"Doumeki…hey, Doumeki." She whispered softly, smoothing the strands of his hair out of his face. "Doumeki, it's time to wake up. You've got to get to the college to teach your class now, okay?"

Only this time, he didn't stir. She tried once more. "Doumeki?" She curled up next to him in bed and brought her face a little closer to his. Slightly alarmed, she brought her hand up to underneath his nose. He was breathing to be sure, and he had a regular sleeping pulse…but he didn't move. She brought two hands to his shoulders to try and shake him awake, when suddenly he sprang up from his sleeping position, and in a flurry of motion, seized her and pinned her underneath him while forcefully crushing her mouth against his.

"Dou-Doumeki! WHAT ARE YOU DO-UGHPH" was all she managed to say as she instinctively resisted and struggled against this uncharacteristic display. But almost as soon as it had begun, he was already lifting himself off of her and kicking off the sheets as though nothing had just happened. "Doumeki…?" She called softly as she rubbed her aching mouth in confusion. She got no response, but she didn't need one. She already understood, in the way only she could.

When she ran into the kitchen after him, she found he wasn't there. She saw the screen door swinging and sighed to herself. This had to stop, whatever it was. It wasn't healthy.

He opened the door to Watanuki's old room. Everything was neat and clean as it had been that day. He didn't really expect anything different. He wasn't sure why he kept coming back to this place. He knew he wasn't doing any one any good, and that Watanuki could never return. He couldn't accept it though – he wouldn't! It was HIS goddamn duty to protect him, HIS goddamned responsibility, the one thing he was meant to do in his life, and he failed. Failed! One careless day when he thought he had everything figured out, that Watanuki could never be harmed by any earthly being ever again now that he had gained immortality…how wrong he was! Wrong, so wrong! And there was nothing he could do about it anymore. Nothing at all. Except wait. To hope against hope that somehow Watanuki would make it back to the world of the living one day.

He met Watanuki every night in his dreams, though he now began to doubt the authenticity of those dreams. The Dream-Watanuki assured him that everything was fine there, but could he really believe him? He had seemed so real the first few weeks they had met. But how could that Watanuki be satisfied to stay in the Dreaming Tree world? Would he ever figure out a way to return? Was it even possible? And how did he know he wasn't fabricating the whole thing himself, that Dream-Watanuki wasn't just a fabrication of his subconscious desire to appease the torrent of guilt he felt? He just didn't know anymore. But for even a chance that it could be, for a moment, for a fraction of a second, real…he'd wait the rest of his life if he had to.

Overwhelmed by his feelings and fresh pangs of heart-broken guilt, he crawled into Watanuki's old bed and drew the curtains. He buried his face deep into his pillow, searching for a trace of his scent that had all but disappeared. A trace that he had really been here at one point in time. And he felt himself disappear as sleep overtook him once again…

The pink sakura petals that shone white in the twilight continued to litter the hilltop and fall gently upon a figure that knelt directly underneath it in perfect seiza. His pale skin shone with the same shimmer as the moonlight that fell between the leaves of the tree. And as he lifted his eyes off the ground, they shone with the brilliant blue and gold – his gold- behind his delicate glasses.

That familiar wave of relief washed over him at the sight. But at once, he felt something new at the same time – he couldn't name it. Worry? Guilt? Panic? – as he remembered that what he was seeing wasn't the truth. So while he almost reached out to what he had thought was Watanuki, he stopped right where he stood. Watanuki stood at once, still graceful, elegant, and serene as ever, with the same hint of a soft smile on his lips. Just as he was about to open his mouth, everything in Doumeki's vision suddenly dimmed, as if someone had pressed a switch to change the brightness in the room. But this was impossible - they were outside. And objects themselves just don't dim. As soon as it happened, though, it had returned to normal. He doubted if it had even happened at all. To ask about it would seem odd, wouldn't it? The occurrence did shock him back into the reality of his dream though, and he continued walking toward Watanuki. He reached for his hand, and pulled him to himself as if to assure his wholeness, as if he had been expecting him to have suddenly turned into a hologram or something. Watanuki didn't resist his touch though, and allowed himself to be held there against his chest.

When he could stand it no more, he turned Watanuki's face up to meet his. He kissed him hungrily, but Watanuki didn't seem to mind. His feverish kisses lingered about the pale flesh of his neck, and slowly made their way around his shoulders. Watanuki closed his eyes and moaned softly into Doumeki's ear. Doumeki , now driven to near madness, knelt on the ground and dragged Watanuki down with him. He laid him on floor, pinned his arms down, and continued kissing down his thin chest. Just as a louder set of moans were about to escape his lips, the world went black. As if he had suddenly closed his eyes. But he knew he hadn't – his eyes were fully open as far as he could tell. He knew he wasn't imagining it – he could tell the ground was still underneath him, he wasn't falling, but the place was noiseless, senseless, and simply…black. Everything was gone. Where was he? There was no way this was part of a dream. What was happening to him? And where was Watanuki? If he failed him again…

All of a sudden, he was back with Watanuki, returned the exact moment he had left. This time he was completely shaken. He knew that could not have been a mistake. Given away by his sudden freeze and widened eyes, Watanuki sat himself up, kimono draping half-off, as he placed a hand on his shoulder and looked concernedly into Doumeki's eyes. "Everything alright?'

"Watanuki. What was that just now? What's happening here?"

"Doumeki…" His face suddenly loses its calm demeanor. "So you saw it too. I was hoping I had been imagining it."

"Imagining it? What do you mean?"

His face turns into a grimace as if the thought itself was causing him pain."The blackness. I knew this might happen one day. But I didn't think it would happen this soon!" He fights back tears.

"Watanuki…what are you talking about?"

"Doumeki, I'm afraid my time here is limited. I can't sustain this much longer. Whatever power I had is almost gone…and now…now…" The tears begin to fall and Doumeki is alarmed at both what he is hearing and seeing. "Almost gone? Watanuki!"

Another blackout. This time longer than the last. Followed by a few flickers of the scenery as he returns.

"It was…going to happen…sooner or later!" He chokes through his sobs. "Doumeki…" He almost collapses into a sobbing fit as he clutches his fists. Doumeki takes him fiercely in his arms again as if to keep him there with him in case another blackout came. What could he do? Please, anyone, gods, tell him what he can do, right here, right now! He'd do anything. Anything! Just please don't take his Watanuki from him! Not again! Please, not again! He could never live with himself after this! Tears form in his eyes as he realizes the inevitable. No! There was no way he could lose Watanuki again! If he couldn't save Watanuki, please just let him disappear with him! That's all he could hope for. All this went through his head but all he could say was "Watanuki…Watanuki!" and clutch him tighter. Watanuki suddenly looks up into his face and cries, "Doumeki…please! S-save…me!"

And with that, everything disappears.

"The Dreaming Tree has died. The air is growing thin, there is no place to hide. The Dreaming Tree has died."