A/N: Omigod, this took forever. Enjoy it, okay? It's not what I had origanlly planned. Parts of this do associate with CCS and TRC. (When reading it the Hallelujah parts are customers he gets, just to nor confuse, the other parts are usually him reflecting.) This may be a tad AU in parts, like with the twins and Mokonas... And possibly the earring being used.
Dislamier: I don't own xxxHolic, Card Captor Sakura or Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle. They all belong to CLAMP. I also don't own the song or lyrics, they belong to Jeff Buckley.
Well I heard there was a secret chord
that David played and it pleased the Lord
But you don't really care for music, do ya?
Well it goes like this:
The fourth, the fifth, the minor fall and the major lift
The baffled king composing Hallelujah
Watanuki knew Yuuko didn't like music that much. She never played it in the shop, nor did she have some portable music with her. There were also no radios in the shop, at least not as a price. So he had brought one in, set it in the front hallway. That way, it echoed out through the whole shop. He sat in the room Yuuko always did, the odd long couch he sat on felt empty. Even if she had finally died… Did that really mean that Moro and Maru left, too?
He closed his eyes leaning back. It's not like he missed them, okay, he did. But why, oh, why, did Mokona have to come back. The odd black bunny thing lay on his lap at the current moment. He patted its' side. "What do you think, Mokona… Do you miss Moro and Maru too?" Mokona glanced up at him.
"Black Mokona thinks that Watanuki is sad because Yuuko left." Watanuki stared back at it, sighing. "Black Mokona knows that Yuuko was happy that Watanuki grew up the way he did, and that he loved her like his mommy!" It nodded, jumping up and down on his lap.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah…
It was a week later; he was walking with Doumeki back to the shop after school. There was a girl leaning against the fence, she had blue eyes, and extremely long black hair. Watanuki also noted she seemed extremely pale, and a tad busty. Doumeki stopped, flicking an eyebrow up at her. So she wasn't a spirit, this was a customer. Then he noticed it. Moru and Moro were sweeping the yard, singing happily.
"Oi, look." Doumeki pointed at the two girls. Watanuki followed the path of his finger, locking his bi-colored eyes on the twins. The girl leaning against the fence turned to look at them. She stood up, walking slowly toward them. "Oi, is that girl a customer?"
"Stop calling me Oi, it's not my name! Remember, it's Watanuki-sama to you!" He went into one of his tantrums that always were caused by Doumeki. Doumeki plugged one of his ears. Watanuki turned toward the girl. "I'm sorry, can I help you?" The girl nodded, she had turned to stare into the shop's yard. "Well, why don't we go inside, then you could tell me about your wish, okay?"
To Watanuki, this girl really was his first official customer. Sure, that woman had been a customer he had tended to almost completely by himself. But this girl, because Yuuko wasn't there, became his first customer. Her name was Yuui; she was searching for her parents. "My empress' little sister sent me here, she said the owner of the shop could use magic… Are you that person?"
Well your faith was strong but you needed proof
You saw her bathing on the roof
Her beauty and the moonlight overthrew ya
And she tied you to her kitchen chair
She broke your throne and she cut your hair
And from your lips she drew the Hallelujah
Watanuki considered Yuuko beautiful, why not? She was pretty, but she just... She was Yuuko. Yuuko, at some point, had become his mother figure. He figured it was partly because he couldn't remember his mother. But it could also be because she was just like a mother to him. But, you know, crazier and almost always drunk. Constantly now, Doumeki was at the shop. Usually demanding him to make him something, and talking with customers while Watanuki made tea and snacks.
Once, Yuuko had insisted on cutting his hair when it started to get longer. He told her that no, he could go to a professional. But Yuuko insisted that it was cheaper and she'd do a better job. By the end of the cutting, Watanuki had to admit, his hair looked better than the other times it'd been cut. He liked it. Though, he wasn't letting her do that again.
Now that Yuuko was gone, Watanuki expected the shop to feel lonesome, even with the twins and Mokona. Doumeki, like Watanuki, practically lived there. Watanuki had decided to take over the shop, and ended up leaving his apartment to live there. He would wait for Yuuko.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah...
Mokona was all excited and went right away to sending the girl on her way. So, Watanuki had helped his first customer but… the price wasn't something he had expected. It came out before he was even processing the thought. "The blue of you left eye, please." Yuui gave that up by drawing the blue, magic apparently, color out with her magic. Then Mokona had sent her on her way. It was odd, how fast his first costumer had seemed. Doumeki said that it just had been easy, which set Watanuki into a fit.
The next customer was different. The customer was a girl, but she was older. She had violet eyes and black hair. She also seemed very stylish. "Is this your shop? I'm Tomoyo by the way." She had greeted him happily, smiling the whole time. "You remind me of a friend of mine, oh, you're so cute!" She had squeezed his cheeks. "But I have something to ask of you, a wish if you may."
(Yeah but) Baby I've been here before
I know this room, I've walked this floor, (You know)
I used to live alone before I knew ya
And I've seen your flag on the marble arch
and love is not a victory march
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
He knew the shop was familiar, the day he had first stepped into it, and when Yuuko had said she knew his name… He felt so normal walking, being pulled by Moro and Maru. Yuuko had seemed vaguely familiar. It was like Déjà Vu, everything, the shop, and everything in it. He had felt a tad bit alone, even with Doumeki and Himawari as his friends.
Yuuko had popped into his life, making the loneliness go away. A mother figure, right? He glanced over at Mokona, who was dancing with Moro and Maru. Yuuko had seemed confident that Watanuki would make friends with Doumeki. He had, but it seemed that they were closer than friends now. He knew it was bad, but did he have feelings for the stoic teenager? It seemed like that. But he wouldn't admit to it, that idiot would probably just act like he didn't care. That would just annoy Watanuki more.
"You guys are such good friends~!" Himawari's happy voice interrupted Watanuki's thoughts. He glanced up, more in surprise. "I see you guys together all the time now, so you're close right?" He was prepared with his yelling and ranting, Doumeki just plugged his ear. It was hard to see her smile and laugh, when had his crush on her disappeared? Love… Love was like being on a battle field. You couldn't choose two people, if lives were at hand, you had to pick one. Watanuki picked up a white flag, handing it to Mokona.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah...
"My wish is that my best friend's children will be safe, wherever they are." She smiled, nodding at her wish. Watanuki blinked. What could he ask of this woman? He wasn't sure; she didn't seem to have anything on her that looked good. He spotted the video camera hanging from her side.
"Your price, Tomoyo-chan, is that video camera." He watched her smile falter, but she unbuckled it from her waist. She handed to him, looking down sadly. "Now, listen to me." She glanced back up. "When you leaved, go to your best friend's house. Whoever is home, tell them this." He leaned forward, whispering something in her ear.
"Hhhm, that's a spell isn't it?" Watanuki nodded. "Well, I'm not magically inclined, but if I tell them to repeat the words, they shall become the spell right?" She waited for the answer. Watanuki fiddled with the video camera. Then he cleared his throat.
"I can't tell you, or it'll cost more." She looked down, before nodding. She stood up, tugging on Watanuki's cheek again. "Ah, Tomoyo-chan!" She turned slightly. "I hope that your wish will come true, for the sake of others." She smiled and nodded. It wasn't his second customer, just one of the most he had been pleased with.
Well there was a time when you let me know
What's really going on below
But now you never show that to me do ya
But remember when I moved in you
And the holy dove was moving too
And every breath we drew was Hallelujah
Watanuki hated when people ignored him. Yuuko had done it constantly when he hadn't allowed her any sake. But now that he thought about it, she had stopped telling him about customers that came during his school days. She used to, but she hadn't after he lost his sight in his eye. Today, a fairly hot summer day, Doumeki was doing just that.
"What!?!?" Watanuki slammed the tray down on the table. "Why didn't you tell me you had a wish that involved me?" He was angry; Doumeki came to the shop everyday. He'd just plop in front of the table and demand food. Never had he said he needed a wish granted. But of course, he could come into the shop. For a moment, Watanuki stood there, feeling dumb. "Well, you better tell me your wish, so the great Watanuki-sama can grant the wish!"
Doumeki stared at him for a moment, munching on the rice ball. He set said food down, grabbed Watanuki's arm, and pressed his mouth to the other's. "There, I granted my wish, thank you for your help." Watanuki twitched slightly, ready to outburst the second he could.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah
Hallelujah...
Watanuki sighed. The days of summer had been slow, slow for the shop at least. He jumped when the door opened. Moro and Maru singing "A customer for the Master, a customer for the Master~!" He sat up straighter, jolting up to greet the man standing in between the twins. "Hello, can I help you?" The man stood straight, his arms crossed. "What's the wish, sir?"
For a while, the dark haired man stared hard at him. Then he sighed. "Have you seen my daughter? Tomoyo-hime made a big deal about Fai and I visiting Suwa." Watanuki blinked. He had heard the name Tomoyo before, but she wasn't a princess, right? "Listen, she looks like me but pale with blue eyes, hurry up, her name's Yuui."
"Oh, Yuui-chan… Yeah, she came by looking for you, Mokona sent her off to find you and, uh, Fai?" The man sighed, running a hand over his face. Watanuki leaned against the wall. "Would you like tea or something, we can work out your wish and price." The man shook his head.
"I'll just leave, that damn mage and his daughter always escape me, stupid magicians." The man was gone before Watanuki could convince him to stay. "Oi, where'd the customer go?" Doumeki's voice made Watanuki twitch and turned to yell at him.
But still, Watanuki found the customer odd. He had left without his wish being granted. Watanuki decided that if the man ever appeared again, he'd ask what that was about.
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
Was how to shoot at somebody who outdrew ya
And it's not a cry that you hear at night
It's not somebody who's seen the light
It's a cold and it's a broken Hallelujah
Even if Watanuki had fallen for Doumeki, it's not like he'd admit to it. He wouldn't, because he was a little afraid of the reaction he might get. And anyway, he couldn't love that idiot, they were always fighting. And for the record, even if Himawari thought so, they were not good friends. He only hung out with him because of Yuuko. Then why, did he still hang out with Doumeki?
"Kimihiro-kun, Shizuka-kun? Are you two here?" Kohane's voice rung into the shop. "Because I'm fairly sure you're not at the temple or anywhere else!" She peered into the kitchen, smiling when she saw Watanuki. "Hello, Kimihiro-kun, and Shizuka-kun, too!" She sat down at the table.
"Hello, Kohane-chan, would you like dinner; I'm cooking it right now." She nodded, smiling. Doumeki stared at her, before turning to watch Watanuki. "You know, this is the first time I've had to cook for more than two people in a while... Since Yuuko left, I mean." Kohane nodded, taking the bowl of rice. "It's fairly late; shouldn't you be with your grandmother?"
"I suppose I should, but grandma had a client, I felt inclined to leave the two." Kohane explained, smiling up at Watanuki, who was now yelling at Doumeki.
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu...
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelu...
Hallelujah Hallelujah Hallelujah
It had looked completely nice outside. And then all the sudden, it started to storm. Doumeki was watching the storm rage around the shop through one of the front windows. Watanuki was walking up the path, a bunch of bags in his hands, trying not to get soaked. He had finally got into the shop when Mokona bounced over. "See? Black Mokona was right; Watanuki should've taken an umbrella!"
"Yeah, yeah. You were right." He set down the completely soaked bags, but the contents weren't soaked. "Look, this is all from a client, I've never heard such a big wish, the price was huge. MORO, MARU, come put these in the storage house." The two girls walked up to him, hand in hand. The made no move to pick up the bags. "What?"
"The Master has customers coming; we cannot take the price to the storage house now." Watanuki blinked. Then Mokona jumped up onto Maru's head. "Moro and Maru are right! Mokona is coming, Mokona is coming!" Watanuki glanced over to Doumeki, who just shrugged. Then the three magical creatures pushed him outside. "The customers will be outside!"
Watanuki turned to see a giant blob drop off four people. Watanuki recognized two of them right away. Sakura and Syaoran, they were both wearing kimonos. The two others, well, one of them looked familiar. A previous customer, right? Then the blonde of the group stepped forward. "Hello, Watanuki-kun! We believe there is a feather in this world. The last one, to be exact! If you count this as a wish, then we wish for that feather."
Suddenly, the black Mokona turned to look at Watanuki. "Black Mokona has the last feather, it won't have a price!" It jumped and landed on Kurogane's shoulder. "Kuro-puu, pull of my earring!" Kurogane yelled at it before pulling the earring off. "Now give it to Sakura!" Kurogane handed it to the princess. The second he did, a feather pulled itself out of the earring. Fai snatched the earring back, watching Sakura absorb the feather. "Gimme the earring back."
"White Mokona is going to send everybody home now!" It opened its' mouth wide, sucking the four traveler's back in. It landed, turned and jumped over to the Black Mokona. "White Mokona is glad to see Black Mokona, but Yuuko is gone, right?" Black Mokona nodded, and White Mokona looked sad. "But that's okay, we have Watanuki now!"
Hallelujah... Hallelujah
Watanuki sat in the shop, he had fallen asleep. The Mokonas were playing a game with Moro and Maru. Doumeki was sitting next to Watanuki, eating a rice ball. It was raining hard; you could hear it in the shop. Watanuki stirred a little, mumbling in his sleep. Doumeki slid over, and Watanuki's head hit the couch. "HEY, YOU IDIOT! I WAS SLEEPING!"
And even if Yuuko wasn't there, it sure felt like it. Watanuki paused in his rant to turn and look at Moro and Maru, they had stopped playing. "What, is it another customer?" He asked softly, sitting up straighter. The girls looked at each other, smiling playfully.
"The Mistress is back~!" They sung, giggling. Watanuki stood up, shuffling toward the door. "Hurry, hurry, she might get a cold!" Watanuki opened the door, staring at the young girl standing in the door. She looked a little younger than him. She pushed past him into the shop. Watanuki thought faintly that she looked like Yuuko.
"This place will do." She turned to him. "I require your services, sir." Watanuki stood there, before ushering her into the previous room he had been in. And he wondered briefly, was this girl a customer, or something else?
I really hope people like this. Erm, though I've read most of xxxHolic, I may have missed parts, so just to clarify, this would be a tad AU in parts. (And yes, that feather is real, it contains her memories of Syaoran.) Well, please review!