Title: Doumeki

Pairing: DouWata

Anime: xxxHOLiC

Disclaimer: The plot is mine, which I think way better than the cliffy CLAMP put on us… Yeah, you heard that CLAMP, mine is way better than you! *evil laugh*

Warning: Huge spoiler from the end, and un-beta. Might be OOC.

Summary: This happened between chapter 207 and 210. Because I think in chapter 211 that is not Doumeki Shizuka.

a/n: The end of xxxHOLiC is just begging for a fic! Darn it!

Smokes.

He could smell it, the familiar scent of a certain tobacco the moment he stepped into between the posts. Smokes casually danced in the wind with silence. Shifting the grocery bags in one hand, he followed the direction of where the smoke came from. His feet dragged him through the trimmed bushes and fresh grass. His destination seemed to be nearer as the smoke engulfed him like some sort of embrace and pulling him until he stumbled into a garden. He stopped on his track, his golden eyes directed towards a certain wizard who was inhaling and exhaling his tobacco from a pipe. The wizard didn't meet his eyes, but he could see the graze of annoyance at the wizard's eyebrows; the annoyance he was accustomed to since 12 years ago.

"I told you to use the front door," blue eyes shifted from the sky to him.

"I couldn't find the to-fu you wanted, so I bought another instead." Doumeki casually avoided the 'greeting' and placed the grocery bag on the front porch. The wizard put down his pipe and rummaged through the groceries.

"This is good too," he nodded. "Mokona! Maru! Moro! Put this in the kitchen please!"

Within a second, two soulless girls and a black Mokona jumped into view. "Hai..!" Then they spotted the bigger man. "Doumeki, welcome home!"

The girls simultaneously wrapped their arms around Doumeki's torso as Doumeki wrapped his arms around them and replied "I'm back," as Mokona jumped to his shoulder.

"This is not his house," Watanuki snorted, but the girls and Doumeki ignored him.

Only Mokona entertained him. "But Doumeki eat and sleep here for years now,"

"Shut up, it's too hot for your comment. Take these to the kitchen and prepare the bath or you won't get any alcohol after dinner today."

"Waa! Watanuki is cruel!" Mokona looked at him in horror and quickly snatch the grocery bag and ran into the shop, followed by Maru and Moro.

"Watanuki is cruel, cruel!" They laughed.

Doumeki looked at him when he was sure the others had gone. Watanuki took back his pipe, as if ignoring the man beside him.

"…Dinner?"

The wizard sighed. "Yeah, sure."

The stoic man finally settled himself beside Watanuki, removing his shoes to cross his legs. Watanuki still ignored him; lifting his right leg to rest on his left leg. The action just revealed more of his thigh with the loose blue yukata he was wearing. His chest exposed to the warm evening air.

"…When is the wedding?"

Doumeki could almost see the strain in the other's voice. It was finally time to talk about the forbidden topic.

"A week."

"Aren't you supposed to be home to help with the preparation?"

"It will be a small ceremony."

"…You do know the girl, right?"

"The daughter to one of the monks in the shrine."

"Will the ceremony be made at the shrine?"

"…I want an heir."

Watanuki furrowed his eyebrows at the answer that didn't answering his question at all. "What?"

Golden meets blue. "I want an heir."

Watanuki stared deep into the pool of the gold, the same color as his right, only a bit paler. The same eye he has. The same eye they shared.

"I heard you the first time," Watanuki glared at him, hard. Doumeki shifted his gaze away. Watanuki threw his arms on the air. "God, honestly, you are so unbelievable. I don't see what the girl saw in you," he stood up, abandoned his pipe and strode his way along the corridor to the kitchen.

"Where are you going?" Doumeki called out for him.

"To make something to fill that big black hole you called stomach," Watanuki replied, not turning back.

Doumeki watched his retreating back. "… I can't live forever," his voice was husky and low when he whispered that, and tore his gaze away from the smaller back. Unknown to him, despite the low voice, Watanuki could still hear him.

The blue ad golden eyed boy cast a slight glance towards the archer; the masculine body sat straight and rigid, the air of fresh and calmness surrounded him as an act to his pure spirit, his small golden eyes was staring at the sunset, a spark of determination and sadness with a hint of fondness flashed in those orbs; and Watanuki couldn't help but feeling his tears gathered at the corner of his eyes before he blinked it away.

"It all went so well," Kohane said, smiling as she fingered the kimono she borrowed from Watanuki that she used to wore at the ceremony yesterday. "Himawari-san and her husband were there as well. Her son all grown up, he looks so cute."

Watanuki folded the obi and smiled at her. "I'm glad to hear that."

Kohane nodded.

"What on. Earth. Are. You. Doing. Here?" Watanuki crossed his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed as he keep frowning at the man standing in front of the door.

Doumeki Shizuka stoically held up the grocery bags. "I want oyako-donburi."

Watanuki gritted his teeth. "You're just married a week ago!"

Doumeki nodded. "Oyako-donburi."

A cold wave sent the wizard shivered to his spine. He never felt like killing anyone as much as he wanted to kill Doumeki right now.

"…You wife?" Watanuki forced himself to ask.

"…She's at home. I told her I'll have dinner at a friend's house."

Watanuki sighed loudly and closed his eyes. When he opened his eyes moments later, Doumeki still standing in front of him, his hands filled with groceries. Watanuki snatched the grocery bags from Doumeki and handed them to Maru and Moro who were standing silently next to him, watching the interaction.

"Take this to the kitchen."

Maru and Moro nodded before smiling at Doumeki. "It's good to see you home, Doumeki!" they said simultaneously and disappeared to the back. Mokona stood there beside Watanuki's leg. Watanuki glared at Mokona.

"You too, Mokona."

The black mokona just looked at Doumeki, as Doumeki stared back at him. "Sake?"

Doumeki nodded. "Sounds good."

Mokona smiled and hopped off.

"Thanks for the meal, it was delicious." Doumeki slightly bowed after putting away his chopsticks.

"Thank you for eating it." Watanuki took the empty plates and put them on a tray, taking out two bottles of sake and two cups.

Maru and Moro took the tray full of dishes and happily ran to the kitchen to wash them. Mokona was lying on his stomach.

"That food was good… and now there's sake too!"

"That bottle is for you," Doumeki pointed at a bottle nearer to Mokona. The long ear peeked at Doumeki's words and snatched it before Watanuki could take it from him.

"Ahah! This is mine, Watanuki and you can't take it away from me!" The black rabbit+something put the bottle on his head and ran out of the room, slamming the door. Watanuki sighed.

"I'm not responsible for your hangover tomorrow," he said and took a cup that Doumeki already filled with sake.

They moved from the room to the porch to view the full moon. None of them was speaking. The silence between them only broke by the sound of the cicadas playing in the bushes and the rustling of the wind. After draining his sixth cup, Doumeki put down his cup and lay on his back beside Watanuki who had outstretched legs beneath the black yukata he was wearing. Watanuki's gaze rested on the archer.

"…You're wearing the thimble." He murmured, more to himself.

Doumeki glanced at the man beside him.

"…And your wedding ring…" Watanuki whispered, sipping his sake calmly. Then he felt a sudden weight on his lap. Looking down, he saw Doumeki had buried his face into his lap and his hands clenched tightly on the black yukata.

Doumeki's voice was muffled under the fabric, but Watanuki could hear it loud and clear.

'I can't live forever.'

Watanuki's eyes flashed with unknown light behind his glasses as he put down his own cup and wrapped his arms around Doumeki's neck, his nose buried into the fine black hair.

His tears wouldn't fall off. He blinked them away.

"You like the dinner?' Watanuki propped himself beside the man, serving the red wine. The golden-eyed man nodded, his grunt sounded like a winze of an old man.

"Glad you like it," Watanki poured the wine and slide the wineglass into Doumeki's trembling hand.

Several happy sounds were heard from the store room. They could almost hear the bouncing sound of Mokona, footsteps from Maru and Moro and Hana's giggles; Doumeki's granddaughter.

"… You don't have to come here every day." Watanuki's eyes followed Doumeki's figure. The thin hand brought the wineglass to his cracked lips and sipped slowly. "Your daughter had to come here every night to pick you up or else you forgot how to go back to the temple."

"I want to," Doumeki replied. "And as long as I can remember how to get to this shop, it doesn't matter." He accidentally spilled a wine on his black yukata. Watanuki quickly snatched a napkin and dapped the stain gently.

"I wonder why you're so stubborn," Watanuki frowned, putting away the napkin and placed the wineglass at a distant away.

Golden eyes turned to him. "You know why."

Watanuki looked up from his glass towards the archer. It's been almost 80 years now, and Watanuki could see all the wrinkles adorned the archer's face and grey hairs that used to be as black as charcoal. His frame is still big, but the wrists are thinner than they used to be. The hands trembled ever so slightly. However, Watanuki noticed; the golden eyes never lacked of determination and feelings that the archer felt for him.

Slowly, Watanuki wrapped his arms around Doumeki's fragile frame, buried his face deep into the archer's throat and inhaled deeply. Doumeki pat his back in return.

That's right, this is Doumeki. Doumeki is still here.

With him.

Alive.

It was summer. It was hot and humid. The lose yukata on his body seemed drenched in his sweat as Watanuki tried to cool himself with a fan. Maru, Moro and Mokona were playing with the water hose in the garden.

The sound of the telephone makes him raised from his seat and went to retrieve it.

"Hello, Watanuki-san?"

He knew that sweet voice. The person had been coming to his shop for a while now, always towing her father when she was a little girl until her daughter took that place. She usually came to pick Doumeki off from the shop.

"Haruka, how are you? How is little Hana-chan?" Watanuki smiled, greeting Doumeki 's daughter and asking about Doumeki's granddaughter. He adored the two. When Haruka was twelve, Doumeki had her coming along to the shop with a wish to see the wizard her father had been talking about. Her price? Her little bracelet that is a family heirloom.

Then, she got married and has her own daughter she named Hana. Doumeki had taken her to meet Watanuki, also with a wish or else she couldn't see or enter the shop. Hana's wish was exactly the same as her mother's; a wish to see the wizard that her grandfather and mother kept telling her about. Her price was her beautiful doll made by her grandmother.

"I'm… I'm fine, Watanuki-san. But Hana is quite… sad…"

A sudden awareness filled Watanuki's being. He could feel it, a hole that slowly crept deep into his heart.

"Is…" he cleared his throat. "Is… Is Hana-chan okay?" 'Is Doumeki okay?'

"Father… he passed away this morning." Her voice broke into a sob. "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you earlier, it was a shocking news… Grandmother just found him lying on his mattress, not breathing."

Watanuki's heartbeat fastened. An unsteady rhythm. A quick pulse.

"Oh, and he's holding the thimble you gave him, Watanuki-san… I'm sure you would want it… I'll send it to you after the funeral." For some reason, she couldn't bring herself to say that her father had been holding an egg too.

"Yes," Watanuki cut her, his voice sounded hoarse and distant. "Bring it to me. I'm sorry for your loss, Haruka."

"Watanuki-san…" her voice turned lower. "I know you're sad too. You and father had been very close."

"I'm fine, Haruka. This is quite sudden, but I'm fine." Watanuki's voice was betraying him. He started to lose his composure, his grip tightened on the phone. "Take care of yourself," He said before Haruka could say another word and cut the line.

"Watanuki…"

He snapped towards the voice; two soulless girls stared at him with tears streaming down their faces.

"Is Doumeki dead? Is he cannot come back?"

Watanuki shivered at their questions and gently pat their heads. "He's gone and we can't do anything about it. Be patient, my girls."

"Doesn't Watanuki sad? Watanuki is not unhappy?"

Watanuki just smiled and pat their heads again before striding down the hallway towards his room. On his way he met Mokona who just sent him a grief look and turned away.

Watanuki reached his room and slowly closed the door behind him.

A few minutes passed as he just stood there, his back against the door. Then, slowly he collapsed to the floor and the tears he had been saving since Doumeki's wedding streamed down his cheeks. Another bigger hole filled his heart as he lost another precious person in his life.

'Shizuka… Shizuka…'

He heard footsteps walking down the hallway. Watanuki inhaled his pipe as he waited the owner of the footsteps to come. There's only one person that would enter the shop without any hesitance. He took off the thimble from his ring finger, kissed it and hide it in his breast pocket.

"Sorry to intrude," Hana opened the door and smiled at the wizard. "I brought the groceries."

Watanuki didn't bring himself to get up from the couch; he just turned to smile slightly at the girl. "Thank you for your help, Hana-chan."

Hana gave her a sad look, the blue eyes behind the round glasses didn't sparkle like they used to. As if the little light left in Watanuki's heart gone along with her grandfather's death.

"Oh, and I brought a guest for you." She suddenly exclaimed happily as she put down the bags and gestured towards someone at the hallway.

"Hm?" Watanuki looked up and his eyes widened at the sight of someone familiar.

A golden-eyed boy with short hair and stoic face at the age around fourteen appeared at the doorway, standing tall and confident with a bow case carried on his left shoulder.

"This is my son, Shizuka. He has a wish."

Owari

A/N: Suckish, but what do you expect from me when it's 3.33 am in the morning? And also the fact I cried a few times while writing this doesn't help to improve this fic at all… This is such an emotional journey to me; writing this fic and reading the end of xxxHOLiC… I hope you can bear with me.

RIP Doumeki Shizuka.