Tsubasa Chronicle Fan Fiction / XXXHolic Fan Fiction ❯ Jewel ❯ Chapter 2

Shizuka Domeki watched unmoved as tears started falling down the girl's face. He had made it perfectly clear, at least to anyone paying attention, that he was not interested in being anyone's significant other or love interest. His mother was starting to despair; it was expected that Domeki would be married and have at least one child before he turned 20. Domeki would only look at her with his golden eyes and say nothing. There was nothing that needed to be said.

 

“…and I just care so much for you…”

 

Domeki was waiting for her. The girl who fit him as perfectly as his mother fit his father, as his grand mother fit his grandfather. He knew she was out there; he just needed to be patient.

 

“…I know you don't feel the same way now, but please…”

 

Domeki could almost picture her. She would be short and plump. Her gentle eyes would always be laughing, his lips always poised in a smile. She would love to cook and she would keep their home warm and filled with good feelings. She would trust him to protect their family, listen to what he said, support him, and in return he would be unfailingly loyal to her and cherish her above everything else as they grew old together.

 

“…meki?”

 

Domeki shook his fanciful thought out of his head and tucked his arms further up his sleeves to stave off the cold. “I'm sorry Mari,” he said with a trace of a frown.

 

“But after time you could grow to love me! I promise to be…”

 

too loud. Domeki shook his head again. She would be quiet and gentle, like the glassy surface of the lake in the morning. Domeki would be able to rest his head on her lap and get away from the noise of the city.

 

“I don't feel the same for you,” Domeki said firmly.

 

Mari sniffed and looked around. “Isn't there anything I can do to change your mind?”

 

“I'm sorry,” Domeki repeated pulling his arms out of his sleeves to open the wooden screen.

 

Mari unexpectedly threw her weight against him, crushing her mouth against his in a clumsy kiss. Domeki brought his arms up to push her away as they fell against the old shelves. The shelves came crashing down on them and Domeki quickly twisted his body over hers to prevent the debris from hurting her. His eyes tightened slightly as a sharp piece of wood sliced his arm.

 

Domeki sat up quickly and looked at Mari. “You okay?”

 

Mari, red faced and wide eyed, could only nod. Domeki realized that protecting her was a mistake. He looked at the wreckage. “You better go back. It's getting dark.”

 

“You're hurt,” Mari whispered.

 

Domeki looked down at his bleeding arm. “I'm fine.” His attention was caught by a shiny blue gem that was the size of his thumb. He picked it up to wipe the blood off it just as Mari went to take his arm to wrap it. “No,” he said, his hand closing over the gem. “I need to fix this mess. You need to go back to your home before your family starts to worry.”

 

Mari almost flinched at his bland tone. She scampered up and quickly left the treasure house. Alone, in the grey light of twilight, Domeki could only wistfully wish that she would some how appear soon.

 

 

 

In the space between the dream world and the waking world there is a point where the two worlds touch, opening a porthole to another place. Domeki's grandfather had been a dreamwalker and had spoken about it a few times. Domeki always remembered how placid and distant his grandfather's golden eyes would be when he would talk about that place. Domeki hadn't inherited any of his grandfather's spiritual power, although the old man often remarked that Domeki was very powerful, in his way. Domeki never pretended to understand his grandfather's strange words and only accepted them because he loved his grandfather very much.

 

It was in that space that Domeki first heard the soft voice.

 

“Is it time for me to come?”

 

The voice filled Domeki with such yearning and bittersweet pain, that there could be no other

answer. “Yes.”

 

“But, I'm not sure…”

 

“Don't worry, I'll be here for you,” Dream Domeki assured the quivering voice. “I'll always be

here to protect you.”

 

“But why would you?”

 

“Because I love you,” Dream Domeki said simply.

 

The voice faded as Domeki slipped into the waking world. He sat up abruptly and shivered before pulling the blankets up to his chin. He stared at the ceiling, thinking about the strange voice and the stranger feeling of loneliness it left behind. The choking smell of something burning decided him.

 

A few quick minutes later, Domeki wandered into the kitchen of the house and watched as his mother absently poked at the ashes in the fire pit while reading. Domeki took the poker away. “What are you doing?” he asked evenly.

 

His mother looked up from her book and smiled. “Good Morning, Shizuka. How is your arm?”

 

Domeki shrugged and bent over, looking into the fire. He stood up and sighed. “I don't think you can cook potatoes that way.” He pulled the charred remains of the potatoes out and swept the smoking ashes into the bucket before laying out a new fire. His mother was already opening the door to release the smoke when he placed the tea kettle near the flames.

 

“But your father's made potatoes that way, hasn't he?” At Domeki's raised eyebrow, his mother smiled. “You're right. I'll never learn to cook. I hope your father and brother come home soon. Much longer and we may starve.”

 

“No, we won't,” Domeki said looking into the pantry. “We still have some rice and those winter vegetables that Aunt Yui brought over last week.”

 

“All well and good, if we could figure out something to do with them.”

 

Domeki walked over and put his good arm around his mother and kissed her head. “Don't worry, mom. Dad and Kenji will be back soon.”

 

Domeki's mother patted his arm. “I used to be the one who comforted you. You're growing up so quickly. The day's going to come when you go with your father and brother and leave me behind.”

 

“Not too soon,” Domeki shook his head. “Someone has to be here to watch and make sure you don't burn the shrine down.”

 

Domeki's mom smiled brightly at him. “I don't worry you too much, do I?”

 

“Constantly.”

 

Domeki made their tea. He considered trying to make some rice porridge, but his last attempts were somewhat disastrous. The rice had soaked up all the water and hardened in the bowl; Domeki had broken the bowl in his attempts to clean out the brick of tasteless rice. They drank their tea in silence, Domeki's mother reading again, and Domeki thinking about his dream. With a murmured word, Domeki stood up and rinsed out his tea cup and placed it in the shelf. He walked through the open door and started his morning chores.

 

 

Midmorning found Domeki walking to the treasure house. The sun was up and the day was warming up. With any luck, the worst of the cold was behind them. Some neighbors, having smelled the burnt potatoes and knowing Domeki's mother's reputation, brought over some noodles. Domeki thanked them and shared with his mother who was bundled up in the shrine library. Thus fortified, Domeki made his way to the treasure house to repair the shelf and straighten the collected bits of history and offerings his family had saved throughout the generations.

 

Domeki slid the door open and stopped midstep. Lying faced down on the ground was a body. The pale white skin shimmered slightly in the sun light, the short, black hair shone blue and looked as though it was liquid smooth. Domeki carefully put his foot down inside the house. He knelt down next to the naked body and reached out to touch the perfectly toned shoulder. Just as his fingers grazed the petal soft skin, a tiny jolt ran up his arm. Domeki dimly realized that his mouth was hanging open and his body felt flushed.

 

Pushing that thought out of his mind firmly, Domeki ran his hand down the body's cold skin. The body moved under his hand, causing Domeki to sit back on his heels. The body slowly sat up and turned around. The body was actually a boy. If Domeki's mind could have moved past the fact that the boy was naked and that Domeki was harder than he had ever been in his short life, he would have noticed that the boy was looking at him at though expecting something.

 

“Well?” The boy said finally.

 

When Domeki didn't respond the boy frowned. “Well, who are you and what are you doing in my bedroom? And why are you staring at me? Don't you know staring is rude?” The boy snarled. Domeki's mind was still not up to functioning, so the boy's ire increased as he started looking around. “You have no manners at all, can't you even close… your… Where am I?” The boy blinked, his blue eyes going wide as he noticed that he was not where he had thought he was. He shivered , whether in fear or cold, Domeki couldn't tell, but that action seemed to have caused the boy to notice that he was naked. The boy's pale face suddenly turned red. “OH MY GOD, I'M NAKED! WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN DOING WITH YOU, YOU PERVERT!”

 

Domeki plugged his ears quickly, to keep from shattering his eardrums and slipped his coat off his shoulders. “NO YOU DON'T! HELP! HELP!” Domeki snatched the boy down and covered his mouth.

 

“Sh! I'm trying to give you my coat,” Domeki said evenly, as though he wasn't clutching the most perfect being he had ever laid eyes on to him. “If you don't quiet down lots of people are going to come and wonder what a naked guy is doing in the treasure house of my family shrine.”

 

The boy stilled. Domeki regretfully let him go after a moment and handed him his coat. The boy turned and slipped the coat on modestly. Domeki watched him like a hawk, filing away ever inch of that skin to think about later when he was alone. Absently, Domeki wondered when he became such a hentai.

 

“I'm not going to thank you,” the boy grumbled, “since you probably are the evil person who put me in this position. You probably kidnapped me from my nice warm bed and brought me here! And where am I anyway?! AND STOP LOOKING AT MY LEGS!!”

 

Domeki casually looked up at the huffing boy in front of him. “You're at my family's shrine. The Treasure House specifically.”

 

“And who are you?”

 

“My name is Shizuka Domeki, my friends call me…”

 

“I don't care what your friends call you, you kidnapping letch!” the boy yelled as he picked his way past Domeki to the door. “I just want… Oh, hello.”

 

Domeki tore his eyes past the boy and caught sight of his mother who was smiling at the boy pleasantly. “I thought I heard voices, Shizuka. Am I interrupting something?”

 

The boy flushed and Domeki's eyes shone in humor. “Mother, he was sleeping here when I came to clean up from yesterday. This is my mother,” Domeki said standing up.

 

“Sleeping in here!” Domeki's mother exclaimed. “And with no blanket! Shizuka, invite your friend to the main house. I'll get the water ready so he can take a nice hot bath! He must be chilled to the bone!” She was gone even before the boy could respond.

 

The boy turned to Domeki, his eyes huge.

 

“Come along,” Domeki said wearily. “Once my mother gets an idea in her head, it's very hard to talk her out of it.” He started up the path to the main house. After the briefest hesitation the boy followed. Very soon the pleasant silence between them was interrupted by the chattering of the boy's teeth. Domeki glanced at him at the corner of his eyes and watched as the boy winced with ever step he took. It took Domeki a few more steps to figure out why.

 

Domeki stopped and the boy turned to him. “What?”

 

“Get on my back. I'll carry you.”

 

“WHAT!?!?! ARE YOU CRAZY? I'M NOT GOING TO…”

 

“Look, you don't have shoes and we have quite a bit further to go, so stop yelling and climb on my back.”

 

“I MOST CERTAINLY WILL NOT…”

 

Domeki's eardrums ached as the boy gave out a long wail as Domeki calmly scooped him up and started carrying him to the house.