Title: Alpha and Omega
Anime: xxxHolic
Pairings/Characters: Slight dou/wata. The usual cast and OC introductions; more characters AND more elaborative pairings 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
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Danger
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There's nothing pleasant in this endless tirade
So halt in your steps before the moment fades;
Do you hear the footsteps echoing behind us?
Sometimes there is no one you can really trust
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They lived in a rather nice flat. It was big enough for three people to live in comfortably, well supplied with decent furniture, and still-new appliances. But with the absence of their father, and Vinx to replace him, the flat sometimes proved to be a bit small and tight.
Vinx was huge. Inside the house, he could only crawl, and though he was at comfort this way, his wings were a tad too big for the confines of their small home.
It was only sometimes that Haris let Vinx into the house, since in the daylight the monster could not be seen by ordinary humans- today was not one of those days wherein Vinx was allowed inside, but the poor beast was hungry, and had snuck in for a loaf of bread or two.
It only took a few seconds before Vinx was roughly pushed out again, as Haris had caught him half-way to the kitchen, and with his wings grazing against one of the paintings on the wall; the slight action had caused much noise, to Vinx's horror, and quite suddenly he was thrown out by an angry Haris.
"How many times must I tell you that whenever you need something, just call?" Haris' voice lacked emotion, but Vinx noted the underlying note of danger in her tone. Haris meant business, and sadly, Vinx was at fault.
"B-but..." Vinx gulped, willing his tongue to continue, the mental language for human communication kicking in full gear. "Vinx hungry!"
"I know you're hungry," Came Haris' distinct growl. She reached behind her and tossed two loaves of bread at the insect creature, which happily caught it and proceeded to eat. "If you enter the house without my permission again, you will stay hungry for two weeks." And with that, she banged the door.
Haris wasn't entirely mean. She held a soft spot for her twin and the monster outside, no matter how stern and cruel she was when dealing with them. Being the athletic tough one of the two sisters, she had always taken it upon herself to protect what's left of their family- what with her mother dying at giving birth, and her father working his life away- she couldn't help but be a little too overprotective over the two. All her life she had shut the doors of her heart against any other, willing that, in time, her emotions would disappear, and she could fully prepare herself for the cruelty and treachery of the world.
Haris pushed back a lock of chestnut colored hair as she sat before the breakfast table, with her other hand reaching for the morning paper. Ever since the twins had found Vinx, it became Haris' purpose to fight away the monsters that both twins could detect- thanks to their heritage- and since the monsters tended to disturb Iris a lot. It didn't bother her at all, though, since she was used to seeing and fighting such beings from the early age of eight.
Steely auburn eyes scanned through the columns of Japanese characters, no trace of confusion brimming within the orbs. Haris had found learning Japanese quite easy; she was as good at reading and writing as she was good at speaking the said language. And so, as she set down the paper, and as Iris finally came up to greet her a good morning, Haris had fully understood what the article was about, and what danger lay ahead.
"Iris, I'm skipping school today. There's something I need to do." she told her twin sister as the said teenager settled herself across Haris; "Will you please tell Doumeki?"
Well. Old habits don't die.
-
Watanuki was used to fawning over a certain Himawari every time they met at school. It became a part of his life- and he never got sick of it, since, nothing else really happened after the fawning over. Himawari was naive, and if he was too, nothing would ever develop between them. But Himawari was more to Watanuki other than an object to fuss over; Himawari was one of Watanuki's good friends.
And so, as the bell for the first period rang, Watanuki couldn't help but frown at the empty seat where Himawari was supposed to be. He knew for a fact that the girl rarely had troubles with the supernatural, no matter how unlucky she was. He decided not to worry much- she's probably in a family outing, he thinks- but somehow, he couldn't shake away the concern in his heart.
Iris looked back at him, and they shared a somewhat sad smile. "Ne, Watanuki-kun, is Himawari-chan sick?"
Watanuki slowly shook his head, not really sure what to say. "Himawari was fine yesterday...she's with her family, though, so I think she's okay."
With her family. Somehow, Watanuki had always thought that people in their family's care would always be alright. They would have parents to take care of them, siblings to have fun with, and they wouldn't be lonely. He gave out another sad smile at Iris, who understood...somewhat. She still had her twin.
"Well, I think it's a good idea to drop by her place later on," Iris began slowly, propping up her head with her palm, the elbow leaning on the back of her chair; "We could bring her homework for today too."
Watanuki nodded, his glasses glinting in the morning light; "That's a good idea, Iris-chan. Let's do that."
They stopped talking after that statement, and the day slurred with Watanuki not really concentrating on anything. He didn't even launch into a complain when Doumeki didn't show up at lunch, and Haris' own absence seemed expected too, since Iris didn't bother bring the topic up, instead engaging with Watanuki in something else. Soon after, as the spirit seer and the almond-haired twin stared worriedly at the horizon beside them, behind the glass windows; the sun had finally gone down, the skies colored in a beautiful red and orange glow. The bell then rung for dismissal.
"Might as well get going," started Kimihiro; he had slung his own bag over his shoulder, Himawari's books in his other hand. "If we're planning to stay a little longer, we should go early."
He was starting to think of what to explain to Yuuko when he'd arrive late at the shop when a familiar tone was spoken.
"Oi."
"Doumeki-kun!" Iris greeted happily. "I was wondering what kept you earlier."
"I had something to attend to. Didn't have lunch." The archer turned to Watanuki, who was adjusting his grip on the school books. "You still have my bento, right?"
"Of course I do!" replied the spirit seer angrily, turning away. "But we're going to visit Himawari-chan first, you selfish prick, so I'm just going to leave you--"
"Is Kunogi in trouble?" Doumeki cut in, directing his question at Iris (since she wasn't ranting or flailing or anything, unlike Watanuki).
"Um. I guess you could say that." She frowned a bit. "Want to come along?"
Doumeki gave a mere grunt, but with an approving nod. Iris smiled at him. "Shall we get going?"
The three then left the classroom, out of the building, and into the cooling winds of sunset.
-
Watanuki was usually fine with visiting Himawari, but as the final rays of sun bathed them with a slightly calming glow, the spirit seer couldn't help but shiver. Something else was in the air, besides the outer pleasantries- something sinister. Watanuki hated how clear it felt in his soul, and how it sent shivers running up and down his spine, and how vague it seemed to be. He gave out a sigh, staring at the backs of his two companions- the ever-so stoic Doumeki, and Iris Manson. But where was her twin?
There was something about the Mansons Watanuki couldn't understand either. Though Iris was friendly, talented, and a whole-lot pretty, her sister Haris was a lot more suspicious. He had heard the said girl was a real star at sports; Doumeki had once stated that she was doing good in academics; she didn't seem like a haughty pushover, but then, Haris was just as silent as Doumeki. What scared him most (and it was fear obviously) about the other twin was the look in her eyes. They weren't cold, no, but they weren't friendly either. In fact, they seemed rather hostile.
Watanuki gave Iris' back a sad look. Did Haris treat her sister any better? Indeed, Iris looked healthy and contented with what she had, and never did he see any sign of bruise or cut on her skin. Haris maybe hostile against other people, but towards her own sister, she was the opposite. Like some sort of guardian since Iris obviously couldn't take care of herself.
"Iris," began Watanuki, remembering another absence he hadn't pondered over; "Where's Haris?"
"Hm. She said she had something to do, so she couldn't come to school." Iris laughed a bit. "She's alright, don't worry."
Yeah. Unlike Himawari, and so like Doumeki, Haris can take care of herself. Besides, Iris seemed untroubled by it, so why should he worry?
They finally reached Himawari's house, only finding it empty. Doumeki went up the fleet of stairs before the main door, ringing the doorbell twice. Still, no one came.
"A family trip?" Suggested Iris, which Doumeki shook his head over. "Most unlikely," he said. "They wouldn't leave without saying anything."
"Why don't we ask the neighbors?" Watanuki asked, gesturing towards the man maintaining his garden beside the Himawari residence.
"Excuse me sir, good afternoon." Iris bowed towards the man. "Where's Kunogi-chan? And why is there no one in the house? Have they gone to a family trip?"
"Kunogi's been missing." Replied the gardener. "Never came home last night. Her parents are down in the Police station, looking for help. They left this morning." The man nodded at the house. "Been quiet, alright."
"R-really?" Iris said, after a while, eyes widening; "That's terrible!"
"Thanks for your help," Doumeki said quickly, before Watanuki could say anything. "We'll be going now."
The three left silently, with the gardener bidding them goodbye. "Take care, kids!" He waved. "And good luck."
-
Watanuki fumbled with his bag, his legs pushing slightly at the ground, causing the swing he was sitting on to sway a bit. Doumeki and Iris sat before him, on the weird animal-shaped benches jutting out the sand, with Iris looking skittish and Doumeki looking...very Doumeki.
"Oh god, I'm worried about Himawari-chan."
The statement hung in the air. They were all worried, and perhaps Doumeki was too, but with the usual blank expression on his face, it wasn't obvious. But then, Watanuki recalled the panicked eyes and tense shoulders when Doumeki did fuss over him- now that was, loud and clear, worry. So what was going in the archer's mind right then? He's just hiding it, thought Watanuki, since Iris is here and I am too.
"She must've screamed last night." Doumeki monotoned.
Watanuki gave him a look of confusion. "Last night?" He asked. "Do you mean in the woods..."
Doumeki gave a curt nod, seemingly unaffected by the suggestion. "Yes. She probably was caught off by whatever jumped from the library window last night."
"Oh dear. Then she's kidnapped." Iris trembled slightly. "We- we have to do something!"
"Kidnapped," Watanuki repeated, staring at the ground. "She's still alive though, right?"
"Last night's creature was no human, Watanuki. We can't be sure if she's still alive." Doumeki huffed. "But then, since Kunogi isn't as popular as you in the other world, she might still be in one piece."
"Doumeki-kun, don't say things like that," whispered Iris, just barely, and the three were bathed in silence.
There was a sort of sniffing sound behind them, and as always, it was Watanuki who looked first.
A pair of large insect eyes met his bi-colored ones.
Watanuki let out a brief shout before backpedalling, his back colliding with Doumeki's knees. Iris took the creature's presence a whole lot more enthusiastically, though.
"Vinx!" She cried, launching herself to hug the monster, and with shared delight Vinx returned her embrace, mewling and purring like a cat, despite his appearance.
"Sounds like you," Doumeki commented, his statement only for Watanuki to hear.
"WHY YOU-"
"Haris investigating," purred Vinx, loud enough to halt whatever Watanuki had to say; "Haris looking for missing girl!"
"That's great! Where is she?" Somehow, his recent fears of the monster dissipated, and he hurriedly ran towards the hugging pair. "Will you tell us, Vinx?"
Vinx scrunched up his face in thought, and then smiled. "Vinx say where, Watanuki friend. In forest," with that he pointed at a direction where the trees lessened.
Iris stared at the place, frowning sadly. "I'll stay here, with Vinx." She said; "There's really nothing I can do."
Watanuki was about to reassure her and tell her she's been a great help, but Doumeki grabbed his arm and started pulling him to the trees. "Take care, Iris."
As the two boys entered the forest, Watanuki trembled, causing Doumeki to tighten his grip. "I'm here," He told his friend quietly. Normally Watanuki would have screamed at him, anything, but Doumeki's hand was warm against his arm. Besides, he was grateful for the archer's presence.
The air started to grow heavy, and somehow, Watanuki's steps slowed. His breathing caused little clouds to form before his mouth, and his legs were starting to slow. Doumeki noticed the change, lowered his hand holding Watanuki's arm, only to entangle his finger between the other's own. The movement caught Watanuki by surprise- momentarily delaying the effect of whatever spirit lurking around them.
"D-doumeki..."
"Are you alright, Kimihiro?"
Watanuki blushed at the sound of his first name, looking away. It felt awkward now, and he longed for something to scream at Doumeki- but his hand, like earlier, was warm and nice, and it lessened the fear pooling in his stomach.
"Yeah, I'm- AAAAH!"
Something jerked Watanuki's hand from him- and not only his hand, but his entire self as well. Doumeki reached out to grab the spirit seer's fleeting form, screaming himself hoarse. He can't lose Watanuki this way, no, he could not.
Watanuki could feel strings as soft as silk wrap around his limbs, pulling him away from Doumeki's safety. He shut his eyes and let out the scream swimming in his throat, and his head rocked heavily as his body came in contact with a sticky yet soft wall, wrists and ankles secured by thin strips of the same essence. He dared to look down at Doumeki, who was staring up at him, and then at the web, before whipping around to find a gigantic tarantula prowling towards him.
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A/N: There you go~ Chapter two is done and in the bag! It's so far so good. Haha. I'm starting with chapter three now- so, with not much further ado, I shall end chapter two now. Just don't forget to review, m'kay? Remember what I said~ If humans need bread and water for nourishment, authors need love and the words from their readers. Amen. X3
EDIT: Oh yeah, spotted the -kun thing. Wahaha. It's gone now. xD