Once again, let it be established that no, I do not own InuYasha: A Feudal Fairy Tale, or XxxHoLiC. I am a college student. I don't speak Japanese. I can't draw to save my life. All of these things contribute to my lack of ownership. Accept it now and move on with your lives.
Yuuko's shop was currently experiencing a state of temper tantrum. "How can Syaoran and his group not give me something for White Day?" Yuuko screeched, making Kagome want to cover her ears. "I know time flows differently in other dimensions, but I've been waiting patiently for two whole months! But still, but still! They haven't even dropped me a line!" She pouted to Mokona, who seemed to be in whole hearted agreement. Kagome shook her head as she watched her employer continue to pout about not receiving her presents from other worlds, and muttering darkly about presents needing to be three times the amount given.
"Cheer up, Yuuko, if there's anything you're hungry for, I'll make it for you!" Watanuki said cheerily. Kagome nearly laughed at the suddenly evil smile on Yuuko's face. The older woman was going to take full advantage of Watanuki's lack of diligence.
"I want Sokisoba!" She declared.
Watanuki's face turned red with anger and he screamed "THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH WHITE DAY!"
Kagome shook her head, before reaching back to adjust the ribbon she had recently taken to using to hold back half her hair from her face. She made a mental note to get her hair cut for the millionth time that week. "You didn't specify, Watanuki-senpai. It's fair game." Her co-worker glared at her before stalking off to the kitchen to make the demanded dish. Kagome shook her head, and continued neatening up the back room where the group tended to lounge while waiting for customers. Glancing out the window at the rain pouring down in sheets, she sighed unhappily. Once again, she was going to get soaked while trying to get to her subway, even with a raincoat and umbrella. "I know it's time for the rainy season to start so there isn't very much we can do about the rain, but this seems just a trifle extreme." She murmured to herself.
"This rain..." Kagome jumped slightly, caught by surprise at Yuuko's sudden presence next to her, "Is less about the rainy season and more about..."
"The tea is ready!" Watanuki interrupted, bringing in a teapot and three cups on a trey.
"Yaaay!" Yuuko squealed, diving for one of the cups as Kagome laughed, glancing out at the rain one more time before turning to the tea scene in front of her.
It wasn't long before Yuuko decided she wanted plum wine, which, of course, there was none. Thus Kagome and Watanuki were sent out into the downpour to fetch some. They were not pleased with this development. The liquor store might not have been very far away, but when it was raining this hard, frankly, anywhere was too far for pleasure.
"At this rate, my laundry will never get dry." Watanuki muttered darkly, "And I wanted to air out my futon tonight!"
"Heh," Kagome snorted, "I'm thinking that won't happen for a good long while. The rain doesn't show any signs of stopping in the near future."
"Awww man," Watanuki groaned, "I wish it would stop raining!" A bright blue umbrella came crashing down on Watanuki's skull. Kagome whirled, snatching the sharpened pencil that she used to channel her purifying power out of her pocket. The wielder of the umbrella was a girl with dark red hair curled in two pigtails. Her black dress and gloves spoke of elegance, and her aura and slightly shimmering appearance spoke of being a spirit rather than a human being. Kagome was understandably wary.
The spirit swung her umbrella back over her shoulder. "You deserved that!" She cried. "If there was no rain, there would be no rice in the fields, and then where would you be?"
"Excuse me?" Watanuki yelled. Kagome recognized the danger signs of an eminent foray into psychotic rant mode, and moved to head it off.
"I think what Watanuki-senpai means to say is that he's a little curious as to why you're here and walloping him over the head with an umbrella, Miss...?" Kagome trailed off, looking at the spirit expectantly.
The spirit girl sniffed arrogantly. "Hm! I am an Ame-Warashi, miko. And he should feel
fortunate that I am deigning to offer him my attention." She glared at the boy disdainfully before continuing in slightly pained tones, "What does that girl see in him, anyway?"
"Excuse me?" Watanuki asked again, in somewhat more polite tones, "I have no idea what you're talking about..."
That snapped the Ame-Warashi back to attention. "Rejoice, Watanuki Kimihiro! I have something good for you!" She pointed at him with her umbrella, resulting in an even more confused state from Watanuki. Kagome decided to take pity on him before the rain spirit wound up impaling him on the umbrella.
"Let's get back to Yuuko-san's. I'm sure she can help you with whatever, Ame-Warashi." She suggested brightly.
The Ame-Warashi considered her for a moment before accepting. "Yes. That would be pleasant. And perhaps she will know what to do with... that." She gestured at Watanuki with her umbrella. Kagome snickered, leading the way back to the shop.
Yuuko was delighted at the visitor (or perhaps it was just the plum wine) and immediately offered her a seat on a draining board.
"To prevent water damage," she explained to the miffed Ame-Warashi.
"Oh. Yes, I see." The rain-maker agreed, mollified.
"You have some business with our Watanuki?" Yuuko continued expectantly.
"There's something I want him to do!" The Ame-Warashi announced imperially.
"And it's something only our Watanuki can do?" Yuuko clarified.
"That's right."
"Then he'll do it." Yuuko answered calmly.
"She could have asked me!" Watanuki muttered darkly to Kagome from their eavesdropping position behind the door to the room.
"Shh!" Kagome hissed and glared at him.
"Of course, there is a price to be paid." Yuuko reminded the Ame-Warashi.
"How much?" The Ame-Warashi asked, unabashed.
"A value equal to the wish, of course." Yuuko answered calmly.
"If I'm the one who'll be doing the work, why's she the one doing the bargaining?" Watanuki mumbled to Kagome.
"Because it's Yuuko's store," Kagome hissed, "Now hush!"
"Fine, I'll pay it! I'm an Ame-Warashi! If word got out that I was stingy, I'd become a laughing stock in my world."
"Then... he's all yours!" Yuuko informed her cheerfully.
"And now it's all my responsibility!" Watanuki cried, revealing their hiding place. It was all Kagome could do to avoid covering her eyes with her hand.
"Watanuki-senpai..."
"You'll need to go see Doumeki first. Both of you." Yuuko added, "He'll have a part to play in this as well, I'm sure."
Kagome shook her head. "Yuuko-san, why haven't you just gone ahead and put Shizuka-senpai on the pay roll yet?" She asked plaintively.
Yuuko's eyebrows rose "Shizuka-senpai, Kagome-chan?" She asked archly, as Watanuki began muttering darkly about arrogant bastards who told kouhai to call them by their given names.
Kagome flushed, embarrassed in spite of herself. Yuuko had not yet heard her call Doumeki by his given name, unlike Watanuki. "Yes, Yuuko-san. Shizuka-senpai told me to call him that on White Day, since he's always called me by my first name."
A slightly evil smirk curled Yuuko's lips. "Oh really? Was that what he told you? How very... interesting." Kagome shivered. She did not like that smirk.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" The Ame-Warashi snapped, "Let's get going already!" With twin sighs of resentment, Kagome and Watanuki fetched their umbrellas.
— - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — -
"So. You came crying to me." Doumeki observed bluntly after Watanuki explained the situation.
"I'M NOT CRYING! WE'VE BEEN WALKING AROUND IN THE RAIN FOR AN HOUR! YOUR GARDEN IS OBSCENELY LARGE! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW MANY HOUSES YOU COULD PUT BACK HERE?"
"I think what Watanuki-senpai is trying to say," Kagome interjected helpfully, "Is that Yuuko-san told us we needed to get you. Oh, and she once again dodged the question about putting you on the pay roll, just so you know."
Doumeki smirked. "I figured she would. So. Who's your friend?"
"She's an Ame-Warashi." Kagome answered. It was then that the Ame-Warashi chose to interject her two cents.
She went right up to Doumeki and sniffed, ignoring his obvious discomfort, before exclaiming gleefully. "A refreshing scent! That's so rare nowadays! Both you, and Yuuko's girl!" Kagome smiled weakly, noticeably disturbed.
Doumeki frowned. "Another spirit?"
"Weeeeell..."
"Don't place me in the same category as normal spirits!" The Ame-Warashi snarled, furling her umbrella and taking it in both hands and firmly whacking both Doumeki and Watanuki in the back of the head, "Here's a combo punishment!"
"HEY! Don't put me in a combo with him!" Watanuki shrieked.
"Oww." Muttered Doumeki, running his hand over the back of his head.
"You children are so rude!" The Ame-Warashi hissed, but brightened quickly. "But with that, and that," She gestured first to Watanuki, then to Doumeki, "We may be successful!"
"Why did I have to get sucked into this again?" Watanuki asked.
Kagome shrugged, "Hey, you're the one in debt. Weirdness comes with the territory."
"So," The Ame-Warashi continued onwards, "You two are each going to need something that someone dear to at least one of you keeps close." Stars lit up behind Watanuki's eyes.
"We could ask Himawari for something!" He offered dreamily.
Kagome shuddered at the very thought of using something so exposed to that warped aura. "Or you could just ask me, since I'm right here and all." She offered hastily.
Doumeki nodded in agreement, having picked up on Kagome's discomfort at the idea of asking Himawari. "Right, that would work just as well, and take a lot less time. So. Got anything that you keep close, Kagome?"
She pursed her lips for a moment before an idea came to her and she brightened. "My hair ribbon, of course. It's been in close contact with me for the past few weeks. Will that be enough?" She asked the Ame-Warashi
"Mmmhmm! So now we have that and that, and this!" She gestured towards the boys and Kagome's hair ribbon. "So, come along!" She commanded, and began to march away from the shrine. The teenagers followed.
"Bossy little thing, isn't she?" Doumeki murmured to Kagome, who giggled.
"You have no idea." She answered.
"I think I do." He told her wryly. "Anyway, so tell me, did the reason why you didn't want to get the token from Himawari have to do with that warped aura you were telling me about?"
Kagome shivered "Absolutely. After seeing what it did to the casing on the Monkey's Paw? Let's just say that I didn't feel like taking any chances."
"Good plan." Doumeki agreed fervently, refocusing on Watanuki and the Ame-Warashi to come to an abrupt halt in front of several hydrangea bushes near the local park.
"So." The Ame-Warashi declared, "I need you to go on a mission. I wanted to try a rescue on my own, but it was impossible. I couldn't even get close." Her expression grew troubled, before turning into a look of determination. "But you can. So. Please help." She asked before walking away.
Watanuki and Doumeki looked slightly troubled. "I can only see weird things," Watanuki pointed out, "I can't do anything about them!"
"The you should have refused." Doumeki replied bluntly.
"YOU DON'T KNOW HOW SCARY YUUKO WOULD BE IF I TRIED THAT!" Watanuki yelled back, then settled, looking gloomy. "Besides, you don't know how desperate the eyes of the Ame-Warashi looked..."
"Then you have to do it." Doumeki said bluntly.
"I KNOW THAT, BUT A GUY CAN HAVE APPREHENSIONS, CAN'T HE!"
Kagome shook her head. "Don't worry, Watanuki, you'll be just fine. So, let's take a look at these hydrangeas, shall we? They're enormous!"
"Yeah, and they're really red. Normally they're more of a pink shade, like the ones at my family's shrine." Doumeki agreed. "I've never seen hydrangeas so red before..."
"There's nothing else here. What am I supposed to do?" Suddenly, both he and Kagome shuddered.
"What happened?" Doumeki demanded.
"Nothing... I just got the chills." Watanuki whispered, approaching the hydrangeas once again.
"Those hydrangeas..." Kagome murmured, stepping away from them, towards Doumeki. "I don't like them, Shizuka-senpai. They're... they're polluted, somehow."
"That's not a good sign." Doumeki said.
Kagome shook her head. "No. It really isn't."
Suddenly, one of the blossoms reached out and twined around Watanuki's ankle. "What?" The boy called out in fear and incredulity.
"Does it have you by the leg?" Doumeki asked, surprised in spite of himself.
"If you grab me like that, your petals will just get torn off," Watanuki reprimanded the plant gently, before gasping "Whoa! The flowers at the bottom are even redder!" Kagome shivered, and Doumeki put a comforting hand upon her shoulder... as black tendrils came up from the ground and swallowed Watanuki whole. She gasped. Through the haze of the black mist, she could see Watanuki laying on his back, on hand outstretched, looking as though it might sink into the dirt at any moment.
"Watanuki-senpai!"
"Here, let me." Doumeki knelt down next to the entranced form of Watanuki, Kagome's hair ribbon in hand, letting one end trail to the ground next to him. He observed carefully for a moment before taking the trailing end of the ribbon and wrapping it around the closer of Watanuki's hands. He turned to Kagome, and explained. "Wherever he is, I think I'm supposed to be his guide back." He paused, then corrected himself. "Actually, you're his guide back. It's your hair ribbon, after all. I'm the anchor for it though, so I need to stay here. You can leave whenever. Get out of the rain before you catch cold, and all that."
Kagome shook her head violently, taking a seat next to Doumeki. "No way! I'm not one to leave her friends when something bad is happening. Besides, I have an umbrella. You don't. At the very least, I can share until he comes back." Her face burned at the thought of sharing an umbrella with Doumeki, the boy she was pretty sure that she liked, for however long it took for Watanuki to come around. She seriously hoped he hadn't noticed.
"Thanks, Kagome." He said, voice soft.
She smiled at him. "Any time, Shizuka-senpai!" The two settled down to wait, their attention focused on the boy lying prone infront of them, and bringing him home.
Their vigil over Watanuki was long, and relatively dull. Neither wanted to talk, primarily because they were worried how not Doumeki not focusing his full attention on Watanuki would result if he needed help getting back, but both drew strength and comfort from the other's presence. Somewhere around the six hour mark, Kagome started to doze off with her head resting against Doumeki's shoulder. Before too much longer, she was out like a light. Doumeki studied her face for as long as he dared, before forcing himself to ignore the warm figure who was now cuddling against his side in favor of his friend lying on the ground. Not that he minded Kagome cuddling up to him, far from it! But he did have to admit that he wished it was at a time when he didn't need to focus on keeping Watanuki alive and he could instead pay attention to the sensations that her actions offered. He would make Watanuki pay for making him miss out, he decided. It would be entertaining, and improve his sure to be bad temperament the next day. His lips curled. Yes, Watanuki would be in for it.
Finally, ten hours after his vigil started, Watanuki's hand dug into the dirt. Gently, Doumeki shook Kagome into wakefulness, eyes locked on his friend's form and position.
"Doumeki? Huh, what?" Kagome asked sleepily.
"He moved." He answered shortly. Her eyelids shot up, and she straightened, eyes going to Watanuki's hand... just as it pulled free from the earth holding the hand of a child's skeleton. Watanuki's eyes snapped open, and he sat up before turning to smile sadly at the skeleton hand.
"See?" He told the hand, "No one's here to say anything bad about you. You were brave to be alone for so long." Suddenly, he noticed the ribbon wrapped around his other hand, whirling to find its source. "Doumeki? Kagome?" He asked, confused, before blinking "Why's it so dark out here?"
Doumeki rolled his eyes, glowering. "Forget that, I'm tired.!" Kagome nodded in slightly groggy agreement.
"I'm better off than you are, but I'm tired too. Sorry for using you as a pillow without permission."
"Eh, it's fine. Don't worry about it."
"Huh? What's so tiring?" Watanuki asked in confusion.
"They've been sitting in vigil in the rain for ten hours." The trio spun hastily to see Yuuko standing behind them with her own umbrella. "Anyone would get tired!"
Watanuki was the first to recover. "TEN HOURS?"
"Yuuko-san, what are you doing here?" Kagome asked, startled.
"I've come to fetch you, of course. Kagome, I called your mother and let her know you wouldn't be making it home tonight. You can use the spare the room at the shop."
"Thank you, Yuuko-san." Kagome said, relieved that she wouldn't have to try to navigate the subway while exhausted. "I'm going to go now. Good night, Watanuki-senpai, Shizuka-"
"I'll walk you back to the shop. It's not very far out of my way, and you shouldn't be walking around at night by yourself." Doumeki offered quickly. Kagome shook her head with a wry smile.
"I can take care of myself, you know." She told him dryly. "But I'll take you up on the offer. I'm probably too tired to think straight at the moment."
"An excellent observation!" Yuuko said smugly. "Off you two go!"
"We can make a stop by my shrine first, call the police to let them know about the body." Doumeki added, as he helped Kagome to her feet.
"Probably a good idea," she agreed, yawning. "Hopefully, I can stay awake long enough to get back to the shop."
"We'll manage." He reassured her, taking her hand and leading her into the night.
— - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — - — -
Three hours later, Kagome guided Doumeki back to Yuuko's shop, armed with the information provided to them by the police about the corpse, and completely exhausted.
"So, this is what the shop looks like." Doumeki observed. "Nice place she's got here."
"Yep." Kagome agreed, voice husky, and very obviously not fully awake. Doumeki grinned as he helped her into the store.
"We got a call from the police." He said quietly as they entered, interrupting Yuuko and Watanuki's conversation, "The clothes on the body matched those of a little girl who went missing last year."
"I see." Yuuko said grimly. "We'll let the police solve the details of the case. The important thing is that the body can be returned to those who loved her, and she can be sent to the real far shore."
"Yeah..." Kagome agreed, resting her head against Doumeki's shoulder, eyes barely open. Watanuki stared at Doumeki for a long moment, before taking a deep breath, and saying
"Doumeki! Tha-a-a... Gah! I can't do it!"
"I thought you might be tired, so I came to see you. But nothing seems to tire out you children." The Ame-Warashi's voice startled everyone. It even convinced Kagome's eyelids to lever upwards a little. "Thank you for coming to the rescue!"
"I'm just glad that someone was able to find that little girl and help her." Watanuki said.
"Huh?" The Ame-Warashi looked confused.
"I'm just saying it's good in the end that the little girl didn't have to suffer a worse fate."
The Ame-Warashi's expression said clearly that she thought Watanuki was insane. "Why would I care in the slightest about rescuing some human?"
"Ehhhh?" Watanuki shrieked.
"The ones I wanted you to rescue were the hydrangeas! They're an essence related to and dependant on those who control the rain. Nowadays it's more and more difficult to find a perfect pure essence like those children are! But the blood from that corpse was turning them red. The corruption of a corpse is like poison to essence."
"Th-then that little girl was..." Watanuki stammered in shock.
"Nothing to do with me." The Ame-Warashi informed him, scorn filling her voice. "Humans do nothing to help the precious things of this world, so why should the precious things have to help some human?" At Watanuki's look of stunned horror, the Ame-Warashi shook her head in disgust. "I really have no idea what that girl sees in you!" She muttered darkly before turning to Yuuko, "You'll get your payment in a few days."
"Yes, that's fine." Yuuko said serenely.
The Ame-Warashi began to dissolve into the rain, before she paused, and turned back to Watanuki. "One last thing, you'd better not forget your White Day duties!" she hissed, before letting the rain take her away completely.
"Ehhhh?"
"I can't forgive anyone who forgets about White Day." Yuuko told him sternly.
"Huh? I can't remember anyone giving me chocolate... well, besides Kagome-chan."
"And you haven't given me anything for White Day." Kagome muttered, half asleep. "And she's probably talking about the Zashiki-Warashi, right Yuuko-san?"
Yuuko beamed. "That's right, Kagome-chan!"
"THAT COUNTS AS BEING GIVEN VALENTINE'S DAY CHOCOLATE!" Watanuki shrieked. Doumeki smirked.
"Yep. You might want to get on that, Watanuki. And the gift for Kagome. Just saying." He then turned to Yuuko. "Where's that guest room? I'm going to help her get to her futon. She's completely out of it."
Yuuko smiled mysteriously and waved to a nearby door. "Down that hall, first door on the left. The futon is already laid out for her."
"Great." Carefully, Doumeki guided her through the door and hallway, before entering a small, but serviceable, guestroom. Kagome saw the futon, and her face brightened immediately.
"Sleep now?" She asked.
Doumeki couldn't help but laugh at her expression. "Yeah, go to sleep. Have nice dreams, and all that." Kagome was already crawling into the futon as he answered her.
"You too." She told him before her eyes drifted shut, and she was off into dreamland.
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So, happy early Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for putting up with a ridiculously long wait again, and for all the reviews. And now, I'm going to be like Kagome and crash, because I wanted to get this finished. Russian is going to be such fun in about... six hours.