The Clarity of Assumption

Chapter 3: I assumed you would be there

Watanuki passed through the gateway of Yuuko's shop, thinking furiously. What did she mean by "missing something?" Surely she didn't know about Doumeki's absence from school today—but then again, she knew all sorts of things about him that he himself didn't even know. But even if that was what she meant by "missing something," it still didn't make sense. How was he supposed to "be careful, but not too careful?" And she never refused his food—even if it was leftovers.

Doumeki's house was on the way home for him. As he passed by, he peeked around. No one seemed to be home—all the lights were out. Just as he suspected. Probably gone on a trip. How rude of him for not telling Himawari at least—the poor girl was so worried! Let alone telling him. But he could yell at him later for that.

Walking in silence, Watanuki frowned. What else had Yuuko-san told him… oh yeah. "The courage to face his fear." What was THAT supposed to mean? She had also said "tonight." He shivered as he imagined some scary spirit waiting for him at home. Yuuko-san had set up some wards for him—surely those would protect him from those hungry spirits.

He suddenly realized with another shiver that the warm, protected feeling that Doumeki always unconsciously provided for him was not there. But he didn't mind that—the jerk was always getting involved in his business, sticking his nose in where it didn't belong. "It's good that he has a vacation, then…" he said to himself, stopping in the street to get a better grip on the furoshiki. "Maybe he needed the time off."

Watanuki shivered again, and realized that he could see his breath. In the middle of spring? Why was the air so cold? He glanced around, checking for condensation. He could still see his breath, but he didn't see any ice or dew on the grass. What was going on…? He turned to check his tracks, and stopped dead.

A sparkling mountain of ice was bristling where his tracks once were.

Puzzled, he approached it with caution. He reached out and touched the surface of the ice with his right hand. It felt cold, but a different kind of cold than normal ice… he looked up in confusion. Why was it suddenly here? And then, he gasped.

A red eye stared down at him, burrowed deep in the ice.

"S…Shit!" he stammered. He turned and began to run towards his house as fast as he could. He had been careless, thinking about too many things—and now he might possibly be screwed. And there was no one around to help him—Yuuko had been right, as always!

He cursed again as he realized that his feet were moving slower than usual, as if he were wading through really deep water. The cold had entered his feet, and was moving painfully up his legs. After some struggle, he finally had to stop, as his legs were fully impaired and would not budge.

He turned back and saw the red eye, shining in the sparkling block of ice. It was going to have its snack tonight… he cried out in pain as the cold began seeping up his body. It wasn't going to stop—it was going keep going until he was completely frozen. And then the monster would eat him. He closed his eyes and tried to forget about the red eye that was looming over him. If only he had left work a little earlier. If only he had listened to Yuuko about being careful.

If only… if only…someone…!

Suddenly, there was a whooshing sound, followed by a piercing wail. Watanuki's eyes snapped open. The spirit was writing, and there was a glowing column of light emanating from its front. The brightness was intense, and he covered his eyes with his arm. He had seen that light before—many times before. The coldness began receding from his body and legs, and he turned about as best he could to look around him.

Another beam of light shot through the night sky and hit the spirit, this time in its singular red eye. It screeched wildly, flailing about, until it seemed to have lost all of its energy. A crack formed where the beam of light had hit it initially, and then, like magic, the crack spread all the way down its body, shattering it into tiny pieces. Coughing, Watanuki waved the smoke away from his vision and peered carefully into the darkness.

There was someone there. Someone familiar.

"Idiot. What are you doing, walking home alone at this time of night."

Watanuki scowled, but internally breathed a sigh of relief. So he was here after all, that jerk. "Doumeki."

The tall, slender figure emerged from the smoke, carrying his kyudo bow. He was dressed in his traditional gi that he wore around the temple. "You should be more careful next time."

"Well, you're one to talk," Watanuki huffed, getting up and brushing off his uniform. "What are you doing, following me around like some kind of stalker? It's bad enough that you see what I'm doing anyway." He pointed miserably at his right eye. "It's not fair that I can't see what you're doing, too. Then I would have known why you were not at school today."

He waitied for an answer, but none came. Watanuki cocked an eyebrow. "What, you got nothing to say? Not even when Himawari-chan worried so much about you?" He crossed his arms. "You really are very rude."

Still no response. Watanuki dropped his arms and stalked forward. "Doumeki! How dare you not answer me, you big—" he stopped mid sentence and mid step as he got a closer look. His eyes averted, Doumeki was paler than usual, and completely out of breath.

"D…Did you just go for a run, or something? You look tired…"

"No. I'm fine." Doumeki turned around, but swayed a little. "Should have told you about not coming to school today. I.. I was…"

"….sick…" Watanuki breathed in disbelief. "You're sick… aren't you?"

Doumeki stopped staggering away for a moment. Then, as if it made any difference, began to stagger away again.

"H-hey! Stop it, you idiot," Watanuki hissed, running forward. "You'll fall down—"

Catching Doumeki's arm to balance him, he gasped. "You're… you're burning up! You must have the flu… what have you been doing?"

Doumeki tried to resist Watanuki's grip, but failed miserably. "Leave me alone. You should… you should get back to your house, before another one comes to get you." Doumeki voice faltered visibly, and Watanuki's grip tightened. "Stop being stupid. Come on."

He slung Doumeki's arm over his shoulder and began walking. "I'll take you back to the temple. Your family must be very worried about you, leaving the house at a time like this."

Doumeki seemed too tired to answer, so they made their way back to the temple in silence. Watanuki was still in disbelief. Himawari-chan was right… why else would he not have said anything about it? Although the teacher would have known because Doumeki's parents would have called the school—but the teacher hadn't mentioned anything…

They arrived at the temple after quite a while. Watanuki slipped as quietly as he could into the first room. "I'm sorry for intruding…" he whispered softly to the darkness as he dragged Doumeki through the room into the hallway. "Hey, where are your parents? I need to tell them that you're alright."

Doumeki raised his head with effort. "M…moron. You don't need to whisper."

Watanuki glared at him. "Well, I don't want to wake them up just yet! Where is your room?"

"T…they're on a family trip."

Watanuki stopped and stared at Doumeki's face, which looked even paler in the darkness. "W…what?"

"They aren't here. They left two days ago," Doumeki muttered, looking away from him.

"Wha…WHAT?!?!?" Watanuki hollered, and Doumeki winced slightly. "Y…you were sick… AND ALONE?! What were you THINKING?!"

Watanuki stormed back into the main room and looked around frantically. "Of course you're sick! You're probably a lot sicker than you think!!" He spotted a pile of folded blankets and a pillow in the corner of the room. Despite his rage, he gently unhooked Doumeki's arm from around his shoulder and laid him down on the floor. Attacking the bedding, he laid it out as neatly as he could and then moved Doumeki into it.

"Idiot. IDIOT! Stay here. If you don't, I'm going to keep screaming at you until you pass out." Watanuki huffed, getting up. "I'm using your kitchen. And your bathroom. Try to get some rest." He shuffled out of the room, muttering to himself.

Doumeki watched him leave the room, and spotted a colorful furoshiki bag next to the door. It had some bento boxes in it.

"… I wasn't there to eat it…" he muttered, with some regret. "I wonder what he put in there today…"

Again, thanks for reading! Chapter 4 to come.

Translations and Insiders

Kyudo- The traditional Japanese martial art of archery. It is a very competitive sport in Japan.

Gi- a uniform, or a typical outfit. Used in reference to martial arts or temple practices.

Entering the house- In Japan and Korea, when entering the house you say a customary "I'm home," or "sorry to enter," so as to excuse your rudeness. Likewise, when you leave the house you say "I am leaving," or "Excuse me for leaving before you."

Bedding- Doumeki sleeps on the floor in a traditional Japanese (and Korean) way. The Japanese traditionally sleep on the floor, but since Westernization have begun to use beds. Regardless, futons and floor mattresses are much more common due to the limited space in residences.

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