Archive of Our Own ^beta

Once again, Miyuki-chan found herself in the presence of a beautiful, scantily-clad woman, almost rolling around in her robes upon what seemed a lot like a throne.

“Miyuki-chan.” The woman’s heavily lidded eyelids undressed her as she blew smoke out a long pipe. “You look good enough to eat.”

This wasn’t the first time this had happened to Miyuki-chan. It probably wouldn’t be the last. This might be the first time a beautiful stranger didn’t ask her name, before telling her how cute she was.

“How do you know my name?” She shivered all the same, unsure what would happen next. She couldn’t run. The smoke from the pipe writhed around her, making her knees weak.

She was saved by the scream.

“Aiii!” A boy, slender and struggling within his own school uniform, almost dropped the fluffy white plushie he was carrying and its jet-black twin. “She is caught in Yuuko-san’s clutches!”

Maru and Moro leaped out from behind the boy, trailing pigtails, bouncing curls, arms wide. “In her clutches! In her clutches!”

“Whose clutches are those?” The woman, Yuuko-san’s eye brightened with irritation as she took in the boy. “Miyuki-chan is here because she has a wish, the same as you, Watanuki.”

“I do?” Miyuki-chan squeaked, smoothing down her skirts.

Caught in a never-ending dream, finding herself on strange worlds, being groped by strange beauties; was she being offered a way out?

“Can you grant my wish?” Miyuki-chan met Yuuko-san’s gaze, unable to stop shivering. “Can you help me stop?”

Wicked eyes continued to undress her. Yuuko-san wouldn’t settle for stripping her down to her skin. She’d continue to peel away layers of Miyuki, slicing up her soul.

“Of course!” Yuuko smiled with the enthusiasm of every merchant with something to sell, something customers couldn’t resist. “This is a shop which grants wishes!”

Watanuki was shaking his head, mouthing the word, “No” at her, but the plushies leaped from his arms and started running toward her.

“Eee!” The white one was already opening its mouth while the black one leaped into her arms.

“You have a rare ability, Miyuki-chan, to leap from world to world.” The last thing she saw was Yuuko-san, waving her pipe at her. “I could use a delivery girl. Poor Fuuma is excellent at what he does, but he’s being run off his feet.”

Who was Fuuma? Briefly she thought of the movie she’d been watching about the end of the world with the Kamuis. Hadn’t one of them been Fuuma?

“Puu!” She wasn’t sure which of the plushies spoke, but she was sucked into a hole of whirling energy.

***

She stumbled into what looked like an ordinary kitchen.

The plushies leaped from her arms to bounce towards a dark-haired, fox-faced youth. “Sora-chan!”

“Mokona!” The man grinned broadly and opened his arms. “Give us some loving!”

Mokona? and its twin plowed right into Sora-chan and started showering him with kisses.

“Are you all right?” A classical beauty with long dark hair, dressed in a simple blouse and skirt was at her side, steadying Miyuki on her feet.

“Arashi-san!” Miyuki-chan gasped, shrinking away. Last time she’d met this Dragon of Heaven, she’d sliced Miyuki’s clothes to shreds with her sword.

Maybe that had been a dream. This Arashi was frowning at her, a wrinkle of surprise marring her perfect brow. “Have we met?”

“I’m guessing you have, but not on this world.” The young man stroked the plushies with quick brown eyes. “She came here with Mokona, after all.”

“Miyuki-chan can travel to different worlds, same as Mokona!” The white plushie wiggled out of Sora-chan’s arms to bounce up and down with excitement. “Together, we can deliver Black Mokona to Lavi!”

“Sora-chan?” Miyuki realized whom this young man was. “You’re Arisugawa Sorata-san!”

“Please, call me Sora-chan!” Sora-chan turned to nuzzle Black Mokona. “Calling me Sorata-san makes me feel so old!”

“We are old,” Arashi pointed out with a lift of her eyebrows. “We’re getting older, something I’m happy we had a chance to do.”

“You didn’t!” Maybe Miyuki should shut up, but her mouth seemed to have a will of its own. “You’re Dragons of Heaven! You die, defending humanity!”

“Do we?” Sora-chan gave Arashi an amused glance. “Nice to know we gave our lives doing something important.”

Arashi didn’t look amused. “We could have died, if destiny had its way. If it hadn’t been for a wish.”

“You might say we both owe Yuuko-san one.” Sora released Black Mokona. “Not that I’m not happy to do Lavi a favor. He’s not a CLAMP character, so not even Mokona can travel to his world.”

“There will be more White Mokona!” The white plushie actually blushed. “We spawned more of us.”

“As did Black Mokona!” The dark plushie leaped from Sora-chan’s shoulder. “We can go to Lavi! We can help him!”

“Um, who is Lavi?” Miyuki asked shyly. “What are CLAMP characters?”

“We are!” Mokona leaped onto Miyuki-chan’s shoulder. “Every person you’ve met in a world you’ve visited has been a CLAMP character!”

The parade of scantily-clad women who’d pursued her passed before her eyes. “I’m not sure what that means.”

“Think of them as gods who aren’t gods.” Arashi looked away, not meeting her husband’s gaze. “They created the gods. They created everything.”

“At least the worlds which we inhabit.” Sora-chan shrugged. “Lavi, however, is in a world someone else created. His fate is in someone else’s hands.”

“We can change that if we go to him,” Black Mokona murmured into Miyuki-chan’s ear. “I can eat whatever is eating him.”

All this sounded very sinister to Miyuki. “What do I have to do for this?”

“You can travel to different worlds.” Arashi gave Miyuki a sideways glance. “If you and Mokona put your powers together, you can travel to Lavi’s world.”

All this was too much, too strange. Miyuki put her hands to her head. “How? I’ve never been to Lavi’s world!”

“I’ve seen it.” Sora-chan nodded, his expression turning serious. “I’ve been drawn into Lavi’s dreams by one who can see into them.”

“You should be careful of trusting Kakyou-san.” Arashi frowned at her husband. “He was our enemy.”

“I’d trust Kakyou-kun more than I’d ever trust Hinoto-hime.” Sora-chan’s serious expression turned into a scowl. “She tried to eat you. Don’t think I’ve forgiven that.”

A slight blush came to Arashi’s cheek. “She didn’t exactly eat me.”

“To sum it all up, I’ve met Lavi, even though he’s not in my world.” Sora-chan shrugged. “He’s in trouble. You and the Mokonas can help him.”

Something stirred in the air, like a faint sound of music, tingling in Miyuki-chan’s ear.

White Mokona leaped up, wiggling. “Mokona is getting all excited.”

Black Mokona clung to Miyuki. “Follow Mokona, Miyuki-chan!”

She saw an egg, a gateway shaped like a heart, a girl with striped stockings. A beautiful, dark-skinned woman in a suit peered over her pair of glasses at Miyuki-chan.

Miyuki found herself leaping into the air, clutching at Black Mokona, following Mokona’s white twin. Colors swirled around them, a tunnel of sparkling color.

Patches of black appeared upon it. Creatures screeched from the dark, but Miyuki-chan was too fast for them. She flew before they could catch her.

“What are those?” she gasped, landing on her feet upon squishy ground.

“Akuma!” White Mokona appeared, sailing down to the ground beside a red-haired man.

Slender and handsome, he had a certain sly mischief to his nose and mouth. Right now he looked sick, but he forced himself to smile.

“Come here, cutie.” He fluttered his eyelashes at Black Mokona. “I’m full of tasty treats right now.”

“What?” Miyuki-chan was relieved, bemused, and a little disappointed that this young man was flirting with one of the Mokonas instead of her. Mostly bemused. “What do you mean?”

“This!” Black Mokona opened its mouth wide, showing an abyssmal maw.

Shadowy, worm-like creatures writhed out of the young man’s face and body, slithering through the air toward the maw as if they could wait to get inside. A parade of dark spirit snakes emerged from his stomach, neck, arms, and legs, flinging themselves into Black Mokona’s mouth.

The last one wiggled free of its human vessel to throw into the monstrous plushie. Black Mokona closed its mouth, returning to its cute appearance. “Thank you for the delicious meal, Lavi.”

“Was it as good for you, Mokona?” The young man got himself shakily to his feet, but he managed a roguish wink. “Tell Sora-chan thanks. I hope that woman he died for was a beauty.”

“What was that?” Miyuki-chan managed to gasp. “What did you do?”

“Lavi was infected with parasites!” White Mokona hopped onto Miyuki-chan’s shoulder.

“It’s happened on many worlds to different versions of me.” Lavi managed a grin and wink for Miyuki-chan. “This time Sora-chan and Yuuko-san were able to send me a Black Mokona to eat the parasite and save my life.”

“Those creatures were made of Dark Matter.” Black Mokona smiled in benign satisfaction. “Dangerous to most living things, but tasty for me.”

“Sora-chan knows what it’s like to die, caught between the woman you love and the boy you treasure.” White Mokona nodded. “He sees a lot of himself in you.”

“Which woman? Which boy?” Lavi managed a game grin. “All I can is I wish I had your problem, Miyuki-chan.”

“Which problem?” Miyuki asked, only to find slender arms wrapping themselves around her.

“Aren’t you cute?” A breathy voice murmued in her ear. “You seem to be helping our enemies.”

“Lulu Belle may be hot, but she’s dangerous.” Lavi was already backing away, Black Mokona bouncing with him. “I’d run if I was you.”

“Miyuki-chan has many girlfriends!” White Mokona sang as he sailed into the air, wings spreading. “We should run, besides Mokona Modoki is getting excited!”

“Sorry!” Miyuki squeaked, managing to wiggle out of the arms of the very attractive woman hanging onto her. “We’ve got to go!”

Happily she found herself leaping, leaping after Mokona into the portal he created where the dark patches gave way to rainbow ones.

***

Miyuki found the tunnel spitting her out as White Mokona appeared in some sort of bar.

An attractive woman with pink hair was polishing glasses. “Hey, Mokona. Who’s the cutie with you?”

“This is Miyuki-chan!” Mokona bounced over to give Caldina a kiss. “She’s Yuuko’s new delivery girl. We’re traveling to worlds beyond CLAMP!”

“We are?” Miyuki gasped, realizing this was probably what they were doing.

Traveling to new worlds, worlds beyond the ones she’d found herself in.

No matter where she went, she had to same problem. Caldina was giving her the once over. “Aren’t you cute, Miyuki-chan? And just in time. I was hoping to send something to Kyouoko-chan. She wants to surprise Saya-chan with a special present.”

“Ooo!” Mokona bounced on the bar. “Mokona loves surprises!”

“You might pounce on or try to swallow Kyuubey while you’re in that world.” Caldina high-fived the white plushie’s small hand. “It would serve him right to be bullied by someone else small, cute, and godlike.”

Mokona giggled. “It would, wouldn’t it?”

“Kyouoko-chan? Saya-chan?” Miyuki-chan had a sinking feeling about this. “You mean we’re going to another world?”

“Didn’t you hear Mokona?” The plushie giggled. “Miyuki-chan is now Yuuko-san’s delivery girl!”

“No!” Miyuki-chan clapped her hands to her face. “I thought Yuuko-san was going to grant my wish! I thought she was going to make it stop!”

“Oh ho!” Caldina chuckled. “That’s not how Yuuko-san works! You have to pay her price if you want her to grant your wish!”

“Besides, do you really want it to stop?” Mokona asked. “Miyuki-chan is so very good at running!”

Miyuki let out a groan, closing wet eyes. In truth, Mokona might be right.

Did she truly want it to stop? If she was being completely honest with herself?

Miyuki was no longer sure.