Partners
By Tenshi no Kijutsu
Disclaimer: Is my name CLAMP? Nope. So do I own CCS? Nope. I made up Hiiragizawa Kika and Mizuki Josh, so they are the only ones I own.
I will be using the traditional Japanese style of writing the last name first.
Chapter One: First Meeting
Kinomoto Sakura stood on the girls' side of the practice room. Her friend and normal practice partner Li Meilin stood next to her. On her other side was her best friend Daidouji Tomoyo. It was the first day of the new school year at their boarding school. They lived there full time, and the school year lasted all but December each year. The children who attended the school were no better than orphans, having never known their parents. They were bred to be fighters and geniuses. It was a horrible practice, but a common one in the small towns surrounding Tomoeda Boarding School. The people were poor and could not raise children even if they wanted to. So as long as they had children within specified pairings, their children would have a better life than they could ever offer them.
Tomoeda was the town that the school was built in. It was a place for the children to live in after they were eighteen and had graduated. They could live and work there for two years before they were forced to move elsewhere. Most chose to take advantage of the powerful and well-paying job opportunities that were open to graduates. But some still chose to live a normal adult life and used Tomoeda as a starting point where they could get their bearings and start their new lifestyle.
Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin were three members of the class of seventeen-year-olds. At the other end of the practice court the boys were beginning to enter. For the first time in eleven years the boys and girls would see each other and learn and practice together. Next year would be their last year here and they were encouraged to start relationships with members of the opposite sex. They were even rooming in the same hallway, one long building with boys on one side and girls on the other. The rooms were not monitored. No one cared if the students fooled around. Not even the other students. It was normal; it was what they had known since they were born.
The girls watched the boys file in. The teachers were not in yet; each morning the students had an hour of social time. One boy caught Sakura's eye. They looked at each other, and he casually followed the other boys over to that side of the room. He came up to her and smiled slightly. "My name is Li Syaoran. Nice to meet you," he said. He had messy brown hair and brown eyes. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura. These are my friends Li Meilin and Daidouji Tomoyo," Sakura answered. "Ah, a Kinomoto. She always does choose the most attractive," he said. Sakura blushed.
There were five leaders of the boarding school who each chose students who were best at a specific talent and gave them their last name. Li Yelan chose the best fighters, and Kinomoto Nadesiko chose the ones with the strongest magic and usually the best-looking ones. Daidouji Sonomi preferred those with musical ability, and Mizuki Kaho liked the patient students who were likely to become teachers in the future. And then there was the mysterious Hiiragizawa Kika. She chose the students that had excellent concentration and intelligence, ones that had great self-control. The five women taught their own group of students until the children were six. Then they were divided by gender instead of last name. They chose who their students would be when the children were four.
"Well she may, but Lady Yelan always takes the strongest. Meilin has told me all about her classes," Sakura said. Suddenly, a blue-haired boy walked up to Syaoran, followed by two others, one with brown hair and the other with black. "Oh, these are my friends Hiiragizawa Eriol, Mizuki Yamazaki, and Mizuki Josh," Syaoran explained. Sakura nodded. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto, and these are my friends Daidouji Tomoyo and Li Meilin." They all smiled and the new friends began to discuss the differences between the girls' classes and the boys'.
"They sure do train us hard," Sakura commented. "You? They're definitely worse on us guys We could beat you anytime," Eriol replied. Soon, all seven of them were arguing. Suddenly, the whole room went silent. The boys all rushed to line up on their side, and the girls hurried to their places. Five women had entered the room. The male students had not seen these women in eleven years. But the women were the girls' teachers and saw them everyday. They were the founders. Yelan Li, who was by far the strictest, stood at one end of the path between the girls and boys. She looked from one side to the other.
"Girls, you are to choose a boy to be your practice partner. Any arguments will be immediately punished. Not a word shall be spoken. Do it now," Yelan said. Her voice was soft, but everyone in the huge room heard her. Sakura went over to Syaoran, smiling mischievously. Tomoyo smirked at Eriol, the partner she had chosen. Meilin was almost glaring at Josh, but she stood next to him. Yelan seemed to take little notice of the strange behavior.
"Now be honest," Yelan began once everyone had settled down. "Raise your hand, boys, if you believe that you are worked harder then the girls." All the boys raised their hands. "Well, you were not taught by us, now were you?" Yelan said, smirking. The other four women smiled from behind her. "Kinomoto Sakura, you are our best student. According to the boys' teacher, Li Syaoran is the best boy. You two come up here and have an official fight," Kika said. Yelan nodded. "You know the rules, do not disobey them," she added. Sakura and Syaoran walked to the center of the room as the other students gathered in a wide circle around them. The five founders stood at evenly separated points in the circle. "Begin."
For the first ten minutes or so the students were enthralled in the speed and accuracy of their two classmates. They each struck and blocked perfectly in a flurry of lighting-fast fighting. Neither was sweating, breathing heavily, or even tiring. Suddenly, a bright pink light struck at Syaoran's chest, knocking him on his back. Sakura quickly pinned him to the ground and used a bit more of her magic to strangle Syaoran's. For a few seconds, the entire room was silent. Then the girls broke out in loud cheers, gradually joined by the boys. Sakura stood up and helped Syaoran, then turned around to face Yelan. He suddenly sent a spark of green energy racing towards her back, but she put up a shield without even looking back at him. "How is that possible?" Syaoran muttered to himself before standing beside Sakura, facing Yelan.
Yelan glared at Syaoran, and he was enveloped in a cocoon of lightning. He did not cry out. After a minute, the lightning faded away and Syaoran collapsed. Sakura looked down at him sadly, but was afraid to help him. She did not want to get in trouble as well. "Syaoran, has your teacher not taught you to use magic in combat? I saw Sakura purposely give you openings to use your magic. It is what we have taught the girls, to taunt the enemy. Has your teacher failed to show you something as simple as a shield?" Yelan asked. "Then you break the rules by attacking her after the battle is over and her back is turned. And you are disbelieving of Sakura's ability to sense magic. All of us here are perfectly capable of doing so. Have the boys not been taught these skills?
Syaoran ignored his impulse to look away from Yelan's iron glare. "Li-sama, our teacher has taught us to use magic, but I have never been so challenged. I am usually paired with the weaker students to help them learn. It has been a long time sine I was up against a decent opponent. However, we were never instructed on sensing a magical attack."
Yelan looked down in thought. "Sakura, you are to room with Syaoran and teach him to sense magic. He is expected to know this in no more than one week. Then you are both to instruct the other boys in it. And if Syaoran is by far the best as I have been told, I do not wish to know how many of them would lose to my weakest girls. I would estimate more than three fourths of them. Every morning, there is to be no more free time. You are all to practice with your new partners each morning. When Sakura and Syaoran are ready to teach the boys about magic, the girls will go back to their old partners for morning warm up."
Yelan finished her speech and left the room, but her four companions stayed behind to supervise. For the next five hours, they constantly practiced with their new partners. They were not allowed to use magic just yet. At noon, they stopped for lunch. At two, they went off to their academic studies until dinnertime. After that they practiced until nine o'clock. They had from 9:00 PM to 5:45 AM to do whatever they pleased, which was most often sleeping.
Tomoyo left Sakura's room and moved into the empty space in Eriol's room left by Syaoran. She was planning to help Eriol with his balance. And so their new, busier schedules began, but they did not complain. There was nothing to complain about. They did not know anything about the other ways of growing up. They used computers every day in class, but there were no games, online or installed. No games were played in Tomoeda. Tomoeda was a town without happiness. They believed what they were taught, that it was a noble school. They had never gone beyond the tall chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. And no one had ever tried. Because no one had anywhere to go.
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So, what did you think? It took me forever to fix it after my computer went crazy. Hope you liked it. Review!
By Tenshi no Kijutsu
Disclaimer: Is my name CLAMP? Nope. So do I own CCS? Nope. I made up Hiiragizawa Kika and Mizuki Josh, so they are the only ones I own.
I will be using the traditional Japanese style of writing the last name first.
Chapter One: First Meeting
Kinomoto Sakura stood on the girls' side of the practice room. Her friend and normal practice partner Li Meilin stood next to her. On her other side was her best friend Daidouji Tomoyo. It was the first day of the new school year at their boarding school. They lived there full time, and the school year lasted all but December each year. The children who attended the school were no better than orphans, having never known their parents. They were bred to be fighters and geniuses. It was a horrible practice, but a common one in the small towns surrounding Tomoeda Boarding School. The people were poor and could not raise children even if they wanted to. So as long as they had children within specified pairings, their children would have a better life than they could ever offer them.
Tomoeda was the town that the school was built in. It was a place for the children to live in after they were eighteen and had graduated. They could live and work there for two years before they were forced to move elsewhere. Most chose to take advantage of the powerful and well-paying job opportunities that were open to graduates. But some still chose to live a normal adult life and used Tomoeda as a starting point where they could get their bearings and start their new lifestyle.
Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin were three members of the class of seventeen-year-olds. At the other end of the practice court the boys were beginning to enter. For the first time in eleven years the boys and girls would see each other and learn and practice together. Next year would be their last year here and they were encouraged to start relationships with members of the opposite sex. They were even rooming in the same hallway, one long building with boys on one side and girls on the other. The rooms were not monitored. No one cared if the students fooled around. Not even the other students. It was normal; it was what they had known since they were born.
The girls watched the boys file in. The teachers were not in yet; each morning the students had an hour of social time. One boy caught Sakura's eye. They looked at each other, and he casually followed the other boys over to that side of the room. He came up to her and smiled slightly. "My name is Li Syaoran. Nice to meet you," he said. He had messy brown hair and brown eyes. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura. These are my friends Li Meilin and Daidouji Tomoyo," Sakura answered. "Ah, a Kinomoto. She always does choose the most attractive," he said. Sakura blushed.
There were five leaders of the boarding school who each chose students who were best at a specific talent and gave them their last name. Li Yelan chose the best fighters, and Kinomoto Nadesiko chose the ones with the strongest magic and usually the best-looking ones. Daidouji Sonomi preferred those with musical ability, and Mizuki Kaho liked the patient students who were likely to become teachers in the future. And then there was the mysterious Hiiragizawa Kika. She chose the students that had excellent concentration and intelligence, ones that had great self-control. The five women taught their own group of students until the children were six. Then they were divided by gender instead of last name. They chose who their students would be when the children were four.
"Well she may, but Lady Yelan always takes the strongest. Meilin has told me all about her classes," Sakura said. Suddenly, a blue-haired boy walked up to Syaoran, followed by two others, one with brown hair and the other with black. "Oh, these are my friends Hiiragizawa Eriol, Mizuki Yamazaki, and Mizuki Josh," Syaoran explained. Sakura nodded. "I'm Sakura Kinomoto, and these are my friends Daidouji Tomoyo and Li Meilin." They all smiled and the new friends began to discuss the differences between the girls' classes and the boys'.
"They sure do train us hard," Sakura commented. "You? They're definitely worse on us guys We could beat you anytime," Eriol replied. Soon, all seven of them were arguing. Suddenly, the whole room went silent. The boys all rushed to line up on their side, and the girls hurried to their places. Five women had entered the room. The male students had not seen these women in eleven years. But the women were the girls' teachers and saw them everyday. They were the founders. Yelan Li, who was by far the strictest, stood at one end of the path between the girls and boys. She looked from one side to the other.
"Girls, you are to choose a boy to be your practice partner. Any arguments will be immediately punished. Not a word shall be spoken. Do it now," Yelan said. Her voice was soft, but everyone in the huge room heard her. Sakura went over to Syaoran, smiling mischievously. Tomoyo smirked at Eriol, the partner she had chosen. Meilin was almost glaring at Josh, but she stood next to him. Yelan seemed to take little notice of the strange behavior.
"Now be honest," Yelan began once everyone had settled down. "Raise your hand, boys, if you believe that you are worked harder then the girls." All the boys raised their hands. "Well, you were not taught by us, now were you?" Yelan said, smirking. The other four women smiled from behind her. "Kinomoto Sakura, you are our best student. According to the boys' teacher, Li Syaoran is the best boy. You two come up here and have an official fight," Kika said. Yelan nodded. "You know the rules, do not disobey them," she added. Sakura and Syaoran walked to the center of the room as the other students gathered in a wide circle around them. The five founders stood at evenly separated points in the circle. "Begin."
For the first ten minutes or so the students were enthralled in the speed and accuracy of their two classmates. They each struck and blocked perfectly in a flurry of lighting-fast fighting. Neither was sweating, breathing heavily, or even tiring. Suddenly, a bright pink light struck at Syaoran's chest, knocking him on his back. Sakura quickly pinned him to the ground and used a bit more of her magic to strangle Syaoran's. For a few seconds, the entire room was silent. Then the girls broke out in loud cheers, gradually joined by the boys. Sakura stood up and helped Syaoran, then turned around to face Yelan. He suddenly sent a spark of green energy racing towards her back, but she put up a shield without even looking back at him. "How is that possible?" Syaoran muttered to himself before standing beside Sakura, facing Yelan.
Yelan glared at Syaoran, and he was enveloped in a cocoon of lightning. He did not cry out. After a minute, the lightning faded away and Syaoran collapsed. Sakura looked down at him sadly, but was afraid to help him. She did not want to get in trouble as well. "Syaoran, has your teacher not taught you to use magic in combat? I saw Sakura purposely give you openings to use your magic. It is what we have taught the girls, to taunt the enemy. Has your teacher failed to show you something as simple as a shield?" Yelan asked. "Then you break the rules by attacking her after the battle is over and her back is turned. And you are disbelieving of Sakura's ability to sense magic. All of us here are perfectly capable of doing so. Have the boys not been taught these skills?
Syaoran ignored his impulse to look away from Yelan's iron glare. "Li-sama, our teacher has taught us to use magic, but I have never been so challenged. I am usually paired with the weaker students to help them learn. It has been a long time sine I was up against a decent opponent. However, we were never instructed on sensing a magical attack."
Yelan looked down in thought. "Sakura, you are to room with Syaoran and teach him to sense magic. He is expected to know this in no more than one week. Then you are both to instruct the other boys in it. And if Syaoran is by far the best as I have been told, I do not wish to know how many of them would lose to my weakest girls. I would estimate more than three fourths of them. Every morning, there is to be no more free time. You are all to practice with your new partners each morning. When Sakura and Syaoran are ready to teach the boys about magic, the girls will go back to their old partners for morning warm up."
Yelan finished her speech and left the room, but her four companions stayed behind to supervise. For the next five hours, they constantly practiced with their new partners. They were not allowed to use magic just yet. At noon, they stopped for lunch. At two, they went off to their academic studies until dinnertime. After that they practiced until nine o'clock. They had from 9:00 PM to 5:45 AM to do whatever they pleased, which was most often sleeping.
Tomoyo left Sakura's room and moved into the empty space in Eriol's room left by Syaoran. She was planning to help Eriol with his balance. And so their new, busier schedules began, but they did not complain. There was nothing to complain about. They did not know anything about the other ways of growing up. They used computers every day in class, but there were no games, online or installed. No games were played in Tomoeda. Tomoeda was a town without happiness. They believed what they were taught, that it was a noble school. They had never gone beyond the tall chain-link fence topped with barbed wire. And no one had ever tried. Because no one had anywhere to go.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what did you think? It took me forever to fix it after my computer went crazy. Hope you liked it. Review!