1. Chapter 1 (1/2)

what of your own free will

"i won't dance," it's the first thing yuuko says when clow shows up, sudden enough that he blinks, still in the middle of his compliment about the blue gown she has donned for the evening.

"pardon me, my dear?"

"i won't dance," yuuko repeats. her dress is a dark, midnight blue and the neckline doesn't only border on indecent but it is, the diamonds around her neck trailing down as if they were stars. yuuko smiles, raising her eye

ows at him. "i'm going because i was invited and the alcohol will be superb, but i am not your date and i won't dance."

that makes clow chuckle, low and amused, shaking his head even as he bows and offers yuuko his arm.

"i will keep that in mind," but then he smiles. "but one of these days, dearest, i will make you dance."

"keep dreaming, you old fool." she says as she laughs.

sometimes, yuuko's dreams are only that, dreams. it's not often and sometimes they're not even her own dreams but wishes of future – or past – clients.

in her dreams, there is a boy and there is a girl and there is a beach, with white sand and blue sky and blue-green water that stretches on and on and on.

she supposes it's a boring dream after all.

these days, clow doesn't dream. he foresees, his power still growing up, almost like a tumor, making it impossible for him to rest.

when it gets to be too much, he lays his head on her lap and yuuko sighs softly, threads his hair with her fingers and stops herself from wishing, because her wishes are not her own and there is no wish of his that she could grant.

once, that had been a blessing, knowing that she was no responsible for the wishes he would or would not make.

oh, to be that young and foolish again.

prince zagato smiles as he bows, smiles at her and yuuko accepts his offered hand, standing up. clow, who had been reading faux fortunes for princess emeraude's younger sister and for her friends, looks up at that, a wicked curl to his smile that is meant to be teasing.

"i thought you said you didn't dance, dearest," clow calls, allowing the girls and boys to search through his pockets for candies and tricks.

"i said i wouldn't dance with you," yuuko laughs, rolling her eyes as even the prince raises an eye

ow, but knows better than to ask.

this dance, after all, means nothing to the prince that he wouldn't give anyway.

sometimes, when it's a lazy day and clow is in her house playing housewife, yuuko wonders about what her life would have been without him, what his life would have been without meeting her.

she doesn't indulge in the 'would have' often because it's wasted time that only

ings pain. but every now and then, she hums a little, lost in her thoughts, trying to picture the life he had before they finally met that included a wife and a son, or the life she would have had.

instead of lingering on those thoughts, she asks clow for more sake, and could he make shrimps for dinner, instead.

"i'm a very good dancer, did you know that?" clow asks.

the woman wrapped around him nods and giggles, pink hair flying as clow dips her.

yuuko, entertained by a pair of twins who belly dance in front of her, rolls her eyes.

"i don't care, i won't dance with you,"

clow considers this, shrugs, and keeps on dancing with the other girls, laughing and just a bit ine

iated.

yuuko plans to have him a lot ine