storypaint (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
storypaint) wrote2009-08-16 03:20 am
storypaint) wrote2009-08-16 03:20 am
Like Chaos Stopless (Clow/Yuuko)
Title: Like Chaos Stopless
Fandom: xxxHOLiC
Length: 944 words
Prompt: For![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
starlightfairy2: xxxHolic, Yuuko, "Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils ..."-Louis Hector Berlioz
Pairing: Clow/Yuuko
Other: Spoilers for recent xH/TRC chapters; deathfic; strongly-described pain/illness, PG. Title from Dickinson.
Excerpt: He clutched at her hand as if he could keep her anchored in the world. The bones of her fingers, weak, pressed together uncomfortably, and if she'd had the strength she would have protested. But she let him have it, the remaining time she could clutch back.
Time had never been a great concern of hers, simply because she had greater ones. She learned a lot while giving the impression that she knew everything already-- a task as difficult as it sounds.
She knew she would die one day-- not when, even accidental visions would never grant one the "gift" of knowing that-- but she rarely thought about it. Yuuko lived for the moment, in the moment, eternally. She enjoyed her vices, her alcohol and her smoking and that magician she couldn't keep from coming around, full of hope and plans and absurd theories.
She hadn't really planned for it, then, the day that death claimed her. She'd lived for decades unaging, looking like a woman in her twenties, and it was as that young woman she died, in her favorite butterfly kimono, victim of an illness that turned her crimson eyes dark and her ebony hair thin and lifeless. All of her knowledge, dead with her death-- the trick to traveling worlds, the secrets to the Aurora Path, the way Clow's hair looked spread across her pillow in the moonlight-- she shut her eyes and knew that it would be gone when she ceased to draw these last gasping breaths. She'd never given birth or sought an heir to her title, not like Clow had planned and planned and planned. She would be the only Dimension Witch there ever was.
He clutched at her hand as if he could keep her anchored in the world. The bones of her fingers, weak, pressed together uncomfortably, and if she'd had the strength she would have protested. But she let him have it, the remaining time she could clutch back. She shut her eyes, breathed another rattling breath, and did not regret anything. She'd lived a life too full for that.
"I love you," he breathed, his voice a gasp matching hers.
"Loved you," she managed, with a small smile, and drifted away.
*
She woke with a jerk, with a gasp, and burning all down her throat. She choked on her spit before remembering to swallow, and then forced herself to sit up, curling around her hands and trying to figure out what was going on.
Her surroundings were dark and featureless-- the special kind of featureless that said to her that this was the dream world. And one could dream even on the very edge of death, but she hadn't expected it. Something felt... wrong. Her head was pounding, and she was swaying from side to side as if suffering vertigo.
There were suddenly footsteps, each soft snap of shoe against floor like a spike pounding into her head. This was worse than the worst hangover she'd ever had. She clutched at her head.
The footsteps increased in speed, and in a rustle of cloth Clow was kneeling beside her, reaching out to fold her into an embrace. He was utterly silent.
"I," she began, and then broke into a fit of coughing against his shirt. "I shouldn't be alive still."
"I made a mistake," he said in a voice so soft she almost couldn't understand him. His tone was level, but very quiet. "I made a wish."
"No more wishes," she said, lifting bleary eyes in confusion. "I haven't granted wishes since I became ill."
"I granted this one," he said, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. There were old tear-tracks on his face, and at the same time, a look of great restraint, as if he were trying to hold everything back by force of will.
She hated it whenever she had to admit he knew more than she did, but she was still hurting (though finally the pain was fading, little by little) and she couldn't follow his train of thought. "What?" she asked, voice small.
"I wished," he said, taking a deep breath, "that you would open your eyes... just one more time. And. You did."
She put her hand to her chest, felt the heart beating there-- a little fast from all this confusion, but still beating.
"I'm not dead."
"I paused your time," he said gently.
She looked up at him in horror.
"I didn't mean to-- really, Yuuko, I--"
She was so, so weary, and she couldn't listen to his explanation. Not right now. She wanted to argue but she didn't have the strength.
"Take me out of this dream. Take me home. And we'll... figure this out tomorrow. Because apparently I'll have one."
He must have seen how tired she was, because he got to his feet and then leaned down to pick her up, cradling her in his arms as if he feared she would break. Dreams were more of her specialty than his, but he walked out of this one without a single misstep, back into a world of color and sound. The sunlight burned her eyes and she screwed them shut, not opening them again until he settled her gently into her bed. He sat down on the edge beside her. When she opened her eyes again, he was still giving her that stricken look.
"I'm sor--"
"Stop," she said, her voice harder than she had intended. He recoiled as if she'd struck a physical blow. He looked away from her then, adjusting his glasses, biting his lip.
She turned over on her side away from him, curling up, nearly asleep already. Better to sleep than to be angry. There would be... time... for that tomorrow. Apparently. She just couldn't cope right now.
"I love you," he said very softly.
She was silent for a long moment.
"Loved you," she said finally. She was asleep before he rose from the bed.
Fandom: xxxHOLiC
Length: 944 words
Prompt: For
starlightfairy2: xxxHolic, Yuuko, "Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils ..."-Louis Hector BerliozPairing: Clow/Yuuko
Other: Spoilers for recent xH/TRC chapters; deathfic; strongly-described pain/illness, PG. Title from Dickinson.
Excerpt: He clutched at her hand as if he could keep her anchored in the world. The bones of her fingers, weak, pressed together uncomfortably, and if she'd had the strength she would have protested. But she let him have it, the remaining time she could clutch back.
Time had never been a great concern of hers, simply because she had greater ones. She learned a lot while giving the impression that she knew everything already-- a task as difficult as it sounds.
She knew she would die one day-- not when, even accidental visions would never grant one the "gift" of knowing that-- but she rarely thought about it. Yuuko lived for the moment, in the moment, eternally. She enjoyed her vices, her alcohol and her smoking and that magician she couldn't keep from coming around, full of hope and plans and absurd theories.
She hadn't really planned for it, then, the day that death claimed her. She'd lived for decades unaging, looking like a woman in her twenties, and it was as that young woman she died, in her favorite butterfly kimono, victim of an illness that turned her crimson eyes dark and her ebony hair thin and lifeless. All of her knowledge, dead with her death-- the trick to traveling worlds, the secrets to the Aurora Path, the way Clow's hair looked spread across her pillow in the moonlight-- she shut her eyes and knew that it would be gone when she ceased to draw these last gasping breaths. She'd never given birth or sought an heir to her title, not like Clow had planned and planned and planned. She would be the only Dimension Witch there ever was.
He clutched at her hand as if he could keep her anchored in the world. The bones of her fingers, weak, pressed together uncomfortably, and if she'd had the strength she would have protested. But she let him have it, the remaining time she could clutch back. She shut her eyes, breathed another rattling breath, and did not regret anything. She'd lived a life too full for that.
"I love you," he breathed, his voice a gasp matching hers.
"Loved you," she managed, with a small smile, and drifted away.
*
She woke with a jerk, with a gasp, and burning all down her throat. She choked on her spit before remembering to swallow, and then forced herself to sit up, curling around her hands and trying to figure out what was going on.
Her surroundings were dark and featureless-- the special kind of featureless that said to her that this was the dream world. And one could dream even on the very edge of death, but she hadn't expected it. Something felt... wrong. Her head was pounding, and she was swaying from side to side as if suffering vertigo.
There were suddenly footsteps, each soft snap of shoe against floor like a spike pounding into her head. This was worse than the worst hangover she'd ever had. She clutched at her head.
The footsteps increased in speed, and in a rustle of cloth Clow was kneeling beside her, reaching out to fold her into an embrace. He was utterly silent.
"I," she began, and then broke into a fit of coughing against his shirt. "I shouldn't be alive still."
"I made a mistake," he said in a voice so soft she almost couldn't understand him. His tone was level, but very quiet. "I made a wish."
"No more wishes," she said, lifting bleary eyes in confusion. "I haven't granted wishes since I became ill."
"I granted this one," he said, lifting a hand to stroke her cheek. There were old tear-tracks on his face, and at the same time, a look of great restraint, as if he were trying to hold everything back by force of will.
She hated it whenever she had to admit he knew more than she did, but she was still hurting (though finally the pain was fading, little by little) and she couldn't follow his train of thought. "What?" she asked, voice small.
"I wished," he said, taking a deep breath, "that you would open your eyes... just one more time. And. You did."
She put her hand to her chest, felt the heart beating there-- a little fast from all this confusion, but still beating.
"I'm not dead."
"I paused your time," he said gently.
She looked up at him in horror.
"I didn't mean to-- really, Yuuko, I--"
She was so, so weary, and she couldn't listen to his explanation. Not right now. She wanted to argue but she didn't have the strength.
"Take me out of this dream. Take me home. And we'll... figure this out tomorrow. Because apparently I'll have one."
He must have seen how tired she was, because he got to his feet and then leaned down to pick her up, cradling her in his arms as if he feared she would break. Dreams were more of her specialty than his, but he walked out of this one without a single misstep, back into a world of color and sound. The sunlight burned her eyes and she screwed them shut, not opening them again until he settled her gently into her bed. He sat down on the edge beside her. When she opened her eyes again, he was still giving her that stricken look.
"I'm sor--"
"Stop," she said, her voice harder than she had intended. He recoiled as if she'd struck a physical blow. He looked away from her then, adjusting his glasses, biting his lip.
She turned over on her side away from him, curling up, nearly asleep already. Better to sleep than to be angry. There would be... time... for that tomorrow. Apparently. She just couldn't cope right now.
"I love you," he said very softly.
She was silent for a long moment.
"Loved you," she said finally. She was asleep before he rose from the bed.
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loved your fic! great job! <3
no subject