I can't believe it took me this long to discover your page. I love all the stories of yours I've read so far. I'm not clear on the ending of this one though. When Doumeki says: "Was that better?" What is he referring to?

What a way to arrange life; so elegant and concise and consolidated. Equivalent exchange, hitsuzen, paying the price - it certainly is a system that means you can't take the trials and tribulations of life personally. What a lovely story.

Wonderful. This fits beautifully into canon: the bow/no bow test, the tension and anxiety, Doumeki's sense of duty, his /reason/ for acting and saving and protecting and suffering in silence; even the dream/nightmare sequence of the fishbowl at the bottom of the lake seems like an episode lost in planning. Your style blends perfectly with established canon while branching out from it. Excellent job.

That was awesome. xD I really felt fear when Watanuki was dragged under! Doumeki's fear was mine at that moment. I also really, really like the idea behind this. It seems like it could have come from a canon story that I haven't read yet. oWo Both the idea of Doumeki paying in shouldering Watanuki's fear (because only in xHolic is something as ambiguous as 'fear' considered a form of currency, much less as a quantifiable attribute. xD) and the idea of the fishbowl. My only wish is that I know for certain what happened to the ghost girl and how she began keeping fish. If that was her. I got that impression... ANYWAY. Great job! I actually read 'Storm' first so the reference back to this fic I thought was a chapter from the comics that I had missed. xD Whoops. That is how well your fic would fit in with the style and theme of CLAMP'S chapters! Congrats!

~Flair

Hearts! And weirdness, apparently, is helping you with great storylines, so I love your weirdness! _ Beautiful story once again! And I love the idea of a payment in fear - it's overwhelmingly personal without needing to be sexual. Fantastic. _

It's a very interesting concept. I at first thought you meant he would pay his fear in having to feel it over Watanuki. Your way makes more sense, but I would think Doumeki is often afraid for Watanuki, too. He just can't stay out of trouble. How'd he ever make it before Doumeki? What terrible things did he go through that he can't now remember?

Anyhow, great story!

I like this a lot. Good supernatural plot and interesting approach to Doumeki, shifting the focus from rescuing Watanuki from danger to giving him peace of mind.

this is good.

That was perfect. I really enjoy your writing style! My favorite part of this was the repetition of "Doumeki would not pay his price in blood", and how you would give us a new piece of that reasoning each time. (did that make sense? LOL) Anyway, very well done.

As good as ever. It's so easy to picture the boys slowly falling in love like that... I like the way Doumeki "settles the bill" in his mind, thinking of his injuries as some sort of monetary system to buy happiness for Watanuki, a little bit at a time. And how he catalogues the danger of a mission by "bow or no bow". It makes sense, his having such a straight-forward approach to their life of danger. And this does make a good prequel to "Storm".

well, i thought it was really great. i actually get the psychology behind this. it's really touching and very well written. good job, it definitely deserves more love :D

Yepyep. I like the fish-people, is there any way to save them?

omg! Our brave Doumeki~~! He's just so darn self-sacrificing! But what happened with the drowned sister? Did they find her ghost?

ah, nothing like some good, old supernatural adventure.

i like how straightforward it is about the sacrifice of blood - how Doumeki doesn't care about the pain, because it'll be replenished and forgotten. the fear Watanuki feels - thats what he wants, because he knows its the only thing that'll make a difference. that's what i like the most about these two; even though they can't seem to get along they know they need each other. you've captured that very well here.