xxxHOLiC/Tsubasa post apocalyptic AU - Part 2
Not so much in the way of new notes to go with this part for a change. ^^; I'm mildly stalled on Watanuki and Doumeki's first scavenging mission now, but I've still got a couple more bits in reserve to post before I get to it, so there's a good chance I'll have it sorted by then.
Still need a definite title for this thing too.
In the morning, Watanuki commenced the process of sitting up with a visible wince to accompany ever movement. By the time he’d made it half way out of bed, Doumeki was already so sick of watching it that he made Watanuki lie back down again and stay there, and ventured out find breakfast alone. Sakura took pity on their guest at once when she heard what state he was in and immediately volunteered to bring him food and see if she could do anything to make him feel better. Of course, Syaoran could hardly have left her in there all morning with a virtual stranger without personally being there to keep an eye on things, so the task of border patrol fell to Doumeki for that day. It was probably about his turn anyway.
Kurogane joined him later and they talked for a while in the usual manner that had them both exchanging as few words as possible. Patrolling should have been Syaoran’s job and keeping an eye on their new guest Doumeki’s, but the Watanuki’s presence had already managed to rearrange their plans, even so slightly, and neither of them were pleased by it. It would all have been much simpler if they only knew for sure Watanuki was dangerous and crazy, at least then what had to be done with him would have been clear.
When Doumeki went back in later after Sakura had left, Watanuki was still lying down but looked more at east.
“Feeling better?” Doumeki inquired.
“I told you, this is nothing!” Watanuki replied. “I’ve been through whole supply missions feeling worse than this.”
Nevertheless, Doumeki could see the bravado behind that those supply missions had not been ‘nothing’ by any stretch, and Watanuki appreciated the opportunity to rest more than he was letting on.
“Did you tell Sakura the same?” Doumeki asked, and Watanuki feel briefly silent.
“She seems like a sweet girl,” he offered quietly, after a bit, the subtext of the simple statement hanging heavily over the room. This wasn’t world that had much use for sweet girls.
“No-one here would ever lay a hand on her,” said Doumeki firmly. After a moment’s thought, in the interests of accuracy, he added, “If they did, Syaoran would rip it off.”
Even so strangely worded, the reassurance made Watanuki relax a little. “I think I gathered that,” he said, with the faintest trace in his voice of something that might have been humour. “Are they siblings?”
“Unlikely,” said Doumeki, and left it at that.
By dinner that evening, Fye had decided to take to what remained of any ice that needed breaking with a sledgehammer.
“So, Kimihiro,” he began, as soon as they were all a few bites into whatever monstrosity they were eating that day, “Any good stories to tell?”
“Stories?” Watanuki echoed, visible confused.
“There’s nothing like a good campfire story,” said Fye, oblivious to the fact no-one else present showed much sign they shared his enthusiasm. “But the five of us have all been here so long we must know all of each other’s stories by now.” He looked at Watanuki expectantly.
Watanuki himself fidgeted nervously. He must have been out of practice at dealing with anyone as friendly as Fye - if he’d ever even met anyone like their tech at all, which was doubtful. “But - I really don’t know any stories. I’m sorry.”
“How about telling us something real then?” suggested Fye, undeterred. “Someone who has ghosts leading them on treasure-hunts across the countryside all the time must have at least a story or two to tell.”
Watanuki hesitated. Doumeki could sympathise to a degree, it was terribly hard to tell whether Fye was being genuine or mocking behind that smile, and Watanuki would be venturing into territory which was alternately treated with superstition and fear. He glanced at Doumeki apprehensively. Doumeki met his gaze steadily, keeping his expression neutral.
“Well…” Watanuki began, “the last time I got a lead, it was to this giant building in an old city. I… there were miles and miles of tunnels to go through to get there. Inside - it was enormous, bigger than this whole camp, but nearly everything was ruined, the roof had fallen in or the floor wasn’t safe, or… well, you had to be careful getting through or you would have put your feet somewhere that wasn’t stable. But there was one corner where nothing was damaged. There were all these, um, shelves of electronic things. Lots and lots of each kind. Most of them were broken though, or I couldn’t figure out how they worked. I’m sure something there could have been useful, but the gang wasn’t interested. They’d been hoping I was leading them to food. They got angry and broke a lot of things, so I never got a good look around.”
It was very different, Doumeki had to appreciate, to hear a story about the April Fool from his own mouth - for the first time it started to seem possible that the stuff of those stories ad the real world could exist together.
“A room full of broken gadgets?” said Fye, openly fascinated.
“Um, yeah,” said Watanuki. “I know it doesn’t sound like much use, but…”
“Oh, it’s plenty of use!” Fye corrected him. “With just a little work, six broken devices can mean three workings ones plus spare parts. Do you think you could find the same place again?”
Watanuki considered, but hung his head. “Sory, but it was over a week ago, and the gang had been travelling for a long way since then. I don’t really know where it was, and even if I could get close again, I don’t know whether I’d be able to find my way in unless I found the same guide again.”
Doumeki couldn’t help but notice how careful Watanuki was being to avoid saying ‘we’ with respect to himself and the dead gang, but it was hard to blame him
“Ah well,” said Fye. “I’ll just have to hope there’ll be others like that to come.”
“By guide, you mean a ghost, right?” said Syaoran.
“I… suppose so,” said Watanuki cautiously. “They’re usually ghosts, but this one didn’t look as human as most of them. He was short and yellowish, and he had these big ears, and no hair. When he was close by there was this strange feeling - like before a thunderstorm…” he trailed off, looking embarrassed.
“The other ones look human though?” Sakura wondered.
“Mostly they do,” said Watanuki.
“The supply trips you take people on,” said Kurogane, the beginning of a frown creasing his face, “how often can you do them?”
“Um, it depends a lot,” said Watanuki, even more nervous under Kurogane’s scrutiny. “Sometimes…”
“On average,” Kurogane interrupted.
“On average, probably a couple of times a month,” said Watanuki, “but… that’s counting the times when there isn’t anything useful when I find it.”
“And you find, what? Other than broken toys.”
“Sometimes it’s weapons or ammunition or food if I’m lucky. Fuel. Clothing. All kinds of things. Anything the ghosts find that they think might be useful to someone.”
“And how often do they get that wrong?” asked Doumeki, spotting the problem without trouble.
“It’s less than half the time. It still happens quite a bit though,” Watanuki admitted.
Kurogane glowered at him, but let the topic rest.
***
“You lot must be the strangest gang I’ve ever seen,” Watanuki complained later that night.
“How so?” said Doumeki, though he wasn’t really interested. Comparisons between Kurogane’s unconventional idea of how to run a campsite and any of the crazed gangs who’d fight over someone like Watanuki didn’t have much appeal. “Not used to questions?”
“I’m more familiar with demands,” said Watanuki. “Demands and a whole lot of people not wanting to talk to me at all, in case they catch being dead from the other people I talk to.”
“Then this is better, right?” said Doumeki simply, unsure what the problem was.
Watanuki made one of the his choked laugh-sob noises. “I don’t know what ‘better’ is.”
For a moment there, something clicked for Doumeki, and there was an image of what it might have been like for someone in Watanuki’s position, shuffled from one keeper to the next so often that misery became comforting simple because it couldn’t get worse. Poor bastard, he thought, then pushed the thought away.
Watanuki had simply gone on talking. “…and between that pale guy and the dark one, I don’t know what to think yet.”
“Fye likes everyone,” Doumeki explained, “and Kurogane doesn’t like anyone. Don’t take it personally. As long as you pull your weight he won’t abandon you. He just doesn’t like surprises.”
“No wonder I’m so popular,” said Watanuki bitterly.
Doumeki considered reminding Watanuki just what circumstances he’d been found in, but thought better of it.
Edit: Er, so apparently I didn't say this loud enough in the last entry - these ficbits are very much just drafts I'm posting in the hope it'll help me keep momentum going. They're utterly unbetaed and may well be substantially rewritten before I get to the finished version, so it's more likely than not that a few typos will slip in. ^^; By all means, point out mistakes if you spot them and I'll fix them, but their existence shouldn't come as any surprise.
There'll be a more polished version of this fic up eventually (and if people would rather wait for that, I'd entirely understand) but it may take some time for me to get that far. ^^;
Still need a definite title for this thing too.
In the morning, Watanuki commenced the process of sitting up with a visible wince to accompany ever movement. By the time he’d made it half way out of bed, Doumeki was already so sick of watching it that he made Watanuki lie back down again and stay there, and ventured out find breakfast alone. Sakura took pity on their guest at once when she heard what state he was in and immediately volunteered to bring him food and see if she could do anything to make him feel better. Of course, Syaoran could hardly have left her in there all morning with a virtual stranger without personally being there to keep an eye on things, so the task of border patrol fell to Doumeki for that day. It was probably about his turn anyway.
Kurogane joined him later and they talked for a while in the usual manner that had them both exchanging as few words as possible. Patrolling should have been Syaoran’s job and keeping an eye on their new guest Doumeki’s, but the Watanuki’s presence had already managed to rearrange their plans, even so slightly, and neither of them were pleased by it. It would all have been much simpler if they only knew for sure Watanuki was dangerous and crazy, at least then what had to be done with him would have been clear.
When Doumeki went back in later after Sakura had left, Watanuki was still lying down but looked more at east.
“Feeling better?” Doumeki inquired.
“I told you, this is nothing!” Watanuki replied. “I’ve been through whole supply missions feeling worse than this.”
Nevertheless, Doumeki could see the bravado behind that those supply missions had not been ‘nothing’ by any stretch, and Watanuki appreciated the opportunity to rest more than he was letting on.
“Did you tell Sakura the same?” Doumeki asked, and Watanuki feel briefly silent.
“She seems like a sweet girl,” he offered quietly, after a bit, the subtext of the simple statement hanging heavily over the room. This wasn’t world that had much use for sweet girls.
“No-one here would ever lay a hand on her,” said Doumeki firmly. After a moment’s thought, in the interests of accuracy, he added, “If they did, Syaoran would rip it off.”
Even so strangely worded, the reassurance made Watanuki relax a little. “I think I gathered that,” he said, with the faintest trace in his voice of something that might have been humour. “Are they siblings?”
“Unlikely,” said Doumeki, and left it at that.
By dinner that evening, Fye had decided to take to what remained of any ice that needed breaking with a sledgehammer.
“So, Kimihiro,” he began, as soon as they were all a few bites into whatever monstrosity they were eating that day, “Any good stories to tell?”
“Stories?” Watanuki echoed, visible confused.
“There’s nothing like a good campfire story,” said Fye, oblivious to the fact no-one else present showed much sign they shared his enthusiasm. “But the five of us have all been here so long we must know all of each other’s stories by now.” He looked at Watanuki expectantly.
Watanuki himself fidgeted nervously. He must have been out of practice at dealing with anyone as friendly as Fye - if he’d ever even met anyone like their tech at all, which was doubtful. “But - I really don’t know any stories. I’m sorry.”
“How about telling us something real then?” suggested Fye, undeterred. “Someone who has ghosts leading them on treasure-hunts across the countryside all the time must have at least a story or two to tell.”
Watanuki hesitated. Doumeki could sympathise to a degree, it was terribly hard to tell whether Fye was being genuine or mocking behind that smile, and Watanuki would be venturing into territory which was alternately treated with superstition and fear. He glanced at Doumeki apprehensively. Doumeki met his gaze steadily, keeping his expression neutral.
“Well…” Watanuki began, “the last time I got a lead, it was to this giant building in an old city. I… there were miles and miles of tunnels to go through to get there. Inside - it was enormous, bigger than this whole camp, but nearly everything was ruined, the roof had fallen in or the floor wasn’t safe, or… well, you had to be careful getting through or you would have put your feet somewhere that wasn’t stable. But there was one corner where nothing was damaged. There were all these, um, shelves of electronic things. Lots and lots of each kind. Most of them were broken though, or I couldn’t figure out how they worked. I’m sure something there could have been useful, but the gang wasn’t interested. They’d been hoping I was leading them to food. They got angry and broke a lot of things, so I never got a good look around.”
It was very different, Doumeki had to appreciate, to hear a story about the April Fool from his own mouth - for the first time it started to seem possible that the stuff of those stories ad the real world could exist together.
“A room full of broken gadgets?” said Fye, openly fascinated.
“Um, yeah,” said Watanuki. “I know it doesn’t sound like much use, but…”
“Oh, it’s plenty of use!” Fye corrected him. “With just a little work, six broken devices can mean three workings ones plus spare parts. Do you think you could find the same place again?”
Watanuki considered, but hung his head. “Sory, but it was over a week ago, and the gang had been travelling for a long way since then. I don’t really know where it was, and even if I could get close again, I don’t know whether I’d be able to find my way in unless I found the same guide again.”
Doumeki couldn’t help but notice how careful Watanuki was being to avoid saying ‘we’ with respect to himself and the dead gang, but it was hard to blame him
“Ah well,” said Fye. “I’ll just have to hope there’ll be others like that to come.”
“By guide, you mean a ghost, right?” said Syaoran.
“I… suppose so,” said Watanuki cautiously. “They’re usually ghosts, but this one didn’t look as human as most of them. He was short and yellowish, and he had these big ears, and no hair. When he was close by there was this strange feeling - like before a thunderstorm…” he trailed off, looking embarrassed.
“The other ones look human though?” Sakura wondered.
“Mostly they do,” said Watanuki.
“The supply trips you take people on,” said Kurogane, the beginning of a frown creasing his face, “how often can you do them?”
“Um, it depends a lot,” said Watanuki, even more nervous under Kurogane’s scrutiny. “Sometimes…”
“On average,” Kurogane interrupted.
“On average, probably a couple of times a month,” said Watanuki, “but… that’s counting the times when there isn’t anything useful when I find it.”
“And you find, what? Other than broken toys.”
“Sometimes it’s weapons or ammunition or food if I’m lucky. Fuel. Clothing. All kinds of things. Anything the ghosts find that they think might be useful to someone.”
“And how often do they get that wrong?” asked Doumeki, spotting the problem without trouble.
“It’s less than half the time. It still happens quite a bit though,” Watanuki admitted.
Kurogane glowered at him, but let the topic rest.
***
“You lot must be the strangest gang I’ve ever seen,” Watanuki complained later that night.
“How so?” said Doumeki, though he wasn’t really interested. Comparisons between Kurogane’s unconventional idea of how to run a campsite and any of the crazed gangs who’d fight over someone like Watanuki didn’t have much appeal. “Not used to questions?”
“I’m more familiar with demands,” said Watanuki. “Demands and a whole lot of people not wanting to talk to me at all, in case they catch being dead from the other people I talk to.”
“Then this is better, right?” said Doumeki simply, unsure what the problem was.
Watanuki made one of the his choked laugh-sob noises. “I don’t know what ‘better’ is.”
For a moment there, something clicked for Doumeki, and there was an image of what it might have been like for someone in Watanuki’s position, shuffled from one keeper to the next so often that misery became comforting simple because it couldn’t get worse. Poor bastard, he thought, then pushed the thought away.
Watanuki had simply gone on talking. “…and between that pale guy and the dark one, I don’t know what to think yet.”
“Fye likes everyone,” Doumeki explained, “and Kurogane doesn’t like anyone. Don’t take it personally. As long as you pull your weight he won’t abandon you. He just doesn’t like surprises.”
“No wonder I’m so popular,” said Watanuki bitterly.
Doumeki considered reminding Watanuki just what circumstances he’d been found in, but thought better of it.
Edit: Er, so apparently I didn't say this loud enough in the last entry - these ficbits are very much just drafts I'm posting in the hope it'll help me keep momentum going. They're utterly unbetaed and may well be substantially rewritten before I get to the finished version, so it's more likely than not that a few typos will slip in. ^^; By all means, point out mistakes if you spot them and I'll fix them, but their existence shouldn't come as any surprise.
There'll be a more polished version of this fic up eventually (and if people would rather wait for that, I'd entirely understand) but it may take some time for me to get that far. ^^;