Good evening, everyone!
It feels weird to be posting a new chapter late like this, but this chapter actually took me a weirdly long time to edit and I only just got it to a good place. Also it's freezing outside so forget going anywhere tonight!
I hope you're all doing well, thanks for sticking with the story so far! We're still building, but if we think of it like a roller coaster ride, we're almost at the top of the first lift hill. That first drop is coming, and I'm excited.
In the meantime, please enjoy chapter 10!
Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to xxxHolic and I'm making no money off of this.
Watanuki hadn't really brought outdoor clothes or supplies with him, because why would he, but he did the best he could, changing into something more casual and lathering on sunblock and bug spray from their suite's bathroom. He and Doumeki then picked up the bottles of water inn staff had left for them when they'd come to put away the futon and headed out through the courtyard and into the lobby where the hiking group was to congregate. One of the doctors, apparently leading the expedition, stood by the reception desk dressed, in sharp contrast to Dr. Sakurai's suit, in full camping gear. Watanuki and Doumeki spotted Yuriko and Renjiro at once, and they waved them over. Yuriko was still wearing her huge sweatshirt, but had swapped her jeans for yoga pants.
"Hi," she said, sounding like she had a bad cold.
"Hi," said Watanuki, and his concern for her was like a lifeline against the tide of whatever Dr. Sakurai had unearthed inside him.
"Good morning!" their guide called, and everyone in the group turned to look at him. However, Watanuki barely listened to his warnings about sticking together and not going off the designated trails: he was too distracted by Yuriko's churning emotions, or were they his own?
"Are you okay?" Watanuki asked her, under his breath, tugging on his lifeline even though it might pull him somewhere dangerous.
"What? Yeah of course, we just-" but at that moment the group began to walk out the front door, around the side of the building and up into the surrounding pine forest. To Watanuki's relief, the path was clear, flat and wide, not at all the intense mountaineering he'd feared. As the thick trees closed in around them, the smell of the pine and the soft sunlight soothed Watanuki's pounding heart and burning throat, and the tension in his chest eased a little in spite of himself. Beside him, Yuriko shuddered and shoved her hands deeper into her pockets.
"How did your session go?" he asked her, tentatively.
"I have no idea," she replied, her eyes fixed upon her husband's back as he walked beside Doumeki. "I have no idea what I'm doing. What we're doing." She swallowed.
"Are you not committed to staying together?" Watanuki asked, thinking of Dr. Sakurai's question.
"No, I am," replied Yuriko at once, "it just seems like it's pointless. I can't do anything right recently, every fight is my fault and I don't know how to make it better."
"I'm sorry," said Watanuki, acutely aware of her pain in his own chest. "How long have you been feeling this way?" The path curved suddenly and they began to climb a sloping hill.
"The last few months. I thought I was depressed or something, so I've tried all these things, but nothing helps. Poor Renjiro must be disgusted with me." Her voice broke and she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. Watanuki recalled Renjiro sitting beside her at breakfast, acting so loving and tender towards her, and thought this unlikely, but he doubted pointing it out would be helpful. Up ahead, Doumeki placed an encouraging hand on Renjiro's shoulder.
"I'm sorry," said Watanuki again, because it was all he could think of to say, and they were silent until they reached the top of the hill. The trees suddenly cleared, revealing a glorious view of the inn and the sparkling ocean below. Watanuki paused to take a sip of water while Yuriko unzipped her sweatshirt. It was the first time he'd seen it undone, and he noticed at once the delicate gold necklace she wore. "That necklace is beautiful," he said, though as he looked at it properly he experienced a sudden wave of dizziness.
"Oh, thank you," she replied, fingering the chain tenderly. Watanuki's stomach lurched as she looked him in the eye. Just like at breakfast, something shifted in her expression, and her eyes seemed to flash. "Can I have a sip of your water?" she asked, her tone suddenly sharp, confident and demanding.
"What?" asked Watanuki, perplexed, and both Doumeki and Renjiro turned around.
"Your water, can I have a sip?" asked Yuriko again, tilting her head to the side. Watanuki pressed his free hand to his mouth, but before he could swallow his nausea and reply, Yuriko seized the bottle from him and drank greedily from it. She swallowed the water with relish, then handed the bottle back to him with a smile that, along with her dark under eye circles, the low light and their previous conversation, looked rather sinister. Her eyes flashed again, and Watanuki stepped back, his hand still pressed over his mouth and mind spinning sickeningly.
"Hey." Watanuki felt strong, warm hands on his shoulders and his dizzying sickness abated immediately. "Let's go back to the room if you aren't feeling well," Doumeki whispered in his ear. Watanuki tried to argue, but Doumeki was already making their excuses and half carrying him back down the hill.
Was that a clue? I think it might have been a clue! Stay tuned!
I think of reviews when I summon my kekkai, leave me some!