A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for the reviews so far, they were really good and encouraging :) I'm glad you guys are interested in this story so far. Oh, for the record, the legal age to enter a bar or club with alcohol in Japan is 20, at least that's what I found on the internet. That will make sense as you read this chapter. I just wanted to clear that up because the drinking age is different around the world and this story takes place in Japan.
Disclaimer: "CLAMP owns Cardcaptor Sakura and ABC Family owns Holiday in Handcuffs."
" means spoken words
Italics means thoughts
() means insert A/N, etc.
Holiday Hoax
Chapter 2: Meeting the Family
The door to the Sunshine Café opened and a young woman with long, shinny, ebony colored hair held up in bonbon style pigtails and eyes the shade of garnet walked in. She glanced around looking for someone. She checked her watch and a frown appeared creasing her delicate features. It was a little after three o'clock yet the person she was supposed to be meeting was no where in sight. Syaoran had always been very punctual . . . She spotted a waitress with brown braided pigtails wearing reindeer antlers pouring a customer more coffee.
"You there," she called out.
Chiharu looked up from what she was doing and saw the ebony haired girl.
"Yes you Prancer, come over here," she said snidely, poking fun of the antlers the waitress was wearing.
Chiharu raised her eye brows as she walked towards the girl.
"Excuse me?" she asked.
Meilin ignored the dirty look the waitress was giving her and continued, "I was supposed to meet my fiancé here at three o'clock and I don't see him. He's tall, well built, brown hair, hazel eyes, you know, extremely gorgeous in every way," she gave Chiharu a once over, "then again maybe you don't," she said curtly, implying that she'd never get a hot boyfriend.
Chiharu's glare intensified. She was working a double before heading home for the holidays and she was in no mood for this girl's snobby attitude.
Meilin flicked one of her long glossy locks back over her shoulder before saying, "Anyway have you seen him in here this afternoon?"
With her hands on her hips Chiharu replied, "You know I can't say that I have but maybe this is his way of dumping you," with a fake smile she added, "I know I would."
Meilin gawked at the waitress. Before she could retaliate Chiharu walked away to pick up some more orders. Meilin stomped her foot on the floor in anger before she stormed out of the café in search of her missing fiancé.
xXxXxXx
A blue Honda Civic sedan cruised down an empty, snow covered street that was steadily growing darker with the setting sun. The only sound in the car was the Christmas carols playing from the radio. Sakura and Syaoran had been traveling for over an hour and had yet to hold a conversation. Neither really knew what to say so they just remained silent. Syaoran pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to check for missed calls. It was well over three o'clock and he was surprised he hadn't received a call from Meilin since he never showed at The Sunshine Café as they had planned. Taking a closer look at his phone he saw the problem. No wonder she hadn't called yet, not only did the phone have no reception bars but the battery was low too, most likely from the last conversation he had when Sakura came across him. He shoved the hand phone back into his pant pocket. He'd have to try to call Meilin and explain what happened later. Not being able to make a phone call he contented himself with staring out the window at all the nothingness they passed while Sakura drove trying to figure out how to get to their destination. She still couldn't believe she dragged some total stranger with her. It seemed logical at the time but anything would've seemed logical since she was so desperate not to show up stag again this year. Sakura peered out the frosty window to see if she could see anything that might help reveal their location but all she could see were mounds and mounds of snow blowing effortlessly across the empty fields.
Mom wasn't kidding this place really is in the middle of no where . . . she thought.
Pulling out her directions for the umpteenth time she started to check them over when she suddenly heard Syaoran yell in the seat next to her.
"Hey watch out!" he shouted.
She looked up to see a deer standing right in the middle of the road. She screamed and hit the brakes, but the car continued to move forward, sliding on the snow. Panicking she hit the brakes over and over again but it didn't make a difference; the car had no traction to stop. As a last resort Syaoran reached over and yanked the steering wheel to the right causing the car to spin in a circle and off the road slightly. The jerk from the car was so hard Sakura's head banged the window as a result. The car came to a complete stop off to the side of the road and the deer walked off unfazed by the event. Holding her head Sakura immediately got out of the car worried about the deer. She saw it walking back into the forest near the street and sighed in relief. Syaoran got out of the car as well and Sakura looked at him over the roof, a light smile on her face.
"The deer is okay, thank goodness."
"Who cares about the stupid deer? We could have been hurt!" he spat angrily.
Sakura's smile slipped a bit. She cared, she loved animals. She would have been crushed if she had hit that deer. She'd never hit anything before.
"And now the car might be stuck in the snow and we're in the middle of no where!" he gripped.
Sakura sighed. She could tell pretending to be in love with this guy for the next few days wasn't going to be easy.
"Look let's just get back in the car and try to get moving again. Drinks are at six o'clock sharp and I don't want to get an earful from my mom for being late," Sakura stated.
Once back in the car she put it in drive and hit the gas. It moved but not enough to get back on the road.
"Great now what do we do?" she asked disheartened.
Growling slightly Syaoran pulled a pair of gloves out of his coat pocket and put them on then he stepped out of the car.
"What are you doing?" Sakura inquired.
"I'm going to push the car from behind while you give it gas," he said flatly.
"Are you sure-"
"Just do it," he ordered.
Once he was in position he gave her a signal to give it gas. Little by little with Syaoran's help from behind, the car made it back onto the road. Once he got back in the passengers seat Sakura couldn't help but praise him.
"Wow I can't believe you were able to get the car out by yourself! You must be pretty strong," she said genuinely.
He blushed slightly at the praise.
"The car wasn't that stuck and it's a tiny compact car anyway," he said modestly.
"Still though . . ."
Once they were moving again they fell back into silence. Finally Sakura decided to break the ice a little.
"So . . ." she trailed off, not sure what to say.
He gave her a sidelong glance, one eye brow raised. "What?" he finally asked.
"I don't know, I just hate sitting here in silence," she admitted.
"So talk then," he stated simply.
"About what?"
"For starters you could tell me where we're going," he suggested since he really wasn't sure.
"Oh, my parents wanted to try something different for Christmas this year so they, my mom's cousin, and my Grandpa rented a cabin in the mountains. Something about needing more family togetherness for the holidays since all of us kids have been away at college and stuff."
"I see," was all he had to say.
"There will be ten of us including you."
Syaoran didn't respond so she continued," You know, since my parents are going to think we're dating we should probably find out a little more about each other so our relationship is believable."
"Fine, what do you want to know?" he asked in a dull tone.
"Well, what's your major?"
"Business," he answered simply.
Well that makes sense, she thought, after all he already has a prestigious position at a world renowned company.
"What's yours?"
"Social work," she replied.
He made a face involuntarily and she noticed.
"What?" Sakura asked.
"Well, you won't make good money in that field," he stated matter-of-factly.
Sakura frowned slightly, "I'm not majoring in that field because I want to make money, I'm doing it because I want to help underprivileged families. Not everything's about money."
Syaoran snorted but didn't say anything. He used to feel that way too, but after being a part of a big company that repeatedly taught him otherwise that idea became vaguer to him. Sakura picked up the directions again hoping they were getting close. It was almost six o'clock. Before she could look at them Syaoran snatched them away.
"I don't feel like almost hitting another deer," he grumbled, "you drive, I'll look at the directions."
Sakura gave up on making conversation for the time being and focused on getting to the cabin on time.
xXxXxXx
"Finally we're here," Sakura stated as they pulled up to a big, snow covered log cabin.
She looked at the car clock. It was 6:15, she was late. It figured. She got out of the car and hurried up the walkway, Syaoran following behind at a slight distance. She opened the door and was immediately greeted by the whole family. Everyone else was already there. Before she could say anything her mother spoke.
"Sakura you're fifteen minutes late, I told you drinks were at six o'clock. Why are you so incapable of being on time for anything?" she asked incredulously, a glass of red wine resting in her hand.
Syaoran walked through the doorway and stopped next to her. Hoping to take the focus off her tardiness, Sakura quickly introduced him.
"Everyone I have a surprise. This is my boyfriend," she said with a smile as she linked her arm with his.
"Uh, hi," Syaoran said glancing around the room at all the surprised faces.
"Sorry for not telling you he was coming in advance, it was kind of last minute," she said truthfully for indeed it had been.
You're not kidding, Syaoran thought to himself.
Everyone was quiet for a minute, too busy staring at the new guest. Then all at once everyone started talking about the couple. They sweat dropped at the family's reaction to the news. Finally Nadeshiko quieted everyone and approached Syaoran, a brilliant smile shinning on her face.
"Well this certainly is a surprise but a wonderful one! Oh I'm so happy to meet you . . ." she trailed off not knowing what his name was.
"Li Syaoran," he stated.
"I'm sorry, I knew it began with an 'S,' but it's been over a month since Sakura told me it and I just couldn't remember all of it," she said honestly.
Syaoran raised an eye brow suspiciously at Nadeshiko's words. He wondered how Sakura could have told her a month ago that she had a boyfriend whose name started with the letter 'S' when they hadn't meet until this morning.
Anyway welcome! Come in come in!" she said as she ushered them further into the cabin, breaking Syaoran's train of thought in the process.
To Sakura's relief, introducing Syaoran took the heat off of her for being late.
Nadeshiko continued, "I'm Sakura's mom, Nadeshiko, and that's her father Fujitaka, her older brother Toya and his girlfriend Akizuki Nakuru, her Great Gandfather Amamiya Masaki, my cousin Daidouji Sonomi, her daughter Daidouji Tomoyo and her boyfriend Hiiragizawa Eriol," she said as she pointed to each person.
"It's nice to meet all of you," Syaoran said nervously.
He was very uncomfortable, but they all looked normal enough at least, friendly as well much to his relief.
"No the pleasure is all ours really," Nadeshiko assured him. "Here let me get your coats."
Syaoran took his off while Sakura reluctantly handed hers over. His eyes widened in shock when he saw just what she was wearing. It was hideous, quite possibly the ugliest dress he'd ever seen.
"Why Sakura sweetheart, you're wearing the dress I gave you!" her Grandfather beamed walking towards her from the chair he had been sitting in.
"Of course Grandpa, I know how much you love to see me in it," she said through gritted teeth.
Syaoran heard a snicker and looked over to see Toya trying to hide the fact that he was laughing. His girlfriend was chiding him for making fun of his little sister. Syaoran would have laughed out loud but he actually found himself feeling sorry for her. Sonomi gave her daughter a push towards Sakura and Masaki. Syaoran noticed she still had her own coat on.
"Tomoyo dear take off your coat already," she ordered.
"Yes mother," Tomoyo grimaced
She slid her white, down feather coat off to reveal a dress identical to Sakura's only a pastel yellow instead of a pale pink. It looked just as unflattering on her as it did on Sakura. Her boyfriend chuckled but slapped a hand over his mouth when she shot him a glare.
Sakura's frown lessened, apparently happy to have someone to share the humiliation with.
At least her hair is still beautiful though unlike mine, she thought, bitterly thinking of her failed attempt to perm it
Masaki's smile widened at seeing his other great granddaughter wearing the dress he bought for her as well.
"Oh Tomoyo you wore your dress for me too?"
She nodded her head silently, not trusting her voice. Masaki wrapped the two second cousins into a tight hug.
"Oh you two are such wonderful girls, doing something like this for your old grandfather," he said appreciatively.
Toya was laughing even more at seeing his second cousin also wearing the ugly dress. Nakuru attempted to make the girls feel a little better.
"Wow, those sure are, um . . . unique," she said not finding a better word for the monstrosities in front of her.
"Oh I'm sure I could find one for you too dear," Masaki assured her. "You'd look ravishing in a red one."
Nakuru sweat dropped as Toya tried to hold another wave of laughter at bay.
"Alright everyone, now that all parties are present, lets head to the den for some drinks and visiting," Fujitaka interjected leading the group out of the front room.
As everyone headed for the den Tomoyo whispered to Sakura, "So your mom got to you too huh?"
"Do you think I'd be wearing this dress otherwise?" Sakura deadpanned.
"Sakura what on earth did you do to your hair?" her mother interrupted while refreshing her glass of wine.
She blushed in embarrassment as all eyes fell on her bad perm job.
"I tried to perm it but it didn't turn out so well," she said meekly.
Her mother shook her head.
"You should have never tried to perm your hair, the amount of time you leave that stuff in is very crucial to how it turns out and you get side tracked way to easily," Nadeshiko reprimanded. "Now your hair looks worse than before when it was limp and stringy."
Sakura's right eye twitched slightly. It was her mother's fault her perm was ruined in the first place! If she hadn't kept Sakura on the phone so long her hair would not look like she had been electrocuted. It always seemed to be a lose-lose situation when it came to pleasing her mother. Tomoyo placed a comforting hand on her cousin's shoulder. She knew how Sakura was feeling. After all her own mother was the same way with her at times. It was obvious Sonomi and Nadeshiko were related in this sense.
"Don't worry, I'm sure I can fix it," she said softly.
Sakura smiled faintly. Her cousin was on top when it came to fashion and style. She had good taste in clothing, make up, and hair. If anyone could fix it surely it was Tomoyo. How lucky for Sakura that she was her cousin.
"That'd be great thanks Tomoyo."
Once everyone had a drink of their choosing they seated themselves around the room on the plush furniture and continued talking.
"So, how did the two of you meet?" Fujitaka asked Sakura and Syaoran.
"At the library," Sakura answered.
"In a bar," Syaoran said simultaneously.
Nadeshiko nearly choked on her wine while her daughter's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. She hadn't thought to come up with a meeting story or a first date story with Syaoran so that they would be on the same page for a question like this. Everyone was staring at the pair waiting for an explanation in regards to their different answers. Sakura slapped her hand on Syaoran's back hard earning a grunt from her "boyfriend."
"Haha, very funny sweetie. You're such a kidder! That's one of the things I like most about you," she said trying to pass his answer off as a joke, "Especially since you know I won't be 20 until April 1st."
"Uh, yeah, ha ha, of course I was joking. We met in the library," Syaoran said apprehensively.
The others laughed at Syaoran's "joke." Sakura relaxed her tensed figure since they all seemed convinced that Syaoran had been joking. Not only had that almost blown their secret but it could have gotten Sakura in big trouble with her parents if they thought she was sneaking into bars underage.
"So what are you majoring in son?" Fujitaka asked.
"Business."
"That's a useful one. What kind of job do you want to get when you are done?" Sakura's father inquired.
"Oh I already have a job."
"Yeah Dad, Syaoran's on the board of directors for Li Corp," Sakura chimed in.
The expression on Fujitaka's face showed that he was clearly impressed.
"Is that so? That's impressive. How'd you get a position like that while still in college?"
"Well, my family owns the corporation. I was given a spot in the company to gain experience and practice since I'm set to inherit it someday. Because I'm not done with college yet I don't really have the amount of say others on the board have but I still have some responsibility," he explained.
"You're one of those Lis?" Sonomi asked, "I have a big toy company and I do business with Li Corp from time to time. That company has its hands in everything. I certainly didn't think I would be meeting the heir this week. What a pleasant surprise!"
Turning to Sakura she smiled, "You sure have good taste Sakura."
"Uh thanks."
"Yeah aren't you something! And here I thought Toya was a good catch because he's in law school!" Nakuru exclaimed receiving a glare from her boyfriend.
"Handsome, well off, smart, and funny, yes I have to agree you are quite a catch!" Nadeshiko beamed, "I almost can't believe our Sakura managed to snag you."
Sakura's right eye started to twitch again while Syaoran blushed at the way her family was carrying on about him. She was glad her family was so impressed with him, but they didn't have to make it seem like she was incapable of getting a man like him. True the whole thing was a hoax but still. Satoshi, the boy she had been dating right before this, wasn't too bad. He wasn't as impressive as Syaoran but that's because Syaoran was on a whole other level then most people their age. The only real problem with Satoshi was his inability to commit which was what caused Sakura to drag Syaoran here instead. It was a shame her family was being dazzled by a random guy she met earlier today but it was better than showing up single again and having to hear about it the whole trip. Sakura leaned back into the couch she was seated on and continued to listen to her family gush over her amazing "boyfriend."
xXxXxXx
""Hey this is Syaoran, sorry I can't answer the phone right now-"
Meilin snapped her cell phone shut immensely irritated. The place was practically a ghost town now. Finals were official over and all the other students had taken off for break. She should be on her way home too if not already at home yet here she was still at the now deserted university. She had looked all over campus for her fiancé after he failed to show at the café. She checked the library, the student center, the business building, and his apartment but found no sign of him. His car was at his apartment so she was sure he didn't leave without her (not that she thought he would have anyway) yet she had no idea where he was or what he was doing that kept him from meeting her on time. She had tried to call him several times on his cell phone too but every time she got his voicemail. She left a message the first few times but had given up on that. There was no point in taking up all the space in his inbox. Out of ideas, Meilin finally headed back to her own apartment. Thankfully she had a car of her own on campus so she'd just drive herself home instead of going with Syaoran as they had planned. She was furious at how things had turned out but she was also getting worried. It wasn't like Syaoran to not show or to not call and explain what was going on or to not answer his phone. Something was certainly amiss.
xXxXxXx
Sakura and Syaoran were getting their bags out of Sakura's car.
"Man I can't believe we almost blew it back there when you said we met in a bar," Sakura said.
"Sorry, how was I supposed to know you weren't 20 yet? I turned 20 back in July," he said defensively.
"I know I know it's not your fault. I'm just saying that was a close one."
Syaoran stared at the back of her head as she wiggled her over stuffed black duffle bag out of the back seat. There was something he wanted to ask her about.
"Hey what did your mom mean?" he finally asked.
"Huh?"
"Earlier, when I told her my name she said she knew it started with an 'S' but it had been over a month since you told her and she couldn't remember the whole name. How could you have told her my name over a month ago, we just met today," he stated.
"Oh that," Sakura slung her duffle bag over her shoulder, "I was dating a guy named Satoshi off and on for a few months up until recently. My mom just assumed I must have told her my boyfriend's name was 'Syaoran' instead of 'Satoshi.' Lucky for me your name starts with an 'S' too," she stated nonchalantly.
Syaoran smirked, "Oh I get it now. You got dumped for Christmas and you didn't tell your parents"
"I did not get dumped!" Sakura argued, "Satoshi just felt like meeting my parents for Christmas was moving a little too fast so he wanted to take a break and see how we feel once we come back next semester."
Syaoran continued to smirk, "If you say so."
"That's not your concern anyway, you just focus on pretending to be my boyfriend like we agreed," she said hotly.
"Yeah, yeah I got it," he said as he removed his green duffle bag from the back seat as well.
They headed back inside and Nadeshiko took them upstairs. She opened a door and guided them into the room. It was very spacious with a queen size bed in the middle and dressers made of oak. There was a television set across from the bed and even a fireplace. It was very luxurious.
"You two will be sleeping in here," Nadeshiko announced.
Sakura and Syaoran both gawked at her, their faces scarlet red. They hadn't been planning on staying in the same room let alone the same bed.
"B-but mom," Sakura stuttered, "we can't stay in the same room! I mean we're not married yet. We're very old fashioned."
Nadeshiko waved her off.
"Oh please, you two are away at college, don't think I'm a fool. You probably spend the night at each other's place all the time so what's the difference? Besides you're adults and the rooms all have queen beds in them and we don't have an even number of guys and girls to pair you up with same sex roommates so we figured we might as well let the couples stay together. We can get hip with the times," she finished with a wink.
Sakura groaned at her mom's lame attempt to be cool.
"Anyway you two should get to bed early, we have a big day of family fun ahead of us tomorrow!" her mother cried excitedly before heading down the hallway to her own room.
The pair just stood there at a loss for words. Finally Syaoran spoke.
"You look like a cover thief."
Sakura blinked, "What?"
"You look like a cover thief," he shrugged, "I'm just saying you better not steal all the covers in the middle of the night."
Sakura narrowed her eyes, "Yeah well you look like a bed hog so you'd better not hog the bed all night or I'll push you out of it!"
In a huff she stormed into the room with her duffle bag. Syaoran glared at her back before following after her. This was not how he wanted to spend his Christmas.
End chapter 2.
A/N: Well that's chapter two. I still want to finish this by Christmas but unfortunately I might not be able to. My boyfriend's grandfather passed away so I spent several hours Sunday and Saturday at the wake and funeral. Plus I got back on the schedule at the Target in my hometown so I could earn some extra cash for Christmas and they gave me several long shifts. I work tonight from 2:30 to close which is midnight or later. I didn't think I'd be full-time since I'm just seasonal. Plus my friends all want to hang out since I'm home from college and of course I'd like to see them too so that's going to take up some time. However, if I don't finish by Christmas I should be able to finish before New Years I think, definitely before I go back to school. So that's within the next two weeks at least. In my haste to get this chapter out quickly, I only had time to proof read it twice so hopefully there aren't many typos. When I have more time I'll proof read it some more and upload a cleaner version. Anyway thanks for the support so far, your reviews have been enjoyable as well as helpful. Keep'em comin' :)
SakuraJade