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Sunshower
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When Clow arrived at the shop that afternoon, he found Maru and Moro waiting for him. "The mistress is outside in the garden! In the garden!" they told him, dancing happily around him as they did. So he picked up his things and headed outside, where he found Yuuko lounging lazily in the grass under a tree.
He lifted the huge straw hat that was cowering her face and smiled pleasantly down at her. "Afternoon, Yuuko."
"Shush," she said. "Don't disturb me. I'm busy working on my tan."
Clow raised an eyebrow. "Your what, now?" he enquired politely, eyeing her exceptionally pale skin. "Besides, you're in the shade."
"Working on not getting one, then," she said indifferently.
He chuckled slightly and sat down in the grass next to her. "I do think you have the right idea today, though," he said, looking up. The sun was shining down on them from a completely cloudless, clear blue sky. "Working outdoors will make a nice change. The weather is so lovely too."
"It's not lovely," Yuuko said, giving him an indignant look. "It's freaking hot! I'm dying here. There's nothing lovely about that."
"You could, perhaps, go inside then?"
She considered this. "It's hot in there, too," she finally decided, closing her eyes again.
"Why don't you make use of that, then?" Clow pointed to the fan lying on the ground next to her.
Yuuko opened her eyes again to see what he was referring to. "Too much effort," she whined.
"You could ask Maru and Moro to do it," he suggested.
"Mm," Yuuko mumbled noncommittally.
"Wait, don't tell me. Too much effort calling them here?"
He was again awarded with only a vague grunting in response.
"Well, I guess you're stuck being hot, then."
"Whatever," she mumbled, closing her eyes yet again.
They were quiet for a while, until Yuuko stirred a little and managed to fumble out her pipe from somewhere. Clow had not seen it anywhere on the ground near her. He looked at her outfit, deciding there was no chance that the very form-fitting, tiny scraps of fabric that could, perhaps, if you had a bit of good will, be referred to as clothes, could possibly have hidden it anywhere.
"Where, exactly, did you produce that from?" he asked curiously.
"A good magician never reveals her secrets," she answered cryptically, but then moaned and put the thing down on the ground beside her. "It's too hot for it anyway."
"Too hot for you to smoke? Wow, you must really be hot then."
"Hmm," she said, suddenly pinning him with a very sharp glance. "You look way too cool in that. I bet you're cheating. I bet you've got one of those cards of yours on you somewhere. Cool, or Freeze, or whatever it is you call those things."
Clow coughed slightly and smoothed down his very elaborate outfit - it didn't look like the most practical thing to wear in this weather, he had to admit. "Search me," he said innocently.
"You wish."
"Of course," he said cheerfully. "Anyway, perhaps we should get started?"
He lifted out a stack of books from the bag he had brought with him, patting them lovingly as he put them down in the grass in front of him. He then produced some pens and papers and turned expectantly to Yuuko, who was eyeing him incredulously.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," she said. "It's entirely too hot for plotting today."
He watched her as she reached out to put the hat he had removed from her earlier back over her face. She was making it very clear that she did not intend to move for quite some time. Clow smiled, and put aside the books and the papers. At least she couldn't put the blame for putting things off on him later on, now. Well. At least not convincingly, he mentally corrected himself.
He picked up her fan from the ground and idly waved it about a bit. Yuuko sighed happily beside him as she felt the movement in the air. Clow closed his eyes and leaned his back against the tree, still waving the fan.
It really was very hot today.
