Addiction

by ZareEraz

Fem!Watanuki! Watanuki has been able to see spirits for as long as she could remember and one day she meets a mysterious woman who says she can grant the girl's wish to be free of them, but at a price. The seer is then forced to work in the witch's shop as payment and also team up with a guy she hates and a black fur ball she wants to cook. But it's all just inevitability...

19. The Well and The Bells

A/N: ZareEraz here! Update time, whoohoo! These two episodes severely lacked romantic overtures in the anime, so I took some creative liberties (as I am prone to do) and I hope you like it! Read on, friends!

Chapter Seventeen: The Well and The Bells

The bright summer sun blazed in the sky, baking the ground and causing misery everywhere it shined. This summer was particularly hot, but there were still ways to beat the heat…and Yuko was all over that.

"Ah! It's so refreshing!" The woman was lounging in a blowup pool, lazing in a revealing, white swimsuit, her body and hair peppered with droplets of cool water. She gingerly leaned back on the edge of the pool, and splashed some water into the air as she uncrossed and re-crossed her legs. She smiled as a nice sprinkle of water rained down on her, keeping her cool in the summer heat. "This is definitely a necessity for summer!"

"Refreshing!~" Moro repeated.

"Refreshing!~" Maru agreed. Maru and Moro were leaning the edge of the pool as well, letting the water Watanuki was pumping fall on them. The twins were dressed in swimsuits that matched their devil and angel theme, looking just as cute as Yuko looked sexy. Mokona was also taking advantage of the seer and splashed around in the pool with Yuko.

"I'm so glad you think so because I'm burning up," Watanuki grumbled, glaring at her boss. She was stuck with the undesirable task of pumping water in the showerhead that kept the witch cool. It sucked. The raven could feel her sweat rolling down her back and wished that she could be in the pool too. But she was also burning up at how sexy her boss looked. Yuko's boobs were practically falling out of her swimsuit but she looked so fabulous that it was envious.

"It's a human-powered shower!" The twins giggled at the girl and it was at that moment when Watanuki's arms got tired of pumping and she slowed down to take a break.

"Oi, Watanuki!" Mokona piped up, jumping into the air, "The pressure is dropping!" It complained as the spray lessened as the girl's pumps weakened. The little pork bun suddenly had a small water gun in its paws and took aim at the girl. "Put your back into it!" It ordered, pulling the trigger and spraying her right in the face. She shrieked and backpedaled, trying to escape the unexpected attack. Mokona laughed evilly and keep up its onslaught until an even more unexpected thing happened: a person fell from the sky and landed right on Watanuki, crushing the girl and sending her face down into the grass.

"Nya…" The person mumbled.

"Oh my, you're the nekomusume, aren't you?" (Note 1) Yuko stood up, letting water cascade down her body as she addressed her guest. The young woman was wearing white, frayed shorts with a black crop tank, and paired her outfit with red heels that laced up her legs, a red studded collar and a white newsboy hat on her head.

Watanuki spit out a mouthful of dirt and grass. "Doesn't this kind of thing happen to me a little too often?" She grumbled, trying to get the dirt taste out of her mouth.

"That's the life of the unlucky," Mokona stated, patting the girl on the head.

"She must be burning up in this heat," Maru said, turning the showerhead towards Watanuki and the girl collapsed on top of her.

"Water! Water!" Moro chanted as she grabbed the pump with both hands and started pressing the water out in a shower. The second the droplets started to fall on Watanuki and the Nekomusume, the cat-girl sprang into her feet and leapt out of the way, digging her wedge heels and body weight right into Watanuki's spine as she sprang. The raven yelled in pain

"Nyaaaaaaaa! Nyaaaaaaa!" She wailed, using all four of her limbs to dash to the porch and collapse out of the way again. Yuko plopped back down in her pool.

"Maru, Moro," she called, "Cats don't like getting sprayed with water." Yuko stood up again and walked over to the porch, grabbing a towel and slinging in around her waist. Watanuki was on the ground spitting out another mouthful of dirt.

"This always happens to me…" she whined, her back and insides pulsing in pain.

"It's a life of always being stepped on," Mokona patted her head again in pity.

"So," the witch started, addressing her guest, "You've come here on some sort of business?" The woman sat down next to the exhausted nekomusume and the girl's head perked up.

"Yeah," the cat-girl sat up on the porch and held out her hand to Yuko, a white egg resting in her palm. "I'll give this to you."

"Oh my," Yuko mused, taking the egg in her hand carefully.

"In exchange, I'd like to have some water collected from a certain mansion's well," Nekomusume explained, stating her wish. Watanuki stood up and toweled off her mussed hair as the exchange proceeded.

"What's this about?" the witch asked. "You're a cat-girl who doesn't like water…so what could you be after?" The girl's big, yellow eyes narrowed, just like a cat's.

"I can't tell you yet," was the reply.

"Well, that's fine too," Yuko nodded. "In that case…good luck, Watanuki!" A huge smile appeared on Yuko's and Nekomusume's faces as they handed off the wish and the work to the unfortunate girl.

"I knew that it was going to end up like this! I just knew it!" The girl's fangs came out as Yuko made her life miserable…AGAIN. Seriously, she should just forget about things ever working out in her favor every again.

"That's the life of getting all the dirty work!" Mokona cheered.

Soon after the strange encounter, Watanuki was walking along with Nekomusume towards the mansion she'd mentioned. The cat-girl was walking gracefully on the walls closing off the houses in this neighborhood, her heels not giving her any trouble at all on the narrow space. The raven walked below the girl on the sidewalk, still slightly wet from getting sprayed and still slightly dirty from getting stepped on. She carried a round container wrapped in a cloth in her left hand, Yuko having told her that she could put the water in that when she collected it.

"Yuko's place has a well, so why do we have to out of our way?" She asked, grumbling that she had to walk so far just to get some water. "And if you wanted it that much, why couldn't you have gotten it yourself?"

"Geez, you're as dumb as you look." The seer prickled at that comment but had no time to retort as the cat-girl kept talking. "Weren't you listening back there? I hate water." Suddenly, the girl stopped, her huge, yellow eyes opening fully as she pointed ahead of them. "It's over there."

Watanuki looked in front of her, finding herself at the end of the street, the crossing making a "T" as it met a sizable property. All that was in front of the girl was the mansion's wall, the second floor and roof looming over the top of it.

"And by 'here' I assume you mean behind the wall, right?"

"Yeah," came the reply.

"'Yeah?!'" Watanuki's voice screeched up an octave. "You're asking me to trespass illegally!"

"Yep." The cat-girl squatted down on the wall, her knees coming up under her chin as she folded herself together.

The next moment, with a little prodding, Watanuki was struggling to pull herself up over the wall with the container. Her companion, however, vaulted over the wall with ease…perks of being a cat, she guessed.

"If I get caught, I'm going to be in some shit," Watanuki mumbled as she finally managed to haul one leg over the wall, straddling in and then swinging her other leg over and dropping down. As her feet hit the ground she looked around the yard nervously. It was pretty spacious and had many trees and bushes, but it seemed to be empty. "I guess there's nothing else to do but to hurry up and get this over with," she finished, holding the container in both her arms as she crept over to the well.

The nekomusume was already over there, leaning down to peer into the big hole in the ground. The well had a grate over the top and knowing her luck, the raven would have to pull it off herself because cats are lazy. As she walked up to the well, Watanuki noticed that a window on the second floor of the mansion was open, a curtain draped in front of it. The summer breeze rustled the curtain, revealing a shadow behind the fabric. The girl's eyes widened in fear as she realized that a woman was sitting by the window…watching her! She screamed, terrified that she'd been caught and nearly dropped the container in her arms as she spazzed out.

"We've been found out!" She squealed. But her screaming and shouting did cause the woman in the window to react at all. She remained still, her brown hair draping over her face, revealing only her mouth that wasn't yelling at the two girls or calling the police on their asses. Watanuki was so confused. "Did she not notice us? Impossible."

"Hey," her thoughts were interrupted by Nekomusume calling out to her. "Aren't you going to collect the water?"

"Uh…yeah." Watanuki untied the cloth around the container and tucked half of it in her skirt pocket. She looked up at the woman in the window again, watching carefully as the wind fluttered the curtain, but the woman remained still. A cold sweat formed on the girl's back, despite the heat as she took out the rope net Yuko had lent her and wrapped it around the container. Now it kind of looked like one of those seaside lanterns. The sun will be going down soon, so I have to hurry and get back…I don't want to be her any longer than I have to be. Watanuki got to her job and yanked the grate off before gathering up the water. Then she had to haul it back to Yuko's, without help, and the thing was damn heavy! By the time she plopped the water by Yuko's butt on the porch, her arms were dead, her fingers were sore and her back ached like none other.

"For some weird reason, this water is extremely heavy," the raven complained, wiggling her hands to get feeling back into them. "It took all I had just to get this one container." She then placed her hands on her back and arched, stretching out her tense muscles. Nekomusume was quiet next to her, smiling to herself.

Yuko leaned over to look at the water, and hummed. "I see…so that's what it is." She then sat back up and adjusted her dusty-blue kimono.

"What are you comprehending all by yourself?! Tell me!" Not that she cared too much, but Watanuki was interested in why this water was so heavy because she had had to carry it.

"Go back and get some more tomorrow," the witch ordered.

"What?! Again?!" Watanuki's heart dropped at the prospect of going back, her muscles aching already.

"I think you'll have to go back quite a few times."

"Are you kidding me!?" Watanuki whined. "It that was going to be the case, you should've told me that from the start! I thought I was done with this whole mess!"

"It doesn't really matter since you could only take one bottle at a time, right?" Yuko asked, giving the girl her mischievous look.

"Yeah…that's true…" Watanuki's tone calmed, her words becoming hesitant as she realized that if she had to go back that the woman in the window would probably be there. The raven had expected to get yelled at and kicked out, but her silence and observation was more uncomfortable than that would've been.

"You seem upset," Yuko observed, "Did something happen?"

"It's just that… well…there was a woman standing at a window on the second floor." She explained. "I could've been seen gathering the water."

"Did she call out to you?"

"No…but going back again would be risky."

"I see," Yuko's cat-that-ate-the-canary smile spread on her lips. A shiver ran up Watanuki's spine as she saw it, knowing pretty much what was coming next. "So, you want to decrease the number of times you have to go and collect water, yes?"

"Yes…" the girl answered hesitantly. "But I'd actually like to not go at all if that-" she never finished. Yuko was already onto her next move and called for the twins.

"Maru, Moro!"

"Yes, mistress!" The twins sudden appeared out of nowhere with a container in each of their hands and Watanuki once again questioned if they had some sort of telepathy link with Yuko because they always seemed to know what she wanted exactly when she called for them.

"If you take two at once, you'll be done in no time at all!~" Yuko suggested as the girls handed off their containers to Watanuki. The raven took one in each arm struggling to balance them both as the round surfaces slipped against one another.

"So I can't not go?" She sighed. "But it'll be impossible for me to take two at once. Getting this one bottle-full was hard enough." The girl looked towards the nekomusume.

"I'm not going to carry one." She immediately piped up.

"I didn't think you would," the seer sighed in reply.

Mokona will go with you!" The fur ball jumped up onto the teen's shoulder as it agreed to help.

"Really?!" She asked incredulously. Mokona never volunteered for hard work willingly.

"Sure!" Then the girl thought to herself for a second.

"Wait, I'm going to pass on that since all you just promised to do was come with me, right?"

"Yeah, pretty much!" The pork bun seemed so smug that it wasn't going to help at all.

"I knew it!" The seer sighed again. "And there's no way that I'm going to ask Wari to bust his butt for me. And even more importantly: he'd become an illegal trespasser too! I can't do that to him!"

"Well, there's one more option," Yuko interjected, her smile widening. "And he's perfectly suited to go with you, Watanuki."

"Oh no…" Watanuki knew exactly who she was talking about.

And that's why she was walking along the same road with the nekomusume and her boyfriend trailing behind her.

"I can't believe that I have to rely on you again! For once, I'd just like to get a job done without having to pay you back for something!" The raven had been complaining the whole way to the mansion, but Doumeki just tuned her out, knowing that her bad mood would blow over soon. "If we do get caught, reported and treated like criminals, I won't feel guilty at all because it's you!"

Liar, Doumeki rolled his eyes at her. "I'll ask them to put us in a cell together if it comes to that," he replied.

"No you won't!" Watanuki snapped, blushing in anger. "And you!" She wheeled on Nekomusume as she strolled along up on the wall. "Why are you tagging along when I already know the way?! You're not going to help either!"

"There's just something that has piqued my interest," she replied, tapping her chin with her pointer finger.

"Whatever." They'd reached the mansion at this point and the cat-girl vaulted onto the wall, squatting down as she watched Watanuki struggle to climb up again. Doumeki had been holding the containers as he watched her climb over, but when she was clearly having issues, he set them down and grabbed the girl's waist. Watanuki squealed as she was hoisted up by a pair of strong arms and blushed as she realized that it was Doumeki doing it. She was up high enough that her head and shoulders loomed over the side and she could easily place her hands on the wall to pull herself over. However, that meant that when she did, her boyfriend would have the perfect opportunity to look up her skirt and she knew that he would do it. So, the second her hips were above his head, she stepped on his face. Doumeki was not expecting the foot on his face, but he did manage to get her to step on one side of his face instead of breaking his nose, allowing his other eye to catch a glimpse of her underwear. Stripes today.

"Pervert," the seer hissed as she looked back and caught him looking at her butt. Then she pushed off his face and her arms to jump over the wall. Once her foot was gone, the archer rubbed the right side of his face and gave her a minute frown even though she couldn't see it.

"You let me touch your butt last time," he said, referring to the time they played mahjong. He then tossed both containers over the wall one at a time and heard the girl catch them.

"I was drunk!" She snarled, and Doumeki knew that she was blushing at the memory.

"You totally wanted it," he teased, knowing that she knew that he knew he was right.

"Shut up!" As she barked at him again, Doumeki yanked himself over the wall with ease and jumped down to where Watanuki was standing. He leaned over and kissed her cheek as she fumed at him.

"I could do it again, you know." He suggested.

"Not right now!" She grumbled at him and stomped on his foot before grabbing a container.

"So, that means I can later?" The brunette asked, picking up his own container.

"Shut the hell up!" Watanuki stomped off to the well, hiding her red cheeks behind her back before he could tease her again. Then, her irritation at Doumeki's passes at her vanished as she saw that the window on the second floor was open again. She crouched behind the well, and waved her boyfriend over. He casually walked towards her and when she rolled her eyes back to the window, the seer gasped. The woman was still sitting there! Watching them!

"What's wrong?" Doumeki asked, squatting down with her.

"That woman was up there yesterday too!" She whispered. The archer looked up at the window and saw what she was talking about. A breeze whipped through the yard and stirred the curtain again. "She's wearing the same clothes too!"

Would a woman really wear the same clothes two days in a row when it's this hot? Watanuki asked herself. The woman was still in the same brown dress and shawl that she'd seen yesterday. This is getting freaky. That cold sweat was back as Watanuki shivered. The same weird feeling that she'd had the day before was back. Something was not right about this whole thing.

"Hey, Doumeki. That window…"

"I see her." The girl knew that her emotions were out of whack right now, so if that woman was a spirit, Doumeki wouldn't be able to see her if she covered up his right eye. So she reached her hand over and covered it.

"Can you still see her like this?"

"Yeah."

"That means she's really there." She took her hand away.

"Did you feel something?" He asked, watching her face. Watanuki looked very uncomfortable.

"Just a chill…kind of." Came the answer. "It's just my imagination, I guess. Let's just get this water quickly and get out of here." Then she got to work.

Watanuki unwrapped her bottle as the sun began to set, turning the sky from blue to a light yellow. Doumeki did the same and then they both stood up and grabbed the grate on top of the well. They both grunted as they slid the heavy grate off the well, but it was much easier this time with Doumeki's help. It fell to the ground with a thump as they finished. She then wrapped the rope net around the first container and lowered it down, watching as it fell into the water and filled up. The inside of the well was pitch black in the fading light and Watanuki felt a sort of ominous presence down there…but it wasn't too strong. It just sort of creeped her out even more.

It wasn't long before both containers had been filled and both teens were tying up the wrapping cloths before they headed out. Suddenly, the wind picked up, swooping through the grass and trees, tugging on Watanuki's ponytail and bringing with it a scratching sound. Watanuki thought she heard it coming from the well and stood up to look down through the grate that she and Doumeki had just replaced. The well was still pitch black, but the longer she concentrated on it…the more it seemed like something was scratching down there, ever so quietly.

"Something wrong?" Doumeki asked, standing up and watching the girl.

"No, it's nothing. Let's head back." Watanuki gave the well one last look before picking up the heavy bottle of water and following her boyfriend to the wall.

They had an exchange much like the one on the way in, where Doumeki looked up Watanuki's skirt just because and she snarked at him for doing it, but in the end she let him hold her hand until her one arm got tired from carrying the water and then she needed both hands to do it. When that happened, Doumeki just walked as close to her as he possibly could. They walked back with Nekomusume to the shop and that's where Doumeki left her. But not before getting a kiss goodnight. The archer reached over and took the container out of her hand as she started to make a noise, but gently shushed her and set both bottles on the ground. Then he grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a soft embrace, letting his arms wrap around her waist once she was close enough (and by "close enough" he meant that their bodies were pressed together, fused at the hips while she leaned back a little to look up at him.

"Doumeki…" She started, looking around and blushing as she realized that they could have an audience. Fortunately, Nekomusume was nowhere to be seen.

"Shizuka," he prompted. She rolled her eyes at him, but complied.

"Shizuka, what are you doing?"

"This." And then he leaned down to gently take her lips in his, pressing against hers for a short kiss, pulling away slightly and then coming back for another, longer kiss. Watanuki make a little noise at his first kiss, but when he came back for that second one, she wasn't surprised anymore. She didn't even care if anyone was watching at that point. Doumeki was just that good of a kisser. She leaned into his kiss, loving the way that their lips fit together, loving how warm his arms were around her lower back, his huge hand splayed across her spine. As time had gone on, Watanuki had accepted that there was just something so safe about being with him, not including the warding off spirits part. Doumeki just had this way of comforting her and making her feel special and loved…however she'd die before she'd ever willingly admit any of what she'd just thought. He pulled away after a few moments but rested his forehead rest against hers. The raven's eyes were dark as he stared into them, an undercurrent of pleasure swirling in those mismatched colors. She just looked so beautiful, even after a hot day, even after lugging those heavy bottles back to Yuko's shop. Doumeki just couldn't get enough of her.

"Can I get one more?" He asked, his normally emotionless voice taking on a hint of desire.

"You're being awfully romantic tonight," she teased, whatever creepiness that had been bothering her that afternoon long gone once the kisses had started. "And greedy." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I figured I'd give it a shot." He admitted. "Maybe if I'm more romantic then you'll give me what I want." His hand slowly slid down her spine until it reached her butt…and then Watanuki grabbed it and pulled it back up to her waist.

"You've still got a long way to go, asshole," she huffed. She didn't seem too mad though. "But you can have one more kiss."

And this time she reached up to him, kissing him softly until she felt his mouth open and his tongue licking at her lips. She groaned and rolled her half closed eyes, realizing just how greedy he was being before opening her mouth to him. It wasn't a fierce kiss, but he still coaxed her to play as their tongues danced back and forth. Doumeki pulled her even closer, smashing their bodies together before releasing his grip, bringing the kiss to an end.

"Goodnight, Kimihiro," he whispered, his breath ghosting over her cheeks.

"Goodnight, Shizuka," she whispered back, knowing that her cheeks were so red. They stepped away from each other and Watanuki picked up the two bottles of water before walking towards the shop. Doumeki watched her go, still amazed that that empty lot somehow held Yuko's shop. Watanuki made a left turn and was hidden behind the fence instantly and the archer knew that if he stepped into the lot, she'd be gone. He then started his walk home, leaving the shop and the girl he loved behind for the evening.

Then next day at school, the usual trio found themselves sweeping up leaves that the wind had blown all over the school yard. The term had just started, but Watanuki was already tired of school just because it was so hot. So while Doumeki swept up some more leaves, she took a short break, resting her hands and head on the end of her broom. Wari was tying up a full bag of leaves as he listened to Watanuki explain what she and Doumeki had been doing over the weekend.

"So you've been gathering water from a well?" Wari asked.

"That's right." Watanuki replied. "And as usual, Yuko's treatment of me is extremely rough."

"If you're into that sort of thing-" Doumeki started, one of his frequent innuendos surfacing.

"SHUT UP!" Watanuki shouted, and then went back to her discussion like nothing. "And I'll have to keep going back to a stranger's house who knows how many times! And Doumeki just loves tagging along." The seer waited for the peanut gallery to comment, but he just kept on sweeping. "So you're ignoring me now when you don't have something perverted to say!?"

Wari chuckled, "You two make such a cute couple!" While Watanuki freaked out over that comment, Doumeki wasn't even paying attention and both classmates halted in their freaking out and say cute things to look at him. "What's wrong, Doumeki? Is there something on your mind?"

"It's just that yesterday, at the mansion's window…" He started. Then Watanuki piped up.

"You don't think that we got caught yesterday?! That would be a disaster!"

"It's not that," the brunette countered. "That woman seemed kind of familiar…somehow."

"Really?" Wari asked. "Is she an acquaintance of yours or something?"

"No that kind of familiar," Doumeki replied. "She just seemed similar to something I've seen before."

"You're not making any sense!" Watanuki huffed, still lost at what he was trying to get at.

"Well, I hope you figure out what it is," Wari smiled softly.

The three of them went back to their task and the school day finished without incident. Watanuki and Doumeki even collected water from the well without incident, even though the woman was still there by the window. She still didn't say anything or do anything, but the whole situation just creeped the hell out of Watanuki. She was glad to get back to the shop after sunset, presenting the two bottles of water to Yuko like she had on other nights. These bottles were not even half full now since the water level in the well had been steadily decreasing.

"You should be done soon with this amount coming up." Yuko stated, lounging around on the porch.

"What the heck is Nekomusume going to use this much gathered water for?" The seer asked, crossing her tired arms. Doumeki hadn't even teased her that much this afternoon and his goodnight kiss was very short. He seemed to have other things on his mind and she caught him studying the woman in the window several times during their trip today.

"The meaning could be hidden in the gathering of the water itself," Yuko suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you'll understand soon enough," she smiled, keeping the details and her suspicions to herself.

"Why do you always do that?" Watanuki grumbled, glaring at her boss. Then she fell silent, staring at the ground as thoughts swirled around her head.

"Is there something still bothering you?" The witch asked, her cranberry eyes studying her ward.

"The woman was at the window again today…in the same clothes.

"Even though it's this hot?" Yuko's voice took on her ominous tone and Watanuki was scared that she was going to reveal something terrifying. She was already scared enough so she just tried to brush off her comment. "Maybe the clothes just looked the same, that's all!" She gave a false smile. "And Doumeki could see her so she's not a spirit." The girl walked towards the porch and slipped her shoes off, heading inside to cook something to eat. "I'll fry some tempura today and we can have tempura soba for dinner. How does that sound? For drinks…I guess that Soba Shouchu would be best…I'll go get some." The raven went into the shop while the witch watched her go with a knowing looking in her eyes.

The next day at school was normal and Watanuki got a pleasant surprise once classes had ended. "Hey, Watanuki! Are you free to go home together today?" Wari came up to the girl after class with that beautiful smile as asked to walk home with her! But…

"I'm sorry, Wari. I have to go gather some more water today," came the sad reply.

"I get it," Wari's smile disappeared but was replaced by a look of concern. "Hey, should I come with you? Those containers are heavy, right? I'll come help you."

"Oh my gosh, no!" Watanuki quickly held her hands up and waved them in a polite rejection. "I don't want to drag you into my problems! Besides, Doumeki is going with me, but he has club practice, so he'll probably be late. I don't want to have to make you wait."

"Are you sure you don't want any help?" The boy still pressed her, but instead of insisting on coming, he held up his pinky. "Well then promise me that you won't overdo it." His cute smile was back, his curls bouncing as he nodded his head.

"Sure!" Watanuki held up her pinky and their two fingers interlocked, creating a pinky promise. As they finished up, something strange happened. The seer felt the air around her thicken and something felt…wrong. But before she could figure out what, Wari was already talking again.

"I guess I'm going home first then. See you tomorrow!" He gathered up his books and bag and headed out the door.

"See you!" The teens waved at each other and once the boy was out of sight, Watanuki's smile fell away. She looked at her pinky finger. Nothing seemed wrong now, but she had been sure that she'd felt something. Not finding any answers, the girl scooted her chair back and propped her feet up on her desk, making sure to tuck her skirt in between her legs so that her panties were covered and then crossed her ankles. She relaxed into a semi-comfortable position and was out like a light in no time. Working late for Yuko and hauling all that water had tired her out.

And that's how Doumeki found her two hours later, still konked out at her desk. He walked into the classroom, about to call out her name when he noticed that she was sleeping and quietly stalked up to her desk. He crouched down, resting his arms on his thighs and peeked up at the girl's sleeping face. Her bangs hung in her eyes, casting light shadows over her face and her mouth was slightly open, her whole face relaxed. It seemed a shame to have to wake her up, she looked so cute like this and Doumeki wanted to watch her a little more. After a few more minutes of peace, the archer figured that it was time for them to get going…but how to wake the sleeping princess up without getting punched in the face? In the end, he figured that he should just wake up the sleeping princess the classical way. He reached up and gently cupped her jaw before placing a chaste kiss on her lips. Watanuki stirred, feeling the warmth from his hand and soft lips. Her eyes fluttered open and the first thing she saw was Doumeki's face as he pulled away.

"Morning, Sleeping Beauty." His lips held a faint smile.

"Oh, shut it," she grumped, taking her legs off her desk as the brunette stood up. "It's not fair…kissing me while I'm asleep."

"And why is that?" He asked, offering her a hand up from her chair. Watanuki accepted the help, considering her legs were half asleep from being in that position too long.

"Because I don't get to kiss back," she whispered, a blush appearing on her face. Sometimes she is way too cute, he thought, his little smile getting a little bigger.

"Okay then," he replied, "kiss me back."

"What?" She gave him a shocked look. The archer leaned down a little so that Watanuki could reach his lips without a problem and she just stared at him.

"What are you waiting for?" He asked when she seemed to be frozen in place.

"That's not kissing back!" The seer retorted, her blush deepening. "That's starting the kiss!"

"Whatever." And then he waited some more. Clearly he wasn't going to do anything until Watanuki did something and she didn't want to give in to him and so, with a glare, she grabbed her bag and stomped out of the room.

"Are you coming?!" She barked, looking irritated and embarrassed at the same time. Without missing a beat, Doumeki picked up his bag again and followed her out the door. Maybe next time.

"Jeez! It's completely dark now!" Watanuki was complaining, glaring at the moon overhead as she and Doumeki walked with Nekomusume to the mansion. The pair had walked all the way to Yuko's place to pick up the cat-girl and then they all had to walk to the mansion together, so the sun had set long ago and the raven was in a bad mood. "Just how long is this water collecting going to last, huh?!" She sighed heavily as the mansion came into sight.

Nekomusume spoke up for the first time on that walk. "I think that took will probably be the end of it." She said, her big yellow eyes holding and emotion that Watanuki couldn't identify.

"You think so?" The seer asked, looking up at her companion on the wall. The cat-girl didn't reply and Watanuki shrugged. "Whatever. Let's just get this over with quickly."

The trio went through the same routine they'd had the past few days: Nekumusume would leap over the wall with ease, Doumeki would help Watanuki over the wall by trying to grab her butt or sneak a peek at her panties, Watanuki would kick him in the face before he got a chance to do either before jumping down off the wall, Doumeki would follow her over and then they'd collect the water. The night was deepening as the pair dropped down one bottle at a time and soon Doumeki was tying his container up while Watanuki yanked hers out of the well. Even though there was hardly any water left, it was still heavy to drag it all the way up and she had to wipe some sweat off of her forehead.

"This well is almost dried up," the seer observed, noticing that her container was emptier this time than the last time. "If we get caught, we're going to be in big trouble." She shot a comment over her shoulder at Doumeki. "If it comes down to it, I'll leave you behind and make a dash for it."

"You can't outrun me," he shot back. Watanuki huffed as she screwed on the bottle's lid and then went to grab her wrapping cloth. The wind picked up as she started pulling the fabric towards her and suddenly she felt an unbearable pain shoot through her pinky finger, causing her entire right hand to spasm and stiffen.

"Ow!" She hissed grabbing her hand with her left, squeezing it to try and contain the pain. When Watanuki realized she'd let go of the cloth, she looked up just in time to see it whisked away and up into the open window on the second floor. Her mouth fell open in dismay as her hand throbbed, realizing that if she was going to get the cloth back, she'd have to go up there.

"Uh oh," she breathed. "What should I do?" She looked at her hand as the pain started to fade. Doumeki stood behind her, his body covering her back as he reached forward and took her hand. He spread her fingers out and massaged her muscles a little, getting them to relax.

"Is it important?" He asked, looking up at the window with her when he was done.

"I don't know…but the containers were all wrapped up in that cloth from the beginning." She sighed, "Also, it's Yuko we're talking about here, so it probably has some kind of meaning behind it."

"Then I guess you have no choice but to go and get it, right?"

"I know that!" She sighed again, letting herself enjoy Doumeki's comforting touch a moment more before moving towards the door. Fear, trepidation, and guilt sunk into her body as she stood in front of the double doors to the mansion. This was the part where they got in trouble for trespassing and she'd rather do anything else at this point, but she couldn't. All she could do was ring the bell and hope for the best. The raven's finger came up and pressed the buzzer, her heart heavy. But she didn't hear the corresponding sound that usually went off and no one came to the door.

"Is it broken?" She asked, pressing the button a few more times. "Is no one home?" And then she realized the absurdity of that question. "The woman on the second floor should be here…surely she saw us.

Suddenly Doumeki spoke up, startling the girl out of her rhetorical questions. "I'll go see." He sounded really serious for some reason. "I'll go and get it."

"All of this is my fault, so I'll go and get it," the girl argued.

He looked at her with his most serious face on (meaning that his eyes held a deep emotion that Watanuki had come to find out signaled the start of his uber-protective mode. "Wait here," he commanded. There was a weight to his words even though his voice didn't change and it was an authoritative tone that Watanukki really liked to rebel against.

"No, you wait here!" She snarled, her anger and defiance pushing out her fear for a moment. "I got us into this mess so I'll go get it!" And with that, she put her hand on the door and it opened without resistance, nearly causing her to fall over when she pushed too hard. "It's open!"

She opened the door, the crack of moonlight on the floor growing with each second as the door swung inwards. Both teen popped their heads in, finding the front room dark. The house was quiet and shadowy, there weren't any lights on and they couldn't see beyond the moonlight they'd let in.

"Um…excuse me!" Watanuki called out, hoping that someone would come and get this creepy feeling she was having to go away. No response. The wind whipped by outside, sending a shiver up the girl's spine. Everything they could see from the weak moonlight was covered in dust and cobwebs and several cabinet doors were hanging open. It was like no one had lived in this house for a month or more.

"Let's go," Doumeki said, interrupting the silence.

"Are you serious?!" Watanuki gasped and then she realized that the whole point of why they were doing this was to go inside, and that made her feel kinda silly. "O-okay…"

The pair walked inside the mansion and as they were starting their search, Nekomusume had something to do as well. She leapt off the wall where she'd been sitting (like a cat with her butt and feet on the concrete, her hands in between her feet) and dashed across the yard. Her footsteps were nearly silent, despite her size and she reached the well in no time at all. Once there, she leaned over the hole, peering down into the darkness. Her pupils dilated as they accustomed themselves to the lack of light and she saw what she had suspected all along hidden in the depths.

"It's as I thought…" she whispered to herself before getting to work.

Inside the mansion, Watanuki and Doumeki were trying to make their way to the second floor and as they went deeper into the house, it seemed more and more like this place of abandoned. None of the lights worked, everything was dusty and it smelled…old. Like a book that hasn't been opened for a long time. It was really creepy, and Watanuki really wanted to hold Doumeki's hand…but she didn't want to look like a complete wimp so she told herself that she could only hold his hand after something scary happened.

"Does someone really live here?" She questioned, mostly just letting her thoughts run out of her mouth. She and Doumeki were both looking around, following the dark hallway to the back of the house.

"Don't know. I don't see any stairs," the archer observed. They took a few more steps and then a loud BANG sounded near them, scaring the shit out of Watanuki. She screamed, leaping towards her boyfriend and he caught her in a tight embrace, clearly having observed her jittery mood. She hugged his torso as hard as she could, screwing her eyes shut until the crash faded from the hallway. When she finally looked out again, she found that Doumeki was tapping a broken painting with his foot. It must've fallen off the wall and that's what had made the noise.

"Oh, it was just a painting," she sighed, letting out the air she'd been holding with a whoosh. Her body was shaking a little from the scare, but she calmed down quick enough.

"Where you scared?" Doumeki asked in his flat voice, but mostly he just wanted to tease her a little.

"No! I wasn't!" She lied, pushing herself away from him. The brunette shrugged and found a door at the end of the hallway.

"Let's go in." He turned the knob and walked into the darkness, not nervous at all. Watanuki took a more cautious approach and peeked her head in first before following, trying to keep close to the man.

"It's so dark that I can't see a thing!" She whisper-hissed, already missing Doumeki's safe arms around her. As she walked forward, her foot got caught on something and she tripped, falling to the floor. "Ow! Damn it!" Now she was really hissing, pain shooting up her ankle from tripping and her knees and elbows from catching herself. When she picked herself up off the floor, she realized that she was alone. Doumeki was gone! He'd vanished!

"Hey! Doumeki! Don't try to s-s-care m-me!" She snarled, her fear leaking into her words. "Where are you?"

She didn't get an answer. It was insanely dark in the room and Doumeki wasn't anywhere to be seen or heard. A few nervous noises slipped from the seer's lips and then she was running headlong into the darkness, desperately searching for a way out. Her breathing sounded deafening to her ears, her footstep creaking and thumping hard on the floor. Shizuka…! Where are you!? As suddenly as her companion had disappeared, a new door appeared in front of the girl. She gratefully grabbed on to the knob and prayed that this would be a way out or at least a way to a better lighted room. The door swung open to reveal a kitchen, shadowy and abandoned, but it was at least lit by the moonlight coming in through a few, small windows. Watanuki looked around, finding that this kitchen was void of any cookware, plates and pots of any kind…as if it really had been abandoned for years.

"How is anyone able to live in this place?" Watanuki tiptoed past an empty cabinet that may have once housed china and other tableware. This place was getting stranger and stranger and Watanuki didn't like it one bit. Where the hell did Doumeki go?! She took a few steps forward, looking around the kitchen, a chill running up her spine. She felt that something was coming for her, and that usually meant a spirit that wanted to eat her or something like that. But once again, there wasn't a door outside in the kitchen.

Suddenly, something landed on the girl's right shoulder, gripping her tightly. She was so wound up with stress and fear that Watanuki screamed, her arms and legs flailing as she tried to attack her assailant. Fortunately, Doumeki was quicker than she was and ducked around her limbs to yank her into a hug.

"Don't scare me like that," he said moodily (well, moodily for him), and his voice calmed the seer down. If she could've seen his face, she would've seen his worry for her in the slight pinching of his eyebrows.

"Don't scare you?!" She spouted off, spinning in his arms so that they were chest to chest. "That's my line! Don't scare me!" He rolled his eyes and grabbed the top of her head with one hand, turning the raven's head so that she could look behind her.

"Look over there."

"Oh, it's a staircase." Between her worry, fear and the darkness, Watanuki had completely missed seeing the staircase leading to the second floor through another doorway.

"Let's go." Doumeki made the statement while taking a step towards the new doorway.

"Hey! Hold my hand!" Watanuki scrambled to catch up with him, her embarrassment at asking to hold his hand turning into a curt demand, which he gladly fulfilled. The pair went up the stairs and entered another dark hallway on the second floor. There was a door cracked open several meters in front of them to their left, the slit let in moonlight. As they walked towards the room, their footsteps sounded deafening in the quiet.

Doumeki peeked into the room and then opened the door. "She's here." Watanuki peeked around his shoulder and saw the woman at the window still sitting in her chair. Her back was to them and her hair swayed as the wind flew in the open window and rustled the curtains. She still hadn't reacted to the presence of the two teens, simply staring ahead as they entered the room. Watanuki's wrapping cloth was lying on the floor next to the woman's feet. The raven walked up to the woman slowly, cringing at each creak of the floor caused by each step she took. It only took six or seven creaks before she was standing next to the woman's chair, and she hadn't turned or said anything or reacted at all. Her face was passive, her brown hair falling in front of her eyes and the woman didn't move to pull it away. Her skin looked waxy and fake, her eyes staring blankly forward. Watanuki reached her hand out and was about to touch the woman's shoulder when she had a though about what she was staring at.

"She's a-!" She gasped when suddenly a gust of wind ripped through the curtains, throwing the woman's hair into frenzy as Watanuki covered her face from dust and leaves. The wind was so strong that the figure tipped off the chair, falling over limply and crashing onto the floor heavily. She's not a person…

"I get it now…she wears the same clothes every day and doesn't move at all…it's a mannequin!" Watanuki mused, her thoughts taking a tumble out of her mouth.

"I wonder about that!" A loud voice rang out from behind the teens, scaring the shit out of Watanuki even though she recognized it. She reacted by jumped closer to Doumeki and wrapping her arms around one of his, holding onto him like he was a teddy bear.

"Yuko! Don't do that!" Watanuki shouted, her fear turning into annoyance. "And why are you where anyway?!" The witch was standing in the open doorway, wearing a green, yellow and blue shirt-and-jean combination that had her signature butterflies on them. She even had yellow butterfly clips her in hair. She had her arms folded and was looking very smug as she eyed how close Watanuki had gotten to Doumeki in such a short amount of time.

"I wanted to confirm something, so I came to do that," came the simple answer. "I think that Doumeki had a slightly different opinion from yours, Watanuki. Is that right, Doumeki?"

"I finally understand why," he replied. He looked down at the woman again. "The appearance of her skin and hair…she doesn't move or talk…I've been around this my whole life. I've seen a corpse many times."

"Holy shit! It's a corpse!" Watanuki gaped. "There's no way! She looks too pretty to be dead! She's been in here in this heat for, like, a week! If she was a corpse, she'd smell or rot, wouldn't she?!" The girl was panicking, fearful of the prospect that this woman was actually a corpse. Not only did it seem impossible that she'd stayed that this for over a week, but also corpses could spawn vengeful spirits or attract other malicious beings. Watanuki didn't sense anything nearby, but that didn't mean that something wouldn't come…so she was kind of in denial about the whole corpse thing. BUT…Doumeki had to smack down her shaky hopes.

"Corpses don't rot as much nowadays."

"What?!"

"It's something that I heard from my grandfather," the archer continued. "In the old days, when temples took in corpses for funerals, especially in the summer or during the rainy season, preserving them was difficult. But now, the dead can stay in the same condition for many days without rotting."

"How is that even possible?" Watanuki continued her questioning.

"My grandfather thought that because people these days eat a lot of food with coloring, additives and especially preservatives, that these things accumulate in the boy and preserve it for a time." And then it was Yuko's turn to speak up.

"People don't die, rot and return to the earth as easily as they used to. The present is a blessing, but it is also unfortunate in this way."

"So…this is a corpse…" Watanuki looked down at the dead woman. Her eyes were blank, her skin pale…and suddenly, everything about her was screaming "death." How did she die like this? Alone? While the girl was in her thoughts, Yuko had walked across the room and pulled the curtain away from the window.

"Watanuki."

"Yeah?" She was drawn out of her thoughts.

"Take a look." Yuko was gazing down at Nekomusume who was standing in front of the well. She seemed to be holding something in her arms. "Thanks to your efforts, all the water dried out. She was finally able to pull out the corpse of a kitten that had drowned in the well."

"A kitten?" And suddenly, everything made sense. As she looked down at the cat-girl, a long ago memory surfaced of the seer doing the exact same thing. She'd held a dead kitten in her arms once, felt just as alone as it had been, and just as alone as Nekomusume was feeling now. The least that any of them could do was pull the poor kitten out and lay him to rest.

"Why don't you go help Nekomusume? Hm?" Yuko tapped the girl on the shoulder. "I'm sure she'd appreciate the company, Watanuki."

Tearing her eyes away from the window, the raven looked down at the woman on the floor. "What about-"

"I'll handle it." Yuko's cranberry eyes were soft, but also firm. Watanuki nodded and walked toward the door and Doumeki was following right beside her. They made it out of the mansion easier than when they'd entered. The seer came to stand by the cat-girl and placed her hand on her arm gently, holding a cloth in her other hand. Nekomusume turned and saw what Watanuki was offering and without words, the girls knelt down and the kitten was placed in Watanuki's hands. She carefully took the small body of the kitten and wrapped it up in the cloth, grieving for the small creature. She reverently handed the precious bundle back to Nekomusume. When she was done, Yuko was walking out of the mansion as well and they all stood together for a solemn moment. Watanuki looked back up at the window and realized something else that finally made sense.

"That woman was waiting by the window everyday for the kitten, wasn't she?" The window had the perfect view into the yard and the kitten had been around the well when he died. He must've come to this yard often to play.

"I suppose so," Yuko mused. The silence came back for a few moments before Nekomusume spoke up.

"Go on ahead. I'll be at your shop." She stated. "I'm going to put this little one to rest." Yuko nodded and the cat-girl leaped onto the wall and disappeared.

The remaining three gathered up the forgotten water containers and walked out the front gate (for once). Apparently, Yuko was not one to climb over walls and had somehow jimmied the gate open. The gate shut with a mournful creak and the raven gave one last parting look at the mansion. They walked together as the even deepened and it wasn't long before the trio reached Yuko's shop. Doumeki bid Yuko goodnight and kissed his girlfriend on the forehead before walking towards his home. The witch has a pleased smirk on her face as she watched the two "lovebirds" and Watanuki's fierce blush when she noticed that Yuko was staring was well worth the yapping that the seer gave her afterwards. The raven was tasked with putting the last of the water away in the storehouse and during that time, Yuko had changed into a pale yellow kimono, embroidered with purple flowers. She was sitting on the porch drinking sake when Watanuki came back.

"I put the containers away in the storeroom like you told me, but…is it fine to leave them there?" She asked, stopping in front of her boss.

"Until the kitten is allowed to rest, the water that carries his feelings cannot be spread into the world," came the cryptic answer.

"I see." The girl's face was tense, her eyes swimming with concerns.

"What's wrong, Watanuki? Is something still bothering you?" She hesitated to speak, but once Yuko picked up on something, the girl knew that it was pointless to resist.

"It's just that…that woman, who was sitting by the window…dead…" her thoughts tumbled out of her mouth unfiltered, but Yuko waited patiently for her ward to express herself. "Compared to meeting a spirit…meeting her was much more…terrifying."

"After I contacted the police, the woman's corpse was taken away properly. She'll be fine now." The explanation was supposed to calm the girl, but it didn't seem to do that much. Yuko took a sip of sake, enjoying the warmness that slid down her throat and into her belly. Watanuki had nothing to worry about, but here she was worrying. What will I ever do with her?

"That might be true, but…what happened to that kitten was also so pitiful." Watanuki's eyes dropped to the ground, her eyebrows scrunching up. "No one should die alone like that. And I've been having this horrible feeling all day…I can't shake it."

The witch set down her cup and placed a thoughtful hand on her chin as she questioned the girl. "Watanuki, why did you think of going into the mansion in the first place? If you hadn't gone in, you would've have seen the corpse, right?

"Eh?" The sudden change in subject caught her off guard. "That's because the wrapping cloth I carried the bottles in had flown up there on the wind."

"On the wind, you say?" Yuko put on her thinking face as she gathered more facts.

"That's right." Another thought popped into the girl's head and she lifted up her right hand and stared at her fingers. "My little finger started hurting all of a sudden…"

"Did you do something with that little finger of yours?" The questions were still coming.

"Nothing really."

"Really?" Her knowing tone gave the girl pause and she remembered that she'd made a pink promise with Wari earlier that day.

"Now that I think about it, I did make a pinky promise with Wari, but…it didn't have anything to do with what happened today!" She got a little flustered defending her friend. Words came pouring out of her mouth rapid-fire as she continued. "Wari was just worried about me and today was just a coincidence or something-" The seer's head snapped up as she cut off her sentence, realizing what she'd just said. The air around the two women thickened, and Yuko was giving her a measured gaze, as if she knew that Watanuki was on the brink of understanding something that she already knew. But that was interrupted by a flying Mokona launching itself at the girl's face.

"Watanuki! Written as April 1st, Watanuki!" The pork bun latched onto her head and wouldn't let go no matter how much she flailed around.

"Stop it!" The raven grumbled, her voice obscured by the little back body covering her mouth. Her hands gripped Mokona on either side and she pulled with all her might to get him off, but the little bastard hung on and his body stretched like rubber. "I'm in no mood to be teased by you today!" Two pulls later, the pork bun finally let go and leapt to the ground.

"Mokona's soba shochu is nowhere to be found!" The created complained, its ears pointing up toward the sky. "Where are they? There were ten of them, right?"

"You were the one who drank them recently!" Watanuki snarled at the jumping rabbit-thing.

"Watanuki! Go look for them! Hurry!" Mokona jumped on top of the girl's head this time and pointed her towards the storehouse and any other place they kept booze.

"I got it! I got it! I'm going! There definitely aren't any left, though…"

"Yes there are!"

"No there aren't!"

"Yes there are!"

"No there aren't!" The argument faded into the distance as the raven trudged off. Yuko poured herself another cup of sake and took a long sip before addressing her next guest. Nekomusume jumped down onto the porch, her hands in between her legs while she sat on her heels, very akin to a cat.

"Thank you for the kitten," she stated. "I always saw him when I passed by that mansion, so it bothered me when I hadn't seen him in a while."

"The compensation for the job has already been taken. That egg will be used when the time comes for it." The witch was interrupted when the argument about the soba shochu floated out from the kitchen.

"I told you that there aren't any left!" Watanuki hissed.

"No way! If I don't have some, I can't sleep!" Mokona complained.

"Hmph! Then don't sleep!"

"Just go buy some!"

"Like anywhere would be open at this hour! It's late!"

"You're such a cheapass!"

"It's nothing like that! It's just the way it is!" Yuko ignored the fight and focused on something much more concerning…

"Hey," Nekomusume spoke up again, almost as if she had read the witch's thoughts. "What's wrong with her little finger?"

Yuko didn't answer the question. It was anyone's guess as to what could happen, though she did have a few ideas. She could feel the ominous presence of a curse lingering around her favorite, little slave…and someday it was going to cause more trouble than a runaway cloth. A lot more.

Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

The summer's heat had lessened as the season wore on and Doumeki found himself walking home from school alone after archery practice. Watanuki had to go straight to Yuko's that day, so she told him that she wasn't waiting around for him. Without being in any particular hurry to get home, the archer took a stroll around one of the many shopping areas near his home, window browsing. He passed several shops selling food, clothing and accessories but the window that he stopped at was a sweet shop. It displayed some very delicious desserts As he browsed, two girls his age walked out of the café cooing over how good their desserts where.

"The sweet gelatin was so yummy!"

"We're totally coming back next week!"

"Yeah, definitely." Their conversation continued on but the archer wasn't paying attention anymore. I should bring Kimihiro here for a date. She liked that sweet café we went to with the twins a while back…I think she'd this place too. And then we can eat sweets together. The man nodded to himself, determined to find time where both of them could come here without being interrupted by something of a ghostly/spiritual/Yuko-in-general nature. Nodding to himself, Doumeki continued down the street, having his goal in mind and wondering just what his girlfriend was up to.

She was grilling fish. That's what she was doing.

Watanuki was outside in the yard, kneeling next to a small, charcoal fire. She was fanning the flames gently with a paper fan as she cooked Yuko's request of the day: heavily salted and skewered ayu fish. She had about six fish in the little pit and Maru and Moro were dancing around her as they waited for the early dinner.

"…and you gently fan the flames so that they cook the fish until they are crispy on the outside, but tender on the inside," Watanuki explained.

"Salt-grilled fish!" Maru sang, wiggling her bum back and forth.

"Salt-grilled fish!" Moro repeated, swaying from side to side. The twins kept repeating their song, dancing around in the grass while Yuko piped up from her chair on the porch.

"Wa-ta-nuki!~ Isn't it ready yet?" The witch was lounging in her wicker chair, her laptop out on a table as she tapped on the keys. "I'm starving over here!"

"Not ready?" Moro questioned, pausing in her dance.

"Starving!" Maru repeated, parroting her mistress.

"Just wait a little longer, please," the seer called back. The twins went back to dancing and Yuko just sipped on her afternoon sake, patient for once. Today's outfit was a white and yellow, western-style sundress. She also had a long, purple haori, but she was mostly sitting on it instead of actually wearing it. Mokona was hanging out on her shoulder, downing its small cup of sake and sighing contently.

"The tastes of summer are so great!~" It cooed, the cool sake and smell of grilling fish mouth watering. The gang waiting around in the summer sun for a few more minutes until the fish was done cooking. Watanuki reached out a gloved hand carefully and grabbed one of the skewers.

"Owowow! Hothothot!" She quickly dumped the fish onto a plate and hopped over to Yuko. "The fish is done!" The twins gave her a standing ovation and cheered. The witch didn't immediately go for the fish like Watanuki thought she was going to, but she finished typing out what she was working on and then reached for the plate.

"I forgot that you surf the net," the seer commented.

"I don't," came the reply. Watanuki was confused. If Yuko wasn't on the internet, what was she doing? "Alright! I'm done here too!" She spun her laptop around to display what she'd been working on and what greeted the girl was an Etch-A-Sketch-esque drawing of her making a dumb face.

"Ah! What the hell is that?!" She yelped, her mouth hanging open just like it was in the picture.

"ASCII art!" (Note 2) Moro cheered, twirling around. "ASCII art!"

"A lazy Watanuki!" Maru called out, naming the expression how she saw it. The twins now had fish in their hands and were dancing around again as they made fun of the girl while eating. Watanuki's face looked exactly like the picture Yuko had created now and in the process, her brain has shut off due to Yuko's burn. While she rebooted, the woman took the fish off of her hands and took a crispy bite. The taste of salt and sea burst in her mouth and a delighted smile graced her face.

"Ah, the art of summer!" She cooed.

"And then come the autumn appetites!" Mokona added. Watanuki's brain had restarted and she whirred to life, crouching down next to the table to study her boss' art.

"Wow…" she was impressed by Yuko's accuracy. "But if she was gonna put this much effort into something, why couldn't she have made a better face? Do I really make faces like this?" Everyone gave her a resounding "YES."

"A lazy face! A lazy face!" The twins were singing again and Watanuki started pouting.

"Whatever, so I have a lazy face," she grumbled. Her grumping was interrupted by the smell of something burning and the girl whirled around in a panic to see that the last two ayu were burning. "GAH! The fish is burning!" She snatched up the last two skewers and waved them a bit to cook them down. Her antics were then interrupted by a voice calling out from the front gate.

"Excuse me!"

"It seems we have a customer," Yuko stated, putting down her fish. Watanuki stopped flailing her arms and the fish as a girl approached the group. She was wearing the same uniform as Watanuki was – white shirt, gray skirt, long socks and brown shoes – and her long, brown hair was tied up on one side. Watanuki had never seen her before, but clearly they went to the same school.

"Um…good day," the girl started, placing her school bag in front of her and gripping the handles with both hands. "Sorry for intruding like this." And here we go again! Someone apologizing for entering the shop without knowing why they made their way here. Typical.

"Ah, no…I doubt that it was your fault," Watanuki replied, a knowing look on her face. That's how she'd ended up here, after all.

"That's right," Yuko interjected. "Your coming here was inevitable." The woman stood up gracefully and led her guest into the shop. The two sat down at a simple table in Western-style chairs and Watanuki brought them some tea and then hid behind the screen doors as the usual conversation started up.

"So…you were expecting me?" The girl asked.

"That fact that you have entered this shop means that you must have some kind of wish for me to grant. This shop is a place for the granting of those wishes and desires you have," Yuko replied, explaining the purpose of the shop and why the girl had come. The girl's face dropped, her eyebrows scrunching together with worry.

"I'm scared of my house," she started. Her house? Watanuki peeked through the door, spying on the pair because inevitably she was going to get dragged into this. "Forewarned is forearmed," she guessed. "I hear noises inside my house," the girl continued, "even though no one is there…and thing that I leave somewhere tend to move around, showing up in a different spot when I come home. And there are also times when I can feel the presence of another person."

Oh, geez…is it a spirit or a ghost?

"And this happens every day?" Yuko questioned.

"Yes."

"And you said that it happens even when no one is there?"

"Yes."

"And you are always alone when things move and your hear sounds?"

"Yes."

"So then, your wish is…" Yuko prompted.

"For my house…" the girl's face dropped again, struggling to find the right words.

"To not scare you anymore? Would that be acceptable?" The girl's face perked up.

"Yes."

Yuko then held up a suzu, a Shinto bell that was suspended from a piece of metal and attached to a think length of cloth, kind of like a bookmark. The bell's melodious jingled sounded, and it was a sound that Watanuki was well acquainted with. Suzu were everywhere, in temples and shrines, on good luck charms, key chains and phone charms. But why is Yuko giving her one? The seer puzzled over the matter that evening and told her friends about it the next day.

"So Yuko gave her a bell?" Wari asked, confirming what he'd just been told. The two teens were out in the hallway, taking a short break in between classes.

"Yeah, she told her to put it on whenever she was in the house," the raven explained. Wari put a finger on his lips, tapping softly.

"And that'll stop that sounds and stuff?"

"And then Yuko told her it was fine to pay the price after the wish had been granted…so I guess so."

"She gave her a charm?" A very familiar voice popped up from behind Watanuki and she instantly swiveled around to glare at the man it belonged too.

"What do you want?!" Old habits die hard. Doumeki took his girlfriend's snarling and fangs in stride and leaned over to kiss her cheek, causing her to blush and look away moodily.

"Using instruments that ring, like a bell, seem to be a common practice in many places," Doumeki started his explanation about why Yuko gave the girl a bell. Watanuki gave him a pointed look that said, "you're such a know-it-all" and then that look turned surprised when she saw what he hand in his hands. He was holding her tea thermos, that cap already off and in his other hand.

"Hey! That's for lunch!" She scolded, yanking both parts out of his hands.

"And bears avoid bells too," the archer continued.

"Wow, bears too?" Wari asked. "Bells are amazing!"

"Are you an encyclopedia of your grandfather's knowledge or something?" Watanuki huffed, screwing the thermos lid back on.

"Something like that," came the reply. Watanuki was miffed. Doumeki just stuck his nose into all her business.

"That girl probably has a…you know, that thing that paranormal thing that moves objects and makes noises in the house." Watanuki turned back to her discussion with Wari, searching for the name of her description, "What was it called…? Oh, yeah! It's a-"

"Poltergeist," Doumeki finished, butting in again. The seer snarled at him again, but Doumeki just kissed her on the cheek and started heading to class as the bell rang.

"You two are cute!" Wari gushed. "Come on, class is starting."

"Hey, I made a bento for lunch! Are you coming?" The raven called out to her friend.

"A friend of mine made us sandwiches today, so how about next time?" The curly-haired boy gave her his cute smile that make her forgive him for everything.

"Sandwiches, huh?" She mused, "If he had told me, I could've made them…" The girl sighed and then tensed up as her hand flared in pain. Her grip on the thermos loosened as her fingers spasmed and she dropped the container. It hit the floor and the lid popped off, spilling hot tea all over her leg. "Ow! What the hell?" Watanuki skin burned, the shock causing her to hop and then fall on her ass as she hissed. Her shin, ankle and shoe were hot as the tea sank into her sock and ran down her skin. The initial pain dulled and Watanuki looked at her hand, her pinky finger aching. This pain…it feels like that time at the mansion…The girl's thoughts were interrupted as a classmate called out to her. She ended up going to the bathroom to clean up while that student told the teacher and helped her mop up the mess before they went back to class together. The rest of the day passed normally and Watanuki soon found herself walking towards Yuko's shop, thinking about what she would make for dinner.

"Today I think I'll make grilled eel with sunomono from those fresh cucumbers I bought yesterday…and some five grain rice…" She had nearly reached the gate when the sound of a bell rang out. The clear sound signaled that someone was behind her and before she could even turn to look, the girl from yesterday ran past and dashed into Yuko's shop. Watanuki, a little dumbfounded that she was back so soon, followed close behind.

"Excuse me!" The girl threw open the door and started yelled. "Is someone here? Hello!"

"What's the matter?" Watanuki asked, walking into the genkan behind her. The girl held up the bell.

"I put on this bell, but.." she started explaining.

"But?" Yuko walked out into the hallway and leaned against the wall, listening. Her appearance startled both girls, as today she was wearing an elaborate black kimono with embroidered moons and lace at the collar and hem. Her huge, yellow obi was tied in a bow at her waist and a exquisite red haori flowed from her arms down to the floor. The witch had that air of mystery around her this time, somehow seeming otherworldly and untouchable. The silence that accompanied her entrance was broken by her prompting her guest to speak. "But what?"

"The sound in my house just got louder, the stuff I leave around keeps moving and I still hear footsteps," she finished her explanation. "I'm so scared!"

"I see." Yuko reached into her sleeve and drew out another charm, but this time there were two bells dangling from the end, their melodious ring echoing in the room. "Keep this with you whenever you're at home."

"I did," the girl muttered, her face scrunching up in anger this time. "But when I used this bell you gave me, it got even worse than before!" She thrust out her bell at the woman.

"Your wish was for you to lose your fear of your house, correct?" Yuko asked, looming over the girl with the new bells in hand. The girl looked back at Watanuki, her own confused look mirroring the seer's.

"Um…Yuko…?" Watanuki started, not quite sure what to say. The girl was looking at her, clearly wanting an explanation that the raven couldn't give and one that Yuko wasn't divulging.

"Take this." Yuko held out the bells again and the girl hesitantly took them, staring down at all the bells in her hand before leaving. The tense atmosphere was dispersed when Yuko started ordering her little slave around and Watanuki quickly logged the incident away in her head so that she could tell Wari about it the next day.

This time, they were talking while delivering a few stacks of papers for their teacher, walking down the hallway together.

"So she got another bell?"

"Yeah, Yuko gave her another one."

"Then she took it and went home?" Wari asked next.

"I guess." Watanuki shrugged. "She didn't look to happy about it either." The pair passed a set of windows that overlooked the track and field. Another class was outside for gym, and Watanuki spotted the girl they were talking about. "She's the girl from Yuko's shop, over by the track. She's the one with only one side of her hair tied up." She was sitting next to the girl with dark hair and several other girls were standing around them while they waited their turn for sprints.

"She's a first year, right?"

"From what I can tell."

"I wonder if the noises in her house have stopped," Wari mused.

"I hope so…" The seer replied. "Ah! I forgot that we have to get back to class!"

"You're right!" Wari gave a dazzling smile. "Thanks for helping me with the printouts!"

"You're welcome!" Watanuki smiled brightly, fangirling at the boy's cuteness as they started walking again. "Oh, hey! Do you want to somewhere on the way home today? We could go to that café with the delicious cakes you were telling me about."

"Sorry, I have some things to take care of today," Wari apologized.

"Okay! Maybe next time!" As the boy walked away, Watanuki's face drooped sadly. "But…I wanted cake…" and she wanted to spend some more time with Wari. It seemed like they'd been getting a little further away from each other lately, and the raven wanted to keep what few friends she had. Little did she know, someone was about to swoop in on the rebound.

"If you're talking about that sweet shop, then why don't we go together?" Doumeki came up right behind the girl, finding the perfect opportunity to ask her out to the same shop he'd wanted to go to the other day. He wrapped his arms around the girl, hugging her from behind and making sure not to upset her or the papers she was carrying. He gave her a peck on the forehead before she started railing into him.

"WHAT MAKES YOU THINK I WANT TO GO WITH YOU!?" She yelled, her fangs coming out.

The archer pointed to his face and simply stated, "Boyfriend."

"Oh." She paused, her eyes blinking owlishly. "That's right."

"You've got to start remembering that all the time," Doumeki teased, a slight inflection of mischief in his voice. "Not just when you're on top of me, wanting to-"

"OK SHUT UP!"

"It's a date," Doumeki concluded, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek before letting her go and dodging her attempt to knock the back of her skull into his face.

"Stop kissing me all the time! It's weird!" Watanuki was pissed, but she was still blushing cutely, so the archer knew that he had gotten away with it.

"Nope."

"You ass…" she muttered, stomping off to class.

Miffed or not, they both met up after school and walked to the shop. Watanuki had never been there before and from how crowded it was, the shop was apparently fantastic. The shop's symbol was a waxing crescent moon and a little sparrow flying away from it. It looked nice enough – cute, quaint and clean…but there was something bugging the seer about it. Sure, there were lots of gaggles of girls coming for a treat…but there were also lots of couples enjoying the nice afternoon together…getting cozy…feeding one another. Watanuki was blushing a little at the sight and prayed that Doumeki wasn't going to start acting all gooey on her. That would be more disturbing than surprising.

She turned toward her date to see what he was doing, but he was just waiting in line, his usual stone face plastered on. The girl felt so flustered, finding herself in a normal dating situation with her boyfriend, when usually they were getting chased by a spirit, attacked by some ghoul or stuck having to run errands for Yuko. The most normal "date" thing they'd done since becoming a couple was play mahjong, but mostly that was an opportunity for three experts to trash her. As she was looking at him, stuck between reliving the nightmare of majhong and deciding that, yes, Doumeki's jaw line was in fact perfect, he noticed her looking at him. His bronze gaze met her mismatched one and she blushed slightly as her head quickly shot down.

"What?" Doumeki asked.

"N-nothing." She wouldn't look at him now and even though he wanted to know what she'd been doing, he let it slide. It was time for them to sit down. Watanuki was still looking anywhere but at him, so when she didn't respond to the hostess calling them, the archer just took her hand and pulled her along with him. She gasped at the sudden movement and tripped over her own feet a bit, but Doumeki had a firm grip on her and helped her stay upright. They were soon seated at a table tucked in the corner of the café (for which Watanuki was grateful) and then she hid her face in the menu as Doumeki continued to wonder what was up with her. He looked over the menu for just a moment before deciding what he wanted to eat and then set the menu down in favor and staring at his girlfriend. Head resting in his hand, he watched the girl frantically scan the list of desserts and continue to avoid his gaze as they ordered. It was only after their waitress was gone that she stole a glance and then her eyes flitted away again.

Doumeki sighed, deciding to get to the point, "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" She gave the same answer, but was still not looking at him. There was a faint blush on her cheeks, which he did find cute.

"Clearly it's not 'nothing,'" he sighed again as he reached out for the girl's hand. She jolted as their skin met, but soon relaxed and lightly squeezed his hand in return. "Just tell me."

"Well…" she hesitated for a few moments before finally looking him in the eye. "I-it's just that this is the first actual date that we've been on." Her blush turned a few shades darker.

"We went on a date with Emi and Tomo," he reminded her, thinking back to the few dates they went on with the twins.

"Pfft. They were both gunning for you, so I hardly think that counts." Her embarrassed face turned into a pouty one.

"But I chose you, Kimihiro." Doumeki squeezed her hand again, a gently look in his eyes. Watanuki's eyes took on a kind of shine to them as well, her usual harsh and/or flustered expression giving way. But Doumeki's next words put the kibosh on whatever romance that moment had when he said, "And let's not forget that you pretty much jumped me the last time we were alone." Now the blush on her skin was an angry one.

"Why you-!" The seer was interrupted when the waitress came back carrying their order. She cheerfully set down several plates…a few more plates that Watanuki remembered ordering.

"Here you go! Enjoy!~" She smiled brightly and then left the couple alone. Watanuki was too busy counting desserts to respond (Note 3).

"Okay, I got the peach tart and the dango," she started, "but how many things did you need to get?"

"Whatever I wanted." The archer replied. Everything on the menu looked good, so he'd wanted to try more than one. "Mont Blanc, imagawayaki, Castella sponge cake, strawberry cake and agar-agar jelly."

Watanuki shook her head at him. "You're a pig."

"You're going to help me eat it all."

"I am?!"

"Yes. Say 'ah.'" Doumeki picked up a spoonful of Mont Blanc – the sugary puree of chestnuts – and held it out to his girlfriend.

"You've got to be kidding me," she hissed, biting her lip. "No way I'm doing that!" Doumeki just started at her, he eyebrows moving a fraction of an inch up as if to say, "I'm waiting." She rolled her eyes but knew that they'd be here all day if she didn't.

"Ah," she opened her lips and let him feed her. The dessert tasted sweet on her tongue and it was so good that she couldn't help but smile.

"Good?" Doumeki asked, grabbing a spoonful for himself.

"Yes!" Her eyes sparkled as she picked up her fork, taking a bite of her peach tart next. "It's so nice to eat something that I didn't cook for once!"

The brunette's reply to her was to open his own mouth. "Ah."

"Oh god, really?" The raven was caught between rolling her eyes and laughing at the image of big, tough Doumeki looking like a child as he waited for her to feed him something. She relented and let him try her peach tart. He nodded in approval and took a bite of his cake before offering her a taste. The date continued on like that, the two of them sharing sweets and trying to get the most bites out of the ones they liked best. By the end, they were in a good mood and Watanuki even ordered some dessert to go for Yuko and the gang. And even though Doumeki insisted on paying for everything (because it was an actual date) she wouldn't let him pay for Yuko's dessert. In return for indulging her, he wanted a kiss and she gave it to him, her earlier blush returning. They walked back toward the shop hand in hand, and for once, Watanuki was embarrassed.

"Thank you, Doume- I mean, Shizuka." The girl caught herself as she remembered that Doumeki asked her to call him by his first name when they were alone.

"You're welcome, Kimihiro." If you were looking close enough and knew where to look (which Watanuki did) you could've seen the small smile on the man's face. This is nice, they both thought, their hands idling swinging back and both between them. The companionable silence lasted until they had to part ways, Doumeki heading to the temple and Watanuki heading to Yuko's shop.

The archer took the girl's chin in his hand and gave her another soft kiss as they said goodbye, his smile back as they parted. "I love you." He whispered.

"Where did that come from?!" Watanuk was blushing again and it was adorable.

"You told me that you wanted to hear that more," he reminded her.

"Yeah, whatever." She sounded curt, but he could tell that she was happy.

"See you tomorrow." He let go of her, but still held her gaze.

"Yeah, see you," Watanuki turned and walked away, pausing once to wave at him before disappearing around a corner.

I'm glad that worked out, Doumeki thought to himself. "Next time, I'll have to ask for more than just a kiss. If she's in a good mood, of course." Doumeki smiled again and started walking towards home, his heart light and his lips warm from their last kiss.

"Hey, I'm back!" Watanuki called out as she stepped into the shop fifteen minutes after parting with Doumeki. "And I brought treats!" took off her shoes and then started down the hallway, knowing that Yuko liked to be outside as much as possible when the weather was nice. When she spotted the witch, her held out the bag from the sweet shop. "This Kuromitsu Kanten is supposed to be great!" Without warning, the bag was snatched out of her hands by Maru and the twins started dancing around and chanting, "Kuromitsu Kanten," over and over again.

"That was nice," Yuko stated, smiling at the girl. "Did you go on a date with Doumeki?~" She teased.

"…So what if it was a date with Doumeki?" Watanuki pouted, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time.

"Oh, you two are so cute!~" Yuko gushed.

"Then let's get straight to it!" The witch held up Mokona as the little creature began to speak.

"With some sake!" Yuko added.

"Sake!~ Sake!~ Bring out the sake!" The porkbun cheered.

"You normally have tea with this!" Watanuki reprimanded, scolding her reckless, alcoholic taskmasters.

Yuko's smile slid off her face as she felt a presence approaching the shop, the sound of bells clanging with its arrival. "Never mind that, Watanuki. We'll have to enjoy it later."

"Huh?" Was all the reply she got before someone was yelling inside the shop.

"Is anyone here?!" The voice was angry…this wasn't going to be pleasant.

"Coming!" The girl scurried off to greet the guest. "Sorry about that – oh, it's you." She recognized the girl as she turned the corner. She was wearing an orange and white, frilly dress, but her cute outfit did not match her pissed completion.

"These were absolutely useless!" The girl held up the three bells Yuko had given her angrily, their ringing matching the girl's voice.

"Okay, just calm down, please," Watanuki held up her hand defensively, but the girl didn't slow down at all.

"The sounds and the presence didn't go away! In fact, everything got worse!" She snarled. "And before I came running over here, I felt someone touch my shoulder while I was in my room!"

"And then?" Yuko appeared behind the girls, drawing their attention. She was calm, one hand casually on her hip.

"I'm telling you that these bells are utterly useless!" Now the girl's anger was directed towards the witch and she shook the bells angrily again.

"Oh really?" Yuko asked. "Then try these." She held up another charm, and this one had three bells. The guest gasped, probably shocked that Yuko was just handing her more bells. "If these don't work then just come back again." Yuko's voice had taken on that all-knowing tone, as if she knew what was going to happen next. And in a way, she did. The girl was back the next day, trudging through the rain to yell at Yuko again when the bells didn't work and her wish was left unfulfilled. Yuko gave her another charm; this one with seven bells. The girl moodily snatched those out of the woman's hands and left in a huff. The next day was the same: more yelling, more bells and the invitation to come back.

The day after that found Watanuki cutting up some late-season watermelon and she sighed as she went to take the treat out to Yuko. "I wonder if she'll come again today." As if her comment had summoned her, the girl stomped into the shop, as mad as ever. She didn't even take her shoes off as she stalked down the hall and out onto to the porch where Yuko was sitting in her wicker chair. Yuko didn't seem surprised at all, and honestly, Watanuki was starting to get used to the exchanges that happened between the pair.

"Are you trying to make a fool out of me!?" The girl's breath was heavy from running and from rage. She glared at Yuko and if looks could kill, she would've been dead. "Every time I come you just give me more bells! Cut it out already!" She lifted her fistful of bells and brought it down harshly, whether to throw them or to hit Yuko, Watanuki didn't know. Before the seer could move to restrain the girl, Yuko was out of her chair and grabbed her wrist, the sudden stop jangling the bells loudly.

"Wasn't your wish for you to lose the fear you have of your house?" Yuko asked, her purple kimono gracefully fluttering to the ground.

"Yes! I've been saying that from the very beginning!"

"Then take these and stay in your house," Yuko intoned, her voice serious and kinda scary. She held up yet another charm, this one with too many bells for Watanuki to count them properly. The customer looked at the bells, her expression falling into confusion rather than anger, and then fear as she looked back at Yuko. She yanked her wrist out of the witch's hand and held it close to her chest, as if she'd been burned. "If you do this, your wish will be granted." Without another word, the girl snatched the bells and ran off, disappearing out the gate. The whole experience left the air with a thick tension, and it was only after Yuko had retired to her receiving room what Watanuki dared comment on it.

"She was extremely frightened," Watanuki stated, holding out a glass of red wine to her boss as she sat on her couch.

"Yes, she was," Yuko stated simply, taking a sip.

"Isn't there any other way to help her? Like maybe going to her house?"

"This is the best way to deal with her situation." Yuko set her glass down on the end table next to her. "And…I think it will all end tonight."

"Really?" Watanuki was glad to hear that. "Does that mean she won't have to be afraid anymore?"

"Yes…" Yuko stared off into space, probably seeing things that were beyond the sight of normal beings. "Everything will end tonight."

I hope so.

Watanuki ended up sleeping over at Yuko's shop that evening, having taken care of the woman's every whim and wile. It was strange, because she remembered brushing her teeth, putting on her pajamas and turning out the light before getting into her futon…but somehow, after she closed her eyes, she found herself sitting on the porch outside the shop. She was still in her pajamas, but she had no idea how she got there. Night birds were calling, insects were buzzing and the moon was bright in the sky, but her mind wasn't on any of these things. She was thinking about the girl again...wondering how things were going, wondering if her wish would be granted. Her frightened face lingered in the seer's mind. What is going to happen to her? Before she could get too far into her thoughts, she suddenly found that she wasn't alone.

"That's quite the depressed face." The melodious voice next to her startled the girl. She found a man sitting next to her, smoking a cigarette and clad in a dark kimono. His face was one that she'd seen many times, one that she loved, even with the small differences. And he had visited her once before.

"Doumeki-" she started, then shook her head. This man's eyes were a little gentler, his lips formed smiles so easily, his hair was cropped closer near his ears. He had the face of her boyfriend, but he wasn't Doumeki. He smiled at her, coaxing the girl to smile as well. "No…you're his grandfather, aren't you?"

"I'm glad that you can tell straight away," Doumeki's grandfather replied, his smile getting a little bigger. His voice was similar and different at the same time too – smooth like Doumeki's but it seemed to have a flare of amusement in it, or maybe it was a wise voice. Watanuki liked listening to it as he kept talking. "Being called a grandfather isn't bed, but if you're going to address me, then you might as well use my name." He took a drag of his cigarette, letting the smoke rise into the air gently. As the raven watched him smoke, she was reminded of Yuko. This man…was kind of like her two closest people all wrapped in one.

"Oh!" She was startled out of her thoughts as she realized that she'd never told him her name. "I still haven't properly introduced myself, have I? And I don't know your name!"

"Kimihiro Watanuki," he stated, his warm caramel eyes gazing into hers.

"Uh…yeah." Apparently she didn't need to introduce herself; he already knew her name.

"My name is Haruka Doumeki. My family name is the same as Shizuka's, so please call me by my given name."

"Haruka…" Watanuki tested out the name on her tongue, still enchanted by him. When she said it, the corners of his mouth curled upwards again. Unlike Doumeki, Haruka's face always seemed to hold a smile or at least some sort of mirth. It was a little surreal to see a face she knew so well make many different expressions than she was used to.

"Oh dear," he chuckled. "You are so cute. My Shizuka is a lucky boy."

"Ah…huh?" Watanuki wasn't paying close attention to what he was saying until she heard Shizuka's name and then when she did register what he'd said, she started blushing.

"Shut up," she said, almost unconsciously thinking Haruka was Shizuka and treating him the same as she did his grandson. (Seriously the nearly the same face thing was going to be so hard!) "Ah! Sorry!" She apologized quickly, her blush deepening.

"No worries," he chuckled, bringing his hand up to cup the raven's chin. "I could never be mad at someone as beautiful as you. You're such a gentle girl, I can tell. I bet that's why Shizuka is so taken with you. In this moonlight, I might just be taken in myself." His bronze eyes seemed to be staring right into her soul and her skin was hot where his fingers touched her. Oh hell…he's such a flirt! I am so not used to this! Shizuka's flirting consists of blunt comments that embarrass me but…but…Haruka actually flirts!

"Uh…ah…" A sweat drop slid down the girl's cheek as she tried to pry the man's fingers off her. "You're l-laying it on a little thick there…heh…"

"I only say what I mean," he countered, letting the girl's fingers unhook his own, only so that he could caress her cheek once or twice. Her blush deepened and she really did look so cute in the moonlight. Haruka laughed cheerfully and then patted her head. "I'll stop, I promise." He could see the tension melt out of her body. "But only for now." Oh, it came back, he thought, referring to the tension in her shoulders. "I believe that you are deeply concerned with something else at the moment…care to explain?"

Watanuki was skillfully guided back to her previous thoughts about the girl with the bells and now that Shizuka's unrealistically attractive and playful grandfather was not teasing her, she could actually focus. Well, focus enough to explain what was going on.

"So, her house frightens her," he summarized, after hearing her explanation.

"Yes. Yuko gave the girl several more bells today," the raven rested her head in her hands. "Even though she was at her wit's end…just like every other day." Her voice trailed off, but before she could get lost in thought, Haruka stood up gracefully and offered her a hand up.

"Shall we go take a look at the girl's house?"

"Huh?" Watanuki was confused as she took his hand. The man suddenly pulled her close, wrapping her in his embrace as he (once again) chuckled at the blush on her face.

"Stay close," he whispered in her ear. An involuntary shiver flew up her spine. "This can be a bit disorienting." Suddenly, the scenery around them changed, as if in a flash. One moment, they were in the yard and the next, they were in a room in a house that Watanuki had never seen. Startled, she gasped and pushed against Haruka, breaking his grip and falling into a swivel chair. Thankfully, she landed on the seat, but she did nearly tip it over.

"What the-?!" She regained her balance after a heart stopping moment, and looked around. She was sitting near a desk, there was bookshelf in the corner and a girl sleeping in her bed. She recognized the girl. "Hey, this is…!" She slapped her hands against her mouth, hoping that her voice didn't wake the girl up.

"It's alright," Haruka said, a smile on his face. "This is just a dream."

"This is a dream?" Watanuki looked at herself, wondering how a dream could be so vivid and wondering how the heck all of this worked.

"Dreams are connected," the man explained. "So, we came through your dream and into hers, bringing us here."

"Oh wow…" Watanuki was about to say more when the girl's eyes fluttered. She sat up and rubbed her eyes, muttering, "What a weird dream." Apparently she couldn't see Haruka or Watanuki and the raven was grateful for that.

She looked towards the desk, her gaze hooking on nothing and came to rest on the nightstand next to her bed. The bells were sitting on a tray, their golden surfaces glinting softly in the moonlight. The girl went to reach for them, but they slipped off the tray, clanking and ringing as they fell and hit the floor. "Oh geez," the girl sighed as she leaned down to pick the bells up. As she was leaning over, her hip slipped off the edge of the bed and she tumbled to the floor. Immediately after, everyone heard footsteps approaching from the hallway.

"Footsteps?!" Watanuki gasped, turning towards the door. The girl on the floor panicked too, her eyes going wide in fear.

"They didn't do anything after all!" The footsteps came to the door and then stopped. The whole room was silent for the space of three breaths. Watanuki swallowed, eyes locked on the door, waiting for what would happen next. The handle on the door started to move and the tension was thick enough to be cut with a knife. The door swung open slowly, creaking ominously all the while.

The door swung open to reveal a man – just a normal looking man dressed in comfort wear, and Watanuki was kind of underwhelmed because she'd totally been expecting something scarier. His hand came up to the light switch, and he flicked it one, but the lights didn't flicker to life. The room was still dark. He sighed. "It's true. In this room alone, the lights don't work." He eyebrows furrowed in concern, partially hiding behind his glasses. He walked into the room and Watanuki scrambled to get out of his way, waiting for his to start yelling at her for being in the room. But, even after he'd passed her, he still didn't say anything or look at her. Haruka smiled at the confused look on her face.

"We are beings from a dream, so they can't see or hear us." His smile became less amused as he kept talking, but it still graced his face. "But what is occurring in front of us is reality." The way he said them reminded the seer of Yuko when she suddenly became profound, timeless and untouchable. Haruka exuded the same presence she did; only it was more discreet. And that was Watanuki's cue to pay attention because shit was about to go down.

The girl from the shop was cowering on the ground, shaking and almost in tears. She hadn't acknowledged the man and Watanuki realized that the man hadn't seen her either. And suddenly it clicked. The man reached out towards the window and pulled back the curtains, but the girl screamed, only seeing the curtains suddenly jerk apart by themselves. She was terrified as she sat up, staring at the window in horror. Sweat was collecting on her forehead and she shakily reached for the bells Yuko had given her. The man, however, was looking out the window, his reflection staring back at him.

"There's really no one in this room…" he sighed. Then he spun around as the sound of bells rang out. His eyes widened in horror, his body stiff as he tried to figure out where the sound was coming from. Another set of footsteps walked towards the room and a woman peeked her head in.

"You can hear it too, right? The bells?" Her voice was shaking, and the hands she had on the doorframe were trembling in fear. "It's not my imagination, right?!"

"Yeah…" the man agreed with her, still warily eyeing the room.

The girl on the floor was shaking her bells while chanting, "Disappear! Disappear! Disappear!"

Watanuki and Haruka observed the scene around them, both privy to something that the other people weren't able to see. If we're in a dream and that's reality…Watanuki mused, watching the girl and the couple as their two realities crossed. In other words, the raven looked at the girl shaking her bells, she's the one…who isn't supposed to be here.

"I hear the sound of bells…but being touched by something…" the man was talking to the woman again, drawing Watanuki's attention.

"There really was something in here!" She dashed to his side, a wild look in her eyes. "It was just here a while ago…by this desk!" She pointed to the desk and the man placed his hand on the chair, sliding it forward to check it out.

"Around here?" He asked. The chair slid, rolling right into the girl, causing her to scream and drop the bells on the floor again with a clatter. Watanuki jumped at the sound, her brain working overtime to process the two different realities and the events happening at once. The girl stared in horror at the chair, having witnessed it move "by itself." She was trembling again and in the other reality, the woman clutched the man, crying out in fear.

"There really is something there!" They had both just seen the chair move and crashing into something they couldn't see. "What's going on?!" All three of them were terrified and the girl grabbed the bells again in an attempt to ward off her unwanted guests while the woman screamed at the man to do something about whatever it was she wouldn't see. All Watanuki could do was watch the chaos unfold before her eyes.

Everything will end today. Yuko's words hovered in the raven's mind eerily.

"Are you really going to get this room exorcised?!" The woman was shaking her partner now, her nails digging into the fabric of his shirt.

"I got a call from the television studio today…they're sending a spirit medium here tomorrow," he answered. "Just bear with it tonight."

"If that doesn't work…if they can't exorcise it, we're definitely moving, okay?!" The woman seemed to become more and more unhinged as the conversation progressed and the girl was just shaking her bells, the sound echoing throughout the room. Suddenly, Watanuki felt a hand on her wrist and she was pulled backwards into an all consuming darkness.

Her eyes shot open in panic, and she found herself lying in bed. The covers were all tangled around her legs, but she was back in Yuko's shop, away from everything she'd just witnessed. Haruka was gone too, but she suspected that this was not the last time she'd be seeing him. She lay in bed, the ringing of bells echoing in her ears, thinking about what she'd just seen. The horrible scene of all the people suffering from their unfortunate circumstances made the raven's heart heavy. By tomorrow, the girl would be gone. And the room would be empty. That thought followed the girl back into a restless sleep and into the next morning. Even Yuko was more subdued, probably knowing full well what had happened and what was going to happen. The walk to school wasn't any better and the raven was only interrupted in her thoughts as Wari called out to her as they passed through the front gate.

"Good morning, Watanuki!" His cheerful smile graced his lips and he was a bit of sunshine to Watanuki's cloudy mood.

"Ah, Wari, good morning." She greeted her friend, but it lack the usual energy. Then she spotted the girl trudging her way into school. She looked exhausted, her shoulders slumped, her eyes dark and heavy. Watanuki had to know…had to know if she was a spirit or not. She leaned in towards Wari and spoke quietly. "That girl behind you to your right, the one with the bells I told you about…"

"The girl Yuko gave the bells to?" He confirmed, looking behind him.

"Yeah, the one with the long hair-"

"But there isn't a long-haired girl." Wari interrupted, not seeing a girl with long hair walking into school.

"Eh? The one you saw when we were talking in the hall yesterday is over there. Her hair is strainga nd goes down to about here." Watanuki mimed where her hair fell to and then pointed towards the girl, but Wari just shook his head.

"the one with her hair tied up on the one side was a girl with short hair to about here," Wari explained what he had seen yesterday, placing his hand at about his jaw line to show his friend how long the girl's hair had been. "She was standing with the other girls by the track.

"But…" She'd been sitting when we saw her out the window. "So then…since I'm the only one who can see her…she's really…" A spirit. That girl is dead.

The raven had suddenly stopped talking and Wari gave her a concerned look. "Watanuki? Are you alright?" Before she could answer, another conversation floated by them.

"It looks like they're doing another program with Kohane again!" Three girls were talking excitedly as they walked towards the school.

"That's the one where mediums exorcises spirits, right?"

"Yeah. It was on the net too, but it looks like she's a fake." Watanuki's ears perked up, remembering the sweet girl she'd met a while ago.

"Really? I wonder if it's true."

"Kohane…" her name slipped off Watanuki's lips, the concern in her eyes evident. I hope she's okay.

"The program that Kohane is on became the subject of bashing in the paper and on the internet," Wari caught the seer's attention again. He was always keeping tabs on the supernatural programs, especially Kohane's program once they'd met. "It's making the rounds through websites and blogs. Didn't you know that?" She shook her head, her worry doubling.

When she reached Yuko's shop that evening, Watanuki found the witch's laptop on her couch and opened it up. She logged in (Yuko had told her the password one time when she got sloshed) and searched Kohane's name. A lot of results popped up, and most of them were not very promising. She clicked on the first link and a blog opened up with pictures of Kohane, but they had graffiti drawn all over them. Demon wings, horn, bats, and pointed tails were common, and the page critizied and called her a fake and liar. After scrolling down a few times, Watanuki's heart began to hurt and she closed the laptop. She's just a sweet girl…none of this is true and she can see spirits… A memory flashed across the girl's mind, one where she had tried to explain a spirit she saw to some of her classmates in elementary school. They laughed at her, called her weird and then picked on her until she didn't have a chance at making friends with anyone. Kohane was now experiencing something similar, and yet…she still helped spirits pass on. She still had those gentle eyes.

"Watanuki!" Yuko's sudden call startled the girl, sending a shiver up her spine. The witch was apparently done with her bath and had come looking to torment her after changing into a tank top and shorts. "I feel like having some Ayu with seasoned rice. Go buy some more Ayu!" Watanuki sighed, her funky mood replaced by Yuko's usual antics. But Watanuki was like, fuck that, and her other main concern besides Kohane came strolling out of her mouth.

"Yuko, did that girl get-"

"She won't come around anymore," the witch confirmed the fact before the girl had even finished her question. "The TV says that she'll be exorcised tonight, right?"

"So…it really was the girl who shouldn't have been in the house."

"Yes."

"Then, if you knew that, why didn't you tell her sooner?" Watanuki just couldn't understand why Yuko didn't tell her that she was a spirit, that she shouldn't be lingering here. If she knew, why didn't she say anything? A lot of suffering could've been avoided.

"The girl's wish was to become less afraid of the house," Yuko cut her off before she could continue. "I only helped her do what she wanted."

"But…"

"If she's out of the house, she won't fear it any longer, will she?" Yuko's question was pointed, only having one answer that Watanuki couldn't deny. Suddenly, everything made sense.

"That's why…you helped her…even though you didn't take compensation…" She'd taken the path that helped out all involved, even though it was a little rough. Yuko didn't force the girl to pay a price because her own actions forced the people in the house to call and exorcist…now she wouldn't fear the house because she would move on and the people in the house would be able to live in peace. Yuko…took the least harmful path. Watanuki felt a finger on her chin and then Yuko was lifting her head up to look into her eyes, as one might do to a lover. Her smile was exceedingly gentle, her eyes warm.

"You've change just a little recently, haven't you Watanuki?" It was like her eyes were staring into the girl's soul (and they probably were – witchy powers and all).

"Huh?"

"In fact, I'd say you've changed a lot." Yuko took her hand away. The clear sound of a bell was heard in the room and Watanuki's eyes shot open.

"Was that…?"

"She was here," Yuko's smile grew as she took a seat on the couch. The thought that the girl was finally free from her fear and able to move on made the raven happy as the ring drifted away. I'm sure she's happier now too.

"It looks like you'll have to keep doing your best from here on out, Watanuki." Her tone changed, just a little bit. "You've become just a little bit more of an adult, haven't you?" She winked cheerfully.

"Are you teasing me?" Watanuki suspiciously asked, pouting.

"Not really, but now I will!~" Yuko's gentle smile turned seductive. "Maybe I can ask Doumeki to make you into an adult, wouldn't that be fun?~"

"Shut up!" Watanuki was blushing furiously now. "What Doumeki and I do is none of your business!"

"Oooooo! So you have done something?" Yuko was on that slip of the tongue like a gossip columnist with a good lead.

"No! I never said that!" She argued back, her blush now working against her.

"You have!" The witch seemed delighted as she poked the raven's cheek.

"We have not!"

"You want to, though," she commented.

"Do not!" Watanuki argued.

"Oh, come on! You do!~" Yuko giggled like a schoolgirl.

"Do not!"

"Do to!"

"Do not!"

"Do not!"

"Do too!" The words were past her lips before she realized that Yuko had pulled out one of the oldest tricks and the book. She clapped her hands over her mouth as the woman lost it, cackling like the witch she was.

"Do too! Do too!~" It was at that moment that Maru, Moro and Mokona came skipping in and starting repeating the last thing they heard. That was just icing on the cake for Yuko and she dissolved into giggles, falling back on the couch. Watanuki's face was as red as an azuki bean.

"I'M GOING TO BUY MORE AYU!" She exploded, finding an excuse to get her ass out. This caused another bout of laughter as the girl stormed out of the room. Stupid Yuko! She huffed to herself, frustrated and embarrassed. It's none of her business and yet she makes it her business! Nosy bitch. As she stomped down the street, images of her and Doumeki in the bath that one time popped into her head and suddenly Yuko's comment and her thoughts took a turn into the gutter.

"GAH!" The raven started running down the street, as if trying to escape her thoughts and she just knew that she wasn't going to be able to look Doumeki in the eye the next day at school.

To be continued…

Note 1: A nekomusume literally means "the daughter of a cat" but really means "cat daughter" or "cat girl." The term can also refer to any girls dressing up in cat cosplay. Other cat-like yokai are the bakeneko and the nekomata. Both essentially begin as domestic cats that turn into yokai and can stand on their hind legs and speak human language. However, nekomata are more devious and nefarious than bakeneko on the whole. While some bakeneko can cause chaos for people, almost all nekomata enjoy creating havoc. They are more powerful than their cousins, the bakeneko, having been the oldest and largest cats along with having two tails and are thought to be responsible for large fires or enslaving humans. Nekomata are also known for taking on human shape and even playing shamisen (a Japanese, three-stringed instrument played with a plectrum (think a large guitar pick) called a bachi). Fun fact: in the Edo period, shamisen were made of cat skins, so this was very ironic.

Note 2: ASCII art is a graphic design technique that uses computer text to create pictures from 95 printable characters defined by the ASCII Standard from 1963 and complimentary characters from later ASCII programs. The term is also used loosely to define text based visual art in general.

Note 3: Mont Blanc: "white mountain" is the literal translation and this dessert traditionally looks like a mountain with puree chestnuts and whip cream. It was named after the Mont Blanc in the Alps and is popular in France, Italy (where the dessert was first described in an Italian cookbook back in 1475), Hong Kong, Shanghai, Japan, Slovakia, Switzerland and Hungary. In Japan, they also make this dessert with pumpkin, squash and purple yam and comes in other flavors such as mango or strawberry.

Imagawayaki: Thick pancake-like desserts that are traditionally filled with anko (a sweet paste of azuki beans – can also be eaten by itself), but can be filled with other things like fruit jams, custard, meats and curry.

Dango: chewy rice dumplings served on a stick. They are most commonly grilled and topped with a sweet topping, such a syrup.

Kuromitsu Kanten: a dessert where agar-agar (a substance obtained from red algae) jelly cubes are served with black sugar syrup.

A/N: And that's it for now! I hope you enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think. Also, comment if you'd be interested in a mature story that corresponds with this timeline. I want to keep this story's rating T, but I'd be happy to fulfill a desire for sexy times in a separate fic, if anyone is interested. Let me know! See ya next time! :3