Decision

.

Presented by: Winter Cocoa

Genre: Friendship & Drama

Disclaimer: I don't own xxxHOLiC and don't make any profit from this fanfiction. All the similarities are purely coincidence.

Warning: This is my alternate version of xxxHOLiC ending, so the ending is DIFFERENT from the original storyline. I have warned you.

Beta'ed by: EchizenRyomaLover

.

The light of the full moon bathing the world was a majestic platinum color. The steady sound of the chiming bells accompanied the summer breeze. A pale hand reached out for a pipe and was brought to its owner's mouth. Exhaling softly, the raven-haired man closed his eyes, savoring the intoxicating taste.

Tobacco sure is amazing. Without it he doubted that he would be able to stay sane until now. The ebony-haired man sighed in content before he was rudely interrupted by the sound of the door being opened and a familiar figure coming into sight. The eternally young mage 'tsk'ed in annoyance at the other occupants.

"It's you again," Watanuki eyed the other male in clear annoyance.

"Nice to meet you too," Doumeki replied with a monotonous face, unfazed by the displeasure the shop owner had showed him. He sat comfortably on the tatami mat across his androgynous friend. Doumeki took a cup from the small table and poured himself some sake, and sipped it slowly.

"You sure think of this shop as your second home, eh?" the shorter of the two asked sarcastically with a derisive smirk. But Doumeki just ignored it, merely staring at the other with his usual deadpan expression, but one can easily spot a glint of worry in his eyes.

"Did a customer come today?"

Heterochromatic eyes gazed into green orbs (1) before those same orbs shifted their gaze to the plump full moon in the night sky. The warm summer breeze was playing with his dark locks as he opened his mouth to explain.

"Well…A woman came today and she wanted me to grant her wish, but I couldn't..."

Doumeki's eyes narrowed at that statement. What kind of wish could Watanuki not grant? Sure the shop owner was a human, but he wasn't an ordinary one. The heterochromatic mage was powerful enough to grant any of his customers' by now.

Sensing Doumeki's silence as an unspoken question, Watanuki looked in his direction, a mysterious smile playing at his lips.

"She wanted me to revive her lover."

Doumeki lost his usual deadpan expression and his green eyes widened slightly. He saw loneliness in the man's multi-colored irises.

No. Not only loneliness. There were several other emotions mixed together. Sadness, longing…

"This shop can grant any wish, but reviving someone is beyond my capabilities. There are things that cannot be changed."

There was a pregnant silence in the room. Neither of them uttered a word until a cheerful voice finally broke the ice.

"Watanuki, I want sakeeee!" came a stretchy voice from the black fluff ball that barged into the room with Maru and Moro. Mokona whined and stomped his little feet. The appearance of the other occupants only seemed to have worsened the shop owner's already-sour mood. Sensing Watanuki's displeasure, Doumeki took something from his side.

"Come to think about it, I have brought sake from obaa-san with me." Doumeki said as he showed them the plastic bag with a bottle of liquor in it. Mokona's eyes sparkled at the sight of the brown bottle.

"Yaaaay, sake!" Mokona let out a high pitched sound of glee.

Watanuki sighed dejectedly and put his pipe on the ashtray. He stood up and walked towards Mokona's direction. Watanuki scoped the black fur ball and flicked the manjuu's forehead with a fake angry face.

"Tch, always so greedy about sake. All right, come and help me prepare the sake. Maru, Moro."

With that Watanuki stood up and left the room with the twins on his tail, mumbling something about "the sake" and "greedy black manjuu". Doumeki's eyes followed the retreating figure until the door was closed.

"He has changed a lot, hasn't he?" Doumeki asked quietly, not realizing that Mokona had heard it. The manjuu allowed a small smile to adorn his face.

"It's been ten years after all..."

oOo

Time will never turn backwards.

But you are stopping your own time so that you can meet her once again.

You even went as far as smoking and acting like her.

As if you didn't want her image to be erased from your mind.

oOo

"Oi. Doumeki, are you listening to me?" a hand in front of his face made Doumeki snap out from his trance and gaze at the heterochromatic irises eyeing him curiously.

"Hn."

Watanuki clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes, his already-thin patience reaching its end. "It's not 'hn' stupid! I have been calling for you but you've been daydreaming and ignoring me!"

Watanuki eyed the other male from the corner of his eyes. It was unusual for Doumeki Shizuka to be daydreaming about something, so it must be something important. Watanuki's curiosity got the better of him. He placed his chin on the top of his palm and asked:

"You're up to something, aren't you?"

"..."

Their eyes continued to stare at each other. A silence greeted Watanuki's question, and that was more than enough to tell the shop owner that something was wrong. The smaller male sighed loudly in desperation and sipped his sake.

His dual-colored eyes gleamed dangerously under the moonlight, an unspoken warning for the taller man.

"I don't know what you are up to. But think wisely before you decide, because you can't turn back. All choices have their outcomes."

Doumeki only stared at the small cup in his hands and looked at his own reflection in the clear liquid, deep in thought. Watanuki felt that something wasn't right. But he couldn't pinpoint what exactly that was. His sixth sense told him that something big was going to happen.

I hope he isn't going to do anything stupid…

oOo

Watanuki opened his eyes, and he was met with endless darkness. A soft smile made its way to his lips as he recognized the place. He was in someone else's dream.But it is not an ordinary dream, he mused.

He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on his magic power, accumulating it into a steadier form. A golden circle with a blinding light appeared under his feet while his black robe fluttered graciously behind his back.

He lifted his arm slowly and a pure white dove (2) seemed to appear from nowhere. Watanuki petted the dove's head with his forefinger softly and whispered, "Find the owner of this dream." With that order, the dove fluttered its wings and Watanuki followed behind.

Not long after, the dove stopped at a certain spot. Watanuki lifted his forefinger and let the dove perch on it. The dove glowed with golden light before it vanished into thin air.

A black butterfly flew in his line of sight. Watanuki's eyes widened a fraction before softening into a longing gaze. A lone tear escaped from his eye.

"Yuuko-san..."

His voice cracked at his attempt to hold back his tears, but to no avail. His voice was hoarse and tears trailed down his cheeks. He found it hard to speak. Finally, Watanuki snapped back to reality and took a deep breath to calm himself. Soon his breathing became more even. He knew that the butterfly wanted to deliver a message to him. This dream must be a trace Yuuko's remaining power. After he got a grip on himself, Watanuki asked in his deep and calm voice:

"What are you trying to tell me, Yuuko-san?"

The butterfly flew towards the raven-haired man's side until it perched on top of his silver pocket watch. Watanuki narrowed his eyes when he realized that he had noticed it before. He picked it up carefully and placed it on his open palm.

Watanuki opened the lid and saw that the watch was still functioning. The minute hand was ticking in a steady rhythm, but upon closer observation, Watanuki noticed that the hour had not moved even though enough minutes had passed.

"What is the meaning of this?" He lifted his head and asked the butterfly in false hope that his question would be answered. Seconds later, he found himself lying on his bed.

The sun was already peeking over the horizon, painting the sky a wonderful golden color. The sun's rays kissed Watanuki's pale skin, making him groan in displeasure. He grimaced at the sudden light blinding his eyes. He rubbed his eyes to clear his blurry vision and sat upright in his bed in confusion.

'What are you trying to tell me, Yuuko-san?'

oOo

A few days passed and nothing happened; well, nothing big at least. With the exception of a few customers, each came to the shop with relatively minor wishes. But with each day that passed, Watanuki felt like he was anticipating a major event. The fact that he didn't know what it was irked him.

Watanuki let out a frustrated sigh for the umpteenth time that day and massaged his temple softly. His train of thought had been interrupted by the twins' voices at the genkan. (3) It seemed like his regular "guest" had arrived. And, as if on cue, the door slid open and a tall figure waltzed into the shop owner's room.

"Watanuk. I have a request. Or rather, a wish..."

The smaller man clicked his tongue at the display of rudeness the other man had shown him.

"Was that the first thing you wanted to say?"

But the serious glint in Doumeki's green irises told Watanuki that he wasn't in the mood to have a one-sided argument with him. Watanuki raised his eyebrow at that. Catching the gesture as the encouragement to go on, Doumeki continued his sentence.

"This. I believe this thing was given to me for a purpose right?" The taller raven searched for something in his pocket and pulled out a familiar-looking egg. Watanuki shifted his gaze between Doumeki and the egg then back to the impassive man's face, trying to guess what was running in the stoic man's mind.

"Yes, I do believe that egg has a purpose," the smaller man agreed, and Doumeki nodded his head.

"I have made up my mind. I will use this egg to stop my own time."

Watanuki's eyes grew impossibly wide at the statement. He almost thought that he had misheard that. His heart began to beat rapidly and his mind screamed in alarm.

"Wh-wha…?" Watanuki could not even bring himself to finish his sentence.

"I want to stop my own time."

That's it. Watanuki finally snapped at the taller man's last statement.

"HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?!"

For the first time in so many years, Watanuki raised his voice. However, Doumeki didn't seem the least bit affected by Watanuki's outbrust. Watanuki tried to calm his raging breath and regain his composure. Green orbs met with heterochromatic eyes before Watanuki shook his head.

"But the price of the egg itself would not be equal to that of your wish."

A frown adorned the usually stoic man. The price wasn't enough?

"What should I give so that the price will become equal?"

Watanuki closed his eyes. And when he reopened them his heterochromatic eyes gleamed with seriousness.

"Unlike I that can't leave this shop, your price is different. The price is...your bond with your family. You can still remember them, but they will forget everything about you."

Doumeki was stunned at the "price" that he must give for his wish to be fulfilled.

"You shall decide wisely, because once you lose something it will never return."

At the sight of the silent man, Watanuki sighed in relief. Watanuki assumed that the taller man was giving up on his wish.

He hadn't expected that Doumeki would make a wish like that. What in the world ever made him think of something like that? What he hadn't expected more was for Doumeki to decide with such certainty.

"I agree," Doumeki said to Watanuki without a pause, each word laced with determination and void of any doubt. Watanuki opened his mouth to protest but closed it again when he was met with fiery dark green orbs. Doumeki was not going to change his decision.

Honestly, Doumeki could be a very stubborn man at times.

"Very well then. But may I ask for your reason?" the mage demanded. He desperately wanted to know the reason why the green-eyed man was so adamant about his wish.

"Because I want to accompany you, at least until you can meet 'her'…"

Watanuki was at a loss for words. He couldn't trace the other man thoughts, but he knew that the other's words were honest.

A small smile adorned Watanuki's face; a genuine one after so many years. He held out his hand and Doumeki instantly understood what the shop owner meant. Doumeki handed the egg to the extended hand.

"Shall we begin?"

The shop owner once again closed his eyes and gathered his magical power into the egg on his palm. A magical circle with complicated words appeared below his bare feet. To say that Doumeki was mesmerized was understandable. No matter how many times he had seen it, Doumeki was always amazed whenever Watanuki used his magic.

The egg began to glow a blinding deep green color, the same shade as that of Doumeki's orbs and the one he shares with the youthful mage.

As the light became brighter, an unbearable pain struck Doumeki's body like lightning. He shut his eyes tightly as if the gesture would make the pain more bearable. His breath became ragged and uneven. Finally his knees gave out, and before his body could touch the cold wooden floor, lean but surprisingly strong hands held him. Slightly stumbling because of the additional weight on his arm, Watanuki tried to regain his balance. He looked at the unconscious man in his arms.

"You're an idiot. But... thank you, Doumeki."

oOo

Mokona had seen everything through a small crack between the sliding doors. He closed the sliding doors quietly behind him as a butterfly perched on his head.

"There's no such thing as coincidence in this world. There is only the inevitable. This is also the inevitable eh, Yuuko?"

With that the butterfly flew away to the night sky.

.

FIN

Author's Note:

I got this plot bunny when I woke up this morning, so I rushed from my bed and typed this story with my phone. CLAMP, I'm not satisfied with the ending! TTxTT

I kind of feel sorry about Watanuki, because he has to stay in that shop and wait for Yuuko-san (even if Mokona and the twin accompanied him) for a very long time. I want to make a different ending! And then I thought, 'Hey why not make one?'

I put this story in friendship genre, and I tried hard not to put fluff between Doumeki and Watanuki. The temptation is killing me!

Anyway, give me your comment about this story please? Flame would be used to roast mochis~

-Cocoa-