XXXHolic Fan Fiction ❯ Taint ❯ chapter 2 ( Chapter 2 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Z/N: Aha! After quite a long wait, I am now updating almost all of my fanfictions!

xXx

Watanuki had expected to end up walking back alone to his similarly empty apartment. However, as soon as he exited the building, his eyes were drawn to Yuko, who was cheerily waving at him with the same umbrella she had dropped that fateful day.
"Watanukiii! Hurry up, it's going to start raining any second now!"

Watanuki didn't question her, as the clouds that had looked peaceful suddenly took on a menacing tone. He dashed as best he could out, still managing to get soaked, as Yuko hadn't moved any closer.

He bent down under the umbrella, panting with the effort of running after being contained in a hospital bed for weeks.

"Th-Thanks." He muttered, not sure if it was sarcasm or not.

"Maru and Moro have been missing you, so I've decided that we simply must throw a party for your recovery."

"I'm not recovered yet, Yuko-san. A broken bone takes longer to heal than a few weeks."

Yuko smiled in that infuriatingly mysterious way but said nothing.

Watanuki remained silent, thinking back on the day he was hit. It wasn't the first time his mind had wandered to that direction, but the reasoning for Yuko's obviously knowledgeable changing of Hitsuzen always escaped him. This was somehow different from her customers, and he felt uneasy.

His direction of thought was hampered by the arrival of Maru and Moro jumping onto him with shouts of glee. Looking around, he noticed they were in Yuko's yard. How had they gotten there so fast? Yuko dropped the umbrella, leaving it outside as all four of them ducked in. "Mokona!" Yuko called out happily. "Watanuki's back!"

The black Mokona bounced in, yelling something indiscernable at Watanuki before alighting on his shoulder, demanding a party.

"Watanuki, Maru, Moro and I will get everything set up, while you go fetch some sake!" Yuko suggested/demanded, holding out her hands as Mokona hopped on.

Watanuki sighed as they parted ways, resigning himself to being back in Yuko's services. "She probably just didn't want to lose a slave." He muttered, opening the storage room and looking around. A thin layer of dust had spread across everything, keeping in with Watanuki's theory that dust originated in this room itself. Well, not everything.

Four objects glowed slightly, not a speck of dust on them. He glanced over momentarily, wondering why. One of them had the tired yet awake aura that he used to know so well as a boy. Another was the same, only...masculine? He shook his head away from the thought, setting his eyes on the two others, instantly regretting doing so. These two were just as indescribeable as the last, though one made him automatically start thinking of all the unanswerable questions in the universe. Head spinning, he refocused on the other, festooned with a strange trinket that appeared to be a heart with bat wings handcuffed to it. It had a definite air of malice, and discontent just itching to spread.

After a period of contemplation, he decided to ignore them and move on to getting the best sake he could find. It was a party in honor of him, after all, so only the best would do. Leaving the storeroom self-content, he failed to notice three of the items release a bit of tension, and one inaudible sigh.

xXx

"Alright, I've got the..." Watanuki trailed off after stepping through the room.
It was decorated, complete with streamers and a large sign reading 'Welcome Home'.

He felt a sudden urge to tear up, but dismissed it, with only a small blush to show.

"You guys did all of this for me?"
"Of course Watanuki!" Yuko chimed, causing Maru and Moro to echo her.

"Of course! Of course!"

Mokona squealed, diving at the sake bottle. Watanuki tried his best to maneuver it out of range.

"Uh-uh! Not until it's been distributed!"
"Aww.." Mokona pouted.

"Does this mean you'll be drinking as well, Watanuki?" Yuko asked, reclining in her chair.

"Of course! It's my party." Watanuki responded self-confidently.

Yuko was up again, latching her arms around his neck and squealing. "Watanuki's so cuute!"

Maru and Moro took up the call, much to his embarrasment.

"Let's get going!"

"Watanuki! Watanuki!"
"Maru, Moro-"

"Yes!"
"One, two,"
"Mokona too!"
"One,"
"Two!"
"Three-"
"Welcome home Watanuki!"

xXx

Maru and Moro danced around the room holding hands as Mokona balanced the empty sake bottle on his face, hopping about the table. Yuko was giving Watanuki her full attention, noticing his gaze fixated on her.
"You know, I never thought I could hold down this much liquor." He muttered, then giggled a bit.

"You're not holding it down very well."

"I'm awake, aren't I?"

"Good point, Nuki-pi."

"Yuuko. I've been thinking, about a lot of things. And I've decided, that I wanna kiss you."
The comment's oddity was coated by the layer of alcohol misting her. Yuko smiled, gesturing Watanuki forward.

He walked over a bit unsteadily, and collapsed onto her, squirming.

Maru and Moro noticed thechange, and took their game outside, Mokona trailing them.

Watanuki clumsily slid his hands down Yuko's front, trying to feel where the dress came off.

Yuko's own hands soon joined him, guiding a little clumsily themselves, as her mouth was otherwise occupied feverishly with Watanuki's own. Clumsily, fumblingly at first, feverishly, they moved. Passionately, feverishly, achingly forgetting who the other was yet remembering it all at the same time, they dug a deeper dent into Hitsuzen.

xXx

"Watanuki, wake up. We've burnt breakfast."

Yuko's voice raised the boy from a heavy sleep. He groaned, dispelling strange half-thoughts. Last night wasa blur, but a satisfied blur. He swung his legs off of...Yuko's chair?

"How did I get here?"

"I left you where you fell last night." Yuko responded, fanning away smoke, the telltale sign that her proclamation had not been a dream.

"Alright, I'm coming. Why did you try to make breakfast on your own?" Watanuki sighed, holding a hand to his head at a sudden throbbing.
"Hey-My arm's better!"

"You didn't think I would have you clean up with only one arm? You work so much better with two." Yuko gibed, reaching in her robe to bring out a small bottle. She handed it to Watanuki, who squinted at it, readjusting his glasses.

"Eki-kyabe? Oh, that's right. Ugh." Watanuki frowned, then tilted his head back and swallowed.

"Ack! Bitter!" He grimaced, handing the bottle back to Yuko and stumbling into the kitchen.

It wasn't on fire, thank kami for that at least. It was hard enough taking care of things when they were normal, he had no desire to find out how it might go when the house was on fire. Maru fanned at a smoldering dish while Moro dumped something blackened into the garbage.

"Well, we'll need to clean this air, and then I'll make something for breakfast." Watanuki announced, striding into the kitchen.

Yuko watched him take command, Maru and Moro responding instantly and with fervor. To him, it would be best forgotten, although it didn't help the pang of sorrow she felt any.