Wait : One (Tsubasa RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE)
Disclaimer: Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE and XXXHolic are not mine. I do not own any part of them; plot, characters, artwork, concept, or otherwise. All of that belongs to CLAMP. All I own are the OCs in this story and my own small, added plotline. Don't waste my time by harassing me. If you don't like the story, don't read it. It's as simple as that. I'll do my best to stay in character. Suggestions and reviews are always accepted. Thanks. –GoldenToxin
"Hey, watch where you're going," a tall kid on a bicycle yelled in frustration before peddling on in haste, splashing Matsu with muddy rainwater. Matsu sighed habitually, wiping off her face, and returned her gaze to the sidewalk. By now, the gutters where she usually walked were full of water, and she paced slowly on the concrete. Matsu was in no hurry to get home, and she took her time, almost wandering aimlessly in an attempt to stall for a little more time to herself. The wind began to pick up, and she lost her grip on her umbrella. The umbrella lifted up a few feet into the air and Matsu's eyes lifted from the ground once more.
"Wait," she cried out. Her voice was quiet and meek, as if she hadn't talked in a long time. Matsu dashed after the blue umbrella as it soared always just out of reach. It finally landed in the front yard of a peculiar looking house. Matsu hesitated at the gate. It looked like it was locked, but when she nudged it, the gate began to open. Matsu shrank down out of embarrassment, and looked all around her before pushing the gate open and running onto the grass. She reached for her umbrella when it was picked up again by the wind. "Oh no," she quavered, almost a hiss, "You come back here!" Matsu pushed her hair out of her face and began to give chase again when the front door of the house opened. The umbrella blew right up to the door and a boy about her age grabbed the umbrella before it could go any farther.
"Is this yours?" he asked. Matsu nodded in response and took a few steps forward.
"I didn't mean to intrude," Matsu said quietly, "The wind just caught my umbrella, and I was just going to grab it…"
"Don't worry," the boy smiled, handing Matsu the umbrella as she finally came close enough. "This isn't private property, it's a sh-"
"Watanuki," a woman's voice asked from inside, "What are you doing? You're supposed to be making me dinner!"
"Dinner can wait," Watanuki snapped at the voice inside.
"But I'm so hungry…" the female voice whined childishly.
"Hungry, hungry!" two other voices came chiming. Watanuki sighed.
"You're completely drenched," Watanuki observed, ignoring the voices. "Why don't you come in for a second? I can get you something to drink." He smiled warmly at Matsu.
"I-I don't know," Matsu said, trembling from the cold. "I think I should go home." She sneezed, and Watanuki stared at her like a father might stare at a daughter.
"You're coming inside; you'll catch a cold if you stay wet!" With that, Watanuki pushed the door open all the way and ushered Matsu in.
Once inside, Matsu couldn't help but look all around her in amazement. The place was full of strange things, some looked ancient and others looked like things you might find at a toy shop. She took a step forward and slipped on the now wet floor, falling onto her back before Watanuki could catch her. She sat up and sighed before Watanuki helped her up.
"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.
"I'm fine, it happens a lot," Matsu confessed. Watanuki led her though a hallway to a doorframe. Matsu passed through a curtain of beads and came upon a tall, thin woman laying on a couch leisurely. Two young girls were at her side.
"Ah," the woman said, intrigued, "Who is this, Watanuki?"
"This is…ah…" Watanuki turned to Matsu. "I'm sorry, I forgot to ask. What is your name?"
"M-M-Matsu Shirakane," Matsu stuttered before sneezing again.
"Shirakane-san is cold and wet, so I brought her in to get her something warm to drink. I'll be back," Watanuki said. The two young girls leapt up and followed Watanuki out of the room, leaving the lady and Matsu to themselves. The lady stared curiously at Matsu.
"I'm sorry to have invaded," Matsu apologized. "My umbrella flew into your yard, and I just went in to get it back. I-I think I broke the lock on your gate, because when I touched it…it opened…I'm so sorry!" Matsu bowed low. The lady got up and tipped Matsu's chin up.
"There's no reason to be sorry," the woman said gently. "My name is Yuko Ichihara. This is a shop. The fact that you came in here means you have a wish, and I can grant it." Matsu looked up with scared eyes.
"You grant wishes?" she whispered, obviously convinced.
"Yes. This is a shop. I grant wishes for a reasonable price. You have a wish. What is it?" Matsu swallowed hard.
"I…" She blushed. "I want for a lot of things," she admitted quietly.
"Nothing is too much," Yuko smiled. "But I warn you, the greater the wish, the higher the price."
"Price isn't an object," Matsu said. "My father and mother are very rich people. I…I want friends; friends who will look after me, and friends who I can help, too. I want to find the person I'm destined to love, and I want to find people who understand me. But most of all…" Matsu closed her eyes and frowned. Matsu's voice raised for the first time with a hint of passion: "Most of all, I want to get away from this place!" Hot tears fled her eyes like a summer storm and Matsu cried quite silently.
"Shirakane-san, I brought some tea," Watanuki said from down the hall, announcing himself.
"Tea, tea!" the girls yipped excitedly. As they entered the room, Matsu began to dig her nails into the palm of her hand. She stopped crying immediately and she wiped her eyes with her hands. Yuko said nothing, though it did not go unnoticed.
Watanuki gave a cup of hot tea to Matsu and smiled, "This should make you feel a lot warmer." Matsu sipped at it pensively, ashamed at how loud she'd been a second ago.
"I'm sorry for yelling, Ichihara-san," Matsu mumbled.
"Please, call me Yuko," Yuko said. "And that was hardly yelling." Watanuki looked at Yuko.
"You were being a pushy salesman again, weren't you?" he asked helplessly. Yuko grinned. Watanuki turned back to Matsu. "Why don't you follow me? You can sit in the kitchen and I'll get you a towel for your hair." He led the way, seating Matsu before dashing off again to get a towel.
"Now," Yuko said to Matsu, "All of those wishes you just asked for, I can grant, but it will require the most compensation possible."
"How much?" Matsu asked. "I can pay anything…" Yuko touched Matsu's face gently.
"In order for me to grant such a wish, I have to ask for the greatest price I've had since three customers I had a while ago." Watanuki seemed to tense up. "Tell me, Matsu-chan, what is most important to you?"
"I…" Matsu thought hard. Watanuki returned with a fluffy pink towel and handed it to Matsu. "Here, dry your hair off, that way you don't get sick later on."
"Why are you being so nice to me?" Matsu asked, drying her hair off.
"You seemed depressed. Besides, is it a bad thing for a human being to care about another human being?"
"I guess not," Matsu shook her head. She finished drying off and whispered to Yuko, "Most important to me…my parents, maybe…my…my memories." Matsu put a hand to her heart. "Even though my life hasn't been the greatest, I treasure the memories I have, because they're the one thing in this world I can be certain about." Matsu looked surprised at herself.
"I have no choice," Yuko smiled. "Your payment will be all of your memories up to this point in time. You will not know anything about yourself or other people, about the places you've been and the things you want. If you relinquish these, I'll send you to a place where you can meet all the people you told me about just a moment ago." Matsu looked confused. "So, what will it be, Matsu-chan?"
"Friends…friends will pay for themselves in time," Matsu whispered. "I'll take your offer." Yuko looked pleased.
"Because I like you so much, I'll give you a gift," Yuko smiled. "When you give away your memories, I'll seal them in this." Yuko gently grabbed a pendant that was around Matsu's neck; a silver chain with a large, dark sapphire on the end. "When you meet the person you are meant to be with, they will be able to see your memories. You will never get them back, but your 'fated one' will be able to see your past."
"O-oh," Matsu said, "I'll give you this then…" Matsu reached in her pocket and pulled out a small ring. It was made of gold and speckled with amber-colored stones. "I found this a few years ago…it has been a kind of good-luck charm for me, but it won't really be of any use to me anymore." Yuko took the ring and smiled.
"I knew I liked you for a reason," she smiled. "Now, let me see that pendant again." Matsu held out her necklace and closed her eyes as Yuko grasped the sapphire.
