Welcome to Gaia! ::

So Doumeki, very nice!


Also 'Dou-kun'? lol... You called me Ko-kun first... haha...

|| A bit lengthy… but interesting idea. Sub Rosa: meaning literally ‘beneath the rose’, an expression with the separate meaning ‘in secret’. ||

Sub Rosa

As a rule, Doumeki could not see spirits unless using Watanuki's sight. It was simply not a power in his possession. But sometimes people who did not even believe in the supernatural sometimes saw ghosts. Besides, he wasn't sure what he saw could be classified as such; more like a personal manifestation of his desires.

It had started when he was young. Sickly but tired of being treated like a china doll by his parents, he’d gone outside and hidden under the rose bush.

After several visits it seemed to imbue itself with his energies- he saw a glimpse of himself as an older, stronger man, a faint trace of his beloved grandfather in his proud stance. The shock had sent him into a coughing fit, parents discovering him, and since then he’d never been able to stay under there long before he was found and brought back inside.

Older, after the great Doumeki Haruka died, he hid beneath it for hours watching the old man’s calm, proud smile.

For a few months now he had been laying beneath it nearly every day, quietly watching the sleep-calmed face of one Watanuki Kimihiro.

He edged further into the protective nest of thorns, gaze steady on the boy’s face,. Minutes passed, then hours, goosebumps rising across his flesh as night fell, the steady patter of light rain, lulling him into a sleepy daze

Half-conscious, he reached forward to brush his fingers along the length of the boy’s nose and against his cheek. He felt nothing, and the image shimmered like water, fading into the falling darkness.

He stayed completely still for a moment before crawling out of the spot, making his way inside. His mother wondered why he was so dirty and he didn’t answer, shedding the messy clothes. A casual glance at the mirror told him a thorn had scratched him across his left breast.

It had been happening a lot as of late. Perhaps he had outgrown the rose bush.

|| And just because I think I suck at making things obvious, there’s a reason it scratched him there specifically. Think about it. Tell me if you know XD ||

Plums

He wasn’t really sure how long he’d been outside anymore. His clothes were soaked, sticking to him like second skin. His hair was dripping into his eyes, his entire body covered by a thin film of running water. There was probably an imprint of bark in his forehead and on his palms.

He hadn’t moved since he had sat against the plum tree, pressing his hands against the trunk, head bowed against it, sharing his energy.

They were the same.

The next morning he came in to school as always, carefully concealing traces of fever, and wordlessly handed Watanuki a twig that had fallen off the tree in the course of the storm.

The boy screamed something about useless gifts and how Doumeki was stupid, and the archer only thought that, somehow, Watanuki had never received that touch of poetry most person had in their souls.

Maybe it was for the best. Now, at least, they could still be close.

And yet, they were never quite close enough.

Edge was depressing, so I made a funny dream one. Same message, still goes straight over Watanuki's head, but more enjoyable.

Upside Down

Watanuki blinked, staring at the smoke passing by like a hail of sparrows. The moon was calmly moving along the horizon under his feet, a shrine hanging off its hinges off in the distance. He carefully jumped to another lilypad, inspecting the world around him. He’d never been in a world like this.

He spun around at the sound of footsteps, nearly falling off his perch. Doumeki looked hugely amused at the exerted effort, walking across what was quite clearly nothing.

Watanuki turned a deep shade of red, stepping off with trepidation- it felt like he had stepped into a shallow pool, but there were no ripples around his feet. The look of pure mirth in Doumeki’s eyes set him instantly.

He ranted for a while, and ended on the only note of any relevance: “And why the hell are you in this weird dream anyway!”

“Because it’s mine.”

“Yuuko says no dream is your dream or my dream anyway! Because they’re all connected! So-”

“So? Your house and my house can be reached from one another but they’re still yours and mine.”

“Speaking of which, stop showing up at my house all the time!”

“You’re in my dream, so now we’re even.”

“We are not even!” He screamed at the boy, not bothering to comment when Doumeki plugged his ears, walking away again. “I didn’t chose to come into your dream anyway! I don’t even know why I’m here!”

“I know.”

“You know..? You know what?! Why are you so annoying!”

“I know why you’re here.”

Watanuki paused, falling back a bit. “Er…” he stared at Doumeki suspiciously, sitting down. His pants felt wet now, but they weren’t. “Why am I here then?”

“There’s always a dream of you in here, so the real one was bound to show up and annoy me eventually.”

“You’re the annoying one!” he screamed, jumping up and waving around animatedly.

Doumeki shrugged and wandered off towards the shrine- it moved towards him obediently, and it was soon only a few yards away from Watanuki, Doumeki standing in the entranceway. Now that Watanuki thought about it, it looked like their family shrine.

“Since you’re here, are you going to make tea?”

“I’m not your slave, even in your dreams!”