Of Dreams and Wishes

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

Phew… It took me hours to finish this. I hope you enjoy my unusual fast updates. Unfortunately, there's really no telling when this pace would slow down.

All my current knowledge regarding xxxHolic manga stem mainly from Wikipedia and some other sites, but I do read some manga chapters for references for certain details the anime doesn't provide. (I'd most likely read the entire manga later.) As such, this fanfic would mainly follow xxxHolic anime with some addition from the manga.

However, I would be changing the order of the episodes around and wouldn't include all the cases, so don't complain if you find that my fanfic doesn't follow the same chronological order as in the anime and manga.

Of Dreams and Wishes takes place after the Inuyasha series, with changes with its ending and certain details. Also, most of the characters from Inuyasha and Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles would not appear as often as the xxxHolic main characters and Kagome.

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Vocabulary

Hitsuzen — inevitable, fated

Kitsune — fox

Hajaya — evil-crushing arrow; the one Shizuka gave Kimihiro who gave it to a young kitsune

Ofuda — protective wards on parchment / paper wards

Shiritori — a Japanese word game in which the players take turns coming up with a word which begins with the same syllable as the word another player said in the turn before; also considered an ancient defence, as it is supposed to create an isolated space around the players, protecting them from evil

Shikon no Tama — Jewel of Four Souls

Shikon no Miko — Priestess of Shikon no Tama; in order words, its guardian

Shikon no kakera — Shikon shards

Hanyou — half demon

Youkai — demon

Miko — priestess, shrine maiden

Miko ki – priestess energy

Jaki — miasma, evil energy

Reiki — spiritual energy

Inu — dog

Hotaru — firefly

Giri-choco — obligation chocolates; it's for family, friends, and acquaintances

Honmei-choco — chocolate reserved for lovers or family members

Ame-warashi — rain sprite

Zashiki-warashi — vestal sprite; supposed to bring fortune when staying with a household, but fortune declines when zashiki-warashi leaves

Karasu tengu — crow-billed goblin

Tengu — goblin

Chapter 5 Bonds of Relationship

Kagome sighed, snuggling into her new stuffed animal. She had a really great time tonight. Not only had she eaten genuine kitsune oden — her favourite food — but she had also met two descendents of her little Shippou-chan, who lacked her son's illusion abilities and appeared as bipedal kistune instead of a human form.

According to the father, Shippou-chan had been the kind old man who often told her stories and treated her to the best oden in the world when she had been younger. But five hundred years was a very long time, and he had passed away in his sleep several months before her adventure began.

It was funny how the stories that old man had told her became the bedtime stories she told young Shippou-chan. And so very touching as well. Even after five hundred years, her brave little kitsune still remembered the stories he had heard as a kit and had passed them back to her.

Before Shippou-chan had died, he had left behind a handmade stuffed fox with the instructions to his descendents to give it to his mother, the Shikon no Miko. It was covered by a beautiful orange-red fur, the same colour as his tail's, with real emeralds as eyes and a green ribbon around its neck. The ribbon was well-worn. Kagome was certain it was the same one her Shippou-chan wore during their adventures, which only made the gift even more precious.

In return for safekeeping stuffed fox before she arrived, Kagome had given the father and son pair a lucky charm, which she had blessed and purified, each. Kimihiro had also paid for their kitsune oden by giving the son a hajaya, which Doumeki had sneaked into his bag before they parted from the archery tournament building. Since it was laced with Doumeki's evil-repelling energy, the broken arrow would serve as a protection from jaki.

Afterwards, when they returned to the shop, they had a pre-full moon drinking party with the kitsune oden the father had given them.

Yep, all in all, it had been a very good night.

XxXxXxXxX

"Do you believe in the red string of destiny?"

Kagome blinked up at him. "What brought this topic on, Kimihiro-kun?"

"Today, Himawari-chan showed me a book called Soulmates and asked me that question." He hugged himself, wearing the dopy grin she had come to associate with his crush. "Aahh~! Do you think she was indirectly confessing her undying love to me?" He suddenly growled, waving a fist in front of him, and startling Kagome from the sudden change in mood. "But then that stupid Doumeki just had to cut in. He said something about how prostitutes from the Edo era would cut off their left pinkie and give it to their lover to not betray the red string of destiny tying them together."

"I don't know," Kagome said, replying to his earlier question. "I believe in fate, but I'm not sure I believe in the red string of destiny. Fate can bring two people together, but it doesn't mean that their relationship would definitely work out, or even go beyond friendship in the first place."

Fate had led Inuyasha and Kikyou together, but because fate had also led Kikyou to the Shikon no Tama and Onigumo, their love hadn't worked out. Still, it probably wouldn't have worked out even if Naraku hadn't interfered. Kikyou was a miko. Inuyasha was a hanyou. Kikyou was duty-bound to her village, something that made her really unhappy, and she was also unwilling to accept Inuyasha's youkai side, as proven by how she wanted Inuyasha to become a pureblood human.

It hadn't been until Kikyou had been resurrected, and after many months of working through her vengeance-issues and battling Naraku, died in Inuyasha's arms that the ill-fated miko was finally broken free of the ties she had hated. Perhaps, in another life, those two would be together again.

Kagome had come to realize that she wasn't Kikyou's reincarnation; though it wasn't something she had told the rest. When Kikyou had died the second time, her soul had ascended to the heavens, instead of returning to the body it had been ripped out from. It meant Kagome hadn't been missing a part of her soul.

She theorized that Kikyou's soul had been dragged along the ride with the Shikon no Tama because her body had been burnt with it. So, Kagome had actually been born with her soul, the Shikon no Tama, and Kikyou's soul, which had led to their similar appearance. Their unique ability to sense the Shikon no kakera probably stemmed from their soul's close contact with the jewel before it had been ripped out of Kagome's side.

Since she wasn't Kikyou's reincarnation, there was a chance Kikyou would be reincarnated later. Hopefully, she would be able to meet Inuyasha, or his reincarnation, somewhere down the line and live happily ever after.

XxXxXxXxX

When they arrived back at the store, they were greeted by the sight of a young woman with waist-length curly hair waiting at the front door. She seemed a bit nervous, playing with her fingers.

"Welcome to the store," Kimihiro smiled. "Are you looking for Yuuko-san?"

The woman licked her lips. "Yuuko-san? Um… I just kind of wandered here by coincidence."

He chuckled sheepishly. Just how many times had he heard a phrase similar to that? "Ah, that's—"

"That was no coincidence," Yuuko cut in as she strolled into sight. "There are no coincidences in this world. There is only hitsuzen. That you came here means that you must have some wish you'd like granted."

Kimihiro sighed. Here goes Yuuko-san's usual business tactics… Beside him, Kagome giggled in her hand.

"Wish?" the woman asked.

"That's right," Yuuko replied, voice as sweet as honey. "Here, any wish can be granted as long as equivalent payment is met."

The woman glanced away before bowing slightly. "There really isn't anything I'd call a wish, but…" She held up a finger. "But for some reason, I've been having difficulty in moving my pinkie lately."

Kimihiro blinked. Wasn't there someone…

"Didn't the woman who constantly lied also have this problem?" Kagome whispered.

Sure enough, there were wisps of black smoke coming from her pinkie. Was she a compulsive liar as well?

Yuuko frowned, eyeing the finger. "You have a really bad habit, don't you?"

"Habit?"

"Yeah, isn't there one that comes to mind?"

The woman looked away, nibbling at the flesh of her thumb. "I… I don't really know what it could be." She backed up. "I'll be going then. I have an appointment I can't be late for."

As she was about to open the door, Yuuko asked, "Appointment?"

"Yes. It's the guy I'm seeing now. He really cares for me. So, I really need to go…" The smoke from her pinkie increased.

Yuuko smiled, the same one which implied she knew exactly where this was going but wasn't going to tell anyone. "I see. Then I'll give you this." She held up a silver ornate ring.

The woman turned around. "Would I help me with my pinkie?"

"Who knows? Whether you wear it or not is up to you. Same for the fixing, or not, of that habit."

She reached out, with a trembling hand, for the ring, and then, left the shop.

"Smoke from coming out from her pinkie," Kimihiro said.

Kagome nodded. "Yes, but it doesn't seem like she was lying about that appointment."

He bit his lower lip. Would she also become unable to move away from danger because of the smoke like the other woman? "I'm going out!" he called out, rushing to the door.

"I'll go with you."

XxXxXxXxX

Kagome huffed. She wasn't impressed with that woman at all — a female two-timing Inuyasha with worse mood swings than the inu hanyou. She and Kimihiro-kun had found her just in time to hear about the woman's recent breakup, scowls and all. Then, the woman did a 180 degree in personality — glasses, high schoolgirl voice, pretend-innocence, and extreme clinginess — when she met a handsome male whom she called Yoshiki-kun.

"Let's promise," the woman said, holding onto her boyfriend's hand and entwining their pinkies together.

"Why?"

"Come on! After all, we're tied together by the red string of destiny! 'Kay? From now on, let's always be together!" And a cloud of smoke enveloped the couple.

Kimihiro glanced around, bewildered. She tugged at his sleeve. "Is something wrong, Kimihro-kun?" She didn't sense anything bad in the vicinity, but she wasn't as sensitive to spirits as he was.

"Didn't you hear that? A kid was singing the pinkie promise song." Before she could reply, he jumped out from their hiding spot. "Ah! They've crossed the street." Kimihiro almost dashed out into the incoming traffic if she hadn't pulled him back in time.

"Idiot," she chided, poking his chest. "Don't cross the road before looking both ways. You could've gotten kill!"

He rubbed the back of his head. "Ah, sorry, sorry. Thanks for saving me, Kagome-chan."

But it was too late; the couple had already disappeared from sight.

XxXxXxXxX

Afterschool, when they were going their grocery shopping, they found yesterday's guest sitting at a café with another male. This time, she was playing the older woman role instead of the young innocence girl. She was even smoking a cigarette while the male stared at her adoringly.

Absolutely disgusting! That two-timer was even worse than Inuyasha. At the very least, Inuyasha had never had a complete personality change when be came to interacting with her or Kikyou.

Kagome grabbed Kimihiro's hand and dragged him over to the café, making sure to stay out of the couple's sight.

The woman slipped off the ring Yuuko gave her. "And then, this odd fortune teller-looking woman," she said, in a rough-accent, "forced me to take this ring." She placed it on the table. "Got the feeling like, if I wear this, somehow or another, it'll help me feel better."

"I'm glad," the younger male replied. "Lately, you've been saying you weren't feeling well, and I was worried."

She took another puff of cigarette, deliberately blowing the smoke in his face, though he didn't seem to mind it. "It's so relaxing being with you. It sure put your mind at ease, in the end, being unadorned." Her cell phone alarm rang. "Ah! Oh no! It's time already…"

The man adopted a kicked-puppy expression. "Huh? You have something to do now? I was hoping we could go and get something to eat."

Packing up her things, she smiled. "Oh, that's fine for today. I promised to go to the amusement part with some friends."

"Some friends?" he asked, leaning forward.

Kagome scoffed. It was obvious he was worried those 'friends' were males.

"Yeah," she replied, fixing her hair. "The three of us became friends when we were just high school girls."

He sighed in relief and smiled. "So, when do you think we can get together again? How's next Sunday?"

"I'm sorry. I'm going shopping on Sunday. I'm good for next Tuesday, though," she said, putting on some lipstick. "How about we get something to eat then? I'd like to eat some Chinese."

"Got it. I'll make reservations."

Kagome sighed, shaking her head. That poor guy. He doesn't even know she's just playing with him. I wonder, is it better to know the person you like is interested in someone else? Or is it better to not know you're being stringed along. Well… ignorance is a bliss of sorts…

"Alright, that's a promise," the woman said, entwining their pinkies together.

That must be her bad habit, Kagome realized. Then, noticing that Kimihiro was glancing around, she asked, "Did you hear that song again?"

"Uh. Did you?"

"Nope. It seems like only you could." She got up and tugged on his arm. "Come on. Let's go."

XxXxXxXxX

They followed her all the way to an amusement where, where the woman immediately wore her glasses and latched onto the arm of the man she was with yesterday.

"Sorry," she squealed, voice akin to a young girl. "The seminar was long, and I had a difficult time getting out of there. Could you ever forgive me?" she asked, rubbing her cheek against his arm.

"Of course."

Kagome's hand tightened around his almost painfully. "Disgusting," she hissed through clenched teeth. Then she glared up at him, pink miko ki swirling in the depths of her purple eyes. "You'd better not be like that woman, Ki. Mi. Hi. Ro. Kun. If you do, I'd purify your ass out of existence."

He yelped, back straightened. "Yes, ma'am." At that moment, she was scarier than any spirit he had ever encountered, possibly because the bracelet she had given him was also glowing pink, and felt warm against his skin, in response to her raise in energy.

"Hm… Don't you smell like cigarettes?"

"Huh? No way! You know I don't smoke. It must've been the professor. He was smoking throughout the whole seminar. Aah… What a pain." The woman brushed away her hair.

"Is that so?"

His friend growled again. "Just kiss her, you idiot. I bet she tastes like ash."

Kimihiro sighed, not bothering to tell her his hand was really hurting now. He had a feeling he would get yelled at if he did. Still, did Kagome-chan have experiences with two-timers? She seemed awfully angry about this, even more than the average person.

They trailed them through the amusement part, until the couple arrived at a True Love game. According to the mechanic announcer by the front entrance, if their love was real, their fingers won't be cut; but if the opposite was true, the red string of destiny holding them together will be cut.

Inside the building, there was an arena with a small guillotine in the middle. The woman and her boyfriend sat on opposite sides of it, with their right wrist strapped to the table and their pinkies entwined where the blade would fall.

Kimihiro gasped. Thick black smoke enveloped the guillotine blade, before being absorbed into it. And children's voice sounded again:

Pinkie promise, hope to die
Swallow a thousand needles if you lie
Finger's cut

The blade dropped.

Slender fingers slipped under his glasses and covered his eyes. "Don't look, Kimihiro-kun." Kagome pulled him backwards.

A thud and three screams.

"My pinkie! My pinkie!" the woman shrieked.

"Oh my god! Someone! Call the ambulance!" the boyfriend shouted.

Another voice, a male he didn't recognize stuttered. "T-This sh-shouldn't have happened. H-How? The blade is made of plastic, and it's not supposed to go all the way down."

Kagome continued to pull him backwards. He pulled at her hands, but they remained firmly over his eyes. "No. Wait. Let go. That woman!"

"Both of their pinkies were held there, but only the woman's finger was cut. Jaki was the thing which did it, not the blade itself. There's nothing will could do about it now. Not even modern-day medicine could fix it because of the jaki."

She didn't let him go until they were outside of the building. They sat on a nearby bench. People were already rushing over to that game stall; there was no need for them to interfere.

Fingering his bracelet, he said, "Kagome-chan…"

"Yes?"

He stared into her eyes, which were now a still purple. "You have healing abilities, don't you? Can't you heal that woman?"

Kagome looked down at her hands. "I don't think I could help her, Kimihiro-kun. I covered your eyes, so you didn't see it, but… it wasn't a clean cut. Jaki had cauterized her wound. In order to attach her severed pinkie back together, I'd have to cut away the burnt parts from both pieces — flesh, bones, and all. Jaki is more potent than fire; so much of it would be unsalvageable. Either way, her finger would never be the same again. I'm sorry I'm not much help."

Kimihro patted her hair, careful not to loosen her messy bun. "It's alright."

They had never heard from the woman again, but he was certain she would be very wary of her love relationships from now on.

XxXxXxXxX

It was the night before the all-so-important Valentine's Day, and they were all gathered in the kitchen — Kagome and Kimihiro were making chocolate treats while the other four were watching them carefully right outside in the hallway (though her friend was most likely unaware of that), trying to sneak food away when the cooks were off guard.

Unlike Kimihiro, who had been forced to make fondant au chocolat by a certain Dimension Witch, Kagome was simply making small assorted chocolates with the help of a chocolate mould — fillings included hard chocolate, caramel, peanuts, coconut, and almonds (she had made sure that they weren't allergic to the ingredients beforehand).

This year, the recipients of her giri-choco were Kimihiro-kun, Yuuko-san, Moro-chan, Maru-chan, Mokona, Doumeki-kun, and Himawari-chan. She was also making a few extra bags just in case she came across any of her other friends, like Ame-warashi and the kitsune from the oden cart.

Unfortunately, there won't be any honmei-choco coming from her. Last year, they had been for Inuyasha, since he was her dear former-crush. (Hojo-kun had been severely disappointed; and Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi had hound on about it.) But, this year, she had yet to meet boyfriend-material yet. Well, not quite; after all, Kimihiro-kun and Doumeki-kun were the only potential candidates so far.

Kimihiro-kun was really sweet; he reminded her of the innocence she once held before blood and darkness stained her soul. Like Shippou-chan, he always tried his very best despite being scared and weaker than his foes, and he was someone she wanted to protect. He was also very loyal to the few friends he had — probably because other people had been easily scared away by his seemingly illogical actions, back then when he had been harassed from all sides by spirits.

If Kimihiro-kun was fire — erratic, emotional, and an alluring beacon in the darkness — Doumeki-kun was earth — stable, constant, and always there when you need him. He didn't need her protection; all he needed was a trigger for his powers and some aid in focusing his powers — akin to Inuyasha, except much less volatile and without the inu hanyou's two-timing problems.

Either way, it came down to Kagome. She wasn't ready to open up her heart yet. The wounds from her constant heartbreak over Inuyasha and Kikyou had started healing after she finally resolved to have a sister-brother relationship said inu hanyou, but being stripped away from Sengoku Jidai had effectively drilled a hole into her. Not to mention, she still wasn't quite sure what merging with the purified Shikon no Tama had done to her.

Once in a while, she felt like she didn't belong at school, with other humans; and it wasn't just because of her otherworldly experiences. Kagome still couldn't figure it, but she was more than certain it had something to do with the Shikon no Tama (Stupid thing, still cuasing her so much trouble after it was supposed to be gone).

And until she had figured out what had happened to her, she just wasn't ready to be anything more than a friend to any males.

XxXxXxXxX

Okay… Perfect… "It's done," he announced.

Footsteps thundered into the kitchen. "It's done? The Valentine's chocolate is done?" Yuuko asked, hands clasped under her chin, batting her eyes at him, or rather, at the bowl of molten chocolate.

Which he quickly saved from two black paws.

"Stop right there!" Kimihiro shrieked, jerking the bowl over his head, ignoring the "Tch!" from Mokona. "No stealing! I just meant I was done heating the chocolate." He then brought it back down so he could resume stirring, though he made sure to hunch over the entire bowl to keep it from wandering hands. "Honesty, why do I have to make you chocolates anyways?" he grumbled. "It's Valentine's Day, not White Day. Girls should be making chocolates."

Kagome laughed and patted him on his back. "You're Yuuko-san's cook, remember? So, while you've taken her role of making chocolate, I'm quite sure she'd be the one giving them out as if she was who made it."

That prompted another series of dark mutters from Kimihiro as vented out his anger on the chocolate. Cooking had always been the one thing which could calm him down. It distracted him from loneliness, feeling that he was, in a way, with his family in the kitchen as he cooked. And now he had people to share his food with, pride swelled up within him every time they complimented on his cooking, which they did without fail, verbally or non-verbally.

Meeting Yuuko-san, despite her devilishness, was a godsend. He had gotten much closer to Himawari-chan (Ah! Himawari-chan! Even thinking about her brought the sun out…) ever since he had started working at the shop. Doumeki (that damn bottomless stomach!) as well, however reluctant he was to admit it, was helpful when it came to dealing with Yuuko-san's cases for her.

Kagome-chan had also become his best friend in the past few months since they had first met. She always helped him out with whatever crazy scheme Yuuko-san had cooked up, even if she did often laugh at his expense. (He still wasn't quite sure how crossdressing, of all things, would help on a case they had regarding a theatre owner's wish to pacify the ghost of his lover and lead-actress haunting the stage. After much protest on his part, he and Kagome had ended up switching their roles, and it had worked out perfectly and without crossdressing.)

Unlike Yuuko-san, Kagome-chan didn't put him down or tease him when he gushed about Himawari-chan and her cuteness. She would listen patiently and would offer him advice. Of course, she too would occasionally roll her eyes and bat him playfully in the shoulder when he got too enthusiastic.

Sometimes, she would tell him of her experiences with spirits and youkai, though he was certain she had left out certain important details. His friend also taught him, in their spare time, simple methods to ward against jaki, such as the ancient defence of shiritori (unfortunately, at least two people must be present for it to work).

Moreover, the bracelet she had given him was still as strong as ever. As long as she recharged it with her miko ki every few days, he didn't need to spend as much money on ofuda as he used to. (He still put them up around his house to prevent spirits from entering, but they didn't burn out as fast now because spirits weren't really that interested in the house when he wasn't present. And the bracelet also helped in warding them out when he was at home.)

"It looks delicious!" Kagome cooed, looking over his shoulders, as he set up the table.

Kimihiro looked away. "It's my first time making it, so I'm not sure how it'll taste," he mumbled.

"I wouldn't worry so much about it, Kimihiro-kun. From my experience, everything you cook is delicious." His cheeks reddened from her praise and his lips tugged into a satisfied smile. It never got old, not matter how many times he had heard it.

"Yes!" Yuuko squealed, looking at the clock. "It's officially February fourteen. Happy Valentine's Day!" And with that, she promptly dug into her plate of fondant au chocolat. "Mmm… Delicious!" she cooed, a sentiment echoed throughout the room.

With a spoon dangling from her mouth, Kagome passed out a bag of her handmade chocolate to everyone present. "Here, happy Valentine's Day," she said, to which she received thanks for.

This happy atmosphere stayed in the room, despite Yuuko and Mokona's commands for more alcohol, right up until Kimihiro found out Yuuko was using the rest of his hard work as a way to receive White Day presents from a group of dimension travellers — Syaoran, Sakura, Fai, Kurogane, and the white Mokona they had with them.

XxXxXxXxX

Himawari sighed, staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom. It was once again Valentine's Day. Like always, she didn't go to school; she called in sick this year. If she went to school, many of the boys and her friends would expect chocolates from her, but she couldn't afford to give them any. From past experiences, every one of her recipients, barring her parents, would become affected by her bad luck aura through her chocolates.

Kagome-chan had offered to purify her tainted aura from the chocolates a few days ago, but Himawari had turned down her offer. After all, people would expect her to give out chocolates next year if she did it this year, and she wasn't certain Kagome-chan would always be there to help her with this problem.

It was a shame her friend couldn't completely purify her bad luck-giving aura. Kagome-chan had told her that it had been so engrained in her soul that purifying the aura meant potentially killing her, so the miko wasn't willing to do so even if she had enough power. Yuuko-san did have the ability to rid of her problem, but she had been warned that the price was too great for her to pay.

She dearly wanted to be a normal girl without such a horrible aura and had secretly thought she probably could've paid any price for her desire to be granted. But, after Kagome-chan told her some stories about wishes and their consequences, Himawari had squashed that childish voice down deep within her.

Watanuki-kun had no idea just how lucky he was to have Kagome-chan and Doumeki-kun (whom she suspected also knew of her predicament as he was often seen stuck by Watanuki's side like glue, especially when she was around) by his side. Without them, she would've never agreed to accompany him for lunch, no matter how delicious his food was.

She loved his obvious devotion towards her. While he may say she was the sun in his heart, he would also be the moon and stars to her darkness. He brightened a life where she always had to be careful about human contact. He energetic self never failed to distract her from her eternal problem and bring a genuine smile to her face.

Nevertheless, he was just so oblivious. Sometimes, Himawari grew tired of her façade and just wanted him to open his blinded eyes. Look! Can't you see? You can sense evil energy, can't you? Then why aren't you really looking at me? She had this urge to show him exactly what it meant to be so close to her all the time.

But like her childish wish, she pushed that dark desire to the furthest part of her mind, though it kept rearing its ugly head from time to time.

XxXxXxXxX

School was hell.

Girls were giggling like maniacs, pushing their friends to confess to their crush; and boys were vying for chocolate like cats for catnip. Even the teachers had been affected by the Valentine's craze — some participating in the giving of chocolates while others were pretending not to be pleased when receiving them.

Kagome wouldn't have minded it, in all honesty… If those freaking boys stopped asking whether she was giving out chocolates (specifically to the one asking)! She shouldn't have gone to the archery range that day. She just shouldn't have.

While Himawari was famous for her sweet smiles and her lack of a boyfriend, Kagome had become popular in her own way. News of her skills had spread across campus; and there wasn't a week where she hadn't been hounded by the archery club members (especially that stubborn captain) to join their club.

Then, other boys had noticed the attention she had gained from those students and had thought she was probably a good catch because of it. It didn't help that she hung out with Kimihiro-kun, Doumeki-kun, and Himawari-chan, who were all well-known for different reasons.

If another boy came up to her and… Shit!

Kagome walked away as fast as she could, without it being called running (she had already been told off by several teachers today). Her face lit up upon spotting her friends.

"Kimihiro-kun! Doumeki-kun!" she called out. Kagome dashed behind her coworker, who had been closer. "Hide me!" she meeped.

Kimihiro's bad reputation for having psychotic fits and Doumeki's stoic demeanour usually warded off other people, which was why they usually had peaceful lunches even with the ever popular Himawari present there.

"An admirer?" the exorcist-in-training asked, after scaring the other student away.

She nodded, still not letting go of her friend's shirt. "Uh. That's the fourth time he has tried to corner me. Honesty, couldn't he get a hint after I told him that I don't have any chocolates for him in front of the entire class? Hey, could we please go to somewhere quieter, preferably without the other students."

XxXxXxXxX

"— And then, that jerk ate all the chocolate!" Watanuki whined as they headed towards the park. "It was the fondant au chocolat I was planning to give to Himawari-chan! Oh, and she didn't come to school today. They said she had a cold. Do you think she's okay? Do you think we should go and visit her?"

Higurashi smiled. "I'm sure it's just a common cold, Kimihiro-kun. But if you want, we could always visit her later. She's probably tired and in bed right now. We shouldn't disturbed her rest."

"Yeah, you're right."

Their interactions were quite amusing to watch, especially when Kunogi-san was also with them. Shizuka would take this over the television at any day at any time.

It usually began with Watanuki fawning over Kunogi-san, who, when present, would somehow shift his attention over to him. If not, then Higurashi-san would pacify or distract the other male. But, in the end, Watanuki's attention would typically fall on him and then he would say something to rile up the more emotional teen.

"Hotaru?" Watanuki asked, his gaze following something invisible.

Higurashi frowned. "No, it has more reiki than a normal firefly." The two of them traced the "hotaru" back to its source.

Shizuka blinked when a young girl materialized into existence before his eyes, a few meters to their left. This was new… He usually went blind when dealing with spirits.

The girl sighed and then glanced shyly at them. She yelped when she noticed them staring and quickly looked away. "What should I do? What should I do?" she mumbled to herself, glancing at them occasionally, face flushed red. "I have to find it quickly."

"Are you okay?" Higurashi asked, walked up to her.

She yelped, covering her mouth both her hands. "Wha-wha-what should I dooo?" Glancing over at him and Watanuki, her blush deepened. "I never expected to meet you here!"

"Did you drop something?" the miko asked.

Her eyes darted around. "N-No. I'm looking for Valentine chocolate. I want to give it to someone really special to me." Suddenly, her face lit up and she clasped her hands together. "But I've just found it!" she cheered.

The girl skipped towards Shizuka, beaming. "Right here!" Her hand penetrated his stomach, and he stiffened. It didn't hurt, but it felt really weird, as if she was touching his whole being. Suddenly, there was a sharp pain and nothing more.

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"Yay! It looks delicious!" the sprite (Kagome could sense that the girl was of a similar level as Ame-warashi) cheered, staring down at the fondant au chocolat she had pulled from Doumeki's stomach. That didn't spark Kagome's concern. But, the glow around it did.

She refrained from stomping up to the insolent girl, instead, she yelled from her spot where she was supporting the exorcist's fallen body. "Hey! Give Doumeki-kun back his soul!"

Tears swelled in her eyes. "B-But um… I… um… I just… wanted to give him… some chocolate." She suddenly ran away, followed by a smarm of the blue hotaru Kagome and Kimihiro had seen earlier, which boosted the sprite up into the sky and out of sight.

"She flew…" Kimihiro whispered.

"Of course, she did," Kagome snapped. "She's not human. And now she's taken Doumeki-kun's soul with her." He stared at her wide-eyes. She'll apologize to him later, but this was more urgent. Having experienced her soul being both fully and partially pulled out of her in the past, she knew exactly how bad it was for her friend. "Get Yuuko-san!"

"Don't bother, Kagome-chan," Yuuko cut in. "I'm here."

Kimihiro stared at the unconscious male. "Um… That spirit… Was I…"

"That girl isn't something one would meet by accident."

He groaned. "So, you're saying that it's really all my fault, huh?" A brief bout of silence later, he asked, "What should I do to return him to normal?" That was a part Kagome really like about her friend. Kimihiro wasn't afraid of correcting a wrong. But, it was also the part which caused for worry. One day, he would sacrifice more than just time and effort to right something he deemed as wrong.

Yuuko grinned. "I could tell you, but it'd cost you."

Kimihiro grimaced. That meant more hours of servitude, though no one except for Yuuko knew how long his original sentence was in the first place. Under normal circumstances, he would've been complaining about the unfairness of it, but Kagome knew he was willing to take responsibility for Doumeki's lost of his soul.

"I'll add it onto your work time," the Dimension Witch said as expected. She whistled, and a white bird, the size of a two-storey building, descended in front of them with Mokona holding onto the reins.

"How wonderful, Mokona!" Yuuko cooed. "You're too cool!" The black puffball just smirked in response. She then turned to Kimihiro and ordered, "Watanuki, get on this bird and go after the girl. Kagome-chan and I'll take care of Doumeki-kun's body."

Kimihiro grumbled, but he did as commanded, and the trio took off into the night sky.

"What is she, Yuuko-san?"

"She's a Zashiki-warashi. That girl must've taken quite a liking to my Watanuki. It's rare for her to come to a place so full of humans, since she's weak against ill-will and maliciousness. That's why she's always taking refuge in the mountain recesses where spirit energy is strong. The Karasu tengu proclaimed themselves as her bodyguard, so Watanuki might run into some trouble," Yuuko laughed.

Kagome sighed. "Yuuko-san…

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A few hours later, Kimihiro (and Mokona and the bird) returned, with the chocolate and soul in hand. Doumeki was fine, though his muscles had stiffened a bit as if having slept for several days. And Kimihiro was teased by Yuuko for gaining a Zashiki-warashi's affections and by Kagome for being expected to give a White Day present to Zashiki-warashi for a Valentine chocolate he had originally made.

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What do you think of my fifth 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