Of Dreams and Wishes

Hi! Thanks for wanting to read this fanfic. I hope you like this story.

I have never read xxxHolic manga — all my knowledge regarding that manga series stem from Wikipedia and some other sites. This fanfic would mainly follow xxxHolic anime with some addition from the manga. But I would be changing the order of the episodes around and wouldn't include all the cases.

Of Dreams and Wishes takes place after the Inuyasha series, with changes with its ending. Also, most of the characters from Inuyasha and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles would not be mentioned much in this fanfic.

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Vocabulary

Ayukata — summer kimono

Hitsuzen — inevitable, fated

Hyakumonogatari — 100 ghost stories

Jii-chan / Jii-san — grandfather

Shikai — literally "fourth world", crossroads

Sengoku Jidai — Feudal Era

Shikon no Tama — Jewel of Four Souls

Miko — priestess, shrine maiden

Miko ki – priestess energy

Youkai — demon

Hanyou — half demon

Inu — dog

Jaki — miasma, evil energy

Ofuda — protective wards on parchment / paper wards

Arigato — thank you

Chapter 2 Gateway of Spirits

A few days ago, Yuuko-san had taken them to meet two fortune tellers. The first one turned out to be a fake who irritated both Yuuko-san and Kagome-chan for tainting the reputation of true practitioners. The other one, however…

It still brought tears to his eyes at the relief from knowing that his parents were at peace in death, free from the pain felt in life. Murky spirits plagued him for as long as he could remember, and it had horrified him to think that his parents may have ended up as one of them. Thankfully, the genuine fortune teller led those worries to rest.

She also told him that there would be girl who would always stay by his side through thick and thin. That must be Himawari-chan! Just thinking about it sent his heart beating rapidly and his face to flush. The fortune teller also mentioned about a boy, despite constant bickering, and a girl who would be his beloved companions. He still wasn't sure about the male, but the latter was most likely Kagome-chan.

Speaking of Kagome-chan, she also received notice of her friends' contentment from the world beyond and their wish for her to live out her life to the fullness no matter what torment lied ahead. (That message had Kimihiro watching his friend in worry. Did that mean she would get hurt in the future? He won't let that happen. She already suffered enough due to the mysterious object she had broken. He still didn't know the details, but he wasn't going to push her for the tale.) After that, the fortune teller also told her about a future lover and two precious friends.

Then, before he headed back to his empty apartment (another reason why had chose to work for long hours at Yuuko-san's store), Kagome-chan gave him a bracelet, woven by the bark of Goshinboku, a sacred tree from her shrine.

"I infused my own powers and thoughts into the bracelet. There are also warding characters etched into the bark. It should keep most spirits and weaker youkai away from you, Kimihiro-kun, so please keep this with you at all times. I don't like how you live all alone, outside of Yuuko-san's barrier, while your aura attracts spirits like cats to catnip."

Both Yuuko-san and the old fortune teller had praised Kagome-chan for the craftsmanship. And true to her words, no spirits approached him ever since putting on that bracelet, even though they still hovered a few meters away, watching him.

This was why one of his hands was currently clasped over his bracelet as he made his way to Doumeki's (that annoying bastard) temple for hyakumonogatari. In his opinion, ghost stories were nothing but trouble. But Yuuko-san insisted on helping him get closer to Himawari-chan though this activity.

Still! Did they really have to do it at Doumeki's home of all places? Why couldn't they stay at the shop, or better yet, visit Himawari-chan's house? And why did they all have to wear kimonos anyways?

He chose a simple blue one, one of his late father's. It was still a bit large for his irritating slender frame — he still received comments about how girly he looked from strangers, especially when he had to carry Mokona, who most people thought as a stuffed animal, in town.

Yuuko-san, on the other hand, dressed down from her usual expensive-looking loose kimonos. This time she was simply clad in a black one, decorated with several large magenta butterflies and a yellow sash. She had also lent one to Kagome-chan — a light purple one peppered with dark blue butterflies. His friend was really pretty in it, but the most beautiful one is definitely—

Himawari-chan!

She looked so charming in that pale indigo ayukata with light blue flowers. They really bring out her green eyes.

"Hello! Ah, I guess it's 'good evening' by now, isn't it?"

Yep, the moon may be high up in the sky, but his heart was filled with sunshine. "Either works for me! Good evening, Himawari-chan!"

XxXxXxXxX

It was endearing how Kimihiro-kun fawned over his beloved Himawari-chan. If Hojo-kun always greeted her with such a bright smile and obvious affection (rather then his polite smile, offers of dates, and health gifts, though the last one was jii-chan's fault), she may have come to like him better. From what she knew, Kimihirro-kun had never asked Himawari-chan for dates, only for company and her smiles, even when they weren't alone.

Hojo-kun never did that.

The few group outings they had never worked out, mainly because Yuka, Eri, and Ayumi always found some reason to leave the two of them alone. Then again, some of her problems with Hojo-kun were her three friends. They were just too boy-obsessed and had tried pushing Hojo-kun and her together ever since he asked her out on a date soon after they started middle school. All that pushing made being with Hojo-kun really awkward and didn't give her a good feeling.

That, and the whole mess with Inuyasha. She did eventually get over her puppy love for him, increasing it to a more stable family love, but it was definitely too late to like Hojo-kun any more than a good friend.

"—and you are…?"

"Ah, that's Kagome-chan. She works with me at Yuuko-san's shop and she's one year younger than us."

She bowed in greeting. "Good evening, Kunogi-san." The bracelet she gave Kimihiro-kun seemed to ward away the other girl's tainted aura, but she should reinforce its powers once every few days, just in case. Kunogi-san's aura was as thick as Naraku's miasma, only without the toxic effects.

"I don't mind if your call me Himawari, Kagome-chan. Ah. Could I?"

Kagome nodded. "Yeah, Kagome-chan works fine with me." She turned to greet the other person. "Good evening. I'm Higurashi Kagome. Thank you for letting us use your temple, Doumeki-kun."

"Ah."

Kimihiro-kun's self-proclaimed rival was a man of a few words, huh? A very interesting contrast to Kimihiro-kun's energetic self. He was also his opposite in terms of aura. While Kimihiro-kun attracted all sorts of spirits, Doumeki-kun repelled them. This was probably why Yuuko-san wanted Kimihiro-kun to befriend him. After all, she couldn't always be there to purify the spirits away, especially when the cases involve more muscle-work than brain.

XxXxXxXxX

"This is such an ideal hyakumonogatari situation," Yuuko announced, closing the sliding door behind her.

"Is it alright? Telling ghost stories here?" Kimihiro whispered to Doumeki. "The room next door is in use today, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter."

Kagome agreed with that. She couldn't sense human life anywhere in this part of the temple, other than the ones in this room. So, if there was really someone next door, then it had to be a corpse. Jii-chan had told her about how larger temples tended to also serve as a place where bodies were kept before their burial. The Higurashi shrine, on the other hand, was too small to perform such function.

"This is for you, Watanuki," Yuuko said, handing him large bowl of water. "Could you out that over in the southwest corner? Next are the candles." She lit one of the candles, which glowed with a blue fire. "Everyone, light your own candles in this fire and carry them to the candle stands in the corners."

Kagome noticed that Yuuko was sitting right next of the sliding door leading to the room where the corpse was while the other four sat about a meter in front of the candles. In the middle of the group was an incense bowl. Knowing Yuuko-san, the shopkeeper definitely scheming something. Why else would she specifically gather someone who attracted spirits, someone to repelled spirits, someone who did both, and someone with an aura so tainted that it was already slowly eroding the barrier Yuuko-san erected with the candles (the barrier was definitely not as powerful as Miroku-sama's)? And telling ghost stories next to an occupied preparation room in a temple of all places.

"Now the preparations are complete," Yuuko said. "There are actually many more. Like a hundred candles, a razor, turning your lined kimono inside out… Btu today's simplified version would be just fine. The actors are all present."

Yep, everything was definitely planned.

"So, shall we begin our hyakumonogatari? Okay, starting with Himawari-chan…"

There was once a family — a handsome husband, a caring wife, and a boy who loved his mother very much. But the husband tended to cheat on his wife, causing a huge fight between them. Whether it was the talk of consolation money or whatnot, the husband got so angry that he beat his wife to death.

He was terrified. If it was discovered, he'd go to jail and his entire life would be ruined. He had to hide her body somehow. But, most of all, he had to deceive the one who was most likely to worry — the son who was really attached to his mother, but not particularly fond of his father.

At first, the husband thought he'd say the wife had gone on a trip. That she had accidentally forgotten to tell the son about it. Day after day, he wondered when his son would ask about his mother. He spent the entire time fearing that moment. But the boy never asked.

A week later, when the husband could no longer bear it, he asked his son instead: "Aren't you lonely without your mother here?"

The boy looked at him blankly for a while before pointing at the space beside the husband. "But dad, mom has been right next to you the entire time."

"The end," Himawari smiled, placing a stick of incense in the incense bowl.

"Himawari-chan, you're quite the storyteller," Yuuko praised.

"I'm glad. It wasn't boring?"

Staring pointedly at Kimihiro, Doumeki answered, "It seems like at least one of us was greatly affected."

Kimihiro shook a fist at the other male. "Hey! What do you mean by that?"

"Just that."

"I'm not scared!" he protested, flailing his arms.

Kagome rested a hand on his tense shoulders, sending a trickle of her aura around her friend to calm him down. She wasn't as sensitive to spirits as he was, since she tended to attract youkai more than spirits, so she wasn't really certain how telling ghost stories in such a setting would affect him. (Though, she doubted ghost stories would increase the spirits' allure for him.)

Yuuko clapped once. "All right, shall we continue?"

"I'll go next," Doumeki volunteered. "This is a story I heard from my jii-san."

A student had moved into an old apartment by himself. One night, as he was dozing off to sleep, creaking sounds were heard around the six tatami mat room, circling his futon. Spooked out, he got some charms from an acquaintance the next day and placed them on the four corners of the room.

That night, there were no more creaking sounds. It seems that the thing couldn't come near due to the charms. However, just when he was feeling relieved, a voice said, "It's futile!"

Himawari squealed. "That was scary!" Kimihiro, on the other hand, was covering his mouth with both hands, stifling his whimpers. "Wasn't that scary?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah… I mean…" He glared at the stoic male. "Hey! No teasing."

"Sure."

"Don't give me that as an answer!"

Kagome giggled. Doumeki-kun's story was that scary. She had heard and seen worse in Sengoku Jidai. In fact, Kimihiro-kun was practically living a ghost story. Why was he so worked up about a simple story? Or maybe it was because both Doumeki-kun and Himawari-chan was in the same room. Somehow, Kimihiro-kun had gotten in his head the idea that Doumeki-kun was his love rival, even though the other male didn't even hint at being interested in the girl.

"Doumeki-kun, your grandfather was the head priest here, yes?" Yuuko asked, in the same sultry voice which meant she was planning something.

"That's right. He has since died though."

"Did he often see ghosts?"

"Apparently. He also seems to have been good at palmistry."

Her lips tugged into a smirk. "Then, Doumeki-kun's blood as well…"

Kagome sighed. What was Yuuko-san really? An advocate of fate? Or hitsuzen as she often put it.

The sliding doors behind the shopkeeper rattled, sending Kimihrio down to his bottom with a gasp. Kagome narrowed her eyes as Doumeki elaborated on the guest in the neighbouring room. Several spirits had arrived and were circling the barrier, prodding for a weakness — which would definitely appear sooner or later due to Himawari's tainted aura.

That wasn't all. The combination of Kimihiro's aura, Himawari's miasma, the spirits, and tonight's natural influence were deteriorating the protective barrier casted on the bracelet. She would have to reinforce the charm soon.

Yuuko smirked. "I told you, didn't I? That all the actors were present."

Arms flailed. "You're including a dead body with the 'actors'? Geez!" Kimihiro shouted. He walked over to his crush. "Let's go, Himawari-chan! Telling ghost stories in a place like this is no joke."

Kagome crossed her arms, huffing. Thank you soooo much for your concern, Kimihiro-kun. Just for that, she'd hold off strengthening his bracelet until the hyakumonogatari is officially over.

"You can't," Yuuko cut into Kimihiro's rant. "While in the middle of the hyakumonogatari, you shouldn't leave the barrier."

He blinked. "Barrier?"

"The barrier is created by the four candles. At this moment, this world is being protected by that power. But, if you leave, I can't guarantee your safety."

Kimihiro slumped down. "So, you mean…"

"You can't leave until the hyakumonogatari is over," she stated firmly. "Of course, since we're not doing it formally, four rounds with four stories each should be good enough. After all, the number four is related to the realm of the dead."

"Eh? Really?" Himawari asked, leaning forward in interest.

The shopkeeper nodded. "That's why there are no room numbered four in hospitals."

"In the past," Doumeki said. "People used to think that crossroads, the place where four roads intersect, is connected to shikai, or the world of the dead."

Kagome added. "They didn't think that. They knew it was. That's why in ancient maps, you'd hardly ever see crossroads on them. And even if you do, there'd always be a guardian for protection placed there."

"Hey! Why are your four chatting amongst yourselves? I'm still here, you know," Kimihiro complained.

Completely ignoring him, Yuuko clapped her hands together and asked, "Who's up next?"

"I'll go," Kagome volunteered. "This is a true story which happened about five hundred and fifty years ago, during a time when youkai still freely roamed the lands, near the area where my home now sits upon."

There was once a notorious bandit named Onigumo, who was so badly burnt that all his skin was lost and his couldn't move at all. Just when he resigned himself to death, a beautiful miko called Kikyou came to his aid, bandaging his melted flesh and tending to his needs. Onigumo fell in lust with Kikyou, even more so with the item she carried.

You see, Kikyou wasn't just any normal miko. She was the guardian of the Shikon no Tama, a jewel which all demons and humans sought. It was rumoured that it would bestow great power onto its bearer and would grant any wish. However, it was also said that only pure wishes could rid of its evil.

Kagome ignored the questioning look Kimihiro shot at her. She knew he still remembered what she had admitted after the compulsive liar's car accident.

Onigumo wanted that. Most of all, he wanted a corrupted Shikon no Tama. The jewel was kept in Kikyou's care so that she could purify it with her strong miko ki. Onigumo didn't want a pure jewel like that. And so, he plotted.

Why not make the guardian of the Shikon no Tama the one to taint the jewel? He thought. Surely that would corrupt the jewel better than anything could.

With his wicked thoughts, he sent out his tainted aura, attracting all the weak youkai in the area. Hoards of them arrived. At his request, the demons devoured him bit by bit, and together, they gave birth to a hanyou, Naraku. There was so much jaki from that incident that the cave was forever tainted by it, and no plants would ever grow in that area.

From the shadows, Naraku observed Kikyou, waiting for the perfect chance to corrupt her heart, which in turn would corrupt her powers and the jewel she held. He soon noticed that Kikyou was often seen in the company of an inu hanyou called Inuyasha.

They were in love. They were planning to wish upon the Shikon no Tama to turn Inuyasha into a pureblood human. They thought that if a hanyou, of all species, made that wish, it would count as a pure wish, and the jewel would disappear from existence. Kikyou and Inuyasha were planning to meet up by the river once Kikyou fetched the Shikon no Tama from its protective shrine.

It was the chance Naraku was waiting for.

Naraku is a very special hanyou. He was created from a human's wicked soul and the flesh of hundreds of demons. As such, he also had the ability to shape-shift.

He shape-shifted into Kikyou and shot arrows at Inuyasha in the woods, making Inuyasha think he had been betrayed. Then, knowing that Inuyasha would soon attempt to steal the jewel in revenge, Naraku hurried over to Kikyou, who was waiting by the river. This time, he shape-shifted into Inuyasha, and gave her a wound deep enough to kill her from blood lost in an hour and two. Naraku then took her Shikon no Tama, placed it back into the shrine, and waited.

Sure enough, Inuyasha arrived in all his barshness, attacking the villagers and stealing the Shikon no Tama. However, just as Inuyasha was about to flee into the woods, the wounded Kikyou arrived and shot an arrow with a sealing spell at him, pinning him down to the Goshinboku into a timeless sleep until someone had the power to release him from the spell.

Naraku eagerly waited in the shadows when Kikyou retrieved back the Shikon no Tama. His plan was to have Kikyou and Inuyasha betraying each other, planting seeds of hatred into their soul. And since Kikyou was only human, surely she would make a wish on the Shikon no Tama to live. Having its guardian make such a selfish wish would definitely blacken the jewel.

But Kikyou went beyond his expectations.

Instead, the miko ordered to have the Shikon no Tama burnt along with her body so she would be able to protect the jewel even in the afterlife. It worked. The jewel disappeared.

But Naraku knew it would eventually come back. He could wait. He was very good at that. Meanwhile, he would grow stronger and stronger until he could taint the jewel more than anyone else could with a simple touch. And when that day finally comes, he would cause the destruction of this world.

Silence descended upon the group.

"Kagome-chan, is… Naraku still waiting for the jewel now?" Kimihiro asked after she placed her incense into the bowl.

Her lips tugged into a small smile. Just as expected of her friend. She knew he wouldn't have dismissed the story as mere fiction, not after her breakdown in his arms. And he knew better than most people how supernatural creatures and objects truly existed.

She shook her head in response to his question. "No. The Shikon no Tama reappeared fifty years after Kikyou's death due to Kikyou's reincarnation. It was rumoured that the reincarnation actually came from a far away land since she wore strange clothing and knew strange things. It's a really long story. To summarize it, after much bloodshed and heartbreak, the reincarnation and her small group of friends defeated Naraku and his minions. Then, the reincarnation made a pure wish on the Shikon no Tama which made the jewel disappear. No one else would ever suffer because of the jewel ever again. I could tell you the whole story later, Kimihiro-kun, when we both have more free time."

Kagome didn't really know why she offered that, but she had a strong feeling Kimihiro-kun would accept every single darkness of her past. (Though she wasn't sure if she would actually admit she was the reincarnation or if she'd give a false name instead.) In the short time she had known him, she was certain he was good at that — accepting others, even if it meant risking himself. He couldn't see his own worth. He could only see the brilliance of others and he didn't want anything to darkness that.

Just like herself.

She had sacrificed her flesh and blood, her tears, her heart, her soul, her time, and her life in the modern era for the Shikon no Tama and her friends. Naturally, she had gradually become more confident in herself and saw how her sacrifices were hurting her precious people. But it was already too late. And she was still paying for it.

Working in a wish-granting shop would only give Kimihiro-kun more opportunities to make sacrifices for others. She didn't want him to end up like her. She didn't want him to make a wish that would forever scar him.

"Okay, it's your turn now, Watanuki," Yuuko ordered.

He hesitated for a moment before choosing a story.

This happened when I was in elementary school. I was sleeping in the sick bay since I had a horrible headache. A boy called out from the window and then we chatted for a bit. I thought he might be one of the students there. Later, he said goodbye and left. Some time later, I realized that the infirmary was actually on the third floor, and that it was impossible for any human to stand where he stood since there were no balconies.

"Er… That's all…"

Himawari laughed. "Is that one of Watakuni-kun's school's Seven Mysteries?" Kimihiro slumped down, realizing his crush didn't believe his story at all.

Kagome narrowed her eyes. It could become really dangerous if he couldn't distinguish spirits from humans. It was a wonder that Kimihiro hadn't already been lured over to the world of the dead by a spirit.

"I wonder what that child was," Himawari said, tapping her chin with a finger.

"It's a spirit," Doumeki replied in his usual monotonous voice.

Kimihiro turned to him, stunned. "You can see spirits as well?"

"Nope. Not at all."

Then Kimihiro mumbled something to himself dejectedly.

Yuuko's lips curled. "Even without being able to see them, it's still possible. Any~how, this concludes the first round. I'll start the next. You see…" The smoke from the incense swayed and Kagome was suddenly aware of how thin the barrier currently was. "What's that reflecting on the screen behind me?"

There was a shifting shadow displaying on the sliding door. Shortly afterwards, a thump was heard on the ceiling, followed by a series of four consecutive quieter thumps, as if it was crawling on all fours above them.

Kimihiro covered his eyes, screeching, "No!"

The ground rattled, but the water in the bowl set aside earlier didn't even have a single ripple. Another shake sent Himawari stumbling into Doumeki's arms, which instantly angered Kimihiro. Kagome didn't even notice it. She was far too busy tracking the spirits surrounding them. They seemed to have spilt into two groups — one behind Kimihiro and the other one near her.

Kagome frowned, twirling her hairsticks in her fingers. She won't be able to take care of both groups at the same time since they were at opposite sides. The candle stand by Himawari's corner fell, blowing out all the flames and destroying the barrier.

Numerous hands penetrated both walls, reaching for the people whose aura attracted them. The spirits had been affected her miko ki, so they were more sluggish, but the power in Kimihiro's bracelet had dwindled too much, and they easily caught him by his kimono. Fortunately, the charm still kept them from coming into direct contact with him. They won't be able to take him away if he could slip out of his clothes.

Kagome was about to throw her miko ki-charged hairsticks at them when Yuuko spoke up, "Kagome-chan, take care of the ones behind you. Doumeki-kun, take that bow from the alcove. Fire toward the screen behind Watanuki."

"I don't have an arrow," he replied.

She smirked. "It'd be fine, as long as it's you."

When Doumeki pulled back the bow, a yellow energy arrow appeared, one which was made from his spirit repelling energy. Kagome sighed in relief. Good. Kimihiro-kun would be saved. Still keeping an eye on her friend, she stabbed the wall behind her with both hairsticks at the same time Doumeki fired. Screeches were heard from behind both walls. The spirits behind her burst into dust while the ones Doumeki defeated turned into grey smog which trickled into the room. Both were instantly sucked into the vacuum which was Mokona's mouth.

"Thank you for the food," Mokona said, wearing a pleased smile.

Yuuko smiled. "I'm glad you enjoyed it."

Kagome's eyebrow twitched. Was his stomach a portal to meidou or something? It would've been nice if they have Mokona when dealing with Naraku. He could've sucked away all of the miasm for them.

XxXxXxXxX

And Mokona was still eating watermelons afterwards.

Kimihiro glanced at the girl he was sitting to his right. (He absolutely refused to think of the male on his other side.) "Umm… Himawari-chan, aren't you afraid of this guy? I mean, he even ate something we don't even know."

"Don't call me 'this guy', Watanuki written as April first!" Mokona complained.

Himawari gushed. "But wasn't it amazing?"

"Mokano amazing!" the little puff ball bragged, making Kagome giggle.

Kimihiro sighed. Calling that amazing…

"Speaking about amazing acts," Himawari continued, looking at the person Kimihiro despereately wanted to ignore. "Doumeki-kun, you didn't have an arrow for that bow before, right? And Kagome-chan, you did something and there was this pink light. What was that?"

It was Yuuko who answered. "It was energy. Doumeki-kun has a power to repel evil spirits and youkai. More importantly, he has the ability to exorcise them. Kagome-chan, however, is a miko. She could purify spirits and youkai among other things. Their ability is actually quite similar and it all stemmed from their ancestor. Just like how you've inherited your abilities from your family, Watanuki."

"It doesn't make me happy to be similar to him," Kimihiro growled.

Kagome reached over from Doumeki's left. "Kimihiro-kun, could you hand me the bracelet I gave you for a sec? It has used quite up a lot of energy protecting you from spirits these past few days. I need to recharge it."

"Oh… okay." He slipped it off and handed it over.

Himawari looked at the wooden accessory in interest. "Eh… You can make protective charms like this, Kagome-chan."

The miko's hands and the bracelet glowed pink with energy. "One of my friends, Miroku-sama, is a monk. He's really talented at making ofuda and energy barriers. Kaede-sama, an old village miko we know, isn't as powerful, but she's good enough to keep her village safe from lesser youkai and spirits for over fifty years. Both of them taught me some warding techniques in our spare time, but my talents lie in offense rather than defence. Kikyou is different. She can erect one of the strongest types of barriers we know. She could easily break them too. And she's also powerful enough to take down almost every youkai in her path."

Kimihiro frowned when he noticed a faint weight settling on her shoulders and was about to intervene (how, he didn't knoow), when she laughed it off. "Anyways, my warding abilities aren't that good. That's why I had to use the bark from a sacred tree at my shrine for this bracelet. It helps channel and store my miko ki, but I'd still need to recharge it now and then, especially since spirits really love to follow Kimihiro-kun." The light died down and Kagome handed the bracelet back to him. "Here you go, Kimihiro-kun."

He smiled back at her, holding it over his heart before slipping it back onto his wrist. "Arigato, Kagome-chan." He didn't like seeing her being weighed down by an almost invisible entity. It reminded him of the weight the lying woman carried around with her, right before the car accident.

And Kikyou… Wasn't that the miko she had mentioned in her story earlier?

Somehow, he had the feeling that Kagome-chan hadn't been lying, that the story actually happened in the past. But then… how… Kagome-chan had definitely be involved with the Shikon no Tama, but she said that everything had been resolved around five hundred years ago. Humans can't live that long. Was it possible that Kagome-chan wasn't human?

"Does anyone want something to drink?" Doumeki asked, breaking Kimihiro out of his thoughts.

"Sake!" Yuuko and Mokona cheered. "Sake!"

"I'll have some tea please, Doumeki-kun," Himawari said.

Kagome got up and brushed her yukata. "I'll help."

XxXxXxXxX

As he led her to the kitchen in the main building, Kagome said, "Doumeki-kun, since Yuuko-san has already brought you into this, there's a very good chance that she'd continue dragged you deeper and deeper into our world."

He glanced at her, his expression barely changing. "Your world?"

She nodded solemnly. "Yes. Our world. The world of spirits, youkai, and magic. Both Kimihiro-kun and I were born with a very affinity for the supernatural. I was already in the deep before meeting Yuuko-san. I chose to work at her shop because I find the normal world boring." She let out a laugh. "From what I've heard, Yuuko-san didn't give Kimihiro-kun much of a choice before dragging him down for the ride. But she probably saved his life. Sooner or later, a powerful spirit or youkai would've been attracted to Kimihiro-kun's latent powers and would've killed him for it. Every time Kimihiro-kun enters her shop, his aura would be dampened by Yuuko-san's barrier, so that he is less noticeable to spirits."

Pouring water in the kettle, she continued on, "But you… Doumeki-kun, you don't have to get involved with us. Your aura naturally repels evil from you. I'm kinda jealous really. I have a very close relationship with something which attracts many youkai, so I was constantly chased by them. Eventually, I learned how to deal with them through countless battles. Anyways, if you continue to stay with us, you'd definitely face dangerous situations which could end with your death. If you don't want that, you should back out while you still can. I could tell Yuuko-san to leave you out of this. She'd listen to me as long as I pay for that wish."

Doumeki-kun was lucky. She had never gotten the chance to back out. She hadn't been smart enough to figure out she could travel between both eras through the well. If she had, she could've left the Shikon behind. But she hadn't, and the moment she had shattered the jewel, it was much too late to back out. Her guilty conscience wouldn't let her. Inuyasha wouldn't let her, since she was the only one who could sense the jewel shards back then. (And when Inuyasha finally gave her a choice to back out, she had actually been too emotionally involved with her friends and the quest to leave.)

The kettle whistled, and they quickly prepared the tea. After a bout of silence, as they were headed back to the other, Doumeki asked, "Shouldn't you also tell Kunogi-san this?"

"She'd be fine. She won't be affected too much even with Yuuko-san's meddling. Himawari-chan has a very tainted aura that naturally latches onto everything and everyone she comes into contact with. I still don't really know what it does exactly, but it can't be anything good. No spirit or youkai would want to go near her. My miko ki purifies it from me immediately and your energy repels it, so we're both safe from her. Kimihiro-kun, though…"

She heaved a sigh. "He attracts all sorts of trouble and can't seem to defend himself from it. Himawari-chan is a very nice girl. As long as one of us is near her when she's with Kimihiro-kun, everything should be alright. I think that Yuuko-san wants you around because your aura could keep Kimihiro-kun safe. But, being a miko, I can be Kimihiro-kun's protector as well. Think about it. If you want to back out, just tell me."

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What do you think of my second chapter? Please Read and Review. I would love to know how good and how bad my fics are. If you want to flame me, at least make it constructive criticism.

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize from the xxxHolic, Inuyasha, and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles aren't mines; they belong to their respective owners. Anything else belongs to me. Please ask for permission and getting it before taking my things.

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May fantasy guide your writing through it all - Dementra