Changes

Yuuko stood facing her mirror; she had been getting changed into her favourite kimono when she paused to admire herself when memories of her past bubbled to the surface. Memories of her long life that had seen civilisations rise and fall, She'd travelled across both time and space and had lived thru more lifetimes than she could count but in that time had only loved one man.

She looked out over the city from her window remembering her childhood and teenage life. She knew exactly where her younger self lived but dared not approach her. She knew how dangerous it could be if her younger self saw her too often, she'd seen what could happen when a person ran into themselves from another time or space and the damage it could cause. She only had to look at the problems that Syaoran and Sakura faced to remind her self of the dangers of messing with time and space too often. No, she would let her younger self enjoy her life until she was ready to replace her. That is why her younger self couldn't be allowed into the shop save once a year on Watanuki's birthday. The shop and the universe could not handle having two versions of herself being in such close proximity yet required them both to live in the same time. A paradox in itself.

Her train of thoughts was broken as she heard Watanuki yelling at Doumeki for apparently getting to close to Himawari, she chuckled; "young love," as she thought about Watanuki's near obsessive love for Himiwari. It reminded her of Clow's love for her, how Clow had never been shy at showing his love for her with his overly dramatic declarations and expressions of adoration.

She mentally scolded herself; Clow Reed was gone.

She looked outside at Watanuki and smiled as she reminded herself that he wasn't, he just needed time to grow into the man she loved. She remembered back to the moment that Clow had passed on, his final moments. When for the last time she kissed him and whispered his true name, his most guarded secret; Kimihiro Watanuki.

'Yes,' she thought 'Watanuki has yet to discover his true power and his destiny, but soon he will and with it he will become a legend and her lover, it was only a matter of time before the young boy Kimihiro Watanuki would grow into the man and sorcerer Clow Reed. It is simply Hitsuzen'.

She was thankful that by the time Watanuki had began calling himself Clow Reed he had mastered his power that had often drawn the spirits to him, he was no longer plagued by spirits. It had been Doumeki's last gift to him, freedom from the spirits that had hunted him. Doumeki had also freed her from the curse that had threatened to ruin her life as a young woman and that had ended the lives of so many people that had gotten to close to her.

This train of thought brought her back to her own life, how she had changed over the years, her most notable were her looks.

She ran a hand through her straight black hair remembering the way it used to be beautifully curled, she'd given her curls to a vain young woman in return for her natural allure.

She admired her figure, the price of another woman's wish to rid herself of persistent suitors.

She looked deep into her own orange eyes, she had received them from a demon in return for being free of the horrors it had witnessed in hell.

She turned her back to the mirror and let her kimono drop to bare her entire backside, on her back was the second biggest change that had started her transformation into the woman she was now. She admired the scars that adorned her back, she bore them so that he wouldn't have to, it was after all her fault that he had fallen.

Finally, she reflected on her biggest change, her name. From the moment Watanuki had entered her shop the first time she had made it clear that Yuuko Ichihara was an assumed name. Her true name had been the price for her overall transformation and power; she had given up her identity for her power and her future. Over the years, she had changed her personality, centuries spent with Clow had caused her to pick up some of his habits, time had also made her less caring of the world and more selfish, more prone to alcohol and the pipe. She had no problems with who she was know, she rather enjoyed her current lifestyle, but at times like these, she would remember who she had been and would never be again.

Never again could she go by the name her loving parents had given her.

Never again could she go by the name that Ame-Warashi had hated purely because of what it meant.

Never again would Watanuki/Clow call her by the name he had loved most and had often fawned over when they were younger.

Never again would she be … Himawari.

G'day,

This story arose from a train of thought I had had as I contemplated the possibility of Watanuki being Clow Reed as a young adult, which led me to wonder where Yuuko had come from. It was always hinted that there was some relationship in one form or another between Clow and Yuuko, so by going on the theory of Watanuki being Clow I imagined the scenario of Himawari becoming Yuuko as she grew up and the changes that might have taken place.