Misconceptions

Author: angelcat2865

Chapter 6: Dreams and Wishes Part II

AN: Yuuko, Moro and Maru are from both XXXHolic and Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. All characters and places taken from the manga or anime belong to CLAMP.

Anika stared in amazement at the sight before her.

She stood in the middle of a large village with buildings unlike any that she had ever seen before. Some had walls that appeared to have been made out of paper, others had roofs that curved upward on the edges. Other still had a combination of both these features. In addition to that, the people seemed strangely exotic as well, with their dark hair and eyes. Their clothes were different too, all light and flowing, with beautiful, delicate patterns. But what succeeded in taking her breath away was the trees, tall and covered in delicate pink blossoms. Anika stared in amazement. She had never seen any trees like that in her in her life.

Once again, Anika felt compelled to walk towards some unknown destination.

As she made her way through the village that was really the size of a town, she spotted a family walking by. Seeing the picture of happiness they appeared to present, her thoughts turned to her own family and the horrors that she knew were soon to come to Valeria.

If only there was a way to rescue them, Anika wished with all her might for a solution to present itself. A way to bring them to someplace safe where we could live in peace, a place like this.

All of sudden, Anika found herself standing before a fence. It looked out of place in the exotic town but as she followed road along the fence, she came to an opening, catching sight of a house beyond the gap. It's architecture was a strange combination of the style of this new land and the houses she has seen in her own homeland. The house felt just as out of place as the fence.

Almost like it doesn't belong here in a single place or time, Anika thought as she stared at the house.

Her feet moved on their own and she found herself moving towards the door that flew open as soon as she had reached it.

Two of the strangest young girls she had ever seen, stood just beyond the threshold. They both appeared to be around the age of ten. Anika noticed with some bewilderment that one girl had short pink hair that was pulled into two tiny pigtails and her eyes were just as pink as the hair. She wore a white dress with angelic wings attached to its back. The other girl had long blue hair though it was also pulled up in twin pigtails that hung all the way to the ground. Her eyes were just as blue as her hair though she wore a white shirt and short pants trimmed in brown. She also wore a brown coat with bat-like wings attached to its back.

"Welcome to the shop!" they greeted in unison, sounding far too cheerful, "The mistress is expecting you." the girls caught hold of Anika's hands in their tiny fingers and proceeded to lead her down a hallway, all the way to a sliding door. Still speaking in unison, they announced her arrival to someone on the other side. "She's here, she's here, the customer is here."

"Thank you, Moro and Maru," said a rich female voice as the door slid open on its own.

"You're welcome, you're welcome," they both responded in unison in their overly cheery way. Then, happily giggling to themselves, both girls skipped off after some unseen signal.

This dream just keeps getting stranger and stranger, Anika thought, taking in the room's appearance as she entered.

It was sparingly furnished, just an ornate sofa and an end table were placed before a curtained back wall. The other walls and the ceiling were painted with large translucent flowers and butterflies. Anika's attention however was drawn by the woman who stood in the center of the room.

She was tall and elegant, dressed in the same style of robes as many of the other woman Anika had seen so far but the woman's appeared more elaborate. Looking a little closer, Anika discovered that they were embroidered with ornate butterflies much like the ones that were painted on the walls. Her black hair was shorter at the front, with the bangs ending just above her eyes and some longer strands brushing her cheeks though at the back, her hair appeared to be almost reaching her knees.

Anika was a little perplexed by the strange red color of her eyes but she was even more intrigued by the wisdom and intelligence that shone through them. It made her eyes appear far more older than her appearance suggested though Anika could also spot a sense of youth and mischief in them that also touched the woman's smile.

Questions began to quickly fill Anika mind.

Who is this woman?

Why am I here?

What did those girls mean when they called me a customer?

To Anika's amazement the woman seemed to read her mind answering her questions before she could speak them out loud.

"Welcome, young seer. My name is Yuuko Ichihara. If you are here in my shop then you must have a wish you want me to grant."

A wish granting shop? was Anika first thought, but then the full implication of the woman statement hit her.

Yuuko Ichihara? Anika gasped. "You're...you're The Dimension Witch!" she stammered. "But you can't be...this can't be real...it 's just a dream."

"Just a dream?" quipped Yuuko. "Why should this be any less real just because its taking place inside a dream. You of all people should know how real a dream can be."

"But...but...I thought...you were just...a myth..." Anika continued to stammer.

"Obliviously, I'm not," a slightly amused Yuuko replied.

"But why am I here now?" Anika asked.

"As I said before, you are here because you have a wish and as to why, now well that is Hitsuzen."

"Hitsuzen?" Anika questioned.

"It means that this meeting was inevitable," Yuuko said. "It would have always happened this way, so now, tell me about your wish."

"I have a feeling you already know my wish." Anika murmured.

"I do," replied Yuuko, "but I want to hear it from you."

"I..." Anika started. "I want to save my family from the evil that is taking over my county. I want them to find some place safe where they can live in peace and happiness."

"The price will be high," Yuuko responded. "Will you be willing to pay it?"

"Price?" questioned Anika.

"There is always a price for a wish," Yuuko said. "And it must be of the same value as the wish. No more, no less, if balance is to be maintained."

"So what will be my price?" she asked.

"Your price is your freedom." was Yuuko's response.

"My freedom..." Anika gasped.

"Yes," Yuko replied. "You will have to stay and help the young emperor and his wife until they are ready to fulfill their own wish. Your life will be in grave danger and I can't guaranty that you will survive."

"I see," Anika almost whispered. "But my family… they will be safe?"

"They will," answered Yuuko.

"Then I accept the price," she replied.

"In that case, I can grant your wish," she heard Yuuko say just as the fog returned, swirling around her as it swallowed her up once again.

A/N: Sorry another cliff-hanger.

Sorry to be so slow getting this update out. my bata has been sick and I have alot going on right now. I will most likely only be updateing evry two weeks for a while.

Thanks for your patience.