Title: A good coating
Fandom: Magic Knight Rayearth
Rating: General
Length: 1400ish words
Content notes: None
Author notes: Post-canon, Umi/Clef, Hikaru/Presea, Fuu/Ferio (all mostly implied) (background Lantis/Eagle)
Summary: It's a different season to visit Tokyo.

oOo

"So, I guess first thing to do when we've got everyone there will be lunch?" Umi scrunched up her nose, looking over at Fuu and Hikaru. They were waiting in the Reception Hall in Cephiro for Ferio and Clef to be ready to leave - Presea, standing beside Hikaru with a look of great excitement on her face, bounced on her heels at that. She'd already changed into the clothes they'd brought for her, and it was so weird to see her standing there in normal clothing - normal for Tokyo, not Cephiro - that Umi almost missed Fuu's response.

"Coats first, I think."

"…Coats?" Umi said, and looked down at the jacket she'd promptly shed on reaching Cephiro. "Ah. Yeah. I guess Clef and Ferio don't have anything for winter, do they." The last time Clef had been packed off on vacation with them was a good six months ago, and even Ferio had only visited once in autumn. Taking their friends to see where they came from was still pretty new, and it wasn't like they had that many opportunities.

For Presea, this was the very first trip, and Hikaru had bought her things just this week. How she'd managed so neat a fit without taking Presea to the shops was a secret she wasn't divulging, but given the blush when Umi'd asked - well, she suspected it involved taking a lot of measurements, and getting distracted while doing so, and she wasn't going to ask any more. However she'd managed, the slim jeans and wool tunic seemed to fit perfectly, as did the boots, so Umi was just going to assume that any other hidden layers were just as comfortable, as well as the coat draped over her arm.

Getting something for Clef had been beyond her, so she'd just grabbed sweatpants and a t-shirt that she knew were going to be too big, a pair of walking boots she wore with really thick socks that weren't too bad on him with a normal pair, - and bought cheap underwear in three sizes because at least one should fit okay - and then dragged him across in that and pulled him straight into a shopping trip while he was still shaking from the transportation spell.

He wasn't going to thank her for doing the same again, she thought, with a sigh - but he walked in with the t-shirt and the thin slacks they'd bought last time, his one very lightweight jacket folded over his arm, and she winced. "Yep," she said, with a sigh. "Definitely coats. And some warmer things." Ferio, walking in behind him, at least had jeans, but he wasn't any better off in the jacket department, and the middle of January was going to be a bit of a shock. Plus, this wasn't a one-day trip. She'd just… thought maybe they could deal with that tomorrow.

Maybe she should have borrowed one of her father's coats. But Clef grown-up still wasn't tall; he'd be drowning in one of Papa's.

"Presea won't need anything straight away," Hikaru said, lips twitching up. "So I figure I could take her back home and show her about, and maybe we can meet you for dinner at yours, Umi?"

"That sounds like a good idea," she said, glumly, as Ferio and Clef both admired Presea's new outfit. "Hey, Fuu, can we trade? You get Clef sorted and I'll take Ferio around?"

"Or we take them to the menswear department and let them go find things together," Fuu said, eyes sparkling in the way that meant mischief. "They can help each other, I'm sure - Ferio got the hang of it last time, looking at the mannequins to see what things go together. All we have to do is answer any questions if they have them and pay when they have chosen. Meanwhile, we can start working out an itinerary…"

Umi paused, then grinned. "Ah, let them complain at each other? I mean commiserate with each other? I always like it when you're being sneaky and it benefits me too." Ferio hadn't been quite as bad as Clef at picking out clothing. It wasn't their fault they didn't recognise what should be nightwear from casual wear or what would look strange together. But she and Clef had ended up in an argument about t-shirt patterns and if they were appropriate to wear when you couldn't read them or didn't know the character on them, and it had taken a while to pick anything.

(He'd been overwhelmed by Tokyo, she'd been exhausted, it hadn't been an auspicious start to anything. If she could avoid it this time, she would.)

Clef had heard that, unfortunately. "Commiserate about what?" He glanced between Umi and Fuu, a look of suspicion growing on his face as he then turned to look at Presea again - or, what she was wearing. Then sighed heavily. "Is any of what I'm wearing appropriate for Tokyo at this time of year?"

"The boots are?" Umi hedged, and winced when he rubbed at his forehead like he had a headache coming on. "Sorry! It gets cold!"

Ferio patted Clef on the shoulder. "It's not really their fault we're being chucked out of Cephiro while it's still the chilly season in Tokyo. I'm sure it won't be so hard finding clothes this time."

"You should be able to find sizes in the clothes you're wearing and match them to new items, so you should not need to try on so many things," Fuu offered. "…But I think you'll be glad of a coat, at least."

"We'll be fine," Ferio said, with a grin, patting Clef on the shoulder again. Which had him rolling his eyes, but at least he only pulled a face at Umi when she sidled closer, instead of glaring.

"I know this holiday wasn't your idea…" Umi trailed off, and shrugged. "But it should be fun? We just need to get what you'll need then we can have a quiet night at mine and maybe go see some interesting things the next few weeks?"

He sighed - and then deflated slightly, shoulders relaxing and a twitch of a smile at the corners of his mouth. "I suppose I can't blame you for a motion I voted for, either. Or for the Master Healer declaring that it doesn't count as a holiday unless I'm away from Cephiro."

"Well, if you keep absently supporting Cephiro and the castle when you're meant to be resting…" Umi teased, and the hint of a smile got brighter a moment before he suppressed it.

"I know! Miura already lectured me at length. And I would rather take time to see your world than accompany Lantis to Autozam in a fortnight. I'm still convinced it's a good idea to make sure that everyone gets several weeks of vacation each quarter, it's just inconvenient that I have to do it myself. And yes, I know that sounds ridiculous." He shrugged. "But Lantis has taken on what maintenance spells I hadn't already handed off from this morning, so shall we depart before anything can delay us further?"

"You almost sound excited, Guru," Presea said, grinning at him from where she stood holding Hikaru's hand and reaching eagerly for Fuu's. "Like you might even be thinking of having fun…"

"Are we ready?" Ferio asked, taking Fuu's other hand and pushing Clef with the other until he stepped between Hikaru and Umi. "Because if we're going to start teasing Clef we're going to be a while, and I wouldn't want to delay the joys of your first, uh, experience of a lift."

"I'd deliberately forgotten the lift," Clef complained, but he was taking Umi's hand too, smiling as Hikaru giggled on the other side of him, and Umi grinned around the circle at her friends as she started to reach for her magic, feeling Hikaru and Fuu doing the same, light beginning to glimmer all about them.

This was going to be a brilliant holiday.

oOo

(It was a good thing no one in Tokyo could understand Cephiran, though, because they appeared in the Tower with a chorus of swearing, Clef and Ferio both wincing at the temperature even in the building - and Presea looking very smug in her warm coat.)