Some Disney Fun
Chapter 2:
By Chibi Ruka Hime
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, wake up!" Sakura heard dimly. Was that…Naoko-chan? Mhmhmh…she slowly opened her eyes, and…"Hoeeeeee!!!!!"
"Sakura-chan, isn't it cool?!" Naoko exclaimed excitedly, dangling the huge lobster closer to Sakura's face. "Compliments of the chef downstairs!"
"Is it…still alive?" Sakura asked cautiously, clutching her bed sheets.
"Hai!" Naoko responded with a wider smile as the lobster started clicking its claws.
"Hoeee!!!!" Sakura exclaimed, leaping up from the cot onto one of the beds. "It…it…moved!"
There was a knock on the door, with muffled cries outside. Naoko opened it, and in rushed Syaoran, with Eriol and Takashi close behind. "Sakura! What happened?" Syaoran asked worriedly, placing his hands on Sakura's shoulders.
Sakura gave him a nervous laugh, and pointed to the lobster. Syaoran yelped and leaped back several feet. "Wha-what is that thing doing in here?!"
Eriol chuckled beside him. "It seems that our Li-kun is a bit afraid of lobsters, ne? Better put it away, Yanagizawa-san, before he gets a heart attack."
Syaoran frowned at Eriol. "That's not true a bit. I was just…a bit surprised. That's all. But eh heh heh…let's put it in a bowl of water and let it just stay there until it's time to cook it."
"Cook it?!" Naoko said indignantly, her loud voice arousing Tomoyo, Meiling, Chiharu, and Rika. "I would never do such a thing to this poor creature! I was thinking more along the lines of keeping it as a pet. Don't you think it'd make a lovely pet, Yamazaki-kun, Hiiragizawa-kun?"
Takashi nodded. "Of course! I once had a snail for a pet, you know. Speaking of snails…did you know that lobsters originated from snails? They're actually second cousins! But some time during the Edo period-"
"YAMAZAKI-KUN!" Chiharu's voice came sharply from under one of the bed sheets. "Spare us your lies this early in the morning please!"
"But I guess I'll put it in a bowl of water so it won't dehydrate…" Naoko said wistfully, not bearing to part with her lobster.
Sakura and Syaoran both nodded with a sigh of relief. "Let's do that."
~**~
An hour later, the two parties were gathered together to start their descent down to the dining area for breakfast. More refreshed and alert, Sakura was dressed in a strapless tanktop with very short blue jean shorts. Syaoran was unable to keep his eyes off of her until Eriol jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow. Tomoyo was busily fiddling with her video camera, bringing two extra batteries just in case the first one ran out of power. Meiling was trying to smooth out her pigtails, and Naoko was busy flipping through a map of the hotel. Rika and Chiharu were talking to each other until Chiharu spied something suspicious out of the corner of her eye. "Yamazaki-kun…what's that you're scribbling down so furiously in that little red book?"
Takashi looked up with a wide smile, and held up the cover of the book.
"A Book of Tales by Yamazaki Takashi, dedicated to Cinderella and her Prince? What's THIS all about?!" Chiharu demanded.
"I'm glad you asked! It's a little book with stories that come randomly into my mind at random times, and I write them all down here. When we go to the Magic Kingdom, I'm giving the book to Cinderella! I'm sure she'll treasure it forever, and read a story every night to her little children!"
Chiharu sighed. "One problem, smart-o. She might have a tough time reading it since it's written in JAPANESE."
"Oops! Well, Hiiragizawa-kun can translate it, right?" Takashi asked confidently, slapping Eriol on the back.
"Hai! Easily."
Chiharu sighed again. "Not you too…"
"Onii-chan! Yukito-san!" Sakura yelled, waving her arms furiously as the two approached the group. "Where have you two been?! We've been waiting so long out here."
"We-err-kinda overslept," Touya replied.
"Busy night?" Syaoran asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Why you…" Touya started when Yukito cut in.
"Good morning everyone!" he said in his cheery voice. "Lovely day today outside, isn't it? Why don't we hurry downstairs before all the breakfast is eaten? I'm awfully hungry, come to speak of it."
"Haaaiii…" everyone said, following him to the elevator.
"Does anyone know where we're going today?" Rika asked once the elevator doors closed.
Touya flipped over a pamphlet with a thoughtful look. "What about Animal Kingdom? We have to go to all four parks in Disney anyway, so let's start here."
"Animal Kingdom? With all sorts of interesting animals and creatures?!" Naoko asked excitedly.
Touya raised an eyebrow. "How interesting are you looking for? I'm sure they have the regular animals there that you'd see in a zoo."
"Sugoi! With penguins?" Sakura asked.
"Baka Sakura. This isn't an aquarium," he responded. "But…I think there might be some monsters there. You'd fit in there quite well, kaijuu." (Kaijuu=monster in Japanese.)
"Sakura isn't a kaijuu!!!" Sakura yelled angrily, giving Touya a punch.
"To-ya! Don't be so mean!"
"Hmph."
~**~
After breakfast had been eaten, they left the hotel in good spirits, ready for what the day would bring them. An hour later, despite ticket confusion and getting off at the wrong bus stop (thank Eriol for that), the group finally arrived at the park. (In not so cheery spirits.)
"That was too long a ride," Meiling complained. "And the bus didn't have good air conditioning. I feel sticky and hot all over."
Chiharu and Rika nodded. "It is so much hotter here than Japan."
"Who decided to have our hotel so far away from all the theme parks?" Syaoran asked.
"Onii-chan did."
"Shoulda figured," Syaoran mumbled.
"Hey! It was the cheapest hotel I could find. At least they had decent hotel rooms."
"And very good food," Yukito added with a nod.
There were a few couple minutes of silence as they mulled around, trying to cool off with the water from the water fountain. They all turned as Eriol came skipping back with the entrance tickets into the park.
"I decided to buy the four day park hoppers for everybody. It was a better deal than buying single tickets."
"Park hoppers? Does that mean we have to hop around the park all day?" Sakura asked, confused. "Hoeee…that's going to be tough."
Yukito laughed. "Sakura-chan, a park hopper just means you get a card which lets you into any of the four Disney theme parks for four days."
Touya raised his eyebrow. "How much was each card?"
"About $200 U.S. dollars," Eriol replied, smiling brightly. "And with 11 people, it was about $2,200, excluding tax."
"$2,200?!" Touya exclaimed, his voice with a mixture of disbelief and anger. "Where did you get the money to buy all of them? I don't think father even gave me that much for ticket buying."
"Through your advance salaries account," Eriol replied, a bright smile still on his face.
Touya was seeing red. "How the hell did you get into THAT? That account is password-protected."
Eriol smiled (brightly). "I have my ways."
Sakura swiveled her head back and forth between Eriol and Touya, afraid that Touya might do something in his anger. Syaoran was snickering to himself, and the others were just listening with intense interest.
"To-ya…" Yukito said, breaking the silence. "Why don't we just distribute the tickets? We'll find a way to pay it off. I'm sure the costs won't be laid all on you."
Touya smiled grimly. "They better not be."
Yukito nodded reassuringly, taking the tickets from Touya. "Here's one for you, and you, and you, and you," he said. "Don't lose these. If you do, you won't be able to get into any of the parks."
"Oohh!!" Naoko exclaimed, waving hers around. "I got Minnie!"
Tomoyo turned, inspecting the card carefully. "That dress and bow she's wearing is so boring though. I could probably make a much fancier and cuter costume. I'm sure she would look absolutely dazzling in it!"
Everyone sweatdropped as different images of the Tomoyo-designed dress went through their minds.
"Kinomoto-san, may we set off now?" Eriol asked Touya pleasantly.
Touya grunted in response. "Listen up, KIDS."
"Onii-chan! We're not kids anymore! We're intelligent-"
"…mature, and totally responsible young adults," Touya finished sarcastically. "So bite me for the mistake."
"We'd rather not," Syaoran replied.
Another glare was thrown at Syaoran. "With a few immature exceptions, all of you MATURE young adults will be meeting Yuki and I here at the front entrance this afternoon at 5 p.m. We're leaving exactly at 5, and anyone not here will be left behind."
The group nodded. "Let's go then!" Sakura yelled excitedly, running towards the entrance gates, waving at the others to hurry up.
Tomoyo giggled, getting her video camera ready. "I must have all the film and batteries ready. A full day of taping Sakura-chan! What heaven!"
"Sakura-chan is full of energy again," Chiharu remarked with a smile.
"Being a teenager hasn't changed Sakura-san at all," Eriol remarked beside Syaoran.
"Daidouji hasn't changed at all either."
~*~
Meiling held the map with confusion in her hands. "I don't understand this at all. Hiiragizawa-kun, can you make sense of it?"
Eriol took the map from her, pushing up his glasses with an intelligent air about him. "Hmmm…well, we're currently here," he replied, pointing to a place on the map. "Where does everyone want to go?"
"Let's go watch that!" Naoko pointed excitedly, reading the summary of the event. "It's a 3-D show called 'It's Rough to be a Rug!'"
"It's rough to be a rug? What kind of show is that?" Syaoran demanded.
"Actually, the show's called 'It's Tough to be a Bug.'" Takashi cut in. "I've heard about that attraction. It's wonderful! It's the next best thing to seeing flying cats and dogs in the night sky! And that reminds me…did I tell anyone about the night I saw Chiharu-chan's cat walking on two legs? It was the most amazing thing ever! It was just hobbling around on two legs on her front lawn, and it was also BARKING. I think it could have been a new species, composed of cat, dog, and human DNA!"
"Rubbish," Chiharu muttered. "My cat was never walking on two legs. We can all tell that you're lying again."
Takashi scratched his head. "It wasn't your cat? Then my eyesight tricked me…Ah! Now I remember! It was YOU hobbling around barking on your front lawn! The resemblance between you and your cat were just so close that I couldn't tell-ITAI!!" he cried out as Chiharu smacked him on the head. "Be gentler! I've lost too many brain cells already."
Everyone was staring at the two, and Chiharu quickly laughed nervously and pulled Eriol over. "So, are we going there first then?"
Eriol nodded. "If no one has any objections."
~*~
"To-ya! Look, look!" Yukito exclaimed with excitement, pulling on Touya's shirt.
"What is it?" he asked, turning around.
Yukito pointed to the sign. "Eat like a dinosaur! Today's Special: 20 lbs of steak for only $60! Includes roast corn and muffins." Yukito licked his lips. "I can almost taste the meat melting in my mouth. It's something I've always dreamed of having."
Touya sweatdropped. "20 lbs of steak? Eh heh…"
"My other self is saying that he really wants the steak too," Yukito said with a smile. Instantly, wings appeared, and Yukito transformed into Yue. "I did not say that," Yue said in a cool tone.
"Gah!" Touya cried out. "You shouldn't transform in public like that! Especially in this crowded theme park!" His eyes darted left and right nervously. Already, a crowd of curious children and adults had surrounded the two. A few were tugging on Yue's wings and his robe. One was peering intently at his sandals.
"Wow, this is awesome! These wings are like…real!" a kid yelled out, trying to pull a feather off.
"Please stop tugging on the wings." Yue calmly requested.
"What's this robe made of? The fabric is exquisite," an adult remarked.
"What show are you supposed to be from?" a couple clamored out.
Touya sweatdropped. "He's umm…a character from a movie that hasn't come out yet. It's time for his lunch break. Be back later!" he rushed on, pulling Yue away from the crowd and into a nearby bathroom. He pulled him into a stall and locked the door. "Please transform back into Yuki before anybody sees you like this!"
But Yue's attentions were on something else. He was staring at the toilet. "What kind of toilet is this? It seems different from the toilet in Mistress's house."
"Never mind that!" Touya whispered frantically as he heard approaching footsteps outside the stall. "Hurry up and transform back!"
Yue gave the toilet one last prolonged glance before closing his eyes. Wings enveloped him, and Yukito appeared. He blinked with confusion. "Why…are we in a toilet stall?"
Touya sighed and sweatdropped. "You don't want to know." He unlocked the door and walked out. A man washing his hands at a sink stared at the stall, surprised to see TWO young men come out of it.
"Tourists," he muttered, shaking his head sadly as Touya and Yukito left.
~*~
"This is the Tree of Life," Eriol said, pointing at the large tree standing in front of them. "See the various intricate designs on its trunk? Those are to represent the various animals one can found on this earth."
"Who are you now? Our tour guide?" Syaoran asked sarcastically.
"I could if you wanted me to," Eriol said with a wink. "I can give you a tour on anything, even one on the…"
"That's enough," Tomoyo interrupted sweetly. "We don't need to know the specific tours you have to offer."
"Don't be selfish, Daidouji-san!" Eriol exclaimed. "You've taken that tour before, and we should share the wealth and knowledge with our dearest friends."
"What are you two talking about?" Sakura asked, clueless as ever.
"You'll understand one day," Tomoyo and Eriol said in unison.
"And I remember the days when Tomoyo-chan used to have such an innocent mind!" Chiharu whispered to Rika and Naoko. "Hiiragizawa-kun really has influenced her a lot."
"Are we ever going to get going in there?" Meiling asked impatiently, tapping her foot. She was tired of the conversation that didn't concern her at all.
Syaoran nodded beside her. "I agree. We should get going. It's already past 10."
"Then we're off!" Eriol said, leading the way.
"When has Hiiragizawa become our unspoken leader here?" Syaoran whispered to Takashi.
"Jealous?" he asked with a knowing grin.
"No. What would make you think that?"
~*~
"Geesh. How many turns and twists does this tree have?" Syaoran complained as they neared another turn. "It was hard enough waiting in that long line in the burning sun for half an hour."
"At least we've finally cleared that line, Syaoran-kun," Sakura replied, hooking her elbow with this. "It wasn't that bad waiting out there."
"Ha, not bad, despite the fact that Hiiragizawa made a tiny little black rain cloud appear above my head and pour freezing water on me when I complained it was too hot."
Sakura giggled. "That was funny. But it did cool you off, ne?"
"It sure did," Syaoran replied cynically. "I was shivering the rest of the time in line. Those Americans must have thought I was suffering from some sort of disease or something."
"Awwww…" Sakura said, sympathy growing in her heart. "Can I make it up in anyway for Eriol-kun's little silly act?"
Syaoran smiled. Sakura was just too cute for words. "Its…ok."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I'm glad," Sakura said with a smile. "But I'm still going to have a talk with Eriol-kun and make him apologize."
"Hey, you two lovebirds! Hurry up!" Eriol yelled out from the front. "The doors are opening for the show!"
Syaoran turned around and blushed to see that he and Sakura were indeed the last ones still left behind. The two ran up to the where everyone else was standing, blushing.
"About time," Takashi said.
"What were you guys talking about back there?" Eriol asked slyly. "You two were in your own little worlds for a few minutes there."
Syaoran frowned at Eriol. Could one person really be so annoying? "Wouldn't you like to know."
Eriol shrugged, but he continued smiling (Though it looked more like a leer to Syaoran) at Sakura and Syaoran.
"Come on. We don't want to get bad seats!" Tomoyo said, pulling on Eriol's arm but still pointing her camera at Sakura.
"Will I ever be in the center of your films?" Eriol asked in a hurt tone of voice.
"One day," Tomoyo replied sweetly.
They entered the huge room, grabbing one of the 3-D glasses from the bin on the way in. There were hundreds of long, wooden chairs overlooking the stage. There was Flik up in the corner of the stage, and Naoko hurriedly pointed this fact out to the others. They sat down in one of the rows.
(Seating Arrangement):
Naoko-Takashi-Chiharu-Rika-Tomoyo-Eriol-Meiling-Syaoran-Sakura
"This is going to be great!" Naoko exclaimed, putting the 3-D glasses over her own glasses.
"My, Chiharu-chan, you looking ravishing with your glasses," Takashi said with a smile as he put his on.
"Don't think flattery will get you anywhere," Chiharu warned.
"Ahhh!!" Eriol screamed. "I think I just saw a bug! Oh dear, my mistake. It was only Li-kun."
"NANI?!" Syaoran burst out.
"HUSH!!" people around them said as the lights went out.
Eriol and Syaoran sweatdropped, and Syaoran grudgingly took his attentions to the screen. "I'll get my revenge on him yet," he promised himself.
"Welcome to today's presentation of 'It's Tough to be a Bug!'" a woman's voice rang out. "If you have to leave the presentation at any moment, please use the doors on your right. This show is filled with sudden loud sounds, so parental discretion is advised for little kids and elderly people. Please no video taping or use of flash photography during the show. Now…it's time for the show!"
"What? No video taping?" Tomoyo said sadly, placing her camera in her bag.
Everyone clapped as Flik jumped onto the stage. "Hiya people! I'm Flik. Today, I'm going to take everybody on the journey and show you just how hard it is to be a bug! Now, put on your 3-D glasses, and we're all set to depart!"
Syaoran's attentions soon strayed from the show, and he was busy staring at Sakura, who laughed and was focused intently on the scenes going on in front of her. His ears caught the bug saying, "…a mortal enemy of us bugs is the BUG SPRAY!" He turned around just in time to see a large spray can hanging dangerously close to his head. "Kill the bug!" he heard in the background, and there was a loud "Phwoooossshhhh" He yelped as he felt wet liquid being sprayed mercilessly onto him. People screamed around him too, including Sakura, who was screaming and laughing at the same time. "Yuck yuck, get if off of me!" Syaoran said persistently, trying to shake off that yucky, wet, cold feeling.
"Wow, that had a tremendous effect on our Li-kun," Eriol said, laughing.
"Li-kun, it's only water," Takashi yelled a few seats down.
Syaoran turned bright red. "I-I knew that!"
Sakura giggled, and Syaoran turned redder at the thought of acting like such a fool in front of her.
"It's ok, Syaoran-kun," she said confidentially. "I thought it was real bug spray at first too."
Syaoran nodded, and his eyes were glued to the screen from that point forward, refusing to make eye contact with anybody.
"Another mortal enemy of us bugs is the fly swatter!" a fly on the screen cried out. A fly swatter was hovering close above the fly, coming closer and closer. It seemed to be coming closer and closer to Syaoran himself, and he started edging backward on his seat. (Not that he could go back any further.) The swatter went down on the fly, and a sudden gust of wind was felt. The fly exploded, and its insides flew all over the stage.
EWWWW Syaoran cringed inwardly, though making no sounds on the outside except for a slight change in the expression on his face. Next to him, Meiling was desperately trying to wipe all the disgusting wet stuff off her shirt. "This is a 40 dollar shirt, you know!!!" she wailed.
"Meiling-chan, it's alright." Tomoyo turned to her and said. "It's only water, neh?"
Eriol chuckled. "Quite good effects we're getting. They're having excellent effects on both the Li's."
Flik returned back on stage after a few more bugs were killed mercilessly by the humans. "I hope everyone here has experienced the things we poor insects have to go through and fear every single day. Now you know how tough it is to be a bug. Think twice before using that bug spray or any other lethal weapon! Now, everybody hold on to their possessions. The bugs are now exiting the stage."
Syaoran sat there, expecting nothing more after that. He turned around to see how Sakura was, but he was puzzled by the screams on his far right. He opened his mouth to speak when he yelped, feeling a tingling, tickling sensation under his butt. Everyone else cried out with surprise beside him, even Eriol, though he quickly composed himself. "My, Daidouji-san, I see you were quite happy to see me."
Tomoyo blushed and slapped his arm lightly. "It wasn't me, silly."
"What was that?" Chiharu asked, still rubbing his butt gingerly, expecting to feel that weird tickling feeling again.
"It was the bugs leaving, of course!" Naoko said with an excited air about her.
The lights turned on, and the woman's voice was heard over the loudspeaker again. "We hope everyone has enjoyed that presentation. Please enjoy the rest of your stay here at the Animal Kingdom. Please exit to your left, and drop your glasses in the bins provided outside."
"Aww...we don't get to keep these?" Naoko said wistfully.
Outside, everyone crowded around, talking excitedly about the show.
"That was such a good show!" Naoko said.
Rika and Chiharu nodded.
"It would have been better if I had been allowed to use my video camera," Tomoyo said regretfully, taking out her camera again.
"It had great effects, especially the last one," Eriol added in.
"The bug exploding was horrible," Meiling said.
"The bugs were great!" Takashi exclaimed.
"Sure they were…" Chiharu muttered.
"How did you like it, Sakura-san?" Eriol asked.
"It was really funny. And Syaoran-kun? I bet you loved it too!"
Syaoran nodded mutely. "Yeah…I did. Absolutely loved it."
Eriol show him a knowing grin, getting a glare in return.
"Watching that bug explode made me really hungry," Takashi remarked.
Chiharu frowned. "How can watching a bug explode make you hungry?!"
"My stomach works differently than yours," he said with a grin.
Chiharu sighed. "I don't want to know then."
~*~End~*~
Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 2 is FINALLY done. I had kinda lost interest in it once school started, but I was reading over it over Thanksgiving break, and realized that I just had to finish this chapter. It had such a good beginning, and I felt obligated to make a good ending. J There are so many other fun events to do at Animal Kingdom, so stay tuned for the rest! R & R would of course give me more encouragement to continue working on this series.
Disclaimer: Animal Kingdom solely belongs to Disney, and the characters of CCS belong to CLAMP. The speech given by the woman and Flik were made up by me (Since I don't exactly remember what they were saying 4 months ago.) But yes, when I saw the show, there were the bug spray, fly swatter, and the bugs scurrying along under your butt at the end of the show.
Extras:
Sakura: Ruka-sama, I'm confused…what tours were Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun talking about?
Ruka: Do you really want to know?
Sakura: *nod nod*
Ruka: Are you really sure?
Sakura: Yes yes.
Ruka: No you're not.
Sakura: Yes I am.
Ruka: No you're not.
Sakura: Yes I am!
Ruka: I'll tell you when you're a big older, Sakura-chan. *smile*
Sakura: Ruka-sama!
Ruka: *pulls Syaoran over* He'll explain it to you.
Syaoran: *struggles* I'll explain what?
Ruka: What Eriol-sama meant.
Syaoran: What he meant what?
Ruka: *is now confused herself*
Eriol: Someone call me again?
*There's a loud knocking at the door*
Ruka: Come in!
Touya: *marches in* What's the meaning of having Yue fascinated with a TOILET?
Ruka: *giggles nervously* I thought it was funny!
Touya: Well, you wanna know what I think?
Ruka: Eep. Not really…
Touya: Well you're going to hear what I think. I think that-
Eriol: *cuts in* Yue was fascinated with a toilet?! I don't think Clow ever programmed that into his personality when he first created him.
Ruka: Eh heh..of course he didn't. I did it myself. *nods proudly*
Sakura: Yue-san was fascinated with a toilet? Hoeee…
Ruka: I just love these after-fic conversations. Until next time!
Touya: Hey! I never told you what I thought about the whole business! *voice fades away as curtain drops*
~Ruka
Chapter 2:
By Chibi Ruka Hime
"Sakura-chan, Sakura-chan, wake up!" Sakura heard dimly. Was that…Naoko-chan? Mhmhmh…she slowly opened her eyes, and…"Hoeeeeee!!!!!"
"Sakura-chan, isn't it cool?!" Naoko exclaimed excitedly, dangling the huge lobster closer to Sakura's face. "Compliments of the chef downstairs!"
"Is it…still alive?" Sakura asked cautiously, clutching her bed sheets.
"Hai!" Naoko responded with a wider smile as the lobster started clicking its claws.
"Hoeee!!!!" Sakura exclaimed, leaping up from the cot onto one of the beds. "It…it…moved!"
There was a knock on the door, with muffled cries outside. Naoko opened it, and in rushed Syaoran, with Eriol and Takashi close behind. "Sakura! What happened?" Syaoran asked worriedly, placing his hands on Sakura's shoulders.
Sakura gave him a nervous laugh, and pointed to the lobster. Syaoran yelped and leaped back several feet. "Wha-what is that thing doing in here?!"
Eriol chuckled beside him. "It seems that our Li-kun is a bit afraid of lobsters, ne? Better put it away, Yanagizawa-san, before he gets a heart attack."
Syaoran frowned at Eriol. "That's not true a bit. I was just…a bit surprised. That's all. But eh heh heh…let's put it in a bowl of water and let it just stay there until it's time to cook it."
"Cook it?!" Naoko said indignantly, her loud voice arousing Tomoyo, Meiling, Chiharu, and Rika. "I would never do such a thing to this poor creature! I was thinking more along the lines of keeping it as a pet. Don't you think it'd make a lovely pet, Yamazaki-kun, Hiiragizawa-kun?"
Takashi nodded. "Of course! I once had a snail for a pet, you know. Speaking of snails…did you know that lobsters originated from snails? They're actually second cousins! But some time during the Edo period-"
"YAMAZAKI-KUN!" Chiharu's voice came sharply from under one of the bed sheets. "Spare us your lies this early in the morning please!"
"But I guess I'll put it in a bowl of water so it won't dehydrate…" Naoko said wistfully, not bearing to part with her lobster.
Sakura and Syaoran both nodded with a sigh of relief. "Let's do that."
~**~
An hour later, the two parties were gathered together to start their descent down to the dining area for breakfast. More refreshed and alert, Sakura was dressed in a strapless tanktop with very short blue jean shorts. Syaoran was unable to keep his eyes off of her until Eriol jabbed him in the stomach with his elbow. Tomoyo was busily fiddling with her video camera, bringing two extra batteries just in case the first one ran out of power. Meiling was trying to smooth out her pigtails, and Naoko was busy flipping through a map of the hotel. Rika and Chiharu were talking to each other until Chiharu spied something suspicious out of the corner of her eye. "Yamazaki-kun…what's that you're scribbling down so furiously in that little red book?"
Takashi looked up with a wide smile, and held up the cover of the book.
"A Book of Tales by Yamazaki Takashi, dedicated to Cinderella and her Prince? What's THIS all about?!" Chiharu demanded.
"I'm glad you asked! It's a little book with stories that come randomly into my mind at random times, and I write them all down here. When we go to the Magic Kingdom, I'm giving the book to Cinderella! I'm sure she'll treasure it forever, and read a story every night to her little children!"
Chiharu sighed. "One problem, smart-o. She might have a tough time reading it since it's written in JAPANESE."
"Oops! Well, Hiiragizawa-kun can translate it, right?" Takashi asked confidently, slapping Eriol on the back.
"Hai! Easily."
Chiharu sighed again. "Not you too…"
"Onii-chan! Yukito-san!" Sakura yelled, waving her arms furiously as the two approached the group. "Where have you two been?! We've been waiting so long out here."
"We-err-kinda overslept," Touya replied.
"Busy night?" Syaoran asked, raising his eyebrow.
"Why you…" Touya started when Yukito cut in.
"Good morning everyone!" he said in his cheery voice. "Lovely day today outside, isn't it? Why don't we hurry downstairs before all the breakfast is eaten? I'm awfully hungry, come to speak of it."
"Haaaiii…" everyone said, following him to the elevator.
"Does anyone know where we're going today?" Rika asked once the elevator doors closed.
Touya flipped over a pamphlet with a thoughtful look. "What about Animal Kingdom? We have to go to all four parks in Disney anyway, so let's start here."
"Animal Kingdom? With all sorts of interesting animals and creatures?!" Naoko asked excitedly.
Touya raised an eyebrow. "How interesting are you looking for? I'm sure they have the regular animals there that you'd see in a zoo."
"Sugoi! With penguins?" Sakura asked.
"Baka Sakura. This isn't an aquarium," he responded. "But…I think there might be some monsters there. You'd fit in there quite well, kaijuu." (Kaijuu=monster in Japanese.)
"Sakura isn't a kaijuu!!!" Sakura yelled angrily, giving Touya a punch.
"To-ya! Don't be so mean!"
"Hmph."
~**~
After breakfast had been eaten, they left the hotel in good spirits, ready for what the day would bring them. An hour later, despite ticket confusion and getting off at the wrong bus stop (thank Eriol for that), the group finally arrived at the park. (In not so cheery spirits.)
"That was too long a ride," Meiling complained. "And the bus didn't have good air conditioning. I feel sticky and hot all over."
Chiharu and Rika nodded. "It is so much hotter here than Japan."
"Who decided to have our hotel so far away from all the theme parks?" Syaoran asked.
"Onii-chan did."
"Shoulda figured," Syaoran mumbled.
"Hey! It was the cheapest hotel I could find. At least they had decent hotel rooms."
"And very good food," Yukito added with a nod.
There were a few couple minutes of silence as they mulled around, trying to cool off with the water from the water fountain. They all turned as Eriol came skipping back with the entrance tickets into the park.
"I decided to buy the four day park hoppers for everybody. It was a better deal than buying single tickets."
"Park hoppers? Does that mean we have to hop around the park all day?" Sakura asked, confused. "Hoeee…that's going to be tough."
Yukito laughed. "Sakura-chan, a park hopper just means you get a card which lets you into any of the four Disney theme parks for four days."
Touya raised his eyebrow. "How much was each card?"
"About $200 U.S. dollars," Eriol replied, smiling brightly. "And with 11 people, it was about $2,200, excluding tax."
"$2,200?!" Touya exclaimed, his voice with a mixture of disbelief and anger. "Where did you get the money to buy all of them? I don't think father even gave me that much for ticket buying."
"Through your advance salaries account," Eriol replied, a bright smile still on his face.
Touya was seeing red. "How the hell did you get into THAT? That account is password-protected."
Eriol smiled (brightly). "I have my ways."
Sakura swiveled her head back and forth between Eriol and Touya, afraid that Touya might do something in his anger. Syaoran was snickering to himself, and the others were just listening with intense interest.
"To-ya…" Yukito said, breaking the silence. "Why don't we just distribute the tickets? We'll find a way to pay it off. I'm sure the costs won't be laid all on you."
Touya smiled grimly. "They better not be."
Yukito nodded reassuringly, taking the tickets from Touya. "Here's one for you, and you, and you, and you," he said. "Don't lose these. If you do, you won't be able to get into any of the parks."
"Oohh!!" Naoko exclaimed, waving hers around. "I got Minnie!"
Tomoyo turned, inspecting the card carefully. "That dress and bow she's wearing is so boring though. I could probably make a much fancier and cuter costume. I'm sure she would look absolutely dazzling in it!"
Everyone sweatdropped as different images of the Tomoyo-designed dress went through their minds.
"Kinomoto-san, may we set off now?" Eriol asked Touya pleasantly.
Touya grunted in response. "Listen up, KIDS."
"Onii-chan! We're not kids anymore! We're intelligent-"
"…mature, and totally responsible young adults," Touya finished sarcastically. "So bite me for the mistake."
"We'd rather not," Syaoran replied.
Another glare was thrown at Syaoran. "With a few immature exceptions, all of you MATURE young adults will be meeting Yuki and I here at the front entrance this afternoon at 5 p.m. We're leaving exactly at 5, and anyone not here will be left behind."
The group nodded. "Let's go then!" Sakura yelled excitedly, running towards the entrance gates, waving at the others to hurry up.
Tomoyo giggled, getting her video camera ready. "I must have all the film and batteries ready. A full day of taping Sakura-chan! What heaven!"
"Sakura-chan is full of energy again," Chiharu remarked with a smile.
"Being a teenager hasn't changed Sakura-san at all," Eriol remarked beside Syaoran.
"Daidouji hasn't changed at all either."
~*~
Meiling held the map with confusion in her hands. "I don't understand this at all. Hiiragizawa-kun, can you make sense of it?"
Eriol took the map from her, pushing up his glasses with an intelligent air about him. "Hmmm…well, we're currently here," he replied, pointing to a place on the map. "Where does everyone want to go?"
"Let's go watch that!" Naoko pointed excitedly, reading the summary of the event. "It's a 3-D show called 'It's Rough to be a Rug!'"
"It's rough to be a rug? What kind of show is that?" Syaoran demanded.
"Actually, the show's called 'It's Tough to be a Bug.'" Takashi cut in. "I've heard about that attraction. It's wonderful! It's the next best thing to seeing flying cats and dogs in the night sky! And that reminds me…did I tell anyone about the night I saw Chiharu-chan's cat walking on two legs? It was the most amazing thing ever! It was just hobbling around on two legs on her front lawn, and it was also BARKING. I think it could have been a new species, composed of cat, dog, and human DNA!"
"Rubbish," Chiharu muttered. "My cat was never walking on two legs. We can all tell that you're lying again."
Takashi scratched his head. "It wasn't your cat? Then my eyesight tricked me…Ah! Now I remember! It was YOU hobbling around barking on your front lawn! The resemblance between you and your cat were just so close that I couldn't tell-ITAI!!" he cried out as Chiharu smacked him on the head. "Be gentler! I've lost too many brain cells already."
Everyone was staring at the two, and Chiharu quickly laughed nervously and pulled Eriol over. "So, are we going there first then?"
Eriol nodded. "If no one has any objections."
~*~
"To-ya! Look, look!" Yukito exclaimed with excitement, pulling on Touya's shirt.
"What is it?" he asked, turning around.
Yukito pointed to the sign. "Eat like a dinosaur! Today's Special: 20 lbs of steak for only $60! Includes roast corn and muffins." Yukito licked his lips. "I can almost taste the meat melting in my mouth. It's something I've always dreamed of having."
Touya sweatdropped. "20 lbs of steak? Eh heh…"
"My other self is saying that he really wants the steak too," Yukito said with a smile. Instantly, wings appeared, and Yukito transformed into Yue. "I did not say that," Yue said in a cool tone.
"Gah!" Touya cried out. "You shouldn't transform in public like that! Especially in this crowded theme park!" His eyes darted left and right nervously. Already, a crowd of curious children and adults had surrounded the two. A few were tugging on Yue's wings and his robe. One was peering intently at his sandals.
"Wow, this is awesome! These wings are like…real!" a kid yelled out, trying to pull a feather off.
"Please stop tugging on the wings." Yue calmly requested.
"What's this robe made of? The fabric is exquisite," an adult remarked.
"What show are you supposed to be from?" a couple clamored out.
Touya sweatdropped. "He's umm…a character from a movie that hasn't come out yet. It's time for his lunch break. Be back later!" he rushed on, pulling Yue away from the crowd and into a nearby bathroom. He pulled him into a stall and locked the door. "Please transform back into Yuki before anybody sees you like this!"
But Yue's attentions were on something else. He was staring at the toilet. "What kind of toilet is this? It seems different from the toilet in Mistress's house."
"Never mind that!" Touya whispered frantically as he heard approaching footsteps outside the stall. "Hurry up and transform back!"
Yue gave the toilet one last prolonged glance before closing his eyes. Wings enveloped him, and Yukito appeared. He blinked with confusion. "Why…are we in a toilet stall?"
Touya sighed and sweatdropped. "You don't want to know." He unlocked the door and walked out. A man washing his hands at a sink stared at the stall, surprised to see TWO young men come out of it.
"Tourists," he muttered, shaking his head sadly as Touya and Yukito left.
~*~
"This is the Tree of Life," Eriol said, pointing at the large tree standing in front of them. "See the various intricate designs on its trunk? Those are to represent the various animals one can found on this earth."
"Who are you now? Our tour guide?" Syaoran asked sarcastically.
"I could if you wanted me to," Eriol said with a wink. "I can give you a tour on anything, even one on the…"
"That's enough," Tomoyo interrupted sweetly. "We don't need to know the specific tours you have to offer."
"Don't be selfish, Daidouji-san!" Eriol exclaimed. "You've taken that tour before, and we should share the wealth and knowledge with our dearest friends."
"What are you two talking about?" Sakura asked, clueless as ever.
"You'll understand one day," Tomoyo and Eriol said in unison.
"And I remember the days when Tomoyo-chan used to have such an innocent mind!" Chiharu whispered to Rika and Naoko. "Hiiragizawa-kun really has influenced her a lot."
"Are we ever going to get going in there?" Meiling asked impatiently, tapping her foot. She was tired of the conversation that didn't concern her at all.
Syaoran nodded beside her. "I agree. We should get going. It's already past 10."
"Then we're off!" Eriol said, leading the way.
"When has Hiiragizawa become our unspoken leader here?" Syaoran whispered to Takashi.
"Jealous?" he asked with a knowing grin.
"No. What would make you think that?"
~*~
"Geesh. How many turns and twists does this tree have?" Syaoran complained as they neared another turn. "It was hard enough waiting in that long line in the burning sun for half an hour."
"At least we've finally cleared that line, Syaoran-kun," Sakura replied, hooking her elbow with this. "It wasn't that bad waiting out there."
"Ha, not bad, despite the fact that Hiiragizawa made a tiny little black rain cloud appear above my head and pour freezing water on me when I complained it was too hot."
Sakura giggled. "That was funny. But it did cool you off, ne?"
"It sure did," Syaoran replied cynically. "I was shivering the rest of the time in line. Those Americans must have thought I was suffering from some sort of disease or something."
"Awwww…" Sakura said, sympathy growing in her heart. "Can I make it up in anyway for Eriol-kun's little silly act?"
Syaoran smiled. Sakura was just too cute for words. "Its…ok."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"I'm glad," Sakura said with a smile. "But I'm still going to have a talk with Eriol-kun and make him apologize."
"Hey, you two lovebirds! Hurry up!" Eriol yelled out from the front. "The doors are opening for the show!"
Syaoran turned around and blushed to see that he and Sakura were indeed the last ones still left behind. The two ran up to the where everyone else was standing, blushing.
"About time," Takashi said.
"What were you guys talking about back there?" Eriol asked slyly. "You two were in your own little worlds for a few minutes there."
Syaoran frowned at Eriol. Could one person really be so annoying? "Wouldn't you like to know."
Eriol shrugged, but he continued smiling (Though it looked more like a leer to Syaoran) at Sakura and Syaoran.
"Come on. We don't want to get bad seats!" Tomoyo said, pulling on Eriol's arm but still pointing her camera at Sakura.
"Will I ever be in the center of your films?" Eriol asked in a hurt tone of voice.
"One day," Tomoyo replied sweetly.
They entered the huge room, grabbing one of the 3-D glasses from the bin on the way in. There were hundreds of long, wooden chairs overlooking the stage. There was Flik up in the corner of the stage, and Naoko hurriedly pointed this fact out to the others. They sat down in one of the rows.
(Seating Arrangement):
Naoko-Takashi-Chiharu-Rika-Tomoyo-Eriol-Meiling-Syaoran-Sakura
"This is going to be great!" Naoko exclaimed, putting the 3-D glasses over her own glasses.
"My, Chiharu-chan, you looking ravishing with your glasses," Takashi said with a smile as he put his on.
"Don't think flattery will get you anywhere," Chiharu warned.
"Ahhh!!" Eriol screamed. "I think I just saw a bug! Oh dear, my mistake. It was only Li-kun."
"NANI?!" Syaoran burst out.
"HUSH!!" people around them said as the lights went out.
Eriol and Syaoran sweatdropped, and Syaoran grudgingly took his attentions to the screen. "I'll get my revenge on him yet," he promised himself.
"Welcome to today's presentation of 'It's Tough to be a Bug!'" a woman's voice rang out. "If you have to leave the presentation at any moment, please use the doors on your right. This show is filled with sudden loud sounds, so parental discretion is advised for little kids and elderly people. Please no video taping or use of flash photography during the show. Now…it's time for the show!"
"What? No video taping?" Tomoyo said sadly, placing her camera in her bag.
Everyone clapped as Flik jumped onto the stage. "Hiya people! I'm Flik. Today, I'm going to take everybody on the journey and show you just how hard it is to be a bug! Now, put on your 3-D glasses, and we're all set to depart!"
Syaoran's attentions soon strayed from the show, and he was busy staring at Sakura, who laughed and was focused intently on the scenes going on in front of her. His ears caught the bug saying, "…a mortal enemy of us bugs is the BUG SPRAY!" He turned around just in time to see a large spray can hanging dangerously close to his head. "Kill the bug!" he heard in the background, and there was a loud "Phwoooossshhhh" He yelped as he felt wet liquid being sprayed mercilessly onto him. People screamed around him too, including Sakura, who was screaming and laughing at the same time. "Yuck yuck, get if off of me!" Syaoran said persistently, trying to shake off that yucky, wet, cold feeling.
"Wow, that had a tremendous effect on our Li-kun," Eriol said, laughing.
"Li-kun, it's only water," Takashi yelled a few seats down.
Syaoran turned bright red. "I-I knew that!"
Sakura giggled, and Syaoran turned redder at the thought of acting like such a fool in front of her.
"It's ok, Syaoran-kun," she said confidentially. "I thought it was real bug spray at first too."
Syaoran nodded, and his eyes were glued to the screen from that point forward, refusing to make eye contact with anybody.
"Another mortal enemy of us bugs is the fly swatter!" a fly on the screen cried out. A fly swatter was hovering close above the fly, coming closer and closer. It seemed to be coming closer and closer to Syaoran himself, and he started edging backward on his seat. (Not that he could go back any further.) The swatter went down on the fly, and a sudden gust of wind was felt. The fly exploded, and its insides flew all over the stage.
EWWWW Syaoran cringed inwardly, though making no sounds on the outside except for a slight change in the expression on his face. Next to him, Meiling was desperately trying to wipe all the disgusting wet stuff off her shirt. "This is a 40 dollar shirt, you know!!!" she wailed.
"Meiling-chan, it's alright." Tomoyo turned to her and said. "It's only water, neh?"
Eriol chuckled. "Quite good effects we're getting. They're having excellent effects on both the Li's."
Flik returned back on stage after a few more bugs were killed mercilessly by the humans. "I hope everyone here has experienced the things we poor insects have to go through and fear every single day. Now you know how tough it is to be a bug. Think twice before using that bug spray or any other lethal weapon! Now, everybody hold on to their possessions. The bugs are now exiting the stage."
Syaoran sat there, expecting nothing more after that. He turned around to see how Sakura was, but he was puzzled by the screams on his far right. He opened his mouth to speak when he yelped, feeling a tingling, tickling sensation under his butt. Everyone else cried out with surprise beside him, even Eriol, though he quickly composed himself. "My, Daidouji-san, I see you were quite happy to see me."
Tomoyo blushed and slapped his arm lightly. "It wasn't me, silly."
"What was that?" Chiharu asked, still rubbing his butt gingerly, expecting to feel that weird tickling feeling again.
"It was the bugs leaving, of course!" Naoko said with an excited air about her.
The lights turned on, and the woman's voice was heard over the loudspeaker again. "We hope everyone has enjoyed that presentation. Please enjoy the rest of your stay here at the Animal Kingdom. Please exit to your left, and drop your glasses in the bins provided outside."
"Aww...we don't get to keep these?" Naoko said wistfully.
Outside, everyone crowded around, talking excitedly about the show.
"That was such a good show!" Naoko said.
Rika and Chiharu nodded.
"It would have been better if I had been allowed to use my video camera," Tomoyo said regretfully, taking out her camera again.
"It had great effects, especially the last one," Eriol added in.
"The bug exploding was horrible," Meiling said.
"The bugs were great!" Takashi exclaimed.
"Sure they were…" Chiharu muttered.
"How did you like it, Sakura-san?" Eriol asked.
"It was really funny. And Syaoran-kun? I bet you loved it too!"
Syaoran nodded mutely. "Yeah…I did. Absolutely loved it."
Eriol show him a knowing grin, getting a glare in return.
"Watching that bug explode made me really hungry," Takashi remarked.
Chiharu frowned. "How can watching a bug explode make you hungry?!"
"My stomach works differently than yours," he said with a grin.
Chiharu sighed. "I don't want to know then."
~*~End~*~
Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 2 is FINALLY done. I had kinda lost interest in it once school started, but I was reading over it over Thanksgiving break, and realized that I just had to finish this chapter. It had such a good beginning, and I felt obligated to make a good ending. J There are so many other fun events to do at Animal Kingdom, so stay tuned for the rest! R & R would of course give me more encouragement to continue working on this series.
Disclaimer: Animal Kingdom solely belongs to Disney, and the characters of CCS belong to CLAMP. The speech given by the woman and Flik were made up by me (Since I don't exactly remember what they were saying 4 months ago.) But yes, when I saw the show, there were the bug spray, fly swatter, and the bugs scurrying along under your butt at the end of the show.
Extras:
Sakura: Ruka-sama, I'm confused…what tours were Tomoyo-chan and Eriol-kun talking about?
Ruka: Do you really want to know?
Sakura: *nod nod*
Ruka: Are you really sure?
Sakura: Yes yes.
Ruka: No you're not.
Sakura: Yes I am.
Ruka: No you're not.
Sakura: Yes I am!
Ruka: I'll tell you when you're a big older, Sakura-chan. *smile*
Sakura: Ruka-sama!
Ruka: *pulls Syaoran over* He'll explain it to you.
Syaoran: *struggles* I'll explain what?
Ruka: What Eriol-sama meant.
Syaoran: What he meant what?
Ruka: *is now confused herself*
Eriol: Someone call me again?
*There's a loud knocking at the door*
Ruka: Come in!
Touya: *marches in* What's the meaning of having Yue fascinated with a TOILET?
Ruka: *giggles nervously* I thought it was funny!
Touya: Well, you wanna know what I think?
Ruka: Eep. Not really…
Touya: Well you're going to hear what I think. I think that-
Eriol: *cuts in* Yue was fascinated with a toilet?! I don't think Clow ever programmed that into his personality when he first created him.
Ruka: Eh heh..of course he didn't. I did it myself. *nods proudly*
Sakura: Yue-san was fascinated with a toilet? Hoeee…
Ruka: I just love these after-fic conversations. Until next time!
Touya: Hey! I never told you what I thought about the whole business! *voice fades away as curtain drops*
~Ruka
