X

It was well after midnight when Yang led the young man into the Wish Shop. It had been hard trying to find another American drunk enough to forget his sexual preference for a night, but if anyone could find one, Yang could. And so, a teensy bit drunk himself, Yang stumbled up the cobblestone pathway and opened the front door of the strange little house nestled between two skyscrapers. The light of the full moon illuminated his olive skin and made his eyes, black as his hair, twinkle. His features were distinctly European.

Navigating the long hallways of the house in the dark, Yang could feel the young man falling for his not-so-natural charms. He had a healthy libido, and he didn't mind using his gifts to keep himself amused. By day he devoted himself to the good of the shop, but the night belonged to him.

Yang opened the shoji paper screen that led to his room and ushered the man in. Sensing a presence behind him, Yang turned around. Hiding in the shadows of the hallway was a little ball of black fluff. Don't tell Yin, Yang mouthed. The fluff giggled, nodded his agreement, and then bounced down the hallway. Yang smiled and slid the door shut.

XXX

A loud cry pierced the morning air. Yang rolled over to find that the bed was empty beside him. No surprise there. If Yin was yelling so early in the morning then he had probably found the previous night's fling wandering the halls. That could be dealt with after a few more minutes of rest. But Yin felt differently.

The door to Yang's bedroom flew open with a bang. In it stood the livid form of his twin brother, Yin. While the eldest twin was just as beautiful as his younger brother, the nature of his appearance was almost the exact opposite. Yin had skin so pale that blue veins showed through. His eyes were a light yet piercing gray, and his head was crowned with a shock of shaggy blonde hair, so light in color that it was almost white. While Yang's face was full of strong angles, Yin's features were softer by comparison. At the current moment, his beautiful face was twisted with rage.

"What the hell did you do last night?" he shouted.

Yang rolled over on his futon, deliberately trying to ignore his twin. "Oh, don't act so shocked," he said. "It's not like this is the first time I've brought my sex partners home with me."

A low growl emitted from Yin's throat. "That's not what I'm talking about," he said, slowly and dangerously. Then, he gave Yang a hard kick in the gut.

"Ow," said the younger brother. "What the hell was that for?"

"Get up. NOW!" Yin roared. Starting to get worried, Yang rose from his bed and followed his brother. The two walked in a tense silence through the house, Yin already dressed in his normal preppy attire, and Yang wrapped in a sheet to cover his nakedness. The two finally came to a stop in the doorway of the treasure room. Maru and Moro were already there, each holding one of the Mokonas. The room was completely empty.

"Oh my god," said Yang, looking around in shock. "Where's all our stuff? Why isn't it here?"

"I don't know," Yin barked back, his usual monotone dripping with venom. "Maybe you should ask your fuck buddy from last night!"

"What are you talking about?"

"When I came in to see if we still had some Wine of Dionysus left, the room was bare except for this!"

Yin thrust his findings at his brother, which Yang took and studied. It was a Polaroid of his sexcapade from the previous night, only he was in the treasure room with about four other guys, all dressed in black. Each of them had an item in his hand. On the back of the photo, the guy, who Yang now realized never actually gave his name, had written a note. "Last night was fun babe, but I don't think it will work. It's not you, it's me." Yang looked up from the picture.

"I can't believe it," he said.

"I know," his brother replied.

"He had ninjas. Where the hell did he find ninjas?"

"That's not the point!" Yin screamed. "The point is that we have been robbed."

"But how could they rob us? They couldn't just walk out of here with all of our stuff. The shop would have stopped them."

"Obviously, this is not just some random, run of the mill thief you brought home with you," Yin said.

"No," Yang agreed. "They knew exactly who we are and figured out a way around the shop's magic."

"What are we going to do? That collection was priceless. How are we supposed to grant wishes now?"

"We've still got our own powers," Yang pointed out.

"Yes, but they won't be able to grant every wish," his brother countered. "We're limited in what we can do."

"We have to be able to grant wishes."

"We promised Yuko that when she gave us the shop."

The twins stood in silence a moment to ponder their next move. Suddenly, a look of panic flashed across Yin's face.

"You don't think they found them do you?" he asked.

"Shit," said Yang. "I didn't even think of that."

The young men set of at a sprint across the room, with Maru, Moro and the Mokonas closely at their heels. The boys stopped in front of a statue of a large butterfly located at the back of the room. The twins clasped hands and closed their eyes. Together, they chanted silently under their breaths. White sparks surrounded Yin as black flames sprang up around Yang. With their free hands, the brothers touched the wings of the statue.

As soon as their magic seeped into the butterfly, it came to life. It flapped its wings and rose off of the pedestal. Soon after, it began to shimmer, and then glow. In a short time, there was a butterfly shaped doorway leading into a secret room, where the shop's real treasures were stored.

"They're still here," said Yin.

"Kurogane's sword," Yang said with a sigh of relief.

"Fay D. Flourite's staff and markings."

Yang walked in and picked up a single feather. "The princess Sakura's memories of Sayoran," he said, twirling the precious item in his hand. He set it back down and walked out of the secret room. The door closed behind him and the butterfly returned to its pedestal. "Now what do we do?"

"Well," said Yin. "There's only one thing we can do. We must restock the shop."

"That's a big task," said Yang. Though his tone was grave, the idea of a new adventure excited him. "We can't do it on our own."

"You're right," his brother said. "We also can't do it by just waiting for opportunity to come knocking. We'll have to go out and find it."

"How do you propose we do that?"

"I'll work on things here. I'll contact some of our old friends, do some browsing, and grant what wishes I can. You'll have to go world hopping. See what items you can get from other universes. Trade things, buy things, grant wishes. If we work hard, we can have the shop open again in no time."

"Brother," said Yang, kissing Yin on the forehead, "I have never loved you any more than right now."

"Shut up you idiot," came the reply. "This is all your fault. Now go get ready to leave."

"Come on Maru, Moro," said Yang, dropping his sheet and proceeding naked to his room. "We've got packing to do."

XXX

An hour later, after hugging his brother, the girls and the black Mokona goodbye, Yang threw the strap of his messenger bag over his shoulder. The white Mokona floated up into the air. Wings spread out and Yuko's magic circle lit up the ground. With one final wave and a gust of wind, Yang was sucked up into Mokona's mouth and the two were spirited away.

Yin let out a sigh. Mokona Modoki hopped onto his shoulder and patted his cheek. Yin broke into an uncharacteristic smile. He stretched out his hands and Maru handed him a sign, while Moro gave him a hammer. He went outside of the house's fence and pounded the sign into the ground. It read, "Temporarily closed due to theft. Please be patient while we re-stock."

Yin turned to Mokona. "I feel like sake, what about you?"

X

The journey's now begun. This is only half of the story. You won't find the rest of it here. This story will let you see what Yin is up too, but Yang has left the world of xxxHolic behind him and is now traveling through universes that can be found right here on fanfiction. If you're curious to see what awaits him and Mokona in their adventures, then check out my profile page to see my other stories. If the description mentions Yang or "A mysterious stranger," then you know it's about our heroes and their quest to re-stock Yuko's shop.