Disclamers: I do not own XXXholic, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, Meow Mix, YGOTAS or any other random references to various things that happen to show up in this story. I DO however, own the Characters: Shira, Illack and Belz.

For more info on the main OC characters in this story, please visit my profile.

Thank You

Chapter 1: The Wish and the Witch

"And the forecast for tomorrow is-"

click

"It slices! It dices-"

click

"You're watching the Card Game Channel-"

click

"Meow meow meow meow meow-"

click

"BELIEVE IT!"

SMASH! CRUNCH!

"F*cking Naruto....it's a disgrace to kitsune everywhere."

"....Shira. You do realize that you broke our only TV, right?" A brown haired man glared at the kitsune from across the table. Turning back to his book he said, "Besides it's only that way in the 4kids version. Just deal with it."

"Asking me to 'deal with it' is like me asking you to 'deal' with your meat and rice obsession, Illack." Shira shot back, his golden eyes glaring holes through the blacksmith's head. Illack snorted and continued to read while the black kitsune sighed and continued to growl and mutter obscure references and insults. After a solid minute of complaints and curses, Illack flicked his eyes over towards the kitsune, "Shira, if you're that pissed off, put it to good use and go shopping. I ran out of rice this morning."

"There, see? It's an obsession, Illack." Shira smacked his head on the table, "It's impossible for you to it give up."

"Just like it's impossible for you to shut up." Illack retorted, more than a bit annoyed, "Now, if you want to eat tonight, go shopping and get my rice."

Grumbling, but finding no good legitimate reason not to go, Shira stood up and went to grab his jacket.

Still grumbling as he picked up the bags and paid the overly cheerful cashier, Shira shuddered a bit as he walked out into the brisk Autumn weather. Watching a young couple go by, cuddling against each other for warmth, the business woman chatting into her cellphone, and the donation people who always seemed too creepy for their own good. As the kitsune continued back to his house, he found himself sighing at how....ordinary this all seemed. Then again...He thought, shifting the bags on his arms, I've been feeling bored a lot lately

True enough, Shira was finding that life had become more predictable each day. Wake up, fight over who gets the bathroom first, shower, brush teeth, Illack leaves, eat breakfast, leave for work, work, eat lunch, go home, argue what to have for dinner, have dinner, sleep, rinse and repeat. The kitsune had dealt with his boredom in little ways at first. Trying to find a new hobby (though chess didn't work all that well. He kept switching pieces when no one was looking), reading new books (that stopped when he picked up a yaoi manga), he even tried to learn how to cook (Illack refused to let Shira anywhere near the kitchen again). Nothing worked for long and the boredom kept returning with a vengeance.

Something started to boil up within Shira at that point. He knew that he shouldn't feel this way, and yet, here he was. Pounding his head into a brick wall held more entertainment than watching another stupid card game or shaman fight on TV. Gritting his teeth from frustration and cold, Shira knew sooner or later (he did hope it would happen later) he would snap, and all hell would break loose.

Considering who he was (kitsune were relatively rare) and his abilities (honestly, for a elemental kitsune with moderate control over all five elements, life shouldn't be all that boring) Shira hadn't bothered thinking about life beyond planning what to do the next day, because he thought he would never be bored!

"GAHHHHH!" Shira suddenly screamed out, his voice echoing into the cold air. Several people turned to stare.

"Dammit I can't take this anymore! I just wish something interesting could happen!"

At that moment, A mirror crashed at a nearby shop, nearly sending shards through a black cat that yowled. A wolf howled in the distance, and Shira had the distinct feeling that some horribly, horribly wrong was about to happen.

"Very well then." Shira blinked, hearing a smooth, silky voice filled with glee, "Let your wish be grated." Thoroughly confused Shira turned around to face a tall woman wearing a black skintight shirt and burgundy colored pants with roses and thorns. Underneath knee length black hair, a pair of crimson eyes leered at him. Staring straight at the large grin plastered on the woman's face, Shira was convinced that he was staring at the devil incarnate. Pushing down his feeling of dread, he swallowed the lump in his throat and asked, "Excuse me...Have me met before?" If possible, the woman's grin widened even further and became even more malicious.

A long minute of silence passed and Shira was seriously considering screwing politeness and run for his life. However, to his dismay, before he could move two steps away, the black haired woman lunged forward and pinched his ear. "Now, now," She smiled as Shira howled in pain, "I'm afraid that once you make a wish, you have to follow through with it. Now I want you to come to this address at nine a.m. sharp. No excuses, understand?" The woman giggled, "Be sure to bring your friend. Oh, but you'll drag him along anyway right?. Now be sure to dress warm! It's going to be cold tomorrow!" With that said the woman jammed a piece of paper into Shira's pocket and gracefully walked away, cackling all the while.

Shira stood dumbfounded on the street corner, before abruptly turning the corner and walking straight back to his house. Calmly setting down the bags at the front door, he walked into the den where his best friend was sitting and asked, "Illack, does the devil go around wearing skin tight clothing and grant random people's wishes?" Briefly tearing his attention from his book to stare at his "best friend" Illack gave Shira a look over before asking "What the hell kinda drugs are you on and where can I get some?"

Giving his best glare (even though he knew it wouldn't work), Shira answered, "No drugs, just crazy people." Illack snorted, and turned back to the pages in front of him. "No, really." The kitsune sat down on the other side of the kotatsu, hoping to warm his chilled legs and hands. With his lazy gaze not leaving the pages in front of him, Illack droned, "I'm supposed to believe that a woman wearing skintight clothing came up to you and offered to grant your wish. If it's not drugs that's messing with you, it's hookers."

"It's neither!" Shira scowled. "Wet dream?" Illack asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Hard to do when I'm AWAKE!"

"It's possible." The blacksmith started to clean dirt out from under his nails, "I've heard weirder." I doubt that, Shira thought growling. "Anyways," Illack finally turned his lazy gaze on Shira, "Did you get to shopping, or did your hallucination-"

"I WASN'T HALLUCINATING!"

"-interrupt you? I'm warning you, I need my rice if it did." Illack gaze grew sharper. Wincing, Shira realized he did, in fact, forget to buy rice. "Too bad. I'm not going out again. You go get it yourself." Shira snapped and picked up his Gameboy. Glaring at the kitsune, Illack asked in a dangerous tone, "You at least did manage to buy meat, right?"

"Yes I did. They had a sale on Beef today, so I managed to get more than enough for the both of us." The kitsune smirked in triumph. "Good, then you can forfeit your share since you forgot my rice." Illack stood up, making his way to the bags up front. "What!? Wait, No!" Shira lunged after the blacksmith, desperate to protect his protein. Illack smirked when he heard the kitsune run after him, and start to charge. Making a quick side-step, and watching as Shira fell ass over ears (it never seized to be entertaining for him), Illack said, "My rice, or your meat. It's up to you." Gritting his teeth, Shira glared at Illack. When he didn't give an answer, the blacksmith said, "Very well. Meat it is." Before he could make it to the bags Shira panicked and finally shouted "Okay, okay! I'll go and get some rice! Don't expect good quality though." He muttered. Satisfied, Illack turned around and sauntered back into the den, "Oh by the way," He paused to stare at the kitsune, "You really need to work on your excuses. I think this one was too much, even for you."

"I'm telling you that it-" The door to the den slammed shut. "-s not an excuse." Shira grumbled and grabbed his jacket again. On the shopping trip he did eventually admit to himself that the story was very hard to believe. Setting he bags down in the kitchen the kitsune yawned, feeling incredibly tired from all the activity from today. Too tired to wait for dinner, Shira made his way to his room. Flopping himself down on his bed, the kitsune closed his eyes and thought about the woman's off- well it was more of a demand than an offer but still...he sighed, and actually found himself wondering if he should risk his sanity and visit the address. Mulling the thought around in his head, the kitsune found himself wondering how Illack would react to her.

The thought of that alone made him smile.

Even if he was putting his sanity on the line with a lady who seemed nuttier than peanuts, Shira was seriously looking forward to seeing Illack face the devil incarnate. With the image of a screaming Illack settled firmly in his mind, Shira shifted so he was laying under the covers and yawned.

Oddly enough, when he closed his eyes, Shira knew tomorrow wouldn't be boring anymore.

The next morning, Illack noticed there was something wrong with Shira. It wasn't the fact that he was up early, it also wasn't the fact that the kitsune seemed in an abnormally good mood, it wasn't even the fact that he was humming slightly under his breath. What did tip him off was the smile directed towards him when Shira walked into the kitchen. It was the type of smile that was used when the predator was after its prey, but in Illack's case, it was the type of smile when someone walked up to you and said, "Hello, my name is Ingo Montoya. You killed my father, prepare to die."

It almost made him nervous

Almost.

He was an egotistic jackass after all.

So Illack ignored the look on the kitsune's face and continued to cook. Whatever dreadful act Shira would try would have to wait after breakfast, as he was worried about losing his eating privilege. The two sat down, and started to eat, which made the blacksmith notice something odd about Shira again. He didn't make any attempts to argue, make a conversation, or even insult his cooking. That made Illack frown a bit further. He wasn't worried- well not worried about Shira's actions -but then again, this was a bit weird. The two of them almost never behaved civil (at least towards each other), and normally took every opportunity to criticize and insult each other.

Which is why the next words out of Shira's mouth made him suspicious.

"Hey Illack, I was wondering if you could give me a lift. I don't have a license yet, and I'm hoping not to walk." Shira asked. Illack chewed what was left of his breakfast and thought. Swallowing, he opened his mouth and said, "So . You actually got up early, you never do that. You've been pretty damn near happy all morning too . Then you go an entire breakfast without making a single snide remark, and expect me to give you a lift even though its obvious you're planning something?"

"umm well ..." Shira fidgeted in his chair.

"So, where are we headed?" Illack drank the rest of his water.

And thus, after thirty grueling argument filled minutes, Illack parked the car in front of the address. "I still say that that it's not possible for turkeys to drown in a rain storm." Shira grumbled. "Let's get one and see if we can drown it in the shower." Illack said, locking the car. "Meh, sounds good to me." The kitsune yawned, "So I think this is the place."

The pair stared at the elegant, yet strangely constructed house. "....What's with the mix?" Shira cocked his head to the side, wondering who on earth would mix traditional Japanese with Victorian age architecture. "Well, anyways." The kitsune walked beyond the fence, "I guess it's a shop of some sort. Must belong to the crazy lady."

"....This is all that you wanted to show me?" Illack laughed, following after "That a new shop is in town?"

"That my story was real!" Shira growled wearing a sour look on his face confirmed his question, Illack laughed harder, "I already knew that it was real." He said when he calmed down some, "That crazy person charged into the house when you were out shopping." Illack started laughing again when he saw the horrified look on Shira's face.

He didn't stop until Shira pushed open the front door, growling "I'll admit," Illack snickered "Scared the crap out of me, but if that wasn't entertainment, I don't know what else it could be."

"Oh shut up already." Shira muttered, cheeks red. The two of them paused to remove their shoes (boots in Illack's case), and when they looked up, they saw two children waiting for them. "Irashaimase!" They chirped, "You must be here to see the mistress." The pink and blue haired children lunged forward to grab Shira and Illack and started to drag them down the hall. "W-wait a sec!" Shira futilely tried to stand up straight with the pink haired wonder trying to rip his arm out of his socket, "By mistress do you mean the crazy lady that nearly tore off my ear?"

"How rude! I merely didn't want you to run away." Shira nearly screamed an ran off when the woman, now dressed in a sweeping kimono pinched his ear.

"AGAIN WITH THE EAR! STOP IT!" Shira yelled, sliding away to the opposite wall. Laughing, the woman turned towards Illack and smirked, "So, I see you're serious about my offer then?"

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't." He retorted. "Wonderful then!" The woman cackled, "Now that everyone is here, Let's talk business!"

"Wait, wait, wait." Shira glared at the she-demon twirling around in a circle, "Just who the hell are you!?!" The woman stared at the kitsune, and gave a chilling grin. "Ichihara Yuuko."

"Eh?"

"Ichihara Yuuko. Of course, that's not my real name." Yuuko smiled. "Then why the hell did you say it?!" Shira growled. "I'm not the only one doing it, now am I?" She leered at the kitsune, "And anyways, come on. Let's move onto buisness."

As the three sat down in what appeared to be a tea room, a black haired teen gave them all a knowing look. "Now I'll be right back! Play nice now!" Yuuko gracefully swept out of the room, leaving Shira and Illack with the teen.

While the two sat down and waited for the devils return, the teen continued to scrutinize the two. Finally, when the tension and the stare became too much to handle, Illack snapped his eyes towards the teen and asked, "What the hell is it?"

"A-ah! nothing!" The teen jumped and fidgeted. "Look we know you want you ask something, so spit it out?" Shira grumbled. The blue-eyed teen blinked and then blurted out, "So how did she convince you?"

"Charged inside the house."

"Made me say what she wanted me to say."

The teen stared at them before chuckling. "Are you laughing because you don't believe us?" Shira glared. "No, I'm laughing because I believe you." The teen smiled, "I apologize for Yuuko-san's behavior, even though I have absolutely no control over it." He finished bitterly. "I'd like to meet the person who does." Illack snorted. Shira and the teen laughed.

"So, you have a name too? A real name?" Shira asked. "Ah, yes." The teen pushed his glasses further up on his nose, "My name is Watanuki Kimihiro. I'ts a pleasure to meet you."

"Same here."

"Not really." Shira elbowed Illack. "Anyways," Illack continued, "When's the she-demon coming back?"

"Oh? She-demon, huh?"

A second later, Watanuki clutched in head in pain while Yuuko put her fan back in her kimono. "Why did you hit me?!" He screamed, "Idiot! You're closer!." She glared, "She-demon my ass." The pair at the table shifted. "Now then, here's your new best friend!" Yuuko threw a ball of fur at Shira's head. Snatching it before it smacked him in the head, the kitsune turned the ball over in his hands. Suddenly a pair of blue-green eyes snapped open to stare at Shira, who screamed and tossed whatever it was on the table.

The ball of fluff uncurled to reveal a fox the size of a large cat, who stared at Shira before saying, "Hello. My name is Belz. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"IT TALKS!!!" Shira screamed while Illack laughed his head off. "Of course she talks you idiot!" Yuuko smacked Shira with the fan, "She's a kitsune, like you! Well," She corrected herself, "Not exactly like you."

"Just what I needed," Illack grumbled, laughing fit gone, "Another kitsune." The female kitsune turned towards him and said, "I am sorry for troubling you, but unfortunately if we are to be traveling-"

"Wait, traveling?" Shira frowned, "All I'm here to do is to talk about my wish!"

"Ah, yes." Yuuko smiled, "That is what the three of you are here for." Her gaze turned serious.

"I am here to grant your wishes. However, I must receive a price for each. And one price for all of you is to travel through other worlds." The three stared at Yuuko, not sure to take it as a joke or the truth. "You all have separte prices as well, but in order for all of you to acheive your wish, this price must be paid by all. Do you all agree?"

"....Are you serious?" Shira carefully asked. He was bored, but....traveling to different worlds? It wasn't just dangerous, it could be considered suicidal. "You have made your wishes." Yuuko answered, "If you want to keep them, you must pay this price. If not, you will go back to your normal lifestyle and will not get this chance again."

"Damn." Illack said, "I guess there's no choices." He turned to Shira, "It's up to you I guess."

The kitsune knew that this was a huge risk, but...."Like hell I'm spending another day sitting around and shopping for groceries. I'll take it." Illack sighed and said, "Oh well. Count me in. I guess." the white kitsune smiled and said, "I agree to this as well." Yuuko nodded and then continuned, "And as for your individual prices..."

She turned to Shira.

"Your price, kitsune-san, is to give up the full use of your future tails." If possible, Shira's frown deepened. For Shira, while he already had limited control on his current tails, the kitsune had been working towards using the remaining four tails. Opening his mouth to object, Yuuko stopped Shira, "Let me remind you. You have already made your wish. If you do not plan to pay the price, I will not be responsible for what will happen to you." Shira snapped his jaw shut and growled, "Your other price is to travel around the worlds until your boredom ceases." Yuuko stared at the kitsune until he forcefully nodded his head.

Turning back towards Belz, she said, "Beelzebub-san, your price is to never abandon them in their travels." The small white fox sighed, "I do not have any other choice then. I accept." Yuuko nodded and turned to Illack.

"Your price blacksmith is-"

"Technically I didn't wish for this." Illack stubbornly interrupted. "Not for this, but in order to grant your own wish, you must travel with them." She nodded towards Shira and Belz. "And that just how would that should to grant my wish?" The blacksmith glared at the witch.

"Wait, you have a wish?" Shira asked, skeptical. "Had a wish." The blacksmith growled softly, "It's none of your concern, so can it." Yuuko shook her head, "Your wish, like his, has already been made. You must pay a price or else the consequences will be severe." Illack ground his teeth together and replied, "So, what's the damn price?"

"You must travel with them as well," Yuuko said, "And you have to connect with one person on each world."

"Lucky bastard." Shira muttered. " 'To each his own'." Yuuko said, while Illack moaned in the background. "You honestly don't know how annoying people are." He groaned, "Let's just get this over with."

"Very well then. Belz-san?" Yuuko gave a short nod towards the white kitsune. "I believe I can transport them on my own. Thank you Yuuko-san." Belz bowed.

Yuuko smiled, "Well then," the space around Belz started to shift, "Good luck and have fun~!" She laughed as Shira and Illack were sucked into the rift with Belz. Her smile faded, "You will need both to make it to the end of the journey."

Hello everyone, Kitsune-bi here.

Thank you for waiting (a long x10) time for an update of any kind. I'm sorry and hopefully I should be able to update this story every other week unless something comes up. If something happens, I will post the delay on my profile.

Thank you for reading!

For those who review, a cuddly fox plushie. For those who don't, a cuddly fox plushie.