[Fanfiction] [Crossover] The Wishers
Title: The Wishers
Author: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Series: xxxHolic crossovers
Rating: K-T
Genre: Romance, Mystery
Status: In-progress
Comments/Warnings: Spoilers galore! Expect the unexpected. Loveless, Fruits Basket, Cardcaptor Sakura, Death Note and more...
The Wishers
A Multi-Fandom Crossover
Five: Intimations of Immortality
Featuring: Code Geass
Standing outside the old and antique mansion in the middle of a bustling city put a smile on C.C's face. The tall concrete buildings seemed to stand like guards around this tiny spot. It seemed strange that the city had never chosen to develop this area but as she stood longer, the more she understood.
The green-haired woman smiled in spite of herself as she walked inside the open gates and headed for the door. It was quiet in the yard. There were no birds to sing or wind to carress the trees. Her senses hummed with the familiar sense of magic and mystery. She was welcome here.
The doors opened. Two little girls skipped out, holding hands. They bowed politely to her. "Welcome," they sang together. "It's a customer for mistress!"
C.C had to smile at the enthusiasm that they displayed. She knew that they had no souls. Their vacant eyes and insipid smiles gave it away. It piqued her interest on what sort of witch lived here.
"Please go in." The blue-haired little girl's smile was inviting.
"She waits for you," her twin sister said. They slid the shoji door slowly out of the way. C.C didn't notice the butterflies stenciled on the walls and doors. All she was a room filled with smoke and perfume.
She stepped inside. Her long green hair rippled like water as she looked for the mysterious proprietor of the shop. It was a large traditional room with a red chaise lounge sitting in front of a large and ornate tapestry. Her calm golden eyes settled on the dark-haired woman lying on it.
"Welcome. What is your wish?" said the other woman with an enigmatic smile. Red-brown eyes gazed at her intently. "Shall I grant it for you?"
C.C knew better than to trust this female. She smiled mysteriously instead. "Where is this place?"
"It's a shop that grants wishes. You're here because you're meant to. It's simply hitsuzen." answered the dark-haired woman calmly. She breathed deeply and gestured idly with her Japanese pipe. "If it's anything I can do, I will do it for a certain price. What's your wish?"
"What is your name?" asked the Gray Witch. The only way to know what she's facing was to know her opponent's name. Though C.C did not care about other witches and other women, she couldn't afford to lose.
C.C knew that she shouldn't believe this woman. There was no way anyone could grant her wish. It was impossible. Until she met that person, that special person, then her dream would come true. If she could find him or her then her wish, her only wish, would come true…
"It's Ichihara Yuuko." The other woman said politely but with a hint of sarcasm. She smiled as if she had a secret she couldn't wait to divulge. "Again, what's your wish?"
The green-haired girl knew better than to give her dreams a voice. It was too risky, too dangerous. She was always pursued.
"Ah, perhaps a snack would calm you down," Yuuko gestured to a dark-haired high school boy who laid a tea tray on the low table. "Watanuki, could you get us some pizza?"
Golden eyes watched the young man complain under his breath all the way to the back of the house where the kitchen was. She didn't need her powers to know that he was special. There was something amazing, a rare quality, which called her attention to him.
If he desired something or if he needed anything that she could give then maybe she could grant it. Then she could use it.
"He has a contract with me," the voice of the other sorceress interrupted her thoughts. Her head swiveled to her right. "His wish would be granted by me."
"Ah." Comprehension dawned on her mind. "So you're the Dimension Witch."
Yuuko smiled. It was a smile that could be interpreted in many ways. The reddish-brown eyes were serious. "Here I was thinking that traveling around and living forever still hadn't brought my name to your ears. It's been a while, Gray Witch."
C.C wondered which of her many predecessors had met this young woman. There was no doubt that after scouring many memories that she had met the Dimension Witch before. The only question was when.
"I am C.C now," she said quietly.
Yuuko nodded in acknowledgement. There was always safety in false names. She truly believed that giving your name away gave others too much power over you. "I'm Yuuko Ichihara. Call me Yuuko."
"I didn't know your shop survived the years," she said idly. The dark-haired woman watched her sit down in front of the low table. The pink-haired servant served tea. "It looks surprisingly intact."
"My shop is here but is also not here," answered her companion. She put down her pipe and lazily turned towards her. "Shall we talk about your wish?"
"Excuse me," the high school boy said politely. He even smiled at C.C when he placed the steaming platter of pizza on the table. The delicious smell of cheese, pie crust and various condiments wafted up to her nostrils. A pang of hunger rose at the pit of her stomach. "Please have some."
"Thank you," she said, slightly surprised.
They watched as she started to devour the pizza. It had been a long time since she last ate. Of course she didn't need to eat but she wanted to every once in a while. The taste of the delicious food made tears well up in her eyes.
Yuuko's eyebrow rose slightly as C.C put down the slice. Her facial expression was a mixture of sadness and regret. But she pretended not to notice at all.
"Just eat," she said kindly. "Don't think about it. Just eat."
C.C nodded and finished off the rest. She wiped her mouth shyly with a napkin that the boy had provided. Her golden eyes widened slightly when their gaze collided. The boy was special. One of his eyes was blue and the other was golden; she could smell power all over him.
"You seemed to really like the pizza that I made," said the boy tentatively. "If you want, I can make more of it."
She stared at him. Her eyebrows were knitted together. "You…"
"It's all right, Watanuki. Please clean this up," Yuuko ordered gently. She gazed at her guest with a slight smile. "Don't even think about offering him a Geass. He's got enough on his hands."
They watched the young man named Watanuki leave the room, humming happily.
"He doesn't need the Geass," C.C said softly. "He's got powers of his own."
"Well assessed," Yuuko said, beaming. "What is your wish, Gray Witch?"
C.C had to smile at the irony. As the Witch who granted the power of kings known as Geass and as woman who lived for eternity, she had enormous powers of her own. She granted the wishes of men. It was her duty. Now she was going to ask another to grant hers…
"I don't think you can grant it," she said firmly. "I don't think anyone can."
Yuuko's voice was soft and hypnotic. "I want to die. I don't want to live. Let me end this!"
C.C's golden eyes widened.
"I run a shop that grants wishes," said the Dimension Witch "so I know all of the desires of humanity. As an immortal soul like you, I have a duty to fulfill so don't look so shocked. You came here because you needed me. There are no coincidences in this world, there's only hitsuzen."
The green-haired young woman had to smile at the insolence of her fellow witch. It was true, then, when they said that nobody could outwit the beautiful and sinister Yuuko. (That was certainly not her real name just as C.C was not hers. Revealing their names to others was risky in their business.)
"For every wish there is a price," recited the green-haired girl from memory "as for every action there is a consequence. I know our rules well enough. And I know enough not to allow you to meddle."
C.C had enough confidence in herself to know that she would find that person. All she needed to do was to wait and see. There was no need to be hasty or impatient. She had plenty of time.
"Touché," Yuuko laughed heartily. She leaned forward and lowered her voice, "but would you want me to give you a clue?"
Golden eyes stared as the witch's servants brought out an ornate water basin. Slender white hands placed an engraved golden disk on the still water's surface. The air stilled and the place darkened.
C.C was curious. She had never seen a real fortune-telling before.
"The future's always changing," Yuuko chanted quietly "and the future's what they'll want. Desires in their hearts will dictate their actions. And their hearts will show the future."
The Gray Witch leaned forward slightly to look at the water basin but she could see nothing. She felt Yuuko's eyes on her. Raising her golden eyes to meet hers took an effort not to step back. She would not be intimidated!
"You will meet him, C.C." Yuuko's voice was low and soft and beautiful. It wrapped around her like velvet. "Watch for the boy with violet eyes as you need to offer the power of kings. Be careful of hope though…"
"I don't want to hear it," C.C said loudly to break the spell. She gazed at the other witch with defiant eyes. "That's enough. Any more and I cannot pay you."
Yuuko's grin was a Cheshire cat's. "Very well."
"I've heard enough," the Gray Witch got up. "Thank you for your time. What will I pay you?"
The dark-haired sorceress gestured to her neck.
"I would like your rosary, if you please."
C.C's hand immediately went up to cover the antique and beloved rosary. It was the only relic of the past that she chose to cling to. She didn't have any worldly possessions or attachments except for this. This was given to her by the first person who loved and betrayed her.
She couldn't part with it. Not until she found that person.
Yuuko tilted her head and held out her hand. Red nails gleamed in the soft light. Her reddish-brown eyes were very serious.
A contract was a contract just as a wish was a wish. Something had to be exchanged. Something had to be given up in order to gain something. That was the truth of the world. That was the basis of all realities.
C.C didn't want to damage the future so she removed the rosary from her neck. It was very old and from Italy where she came from. The green glass beads and silver cross shimmered. This was from the convent. It was her only inheritance and link with her past.
"You need to move forward to the future," Yuuko said kindly.
Her golden eyes blinked.
"You have to trust yourself," the Witch of Dimensions continued "and your wish will come true. You have enough confidence in yourself to see it through."
C.C placed the rosary in Yuuko's hands.
oOoOoOo
Yuuko and Watanuki watched the green-haired girl leave the shop through the enormous gate. Her long hair gleamed under the sunset's light. She was wearing a skirt and a tight blouse; her boots extended up to her mid-thighs. The twin girls waved goodbye to her.
"Even when the world ceases to believe in magic," the dark-haired witch said quietly "She'll still be here."
"What do you mean?" Watanuki asked, curious. He didn't think she looked like a witch.
"She'll bring back the magic and the power of kings." Yuuko's smile was enigmatic. "C.C… She didn't think that despair is as horrible as death."
"What was her wish?" the dark-haired part-timer couldn't help but ask. His eyes didn't leave the entryway. "Did she wish to die or something like that?"
The future wasn't as bad as it seemed. C.C would have her wish but not in the way she expected. "Hmm, it's something like that."
oOoOoOo
Some notes:
I hope you don't mind the spoilers. It's sprinkled here and there. The story was set many years before the war, way before C.C met Lelouch. I've always wondered why and how C.C decided that Lelouch was the one.
Author: Dark Hooded Eriol the Magician
Series: xxxHolic crossovers
Rating: K-T
Genre: Romance, Mystery
Status: In-progress
Comments/Warnings: Spoilers galore! Expect the unexpected. Loveless, Fruits Basket, Cardcaptor Sakura, Death Note and more...
The Wishers
A Multi-Fandom Crossover
Five: Intimations of Immortality
Featuring: Code Geass
Standing outside the old and antique mansion in the middle of a bustling city put a smile on C.C's face. The tall concrete buildings seemed to stand like guards around this tiny spot. It seemed strange that the city had never chosen to develop this area but as she stood longer, the more she understood.
The green-haired woman smiled in spite of herself as she walked inside the open gates and headed for the door. It was quiet in the yard. There were no birds to sing or wind to carress the trees. Her senses hummed with the familiar sense of magic and mystery. She was welcome here.
The doors opened. Two little girls skipped out, holding hands. They bowed politely to her. "Welcome," they sang together. "It's a customer for mistress!"
C.C had to smile at the enthusiasm that they displayed. She knew that they had no souls. Their vacant eyes and insipid smiles gave it away. It piqued her interest on what sort of witch lived here.
"Please go in." The blue-haired little girl's smile was inviting.
"She waits for you," her twin sister said. They slid the shoji door slowly out of the way. C.C didn't notice the butterflies stenciled on the walls and doors. All she was a room filled with smoke and perfume.
She stepped inside. Her long green hair rippled like water as she looked for the mysterious proprietor of the shop. It was a large traditional room with a red chaise lounge sitting in front of a large and ornate tapestry. Her calm golden eyes settled on the dark-haired woman lying on it.
"Welcome. What is your wish?" said the other woman with an enigmatic smile. Red-brown eyes gazed at her intently. "Shall I grant it for you?"
C.C knew better than to trust this female. She smiled mysteriously instead. "Where is this place?"
"It's a shop that grants wishes. You're here because you're meant to. It's simply hitsuzen." answered the dark-haired woman calmly. She breathed deeply and gestured idly with her Japanese pipe. "If it's anything I can do, I will do it for a certain price. What's your wish?"
"What is your name?" asked the Gray Witch. The only way to know what she's facing was to know her opponent's name. Though C.C did not care about other witches and other women, she couldn't afford to lose.
C.C knew that she shouldn't believe this woman. There was no way anyone could grant her wish. It was impossible. Until she met that person, that special person, then her dream would come true. If she could find him or her then her wish, her only wish, would come true…
"It's Ichihara Yuuko." The other woman said politely but with a hint of sarcasm. She smiled as if she had a secret she couldn't wait to divulge. "Again, what's your wish?"
The green-haired girl knew better than to give her dreams a voice. It was too risky, too dangerous. She was always pursued.
"Ah, perhaps a snack would calm you down," Yuuko gestured to a dark-haired high school boy who laid a tea tray on the low table. "Watanuki, could you get us some pizza?"
Golden eyes watched the young man complain under his breath all the way to the back of the house where the kitchen was. She didn't need her powers to know that he was special. There was something amazing, a rare quality, which called her attention to him.
If he desired something or if he needed anything that she could give then maybe she could grant it. Then she could use it.
"He has a contract with me," the voice of the other sorceress interrupted her thoughts. Her head swiveled to her right. "His wish would be granted by me."
"Ah." Comprehension dawned on her mind. "So you're the Dimension Witch."
Yuuko smiled. It was a smile that could be interpreted in many ways. The reddish-brown eyes were serious. "Here I was thinking that traveling around and living forever still hadn't brought my name to your ears. It's been a while, Gray Witch."
C.C wondered which of her many predecessors had met this young woman. There was no doubt that after scouring many memories that she had met the Dimension Witch before. The only question was when.
"I am C.C now," she said quietly.
Yuuko nodded in acknowledgement. There was always safety in false names. She truly believed that giving your name away gave others too much power over you. "I'm Yuuko Ichihara. Call me Yuuko."
"I didn't know your shop survived the years," she said idly. The dark-haired woman watched her sit down in front of the low table. The pink-haired servant served tea. "It looks surprisingly intact."
"My shop is here but is also not here," answered her companion. She put down her pipe and lazily turned towards her. "Shall we talk about your wish?"
"Excuse me," the high school boy said politely. He even smiled at C.C when he placed the steaming platter of pizza on the table. The delicious smell of cheese, pie crust and various condiments wafted up to her nostrils. A pang of hunger rose at the pit of her stomach. "Please have some."
"Thank you," she said, slightly surprised.
They watched as she started to devour the pizza. It had been a long time since she last ate. Of course she didn't need to eat but she wanted to every once in a while. The taste of the delicious food made tears well up in her eyes.
Yuuko's eyebrow rose slightly as C.C put down the slice. Her facial expression was a mixture of sadness and regret. But she pretended not to notice at all.
"Just eat," she said kindly. "Don't think about it. Just eat."
C.C nodded and finished off the rest. She wiped her mouth shyly with a napkin that the boy had provided. Her golden eyes widened slightly when their gaze collided. The boy was special. One of his eyes was blue and the other was golden; she could smell power all over him.
"You seemed to really like the pizza that I made," said the boy tentatively. "If you want, I can make more of it."
She stared at him. Her eyebrows were knitted together. "You…"
"It's all right, Watanuki. Please clean this up," Yuuko ordered gently. She gazed at her guest with a slight smile. "Don't even think about offering him a Geass. He's got enough on his hands."
They watched the young man named Watanuki leave the room, humming happily.
"He doesn't need the Geass," C.C said softly. "He's got powers of his own."
"Well assessed," Yuuko said, beaming. "What is your wish, Gray Witch?"
C.C had to smile at the irony. As the Witch who granted the power of kings known as Geass and as woman who lived for eternity, she had enormous powers of her own. She granted the wishes of men. It was her duty. Now she was going to ask another to grant hers…
"I don't think you can grant it," she said firmly. "I don't think anyone can."
Yuuko's voice was soft and hypnotic. "I want to die. I don't want to live. Let me end this!"
C.C's golden eyes widened.
"I run a shop that grants wishes," said the Dimension Witch "so I know all of the desires of humanity. As an immortal soul like you, I have a duty to fulfill so don't look so shocked. You came here because you needed me. There are no coincidences in this world, there's only hitsuzen."
The green-haired young woman had to smile at the insolence of her fellow witch. It was true, then, when they said that nobody could outwit the beautiful and sinister Yuuko. (That was certainly not her real name just as C.C was not hers. Revealing their names to others was risky in their business.)
"For every wish there is a price," recited the green-haired girl from memory "as for every action there is a consequence. I know our rules well enough. And I know enough not to allow you to meddle."
C.C had enough confidence in herself to know that she would find that person. All she needed to do was to wait and see. There was no need to be hasty or impatient. She had plenty of time.
"Touché," Yuuko laughed heartily. She leaned forward and lowered her voice, "but would you want me to give you a clue?"
Golden eyes stared as the witch's servants brought out an ornate water basin. Slender white hands placed an engraved golden disk on the still water's surface. The air stilled and the place darkened.
C.C was curious. She had never seen a real fortune-telling before.
"The future's always changing," Yuuko chanted quietly "and the future's what they'll want. Desires in their hearts will dictate their actions. And their hearts will show the future."
The Gray Witch leaned forward slightly to look at the water basin but she could see nothing. She felt Yuuko's eyes on her. Raising her golden eyes to meet hers took an effort not to step back. She would not be intimidated!
"You will meet him, C.C." Yuuko's voice was low and soft and beautiful. It wrapped around her like velvet. "Watch for the boy with violet eyes as you need to offer the power of kings. Be careful of hope though…"
"I don't want to hear it," C.C said loudly to break the spell. She gazed at the other witch with defiant eyes. "That's enough. Any more and I cannot pay you."
Yuuko's grin was a Cheshire cat's. "Very well."
"I've heard enough," the Gray Witch got up. "Thank you for your time. What will I pay you?"
The dark-haired sorceress gestured to her neck.
"I would like your rosary, if you please."
C.C's hand immediately went up to cover the antique and beloved rosary. It was the only relic of the past that she chose to cling to. She didn't have any worldly possessions or attachments except for this. This was given to her by the first person who loved and betrayed her.
She couldn't part with it. Not until she found that person.
Yuuko tilted her head and held out her hand. Red nails gleamed in the soft light. Her reddish-brown eyes were very serious.
A contract was a contract just as a wish was a wish. Something had to be exchanged. Something had to be given up in order to gain something. That was the truth of the world. That was the basis of all realities.
C.C didn't want to damage the future so she removed the rosary from her neck. It was very old and from Italy where she came from. The green glass beads and silver cross shimmered. This was from the convent. It was her only inheritance and link with her past.
"You need to move forward to the future," Yuuko said kindly.
Her golden eyes blinked.
"You have to trust yourself," the Witch of Dimensions continued "and your wish will come true. You have enough confidence in yourself to see it through."
C.C placed the rosary in Yuuko's hands.
oOoOoOo
Yuuko and Watanuki watched the green-haired girl leave the shop through the enormous gate. Her long hair gleamed under the sunset's light. She was wearing a skirt and a tight blouse; her boots extended up to her mid-thighs. The twin girls waved goodbye to her.
"Even when the world ceases to believe in magic," the dark-haired witch said quietly "She'll still be here."
"What do you mean?" Watanuki asked, curious. He didn't think she looked like a witch.
"She'll bring back the magic and the power of kings." Yuuko's smile was enigmatic. "C.C… She didn't think that despair is as horrible as death."
"What was her wish?" the dark-haired part-timer couldn't help but ask. His eyes didn't leave the entryway. "Did she wish to die or something like that?"
The future wasn't as bad as it seemed. C.C would have her wish but not in the way she expected. "Hmm, it's something like that."
oOoOoOo
Some notes:
I hope you don't mind the spoilers. It's sprinkled here and there. The story was set many years before the war, way before C.C met Lelouch. I've always wondered why and how C.C decided that Lelouch was the one.