A/N: Grrrr! I just lost my entire writing binder so all and I mean all of my stories have the next chappies missing. Luckily I was able to pull most of this one together but I am still unhappy. SO I hope you guys enjoy it. If anyone wants to bestow some kind words feel free.
Chapter 3
Two Households Alike in Dignity …But Full of Crazy People
"I'm home!" Sakura shouted as she entered the Kinomoto house dumping her backpack on the floor as she went to the living room. Inside were her brother Toya and his best friend Yukito, both currently enrolled in the local college.
"Hey monster," Toya teased. "Planning on scaring away any intruders with that roar?"
"Nah. Just hoping to frighten off moronic siblings." Sakura countered.
"I think you need a brain scan squirt. You only have one sibling." Toya commented.
Sakura replied with haughty smile, "See? It's working already. You're just a stubborn idiot, but soon enough you'll leave."
Yukito chuckled at the usual encounter between the brother and sister. "Hi Sakura."
"H-Hey Yuki." Sakura stuttered slightly, feeling that familiar warm glow fill her body when her green eyes met his clear gray ones. She hoped she wasn't blushing as her brother resisted the temptation to roll his eyes.
"How was your first day as a senior?" Yukito questioned with a gentle smile. Sakura could have died from happiness. He always cared to know what was going on in her life and that consideration broadened the smile already on her lips, that is if that was possible.
"Well I got the lead in the school play."
"Congratulations! Isn't that great Toya?" He asked looking back at his friend seated on the couch. Toya merely grunted an indiscernible response.
"What play?"
"Romeo and Juliet. Would you like to come and see it?" Sakura asked silently praying for his acceptance as she nervously twisted her hands behind her back while shifting from foot to foot.
"I would love to." He smiled down at her his light eyes shining. Sakura nearly swooned and Toya thought he was going to gag. He knew his sister had had a crush on Yuki since the first day he'd brought him home for dinner one day back in high school. He'd thought she would have outgrown it by now but that was not the case.
Toya's harsh voice cut through her reveries, "Wait. I thought you said you were going to be the Nurse."
"I was going to try out for it but Ms. Trinke for some unknown reason made me Juliet." Sakura answered wondering what was upsetting her brother.
"So who's Romeo then?" Yukito asked seeming slight curious.
"That's what I wanna know!" Toya exclaimed bearing down on Sakura, his dark eyes searching like a hawk. Ah, that explains it. It's shelter baby Sakura time. I am not a kid anymore. He's the one who needs to grow up. Sakura scoffed.
Sakura prayed that Toya had a short memory as she hesitantly said the name of her partner, "Syaoran Li."
"WHAT! That brat!!!" Toya bellowed in outrage. I guess he still remembers. "He better not lay a hand on you! Or I swear I will tear him limb from limb and feed him to the…to the…or I will eat him myself!" Ewwww, gross!
"Toya, I think that request or wish will be impossible to follow." Yukito said gently as if soothing the savage beast while trying to make him see the light.
"Why?" Toya barked out.
"Well Romeo and Juliet are lovers. They have to touch and at some point even kiss on stage."
Sakura froze at his words. Kiss?!? I have to kiss Syaoran?!? Somehow in this whole odd situation it hadn't occurred to her that Romeo and Juliet kiss, she'd only been remembering the whole love and suicide thing not the actual actions it entailed. That means my first kiss is not to be with Yuki, as she had dreamed, but rather with…..Syaoran Li. He will take my first kiss and it is not like it will mean anything to him with all his girlfriends and willing followers who throw themselves at his feet. He doesn't deserve my first. Sakura's mind rambled on and on with shock and dismay that her first kiss would be for a play and with such a loathsome guy.
Sakura barely noticed as her feet carried her to the stairs slowly leading her to her room.
"This is unacceptable!" Toya continued to rant following he to the stairs. "My baby sister is too young and innocent and naive for any of that!"
Those stinging reminders of how inexperienced she was only furthered to remind her of what she was going to lose to the detestable Syaoran Li. Besides, she was nearly an adult now, how she hated to be treated like a child. "Hey, hey look whose talking. You aren't so knowledgeable about the real world yourself! You're twenty two and still living at home with your father and sister!" She retorted.
The two glared for a moment then turned in opposite directions. Sakura to march the rest of the way to her room and Toya to storm back to the living room to Yukito.
Syaoran stalked into the Li mansion rather livid. His nerves had finally worn down after hearing about the play so much. He thought if one more word was mentioned about how actors tend to develop close relations when working together especially in a romantic play he would punch the person who said it. The insinuation that he would develop feelings for Sakura was preposterous. Fall in love indeed! He scoffed.
"Something wrong Syaoran?" His mother Yelan asked, slightly concerned at her son's show in temper.
"It's nothing mother." Syaoran said with a sigh letting some of his anger leave with the exhale.
"That's not what we heard!" Two voices chimed from the hallway. Two of his sisters appeared from out of nowhere, probably hiding in wait, grinning like mad. They knew something.
"Little brother has a secret." Fuutie stated to their mother.
"And we know what it is." Sheifa gloated.
Syaoran did not like the direction this conversation was heading. "Oh look at the time. I am so beat. First day of school and all. I think I'll go to my room and rest." He headed swiftly for the stairs but was not quick enough.
"Aw, little Syaoran is shy. You know you will have to work on that if you are going to be on stage." Fuutie teased.
"Syaoran is to be onstage?" Yelan questioned.
"Yes. He got the lead in the school play Romeo and Juliet." Sheifa informed their mother who swelled with pride.
"How did you find this out?" Syaoran demeaned, his tone a mix of annoyance and shock bordering on a growl and a whine.
"Well I heard it from Sally whose boyfriend heard from his grandmother who heard it from the local grocer whose children go to your school so heard it from people in the play." Fuutie proudly announced while Syaoran simply stared unsure of whether to balk at this chain of information or to be impressed by it.
"That's not even all of it mother," Sheifa squealed. "Guess who is playing Juliet?"
"You know I don't think mother will remember," Syaoran said trying to intervene.
"Remember who? Who is it?" Yelan questioned.
"SAKURA KINOMOTO!" Both sisters shrieked in delight.
"My my fate works in mysterious ways now doesn't it." Yelan murmured a smile spreading on her face.
Syaoran did not even want to try and guess what that smile meant for he feared he would not like the answer. But it was definitely clear his mother remembered who that girl was and it become just as clear it was time for him to leave. So Syaoran hightailed it out of there but not before the sisters and mother saw the faint tinge that had appeared on his cheeks as he remembered his childhood crush.
Sakura made her way to the theater the next morning noticing the students milling about its doors. They were looking at the cast list as groans and cheers were scattered about their numbers.
Meiling emerged from the crowd smiling wryly and shaking her head to and fro as she approached Sakura.
"So what part did you get?" Sakura questioned wondering at Meiling's questionable reaction. Is it good or bad?
"Apparently there are to be a few gender changes since there are not that many female roles." Meiling then added a little dramatic pause. "I am to be Benvolio, Romeo's cousin," She giggled slightly at the humor of it.
"A cousin in life, a cousin on stage," A voice behind Sakura stated. She turned to find Eriol and a very eager looking Tomoyo.
"So who are we to be?" Tomoyo asked her voice filled with confidence.
Meiling hesitated signaling trouble was headed their way. Sakura had a feeling Tomoyo was gonna have a melt down or fit of some sort from the way that Meiling was acting. "Well Eriol," she began starting off with the easier one, "You are to be Mercutio and Tomoyo…well you are to be… the Nurse."
"WHAT!" Tomoyo then flew into a storm of rants and raves dispelling her negative views from the nun-like costume to the threat of a body suit. Finally Eriol managed to soothe her by reminding her that she was the costume designer and would be able to tailor the costume to her liking.
"Oh how silly of me," Tomoyo said lightly and headed toward the theater as the three friends stood there staring. Even after years of seeing these mood swings they could not help but still be shocked.
As they made their way toward the list Sakura mentally chuckled over the irony of the situation. Just a day ago she had thought that Tomoyo would be the one smooching on stage while she would be the one cracking the sex jokes. Funny how easily things pulled a switch on them.
A few weeks had gone by. Nothing to eventful or shocking had occurred since the posting of the cast list and the gossip grape vines had been rather dry of late as no juicy gossip about the play could be invented. At least for the moment, that is.
The class had spent the time learning about Shakespeare and the play itself. Before going into characters and working on blocking and breaking the play down into its pieces, Ms. Trinke felt it was important to be grounded in the play itself. So it could be the base to draw upon for all the other pieces.
When she felt that this was thoroughly accomplished she presented a challenge to several of the actors, mainly Sakura and Syaoran.
The two stood before their teacher wary of the announcement she was about to make. Ms. Trinke cleared her throat, "Ahem. Being involved in a production is all about making sacrifices for the good of the show. And the two of you need to be willing to give your all to this play being the main focus of it. I want you to start on the basics of your characters tomorrow. I don't even mean what they are like or any of that. I mean the basic basics. We will begin with a change in clothing. Sakura, Juliet belonged to a time where skirts were all they wore. Now don't give me that look. It won't be that hard. You just need to get used to wearing more feminine clothing, to be more like a girl." Sakura bristled as these remarks. Syaoran struggled to restrain his laughter but soon found his assignment to be just as disagreeable. "As for you Mr. Romeo in the time of Verona one would go about the streets always armed. So you shall carry this around with you for a full day every week to be accustomed to moving with a sword at you waist." Syaoran examined the dinky plastic sword she handed him along with its imitation leather holder.
"There will be more challenges for you to bear but one step at a time, one step at a time." And with that she left a very unhappy looking pair of teens. Looks like being lead is not all its cracked up to be.