Chapter 4

He opened his eyes to a blurred ceiling. Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and glared at his bed. No matter how long he slept, he still felt tired. It was like his strength was being bled dry.

You better figure it out soon or you might loss yourself to the dreams prediction. Yuuko's voice flitted through his head as he remembered what she had said the night before. Was he really losing himself to the dream? Was it consuming his strength before it took his mind?

'It can't be that. I'm probably coming down with something which combined with the lake of sleep to make me feel like shit.' he thought to himself as he heaved himself out of bed.

Trudging to the bathroom, he slipped into the shower and turned it on. He stood there and leaned against the wall as the water warmed and ran down his aching body. "Why is this happening to me?" he asked himself quietly. "I never asked for this to happen."

If you don't figure out what they are trying to tell you… What were the dreams trying to tell him? Going over the dream in his mind he concluded all but one thing made no sense. The only thing familiar in the dream was where he was. He had been on that road, but couldn't for the life of him remember what road it was and where it lead.

Washing his hair, he slipped out of the shower after turning it off and donned another robe. Since it was Sunday and there was no school, he was going to work in Yuuko's shop for most, or all, of the day.

"Watanuki, where's breakfast?" he heard Yuuko's voice float down the hall from where he stood out side his door.

"It's not ready yet. You're going to have to wait and YOU CAN'T DRINK SAKE YET, IT'S STILL MORNING." He yelled back at her. The only response was he faint laughter. Grumbling, he went into the kitchen to make some omelets for her.

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He had just finished cleaning the kitchen, when something smacked into the back of his head. "Watanukiiiii." Mokona cried as he sat on his head. "Bring out SAKE, SAKE!" he cried at the top of his lungs.

Reaching for the fuzzy, black ball, he yelled, "Oh no, today, I'm going to make you into a nice fat dumpling, after I've skinned you, mashed you into a dumpling shape, covered you in flour and dumped you into a pot of hot, I'll serve you to Yuuko-san as a sake treat with a dipping sauce." His imagination in over drive, he went to grab Mokona, but caught air.

Mokona jumped out the kitchen with Watanuki in hot pursuit. "Why you, get back here." He yelled. He ran to the back porch where Yuuko sat at her favorite table with Doumeki.

"Watanuki, where's the sake? I sent Mokona to tell you to bring some." Yuuko asked.

Sighing he replied, "Hang on, let me go get it." Going back to the kitchen he grabbed three sake bottles and set them on the counter. Going to the stove, he took off the teapot of hot water that he had warmed up for tea and set some tea bags in it to let it steep.

Gathering everything on a tray, with some snakes for Yuuko, he walked back out to the porch. "Here, are you happy?" He demanded as he set the heavy tray down. Mokona rushed over and grabbed one of the sake bottles and started to pour some into his cup.

He glared at him as he poured some tea for himself and Doumeki, than sat. He let the cup warm his hands. They were cold even on this warm day. He sat there dazed for a moment when he heard Yuuko talking to him. "Huh, what was that you said?"

"I said, Watanuki, that later on today, I want you and Doumeki to get something from a friend of mine. Her house is near Doumeki's so he can show you where it is. After that we can have an early dinner." She grinned at the prospect of food to come.

Glaring at the big oaf, he declared, "Fine, but he gets to carry it, what ever 'it' is."

"Unn." Was all Doumeki said as he downed more tea and refilled his cup.

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They left a little after noon. It was a warm day with a slight warm breeze that seemed to make you hotter than cool you down. By the time he was half way there, Watanuki was sweating. It was humid to the point of suffocation, or he thought it was. Doumeki showed no sign of discomfort.

He hated it. He was still trudging along when he finally grew bored and started to look around. It wasn't like he hadn't been this way before, but he was bored. It was mainly a street lined with yards enclosed with stone walls.

It had the effect of seeming to go on forever, but he could see the difference in each wall. That one was higher, that one painted a light green instead of white, that one had a gate in the wall facing the street. 'I bet if it was dark out, they would all look the same.' he thought with a laugh.

He stopped in his tracks and stared at nothing. Something had clicked in his head. This… this was the road. The road he was always running down in his dreams. But why, why this road. It didn't lead anywhere he would want or need to go.

"Oi, hurry up." Doumeki called ahead. He sighed irritably and quickened his pace to catch up.

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'Damn that Yuuko, making me carry that heavy thing in this heat.' He growled in his head. It had been a large mirror incased in red wood (expensive o_O). It was really heavy and had taken both of them some effort to carry it back. 'Even Doumeki was tired after carrying that damn mirror.' he ranted still in his head. 'And now she wants me to make dinner. Well, she is going to have to wait because I'm going to take a shower to get clean and blessedly cool.'

He ran to the bathroom and took a quick, cool shower to wash away the dust (from the mirror) and the sweat. Getting out, he walked out on the porch and demanded, "What is it you want for dinner?"

"Chicken stir-fry, with pasta parmesan, and some soda bread." she replied evenly. "Oh and some Kirin beer if you please."

"Ch…tsu...if…FINE!" He wailed as he stomped down the hallway to the kitchen.

He started be getting the bread ingredients together, mixing them, and letting the bread rise, than throwing it in the oven to bake. Going into the back of the kitchen where she kept her liquor cabinet, he pulled out two six packs and set one in a tub of ice so she could have both warm and cold beer.

He was so busy chopping vegetables for the stir-fry, that he didn't hear Doumeki enter the kitchen. Stopping for a moment to wipe his slightly sweaty forehead, he noticed him standing near him.

"YOU ARE IN THE GREAT WATANUKI-SAMA'S DOMAIN. PLEASE LEAVE UNTIL I CALL YOU IN HERE, IF I EVER DO." he declared loudly. Turning, he started chopping. He didn't hear Doumeki leave. He glances up and saw him still standing there. Of course at that moment, the knife slipped and scoured his palm.

"Tch… damn it." He muttered to himself.

"Where is the first aid kit?" He heard Doumeki ask.

"It's on the top left hand shelf in that cabinet over there." He replied as he went to the sink to wash his hand off.

"Here it is." Watanuki held his hand out to him. Taking out a bottle of disinfect, he sprayed a few shots than took out a gauze pad and some clothe bandages. He placed the pad over the cut and started to wrap it with the cloth.

Watanuki, stared at his hands. They were long boned with delicate looking fingers. They were surprisingly gentle as the firmly wrapped the bandage around his hand. He could see some old scars that were silvery white.

'They must have happened years ago.' he thought to himself. He had been staring at the hands for so long that it took a moment for him to realize that he had finished wrapping his hand, but he hadn't let go. They felt really warm, almost hot. His skin began to tingle as he still didn't let go.

Finally he gathered the courage to look up at his face. He was staring intently at him. He felt his heart squeeze for a moment than give a painful thump. A blush began to creep up his neck and onto his face. Shacking he slowly took his hands from Doumeki's and turned to the cutting board and vegetables. "Thank you for your help. Can you go tell Yuuko, dinner will be ready shortly?"

"Yea." He replied as he walked out of the kitchen. His hands began to shake so he put the knife down. Staring into space, he stood there for a while until the timer on the stove forced him to move. Taking the bread out, he cut it up into small peaces and put it on a plate.

He finished cutting up the vegetables and chicken, than fried them in the skillet. Gathering all the things and the noodles that he had finished last, he set it on a tray and took it out side to them.

Throughout the dinner, he didn't talk, though Yuuko talked enough to fill in his place. He refused to look at Doumeki. He just sat there eating his dinner, and when finished gathered up the dishes. Reaching for Doumeki's plate, their fingers brushed each other, but he didn't look up.

Walking back into the kitchen, and cleaned up. Doumeki left before he was finished and though he denied it, he was relieved. Finished with everything he crawled into bed for another sleepless night. Though looked forward to it because it meant that he wouldn't have to think about what had happened.

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Yay, chapter 4 is up and running. Poor Watanuki, running on little sleep and having to deal with confusing things. I hope he doesn't collapse from the strain. Anyway, I'll try to update chapter 5, but it may take some time. Next week, my schedule get busy again so it may take me some time to finish this story, though I've already been working on it in my head for the last 6 months. o_O And as always enjoy and please comment on my story and give any helpful advice if you have any to improve my story.