Fandom 16
Title: Throw Salt Over Your Shoulder
Fandom: xXxHolic
Rating: PG
Summary: When Watanuki spills some salt, he has to decide - is there a devil that needs blinding or not?
Watanuki had nearly finished making the dinner that Yuko had demanded he make when he saw that Maru and Moro were playing with his carefully made table. They were giggling and making the knife and fork dance all over the place.
“Stop that!” he yelled at them. “Hey, I mean it, cut it out!”
They giggled and dived away as he lunged at them, grabbing furiously at the cutlery. He managed to snatch it but as he pulled back, he knocked over the novelty salt and pepper shakers (only Yuko, he reflected mournfully, would have salt and pepper shakers shaped like starfish) Salt and pepper spilt everywhere and Watanuki began to mumble furiously and tried to sweep it up with his hands.
“Aren’t you going to throw some of that salt over your shoulder?”
He glanced over at Yuko, who was standing at the door, watching him with that slightly creepy expression that he was getting used to.
“I’m busy clearing up!” he growled. “I’d only have to clean it up later when you start griping!”
“Haven’t you ever heard the expression Throw salt over your shoulder to blind the devil?” Yuko asked, gliding into the room and sitting down at the table, folding her long arms and smiling at him.
“Yeah … ” Watanuki said slowly. “I think so.”
“Well then,” she said. “Don’t you think you should do it?”
“It’s just a dumb superstition!” Watanuki said, feeling unaccountably nervous all of a sudden. Yuko was smiling that smile. That smile that normally meant she was about to say something horrible. Which he liked to pretend didn’t bother him but they were usually quite horrible things, on the whole. He tried to resist the urge to look over his shoulder and focused on Yuko instead.
“Do you think so?” she asked, reaching out and stirring the salt with one finger. “Do you really think there is anything in this world that’s just a dumb superstition?”
“Sure,” Watanuki said, trying to sound confident. “I mean, there is … right?”
Yuko’s creepy smile grew.
“There are doors,” she said. “Sometimes, things need something to break a way through the doors. You’d be surprised at what sort of things can break doors. Some everyday objects have extremely interesting powers, you know. Some extremely potent powers.”
Watanuki tried not to swallow. Yuko was stirring the spilt salt with one finger and still smiling at him. Or was she smiling at something behind him? Watanuki didn’t think he wanted to look. Was it his imagination or could he feel something breathing on the back of his neck?
“Going to throw some of the salt over your shoulder now?” Yuko asked.
Watanuki paused. Then abruptly, he grabbed a bit of the salt and hurled it over his shoulder. He tensed, half-expecting to hear a noise but nothing happened. Yuko grinned.
“Now clean up the salt!” she said.
Watanuki gave her his most furious look and began to get the salt off the table, mumbling under his breath. Moro and Maru were laughing at him and Yuko was singing something gleeful about sake. All in all, he rather felt that he’d just been made to look like an idiot.
It was only after he’d served Yuko’s dinner and grabbed a dustpan and brush to clean the salt off the floor that he saw that there was no salt there.
Fandom: xXxHolic
Rating: PG
Summary: When Watanuki spills some salt, he has to decide - is there a devil that needs blinding or not?
Watanuki had nearly finished making the dinner that Yuko had demanded he make when he saw that Maru and Moro were playing with his carefully made table. They were giggling and making the knife and fork dance all over the place.
“Stop that!” he yelled at them. “Hey, I mean it, cut it out!”
They giggled and dived away as he lunged at them, grabbing furiously at the cutlery. He managed to snatch it but as he pulled back, he knocked over the novelty salt and pepper shakers (only Yuko, he reflected mournfully, would have salt and pepper shakers shaped like starfish) Salt and pepper spilt everywhere and Watanuki began to mumble furiously and tried to sweep it up with his hands.
“Aren’t you going to throw some of that salt over your shoulder?”
He glanced over at Yuko, who was standing at the door, watching him with that slightly creepy expression that he was getting used to.
“I’m busy clearing up!” he growled. “I’d only have to clean it up later when you start griping!”
“Haven’t you ever heard the expression Throw salt over your shoulder to blind the devil?” Yuko asked, gliding into the room and sitting down at the table, folding her long arms and smiling at him.
“Yeah … ” Watanuki said slowly. “I think so.”
“Well then,” she said. “Don’t you think you should do it?”
“It’s just a dumb superstition!” Watanuki said, feeling unaccountably nervous all of a sudden. Yuko was smiling that smile. That smile that normally meant she was about to say something horrible. Which he liked to pretend didn’t bother him but they were usually quite horrible things, on the whole. He tried to resist the urge to look over his shoulder and focused on Yuko instead.
“Do you think so?” she asked, reaching out and stirring the salt with one finger. “Do you really think there is anything in this world that’s just a dumb superstition?”
“Sure,” Watanuki said, trying to sound confident. “I mean, there is … right?”
Yuko’s creepy smile grew.
“There are doors,” she said. “Sometimes, things need something to break a way through the doors. You’d be surprised at what sort of things can break doors. Some everyday objects have extremely interesting powers, you know. Some extremely potent powers.”
Watanuki tried not to swallow. Yuko was stirring the spilt salt with one finger and still smiling at him. Or was she smiling at something behind him? Watanuki didn’t think he wanted to look. Was it his imagination or could he feel something breathing on the back of his neck?
“Going to throw some of the salt over your shoulder now?” Yuko asked.
Watanuki paused. Then abruptly, he grabbed a bit of the salt and hurled it over his shoulder. He tensed, half-expecting to hear a noise but nothing happened. Yuko grinned.
“Now clean up the salt!” she said.
Watanuki gave her his most furious look and began to get the salt off the table, mumbling under his breath. Moro and Maru were laughing at him and Yuko was singing something gleeful about sake. All in all, he rather felt that he’d just been made to look like an idiot.
It was only after he’d served Yuko’s dinner and grabbed a dustpan and brush to clean the salt off the floor that he saw that there was no salt there.