Of Dreams and Wishes

Hi! Thanks for wanting to read this fanfic. I hope you like this story.

I've recently gotten in an xxxHolic fanfic craze and was very disappointed to discover there weren't that many xxxHolic crossovers, so I've decided to make my own. Don't worry, I'm not abandoning my other fanfics for this. I'm just putting them aside for now while I get this out of my head.

I have never read xxxHolic manga — all my knowledge regarding that manga series stem from Wikipedia and some other sites. This fanfic would mainly follow xxxHolic anime with some addition from the manga. But I would be changing the order of the episodes around and wouldn't include all the cases.

Of Dreams and Wishes takes place after the Inuyasha series, with changes with its ending. Also, most of the characters from Inuyasha and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles would not be mentioned much in this fanfic.

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Vocabulary

Sengoku Jidai — Feudal Era

Shikon no Tama — Jewel of Four Souls

Youkai — demon

Miko — priestess, shrine maiden

Miko ki – priestess energy

Jaki — miasma, evil energy

Reiki — spiritual energy

Youki — demon energy

Hitsuzen — inevitable, fated

Kami — god

Shikigami — typically portrayed as paper dolls which could manifest as different creatures and follow their master's bidding

Himawari — sunflower

Kawaii, deso? — Cute, isn't she?

Tadaima — I'm back

Okaeri nasai / Okaeri — Welcome back

Chapter 1 Wheel of Fortune

It was raining. Not outside. It was a clear sky there. No, it was raining inside, as it had been for the past few months since she had returned from Sengoku Jidai. Everything had worked out in the end, of course — Naraku and his incarnations had been utterly defeated with their combined forces and they would no longer be plagued by the Shikon no Tama.

However, the misleading jewel with a blood-filled history still remained in a fashion. All the souls within had been completely purified and had moved on to the afterlife, but the Shikon no Tama centuries-old power had not disappeared with them. Instead, the now soulless jewel had merged with her soul more thoroughly than it did when she had been born with it. She was, in essence, the Shikon no Tama in human form, except she lacked its infamous (but very costly) wish-granting abilities. Also, ever since then, her eyes had darkened to purple, the colour of a half-tainted Shikon.

She and Naraku (now deceased and unable to inform anyone of the truth) were the only ones present when the Shikon no Tama took her into the world within the jewel, so Kagome decided not to mention the underlying cause of their misfortune and grief hadn't really disappeared from the world. Instead, she had simply told them that she wished the purified jewel out of existence, the single correct wish which wouldn't have any bad consequences.

But it wasn't as if she could correct their thoughts on the matter now — the time-travelling well no longer worked, even with her power boost from the remnants of the jewel. The only things left of her beloved friends and their enemies were her memories, the scars on her body and soul, and their presence in her shrine's history. Well, it was possible for some of her youkai friends to have survived to this era, but they have yet to show themselves.

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on her mood), the supernatural world remained open to her, except she could sense all types of spirits rather than only the stronger ones and youkai. At the beginning, she had been freaked out, but she was now used to the jaki and remnants of souls which had stayed in this world for too long.

It wouldn't have been that bad if her soul didn't emit the alluring magic of the Shikon no Tama. Spirits flocked to her whenever she ventured out from the protective barrier of her shrine. Her only saving grace was her miko ki which purified her invisible stalkers from existence.

Kagome sighed as she walked aimlessly around the city where her new high school was located at. She missed all of it —a starry sky not shrouded by pollutants, the reiki and youki-filled air, the adrenaline rushing through her veins during lie-threatening battles, and most of all, her precious friends.

There was no one left around her who she could talk about the supernatural and her adventures in Sengoku Jidai. (Sure, her family was in the knowhow, but she had deliberately kept the gruesome details from them. If she hadn't, they would've never allowed her to go back to where she felt the most freedom.) There was no one she could connect to.

Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi's obsession with boys and gossip had lost its pull ever since she had been pulled down the well by Mistress Centipede. And Hojo-kun's obsession with her had always been annoying. (Seriously, how many times must he get rejected before he finally got a clue?)

Sengoku Jidai had spoiled her.

While she may have considered Hojo-kun before as a potential boyfriend (he may be plain and boring, but he was persistent, kind, and had a good background), only those with a beautiful features (like Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshomaru, and Naraku — they may be enemies, but she could appreciate his good looks) and an interesting personality would interest her now. Moreover, they have to believe in the supernatural and her abilities, even if they don't have powers of their own. She absolutely refused to renounce either of them.

She hadn't met any boys with those requirements yet. Well, then again, it wasn't as if she had been actively looking for them either.

Ever since returning from Sengoku Jidai, a steady rain had been pouring in her soul. Everything seemed dull to her. She had lived the past few months as a physical apparition, only coherent enough to graduate from middle school and enter a decent high school.

Kagome gasped and paused in her steps as an odd, but not malicious, energy tugged at her senses. She instantly traced its origin and her eyes landed upon a beautiful building (its architecture a mix between tradition Japanese-style and Western-style), and its blooming sakura trees, nestled between three skyscrapers, behind a wooden fence. At first glance, she could already tell that there is a powerful barrier around that area; in fact, she had a feeling the building isn't truly present there.

She could have probably countered the barrier's magical allure, but she was really interested in what laid beyond it. As her feet pulled her towards the building, she twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers, ready to pull out her hairstick at any sign of danger.

(Knowing that being caught with an actual weapon in this era is a bad idea, Kagome had decided to carry slightly-sharpened decorative sticks, handmade from branches of Goshinboku, in her hair instead. Not only could she use it against humans, but she could also easily send her purification powers through them — she could channel her energy without any outside aid, but it took more concentration.)

Upon entering through the front doors, Kagome was greeted by two girls, with the appearance of a human child around nine to eleven years old — soulless creatures, akin to shikigami, her senses told her. One of them had blue hair (tied up as two ponytails and long enough to trail on the ground) and eyes while the other had chin-length pink hair (partially pulled into twin buns) and eyes.

"Welcome to our humble abode!" they greeted in union, bowing. Both wore wide smiles, but their eyes were as hollow as their soul — their personalities were fabricated by their creator. These two animated dolls were truly well-made, as was the barrier they were linked to; their master must be really powerful.

Kagome bowed back. Shortly after, she followed the girls further into the building and past a sliding door into a tobacco and sake-scented room.

Sprawled across on a lounge chair was a woman (long black hair draped over her body) with the same inhuman beauty as beings like Sesshoumaru-sama, but she wasn't a youkai either. Kagome wasn't really sure what she was. To her senses, the woman was more than just a human, as if she had been partially turned into supernatural creature — unlike Naraku, she seemed more like a kami than youkai.

Her loose kimono slipped further down her shoulders as she slid her thin ornate pipe out of her mouth and breathed out a trail of smoke. Half-lidded crimson eyes glanced at her and rosy lips tugged into a seductive smile.

"Hello," Kagome said, bowing slightly. "Could you tell me why you've brought me here?"

"I had no part in it," the woman replied, her voice as smooth as her milky skin. "Your arrival here is inevitable." There was a brief pause before she said, "What is your name?"

"Kagome."

"And your birthday?"

"I don't see how that matters."

She blew out another trail of smoke. "To give your name to an enemy is to give out your soul. To give your birthday is to give the other person power over your past and future."

Kagome smiled. She could already feel the rain lessening to a mere drizzle within her; the sun was itching to return. "My soul is not mines to give nor for someone else to take. Several have tried and all have ultimately failed. My past is strongly engraved into this world's history. It's not so easily changed. As for my future… you can nudge me into a certain direction but the path you've laid isn't one I have to walk, even if I ultimately end up where you wish. And is it not polite to first give your name before asking for another's?"

The woman sat up more properly, her kimono sliding down to cover most of her bare legs. "You can call me Ichihara Yuuko. It's an alias, of course." She gestured to her dolls. "And these girls are Morodashi and Marudashi, or Moro and Maru for short. Cute, aren't they? And you have a rather interesting viewpoint, Ka. Go. Me. Chan."

"Interesting! Interesting!" Moro and Maru cheered.

Yuuko leaned forward. "Now, what is your wish?"

"My wish?" Kagome frowned. Dealing with the Shikon no Tama had taught her how dangerous wishes could be in the supernatural world. They always come with an equal sacrifice, but the price might be more than the person could pay and the results might not be exactly as desired.

"This is a wish-granting shop and only those who need it could enter. I could make any of your desires a reality." Yuuko breathed out more smoke. "As long as you give me proper payment."

A wish, huh? She had many things that she desired, but… "No thank you, Yuuko-san," she replied, smiling. "One of my wishes was to meet others involved in the supernatural world. It has already been granted just by coming here. I could give you a payment for it if you want. But, there's no need for you to help me with my other wishes. I could eventually work them out myself."

Relationship problems weren't something others could easily help with. And her current situation with the Shikon was the consequence of her wish in the first place. She had learnt that wishes couldn't be undone by wishes.

"Then why don't you work part-time here?" Yuuko said, once again lounging on the couch, her slender legs in full view. "You'd be able to meet more people like us. And it could be your payment as well. You do go to school nearby, don't you?"

Kagome nodded. "I'd be attending Private Cross Academy starting next Monday. But I live an hour's train ride away. Between school and the train schedule, I wouldn't have a lot of time for work here."

The woman swept out an arm. "You can stay here if you want. There's a lot of room."

"Stay here! Stay here!" Moro and Maru echoed, hands thrown above them in cheer.

"But—"

"If you're worried about rent, you can help up Watanuki with the chores around here."

Kagome cocked her head to the side. "Watanuki?"

"Yes, he's another part-timer. He does errands for me in order to pay for his wish."

This was a really tempting offer. Not only would her travel time to and from school be cut short, but she would once again have adventures. Well, maybe not as exciting as the ones in Sengoku Jidai, but they should be enough to stave off her boredom.

"I accept. I'll ask mama about it tonight."

XxXxXxXxX

Yuuko smiled, sipping the sake Moro and Maru had brought her after Kagome had left. It was a very interesting meeting. She had expected the girl to already be involved in their world, but she hadn't expected the vast difference in mindset between Kagome and Watanuki. One was very accepting of the supernatural while the other was still fighting against it. Then again, Kagome had experienced far more dangerous youkai than Watanuki ever had.

There was no way that Yuuko hadn't recognized the aura of the Shikon no Tama. More than five centuries ago, a powerful miko, Midoriko, made a wish to vanquish all her enemies from this world after fighting seven days and nights with a hoard of them. In exchange, her soul, along with that of her foes, would remain trapped in a timeless dimension, constantly fighting for control and power. The only way they would ever be set free from their prison was to have someone from the outside make the correct wish on the jewel which acted as a timeless portal to that dimension

Many had, of course, failed, succumbing to the allure for more power, in their own ways. Wishes had been made but the payment was far too much for them to handle, and they each came to a horrible end.

Kagome had made the correct wish and had set those souls free, but all wishes came with a price.

Regardless, both of them would play a large role in the future, along with their ties with certain people. It was all simply hitsuzen.

XxXxXxXxX

Her new grey uniform was definitely a welcome change from the white blouse and green miniskirts. For one, the darker colours acted as a better camouflage in the city and won't be see-through under the rain. And this uniform wasn't as revealing as her old one.

The school also seemed really nice, though it seemed to have its fair share of supernatural activity. Just before she arrived, she had noticed a boy, wearing the black male uniform of her school, flailing on the road, collapsed under the collective weight of numerous spirits. His pure aura attracted them like flies to honey, but he didn't seem to have any warding abilities, so she had lent him a hand by charging a pebble with her miko ki and throwing it over, purifying more than three-quarters of his problem. The boy hadn't been interested in the reason behind his sudden lack of stalkers and had simply shot into the school like a rocket with a relieved sigh.

He wasn't the only interesting character. During break time, she had come across a pretty girl with a very tainted aura. The girl wasn't cursed or possessed. In fact, the aura didn't seem to bring her any harm. It simply latched onto everything and everything she came into contact with. Kagome noticed that the cheery girl seemed to be aware of this though, since she subtly avoided direct human contact whenever possible.

Along with Yuuko's wish-granting shop, this city was getting more and more interesting. At this rate, there is a good possibility that rain might never appear in her heart again.

XxXxXxXxX

Kagome attuned herself to the shop's barrier as she swept the fallen sakura petals from the front yard. The more she focused on the surrounding energies, the more she was reminded of the time-travelling well — the barrier wasn't a normal warding barrier; it was the boundary line between two dimensions. Just like the well, only people meeting certain criteria could go pass the barrier. Also, though it may have been the result of her time-travelling experience, it seemed to her that time flowed differently here.

Her head snapped up and her eyes darted towards the front gate. There was a disturbance in the barrier. Someone had arrived.

To her surprise, it was the same boy she had seen this morning, the one with spirit problems. In light of that, it wasn't really too surprising. He probably wished for the spirits to not be attracted to him anymore.

"Welcome to the wish-granting shop," Kagome said, walking up to him. "How may I help you today?"

He blinked. "Oh… um… I work part time here."

Her smile widened. "Ah! You must be Watanuki-kun who Yuuko-san mentioned. I'm Kagome, and I'm also working part-time here starting today." She bowed. "It's nice to meet you."

Watanuki scowled, his arms flailing wildly around him. "That pushy saleswoman conned you into working for her, didn't she?"

Kagome giggled. Her fellow co-worker was really cute. He was a handsome beauty, just like Sesshoumaru-sama and Naraku (when in his more human form), with short black hair and really pretty blue eyes, the colour of Sengoku Jidai's unpolluted sky, behind a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. Watanuki-kun probably had foreign blood in his veins.

But something about him seemed really strange upon a closer look. It was as if he was both human and inhuman at the same time, similar to Yuuko-san, Moro-chan, and Maru-chan, except he had a soul and was more human than them. Watanuki-kun most likely hadn't realized the power stored within him, otherwise, he could've easily fended the spirits off himself; he didn't need a wish to solve his problem. Maybe his dormant power was the reason Yuuko-san made him her part-time worker.

"No," she said, answering his question. "Yuuko-san offered room and board in exchange for work."

His mouth slackened and his gestures become even wilder as they strolled into the building together. "You're going to be living here? With the witch?"

"Uh. I don't mind it really. The shop is a lot closer to school than my home. And I don't think I'd get bored in here. Yuuko-san's store is bound to bring in lots of interesting people."

"Yes, but!"

XxXxXxXxX

Her new coworker, Watanuki Kimihiro, may be an adorable idiot on the outside, but he was an absolute god in the kitchen. Kagome licked her lips, fighting the urge to squeal like a fangirl. This was the best pastry she had ever tasted. She could really get used to life in the shop, especially if Kimihiro-kun cooked for them often.

She suddenly froze, as did Yuuko, Moro, Maru, and Mokona (a little black puff ball with long floppy ears).

Glancing at the direction of the front doors, Yuuko smiled. "A customer has arrived."

Moro and Maru showed the woman (tall, pretty, with artificially curly brown hair and green eyes, clad mainly in white) into a different meeting room. Instead of a lounge chair and several other oriental and magical items, this room was by the windows and only contained a small round table with two wooden chairs. This is probably where Yuuko met customers who were simply customers.

Both Kagome and Watanuki were watching the proceedings through a slit between the sliding doors. Once again, Yuuko-san was using her "coercive salesmanship", as quoted from Watanuki-kun, against their new customer.

"Um… As far as a wish goes, nothing in particular comes to mind… But, now that you've mentioned it, my pinkie have recently been feeling heavy and refused to move some times," the woman said, holding up that finger. "I even went to the hospital and had it checked, but they said that there's nothing wrong with it."

Yuuko frowned. "Do you have any bad habits?"

"Bad habits? I don't know. I don't think so though."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, probably."

Thin black smoke circled around the base of the woman's pinkie, trailing off in the air. It was a type of weak jaki caused by humans rather than youkai. A glance at Kimihiro told Kagome that she wasn't the only one who noticed the phenomenon.

Yuuko held up a golden ring with a red jewel. "I'll give you this. If you feel like it, wear it on your pinkie."

The woman leaned forward to take the offered item. "If I do, would my finger get better?"

"It's best if you believe so. If you don't think you need it, you can always throw it away. But, think about it, what do you use your pinkie for?"

Kagome glanced down at her own hand. The pinkie, huh? With her other fingers curled up, there were a few things she could think of in which someone's hand would look as such, but only one seemed to fit this situation.

XxXxXxXxX

"Who is she?" Kagome asked, walking up to Kimihiro. Yesterday, they had agreed to meet up after school to walk to Yuuko's store since they didn't have classes together — he was one year older.

She had been about to greet him earlier when she noticed he was with the girl with the tainted aura. It was odd how Kimihiro-kun seemed oblivious to that heavy aura despite noticing the faint jaki around the pinkie of yesterday's customer. Then again, considering how he obviously had a crush on the girl, he probably blinded himself from noticing the taint.

"She's Kunogi Hima~wari~chan~!" he gushed, bouncing in his steps as they made their way towards the store. "Kawaii deso? She said 'Good luck with you job!' For Watanuki Kimihiro the man, it's looking sunny today!"

"Is she really that great?"

"Of course! Himawari-chan is cute and pretty. And she always smiles. She's as bright as her namesake!"

Kagome frowned. "Nee… Kimihiro-kun, I know I don't know Kunogi-san that well, but I think you should be more careful around her. Her aura isn't as beautiful as her name."

He glanced at her, eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean by that?"

She didn't reply, too deep in her thoughts. Just from a brief conversation with the other girl, some of her aura had already attached itself to his. It didn't seem that dangerous at the moment, but… Hm… If Kimihiro-kun was adamant about Kunogi-san, she should probably make him a charm. After all, she wouldn't want her new friend to be harmed. Her charm-making skills weren't as great as Miroku-sama, but it should be enough to ward off Kunogi-san's tainted aura, most spirits, and weak youkai.

Meanwhile, Yuuko was informing Kimihiro that his face was poor. He countered it by gushing about how meeting Himawari-chan gave him good fortune and arguing that it was a guy called Doumeki who must've reversed that luck.

"But, I don't think that girl would be your Goddess of Luck or anything."

"W-What's with you and Kagome-chan?" He scowled. "Why are you two against Himawari-chan?"

Kagome placed a hand on his tense shoulders. "I don't have anything against Kunogi-san, Kimihiro-kun. Like I've said before, I don't really know anything about her. I just think that you should be a little more careful around her."

"It seems she has come again," the wish-granter said.

Yuuko-san's sensory abilities were really great. Not only did she easily pinpoint Kunogi's tainted aura, which had been dimmed due to Kagome's own purifying aura, in Kimihiro-kun's, but she also seemed to know exactly who was in the area. At the moment, all Kagome could sense was someone's entry into the barrier, but not their identity.

XxXxXxXxX

Once again, they were hiding behind the sliding door, observing Yuuko-san's interaction with the woman from before. Today, there was no smoke around her. Was it due to the ring?

"But your bad habit hasn't been cured," Yuuko said, frowning.

"Huh?"

"How old are you?"

"I'm twenty-one." A large cloud of black smoke emerged from her pinkie with the ring.

"Employed?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"An advertising agency in project management." The smoke grew larger.

"Are you sure you don't have any bad habits?"

"Huh?"

Yuuko reached across the desk, sliding a slender finger over the woman's lips. "Here's one." Her hand trailed down to the woman's chest, directly above her heart. "And here's another."

"Have I done something wrong?"

Retrieving her hand, she leaned back against her chair. "I don't know. Is there anything else that has changed?" When the woman told her that her arm was also experiencing the same problem, Yuuko tapped the ring on her pinkie. "If you don't figure it out quickly, you'd lose your hand."

There was a crack in the red jewel and the ring seemed dirtier than it was when the woman first arrived. Kagome frowned. It must've been absorbing the worst of the miasma. If the women didn't hurry and correct herself of the bad habit, whatever it was, she could seriously end up in trouble.

As the woman continuing answering Yuuko's questions, the miasma grew larger. Kagome noticed Kimihiro covering his nose, grimacing. Was it hurting him? She drew closer to her coworker until their shoulders were touching and let her aura wash over him. He sighed in relief, bringing his hand down from his face.

"Moro, Maru, please show her out," she said, standing up.

"Yes, mistress," they said in union. "Please, this way…"

Once the woman was out of hearing range, Yuuko commented, "She probably won't be coming back here anymore."

Kagome and Kimihiro walked up to their employer. "Um… What do you mean by that?" he asked. "There's this black smoke coming out from her finger while she was answering your questions."

Yuuko sat back down. "Yes, her finger couldn't move because of the smoke, but I believe she's at her limit now." She held out her pinkie. "The little finger is a very precious thing. Do you know why?"

"It's the finger that typically symbolizes promises and fate," Kagome answered.

"Exactly." Kimihiro then asked for permission to go out, in which Yuuko responded: "Go out? Are you planning to tell her what I said? She has to realize her bad habit for herself. She is the only one who could fix it."

"But, I'm still going," Kimihiro said, rushing out the door.

Kagome lingered behind. "You know she wouldn't be able to figure out her bad habit before it's too late, don't you, Yuuko-san? It has become so engrained in her that she doesn't even realize she's doing it anymore. Lying is second nature to her now. Kimihiro-kun is going to witness something that would scar him for life." Without waiting for a reply, she too dashed out the building.

By the time she caught up with her friend, the woman was standing in the middle of the road, enveloped by black smog, about to take off the one thing that was aiding her survival.

"No!" Kimihiro shouted. "Don't take it off!"

It was too late. The ring came slipped off her pinkie and the miasma grew so thick they could barely see the woman. Spotting an incoming truck, Kagome hurried over, turned the taller male around and pressed Kimihiro's head against her shoulder, just in time to prevent him from seeing the impact.

"Don't turn around" she whispered, hugging him closer and slowly leading him over to a nearby alley. "You don't need to see something like that."

"What about you?" he mumbled in her shoulder, choking on his tears. "You saw that, didn't you? I heard the tires screech and the screams."

Kagome paused, feeling the wall against her back. "Don't worry about me, Kimihiro-kun. Just as you're used to the ugliness of fallen spirits, I'm used to the horrors humanities had to offer." She released him from her embrace and smiled up at him. "Bloodshed and broken bodies are not strangers to me. As long as I could shield my friends from the same nightmares, I don't mind carrying the burden." Before he could reply to that, she said, "Go back to Yuuko-san. I'd accompany the woman to the hospital."

XxXxXxXxX

Kimihiro didn't know why he followed her orders, but he did — maybe it was shock or maybe it was the sadness and pain she saw in Kagome's eyes. Why would someone as sweet and kind as his friend be used to bloodshed? Just what terrible things had she witnessed?

Were those memories what Kagome wished to erase? He knew Yuuko-san was capable of messing with a person's memories. After all, a while back, she did erase Syaoran's presence in all of Sakura's memories as the price for his wish.

"Yuuko-san, why didn't you tell her that she needed to stop lying?" he asked.

The shopkeeper blew out a trail of tobacco smoke. "A lie is something a person tells and stops telling for their own sake. It's not something you can just tell a person to do. Besides, we can't say whether or not what happened this time was brought upon by herself."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps, this just became an excuse. Still, in the end, everything from here on is dependent upon her."

"Can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

His eyes narrowed. "Did you know what was going to happen to her from the beginning? Or what will happen from now on? If that's the case, then Yuuko-san, do you know everything I've decided to do from now on?"

She leaned forward, resting her chin upon her hand. "Maybe, if that's what you believe, then that could be the case."

"That's…"

"Tadaima," Kagome said, entering the room. Kimihiro frowned when he spotted blood splattered across her blouse. He shouldn't have left her alone there, no matter what she had said.

"Okaeri nasai, Kagome-chan!" Yuuko waved, grinning. By the sliding door, Moro and Maru cheered, "Okaeri! Okaeri!"

Then the witch pointed at him with her pipe. "Watanuki, I'm hungry. Make dinner."

His jaw slackened. "What!" Didn't she say that he could have the rest of the day off a little while ago?

Moro and Maru danced around his legs. "Dinner! Dinner!"

"I want to eat taichazuke!" Yuuko ordered. "And hirezake! Toast the fin well."

He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Fine…" There was just no use arguing against that woman.

"I'll help you, Kimihiro-kun," Kagome smiled, following him towards the kitchen.

In the past two days, they had developed a system — he was in charge of the actual cooking but Kagome would help out with ingredients preparation and dish washing. It was a welcome change, considering Moro, Maru, and Mokona usually just stood around in the kitchen, generally giving him a headache.

The sound of a knife hitting a wooden chopping board soon filled the air with water boiling on the stove in the background.

"Ne… Kagome-chan…"

"Hm?"

He glanced at her and wetted his lips. "Um… Earlier, you said that you've seen a lot of bloodshed. Um… if you don't mind me asking… why did you…?"

A shadow crossed her eyes and her smile died. "I accidentally broke something really important and scattered it across the land. Human, spirits, and youkai were all interested in that object. A single shard could give you a power boost and keep you alive. You can get hacked to pieces but it would pull your body together and heal you. And that's just a single shard. Could you imagine what more of them could give you? What people would do to collect them?"

Kimihiro nodded. Power-hungry people wouldn't hesitate to kill in order to attain it. But still… he didn't recall anything like that happening. If such an object really existed, then wouldn't it be all over the news? Kagome didn't seem to be lying though.

"And that isn't all. The object, when whole, is rumoured to be able to grant your every wish. There was a mad scramble for the shards. Betrayal happened around every corner. Family and friends turned against each other. People became mad with bloodlust and greed. Countless broken bodies lain before us on bloodied fields." Kagome dropped to her knees, covering her face with both hands. "It's all my fault, all my fault," she sobbed. "I've caused all of it. If I didn't bring the jewel there… If I didn't shatter it… Then all those people wouldn't have…"

He held her shaking body in his arms, ignoring the wetness growing on his shirt, murmuring sweet nothings in her ears, hoping to calm her down.

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What do you think of my first chapter? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the xxxHolic, Inuyasha, and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles aren't mines; they belong to their respective owners. Anything else belongs to me. Please ask for permission and getting it before taking my things.

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May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra