Prologue: Saturday Night
It was a light snowfall that greeted three young women as they
entered the bar. One of them had never been in one before. Because she
wasn't supposed to, and because she didn't particularly want to be in one.
But Fuu Hououji felt she had to give in to Umi Ryuuzaki, just this once.
This particular bar seemed to be filled with college students like
themselves. Several of the young men tried in vain to capture their
attention. Unfortunately for them, this was a girls' night out for the
former Magic Knights. The three of them made quite a group.
Umi was stunning, as always, dressed in a light blue blouse and
tight black pants that outlined her svelte figure.
Hikaru had grown a bit since becoming the last Pillar of Cephiro,
but still fell short of Fuu's height. She wore a tight little pink sweater,
loose corduroys and a well-worn pair of Air Jordans.
Fuu was as lovely as ever with a gentle smile that even the most
cynical could not ignore. Her hair was now past her shoulders, though not
quite as long as Umi's.
"C'mon, Fuu. Where's your spirit of adventure? One glass of beer
won't make you drunk, unless you've got really low tolerance for booze," Umi
started off. "You'll be twenty tomorrow, plenty old enough to drink or get
drunk," she declared, slapping Fuu hard on the back.
"Yeah, Fuu-chan. We won't have too much to drink. We're just
celebrating your birthday. A little bit won't hurt," urged Hikaru Shidou.
"Besides, I hear this place serves fugu," added Umi.
"All right, Umi-san. Didn't I agree to come here with you and
Hikaru-san? It's just that, I've never had liquor in my life. I wouldn't
want to make a mess if I couldn't handle it," Fuu responded.
"Oh loosen up! If you start feeling sick, I'll call in the
paramedics!" Umi dismissed Fuu's concern with her usual flair for the
dramatic.
They found themselves a corner table and waited to be served. Umi
lit a stick of Mild Seven and took a small puff.
"OK, that'll be a pitcher of Yebisu, three mugs and keep it coming.
Oh, and some tessa for her," Umi rattled off to the waiter when he arrived.
"Um, Umi-san, do you really think I should try to drink that much
for my first time?" Fuu voiced out after seeing the size of the pitchers in
this establishment.
"Don't be silly. First time I went drinking, I downed three of
those suckers. If you can't finish it, _I_ will."
"Fuu-chan has a point, Umi-chan. I can't handle more than one glass
myself."
"That's because you're smaller than us!"
Hikaru felt a little peeved at the remark, especially since she
wasn't all that small anymore.
"Your order, ladies," announced their waiter, who was somewhat
unsure about Hikaru's age.
"Okay, drinks're here. Kampai!" Umi exclaimed as she lifted her
mug. "So how's life at Tokyo University?" Umi asked Fuu.
"Well, I manage to keep myself busy," Fuu replied.
"You're too modest, Fuu-chan. How many people manage to get into
Toudai on the first try?" Hikaru inquired of Fuu.
"I haven't bothered to look that up," Fuu answered in her typically
straight-forward manner.
"One thing's for sure: you need to start drinking. You need to have
something to take the edge off after all that studying. I'll bet you're the
only one in your class who doesn't drink," Umi blurted out.
"But I'm still underage..." Fuu began to protest.
"Age, schmage, what are you, a baby? Didn't they have drinks at
your freshman party?" Umi interrogated Fuu.
"...and the legal age for drinking is 20..." Fuu continued.
"...which is how old you'll be tomorrow." Umi finished. "Now start
drinking!" she ordered.
If Fuu had learned only one thing in the time she had known Umi, it
was that she usually didn't stand down till she got her way.
{Well, I've come this far}, Fuu thought as she brought the mug to her
lips and took a sip.
"Fuu, Fuu, Fuu. You don't _sip_ beer. You're supposed to gulp it
down so you can _feel_ it inside of you," Umi instucted her. "Like this,"
she said, taking a swig that drained her mug half-empty.
"Um, Umi-chan, you really shouldn't be drinking that much all at
once," Hikaru voiced out.
"You worry too much. See? I'm perfectly all right," came a for now
still-sober Umi. "Let's see how much Fuu can take before she gets sick."
"But Umi-san, if you get drunk..."
"No problem. I'll just call home and ask Papa to send over the car.
Honestly Fuu, you worry too much."
Fuu managed to down three-fourths of her mug. Umi was well into her
second, with no signs of intoxication. Hikaru on the other hand was feeling
a bit queasy.
"I don't feel so good," she managed to say before passing out.
"Hikaru-san, are you all right?"
"Geez, I guess we'll have to take her home now. I was hoping to top
my old record, too..."
Despite her remarks before accompanying young Ms. Shidou home, Umi
was very much concerned about her. Fuu seemed all right after her first
taste of beer. Which was just as well, since even though Hikaru was the
smallest of the three, she wasn't exactly light.
"And I thought she was just kidding when she said she could only
take a little bit... Serves me right, I guess," Umi rebuked herself.
"Perhaps you shouldn't have brought up her size," Fuu replied.
"You really think so? Me and my big mouth... Maybe I should change
my name to Oguchi," Umi joked feebly.
"Wouldn't that cause problems?"
"What do you mean Fuu?"
"Well, doesn't everyone know you as Umi Ryuuzaki? If you change
your name to Oguchi, how will they know who you are?"
"That's what I like about you Fuu. Your wit." Umi laughed so hard
she nearly let go of Hikaru.
Fuu scanned the area for Umi's car.
"Who would have thought that Hikaru could weigh so much?" Umi
grunted.
"Hikaru-san _is_ somewhat young-looking. I'll bet a lot of people
think she's still in junior high," Fuu remarked.
"I didn't know you gambled," Umi replied.
"Just a friendly game of mahjonng every now and then," Fuu smiled
back. "But I manage to win most of the time."
Just then they spotted it. They climbed aboard, and headed for the
Shidou residence.
Johann Chua -- HP: http://www.geocities.com/fuuma_1999/
CLAMP Fan Fiction: http://members.xoom.com/fuuma_monou/clampfix5.0/
"Many strange things are done in the name of love. People drink poison,
hurl themselves off tall buildings, get expensive implants and commit
murder, among other acts. These may strike the casual observer as insane,
but to the person in love, they make perfect sense." --Jessica Zafra