Etymology
Summary: The power of words is the only power that all humans wield. Names, therefore, hold the strongest power in existence, because they create who a person truly is from the ground up.
Disclaimer: xxxHolic is owned by CLAMP, which I am not a member of, obviously. Any reference to characters or plots are pure references. This is a character analysis with a Yuuko twist, not a new story line.
Kimihiro: Ocean of Benevolence
He was loud and could be quite self-righteous, but those that knew Watanuki Kimihiro well enough knew how kind and compassionate he could be. Yuko had experienced this when a young, blue eyed boy offered his memories for strangers he had never even seen before and for a future he knew nothing about. Doumeki would always have the sign of Watanuki's generosity anytime he looked at the boy's murky, discolored eye and remembered that it had once been fogged over and sightless as an offering to a vengeful spider for his own. Kohane knew friendship because of this boy. He had touched her, called her by name. A child and a hydrangea bush and a kind mother could all rest easy after meeting the boy with the beautiful heart. Himawari had always known Watanuki Kimihiro to be a good friend, but she had never known how much so until the horrible day came when her curse came to claim him.
Oceans are the largest bodies of water in existence. Watanuki had always been told an ocean would never dry up, so he lay there on the bed, covered in bandages and unable to move anything more than his neck, fingers and toes and extended warmth and friendship to the one who had brought his predicament on him. Strawberry cake, he had a recipe for that, and the pink cream would be easy enough to make. He'd be sure to put in extra effort for her sake, though. He would do anything to see her smile.
Shizuka: Quiet
Shizuka was always quiet. As a child, he had suffered through his weakness and illness and his grandfather's death in quiet. His whole life he had celebrated his victories in kyudo, in training, and in school in quiet. Once again, he now suffered in silence. "I'll die like this too…Alone." The tear stained face flashed through his head as he leaned his head against the wall outside of the room the unconscious Watanuki lay in. Blood covered him from head to toe and he had forgotten whether it was his or the other boy's – maybe both. He was dizzy and his head felt like it was stuffed with cotton and his whole body felt light enough to fly away at any moment. But Watanuki was alive; Watanuki was safe. He shut his mouth and breathed in through the nose, doing anything to rid himself of the nausea from bathing in several pints of blood, but the bath Yuko had offered him would have to wait. Watanuki had not yet awoken.
Himawari walked past him with Yuko mere moments after he heard a soft shuffle of sheets in the room. He nodded before quickly dropping his head to fight the nausea back once again. Himawari smiled softly at him, fixing her collar to cover her payment before stepping inside to talk with the boy they both had given so much for to save.
Himawari: Sunflower (Watching You)
He was a cat. He fussed and prissed and yowled and was always there to cheer her up with a listening ear, several kind compliments, and something from his kitchen – which Himawari knew had to be magic to make such delicious food. He was her friend, Watanuki-kun, and he was supposed to be flailing about yelling at Doumeki-kun, not lying in a bed, as pale as the white sheets around him and fighting a fever from the stress of the accident and the injuries. She wasn't supposed to see Watanuki and glass and blood whenever she closed her eyes. Her curse was not supposed to affect him, too, because it had not yet and she had gotten careless and this really was all her fault. She would proudly bare the scars for the rest of her life as proof of her friendship with the kind boy, even if he never talked to her again after this because, truly, he had to know she was not normal by now. Still, she could never let him know her payment – never let him see her scars. She knew how Watanuki-kun would react. She had watched him long enough to know.
He was the most popular boy in school. He was a star athlete and brushed everything off as if it was nothing; a real cool type. He was her friend, Doumeki-kun, and he was supposed to be stoic and unphased, not leaning against the wall outside covered in blood, his face as green as her uniform skirt, his hands shaking as they scrabbled to find some sort of steadying purchase on the floor. But she had watched the archer long enough to know the truth: Watanuki-kun meant more to him than she would ever understand, although she did not know what it was about the boy that Doumeki-kun took such an interest in.
She sighed as she patted the unconscious Watanuki's hand before leaving the room to join Doumeki. Yuko-san had offered him a bath and clean clothes long ago, but he had refused to leave the injured boy alone, choosing to stand guard outside the door. Himawari smiled softly at her friend as she stood next to him. She was not sure how Watanuki-kun would treat her after this incident, but she knew she had to withdraw herself before one of them ended up dead. She would still care, though. She would ask how they were doing, talk to them in school about life and classes, and she would watch, praying for their safety the whole time.
Yuuko: Helpful Child
Everything was a transaction. Everything had a price that must be paid at full value. Yuuko, of all people, knew that the most. She also knew that the price did not have to fall solely on one person's shoulders. When it became too much for one person to pay, it could always be split up. The moment Yuuko saw Watanuki carried by a shocked Doumeki and accompanied by a shaking Himawari, Yuuko knew the price was too steep for just Doumeki to pay alone. If he tried, one of them would die. Yuuko had to admit to a little selfishness in this one – the boy lying on the bed meant a bit more to her than the average customer.
Watanuki, however, knew there was more to this than Yuuko's selfishness. His memories might be disappearing, and he was not exactly sure if he truly existed or not, but he knew Yuuko-san. This woman brought four strangers from other worlds together to save one girl's life and grant three men's wishes. This woman always gave what help she could to those who asked for it. Watanuki understood by now that there were limitations – many more limitations for those who dealt in the trafficking of wishes, as Yuuko-san did, than for the everyday person. And now Watanuki knew that she had exacted a price from a third-party, a stranger, long before this had ever happened. All to save a boy she, at the time, knew nothing about. He smiled as he tiredly closed his eyes as Yuuko-san left the room. She had to have one of the most beautiful souls in the entirety of all the worlds that existed.