From the Heavens
xxxHOLiC
Summary – The cold embraces oneself, and steals the heat from others. At such times as Christmas, people resist with merry attitudes. But some cannot, as the snow steals warmth from bodies, and in hearts, especially, Watanuki's.
Pairing – Yuuwaku (Yuuko/Watanuki)
Disclaimer – I don't own stuff and certainly not CLAMP.
Author's Note – Well, this time it's a Christmas fic. This is completely fake, not going to happen, and if it does, well call me a genuis then. And as I said before, this is not a sequel to any of my other xxxHOLiC fics. It is simply another holiday fic.
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It was a normal winter day in the city. The clouds were gray looming over the sky. Looking down you could see little human figures, scurrying about. All of them were bundled up to protect them from the cold and moving much faster, than they should have with so much clothing. They rushed to save time, with the thoughts of "am I going to make it?" or "this line is taking too long!"
This included a dark haired boy with thin spectacles, waiting in the line at the grocery market. He grumbled and mumbled about the bad service, and hoped that everything would get going soon.
The exact opposite happened. For at the briefest moment the people stopped and gazed at the sky. The clouds had turned white, and it was beggining to snow.
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So peaceful.
It was a normal occurrence in the world, yet it had such a calming presence to it. The snow falling from the sky happened year after year, but it wasnalways something to stop and enjoy. There were times when you could feel the snow starting to fall, causing the world to stop and to watch the very first flakes fall. Then the commotion would start again, but this time at a slower rate. It was a tranquil scene, where people enjoyed the snow.
Sitting on the steps of the front porch, Doumeki closed his eyes to relax in the peace and silence of the outside.
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Sweet happiness.
Every time a little snowflake came down, it brought a smile to one's face. When the window fogged up, and it was perfect time to draw cute little pictures of happiness. The edges of the glass were decorated with small hearts and smiley faces. The tiny symbols caused humor and joy to those who happened to see them. And noticing the falling snow only made one happier. At times like these, it could make one feel a little bit luckier, and forgot some of their hardships.
Delicately, Himawari drew a small x in the middle of one of her small hearts at the window.
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Simply beautiful.
Watching the soft flakes of white travel their way down from the heavens, was simply beautiful. It was a simple joy for anyone, and everyone. Children peeked out of school and home windows to see the start of snow. Adults gazed out their windows at work, taking a break to watch the it fall. Animals buried deeper into their burrows to stay warm, or went out to embrace the white majesties coming from the sky.
Leaning on her elbow, Yuuko smiled and took her time to stare and enjoy the falling snow.
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Damn it all.
He hated the coldness seeping through his clothing, the itchy, wetness, spreading on his skin. It was a terrible way to spend his time, outside that is. All the snow caused the masses to slow and not get work done. Precious time was wasted because of a normal anomaly caused people to slow down, and gape like idiots.
Normally, Watanuki was not so irritable as to snap at the people, his elders and superiors, working in stores and markets. But his life was never normal.
Never.
Clutching the groceries he had purchased closely to his clothes, Watanuki tried to block the stream of icy air permeating his body. It crawled over his skin, making him shiver violently. He tried to keep his head tilted down, to keep his chin warm. Unfortunately, that didn't work out to well.
"Dammit." He cursed his luck, as even the gods tried to prevent him from sulking this day. Having such a cold day, meant that the water vapor from a person's exhaling motion would evaporate quickly into steam. Because the temperature is below 0, then the warm air would easily rise. Because my head is tilted down, the warm air would travel upward into my face. Because I have glasses, then they will fog up…. Sometimes, he hated the fact that he would figure these things, after he did them.
But he hated the cold more, so he quickly finished up his inner monologue and rushed to the shop.
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"Ah, Watanuki, I did not expect you today. Is there some kind of special occasion?" Yuuko kept looking out the window, as she spoke to him.
"No occasion, the shop is just warmer than my home at the minute, so I wanted to come over." Watanuki said briskly, shaking off the snow on his head.
"Okay," Yuuko said, but started to ask, "What are those groceries for then?" She eyed the plastic bags, and wondered what Watanuki was up to.
"Well, I am disturbing you, so I thought it would be best if I make it up with dinner." Pausing, he continued, "if you'll let me that is."
Smiling, Yuuko answered, "Of course you can. It is always a pleasure to have you cook for me, Watanuki."
Nodding, he brought the food into the kitchen to prepare a meal.
Yuuko watched his back, as he went away into another room. Strange, he's acting more mysterious. And in his school uniform, and black jacket, you could almost call him, tall, dark, and handsome. She thought. And the "Well, I am disturbing you, so I thought it would be best if I make it up with dinner." It almost seemed like he was hitting on me. Yuuko couldn't help but giggle at this. I wonder what has caused him problems, for him to act like he is now.
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After her little escapades of thoughts, Yuuko couldn't help but head into the kitchen. Her steps were silent as usual, so Watanuki had no idea of the watchful pair of eyes on him. The silent watcher cocked her head, an innocent gesture, although the person was not so innocent. Her thoughts, even less than the angel that she looked to be.
Watanuki…. Seems different…. Yuuko thought, letting her eyes travel across Watanuki's body. It was something she had done, several times, although purely for her job. Normally it was to check how Watanuki's body was holding against some spirits, but this was first time she actually looked at him.
The multitude, of bundles, of clothes were already draped in another room of the shop, so Yuuko could now see his figure. And from the heat of the kitchen, Watanuki had also removed his school jacket, which for most of the time, had always kept on. Now he was wearing the typical, white sleeved, button-up. He had a rather slim figure, although surprisingly he was rather built at the shoulders. From the way he sulked, and never stood quite straight, you could never tell. And form further exploration, she saw that the muscles were not only at his shoulders. Watanuki had soft muscles at his forearms, where his white sleeves were rolled up. Letting her eyes go to the middle of his back, she could also see a slight form, instead of a person's regular skin-and-fat figure. Then, her eyes went downward form his back, to his legs. She had never noticed before, but Watanuki was not as flabby as she thought he was. It was a rather pleasing sight from the normal, way-too skinny Watanuki she normally worked with. The slight muscle on his body, seemed to heighten his maturity, and dare she say looks?
Yuuko was rather intrigued by this new discovery.
She smirked softly, and glided over to the side to gaze at his front. Watching him cook, without being disturbed was a first, too. Slender fingers gently held down the pan to the fire, while the other gripped a spatula to stir the food inside. It just looked to be batter in a pan, but Watanuki;s movements, made it into a materpiece.
Yuuko slowly slid her sight up to his face. She traveled up the rows of pristine white buttons, then reached his thin pale neck. Pausing, she noticed smooth skin, but moved up to look at his pinchable cheeks,but she admitted the case wasn't valid now. Then Yuuko noticed something missing; his glasses. They were folded up neatly at the side, not hindering her view at his eyes. He had a slight dreamy look on his face, his eyes half-lidded, though they were concentrated on his task. The white-hot fire danced in the reflection of his blue eyes, as he suddenly tossed his cuisine into the air. His eyes fluttered upward then back down, going back to his cooking.
At this point her body reacted, making her prescience known. "Ah, now that was certainly amazing! From the looks of it, you seem to be putting a lot of effort into this meal." Yuuko said.
Watanuki's eyes widened, as he glanced away from his cooking to look at Yuuko. "Yuuko-san? I thought you were going to wait until I finished dinner?" Watanuki reasoned out.
"Well, I couldn't help, but be curious about the delicious smell coming from the kitchen." She put on a higher, perkier voice.
"I don't mind you watching, but I really don't want you to disturb me while I cook." He had his eyes down, watching the pan.
She smiled like her normal self a second later. This kind of talk will get us nowhere. "Watanuki, I was wondering, if anything happened during the winter to make you change. You're acting different form normal. Not only have stopped complaining about the spirits, you're not complaining about the work either." Yuuko said.
Sighing, he resigned himself to his fate. "Well, I guess you could say it was more than a memory than anything. It goes back as long as I can remember."
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--------Flashback--------
All the children laughed as they ran to their parents, it was finally the weekend and the little children were all happy to be out of school. That is, all but one was running to one of their loved ones. It was Watanuki, at age 8.
He watched his classmate's smiling faces as he walked home alone.
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There he was. He was just staring out the window with a blank look on his face. Kawahara-sensei was worried slightly about the small child that was staring at the window. Her student, Watanuki-kun was always studious, and although there were ledged reports of the need of therapy, she saw nothing different for him, than the other students. As the school bell rang, she decided that as a teacher, she had responsibility for all of her students.
"Watanuki-kun?" She called out. "I would like you to follow me into the staff room right now." Kawahara-sensei said gently, as to show nothing was wrong.
"I understand." Watanuki said this with an emotionless face. Stopping at the side of the door, he allowed his teacher to pass through first before following in her footsteps.
The soft clattering of two pairs of feet, echoed in the hallways. Everyone was gone, to enjoy there winter break and a warm Christmas. There would be no one in the staff room, so Kawahara-sensei could talk to Watanuki privately.
Arriving in the room, no one was there as expected. She pulled up a seat for Watanuki, by her desk. "Watanuki-kun, I am a bit worried about you. You are always quite…errr… lively, and seeing you so passive has made me think that something bad happened." Kawahara-sensei said.
"You wouldn't understand, no one does." Watanuki said with his eyes closed. His voice was soft and so passionate for such a young child.
"If you don't tell me, than I can't understand you, can I?" Kawahara-sensei reasoned.
He glanced up at his teacher, "Then I'll tell you, but you'll see why, no one has understood me." After saying this, he sucked in a deep breath to calm down, and talk again. "I can see spirits." He said, dead-panned.
"Spirits?" This wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. It would explain those rumors on the needed therapy on Watanuki, though.
"Yes, of many different types, not just ghosts or monsters. I can see souls of the dead, and the unheard voices of the living. I attract bad things," His voice was rising in volume. "Very bad things. They follow me, and curse me, and pick on me, just because I am effected by them." You could hear the growing anger in his voice, the stressed syllables of his speech. "And when others say I need help, I have to ignore them. What I see may not be real, but it's enough to effect me, so that I'm not normal…. Why aren't I normal Kawahara-sensei?" Watanuki finished, looking at her, with almost pleading eyes.
She didn't know what to say. Obviously, this child had considered the fact that he was not well, but nothing could help him. "Well…." She started. "Why don't you write to Santa?" Kawahara-sensei hoped that this could help lift up Watanuki's spirits, with the upcoming holidays.
"Santa?" Watanuki said questionably.
"Yes, Santa can grant any wish of a good child. You are a good child Watanuki-kun, I'm sure he can help you with your problem." Kawahara-sensei continued, glad that his reaction was a good one.
"Santa…." Watanuki pushed up his glasses, as if contemplating this idea. "THERE IS NO POSSIBLE WAY SOMEONE LIKE HIM COULD HELP! HE EXISTS IN THE WESTERN COUNTRIES! I'VE ALREADY TRIED TO REACH HIM, BUT OBVIOUSLY I'M NOT A GOOD ENOUGH CHILD FOR HIM TO HELP!" Watanuki screamed this at the top of his lungs, surprising his teacher. At least he was back to his passionate self.
--------End Flashback---------
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"And that's the closest memory I to what has been causing this. Something must have occurred further back, because I don't exactly remember anything before that." Watanuki said blandly, sighing into the pan, before turning off the fire.
"I, I see…." Yuuko said, trailing off, not knowing what to say. Studying the story, Watanuki did not change a single bit from when he was younger. No wonder he always complained like a child, he never grew up. "I think I'll go wait then. I expect that the food will be ready soon. We can have dinner in the room where we have guests and customers." She finished before heading out the door. I'll try not to get Watanuki mad today. I like this passive attitude better than his regular one. If I don't trigger a reaction, he'll stay like this. Yuuko thought, before nodding in satisfaction.
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"Yuuko-san, I'm finished." Watanuki said, while Yuuko woke up from a brief nap. She was led through the dark hallways, into the dimly lit guest room. Later walking into the room, she discovers that the light was coming from red candles on the table, now covered with a white table-cloth.
"Why did you do so much Watanuki?" Yuuko said while still standing by the door. "Couldn't we have the lights on for dinner?" She was clearly amused by the situation.
Watanuki coughed lightly, "You were sleeping when all the electricity went out in the area. I had to have the candles for light, and the table cloth is for seeing the food more clearly." He explained.
"Hmm…." Yuuko flipped the light switch experimentally, but it was true. The lights did not come on. "Then let us enjoy this dinner shall we." Seating herself, Watanuki went to the kitchen to bring out the first dish.
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"I have to admit, you've outdone yourself this time Watanuki!" Yuuko complimented, because it really was. He had cooked a seven-course meal in such a short span of time. Going through the appetizers and dishes was such a treat to Yuuko. Currently she was savoring some chocolate and strawberry crepes, with whip cream on top. It was what Watanuki was cooking in the pan earlier. "Was it because today was Christmas?" She asked.
"Hmm? Today's Christmas? I didn't even notice." And he was genuinely surprised when he said this. Watanuki didn't realize that it was the holidays until Yuuko had mentioned it.
"Oh? Then why the special treat today?" Yuuko couldn't help but ask.
"I wanted to do something nice today, after all Yuuko-san, you are letting me stay here despite the holidays. I was thankful for it." Watanuki had stared at his plate while saying this, he was obviously embarrassed at having to rely on Yuuko, and wanted to make up for it.
"You're welcome Watanuki, who wouldn't love this food as payment!" Yuuko exclaimed and happily munched on a chocolate strawberry.
Watanuki sighed, and continued to eat his crepes. Looking up at Yuuko, he couldn't help but feel very grateful for Yuuko's support (if you could call it that) at this time. Shifting his eyes down, he mumbled a soft "thank you" before shoving more cream into his mouth.
Of course, he wasn't quiet enough, and Yuuko heard him.
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"Ugh…." Watanuki groaned in discomfort. I should NOT have eaten that much cream. I forgot there is a limit to how much one could fit in to one's body. He thought, before promptly collapsing on the ground. "So sleepy…." He felt numb, but satisfied in a sadistic way. His eye lids felt so very heavy, before all was darkness as sleep claimed him.
There was a sigh above him. "You have no manners do you Watanuki?" Yuuko said, still standing. After they had finished eating, they left the dishes in the sink for later. And in the living room, Watanuki had promptly passed out on the ground.
Smiling before the scene, Yuuko grabbed a cushion from the coach and Watanuki's jackets to cover him up, so he wouldn't get cold. She couldn't help but sigh softly in affection at his sleeping form. Then with a bottle of sake, Yuuko sat at the window to watch the snow falling. It was nature's gift from heaven.
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Author's Note – God, I'm not sure whether to be extrememly embarresed at this. Normally, I only have like slight hints of this pairing, but I went a little above that today. Quoting Kiseki Gurl "Since it's the holidays, you should give more to your fans!" Ha, as if I have any fans. But soon, after we talked about it, I wrote the scene where Watanuki and Yuuko met. Then the flirty junk came up, and all that shit, so it turned to be a little more than I usual write. (I think.)
And yeah, I know that Domeki and Himawari didn't play a big part in this fic, but I don't really want to run any interference between Yuuko and Watanuki. Plus I know that Maru and Moro aren't in the fic at all, which is kinda impossible, but still. They would've ruined it.
Also about the time thing. Sorry, I couldn't do any updates of To Capture Emotion recently, but I wanted this fic to be reaaaalllly good,so I worked on it a lot. Plus I haven't been hit by any inspiration lately, for that fic.
And here adds another fanfic, to my growing collection of xxxHOLiC fics with Yuuwaku pairing. Look for a New Year's one soon!
P.S: kiseki gurl here. Well wasn't this awesome? Of course I was looking towards fluff but this will do in the meanwhile. Anyways, since it's the holidays, you readers should review this fic! Well gotta go! Cheers!
Please Read and Review!!!!!!
