"Oi," went the usual monotone voice directed towards Watanuki Kimihiro, whose bright blue eyes shot a glare at his archrival, Doumeki Shizuka.

"For the last time, my name's not 'Oi'!" Watanuki growled, snapping out of his dream-like daze, "now what do you want?" The glasses-clad teen looked around his classroom and, for the first time, noticed that they were the only two present. Even the teacher left.

"The bell rang." Doumeki replied stoically. Watanuki scratched the back of his head and gave a soft, embarrassed laugh.

"Oh…I knew that," he lied.

"Then why aren't you leaving?" Doumeki asked, standing by the still seated boy.

"Because I'm not ready too!" The shorter teen shouted, raising his arm in a fist towards the taller man who was plugging now his ears. A few seconds ticked by. "Now I'm ready," he said, gathering up his books and papers on his desk and picking them up.

"Idiot," Doumeki said as he backed up and gave his friend some room to stand up.

"Shut up moron!" Watanuki shouted lamely back towards the archer. He picked up his shoulder bag filled with the weekend homework and swiftly headed out the door, leaving Doumeki behind. It didn't take long for the long-limbed teen to catch up.

"Are you going to the shop?" the golden eyed teen asked as he strode up beside the shorter male. Watanuki glared.

"What do you think moron? I go there just about every day." Doumeki seemed unaffected by the insult and continued walking. A few students remained in the halls for clubs or other after school activities. A group of girls walked past the two males, giggling loudly yet talking in hushed whispers. Watanuki caught the words "excited", "week", and "chocolate". "I wonder what those girls were talking about." Watanuki thought out loud after the girls were out of earshot. "Something exciting must be happening in a week that involves chocolate or something."

"White Day," Doumeki replied without a moment's hesitation. Watanuki gasped and slapped his hand to his forehead.

"Crap! I forgot about that! It's next Friday, isn't it?" he asked the taller teen. Doumeki nodded.

"Well, at least I found out a week ahead of time instead of just a few days. I don't know how something like that could have slipped my mind." He gave a simple shrug and looked over at his companion. "So are you going to give someone a White Day present?"

"Maybe," Doumeki shrugged, his usual stoic look planted on his face, "maybe not."

"Who would you give it to?" Watanuki asked, curiosity evident in his voice.

"Not telling," came the reply. Watanuki steamed.

"Come on! There are so many girls who like you but you never show an interest in any of them! If you keep that up, you're going to wind up lonely and miserable! And I'll laugh!" Watanuki was jealous of Doumeki; Every girl he came across liked him. Why couldn't he have that kind of luck?

"What about you?" Doumeki asked, changing the subject. Watanuki flailed his arms around like a fish out of water towards the archer, a look of annoyance on his face.

"I'm going to make chocolate for Himawari-chan of course! And don't change the subject!"

"Ah." Watanuki huffed at the man's lack of speech but continued out of the school. A thought crossed his mind several times, and he mentally debated with himself whether he should tell his companion or not before just deciding to go for it.

"I…think I'm going to confess to her." He blushed while thinking about what he was saying. "I-I mean…it's been a long time. It's about time she knows how I felt."

"Felt?" Doumeki asked, the word hanging awkwardly in the air. Watanuki blushed deeper, looking down on the sidewalk and nodding his head furiously.

"Well…I…moved on. I really, really liked her, but then I began to realize that she didn't really notice my feelings, even after so long." Watanuki spilled. "Maybe she never thought of me like that in the first place." Watanuki looked over at the archer with a sad expression.

"Ah." Doumeki said. Instantly, the gloomy atmosphere was lifted and a dark, rage-filled atmosphere took its place.

"Don't just say 'Ah' like it's nothing! Geez, why do I bother telling you ANYTHING?" Watanuki began to rant angrily, waving his limbs around comically. The two walked on together like that until they came to a cross road and it was time for them to separate, each boy mumbling their goodbyes. Then Watanuki continued on in silence.

When Watanuki opened the door to the shop, the smells of incense and smoke wafted out and greeted him. He sighed and mentally (and emotionally) prepared himself for the abuse he would receive for that day. Finally he took a deep breath and stepped inside, quickly being greeted by Maru and Moro.

"Watanuki's here!" Maru chirped.

"Watanuki's here!" Moro cheered.

"Watanuki's here!" They sang together, grabbing each other's hands and twirling around on the wooden floors before dancing off to go inform their mistress. Watanuki couldn't help but smile at the cute, childishness of it all. He closed the large doors and walked into the back room where Yuuko Ichihara sat sipping sake, the two soulless girls standing by her side. She had her long, beautiful black hair down so it flowed out and over the arm of the couch she was leaning on so that the ends rested on the floor. She had on a beautifully designed red kimono with gold trim and a blue sash, clashing wonderfully with her crimson eyes as they looked over at him mischievously, a little smirk rolling on her lips. The black Mokona rested on a pillow across from her, sipping its own cup of sake.

"Well, well, if it isn't our dear friend Watanuki." Yuuko started. "You're a little late, it seems." She said, the aura around her growing weary as well.

"Laaaate!" Maru and Moro sang together as they danced around the teen some more. Watanuki thought back earlier when he missed the bell at school because of daydreaming and staying a little later then intended just to avoid looking like an idiot in front of Doumeki.

"Sorry, I got distracted." Watanuki hastily apologized, knowing what punishments Yuuko could give him if she wanted to. "Are you going to add this to my tab?" The woman chuckled.

"No, I think I'll be generous today and let it slide." Watanuki sighed in relief as a glint appeared in the witch's eyes. "But first you have to go whip us up some teriyaki noodles. We're starving!"

"Yeah, we're famished!" The black Mokona added, jumping on the seer's face. Watanuki pried the creature off and formed his hands into fists angrily. Maru and Moro cheered in the background.

"Fine!" For once he thought that he was going to get a break with cooking.

Guess not.

The rest of the day flew by uneventful: Cooking, fetching sake, cleaning, cooking, fetching more sake, cleaning, and more sake. As it grew dark, Watanuki packed up his stuff to leave. Picking up his bag, Watanuki turned around he came face to face with the witch's mysterious eyes.

"You know White Day is next Friday, right?" she asked in a sly voice that sent chills down Watanuki's spine. He gulped.

"Y-yeah. What about it?" He reached down and began to slip on his shoes.

"Who are you going to give presents to?" She asked, a grin on her face. Watanuki sighed in frustration.

"Don't worry Yuuko, I promise to make you some—"

"I wasn't referring to myself, though some white chocolate does sound nice…" Watanuki raised an eyebrow.

"Then what are you talking about?" He asked. Yuuko let out a huff.

"I meant a friend!" She wrapped one of her long white arms around his shoulders and poked his cheek with a slender finger. "You know, like Himawari-chan…or even Doumeki~" Instantly Watanuki flushed.

"Himawari-chan I understand, but why would I make anything for him? I HATE the guy!" Yuuko laughed, pulling away from her part time worker.

"Come now, you don't hate him. You two have been through so much together, and you can't deny it: He's one of the closest friends you have." Watanuki turned even redder. Sure, he didn't really hate the guy, but he definitely didn't like him! At least not enough to make him a White Day gift.

"White Day is for giving presents to people, girls, you like! You know; a response to Valentine's Day?" Yuuko laughed again.

"You don't have to like someone to give them a gift! Think of it as a 'Social Obligation'. And they certainly don't have to be female."

"Whatever, I'm going home now!" Watanuki shouted, opening up the door and stepping outside.

"If you need some ideas on what to give him…" Yuuko continued like she didn't hear him, "…then you could always ask me."

"I'm NOT giving him anything! Why would you even BEGIN to think that I would?"

"Never mind," the witch said. "Just be careful on your way home. It's dark and you never know what could be lurking in the shadows." She smiled knowingly once again and followed Watanuki to the door. Watanuki turned around with a look of aggravation on his face.

"Fine," He murmured as he walked farther into the chilly night.

"See you tomorrow!" Yuuko called out, waving goodbye. "Oh, and don't forget to bring ingredients for teppanyaki." Watanuki growled and thought about how expensive the ingredients are. Then his mind drifted back to what the witch had told him earlier.

"You two have been through so much together, and you can't deny it: He's one of the closest friends you have."

"Yeah right," Watanuki mumbled as he turned the corner, "as if that guy can even be considered a friend!" He walked down the eerily quiet street, once again lost in his own thoughts. Well, I guess I do think of Doumeki kind of as a friend. He goes with me on most of the missions Yuuko sends me on, knowing about how dangerous they can be, just to help protect me. He also saved me more times than I can count. And with his spirit-repelling blood, he keeps the annoying things away from me. Watanuki stopped walking and looked down to the ground, the breeze blowing his hair slightly. He actually does a lot for me, I guess, more than anyone has ever done for me before. And the way I treat him… Watanuki snapped out of his thoughts and gripped his hair in rage, a look of discomfort forming on his pale face. "WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING?"

There's no way that I actually care for an idiot like him! I'm mean to him because he thinks I'm an idiot! I'm weak! He's the idiot, not me! He stomped on the ground a few times then threw his hands into fists. "Fine, I'll make him a White Day gift, but ONLY to show my appreciation for everything he's done for me! That's IT!" Even as he said that, it sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than anything else. Suddenly, he heard a flapping overhead and looked up to see the moon high in the sky. He gasped.

"I can't believe it's this dark already!" He quickly looked in all directions and began walking at a much quicker pace. "I'm surprised I haven't seen any spirits yet…" But he spoke too soon. Still walking at his frantic speed, Watanuki proceeded past some dark buildings and houses about halfway to his house. Feeling slight discomfort, he looked at the dark alley that sat between two buildings and the road that went through it. He stopped running.

As if drawn into the blackness the alley had to offer, he stood there staring at it, a blank look on his face. Feeling the urge to cross the street and walk down the dark road, the thoughts disappeared as he felt a sudden snake-like grip around his ankle, and his balance was lost as he went tumbling to the ground. Watanuki let out a yelp as he hit the pavement and his bag went sliding across the road towards the entrance of the alley. He looked down to see long tentacle limbs wrapped a few times around his torso and legs. The seer turned his head to see where the limbs were coming from, seeing them coming from the darkness cast upon the road by one of the tall buildings.

"Get the hell off me!" Watanuki screamed, trying to scramble away from the scary spirit. When he found this act to be useless with his legs bound, Watanuki panicked and began whacking the tentacles with his arms, struggling to break free. At last, one of the tentacles came off of his leg and he took full advantage of this by pulling away from the rest of the limbs and running over to grab his bag to take off running. However, right when he reached it a tentacle wrapped around his right leg and pulled him back down to the ground. "Stupid thing! LET ME GO!" The teen felt himself being dragged backwards and fear washed over him. He looked up ahead to where his bag sat and reached for it, hoping to use it as a weapon. However, his eyes looked into the darkness of the alley and suddenly he froze. What's going on? Watanuki thought as he continued staring into the alley, sudden warmth washing over him. A loud hissing noise was heard and the tentacles released him, falling back into the shadows. The seer gasped as he pried his eyes away from the darkness, sweat pouring off his face. Without a second thought, Watanuki grabbed his bag and ran in the direction of his house.

"What was up with that?" He asked himself as he grew farther and farther away from the area he was attacked in. "The spirit just backed off like it was on fire or something." Not that he was complaining, he just found in odd. The only time spirits acted that way was when he was around Doumeki, but he doubted that that jerk was anywhere near there. Unless he was hiding in the alley, Watanuki chuckled to himself. He ran past the temple where said person lived a wave of nausea hit him. He couldn't figure out why though. He then recalled the earlier thought that he had about actually caring for the archer and scowled. The gift will be just to show my appreciation, just to show my appreciation, just to show my appreciation…He repeated the meaning in his head and he walked into his apartment complex.

"I'm home," he called out to the emptiness. No response. Shocker. The boy thought. He threw his bag on the rack and sat on the couch. A shiver ran down his spine as he cautiously got up and looked all around the room. It feels like I'm being watched, he exclaimed as he took a final look and headed to his bedroom.

After he slipped on his pajamas, he laid down on the soft and inviting bed. Questions were running through his head at a hundred miles per hour and his heart was racing.

When should I confess how I felt to Himawari-chan?

Would she still want to be my friend?

What about Doumeki?

Should I really give him something for White Day?

We aren't really friends, are we?

What was up with that spirit?

Why did it back away like that?

Why was I so attracted to that alley across the street?

He rolled over and shoved his pillow over his head to try to ignore all of the stressful questions and just focus on sleep. After a while of just laying there Watanuki's mind wandered off to the memory of what happened with the ghost. He still felt the sting in his ribs from when he was tripped by the long tentacles. Maybe I should tell Yuuko about this…he thought. Nah, it wasn't really that serious. At least that's what he told himself. Then he started to think about what could have drawn the spirit back and away from him. It happened when I got close to my bag…maybe there was something inside it? He quickly shook off that possibility. The only things in that bag were books from school that he brought home for the weekend. He carried those books home with him many times before and they never did anything for him. Then his mind drifted back to the alley. Maybe there was something inside that place. I kept on feeling like I was drawn to it, but why? Another spirit perhaps? Maybe he was thinking too much into this. Maybe the spirit just decided it didn't want him anymore? This was driving him crazy!

"I should go back and have a look at that area again tomorrow when it's lighter." He thought that he should go and tell the archer about this but decided against it. If it is a spirit, then I don't want him to scare it off before I get a chance to find out what it is. Was that a bad idea? What if it was a dangerous spirit? His conscience nagged at him until he got a major headache. Growling, Watanuki plopped over on his stomach, face first in the pillow.

Enough was enough.

Watanuki emptied his mind and relaxed his muscles. He was going to sleep whether that annoying voice in his head wanted him to or not. After a while, sleep proved to be an easy task, and he drifted off into a deep slumber.

Watanuki watched Doumeki from behind the base of a large oak tree. The archer appeared to be talking to someone. Then, Watanuki could feel himself falling into darkness, a cool feeling surrounding his body, almost like water. Suddenly, an image of him walking by the temple Doumeki lived at appeared. It was dark as Doumeki stepped out from the gate and addressed Watanuki, who turned around and collapsed. He couldn't move his arms as if something bound them. He was in darkness once again, though this time fuzzy images appeared. Trees that glowed a faint purple surrounded him as he lied down on the cold hard ground. A faint whisper could be heard, though what it was saying was unknown. Watanuki slowly covered his ears. The whisper grew louder until it was a muffled voice. Then it turned into a shout.

"WATANUKI!"