If the ring fits
"Let's do this."he said between each shallow intake of air, Watanuki nodding to him as he closed his eyes and eagerly threw himself into their heated kiss.
Recap shall we?
Shirt unbuttoned, slacks slung low on his hips, and his hand on the young girl's chest would have gotten him arrested.
Oh you know, if you weren't dreaming about it that is.
He was a little mortified because it felt like a dream in a dream. Because the virgin white canopy slung over the circle bed and room with burgundy walls was definitely not Yuuko's room. At least he hoped she didn't go putting up gay merchandise and eye-candy (but in no way was it pleasing) plastered over every inch of the room. Panels from yaoi mangas, posters of pairings, romantic decor everywhere and so on. But the worst part? Painted on the door of the room facing him spelt-
CONGRATULATIONS W A T A N U K I & D O U M E K I!
In big black bold paint,Fully capitalized, and overall really hard to miss. He wished he could curl up in a ball and go back to sleep so he could wake up somewhere preferable like his apartment,hell-even Yuuko's love chamber. Cause he knew she had one. The freak. At this rate, he wished he was at the archer's temple right now. They were married,right? He froze at the thought and felt his face warm as he held it in his hands. Gosh, he was such a train-wreck, he was so sensitive nowadays, it made him feel pathetic. There was a tentative knock on the door and he wished god just spare him the trouble and take his life already. The door creaked open slowly and wondered who this pour soul was.
A Gold head poked in with transparent blue eyes, wide as saucers, blinking owlishly at him with uncertainty. He smiled at the familiar young girl and ushered her in with a smile. "Good Morning Kohane-chan!" trying his best not to blush in embarrassment and notice where exactly he was. The old woman wouldn't really have a room like this in her house would she? She kept her eyes down and looked at everything but the walls. Which, when surrounded you, proved impossible as she settled for his warm smile. "Did you sleep well?" she asked worriedly, after all, she did find him lying in the middle of the street back from the grocery store naked. She remembered dropping her bags and rushing over too him, scared. There were no notable injuries upon further investigation or that he had, had the...'the r word' happen to him. After calling a trustworthy neighbor for help and helping him carry the seer back to the kind old woman's home. But...there had been something particular about the scene. A cat girl was lingering around, and there were no goldfish to catch and neither did she follow them, but she was smirking at the wall. Watanuki lay on the ground,his face tear stricken, his uniform shirt unbuttoned, his pants falling off of him and she felt a twinge of fear and anger. "What happened?" she questioned the cat girl furiously, little alabaster fists balling up in a vice grip that was sure to choke the life out of anybody, (cat girl included at this point.)
She turned her big brown eyes to Kohane and Kohane held her breath. Those were human eyes, nothing like the usual cat eyes that held vasts amounts of endless power and how..."That is for me to know and you to worry about. But don't fret-he is safe." the cat girl said in a voice that was not a twinge playful, but maturely amused. The young girl widened her eyes in shock at the woman's words and found there was nothing to say to that. She narrowed her eyes in accusation, obviously untrusting of the immortal creature. the cat girl merely chuckled in delight. The cat girl strode over to her and pinched her cheek in between two long, sharp nailed fingers. "You kids are so cute when your young and all that-thinking you can take the world with just your bravado, it's quite ridiculous actually." she mused, letting go of the girls red captured cheek, on the verge of bleeding. The seer still looked at the cat girl with defiant eyes, unfazed by the injury. The cat girl thought of the boy from three years ago, and how he sacrificed his identity for a foreigner that hadn't really loved him like she hoped. And now she was taking it all back. Starting from the eyes.
After all, who else's body was she inhabiting right at this moment?
It was understandable though, the girl from three years that she was in now, was at eye level with her, and her big brown saucers, although in slits-looked very much unintimidating. Much like a kitten trying not to look adorable. But then again, she WAS being narcissistic as she thought and smiled at the girl. "I hope me meet again and oh-" she retrieved the item from her pocket, the young girl glanced at warily, then in confusion and then flamed with chagrin. It was tiger balm. The girl walked away, black and pink striped dress billowing out behind her. "I've never used it, but i think it'll be useful when the time comes." she turned back around with a smirk. "-and tell the witch I've held up my part of the bargain." the girl's jaw dropped in further shock as she strutted in the distance, fading away into the distance. The young girl recovered and rolled Watanuki over, tucking it into his back pocket. Never know when you'll need makeshift lube. After all, she trusted Doumeki.
The old woman strode in with a warm smile. "Did you sleep well Kimihiro-kun?" he chuckled at the repeated question. "Everyone seems to be asking me that lately." he said good naturedly, eyes darkening the slightest bit. The two looked at him and the old woman looked at Kohane seriously. "Can you leave us alone for a word for my dear?' Kohane nodded in understanding and left with a worried glance at Watanuki. Before he could open his mouth to question the wise old women-she answered them smoothly. "Your in my office, it's transitional space that I often use when I have matters to deal with Yuuko-chan." she grinned at him, staring down at him like a wolf reminiscent to his boss. "O-office you say?" he choked, not daring to spare a glance at an uke with his head thrown back in an expression of either fear or ecstasy. "Yes. it was Yuuko's idea." Oh, that was so not predictable. Even when the dimensional witch wasn't around she found ways to embarrassment him beyond belief without even being present in the situation. He curled into a ball, draping the comforter around himself as he tried to think up more questions. His nature tended to get him to accept the impossible-and he didn't have any trouble to do that. Sometimes accepting comes before understanding.
"What is love?" he asked abruptly, catching her and himself off guard with the question. A few moments ticked by, the wrinkles in her face softening as she contemplated. He felt his palms sweat as she observed him, seconds ticking by, curiosity keeping him unabashed at that moment. The old woman smirked wolfishly (again like his boss) and spoke with four passionate words. "Friendship set on fire." the words chilled him as he thought of the burning behind inebriated kisses, the flush of anger,embarrassment, mortification, and he thought of Doumeki. He thought and thought as the woman smiled to herself and grasped the door. "Well you should be getting to school should you not?" All thoughts of possible romance flew out the window, literally may he add-as he began to button his shirt and mutter curses, all which containing the temple brat's name. He slowed down as the old lady slid out of the room, prior to when he was hiking up his slacks that he realized he would be tardy to school anyways. He took the time to brush his hair,clean his teeth, (much to his shock that he found all his toiletries on his bedside) and glanced at a circle of white sort of gel. It resembled petroleum jelly but when he lifted the lid and sniffed it, the immediate strong scent of tiger balm assaulted his nostrils. He wrinkled his nose at the strength and pulled back. He didn't remember owning any, and he couldn't think of a use for it as of now. If he was right, it was pretty much like a treat-all kind of ointment that he didn't have the luxury affording. He paused in the doorway, smelling the slight smoke Kohane was creating, her stove cooking skills leaving much to desire as he crept out. Well, he may as well not go to school, he thought feeling free as he walked out onto the street, eyes glinting at his next thought. "Today I guess I'm playing Hooky."
The archer tipped his baseball cap lower onto his head, his skull hanging forward to shield himself from the onlookers, curiously trying to investigate who he was. He couldn't blame them, at six foot three, dressed in baggy sweat pants, baseball ball, refusing to meet people's eyes always evoked suspicion in others. Somewhere blurring the lines between celebrity to pedophile, but not a big deal in his book. The latter was very prominent to a regular person since he was in a ghetto district, one he was using as a shortcut to the jeweler's shop. The former was actually what the onlookers considered as they stared at him in awe, too shocked and skeptical to confront or question him. He plugged his ear phones in, droning out the world with her favorite artist, Sara Bareilles.
"Who cares if you disagree? You are not made you king of anything?So you dare tell me who to be? Who died and made you king of anything? You sound so innocent, all full of good you know best. But you expect me to jump up on board with you. And ride off into your delusional sunset."
The transition eased him of his worries as he found himself unintentionally humming the alto vocals in a deep tenor. He willed himself to stop humming, so nearly distracted that he almost missed the sign of Hinata's jewelery store. It was sunset, and the neon sign used at night was unlit. The dim lighting inside cast an ethereal glow in the interior of the shop, transparent through the big glass window in the front. The sheet of paper taped to the front door as he pushed it open reminded him of their last encounter, bells clicking together as the glass door shut behind him.
" I got these several years ago. They were really such a beauty though! For some reason my customers get this feeling and it's been here for over ten years! I'm willing to sell this at any price at this rate! OH me! Sorry for boring you, was there anything you wanted?"
Although Hinata's back was turned, her posture resembled a certain witch at that moment, that just by body language alone, the time space witch was in front of him. Her hair was not wrapped into a tight bun, and seemed to turn chestnut brown in the light. She also seemed shorter than before-his eyes widened in shock as he forcefully took the woman's uppers arms from behind and spun her around with a vice grip strong enough to choke a cheetah. 'Hinata' had been taping a brown paper bag over a garment centered bracelet. The roll of tape clattered to the ground and fell from her hands. She wore a smile too uplifting for a thirty year old like he assumed she had been last looked even younger than he, 'Hinata' morphing into a figure of his memory.
"Doumeki-kun, that's no way to treat your mother-in-law." she tut-tutted as his grip on her arms slacked, paralyzed in fear. The girl's clothes began too loosen to fit the 'girl's' new proportions. He started to back away, eyes still widened in fear. 'Who are you?" he asked frightened, the so called mother-in-law continuing her one-sided interrogation. "How is Kimihiro? Is he eating well? Is he healthy since the last time I saw him? Is he doing well in school? Ah! I have SO many questions to ask." she exclaimed exuberantly and backed away from him in turn. She smirked with a mischievous glint in her eye, one that shouldn't be worn by a girl of her looks. "Is my son a good wife to you-You completed the ritual did you not?" the supposedly older of the two flushed a little at her outburst. At this he turned wary. "What ritual?" he asked slowly, Hinata wasn't;t making any sense. "You are confusing me Takhashi-san." he gritted out politely, the wheels turning in his head behind his stoic expression. "Please-call me Sakura!" she beamed, looking as young and innocent as a child. "Takhashi Hinata is just a disguise as a price." 'Sakura' looked down longingly at the garment bracelet. " That was supposed to be a gift. But since I'm going out of business, I can't exactly afford anything." she looked away, gathering the fallen items. he grabbed her arm once more. "Answer my question please okaa-san." the woman dropped the bracelet in surprise and looked at him with a sick maddening smile. "You have some nerve. As expected of my son-in-law." she glared at him, still smiling angelically. The contrast scared him shitless to say the least.
" I've already heard from Yuuko-san that the ritual was sped up by two weeks." she sat down on the glass counter and looked down at her hands in her lap. " You had a month to complete it. That's how long it took for me to conceive Kimihiro." she began to explain, Doumeki was only growing more and more confused. What did Watanuki's conception have to with anything-oh shit. "Kimihiro did something foolish to speed up the process. And it happened to be this-" she pulled out a broken wedding ring, when looked upon further inspection it happened to be Sakura's ring. The gem shattered beyond recognition. he felt anger flare up within him. Was this what Watanuki wanted to talk about?
"In the next two weeks, you have to find a way to...sleep with my son." she winced, looking suddenly very uncomfortable, that dusky pink returning to her cheeks in chagrin.
Being as pissed off as he was, he wanted Sakura to indulge him further. "Beside him?" he inquired, suddenly wanting to laugh at her eye twitch and sudden glare, her whole face ashen in fury. She jumped off the counter and yelled at him, letting loose her bottled emotions. "No you dumb oaf! You have to fuck him!" she huffed out, steadily turning into a tomato with the combination of anger and shame. "I hate you by the way." she looked at him, suddenly reminiscent of a certain seer. "You and Watanuki are very alike." he allowed himself to smile. When Sakura relaxed, she looked a little surprised but finally returned his smile sweetly, also reminding him of the wonderfully smiling bride, wedding band poised before grinning petals. She continued her one-sided conversation. "I guess I can tolerate you." she said finally, wrapping her hair into a bun and cleaning up her various messes resulted from her spastic ways. He continued smiling until the impact of the situation made itself known.
"Wait...I have to take his virginity and you're okay with this?" he backtracked, choking on saliva in surprise. She glanced at him with distant jade orbs. "It's what needs to be done. And he chose you." she sighed, badly wanting to shut the world out. "He...chose me." she sighed again, more aggravated this time, massaging her temples. "You're a smart cookie aren't you? As you know, Kimihiro is a very selective person. He doesn't get married to a stranger if he didn't trust them, or be himself for that matter. He's always trying to please people." she leaned on the counter for support, feeling heartburn at the rush of emotions assaulting her from all angles. Her son-in-law held her as she struggled to breath. "Just be safe with him." she glanced at him worriedly through teary green eyes and suddenly the situation was pretty fun. Think about it this way-this just over a ring.