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Fandom: xxxHolic
Pairing: Watanuki x Doumeki
Rating: PG-13
Notes: I do not claim these characters, they belong to CLAMP! This chapter takes place during Volume 5.

Chapter 4
Chapter 3
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
Prologue

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Watanuki was still rubbing his head after the whack on the head from the Ame Warashi’s ‘punishment’. Why did she have to include him in Doumeki’s ‘punishment’? In the other hand he held his umbrella, and one of Himawari’s ribbons; the other ribbon was held by Doumeki. The Ame Warashi had hidden when they received the ribbons from their school mate, and he wasn’t completely sure why.

But right now, they were supposed to be on some sort of rescue mission. They weren’t completely sure who they were rescuing, but it was a wish of the Ame Warashi. And right now they were running late. Why? Because of the big idiot standing next to him. The taller man had decided it would be fun to make out in the rain. The reaction from Watanuki later involved much yelling and flailing.

Though Watanuki had kind of wanted to put this mission off. A few reasons for this, but mostly because they didn’t really have enough information…as in, they didn’t really know what they were supposed to do, or even who they were saving. But Yuuko could sometimes be just plain scary, and the Ame Warashi had seemed so desperate; besides the fact that she had probably left enough bumps on Watanuki’s sore head.

“Then we have to do it.”

Watanuki glared at the expressionless man beside him. It took only a few seconds of Doumeki either not noticing or ignoring the glare before Watanuki to become agitated enough to begin yelling. He was doing his signature flail attack that anyone who saw it was some sort of odd dance.

“We’re here.”

Watanuki was snapped out of his yelling, and he looked up to see their destination.

“A Hydrangea bush. It’s huge!”

“I’ve never seen Hydrangeas this red before. Or this big.”

Watanuki looked at Doumeki, “They aren’t supposed to be this big?”

Doumeki shook his head, “And I’ve only seen purple or pink ones at our Temple.”

Watanuki’s leg was snagged by the plant, and he was now trying to free his leg without ruining the flower. He had already tried to leave. This place was giving him the creeps, and he didn’t want to stay here anymore.

“Are you stuck?”

“The flowers are deeper red underneath. Like blood. W-What’s going on?”

There was darkness all around him now. He looked around, but he couldn’t see light coming from anywhere. And there was a horrible smell.

“What’s that smell?” His head turned quickly when he heard the sound of crying. The smell and sound led him to a little girl. She was sitting, head near her knees, and hands trying to cover the flow of tears. He walked up to kneel down beside her.

“What’s wrong?” he asked in a gentle voice.

“I have to go…but I…I’m too scared to leave.”

“Are you lost? Do you want me to help you find your way home?”

“Home is not where I have to go,” the little girl said, now clinging to Watanuki.

“Where is it you need to go then?”

“I don’t want to go alone! It’s so dark here! I’m afraid!”

“It’s okay to be afraid,” Watanuki said with a smile, “If I go with you, then maybe you won’t be so scared.”

She was clinging tighter to him now, pulling on his arm, “You would really come with me? I was so lonely. I kept calling to see if anyone could hear me, if anyone was there, but they kept telling me to stop, to be quiet. But I was so lonely!”

“Who are ‘they’?”

“’They’ are always here. ‘They’ were here before I came. ‘They’ think I am a bother. But I didn’t even want to come here.”

“Who are ‘they’?”

“Can’t you see them too, big brother?”

The horrible smelling smoke was back again, and he found himself covering his nose as the girl pointed saying, “Over there.” Watanuki took her hand, pulling her back.

“I don’t think we should go that way.”

She was holding tightly to his arm now and crying, “But we have to go there, we have to go together!”

And then ‘they’ were now talking, saying that Watanuki could not got there. The girl only clinged to his arms more tightly, crying more about how he had to go with her.

“You…must…go…Bring…the…child…with…you.”

He promised her that if she came with him that she would not have to be lonely ever again. And then he was beneath the Hydrangea bush; Himawari’s ribbon in one had, and the skeletal hand of the little girl in the other.

It was dark out now, but he could only have been there for a few minutes, right? Ten hours Yuuko had said. Doumeki had stood ten hours in the rain waiting for him. He had abandoned his umbrella, and tried to dig. But when that hadn’t worked, Yuuko had told him to hold he ribbon. He would have done whatever it took to get Watanuki back. He would have paid any price.

Doumeki. Did he really care that much about Watanuki? Doumeki. He was exhausted, it was Watanuki’s fault. Why did he stay there that long? Why hadn’t he just gone home? More importantly, what was this feeling? He had never felt anything like this before. It was a weird feeling to know that someone was watching out for him, that someone cared about him that much. But then again, maybe it was for the bento.

He felt himself becoming angry again. Who calls their boyfriend an idiot? That b*****d! Always thinking with his stomach! Did he really love Watanuki’s cooking more than he lo-liked Wataniki?”

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“What is that?” Doumeki asked him the a few days later at school.

“A pipe fox. It was payment from the Ame Warashi,” Watanuki replied as the fuzzy, snake-like creature slid under his shirt. They were supposed to be studying, but this thing was kind of distracting…

“Ah! That tickles!” Watanuki cried, flailing about while trying to grab the pipe fox. Then his eyes went wide when Doumeki’s hand found its way under Watanuki’s shirt and was pulling the pipe fox out.

“Pervert,” he said under his breath.

“So this is a pipe fox. My grandfather told me about them.”

Then Watanuki was ranting about how Yuuko would probably be docking from his pay for bringing the pipe fox out, even if it had been an accident. The pipe fox had followed him, it’s not like he was trying to bring it with him.

“I think it likes you,” Doumeki said.

“Really? How can you tell?”

Then it was looking out of the window and a feather blew into his hand. Down below, he could see a girl in their school’s uniform walking, a pair of wings were sticking out of her back. Wings that later Doumeki claimed he could not see, and neither could Himawari.

Yuuko had burned the feather later that day when he had gone to work. Now he was alone in his apartment, laying on his couch and staring at the ceiling. Himawari would look so cute with wings. But what is it that Yuuko had said about them? They were bad or something, right? But he hadn’t sensed anything, and neither had Doumeki. Even if Doumeki could not see these things, he could sense spiritual pressure.

He was tired after working at Yuuko’s shop. He might have called Doumeki when he reached his apartment, on some occasions. But he was mad at Doumeki right now. He was sure that even though he had yelled more than usual that day that Doumeki probably hadn’t noticed.

“Stupid Doumeki,” he said, rolling over on the couch, but in the back of his mind wondering what the archer was doing right now.

“You’re sulking,” he said to himself, another part of him shouting back, “No I am not!”

He could just imagine Yuuko saying to him that he was sexually frustrated, and Maru and Moro echoing her claim. He sighed, Yuuko was just so frustrating sometimes.

The phone rang. He looked up. Once. He sat up. Twice. Did he want to answer? Thrice. It rang and rang, and Watanuki was getting annoyed. Finally, he picked it up.

“What?”

“Kimihiro?”

“Oh, it’s just you. What do you want?”

“Are you busy?”

“Yes,” he lied, tilting his head toward the right and looking toward the television in the corner of the room.

“Oh, what are you doing?”

“Studying.”

“Do you need help?”

“Not from you.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, I’ve got to go.”

“Wait.”

“Huh?”

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

“You aren’t a good liar, Kimihiro.”

“I’m not…”

“You’re not studying. You’re sitting on the couch, staring at the ceiling.”

“What?” How the hell did he know?

“I’m coming over.”

“No!” but Doumeki had already hung up. He sat there, listening to the dial tone for a few minutes, before finally clicking the phone off. And probably a few minutes later he had started dozing off but was jumping off the couch when he heard a knock at the door.

“Go away!” he yelled at the door, and didn’t even bother getting up. There was another knock. Watanuki groaned, finally standing up and walking across the room to the door.

He opened it a crack and said, “Why did you come?”

“I told you I was coming.”

Doumeki pushed the door open, gently closing it behind him.

“Kimihiro, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

The archer raised and eyebrow, staring at Watanuki, “You’re mad at me.” It was not a question.

“Well no, not really.”

“But you were?”

“I’m not mad at you.”

“Then what’s wrong?”

“Why did you wait ten hours in the rain for me?”

“I didn’t want you to disappear.”

“Because you might never eat again?”

Doumeki once again raised his eyebrow, “Kimihiro, that was a joke. I was kidding.”

“So you don’t lo-…like my cooking more than you like me?”

“Do you like Kunogi more than you like me?”

“No.”

“So, you’re going to be at the night fair tomorrow night?”

“Yeah..Um.. Himawari invited me.”

“Me too. Something about wanting the three of us to go together.”

“Yeah.”

“You look cute in a yukata.”

Watanuki blushed, “I am not cute.”

“You’re being cute right now.”

“I am not,” Watanuki said, turning away. His face was now becoming a deeper shade of red. Then he asked, “Do you want tea?”

“No. I’m kind of tired.”

“What?”

“I ran here.”

“Why?”

“So I could see you. Why else.”

It was then that Watanuki noticed Doumeki brought his school bag, “Then you want to sit on the couch?”

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White Day had come and gone, and Yuuko had assured him that he had to pay back three people. Though he really thought that Yuuko and the Zashiki Warashi hardly counted. He had made the chocolate Yuuko and the Zashiki Warashi had given him. It had been a month after the girl with the wings had taken a knife to him and the wings had attacked. The pipe fox was still in its Ultra Big Mode because of it. He had actually asked Yuuko if Doumeki might be able to help with that, but she told him that the concentration it would take to do that might kill Doumeki. Watanuki didn’t want that.

He made some cute candies for Yuuko and Himawari the night before White Day, and he had gotten hair clips for the Zashiki Warashi; but he had not seen her on White Day. One of the twins had shown up while he Himawari and Doumeki were in the park that day, and they gave her some of the candies he had made. And even though the chocolate Doumeki had eaten that day had not been meant for him, Doumeki had something special waiting for him when he got back to his apartment that night. He was thinking about changing his locks…

He still hadn’t been able to give the White Day gift he had gotten for the Zashiki Warashi. Her cousin the Ame Warashi was going to be mad. But he hadn’t seen her since Valentine’s Day. What was he going to do?

Later that day, Yuuko ended up sending him on a mission to that she said would make the pipe fox return to its normal size, and lucky for him, he saw the Zashiki Warashi there and gave her the clips. After which he was promptly attacked by the tengu that followed her around. He hadn’t tried to make her cry, and she wasn’t sad, but apparently to them, any time she was crying was bad, and it was Watanuki’s fault.

It was now late evening, and he was back in his apartment receiving a much needed, a very pleasant back massage from Doumeki. It felt better than it probably should. How had the archer become so good at this?

“Right there, Shizuka. It hurts the most there.”

“Okay,” he said, working out a knot in Watanuki’s back, “How is that?”

“Good.”

“Just good?”

“Amazing.”