Nami considered the
painting. Noting her concentration,
Leiko glanced over. "That's the cliff
at the north end of the bay."
"Yes, it is. And I plan to dive off it one day," Nami
said, adding minor touches.
"Great, you tell me when,
and I'll gather up the squad to support you. Who knows, maybe the media will be there," Leiko bubbled. Neither girls' statements were outlandish. Nami was the top diver for her school
district, and she participated in long distance swim trials. She had many fans due to her skills; though,
most cheering males were only admiring her spandex form. Leiko, on the other hand, was the first
junior to ever become captain of the cheerleading squad. She loved the spotlight. Maintaining their dominance at a national
level would ensure she stayed a media darling. In the interim, she contented herself with turning heads across
campus.
Nami looked over at Leiko's
drawing. "That's an interesting
perspective," Nami remarked. The
painting depicted a girl with her dog in what appeared to be a park, though it
was hard to discern. The scenery
blurred to either side of the subjects.
"It's how I remember my
childhood," Leiko responded, "that day is clear, but the details are
fading." The girls' attention was drawn
to Sato's announcement of a new male student. They giggled appropriately at the art teacher's blunt responses and
apparent conclusions. Though chased by males
far and wide, at that moment, curiosity got the best of them. Nami and Leiko
turned around to evaluate the new guy.
Syaoran Li walked into the
room, and shallow looks of interest were replaced by expressions seldom seen.
"Who is that?" Nami
asked.
"I'll make sure I know
soon," Leiko replied.
"As if," Nami snorted, "he
looks chiseled. Plus, being new, he has
to take mandatory swim." A predatory
look crossed her face. "I'll make sure
he needs rescuing."
"How do you know he's well
built?" Tomoyo interjected, "he's wearing a full school uniform."
Nami smiled, "After seeing many
men in street clothes and then swim suits, you acquire the skill. It's the way a guy walks, how his clothes
hang." Sakura, listening to the
conversation, decided to make an appraisal. To her dismay, the male in question had already taken a seat behind the
professor's canvas, hidden from sight.
"Class," the professor
boomed, "we have a new student. Being
male, we know why he signed up. Thus,
he will only speak to me, and not harass anyone else in the room."
"You cannot harass the
willing," an anonymous girl shouted back.
"Since he is here for art,
he does not need to know your names," the professor continued, "but, in case he
gives any of you trouble, I shall provide you his name. May I introduce a Mr. Syaoran Li."
Sakura's paintbrush fell to
the floor. Glancing at Tomoyo, she
whispered, "did he say?"
"I think so," Tomoyo
nodded. "Could there be another with
the same name?"
"I don't know," Sakura
admitted. A strange emotion danced
across her face. "I need to get a
look." She moved to get up. Tomoyo grabbed her arm.
"Sakura, what are you
doing?" Tomoyo hissed, "trying to get into trouble after only two days of
class? We'll wait for him after
class. Oh, just as a heads up, he's not
short anymore."
"Tomoyo, can't you give a
better description than that? It's been
five years!" Sakura huffed.
"Sure," Tomoyo replied, "he
looks like a dessert that half our class wants to sample."
"Li was never a girl
magnet," Sakura said in a puzzled voice.
"Li, not Syaoran…going
formal," Tomoyo remarked. "Puberty did
wonders for that boy."
Sakura picked up her
paintbrush. "Tomoyo! I can't believe you said that!" she
exclaimed.
"You'll
see," Tomoyo winked, "we'll wait for him after class."
***
"Syaoran
Li may have returned, but you're not sure?" Kero said in exasperation, "how did
this happen?"
Sakura
looked at the guardian of the Clow Cards, and thought, I remember when Syaoran
described Kero as a little stuffed animal with wings. "Kero, it's not my fault!" Sakura said in own her defense, "I
waited outside the class until it was time for next period. The teacher held him after class to get him
up to speed."
"And
rest of the day?" Kero prompted, "did he vanish into thin air?"
"Actually,
he did," Sakura grumbled. "My feet are
so sore. I ran all over the campus
looking for him, but don't worry, Tomoyo will obtain a copy of his class
schedule."
"How?"
Kero asked.
"Administrators
turn to mush whenever she smiles," Sakura answered. "So, have you sensed anything dangerous?"
"No,"
the guardian beast shook his head, " Li-san showed up last time due to the
power you released. I would have
noticed any surge of that magnitude. Then again, it may not be him. Need to make sure it really is him, or we will be wasting a lot of
time. After all, what else could have
brought him back?"
"I
can think of a couple things," Sakura responded, "but, don't worry, we'll find
him tomorrow, whatever it takes."
***
Syaoran stood in his new
apartment, boxes all around him. Back
in Japan, with a new school and new
faces, he thought. This is where
the signs led, so here is where I will search. He ripped open the box next to him, and pulled out a set of
tomes, carefully wrapped. After all,
it's not like I haven't done this before.
***
Syaoran pulled out a set of tomes, carefully wrapped. The cloth that protected them was of the softest linen. Though rather new in appearance, the books carried an aura of great age. The covers were embossed with gold, the pages made of the finest silk. The sheer expenses to construct such books were staggering, to say little of the knowledge inside. He opened to the first page. "To make a weapon, you must know its place in the world," he read out loud. He thought for a moment. Replacing the book, Syaoran surveyed the library around him. The circular room was a continuous wall of bookshelves, which spiralled upward to untold heights. A ramped walkway followed along the side. Roped catwalks traversed the upper reaches.
Walking up to a random
shelf, Syaoran looked at the titles: Forging Silver Weapons, Controlling Fire Elementals, Magically Imbued Cards. He pulled out the last title. This is something I know a lot about, he
thought. Opening to the introduction,
he read,"…now that you have created the basic cards of your deck…" With that, Syaoran stopped reading and
closed the text. Then again, maybe I've
only been in the shallow end of the pool, he reconsidered.
Continuing his perusal,
Syaoran walked past entire sections on potions, charms, eastern magic, western
magic, and forging weapons. Sitting on
one of the higher shelves, he noticed a book whose title literally glowed: Introduction to Magic of the Spirit. Gingerly removing the book, he sat down to
read. To his dismay, he could not read
it, no, best described, he could not see the page. It was as though someone had trapped darkness within the confines
of the manual. He touched the page with
his hand. It did not go through. I am looking at my hand, he thought. Along this line of reasoning, I can feel
this page. He turned the page to find
its twin. Neat trick, he said to
himself. Carefully replacing the book,
he directed his attention to some red books, all labelled Candidates. Glancing
through one, he found it dated 2100 B.C. to 1600 B.C. Each page contained lists of names. The set of red books spanned several shelves ending with a
single, black volume lettered in gold. It was entitled Graduates, Beginning to Present. After the implications had fully registered,
Syaoran walked back to his original tome and shook his head. Know my weapon's place in the world? I don't even know my own.
Then, Syaoran berated
himself. What kind of mindset is
that? I am hopelessly outmatched, and
lo, what has that old man provided? A
means to an end, their end, he concluded grimly. The library took on a whole new light. He picked up the tome, and continued his reading. "…for its foundation to be solid, the
craftsman must be focused…"
***
"Sakura Kinomoto and Tomoyo
Daidouji," the principal ranted, "I don't know where to start." The girls sat in his office, memorizing the
pattern on the floor. The quest for
Syaoran had not gone well. "To start the
day, you picked the lock to the art professor's office. Those are skills we do not wish to foster at
this institution." The principal
started to pace. "You destroyed an ant
farm in biology. The exterminators had
sprayed the building before the start of school. Now the ants are here, there, and everywhere." His face was turning red. "You knocked over three bookshelves in the
library. Do you know how long it takes
to shelve three thousand books?" Sweat
was forming on his brow. "Last, but not
least, I find you hiding in the men's locker room. May I never know what sort calamity you were about to
unleash." The principal stopped to
face them. "Would you like to explain
yourselves?" The silence was deafening.
The
principal continued, "the sad part is, I know this isn't your fault." The girls looked up at each other in
puzzlement, and then focused on their speaker. "When will these school clubs stop their initiation pranks? One of these days, someone will get
hurt. I know you will never admit they
put you up to it. It's a shame what
peer pressure will drive teenagers to do." He shook his head. "Everyone deserves
a second chance." A scowl crossed his
face. "But after today, I suggest you
cease the pranks. I shall not be
lenient again."
Sakura and Tomoyo fled from
the principal's office back to their lockers. Sakura opened her locker and exclaimed, "Today was a nightmare. We did not observe him, though we had no
problem making fools of ourselves and destroying things."
"So obtaining Li's class
schedule wasn't the instant solution," Tomoyo remarked, closing her locker,
"we'll just start again tomorrow."
"Yes,
tomorrow we will get him," Sakura said, vehemently, and closed her locker to
find someone lounging behind it, "oh…my…ummm, hi?"
"So much work to find me, eh, ladies," Syaoran Li commented, "well, here I am."
***
End
of chapter one.