Title: Alpha and Omega

Anime: xxxHolic

Pairings/Characters: dou/wata (it was slight earlier. Oh well). The usual cast and my OC characters; more characters AND more elaborative pairings once the story progresses. Hopefully.

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

Disclaimer: xxxHolic not mine. But I do own something, amen.

-

Candle burn

-

The lights are skittish and unsure

As they dance within the darkness;

And there's repeated tapping upon the door

I fear it much; do you no less?

-

Watanuki was slack against his body, bony arms tangling with his own. He had the boy pressed against his chest, as if it would provide comfort, though the way he was walking would disrupt whatever comfort there was to the sleeping man. Indeed, in his stride were only panic and desperation; he feared that if he arrived a moment too late, there wouldn't be enough of Watanuki to care for. Each step caused him to bounce a bit on his heels, and Watanuki's head lolled to bump softly against his arms, and his hands would slip from the safety and dangle beneath him. Doumeki wondered if his attempt to bring the spirit seer to heal would only further his pain.

But Watanuki, thank the gods, was asleep. No amount of shaking and bouncing stirred him from his slumber, and he was breathing enough for Doumeki to notice- and he was thankful for such a small mercy.

He walked past the shrine gates and quickly made his way towards the living room, nodding slightly at the figure he knew was Yuuko as he carefully placed Watanuki down on the floor. He didn't want to ask the dimensional what she was doing here since it was so obvious- Watanuki was as precious to her as any of her alcohol. The archer could feel her crimson eyes on him as he proceeded to work on Watanuki's many wounds with a damp cloth and a bowl of water, working silently and efficiently as the rain began to fall.

The smell of damp ground was rather distracting, whether it was that or the opium pipe though, he couldn't tell. Somehow, halfway through the numerous padding and cleaning, he had lost to his subconscious to work; mindlessly stretching the bandages and wrapping it around the skinny arms; passing fingers over slightly cold skin, drawing shaky breaths as he would lean over slowly; well, it all seemed surreal to him.

What felt real though was the feeling of panic that climbed up his throat, like bile waiting to be spilled out. However calm his exterior appeared, he was figuratively dying inside, golden eyes glinting with strokes, hands lingering over places he knew Watanuki would disapprove of when he's awake, teeth clenching upon his lower lip just to keep himself from saying anything unnecessary.

It was Yuuko who broke the silence, though, as normal; he found it wrong to ignore her words, since the Dimensional Witch is always a Dimensional Witch, period- even if the said witch was a drunkard- and her words would always deem helpful in any situation. After all the time spent taking care of Watanuki and doing Yuuko's tasks, he knew her well enough that she had something useful to say- despite the fact that she looked a bit drunk.

"Doumeki-kun," came her voice, light and laden with alcohol; "You came from the forest, yes?"

Doumeki finished tidying up his mess before answering the time witch's question. "We encountered something there I couldn't exorcise easily." It was hard to decipher whether he was angry at himself or not, with the usual dead monotone he spoke with. But Yuuko knew. "The same thing, I presume, that is responsible for Himawari's disappearance." He grunted. "Or at least, that's what I think Haris was implying."

"There are always people who know a tad too much," Yuuko said commented quietly, watching her employer sleep; "And yet, in the end, they're not enough."

Doumeki stared at her blankly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what it's supposed to mean." Yuuko told him. "Haris is still human, remember that."

"Hn."

"Anyway, Doumeki-kun." the time witch's elegant fingers had somehow got caught in his hair, but he's used to her touches, used to it enough that he's not even bothered. Not that he ever was. She was leaning uncomfortably close to his cheek, and it took him some control to keep himself from turning his head away; "Tell me. Why was it too hard to exorcise?"

And so he did.

He told her how his arrows only fell from the contact with the monster's head, how easy it was for it to unceremoniously bash him away, and how the spiderlings attacked Watanuki. He told her of Haris, who jumped out nowhere and told him what to do, and he told her of the nagging feeling of guilt and self-hatred once he saw the many wounds, and Watanuki's pained expression. All the time he spoke with a slightly wavering tone, but still holding firm, and on his face was the usual mask of stoicism, though it was harder for him to keep it that way. But it felt somewhat good to be able to tell someone all that, and as he finished, he had regained much of his shattered facade.

Yuuko held his face in her hands, allowing the silky strands of her hair to fall over his cheek. Her expression was firm. "Never lose faith in yourself, Doumeki-kun." She whispered lightly, breathing a bit on his skin; "If you do, there'll be none left for Watanuki, is there?"

He didn't understand her. He hated the way she always spoke in cryptic messages rather than getting her message across, especially when there was obviously no time for solving riddles and deciphering signs. He wanted so badly to point this out for her, and shoving his finger in her eye, but that wouldn't be a nice thing to do, especially if she had taken the liberty to actually listen to his sob story, and now she had at least given him a hint of what he should do next. Of some sort. And even if he was planning to say something, there was no time, since Yuuko had let his face go and had stood, making her way towards the door.

"I'll head back now," she said, looking at him; "Take care of Watanuki, alright? Good night."

He watched her leave, and the moment the door closed, the lights went out, and they were plunged into darkness.

Doumeki was, figuratively, used to being in the dark. Yuuko wasn't the kind of person who left such advices in a brighter light- in fact; just recently, he had been thrown completely into the dark. He had no idea why the monsters in the forest had taken Himawari; He had no idea if the Mansons were people he could trust, particularly the amber-eyed Haris; He wasn't sure if he was doing Watanuki a favor, or damning him; He wasn't sure if he could still hold purpose for the spirit seer, like right then before him, since he was so close to being too late.

The feeling of guilt was indeed overwhelming, and he leaned forward to align his forehead with Watanuki's own- barely daring to graze upon the light skin with his slightly contrasting fingers. An almost invisible welt had formed on his pointer and thumb, indicating where he had pulled the string of his bow repeatedly to fire with, was scrutinized as he rested his particular hand upon Watanuki's soft cheek; it was so dark though, and he sighed as he mentally kicked himself, well, get some candles you fool.

As much as he was used to Watanuki's unconscious presence, he was used to his surroundings. Of course, it's his house. He moved quickly in the shadows, a spark alighting where he had struck a match, and carefully decorating the room with a small lamp he had lit. He watched the flame dance for a while, the red and golden colors mixing in the hues of his orbs, before setting it beside the futon where Watanuki laid, shadows playing at the sides.

Images of earlier events played in his mind, drowning him with the renewed feelings of remorse- perhaps increased, since he had winced this time- and quite as suddenly anger floods in, making him want to grab Watanuki and just--well.

He knows full well that hurting the said spirit seer would only bring upon him death, not because he was cursed or anything, he supposed- but because Watanuki was, well, someone important to him, even more so after recent events.

It explained how dreary he felt as Watanuki lay before him, bathed in warm orange rays and dancing shadows, and how inexplicably useless he was. Compared to the spirit seer, he was stronger and more capable, of course, but the threats that had presented earlier in the forest had obviously drained him of not only his prowess, but also of confidence in himself as well.

He was so close to losing Watanuki. Again.

The reaction of his heart at the statement was instantaneous; a soft sob cracked from his lips as he struggled to keep the surge of what-could-have-been's from breaching his mind, not wanting to indulge in such depression- especially now that those what-could-have-beens were only as they were, and Watanuki WAS alive, and not dead from all those other encounters. Doumeki clutches at the fabric of his clothing; Watanuki was alive, and that was all that mattered.

But what if? Doumeki knew how unpredictable and how sometimes hitsuzen was slightly unjust, and that humans never really had that much understanding to comprehend the inevitable; he should be thankful enough that it wasn't Watanuki's time yet, and if it were, wouldn't it be a bit too soon? Doumeki had only recently realized the growing feelings he harbored towards the boy; it would be a shame if they stay hidden like that forever.

Doumeki's stare was becoming less heated, tired. The golden hues of his eyes had somehow dimmed, never straying from Watanuki's pale face; his fingers relaxed into the folds of his shirt as he gave yet another sigh. He wasn't persistent enough to keep at the scenes from playing, or to keep his guilt at bay; he had never been the type to go with the flow, but between breaking upon the onslaught of his emotions and being as stoic as he was outside, well. He thought of Haris and her promising presence, and it comforted him to know that if he were to fall, or he wasn't strong enough, she would help him, since despite her I-don't-care appearance, she actually did care about the people around her. The monsters that were now appearing in Japan weren't ordinary Japanese monsters- and perhaps her knowledge of foreign supernatural entities would be enough to save them all.

But there was one thought that continued to bother him: what good was he to Watanuki if he couldn't even protect him anymore?

His fingers were hesitant as they reached the spirit seer's face, calloused hands contradicting Watanuki's smooth skin and white bandages. He slowly caressed the skin, liking the feeling of softness in his hands, first trailing the side before lining the somewhat feminine curve of the jaw, cupping the other side of his cheek, tilting the head towards him.

Watanuki's mouth was slightly agape in his bliss; his long eyelashes caressed his skin with his eyes closed like that, his hair everywhere on the pillow. Even in his sleep, Watanuki looked extremely attractive- despite the bandages that covered his skin- and more vulnerable than he already was. Doumeki had long taken the pair of glasses that usually completed the spirit seer's look, having placed it somewhere else since Watanuki obviously did not need it for the time being. The archer could almost imagine the golden and blue eyes staring back at him in Watanuki's usual naivety, and he was sorely tempted to press a kiss on the closed eyelids. So instead, he let himself spoke, his low, monotoned voice barely a whisper, just enough between the two of them.

"I've almost lost you," He began, slightly trembling at the burden the words carried; "What happens if someday, I wouldn't be able to rescue you? What happens if I failed you one more time, gravely enough that you...die?"

Doumeki felt something cold come in contact with the hand he held Watanuki with, and for a second he considered pulling away- until he realized it was the spirit seer himself. The wounded boy's fingers were like butterflies grazing his skin, slightly hovering and not fully touching, as if hesitant to start such an intimate gesture. Doumeki could feel somewhat enlightened as his eyes met Watanuki's bi-colored own, and he couldn't help but let his mouth curve upward a bit- a shadow of a smile- as words he had long awaited for fell from the spirit seer's lips.

"You haven't failed me once, you idiot." He whispered, a hint of tears in his tone, and the usual venom lacking in the insult; "I trust you enough that you won't."

Doumeki was smiling now (it was small, but knowing Doumeki, it was full enough), and his thumb wiped away the tears that somehow had formed in Watanuki's eyes, leaning down to breathe on his companion's mouth. "Then I won't," He said, with a renewed confidence, life sparking back in his golden orbs; "I promise you, I won't. Ever."

The shadows grew longer beside them, dancing in the cold winds; and yet, the only warmth he really needed was the warmth that seeped from Watanuki's lips- the same warmth that pressed gingerly upon his own.

-

Haris made her way towards her home quickly, her steps firm and fast over the pavement, fully ignoring the spirits that littered the streets that night. The lights had long gone, and the only illumination she had for the way was the moon's, and even if it was quite hard to make out figures and houses in the darkness, she went on just as quickly, knowing full well that she would be safe once she entered her home.

Which was true; Iris had the uncanny gift to repel spirits, though it wasn't as strong as Doumeki's- she knows that much that he had the ability to do so- and it was enough to keep such entities at bay. They had some wards on the walls too in case Iris was too weak to help- and Vinx fought them back, since he cared a lot for the twins, especially Iris. All Haris could do was detect them- even Iris could do that- but even if she did not have the power to ward them away, she had the guts to stand her ground anyway.

She closed the door behind her as she made her way towards the kitchen, where her sister and Vinx were probably gathered, and nodded her greetings as she did reach them- pulling out a chair to sit on, her face bathed in the orange glow of the single candle in the room.

"How are they?" Iris began her voice soft and weak- Haris suspected she had been crying. "Are they alright?"

"Watanuki is being taken care of, don't worry." Was the twin's reply, but it was too late to say 'don't worry', since she could clearly see Iris fidget in her seat; "The spiderlings weren't able to take Watanuki, so he's fine. Really."

"And Doh...meh...key?" Vinx asked this time, squinting just a bit to remember how Doumeki's name sounded, and how to say it in human tongue. "Is he...fine?"

Haris smiled at the monster, nodding. "The poison was treated, he's fine."

Iris placed a hand on her left breast, sighing happily. "Thank god they're safe."

Himawari's not, Haris thought, fingering her already unruly hair. But she's coming back.

"The spiders are far worse than being big," she stated slowly; "They possess people. And once they do, they'll use the host to collect human blood, as well as draining the victim's soul. That's what I've learned so far, though, and I'm not quite sure how to deal with it."

Her younger twin had her hand over her mouth, eyes scrunched up in disgust. "That's revolting, Haris. Where did you learn something like that?"

The stoic teen did not reply; instead she said: "Himawari's coming back."

There was silence. In the dim light, Vinx shifted uncomfortably. They all knew what Kunogi's return meant.

"But she's not Himawari," said Iris after a while, in her usual innocence, and Haris turns her gaze towards the window, watching the rain.

"It's not over yet." She whispered, to no one in particular.

-

A/N: Gaah. I need to get a life. Period. xP It took me some time to write this because one: The New year was coming and I had to jump to in order to get tall at exactly midnight, and two: I had to make this backdrop for one of our upcoming school plays. So I didn't have much time. Oh well. Here it is then. OwO Reviews please, don't forget.:D

Wata: Why the hell should I be paired with him? DX

Dou: Quit complaining.

Wata: You're just saying that because I cook for you every after rehearsal! D

Dou: What else should we do then?

Wata: …