Disclaimer: I am broke. [shows dusty, empty, sad wallet] Believe me, if I owned CCS, I would have a very happy and lively wallet. Please read on.
Note: Japanese Words are italicized and there is a glossary at the end of the chapter. Thoughts are italicized. Emphasis is marked by CAPITAL LETTERS or italicization. Yes. I liked both. I could not choose between capital letters or italic...
Home Economics
Chapter 1: Pineapple'Ridiculous,' Li Syaoran thought, his chocolate-brown eyes fixed into a glare, 'I can't believe this! How can this—THIS—be a mandatory class?! How will THIS help me for...for anything?!'
Standing in front of the closed classroom door, Syaoran continued to stay rooted onto the ground with stubborn indignation. He refused to open the door, much less enter the classroom. He let out a heavy, curt sigh. Syaoran imagined himself in an apron, surrounded by kitchen utensils and appliances...
The horrors of Home Economics class. Feeling rather pathetic, he was tempted to leave on the spot. Ironically, Syaoran loved to cook. So, he didn't know why he despised the very thought of Home Economics class, honestly. Well...
Maybe it was because he hated the insanely enthusiastic Home Economics teacher, Katsuga Yayoi-sensei. Syaoran shuddered.
Or maybe it was because he hated the 'trio of rabid fan girls' that practically were his stalkers – and conveniently, they were ALL in this very same class. Syaoran grimaced and shuddered at the same time.
Or maybe it was because –
"Why, hello, Li-kun." a serene voice, cool and smooth as silk, broke Syaoran's train of thought for a moment.
– because HE, the reincarnation of Clow Reed (the reincarnation of evil, in Syaoran's opinion) was in the same class. Syaoran stiffened, his face slightly faltering with dread.
"Hiiragizawa..." Syaoran turned around, regarding the gray-eyed mage with an icy glare. "What do you want?"
"Ohayo gozaimasu to you, too. Were you waiting for me so we could go into the classroom together?" Hiiragizawa Eriol asked politely, a small smile of mockery played upon his attractive face, "oh, Li-kun, I didn't think you were that type of romantic..."
Syaoran's glare turned up a notch. "Shut up, Hiiragizawa! I would never – "
Suddenly, the door slid open with great force and a trio of girls stood between the doorway. Obviously, they had heard his voice through the door. Syaoran mentally cursed.
"Li-sama!"
"Li-sama!!"
"Li-sama!!!"
'Oh dear God.' Syaoran blanched to a pale white and horror was clearly marked in his eyes.
Three pairs of hands grabbed onto Syaoran by his shoulders and pulled him into classroom with unspeakable power. The poor brown-haired wolf practically flew off his feet.
"Gah!!" Syaoran tried to grab the threshold to put up a resistance, but his fingers slipped and he found himself placed on a cushioned chair.
"Are you hot, Li-sama?" a light brown-haired girl, Sasuki, started to fan Syaoran with a feathered fan.
"Need something to drink, Li-sama?" a dark brown-haired girl, Atsuki, asked; brandishing a water bottle in her hands.
"Or something to eat, Li-sama?" a black-haired girl, Mayuki, offered a sweet-smelling bean-cake before him with both hands as if he were an emperor.
Rigidly sitting in the seat, Syaoran was silently fuming with impatience and disgust. Every time he passed by this certain trio of shameless girls, he always faced this. The trio of girls were knelt around him like concubines of an Emperor.
"No. No. No." Syaoran replied through clenched teeth. He tried to be as courteous as possible, considering the annoying fact that they were merely high school girls – no matter how annoying, they did not deserve death. Well...at least, not a horribly bloody, absolutely painful death...
"...so handsome!"
"And talented!"
Syaoran did his best to ignore the girls' sickening sweet compliments with mental willpower. His brown eyes stared past their shoulders and twinkling eyes till they fell upon Eriol, who was still standing at the doorway.
In a relaxed position with his arms crossed over his chest and his shoulder leaning against the doorway, Eriol held an entertained expression on his face. His eyebrows were slightly arched and his mouth was crooked a little more to one side with amusement. The sunlight streamed behind him, making him luminous. The silver-blue highlights in his dark hair gleamed, his porcelain skin...er...
Syaoran found himself staring – and actually noticing Eriol's attractive features – and quickly, very quickly, Syaoran averted his eyes away.
"Oka~y, class!" a young woman seemed to materialize out of thin air from behind her desk, her cheerful voice sang through the air; seemingly shattering windows and making birds fly from trees in fright. Her yellow, bright eyes clearly matched her personality.
Syaoran was faced with another nightmare.
'God...Why...' Syaoran let out a hopeless sigh.
"This is Home Economics class! Whoo-hoo!" the vivacious sensei threw her fist up in the air with enthusiasm, "my name is Katsuga Yayoi-sensei and I will be your teacher this WHOLE semester!"
'...the most insane teacher in school history...' Syaoran covered half his face with his hand. 'Why? What have I done to deserve this...?'
"First off, I'll assign you in pairs and you'll meet your partner at the assigned station!" Katsuga-sensei remarked happily, whipping out a clipboard with a flourish of her hands.
"Sumagi Atsuki..." she started in a singsong voice of enthusiasm.
Syaoran glanced toward the window, wishing for freedom...he began to wonder if jumping out the window was a good idea...suicidal idea, yes, but still a good idea at the moment. Maybe he could land safely – he would just have to ignore the fact that he was on the topmost floor of the school building.
"...and Tanaka Ayane!"
Syaoran let out a breath of relief. 'Good...at least I'm not paired up with THAT psychotic stalker...'
"Ichigawa Sasuki..." Katsuga-sensei started.
'Please, Kami-sama...not me...' he looked down at the ground with dread.
"...and Minamoto Etsuko!" Katsuga-sensei finished happily.
'Thank you! Two down, one to go!' Syaoran eyes seemed to light up with newfound hope.
Pushing his luck, Syaoran prayed to whatever god looked down upon him and he asked to be spared from the last fanatic girl.
"Matsuda Mayuki..."
Syaoran glanced at the black-haired girl a.k.a. 'one of three rabid lovesick girls'. Mayuki responded by blowing him a kiss. Syaoran responded to that by quickly turning his head away with a roll of his eyes, praying to God that he would not be called.
"...and Yoshitaka Hiro!"
Syaoran silently praised the gods, his heart uplifted. He would NOT be paired with any of those crazed fanatics! He was saved – he was blessed – he was spared!
"Li Syaoran..." Katsuga-sensei began.
It didn't matter who he would be paired up with now! He was free of those rabid females! Free of – !
"...and Hiiragizawa Eriol!"
'Shit.' Syaoran's smile slipped instantly and his mouth fell open in silent horror.
Half the class-period passed by and they had learned how to make a simple fruit salad. Yay.
"That's right, class! Toss the chopped-up fruit in the lemon-and-lime juice! Good, good! Can't you just smell that sweetness? Do a little dance, if you want to! I'll join you!" Katsuga-sensei exclaimed.
Syaoran cursed at his luck and cursed at 'whatever-god-that-look-down-on-him' for the hundredth time as he sat on a stool behind the long countertop. He had chopped up the fruit while he let Eriol prepare the fruit salad in the bowl. Syaoran was too busy sulking with anger to help him anyway.
'Out of all people in the class. Him! HIM.' Syaoran gripped the knife in his hand, his eyes narrowed into two very thin black lines.
A pretty glass bowl of chopped-up fruit was put down on the countertop next to Syaoran's wooden cutting board. Syaoran frowned immediately.
"Now, now, Li-kun," Eriol came forward and sat on the stool next to Syaoran, "you might want to try to control that temper of yours. It's not making a very 'homey' kitchen atmosphere, now is it?"
Syaoran narrowed his eyes more – if that was possible – and gave Eriol a very dangerous look. "Hiiragizawa...I am holding knife. And you are at a very convenient distance. Do. Not. Tempt. Me."
Other people would have melted in fear from Syaoran's ice-brown glare – but, well, Eriol proved to be different. Actually, abnormally different. Eriol smiled serenely, looking at Syaoran with an unreadable expression.
"You are quite cute when you are angry...but I'm sure you already knew that, didn't you, my kawaii descendent?" Eriol asked, almost teasingly as his gray eyes twinkled.
Syaoran flushed a distinct shade of crimson. His anger quickly melted into embarrassment and surprise. Syaoran could only blink in response.
"Or at least, I am sure your fan club tells you so every chance they get," Eriol added, a rather mischievous smirk on his face; he deliberately glanced at the three girls. "When can I join that little club you have there?"
"Hiira – !" He had opened his mouth to tell Eriol to shut up, but...
"Do you like pineapple, Li-kun?" Eriol gracefully raised his hand and placed a piece of pineapple in Syaoran's open mouth at the perfect moment.
In surprise, Syaoran immediately closed his mouth the moment when the tangy fruit touched his tongue. His lips unintentionally closed down on the tip of Eriol's index finger and even his teeth managed to clamp down on it.
All right, now THIS managed to get a reaction out of the poised gray-eyed mage. Eriol blinked, not expecting THAT to happen. His index fingertip was caught in the brown-haired wolf's mouth and he...well...they simply froze. Though Eriol was quite surprised, he couldn't miss the feeling of Syaoran's teeth gently clamped down on his finger like that of a playful puppy; also, he couldn't possibly ignore the sensual feeling of Syaoran's warm tongue pressed his fingertip...
The two boys just stared at each other. Syaoran's eyes were wide with shock; while Eriol's eyes looked cool and calm, but his mouth was slightly open, betraying his own surprise.
"Saa, are you boys done with your fruit salad?" Katsuga-sensei suddenly popped in front of their countertop table, her eyes closed in happy crescents.
Syaoran and Eriol immediately moved back from each other. Eriol pulled his hand away and casually folded his hands onto his lap as he shifted himself to look forward; his habitual calm smile automatically came into place.
As for Syaoran...well, he was a different story...
~ -t-b-c- ~
-Black Poe's ramble-
I like EriolSyaoran stories...a lot. So, the future scenes in this story...will be a little less than innocent. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED – unless you did the logic thing and ignored my rambling.
I will try to make this a funny story...but I believe I have the worst (boring, boring, boring) sense of humor—so this story will be kind of strange. Maybe even kinky. Well, Eriol IS a main character in this story...so, yes, it probably will be kinky...certainly not a bad thing in my opinion.
Please leave your thoughts by e-mail or review, either is very welcome and very appreciated!
-Glossary-
Ohayo gozaimasu – Good Morning
Saa – Well
tbc – to be continued (okay...I know this is not Japanese, but I thought I might as well take up some space.)