Title: Summer Shade

Category: xxxHolic

Pairing: None

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I do not own any copyrights to xxxHolic

Summary: A different take on the episode Summer Shade including the scare tactic going completely wrong and Watanuki actually meeting the Lady in Blue. This incluse a heroic Doumeki and a piratey Yuko.

~~Story Begins~~

Watanuki made his way down to the kitchen quietly as not to wake his dear Himawari, his slave driver of a boss Yuko and her little sidekick Mokona, and to make sure the dumbass Doumeki won't tell him to ask for help or to fix him food. Watanuki turned on the light in the kitchen and got himself a small glass of water, his eyes moved to look at the blue flower.

"It's a pretty flower," Watanuki said quietly as he took a sip, "So why did the rental place put it in a spot where it could easily be missed? Why not on the table and why isn't there a note?" He shrugged his shoulders, "Oh well, it's possibly some new marketing scheme they are testing out."

Watanuki shoulders tensed as he heard sounds that sounded like someone was scratching on the walls but there were was two sounds that sounded the same, one was farther while one sounded like it was in the same room as he was in. The one that sounded farther also sounded like it was coming upstairs so Watanuki figured it was Mokona having a nightmare about not being able to eat delicious food, but the other sound was creeping him out. He gulped and sat the glass down on the counter, "Who's there?"

No one answered but the sound got more consistent, Watanuki placed his ear on the wall in the corner next to the fire pit stove and fell back on his butt as the sound was very loud, almost like it was on the other side of the wall, "Ha, ha, that isn't weird at all," He laughed to himself. He got up and check the wall in the kitchen from the entryway, "Well it doesn't look like another room is connected but that sound," he looked up towards the stairs before shaking his head, "I don't need his help."

He went back to the wall and looked at it closer, seeing a small very hidden almost unnoticeable gap in the wall that was shaped like a door, "Okay, there is a door there, now let's see," he took a couple steps back and tripped over a slightly raised floor tile, he landed on his butt again but gulped as the wall swung open and standing in the doorway to this secret room was a lady that had ashen dull blonde hair, her dead blue eyes lit up as much as dead eyes can as she smiled at seeing Watanuki, her faded dark blue dress hid her arms and legs and Watanuki swore that he saw chains were attached to them, her skin was ashen gray and she dropped the pen that had blue ink at the tip to try and tackle Watanuki.

Watanuki let out a scream and backed away, the chains on the lady's feet keeping her trapped but her hand was able to grab Watanuki's ankle. "My love," the lady said, mechanics that sounded like something was being turned and the lady started to get dragged back through the secret door taking Watanuki who was trying to free his ankle with her, "Now we can be together again. I hope you loved the flower I chose for you." When Watanuki was dragged through the door, the door slowly shut not making a sound.

"I'm terribly sorry, I believe you have the wrong person," Watanuki tried to say politely as he also tried to grab anything that could postpone the dragging, his skin on his nails already breaking and he could start to feel them bleed. He had bigger things to worry about like the stairs that led down to one unimaginable depth and he tried to block the nasty smell that was worse than that of Angels.

The lady allowed the chains to take her down the stairs causing Watanuki to go down them unpleasantly – like a little kid schooching their butt down every stair, "Don't you remember me, my love? I waited down her for eternity for you. You promised that once you return, you will join me in the very depths of water that you drowned me in!"

The grip on his ankle tightened and he let out a loud scream of pain and terror as the stairs stopping making it into a very deep cliff. Watanuki saw a rock and wrapped his arms around it trying to pull himself up and free from her grip, "Now I know you have the wrong person!"

~~Back Upstairs~~

Doumeki moved from his bed and walked to the door, "The moron just needs to ask. It's not that hard." He opened his door and stared at the end hallway which had easily torn wallpaper that was custom made. He did hear Watanuki move and he did hear Watanuki scream but the wallpaper isn't torn.

Yuko's and Himawari's door's open, Yuko laughing, "I think we planned it too good." Her laughing stopped as she noticed it too, "Huh?"

"If that's the case," Doumeki said, "Than plan a haunted house for Halloween. The wallpaper isn't even broken."

Himawari ran to the wall, "Mokona? Is Watanuki in there with you?"

Yuko stood straight, her eyes narrowing, "Oh dear, maybe the urban legend is true."

Mokona crawled out from under the wallpaper, "Watanuki isn't with Mokona. Mokona don't even think he heard the scary noises Mokona made."

Himawari bend down and picked up Mokona up, "Do you think he went downstairs?"

"Now that you mention it, I think I did hear footsteps going past my room," Doumeki said opening Watanuki's bedroom door, "Hey moron, I'm hungry!"

Himawari poked her head in to look at the room, "He's not in here."

"Of course not," Yuko said walking downstairs, "The Lady in Blue has him, now we just need to find him. Quickly now, I feel there isn't much time."

"Dumbass should just ask for help," Doumeki said walking to the kitchen. He noticed the half-drank glass of water before he heard the muffled screams of someone wanting to be let go and of pain. "Yuko, Kunogi, it's in the kitchen."

Himawari looked at the entryway before looking around the kitchen, "But there's no indication of there being a secret passage."

Mokona jumped off out of her hands and pointed to a slightly raised tile, "Yo, Mokona found something."

Yuko stood next to Mokona and smiled, "Well step on it Mokona, we don't have all night to be in suspense."

Mokona jumped on it and the wall that acts like a door swung open and Watanuki's voice could be heard, "Now I know you have the wrong person."

A loud feminine but feral growl could be heard in response from the passage, "It goes downward so no one would notice a difference, clever," Yuko said as she walked through the doorway.

"I hope Watanuki is okay," Himawari said.

"No, I will not let them take you away from me!" a lady yelled.

"Please get off of me!" Watanuki's voice could be heard pleading.

"Himawari, stay behind. Doumeki, let's go!" Yuko said before taking off in a sprint followed by Doumeki down the steps, "Be careful."

When they reached the end of the steps, Watanuki's grip on the rock slipped and right when his eyes noticed Yuko and Doumeki, he was already falling off the cliff. Doumeki grabbed Watanuki's hand and one of the rocks, he couldn't see what was trying to pull Watanuki but he could feel it. "You idiot, just ask for help!"

The close presence of Doumeki had the Lady in Blue hissing in pain, her sunken dead eyes glaring at Doumeki as she gripped tighter to Watanuki's ankle, "I will not lose my love again. He is mine!" She mover her other hand to grab onto Watanuki's other ankle with as much strength as the one his already bruised ankle is being held onto. "I will not let him go."

"You can rest easy," Yuko said stepping into view, her red eyes narrowed. "The man who chained you here has left me the key to free you, you just need to fetch." She than tossed the key down into the depths, the lady let go of Watanuki causing both of the boys to fall back onto land safely, and tried to catch the key.

Doumeki looked at Watanuki who was picking himself up off of the floor, "Idiot."

"Shut up okay," Watanuki sneered.

They finally heard a small splash by the time the two boys got up, Watanuki taking longer of the two because of his ankles, than a much larger splash. "Well," Yuko said peering over the cliff and let out a long whistle, "That would've been a way trip to the ocean blue if one didn't join the crew of Davy Jones."

"You really aren't helping me feel safe here," Watanuki said glaring trying not to limp as he started walking up the stairs. He looked at Doumeki who kept his face blank, "I'll fix you oden when we return home."

"Sushi rolls with sour plum," Doumeki responded, "Just ask for help."

"Fine and I don't need your help," Watanuki replied back glaring.

"Is everyone okay?" Himawari asked as they came into view.

Yuko went ahead of the two boys, "Everyone is fine expect Watanuki is completely terrified and our marvelous plan to get Watanuki to ask for help is ruined."

Doumeki looked at Watanuki, his hands and fingertips bleeding from trying to find something to hold onto and a limp that he was trying to hide so he wouldn't worry Himawari anymore tonight. "It's not hard to ask for help," Doumeki stated.

"How would you know?" Watanuki asked quietly thinking Doumeki couldn't hear him, "You don't have to worry about them being spirits." Watanuki than yawned behind his elbow, "Well, I've had enough adventure for tonight. I'm going to bandage my hands and call it a night."

"Aw," Yuko and Mokona whined as they entered the kitchen and the secret door shutting behind them all as soon as Mokona jumped onto Yuko's shoulder, "But we could really go for some chocolate banana pancakes."

"In the morning," Watanuki said walking up the stairs carefully trying not to lean on anything or to fall down.

Himawari watched him before asked, "They do sound good but will be be able to fix them tomorrow morning?"

"When it comes to cooking," Yuko said, "Yes. It's the one thing he can do to where he can feel a connection with his parents and previous friends who helped him in the past that made him feel wanted only to find out they were spirits and had to move on." She started to walk upstairs with Himawari who looked sad.

Doumeki stayed in the kitchen staring at the blue flower that for some strange reason the petals were falling off. Doumeki than made his way upstairs and entered his assigned bedroom crawling into bed, "Idiot just needs to ask for help."

~~Next Morning~~

Doumeki made his way downstairs in regular clothing, he smelled food being cooked but when he got closer to the kitchen, he heard the sound of two voices. One belonged to Watanuki obviously because no one else in the house that Doumeki knew of actually knows the kitchen's main purpose is expect for food, but the other voice sounded younger, unfamiliar, but was laughing at whatever Watanuki said. He looked into the kitchen and narrowed his eyes, Watanuki was putting six chocolate banana pancakes on a plate before adding another six more onto another plate. Apples were already cut on the counter and sprinkled with cinnamon on top, so wasn't a small container of strawberries but Doumeki was more concerned with the child who was sitting on the counter. The child had well kept short brown hair, his brown eyes looked wise for someone his age, he was wearing a green jacket that looked too hot for the hot summer weather they were having and blue shorts, light blue stockings were underneath his brown shoes but the thing that worried Doumeki the most was that the kid was see-through. Sure he didn't have the same power level as Watanuki but he could see a couple spirits rarely.

"So you mean to tell me that one plate goes to a black bunny and the other to your boss? That's just crazy!"

"No, you see those apples," Watanuki pointed his hand completely covered in bandaged, "That's for the third empty stomach I feed and he will eat six of those and my two!"

They laughed again and he watched Watanuki make more pancake batter, "The strawberries are for you then?"

"No, the strawberries are for my sweet Himawari's pancakes," Watanuki responded. "I've missed having you around to talk to."

Doumeki was now leaning the wall outside of the kitchen and out of their sight as the child spoke, "Why is that? It seems like you are happy with your friends."

"I wouldn't even call Himawari a friend, just another acquittance much like Doumeki," the chef in the kitchen spoke causing an eyebrow to raise on Doumeki's face. "I'm just someone who they can laugh about behind my back. They don't see what we see but you was able to help me feel like I was normal, explain spirits to me, best ways to survive. I hated the fact that I had to use your bones to survive, you did so much for me and I did so little for you."

"That's not true. You are my best friend and instead of seeing April 1st as the day those hands took me, I now see it as a day of my best friend's birthday," the kid spoke wistfully. "Those lunches you made looked pretty good too, I wanted to eat some of it but I had to go. Hey! Those pancakes are bigger than the first two batches!"

"I told you that these pancakes are for someone who has an empty stomach," Watanuki replied laughing but was cut short, "You have to leave soon again, don't you?"

"Don't worry, I'll be back," the child spoke as wind started to sound but only coming from the kitchen. Doumeki looked over and saw some pink wind coming out of the kitchen, "Don't leave your apartment two days after you return home, the hands will be waiting for you in the shadows. Please take care and see you soon Watanuki."

The sound stopped and the pink wind disappeared but Doumeki didn't move from his spot until he heard Watanuki plating what he assumed was his pancakes, "Of course, the hands will show up when it is a field sports day at school. As much as I want to partake in it, there would be no point."

Doumeki walked into the kitchen and noticed Watanuki cutting up strawberries, "Who were you talking to?"

"None of your business," Watanuki said not turning around, "If you are wondering as to why I haven't freaked out it's because Yuko and the others are still sleeping and I had a feeling you would wake up from smelling food."

Doumeki blinked and felt the corners of his mouth turn into a smirk, "Strawberries?" He reached around and grabbed the last full one putting it into his mouth ignore the glare, "You jerk! Apple cinnamon pancakes are there on the table! Eat those you gluttonous pig!"

"Hey," Doumeki said watching Watanuki pick up the breakfast tray he had set up for Yuko and Mokona, "Just ask for help."

"Why do I need help from a jerk like you?" Watanuki snapped back before leaving the kitchen. He poked his head back in the kitchen, "Take your time eating too, maybe than you won't be so hungry."

Doumeki was already putting half of a bottle of syrup on the pancakes, "I'm sorry what?"

"Never mind you idiot," Watanuki sighed shaking his head, "Honestly, why do I even bother? It's not like someone will actually listen for once."

Doumeki shoved one pancake into his mouth before looking in the coolers and was surprised that he couldn't find anything else to make more pancake batter or anything to put in the pancakes meaning that Watanuki would be having small plain pancakes. He heard Yuko squeal in delight about food before a door slammed shut. He went back to his pancakes and shoved half of the second pancake into his mouth. Doumeki was really glad that Watanuki hasn't opened a restaurant otherwise he would be broke.

"You already ate one and a half," Watanuki sighed, "How does that not surprise me?"

"Never did answer my question," Doumeki said after swallowing, "Who was you talking to?"

"No one okay," Watanuki growled, "Not like you would believe me anyway."

"Is it really that hard for you to ask for help?" Doumeki asked before shoving the other half of the pancake into his mouth.

His expression didn't change when a tray that had a plate of three strawberry pancakes and some juice was sitting above his plate but merely looked at Watanuki, "No it's not. As much as I do not want to ask you for your help I am now. So take this tray and give it to my sweet Himawari so I can cook my pancakes in peace without having to hear your ridiculous and obnoxious chewing."

Doumeki blinked as Watanuki turned around and finished off the ingredients that would make a small batter, he got off of the chair and pinched Watanuki's shoulder, "You okay?"

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Watanuki asked, "I'm as fine as one can be when both their hands are cut open and their ankles hurt having pressure on them! Now deliver those pancakes to Himawari, there should be no reason for Yuko and Mokona to get special treatment."

Doumeki looked into the batter, "You are having plain pancakes?"

"I finally ask you for your help, to deliver strawberry pancakes to MY sweet Himawari, so I can cook in peace and you are here questioning as to why I'm having plain pancakes?" Watanuki spazzed out on him.

"I'm going," Doumeki said picking the tray up and putting one of his apple cinnamon pancakes in his mouth, "Just found it strange is all."

"There is nothing strange about using up ingredients to make it easier carry on the way back," Watanuki answered, "If that means I get plain pancakes that are about the size of Mokona's feet than that's what I get."

Doumeki shook his head, "Idiot." He walked up the stairs and knocked an Himawari's door who opened it rubbing her eyes. He held out the tray towards her, "Food."

"Morning Doumeki and thank you. Did you make this?" she asked.

"No, Watanuki did. He asked me to bring it up to you," he responded, "Morning."

She smiled and took the tray, "It looks good, tell him I said thank you please."

"Yes," Doumeki nodded before heading back downstairs ignoring the crazy laughter coming from Yuko's room. He couldn't see whatever Yuko or Watanuki could see but he didn't feel comfortable leaving Watanuki alone in the kitchen. Not until they leave here.

Watanuki was sitting down with two small pancakes that were obviously plain, the syrup or any fillings in them. Doumeki assumed that Yuko and Mokona had one bottle of syrup and he knew he used half of the other bottle syrup and it wasn't on Himawari's tray, "Are you really going to eat plain pancakes?"

"Yes I am," Watanuki growled, "Do you have a problem with that?"

Doumeki shrugged, "There's syrup."

"No, there isn't," Watanuki said, "Mokona took the other bottle. Something about Yuko starting a pancake war and Mokona needed more ammo. I don't even know all I know I'll be stuck cleaning it."

Doumeki stole one of Watanuki's pancakes and ate it, ignoring the shock look on Watanuki's face, the pancakes were fluffy and light, quite good but it tasted like a plain pancake and that kind of annoyed Doumeki since he got apple cinnamon pancakes, Yuko got chocolate banana pancakes, and Himawari got strawberries leaving Watanuki with nothing to really enjoy. Doumeki looked at Watanuki and silently wondered if Watanuki sacrificed his food and fillings to fill his lunch along with Himawari's.

"Honestly Doumeki," Watanuki screeched, "You might as well have the other one too! It's not like you still have three bear sized apple cinnamon pancakes right there on your plate!"

Doumeki watched with a blank look as Watanuki dropped his other pancake on top of Doumeki's plate before resting his head on his arms, "Why do I honestly bother trying to make myself food when I have to worry about three bears?"

Doumeki raised an eyebrow at that but quickly lowered it back down at the sound of Yuko's voice calling out, "Watanuki, would you be so kind as to bring out chilled sake to the beach and than clean my room. Mokona and I kind of got messy with the syrup."

"Oh," Watanuki yelled out while Doumeki ate his pancakes, Watanuki rolling his eyes, "You two wonder as to why I don't allow any syrup into your shop! You two are always having a syrup battle." He sighed and got off of the chair he was sitting on, "Sooner she gets her sake, the easier it will be to clean her room."

Doumeki had devoured the rest of the pancakes and left his dishes on the table, "Hey moron," he said.

"I am not a moron! What do you possibly want? More food?" Watanuki asked putting ice in the bucket that held four bottles of sake.

"Just ask for help," he said before walking out of the kitchen, his hands up to his ears to try and block out Watanuki's outburst. Doumeki did hope that Watanuki would at least ask for help with cleaning, it was his idea to have a day at the beach to cool off, Himawari and Yuko's sick and twisted idea to scare Watanuki into asking for help just to swim, but even if their plan didn't work and the real thing did attack Watanuki, Doumeki was right there willing to help.

He started to walk upstairs and stopped at sensing a presence and looked up to see the kid from before standing there blocking his way where a pale hand from the shadows was now in the see through child, the child slowly vanishing before his eyes, "You know, friends don't wait for their friends to ask for help, they just help."

Doumeki's face remained blank and started walking back upstairs just as Watanuki came into view in the living room who was carrying the chilled bucket of sake along with all of Himawari's and Yuko's beach items. Himawari leaned over the railing on the stair case and smiled at Doumeki, "Doumeki, Watanuki is carrying everything to the beach for us! Do you want to come with us to the beach and have Watanuki carry anything?"

"No," he responded acting like he didn't see the slight frown she had but he ignored it, she followed Yuko and Watanuki out towards the beach. This gave Doumeki the time to walk up the stairs and slowly sneak a peak inside of Yuko's room, seeing that she took her dishes to the kitchen but he now understood as to why syrup was banned. The syrup was all over the ceiling, the bed, the walls, the window, and the floor in the shape of what looked like a treasure map on the floor, "No wonder he banned syrup."

Doumeki shut the door and went to Himawari's room to pick up her breakfast tray, Doumeki is good at sweeping but not cleaning up syrup messes which seemed to be Watanuki's area of expertise but he can help by doing something simple and easy like dishes.

By the time Doumeki got the dishes done, Watanuki was coming into the kitchen almost completely covered in syrup. "I am so taking a bath and freaking scrub my body raw just to make sure there is no syrup on me."

"Yo," Doumeki greeted causing Watanuki to jump out of his skin.

"What?" Watanuki screeched, "What could you possibly want? Can you not see I've gone through enough trauma for one vacation?" Doumeki covered his ears with his hands but noticed that from all the cleaning Watanuki did from cleaning Yuko's room, his bandages were covered in red meaning his wounds reopened. "Why does it not surprise me that even during a vacation day, I still do all the work and can't enjoy none of it?"

"Should've suggested somewhere else like a local pool or a movie night," Doumeki shrugged, "I got the dishes done to help you."

"Wait what?" Watanuki asked inspecting the dishes, "Why?"

"You chose the vacation, it would be pointless for you to work through it all and not have fun," Doumeki said walking past Watanuki.

"Doumeki," Watanuki said once he passed him, "Thank you." Doumeki's eyes widened in surprised. Watanuki just thank him without stuttering or making faces or anything stupid. "Don't let anyone know I said that to you alright?"

It was going to be a secret among them, Watanuki was slowly letting the walls that he worked so hard to put up go down around Doumeki, who was Doumeki to mess this up. He smiled, "I'm sorry, did you say something that was important for once?"

"Excuse me!" Watanuki yelled trying to not flair as he didn't want the syrup to get everywhere, "Everything that I -the great Watanuki – say is important!"

~~At the beach~~

"So Himawari," Yuko said sitting on her lounge chair, "Do you have any wishes?"

Himawari looked confused, "Wishes? No, I don't think so, why do you ask?"

"Just curious is all," Yuko replied taking a sip of her sake watching the red strings of destiny start to tie themselves around the two boys in the house, "Fate and destiny are easily confused with each other, but they are both quite curious and I am intrigued as to how it will all play out in the end."

~~ End of story~~

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