Disclaimer: I do not own Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles nor any of the affiliating titles and characters.

Oh, god, I got to stop doing these OC/SI stories. This is my fifth one! I suspect you guys are probably getting sick of these, so I promise that the next story I post, which shouldn't be for a while, will have no OCs. Sound good?

Now as for this story, I like to put my OC's in different situations to make each story different from other OC/SI fanfics. Hopefully, the summary was enough to make you curious because I think I'm really going on a limb here. The storyline will follow both the manga and anime, but I won't be referencing the English Dub a whole lot. As much as loved it, the Japanese version is still better. That said, please enjoy the story and leave me a review!

~Man's Best Friend~

Chapter 1: Be Careful What You Wish For

It started out as a dream and then it became a wish, an impossible and somewhat childish one to be certain. It wasn't a unique wish; many people had made similar ones before. The person who made this wish was no better or worse than those others. The only thing that made this wish different was that it came true.

And it was all thanks to a feather.

Erin had found it while walking her dog, Mutt. Not the most creative or flattering name, but that was part of the reason for why she'd picked it in the first place. Mutt was an Akita Inu with tan fur and a white undercoat, standing from head to toe at about 23 inches, with dark brown eyes, and sporting a slightly scruffy tail. She was a good dog, playful and loving. Her only bad habit was that she sometimes had a tendency to chew on things she shouldn't.

It should be noted that Mutt found the feather. Erin had only spotted the dull pink light once her dog had dug most of it out. Thinking that it had been a phone or an abandoned glow stick, Erin had rushed over to save it from being chewed on. To her utmost surprise, the source of light turned out to be a feather, though not just any feather, but a pink one that she recognized immediately. A Sakura Feather, it was from one of her favorite manga turned anime, Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicles.

Of course Erin didn't believe it was real, so she tried to rationalize its existence. A prop made by a dedicated fan, a figment of her imagination, a normal feather that had been doused in toxic waste. The theories were many and each managed to become even more farfetched than the last. One thing was unanimous though, it couldn't possibly be a real Sakura Feather. With that thought in mind, Erin had seen no harm in making a wish on it.

Taking the strange feather into her hands, she paused to admire its beauty up close. She'd never seen anything like it before. The light truly did seem to radiate from it and Erin could feel that it was warm, like it had been sitting in the sun recently, even though it was almost midnight. Feeling self-conscious, she looked around to see that only Mutt was staring up at her curiously. Reassured that no one was there to see her indulge in such a dumb whim, she closed her eyes and brought the feather close to her chest.

'I wish it was all real, that Mutt and I could be there, together, and help collect Sakura's feathers with the others.' Through her eyelids, Erin could see the light getting brighter and she gasped as the warmth spread to her hands and throughout her body. Opening her eyes, she saw that a seal, not unlike the ones in the anime, appeared beneath her feet and Mutt began to bark frantically at the feather that was now floating above them. 'What the hell?! It actually worked?' Was her last thought as a blinding light exploded around her, only to be swallowed up by darkness.

~Man's Best Friend~

Erin slowly woke up, blinking furiously as her vision came in fuzzy and everything looked odd. Once her sight cleared, she saw that she was in a foreign room with a bare wooden floor and white walls that had a very oriental feeling to the design. The oddness had yet to dissipate though. The colors looked too bright, the floor boards shone pristinely, everything just looked… fake, as if someone had drawn it. Distracted with her surroundings, it took Erin a few seconds longer to realize that she was on the ground and when she tried to stand up, her limbs wouldn't cooperate.

"Ah, you're up I see." Startled, she looked over to see a woman stepping into the room, sliding the shoji styled door behind her. 'Wow, I really must be out of it, I didn't even hear her come in.' Erin tilted her head, mouthing opening in astonishment as she saw that the woman looked like a cartoon, literally. She was outlined in ink; her long, impossibly straight black hair swooped down to the floor as she bent forwards to hover over Erin directly. Her unusual red eyes were too big for her narrow face, and her skin was devoid of blemishes or wrinkles. For further proof of her animated appearance, her figure defied the laws of reality. She was almost unnaturally thin, her limbs long and pale, with a reasonably sized bust. Her dark purple kimono was vibrant, with a pattern of butterflies spread across in a creative design.

"What the hell is going on? Am I dreaming?" Erin muttered as she gave her head a quick shake. She didn't feel like she was dreaming, but that would explain why she couldn't get up and why everything looked like an anime. Looking back at the animated woman, she realized she knew who this person was. "Hey wait, you're Yuuko!"

"I am." Yuuko confirmed with a smile. "And who are you?"

"Uh, Erin Lawes…" She paused before huffing a short laugh. "Sorry, but this is the weirdest dream I've had in a long time."

"You are not dreaming." Yuuko corrected bluntly and Erin rolled her eyes.

"That's exactly what a dream would say." She attempted to pull herself onto her knees, bracing her hands on the ground while still keeping her eyes locked on the animated woman. She'd never dreamt up something with such clarity before. It was actually a little freaky. Instead of standing up, she found herself grunting as her limbs slid out from under her. "Okay, why can't I get up?"

"Perhaps it's because you're not use to walking on four legs?" Yuuko offered and Erin frowned at her, visibly annoyed.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" The Witch pointed behind her and Eric turned to see a familiar fur coat and tail in the place where her body should be. "What the–" Finally looking down, she saw Mutt's paws laid out in front of her. She tried moving her left hand, but only a furry foreleg lifted into the air. "T-This is just more proof that I'm dreaming!" She stammered, try as she might though, Erin couldn't deny that she felt very wide awake at the moment. Her heart was racing, her breaths were quickly becoming frantic and shallow, and her nose felt surprisingly wet. "I can't be a dog!"

"Ah, so you did used to be human. I thought as much. Being the Dimensional Witch, I'm able to understand all languages, but I've never been able to speak with animals before. I suppose, since you actually have something to say, I'm able to understand what you mean." Yuuko smiled to herself, completely ignoring Erin's panic attack. "Well, you learn something new every day."

"Stop smiling, this is my life dammit! I don't want to be stuck inside my dog's body!" She yelled, startling herself as an actual growl erupted from her throat.

"Your dog's body?" Yuuko repeated curiously, looking completely unperturbed by her shouting.

"Yeah, see I found this feather, Sakura's feather, and I–"

"You know about the feathers?" Yuuko interrupted, her voice coming out sharper than before.

"Er, yeah?" Erin nodded slowly and the Dimensional Witch looked away in thought. "Anyway, I made a wish on it to come here with Mutt to help collect Sakura's feathers." Yuuko gave her a deadpanned look. "It's not like I thought it would work!" She added defensively and the woman smirked.

"I thought this was a dream? Are you saying you believe this is real now?" The Witch teased and she grumbled in agreement as her gaze lowered to the floor. What could she say? Not even her most lucid dreams had been like this. The wooden floor beneath her felt cold and the air smelled of some faded floral incense. Now that she was aware of herself, Erin was suddenly noticing all the differences of Mutt's body compared to her own. Fur was an odd sensation, warm, soft, but completely foreign in a way she could hardly describe. Here mouth felt too narrow, her tongue too long, her teeth too sharp. Then there was the fact that she now had a tail, something she couldn't even begin to guess at how it moved. It was all too real to brush off. "The way I see it, your wish came true." Erin glanced up at her in surprise.

"Huh, how do you figure that? I didn't wish to be in Mutt's body."

"No, but you desired to come to this world with your dog, and there's no denying that you're both here. It's your soul inside your dog's body." The Dimensional Witch shrugged her shoulders smoothly, causing the butterfly patterned kimono to slip off her shoulder slightly as a result. Not that she seemed to notice. "Misinterpretations often come with vague wishes."

"Are you serious?" She whined and Yuuko's expression turned a bit somber as she nodded. "Man, talk about a Monkey's Paw. Alright, so where's my body then? Is Mutt in it?" Erin asked worriedly. The mere thought of her dog running around in her body was enough to make her pale. She could just picture herself barking up at a tree in a crowded park. If anyone saw that, Mutt would be tossed into the nearest looney bin without a second thought.

"I don't know where your body is, but I can see that Mutt's soul has not left her own body, she is merely sleeping." Yuuko explained as she laid a glowing hand on top of Erin's head. She tried not to flinch at her touch and failed, but the Witch just smiled at her gently before leaning back. "Your presence has overpowered hers."

"That's just great." She groaned, wishing she could massage away the headache that was growing behind her right eye. "Okay, so how do I get back into my own body?"

"You will need to find it first. There's a chance that your body never left your world. Then again, it's also possible that it landed in another world while you were crossing over." Yuuko answered lowly, her eyes half-lidded with mischief. "Either way, if you want to find your body, you must travel to other worlds."

"Like Syaoran and the others." Erin concluded while nodding to herself.

"How do you know about them and Sakura's feathers?" Yuuko questioned, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.

"Um, well, in my world you're all just a bunch of fictional characters, a story." Unsurprisingly, the Dimensional Witch seemed to take this in stride, even looking a little amused. She hummed for a moment before her unassuming expression gave way to a sterner one.

"So you know what will happen, all of it?" Yuuko's serious tone suddenly reminded Erin that she was dealing with one of the most powerful people from the manga. "Even the events that I have not foreseen?"

"Yes ma'am." She replied quietly. "Is that a bad thing?"

"It is if Fei Wong Reed finds out you possess such knowledge." The woman closed her eyes in thought. It was silent for a full minute before she opened her eyes again, her gaze landing on Erin immediately. The woman-turned-dog did not like the gleam that appeared in those red eyes. "Why did you wish to come here?"

"I didn't think it would come true." She mumbled sourly.

"If you had known what would happen, would you have still wanted to come here?" The question made Erin pause in thought.

"Well, I might've wished to go somewhere else." Now that was a mind exploding thought. If Tsubasa was real, did this mean that other animes were real too? "And if I'd known I would have been turned into a dog, I would've been more specific with my wish. But yeah, I think so." Yuuko tilted her head, prompting for her to continue. "I mean, after reading about you guys, I fell in love with your characters."

"Interesting choice in words." The Witch mused with a teasing smile. "Which one caught your attention?"

"Not like that!" She growled and Yuuko chuckled. "Syaoran was always so full of determination and loyalty; I know he'd do anything for Sakura. Kurogane and Fai were so much fun to read about, especially with Mokona joining in to tease Kurogane. Their adventures were amazing and when I was younger, I often daydreamed about joining their search for Sakura's feathers." Erin frowned as she lowered her head to the floor, ignoring Mutt's paws as best she could. "I guess that makes me sound pretty dorky." 'Yeah, more like pathetic.' She mentally scoffed at herself.

"So it's the knowledge of them that you treasure." Yuuko surmised and Erin attempted a shrug, glad to find out that dogs can actually pull it off.

"I guess."

"Then that will be your payment for traveling to other worlds." The Witch stated with a solemn nod, as if something really important had just been decided.

"Wait, what!?" Her head shot off the floor as she stared up at Yuuko in alarm. "What's my price? I don't think I understand."

"You valued their stories so much that you wished yourself away from your world and everything you had. So I will take the knowledge you possess." She paused to let her words sink in. "You will still remember their names, their quest, and that they were a story in your world, retaining only the barest of information."

"So I won't remember what happens in the future?" Yuuko shook her head. "But then how will I change anything? I could save the others from so much suffering!"

"Have you not heard the saying, the road to hell is paved with good intentions? To deviate from the future's charted course would be catastrophic. Syaoran knows this better than anyone. His deal with Fei Wong has changed many lives and put time itself in a continuous loop."

"You think I could distort the timeline like he did?" Erin asked anxiously and she nodded.

"Or perhaps create something much worse." Even Yuuko looked worried at that thought. "If Fei Wong ever learnt about what you know, the future could shift so much that it would be the end of everything." Erin couldn't help but shudder at the woman's eerie, foreboding words.

"So losing my memories of what'll happen is for the best, got it." The Dimensional Witch shook her head.

"I do not have the ability to take away memories, only seal them. Fortunately, time is on our side. It is still a week before Syaoran and the others arrive, you will learn to get used to your new body until then." Yuuko crouched down in front of her, her long dark purple kimono sweeping out around her elegantly. "However, I would prefer to seal your memories now, if that is acceptable?" Erin looked at her for a second before nodding hesitantly.

"If you feel it's for the best..." Yuuko gave her a reassuring smile before she grabbed Mutt's metal nametag. A bright pink glow outlined the woman's hand and Erin saw a different magic circle appear beneath her body. After a few minutes, she suddenly got that annoying sensation she usually had whenever she'd forgotten something important. Once finished, the Dimensional Witch released the tag, revealing that it had been altered. On the front where Mutt's name had once been inscribed, it now had Erin printed across it in bold letters. The backside that had listed Erin's address was replaced with a much smaller version of Yuuko's magic circle.

"It is done." Yuuko stated and Erin blinked up at her, confused as to what the Witch was talking about. "That collar cannot be taken off through normal means, but if it is removed then the seal will be broken and you will regain your memories."

"Okay, but, er, memories of what?" She asked blankly and the Dimensional Witch frowned as she stood up without wrinkling her kimono.

"Of what you is most precious to you." Seeing as the anime woman was being cryptic, Erin turned to her own mind for answers.

Last night she had found a magical feather, made a wish to go to another world, and had woken up stuck inside the body of her dog. Erin was still having a hard time wrapping her mind around this bizarre situation. Yuuko was a character from an anime she had only seen in passing. She knew there were four main characters to the show, and that they traveled across different worlds, searching for magical feathers like the one she'd found, but that was about it. To get back her body, she would have to travel to other worlds, so she'd traded some of her memories as payment. Erin briefly wondered what those memories had been about. It didn't seem like anything from her personal life was missing.

"Come along Erin, I think it's time you got use to your new body."

"Uh, two questions ma'am." She said while struggling to stand on her feet again. With enough concentration, she leveled out, but then had to focus on balancing. The tail was throwing her completely off center. 'God, I can't believe this shit is happening!'

"Yes?"

"How will I find my body? I'm just guessing here, but I assume that these other worlds are just as big as my own." Her back legs buckled for a second, but she recovered quickly.

"If you arrive in the dimension that your body is in, your tag will glow." The Witch answered easily. "The closer you get, the brighter the light."

"Okay, cool. Second question, what happened to the feather I found, the one that brought us here?"

"That I don't know. Perhaps it is with your body." Yuuko confessed after a moment. "Or perhaps it too was sent to another world. Whatever the case, I'm sure you will find it along with Syaoran and the others."

~Man's Best Friend~

The week passed by slowly. Erin, once she worked out the dynamics on how to walk on four legs, found herself sitting listlessly by Yuuko's side more often than not. She met the others around the shop. The two creepy twins, Maru and Moro, the high school student, Watanuki, and the pair of rabbit-like creatures named Mokona and Larg. Erin could remember reading xxxholic a few years back, but she'd never gotten past the first few chapters.

Watanuki was a bit of a goofy kid who tended to overreact at times, but Erin got along with him surprisingly well. It helped that he'd thrown a hysterical fit at hearing her speak the first time; it was the funniest thing she'd seen in a while. Maru and Moro seemed to be obsessed with brushing her fur and it felt good so she let them, though the two tended to argue over her sometimes since there was apparently only one comb. Mokona and Larg seemed to be the anime's obligatory cute mascots; they tended to use her as transportation more often than not, regularly demanding for rides on her back. Yuuko was still something of a mystery, but she seemed like a good person.

Despite the sluggishness of the passing days not being what Erin wanted, they were exactly what she needed. She'd freaked out the second night, but Yuuko had helped her calm down and accept her situation. People weren't supposed to find out that fiction was real; it messed with their perception of reality. Watanuki proved to be an excellent ally in that regard, as he told her of his ability to see the supernatural, though it had worried her at realizing that ghosts were real in this world. The week gave Erin the time she needed to deal with everything that had happened to her.

She was in an anime, she was a dog now, and she had a mission.

"Are you sure you want to be all the way over there?" Yuuko asked, her voice coming out a little louder than normal so that she could be heard over the rain and distance. The Dimensional Witch was dressed to impress today as she wore a long, beautiful black dress that was decorated with a crescent moon in numerous places. Strangely, Erin noticed that none of the raindrops were touching Yuuko, almost as if the woman had put an invisible umbrella above herself. 'Kind of waste of magic just to make sure your clothes don't get wet.'

"I don't want to smell like wet dog! I'm perfectly fine over here." Erin called back from the shop's porch, taking shelter under the extended roof. In truth, Mutt's fur coat was basically waterproof. She was just avoiding temptation. Erin stared at a nearby puddle intently, barely resisting the urge to go and jump in it like Mutt had done countless times. Fortunately her attention was redirected after a few seconds as a strange bubble, that really looked more like the scenery was melting, suddenly descended from sky, landing in front of Yuuko. Erin sat up straight, tail wagging eagerly as she watched the dimension distorting bubble pop to reveal a boy holding an unconscious girl.

"They're here." Yuuko announced as two more distortions began to form from the ground in front of the boy. To Erin's right appeared a kneeling man who wore a black cloak and held a long sword over his shoulder. To the left stood another man in a long, overly large white coat lined with fur and holding a golden staff. If she remembered right, then their names were Kurogane and Fai respectively. The teenage boy, Erin knew, was an alternate older version of a character from another anime that she used to watch as a kid called Card Captor. Syaoran, that was it, meaning he was holding the counterpart to the old anime's protagonist, Sakura.

"Who are you?" The kneeling man asked in a deep, rough tone. Erin tilted her head in surprise. She knew his English voice actor was Christopher R. Sabat, but Kurogane sounded like his Japanese actor. 'Aw, that's disappointing.'

"The Dimensional Witch, correct?" The other man answered brightly. Like Kurogane, Fai's voice was that of his Japanese voice actor. 'No, I wanted hear Vic Mignogna's sexy voice!' Erin thought as anime tears spilled down her face.

"That is what they call me." Yuuko confirmed.

"Please save Sakura!" Syaoran shouted, distress radiating from his tone. "I beg of you, please save her!" Erin took her chance to get a closer look at the leading characters. Syaoran had a worn dark green cloak, a black sleeveless turtleneck underneath, off-white pants, and thick black boots. His chestnut colored hair was spiked in a way that could only be possible in an anime, while his eyes were a darker shade of brown. His limbs were lithe with some muscle beginning to show, and he seemed to be of average height for someone his age, which she estimated to be around fifteen.

"That girl, her name is Sakura?" The Witch asked and woman-turned-dog bit back a scoff. Yuuko knew who they all were; she was just trying to be mysterious and dramatic. Turning her assessing gaze onwards, Erin studied Sakura's limp form. Likely around the same age as Syaoran, she was dressed in a rather odd outfit that consisted of white slippers, a strange pants/skirt combination, and a crop top that exposed her stomach a little. The color scheme was mostly white, with a dark pink square-like pattern bordering the hem, decorated with a few blue jewels of various sizes. Her hair was cut rather short and a bit unkempt with a pretty pinkish blonde coloring.

"Yes." The teenage boy replied seriously.

"And you are?" She continued, her tone bland.

"My name is Syaoran." Yuuko stepped forward to lay a hand on Sakura's head, her palm glowing slightly as she checked over her condition.

"This girl has lost some important things, hasn't she? And they have scattered across different worlds. At this rate the girl… will die." Syaoran gasped.

"And just who might you be?" Kurogane asked irritably and Erin turned to him to see that he was no longer kneeling. The first thing she noticed was that he was very tall; he was definitely over six feet. He was lean and muscular; broad shouldered, with tanned skin and short, spikey black hair. His eyes were a more vibrant shade of red than Yuuko's and he held himself with pride. Underneath his long black cloak he wore black boots, black pants, two crisscrossing red belts on his waist, and an odd black samurai-like chest plate with red highlights accentuating it. He wore no shirt underneath the armor, exposing his shoulders and biceps, but had red and black guards on his forearms. To finish off the ensemble, he wore an weird red headpiece with a black crescent moon in the middle of the band. Erin guessed he was in his late-twenties, maybe a little younger.

"Please introduce yourself first." Yuuko replied, seemingly unconcerned as the man towered over her.

"I'm Kurogane." He answered before looking over his shoulder. "Actually, where the hell is this place?" His eyes landed on Erin briefly before they returned back to the Dimensional Witch.

"This is Japan." Yuuko replied simply.

"Huh, but the place I was in was also Japan?" Kurogane said as he frowned at the kneeling woman.

"But this is a completely different Japan." Yuuko stated, not really explaining anything, and Erin had to wonder if the woman did that for her own amusement.

"That makes no friggn' sense." Kurogane growled, but the Witch merely turned her gaze to Fai, indifferent to the swordsman's aggressive confusion. 'Yep, she's gotta be laughing at all of us from the inside.'

"And you?" Erin took in the other man's appearance as he bowed in greeting to Yuuko. She saw that Fai had ruffled blonde hair and blue eyes that shone like crystals. He was pale and tall, although he only came up to Kurogane's shoulders. Erin couldn't tell how thin he looked, as he seemed to be wearing many layers of clothes. Underneath his white cloak, he seemed to be wearing another fur-lined coat, though this one was colored blue. A thick black strap with a gold buckle was crossed over his chest and he wore black boots. 'Yikes, wherever he came from must've been freezing!' She doubted that he was older than twenty-five.

"I am a wizard from the country of Celes, Fai D. Flowright." The wizard's pleasant gaze switched to Erin after a moment and his blue eyes widened briefly before regaining his calm demeanor.

"Watanuki, go to the storage house and bring those things back." Yuuko ordered as she stood, her gaze never leaving the small group. Erin startled as she looked to her left, surprised to see Watanuki and the twins standing beside her. She'd been too focused on studying the others to even notice their arrival.

"Yes, ma'am." Her assistant replied as the two girls took his hands and led him away to the storage room, which Erin knew to be a shrine-looking shed located in the backyard.

"How can I save Sakura?" Syaoran asked again, urgency filling his voice. "Please tell me."

"In order to save her life, you will have to go through different worlds and collect her scattered memory fragments." Yuuko answered while giving him a side glance.

"Scattered memory fragments?" Syaoran muttered before his eyes widened in realization. "So those feathers…"

"Yes, that's right. If you manage to gather all of her feathers, you will be able to save her life. That is your wish, correct?"

"Yes."

"And you two, from the mere fact that you are here, must have some request as well." Yukko continued, looking at Erin briefly.

"A request? That's simple. Send me back to the world I just came from." Kurogane replied.

"I just don't want to go back to the world I came from." Fai added with another agreeable smile and Kurogane glared at him.

"You're dreams are all one and the same." The Witch responded as she looked at Fai. "You do not wish to go back to your own world, and want to go to other worlds." She then turned to Kurogane. "You long to leave this foreign land and go back to your original world."

"That's right." Kurogane said while still glaring at Fai.

"And, you wish to go to different worlds to recapture her scattered memory fragments and save her life." Yuuko said as she studied Syaoran, who nodded. "Though your motives differ, the steps that must be taken are the same. What matters is traveling to different worlds, wanting to go to other worlds. But, in order for you to go into different worlds, you must all give up something precious to you."

"Precious?" Kurogane asked and Erin's thoughts once again turned to her sealed memories.

"In order for your dream to come true, you must give up something very important; of equivalent value. That's what you mean, right?" Fai questioned and Yuuko gave a slight smile as she closed her eyes.

"Yes, that's right. In order to go into different worlds, you must give up something very precious to you. I cannot merely grant each of your wishes. But if the three of you are willing to work for the same objective, then I will let you go after each of you gives up one valuable thing."

"Each of us?" The swordsman repeated and the Witch nodded.

"For example, in your case, your katana perhaps."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Kurogane shouted as he leaned away from Yuuko, his sword clenched tightly. "The Silver Dragon is my life. I'll never hand it over!"

"That's fine, if that's how you want it. You'll just never be able to return to your original world then." Kurogane growled at her, but Yuuko was undeterred as she inched forwards and started to poke the swordsman in the chest. "So what's it gonna be tough guy?" She sang her last few words, looking positively mischievous. "I'm the only one in this world able to send you to another."

"Bullshit!" He yelled back angrily.

"It's true." Fai chirped happily and Kurogane glanced at him with in disbelief.

"Really?" The wizard smiled and nodded, looking a little air-headed while doing so. Kurogane regarded his prized katana one more time before sheathing the blade. "Shit! I'll definitely be back for this someday." He promised in low tone while holding out his sword. "Until then, I'll leave it with you." The katana was outlined in a pinkish light as it floated from Kurogane's grasp over to Maru and Moro, who had returned at some point without Erin noticing again.

"Your precious item shall be the tattoo on your back." Yuuko stated to Fai, whose smile slipped a little.

"I don't suppose this staff will suffice?" He asked, not sounding very hopeful.

"It won't. The precious item must be something of extremely high value to its bearer." The Dimensional Witch countered softly.

"I guess it can't be helped." Pink light glowed from Fai's back as the outline of an intricate tattoo lifted off of his skin and joined Kurogane's sword. Erin looked at it in confusion, it certainly didn't look like much, and Fai didn't even seem upset about losing it. He still stood there, smiling with his eyes closed.

"Syaoran, your important thing will be… your relationship."

"My relationship?" He repeated, clearly unsure of what Yuuko was asking.

"It is the most important thing to you. That is, your relationship with that girl. So I am going to take that." At this point Erin was getting a little anxious, so she stood and padded over to Yuuko's side, seeing as the rain was beginning to lighten. Out of a habit that had been born over the past week, Yuuko's hand scratched the spot just behind her left ear, causing her tail to wag in content. Annoying and embarrassing as it was, Mutt's instincts and antics had a tendency to take over at times. Erin hadn't been able to look Yuuko in the eyes for an entire day after she'd been caught chasing her own tail.

"What do you mean?" Syaoran asked cautiously, his gaze flickering to her briefly.

"Even if that girl's memories are returned completely, all of her memories regarding you will never return." Yuuko explained softly. "And that's why you will never be able to have the same relationship you had with her before. That, Syaoran, is your most important item. What is that girl to you?" The boy was silent for a moment as the patter of the rain consumed the group in an unnatural heaviness.

"To me, Sakura is… She's my childhood friend. Even though she's the princess of our kingdom… She is… an important person to me." He paused as he laid his forehead to hers. "But… I will go. I will never let Sakura die!"

"Traveling through different worlds will be more difficult than you could have ever imagined. There are all sorts of different worlds, for example, the worlds that those two came from. You should be able to tell just from their clothes. Neither of them lived in the same world as you. It's possible that a person you know from a previous world will be living a completely different lifestyle in another world. It's even possible that you might meet the same person, only in a different guise, in many different worlds. Those worlds may be full of nothing but criminals, or full of lies. Or even a world in the depths of war. You have to survive and travel through them all. You have to seek out her memory fragments, even if you have no idea as to their whereabouts. Never knowing when it will be over, you must embark on a long, long journey. But you won't let that affect your decision, right?"

"Right." Syaoran agreed without the slightest hesitation.

"Your resolve and devotion, you will need these to accomplish the tasks that lie before you. But it seems to me that you already possess such traits." Watanuki returned then, carrying both Mokona and Larg in his arms and Mokona jumped onto Yuuko's open palm. "This little one is Mokona Modoki. They will lead you to other worlds."

"Hey since you have another one over there, give us that one too." Kurogane said while pointing at Larg.

"That one is for transmission purposes." Yuuko clarified with a smug smile, causing Kurogane to scowl. "Mokona will bring you to other worlds, but he cannot control where you are heading. And that's why it's up to chance as to whether your wishes can be granted. But within those words there is no such thing as coincidence. All there is, is inevitability. The fact that you've all met was inevitable as well."

Erin frowned slightly and glanced up at the others. Kurogane was glowering, Fai was still smiling, and Syaoran looked on grimly as he held Sakura tightly. By what she gathered from listening to Yuuko, there was a good chance she would be traveling with them for some time. 'Damn and I was hoping this was one of those short animes.' Erin tried not to let this fact bother her. Maybe she would luck out and find her body soon. It was all up to chance at this point. Or inevitability. Whatever.

"Erin." Yuuko's voice cut through her thoughts and she blinked up at the woman, who smiled. "This is where we part ways." She nodded before stepping over to join the others, standing between Fai and Kurogane.

"Whoa, hey, what's with the mutt?" Kurogane grunted while glaring down at Erin. 'Why the hell did I think I was being clever when I named Mutt?'

"Who're you calling a mutt, idiot?" She growled back, smirking as the man let out a surprised shout. She returned her attention to Yuuko and bowed her head. "Thanks for everything, Yuuko."

"Well, would you look at that?" Fai commented idly as he smiled down at her, not at all surprised with her ability to speak. She shrugged off his lack of a reaction. 'Well, he is a wizard. Maybe he could sense I wasn't a real dog or something?'

"What the hell?! Who are you calling an idiot?!" Kurogane shouted as he glared down at her. 'I get the feeling he's going to be the easiest one to mess with.' She smirked, noticing the way his eyebrow twitched.

"A talking dog?" Syaoran muttered as he looked at Erin with wide eyes. 'Huh, I'm surprised he isn't freaking out a little more.' Had she been presented with a talking animal, she was pretty sure her reaction would have matched Kurogane's.

"She will be joining you on your quest." Yuuko interrupted, regaining everyone's attention. "Now, go forth." Erin looked up to see Mokona glowing brightly as he rose into the air.

"Mokona Modoki can't wait!" The little guy cheered happily. "Kapuu!" Large wings made of glowing white feathers expanded from Mokona's back and swirling magic burst forth into the air as streams of multicolored light. A magic circle, similar to the one Yuuko had used on her a week ago, appeared at their feet and the swirling lights descended upon them. The streams wrapped around her and the others, pulling them towards Mokona's open mouth. Erin closed her eyes to block out the light, and for a second time, everything went black.

~Man's Best Friend~

Erin landed with a crash, with her legs sprawled across the ground, and her tail up in the air. Somehow she had feeling this was going to be the norm when arriving in new worlds. Looking down at herself, she wasn't surprised to find that Mutt's tag wasn't glowing. Her body wasn't in this world. 'I didn't think it would be that easy anyway.' She groaned as she stood and shook her body, flinging off what little rain had clung to her fur.

"Hey, watch it!" A deep voice growled from behind her and she turned to see Kurogane on the ground with, Fai, Syaoran, and Sakura piled out on top of him.

"Sorry about that." She apologized and he looked startled for a second before giving a huff. He sat up suddenly, flinging the others off of him.

"Ow, that hurt." Fai whined as he rubbed the back of his head and Kurogane just glared at him. "Hmm, I wonder where we are."

"We're in a new world! Puu!" Mokona cheered as he suddenly landed on top of Erin's head. The three adults looked up at the surrounding buildings, taking in their new environment. It looked like a modern city, but there was rubble on the road with scorch marks and an overturned bus. 'It looks like we landed in a warzone.'

"Well it's not my Japan." Kurogane grumbled.

"It's not my world either." Fai commented happily.

"Nor mine." Erin added while looking over the anime drawn environment. She wondered if it was even possible to get back to her world. Then again, a feather had landed there, so why wouldn't they be able to go there too? How would the others react to being in the third dimension? She blinked before a sudden thought struck her. "Mokona… did you just eat us?" The little creature hummed.

"Mokona is Mokona." Erin waited for him to say more, but he seemed content to just rock from side to side while on her head.

"What kind of shitty answer is that!?" Kurogane yelled and Mokona jumped off her head with a mocking wail. The little guy landed on Syaoran's chest, causing the unconscious boy to shift slightly. His arms were still wrapped around the sleeping princess, tucking her close to his side.

"Puu! Don't you want to see?" Mokona cheered while leaning over the boy's face just as Syaoran began to wake up. He blinked slowly, not even reacting to Mokona's presence. The tiny creature jumped off his chest with anime tears streaming down his face.

"You don't like me…" Mokona continued with his fake crying as Fai picked him up. Erin looked over at Kurogane to see that the man was visibly restraining himself from strangling their only mode of transportation.

"It looks like you're up, huh?" The wizard said idly and Syaoran instantly sat up.

"Sakura!" Erin accidentally bumped into Kurogane, startled at Syaoran's sudden shout. The man grunted in annoyance and Erin chuckled before muttering an apology. Once Syaoran saw that Sakura was alright, his sights moved onto their surroundings. "What is this place?"

"Who knows?" Fai tilted his head and Mokona copied the motion. "We've just woken up as well. But I do know one thing…" He paused to look through the bars of the bridge they were on, frowning at the destruction below. "And that is, that this is a land we've never been to before." Fai gave a side glance at the teenager. "You never let go of that girl even once, you know."

"Mokona wants to be hugged too!" The creature shouted as he jumped up and down in Fai's arms.

"You, umm…" Fai started with an apologetic smile as he'd clearly forgotten the boy's name already.

"I'm Syaoran."

"My name is pretty long, Fai will do." The blonde glanced over his shoulder to look at Kurogane with a playful smirk. "So? What do we call that black one over there?"

"I'm not "that black one". You can call me by my name, Kurogane." The swordsman stated and Fai closed his eyes, the smirk still visible on his face.

"Kurogane…" He paused and brought up a finger to his chin. "Would it be alright if I call you Kurgs or Kuro-tan? Maybe Kurgy or perhaps Kuro-puu?" Before Kurogane could, no doubt, yell at Fai for his nicknames, Mokona landed on his lap.

"Mokona wants a hug!" He squealed while jumping around. "Hug me! Hug me!"

"Hey, you!" Kurogane shouted while leaning forwards, causing Mokona to cover his ears. "Why are you on my lap?!" Erin, at seeing Kurogane's exaggerated reaction, couldn't help but laugh at the pair. "What are you laughing at?!"

"As, yes, the most mysterious member of our group." Fai said and she stopped laughing as she realized she'd unintentionally brought everyone's attention onto herself.

"My name's Erin Lawes, just Erin is fine." She introduced herself as Mokona jumped back onto her head. Before anything else could be said, a young boy appeared at the end of the bridge.

"What are you all doing over there?!" He shouted in alarm. He was about a head shorter than Syaoran, likely thirteen years old. He had black hair, beady black eyes, and wore a black school uniform. "Hurry! Hurry up and run!"

"Who are you?" Syaoran asked instead of moving, his hold over Sakura tightening slightly.

"I'm Masayoshi Saitou." The boy answered his panic dwindling as he took in their appearances. "I've never seen such odd clothes before. Could you be from a foreign country?"

"Foreigners?" Fai seemed to think it over for a second before shrugging. "Well I guess we are." The boy shook his head, regaining his urgency.

"In any case, this place is very dangerous! Please, escape at once!"

"What's going on?" Kurogane asked irritably from where he was sitting and Erin walked past him to stand next to Syaoran. Looking closely at the boy, she blinked in surprise at seeing that he had no nose. 'I wonder what that's like, not having a nose. Can he still smell things?'

"It's going to start if we don't get out of here immediately!" The boy had begun to wave his hands over his head.

"Start?" Fai repeated curiously. "What will?" As if waiting for that very question to be asked, two different groups gathered onto the roofs of opposing buildings. On the one behind them, the men had Mohawks dyed unnatural colors, spiked wristbands, and black leather clothes. The group facing them was made up of men wearing white bandanas, white gloves, dark clothes, and differently colored goggles.

"Ah, it's starting!" The kid shouted in a panic.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Kurogane asked, looking unimpressed with both parties.

"I don't know, but I totally want that dudes goggles." Erin replied while nodding at the man in front of them. He was no doubt the leader as he stood a bit away from the others. He had long silver hair pulled back into a low ponytail, orange lensed goggles covering his eyes, and a long bandana that flared out dramatically behind him.

"W-What should we do?" Masayoshi said to no one in particular while looking over the area frantically. "That's it!" The boy shouted as he pointed at a nearby bus with shattered windows. "We can take cover behind that!" The group stealthily crept towards the bus, managing to remain unseen as the two leaders from above started to argue with each other. "Those guys are a gang that's been terrorizing the neighborhood. They've been patrolling this town every day since they got here a week ago." Masayoshi explained as he pointed up at the Mohawk group.

"Heh, what an interesting bunch." Kurogane remarked as he smirked up at the two groups, obviously put in a good mood since a battle was likely to happen. "But none of them are carrying weapons. How do they fight?"

"Obviously, they use Kudan!" Masayoshi answered simply.

"Kudan?" Kurogane repeated the foreign word. "What's that?"

"Shut up for a second and you might find out." Erin muttered so that only Kurogane could hear her. The man glared and looked ready to say something in return when the gangs suddenly moved into action. They shouted at each other, insults lost among the numerous voices, before orbs of light, blue on the goggle side and red for the Mohawks, appeared above her fists. They held their arms out and the orbs shot forwards like a bullet. The two groups fired at each other relentlessly, turning the bridge they'd just been standing on into a battlefield. 'Oh, so everybody has their own spirit gun. That's nice.'

"So that's the so-called Kudan technique." Kurogane remarked with a triumphant smirk. Erin rolled her eyes at the man.

"Ah, you really don't know, do you?" Masayoshi returned with a confused expression. The three of them jumped suddenly as Syaoran let out a short yell from behind them.

"What the hell are you doing?" The swordsman growled at Fai, who had apparently been the source of Syaoran's distress.

"This." The wizard replied simply as he pulled out a familiar looking feather from the folds of Syaoran's cloak.

"Holy shit." Erin muttered lowly in disbelief as she studied the glowing feather. 'It looks just like the one Mutt found.'

"Ah, I thought I saw it before. This is a piece of that girl's memories, in theory anyway." Fai said with another smile.

"It was on my clothes?" Syaoran stared at it with wonder. "What a coincidence."

"There are no coincidences in this world. That witch said so herself. You found this feather unconsciously, to help save the girl." Fai's face serious tone eased as he turned a little sheepish. "Or something like that, I really don't know. In any case, you should give this to the girl immediately." Syaoran took the feather gratefully just as Erin's ears flickered back as she heard something hurtling towards them.

"Look out!" She shouted at the same time as Mokona, though her warning was noticeably less cheery. A stray blast hit the ground next to them and Erin was surprised as Kurogane grabbed a hold of her, tucking her safely under his cloak. Blinking harshly against the smoke and dirt that had been kicked up, she caught a glimpse of Syaoran running out from behind their cover.

"Hey!" Kurogane shouted after the boy.

"It's dangerous! Please come back!" Masayoshi added quickly, though his yell sounded positively pitiful in comparison to Kurogane's.

"Reckless, isn't he?" Fai commented with a happy face and Erin sneezed as the cloud of dirt irritated her sensitive nose.

"Why would he put himself in such danger?" The boy muttered in confusion.

"He needs that feather to protect a person who is very important to him." Fai answered solemnly.

"To protect someone important…"

"Kid, move your ass!" Erin shouted, earning a startled yelp from Masayoshi, and Kurogane grunted in what seemed to be agreement. The gangs of course noticed Syaoran running out into the open field and some of the Mohawks started firing at him instead. He tripped while avoiding the blasts, but he managed to catch the feather as he rolled to the ground. Unable to move in time, Syaoran braced himself to be hit, only for a barrier of fire to appear, blocking his back from the Kudan attack. A creature, which Erin could only describe as a brown wolf with a horn on its head, appeared in front of the kid in an arch of flames.

"That guy." Kurogane huffed, sounding amused, and Erin released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Anime was a hell of a lot more stressful when you're actually a part of it.

"So he possesses a Kudan too and a Top-Level one at that!" Masayoshi exclaimed and they turned to look at him in confusion.

"What do you mean by top level?" Mokona asked from his new spot in Fai's arms.

"There are different ranks of Kudan. The strongest one is called Top-Level." The boy briefly explained.

"Mokona kinda gets it."

"It's a grading system, Mokona. Think of it this way, S Class will symbolize the highest level of strength a Kudan can be. From there we have the lower classes, like A, B, C and D. Syaoran's Kudan is an S Class, meaning it's very powerful."

"Oh, Mokona gets it now. Erin is so smart!" Mokona praised happily.

"Nah, I just know it from experience. Ranks are kind of the fundamental blocks when it comes to choosing which opponents you can fight." She said with a careless wave of her head, pretending that her tail wasn't wagging at the compliment.

"Fighting, huh? You're saying you're a warrior?" Kurogane scoffed and Erin was sure she could feel the tick marks appear on the side of her head.

"I'll have you know I used to be a great warrior!" She growled, not bothering to tell him that most of her experience came from virtual means. Video games had been her passion during her teenage years. Besides, she'd been taking self-defense classes for the last three years. That had to count for something, right?

Before their argument could really start, the Mohawk gang fired at Syaoran again. His Kudan charged forwards with a bird-like cry and batted the combined blast away with ease. Typically, their leader called for his men to retreat after that display of power. However, the gang leader with cool goggles looked excited instead of scared. He jumped down onto the roof of a destroyed truck, crouching as he studied Syaoran's Kudan.

"It looks like your Kudan is Top-Level too. My name is Shougo Asagi. And you?"

"…Syaoran."

"So you've got a Kudan of Flame. But my Kudan–" Shougo lifted his right hand and a ring of water appeared over it. A blue energy slithered up around him, solidifying into the shape of a large manta ray. "You've got Flame and I've got Water. Looks like we're gonna have one interesting battle."

"Most of the gangs are filled with nothing but scumbags. But Shougo-san's gang never picks on weak people." Masayoshi started with no small amount of admiration filling his voice. "They're a great gang! Especially their leader, everyone wants to be like him."

"Hmph, let's go!" Shougo's Kudan shot out a powerful jet of water at Syaoran and his Kudan jumped up to block it, causing a massive wave of steam and wind to blow over the area. Erin had to duck down behind Kurogane to avoid being knocked back. At hearing Mokona's cry, she guessed that Fai hadn't been able to keep ahold of the little guy.

"You said your name was Syaoran, right? I've taken a liking to you." Shougo stated with a smirk. Suddenly, sirens could be heard in the distance.

"Shougo, the police are coming!" A gang member shouted and their leader frowned in disappointment.

"Ah, it was just getting good too. Alright guys, amscray!" His men gave out a battle cry before retreating into the alleyways. "I'm looking forward to our next encounter." Then Shougo disappeared from sight too, his Kudan going with him. Syaoran's own Kudan took the form of a large fiery sphere before it floated into the kid's chest. 'Whoa, that was weird.' He raced over to them and went straight to Sakura's side, holding out her feather before her. It floated from his hand and was absorbed into her chest. 'That was weird too.' A slight hum escaped Sakura and some color returned to her cheeks, but she didn't stir.

"Thank heavens, you're body has warmed up." Syaoran said as he laid a careful hand to her forehead, relief visible on his face.

"Looks like that feather was exactly what she needed." Erin noted from her spot next to Kurogane.

"Yes, now we can rest at ease." Fai sighed in agreement as he came to sit next to her.

"What's up with him?" Kurogane asked suddenly as he gestured to Mokona, who was nestled in Fai's arms, seemingly asleep.

"It looks like that big blast from before knocked him out."

"That's because you let go of him." Erin pointed out and Fai gave a sheepish smile.

"Well, we don't have to worry, he just fainted."

"Like I'd worry." The swordsman muttered.

"More importantly," Fai continued. "I'm quite interested in that over there." The group turned as one to look at the small, odd boy who'd appeared out of nowhere. He looked a lot like Masayoshi, just shorter and dressed in traditional Chinese clothing. The boy bowed to them once before deforming into a blue ball of light, disappearing into Masayoshi's chest.

"Oh, so that was your Kudan." Erin concluded and Masayoshi nodded.

"Sorry if I startled you." The boy apologized.

"They've got one of every kind, huh?" Kurogane remarked and she nodded in agreement.

"Ah, I finally found y'all." A new voice said from behind them and Erin turned to see that the speaker was a brown haired man wearing a green jacket with an orange shirt underneath. Behind him stood a pretty woman in a purple dress, with long black hair and very pale skin.

"And just who the hell are you?"

"Why, I'm Sorata Arisugawa." The man greeted them with a wave, not taking offense to Kurgoane's rudeness. "This here's my wife, Arashi." The police siren noticeably grew louder and Sorata began to look around them frantically while flailing his arms. "Ah, we can't get caught by the police! You're all very suspicious looking, especially you!" The newcomer shouted as he pointed at Kurogane, causing the swordsman to frown in irritation.

"Please follow us. You may stay in our home for as long as you need to." Arashi stated more calmly than her husband. Not having any idea on what else to do, they followed the married couple to an apartment complex some few blocks away. Sorata bragged about his wife the entire time while Arashi talked over him, explaining that they were in a place called the Hanshin Republic, pointing out street names and landmarks as they moved. Sorata didn't seem to notice the interruptions or realize that no one was listening to him besides Mokona. At around sunset they arrived and the group said goodbye to Masayoshi before settling in.

"Before we got married, my wife here was a priestess. Ah, honey, you looked so heavenly in that priestess outfit." Sorata continued with his story, looking every bit the love-struck fool. Erin wondered if the man had even realized that they were back at his home yet. "Since we got married she had to retire and all, but her spiritual powers are as strong as ever. That's why we knew y'all would be coming. Y'all can stay in the hostel we run. This room was vacant, so we figured what the heck?"

"That would be quite helpful." Fai responded with a smile. Erin nodded in agreement from where she sat curled up beneath the window. She was a couple feet away from Kurogane, who was sitting in the corner, and based near the top of the futon that Sakura was laid out on.

"But why are you being so kind to us?" Syaoran asked from his position next to Sakura.

"The truth is we owe Yuuko, I mean the Dimensional Witch, a favor." Sorata answered with a kind smile. "So we're gonna take care of y'all while yer here. On one condition…" He pointed a finger at Kurogane, his smile turning a bit sharper. "I won't let you off the hook if you so much as lay a finger on my beloved honey here."

"Geez, why are you directing that towards me?" Kurogane growled.

"I'm just kidding man." Sorata teased while waving him off.

"He's kidding!" Mokona repeated excitedly.

"But I'm serious." He continued with a smile still on his face.

"I'm not gonna touch her!" Kurogane shouted, irritation filling his tone. Erin started chuckling at the swordsman, earning surprised looks from the married couple as she hadn't spoken since their arrival.

"You gotta admit it, Kuro-Kuro, you don't give off the most trusting aura." She joked and he looked even angrier as he turned to her.

"Who asked you?!" He roared. "And my name is Kurogane!"

"I'll go put on some tea." Arashi said serenely as she left the room, dragging Sorata out with her by pulling on his ear. Silence fell over the room as she closed the door, somehow making Erin feel a little awkward.

After spending a week with Yuuko, who was an introvert herself, Erin had almost forgotten that her greatest personality flaw was that she didn't really know how to act around other people. To not appear shy or unsure of herself, she tended to act abrasively towards others, making sarcastic comments, and just pissing people off in general. Now she was in the company of four other strangers for an unknown amount of time. Surprisingly, she didn't think she would have any problems getting along with Syaoran at least. The kid seemed pretty decent. Her gaze turned to Sakura and she was almost overwhelmed by the urge to lie down at the poor girl's feet. Her animal senses understood that Sakura was in pain, so they made her want to offer support in the only way a dog knew how.

"Her complexion has improved a lot." Fai stated, dragging Syaoran out of his contemplativeness.

"Thanks to the feather." The boy agreed.

"But how do you plan to look for the next one?"

"Well…" Syaoran started only to realize that he didn't have an answer.

"Mokona knows how! Mokona remembers the wave given off by the feather!"

"What, you mean like gamma rays? Or do mean like sound wavelengths?" Erin asked with interest and Mokona's face fell as his ears lowered to the floor.

"Mokona doesn't know exactly how, but if Mokona senses a feather nearby…" His eyes suddenly opened wide, taking up about half the space on his face. "Mekyon! My eyes will get big!" It seemed like no one really knew how to respond to that, though Kurogane looked a little disturbed. "It happened to Mokona before."

"You mean the one that was stuck to Syaoran's cloak, right?" Fai asked and Mokona shook his head.

"I'm talking about another one. While Syaoran was fighting, there was another feather close by!"

"What did you say?" Syaoran furrowed his brow in thought. "Shougo…"

"That should be enough to go on." Fai said as he picked up Mokona. "For now, at least."

"If you sense any feathers, would you please inform us?" The teenager requested and Mokona nodded.

"Just leave it to me!"

"Well you can leave me out of this." Kurogane cut in rudely from his corner of the room. "I'm going back to my original world. That's my only goal. As far as putting my neck on the line for you, or helping out with your situation, don't count on it."

"I understand. This is my problem, I will be careful not to inconvenience you." Syaoron replied sincerely and Erin was surprised at how mature his response was.

"Wow, Syaoran is such a serious guy." Fai remarked and Kurogane's gaze turned to him.

"So what about you? You planning on helping the kid?"

"Hmm, good question." He hummed while absently patting Mokona on the head. "Well for now, the most important thing for me is to avoid going back to my own world. I guess as long as it won't mean putting my life on the line, I'll help you out. I've got nothing better to do."

"Thank you very much." Syaoran replied with a bow of his head.

"Mokona won't go to the next world until we find the feathers!"

"Thank you as well, Mokona." The boy said with a small smile.

"Ha, which means you have to help!" Erin announced to Kurogane, who glared in return. "The faster Syaoran finds the feathers, the sooner we leave for the next world." He frowned, realizing that she had a point.

"Oh, and what about you, mutt? You gonna help the kid out too?"

"Erin is Mutt!" Mokona chanted while twirling around on the floor as he understood the irony behind Kurogane's insult. "Erin is Mutt!"

"Yeah, yeah." She muttered to Mokona before standing up to look at Syaoran. "I'll tell ya what kid; I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine."

"That's an odd thing to say." Fai noted with his patented smile. It was actually starting to get on her nerves a little.

"It's an expression where I'm from. You get what it means right, equivalent exchange and all that? If Syaoran helps me, then I'll return the favor." She explained while giving Fai a flat look.

"How can I help you?" Syaoran asked politely.

"See, I used to be human." She began, absentmindedly swatting Mokona away as he tried to grab her tail. "My world is rather plain compared to others. There's no Kudan, no magic, no monsters. I found one of Sakura's feathers by chance one night while walking my dog, Mutt." Kurogane scoffed behind her and she growled at him. "I picked up the feather, made a dumbass wish, and woke up like this in Yuuko's shop. Somehow, my soul ended up in Mutt's body."

"Sakura's feather, do you still have it?" Syaoran questioned, his tone hopeful, and Erin shook her head.

"Sorry, I have no idea where it is. Yuuko thinks it was sent to another world, along with my body." She gave the boy her most serious look, which now that she thought about it, probably didn't look that impressive on a dog's face. "This is where I need your help Syaoran. I'm traveling so that I can find my body and return to normal. Help me do that, and I'll help your search for Sakura's feathers." Syaoran's brows furrowed and he nodded his head solemnly.

"I understand Erin-san. I will do what I can to help, so please, bear with me."

The group turned in after that as some of them hadn't slept in the last day and half. Erin ended up caving in to her canine instincts and curled up next to Sakura's right side. The girl had barely reacted, letting out a small happy sounding sigh, but Syaoran had looked at her as if she'd found all of the princess's feathers. Fai cuddled up with Mokona against the opposite wall and Syaoran sat resolutely on Sakura's other side.

Unable to fall asleep, Erin glanced over at Kurogane an hour later to see that the swordsman was still awake, his face taking on a more subdued expression as he was clearly lost in his own thoughts. He must have sensed her stare because he looked up at her, his face half hidden by his cloak. She held his gaze for a few seconds, before a stab of sadness hit her for no apparent reason. Passing the emotion off as a longing to be back in her own body, Erin burrowed closer to Sakura, wondering if they would find the girl's feather tomorrow.

~Man's Best Friend~

Well that's the first chapter done you guys, and I'm honestly surprised with how well this turned out. I was a bit worried when I came up with this idea last night, but I'm so glad I went with it. Reading the other OC Tsubasa stories got me in the mood to make my own, so you can thank them for this. However, I also wanted to do something different. My OC being turned into a dog didn't really come into play until this was halfway written.

This gives a sensible reason for her to travel the worlds, besides just wanting to help the Tsubasa gang. Usually when OC's from our world are put in a story, they have to be all sneaky and hide their knowledge of the storyline. Here, even though she technically knows about everything, Erin's just as clueless as the others. I did this for many reasons that will play out as plot points at a later time.

–Hexalys