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Title: Alpha and Omega

Anime: xxxHolic

Pairings/Characters: Slight dou/wata. The usual cast and OC introductions; more characters once the story progresses.

Rating: T for now (because there will be blood and yaoi. Haha.)

Disclaimer: xxxHolic characters are obviously not mine, but Haris and Iris Manson, and Vinx, is. 8D

-

Every Kind of Light

-

Shadows lurk behind the brightest of light

Hope survives in the darkest of nights

What is safe may be otherwise at dark

Danger may hold dear your frantic heart

-

Watanuki Kimihiro was practically used to his everyday routines, even if there wasn't school the next day; if he could avoid sleeping late, he would, but with the numerous tasks and dishes his employer had him do, that seemed impossible today. The moon was already out, illuminating the dark streets, when he was given the permission to go home.

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to stay?" Yuuko asked him as he strapped on his dark leather shoes, and he frowns at her as she did so; the only thing she had in mind, well, was breakfast. Right?

"I'll be fine," He assured her, the venomous tone lacking in his voice, but he didn't want to inject any of it right then. He was tired. "I have to be early tomorrow. And besides, I'm used to it."

'It' being chased around by irritating and persistent ayakashis that littered the streets.

"Should I call Doumeki for you?" the Dimensional witch then asks, twirling a silky lock of her own hair between fingers. She wasn't serious, of course, or maybe she was- Watanuki had never gotten used to her- but she was smirking, so well, it ticked him off.

"Nah, I'd rather run home screaming my head off than being walked home by him." He replied indignantly, bristling up like a cat. "Hmph! There is no way I'd give him opportunity to add another outrageous request in his bento!"

"Suit yourself, and good night, Watanuki." Yuuko smiled, waving her hand not caught up in her hair. "Have a nice trip home."

Watanuki returned the wave, nodded at an echoing Maru and Moro, and smiled briefly at a bouncing Mokona, before finally leaving the Shop and walking out into the open.

It was cold air that greeted him face first, and involuntarily he raised his shoulders at an attempt to embrace himself- frowning at the bag he was carrying. He glanced at his watch, mentally noting that it was still around eight, and there was no need to be alarmed or anything- the truly frightening ayakashis only prowled at around a later hour, especially when there was not a soul around. Watanuki cast a look at the streets before him; there was the occasional car passing or two, but no visible sign of people was there. Well, there was school tomorrow, so it was only to be expected that no teenagers- or parents, or children, and whatnot- were to be seen walking around.

But there was something heavy in the air, and he shivered again as another cold breeze hit him- why was his bag so heavy, and why did he feel too lazy to walk? He stifled a yawn behind his hand, momentarily closing his eyes; darn, he needed sleep.

That was when 'it' attacked.

When he opened his eyes, something big and slimy was wrapping him up in a snake-like embrace, and that 'thing' was gazing into his eyes. He let out a gasp as the grip on him tightened, and a long velvety tongue extended to lick the front of his glasses. Oh shit, perhaps it was a good idea to stay the night, or at least have Doumeki with him...

At the thought of the stoic archer, Watanuki heard a long yet audible hiss, and then the monster let him go. He dropped to his knees, eyes seeking his savior, but something else met his eyes.

Doumeki was standing a few good feet off, staring at a girl- the girl who was responsible for his safety. She wasn't anyone he was familiar with, even slightly; an intimidating girl with short, cropped chestnut hair, dark hazel eyes (just like Doumeki's, he huffs uncomfortably), and a stone face. If the she and Doumeki had joined a competition for the sternest look, it was unclear as to whether the archer would win at all. Something large moved behind her; but it was nowhere near harmful.

He wanted to say something, anything, but he still felt tired, and all he wanted to do was sleep.

And so he did.

-

The first thing that greeted him was, as always, the rather dull ceiling of Doumeki's room (he might as well die here, he thought wearily, seeing how frequently had he regained consciousness in his rival's place). He was still in his uniform, thank God, since he greatly despised how large Doumeki's spare clothes were on him, and it seemed uncomfortable to wear something his rival used to wear. He turned his head, expecting Doumeki to fill his view, but was instead greeted by a pair of insect-like eyes.

"Watanuki...awake!" the thing said in its scratchy, hissy voice, as Watanuki scrambled a good few meters away from the monster. The spirit seer cast his gaze around, spotting both his savior and Doumeki sitting comfortably on separate cushions, the girl sipping some tea. Watanuki was about to scream his head off at the two about the insect-creature before him when suddenly, the girl spoke.

"Aah, so you're awake. Vinx, kindly ease back a little, since you're scaring him quite a bit." Her tone was set on deadpan, no spark of humor or insult in her words. He couldn't even trace relief or annoyance, or anything at that.

"What..." he started, in which Doumeki interfered, that dumb asshole Doumeki, with a similar look of nonchalance as he nodded at the two 'unusual' guests he had in his room."Thank you for everything." He said coolly.

"No problem," the girl replied, taking her eyes away from Watanuki; she stood and made a gesture at the monster who was slowly inching away from the frightened spirit seer. "Vinx, let's go home."

Watanuki waited for awhile before turning on his friend; "Who the hell was that?" He hissed.

Doumeki sipped from his cooling cup, which was then laid forgotten on the tatami floor; "I don't know." He said with the least of emotions, as always, showing on his face.

Watanuki wanted to rant so badly. Badly enough for Doumeki to go deaf, he was sure. But things were as confusing now as it is- and no amount of complaining and insulting would help him at all, since, firstly, Doumeki had never been affected and two, he couldn't think of something to throw at the archer's face. Even if it did made him feel better.

"You can stay here if you'd like." came Doumeki's voice.

Uncharacteristically, however, Watanuki just looked at his companion, too tired to even shoot a glare. "I have to get home." He said quietly.

Doumeki stood, grabbing a coat from a nearby drawer. "Then I'll walk you home."

Watanuki was too tired to protest, even.

-

His fatigue was clearly evident on his face the next day, since even Himawari- clueless and dense little Himawari- had noticed his lack of vigor. Or maybe, without the flailing and twirling and fawning over, it was a tad too obvious.

"Do you lack sleep?" She asked quietly, concern in her voice, and though normally Watanuki would clutch at his heart and think, this is it, it's her love, well.

He resolved to smiling back at her, although somewhat tiredly.

"Jaa, I'm okay, Himawari-chan-" He raised a hand to stifle a yawn- "I guess I do, though."

They were whispering quietly to converse, with the teacher explaining something in the front, but it was their homeroom period already. There wasn't really a need to pay attention, and Watanuki was paler than usual, so Himawari took it upon herself to focus on her friend.

"Well, maybe you should take a nap in the infirmary," she suggested with a small smile, but he waved the thought away; "No, I'm fine. Besides, I think there's an important announcement Tsukomi-sensei has to say."

And, true enough, as the two drew back their eyes towards the teacher in front, Tsukomi had only finished his sentence, and was gesturing for someone outside the classroom door to enter. Watanuki could see from his position that it was a girl, since her hesitance caused her skirt to flow a bit, just enough not to show her underwear, but enough for him to recognize the green skirt. Well, it's a girl, he thinks with a sigh.

The said student entered somewhat slowly, fiddling with her thumbs, and Watanuki couldn't help but notice how...cute she was. But there was no other connection, so, oh well.

"My name is Iris Manson," She says, growing bolder as she spoke, her Japanese accent a slightly foreign one; "I'm a temporary transferee, so while I'm still here, nice to meet you all."

"From where?" One of the boys in class asked, and Watanuki couldn't help himself roll his eyes. I mean, geez, he thinks. Isn't that a little too sudden to ask?

Or perhaps it wasn't, and she answered the inquiring boy with a sweet smile. "I'm from Los Angeles. Me and my twin Haris moved here since our father had a little project in Japan."

Watanuki couldn't help himself. There was something about her that seemed familiar. "You speak straight Japanese. Did you learn how?"

She gave him a shrug; "Just quite." She responded. "I'm sure my sister is doing a bit better."

Tsukomi, their homeroom teacher, smiled kindly at the new student before any more questions could be asked; "Please take a seat now, Manson-san. You can sit beside Himawari-san right there."

As soon as Iris took her seat, and Himawari immediately starting a friendly conversation with her new seatmate, Watanuki realized that she looked like the girl that saved him the previous night.

In the distance, the bell for lunch rang.

-

"I'm sorry I didn't bring any bentos," Watanuki apologized, setting down the only three he had, smiling sadly at Iris. The said girl was sitting on her forelegs beside Himawari, smiling back at him. "No, it's okay. You didn't expect me anyway." Well yeah, that was true. But Watanuki was used to making bentos for all the people he ate lunch with, and though that only contained Himawari and, begrudgingly, Doumeki, Iris was someone Watanuki wanted to treat as well.

Iris Manson was, first of all, a pretty girl. She had a somewhat Asian build despite her American heritage; the way her face was shaped, for instance, and the way her eyes slanted quite a bit upwards. Well, she's not Japanese- perhaps Chinese of the sort- and her skin color was white, with rosy cheeks and chestnut hair, and not pale like the spirit seer's. Her eyes were a fascinating hazel, and he was reminded of the mysterious girl he had met the night before- Iris had mentioned a twin, right? So maybe, she was...

"Besides, I made my sister and myself some bento as well, so there's no need for you to fuss over me." Iris continued on brightly, bringing the bespectacled boy from his stupor. "Oh..." he started, looking at the girl."...you can cook?"

"She always cooks, anyway." Came a voice, and Watanuki immediately linked its resemblance to the mysterious girl's own last night. "In fact, she deals with all the household matters."

"Oh, Haris. Not everything," laughed Iris as her twin took a seat beside her; "I bet I'm not as good as Watanuki-kun, since it's my first time to actually prepare a bento, ne, Watanuki-kun?"

The bespectacled boy wasn't listening, however, since his attention was focused onto the newly-arrived female, Haris.

"You-"

"Oh, it's you, Watanuki-kun." She cut across him, rather nonchalantly.

Before he could say anything else, Doumeki arrived, late as usual, and without a word took his own bento from Watanuki's side. Because of this, the surprise on the spirit seer's face quickly disappeared, replaced by a look of indignation as he turned on the archer.

"YOU UNGRATEFUL, BOTTOMLESS PIT-STOMACHED JERK--"

"Hello Doumeki-kun." Smiled Himawari, and Doumeki nodded as he chewed on a delightfully delicious piece of onigiri, all the while ignoring Watanuki's insults at him.

Watanuki halted in his tirade, huffing angrily at Doumeki, before he handed Himawari her own bento and opened his. That stupid jerk, he thinks sourly. That stupid, idiotic, annoying son-of-a--

"Watanuki-kun," he brought his head up at Iris' voice; "Are you alright?"

He wasn't looking as vibrant as usual, only perhaps worked up. But he looked disheveled, in a way. "Um. yeah. Oh--" He turns to address the girl's twin- "Thank you so much for last night, Haris-chan."

The girl in question raised her eyebrows at him, and he could swear there was an underlying smirk in her lips. "Just passing by, I guess."

"I see now!" Iris smiled then, looking from Watanuki then at her sister; "Haris saved you from a monster, right?"

"Really. It was a good thing me and Vinx decided to fly by that night, but then again, he was about to save our damsel in distress," Haris nodded at Doumeki. "You've been doing that sort of thing for quite some time, correct?"

Doumeki grunted his reply, and then reached for an onigiri in Watanuki's bento, since his own had finally run out.

"Don't touch that," Watanuki snapped at the archer, who decided it best to not comply, as always. "And besides, it's not as if Doumeki-kun saves me all the time."

His statement led to an awkward pause, with both Haris and Doumeki staring blankly at him, and the other two females smiling brightly.

"Okay, fine. All the time then-" He turns to Doumeki. "But that doesn't mean anything."

"Hn." Was the reply, and the bell rang.

-

"Are you going to take long?"

The question brought Watanuki's head out from underneath his table. Beside him was the window, gently beaming at them with an orange-colored ray, and the clock in the front of the class ticked the minutes away, as Watanuki straightened himself to look at his companion. Doumeki was standing by the door, his school bag and sports sack in one hand, the other in his pocket. He had on his face the usual blank look. It was a surprise and a relief that Doumeki didn't start with a one-word sentence, like 'oi' for instance.

"Well, I'll have to stop by the library," Watanuki replied, sighing a bit as he closed his school bag. "You can leave now if you want."

Doumeki ignored the suggestion, looking around a bit as he approached the spirit seer. "Iris and Himawari went home together, then?"

"Yeah," was the reply. "And what of Haris?"

The archer stopped a foot away from Watanuki, staring down at him, even if the bespectacled boy was standing to his full height, an impressive 5'7. "She said she needed to attend to something," Doumeki shrugged; "Well, it's none of my business. But she left for the rooftop."

Watanuki clutched at the bag at his side, making a movement to leave. He paused half-way. "Are you coming?"

"Do I have any other choice?" Doumeki said coolly, closely following his friend.

They walked in silence for a while, Watanuki walking somewhat hesitantly before the archer, who was just as calm- and as quiet- as usual. The sun had fully set when they reached the library.

Out of the corner of his eye, something moved in the darkness. Watanuki gulped involuntarily as he pushed open the double doors, careful to not direct his eyes at the shadows for long. Doumeki noticed his discomfort, and placed a large hand on the spirit seer's shoulder.

"Where?" He asked, instead of what, since he had trusted Watanuki and his instincts since long ago. He pressed his chest against the seer's back, earning an almost inaudible gasp. He did not bother to step back, though- nor did Watanuki bothered to move away- since this was Doumeki's initial way of protecting him- and of showing concern.

Watanuki bit his lip, trembling slightly. The alarm bells had stopped sounding in his head, and carefully he placed his hand on Doumeki's own, which was lying on his shoulder. When he thought the danger was truly gone, though, and was about to turn on Doumeki for no particular reason, there was a sound of glass breaking that alarmed the two.

Instinctively, Doumeki grabbed Watanuki and gently pushed him out of the way, before running quickly towards the sound. Somehow, after a recent incident, Doumeki disliked the sound of breaking glass, and whenever such a noise came, adrenaline would surge through his veins as he would run towards the sound with hopes of nobody being underneath its dangerous pile. This certain occurrence, however, held no bloody victim beneath, nor did it hold anything innocent- for, as Doumeki gazed out of the shattered windows of the dark library, he could see a lone figure running towards the woods, desperately trying to escape the evidence littering upon the ground.

It wasn't human, Doumeki was sure.

"Hey, what happened-" Watanuki asked as he reached his stoic companion, whose eyebrows were scrunched up in deep thought. The spirit seer followed his friend's gaze, but by then the figure had disappeared within the vast and numerous trees.

"Are you alright?" Doumeki's voice was slightly frantic, and Watanuki could feel himself tremble at the emotions surfacing in his friend's golden eyes. Large hands took hold on each of his arms, and the archer gently shook the spirit seer, not wanting to take the silence as an answer. "Watanuki, are you alright?"

"Y-yeah," came the reply, faintly. Eyes of blue and gold met Doumeki's own; "Doumeki, stop worrying..."

Exactly. Why was he worrying? Whatever that being was, it did not harm Watanuki in any way, and the fear lacing the spirit seer's voice was made just because Doumeki was acting strangely, and not because he had been hurt. No. Watanuki was safe, so why was he worrying so much?

Something was amiss.

"I'm just...glad you're alright." Doumeki said gently, easing his grip. "You're safe now."

With that, he pulled a slightly befuddled Watanuki into his arms, encasing the boy protectively within his embrace. In the distance, a faint scream reverberated through the trees, unheard by the two.

-

Whatever it was following her, it was gaining on fast.

Her steps slowly became more panicked, and she could feel tears sliding down her cheeks as she made her way through the dark trees, her long curly hair waving behind her. She hiccupped badly, bringing a hand to her mouth to strangle another cry- if she made a sound, the thing would only find her much quickly.

She was so scared. Despite the fact that she brought bad luck to others, she had never been so frightened in her whole life- and there was no one to save her! She dared not scream for help, just wanting to get out of the forest, and run towards Doumeki's temple or to Yuuko's...

Pain shot up her right leg, and immediately she tumbled down, landing on her front. She could feel something approaching, and she turned her head, tears streaking freely down her face, her mouth opened in a silent scream-

And darkness engulfed her.

-

A/N: Chapter one is over. This plot has been cooking in my head for sometime, you know? It's a relief to be able to vent it out. It's a start. OwO I truly hope I finish this multi-chapter. So if you guys want me to, then please review. PLEASE! Don't just read. Tell me what you think. Or else you'll never ever know how this ends. So yeah. Blackmail! Writers need reviews. Without them, how will we know what the readers think? How will that help the story? See? I've got a point. So click that button over there and send me your rants- and raves. Anyway, I'm sending chapter two early anyway. X3

This will be the last thing in this chapter:

REVIEW YOU HUMANS. xD