Hello, everybody! Good- well I guess it's afternoon now.

I meant to update this earlier but unlike Monday yesterday was insanely chaotic. Work, a very intense acupuncture appointment, trying to get a Covid test and this huge issue with the other project I'm working on (shameless self-promotion time: hit me up in a few months for a Code Geass AU!) left me feeling pretty strapped. Fortunately everything is resolved now, I don't have coronavirus (just a deeply annoying cold) and I have today off!

Anyway, enough about my personal life LOL.

Honestly there isn't much to say about this chapter, it's more building and shaping, although we do get some more time with the mysterious Yuriko, so that's a plus. Also some more awkwardness between our protagonists, so that's a BIG plus. I hope you all enjoy it!

Disclaimer: I don't own the rights to xxxHolic and I'm making no money from this.

After a surprisingly restful sleep, Watanuki woke up in a warm, contented ball under the blankets. Without opening his eyes, he rolled over onto his back, stretched his arms and legs long and accidentally backhanded Doumeki in the face. His eyes flew open and he scrambled away at once, any and all relaxation gone in a flash of horror. Doumeki groaned and sat up, holding his forehead. "Good morning to you, too," he said, his expression falling into his usual deadpan stare as soon as he opened his eyes.

"Why were you sleeping so close to me?!" demanded Watanuki.

"'Sorry' would also be appropriate," replied Doumeki, rubbing his forehead. Then, when Watanuki opened his mouth to snap back, "Did you have any more weird dreams?"

"No, but-"

"All right then."

"Ugh…" Watanuki seethed, finding his glasses under the now disheveled blankets and putting them on. His vision clear now, he watched Doumeki get to his feet and approach the wardrobe across the room.

"Let's go to breakfast and see if we can find Yuriko."

"DON'T DECIDE-" but at that moment Doumeki pulled his yukata down over his shoulder. "AT LEAST WARN A GUY FIRST!" Watanuki exclaimed, scrambling to his feet. He sprinted into the bathroom and, still venting and cursing, slammed the door.

Fifteen minutes later, Doumeki and Watanuki were washed and dressed and crossing the courtyard to the inn's main building. It was a beautiful day: the sun hung overhead in the cloudless sky and the warm air was full of the sounds and smells of the surrounding sea and pine trees.

The dining room was already full of people, and Sumire and Fujito waved at them from a crowded table as they entered. They smiled and waved back, then, "Hey," Doumeki hissed in Watanuki's ear.

"What?! And my name's not 'hey!' I keep telling you…" However, Doumeki pointed discreetly at Yuriko and her husband, alone at another table across the room. They immediately made a b-line for them, and both Yuriko and her husband looked up.

"Is it all right if we take these seats?" asked Doumeki, politely.

"Certainly," replied Yuriko's husband. Yuriko herself was watching Watanuki, and he gave her a friendly smile.

"I saw you yesterday," she said, her voice rather hoarse, playing with the sleeve of the huge sweatshirt she'd been wearing the day before.

"Yes, but I never got your name," he said, because he didn't want to admit he knew her name from eavesdropping, "I'm Kimihiro Watanuki, by the way."

"Yuriko," she replied, quietly. Watanuki then looked to her husband.

"I'm Renjiro," he said, smiling graciously, "and your partner?" Watanuki cringed inwardly, but,

"Shizuka Doumeki." They inclined their heads at each other.

"How long have you two been together?" asked Renjiro.

Watanuki gave Doumeki a curt little nod and he began to tell their cover story. Renjiro leaned forward interestedly, and close up Watanuki noticed the dark circles under his eyes. Yuriko, however, looked thoroughly uninterested in the proceedings. In fact, when she happened to catch Watanuki's eye again, she rolled her own. Watanuki had no idea how to respond to that or what it meant, so he just nodded. Yuriko looked rather taken aback, but smiled, which made Watanuki shudder. He then started as Doumeki placed his hand on his thigh under the table. Fortunately, before the outrage could properly set in, an inn staff member appeared with breakfast, which looked just as good as dinner last night.

"Are you okay?" Doumeki asked, under the cover of the disruption.

"I'm fine, now get off!" Watanuki hissed. Doumeki stared at him for a few more seconds, then took his hand off his thigh, turned away and began to eat. Watanuki shook himself and did the same, and a few moments passed in silence.

"Are there any activities or events you two are interested in?" asked Doumeki.

"That hike this afternoon sounds really nice," said Renjiro, looking at Yuriko for confirmation. However, she just shrugged, pushing her food around.

"We were thinking the same," said Doumeki, as though it were a happy coincidence. Yuriko perked up at once.

"So we'll see you there," she said, smiling sideways at Watanuki. Renjiro looked surprised, but gratified, and placed his hand on top of hers.

"It's right after our first therapy session, so I figured it'd be good timing," he continued, trying to inject as much confidence as he could into the words.

"Do you think it will help?" asked Doumeki. "We've never tried anything like this before, so…"

"I hope so. I'll try anything," said Renjiro, his voice constricting suddenly. He cleared his throat. Beside him, Yuriko sighed and inched closer to Watanuki, who inched closer to Doumeki, who said,

"I understand." Renjiro nodded appreciatively, then got to his feet.

"I'm going to refill my coffee, does anyone need anything?" Doumeki and Watanuki shook their heads. "Yuriko, do you want-"

"No," she replied, coldly. Renjiro just sighed and made his way to the drinks table. The moment he was out of earshot, Yuriko leaned even closer to Watanuki. "You got together so young, don't you feel like you've missed out?" she asked, under her breath.

"Missed out?" Watanuki repeated, with another shudder. Yuriko tilted her head to the side, and her eyes flashed, or maybe they just caught the light. Either way, Watanuki took a sharp breath in and immediately felt Doumeki's hand on his thigh again. Fortunately, Renjiro returned at that moment with fresh coffee, which distracted Yuriko, though Doumeki didn't take his hand away.

"So how did you two meet?" Doumeki asked next, directing the question to Yuriko, who closed her eyes to hide the fact that she was rolling them.

"College. We were on a study abroad trip together." Her eyes flashed again when she opened them, and Doumeki squeezed Watanuki's thigh, but then her entire aspect seemed to crumple, and she hugged her own mug of coffee in closer to her chest. Renjiro put his hand on her shoulder, but she looked away. With a sad little sigh, he began to tell some anecdote from that trip. Yuriko didn't seem to be listening, she just stared morosely into her coffee, until,

"Yuriko? We should go, we've only got a few minutes," Renjiro said, when they'd all finished their breakfast. Yuriko set her mug back on the table, then caught Watanuki's eye one final time and stared him hard in the face. Her eyes flashed yet again, and Doumeki dug his fingers into Watanuki's thigh. "We'll see you for the hike," said Renjiro, getting to his feet. He extended his hand to Yuriko, but she gave it a cold look before standing up and leading him out of the hall. She cast one more look at Watanuki over her shoulder, making him shudder.

The moment they turned the corner, Watanuki glared at Doumeki. "Get your hand off my thigh!" Doumeki, however, leaned in closer.

"Are you okay?" Watanuki swore under his breath, seized Doumeki's wrist and lifted his hand off his thigh himself.

"Of course I am. You-" but he broke off, because the idea of admitting that having Doumeki there lessened the negative effects made him feel sick, even though they both knew it was true.

"We should go to our session too," said Doumeki, checking the time on the schedule he'd brought with him.

"We aren't seriously going to that, are we?!" cried Watanuki, scandalized.

"It'll look suspicious if we don't," Doumeki pointed out, shrugging.

"You- ugh…" As ever, there was no arguing with Doumeki's logic, even though it killed him to admit it. "I think you bruised my thigh," he said instead, with as much dignity as he could. Doumeki just stared back at him unflinchingly, then got to his feet.

"Sorry."

Mm, the plot thickens! What do you all think is going on? Possession? A malicious spirit? A curse? Oh my!

Anyway, I'll see you all soon for some armchair couples therapy!

I think of reviews when I summon my kekkai, leave me some!