Heehee.I don't own CCS.umm.a few more chappies to go! it's almost over
*tears* well, enjoy anyway!
~Ruby
Chapter 11- Snowed In
"Kale-kun?" Naoko gently touched him. He glanced down at her.
"There's a slight cliff over there, maybe that'll help us." She pointed off to the right. He nodded.
"Let's go," he replied, heading off.
Naoko followed.
"Great!" he said enthusiastically. "This is awesome, there's even wood in here already, so we don't have to go out to look to some to make fire." He crawled deeper into the cave, trying to block out the entrance with some rocks.
Naoko helped him a bit, but it was no use, the snow and cold still seeped through.
"Kale, what do we do?" Naoko asked him, keeping her tears locked away.
"Naoko, we're safe in here. Don't worry, I'm here." Michael comforted her.
She nodded, forcing her tears back. Cry in front of Michael, never! She watched him light a fire. Then he leaned back against the wall. Naoko rested on him, and he wrapped his arm around her protectively.
"Hey, we're fine in here," he whispered. She looked up at him with worried hazel eyes.
"Kale," she began. Michael lifted up a finger to her lips, silencing her. Just that brief touch made her body tingle.
As she looked up into Michael's eyes, they locked together. Azure and hazel. Slowly, Michael bent down. Naoko closed her eyes as he gently grazed her lips, feeling complete bliss.
"Gomen ne," Michael said hurriedly as he let go.
Naoko gazed at him in confusion. "Why?"
"Naoko."
She didn't let him finish his sentence, pulling him down to her, and kissing him again, fully this time. His eyes showed surprise and then happiness, letting the kiss deepen in intenseness and length. He could not describe the feelings of joy that coursed through his being as he broke apart from Naoko.
"I love you, Michael," Naoko whispered into his ear.
She called me by my real name. "I love you too, Naoko." She nodded with relief and reliance in him and then leaned against Michael again.
"Better get some rest," he told her. Naoko didn't hear, already deep in sleep.
Michael gazed down at her longingly. He would never take advantage of her in a situation like this, unlike many of his friends. Was she scared of him or about what would happen if they did get into a relationship? They were close but. Michael sighed.
"Aishiteru, Naoko," he whispered into her ear softly.
Too tired to think anymore, unconsciously, he slipped his arms around her protectively. Naoko's head rested on his shoulder, and he let his head fall onto hers gently, succumbing himself to the sleep that was severely nagging him.
*~*~*~*
"Minna, minna! Calm down! Onegai! Do not call your parents, there will be a huge jam in front of the school if you do, and everyone will still be stuck here. We are all having you spend the night here in the school. The heat is on and working perfectly. There is no reason for anyone to panic. Your parents have all been informed that you will be spending the night here. Now." The principal was issuing orders out in the gym to Sakura, her friends, and the rest of the school.
A huge snowstorm had just started. As Sakura looked around, she noticed something. School was out, and it was growing very late since only a few of the buses were able to make it to the school through the storm.
"Syaoran," she whispered to him over the loud noise in the auditorium. He looked over at her.
"Naoko-chan and Michael-kun still aren't here! Where are they? Syaoran, what if something awful happened to them?"
"The photography class went outside to take pictures!" Hiyoshi whispered to them in a concerned tone. "I remember we were all done, but Michael and Naoko-chan were nowhere near done. They went into the woods!"
Sakura widened her eyes in anxiety. "Oh no! What are we going to do?"
"Get out there and find them!" Syaoran hissed to her. "Hurry up! It's already almost eight at night! That means that they've been out there for more than ten hours! They're going to be either freezing or."
"Don't say another word!" Sakura snapped to Syaoran, too worried about her friends to notice how much she had hurt him, "OK, we're walking home now," she announced to the rest of her friends.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, you guys, be careful!" Rika told her.
"Yeah, be careful," Chiharu echoed. "It's really late at night.don't get lost!"
"Be extra careful of the little snow drones. They come out and attack peo." BONK!
"YAMAZAKI! STOP TELLING LIES!" Chiharu yelled at him.
"Be cautious!" Yamazaki added as an afterthought, his eyes actually opening. He stared at them in concern.
Syaoran scoffed at them all, but inside he was glad that they all cared about them.
"Ja ne!" Sakura waved to them all. Tomoyo, Eriol, Hiyoshi, Meilin, and Syaoran all followed her outside.
*~*~*~*
"WOW! They weren't kidding when they said that this was a snowstorm!" Sakura yelled over the sound of the wind.
"Ye-yeah," Meilin said, her teeth chattering.
"Here, Release! Warmth card!" Sakura shouted. A tingling of hot heat surrounded them.
"Much better Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said gleefully.
"Where did you see them Hiyoshi-kun?" Syaoran asked him.
"Well, we were all in the woods," Hiyoshi said thoughtfully. "I think that they might still be in there."
"Alright, should we split up?" Sakura asked everyone.
"Yeah, ok, Eriol-san, you and Tomoyo-chan, Meilin, you and Hiyoshi-kun, and then me and Sakura will go together, ok?" Syaoran issued his commands.
Everyone nodded his or her agreement and then everyone set off.
"Hey, you didn't set everyone up like that randomly, right?" Sakura asked Syaoran suspiciously as they were walking through the woods. The snow had died down to little flutters. She stuck her tongue out to catch a few.
"Well, there's a person with magic in each group, Hiyoshi is with Meilin and Eriol is with Tomoyo."
"Yeah, and so what about us?" Sakura asked.
"What about us?" Syaoran snapped at her.
Sakura involuntarily took a step back. "Oh, never mind," she said softly. So the only reason was because we were the only two people left.I guess he really doesn't care about me.
She ignored her companion's efforts to speak up again, and instead took in her scenery.
"Naoko-chan! Kale-kun! Naoko-chan!"
Where would Michael and Naoko have gone to hide? To get away from the storm, where would be a safe place? Sakura thought.
"Oh, look, Syaoran! There's a cave thing over there. Maybe that's where they went."
"Alright, come on, let's go and check it out."
"Matte." Sakura paused and closed her eyes.
"What is it.oh."
"Do you feel it?"
"Yeah.so, Michael and Naoko or."
"Michael and Naoko of course!" Sakura replied to Syaoran in a shocked voice. "Hiyoshi or Eriol will soon sense it too, and they will be able to handle it. We've gotta get to Michael and Naoko."
"OK."
Sakura ran through the three feet snow fairly quickly and arrived at the cliff.
"Kale-kun! Naoko-chan! Where are you?"
*~*~*~*
"Naoko!" Michael gently shook her.
She moved sleepily and turned her head slightly in his direction.
"Naoko!" He shook her again.
"Huh?" she asked slowly, her hazel eyes opening slightly.
"I think that Sakura and Syaoran are outside, yelling for us. Ready to go?"
"Yeah," she said drowsily.
"Here, c'mon." Michael picked her up gently, taking care to not wake her up again. He cradled her against his body, gazing down into the face of his own sleeping angel. Then he walked towards the cave entrance, as he came out, he looked into the startled face of Sakura.
"Michael?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Syaoran!" she yelled out and Michael saw him come up behind Sakura.
"Are you guys OK?" Sakura asked, concerned.
"Yeah, but Naoko-chan's sleeping," Michael said. "How long were we there?"
"Like, the whole day! I was so worried, that I finally got a bunch of us to come out to search for you guys. Everyone else is in the school, sleeping already."
Michael tried to stifle a yawn but was unable to.
Giggling, Sakura tripped over Syaoran who was behind her as she slipped in the snow.
He caught her firmly, and held her tightly in his arms, staring down at her intensely, his honey eyes causing her to tremble slightly, chills going up and down her spine.
"Are you going to be able to walk through this?" he asked her, breaking out of the trance suddenly.
"Of course!" she replied indignantly to him.
"Alright, Michael-kun, need any help?"
"Nope, let's get back then."
Michael grinned at him. "Yeah, well, since our cars are parked inside the parking lot, and the streets look well-plowed right now, can we just go home?"
"Yeah, staying at the school is not what I would call fun." Syaoran agreed. "Wait though, Hiyoshi, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Meilin are still out looking for you."
"OK."
"We're meeting at the big pine tree in ten minutes, in case none of us found you, so let's go."
"Syaoran! The card is still out there!" Sakura whispered to Syaoran.
"I know, but what can we do about it? We can't let Michael or Naoko know about anything."
"All right, but I hope that Hiyoshi and Eriol will get it," Sakura said.
"They will," Syaoran reassured her.
She shook her head, still not sure. "If Naoko and Michael find out, they are reliable enough to not tell anyone, right? Besides, people will find out soon enough, anyway."
"Well." Syaoran was at a loss to what to say.
"Tomoyo-chan and Meilin both know, and neither of them have any magic," Sakura pointed out.
"Yes, but Meilin is a member of the Li Clan and Tomoyo is our unofficial videographer, you know," Syaoran told Sakura.
Through all this, Michael was watching them with a puzzled expression on his face, waiting for them to finish. Naoko was still resting in his arms.
Syaoran shot a glance over at them, then sighed and nodded. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Michael asked them, confused.
"Well, we'll explain on the way," Sakura told him.
Running through the woods was not the best thing for Naoko, who was jarred awake. Michael let her down and she glanced at Sakura inquisitively.
"You'll see soon," she replied.
"Here," Syaoran stated as they entered a clearing.
Hiyoshi and Meilin burst in from the left side, and Eriol and Tomoyo burst in from the opposite side at the same time as them.
Sakura stared at everyone with wide eyes. "Hoe!"
"Sakura, watch out!" Syaoran yelled at her.
The card was in the clearing, shooting bolts of ice out of his mouth. Michael and Naoko watched with shock and fear as Sakura and Syaoran dodged numerous shots while Hiyoshi transformed his staff.
"HIYOSHI, HURRY UP!!!" Syaoran screamed at him.
"I'm going man, I'm going!"
"Forces of nature help me to seal this card. Return to your true form, Blizzard card, confine!!!" Hiyoshi yelled out.
The card struggled in Hiyoshi's magical grasp. Suddenly, it put on an extra burst of strength and escaped.
"Baka!" Hiyoshi shouted.
"It's fine," Eriol told Hiyoshi. "You still need a bit of training. You were fine out there, with what little training I have given you."
"Phew!" Sakura wiped her brow. "You know, you get such good workouts from being a Card Captor Mistress." Then she noticed Michael and Naoko still staring at them. She sighed loudly.
"Alright, explain," Michael said firmly.
"It's a really long story." Sakura said.
"Well, let's go back to the cave thing," Syaoran stated.
The snow was slowly stopping and coming down to just a slight sprinkle.
"Alright!" Naoko said enthusiastically. "This is great! I can't wait to put this all down on paper! It's going to make a great story!"
Sakura sweat-dropped. "Hoe!"
Tomoyo and Naoko exchanged smiles.
*~*~*~* Two hours later *~*~*~*
"Wow! Ever since fourth grade? And none of us ever knew about it!" Naoko exclaimed once Sakura had finished explaining.
Sakura blushed. "Well, I couldn't really tell you guys about it, you know. And you guys can't tell anyone else at all."
"We know," Michael said.
"This is going to make one kawaii story!" Naoko said gleefully. "Tomoyo- chan, can I come over sometime to watch all of the captures?"
"Of course!"
"Hey, you guys! The snow's stopped!" Hiyoshi exclaimed.
"Awesome, so should we actually start heading back to the school by now?"
"Yeah, you know, actually, I bet that we're gonna get it big time for not being there, I mean, if they find out that we've been out by ourselves all night, they're gonna get bad ideas. One, we've got guys and girls out here by ourselves.not a good impression. Two, there was a huge storm and we could've gotten lost. Three.whatever," Eriol said.
Everyone smiled as they headed back to school.
*~*~*~*
"Brown-san.what in the world were you thinking when you brought Yanigasawa -san into the woods with you! You could've gotten lost, hurt, injured, or even died in that storm!" the principal raved at him,
"Sensei, I went in with him willingly," Naoko voiced shyly.
" Yanigasawa-san, there is no question in my heart that he forced you to go in with him. Brown-san is a young man headed in the wrong direction in his life. I would advise you to not be seen in his company again. You may leave. Brown-san, as we wait for your father to come in, you may go into my office."
Naoko threw Michael a longing look as she was herded out of the main office.
Outside, Sakura and Syaoran groaned at how the meeting was going.
"Baka!" Syaoran muttered.
"Hai, what do we do now?" Sakura asked softly.
"Wait and see," Eriol muttered.
When Michael came out, an hour later, he had a pained expression on his face.
Sakura immediately knew something bad had happened. Motioning for everyone else to leave, Naoko and Michael were left by themselves in the hallway.
"Naoko. I don't know how to explain this, I'm sorry for causing so much trouble to you," Michael apologized.
"Kale! I love you, it's all right. Now, go on. I know your dad is still in there, I just wish that he wasn't so hard on you sometimes."
"yeah, I know. I.well, I'll call you later, alright?"
"Hai, bye!" Naoko gave him a light kiss on the cheek, surprised by her own boldness. Then she quickly ran down the hallway. Michael stared after her in amazement.
"Michael! Get in here now!" his father thundered.
Sighing, Michael obliged.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Hey, you guys, since the school's still out because of the broken heating system, what do you guys want to do?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, Naoko, Chiharu, Rika, and Meilin as they all crowded together in Tomoyo's spacious bedroom. The heating system at their school had been mysteriously broken by 'vandals' is what the news said. But Sakura knew that Hiyoshi and Michael, who were both eager to not go back to school, had 'accidentally' messed up a few pipes in the structure.
"Hmm, you know what? Isn't there a new ski resort up at Mount Fuji? Why don't we go up there for a weekend!" Rika suggested.
"Hey, that sounds like an awesome idea!" Meilin agreed.
"Yeah, I can try out my new skis that I just got!" Naoko added.
"OK, so we're going to the ski resort? Let's ask the guys too, OK?" Tomoyo said.
"Yeah, sure!"
*~*~*~*
"No, no, No, NO! Kinomoto-san, you have to KISS HIM! Not pretend to brush his lips! People will be watching you! It's gotta be real! One week before the performance! Why in the world are we having trouble now? Just because there is no school, does not mean that we cut out play practice! And it certainly doesn't mean that you forget your lines or mess anything up!!!"
Sakura shrugged mentally. She had never really had to really get in touch with Michael before. She could tell that he was just as put off with the teacher as she was. Freezing to death, Sakura pulled her coat up higher. The heat was still not working in her school.
"I really think that they can skip that part, I'm sure that Sakura will be able to get it right at the real performance, right?" Tomoyo said quickly.
Grateful, Sakura let out a small sigh. "Hai! I will, I promise Norlina sensei."
"Alright, I guess we can skip over that part for now, but it better be perfect at the performance!!!"
"H.hai!" Sakura said, nervously.
"OK, commence practice again!" Norlina ordered.
*~*~*~*
"So, Sakura, what happened up there on stage?" Michael asked her as they walked out of school.
"I don't know, I like froze for a second, sorry." "It's ok, but the play is coming up next week, so be prepared. If you want to, we can just cut it out. I know you aren't comfortable with this whole kissing thing."
"No, it's ok. I can get it. Practice again tonight?"
"Hai. See you later." Michael waved as he headed home to do some 'studying' with Naoko.
Syaoran caught up with Sakura as she was exiting the school.
"So, do you have all of your lines memorized, just in case Michael-kun is unable to go on?" Sakura asked Syaoran.
"Yeah, of course. But it's not likely that it's going to happen," Syaoran said, with a trace of sadness in his voice that Sakura barely caught.
She softened, kidding with him, she said, "Hey, you never know. It might."
He grinned back at her. "Don't' do anything special for me, OK?"
"Now why would I ever do anything for you?" she retorted.
"Hey! That cut deep into my heart! Ahh! I'm dying! The cruel Sakura has killed me!" Syaoran said, faking a sad face.
Sakura rolled her eyes at him as she skated ahead of him, spun around and skated backwards, and then professionally slammed into a wall.
Smirking, Syaoran helped her up.
"You're going to go on the trip with everyone to Mount Fuji too, right?" Sakura asked him.
"I guess," he answered.
"Sugoi!" Sakura replied in happiness. "Now everyone will be there! Tomoyo- chan's okaa-san has prearranged rooms for us, and I think that we'll get to be there all by ourselves."
"Honto ne? Sugoi!" Syaoran said enthusiastically.
"Hai!"
"Well, I've gotta go now, see you later."
Sakura waved to him as they parted ways.
*~*~*~*
"Michael Jakib Brown!" Naoko yelled at him, using his full American name. "What is going on? I just heard that you were caught stealing form 7-11, again! What is happening to you? Plus, I know your grades are slipping too! You're so much more smarter than me, so what's going on?"
"Nothing," Michael said, flashing her his patented 100-watt smile. It didn't faze her.
"Don't give me that crap. I deserve to know Michael. What's going on?" Her voice had softened. She didn't like yelling at people and she usually didn't raise her voice, unless she was telling a spooky story and freaking Sakura out.
"Nothing," Michael repeated. His mind was whirling. I can't tell her anything! Not yet. Bu what if she found the notebook? Does she know anything at all? I didn't think that anyone at school knew that I had been in trouble before, sides Tristan and Tomaki, of course. Dang, why is she so persistent? Hey, that's what I like about her. I did try to change, but GOD Dad makes it so damn hard!
"Oh Michael! I can't believe that you don't trust me well enough to tell me what's wrong!" Naoko said, half-angry with him and half-hurt that he wouldn't tell her. She whirled around and dashed home.
"Naoko." Michael sighed. Shit! Now what do I do? He didn't have time to do anything else though, as his father pulled up next to him in his black limo.
Damn it!
"Michael Jakib Brown!" his father said in a quiet threatening tone. Michael sighed. It was the second time in one day that someone had called him by his full American name.
"I just had a call from your sensei in Math, on how you got a D on your most recent algebra quiz. You'd better have a good explanation for this, and I am very disappointed in you!"
"Umm.dad, I've really got a lot of homework and we're right in the middle of traffic," Michael stammered. His father ignored him and motioned for one of his bodyguards to pull Michael into the limo. Horns beeping and cars out of control around them, they pulled out.
"Kinomoto, to my house, now!" Steven Brown commanded. He was the executive president for the international company of Jazzy Colors, which manufactured clothes for young kids.
Touya was glad that he had landed a job working for this multi-millionaire, even though he was a foreigner. He spoke decent enough Japanese, and Touya was discreetly listening to their conversation in English. He could just barely make out the jist of it with his minor English.
"Dad, the crappy teacher."
"You will address him as Senjivo-sensei and there is to be no profanity in this car, or anywhere near me, ever, understood?"
"Yeah, whatever. So Senjivo-sensei doesn't teach you anything in his class! Like, the entire class failed, I was one of the people who got a better grade and he hates my living guts anyway!"
"I don't care what the class got, what matters is that you got a D! And that is just not acceptable!"
Michael rolled his eyes as his father lectured him some more.
"And if you do not shape up soon, I will be forced to send you back home." This jolted Michael back to his senses.
"You mean back home, with Mom and Azalea?" Michael asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.
"No, more like boot camp to shape you up."
"Dad, I play soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I don't need to get into shape!" Michael protested, even though he knew what his father had been talking about. .
"I want better results, starting next week. I know exactly what type of trouble you and Tristan have been getting into too. You should make some more friends here. The point of bringing you here was to introduce you to the business here and to get acquainted with this society here."
"Oh yeah Dad! I love it here!" Michael said sarcastically. "Dad, I have friends, and being dragged to formal meetings every night isn't fun either! What if I don't shape up? Huh? You gonna send me home! Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to go home? That I'm doing this on purpose?" Michael was screaming by now.
He pulled on the emergency brakes, even though Touya was stopping already, and jumped out, leaving his father sputtering in anger and disbelief at the fading figure of his son in the distance.
Wisely, Touya stayed silent.
*~*~*~*
"Wow, that Michael kid of Steven Brown had a really big attitude!" Touya commented to Sakura as he walked in through their front door.
"Hoe? You know Kale-kun? I mean, Michael?" Sakura asked Touya.
"Yeah, I'm working as a chauffeur for his dad now as my job. And Yukito is working as his gardener. So we're still together, of course."
"Hoe! Working for his father! I never knew that."
"Well, I've been busy with my exams and working, and you're busy with that play of yours, so we never see each other that much, you know. How's my little kaijou doing?" Touya asked her affectionately.
"I'm fine, the play's OK."
"Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that Michael the same one that came to our house last time? The one that you're rehearsing with? That you'll be kissing and stuff? If he is, I definitely don't want you hanging out with that kid."
"What happened then?" Sakura asked as Touya started to head for the food that Sakura had just made.
"Well.hey, you know what? That chicken looks really good!"
"None for you, until you tell me!" Sakura demanded.
"Sakura-chan, you need to show some respect for your 'nii-chan, don't you think? I mean, he just got home from long and hard work, and I think that he needs some food before he talks."
Sakura glared at him. "Alright, here."
"OK, now, I found out that he was caught stealing from 7-11 and also he's got bad grades."
"Kale-kun! He's like, the smartest guy at school!"
"Not from what I've heard," Touya said, mouth full with food. Suddenly Sakura glanced at her watch.
"Oh no! I was supposed to meet Kale-kun ten minutes ago at the park!"
"Be careful, Sakura-chan!" her brother called after her.
"Hey, bro, you got any pancakes?" Kero asked him as he came flying down. The one good thing about Touya knowing about him was that there was another person in the house that would be able to feed him.
Touya grinned as he started to make some batter for the pancakes. "Not for you, stuffed animal."
"I AM NOT A STUFFED ANIMAL!!!" Kero pouted loudly.
*~*~*~*
Sakura half-ran, half-skated to the park. It's the totally popular place to be now. She thought sarcastically as she couldn't see a single person in it. She sat down on a bench and waited for Michael to appear.
Her cell rang, and she quickly picked it up. "Kinomoto Sakura, moshi moshi?"
"Sakura-chan!" came a tearful voice.
"Naoko-chan? What's wrong?"
"It's Kale-kun. He's not telling me anything! I'm really worried about him because of his grades, and he's been stealing Sakura-chan! And he just keeps pushing me away!"
"Relax Naoko-chan. He know that he loves you. He's probably just going through some hard times. You can't push him, he'll tell you in due time. Don't worry."
"Alright. Thanks Sakura-chan. You're so good at helping everyone out with our problems. Domo arigato!"
"OK. Don't worry about Kale-san, I think that he's going to get a reprimand soon, and he's a smart guy, he won't get caught again. You'd better go get some sleep. Sayonara."
"Bye," Naoko said.
"Sakura!" Michael came running up to her. "Sorry, I was umm.caught up in some stuff."
"What is wrong with you?" Sakura countered sharply.
"Huh?" Michael was caught by surprise.
"OK, Michael, you've been totally ignoring Naoko, and she's really hurt. Can you tell me what's going on?" Sakura asked him.
Michael sighed. "Sakura."
"Michael.c'mon. Your grades are slipping, you've been caught stealing, you're totally ignoring Naoko-chan, and you aren't even telling me anything!"
"Oh, alright. It was a while ago.back when I was still living in the States. Tristan and I were the best of friends along with another guy, Kevin Monaco. Tristan, Kevin, and me were always together. We had everything planned out for our future. We were all going together to a private high school, St Joe's together. And then on to college. We figured that we would be together forever. But then my dad stepped in, and told me that he wanted me to o with him to his business here, in Japan. I was really pissed because I didn't want to come. Tristan and Kevin were both allowed to come, but Kevin didn't because his parents didn't want to not see him for like, 4 years, and he's bored very easily. Once I got here, with Tristan, I t wasn't that bad. Tristan and me went to the skating park, like everyday. But then my dad really started to bug me about how I was wasting my time, and I didn't even really want to be here, and he wouldn't allow me to go back to visit my mom or sister, Azalea. My dad really wants me to take over the family business, but I don't' want to. My stepbrother, Carter is actually interested in this kind of stuff, and he's smarter than me too. So, my plan with him and Tristan is for us to get my dad to send us back home, and then get Carter to come here to help my dad, and he will do a good job, then my dad will make him the heir guy. Me, I just want to draw and get away from the world with it."
"But stealing?" Sakura burst out. "C'mon, Michael, have you gone crazy? You are so much better than that. You've got so much going for you, why are you messing everything up now? Have you even tried to talk your father about this?"
Michael laughed. "My father? Yeah right! Like he's gonna understand? He never has!"
"Maybe I should talk to him. As your friend, maybe he'll understand."
"Yeah right! He doesn't even know that I have friends here."
"Nani? But all those parties that you have every year! Everyone goes to those, they're like, the biggest thing and everyone flaunts their invitations!"
"Well, he never knows. He's too busy with work and he's at his office like 24/7 and if I don't tell him, then he never knows. Heh, like the servants are going to tell him anything at all."
Sakura shook her head at Michael. "But what's with hurting Naoko like that? She thought maybe you guys actually had something, and so did I. I guess someone turned chicken."
Michael's pained expression made Sakura soften.
"Gomen ne Kale-san. But Naoko-chan is very hurt. You can't just leave her hanging here! You told me before how you love her, so why are you doing this to her?"
"I don't want to hurt her when I leave. If we got together, and I was made to leave, she'd be heartbroken. I wouldn't be able to stand that."
"And how do you think she feels now?" Sakura snapped at him. "Just like you to do this to her! Onegai, fix this before you leave. I know she won't be mad at you. She loves you, and love overcomes all things. Michael, go to her."
"But what about play.."
"Go. I'm fine, and Syaoran knows all of your lines."
"Oh, yeah, I know you'd be much happier if you were kissing him, right?" Michael taunted her.
Blushing, Sakura pushed him forward, towards Naoko's house, trying to wipe that smirk off his face.
"Go!"
*~*~*~*
As Michael rang the doorbell, he silently he cursed his guilty nature. He rang the doorbell again. The door swung open and Naoko stood there, fixing her hair, dressed in a pair of khakis and a plain black shirt, not seeing Michael clearly yet. "Hello?" As she glanced up, she gasped in surprise.
"Hey Naoko-chan." Michael said.
Her surprise quickly turned to anger. She slammed the door in his face.
Michael's face showed defeat, but he rang the doorbell again and pounded heavily on the door. He was determined not to give up. "Naoko! C'mon, it's only me. Open up!"
Finally, as he was about to leave, the door opened. "What do you want?" she asked him coolly.
"Hey, Naoko, I.um.know that I.well.I.haven't.I'm really sorry about how I've been acting." There, it was out. "I know that I haven't been the best lately, but I've been really occupied. Please, forgive me!"
"Explain first, please," Naoko said, but she was already weakening. So Michael told her the entire story, about how he was homesick, how he wanted to leave, and how he didn't want her to be sad over him.
Naoko stared at Michael hard for a minute, absorbing everything in.
Then she slapped him full-force across the face. Wincing, Michael turned away, dejected.
"What was that for? Well.I guess I deserve that. I should really go now. I'll see you later."
Then he felt Naoko's hand touch his shoulder, briefly, but tenderly. He turned back around, inquisitively. Naoko flung her arms around his shoulder.
"For being as stupid as thinking that I still won't love you, even if you are so far away," she whispered into his ear. "I love you Michael, and nothing will ever change that, no matter the distance or anything."
Michael wrapped his arms around her slim figure. "I love you too, Naoko." Staring tenderly at each other, he captured her lips quickly with another kiss.
*~*~*~*
"Hey, the snow is awesome, covering everything! It's a good thing we had a snowstorm with before the trip," Eriol commented, giving Sakura an extra- special smile.
She reddened under his gaze. "Hoe." It wasn't my fault that I wanted to have a cool weekend.
"Yeah! This is great skiing weather!" Chiharu said enthusiastically.
"Hey, did you know that in the olden days, the ancient Chinese built these wooden tunnels that they used as obstacles for their prisoners and whoever made it past was spared, but they killed off those who didn't make it," Yamazaki said, running off before Chiharu reached him.
"YAMAZAKI! COME BACK HERE! STOP TELLING LIES!"
Everyone laughed.
"Tomoyo-chan, did your mother really get the resort all for us only?" Meilin asked her.
"Hai! Okaa-san is friends with the manager, so she agreed to help okaa-san out. It's great! I can't wait to go skiing, and they have great paths and even a ski lift and everything!"
"YOSHA!" Yamazaki suddenly shouted, scaring everyone half to death.
"YAMAZAKI! Shut up!" Chiharu yelled as she bonked him on the head again. Grinning slightly at everyone, Yamazaki laughed it off.
OK-done with this chapter. I've been trying not to make my chapters too long, so some of them might seem cut off a bit. Gomen ne!! PS-Yeah, I know that I am concentrating more on N+M and not S+S. but I want to get N+M out of the way so I can get more S+S and some E+T too. And maybe a bit of C+T. R+R! Michael's gonna go in the next chapter, but I think he'll appear again, but after this, S+S is what I'll be concentrating on. And I do know that Jazzy Colors is the corniest name, but nope, I am not a creative person with a lot of patience and time to go think of something cool. O yeah, a question, do you want to have the play happen first, or do you want Sakura and Syaoran to have their first kiss? I need help in deciding that, it'll come into play later on. And I know this story is a bit crappy now, I am running out of ideas and not really paying attention to what I'm writing right now.gomen nasi!
~RubyGurl
Chapter 11- Snowed In
"Kale-kun?" Naoko gently touched him. He glanced down at her.
"There's a slight cliff over there, maybe that'll help us." She pointed off to the right. He nodded.
"Let's go," he replied, heading off.
Naoko followed.
"Great!" he said enthusiastically. "This is awesome, there's even wood in here already, so we don't have to go out to look to some to make fire." He crawled deeper into the cave, trying to block out the entrance with some rocks.
Naoko helped him a bit, but it was no use, the snow and cold still seeped through.
"Kale, what do we do?" Naoko asked him, keeping her tears locked away.
"Naoko, we're safe in here. Don't worry, I'm here." Michael comforted her.
She nodded, forcing her tears back. Cry in front of Michael, never! She watched him light a fire. Then he leaned back against the wall. Naoko rested on him, and he wrapped his arm around her protectively.
"Hey, we're fine in here," he whispered. She looked up at him with worried hazel eyes.
"Kale," she began. Michael lifted up a finger to her lips, silencing her. Just that brief touch made her body tingle.
As she looked up into Michael's eyes, they locked together. Azure and hazel. Slowly, Michael bent down. Naoko closed her eyes as he gently grazed her lips, feeling complete bliss.
"Gomen ne," Michael said hurriedly as he let go.
Naoko gazed at him in confusion. "Why?"
"Naoko."
She didn't let him finish his sentence, pulling him down to her, and kissing him again, fully this time. His eyes showed surprise and then happiness, letting the kiss deepen in intenseness and length. He could not describe the feelings of joy that coursed through his being as he broke apart from Naoko.
"I love you, Michael," Naoko whispered into his ear.
She called me by my real name. "I love you too, Naoko." She nodded with relief and reliance in him and then leaned against Michael again.
"Better get some rest," he told her. Naoko didn't hear, already deep in sleep.
Michael gazed down at her longingly. He would never take advantage of her in a situation like this, unlike many of his friends. Was she scared of him or about what would happen if they did get into a relationship? They were close but. Michael sighed.
"Aishiteru, Naoko," he whispered into her ear softly.
Too tired to think anymore, unconsciously, he slipped his arms around her protectively. Naoko's head rested on his shoulder, and he let his head fall onto hers gently, succumbing himself to the sleep that was severely nagging him.
*~*~*~*
"Minna, minna! Calm down! Onegai! Do not call your parents, there will be a huge jam in front of the school if you do, and everyone will still be stuck here. We are all having you spend the night here in the school. The heat is on and working perfectly. There is no reason for anyone to panic. Your parents have all been informed that you will be spending the night here. Now." The principal was issuing orders out in the gym to Sakura, her friends, and the rest of the school.
A huge snowstorm had just started. As Sakura looked around, she noticed something. School was out, and it was growing very late since only a few of the buses were able to make it to the school through the storm.
"Syaoran," she whispered to him over the loud noise in the auditorium. He looked over at her.
"Naoko-chan and Michael-kun still aren't here! Where are they? Syaoran, what if something awful happened to them?"
"The photography class went outside to take pictures!" Hiyoshi whispered to them in a concerned tone. "I remember we were all done, but Michael and Naoko-chan were nowhere near done. They went into the woods!"
Sakura widened her eyes in anxiety. "Oh no! What are we going to do?"
"Get out there and find them!" Syaoran hissed to her. "Hurry up! It's already almost eight at night! That means that they've been out there for more than ten hours! They're going to be either freezing or."
"Don't say another word!" Sakura snapped to Syaoran, too worried about her friends to notice how much she had hurt him, "OK, we're walking home now," she announced to the rest of her friends.
"Oh, Sakura-chan, you guys, be careful!" Rika told her.
"Yeah, be careful," Chiharu echoed. "It's really late at night.don't get lost!"
"Be extra careful of the little snow drones. They come out and attack peo." BONK!
"YAMAZAKI! STOP TELLING LIES!" Chiharu yelled at him.
"Be cautious!" Yamazaki added as an afterthought, his eyes actually opening. He stared at them in concern.
Syaoran scoffed at them all, but inside he was glad that they all cared about them.
"Ja ne!" Sakura waved to them all. Tomoyo, Eriol, Hiyoshi, Meilin, and Syaoran all followed her outside.
*~*~*~*
"WOW! They weren't kidding when they said that this was a snowstorm!" Sakura yelled over the sound of the wind.
"Ye-yeah," Meilin said, her teeth chattering.
"Here, Release! Warmth card!" Sakura shouted. A tingling of hot heat surrounded them.
"Much better Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo said gleefully.
"Where did you see them Hiyoshi-kun?" Syaoran asked him.
"Well, we were all in the woods," Hiyoshi said thoughtfully. "I think that they might still be in there."
"Alright, should we split up?" Sakura asked everyone.
"Yeah, ok, Eriol-san, you and Tomoyo-chan, Meilin, you and Hiyoshi-kun, and then me and Sakura will go together, ok?" Syaoran issued his commands.
Everyone nodded his or her agreement and then everyone set off.
"Hey, you didn't set everyone up like that randomly, right?" Sakura asked Syaoran suspiciously as they were walking through the woods. The snow had died down to little flutters. She stuck her tongue out to catch a few.
"Well, there's a person with magic in each group, Hiyoshi is with Meilin and Eriol is with Tomoyo."
"Yeah, and so what about us?" Sakura asked.
"What about us?" Syaoran snapped at her.
Sakura involuntarily took a step back. "Oh, never mind," she said softly. So the only reason was because we were the only two people left.I guess he really doesn't care about me.
She ignored her companion's efforts to speak up again, and instead took in her scenery.
"Naoko-chan! Kale-kun! Naoko-chan!"
Where would Michael and Naoko have gone to hide? To get away from the storm, where would be a safe place? Sakura thought.
"Oh, look, Syaoran! There's a cave thing over there. Maybe that's where they went."
"Alright, come on, let's go and check it out."
"Matte." Sakura paused and closed her eyes.
"What is it.oh."
"Do you feel it?"
"Yeah.so, Michael and Naoko or."
"Michael and Naoko of course!" Sakura replied to Syaoran in a shocked voice. "Hiyoshi or Eriol will soon sense it too, and they will be able to handle it. We've gotta get to Michael and Naoko."
"OK."
Sakura ran through the three feet snow fairly quickly and arrived at the cliff.
"Kale-kun! Naoko-chan! Where are you?"
*~*~*~*
"Naoko!" Michael gently shook her.
She moved sleepily and turned her head slightly in his direction.
"Naoko!" He shook her again.
"Huh?" she asked slowly, her hazel eyes opening slightly.
"I think that Sakura and Syaoran are outside, yelling for us. Ready to go?"
"Yeah," she said drowsily.
"Here, c'mon." Michael picked her up gently, taking care to not wake her up again. He cradled her against his body, gazing down into the face of his own sleeping angel. Then he walked towards the cave entrance, as he came out, he looked into the startled face of Sakura.
"Michael?" she asked hesitantly.
"Yeah," he replied.
"Syaoran!" she yelled out and Michael saw him come up behind Sakura.
"Are you guys OK?" Sakura asked, concerned.
"Yeah, but Naoko-chan's sleeping," Michael said. "How long were we there?"
"Like, the whole day! I was so worried, that I finally got a bunch of us to come out to search for you guys. Everyone else is in the school, sleeping already."
Michael tried to stifle a yawn but was unable to.
Giggling, Sakura tripped over Syaoran who was behind her as she slipped in the snow.
He caught her firmly, and held her tightly in his arms, staring down at her intensely, his honey eyes causing her to tremble slightly, chills going up and down her spine.
"Are you going to be able to walk through this?" he asked her, breaking out of the trance suddenly.
"Of course!" she replied indignantly to him.
"Alright, Michael-kun, need any help?"
"Nope, let's get back then."
Michael grinned at him. "Yeah, well, since our cars are parked inside the parking lot, and the streets look well-plowed right now, can we just go home?"
"Yeah, staying at the school is not what I would call fun." Syaoran agreed. "Wait though, Hiyoshi, Tomoyo, Eriol, and Meilin are still out looking for you."
"OK."
"We're meeting at the big pine tree in ten minutes, in case none of us found you, so let's go."
"Syaoran! The card is still out there!" Sakura whispered to Syaoran.
"I know, but what can we do about it? We can't let Michael or Naoko know about anything."
"All right, but I hope that Hiyoshi and Eriol will get it," Sakura said.
"They will," Syaoran reassured her.
She shook her head, still not sure. "If Naoko and Michael find out, they are reliable enough to not tell anyone, right? Besides, people will find out soon enough, anyway."
"Well." Syaoran was at a loss to what to say.
"Tomoyo-chan and Meilin both know, and neither of them have any magic," Sakura pointed out.
"Yes, but Meilin is a member of the Li Clan and Tomoyo is our unofficial videographer, you know," Syaoran told Sakura.
Through all this, Michael was watching them with a puzzled expression on his face, waiting for them to finish. Naoko was still resting in his arms.
Syaoran shot a glance over at them, then sighed and nodded. "Let's go."
"Where are we going?" Michael asked them, confused.
"Well, we'll explain on the way," Sakura told him.
Running through the woods was not the best thing for Naoko, who was jarred awake. Michael let her down and she glanced at Sakura inquisitively.
"You'll see soon," she replied.
"Here," Syaoran stated as they entered a clearing.
Hiyoshi and Meilin burst in from the left side, and Eriol and Tomoyo burst in from the opposite side at the same time as them.
Sakura stared at everyone with wide eyes. "Hoe!"
"Sakura, watch out!" Syaoran yelled at her.
The card was in the clearing, shooting bolts of ice out of his mouth. Michael and Naoko watched with shock and fear as Sakura and Syaoran dodged numerous shots while Hiyoshi transformed his staff.
"HIYOSHI, HURRY UP!!!" Syaoran screamed at him.
"I'm going man, I'm going!"
"Forces of nature help me to seal this card. Return to your true form, Blizzard card, confine!!!" Hiyoshi yelled out.
The card struggled in Hiyoshi's magical grasp. Suddenly, it put on an extra burst of strength and escaped.
"Baka!" Hiyoshi shouted.
"It's fine," Eriol told Hiyoshi. "You still need a bit of training. You were fine out there, with what little training I have given you."
"Phew!" Sakura wiped her brow. "You know, you get such good workouts from being a Card Captor Mistress." Then she noticed Michael and Naoko still staring at them. She sighed loudly.
"Alright, explain," Michael said firmly.
"It's a really long story." Sakura said.
"Well, let's go back to the cave thing," Syaoran stated.
The snow was slowly stopping and coming down to just a slight sprinkle.
"Alright!" Naoko said enthusiastically. "This is great! I can't wait to put this all down on paper! It's going to make a great story!"
Sakura sweat-dropped. "Hoe!"
Tomoyo and Naoko exchanged smiles.
*~*~*~* Two hours later *~*~*~*
"Wow! Ever since fourth grade? And none of us ever knew about it!" Naoko exclaimed once Sakura had finished explaining.
Sakura blushed. "Well, I couldn't really tell you guys about it, you know. And you guys can't tell anyone else at all."
"We know," Michael said.
"This is going to make one kawaii story!" Naoko said gleefully. "Tomoyo- chan, can I come over sometime to watch all of the captures?"
"Of course!"
"Hey, you guys! The snow's stopped!" Hiyoshi exclaimed.
"Awesome, so should we actually start heading back to the school by now?"
"Yeah, you know, actually, I bet that we're gonna get it big time for not being there, I mean, if they find out that we've been out by ourselves all night, they're gonna get bad ideas. One, we've got guys and girls out here by ourselves.not a good impression. Two, there was a huge storm and we could've gotten lost. Three.whatever," Eriol said.
Everyone smiled as they headed back to school.
*~*~*~*
"Brown-san.what in the world were you thinking when you brought Yanigasawa -san into the woods with you! You could've gotten lost, hurt, injured, or even died in that storm!" the principal raved at him,
"Sensei, I went in with him willingly," Naoko voiced shyly.
" Yanigasawa-san, there is no question in my heart that he forced you to go in with him. Brown-san is a young man headed in the wrong direction in his life. I would advise you to not be seen in his company again. You may leave. Brown-san, as we wait for your father to come in, you may go into my office."
Naoko threw Michael a longing look as she was herded out of the main office.
Outside, Sakura and Syaoran groaned at how the meeting was going.
"Baka!" Syaoran muttered.
"Hai, what do we do now?" Sakura asked softly.
"Wait and see," Eriol muttered.
When Michael came out, an hour later, he had a pained expression on his face.
Sakura immediately knew something bad had happened. Motioning for everyone else to leave, Naoko and Michael were left by themselves in the hallway.
"Naoko. I don't know how to explain this, I'm sorry for causing so much trouble to you," Michael apologized.
"Kale! I love you, it's all right. Now, go on. I know your dad is still in there, I just wish that he wasn't so hard on you sometimes."
"yeah, I know. I.well, I'll call you later, alright?"
"Hai, bye!" Naoko gave him a light kiss on the cheek, surprised by her own boldness. Then she quickly ran down the hallway. Michael stared after her in amazement.
"Michael! Get in here now!" his father thundered.
Sighing, Michael obliged.
* ~ * ~ * ~ *
"Hey, you guys, since the school's still out because of the broken heating system, what do you guys want to do?" Sakura asked Tomoyo, Naoko, Chiharu, Rika, and Meilin as they all crowded together in Tomoyo's spacious bedroom. The heating system at their school had been mysteriously broken by 'vandals' is what the news said. But Sakura knew that Hiyoshi and Michael, who were both eager to not go back to school, had 'accidentally' messed up a few pipes in the structure.
"Hmm, you know what? Isn't there a new ski resort up at Mount Fuji? Why don't we go up there for a weekend!" Rika suggested.
"Hey, that sounds like an awesome idea!" Meilin agreed.
"Yeah, I can try out my new skis that I just got!" Naoko added.
"OK, so we're going to the ski resort? Let's ask the guys too, OK?" Tomoyo said.
"Yeah, sure!"
*~*~*~*
"No, no, No, NO! Kinomoto-san, you have to KISS HIM! Not pretend to brush his lips! People will be watching you! It's gotta be real! One week before the performance! Why in the world are we having trouble now? Just because there is no school, does not mean that we cut out play practice! And it certainly doesn't mean that you forget your lines or mess anything up!!!"
Sakura shrugged mentally. She had never really had to really get in touch with Michael before. She could tell that he was just as put off with the teacher as she was. Freezing to death, Sakura pulled her coat up higher. The heat was still not working in her school.
"I really think that they can skip that part, I'm sure that Sakura will be able to get it right at the real performance, right?" Tomoyo said quickly.
Grateful, Sakura let out a small sigh. "Hai! I will, I promise Norlina sensei."
"Alright, I guess we can skip over that part for now, but it better be perfect at the performance!!!"
"H.hai!" Sakura said, nervously.
"OK, commence practice again!" Norlina ordered.
*~*~*~*
"So, Sakura, what happened up there on stage?" Michael asked her as they walked out of school.
"I don't know, I like froze for a second, sorry." "It's ok, but the play is coming up next week, so be prepared. If you want to, we can just cut it out. I know you aren't comfortable with this whole kissing thing."
"No, it's ok. I can get it. Practice again tonight?"
"Hai. See you later." Michael waved as he headed home to do some 'studying' with Naoko.
Syaoran caught up with Sakura as she was exiting the school.
"So, do you have all of your lines memorized, just in case Michael-kun is unable to go on?" Sakura asked Syaoran.
"Yeah, of course. But it's not likely that it's going to happen," Syaoran said, with a trace of sadness in his voice that Sakura barely caught.
She softened, kidding with him, she said, "Hey, you never know. It might."
He grinned back at her. "Don't' do anything special for me, OK?"
"Now why would I ever do anything for you?" she retorted.
"Hey! That cut deep into my heart! Ahh! I'm dying! The cruel Sakura has killed me!" Syaoran said, faking a sad face.
Sakura rolled her eyes at him as she skated ahead of him, spun around and skated backwards, and then professionally slammed into a wall.
Smirking, Syaoran helped her up.
"You're going to go on the trip with everyone to Mount Fuji too, right?" Sakura asked him.
"I guess," he answered.
"Sugoi!" Sakura replied in happiness. "Now everyone will be there! Tomoyo- chan's okaa-san has prearranged rooms for us, and I think that we'll get to be there all by ourselves."
"Honto ne? Sugoi!" Syaoran said enthusiastically.
"Hai!"
"Well, I've gotta go now, see you later."
Sakura waved to him as they parted ways.
*~*~*~*
"Michael Jakib Brown!" Naoko yelled at him, using his full American name. "What is going on? I just heard that you were caught stealing form 7-11, again! What is happening to you? Plus, I know your grades are slipping too! You're so much more smarter than me, so what's going on?"
"Nothing," Michael said, flashing her his patented 100-watt smile. It didn't faze her.
"Don't give me that crap. I deserve to know Michael. What's going on?" Her voice had softened. She didn't like yelling at people and she usually didn't raise her voice, unless she was telling a spooky story and freaking Sakura out.
"Nothing," Michael repeated. His mind was whirling. I can't tell her anything! Not yet. Bu what if she found the notebook? Does she know anything at all? I didn't think that anyone at school knew that I had been in trouble before, sides Tristan and Tomaki, of course. Dang, why is she so persistent? Hey, that's what I like about her. I did try to change, but GOD Dad makes it so damn hard!
"Oh Michael! I can't believe that you don't trust me well enough to tell me what's wrong!" Naoko said, half-angry with him and half-hurt that he wouldn't tell her. She whirled around and dashed home.
"Naoko." Michael sighed. Shit! Now what do I do? He didn't have time to do anything else though, as his father pulled up next to him in his black limo.
Damn it!
"Michael Jakib Brown!" his father said in a quiet threatening tone. Michael sighed. It was the second time in one day that someone had called him by his full American name.
"I just had a call from your sensei in Math, on how you got a D on your most recent algebra quiz. You'd better have a good explanation for this, and I am very disappointed in you!"
"Umm.dad, I've really got a lot of homework and we're right in the middle of traffic," Michael stammered. His father ignored him and motioned for one of his bodyguards to pull Michael into the limo. Horns beeping and cars out of control around them, they pulled out.
"Kinomoto, to my house, now!" Steven Brown commanded. He was the executive president for the international company of Jazzy Colors, which manufactured clothes for young kids.
Touya was glad that he had landed a job working for this multi-millionaire, even though he was a foreigner. He spoke decent enough Japanese, and Touya was discreetly listening to their conversation in English. He could just barely make out the jist of it with his minor English.
"Dad, the crappy teacher."
"You will address him as Senjivo-sensei and there is to be no profanity in this car, or anywhere near me, ever, understood?"
"Yeah, whatever. So Senjivo-sensei doesn't teach you anything in his class! Like, the entire class failed, I was one of the people who got a better grade and he hates my living guts anyway!"
"I don't care what the class got, what matters is that you got a D! And that is just not acceptable!"
Michael rolled his eyes as his father lectured him some more.
"And if you do not shape up soon, I will be forced to send you back home." This jolted Michael back to his senses.
"You mean back home, with Mom and Azalea?" Michael asked, trying to keep the excitement out of his voice.
"No, more like boot camp to shape you up."
"Dad, I play soccer, basketball, and volleyball. I don't need to get into shape!" Michael protested, even though he knew what his father had been talking about. .
"I want better results, starting next week. I know exactly what type of trouble you and Tristan have been getting into too. You should make some more friends here. The point of bringing you here was to introduce you to the business here and to get acquainted with this society here."
"Oh yeah Dad! I love it here!" Michael said sarcastically. "Dad, I have friends, and being dragged to formal meetings every night isn't fun either! What if I don't shape up? Huh? You gonna send me home! Did it ever occur to you that maybe I want to go home? That I'm doing this on purpose?" Michael was screaming by now.
He pulled on the emergency brakes, even though Touya was stopping already, and jumped out, leaving his father sputtering in anger and disbelief at the fading figure of his son in the distance.
Wisely, Touya stayed silent.
*~*~*~*
"Wow, that Michael kid of Steven Brown had a really big attitude!" Touya commented to Sakura as he walked in through their front door.
"Hoe? You know Kale-kun? I mean, Michael?" Sakura asked Touya.
"Yeah, I'm working as a chauffeur for his dad now as my job. And Yukito is working as his gardener. So we're still together, of course."
"Hoe! Working for his father! I never knew that."
"Well, I've been busy with my exams and working, and you're busy with that play of yours, so we never see each other that much, you know. How's my little kaijou doing?" Touya asked her affectionately.
"I'm fine, the play's OK."
"Hey, wait a minute. Isn't that Michael the same one that came to our house last time? The one that you're rehearsing with? That you'll be kissing and stuff? If he is, I definitely don't want you hanging out with that kid."
"What happened then?" Sakura asked as Touya started to head for the food that Sakura had just made.
"Well.hey, you know what? That chicken looks really good!"
"None for you, until you tell me!" Sakura demanded.
"Sakura-chan, you need to show some respect for your 'nii-chan, don't you think? I mean, he just got home from long and hard work, and I think that he needs some food before he talks."
Sakura glared at him. "Alright, here."
"OK, now, I found out that he was caught stealing from 7-11 and also he's got bad grades."
"Kale-kun! He's like, the smartest guy at school!"
"Not from what I've heard," Touya said, mouth full with food. Suddenly Sakura glanced at her watch.
"Oh no! I was supposed to meet Kale-kun ten minutes ago at the park!"
"Be careful, Sakura-chan!" her brother called after her.
"Hey, bro, you got any pancakes?" Kero asked him as he came flying down. The one good thing about Touya knowing about him was that there was another person in the house that would be able to feed him.
Touya grinned as he started to make some batter for the pancakes. "Not for you, stuffed animal."
"I AM NOT A STUFFED ANIMAL!!!" Kero pouted loudly.
*~*~*~*
Sakura half-ran, half-skated to the park. It's the totally popular place to be now. She thought sarcastically as she couldn't see a single person in it. She sat down on a bench and waited for Michael to appear.
Her cell rang, and she quickly picked it up. "Kinomoto Sakura, moshi moshi?"
"Sakura-chan!" came a tearful voice.
"Naoko-chan? What's wrong?"
"It's Kale-kun. He's not telling me anything! I'm really worried about him because of his grades, and he's been stealing Sakura-chan! And he just keeps pushing me away!"
"Relax Naoko-chan. He know that he loves you. He's probably just going through some hard times. You can't push him, he'll tell you in due time. Don't worry."
"Alright. Thanks Sakura-chan. You're so good at helping everyone out with our problems. Domo arigato!"
"OK. Don't worry about Kale-san, I think that he's going to get a reprimand soon, and he's a smart guy, he won't get caught again. You'd better go get some sleep. Sayonara."
"Bye," Naoko said.
"Sakura!" Michael came running up to her. "Sorry, I was umm.caught up in some stuff."
"What is wrong with you?" Sakura countered sharply.
"Huh?" Michael was caught by surprise.
"OK, Michael, you've been totally ignoring Naoko, and she's really hurt. Can you tell me what's going on?" Sakura asked him.
Michael sighed. "Sakura."
"Michael.c'mon. Your grades are slipping, you've been caught stealing, you're totally ignoring Naoko-chan, and you aren't even telling me anything!"
"Oh, alright. It was a while ago.back when I was still living in the States. Tristan and I were the best of friends along with another guy, Kevin Monaco. Tristan, Kevin, and me were always together. We had everything planned out for our future. We were all going together to a private high school, St Joe's together. And then on to college. We figured that we would be together forever. But then my dad stepped in, and told me that he wanted me to o with him to his business here, in Japan. I was really pissed because I didn't want to come. Tristan and Kevin were both allowed to come, but Kevin didn't because his parents didn't want to not see him for like, 4 years, and he's bored very easily. Once I got here, with Tristan, I t wasn't that bad. Tristan and me went to the skating park, like everyday. But then my dad really started to bug me about how I was wasting my time, and I didn't even really want to be here, and he wouldn't allow me to go back to visit my mom or sister, Azalea. My dad really wants me to take over the family business, but I don't' want to. My stepbrother, Carter is actually interested in this kind of stuff, and he's smarter than me too. So, my plan with him and Tristan is for us to get my dad to send us back home, and then get Carter to come here to help my dad, and he will do a good job, then my dad will make him the heir guy. Me, I just want to draw and get away from the world with it."
"But stealing?" Sakura burst out. "C'mon, Michael, have you gone crazy? You are so much better than that. You've got so much going for you, why are you messing everything up now? Have you even tried to talk your father about this?"
Michael laughed. "My father? Yeah right! Like he's gonna understand? He never has!"
"Maybe I should talk to him. As your friend, maybe he'll understand."
"Yeah right! He doesn't even know that I have friends here."
"Nani? But all those parties that you have every year! Everyone goes to those, they're like, the biggest thing and everyone flaunts their invitations!"
"Well, he never knows. He's too busy with work and he's at his office like 24/7 and if I don't tell him, then he never knows. Heh, like the servants are going to tell him anything at all."
Sakura shook her head at Michael. "But what's with hurting Naoko like that? She thought maybe you guys actually had something, and so did I. I guess someone turned chicken."
Michael's pained expression made Sakura soften.
"Gomen ne Kale-san. But Naoko-chan is very hurt. You can't just leave her hanging here! You told me before how you love her, so why are you doing this to her?"
"I don't want to hurt her when I leave. If we got together, and I was made to leave, she'd be heartbroken. I wouldn't be able to stand that."
"And how do you think she feels now?" Sakura snapped at him. "Just like you to do this to her! Onegai, fix this before you leave. I know she won't be mad at you. She loves you, and love overcomes all things. Michael, go to her."
"But what about play.."
"Go. I'm fine, and Syaoran knows all of your lines."
"Oh, yeah, I know you'd be much happier if you were kissing him, right?" Michael taunted her.
Blushing, Sakura pushed him forward, towards Naoko's house, trying to wipe that smirk off his face.
"Go!"
*~*~*~*
As Michael rang the doorbell, he silently he cursed his guilty nature. He rang the doorbell again. The door swung open and Naoko stood there, fixing her hair, dressed in a pair of khakis and a plain black shirt, not seeing Michael clearly yet. "Hello?" As she glanced up, she gasped in surprise.
"Hey Naoko-chan." Michael said.
Her surprise quickly turned to anger. She slammed the door in his face.
Michael's face showed defeat, but he rang the doorbell again and pounded heavily on the door. He was determined not to give up. "Naoko! C'mon, it's only me. Open up!"
Finally, as he was about to leave, the door opened. "What do you want?" she asked him coolly.
"Hey, Naoko, I.um.know that I.well.I.haven't.I'm really sorry about how I've been acting." There, it was out. "I know that I haven't been the best lately, but I've been really occupied. Please, forgive me!"
"Explain first, please," Naoko said, but she was already weakening. So Michael told her the entire story, about how he was homesick, how he wanted to leave, and how he didn't want her to be sad over him.
Naoko stared at Michael hard for a minute, absorbing everything in.
Then she slapped him full-force across the face. Wincing, Michael turned away, dejected.
"What was that for? Well.I guess I deserve that. I should really go now. I'll see you later."
Then he felt Naoko's hand touch his shoulder, briefly, but tenderly. He turned back around, inquisitively. Naoko flung her arms around his shoulder.
"For being as stupid as thinking that I still won't love you, even if you are so far away," she whispered into his ear. "I love you Michael, and nothing will ever change that, no matter the distance or anything."
Michael wrapped his arms around her slim figure. "I love you too, Naoko." Staring tenderly at each other, he captured her lips quickly with another kiss.
*~*~*~*
"Hey, the snow is awesome, covering everything! It's a good thing we had a snowstorm with before the trip," Eriol commented, giving Sakura an extra- special smile.
She reddened under his gaze. "Hoe." It wasn't my fault that I wanted to have a cool weekend.
"Yeah! This is great skiing weather!" Chiharu said enthusiastically.
"Hey, did you know that in the olden days, the ancient Chinese built these wooden tunnels that they used as obstacles for their prisoners and whoever made it past was spared, but they killed off those who didn't make it," Yamazaki said, running off before Chiharu reached him.
"YAMAZAKI! COME BACK HERE! STOP TELLING LIES!"
Everyone laughed.
"Tomoyo-chan, did your mother really get the resort all for us only?" Meilin asked her.
"Hai! Okaa-san is friends with the manager, so she agreed to help okaa-san out. It's great! I can't wait to go skiing, and they have great paths and even a ski lift and everything!"
"YOSHA!" Yamazaki suddenly shouted, scaring everyone half to death.
"YAMAZAKI! Shut up!" Chiharu yelled as she bonked him on the head again. Grinning slightly at everyone, Yamazaki laughed it off.
OK-done with this chapter. I've been trying not to make my chapters too long, so some of them might seem cut off a bit. Gomen ne!! PS-Yeah, I know that I am concentrating more on N+M and not S+S. but I want to get N+M out of the way so I can get more S+S and some E+T too. And maybe a bit of C+T. R+R! Michael's gonna go in the next chapter, but I think he'll appear again, but after this, S+S is what I'll be concentrating on. And I do know that Jazzy Colors is the corniest name, but nope, I am not a creative person with a lot of patience and time to go think of something cool. O yeah, a question, do you want to have the play happen first, or do you want Sakura and Syaoran to have their first kiss? I need help in deciding that, it'll come into play later on. And I know this story is a bit crappy now, I am running out of ideas and not really paying attention to what I'm writing right now.gomen nasi!
~RubyGurl