The Legend of Xien
Chapter: One
"Ko Lang Ho"
Sakura let in a sigh as she smiled. Her hair wildly flew around her face as she accelerated down the narrow streets of this family town. Her roller blades glided smoothly on the pavement below her and she spun around happily. It has been two short weeks since all the cards were transformed into Sakura Cards. It was great to be able to become a normal person again, and yet, something seemed to be missing, but she didn't quite know what. Perhaps it was the excitement the cards brought to her life, always having to be on guard, but she knew that the magic they brought her would remain a part of her forever. Finally she arrived at the gates of her school and she zoomed through past all of the other students around the curb towards the school, just in time to hear the warning bell go off.
"Morning," Tomoyo greeted with her usual happy smile as Sakura took her seat beside her.
"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura greeted back as she unpacked her things from her bag.
"Are you excited for spring break?" Tomoyo asked leaning over her desk towards Sakura-chan.
"Yeah, for the first time in awhile I'll be able to go out without having to worry about another Card," Sakura laughed.
"You always have me to worry about," Meiling warned from behind Tomoyo.
"Hoee! Meiling-chan! I didn't know you were listening!" Sakura squealed. Meiling shook her head and laughed slightly.
"See, I told you that you'd still have me to keep you on your toes," Meiling teased.
"Hoee..."
"Be careful Meiling-chan, Sakura-chan just might turn on you one day," A familiar voice laughed. Everyone turned to watch the familiar figure walk and take his seat behind Sakura. Meiling pouted and turned away at his remark while Tomoyo giggled.
"Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked with a sly grin.
"H-H-Hai!" Sakura stuttered as she tried to play along with Syaoran. The group laughed at Sakura's efforts just as the teacher walked into the classroom. Sakura took one last look at Syaoran before she turned around to face the teacher. She smiled to herself as she realized just how much her partner in crime has changed these past two years. It was like yesterday when she had first stared into those dark amber eyes. His personality was cold and serious, and now, he has a sense of humor and is always willing to go out with the group on their weekly escapades around Tomoeda. She had become best friends with Syaoran and they always told each other their secrets and teased each other whenever an opportunity presented itself to them but here was something, something she still hadn't figured out about him, but she had a feeling that soon enough, all would reveal itself. But for now, life had left them at the vulnerable age of fourteen and she was planning to enjoy life one day at a time.
"Ohayou," Terada-sensei greeted as he placed his planner on the lecturer.
"Ohayou Gozaimasu!" The class responded excitedly.
"First things first," Terada-sensei sighed and opened his planner and began to read his notes. "I know that everyone is excited about the upcoming break but we all must remember that we all have work to do before then so I don't want anyone going off track, okay?" he raised an eyebrow at the class as he awaited an answer.
"Hai!" The class responded and Terada-sensei nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now onto the next thing," He said and began to walk between the aisles as he spoke. "The university beside us is working on a directors unit and has asked us if we could help them by sending a few students over to audition for the various roles that are available," He continued but was interrupted by the whispers between students.
"Isn't Touya-san working on a play too, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked excitedly.
"I'm not sure," Sakura shrugged. "But remember the video we made with Nakuru-chan?" she asked as she leaned over to go deeper into the conversation.
"I am going to be the star of the best video!!!" Meiling yelled and clapped her hands.
"Um... I think one of the requirements for the audition is that the person CAN act," Syaoran laughed. Meiling growled and turned red in rage.
"Now now, settle down everyone!" Terada-sensei spoke over the student's voices and clapped his hands to get their attention as the room gradually fell silent. "Good, now that everyone is quiet, may I take down the names of the people who would like to take place in the auditions?" he asked as he took a pen out from his shirt pocket.
"Terada-sensei?" Yamazaki asked as he raised his hand.
"Hai?" Terada-sensei nodded as he took a piece of paper out from his binder.
"When are the auditions?" Yamazaki asked politely.
"Uh... I believe it is after school this coming Wednesday," He replied slowly as he scratched his head.
"Terada-sensei?" Rika raised her hand.
"Hai?" Terada-sensei asked as he glanced at Rika.
"How can we prepare for these auditions?" She asked quietly as a tint of pink appeared upon her cheeks. Terada-sensei smiled as he continued to walk down the aisles.
"Well, I'm glad you asked. Outside of the classroom, I've posted the names of the plays available, along with their summaries and the names of the directors. You may all check the listing later on today. If you would like to audition for a specific play, please let me know before the end of the day so that I may give you the part of the play the directors would like you to memorize for the audition," He finished with a satisfied smile.
"Are you going to audition, Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked after he tapping her on the shoulder.
"I don't know... I'm a little nervous..." Sakura replied turning slightly red. Syaoran chuckled as he watched her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
"Well, there might be some love stories you two, so watch out!" Tomoyo teased.
"Hoee..."
"Aw! Like I'd audition for any of those, Tomoyo-chan!" Syaoran rolled his eyes in disgust. Tomoyo just laughed at his reaction and turned back around to the front of the class.
"Now if there aren't any more questions, can we begin with today's lesson?" Terada-sensei asked as he walked back towards the front of the room.
"Terada-sensei?" Naoko asked raising her hand. Terada-sensei sighed and slowly turned around.
"Hai?"
"Do we get graded on this?" She asked as she took her pen out of her binder so she was prepared to take any more notes down.
"Actually now that you bring it up, I could. I will include it as your participation mark, drama mark, and production mark," He nodded and wrote that down in his binder.
"Terada-sensei?" Chiharu asked raising her hand.
"Hai?" Terada-sensei asked tiredly.
"So is this like a major project, because it seems like it would take a bit out of our final grade," Chiharu pointed out worriedly.
"I suppose you're right," Terada-sensei replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Then it shall be like a project, because rumor has it that these videos will be shown at the spring festival!" he shrugged as half of the class cheered and the other half whined worriedly.
"I guess you have to audition now Sakura-chan," Syaoran laughed.
"No!" Sakura cried and rested her head on her desk.
"Aw! Don't worry Sakura-chan, after class is over we can look at the postings so we can choose which play we want to audition for!" Tomoyo reassured her nervous friend and patted her on her shoulder.
"I just don't know if I have the energy to do all this work, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura sighed and rests her hand on her palm.
"Tired?" Tomoyo asked worriedly as she bit her bottom lip. Sakura just nodded without taking her eyes off the front of the classroom.
"Have you been having dreams again, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo whispered as she leaned towards Sakura's desk. Syaoran raised an eyebrow in interest when he heard this.
"Kind of... maybe... I don't know... no..." Sakura stuttered as she shook her head. Tomoyo looked over to Syaoran worriedly and he nodded.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, the break is coming up, you can get your rest then," Syaoran nodded as he patted her shoulder. "Just take things a little easy…" he smiled and leaned back in his seat. Just then Terada-sensei cleared his throat and waved his hand to silence the class.
"Now I'd like you all to clear you desks and take out a pen. I have a surprise quiz for you all," Everyone in the class groaned inwardly as Tomoyo and Syaoran sweat-dropped.
"So much for taking it easy," Meiling rolled her eyes and cleared her desk.
"Hoee..."
__________________________________________________________________________________
"Sakura-chan!!!" Tomoyo yelled excitedly across the hall within the huge crowd of students.
"What is it Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked while trying to push through the crowd to get to Tomoyo.
"Your brother is directing a play!" Tomoyo cheered as she continued to lean closer to the paper posted on the wall to read more. "…He's directing with… uh.. I don't recognize his name…" she said slowly.
"What's his name?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Ko, Lang Ho..." Tomoyo said with a shrug.
"That isn't Japanese..." Sakura said in confusion.
"No, it's Chinese," Syaoran pointed out as he approached the two girls.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said in shock.
"Do you know him?" Tomoyo asked as she grabbed a page summary of the play.
"No, but I just recognized it as Chinese," Syaoran shrugged and glanced at the list of plays. "Which ones are you auditioning for?" he asked as he ran his finger gently down the list.
"I'm interested in the one Touya-san and... Ko-san are directing," Tomoyo smiled and waved the paper in front of Syaoran.
"What's it about?" Syaoran asked as he swiftly grabbed the paper from Tomoyo and began to read it.
"You know, there are other pamphlets in the box Syaoran-kun.." Tomoyo sighed and tapped her foot on the ground.
"Hmm... not bad. Are you going to audition for this, Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked as he raised his head to look at her.
"Uh... I guess so.." Sakura shrugged and took a piece of paper from the box.
"Good," Syaoran smiled and gave the paper back to Tomoyo. "I guess I'll see you at the audition," he finished and picked up his bag before nodding to Tomoyo and walking down the hall towards the exit.
"Tomoyo-chan, what's the play about anyways?" Sakura asked as she glanced at the paper in her hand once Syaoran left.
"It's kind of like a action, suspense play. Apparently the leading male dies in the end, for the girl or something…" Tomoyo replied as she began to walk down the hall towards the exit.
"What?!" Sakura said in shock as she jogged up to Tomoyo. "Uh... I'm not sure if I want to go for this play anymore..."
"Why not, Sakura-chan? Don't you find it interesting?" Tomoyo asked in confusion as she opened the door and held it for Sakura.
"Of course I do, it's just that I'm not sure if this whole romance thing is a good idea..." Sakura replied slowly as she exited the building.
"Oh Sakura-chan, it's not like you have to kiss Syaoran-kun or anything!" Tomoyo laughed and shook her head. "Plus, we're not even sure who has what parts yet, for all we know you could be one of the extras!"
"I suppose your right Tomoyo-chan, I'm just being paranoid," Sakura sighed and nodded in agreement. "But there better be no kissing!" she said firmly with a slight blush upon her face as she pointed her finger at Tomoyo.
"Trust me! I doubt that your brother would let you audition for his play if there was any kissing in it," Tomoyo reassured her. "Listen, why don't we go over to my place and memorize our lines for the audition tomorrow?"
"Okay, I think that'll help me settle the butterflies in my stomach," Sakura laughed slightly and followed Tomoyo.
"...And so the kiss brings him back to life!" Touya concluded with a sigh. The lecture hall suddenly fell silent as many of the students stared at the two directors with their mouths hanging open.
"Hoeee..." Sakura whined as her face flushed.
"What the--?" Syaoran frowned.
"Kawaii ne!" Tomoyo giggled and clapped her hands happily. Syaoran and Meilin looked at Tomoyo and raised their eyebrows in disbelief.
"Any questions before we begin the auditions?" Touya asked as he placed his hands comfortably onto the table at the front of the class. The room was suddenly filled with quiet whispering voices as Touya began to answer some of the questions that the students had. As he did so, his partner began to write names on the board and then carefully placing times beside them.
"I thought there was no kissing!" Sakura mumbled worriedly at Tomoyo.
"Sakura-chan, I'm sure the kiss isn't that much different than the one in the school play we had a few years back. Do you remember that, Syaoran-kun?" Tomoyo asked turning to Syaoran.
"Uh.. right, I remember," Syaoran muttered as he tried to forget that moment in his life.
"Well, if you get the leading role Sakura-chan, your brother may just edit the kissing scene!" Tomoyo laughed.
"He better!" Meiling pouted. "Especially if Syaoran gets the leading male role..." she sighed and tightened her grip on Syaoran's arm. The group sweatdropped at Meiling's reaction. The group's conversation was suddenly interrupted by Touya's voice.
"Okay kids. You're names are listed on the board along with the times of your audition. Take a few moments to check when your audition takes place and come back when it is your turn," Touya instructed as waved the kids away. Touya's partner dusted his hands on his pants and moved away from the board as the students began to crowd the front looking for their time slots. He shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times before organizing the papers on the desk. His light brown hair hung slightly over his eyes as he leaned over to grab a few other loose papers. Sakura watched as her brother approached his partner and began to make conversation. The unfamiliar boy smiled and laughed as Touya began to make odd hand gestures and annoyed facial expressions. Sakura felt her face begin flush a light pink as her brothers friend continued to smile and laugh. Suddenly his eyes caught hers and his smile slowly faded and was replaced by a deep stare. She felt her heat skip a beat and her face turn a deeper shade of red as the boy grinned as if he noticed her slight blush. Her soft emerald eyes met his confident light ocean blue eyes she felt awkward. Suddenly she jumped.
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked placing her hand upon Sakura's shoulder.
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura replied as she slightly shook her head and blinked to wake up from her trance.
"Come on, Syaoran-kun and Meiling-chan are waiting for us in the hall," Tomoyo smiled and waved for Sakura to follow her. Sakura nodded and looked back towards the front for the boy, but he was gone. Sakura sighed and began to follow Tomoyo out of the room.
"Oh wait!" Sakura blurted a few moments after they left the room.
"What is it?" Tomoyo asked worriedly and walked back towards Sakura.
"I didn't check what time my audition was!" Sakura replied nervously.
"What do you mean you didn't check?! You took so long in there that Syaoran-kun sent me to get you!" Tomoyo said in disbelief.
"Uh... I... uh.. was.... uh...." Sakura stammered as she bit her lip. Tomoyo sighed and grabbed Sakura's hand and led her towards Syaoran and Meilin.
"That's okay, you're right after my audition anyways," Tomoyo reassured Sakura and patted her hand.
"Oh, thank you Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said in relief.
"Took you two long enough," Syaoran groaned as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. "We were going to practice together, were we not?"
"Yes, I'm sorry Syaoran-kun, I was just distracted," Sakura apologized softly. Syaoran glanced at Sakura and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Distracted?" He muttered in confusion.
"Never the less we're here," Tomoyo interrupted and linked arms with Meiling. "Meiling-chan and I will practice together, you two can practice on your own if you want," she finished and pulled Meilin down the hall. The hall fell silent.
"You want to work alone, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked breaking the silence between them.
"It doesn't matter to me," Syaoran shrugged still leaning against the wall behind him.
"Well, if you don't mind, I think it would be nice to have some feedback..." Sakura said nervously.
"Uh... sure, I'll listen," Syaoran nodded and sat in front of her. "And action!" he smiled and clapped his hands together. Sakura started her monologue with a timid start and Syaoran encouraged her to speak louder and mocked her slightly by leaning forward and squinting his eyes. Sakura broke out in laughter and whacked him with her script. Syaoran just laughed and surrendered by putting his arms up in the air.
"You are really good with movement, Sakura-chan, but you have to be louder!" Syaoran reminded her as he tightened his fist to emphasize his words.
"I can't!" Sakura sighed and put her hands on her waist.
"Yes, you can!" Syaoran argued and stood up walking towards her. "I know that you know what it feels like to be frustrated! Bring that feeling back and use it!" he nodded and held both her hands with his to comfort her. "You can do this, Sakura-chan," he finished softly and shook her hands slightly. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes and breathed.
"Okay," Sakura nodded.
"Good," Syaoran smiled and let go of her hands. "Let's see it!" he said excitedly and took a few steps back to give her room to work. Sakura began to recite her lines once again. Syaoran could see her awareness of her voice and smiled slightly as she blended it in with her natural character movements. He could really see her piece coming together and clapped when she finished.
"That was less boring Sakura-chan! Thank you!" Syaoran teased with a big smile upon his face as he stood up. Sakura whacked him once again with her script and pushed him in front of her.
"That's it Syaoran-kun! It's YOUR turn!" Sakura smiled and sat down before him.
"That's perfectly fine with me, Sakura-chan," Syaoran grinned and cleared his throat before reciting his lines. Sakura was more impressed than she thought she would be. Sure Syaoran emphasized volume, but she didn't think that his would be close to perfect! His projection was beautiful! She could feel the passion in the character's lines and the expression in his face fell perfectly with the lines. Sakura tried her best to keep her jaw from dropping, but a grin slowly spread across her face as she notice his weakness.
"Stunned? Kinomoto-san?" Syaoran mocked when he was finished. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and stood up.
"Oh yes, quite stunned as a matter of fact," Sakura nodded as she approached him. "So stunned as a matter of fact that I'd like you to do it again," she smiled. Syaoran looked at her oddly but shrugged and cleared his throat.
"And so she comes back for more..." Syaoran grinned and began to recite his lines once again. Sakura slowly made her way towards Syaoran, he glanced at her curiously but continued to say his lines. Sakura made her way behind him and gently took one of his hands and raised it high above their heads it was then that Syaoran stopped.
"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked in shock.
"You're really good with projecting your voice, but you need work with your hand movements, Syaoran-kun," Sakura shrugged innocently. Syaoran felt his cheeks turn slightly red and he lowered his head.
"Well... you don't have to touch me, just show me what I should look like..." Syaoran mumbled. Sakura giggled slightly and smiled.
"Okay fine," She shrugged with a slight smile. "Go through your lines again and I'll just stop you when I think you should put a hand movement with it," she finished and clapped her hands together.
"Action!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hoee..." Sakura sighed as she lazily plopped her bag onto her bed.
"Long day, Sakura-chan?" Kero asked as he flew over to her and rested on her shoulder.
"Yeah, auditions took forever!" Sakura groaned and laid back on her bad and stared up at the ceiling. "It was fun though," she smiled.
"How do you think you did?" Kero asked curiously and lay on her stomach.
"Alright I guess..." Sakura shrugged. "But Syaoran-kun was very good!" she added excitedly as she sat up.
"Yes he was a very interesting princess..." Kero laughed.
"Kero-chan!" Sakura shook her head.
"I'm sorry," Kero continued to laugh on flew over to her desk. "I just can't get over it."
"Oh well, it seems like the two of you will never give up on trying to ruin each other's lives," Sakura sighed and looked out her window. "Did Touya-san come in yet?"
"Not that I know of," Kero replied and turned on the television. "Why?"
"Oh nothing, I just want to ask him how I did," Sakura mumbled as if she was in deep thought.
"I'm sure you did well Sakura-chan," Kero reassured her and turned on the Playstation. "Besides, there are more important things you should think of first."
"Like what?" Sakura turned around to face Kero.
"Like my stomach, I'm hungry!" Kero whined and pouted. Sakura laughed and headed towards the door.
"Fine, I'll be right back," Sakura shook her head and closed the door behind her. She hummed a happy song as she hopped down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen. She looked around to see if anyone was home, and when she was convinced that she was alone she shrugged and opened the refrigerator.
'That boy Touya-san was working with... he seems so familiar...' Sakura thought as she scanned the food within the refrigerator. She finally pulled out some fruitcake her father had made the night before and closed the door behind her. She carefully placed it onto the table and turned around towards the cupboard for a plate and fork.
'But I've never seen my brother with him before, maybe he's new...' she continued to contemplate to herself. As she cutting the cake she heard the door at the front open and her brother's familiar voice yell.
"I'm home!"
"I'm in the kitchen!" Sakura replied and carefully placed the sliced cake onto the saucer. She poured little drops of chocolate syrup on it and headed towards the hallway where Touya was. It was then that he heard another pair of footsteps and backed off into the kitchen. Touya walked into the kitchen and peered over Sakura's shoulder to see what she was making.
"I see the little monster made herself a fattening snack!" Touya crossed his arms and shook his head at Sakura.
"Onii-chan..." Sakura grumbled.
"You have a sister Touya-san?" A voice called out from the hall.
"Unfortunetely," Touya replied and opened the refrigerator to get something to drink. "Yeah you've already met her, Lang Ho-san."
"I have?" Lang Ho replied in confusion as he entered the kitchen he then stopped in shock when he saw Sakura.
"Sakura-chan?!" Lang Ho yelled totally surprised.
"Konnichiwa, Ko-san," Sakura smiled and waved.
"Why so surprised Long Ho-san?" Touya laughed and patted Sakura's head. "Shock that I could have such a hideous looking sister?" he teased. Sakura groaned in warning. "Don't worry, we ALL shocked--!" he squealed slightly as Sakura stomped on his foot. Lang Ho laughed and shook his head at Touya.
"I guess that's what you get for being so cruel to such an innocent looking girl such as Sakura-chan," Lang Ho smiled at Sakura. She turned slightly red at the comment.
"Oh! How rude of me!" Sakura blurted out asfter she had recovered herself from Lang Ho's compliment. "Sit!" she offered and pushed Lang Ho out into the family room. "Make yourself at home!"
"Uh, thank you Sakura-chan," Lang Ho mumbled as he slowly sat onto the couch. Touya followed and sat across from his partner.
"I'm sure you two have something to talk about, I'll be right back!" Sakura smiled and ran into the kitchen grabbing the fruitcake slice and running up the stairs towards her room.
"Here take the cake I'll be back in a few minutes!" Sakura told Kero and placed the cake beside him.
"What took you so long--!" Kero asked but Sakura slammed the door too fast for her to hear. She ran back down the stairs smiled and the two boys and into the kitchen.
"You have a very energetic sister there Touya-san," Lang Ho-san laughed after Sakura was quietly in the kitchen.
"You have NO idea..." Touya sighed and pulled out the list of people who auditioned for their play. "Right, anyways, time to get to work."
"Right, I got the notes... uh... somewhere..." Lang Ho-san laughed and searched through his bag.
"Lang Ho-san!!!" Touya yelled.
"What?! It's here somewhere, I know it!" Lang Ho shrugged and pulled out a few sheets of paper. "Aha! Here they are! See?" he grinned happily.
"Okay, okay, good. Let's just go through the list and eliminate a few people..." Touya sighed and grabbed the first list of people.
"You yell out the name and we'll decide," Lang Ho suggested as he pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. "Okay, shoot!"
"Uh... first is... UGH! CHINESE DORK!?" Touya yelled in disgust.
"Whoa... and I thought MY parents were low on names when they had me..." Lang Ho shrugged and flicked his pen.
"No, no, no...it's Meiling-chan.." Touya shuddered in disgust.
"Hey, she was kinda cute..." Lang Ho joked. Touya stared at Lang Ho for a moment and coughed.
"Ahem... NEXT is... DAMN YOU CHINESE BRAT!!!!!" Touya screamed and tried to keep himself from ripping the paper. Lang Ho laughed at Touya's reaction and shook his head.
"Lemme guess..." He said and scratched his chin. "Hmm... those two are related?" he continued sarcastically.
"Don't get me started Lang Ho-san! I really dislike those two!" Touya warned.
"Are you racist?! Hello! Chinese man right here!" Lang Ho reminded as he pointed at himself. At that moment Sakura walked in with a tray containing two saucers with fruitcake and two classes with green apple bubble tea.
"Sorry I too so long..." Sakura apologized sweetly and carefully placed the tray in the middle of the table.
"Ah... thank you Sakura-chan," Lang Ho smiled.
"You're welcome Ko-san," Sakura nodded and began to walk away.
"You may call me Lang Ho-san," Lang Ho corrected her.
"Alright... Lang Ho-san..." Sakura bowed and excused herself.
"Suck up..." Touya mumbled and sipped from his straw sucking the tapioca balls. Sakura groaned and stormed up the stairs with her own glass of strawberry milk tapioca bubble tea. Lang Ho shook his head and grabbed the list of performers from Touya.
"How about I read and you write huh? Maybe then we'll get somewhere," Lang Ho grinned and was about to read the next name on the list until he paused uncomfortably.
'...A guardian...?' He thought to himself and glanced up towards the flight of stairs for a few moments and thought to himself but was eventually interrupted by Touya's voice.
"Hey! Lang Ho-san! Who's next?" Touya waved in front of his partner. Lang Ho turned to Touya and firmly replied.
"Sakura-chan..."
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Finally! I know that it's kinda draggy and what not but I have a feeling that it may be like
that for awhile. A warning, this may not have much S+S until later, but I promise you that it
will have a very sweet ending so please be patient and review!
Ja ne mato de!
Chapter: One
"Ko Lang Ho"
Sakura let in a sigh as she smiled. Her hair wildly flew around her face as she accelerated down the narrow streets of this family town. Her roller blades glided smoothly on the pavement below her and she spun around happily. It has been two short weeks since all the cards were transformed into Sakura Cards. It was great to be able to become a normal person again, and yet, something seemed to be missing, but she didn't quite know what. Perhaps it was the excitement the cards brought to her life, always having to be on guard, but she knew that the magic they brought her would remain a part of her forever. Finally she arrived at the gates of her school and she zoomed through past all of the other students around the curb towards the school, just in time to hear the warning bell go off.
"Morning," Tomoyo greeted with her usual happy smile as Sakura took her seat beside her.
"Good morning, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura greeted back as she unpacked her things from her bag.
"Are you excited for spring break?" Tomoyo asked leaning over her desk towards Sakura-chan.
"Yeah, for the first time in awhile I'll be able to go out without having to worry about another Card," Sakura laughed.
"You always have me to worry about," Meiling warned from behind Tomoyo.
"Hoee! Meiling-chan! I didn't know you were listening!" Sakura squealed. Meiling shook her head and laughed slightly.
"See, I told you that you'd still have me to keep you on your toes," Meiling teased.
"Hoee..."
"Be careful Meiling-chan, Sakura-chan just might turn on you one day," A familiar voice laughed. Everyone turned to watch the familiar figure walk and take his seat behind Sakura. Meiling pouted and turned away at his remark while Tomoyo giggled.
"Isn't that right, Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked with a sly grin.
"H-H-Hai!" Sakura stuttered as she tried to play along with Syaoran. The group laughed at Sakura's efforts just as the teacher walked into the classroom. Sakura took one last look at Syaoran before she turned around to face the teacher. She smiled to herself as she realized just how much her partner in crime has changed these past two years. It was like yesterday when she had first stared into those dark amber eyes. His personality was cold and serious, and now, he has a sense of humor and is always willing to go out with the group on their weekly escapades around Tomoeda. She had become best friends with Syaoran and they always told each other their secrets and teased each other whenever an opportunity presented itself to them but here was something, something she still hadn't figured out about him, but she had a feeling that soon enough, all would reveal itself. But for now, life had left them at the vulnerable age of fourteen and she was planning to enjoy life one day at a time.
"Ohayou," Terada-sensei greeted as he placed his planner on the lecturer.
"Ohayou Gozaimasu!" The class responded excitedly.
"First things first," Terada-sensei sighed and opened his planner and began to read his notes. "I know that everyone is excited about the upcoming break but we all must remember that we all have work to do before then so I don't want anyone going off track, okay?" he raised an eyebrow at the class as he awaited an answer.
"Hai!" The class responded and Terada-sensei nodded in satisfaction.
"Good. Now onto the next thing," He said and began to walk between the aisles as he spoke. "The university beside us is working on a directors unit and has asked us if we could help them by sending a few students over to audition for the various roles that are available," He continued but was interrupted by the whispers between students.
"Isn't Touya-san working on a play too, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked excitedly.
"I'm not sure," Sakura shrugged. "But remember the video we made with Nakuru-chan?" she asked as she leaned over to go deeper into the conversation.
"I am going to be the star of the best video!!!" Meiling yelled and clapped her hands.
"Um... I think one of the requirements for the audition is that the person CAN act," Syaoran laughed. Meiling growled and turned red in rage.
"Now now, settle down everyone!" Terada-sensei spoke over the student's voices and clapped his hands to get their attention as the room gradually fell silent. "Good, now that everyone is quiet, may I take down the names of the people who would like to take place in the auditions?" he asked as he took a pen out from his shirt pocket.
"Terada-sensei?" Yamazaki asked as he raised his hand.
"Hai?" Terada-sensei nodded as he took a piece of paper out from his binder.
"When are the auditions?" Yamazaki asked politely.
"Uh... I believe it is after school this coming Wednesday," He replied slowly as he scratched his head.
"Terada-sensei?" Rika raised her hand.
"Hai?" Terada-sensei asked as he glanced at Rika.
"How can we prepare for these auditions?" She asked quietly as a tint of pink appeared upon her cheeks. Terada-sensei smiled as he continued to walk down the aisles.
"Well, I'm glad you asked. Outside of the classroom, I've posted the names of the plays available, along with their summaries and the names of the directors. You may all check the listing later on today. If you would like to audition for a specific play, please let me know before the end of the day so that I may give you the part of the play the directors would like you to memorize for the audition," He finished with a satisfied smile.
"Are you going to audition, Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked after he tapping her on the shoulder.
"I don't know... I'm a little nervous..." Sakura replied turning slightly red. Syaoran chuckled as he watched her cheeks turn a light shade of pink.
"Well, there might be some love stories you two, so watch out!" Tomoyo teased.
"Hoee..."
"Aw! Like I'd audition for any of those, Tomoyo-chan!" Syaoran rolled his eyes in disgust. Tomoyo just laughed at his reaction and turned back around to the front of the class.
"Now if there aren't any more questions, can we begin with today's lesson?" Terada-sensei asked as he walked back towards the front of the room.
"Terada-sensei?" Naoko asked raising her hand. Terada-sensei sighed and slowly turned around.
"Hai?"
"Do we get graded on this?" She asked as she took her pen out of her binder so she was prepared to take any more notes down.
"Actually now that you bring it up, I could. I will include it as your participation mark, drama mark, and production mark," He nodded and wrote that down in his binder.
"Terada-sensei?" Chiharu asked raising her hand.
"Hai?" Terada-sensei asked tiredly.
"So is this like a major project, because it seems like it would take a bit out of our final grade," Chiharu pointed out worriedly.
"I suppose you're right," Terada-sensei replied as he rubbed his chin in thought. "Then it shall be like a project, because rumor has it that these videos will be shown at the spring festival!" he shrugged as half of the class cheered and the other half whined worriedly.
"I guess you have to audition now Sakura-chan," Syaoran laughed.
"No!" Sakura cried and rested her head on her desk.
"Aw! Don't worry Sakura-chan, after class is over we can look at the postings so we can choose which play we want to audition for!" Tomoyo reassured her nervous friend and patted her on her shoulder.
"I just don't know if I have the energy to do all this work, Tomoyo-chan," Sakura sighed and rests her hand on her palm.
"Tired?" Tomoyo asked worriedly as she bit her bottom lip. Sakura just nodded without taking her eyes off the front of the classroom.
"Have you been having dreams again, Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo whispered as she leaned towards Sakura's desk. Syaoran raised an eyebrow in interest when he heard this.
"Kind of... maybe... I don't know... no..." Sakura stuttered as she shook her head. Tomoyo looked over to Syaoran worriedly and he nodded.
"Don't worry Sakura-chan, the break is coming up, you can get your rest then," Syaoran nodded as he patted her shoulder. "Just take things a little easy…" he smiled and leaned back in his seat. Just then Terada-sensei cleared his throat and waved his hand to silence the class.
"Now I'd like you all to clear you desks and take out a pen. I have a surprise quiz for you all," Everyone in the class groaned inwardly as Tomoyo and Syaoran sweat-dropped.
"So much for taking it easy," Meiling rolled her eyes and cleared her desk.
"Hoee..."
__________________________________________________________________________________
"Sakura-chan!!!" Tomoyo yelled excitedly across the hall within the huge crowd of students.
"What is it Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura asked while trying to push through the crowd to get to Tomoyo.
"Your brother is directing a play!" Tomoyo cheered as she continued to lean closer to the paper posted on the wall to read more. "…He's directing with… uh.. I don't recognize his name…" she said slowly.
"What's his name?" Sakura asked curiously.
"Ko, Lang Ho..." Tomoyo said with a shrug.
"That isn't Japanese..." Sakura said in confusion.
"No, it's Chinese," Syaoran pointed out as he approached the two girls.
"Syaoran-kun!" Sakura said in shock.
"Do you know him?" Tomoyo asked as she grabbed a page summary of the play.
"No, but I just recognized it as Chinese," Syaoran shrugged and glanced at the list of plays. "Which ones are you auditioning for?" he asked as he ran his finger gently down the list.
"I'm interested in the one Touya-san and... Ko-san are directing," Tomoyo smiled and waved the paper in front of Syaoran.
"What's it about?" Syaoran asked as he swiftly grabbed the paper from Tomoyo and began to read it.
"You know, there are other pamphlets in the box Syaoran-kun.." Tomoyo sighed and tapped her foot on the ground.
"Hmm... not bad. Are you going to audition for this, Sakura-chan?" Syaoran asked as he raised his head to look at her.
"Uh... I guess so.." Sakura shrugged and took a piece of paper from the box.
"Good," Syaoran smiled and gave the paper back to Tomoyo. "I guess I'll see you at the audition," he finished and picked up his bag before nodding to Tomoyo and walking down the hall towards the exit.
"Tomoyo-chan, what's the play about anyways?" Sakura asked as she glanced at the paper in her hand once Syaoran left.
"It's kind of like a action, suspense play. Apparently the leading male dies in the end, for the girl or something…" Tomoyo replied as she began to walk down the hall towards the exit.
"What?!" Sakura said in shock as she jogged up to Tomoyo. "Uh... I'm not sure if I want to go for this play anymore..."
"Why not, Sakura-chan? Don't you find it interesting?" Tomoyo asked in confusion as she opened the door and held it for Sakura.
"Of course I do, it's just that I'm not sure if this whole romance thing is a good idea..." Sakura replied slowly as she exited the building.
"Oh Sakura-chan, it's not like you have to kiss Syaoran-kun or anything!" Tomoyo laughed and shook her head. "Plus, we're not even sure who has what parts yet, for all we know you could be one of the extras!"
"I suppose your right Tomoyo-chan, I'm just being paranoid," Sakura sighed and nodded in agreement. "But there better be no kissing!" she said firmly with a slight blush upon her face as she pointed her finger at Tomoyo.
"Trust me! I doubt that your brother would let you audition for his play if there was any kissing in it," Tomoyo reassured her. "Listen, why don't we go over to my place and memorize our lines for the audition tomorrow?"
"Okay, I think that'll help me settle the butterflies in my stomach," Sakura laughed slightly and followed Tomoyo.
"...And so the kiss brings him back to life!" Touya concluded with a sigh. The lecture hall suddenly fell silent as many of the students stared at the two directors with their mouths hanging open.
"Hoeee..." Sakura whined as her face flushed.
"What the--?" Syaoran frowned.
"Kawaii ne!" Tomoyo giggled and clapped her hands happily. Syaoran and Meilin looked at Tomoyo and raised their eyebrows in disbelief.
"Any questions before we begin the auditions?" Touya asked as he placed his hands comfortably onto the table at the front of the class. The room was suddenly filled with quiet whispering voices as Touya began to answer some of the questions that the students had. As he did so, his partner began to write names on the board and then carefully placing times beside them.
"I thought there was no kissing!" Sakura mumbled worriedly at Tomoyo.
"Sakura-chan, I'm sure the kiss isn't that much different than the one in the school play we had a few years back. Do you remember that, Syaoran-kun?" Tomoyo asked turning to Syaoran.
"Uh.. right, I remember," Syaoran muttered as he tried to forget that moment in his life.
"Well, if you get the leading role Sakura-chan, your brother may just edit the kissing scene!" Tomoyo laughed.
"He better!" Meiling pouted. "Especially if Syaoran gets the leading male role..." she sighed and tightened her grip on Syaoran's arm. The group sweatdropped at Meiling's reaction. The group's conversation was suddenly interrupted by Touya's voice.
"Okay kids. You're names are listed on the board along with the times of your audition. Take a few moments to check when your audition takes place and come back when it is your turn," Touya instructed as waved the kids away. Touya's partner dusted his hands on his pants and moved away from the board as the students began to crowd the front looking for their time slots. He shook his head and blinked his eyes a few times before organizing the papers on the desk. His light brown hair hung slightly over his eyes as he leaned over to grab a few other loose papers. Sakura watched as her brother approached his partner and began to make conversation. The unfamiliar boy smiled and laughed as Touya began to make odd hand gestures and annoyed facial expressions. Sakura felt her face begin flush a light pink as her brothers friend continued to smile and laugh. Suddenly his eyes caught hers and his smile slowly faded and was replaced by a deep stare. She felt her heat skip a beat and her face turn a deeper shade of red as the boy grinned as if he noticed her slight blush. Her soft emerald eyes met his confident light ocean blue eyes she felt awkward. Suddenly she jumped.
"Sakura-chan?" Tomoyo asked placing her hand upon Sakura's shoulder.
"Yes, Tomoyo-chan?" Sakura replied as she slightly shook her head and blinked to wake up from her trance.
"Come on, Syaoran-kun and Meiling-chan are waiting for us in the hall," Tomoyo smiled and waved for Sakura to follow her. Sakura nodded and looked back towards the front for the boy, but he was gone. Sakura sighed and began to follow Tomoyo out of the room.
"Oh wait!" Sakura blurted a few moments after they left the room.
"What is it?" Tomoyo asked worriedly and walked back towards Sakura.
"I didn't check what time my audition was!" Sakura replied nervously.
"What do you mean you didn't check?! You took so long in there that Syaoran-kun sent me to get you!" Tomoyo said in disbelief.
"Uh... I... uh.. was.... uh...." Sakura stammered as she bit her lip. Tomoyo sighed and grabbed Sakura's hand and led her towards Syaoran and Meilin.
"That's okay, you're right after my audition anyways," Tomoyo reassured Sakura and patted her hand.
"Oh, thank you Tomoyo-chan," Sakura said in relief.
"Took you two long enough," Syaoran groaned as he leaned against a wall with his arms crossed. "We were going to practice together, were we not?"
"Yes, I'm sorry Syaoran-kun, I was just distracted," Sakura apologized softly. Syaoran glanced at Sakura and raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Distracted?" He muttered in confusion.
"Never the less we're here," Tomoyo interrupted and linked arms with Meiling. "Meiling-chan and I will practice together, you two can practice on your own if you want," she finished and pulled Meilin down the hall. The hall fell silent.
"You want to work alone, Syaoran-kun?" Sakura asked breaking the silence between them.
"It doesn't matter to me," Syaoran shrugged still leaning against the wall behind him.
"Well, if you don't mind, I think it would be nice to have some feedback..." Sakura said nervously.
"Uh... sure, I'll listen," Syaoran nodded and sat in front of her. "And action!" he smiled and clapped his hands together. Sakura started her monologue with a timid start and Syaoran encouraged her to speak louder and mocked her slightly by leaning forward and squinting his eyes. Sakura broke out in laughter and whacked him with her script. Syaoran just laughed and surrendered by putting his arms up in the air.
"You are really good with movement, Sakura-chan, but you have to be louder!" Syaoran reminded her as he tightened his fist to emphasize his words.
"I can't!" Sakura sighed and put her hands on her waist.
"Yes, you can!" Syaoran argued and stood up walking towards her. "I know that you know what it feels like to be frustrated! Bring that feeling back and use it!" he nodded and held both her hands with his to comfort her. "You can do this, Sakura-chan," he finished softly and shook her hands slightly. Sakura sighed and closed her eyes and breathed.
"Okay," Sakura nodded.
"Good," Syaoran smiled and let go of her hands. "Let's see it!" he said excitedly and took a few steps back to give her room to work. Sakura began to recite her lines once again. Syaoran could see her awareness of her voice and smiled slightly as she blended it in with her natural character movements. He could really see her piece coming together and clapped when she finished.
"That was less boring Sakura-chan! Thank you!" Syaoran teased with a big smile upon his face as he stood up. Sakura whacked him once again with her script and pushed him in front of her.
"That's it Syaoran-kun! It's YOUR turn!" Sakura smiled and sat down before him.
"That's perfectly fine with me, Sakura-chan," Syaoran grinned and cleared his throat before reciting his lines. Sakura was more impressed than she thought she would be. Sure Syaoran emphasized volume, but she didn't think that his would be close to perfect! His projection was beautiful! She could feel the passion in the character's lines and the expression in his face fell perfectly with the lines. Sakura tried her best to keep her jaw from dropping, but a grin slowly spread across her face as she notice his weakness.
"Stunned? Kinomoto-san?" Syaoran mocked when he was finished. Sakura snapped out of her thoughts and stood up.
"Oh yes, quite stunned as a matter of fact," Sakura nodded as she approached him. "So stunned as a matter of fact that I'd like you to do it again," she smiled. Syaoran looked at her oddly but shrugged and cleared his throat.
"And so she comes back for more..." Syaoran grinned and began to recite his lines once again. Sakura slowly made her way towards Syaoran, he glanced at her curiously but continued to say his lines. Sakura made her way behind him and gently took one of his hands and raised it high above their heads it was then that Syaoran stopped.
"What are you doing?" Syaoran asked in shock.
"You're really good with projecting your voice, but you need work with your hand movements, Syaoran-kun," Sakura shrugged innocently. Syaoran felt his cheeks turn slightly red and he lowered his head.
"Well... you don't have to touch me, just show me what I should look like..." Syaoran mumbled. Sakura giggled slightly and smiled.
"Okay fine," She shrugged with a slight smile. "Go through your lines again and I'll just stop you when I think you should put a hand movement with it," she finished and clapped her hands together.
"Action!"
___________________________________________________________________________________________
"Hoee..." Sakura sighed as she lazily plopped her bag onto her bed.
"Long day, Sakura-chan?" Kero asked as he flew over to her and rested on her shoulder.
"Yeah, auditions took forever!" Sakura groaned and laid back on her bad and stared up at the ceiling. "It was fun though," she smiled.
"How do you think you did?" Kero asked curiously and lay on her stomach.
"Alright I guess..." Sakura shrugged. "But Syaoran-kun was very good!" she added excitedly as she sat up.
"Yes he was a very interesting princess..." Kero laughed.
"Kero-chan!" Sakura shook her head.
"I'm sorry," Kero continued to laugh on flew over to her desk. "I just can't get over it."
"Oh well, it seems like the two of you will never give up on trying to ruin each other's lives," Sakura sighed and looked out her window. "Did Touya-san come in yet?"
"Not that I know of," Kero replied and turned on the television. "Why?"
"Oh nothing, I just want to ask him how I did," Sakura mumbled as if she was in deep thought.
"I'm sure you did well Sakura-chan," Kero reassured her and turned on the Playstation. "Besides, there are more important things you should think of first."
"Like what?" Sakura turned around to face Kero.
"Like my stomach, I'm hungry!" Kero whined and pouted. Sakura laughed and headed towards the door.
"Fine, I'll be right back," Sakura shook her head and closed the door behind her. She hummed a happy song as she hopped down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen. She looked around to see if anyone was home, and when she was convinced that she was alone she shrugged and opened the refrigerator.
'That boy Touya-san was working with... he seems so familiar...' Sakura thought as she scanned the food within the refrigerator. She finally pulled out some fruitcake her father had made the night before and closed the door behind her. She carefully placed it onto the table and turned around towards the cupboard for a plate and fork.
'But I've never seen my brother with him before, maybe he's new...' she continued to contemplate to herself. As she cutting the cake she heard the door at the front open and her brother's familiar voice yell.
"I'm home!"
"I'm in the kitchen!" Sakura replied and carefully placed the sliced cake onto the saucer. She poured little drops of chocolate syrup on it and headed towards the hallway where Touya was. It was then that he heard another pair of footsteps and backed off into the kitchen. Touya walked into the kitchen and peered over Sakura's shoulder to see what she was making.
"I see the little monster made herself a fattening snack!" Touya crossed his arms and shook his head at Sakura.
"Onii-chan..." Sakura grumbled.
"You have a sister Touya-san?" A voice called out from the hall.
"Unfortunetely," Touya replied and opened the refrigerator to get something to drink. "Yeah you've already met her, Lang Ho-san."
"I have?" Lang Ho replied in confusion as he entered the kitchen he then stopped in shock when he saw Sakura.
"Sakura-chan?!" Lang Ho yelled totally surprised.
"Konnichiwa, Ko-san," Sakura smiled and waved.
"Why so surprised Long Ho-san?" Touya laughed and patted Sakura's head. "Shock that I could have such a hideous looking sister?" he teased. Sakura groaned in warning. "Don't worry, we ALL shocked--!" he squealed slightly as Sakura stomped on his foot. Lang Ho laughed and shook his head at Touya.
"I guess that's what you get for being so cruel to such an innocent looking girl such as Sakura-chan," Lang Ho smiled at Sakura. She turned slightly red at the comment.
"Oh! How rude of me!" Sakura blurted out asfter she had recovered herself from Lang Ho's compliment. "Sit!" she offered and pushed Lang Ho out into the family room. "Make yourself at home!"
"Uh, thank you Sakura-chan," Lang Ho mumbled as he slowly sat onto the couch. Touya followed and sat across from his partner.
"I'm sure you two have something to talk about, I'll be right back!" Sakura smiled and ran into the kitchen grabbing the fruitcake slice and running up the stairs towards her room.
"Here take the cake I'll be back in a few minutes!" Sakura told Kero and placed the cake beside him.
"What took you so long--!" Kero asked but Sakura slammed the door too fast for her to hear. She ran back down the stairs smiled and the two boys and into the kitchen.
"You have a very energetic sister there Touya-san," Lang Ho-san laughed after Sakura was quietly in the kitchen.
"You have NO idea..." Touya sighed and pulled out the list of people who auditioned for their play. "Right, anyways, time to get to work."
"Right, I got the notes... uh... somewhere..." Lang Ho-san laughed and searched through his bag.
"Lang Ho-san!!!" Touya yelled.
"What?! It's here somewhere, I know it!" Lang Ho shrugged and pulled out a few sheets of paper. "Aha! Here they are! See?" he grinned happily.
"Okay, okay, good. Let's just go through the list and eliminate a few people..." Touya sighed and grabbed the first list of people.
"You yell out the name and we'll decide," Lang Ho suggested as he pulled out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. "Okay, shoot!"
"Uh... first is... UGH! CHINESE DORK!?" Touya yelled in disgust.
"Whoa... and I thought MY parents were low on names when they had me..." Lang Ho shrugged and flicked his pen.
"No, no, no...it's Meiling-chan.." Touya shuddered in disgust.
"Hey, she was kinda cute..." Lang Ho joked. Touya stared at Lang Ho for a moment and coughed.
"Ahem... NEXT is... DAMN YOU CHINESE BRAT!!!!!" Touya screamed and tried to keep himself from ripping the paper. Lang Ho laughed at Touya's reaction and shook his head.
"Lemme guess..." He said and scratched his chin. "Hmm... those two are related?" he continued sarcastically.
"Don't get me started Lang Ho-san! I really dislike those two!" Touya warned.
"Are you racist?! Hello! Chinese man right here!" Lang Ho reminded as he pointed at himself. At that moment Sakura walked in with a tray containing two saucers with fruitcake and two classes with green apple bubble tea.
"Sorry I too so long..." Sakura apologized sweetly and carefully placed the tray in the middle of the table.
"Ah... thank you Sakura-chan," Lang Ho smiled.
"You're welcome Ko-san," Sakura nodded and began to walk away.
"You may call me Lang Ho-san," Lang Ho corrected her.
"Alright... Lang Ho-san..." Sakura bowed and excused herself.
"Suck up..." Touya mumbled and sipped from his straw sucking the tapioca balls. Sakura groaned and stormed up the stairs with her own glass of strawberry milk tapioca bubble tea. Lang Ho shook his head and grabbed the list of performers from Touya.
"How about I read and you write huh? Maybe then we'll get somewhere," Lang Ho grinned and was about to read the next name on the list until he paused uncomfortably.
'...A guardian...?' He thought to himself and glanced up towards the flight of stairs for a few moments and thought to himself but was eventually interrupted by Touya's voice.
"Hey! Lang Ho-san! Who's next?" Touya waved in front of his partner. Lang Ho turned to Touya and firmly replied.
"Sakura-chan..."
~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~
Finally! I know that it's kinda draggy and what not but I have a feeling that it may be like
that for awhile. A warning, this may not have much S+S until later, but I promise you that it
will have a very sweet ending so please be patient and review!
Ja ne mato de!