Kiri ☂ (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
taotrooper) wrote2007-04-01 04:04 pm
taotrooper) wrote2007-04-01 04:04 pm
Entry tags:
DVD documentary meme, part 2
Title: Invitation to dinner I'm not sure I used the right preposition. Is it 'for' or 'to'?
Fandom: XXXHOLiC/CCS
Rating: PG for swearing
Genre: Angst, fluff, crack
Words: 2000ish
Summary: Watanuki is helped by a stranger (Fujitaka), and then he goes to their house for dinner
His footsteps echoed as he ran down the empty sidewalk. Watanuki never turned back, but he could feel that thing behind his back, getting closer and closer.
I suck at suspense.
At his right a sedan car passed him by. He didn't notice it at first, focused on the proximity of the ayakashi. Then the car stopped some meters ahead of him. One of the front doors opened.
"Get in, boy!" A voice yelled. Watanuki knew it's not correct to get inside a perfect stranger's car, but he had no time to think it over. He accelerated and jumped in as soon as he could. He quickly closed the door. He was sitting on the copilot's seat.
Probably one of the few scenes I've written with action. Fast action, also.
After he caught his breath, he turned around to see the person next to him. It was a tall man dressed in a suit; his horrified gaze was fixed in the ayakashi, who had turned around and left them alone. He can see them, Watanuki noticed. That's why he stopped the car and helped me.
This is pushing canon holes again. We know Clow's power let him see ghosts and perhaps spirits like the stuff Touya could see in the woods, but monsters like these are never mentioned. But we'll let that slide, because it's part of the plotbunny.
A peaceful smile appeared in the man's face. Kimihiro thought there was something familiar about him. He couldn't nail what it was, though.
It's not what you think it is.
"Are you okay, boy? Did that monster hurt you?"
"Uh, no. Thank you for helping me."
"It was the least I could do!" His eyes opened wide. "It was such a shock, you know. I was driving along, and then I suddenly see this spirit blob chasing a high school student. I had never seen such an awful thing in my life."
I think it's IC for postcanon!Fujitaka to help someone he doesn't know who's being attacked by something nasty. It's the Clow within~~
Also, the wide-eyed expression in his face is the one he has on volume 11, while he's saying "and then everyone fell asleep! o_oU"
"You hadn't seen an ayakashi before?"
"No. The closest things I've seen are ghosts and such."
He wouldn't attract them, so...
"That's still more than most people."
"I guess you're right," he chuckled. "My children also have abilities, but they had never attracted those. What about you?"
"I can see everything, and they... they always chase me." Watanuki's cheeks turned pink. Why did he trust that stranger?
Because that's the way you are, Wata. You'd trust someone even if they were to chew your leg and you knew it. Especially the parent-type kind of being, like that lady that almost killed you.
Also, NO, retard yaoi fangirls. I'm not writing Fuji/Wata. You can blush without wanting to be someone's uke.
Behind the man's glasses, he found a compassionated and sad look on his face.
"Poor child. I wish I knew how to help you..."
♥ Fuji
"Oh, that's okay! My, um, boss will do something about it." He didn't really believe it, considering it had been so many months since he started working on Yuuko's, but he wanted to console the man.
"Really? I'm glad."
He's so kind. But there's something about him...
*cue CCS flashbacks* But no, it's not about that.
"You know," the man went on," this street isn't a part of my route back home. Somehow I had the idea of taking a shortcut and pass around here. It's like something wanted us to meet or something!"
"...Hitsuzen."
How very clowish of them. They learn fast. (And clowish is so an adjective)
"Probably." The man laughed again. "Hey, my daughter will be at her friend's place tonight. Do you care to join me for dinner?"
"No! That's too much of a hassle!"
"It isn't, I swear. Please, accept."
"My family..." Watanuki lied. "They're going to be mad..."
"No, they aren't." The voice was still serene, but shook a bit. "You're going to have dinner alone tonight. I can see it, I think." Watanuki glared, shocked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't butt in; it's not of my business... It's okay if you don't want to. You don't have to lie."
He knows because of the Clow Within(tm). Or very sharp daddy instincts...with Clow Within.
"I apologize." Kimihiro lowered his head. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings, sir. It's just that... I don't know. What if those things go to your house and try to attack you?"
"Oh, that's okay!" He smiled again. "We'll have a bodyguard!"
The mental image of Kero attacking ayakashi is hilarious. Cerberus wins 50 EXP points! LEVEL UP!
"A what?"
"Nothing. Don't mind me. My house is safe. But if you don't want to go, it's fine. I'm sorry I was pushy."
"No, you weren't." At that moment, Watanuki changed his mind. "You know what? You helped me. I have to return the favor, so if it's fine by you, I'll join you for dinner. But I'll bake the dessert as a thanks!"
That's how he is. So cute.
The man seemed amused.
"That's fine!" He offered the boy his hand. Watanuki shook it. "So, what's your name?"
"Watanuki Kimihiro."
"Nice to meet you, Watanuki-kun. I'm Kinomoto Fujitaka."
That's formality, because a sharp reader would know who the hell the mystery man was like 36437 paragraphs before.
***
Watanuki was annoyed when he discovered Mr. Kinomoto's house wasn't even in the city. The man insisted he'd escort him home at night by car.
"Why are you doing this?" Watanuki asked.
"I'm not sure. For some reason, I'm fond of you. You remind me somehow of my son."
"Except you seem to last in your part-time jobs better than him ^_^"
Kimihiro's heart clenched in his chest.
"...Although he was way more serious when he was your age," Fujitaka muttered.
"And considerably more normal..."
***
To the boy's disappointment, the man's house looked rather normal. At least from outside.
"Come in," Kinomoto invited. "You can use these slippers, if you want." Said footwear was bigger than his size, but he had no problem with that.
It's Touya's slippers.
The living room was cozy and warm. Watanuki followed Fujitaka to the kitchen.
"Do you like okonomiyaki, Watanuki-kun?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then I'll make some for dinner, along with rice. Is it fine?"
"Okay, Kinomoto-san. Do you have chocolate in tablets?"
"We do."
He always has chocolate. It's serious business.
"Then I'll make you some small cakes for you and your children. How many should I make?"
"How about six? Three for us, two for my kids, one for Tsukishiro-kun." Watanuki nodded, even though he didn't know who Tsukishiro was. Kinomoto handed him an apron with a duck on it. The man was wearing one with a winged dog.
The attack of the cutesy Kinomoto apron collection!!! Also, of course Fujitaka would think of the kids and the guardians.
They did their parts of the dinner separately. However, from time to time, Fujitaka would leave his okonomiyaki unsupervised and would check Watanuki's work with curiosity.
"Tastes good," he said after licking the spoon. "Where did you learn?"
"My dad taught me..."
"Did your parents...?"
"Yeah... How did you know before?"
"I'm not sure. Sometimes I just know things," he shrugged. "It's a part of my powers. Or maybe it's parental instincts?"
*smiles like a maniac* That's what I'm talking about.
Or maybe it's orphan-to-orphan sympathy, or something. But that's not funny, and I can't make implicit references to Clow. Bummer.
"Kinomoto-san?"
"Yes?"
"It's been years since I cook with somebody else. Thank you."
T_T *hugs Kimihiro*
Fujitaka made a movement, as though he wanted to hug the boy, but he remained in his spot.
Because it's a bit awkward to hug someone you just met. But he totally wants to comfort him because he's just so cuteand looks more like him than his both children put together.
"Aww, you're welcome. I haven't cooked with my son ever since he moved in with his boyfriend. So it wasn't... oh, the okonomiyaki." He turned around. "Thank God I didn't burn them..."
In the other one, we had implicit Eriol/Kaho. In this one, we have a bit more explicit Touya/Yukito. Sounds fair to me.
But there's another explanation. He has Touya withdrawals so he clings to Watanuki.
Watanuki returned to his bowl. He had understood now.
Fujitaka Kinomoto reminded him of his own father.
DUN DUN DUN.
I don't know, maybe it's my wishful thinking. But I totally imagine Kimihiro's dad like a Fujitaka. Hell, I love Elihice's (I think it was Elihice's) AU in which Watanuki is the middle Kinomoto son. Because it makes sense, somehow.
He quickly dried up his eyes with his sleeve.
D:
***
While Kinomoto was arranging the table, Watanuki took a look at the living room.
"This girl is gorgeous." He pointed at a frame. "Who is she?"
"My wife."
"Eeeh? She looks so young!"
"She was eighteen there."
"Isn't she going to join us tonight?"
"She hasn't appeared yet, so I guess she isn't. It's not like she can eat your cake, anyway."
"Is she a diabetic?"
"No, she's a deceased."
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry!"
"That's okay!" The man kept smiling. "I wanted her to meet you, though. She would've liked you."
I find so awesome that they're talking about Nadeshiko. And LOL at Watanuki not going WTF at Fujitaka for saying she hasn't appeared yet even though she's dead. After all, Watanuki's first real friend WAS a ghost. That this random man occasionally sees his dead wife can't be that weird to him.
Watanuki went to the coffee table and looked at the frames there. He didn't expect a familiar face in there.
"Sakura?!"
A metallic sound let him know some forks had fallen to the floor. Fujitaka's mouth was wide open.
"Do you know my girl?"
"Well, yes and no." Watanuki didn't know how to explain him about dimensions. "She doesn't know me." It was the best way to sum it up. "My boss knows about her and told me."
"She's more famous than I thought she was, though."
It shows it's not beta-read. It should be a then and not a though.
Poor Watanuki. He doesn't understand the multiverse so much, and now he has to explain it.
"Not necessarily." Then again, he seemed to be famous in that freaky world of magical creatures.
Which brings the question, IS Sakura famous in that world at all? Now I imagine this Potter-esque scenary in which Sakura lives a normal life, while wizards around the world gossip about this girl who's just the 1337. I don't know.
"Cerberus! Dinner is ready!" Fujitaka called.
"I can't go down! There's a presence!" A voice with Osaka accent said from upstairs.
See, Kero and Fuji can feel Watanuki's presence, but I didn't say in any moment if Watanuki can feel theirs. Because that's somehow a plothole in the magic system that's never touched in HOLiC. So let's assume he does feel presences but doesn't process them well, like the Sakura from the first volumes.
"It's fine. He's my guest."
Watanuki didn't expect to see a tiny lion with wings flying to the table.
He isn't surprised because, again, he's seen weirdest things.
***
"So," Kimihiro asked the animal while he attacked a modern okonomiyaki, "what are you? A spirit? A yokai?"
"Dumb brat, I'm a guardian!"
"I'm not a dumb brat!! But I don't know what a guardian is..."
"Then you're dumb."
"Grrrrrr."
Oh, Kero.
"I'm in charge of the Clow cards. I watch over them."
"Clow cards... that's something Clow Reed-san made?"
Oh-uh, you just didn't go there, sista!
Fujitaka and the guardian called Cerberus glared at him.
"You have heard about my daughter and Clow-san," Fujitaka laughed. He did bear a dangerous grin, though. "It really must be hitsuzen..."
What, he can't make dangerous smiles? It's in his blood, dammit.and I imagine that, and find it hot. But really, it's just too much that this random kid knows so much about his family, somehow.
"But you're not a sorcerer," Cerberus intervened, "are you?"
"No. I just work for one. Is Kinomoto-san a sorcerer?"
"I'm afraid not. Someone taught me a few spells, but I barely know about magic. Sakura-san is rather good at it, though. She's Cerberus' mistress."
Three guesses who that someone is, and the first two don't count.
Another fanon thing of mine, of course.
"And your son?"
"Touya-kun was never a sorcerer."
It's something I like from this CLAMP world. Not everyone with magic performs spells or works at religious institutions. Some people just can feel stuff or do specific things. Meanwhile, some people can just invoke spells without seeing any weird things. It makes magic complicated, just like RL skills like intelligence and athelic abilities are, and I love that.
Kimihiro took a bite of his okonomiyaki.
"Nice!" He smiled. " You have to give me the recipe."
"Sure thing!"
Sharing recipes with Fujitaka is several levels of cute.
After finishing the meal, they proceeded to taste Watanuki's pastry.
"Delicious, Watanuki-kun!"
"Not bad, not bad at all for a brat!" Cerberus wagged his lion tail.
"I'm not a brat. And don't eat it so fast!"
"But it's good!"
"So you admit you liked it!"
"I already did, aho!"
And Kero is still Kero, and Watanuki is still Watanuki, and thus they bicker. By the way, aho as an insult is milder in Osaka-ben, while it's kind of strong in Kantou. So when Kero calls Watanuki aho, it sounds almost tender. However, when Doumeki calls Watanuki aho and viceversa (which is a canon thing), it's like they're calling the other an asshole. Or that's how I understood it is. Li used to be annoyed at Kero saying he was an aho, because he thought in Kantou Japanese.
"You're annoying. You're worst than Doumeki and Mokona combined."
Cerberus left his fork and flew directly to Watanuki's face.
"MOKONA?! You know Mokona? Which one, Soel or Larg?!"
Kero over your face = a bit scary. He probably spits while talking, too.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Soeru? Raagu? I just know the two who live at Yuuko-san's place. One is white, one is black. We kept the black. Oh, hold it." Watanuki's fist punched his palm. "You're the Clow cards' guardian, so you have to know them.."
Well duh, the metacanon says it so! Still, Watanuki slowly gets there.
"We're half-siblings, yeah. Then you work for Yuuko! No wonder you've heard about Clow and Sakura!"
"You know Yuuko-san?"
"Of course, of course! What a stupid question. Everybody in the business knows Yuuko."
Kero: And she used to crash at our house and drink from Clow's sake, and you wouldn't believe the mess we'd have to clean afterwards. I never understood how come even the sheets at Clow's bed would end up sticky... I asked Yue, but he just glared at me like he wanted to kill me. Ugh.
"Even Kinomoto-san and his daughter?"
"I have no idea who this Yuuko-san person is," Fujitaka assured him. "Does Eriol know her?"
I love how he goes all "uh, if it's something I should know but I don't, Eriol knows instead, right?? ^_^;"
"Hiiragizawa remembers her," Cerberus replied," but you know his situation. But you're right about something, sensei. This is truly hitsuzen."
***
"So," Yuuko sucked her pipe, "a strange man helped you out last night and invited you for dinner? Interesting."
Watanuki always tells Yuuko about his day, especially when it involves the supernatural. It's like reporting to your mom.
"He was this world's Sakura-chan's father."
Yuuko: ...uuuuuuuuuuh *suppresses gesture*
"Now that's more interesting. Did you meet her?"
"No, she wasn't home. Cerberus was, though. He says Yuuko-san, 'Soeru' and 'Raagu' hello."
"Cerberus!" Mokona yelled in joy. Maru and Moro backed him up in chorus.
Aww. Poor Mokona wanted to see Kero again.
"How's old Kero doing?" Yuuko asked.
"He ate more than Kinomoto-san and I together, and he called me a brat."
"That's him, alright. Kero is Kero! He never changes. Did you see Yue?"
"Who's Yue?"
"Nevermind, nevermind. Oh man, I can't believe you were so close to meet Sakura! You know, she's more powerful than Clow."
"Ah, too bad I don't care. Her dad is pretty neat, though. Watanuki isn't concerned about who's strongest. He just wishes Fujitaka would adopt him. I wish I could see him again... Oh, that's right. Cerberus wanted me to give you this CD. You have to check it on your computer or something."
"Let's see. Maru, Moro, bring the laptop. And be careful."
"Yes!"
The girls brought it, and Yuuko inserted the disk inside. She found several image files. The first ones had Sakura in strange outfits, often posing with another girl and a boy who resembled Syaoran a lot. Maybe he is this world's Syaoran, Watanuki thought. In one of the pictures, a person with long silver hair posed with Sakura, without smiling. Yuuko and Mokona seemed amused, and he understood from their words that person was Yue. Yuuko and Mokona: LOL Yue! XD There was also a couple of images with Touya-san, one of them with a guy they had told him it was the guy's boyfriend. The final photo darkened Yuuko's face. It was Kinomoto-san posing with a boy who looked exactly like him, only with darker hair color and lighter eye color. I want to have that photo DDDDD:
"Ah, they explained me that picture was taken in England, and that kid was their host. I asked them if he was a relative, but they never told me."
>D
Yuuko stared in silence. Then she raised her fist in shaking rage.
"Fuck you, Cerberus! I'll get even, you'll see! Watanuki! I'll take a bath, so prepare the sake now!"
You'd also drink and take a cold shower if you saw two Clow doppelgangers at the same place.
Then she stood up and leave the room. He didn't understand a thing.
"What's the fucking matter with that picture?"
Nobody, not even Mokona, answered his question.
Okay, forgetting the cold shower joke, the problem Yuuko has with the picture is that it reminds her that Clow is gone forever, even though his spirit lives on, somehow, somewhere else. And the visuals make her nostalgic. So she's angry because she wants to be sad, but she shouldn't. Is that any better?
Fandom: XXXHOLiC/CCS
Rating: PG for swearing
Genre: Angst, fluff, crack
Words: 2000ish
Summary: Watanuki is helped by a stranger (Fujitaka), and then he goes to their house for dinner
His footsteps echoed as he ran down the empty sidewalk. Watanuki never turned back, but he could feel that thing behind his back, getting closer and closer.
I suck at suspense.
At his right a sedan car passed him by. He didn't notice it at first, focused on the proximity of the ayakashi. Then the car stopped some meters ahead of him. One of the front doors opened.
"Get in, boy!" A voice yelled. Watanuki knew it's not correct to get inside a perfect stranger's car, but he had no time to think it over. He accelerated and jumped in as soon as he could. He quickly closed the door. He was sitting on the copilot's seat.
Probably one of the few scenes I've written with action. Fast action, also.
After he caught his breath, he turned around to see the person next to him. It was a tall man dressed in a suit; his horrified gaze was fixed in the ayakashi, who had turned around and left them alone. He can see them, Watanuki noticed. That's why he stopped the car and helped me.
This is pushing canon holes again. We know Clow's power let him see ghosts and perhaps spirits like the stuff Touya could see in the woods, but monsters like these are never mentioned. But we'll let that slide, because it's part of the plotbunny.
A peaceful smile appeared in the man's face. Kimihiro thought there was something familiar about him. He couldn't nail what it was, though.
It's not what you think it is.
"Are you okay, boy? Did that monster hurt you?"
"Uh, no. Thank you for helping me."
"It was the least I could do!" His eyes opened wide. "It was such a shock, you know. I was driving along, and then I suddenly see this spirit blob chasing a high school student. I had never seen such an awful thing in my life."
I think it's IC for postcanon!Fujitaka to help someone he doesn't know who's being attacked by something nasty. It's the Clow within~~
Also, the wide-eyed expression in his face is the one he has on volume 11, while he's saying "and then everyone fell asleep! o_oU"
"You hadn't seen an ayakashi before?"
"No. The closest things I've seen are ghosts and such."
He wouldn't attract them, so...
"That's still more than most people."
"I guess you're right," he chuckled. "My children also have abilities, but they had never attracted those. What about you?"
"I can see everything, and they... they always chase me." Watanuki's cheeks turned pink. Why did he trust that stranger?
Because that's the way you are, Wata. You'd trust someone even if they were to chew your leg and you knew it. Especially the parent-type kind of being, like that lady that almost killed you.
Also, NO, retard yaoi fangirls. I'm not writing Fuji/Wata. You can blush without wanting to be someone's uke.
Behind the man's glasses, he found a compassionated and sad look on his face.
"Poor child. I wish I knew how to help you..."
♥ Fuji
"Oh, that's okay! My, um, boss will do something about it." He didn't really believe it, considering it had been so many months since he started working on Yuuko's, but he wanted to console the man.
"Really? I'm glad."
He's so kind. But there's something about him...
*cue CCS flashbacks* But no, it's not about that.
"You know," the man went on," this street isn't a part of my route back home. Somehow I had the idea of taking a shortcut and pass around here. It's like something wanted us to meet or something!"
"...Hitsuzen."
How very clowish of them. They learn fast. (And clowish is so an adjective)
"Probably." The man laughed again. "Hey, my daughter will be at her friend's place tonight. Do you care to join me for dinner?"
"No! That's too much of a hassle!"
"It isn't, I swear. Please, accept."
"My family..." Watanuki lied. "They're going to be mad..."
"No, they aren't." The voice was still serene, but shook a bit. "You're going to have dinner alone tonight. I can see it, I think." Watanuki glared, shocked. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't butt in; it's not of my business... It's okay if you don't want to. You don't have to lie."
He knows because of the Clow Within(tm). Or very sharp daddy instincts...
"I apologize." Kimihiro lowered his head. "I didn't want to hurt your feelings, sir. It's just that... I don't know. What if those things go to your house and try to attack you?"
"Oh, that's okay!" He smiled again. "We'll have a bodyguard!"
The mental image of Kero attacking ayakashi is hilarious. Cerberus wins 50 EXP points! LEVEL UP!
"A what?"
"Nothing. Don't mind me. My house is safe. But if you don't want to go, it's fine. I'm sorry I was pushy."
"No, you weren't." At that moment, Watanuki changed his mind. "You know what? You helped me. I have to return the favor, so if it's fine by you, I'll join you for dinner. But I'll bake the dessert as a thanks!"
That's how he is. So cute.
The man seemed amused.
"That's fine!" He offered the boy his hand. Watanuki shook it. "So, what's your name?"
"Watanuki Kimihiro."
"Nice to meet you, Watanuki-kun. I'm Kinomoto Fujitaka."
That's formality, because a sharp reader would know who the hell the mystery man was like 36437 paragraphs before.
***
Watanuki was annoyed when he discovered Mr. Kinomoto's house wasn't even in the city. The man insisted he'd escort him home at night by car.
"Why are you doing this?" Watanuki asked.
"I'm not sure. For some reason, I'm fond of you. You remind me somehow of my son."
"Except you seem to last in your part-time jobs better than him ^_^"
Kimihiro's heart clenched in his chest.
"...Although he was way more serious when he was your age," Fujitaka muttered.
***
To the boy's disappointment, the man's house looked rather normal. At least from outside.
"Come in," Kinomoto invited. "You can use these slippers, if you want." Said footwear was bigger than his size, but he had no problem with that.
It's Touya's slippers.
The living room was cozy and warm. Watanuki followed Fujitaka to the kitchen.
"Do you like okonomiyaki, Watanuki-kun?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then I'll make some for dinner, along with rice. Is it fine?"
"Okay, Kinomoto-san. Do you have chocolate in tablets?"
"We do."
He always has chocolate. It's serious business.
"Then I'll make you some small cakes for you and your children. How many should I make?"
"How about six? Three for us, two for my kids, one for Tsukishiro-kun." Watanuki nodded, even though he didn't know who Tsukishiro was. Kinomoto handed him an apron with a duck on it. The man was wearing one with a winged dog.
The attack of the cutesy Kinomoto apron collection!!! Also, of course Fujitaka would think of the kids and the guardians.
They did their parts of the dinner separately. However, from time to time, Fujitaka would leave his okonomiyaki unsupervised and would check Watanuki's work with curiosity.
"Tastes good," he said after licking the spoon. "Where did you learn?"
"My dad taught me..."
"Did your parents...?"
"Yeah... How did you know before?"
"I'm not sure. Sometimes I just know things," he shrugged. "It's a part of my powers. Or maybe it's parental instincts?"
*smiles like a maniac* That's what I'm talking about.
Or maybe it's orphan-to-orphan sympathy, or something. But that's not funny, and I can't make implicit references to Clow. Bummer.
"Kinomoto-san?"
"Yes?"
"It's been years since I cook with somebody else. Thank you."
T_T *hugs Kimihiro*
Fujitaka made a movement, as though he wanted to hug the boy, but he remained in his spot.
Because it's a bit awkward to hug someone you just met. But he totally wants to comfort him because he's just so cute
"Aww, you're welcome. I haven't cooked with my son ever since he moved in with his boyfriend. So it wasn't... oh, the okonomiyaki." He turned around. "Thank God I didn't burn them..."
In the other one, we had implicit Eriol/Kaho. In this one, we have a bit more explicit Touya/Yukito. Sounds fair to me.
But there's another explanation. He has Touya withdrawals so he clings to Watanuki.
Watanuki returned to his bowl. He had understood now.
Fujitaka Kinomoto reminded him of his own father.
DUN DUN DUN.
I don't know, maybe it's my wishful thinking. But I totally imagine Kimihiro's dad like a Fujitaka. Hell, I love Elihice's (I think it was Elihice's) AU in which Watanuki is the middle Kinomoto son. Because it makes sense, somehow.
He quickly dried up his eyes with his sleeve.
D:
***
While Kinomoto was arranging the table, Watanuki took a look at the living room.
"This girl is gorgeous." He pointed at a frame. "Who is she?"
"My wife."
"Eeeh? She looks so young!"
"She was eighteen there."
"Isn't she going to join us tonight?"
"She hasn't appeared yet, so I guess she isn't. It's not like she can eat your cake, anyway."
"Is she a diabetic?"
"No, she's a deceased."
"Oh my God. I'm so sorry!"
"That's okay!" The man kept smiling. "I wanted her to meet you, though. She would've liked you."
I find so awesome that they're talking about Nadeshiko. And LOL at Watanuki not going WTF at Fujitaka for saying she hasn't appeared yet even though she's dead. After all, Watanuki's first real friend WAS a ghost. That this random man occasionally sees his dead wife can't be that weird to him.
Watanuki went to the coffee table and looked at the frames there. He didn't expect a familiar face in there.
"Sakura?!"
A metallic sound let him know some forks had fallen to the floor. Fujitaka's mouth was wide open.
"Do you know my girl?"
"Well, yes and no." Watanuki didn't know how to explain him about dimensions. "She doesn't know me." It was the best way to sum it up. "My boss knows about her and told me."
"She's more famous than I thought she was, though."
It shows it's not beta-read. It should be a then and not a though.
Poor Watanuki. He doesn't understand the multiverse so much, and now he has to explain it.
"Not necessarily." Then again, he seemed to be famous in that freaky world of magical creatures.
Which brings the question, IS Sakura famous in that world at all? Now I imagine this Potter-esque scenary in which Sakura lives a normal life, while wizards around the world gossip about this girl who's just the 1337. I don't know.
"Cerberus! Dinner is ready!" Fujitaka called.
"I can't go down! There's a presence!" A voice with Osaka accent said from upstairs.
See, Kero and Fuji can feel Watanuki's presence, but I didn't say in any moment if Watanuki can feel theirs. Because that's somehow a plothole in the magic system that's never touched in HOLiC. So let's assume he does feel presences but doesn't process them well, like the Sakura from the first volumes.
"It's fine. He's my guest."
Watanuki didn't expect to see a tiny lion with wings flying to the table.
He isn't surprised because, again, he's seen weirdest things.
***
"So," Kimihiro asked the animal while he attacked a modern okonomiyaki, "what are you? A spirit? A yokai?"
"Dumb brat, I'm a guardian!"
"I'm not a dumb brat!! But I don't know what a guardian is..."
"Then you're dumb."
"Grrrrrr."
Oh, Kero.
"I'm in charge of the Clow cards. I watch over them."
"Clow cards... that's something Clow Reed-san made?"
Oh-uh, you just didn't go there, sista!
Fujitaka and the guardian called Cerberus glared at him.
"You have heard about my daughter and Clow-san," Fujitaka laughed. He did bear a dangerous grin, though. "It really must be hitsuzen..."
What, he can't make dangerous smiles? It's in his blood, dammit.
"But you're not a sorcerer," Cerberus intervened, "are you?"
"No. I just work for one. Is Kinomoto-san a sorcerer?"
"I'm afraid not. Someone taught me a few spells, but I barely know about magic. Sakura-san is rather good at it, though. She's Cerberus' mistress."
Three guesses who that someone is, and the first two don't count.
Another fanon thing of mine, of course.
"And your son?"
"Touya-kun was never a sorcerer."
It's something I like from this CLAMP world. Not everyone with magic performs spells or works at religious institutions. Some people just can feel stuff or do specific things. Meanwhile, some people can just invoke spells without seeing any weird things. It makes magic complicated, just like RL skills like intelligence and athelic abilities are, and I love that.
Kimihiro took a bite of his okonomiyaki.
"Nice!" He smiled. " You have to give me the recipe."
"Sure thing!"
Sharing recipes with Fujitaka is several levels of cute.
After finishing the meal, they proceeded to taste Watanuki's pastry.
"Delicious, Watanuki-kun!"
"Not bad, not bad at all for a brat!" Cerberus wagged his lion tail.
"I'm not a brat. And don't eat it so fast!"
"But it's good!"
"So you admit you liked it!"
"I already did, aho!"
And Kero is still Kero, and Watanuki is still Watanuki, and thus they bicker. By the way, aho as an insult is milder in Osaka-ben, while it's kind of strong in Kantou. So when Kero calls Watanuki aho, it sounds almost tender. However, when Doumeki calls Watanuki aho and viceversa (which is a canon thing), it's like they're calling the other an asshole. Or that's how I understood it is. Li used to be annoyed at Kero saying he was an aho, because he thought in Kantou Japanese.
"You're annoying. You're worst than Doumeki and Mokona combined."
Cerberus left his fork and flew directly to Watanuki's face.
"MOKONA?! You know Mokona? Which one, Soel or Larg?!"
Kero over your face = a bit scary. He probably spits while talking, too.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. Soeru? Raagu? I just know the two who live at Yuuko-san's place. One is white, one is black. We kept the black. Oh, hold it." Watanuki's fist punched his palm. "You're the Clow cards' guardian, so you have to know them.."
Well duh, the metacanon says it so! Still, Watanuki slowly gets there.
"We're half-siblings, yeah. Then you work for Yuuko! No wonder you've heard about Clow and Sakura!"
"You know Yuuko-san?"
"Of course, of course! What a stupid question. Everybody in the business knows Yuuko."
Kero: And she used to crash at our house and drink from Clow's sake, and you wouldn't believe the mess we'd have to clean afterwards. I never understood how come even the sheets at Clow's bed would end up sticky... I asked Yue, but he just glared at me like he wanted to kill me. Ugh.
"Even Kinomoto-san and his daughter?"
"I have no idea who this Yuuko-san person is," Fujitaka assured him. "Does Eriol know her?"
I love how he goes all "uh, if it's something I should know but I don't, Eriol knows instead, right?? ^_^;"
"Hiiragizawa remembers her," Cerberus replied," but you know his situation. But you're right about something, sensei. This is truly hitsuzen."
***
"So," Yuuko sucked her pipe, "a strange man helped you out last night and invited you for dinner? Interesting."
Watanuki always tells Yuuko about his day, especially when it involves the supernatural. It's like reporting to your mom.
"He was this world's Sakura-chan's father."
Yuuko: ...uuuuuuuuuuh *suppresses gesture*
"Now that's more interesting. Did you meet her?"
"No, she wasn't home. Cerberus was, though. He says Yuuko-san, 'Soeru' and 'Raagu' hello."
"Cerberus!" Mokona yelled in joy. Maru and Moro backed him up in chorus.
Aww. Poor Mokona wanted to see Kero again.
"How's old Kero doing?" Yuuko asked.
"He ate more than Kinomoto-san and I together, and he called me a brat."
"That's him, alright. Kero is Kero! He never changes. Did you see Yue?"
"Who's Yue?"
"Nevermind, nevermind. Oh man, I can't believe you were so close to meet Sakura! You know, she's more powerful than Clow."
"Ah, too bad I don't care. Her dad is pretty neat, though. Watanuki isn't concerned about who's strongest. He just wishes Fujitaka would adopt him. I wish I could see him again... Oh, that's right. Cerberus wanted me to give you this CD. You have to check it on your computer or something."
"Let's see. Maru, Moro, bring the laptop. And be careful."
"Yes!"
The girls brought it, and Yuuko inserted the disk inside. She found several image files. The first ones had Sakura in strange outfits, often posing with another girl and a boy who resembled Syaoran a lot. Maybe he is this world's Syaoran, Watanuki thought. In one of the pictures, a person with long silver hair posed with Sakura, without smiling. Yuuko and Mokona seemed amused, and he understood from their words that person was Yue. Yuuko and Mokona: LOL Yue! XD There was also a couple of images with Touya-san, one of them with a guy they had told him it was the guy's boyfriend. The final photo darkened Yuuko's face. It was Kinomoto-san posing with a boy who looked exactly like him, only with darker hair color and lighter eye color. I want to have that photo DDDDD:
"Ah, they explained me that picture was taken in England, and that kid was their host. I asked them if he was a relative, but they never told me."
>D
Yuuko stared in silence. Then she raised her fist in shaking rage.
"Fuck you, Cerberus! I'll get even, you'll see! Watanuki! I'll take a bath, so prepare the sake now!"
You'd also drink and take a cold shower if you saw two Clow doppelgangers at the same place.
Then she stood up and leave the room. He didn't understand a thing.
"What's the fucking matter with that picture?"
Nobody, not even Mokona, answered his question.
Okay, forgetting the cold shower joke, the problem Yuuko has with the picture is that it reminds her that Clow is gone forever, even though his spirit lives on, somehow, somewhere else. And the visuals make her nostalgic. So she's angry because she wants to be sad, but she shouldn't. Is that any better?