~*~An Escapade in New York City~*~
It was a warm, sunny day in the summer in the small town of Reedington, Tokyo. A calm breeze blew through the trees of the popular Reedington Park, near and elementary school, attended by numerous children.
One of those many children happened to be Sakura Kinomoto. A young girl of 11 years old, Sakura had recently been dismissed from the fourth grade. Kinomoto was a fair-skinned girl, with short auburn hair and bright jade eyes. She enjoyed the summers, just about as much as anyone else, but this year, she had a special reason to look forward to it.
**Flashback**
"Wow Tomoyo-chan, can you believe it? It's the last day of school already!!" Sakura chimed as she darted into the door of her classroom.
"I know... this year went by really quickly." her friend, Tomoyo Daidoji said, smiling.
"Wow... I can't wait to go to New York with you and Syaoran... it'll be so much fun!" Sakura exclaimed sitting down in her desk near the back of the room. She took her bag and hung it on the small hook on the side of the desk, watching her keychains dangle.
"Yea, I know... I'm so excited!" Tomoyo said, fisting her hands and shaking them a little near her face.
Sakura smiled, and turned around.
"How about you, Syaoran? How do you feel about this trip?"
"I just hope you're not going to make us miss our flight, Kinomoto." he said dryly.
Sakura looked at Tomoyo.
"I think he's glad we're going." she said, smiling jokingly.
"Yea, guess we're lucky to get even that much expression out of his face... oh well. I guess we can just be happy without him." Sakura shurgged and turned back around.
"Sakura..."
She turned around again.
"Hai Syaoran?" she asked, still smiling.
"Bring Kero and your wand along, just in case." he said, looking at her rather sternly.
She smiled again.
"I always carry the wand... and do you honestly think that Kero would pass up the oppertunity to try foriegn food?" she replied, pulling a necklace out from underneath of her shirt, and fiddling with it.
He cocked his head to one side, and shrugged.
"Good point, that stuffed animal never think of anything except what he can put in his stomach, ne?"
"Hai!" Sakura smirked, and smacked the boy gently in the arm. She turned around again, as Terada-sensei stepped in and introduced the morning announcements to the class.
**End Flashback**
"Hey dad? Do you know where I put my pink duffel bag when we came back from our last camping trip?" Sakura asked, running around to different closets looking for her bag.
"I thought you put it in the storage closet." Fujitaka replied, looking at his daughter with a perplexed expression.
"Uh... okay! Arigato!" she ran to another closet down the hallway.
"What's she looking for now, dad?" Touya asked, stepping into the kitchen to help his dad make breakfast.
"Her duffel bag... she can't seem to find it."
"Uhh.. it's in the top of the storage closet... she won't be able to reach it." he replied, stepping down the hallway to help his sister.
"Kaijuu, stoppit, you're too short to get up there."
"I could get up there if i really wanted to... and I'm not a kaijuu."
Touya smirked. He sighed, and picked her up, lifting her onto his shoulders.
"There, now you can get your bag." he said, moving towards the closet so she could reach.
"Arigato Onii-chan." she said, pulling the bag off the top shelf and hugging it as he set her back down onto the ground. She smirked, and ran up to her bedroom with the bag.
"Come on Kero, you gotta help me pack!! I'm gonna make us all late!!!"
"Sakura... what took you so long to get the bag?"
"I had to find it!! Now come on!! Help me get all my stuff in the bag!!"
The small teddy-bear type animal flew over to a pile of clothes, and picked up a few garments. He flew over to the bag, and dropped them in as Sakura unzipped it and began tossing other things into it.
"Hurry Kero!! Tomoyo and Syaoran will be here any minute!!" Sakura yelped franticly.
"Explain to me one more time why you're taking the Li kid along with you?"
"Because I thought he might enjoy it Kero!! Plus he's my friend!"
"Oh."
"Kaijuu your friends are here!" Touya yelled up the stairs.
"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" she yelled back. She ran over to her window, and called out to Tomoyo and Li. "Guys just one more second!!!!!"
Li blinked.
"Hurry it up Kino!! We're gonna be late!" he called back.
Sakura leaned back in her window, and smiled, blushing a bit at Li's pet-name for her.
"Come on Kero... let's go." She ran down the stairs, grabbing Kero and holding him against her stomach, zipping the bag up on her way down the stairs. She grabbed her pillow from it's place near the door, and slid into her shoes.
"Let's go guys!!" Tomoyo said happily, notioning to the car.
"Hai!!!" Sakura yelped, gently whacking Li's back with her pillow to get him moving.
"Uhh, yea..." he said, as if he were upset about something.
"Li, come on, be happy!!" Sakura smiled. "SMILE DARNIT!!"
Li blinked, and cracked a sideways smirk.
"There. Ya happy now?"
"Ahh, good enough. Now let's go!!" She ran towards the car, taking Li's wrist in the process, dragging him along to the car with her.
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