The Summer of Love
By: Danelle Yuy-Winner
Sakura felt a huge feeling of excitement flow over her and she had sparkles in her emerald green eyes. She had traveled all the way from her hometown, Tomoeda, Japan to the United States. This trip was the first trip in her entire life farther away than twenty miles from her home. She smiled excited about the adventures waiting ahead of her. She set foot off a ferry taking her to a resort island off the coast of Maine. It was called Sunset Island. When Sakura heard the name, it made her shiver in excitement and think that the possibilities this summer were endless. For the summer, Sakura was going to be an au pair on Sunset Island. An au pair was kind of like a live-in babysitter, and she was staying with the family with the last name Ishida. The Ishida family consisted of a boy about the age of seven and a father. She would be staying with them and taking care of the boy. She reached into her backpack purse feeling around for a piece of paper. She found it and read it.
//Sakura-chan,
Hey! Excited about the au pair job on
Sunset Island? I'll be over there in two days.
Okasan made me promise to invite you over
to our house for a visit after the job is over.
See ya in two days. Don't steal all the guys
before I get there. Ja ne.
Always your friend, Tomoyo Daidouji//
Sakura sighed thinking about her best friend, Tomoyo. Tomoyo was the closet friend/ confidante that Sakura had ever had. Tomoyo and Sakura were second cousins and were as inseparable as butter and bread. Tomoyo and Sakura decided to spend the summer before their senior year in high school away from Tomoeda and both decided to be au pairs on Sunset Island. Tomoyo was an au pair for the Takaishi family. Sakura couldn't wait until Tomoyo arrived on the island in two days. She stuffed the note in her bag and picked up her five bags (three large duffels, a suitcase, and a roller suitcase). She started to look around for Mr. Ishida, who would be picking her up.
"Sakura Kinomoto?" a male voice called out. A man in his mid-thirties with deep brown hair walked over towards her.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ishida." Sakura said bowing to him, assuming this was her employer for the summer.
""No need to be formal. Here, I'll help you with your bags." Mr. Ishida smiled easily picking up all five of her bags.
"Arigato....I mean thank you." Sakura said accidentally letting some of her native language slip.
"You're welcome. Don't worry about it. I am fluent in Japanese, so I'll be able to understand you. Maybe you can teach my son, Yamato some Japanese. I may understand it, but I can't speak it very well." Mr. Ishida said with a smile.
"Oh. Hai, I'd love to teach your son some Japanese. It'd be fun." Sakura smiled and Mr. Ishida easily threw her bags into the trunk of his Jeep. Mr. Ishida drove them through a couple streets until reaching a white two-story house with a green trim. Sakura and Mr. Ishida got out of the Jeep and Sakura went up the pathway to the door until reaching the door while Mr. Ishida carried her bags behind her.
"Yamato, I'm back!" Mr. Ishida called to his son. A sandy-blonde boy with ocean-blue eyes around seven ran downstairs ready to give his dad a big hug. "Yamato, this is your au pair Sakura Kinomoto. Sakura, this my son Yamato Ishida." Mr. Ishida said introducing one another.
"Konichiwa Yamato." Sakura said with a big smile.
"Hey Sakura! C'mon, I'll show you to your room." Yamato called pulling on Sakura's arm to take her to her room.
"Hai, I'm coming." Sakura called and walked into her room. Her room was brightly decorated with a design with white Sakura (A/N: AKA: Cherry Blossoms in Japanese) with a background color of pale pink. Her whole room had this theme. She had a bathroom attached to her room separated by a door. Mr. Ishida had provided her with a phone, TV with a VCR, and a CD/Tape/Radio boom-box.
"I hope you like you room. My ex-girlfriend, Mitsuko decorated with a theme of cherry blossoms since—" Mr. Ishida started to say but was interrupted by his son.
"Your name means Cherry Blossom in Japanese." Yamato finished for his father with a bright smile.
"I love my room. I'm so glad you know a little Japanese. I'll have to find out what else you know in Japanese." Sakura remarked putting her hand through Yamato's hair ruffling it up a bit.
"Hey Sakura-chan, can you take care of Yamato for me this afternoon because I've got to go meet up with my lawyer for meeting. I don't know how long it will take, but I'll be home before dinner." Mr. Ishida said.
"Okay. Let me finish unpacking first and I'll take Yamato to the beach." Sakura promised.
"YAY!" Yamato yelled happily. "I haven't been to the beach yet, dad has been too busy to take me to the beach."
"Let me unpack and change into a swimsuit. Okay?" Sakura asked.
"Sure. I'll go change into my swimming trunks and watch Gundam Wing." Yamato called rushing off to his room. Sakura slowly went through her suitcases and hung up all her outfits into her closet. She stuffed her socks and underclothing into some drawers and she pulled out her pants, skirts, and shorts into another drawer. She found one of her bathing suits and changed into it. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her swimsuit was a pink tankini with Sakura (A/N: I mean Cherry Blossoms, not pictures of Sakura, the person. ^_^) all shades of pink all over the top and bottom. She put on a pair of pink board shorts and looked through her closet until she found a white shirt with soccer rules written in Japanese in pink. She took out her ponytail and brushed her auburn hair then put it up pigtails on the sides of her head (A/N: Similar to the original hairstyle she has in fourth grade during CCS.). She looks through her bags and finds a pair of pink flip-flops and puts them on.
"Yamato! Are ya ready to go to the beach?" Sakura asked walking over towards his room.
"Hai. I have to grab a towel really quick." Yamato called.
"Yamato, where are the towels? I need to get one." Sakura asked.
"They're in your bathroom. Are you bringing sun-block?" Yamato asked.
"Hai. Let me grab a towel, sun-block, my sunglasses, and a book." Sakura called to Yamato. Ten minutes later, Yamato and Sakura were ready to go to the beach. Mr. Ishida left a BMW for Sakura to take Yamato. Sakura drove Yamato over to the beach.
"Yamato let me put sun-block on your face." Sakura said.
"Okay." Yamato sighed.
"Once I'm done, you can go into the water. Is there a lifeguard somewhere?" Sakura asked looking up.
"Hai. He's over there." Yamato said pointing to a guy with chestnut brown hair sitting on a lifeguard chair.
'Darn, he's pretty hot! Geez, it would be nice to date him. Maybe he'll come talk to me.' [Sakura thought hopefully]
"Ha, silly me. I'm not very observant, am I?" Sakura said laughing at herself.
"It's alright. Are you done yet? I wanna hurry and go swimming." Yamato asked impatiently.
"I'm all done. Be careful Yamato." Sakura said with a smile.
"I will. Aren't you going to go swimming?" Yamato asked.
"Maybe, but not yet. I wanna read this book." Sakura said slipping on her sunglasses and lying back onto her pink towel underneath a big umbrella.
"Don't you need to put on some sun-block first?" a deep male voice asked.
"Ummm....Yamato you're voice matured very fast." Sakura noted sitting up and noticing the lifeguard with chestnut brown hair standing above her.
'Darn is he fine? Why is he over here? Did Yamato get hurt or something?' [Sakura]
"Hello. I'm Syaoran Li, the main lifeguard for the beach around here." He answered.
"Hello Syaoran. I'm Sakura Kinomoto. I'm Yamato Ishida's au pair. Is something wrong with Yamato?" Sakura asked blushing.
"Nope, I just wanted to chat with ya. The Ishida's are a cool family. I notice that you obviously think soccer rules..." Syaoran noted reading Sakura's shirt with a smile that made Sakura blush even more.
"Yah, I do. I didn't know you knew Japanese." Sakura replied.
"Well, you never asked me." Syaoran said, "I enjoy soccer very much also. I spent a year or two in Tomoeda Japan, but I'm actually Chinese and live in Hong Kong."
"Tomoeda? That's my hometown! I live there, but my friend and I decided to spend our summer out of Japan for once." Sakura answered.
"I stayed there when I was in fourth grade." He replied.
"Don't you need to watch the beach to make sure no one drowns?" Sakura asked nervously.
"Nope, I'm on break right now. Besides, I haven't seen you around before so I thought I'd get to know you." He said.
"SAKURA!!" Yamato screamed to his au pair.
"Nani Yamato?" Sakura asked getting up looking frantically for Yamato worried he got hurt. She found him running towards her with a bucket and shovel in his hand. Sakura relaxed a little seeing that Yamato wasn't in any danger.
"Will you help me make a sandcastle?" Yamato asked.
"Ummm...I'm not very good at making things." Sakura sighed.
"Will you help me Syaoran?" Yamato asked the lifeguard.
"Sure Matt, but only until my break is over. Let me ask your cute au pair something first okay?" Syaoran said looking at Yamato. Sakura blushed at Syaoran's last remark.
'I wonder what he has to ask me? I hope that he'll ask me out on a date.' [Sakura]
"Okay. I'll go get ready over there." Yamato said pointing at a spot really close to Sakura. Yamato went away to get ready to make a sand castle.
"Hey Sakura, how about if you meet me over at the Blue Room tonight at eight o'clock?" Syaoran asked naming the coolest hangout on the island.
"Sure, but I'll have to clear it with Mr. Ishida first. Give me your phone number and I'll call you." Sakura smiled.
"Naw, you give me the Ishida's phone number and I'll call you." Syaoran stated. Sakura looked in her bag for a piece of paper and wrote the Ishida's phone number on it and handed it to him. "I'll call ya later to clear up tonight's date. Gotta go help Matt." Syaoran called running to the spot where Yamato pointed.
'Syaoran called it a date....is it a date? I hope so! I really hope so! I can't wait to tell Tomoyo about Syaoran!' [Sakura]
~*~*~*~*~*
Three hours later, at the Ishida's house
"Yamato, what would you like for dinner?" Sakura asked Yamato.
"Hmmm......can I have chicken donburi?" He asked.
"Sure, I think I can make that." Sakura smiled.
"Sakura, do you like Syaoran?" Yamato asked nervously.
"Maybe, doushite?" Sakura asked.
"Well, I was just wondering. Sakura, you can call me Matt, if you want. No one 'cept otosan calls me Yamato." Matt said.
"Sure, I'll call you Matt." Sakura answered. Sakura started to get out some chicken and a rice cooker. She started the rice and start to cook the chicken. "Matt, can you set the table for me?" Sakura asked sweetly.
"Hai." Matt answered.
TBC…………..
Next chapter: Tomoyo comes to the island and the awaited date between Syaoran and Sakura….^_^ Please R&R (Read and Review)!!!!!!!!!! Arigato!
By: Danelle Yuy-Winner
Sakura felt a huge feeling of excitement flow over her and she had sparkles in her emerald green eyes. She had traveled all the way from her hometown, Tomoeda, Japan to the United States. This trip was the first trip in her entire life farther away than twenty miles from her home. She smiled excited about the adventures waiting ahead of her. She set foot off a ferry taking her to a resort island off the coast of Maine. It was called Sunset Island. When Sakura heard the name, it made her shiver in excitement and think that the possibilities this summer were endless. For the summer, Sakura was going to be an au pair on Sunset Island. An au pair was kind of like a live-in babysitter, and she was staying with the family with the last name Ishida. The Ishida family consisted of a boy about the age of seven and a father. She would be staying with them and taking care of the boy. She reached into her backpack purse feeling around for a piece of paper. She found it and read it.
//Sakura-chan,
Hey! Excited about the au pair job on
Sunset Island? I'll be over there in two days.
Okasan made me promise to invite you over
to our house for a visit after the job is over.
See ya in two days. Don't steal all the guys
before I get there. Ja ne.
Always your friend, Tomoyo Daidouji//
Sakura sighed thinking about her best friend, Tomoyo. Tomoyo was the closet friend/ confidante that Sakura had ever had. Tomoyo and Sakura were second cousins and were as inseparable as butter and bread. Tomoyo and Sakura decided to spend the summer before their senior year in high school away from Tomoeda and both decided to be au pairs on Sunset Island. Tomoyo was an au pair for the Takaishi family. Sakura couldn't wait until Tomoyo arrived on the island in two days. She stuffed the note in her bag and picked up her five bags (three large duffels, a suitcase, and a roller suitcase). She started to look around for Mr. Ishida, who would be picking her up.
"Sakura Kinomoto?" a male voice called out. A man in his mid-thirties with deep brown hair walked over towards her.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Ishida." Sakura said bowing to him, assuming this was her employer for the summer.
""No need to be formal. Here, I'll help you with your bags." Mr. Ishida smiled easily picking up all five of her bags.
"Arigato....I mean thank you." Sakura said accidentally letting some of her native language slip.
"You're welcome. Don't worry about it. I am fluent in Japanese, so I'll be able to understand you. Maybe you can teach my son, Yamato some Japanese. I may understand it, but I can't speak it very well." Mr. Ishida said with a smile.
"Oh. Hai, I'd love to teach your son some Japanese. It'd be fun." Sakura smiled and Mr. Ishida easily threw her bags into the trunk of his Jeep. Mr. Ishida drove them through a couple streets until reaching a white two-story house with a green trim. Sakura and Mr. Ishida got out of the Jeep and Sakura went up the pathway to the door until reaching the door while Mr. Ishida carried her bags behind her.
"Yamato, I'm back!" Mr. Ishida called to his son. A sandy-blonde boy with ocean-blue eyes around seven ran downstairs ready to give his dad a big hug. "Yamato, this is your au pair Sakura Kinomoto. Sakura, this my son Yamato Ishida." Mr. Ishida said introducing one another.
"Konichiwa Yamato." Sakura said with a big smile.
"Hey Sakura! C'mon, I'll show you to your room." Yamato called pulling on Sakura's arm to take her to her room.
"Hai, I'm coming." Sakura called and walked into her room. Her room was brightly decorated with a design with white Sakura (A/N: AKA: Cherry Blossoms in Japanese) with a background color of pale pink. Her whole room had this theme. She had a bathroom attached to her room separated by a door. Mr. Ishida had provided her with a phone, TV with a VCR, and a CD/Tape/Radio boom-box.
"I hope you like you room. My ex-girlfriend, Mitsuko decorated with a theme of cherry blossoms since—" Mr. Ishida started to say but was interrupted by his son.
"Your name means Cherry Blossom in Japanese." Yamato finished for his father with a bright smile.
"I love my room. I'm so glad you know a little Japanese. I'll have to find out what else you know in Japanese." Sakura remarked putting her hand through Yamato's hair ruffling it up a bit.
"Hey Sakura-chan, can you take care of Yamato for me this afternoon because I've got to go meet up with my lawyer for meeting. I don't know how long it will take, but I'll be home before dinner." Mr. Ishida said.
"Okay. Let me finish unpacking first and I'll take Yamato to the beach." Sakura promised.
"YAY!" Yamato yelled happily. "I haven't been to the beach yet, dad has been too busy to take me to the beach."
"Let me unpack and change into a swimsuit. Okay?" Sakura asked.
"Sure. I'll go change into my swimming trunks and watch Gundam Wing." Yamato called rushing off to his room. Sakura slowly went through her suitcases and hung up all her outfits into her closet. She stuffed her socks and underclothing into some drawers and she pulled out her pants, skirts, and shorts into another drawer. She found one of her bathing suits and changed into it. She looked at herself in the mirror. Her swimsuit was a pink tankini with Sakura (A/N: I mean Cherry Blossoms, not pictures of Sakura, the person. ^_^) all shades of pink all over the top and bottom. She put on a pair of pink board shorts and looked through her closet until she found a white shirt with soccer rules written in Japanese in pink. She took out her ponytail and brushed her auburn hair then put it up pigtails on the sides of her head (A/N: Similar to the original hairstyle she has in fourth grade during CCS.). She looks through her bags and finds a pair of pink flip-flops and puts them on.
"Yamato! Are ya ready to go to the beach?" Sakura asked walking over towards his room.
"Hai. I have to grab a towel really quick." Yamato called.
"Yamato, where are the towels? I need to get one." Sakura asked.
"They're in your bathroom. Are you bringing sun-block?" Yamato asked.
"Hai. Let me grab a towel, sun-block, my sunglasses, and a book." Sakura called to Yamato. Ten minutes later, Yamato and Sakura were ready to go to the beach. Mr. Ishida left a BMW for Sakura to take Yamato. Sakura drove Yamato over to the beach.
"Yamato let me put sun-block on your face." Sakura said.
"Okay." Yamato sighed.
"Once I'm done, you can go into the water. Is there a lifeguard somewhere?" Sakura asked looking up.
"Hai. He's over there." Yamato said pointing to a guy with chestnut brown hair sitting on a lifeguard chair.
'Darn, he's pretty hot! Geez, it would be nice to date him. Maybe he'll come talk to me.' [Sakura thought hopefully]
"Ha, silly me. I'm not very observant, am I?" Sakura said laughing at herself.
"It's alright. Are you done yet? I wanna hurry and go swimming." Yamato asked impatiently.
"I'm all done. Be careful Yamato." Sakura said with a smile.
"I will. Aren't you going to go swimming?" Yamato asked.
"Maybe, but not yet. I wanna read this book." Sakura said slipping on her sunglasses and lying back onto her pink towel underneath a big umbrella.
"Don't you need to put on some sun-block first?" a deep male voice asked.
"Ummm....Yamato you're voice matured very fast." Sakura noted sitting up and noticing the lifeguard with chestnut brown hair standing above her.
'Darn is he fine? Why is he over here? Did Yamato get hurt or something?' [Sakura]
"Hello. I'm Syaoran Li, the main lifeguard for the beach around here." He answered.
"Hello Syaoran. I'm Sakura Kinomoto. I'm Yamato Ishida's au pair. Is something wrong with Yamato?" Sakura asked blushing.
"Nope, I just wanted to chat with ya. The Ishida's are a cool family. I notice that you obviously think soccer rules..." Syaoran noted reading Sakura's shirt with a smile that made Sakura blush even more.
"Yah, I do. I didn't know you knew Japanese." Sakura replied.
"Well, you never asked me." Syaoran said, "I enjoy soccer very much also. I spent a year or two in Tomoeda Japan, but I'm actually Chinese and live in Hong Kong."
"Tomoeda? That's my hometown! I live there, but my friend and I decided to spend our summer out of Japan for once." Sakura answered.
"I stayed there when I was in fourth grade." He replied.
"Don't you need to watch the beach to make sure no one drowns?" Sakura asked nervously.
"Nope, I'm on break right now. Besides, I haven't seen you around before so I thought I'd get to know you." He said.
"SAKURA!!" Yamato screamed to his au pair.
"Nani Yamato?" Sakura asked getting up looking frantically for Yamato worried he got hurt. She found him running towards her with a bucket and shovel in his hand. Sakura relaxed a little seeing that Yamato wasn't in any danger.
"Will you help me make a sandcastle?" Yamato asked.
"Ummm...I'm not very good at making things." Sakura sighed.
"Will you help me Syaoran?" Yamato asked the lifeguard.
"Sure Matt, but only until my break is over. Let me ask your cute au pair something first okay?" Syaoran said looking at Yamato. Sakura blushed at Syaoran's last remark.
'I wonder what he has to ask me? I hope that he'll ask me out on a date.' [Sakura]
"Okay. I'll go get ready over there." Yamato said pointing at a spot really close to Sakura. Yamato went away to get ready to make a sand castle.
"Hey Sakura, how about if you meet me over at the Blue Room tonight at eight o'clock?" Syaoran asked naming the coolest hangout on the island.
"Sure, but I'll have to clear it with Mr. Ishida first. Give me your phone number and I'll call you." Sakura smiled.
"Naw, you give me the Ishida's phone number and I'll call you." Syaoran stated. Sakura looked in her bag for a piece of paper and wrote the Ishida's phone number on it and handed it to him. "I'll call ya later to clear up tonight's date. Gotta go help Matt." Syaoran called running to the spot where Yamato pointed.
'Syaoran called it a date....is it a date? I hope so! I really hope so! I can't wait to tell Tomoyo about Syaoran!' [Sakura]
~*~*~*~*~*
Three hours later, at the Ishida's house
"Yamato, what would you like for dinner?" Sakura asked Yamato.
"Hmmm......can I have chicken donburi?" He asked.
"Sure, I think I can make that." Sakura smiled.
"Sakura, do you like Syaoran?" Yamato asked nervously.
"Maybe, doushite?" Sakura asked.
"Well, I was just wondering. Sakura, you can call me Matt, if you want. No one 'cept otosan calls me Yamato." Matt said.
"Sure, I'll call you Matt." Sakura answered. Sakura started to get out some chicken and a rice cooker. She started the rice and start to cook the chicken. "Matt, can you set the table for me?" Sakura asked sweetly.
"Hai." Matt answered.
TBC…………..
Next chapter: Tomoyo comes to the island and the awaited date between Syaoran and Sakura….^_^ Please R&R (Read and Review)!!!!!!!!!! Arigato!
