Chapter 3

"There are indefinite things in this world that remain unexplained. No matter how weird it is, mankind will always observe it. It will always be so with mankind. But it is the imagination. But it is the past. Person. Mankind. People. People are the world`s strangest creatures"

—Yuuko Ichihara

In an afternoon, I was walking out of Yuu's shop with a tea set on a tray….

"The tea`s ready!" I yelled, while Maru and Moro were repeating 'Tea'. I placed the tray on a table next to where Yuu was sitting on a chair. I poured a cup of tea then gave it to him.

"Mm…it`s delicious and sweet, you`re really skilled at making tea, Kiyomi-kun," he commented after sipping on his cup. But giving me good comments from him isn't common so he must be scheming something for me to do work. "If you planning to make me do other impossible work, then you`re out of luck."

"Damn it, so close," he cursed. I secretly smiled at myself for my caution, until I felt something wet dropped on me. I looked up to the sky and it was starting to rain. Wasn't it a clear day? The rain started to hardened, but there weren't any cloud up in the sky. "Why is it raining on a nice day like this? I mean, there isn't a single cloud up in the sky."

"The Fox Spirit, kitsune takes a bride," Yuu answered, but what does he mean by bride? "It`s when it rains while the sun is out. On these kinds of days, you can listen carefully."

"What do you mean?" I tilted my head in confusion.

"Here…" he took out a mirror from his pockets, and handed it to me. "You can use this mirror. Just hold it to your heart, close your eyes, and the first words you hear is an omen. It`s a variation of fortune-telling they called, Tsujiura. You only need to wait for the day when the fox spirit takes a bride. When the fox spirit takes a bride…when the sun shines down on the rain, power and accuracy are added to the listening divination. As a result, you get an omen that is almost a certainty. Want to try it?"

"Sure…" I took the mirror from him then closed my eyes while he instruct. "Close your eyes, and open your ears. You don't need to concentrate or even think. You only need to listen for the first seconds."

Today we will come. Be ready to welcome us.

I quickly opened my eyes after hearing the words that suddenly burst out. Today, the voice said? Who and what is coming? "Yuu…?"

"We have to get ready…so we must be prepared to welcome them…." Yuu stood up from his chair, but I didn't get it all.

"Who`s coming, and why today?" I asked anxiously.

"You`ll sees soon…Maru, Moro, come with me…" Yuu walked into his shop, but before he entered, he glanced at me. "You too, Kiyomi…"

"Okay..." I followed him, but somehow I have a bad feeling about this just like last time.

He wore a black-and-white changshan with a large eye pattern, he also wore a black crescent-shaped moon choker, and he tied a loosely hair bun behind his head. I was prepared also as I wore a kimono with multiple autumn-colored flowers on the black branches, the red-dyed obi with golden lines was wrapped around my waist, also a large bow behind the back of my waist, the Obi-age is knotted and tied above the obi and tucked into the top of the obi, and a koshihimo string is tied around my obi, I also wore a pair of geta, plus an oil-paper umbrella to prevent me from getting wet. I didn't style my hair like Yuu did to his hair, since I like it plain and the way it is. I looked at Yuu as he looked at the sky. "We are prepared to welcome those who are coming, and they`re coming right now."

Just after his word, a huge blob-like object is approaching the grounds. I panicked a little, but I remained calm as well as Yuu. The object dropped finally dropped to the floor in front of Yuu, revealing a boy kneeling with a girl in his arms. He was covered in filth, and his clothes were too, but the girl seems fine, yet she was sleeping. "Are you the Warlock of the Dimensions...?" the boy asked, and Yuu responded. "Yes, I have been called that."

"I`m begging you, please save Sakura!" he yelled almost demanding. What`s wrong with her? Is she poisoned, or hurt? I felt a little nervous and panicked but when I looked at Yuu, he remained calmed.

"I have been waiting for the two of you…even though it is the two from a different world," Yuu said smiled gently.

"The Priest told me that by coming here, I could save Sakura," he said, but what 'priest' is he talking about.

"So her name is Sakura?" Yuu questioned. And the boy answered impatiently, "Yes!"

"And you are…?"

"I`m Syaoran..."

Yuu turned his smiles into a concerned frown, when he looked at the girl. "This child has lost a lot…"

"Yes, she did…."

"At this rate, she will no longer to be existed…" with those words that strikes the boy`s soul, he hugged the girl tightly, but also protectively. I felt great pity for the boy. He must have cared for her that he refuses to allow her to die. I wish I could do something, but then again I have no powers like Yuu`s. "…unless…."

My ears perked up when hearing the word, also the boy`s too. "Unless…what?"

"Unless, if you collect all of the things she has lost, she will survive. However the things are in many different worlds in different dimensions, so you must collect them quickly, otherwise she`ll die," Yuu explained. "Kiyomi, can you go grab something from the store room for me?"

"Understood," I bowed lightly, but I have no clue what I`m getting for him. "But what am I receiving?"

"Maru and Moro will show you," then the two girls grabbed both of my hands as they dragged me lightly to the entrance of the shop, leaving those three behind. "I never knew there such a thing as people falling out of the sky. It`s incredible."

Yes

"Eh…Yuu? Is that you?" I looked around if Yuu was hiding somewhere around me.

I`m here, I can talk to you through Maru and Moro.

"Amazing, even this sort of thing…but what about those two people, will they be alright?"

They are alright for the moment, but they came to me for help from a different world.

"A different world, I never knew there`s another world than ours."

I told you before that world is small, if it`s limited to the understandable but there`s far more than just one world!

We reached the entry of Yuu`s storeroom, but when Maru and Moro opened the doors, a bright white light shined as the sun, that I have to shield my eyes. As I defended my eyes, the light was coming from two containers from one of the shelves. I approached the containers to collect them but I saw what is inside of them, there were two rabbit-like creatures with a jewel on their forehead sleeping yet their colors are different. One was white as snow with a ruby-colored jewel, and the other was black as night with a sapphire-colored gem. "What are they?"

These were made for this day…do you understand the significance of different worlds?

"Ah…eh…?" I was totally confused by this.

Putting it simply, there are many worlds as I recalled, and each of them is different…..have you seen science fiction movies? They have worlds that are in the same time and place as this world, but are very different.

"Yes, but that`s fiction…"

Yes they are fiction, but the idea is a reality that is aware of it…to the people who aren't aware, aren't the things that follow you, and is also fiction?

"No…"

If I had never met him, I would be equally unaware of there being so many different worlds besides this one.

"Met…who?" who was he talking about? And why all of this confuses me?

Him…a being from another world, and he`s just look like this white creature…he`s the creator of this world, and the universe. He would create another world, and then move one to create another.

"Who is this creator?" I mentioned. The creator that created this world and the universe, but that`s not impossible. No one ever figured out who created the universe, and there`s no other way that Yuu can be right…can he?

I met him, and he look tasty–looking, but you will find out soon whenever you`re older. Also he as well met him too.

"Who…?"

The creator of the staff I showed you, he is called Clow Reed. Him and I are a bit similar, but putting that aside and back to the topic. We met the creator and made these clones, he gestured the two creatures in the containers. For the day when the two who are not of Clow Reed`s line but are the same, come to the shop.

"What do you mean? 'Not…but the same'…?"

In this world, there are two people which we met before are Sakura and Syaoran. They are both related to Clow Reed. But however there are the same two living in other worlds. The two who are outside with me, are from a different world as I recalled, yet…they have the same soul. These two creatures were made for them, and also for those other two who will come later. Now…fetch the creatures for me, but don't let Maru and Moro touch them.

"Eh? Why?" I asked curiously.

Because they don't have souls, so now opened the case and get them for me.

I did what he told me to do, and opened the cases. When I opened them, the two creatures were beginning to float towards me. I gently grabbed them into my arms but then they awaked with a smile on their faces. They sort of looked cute, and they`re really plushy. Until then I heardsomething from outside so I ran out of the room, through the hallways with Maru and Moro behind my back. When I got outside, I saw two older men standing between the two wearing strange clothes. I glanced to Yuu, and apologized. "I`m sorry for keeping you waiting…Yuu"

"That`s alright…now bring me the white one," I walked to him with a umbrella over my head and gave him the white, but don't they need the black one too. "What about the other one?"

"It`s alright, they only need the white one."

I backed away from him, and noticed that Maru was holding a katana and Moro holding an odd object. "This is Mokona Modoki; he shall bring you to different worlds."

"I see, this is all to travel to a different world," I said, holding the black creature.

Yes, White Mokona can bring people to other worlds. He and the one you`re holding were made by Clow Reed and me, he spoke through Maru and Moro again.

"Do you know these people?" I pointed to the two unknown people.

No, Syaoran and Sakura are from the same world they`re from…but these two, Fye and Kurogane are from different worlds. They have only just met.

"I can`t even imagine different worlds. But they came at the same time by chance…"

I told you before there are no coincidences in this world. There is just fate.

"So, what`s going on now?" I looked at Yuu still holding white creature. And Yuu answered my question. Wishes are ruthless. The price paid must be equal in value to the wish. Thus each of them must give the thing they treasure most as their price. Sakura is what Syaoran treasures the most…the time they spent together, the relationship they had, that is Syaoran`s most treasured thing in the whole world. Which is why it is the payment I need.

The creature in Yuu`s hand was beginning to float, and wind have suddenly to toughened and started to spin. The white one floated in the air as it opened it mouth wide open and grew instantly in large wings behind its back, and a giant magic circle below. It inhaled sucking in the four people in one gulp as it also disappeared too in a blink of an eye. I dropped my umbrella in surprise after what I just saw. Luckily the rain started to stop. And then I heard Yuu say, "I hope that their journey is successful."

"You took the payment then?" I examined Yuu.

"Four people are using Mokona to travel. One of them is Sakura. So I will have to take something from Sakura too. Since she left her world with nothing, she has nothing she can give to me. And her most important things are her memories of Syaoran, but they are already scattered. But yes, the price that Sakura has to pay. Since she is the one who needs to travel to different worlds the most, she has to pay the most as her price. To be honest, I should have taken Syaoran`s memories of her also, but it should be enough. Syaoran`s most important person has already lost her memories of him. He has sacrificed the relationship the two of them had before…..Huh, I have to admit to myself that I`m just too nice to them."

"But I don't think it will go wrong…Yuu, you know the words, Motivation and Sincerity?" he nodded as a yes. "To follow something through something through different worlds, giving up everything, knowing what is lost and still following seeking one thing, that`s determination. Although I`ve just met him, I can see from his face that Syaoran really has sincerity and motivation. He should definitely achieve his goal with the two of them it should certainly be alright!"

"It seems 'nothing' will go wrong, but the soul is the same no matter what world he`s in. They will both be alright! That`s what both Clow and I thought, which is why we created the Mokonas, and it`s the same for the strong black and skinny white ones," he smiled at me. "Maru and Moro put those treasures in the storeroom for me, please?"

"Okay!" the two girls said in their regular voices.

"Hey Kiyomi, you look like good in that kimono," I blushed at his flattery while he stretched his arms. "Ah! It`ll be nice to drink after all that work. Kiyomi, can you make something to go with beer

"You mean, I`ve got to work after all of this!?" I yelled at him, and he nodded.

"Mokona wants to drink too!" the black plush smiled, and I felt a vein popped out my forehead.

"What! You got to be kidding me!"

"Well, since I created him…he`s going to stay here with us, so the two of you will have to get along," Yuu smiled happily, along with the plush. But I was angry. "So this is part of my work!?"

Yuu laughed at my outburst, yet I didn't think it`s funny. "It`s not funny at all!"

Even though, I didn't enjoy being ordered around by Yuu and by another person or thing like Mokona, I still wonder….what will happen to Syaoran and the other during their journey?