Independence [XXXHOLiC; English]

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Title: Independence
Rating: G
Genre: Genfic, introspection
Characters: Doumeki
Summary: Wishes and how you get them.
Notes: Written for 31_days's theme I wish.


He didn't quite understand what Yuuko did. Or, to be more accurate, why she did it; why did people go to someone else to have their wishes granted, even at such a high price.

Shizuka had been taught that if you want something, you work for it.

Perhaps that, too, was a price to pay. It took a lot of effort. It meant making choices and, with every decision, giving up infinite possibilities just to keep the one you were looking for. But having a wish fulfilled had to feel a lot better if you did it yourself.

He understood, from the bits and pieces he heard from Watanuki, that there were certain wishes that only Yuuko could grant. There were wishes that required magic, things that a common person couldn't possibly achieve on their own.

And yet, at the same time, there were situations where Yuuko needn't have intervened at all. He thought about those twins, for example, about the girl who wanted to change. That was something she could have done on her own. She was happy, in the end, but he was sure that she would have felt even more confident if she had made that choice herself. He wondered if Yuuko thought so, too; after all, she had only shown that girl how to start.

He didn't judge anyone. He didn't pretend to understand all that he was beginning to discover with his new companions. But he observed, he reflected, and he chose what worked best for him.

Shizuka knew perfectly well what he wished for. And he was going to get it on his own.

Comments

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

Very beautiful ficlet. I like this outlook on Doumeki, makes me see him and like him like I didn't before.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

Eeee! Good Doumeki fic!

[mon-starling.livejournal.com]

*dies*

And now Doumeki officially becomes my favourite XXXholic character. :D Beautifully in character - perceptive and practical and sweet without being sappy - just the right tone for him and GUH. The last lines are so so good.

Re: Eeee! Good Doumeki fic!

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Thanks a lot! :)

[chou-addicted.livejournal.com]

Brilliant! I love the way you write (in character!) Doumeki. Mind if I save that fic? Or do you happen to have a place where you store all your fics? This is exactly my type of fanfic and I'd like some more *^-^*.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Thanks! ^_^ And go shead, I don't mind.

I have a fic journal (fractal_mirrors) and an archive (http://www.freewebs.com/amarganz), but that one's on hiatus for now.

[helga-b.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed this. :) XXXHOLiC is practically made for gen, there really should be more of it around.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[blankmeridian.livejournal.com]

Cheers for Doumeki and his self-sufficiency! I especially liked the way everything sort of came together in the last line, which made me wildly curious (and of course, my inner slasher went "haHA!" -_-;).

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Thanks! ^_^

[ellie-i.livejournal.com]

Doumeki... genfic? What is this genfic of which you speak?

Actually, it's fantastic to find gen for this manga - as almost everyone's observed at one point or other, XXXHOLiC really is made for it.

And I really did enjoy yours. Doumeki is far and away my favourite Holic character, but it's very rare to find a version of him not being OOC. For me, that was a fantastic job. Interesting observations, too.

Oh, but now I'm wondering what it is he wished for...

[ellie-i.livejournal.com]

And yes, my soul may currently be crying out for gen, but the last line set my inner slaser to 'squee'.

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Aww, thanks a lot! :)

[akayalovesyaoi.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, and yeah genfics for this manga are rather rare I would say...

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it :)

[tommyrotter.livejournal.com]

This was great! I love gen in XXXholic, for all that I wrote a doumeki/watanuki (kinda) one. But really...this is great. The feel of XXXholic is there, and Doumeki's wonderfully in character.

Great job!

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[wyrdley.livejournal.com]

I haven't read a single one of your stories that I haven't liked. ^^ I'm glad to see this one, especially in the wake of the massive character developement going on for Doumeki in the manga right now. He's such a deep person who keeps his outlook on things very simple, which I think this ficlet caught extremely well.

As much as I like shounen ai for Doumeki and Watanuki, I still love the general fictions for xxxHOLiC the best. Sometimes the focus on romance diffuses the more cerebral and psychological aspects of the series, which is what I really enjoy about the series. (It's fun to keep the boys on edge around each other, too. Unresolved sexual tension is WAY more fun than outright romance. >:D )I always enjoy your stories, so keep them coming!

[laurus-nobilis.livejournal.com]

Glad you liked it! :)

I feel the same about HOLiC fics - I enjoy romance, but it's the mysterious andphilosophical aspects what keep me hooked on the series. That's what I like to explore.