Chapter 12-Touya
Alright, so enough of the, " Hey, Touya! What is wrong with you? I thought you resented that kid!" I explained already, the glaring contests are merely contests on who hypnotizes the other. No booing, no hurrays, and please give me a break.
On the bright side of all this, I finally found out who he got this natural talent from.
(-_-)
It had started out as a mighty good month, or two, I daresay. ( What the heck am I writing daresays for?) We were suffering in the tug of war of helping my best friend's son or helping my sister. Both sides seemed right, which was what made it wrong, of course. I was definetely not on the other kid's side, he's the real gaki right there. What's his problem, anyway? In any case, I never liked him, never will, perhaps.
Yue was probably suffering more than all of us, save the two kids, because he is very loyal, yet there is a bond developing between him and his son. I personally thought that he should go with Syaoran, because I didn't think that Yelan was being much of a help. Syaoran may have forgiven her, but judging from the way they acted I don't think they had ever been close, too close, I mean. Sakura has Tomoyo, has Eriol, has me, has Kero, also. So if Yue goes on his son's side, we'd understand, and if Kero doesn't, I'd kick him.
So as I was saying, it started out as a mighty good month. For some reason or other Syaoran began talking to Sakura-just a little, but quite an improvement. We were basically hoping that things would be normal again-well, as normal as they ever could be. Whether or not Syaoran knew that Yue had told Sakura his private feelings, it didn't seem to matter. He said he didn't know, but I still have my doubts. Sakura seemed to brighten up. I guess the talk she had with Yue really helped her. It really had started out as a good week.
Syaoran was practicing his cello when Li Fuutie ( the especially tall one) had came through the front entrance carrying an armful of letters. I don't know how the house could manage to dump all that garbage at once. There were coupons, there were business mails, car insurances, house insurances, social securities, banks asking for money, government asking for money, all that kind of stuff. ( How did this clan survive through the Chinese Revolution?) Then there was an interesting letter which I couldn't read very well, because of the grammar, but I did know it said something about Shanghai.
Li-san opened the letter and read it, and then she suddenly became excited. I followed her up to Syaoran's room, she was waving the thing frantically, talking in Cantonese, " Shimadtia" or something like that ( I'm just making that up) and I couldn't understand a single word she was saying. It was quite comical, talking like she was babbling and yet she was so energetic.
It turned out that the letter was from the Shanghai Philharmonic. They are coming to Hong Kong to perform Tchaikovsky's pieces as well as the whole of Carmen. Also I think, there was a concerto for violin and viola. And Syaoran was invited to join the company.
Why this kid was so famous I have no idea. He seems to be, anyway. The poor kid went all white when he heard what his sister said and started talking back, as if he was saying he couldn't go ( which he was) and then came this quiet but frantic argument. I was standing there, thinking I look like an idiot ( which I did) and then Yue came in.
The guardian somehow convinced the kid to accept the invitation. The concert is in two months anyhow. However, the orchestra had been kind enough to arrive two days later. And Syaoran was to join the company.
Heck, quite a good month, wasn't it? We got a good dose of Carmen and Swan Lake. Syaoran was sitting next to the best cello player, which looked quite awkward because that guy was about fifty and seven yards tall. We went to the rehearsals, which happened every two days, and it was actually quite interesting. Classical music, interesting. That doesn't go together, does it? Yet we had fun. It was very funny watching the conducter because if you record the guy, and when you put it on video, press the mute button-you know what I mean, or you will when you try. ( Just remember to focus only on the conducter.)
The only bad thing was Syaoran easily got nervous, so on the night of the concert he threw up. No bleeding, luckily, so there wasn't pink gooey stuff. He got a little weak, but otherwise that night was okay, he performed well, he has the best cello player to look out for him. Some of us joked that he will be performing in a cello duet with Ma Yo Yo, or Yo Yo Ma, if you like. Of course, the poor kid freaked out.
But back with the story. The concert went well, we had a reception, the food tasted great although the soda was ordinary. No one was afraid of waking up with their mouths smelling of garlic, so I wasn't either. The conducter welcomed us warmly, Xuyan always glared at Syaoran and the conducter noticed.
So other than the troublesome new gaki, the reception was alright. Yukito stayed with Syaoran and the conducter at all times. I swear they had some kind of psychic connection. Hai! But that's not the important thing.
The important thing was, everyone was swarming around the " guest" of the philharmonic.
And that was a problem.
Big problem.
" Otou-san," I heard Syaoran say later, " I don't think I'm feeling well."
He spoke in Japanese. Anyone could see Yukito was a teenager, but not
everyone understood Japanese, so,
" Do you want to go home?" Yukito asked, bending down to Syaoran's height and
immediately feeling his forehead. " You're feeling a little hot. I'll call your mother to
take you home."
" Hai." Syaoran answered quietly. Sakura sniffed, took another cheese sandwich,
and bit.
Cheese is not our favorite food, however distressing that might sound. On the other hand, Eriol was enjoying the thing immensely.
Cheese. Ewwwww.
Maybe I should suggest that Japanese people don't like cheese, unless something changed. We love fish, we like anything that's from the sea, but no cheese, no thank you!
On the other hand,
" I think this is Dutch." Eriol stuffed another slice into his mouth. " How did it get all the way here? This is good. That one's Swiss. That one's cheddar..."
You see what I mean. ( I hope.)
Maybe that's why Syaoran got sick. I don't know. Syaoran turned all pale and all, and Yukito left him for the first time to find Li Yelan.
I wasn't watching by then. Sakura was busy talking with Tomoyo, and sometimes mentioning Syaoran's name in a strange way. But I do know one thing. Some baka offered Syaoran wine.
The kid, honestly, never tasted that kind of wine before. He tasted beer, he tasted liquor. But not that kind of wine. Was it martini or vodka? I don't know. But that baka didn't tell Syaoran it was a type of alcoholic product. And the poor child drank it. Three cups.
Ninety five percent alcohol was in each cup, and three cups he drank,
ignorant, unknowing, too sick to refuse. He started to sway a little. Back and forth. I
turned around, and caught his eyes, the first time they were dull and glassy.
" Syaoran?" I called. Syaoran doubled over and vomited on the floor.
Suddenly, the conducter was there. The cello player was there. The concert
mistress was there. The Lis were there. They hurried over. Sakura was there, along
with Tomoyo, Eriol, and Nakuru, who spoke nothing during her entire stay, an
amazing thing. Syaoran vomited, and Yukito thumped on his back. He got up, the
poor kid, and stared at Yukito.
" Are you alright?" Yukito asked.
Three cups. Ninety five percent alcohol. Whoever offered him such a thing
was gone. Syaoranw as alone, with innocent victims everywhere, all about him.
" Wha?" He asked in Cantonese. " Alright?"
" Syaoran?" Yukito instantly detected a problem. " Syaoran, what's the matter with
you?"
" Nothing's the matter with me." Syaoran's words were muffled and there was a
gurgling in his throat. To think, the alcohol took effect so fast. " Nothing, iie." He
laughed like a maniac.
" Syaoran, what happened?"
" Nothing happened." Syaoran laughed again. " Guy said, the thing was good." He
pointed towards the bottle of wine.
" Shoot." Yukito spat, or something like it. " How much did you drink?"
" One, two, three, two, one, three," Syaoran chanted as if it was a song.
Yelan turned white. Alcohol is not good, especially for someone whose blood
is pink.
" At most three." Yukito said in a hushed voice. All was quiet. " Who offered you
this?"
" Nice guy." Syaoran laughed. " Tall, nice guy. Guy. Guy. Nice nice,"
" Iie, not nice." Yukito said carefully. " Syaoran, whoa! Syaoran, don't do that,
you're drunk," For Syaoran was making his way towards the cellos.
" Argh, what kind of bastard would do that?" The conducter bit his lip, or at least
that's what Eriol told me he said.
" Drunk?" Syaoran turned around, indeed very much drunk. " Drunk. Nice word.
Drunk. He zui," He said in Manderin. " Haha! Drunk! Aiiya, if I had know," He
suddenly tripped, and Yukito caught him. The poor child laughed. " Had I known
drunkeness was so fun, I'll get drunk everyday!"
" He does get drunk sometimes." Yelan blinked. " Only for martial arts. The last
time he did...his heart stopped beating. His aura was gone. And he wasn't even
completely drunk."
The Drunken tactic. I'm sure Kero told you. But you shouldn't be fully drunk or your moves would not be fast enough. And if he was partly drunk and was able to die, well, that was all we needed to get Syaoran out of there.
And even now I wonder who the bastard was.
