Summery: As an ordinary girl with ordinary looks and talents, Sakura had always believed that she would have an ordinary life. All that changed when she gets mistaken as a boy due to a make-over and gets recruited in the hottest new boy band. Now, getting her crush, Ryusaki Akira, to notice that she's a girl is harder than ever and the least of her worries. Because now, she has to be a boy.

Author's Note: Sorry for the slow update. Was away from this site due to me forgetting my laptop in Colorado when I was down there visiting some family. Now that I've got it back, I'll write like crazy and post up the next few chapters quickly to make up for the weekly updates that I haven't been doing!

Oh! And about the Characters Guide thingy…hmmm…maybe I'll post it up on my page. Well, I'll find somewhere to put it. I don't like it at the end of my chapters so I deleted it. Sorry for the inconvenience!


K.I.S.S.

Chapter 9: Plans


A ringing in the distance slowly woke Sakura from her slumber. The ringing became louder and more annoying. She mumbled a few unintelligible threats to the clock and pushed it to the floor when it did not heed her warning to "shut up." Heaving a big sigh of relief when the clock's noise died, she let her eyes drift back down, snuggling herself into her warm sheets, and prepared for another doze.

Images of a piano, her fingers flying across the beautiful keys, the music that rang enchanted in the air, and a man pushed their way into her dream.

"I would like you to join K.I.S.S." He requested curtly.

Sakura opened her eyes. Those words had been so real. The images, and even the sounds, too. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. When she was fully awake, she laughed at the absurdity of the dream and her thoughts. Real? How could a dream like that be real? And join K.I.S.S.? Of all things to dream about and thinking it was real!

K.I.S.S. was a boy band who immediately dominated the Oricon charts after their debut. They continued their domination holding the number one spot after each release of a new song. They were also reported to be famous overseas as well. The tickets for the concerts they held were impossible to get because of their popularity.

All four boys in the group were reported to be incredibly handsome with great talents, which added to their ever increasing popularity. Girls, women, and even men of all ages fell prey to their voices and their wonderful music.

Recently, K.I.S.S. announced to the public that they were going on hiatus, though they didn't quite state the reason behind this. This announcement broke the hearts of many fans. Still, their songs continued to be up in the top ten spots showing the greatness of their reputation.

Sakura let out another laugh. She must be going crazy to think that she would be asked to join K.I.S.S. And why would they be looking for someone to join?

The tick of the backup clock stationed at her dresser sent itself into another ringing frenzy. Sakura shook the lingering dream away and sighed. Getting up, Sakura walked over to the clock and tapped the snooze button. Grabbing her towel, she made her way sluggishly to the bathroom. Setting her things down, she turned toward the mirror and let out a scream.

The image of a man, a very handsome man, stared back at her. Turning her face to the left, then the right, she was horrified to see that the image reflected her exact movements. The events of the previous day came flooding back to her. The salon, the volunteering, the makeover, the photo shoot. After the photo shoot, things went a little hazy.

But the dream kept bothering her. It had felt so real. Sakura searched her brain. What really did happen after the photo shoot? She remembered taking Royama out to eat cakes and chatting about his past. She had learned a lot about him and about how he and his friends were cheated. She also remembered him eating so much, later telling her that he had a really, really big sweet tooth. He had ordered more for the road, too, taking full advantage of her offer! Thankfully she had some cash on her and the money she made from the shoot.

Touya had called her during the chat and asked her to pick up his ring at the stadium where they usually held their concerts. While she was there, she played the piano for a bit. Then…

Sakura gasped. Running back to her room, she searched her expensive dress coat. Sure enough, a hard thin piece of plastic met her fingers. Gripping it, she pulled it out. The card was clear and see through. The words on it were backwards so she flipped it over. The symbol for Prince ENTERTAINMENT decorated the entire right side in silver and green metallic colors. On the left was the name "Tsujimoto Junsuke" after the word "Manager". His various contact information was printed below. At the top of the card, in big black letters that were bolded, the name "K.I.S.S."was printed.

Sakura needed to talk to Tomoyo. Not only about her make-over but also about the offer she was made by the manager of K.I.S.S. Her father and brother will probably freak about her hair, since it was the only thing that helped identify her as a girl, but it was too late to do anything else about it. and anyway, she didn't exactly hate it. she quite liked short hair. It was simple and easy to take care of.

Sakura ran back to the bathroom and quickly got ready, then ran to her room to throw on some appropriate clothes. Rushing down the stairs, she found a letter from her father on the kitchen table.

"Sakura-chan, I'll be away accompanying other archaeologist professors this weekend for a field research on a new site. Touya called and said he will also be away this weekend. If you need anything, there is money on the counter. Take care. Signed, Otou-san." Sakura read aloud.

Sakura reread the note one more time. "Good. They won't see me like this for the weekend. When they come back, I'll have thought of something. I hope they'll recognize me and won't think a stranger was living here while they were gone."

Looking at the fare laid out on the table, she unwrapped one of the dishes. Steam escaped up into the air and with it the aromatic smell of the food. Sakura guessed her father had just left, since the food was still hot. The smell of the food filled her nostrils and she temporarily forgot about the card. Sitting down, she slapped her hands together. "Itadakimasu!"

After eating and cleaning up, Sakura slipped on her rollerblades and glided through the door. It took her a while to reach Tomoyo's big mansion, but the exercise was good. Reaching the gate, Sakura pushed the button on the intercom and announced herself to the butler. Once the metal doors swung open, Sakura made her way up to the house.

Inside, she sat in one of the large, nicely decorated waiting rooms. Green tea and mini cakes were brought for her choosing. Sakura sipped the tea, letting the grassy vegetal taste wash over her tongue. Grabbing a small cake shaped like a sakura flower, Sakura popped it into her mouth.

"Sakura-chan?"

Sakura turned around in her seat, still chewing the sweet delicacy. Tomoyo stood by the doorway of the waiting room, so perfect and straight in posture. Her hands were clasped loosely in front of her. Part of her flowing hair was held back neatly by a dark blue ribbon, the rest fell pleasingly about her shoulders and waist.

Sakura quickly swallowed the cake. "Tomoyo-chan! Konnichiwa!"

A slow smile crossed her face. "Konnichiwa, Sakura-kun. It seems that your plans for revenge didn't turn out too well?"

Sakura blushed. Even without telling Tomoyo her plans for making Ryusaki regret, her little outburst about it gave everything all away.

"So, what happened?" Tomoyo prodded as she took a seat across from Sakura.

"Eto…well, you see," Sakura started. She relayed the events of what happened to her yesterday to Tomoyo, leaving nothing out. Sakura took out the card and passed it to Tomoyo. "And that's what happened."

Tomoyo studied the card. "Ah. Prince ENTERTAINMENT, brother to Princess ENTERTAINMENT." Tomoyo went quiet again, tilting her head. "Tsujimoto Junsuke. Have you heard of him before this?"

"Iie. That was the first time." Sakura told her honestly, shaking her head.

"Tsujimoto Junsuke. He's widely known. Nadakai."

"For what?"

"Finding talent."

Sakura brought her brows together in a frown. "Finding talent? Anyone could do that."

Tomoyo handed the card back and shook her head. "Not like him. The people that he's found, singers, actors, actresses, talents. Each and every one have risen to the tops. He knows what to promote and what not to, how to use a situation to best get the celebrity publicized, when and where to debut a song or a talent, and such things. He knows everything there is to know about show biz."

Awed, Sakura studied the man's card as if it were him she was looking at.

"Many have tried to get him to be their manager using money. For him, money isn't what he wants."

"What does he want?"

"Like I have said before. True talent." Tomoyo said, her face set in a serious expression. "If the person doesn't have talent, he would never give that person a second thought."

Silence reigned. Sakura turned the words over. Why would Tsujimoto Junsuke ask her to join K.I.S.S.? Did he see talent in her? But K.I.S.S. was a boy band. He knew she was a girl. Why would he ask her to join, unless…?

Sakura jerked her head up to look at Tomoyo only to notice that Tomoyo was observing her. "Nani ka?"

Tomoyo smiled and shook her head. "Nothing. It's just…you make a very handsome man, Sakura-kun." Her grin had widened with every word.

"Sankyu." Sakura said, letting the English vowels roll over her tongue. She returned Tomoyo's smile with a dazzling one of her own.

Tomoyo's smile dropped momentarily as she blinked, then it was quickly replaced. Sakura frowned. Tomoyo never used one of her fake smiles unless she was pretending to be nice. Or unless she was hiding something. It bothered her. "Why are you using that fake smile?"

To Sakura's surprise, Tomoyo laughed. It was a real laugh.

"I can never fool you, can I."

It was more of a statement than a question, so Sakura didn't bother to answer. Instead, she asked, "Well? Are you gonna tell me or not?"

"I just thought that you could really make girls fall in love with you using that smile of yours." Tomoyo told her frankly. "Imagine all the girls at school professing their love to you. What would Ryusuke say to that?" Tomoyo let out a musical laugh, clapping her hands together with joy.

Tomoyo was having too much fun. Sakura shook her head in hopelessness. Once Tomoyo's got an idea, her thoughts would run wild. Especially involving her designing outfits for the situation and trying to capture it all on film. Although, she did want to see Ryusuke's face when he sees that a girl is even more popular than him among other girls.

"What are you going to do?"

Sakura looked up, surprised at the question. "Eh? Nani ka?"

"Are you going to accept Tsukimoto-sama's invitation to join as a member of K.I.S.S.?" Tomoyo inquired with curiosity.

Sakura immediately shook her head in response.

Raising a questioning brow, Tomoyo sat back. "Doushite?"

"Tsukimoto-sama knew that I was a girl. Still, he asked me to join." Sakura glanced down at the card in her hand and tapped it lightly. "Doesn't that mean he wants me to pose as a boy?"

"Hmm…that would be a problem."

"I don't think I can fool the public into believing I am a boy." Sakura told her.

Tomoyo's lips turned upward at her words. "You certainly fooled me."

"Ho-honto desu ka?" Sakura hadn't thought Tomoyo was fooled at all. Sure she looked like a boy, but she acted like a girl, doesn't she?

"Honto." Tomoyo confirmed. "You could fool anyone if you wanted. But that's only if you want to." Tomoyo got up and walked over to Sakura. Moving aside, Sakura made room for her friend. Tomoyo picked a cake and popped it into her mouth.

"I don't know." Sakura ran her fingers over the information on the card thoughtfully.

Tomoyo perked up and shifted to look at her. "Maa, since you don't know what to do, how about my plan?"

"Plan?" Sakura repeated weakly. Judging from Tomoyo's tone, her 'plan' probably would be something Sakura didn't want do.

Tomoyo bobbed her head up and down. "Hai! My plan."


Author's Note: Well, that's the end of the chapter!

Anyway, below are clarifications on the Japanese words/phrases if they are a mystery to you. (I was wondering, do any of you still need the small words like 'hai', 'iie', 'maa' ?? little words such as those, I'm not going to mention them below anymore…sorry if this is inconvenient!)

Oricon charts - (Oricon Inc.) releases music charts, the ratings, in Japan and is similar to the "Billboard charts" in the U.S.

Itadakimasu - means 'let's eat' and said before eating a meal

Konnichiwa - means 'hello' or 'good afternoon'

Nadakai - means 'famous'

Nani ka - means 'what?'

Sankyu - means 'thank you' a Japanese variant on the English word

Doushite - means 'why'

Honto desu ka - means 'really?' or 'is that true?' (using 'honto ni' would be okay too, I think)