Omake Part 2 -Encounter with Konohana-sakuya
"Even if you lose everything.
Even if you have to give up the things you love.
Continuing despite this
Living for your own sake
That's determination."
- Ichihara Yuuko (xxxHolic)
The Witch of the Dimensions was a striking figure. She towered over Mikan, and her jet black hair swirled around her lengthy frame. The Witch's icy blue eyes fixated upon Mikan's own brown ones, unblinking and unnerving.
Even considering what Mikan just witnessed, this woman bore an impressive aura. "Are you the Witch of the Dimensions?" Mikan stammered.
"I have been called that," replied the woman, rather impassively.
Mikan could have sworn the Witch's eyes were ruby-red just a second before. She blinked and broke off the gaze.
Aware of her disheveled appearance, she arranged herself into the proper posture and bowed her head. "Konohana-sakuya-hime-sama informed me you could help me," she said calmly as possible while watching her fingers tremble.
"The usurper's name is?" the Witch asked.
"Koizumi. Koizumi Luna," Mikan answered bitterly.
"And yours?"
"Sakura Mikan."
"Why have you come, Sakura Mikan?"
Tell her everything Konohana-sama said. Mikan proceeded to recount her tale. Her tongue stumbled over a few words, but she was proud to not have shed a single tear.
"A woman usurped the King status by poisoning your King and placing a curse on your brothers," the Witch précised.
Mikan reaffirmed so.
"You wish to free your brothers of the curse."
Mikan once again reaffirmed so.
"Look up child. Did Konohana-sama tell you of the balance of the world?"
"Yes, that my wish requires a price, one equivalent value must be given to preserve the world's balance. But I'm ready to accept the consequences. Please," Mikan knelt before the Witch, "help me."
The Witch saw before her a frightened child, but also a determined one.
"Your brothers will not die even if they are not freed. Though they will maintain the form of a swan till death, they still live. Even so you wish to help them?"
"Yes. Everything is- is wrong. All wrong. They were not meant to be swans, they are humans, lords and princes of the Sakura lands!"
"There will be a price. Even so?"
"I will do anything to save them!"
"Good, you are prepared. The task is most difficult. Watanuki! Fetch the things in the store room." She addressed a young man with two round glasses in front of each eye, who hurried away promptly.
The Witch turned back to Mikan. "Stand up child, there's no need to dirty yourself."
As Mikan stood, she first became aware of her strange surroundings. She could see the sun and some trees, but around her were mostly large rectangular structures that stood high to the sky. And the outfit the Witch wore…she found it familiar and strange, as though it was a fusion of different styles. And revealing, very revealing.
The man named Watanuki came back with a lacquered tray. The Witch gestured Mikan forward.
"I cannot undo the curse for you. The woman did not use an alice, what you call your powers in your world, to curse your brothers. The curse is of another deep origin. I can only help in telling what you must do and providing the tools you need."
On the tray were a silver knife, a small loom, spindle, and a needle.
Mikan stared at the tools. "I will need to sew?"
"You are aware of the plant starwort?"
It was a common plant that grew near water. A plant with feathery gray flowers and painful, spiny thorns. In Mikan's chest began trickling of dread. She nodded and steeled herself.
"The stalk of the plant is highly magic-resistant. With these three tools, you must weave a starwort shirt, one for each brother, then put the shirt on them to undo the curse. The task must be completed solely by you –the reaping, threading, the weaving, the stitching –else the shirts will be ineffective."
Weave six shirts with starwort? To touch that plant, more so to weave shirts with hurt her. She cringed as the pain flashed back to her. When she was four, she had lightly brushed her arm against that plant. That time, she had Toya's strong arms to hold her, Junnichi's soothing voice telling a story to distract her, and Shiki's patient fingers to pluck out each thorn.
But her brothers were no longer here.
She plucked up courage and thought not of the pain. Stay strong. "And what must I give in return?" She was proud her voice remained steady.
"Your suffering."
Perplexed, Mikan repeated, "My suffering? What does that mean…"
"Wishes are ruthless. The price paid must be equal in value to the wish. To free your brothers, you must suffer with your brothers."
Affronted, Mikan indignantly said, "I don't want to be rude, but I think I am suffering."
"Not enough," replied the Witch. "Your case is unique. Instead of me taking something, it is you who must take something from yourself. Your brothers, transformed into dumb birds, have lost human speech. Then you too cannot speak. Until you finish your task, until your brothers regain their speech, you must not speak at all. You cannot make a sound. Take your voice away from you, and the resulting suffering is the price of your wish. If you fail to do so, these tools will disappear and the shirts will be ineffective. In short, your price is to master your self."
The inside of her mouth turned dry. Distantly, she heard the man called Watanuki say "Eh?"
"The price does not have loopholes. You must suffer alone. You cannot tell in writing, gestures, or by any other means your story to others. You must carry your story within and cannot tell others about your task either."
To not speak…to refrain from emitting a single sound. And to be alone.
Alone.
It was unimaginable.
But she loved her brothers.
The Witch's gave Mikan some time before proceeding to ask the last question. "Will you still go through this?"
There was no return. Mikan firmly conjured the picture of them frolicking in the forest. "I will do it. I won't let my brothers live cursed." Her gaze leveled with the Witch's without faltering.
The Witch gave her a small smile. The first smile. "Readiness and sincerity. You seem to have the qualities needed. I once said the same thing to someone else who came here, and like you wanted to save someone else important to him."
Readiness? Mikan hardly thought she was ready, but she was definitely sincere. She was going to free her brothers, whatever it took.
The man called Watanuki placed the tools in her arms and gave her a reassuring smile. She smiled in return then gazed at the plain tools. They seemed so insignificant to what she needed to pay.
"Thank you, Miss Witch of the Dimensions." Mikan bowed earnestly to the tall lady.
"Don't thank me yet. You cannot return as of now."
This was all becoming too much for her. "What do you mean, I cannot return as of now? Then how am I supposed to return?"
"It is a complicated matter for me to explain. You should return quickly. However, as you have not the skills to return, and I am the only one who can transport you back to your world, you need to pay another price," said the Witch. She seemed sorry to inform the young girl.
"Another price? I gave you my voice; do you want my sight now?" wailed Mikan.
The Witch tutted. "That would be too heavy of a price. Watanuki, get the scissors."
Scissors? Mikan fearfully watched Watanuki reluctantly hand the Witch a giant pair of two metal things. The snip sounds made it all more menacing. She nervously twined her fingers into her long locks.
"Your hair will suffice." At Mikan's aghast expression, the Witch said, "Come child, surely your hair is a trifle importance as of now."
Subjected to months of self-torture with spindly thorns, unable to utter a sound, live with the knowledge of her corrupted kingdom…Mikan sighed. Customs, or Mikan acknowledged vanity was indeed a trifling matter. But she still closed her eyes and winced at the brutal snip.
A heavy weight fell off her shoulders and her head felt much lighter. She timidly raised her fingers and patted the remaining hair…to her chin.
She couldn't take her eyes off the ever-long brown tresses on the floor. To her horror, she felt tears threatening to spill. Angrily, she swiped her face with an arm. To cry about losing hair!
"Growing one's hair is the custom in your world, I believe. Hair, as your body, should be treated with respect because your parents gave it to you. It is a pity, but it must be done." The Witch stroked Mikan's head reassuringly. "It will grow back, little swallow. Nothing to be ashamed of. Think of it as a new beginning."
"It's ready," said Watanuki. Mikan sniffed and hugged the tools in her arms.
The Witch tilted Mikan's chin with a finger so that their eyes would meet. Mikan noticed that the other's eyes turned blue again. But less icy this time.
"Remember child. Once you return to your world, you may not let out a single noise. Cut the starwort and begin weaving your shirts, one for each brother. Do not tell anyone of your tale. Succeed, and your brothers will be free."
Mikan nodded, and the Witch stepped back. "Then please get going."
Wind gathered in a circle around her and enveloped her in a cocoon. Wisely, she shut her eyes and prepared herself for the onslaught of chaotic tossing in the hurricane.
As Mikan disappeared, the scent of cherry blossoms suffused through the air. Konohana-sakuya-hime appeared in view under the sakura tree, floating transparently in her flowing garments. The Witch of the Dimensions nodded in greeting.
"How did it go, Yuuko?" asked the Kami.
"Okay. I wish her good luck on her journey, no pun intended of course," said the Witch.
Watanuki was too used to strange guests to flinch at the ghostly translucent figure. "She has the determination, so I don't think things will go wrong."
"Bah," replied Yuuko. She stretched her arms high in the air. "Ah, it'll be nice to drink after that hard work. Konohana-chan, want to join me for sakura sake? Watanuki, go make some gyoza or something!"
"Right, work me like a slave," muttered Watanuki as he wandered off.
Yuuko saw Konohana in quiet pensiveness.
"Nothing will go wrong, he says," said Yuuko.
Konohana looked up to the blue sky. "I pray it to be so, Yuuko."
The Kami and the Witch watched the blue sky together until Watanuki came chasing after two giggling girls juggling the sake jug between the two.
A/N
I fear I assume correctly when I assume that some people want to seriously kill me right now with a theoretical gun, knife, and/or any other murder weapon. (I hope it's a theoretical weapon).
As my profile states:
I am alive. Worn out, but alive.
I have been accepted into college.
May is here.
MAY is here.
IB exams are here.
So far I have finished my papers for Math and Music and one for English. I have 7 more papers left, yaybeans.
Here is omake part 2. Lot of it is just taken from xxxHolic, as you can see. For those who haven't read these awesome CLAMP works, you should. It's great. They are the gods of manga in my opinion.
Don't worry, I haven't forgotten Hotaru, Ruka, Yuuichi, and all other characters. They are coming.
Thank you for all the support I've been receiving from you all! (Especially from my fellow sufferers ;P)
So please...
Please don't haunt my dreams.
Please limit author-hunting to the theoretical realm.
Please review.
Thank you!
-Mikancchi, in and out.
