FALL PLAY
by Daidouji Tomoyo

DISCLAIMER: (gotta love these! = P) Card Captor Sakura/Cardcaptors © CLAMP/Kodansha. "Fall Play" is a fanfic written by----- ME! This story takes place sometime during the series (or maybe an alternate scene..?)--- Meiling and Eriol are present in this, both are students along with Sakura, Syaoran, Tomoyo, and others at Tomoeda Elementary School.

Thanks for the reviews, minna-san! I really do appreciate it. ^_^
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CHAPTER 4: Sakura Kinomoto - Assistant Director

It had become really normal for me to have strange dreams every night. Normally those dreams would always be about another loose Clow Card... or Sakura Card, whatever it may be. It was always a premonition on what was going to happen in the future. Sometimes being the Card Mistress had its advantages, but other than that, I just wanted to be Kinomoto Sakura twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. So far nothing wrong or strange happened ever since the beginning of the fall play thing, which was good for a change. Why did I mention about dreams again? Well, you can take a guess... I had another dream last night.

This dream was an actual normal dream though unless if it was another premonition on what was about to come. Strangely enough it was not about any weird, funky stuff like the Clow Card/Sakura Card, stuff that dealt with Clow Reed. This time, it was actually the last thing that I would even dream about. I found myself alone at my house--- with Li Syaoran. Syoaran-kun, I thought to myself. Of all the dreams, Syaoran had to be in it. And it was actually a dream that I was afraid to dream about. I was beginning to feel that Tomoyo-chan was right yesterday when she said that my feelings for Syaoran was more than just a crush, but that of "L-O-V-E."

There was a school dance in that scene. It was actually the first school dance that ever held in Tomoeda Elementary for all the fourth graders. I never heard of having school dances in fourth grade since Touya's first school dance was when he was in seventh grade. But anyway, this was just a dream anyway. For some reason I had my right leg casted; probably I broke my leg during P.E. or something or probably during my missions on capturing more cards. Because of it I was not able to go to the dance. I felt a little sad at that scene, even though that to me, going to a school dance was no big deal for me. I did not know at first as to why I was sad in that dream until later on. While stuck in my room, reading a book while trying to keep myself from crying so that Kero-chan would not see me cry, I heard a gust of wind flew through my open window. I didn't know what it was at first so I climbed myself up from my bed using my crutches and headed towards the window. Then right outside I saw something that I never expected to see ever outside my window.

There he was... Li Syaoran... he looked really cute, handsome, really charming. He still had that messy brown hair and those strikingly beautiful amber eyes. I felt myself completely lost in to him as he relaxed himself sitting down on a strong branch of the tree next to my window. He was in his regular clothes, which made me wonder why he decided to come here instead of going to the dance like he was supposed to. He was just voted by the whole fourth grade class as "The Royal Prince of the Fourth Grade Ball" or some weird title like that. You thought it was like Homecoming or something like Touya always talked to me about sometimes. My first words were: "Hoe....? Syaoran-kun...? What are you doing here...? You should be at the dance so you can be crowned along with Meiling."

Meiling was voted as "The Royal Princess of the Fourth Grade Ball", something like that. You could have sworn that these two foreign exchange kids from Hong Kong were literally taking over Tomoeda Elementary. Weird stuff, I tell you. I waited for his answer as I noticed him blush a bit. He finally answered: "I wanted to see you, Sakura."

I blushed a little and I opened the window so he can come inside my room. Luckily that Kero-chan was fast asleep at the moment, so I let Syaoran in. He hesitated at first but I invited him in. After a few seconds of convincing, he finally stepped inside my window. I walked to my bed using my crutches as he followed me from behind. We both sat on my bed with him sitting really close to me. I tried not to blush deeply, but he said "You don't need to hide away from me, Sakura... I like it when you turn red like that..."

"Hoe?!" I gasped and just let the tomato ripened as I looked right towards him. "Th-this isn't right... I shouldn't be looking at you while I'm... like this..."

"How are you feeling?" He asked. He then looked towards my casted leg and sighed deeply. "I'm so sorry, Sakura... to see you all like this... if only that accident..."

I shook my head and smiled at him. "I didn't want you to be the one who got hurt... you've been hurt so many times protecting me from harm and it's not fair... I wanted to give back what you have given me... and what I did felt so right..."

He blushed a bit and chuckled a little: "Luckily our play was postponed to the next night... and I didn't have to kiss Meiling in front of everybody too... thank goodness Eriol decided to take my place as Romeo back then... they all felt that I must have been tortured after knowing that whole balcony set would have had crushed me or something... but you came... jumped in... pushed me away... and instead of me buried, you had your right leg caught when that whole balcony thing fell..."

"Heh... I... I guess it was... I dunno... I just had the feeling that something wrong was going to happen... and...um..."

"I... owe you a lot for this... Sakura... I really do... especially that you're stuck in a cast like this..."

"I'll be fine.. I'll be well soon, Syaoran-kun.. and... thank you for coming just to check on me... my dad and my brother are out tonight with Yuki-san; they were gonna attend some party or something... and Kero-chan's asleep, so I'm..."

"That's why I came here, Sakura... instead of the dance..." I sighed with a smile and sighed again in comfort. "I wanted to stay with you tonight..."

"Me too..." I blushed again as I noticed him blushing as well. I looked down a bit, thinking what may happen next. Then without even realizing it, I felt a soft touch underneath my chin and slowly lifted my head up. RIght when I opened my eyes, there he was... looking down right through my eyes. Again, I got myself lost into his wonderful eyes as those pair of precious gems was getting closer to me. And slowly, I closed my eyes as I felt his warm, sweet breath blowing through my lips... and to no avail...

... the alarm clock suddenly went off and I found Kero-chan trying to poke on my nose just so I can get up. When I woke up this morning, I felt myself sweating heavily, and I even felt my lips warm as well. It felt as if that sweet, warm breath was still blowing through my lips. It was really weird.

"Wow! A record setting time! You woke up two hours before the time you usually leave for school!" I heard Kero-chan cheering right in front of me. I wiped off my eyes for a clearer view and I looked at the time--- he was right. For the first time, I finally woke up early. This whole morning, I did not rush at all, changing to my school uniform, fixing my hair, and even eat breakfast with my dad and Touya (even Dad and Touya were even surprised to see me up, fresh, and early at exactly two hours before the normal time that I usually wake up--- which is like ten to fifteen minutes before the school tardy bell rings...). After all that, I decided to go ahead to school and did not get to hang around with Touya or even saw Yuki-san on the way to school. It was okay though, when I arrived in school really early I caught up with Touya and Yuki-san much later. I talked to Yuki-san about what was going and he just basically said good luck to all of us. Touya was even relieved that I really was not part of the cast, but he felt a little sick when he heard me mention that the kid whom he calls the "Chinese punk brat" (Syaoran) was the one who was playing Romeo. Yuki-san thought that seeing Syaoran as Romeo would be really interesting and even teased Touya that maybe his performance would actually change his mind about how he feels for him, especially when he sees Syaoran near me. After our brief chat, I went ahead inside the school gates and met up with Tomoyo-chan, Rika-chan, and Naoko-chan. Through rehearsal period we did not have to do any other schoolwork stuff, but even so at the same time, my dad still made me study a bit, read all my books including the evil demon that I know as Math, just so I don't fall behind in all my classes. And it was right to the auditorium that the girls and I directly strolled to along with my rollerblades, since our temporary classroom at the moment was the auditorium.


Today was Rehearsal Day One. It was the first day that we were finally going to start acting and practicing all our lines and stuff. Tomoyo-chan actually promoted me from being the "actor's coach" to "assistant director," so that whenever Tomoyo-chan was busy doing other stuff backstage that I would take over her job as director, directing all the actors in doing their part. I thought to myself, "Wow... cool!"

The backstage crew (including myself) had a meeting along with Tomoyo-chan and Mizuki-sensei really early before the bell rang at the stage. We were basically talking about the setting and the preparation of the stage, how the costumes and the makeup should be like, stuff like that. Terada-sensei was the advisor to the cast members, while Mizuki-sensei became the advisor to the backstage people. I heard from Naoko-chan and Rika-chan earlier that Tomoyo-chan stayed up all night last night drafting and writing a list of tasks that we needed to do for the first rehearsal day with the help of her mom, Mrs. Sonomi Daidouji (my aunt, actually, since Tomoyo-chan's mom and my late mom were cousins). I got worried at a second but Tomoyo-chan just chuckled at my reaction. She said that she was happy to be able to work out with this whole play and stayed up all night to prepare for it, not because she enjoyed it, but because she was able to spend a lot of time with her workaholic mom.

I haven't seen Syaoran throughout the whole morning today. I was getting a little worried that he might now show up in school today. I just hope that he wasn't trying to avoid me after what happened yesterday after the meeting. Now that would really tear up my whole heart in pieces if he started to act really cold with me. But then again Terada-sensei said that he and I would be seeing each other today so we can talk about it and not feel embarrassed by it. I sighed sadly to myself, feeling a little nervous at the fact that he may not show up in school today. Of course, I was about to get into my self-panic when I heard Mizuki-sensei mention that caught my ears immediately during our backstage crew meeting: "... Terada-sensei and the cast members are at our classroom right now, having their little meeting as well, so right when the first tardy bell rings, the cast will be heading back here at the auditorium and we'll be starting with the rehearsal. Tomoyo and Sakura will be spending throughout this whole preparation period working with the actors, and since Tomoyo is head of this play, she will be going back and forth from the cast to the backstage crew to see how things are progressing. Sakura here will be mostly working with the actors, since she had experience on stage last time on Sleeping Beauty..."

"I played Prince Charming, of course... heh..." I giggled shyly, scratching my head at the same time. "Um, I'm gonna be directing the first scene with the Montagues and the Capulets about to start another fight! I just love fight scenes!"

"I'm sure you'll do well in directing as much as you did with your acting, Sakura," Mizuki-sensei flashed her usual sweet smile to me. I sighed deeply with a smile while looking right at the beautiful Mizuki Kaho. She was absolutely beautiful, both on the outside and on the inside, with long, soft, cocoa hair and cocoa eyes. Even if she was just a substitute teacher for Math (ugh...), she was a kind, wonderful teacher that you may as well consider her as your big sister you never had. When Touya was on his first year of high school, he and Mizuki-sensei actually dated, but they broke up when Mizuki-sensei had to go abroad to earn her teaching credentials. She probably went to England or America or something, but who cares, she came back to us. Anyway...

"Eheh... um, I'll do my best... hehe..." I giggled in response as we heard the first tardy bell ring on the speaker. "Hoe...?"

"Welp, there's the first tardy bell, everyone. Terada-sensei and the cast members will be arriving here in a short while. While we wait, any questions regarding on what needs to be expected for our play?" Mizuki-sensei asked as some kids raised their hands, asking her and Tomoyo-chan some questions about our tasks. Me, on the other hand, stared at the auditorium door, waiting for Syaoran to step inside and get all excited to see him. Then, our little meeting was concluded: "Okay then, let's get started with what we're supposed to do, everyone! Sakura, Tomoyo will be working with the backstage crew for today, so this would mean that you will be directing the first scene today. You have your script, right?"

I waved to Mizuki-sensei with my skinny binder, where I placed my script in. It looked neater putting it in a binder than leaving it without the cover. It looked professional as a director, even if I was only an assistant. "I can't wait to start! Okay, let's see who's gonna be in the first scene..." I flipped through the pages while Mizuki-sensei added one more thing:

"Act I, Scene I, Sakura," Mizuki-sensei added. I nodded and read the characters in Act I, Scene I.

"Sampson, Gregory, Abraham, Balthazar, Tybalt, Benvolio, Prince Escalus, Lord Montague, Lady Montague, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Romeo, bunch of pages, officers, and citizens..." I trailed off right at the moment when I saw the Romeo role in this scene. I get to direct Syaoran in this first scene!! Oh wai!!! Then, I noticed the role of "Chorus" at the beginning of the page of this scene as well. "Hey Mizuki-sensei, who's going to be the Chorus?"

"That would be Tomoyo-chan, Sakura, so you don't need to worry about that. She will be presenting the play when it begins."

"Oh okay!" I continued to skim through the whole scene when I heard some footsteps and random voices coming inside the auditorium. I turned my head towards the door and saw Terada-sensei and the cast coming inside.

"Well then, looks like the cavalry has arrived," I heard Mizuki-sensei chuckling, as she stood up from her stool and waved at Terada-sensei. "Just in time, Terada-san! We're ready!"

"Great!" I heard Terada-sensei answered to Mizuki-sensei's call. "I had the cast work through their lines on a run through, especially for those involved in Act 1, Scene 1. I heard that we're having an assistant director from now on."

I stood up and waved happily at Terada-sensei. "I'm gonna be assistant director!"

"Well, congratulations, Kinomoto! I know you'll do a wonderful job directing this play!"

"Arigatou gozaimasu!" I bowed excitedly to him as I looked up down the seats. Right at the door, I saw Yamazaki and Chiharu, followed by Rika and Naoko, Eriol followed the girls behind, and last, but not least, there was Meiling and the boy that I was so anxious to see right next to her. I ran towards backstage and called Tomoyo-chan and the backstage crew to remind them that the cast arrived. Tomoyo and the backstage crew came out from backstage to meet with the rest of our class. Just in time, the second tardy bell rang, meaning that first period had officially begun.

"Minna-san, ohayou gozaimasu! (Everyone, good morning!)" Terada-sensei announced as all eyes were towards him. "Today is the first day of rehearsal, meaning that, as the schedule planned, that we will be working on the first three scenes of Act 1, if not going through the whole act would not be possible for today. And just in case you haven't heard, we now have an assistant director for this play. Kinomoto Sakura will be that person to have that role, so---"

"Congratulations, Sakura-chan!!" I heard Chiharu, Naoko, and Rika cheered happily from behind, as the whole class applauded for my new role. I stood there frozen and laughed silly, feeling more embarrassed than before and a huge sweatdrop falling from the back of my head.

"Heheheheheh... um... thanks... everyone... thanks..." I blushed a bit when I noticed Syaoran applauding with a smile on his face.

"Alright, alright everyone," Terada-sensei hushed the whole class as we all fell silent. "Now, Kinomoto and Daidouji Tomoyo will be alternating the director role because our head organizer Daidouji will have to work with the backstage crew for the props, scenery, makeup, and costumes, since she herself has experience in backstage work. But for the first rehearsal of Act 1, Scene 1, Kinomoto will be directing, so to those who will be in this scene, be sure you get yourselves and your lines ready, alright? Let's see..." Terada-sensei opened his script and read through the cast: "Act 1, Scene 1... alright, the characters are Sampson, Gregory, Abraham, Balthazar, Tybalt, Benvolio, Prince Escalus, Lord Montague, Lady Montague, Lord Capulet, Lady Capulet, Romeo, and some extras... okay, Inoue, Tetsuya, Kirisawa, Nogami, Yamazaki, Hiiragizawa, Kanzaki, Kitaouji, Bunchin, Mori, Aozora, Li, and those who will be playing extras, please get up on stage right now... the rest of you, read and try to memorize your lines, and everybody else, start working with what you're supposed to do! LET'S GO!" Terada-sensei clapped his hands, as he jumped down from the stage.

The kids who will be playing this scene including Yamazaki, Eriol, and Syaoran climbed up the stage. I stood still, waiting for them to climb up as I backed up slowly, signaling them to follow me. After they all climbed up, I brought the whole group to one spot of the stage so I can talk about the scene and how the scene should go, stuff like that. "Hey, what's up? Aren't you ALL excited?!" I giggled happily. Some were excited, the others were moaning. Yamazaki and Eriol looked pretty excited while Syaoran did not even show any emotion as a response. "GOOD!! Well then, I'm sure you all read the first scene and what is about, right? It's basically the introduction to---"

"Who cares?! Let's just get on with this!" I heard Nogami, the guy who would be playing Balthazar Montague, interrupted me from what I was trying to say. I glared right at this annoying jerk and was about to tell him to shut up, but I was defeated to do so by Syaoran, who turned around to him and said:

"Hey, shut up!! The director's talking!" Syaoran yelled at Nogami, as he fell silent after Syaoran yelled at him.

"Thanks, Syaoran-kun," I smiled nervously, as I continued on. "As I was saying, this scene is just introducing the first plot of the play--- two family clans who hate each other's guts--- the Montagues and the Capulets. The streets of Verona looked as if they were owned by the cruel wraths of these two fighting families and---"

"Hurry it up already, Kinomoto!" Again, I was interrupted by the same annoying kid which I was about to get up and give him a piece of my mind. "If the teacher says that we need to get the first three scenes rehearsed today, then we'd better hurry it up!! Why the heck do we need to hear YOU talk to us about what the scene is about?! Most of us already know what the scene is about!"

"Jeez, Nogami, didn't I just tell you to shut your mouth?!" Again, Syaoran retorted towards Nogami. I sighed deeply while all the others moaned in dissatisfaction. "One more word from you and I'm gonna have to kick your sorry little---" Before he can continue, Eriol tapped Syaoran gently as he glared right at him: "WHAT?!"

"Calm down, my cute little descendant, it won't do you any good if you're angry like that on the first day..." Eriol shook his head right at Syaoran.

"Uh oh..." I heard Yamazaki feeling nervous after seeing all the commotion. "This doesn't look good..."

"SAYS WHO?!" Syaoran yelled right at Eriol as all the other kids started to interrupt them, trying to have everyone involved to keep it down before we all get in trouble by the teachers.

"Hoe..." I sighed deeply and lowered my head, trying to hide my embarrassment from everyone else.

Many minutes later, the kids finally behaved themselves and I was allowed to continue on with what I was supposed to say to them. "Okay... for this scene, I want to make sure that all of you with the exception of Hiiragizawa-kun and Li-kun are in your hateful mode towards the other side. Let's see, Inoue-kun and Tetsuya-kun will have the first dialogue of this scene as Capulet servants Sampson and Gregory, then later, Kirisawa-kun and Nogami-kun, as Montague servants Abraham and Balthazar, will be passing by, and... well, you know what happens. So, okay... let's get started! The four of you guys will be out to act first, the rest of you guys just read your upcoming roles while you guys watch, 'kay? Alright, LET'S DO THIS!"

I directed Inoue-kun and Tetsuya-kun on how they should be sounding like in their opening dialogue. From behind the stage, two of the backstage crew came out with shields and swords. They said that they were for the Capulet servants, the Montague servants, Benvolio, and Tybalt. Looks like Eriol and Yamazaki-kun get to have their hands on the swords first. I couldn't wait to direct to the fight scene. I knew I was going to enjoy this very much! Too bad Naoko-chan would have to wait till her character gets killed off by Yamazaki-kun's character. This is so exciting!! I went through the whole scene with them as they memorized their lines perfectly. I thought to myself, hey, not bad for non-native English speakers. Eat your heart out, Hiiragizawa-kun! You're not the only one here who can speak your own native language now... HA!

Everything else went fine through the first couple of lines after the initial dialogue between the servants when it was time for Eriol and Yamazaki-kun to do their part. Inoue-kun said his line that started the very first dynamic swordfight that I taught them earlier before they started acting out the first part of the scene. Eriol made a dramatic entrance as Benvolio as he attempted to stop the four servants from trying to kill each other with their swords.

Eriol/Benvolio: Part fools! Put up your swords, you know not what you do!

Then, Yamazaki-kun, playing the arrogant Tybalt, made his entrance--- a little awkward at first.

Yamazaki/Tybalt: (softly) What, art thou drawn among these... uhh...

I shook my head right away when Yamazaki-kun paused right in the middle of his line. I stood up and stopped the whole scene. I went up to Yamazaki and frowned at him: "Yamazaki-kun, come on, this isn't a joke..."

Yamazaki scratched his head and blinked right at me. "Don't blame me, Kinomoto, I knew the whole line... just that---"

"You should be arrogant, conceited, self-centered, Yamazaki-kun," I advised him. "Come on, remember how you did back in Sleeping Beauty, Yamazaki-kun... you played the Third Fairy really well... but this is Tybalt, he should not just be arrogant, but he's also aggressive--- you need to speak louder and try to show off in front of everyone here that you're more superior than everyone else... now come on..."

"I already warned you guys that Tybalt's not my character, Kinomoto.... I told you I'm going to mess up... besides..." He turned his head towards the seats, where we both saw Naoko-chan watching us, smirking evilly at the same time. "Naoko-chan over there thinks she's Mercutio--- she's out to skin my guts, Kinomoto!!"

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'RE MESSING UP, YAMAZAKI-KUN!!" I heard Chiharu-chan yelling angrily from the seats. "COME ON, TYBALT IS AN IMPORTANT CHARACTER--- DON'T MESS THIS ONE UP!!"

Yamazaki gulped in nervousness. "Sorry..."

"Oh man..." I sighed deeply and sadly when Syaoran stood up from his seat after reading his lines and went up to us. "Hoe...? Syaoran-kun...?"

"Come here, Yamazaki..." Syaoran called for his best guy buddy as Yamazaki went forward to him. I followed behind Yamazaki to see what Syaoran was about to tell him.

"What's up, Li?" Yamazaki blinked in confusion.

"Here's a better solution... you don't want to be Tybalt, right?" Yamazaki nodded. "You want to be anyone else other than Tybalt, right?"

"I wanted to be Friar Lawrence, but Chiharu has that role... and I can't take that role from her; her heart is with that priest role... so... um..."

"You're a very sensitive person, right, Yamazaki?" Syaoran continued on with a little smile on his face. Yamazaki nodded at him. I gave a little suspicious look at the two of them. What was Syaoran up to, I wondered. "You're not a fighter, but a lover, right?" Yamazaki nodded again shyly.

Suddenly, Syaoran gave a little smirk and whispered softly to Yamazaki. I stood there with a little suspicious look at Syaoran and crossed my arms and tapped my feet. I waited until they were done until Yamazaki suddenly gasped after what Syaoran just whispered to him. Suddenly with a shocking outburst, Yamazaki shrieked: "YOU WANT TO SWITCH ROLES WITH ME??!!!"

"YAMAZAKI, NOT SO LOUD!!" Syaoran shrieked and covered Yamazaki's mouth immediately as I shook my head.

"Syaoran-kun, it's too late, you're Romeo, end of story!" I replied right away before these two start to get anymore funny ideas to ruin the whole play.

"I... I.. I... I mean, I'm sensitive like that, but not THAT sensitive..." Yamazaki gulped nervously towards Syaoran. "B-besides, I don't wanna kiss your girlfriend and---"

"SHE'S NOT MY GIRLFRIEND!" Syaoran immediately yelled at Yamazaki as I went in between them.

"Syaoran-kun, at this point, you're not Li Syaoran and Meiling is not Li Meiling... You're Romeo Montague, completely, deeply, totally in love with Juliet Capulet, who returns the same feelings for you... besides, the whole class voted that you should be Romeo--- please, Syaoran-kun, you don't want to disappoint the WHOLE SCHOOL, don't you...?" Uh oh, I thought to myself. What in the world did I say now? I was beginning to sound like a perfectionist like Tomoyo-chan... I do hope I didn't make Syaoran upset...

Without expecting anything else, Syaoran suddenly approached slowly towards me: "Sakura..." I started to back down as he continued to approach me with those deep, creamy chocolate eyes gazing right towards my ugly green ones. Right away I blushed deeply as I covered my cheeks again, trying to hide them from him. "Sakura... please... onegai..."

Ugh... he's trying to give me that "cutesy pout" of his... I HATE IT WHEN HE DOES THIS TO ME... I'M BECOMING A TOMATO AGAIN... DARN IT... "H... h... h... h... h... h.............................. hoe...?"

All of a sudden I ran out of space and found myself right against the wall. I could not move anywhere else as Syaoran had me trapped by stretching his arms out and placed his palms against the wall around me. I gulped as I looked right towards him. "Onegai, Sakura-chan... Please..."

"Hooooooeeee........." I had nothing else to say to him but to find myself lowering down before he did anything else. It was too late for me... Kinomoto Sakura sounded more like "Kinomo-TOMATO Sakura" at this moment. Somebody stop him before I die of pure bliss seeing him looking at me that way and the way he spoke his sweet voice to me...

"AAAAAHH!!!" I heard the upset Meiling screaming from the seats. Thank you so much, Meiling... I owe you big time! "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, SYAORAN?!!! YOU LEAVE THAT GIRL ALONE!!! HOW DARE YOU TRY TO MAKE HER CHANGE YOUR ROLE--- YOU'RE MY ROMEO, AND THAT'S FINAL, LI XIAO LANG!!!"

"Uhh..." Syaoran blushed deeply and turned his head towards Meiling as she dashed right towards us.

"HOW COULD DO THIS TO ME, XIAO LANG, HOW COULD YOU?!" From out of the blue, Meiling started to whine and cry at Syaoran in Chinese, which of course, gave me a lot more embarrassment than ever.

I noticed everyone else around the stage and even from the seats and from backstage watching us on the spot... with me curled up to hide my embarrassment from them while the two Chinese kids started arguing in Chinese again.

"Hoe......... this is going to be ONE LONG rehearsal period....."


Lunchtime came and we were given a long hour lunch period before we get back to rehersals again. As usual, we had our little picnic, but this time, we had Syaoran, Meiling, and Eriol sitting along with us. They were already chatting along with the other three girls and Yamazaki-kun at our usual spot while Tomoyo-chan and I were at the cafeteria booth, buying some drinks for our lunch. In the meantime on our way back, Tomoyo chatted to me again, not just about the play, but our usual social best friend chatter. "Li-kun sure got you pinned there, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo giggled, as I tried to avoid thinking about it.

"How could he do this to me..." I sighed sadly. "He still wanted to switch roles with somebody... he's spoiling my personal prayer to Shakespeare-sama that he would be Romeo in the play..."

Tomoyo just giggled along with me and nudged to my side. "I still think that Li-kun has his eyes on you, Sakura-chan! I could see the way he always looks at you---"

"LA LA LA LA LA LA..." Right away, I started singing some random tune that just popped in my mind, trying to avoid myself from listening to Tomoyo-chan about what she thought of what was going on between Syaoran and me. I don't wanna hear it, Tomoyo-chan... if this were true love, I want Syaoran-kun to admit it to me by himself and... wait, I said it wrong... I take that back... NO, I CAN'T!! I LIKE HIM TOO MUCH... AGH... I DIDN'T SAY THAT OUT LOUD, DID I...? Hoe.......

Finally we reached our spot, where Tomoyo and I were greeted with an applause. Tomoyo and I were the only ones who were not in the play while all our other friends were part of the cast. Tomoyo bowed gracefully as I just chuckled shyly right at them. Chiharu-chan stood up and lifted up her thermos bottle of juice and saluted us: "Here ye, here ye, we have gathered together to congratulate our Madames of Drama, Daidouji Tomoyo and Kinomoto Sakura, for such an outstanding job of directing our fabulous production--- William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet!"

"Awww... you guys..." Tomoyo-chan and I blushed in unison as they continued to cheer for me. We sat down on our spots as Yamazaki stood up and made his usual "know-it-all" gesture.

"Did you know that back in the old days when Shakespeare was alive..."

"No, no, Yamazaki-kun..." Chiharu sighed deeply, "we don't want to hear any of your silly stories again..."

"My dear Mihara-san," Eriol interrupted through, "even if Yamazaki make up such a story about my country's history, it would probably be true anyway..." From there, Eriol and Yamazaki gave each other winks and a thumbs-up to each other. Boys... go figure...

"Anyway, you guys," Tomoyo decided to change the subject and cleared her throat. "First up, great job, you guys. We got through the first four scenes today. As you know, we're alternating scenes here--- with Sakura-chan doing the first and the third scene, while I did the second and the fourth scene! You totally nailed that whole Mercutio line, Naoko-chan! Great job!"

Naoko smirked and stretched her arms. "You DO know that I SO dig Mercutio, you know? I RULE!!"

"Sheesh, I think that's the longest line that was written in the whole play," Meiling frowned, staring at Naoko. "I can't believe that you actually memorized that whole Mercutio line!"

"Hey, say that line again, Naoko-chan!" I cheered happily, as all the others also cheered along with me.

"But of course, my dear Lady Sakura," Naoko smirked, stood up, and recited her famous lengthy Mercutio line:

O then I see Queen Mab hath been with you...

And so, with perfect clarity, Naoko showed off her acting and memorizing skills by reciting that very, very, VERY long Mercutio line, in which Mercutio was talking to Romeo about love and how he described Romeo how much love sick he was. Everyone, even Syaoran and Eriol, was so impressed by her. I was happy that Tomoyo made a good choice to have Naoko play Mercutio, even if Mercutio was a male role and Naoko was obviously female. After a few minutes, Naoko reached her final lines:

... This the hag, when maids lie on their backs,
That presses them and learns them first to bear,
Making them women of good carriage.
This is she...

"Naoko-chan wa totemo jouzu wa yo!! (Naoko-chan is really awesome!!)
" We all cheered happily along with a loud applause while the boys were completely stunned.

"Whoa..." I heard Syaoran, Eriol, and Yamazaki sighed with awe after hearing Naoko strut her sonnet skills towards them. I wish I had that kind of talent.

"EAT YOUR HEART OUT, BOYS, 'CUZ MERCUTIO IS GOING TO STEAL THE STAGE!!" Naoko-chan stuck her tongue towards the three boys, as she took her seat. We all started laughing along as Eriol smirked.

"Oh my, keep acting that way and who knows, you may even be eligible to attend the famous London Actors' Conservatory when you finally graduate from high school," Eriol gave a complimentary remark towards Naoko.

"Nah, I wanna be a writer and go to America to meet my idol!" Naoko giggled happily.

"Idol? Who, Naoko-chan?" I asked in curiosity.

"STEPHEN KING!!" And again, Naoko bursted out her sinister laugh as I gulped nervously, trying not to figure out who in the world Stephen King was.

"Figures," both Chiharu and Rika chuckled along with Naoko. We went ahead and ate our lunch as Tomoyo continued to discuss more about the play.

"Listen up, you guys, the final scene, scene five of Act 1, is going to be rehearsed through a quick run-through for the rest of the day today. Sakura-chan is gonna direct this one," Tomoyo announced.

"Oooh!! This is the moment that I've been waiting for!" Eriol chuckled with a little smirk on his face. "The true plot of Romeo and Juliet begins here!"

"What was scene five all about again?" I heard Syaoran from behind, trying to remember what scene five was about. Eriol started to nudge Syaoran from the side. "Will you quit doin' that, Hiiragizawa?!"

"Oh my dear cute little descendant," again, Eriol returned to his mocking mode again... poor Syaoran... "don't tell me you have forgotten. It is the first time that Romeo meets Juliet at the Capulet Festivities..."

"AAAAAHHHH!!!" Meiling suddenly screamed happily. I could tell that her heart was thumping rapidly, knowing what this scene was about. "THIS IS THE MOMENT THAT I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR!!! WE'RE ALMOST CLOSE TO THE FAMOUS BALCONY SCENE!!"

"Help me..." I heard Syaoran murmured, looking really scared at the though of what scene five may be about. I was a little curious as to what scene five was about, so I opened my copy of the script, flipped through the pages, and skimmed through the script to see what was going to happen in that scene. Then, right in the middle of the scene, I found an action line there that said "Romeo kisses Juliet for the first time; Juliet doesn't move..."

"Hoe..." I murmured softly, looking really shocked at that one particular line. "To... Tomoyo-chan..." I tapped Tomoyo's shoulder, as I showed and explained to her if she really meant to have that kind of action included in our version. Tomoyo just winked at me and smiled, as I gulped in nervousness. "You expect ME to direct that?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

"Nope! It's part of the story, Sakura-chan," Tomoyo answered with pride.

"But... but... but... I can't do that... I.. I mean... um..." I swallowed nervously once more as I stared at the very happy Meiling and a very nervous Syaoran, with Meiling clinging on to Syaoran once more. Tomoyo just patted me on the shoulder and answered:

"Sakura-chan, you did your magic with the swordfighting scene in the beginning of the story... I'm sure you can do this too!"

How was I supposed to direct Syaoran to kiss Meiling on the lips at this scene...? In fact, I don't even know how to coach people how to kiss the true romantic way, even if this whole thing was not for real. Meiling was looking forward to this, while Syaoran would definitely feel sick to learn that he had to kiss her. And besides... I mean... I just couldn't imagine myself directing this to the two of them... especially that I... Oh Shakespeare-sama, how could you do this to me...? It was part of the story and Tomoyo and Eriol didn't delete that kissing part off. Not only that he had to kiss her once in this scene, but he had to kiss her again a few lines later. Okay, Sakura, how are you going to direct this...? I mean, what if Syaoran himself didn't know how to kiss in the first place? What am I supposed to do?? Heck, I know I've never kissed anyone before THAT WAY, so I'm basically stuck with this...

Syaoran and I are stuck with this scene... "Hoe..."

Syaoran raised an eyebrow, looking right towards Tomoyo and me. "Hey Daidouji, why is Kinomoto looking all choked up like that?"

"Uh oh..." I murmured softly as I blushed heavily, hiding my face again so no one can see the famous tomato... I am gonna die, not only that I have to try and figure out how to direct this, but I'm gonna spend the rest of this rehearsal period seeing Syaoran and Meiling kiss throughout the story... ugh, even if it's not for real, I just couldn't stand seeing them... together... kissing... passionately... deeply... longingly... lovingly... ARGH, THIS IS TORTURE!!!

"Oh, don't worry about her, Li-kun," Tomoyo giggled. "She's just a little stuck at her directing skills because she would have to do something that she's never done before... or... something..."

"Hoooooeee...." I sighed in pure embarrassment, still hiding away from everyone else.

"Why?!" Syaoran gasped with a worried look in his face. "What exactly happens in scene five?!"

Without being aware of what was going to happen to me next, I felt Syaoran take the script off of my hands and I heard him flipping through the pages, skimming the whole scene, then suddenly, everything else stood still. I lifted my head to see his reaction. Right at that point, Syaoran suddenly dropped the script from his hands and suddenly turned as red as lipstick and choked. "No...."

"YES!!!" Meiling shrieked happily as she cuddled herself on to Syaoran and giggled softly. "Oh, I've been waiting for this moment, my darling Syaoran... how I've dreamt of feeling the softness, the gentleness, and the sweetness of your lips..."

"AAAAAAAHHHH!!!" Syaoran screamed in horror, which startled everyone in our area. In fact, his scream was also heard by all the kids nearby, as he glared immediately towards Eriol. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, HIIRAGIZAWA!!! NOW IT'S TIME FOR ME TO KILL YOU RIGHT NOW!!" His anger suddenly scared the pants off of everyone else. They all ran away including Meiling... except for myself, Tomoyo, and Eriol, who just sat there, smiling right at Syaoran as his reaction to his ranting.

"Tsk, tsk, my cute little descendant," Eriol replied with a calm yet in a mocking tone. "It's very dangerous if you're always angry that way... now, sit down, take a deep few breaths, and relax, alright...?"

"I'M BLAMING YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE THE ONE WHO WROTE THE NEW VERSION OF THE SCRIPT!!" Syaoran continued growling at him, as he turned to Tomoyo. "ARE YOU TWO PLOTTING SOMETHING AGAINST ME OR WHAT?! KINOMOTO CAN'T DO THIS.. HECK, I CAN'T EVEN DO THIS MYSELF! THERE IS NO WAY THAT I WOULD KISS HER OR ANY OTHER GIRL IN THIS PLAY EVER!"

"Calm down, Li-kun!" Tomoyo frowned at him and sighed sadly. "I've worked hard trying to choose a good play and I LOVE this play, okay? I wanted it to be special and unique and the whole school even agreed with me for choosing this as the perfect play!! I chose you as Romeo because to me, you are a perfect example of who Romeo should be in the play... I like you a lot, in case you didn't know, Li-kun... and it would mean so much to me if you be Romeo for this play... I didn't choose you just so Hiiragizawa-kun and I can torture you... in fact... you stand out the most among all the boys in our class... you're smart, you're handsome, you're mature, and you can be really nice to people if you wanted to be..." Tomoyo-chan suddenly lowered her head and sighed deeply again. "Please, Li-kun... do take this in to consideration... and just play the part of Romeo. Remember, this is only a fictional story... nothing is for real..."

I heard Syaoran sighed deeply after hearing Tomoyo speak her words. I decided to crawl out from my hiding shell and looked up to Syaoran. I decided to say my words to him as well. "I... I guess this is my fault too..."

"Sakura-chan, what are you talking about...?" Tomoyo blinked in wonder as I nodded to her. I did pray that Syaoran be Romeo in this play after all and it was granted to me. "You've got no part in this."

"Syaoran-kun... I'm sorry... I... to be honest, even if I really did want you to help me out coach the actors and stuff I..." I noticed Syaoran look at me with those same look on his eyes towards me. I knew right away that he was listening to every word that I was about to say. "I... I hoped and prayed truly in my heart that you would be Romeo, Syaoran-kun..."

"I see..." was all that Syaoran said to me. I sighed deeply and continued:

"When I heard you recite that whole Romeo line to me... the way you recited to me... it sounded so wonderful... so beautiful.. and so romantic... it's like... you captured the essence of Romeo's character within you... like... you're some kind of an reincarnation of Romeo or something like that..."

"Uhh... sorry to interrupt, but..." Eriol interrupted, as he stood up and suddenly took Tomoyo by her hand, "... but Daidouji and I had to run some errands back at the auditorium with the teachers... and since everyone else seemed to had fled from your wrath, um..."

"But... Hiiragizawa-kun..." Eriol nudged on Tomoyo, giving her some kind of a signal. Then Tomoyo suddenly realized and smiled at him, as the two stood up and left to the auditorium. Again, I found myself all alone in this picnic spot with Syaoran... I blushed realizing it as Syaoran continued to look at me.

I looked at him and sighed once more and continued on: "... You really captivated me when you said that line... it really did click to me... you would definitely would make such a perfect Romeo... you would definitely going to make this play so believable and lovable... so much that it really hurt my heart to see you refuse and turn away if I did tell you that I wanted you to be Romeo for this play..." I turned my head to the back to be sure that no one else was listening, and turned back to him once more. "Syaoran-kun... I understand that you will be angry with me after you hear this, but... you being Romeo would mean so much to me... so much... it really made me happy everytime I see you portray his character... like earlier when you had your first dialogue with Eriol about Romeo's love for Rosaline... the way you play him really made me feel so floaty... you're so perfect in everything, Syaoran-kun..."

"Sakura... I..." Right away I noticed Syaoran's cheeks blushing deep red. I can't believed I just said that to him as I was confessing my love for him--- no wait, that was wrong.

"Please, Syaoran-kun... please be Romeo... and I promise you, as assistant director, we can get through this together... if they want all the kissing scenes there, then they'll have what they want... remember, we're not just doing this for ourselves, but also for everyone who will be watching this play... I know you're not going to listen to me right now, since you're really mad at me and---"

Syaoran shook his head and looked up right at me. "I'm not mad at you, Sakura... I just wanted to know the truth why you guys picked me as Romeo... that's all I wanted to know... thanks for telling me..."

I bowed down immediately to show my humble respect to him and apologized again: "I'm so sorry that I felt that way, Syaoran-kun!!"

"Sakura, get up..." I looked up and slowly got up from my bow. "No need to be sorry... look..." He got closer to me and turned his head to me, as I followed him so I can see his face. "If me being Romeo means so much to you, then so be it. But I'm only doing this for you, Daidouji, and everyone else... you, especially."

I smiled sweetly at him and sighed happily: "Thank you so much, Syaoran-kun..."

He blushed once more: "You're always welcome... Sakura..." Silence fell and we found each other staring at one another again. I gave out my tomato red on my cheeks and he actually did the same. Then, Syaoran blinked and suddenly spoke: "Uhh... well... now we've got a problem..."

"Yeah..." I sighed deeply.

"Uhh... well... I never kissed anyone like that before, so... uhh... how are you going to do this, Sakura...?"

"Umm... uhh... well... uhh... I'll.... figure something out..." Before I can continue on, we heard the tardy bell, signaling us to go back to class, meaning we have to go back to the auditorium for more rehearsing. "Welp... back to rehearsals again."

"Well... I'm sure you'll find a way to make this kissing stuff work on scene five... come on, let's get back before we get yelled at by the teachers."

"Okay!" I smiled at him, as we picked up our lunch and other stuff and walked our way back towards the auditorium together, with Syaoran walking along with me.

Now, I have to find a way to make this kissing scene work... as much as I hate seeing the boy I truly love in my heart kiss another girl... especially his fiancee... I have to do my job as assistant director. This is what I chose to do, and therefore this is what I must do for the fall play of the year.


The beginning of scene five was a success, even if the servants and stuff needed to memorize the lines, the action was perfect. This was the scene where Romeo, Mercutio, Benvolio, and some of their buddies on the Montague side decided to join the party at the Capulet's Ball, wearing masks and such along with the others so no one else can recognize them. Of course, Tybalt recognized Romeo and scorned them along with his servants. So, that whole part went through smoothly, etc. etc. etc.

Finally, it was time to direct the moment that everyone had been waiting for. Those who already played their parts and even the backstage crew gathered close together beneath the stage to watch this scene. Tomoyo-chan even had her video camera on her hand, looking really excited and as usual, starry-eyed. I noticed Eriol and Yamazaki snickering at the same time while all the other girls had mixed feelings about what was about to happen. It was time to do the scene where Romeo first meets Juliet, and the time where Romeo first kisses Juliet, not just once, but twice. This, of course, made me feel really nervous and uncomfortable. Nervous because I haven't figured out how to direct Syaoran to kiss Meiling, uncomfortable because I was dealing with the boy I'm in love with secretly in my heart who had to kiss his girlfriend (cousin, fiancee, whatever... girlfriend).

Though everyone else were looking so excited for this moment, I felt like I was going to choke and die right on the spot. In fact, I was not the only one who was feeling this. The one who was going to do the "deed" was even more choked up than I was. I turned to him, looking really concerned at how he was feeling right now as I went up to him: "Relax, Syaoran-kun, remember, this isn't for real, you know? You're not Li Syaoran, you're Romeo Montague, remember that..."

"That's easy for YOU to say, Sakura..." Syaoran murmured nervously towards me.

"Remember, there is no meaning to this kiss when you do kiss JULIET..." Notice that I did not say Meiling, I said Juliet, just so I can calm this poor boy up. "... all you have to do is make your kiss believable so the audience can be completely captivated by the story, you know...?"

"That's YOUR job, Sakura!" Syaoran replied with a little frown on his face. "You just tell me how to make this stupid kiss believable and I just do what you tell me to do!"

"Hoe... heh..." I felt a huge sweatdrop falling on the side of my head. Now I felt like a moron. I looked around the stage and basically it was completely deserted. I turned to the crowd down the stage and yelled at them: "HEY, YOU PEOPLE AREN'T DONE YET... GET BACK UP HERE ON STAGE RIGHT NOW AND DO YOUR LITTLE DANCING SHINDIG THING OR WHATEVER THE HECK YOU CALL THIS... THEY'RE STILL AT THE PARTY, YOU KNOW?! HURRY UP!!" I even clapped my hands in beat, as the people in the crowd moaned sadly. Boy, it felt so good to be in charge.

"Go, Sakura-chan, Go! Go!" I heard Tomoyo, Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika cheering right at me. I stood there completely choked, just giggling at them nervously while scratching my head. I turned my head and told the crowd to continue dancing, while I headed back to where Syaoran was standing. Then, I just realized that Meiling was not even anywhere on stage.

"Where the heck is Meiling...?" I wondered and looked around the whole auditorium area, only to find Meiling right on her seat, putting on some makeup. "MEILING!!" I yelled right at her from the stage. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Meiling frowned right at me and said: "Jeez, Kinomoto, chill, okay? I'm just trying to perk myself up for the big scene!"

"WHO CARES, WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR A MAKEOVER... GET OVER HERE NOW!!" Jeez, among all of these, Meiling still had to make herself look pretty, even if it was just the first day of rehearsal.

"Hold on, Kinomoto... lemme put this lip gloss on..." She took out her little lip gloss from her makeup bag and started to put some on her lips. I blinked in confusion as I watched her doing it slowly. Meantime, I overheard Rika-chan asking Meiling something:

"Oooh! Flavored lip gloss!" Rika-chan cheered happily.

"You like...?" Meiling winked at Rika-chan with a smile on her face.

"What flavor is it?" Rika-chan asked.

"Chocolate!!" Meiling blushed happily while I almost fell over in shock. What was Meiling up to? Everyone knows that Syaoran cannot resist chocolate...

"Hoe..." I gulped in nerviness when I heard of Meiling's chocolate-flavored lip balm. Hopefully Syaoran didn't hear that or he would definitely freak out. In fact, I'm already freaked out from that alone. Finally, Meiling was finished with her little makeover and dashed right up the stage. "It's about time... let's get this over with..."

Everyone on the scene was on their places with Syaoran and Meiling right at the front center of the stage, facing each other. I went up to them with the script as I looked at the two. Syaoran still looked disgusted at this scene while Meiling looked very hopeful and excited. We already know why, so I didn't need to mention it to myself again. I walked around the two of them to be sure that there was nothing wrong with the posture. Finally, I stood still as the two glanced at me.

"Okay... as you all know, this is the scene where Romeo first encounters Juliet during the dance. All you people at the background are still dancing or do whatever you were supposed to do at a dance party, while Syaoran and Meiling here... uhh... do their scene..." I scratched my head as I focused towards the couple again. "Okay... let's see here..." I flipped through the pages of my script and found the little scene. "Syaoran-kun, before you say your beginning line, you take Meiling's hand like this..." I took Syaoran's hand and Meiling's hand at the same time and placed both their palms together. Boy, do I feel awkward doing this, but I got to do what I had to do. "Then you start saying your 'If I profane with my unworthiest hand...' blah blah blah..." As I was about to continue I noticed Syaoran's eyes wandering off from somewhere and I tapped him on the shoulder. "Syaoran-kun, please pay attention, since you're the one who's gonna be doing most of the actions here..."

"Hurry it up, Kinomoto! I want my kiss from my Syaoran right now!!" Meiling demanded as Syaoran rolled his eyes at the same time.

"I'm talking here!" I frowned at Meiling as I proceeded. "Okay, Syaoran-kun, when you get to the part where you say 'Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take...', then, what you do is you slightly slide your palm to the side and slowly close your fingers around hers... then... you know the rest..."

Syaoran sighed deeply while Meiling started to get anxious. I tried not to pay attention to them as I went back to my seat. "Remember Syaoran-kun... you kiss Meiling twice--- first one after you say 'Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take...', then the second one after 'Sin from my lips?..." blah blah, you know the rest..."

"YES! Oh yes..." Meiling exclaimed and sighed blissfullly.

"Yeah, yeah..." Syaoran murmured reluctantly with a frown on his face.

"OKAY, PLACES, EVERYBODY!! READY AND...." I counted a few seconds, then-- "GO!!"

The extras continued their little dancing thing as I had my eyes focused on Syaoran and Meiling. They stood still, as Syaoran slowly--- not to mention nervously--- took Meiling's hand and had their open palms pressed together. Then, they begin the scene...

Syaoran/Romeo: (softly and with such a romantic tone) If I profane with my unworthiest hand... This holy shrine, the gentle sin is this: My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand... To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss.

Just at that one single line, I found myself swooning over Syaoran again. How can he ever have this effect on me...? Life just isn't so fair... it's bad enough that I'm not the one he's looking at while he's saying all of this... argh... From out of nowhere, everyone else including the backstage crew were down at the seats, watching the whole scene. Tomoyo even had her videocamera rolling at the same time. Talk about shooting a movie scene...

Meiling/Juliet: (anxiously and blissfully) Good pilgrim, you do wrong with your hand too much, Which mannerly devotion shows in this; For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch, And palm to palm is holy palmers' kiss.

Syaoran/Romeo: (gentle tone) Have not saints lips, and holy palmers too?

Meiling/Juliet: Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer.

Syaoran/Romeo: (deep tone) O then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do! They pray. Grant thou, lest faith turn to despair.

Just two more lines and then the first kissing scene will start. Ugh, I just could not bare watching this...

Meiling/Juliet: (gets closer to Syaoran) Saints do not move, though grant for prayer's sake.

Wait a minute... why is Meiling getting closer to Syaoran like that? She's not supposed to do that? Syaoran's supposed to get closer to her... argh...

Syaoran/Romeo: (feeling a little nervous) Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take...

All of a sudden, everyone stood quiet as we waited. This was the part where Syaoran was supposed to kiss Meiling for the first time--- as Romeo and Juliet, of course. Then for some strange reason Meiling suddenly puckered her lips right towards Syaoran, as he slowly backed away from her. Everyone else was getting a little impatient as I sighed deeply again: "Hoe...."

I stood up from my seat, crossed my arms, and shook my head: "Syaoran-kun, what are you waiting for?"

Syaoran just stood still, looking at Meiling, who looked like she was completely ready to receive her kiss. Then from out of nowhere, he just shook his head. "I... I... I can't do this... Sakura... gomen nasai (I'm sorry) ..."

"Syaoran-kun..." I sighed and lowered my head.

"Xiao Lang!!! Why didn't you kiss me?! Mou, Xiao Lang..." I heard Meiling pouting and moaning to Syaoran, as if she was about to cry.

"AWWWW MAAAN...." Majority of the kids moaned sadly as I turned towards them with another angry tone.

"WILL YOU BE QUIET, PLEASE?!" I frowned at them. Tomoyo was still taping us, despite of all the embarrassment. I walked towards the couple and shook my head at them. "You guys--- everything was so perfect from the beginning..."

"I can't kiss her that way, Sakura..." Syaoran complained right at me.

"YOU'D BETTER FIX THIS, KINOMOTO!!" Meiling growled right at me, as if the fact that Syaoran not wanting to kiss her was entirely my fault.

"WILL YOU BE QUIET, MEILING?!" I yelled right at her. "Calm down, it's only first day of rehearsal... you'll have lots of chances to be kissed, alright, SO SHUT UP!!" For the first time ever I actually raised my voice at her. I knew I would probably get a slapping from her, but instead, Meiling actually listened to me. I felt really sweaty all of a sudden as I turned to Syaoran with a concerned look. "Syaoran-kun, um... let me see..."

"Can't we just get rid of all the kissing scenes in this play? I really can't bear seeing myself kissing a girl in public in a setting like this..." Syaoran suggested. I noticed Meiling shaking her head, signaling me to say no, but again, I was beaten by the others:

"GET USED TO IT, LI!" The kids all screamed. Syaoran frowned and glared right at Eriol again, who had been snickering along with Yamazaki.

I lowered my head and just shook my head. This whole day was a total disaster for me completely. "Hoe..."


Finally, our first day was over. Everyone else were finally dismissed to go home. The backstage crew, Tomoyo, and myself stayed after school along with the teachers, reporting to them our progress. Of course, with the exception of the kissing problem, everything else went smoothly. The schedule indicated that throughout the whole week, we will be rehearsing all of Act 1. The first day today was a quick run-through, although half of the actors already memorized their lines. I wonder how they did it...? Oh well.

I sat down on the edge of the stage again, trying to clear everything up in my mind before I panic again when I get home. This kissing thing with Syaoran and Meiling was really killing me big time. I can't believe Tomoyo did this to me... I don't know anything about kissing the romantic way... I mean, what was I supposed to tell Syaoran? I'm no kissing expert... why does this have to happen to me? First, Tomoyo makes me direct scene five of Act 1; second, it was the first kissing scene between Romeo and Juliet; and third (and seemingly the worse of all), I was supposed to coach Syaoran on how to kiss Meiling?! Why...? Why...? Why....?

I stood up straight with a not-too-happy face, thinking about it, as I crossed my arms, contemplating. Meanwhile, I heard footsteps coming nearby and I felt a presence sitting next to me. "Hey Sakura-chan!"

I slightly turned my head to see who it was: "Hey Tomoyo-chan..."

"Whew... long day, isn't it, Sakura-chan?"

"You're telling me..."

"I gotta hand it to you, Sakura-chan... you really did well directing the actors today... not bad for a first-timer!"

"Oh, being a director is kinda like a teacher or a sports coach, you know? It wasn't that hard."

Tomoyo rested her head against her hand, looking right at me. She smiled and said "So, now you know how hard it is to be a director..."

"I'm glad I can help you out, Tomoyo-chan! It's actually fun being in charge of the set, you know?"

Tomoyo giggled softly. "It sure is! Hey, I was thinking... I've spent so much time working with the backstage crew and I talked to both Terada-sensei and Mizuki-sensei about it while you were procrastinating on stage trying to make the first kissing scene between Syaoran and Meiling earlier..."

"Hoe..." Why did she ever mention that again...? "I can't do this, Tomoyo-chan... I don't know how I can help Syaoran-kun ... um... kiss Meiling... I don't know a single thing about kissing--- like that, Tomoyo-chan! What am I supposed to do?? I don't want to ruin the play and stuff and everybody else is expecting all the kissing scenes in there and you know how Syaoran-kun is, you know, Tomoyo-chan...?"

Tomoyo sat straight, thinking patiently. You know, everytime I looked at Tomoyo-chan it's like everything to her was just nothing to worry about. She wa so calm and patient at times like this. I wish I had that kind of attitude towards all the worst situations. Then, she snapped her fingers. "Sakura-chan, I have an idea... um.. can I come over to your house tonight?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"I can ask my mom if I can borrow her magazines... I saw some guides to kissing passionately in there, so maybe those would help..."

"Your mom actually reads that stuff?" Tomoyo and I giggled softly as she hushed at me.

"She likes this stuff, but don't worry... it's all harmless..."

"Okay then.. deal!"

"Maybe with these guides, you'll be able to help Li-kun out."

"Thanks, Tomoyo-chan!"

We did our little pinky swear thing like best friends do, as we decided to get up and finally get back home to rest. We greeted goodbye to our teachers and the backstage crew as Tomoyo-chan and I headed out and on our way home. We started talking about what just happened, usual gossip stuff, just chatting along like we always were. In the meantime I just realized that I did not even get a chance to say goodbye to Syaoran today before the dismissal bell rang. I sighed deeply, starting to get worried again, thinking about it.

"Sakura-chan...?"

"Yeah...?"

"You're thinking about Li-kun again, ne?"

"Man, you know everything about me already..."

"But of course, I'm your best friend, Kinomoto Sakura-chan!"

"Hoe...."

"Don't worry 'bout him... I think he's really shy, that's why he didn't want to kiss Meiling in public..."

"No... he just doesn't wanna kiss any girl in public..."

"I think that's really sweet, Sakura-chan... most guys I know nowadays get all excited, but Li-kun is very different..."

"Yeah... I guess..."

Tomoyo giggled at me, as she placed her arm around me like a true buddy. "Come on, Sakura-chan, you need rest... you had a long day..."

"Thanks, Tomoyo-chan." I smiled happily, as we strolled down the sidewalk together, heading home.

To be continued...

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