Review Replies:

Dee: You were absolutely right! I shouldn't have waited so long to update *sweat*. Anyways I hope these next few installments will satisfy you.

tuquoise ebonyfox: I know it's all my fault but please don't be sad. Doumeki HAS to find a way out for his Watanuki right? Anyways, I'm happy that you find my characters close to the CLAMP universe, because I actually LOVE the original characters a lot! Please enjoy the story and don't forget to leave your comments ;D

belle: I heard your plea for a "non angsty development" but my pen has a mind of its own. At least I won't let it end in an angst way, I promise!

Asagohan-no-bento: I'm sorry the story is so sad, I couldn't help it. After all, hardships is what makes bonds stronger right? Anyways, forgetting or remembering: that'll be Doumeki's choice, let's wait and see.

BlackCrystalRose: I'm happy you like the story so far, and even happier to gain a devoted fan, please continue with your wonderful reviews!

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AN: ok, here's part two!

Chapter 5: Empty Without You

Part3: Painless Suffering II

When he opened the door for him, Doumeki was already dressed in casual clothes, his hair still slightly damp. From his nice smell and groggy voice, Watanuki could easily guess that the archer had been enjoying a nap, probably right after taking a bath and most certainly without drying his hair.

Ill-mannered as he may be, the archer wasn't rude enough to fall asleep when expecting a visit. Which left only one other explanation: he was so tired, he couldn't resist dozing off. The thought filled Watanuki with guilt since he had no intention of letting him rest just yet. The remaining time was too little and too precious for them to waste.

Doumeki however didn't seem affected by the passing time. He stood still at the door staring at the seer and at his empty hands with his usual bored expression. Watanuki figured the archer was looking for his "gift" since this was the purpose of his visit and felt strangely irritated at how clueless his host was. True, it wasn't Doumeki's fault that he was left in the dark but, it was still unnerving to see him take his time when time was precisely what they lacked most.

"So, are you or are you not letting me in?"

Doumeki didn't even blink at the seer's impatience and simply made way for him to enter. With a grunt Watanuki took off his shoes then he looked up at the boy beside him.

"Follow me."

The archer followed his visitor as he quickly made his way to the kitchen. He had a hard time suppressing his smirk at how comfortable the seer seemed. He was even ordering him around as if he owned the place. Knowing his character, he must be feeling really at ease in this house and that thought reinforced his resolution.

Despite being busy with the practice for the competition, Doumeki took the time to find a way to protect the spirit-magnet from whatever it is that was threatening him, and he had come up with a rather satisfying solution. Of course the seer would protest vehemently, but Doumeki was determined to have it his way.

"Here," Watanuki pushed a big cup filled with a freshly brewed coffee in front of the sleepy archer who quirked an eyebrow at the unusual choice of drink, but took it nonetheless.

The coffee tasted hot, strong and bitter. It reminded him of the seer's character. Quick temper, strong resolution and bitter memories, that's how the spirit-magnet was. Doumeki thought that they were very different since he was rather poised and had been blessed with a happy childhood in company of his grandfather.

Ever since his grandfather passed away, he never felt the need to have anyone around and people tended to avoid him naturally. The seer, however, was trying to live his life while purposefully keeping others away. That's what made him curious at first. Then, step by step, he started to see what sadness his friendly smile was concealing. Maybe that's what made him feel so protective of the seer. The boy had been through a lot yet he never showed any sadness or resented anyone for his unlucky fate, he assumed everything alone. 'A pure soul or a complete idiot' thought the archer as he took another large sip of coffee.

As the caffeine slowly made its way in his system awakening him completely from his earlier slumber, Doumeki started pondering over the seer's unusual behavior throughout the week. Now that the competition was finished, he was able to concentrate fully on the recent events and, the more he thought about it, the less Watanuki's behavior made sense. The boy had been suddenly appearing and disappearing from his side with no clear reason, and regardless of how normal it seemed, his speech felt rather forced and unnatural.

Doumeki couldn't even begin to comprehend what was on the seer's mind, avoiding him then suddenly appearing at his house then avoiding him again before sticking around him out of his own volition. It was an increasingly odd behavior and Doumeki didn't quite fathom the reasons behind it. More than that, he was worried that it had less to do with the seer's likes and dislikes and much more with some supernatural entity as suggested by Yuuko-san.

Doumeki watched the boy intently. He was restless, frantically chopping veggies and cleaning plates all the while talking about anything and everything that crossed his mind. Watanuki was a lively kind of person, but this time it didn't seem right to see him hustling and bustling as if he feared to stop functioning the minute he stopped moving.

Oblivious to the archer's worries, Watanuki had a few problems of his own. The kitchen was silent, except for the sound of the water running on the sink and his own voice talking in a strange continuous flow. He no longer knew what he was saying and was hardly aware of the pain his words caused him since his attention was focused on the passing time. The more he tried to forget it the more he noticed the little signs of the falling night: the dampening light, the hushing sounds outside, and his own growing fatigue.

The only thing that would occasionally distract his from his darkest fears was his host's scrutinizing look. He knew the archer was waiting for his "gift" but there was more to his inquiring looks. Watanuki believed that his host had already sensed something amiss. Actually, he was surprised he could deceive him for so long. Despite that, he didn't want to expose himself any further so he concentrated on washing the dishes purposefully avoiding his gaze. He was just too tired and anxious to face Doumeki, though he knew he shouldn't be wasting their time together running away.

Actually, he'd thought long and hard before deciding to sleep over at the archer's place. He knew very well how perceptive the other boy was and he apprehended his reaction and his tenacity but, he believed the archer's presence would bring him solace and distract him from the daunting prospect of his vanishment.

By the time he finished making dinner, Watanuki's thoughts were a complete mess once again and his throat was awfully sore from his earlier chattering. Watanuki could only welcome the reprieve of a quiet meal. Of course the archer wouldn't find fault to that since he was always silent himself. Or so he thought.

"Oi!"

The unnerving syllable interrupted the seer's train of thoughts and he couldn't help but snap at the archer.

"My name is not OI!"

"Then you should answer when I call you by your name," the archer retorted with a snort.

"Wha- what do you want?" the seer stuttered, embarrassed.

The archer quired an eyebrow and answered: "I said, stay here."

"Huh?What are you talking about? I already told you I'll sleep over tonig-"

Just then an absurd thought blossomed in the seer's mind. In fact, it was so absurd that Watanuki felt ashamed for even thinking about it yet it clang to his mind as something the socially-alienated stalker might think about. Of course he would think it logical to keep him safe at the temple, he wouldn't even consider how odd it would be for the seer to li- live at his house. But he wouldn't dare suggest anything of the sort would he?

Watanuki glanced at the boy in front of him hoping for a reassuring sign. The archer stopped eating and stared back with an unwavering gaze. Suddenly, Watanuki's throat felt very dry. He helped himself with some water trying to find the right words to convince him against it. The archer picked up on his thoughts and counterattacked.

"My parents already agreed."

The seer choked on his water and sputtered it on the table as the archer surprised him yet again with and absurd statement. Unaffected, Doumeki handed him a towel to clean up the mess he'd made. Watanuki bit his lip in silent mortification. He snatched the towel and started mopping the wet table, averting his gaze from the archer's.

He felt irritated by the archer's senseless request. He already knew how annoyingly protective he tended to be but that was ludicrous, though stupid Doumeki obviously found it very logical. 'And what exactly did he say to get his parents to agree to such an absurd thing?' Watanuki wondered with a growing uneasiness.

The table cleaned, Watanuki glared at the boy sitting in front of him only to find another infuriating scene. That idiot was holding out his empty rice bowl, he was asking him for seconds as if it were the most natural thing to do. Watanuki was speechless. Was he really unable to read the mood? If not, was he trying to provoke him further?

Judging by his character Doumeki probably nurtured this thought for some time already. He wouldn't take no for an answer and he considered that his opinion mattered not when he offered him safety. Watanuki felt his anger boiling up in his veins at the archer's arrogance. 'It's his life dammit of course he had the right to refuse! And why wasn't the archer explaining himself properly? That was the least he could do!' Then again the archer's thoughts were easy enough to read without him voicing them: He wanted him safe, so he wanted him close. It was simple almost logical if it wasn't completely absurd. Very Doumeki-like.

Watanuki sighed in defeat. There was no point in discussing the matter, more so because he wouldn't be around anymore. He took the rice bowl, filled it to the brim and put it back in front of the hungry teen. He watched his as he started eating once again. Bit by bit, Watanuki's anger subsided and he started to feel apologetic towards the archer: it seemed that he'd never get a chance to fulfill any of his wishes except for food.

"Alright," he conceded with a sigh, "I'll think about it."

Doumeki looked at the seer, his surprise at the unexpected reply barely repressed. He didn't expect him to accept his offer or even think about it and he was prepared for a long battle, so this answer took him off guard.

Watanuki watched the stoic face of archer as he stared at him. His usually infuriating lack of expression felt oddly comforting, it made him feel at peace for the first time in weeks and he couldn't help but smile.

Doumeki on the other hand wasn't sure how to react. He should be happy that the seer was considering his offer seriously, but he was anxious instead. It was unlike him to surrender so easily, stubborn as he was. Of course he could reject the offer later, but it still wasn't like him to avoid a fight with a smile. It was almost alarming.

The archer watched with a growing discomfort as the seer stood up again and started gathering utensils and ingredients.

"What are you doing?" he inquired with his usual monotone.

"Baking a cake" Watanuki answered.

"A cake? What for?"

"I just want one," Watanuki simply replied, then he added "Any suggestions?"

Doumeki frowned at the invitation but he replied nonetheless:

"Chocolate Mousse Cake."

The reply was immediate as expected of the bottomless pit, but Watanuki wasn't irritated, he was grateful that the archer didn't pick anything too difficult or out of season for once. A rare occurrence indeed.

As the seer busied himself at the counter, Doumeki pondered over his suspicious behavior and started wondering about his actual purpose in staying over at his place. Of course he was happy to have him stay since he could enjoy his company and his cooking skills, keeping an eye on him was a bonus too, but it felt strange. 'And where was the rumored gift?' He was pretty much sure the seer didn't bring anything with him. There were many unanswered questions and the archer didn't like it.

Soon enough, the inciting smell of chocolate tickled his nostrils and soothed his worries. He stood up and went to supervise the finishing touches, stealing a spoonful of chocolate icing and earning himself an angry shouting-fit from the seer.

When they finally sat back at the table, Watanuki was breathless from fighting the archer off the unfinished cake and Doumeki was smirking smugly at the flushed seer.

As they started eating their respective pieces of the dessert, Doumeki decided it was time for more explanations.

"So, what brings you here?" he asked, his mouth still full.

Watanuki glared at him, disapproving his lack of table etiquette but answered.

"To give you a gift. Why else?"

"You could've done that at school." Doumeki pointed out.

"No, I couldn't." Watanuki replied.

Doumeki looked at him as if to uncover the meaning behind his words then asked again.

"So, where is it?"

"Not here."

Doumeki quirked an eyebrow. The seer came to give him a present but the gift was not in the house. That didn't make sense at all.

Watanuki ignored him in favor of his dessert.

"You've started to talk in riddles like Yuuko-san." Doumeki observed.

"I guess I did" Watanuki admitted still ignoring him.

"I don't like it," the archer stated.

Watanuki finally lifted his head and looked at the archer an unreadable smile on his face.

"I know. I used to hate that too."

Doumeki didn't know what to respond to that so he brought his attention back to his cake. He would deal with the seer later.

When he finished his dessert, Watanuki sneaked a peek at the clock hung up beside the counter. It was past 10pm already. He instinctively gripped the hourglass in his right pocket as if to choke it and stop its time. His resolve faltering under the hasty approach of his doom, he needed to hide his expression from the archer's scrutinizing gaze until he regained some composure. He quickly went to the sink and started washing up, as he tried to reorganize his thoughts and remember what he wanted to do, what he wanted to say.

"What are you doing? The water is piping hot!"

Watanuki blinked a couple of times not really processing what was happening, while Doumeki, who was sitting in the farthest corner of the kitchen just a second ago, snatched his hands from under the running water. The plate he was washing clattered loudly on the floor but Watanuki barely noticed it in his frozen confusion.

He stood motionless as the other boy run his fingers softly over his hands to see if they were burnt. Despite being red, Doumeki found the skin against his unexpectedly cold and he instinctively tightened his grip on the slender finger as if to convey them as much warmth as he could.

"You're freezing," the archer pointed out, forgetting for a time his earlier worries.

"I know," Watanuki answered in a sigh, not bothering to hide that he enjoyed the warm contact around his numbed digits.

Doumeki growled. 'What was that supposed to mean?' He freed one of his hands, closed the faucet, grabbed a towel and started drying the frozen hands, rubbing them vigorously until the other boy whimpered in protest. Doumeki stopped to glare at him. He was riled to no end by the seer's secrets, his aloof behavior and most of all his disregard of his own safety.

"What happened?" he demanded.

Watanuki hesitated.

"I- I didn't realize the water was so hot."

"Are you saying your hand was so cold you couldn't feel it burning?"

"No. I- wasn't paying attention-"

"Oh, don't give me that!" Doumeki interrupted furious, "Tell me what's going on. Now!"

Watanuki flinched. He'd never seen Doumeki so angry before. He raised his head, his gaze moving from his abused digits to study the angry face and, for a split second, a golden stare bore into deep sapphire and caught a fleeting glimpse of the emotions the smaller boy had been concealing. Confusion, fear and sadness crystallized behind the glasses, then, just as he started to identify them for what they were, Watanuki closed his eyes, his face relaxing into an unreadable expression. When he reopened them, the blue gaze he fixed on him was guarded and distant once more.

It was so frustrating that the archer couldn't help tightening his grip on the cold hand in his as if to hold on to the only closeness he'd been allowed in weeks.

'Why can't you trust me?'

Watanuki could hear the silent plea as if Doumeki had screamed it in his ears, he could see it distinctly seeping through the seemingly impassive stare, and he could feel it radiating from the painfully tight grip on his own hands. He knew the archer needed answers yet he couldn't provide any. It was too late, much too late.

His eyes darted instinctively to the wall clock as he remembered the time and he felt his chest tightening, his breath painfully trapped in his lungs. It was as if they were crushed under the overwhelming weight of his renewed realization. He had one hour left, maybe less.

When he could finally summon enough strength to will air inside his tightening rib cage in ragged painful breaths, he tried to talk. He needed to at least give the archer support and wisdom. That was his present, and he had little time to show him the way.

While keeping his eyes away from his disturbing stare, Watanuki instructed the archer to follow him.

"I need to show you something. Come."

Those were his exact words. They were not the answer the archer was expecting but Watanuki did not wait for him to object. He dragged him out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Doumeki followed patiently until the other boy stopped in front of the guest room. Watanuki opened the door with his left hand, his right still holding Doumeki's.

"Here," Watanuki invited when the other boy didn't move.

"You wanted to show me to the bedroom?" Doumeki asked skeptical.

"Idiot!" muttered Watanuki his face turning from pale to red in a matter of seconds while Doumeki stood perfectly still and impassive. 'He really has no sense of shame,' thought the seer in frustration. Then he tried to explain things properly.

"We need to sleep together... no I mean at the same time... it's in the dream."

Doumeki ignored Watanuki's flushed face and scattered explanation and asked "What's in the dream?"

"AAARGH! Stop talking already and get the futon out!"

Doumeki complied since it seemed as though the seer was finally going to give some answers although he did wonder about the process...

After setting the futon on the tatami floor, the archer stood up to retrieve another one from the closet but Watanuki interrupted him.

"I don't need it."

"Why?" Doumeki asked intrigued yet again by the seer's unusual requests.

"Just do as I say." Watanuki answered.

The seer sounded confident and determined all traces of his earlier embarrassment had subsided. He closed the door, turned off the light and sat on the floor, right next to the futon.

As the archer stood still in front of the closet, Watanuki inquired.

"Why don't you lay down?"

"Are we going to sleep?" The archer asked perplexed.

"Yes, I told you it's in the dream. Now, lay down and sleep."

Doumeki wanted to inquire further, ask for explanations or directives but Watanuki's gentle voice had a hypnotic quality to it. It was as if the seer was suddenly radiating a strange power and the archer felt strangely compelled to obey.

He laid down on the futon but stubbornly refused to close his eyes trying to summon enough will to ask more questions. Watanuki was well aware of the archer's unwillingness but he had no time to spare for quiz games, they needed to reach the dream realm as soon as possible. He bent over him to close the reluctant eyes with his fingers.

Doumeki's face warmed under the unexpected cold touch and he couldn't resist the soft pressure of the other's fingers as they traced his face and closed his eyelids. The touch was somewhat hesitant yet so unexpectedly caring that he was tempted to protest when the digits left his face leaving a ticklish empty feeling.

He wanted to protest but somehow he felt too tired to do so and, in a matter of seconds, he fell asleep under the benevolent gaze of the seer.

AN: Many of you expressed their apprehension of "overlay" angst so, I wanted to tone down that feeling with a couple of cute/humorous scenes here and there. I hope you appreciate it o_O

AN2: I can't wait for the dream part XD, even though I'm the one writing it... Anyways, please review!

Important: A little poll for you people:

What "last words" should Watanuki say to Doumeki?

1- Take care.

2- Thank you.

3- You know, I don't hate you. Right?

4- Help me!

You can choose one of these or add your own if you want. Personally I have a preference for number 4 *squeal*

Preview:

"Doumeki, do you know what day we are today?"

"Hn? Mach, 31st."

"No, it's a new day already. Should I make a wish?"

AN: That explains the cake doesn't it ? *wink*