Dec. 20th [xxxHOLiC] Getting Creative

[lady-kikyou.livejournal.com]

Title: Getting Creative
Day/Theme: Dec. 20th - Beast versus beast
Series: xxxHOLiC
Character/Pairing: Clow Reed x Yuuko Ichihara
Rating: PG 
Warnings: Crack like omg. Also, I'm sick and sleepy and yeah. Please ignore any spelling mistakes whatsoever. T_T

                 It wasn’t like he had been expecting any sort of homecoming festivities after such a short-lived trip, although he had to admit it was quite surprising to find that house in any resemblance of quietness, especially considering the pair of hyperactive Mokonas that just happened to inhabit that place. For a moment, he even considered having strayed from the right path, but shook those thoughts off just as quickly as they had flashed by his mind. Yuuko’s shop was far too peculiar to be mistaken for anywhere else, anyway.

 

It didn’t take too long until Soel and Larg came frolicking into the room, and that was more than enough to make Clow feel at home again.

 

“Clow is back! Clow is back!” They chanted in unison and hopped on Clow’s hands, each standing on one of his palms. From afar, an exasperated, overly dramatic sigh could be heard, earning a whole-hearted chuckle from the magician.

 

“I think Yuuko might have heard the news already,” He said, smiling at his baby creations. They giggled in return.

 

“Yuuko doesn’t want to be disturbed!” Larg began explaining.

 

“Yuuko is working!” Soel followed its twin.

 

“She’s working?” He blinked in mild confusion for a half-second, although his trademark smile was soon back in place. “Should I be pleased or terrified?”

 

“You do realize I can hear you, right?” She hissed.

 

“Yes, I do. And I don’t see a problem with it,” He replied, walking towards the general direction of her voice. When he finally found her, the witch was sitting on a few cushions spread around the floor, her arms tightly folded across her chest in a visibly annoyed fashion. With the sole purpose of further teasing her, he added with a cheeky grin. “I really do wish to know whether this is a safe activity or not.”

 

“Of course it is,” She glared at him. “Although I don’t think it’s very wise or safe for you to be here right now.” 

 

“I will take my chances, then,”

 

“Oh, fine,” Her eyes rolled in their sockets as they watched the man comfortably take a seat across from her. Clow could be so obstinate, and it seemed as though he would not budge this time either, much to her chagrin. “But if you’re not going to help, at least keep quiet.”

 

“Well, if you actually care to tell me what you’re doing, I might help,” He offered, carefully placing both Mokonas back on the floor. The two exchanged devious glances and scurried off to Yuuko’s side, resuming whatever tasks they had been performing at the time of Clow’s arrival.

 

“Hmm,” She considered her options for a moment, sparing him a dubious look from the corner of her eyes. “Maybe you can be useful…”

 

“Just tell me how and I will do the best I can,”

 

“Alright. So tell me,” Here, she took a small piece of parchment and an old-styled pen from under the cushion she was sitting on. Clow could see her handwriting going down to the middle of the roll, though he wasn’t close enough to read it. “What would be a good reason for you to go ultimately mad at me, enough to possibly start a raging war between us?”

 

He blinked. “Excuse me?”

 

“You heard me.”

 

“I don’t think there is anything that could ever get me that furious, dear. Not at anyone, and certainly not at you.”

 

“Use your imagination, then!”

 

“I cannot use my imagination for a purpose that I cannot conceive, Yuuko.”

 

She pouted, crossing her arms in protest. “You said you would help!”

 

“Within my possibilities, yes,” He said in as much of a somber tone as possible, though it was hard not to chuckle at her actions. “But that is beyond any reasonable cogitation.”

 

“Fine. Then I’ll just use whatever excuse that first comes to mind,” Her once disappointed face soon lit up and she smirked in a devilish way, hooking an eyebrow for better effect. “Like me stealing your secret stash of porn, for instance.”

 

“First of all, I don’t have a secret stash of porn," He fixed his glasses on his nose, the exact same way he always did when Yuuko managed to push his wrong buttons. “And secondly, what do you need that for, anyway?”

 

“For the story I’m writing,”

 

“You’re writing a story?”

 

“Yes. And I was just working on the climax, an epic battle between the two of us, when you came in and scared my muses away.”

 

“An epic ba—“ He stopped before he could finish the sentence. Until he was given proper explanation, that whole deal just seemed too far-fetched to even be pronounced again. “Please, elaborate.”

 

                  “There’s not much to elaborate on, really,” She replied as though she had stated the naturally obvious and focused on her scribblings once more, presuming that Clow would be satisfied with her answer.

 

A minute or so flew by, and the man still stared at her, with that half annoyed, half expectant expression on his face. She sighed. It was going to be a very long afternoon, it seemed.

 

“Oh, c’mon, Clow!” She poked his forehead with the tip of her pen. “Mr. Most Powerful Magician in the World versus the Dimensional Witch in a fight to death? It’s a clash of Titans! Trust me, this would be the main discussion topic in the magical community for ages!”

 

“It would never happen, Yuuko.”

 

“Well, that is why this is a fictional story, you idiot. Characters, however, are very much real.”

 

“Mokona drew pictures for Yuuko’s story!” Soel chimed in, holding up a piece of paper for Clow to see. Larg was on the side, tapping on the image so to call the magician’s attention.

 

“It’s a picture of Clow and Yuuko in a magic duel!”

 

He took the drawing – a collection of stick figures in the shapes of Yuuko and himself - from their petite hands. The two were too innocent to understand all the meanings behind the illustration, so they were not to blame; besides, they had probably put a lot of effort into it, and he would hate to disappoint them. “That is a rather nice picture,” He offered a kind smile. “Though I would prefer if you could portray us in a more friendly position.”

 

“Friendly is boring and it doesn’t make for a good story,” Yuuko interrupted, waving a hand dismissively. “Deadly enemies with a lot of power, however, ah, that is a sure hit!”

 

“But we are not deadly enemies, Yuuko,” He shook his head in disapproval, heaving a sigh. “And we would never be.”

 

“I know that, but no one would be interested in reading about our daily lives, now, would they?”

 

“You can tweak it up a little. How about lovers instead of enemies, then?”

 

She made a face. “Too cliché! And it’s corny, too!”

 

“People tend to see unresolved romantic tension between a couple, even if they’re supposed to be rivals or even deadly enemies, as you want to put it,” He tried to reason.

 

“So?”

 

“It’s likely that someone would eventually pair us up together in that sense, no matter how cliché or corny you might think it is.”

 

“Let them write their own stories, then! In fact, since you’re meddling so much, perhaps you should go do the same!”

 

“I would,” He smirked. “But I’m not as bored as you are, dearest.”

 

“Well,” She brought her fists to her hips, in an energetic fashion. “It took you long enough to notice, huh?”

 

“Not as much as you would think,” He couldn’t contain his chuckle this time. Unpredictable as she was, Yuuko could still be pretty much obvious when it came to himself. “It’s just that I’ve never seen you miss me this much, so it took me a moment to digest the information.”

 

“I did not miss you!” An angry vein suddenly popped in her temples. After a second or so, she regained her composure and added, if somewhat awkwardly. “Although I will admit it was weird not having my daily dose of Clow creepiness for a while, so I had to make up for it somehow.”

 

“That is good enough already,” Clow spared her a wide, fully content smile. That was as much as he would ever get from her, after all. “Let's put that aside for a minute, though. I suppose you would like to get your presents now, right?”

 

“Yay, of course!” She beamed, clasping both hands on the sides of her face in a display of sheer excitement. “Don’t think you’re buying me with your gifts, though. I haven’t quite given up on my writing career yet. I have simply postponed it.”

 

“Are you still turning us into lifetime enemies?”

 

“No, you’ve made me realize it wouldn’t work,” She conceded, pouting a little. “I’m still using both of us as characters, though, and I don’t think I will even have to bother with tweaking it up this time.”

 

“Oh? Should I expect a novel from you anytime soon?”

 

“Not exactly a novel, no.”

 

“Then?” There had been an air of mischief around her when Yuuko replied, and he was almost afraid to ask.

 

                  “Oh, come on! A crazy magician and his beautiful partner-in-crime, messing up with the future of a group of dimensional travelers who aren’t even born yet? That is so manga material, Clow!”