Disclaimer: I do not own Sunrise or any of its creations.

Three Wishes Or You

Chapter 1

Nimara

As I placed the last piece of grocery into the refrigerator from my shopping bag, I felt a small sense of accomplishment. There were very small pleasures like a well-stocked fridge that was perfectly organized. Dairies were on the top shelf, followed by leftovers from previous meals, and on the third shelf were drinks and desserts. One bin for fruit, one for vegetables, one for meat, and all the condiments lined the right door by height. I liked the feeling of everything having its proper place. Occasionally I'd buy some tomatoes and debate with myself on whether to put them in the fruit bin or the vegetable bin. At times like these, a flipping a coin is the best course of action. While closing the fridge I grabbed a bowl of strawberries I had washed earlier. It would go well with the tea I had purchased last week. I placed a kettle of water on the stove and turned the dial to high. Looking at the shiny black kettle, I remembered a special purchase I had made earlier in the day.

Today was different than the days that had passed in the last two years. This Friday was different. Just a little brighter, a little less heavy, but for no reason other than that it was. My typical shopping days consisted of me going down to the market to search for what I needed and then return home. It was after I purchased some daikon, this day, did I notice how nice the day was. It had been a long time since I last took note of the weather and the warm summer wind beckoned me to stay out longer. The quiet bustling of the small town I lived near felt refreshing and soon I found myself wandering five, six blocks from the market streets. I made purchases at several family bakeries and peered into music and stationary stores. But towards the end of my little adventure, I stumbled upon an antique store at the edge of the commercial district…where I found the most exquisite gift for myself.

Like most antique stores, it was dark, dusty, and cold and the shelves were filled indiscriminately. To be quite honest, I'm not a person that enjoys dusty, unorganized-anything but you could say I was feeling out-of-character. Much like a fantastical story, I found my gem in a particularly grubby and cluttered corner. A polished wooden box was left open and snuggled in between its satin lining was a tea set. I did not dwell on whether or not to buy the set, I just did. Closing the lid, almost hastily, I brought it up to the counter and dove into my wallet for cash. The store owner was quite pleased to sell me the set and I went contently on my way. There was a small buzz in my heart at the thought of the tea set I had just bought. It was absolutely beautiful in my eyes, then again, my love for tea has known to be a bit extreme to begin with.

Placing my strawberries aside I reached at the wooden box resting on my kitchen counter. Opening it, I took a closer look at the stone cups and tea pot. I took out one of the cups to admire it again, as I had earlier. The stone cup felt nice and heavy in my palm and it had the deepest blue glaze I had ever seen. Painted on the cup were flowering white wisteria blossoms. I took a damp rag from my sink and wiped the dust off the cup, amazed that the blue sheen deepened in intensity. I went on to clean the second cup and then grabbed the teapot that waited patiently. Carefully, I ran the cloth over the stone as I ran the entire pot under running water. The details of the wisteria blossoms were even more delicate and I ran my finger over the raised imprints. Something so beautiful had to make tea taste better.

I reached into my cupboard, not ashamed that half of the dry contents were tea, tea infused, or tea complimenting goods. I picked out the right tea that would go with my strawberries and took the slowly screeching kettle off the stove. A light breeze blew past my body. I thought I had left a window open but could not remember which one. I turned to pour the water into the teapot when a strangled scream ripped from my lungs. The kettle fell out of my hands but I never heard it hit the floor or the scalding hot water burn at my bare feet.

Sitting on my counter was a woman.

A curse spilled from her lips at the same time my scream echoed the kitchen and the living area joined to it. My back was to my stove and I could feel the heat dangerously close to my backside. I tore my gaze from the woman to something even more bizarre. The kettle floated in midair, steam wafting from its spout. I looked back at the woman, my face frozen in awe. The woman wore a dull look but her emerald eyes pierced my mind. Her hair was the same dark color of the tea set that sat next to her. I again looked away from the stranger as the kettle in the air began to move. My eyes widened and I inhaled sharply. The kettle slowly came to rest on the counter. I stared at it, almost unsure if I should look back to where the woman was sitting.

"That was my fault. I didn't know you were holding the kettle," came a deep voice with a slight edge that teased my ears. I looked at her slowly with speculation this time. I tried to gather my scattered wits. What little concern she held in her eyes faded quickly and her lips tipped into a smirk.

"Who are you?" My soft voice sounded so foreign to me.

She pointed lazily at the teapot next to her. "I'm your genie. I'm here to grant you three wishes." She raised three long delicate fingers in front of her. Her critical look told me she was inspecting me as hard as I was her.

Only after she spoke did I notice that she was wearing pajamas. An intruder in my home, she may have been, but, I was becoming decreasingly threatened by her. How was I supposed to take anyone seriously in pajamas? She wore loose dark cloth pants and over her shoulders she wore a matching cloth blouse. The blouse was open to reveal a very short, light-blue tank top. She brought her knee to her chest, still sitting on the counter and looking down at me.

I narrowed my eyes. "I don't know who you are, but you need to get out of my house."

Completely disregarding the floating kettle scene for my own personal sanity, I grew very serious. She could be a robber but I suspected that she was a stalker that had managed to find my private residence. Over the years I've had to deal with my share of overly amorous fans. She let her gaze match mine as we stared off for several moments. Finally she shrugged and broke eye contact, her cheeks beginning to tinge pink.

"I told you. I'm your genie and I won't leave until I grant you three wishes." She pointed at the tea set again wearing a peeved look. "You bought this tea set from that silly little store right? I live inside it..."

She trailed off and looked at me intensely to judge if I was paying attention or not. I was paying attention, that was for sure, but I didn't believe a word she said. She must have sensed my uncertainty because she growled in a frustrated tone. "This is always my least favorite part. Just pay attention okay?"

Her body began to glow and the same soft breeze that had moved past me earlier blew again around me. I saw her bent knee began to fade and then her entire body then, like smoke, she slipped into the tea pot next to her. It only lasted a few seconds and she had disappeared. At that moment I could feel my heart begin to quicken and a clammy shudder run down my back. My arms tickled with goosebumps. I had seen a woman enter a tea pot. What could I even begin to say about that? Unable to deny what I had just witnessed before my own eyes, I was left blank minded and speechless. Sanity, had you finally forsaken me?

There was a twinkling sound in the air and smoke began to pour from the tea pot and onto the floor. Quicker than I expected, the woman stood in front of me with her arms crossed. She was only a foot in front of me, standing slightly shorter than me. I held my breath as I reached out my hand to touch her shoulder. She did not flinch or move away. Even though I had prepared myself to expect it, I yelled when my hand fell through her body. A warm breeze blew past my hand and her body remained to appear solid the entire time.

She had a lopsided grin on her face when I looked up at her in blatant disbelief. If I were anymore the religious individual, I would have begun to run a series of prayers through my head. I could feel my head ache uncomfortably from how hard I was staring at her.

Tea. I needed some tea first. Sanity be dammed. I needed something concrete at that moment. I turned away from the woman and went to the cabinet to grab out my original tea set. There was no way I was approaching that woman and I definitely had no inclination to drink out of the tea pot she had come out of. I could feel her eyes follow me about the kitchen as I poured the still-hot water from the kettle into the tea pot with a few dry tea leaves. For a minute I leaned over the tea pot, bidding it to be ready immediately but I knew good tea took at least a few minutes to reach its full body.

I could feel her stare burn into my back and after a minute or so had passed she began to talk in an annoyed tone. "Well? Three wishes. Or do you not believe me?"

I poured the flowery liquid into a teacup and sipped it quietly. I turned and leaned against the counter, letting the tea warm my body. I looked at her to see she had tucked her hair over her left ear revealing five or six piercings. Silver studs and rings ran down her left ear and on her earlobe hung a hoop with pieces of metal that jingled when she adjusted her posture. I stared at her trying to figure out how to answer her question. Did I believe her? There was not much room left for argument. I was certain I wasn't dreaming. I never fall asleep in the middle of the day. With that aside, I had also seen her perform...unexplainable acts. Was she a genie? That was beyond my area of knowledge.

Taking another sip of my tea, I narrowed my eyes at her for a moment.

"I believe you." Her annoyed expression faded. I saw her open her mouth to speak but I was already moving away with my cup of tea, teapot, and bowl of strawberries.

She called out at me. "H-hey! We have to discuss the contract!"

"Contract?" I placed the strawberries and tea on the table and took a seat. Contracts, genies, floating objects, and cursed tea pots. I knew my mental health had deteriorated in the last couple of years but this was all quite unexpected. I took a strawberry from the bowl and pressed it against my lips. The genie came around the counter and over to the table. Her cold look had returned.

"Yeah, I have to talk to you about..." She rambled on, her hands on her hips. I finally realized how beautiful she was as she stood there. The shape of her face and her long midnight tresses that complimented amazingly with her fierce dark emerald eyes. As I bit into the juicy strawberry, sucking on it gently, I looked the rest of her body in. The baggy clothing did not compliment the body she had underneath. I was sub-consciously grateful for the small tank top she wore so I could see her pale flat stomach.

"Stop that!" Her voice cut through my thoughts. I met her eyes to see a beautiful blush imprinted upon her flawless cheeks. A little bit of heat raced up my neck at the thought that I had been caught admiring her.

"Stop what?" I asked, a bit too sweetly as I picked up another sweet strawberry. I pressed it against my lips again, letting my tongue dart out and feel bumpy the texture of its skin.

"THAT!" She yelled, pointing at me quite offended by something I was doing. "For the love of hell, it's a piece of fruit! Just eat the damn thing!"

And so I ate my strawberry. I let the sweet and tangy juice linger on my tongue before I took the second bite. I loved the way it felt on my lips and suckled it for a few moments to draw the juices forward. I loved strawberries. I could hardly see what the problem was. When I looked up at her again, her face was nearly the color of the strawberries. Her arms were crossed angrily.

"Are you even listening to me? Why don't you just bite into the damn stra- Ah fuck it. Pay attention, will you?"

"Ara, Genie-san quite easily grabs my attention being in her pajamas and all," I slipped. For a second I was caught off guard by my own comment and had to work hard to suppress a blush from appearing. The woman was too flustered to notice and in a second had become a bluish smoke and retreated into the tea pot.

I started on another strawberry and wondered if the woman would come back out. She had the most interesting reactions to things. I poured myself another cup of tea and looked over at the Genie's tea pot on the counter. There was a jingle in the air again, like the sound of the Genie's earrings and her solid form began to appear back where had stood previously. The difference this time was that she was no longer wearing pajamas. Instead she wore black sweat pants and a more fitting white tank top. Her stomach was properly covered now and the only consolation I received was being able to see her well-toned arms.

She dusted herself off with her hands and then glared at me. "What do you expect? I was sleeping for the last eighteen years and you decide to wake me up. You bought me from that little junk store, right?"

I nodded and politely asked, "Do you always sleep such a long time, Genie-san?"

"Natsuki is my name, use it. Genie-san is some whore-brat genie in Tokyo. Believe it or not, all she does is grant sexual wishes. And I don't sleep very long. Twenty-year cat naps. I got to wake up every once in a while to figure what's been going on."

"Na-tsu-ki..." I let the name float lightly on my tongue. I heard her sputter for no reason before I smiled and introduced myself. "I'm Shizuru Fujino, pleasure to meet you Natsuki-san."

She shrugged. "Like I was saying before...you get three wishes. 'Cause you purchased and summoned me, I am under your command until your third wish is fulfilled."

Summon? "I'm sorry to say this, Natsuki-san but I don't believe I summoned you."

Natsuki glowered at me. "Your soul summoned me. You obviously have wishes that I can fulfill so that is why I am here. Stop interrupting me so I can explain the rules."

I drank some tea and listened quietly. My soul had summoned the genie from the tea pot? At that very moment, I knew I had no wishes to give to the genie. I couldn't think of anything off the top of my head that I wanted. I thought I had everything I wanted in my quiet and secluded life.

"There are a lot of rules, but here are some of the more important ones. One! If you wish for wealth or prosperity, the most I can do for you is give you some sort of financial opportunity. I can't just hand over exact amounts of cash. Secondly, don't wish to be immortal or have your life elongated. Just don't. Being a genie isn't a pleasant job and it's what you will get if you wish such stupid things."

She had begun to walk around as she talked. Her tone had turned more professional and trained, as if she had said this numerous times already.

"So is this why Natsuki-san is a genie?"

She stopped to glare at me again. "No." I smiled innocently back. "Just like there are a lot of stupid questions, there are a lot of stupid wishes. Speaking of stupid wishes, don't wish to know the answer to the universe. I'll give you a freebie and just tell you. It's the number 42. And lastly, I don't have to tell you this but I hold the right to interpret your wish any way I want so it's best if you are specific."

"What if I have nothing to wish for?" It was a legitimate question but by the look on her face it fell under the 'stupid questions' category.

"Not possible, Fujino. Everyone has a few wishes they want granted and that includes you as well."

I poured the remaining tea into the cup and thought about what she had said. Apparently there were restrictions to certain wishes and consequences for others. From experience, I knew that nothing good was given without something equally bad lurking around the corner. I was wary of these wishes that I would receive.

"Could I consult you about a wish?"

Her angered look was dropped and she looked a bit surprised. "C-consult me?"

"Yes. Ask you what you think about a wish and how it might turn out."

That cute blush returned to her face for reasons that I could not figure out. "I suppose you can. I mean, I have been doing this for a long time and I could probably tell you if it'll end badly or not."

I smiled and nodded. "Well then, what if I wished for you to go away?"

She snorted and pursed her rosy lips, "You'd have to wish it three times and I cannot answer the same wish twice. It's a waste of a perfectly good wish, as well, because I'd have to come back and grant the other two."

"I see." I brought the cup to my lips but to my dismay I noticed that I had ran out of tea. I could feel my mood and interest in the genie fall. I knew I had wishes but they were not ones that would be safe to wish. I looked down at the bottom of my tea cup and sighed softly.

I did have one wish. I knew there was something I wanted more than anything. What I would give...to just...

A warm breeze blew past me again and I looked up to see Natsuki the genie next to me. She bent her head down next to mine. She looked down at me with desolate eyes. They were so different from the eyes of fire and life I had looked into, just moments ago. Her hand came up to my face but the only thing I felt was a soft breeze on my cheek. I knew my eyes mirrored hers.

"Don't wish for the dead to be brought back, either," she whispered.

My heart stopped and she faded into smoke as she moved away. Her words echoed through my mind and into my soul. The blue mist moved slowly back to the tea pot and once she disappeared, the room felt disgustingly silent.

I was alone.

[New- September 15, 2010] A/N: Please enjoy the re-edited version of TWOY. Nothing major has changed. At most a few more descriptive sentences have been placed in. I just couldn't continue without correcting some flaws. Thanks for being so supportive even when this fic was on hiatus.

[Original]A/N: Hi everyone~ Like I said, I'm back with something new for you guys. I hope you enjoyed the opening! Tell me what you think about it! You guys know I loooove to hear what you guys have to say about the chapter.

If Shizuru got three wishes, what do you think she should wish for? Hehe.

Thanks to my wonderful BETAs Graceful Amethyst and Lahren! They are so amazing ^_~.

By the way, there is now fan art in my profile and my blog is up for those of you who want to follow the progress of my stories or want sneak peaks. In my profile there is a picture of Natsuki the Genie that I drew up really quickly.

Hm~ So, that's all I really have to say for now. Look out for the next chapter in a couple of weeks, and a very cool story the day after Valentines!

-Nimara