Title: Bonds
Universe: xxxHOLiC
Theme/Topic: Biology
Rating: PG
Character/Pairing/s: Doumeki, Watanuki
Warnings/Spoilers: OOCness? Blood! Takes place after Watanuki's accident.
Summary: Watanuki learns a little something about the bonds he shares.
Dedication: You. :]
A/N: This took me awhile because school has been hectic, I've been sick and this one is pretty long. I don't really like it that much…
Disclaimer: If I owned it, Donuts would exist in every volume. Alas…
Distribution: Don't do it.

They both stared at the semi-frozen, deceased frog pinned upside down and spread-eagle on the metal tray, neither of the two knowing what to do next. The taller of the two picked up the instructions and read them to himself, understanding very little of what he was supposed to do.

With a gloved hand, he picked up the scalpel and positioned it at the top of the frogs jaw. A pale, slim and slender hand, also gloved, grabbed his tan wrist. "What do you think you're doing?!" Watanuki yelled, making the whole class stop and look at them. He flushed and repeated himself in a whisper.

Doumeki looked between the instructions, the spread-eagled frog and Watanuki. With scalpel still in hand, he said in his usual monotone voice, "Dissecting."

Watanuki threw on a horrified look, "D-dissecting?!" Doumeki nodded, not believing his stupidity; although he didn't know what to do himself. "Why?! Is It necessary?!" He whispered loudly.

Doumeki glanced at the instruction sheet, "Mm, it's the final grade for this class," he watched as the seer's eyes widened and his bottom lip tuck under his teeth as a loud 'FFFF' sound escaped this mouth. Doumeki's eyebrow rose at the sight.

"Final!? To dissect a freaking FROG?!" he hissed. Doumeki nodded once again, his attention on the frog in question. "Sick! What are we supposed to learn from this, how to be a frog version of Jack the Ripper?!" he flailed as he made one of his faces.

Doumeki watched as Watanuki's hand came close to knocking into the tray of tools. His eyes traveled to the seer, his expression unchanged. "To learn anatomy."

In disbelief of Doumeki's and maybe even the teacher's stupidity, Watanuki slowly lowered his arms. "From a frog?! A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SPECIES?!" He paused then slammed his hands on the table, "What the HELL?" The tools jumped from the slam and the class looked at them once again.

Doumeki was quiet for a minute, silently agreeing with the boy. After thinking, he asked, "Would you rather dissect a cadaver?"

The slow, agonizing transformation of Watanuki's face was priceless. "HELL NO!! THAT'S EVEN WORSE!!!" he screamed and flailed frantically, until his palm collided with the scalpel still in Doumeki's hand, leaving a deep gash across it. Blood immediately started pouring out. Having realized what happened to him, Watanuki hissed in pain. Doumeki grabbed his school bag and Watanuki's wrist simultaneously and bolted out of the classroom, dragging Watanuki with him. He started to ask where they were going, but was distracted by the tightening of the archer's rough hand on his slim wrist.

His eyes dropped to his hand, thick droplets of his bright red blood fell to the floor, leaving a trail of crimson. He was jerked into the infirmary fiercely, crashing into Doumeki as he searched for the nurse, his head snapping side to side.

After surveying the room and not finding the nurse, he pulled the bespectacled boy to the sink. He glanced at Watanuki, noticing his slightly paler face and frantic bi-colored eyes, "Stay," he ordered. He left him at the sink and raided the drawers and cabinets for the proper first aid materials. He would occasionally glance at Watanuki, hoping he was doing as he was told.

Watanuki felt faint. He wasn't sure if it was the loss of blood, or the thought he was losing a lot of blood. He grabbed his wrist and squeezed, hoping to slow the blood flow. He looked in Doumeki's general direction and slumped against the sink. "I feel… light-headed…" his grip loosened and he could have sworn he saw Doumeki's eyes show fear for a split second before he was completely on the floor, barely conscious.

Doumeki grabbed his bag and went back to Watanuki, whose hand was bleeding all over his nicely ironed pants. He pulled a first aid kit out of his bag and snapped it open, revealing a box full of gauze, bandages and antiseptic. He pulled Watanuki's bleeding hand to his lap and attempted to clean it as best as he could while Watanuki looked on, baffled.

"What are you—" he was cut off as Doumeki pushed gauze into his palm.

"What does it look like?" He answered quickly, using the gauze to collect the blood and to help the wound clot. He pressed harder into Watanuki's palm. He hissed in pain. "Mm," Doumeki mumbled, concentrating on fixing up the wound.

Watanuki sat with his injured hand in both of the archer's warm and calloused hands. If he had any blood to spare, he'd be flushed right now. Instead, he wondered if Doumeki always cleaned his wounds like this, typically when he was unconscious. Another question swam in his bleary mind, "Why… why do you have a first aid kit in you school bag?" he asked shakily as Doumeki placed clean gauze in his palm and wrapped it in bandages.

Seemingly satisfied with his handiwork, Doumeki's eyes rose to meet Watanuki's. "You," he said simply. He stood up and reached a hand down, waiting. Watanuki didn't know whether to be angry or gracious. He looked up at Doumeki's outstretched hand and hesitated in taking it. He raised his hand a little and paused. Doumeki huffed and rolled his eyes, grabbing his hand and pulling him up.

He staggered a bit, and Doumeki held him steady. "I don't think I've ever lost this much blood without passing out, " He remarked with a shaky laugh. Doumeki said nothing as he sat the seer down on a patient bed.

"Stay," Doumeki ordered again. Watanuki was going to yell at him for ordering him around, but he saw the look in the archer's eyes and decided to stay quiet. He left the room and he felt an urge to follow him, but instead lay back on the stiff bed, feeling a little better, but not back to 100 per cent.

He pulled his bandaged hand in front of his face and clenched it into a fist. He hissed, thinking he probably should not have done that. He might even gain a fear of scalpels and frozen frogs after this.

He felt something land on this stomach; he let out a small 'oof' and sat up, looking down at the package of melon bread in his lap. He looked up, a confused look on his face, and met face to face with a poorly drawn cow on a carton of milk. He jolted back, startled, and looked up into Doumeki's expressionless face.

Before he could ask, Doumeki spoke, "Eat. Drink. It'll help," he stated. Watanuki picked up the bag by the corner and gave it an incredulous look.

"How will bread and milk help me? I lost blood, not weight," he said sarcastically with a wave of his hand.

Doumeki grabbed the waving hand and pressed the milk carton into it. "It'll help get your energy back, trust me," his golden eyes boring into the seer's bi-colored eyes.

He was going to argue but suddenly got the memo Doumeki was sending him. His eyes lowered and took the carton, setting that aside. He picked up the bread and opened it; he started nibbling on it nervously. Doumeki watched for a second before turning around to clean up the small pool of blood on the floor.

As Watanuki opened his milk and continued nibbling on his bread, another question popped into his mind, relating to the memo Doumeki sent him earlier. "Hey," he called in between nibbles. Doumeki stopped and turned around, listening to a non-screaming Watanuki. "Whose do you think it was?" Watanuki asked.

A pause. "Aa?" Doumeki asked, clearly confused, though not showing his confusion on his face.

Watanuki rolled his eyes slightly, "The blood. Yours or mine?" he elaborated, the bread in his lap, forgotten for the moment.

"What are you, stupid?" Doumeki asked and turned around to resume cleaning.

"What?! No! I just…" he trailed off, not knowing how to explain.

Doumeki stood up and walked over, choosing to sit down in the chair next to the bed; his bright gold eyes falling in line with Watanuki's gaze. "It wasn't yours. It wasn't mine," he said.

Watanuki was confused, "Then, whos was—"

"Ours," Doumeki finished, his gold eyes softening.

Watanuki lowered his eyes. "Oh," he mumbled, taking a princess-like sip from the lip of the milk carton.

Ugh, finally done with this one! It's pretty long. It was hard for me to write the scalpel and blood parts, because I'm afraid of both! This seems… incomplete. Like I didn't answer all the questions… But aah, that's okay, I guess. Review please! They make me happy. :] (Also, I have no idea if bread and milk will help you feel better. I figured that since blood is made in the bones and milk has calcium... I don't know. Whatever.) Also, I noticed that Watanuki is always the first to speak, and always the last to speak in my stories... I'm going to change that!