Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura and everything you could recognize yours.
Summary: Syaoran has a band and their drummer just quit. Trying to find a new one, he stumbles upon the least person he thought could play. He stumbles upon music and something even more…
A/N: Sorry for the late update. Don't forget to leave me a review okay?
Chapter 2: Band Leader
Syaoran sullenly walked down the stairs of his two-storey condominium. He barely got any sleep the night before, trying to come up with a new song for the band. He let out another yawn as he scratched his messier-than-usual hair.
"Do you know what time is it?"
He let out a small yelp at the sound of the voice coming from the kitchen. "Feimei! What are you doing here?" his sleepiness was all gone.
Li Feimei, a girl in with flowing chestnut brown hair, smiled at him as she unpacked bags of grocery goodies on the marble counter. "I thought I'd drop by," she told him with a genuine smile. "I didn't know you sleep 'til afternoon now, little brother."
Syaoran shrugged. "Does mom know you're here?"
Feimei let out a sigh and shook her head. "No," she replied. "You know how mom disapproves of you having a band instead of going to business school." The unhappiness was evident in her voice.
"I know," Syaoran said nonchalantly as he took a seat on the dining table.
"And I don't understand why you have to pretend to be dumb," Feimei's voice was starting to sound stern. "You are the brightest guy I know!" At this point she was facing Syaoran with her hands on her hips, frowning.
Syaoran sighed. It wasn't the first time – and he has a feeling it wouldn't be the last – that he was confronted with the same question. "You don't understand – "
"The hell I don't!" Feimei cut him off.
"Could you at least let me finish?" he exclaimed, silencing his sister. "This band's the best thing that ever happened to me," he started after another sigh. "I don't want Eriol and the others treating me the same way you guys do at home. It's the very reason I left."
Feimei smiled. "I know what you mean."
"Yeah right."
"I do!" Feimei exclaimed defensively.
"Fine," he wanted to dismiss the topic. "So, are you gonna fix me my lunch or something?"
"It will be my honor to make the next – " Feimei cut herself the moment she saw the glare Syaoran was sending her. She shrugged. "Fine. Yes I will," she grudgingly rephrased her answer. "Happy now?"
Syaoran flashed one of his rare smiles. "As ever."
00 00 00 00 00
"I'm telling you," Tomoyo started as she and Sakura exited the last store on her list of 'places to go to' that morning. "You better prepare yourself for the daggers once we get back to the studio. You got Li really pissed off."
"So?" Sakura was trying hard not to sound cocky, but it came out just the same.
"So?" Tomoyo echoed. "What do you mean 'so'? This is the Mr. Li Syaoran with the 'attitude' we are talking about!"
"So?" she gave her the same, plain, answer. "I thought you guys didn't care about his weird mood swings?"
Tomoyo smirked. "We don't," she retorted as they finally walked out of the mall. "But Eriol and I had our own encounter with the 'pissed-off band leader'. And there's nothing good about it."
"Are you trying to scare me?" Sakura asked with one eyebrow raised.
Tomoyo chuckled, shaking her head. "Of course not. We need you too much."
Sakura's eyebrows furrowed. "Then what are you trying to say?"
"That you prepare yourself for the practice later."
"As in the 'playing part' or the 'confrontation with the awesome Li-sama part'?" Sakura wasn't slow, she just doesn't get what Tomoyo was trying to imply. To her, she can handle Li Syaoran, the band leader with the attitude, better than she can handle her own overprotective brother. Or so she thought until Tomoyo doubted her confidence.
"Uhm…" Tomoyo looked like she was really thinking about it. "Both."
Sakura opened the door of the Mercedes sedan that was their ride to and from the mall when it arrived in front of the 'loading and unloading' shed. "I don't understand," she told Tomoyo frankly as they got in with all the shopping bags – they went all out since the recording company said they'd take care of the bills for 'reinvention'. "He's… to put it bluntly… dumb as a post."
Tomoyo giggled at the comment. "Well, yeah… So?"
"So… I think I could handle him," Sakura wished she sounded less overconfident. "Even with that attitude of his."
Tomoyo shrugged. "I don't know," she trailed of, doubt overflowing. "Thing is, we're not really sure he's as stupid as he renders himself to be."
Sakura cocked an eyebrow. "He's not?"
"I think you'll figure out later."
00 00 00 00 00
Eriol was already inside the studio, slumped on the couch with a book in his hand, when Sakura and Tomoyo came in. "Why do girls always take more than an hour when they go out shopping?" it was what he decided to welcome them with.
"It's just natural for us to do so," Tomoyo replied as she put down the shopping bags at the nearest corner. "And besides, don't you think I did a great job?" she added, gesturing Eriol to look at Sakura.
Eriol looked up from his book and grinned. "Nice job," he simply said.
Sakura had changed from her faded jeans and pastel-colored shirt into a knee length black skirt, a silver, chain-like belt hanging in her hips, and hot pink, tight, top. Her eyes were highlighted by black eyeliner, and her hair was in a messy, high ponytail. She wore high-cut black, sneakers.
"You forgot to put on the accessories!" Tomoyo exclaimed when she noticed what was missing.
Sakura smiled uneasily. "Sorry, I don't really like those kind of things."
"But you have to wear them if you wanna be one of us!" it sounded like a job requirement.
"Can I just wear them in the gigs?" Sakura negotiated. For her, accessories only got in her way.
Tomoyo huffed. "Fine," she replied. "But you will wear them."
"Who knew you had it in you, Kinomoto," Eriol remarked, thoroughly examining Sakura from head to toe.
Sakura felt uneasy under his meticulous gaze. She never had anybody scrutinize her before.
"What are you still doing here, talking about useless stuff?" Syaoran entered the studio with his guitar. "You should be sound checking by now." He was clearly in a bad mood.
Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're the one who's late," she retaliated.
Wrong move.
Syaoran, who clearly hasn't forgotten about what Sakura did to his precious pants, turned to her with a stern look in his face. It was different from the glares he normally gives everyone. It was colder. Serious.
Sakura gulped involuntarily as she lowered her eyes, averting Syaoran's icy glare.
"I don't remember asking who's late," he replied before entering the recording booth.
Sakura let out a sigh of relief the moment the door closed. She didn't notice she was holding her breath until Syaoran was completely out of sight. She turned to Tomoyo with a look that said it all – 'Is that what you were talking about?'.
Tomoyo simply nodded.
Sakura remained silent. She seems to be suddenly missing her voice to even let out squeak.
"He's in a worse mood than usual," Eriol remarked as he closed his book and stood up from the couch. "We better not keep him waiting."
Tomoyo grabbed her guitar and followed Eriol inside the recording booth.
Sakura's P.O.V.
"C'mon Sakura," Tomoyo called out to me, her head poking out of the door.
I simply stared at her with a blank expression. It's not that I didn't hear her. I heard her perfectly. It's just that, my legs refused to cooperate with me. They were glued to the spot.
"Sakura!" she called again, in a more tensed tone.
This time, I managed to nod at the least, but my legs aren't moving at all. What was it that actually shocked me? That he glared at me? No. That he was, for the first time since yesterday, looked seriously angry at me? No.
I let out a sigh. It hit me.
It was because of his eyes. His eyes looked like it could kill. It was… cold.
I gulped again. This is starting to get really creepy. I tried to remember how to breathe. Even that, I was starting to forget.
It was the first time anybody looked at me like that.
It wasn't of disgust, it wasn't of angry, it was… It was a look a heartless being.
I wasn't shocked at all.
No.
I was scared.
Normal P.O.V.
Sakura finally managed to make her body obey her and hurriedly entered the recording booth. She walked over to her place at the far back, avoiding Syaoran's eyes.
"Took you long enough," Syaoran murmured when she scurried past him. I think I over did it a little, he told himself when Sakura did not even bother to retaliate. "Okay. Same song, Daidouji. On four."
The practice went on for two hours and a half. They practiced the same set of songs, only an hour and a half longer than usual.
Sakura slumped in the couch after drinking the bottle of water she had left when she and Tomoyo went to the mall. "Who knew playing the drums could be this tiring!" she exclaimed, her head facing the ceiling. She was good for the first hour, but the extra one and a half did her in. "I'm too exhausted to even hit another snare!"
Tomoyo chuckled. She was breathing harder than usual as well. "Li was really into it today," she remarked.
Eriol nodded. "My fingers are a little numb," he said as he eyed his shaking hands. "Something must've happened that he's in a very bad mood."
Sakura looked at both her band mate's slightly worried expressions. "Hey," she started, deciding to voice out her curiosity from earlier. "Do you… Do you know anything about Li?" she sounded unsure.
Tomoyo's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean, 'anything'?"
"Anything," she repeated. "His family? Where he lives? … Anything."
Eriol let out a sigh. "Not really," he replied, looking as if he was in deep thought. "I think he lives in a nearby condominium though."
Sakura was slightly taken a back. "You mean you don't really know who he is? Or where he came from?" she asked, shock evident in her voice. She cocked an eyebrow in disbelief as she watched both of them nod. "Then why are you even in a band with him?"
Tomoyo smiled. It was a good point. "You know," she started. "Even though Li can be a bit rough at times, he's a really good guy."
Eriol nodded. "He may not look it but he cares for this band more than anyone," he elaborated further. "I guess you can say we trust him. That's why we stick around."
"He's a very closed guy," Tomoyo added. "You can't just ask him about personal things without him getting all sensitive about it. I tried to, once…" she trailed off as if in a trance. "He shot me a glare."
"The cold one?" Sakura just had to ask.
Tomoyo nodded with a sigh.
"And besides," Eriol interjected as he leaned on the wall. "He doesn't ask us anything either. I guess all's fair."
Sakura looked deep in thought as she took all the information in. There's definitely something he's not telling us about, she concluded, following Syaoran with her gaze as soon as he entered the studio with the same stern look. And I'm going to find out what.
00 00 00 00 00
Sakura's P.O.V.
I was really determined to find out more about our mysterious band leader. I was really intrigued by the way Tomoyo and Hiiragizawa knew nothing about him. I mean, they are friends, no doubt about that. Even though they don't really show it, I know they cared for one another. In some twisted, and incomprehensible way, yes, but still they do.
And so I came up with the lamest idea on the last minute.
"Li!" I shouted as I was closing the distance between us. He got on the elevator before mine. I thought he'd be gone by the time I get to the lobby.
He turned at the sound of his name. "What?" he asked as cold as ever as soon as I arrived at his side, panting.
"I was wondering if you have… uh… cd's with good drum solos," I answered tentatively. I slapped myself inside. Stupid, lame excuse.
Syaoran cocked an eyebrow at me. "Good drum solos?" he echoed mockingly.
At this point I was starting to see Tomoyo's point. He really didn't sound so dumb. Actually, he didn't sound dumb at all! It only made me want to pry more.
I nodded. "Y-You know," okay, how can I make this sound less pathetic? "Drum solos… uh… the… um… you know… so I can learn… um… c-come up with something for the band."
Way to go SakuraI can't believe I just made a fool out of myself! I sounded even more ridiculous!
Crap.
"Uh… yeah," he sounded unsure. I just know he's laughing at me from the inside. "Why?"
I gulped. "I was wondering if I could borrow it?"
He turned to face the driveway. "Sure," he said. "I'll bring them tomorrow." He then started walking.
You won't get any information this way, Sakura! I cheered myself on, hoping another boost of pure confidence would do it. "But!" I honestly didn't mean to sound so pleading. Stupid mouth!
Syaoran turned with a blank expression on his face.
He was really starting to confuse me. Dumb. Not dumb. Dumb. Not dumb. He's dumb one time and not dumb the next! Can't he just make up his mind?
"I-I wanted to check them out tonight," I almost stuttered all the way through.
"The cd's?" There he goes again, being dumb!
I slapped myself in thought. Argh! Which is it?! Like anyone would really answer me.
I nodded and tried my best to smile.
He titled his head. He looked dumber. "Fine," he finally said after a few seconds. "My place's just a few blocks away. Follow me if you must." And then back to being canny in a flash.
I rolled my eyes before following him. I swear his weirdness is going to rub off on me if I'm not careful.
I know it took forever for me to update… I really really really sorry… Please don't kill me… and… I'm kinda stuck with the other stories, so I wasn't able to update… but as soon as I get some new ideas I promise to okay? I hope you weren't confused as I was in this chapter heehee…
Uhm, do you think it's moving too fast? Criticisms are welcome! No flames please!
I want to thank the following for their reviews: H0tti3B3b3MewyThe Supernaturalist-Kori Kage Tenshi-velvet tealVicky's SparkssilentglimmerKikto-chanshyper-nessalmosthere13'Star Sisterz'mysteriousmayhemmakerBlueMeteorGirlFroggy Coffee BeanThanks again!
tykat92– Thanks for the review! I hope you don't mind me using the idea. I hope I made some sense in this chapter when I explained why Tomoyo and Eriol was working with Syaoran. Anyway, thanks again!
Musette Fujiwara– thanks for the review! And for the ideas as well. I'm really good at 'punk' style. I hope you wouldn't mind if I use some of your suggestions later on when I dress them again? Thank you thank you!
murder.death.suicide– don't worry I don't wear make up either! I think lips gloss' so sticky, I don't like them! I just had to put some on Sakura… sorry heehee. Don't worry it's gone now. Sorry if disappointed you by updating so late. I can't help it, I have school… Although I do want to (sighs). Anyway, please continue reading and enjoy! Thanks for the review!
For questions email me or - better - include it in your reviews (love them!) Ja ne! – d0ubtfuL (formerly simply-0bsessed)
