Title: Alpha and Omega

Anime: xxxHolic

Pairings/Characters: dou/wata; a one-sided dou/haris; the usual cast and my OC characters (I don't know if I'm planning to add any more characters, heck, these people are good enough. 8D);

Rating: T for now (should I raise it now? Oh well, the blood isn't that bad. xD)

Disclaimer: I only own what's mine; xxxHolic, sadly, is not one of them.

A/N: This is, obviously, just an intermission chapter. A little gift to a friend of mine named Michael, since he's a guy and he doesn't approve of yaoi, and since he like Haris so much, I wrote this for him. It only shows a bit of what happened during their trip. You know, I think it's better if you guys read this too since it explains what Haris had in mind about what to give to Watanuki to repel the spiders. A bit only. And it would explain some of the future occurrences in the next chapters. Haha. 8D Besides that, this intermission is really useless. Now excuse me while I beat the heck out of Michael since I'm doing him this much and he still refuses to review. XP

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Intermission: Once Upon a Time in Canada

-

Two people like us, we're obviously alike

And there's nothing wrong to feel something new

But there are people who exist who mean more than life

So soon I'll have to give up on you

-

The whir of nearby planes was deafening, even as the two of them left the port to reclaim their bags. Haris knew where to go and what to do- he only had to follow silently behind her since she was used to things like this and well, this was probably his first time travelling to another country. He didn't even bother tell his parents the whole truth; all they know was that he had taken a three-day camp session for archery. It's a stupid excuse, of course, but his parents bought it. And so he was here.

The reason was entirely simple and urgent at the same time. Haris had an alchemist friend residing deep within the woodlands of Manitoba, somewhere far off north. She had contacted him some time after the incident on the rooftop- and was told that he had come up with a special acid made only to force the spiders within the person out so they could kill them when they did. It sounded gruesome, honestly, but between proper hygiene and Watanuki's safety, he couldn't care less.

So here they were. It was only to take exactly three days, landing at an airport nearby Winnipeg, renting a room in a small hotel, then leaving for Manitoba the next day. It really depended on how fast and efficient they were going to move as, and since Doumeki found it incredibly unnerving to leave an insane Watanuki with Yuuko, he was going to make sure they wouldn't be delayed.

Haris had brought only a sport sack filled with her necessities, but it was big enough to check in and heavy enough to consider doing so. As she made a move to haul it off the desk, Doumeki took the bag first and slung it over his shoulder. Haris looked at him blankly, and he returned his stare, as if daring her to do anything else.

The girl gave up. She knew there was no changing Doumeki's mind, and that he was probably right if he were to say that she was still weak due to her injuries. She made her way towards the exit to check out, and once both were done, they entered the busy afternoon streets.

Doumeki looked around, surveying the vast city before him. He was obviously out of place, and as he followed Haris towards the more crowded streets, he realized how certainly out of place he was. He did not enjoy that, but being with Watanuki had taught him one thing: just as there was no harm, it was alright being foreign to a place.

But still. The sea of faces looked at him sometimes, as if wondering why there was a Japanese tourist walking around in the rush hour or something. Haris didn't look her share of a citizen too, but due to her height and the fact that she wasn't looking around as if it was her first time; she didn't attract such attention from the onlookers.

Automatically, Doumeki reached out and grabbed Haris' wrist, causing her to turn around. He wasn't unnerved very much by all the staring but well; it wouldn't hurt to discuss some action plans in private.

"Let's get some coffee," he said, letting go of her wrist once she turned to him. "Before we board a bus to Winnipeg."

Haris tilted her head for a moment, and then shrugged. "Well, I am starving." She said with equal nonchalance, once more turning to the streets before her. "Let's look for a nearby cafe."

And so they did. The cafe they got in was slightly compact and hardly teeming with customers, but it was less crowded and more breathable inside, so Doumeki complied and agreed that this place would do. It was decent to say; the walls were a calming shade of mocha brown, decorated with what looked like little fleur-de-lis, and the floor was carpeted in a darker shade. The counter was not so long, just enough to cover a corner of the cafe', and there was only one man present, cleaning a white mug with a clean cloth.

Doumeki sat before Haris on a circular cushioned seat, leaning his elbows on the mocha-colored and dark brown-rimmed table that somehow complimented the shop's walls. The place smelled like bitter coffee, though it was somewhat sweet in turn. There was a distant ring of a bell, and there came a woman in a western maid outfit approaching them with a tray and a menu.

"What would you have for today, good sir and miss?" she said in a sweet voice, just as syrupy perhaps as the smell of sugar. Her accent was obviously British, and though it was slightly different and upturned and all that, Doumeki understood.

"We'll have two tuna sandwiches," he started, and Haris looked at him in awe at the fact he could speak somewhat straight English; "And a cup of Cappuccino for my friend and some Latte, please."

The waitress wrote all of it down before flashing them with a smile, more direct at Doumeki, anyway. When she left, Haris leaned over to talk to her companion in a hushed manner; "I can't believe you did that."

"Believe what?" Doumeki asked, his language switching back to Japanese. "I can speak English too, you know."

"Well," Haris huffed; "Well, knowing you."

Did she have anything else to say?

The drinks came first. Doumeki watched as Haris' fingers closed tenderly around the cup, gently bringing it to her lips with the other hand supporting the bottom. There was a slight tremor in her form as the liquid touched her lips, and Doumeki feared that in surprise she might drop the mug.

But she didn't. In fact, she replaced the cup back on the disk, licking her lips. "Just the way I like it," she said, somewhat contentedly. Doumeki raised his eyebrows, raising his own cup and downing half of the lot with a single swig. "Ah," he commented as he placed his cup down.

The sandwiches arrive last, and as the waitress walked away (after winking at Doumeki) the two poked and prodded at the meal before deciding to pick it up or to cut it apart with a knife.

"Hn." Doumeki started, breaking the silence that had enveloped them. "Not bad."

Haris stifled a laugh behind a bandaged hand, attracting Doumeki's eyes. "What's so funny?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Well, you haven't tried anything else yet." She replied, plopping another bite into her mouth. "This is decent enough. Shall we get going?"

Doumeki looked sadly at the half-eaten sandwich on his plate; though it was good, it didn't fully satisfy his taste buds, since he longed for something else- obviously someone else's cooking- and somehow he had lost his appetite.

"Alright." He said, downing the Latte quickly, before standing to leave. Haris left enough money to pay for the two of them before following Doumeki out the door.

-

It was a nice and comfortable room to live in.

It had nice furniture and plump beds; the floor was carpeted and well-maintained, and the heater was warm and comfortable. Doumeki left his bags in a far corner near the bed he was planning to use, dropping Haris' own next to his. The said girl had immediately headed to the shower, and he frowned as the distant pitter-patter of water echoed from within the bathroom walls.

Well, he wasn't really sure what he wanted to achieve when he had offered to accompany the girl to such a weird and unfamiliar place, far away from someone he cared for so much. In fact, now that he was lying down on one of the beds, he realized how stupid his decision was, sacrificing something so unnecessary to someone who could obviously take care of herself. She was hurt, yes, but she wasn't in trouble any more than that.

Whereas Watanuki...ah, he was probably under the watchful eyes of the Dimensional witch. But sometimes Yuuko refused to do anything that was not of hitsuzen's will, ending such lingering conversations with her usual statement, "It is inevitable,". How he hated to hear those words especially if it would harm Watanuki. There were some things, he believed, that could bend hitsuzen's accursed will- and he was one of them.

Or so he believed. In all honesty, ever since that encounter with the giant tarantula, all self-confidence had dwindled within him. And though the fact that Watanuki had handled him so well the night after- Doumeki could still remember the brushing of skin and the caress of lips- they were farther apart now, and without seeing the spirit seer with the knowledge that the said boy was in trouble, well, it lessened his vigor. Not that he had any to begin with.

What troubled him the most, though, was the straight fact that Haris was with him, and how awkward it was to be with her. Ever since that night when he had saved her, a good 32 hours ago (well, accurately, he thought), her attitude towards him had changed. She was more open, to begin with, more vulnerable, as if she believed that he was the one who could actually save her at some point (like that night when the spirit wolves attacked). Because of that, she only unnerved him more, even more than when they had first met when Watanuki was in danger- oh, how he had dared to fire an arrow at the pet beast behind her. Of course she had not said anything, being cool and all at that time, but he could feel the accusations in her eyes when she had looked at him, a little later when Watanuki was in his arms.

If Haris was scary before, she was even more frightening now.

There was a sound coming from the bathroom, then a loud thud. Doumeki waited for a moment or two, lying on his stomach, before he got up and knocked hesitantly at the bathroom door.

"Haris?" He called; "Haris, are you alright?"

There was a soft sound, a tightening of the water tap; the door opened, and Haris stood before him, still dripping and fresh from the shower with a towel on.

She had her head bowed. "It's nothing," she said, before padding over to her bed, where a set of clothes was laid for her. Doumeki turned away, towards the door, bending to pick up a book from his bag as he went. He could feel her eyes on him as he left.

He stood in the corridor for a while, staring onwards. He raised an arm to swipe back his hair when he noticed the book he had randomly taken with him- an English book, so to say, of old English fairytales. Curious as to why he had something of such in his bag, he started to skim through its narrow content.

The fairytales, as expected, were shallow. Shallow and unrealistic. Doumeki found himself frowning a little more as he continued to read the short stories of so-called tragic love and the misplaced belief in magic and true feelings in a couple. His eyebrows met in a firm line as he quickly finished the thin book, and as he did, he leaned back on the door behind him. If only it was as easy as the fairytales say, but then again, they did not include gigantic spiders that possess humans; they didn't concern their silly princes with frightful dilemmas that concerned other people, people who were victims of such supernatural enemies; they didn't speak of having to leave a loved one without so much as telling that person that you loved him, that you actually cared, and that you would return, soon, to save him from his misery.

Fairytales had nothing of that, and it angered him to a full extent.

But still. Still.

Fairytales taught people- children, mostly- that hope existed, and that love did prevail. Scratch the last one though, since it sounded childish and wimpy and Doumeki was none of that- but hope was indeed evident, yes? All he had to do was to endure the whole time without Watanuki, and pray to god he was alright, and soon things would be back to normal. Of course, it would be a lot harder if he hadn't met Haris- even if things started to prove awkward between the two of them, she did matter, and he was thankful to have her help.

The said girl broke him from his thoughts, with a simple opening of the door- causing him to stumble backward a bit, but hey, that was alright- and a look that clearly stated that he could come in now. He followed silently, tossing the book back onto his bag, before lying on his bed. Haris watched him with an expressionless face, and as he relaxed she took her place on the other bunk beside his.

"I'm going to sleep for a while," she declared, and Doumeki sufficed with an audible grunt as his answer.

Minutes passed, and soon Doumeki woke to notice that he had drifted off slowly to sleep. Clutching his head, he glanced at the sleeping figure of Haris, and realized that she wouldn't wake either for about a few more hours- she was still injured, after all, besides being tired after their journey. Thinking that maybe he wasn't going to get any sleep for the next few days, and that they might leave early tomorrow morning for Manitoba (an obviously isolated place where Haris' so-called friend resided), Doumeki let himself sleep.

And he dreamt.

The dream was brief; he had only opened his eyes when the colors and sounds came crashing onto him without cease, and the moment he thought he was going to drown then and there, he opened his eyes to see nothing at all.

Well, except the blood.

It dripped on steadily, even if it was staunched by a thick wrap of bandages. He recognized the injured part to be a hand, but at the same time, he knew it wasn't an injury at all. The red liquid came from it, yes, and as it continued to drip in an almost tantalizing way, he knew it was only covered by it, and that was that.

The dream wasn't really horrifying until he came.

The boy he always had in his dreams, to be precise. Though normally it was a happy and usual thing, seeing Watanuki as a disheveled and insane-looking boy wasn't part of his 'good dreams' list. At first, Watanuki had his back to him, and he could see the blood dripping from the spirit seer's hands- the very same hands he had seen earlier- and the shadow of the boy's malicious smile.

He had raised his hands in fear, perhaps, that the boy might turn on him and stab him dead with the shears in his hand, but as he did his fingers came into contact with the red liquid and Watanuki's soft cheeks, and then there was the boy before him with a helpless look on his face, and the blood was everywhere and he couldn't breathe in anything else...

He awoke, drenched in sweat. His hands were tangled in the bed sheets around him, and he realized that Watanuki's name was on his lips. He brought his hands to his face, an attempt to still the trembling, an attempt to block away the dream.

There was a slight movement somewhere to his side, a soft rustling of fabric and a moan. Doumeki turned his gaze towards the sound, his eyes meeting Haris face, and saw that she was struggling- perhaps like he had just earlier- in her own sheets.

She moaned once more as he stood to approach her. She was half-flailing on the bed, her limbs pushing the blankets and pillows around. He stood by her bed, just staring and drawing no particular emotion from how she was, until at least she started murmuring in her sleep.

Her hands slightly brushed his, and as he made a movement to pull it away, her fingers closed around his palm and she pulled it to her face. It was only then he realized she was crying. He knew best not to jerk away from her, but he hated the way her soft skin came into contact with his hand, no matter how involuntary.

"Mother," she said quietly, entangling her fingers with his hand, hugging it to her cheek. "Oh mother. I'm glad you're here. I was having a bad dream."

Now he really wanted to pull away.

After quite some time, as he had started easing away from her grip, did she notice that it wasn't a female's hand she was holding- and slowly, as she opened her eyes, her own hazel ones met his penetrating orbs.

He wanted to say "I'm sorry" in a way, but as soon as her arms wrapped around his neck and his body was pulled down gently towards her, he decided it best to say nothing at all and try to break away from her grip. He leaned back, half-kneeling on the bed, just staring. She had narrowed her eyes at him, frowning a bit, with a small blush on her cheeks. Well, it was pretty hard to be blown off like that.

But at the next moment, she had recovered; she was suddenly all over the place, holding his face and then clutching at his arms, and he could feel her lips crush none-to-gently on his, and as he struggled to hold her down or something, he was pushed onto his back.

It wasn't a desirable place to be: for one, it made Haris seem to be dominating (and he didn't like the idea that she was a girl and this could mean an entirely naughty thing), and two, well, he couldn't fully fight her this way. But all he had to was to keep from responding to her touches- unless of course, she started touching his privates. He would react in violent way.

His jaw clenched as her lips started trailing his neck downwards, and oh how he wanted to do it himself, or at least to get off his back. But Haris was no one else, period, no matter how much he squinted at her slender form hovering over him- even if Watanuki was thinner than her, or just the same, it wouldn't help at all.

So he took her shoulders once she reached his collarbone; he took them in his hands and gently pushed her away. Her face was flushed from embarrassment and rage and something else, but he gave no notice of that, and left the bed once she was kneeling before him.

He stopped once he felt her grab his wrist, and he turned his gaze to see. She was slightly pouting, still flushed. He had his one leg touching the carpeted floor already, and without a second thought, he moved to get off completely.

"Doumeki, please," he heard her beg, and it caught his attention. Completely. For Haris Manson did not beg. "Stay."

He was used to leaving numerous fan girls with the same words, and was about to do the same, when her hands went to his shoulders as it left his wrists- oh gods, what was she implying?

His lips met hers again, but with a sign of resignation, Doumeki allowed himself to be pulled back towards the bed. She wasn't going to stop, and he wasn't in the mood to fight about it all night long. Give her what she wanted. If it was sex, though, he had to let up. He didn't want to do it with anybody else but...well.

Well.

-

Does reality have happy endings?

He could not say.

He was reading the book of fairytales again as Haris moved around the room. It was already six in the morning- the bus for Manitoba would soon arrive, and since Doumeki didn't feel like leaving the hotel room, he let Haris take charge of her own safety. For today.

Or maybe it was because he felt somewhat upset about what happened the other night. He didn't even want to talk about it. Fortunately, she found it unnecessary too. So, like the rest of the damp blankets and pillows littering the floor, the subject was dismissed, and they rarely spoke to each other. Perhaps Haris was annoyed too, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to care at all. What happened had happened, period. No words could ever undo its occurrence.

He propped himself up with his elbows, straightening a fold on the page he was reading. Somewhere behind him, Haris wore her shoes, and was already at the door.

"Will you take long?" He asked; he had to, in a way.

"No." She replied; "You can stay if you want."

He fingered the spine of the book. "Just tell me if you need help."

She had to go. The bus was arriving any second, and she hated to be delayed.

"I'll contact you. One way or another."

And with that, she was gone.

He sighed briefly, tossing the book in his hands towards the pile of blankets near the door.

If this was a fairytale, then that certainly is not what you call a happy ending.

-

A/N: Bang. Intermission chapter done. 8D NOW LET'S MOVE ON TO CHAPTER EIGHT!

A little patience though, guys. I can't seem to be OL often, and with the power blinks, it's difficult to write. DX BUT THERE WILL BE AN UPDATE, I SWEAR. Reviews are always welcome, and please flame Michael. Gaha, just kidding. Thanks to all who review, and as long as it's signed, I shall reply to them. 8D I always do. Haha!

p.s.

I find it funny that the intermission chapter is longer than the usual. Oh well.