AN: Time to torment Doumeki a little :)

FALLEN LEAVES

Shwwwwwwwwwshhhhhhhh.

Shwwwwwwwwwshhhhhhhh.

The fallen autumn leaves were swept up from the path. They had fallen over night and still retained their forms, their bright reds and yellows unmarred by careless feet or time's depredations.

The young man with the broom had just swept the last leaf into a pile when a gust of wind dispersed them.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you! Can't you meet someone at a prearranged place like normal person?!"

The youth ignored the verbal explosion and the solidifying transparent form in favour of watching the re-scattered leaves. "I didn't arrange to meet you." He pointed out.

"That's another thing! You never ask me to come visit!" The shouts turned into mutters. "You'd think you didn't want to see me."

The youth lifted his gaze from the scattered leaves. "Oi."

The being stopped its monologue and looked up with an irritated expression.

"Help me clean this up."

The wind spirit set its hands on its hips. "This is why I never come here!" It seemed to forget the fact that it had been the one to invite itself to the temple. "Whenever I do, you're always trying to give me some chore to do like I'm your personal slave." Even as it spoke, a gentle breeze grew and proceeded to collect the scattered leaves in a gentle cyclone. It moved across the temple courtyard until all the leaves were collected and there was a swirling funnel of reds and yellows.

The wind spirit glared at the youth. "Well, where do you want it? I'm not going to keep this up forever."

Without comment, the human held out a garbage bag. The funnel tightened and soon there was a long stream of leaves entering the bag. In a few moments the bag was full and the courtyard was spotless.

"What, no thanks! And after coming all this way to see you!"

The youth tied the garbage bag closed, showing no sign of hearing the supernatural being's rant except for the slightly annoyed expression on his face.

"DOUMEKI!" The spirit was enraged that he hadn't been listening. Its form was losing its tangibility and spewing gusts of wind in small eddies.

Doumeki tightened his grip on the bag, glad that the leaves were safely contained inside.

"Of all the ungrateful-" The spirit collapsed and a sudden wind blew over the youth. His hair and clothes fluttered fiercely under the force but Doumeki stood firm. The blast lasted for nearly a minute before the spirit finally gave up in disgust.

Doumeki simply turned his head to watch as the wind finally veered off and up through the branches of a nearby cherry tree. It left a soft rain of red leaves in its wake.

The youth stared at the fallen leaves for a moment before picking up his broom again.

xXx

A gentle breeze nipped at his neck and Doumeki turned his head. For a moment it was as if two disembodied blue eyes stared at him. But then they were gone and Doumeki saw the trail of tossed leaves as the wind departed.

Doumeki lifted a hand to his neck for a moment before he continued on.

He was used to the wind spirit's schizophrenic antics by now. When it wasn't materializing, yelling at him and generally making a mess, it was teasing him with soft caresses or leaving him small gifts in its airy trail.

When he had asked his grandfather about the matter, the older man had simply smiled, saying it would be impolite to refuse them.

Haruka's advice had always been good in the past and Doumeki followed it now. As a result he had a large collection of leaves, flowers and odd shaped branches filling the shelves in his room. There were also weirder things such as frayed ribbons and tattered pieces of magazines and newspapers. Doumeki figured the collection was the result of what was light enough for the wind to carry rather than any aesthetic value. Though, he had to admit that some of the leaves were rather pretty.

The spirit always seemed to be close by these days. He would either see it or feel its presence at least once a day. And every few days it would feel the need to appear in human form, the translucent spirit staying only long enough to insult him or simply stare at him for a few moments before leaving one of its 'gifts' behind.

Doumeki was at somewhat of a loss as to why no one else had seemed to notice it.

Doumeki sighed and decided to stop thinking about it. He started paying attention to his surroundings, just watching and listening, not really thinking.

It was halfway to school that he spotted the dog.

It was mid-sized, one of those dogs that didn't seem to be any discernable breed but rather a mix of several. It's black coat was rather scruffy, with bits of mud clumping the hair together round its paws and grass seeds in its tail. Doumeki wasn't surprized to see it - stray dogs weren't all that common but they weren't rare.

What was strange was the way that it was watching him intently as he approached.

Even as he wondered if he resembled a former owner, Doumeki's steps faltered and slowed. The dog's light brown eyes were an unsettlingly pale shade. And fixed as they were, Doumeki was starting to feel a bit uneasy. He soon stopped walking altogether.

For a moment youth and dog stared at each other. The canine's eyes never faltered. And even though the dog's lower jaw fell in a canine grin, the light brown eyes didn't change.

Doumeki frowned. For some reason the whole scene seemed off. The birds sitting on the telephone wire were still chirping. The sun was still shining and cars were still passing down the street. But nonetheless something seemed off.

The dog started towards him.

A heavy blast of wind hit it from the side, nearly knocking it off its feet. With a snarl that startled Doumeki, the dog turned into the blast and snapped its teeth.

The wind erupted into motion. Heavy blasts buffeted the dog from all directions, pushing it so that it scrambled to keep its feet. It snapped at its unseen assailant but its jaws only closed on air.

Slowly, bit by bit, the dog was forced backward. The black furred body twisted spasmodically as it darted bites out in all directions. It wasn't making much headway and its eyes darted around in search of an advantage. Suddenly it's eyes latched on Doumeki and it lunged forward, jaws snapping.

The wind spirit seemed infuriated by the action and the dog was thrown against the nearby fence. There was a thump at the impact but the dog was soon on its feet again. It lunged forward again and was thrown into the fence once more. This time a paling cracked under the impact.

With a final snarl the dog turned and ran.

It was suddenly quiet except for the fading patter of the dog's feet. And finally even that was gone.

Doumeki waited a few minutes to see whether the wind spirit would appear.

By there was nothing, not even a slight swirl of leaves on the pavement.

Doumeki did a lot of thinking on the rest of the walk to school.

xXx

It was late and the park was empty but for the lone figure sitting on the park bench. Gold eyes fixed unseeing on one of the large sculptures, Doumeki considered his situation.

While he didn't speak much, Doumeki was not stupid. He saw things that other people usually missed. And when he did speak, it was usually the result of careful thought.

His thoughts had led him today to the park. It was the first place he had met the wind spirit and he thought it appropriate to come here when that was the problem that occupied his mind.

He had been crossing through the park when a sudden gust of wind flared into life in front of him. The next thing he knew a slightly transparent youth had been yelling at him, telling him at great length that he was a stupid human was going to get himself killed if he didn't watch where he was going.

By the third time the spirit had appeared, he was getting used to its verbal abuse and strange antics. It was amusing in its way and Doumeki found himself looking forward to its appearances.

Even the strange gifts that it left him were taken in stride. It was kind of nice in a strange way. Though he didn't know what to do with all he had been given.

What puzzled him though were strange violent actions when the spirit would explode in some violent demonstration and then disappear.

He found himself second guessing the strange feeling he'd had when he first saw the dog. Had it been nothing but a stray? Had the spirit protected him against a potentially dangerous animal or was it showing a new possessive side? Or-

Doumeki stiffened.

He felt it. Something dark was nearby. He could sense its eyes on him.

It didn't happen often but he got such feelings occasionally. Something told him that they shouldn't be ignored. Usually once he located the source, he moved from the vicinity as quickly as he could.

This time, what ever it was, was lurking nearby.

Doumeki slowly shifted on the bench, trying to locate the thing more clearly. It was behind him, he realized. And if he wasn't mistaken, it had gotten closer.

A violent gust of wind impacted with the branches of the tree behind him, making him jump.

A branch creaked and leaves shifted as if something large perched on it moved backward. A second gust of wind rushed at the branch. Before it could reach whatever sat in the tree, however, it faltered and fell back in a dizzying shower of leaves.

Doumeki edged back from the bench. He could sense the dark thing more clearly now and he didn't think it would be dissuaded as easily as a dog. Even as he moved backward he could feel its gaze turning on him again, the attacking wind apparently forgotten.

The wind spirit rallied and rushed at the tree so fast the passage of air made a high keening sound. There were a series of large cracks as gusts battered at the branches again and again. Leaves and twigs rained down steadily for a few good minutes before it finally stopped.

Several stray leaves swirled down to the ground. The figure of the wind spirit slowly became visible. Its form wavered more than usual and Doumeki noted with worry that its outline seemed tattered in a few places. Finally it stood only a few feet from where Doumeki was standing.

The spirit eyed him sombrely and handed him a broken branch. He gravely took it and watched as the spirit's form dissolved and the wind swept away once more.

xXx

Doumeki eyed the house in front of him. It was a strange structure. A traditional wood building with an eccentric accruement of crescent moon weather vanes. A piece of history nestled amongst the tall high rises that blocked it in on three sides.

Most strange of all was the fact that it hadn't been there the day before.

Before he could think much more on it, his feet were moving by themselves and he was walking toward the gap in the fence surrounding the property. However, before he could pass between the two uprights bearing crescent moons, an invisible force hit him.

It took him a moment to realize that it was the wind spirit. It was buffeting him continuously, trying to halt his movement any further forward. It didn't seem to be making much headway and finally materialized as much as it was able. Pale face showing the strain, it pushed at his chest with slim ghostly hands that felt strangely warm.

"Don't go in." The dark blue eyes were strangely fearful. Doumeki had never seen that expression on the being's face before and found that he didn't want to again.

"Why?" It was hard to resist the movement of his legs but he was trying.

"Because-"

The battle to keep him from entering the gate was lost. One foot slid over the threshold and the wind spirit was sucked backward so quickly it made a popping sound.

Doumeki found himself walking towards the house, the air spirit swirling round him in erratic looping patterns. Doumeki's legs took him around the side of the house. There was a porch. A shapely woman with pale skin and long black hair sat there, as if she had been expecting their arrival.

"I see you have an air spirit." Her burgundy eyes followed the agitated flurries as if she could see the spirit clearly. "A very protective one." She didn't seem surprized but she did look like she was enjoying the situation immensely.

"Who are you?" Doumeki asked bluntly.

The woman smiled. "I am a wish granter. I grant people wishes." Her smile widened. "For a price."

The wind spirit, which had been swirling around Doumeki in agitated loops suddenly surged forward. The wind battered fiercely against the woman, sending her hair up in lashing whips and her clothes whirling wildly around her. "You can't have him! Leave him alone!"

The woman remained calm in the face of its anger, like she had experienced it many times before. "Doumeki had a wish and that is why he came here."

The buffeting suddenly stopped. "A wish?" It sounded defeated.

Doumeki had other concerns. "You know my name?"

Burgundy eyes met gold. "Of course. The supernatural world is often full of rumours about the battles your wind spirit has been having in your defence." She leaned forward, head resting on a hand propped up by an elbow on her knee. "If it had been a few seconds later that spirit in the tree might have harmed you in the park."

Her smile widened. "And the incident with spirit possessing the dog could have turned out very messy, indeed. Evil spirits seem to be strangely attracted to you Doumeki-kun." The light in her eyes made him feel that she somehow found the whole situation amusing. "You're lucky to have attracted such a valiant protector."

Doumeki turned to regard the wind spirit. It had taken its semi-transparent form and had been suspiciously silent during this exchange. It refused to meet his gaze, a slight colouring entering its pale cheeks.

Doumeki turned back to the woman. She was watching him closely. "I want to make a wish."

The wind spirit made a moaning sound at his side. Doumeki ignored it, keeping his gaze on the wish granter.

"You know that you will have to pay a price."

Another moan.

Doumeki didn't glance aside. "Yes."

The woman nodded. "What is your wish? If you are able to pay the price, I will grant it."

Doumeki was painfully aware of the wind spirit at his side. "I want to know its name."

The wind spirit stilled. It was like a large space to his left had become becalmed.

The woman smiled. "Watanuki." There was a breathy sigh at the name. Doumeki could almost feel the wind spirit shiver at his side. "To know its true name would cause it harm but you can call it Watanuki."

"Watanuki." Doumeki finally turned to look at the wind spirit. It was staring at him with disbelieving eyes.

"And you, Watanuki? What is your wish?"

The wind spirit - Watanuki - seemed a bit dazed in the wake of Doumeki's request but snapped to attention at the question. It blinked in quiet confusion.

"You wouldn't have been able to enter if you didn't have a wish." Yuuko explained. "No matter how badly you wanted to enter for the sake of entering."

Watanuki darted his gaze from the wish granter to Doumeki and back again. "To be stronger." It's shoulders hunched as Doumeki gazed at it in surprize. "I want to be stronger to protect something."

The wish granter's expression was grave. "That wish has a high price."

The wind spirit grew slightly translucent. "I know."

The woman straightened. "Very well. I will grant your wish."

The spirit's form exploded in a gust of wind. Doumeki shielded his face from the blast and braced himself against the invisible force that pressed against him. As suddenly as it had erupted, the gale died back down. The wind rushed forward and fluttered through the woman's hair for a few moments as she said something too low for Doumeki to hear.

Then Watanuki was back at his side, looking less translucent than he had before.

"I expect the payment before the end of the week, Watanuki."

The spirit nodded sombrely.

"What about my price?" Doumeki was curious about what the spirit owed, but remained silent on that account.

The woman's smile widened. "Three bottles of your family's best sake. Watanuki will deliver it."

xXx

"You idiot!" Watanuki had hardly waited until they had left before he began his verbal assault. "Risking all that for a stupid wish!" He didn't elaborate on the 'all that' and Doumeki made a mental note to ask later.

"It's what I wanted at the time." He explained.

Watanuki looked like he wanted to pull his hair out. The black hair stood out in messy spikes that were crisper than they had been previously. "You could have just asked me! ARGH!" The spirit gave in to the urge that his waving hands were obviously aching to do, grasping hair in hands.

"What about you?"

Watanuki's head swung round to face him, hands still clenched in his hair. "What?"

"Why did you wish for that?"

Watanuki blinked. "Isn't it obvious?"

Doumeki simply stared at him.

"WHAT?! Do you mean to tell me you've been accepting my courting gifts without knowing what they are? You even kept teasing me by accepting them and then asking me to help cleaning your house! Don't you know anything?!"

The spirit gripped his face before he could answer and glued their lips together. Doumeki only had a few moments to realize that Watanuki had become a great deal more substantial than he had been previously before he was thrust back roughly.

"I love you, you idiot! How much clearer do I have to make it! Stupid human!" He seemed dissatisfied with the verbal expression of his anger and dissolved his form. A violent wind crashed through the branches overhead, releasing a spray of vegetation.

Doumeki eyed a broken branch and picked it up. He wondered if this counted as a courting gift.

xXx

Heh heh - amusing to have Watanuki as a spirit attracted to Doumeki. And protective to boot!

Unfortuately this is the last fic I'll be putting up for a while. My flight's on Monday and I won't be back till early November. But fear not. While I'm away I'll be working on more stories to entertain you all. Lots more Doumeki and Watanuki to come ;)