"Now stay here with...Ruby... and Spiniel..."

(Ruby Moon & Spiniel Sun, Eriol's guardians CCS)

A male with glasses and blue hair said to what looked like a younger version of himself, "I will not be long..."

"Okay, father," the younger version stared forward at a blank lot admits the hustle-and-bustle of a major 20th Century City. The yard ringed by a dingy fence with pealing pant was clad in brown grass and crab grass.

(Yuuko's house, XXXHolic. I say 20th Century, because Yuuko mentions Sumeragi Subaru meaning X1999 has not yet happened or it happened in AU, which is a distinct possibility)

Something about this place did not feel right to the young boy, but he obeyed nonetheless.

The older version, which the younger identified as "father" walked into the yard.

"You!"

An older woman balled her fist up. She punched him right in the face.

This was totally out of character for her.

Also what transpired next, she broke down into tears...

"You idiot! You idiot! You left me behind..."

She embraced the male in glasses, "Jerk, you left me behind! You idiot!"

"I am sorry, Lady..."

He paused about to give her real true name. But his face looked hurt seeing her cry into him like this...

"Don't say that, idiot," she sobbed into his clothes, "That just makes it worse."

"I am so sorry," he held out a handkerchief.

She blew her nose in it, the houseboy looking on the scene was beside himself.

He had worked for her for some time, but never seen her cry - never.

Drink yes - god yes.

But cry, never.

"Fetch some tea..."

The woman snapped an order at the houseboy in the apron.

"Finally, got some help I see... Oolang or green tea would be nice," a graceful but sad smile came at the houseboy.

The houseboy and him looked at each other.

If one set them side-by-side, one could swear one was father and son.

The visitor broke this illusion, "However... I do have someone waiting for me...lady..."

"Oh," she pouted lounging herself on the couch breaking contact.

He took a seat across from her, "It has been a very long time... has it not? It almost feels like it was yesterday... and the seeing the two girls hiding back there... makes me feel nostalgic..."

His eyes had focused to two figures hiding behind the shoji screen, he smiled at them, "Don't worry, I brought you gifts..."

This brought the two girls out with a dance practically teasing and raping the guest. He laughed along with them complementing them on how they have grown, whether they had been good or not, and several other things...

"Why are you here..."

Her red lips curled sourly at the scene.

Half of her wanted to join the fun. The other half knew that this figure was not the one she would have preferred to play with.

Her ghostly eyes stared at him, "You have not come for just a social call. You coming here is no coincidence..."

"There are no coincidences, only eventualities, right?"
A smug smirk, "I have a wish... lady..."

In ran the houseboy with tray, he made sure to interrupt this scene. He did not know where this male came from, but he truly wanted to make sure to interrupt them - wishes from her usually ended in tragic disasters...

"...In all truth... my lady... I have three wishes... ah, the tea has come!"

He picked up the cup off the tray and placed three sugars into the liquid, "My first wish is for my son... he must travel and you have the power to take him where he needs to be..."

"What of your own powers? You are practically a Merlin the Magician," she carelessly took her cup off the tray, "Well, jerk?"

"A certain person whom I rather not name tried to take something that did not belong to him. He mortally wounded my miko," he said possessively of a certain woman, "With even my powers, by years' end she will die... and I shall soon follow."

"And yet you are happy with that situation, jerk?"

She asked, now refusing to use his name.

"I should explain," he took a sip of the tea, turned to the houseboy and said, "Ever heard of reincarnation?"

"What?"

"...in a past life, she and I had a friendly rivalry...things happened and she asked to marry me."

Eriol is referring to Clow Reed

"It was the other way round, jerk," she bitterly poured some booze into her cup, "You asked me, jerk."

"Have it your way, my lady," he bowed his head taking another sugar cube, "On the day of the wedding... I died..."

"Died?"

"...I left her at the altar waiting for someone that will never come..."

"Why didn't you tell me, jerk?"

She chunked down the spiked cup of tea, "Why, you, idiot? Why didn't you tall me you were going to die? You left me behind, jerk!"

"...That is why I agreed to the wedding in the first place. I did care for you..."

XXXHolic, Clow and Yuuko had a relationship. In this scenario, they were lovers

"What of now," she thrust him between her plump breasts, "Hum? We can always take up where we left off..."

"I have a wife," blushing, he pulled out of her embrace, "I love her very much."

She pouted, picking up the cup indicating more tea. She said cold and businesslike, "And your wish?"

"...as I said before, my wish is to have my child travel where he needs to be..."

He took a teacake and with the other hand placed a box onto a nearby table, "This is what that person tired to take... my wish is to have it returned to its proper owner - your Sakura. I had really hoped to give it to the owner myself, to meet her and the others, but circumstances have interfered with those plans..."

He eyes grew cold and sinister, "If he tries again, or tries for you-know-what, I shall turn a good part of Japan into a desert where acid rains from the skies... than ever let HIM have them... you may have her wand, but she still has them... if he goes for the cards, or harms my Sakura, I shall destroy this country..."

"You know what," he is referring to the Sakura Cards and making a distinction between Sakura, CCS as "his Sakura," and Sakura, Tsubasa, as "her Sakura."

"And the third?"

She sat up. She knew that he was totally serious about that remark - he had the willpower and the ability to sink the whole island-chain like Atlantis.

"The third one, that wish can only be granted by him," he pointed at the houseboy.

"What?"

The houseboy looked perplexed for a second. He was just standing there listening, pouring tea, adjusting how the teacakes sat. He was still a little shocked that the woman had a lover that died - easily explaining her alcoholism, drinking until she did not hurt anymore.

"My wish is this...in the back of her closet is her wedding dress... I will tell you a secret, the next time she wears it, will be on the day she dies," he said to the houseboy - as the houseboy drew back afraid of him and what he was saying, "Everything in this universe from men to civilizations have their own set life-span. Nobody and nothing lasts forever, even the Great Pyramids will one day crumble into dust in an hourglass... Please, do not hasten her to wear it too soon."

The houseboy saw the caring look in his eyes - there was likely a part of him that still loved the woman. Then like that, the guest got up, left, and returned with a young boy...

The boy rubbed his eyes surprised at the existence of this place. This was the reason why he felt that the yard was so wrong - it was a barrier or an illusion of some sort. He then blinked at the houseboy.

The houseboy looked at the newest visitor; it looked like a child-version of himself.

"...so where am I headed, father?"

The young boy asked, "I have a feeling we shall not meet again..."

"Yes," his father gave an amused smile, "A master of English magic is to meet a mistress of Chinese Black Magic..."

"You wouldn't dare!"

The woman shouted stamping her foot realizing what the older blue-haired male was suggesting.

Basically, Eriol and Kaho's son could become the father of Clow Reed

"Please, lady..."

A bow, and then he kneeled, "Send me there. Think of me as an insurance policy. That I can change the outcome, so that it ends happily for everyone... That I can change fate... please, let me try...I don't have a wish myself, but at least let my try to set my own course..."

The woman took a breath and hugged the young boy, tenderly, "It is always the same with your family - no matter what - your eyes are always in the distance, never caring about your own safety or how it may affect those around you ... When you set out to do something, you will do it or die trying."

She let go of the blushing young boy, "Your payment is..."

The young boy braced himself for the price.

"... Has already been paid..."

The younger boy looked at his older wondering if they would ever see each other again...

The older male hutted him tightly, "Now be a good boy, my son. Don't get into too much trouble… your mother does like to worry..."

The woman drew up her hand, the young boy started to fade into a magic circle...

"Of course, father...please...tell mother... don't worry..."

The older male tried to hide his tears...

Bit-by-bit, the younger boy faded away leaving his Cheshire smile, "I will surely be alright!"

Then, the crescent of a smile disappeared...

The woman exchanged glanced with the father, and then at the box's contents, "What is done is done..."

Then an amused smile at the father, "You taught him that magic spell, didn't you?"

Nod.

"What magic spell?"

The houseboy asked confused by the scene. He wanted to know who this visitor was and why he would sacrifice his child like this.

"The same one I taught my Sakura... when she made the cards hers... the invincible spell of..."

The visitor nodded again, "I will surely be alright," and with a bow he disappeared from sight.

"Yuuko," in hopped a black puffball...

There was a pout on the animal's face, "I was asleep for a bit... for a second there… I thought I heard Clow's voice... did I?"

The woman shook her head, presenting the contents of the box - one of Sakura's feathers - thought it was slightly drenched in blood, "Just an old family friend ... a colleague of Syaoran's father."

"That is one of Sakura's feathers! How did he get one of those..."

"Like I said, he is a colleague of Syaoran's father..."

Yuuko said, "He had hoped to give it to Sakura-hime himself when they visited him, but 'someone' interfered..."

"... and the payment?"

The houseboy demanded, "What did you ask from him..."

"He is already paid well enough - don't you have ears? He is losing the woman he loves, the former miko Muzuki Kaho; he has lost his son; he has given gifts to Moro and Maro; his company at tea reminding of when I was such a young girl; and he is going to lose his life... what else could I ever ask from that jerk, hum? There is nothing on this earth that he and his son would be willing to risk for one gamble that may never pay off..."

"...um..."

Makona interrupted, "Shouldn't I send this to my brother?"

He is referring to the White Makona as his brother

"... of course, here you go," she tossed the feather at the black animal. In one moment it was here and the next it was gone. She turned to the houseboy, "And for your lip, back to work. No breaks here!"