Refujin Kochou
A/N: I am a fan of both XxxHOLiC and Artemis Fowl, so I thought it would be kinda cool to make a crossover. Reviews and critiques are always appreciated ^.^
After walking down the streets of Japan, Artemis and his associate Butler arrive at a little shop. "I imagined something more…spiritual," Artemis says, noting the dark building with the emerald roof and large glass windows. When his internet contact had agreed to meet with him at this shop, he imagined it would look more like a shrine. Anything Asian and spiritual seemed to conjure up an image of a shrine in the teen's mind. How silly of him to jump to conclusions.
"Butler, do you have the payment?" the Irish boy asks his associate. The bodyguard nods, lifting the large gift bag in his hand. "Are you sure this will be enough?" the large Eurasian man asks. Artemis nods. "Equivalent exchange," the boy says. Butler could have sworn he saw a glimmer in the young boy's eyes.
The two walk through the large entryway in the fence, following the path up to the front of the store. Artemis reaches to open the door, but Butler stops him. "We don't know who this woman is," he says flatly, handing the gift bag off to Artemis. The bodyguard grabs his trusty Sig Sauer from the inner pocket of his jacket, cocks it, and places it in his waist band. Artemis shakes his head. "Just a precaution," Butler says, stepping in front of his principal to open the door.
The two are greeted by the ringing of a bell as they step into the shop. Butler, always on guard, stands in front of Artemis. "Hello?" he asks, his Japanese a little rusty. Annoyed, Artemis tilts his head to see past his guard, sees two strange girls—both pale and oddly dressed, one with long blue pigtails and the other with short pink hair—run into the entry way. "Hello!" they greet simultaneously. They are followed by a teen, tall and wire-thin with black glasses and an apron. "Hello," he greets. He seems taken aback by the muscular figure standing in front of him.
"A customer! A customer!" the strange girls chant. "How can we help you?" the Japanese teen asks. Butler takes a step to the side to reveal his young principal. "I am here to meet with an internet contact," Artemis says, his Japanese impeccable. No one would guess that Artemis had learned most of the Japanese language on his trip from Ireland. Thank goodness for Rosetta Stone. The thin teen appears confused. "I'm looking for Fujin Kochou," Artemis states.
"That's Refujin Kochou," a female voice says. A tall, slender woman with long, raven colored-hair and amber eyes steps into view. She slumps against the wall, her loose-fitting kimono draping from her shoulders. "Condon, I presume?" Artemis nods, and the woman gestures for her customers and others to remove their shoes and follow her out onto the veranda.
The Japanese teen pulls the woman aside, and Artemis takes note of their conversation. "Fujin Kochou?" the teen asks. "Another handle name," the woman explains, her voice smooth as velvet. "I thought you used Kindo-chan," the boy points out. The woman's face changes from beautiful and stern to care free and child like. "Get with the times Watanuki! I can use more than one screen name. " she says loudly. "Now, why don't you be a good part-timer and bring me some sake?" she says coyly. "It's only noon," the boy protests. He sighs heavily, and she pats the teen on the back before joining her guests.
They sit across her small patio table, Butler and Artemis on one side, the tall woman on the other. She regains her composure, stares across with her amber eyes. "I was under the impression that you would be a little…older," she says, glancing at Butler. "Age is not important," Artemis says, "Butler is my associate." She nods slightly, and her part-time arrives with a bottle of sake and some cups. "What is of the utmost importance is what we have discussed via email," Artemis states.
Refujin Kochou takes a sip of her sake, offers some to Butler, who politely declines. "You must understand, Condon, that I cannot do anything without payment. I do not accept money, only treasures." Artemis places the gift bag on the table, and pushes it slightly towards her. "This should be adequate," he decrees. The woman grasps the bag gingerly, peers inside. "It is," she agrees. "Now, there is the matter of your wish."
"It's quite simple really," Artemis states, "I want to regain my family's wealth." This is pointless, Artemis thinks to himself. She already knows what I want. Maybe she's up to something. "Wealth is not something that I can give you outright," Kochou says, calmly. "What you're paying for is an answer."
"I'm aware of that," Artemis says, slightly irritated. This whole "trying to seem spiritual and mysterious" thing was starting to get pretty annoying. "What is the answer to my question?" the boy asks. The woman sits across from him, drinking her sake in silence. She glances at him from over the edge of her cup, and Artemis has had enough.
"I know who you are, Yuuko Ichihara," Artemis says, sliding back from his polite demeanor to that of the criminal mastermind he is so accustomed to. Butler tenses, feeling the frustration of Artemis. "I know what you are capable of doing, and I know that once you have accepted a payment, you must go through with your commitment."
Yuuko places her cup down, smirks across the table. "Watanuki," she calls, and the wiry teen emerged from the kitchen, "Please go to the storage house and bring me the small blue box." The teen nods, and rushes off to fulfill his task. The room is silent once more, the tension building between Artemis and Yuuko.
"You've done your research, Artemis Fowl," Yuuko says. "You know my ways, and I know yours." Artemis' eyes are wide, in shock that she knows about him. "You are young, and feel that you must take on the rest of your families responsibilities after your father vanished." The mentioning of Artemis' father, Artemis Fowl Sr, widens his eyes further. This woman knows more than he though.
Watanuki reappears holding the blue box Yuuko requested. He places it in front of Artemis. "Take this with you on your journey," Yuuko says with the flick of her wrist. She warns him that he must not open the box unless absolutely necessary.
"What's in it?" Butler asks, speaking for the first time since he and his principal set foot in the strange shop. Yuuko smiles, "Take it easy, body guard. There's nothing in there that would threaten this young boy's life, only help him on his quest for wealth." Butler and Yuuko glance at Artemis, who gingerly accepts the box, agreeing to the terms Yuuko set out for him.
"I think we will be leaving now, Butler," Artemis announces, standing up from the table. Yuuko calls to her part-timer, and asks him to walk her customers out. Watanuki nods, and shows the young boy and his body guard to the door.
"Is she always like that?" Butler whispers to the part-timer as Artemis slips on his loafers that he left like the door. "She may seem strange," Watanuki admits, "but she works in mysterious ways. Whatever the answer you're seeking, she will help you." The body guard shook his head. "I meant, is she always that inebriated?" Embarassed, Watanuki nods.
"Off we go Butler," Artemis announces, heading out the door. The two strange girls appear once more, and simultaneously thank the two customers for stopping by, and hope that they would come again. "Thank you," The bodyguard says, following his principle.
After a long walk to their Bentley, a first-class flight to Ireland, and a drive back to Fowl Manor, Artemis' curious fingers try to pry open the box. Butler, trying to act as a voice of reason, reminds the boy about Yuuko's warning. "Do not open unless absolutely necessary", the bodyguard says. Artemis looks at his companion, says nothing, and continues to let his fingers trail along the opening of the box.
"I wonder, Butler," Artemis says, the gears in his intelligent head turning, "what did she mean by 'absolutely necessary'? I mean, I absolutely need to know what's in the box in order to use it, and I absolutely need to know what is inside of this box so that I can use it to my advantage." Butler nods in agreement. Artemis does raise some good points. The Irish boy opens the box. Inside is a butterfly carved out of smooth, black rock. "Curious," Artemis says, examining the artifact. "What use could an obsidian butterfly possibly have?"
Artemis and Butler sit, trying to figure the meaning of the carving. Little did they know that Yuuko Ichihara, knew that this rock would be of great use next time young Artemis Fowl would need the aid of the fairy People, and that this rock would serve as a payment.
A/N: Not such a great ending, but I wanted this to be more of a one-shot than a continual story.