Of Dreams and Wishes

Wow! This is a whole new record. I've never continuously updated a single fanfic so fast before.

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

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.

I find that the whole mess with Kimihiro, Li Syaoran, Li Sakura, Li Tsubasa, and Princess Tsubasa is just way too complicated to put into Of Dreams and Wishes in detail. So, I'm going to heavily gloss over it, and would only be adding the bare necessities where able.

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Vocabulary

Hitsuzen — inevitable, fated

Sengoku Jidai — Feudal Era

Shikon no Tama — Jewel of Four Souls

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

Miko — priestess, shrine maiden

Youkai — demon

Daiyoukai — great demon

Miko ki – priestess energy

Youki — demon energy

Jaki — miasma, evil energy

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

Hotaru — firefly

Karasu tengu — crow-billed goblin

Tengu — goblin

Kitsune — fox

Kitsune bi — foxfire

Kudagitsune — pipe fox sprite

Inu — dog

Ookami — wolf

Hiraikotsu — Sango's large demon-bone boomerang

Hyakki yakou — monster procession; night parade of one hundred demons

Ojii-chan / Jii-chan / Ojii-san / Jii-san / Ojii-sama / Jii-sama — grandfather, in different forms of endearment and respect

Onee-chan / Nee-chan / Onee-san / Nee-san / Onee-sama / Nee-sama — big sister, or a girl who is older, in different forms of endearment and respect

Chapter 8 Price of Love

Kagome flipped through the album of carefully preserved crayon drawings — the papers were yellow with age and the colours had faded, but considering they were over five hundred years old, they were very well kept, showing just how much Shippou-chan treasured them.

Here was the story of a wolf and dog fighting over a cat which Shippou-chan had used to not-so-subtly tell Kaede-sama and the villagers about her meeting with Kouga-kun and Inuyasha's irritation with the ookami youkai.

There were Sango-chan's various responses to Miroku-sama's groping — slapping, hitting his abnormally hard head with hiraikotsu, threatening to chop off his hands with her knife, sticking a youkai on him, and groping him back (Kagome had never thought she would see the day).

And here was Shippou's story of how he had singlehandedly defeated Narakuwith kitsune bi, making the girls cheer and the guys cry in the background. There was also a more accurate version of the final battle where all of them had joined forces.

Snapshots of their adventures… Sango and Miroku's wedding… their beautiful children… A grown-up Rin and Kohaku… their wedding and kids… Inuyasha's attempts at wooing Kikyou's true reincarnation… Inuyasha's wedding… their children with the cute little puppy ears… a portrait of Sesshoumaru, Rin, Jaken, and Ah-Un together… Shippou's mate… their cute kitsune kits… other memorial drawings for Kikyou, Kaede, Souten, Shiori, Jinengi, Kagura, Kanna, and many more…

Tears fell onto the plastic the drawings were covered with and her body heaved with sobs.

So many years I've missed out… I miss them… I miss them sooo much…

XxXxXxXxX

Kimihiro growled. Why on Earth did he have to come to the park, holding onto the abnormally large ground cherry — akin to how a couple would hold a knife when cutting a wedding cake — with Doumeki of all people? Oh, right, the sadistic Yuuko-san. That and because, according to her, he needed someone who could at least repel spirits and lesser youkai. He would've asked Kagome-chan if she hadn't already left the day before to visit an old friend. And since putting Himawari-chan in danger was out of the question, he was forced to take Doumeki along with him.

At the strike of four, the ground cherry glowed, and when the light finally died down, the entire scenery changed. Countless youkai, of all shapes and sizes, strolled in front of them, each one holding onto a ground cherry.

"What is this?" Well, at least he now knew why he needed someone with the ability to repel spirits.

"Hyakki yakou?" Doumeki replied.

"You mean, where youkai and artefact spirits march in a parade carrying lanterns?"

Then a youkai which looked like a humanoid blue fish paused to look at them. "What are you doing? You'd be left behind if you don't hurry up."

Not having much choice (mainly due to Yuuko), they entered the crowd.

"How are you feeling?" Doumeki asked, keeping his voice low to not alert the surrounding creatures. "Is there a strange smell? Do you feel like throwing up?"

Kimihiro did the same. This wasn't a good place to attract attention. He sniffed the air. "No, not particularly."

"So, that means that these guys in the hyakki yakou aren't bad, huh?"

"You think so?" he asked, glancing at the only other human in the area.

Doumeki nodded. "You haven't gotten ill as far as I could see, so these youkai must not have turned any malice towards you. I suppose there could be some dangerous ones gathered here, but you should be able to distinguish between the good ones and the evil ones."

His eyebrows furrowed. Well, he was probably half right about that. Kagome had commented on how he was more sensitive to jaki than any other types of energy, which was also why he couldn't always distinguish spirits and youkai from humans.

Kimihiro didn't know how long they had followed the tail of the parade, but they eventually arrived at their destination — a gigantic leafless white tree with blooming flowers which glowed, making it more ethereal.

"What an amazing tree," Kimihiro said, eyes widening at the scene.

Doumeki glanced at him. "Are you getting a bad feeling?"

He shook his head. "It's overwhelming, but not bad." It was a bit similar to the daffodil world he and kudagutsune had gone to, but less pure.

It was hard to see since they were at the very back, but it seemed as though the youkai were bringing their ground cherry close to the tree for something. Kimihiro jumped again, hoping to get a better view, but accidentally stumbled, breaking his grip on his ground cherry.

Instantly, as if a spell had been broken, every single one of the youkai stilled and turned around, encircling the duo. Murmurs heated up in the crowd.

"Humans?"

"Why are there humans here of all places?"

"Impossible."

"But they are really here."

"I wonder how they got a ground cherry."

"More than that, what should we do about them?"

"What a bother."

"Well, they're humans, after all."

"That's right."

"And they're like enemies."

"Which means…"

"It can't be helped."

There was a pause.

"Shall we?"

"We have no choice."

"Let's eat them."

"Eat them."

"Eat them."

"Eat them."

The circle around them grew smaller as the crowd of youkai approached. However, before they could do anything else, an enormous amount of youki filled the air and the ground shook, sending everyone, including energy-insensitive Doumeki, down on their knees from the pressure.

"S-s-sess-sess-sesshoumaru-sama!" a youkai stuttered when the youki lessened.

As one, the trembling crowd turned to face the tree where a silver-haired male with purple marking on his face was standing. There were also two katana strapped to his waist. Golden eyes swept the land. "What is the meaning of this unsightly behaviour?" His voice was low, but it easily cut through the still air and reached everyone's ears.

Some of the braver youkai gestured at them. "T-t-there are h-humans here."

"They shouldn't be here."

"W-We were going to e-eat them."

When golden eyes turned to stare at them, all the surrounding youkai scampered away, leaving a small clearing around them.

Kimihiro blinked. Sesshoumaru… Wasn't that Kagome-chan's…?

"Ah! Kimihiro-kun, Doumeki-kun! What are you two doing here?" A very familiar figure stepped out from behind Sesshoumaru, dressed in blue furisode, decorated in lotuses, and wearing three hairsticks — one elaborately decorated and two less so.

The two of them stood up upon seeing a familiar face. "Kagome-chan?" Kimihiro asked.

Murmurs started up again.

"Another human?"

"Sesshoumaru-sama is with another human."

"Why?"

"Is he going to eat her?"

XxXxXxXxX

"Silence," the inu daiyoukai ordered — a demand which was instantly obeyed. "The Shikon no Miko is a part the House of the West. And those two humans are under her protection. Should any of you attempt to harm her or hers, this Sesshoumaru has given her full authority to deal with you as she pleases."

Kagome rolled her eyes. Trust him to be overly dramatic about these things. Then again, she really was the only one left from that time. Smiling at the petrified crowd, she said, "Don't worry; I won't purify you to ashes if you play nice." She then strolled over towards the two boys, with the youkai parting like the Red Sea, grasped their hands and led them over to the tree.

Sesshoumaru stared at them, face betraying none of his thoughts. "Should you two bring harm upon the Shikon no Miko, whether physical, emotional, or spiritual…" He raised his claws, which were encased in a sickly green glow of poison. "This one would deal with you himself."

Kagome frowned, resting her hands on her hips, and glaring into golden eyes. "I'm not a frail little girl, and." She then poked him in the chest with every word she said. "You. Know. That. Ses. Su. Shou. Ma. Ru. Sa. Ma." With a huff, she tugged her friends over to one of the glowing flowers, and then, placed a hand on its white trunk. "These two are my friends and they are good people. Would you please grant them some of your nectar?"

The flower petals opened and poured golden nectar into the ground cherry Kimihiro and Doumeki were holding together. A female voice also rang out. "That nectar that, once a year, only those who make it to the hyakki yakou may drink. Please drink with great care. After all, it's thanks to Sesshoumaru-sama and Kagome-sama that you are able to return with this. Children with such incredibly rare spirits, good things are not always drawn in by such energy. There must have been some tough times up to now. But that's changing. It is just a little at a time, but please, hold that transformation dear. Particularly the changes made possible through the people you meet."

XxXxXxXxX

Higurashi and Sesshoumaru-sama (he knew of his prowess from his grandfather's stories) led them away from the tree, and then, they suddenly found themselves in the park they had started out in, with no youkai in sight.

"We're back?" Watanuki asked, glancing around. "It wasn't a dream, was it?"

Shizuka pulled back his sleeve, revealing his watch. It was midnight. "If it were a dream, that'd mean we had been sleeping for nearly eight hours."

His friend gaped at him. "Wha!" After a brief silence, he asked, "Why did Yuuko-san give me the ground cherry?"

"That, you see," her voice came from behind, "was because I wanted the nectar." Yuuko took the ground cherry from his hands and nuzzled it. "The nectar from hyakki yakou is more delicious than any sake from this world!" she cooed.

Watanuki groaned. "You mean, in other words…"

"Thanks for running the errand!" Yuuko and Mokona cheered, earning themselves angry retorts from the teen.

They sat there in the park for several hours more, partying, drinking the nectar and eating the delicious snacks Watanuki had made beforehand. When said spirit-magnet finally fell asleep on the picnic blanket, Shizuka asked, "Why are you here? If you hadn't come, he would have brought the nectar to your shop. But you were waiting. Is it because I was with him?" She just stared at him with crimson eyes, so he decided to take the plunge. "Do you not want me in your shop?"

Yuuko smiled. "So, you realized, huh? There's no reason for you to come in. My shop is a place that is here, and yet, not. Only those that have need are able to enter."

Shizuka glanced at his sort-of-friend. "So, this guy has a need to be there?"

She nodded, sending an almost fond look towards her employee. "Yes. That shop, you see, has prepared him for what lies ahead. That's why he came." She paused. "There are no coincidences in this world. Everything is hitsuzen."

To prepare him for the future, huh? That was something Higurashi-san had warned him of early on — Watanuki would be dragged deeper and deeper into the second world, where more danger and hardship lied ahead. And by extension, he, too, would be involved in some of them.

"How about Higurashi-san?"

Yuuko sipped some nectar. "She's a slightly different case. Kagome-chan is also needed, but she doesn't necessarily need my shop. She could see, and hence, enter the shop do to her special powers. Barriers tend to have a hard time obstructing her way," she smiled, "as many of her past enemies had found."

XxXxXxXxX

"What do you think of them?" Kagome asked, taking a bite of mochi. They were now seated in the dining hall of Sesshoumaru's sky castle, which had been his father's gift to his mother.

The Western Lord sipped at his glass of nectar. "This one was correct in his earlier assumption. There is something strange about the boy with blue eyes. He was supposed to be born from a descendent of the Li Clan, a clan of pureblooded humans. But there is something inhuman about that boy. Similar to your current self, but less so."

Kagome stared at her hand, letting her Shikon-influenced miko ki rise to the surface of her skin. Because she was born with that cursed jewel, her body and soul had been altered. And she had become a creature slightly more than human. She was slowly getting used to the idea the more she hang out with Sesshoumaru-sama and other supernatural creatures. It had also helped that she practiced using her powers, opening her senses to the different flows of time, more often.

Every creature had a different sense of time. Insects typically viewed each day as humans would a year. Animals also had a faster sense of time than humans. Youkai, on the other hand, saw a year as humans would a month or day. Hours, days, months, and years, meant almost nothing to those who lived for centuries, millenniums. To live a life counting them could encourage insanity. So, Kagome was resolved to drop those time counters as soon as all her precious people who lived by them had passed away. It would be difficult, but she would soon adapt to a daiyoukai's way of thinking when she moved into the House of the West in the future. She had to, if she didn't want to go insane.

It was probably why Yuuko-san tended to drink and smoke her life away — anything to temporarily forget the long days ahead and the heartache of loss. As Kagome had observed early on, Yuuko-san was an inhuman human, but it wasn't until she had gotten better at sensing the flow of time that Kagome discovered Yuuko-san's time had been frozen by someone immensely powerful. Even she wouldn't be able to do such a feat.

Still, was Kimihiro-kun also placed in a similar situation? Had he been touched by powerful magic early on in life?

"Yuuko-san probably knows more," she sighed. Otherwise, the shopkeeper wouldn't have been so interested in her friend's welfare and his relationships with Doumeki-kun and Himawari-chan.

Sesshoumaru hmmed thoughtfully. "The Dimension Witch? Yes, that could be so. She probably had a hand in it."

XxXxXxXxX

"Where's Yuuko-san?"

"She's gone!" Watanuki snarled, still agitated from the earlier parts of their conversation. He crossed his arms. "Man, you're persistent! She's been out for work!"

Shizuka frowned. Higurashi-san, with the school's permission, had gone back home due to a family emergency — her grandfather, after collapsing, had been brought to a hospital. And now with Yuuko-san also out of town, who knew what troubles Watanuki could get into. He couldn't stay near him either, not with the upcoming archery competition.

"What happened to the kudagitsune?"

"It's at Yuuko-san's shop. It's sleeping inside its tube."

That was good. Aside from his bracelet, Watanuki also had another protection. "Carry that with you," Shizuka ordered, before heading to the archery range. He was going to take a leaf out of Higurashi-san's book and vent out his worries on the archery target.

XxXxXxXxX

"Mama, how's jii-chan?" Kagome asked, slamming the door opened, panting. Too impatient to wait for the bus, she had run all the way from the subway station and up the hundred-something shrine stairs.

Her mother smiled as cheerfully as she could, though Kagome could make out the purple bags under her eyes. "Jii-chan has been discharged from the hospital and is now resting upstairs. The doctors say it's just an unfortunate side effect of old age. Our body gets frailer as we age."

Kagome bit her lips. This was probably not a good time to tell her family of her recent discovery. Well, it was more like she didn't know how she should break the news — Um… I've found out that the Shikon no Tama had done something weird with me and now I age as slowly as a daiyoukai, meaning all of you would age and die while I'd stay the same as I do now. Yeah, that would go soooo smoothly, especially with their worries about jii-chan's health.

XxXxXxXxX

The woman he had been meeting in the park for the past two days laughed after hearing what happened at lunch.

"Please don't laugh so much," Kimihiro said, blushing in embarrassment.

Her laughter subsided a little. "I'm sorry, but I think that's so cute."

"That's not cute," he protested. Kimihiro slumped down. "It's more like pathetic, really." It had been a very rare occasion where he had eaten lunch with Himawari-chan, alone, without that idiot Doumeki. And yet, that guy somehow still disrupted their time alone together because she kept bringing him up despite his best efforts.

"It is cute," the woman insisted. "So you like this girl named Himawari-chan, don't you?"

His face reddened and his heart pounded in his chest. "W-Well, I mean, um… It's like… When I'm with Hi-Himawari-chan, I get so amped up, and—"

She smiled. "I hope Himawari-chan will be attracted to you."

Kimihiro's jaw slackened. Up till now, the only one who had ever encouraged his relationship with Himawari-chan was Kagome-chan — Yuuko-san often mentioned how she wasn't his Lady Luck and Doumeki just kept interrupting. And yet, this woman… With nothing else to say, he only nodded in response.

"It's getting colder now," she said, looking up at the darkened sky. "Your family will be worried if you don't go home."

"Oh, I live by myself." Which was why he really treasured the noisy moments at the shop, no matter how annoying certain characters were. Anything was better than the cold dark lonely apartment.

"Boarding houses? Does your family live far away?"

He shook his head, turning his gaze downwards. "No, I don't have any parents."

She gasped and looked away, eyebrows furrowing. "I'm sorry I asked."

Blue eyes widened. "No, not at all!" He didn't want the nice lady to feel guilty over something like this. "It happened a long time ago, and—"

The woman laid her hands on his and stared into his eyes. "No matter how long it has been, people could never forget the loss of that special someone. And they would always feel sad about it."

Kimihiro didn't know how to respond to that. It was nice having an older woman who cared for him. Yuuko-san didn't count. While he may have learnt to care for the shopkeeper, Yuuko-san could never give him the feelings of a mother. This woman, however… She was as kind as the mother in his memories…

XxXxXxXxX

Under mama and Souta's watchful eyes, her hands glowed light purple as they hovered over her resting jii-chan's body. The colour of her energy changed depending on its source — light pink from her own natural miko abilities and light purple from the Shikon no Tama. Her purification and healing powers stemmed from the former, but it was the latter which brought about her time-influencing abilities.

After some talk, she and Sesshoumaru had come up with the theory that the Shikon no Tama wanted eternity; that was why it had tried to use her fear against her, to persuade her to make the wish they desired. She had overcome it, in the end, and wished for the jewel's eternal disappearance. But, it still had enough will to make a desperate move — the remaining aspects of the Shikon had merged with her soul and changed her flow of time in hopes that it would live forever as a part of her instead.

"Nee-chan, would this really help jii-chan?"

"Of course, Souta. Right now I'm sending healing energy into him to purge him of all jaki and any lingering diseases. I'm also boosting up his immune system."

It was half true. Kagome had already done all that the night before when everyone else was asleep. Right now, she was building up a thin time barrier within his body to slow down his aging, only for a bit though — she didn't have enough strength or energy to maintain a stronger one from a distance. It would also help slow down any progression of disease once it entered his body.

"My healing abilities are limited in this case since his body is naturally starting to fail on him. I won't be able to deage him, but jii-chan should have at least a few more years on him than otherwise." Her training had shown her that, while she could slow down and speed up time, she couldn't turn it back. What was done was done. Nothing could change it.

Mama smiled and placed a hand on her shoulders. "It's alright, Kagome. Like you've said, jii-chan is simply growing old. We're already very lucky you could give him more time."

Kagome found it hard to smile back. A few more years, huh? It wasn't enough. It could never be enough.

XxXxXxXxX

Kimihiro paused in his steps and coughed. He had been feeling sick for the past few days, and it was steadily getting worse. He should probably stay inside, away from the cold, but he couldn't bare the thought of leaving the kind lady all alone in the park.

Whenever he had the time, he would go to the park to be with her — complaining about Doumeki, gushing about Himawari-chan, talking about Kagome-chan, chattering about Yuuko-san. She would listen to him without fail, always ready to offer a kind word and a smile.

He looked forward to seeing her and always went back home with a small amount of regret. It was nice having her by his side. It was like having a mother all over again.

XxXxXxXxX

"Kagome!"

She turned around to see three grinning girls running towards her. Kagome suppressed her groan and waved back. "Ayumi! Eri! Yuka! Long time no time! How are you?"

And with that, they fell back into old routines — telling each other of their days at school, gossiping about everything and everyone, complaining about annoyances. Then, it finally came to their love life, or lack thereof for certain individuals.

Eri had just broken up a few months ago, having found the boy two-timing her. Ayumi was having a secret relationship with a young teacher, whose name she refused to reveal for his safety. Yuka, much to Kagome's delight and surprise, was dating Hojo-kun, meaning he wouldn't bother her again.

"How about you, Kagome?"

She shook her head. "No. I'm not interested in having a love relationship at the moment." Especially not after learning about her immunity to time. "After the whole thing with Inuyasha, I've decided to not muddle friendship with romantic relationship, and focus more on school instead."

"Eh? But that's so boring!"

Kagome could only laugh when the three of them brainstormed all the reasons why she should get herself a boyfriend, including: free gifts and free meals, a body to cuddle up to, having someone jealous over you, having a person's undivided attention, and much more.

XxXxXxXxX

Arms crossed, Shizuka stared at Watanuki, who had finally woken up after several hours, from his spot by the infirmary door. He had noticed that his friend's health was getting worse by the day, but he hadn't confronted him with it, thinking that it may have been a simple cold. But then, Watanuki had collapsed during physical education class.

Once Kunogi-san left the infirmary to inform a teacher, he asked, "You've got a cold."

Watanuki looked away. "I think it is."

His frowned deepened. "There's no fever, though." Shizuka had checked his temperature when he carried the unconscious teen to the infirmary. There hadn't even been any cold sweat either, so Watanuki hadn't been that ill. But people don't faint from a simple cold. "Are you sure it's not related to spirits?"

Putting on his glasses, Watanuki replied, "No. Besides, I haven't even seen them lately."

Shizuka narrowed his eyes. From experience and from the stories Higurashi-san had told, Watanuki couldn't always distinguish between spirits and humans. There was a possibility that he had encountered a spirit strong enough to ward off other spirits and not be affected by the bracelet Higurashi-san had given the teen.

"So, what is it?" Watanuki asked, bristling like a cat.

"I guess even an idiot would catch a cold in the early spring, huh?"

He growled. "What did you say?" And then, Watanuki slumped onto the blankets, having run out of his energy.

Shizuka walked forwards, his arms still cross from his displeasure of this situation. "What happened to the kudagitsune? Didn't I tell you to carry it with you?"

Watanuki looked up tiredly. "I haven't gone to Yuuko-san's shop lately." He didn't even seem to be capable of mustering the strength for another argument. "I'll stop by soon."

"Are you sure?"

He scowled. "Don't be suspicious!"

Shizuka furrowed his eyebrows. Hmm… Maybe he should skip practice and trail after him just to make sure… But then the captain would just hound him for it. After all, with Higurashi-san adamant with not joining, he was their greatest hope in winning the championships. Maybe he should show up at Watanuki's house instead…

XxXxXxXxX

Okay. Kagome. This is it. Remember, you're going to tell them the truth. "Mama, I…"

A glowing blue butterfly flew through the closed window and fluttered in front of her. Yuuko's voice sounded from it. "Kagome-chan, Watanuki collapsed in the shop."

She slammed her hands on the table and stood up. "What!"

"Don't worry; I have already called Doumeki-kun to pick him up. Everything should be dealt with by the boys tomorrow, but it is probably better if you return soon." Then, the butterfly disintegrated into sparkles of light before disappearing altogether.

Kagome glanced over at her gathered family. "Mama, I…"

"What's wrong, Kagome?" her mother asked, face pinched with worry. "What were you shouting at?"

She scanned their faces, all of them wearing bewildered and concerned expressions. I see… The message wasn't for them to hear… "Mama, I've just received a message. One of my friends has gotten really sick because of a spirit. Yuuko-san said that everything should be fine tomorrow, but…"

Her mother smiled. "It's alright. But it's already very late. Why don't you head out tomorrow after breakfast?"

XxXxXxXxX

Shizuka knew that Watanuki wouldn't listen to their warnings. He would definitely go back to see that woman, whatever she was, even if she was the reason for his deterioration of health. Watanuki was too emotionally attached to her; and he cared too little about himself.

He won't stand allow a precious person to disappear right before his eyes, not when he could do something about it. He knew that his choice would hurt his friend. Regardless, he would still get rid of the threat to his friend's life, even if it meant bearing Watanuki's grudge forever and losing their friendship.

With that in mind, Shizuka picked up his longbow and headed for the park.

XxXxXxXxX

"Kimihiro-kun! Kimihiro-kun!" Kagome shouted, bursting into the shop. Moro and Maru greeted her and quietly summarized what had occurred in the past few days as they led her to the person she wanted to see.

She fell down to her knees next to his futon. "Are you okay, Kimihiro-kun?" she asked, brushing a hand through his hair. "I heard about what happened."

Kagome stretched out her senses towards the bracelet. Why hadn't it done its job in protecting her friend? Her energy probed at it. Oh… Most of its energy had been used to prevent his decline in health as much as possible. Not only that, but his energy had unconsciously blocked her miko ki's attempts in purifying the spirit due to his wish to keep the woman safe from harm.

Her eyes softened. "Oh, Kimihiro-kun… You must've really loved her."

As if a dam had burst, tears flowed down his cheeks in rivers. Kagome lifted up his weakened body into a sitting position and hugged him close, ignoring the wetness spreading on her shirt.

"Even if she wasn't human, she was still loving and nice to me," he sobbed. "I knew that I shouldn't have ignored Yuuko-san's warning, but I… And Doumeki… He…"

"Shh…" Kagome cooed, rubbing his back. "It's alright. I'm the last person in this world who could condemn you for loving someone who, intentionally or not, would only hurt you." She had stayed by Inuyasha's side knowing his heart wasn't hers to keep even though she had given him hers during that time. But it had been her choice to make. She didn't regret it at all, despite the heartbreak and hardships. "You loved her and she loved you. Nothing could ever change that."

"Sh-She said she was lonely. And I didn't want her to feel like that. B-But after Dou-Doumeki sh-shot her, sh-she said that she wasn't lonely anymore," he cried into her shoulder. "She said that she wasn't lonely anymore!"

Kagome smiled. "It's that good? You've given the one thing she had always wanted before she passed on. And there are a lot of spirits in the afterlife. I'm sure she'd find her family there as well. So, she definitely won't be lonely anymore. She would remember your love forever, just like her love for you would never leave your heart."

Her heart clenched. That spirit wasn't the only one who was lonely, wasn't it? This boy in her arms had always returned to a lonely apartment, and she had never even thought about it. Some friend I turned out to be.

"Hey, Kimihiro-kun, would you mind if I moved into your apartment?"

Blue eyes blinked at her. "Wha?"

Her lips tugged into a grin. "You're lonely living alone, aren't you? And I can't stay at Yuuko-san's shop forever. I'll help pay the rent, bills and groceries." Plus, this way she'd get to eat his delicious food practically whatever she wanted.

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Spotting Watanuki conversing happily with Kunogi-san and Higurashi-san, Shizuka braced his heart for the hurt he would feel from rejection. It was his choice. As long as his friend didn't disappear, he didn't mind losing a cherished friendship. He really didn't.

Shizuka walked passed the teen, who had stilled upon seeing him, determined to not lose his composure or make eye contact.

"Wait," Watanuki said softly.

He paused in his steps.

"You can come too. To have lunch." He raised his voice pompously. "Since I've already invited Himawari-chan, Kagome-chan, and all!"

Shizuka looked back, eyes widened in disbelief. He had been certain that their friendship had been lost the moment he had fired that arrow. But, seeing Watanuki's familiar scowl, he smiled. "You'd better have some inari-zushi for me."

Watanuki dashed over, yelling and arms flailing, "Hell no! First of all, why do you always want inari-zushi!" Shizuka plugged his ears. "Today I made tri-coloured onigiri!"

He sighed, crossing his arms nonchalantly. "Oh, well… I guess I'll hang out."

His friend gritted his teeth. "You sonova… Why do you have to say it like that!"

Kunogi giggled. "You two really do get along so well, don't you, Watanuki-kun, Doumeki-kun?"

"Yeah, who needs the TV when we have Kimihiro-kun and Doumeki-kun around?" Higurashi added.

Shizuka smiled as Watanuki's rant washed over his ears. Everything was back to normal now. He still had the friendship he treasured. All was well in his world again.

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What do you think of my eighth 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.

What do you think of my portrayal of Kagome, Sesshoumaru, Kimihiro, and Shizuka?

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