The Road To Take

Gen. In which Watanuki finds a difficult customer, or rather, the customer finds him. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood... May she pick the right one.

TWO roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

It was fall again, Watanuki mused as he watched leaves of every color dance in the wind. He sat on the steps in front of his store- Yuuko's store- since today was too nice of a day to stay inside. He supposed he should watch over Mokana, Maru, and Moro as well- he didn't want them to set anything on fire, after all. The immortal boy took a deep breath, inhaling the crisp fall air.

"Mokana! Put that match down." He ordered the little nuisance. At the same time, he tuned out the little bunny's indignant rant of roast yams and leaves. To his side, Moro and Maru laughed joyously and danced in the leaves, flipping this way and that in the piles.

Watanuki sighed. Some things never changed. It has been five hundred years since Yuuko left him. He waited and waited as the seasons passed. He waited as people lived and died. He waited and waited. And he'll keep waiting. In the deep recess of his mind, hazy memories of the exuberant woman's laughter replayed themselves over and over again. The hangovers, the smoke, the errands, the wishes. None of them ever left him. He never got back his old memories either. Wherever they were, they were lost to him. Perhaps they don't matter anymore. The only wish that he has now- that burning want- was to hear Yuuko again, to be able to hug her, to bop her on the head for drinking too much... Alas, a wish granter can't grant his own wish. And so, he waits, even as the seasons changed.

Idly, he wondered where Syoran and Sakura were.

Watanuki took another puff of his pipe, deep in thought- he didn't quite notice that Mokana had stopped bouncing and the Dashis have stopped laughing. Unexpectedly, something –or rather, someone- broke through his trance. His eyes immediately sharpened, and he turned sharply to street in front of the store. He could feel it in the air- something incredibly powerful. Definitely something negative, but oddly not evil. He struggled to put that something into words. With a twist of his fingers, the smoke that he blew out morphed into the shape of a bird. It flew high above the store to see what was causing the disturbance.

Quite suddenly, the leaves stopped rustling, the wind stopped blowing. Maru, Moro, and Mokana all looked at each other before hurrying back to Watanuki's side, tense. Several minutes passed utter silence before the bird scout returned. Nothing. Everything looked normal- people were passing through the suburbs, hurrying one way or the other. Watanuki frowned. How very odd, he wondered.

He didn't have to ponder for long- the subject in question stood in front of the store.

"It" was a perfectly ordinary girl- a student of the most elite secondary school in Tokyo, if her uniform was anything to judge by. A genius then, judging by her uniform. Probably one of the older ones too. She was plain- almost painfully so: straight black hair, black glasses, black eyes, average height and weight. Everything about her screamed average. Well, to a nonmagical person.

A very much magical person, Watanuki tried his hardest not to gasp. The girl was utterly covered in chains. Malicious, glowing, thick chains. They wrapped about her like snakes, constricting and tightening around her body. The ankles, the arms, the legs... Only her neck and head remained uncovered. The chains were made of heavy iron; he could see that they were pulling her down. He noticed that there were two different chains- one of red and one of blue. Both entwined themselves tightly around the girl, neither budging. The chains stopped their movements and turned their attention to the quietly gaping magician. Impossible as it was, they separated very briefly to hiss at the magician before tightening even more around the girl.

Watanuki blinked- those chains... to be able to bring inanimate objects to life, someone must have poured a large amount of life energy into them. He briefly wondered if the person was dead- even the complete depletion of life energy will cause death, no questions asked.

He felt a brief pang of sympathy for the student. Even to the nonmagical, the effects of those chains could be seen. On closer inspection, the magician could see the dark bags under those eyes, the sickly pale skin and lips, the slump of those shoulders, the hunched posture. Above all, those black eyes looked dead. It was as if she had little to no life energy of her own.

Watanuki's eyes narrowed. The chains were draining her energy, he realized.

He assumed that her wish had something to do with those malicious restraints, but he asked anyways: "What is your wish?"

The girl snapped out of her daze and looked around, confused. She frowned, as if wondering how she got here or where is "here".

"I'm sorry for the intrusion. I must have been more tired than I thought." She bowed deeply and turned around to leave.

Just as she was ready to push the gates open, Watanuki opened his mouth. "This is a store that fulfills wishes. If you are here, you must have a wish. So I will ask again: what is your wish?"

No one who comes in here leaves without having their wish granted, Watanuki thought bitterly. It was hitsuzen, as someone very dear to him once said.

The girl paused- as Watanuki knew she would- and turned around. A flash of emotion appeared in those dead eyes. The chains around her rattled. "Any wish at all?"

"Any wish." He confirmed.

She walked back towards Watanuki. She was crying, he thought. And indeed, crying she was. Fat drops of tears escaped from her eyes and rolled down her gaunt cheeks. Yet not once did she utter a sound. In quiet understanding, Watanuki direct her into the store itself, but not before sending a mild barrier spell towards the store room. It would be best if the more sensitive items were protected from the oppressiveness that surrounds the customer. Unseen, Mokana and the Dashis followed behind the girl.

"So what is your wish?" Watanuki asked for the third time. Now comfortably situated in the sun room, he sipped on his green tea.

Slowly, the girl began "I... don't know what to do. I'm in my last year of secondary school." She gestured to her uniform and shakily took a sip of her tea. She began to fiddle with the edge of her shirt. "I don't know what to do. I love art with a passion; I truly enjoy bringing my thoughts, my ideas, and my ideals to life. To bring them to people and let them see what I think, what I live for- my world. I truly love that. I'm not bad at it either- I've been accepted into my dream art school. They loved my vision and life that I put into my paintings." The girl smiled as she explained; Watanuki noticed that there was a light glowing deep down underneath the chains. The light began glowing more and more, making the chains hiss in discomfort.

However, the light dimmed when she continued her explanation. "But my parents are old. They want to know that I will be able to support myself if anything happens to them. Art is a very expensive major. The school itself if not cheap. The canvases and paints aren't cheap." She paused and shook her head. "I... want to be a doctor." Watanuki wondered who she was trying to convince- him, or herself. "I think that helping people would be great. I think I can handle it. It would be really hard, but I think that if I tried... I've been told that I would make a good doctor. I'm dedicated. I'm smart. I would want to do something with my life- contribute something back to society." She twisted her shirt some more in silence. "Doctors get paid a lot. They earn a lot each year, and I'll always be guaranteed a job. It wouldn't be bad, I think. I could to buy my own house. I could support my parents. I could help people. That's good, right?"

Watanuki remained silent.

Tears started rolling down her cheeks once more. She raised her head, staring deep into Watanuki's mismatched eyes with her own black ones. "Yet I can't live without art. I just can't. It's so hard. I can't imagine not being able to paint, not being able to color my world. I'm addicted to it. I can't tear myself from it. Artists don't make a lot of money, provided that they can find employment. They just don't. I don't know if I would be able to support myself, let alone my parents. I don't want to be a burden; I want to do my duty as a child. I'm not bad at either. I'm strong academically, but it's not what I want to do. I would be able to live comfortably, but I would not be as happy. I... just don't want to be a disappointment to my parents. They were so happy when I said I wanted to be a doctor." The chains around her tightened. The blue one snaked around her neck, choking her. "I... don't know what to do. Help me... please!" she broke down and sobbed.

The oppressive air around her grew stronger and thicker. They began to press everything downwards, even the furniture and the tea. The vase on the window sill began to shake. To his side, Mokana looked up at him, serious for once. Watanuki got up from the seat –idly tossing a spell over his shoulder to contain the heavy pressure in the room- and laid a hand on the distraught girl's shoulder. The chains tried to trap him as well, but he glared at them. They wisely backed off.

The girl turned her head towards him; Watanuki look this opportunity to do what he always does for customers- look through her thoughts. Idly, he realized that it might be best for him to look through her soul as well, if she is that bothered by the choice. What seemed to be a split second was an eternity to him as he flew through the girl's mind, seeing her entire life in chronological order. Nothing out of the ordinary for an elite student. Now he knew what caused the weight around the room- pressure. For a teenager, this girl shoulders an incredible amount of pressure, Watanuki thought. Academic competition in such a school would be cutthroat.

However, what he saw in her soul made the wish granter reel back in shock. This girl... she was born to be an artist. It was hitsuzen, plain and simple. Fate dictates everyone's lives, but he has never seen such a direct interference. That was what the blue chain was- fate. The great power downright wanted her to be an artist- to show the world her creativity and vision. Fate was usually quite gentle. It was stubborn, yes, but not harmful. He has never seen such a fierce side of fate. To chain down a human so relentlessly to the point of physical injury... it was desperate. Her life was never meant to be anything else.

But she was fighting (that must be what the red chain is, he thought)- society was fighting too. Society was not fair, he thought. It places different values on different professions, almost like a price tag. How much money a person has was almost like how much a person was worth. It was understandable that she would fight fate. For a top notch academic student with such potential, giving up medicine for art was unheard of. This was society- ruthless. Merciless.

Watanuki sighed. It really didn't help that the person shouldering all this mess was a teenager. He thought of how he was at that age and shuddered.

"The price will be hefty. Are you ready to pay it?" He asked. The girl gave him a nod but did not pull out her wallet. Smart girl, he thought amusedly. Most customers assume that he would accept money. He grants wishes. What makes them think that he would accept normal money for granting something so priceless?

"I want all your knowledge of medicine and your academic talent" He stated bluntly, taking a puff from his pipe. The girl beside him stiffened. She would not be able to go back. She would have to make the decision now- no more wavering. But she had worked hard for her grades. Her tears, her efforts, the last nights and early mornings, the elation. Would she really give up everything she has worked for all her life? Her accomplishment and status as top student? Would she really be willing to take the fall?

Watanuki waited- he knew that she would need time to decide. It wouldn't be an easy choice, that was for sure. Grades were the most important to an elite student's life. To choose between passion and accomplishment... What she decides now will decide which road she would walk for the rest of her life. He took his hand off from her shoulder and reached for his cup of tea. He sipped contently, having all the patience in the world. Making the best use of his time, he walked over to the window sill to steady the shaking vase. In his absence, Mokana had commandeered his comfortable seat, while looking very smug. Sighing, he lifted Mokana up- ignoring his protests and attempt to bit his hand- and put him on the floor. Glaring pointedly at the black bunny, he reclaimed his chair.

He took another puff from his pipe and waited patiently for the girl to decide. She took a deep breath and looked up at Watanuki.

"I will pay the price." Those words were all he needed. Already, the pressure was lifting off of her shoulders. The chains didn't look too happy at her decision, but the light inside of her- her soul- was already chasing them away. Watanuki stopped restraining his magic- as he usually does- and let it free. It took on the shape of a pair of hands, and with a strong tug, tore the chains apart. The extra help was all the light needed. It surrounded the remnants of the chains and burnt them to ashes. With nothing holding it back, the light glowed like a miniature sun.

Watanuki had to hold back a wince as he shut off his magical sight. The light was blinding him. Now he realized why fate was so desperate. The brighter a person's soul, the more potential the person has. The sheer amount of creativity and imagination that she has is phenomenal. Judging by the intensity of the girl's soul, she is going to change the world one day. But only if she follows her heart.

It was amazing how different she looked without the constant pressure. Her cheeks were rosy once more, her eyes took on a softer look, her shoulders stopped slumping, her posture spoke of a person ready to face life. She didn't know, but Watanuki would never have been able to help her break free of her chains if she didn't make the decision herself. Altering a person's will is a taboo for a magician such as him. What he took as price would effectively eliminate any regrets she would have in the future. Even if she had decided herself, she would be forever plagued with regrets and second guesses- the soul was powerful, but so is the will. As long as she consented, Watanuki would be able to help her.

But still, he would give her something else to equal out the price that she paid. "Maru, Moro!" he called out. "Could you find the flat purple box on the fifth shelf of the store room? Left side, near the front." The girl stared curiously at the two children. The magician could almost her brain whizzing in his mind. They nodded and came back with the object in question several moments later.

Watanuki gazed fondly at the box. It had taken him two centuries to fully gain ownership of everything in the store room. The items were acquired by Yuuko, and thus recognized Yuuko as their master, not him. This was one of the items that he didn't have to win over in one way or another. Everything made by Yuuko trusted their master's judgment and thus, Watanuki. Still, they held special places in his heart.

He gently pushed the lid of the box open to reveal a beautiful mirror adorned with butterflies and dandelions. The handle of the mirror was gently wrapped with gold wire and ended with several bells. He would be sad to see this one go, but she needed it more than he did. Yuuko, he thought sadly. His heart clenched in pain once more. He lifted the mirror and handed it to the girl.

The girl gasped quietly at the beautiful craftsmanship of the piece. "It's beautiful..." she murmured. She took it and ran a gentle hand over the engravings in the back. Then she flipped it over to the front and gazed into it. She seemed a bit shocked at first- clearly she was surprised at how tired and drained she looked.

"Whenever you lose your way, look into it. You won't stray from your rightful path anymore." He smiled sadly.

The girl smiled back gratefully and got up, mirror in hand. "Thank you" she said. "I will treasure it." She bowed deeply once more and walked out of the store.

It's been five hundred and ten years since Yuuko left, Watanuki thought. It was fall once again. He was still waiting. In the span of ten years, he had seen many customers- be they spirits or humans. He took a deep breath- the smell of burning leaves reached his nose. Mokana must be setting leaves on fire again, he thought. Getting up from his seat on the front porch, he walked towards the troublesome bunny.

Thinking back to that day ten years ago, he stared up at the sky and wondered where that girl is now.

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

~The Road Not Taken- Robert Frost

A/N: I apologize if the quality of the story isn't as good as it should be. It was rather hard for me to write this (this is semi-autobiographical. And no, I haven't made that decision yet), and I really need to brush up on my grammar and vocabulary. Usually I don't like OC's (I thought that I wouldn't ever write one), but xxxHoLiC really didn't give me that many cannon characters to work with. So what do you guys think about this? What would you have done in her situation? Constructive criticisms and reviews are welcomed as always.

Mandy

PS- For the people following my HP/Ouran crossover, yes, I will update it in the future. I don't have the time to work on that story right now. This is a one-shot. It doesn't count.