Her Only Vice

She never knew why she drank.

There were so many vices in the world. Each one was available. She could've chosen to puff her life away on thin cigarettes and gray smoke. Or she could waste her riches away in gambling tables. But she chose to drink.

In the course of centuries she had tasted enough wine to fill an emperor's cellar. She never got fat or ugly because her body never wanted to. When she raised a glass to her lips, she saw her delicate fingers that were untouched by age.

Maybe drink was the only companion she relied on. When all of her friends and contemporaries were gone, she could only turn to her cups. She knew that wine would never stop flowing as long as she kept living.

There were faded memories that became brighter and clearer while she savored the bubbly taste of champagne. She could close her eyes and hear the tasteful classical music in the salons of Paris. Her dress would be a diaphanous white gown with her long black hair up in a French twist while he was dressed in an immaculate suit. They would dance to the waltz and whisper into each other's ears. More often than not, they whispered insults and reveled in their secret intimate conversations.

When she drank sake, she imagined the old and beautiful autumn nights with big golden moons. They spent too much time on tea houses where he flirted with geishas. The four-eyed freak had the audacity to play games with them in her sight. But the sake would drive him wild and fierce and hungry... only for her. They would have passionate embraces behind rice paper doors where their silhouettes showed how much they desired each other.

Beer was the beverage that made them cocky and cocksure. They often ended up trying to outdo each other with magic and whatnot. She remembered falling asleep in his arms after having too much to drink. And kissing and fumbling with buttons and silk. He was too worn-out with magic and was very gentle to her smooth skin. His praises rained on them while he adored their tender flesh.

Though she swore his hate and disdain for him, he was still her best everything. Friend, lover, mentor and soulmate were pretty words but it was deeper than that. He was hers and she was his. In magic that was as old as the universe, their destinies were intertwined.

Yuuko Ichihara smiled with irony.

Drinking was their favorite hobby. It was an activity that connected them closer to each other more than magic or lovemaking. She thought that he was her best drinking companion.

They nursed each other's hangovers and cured headaches. They ran from creditors and debts while laughing with the thrill of the chase. They learned magic and love, hope and despair. Their bond was too deep, too impenetrable.

Yuuko's earliest memories with Clow Reed were in dark rooms and then bars where he let her sip from the forbidden drinks. Because he was older, she followed and believed him. He taught her to appreciate wine and savor the different tastes. It was under his influence and instruction that she developed a taste for it. They were drinking buddies after that. When they created Soel and Larg, he made sure that one of them had a high alchol tolerance like her. So she would not be lonely.

Yuuko never knew why she drank. She only knew that drink made her hazy and open and pliant in a liquid prison spun with sadder dreams. It made her forget though the mere taste brought tears to her eyes. Every sip was a test of strength.

No, she was not lonely. She had Kimihiro Watanuki, Maru and Moro and Mokona. There was also the children that he entrusted to her who in turn trusted and cared about her. She would not let herself feel sad or lonely because she wasn't. Her pride was higher than that.

She wanted to show him, that four-eyed freak, that she lived because she still loved to drink. And also because she still loved him…