Err, right. I regret to inform you that I can't blame this story on anyone else. I came up with it all on my own, and then had to write it in order to exorcise the demons. I'm not sure how long they'll stay away. I'm not even sure if I want them to. This bothers me.

Since I'm unused to not doing this, I have a little description:

Genre: Romance, maybe? Sorta? I'm unsure.

Rating: PG-13, for implied sex.

Canon: Post-canon improbable-possible, canon8 years.

Pairings: There are many of them. I will not list them all; it'd be too long.

Warnings: Shounen-ai, shoujo-ai, het, implied sex, alcohol. Also, I am going to a special Hell for some of these pairings. That's okay; they know me there. So yes, you read that pairings list correctly. Not much else, except the idea that not everyone finds true love the first time. Ghasp.

Thus, without further ado:

Drinking to Destiny

            "Oh, hello. Wasn't expecting to run into you here."

            "Good evening. It's quite a coincidence, isn't it?"

            "There are no coincidences. Only destiny."

            "Do you really believe that?"

            "Not sure. Maybe I do. Have a drink."

            "Thank you."

            "You are old enough to drink, right?"

            "Of course. Nineteen, last September."

            "Well, well. How time does fly."

            "Indeed." Pause. "Even when one isn't particularly having fun."

            "Or being miserable, either. Just-"

            "-continuing, and not being entirely sure how one feels."

            "Yeah." Pause. "Are we talking about you or me here?"

            "As I'm buying us more drinks, tradition dictates we talk about you."

            "On condition we wait until the drinks get here."

            "All right."

            Sip. "There. Where do I start?"

            "Why don't I tell you what I know, and then see?"

            "Fair enough. Go ahead."

            "You were brought up at the Tsukimine Shrine, which your family runs. You attended a good college for your teaching certificate. While there, you did a bit of student-teaching at the middle school, where you met Touya-san. You went out with him for a year or so-"

            "Wait a minute, how did you know that?"

            "I have my sources."

            "No, seriously."

            "Quite a lot of people know parts of it. I just put the pieces together."

            "You are smart. Carry on."

            "After that year, you went abroad to finish your degree in England and fell in love with Eriol. When everything here was over, you went back to England with him. The two of you parted as friends three years later. Is that correct?"

            "It was closer to two years than three, but more or less. What next?"

            "As far as I know, you've been single since then. That's all I really know."

            "There isn't much more to say. Yes, I was fond of Touya, but it wouldn't have worked out between us." Gulp. "As soon as Tsukishiro-kun showed up, it would have been bam! bye-bye, Kaho. So I decided to leave before he wanted me gone." Pause. "Do you think that was selfish?"

            "Not really. After all, he has Tsukishiro-san and you…had Eriol."

            " 'Had' being the operative phrase. Do you, with your ability to put pieces together, know what happened there?"

            "No, but I think I would like to."

            "Then you have to buy me another drink. I'm not sure I want to talk about this sober." Pause. Swallow. "The thing with Eriol is that he's a great deal older than he looks—or at least he was then. I felt a bit like a child around him. Not that that was the problem; far from it. But then he wanted to have a childhood, and I couldn't be the younger one anymore. God, I really do sound selfish, don't I?"

            "Just in the normal way of things. Go on, do."

            "Well, I started having to be the one in control of the house, and I hated that."

            "But you're a teacher! How is it that you dislike managing things?"

            "Teaching is my job, and I enjoy it. That doesn't mean I want to do it all day."

            "Oh, I see."

            "So, after a while we decided it wasn't about to start working out well, and came back here—separately. Your turn."

            "In that case, it's your turn to buy me a drink."

            "Sure. It's a good night to get drunk."

            Sip. "Eriol and I…we had a good two years, mostly. But we weren't precisely mad about each other. I was fond of him, and needed someone to take care of, and he, I suppose, needed to be taken care of. It was nice to pretend we were in love." Pause. "He was really just a substitute, though, while we're speaking of selfishness."

            "It doesn't really count unless he didn't know, which you can't make me believe."

            "I'm not quite that selfish, and he knew about Sakura-chan and me already. We never even told each other we loved each other, because we both knew otherwise. It was a chance for us to indulge our inner romantics without hurting anyone."

            "I would have said that myself, but back then I thought it was just jealousy talking. So what happened?"

            "We both moved on. He went back to England at the same time Meiling and Li-kun came back from Hong Kong."

            "…I see."

            "Do you? The four of us were together constantly for months, and Sakura-chan and Li-kun were always so happy. It got to us both by the end of that year, and as we were, and still are, very close…"

            "So who made the first move? Can I ask that?"

            "Why not? She was sleeping over at my house one night, and she kissed me. That was all that happened, so feel free to stop smirking."

            "Why on earth would I be smirking?"

            "Anyway, we were more or less together for a year, up until a year ago, when we came to our senses. I haven't been seeing anyone since."

            "I'd have thought you'd stay together. What went wrong?"

            "We both finally worked out that we weren't looking for childhood friends anymore. We've known each other for so long, what with one thing and another, that dating felt more like going places with a friend. We needed to stop confusing love and friendship, and for that we needed to stop dating old friends. And she's been with Naoko-chan for the last four months, so we were probably right. I think she's over Li-kun for good."

            "But are you?"

            "Over Li-kun?"

            "You know what I mean! Are you over Sakura-san?"

            "That question calls for another drink. I'll buy." Sip. "Really…I think I've been over Sakura-chan for a long time. I only realized it recently, but the only people I've been dating are friends, like she is, and I just don't think that's what I'm looking for anymore. I am very fond of her, and I'll probably love her a little bit all my life, but somewhere in there…it stopped meaning so much. What I really want is a person who can love me as a girlfriend first, and as a friend second." Pause. "I must be drunk. I would never talk so much otherwise."

            "Pity."

            "Hmm?"

            "You've got such a nice voice, y'know. Musical. Pleasure to listen to."

            "Only when I'm singing."

            "You talk like other people sing." Pause. "Did I just say that?"

            "Think so."

            "Yuck. Sorry."

            "No problem."

            "It's true, though."

            "You know what, Mizuki-sensei?"

            "Don't call me that, please. Makes me think we're in school."

            "Fine then…Kaho-san. Anyway, d'you know what I think?

            "No, what?"

            "I think we'd better head home if we want to be able to drive."

            "I walked."

            "Oh. Let's keep drinking, then."

            "Yes, let's."

            Pause. "Kaho-san?"

            "Yes?"

            "You're not an old friend, are you?"

            "Shouldn't think so." Pause. "Tomoyo-san?"

            "Mmm?"

            "You have very pretty hair, y'know."

            "Not as pretty as yours…such a gorgeous color. And your eyes…"

            "What about my eyes?"

            "They're all…golden. Let me look up close."

            "Tomoyo-san?..."

            "…I still didn't get a very good look at your eyes."

            "Shall we try again?"

            "Let's.…You know we're drunk, right?"

            "Possibly. Is that a problem? It's Saturday night, you're a college student; you should be drunk."

            "In that case, I think we should get drunker."

            "Good plan." Pause. "Why're we here again?"

            "I walked in, and you were here, and I was moaning about not dating friends, and now here we are."

            "Such an unlikely coinc'dence."

            "There're no coincidences, Kaho. Only dest'ny. Right?"

            "Right…Tomoyo." Pause. "What color're your eyes?"

            "Not sure. Come over here an' look."

            "…You shut your eyes!"

            "Sorry.…Well?"

            "Bluish-grayish-purplish."

            " 'Kay." Pause. "Don' think I should drive home. Where's your 'partment?"

            "Just 'round the corner."

            "Great. I'll get some'un to pick up the car."

            "Wait a minute…d'you know what you're saying?"

            " 'Course I do."

            "…"

            "Look, 's def'nitely preferable to killing myself, which is what'll happen if I try to drive. Besides, 'm a college student and it's Saturday night."

            "…I think 'm still not drunk enough."

            "Nor 'm I, yet. You're buying."

            "You're the rich one, you buy!"

            "Nuh-uh. Y're older. 'S your job to seduce me."

            "You just invited y'rself to my apartment. Who's seducing whom?"

            "Point." Pause. Swallow.

            "So, you 'n' Li-san…did you…?"

            "Just 'cause one sleepover was inn'cent doesn't mean th' rest were."

            "…Ah."

            "Come t' think of it, what was b'tween you an' Maki-san anyway?"

            "…How'd you know 'bout that?"

            " 'S a secret. Answer the question."

            "Nothin' much. We were both lonely, and…you're not th' only one to decide 'gainst dating friends. Why d'you ask?"

            "Wondered.…Who taught you t' kiss like that?"

            "Touya."

            "No way."

            "True."

            "Tsukishiro-san is lucky."

            "Mm-hmm."

            "But I'm luckier."

            "Oh?"

            " 'Cause you're about t' buy me one last drink an' take me home."

            "Am I?"

            "Uh-huh."

            "To destiny?"

            "To destiny!" Gulp.

            "Think 'm drunk enough now."

            "Good. So'm I. Let's go."

            "…Tomoyo?"

            "Mm?"

            "I think I may be 'n love with you."

            " 'S that a problem?"

            "Could be."

            "Well, 's not, 'cause I think 'm in love with you, too."

            "Good. So, next time we go to your house?"

            "Works f'r me. D'you think we'll need drinks next time?"

            "Doubt it."

            "Me too. Let's go."

Exeunt.

Ummm…don't kill me? Please? Thank you?

The scary thing, I mean the really scary thing, is that I think this wants to be continued. Help.

In case you missed it, this was Tomoyo/Kaho, with past Eriol/Tomoyo, Tomoyo/Meiling, Touya/Kaho, Eriol/Kaho, and Kaho/Maki, as well as mentioned Syaoran/Sakura, Meiling/Naoko, MeilingSyaoran, TomoyoSakura, and Touya/Yukito. I am a very disturbed person.

Only I can write five pages of this, and not two of anything else. Only I. Hopefully.

If you don't know who Maki-san is, go watch anime episode five, 'Sakura, Panda, and a Cute Shop'. Yay for random pairings! (I owe that one, obliquely, to Peacewish)

So, votes on the continuing? More importantly, how horribly out of character was I? And do you want to kill me now?