Disclaimer: Haven't you heard them all already? I don't own xxxHolic. If I did I wouldn't be writing stories. Doumeki and Watanuki would love each in the actual manga.

Poison: Hey there. This is Poison from the conjoined account of Poison and Foxglove. Um, you probably don't know me though. I've only written one story. It's called It's a Wonderful Life. It's a GaaraxLee story, so if you like that pairing, please read it. It's only three chapters long, so it won't take much of your time. There's another story on there by Foxglove called Welcome to Ed's Black Parade and it's a RoyxEd story. If you like that pairing please read that and support her. Anyway, this story is going to be much more than three chapters. I want to put an actual story into this. Boy love stories that are short, sweet, and to the point are fine, but I like it when there's more development. This story is going to cross over with Tsubasa like it actually does. The main pairings are Doumeki and Watanuki, Kurogane and Fai, and Syaoran and Sakura. I'll try to update every week. Please enjoy!

"A ski lodge?" Watanuki asked hesitantly.

"Yes. Why sound so untrusting, hm?" Yuko asked. Watanuki frowned at the witch. What the hell did she mean by that? She was the last person he would ever trust. Ever.

"It just sounds like this errand might actually be fun. And you said I could bring someone. That means me and Himawari can have a romantic adventure!" Watanuki exclaimed, twirling around.

"Oh, did I say that? When I said you could bring a friend, I meant that I'm sending someone with you." Yuko said between puffs of smoke.

"What? Sending someone with me? Who?" Watanuki demanded.

A small, sinister smile formed on Yuko's ruby red lips.

"Why, Doumeki, of course."

Watanuki stared angrily out the window. No, no, no, no, no. There was NO way in all seven hells that he was going to be caught staying in a small cozy ski resort with a guy. Especially a guy he couldn't stand. He looked over longingly at Himawari. Oh, and she would look so cute in ski wear too! His thoughts were distracted by the bell.

He leapt from his seat and hopped over to Himawari.

"Himawari-chan! Here's your lunch. I tried something a little different. Instead of using teriyaki sauce on this like I normally do, I—"

He watched in horror as Doumeki's hand swiped down and grabbed a piece of food. He looked up to see him chewing silently.

Watanuki started choking him. "You give that back right now! I'll kill you, you stupid pig! That was Himawari's! Only a creep like you would enjoy taking from girls!"

Himawari's laugh tinkled into his ear. "It's fine, really. I was going to go off campus with some friends today, so Doumeki's more than welcome to have it." She got up to leave.

"Off campus? Um, ok. Well, then I'll see you later. We can walk home from school today, right?"

She was gone before she could answer. Watanuki sighed. Damn.

He looked over to see Doumeki munching away on the food he'd prepared with love for Himawari, sitting in her desk. He gave in and took the seat beside him, opening his own bento.

A note floated out. Curious, he opened it. You'd better tell him about the "errand" or else. Love, Yuko (and Mokona!) There was a little picture below the message of Mokona holding his head and his bloody body off to the side. He broke out in a sweat and gulped.

"Uh, hey. Hey, stupid," he said hesitantly to Doumeki.

"Mmm?" he replied with a mouth full of food.

"Um, Yuko says we have to do this thing next week since we have no school. But, uh, you're probably busy, so whatever," Watanuki said quickly while shoveling rice into his mouth.

"Nah. Not busy. What is it?"

Dammit, Watanuki thought. "There's some nasty spirits that are stuck hanging around this ski lodge. The owner came to her the other day and asked for her help. That's when she told me you had to come too. I don't want you to, but—"

"Yeah, I'll go. How much do I need to bring?" Doumeki asked.

Watanuki scowled. "Don't go around thinking that I invited you or anything! If it were up to me, I wouldn't have anything to do with you. It's that darn Yuko that keeps forcing us to work together! Take whatever you want! I don't care. We're leaving early Saturday morning, so you better be ready! I don't want to have to wait for your slow butt! We're taking the bus because Yuko's too cheap to get anything else," Watanuki rambled angrily.

"How about I just stay the night so we can both get up and get ready?"

"Yeah, right! Like I'd let you stay in my house! Or like I'd want to stay in yours again!"

"Then how about we walk together from your house to the bus stop?"

"NO!!!"

"Watanuki, more snacks!" Yuko called from where she was reclining.

"Hold your horses! Gluttonous woman," he mumbled.

"What was that?" she growled from the other room.

"Nothing, your majesty."

He placed the small sandwiches he'd made on a platter and made his way into the other room. He'd barely placed the platter down when a blur of black leapt at the food.

"Don't you eat them all, Mokona," Yuko said, pulling the small fuzzy creature away. The witch took a healthy bite.

"Mmm! Delicious as always. You even remembered to bring me a drink!"

"It's milk, got it? It's not right to drink alcohol with sandwiches, ok?"

Yuko pouted a little, but drank the milk anyway, knowing she would make him bring her some brandy with her dinner later.

"So, I expect you told Doumeki about the errand, yes?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm not happy about it, but I did it," he replied, becoming annoyed.

"Then you'd better begin packing. Tomorrow's already Friday. You'll need lots of warm clothing and lots of money so that you can bring back plenty of souvenirs!"

"Mokona wants souvenirs too!" she interjected, hopping about.

"I don't really have any warm clothes. I guess I'll go shopping tomorrow after school. Now that you think about it, I don't know how to ski either," Watanuki said absentmindedly as he scooped crumbs where Mokona had made a mess.

"Why don't you and Doumeki go shopping for ski wear together?" Yuko advised happily.

"Oh, that sounds nice, I—No!"

The next day, Watanuki was once again unfortunate to be eating alone with Doumeki. Himawari had left early that morning to visit family that she was going to stay with during the break. Even if I could've invited her, she couldn't have come anyway, he thought drearily to himself. She seemed to be moving further and further away from him and he was constantly running after her, but never getting remotely close. He couldn't let that get him down. He'd just have to try harder after the break. He wasn't going to let Doumeki beat him to it. He had to like Himawari. Why else would he hang around them constantly?

"Oi."

Watanuki ignored him.

"Oi," he said louder.

"I have a freakin' name, for the millionth time! It's Watanuki! Wa-ta-nu-ki!"

Doumeki interrupted him. "I don't have any ski wear. We should go shopping for some together after school."

Unbelievable, Watanuki thought.

"And WHY would I want to do that?" Watanuki asked in a smart-ass tone.

"Because you always manage to get into trouble when you go off by yourself," Doumeki replied without missing a beat.

"I am just FINE on my own, you big dumb oaf! I don't need to be watched over like a baby!" Watanuki yelled, waving his fist around.

Doumeki put his food down. "People who aren't babies know how to use their inside voice."

"I'M GONNA--!" He stopped himself before he could prove Doumeki right.

The bell rang. "Well, then I guess I'll see you then," Doumeki said, handing Watanuki his dirty bento box and chopsticks

"You keep dreamin', pal!"

Watanuki stepped out of his house with a pocketful of cash.

"I swear. That woman's going to make me go bankrupt," he mumbled as he locked the door to his house. He turned around and found himself face to face with Doumeki, standing about an inch away.

Watanuki screamed and leapt backwards.

"What the hell?! You scared the crap out of me! What's wrong with you?! What kind of creep stands around waiting outside of people's houses?!" Watanuki snapped, clutching his chest.

"Actually, I just got here. You're kind of deaf, aren't you? That must be why you yell all the time," Doumeki replied.

"I yell because you're too stupid to understand anything I say! Now, move," Watanuki said, pushing him aside and stomping off. Doumeki followed closely behind.

"Quit following me! I don't want to go shopping with you," Watanuki growled, speeding up.

"Just be quiet. We're buying ski wear. It's not like I asked you to marry me or anything," Doumeki said back.

Watanuki steamed but couldn't think of a worthy reply. Whatever, he thought. He angrily turned a corner and entered a sports goods store.

"Irrashaimase!" a boy about Watanuki's age said when they walked in. "What can I help you with today?"

"Um, I'm—"

"You mean we're," Doumeki interrupted.

"—looking for ski wear," he continued, ignoring Doumeki.

"Right this way, sirs!" The boy skipped happily to a section further in the store. "Everything's right in this area! If you need anything, I'll be at the entrance!" He hopped away giddily.

Watanuki studied the jackets. He wanted to be warm, but he wanted something sleek and maneuverable.

"This one suits you," Doumeki said, pointing to one of the jackets. Watanuki stared in horror at the bright pink jacket that had a huge, overbearing, Hello Kitty face on it.

"It would look good with those ears you wore that one time," Doumeki continued, studying the size and price.

"No thanks, creep! I'm fine with this one," Watanuki snapped, grabbing a black jacket off the rack. He continued on to the goggles. He picked up a pair that looked nice and tried them on.

"Don't get those."

"Quit acting like my mother or something! I'll buy what I want!"

"They don't go right with your face shape. They'll feel uncomfortable after a while. Try these."

He tossed a different pair to him. Watanuki reluctantly put them on. They really did feel better, but he wasn't about to admit that. What the hell did Doumeki know about his face shape anyway? He added the goggles to his basket anyway.

After about half an hour of grueling searching and trying on outfits, they were finally ready to pay. Watanuki had selected a sleek and slimming outfit that consisted of a black jacket, black pants, a black ski cap, dark blue goggles, dark blue earmuffs, and dark blue gloves. Doumeki chose a matching outfit that was gray and brown instead of black and dark blue. They paid for their things and exited the store.

"I love this ski wear! I feel like I'm actually ready to go skiing. I hope I'm able to and Yuko doesn't just work me the entire time. I hear that the lodge is pretty nice too—" Watanuki cut himself short. He'd gotten so caught up in the excitement that he forgot that he was walking with a guy he despised. He looked over and saw a small smile on Doumeki's face.

"Don't you look so smug! I'm just excited, ok? I've never been skiing before," Watanuki said quickly.

"Never? That's kind of sad. So you don't know how to ski?"

"No, I don't. But I can learn just like everybody else!"

"I could teach you if you want."

"Hell no!"

They reached a turn where they usually split off. Watanuki turned defiantly and walked away quickly. Finally he'd be able to have some peace before he went off to Yuko's to cook dinner and do a few more chores before he left. He entered his house.

"I'm home," he said, listening to his voice echo through the emptiness. He went straight to his room and began packing. Should he clean the house before he left? Nah, it would be fine. It was usually already clean anyway. He was a very neat person. Hmmm, books for the bus ride, he thought. Yes, he would find a seat far from Doumeki and read peacefully all the way up there. He threw some novels he hadn't read yet in his bag along with some manga just in case. He threw a few more things in and closed his suitcase. He was glad he was someone who packed light. That Doumeki's such a savage, he probably only needs the shirt on his back, Watanuki thought humorously to himself. He thought for a moment that maybe he should call him to make sure he packed all the right things. Not that he cared. He just didn't want to end up sharing a toothbrush with that guy or something. Yuck.

Watanuki whistled as he strolled out the door to head to Yuko's shop. He was blessed with the fact that he had no homework over the break. I'd better hurry, he thought. It's kind of dark.

Dark. Oh god. That's when spirits liked coming out. He broke out in a nervous sweat and sprinted all the way to the shop. He managed to make it there without running into any. He wiped his brow.

"I'm here," Watanuki called.

"Watanuki! Watanuki!" Maru and Moro sang, skipping over to him in unison.

"The mistress is hungry!" Maru said, tugging at his sleeve.

"Come quickly!" Moro said at his other side.

"Sheesh. It's not gonna kill her to wait a while longer for me to cook something," he said as they pulled him along.

Yuko was in the next room, sprawled on her recliner. "No food… death is near… Watanuki forgot about feeding me…" the witch moaned.

"Oh please! What a drama queen!" Watanuki exasperated, entering the kitchen. Mokona could be heard comforting Yuko. Watanuki quickly threw something together with what was left. Fish and fruit. Hmmm. He cooked some fish in pineapple juice and sliced fresh mango that he placed on the fish. As a side dish, he sliced some apples and pears and quickly made a small bowl of sweet sticky caramel.

"I hope this is okay. This is all that was left," he said, carrying the food into the room. But of course they ate it all up quickly.

"You know what would go good with all this fruit? Some grape wine! There's some in the kitchen. Go fetch it," Yuko said, waving her hand at Watanuki. He rolled his eyes and did as she asked.

After the witch and the others had stuffed themselves and lied around for a while, Yuko got up.

"I have some things for you to bring with you on your errand." She walked over to an old tansu chest and opened one of the drawers. She pulled out a lucky rabbit's foot and an old rusty doorknob.

"Here you are."

Watanuki stared at the objects. "What the heck do I need these for? Does the rabbit's foot do something?"

"No. It's just a boring old rabbit's foot that you could get at any old thrift store."

"I don't get it. I feel kind of weird taking a rabbit's foot and an old doorknob with me."

"Just keep them with you. Don't lose them, got it?"

Watanuki was skeptical, but he was smart enough to know not to go against the witch. She always knew what she was doing.

"Alright. Sure."

"Good boy. Now go on home and get a good night's sleep."

Watanuki walked cautiously through the dark. He couldn't run because it was too dark to see anything. He clutched the rabbit's foot. He didn't really believe in lucky charms (amazingly enough) but he hoped it would work anyway. Fortunately, he soon found himself in front of his house without having met any spirits. Relieved, he unlocked the front door and stepped inside.

"Ah. Home," he said, kicking off his shoes and putting on house slippers.

"Took you long enough. Where have you been?"

Watanuki leapt high enough to kiss the sky. To his left was Doumeki, sitting on the floor and quietly reading a book. Watanuki exploded.

"HOW DID YOU GET INTO MY HOUSE!!!???" he demanded.

"Back door was open."

Watanuki slapped himself in the face. Why didn't he remember to lock all the doors?

"Well, get out!"

"Can't. It's too late. Too dark."

"You can make it home! You're a big boy!"

"Nah. I'm tired. Besides, it's easier this way. We can wake up at the same time and leave for the bus together."

"I don't care what's easier! Hey! Don't you climb in my bed!" Watanuki shouted as Doumeki rolled into his futon. Doumeki patted the space beside him.

"There's enough room."

"That's ok! I'll sleep on the couch," Watanuki grumbled.

"Suit yourself." Doumeki fell asleep instantly.

"Stupid creepy jerkface asshole punk retarded…" He continued to mumble as he brought a blanket over to the couch and lied down. He was surprised to find that he was exhausted and soon slipped into sleep as well.

Watanuki rolled over and moaned. Was it morning already? He felt sore. Must be from sleeping on the couch, he thought. He rolled over again so that he was facing the back of the couch and tried to fall back asleep.

"Hey. You awake?"

Watanuki forced his eyes partway open and turned to see Doumeki standing over him.

"No," he said simply and turned back around.

"You'd better get up. We'll be late," Doumeki said, shaking Watanuki.

"Don't touch me," he mumbled sleepily. He looked at his watch. It was 5:00.

"You've got to be kidding me. The bus doesn't come for another two hours. Wake me back up at 6:00. Or maybe 6:30," he finished with a yawn.

"That's not enough time."

"Sure it is. I get ready quickly."

"No. You have to make snacks for the bus ride."

"Make your own and let me sleep!"

Doumeki went silent. Watanuki thought he had given up and worked on going back to sleep. He took a deep comforting breath and snuggled his head into the couch. Just one more hour…

Watanuki wheezed. He felt the air being knocked out of him. What the…? He opened his eyes to see Doumeki sitting on him.

"Get off! Come on! Get off!" It was no use. Doumeki was too heavy and he was too tired to fight back.

"Fine, fine! I'm up, okay? I'll make your damn snacks. Just get off! I can't breathe," he whined.

Doumeki did as he was told and let Watanuki stumble off the couch and into the kitchen. What's good for long bus rides? Obviously something that's okay at room temperature. Then again, it was cold where they were going so he should at least put some hot chocolate and tea in a couple of thermoses. He figured rice balls would be good. He set up the rice cooker and continued to look around the kitchen. He pulled out an egg carton and began making deviled eggs. He was just sprinkling on some spices when the rice cooker went off. He shaped ten flawless rice balls and came to find that there was a good amount of rice left over. He pulled out some fish, seaweed, and more eggs and made sushi with it. That should be enough, he thought. He began boiling some water and pulled out four thermoses for tea and hot chocolate.

"I like my tea plain," Doumeki said from the kitchen table.

"Good. You're not worth wasting sugar on," Watanuki snapped back. He rubbed his eyes. He hated being awake this early. The dark was unsettling and the tile was always freezing. He finished throwing everything together and grabbed his clothes.

"Where ya going?" Doumeki asked.

"Shower," he mumbled back.

"Make sure you dry your hair all the way. You don't want to catch a cold."

"Yeah, whatever!"

"Don't use all the hot water either. I'm getting in after you."

"Oh, I'm gonna use all the hot water!"

Watanuki slammed himself into the bathroom. "Oh, wait. I forgot that idiots don't catch colds," Doumeki said to himself.

The bus rumbled up to their stop. Watanuki fished the two tickets out of his pocket and gave it to the apathetic, heavy-set looking bus driver. Watanuki was happy to see that there was hardly anyone on the bus and that he could sit far away from Doumeki. He walked down the coach bus and took a seat in the middle next to a window. He sunk into the cushiony seat and relaxed. Unfortunately, Doumeki took the seat conjoined with him.

"Go sit somewhere else," Watanuki said harshly.

"That would be inconvenient since we're getting off at the same stop."

Watanuki pulled out a book and began reading. Doumeki did the same and Watanuki was glad to have it so peaceful. The bus motor hummed pleasantly in his ears and soon he was unaware of any other presences.

They stopped at various stops and more and more people got on. Strangely enough, the quiet stayed. There weren't any little kids on the bus to scream and cry. After a couple of hours, Watanuki's eyes grew tired and he put his book down.

"Hey. Wanna play?"

Watanuki looked over to see Doumeki holding an electronic hand held Go game.

"No thanks. I'm not very good."

"Come on. Just one game."

He scrutinized the game and gave in. It was better than having to listen to him nag. As expected, Watanuki was true to his word and wasn't very good at all. He lost right away and ended up playing Doumeki five more times before giving up. Frustrated, Watanuki shoved his face in his book again.

"Hey. I'm hungry."

"The food's in the blue bag in the overhead compartment."

"It's closer to you."

Watanuki breathed heavily through his nose and slammed his book shut. He stood up and reached for the bag when the bus hit a bump and Watanuki's head slammed into the overhead compartment.

"God dammit!" he yelled, rubbing the sore spot. He grabbed the bag quickly and threw it at Doumeki. Doumeki opened one of the boxes and bit into a rice ball.

"You okay? You should be more careful," Doumeki said with a mouth full of rice.

"If you're going to ask, at least ask before stuffing your face! Don't talk with your mouth full. You're gonna get rice everywhere!" Watanuki growled, handing Doumeki a napkin. Doumeki took it and wiped his mouth.

"Domo."

"At least say arigato! We're not that close."

Doumeki ignored him and continued eating. Watanuki felt his stomach rumble and took some for himself as well. Doumeki finished his share and leaned back. He looked extremely tired and the food didn't do much to help. Watanuki wondered how early he'd been up this morning. What a freak, he thought. Watanuki cleared off all of the boxes and eating utensils and placed them back in the bag. He threw the bag back in the overhead compartment and plopped into his seat. He felt something fall onto his shoulder and saw that Doumeki had fallen asleep.

"You've got to be kidding me! Hey, get off! Lean your seat back and sleep! Hey, wake up!"

The sleeping boy didn't budge and Watanuki couldn't move him. "This sucks," he grumbled. He couldn't use his left arm now to turn pages in his book. He glanced out his window and took in a sharp intake of breath. They were out in the country now and there were grassy hills everywhere. Mountains stood majestically in the background and a river wound its way through the land.

"It's so beautiful," Watanuki whispered to himself. He continued to gaze out the window until he felt his eyes shut on their own.

The sun had been keeping him warm, but now it was positioned in his eyes and Watanuki woke up. He was surprised to see that he was lying down and that he had a blanket over him. He felt his face and found that he wasn't wearing his glasses either.

"Hmmm?" he moaned sleepily and rolled onto his back.

"Ah. You're finally awake. Not much of a morning person, are you?"

Watanuki stared in horror up at Doumeki's face. His head was in his lap and one of his arms was around Watanuki's waist, most likely to keep him from falling off of the seat. Watanuki shot up and scooted as far as he could against the window.

"What the hell?! Where are my glasses? What were you doing? That was weird!" Watanuki was too freaked out to be angry. His heart thudded and he felt light-headed. Doumeki handed him his glasses and he struggled to put them on because his hands were shaking. Doumeki was staring hard at him. Luckily, he was saved by the bus intercom.

"Upcoming stops: Kikuchi Lodge, Kamakura, Nara…" Kikuchi Lodge. That was the lodge where they were staying. It was a good thing he'd woken up. He pulled the string above the window and there was a soft ping.

"Stop requested for: Kikuchi Lodge," the electronic voice droned. Watanuki leaned against the back of his chair and took a deep breath. He would just forget what happened. He looked over to see a couple of girls his age staring at them and blushing. He massaged his temples. Fan girls.

"You two are going to Kikuchi Lodge?" The man who had been sitting in front of them turned around and talked to them.

"Uh, yeah. Why?" Watanuki asked.

"That's a pretty nice place. It doesn't seem like boys your age could afford something like that."

"Oh, well, actually my boss is paying for it."

"That's awful nice of your boss. You have heard the rumors haven't you?"

Watanuki was intrigued now. "No. Do explain."

The man looked around nervously. "That place is haunted. Not just like a little poltergeist or nothin', but the scary kind that's in nightmares. People even gone missing afore. You should be careful. Two nice boys like you shouldn't get involved in that kind a stuff," he finished with wide eyes.

"Now stopping at: Kikuchi Lodge."

Watanuki and Doumeki grabbed their things and headed off the bus. Watanuki tripped going down the bus steps and Doumeki caught him from behind. Watanuki pulled away quickly and walked as fast as he could.

"Hurry up," he called back to Doumeki, growing more and more afraid of Doumeki's strange behavior. He didn't have a lot of time to worry about that though. He stopped in front of the lodge and stared. Doumeki came up beside him and looked as well.

"Wow."