A Tale of Memories

Disclaimer : Holic isn't belong to me

Pairing : Doumeki x Watanuki

Summary : AU – Once upon a time, two very different boy with two very different live meet under the name of Hitsuzen.

A Tale of Childhood

"Shizuka, you will be strong, you have to be strong." said Haruka.

"And why is that, grandfather?" ask the 6 years old.

"So you will be able to protect what you want to protect."

"What I want to protect…?" Shizuka silent for a second "I want to protect this family."

Haruka gave a little laugh "Yes, of course you'll protect this family, but that's not what I mean."

"What did you mean, grandfather?"

"Someday Shizuka, you'll find something, someone that you'll want to protect by choice. Someone very important and you hold so dearly."

"Someone more important than my family?"

"Yes, someone who need you, someone who you'll need. Someone who'll bring you happiness and pain. Someone who'll make you experiences many things, many feeling you never know before. Someone who'll make you hopes but can destroy that hope also. Someone who will become the source of your happiness and sorrow. Hitsuzen will bring you two together, and hitsuzen can separate you two."

"I'm afraid I don't understand, grandfather."

"You will someday, Shizuka. You will someday."

"If that someone is very important to me, then I'll become strong so I can protect that someone. I'll make sure that someone will be always safe as long as I'm around, and I'll never let go."

Haruka give Shizuka his soft, gentle smile with proud look in his eyes "I know you will, Shizuka, but …" the proud look change into something more sad "Protecting someone is not an easy task, Shizuka. Especially if that someone is…"

"Is what?"

Haruka shake is head a little "No, nothing. Nothing you should know now. But as I said, protecting someone is a really hard, difficult task. Hitsuzen can be very cruel, you must struggling so hard to keep that someone safe. Many sacrifice you'll do, many painful things you'll experience, many misfortune you have to face. And even so, sometimes no matter what you do, no matter how hard you effort, no matter what and how many sacrifice you give, there is a thing you can't have, a wish can never be granted."

"Did you mean I can't protect that someone?"

"No, the future is something uncertain. The future is not just one, and there always hope. Your every decision will make your future."

"…then so be it. I'll found that someone, and no matter what, I'll do my very best to protect that someone. I'll become more and more stronger so I can face anything that come in my way. From all that sacrifice, all painful things, all misfortune, I'll become more stronger. When I'll found that someone, I'll never let that person hands go. I'll make my own future, where that person can be happy, can be safe. I swear I'll never give up until the very end."

Once again that soft, gentle smile and proud look return "You make me very proud, very happy. Be strong Shizuka, became someone who can protect. You were born with so many luck one could have, and you'll need every luck you have to share it with that someone."

"Sharing my luck?

"That someone will be polar opposite of you, Shizuka. Both of you need as many luck as you could have. You have to work hard just to enter his life, let alone have him as yours." Haruka chuckle at this.

The term of 'he' did not escape Shizuka, but he couldn't care less. It's not like he didn't understand, he did understand, and that's why it's really not a problem. Nor the fact that his grandfather seems already know who this someone is, if Haruka choose not to tell, then it means he need not to know just yet.

"Until now, you can have what you want easily. But it's not going to be easy one. Are you ready to work so hard that you never have to before?"

"As I said grandfather, when I found that someone, I'll never let go."

"Yes, with him you have to be persistent but patient. Now I'm sure, no matter what, you'll never lose your way. And you will be fine, even I'm not around."

"Even you not around? What do you mean, grandfather?"

"Remember Shizuka, something hard to get, it's something hold a greatest value. As long as you don't give up, your effort will be rewarded. And you must be patient, very patient, not hurry but take one step in one time. Do not rush thing, no matter how much you want it, slowly but surely. Knowing when the time to back away a little, when the time to stay still, when the time to move onward. And no matter how painful things turn out to be, you do what you want to do, and I'll make sure you have the chance to."

Haruka is avoiding his question, instead he give him more mysteries, but Shizuka force himself to not questioning his grandfather more. He'll know when the time comes. "Yes, I will, grandfather."

Once upon a time, one boy has sworn to protect.

The father put the food into his mouth and chews slowly. The young boy look nervous, watching his father expression "How was it, father?"

His father give him smile "Yes, it's delicious. You really are getting good at this."

The young boy smiling in happiness "Thank you, father. Shall I call mom now?"

"No, you take a bath. Your mother will be here shortly and we'll have dinner together."

"Okay, father."

The father watches as his son leaving the kitchen. His smile slowly disappear "You really are getting good, soon … nothing more I can teach." He whisper as his wife come into kitchen and stand beside him.

"Is that's our dinner today?" ask the mother as she give his husband cheek light kiss.

"Yes. Our son made it and it's really delicious." said the father with smile on his face, but his wife can't be fooled so easily.

"What's wrong?"

The father silent for a second, he really grateful his wife can read him easily, but other time he hopes his wife isn't that good. This is one of those other times. "No, it's just … it's really good, his cooking. Soon he'll master all he need to …" he takes a deep breath "All he needs to make it by his own."

His wife face becomes sad. He actually didn't want to say it out loud, but even if he didn't say it, his wife understand it, they feel same kind of pain. His wife then hugging him from behind "It's alright … he will make it. Our son have big, strong heart and nice, gentle soul, no matter how heavy the burden he must carry, no matter how cruel hitsuzen can be. Both of them are."

At time like this, he know his wife is stronger than him "I know, I believe in him, I believe in them. It just … hard, to be all over this again."

"We know it's gonna be painful, but someday, someday we will meet them again. She said it, that people wish is always stronger. All we could do now is filling his days with nothing but happiness, until the day we must leave come. And I believe there is a future where we all gonna be reunite once more, and never separated again."

The father turn around and hug his wife back "Yes, and we will do our best to protect him. And it's not just us, there is many people will do the same. People he had meet, people he will meet, will become the lights in his dark path."

"Our son will never be really alone. Even there will be years when no one around him, many watch over him. And the witch has promise us, she'll protect our son when we cannot. Beside, he will meet his destined person." his wife gives his husband smile.

He smile back "He will be protected, and he'll be able to protect what important for him as well. It's gonna be long, painful years, but let us believe in the future."

Once upon a time, one boy has sworn to be protected.

000

Thank you so much for the review, I really glad you like this one. I so very bad at grammar, so I'm sorry for all the mistake. Next chapter will take more time since I'll have someone to beta it first, someone can help me with grammar? I love Haruka, he is so cool and charming in his own way. I don't know how Doumeki when he was child, but I expect he was a mature one. By the way, does anyone know the name of Doumeki's parents and Haruka's wife?

Next : When you have something, it means you can very well lose it. Sometimes, there's a thing, precious thing that once you lose it, it will never return. Something is fated to just slip out from our hands.