Indiscriminate Happenings
Fandom: xxxHoLiC
Characters/Pairing: Doumeki/Watanuki, Yuuko, Mokona
Prompt:6:8- Never
Rating: T
Chapter Genre: Humour/Romance
Summary: The plight of being trapped in a mirror by an insane (drunk) witch.
I

Watanuki sat, bored and exasperated as he listened to the witch before him rant about something Hitsuzen related (yet again), cross legged, elbow on one knee, and his chin resting on his palm, fingers curling around his jaw. The woman, Yuuko, had found him years ago running from a group of enraged villagers who claimed him a witch and wished to burn him at the stake. She, needing a slave to cook, clean, and fetch her alcoholic beverages, whisked him away and into her home, which was hidden between an old post and a fence and kept out of sight of normal beings by magic. Roughly a month after his arrival Yuuko had, in a bought of enthusiastic drunken dancing, accidentally phased him into a large, ornamental mirror that hung in the main room. The mirror, as all the other objects stowed away in the house, held magical properties, allowing whoever asked it a question a truthful answer, no matter the knowledge they wished to obtain. When he demanded to be released, Yuuko shrugged nonchalantly and stated that she couldn't get him out and that his entrapment was Hitsuzen's doing.

Needless to say, he was beyond angry.

Now, it was two years later and he was still caught in the realm of the mirror, forced to relay the information that was granted directly to him through his connection to the inanimate object to whoever asked (there were a surprising amount of people who came through). At the current moment he dully noted that Yuuko had stopped talking, staring intensely at him in one of her rare moments of complete sobriety.

"Watanuki-kun, tell me, do you think you'll ever get out of there?" she asked him, lounging languidly across the chaise lounge she'd brought in. He stared back at her, cat-like eyes blinking as he waited for the mirror to whisper the answer in his mind. When none was forthcoming he shrugged.

"Well, it's not giving an answer so my guess is never. Why?" He couldn't quite help the twinge of contempt he felt at having his life reduced to being a type of mediator for countless people he didn't know. What was worse was that he'd forever be trapped in the body of a thin, lanky sixteen year old and never be able to grow into his body. It sucked! Yuuko shook her head, drawing him away from his musings, her long hair moving with the motion.

"I didn't ask the mirror," she said softly, taking a draw from her pipe. "I asked you."

"Well," Watanuki spluttered, blushing and looking at his knee, picking at his pants with a grown out fingernail. "I hope so... But I don't know."

Yuuko remained silent, continuously drawing on her pipe and watching her contemplative charge.
II

Unexpectedly, (to Watanuki, at least; Yuuko had seen it coming when she inquired about the boy's freedom) a year after their conversation Yuuko tossed the mirror and the boy outside, watching silent and amused as he reeled forward and his the glass, a bruise already beginning to blossom on his cheek. As Watanuki yelled and cursed the witch cheerily waved and strode into the forest that surrounded them, whistling happily as she went, Mokona clinging to her shoulder. An hour later a boy with a bow and quiver of arrows happened by, slowing to a stop at the strange sight of a person that seemed to be on a rampage throwing a temper tantrum inside the confines of a mirror. Pale fists smashed against the glass and his face was contorted into a glaring snarl; his words were muted for whatever reason (the mirror may be an object but it had the state of mind to know when young ears could be offended. The thing was all-knowing after all) but Doumeki understood the gist of what the words were meant to portray. Face blank by default he walked to the odd sight, his presence making the boy cease his actions and stare, eyes wide.

"Oi." The boy recoiled immediately, face twisting into an offended frown. "What are you doing?" Pale lips moved but no sound came through. When he blinked uncomprehendingly blue eyes blinked and he turned back, glaring into the black background of his prison, his jaw moving as he said something.

"-ease, would you stop turning off the sound?!" As he turned back he was rolling his eyes and pouting. There was a moment of silence and another eye roll. "And maybe you shouldn't be such a smart ass." Whatever entity that was there with him retaliated by smacking his in the back of his head, smacking it against the surface.

"What are you doing?" he repeated, amused by the display though not showing it on his face. The boy grumbled, rubbing his forehead.

"What does it look like," he snapped, shooting him a glare that didn't actually intimidate him (in fact, he thought it was a cute attempt). Doumeki shrugged, the arrows clacking together.

"Being an idiot?" he suggested, enjoying the sight of the angry red blush that spread across white cheeks, flushing them with the bright colour.

"Excuse me?!" he yelped, his voice echoing inside the chamber he was in. "I'll have you know that it's not my choice to be in here! I can't exactly waltz through the glass and be back out there you know!"

"Why not?" Doumeki asked, watching as the boy stopped short, cocking his head to the side like a confused kitten. "Have you ever tried?"

He turned his head down, staring at whatever type of floor he walked inside. Black hair shadowed his face and one hand rose to press against the glass, lightly at first then harder. With a resigned sigh he relaxed, resting his forehead against the cool barrier and closing his eyes. "Yeah... I've tried before."

Doumeki paused, looking at the hand, then the face, then the whole, melancholy picture and made a split second decision, reaching towards and through the glass, twining his fingers with the slender pale ones and pulling, drawing the boy out of the other realm and into his arms. Startled blue eyes stared up at him, mouth agape and gasping, pulling in deep breaths of fresh, untainted air.

"Wha-?"

"Now you're free," he said, waiting for the smaller teenager to make the first move. When he didn't Doumeki decided that he didn't mind holding the other teen, no matter how much of a stranger he was.

To him, it was the beginning of a beautiful relationship. To Watanuki, it was the beginning of a slow, excruciating torture.
III
… Holy hell that was long! Though I have to admit, I really like the idea of Watanuki being Yuuko's magic mirror. I got it from a story by flo-bizet called The Sisters CLAMP Fairy Tales: Tsubasa Edition. It's been cute so far. :) This was the longest one yet~!