That Same Old Song
by Aishuu
It was the smile, she decided, that gave him away.
She had been going for a morning walk, planning on gazing into the shops and finding some new manga - and a new client with it. Her instincts said that the boy whom she made her purchase from would have a special wish, and she was bored enough to seek him out instead of waiting for him to trip into her shop. She almost didn't notice the elementary student until she heard him clear his throat - unusual for someone like her.
She knew him that instant. Few people were able to surprise her, and he had always been one of them. She wanted to walk right past him, pretend that their lives hadn't intersected again and that he was really dead. She had known that Clow's reincarnation was kicking around somewhere relatively close by, but she had never been willing to meet. Some things were best left in the past.
The boy, though, held no such compulsions. He was short, barely reaching her chest, but the confidant look he wore was much more suited to someone three times his age. "Hello, Yuuko-san," he said, his lips curving pleasantly. "It's nice to see you."
"Clow," she replied, her voice amused since that was what he expected. "You've shrunk since we last met."
"Like my new look?" He spun around, like a model showcasing a new dress. He was still playful, still a huge jerk, but she felt herself soften as she stared into the semi-familiar features.
"It's a bit young for you, isn't it?" she asked dryly, putting her hands on her hips. She stood aggressively, her chest thrust out just a bit and an evil smile on her face, matching the one he wore. Eyes might be the window to the soul, but she knew better than any that he knew how to make his eyes lie. Instead, she always watched for that smile.
"No, it fits just right." He stopped posing, his face becoming more serious. "I've been wanting to meet you," he said.
She cocked her eyebrow. "Really?" She didn't believe him for an instant. He could have come to her shop at any time, but he hadn't. She had missed him, as much as she missed anyone.
"Yes." He bowed to her slightly. "I'm Hiiragizawa Eriol, half of Clow Reed's reincarnation."
She wasn't a weak woman. If she had been, she would have broken. Instead, she merely returned the bow. "I'm Ichihara Yuuko."
"I'm sorry for your loss," he said softly. "Clow loved you, in his own way."
"Is that supposed to help?"
"No. It merely is a statement of fact." His smile grew playful again. "So, tell me Yuuko-san, do you still like sukiyaki? I know there's a good place down the block that serves some to die for."
She wanted to be annoyed at him, his cavalier dismissal of the past, but she couldn't. They had never believed in fate; perhaps if they had, they might have ended up differently. Instead, they accepted that all things were inevitable, just like Clow's death. Sometimes, though, she thought as she sat across from Eriol and saw the shadows of Clow in his actions, that just made things worse.