Eveything was wrong again.
His own shadow begin to become irregular shapes on the pavement under the evening sun as he begin to quicken his steps. With his heart pounding heavily against his chest, Doumeki Shizuka kept walking, following the path he hoped in his fuzzy mind to be the right route leading home.
His parents had warned him that this would happen, but he never really bothered with it and insisted that he would walk home by himself every day after school to the shrine where his family resided. The school was only a few blocks away and Doumeki felt no fuss about walking home himself. But of course he has shrugged his problem away when he negotiated with his parents. He never thought that it would really turn out be like this. Doumeki checked his watch irately. It was not very late in the evening but it was never a requirement to be late in the evening for things like this to happen.
The strange and bad feeling that was building up in him made him feel uneasy and he knew that it was one of those things following him again. He knew better than to turn behind and look but it was really starting to annoy him. But he knew that once he got back to the temple, they'd go away and leave him alone for good. But first he had to find a way to dodge this one. And from the new terrible nauseating feeling it was giving him, Doumeki had learned from experience that this is one of those bigger ones.
The sound of the grass rustling softly beside him and the feeling of something heavy looming above him make him clench the handle of his bag harder with his sweaty palms. He tried walking slightly to the left, closer to the wall of someone's home. He had learnt this from the shrine that this could sometimes help to keep them away for a while. But to no avail; Doumeki clenched his fist and started running as fast as he could when he felt it extending itself to try and clutch his waist.
He did not know how long he has been running or whether he was running in the right path home, but his own instincts told him to run as fast as he could and only that he focused to do. The streets were strangely empty and only a few curious glances turned to wonder why someone was running as fast as that. As he swerved and avoided another attempted grasp, he tried to remember any more charms or chants that would keep it away but all those lessons at the dinner table he was given at the shrine suddenly shrank to nothing. He turned abruptly to the right corner to another street, hoping that the big heavy thing would be tricked to zoom straight ahead. Not only that it wasn't tricked, but the huge purple ominous spirit with one big single hungry eye in the middle managed to swerve as well, closing in on Doumeki.
Cursing under his own lacking breath, his legs finally gave way as the spirit practically launched itself on him, its rotten breath from an invisible mouth wafting just under Doumeki's nose. It felt like a huge giant cloud that weighed at least three hundred pounds; its crushing weight having no mercy on the boy as it begin enclosing its limbs around him. Doumeki was pushed down onto the ground and struggled on like a fly that was caught in a spider's web; not willing to give in without putting up a fight.
As he flailed his hands above his head, he felt his hand hit something hard that felt like wood and suddenly the crushing weight lifted like it was not there at all before that. Peering above in surprise, he realized that his hand had touched somebody's wooden fence. Brushing off as he got up, curiousity got the better of him and he peered quietly over the fence. A big, traditional japanese house with a big lawn at the front stood strangely in the middle of two tall buildings. It was strange, Doumeki could not recall seeing a house like this in this neighbourhood for all the years he lived here. As he tiptoed to get a better look, his legs felt wobbly suddenly and started walking out of his control. Shocked as he was, Doumeki did nothing to struggle but just followed the course. His legs were taking him straight into the strange-looking house.
"Welcome! Mistress is waiting for you..."
Two little girls appeared in the doorway suddenly; one with short pink hair and the other with long blue hair, both dressed rather oddly. Doumeki knew it was rude to go into someone's home out of nowhere, but since they said someone was waiting for him, this meant that he was supposed to be here...somehow.
Doumeki bowed and followed through, the two little girls clutching his arms as they lead him into the house. He was brought to a halt in front of a shouji with a big cresent moon embalmed in the middle. The two girls slid the door open slowly and Doumeki rubbed his eyes to see beyond the smoke that filled the room.
A fair-skinned woman was lounging on a couch, wearing a beautiful and revealing kimono and holding a smoking pipe in her hand. Her hair was so long it reached her waist. Her gaze lazily fixed onto Doumeki's face and she begin to speak. "This was because you were destined to come here."
"Destiny?"
"Destiny...refers to something that will definitely happen. Without it, nothing is possible. What I said just now, was from the Japanese Learning Dictionary 2nd Edition." the woman said, without even a blink in the eye.
"Yes, I will go home and check it up." Doumeki gave a bow. "Good boy you are." The two girls repeated 'Good boy!Good boy!' in unison.
"But I would like to apologize for coming here, but my hand touched the wall around this place and the weird thing disappeared. And my feet begin to walk in here by themselves." he explained himself.
"It's because the wall is a barrier."
"A barrier is a kekkai, which is another area where Buddhists use to eliminate the disturbance from inside and outside because it has no entrance."Doumeki found himself repeating those words he was taught.
"You're quite knowledgeable, aren't you? Name?"
"I don't want to be rude but I shouldn't give my name to strangers like you so easily." he said, peering at his watch. He probably should just go by now. His parents would be worried. The woman gave a laugh and shook her head. "You're one so hard to crack. But it doesn't matter. I'll give you mine first, then it'd be safer, won't it? My name's Yuuko Ichihara. And those two, Maru and Moro. In full, Marudashi and Morodashi." She sat up and widened her eyes as if to expect some reaction from him. But nothing she expected came. She leaned back in disappointment.
"Doumeki, Doumeki Shizuka." he paused and added. "Thank you, Yuuko-san, but I have to go. My parents will be worried."
"Ah, Doumeki-kun. Don't be in such a hurry. This was fated, everything is fated, nothing is random. But I do apologize, due to business, that's my fake name. I see you are still in disbelief. Give me the thing you have in your pocket. And your birthdate." Doumeki searched in his pocket and pulled out a pocket watch and handed it over. "3rd March, and that's my grandfather's."
"It's a good watch, already have at least 50 years on it. If it's true, then it's okay." The two girls took out a basin of water and lay it at her feet. Then she placed a round ornamented plate as what Doumeki recognized as a fortune telling tool onto it.
"Doumeki Shizuka...Doumeki Shizuka..." she begin to chant. Doumeki stood, transfixed. "You live at a shrine, where your grandfather was the head priest. You live with your parents, no siblings, and you are unique. You are skilled in archery, but it fails to help you with your problem. You are constantly worried about the thing that plagues you because of family reasons. You can see magical things...since your grandfather died. Since your grandfather died, your blood begins to attract these magical things."
Doumeki furrowed his eyebrows and thought deeply. How could she have known so much about him?
"How?" he voiced. "You gave me your name and birthdate. If it's all true, then this watch is mine." she mused, dangling his grandfather's pocket watch in front of her eyes by the silver chain. "Keep it away for me.." She ordered the two girls who took it carefully and skipped away out of sight. Doumeki hesitated but obeyed. He knew of this business. Everything has a price, and even though he did not asked for it, everything must be equal. This woman is not simple, he was sure. "What place is this?" he asked.
"Questions, questions...yes, this is a shop. A shop that grants wishes-..for a price, of course. Do you have a wish, Doumeki-kun?"
He hesitated again. This is all too strange, even for him. A shop that grants wishes? His grandfather never really mentioned to him about shops like this before. "Mistress can grant it, as long as mistress can do it, any wish is possible..." the two girls said in unison again, with identical smiles on their faces. Doumeki was not so sure. "I will grant it for you, but with an equal price. Ranging from anything to souls. I take souls, if the wish is too heavy, but don't worry, I won't kill you. If I were to take your soul, it would far worse than if I killed you. The price of taking another person's life is heavy and not worthwhile." This confirmed Doumeki's speculation about her not being a simple woman.
"Meanwhile, your coming into my shop has its own purpose, and our meeting here has already spun a deep connection between you and I...The littlest thing that happens do contribute to the changing of the future, Doumeki-kun. So, do you have a wish?" She leaned forward in interest, a glint clear in those ruby eyes of hers.
"I can see magical things that follow me. I only wish that no spirits or ghosts would follow my footsteps wherever I go." Doumeki shrugged. Yuuko-san's lips curled into a mischievious smile. "Is that what you wish for?" Doumeki nodded firmly.
"Very well...Let me fulfill your wish." The two girls reappeared in the doorway and handed an ancient-looking mirror to her. Doumeki took two steps backwards and narrowed his eyes. Yuuko-san held up the mirror and he clenched his fists uncertainly.
"The mirror is not reacting. Ah, you are quite stubborn as well, not allowing me to penetrate you." She put it down beside her pensively. Doumeki gave a breath of relief.
"Work here then. Do you cook?" Doumeki shook his head. Yuuko-san massaged her temples. "Clean?" Doumeki shook his head again.
She slumped down on the couch listlessly. "What can you do then?"
"I can sweep lawns." he said.
"Okay, you work here for me then. Until everything is balanced out, your wish will be granted." she smiled with that glint in her eyes again. "You must've planned this all along." he pondered. "He's a gardener now!" Maru and Moro cheered in delight despite Doumeki's deadpan face.
Yuuko-san said nothing but continued to smile.