Reading the Magician

Summary: Amaya is a telepath, unable to control her ability and constantly hearing the thoughts of everyone around her. When she stumbles upon Yuko's shop, she decides to make a wish. But she didn't count on being sent on a journey across worlds with four strangers. With the price of her wish weighing heavily upon her as she tries to deal with her new and challenging circumstances, she finds that she isn't the only one with a secret. The pressure builds as the travellers continue on their journey, encountering obstacles and discovering secrets about each other that they would never have even dreamed about. And through it all, Amaya fears that she may just be falling in love with a certain blonde-haired magician.

There aren't enough Fai x OC stories out there, so this is my contribution. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll inspire someone else to write one, too, so I can read it... Anyway, on to the first chapter!

The thoughts of the countless people around me merged together in my mind, creating a messed-up jumble of detached thoughts as I hurried across the busy street. I resisted the temptation to squeeze my eyes closed, clutch my head, and scream out of pain and frustration.

Reading thoughts was like having a constant headache. Like thousands of people screaming in your ears all at once until it hurts so badly that you can't take it anymore. But you have to. And without being able to control it, the same thing will happen again whenever you're within arm's reach of more than a few people. That's all it took for me to read thoughts; if I even came close to a person, their thoughts would automatically flood into my mind. And when there were a lot of people, like there were now, it would become unbearable.

I took off at a run, ignoring the numerous fragments of thought that weren't my own flowing through her mind. I just wished I could make all those thoughts go away. I wished I could control my telepathy so that I could live like a normal person, without having to avoid anyone for fear of reading their minds. I wished I could go to school instead of taking online classes, go shopping in peace without having to rush back home to escape the unbearable torrent of thoughts coming from all directions.

That's what I was thinking that day as I hurried along the path back to my house, making a brief stop mid-way to catch my breath. But I didn't ever think that the strange-looking building that I (coincidentally) happened to stop in front of would ever change the course of my life in any way. I would never have thought that being in that particular place, at that particular time, would set off a chain of mysterious and complicated events, after which I would never be the same again. And so, I simply stared up at the building with no knowledge of what was to come, of the new life that awaited me.

"What a weird-looking place…" I mumbled, eyeing the oddly traditional style of the building. I peered closer at it, trying to catch a glimpse of the interior, my eyes glazed over and devoid of emotion. For some reason, I felt compelled to study the building in more detail. As though I needed to. It interested me like nothing had in a long time.

I was so distracted by my observations that it was only when my hand was on the door handle, already easing the door open, that I realised what I was doing. I was actually trespassing on someone's private property!

Shocked, I fought my almost-hypnotic interest to enter the building and had almost closed the door completely when two strange-looking girls came around the corner and saw me standing there.

Damn. Now I couldn't get away.

"Ah...I'm sorry, I seem to have the wrong place," I lied, managing a nervous smile at the girls before looking away quickly. I was about to leave again when I felt my arms being held firmly.

Looking down, I saw that each of the girls had taken hold of one arm and had begun to drag me into the house.

"A customer for the mistress!" they said cheerfully in unison, seeming to speak more to each other than to me.

"Come in!" one of them said, and the other repeated it.

"Yes, come in!"

For a moment I was too stunned to react. Surely no one would expect a complete stranger to walk through their front door uninvited? And then proceed to lead them inside, as though they were an actual guest? This couldn't be right.

I came to my senses and stopped in my tracks, refusing to let the girls take me. They stopped, too, and looked at me strangely.

"Won't you come in to see the mistress?" They tugged at my arms again, and that was when I started to become irritated.

"No!" I snapped, yanking my hands from their grasp. "I said I'm sorry for coming in here. And now I'm leaving!"

I didn't know why I was so angry. It must have been something to do with the house…it was unsettling, somehow. Something about the place emanated power. It was intimidating.

I stormed back through the house, and my hand had only just touched the door handle once more when I heard a voice drift to me from somewhere behind me.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" My hand froze on the door handle. The voice was clearly female, and had the same alluring quality as the building itself, the power that had compelled me to enter in the first place. Before I knew it I found myself twisting around to catch a glimpse of the one who had spoken.

For the first time, I noticed a set of large sliding doors at the end of the hall, coloured a soft lilac and decorated with large black butterflies. The two girls were now standing by it and I watched, as though hypnotised, as they slid the doors open to reveal a mass of hazy wisps and an overwhelming scent of smoke that assaulted my senses. The smoke cleared within seconds, though, and I could only stare blankly at the sight that awaited me.

A woman was sprawled lazily over a comfortable-looking chair, a long, elegant-looking pipe dangling from one hand and a bottle of sake from the other. She was wearing a kimono and had long, black hair that fell well beyond her shoulders.

"So," the woman said casually, "are you still intending to leave?"

I blinked, snapping out of my trance-like state. "Of course," I told her, turning around to leave once more (how many times did that make?). "I don't even know why I'm here in the first place." I started walking.

"That is because you are meant to be here."

The doors suddenly slid shut of their own accord and I stared, shocked.

"There is no such thing as coincidence in this world. There is only inevitability."

I whirled around to look at the woman, who was gazing at me with a combination of curiosity and intensity.

"That's not true," I countered, not liking the way she was staring. As though she could see right through me. "Why would anything be 'inevitable'? People make their own decisions all the time. If everything that they did was inevitable, then they wouldn't have any choice."

"But it is inevitable." She was still looking at me, the hint of a smile playing on her lips. "People may believe that they are in complete control of their own destinies, but ultimately the outcome is that which was meant to happen. The inevitable. For example…" She raised the pipe to her mouth, taking in the smoke, then exhaled slowly, releasing little wisps of it into the already heavily-clouded air.

"You say that you never intended to come here. But here you are. Though you had the choice to avoid this, you didn't. Just as all people do, you have the ability to decide your own actions, to a certain extent. But, you see, inevitability overwhelms those decisions. What is meant to happen will happen, regardless of your own choices. No matter how you look at it, the truth is that everything is inevitable."

I didn't say anything, just focused on staring at anything other than her.

How did this happen? I was in some strange woman's house, unable to leave, and in the middle of the weirdest conversation I'd ever had. And I was forced to admit that somehow, I saw the truth in her words. But, even so...what did 'inevitability' have to do with me?

The woman seemed to read my mind - although I knew she couldn't have, only I was burdened with that ability - for her next words seemed to answer my questions.

"It was inevitable that you would come here. That the two of us would meet on this day, at this time, and under these circumstances. It was meant to happen." I frowned. What was that supposed to mean? That she knew I was coming?

"Why would our meeting be inevitable? We don't even know each other."

"That doesn't make this situation any less inevitable. Tell me, though...what is your name?" I tensed, my features twisting into a glare.

First the stranger had forced me into her house, prevented me from leaving, then given me a nonsensical lecture about 'inevitability'...and now she was asking for my name as though I shouldn't be suspicious of her intentions? What kind of idiot did she think I was?

"Why should I tell you that?" I glared.

She studied me carefully for a moment, then gave a sly smile.

"You're very cautious," she said knowingly, the smile never leaving her face. "A useful trait. You're definitely smarter than a certain someone else I know, by not giving me your name simply because I asked you for it." It was only a matter of seconds before there was a sudden protest from outside the room.

"Hey! Yuko!" a voice shrieked, and its owner soon came into the room. It was a tall, thin boy wearing a school uniform: a black jacket with white lining and a pair of black pants. He had short black hair and blue eyes that stared out from behind his glasses.

"I can't believe you said that!" He was glaring at the woman, too, his words punctuated by a series of exaggerated hand movements. "And after everything I do for you around here…" He then proceeded to let loose a stream of incomprehensible grumbles while the woman just laughed, the two girls joining in.

"Now, Watanuki, what makes you think I was talking about you?" Her tone was playful, which only seemed to aggravate him further.

"Of course you were! That was obviously aimed at me-" He stopped, mid-rant, as I turned my curious glance toward him. "Oh, hello," he said, seeming to remember that I was there. "I'm Watanuki, by the way." He smiled at me, and I hesitantly returned it.

"Hi." I cast a sideways glance at the woman, who was watching us with interest.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?"

At this, I crossed my arms stubbornly and glared at her. "No." She smiled slyly as she considered my response.

"It doesn't matter that you don't want to tell me. After all, I already know your name." I looked at her in surprise. "Amaya Tsukimi." My eyes widened.

"How…?" I whispered, staring at the woman in shock. She didn't answer my question.

"And my name is Yuko Ichihara. It is just an alias, however." The boy sweatdropped, but I didn't do anything. I was still too surprised at how much she seemed to know about me to react.

"As you already know, that strange boy over there is Watanuki." She gestured to the boy, who had just opened his mouth to begin another rant, but she continued on before he could speak. "These two cute girls are Marudashi and Morodashi - Maru and Moro for short. They have such adorable names, don't you agree?" She laughed.

"There's nothing adorable about those names!" I shuddered. This woman was insane! Who would seriously give children names like that? [1]

The woman - Yuko - went on as though she hadn't heard me. "And you'll meet Mokona later." I was about to say something, but then I registered what she'd said.

"What do you mean, 'later'?" My eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in my voice.

"Later, as in a time beyond now," she replied coolly, as though she hadn't understood the question. But she had; I knew she had. I took a breath, prepared to protest this, but she was saying something else now. "But that isn't important. What we really should be concerned with is why you are here." If I wasn't uncomfortable before, I certainly was now.

"Now that we're all acquainted, could you please let me out now." I spoke the words as a demand rather than a question, and Yuko laughed softly. "It's not funny! I didn't even want to come here in the first place..." I trailed off.

Watanuki gave me a sympathetic look. "Neither did I," he told me, sighing dramatically. "But Yuko is really sneaky. You see, she has this way with tricking people into-"

"Watanuki, it's rude to speak ill of your employers!" Yuko interrupted him, raising her voice, which made her demeanour seem noticeably less mysterious. I resisted the urge to laugh. "Now, back to the task at hand." She looked at me, her crimson eyes seeming to stare into my soul. "In addition to knowing your name, I also know why you are here."

I narrowed my eyes. "I'm here because you won't let me leave." I made no effort to remove the harshness in my voice. "And now it's time for this little game of yours to stop. I'm going to walk right out of here, and you're not going to stop me." An unspoken threat lingered in the air as I turned and stormed toward the doors, pulling them aside.

"Are you sure you want to do that?" I kept walking, ignoring the feel of her icy stare on my back.

"You have a wish. If you choose to leave, then I won't be able to help you with that little problem of yours." I did stop this time, but I didn't turn around.

"That isn't something anyone can help me with."

"Oh, but I can," she replied, her voice calm and silken with an underlying tone of amusement.

"I don't believe you."

"I can prove it to you." I turned around slowly and met Yuko's intense gaze, waiting for her to continue.

"Since arriving at this shop, you have been unable to read the thoughts of myself or anyone else here. Correct?" I heard Watanuki gasp, but I wasn't listening to him. I was too busy staring, wide-eyed, at the woman who had somehow discovered my secret.

Yuko smiled slyly, and at that moment what she'd said fully registered. She was right; I concentrated, trying to pick up on any thoughts in the room, but realised there were none. How was it that I couldn't read anyone's thoughts anymore?

"Your powers are still there," she said, once again seeming to know exactly what I wanted to ask. "However, I am able to shield my thoughts from you. The same is true for Maru and Moro. My power exceeds yours, and this power has been passed on to the two of them."

"But...what about Watanuki?" I was confused. "Why can't I read his thoughts? He's just a normal person, right?" Yuko laughed.

"Watanuki is far from normal." Watanuki was yelling at her again, his words so loud and spoken at such a fast rate that even if I had been trying to, I wouldn't have been able to understand him. Yuko was ignoring him, though, and I listened closely as she continued on. "But he does not have any powers that would allow him to resist telepathy. The magic of this shop is blocking your powers," she explained. "While under normal circumstances his mind would be open to you, because the two of you are here in this shop, you are unable to read his thoughts."

Unconsciously, my gaze had wandered over to the pipe that Yuko had now abandoned, watching as the remaining wisps of smoke drifted through the air. I took a deep breath, trying to keep my emotions in check.

"Listen, I don't know how you found out about my telepathy, or why exactly you're able to resist it," I began, forcing myself to look straight at Yuko. "But it's not important. You may be able to stop me from reading your thoughts, but that doesn't mean you can help me." Yuko smiled again, a knowing smile.

"Tell me...what would you say if I told you that I am able to suppress your telepathic abilities?" My eyes widened and I looked away, strands of my long brown hair shielding my face from view.

"You…you couldn't…" I was too surprised to formulate a proper response.

"It's true." I had no real reason to believe her, and yet, somehow, I was certain that she spoke the truth. "Knowing that, will you tell me your wish? This is a wish-granting shop, after all." A wish-granting shop?

"...But you already know my wish." I looked up at her curiously.

"Yes, but you must speak it aloud before I can grant it."

"...I want you to help me to control my telepathy."

"And that is your wish?"

"Yes." I didn't bother to hide the frustration in my voice.

"Very well. Then I shall help you." She looked at me. "But." Her crimson eyes bore into mine, and she suddenly appeared more serious than she had since I had arrived. I stared back at her, willing her to continue.

"Keep in mind that though I can provide you with a method by which to control your ability, you will encounter some people whose minds will always remain open to you. They are few and far between, but it is nonetheless something to consider." I opened my mouth to speak but Yuko held up a hand, silencing me.

"This is because the power I will give you will only affect those who have no magical powers. In other words, you will still be able to read the thoughts of anyone who uses magic. After all, different forms of magic are attracted to each other, and preventing you from reading the thoughts of those who do have such abilities requires a heavier price than you are able to pay. But you shouldn't worry," she said, noticing the stunned look on my face. "Anyone who uses magic will be able to block your powers on their own." I breathed a sigh of relief.

"But, as I told you before, there are some people whose thoughts you will always be able to read. People who possess magic, but do not use it." Yuko's expression was both knowing and grave, and for a moment she looked away. When she turned back to me, that expression had vanished, replaced by her former look of utter seriousness.

"That's fine with me."

"Then return here at the same time tomorrow." The doors opened behind me, but I hardly noticed.

"After all that, you're going to just send me away?!" I shouted, glaring furiously.

"No, I will help you. But now is not the time for that. You must leave now, and come back tomorrow."

"Fine, but you'd better help." And with that I left the strange shop, not looking back once.

[1] Marudashi and Morodashi's names mean 'streaking' and 'flashing'.

Well, I hope that was okay for a first chapter. Please review if you liked it and give me feedback.