To Butterfly Mage, from Kamilah Adair ♥
Title: Adjustability
Author: Kamilah Adair
Recipient: butterfly_mage
Series: xxxHolic
Characters/Pairing: Clow/Yuuko
Rating: PG
Author's Notes/Warnings: None
Yuuko Ichihara had always had a fascination with literature. The pages opened doors to the most wonderful of places: places of the past, present, and future, and even places that existed in other unknown worlds. It was that same fascination that lead her to the steps of a small bookstore just two miles from the university that she studied at. The larger bookstores she had visited before did not have a satisfactory selection of the rare, older texts she held a love for.
Upon entering the shop, Yuuko had a sudden feeling of rightness that convinced her the place had exactly what she needed. The petite, grandmotherly woman at the counter watched as she curiously surveyed the new surroundings. “Welcome to my shop, dear.”
“Thank you, Grandmother. I’ll just have a look around, if you don’t mind.” Yuuko replied, the strange tingling in the air making her anxious.
The shop owner just nodded agreeably. “Perhaps you’ll find what you’re looking for in the back shelf.” She said, giving Yuuko a smile that was both kind and knowing at the same time.
On that back self, Yuuko found three of the books she had been looking for for months. When she excitedly brought those books to the front and rang them up, the elderly woman smiled and mentioned that she was in need of an assistant. Feeling the tingling in the air, seeing the knowing smile, and touching the worn texts, Yuuko felt everything click into place; she had always been firm believer that everything happened for a reason.
Four years later, Grandmother Eki-meaning “fortune-telling”, she had told Yuuko with a laugh-passed away in her sleep. Suddenly, Yuuko was the owner of that beloved, mysterious book shop, as Grandmother Eki had requested in her will. The first day she stood behind the counter as the shop’s owner, she opened the small box she had found in her mailbox. Yuuko had known who the sender was from the familiar, neat writing on the tag. Inside the box she found a delicate butterfly hair-clip with a card that said:
To my wonderful assistant:
Not all of the changes time brings are terrible.
You may find yourself a new companion soon enough.
After a moment, Yuuko tucked the card into a pocket and slid the clip into her hair. Then, as the bell on the door tinkled a warning, she turned to the first customer of the day and smiled a bittersweet smile. “Welcome to my shop.”
When the afternoon came, Yuuko turned the clip over in one hand, the other hand holding a cup of warm coffee that she occasionally sipped. “Interesting hair ornament you have there,” a smooth, pleasant voice commented somewhere above her. Head snapping up, she came face to face with a bespectacled man, whose long hair was tied up in a ponytail.
“Thank you,” Yuuko replied, eyes narrowed slightly. There was something about this man that put her on edge.
The man smiled amicably. “Am I to presume you are the owner of this shop?”
She turned away with a small huff, frowning. “Does it matter if I am or not?” With a quick jab, the hair clip was placed back into her hair.
The stranger watched her abrupt movement with some degree of amusement before turning away. He browsed the shop languidly, taking note of the many titles displayed on the shelves. Every so often, he would pick out a book, flip through it idly, then either put it back or hold onto it. Yuuko watched him from the corner of her eyes, pretending to be immersed in the book she had in front of her.
When he brought the books to the counter, she glanced at the titles surreptitiously. Some of them made Yuuko’s eyebrows rise in surprise; she hadn’t thought anyone else read those books besides her. “Interesting choices,” she commented, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
His mouth curled into an easy-going smile. “Not everyone would agree with you, I’m afraid. I’m a professor in Keio’s Literature department, so you could say these are both work and hobby related.” He gently patted the small stack of books as he said the last part.
Yuuko was taken aback by the mention of her old university: she had graduated from Keio not two years ago, and she had never seen this man among the Literature department’s associates. “You’re new to the university.” It was a statement, not a question.
The briefest flash of surprise passed across the man’s face, before it was replaced with the earlier relaxed smile. “Yes, you are correct. I only started teaching at Keio earlier this year.” He inclined his head politely. “Professor Clow Reed.”
Nodding slowly, Yuuko replied, “Ichihara.” She was reluctant to tell people her given name after the first meeting, and she was not about to make an exception for this man. She quickly rang his items up, hoping he would leave.
“Just Ichihara?” Clow Reed asked, a hint of mischief leaking into his voice as he paid for his purchases.
“Yes, just Ichihara,” Yuuko almost hissed. She slipped the books carefully into a bag before holding them out to Clow Reed impatiently. Now, go away, Yuuko thought.
Clow reached out and took the bag, fingers brushing unnecessarily against hers as he did so. “A pleasure meeting you, Miss Ichihara,” he said warmly. Then, he walked out of the shop.
After two weeks had passed, Yuuko found herself in the Keio Literature department, visiting one of the professors she had had as a student. “Professor Denki!” she called when she spotted the tiny, cat-like woman.
The professor glanced up from her work, looking pleasantly surprised when she saw Yuuko. They embraced, and Yuuko handed her a tattered book she’d taken from the store. “You wanted this particular edition, am I right?”
When the older woman protested-“I can’t accept this!”-Yuuko just laughed. “Who else would I give it to, Professor?” She teased. “Just think of it as repayment for all that help you gave me during the four years.”
They conversed for a while longer, until Professor Denki finally admitted she had a lot more work to take care of. Yuuko nodded sympathetically, noting the piles of un-graded papers on the professor’s desk. Without further ado, she excused herself.
Yuuko walked to the small coffee shop on campus with no small amount of nostalgia; she, too, had been one of those frantic students a few years ago. She scanned the shop briefly and saw that the table she’d frequently haunted as a Literature student was empty, to her delight. Just as she’d settled at the table with a coffee and a slice of cake, she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.
“Oh, it’s you,” Yuuko almost groaned when she recognized the newcomer.
“What a warm welcome that is,” Clow Reed said with a chuckle, apparently unaffected by the almost sullen look she was sending his way. “It sounds almost as if-dare I say it-you don’t want me to join you.” He paused. “Miss Yuuko.”
Yuuko nearly dropped her cup. She glowered at him, debating whether she should ask how he’d managed to find her given name, but decided against it. Then, seeing the smug smile on his face, Yuuko also realized it would be pointless to protest his calling her that. She raised the cup to her lips, hiding the scowl that now adorned them.
After a moment, she placed the cup back onto the table, and as calmly as she could, asked, “So, did you read those books you bought?”
With that, the short coffee break turned into a two-hour-long discussion of the books’ merits and faults. It had been a while since Yuuko had engaged in such a spirited debate, and even she was unwilling to end it. But, she had lingered too long on the Keio campus, and the book shop needed to be opened. She glanced at the clock again, and then reluctantly said, “I’m afraid I must be going now.”
Clow Reed smiled in understanding. “Perhaps we may finish this some other time.” Yuuko blinked. The wording of that phrase had been straight forward enough, but she had the distinct feeling that she had missed something. She dismissed the thought after a second and simply nodded her agreement.
They both stood up and left the coffee shop, walking in comfortable silence now that Yuuko’s irritation towards him had lessened somewhat. Once outside, they stopped and faced each other. Yuuko was startled when Clow reached over and gently clasped her hand. He raised it, brushing his lips across the knuckles before letting go. “I hope we continue our discussion sometime soon, Yuuko.”
Not trusting her voice to work, Yuuko didn’t bother giving a reply before she turned and walked quickly away. Even as she unlocked the book shop’s door some time later, she was still convincing herself that she had not just been on a date with that smug, insufferable man.
Author: Kamilah Adair
Recipient: butterfly_mage
Series: xxxHolic
Characters/Pairing: Clow/Yuuko
Rating: PG
Author's Notes/Warnings: None
Yuuko Ichihara had always had a fascination with literature. The pages opened doors to the most wonderful of places: places of the past, present, and future, and even places that existed in other unknown worlds. It was that same fascination that lead her to the steps of a small bookstore just two miles from the university that she studied at. The larger bookstores she had visited before did not have a satisfactory selection of the rare, older texts she held a love for.
Upon entering the shop, Yuuko had a sudden feeling of rightness that convinced her the place had exactly what she needed. The petite, grandmotherly woman at the counter watched as she curiously surveyed the new surroundings. “Welcome to my shop, dear.”
“Thank you, Grandmother. I’ll just have a look around, if you don’t mind.” Yuuko replied, the strange tingling in the air making her anxious.
The shop owner just nodded agreeably. “Perhaps you’ll find what you’re looking for in the back shelf.” She said, giving Yuuko a smile that was both kind and knowing at the same time.
On that back self, Yuuko found three of the books she had been looking for for months. When she excitedly brought those books to the front and rang them up, the elderly woman smiled and mentioned that she was in need of an assistant. Feeling the tingling in the air, seeing the knowing smile, and touching the worn texts, Yuuko felt everything click into place; she had always been firm believer that everything happened for a reason.
Four years later, Grandmother Eki-meaning “fortune-telling”, she had told Yuuko with a laugh-passed away in her sleep. Suddenly, Yuuko was the owner of that beloved, mysterious book shop, as Grandmother Eki had requested in her will. The first day she stood behind the counter as the shop’s owner, she opened the small box she had found in her mailbox. Yuuko had known who the sender was from the familiar, neat writing on the tag. Inside the box she found a delicate butterfly hair-clip with a card that said:
To my wonderful assistant:
Not all of the changes time brings are terrible.
You may find yourself a new companion soon enough.
After a moment, Yuuko tucked the card into a pocket and slid the clip into her hair. Then, as the bell on the door tinkled a warning, she turned to the first customer of the day and smiled a bittersweet smile. “Welcome to my shop.”
When the afternoon came, Yuuko turned the clip over in one hand, the other hand holding a cup of warm coffee that she occasionally sipped. “Interesting hair ornament you have there,” a smooth, pleasant voice commented somewhere above her. Head snapping up, she came face to face with a bespectacled man, whose long hair was tied up in a ponytail.
“Thank you,” Yuuko replied, eyes narrowed slightly. There was something about this man that put her on edge.
The man smiled amicably. “Am I to presume you are the owner of this shop?”
She turned away with a small huff, frowning. “Does it matter if I am or not?” With a quick jab, the hair clip was placed back into her hair.
The stranger watched her abrupt movement with some degree of amusement before turning away. He browsed the shop languidly, taking note of the many titles displayed on the shelves. Every so often, he would pick out a book, flip through it idly, then either put it back or hold onto it. Yuuko watched him from the corner of her eyes, pretending to be immersed in the book she had in front of her.
When he brought the books to the counter, she glanced at the titles surreptitiously. Some of them made Yuuko’s eyebrows rise in surprise; she hadn’t thought anyone else read those books besides her. “Interesting choices,” she commented, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.
His mouth curled into an easy-going smile. “Not everyone would agree with you, I’m afraid. I’m a professor in Keio’s Literature department, so you could say these are both work and hobby related.” He gently patted the small stack of books as he said the last part.
Yuuko was taken aback by the mention of her old university: she had graduated from Keio not two years ago, and she had never seen this man among the Literature department’s associates. “You’re new to the university.” It was a statement, not a question.
The briefest flash of surprise passed across the man’s face, before it was replaced with the earlier relaxed smile. “Yes, you are correct. I only started teaching at Keio earlier this year.” He inclined his head politely. “Professor Clow Reed.”
Nodding slowly, Yuuko replied, “Ichihara.” She was reluctant to tell people her given name after the first meeting, and she was not about to make an exception for this man. She quickly rang his items up, hoping he would leave.
“Just Ichihara?” Clow Reed asked, a hint of mischief leaking into his voice as he paid for his purchases.
“Yes, just Ichihara,” Yuuko almost hissed. She slipped the books carefully into a bag before holding them out to Clow Reed impatiently. Now, go away, Yuuko thought.
Clow reached out and took the bag, fingers brushing unnecessarily against hers as he did so. “A pleasure meeting you, Miss Ichihara,” he said warmly. Then, he walked out of the shop.
After two weeks had passed, Yuuko found herself in the Keio Literature department, visiting one of the professors she had had as a student. “Professor Denki!” she called when she spotted the tiny, cat-like woman.
The professor glanced up from her work, looking pleasantly surprised when she saw Yuuko. They embraced, and Yuuko handed her a tattered book she’d taken from the store. “You wanted this particular edition, am I right?”
When the older woman protested-“I can’t accept this!”-Yuuko just laughed. “Who else would I give it to, Professor?” She teased. “Just think of it as repayment for all that help you gave me during the four years.”
They conversed for a while longer, until Professor Denki finally admitted she had a lot more work to take care of. Yuuko nodded sympathetically, noting the piles of un-graded papers on the professor’s desk. Without further ado, she excused herself.
Yuuko walked to the small coffee shop on campus with no small amount of nostalgia; she, too, had been one of those frantic students a few years ago. She scanned the shop briefly and saw that the table she’d frequently haunted as a Literature student was empty, to her delight. Just as she’d settled at the table with a coffee and a slice of cake, she heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor.
“Oh, it’s you,” Yuuko almost groaned when she recognized the newcomer.
“What a warm welcome that is,” Clow Reed said with a chuckle, apparently unaffected by the almost sullen look she was sending his way. “It sounds almost as if-dare I say it-you don’t want me to join you.” He paused. “Miss Yuuko.”
Yuuko nearly dropped her cup. She glowered at him, debating whether she should ask how he’d managed to find her given name, but decided against it. Then, seeing the smug smile on his face, Yuuko also realized it would be pointless to protest his calling her that. She raised the cup to her lips, hiding the scowl that now adorned them.
After a moment, she placed the cup back onto the table, and as calmly as she could, asked, “So, did you read those books you bought?”
With that, the short coffee break turned into a two-hour-long discussion of the books’ merits and faults. It had been a while since Yuuko had engaged in such a spirited debate, and even she was unwilling to end it. But, she had lingered too long on the Keio campus, and the book shop needed to be opened. She glanced at the clock again, and then reluctantly said, “I’m afraid I must be going now.”
Clow Reed smiled in understanding. “Perhaps we may finish this some other time.” Yuuko blinked. The wording of that phrase had been straight forward enough, but she had the distinct feeling that she had missed something. She dismissed the thought after a second and simply nodded her agreement.
They both stood up and left the coffee shop, walking in comfortable silence now that Yuuko’s irritation towards him had lessened somewhat. Once outside, they stopped and faced each other. Yuuko was startled when Clow reached over and gently clasped her hand. He raised it, brushing his lips across the knuckles before letting go. “I hope we continue our discussion sometime soon, Yuuko.”
Not trusting her voice to work, Yuuko didn’t bother giving a reply before she turned and walked quickly away. Even as she unlocked the book shop’s door some time later, she was still convincing herself that she had not just been on a date with that smug, insufferable man.