Some xxxHolic gen fic
I've had this idea lurking around for a long time, and I finally got around to writing it down. So here it is.
Title: The Nature of Love (pt. ?)
Series: xxxHolic, various other CLAMP series (SDS for this one)
Word Count: 1440
Spoilers: Some for SDS, all three volumes. None for xxxHolic, since it’s set in the second volume.
Warnings: None. Gen, pretty much G to PG, at the very, very, absolute outside.
Yuuko was an odd woman. Watanuki didn’t have to know her for very long in order to understand this. She was a drunk, whimsical, odd, annoying, aggravating, a slob, a slave driver, enigmatic for no particular reason, and just generally out to make him miserable by working for her.
So when he stepped into work, shortly after the incident with the two dimension-travelling children, he was surprised to find her dressed and ready to go out.
“Yuuko…san?” he said, confused. She swung her handbag.
“Oh good,” she said. “I was hoping you’d be right on time today.” She turned to the twin girls. “Maru, Moro, we’re going out. Mind the shop, okay?”
“Okay,” they chimed, smiling.
“Come on, Watanuki,” Yuuko said, “we’re going out for coffee.”
“Eh? But, Yuuko-san, I can make you coffee,” he said, dumbfounded.
“I know,” she said. Mokona was tucked into her handbag, and Watanuki could see it smirking at him. “But I want coffee from a café. With a little scone to go with it.” She stroked one finger underneath his chin. “And you are coming with me!”
“It’s a date!” Mokona said, and Yuuko laughed. “Come on, Watanuki,” she said. “We won’t go far. There’s a little café not too far from here. We’ll walk.”
He grumbled and sighed, but in the end had little choice but to follow her.
The café Yuuko chose was a small one, not too far from the Duklyon burger joint. Yuuko chose her drink (plus a little extra for Mokona), gave it to Watanuki, and promptly sauntered off to find a table she liked. Which, naturally, stuck Watanuki with not only ordering, but paying as well.
The only advantage was that the café was relatively free of customers. There were only a few couples at a few tables, and there was plenty of privacy to talk if one kept one’s voice down. The place was actually rather nice. There were lots of large windows that let in a great deal of natural light, and the tables and chairs were of a dark, smooth wood. Watanuki almost felt relaxed just by being in the place. Whoever ran it obviously had a great deal of care put into it. The floor was clean, the tables and countertops shined, and it felt….
Well, it was a little silly, but the place felt happy.
“Here’s you café au lait, Yuuko-san,” he said, setting down a rather large mug. “And your cherry scones, and a straw.”
Yuuko smiled brightly at him. “Oh, look, Mokona,” she murmured. “Watanuki was brave and asked for a straw, even though he’s here with an older woman!”
“That’s-that’s not-I got it for that black bun,” Watanuki hissed. “So it wouldn’t look too odd.”
She smiled at him. “I know,” she said. “It was thoughtful of you.” She sipped her coffee. “Ah, that’s nice.” She looked at his mug. “What did you order?”
“Tea,” he said.
“Oh, Watanuki, you need to be more adventurous!”
He grunted and sipped his tea. “I don’t see why I had to pay,” he said at last.
“Because,” Yuuko said, “It looks like we’re on a date, and isn’t the man supposed to pay on those?”
“Not always,” he said.
“I’ll pay you back,” she said. She was smirking. “Anyway, this isn’t a date, is it?”
He nearly choked on his tea. “Of course not!”
“Ah,” she said, “but as far as society is concerned, we may well be, right? After all, you’re a man, I’m a woman, and you just paid for my food and drink and are sitting at the same table. That easily makes it a ‘date’ to whomever sees us.”
Watanuki felt himself blushing, just a little bit. “I can move.”
“But that ruins the illusion,” Yuuko said. “Look around, Watanuki. Look at the other customers. Tell me what you see.”
He glanced around. “A man and a woman…I guess she’s his wife, maybe…. An older man and a junior high school girl…a girl and a boy in high school uniforms…that’s all, Yuuko-san.”
“And are they all here on ‘dates?’”
“I suppose so.”
She smiled a little, but it had an edge to it he couldn’t place. “Look closer, Watanuki,” she said. “Them. The husband and wife. Look at them.”
Something in her voice-the inflection, the emphasis, something-made him turn slightly and look at the married couple. For a moment, they looked exactly as they had before, sitting across the table from each other, quietly sipping tea.
But then a truly ugly look crossed the man’s face, and smoke boiled out of him like steam. It was tinged with red, and even across the room, Watanuki could smell it-foul, stinking, as something that had rotted in the summer heat.
“Yuuko-san….” Watanuki whispered.
“That,” she said, “is not a ‘date.’ It is not a meeting to be with one you like, or one you love; it is a meeting for something entirely different.”
The woman said something, and the smell grew incredibly stronger. Watanuki almost gagged. He turned away and hid his face in his tea, trying not to use his nose and keep control of his stomach.
“That,” Yuuko said, her voice low and weighty, “is the smell of love gone sour, Watanuki.”
The man said something sharp, and threw something at the woman before storming out. Once he was past the doors Watanuki breathed a little easier. Once he looked up, he saw that the high school couple was comforting the woman. Approaching the two of them, however, was the junior high school girl. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, though, but an oversized sweater and blue jeans.
“Are you okay?” she said. “You look kind of sick.”
“I’m getting better,” he said. “Thank you.”
She looked concerned. “Are you sure? Maybe you should go to the doctor. It’s the best way to keep from getting sick, you know.” She smiled brightly, and her face, framed by flyaway black hair, lit up. “Or by eating lots and lots of veggies and miso! That’s good for you, too!”
“I’ll be all right,” he said, politely, “but thank you for the concern.”
“Hina,” the older man said. He bowed a little to Yuuko and Watanuki. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Hina, you’re letting your tea get cold.”
She gave him a warm smile that lit up her face. “But so are you, Asou-san!” she said. “I’ll make it up to you by cooking you dinner, okay?”
“Ah,” was all he said. Hina bowed again, said, “Enjoy your date!” which prompted Watanuki to protest, Yuuko to chuckle, and Asou-san to sigh deeply.
“Honestly,” he said, as they left-and passed by the table Watanuki and Yuuko occupied-“Not everyone here is on a date, Hina.”
“I know,” she said. “But we were, Asou-san, and it’s the best feeling! I love it, so I want other people to feel it, too!” Asou sighed, but he reached up and gently mussed her hair as the door closed behind them.
Watanuki blinked. “They were on a date?”
Yuuko took a deep breath. “Smell that, Watanuki?”
“Eh?” He sniffed the air. “It smells like…berries. And…hot ginger tea.”
“That,” she said gently, “is the smell two people in love can leave behind them. Not everyone, of course, but if you pay attention, it’s pretty easy to see who is in love, who is not, and who is just faking it.” Her eyes slid over to the woman, who was shakily standing up and putting her purse in order. “Some just fake it from the beginning,” she said. “But that’s the thing about love, Watanuki. You can’t fake such a feeling forever; and eventually you either drown in your own lie, or you break free of it.” She sipped her coffee, which still steamed on the table. Mokona had nibbled at the scones on the plate.
“So…that man….”
“Didn’t know all he thought he did,” she said.
“And that girl? Hina-san?”
“Oh, them?” Yuuko smiled at him. “They were in love. Neither of them was pretending, if that’s what you’re asking.” She took a deep sip of her coffee and sighed. “Ah, that’s good! Here, Mokona, you have some.” She stuck the straw in the cup and passed it over to Mokona. The little black bun cheered-quietly-and set to drinking.
“Finish your tea, Watanuki,” Yuuko said. “Then we can stop by the store and see if they have any cherries! I’m craving cherries, after that lovely scone.”
Watanuki scowled, distracted. “Yuuko-san, do you expect me to pay for them, too? Cherries are expensive!”
Yuuko, of course, only laughed at him.
***
Edited slightly, because I was a dink and forgot when Mokona showed up. So now I'm not 100% certain it's part one. Maybe part two. Agh. Anyway, fixed now. (Good thing I didn't post it to xxx_holic and clamp_fiction right away, like I was thinking I might....)
Also, for those who haven't read SDS--Hinata isn't actually in junior high. She's graduated from high school by the middle of Legal Drug (ie vol. 2), but she's petite, with big eyes and a really small chest, so she gets mistaken for someone a lot younger. (Her general personality doesn't help with this impression.) Since Watanuki doesn't know her, he's inclined to think she's a junior high school student, rather than a girl out of high school.
Title: The Nature of Love (pt. ?)
Series: xxxHolic, various other CLAMP series (SDS for this one)
Word Count: 1440
Spoilers: Some for SDS, all three volumes. None for xxxHolic, since it’s set in the second volume.
Warnings: None. Gen, pretty much G to PG, at the very, very, absolute outside.
Yuuko was an odd woman. Watanuki didn’t have to know her for very long in order to understand this. She was a drunk, whimsical, odd, annoying, aggravating, a slob, a slave driver, enigmatic for no particular reason, and just generally out to make him miserable by working for her.
So when he stepped into work, shortly after the incident with the two dimension-travelling children, he was surprised to find her dressed and ready to go out.
“Yuuko…san?” he said, confused. She swung her handbag.
“Oh good,” she said. “I was hoping you’d be right on time today.” She turned to the twin girls. “Maru, Moro, we’re going out. Mind the shop, okay?”
“Okay,” they chimed, smiling.
“Come on, Watanuki,” Yuuko said, “we’re going out for coffee.”
“Eh? But, Yuuko-san, I can make you coffee,” he said, dumbfounded.
“I know,” she said. Mokona was tucked into her handbag, and Watanuki could see it smirking at him. “But I want coffee from a café. With a little scone to go with it.” She stroked one finger underneath his chin. “And you are coming with me!”
“It’s a date!” Mokona said, and Yuuko laughed. “Come on, Watanuki,” she said. “We won’t go far. There’s a little café not too far from here. We’ll walk.”
He grumbled and sighed, but in the end had little choice but to follow her.
The café Yuuko chose was a small one, not too far from the Duklyon burger joint. Yuuko chose her drink (plus a little extra for Mokona), gave it to Watanuki, and promptly sauntered off to find a table she liked. Which, naturally, stuck Watanuki with not only ordering, but paying as well.
The only advantage was that the café was relatively free of customers. There were only a few couples at a few tables, and there was plenty of privacy to talk if one kept one’s voice down. The place was actually rather nice. There were lots of large windows that let in a great deal of natural light, and the tables and chairs were of a dark, smooth wood. Watanuki almost felt relaxed just by being in the place. Whoever ran it obviously had a great deal of care put into it. The floor was clean, the tables and countertops shined, and it felt….
Well, it was a little silly, but the place felt happy.
“Here’s you café au lait, Yuuko-san,” he said, setting down a rather large mug. “And your cherry scones, and a straw.”
Yuuko smiled brightly at him. “Oh, look, Mokona,” she murmured. “Watanuki was brave and asked for a straw, even though he’s here with an older woman!”
“That’s-that’s not-I got it for that black bun,” Watanuki hissed. “So it wouldn’t look too odd.”
She smiled at him. “I know,” she said. “It was thoughtful of you.” She sipped her coffee. “Ah, that’s nice.” She looked at his mug. “What did you order?”
“Tea,” he said.
“Oh, Watanuki, you need to be more adventurous!”
He grunted and sipped his tea. “I don’t see why I had to pay,” he said at last.
“Because,” Yuuko said, “It looks like we’re on a date, and isn’t the man supposed to pay on those?”
“Not always,” he said.
“I’ll pay you back,” she said. She was smirking. “Anyway, this isn’t a date, is it?”
He nearly choked on his tea. “Of course not!”
“Ah,” she said, “but as far as society is concerned, we may well be, right? After all, you’re a man, I’m a woman, and you just paid for my food and drink and are sitting at the same table. That easily makes it a ‘date’ to whomever sees us.”
Watanuki felt himself blushing, just a little bit. “I can move.”
“But that ruins the illusion,” Yuuko said. “Look around, Watanuki. Look at the other customers. Tell me what you see.”
He glanced around. “A man and a woman…I guess she’s his wife, maybe…. An older man and a junior high school girl…a girl and a boy in high school uniforms…that’s all, Yuuko-san.”
“And are they all here on ‘dates?’”
“I suppose so.”
She smiled a little, but it had an edge to it he couldn’t place. “Look closer, Watanuki,” she said. “Them. The husband and wife. Look at them.”
Something in her voice-the inflection, the emphasis, something-made him turn slightly and look at the married couple. For a moment, they looked exactly as they had before, sitting across the table from each other, quietly sipping tea.
But then a truly ugly look crossed the man’s face, and smoke boiled out of him like steam. It was tinged with red, and even across the room, Watanuki could smell it-foul, stinking, as something that had rotted in the summer heat.
“Yuuko-san….” Watanuki whispered.
“That,” she said, “is not a ‘date.’ It is not a meeting to be with one you like, or one you love; it is a meeting for something entirely different.”
The woman said something, and the smell grew incredibly stronger. Watanuki almost gagged. He turned away and hid his face in his tea, trying not to use his nose and keep control of his stomach.
“That,” Yuuko said, her voice low and weighty, “is the smell of love gone sour, Watanuki.”
The man said something sharp, and threw something at the woman before storming out. Once he was past the doors Watanuki breathed a little easier. Once he looked up, he saw that the high school couple was comforting the woman. Approaching the two of them, however, was the junior high school girl. She wasn’t wearing a uniform, though, but an oversized sweater and blue jeans.
“Are you okay?” she said. “You look kind of sick.”
“I’m getting better,” he said. “Thank you.”
She looked concerned. “Are you sure? Maybe you should go to the doctor. It’s the best way to keep from getting sick, you know.” She smiled brightly, and her face, framed by flyaway black hair, lit up. “Or by eating lots and lots of veggies and miso! That’s good for you, too!”
“I’ll be all right,” he said, politely, “but thank you for the concern.”
“Hina,” the older man said. He bowed a little to Yuuko and Watanuki. “Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “Hina, you’re letting your tea get cold.”
She gave him a warm smile that lit up her face. “But so are you, Asou-san!” she said. “I’ll make it up to you by cooking you dinner, okay?”
“Ah,” was all he said. Hina bowed again, said, “Enjoy your date!” which prompted Watanuki to protest, Yuuko to chuckle, and Asou-san to sigh deeply.
“Honestly,” he said, as they left-and passed by the table Watanuki and Yuuko occupied-“Not everyone here is on a date, Hina.”
“I know,” she said. “But we were, Asou-san, and it’s the best feeling! I love it, so I want other people to feel it, too!” Asou sighed, but he reached up and gently mussed her hair as the door closed behind them.
Watanuki blinked. “They were on a date?”
Yuuko took a deep breath. “Smell that, Watanuki?”
“Eh?” He sniffed the air. “It smells like…berries. And…hot ginger tea.”
“That,” she said gently, “is the smell two people in love can leave behind them. Not everyone, of course, but if you pay attention, it’s pretty easy to see who is in love, who is not, and who is just faking it.” Her eyes slid over to the woman, who was shakily standing up and putting her purse in order. “Some just fake it from the beginning,” she said. “But that’s the thing about love, Watanuki. You can’t fake such a feeling forever; and eventually you either drown in your own lie, or you break free of it.” She sipped her coffee, which still steamed on the table. Mokona had nibbled at the scones on the plate.
“So…that man….”
“Didn’t know all he thought he did,” she said.
“And that girl? Hina-san?”
“Oh, them?” Yuuko smiled at him. “They were in love. Neither of them was pretending, if that’s what you’re asking.” She took a deep sip of her coffee and sighed. “Ah, that’s good! Here, Mokona, you have some.” She stuck the straw in the cup and passed it over to Mokona. The little black bun cheered-quietly-and set to drinking.
“Finish your tea, Watanuki,” Yuuko said. “Then we can stop by the store and see if they have any cherries! I’m craving cherries, after that lovely scone.”
Watanuki scowled, distracted. “Yuuko-san, do you expect me to pay for them, too? Cherries are expensive!”
Yuuko, of course, only laughed at him.
***
Edited slightly, because I was a dink and forgot when Mokona showed up. So now I'm not 100% certain it's part one. Maybe part two. Agh. Anyway, fixed now. (Good thing I didn't post it to xxx_holic and clamp_fiction right away, like I was thinking I might....)
Also, for those who haven't read SDS--Hinata isn't actually in junior high. She's graduated from high school by the middle of Legal Drug (ie vol. 2), but she's petite, with big eyes and a really small chest, so she gets mistaken for someone a lot younger. (Her general personality doesn't help with this impression.) Since Watanuki doesn't know her, he's inclined to think she's a junior high school student, rather than a girl out of high school.