SOY: sorry for the late chapter, but I had to battle fiercely against writer's block and stuff. I would like to mention now that this fic was not tagged as xover in the selection option due to a personal preference over reception and difficulty finding it, but the actual xover starts with this chapter, I hope you enjoy!

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Rating: T

Warnings: third of a series of connected stories under the name 'Takane no Hana'. Fix-it fic for XXXHolic, takes place at the start of volume 15 of the manga. Will branch out of canon and move on from there. Takes place between Gohou Drug and Drug&Drop.

Disclaimer: I do not own CLAMP manga.

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Reflection that Binds

Chapter 03 – Proposition

Yuuko took a sip of her glass, tasting the heady, pungent sake and feeling it burn all the way down.

Among all sorts of alcohol, she had always been fond of sake the most. It was not hard to come into possession of some of the most renown alcoholic beverages from all around the world, not when one was a Witch of Dimensions… especially when she enjoyed the fair exchange of favours with expensive things. Acquiring a few beverages and foods that were not from this world was not uncommon, but with all the tastes she could have at her disposal, the flavours of home were the ones she still liked the most. So many things to try, and yet Yuuko always ended up picking the strong taste of sake over any other concoction she had tried during her long years of life.

The sake bottle Doumeki had decided to bring was one that belonged to his grandfather's personal supply; Yuuko did not know what Doumeki's mother thought about the frequent visits of his grandson to her own father's still-not-dwindling alcohol stash, but as he had not been stopped yet, it seemed she did not mind. They were still allowed to drink from rare, expensive and 'magical' bottles instead of the tamer tastes of the guest cabinet.

Not that she minded. At all.

She could feel more taste in the sake than a lot of people could, and it was not because she was a connoisseur, but because of her abilities, and if Watanuki had been trained longer, and he had acquired a taste for liquor, he would also have been able to enjoy richer flavours that went further than the alcohol itself. Purifying seals, protective barriers, the intent of the person who had owned the bottles before… Yuuko could taste it all.

It was truly a commendable stash of sake, indeed.

"Hang on a second".

Watanuki cleared his throat, looking somewhat lightheaded, and Yuuko shook herself out of her appreciative thoughts about the sake to focus on him again.

"I think I heard you say that that creature is going to suck out all of Doumeki's purifying powers," there it was, the tinge of hysteria in Watanuki's voice. "Please, Yuuko-san, tell me you are joking".

"Quite the contrary, I've never been more serious," she said, and she placed the cup down to straighten her back and look at Watanuki, half-lidded eyes pinning him down. "That creature feeds on that sort of power, and it is its undoing. By absorbing so much pure energy, it slowly fades away into nothing. This is why those creatures are rarely able to leave temples. They are created and disappear within short periods of time".

Watanuki's lips twitched in what could pass for a smile, but looked more like a tense grimace. "Then, then, it's ok, right? That spirit will just leech on this oaf's powers until it's done for, and everything will be fine afterwards, right?"

He seemed hopeful, but he knew –he just knew by looking at Yuuko– that no, things were not going to be fine. Something was wrong.

"No," Yuuko confirmed with a light shake of her head, leaning back until her shoulders were pressed against the wall, her legs stretched out in front of her. "Unfortunately for Doumeki-kun, he does not possess a steady flow of power that a temple has. His capabilities are limited, as are those of any human. Even his grandfather, who had a greater extent of skills instead of latent powers like Doumeki-kun, was just a human, and as such, had a limit to what he could do. It is a thing all humans share –no matter what they do, they can only do so much, and to go against this limit is not something that is allowed. There are rules that humans have to obey, and to break them is to risk something far greater than just their life".

Yuuko closed her eyes.

For a moment, her mind was not on the spirit that had attacked Doumeki, but on a bigger foe, someone who was trying to do something that was not for him to do –act outside of the scope of human capabilities. Breaking through limits that were imposed on them.

Fei Wong Reed would not succeed. He had already failed to see where his own limits were, and soon everything would come to an end… but it was still not time, and Yuuko had now to focus on things that were less world-shattering, although for some, what she had to say would be probably just as devastating, if not more, than the knowledge of a being that was slowly tearing down the fabric of all realities.

She turned to look at Watanuki, and felt once again a deep, searing regret.

Watanuki was young, and he had already seen and felt much more than a normal person would see and feel in their life –but Watanuki was not, and could never truly be, a normal person. His entire existence was woven outside of reality, he was his own personal hole that tried to mend itself inch by inch, fighting to be filled and become 'someone'.

Yuuko had taken him under her wing, she had tried to fix the mistake she had caused, the mistake Clow Reed had caused with his own selfish, instinctive wish, but until now she had been truly unable to break through the thick, tall walls Watanuki himself had created around him to keep others away.

Now, Watanuki himself was tearing down those walls bit by bit, and Yuuko could only wait for that moment when it would be revealed whether her efforts had been in vain, or not.

But this once, the pain she could see in his eyes was not due to her existence. This time she could help, and steer his soul down a path that would aid him, and secure another link between him and reality.

"If the creature keeps residing inside him, Doumeki-kun's powers will be ripped away from him in their entirety, and he will never be able to exorcise a spirit ever again," Yuuko continued, idly looking away from Watanuki and towards Doumeki, to make sure he would also understand what she was saying. "Of course, even the link in the eye that you two share will be severed, so Doumeki-kun would not be able to see through it anymore".

Watanuki felt something constrict painfully in his chest at Yuuko's words, and for a moment he wondered if this was relief.

He had often thought, back when he was still convinced that Doumeki was nothing but an annoyance, that not having him around would be for the best. Doumeki's powers were a continuous source of great anger for Watanuki, who could see in the way Yuuko kept pushing them together her belief that he was not good enough to take care of himself.

The worst part was that she would have been right –Watanuki had no way of protecting himself, and Doumeki's powers that kept spirits away offered Watanuki a respite, no matter how much he disliked it.

Now, he did not think that way anymore. Even if admitting that Doumeki's presence at his side was not a source of discomfort anymore had been hard, Watanuki could be a little more honest with himself, though it would be difficult to convey all of this to Doumeki, and even more so to swallow the embarrassment down enough for him to really do that… but despite all of this, and the constant nagging feeling that something was not right, that he still missed a puzzle piece, Watanuki's first reaction as Yuuko spoke was not despair.

It was relief.

If Doumeki could finally escape this –all of this– wouldn't that be good?

Oh, it would be horrible to have him go now that Watanuki had finally admitted to himself that he liked having him around. But Doumeki had given to Watanuki more than he should have. He had given him more than a friendship and casual protection.

He had given him his blood, and half of his eyesight. He had given up on archery for him, because with a diminished sight, he was unable to aim true –though with spirits he could still hit them dead on without doubt or hesitation.

Doumeki had been dragged into Watanuki's life, and that should not have happened, not like this.

It wasn't even Himawari that Doumeki had to be wary of. It was Watanuki. If Doumeki's powers had been good at keeping Himawari's curse at bay, they could do nothing for the specific kind of curse that Watanuki's presence had caused.

In a way, pushing him away would be perfect. Watanuki would stop worrying.

Watanuki caught himself thinking this, and recognised this knee-reaction chain of thoughts for what it was… and it scared him. A part of him that was growing bigger every day wanted to cling to Himawari and Doumeki, so that nothing would ever change, have them be at his side every day from now on. He wanted this easy kind of happiness to last forever… but it was not in his hands. There were things bigger than him, and things he could not control. This was one of them.

More than that, even if he wanted them to be there, he could not control these thoughts –the ones that had him instantly wish for Doumeki to leave. The ones that made him feel relief instead of regret.

At the same time, he recognised this for what it was, and the relief faded into nothing, pushed away by something different.

It was not his place to make this kind of decision, selfish or not. Doumeki wanted to be at his side. He had been the one to choose to give Watanuki his eye, and his blood, and his constant presence. Doumeki had said that to him not just once –it was his own decision.

And yet, Watanuki felt these traitorous thoughts wrap around his mind like vines; what if Doumeki chose to allow the spirit to eat his powers away? It was his self-imposed obligation that kept him at Watanuki's side, nothing else. What would that mean for their sort of friendship? Would they–

"How do I stop it?"

The words were out of Watanuki's mouth before he could stop himself. Eyes wide, he pressed his fingers on his mouth, expecting regret to bleed through the chaos inside his mind. No regret came. The battle inside him raged on, but he did not felt apologetic for speaking up.

He turned around to look at Doumeki, almost expecting to be on the receiving end of a glare for daring to make a decision for him. He found Doumeki staring at him with a look that he could not decipher –eyes piercing straight through him in a way that made Watanuki feel like Doumeki could read every single thought he'd had so far, and yet there was no anger there.

After what felt like an eternity, Doumeki turned his attention away from him and back to Yuuko, and Watanuki let out a shaky breath, not knowing why he felt so rattled.

"Is that what you want, Watanuki?" Yuuko caught his attention again and he turned to stare at her.

She was smiling, her head tilted to the side, and she was also looking at him in a way he could not understand, but that he felt might be almost proud, for some reason.

If there was someone who could truly know what was going through his mind, that was only Yuuko, but that did not make him feel ashamed either, nor scared.

If Doumeki decided to walk away from him, he would do it with his words and powers intact, not through the hands of a spirit.

He jutted his chin out and nodded. "Is there a way to stop it?"

"Yes," she said, looking down at her cup and accepting Mokona's refill. "It is not something that Doumeki-kun can do on his own, as the spirit slipped past his defences while he was asleep through the dream-world, so it is only there that the spirit can be safely removed…"

Watanuki turned to look at Doumeki, his eyes alight with determination. "I'll get that thing out of you," he promised, narrowing both eyes.

Doumeki opened his mouth to say something, then remembered that he had no voice, and gritted his teeth in annoyance.

"It was my fault you ended up like this, Doumeki," Watanuki continued, noticing his reaction. "You don't get to tell me what I can or can't do! I will not leave you like this, and I'm the only one who can help, so let me do this for you!"

Himawari, who had been silent until then and had observed the others in the room with a mix of confusion and worry, hesitantly placed her empty cup down. Something in her stance made Watanuki turn to look at her, but her eyes did not move away from Yuuko until she also turned towards her. "Is Doumeki-kun going to be ok? Will his voice come back if the spirit is removed from him?"

Yuuko's smile shifted to something more honest, and she leaned forwards. "Don't worry, Himawari-chan, if the spirit is safely taken away from Doumeki-kun, he will get back his spiritual powers and his voice both, although the process might be somewhat difficult, and there is something I require…" she straightened her back again. "I will need two things, and one of those can only be acquired by you, Himawari-chan".

This made both Doumeki and Watanuki turn around to stare at Yuuko, and both of them looked wary at the news. "Why can't I do it?" Watanuki interjected, just as Doumeki leaned forwards, fists clenched on his knees.

"Because Watanuki-kun will be already busy acquiring the second thing we need, and Watanuki-kun still cannot be in two places at once," Yuuko shook her head. "This is the only way this will work, and it needs to be done at the same time, or the rebound will only make the spirit melt further into Doumeki-kun".

Himawari's hands tightened together as she refused to look down, and her determined look took Watanuki by surprise. "I am always useless," she said, a fleeting look of sadness passing over her face, "whenever something happens I'm never able to do anything, so if I can do this… with you two I feel welcomed. You always remind me that I don't have to run, even if I bring you misfortune, Watanuki-kun… but now I can do something, and I would be a bad friend if I refused to do it!"

Watanuki's face softened. "I'm sorry, Himawari-chan, I didn't mean to make you feel like that," he said, and with a glance at Doumeki's stony face, he continued "this guy is sorry too, even if he can't say that now".

Himawari nodded, her lower lip trembling for a second before she turned to Yuuko again. "So I will do anything I can".

Yuuko nodded, the gentle smile still on her lips. "You will have to go to the Sensou-ji and remove the fortune paper from the stand where it was tied by Doumeki-kun," she told her. "You don't need to touch any of the others, not even the one that caused the creature to appear, as they do not matter anymore –the connection is established through the one carrying Doumeki-kun's energy trace. It has to be you, specifically because of who you are, as the omikuji will not react to something that has already been tainted with misfortune".

Her blunt words had Watanuki wince, but Himawari did not look hurt, merely surprised. "Because of this, I can help Doumeki-kun?"

A nod. "It will not be easy, this is a warning. The Sensou-ji is an area filled with spiritual power, and there are still traces of the spirit's connection to the omikuji. Not to mention it will not be easy to untie a specific one when you are surrounded with so many people visiting and buying fortunes. If the bad fortune deflects away from you, there is a chance it will be amplified and cast to those surrounding you," Yuuko's eyes narrowed down. "Do you still want to do it?"

There was no hesitation in Himawari's face or tone as she nodded. "Yes".

"Well then, that's one thing!" Yuuko smiled, and her seriousness faded away for a second. "You will have to bring me the omikuji, but not to the shop. We'll talk about the details later on. Now, Watanuki–"

"Yes!" Watanuki straightened his back at being addressed. "What do I have to do?"

"You will also need to acquire something important, but Doumeki-kun can't come with you, nor can the Kudakitsune. You will be mostly on your own this time," Yuuko warned him, leaning forwards and pressing her chin on one hand. "Do you still want to go?"

"Yes!" Watanuki slid out of his seat, both hands pressed on the table's surface. "Of course I will! I don't care if I have to go alone, I will do it!"

Doumeki, still grimacing because of Watanuki's determination and his own inability to speak, clenched his hands and looked down at them, feeling powerless. He wanted to say something, but before he could make up his mind as to how, he felt a soft pressure on his leg. Looking down, he saw Mokona at his side.

Mokona did not speak, he simply looked up at him, and for a moment Doumeki could see why this was a creature made through magic by Yuuko herself, because despite its small size and its funny appearance, Mokona looked serious and almost desolate to him, and Doumeki felt most of his anger leave his body.

"Well then, you'll still need someone to go with you," Yuuko clapped her hands together. "There might be some problems to find what I want, and only someone with a specific skill can help you, and I'm sad to say you don't know anyone who fits the bill, Watanuki~"

"How can you say that smiling when Doumeki's being consumed by a spirit!" Watanuki raged, cheeks growing hot in anger, and Yuuko waved one hand at him, trying to get him to calm down.

"My, Watanuki, what fighting spirit you have, and here poor Doumeki-kun was worried you would go into this only half-heartedly…"

"Like hell I would! He will definitely watch and look at me in awe because I'll do everything and get rid of that spirit so he can just sit there and rest and let me worry about saving his ass this time!" he turned around to look at Doumeki, who only raised both eyebrows at him. Watanuki seemed to deflate a little and calmed down. "Just watch," he repeated, so earnest that Doumeki was visibly taken aback.

"You should be glad, Watanuki, that I know someone who can help you," Yuuko smiled triumphantly, tilting her head to the side and glancing out of the window of the room. "I will need to get in contact with someone first, but there should be no problem, so I will do that in a bit. Of course, there is the matter of the payment, and not just for my services here, but for theirs too…"

This time Doumeki took control of the situation, shifting until he was standing up. Watanuki, Himawari and Yuuko turned to stare at him, the latter with a knowing look in her eyes.

"Yes, Doumeki-kun, after all we are doing this to help you recover your voice and save your powers at the same time," Yuuko hummed, placing one finger on her lips. "We will need to talk about the price later, and it might have to be something precious enough to cover both parts, hmmm… is that ok?"

He nodded, face set in a frown, and Watanuki and Himawari looked at one another, feeling like the should contribute somehow but as they were being ignored by the other two in the room, they decided to let the matter go, at least for the moment.

Yuuko sighed, then shook her empty cup, and Mokona rolled over to Watanuki's side, nudging him with his cup, also empty. "My, my, all this talking has made me really thirsty," she whined. "Watanuki~ go get me a refill… and why don't you also make some snacks to go with it? There's nothing that can be done right now, so we should eat at least!"

"Me too, me too!" Mokona added, waving his little arms around. "Make it a double, got it? Double!"

"I got it, I got it!" Watanuki glared at Doumeki, who was already moving towards the door. "You stay there! I know they're not the only ones who want a refill, and I know my way to the kitchen so just wait there, ok?"

Doumeki's lips twitched a bit, but as he could say nothing, he sat down again, while Himawari smiled at him and stood up, stretching her arms. "But Watanuki-kun won't mind if I come with you, right? You'll need help to carry everything here afterwards!"

"Ah~ Himawari-chan, you're far too nice! It's this way!"

The two left the guest room, and the last thing Doumeki could hear was a comment from Himawari about how close the two of them were, if Watanuki knew his way around Doumeki's house so well, and Watanuki's stammered reply, then they were too far and Doumeki could hear no more.

Silence fell on them, and the moment Watanuki and Himawari's voices disappeared, something shifted in the air that made Doumeki turn around and sit down at the table again.

As he had expected, the moment he made himself comfortable again Yuuko shifted from her pose and sat back up, eyes sharp and focused on him.

"There is something else," she told him. "But it is not something that Watanuki should hear, at least not now".

This was enough to alert Doumeki, who tensed up instantly.

"Something else happened that day when you went to get your omikuji, did it not?"

Doumeki blinked, surprised at the question, and he had to think back because he could not understand what Yuuko was hinting at.

"Oh, I'm sure you will remember," Yuuko continued, her smile twisting into something both amused and enigmatic. "Something was exchanged that day".

For a moment more, Doumeki still could not understand –then it hit him, and his eyes widened.

When he and Watanuki had been waiting for their turn to take a fortune paper from the dispenser, Watanuki had been unable to find a coin to put in the slot, so Doumeki had given him one, and right after that, Watanuki had found his money and done the same for him.

At the time Doumeki had not given it any afterthought, but with Yuuko in front of him, looking amused and pointedly staring at him… the small meaningless action suddenly seemed more important. And Yuuko had called it an exchange, so…

"Yes," she said, and there was no trace of a smile on her lips anymore. "The fortune that was meant to be his was the one that has been corrupted by the hankichi omikuji, but you paid for it instead, and he paid for yours, thus completing an exchange in fortune".

Doumeki felt his heart constrict in his chest, and something must have appeared on his expression –or maybe she just knew– because Yuuko took a deep sigh and shook her head.

"Watanuki's powers are unlike yours –they are not purifying, and they would have only rendered the spirit resistant against destruction. If the spirit had managed to attach itself to Watanuki, it would have trapped his mind within the dream-world in order to feast upon it. He would have been asleep in this world, while in that one the spirit would have devoured all of his powers, until there was nothing left –not of his powers, nor of his mind".

Doumeki swallowed thickly, his mouth dry, and he placed his hand on top of his throat, which was burning painfully.

He had a question on his lips that he could not ask, and not just because he had no voice, but because he could not bear to listen the answer.

Why would the spirit steal away all of Watanuki, when Doumeki could get off easily with just his powers and his voice?

And yet, Doumeki thought he knew this answer already, or at least part of it. It was the way Watanuki seemed removed from reality, as if he lived in another plane, and his interactions with people were few and far in-between. It was those moments when he looked distant and dull, like he would disappear the moment Doumeki looked away, going somewhere he could not follow –somewhere distant, cold and lonely. It was the way Watanuki kept falling asleep, in his recklessness, in the way he kept acting like his life had no importance whatsoever.

It was the way most people seemed to look through him, as if Watanuki was not truly there, a hole that only people like Doumeki, Himawari and Kohane could fill in the shape of someone that went by the name of Watanuki.

It was the way Yuuko sometimes looked at Watanuki –like there was a weight on her chest that only he could soothe.

"What happened was not by chance," Yuuko broke the uneasy silence, holding Mokona up in her arms and petting him, as he obviously looked just as upset as Doumeki was. "As that child keeps fighting for his own existence, and every bond he creates serves as a link between himself and this reality that he wants to make his own, so the bonds that are created to secure his continued existence work, sometimes unconsciously, to give him a better chance. What happened to you, one way or another, will serve to tighten the bond you two share, but it is only Watanuki who can decide what direction that bond will go, in the end".

Doumeki swallowed again, sorely missing the taste of sake to soothe his aching throat and the other painful ache in his chest that had nothing to do with the spirit's ordeal, but Yuuko's next words surprised him.

"And yet, that child can't make a choice if he is not aware of having one to make, or that there is an option in front of him. When blind, humans choose only the path they know, as they are not able to see other paths that are hidden from their sight. Doumeki-kun, there is a path that only you can show Watanuki, and this is your own choice to make. Even choosing not to act is a choice in itself, and its ramifications will travel deeper than you think".

Then she straightened up, and her serious face melted away. Doumeki wanted to ask –there were a lot of things he wanted to ask, and some were not really nice, as he felt that in a way, he was being nudged in a direction he was not sure he could take, let alone walk– but the wall between himself and that woman was too wide and too tall, and in the end he chose to keep quiet and think instead.

In his pocket, the egg went unmentioned, but its presence burned into Doumeki's mind, now more than ever, as he was not sure if this decision was one that involved the egg, or not. It was never forgotten, its presence heavy and imposing, and hiding away did nothing to make Doumeki forget about it.

It was a heavy burden to carry, and even more since he had no idea whether he would have to use it or not, nor why, or how.

Silence settled over the three of them again –not a tense one but one full of unasked, unanswered questions– and it was only dispelled with the return of Watanuki and Himawari with a tray of food and more drinks.

Mokona, apparently knowing they all needed a break, bounced over to Watanuki and engaged him with theatrics and demands for more food.

Watching Watanuki rage and rant at Mokona, looking alive and normal, Doumeki allowed himself a small moment of respite from the pain in his throat and from the thoughts spinning in his mind, and simply enjoyed the company, as if nothing was wrong.

If only for a second, even someone like him, who never looked away from the truth, needed a break.

The meadow was peaceful, and light was shining from above, filtering through the tree branches and onto the grass below.

In the tranquil surroundings, it was easy to lose track of time, and the birds chirping were the only sound travelling to the two kids sprawled on the grass.

They were both identical –a set of twins around the age of ten– with light hair and lithe frames, and the only difference was in their attires and the fact that one of them had long, flowing hair spread on the grass around her head like a halo. The girl was wearing a beautiful kimono, its flowery patterns bright and sharp against the green scenery, while the boy had normal everyday clothes, a t-shirt and a pair of shorts; both kids were barefoot, socks slightly wet with dew, and neither seemed to care. They were looking up at the sky, hands intertwined together, shoulders so close they touched.

"Look, Kazahaya, that cloud resembles a little crow!" the girl giggled, little feet clad in white tabi socks curling together in excitement. Her eyes were fixed on the patches of sky visible between the foliage, observing the clouds as they travelled above them, while the boy's eyes kept moving from the sky to her face.

The sun was warm on his skin, but he still felt cold, and the girl at his side probably felt the same because her hand in his was freezing… and yet, he did not let go of it.

"I like spending time with you, Kazahaya," the girl said, her tone bleeding with warmth and happiness. "I don't like when we can't be together".

Kazahaya shook his head. "I don't like that either, Kei," he replied, shuffling until he was sitting and looking down at her. Her gaze remained on him as he moved, and her hand clenched down on his own so he would not let go.

"It's too bad it's about to rain," Kei continued, her tone sounding a little less excited, her lips twisting down in a small pout as she glanced away from him and to the sky past him. "I wanted to stay out for longer looking at the clouds with you…"

Kazahaya blinked, feeling a trickle of confusion fill him. "Rain…? No, it's sunny, Kei, there is…" he trailed off as the sun was suddenly covered with darker clouds, the last droplets of warmth draining from his skin. He shivered. "… no rain at all".

The air had turned cold all of sudden, and around him the pleasant meadow felt different, almost closing down on him, darker on the edges. Kazahaya stood up, his hand still holding onto Kei's smaller one in a tight grip, and she went up with him without a word. She was so cold, but Kazahaya did not let go of her anyway, and glanced around with confusion and wariness. How could the weather change so quickly? What was going on…?

"We have to go back," he said, his own voice sounding from far away. "Kei…"

"Why? I don't want to. I want to stay here with you, forever and ever," Kei shuffled closer to him until she was pressed against his side. Her whole body was cold, so very cold, and Kazahaya felt two different instincts fight inside him –one telling him to tug her closer, and the other to push her away. He did neither, but allowed her to huddle up against him, trying to ignore the way the cold seeped inside him. "It's just rain… don't you want to stay with me?"

"I…"

Droplets of water fell on his arms and forehead, and Kazahaya shivered at how cold they felt, so he let go of Kei's hand to wipe the freezing liquid away from his skin, only to stare in shock at the red dots on his skin and the smudged trail left on his fingers.

Was it raining red?

"Kei–" but she was not at his side anymore. Kazahaya was alone, and cold, and the meadow was empty.

Crimson rain pit-pattered around him, staining the grass red. Crimson rain fell from the sky, everything was crimson, everything was dark. He squeaked and ran for cover under a tree, disgusted and upset; something was wrong –he was having difficulties breathing, like there was a pressure on his chest that made it hard to breathe, but he still panicked at the fact that he was alone.

Where was Kei?

They shouldn't be separated.

"Kei! Where are you!"

The sound of a crow cawing had Kazahaya turn around abruptly, eyes wide in shock, and he caught a glimpse of a bloody figure staggering towards him, one arm stretched to him–

–and then his eyes snapped open.

For a moment, all Kazahaya could hear was the sound of his heart racing in his ears, loud enough he was afraid it would rip through his chest and run away. There was something heavy on his chest and Kazahaya choked on his saliva as he fought against whatever was holding him down, only to be startled when a bag rolled down from him and onto the ground, spilling bags of rice and bottles of water everywhere.

He was on his bed, with his blanket rolled up around one arm and both of his legs. Above his head, the ceiling was a calming, washed out cream colour. No rain, no blood.

Kazahaya clenched his hands into fists around the blanket; even the cold from the dream was gone, replaced with warmth.

"Wha–"

"Thought you would want to get to work in time," a voice filtered through his ears, and Kazahaya's head snapped to the side, catching sight of a tall, dark-haired figure moving out of the bedroom.

"Ri–" he coughed, cleared his throat and tried again. "Rikuou?"

"You were deeply asleep, just like a baby," Rikuou continued from the bathroom, his tone casual. There were sounds of running water. "Shouldn't have bothered".

Finally Kazahaya's brain reconnected with his surroundings, and he snapped up on his feet like a spring, suddenly awake.

He had been dreaming again –of Kei, of blood– and Rikuou had dropped a bag of food on his…

"Why did you do that!" he stormed over, glowering at the food as if it was its fault, only to have Rikuou's head pop out from the bathroom, looking nonplussed.

"As I said, you're pretty hard to wake up. Next time I'll try with a kiss, sleeping beauty".

"Who are you calling what?!" Kazahaya's hand flew to the scattered goods at his feet, grabbing the first thing he found and hurling it at Rikuou's head. It turned out he had picked up a chocolate bar, which flew and hit the wall a few inches away from Rikuou's face. The idiot did not even flinch or look perturbed.

How dare he.

"Stop wasting the food and get ready, or you'll be late".

His head disappeared in the bathroom again, and Kazahaya's eyes fell on a nearby clock. Five minutes to starting time –he was truly late if he had even missed breakfast; all thoughts of anger and revenge vanished from his mind and Kazahaya flew around the room, picking up his clothes and his things to get ready, a stream of curses and insults leaving his lips as he did so, most of them directed at Rikuou for not waking him up earlier.

The Midori Drugstore was already open by the time Rikuou and Kazahaya were ready and moved downstairs, though it was still empty of customers for the moment. There were a few boxes of restocked products piled up near the entrance that had been delivered earlier in the morning while Kazahaya slept, and most of them needed to be opened and placed where they belonged. Kazahaya recognised a few familiar brands of food and cleaning products, already sorting them in his mind as he made his way towards the back of the store, where Kakei was waiting for them.

The man never seemed to sleep, an air of placid contentment surrounding him at any time of the day, and whenever Kazahaya saw him, he felt some of that calm seep to him, almost as if by magic.

"Good morning," their boss greeted as he noticed Rikuou and Kazahaya walk his way. His smile was just as warm and pleasant as ever, and Kazahaya felt a bubble of contentment swell in his chest at the sight. "Any later and I would have needed to find myself two new employees".

Kazahaya froze at the teasing tone, delivered with the usual cheerful attitude, and the smile on his lips faded into panic. "Ah! But we're still on time!"

Instead of an answer, Kakei merely grinned at him, and Kazahaya relaxed again, oblivious to the amused curl of Kakei's lips. "Well, Kudou-kun, I think it's time for work… but before that, I have a job proposition for you".

Kazahaya reacted instinctively and without thinking. "I'll take it!"

Somewhere behind him, Rikuou snorted and rolled his eyes, used to Kazahaya's obliviousness when it came to Kakei's side jobs, but this time he kept his mouth shut and hoisted one of the boxes in his arm, carrying it to a corner of the store; he cut it open with a flick of his wrist and perused its contents, glancing around before grabbing a handful of liquid soap bottles from the box and moved to where he had to stock them.

He had spent a year getting to know Kazahaya, and his impetuous attitude had not changed since the start, so he had little hope he would wise up anytime soon.

Kakei offered Kazahaya a blinding smile. "Is that so? It is a job of that kind".

Kazahaya did not back down. "I need the money," he admitted without leaving any room to protest, like he had done more than once before whenever Kakei offered him a job.

To him it did not matter what kind of side job he had to face, dangerous or simple –he had left behind his life, he had nowhere else to go, no means to provide for himself nor any money. He would do anything to keep living like this, one more day at a time. Kakei had offered him a place to stay (even if he was sharing it with Rikuou) and a job in his store, and sometimes took the chance to offer him side jobs for some extra cash, and Kazahaya was not one to look at a gifted horse's mouth… even if these jobs included supernatural situations.

While the Midori Drugstore was, well, a normal store that sold this and that, had a normal clientele and normal requests to fulfil, like any other place in Tokyo, its owners were no simple men, not as far as Kazahaya knew.

Both Kakei and Saiga –the other elusive man behind the storefront, a tall guy always wearing sunglasses, who was currently dozing off in the backroom without a care in the world– possessed magical powers, though Kazahaya had never seen either of them in action. Kakei had mentioned a couple times that he had precognition powers, and he could see into the future of anyone as long as the person was not more powerful than he was, and he seemed to dab into the supernatural and had a lot of contacts with people with similar gifts, while Saiga's powers were still a mystery to Kazahaya, and he had no idea what they were, other than the fact that Saiga apparently was good at finding people.

Kazahaya, too, had similar powers. His were associated to touch and memories, as he could see into the past and connect to the feelings associated to whatever he touched. The first few jobs Kakei had given him had been hard, because he had never used his powers in such a conscious way, and he had lost his grip on them more than once, losing himself in visions and memories and emotions belonging to other people. The past year had been good to him, though –his grip on his powers was growing, and so did his control on them, as was his ability to stretch them to do what he needed. Slowly, the amount of jobs he and Rikuou completed without problems increased, and with it, so did Kazahaya's knowledge on the limits of his powers.

"Oi Rikuou, did you hear? There's a job!" Kazahaya, assuming he would be hassled with Rikuou's presence once again, turned around to stare at his co-worker, who grunted out a reply.

"Oh, this time you'll do it on your own, Kudou-kun," Kakei interjected. "This also means you won't have to split the reward and–"

"I'll definitely do it! Who needs Rikuou anyway? Not me!" he twisted his head to look at Kakei again, eyes flaring with determination and no small amount of gloating. "What do I have to do?"

At that, Kakei's usually cheerful expression melted into one of seriousness. "It might be a little different from your usual side jobs… no matter how unusual those are already," he flashed him a quick, small smile, "Rikuou won't be able to come with you because his power is highly disruptive, and the object you have to retrieve is delicate and needs to be handled with care".

Kazahaya snorted into his hand, glancing over at Rikuou with a small, superior sneer, and mouthed a carefree insult about his skills at handling things. Rikuou's expression remained even, but he turned towards Kakei. "If the target is fragile, it might be dangerous to send that guy," he pointed a thumb at Kazahaya, who hissed, annoyed. "He might break it just by looking at it".

Kakei offered the two bickering employees an amused smile. "Regardless, it is not a mission that anyone else could do, so if Kazahaya didn't accept, there would be nobody else," his expression changed for a brief instant in one that Kazahaya could not read, but that seemed almost… regretful. "It is important that the object is secured without fail. I take it you will do your best?"

"O-of course! Just leave it to me!" Kazahaya took a step forwards, trying to convey as much confidence as he could. "Uh… what is it that I have to retrieve?"

"I was not told what it is," Kakei shook his head. "What is important is that you will not go alone –the commissioner of the job will be coming with you".

Kazahaya blinked, taken aback by the news. During all of his jobs, except the one he had done undercover in the private school, it had been either him and Rikuou on the job, or (rarer still) just him. There was no need for him to interact with other people unless it was required of him, and even then it was never for long. This, though… it meant he would have to go retrieve an object with the person who had requested the job.

As it was, Kazahaya was not someone who trusted easily; even though the circumstances of his first meeting with Rikuou had been less than ideal, he had ended up sharing a house with him, but 'trust' had been slow to come. It had taken him months to be able to be around him and look at Rikuou as more than just 'that asshole person he had to work with', and now if he had to be honest with himself, he could say he not only trusted the guy, but found him likeable, too. Side jobs… they did mean there could be dangers, and working with someone he had never met… it was almost like going back to those first few days around Rikuou, when all they had done was bicker and fight and tiptoe around each other.

Without meaning to, he turned around and glanced at Rikuou, only to find him looking at him as well. Caught staring, he felt annoyance bubble up inside him, and to hide his sudden insecurity and hesitance, he scowled. "What are you looking at?!"

"Someone who's scared and wants to back down," Rikuou replied with a straight face.

Kazahaya hissed, his scowl deepening further. "I'm not afraid! It's just weird to have someone else tag along, that's all!"

"I'll understand if you do not want to continue," Kakei interjected, finding their squabble amusing but not really wanting them to divert the attention from the subject. "Even though the payment for this job is quite good, nobody will fault you for being unsettled".

"I… what? No! No, I want the job!"

Kakei's smile returned instantly, a pleased tilt of his lips. "Good to know, Kudou-kun. I wouldn't have wanted to see her displeased…"

"Her?" this was a first for Kazahaya, having Kakei mention someone like this. "Is the commissioner a woman?"

"Oh, no, not at all. But the person who asked me for this job is a dear friend of mine," was the casual reply, and the mysterious smile on Kakei's lips was all it took for Kazahaya to regret even asking. "She is particularly invested in that person, after all, and it's not like I can't understand it".

For a moment forgetting he was supposed to be angry at Rikuou for being annoying, Kazahaya turned to his co-worker, and the two exchanged a puzzled glance. Sometimes things Kakei said made no sense.

"Well then, if you accept, I'll make sure to contact her and say you're willing to work with him," Kakei clapped his hands together, signalling their talk was done. "Get ready for this evening".

"Yes," Kazahaya nodded, fired up already at the prospect of what seemed to be an easy retrieval job followed by cashing in the money all on his own.

Besides… Kakei had said it was important for the commissioner, and Kazahaya had a feeling they wouldn't have asked Kakei at all if there was another way out. He would have to do his best.

"Yes, and try not to damage the goods again," Rikuou called out from deep in the store, and al thoughts of worry about his job vanished from Kazahaya's mind, replaced with a wave of anger.

"Shut up! As if it's not your fault half the time! You can't even come for this job, so you have no say in this!"

He stomped over, grabbing some of the bottles from the opened box and fussing around with their placement, not wanting to give in to Rikuou's obvious teasing.

"Ah, look at the young couple, so full of energy from early morning".

Kazahaya and Rikuou looked over to the backdoor; Saiga had appeared from the office and was slumped against the wall, stretching lazily and with his trademark shades nested on his nose, hiding his eyes from them. He appeared somewhat tired, his shoulders slumped down and his clothes not as pristine as always, but his lips twitched up in his usual smirk as he approached the two employees.

"Saiga-san, good morning," Kazahaya called out. "Still tired?"

"What can I say, another night of hard work might be satisfying, but it does leave you weary afterwards," still smirking, Saiga leaned against Kakei, one hand coming to caress his cheek in a blatant show of affection.

Now used to the public displays the two men had for each other, Kazahaya turned his attention back to his work. At first he had been embarrassed at the level of closeness Kakei and Saiga had between them, and a little bit envious –it was different from the relationship he had with Kei, which was the only one he had ever experienced before running away– but it lost its novelty a few months in. Nowadays it was simply how things were –an expected normalcy of sorts.

Losing himself in his work, spending most of the morning refilling the shelves and then cataloguing things in the back, Kazahaya almost forgot about the side job he had signed up to earlier, if not for the quick, intense glances Rikuou kept sending him every now and then.

The quiet between them did not last long –it never really did. "Stop staring at me!"

Rikuou did not say anything, but he did look away and returned to his writing down the list of unsold products on the sheets of paper Kakei had given him earlier. He seemed to make a point in ignoring Kazahaya, which annoyed him even more.

"What is your problem? You've been looking at me all afternoon!" Kazahaya was, admittedly, easy to rile up, at least when it came to Rikuou –the guy had a certain something to him that seemed to grate to his nerves a lot, despite how close the two had become in the past year.

"I haven't," Rikuou denied, and there was a hint of a smirk on his face. "Sounds like you're getting ahead of yourself".

Biting down on the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from lashing out, Kazahaya tried to focus on his work again. The idea that he would have to do a mission with someone who was not Rikuou was starting to become a little more appealing, despite knowing that a stranger would be weird to have around and he would need to watch his act.

It was only when Saiga tapped him on the shoulder that Kazahaya finally resurfaced from the depths of the storage room and realised the afternoon had passed without him noticing, and it was about time he left for his side job.

Leaving behind Rikuou, Kazahaya kept his head high and refused to look back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction to see him hesitate; after all, this was just going to be an easy job, and as long as he did everything correctly, nobody would protest, and he would get paid. All of the money would be just for him.

"Hey".

Saiga's voice had a quality to it that made all hair on Kazahaya's arms stand on its end. It was deep and serious, and unlike his usual, teasing persona. There was an edge to it that spoke of depths Kazahaya had no knowledge about –something old and ancient, and for the first time, Kazahaya felt his powers reach out on their own, wanting to know what that feeling was –but then it was gone, and he shuddered at the emptiness left behind.

"Yes?"

"One pointer for your job," and again, Saiga's voice was devoid of emotion, the muscles of his jaw tense, and Kazahaya wondered whether he was also narrowing his eyes beneath those blank shades.

They walked out of the storeroom, but Saiga stopped him with a hand on his arm before they could reach the exit of the drugstore, still out of Kakei's sight.

"Don't touch that guy," Saiga said.

"Huh?"

Of all things he had expected the man to say, this had not been one of them.

"You know the extent of your powers," Saiga's head tilted down, and Kazahaya had the distinct impression that he was looking right into his eyes, even if he could not see it. "Don't touch him with your bare skin. Under no circumstance".

All his carefully built walls of reassurance crumbled under the seriousness of Saiga's tone, and Kazahaya felt the hesitance from before worm its way back into his stomach.

His powers were based on touch, on creating a connection between his conscious and whatever he was touching, be it a door of a small temple or a corner of a street, or Rikuou's hand. Emotions, memories –it was all linked to touch, physical and psychic contact.

Objects carried over memories of their past owners, and some gained a conscience through this. Kazahaya had seen a lot of things, and some of them he had learned only after leaving his life behind, after meeting Kakei and Saiga and Rikuou.

If Saiga sounded so serious, it meant there was something more to his commissioner, and Kazahaya suddenly wondered whether he should take this job; he had given his word, and knew it would be bad to just back down now, so he forced his worry to uncoil and he tried to suppress his nerves.

"Wh- why is that–"

"Just don't, ok kid?" and just like that, Saiga returned to normal, one hand coming up to ruffle Kazahaya's hair. "Now let's go, wouldn't want to keep Kakei waiting".

Kazahaya was left behind as Saiga exited the drugstore, and after a moment to compose himself and take a deep breath, he followed him out, where Kakei was waiting for them. Saiga smiled and wrapped both arms around the other man, and tilted his head to the side as Kazahaya appeared.

"You ready?" Kakei asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, hoping his tension would not show in his voice.

Might as well get it over with.