Chapter one: never too late?
"And Kero-chan does it again! Ho yeah!" the funny-looking yellow stuffed toy yelled as he flew up in the air, the video game control still in his hand.
"Never dies, does it, Kero?!" Sakura Kinomoto, a seventeen-year old girl with startling green eyes asked as she slung her backpack on one shoulder, the other strap hanging loosely. She smiled at her long time friend/mentor.
"Hey Sakura, don't forget me! I'm not stayin' here while you go all the way to Quebec for 3 weeks!" exclaimed Kero as he flew out the door just as Sakura was closing it.
The sun was the first thing that greeted them as they stepped outside the door, just before Tomoyo's big "HI! I walked here 'cause I thought you would want to take your car instead so Tori could drive it home after we get to the airport!"
"That's fine!" Both girls were in the midst of dumping their luggage into the convertible when Tori, Sakura's semi-hot older brother, came out.
"Hey Squirt, you all ready?" He winked at Tomoyo and got into the driver's seat as Sakura sat next to him while Tomoyo sat in the back with the packs.
"Aren't you tired of that nickname yet?!" Sakura cried.
"YOW!" She spun around as Kero jumped up from the back and yelped. "Careful where you wham those bags! I almost got crushed!"
Tomoyo laughed as she looked at the flabbergasted guardian of the seal, who looked as funny as he was scary when in his true form, a golden beast. "Sorry, I didn't think you would be hiding beneath all those bags!"
Tori glanced behind him. "So, I guess your little stuffed animal couldn't bear staying home without you for 3 weeks huh?"
Sakura giggled. "Nah, he's just hoping to see if Quebec's food is anything close to pudding!"
Not very long afterwards, Tori slowed down as they arrived at the airport. "K squirt, we're here! Hope you guys have a good time!"
Tomoyo and Sakura both got off as Tori parked the car and started picking up their baggage. "Thanks Tori! Tell dad to go to my room and he'll see the note I left him. He left early today so I didn't get to say bye again!"
"You already said bye last night! Anyway, don't forget to bring me back some superbe French girls! " Tori winked at both Sakura and Tomoyo as he drove away, waving.
"BYE!" All three said, including Kero.
****
As they waited at the gates, a voice cried out from behind. "Sakura! Tomoyo!" Chiharu and Naoko came running towards them. "You guys are so early! Not even half the class is here yet!"
"Well, we didn't want to miss our flight and get left behind!" Tomoyo smiled.
"Hi guys! Where's Rika?" Sakura piped in.
"Oh, she's coming with Li and Takashi. She couldn't get a ride and there wasn't room in my mom's car anymore!" Naoko explained.
The girls chatted while Kero kept himself amused by hiding in Sakura's backpack, eating her snacks. Soon enough, the rest of their class started streaming in and they were almost ready to board. Sakura couldn't help feeling anxious, seeing that Li wasn't there yet, and neither were Takashi and Rika.
"I wonder what's taking them so long?!" Chiharu asked, voicing Sakura's suppressed anxiety.
"Gates JAL575, JAL 578, flight Tokyo to Quebec, now boarding." The announcer started speaking, as their teacher, Ms. Mckenzie, gave out orders for the students to take their things. Lots of the students were glad to welcome their old teacher back.
"Alright, everybody, don't wander away from the class, stay close to your belongings and as you all know, you can't pick whom you sit with but don't worry 'cause we'll all be close together anyhow, according to the tickets. Alright?!"
"Hai, Ms. Mckenzie!" they all chimed.
Naoko turned to Sakura and Tomoyo, "Ok guys, we'll see you in the plane!" And she hurried off with Chiharu to catch up with the class. Tomoyo picked up her bags and gave an absent-minded Sakura her backpack.
"Here, you're not looking where you're supposed to! Hey, what's wrong?" Tomoyo looked at her friend with a concerned look. "Oh, I know. it's Li and the others. Maybe they're at the front of the line or something. Don't worry, I don't think they'd miss this trip for anything!"
Sakura snapped back into the present and forced a smile. "Uh.ya, probably! Let's go!" she started walking with Tomoyo, but her worries were far from reassured. They had been watching the entrance carefully while they were chatting to see if Li, Rika and Takashi came in. But they didn't. She knew they weren't at the front.
The stewardess was taking the students' boarding passes as they filed into the plane. There were only four more ahead of them, and they were the last in line. Still no Rika. Still no Takashi. Still no Li. Tomoyo pulled Sakura as the stewardess brightly welcomed them and took their boarding passes. What had happened to Li and the others?! Why aren't they here?! Did something bad happen?! The heavy metal door was about to close when somebody shouted, "WAIT!"
****
Tomoyo and Sakura whirled around as did the stewardess. Her heart pounding, Sakura hoped against hope that it was them. Her heart seemed to have released a thousand pounds off itself when Takashi burst in, followed by a panting Rika and a gasping Li. Eyes still closed, Takashi extended his hand to the stewardess. "Here's our passes! I'm sorry we're late!"
The stewardess examined them then gave the latecomers their seats. The students walked down the aisle with a sigh of relief. As it turned out, Tomoyo's seat was right behind Sakura's, and the seats next to her were occupied by Sizhu, a tall girl whom she barely talked to, and Rika. Takashi was 2 seats up front, with Chiharu and Naoko. Ms. Mckenzie sat next to Li, who was at Sakura's right.
The teacher smiled at them. She no longer had to look down when talking to the students, as she used to long ago when they were still in elementary. She decided teaching high school was worth coming back, as it must be interesting, especially since the former Card Captors attended that school. She almost had to look up at Li, who had grown rather tall and attractive, as, she noticed, Sakura seemed to think. "What took you guys so long? I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet!"
Li made a face as he recounted, "Well, it was Takashi's fault. First we had to stop along the way to Rika's house because he forgot his passport! Then just as we got to the airport, he had to go to the washroom. I mean really go. Rika and I had to wait for practically half an hour! By the time we got to the gates the only ones there were an old man and a guy who looked like he just came from a carnival parade. That's when we ran like crazy, hoping the planed didn't take off yet!"
Sakura laughed as Rika popped up from behind and rested her arms on top of Sakura's seat.
"Yeah! That's the last time I ever go anywhere important with Takashi!" They all had a good laugh just before the pilot announced that they should put their seatbelts on, since they would be taking off soon. As Rika sank back into her seat, Ms. Mckenzie turned with a teasing look at Sakura, and said,
"Well girls, I hear there are many cute french boys where we're heading!" With a laugh, she added, "just don't get too wild!"
Sakura grinned and replied, "well, maybe just a little!" She winked at their friend, Ms. Mckenzie, but she missed the strange look on Li's face. He suddenly seemed to be interested in his shoes, as he bent down to fix the laces, with a red face.
****
The fresh breeze whipped past Li's face as he carried his bulging backpack and walked alongside Takashi, who was rambling on about the french words he'd learned from his tutor. Naoko was still unusually quiet, due to her queasy stomach. Airplanes were nothing compared to a good old car, that rolled on the ground.
Chiharu, on the other hand, was as cheerful as ever and she pointed to a sign whose shape looked exactly like the octagon that usually says STOP. "Betcha that means stop!" She leered at Takashi.
"That is called, ARRET, not stop. But seeing that my vocabulary is so much wider than yours, I will take it to account and say that you're right!" he replied.
The class halted to a stop as Ms. Mckenzie explained loudly, "Alright, now that we're in Quebec, we'll be going to the countryside where we will be staying for 3 weeks. We'll take the bus and if there aren't any more seats available, just go to the back and hold on to poles and stand. Remember, let the seniors take your seat if you see that there aren't any left for them. When we get off at Arundel, say 'merci' to the driver. After a rest, probably in a day or two, we might go downtown.. at Montreal! Ok?"
"OK!" The students exclaimed. Sakura couldn't wait 'till they got to the hotel, where she could relax.
and then maybe meet some French boys!
End of chapter one
"And Kero-chan does it again! Ho yeah!" the funny-looking yellow stuffed toy yelled as he flew up in the air, the video game control still in his hand.
"Never dies, does it, Kero?!" Sakura Kinomoto, a seventeen-year old girl with startling green eyes asked as she slung her backpack on one shoulder, the other strap hanging loosely. She smiled at her long time friend/mentor.
"Hey Sakura, don't forget me! I'm not stayin' here while you go all the way to Quebec for 3 weeks!" exclaimed Kero as he flew out the door just as Sakura was closing it.
The sun was the first thing that greeted them as they stepped outside the door, just before Tomoyo's big "HI! I walked here 'cause I thought you would want to take your car instead so Tori could drive it home after we get to the airport!"
"That's fine!" Both girls were in the midst of dumping their luggage into the convertible when Tori, Sakura's semi-hot older brother, came out.
"Hey Squirt, you all ready?" He winked at Tomoyo and got into the driver's seat as Sakura sat next to him while Tomoyo sat in the back with the packs.
"Aren't you tired of that nickname yet?!" Sakura cried.
"YOW!" She spun around as Kero jumped up from the back and yelped. "Careful where you wham those bags! I almost got crushed!"
Tomoyo laughed as she looked at the flabbergasted guardian of the seal, who looked as funny as he was scary when in his true form, a golden beast. "Sorry, I didn't think you would be hiding beneath all those bags!"
Tori glanced behind him. "So, I guess your little stuffed animal couldn't bear staying home without you for 3 weeks huh?"
Sakura giggled. "Nah, he's just hoping to see if Quebec's food is anything close to pudding!"
Not very long afterwards, Tori slowed down as they arrived at the airport. "K squirt, we're here! Hope you guys have a good time!"
Tomoyo and Sakura both got off as Tori parked the car and started picking up their baggage. "Thanks Tori! Tell dad to go to my room and he'll see the note I left him. He left early today so I didn't get to say bye again!"
"You already said bye last night! Anyway, don't forget to bring me back some superbe French girls! " Tori winked at both Sakura and Tomoyo as he drove away, waving.
"BYE!" All three said, including Kero.
****
As they waited at the gates, a voice cried out from behind. "Sakura! Tomoyo!" Chiharu and Naoko came running towards them. "You guys are so early! Not even half the class is here yet!"
"Well, we didn't want to miss our flight and get left behind!" Tomoyo smiled.
"Hi guys! Where's Rika?" Sakura piped in.
"Oh, she's coming with Li and Takashi. She couldn't get a ride and there wasn't room in my mom's car anymore!" Naoko explained.
The girls chatted while Kero kept himself amused by hiding in Sakura's backpack, eating her snacks. Soon enough, the rest of their class started streaming in and they were almost ready to board. Sakura couldn't help feeling anxious, seeing that Li wasn't there yet, and neither were Takashi and Rika.
"I wonder what's taking them so long?!" Chiharu asked, voicing Sakura's suppressed anxiety.
"Gates JAL575, JAL 578, flight Tokyo to Quebec, now boarding." The announcer started speaking, as their teacher, Ms. Mckenzie, gave out orders for the students to take their things. Lots of the students were glad to welcome their old teacher back.
"Alright, everybody, don't wander away from the class, stay close to your belongings and as you all know, you can't pick whom you sit with but don't worry 'cause we'll all be close together anyhow, according to the tickets. Alright?!"
"Hai, Ms. Mckenzie!" they all chimed.
Naoko turned to Sakura and Tomoyo, "Ok guys, we'll see you in the plane!" And she hurried off with Chiharu to catch up with the class. Tomoyo picked up her bags and gave an absent-minded Sakura her backpack.
"Here, you're not looking where you're supposed to! Hey, what's wrong?" Tomoyo looked at her friend with a concerned look. "Oh, I know. it's Li and the others. Maybe they're at the front of the line or something. Don't worry, I don't think they'd miss this trip for anything!"
Sakura snapped back into the present and forced a smile. "Uh.ya, probably! Let's go!" she started walking with Tomoyo, but her worries were far from reassured. They had been watching the entrance carefully while they were chatting to see if Li, Rika and Takashi came in. But they didn't. She knew they weren't at the front.
The stewardess was taking the students' boarding passes as they filed into the plane. There were only four more ahead of them, and they were the last in line. Still no Rika. Still no Takashi. Still no Li. Tomoyo pulled Sakura as the stewardess brightly welcomed them and took their boarding passes. What had happened to Li and the others?! Why aren't they here?! Did something bad happen?! The heavy metal door was about to close when somebody shouted, "WAIT!"
****
Tomoyo and Sakura whirled around as did the stewardess. Her heart pounding, Sakura hoped against hope that it was them. Her heart seemed to have released a thousand pounds off itself when Takashi burst in, followed by a panting Rika and a gasping Li. Eyes still closed, Takashi extended his hand to the stewardess. "Here's our passes! I'm sorry we're late!"
The stewardess examined them then gave the latecomers their seats. The students walked down the aisle with a sigh of relief. As it turned out, Tomoyo's seat was right behind Sakura's, and the seats next to her were occupied by Sizhu, a tall girl whom she barely talked to, and Rika. Takashi was 2 seats up front, with Chiharu and Naoko. Ms. Mckenzie sat next to Li, who was at Sakura's right.
The teacher smiled at them. She no longer had to look down when talking to the students, as she used to long ago when they were still in elementary. She decided teaching high school was worth coming back, as it must be interesting, especially since the former Card Captors attended that school. She almost had to look up at Li, who had grown rather tall and attractive, as, she noticed, Sakura seemed to think. "What took you guys so long? I was wondering why you hadn't shown up yet!"
Li made a face as he recounted, "Well, it was Takashi's fault. First we had to stop along the way to Rika's house because he forgot his passport! Then just as we got to the airport, he had to go to the washroom. I mean really go. Rika and I had to wait for practically half an hour! By the time we got to the gates the only ones there were an old man and a guy who looked like he just came from a carnival parade. That's when we ran like crazy, hoping the planed didn't take off yet!"
Sakura laughed as Rika popped up from behind and rested her arms on top of Sakura's seat.
"Yeah! That's the last time I ever go anywhere important with Takashi!" They all had a good laugh just before the pilot announced that they should put their seatbelts on, since they would be taking off soon. As Rika sank back into her seat, Ms. Mckenzie turned with a teasing look at Sakura, and said,
"Well girls, I hear there are many cute french boys where we're heading!" With a laugh, she added, "just don't get too wild!"
Sakura grinned and replied, "well, maybe just a little!" She winked at their friend, Ms. Mckenzie, but she missed the strange look on Li's face. He suddenly seemed to be interested in his shoes, as he bent down to fix the laces, with a red face.
****
The fresh breeze whipped past Li's face as he carried his bulging backpack and walked alongside Takashi, who was rambling on about the french words he'd learned from his tutor. Naoko was still unusually quiet, due to her queasy stomach. Airplanes were nothing compared to a good old car, that rolled on the ground.
Chiharu, on the other hand, was as cheerful as ever and she pointed to a sign whose shape looked exactly like the octagon that usually says STOP. "Betcha that means stop!" She leered at Takashi.
"That is called, ARRET, not stop. But seeing that my vocabulary is so much wider than yours, I will take it to account and say that you're right!" he replied.
The class halted to a stop as Ms. Mckenzie explained loudly, "Alright, now that we're in Quebec, we'll be going to the countryside where we will be staying for 3 weeks. We'll take the bus and if there aren't any more seats available, just go to the back and hold on to poles and stand. Remember, let the seniors take your seat if you see that there aren't any left for them. When we get off at Arundel, say 'merci' to the driver. After a rest, probably in a day or two, we might go downtown.. at Montreal! Ok?"
"OK!" The students exclaimed. Sakura couldn't wait 'till they got to the hotel, where she could relax.
and then maybe meet some French boys!
End of chapter one