Girl of Their Dreams
By: Kelly M.
Chapter 2- Meet Sanae
Syaoran awoke to the sounds of a shower running. As he lay in the darkness, he could hear strains of the songs he and Sanae had been singing along to before they had gone to bed. He'd forgotten what a good voice she had. He glanced at the alarm clock. Red numbers glared at him, saying it was 5:00 a.m., an hour before his clock would ring. He'd also forgot what an early riser she was. He could still faintly smell dim sum, his favourite, and strong oolong tea (AN these are Chinese dishes. Dim sum are tiny pastries and buns and oolong tea is a mix of black and green. I'm not really sure if the tea is Chinese but it was in my dim sum recipe book which I got after I found out it was Syaoran's favourite food. Okay I need help, but on with the story.)
He and Sanae had stayed up well into the night moving his stuff into their house from Wei's. While they were unpacking, they had made dim sum, something no one could do quite like Sanae. They had a great time and managed to catch back up with the events that had happened while they were apart.
Sanae had left their home in Hong Kong a year ago to travel to different countries and she had wonderful stories to tell him about the Western world as well as Europe, plus she stayed in Hong Kong for about a week before coming to Japan, so she told him all about the newest developments within the clan. Syaoran filled her in about what had happened with the Clow cards since he had come to Japan: the fights with Kero, the fact that Meilin still followed him around, his reservations about Kaho Mitzuki, even his unspoken vow to always protect Sakura.
The great thing about talking to Sanae was, even though she was interested in the Clow book, that wasn't all she wanted to hear about like the rest of his family. She wanted to know what clubs he was in at school, the name of his friends and teachers, if he was happy here, what athletics day was. She wanted to know everything about his life, not just the magical aspect. And he was glad to tell her, he felt she was the only one in his family that truly cared. When he talked about his friends, everyone else in his family just said, "Oh that's good. How's Meilin?" They seemed to think that she was the only real friend he had and they told him not to trust anyone else. He had finally just stopped talking about anyone at school to his family. But Sanae really cared, and was especially interested in his friends. "It's good to see you with friends," she had said, "I was worried you'd have trouble making them here, I'm glad people are so nice to you." So was he, he was actually looking forward to school today. He smiled and looked at his alarm clock again and, realizing he still had 54 minutes before the alarm would sound, rolled over and went back to bed.
-------------------
ENNN-ENNN-ENNN-ENNN. The shrill sounds of an alarm clock woke Touya Kinomoto from his fitful sleep. He fumbled around in the dark and hit the snooze button, stretching to wake himself up. Walking to the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face and turned on the light. It was mornings like this he wondered why he got up and ran every day. He turned off the bathroom light and headed back to his room quietly, trying not to wake up his sister and father.
Turning on the light in his room, he glanced at his bed sheets. Half were in a pile on the floor, kicked off in the night, and the other half were rolled into little balls at the foot of the bed. He hadn't had a very restful sleep last night. His thoughts had been troubled over that Li kid bothering Sakura again, he was going to have to teach him a lesson today. Sakura had come home last night in much better spirits, but that was probably just because that other skater complimented her. His thoughts shifted to that other skater. She was the other reason he didn't sleep at all. How could anyone look so much like his mother? He felt bad about leaving in such a hurry last night but it was disturbing to look at her, it made him feel extremely happy and sorrowful all at once. Talk about bittersweet.
He threw on a T-shirt and sweat pants, and combed his hair. He climbed downstairs as quietly as possible. Running always made him feel better and this morning he needed it. He opened the large oak door and headed down the street in the fresh morning air.
----------------
Sanae sat on the front porch of their house and sipped strong black tea, watching the sun rise. Scarlets, pinks and oranges set the sky ablaze. It was funny, she had watched the sun rise almost everywhere in the world, from England to Canada to Italy to Spain, yet it always amazed her. It was the calmest part of the day, birds were warming up their voices and the streets were empty, making her feel like she was the only person in the world.
She smiled and looked across at the lawn, her lawn. This was her house. Well, at least she was renting it. It was a newly built bungalow, but no one was interested in renting it out because it didn't have a master bedroom, just two medium sized ones. At least that's what the lady who owned the house, Daidouji-san, had said.
She seemed like a nice enough woman for a landlord, she was an executive of a toy company who had bought the property as a business venture, and now just wanted someone to live in it. She told Sanae as long as she painted the walls and maintained the yard she could rent it for only $300 a month. You couldn't even get an apartment in this town for that. And painting and lawn cutting was easy, and Syaoran would help her. Of course she agreed, she'd go get the paint this afternoon, after school, and do it this weekend. Yes, today was her first day of school, though she wasn't worried, she'd done this before. The only weird part was the fact she had to wear a uniform, this ugly robin's egg blue blazer and a pleated white skirt. She'd much rather wear black or navy, even a dark green or a bright yellow, but light blue? Who thought of that? Obviously someone who had no fashion sense whatsoever. This day was looking bad already.
She sighed. In the distance she heard the sound of running shoes hitting the pavement. They were about three minutes away but she heard them very clearly. Maybe it was the silence of the morning, but then again, she always heard things well before others did. She waited to see who was running, staring at the end of her street expectantly. Sure enough, about four minutes later, a young man of about 17 ran down the street adjacent to hers. He was focused, driven and muscular. He moved easily, barely breaking a sweat in the cool autumn air. Midnight blue eyes stared down the street, not even noticing Sanae sitting on her porch. It was the boy from last night, Sakura's brother. 'He looks even better in daylight,' thought Sanae, 'I wonder if he goes to my new school. I hope so.' As she watched the tall, handsome figure recede down the street she smiled and looked down at her watch. It was a quarter to six, Syaoran would be getting up soon and if she was going to cook a great breakfast for him, she'd better get back inside.
_______________
Fresh fall wind blew through Sakura's hair as she roller bladed to school with Yukito and Touya. She smiled. It was going to be a great day. First of all, Syaoran was going to be there, secondly it was Friday and she had the whole weekend ahead of her, and lastly she wasn't late for a change. They arrived at their schools and parted.
"Sakura, wait up!" called a voice. Tomoyo ran to catch up to Sakura. "Hey! You're looking exceptionally cheerful this morning, and you're early, what's the special occasion?"
Sakura laughed good-naturedly. "Nothing really, Tomoyo, I'm just in a good mood I guess. Let's go to our lockers and find the others okay."
"Sounds good to me."
______________
Sanae walked alone across the grounds of the high school, feeling the appreciative stares of the male population of the school, and the welcoming looks of the girls. She hated this feeling, when she knew nobody, but knew she was the topic of that morning's gossip. People made it their business to get to know her, but her true goal was just to fade into the woodwork, have no friends, stay in Japan as short of a time as possible and leave. She didn't get hurt, they didn't get hurt, it was quite simple. She stared down at the piece of paper she was holding, "locker: 214 combination: 47-16-25 home room: 12-5 teacher: Hiru-sensei subject: math. " She might as well go find her classroom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Touya watched the shapely figure cross the lawn of the school, dark purple hair moving delicately in the wind. She was beautiful, and it was easy to see he wasn't the only one who thought so. It was clear most of the guys weren't looking at her with pure curiosity like the girls were. Yukito, however, *was* only looking out of curiosity. He turned to Touya, "Isn't that the girl from last night?"
"Yeah," Touya replied distractedly, "it is." He snapped back to reality when she walked into the far entrance of the school. He looked down at his watch, "We better get going, class starts in ten minutes, and Hiru-sensei hates it when anyone's late."
The boys entered the school and made their way to their lockers and home room. They took their place in the back corner of the classroom and talked idly, waiting for the bell to ring. All of a sudden, the room went quiet. The new girl had entered their classroom.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The room was silent when Sanae walked in. It was clear all eyes were upon her as she searched for an empty desk. She glanced in the back corner and saw one next to Touya and behind Yukito. It was perfect, she smiled, and took a step in their direction. She felt a strong hand grip her shoulder, and she spun defensively. It was only her first day, who'd possibly want to fight her on her first day? When she fully turned, she met a broad, arrogant smile. She looked at the attractive man in front of her. She sighed, she'd rather fight than deal with a guy like this. She'd met his type a dozen times before: captain of the something team, an all-around athlete, used to girls swooning all over him, and with a brain about the size of a microbe, a very small microbe, and just as slimy. She smiled sweetly back, at least they were fun to play with.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
'No!' Touya felt like yelling, 'don't smile at him. He's an idiot!!! And a jerk.' It always happened to him this way. He and Kenji had been in competition since kindergarten, at least over sports and girls, and Kenji usually won because Touya was so busy with work or at home. Touya only did better when marks were concerned, and though that usually made him proud, this time he wished he'd get the girl. Why was he thinking like this? He never thought like this. But . . . He was drawn to her. Then again, why would she pick him when she could have the head jock? Touya sighed and listened to their conversation.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So, you're new in town.", He said smoothly
Thank you Mr. Obvious, thought Sanae. "Yeah, I am" she answered.
"Do you need someone to show you around town?"
"No thanks, I have a bus map."
Touya sniggered. He really liked this girl.
Kenji's face dropped but he recovered quickly. "I guess you'll need a seat. There's one here beside me."
"Isn't that special?"
Touya laughed again.
"You could sit there."
A girl with long straight blonde hair stormed angrily over. "That's my seat!"
Touya whispered to Yukito, "Enter the girlfriend."
Sanae overheard him, "That's your girlfriend?!?" she demanded angrily of Kenji, "How big a creep are you?" she asked rhetorically.
"First class" answered the blonde.
Sanae laughed bitterly, thoughts of the past rushed back, "Most men are. Learn it and don't let yourself forget it." She turned to walk away.
"So does that mean you're not going to sit here?" asked Kenji.
Sanae actually could not suppress her laughter and burst into uncontrollable giggles while walking toward the back of the classroom. "Yeah, it does," she called, then turned to Touya, "Does anyone sit here?" she asked, eyes still glinting with laughter.
"No." He answered, feeling stupid. 'Say something else' he scolded himself.
"May I?"
"Sure." He answered. Why was his vocabulary limited to one word sentences near this girl?
She smiled and placed her bag on the back of the chair. He watched her, each of her moves was delicately and intricately performed as though she were a piece of living art. She turned toward him and Touya instantly blushed. She'd caught him staring.
Instead of covering it up or pretending she hadn't noticed, she turned and smiled at him. "You act like you've never seen someone put down a backpack before. What, do they really do it *that* differently in Japan? This is the way we do it in Hong Kong." She laughed and Touya joined in.
"No, you're doing it just fine." He said, "By the way, I'm Touya Kinomoto."
"Nice to meet you. My name's Sanae."
She sat down and Yukito turned around, "And I'm Yukito Tsukishiro."
"Nice to meet you too. So, is the math teacher any good?"
"Not bad," answered Yukito, "he just hates it if you're late."
"Thanks for the tip, but I'm never late."
The teacher entered the room and introduced Sanae to the rest of the class. Touya wasn't really paying attention though, he was busy wondering why Sanae wanted to sit by him, and thinking of how pretty she looked. He realized the teacher was writing a note on the board and started copying.
________________
"So class, there's the question. What's the answer?" asked Pascaru-sensei, their chemistry professor. He was a brutal teacher, thought Touya, and every Friday before lunch he asked them an extremely difficult question. If they couldn't answer it, which they never could, he kept them late for lunch to explain it.
"Come on," he goaded, "There are thirty-one minds in this classroom and all I'm asking is for one to be able to solve this question. Just one. Then you can all go for lunch, and eat, and gossip, and rot your minds and teeth. You can even go early if someone solves it before the bell goes." Touya glanced up at the clock, there was seven minutes before class ended. Looks like another lunch hour wasted.
Beside him, Sanae was scribbling furiously on a piece of paper, jaw set. A slender arm rose slowly into the air.
"Ms. Li, care to take a stab at it?" , he said coldly, smirking, "Let's hear this answer."
Her eyes stared back, infused with steel, "The answer is thirty milligrams of hydrochloric acid and 50 grams of sodium bicarbonate."
The teacher's eyes narrowed. "That is correct, Ms. Li, and since you know this material so well you will be expected to write the test on Monday with the rest of the class, good luck getting the notes," he said harshly, "Class dismissed."
Sanae jammed her textbooks into her bag, slightly mad. However, the remarks she was getting from her classmates were worth having to do the test. Everyone came up to her and told her how great it was to have someone finally get one of the questions and actually have a lunch on Friday. The best praise, however, came from Touya and Yukito.
"That was amazing, I thought Touya was good at chemistry but . . ."
"Well, you're better than I am, Yukito, but still. Sanae that was so great!"
Sanae beamed. Touya actually was so caught up he gave her a small hug, lifting her right off the ground. He set her down and the three headed to their lockers, laughing.
"That was chemistry at it's best."
"Thanks," said Sanae, "But would one of you mind lending me you notes? I think would be helpful to actually know what's on the test before Monday, don't you?"
Touya laughed, he was starting to relax around Sanae, "I'll do you one better, we're getting together tonight at my house to study because I'm working most of Saturday and Sunday. Why don't you come?"
"Yeah," agreed Yukito, "Three minds are better than two."
"Sounds great," replied Sanae, "If you draw me a map I'll be there. Oh, and can I ask you one more thing?" she asked, pulling her lunch out of her locker and closing it.
"Sure."
"Would you mind if I ate lunch with you guys? I have lots of extra food and I don't talk much." She asked, mock pleadingly.
"Of course. Anyone who has extra food can't be too bad," said Yukito, only half-jokingly. The three walked off toward the cafeteria, Sanae thinking today didn't turn out half bad after all.
___________
"Look kid, I don't know what you did to Sakura yesterday, but I warned you not to hurt her, or I'd hurt you. And now I'm following through," Touya stared at Syaoran with cold malice, deep blue eyes set. The three had parted after eating their lunch and he had noticed the kid walking on the other side of the fence, so he thought he'd go over.
Amber eyes stared back indignantly, "Really? I'd like to see you try."
Touya moved toward him. He really hated this kid bothering his sister, and he was going to stop it once and for all.
"What do you think you're doing?" yelled a voice. Before Touya had time to turn, he was down on the ground, face first into the pavement with someone on top of him. "I asked you a question!"
The person lifted him up and turned him around before he quite realized what was happening. He found himself staring into another pair of amber eyes, which softened immediately when she realized it was him. "Touya? What are you doing?"
"Sanae?" he asked breathlessly. She had knocked the wind out of him, whether it was when she'd pushed him down or just from the shock of it all he wasn't sure. He'd never fought anyone so powerful, "Why are you here? Is he your *brother*?"
"Cousin actually," she answered, just as shocked, "What are you . . . ? You know what? I'm not even going to ask." She turned to Syaoran as well, "Please, just don't let it happen again."
"Okay." They both answered, the entire group floored.
Touya started over the fence, slightly ashamed. He heard Sanae speaking to Syaoran in Cantonese and listened even if he didn't understand.
"What were you thinking? You know we're not supposed to fight while we're here. What would your mother say?" she scolded mildly.
Amber eyes widened with fear, "You're not going to tell her are you? Because if she ever found out I'd be . . ."
"Don't worry. I won't. But promise me something. I don't care what your grudge with him is, or even how you know him, just don't ever fight with him again okay. You could hurt him and we don't need to draw any more attention to ourselves, understand?"
"Yes." He hung his head.
"Good, I'll see you after school."
She took a small run and cleared the fence with one single bound, joining Touya on the other side. The warning bell rang.
"We better get to class," she said pleasantly, seemingly not at all phased by what had just happened.
"Yeah," replied Touya, still embarrassed, "I guess." After seeing him try to beat up a ten year old, he figured any chances with her were basically shot, she'd probably never talk to him again, never mind actually becoming friends, or something more. But she was taking it so calmly, was it just an act? Was she really thinking 'I'll just be civil to this creep until we're not standing here all alone"? Probably.
"So, have you got that map ready for tonight yet? What time should I come?"
Touya smiled and answered her questions while they walked to class.
____________
Was it really possible for a clock to go backwards? Syaoran looked up at the clock behind Terada sensei with dismay. He could've swore it was one minute to the bell last time he looked up and now the clock said it was actually three minutes. He couldn't wait to get off for the weekend, and he had good reason. Tonight Meilin was having a dinner at her house for him because he was staying in Japan, though Sanae wasn't invited for 'family reasons'. Meilin wasn't the only person who thought Sanae was trying to marry him, her parents felt the same way. To make matters worse, they always picked on Sanae's upbringing and her parents mistakes, something Sanae hated to discuss. It was best she just didn't go. But . . . Meilin's mom was a spectacular cook, besides, Sanae told him to go and have fun, she was going to probably start painting anyway.
There was a knock at the classroom door. Mr. Terada stopped talking and opened it. Sanae smiled brightly and talked quietly with him. The class listened intently, parts of the conversation drifted towards them.
"I'm here for Syaoran. I'm his. . . .the school told me. . . papers to sign . . . wait until your class is over . . ."
"Yes, of course." said Mr. Terada, completely shocked. How could this girl be old enough to be Syaoran's legal guardian? He'd never seen anyone so pretty. He started searching though his desk for the papers to be signed. The office had called down to say Syaoran's guardian would be in after school but he hadn't expected this. His other guardian certainly hadn't looked like her.
Sanae walked towards Syaoran, even earning looks from the boys in his class. She sat on the window ledge beside Syaoran's desk and talked to him quietly until the bell rang. Mr. Terada produced the papers from his desk and brought them over. The class sat in their seats expectantly.
Sanae looked at them.
"Do we really have to do this in front of everyone?"
"No... of course not. The bell rang . . . they should be leaving," he said nervously, the students still sitting in their seats. He turned to Tomoyo, "Why aren't you leaving?"
"You didn't dismiss us yet, sir." she replied.
Sanae muffled a giggle. Was he always this flustered? She'd have to ask Syaoran later.
"Right . . . class dismissed." he said quickly, the students laughing and leaving quickly.
Sanae turned to Syaoran. "Why don't you go to your locker? I'll meet you outside in a minute."
"Okay."
When the class had emptied Sanae read the papers over. She talked idly to Terada-sensei while she read.
"So how long have you been teaching grade four?"
"Well actually, this is my first year having a home room of my own. I used to just teach physical education and science," he said watching her intently.
She noticed, but kept her eyes on the paper. "Really? That's good , Terada-sensei, one of my favourite subjects is science, chemistry actually. Do I sign here?" She pointed to the paper.
"Yes, right by the x. And please, just call me Yoshiyuki."
"Oh, okay," she said hesitantly. Was he just being friendly? Of course, she assured herself, how could he like someone as young as her? (AN- hmmmm. Yes, how could he? ~cough~Rika~) "Is that all?"
"Yes, we just needed those papers signed since you're Syaoran's guardian now."
"Right. Well, I guess I'll get going then. Good-bye . . ." she paused, "Yoshiyuki. I'll see you around."
"Yeah, see you around." He honestly hoped he would. Soon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Who *was* that?" asked Rika nervously. They were standing outside their classroom talking about the mysterious girl who had come into their classroom. Though Rika didn't want to admit it, she was worried about the way Terada looked at the girl.
"I don't know," answered Chiharu. "Maybe she's a new teacher or something."
"No, she can't be," chimed in Naoko, "She's too young, plus she said something about signing papers for Syaoran, and she went over and talked to him."
Yamazaki's eyes lit up, "Well, whoever she is, she's fantastic. That smile, those eyes, and I bet she can even cook."
At this, Chiharu hit him playfully. But a look similar to the one on Rika's face passed over hers, "Why don't we just ask Syaoran?"
Everyone agreed and started walking toward where Syaoran was standing at his locker. About halfway there, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin joined the group.
"Hey guys, " said Sakura, "What's up?"
"Nothing really," answered Naoko, "We were just going to ask Syaoran about . . ."
Naoko fell silent as the classroom door opened. Sanae stepped out and went over to where they were standing. She bowed politely.
"Hello Sakura, Tomoyo. How are you doing today?"
"Good."
"Fantastic."
"That's great." Sanae said pleasantly. She stood up from her bow and turned to Meilin, saying cooly, almost sarcastically, "Meilin, such a pleasure to see you again."
"Same here. You know, not that I expected it from an ill-bred street rat like yourself, but next time you see me, you could at least have the manners to bow."
"And not that I expected it from an over-bred, under-brained elitist like yourself, but next time you're standing with a group of people, you could at least have the manners to introduce me." The two girls stared daggers at each other.
"Hey." Syaoran trotted over and stood between the two girls, sensing the tension "Everyone, this is my cousin Sanae, " he said to the group. "Sanae, meet Naoko, Chiharu, Rika, and Yamazaki. Of course, you've already know Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin.
Sanae immediately brightened and greeted each of Syaoran's friends warmly. There was no real point in arguing with Meilin anyway, besides his friends were all really nice back to her. In fact Yamazaki even offered to carry her school bag. She noticed a look of displeasure cross Chiharu's face though, and declined.
The group left the school and everyone started to walk home in small groups. Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko, and Rika all headed left while Sakura, Tomoyo, Meilin, and Syaoran turned right. Her cousins walked about ten steps behind Sakura and Tomoyo, and she walked about five behind them, alone. Behind her she heard a voices call her name. She stopped and looked in that direction. Touya rode his bike up to where she was standing and stopped. "Are you walking home?" he asked. The two started walking.
"That I am. No real point in driving a car when the weather's so nice, is there?"
"I guess not."
"Don't you bike home with Yukito? I thought he said today at lunch he lived near you."
Touya laughed, "Well, we usually do walk home, but only if he's not helping a school club with something they're doing."
"He belongs to a lot of clubs?"
Touya laughed once again. It was so strange, he rarely laughed at all, but around Sanae he felt so open, "No, he belongs to none, actually. He just always helps them out when they take on a big project. Today he's helping the booster club meet with the booster clubs of the other high schools and elementary schools to plan the "Fall Festival" on Monday."
"What's the Fall Festival?"
"Oh, it's a big citywide dance for anyone who's not married between the ages of 10 and 24. They're actually kind of fun, the dress is formal and they decorate the hall really nicely."
"That's so cool. They never did anything like that in Hong Kong," she smiled, "I bet Meilin will drag Syaoran, that's probably the real reason she invited him over for dinner." As she said Meilin's name, she pointed to her.
"Are those two dating?" It wasn't that Touya was really interested, but at least he was having a normal conversation with Sanae without sticking to one syllable sentences.
"Dating? No, they're engaged actually." Seeing the look on Touya's face, she quickly added, "It was an arranged marriage, that happens a lot in our family."
"Oh, I see. So you're coming over tonight after dinner?"
"Yup. Around six-thirty or seven."
"Great."
"Well, there's my house." she said, pointing to the bungalow, "Do you want to come in and get a drink or something?"
She wanted him to go into her house? He'd run across the city for her if she asked. He felt like shouting 'YES!!!' and doing a victory dance in the middle of the road. Instead he answered simply, "Sure, sounds great."
She inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. The walls were white and bare, and pieces of furniture were scattered everywhere. "Let me take your coat, Touya." She exited to a room off to the left and said, "Just keep going straight and you'll get to the kitchen." He followed her directions and found the kitchen. He took a seat on one of the stools and waited for her. About thirty seconds later she appeared, "So what would you like to drink? I think we have pop and . . ." she opened the fridge, "pop."
Touya stood up and peered into the open fridge. Sure enough it was bare except for two cans of Sprite(™) and a box of baking soda. Sanae smiled sheepishly, "I kind of have to go shopping before I go to your house. Thank goodness Syaoran's eating at Meilin's tonight. So, you up for a sprite?"
He smiled, "Sure. Do you at least have cups?" He said jokingly.
"Urusei. Yes, I have cups. Maybe you're just not special enough to get one, baka." Sanae said laughing.
Touya joined her. They sat down and drank in near silence. Touya finished his pop at the same time Sanae did. "I guess I'll get going," he said, "Hey, if you're going to be eating alone tonight anyway, do you want to come over early for dinner?
"That's so sweet, but I think I'll just eat here tonight. There's still some stuff I want to move while I have some time, furniture mostly. Thanks for the offer, though." Oh, she wanted to go so badly. Was it really possible to fall in love after a day? But she couldn't go. Dinner leads to dates, dates to a boyfriend, a boyfriend to a husband, and a husband ultimately leads to pain. She had to just stay his friend, that was all she could handle after Nao. The painful, ugly scars on her body were a daily reminder. She wouldn't let herself be hurt again.
Amber orbs were starting to fill with tears and Touya was floored. What did he do? Was it something he said? He didn't want to make her cry, ever. But all he did was ask her to come to his house for dinner. What was so wrong with that? As quickly as the tears appeared, they vanished, replaced by a cheerful smile. "Bye Touya. I'll see you tonight, then." There was something she was hiding.
"Okay, bye Sanae."
____________
Sakura was sitting on the front porch taking off her skates. She heard the soft sound of bike pedals and looked up. Touya parked his bicycle beside their garage, a kind of disturbed, far off look in his eyes.
"Hi Touya!" she called.
"Hey Sakura." he replied quietly.
"What's wrong?"
What's wrong? He just made the girl of his dreams cry! For no reason! On top of that he needed to know if it really possible to fall in love after a day because that's how he felt around Sanae. It was crazy! His entire world was collapsing because of this girl. And his sister has the nerve to ask him what's wrong? He was going insane, that's what was wrong!!! "Nothing," he replied calmly, "I'm fine. How was your day?"
"Good," Sakura replied. She didn't buy this act of being fine. There was obviously something bothering Touya, she wasn't blind. But then again, he didn't push her yesterday when she was upset, so she wouldn't force him to tell her. "We were supposed to have a math test but Mitzuki-sensei moved it to Monday."
"That's good. I've got some homework I've gotta do." He entered their house without saying anything else.
'Strange,' thought Sakura, 'definitely strange. I wonder what's bugging him.'
_______
"You want me to go where with you?" asked Syaoran.
"The Fall Festival. It's a dance at the fire-hall on Monday night."
Oh great! A dance. That meant he got to spend a whole night, in uncomfortable clothes, with Meilin. And some people actually claimed dances were fun.
"Syaoran? Are you listening to me?"
"Of course."
"So, do you want to go?"
No! But then again, Sakura might be there. Hmm . . . "Sure Meilin, sounds like fun."
"Great, I got this fabulous dress shipped from Hong Kong. It's silver and . . ."
Syaoran ignored her while she babbled happily on about her dress and shoes. He thought of Sakura. She smiled at him today. If she was going to the dance it would definitely be worth putting up with Meilin for four hours. Maybe he would ask her to dance . . . and maybe she would say yes.
_____________
"So Sakura, are you going to the Fall Festival?" asked Yukito pleasantly. He was sitting on their couch in the living room, waiting for Touya to come back. He'd gone for a walk after dinner and hadn't returned yet.
"Yeah, it's my first year and I'm really excited."
"Who are you going with?"
"Just my friends at the moment," she said, working up courage, "Wouldyouliketogowithme?" she blurted, blushing and looking down.
"I'd love to." he said, smiling.
Sakura smiled back. The door opened and shut. Touya came into the living room, the dejected look still on his face. He brightened slightly when he noticed Yukito and greeted him. Just then a low roar was heard in the driveway. The three rushed to the window, joined by Fujitaka, to see what the noise was. A bright yellow mustang convertible, soft cover up, was parking in front of their garage. A figure, carrying a black leather jacket, exited the car and headed for the front door.
Sanae rang the doorbell of the Kinomoto's home and was a bit surprised when it was opened almost immediately. A man with glasses and a friendly smile greeted her. The smile faltered then vanished altogether when he actually looked at her. "Hello." she said uncertainly, "I'm Sanae Li, you must be Touya's father. It's nice to meet you, Kinomoto-san." She bowed deeply and then stood up.
"It's nice to meet you too, Sanae," he faltered, "You look . . . uh . . . Touya and Yukito are in the
living room."
"Oh, okay. By the way, this is Touya's coat. He left it at my house this afternoon." She handed him the leather jacket and he also offered to take hers. "Thank-you." she said. Why did he look like he had just seen a ghost? Touya and Yukito met her in the foyer and they headed upstairs to his room to study.
__________
Sakura stared at the ceiling of her room. She was lying on her bed, thinking. ". . . He left it at my house this afternoon." Was Sanae the reason Touya was so upset after school? Hmm . . .
"That no good Li kid." said Kero, flying along the wall between Touya and Sakura's room, listening, "First she moves in on the cards and magic, and now she's coming to your house. I don't like it. She's trouble."
"Kero, you're getting worried over nothing. First of all, the only thing we know about her is that she can use magic, you don't know if she wants the Clow Cards." Kero opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura rushed on, "And second of all, she's here tonight to study with Touya. She's not here to spy on us or anything."
There was a rap on the door. Sakura got up and answered it, expecting her father. She was surprised to find it was Sanae. She reached into her backpack and produced a small container of chocolate-chip cookies. "These are for you and Kero. I told those two I would only be a second so I'd better get going. Enjoy!" She ducked back out of the room, closing the door behind her. She laughed, the quickest way to a guardian beast's heart was through it's stomach.
Kero scoffed. "I bet she put something in them." However, the aroma of freshly baked cookies quickly drew him over to where Sakura was sitting eating one, "Well, one can't hurt."
__________
Fujitaka sat in his office. The empty computer screen glared back at him while he stared at the picture on the desk. It was one that was taken years ago and, unlike most of the photos of his wife, it wasn't professionally done. But that was what made it better. It was a photo of the family at the beach about two months before Nadeshiko had died. It was full of smiles.
His was wistful, he'd known that there would be very few moments like this in the future. Nadeshiko's was sincere and kind, as it had been right up until her death. Touya's was the toothless, goofy grin of any seven year old boy. Fujitaka used to see him smile like that daily, but it had been replaced by a sullen, thoughtful look ten years ago. Sakura was busy splashing in the water, a broad smile on her face. She loved the water even then, just like her mother. Fujitaka brushed a stray tear from his cheek and sighed. God, he missed his wife, he thought of her daily as it was. But that girl . . . she looked just like Nadeshiko except for the eyes, which were a soft brown. It hurt him so much to look at her, his heart literally ached. He sighed again and put his head in his hands.
____________
The three poured over the chemistry notes. Instinctively Sanae looked up, sensing something. There, siting on Touya's bed, was a woman who looked exactly like her. Well, she was the ghost of a woman, more precisely. And she did have different eyes, they were an emerald green. But what did it mean? It couldn't be the mirror card, it wasn't identical enough. On top of that, the woman seemed more preoccupied with watching Touya than her. She noticed a photo on Touya's desk and nearly gasped. It was one of his family, from at least ten years ago, judging by Touya's age. In the picture sat Touya, Sakura, their father, and this woman. She was Touya's mother. No wonder each of the Kinomoto's looked at her so strangely when she met them. Realizing Touya wasn't looking up, the woman smiled at Sanae, and then vanished. Sanae wondered if Touya ever got to see his mother. Did he have that much magic? She had sensed some, but was it powerful enough?
___________
Touya glanced up just in time to catch his mother's fading form. He noticed Sanae staring intently at the spot that his mom was sitting. Could she see . . . no. "What are you looking at, Sanae?"
She turned guiltily, "Oh...nothing, just thinking." She smiled.
"Okay." Of course she couldn't see his mother. What was he thinking? Sometimes he wondered if he was the only one who could. He sighed and turned back to his notes.
The alarm on Sanae's watch sounded. She glanced at it and stood up. "I can't believe it's already 9:30. I've got to go pick up Syaoran at Meilin's. Bye you guys. Thanks for sharing your notes with me."
"No problem!" answered Yukito, "Bye, and thanks for the cookies. You'll have to give me the recipe, they we're delicious."
"I'll bring it Monday." replied Sanae, "Um. . . Touya?"
"Yeah."
"Could you show me where my coat is?"
"Sure, I'll be back in a second, Yukito." Touya said, getting up. Yukito was pouring over his notes again and just nodded.
The two walked down the stairs, drilling each other with chemistry questions. Touya opened the closet and handed Sanae her coat. "Touya, what a noble gas?"
"Located in the last column of the periodic table, noble gasses don't react with anything because their outer level is full. Nobel gasses include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon."
"Very good."
"I've got one more question for you."
"And what would that be?"
"Would you like to go to the Fall Festival with me on Monday?"
Would she? Every girl in the school would probably want to go to the dance with such a cute, smart, nice guy like Touya and here he was, asking her to it. But, she had vowed to just stay his friend. Sanae frowned in thought then brightened, friends could go together, she'd just make sure Touya knew they were going as friends. . . later. "I'd love to." She smiled again, it was all she could do to keep from doing a victory dance in the Kinomoto's driveway.
She said yes! Had he ever felt this happy? "Alright, I'll see you at school and I'll probably call you sometime this week-end. Bye, Sanae!" he called. He watched the yellow convertible disappear down the street and smiled broadly. What a girl.
To be continued . . .
By: Kelly M.
Li Luva
Japanese Translations
Urusei-shut up
Baka- you idiot (at least in this context, some times it's stupid/dumb)
sensei- teacher
pop- okay it's not Japanese, it's the Canadian word for soda. A.k.a- carbonated beverages. P.S. Sprite please don't sue
couch- darn I'm proud to be Canadian. Think sofa.
By: Kelly M.
Chapter 2- Meet Sanae
Syaoran awoke to the sounds of a shower running. As he lay in the darkness, he could hear strains of the songs he and Sanae had been singing along to before they had gone to bed. He'd forgotten what a good voice she had. He glanced at the alarm clock. Red numbers glared at him, saying it was 5:00 a.m., an hour before his clock would ring. He'd also forgot what an early riser she was. He could still faintly smell dim sum, his favourite, and strong oolong tea (AN these are Chinese dishes. Dim sum are tiny pastries and buns and oolong tea is a mix of black and green. I'm not really sure if the tea is Chinese but it was in my dim sum recipe book which I got after I found out it was Syaoran's favourite food. Okay I need help, but on with the story.)
He and Sanae had stayed up well into the night moving his stuff into their house from Wei's. While they were unpacking, they had made dim sum, something no one could do quite like Sanae. They had a great time and managed to catch back up with the events that had happened while they were apart.
Sanae had left their home in Hong Kong a year ago to travel to different countries and she had wonderful stories to tell him about the Western world as well as Europe, plus she stayed in Hong Kong for about a week before coming to Japan, so she told him all about the newest developments within the clan. Syaoran filled her in about what had happened with the Clow cards since he had come to Japan: the fights with Kero, the fact that Meilin still followed him around, his reservations about Kaho Mitzuki, even his unspoken vow to always protect Sakura.
The great thing about talking to Sanae was, even though she was interested in the Clow book, that wasn't all she wanted to hear about like the rest of his family. She wanted to know what clubs he was in at school, the name of his friends and teachers, if he was happy here, what athletics day was. She wanted to know everything about his life, not just the magical aspect. And he was glad to tell her, he felt she was the only one in his family that truly cared. When he talked about his friends, everyone else in his family just said, "Oh that's good. How's Meilin?" They seemed to think that she was the only real friend he had and they told him not to trust anyone else. He had finally just stopped talking about anyone at school to his family. But Sanae really cared, and was especially interested in his friends. "It's good to see you with friends," she had said, "I was worried you'd have trouble making them here, I'm glad people are so nice to you." So was he, he was actually looking forward to school today. He smiled and looked at his alarm clock again and, realizing he still had 54 minutes before the alarm would sound, rolled over and went back to bed.
-------------------
ENNN-ENNN-ENNN-ENNN. The shrill sounds of an alarm clock woke Touya Kinomoto from his fitful sleep. He fumbled around in the dark and hit the snooze button, stretching to wake himself up. Walking to the bathroom, he splashed cold water on his face and turned on the light. It was mornings like this he wondered why he got up and ran every day. He turned off the bathroom light and headed back to his room quietly, trying not to wake up his sister and father.
Turning on the light in his room, he glanced at his bed sheets. Half were in a pile on the floor, kicked off in the night, and the other half were rolled into little balls at the foot of the bed. He hadn't had a very restful sleep last night. His thoughts had been troubled over that Li kid bothering Sakura again, he was going to have to teach him a lesson today. Sakura had come home last night in much better spirits, but that was probably just because that other skater complimented her. His thoughts shifted to that other skater. She was the other reason he didn't sleep at all. How could anyone look so much like his mother? He felt bad about leaving in such a hurry last night but it was disturbing to look at her, it made him feel extremely happy and sorrowful all at once. Talk about bittersweet.
He threw on a T-shirt and sweat pants, and combed his hair. He climbed downstairs as quietly as possible. Running always made him feel better and this morning he needed it. He opened the large oak door and headed down the street in the fresh morning air.
----------------
Sanae sat on the front porch of their house and sipped strong black tea, watching the sun rise. Scarlets, pinks and oranges set the sky ablaze. It was funny, she had watched the sun rise almost everywhere in the world, from England to Canada to Italy to Spain, yet it always amazed her. It was the calmest part of the day, birds were warming up their voices and the streets were empty, making her feel like she was the only person in the world.
She smiled and looked across at the lawn, her lawn. This was her house. Well, at least she was renting it. It was a newly built bungalow, but no one was interested in renting it out because it didn't have a master bedroom, just two medium sized ones. At least that's what the lady who owned the house, Daidouji-san, had said.
She seemed like a nice enough woman for a landlord, she was an executive of a toy company who had bought the property as a business venture, and now just wanted someone to live in it. She told Sanae as long as she painted the walls and maintained the yard she could rent it for only $300 a month. You couldn't even get an apartment in this town for that. And painting and lawn cutting was easy, and Syaoran would help her. Of course she agreed, she'd go get the paint this afternoon, after school, and do it this weekend. Yes, today was her first day of school, though she wasn't worried, she'd done this before. The only weird part was the fact she had to wear a uniform, this ugly robin's egg blue blazer and a pleated white skirt. She'd much rather wear black or navy, even a dark green or a bright yellow, but light blue? Who thought of that? Obviously someone who had no fashion sense whatsoever. This day was looking bad already.
She sighed. In the distance she heard the sound of running shoes hitting the pavement. They were about three minutes away but she heard them very clearly. Maybe it was the silence of the morning, but then again, she always heard things well before others did. She waited to see who was running, staring at the end of her street expectantly. Sure enough, about four minutes later, a young man of about 17 ran down the street adjacent to hers. He was focused, driven and muscular. He moved easily, barely breaking a sweat in the cool autumn air. Midnight blue eyes stared down the street, not even noticing Sanae sitting on her porch. It was the boy from last night, Sakura's brother. 'He looks even better in daylight,' thought Sanae, 'I wonder if he goes to my new school. I hope so.' As she watched the tall, handsome figure recede down the street she smiled and looked down at her watch. It was a quarter to six, Syaoran would be getting up soon and if she was going to cook a great breakfast for him, she'd better get back inside.
_______________
Fresh fall wind blew through Sakura's hair as she roller bladed to school with Yukito and Touya. She smiled. It was going to be a great day. First of all, Syaoran was going to be there, secondly it was Friday and she had the whole weekend ahead of her, and lastly she wasn't late for a change. They arrived at their schools and parted.
"Sakura, wait up!" called a voice. Tomoyo ran to catch up to Sakura. "Hey! You're looking exceptionally cheerful this morning, and you're early, what's the special occasion?"
Sakura laughed good-naturedly. "Nothing really, Tomoyo, I'm just in a good mood I guess. Let's go to our lockers and find the others okay."
"Sounds good to me."
______________
Sanae walked alone across the grounds of the high school, feeling the appreciative stares of the male population of the school, and the welcoming looks of the girls. She hated this feeling, when she knew nobody, but knew she was the topic of that morning's gossip. People made it their business to get to know her, but her true goal was just to fade into the woodwork, have no friends, stay in Japan as short of a time as possible and leave. She didn't get hurt, they didn't get hurt, it was quite simple. She stared down at the piece of paper she was holding, "locker: 214 combination: 47-16-25 home room: 12-5 teacher: Hiru-sensei subject: math. " She might as well go find her classroom.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Touya watched the shapely figure cross the lawn of the school, dark purple hair moving delicately in the wind. She was beautiful, and it was easy to see he wasn't the only one who thought so. It was clear most of the guys weren't looking at her with pure curiosity like the girls were. Yukito, however, *was* only looking out of curiosity. He turned to Touya, "Isn't that the girl from last night?"
"Yeah," Touya replied distractedly, "it is." He snapped back to reality when she walked into the far entrance of the school. He looked down at his watch, "We better get going, class starts in ten minutes, and Hiru-sensei hates it when anyone's late."
The boys entered the school and made their way to their lockers and home room. They took their place in the back corner of the classroom and talked idly, waiting for the bell to ring. All of a sudden, the room went quiet. The new girl had entered their classroom.
*~*~*~*~*~*
The room was silent when Sanae walked in. It was clear all eyes were upon her as she searched for an empty desk. She glanced in the back corner and saw one next to Touya and behind Yukito. It was perfect, she smiled, and took a step in their direction. She felt a strong hand grip her shoulder, and she spun defensively. It was only her first day, who'd possibly want to fight her on her first day? When she fully turned, she met a broad, arrogant smile. She looked at the attractive man in front of her. She sighed, she'd rather fight than deal with a guy like this. She'd met his type a dozen times before: captain of the something team, an all-around athlete, used to girls swooning all over him, and with a brain about the size of a microbe, a very small microbe, and just as slimy. She smiled sweetly back, at least they were fun to play with.
*~*~*~*~*~*~
'No!' Touya felt like yelling, 'don't smile at him. He's an idiot!!! And a jerk.' It always happened to him this way. He and Kenji had been in competition since kindergarten, at least over sports and girls, and Kenji usually won because Touya was so busy with work or at home. Touya only did better when marks were concerned, and though that usually made him proud, this time he wished he'd get the girl. Why was he thinking like this? He never thought like this. But . . . He was drawn to her. Then again, why would she pick him when she could have the head jock? Touya sighed and listened to their conversation.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"So, you're new in town.", He said smoothly
Thank you Mr. Obvious, thought Sanae. "Yeah, I am" she answered.
"Do you need someone to show you around town?"
"No thanks, I have a bus map."
Touya sniggered. He really liked this girl.
Kenji's face dropped but he recovered quickly. "I guess you'll need a seat. There's one here beside me."
"Isn't that special?"
Touya laughed again.
"You could sit there."
A girl with long straight blonde hair stormed angrily over. "That's my seat!"
Touya whispered to Yukito, "Enter the girlfriend."
Sanae overheard him, "That's your girlfriend?!?" she demanded angrily of Kenji, "How big a creep are you?" she asked rhetorically.
"First class" answered the blonde.
Sanae laughed bitterly, thoughts of the past rushed back, "Most men are. Learn it and don't let yourself forget it." She turned to walk away.
"So does that mean you're not going to sit here?" asked Kenji.
Sanae actually could not suppress her laughter and burst into uncontrollable giggles while walking toward the back of the classroom. "Yeah, it does," she called, then turned to Touya, "Does anyone sit here?" she asked, eyes still glinting with laughter.
"No." He answered, feeling stupid. 'Say something else' he scolded himself.
"May I?"
"Sure." He answered. Why was his vocabulary limited to one word sentences near this girl?
She smiled and placed her bag on the back of the chair. He watched her, each of her moves was delicately and intricately performed as though she were a piece of living art. She turned toward him and Touya instantly blushed. She'd caught him staring.
Instead of covering it up or pretending she hadn't noticed, she turned and smiled at him. "You act like you've never seen someone put down a backpack before. What, do they really do it *that* differently in Japan? This is the way we do it in Hong Kong." She laughed and Touya joined in.
"No, you're doing it just fine." He said, "By the way, I'm Touya Kinomoto."
"Nice to meet you. My name's Sanae."
She sat down and Yukito turned around, "And I'm Yukito Tsukishiro."
"Nice to meet you too. So, is the math teacher any good?"
"Not bad," answered Yukito, "he just hates it if you're late."
"Thanks for the tip, but I'm never late."
The teacher entered the room and introduced Sanae to the rest of the class. Touya wasn't really paying attention though, he was busy wondering why Sanae wanted to sit by him, and thinking of how pretty she looked. He realized the teacher was writing a note on the board and started copying.
________________
"So class, there's the question. What's the answer?" asked Pascaru-sensei, their chemistry professor. He was a brutal teacher, thought Touya, and every Friday before lunch he asked them an extremely difficult question. If they couldn't answer it, which they never could, he kept them late for lunch to explain it.
"Come on," he goaded, "There are thirty-one minds in this classroom and all I'm asking is for one to be able to solve this question. Just one. Then you can all go for lunch, and eat, and gossip, and rot your minds and teeth. You can even go early if someone solves it before the bell goes." Touya glanced up at the clock, there was seven minutes before class ended. Looks like another lunch hour wasted.
Beside him, Sanae was scribbling furiously on a piece of paper, jaw set. A slender arm rose slowly into the air.
"Ms. Li, care to take a stab at it?" , he said coldly, smirking, "Let's hear this answer."
Her eyes stared back, infused with steel, "The answer is thirty milligrams of hydrochloric acid and 50 grams of sodium bicarbonate."
The teacher's eyes narrowed. "That is correct, Ms. Li, and since you know this material so well you will be expected to write the test on Monday with the rest of the class, good luck getting the notes," he said harshly, "Class dismissed."
Sanae jammed her textbooks into her bag, slightly mad. However, the remarks she was getting from her classmates were worth having to do the test. Everyone came up to her and told her how great it was to have someone finally get one of the questions and actually have a lunch on Friday. The best praise, however, came from Touya and Yukito.
"That was amazing, I thought Touya was good at chemistry but . . ."
"Well, you're better than I am, Yukito, but still. Sanae that was so great!"
Sanae beamed. Touya actually was so caught up he gave her a small hug, lifting her right off the ground. He set her down and the three headed to their lockers, laughing.
"That was chemistry at it's best."
"Thanks," said Sanae, "But would one of you mind lending me you notes? I think would be helpful to actually know what's on the test before Monday, don't you?"
Touya laughed, he was starting to relax around Sanae, "I'll do you one better, we're getting together tonight at my house to study because I'm working most of Saturday and Sunday. Why don't you come?"
"Yeah," agreed Yukito, "Three minds are better than two."
"Sounds great," replied Sanae, "If you draw me a map I'll be there. Oh, and can I ask you one more thing?" she asked, pulling her lunch out of her locker and closing it.
"Sure."
"Would you mind if I ate lunch with you guys? I have lots of extra food and I don't talk much." She asked, mock pleadingly.
"Of course. Anyone who has extra food can't be too bad," said Yukito, only half-jokingly. The three walked off toward the cafeteria, Sanae thinking today didn't turn out half bad after all.
___________
"Look kid, I don't know what you did to Sakura yesterday, but I warned you not to hurt her, or I'd hurt you. And now I'm following through," Touya stared at Syaoran with cold malice, deep blue eyes set. The three had parted after eating their lunch and he had noticed the kid walking on the other side of the fence, so he thought he'd go over.
Amber eyes stared back indignantly, "Really? I'd like to see you try."
Touya moved toward him. He really hated this kid bothering his sister, and he was going to stop it once and for all.
"What do you think you're doing?" yelled a voice. Before Touya had time to turn, he was down on the ground, face first into the pavement with someone on top of him. "I asked you a question!"
The person lifted him up and turned him around before he quite realized what was happening. He found himself staring into another pair of amber eyes, which softened immediately when she realized it was him. "Touya? What are you doing?"
"Sanae?" he asked breathlessly. She had knocked the wind out of him, whether it was when she'd pushed him down or just from the shock of it all he wasn't sure. He'd never fought anyone so powerful, "Why are you here? Is he your *brother*?"
"Cousin actually," she answered, just as shocked, "What are you . . . ? You know what? I'm not even going to ask." She turned to Syaoran as well, "Please, just don't let it happen again."
"Okay." They both answered, the entire group floored.
Touya started over the fence, slightly ashamed. He heard Sanae speaking to Syaoran in Cantonese and listened even if he didn't understand.
"What were you thinking? You know we're not supposed to fight while we're here. What would your mother say?" she scolded mildly.
Amber eyes widened with fear, "You're not going to tell her are you? Because if she ever found out I'd be . . ."
"Don't worry. I won't. But promise me something. I don't care what your grudge with him is, or even how you know him, just don't ever fight with him again okay. You could hurt him and we don't need to draw any more attention to ourselves, understand?"
"Yes." He hung his head.
"Good, I'll see you after school."
She took a small run and cleared the fence with one single bound, joining Touya on the other side. The warning bell rang.
"We better get to class," she said pleasantly, seemingly not at all phased by what had just happened.
"Yeah," replied Touya, still embarrassed, "I guess." After seeing him try to beat up a ten year old, he figured any chances with her were basically shot, she'd probably never talk to him again, never mind actually becoming friends, or something more. But she was taking it so calmly, was it just an act? Was she really thinking 'I'll just be civil to this creep until we're not standing here all alone"? Probably.
"So, have you got that map ready for tonight yet? What time should I come?"
Touya smiled and answered her questions while they walked to class.
____________
Was it really possible for a clock to go backwards? Syaoran looked up at the clock behind Terada sensei with dismay. He could've swore it was one minute to the bell last time he looked up and now the clock said it was actually three minutes. He couldn't wait to get off for the weekend, and he had good reason. Tonight Meilin was having a dinner at her house for him because he was staying in Japan, though Sanae wasn't invited for 'family reasons'. Meilin wasn't the only person who thought Sanae was trying to marry him, her parents felt the same way. To make matters worse, they always picked on Sanae's upbringing and her parents mistakes, something Sanae hated to discuss. It was best she just didn't go. But . . . Meilin's mom was a spectacular cook, besides, Sanae told him to go and have fun, she was going to probably start painting anyway.
There was a knock at the classroom door. Mr. Terada stopped talking and opened it. Sanae smiled brightly and talked quietly with him. The class listened intently, parts of the conversation drifted towards them.
"I'm here for Syaoran. I'm his. . . .the school told me. . . papers to sign . . . wait until your class is over . . ."
"Yes, of course." said Mr. Terada, completely shocked. How could this girl be old enough to be Syaoran's legal guardian? He'd never seen anyone so pretty. He started searching though his desk for the papers to be signed. The office had called down to say Syaoran's guardian would be in after school but he hadn't expected this. His other guardian certainly hadn't looked like her.
Sanae walked towards Syaoran, even earning looks from the boys in his class. She sat on the window ledge beside Syaoran's desk and talked to him quietly until the bell rang. Mr. Terada produced the papers from his desk and brought them over. The class sat in their seats expectantly.
Sanae looked at them.
"Do we really have to do this in front of everyone?"
"No... of course not. The bell rang . . . they should be leaving," he said nervously, the students still sitting in their seats. He turned to Tomoyo, "Why aren't you leaving?"
"You didn't dismiss us yet, sir." she replied.
Sanae muffled a giggle. Was he always this flustered? She'd have to ask Syaoran later.
"Right . . . class dismissed." he said quickly, the students laughing and leaving quickly.
Sanae turned to Syaoran. "Why don't you go to your locker? I'll meet you outside in a minute."
"Okay."
When the class had emptied Sanae read the papers over. She talked idly to Terada-sensei while she read.
"So how long have you been teaching grade four?"
"Well actually, this is my first year having a home room of my own. I used to just teach physical education and science," he said watching her intently.
She noticed, but kept her eyes on the paper. "Really? That's good , Terada-sensei, one of my favourite subjects is science, chemistry actually. Do I sign here?" She pointed to the paper.
"Yes, right by the x. And please, just call me Yoshiyuki."
"Oh, okay," she said hesitantly. Was he just being friendly? Of course, she assured herself, how could he like someone as young as her? (AN- hmmmm. Yes, how could he? ~cough~Rika~) "Is that all?"
"Yes, we just needed those papers signed since you're Syaoran's guardian now."
"Right. Well, I guess I'll get going then. Good-bye . . ." she paused, "Yoshiyuki. I'll see you around."
"Yeah, see you around." He honestly hoped he would. Soon.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"Who *was* that?" asked Rika nervously. They were standing outside their classroom talking about the mysterious girl who had come into their classroom. Though Rika didn't want to admit it, she was worried about the way Terada looked at the girl.
"I don't know," answered Chiharu. "Maybe she's a new teacher or something."
"No, she can't be," chimed in Naoko, "She's too young, plus she said something about signing papers for Syaoran, and she went over and talked to him."
Yamazaki's eyes lit up, "Well, whoever she is, she's fantastic. That smile, those eyes, and I bet she can even cook."
At this, Chiharu hit him playfully. But a look similar to the one on Rika's face passed over hers, "Why don't we just ask Syaoran?"
Everyone agreed and started walking toward where Syaoran was standing at his locker. About halfway there, Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin joined the group.
"Hey guys, " said Sakura, "What's up?"
"Nothing really," answered Naoko, "We were just going to ask Syaoran about . . ."
Naoko fell silent as the classroom door opened. Sanae stepped out and went over to where they were standing. She bowed politely.
"Hello Sakura, Tomoyo. How are you doing today?"
"Good."
"Fantastic."
"That's great." Sanae said pleasantly. She stood up from her bow and turned to Meilin, saying cooly, almost sarcastically, "Meilin, such a pleasure to see you again."
"Same here. You know, not that I expected it from an ill-bred street rat like yourself, but next time you see me, you could at least have the manners to bow."
"And not that I expected it from an over-bred, under-brained elitist like yourself, but next time you're standing with a group of people, you could at least have the manners to introduce me." The two girls stared daggers at each other.
"Hey." Syaoran trotted over and stood between the two girls, sensing the tension "Everyone, this is my cousin Sanae, " he said to the group. "Sanae, meet Naoko, Chiharu, Rika, and Yamazaki. Of course, you've already know Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meilin.
Sanae immediately brightened and greeted each of Syaoran's friends warmly. There was no real point in arguing with Meilin anyway, besides his friends were all really nice back to her. In fact Yamazaki even offered to carry her school bag. She noticed a look of displeasure cross Chiharu's face though, and declined.
The group left the school and everyone started to walk home in small groups. Chiharu, Yamazaki, Naoko, and Rika all headed left while Sakura, Tomoyo, Meilin, and Syaoran turned right. Her cousins walked about ten steps behind Sakura and Tomoyo, and she walked about five behind them, alone. Behind her she heard a voices call her name. She stopped and looked in that direction. Touya rode his bike up to where she was standing and stopped. "Are you walking home?" he asked. The two started walking.
"That I am. No real point in driving a car when the weather's so nice, is there?"
"I guess not."
"Don't you bike home with Yukito? I thought he said today at lunch he lived near you."
Touya laughed, "Well, we usually do walk home, but only if he's not helping a school club with something they're doing."
"He belongs to a lot of clubs?"
Touya laughed once again. It was so strange, he rarely laughed at all, but around Sanae he felt so open, "No, he belongs to none, actually. He just always helps them out when they take on a big project. Today he's helping the booster club meet with the booster clubs of the other high schools and elementary schools to plan the "Fall Festival" on Monday."
"What's the Fall Festival?"
"Oh, it's a big citywide dance for anyone who's not married between the ages of 10 and 24. They're actually kind of fun, the dress is formal and they decorate the hall really nicely."
"That's so cool. They never did anything like that in Hong Kong," she smiled, "I bet Meilin will drag Syaoran, that's probably the real reason she invited him over for dinner." As she said Meilin's name, she pointed to her.
"Are those two dating?" It wasn't that Touya was really interested, but at least he was having a normal conversation with Sanae without sticking to one syllable sentences.
"Dating? No, they're engaged actually." Seeing the look on Touya's face, she quickly added, "It was an arranged marriage, that happens a lot in our family."
"Oh, I see. So you're coming over tonight after dinner?"
"Yup. Around six-thirty or seven."
"Great."
"Well, there's my house." she said, pointing to the bungalow, "Do you want to come in and get a drink or something?"
She wanted him to go into her house? He'd run across the city for her if she asked. He felt like shouting 'YES!!!' and doing a victory dance in the middle of the road. Instead he answered simply, "Sure, sounds great."
She inserted the key into the lock and opened the door. The walls were white and bare, and pieces of furniture were scattered everywhere. "Let me take your coat, Touya." She exited to a room off to the left and said, "Just keep going straight and you'll get to the kitchen." He followed her directions and found the kitchen. He took a seat on one of the stools and waited for her. About thirty seconds later she appeared, "So what would you like to drink? I think we have pop and . . ." she opened the fridge, "pop."
Touya stood up and peered into the open fridge. Sure enough it was bare except for two cans of Sprite(™) and a box of baking soda. Sanae smiled sheepishly, "I kind of have to go shopping before I go to your house. Thank goodness Syaoran's eating at Meilin's tonight. So, you up for a sprite?"
He smiled, "Sure. Do you at least have cups?" He said jokingly.
"Urusei. Yes, I have cups. Maybe you're just not special enough to get one, baka." Sanae said laughing.
Touya joined her. They sat down and drank in near silence. Touya finished his pop at the same time Sanae did. "I guess I'll get going," he said, "Hey, if you're going to be eating alone tonight anyway, do you want to come over early for dinner?
"That's so sweet, but I think I'll just eat here tonight. There's still some stuff I want to move while I have some time, furniture mostly. Thanks for the offer, though." Oh, she wanted to go so badly. Was it really possible to fall in love after a day? But she couldn't go. Dinner leads to dates, dates to a boyfriend, a boyfriend to a husband, and a husband ultimately leads to pain. She had to just stay his friend, that was all she could handle after Nao. The painful, ugly scars on her body were a daily reminder. She wouldn't let herself be hurt again.
Amber orbs were starting to fill with tears and Touya was floored. What did he do? Was it something he said? He didn't want to make her cry, ever. But all he did was ask her to come to his house for dinner. What was so wrong with that? As quickly as the tears appeared, they vanished, replaced by a cheerful smile. "Bye Touya. I'll see you tonight, then." There was something she was hiding.
"Okay, bye Sanae."
____________
Sakura was sitting on the front porch taking off her skates. She heard the soft sound of bike pedals and looked up. Touya parked his bicycle beside their garage, a kind of disturbed, far off look in his eyes.
"Hi Touya!" she called.
"Hey Sakura." he replied quietly.
"What's wrong?"
What's wrong? He just made the girl of his dreams cry! For no reason! On top of that he needed to know if it really possible to fall in love after a day because that's how he felt around Sanae. It was crazy! His entire world was collapsing because of this girl. And his sister has the nerve to ask him what's wrong? He was going insane, that's what was wrong!!! "Nothing," he replied calmly, "I'm fine. How was your day?"
"Good," Sakura replied. She didn't buy this act of being fine. There was obviously something bothering Touya, she wasn't blind. But then again, he didn't push her yesterday when she was upset, so she wouldn't force him to tell her. "We were supposed to have a math test but Mitzuki-sensei moved it to Monday."
"That's good. I've got some homework I've gotta do." He entered their house without saying anything else.
'Strange,' thought Sakura, 'definitely strange. I wonder what's bugging him.'
_______
"You want me to go where with you?" asked Syaoran.
"The Fall Festival. It's a dance at the fire-hall on Monday night."
Oh great! A dance. That meant he got to spend a whole night, in uncomfortable clothes, with Meilin. And some people actually claimed dances were fun.
"Syaoran? Are you listening to me?"
"Of course."
"So, do you want to go?"
No! But then again, Sakura might be there. Hmm . . . "Sure Meilin, sounds like fun."
"Great, I got this fabulous dress shipped from Hong Kong. It's silver and . . ."
Syaoran ignored her while she babbled happily on about her dress and shoes. He thought of Sakura. She smiled at him today. If she was going to the dance it would definitely be worth putting up with Meilin for four hours. Maybe he would ask her to dance . . . and maybe she would say yes.
_____________
"So Sakura, are you going to the Fall Festival?" asked Yukito pleasantly. He was sitting on their couch in the living room, waiting for Touya to come back. He'd gone for a walk after dinner and hadn't returned yet.
"Yeah, it's my first year and I'm really excited."
"Who are you going with?"
"Just my friends at the moment," she said, working up courage, "Wouldyouliketogowithme?" she blurted, blushing and looking down.
"I'd love to." he said, smiling.
Sakura smiled back. The door opened and shut. Touya came into the living room, the dejected look still on his face. He brightened slightly when he noticed Yukito and greeted him. Just then a low roar was heard in the driveway. The three rushed to the window, joined by Fujitaka, to see what the noise was. A bright yellow mustang convertible, soft cover up, was parking in front of their garage. A figure, carrying a black leather jacket, exited the car and headed for the front door.
Sanae rang the doorbell of the Kinomoto's home and was a bit surprised when it was opened almost immediately. A man with glasses and a friendly smile greeted her. The smile faltered then vanished altogether when he actually looked at her. "Hello." she said uncertainly, "I'm Sanae Li, you must be Touya's father. It's nice to meet you, Kinomoto-san." She bowed deeply and then stood up.
"It's nice to meet you too, Sanae," he faltered, "You look . . . uh . . . Touya and Yukito are in the
living room."
"Oh, okay. By the way, this is Touya's coat. He left it at my house this afternoon." She handed him the leather jacket and he also offered to take hers. "Thank-you." she said. Why did he look like he had just seen a ghost? Touya and Yukito met her in the foyer and they headed upstairs to his room to study.
__________
Sakura stared at the ceiling of her room. She was lying on her bed, thinking. ". . . He left it at my house this afternoon." Was Sanae the reason Touya was so upset after school? Hmm . . .
"That no good Li kid." said Kero, flying along the wall between Touya and Sakura's room, listening, "First she moves in on the cards and magic, and now she's coming to your house. I don't like it. She's trouble."
"Kero, you're getting worried over nothing. First of all, the only thing we know about her is that she can use magic, you don't know if she wants the Clow Cards." Kero opened his mouth to protest, but Sakura rushed on, "And second of all, she's here tonight to study with Touya. She's not here to spy on us or anything."
There was a rap on the door. Sakura got up and answered it, expecting her father. She was surprised to find it was Sanae. She reached into her backpack and produced a small container of chocolate-chip cookies. "These are for you and Kero. I told those two I would only be a second so I'd better get going. Enjoy!" She ducked back out of the room, closing the door behind her. She laughed, the quickest way to a guardian beast's heart was through it's stomach.
Kero scoffed. "I bet she put something in them." However, the aroma of freshly baked cookies quickly drew him over to where Sakura was sitting eating one, "Well, one can't hurt."
__________
Fujitaka sat in his office. The empty computer screen glared back at him while he stared at the picture on the desk. It was one that was taken years ago and, unlike most of the photos of his wife, it wasn't professionally done. But that was what made it better. It was a photo of the family at the beach about two months before Nadeshiko had died. It was full of smiles.
His was wistful, he'd known that there would be very few moments like this in the future. Nadeshiko's was sincere and kind, as it had been right up until her death. Touya's was the toothless, goofy grin of any seven year old boy. Fujitaka used to see him smile like that daily, but it had been replaced by a sullen, thoughtful look ten years ago. Sakura was busy splashing in the water, a broad smile on her face. She loved the water even then, just like her mother. Fujitaka brushed a stray tear from his cheek and sighed. God, he missed his wife, he thought of her daily as it was. But that girl . . . she looked just like Nadeshiko except for the eyes, which were a soft brown. It hurt him so much to look at her, his heart literally ached. He sighed again and put his head in his hands.
____________
The three poured over the chemistry notes. Instinctively Sanae looked up, sensing something. There, siting on Touya's bed, was a woman who looked exactly like her. Well, she was the ghost of a woman, more precisely. And she did have different eyes, they were an emerald green. But what did it mean? It couldn't be the mirror card, it wasn't identical enough. On top of that, the woman seemed more preoccupied with watching Touya than her. She noticed a photo on Touya's desk and nearly gasped. It was one of his family, from at least ten years ago, judging by Touya's age. In the picture sat Touya, Sakura, their father, and this woman. She was Touya's mother. No wonder each of the Kinomoto's looked at her so strangely when she met them. Realizing Touya wasn't looking up, the woman smiled at Sanae, and then vanished. Sanae wondered if Touya ever got to see his mother. Did he have that much magic? She had sensed some, but was it powerful enough?
___________
Touya glanced up just in time to catch his mother's fading form. He noticed Sanae staring intently at the spot that his mom was sitting. Could she see . . . no. "What are you looking at, Sanae?"
She turned guiltily, "Oh...nothing, just thinking." She smiled.
"Okay." Of course she couldn't see his mother. What was he thinking? Sometimes he wondered if he was the only one who could. He sighed and turned back to his notes.
The alarm on Sanae's watch sounded. She glanced at it and stood up. "I can't believe it's already 9:30. I've got to go pick up Syaoran at Meilin's. Bye you guys. Thanks for sharing your notes with me."
"No problem!" answered Yukito, "Bye, and thanks for the cookies. You'll have to give me the recipe, they we're delicious."
"I'll bring it Monday." replied Sanae, "Um. . . Touya?"
"Yeah."
"Could you show me where my coat is?"
"Sure, I'll be back in a second, Yukito." Touya said, getting up. Yukito was pouring over his notes again and just nodded.
The two walked down the stairs, drilling each other with chemistry questions. Touya opened the closet and handed Sanae her coat. "Touya, what a noble gas?"
"Located in the last column of the periodic table, noble gasses don't react with anything because their outer level is full. Nobel gasses include helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, and radon."
"Very good."
"I've got one more question for you."
"And what would that be?"
"Would you like to go to the Fall Festival with me on Monday?"
Would she? Every girl in the school would probably want to go to the dance with such a cute, smart, nice guy like Touya and here he was, asking her to it. But, she had vowed to just stay his friend. Sanae frowned in thought then brightened, friends could go together, she'd just make sure Touya knew they were going as friends. . . later. "I'd love to." She smiled again, it was all she could do to keep from doing a victory dance in the Kinomoto's driveway.
She said yes! Had he ever felt this happy? "Alright, I'll see you at school and I'll probably call you sometime this week-end. Bye, Sanae!" he called. He watched the yellow convertible disappear down the street and smiled broadly. What a girl.
To be continued . . .
By: Kelly M.
Li Luva
Japanese Translations
Urusei-shut up
Baka- you idiot (at least in this context, some times it's stupid/dumb)
sensei- teacher
pop- okay it's not Japanese, it's the Canadian word for soda. A.k.a- carbonated beverages. P.S. Sprite please don't sue
couch- darn I'm proud to be Canadian. Think sofa.