Disclaimer: I do not own xxxHolic or any of its associated characters or fictional locations.

The rain poured down on the small store, setting the entrance for the drenched man coming through the door, a small bell alerting his presence to the owner of the store. The great Time-Witch Yuko, said to be the most powerful mage in the multiverse since Clow Reed himself...

"Watanuki, birng me more sake its party time!" Yuko yelled waving her hands above her head in some kind of demented dance she had likly thought up on the spot.

"Party-time, party-time!" Chanted two small girls with strangely blank faces as they skipped around Yuko.

"Bring Mokana some sake too!" Called the small Black creature on Yuko's shoulder, somehow maintaining its balance despite the fact Yuko looked like she was having a seizure. The three of them were currently in Yuko's room, Yuko and the two girls were dancing on her bed.

"You had a party last night!" practically screamed Watanuki as he came through the doorway, "don't you ever get tired of drinking yourself to sleep! And we have a customer in case you didn't notice!"

"Oh, do we?" Asked the witch in a sad voice.

"Maybe they can join in!" Said Mokana brightly.

"No I'm afraid I'm rather pressed for time today" came a British accented voice, causing Watanuki to jump out of the way. Just a few inches from where the teenager had been stood a thin European boy around seventeen years of age. He wore a large black overcoat and in his right hand he held an equally dark umbrella. "Good evening, my apologies for my abrupt entrance but I have a rather pressing transaction to complete".

Yuko 's expression faded to its usual neutrality. "You have a wish?"

The thin boy nodded. "If you really are the Time-Witch Yuko that is?"

"I am".

"Good now-"

"Umm, hello!" Said Watanuki angrily, "anyone want to tell me what's going on, and you have your shoes on!" He pointed to the boy's booted feet.

The thin boy stared at him for a few seconds before returning his gaze to Yuko. "Now as I was saying I do indeed have a wish, a rather pricey one at that-"

"Don't ignore me!" Snapped Watanuki.

"You really must teach your pets more discipline Lady Yuko, I expected better from you".

"I tried!" Whined Yuko, "but he just dosn't get it!"

"Many pets are like that, you just need to break them first." Watanuki was about to speak up but noticed how Yuko's eye brightened when the by mentioned the word 'break' and decided to keep quiet. "Now as I said I do have a wish, and it is quite an expensive one I would imagine".

"And what is this wish?"

The boy looked her in the eye. "I want the power to travel through dimensions".

Yuko raised an eyebrow. "That is an expensive wish, and how do you intend tom pay for it?"

The boy care fully took out his wallet form his over sized coat. "Everything listed within the wallet is yours if you grant me the power".

Yuko touched the wallet with one finger, there was brief glow a few seconds later and she removed the finger. "It is not enough, you value nothing in here".

"It is everything I own, my entire life"complained the boy.

"It is still not enough" replied Yuko.

"You seem to misunderstand me Lady Yuko" the boy leaned forward. "I am paying with my entire life, everything, every relationship, every word I have ever jotted down on a piece of paper. The only things I haven't put down are the things I carry with me, including my own memories of course." The boy finished triumphantly, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Can he even do that?" asked Watanuki.

"Yep, everything is up for grabs in this store" replied Mokana.

"Quite the price" said Yuko. "As you wish, I can tell that the only thing that you value more than your existence in this world is your actual life. I shall grant you your wish, but one thing. You know my name but I don't know yours..."

The boy grinned. "Nathan. Nathan L. Times".

Yuko grinned right back, "what a nice name... I don't suppose you're going to give me your real one?"

"No way in hell" said 'Nathan' without hesitation. "But I will tell you why i want the power of dimensional travel so badly if you give me that knife" he pointed to a small knife with a sky-blue handle.

Yuko debated it. "Yes, as long as you tell the whole truth as well as how you found me".

Nathan began instantly. "During my lifetime I have come across many things that were inexplicable. By the age of ten I had already found out abut the supernatural realm. Across the next few years I managed to exploit the realm for my own benefit, mainly forming networks and trading valuable information and the like, coming across your name many times. However I... upset a rather prominent group in Ireland and have been on the run ever since. The only way I can possibly escape is if I make it as though I never existed, thus coming to your store and purchasing the power of dimensional travel with my life on this world and being able to start over in a new one". He finished his narrative with a flourish.

Yuko grinned again. "So you pay with your new life with your old one and ditch your enemies in the process, quite the trade..."

"And since you already agreed to it you can't back out due to the fact that the price is also a service." Said Nathan. "besides you have the power to see the future, you probably already knew all of this but decided to let me make both the trade for the dimensional power and the knife because you decided you liked me, or thought I could be useful later..."

Watanuki gaped, Yuko was basically giving the boy free services, she never gave anyone free services.

"So, are we going to get on with this or are we going to stand around all night?" Asked Nathan.

Yuko clicked her tongue, "not very patient are we, oh well as you wish," she snapped fingers. Instantly a gold ring with a ruby appeared in her Palm along with the blue-hilt-ed knife. She threw them to him, Watanuki watched on in horror as a the knife's naked blade headed toward Nathan. "Twist the ruby on the ring three times clockwise and the dimension travel will activate" she explained. "The knife is eternally sharp but has no other abilities".

Nathan deftly caught the knife and put it in one of his many pockets, then he placed the ring onto his left ring finger and began to twisted the ruby, noting how it clicked each time he completed a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn. A few seconds later a circle of magical power surrounded him and he began to disappear. "Goodbye Lady Yuko and do have a nice night, good luck with your pet, he seems to have some potential, not much but some..."

Yuko sat down on her bed. "You can say that again".

Watanuki blinked as Nathan disappeared. "What was all that about?"

"Oh just he was just another customer" replied Yuko, leaning back, Maru and Moro still skipping around her. "Now get me my Sake already!"

Authors note: Yes, my new saga beings, okay basically Nathan L Times is sort of my all purpose insert character. He's going to travel to a number of other fandoms and pretty much change things around there. The fandoms he travels to are decided by the readers via a poll on my profile, the current choices are: Artemis Fowl, Death Note, The Bartimaeus Trilogy, Code: Geass and Bleach. If your have any others send them to me via a Private Message.