Author's notes
This didn't start out as a Tsubasa AU - technically, it started out as a request meme posted over on LiveJournal prompting people to give me ideas for short AUs for Tsubasa's sister series, xxxHOLiC (and ideas in plenty I got - the rest of which can be found posted under the title xxxHOLiC Alternate Universes - check my profile for the link). However, this particular request (see below for specifics) included more Tsubasa characters than holic ones, and when I finally came to writing the scene, the holic ones didn't quite make it in. So here it is posted under the Tsubasa section instead.
Requested by factorielle: In his latest press conference, FCC official Fei Wong Reed has declared his intent to shut down the production of famous movie director Yuuko Ichihara's latest opus on account that he really doesn't like her. In what is generally regarded as a bold creative move, Ichihara and her long-time associate, controversial screenwriter Fay D. Flourite, have gathered key personalities from various fields as the stars of what they describe as a supernatural movie sprinkled with fantasy and romance.Model Kunogi Himawari, baseball MVP Li Syaoran, and national kyudo champion Doumeki Shizuka have all separately confirmed their participation in the movie. So far no statement has been heard from pop idol Kinomoto Sakura due to her bodyguard Kurogane being a little too enthusiastic in shoving the journalists away.
ETA: Since people don't seem to be noticing the 'complete' label on this story, let me clarify here: this was written as a one-shot. The point of the challenge was to turn out shorts of a scene or two at most (and while a couple went longer than that, they're the exception). Sorry people, it's great you're enjoying this idea, but this is as far as this one was ever going to go.
It wouldn't have been strictly untrue to suggest that Sakura (darling pop-singer of Japan and Piffle Princess brand star fashion model, three times Clover Award nominated and forever charmingly baffled by her own success) was every bit as clueless and sweet as her kind of celebrity came, but it wouldn't have been entirely fair either. Because while a lot of her professional reputation may have come from her well known willingness to donate money to assorted causes left and right and throw enormous concerts for charity, it was never a publicity stunt when Sakura was involved. It was never for any other reason than that the mere thought that there were other people out there in the world less privileged than she horrified her to the very core of her being. Not even the most determined tabloid journalists – hungrily watching her every move for the slightest possibility of scandal – could ever produce any evidence otherwise. She had such a reputation for being easily talked into giving up money or time to increasingly ridiculous schemes that it wasn't all that surprising that her security was getting a little over-zealous about policing who got to talk to her these days. It just wasn't making Syaoran's current predicament any easier either.
And if getting Sakura on board for this project was rapidly turning out to be more trouble than it was worth, getting Syaoran on board had been far to easy. It should have taken a lot of negotiation, should have gone through his agent, should have been attached to a lengthy contract listing all the training times and scheduled games that filming absolutely could not be allowed to interfere with. But in reality, the moment Fye has gotten as far as mentioning the hope that they might be getting Sakura involved, no force on earth could have stopped Syaoran from signing every document that was put in front of him. And with his life all signed away, if it then turned out that his help was needed to make sure Sakura signed up too, well, he wouldn't even have known how to refuse.
The saddest part was, even if he had realised that this would involve himself and Fye disguising themselves and sneaking into Sakura's garden in a last-ditch attempt to get far enough past security to suggest the idea to her, he probably still wouldn't have refused. However, there was just one point, right as Fye hoisted him over that last, crucial garden wall that Syaoran wished, just for a moment, that he was a little better at saying no.
Five years of intensive, professional athletic training, and the best he could do on the other side was to land, over-balance and fall flat on his face. The first coherent thought that made it through his brain after it was done going 'ow' at him was a gentle reminder that he'd heard someone say 'eek!' right around the time he was falling, and it couldn't have been him because his voice didn't sound like that.
Syaoran looked up, and found himself looking right up at Sakura, not two metres away from him. Fye might not be getting any points for style over this heist, but he deserved at least one for accuracy. Sakura looked… well, like she'd just seen a stranger come flying over her wall and fall flat on his face, not to put too fine a point on it, but after a second or two more she recovered enough to hurry over and help him back to his feet.
"Oh no! What happened? Are you alright?" she asked all at once, eyes so wide with concern that Syaoran would have fallen over himself to reassure her if only he'd been able to speak without choking just yet.
"No, it's okay, really, I'm fine!" he managed to splutter out, pulled back to his feet to discover he was standing far too close to Sakura for any kind of comfort.
Sakura peered at him curiously, miraculously oblivious to the way Syaoran's heart was about to hammer its way out of his chest. "Do I know you? You look familiar, but… Ah!" she exclaimed, raising a hand to her mouth in surprise. "You're Li Syaoran, aren't you? The Li Syaoran who's always on TV for the baseball?"
Syaoran felt the blush start rising from below his chin and didn't feel it stop. The moment you discover that the most beautiful girl in the universe knows your name is a moment few other experiences will ever compare to.
The moment ended abruptly when Sakura said, "But what are you doing here? And why are you wearing the gardeners' uniform?"
"It's a long story," said Syaoran, getting a hold on himself. "You see, I'm here to talk to you about something really important."
To say that he had Sakura's full attention did not do the situation justice. Syaoran took a deep breath and tried desperately to figure out just exactly what he should say. He just about had it sorted out too, when the imposing bulk of Sakura's chief bodyguard appeared seemingly out of the blue behind her, and – not for the first time that day – every coherent thought Syaoran had been having flew right out of his head.
"You're not a new gardener," said Kurogane.
"K…Kurogane-san?" said Sakura, twisting to look at him, and inexplicably sounding very nearly as guilty as Syaoran felt.
"Well… no… but I'm… I've got to…" Syaoran stammered helplessly, knowing all was lost. He'd been soclose.
"And you didn't come through the main gates either, or I'd know about it," Kurogane went on, with the gravity of a judge passing out a life sentence. He grabbed Syaoran by the shoulder. "You're coming with me."
"But… but Li-san had something really important to tell me!" Sakura protested.
"Let me guess what," grumbled Kurogane. "If that damned director has anything to do with this…"
"Hah, well, so funny you should mention me…" said Fye, head sticking over the wall. With one big pull of his arms he was over, and climbing the rest of the way down with so much casual ease that it made Syaoran's bruises ache in viscous envy. "And you'd never believe it, but we did just come past reception, but there must have been some sort of horrible mix-up, because they wouldn't let us in. So we had to get a little bit creative." He fished in one of his pockets to produce his sunglasses, and suddenly, despite the fact he was still wearing the same ugly gardeners' uniform as Syaoran, how anyone had failed to recognise him coming in here was impossible to imagine. "You see Kuro-G – you don't mind if I call you Kuro-G, do you? – we're simply far too tight on time to risk any delays on this project now. You know how it is in the movie business, you don't keep to schedule in those all-important early weeks, why, by the time you have everyone signed on and ready to go the studio has completely forgotten they ever gave you the green light. It's just rush-rush-rush every moment of my day."
"Why you…" said Kurogane, glowering.
"Movie business?" said Sakura, which was all the opening Fye needed.
"Not only am in the movie business," said Fye, treating Sakura to his widest smile, "but I'm here today for the express purpose of casting a leading lady in my next film."
Sakura blinked at him for a second before it clicked. "Me?!" she squeaked.
"That's right," beamed Fye. "In fact, Syaoran here has already signed on too, isn't that right?" Words were still escaping Syaoran, but he nodded vigorously.
"I could really be in a movie?" squeaked Sakura. "But I've never acted in anything before! Do you really think I'd be okay?"
"I can't think of anyone I'd rather have!" said Fye happily, twirling his sunglasses. "Why don't I tell you a bit more about the role?"
Kurogane rolled his eyes. He could already tell he'd lost.