Title: Canopy
Rating: K+/PG
Theme: #06 – The space between dream and reality
Disclaimer: I don't own xxxHOLiC.

A pair of lazy eyelids fluttered open, gentle and lethargically, much like they wished to remain still for a little longer – and in fact, they did. Her crimson pools blinked a few times and tried to adjust to the light as darkness gave place to blurred colors and shapes, which soon took on the form of a tall, raven-haired man with glasses. He smiled, relieved.

"So you're finally awake, huh?"

Yuuko simply moaned in response and rolled to the other side of her bed, sulking under her sheets. Her head was throbbing so hard that it felt as though it was about to explode, her mouth utterly dried up from the excessive alcohol. As familiar with hangover as she might be, this time she had admittedly exceeded her own drinking limits, and that was the price she paid. Yes, she was fully aware of the whole acts and choices and consequences speech, but it didn't mean she had to like it.

She heard Clow rise from bed a take a few steps away. She would scream for him – and the rest of the world as well – to be quiet and not make any noise for it only made her headache worse, but she didn't have the strength to move a muscle. Upon his return, he sat by her side and offered a small cup with a strong-scented liquid – her miraculous Eki Kyabe. Cracking one eye open, she peeked at the medicine and made an effort to sit up and drink the whole thing in a single gulp, though she slid back to the comfort of her pillows as soon as she was done.

"This thing tastes as awful as ever," She mumbled in a barely audible voice, making a disgruntled face. He chuckled at her for behaving in such a child-like manner – he actually found it cute, in the oddest of ways – and placed a hand on top of her head, caressing a few loose strands of hair. With a sigh, she relaxed under his touch and gazed at his ever-smiling face. She wondered whether he was only there for all the times she had been by his side when his visions came or simply because he wanted to, but it didn't matter. It just felt nice to have his company, regardless of his motives.

"Did you have a nice sleep?" Clow thought she already looked better, even if just enough to answer him.

"Sleep?I think I just died and came back," She brought a hand to her forehead, in an overly dramatic fashion. "How long was I out?"

"A few hours. For a moment, I thought you wouldn't make it in time for sunrise." He rested his back against the bed and massaged his own shoulders. They made a cracking noise and he blinked, surprised – it was only then he realized how much time had elapsed, and how tired he really was.

"Sunrise?" She said in a jolt and spared herself a mental scowl for being so loud – just when her headache no longer hurt so badly. "Is it so late in the night?"

"Either that, or so early in the morning, yes."

She sniggered. "And what are you still doing here?" There was obvious spite dripping from her words, even though she tried to hide it by looking away from him.

"What do you think I'm doing? Taking the opportunity to drink up your entire liquor supply?" He shook his head at the silliness of her question and chuckled whole-heartedly. He was too used to her smarmy remarks to react in any other way.

"It wouldn't be a first, you know."

His eyes rolled in their sockets and a sigh welled forth. "I was worried, Yuuko." He was sure the witch knew it all along, but she was just too stubborn to rest before hearing it from his lips.

A smirk tugged its way into the corner of her mouth. Clow was clearly the calm and collected type, and would rarely be affected by trifle matters – sometimes it looked like even serious issues were not a big concern, for he always had a plan. She hated the fact that he was seemingly in control of things, as though nothing at all could ever reach him, so she would often do her best to get a reaction from him – a shiver, a startle, anything that could change his all-knowing, routine smile into something else. It made her immensely happy – even if in a slightly sadistic way – to see positive results when she wasn't even trying.

It didn't take long until guilt came and ruined her good mood, though.

"Thank you," Yuuko whispered, giving in to that heavy feeling in her chest. "But there was no need to be so worried, you know. I just drank too much and… nodded off for a little bit, that's all." She added the last part with a huge, teasing grin, which Clow took as a sign that she was all better – and most likely ready for another round of alcohol.

"Nodded off?" His voice came out in a gasp, a mix of shock and humor. "You were dead silent for hours! Do you know how creepy it is to see you, of all hyperactive people in the world, to be so awfully quiet for so long?"

She suppressed a mischievous giggle. "Actually, now that I think of it… Maybe I should've stayed asleep for a while longer…" The witch trailed off, to which he responded with a curious, questioning look. A kind smile graced her features and she went on, ruby eyes fixed on sapphire. "I had a dream."

"A premonition?"

"No, not a premonition," She made a slow, negative motion with her head. "Just a dream. You know how rare it is for the both of us to have that kind of visions in our sleep, don't you?"

A nod. "That's exactly why it's so intriguing. How can you be sure that what you saw isn't something bound to happen in the future?"

She let out a soft, deceptive sigh. "Because it was too good to be real."

Her smile became sad and she averted her gaze once more, staring numbly down at her bed sheets. There was definitely something troubling her, Clow decided. Yuuko hated to show herself vulnerable, hated to feel so weak in spite of her numerous powers – sometimes, he thought, it was like she hated to seem so human. Then again, perhaps she merely did not wish for him to see her that way.

Silly Yuuko-chan, he wanted to tell her. He wanted to wrap his arms around her slender form and tell her it was okay to feel sorrow, that it was okay to have dreams and wishes of her own, but somehow, he knew it wouldn't be enough. Clow, himself, was one of the wishes no one could ever fully grant her, and for that he felt guilty. It could not be helped, though.

"The world of the living is a dream," His words came out slowly, tentatively, after a moment of thoughtful silence. "The nightly dream--"

"…is real." She was faster and added before he could finish, eyes widening ever-so-slightly at the familiar quote.

A smile. "What is reality, Yuuko-chan?" He hooked a finger under her chin and carefully made the witch raise her head so to look at him. "Is it restricted to this very space and time only?

"No," She spared him a dubious look, trying to figure out the reason behind his speech. "You know that perfectly well, Clow, just as much as I do."

"Then there's no need to feel sad, dearest," His eyes fluttered closed and his smile grew, both in length and warmth. "Even if your vision does not correspond to our reality, it doesn't mean it's not real."

"So you're saying my dream may be true in another dimension?" Her chuckle was sarcastic, as to discredit his theory.

"Perhaps," He said simply, with a shrug. "But you know, a dream is another world on its own, and it's as real as any other."

"It's not the same, Clow…"

"Is it not?" His face inched closer to hers, fingers gingerly straying to her cheeks. "A dream does not seem like one until the dreamer wakes up. Be it inside a dream or out of it, people's thoughts, actions and feelings remain the same. So, how can we know for sure whether a dream is ending or merely beginning?"

Yuuko fell silent for a moment and studied his words. She was aware of the true extension of the universe and its multiple dimensions, but not for once did she really take her time to think about dreams. She rarely could sleep through the entire night, and her slumber was mostly too shaky and brief for her to have those nightly visions, so they were quite unfamiliar. Still, she had to admit Clow made some sense.

During sleep, the soul splits up from the body; that much she knew already, being an expert at occultism. In this case, there was a possibility that the soul alone could cross the dimensional barrier into the dreamworld while the body stayed in a different time and space, thus making both worlds real, depending on the chosen point of view. The concept might seem a little strange, but not totally groundless.

Still, she found no solace on such thought.

"Either way," She finally started, her tone soft and low. "The vision I had isn't real right now, so I kind of wish I could go back to that world."

"Should I grant your wish, then?" In a half-second, a grin was plastered all over his face as he reached for her wooden pipe over the desk and pretended to smoke.

Yuuko chuckled, giving in to his attempts at humor. "Now that is a nice change! What's the price going to be?"

"The price has already been paid."

"Oh?" She hooked one eyebrow in suspicion. He almost giggled.

"Let's just say you weren't totally wrong in fearing for the safety of your liquor cabinet while you were asleep."

She glared at him, fighting the desperate urge to scream. After a long, deep breath, she spoke through gritted teeth. "I'm going to be nice and let it go just this once, but only because it's a fair price. Do that again and you're a dead man."

This time, it was his turn to spare her a sad smile. "That is going to happen soon, anyway, Yuuko-chan."

"I know. That's another reason why I want to return to the dreamworld."

Her eyes were once again focused on his, firm and determined. There was no anger in her gaze or her words, though. All that could be seen in her expression was a tinge of bitterness, and a whole lot of sorrow. It was only then that the magician realized why she'd wanted to remain inside her dream so badly; Yuuko wanted to escape from their cruel reality and live in a happier one, even if for just a moment.

She wished for a happier world, for both of them.

"It's also the reason why I hate you so damn much." She added as an afterthought, nodding in a matter-of-fact fashion so to take a detour from any possible compromising questions.

"Will you love me in your dreams, then?" Clow asked nonetheless, more to tease her than anything else.

"Oh, shut up." In an abrupt motion, she turned her back on him and dove under her sheets, her long, raven locks whipping his skin as she did so.

"Shh," A kind, whole-hearted laugh came forth and he leaned over her porcelain body, his own form molding against her curves in a comfortable position. With his arm snaked around her waist, he pulled her closer and kissed the side of her neck, just below her jaw line, earning a delighted shiver in response. "Let's go to sleep." His voice was a sensuous murmur, his free hand caressing her hair so to lull her into slumber.

"Are you staying?" She asked, almost afraid of his answer.

"It doesn't matter." He chuckled at the way she had clutched to his hand, as though she wanted him to stay there regardless of his reply. Intertwining his fingers with hers, he brought them up to his lips for a kiss and added, reassuringly. "Whether I'm physically here or not, I'll meet you there, at the place where we're headed to."

"And where would that be?"

Heaving a sigh, he closed his eyes in a sweet trance and smiled into her skin, his smooth voice only to be heard in a muffled undertone. "The world in which we can be together."

The corners of her lips hooked up in a display of contentment as scarlet hues hid behind a safe, if rather drowsy, pair of lids and, for a single minute, darkness mingled with a few remaining shades from her bedroom. Once light became available again, the Witch of Dimensions found herself at the exact same setting where she had been minutes ago – a cherry blossom canopy, in a world very far from her own.

Raising her head, she gazed at a countless number of tree branches dancing in the wind, right above the spot where she stood – somehow, she noted, the flowers looked a little brighter this time, and their rosy tinge seemed more vivid than before. If she strained her sight just a bit – the excessive foliage made it harder for her to see anything beyond their softness - she could distinguish the shape of various sparkly stars, gradually fading into dawn. One could hear nothing but the melodious sound of silence.

Sighing at the peace and quiet in the atmosphere, she made a motion to remove a few petals entangled in her locks, but another hand was faster than hers; Clow was also there, smiling, filling her up with gentle warmth. And as his arms enveloped her in a loving embrace, they laughed together in blissful reverie, his soft whisper reaching her ears with the promise that there was a little hope for her own wishes.

Sweet dreams, Yuuko.