Glass Figurines: A Collection of Tales

By: Mokona-Midoki

"Humans can be so very fragile. Like glass they fall and break and then the others step on the pieces and get cut."

Descant: Part Two

Author's Note: This is the revised edition of chapter two. Chapter three will be up shortly. I apologize for the delay. I have no excuse.

Disclaimer: Let me check…Nope! Neither xxxHolic or Petshop of Horrors belong to me. I'd be very rich and famous if they did. Louise the mockingbird who sings classical music, Laurence the sweet nightingale, and the Takada family are all mine though!

A huge thank you to all my reviewers! Once again I apologize for not getting around to writing on this fic. Please continue to read it once I get it posted.

An interesting fact I did discover was that mockingbirds are also called 'the American Nightingale'.

If Watanuki was paranoid, he would swear that the bird was following him. It had been there when he had left for school, and he had seen it again outside the classroom window. Now for the third time he saw the nondescript brownish-gray bird perched on the tree that hung over the school wall. He glared at it.

"What do you want?!" He asked angrily, realizing that people would probably start staring at him for it.

The bird cocked its head to one side, as if considering answering the question, then whistled something that sounded strangely enough like the opening notes to Beethoven's Moonlight Sonota.

He glared at it.

The bird cocked it's head to the other side and switched to Mozart's Papageno.

"What are you doing, Watanuki?" A sudden voice interrupted his stare down with the bird.

He spun around quickly to come face-to-face with the object of his affections. "Himawari! I, uh, I didn't see you there!"

The girl smiled cheerfully at him, making his heart thump rather loudly in his chest. "That's okay. So why were you talking to the bird, Watanuki?"

He looked from Himawari to the small bird which he would have sworn had a smug smile on its face, if birds could smile. "Oh, I wasn't talking to it. It's uh, it's been following me…" He trailed off realizing how lame he sounded.

She looked a bit puzzled. "Following you?"

"Well this is the third time I saw it today and I swear it's the same bird."

Himawari now looked at the bird closely. "Oh! Isn't that a mockingbird?" She asked.

The bird chirped and ruffled its feathers as if to affirm Himawari's question.

"That certainly looks like one, but it's strange…"

Watanuki looked at her. "What's strange?"

"Well mockingbirds aren't native to this part of the world. I know that there are a lot of them in North America, but I don't think any of them live over here." Himawari explained.

"I see. Maybe it's someone's pet?"

"Maybe so."

The mockingbird, tired of not being part of the conversation suddenly twittered something in its own language. Watanuki glared at it, a bit peeved at ruining his and Himawari's conversation.

Suddenly Himawari gasped and looked down at her watch. "Oh no!" She cried.

"What's wrong?"

"I promised my mom I would get home right after school! She needed my help with something!" She looked around. "I'm going to be late. Sorry about this Watanuki! I'll see you tomorrow!" She waved and then ran off.

Watanuki lifted his hand in a half wave then dropped it back to his side only when she had gone out of sight. He sighed. "I'd better get going. Yuko's waiting."

The mockingbird chirped its agreement.

--

Yuko Ichihara, Dimension Witch, lay languidly across her couch smoking her long silver pipe. It was a quiet day, the kind of day that usually preceded something happening. She wasn't exactly in the mood for it at the moment. But still, if nothing else, Yuko was a woman of business. If someone came to her store, she would grant their wish to the best of her ability.

"Maru, Moro, come here."

The paper screen door slid open and two heads, one pink and one blue, poked around either side of the door. "Yes Mistress?" The two girls chorused.

She slid around so that she was sitting up and took a long pull on her pipe. Smoke wreathed around her face. "I believe somebody is coming today. Please inform Watanuki when he gets here."

Identical grins spread across their faces. "Of course! Do you need help?"

"No thank you." Yuko stood and made her way over to the door that led to her personal chambers. Before she entered them she paused and turned back. "Oh and make sure he gets some tea ready."

"Yes Mistress!"

--

As the boy entered the warded gate within which lay an odd house that looked like it didn't belong two skyscrapers, Louise landed on the branch of a tree and watched.

Laurence had reported the advice given to them by Count D, and Louise had offered to visit this acquaintance of the Counts.

Instead of finding a house marked by a butterfly, she had found a boy. Having no other leads, and no where else to look, she had followed him, and sure enough he had led her right to where she wanted to go.

Now she sat, contemplating her next course of action. It was obvious what she had to do, but there was something about the house that didn't sit well with her. Still, she argued with herself, most people found the Count a strange and unnatural but she knew for a fact that he was a kind man. Well to animals at least…

Then unbidden, a memory from earlier that morning came to mind.

She had been about to leave when Takashi grabbed her sleeve. "Louise? Where are you going?"

She smiled and stroked his hair. "I'm going to go get something that will help the bad dreams go away."

His face was confused. "But you will come back, right?"

"Of course."

He grinned.

Five minutes later he stood at the window with Laurence.

"Buh-bye Louise! Come back soon!"

Louise took a breath, steeling herself. No matter what it took, this was her duty to the Count, to the Takadas, to Laurence, and to herself. She flew off the branch and towards the house.

--

"What do you mean somebody's coming today?" Watanuki asked Maru and Moro as he tied an apron around his waist.

They giggled. "That's what Mistress said!" They told him.

"She also said," Moro began.

"That you need," Maru continued.

"To make tea!" They finished together.

Watanuki looked at them in incredulity. "Tea? Are you sure she said tea?" Although Yuko did like tea, she usually preferred any form of alcohol over it.

They nodded.

He sighed. "Well, alright then. Tea it is."

"Kyah! Watanuki!" A small black ball of fur suddenly landed on his head.

"Mokona get off me!" Watanuki swiped his hand at the small creature.

Mokona simply laughed and slipped down to sit on his shoulder.

It was then that the door slid open and his boss came out. "There you are Watanuki."

He looked up and did a double take. Yuko, who usually wore elaborate costumes anyway, was dressed in the black dress that he had only seen once when the four travelers from other worlds had visited the shop. "What's going on Yuko? Is somebody that important coming?"

She gave him a mysterious smile. "Perhaps. I do have a feeling that they were sent here by an old acquaintance of mine."

"So then you're…"

"Keeping up appearances." She supplied. "Anyway if I am correct, and I always am, then I at least need dress appropriately for my customer."

"Yeah! Customers!" Mokona cheered still perched on Watanuki's shoulder.

And with that she strode down the hall towards the front door of her house, Watanuki, Maru, and Moro trailing behind her.

As she reached the front door, she slid it open and stepped out, a small smile gracing her lips. "Here they come."

Watanuki looked around but was unable to see anybody walking up through the gate, or even walking past the fence. "Where-?" He suddenly stopped as he saw the mockingbird that had been following him all day. It hovered for a moment outside the fence, as if unsure of something, then flew over it.

As soon as the small grayish-brown bird passed over the warded boundary, it shifted. It happened so fast that Watanuki couldn't even tell. All he knew was that one moment it was a small bird and the next a girl no older than thirteen with long gray hair and a pair of brownish-gray wings edged in white was landing gently in front of the house.

She stood, and her wings folded easily to fit along her back. She looked up at the tall imposing woman, the two bright-haired girls standing behind her, a head around either side of said woman, the small black creature, and the flabbergasted boy she had followed since morning.

"Hello." Her voice was light as if she were about to start singing. "My name is Louise."

--

Five minutes later Yuko had escorted the girl into the sitting room where she accepted a cup of tea from Watanuki with a small smile.

"So, the fact the you have come to my shop means that you have need of my help." Yuko began.

The girl nodded. "Yes. We were directed here by the Count who told us you would be able to help us."

Watanuki did a double take. "The Count? You mean that petshop owner?"

Louise smiled delightedly. "You know Count D? How wonderful!"

"We both visited his shop two weeks ago. I believe that I did not see you there." Yuko informed her.

Louise nodded again. "Well yes that is understandable. Laurence and I had already been sold by then."

Watanuki blanched. "Sold? What do you mean sold?"

Louise looked at him as if were daft. "Well obviously I mean that we were given to our new owners for money and a contract."

"But you can't be older than me!"

The girl's face suddenly lit up and she smiled. "Oh, I see. You think that I'm human. I assure you, I am exactly what your friend guessed: a mockingbird."

"What?"

"Yes, a northern mockingbird, to be exact, from the Appalachian Mountains in the U.S.A." She explained.

Yuko sighed. "Watanuki, D owns a petshop. While some of his acquisitions are a bit more…dangerous than usual, he sells nothing but animals."

"But then why do you look like that?"

"Because of your ability to see spirits." Yuko continued. "A normal person when entering the shop would see nothing but animals. But people like you and me would see them for what they truly are. On the other side, the animals in the shop can reveal their true forms to their owners and the other customers if they wish."

Louise now began to explain. "Yes. This morning I did not reveal myself in order to not cause a stir. Humans usually don't have wings after all."

Yuko once again focused her attention on the girl. "Now, why would you require my aid?"

The girl bit her lip. "Something that neither I nor my counterpart are able to deal with." She looked up at the witch. "We believe that our master may be haunted by a malicious spirit of some sort. We wish to ask your assistance in solving the matter as our master is very precious to us, and we fear for his health."

"I see. You are aware that a price will have to be paid for my assistance?"

Louise nodded. "Of course. This is a shop after all, and nothing is ever free."

Yuko gave a small smile. "Well said." She turned to her employee. "Watanuki!"

He sat up a bit straighter. "Yes?"

"You will accompany Louise to her master's house and deal with the spirit as you see fit. You will then return with both Laurence and Louise. We will then discuss payment."

Watanuki was flabbergasted. Go by himself? He had never done that before! Yoko or that jerk Doumeki was always with him! And anyway, he could only see spirits! "Why do I have to do it!"

Yuko turned her eyes back to the customer. "Because I said to. You are my employee after all. Is this acceptable?" She asked this last question to Louise.

The girl nodded. "Yes it is."

"Very well. Then I will see you again after this has been dealt with." She stood.

Louise stood as well and bowed to Yuko. "Thank you for your help."

"There is no need. It is my job after all."

Footnotes: See, what did I tell you?! This chapter is just chock full of Yuko and Watanuki! I even threw in some Himawari! So anyway, yup. Louise gets a big part in this chapter and all that jazz.

Moonlight Sonata and Papageno-Moonlight Sonata is by Beethoven. Very beautiful piece. Papageno is a piece written by Mozart for his opera The Magic Flute (Which is a personal favorite of mine!). Louise is a very well-learnt bird coming from the Count's Pet shop and all!

The animals at the Count's Shop-As explained above, the animals appear as humanoid figures to those with special powers. They can also appear as humans to their owners if they wish. This is why many people think that the Count runs an underage escort service.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW!!!!