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Disclaimer - I don't own anything that could make me famous.
Summary - Thanksgiving was never celebrated by Watanuki, in fact, it wasn't celebrated very much in Japan at all. And somehow, Yuuko had found another holiday where Watanuki had to cook an elaborate feast for her. What effects of the holiday spirit have on Watanuki?
Pairing - Splashes of Yuuwaku (Yuuko/Watanuki)
Author's Note - Well, I decided that I liked writing Yuuwaku and it made more sense to me to write them for the holidays. (Yeah, I'm weird). I'll probably write Yuuwaku fics for the holidays from now on. BUT, this is not a sequel to Gathering Souls! They are just fics for the holidays, with a Yuuwaku pairing.
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"Celery, carrots, onions, potatoes..." One by one, Watanuki put the groceries on the list Yuuko made, in the cart. Despite the commonplace attitude he showed in the outside, he was fuming and screaming in the inside. Thoughts passed, and went as he ranted in his head. Why do I have to do this for Yuuko-san? Don't I cook enough for her? Besides, why the hell do I have to cook for Thanksgiving of all things? Thanksgiving is celebrated in the US, about how the pilgrims supposedly ate together in peace with the Native Americans. Then they betrayed the Native Americans, and chopped off the leaders head, put it on display, and enslaved the rest of them. What a wonderful holiday. Watanuki sighed at the depressing thought. But then again, Yuuko-san doesn't really care, as long as, she can make me cook food for her.
Of course, Watanuki was an absolute perfectionist and looked up all he could on Thanksgiving. He searched through several resources, looking up the origin and the importance. He did this in everything, in school, in sports, at home, every single time when the time arrived...
Finishing, he walked out into the frigid air back to Yuuko's shop.
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"Watanuki is back, Watanuki is back." Maru said, next to the door with Moro, both of them rolling a ball back and forth between them.
"Are you going to cook us food now?" Moro asked him.
"Yes, yes, currently it's only 3 pm, but I know your insatiable appetite will, just make me cook more. I'm going in right now." Watanuki said irritably, while walking up the front steps of the building.
Maru looked over at Watanuki, "You're so lazy Watanuki," Watanuki grumbled a little at this. "That's what Yuuko-san said. You weren't there to serve tea and snacks when customers came into the shop." His eyes widened at this. "I haven't seen them, but they have been there for quite a while, a little after noon I think. The costumer must really be interested in something of Yuuko-san's for this to happen. They will probably get something, from the sounds of it." Maru kept playing with the ball, even after she said this.
"Thank you Maru." Watanuki went inside, preparing for the worst.
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Walking through the hallways, he walked past the meeting room, to go to the kitchen only to overhear the conversation. Pausing, he stepped into the side hallway, to listen from the darkness.
"So I expect you will find these conditions fit to your request?" Yuuko's silken voice floated over to Watanuki's ears.
"Yes, thank you for your help." A deep voice, obviously male, thanked her. So the customer is male. Watanuki thought.
"Yes! Yes! We are very thankful for your help!" A false, high-pitched voice spoke out right afterwards. There is a female customer too! "Our family is very happy to receive this gift. Thank you!" Family! What are they getting! The thought screamed in his head, the result of past customers' flashed in his head. The deaths of them.
"Excuse us; we must be heading home now." The male (and probably the father of the family) opened the sliding door, to go to the exit of the building. Watanuki, who was hidden from view, watched a humble man walk out first. Then a rather pompous looking lady came out whose face was covered in make-up and was adorned with flashy jewelry. Two small children walked to the side of the woman. Both of them had straight, black hair, and matching, cute flowery dresses; twins.
What are they doing? A whole family entering the shop? How did they see the shop? It's impossible! Watanuki, glanced them over to see what they were given, to make them that happy. From the looks of it, the only thing that could have been given was the package held by the vain women's hands. It was a normal looking package, the size of one's head, nothing could be told from it, unless it was opened to reveal its contents.
They family left peacefully. However, the two girls turned their heads only to stare at the exact spot Watanuki was hiding.
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"Ah? You've come back rather early Watanuki. Is there something wrong?" Yuuko seemed to look surprised, as Watanuki walked through the sliding doors into the meeting room.
"Yuuko-san, who were those people?" He asked suspiciously.
"They were customers of course. I was surprised too when the whole family walked into the shop. However, they received something of course since they were able to come into the shop. Now Watanuki, go make the Thanksgiving dinner, you'll have plenty of time if you start right now."
"But-"
"Hurry up and go."
"...Fine."
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Why is everything so normal? Nothing happened so far... Those were the thoughts that Watanuki had, while sweeping the front of the shop. But it was true; so far nothing had happened in the last few days. Dinner went normally with a large turkey feast cooked by Watanuki. So far, no angry shouts or depressed cries of rage, had reached the shop. No strange disturbances, or freak incidents. Is it possible that Yuuko-san finally gave something, that didn't have an adverse effect on the user? The image of Yuuko flashed in his head. "When I grant a wish, something of equal value must be given back." He sighed. Okay, maybe there is a 50/50 chance that this will turn out to be a normal occurrence.
Looking down, he finished sweeping to go back into the shop.
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"Huh... Yuuko-san isn't here? That's rare." Looking around, there was no sign of the pale-skinned woman anywhere. "I might as well take a break. The whole business of having costumers is making me nervous." Sitting down, he grabbed the remote to the TV (which was also surprisingly, not being used) and flipped to the local new channel.
"Well, today, we have been informed that the school, has been finally renovated to its normal state, if not even better than before."
"I agree that school will be a good place for our worker's of the future."
"On a sadder note, have you heard about the Kyuumetsuki Incident today?"
"Yes, I have heard about that, I find that so sad."
"Well, due to the higher taxes in the community for the school, there are very unfortunate families that cannot pay the prices."
"Yes, just like this unfortunate family of four. The two parents were already divorced with twin girls, only 6 years old, that would have gone to the new elementary that was made. The mother had committed suicide, and the two children are now in an orphanage, deciding where to live."
"What about the father? Doesn't he want custody of his children?"
"In the divorce, there were many complications in the writing."
"Life isn't perfect, is it?"
And that was the last phrase, which came from the television. All Watanuki could do, was stare at the empty blank screen. Only, he didn't turn off the TV.
"Watanuki, I can see you know what happened to that family."
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"Yuuko-san! You're here!" Watanuki scampered away from the spot Yuuko was, bending his arms back to support his weight. The sudden action, making his glasses askew.
"Yes, I am." Smiling playfully, Yuuko snatched the glasses right off of Watanuki's face, his hand immediately up to cover his eyes.
To Watanuki, everything was just a blur of colors. "Wait! Yuuko-san, I need my glasses! I can't see a thing without them." Standing up, he blindly reached forward with his left arm, while keeping one of them on his face.
"You know, if you do that, you'll hurt yourself and the people around you." Watanuki felt a hand push right into his chest, his arms whipped back to keep his balance. Then, the same hand that pushed him, grabbed his own, giving him enough time to awkwardly get his balance. The hand gently pulled him forward, into what Watanuki could only describe as a figure made of blacks and whites.
"Yuuko-san-"
The blur of blacks and whites disappeared, as Watanuki felt a slight heat on his right. "Well, I just wanted to inform you about the family, so you don't keep on worrying." His eyes widened, "The ones that are left are fine. The truth is that, the twins are already living with the father. The TV station just wanted to make the story dramatic."
"Then what was the package...?"
"It was money." Watanuki opened his mouth, but soft fingers pressed against his lips to stop any thought from coming out of his mouth. "Well, she gave me something in return. The most important thing, that's what she gave me. It was enough to exchange for the money."
"Then why did she…."
"Die? Well, for that I would have to start from the very beginning of this story."
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Flashback
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"Excuse me, but what kind of shop is this?" A rather rude, but perfectly normal comment for when others saw a shop, in a place they did not see before.
Yuuko turned to look at the person that would enter the shop. But to her surprise, it was a whole family that had come. There was a mother, a father, and two twin girls. "You do not know?" She asked others that have come in, did not question, or already knew rumors about the shop.
The father stepped into the picture. "I'm sorry, I had not explained to my acquaintance yet, to what kind of shop this is."
"Then please, do come in." Yuuko said as she gestured for them to follow her inside.
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The two girls, from the very start since when they arrived, stared at Yuuko. Undeterred, Yuuko began talking. "So, if I may ask, what kind of problem is there?"
Immediately, it was the mother to begin talking. "Well, you see, our family is quite poor, because of the taxes from the new school. And what we need is money."
"I can give you that." Yuuko said.
"You can!" The lady exclaimed, but then narrowed her eyes. "For what price?"
"I always want something of equal value, to trade for others' wishes. It will be the most important thing for your family."
Sniffling, the woman didn't seem to care. "Well, take this then." The woman ripped the twins' hands apart, to reveal two small heart pendants. The heart was split in half, each twin carrying a piece. "This is probably the most important object to them. We need the money for them, so the important thing should be from them right?"
"I can give you the money." Yuuko said, handing them a regular box. The woman peeked inside, and saw a horrendously large amount of cash in there, and began to smile immediately. "So I expect you will find these conditions fit to your request?"
"Yes, thank you for your help." The man thanked her, while bowing his head in respect.
"Yes! Yes! We are very thankful for your help!" The woman's hands clutched onto the box, like a predator with it's prey already caught. "Our family is very happy to receive this gift. Thank you!" Her large, false smile widened conderably and continued on with her thought, "Excuse us; we must be heading home now."
The man stood up and bowed, while the woman waited impatiently at the door, but the false smile still adorning her face. Walking over to the door, the father opened it to let the mother out. The girls who were originally staring at Yuuko, switched to a new spot in the hallway.
Yuuko chuckled and thought, Watanuki, you never learn not to listen into to other people's conversations.
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"I don't see what's wrong," Watanuki protested, but then stopped to think aloud, "unless... Was it because she used the most important thing to the twins, and not herself?"
"You are correct." Pushing his down once more, Watanuki fell gently onto the ground. But he didn't really need the help, for his legs felt numb in agony.
I don't understand though, Watanuki thought. What caused the mother to kill herself?
"I told you everything, but one detail that could explain the whole incident." Yuuko, whispered softly into his ear. Watanuki jumped slightly, at the warm breath caressed the side of his face. "How did they see the shop in the first place? That's what needs to be answered."
"We never know how customers enter the shop. They just do…." But thinking back, Watanuki couldn't help, but think about the open wide staring, and discovery of his hiding place, by the small girls. "Was it the two girls?" Watanuki asked timidly.
"Once again, you are correct. That's just like you to discover that so quickly." Watanuki shivered, for even though he still couldn't see, he could tell Yuuko, was still very close to him. "Those two girls, are rather similar to you. They can see spirits, but not only that, they have an ability to see wavering thoughts."
"They can read minds!" Watanuki exclaimed.
"I'm sure you've experienced this before." Watanuki gasped, as he remembered two other girls, that looked uncannily alike, but both very different. At one point in time, he could remember the briefest drops of thought, coming from the two. "See? You remember. This isn't very uncommon with twins, or for those who look alike. They can read, wavering thoughts in one's mind, but they obviously have never tried to seek one mind's out, to read it." Yuuko slowly intertwined their fingers, for she had never let g o of his hand. Smiling, she watched Watanuki's dazed face try to comprehend what she just said.
"Then what drove the mother to commit suicide was…."
"The girls, until today, they had never used their powers. But when some of the thoughts of their "mother" reached them, it must have a terrible shock. They must have delved deeper into her mind, affecting her thoughts, until she was driven into suicide, to escape it all. Imagine the thought of another watching you, from the inside of your inner most thoughts. There would be no escape, unless you take your own life." As Watanuki stared blankly at the floor, Yuuko put his glasses, back on his face.
"Yuuko-san, why…." His question died, as he saw their hands intertwined and Yuuko's smirking face.
"Watanuki, you ask this question over and over, time and time again. Can't you accept the fact that this was all driven by fate? Everything has their certain destinies." Bringing their intertwined hands up, she spoke again, "There are things in the world that can't be researched, or looked up, Watanuki. Despite your need, for wanting normalcy, it's actually the need for wanting to understand what's going around you that asks these questions." Squeezing his hand for emphasis, she continued. I thought you already knew that there are no such things as coincidences, there is only inevitability."
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In another place, two small figures crouched down next to a larger one, on the wet grass. They stared unblinkly at the larger one.
"Neh, Papa, why are we here?"
"I don't understand, and it's at the nighttime too."
Two, almost identical voices asked the shape of their father, crouching down to pray at his fallen wife's grave. "I'm just showing some respect to those who passed away, that's all." Grabbing the two girls' hands, they walked out of the cemetery and into the street.
One of the girls asked almost silently, "Papa? Sometime, do you think we can go visit the lady from the shop again?" Looking at her father, she softly cocked her head to one side.
Turning to his children he smiled. "Hm? Of course we will. I have to return the money that she gave us; you both want back those necklaces, right." The twins nodded. "Then we shall go back someday, to get them back."
And they walked on, relying on themselves to get through the darkness of the night. Despite the new moon, and clouds covering the stars, the girls smiled with happiness.
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Before the help of the Native Americans, the pilgrims were dying, for they didn't know how to live in the new land. Then, they received help and lived in relative harmony. During the day of what is now known as Thanksgiving, the Native Americans and pilgrims ate together. They lived together, learning things from one another. Though, what was really happening was that the pilgrims were learning the secrets of the Native Americans. And one day, they betrayed them by taking the head of their leader, enslaving the others.
Similar to our story, the mother takes care of the family, from when they are children and cannot do anything. And the mother is later killed, by the twins.
But in this story, the mother was selfish and met her needs by anyway possible. She took the most precious things, from her children, to get money for herself. Unfortunately, we don't know all sides of a story. Things are often left blank.
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Ummm, so what does everyone think? A little bit late, but never-the-less, for Thanksgiving (kinda). I feel like, I've just written another episode for the anime, or manga, but oh well. Sooner or later, I will get back to To Capture Emotion so look forward to that.
Blah, I had finished this on Saturday, but because of the tech-ni-cal dif-fu-cul-ties I couldn't get the story in time at the weekend. I feel mad, but I can't really be mad at fanfic bot. It's not it's fault. But I still feel all bad, none the less.
AND
Please Read and Review!
