Consolation

Part One- To Cry

Watanuki admittedly wept a little on the long walk to Yuuko's shop that day. Himawari-chan… He couldn't believe what he had done. What had got into him? He had been such a fool, confessing his feelings like that, out of the blue. It wasn't even like him to do something so reckless. All this time spent together, trying to win her over, reduced to nothing. He had screwed up magnificently.

He was greeted by Maru and Moro as soon as he crossed the threshold.

"Good afternoon, Watanuki."

"The Mistress is not here."

"Not here…"

Good thing. The last thing he needed right now was Yuuko's ruthless teasing. She would have immediately seen something was wrong, and she would have rubbed salt in the wound. That was what she would have done.

"She said that you must have dinner ready when she comes back tonight!"

He brushed past the two girls without answering, heading straight for the guest room that had become his over time.

"Oh. Watanuki doesn't look well."

" Doesn't look well."

He slid the door shut behind him. He slumped on the floor, holding his head in his hands. He heard the tapering of feet on the wooden floor and then Maru's voice on the other side of the wall.

"Maru, Moro, can do anything?"

He swallowed back his tears. "Go away, girls. Just please go."

"HELLO, Watanuukiii!" A black ball of fur jumped out of nowhere and landed on his shoulder. Though he felt angry, he also felt too depressed to get mad.

"What's with the glum face, Watanuki-born-April 1st?"

"It's just… Well… Himawari-chan…...WHY don't you leave me alone?"

"You can talk to Mokona if you'd like to…"

He looked into the face of the small creature. It was serious.

"You? What would some weird little thing like you know about love?"

Both of its longs ears twitched and it looked a bit hurt.

"Mokona may be a Mokona" It said sulkily "but Mokona still knows what Mokona feels when Soel is not with Mokona."

"S-Soel?"

"Soel is the same as Mokona but is white. Soel has always lived with Mokona for as long as Mokona remembers… But for now, it is on a mission… Luckily, Mokona can still see Soel in dreams!" It smiled a little, bravely, but Watanuki could feel its sadness. For once, he could feel empathy for his plushy little companion.

"Say, Watanuki. Are you sad because of Himawari-chan? It is alright to cry. Mokona has often seen Yuuko cry because of him."

"Yuuko-san… cried…"

It seemed like a strange thing for someone like her to do. It made him feel inexplicably sad. He, who was always so prompt to state that she didn't have a heart, was now facing open admission of her vulnerability.

Part Two- Dessert

"I… Who is that man? Do I know him? Are him and Yuuko-san…?"

"Clow Reed."

"Yuuko-san!"

Why she had come home so soon, how she had got into the room so quietly, he didn't know. But she was there, and gazing at him with a look he had never seen on her face before. A sad, wistful look. Actually, she wasn't looking at him, but at some point near his shoulder.

"Yuuko-san…" He began.

"Why isn't dinner ready? I'm starving!" She interrupted loudly.

In the blink of an eye, all concerns were gone. About his broken heart, about her broken heart… It surely wouldn't last long but for now he had something to take care of, and an annoying Yuuko to deal with.

"It's too early to have dinner!"

"Who said that? I say this is just the right time for eating! Hurry up, Watanuki, I'm hungry!"

Clow Reed… He thought a little later, while chopping mushrooms. The mysterious man who made Yuuko cry. Had she loved him the way he loved Himawari? Had he also… turned her down? He couldn't imagine it. Mind buzzing with questions, he bustled about the kitchen. He did his very best that night, running around and serving her without complaining, for once. He even went as far as to bake her favorite dessert- chocolate fondant. (The secret information was a courtesy of Mokona, as he told her smilingly). She whined a little because of the time it took but congratulated him warmly. Strangely, he could have sworn he caught another glimpse of that indefinable look in her eyes as she took her first bite.

What was he trying to prove? To her, that he cared about her despite everything. To himself, that he could make her happy. Everything is an exchange, she always said, and indeed, he got to see her smile fondly at him and run a hand through his hair. She appreciated the gesture for what it was, a token of his feelings, an attempt at comforting her, and himself.