Hey guys! I'm really pleased with the reviews I got! ^^ Here's the
replies/thanks:
BIT!- Thank u so much! ^^
Cherryblossomprincess- Thanx! ^~ I know this wasn't the fastest update you've ever seen, but I hope u continue to read it.
SweetBabyGurl- Wow, I'm really flattered by your review! Not only was it the longest one I got, it was extremely nice of you to praise this story so kindly! As for their personalities, well, Syaoran's kinda in between, but he might start leaning in one direction soon. And yes, I would love some ideas! I think you'd do a fine job writing a story like this! And if you ever decide to, I promise I'll review!
Garfunkelzsnugglebunny- She won't meet someone at the party, but someone will be there...and thanks to you, I have a new idea to put in one of the later chapters! Thanks!
Candyland- Indeed. But, it'll get better. She deserves happiness in life, ne?
I'm glad to know this story isn't a total failure. The last chapter was basically about Sakura, her past, etc., and it was from her P.O.V., so this chapter is about Syaoran, his past, etc. , and it's in his P.O.V.
Also, I think I forgot to mention it, but the key and disclaimer will apply to every chapter throughout the story! ^^ Cuz it's gets annoying typing the same thing over and over and it just delays the story being written........kinda like this author's note is doing right now, so I'll get on with it.
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Syaoran- The Lone Wolf
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~~~Li Mansion~~~#$Syaoran P.O.V.#$
'148,149,150! Done.' Was my relief-bringing thought as I let the heavy sword drop from my aching arms and make a 'clang' sound as it hit the floor.
I quickly looked around to make sure nobody had seen me. I knew what happened if I dropped the sword so carelessly in front of an elder....
A few weeks ago, I had been training, but I was getting tired, so I had stupidly thrown the sword down, unaware that Mother and one of my elder Uncles were watching, keeping a safe distance so they didn't disturb me.
But, after they had seen that, they immediately came out of their hiding place yelling, scaring the hell out of me.
So that I remembered never to drop a sword so foolishly again, they had punished me with 200 swings with the heaviest sword and stayed until I was done. Of course, this resulted in a very sore, very tired arm.
Of course, that had taught me a very important lesson: Make sure no one's watching if your going to drop a sword.
It's not that I didn't know that. I'd heard reasons about why I shouldn't millions of times. Ya know, the usual, you could accidentally amputate your foot, or something stupid like that.
But I've been in training for sword fighting, martial arts, and let's not forget education, the key to the future (yeah....sure), for basically my whole life. All 15 years of it.
And it got pretty tiring. I needed something new.
It's hard to explain how I feel. It's like you want to do something, but you kind of don't? For example, smoke. Even if you say you don't, admit it, you're curious. You don't want to because you know it's not good for you, but on the other hand, you want to know what it's like.
That's sort of how I felt. I wanted to go somewhere else, but I was nervous. What would happen if I went outside of the boundaries that I'd grown up in? Would I be shunned, or known as a loner as I am here? Or would I find a whole new world?
I'd probably never know. I was scheduled to rule over the Li clan when I was of age and our current leader, my mother, thought I was ready. When that responsibility was passed to me, I was also supposed to wed my cousin, Meiling.
Unless I find someone else. Don't get me wrong, Meiling's a great cousin, but she's just a little........
"SHAORAN!" was the only warning I got before Meiling flung herself onto my back and wrapped my neck in the iron grip of her arms.
"There you are, sweetheart! I've been looking all over for you! Why don't you come and have some tea with me outside today, huh?"
As I was saying, she's a little weird, not to mention her personality reminds me slightly of a leech.
I sighed. "Meiling, maybe another time. I'm about to meditate."
"That's what you always say! And then you only meditate for like, what, 5 seconds?!"
"Usually at least 30 minutes."
She pouted. "I know you dropped your sword again! I'll tell the elders if you don't have tea with me!"
I gave her the smoothest smile I could. "You wouldn't REALLY do that, would you?"
She faltered a little. "I guess not. But promise you'll have tea with me soon!"
"Fine."
She then let out a bright, happy smile. "Then I shall see you later, my darling!" and ran off.
She was also on the moody side. I slowly sat down on the floor and tried to clear my mind.
But I still couldn't get the nagging thought out of my head about going somewhere new.
Then, I heard footsteps approaching me. I opened one eye and saw the butler, Wei, standing there with an envelope in hand and a hesitant look on his face.
"What is it, Wei?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Shaoran-sama, but I just thought you'd like to see the letter your cousin has written you."
"You mean Meiling's writing me love letters now?" I said with a frown. 'That is not good.'
Weit chuckled deeply and shook his head. "No, your cousin Eriol has written you from Japan."
That was just so much better. Ok.......Eriol WAS actually better than Meiling, but not by much. He was calmer, more relaxed, and even slightly mysterious. But he just LOVED teasing me in all the twisted ways he could find.
"Oh, goody." I spoke flatly, taking the letter and giving the outside a quick glance before ripping it open.
"Is there anything else you need?"
I shook my head. "No, thank you."
Wei bowed slightly and walked swiftly out of the room.
After he had left, I took the letter out, and a picture poked up out of the envelope. I quirked an eyebrow and decided to look at it after I read the letter.
It read:
"Dear Syaoran,
Hope your doing well in Hong Kong, along with the elders and Meiling. I thought I'd write and tell you how it's going here in Japan. I'm currently attending the local school in the town of Tomoeda, near Tokyo. It's a nice town, with an amusement park, tons of shops, and a friendly atmosphere. I think you'd like it, it'd be a nice change from Hong Kong.
I've made quite a few good friends, and there's even a girl I'm growing particularly fond of. Her name's Daidouji Tomoyo. Does the name sound familiar? Her mom, Daidouji Sonomi is the owner of the Toy Company that made all those cute toys you used to play with when you were little.
Enclosed is a picture of me with some of my friends from school. From the left: Rika, Naoko, Yamazaki, Chiharu, me (don't you think I look great?), Tomoyo, and the one looking away from the camera with that angry expression is Tomoyo's best friend, Sakura. I think you 2 would get along quite well.
Everyone's curious about you since I told them I was sending a picture to my cousin, and they'd love to meet you. So, please don't hesitate to come and see us!
You could stay with me, I'd be glad for the company. It's pretty much a ghost town when Nakuru's out, and she comes and goes rather randomly at all, and I mean ALL hours of the day. You ought to come and stay for a year, like I'm doing. It's much less boring than I make it sound. Hope to hear from you soon! (and take care!)
Regards,
Eriol Hiriigizawa."
I looked down and scanned the picture, matching the names with the faces. Eriol actually didn't look great, he looked horrible. Well, not really, I'm just saying that out of spite.
'Hmm. Tomoyo looks nice. And I finally have blackmail, after all these years!' Then I stopped to study the Sakura girl that Eriol said I'd get along with.
She, like the others, was wearing the school uniform, but she certainly stood out. She had long auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail, black eye shadow, and black boots instead of dress shoes, like the other girls in the picture. But her most striking feature was her rare emerald green eyes.
'Seems like an interesting girl.' I thought to myself.
And that's when it hit me.
My eyes widened as I repeated the written words in the letter over in my head.
'I think you'd like it, it's a nice change from Hong Kong.'
'So, please don't hesitate to come and see us!'
'You could stay with me, I'd be glad for the company.'
'You ought to come and stay for a year, like I'm doing.'
I grinned as all the pieces fit into place in my mind.
I could stay with Eriol, which would be good, since the guardian we sent with him, Nakuru, happened to be a bubbly teenage girl that wasn't exactly the most responsible in the world. She made sure he ate and had enough money for groceries or whatever he needed, but after that, she went her own way and left Eriol to fend for himself.
While I was staying at Eriol's, I could study at the high school, and I'd be experiencing something new at the same time!
'Oh, Eriol, for once, I'm glad your related to me.' I thought with a grin.
I tucked the letter and photo back into the envelope, then walked briskly out of the room to find mother.
After looking around for a while, I found her in the gardens with one of the elders, checking the roses.
"Mother!" I called out to her, then bowed shortly to the elder as I approached. "Sir."
I was given a swift nod and a questioning look from my mother. "Is there something you need, Shaoran?"
"I request that you let me stay with Eriol and study in Japan."
They both seemed surprised at my blunt statement. Finally, mother spoke up. "Well, I don't see why not. It'd be good for you to have more travel in your life. As long as Eriol is accepting of it. Why the sudden interest?"
"Well, it just sounded really fun in his letter."
"Letter?"
I took out the letter and let her scan it quickly, until she gave a small, approving nod.
"I see. Well, I suppose, you may go. I'll have Wei inform the school of your transfer, and I'll have you talk to Eriol about any other arrangements. However, I expect your grades to stay as high as they are now, no slacking!"
"Yes, mother."
"Good. You may go."
"Yes, mother."
I immediately went to put in the call to Eriol.
A cheerful voice picked up halfway through the first ring. "HELLO! Is this Eriol's girlfriend?!"
I blanched at the thought. "No."
"Oh. Who is this?"
"Syaoran."
"Oh, hey Shaoran! Did you get Eriol's letter?!"
"Yes. Can I talk to him?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"He's busy dreaming about To-moyoooooooooooo." She said, dragging out the 'o' like a little girl does when she's teasing her friend about their crush.
"Nakuru! Give.Me.That.Phone!"
"No!"
"Give it to me, damn you!"
"You said a bad word!"
"Shut up! Is that Tomoyo?"
"Yep!"
I heard a scuffling noise and some strangled noises. "I bet there's some left over sweets in the kitchen!"
I heard some running footsteps, and a large sigh. Then Eriol's voice came over the phone. "I'm sorry about that, Tomoyo. She's crazy! I swear it. I hope my cousin takes the hint in the letter and comes to stay with me. I'm about to go insane. You remember my cousin, right? The one I told you about? That would be good for Sakura?"
"Uh, this is he."
"Syaoran? But, Nakuru just-oh, damn, must she ALWAYS do that?!"
"Right. Look, I took the hint. Didn't know you were so desperate though."
"I am and I'm not afraid to admit it."
"Great." I said flatly. "Well, mother says it's fine, and Wei's checking with the school about the transfer. So, now the only problem left is......"
"Meiling?"
"Yeah."
"Well, good luck with that. Call me back after you get more info."
And right before the phone clicked off, I heard him laughing in the background. I scowled at the phone before dropping it harshly into its cradle. 'Stupid Eriol.'
I sighed deeply, then went off to go find Meiling. I didn't have to go far, because I found her sitting the main room, sipping tea and flipping through a magazine calmly.
"Meiling?" I asked timidly.
Her head snapped up so fast that I was sure she'd have whiplash. "Shaoran! Did you finally come to have tea with me?!"
I walked over and pulled one of the cushioned chairs up in front of the table she was sitting at. "Yeah. Meiling, there's something I need to talk to you about."
She grinned, pouring me a cup of tea. "Sure! Is something troubling you, my darling?"
I forced myself to meet Meiling's curious gaze and smiling face. Even if she was clingy and very odd, she was still my cousin, and I loved her as just that.
Her smile slowly faded and her expression became serious. "Something really is wrong, isn't it?"
"Sorta. Meiling, I-I can't beat around the bush for this. I'm going to study in Japan with Eriol for a year, maybe more."
She smiled suddenly. "Oh, is that all?"
I blinked rapidly. 'She's certainly taking this better than I expected.' I gave a small smile back. "I'm glad your so accepting about this."
"I'll just go with you!"
'Oh, I get it now.' I frowned and shook my head. "Meiling, you can't go with me."
"Sure, I can! I'm sure Aunt Yelan won't mind!"
"Meiling, that's not why you can't go."
She looked at me stubbornly. "Then, why CAN'T I go?"
"I don't want you to."
"Oh." She spoke quietly.
"Don't take it the wrong way! It's just that, this is something I want to do for myself."
"I see. Well, if that's how you feel.....um, when are you leaving?"
"I'm not sure yet. Probably sometime within the next week."
"So, you'll be gone by next Sunday?"
"Yeah."
"Well, since you're here, how about a cup of tea before you leave us?" she smiled weakly, holding out a cup of tea with trembling hands.
I took it and sipped it quietly, letting Meiling take her time to speak again.
Then, I heard rapid footsteps, and Wei stepped into the room. "Shaoran- sama, I've sent the forms for your transfer to the Tomoeda school."
"Thank you, Wei."
"Your very welcome, Sir. I've also reserved a flight to Tokyo for you tomorrow, so I would suggest you call your cousin and begin packing."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes. It leaves at 8 in the evening. Is that a problem?"
"No, that'll be fine. What time will it arrive in Tomoeda?"
"It's estimated to be around 10 am. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, thank you."
"Very well." He bowed and walked out of the room.
"So, your leaving tomorrow?" came Meiling's quiet voice.
"Looks like it."
"Hm."
"I think I'm gonna go call Eriol and tell him, okay?"
She just nodded, with her eyes cast down. I had to wonder when the last time was that she'd been so quiet.
I slipped out of the uncomfortable room quickly and went straight to the phone in the study. I pressed redial and held the phone up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey Eriol."
A sigh of relief was heard. "Good. I thought it was Nakuru calling."
"But, I thought she was home?"
"Remember how I said 'random hours'?"
"Oh. I see. Well, Wei has sent my forms to the school, and I've got flight reservations tomorrow. We'll get there around 10, so make sure Nakuru knows, so that I'm not stuck at the airport for a long time."
"Okay. I might have a few friends stop by so you can meet some people after I get back from school."
"Oh, that's right. It's a school day for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I'm sure they'd love to come meet you."
"Alright. Am I gonna have to share a room with you?"
"No, unfortunately." He paused long enough to hear me snicker in the background. "Something funny?"
"No."
"Hmm....right. Well, anyways, as I was saying, Nakuru just sleeps on the couch most nights, and she uses the linen closet to keep her clothes in, just so you know. One time, I went to go get a knew pillowcase and instead came upon...well, you get it."
"Thanks for the warning. So, basically, what your trying to say is that the room that Nakuru was supposed to take, isn't used, so it's mine?"
"Yes."
"Sounds fine. I'll see you on Tuesday." (a/n- I don't know if I mentioned it, but the current day is Sunday, in case your confused!)
"You too. Bye."
Then I hung up with a sigh. 'Well, time to get packing.'
So, I hauled my ass up the stairs and dragged out the biggest suitcase I could find, along with a smaller backpack for music and books, and got to packing, but about ¾ of the way through, I fell straight asleep.
~~~The next morning~~~~
I slowly opened my eyes and came face to face with something that was dark green and soft.
I sleepily propped myself up and saw that the object was a pair of boxers. 'Did I somehow fall asleep in the underwear drawer?' I wondered half- asleep.
Then it came back to me. Packing for Tomoeda wasn't a dream. I lanced over at the clock. 11:38. I had been out for a while.
Then I heard a giggle from the door. Now, I may have been hardly awake, but I was still pretty sure they didn't giggle. "Meiling?"
She poked her head in the door. "Sorry. You just looked so funny, sleeping with your face in your boxers! I couldn't stop laughing long enough to wake you."
"Wow, that's so kind."
"Sorry. Do you need any help?"
"Um...sure, if you want to."
"Yeah. I do. I mean, I'm not gonna see you for a long time, so I want to spend as much time with you as I can."
I smiled gently. "Then grab a shirt and let's get going!"
She nodded, and we started packing before I realized something. "Don't you have school today?"
"Well, yes, but I snuck back to stay with you."
"The elders are gonna be mad if they find out."
"I don't care." She snapped. "This is the last day I'm going to see you for a long time!"
"Ok, ok. Calm down. You can stay."
She nodded her 'thanks', and put another shirt in my suitcase.
~~~6 hours later~~~
"That was exhausting. I didn't know you had so many clothes, Darling!"
After a few hours of peace, Meiling had reverted back to her normal self and was currently chattering excitedly over a cup of green tea.
"Neither did I. I think I'll take my sweet time to unpack it all once I get to Tomoeda."
"Good idea."
"Shaoran-sama, I hate to interrupt your conversation, but the car taking you to the ariport is waiting outside for you."
"I'll be there in a minute. Are the bags loaded?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you."
Wei got the message, and walked out, leaving Meiling and I alone.
She set her cup of tea down. "I guess this is goodbye. Well, don't forget to write, and call sometimes, okay?"
"I won't. Meiling, I'll miss you, I really will-"
She shook her head and a little tear slipped from her eye. "Don't make this more painful."
And with that said, she pulled me into a suffocating hug. I hugged her back for a while, until Wei came in and told me we needed to leave quickly.
I stepped away from Meiling and smiled. "See ya."
"Yeah..." was her whispered reply as she turned her back to me and headed towards the staircase.
I sighed, then walked out to the car, where Wei stood, with the door open. "Do have a good time, Shaoran-sama."
I smiled and waved weakly. "Take care of your self, Wei."
"I will, sir, thank you."
After he shut the door, he walked into the house and I looked forward out the windshield into the darkened sky.
After about an hour, we reached the airport, and after dropping my bags off, the driver bid me goodbye, and I was on my own for the rest of the way.
At the gate, I was greeted by one of the ever-smiling flight attendants, who wished me a good flight. I nodded in response and walked onto the plane.
A few minutes later, we took off into the darkened sky. I took a deep breath and looked out the window at my home for the past 15 years. I was caught between feeling sad and being thrilled to leave. I finally decided that I should be thrilled. I'd have time to 'mourn' later.
So, I took one last look out the window before slipping on headphones to listen to music.
'Goodbye, Hong Kong'.
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Well, the 2nd chapter wasn't nearly as dark as the last one, but hopefully, it was at least a slight tearjerker. That's what I was aiming for, but it turned out more lighthearted than I'd originally planned. Anyways, drop me a review and tell me what you think! Til' next time! ^^
BIT!- Thank u so much! ^^
Cherryblossomprincess- Thanx! ^~ I know this wasn't the fastest update you've ever seen, but I hope u continue to read it.
SweetBabyGurl- Wow, I'm really flattered by your review! Not only was it the longest one I got, it was extremely nice of you to praise this story so kindly! As for their personalities, well, Syaoran's kinda in between, but he might start leaning in one direction soon. And yes, I would love some ideas! I think you'd do a fine job writing a story like this! And if you ever decide to, I promise I'll review!
Garfunkelzsnugglebunny- She won't meet someone at the party, but someone will be there...and thanks to you, I have a new idea to put in one of the later chapters! Thanks!
Candyland- Indeed. But, it'll get better. She deserves happiness in life, ne?
I'm glad to know this story isn't a total failure. The last chapter was basically about Sakura, her past, etc., and it was from her P.O.V., so this chapter is about Syaoran, his past, etc. , and it's in his P.O.V.
Also, I think I forgot to mention it, but the key and disclaimer will apply to every chapter throughout the story! ^^ Cuz it's gets annoying typing the same thing over and over and it just delays the story being written........kinda like this author's note is doing right now, so I'll get on with it.
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Syaoran- The Lone Wolf
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~~~Li Mansion~~~#$Syaoran P.O.V.#$
'148,149,150! Done.' Was my relief-bringing thought as I let the heavy sword drop from my aching arms and make a 'clang' sound as it hit the floor.
I quickly looked around to make sure nobody had seen me. I knew what happened if I dropped the sword so carelessly in front of an elder....
A few weeks ago, I had been training, but I was getting tired, so I had stupidly thrown the sword down, unaware that Mother and one of my elder Uncles were watching, keeping a safe distance so they didn't disturb me.
But, after they had seen that, they immediately came out of their hiding place yelling, scaring the hell out of me.
So that I remembered never to drop a sword so foolishly again, they had punished me with 200 swings with the heaviest sword and stayed until I was done. Of course, this resulted in a very sore, very tired arm.
Of course, that had taught me a very important lesson: Make sure no one's watching if your going to drop a sword.
It's not that I didn't know that. I'd heard reasons about why I shouldn't millions of times. Ya know, the usual, you could accidentally amputate your foot, or something stupid like that.
But I've been in training for sword fighting, martial arts, and let's not forget education, the key to the future (yeah....sure), for basically my whole life. All 15 years of it.
And it got pretty tiring. I needed something new.
It's hard to explain how I feel. It's like you want to do something, but you kind of don't? For example, smoke. Even if you say you don't, admit it, you're curious. You don't want to because you know it's not good for you, but on the other hand, you want to know what it's like.
That's sort of how I felt. I wanted to go somewhere else, but I was nervous. What would happen if I went outside of the boundaries that I'd grown up in? Would I be shunned, or known as a loner as I am here? Or would I find a whole new world?
I'd probably never know. I was scheduled to rule over the Li clan when I was of age and our current leader, my mother, thought I was ready. When that responsibility was passed to me, I was also supposed to wed my cousin, Meiling.
Unless I find someone else. Don't get me wrong, Meiling's a great cousin, but she's just a little........
"SHAORAN!" was the only warning I got before Meiling flung herself onto my back and wrapped my neck in the iron grip of her arms.
"There you are, sweetheart! I've been looking all over for you! Why don't you come and have some tea with me outside today, huh?"
As I was saying, she's a little weird, not to mention her personality reminds me slightly of a leech.
I sighed. "Meiling, maybe another time. I'm about to meditate."
"That's what you always say! And then you only meditate for like, what, 5 seconds?!"
"Usually at least 30 minutes."
She pouted. "I know you dropped your sword again! I'll tell the elders if you don't have tea with me!"
I gave her the smoothest smile I could. "You wouldn't REALLY do that, would you?"
She faltered a little. "I guess not. But promise you'll have tea with me soon!"
"Fine."
She then let out a bright, happy smile. "Then I shall see you later, my darling!" and ran off.
She was also on the moody side. I slowly sat down on the floor and tried to clear my mind.
But I still couldn't get the nagging thought out of my head about going somewhere new.
Then, I heard footsteps approaching me. I opened one eye and saw the butler, Wei, standing there with an envelope in hand and a hesitant look on his face.
"What is it, Wei?"
"I'm sorry to disturb you, Shaoran-sama, but I just thought you'd like to see the letter your cousin has written you."
"You mean Meiling's writing me love letters now?" I said with a frown. 'That is not good.'
Weit chuckled deeply and shook his head. "No, your cousin Eriol has written you from Japan."
That was just so much better. Ok.......Eriol WAS actually better than Meiling, but not by much. He was calmer, more relaxed, and even slightly mysterious. But he just LOVED teasing me in all the twisted ways he could find.
"Oh, goody." I spoke flatly, taking the letter and giving the outside a quick glance before ripping it open.
"Is there anything else you need?"
I shook my head. "No, thank you."
Wei bowed slightly and walked swiftly out of the room.
After he had left, I took the letter out, and a picture poked up out of the envelope. I quirked an eyebrow and decided to look at it after I read the letter.
It read:
"Dear Syaoran,
Hope your doing well in Hong Kong, along with the elders and Meiling. I thought I'd write and tell you how it's going here in Japan. I'm currently attending the local school in the town of Tomoeda, near Tokyo. It's a nice town, with an amusement park, tons of shops, and a friendly atmosphere. I think you'd like it, it'd be a nice change from Hong Kong.
I've made quite a few good friends, and there's even a girl I'm growing particularly fond of. Her name's Daidouji Tomoyo. Does the name sound familiar? Her mom, Daidouji Sonomi is the owner of the Toy Company that made all those cute toys you used to play with when you were little.
Enclosed is a picture of me with some of my friends from school. From the left: Rika, Naoko, Yamazaki, Chiharu, me (don't you think I look great?), Tomoyo, and the one looking away from the camera with that angry expression is Tomoyo's best friend, Sakura. I think you 2 would get along quite well.
Everyone's curious about you since I told them I was sending a picture to my cousin, and they'd love to meet you. So, please don't hesitate to come and see us!
You could stay with me, I'd be glad for the company. It's pretty much a ghost town when Nakuru's out, and she comes and goes rather randomly at all, and I mean ALL hours of the day. You ought to come and stay for a year, like I'm doing. It's much less boring than I make it sound. Hope to hear from you soon! (and take care!)
Regards,
Eriol Hiriigizawa."
I looked down and scanned the picture, matching the names with the faces. Eriol actually didn't look great, he looked horrible. Well, not really, I'm just saying that out of spite.
'Hmm. Tomoyo looks nice. And I finally have blackmail, after all these years!' Then I stopped to study the Sakura girl that Eriol said I'd get along with.
She, like the others, was wearing the school uniform, but she certainly stood out. She had long auburn hair pulled into a high ponytail, black eye shadow, and black boots instead of dress shoes, like the other girls in the picture. But her most striking feature was her rare emerald green eyes.
'Seems like an interesting girl.' I thought to myself.
And that's when it hit me.
My eyes widened as I repeated the written words in the letter over in my head.
'I think you'd like it, it's a nice change from Hong Kong.'
'So, please don't hesitate to come and see us!'
'You could stay with me, I'd be glad for the company.'
'You ought to come and stay for a year, like I'm doing.'
I grinned as all the pieces fit into place in my mind.
I could stay with Eriol, which would be good, since the guardian we sent with him, Nakuru, happened to be a bubbly teenage girl that wasn't exactly the most responsible in the world. She made sure he ate and had enough money for groceries or whatever he needed, but after that, she went her own way and left Eriol to fend for himself.
While I was staying at Eriol's, I could study at the high school, and I'd be experiencing something new at the same time!
'Oh, Eriol, for once, I'm glad your related to me.' I thought with a grin.
I tucked the letter and photo back into the envelope, then walked briskly out of the room to find mother.
After looking around for a while, I found her in the gardens with one of the elders, checking the roses.
"Mother!" I called out to her, then bowed shortly to the elder as I approached. "Sir."
I was given a swift nod and a questioning look from my mother. "Is there something you need, Shaoran?"
"I request that you let me stay with Eriol and study in Japan."
They both seemed surprised at my blunt statement. Finally, mother spoke up. "Well, I don't see why not. It'd be good for you to have more travel in your life. As long as Eriol is accepting of it. Why the sudden interest?"
"Well, it just sounded really fun in his letter."
"Letter?"
I took out the letter and let her scan it quickly, until she gave a small, approving nod.
"I see. Well, I suppose, you may go. I'll have Wei inform the school of your transfer, and I'll have you talk to Eriol about any other arrangements. However, I expect your grades to stay as high as they are now, no slacking!"
"Yes, mother."
"Good. You may go."
"Yes, mother."
I immediately went to put in the call to Eriol.
A cheerful voice picked up halfway through the first ring. "HELLO! Is this Eriol's girlfriend?!"
I blanched at the thought. "No."
"Oh. Who is this?"
"Syaoran."
"Oh, hey Shaoran! Did you get Eriol's letter?!"
"Yes. Can I talk to him?"
"No!"
"Why not?"
"He's busy dreaming about To-moyoooooooooooo." She said, dragging out the 'o' like a little girl does when she's teasing her friend about their crush.
"Nakuru! Give.Me.That.Phone!"
"No!"
"Give it to me, damn you!"
"You said a bad word!"
"Shut up! Is that Tomoyo?"
"Yep!"
I heard a scuffling noise and some strangled noises. "I bet there's some left over sweets in the kitchen!"
I heard some running footsteps, and a large sigh. Then Eriol's voice came over the phone. "I'm sorry about that, Tomoyo. She's crazy! I swear it. I hope my cousin takes the hint in the letter and comes to stay with me. I'm about to go insane. You remember my cousin, right? The one I told you about? That would be good for Sakura?"
"Uh, this is he."
"Syaoran? But, Nakuru just-oh, damn, must she ALWAYS do that?!"
"Right. Look, I took the hint. Didn't know you were so desperate though."
"I am and I'm not afraid to admit it."
"Great." I said flatly. "Well, mother says it's fine, and Wei's checking with the school about the transfer. So, now the only problem left is......"
"Meiling?"
"Yeah."
"Well, good luck with that. Call me back after you get more info."
And right before the phone clicked off, I heard him laughing in the background. I scowled at the phone before dropping it harshly into its cradle. 'Stupid Eriol.'
I sighed deeply, then went off to go find Meiling. I didn't have to go far, because I found her sitting the main room, sipping tea and flipping through a magazine calmly.
"Meiling?" I asked timidly.
Her head snapped up so fast that I was sure she'd have whiplash. "Shaoran! Did you finally come to have tea with me?!"
I walked over and pulled one of the cushioned chairs up in front of the table she was sitting at. "Yeah. Meiling, there's something I need to talk to you about."
She grinned, pouring me a cup of tea. "Sure! Is something troubling you, my darling?"
I forced myself to meet Meiling's curious gaze and smiling face. Even if she was clingy and very odd, she was still my cousin, and I loved her as just that.
Her smile slowly faded and her expression became serious. "Something really is wrong, isn't it?"
"Sorta. Meiling, I-I can't beat around the bush for this. I'm going to study in Japan with Eriol for a year, maybe more."
She smiled suddenly. "Oh, is that all?"
I blinked rapidly. 'She's certainly taking this better than I expected.' I gave a small smile back. "I'm glad your so accepting about this."
"I'll just go with you!"
'Oh, I get it now.' I frowned and shook my head. "Meiling, you can't go with me."
"Sure, I can! I'm sure Aunt Yelan won't mind!"
"Meiling, that's not why you can't go."
She looked at me stubbornly. "Then, why CAN'T I go?"
"I don't want you to."
"Oh." She spoke quietly.
"Don't take it the wrong way! It's just that, this is something I want to do for myself."
"I see. Well, if that's how you feel.....um, when are you leaving?"
"I'm not sure yet. Probably sometime within the next week."
"So, you'll be gone by next Sunday?"
"Yeah."
"Well, since you're here, how about a cup of tea before you leave us?" she smiled weakly, holding out a cup of tea with trembling hands.
I took it and sipped it quietly, letting Meiling take her time to speak again.
Then, I heard rapid footsteps, and Wei stepped into the room. "Shaoran- sama, I've sent the forms for your transfer to the Tomoeda school."
"Thank you, Wei."
"Your very welcome, Sir. I've also reserved a flight to Tokyo for you tomorrow, so I would suggest you call your cousin and begin packing."
"Tomorrow?"
"Yes. It leaves at 8 in the evening. Is that a problem?"
"No, that'll be fine. What time will it arrive in Tomoeda?"
"It's estimated to be around 10 am. Is there anything else you need?"
"No, thank you."
"Very well." He bowed and walked out of the room.
"So, your leaving tomorrow?" came Meiling's quiet voice.
"Looks like it."
"Hm."
"I think I'm gonna go call Eriol and tell him, okay?"
She just nodded, with her eyes cast down. I had to wonder when the last time was that she'd been so quiet.
I slipped out of the uncomfortable room quickly and went straight to the phone in the study. I pressed redial and held the phone up to my ear.
"Hello?"
"Hey Eriol."
A sigh of relief was heard. "Good. I thought it was Nakuru calling."
"But, I thought she was home?"
"Remember how I said 'random hours'?"
"Oh. I see. Well, Wei has sent my forms to the school, and I've got flight reservations tomorrow. We'll get there around 10, so make sure Nakuru knows, so that I'm not stuck at the airport for a long time."
"Okay. I might have a few friends stop by so you can meet some people after I get back from school."
"Oh, that's right. It's a school day for you, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but I'm sure they'd love to come meet you."
"Alright. Am I gonna have to share a room with you?"
"No, unfortunately." He paused long enough to hear me snicker in the background. "Something funny?"
"No."
"Hmm....right. Well, anyways, as I was saying, Nakuru just sleeps on the couch most nights, and she uses the linen closet to keep her clothes in, just so you know. One time, I went to go get a knew pillowcase and instead came upon...well, you get it."
"Thanks for the warning. So, basically, what your trying to say is that the room that Nakuru was supposed to take, isn't used, so it's mine?"
"Yes."
"Sounds fine. I'll see you on Tuesday." (a/n- I don't know if I mentioned it, but the current day is Sunday, in case your confused!)
"You too. Bye."
Then I hung up with a sigh. 'Well, time to get packing.'
So, I hauled my ass up the stairs and dragged out the biggest suitcase I could find, along with a smaller backpack for music and books, and got to packing, but about ¾ of the way through, I fell straight asleep.
~~~The next morning~~~~
I slowly opened my eyes and came face to face with something that was dark green and soft.
I sleepily propped myself up and saw that the object was a pair of boxers. 'Did I somehow fall asleep in the underwear drawer?' I wondered half- asleep.
Then it came back to me. Packing for Tomoeda wasn't a dream. I lanced over at the clock. 11:38. I had been out for a while.
Then I heard a giggle from the door. Now, I may have been hardly awake, but I was still pretty sure they didn't giggle. "Meiling?"
She poked her head in the door. "Sorry. You just looked so funny, sleeping with your face in your boxers! I couldn't stop laughing long enough to wake you."
"Wow, that's so kind."
"Sorry. Do you need any help?"
"Um...sure, if you want to."
"Yeah. I do. I mean, I'm not gonna see you for a long time, so I want to spend as much time with you as I can."
I smiled gently. "Then grab a shirt and let's get going!"
She nodded, and we started packing before I realized something. "Don't you have school today?"
"Well, yes, but I snuck back to stay with you."
"The elders are gonna be mad if they find out."
"I don't care." She snapped. "This is the last day I'm going to see you for a long time!"
"Ok, ok. Calm down. You can stay."
She nodded her 'thanks', and put another shirt in my suitcase.
~~~6 hours later~~~
"That was exhausting. I didn't know you had so many clothes, Darling!"
After a few hours of peace, Meiling had reverted back to her normal self and was currently chattering excitedly over a cup of green tea.
"Neither did I. I think I'll take my sweet time to unpack it all once I get to Tomoeda."
"Good idea."
"Shaoran-sama, I hate to interrupt your conversation, but the car taking you to the ariport is waiting outside for you."
"I'll be there in a minute. Are the bags loaded?"
"Yes, sir."
"Thank you."
Wei got the message, and walked out, leaving Meiling and I alone.
She set her cup of tea down. "I guess this is goodbye. Well, don't forget to write, and call sometimes, okay?"
"I won't. Meiling, I'll miss you, I really will-"
She shook her head and a little tear slipped from her eye. "Don't make this more painful."
And with that said, she pulled me into a suffocating hug. I hugged her back for a while, until Wei came in and told me we needed to leave quickly.
I stepped away from Meiling and smiled. "See ya."
"Yeah..." was her whispered reply as she turned her back to me and headed towards the staircase.
I sighed, then walked out to the car, where Wei stood, with the door open. "Do have a good time, Shaoran-sama."
I smiled and waved weakly. "Take care of your self, Wei."
"I will, sir, thank you."
After he shut the door, he walked into the house and I looked forward out the windshield into the darkened sky.
After about an hour, we reached the airport, and after dropping my bags off, the driver bid me goodbye, and I was on my own for the rest of the way.
At the gate, I was greeted by one of the ever-smiling flight attendants, who wished me a good flight. I nodded in response and walked onto the plane.
A few minutes later, we took off into the darkened sky. I took a deep breath and looked out the window at my home for the past 15 years. I was caught between feeling sad and being thrilled to leave. I finally decided that I should be thrilled. I'd have time to 'mourn' later.
So, I took one last look out the window before slipping on headphones to listen to music.
'Goodbye, Hong Kong'.
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Well, the 2nd chapter wasn't nearly as dark as the last one, but hopefully, it was at least a slight tearjerker. That's what I was aiming for, but it turned out more lighthearted than I'd originally planned. Anyways, drop me a review and tell me what you think! Til' next time! ^^