(A/N): This is the first xxxHolic story I've published. It's a character study of Watanuki and Yûko, and their relationship with one another. Could be interpreted as romantic, but it isn't heavily so.

"Tonight, I want a bubble bath," said Yûko, as her part-time employee entered the shop.

Watanuki closed the door behind him, taking off his shoes. It was a chilly Friday afternoon. School was finally over for the week, and Himawari had even walked him to work. It was, in the bespectacled boy's opinion, a very fortunate day. "What would you like for dinner, Yûko?" The boy asked, his tone more cheerful than usual.

"You're in a good mood, aren't you? Actually, I was thinking we could go out to eat," Yûko suggested.

"Really? I mean, that's fine with me, but usually you hand me a shopping list and shove me out the door," said Watanuki, cocking a brow.

"Well, tonight is special. You've been here a whole year, now!" The shop owner cheered. "How about it?"

"I didn't realize you were keeping track, but now that you mention it…I really have been working for you a whole year."

"So, is that a yes, Watanuki?"

"Sure!" The boy smiled.

Yûko threw her hands up, in excitement. "Maru, Moro! Help me pick out something to wear! Watanuki and I are going out tonight!"

"The mistress is going out!" The little girls shouted. "The mistress is going out!"

As Yûko changed clothes, Watanuki went to the bathroom to comb his hair. After he came out, his boss was ready. She wore a long, pink dress, with a matching hat and scarf. "Let's go, Watanuki!" She grabbed Watanuki by the arm, and pulled him out the door.

"You almost made me trip over my own shoelaces, Yûko!" The boy complained.

"Hahahaha"

Once they were in town, Yûko spotted a bakery. "Ooh! Let's stop in there."

"Wouldn't it make sense to have dessert after we eat dinner?" Watanuki asked.

"What if the place is closed by the time we're done? Just one tiny pastry won't spoil my appetite," the woman pleaded.

"Fine, let's go…"

The little bakery smelled heavenly. A boy, about Watanuki's age was standing behind the counter. "Everything smells delicious!" Yûko beamed.

The boy smiled at her, and said, "Everything you smell and see here is baked fresh, daily."

Just then, a man in a pastry chef's uniform appeared from the kitchen. "We're about to close up for the evening, so take whatever you'd like. Whatever you don't take will go to waste."

"Thank you. That's very generous of you," said Yûko, eyeing the sweets.

"Only take one, Yûko. We're about to have dinner, remember?" The boy reminded her.

The woman quickly whirled around, so she was able to talk right into Watanuki's face. "But he said we could take whatever we'd like, which means I can have more than one!"

The two behind the counter giggled as they watched Watanuki and Yûko banter back and forth. "Miss, how about I limit you to two free pastries? That way, you still get more than one, but you won't feel the impulse to take more," the baker suggested.

"Deal!" The black-haired woman shouted.

Watanuki shook his head. The boy behind the counter was barely able to contain his laughter. Once Yûko had a pain au chocolat in one hand, and a cinnamon bun in the other, she motioned for Watanuki to give the guys a tip. Even though the baker had given her the pastries, she refused to leave without repaying him.

"No matter how small the favor, proper compensation is required," said Yûko, taking a bite of her pain au chocolat.

"Thank you very much. It's a pleasure to have customers like you," the baker said.

As they continued their walk, Watanuki asked where they were going to eat dinner. Yûko answered, "Wherever you'd like, Watanuki. This is my treat, but I'm going to make you earn it later."

"You never fail to break your policy, do you?" The boy sighed.

"I'm afraid not. You see, I understand that it may not be a very big deal to most people, but balance is what determines how we live, right down to the cells and tissues that make up our bodies. For example, if lungs didn't process the correct amount of air, we'd either have too much or too little oxygen entering our bodies, and that would lead to further problems. It's the same way with buying and selling items. If one doesn't pay a fair price for something, someone else will be hurt, as a result."

"You get so serious when you talk like that, Yûko. You're scaring me!"

"Do you want to be scared?" The woman teased.

"No thanks," Watanuki replied, regretfully.

There was a moderate level of traffic on the street, but the sidewalk was considerably emptier. It was chilly, but it wasn't raining or snowing. It was simply a quiet evening.

"So, where would you like to eat?" Yûko reminded the boy.

"Maybe one of these Italian restaurants? I haven't had pasta in so long," said Watanuki.

"I was hoping you'd want Italian food! We've walked this far already, anyway," said Yûko.

"That was a really nice dinner. Thank you," said the boy, when they got back to the shop.

"You're welcome. Now, it's time for you to make me a hot bubble bath!"

Watanuki grumbled, his mood shifting rather quickly. The black-haired woman giggled to herself. The bespectacled boy was one to complain a lot, but he never failed to do his best. He saw to it that his boss's demands were met, even though they sometimes seemed unreasonable. He was a hard worker.

Yûko changed into her bathrobe. When she entered the bathroom, the air was beginning to fill with steam from the hot water. Watanuki knelt down over the side of the tub, pouring the soap in, so piles of fluffy bubbles formed on the water's surface. It smelled inviting. Yûko couldn't wait to get in.

"This is wonderful, Watanuki!" The woman exclaimed.

"It's almost ready," the boy said, adjusting the water temperature.

"Watanuki, could you do me one more favor?" Yûko asked.

"Sure."

"Pour me a glass of saké."

"Drinking in the bathtub? I don't think that's a very safe idea, Yûko. You should know better!"

"If it concerns you that much, why don't you stay and keep me company, while you're at it?"

Watanuki pouted immediately. "No, thank you! The water should be warm enough by the time I get back with your drink."

When the boy returned, Yûko was testing the bath with her toe. "It feels perfect!"

"I'm glad. Here's your booze, but this is the only glass you're getting! Is there anything else you'll need, or can I go home for the night?" Watanuki asked, handing the woman the glass of saké.

"That's everything. But, are you sure you don't want to take a nice hot bath with me? It'd be fun!"

Watanuki grew slightly uncomfortable with the idea, but he wasn't surprised by the woman's offer. He and Yûko were close, but had never bathed together, or done anything equally as open with one another. "I…I guess so," the boy said, reluctantly. He agreed, since Yûko's bathtub was luxurious, and he'd always been jealous that he didn't have one, back in his tiny apartment. He was also afraid she would rattle off an endless list of chores to him if he declined.

"Yay! Look in there," Yûko exclaimed, pointing to a metal chest next to one of the sinks.

Watanuki opened it up, to find an assortment of rubber ducks and little plastic boats. "You have bath toys, Yûko?"

"Well, technically they're Maru and Moro's, but I like to play with them every once in a while. Since you're here, we can play with them. I told you this would be fun."

The raven-haired woman hung her robe on a hook beside the tub, and stepped into the water. "How is it?" Watanuki asked, trying not to look directly at her, now that she sat nude in the bathtub.

"Ahh. It feels great. What are you waiting for, Watanuki?"

The boy blushed, as he undressed. He wasn't ashamed of himself, but it felt odd to be naked with a woman, especially since she was quite a few years older than him. Watanuki took off his glasses, and sat down in the tub next to Yûko. "This does feel nice," he said, still blushing, amongst the steam and bubbles.

"Better watch out, Watanuki. Your ship might sink if you don't pay attention to it. Let's pretend the bubbles are waves, and that there's a huge storm coming!" The dark-haired woman supposed, placing a few plastic boats in the tub.

Watanuki laughed. Seeing Yûko, a grown woman, master of magic, dimension and otherworldly travel, and many more abstract arts, play with bath toys, was almost cute. "My ship is called 'Himawari'," he said, pushing the toy boat through the bubbles towards Yûko.

"I'm going to call mine the 'S.S. Modoki', after Mokona, of course," the woman giggled. "So tell me, how is Himawari doing?"

"She's as cute as ever. I just wish I knew how she felt about me. She treats Domeki and I so equally. I'm not saying that that's a bad thing, but I would like to know how she really feels," said Watanuki.

"You're not in an easy place, Watanuki. If you don't mind me asking, why do you like Himawari so much?"

The boy stopped to think for a moment. "Well, she's cheerful and beautiful. Every time I see her, I feel myself smile, and that feels good. I don't know how to explain it all, but that's what comes to my mind when I think of her."

"I see. Are you physically attracted to her?" The woman asked, poking the boy's shoulder, playfully.

Watanuki was uncomfortable answering that question. "I suppose…But you know, I'm not sure, to be honest. I am attracted to her, absolutely, but I can't describe how, exactly."

"That's okay. You'll figure it out in time. I promise," said Yûko.

The woman took a sip of her drink, and then submerged herself in the bath up to her chin. She reached under the bubbles and grabbed Watanuki's boat, slowly pulling it underwater. The boy didn't notice at first, but when he wanted to place a rubber duck on the ship's deck, the toy was nowhere to be found.

"Watanuki, I think you let Himawari sink," Yûko commented. "That's not very gentlemanly of you."

"Oh no!" The boy searched through the bubbles, but couldn't find the ship. Then, he noticed the position of the woman's arm. "What's in your hand, Yûko?" Watanuki asked, glinting at her.

"Aw, even without your glasses, you still caught me. You have bad eyesight."

"Tell me something I didn't know," Watanuki replied. It was true, he really did have poor vision.

After soaking in the hot bath for a while longer, Yûko and Watanuki got out and dried off. It was getting close to midnight. Maru, Moro, and Mokona had long since gone to bed.

"We were in there a long time. If you'd like to spend the night, feel free. I didn't realize how late it was," said Yûko, after she'd changed into her nightgown.

"I don't have school tomorrow, so I don't see why not. We can make breakfast together in the morning!" Watanuki decided.

"Good! Wake me up when breakfast is ready, Watanuki," the woman said, turning to walk towards her bedroom.

Watanuki's temper flared up once again. "What part of the word 'together' do you not understand?"

"'With or in proximity to another person or people', so reads the Kodansha Desk Dictionary," Yûko said.

When Yûko started playing the walking dictionary act, Watanuki knew he wasn't going to win. "Okay, I'll make breakfast. Good night."

The woman giggled. "That's what I like to hear! Good night, Watanuki."

The weekend quickly came and went. Himawari and Domeki greeted their friend at lunch on Monday, as usual. Since he enjoyed cooking, Watanuki made the two of them boxed lunches. Sometimes, one of them would contribute to grocery money, but usually the boy used whatever he could afford to buy.

"Hey, Himawari," Watanuki said, sitting down at the school lunch table. Since it was cold, they decided to eat inside.

"Hello, Watanuki. How was your weekend?" The cheery girl asked.

Watanuki blushed. He still hadn't noticed Domeki. "Oh, it was nice, Himawari! How was yours?"

"Didn't you have to work all weekend?" Domeki interjected, glaring at the other boy from across the table.

"What I do on my weekends is none of your business!" Watanuki growled. "Since when have you been here, anyway?"

"You two are always so friendly with one another," Himawari chuckled. Neither of the boys could ever tell if she was being sarcastic, or actually thought they were playing.

After school, Watanuki had to work. On his way there, he saw Himawari and Domeki walking home together. He was too far behind them for them to notice him, but seeing the two alone together made the boy extremely angry.

"Watanuki!" Maru and Moro cheered, as the boy opened the front door. He looked gloomy.

"Is something wrong?" Maru asked.

"What's the matter, Watanuki?" Moro asked.

"I should just be used to this by now," Watanuki said, tiredly. "Where's Yûko?"

"The mistress went shopping with Mokona," the two girls said, almost in unison.

"I wonder when she'll be back," Watanuki thought. "Should I get started on dinner?"

"The mistress didn't say when she would return," Maru said.

"The food won't go to waste, Watanuki," Moro added.

"That's right!" Maru exclaimed. "We'll eat it!"

The boy laughed. "Okay. I'll make dinner."

Watanuki made his way to the kitchen to see what he could cook. He noticed that he hadn't yet used all of the vegetables that had been in the fridge for a few days, so he decided to make a stir fry.

The boy thought about Himawari and Domeki while he cooked. Why do you like Himawari so much? Yûko's words ran through Watanuki's head. He couldn't come to a conclusion. The question continued to repeat, unanswered.

Only after beginning to smell what was burning, Watanuki realized he had lost himself in thought. He quickly turned the burner off, and salvaged what was left of the stir fry. Most of it was burned, so he had to start over. Luckily, there were still plenty of ingredients to use.

Meanwhile, Yûko and Mokona were on their way back. "I wonder if Watanuki is making dinner yet," the woman said, hopefully.

"I hope so! I'm hungry," said Mokona, peeking out of Yûko's large shopping bag.

Soon, the two were back at the shop. "Watanuki! It smells good in here!" The black-haired woman called.

Yûko took off her shoes and headed straight for the kitchen. There, she found her boy hard at work. "Oh, Yûko! You're back" Watanuki said, looking up from the stove.

"Look what I brought back!" Yûko exclaimed, holding up a big bottle of saké.

"You better not drink it all tonight, Yûko."

Once dinner was ready, Watanuki sat down with everyone to eat. By the time Yûko had finished eating, the bottle of saké was already half empty.

Maru and Moro helped the boy wash dishes, while Mokona and Yûko played a game of chess.

"Watanuki," the woman said, as the boy appeared from the kitchen. "Please, sit down."

"What's this all about, Yûko? I'm not very good at chess," the boy said, observing the game. Mokona had left.

"That has nothing to do with what I'm going to ask you," Yûko stated. "So, tell me… What exactly do you dislike so much about Domeki?"

The boy had been having a hard enough time thinking of why he liked Himawari so much, and now he was being asked the opposite question about Domeki. "Whenever I see him, I get angry! Especially when he gets close to Himawari…"

"Are you jealous that Himawari gives Domeki attention?"

"Of course I am! Yûko, I simply cannot tell which one of us she likes more. I wish I knew for sure, but Himawari's probably just so gentle-hearted that she doesn't want to offend Domeki by choosing favorites," said Watanuki, confidently.

"You could be entirely wrong, Watanuki. Isn't it possible that Himawari favors Domeki over you? You said it yourself, that you don't know for sure which one of you she enjoys more. What if she values you and Domeki equally? Isn't that possible, too?" Yûko asked, trying to open the boy's mind.

"Well, technically those are possibilities, but I just want to be someone's number one," the boy sighed.

"Watanuki, here's where the problem lies," Yûko said, delicately taking the boy by the chin. "Would you like to know something, first?" She asked. The boy nodded. "You are my number one, Watanuki." Yûko pulled the boy closer to her, and hugged him.

The boy was shocked, at first. He didn't expect his boss to say that. Watanuki looked up at her. His eyes were beginning to water. "Yûko?"

"Yes."

Unfortunately, all that did was confuse the boy even more. Watanuki wondered what Yûko meant, when she called him her "number one". Surely, she didn't mean it the way he thought she did, but the boy was too afraid to ask.

On the other hand, Yûko knew she had said too much. She told Watanuki more than he could afford to hear. Luckily, the woman wasn't severely injured, but the longer she waited for payment, the quicker her time would begin to start moving again. If her time began to move forward, she wasn't sure what would happen, however, death was the safest prediction to make.

For the next several weeks, Watanuki worked very hard. Yûko pushed him to his limits with everything she needed done: cleaning, gardening, cooking, and running errands.

Eventually, the woman secured her payment for telling Watanuki what he meant to her. It was beginning to get warmer outside, so all of the gardens needed to be prepared for the new season. The boy was outside, spreading mulch and gravel in various different places in the yard. Yûko walked through her storage room, and closed her eyes once she was alone.

A magic circle, previously damaged, but now repaired, surrounded her. A projection of the energy that resided in the shopkeeper's soul. It was Yûko's way of maintaining the balance between herself and the shop. Whenever the circle became damaged or incomplete, Yûko suffered. The circle had to remain complete, so she could hold it in place. Otherwise, events belonging to the passing time outside the shop would interfere; causing Yûko's body to begin aging.

She didn't freeze time to prevent herself from getting old. She did it so she could wait for Watanuki to come, and have enough time to teach him everything she could before her time was up. Yûko created her shop longer ago than a full human lifespan. At that time, she bound her soul to the shop, and created a series of boundaries between it and the outside world. Inside, time remained constant. To disguise that, Yûko used magic to make her grass grow, to let rain and snow fall, and to occasionally allow entrance to visitors that would benefit from her assistance.

Finally, she met Watanuki. His coming was hitsuzen. Yûko's vision from long ago, had finally been born into existence. Now, that boy's time was being slowed down as well. He wasn't aware of it yet, but he was the only one capable of taking Yûko's place.

Becoming Yûko's replacement wasn't the only reason for Watanuki to someday become the shopkeeper. He needed the shop to protect him from evils that craved his blood in the spiritual world. Maru, Moro, and Mokona needed the shop as well. Without someone there to maintain the boundaries, they wouldn't be able to exist to help other people - they wouldn't be able to exist at all.

The sacrifice Yûko made by keeping all of this to herself, and not explaining it with ease to Watanuki, was for the sake of being able to have more time with him. Originally, Yûko intended to tell him everything, but something stopped her. She didn't realize it was possible to, but she loved him. The one piece of her master plan that she didn't prepare for, was falling in love. Since time was stopped, Yûko thought she had escaped the ability to feel new emotions. Watanuki's being broke through that barrier.

"I'm all finished, Yûko," said the boy, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"It looks beautiful! I can't wait to see the daffodils bloom this year. You did a good job, Watanuki."

Yûko handed the boy a bottle of water. He was about to go home, but then decided to say something that had been on his mind. "Yûko, I was thinking about what you said a while ago. I'm glad that I'm your number one," Watanuki announced, smiling.

The black-haired woman was almost as shocked as her employee was when she told him how she felt.

"Thank you," said Yûko, closing her eyes.

"You don't need to say another word," Watanuki responded, understandingly.

"I think I'd like a glass of saké!"

"Haven't you been drinking all afternoon?!"