Summary: When Watanuki meets his parents inside one of his frequent dreams, he has to make a difficult decision. (Douwata)

WARNINGS:

Implied Shonen-ai.

I would recommend reading up until the end of volume 13 before reading this.

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Maybe I've Loved

Never eating.

Never sleeping.

Never living.

What has my existence really been up until this point?

Yuuko-san said that, with a great deal of yearning, this prolonged fantasy would one day become my reality.

I saw them for the first time not too long ago. Admittedly, they didn't appear to me in the vivid clarity I'd always imagined, but it was enough for me to take comfort in. Although their faces were oddly obscured by darkened shadows, I could still detect that endearing expressions had invisibly etched themselves into their blank, paper-white faces. Even the fact that they may never have existed in the first place didn't bother me.

"We love you, son." The wispy voice seemed to have traveled an ocean to reach me.

"I – I love you, too." I choked out, unsure of how to approach them now that the moment had finally come.

"If it's at all possible…would you please stay with us?" The distant voice pleaded.

"Stay?" I was at a loss. All my 'life' I had wanted my parents there with me, but this was never how I had envisioned it; here, in this alternate reality. The possibility of choosing to stay in another one of the dream-like worlds I so often visited had never even crossed my mind and I felt that, in that moment, a million other doors had been opened for me.

How many other people could say that they, in one lifetime, had lived in more than one dimension – who else had the luxury to choose the world that suited them best?

But before my thoughts had had time to be processed, the answer was out of my mouth.

"No." I was shocked at myself to say the least. This is what I had waited my whole life for: loving parents, an absence of persistent spirits and, most importantly, a normal life.

"I see." They whispered sadly, "Then…there is someone that is precious to you Kimihiro? Someone that you can't leave?"

I paused.

I hadn't wanted to admit to myself that that passive, annoying bastard had been near the top of my list of reasons for returning to the world that I had called 'home' for so long.

"Yes." I said slowly, feeling less regretful than I would have thought.

"Then you must return." They stated bluntly, yet in the same wavering voices, "If you have a precious person in your life, Kimihiro, you do not just belong to yourself – you're obligated to that person."

"Obligated." I parroted, thinking of how similar their words were to Yuuko's.

"Of course. You have to be there for the one you love."

"L-love?!" I stuttered awake, seated on the ledge of Yuuko's genkan; my fingers still on the laces of my half done-up shoes.

"Love." I repeated, mulling it over in my head and began to laugh softly.

Never eating.

Never sleeping.

Never living.

But maybe, just maybe, loving.

A. N. : I know it was nothing special. I just thought it would be cute for Watanuki to realize his blaringly obvious feelings about Doumeki in that situation.