Fountain of Age
Summary: AU. Syaoran and Eriol are on the trail of the Fountain of Youth... a trail that would lead them inevitably to Tomoeda... and Sakura...
Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captor Sakura. None of it: manga, anime, little plushie Keros; I own nothing.
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Chapter 4: In Transit...
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Nakuru was serving tea when Xiao Lang appeared with a book in his hand from the depths of the lower hallway.
"Tomoeda," was all he could say. "The Fountain of Youth is in Tomoeda, Japan!" He seemed thoroughly surprised at his own good luck.
"You found it?!" exclaimed Nakuru, and she bounded forward to examine the book herself. Xiao Lang held it open to the page with the drawing, and Nakuru read the note out loud, "'Try to find me in Tomoeda.'" She looked up at Eriol to see what he had to say.
Eriol sipped his tea solemnly before turning to address Xiao Lang's findings. "Tomoeda, Japan huh?" he said, between sips. "Tell me, do you know where that is?"
"Eriol!" Nakuru scolded.
"What?" Eriol looked surprised at his housekeeper's reaction. "I want to know if Xiao Lang knows where that is."
"I don't know," his cousin answered truthfully. Where was this Tomoeda, Japan? He glanced at Nakuru who seemed absolutely upset at her employer.
"Well, I'll tell you, even if Eriol doesn't want to," Nakuru said, casting Eriol a disappointed look. "It's a small town near Tokyo. I should know. All Eriol ever talks about is Tomoeda; he used to live there."
"Eriol used to live there?"
"A very long time ago," said his housekeeper. "Now, let me see that book." Xiao Lang handed it over, and she immediately flipped through the pages at lightning speed.
"So, how did you come up with the idea that the Fountain of Youth is in Tomoeda, Japan?" Eriol asked his relative.
His housekeeper interrupted. "There's a picture!" she gasped. "There's a picture of a fountain!" She shoved it in front of his face, causing the note to take flight.
"Yes, Nakuru, I see it," said Eriol, calmly. He was still drinking his tea. "Now let Xiao Lang answer the question."
"There's a caption!" Nakuru continued, almost deaf to Eriol's orders. She read it to him, interpreting it correctly and just brimming with excitement.
"Yes, yes." He stood up and started to clean the dining table. "But how did Xiao Lang come up with that answer, Nakuru? Let him speak."
"It was the note, Eriol, the note," said his cousin. "I'm sure it's talking about the fountain."
"What makes you think that?" asked Eriol. He stooped to pick up the note while he was heading for the kitchen sink. He paused while he read it, the china balancing in his other hand.
"The fountain is in Tomoeda, Eriol. It must be." Nakuru gazed at him expectantly. It struck Xiao Lang that she was practically begging his cousin to agree with her.
Eriol placed the china in the kitchen sink. The two breathlessly waited for his response. Xiao Lang felt utterly bewildered. It was as though it was Nakuru who was seeking the Fountain of Youth; not him. Once again, he felt overwhelmed by his cousin's forceful housekeeper.
Eriol turned to them, and grinned. "Fine. We're headed for Tomoeda."
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That night, Xiao Lang readied all of his things. There wasn't much to pack since he'd only been in England for one day and hadn't taken most of his stuff out in the first place. Everything that had happened had occurred so quickly, he was in shock. He couldn't believe his brain had been melting in the library just hours ago, and now Eriol was ordering tickets for a flight to Tokyo. That's right: Tickets. Plural.
"Nakuru and I are coming with you," Eriol had said, earlier that day, picking up a stuffed cat off the table in the hall. He led Xiao Lang to the large master bedroom the boy had seen earlier that morning and buried the cat into the depths of a black bag.
"Buh-buh-but, you don't have to!" protested Xiao Lang. Didn't Eriol call this hunt a waste of time?
His cousin just smiled, thoroughly amused. "It's all right. You should be glad we're coming with you, Xiao Lang. For one thing, you won't have to get a hotel. I have a house in Tomoeda we can use."
"You have a house in Tomoeda?" Xiao Lang asked incredulously. How could a fourteen year old own a house? Telling from his London house, Eriol was rich, but how rich? Xiao Lang, heir of the Li clan, didn't have a house of his own, and his family owned half of Hong Kong.
"Yes," said Eriol. "It's a really nice house. In fact, it looks a lot like this one."
"But, what about your parents?"
"My parents?" Eriol seemed taken aback.
"His parents?!" Nakuru shrieked. She'd come in with a laundry basket in her arms, and her eyes so huge, the whites were clear all the way around. She tripped over Eriol's bag and fell to the ground with a thud. "Ouch!"
"Sorry, sir," she said, tearfully once Eriol had helped her up.
"No problem," her employer replied.
This was not the response Xiao Lang had been expecting. "Well," he worked to defend himself, "considering that Eriol's a minor and all..."
"My parents are dead," said Eriol, without emotion. "They've been dead for a long time. Didn't you know?"
"I guess not," Xiao Lang replied darkly, tucking his chin in so that he was looking at his cousin through his bangs. He wished his hair had been long enough to cover him. Then he wouldn't have to watch Eriol's expression. He was certain that he was dredging up bad memories for his cousin. "So-so you live all alone?"
"I don't live alone," answered Eriol. "I live with Nakuru and Supi." Supi being the cat he'd put in his bag. He dug the thing back up and proceeded to try and poke him with it.
Now packing, Xiao Lang sighed. He opened his bag and stuffed his toothbrush inside. He was costing Eriol a lot; much more than he had intended.
He let his mind drift back to his quest: the search for the Fountain of Youth. Excitement welled up inside him. He was going to Tomoeda, he was one more step closer to his goal...
"Try to find me in Tomoeda."
That note. It was such a strange note. The wording had been thoroughly ambiguous. Xiao Lang knew that; he'd known it as soon as he'd read the note the second time around. Still, it was his only lead and he had no choice but to follow it. That's why he'd gone to Eriol with the idea. And his cousin had taken it.
Still, something about the note bothered him. "Try to find me in Tomoeda," it had said, so who was "me"? Xiao Lang had assumed it was the fountain, but was it really? It could've been the writer of the note's self or the author of the book. Come to think of it, why was the note in that book of all books? Xiao Lang thought back to how he had found it, how he had followed that painting's distinct eyes directly to it... He slapped his head. He'd nearly forgotten the painting! He decided he'd take a better look at it before he left.
And then, (another thought struck him as he was putting his socks away,) assuming "me" wasn't referring to the fountain, who would the note-writer be addressing? Why would they be asking to be found? Were they hiding? And why would they be hiding?
There was a loud banging at his door. "Syaoran!" Nakuru's voice sauntered through the door, excited. "Eriol's managed to get tickets for a flight at midnight! Get ready to leave!"
"What?" Xiao Lang started, upsetting his bag. It flopped over uselessly. "Oh..." It was so soon. The search was really picking up speed now... he could almost see the fountain right before his eyes... he would prove his qualifications to his mother, and he wouldn't have to be disowned!
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"Good morning class," said Mr. Terrada cheerfully. "May I introduce our exchange students; from England no less! This is Hiiragizawa Eriol and Li Syaoran. Welcome them to Tomoeda!"
"Welcome to Tomoeda!" the class chorused, and they broke off into separate conversations. It seemed as if the students were talking about the two of them; at least that's what Syaoran guessed from all the eyes that shifted towards them every now and then. He suddenly felt very self-conscious.
It had been Eriol's idea. The black haired boy had suggested, the night they had arrived in Tomoeda, that they "take advantage of Japan's world class education system." Syaoran had been so surprised he didn't object straight away, and when he finally did (arguing that he still needed to find the Fountain of Youth,) Eriol promptly told him that he'd taken the liberty of enrolling the both of them already and that the fountain would be found when it wanted to be found. So now, here Syaoran was, being scrutinized by the boys and girls of Mr. Terrada's eighth grade class.
"Now," the teacher turned to them, "where shall we sit you? Ah! There's a seat behind Ms. Kinomoto and another one behind Ms. Daidouji. Ladies, please raise your hands!"
The two girls in the second to the last row waved at them.
"Go on," Mr. Terrada prodded and Syaoran strolled down the aisle, Eriol right behind him.
Syaoran reached the girls' desks. The brown haired girl on his left gazed at him with a curious expression on her face while the black haired girl on his right smiled at him. "Hello," she said. "Your seats..." And she swept out her hands as if the desks were gifts.
He slumped into the desk behind the brown haired girl. He was not enthusiastic about this adventure at all; he could be trying to find the Fountain of Youth right now instead of listening to Mr. Terrada's voice go on and on about English proper nouns. He hadn't even figured out what he should do next...
Eriol smiled and nodded at both girls, first the one on his right and the one on his left. He slipped into the seat next to Syaoran and actually said, "Isn't this exciting?!"
Syaoran snorted and proceeded to be bored for the rest of the day. His cousin, on the one hand, seemed hardly capable of containing himself. He wouldn't stop moving and he kept looking at Syaoran with such a knowing look, bobbing his eyes brows pointedly. Syaoran wanted to deck him. Eriol was just too weird.
"You never noticed?" his cousin asked at break.
"Noticed what?" Syaoran snapped, having had enough of those black eyebrows going up and down.
Eriol shook his head, then turned to the two girls seated in front of them. "Excuse me, ladies," he said sweetly, and the two in question stopped talking to listen to him.
"My name is Hiiragizawa Eriol, pleased to meet you." Eriol wouldn't stop grinning.
The girls smiled back and the black haired girl said, "I am Daidouji Tomoyo and this is Kinomoto Sakura." The brown haired girl, Sakura, nodded at the sound of her name.
If possible, this caused Eriol's grin to expand. He addressed Sakura in particular. "My fair lady, I was wondering if I could treat you to dinner? Saturday night perhaps?"
Syaoran felt his jaw drop. Where did Eriol get off? It was only the first day!
Sakura, for her part, looked equally shocked, roses blooming in her cheeks. She hadn't dropped her jaw, at least.
"I'm new to the country," added Eriol, "and I want to find the best restaurant around. You wouldn't happen to know a place, would you?"
Her friend, Tomoyo, simply giggled. "Yeah," she said, "we know a place."
Eriol shifted his gaze to her, still smiling. "We can make it a double date. You can come along, and Syaoran can escort you." And before Syaoran knew it, Eriol had dragged him forward. He nearly choked.
Tomoyo giggled all the more. "Sakura," she whispered to her friend. "Sakura, answer the boy." She pushed the girl forward. Eriol let go of Syaoran to catch her.
"Uh..." Sakura managed, her eyes squeezed shut. Syaoran didn't think Eriol's arms was where she wanted to be.
"It's okay," Eriol assured her, helping her stand. "Don't need to rush your answer."
Tomoyo shook her head and grabbed her friend's arm with gusto. "We'll come along!" she declared. "We accept your invitation."
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Author's Notes: Well, there you go. Tomoyo and Sakura. Thank you so much crazy daisy, ChibiYuffie1, and Midi Tenshi for reviewing! You guys are the best!!