Hi minna-san! Sakura and Syaoran are off to college in America. Why? Keep reading and you'll find out.

Keep in mind:
a/n=author's notes
~~~***=change scene or POV
POV=point of view
~blah~=thoughts
"blah" = speaking
*blah* = stressed words

I don't own anyone that seems familiar to you: Tomoyo, Sakura, Syaoran, Mizuki san, Eriol, etc.

Chapter 1~Can We Really Leave?

Sakura stopped to rest, panting for breath, sweat dripping off her face.

"Tomoyo, I can't do it!" exclaimed Sakura.

"No, you can do it, Sakura. I have faith in you!" urged Tomoyo.
Tomoyo and Sakura finally sat on the suitcase, and then clasped it shut. Tomoyo was over to help Sakura with packing, and the two were finishing up in Sakura's room.

"Really, Sakura, how much stuff do you need to bring?" asked Tomoyo. Sakura shrugged.

"Well, there's also my duffel bag," said Sakura, pointing to her bag sitting on her bed.

"Yeah, but that's not that full," replied Tomoyo.

"It can't be, though. Ever since the tragedy that happened in America, we need to watch how much we bring with us on the plane," said Sakura sadly. Tomoyo nodded grimly at the thought.

"Yes, but do you really have to leave? Why can't you go the university here?" asked Tomoyo.

"I would like to, to be able to see you and everyone, but Syaoran and I were thinking to try something new. Besides, there's a new Japanese teacher at the university in America, and he has asked for help," explained Sakura. She had told Tomoyo this about a hundred times, but Tomoyo still was trying to change her mind.

"Well, you're always off trying to help people. I won't stop you," said Tomoyo. "But you *promise* that you'll write to me?"

"Definitely! How could I leave my best friend without keeping in touch? But I won't be able to call very often, so I'll be *very* detailed in my mail," Sakura replied.

"Good. Tell me about every single thing that happens; all your new friends and those boys trying to flirt with you. *Then* you need to tell me how Syaoran fights them off!" gushed Tomoyo. Sakura smiled.

"I will...although I don't think that will happen, Tomoyo," said Sakura.

~~~***

Eriol watched with amusement as he watched Syaoran struggle to fit his shoes into his suitcase. Finally he sighed and walked over to help.

"I thought women were the only people that needed more than one pair of shoes," said Eriol teasingly.

"That may be so in Japan but you never know about the U.S. If you do some reading, you'll see that they have many different types of regions: mountains, plains, and all that stuff," said Syaoran.

~There he goes, talking like a teacher~ thought Eriol. "And if you read further, it'll say that New England doesn't have mountains everywhere you go," replied Eriol. ~A very...rushed teacher~ Syaoran blushed.

"Well, my outdoor shoes are by the door, I'm wearing my slippers, and these shoes, right here, are just nice shoes that I might need for parties or anything like that," said Syaoran.

"Well, don't wear those if it's a fraternity house party. You should know that," warned Eriol.

"I won't. I'm not stupid," retorted Syaoran.

~Sometimes I wonder though, little descendant~ thought Eriol. "You may be and you may not be, but you certainly don't know much about packing," remarked Eriol. He gently took the shoes from Syaoran's hand. "Shoes go in *last*." Syaoran made a face.

"Are you sure? What about the clothes that go in the bottom? Won't they get dirty?" Eriol sighed.

"Syaoran, you have a *huge* suitcase. You can put your clothes..." Eriol picked up Syaoran's neatly folded clothes. "Over here," explained Eriol as he placed them to the right side of the suitcase. Syaoran watched him and realization spread over his face.

"I'm such an idiot," said Syaoran. He smacked his forehead.

"I knew you would figure that out sometime," replied Eriol. Syaoran opened his mouth to make a sarcastic remark, then closed it, trying to figure out what Eriol meant.

~~~***

"Bye, Sakura! Bye, Syaoran!"

Eriol, Tomoyo, and all their friends were at the airport. They decided to all shout together at the same time when Sakura and Syaoran were walking into the gate. The attendant glared at them, but they were already use to Syaoran's glare, so they weren't intimidated. Sakura laughed, and Syaoran was turning pink with embarrassment.

"Bye, you guys!" shouted Sakura. "I promise to keep in touch!" Sakura looked at Syaoran with that 'Aren't you going to say something?' look.

"Yeah, same here. Bye!" yelled Syaoran, a little too loudly. Sakura smiled at him so he wouldn't feel embarrassed, but it didn't really work. It only made Syaoran feel more embarrassed.

"May I see your tickets?" asked a polite voice. A different attendant, a much more patient one, was holding her hand out to rip the little stub off the ticket.

"Oh, here," said Syaoran as he handed her the ticket.

"Thank you. Here are your seating assignments," said the attendant. Sakura looked at the orange slip that the attendant had just handed to her.

"Arigato," said Sakura and walked into the gate.
(Arigato=thank you)

Sakura and Syaoran walked down the aisle and found their seats in the middle of the plane. There were three seats, one next to the window, one in the middle, and one closest to the aisle. "Do you want the window seat?" asked Sakura. Syaoran shook his head.

"No, you can have it," replied Syaoran. Sakura smiled, thanked him, then sat down in her seat. Syaoran sat down next to Sakura, in the middle seat. They buckled their seatbelts. The plane was starting to take off, and still the third seat closest to the aisle was empty. Sakura's legs were moving uncomfortably since her duffel bag was crowding her legs. Syaoran looked at her then made a suggestion.

"It doesn't look like anyone is here. Do you want me to put your bag in this empty seat?" asked Syaoran. Sakura nodded and smiled at Syaoran. Syaoran felt his heart being lifted into the air. He wanted to fly, but, of course, he stayed strapped to his seat while he put her duffel bag in the empty chair. He moved his own bag to the floor. A thought suddenly dawned on him.

"Did you bring the cards?" Syaoran asked casually, but he hinted a bit of urgency in his tone. To others, it seemed that he was asking about playing cards, but Sakura understood what he meant. She nodded with a wink.

"If you open the left small pocket, you'll find them," she said. Syaoran was shocked. Would Sakura risk someone finding the cards? Syaoran checked the pocket and pulled out...

A deck of playing cards. Syaoran smiled. He winked and pointed at the smiley faces on the back side.

"Smiley faces?" Syaoran asked. Sakura laughed.

"Hai! (Yes) To remind me to always be smiling," said Sakura, and she smiled at him as if to prove her point. Syaoran felt his heart fly again.

"Well, do you want to play?" he asked.

"Sure," Sakura said. "Poker?" she asked mischievously. Syaoran gasped in mock astonishment.

"You? Gamble?" asked Syaoran in a teasing voice.

"No, silly. Let's just play," Sakura said. Syaoran nodded as he shuffled and dealt the cards. Then Sakura opened her mouth again. "Loser pays the cab fare." Syaoran laughed, and they started playing.

~~~The Next Day***

"Ohayo, minna-san! (Good morning, everyone!) Welcome to International Airlines. We are landing in Massachusetts, USA, in about 30 minutes. Please check for all of your items. We are not responsible for any lost possessions. We are now turning on the seat belt sign. Thank you!" said a cheerful voice. Sakura sat up, stretched, and yawned.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Sakura. Syaoran jerked up and looked around.

"What? Oh, yeah, I did. Did you?" asked Syaoran. Sakura smiled.

"As well as a person can sleep on an airplane," replied Sakura. Syaoran laughed. "Look outside, Syaoran!" said Sakura. Syaoran moved so he could see through the window.

"Oh! Snow!" Syaoran exclaimed.

"Yes. I guess it must be cold outside."

"It must. Do you have your coat in your duffel bag?"

"Hai. I'll get it once we're inside the airport."

"Okay," said Syaoran. Silence passed between them. Sakura stared out the window until the snow started to blind her, then she looked away.

"Do you think you'll like the university?" asked Sakura. Syaoran nodded.

"I think so. I just hope that my English is all right," replied Syaoran. Sakura smiled.

"You don't need to worry. Remember? Our American pen pals called us, and we had a conversation with them. They said that we spoke perfect English, all except for our accents, but who cares about that?" Sakura said, reminding Syaoran.

"Hai, I'm so thankful that Mizuki-sensei helped us," said Syaoran.

(a/n: Thank you CCchick for telling me about the Mizuki-sensei vs. Sensei-Mizuki thing. Just to let everyone know, Japanese is not my first language, which is why I sometimes need help from other people.)

"We will be landing shortly. Remember to stay seated as we land," said the pilot. Soon, the plane was landing. Sakura was calm as the plane landed.

"That wasn't as good as the take-off," Sakura said when everyone stood up. Syaoran nodded.

"I know," Syaoran replied.

"Oh, yeah, you had to take the plane so many times! Back and forth between China and Japan. Did you tell your family about going to America?" asked Sakura.

"Definitely. I don't want them trying to call me in Japan only to find out I left for America without so much as a goodbye. Boy, then they'd track me to here, and I'd be in for it," said Syaoran, and he laughed. Sakura laughed with him.

"Can you hand me my bag?" asked Sakura, gesturing towards her duffel bag. Syaoran picked it up.

"You sure you don't want me to hold it for you?" asked Syaoran.

"Yes, I'm sure. You also have that humongous suitcase to carry around!" exclaimed Sakura with a raised eyebrow and smile. Syaoran handed the duffel bag to Sakura, grinning. Once the friends walked out of the gate, they were practically leaning on top of each other, they were so tired. Finally, Syaoran and Sakura reached two empty seats and sat down. The two stretched their legs.

"Oh! I've been sitting for too long," said Syaoran.

"Same here," replied Sakura, standing up. Sakura started to walk around to get rid of the plane jitters, but then she looked up as someone called her name.

"Sakura! Is that you?" called a female voice.

"Hey, Syaoran!" shouted a male voice. Sakura and Syaoran looked to their right and saw a girl and boy walking towards them. The girl had long, dark red hair that reminded Sakura of Mizuki-san. She was short, about 5 inches shorter than Sakura's 5'8. The boy looked to be around 6'2, one inch or so taller than Syaoran, with dirty blonde hair and grey eyes.

"Sakura, it's me. Amelia. Your pen pal!" the girl shouted across the distance between them. Sakura looked at the girl's face, trying to remember the picture that her pen pal sent her...

"Amelia!" shouted Sakura, trying out her English. She ran twoards her pen pal, and the girls hugged.

"See, I told you that we were going to come pick you up!" exclaimed Amelia.

"We? Oh! So this is Craig!" said Sakura excitedly.

"Yeah, that's me. Nice to meet you, Sakura," said Craig. He turned towards Syaoran. "And Syaoran, my man, it's good to finally see you!" Then Craig turned towards Sakura and Syaoran. "So...are you two a couple?" Craig asked. Sakura and Syaoran blushed at the same time.

~A couple? No, I don't think I have feelings for Syaoran...that way~ thought Sakura.

~A couple? If only...~ thought Syaoran.

"No, we're not," replied the two at the same time. Amelia smiled.

"Yeah, okay," said Amelia. She wanted to roll her eyes, but she knew that would've been rude. "Come on, let's go to the car!"

"Yes! Good idea!" said Syaoran. Amelia looked at him strangely.

"He lost the poker game so he was going to have to pay for the cab," explained Sakura. Craig and Amelia laughed. ~They make a great couple~ thought Sakura, remembering one of Amelia's letters. ~Even if Craig is about 7 inches taller than Amelia. I guess they really love each other~

The foursome talked and laughed as they went to get Sakura and Syaoran's luggage. When they reached the turning tables, they had to wait for Sakura and Syaoran's luggage to arrive.

"Huge suitcase!" exclaimed Amelia, pointing at Syaoran's luggage that was coming around. Syaoran blushed.

"Um, yeah. That one's mine," mumbled Syaoran as he grabbed it.

"Oh, okay!" replied Amelia cheerfully. Sakura smiled.

~I like Amelia. She was nice in her letters, but in person she seems to let nothing cloud her optimistic attitude. We're going to be good friends~ thought Sakura.

"Here, Syaoran, let me help you carry your suitcase. How in the world did you get it over to the airport?" teased Craig. Syaoran laughed.

"There was a cart," replied Syaoran. ~Craig seems cool. For one thing, he can pronounce my name right. For another, he seems to be very good-natured~ thought Syaoran. Craig was bending over the suitcase, trying to pick it up, when he suddenly stood up.

"A cart! Syaoran, you are a genius," said Craig, and he went off to get a cart. When Craig came back, the foursome left the airport, laughing and chatting on their way towards the car.

~~~***

"Who's car is this?" asked Syaoran. They were inside a small silver car which fit five people. Craig smiled.

"Well, it's mine, but Amelia's the better driver," said Craig. He gestured to Amelia in the driver's seat. Sakura nodded. Craig explained that he got a smaller car because they were better for the environment. The bigger cars ate up so much gas. Syaoran and Sakura congratulated him on being enviromentally aware; they knew what the pollution was leading to.

"Okay, we're almost there!" said Amelia. The newcomers looked out the window to take a look at the campus. They saw brick buildings that were covered with blankets of snow. There were tall pine trees with fluffs of snow on them. Students were walking around, chatting. Some people were over by a field, playing with the snow. At the gate, there was a sign hanging overhead that read, "Alanafield University."

"Many people will be inside," remarked Craig. "Any sane person wouldn't spend all their time in this cold." Amelia laughed. Once Amelia parked, a large group of people rushed up to the car. Amelia stepped out of the car.

"Step away from the car!" shouted Amelia and then laughed. "Give these people some room!" Sakura and Syaoran stepped out of the car slowly. The Americans looked Sakura and Syaoran over, trying to get a sense of what these two new people were like. Sakura gave a small smile at everyone, and the watching group relaxed slightly. Syaoran wasn't sure what to do. Then...

"Hi everyone!" he said cheerfully. After that, everyone was laughing and giving the pair hi-fives. Craig grinned. ~I knew these two would fit in well~ thought Craig.

"This is Sakura Kinomoto. Here is Syaoran Li. They're from Japan," explained Amelia.

"Hi everyone!" Sakura and Syaoran said at the same time.

"Oh! So kawaii (cute) !" said a female voice. Sakura jumped, hearing the Japanese word. Amelia smiled kindly.

"Jennifer here is learning Japanese. She's a really intelligent person," said Amelia. A girl with brown hair almost as long as Amelia's came forward. She had warm, welcome, grey eyes, and she has a big smile on her face. Jennifer laughed.

"Amelia, don't go and flattering people!" she exclaimed. Then she turned towards the new friends. "I'm Jennifer. It's nice to meet you. I hope we can become tomodachis! (friends)" exclaimed Jennifer. She shook Sakura's hand, then Syaoran's. She shook her head when she saw their freezing hands. "You *did* bring gloves, right?"

"Yeah, I did," said Syaoran. Sakura clamped her hand to her forehead.

"I knew I forgot something!" she exclaimed. Syaoran reached into his duffel bag. He took out a pair of grey gloves.

(a/n: Haha, grey for wolves?)

"Well, I knew you probably would forget. I got you these," said Syaoran as he put on his gloves. Then he reached into his duffel bag again and took out a pair of pink gloves with sakura petals embroidered into the fingers.

"Arigato!" exclaimed Sakura. She quickly pulled the gloves onto her cold hands. The crowd made an "Awww" sound.

"You two make a great couple," commented a boy and girl. They both had dark brown hair. The girl had blue eyes, the boy had brown. They were holding hands.

"I'm John," said the boy.

"I'm Tina," said the girl. Sakura and Syaoran blushed.

~Why does everyone think that we're a couple?~ Sakura wondered. "We're not a couple, we're just friends," said Sakura with a smile. The group nodded with an understanding smile on their faces. Amelia was thinking exactly what they were thinking.

~They'll be more than friends if I have anything to do with it. They have to! I know they're made for each other, and I just met them!~ thought Amelia, Craig, and the crowd. Craig and Amelia tried to introduce everyone quickly but with something to remember the people by.

"That's Jack, he's great with computers. This is Jenny. She's always doing things for charity..." Amelia was saying to Sakura.

"There's Alicia; she's *very* organized. James, over there, is the one into rap music. Alex, the one with the blonde ponytail, she can type REALLY fast except she hates working with computers, unless it's with the Internet..." Craig was explaining to Syaoran.

"Hi," Sakura said to the people who were shaking hands with her. There were so many people to meet, and Sakura knew that she was being accepted into the popular group. Syaoran knew too.

~It's probably good for Sakura to stay with popular people, since she was a popular person herself in Japan. It'll make adjusting a lot easier. And we'll be able to meet more people and learn about all the places around here~ thought Syaoran.

"Well, how about let's all go to The Spot?" suggested the girl named Alicia. Everyone agreed.

"The Spot is a place where you can eat, play games, and dance to music," explained Amelia.

"Yeah, sure!" exclaimed Sakura and Syaoran.

"Great!" shouted the whole group. After Sakura and Syaoran were registered, the small crowd went off to The Spot.

(A/N) So what did you think? R+R onegai! (Please) Second chapter coming ASAP! (As Soon As Possible) Oh, I own Amelia, Craig, Tina, John, The Spot, Alanafield University, Jack, Jenny, James, Alex, and Jennifer. Don't worry, you're not going to be seeing everyone, so you won't have to remember everyone.