The end of May was as stifling hot this year as it had been the year before, Kagome decided. Only this time, she was going to be prepared. She was going to have hair ribbons in her pockets at all times, and at least one hair tie on her wrist or in her bag. She was not going to suffocate because she loved having long hair like she had last year. Yuuko, however, had decided that her old methods of surviving the heat had worked last summer, and would thus work well again. She had the kiddie pool out on the deck, and was cheerfully forcing Watanuki to fill it, this time with an antique bamboo shower pump. Yuuko really did get impressive with her gear when she wanted to.

"Ahhh, this is what summer is aaaaall about," she crooned, wallowing in the water that cascaded down the very impressive cleavage showcased by her white one-piece with more than enough cut outs for two people.

"If you want to play around in water," Wantanuki panted as he frantically worked the hand pump that pushed water through the shower head, "Then go to a public pool! Or make Kagome-chan take a turn!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed, "I'm not pumping that thing." She said flatly, "If Yuuko-san really wanted me to give it a go, I would thread the hose through the shower pipes."

Her coworker perked up at the idea, then slumped in defeat when Yuuko shook her head, "It just wouldn't be the right pressure or water quantity, Kagome-chan!" she explained, "Besides, I would never dream of asking you to pump water for me! Physical labor is good for a young man's soul, but not so much for a young woman's!"

Kagome's eyes narrowed, "That's horribly sexist, but as it's working to my benefit, I really don't care."

"I thought you might see it my way!" Yuuko beamed as she shot off a stream of water at Mokona with the rather impressive supersoaker water gun she had somehow gotten her hands on, "Summer is here early this year," she mused, leaning back to relax against the walls of the pool, "April has all but passed, and it doesn't look like the heat is going to be letting up, at least, not until the rains come."

"That could be a while," Kagome answered, "I heard something about the rains starting late this year."

"Hmmmm," Yuuko shifted so that more of her was in the pool, "Yes, that does seem likely..."

Meanwhile, Mokona was stealthily bouncing over to Yuuko's discarded super soaker. Suddenly, he grabbed it and shot Watanuki right in the chest, gleefully shouting "Haha! Gotcha!"

"STOP IT RIGHT NOW!" But the enraged cry of Mokona's victim was cut off with an "Oomph!" as someone landed on top of him.

"Me-owwwwww," a dazed cat girl croaked out from her landing position on top of Watanuki.

"Well," Kagome said, taking in the way the cat girl was sprawled across Watanuki on her back, "I guess cat girls didn't inherit a cat's ability to always land on their feet."

"Apparently not," Yuuko agreed idly.

"It's hooooooooot," the cat girl moaned.

"Why does it feel like I end up like this all the time?" Watanuki muttered darkly from his position underneath their guest.

"Because you do." Kagome told him bluntly.

"A life being squashed!" Mokona agreed brightly.

"Poor you," Maru began, turning the shower spout so it would spray on Watanuki and the cat girl "It's hot! It's hot!"

"Here's some water!" Moro added cheerfully as the pair began to pump water to the shower.

The cat girl shrieked and darted off to hide behind Yuuko while Watanuki lay there getting soaked.

"Maru, Moro, please don't." Yuuko called, "Cats don't like to play in water."

"Oopsie!" They chorused.

"It feels like my life is full of incidents like this," Watanuki moaned again, "Nothing but this."

"Again: that's because it is." Kagome told him, "You really need to work on not providing an easy target for Yuuko-san's customers. I'm just saying."

"A life of being dragged into things," Mokona sang, "A life full of misfortune with more ahead!"

"Mokona!" Kagome scolded, trying to cover up her giggles.

Meanwhile, Yuuko produced a rather cute pageboy cap seemingly out of no where and set it gently on the cat girl's head. "Wear that," she directed with a smile.

The cat girl frowned for a moment, clearly not liking the sensation of something covering her ears, but then her eyes widened, "It feels cool now!" she squealed.

"I got that in payment for my services a long time ago," Yuuko explained, "If you wear it, it makes you feel cool. Would you like to have it?"

"Yes! I want it!" The cat girl answered, pulling the hat tight onto her head.

"You can have it," Yuuko told her with her typical mysterious smile, "For a price, of course."

The cat girl sighed, "Just like the rumors said." She said mournfully.

"YUUKO-SAN IS REALLY THAT FAMOUS FOR HER GREED!?" Watanuki yelled as he got to his feet.

Kagome rolled her eyes, "No, Watanuki-senpai, she's really that famous for conducted equivalent exchanges which mitigate the potential damage." She corrected, "Believe me, that's not the same thing as greed at all."

"Who are you calling greedy?" Yuuko demanded, voice cold.

"Her eyes could turn you to stone!" Watanuki whispered, hiding behind Kagome.

"Thanks ever so for leaving me to be a potential victim," she told him dryly.

"Yuuko-san likes you better," her coworker hissed, "So she probably wouldn't turn you into stone."

"Cat girls are the informants of the spiritual world," Yuuko explained to Kagome, her amusement at Watanuki's antics evident, "Whether it happens in this world, or that of the spirits, cat girls are bound to know about it. So, obviously, she knows about me."

The cat girl preened at the praise, and Kagome smiled, "I see. I haven't really dealt with a cat girl before- they do seem to be different from cat youkai, especially panther youkai, like the ones I ran into once."

"Very different," the cat girl affirmed, "They don't know how to share or find information."

"Compared to humans, cats are much more free to roam about the city and find secrets and other information," Yuuko told Kagome, stroking the cat girl's head, before moving to rub under her chin. The cat girl wallowed at the treatment, "Cat girls are much more like cats than humans that way."

"And others," Kagome said ruefully, gesturing at the way the cat girl had started to purr at Yuuko's caresses.

"And others." Yuuko agreed.

"So, what's the price?" The cat girl asked, shifting her head so it would be easier for Yuuko to scratch by her ear.

"I want water from a well," Yuuko told her, "It must be a well with clean water, that hasn't been contaminated with tap water or run off. It must also be the oldest well of that kind that you know of. I'm sure you know of a suitable place, right?"

The cat girl considered for a moment, then shrugged, "I do, but the water isn't clean. Is that okay?"

"How isn't it clean?" Yuuko asked, "Is it chemicals or just dirt?"

"Just dirt!" The cat girl chirped

"Then yes, that's fine." Yuuko assured her.

"Okay!" the cat girl cheered, and hopped up to her knees.

"Watanuki-kun, Kagome-chan, take care of it." Yuuko directed.

"WHAT?" Watanuki shrieked, "I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS WOULD HAPPEN!"

"Yes, you should have," Kagome agreed, "It is, quite literally, our job. Do you have something for us to carry water specimens to make sure that it really is suitable? Not that I'm doubting your information," Kagome assured the cat girl, who had started to pout, "But it's much too easy to miss something in this day and age, especially in a city like Tokyo."

"Ohhhhh," the cat girl said, eyes wide, "That's alright then."

"Yes, I do." Yuuko told Kagome, "Maru, Moro, fetch the round jars!"

"The round jars! The round jars!" the twins chorused as the darted off.

#

"Jeez," Watanuki muttered nearly an hour later as they followed the cat girl to a neighborhood that felt like it was a good mile and a half away from the shop, if not further. Not too bad a walk for someone like Kagome, who was used to it, but definitely less than pleasant for someone like Watanuki. "I don't get why we have to come all the way out here for water. Yuuko-san has a well at her place! Why do we need to go someplace else to get well water?"

"Because I'm reasonably confident that the well at Yuuko's place is either contaminated with tap water or chemical run off, or possibly entirely dry. I mean, have you ever seen her use it for anything?" Watanuki shook his head, his expression still mutinous. Kagome sighed, "Look, for certain types of magic, you need to get ingredients that are as close to their natural state as possible. As there aren't any handy rivers or streams with clean water in the general area, well water is your best bet for a natural water source. If the water's contaminated with city water or chemicals, though, all bets are off. The slightest bit of pollution and it can't be used for certain more delicate spells." She shrugged, "Or maybe she needs extremely clean water to fulfill a wish. Who knows? Either way, we're just the employees. We don't get to ask questions about things like this."

"Here it is!" the cat girl chirped, stopping her walk along the walls separating the courtyards of the various houses in the neighborhood, and pointing at a large house just over it.

"This house?" Watanuki asked, confused.

"This courtyard, I'd imagine," Kagome corrected, "The well is just behind this wall, in this courtyard?"

"Yup!" the cat girl assured her.

"Well, I guess you can go first..." Watanuki said, offering the cat girl the jar he carried.

"Nope!" The cat girl answered back with a flick of her hair.

"She was only supposed to be a guide-" Kagome explained, "She's shown us where the well is. As far as she's concerned, her job is done, provided the well's water meets Yuuko's standards." With a sigh, Kagome studied the wall, and set her jar down. She took a few steps back, then ran at the wall, gaining momentum before jumping at the wall. Even so, she just manage to wrap her fingers around the top. Thanking her lucky stars for the fact that archery really was excellent for developing upper body strength, she manage to pull the rest of her self onto the top of the wall before smiling in triumph. She turned to Watanuki, "Pass me my jar, would you?"

"You're going to get arrested for trespassing, "Watanuki hissed as he handed her the jar.

"Sure, if I sit here for too long and someone notices. I'm not planning on letting that happen. Besides, it's your turn." She added before swinging her legs over to the other side of the wall and sliding off. It wasn't the most elegant way to get over a large wall, but it was certainly better than her alternatives.

"This is criminal trespassing! If we get caught we'll definitely be put on trial!" Watanuki muttered darkly as he dragged himself over the wall, jar in tow. Kagome's eyes narrowed in jealousy- the things she could do with those couple extra inches in height that Watanuki had...

The cat girl landed lightly to Kagome's left. "It's over here!" she said brightly, gesturing to a large, raised concrete circle with an iron lattice over the top and a wooden bucket with a long rope tied to the handle sitting next to it. The would bucket fit nicely through the squares of the lattice, Kagome could see.

With a sigh, she headed over and started to lower the bucket into the depths of the well. "As we've got to fill two relatively large jars, this could take a while." She began, then paused, "Watanuki-senpai? Are you listening to me?"

"Someone can see us!" Watanuki hissed, pointing to one of the windows on the second floor.

Kagome followed his finger, eyes narrowed. She could see the faint outline of what seemed to be a human body, then shrugged, "If they cared, then we would know. Trust me, that window isn't so far away that we wouldn't be able to hear whoever it is if they started yelling at us. And they're sitting a bit too still for them to be trying to come after us for trespassing." Actually, Kagome thought they might sitting be a bit too still for them to be an actual breathing human being, but when she tried to feel for any spirits or youkai in the area, she came up empty, unlike the bucket she was hauling up from the depths of the well. With a sigh, she pulled the bucket out of the well, set it on the ground, and opened her jar before pouring the bucket's contents into it. The bucket filled it up about halfway. "So, we're going to have to refill the bucket another three times, maybe four, before the jars are filled. Are you going to take a turn," she asked, dropping the bucket back into the well, but keeping a loose hold on the rope so it could still go down, "Or am I going to be doing all the work around here?"

"I guess she hasn't noticed us yet," Watanuki murmured, still staring at the window.

Kagome sighed in irritation. It might not take that long to deal with, but the bucket was rather heavy on the return trip. She'd prefer not to have to do the entire job by herself while Watanuki was staring at someone or something that didn't seem to want to give them any trouble. She finished hauling the bucket back up and started pouring.

"Making a girl do all the work?" the cat girl yowled, "You're definitely the worst!"

"Wha-" Watanuki jumped, then saw Kagome pointedly holding the now empty bucket out to him, and flushed, "Oh, right! Sorry, Kagome-chan!" he dropped the bucket in the well, then, upon hearing it splash in the water at the bottom began to pull it back up, "Good grief, this is heavy!" he moaned.

"Get used to it," Kagome advised, amused, "The jars carry two buckets worth each. You'll be hauling that much and more it back to Yuuko's."

"We should try to get back to Yuuko's before dark," Watanuki muttered, "I have a bad feeling about this place."

Kagome frowned, then nodded, "Nothing bad about the place, exactly," she demurred, "But no, I don't think we should hang around after dark. Which means you need to get a move on, Watanuki-senpai. Getting the jars over the wall is going to be a job and a half."

#

It had been a job and a half, involving Kagome scrambling up to the top of the wall, Watanuki passing her the jars then following her up, then jumping down so Kagome could hand him each jar before sliding down herself. It was far from convenient. It didn't help that the jars were heavier than expected, either. Kagome was highly suspicious of that. Regardless, they had managed it in the end. The trek back to the shop had been grueling, but Kagome had taken note of the subway station that was a couple blocks from the edge of the neighborhood, so she figured that they could take the subway for any subsequent visits. She was certain that they would be back, if the water was as clean as the cat girl thought. Having a well of uncontaminated water, even if there was a good bit of silt in it, was too valuable and too rare a resource for a magic user likes Yuuko to ignore. Besides, Kagome was reasonably confident that Yuuko had sent them out to collect a sample of the water. That meant that the two jars that they had collected were not sufficient to meet her overall needs. So, she and Watanuki (and possibly Doumeki as well) would be back. Kagome was determined to keep Watanuki's whining to a minimum when they went back.

It was getting late when they got back to Yuuko's, to the extent that Kagome glanced at the watch she kept on hand when working in the shop. She had about ten minutes before she needed to run to catch her train home. She looked at Yuuko, who chuckled and nodded, "Yes, Kagome-chan, I'm aware you need to leave soon." She took the jar, and inspected it closely. Kagome could feel Yuuko's power brushing over her skin as it prodded at the jar and its contents. "Yes," she said, turning to the cat girl, "This water is acceptable."

"Yay!" The cat girl squealed, leaping in glee.

"I need twelve more jars of this. Watanuki-kun, Kagome-chan, you'll be collecting it for me!" Yuuko added, her grin covering the entirety of her face.

"Called it," Kagome sighed.

"WHAT?" Watanuki shrieked, "But the jars are so heavy! Heavier than they should be, even! Why do you need more of the stuff?!"

"Yes, water can be like that," Yuuko said, with her typical mysterious smile, "Sometimes so heavy that you can't carry it alone." And if that wasn't some sort of commentary about what would be done with the water when it was used, Kagome didn't know what was. "Still, thank you for your hard work, you two! Please continue to do so!"

Kagome laughed, "You're welcome, Yuuko-san. So, given the weight, that's, what, six more trips to the well?"

"At two jars a piece? Yes, that's six trips." Yuuko agreed.

"I don't feel comfortable going back to that place." Watanuki said, shaking his head, "Definitely not that many times."

"Why not? Was there something objectionable about it?" Yuuko asked, titling her head.

"Well, it was in a walled courtyard, outside of someone's home," Kagome explained, "Which is... inconvenient. Trespassing charges would be extremely inconvenient." She mused, "But the house looked somewhat abandoned- not very well cared for- but there was someone or something sitting at one of the windows."

"That person totally saw us." Watanuki whined.

"Possibly," Kagome agreed, "But I felt over in that way with my powers, and they didn't feel anything alive. So, I'm not quite sure whether or not we were seen. Still, no one started yelling at us, so..." she shrugged, "I think we're safe. Next time, I can try to set up a kekkai around the well and that portion of the wall to hide us if it would make you feel better. Probably wouldn't be a bad idea anyway. It looked like a kind of upscale neighborhood, so it might be best to avoid being seen climbing a wall there."

"Yes. Yes, it would." Watanuki agreed, "But would it work to keep us hidden, not just other people out?"

"It would be like a less permanent version of the kekkai around the shop," she explained, "People who don't know we're there won't be able to see us."

"A good idea, Kagame-chan," Yuuko agreed, "But, if you're really that concerned, you could take an extra jar. With three jars, that would bring you down to four trips."

"I was thinking more along the lines of 'not having to go back at all'!" Watanuki said waving his hand frantically.

Kagome shook her head, "Not an option. Yuuko-san obviously needs the water for something, and she can't get it herself. As her contracted slave-labor," she smiled quickly at her employer, who chuckled, "We get to be the manual labor." She sighed, "Look, we've established that I can probably keep us from getting caught. Given that I don't think that either of us can cart an extra jar through Tokyo, at least not that far through Tokyo, it's either six trips, or asking a third person to help us out. Souta-kun's out because he has soccer practice after school, and it would take him too long to get here."

"I could ask Himawari-chan if she wanted to help!" Watanuki started, stars already in his eyes as he approached Himawari Rant Mode.

"I don't think that would work very well," Kagome said hastily, shuddering at the thought of Himawari's warped aura coming into contact with anything that was going to be used in a magical working, "I mean, those jars are heavy. I've got good upper body strength because of archery, but would you really want to ask Himawari-chan to carry something that heavy halfway across Tokyo?"

"Oh! No, of course I wouldn't!" Watanuki agreed, slumping at the very thought.

Quietly Kagome heaved a sigh of relief. Yuuko, for once, looked equally relieved, but covered it better than her employee, "Well," the woman said, her mysterious smile restored, "There is one other person you could ask, isn't there?"

Kagome blinked, and then started to laugh, "Yuuko-san, you really should just put him on the payroll, already. It's starting to get ridiculous."

"It's a matter of principle," Yuuko told her, expression lofty, "I have a reputation to maintain, you understand."

"Who is she talking about, Kagome-chan?" Watanuki asked, confused.

"It's quite simple, Watanuki-senpai," Kagome told him, "I'll ask Shizuka-senpai to help us out tomorrow. I don't think he'll say no, but he'll bring up the question of being on the payroll again. Just watch."

"But why do we have to ask HIM?!" Watanuki shrieked.

"We don't," she answered with a shrug, "Of course, that would mean we have to go back to the well six times rather than just four, so..." her voice trailed off.

#

"I can't believe I agreed to let him come." Watanuki sulked as they walked the last blocks from the subway station to the house and well, each carrying a jar wrapped in a silk cloth, "Actually, I can't believe I agreed to this at all. I don't care if you get arrested for trespassing," he pointed at Doumeki, "But I certainly don't want to be, and I'd prefer it if Kagome-chan wasn't either!"

"It was Shizuka-senpai coming with us or six trips, Watanuki-senpai," Kagome explained again, her head pounding behind her temples, the way it had been for the past half hour, "And we were going to be going back for the water regardless. I promise, no one will see past the kekkai once I set it up. Honestly, I don't think anyone really noticed us the first time, so I'm pretty sure that this is just you being paranoid. Please, Watanuki-senpai, just calm down." Finally, they stopped in front of the appropriate section of wall. "Alright, give me a minute to set this up. It's going be bit trickier since I'm not in the dead center of the area I want to claim, but..." She took out the pencil she had sharpened specifically with the purpose of setting up the kekkai in mind and closed her eyes, carefully drawing a mental circle around the area she wanted to shield. Then she shoved her power down and out through the pencil's point as she stabbed it into the ground. She could feel it billowing over her sphere of influence as waited, kneeling. After a moment's wait to ensure that the kekkai was stable, she opened her eyes and got to her feet. "That should do it. One kekkai in place. It should keep anyone from seeing what's going on inside it, but as I need to be able to move around, I'm not so solid on it keeping things out- that would take more concentration than I can afford to spend at the moment. So, yeah. Keep a vague eye out in case we have to bail in a hurry. I doubt we will," she assured Watanuki, "But better safe than sorry."

"Fair enough," Doumeki agreed, eyeing the wall, "So, what's the plan to get over that thing?"

"Somebody goes up first, another person hands them the jars, then we jump down on the other side." She answered with a shrug. "It's a bit high for me but, eh, I managed last TI-" her voice shifted into a shriek as he picked her up and lifted her so that she could easily settle on the wall. "Or, well, that works, too." She agreed with a blush, "Thank you. And I've got my jar. So, if the two of you want to pass me yours..."

It didn't take much longer for them to get down into the courtyard, where Kagome double-checked to make sure that her kekkai was properly in place before letting the boys head to the well. Doumeki moved quickly, taking over the task of drawing water while Kagome handled unwrapping the jars and screwing on the lids once they were filled. Watanuki, meanwhile, just kept staring up at the house, specifically at the window where a faint outline of a person could be seen, sitting at the window.

"You're positive that no one can see us, Kagome-chan?" he asked, glancing back at the window as she handed him his filled jar for the return trip.

"Yes, Watanuki-senpai," she snapped, "I'm positive. That's what I designed the kekkai for, and where I shoved all of the power I put into it. And it should hold until I move the pencil anchoring it. I promise that no matter what is at that window, pointed in our general direction, it cannot see us. Now, if it makes you that uncomfortable, you can go over the wall first."

"I... I think I will," Watanuki said quietly, handing her his jar so he could scramble over the wall.

"Hey," Doumeki said, setting down the last jar so she could screw on the lid and wrap it up, "You ok?"

"Sorry," she sighed, getting to work, "I know that I shouldn't have snapped at him, and he's just worried about trespassing charges, and the fact that it looks like we're in plain sight of someone at the window, but still. It's annoying to have him doubt my abilities like this."

"And the fact that he's been griping about this for the past two days probably isn't helping," Doumeki snorted, "Kekkai aren't as flashy as what he's used to in regards to spiritual abilities, so he might not get it because, you know, subtle."

"That's probably part of it," she agreed with a laugh, "But I think it's also because that silhouette was at the window the last time we were here, too. He's so certain that someone's seen us, he can't quite contemplate it being otherwise."

"Makes sense." He frowned "Are you sure that you weren't seen?"

"Yes and no," she shrugged, "I felt for life signs or spirits up there, but nothing showed up to my senses. Also, nobody started yelling at us to get out, or even moved towards the window. Due to complete lack of reaction, I'm pretty sure we weren't seen. However, I'm willing to consider the possibility that I was wrong, and just missed something. In that case, given that no one came after us, I'm assuming that they don't really care- after all, all we did was come over the wall and fill two large jars with water from a well that didn't seem to be running low when I looked down into it. Given that the courtyard isn't very well tended..."

"Even if they did see us, we weren't making any sort of trouble, so the owner probably doesn't give a damn." Doumeki concluded.

"Exactly." She shrugged, "Either way, I think he's over reacting. But maybe his senses are pinging in a way that mine aren't- he tends to be more sensitive to death than I am, for example, and his sight can be a little better, or, well, at least it was pre-spider queen; I haven't really tested it since then."

"Yeah, I can see that." He shrugged, "And I do feel something... familiar in the air. It's not something I can quite put my finger on, but it might be related to why Watanuki's freaking out so much. Still, he should have a little faith. Or at least keep his mouth shut about his lack of it. You haven't ever let us down before."

She grinned, "I don't know- the last time I did a kekkai it didn't go quite like I wanted it to."

"Yeah, but that was his fault, not yours. No one can be expected to maintain concentration when being beaned in the head with ridiculous fuzzy ear headphones." He assured her with a grin.

"True," Kagome conceded, "Come on, let's get out of here- we've got another three visits after this one."

"Joy."

#

"Don't just stand there looking suspicious!" Watanuki yelled as he climbed the wall, "Especially you, Doumeki-kun! Hurry up!"

"For the love of-" Doumeki pinched his nose in irritation, "For the millionth time, Watanuki, no one can see us. We could literally stand here for hours, and no one would notice or care as long as Kagome kept the kekkai in place! We have been over this every time we've come out here. So shut up, before Kagome and I bash you over the head with a jar so that you'll stop giving us a headache!"

"We'd probably have to do it repeatedly," Kagome muttered, eyes narrowed, "After all, we've explained this every afternoon for the past three days. This is day four. That's a really hard skull to get information through. If it hasn't gone through by now, it probably isn't going to." She tossed her head before allowing Doumeki to pick her up to set her on top of the wall.

"Has he realized yet that his yelling is more likely to get us noticed than me standing there?" Doumeki asked as he passed her the jars.

"Unlikely," she answered with a shrug, "I don't think he's quite picked up on how noticeable Psychotic Rant Mode is, really. We've yet to break him of the habit."

"No kidding." He agreed as they slid over the wall, "At least this the last trip, so he should be quiet about this particular issue."

"At least until the next time Yuuko needs clean water for something," Kagome pointed out, "It's not exactly something that's easy to come by in Tokyo, at least, not from a natural, non chemically purified source."

"True. Come on, let's go draw some water."

The process went by quickly, as Doumeki and Kagome had figured out exactly how to make it go by as fast as possible, and this time Watanuki had decided to actually be helpful by tying the wraps around the jars rather than just staring at the window where the silhouette lurked. He was on the last jar when something flickered across Kagome's sense. She whirled just in time to see the silk being ripped out of Watanuki's hand by a gust of wind. She had a bad feeling where it would go, and sure enough, it drifted through the open second floor window, right where the silhouette was waiting.

"Do we really need it?" Doumeki asked, studying the window intently.

"Debatable," she murmured, "I don't think so. Yuuko-san only talked about wanting the water, but..."

"We've been wrapping the jugs since Yuuko-san sent us to collect the samples she wanted," Watanuki said grimly, "There might be a reason for it that she hasn't explained. Besides, it belongs to Yuuko-san. Do you want to spend an extra month working for her to pay for it? I don't. I'm already working for her for pretty much the rest of forever. I don't need to add more time! I could end up working for her after I'm dead!"

"I doubt that, Watanuki-senpai," Kagome reassured him, "Yuuko-san probably won't keep you working as a ghost. You'd be much less useful after you died, and there'd always be the chance that you could go crazy and become something dangerous, like a vengeance spirit."

"Somehow, that's not very reassuring." Her co-worker muttered.

"So, we have to go in and get it?" Doumkei cut in.

Watanuki grimaced, "I think we have to."

"I agree."

"Then let's do this." Doumeki strode off towards the front door of the house. Kagome shrugged and followed along with Watanuki.

The doors to the house were old, with slightly peeling paint. Someone hadn't been bothered with upkeep in recent years, Kagome thought. Well, either they weren't concerned with the upkeep, or they were going for the creepy, set of a horror movie aesthetic. Doumeki, being as proactive as ever, tried ringing the doorbell. They could all hear a faint chime from inside the house, but there was no subsequent movement or response.

"So, either we've got a deaf occupant, or there's no one home." He said flatly, "Great."

"I hate to ask, but is the door locked?" Kagome said, wincing, "I mean, going into the courtyard to get to the well is one thing, but going into someone's house without permission is..."

"Yeah," Doumeki agreed, "What do you think, Watanuki? You're the one who's been going off about trespassing charges all week."

"We have to get the scarf back for Yuuko-san," Watanuki said, his face slightly green, "So we have to go in. But I don't like it."

"I don't think any of us do, Watanuki-senapai." Kagome told him, then sighed, "Well, here goes nothing." She reached out and took the door handle. It opened easily, "Well, I guess that answers the question of if it was locked." She muttered.

"No kidding," Doumeki huffed, "C'mon, let's go get the scarf. The sooner we do, the sooner we can leave. It went into the second floor window, right?"

"Right," Watanuki confirmed, "The window was on our left outside, so... on our right now?"

"Yes, it would be on our right now." Kagome nodded in agreement, "Well, let's get going." She walked across the thoroughly dusty and dilapidated room, mentally concluding that the owners had finally skirted past 'neglect' and right into 'horror movie set' territory. It did not make her feel better. She cast her power out again, frowning.

"I'm not getting anything but a slight chill," Doumeki murmured into her ear, making her shiver, "You?"

"I'm just barely skirting on getting that much," Kagome admitted, "And I wouldn't even have noticed it if I wasn't on high alert. Nothing dangerous, though. Actually... other than that very, very slight chill, I'm not getting anything at all."

"I really don't like this." Doumeki muttered, "But hey, at least that means there's no one around to charge us with trespassing."

She offered him a weak smile, "True."

"Is anybody home?" Watanuki called out, making his way across the entrance hall, "Hello?"

"I don't think anyone's here, Watanuki-senpai," Kagome told him, "If they were, they would have definitely responded to us by now."

"But that lady on the second floor..." her coworker trailed off.

"Would definitely have heard you by now if she could." Doumeki finished for him, looking rather grim.

"What is it?" Kagome asked in a low voice once Watanuki had started towards the stairs again.

"I think I just figured it out." Doumeki answered, "You said Watanuki's more sensitive to death than you are, right?"

"Yes. I'm not sure why, but he is." She assured him.

"I think that I am, too, probably because I used my power deliberately for the first time in the presence of a dead body. Given that Watanuki's convinced that he saw someone sitting at the window..."

She shuddered, "You don't think..."

"Yeah, I really do." He confirmed.

"Well," she grimaced, "It would certainly go along well with the horror movie theme this place has." She shook her head, "Unfortunately, it doesn't change anything. The sooner we get the wrap, the sooner we can get out of here."

The group moved up the stairs and moved to the nearest door on the right, which was slightly ajar. Doumeki moved to go in first, and gently pushed the door the rest of the way open. The room was empty save for the figure of a woman with long straight black hair sitting in a high backed chair looking out the window, Yuuko's silk cloth at her feet. Kagome shivered. Now that she was here...

"Ah, sorry to bother you," Watanuki began, moving towards the cloth, "But..." he trailed off as the woman remained perfectly still, clearly unconcerned by the fact that she had visitors. Then he started laughing in relief, "I should have known," he said shakily, "I mean, she was just sitting here in the same clothes day after day in the middle of summer. It's a doll!"

"Not quite." Kagome disagreed.

"There's one other thing it could be," Doumeki agreed, his face set in grim lines as he approached the chair. He studied the woman for a moment, then nodded, "Yeah, I thought so. The skin and hair confirm it."

"B-but I thought you didn't know the people who lived here." Watanuki bleated out.

"I don't, not personally." Doumeki answered, "But I've met more than a few people like her."

"Really? What do you mean?" Watanuki asked, his forehead wrinkling.

"They neither move nor speak," Kagome said softly, "Both Shizuka-senpai and I have seen a lot of them."

"It's a corpse." Doumeki told him bluntly.

"Wh-bu-but that's IMPOSSIBLE!" Watanuki shrieked.

"Certainly explains why the person in the window was never curious about us." Kagome countered.

"Decay! Bodies decay!" Watanuki flailed, "This one is in..."

"Really almost perfect condition?" Doumeki finished for him.

"Yes! The weather's been ridiculously hot! It should be rotting! It should be swelling! It should smell terrible!"

"These days corpses don't rot as much," Kagome murmured, "Or as quickly." Her expression turned dreamy, and her voice went almost sing-songy "In the past, rotting corpses were a big problem, especially in the summer or when it rained. They would contaminate the water, you see, and the heat and rain only made it worse. Besides, it wasn't like there was a vaccine for typhoid or cholera." She closed her eyes and just remembered trying to deal with the dead so many times with her friends in the Sengoku Jidai. Even if they couldn't bury them because of the sheer number, something had to be done to keep people from getting sick. She was pretty sure she would always remember the stench of group pyres and the sound of Miroku's voice as he chanted sutras as a means of offering the dead some sort of last right. She shook her head to leave memory behind "Now, bodies can take as much as a week to start showing appreciable decay." Her forehead wrinkled, "I wonder why that is."

Doumeki shrugged, "Grandfather always said that it was because of the artificial additives and preservatives we eat nowadays." His eyes were narrowed as he studied her face. "That they built up in the body and prevented rot from setting in. He was never quite certain if that was a good thing or a bad thing."

Kagome looked away. "Maybe. I mean, I've never heard that theory before, but it makes more sense than some of the ideas that I've heard."

A strong gust of wind blew in from the open window. It knocked over the chair and sent the woman's corpse sprawling. It lay there, like the doll Watanuki had thought it was, staring up at the three of them. Watanuki shuddered, "Let's get out of here. I don't think I can deal with this."

Kagome knelt down and picked up the cloth from where it lay by the window, and began wrapping around her jar of water, the only one that had yet to be wrapped. "Probably not a bad idea- we should call the police to let someone know, and I don't think we want to try to do that from here."

Doumeki snorted "No kidding. And that's assuming that the phone line here is even still connected. I'll call from the shrine when we get back. Or maybe, just possibly, Yuuko will finally give in and put me on the payroll."

She giggled, "I highly doubt that Shizuka-senpai, but you can keep dreaming." She suggested as they headed out of the room.

"It would certainly make things easier." He muttered darkly.

"Don't you know?" she asked with a mysterious smile not unlike Yuuko's, "If it's easy then it's just not worth it."

"If you say so," he murmured as he followed her out.

#

For once, Doumeki was actually allowed into the hallowed halls of Yuuko's shop without any sort of argument. It might never happen again, he thought dryly. Still, he was glad. He had some questions he wanted to ask her. In the meantime, Kagome and Watanuki were making their report of the end events.

"And?" Yuuko asked, lighting her pipe.

Kagome wrinkled her nose, and Doumeki could feel purifying energy flow off of her, cleansing the smoke, "The silhouette we'd been seeing belonged to a corpse. It was decaying at a particularly slow rate. We didn't call the police while we were there; we kind of figured that it might be a bad idea to be on the premise when they showed up, since we were, you know, technically trespassing."

"Also we weren't sure if the phone line was still connected," Doumeki added, "I mean, the house was pretty much like walking through a horror set. We didn't see the need to determine if that applied to cut phone lines as well."

Yuuko laughed, "Of course not." She sighed, "Kagame-chan, must you purify my pipe smoke?"

Kagome beamed at her "As the last time I didn't, it made my eyes water and the scent stayed on my uniform for weeks? Yes. Yes, I really must."

The shopkeeper sighed, "Fair enough." She shook her head and sighed, "These days, even dying, decaying, and having a proper burial aren't easy to come by." Her eyes glanced over to Watanuki, who was standing with his eyes locked on the floor. He hadn't been doing well since they found the corpse. He still looked pale and maybe more than a little green. Doumeki made a note to try to drag him out of it, once they finished telling Yuuko what happened. "You don't look well, Watanuki-kun."

"That body..." Watanuki shuddered.

Her eyebrows raised, "Were there spirits lingering about the body? I would have thought that Kagome-chan would have sensed those earlier."

"No, it's not that, it's just..." He fidgeted, a hand reaching across his chest to grab his upper arm, "Compared to seeing spirits, seeing a body that doesn't rot, not even after it's dead..." he shuddered.

Yuuko looked at him for a long moment, then asked, "Don't you feel rather... Unfortunate, Watanuki-kun?"

He blinked, "Un- unfortunate?"

"Well, you obviously aren't feeling particularly lucky at the moment, are you?" Yuuko pointed out archly.

"I-I... Ye-yes. I suppose that's true." Watanuki hedged.

Doumeki could see where this was going, and a shared look at Kagome told him that he wasn't the only one. "Definitely going to purify anything she comes in contact with before she goes to the shrine." She muttered.

"Can you do the same for mine?" he asked quietly.

Watanuki had not heard them, "No," he said slowly, "I guess not."

"And why did you go into that house?" Yuuko asked, "It's not like you needed to go inside to get the water, after all."

"One of the cloths for wrapping the jars got blown into the house," Watanuki explained, "We weren't sure if they were needed for whatever you were doing, so we had to go get it." He hesitated, "I think I lost my grip on it because my pinky was paralyzed for a second and wouldn't grip it properly when the wind blew."

"Your pinky?" Yuuko asked, mysterious smile in full force, "Did you do anything with it today?"

"Huh?" Watanuki blinked, "No, I didn't do anything with my pinky finger that would be... Wait. I shook pinkies with Himawari-chan to seal a promise."

"Yes," Yuuko drawled, "The finger you used to pinky swear with Himawari-chan was paralyzed, which made you let go of the cloth and have to go chasing after it into a room with corpse that unsettled you greatly." She exhaled, a stream of smoke passing through her lips. It was rather aesthetic, which Doumeki supposed was probably why she did it. "How very... Unfortunate." And that was a hint if Doumeki had ever heard one.

"Yeah, I guess so." Watanuki agreed with a shaky laugh, "Listen, do you need anything else today? Or can I go home?"

"Hmmmm... No, I suppose I don't." Yuuko conceded, "You may leave." It was, Doumeki had to admit, the fastest he had ever seen Watanuki leave the shop. Yuuko sighed, "He is being deliberately blind."

"I can't decide if it's deliberate or if he really is just that unobservant." Kagome said, shaking her head, "It's perfectly obvious to everyone else- including random people at school without any spiritual power to speak of."

"That's Watanuki for you." Doumeki shrugged. He eyed Kagome, "Don't suppose that you're going to tell me what was up with your creepy description of rotting bodies and water borne illnesses when we saw the body?"

Kagome's lips twitched, "My grandfather is obsessed with dead things." She reminded him, "I hear far too much about that sort of thing."

He wasn't really sure that he believed that, but he knew when to stop pushing. "Suuuuure that's it." He glanced out the window, "Want me to walk you to your station before I go call the police?"

"Actually," Yuuko interrupted, "I need to speak to Kagome-chan about her... Payment program, I suppose. So, she'll be needing to stay back for a bit."

And that was as clear a dismissal as he was ever going to get. He narrowed his eyes at her, "And I suppose that the second I cross the kekkai, I'm going to lose the ability to see past it?"

"But of course!" Yuuko agreed with a broad smile.

"And you won't just stop this nonsense and put me on the payroll?" Doumeki pushed, more out of habit than any actual expectation of success.

"That would take all the fun out of things." Yuuko told him with a wave of her hand, "Consider it good karma!"

"Riiiight." He drawled before turning back to Kagome, "I'll see you tomorrow?"

She nodded, "Unless I get sick again. But I don't think that'll happen, so yes. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Don't tempt fate," he told her, "I'm not dealing with Watanuki in denial on my own."

"I'll do my best," she assured him with a grin.

With a backward glance, he headed out of the shop, drawing up a mental list of things that he needed to cross-check. Spiritual practitioner, spiritual power boosting artifact, Higurashi shrine... And now a high death toll. He might even want to disregard year, he mused. The way she had talked about the past was just a bit too creepy to ignore.

#

The second she could feel that Doumeki had crossed the kekkai, Kagome turned back to Yuuko. "You wanted to talk about my payment?"

"Hmmmm, yes I did." Yuuko agreed, "Or more specifically, how those payments are structured. Your payment, even with the occasional addition for other favors, should be coming to an end within the month. At that point, yes, I should be able to eliminate the Shikon no Tama as part of the lead up to a... Particular convergence of paradoxes that I cannot explain to you fully, as you are not involved in that particular set of difficulties. It will provide a unique opportunity, and I would be remiss if I did not take advantage of it before it was too late for me to do so." The woman hesitated again, and Kagome started to worry, really worry, for the first time, "The paradox convergence will have... severe consequences, although its nature means that I cannot See enough to determine what they will be. However, it is likely that I will not be in a position to continue on here." She locked eyes with Kagome, "I would ask that you please continue on as a part timer, or in some other capacity after you have completed your payments and your... Desire is granted. We... might need the support."

Forget worry, Kagome was moving directly into panic, "That... doesn't sound like a good thing," she said softly, "The paradox convergence you mentioned, I mean."

Yuuko shook her head, "On the contrary," she disagreed, "The convergence is a good thing. A very good thing. It will allow things to leave the stasis they have been trapped in, and, if all is resolved as it should be, it will allow things to move forward again. It will almost certainly leave heartbreak and devastation in its wake, but that's certainly better than the implosion of the known universe."

"Well, when you put it that way..." Kagome muttered.

Yuuko chuckled, "Yes, it does sound rather dire. And it is. But it is necessary. I think you understand that more than most."

"I do," Kagome agreed, "And yes, I'll help in any way that I can, even after my price is met. Perhaps I can use it to help someone else pay off part of their debt later, or we can think of something." She paused, then asked, "What about Watanuki-senpai? Will you be having this conversation with him?"

"Not exactly," Yuuko demurred, "Watanuki-kun and his difficulties are... a significant factor in the paradox. They may worsen as it approaches." She looked Kagome in the eye, "I will admit, that he is part of the reason that I am happy to have your continued support." Her eyes glazed slightly, losing her focus as she gazed into the smoke of her pipe, "He will need it before the end, and after."

"I'll be there for him," Kagome promised, "And while I can't speak for Shizuka-senpai, I'm sure he'll be right there with me."

Yuuko smiled, a rare and fully genuine smile for once, without a trace of its usual mystery, "I am glad. Thank you, to both of you. In case I do not have the chance to say it later."

Kagome left the shop, an ominous feeling hanging in the air around her like fog.

#

Another chapter out! This one came... Much later than I wanted it to, to be fully honest. But that's what happens when you get the results back on your comps and find out that you have to do fairly major revisions on two out of four questions. So, instead of spending last Friday, weekend, and pre-Thanksgiving week finishing up this chapter, I got to spend it detailing how code-switching is different from crossing and borrowing, as well as providing in depth explanations of five syntactic theories! Such fun. I get turn those in Monday, so wish me luck! Hopefully it'll work out this time!

I don't... really have notes for this chapter? The closest that I do have is that a kekkai is a buddhist term, originally used to denote sacred or restricted spaces, particularly within a temple. In modern manga and anime, it's become more of a spiritual force field. In The Price of Hitsuzen, we saw it all the way back in Chapter 4: Of Stories and Arrows. Other than that, I would also like to state that I don't know the veracity of the assessment that bodies take longer to decay in the modern era due to preservatives. I'm... pretty sure that it's not true, but eh, it's true in the XxxHoLiC canon, so it's true here. And if anyone would know about the differing rates of decay between the past and the modern era, it would be Kagome! Also, I will say that it is true that some religions, particularly earth-based traditions, place a great deal of emphasis on getting materials for magic and rituals from nature. Not all of them by a long shot, but some of them do. So it's a fairly reasonable guess for Kagome to be making about why Yuuko wants pure water from a natural source, and doesn't particularly care about silt or other natural contaminants. (That's not why, actually, and it's definitely not what the water is going to be used for, but there you are.)

On an unrelated note, for my fellow Americans, Happy Thanksgiving! Hopefully you had entirely too much good food, and those of you who eat meat managed to successfully cook your turkey so it didn't kill anyone! And good luck tomorrow. Try not to get killed in a quest for discounts and deals.