Author's Note: We're at London and it's time for the long search for Eriol to begin. So where does Madison begin first? And will Sakura and Li catch up to her?


Dateline: Thursday 4:00 PM (16:00)

Location: Chapel Street Market

Madison looked out the taxi's window and found herself in a big farmers market. There weren't many people, seeing as it was Thursday, and Madison liked that. She came to look for Eriol, but she really wanted to look at a few things first. So she paid the driver and got out. Dragging her bags along, Madison went to the first fruit stand she found. She bought a few apples, began to eat one, and left some to take to…wherever she was staying.

"Hey!"

Madison abruptly turned around to see the peanut vendor frantically digging around his display.

"What happened, Chuck?" the apple woman asked.

"My peanuts!" Chuck the peanut vendor answered. "There was something digging around my peanuts. They're bloody freeloaders! But it looked too big to be a bug. It was probably some kind of gopher!"

"Gophers don't eat peanuts!" the apple woman laughed. "I think you haven't used enough of that repellant, Chuck. You've got pests. Looks like you're out of luck again." She then turned to Madison. "Hey, you're not from around these parts, are you?"

Madison was a little edgy, being in a strange place. "N-No, I'm from…Japan."

"Japan, you say? We don't get many tourists from anywhere around this time of year. So what's your name, kid?"

"M-Madison Taylor."

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Sydney. Here, take a free apple. So what brings to London, Madison Taylor?"

"Um…actually…I came here to look for someone."

"You lose someone?"

Madison hesitated. "S-Sort of. I'm looking for…a boy."

"Wow, never seen that before," Chuck blurted out. "She couldn't find anyone in her own country, so she's looking for a fine British boy."

"Shut your mouth!" Sydney snapped. She turned back to Madison. "Don't mind him, dear. He's always putting his foot in his mouth. So you've come to London looking for a boy? Do you know him?"

"Y-Yes I do." Madison reached into her purse and pulled out a picture of her beloved Eriol. "I'm looking for this boy. His name is Eriol. We met…years ago, but he left. I want to find him."

"Oh, I can see that you feel something for this boy," the apple woman pointed out. "No one else would come all this way to look for a boy if she didn't feel something for him." Then she took a closer look at the picture. "Hey, Chuck! We've seen this boy before, haven't we?"

Chuck came over and looked at Eriol's picture. They both examined the photo closely and tried to piece together if they had seen him.

"I believe we have seen him around," Chuck finally said. "He comes around every other day. Occasionally stops here for an apple and a bag of peanuts."

"He's quite a looker," Sydney added. "You know him?"

Madison nodded. "I've…known him for a while. He came to Japan a long time ago, but then…just a few years ago…he left. Do you know where I can find him?"

Chuck snickered. "Can you believe this, Sydney? It's like something out of a movie. A love- struck girl travels overseas to find the one she loves. They say France is the place for romance, but I think that's rubbish. England can be just as romantic. Um…what were we talking about again?"

Sydney gently pushed Chuck aside. "I wish I could help you, I really do. But I don't know where he is. All I know is that he comes around every once in a while."

Madison hung her head down disappointedly. She sadly took a bite out of her apple and thought about what to do next.

"If he comes by," Chuck began, "should we let him know you're looking for him?"

"Oh, that's sweet of you guys," Madison smiled. "But that's ok, really. If I do find Eriol, I want this to be a complete surprise. Well, I'd better get going. Do you guys know where I can find a hotel?"

"There's one just around that corner," Sydney pointed out. "Jury's London Inn. It's a four-star establishment. It might be a tad pricey, but I don't think there's another place for miles."

Madison smiled at her two new friends. "Thank you." She then picked her bags up and started walking out.

"Good luck, Madison Taylor," she heard Sydney say. "I hope you find your lost love. Chuck…what are you doing?"

"That bloody pest struck again! What happened to my peanuts?"

Dateline: Thursday 4:05 (16:05)(The middle of the last conversation)

Location: Chapel Street Market

Kero greedily ate up another peanut. He loved being small enough to steal them without anyone seeing him. He knocked a pay phone off the hook and dialed the number, calling collect, of course. The phone rang a few times.

"Come on," Kero muttered. "Can't you two wait 'til later to kiss?"

Finally, someone answered at the fourth ring. It was Sakura.

"We're here, Kero. Where are you?"

"I'm not too sure…wait…it's the Chapel Street Market."

"Should we catch up to you?"

"You should stay put. I think Madison's about to move on."

"Where?"

"Hold on a second," Kero mumbled impatiently. He kept an ear out until he heard the words he was looking.

"There's one just around that corner. Jury's London Inn. It's a four-star establishment. It might be a tad pricey, but I don't think there's another place for miles."

"I just got it, Sakura," Kero said cheerfully. "Jury's London Inn. We'll all meet there?"

"We'll be waiting for you, Kero. You…do know what we look like, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah. Trench coats, fake wig and braids, and sunglasses. I'll find you. If not, I'll at least recognize the Chinese brat's stench."

Kero could have sworn he heard Li say something, but by then he had flown back into Madison's bag. He was just in time, too. Madison picked up her bags and started walking out. He hoped Sakura got to that hotel fast, because if Madison opened her bags, she'd be in for a big surprise.

Dateline: Thursday 5:00 PM (17:00)

Location: Jury's London Inn

"Do you see her, Li?"

Sakura looked at all the passing taxis, waiting to see if Madison would come out. There was no such luck, though.

"She'll be here, Sakura," Li said. "Then again, this IS Kero."

"I trust Kero," Sakura uttered, sounding a bit offended. "If he says she'll be here, then she'll be here."

It was about another five-minute wait, but finally the right taxicab came in. Madison came out of the cab and unloaded her luggage from the back seat. As she reached into the taxi to pay the cab driver, Kero climbed out of her bag and subtly made his way towards Sakura and Li. Sakura crouched down and let Kero slide into her pocket.

"You did great, Kero," Sakura said cheerfully. She looked at her best friend gathering her luggage and grinned. "This is just what I've been waiting for."

Sakura eagerly reached into her trench coat and pulled out her video camera. As Madison passed by, she pulled Li behind a potted palm plant. Then she pointed her camera right at her best friend.

"Ok, Madison. It's time for the tables to turn."

Li tried to interject himself. "Uh…Sakura?"

"Think of it, Li. I'll have practically the whole trip on tape."

"Uh…Sakura?"

"It'll be so cute! Especially if…what am I saying…WHEN she finds Eriol!"

Li tugged on Sakura's sleeve. "Sakura?"

"What is it, Li?"

"You have to take the lens cap off," he pointed out.

Sakura giggled sheepishly as she removed the lens cap. "Maybe this isn't as easy as I thought."



Madison walked up to the front desk, where there was a calm, elegant clerk and a nervous, edgy bellhop. They were both young; the clerk couldn't be any older than 20 and the bellhop looked to be about Madison's age.

"Can I help you?" the clerk asked.

"I'm…looking for a room," Madison said hesitantly. "Are there any available?"

"We do have some available," the clerk said, "but the usual check-in time is about 14:00."

Madison didn't know what to say. She felt like she was ready to panic. If she couldn't get a room, she had no where else to stay. She couldn't sleep out in the street.

"But…" the clerk continued, "for such a lovely young lady, I'll make an exception. You…aren't from around here, are you?"

It's what everybody seemed to notice all the time. Everyone she met, even while in the United States, seemed to immediately know that Madison was a foreigner. But she just ignored it.

"I'm…from Japan. I just arrived in London a few hours ago."

"There's no need to worry," the clerk said suavely. "You have a room for the night…provided you have the money."

"Oh, I do," Madison nodded. She took out the money she withdrew and handed it to the clerk.

The clerk clapped his hands. "Derek, please help this young lady with her bags. Take her up to Room 36A."

The nervous bellhop, Derek, picked up Madison's bags and started heading for the stairs, nearly dropping one of them.

"I'm sorry," Derek apologized. "I'll be a little more careful."

Madison never saw someone so nervous. Someone needed to relax from the pressures of his job. But she didn't say anything. She just followed Derek up the stairs.



"What was that room number again?" Sakura asked.

"I heard Room 36A," Li answered. "Of course, if you want to be sure, you can always play that tape back."

Sakura realized she still had the camera rolling and quickly turned it off. "Oops. Looks like I don't know when to turn the camera off. So when should we get our room?"

"Right now sounds good."

Not arguing that, Sakura stuffed the video camera in her trench coat and walked with Li to the front desk. There was that clerk, getting ready to put on his routine.

"Oh, a couple," the clerk grinned. "It's not often we get couples on a Thursday. So how are you two this fine day?"

"We're…doing just fine," Sakura replied. "But we'd be doing a lot better if we could get a room."

"Hmm…" the clerk thought, "I've already had to break the rules once today. I wonder if I should risk it again?" Then he reached over and kissed Sakura's hand. "Why not? I could break the rules again for such a pretty girl." He looked up at Li. "You're a lucky man, sir."

"Thanks," Li said dryly. Then he took Sakura's hand as if to reinforce the fact that she was his. "Can we get our room now?"

The clerk looked up at the stairs just in time to see Derek the bellhop coming back down. He must've been done with Madison. The boy was a bundle of nerves, but he worked fast.

"Derek, we have two more. Take their bags up to…Room 34B."

"Oh, 34B?" Derek repeated. "That's a beauty. I'll get you up there in no time."

Derek took the bags and suitcases and made his way up the stairs, occasionally stumbling just like he did with Madison. Sakura and Li, holding hands, then followed the bellhop up the stairs.


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