If I Could

Hi guys! I've been a xxxHolic fan for a really long time now but I've never written a fanfic! :O I was shocked at this and set at it right away! :P Well, with Christmas coming up, I decided to write a 'Christmas build-up' story, based around Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol'! I haven't set this fic as a crossover - if you think I should, please let me know! ^^ This is a DouWata fic by the way! Hope you like it; please read and review if you have the time! Let's Wondering! Kyoko xxx

Chapter 1

"You will be visited by three ghosts."

"I think I'd rather not."

(Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge; A Christmas Carol)

Kimihiro Watanuki wished he could say that he lived a simple pleasant life. He wished he could say that he worried about trivial things such as exam results and friendship dramas. He wished he could say he knew what he would do when he got older, like all the others in his class. He wished and he wished and yet still the fact remained that he couldn't. And never would be able to so long as he was of this world.

He sighed, relaxing into the sole chair in his front room. The room was darker than it normally was, such was the way things were in Winter and he complained to himself as usual about the lack of light given out by the naked bulb hanging from the ceiling. It was cold too - a wretched Winter this year, and he wrapped his dressing gown tighter around himself, grumbling loudly before flicking the small room heater on too. He felt the room slowly begin to heat up and settled down comfortably, glancing down at the pages of a cooking catalogue, dog earing pages of things he wanted and moaning about how he couldn't afford them.

"Oh well..." he mumbled, "It's not like I have the time to use them - Yuuko's always overworking me. She's so selfish sometimes!" Clearly, he'd forgotten that she'd given him the night off today because that's just the kind of generous giving spirit she has. Yuuko, please let me continue the narration.

Anyway, Watanuki continued poring over the pages, looking longingly at all the objects and the many ingenious processes they accomplished. Suddenly he felt a chill, something not uncommon in this weather, but given his predicament in life the spirit-seer quickly knew that whatever it was was not of this world. He shrunk low into his seat, hoping it would give up and go away - not that they ever usually did. 'Please just go away...' He prayed silently.

All of a sudden he found himself in darkness. He screamed loudly and girlishly, leaping from his chair and backing out towards the door. He felt two long thin arms wrap around him and before he knew what was happening he was being dragged backwards. "Help!" he cried out, "Get off!"

But all that greeted him was emptiness. And then:

"Watanuki-kun!"

The room was illuminated by an eerie white glow and Watanuki tried desperately to turn his head to see his attacker. And then he saw her.

There was something very Yuuko-like about her and yet something very not-Yuuko too, but he couldn't place either of these things. She was tall an thin, but with large breasts that he could feel pushing up against his back as she embraced him tightly. She had long white hair that fluttered serenely around her pale milky skin, casting the light across the room. She had two wide purple eyes that glinted like a cat's at his own blue orbs. She was definitely a spirit of some kind... What he didn't know was what she was doing here and why she was hugging him!

"Who are you?! What are you doing?!" Watanuki yelled, waving his arms around wildly.

"You... You don't remember me?" she released him suddenly, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes.

He looked at her guiltily, "Um, I'm really-"

She giggled, "Oh wait, of course you don't - we've never met!"

He groaned in despair. Yep, she was Yuuko-like alright - she was already driving him crazy. They could have been sisters. While the young man busied himself with his cruel and highly inaccurate thoughts- Yuuko! Stop it!

Sorry readers; I really shouldn't have allowed Yuuko to sit in on the write up.

"But I've been watching you!" the girl repeated excitedly.

Watanuki widened his eyes, alarmed.

"Uh-huh, yep, full on stalker style! So I know you very well..." She slowly edged closer to him and he backed away afraid.

"I know all your secrets...! Mm-hm, I know everything...!" She leant over him, grinning playfully. "So I suggest you do as I say!"

All light left in the room, only the little light from the window and the glow from the girl herself, suddenly diminished. Watanuki shivered with fear; this was a spirit unlike any other...

"Um, hello...?" he whispered hoarsely.

And then she was back. Standing in the doorway, arms folded across her chest, her glowing hair streaming out behind her spookily. "Tonight you will be visited by three spirits."

Watanuki was crouched up on the floor still, back pressed up against the wall. "I'd really rather not...!" he whimpered.

She ignored him, continuing with "The ghost of Christmases Past, Present and Future."

He raised a hand nervously.

"What?"

"Um, aren't they coming a little early...? It's November..."

"Look, if you're not preparing for Christmas already you're an idiot. No one wants to be caught in the last minute shopping rush." she stated matter-of-factly.

"Um... That's... true I suppose..." he responded hesitantly.

"Well Watanuki." she beamed, hair relaxing and dropping to meet her slender sides.

"I hope you'll see the error of your ways." There was a loud crack, like the snapping of wood fragments in a fire, all alighting at once, so loud it burst his eardrums. And so she was gone. And he could scarcely even move.