"Unlike you I
had it easy
You're dark blue
Stained from previous days"
No Doubt, "Dark Blue"
1
There were two identical, side-by-side hills on the outskirts of Tomoeda. One had once been the site of Hiiragizawa Eriol's mansion, which had been razed two years ago. It now held an amusement park.
Everyone avoided the other hill. A mansion that was a carbon copy of Hiiragizawa Eriol's former one resided on this hill, but no one ever thought to approach it. As they neared it, they would suddenly remember an important errand they had forgotten to do and rush off, leaving it to itself.
No one knew why, and no one particularly cared.
Hill. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
"How wonderful," Meiling declared to no one in particular. "This isn't a hill, it's a mountain."
She was exaggerating, but with all her luggage, trying to climb her way up the worn stone steps that wound their way up the hill was a near impossible feat. And who would help her? This town was full of muggles, and the muggle-repelling charms that had been cast over the entire hill kept them miles away. Somehow she'd have to make her way up dragging her clothes, her school supplies (including her textbooks), and any other belongings she'd needed to bring for Hesperian Institute.
"Do you need help, little girl?"
The speaker had a rather heavy British accent. He was unmistakably tall, towering over Meiling's comparatively measly 165 cm by nearly 20 cm; his skin was frightfully pale, perhaps as pale as Daidouji's; his hair was of an unusual shade of blue-black confined to a short ponytail, with dark eyes obscured by wire-frame glasses. Clow Reed could be his twin, except this man was about twenty and had shorter hair than the famous, late magician.
"Absolutely not," she replied obstinately, crossing her arms across her chest in a gesture of defiance. "And I'm not a little girl. Who are you?"
He laughed. "Why, I'm not surprised you didn't recognize me. We met only briefly."
"You still haven't answered my question. Who are you?" she insisted.
"Hiiragizawa Eriol, who else?"
At once, the expression on Meiling's face changed from suspicion and distrust to fury.
"You!" With one strategic motion, the element of surprise, and years of martial arts training, in seconds Meiling had tackled the poor young man and pinned him to the ground with her foot.
"Yes, me." Hiiragizawa spat. Then, before Meiling could react, he reached into one of the pockets of his robes and pulled out his wand. Aiming his wand directly at her, he yelled, "Stupefy!"
The moment she was struck by the jet of white light, Meiling went limp and collapsed (luckily) onto a patch of grass, also releasing her foothold on him. He stood up, dusted himself off, sent the unconscious Meiling a dirty look, and murmured a cloaking spell so the muggles wouldn't stare when they saw him levitate her and her luggage.
Hesperian Institute. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
It felt like coming back to the home he'd once had on the neighboring hill, but he knew it wasn't. For one, his now-demolished mansion had not been cream and gold coloured with a red-tiled roof, nor had it contained multitudes of sunflowers that were obviously non-natives of Japan thriving on magic. And its front yard had never had several hundred high school-aged students all dressed in identical cream-coloured robes, relaxing with friends or eyeing everyone nervously, in the case of the new first years. Home but with a twist.
As Eriol approached it, the gate swung open for him, and he entered it carrying his own luggage (charmed to be feather-light) while still levitating Meiling-san and her luggage. Quite a few students paused their conversation to openly stare at him, and several of the more daring ones approached him to ask, "Professor Hiiragizawa, is she okay? What happened to her?" and the more gossipy ones huddled to whisper excitedly, "That's Li Meiling of the internationally famous Li clan! What would she be doing here?" Eriol brushed past them all to enter the building itself.
While only three stories tall on the outside, the inside of Hesperian Institute had been magically enlarged to hold four hundred students, rather like how magical tents were much larger inside than out. As soon as he entered, several house-elves appeared and whisked away his luggage to his cottage and Meiling-san's to her dormitories. Then, cautiously, with a flick of his wand he seated her in a chair near the door and muttered, "Ennervate."
Her vermilion eyes snapped open and she leapt out of the chair. "Where am I?" she asked, eyeing her surroundings with wide eyes.
His smile was amused. "Hesperian Institute, of course."
Meiling-san blinked rapidly. "How did I get here? Last thing I remembered, I was at the foot of the hill and saw…" she trailed off, remembering. Then she looked up at him with confusion written on her face and asked, "Didn't I tackle you to the ground?"
Eriol's reply was guarded. "Yes."
"Then why…" her entire demeanor changed. "I wasn't finished with you!" she shrieked.
He whipped out his wand again. "Silentio!"
Automatically, Meiling-san fell silent. As she tried to deafen him with her shrieks of fury, no sound came out of her mouth. She seethed at him, but obviously dared not attack for risk of being stunned once more.
Eriol smiled benignly at her, which only seemed to infuriate her further. "Good. Now, listen to me." The smile vanished replaced by a more serious expression. "I know you're angry at me for all of those incidents in sixth grade, but Li-kun and Sakura-san were in no danger. Had they been, I would have intervened."
She shook her head. "That's not why I hate you," she mouthed. "Syaoran can take care of himself and Kinomoto-san!"
He was puzzled. "Then why?"
Meiling-san looked away, and while he could see her lips moving, she seemed to have forgotten that she was inaudible.
Eriol sighed heavily. "I'll remove the spell as long as you promise not to shatter any windows, agreed?"
She nodded, and he muttered the counterspell, "Remissio."
"The sealed card. Why weren't you here to stop it?" she demanded at once.
"Sakura-san was able to handle it. I didn't need to leave England for it," Eriol explained.
"Of course she handled it. But was the cost worth it?" Meiling-san looked oddly calm now, although her arms were crossed. Apparently, she suffered from extreme mood swings. "You should see Syaoran. He's like a stone statue now, silent and emotionless except for the guilt written all over his face."
"I'm sorry, Li-san, but-"
"-but nothing, Hiiragizawa." She cut him off. "You could have been there to stop it! What was Clow thinking?"
"Clow was thinking," Eriol replied icily, "that there should be a balance to the Clow Cards. And how could I stop it? I'm no longer as powerful as I once was. Do I look like a cardcaptor to you?"
Meiling-san turned away again, this time with nothing to say. He interrupted her silence.
"You should change into your robes. The orientation meeting starts soon, and you don't want to miss that."
Eriol turned and left for his quarters, but as he shot her one last glance, she still hadn't moved.
First Year Girls' Dorm C. Hesperian Institute. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
When she had no longer been able to hear Hiiragizawa's steps echoing in the hall, she had climbed the spiral set of stairs in front of her all the way to the eighth floor. While there appeared to be three floors from the outside, there were nine floors on the inside. The eighth floor, on which she was currently standing, held the first and second-year girls' dorms and bathrooms. There were also several rooms with many circular tables scattered about, most likely for studying.
Since there were about fifty girls in Meiling's year, there were five dorm rooms with ten girls in each. There had been a lack of creativity during their naming, for each room was merely referred to with a letter name (A, B, C, D, E). Placement was determined by last name, and so Meiling had been placed in Dorm C.
About half of the beds already had suitcases next to them, and the one right next to the door had hers by its side. She unlatched it, revealing a magically enlarged interior, and pulled out a pair of brand new cream colored robes. With little care she threw these on, then slammed the suitcase shut and headed out the door.
"Your hair needs fixing, dear," a mirror advised as she passed it.
Meiling had ignored it for a few seconds, then doubled back to check on the dark sea of curls that was her hair. She was still vain. Not even the discovery of her magic had changed that.
Moonscape Cottage. Hesperian Institute. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
Unlike the dormitories, the teacher's not-so-small cottages had been given more creative names. However, they still weren't very good ones. Eriol had yet to discover how his living space resembled a moonscape in any way, shape, or form. At least he didn't live there year-round. During the summer he stayed in England, with his guardians. Kaho had moved out shortly after the sealed card incident, and he had never heard from her again. He hadn't been too surprised. They hadn't been very close.
He also hadn't been surprised at Meiling-san's presence at Hesperian Institute. Seeing as how she had no eastern magic, there was no place for her in Hong Kong. Magic was a curious thing. It appeared to be hereditary, although squibs and muggle-borns were not uncommon occurrences. Meiling-san had been thought of as a squib for most of her life, but the Li clan had been pureblooded for centuries. How could any of its members be without magic?
Meiling hadn't been without magic. She'd been born with it, and she'd had it for her entire life. Her capabilities were merely different from the rest of her family's. And so she had to be educated elsewhere—at a school of western magic. Luckily for her, she was not an isolated incident; Hesperian Institute had been founded for people just like herself. There was no need to travel to Australia, to England, to America, to any western country. Hesperian Institute had been built in Tomoeda, Japan.
A rapping noise on the window snapped Eriol out of his thoughts. There was a tawny owl outside his window, a tiny roll of parchment clutched in its talons. He unlatched then pushed open the window, letting the owl in, who dropped the parchment into Eriol's free hand and flew away abruptly. After latching the window shut, he unrolled the parchment, which read:
Orientation is to be held in fifteen minutes. Please make your way to the Auditorium as soon as possible.
Headmistress Haramoto
Crumpling the paper and tossing it into a wastebasket, Eriol left his cottage for Orientation.
Outdoor Auditorium. Hesperian Institute. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
"Welcome, to the 2002-2003 school year at Hesperian Institute!" began Headmistress Haramoto, speaking into a magical microphone. Several enthusiastic cheers and some applause greeted this statement. Meiling remained stony-faced and silent.
"Let me begin this evening by introducing the faculty this year. I am Headmistress Haramoto, and…" Meiling tuned out her speech, wondering idly what the point of Orientation was. She could figure everything out on the first day tomorrow, right? That was what the first day was for, after all.
"Hey, how long does this idiot assembly last?" she asked her neighbor.
"I wouldn't know. I'm a first year like you. Wait, you're a first year too, right?" The boy's face had been nonchalant, then realizing his possible mistake, it had twisted into an anxious expression.
"If I weren't a first year, wouldn't I be incredibly stupid to ask you that?" Meiling replied, slightly amused.
"Yes, you would," he muttered. "I'm Sasaki Daisuke, by the way. What's your name?" Sasaki-san had medium-length, spiky and extremely messy auburn hair. His skin was tanned, most likely from the summer season, and his eyes were brown with a reddish tint. He had pretty eyes, she noticed, with long black feminine lashes.
"Li Meiling."
"Then weren't you the girl Professor Hiiragizawa levitated to school?" he asked, his curiosity evident in his tone.
"Yes," she replied shortly. Did everyone know about that?
Sasaki-san almost looked as if he pitied her. "Why did he do that?"
Meiling didn't like being pitied. "Because I attacked him." Upon seeing the expression on his face, she added hastily, "Don't ask."
He shrugged. "Okay, I won't. But I've got a feeling that you'll tell me someday."
Meiling wondered if he was particularly gifted in divination, when Sasaki-san draped an arm around her shoulders in a friendly manner. "'cause I already know we're going to be great friends!"
Despite the cheese in his statement, she grinned her assent.
Outdoor Cafeteria. Hesperian Institute. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
There were about 40 round tables scattered about, each having a seating capacity of about ten people. Some of the students, mainly boys, were wolfing down their food at an alarming rate. Others barely picked at theirs.
"Sasaki-san, why aren't you eating anything?" asked Meiling, concerned. Strangely enough, Sasaki-san's food remained mostly untouched. He already looked incredibly thin and diminished; he was only taller than her by about 3 cm.
"Not hungry," he mumbled.
"Not hungry?" she echoed incredulously. "I've never met any guy who wasn't always hungry except…" Meiling trailed off, thinking of her favorite cousin. He'd never had any appetite after summer of 2000. It was his guilt.
Sasaki-san did not press her to explain, instead changing the subject. "What subject are you looking forward to?"
Meiling thought for a moment. "Divination."
It was his turn to be incredulous. "Why divination? It's hardly ever accurate."
"To prevent future mistakes. If I know the future, I know how to keep it from happening. What subject are you looking forward to?"
"Magical art," he declared. "Because I'll be a famous artist someday."
She arched one perfect black eyebrow. "And how do you know that for sure?"
He shrugged. "I'm talented. I'll find a way to succeed."
"I wouldn't be so confident if I were you," warned Meiling.
"But that's the thing. You're not me. So there." Sasaki-san smirked smugly, and Meiling gave up, going back to her dinner. Arguing with her newfound friend was pointless.
Ice Cream Shop. Tomoeda, Japan. August 2002.
"I still can't believe Haramoto didn't notice us," commented Meiling as she let her hot fudge sundae melt in the hot summer sun. "Or is she just careless?"
"Careless, more like," replied Sasaki-san, nibbling at his mint chocolate chip ice cream cone. He claimed that it was his favorite flavor, yet he had devoured hardly any of it.
"I'm glad about that, then." She smiled. All the students, even the new first-years, had been allowed to spend one of the last days before school started in Tomoeda. While they were supposed to stay in large groups chaperoned by the professors, she and Sasaki-san had managed to sneak off. Meiling had been here before, and so it had only been too easy for her to do so.
Meiling decided to eat her sundae before it turned into a pool of white and brown swirls. Her spoon cut through the gooey mess like a knife through butter. "So Sasaki-"
She paused. He had a rather dreamy expression on his face, and so she turned around to see what he was staring at. Two girls who looked to be about their age, fourteen, had just entered the store. Meiling could tell that both were beautiful, much more so than herself (although she would never admit it out loud), though the one with auburn hair seemed to have an air of ice and frigidity surrounding her. Maybe it was just her imagination?
"Sasaki-san, stop daydreaming!" she hissed.
He jumped, and his nibbled-at ice cream flew into the air…
…and landed on the girl with auburn hair.
Meiling swore, loudly.
Sasaki-san was in a panic, leaping out of his seat to apologize. "I am so, so, so, so, so, sorry! I really didn't mean to do that! Here-" He looked around wildly, seizing a rumpled napkin and handing it to her. "-take this!"
The girl was infuriated, much to his dismay. "You idiot! How could you be so clumsy!"
Meiling came to his rescue. "It was my fault. I'm the one who startled him." Have you a death wish?!
"And he's the one who threw the ice cream!" Her bright green eyes were narrowed to thin slits, a clear sign of her fury.
"Please, Sakura-chan, calm down! It was clearly an accident!" said her companion, a gray-haired girl with violet eyes and a pale complexion.
Sakura-chan? Could she be Kinomoto-san? And is that Daidouji with her?
Meiling decided to risk it. "Kinomoto-san? Daidouji?"
Both of them froze. Sasaki-san, who seemed to have calmed down a little bit, asked, "Meiling-chan, do you know them?"
"Meiling-chan?" said the auburn-haired girl, a bit hesitantly. "It's me…Sakura."
Author's Note:
Yes, I'm evil leaving you with a cliffhanger. But don't worry. I doubt I'll take months and months to update this story. It's too…addictive. And if you're a bit confused by several things (such as Sakura's b*tchiness, or Eriol's sudden growth spurt), all will be explained next chapter.
About their ages:
Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, Meiling, and Daisuke are all 14. Eriol is 20. He wasn't exactly 12 during the Sakura Card Arc, since he stopped growing once he created his guardians. As for his current condition, that will be explained next chapter, as I said earlier.
On flames:
You're welcome to flame (yes, that means you, SailorJamie, and any other overly obsessive S+S fans) but it won't do much good. I'll keep writing this story, because I'm writing it for myself and any other fans of SxT and SxE. (and those are heterosexual pairings! Not Sakura x Tomoyo or Syaoran x Eriol. Sorry.) The only thing you will achieve by flaming in excessive caps is humiliating yourself. Otherwise, praise and constructive criticism welcome.