Author's Note: My first xxxHolic story ever. I can't really catagorize it as CCS or xxxHolic but since it's taking place in Yuuko's shop then I guess that's most appropriate.
A Void Room
The bell rang gently as a young girl stepped inside the room. She had straight ink black hair, slightly tanned skin and a somewhat slender and slim body. Wearing a grey blue dress with a white petticoat beneath her dress the pretty young girl looked she came from a party. Taking off her white shoes, the girl waited patiently by the door. Her wait wasn't for long.
Two children ran out, one with long dark blue hair and the other short pink. They greeted her with happy smiles and those happy smiles did not make her smile.
"Welcome! Welcome!" They chanted together and took her hands, pulling her forward to another room. They slide two paper doors apart and out came smoke. Her heart was empty, heavy with grief and felt like eating her from the inside out.
"Yuuko-san! Yuuko-san!" They chanted again in cheer as the smoke cleared behind her. "Costumer!!" A woman in a black, sultry worn kimono lay on a sofa with a large cigarette holder in her left hand. Her hair was straight and jet black while scattered, outlined her curves. Her hazel ember eyes flickered as she blew out more smoke.
"A wish? You have a wish?"
"I have a wish." She said closing her eyes and sitting in front of the pan of water that stood between them. It was rather large with butterfly and bird imprints all over them.
A wish…she wanted a wish. So badly she felt her heart heave in such a way to was horrible. Closing her eyes she clutched her chest and cringed. The children's happy expression, she noted as she looked up, they were blank with no interest. A empty stare.
So empty.
She wanted to fill the void, being was no the answer, she knew that, starvation only hurt her. She had tried to much love she had tried to do so much damage. Upset with the whole idea of the being always so empty, with her friends, with everyone she hated it. What she hated more was the eyes of her granter of those two children, looking at her.
So naked
The girl doubled over and her hands clutched her chest again with more vigor. This was no act, she was in pain, she wanted to be free, and she wanted to be whole, not half empty nor half full. Whole. Looking at the witch who only blew out more smoke, her eyes flirting a bit like a candle light ready to explode or die out.
"You have a wish?" She repeated in a eerie tone. The room was all white, unlike the other rooms that Kimihiro and his friends will enter in the future. It was empty of all things, she had to paint it, to fill it, and it resembled her so much. White, it was not purity or innocence.
It was emptiness in all her fear, as if physically built into this room and the water pan as the only hole she tried to find, to fill up in her heart.
"I have a wish." She said out, standing up, she straightened herself and acted as if the pain had left, it didn't in fact it increased. Waving her arm, the twins ran out of the room and brought back a chair for the woman to sit on.
It was still early day and not time for the helper to come and do his daily duties to pay off his visions. Sitting down, she placed her hand on her lap, refraining from holding her heart, where she felt was bare and able for everyone to see.
"So please, answer my question, what is your wish."
"My wish…..is…." Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. The dark chocolate orbs were looking from her eyelids and could see the ceiling. Lowering her head, she reopened her eyes they were glossy, empty as if like a porcelain dolls.
Cold, indifferent, just blank, so empty.
"I wish to fill the void."
"A void?"
"The void within my chest." Without stop she began her story of this void. "When I was a child, my home, my friends, I saw them, I acted with emotion, but my heart banged. No emotion could really touch my heart, it hurt. No love was enough, no friendship lasted. It blisters within my chest like a Venus fly trapper, it's poison leaked out and burns everything I dare try to touch."
"A void."
"A void, the emptiness hurts so much."
"A sense which I can not make of. Please clarify."
"I an not happy nor discontented. I feel like there should be something but there is nothing. I am neither optimistic or pessimistic. I look at the world and do not care. As a teen I considered this….hormones… Like how children would complain but do nothing about. I assumed I was such a child."
"You wish for me to fill it."
"Yes. I have lain on my bed and tears fall out and my heart heaved so heavily without reason."
"Would you like death?" The girl smiled, her first smile at the bitter assumption the witch tossed at her. Touching her left wrist with her right hand, she rubbed it against her left cheek.
"If death was so easy. I do not wish for death. I can feel that my empty heart yearns to live. It yearns to grow and nourish itself. But I can not do that here. Not in this world."
"You know about my abilities?"
"You are infamous dear witch of space and time. My family has heard of you for many a years. My father had lived with eastern magic, my mother with western wizardry."
"Should I be touched?"
"Nay." She simply replied, her smile had faded and her eyes still blank. By now her eyes watered…but her expression was as blank as a white sheet of paper. "A witch is always known should not be proud to have her home invaded by strangers. Though…you seem to see this as business, my answer shouldn't affect your at all..the feelings toward your profession that is." Nodding the space and time witch took a deep whiff of her cancer stick. Blowing out smoke that rendered it's usually gray different from it's normality. Now it was had a rainbow effect within the dark cloud.
"You wish not death then you want a void filled?" Sitting up straight she handed her smoke to the blue haired one who disposed of it right away. Crossing her legs, she balanced her right elbow on her thigh and rested her head upon her palm.
"Yes… I know there is no destiny of love waiting for me. I do wish to know what is missing from my life. I know..love is not impossible but just irrelevant. The pain I had felt, witnessed and created drove the hole into a larger in my heart. All the feelings of childhood has empted. I no longer dream."
"No longer dream? Has one given up the balloon?"
"No, I have no balloon to offer."
"What do you wish to fill your void with?"
"I do not know what I want to fill it up with, but I wish for something to fill it up. I wish shall let you bend my soul…just remove me from my human presences."
"Friends, do you want friends." Closing her eyes she thought of her other friends. Their smiles, tears and violent fight penetrated her mind. Lowering them, the water spilled and tears ran down her face. She mad no intention to answer the question, friends or not, she did not even think of. Her choice…was too blur.
"I see." Yuuko stood up and walked over to the girl, around the water pan. Caressing her face, the space time witch bend down, kneeling on one need.
"Your wish…is far to big." Her eyes widen and she looked at the woman with disbelief. "Though it is far to big…I will grant it…it shall not happen for years to come, you heart shall always be half empty, half full of not still empty."
"….will I be full in the end?"
"I can never promise you…you shall be surrounded by a many friends. There will be times when you will be greedy in your new form. Shall you take such a chance? To show the sins?"
"I…I…" She pictured all her friends. They smiles touched her, it warmed her heart but only on the outside. It did not penetrate the surface. It did not penetrate her heart. The sadness, it came at her like tidal waves, the men she had chased away, the men who were stole, the men who had not find her appealing. Then the horror, the death of her friends, the death of her lovers, the truth the lies, the sin. None of that knifed her or needled her.
The mirror
She pictured herself, remembering she would stare at the mirror for minutes but felt like hours. She did not hate nor love her image. Many tell her things, she's pretty, very elegant, a block heart, ugly, adorable, horrible. Those were lies and truth all the same she only saw a hole. She would spread her eyelids open widely and tried to find emotion in her eyes.
Her friends would bring yearbooks over or she by herself look through photo albums. They were all smiles, they were all happy. Her eyes did not glint, they were always blank.
Her mother had described them as space eyes and scolded at her when she introduced her family to friends or other relatives.
"I will take it." To be greedy was to be selfish. To be selfish to know she found something to fill herself with.
"Is that your final decision?"
"I will take it."
"What is your payment?"
"Money is no option if that is what your asking. My most precious item...is this." She pulled out a lovely golden hand mirror. There were golden tassels that hung from it. The woman nodded, accepting this token as a payment.
"A mirror?" The witch inquired.
"This mirror…hold no property of any sort of magic. I had it for a very long time. I would stare at this mirror for long whiles. If there were magic or any special properties. It would be that it told me my heart was empty, my body no longer attempts to show my dreams of death, dreams of good, dreams of anything. My life…half of it…is in the mirror."
"Very well." She handed the mirror to the pink haired girl in the white party dress. A black and golden magic circle appeared beneath her feet. Upon it a man with midnight blue hair and thing rim spectacles appeared. She sat there, patiently waiting as his body materializes full. He wore a navy blue shenyi with a black sash to hold it together. Pale skin and yet he held a very dominate presences.
"Yuuko, I'm so surprised you'd call me." Yuuko didn't look so pleased as the man did. The circle beneath her disappeared and he stood there in all his glory. Opening his eyes, he revealed a pair of the most beautiful azure blue eyes she had ever seen, like sapphires.
"I am not to please..but I found the last of your collection. She wants to be filled, she has a void." His eyes widen and looked at the girl with no astonished expression. Lowering his risen brows, he walked to her and gently patted her head.
"I see…You have paid the witch?" She nodded, she felt the fear of him the glory of his aura, and the beauty of his eyes but none of these touched hr as deeply. A metal heart.
"I see. Let's begin. You shall no longer be human, you shall be recreated, no memory of your former life. You shall be a spirit, free of earthly binds." He stated. A golden magic circle appeared under their feet as Yuuko stepped back to watch while the pink haired girl exited the room with her sister to put away the mirror.
The light flooded her senses, she closed her eyes and felt her body diminish without pain. She did no longer see her friends' faces, they were shadowed till darkness consumed them. Family, strangers, everything was consumed by the darkness.
Somewhat she felt relieved but scared. Bracing herself, she let go of everything and opened her eyes. Her body had slumped off the chair while her spirit was floating above it. The body began to glow and shrink as a rain materialistic glow covered it.
An empty shell.
Looking back at the man, the girl saw a very tall staff in his hand. A large sun flared out in gold at the end of the stick with a waning crescent moon dangled from it. Grasping it with both hands he thumped the floor twice.
"I, Clow Reed, under convert that such the human and spirit are to divide." He began to chant. Wind began to become visible in gray shades and wrapped around her like chains. Her hair turned ebony grey brown and eyes a glossy blue. Her skin began to pale, flushed of all colors. A sapphire appeared on her chest as the man continued.
"Hear me Earth and Heaven. The body shall be it's imprisonment and only one of my inheritances and myself shall activate it. From this day forth." He closed his eyes as silver white wings began to sprout from her head and extended themselves to enormous lengths.
"Discard your old form and be reborn, Under the name of Clow Reed. Let heart and soul emerge from Earthly binds and join the Heavens!" He raised his voice with every word. The body had finished shrinking into a form of a card. The winds began to direct the spirit back to the former body. Closing her eyes. It seemed like she was going to sleep. As her spirit was being sucked in the tears finally ceased their flow.
"Thank you."
"Shall I have the grace of knowing thy name?"
"Thy name…no name. I have already forgotten thy name." She laughed bitterly as her voice began to fade out. The card shaped body stopped it's glow after the girl completely disappeared within it and revealed it's new form. It was a red card with pale yellow impressions. In the middle took up about 60 percent of the card was the girl. She had the wings cover her as in her hands was a black sphere in a miserly glow. A void. The magic circle disappeared and the card flew to it's master. Her expression…was a frown, a disgruntled and upset expression matched the card's dark demur.
"Seems like you've finally balanced that deck of yours." Holding the hard to his chest he looked at the witch with a gentle smile. Beneath the girl was a little decorated banner. 'The Void' it read.
"Seems I have."
"She must be happy, the new friend she'll have. Your 52 spirits."
"Ah….I had predicted this…If I had wanted to create such a card to balance it myself…I surely would have died."
"To say she is a tool is hard. Her life…wither it was my concern or not…was empty. A void."
"I see within my own future. Within my power of foresight. Her mistress, her young mistress shall fulfill the emptiness she so desired to be filled. We can not do that for her…but she can."
"To make her wait for so long." Crossing her arms, the witch looked a bit disturbed. "I am somewhat sadden."
"I can see your future as well witch." Narrowing her eyes at him he only chuckled. Blue winds began to become visible and spin around him. "But as the usual. I shall not speak of them to you."
"Thank you."
"No…" He started before turning his back the new card in his hand. "Thank you."
Then he was engulfed by the winds. The wind began to shrink and grow thinner as if to squeeze him.
Then is dispersed.
And he disappeared.
As did she.
