Ahhh, I haven't posted angsty stuff in a loooong time. I hope it's not too bad...
lol, and the title was kinda irrelavent in the end, too...
Warning:Character Death
Disclaimer: I do not own xxxHolic!

When the insistent knocking at his door wouldn't stop, it was the first time in days he had moved from his spot on the floor.

Slowly, he moved to the door, not bothering to tell the person on the other side to shut up. He then unlocked it carefully, and slid it open.

"Yuuko-san…"

"You need to bury him, Doumeki."

Doumeki frowned, and stepped back into his room, and sat back down on the floor, his head bowed so he did not have to look at the woman.

"Doumeki-kun…His body has been in the preparation room of your temple for 3 days. He's getting angry."

At this statement, Doumeki raised his head, and gave her a wide-eyed stare.

"He's…still here?" his voice was scratchy, and choked from not speaking or drinking anything in the last few days.

"Yes. And he's not pleased you let his physical body get to the state it is in now."

"Where is he?" Doumeki stood up.

Yuuko stood and stared at Doumeki for a long moment. "…He's right beside you. He hasn't left your side. He's yelling at you right now, though he knows you can't hear him."

Doumeki felt his throat tighten. He coughed, choking back tears. "He shouldn't be here."

"He can't help it. Unfinished business and all that. You know how spirits can be, Doumeki."

Doumeki shook his head, he could feel hot tears slowly leaking from the corners of his eyes. "Watanuki…You should move on. Don't stay here. There's nothing for you here…"

Yuuko glared at Doumeki. She then looked to his side at something Doumeki couldn't see, and nodded. "Doumeki…"

"What?"

Yuuko slapped him across the face.

Doumeki stumbled backwards, shocked at Yuuko's rash actions. "Wh-what was that for?!"

"From Watanuki. Since his wish wasn't granted properly, I owe him a couple favours. And that was one of them." Her gaze turned dark, "Just so you know, Doumeki, he won't leave until you do what he wants. And if you wait too long, things won't get better." She then turned on her heel, and left the mourning boy in the darkness of his room.

Doumeki slumped to the floor again.

"If your still here, Watanuki, I just…I…I'm sorry," he managed to croak out, before he let the tears and emotions come pouring out.

OoO

Watanuki was beside himself, worrying over his fallen friend. He was also upset that Doumeki thought it would be a good idea to keep a corpse in a cold room for three days, without proper preparation. It didn't help that it was his own body, and if it weren't for the wards Doumeki's grandfather had put up around the room, he knew his body would have been long since devoured by now.

When Yuuko showed up, Watanuki was relieved, knowing he could speak to Doumeki through her.

"Watanuki…You should move on. Don't stay here. There's nothing for you here…"

When Watanuki heard those words, he all but snapped. If one thing happened when you died, it was that you realized all the idiocies of yourself when you were alive. And Watanuki's realization was that he really did care for the archer. If not purely friendship, then perhaps something more. He wasn't all too sure.

So, he turned to Yuuko, and demanded she slap him good and hard for him. And she did. Right across the face. Watanuki flinched when he heard the sound of the slap, but he knew Doumeki needed it to have anything penetrate his shell of depression.

And when those words of apology came out of Doumeki's mouth, all Watanuki could do was look down on the archer, and wish for him to be able to be happy again one day.

OoO

The next day, Doumeki took a shower, got dressed, and with a heaved sigh, began to prepare Watanuki for his burial. Of course, when he went to place Watanuki's body into the casket Doumeki had chosen, a candle inexplicably fell over, and caught the fringe on the side on fire. Doumeki jumped back, and looked around for a cause to the candle falling over. He found none.

He carefully placed Watanuki's body back on the prep table, and put out the fire. It hadn't spread much, and was fairly controlled. Doumeki had a feeling Watanuki was trying to tell him something.

When he turned around, the candle that had nearly set fire to the casket was sitting on the table beside Watanuki's remains.

"Ah…you want to be cremated, then." Doumeki nodded, and placed the candle back to where it was supposed to be, and blew it out.

OoO

That evening, Watanuki watched himself burn. It was an odd sensation, watching your body go up in flames, but he had wanted it this way. Being buried under the ground had always bothered him, and he knew that eventually some hungry, malicious spirit would find it, and gobble it up. He blanched at the thought of it.

Doumeki stood beside him, looking as stoic as ever. And, although Watanuki new he would never hear it, Watanuki leaned in over Doumeki's shoulder, and thanked him.

Doumeki shivered. He could have sworn he had heard someone say thank you. He shrugged. It was probably his imagination playing tricks on him. After all, it wouldn't have been Watanuki. Would it?

A/N-Contemplating a sequel. Anyone interested?