Part 1: A Story To Tell
Hi, my name is Iris. And yup, that's the family album you're looking at. There's my dad with his mouth wide open, as usual. And there's mommy in her wedding gown! Aw, look at me, I was so cute! I still am, now that I think about it. All of these pictures were taken with my mom's camera. She says she had that camera from the beginning of high school. I didn't believe her until Aunty Tomoyo told me the story about how my mom and dad fell in love.
When I first heard it, I thought it was disgusting, but now I think it's rather romantic. I like to have Aunty Tomoyo tell the me the story over and over and over again, but she isn't always around because most of the time she's traveling around the world with that guy she's going to marry soon.
Don't get me wrong and think that my mommy and dad aren't always around, because they are, to the point where it almost drives me insane. But that's a totally different story. The story that I'm about to tell you is the story about how my mom and dad fell in love, as I'm sure you've all ready guessed.
Well, enough stalling!
You see, back in the day, my mom was a really popular girl. She was a photographer.
"Hey, Sakura, don't you ever stop taking pictures?" a voice called out from behind Sakura. Sakura turned around and smiled.
"Hey, Tomoyo," she answered when Tomoyo caught up. Sakura blushed slightly and put her camera away in her bag.
"Hey, Tomoyo," a mocking sound came from behind Sakura and Tomoyo. They both turned around to see The Dragon gang. Sakura had to tug a lock of Tomoyo's long hair as a warning. Both of them really couldn't risk getting a detention when it was so close to the school year ending when they could both receive certificates.
Meilin Li, the girl of the gang, blew a large piece of bubblegum and popped it. She took the piece out of her mouth and tossed it on to Sakura's shoe. Sakura, however, didn't react. She just stood there and stared at Meilin.
Meilin smirked and looked back at the five other males. They all sneered. It seemed that Meilin was about to cause a big commotion, which would make the empty hall fill with people, including the principle, which was definitely something that was not needed.
The principle was new and he wanted to make a good impression of himself, so he was always assuming things and throwing kids into detention for doing absolutely nothing. Which would mean no certificates.
So Sakura smiled, grabbed Tomoyo's arm, and dragged her into the girl's bathroom, which was only a few feet away from them. Sakura locked the door and sighed in relief.
"That was a close call," Sakura said as she disgustedly took a piece of paper towel and picked the gum off of her shoe.
"I know what you mean. Hey, let's check if they left yet. We're missing lunch!"
They had indeed left, so Sakura and Tomoyo ran off to the cafeteria. Sakura and Tomoyo separated when they arrived at the musical clique table. Sakura stopped at every table during lunchtime in an attempt to at least get in one conversation with all of her friends. She arrived at the cheerleading table and half grinned, half groaned when she saw Billie Jean sitting there.
"Why, hello Sakura Kinomoto," Billie said in that angelic voice of hers.
"Hey, Billie Jean," Sakura said in a strained, kind voice.
Billie Jean and Sakura had been enemies ever since the sixth grade when Billie didn't make the cheerleading squad and Sakura did. Billie was soon able to join, though, because Sakura quit when she learned her love for photography. Not only had Sakura hated Billie because she was always pestering her, but she always made rumors about her.
'Billie Jean the gossip queen.' That's her nickname. She either spreads rumors to gossip or she snoops around for gossip. She's at the top of news at all times. If you wanted to know whether Freddy Young really liked you, go to her. If you want to know if you failed your chemistry exam, go to her. Gossiping was the only reason Billie Jean was so popular, though, because she gossiped just as much as was a brat.
And it seemed that Billie Jean had some news for Sakura.
Sakura could see it in the twinkle of her blue eyes, the small, yet well hidden grin, the way she wrung her napkin around and around.
"So, Sakura, hear any good news lately?" Billie asked.
The girls on the cheerleading squad turned to Billie Jean instantly. Sakura sighed, rolled her eyes, and sat down. There was no use in fighting Billie Jean over these sort of things. Besides, if it's the news that Billie Jean is telling, then you were sure to hear it sometime later in the day, if not the next period.
Billie Jean went on with her dramatic entrance for her gossiping style before she came to the point. "Syaoran Li likes you."
Sakura screamed and stood up so quickly her chair went flying backwards. When she realized that she caught everyone's attention and everyone was staring at her, she blushed, waved, smiled, and hurried in closer to Billie Jean.
"What do you mean Syaoran Li likes me?"
"Exactly what I said," Billie said with a grin. "He's liked you since the seventh grade."
The girls of the cheerleading squad were separated by the looks on their faces: pure disgust, pity, or the look of relief that says, 'Well, at least it's not me!'
See, Syaoran Li was pretty infamous. At first, every girl fell drop dead in love with him because he was the king of hunks, and he still is, but they soon realized very quickly that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Syaoran was bad to the bone, and that was definitely not cheerleading material.
In P.E. the first day he came, he made himself well known from how well he played soccer, and the cheerleaders were hoping he was going to try and be a jock, but then their hopes sunk when he 'accidentally' kicked the soccer ball at the coach's head and made a direct contact.
The coach was out of work for five weeks.
The news (spread by Billie Jean, of course) was known everywhere, and the news of his cousin, Meilin Li, was no different. Turns out she had sworn at the English teacher, stole items from the principle's desk, and sprayed graffiti all over the place.
And that was only the first day.
After that, Syaoran and Meilin seemed to be competing for how many bad things they could do everyday before they got suspension notices. When they finally did get suspension notices, it only got worst. Finally, the notorious group known as The Dragons had Syaoran and Meilin do what no one could do for about five years: they made them members.
Sakura had always been forbidden to go anywhere near gangs, so it was out of the question that she even think about Syaoran that way, but now that news was out that Syaoran was thinking about her that way. What was she going to do?
"Pretend to like him back and then dump him in front of everybody."
"Let him know that you're repulsed by him."
"Tell him he's going to have to think twice if he thinks you're going to go out with him."
"Don't go near him."
Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh, Tomoyo, I wasn't thinking about doing that anyways."
Sakura was sitting down inside of the music room on the big black couch. Relaxing, classical music was being played, and it seemed that every girl from the music class was now surrounding Sakura.
"No, I mean go absolutely nowhere near him! Don't even let him see you! What if he catches you alone and tries to hurt you?"
The girls nodded in agreement. Sakura thought about it, then she said, "But if he's really liked me this long, why didn't he just hurt me all of those times he's caught me alone?"
The girls paused before, once again, nodded in agreement. Tomoyo, however, sighed and shrugged. "All right, Sakura.."
The bell rang. Sakura, Tomoyo, and a few other girls got up to leave for homeroom, while others stayed behind. They were excused from homeroom to be able to practice and just stay straight into first period.
When homeroom started, the room was buzzing with the latest gossip about Sakura and Syaoran. It was interrupted, however, by the homeroom teacher who looked disgruntled.
"If you don't settle down, I'll just cancel the whole thing!"
"What whole thing?" Billie Jean asked, trying to be on top of things, once again.
"The surprise trip."
The whole room went up in excited chatter and questions. The teacher raised his hand for silence, and then he continued.
"We will be leaving for Kokyo for two weeks. It is required that you come. Partners will be picked randomly. You and this partner will receive a room in a hotel, and you must get along nicely. You will pose as husband and wife. You will receive an electronic doll, which will pose as the baby. The baby will have records of how well you and your partner are doing and will also give future tips and future facts."
"What's the catch?" Cy Bate asked suspiciously.
"No monkey business," the teacher said harshly, and the classroom groaned. Then he smirked and added, "Class projects from each class is required as well."
"But hey!" someone said from the back.
"We're leaving!" someone said from the side of the room.
"Unfortunately, not today," the teacher muttered as he sat down at his desk.
"This is great," Tomoyo whispered to Sakura.
"It'll be fate," Lauren Huck said dreamily from beside Tomoyo, and it was obvious what she was thinking about: Cy Bate. She had an obsession, and she seemed to think that Cy and she would be married.
Tomoyo and Sakura rolled their eyes and grinned.
"I hope I go nowhere near him," a girl from the center of the classroom announced after seeing The Dragons weren't there.
"Who would 'him' be?" Billie Jean asked curiously.
"You know, him, that Syaoran Li."
The girls nodded in agreement.
"I hope I get to be with her," one of the boys from a silent corner of the room announced as quietly as he could.
"Who-?" the boys started to ask, but then they nodded and grinned. "Ooh."
"Yes, I mean the one, the only Ms. Kinomoto."
The bell rang and everyone jumped up to leave in a hurry.
"I hope I do good on this project," Sakura said to Tomoyo.
"I hope I do good as well," she replied worriedly as they continued to the music room.
"No worries," Chiharu said as she and Naoko caught up.
"Everything will go swell!"
The four entered the music room and sat down. The rest of the class was all ready there.
"I wonder if the baby will say-" Lauren started.
" 'If Cy will marry me?'" Billie finished. "No way!"
"Hey, it's a possibility," Sakura said kindly.
"Yeah, in an impossible love story," Meilin said as she entered the room. The room became instantly silent. The five high school boys behind her were smirking slightly, and Meilin eyed the room. She looked at the boys behind her and nodded, and the six of them went to a corner in the back.
Tomoyo glanced nervously at Sakura, and then she glanced at the group in the way back.
"What'chus lookin' at?" Terry Rock barked.
Everyone instantly swerved around and stared dead at the chalk board. They would've had to anyways, because the teacher had just walked inside. He looked very unhappy that The Dragons gang had decided to show up, and with reason. They sung off key, they 'accidentally' dropped the most expensive instruments, breaking five of them, and they threw paper and wet, chewed up gum at the other students all class period. It was all over, soon, though... Thank God, it was all over.
At homeroom the next morning, the pairings were to be made. It would be a simple drawing out of a hat. Tomoyo blushed and restrained herself from giggling madly when she was paired up with Eriol Hiirigizawa. She had a huge crush on him, as he did her. Sakura was happy for them.
In the end, Cy and Lauren did get paired up (Cy had to be carried to the hospital after class because he tried to hang himself in the boys' locker room). Billie Jean got paired up with Freddy Young, Chiharu with Takashi Yamazaki, and Naoko with Tyler Hughes. So far so good. Oh, wait, it's the moment of truth! The teacher has just announced Sakura's name!
Tomoyo gripped the edge of her chair. She was just as antsy as Sakura was.
The teacher didn't seem to really be paying attention to this, though. In fact, it was like time had stopped, almost as if he wasn't even thinking about reading the paper he had just drawn out. Then again, maybe it was because that was exactly what was happening.
The teacher seemed to be lost in uncontrollable silent fits of laughter. He then stuttered out, "S-Syaoran Li."
Billie Jean burst out laughing. Tomoyo looked horrified. Sakura sunk low into her chair with a groan. The members of The Dragons gang, however, seemed thrilled. They had bothered coming to this homeroom for the soul purpose of seeing who he would be paired up with. Not they, as in individuals, but he, as in Syaoran. They were hoping he'd be able to pair up with Sakura. Think of all the torment he'd be able to cause her!
"This is just great," Tomoyo groaned.
"It's fate," Lauren snorted.
Hi, my name is Iris. And yup, that's the family album you're looking at. There's my dad with his mouth wide open, as usual. And there's mommy in her wedding gown! Aw, look at me, I was so cute! I still am, now that I think about it. All of these pictures were taken with my mom's camera. She says she had that camera from the beginning of high school. I didn't believe her until Aunty Tomoyo told me the story about how my mom and dad fell in love.
When I first heard it, I thought it was disgusting, but now I think it's rather romantic. I like to have Aunty Tomoyo tell the me the story over and over and over again, but she isn't always around because most of the time she's traveling around the world with that guy she's going to marry soon.
Don't get me wrong and think that my mommy and dad aren't always around, because they are, to the point where it almost drives me insane. But that's a totally different story. The story that I'm about to tell you is the story about how my mom and dad fell in love, as I'm sure you've all ready guessed.
Well, enough stalling!
You see, back in the day, my mom was a really popular girl. She was a photographer.
"Hey, Sakura, don't you ever stop taking pictures?" a voice called out from behind Sakura. Sakura turned around and smiled.
"Hey, Tomoyo," she answered when Tomoyo caught up. Sakura blushed slightly and put her camera away in her bag.
"Hey, Tomoyo," a mocking sound came from behind Sakura and Tomoyo. They both turned around to see The Dragon gang. Sakura had to tug a lock of Tomoyo's long hair as a warning. Both of them really couldn't risk getting a detention when it was so close to the school year ending when they could both receive certificates.
Meilin Li, the girl of the gang, blew a large piece of bubblegum and popped it. She took the piece out of her mouth and tossed it on to Sakura's shoe. Sakura, however, didn't react. She just stood there and stared at Meilin.
Meilin smirked and looked back at the five other males. They all sneered. It seemed that Meilin was about to cause a big commotion, which would make the empty hall fill with people, including the principle, which was definitely something that was not needed.
The principle was new and he wanted to make a good impression of himself, so he was always assuming things and throwing kids into detention for doing absolutely nothing. Which would mean no certificates.
So Sakura smiled, grabbed Tomoyo's arm, and dragged her into the girl's bathroom, which was only a few feet away from them. Sakura locked the door and sighed in relief.
"That was a close call," Sakura said as she disgustedly took a piece of paper towel and picked the gum off of her shoe.
"I know what you mean. Hey, let's check if they left yet. We're missing lunch!"
They had indeed left, so Sakura and Tomoyo ran off to the cafeteria. Sakura and Tomoyo separated when they arrived at the musical clique table. Sakura stopped at every table during lunchtime in an attempt to at least get in one conversation with all of her friends. She arrived at the cheerleading table and half grinned, half groaned when she saw Billie Jean sitting there.
"Why, hello Sakura Kinomoto," Billie said in that angelic voice of hers.
"Hey, Billie Jean," Sakura said in a strained, kind voice.
Billie Jean and Sakura had been enemies ever since the sixth grade when Billie didn't make the cheerleading squad and Sakura did. Billie was soon able to join, though, because Sakura quit when she learned her love for photography. Not only had Sakura hated Billie because she was always pestering her, but she always made rumors about her.
'Billie Jean the gossip queen.' That's her nickname. She either spreads rumors to gossip or she snoops around for gossip. She's at the top of news at all times. If you wanted to know whether Freddy Young really liked you, go to her. If you want to know if you failed your chemistry exam, go to her. Gossiping was the only reason Billie Jean was so popular, though, because she gossiped just as much as was a brat.
And it seemed that Billie Jean had some news for Sakura.
Sakura could see it in the twinkle of her blue eyes, the small, yet well hidden grin, the way she wrung her napkin around and around.
"So, Sakura, hear any good news lately?" Billie asked.
The girls on the cheerleading squad turned to Billie Jean instantly. Sakura sighed, rolled her eyes, and sat down. There was no use in fighting Billie Jean over these sort of things. Besides, if it's the news that Billie Jean is telling, then you were sure to hear it sometime later in the day, if not the next period.
Billie Jean went on with her dramatic entrance for her gossiping style before she came to the point. "Syaoran Li likes you."
Sakura screamed and stood up so quickly her chair went flying backwards. When she realized that she caught everyone's attention and everyone was staring at her, she blushed, waved, smiled, and hurried in closer to Billie Jean.
"What do you mean Syaoran Li likes me?"
"Exactly what I said," Billie said with a grin. "He's liked you since the seventh grade."
The girls of the cheerleading squad were separated by the looks on their faces: pure disgust, pity, or the look of relief that says, 'Well, at least it's not me!'
See, Syaoran Li was pretty infamous. At first, every girl fell drop dead in love with him because he was the king of hunks, and he still is, but they soon realized very quickly that you shouldn't judge a book by it's cover. Syaoran was bad to the bone, and that was definitely not cheerleading material.
In P.E. the first day he came, he made himself well known from how well he played soccer, and the cheerleaders were hoping he was going to try and be a jock, but then their hopes sunk when he 'accidentally' kicked the soccer ball at the coach's head and made a direct contact.
The coach was out of work for five weeks.
The news (spread by Billie Jean, of course) was known everywhere, and the news of his cousin, Meilin Li, was no different. Turns out she had sworn at the English teacher, stole items from the principle's desk, and sprayed graffiti all over the place.
And that was only the first day.
After that, Syaoran and Meilin seemed to be competing for how many bad things they could do everyday before they got suspension notices. When they finally did get suspension notices, it only got worst. Finally, the notorious group known as The Dragons had Syaoran and Meilin do what no one could do for about five years: they made them members.
Sakura had always been forbidden to go anywhere near gangs, so it was out of the question that she even think about Syaoran that way, but now that news was out that Syaoran was thinking about her that way. What was she going to do?
"Pretend to like him back and then dump him in front of everybody."
"Let him know that you're repulsed by him."
"Tell him he's going to have to think twice if he thinks you're going to go out with him."
"Don't go near him."
Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. "Oh, Tomoyo, I wasn't thinking about doing that anyways."
Sakura was sitting down inside of the music room on the big black couch. Relaxing, classical music was being played, and it seemed that every girl from the music class was now surrounding Sakura.
"No, I mean go absolutely nowhere near him! Don't even let him see you! What if he catches you alone and tries to hurt you?"
The girls nodded in agreement. Sakura thought about it, then she said, "But if he's really liked me this long, why didn't he just hurt me all of those times he's caught me alone?"
The girls paused before, once again, nodded in agreement. Tomoyo, however, sighed and shrugged. "All right, Sakura.."
The bell rang. Sakura, Tomoyo, and a few other girls got up to leave for homeroom, while others stayed behind. They were excused from homeroom to be able to practice and just stay straight into first period.
When homeroom started, the room was buzzing with the latest gossip about Sakura and Syaoran. It was interrupted, however, by the homeroom teacher who looked disgruntled.
"If you don't settle down, I'll just cancel the whole thing!"
"What whole thing?" Billie Jean asked, trying to be on top of things, once again.
"The surprise trip."
The whole room went up in excited chatter and questions. The teacher raised his hand for silence, and then he continued.
"We will be leaving for Kokyo for two weeks. It is required that you come. Partners will be picked randomly. You and this partner will receive a room in a hotel, and you must get along nicely. You will pose as husband and wife. You will receive an electronic doll, which will pose as the baby. The baby will have records of how well you and your partner are doing and will also give future tips and future facts."
"What's the catch?" Cy Bate asked suspiciously.
"No monkey business," the teacher said harshly, and the classroom groaned. Then he smirked and added, "Class projects from each class is required as well."
"But hey!" someone said from the back.
"We're leaving!" someone said from the side of the room.
"Unfortunately, not today," the teacher muttered as he sat down at his desk.
"This is great," Tomoyo whispered to Sakura.
"It'll be fate," Lauren Huck said dreamily from beside Tomoyo, and it was obvious what she was thinking about: Cy Bate. She had an obsession, and she seemed to think that Cy and she would be married.
Tomoyo and Sakura rolled their eyes and grinned.
"I hope I go nowhere near him," a girl from the center of the classroom announced after seeing The Dragons weren't there.
"Who would 'him' be?" Billie Jean asked curiously.
"You know, him, that Syaoran Li."
The girls nodded in agreement.
"I hope I get to be with her," one of the boys from a silent corner of the room announced as quietly as he could.
"Who-?" the boys started to ask, but then they nodded and grinned. "Ooh."
"Yes, I mean the one, the only Ms. Kinomoto."
The bell rang and everyone jumped up to leave in a hurry.
"I hope I do good on this project," Sakura said to Tomoyo.
"I hope I do good as well," she replied worriedly as they continued to the music room.
"No worries," Chiharu said as she and Naoko caught up.
"Everything will go swell!"
The four entered the music room and sat down. The rest of the class was all ready there.
"I wonder if the baby will say-" Lauren started.
" 'If Cy will marry me?'" Billie finished. "No way!"
"Hey, it's a possibility," Sakura said kindly.
"Yeah, in an impossible love story," Meilin said as she entered the room. The room became instantly silent. The five high school boys behind her were smirking slightly, and Meilin eyed the room. She looked at the boys behind her and nodded, and the six of them went to a corner in the back.
Tomoyo glanced nervously at Sakura, and then she glanced at the group in the way back.
"What'chus lookin' at?" Terry Rock barked.
Everyone instantly swerved around and stared dead at the chalk board. They would've had to anyways, because the teacher had just walked inside. He looked very unhappy that The Dragons gang had decided to show up, and with reason. They sung off key, they 'accidentally' dropped the most expensive instruments, breaking five of them, and they threw paper and wet, chewed up gum at the other students all class period. It was all over, soon, though... Thank God, it was all over.
At homeroom the next morning, the pairings were to be made. It would be a simple drawing out of a hat. Tomoyo blushed and restrained herself from giggling madly when she was paired up with Eriol Hiirigizawa. She had a huge crush on him, as he did her. Sakura was happy for them.
In the end, Cy and Lauren did get paired up (Cy had to be carried to the hospital after class because he tried to hang himself in the boys' locker room). Billie Jean got paired up with Freddy Young, Chiharu with Takashi Yamazaki, and Naoko with Tyler Hughes. So far so good. Oh, wait, it's the moment of truth! The teacher has just announced Sakura's name!
Tomoyo gripped the edge of her chair. She was just as antsy as Sakura was.
The teacher didn't seem to really be paying attention to this, though. In fact, it was like time had stopped, almost as if he wasn't even thinking about reading the paper he had just drawn out. Then again, maybe it was because that was exactly what was happening.
The teacher seemed to be lost in uncontrollable silent fits of laughter. He then stuttered out, "S-Syaoran Li."
Billie Jean burst out laughing. Tomoyo looked horrified. Sakura sunk low into her chair with a groan. The members of The Dragons gang, however, seemed thrilled. They had bothered coming to this homeroom for the soul purpose of seeing who he would be paired up with. Not they, as in individuals, but he, as in Syaoran. They were hoping he'd be able to pair up with Sakura. Think of all the torment he'd be able to cause her!
"This is just great," Tomoyo groaned.
"It's fate," Lauren snorted.