Author's Notes: Hey everybody! Here's my latest fic. Two of my classmates have agreed to lend me their personas for the 2 other OCs in this story, but I had to give the characters their own names and not use my classmates' names. True to my word, I have named them Theodora and Manda. If the 2 of you are reading this, don't complain on my choice of name, it was difficult for me okay. Enjoy the story…

Disclaimer: This thing only appears once throughout any of my stories, and that is in the first chapter. Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle belongs to CLAMP. End of story.

Otherworldly

Chapitre 1: Unexpected Departure

"What the hell!"

"What's going on?"

"Don't ask me!"

"I don't want to die!"

"Hey, let go of me!"

It was then that the trio was tossed out of the void between space and time. The ground on which they landed was soft and muddy, as if it had rained very recently. None of this mattered to them of course, especially after what had just happened. No, what should not have happened. It was impossible. What happened to them should not have been possible, could it?

"Hmm… Now who are you three?"

It was dark, very dark. Rain had been falling for several days and the threat of flooding caused several schools to close temporarily. For a certain student, however, the rain would not stop him from going to school. This was not his choosing, but that of the school. It was not in danger of flooding and therefore, stayed open. Normally, he would have started cursing; wishing that his school had closed down too, as would any student, but this was not the case. He was deep in thought, a troubled mind trying to find solace. So much so that having to going to school was the least of his concern.

Several days ago he had received a picture via e-mail. He couldn't tell what it was, the picture was not complete; it looked as if two thirds of the picture were erased and only a third of it made its way to him. He deleted it soon after as there was no sender e-mail and since the picture made no sense whatsoever. Then, someone sent it again, almost immediately after he deleted the first one! He deleted that one too, but someone sent another one! It kept happening over and over again and then, he stopped, trembling in fear. Someone, or something, wanted him to get that picture and was making sure he didn't get rid of it, but who… or what… was doing this? Why?

"Hey, Farhan, are you all right?"

"Huh?"

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't realized that he had already walked into the classroom. Aside from him, only two other people were there, both of them were girls. One of them, Manda, had been his friend since day one. She had long billowing black hair that reached her waist with a small butterfly shaped hair clip in it. Her hazel brown eyes always had an empty, lonely feeling to them, but her cheerful, hyperactive personality managed to divert the attention of others away from them, almost as if she didn't want anyone to know. She kept looking at him in an inquisitive manner, as if trying to force some sort of confession out of him for a crime he hadn't committed.

He certainly looked like someone who had recently broken out of prison. It was apparent that he had had very little sleep as his eyes, which were usually black, were now blood red and his medium length black hair was as unkempt as always. It all added to the I-escaped-from-prison-and-have-been-living-outdoors-since-then look. He took off his glasses and wiped them dry. The heavy downpour outside had nearly blinded him and he was starting to wonder how in the world he had even managed to leave his house. Manda was still examining him like he was an alien of some sort.

The other girl, Theodora, was someone he had made friends with several weeks back. She didn't speak to him at all before then, even though they were in the same class. Even now, although she had started talking to him, and even traded manga with him, she spoke very little. She was reading a manga quietly a corner of the room. He couldn't see clearly, mainly because Manda's face continually blocked his view, but he could have sworn that her nose was 6 centimetres away from the page. She had shoulder length brown hair which she wore in a ponytail and her deep, blue eyes were as calm as the still waters of a lake. She looked up from her book and gave a small wave. He returned the greeting, but she had already gone back to her book.

"Hey, are you absolutely sure there are lessons going on today?" he asked.

"I guess so," Manda replied.

"You're always guessing. Can't you ever like, answer with a 'yes' or a 'no'?" he told her.

"I guess I could…" she replied.

"Never mind…" he said, "It's been over two hours. I don't think anyone's coming in this weather…"

Then, the lights in the room started to flicker and eventually, they were plunged into darkness. The three of them gathered near the windows facing outside, where there was some light. Manda made it there unscathed, but Farhan tripped over a few chairs and Theodora had dropped her manga in the darkness somewhere. The lights came back on after a few moments and they set about arranging the classroom back into its former state before the blackout. Farhan found Theodora's manga behind the teacher's desk and gave a very audible gasp.

"Um… Farhan… what's wrong?" Theodora asked him.

He showed her the final page of her manga. A picture of some sort was visible, two thirds of which were missing. Her jaw dropped slightly. He took it that she had never realised that the picture was there, until she started shaking her head in disbelief and kept repeating, "No… not again…"

"Wait, you mean you've seen this before?" he asked her.

"It's been appearing in all my manga. I don't know what's going on…" she said.

Manda made her way over to them and when she saw the picture, she was as surprised as the other two were. She too, had a piece of the picture, finding it on a rolled up piece of paper in her pencil case. Farhan told them about his piece of the picture and how he had received it by e-mail. He fished the printout from his pocket and tore the last page of Theodora's manga out, much to her dismay. He fitted the three pieces together, hoping that somehow they were different, that it was just a coincidence, but the pieces fit perfectly. The picture was an insignia of some sort, a symbol which was somehow familiar to the three of them.

"What the hell is going on here?" Farhan asked.

"Don't look at me, I didn't do anything!" Manda said.

"Um… I think I know what this is…" Theodora said.

The lights vanished again, but this time, it was different. Everything was swallowed up in the darkness, even the raging torrent outside.

"What the hell!" Farhan bellowed.

"What's going on?" Theodora asked

"Don't ask me!" Farhan shouted.

"I don't want to die!" Manda screamed.

"Hey, let go of me!" Farhan said.

They then fell for what seemed an eternity, through a void before landing, hard, on wet, muddy ground. Farhan was nearly knocked out because the other two had landed on top of him. A voice nearby asked who they were. Theodora and Manda got up; allowing Farhan to, at last, look up at the person who asked the question. He saw her face and his jaw went slack. She was a woman, dressed in black, with long black hair, maroon eyes and reeked of alcohol. The three of them couldn't believe their eyes, standing before them was…

"Yuko?" Theodora said out loud, "You're Yuko aren't you? The dimensional witch!"

"You mean the Yuko from Tsubasa Chronicle and xxxHOLIC?" Manda whispered.

"Yes, I am," Yuko replied, apparently not having heard what Manda whispered to Theodora.

"Wait a second!" Farhan said, "How can you be here, in front of us, right now? You're not real! You shouldn't even exist!"

"Oh? Really?" Yuko replied, smiling slightly.

She walked over to him and cupped her right hand under his chin. She then asked if a woman's touch was proof of life, that she wasn't a pigment of his imagination after all. He didn't answer, he couldn't, and he was positively mortified! How could a manga character be touching him, let alone talk to him? He looked over to Manda and Theodora, who looked almost as baffled as he was. Yuko started stroking his cheek.

"Well?" she asked him, still moving her hand methodically over his face.

"You're real…" he admitted, gently pushing her hand away, "How? You're just a character from a book…"

"I see…" Yuko exclaimed.

The three of them had started a lengthy explanation chronicling how they ended up there. She invited them inside; they landed next to her house, and they continued their explanation, going on about how she was just a fictional character in a manga titled xxxHOLIC where they came from. They also included how this all seemed familiar to a certain other manga which also featured her titled Tsubasa Chronicle. They asked her if the Japan they were in now was the same Japan that they know of. She told them that the Japan they is the modern day Japan they know of, but it was still a totally different world. They then asked her if it was possible for them to return to their own dimension, without having to go all over the place as in Tsubasa Chronicle. Unfortunately, she said the answer was, "no".

"Marudashi! Morodashi!" Yuko called out, "Please come in here!"

Two girls burst into the room through the door behind Farhan, trampling him. It was a wonder how he could manage to sustain that much pain. Yuko whispered something to them and turned to talk to the three as Farhan got back up, with the help of Theodora and Manda.

"Travelling through dimensions is difficult work," Yuko said, "and very expensive as I'm sure you already know…"

The three of them knew this. Having read Tsubasa Chronicle, they knew that they needed to pay for whatever service Yuko gave them with something of equal value, nothing more, and nothing less. However, they didn't actually think something like this would happen to them and of course, had nothing of any actual value on them. The girls returned with an ornate box between them. Yuko opened the box and removed three small discs, each with the same insignia as the three pieces of paper they had assembled together. She passed each of them a piece.

"These discs will take you back, but it is not a straightforward journey," Yuko started, "You will have to travel through other dimensions to reach yours. Also, since you have foretold my future, I'll need you're help in keeping it on track."

"I have a feeling that you know this dimension in which you have landed is the dimension inside the manga," she said, "You know the sequence of events, you must ensure it goes exactly the same way, or the consequences will be dire."

"Certain things which should have happened after someone reads the manga might not occur," she said, "changing the course of time in your dimension. Something may even happen that should never have taken place at all. The group that created the me in your world may not even be manga-ka anymore."

"I can't ensure that you will stay within the boundaries of the manga," she continued, "or that you will even stay together, but whatever happens, you must endure it to move on to the next. The discs I gave you will alter their physical selves to fit your personality and they will grant you some abilities. You'll need them."

The three of them looked at the discs she had given them. They started to glow and change in shape. Theodora's disc had turned itself into a watch. Farhan's disc turned into a headband. Manda's turned into a ring with a heart etched into it. Theodora took off the watch she was already wearing and put on the one she had just received. She was going to put her watch into her pocket when Morodashi grabbed it from her. Farhan couldn't believe that he had received a headband; he wasn't the physical type. Nonetheless, he put it on and when Marudashi motioned for him to bend down, he did so. She yanked his glasses off his face. Manda put the ring on and nearly fell backwards when Morodashi pulled the hairclip out of her hair with help from Marudashi; she had brought a stool for Morodashi to stand on.

"Now then, about your fee…" Yuko said.

Manda and Theodora just stared at her with an I'm-sorry-what-did-you-just-say look about them. Farhan had closed his eyes and was groping around on the floor. He eventually stood up; eyes still closed and asked Yuko…

"What about the stuff Maru and Moro took from us a while ago?" he said.

"That was the consultation fee," she replied, "You still need to pay for your wish and you really should open your eyes."

He really didn't want to. He was so near sighted that everything else he saw was so blurred out that he felt sick. For some strange reason or another, his eyes opened on their own, and he could see clearly!

"Like I said, those discs I gave you earlier would give you some abilities," she continued, "They also revert the body back into its original state. That is to say, you weren't myopic your whole life, am I right?"

Farhan nodded and went over to Manda and Theodora. Yuko continued…

"Those discs are actually seals," she said, "containing the power of the four elements. You'll all have a base element that you can already control, and as you progress in mastering that element, the others will reveal themselves to you."

"Not every dimension is as safe as this one," she continued, "and you'll need to master the skills given to you if you want to survive. Now, back to my fee…"

She walked over to Theodora.

"Your price is…" she said, "your ability to draw."

Theodora thought over that sentence for quite a while. Manda and Farhan knew that drawing was her life. She drew even better than some of the senior students and even some teachers! They thought for certain that she would ask to pay with something else, but she said, "Ok." Home was more important to her than being able to draw. Her body glowed for a moment and then went back to normal.

Yuko walked over to Manda.

"Your price…" she said, "Are your loved ones. Even if you make it back home, none of them shall remember who you are."

Manda almost cried upon hearing that sentence. What would be the point of going home if everyone you cared about and cared about you had completely forgotten about you? It was a lose-lose situation for her. Staying in Yuko's dimension would mean adapting to a completely different world. Going home, would mean losing her loved ones. Theodora consoled her while Yuko moved over to Farhan…

"Your price is…" she said, "your life."

Farhan was shocked! Even Manda and Theodora looked over at his direction. Manda had completely forgotten her despair and Theodora's eyes were wide to point her eyeballs could have popped out of their sockets!

"Wait," he said, "I thought you weren't the kind who would kill someone. Why do I have to die for this?"

"I didn't say you would die," she replied, "I said you would pay with your life. To be specific, your life force. With every dimension you travel to, a part of your life force will be taken. Maybe a few minutes, maybe a few hours, I'd never shorten someone's life uncessarily. You see, when I take a little bit if your life force, I shorten your lifespan."

"Since I said I don't kill," she continued, "and I don't plan to, I guarantee you won't die. At least, unless you travel through more dimensions that I had expected as the spell won't wear off until your journey has ended."

Farhan had dropped to his knees. The prospect of having his life shortened scared him, he was afraid of death. On top of that, there was no absolute guarantee that he would live through their quest. If he died, it would not have been by Yuko's hand. He would be to blame, for having agreed to the price. He had definitely no idea how many dimensions they had to go through and it was obvious that neither did her. Someone held onto his right hand. It was Manda. Theodora grabbed hold of his left hand.

"I'll pay my price," she told Yuko.

"Are you sure?" Farhan asked her, "What about your boyfriend, your family?"

"After hearing what you had to pay, my price seemed cheap," she told him.

"Don't worry, we'll make it out if this alive," Theodora told him, "All of us. Together."

"Hmph. I guess I have no choice then," he said, "I'll pay my price!"

"Very well then," Yuko said, "I wish you luck on the voyage ahead."

The ground below them was opening up; something was rising up from around them, a swirling mass of purple. It was also coming from the ceiling up above them. The swirling mass was about to engulf them completely, when Farhan remembered something.

"What do you plan to do with my life force?" he shouted.

"Ever heard of the fountain of youth?" she told him, smiling, "Get going. I have a customer and it seems he's had a lot of trouble with spirits."

The swirling mass had completely covered them and sank back into the floor of Yuko's shop as shouting emanated from the hallway. Whoever it was kept going on about there being a mistake and that his legs were moving on their own accord.

"Hmm… They were right after all," she thought to herself, "he has come; the boy whose name is written like the 1st of April."

The trio were travelling in a different void this time. The one they had fallen into before was completely empty, whereas the one they were in now has several hundred lights moving all around them like a tunnel of sorts. It was an amazing feat to them, for it was only something many people could only dream about. What awaited them on the other side was the beginning of their journey home…