A Wish in Itself is a CLAMP crossover with a few OCs tossed in to make the plot a little more original . Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters except the OCs all of them belong to CLAMP and CLAMP is law.

The First Encounter: A Wish and a Half

Ichihara Yuko pressed an abnormally long hand to her steamy forehead. She'd been waiting for hours. Watanuki was late. As she heard the doors slide open, she put on her pathetic drunkard act. Which, in all honesty, was not very difficult for her.

"Where have you BEEN," she moaned piteously, her head lolling back. "I'm so sick and feverish you could fry an egg on my face!"

"Fry an egg, fry an egg!" Maru and Moro repeated, jumping up and down.

"It never stops," grumbled Kimihiro Watanuki, dropping his bag and slipping out of his shoes, simultaneously snatching his apron off a nearby coat rack. He secretly wondered why he bothered wearing the frilly rag. As he stepped into the drawing room, he remembered.

In all her miserable glory and definitely hung over was Yuko. She was sprawled across the oriental rug, her legs stretched out, as if threatening to pass through the next room. Her flawless face was hidden behind curtains of hair, and the front of her newest dress was nearly splitting at the seams while trying to accommodate the woman's unbelievably large breasts.

As he watched her, Watanuki did not marvel at her beauty—no, that had never really captured his attention—he instead resented her for keeping him on a leash.

"An egg, huh?"

"If you don't do something, maybe an entire omelet."

"Give me a break," Watanuki muttered.

"Give him a break," Maru and Moro exclaimed.

"Here." Watanuki handed Yuko a small bottle. "I picked it up on the way over."

"So that's why you're late." Yuko pinched her nose and tossed back the contents of the flask. "Eugh."

"No, that's not it." Watanuki shook his head. Yuko looked up. There was a hint of real confusion in his eyes, and it seemed to be tainted by sadness.

"What's the matter," Yuko asked in a rather demanding way.

"Well, I just read in the paper that an old friend of mine got in a car accident. So I went to go visit him in the hospital, but he had died an hour or so ago." Up until now, the boy had just looked defeated. But now the puzzle was turning up some random pieces, baffling him further. "There was a girl sitting at his bedside, but the doctor said that he had no family members."

"A friend," Yuko reasoned, even though she knew the outcome of this story.

"No, the girl and this friend of mine…they had…"

"What?"

"They had the same face."

"Strangers can look alike," Yuko stated morosely. But Watanuki wanted a real explanation.

"Why would a stranger with the same face as him be at his deathbed if they aren't even related?"
Yuko lifted her head. "Someone's here."

Watanuki sighed and headed for the door. Yuko held out her arm and shook her head no. The paper doors slid open and the customer entered, closing the door behind her with a soft click. The girl who had entered was pale and small. Watanuki was at least a head taller than her. Her curves were nowhere near as voluptuous as Yuko-san's, but they suited her body type. She wasn't overweight, but she was not incredibly thin, either. Her long hair was clipped back by barrettes and butterfly claws, a bit messy and flyaway. Her big eyes were a haunted grey, and her plush lips were pale.

"It's you!" Watanuki gaped and pointed at her.

"It's rude to point at people." Yuko rose, dwarfing the girl. The woman took the customer's face in her long fingers and grinned. "I'm assuming that you come with a wish."

"I was wondering if you could change the past."

"You could never afford that," Yuko warned. "Maybe you should tell us your story."

"Very well." The young woman looked at Watanuki sadly. "This morning, I was a kindred spirit. I guess that means I wasn't really alive. And even though I'm stronger now, I still can't decide if I'm really living or not. I was searching the hospital for people who, like me, may have been preparing to depart from this world."

"A lonely spirit," Yuko observed, nodding at the girl to continue.

"I sat beside the young man, in the visitor chair. He resembled my brother, right down to the fact that the three of us had the same face. I was going to wait until he was ready, and talk to him so he wouldn't be afraid of dying." She paused and wrapped her arms around herself. "But something happened and I began feeling stronger…even solid."

"Spirit sharing?" Watanuki asked. Yuko glared at him. Wish a small cough, the girl continued on again.

"Before I knew it, he was dead and now I have my face back and I can move about freely but I have to touch the ground. What I don't understand is why he had the same face as I did when I was living, and how he gave life to me and yet I remain…this way."

"But we can see you," Watanuki argued. He touched her hand. His fingers passed through her and he snapped his arm back in surprise.

"Because she is a spirit," Yuko explained. "You see spirits, you see her."

"Oh…right."

Ignoring him, Yuko turned back to the girl.

"Your name, miss?"

"I forgot," was the sad answer.

"Ah, well!" Yuko clapped her hands together. "In which case I have the price for your first wish! Do you wish a name?"

"Yes." A slight nod.

"Then we'll call you Tsuki." Yuko folded her arms and nodded. Watanuki fell over.

"EVERYTHING YOU DEAL IN HAS TO DO WITH THE MOON! WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?"

"Please stop yelling," Yuko said serenely with her hands pressed over her ears. Tsuki brushed the frayed ends of a lock of hair to her mouth, chewing on her bottom lip.

"What's the price for my name?"

"You've already paid it," Yuko said slyly. "Letting me name you was the price."

"I see."
"But you have another wish, don't you."

"Sort of, I suppose…" Tsuki frowned. "But I don't want to be greedy, and you've already helped me so much…"

"Naming you as if you were an animal isn't going to win any Nobel prizes," Watanuki muttered. Yuko kicked him in the shin and turned back to the spirit.

"Here's the basic problem. You only caught the remaining fragments of his life. He would not have lived another day even if you had not happened upon him and borrowed his energy. The reason you have the same face is unknown to me. The reason you got your face back was because, quite simply, you took it from him. When did you die?"
"I think it was about seven years ago," Tsuki replied softly, looking at the floor. Her gaze rose to Watanuki. "Kimihiro-san…Does any of this frighten you?"

"Ha, no. I'm used to dealing with creepy things. I work for her, you know." He jerked a thumb at Yuko. When he felt her eyes on his back he blanched and turned away, whistling.

"Your wish now, is to either: erase the past four hours, wipe the events from your memory, or become a real, living, person." Yuko ticked the options off on her fingers. "To erase the hours would be a waste, because you'd probably repeat the actions with no knowledge that you were walking into the same problem. To wipe the events from your memory doesn't work either because you'd still be trapped somewhere between life and death with no way to help yourself.

"That leaves us with one thing to do." Yuko beamed. Watanuki flinched. Tsuki became even paler, so it was easier to see through her.

"I can't become a living being! I don't know how! I can't afford that!"

"Can you even do that?" Watanuki was skeptical. Bringing someone back to life was something he'd never seen Yuko do.

"You will of course be in debt to me for life," Yuko mused. "But I think you can work alongside Watanuki for a while. Can you cook?"

"No," Tsuki whispered.

"Sew?" Yuko tried again.

"No."

"Clean?" And again.

"No."

"Do you like children?" Last ditch effort.

"Yes!" Tsuki's eyes lit up. "I love kids!"

"Fantastic! Maru, Moro!" Yuko whistled through two fingers and the little pitter patter of footsteps echoed in the foyer. The soulless children raced into the room and threw themselves at Yuko's feet.

"Maru, Moro. Meet Tsuki-chan!"

"Tsuki-chan, Tsuki-chan!" The girls giggled and each grabbed one of the woman's hands. Watanuki watched, noting that they connected without passing through her wrists like he had.

"Their full names are Maru-dashi and Moro-dashi." Yuko grinned. "Aren't those cute names!"

Tsuki blinked, then a laugh bubbled from her lips. "Yes. Those are adorable names."

"See," Yuko said. Watanuki slammed a hand into his forehead and stomped off to the kitchen.

"Now that we've discussed payment, I simply have to grant the wish."

"You grant hers before mine!" Watanuki appeared in the doorway, fuming.

"Ladies first," Yuko said, sticking her tongue out. "Now get over here."

Snarling, Watanuki trudged over to Tsuki and the Space-Time witch.

"Kiss her," Yuko commanded.

"Whaaaaaaat!" Watanuki looked into Tsuki's big eyes.

"Oh, just do it." Yuko dragged Maru and Moro away from her new indentured servant. "You know you want to. And besides, she needs the energy of someone who can see her the way she is now."
"Then YOU kiss her!" Watanuki glared at Yuko. "Remember Himawari-chan!"

"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, considering the two of you aren't dating," Yuko pointed out.

"Damn you." Watanuki leaned over. Tsuki drew back a bit, but not enough so that it was noticeable. "Sorry," Watanuki said, and his lips faded through hers. Yuko watched with a satisfied smile and Tsuki solidified before their eyes.

"There you are, dear." Yuko nodded and put an arm around Tsuki. "Go dress the girls, if you would please. I'm expecting a visitor, and your working starts today." She gave the moon child a gentle shove, sending Watanuki falling to the floor.

"Did you enjoy that?"

"She tastes like moon cakes," Watanuki said, licking his lips. "Really good moon cakes, too. Maybe with strawberry."

"So you like her, I take it." Yuko smiled and turned away.

"No! Himawari-chan is my one and only!"

"Perhaps Domeki will take a liking to Tsuki-chan."

"Fine, he can…WHAT! Why does he get all the girls! He never even changes his expression, how can people find him attractive!"

"Some people may think that you're TOO expressive." Yuko giggled and went to get dressed.

Watanuki moaned and sat down.

"How did I get stuck here?"