[Fic] Request
Title: Request
Author: doumeki
Rating: PG-13 for death, albeit tame death.
Series: xxxHOLiC, Cardcaptor Sakura
Characters/Pairings: Yuuko, Clow
Word Count: 876
Author's Notes: There are spoilers for the end of Cardcaptor Sakura. So. Yeah.
She stood facing him. He had already sealed his guardians, prepared them for their future under a girl who’d yet to be born- wouldn’t be for decades- and left them behind without a lingering thought. He smiled, and she felt an irrational surge of anger flow through her.
“Now, now, Yuuko-chan,” he drawled. “You knew this day was coming.”
She said nothing, merely moved aside to grant him entrance to the shop.
“You have a wish,” she said after a while, although it was more for form rather than a need to vocalize the obvious.
“I have many wishes,” he mused complacently. “But you already know that.”
She ignored him, opting to pour herself a glass of sake instead. She deliberately refrained from offering him a drink. No sense in prolonging the inevitable.
“So cold!” he whined. “Such horrid bedside manner. The least you could do is offer me a drink.”
She placed her sake glass on the table and stared at the warm liquor inside. “Your wish has a price,” she stated coldly. Best to distance herself now, she knew.
“I know.” He smiled and held out three objects. “I’m sure that these will be more than enough to compensate for your services.”
Yuuko looked the items over carefully, ascertaining their worth in relation to his wish. She nodded after a moment before plucking the items from his hand. She made certain to avoid brushing against his hand- one couldn’t be too careful around him, after all.
Moro appeared suddenly, hands outstretched to receive the items. He patted the girl on her head and smiled. “Take good care of her,” he requested. “At least until he comes.”
The girl nodded before dashing off to place the objects it the treasure room. Yuuko waited until she was out of sight before turning to address him. “I can take care of myself, you know,” she said, exasperated.
“I know,” he placated. “But your cooking is dreadful, and you need to eat. Moro can cook. Somewhat.”
Yuuko rolled her eyes and called for Maru. The girl appeared and held up two vials, which the Dimension Witch accepted. She watched as he gave Maru the same instructions as Moro before sending her on her way.
She held them out to him. “I trust you know what to do with these,” she stated.
He smiled at her guilelessly. “Of course.” He paused a moment before asking sweetly, “I pee in them, correct?”
Yuuko placed her hand on her hip and glared. “No, you do not pee in them, Clow.”
Two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. “I know,” he whispered in her ear. “I thought humor would make it easier on you.”
She pulled away. “Since when are you compassionate?”
He shrugged, a movement that meant everything yet nothing at all. “Shall we begin?”
She nodded, and they began.
+++
Hospitals had never been places she sought out. The walls reverberated with the wishes of the ill, wishes that could not be granted for the price was higher than she felt comfortable asking. She walked swiftly down the halls, bypassing the nurses’ station in ICU, and entered the room where she was needed.
A boy lay on the bed, complexion telling her more than anything that he didn’t have long. Tear tracks carved lines in his cheeks, and the glistening moisture in his eyes did nothing but highlight the dark circles and his gaunt appearance. His hands clenched at the bedclothes in time to the tremors that wracked his body, sheets bunching together in his tenuous grasp.
“You have a wish,” she murmured softly, drawing his attention to her. He had beautiful hazel eyes, she noted, eyes bright with fever. “There is a price.”
The boy nodded and gasped something that could have been an answer, but he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs to form the words.
“Your memories and life until this point,” she stated. “Neither of which will return to you. Is this price acceptable?”
“Yes,” he wheezed. “Make it stop.”
“Very well,” she said softly. “Close your eyes.”
He did and the small room suddenly stilled with silence. Silence that she had dealt with a mere hour before. She shook her head as the shrill beeping of the heart monitor cried out Kinomoto Fujitaka’s fate.
She coaxed the cork from the vial in her hand and released the iridescent cloud into the air. It settled over the boy’s still body before absorbing into his skin. The shrieking of the heart monitor stopped abruptly, and a sharp intake of air came from the bed.
Kinomoto’s eyes blinked open and focused on her. The once-brown irises were flooded with a deep green that belonged on the face of man decades older than the one before her. He blinked, and the green was gone, a forgotten memory.
He looked around his surroundings and frowned. “Could you tell me where I am?” he asked politely.
Yuuko smiled sadly. “Your questions will be answered in time,” she replied kindly before turning and leaving.
She exited the hospital and looked at the sky. “Bastard,” she murmured. “You owe me sake next time we meet.”
Warm wind wrapped around her, and she could swear she heard him laughing softly.
Author: doumeki
Rating: PG-13 for death, albeit tame death.
Series: xxxHOLiC, Cardcaptor Sakura
Characters/Pairings: Yuuko, Clow
Word Count: 876
Author's Notes: There are spoilers for the end of Cardcaptor Sakura. So. Yeah.
She stood facing him. He had already sealed his guardians, prepared them for their future under a girl who’d yet to be born- wouldn’t be for decades- and left them behind without a lingering thought. He smiled, and she felt an irrational surge of anger flow through her.
“Now, now, Yuuko-chan,” he drawled. “You knew this day was coming.”
She said nothing, merely moved aside to grant him entrance to the shop.
“You have a wish,” she said after a while, although it was more for form rather than a need to vocalize the obvious.
“I have many wishes,” he mused complacently. “But you already know that.”
She ignored him, opting to pour herself a glass of sake instead. She deliberately refrained from offering him a drink. No sense in prolonging the inevitable.
“So cold!” he whined. “Such horrid bedside manner. The least you could do is offer me a drink.”
She placed her sake glass on the table and stared at the warm liquor inside. “Your wish has a price,” she stated coldly. Best to distance herself now, she knew.
“I know.” He smiled and held out three objects. “I’m sure that these will be more than enough to compensate for your services.”
Yuuko looked the items over carefully, ascertaining their worth in relation to his wish. She nodded after a moment before plucking the items from his hand. She made certain to avoid brushing against his hand- one couldn’t be too careful around him, after all.
Moro appeared suddenly, hands outstretched to receive the items. He patted the girl on her head and smiled. “Take good care of her,” he requested. “At least until he comes.”
The girl nodded before dashing off to place the objects it the treasure room. Yuuko waited until she was out of sight before turning to address him. “I can take care of myself, you know,” she said, exasperated.
“I know,” he placated. “But your cooking is dreadful, and you need to eat. Moro can cook. Somewhat.”
Yuuko rolled her eyes and called for Maru. The girl appeared and held up two vials, which the Dimension Witch accepted. She watched as he gave Maru the same instructions as Moro before sending her on her way.
She held them out to him. “I trust you know what to do with these,” she stated.
He smiled at her guilelessly. “Of course.” He paused a moment before asking sweetly, “I pee in them, correct?”
Yuuko placed her hand on her hip and glared. “No, you do not pee in them, Clow.”
Two arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. “I know,” he whispered in her ear. “I thought humor would make it easier on you.”
She pulled away. “Since when are you compassionate?”
He shrugged, a movement that meant everything yet nothing at all. “Shall we begin?”
She nodded, and they began.
+++
Hospitals had never been places she sought out. The walls reverberated with the wishes of the ill, wishes that could not be granted for the price was higher than she felt comfortable asking. She walked swiftly down the halls, bypassing the nurses’ station in ICU, and entered the room where she was needed.
A boy lay on the bed, complexion telling her more than anything that he didn’t have long. Tear tracks carved lines in his cheeks, and the glistening moisture in his eyes did nothing but highlight the dark circles and his gaunt appearance. His hands clenched at the bedclothes in time to the tremors that wracked his body, sheets bunching together in his tenuous grasp.
“You have a wish,” she murmured softly, drawing his attention to her. He had beautiful hazel eyes, she noted, eyes bright with fever. “There is a price.”
The boy nodded and gasped something that could have been an answer, but he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs to form the words.
“Your memories and life until this point,” she stated. “Neither of which will return to you. Is this price acceptable?”
“Yes,” he wheezed. “Make it stop.”
“Very well,” she said softly. “Close your eyes.”
He did and the small room suddenly stilled with silence. Silence that she had dealt with a mere hour before. She shook her head as the shrill beeping of the heart monitor cried out Kinomoto Fujitaka’s fate.
She coaxed the cork from the vial in her hand and released the iridescent cloud into the air. It settled over the boy’s still body before absorbing into his skin. The shrieking of the heart monitor stopped abruptly, and a sharp intake of air came from the bed.
Kinomoto’s eyes blinked open and focused on her. The once-brown irises were flooded with a deep green that belonged on the face of man decades older than the one before her. He blinked, and the green was gone, a forgotten memory.
He looked around his surroundings and frowned. “Could you tell me where I am?” he asked politely.
Yuuko smiled sadly. “Your questions will be answered in time,” she replied kindly before turning and leaving.
She exited the hospital and looked at the sky. “Bastard,” she murmured. “You owe me sake next time we meet.”
Warm wind wrapped around her, and she could swear she heard him laughing softly.