirugao smiled.
'Eight Bamboos.'
'Chi,' Lady Asagao said, took the tile and two from her hand - Seven Bamboos and Nine Bamboos - and put them together.
'Seven Circles,' Doumeki said.
'Pon!' Lady Hirugao said and composed a pung.
'Character Nine,' Lady Asagao said.
'Pon,' Doumeki said and composed a pung.
'White Dragon,' Watanuki said.
'Pon,' Lady Asagao said and composed a pung.
Damn, why there is no Character Eight or Green Dragon either in the discards or the tiles I draw from the wall, Watanuki thought.
'One Bamboo,' Lady Hirugao said.
'Pon,' Doumeki said and composed a pung.
'Nine Circles,' Lady Asagao said.
'Pon!' Lady Hirugao said and composed a pung.
'One Circle,' Watanuki said.
'Ron,' Doumeki said and revealed his hand - pung of Red Dragon, pung of Character Nine, pung of One Bamboo, pung of One Circle and a pair of Character Two.
'Pung of Dragon, three pungs of terminals, pung hand and the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea!' Lady Asagao exclaimed.
'What's the Moon from the Bottom of the Sea?' Watanuki asked.
'When the tile that completes your hand is One Circle,' Doumeki said. 'See, the One Circle tile has a large blue circle on it. It's a Chinese yaku.'
'Well, it's not MY hand, it's YOURS!' Watanuki said.
Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao smiled.
Lady Hirugao revealed her hand - kong of South Wind, pung of Seven Circles, pung of Nine Circles, Character Four, Character Five, two East Winds and Three Bamboos.
'Kong of Wind, pung of terminals and pair of Prevailing Wind,' Lady Asagao said. 'Not bad.'
She revealed her own hand - chi of Seven Bamboos, Eight Bamboos and Nine Bamboos, pung of White Dragon, concealed pung of Character One, two Four Bamboos, Eight Circles, Character Six and Two Circles.
'Pung of Dragon and pung of terminals,' Doumeki said.
Then Watanuki revealed his hand - pung of Three Circles, concealed pung of Six Bamboos, concealed pung of North Wind, two Character Eights, two Green Dragons and One Circle.
'Pung of Wind and pair of Dragons,' Lady Hirugao said. 'If you continue like this, Watanuki-san, you'll lose!'
'Well, it's not my fault the right tiles don't come to me!' Watanuki said.
'Well, the deal doesn't pass,' Lady Asagao said. 'You remain the East, Doumeki-san.'
Doumeki nodded.
Watanuki played with variable success. All four of them had their turn as the dealer, and then they entered the next round, sometimes there were draws and redeals, Round East changed to Round South, then to Round West and Round North. In the end, Lady Hirugao had the most points, Doumeki came in second, Lady Asagao third, and Watanuki was in the last place.
'So, Watanuki-san, you lost,' Lady Hirugao said.
Watanuki blushed.
'You must answer honestly, Watanuki-san,' Lady Hirugao said.
'Y-yes,' Watanuki said.
'Hmm, let's see,' Lady Hirugao said.
Watanuki held his breath.
'Watanuki-san, are you Doumeki-san's lover?' Lady Hirugao asked.
'NO!!!' Watanuki said.
'No? I thought you were,' Lady Hirugao said. 'You get along so well!'
'Well, I am not,' Watanuki said.
'You are really close friends then,' Lady Hirugao said.
Watanuki sighed.
'You must have seen many ghosts,' Lady Asagao said.
'Yeah,' Watanuki said. 'And Doumeki's grandfather was a powerful priest, he saw a lot of ghosts too.'
'Let's play Hyaku Monogatari,' Lady Asagao said.
'What?' Watanuki said.
'This temple was abandoned for a long time, so there are no ghosts here,' Doumeki said.
'Oh, alright then,' Watanuki said.
'Bring sake and pickles,' Doumeki said.
'Don't order me!' Watanuki said, but went to the kitchen.
He brought a tray with four cups of sake and four saucers with pickles, put it on the floor and sat down near Doumeki, Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao.
'This story was told to me by Taira no Natsuko-san, who serves like me at the Court,' Lady Asagao said. 'She had a relative named Taira no Fumi-san, a young, beautiful and gentle lady. Fumi-san was engaged to a handsome and brave young man called Sugawara no Takanori-san. They were deeply in love. But Fumi-san died of pneumonia before they married. Takanori-san grieved very much, but one day Fumi-san's spirit appeared before him. She was as beautiful as she was in life, and she said, 'Don't be so sad, Takanori-san. I love you, and I don't want you to be sad.' She disappeared, and Takanori-san recovered and later fell in love again and married happily.'
'How beautiful!' Lady Hirugao said.
Watanuki and Doumeki nodded.
'This story was told to me by my fiance, Fujiwara no Minoru-san,' Lady Hirugao said. 'Once there was a cruel daimyo, and he took a castle named Umehara and wanted to put all its inhabitants to death. But then a spirit in full armor and with a spear appeared and fought with the daimyo. He killed the daimyo, and disappeared. The daimyo's men then gave up, because they served him only out of fear. Later the inhabitants of the castle discovered that the spirit was looking exactly like the portrait of the founder of the castle, Konoe no Ryusuke-san. He was a powerful warrior in his life, and he came to save his people in time of need!'
'Amazing!' Watanuki said.
Lady Asagao and Doumeki nodded.
'This was told to me by my paternal grandfather, Doumeki Haruka-san,' Doumeki said. 'Once he was taking a stroll, and happened to look up to the sky, and suddenly saw a bird that was as large as a mountain and cast a huge shadow to the ground, in fact. But nobody around him seemed to notice it. Thankfully, it just flew overhead and didn't try to harm any people. It seems it just was a harmless spirit bird.'
'It must be amazing to see all those things,' Lady Asagao said.
'Yes,' Watanuki said.
Doumeki nodded.
'Was Haruka-san the one you inherited your powers from, Doumeki-san?' Lady Asagao asked.
'Yes,' Doumeki said.
'He even looks exactly like Haruka-san!' Watanuki said.
'You knew him?' Lady Asagao asked.
'I know him.' Watanuki smiled. 'His spirit. He likes to chat with me. I like to chat with him too. He's much more agreeable than this oaf here. For some reason, he looks young, like Doumeki now. The first time I saw him I thought he was Doumeki.'
'Did he die young?' Lady Hirugao asked.
'Rather young, yes,' Doumeki said.
'That explains it,' Lady Asagao said.
'Oh, he did?' Watanuki said.
'Yes,' Doumeki said.
'Do you know how I met Haruka-san?' Watanuki said. 'Once I gave cookies I made to a girl I went to school with called Kunogi Himawari-chan, a very sweet girl. She told me she had a nightmare where she had a feeling someone was watching her. Later Doumeki said he had a dream about his grandfather and his horse. Also he said that Himawari-chan gave some of my cookies to him. In the evening I felt that someone was watching me. It turned that it was a large ayakashi. It pursued me and caught me and nearly ate me when Doumeki on a white horse appeared and shot it. Then I saw my friend, Ichihara Yuuko-san. She said that I bought both Himawari-chan's and Doumeki's dreams when I gave my cookies to Himawari-chan. I was lucky that Himawari-chan gave some of my cookies to Doumeki, because if I hadn't, ayakashi from her dream would eat me. But Doumeki's grandfather saved me. Later he started to appear in my dreams, and I learned his name was Doumeki Haruka-san.'
'Most unusual,' Lady Asagao said. Lady Hirugao nodded.
They played long into the night. Then Watanuki showed Lady Hirugao and Lady Asagao to the rooms he thought were the best for them, made the futons for them, bade them good night and went to sleep himself.
At night he awoke because he wanted to drink. He went to the well. When he was walking through the garden, he suddenly saw a being with long tusks and large eyes showing out of very long mane, so long that only the mane could be seen.
Watanuki froze.
'Don't be afraid, I will not harm you,' the creature said in a deep voice.
'Y-you won't?' Watanuki said.
'I know that you are a very powerful seer, and many spirits want to devour you, but I am a guardian spirit.'
'A guardian spirit?'
'I am the guardian of this temple. I guard this temple and its priests.'
'Oh,' Watanuki said.
'My kind is called the otoroshi. Have you never seen ones like me?'
Watanuki shook his head.
'You are so young,' the otoroshi said.
Watanuki blushed.
'You and your friend are good people and take good care of the temple, especially you.'
Watanuki blushed again.
'It's good that this temple is no longer abandoned,' the otoroshi said. 'I hope we shall become good friends.'
'So do I,' Watanuki said.
'My name is Kagemaru,' the otoroshi said.
'I am Watanuki Kimihiro.' Watanuki bowed.
'You are famous in the spirit world, Watanuki-kun,' Kagemaru said. 'How you saved Zashiki-Warashi from Jorogumo, and the incident at the Ghost Parade, and many other things. And the other youth that is always with you, he is the same one that is with you here. At the Ghost Parade you even were holding each other's hands!'
'Two humans must hold the Chinese lantern like this so that the spirits won't notice they are humans,' Watanuki explained.
'Oh,' Kagemaru said.
'They nearly killed us when we parted hands.'
'How did you like the nectar of the Tree, Watanuki-kun?'
'It was wonderful,' Watanuki said.
'I was there, you know, and saw you a bit. You look so good together!'
Watanuki groaned.
'But I could never imagine you will be the priests in my temple.'
'I've never heard of this place.' Watanuki smiled.
'You are from another dimension, aren't you?'
'Yes. I'm from Tokyo in Japan on Earth.'
'And so is Doumeki-kun?'
'Yes.'
'Do you know Zashiki Warashi likes you?'
'Yes.' Watanuki blushed.
'She is a beautiful and sweet girl.'
'I know. But I don't like her that way.'
'I see.'
'How long do you live here?'
'Five hundred years.'
'Oh.'
'Who is that powerful kitsune that is often seen with you?'
'He's a kudagitsune. I named him Mugetsu.' Watanuki smiled.
'Moonless night?'
'Yes, because he appears and disappears suddenly.'
'A good name.'
'I tried my best.' Watanuki smiled.
'I heard Jorogumo ate your eye. But you have both eyes, and one is brown.'
'Doumeki gave half of his eye to me.'
'Really? You know, in one dimension it's a custom among demons to give half of your eye to your beloved.'
'R-really?'
'Yes. Not so long ago there was a huge uproar in that dimension because the Crown Prince of Hell, Kokuyou-sama, gave half of his eye to the Archangel of Wind, Hisui-sama, and eloped with him to the land of humans. And later Hisui-sama's favorite disciple and the purest angel, Kohaku-san, went to search for Hisui-sama and fell in love with a human, Kudou Shuuichirou-san. Later Shuuichirou-san suddenly died, but Kohaku-san waited a hundred years for Shuuichirou-san to be reincarnated. Both couples now live happily in the land of humans.'
'Angels fall in love with demons and humans?' Watanuki blinked.
'Love knows no boundaries, Watanuki-kun.'
'Do you know the Witch of Dimensions, Kagemaru-san?'
'Of course!'
'Please go to her and tell her where we are and that we are all right.'
'I will. You were her apprentice, right?'
'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.
'She is a fabulous woman.'
'Yes, she is.' Watanuki smiled.
'Thank you for curing Hirugao-sama. Asagao-sama and Hirugao-sama care about this temple.'
'It's nothing. Hirugao-sama needed help, so we helped her.'
'You are a good boy, Watanuki-kun.'
Watanuki blushed.
'You made friends with the Zhou family, right? I saw Shuin-chan seeing you off at the gate.'
'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'They were the first people we met here. They told us about Awamorishouma-in.'
'It's good. They are good people, and they are our neighbors.'
'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.
'Oyasumi nasai, Watanuki-kun.'
'Oyasumi nasai, Kagemaru-san.'
Kagemaru disappeared, and Watanuki proceeded to go to the well.
The next morning Watanuki and Doumeki were having breakfast alone. Their guests were sleeping late. Suddenly there was a shimmer in the air and Kagemaru appeared.
'Ohayou gozaimasu, Kagemaru-san,' Watanuki said.
'Ohayou, Watanuki-kun,' Kagemaru said.
'Is this the otoroshi of this temple?' Doumeki said, completely unsurprised.
'Yes,' Watanuki said. 'This is Kagemaru-san. Kagemaru-san, this is Doumeki Shizuka.'
'No honorific?' Kagemaru said with a smile in his voice.
Watanuki sighed.
Kagemaru moved to the table and sat down with them. Watanuki went and got third cup of tea.
'How did you meet?' Doumeki asked.
'Last night, I went to drink, and Kagemaru-san just was there in the garden. He knows a lot about us. And he promised to go to Yuuko-san and tell her where we were. Did you see her, Kagemaru-san?'
'Yes. She said she will come here when our guests leave.'
'She probably just had too much sake and has a hangover again,' Watanuki said. 'I wonder, who'll get hangover medicine for her without me there?'
'She likes sake?' Kagemaru said.
'Yes, very much,' Watanuki said.
A hairy paw with curved claws appeared out of Kagemaru's mane and took an onigiri and put it somewhere into Kagemaru's mane, then appeared again, took a cup of tea and carried it to the mane.
'Oh, sakura yu!' Kagemaru said.'You are a very good cook, Watanuki-kun.
Watanuki blushed.
'Mukyuu Kannon-ji had never seen a better cook,' Kagemaru said.
'Mukyuu Kannon-ji?' Watanuki asked.
'The official name of this temple, idiot,' Doumeki said. 'It's on the gate.'
'Well, excuse me if I thought of other matters back then!' Watanuki said.
Kagemaru chuckled.
'Ano, Kagemaru-san, do you know where is the nearest market here?' Watanuki asked.
'Of course,' Kagemaru said. 'It's in the town of Anzhou. I'll show you.'
'Thank you. I need to buy more food,' Watanuki said.
'And I want to buy some arrows,' Doumeki said. 'There are surely not only spirits but also robbers here.'
'Yes,' Kagemaru said.
'Figures,' Doumeki said.
'You'll see, Kagemaru-san, what I can do with more variety of food,' Watanuki said.
'I am sure you shall do something wonderful, Watanuki-kun,' Kagemaru said.
'I'll surprise you!' Watanuki smiled.
'You like it here at Awamorishouma-in, do you not, Watanuki-kun?' Kagemaru asked.
'Yes.' Watanuki smiled.
'You too, Doumeki-kun?' Kagemaru asked.
Doumeki nodded.
Later Watanuki and Doumeki were seeing Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao off. Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao went to the main hall, and Lady Asagao reached her hand into her robes, took out two strings of hundred coins and put them into the box for donations.
'Th-thank you, Asagao-sama!' Watanuki exclaimed. 'That's very generous of you!'
'It's nothing.' Lady Asagao smiled. 'You helped Hirugao-chan.'
Then Watanuki and Doumeki walked Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao to the gate. Lady Asagao and Lady Hirugao climbed into their palanquin.
'Please come back again!' Watanuki said.
'We will.' Lady Asagao smiled. 'This temple is lovely, and with priests like you it is even better.'
'Thank you.' Watanuki blushed.
The palanquin started moving. Watanuki waved his hand till the palanquin disappeared among the bamboos.
When Watanuki, Doumeki and Kagemaru were having lunch, air shimmered and Yuuko appeared. She was wearing a silk crimson cheongsam embroidered with golden butterflies and with golden border, and her hair was in a Chinese knot with gold butterfly hairpins.
'Yuuko-san!' Watanuki said.
'Watanuki, Doumeki.' Yuuko smiled. 'You look like a young married couple!'
Watanuki groaned.
'Yuuko-chan,' Kagemaru said.
'Kagemaru-san.' Yuuko smiled.
Yuuko sat down at the table. Watanuki went and got a pair of chopsticks and a cup of tea for her. Yuuko took a sasazushi with her chopsticks, ate it and sipped her tea.
'Oh, wonderful sakura yu! And sushi too. You're the best cook in the universe, Watanuki!'
Watanuki blushed.
'Yuuko-san, about this place...'
'Some strong magic got you both here,' Yuuko said. 'And now it seems you both can't leave this dimension. What is strange, I can't determine whose magic it is.'
'What?' Watanuki said.
'Yes. So it seems you stay here for now,' Yuuko said.
'I see,' Watanuki said.
'You don't seem sad.' Yuuko smiled.
'It's a good place,' Watanuki said.
'You two are so cozy here,' Yuuko said. 'And you've got new friends.'
'Yes.' Watanuki smiled. 'This nice Chinese family, the Zhous, who invited us to their house and told us about this place. And the nice sisters, Minamoto, who visited us and kept us company. And of course Kagemaru-san, though I was scared at first when I saw him - and who wouldn't be in my place?'
'Yes.' Kagemaru chuckled. 'I do look imposing, but I am a friend to the priests of this temple and their friends, as long as they are good people.'
'Oh, Watanuki and Doumeki are good people all right.' Yuuko smiled.
'I know,' Kagemaru said.
'Now that we know Kagemaru-san is living here also, we three can play three-player mahjong,' Doumeki said.
'Three-player mahjong? I thought mahjong was for four people,' Watanuki said.
'No, there is three-player mahjong too,' Doumeki said. 'In it there is no chow and no North round, and no tiles two to eight in the Characters suit. The rest is the same.'
'I'll probably be the West, then,' Watanuki grumbled. 'Four is the first character of my name, after all.'
'Really?' Kagemaru asked.
'My surname is written as 'April First',' Watanuki explained.
'I see the connection, but it is most unusual,' Kagemaru said.
'Tell me about it,' Watanuki snorted. 'Moreover, April First is my birthday.'
'Very strange,' Kagemaru said.
'My Watanuki is unusual.' Yuuko smiled.
'Come to visit us often, Yuuko-san,' Watanuki said. 'And bring Himawari-chan, Tanpopo, Mugetsu, Mokona and Kohane-chan with you.'
'Of course.' Yuuko smiled.
'Who is Tanpopo?' Kagemaru asked.
'A magic bird that Himawari-chan has.' Watanuki smiled. 'Himawari-chan brings bad luck to other people, and Tanpopo is unaffected by that. Tanpopo hatched from a magic egg Yuuko-san gave to me. Himawari-chan asked me to name him, and I named him Tanpopo, because he is yellow.'
'And who is Kohane-chan?'
'Tsuyuri Kohane-chan is a girl who is a seer like me,' Watanuki said. 'Kohane-chan's surname is written 'May Third.'
'And Kohane means 'little feather',' Kagemaru said. 'A lovely name.'
'You already know the black manjuu?' Watanuki asked.
'Mokona-chan? Yes.' Kagemaru chuckled.