Aiyah!! I'm so sorry that I used so many foreign words...I got kinda carried away...^_^
Thanks so much, bad penny to a dollar, for criticising me!! Without criticism...I couldn't improve as a writer.
Thanks chibisakura for correcting my Japanese!! ^__^ Online buddies forever!
If I didn't go to school then these chapters would come out a lot quicker. ^____^
Disclaimer: Casper, Card Captor Sakura, and the movie Spirited Away do not in any form belong to me but this is MY storyline. Be considerate and don't steal it. ^^
I think I'm going to have to make a key:
Things happening.
Flashbacks, dreams, thoughts, Jap/Chinese words
E_m_p_h_a_s_i_z_e_d_w_o_r_d_s
Translations:
//Japanese//
itai = ouch!
shimatta = oh no!
bishoujo = pretty girl
kaijuu = monster
arigato = thank you
ano = well…um…
-kun = typically used for males; used for people that you feel are your equal
wakarimasu = I understand.
//Chinese//
He Hua High School = River Flower High School
Spirited Away
Chapter Three:
"My bird!! W-Where is it?!"
As if in sepia toned photograph, a scene unfolded in front of Sakura…the warm brownish shades of an event…or a memory?
"It f-flew away. I just turned away for a moment and when I looked back…it was g-gone."
She heard herself stammer.
"How dare you?! How dare you let it go?! You did it on purpose, wench!! It's all your fault!!"
The face of the angry voice was so fuzzy…who was she? The voice was too high to be a "he".
"I'm so sorry…I didn't mean to."
Sakura felt so guilty…such remorse welled up in her throat, as she had never felt before...
"I don't care what you say, you did it on purpose! I hate you! I hate you! I want you to die!"
The person's hair…long hair waved in the wind…
"I'm sorry!!" Sakura cried as she suddenly sat up, her head throbbing. She grabbed her head and massaged her temples, trying to ease the sharp pain that had woken her up. And then, slowly, the hazy orchard…the blurry face of someone yelling at her…very angry at her…the cold rain that day…all began to melt away like wisps of smoke. These images seemed familiar yet strange and made her feel so uneasy inside.
Sakura could feel cold sweat forming on her face and tried to slow down her rapid breaths. She stared at the darkness for a full five minutes before becoming aware of her surroundings. She was in bed in her room, in the mansion, in her soft silk pajamas.
A flood of recent events emerged in her mind; the call from Tomoyo, the noise, and ultimately the two ghosts. She had passed out, the only thing she remembered seeing was those two amber eyes. So cold…and empty. Sakura shivered but resumed trying to figure out what had happened. How did she get back to her room?
Was it all a dream?
Sakura glanced at the clock on the wall. The hands pointed to 3:15AM. It was possible…
But, she had to make sure. Sakura climbed out of bed, intent on going to the wardrobe when she glimpsed her reflection in the mirror, the silver light of the moon flooding through the windows and lighting up her eyes so that they resembled jade. She remembered when she had more or less banged her head against the wall in an attempt to get through it. If she had really tried to get through the wall without tearing it down in real life, which was pretty much impossible, she would have some type of bruise of bump that would reflect it so. With that thought, Sakura neared the mirror, brushing her bangs aside, and peered into it at her forehead.
Sure enough, there was a dark bruise the size of a golf ball just barely covered with her auburn locks.
Sakura gasped. Then that would mean…that the ghosts were real. The secret panel behind the wardrobe was real. The small library annex was real.
As fast as was possibly without hurting herself, Sakura darted back to her bed and buried herself under the comfort of her warm blankets. As hot as it was in the day in Hong Kong, the weather changed to icy cold at night.
Sakura squeezed her eyes shut. From what she could conjure up from her memory, she must have somehow escaped from the ghosts and back to her room. Surely, they must be looking for her now. Even if she could evade them at night, how would she face them in the morning?
The solution came so easily that Sakura felt incredibly stupid despite the relief that flowed through her veins. School. She was starting school tomorrow and they wouldn't dare follow her there where there were so many people.
However calming the thought of school was, Sakura could not figure out what to do until then. Would they kidnap her while she was asleep? Would they…actually turn her into a ghost too?
She tossed and turned endlessly with thoughts that became more horrifying by the minute, but eventually fell into semi-peaceful slumber.
Touya recklessly stabbed at his pancakes and gulped them down one by one, pouring maple syrup down his throat at the same time. He glanced up at the clock in between bites.
Fujitaka soon joined him at the table, an expression of worry on his face.
"Where's Sakura-san? School is starting soon," He said. He then began to eat his own pancakes in a way that was much more civilized than Touya, the sunlight shining from the tall regal windows throwing bright reflections off his fork. Red and gold curtains had been pulled back from the windows with golden cords to let the light in and each window sill was carved with all kinds of proverbs.
"Dunno…" Touya replied casually, intent on drinking his orange juice without taking another breath.
Suddenly, a rapid pounding began upstairs and quickly worked its way down into the kitchen. There stood Sakura, flushed and utterly panicking. Since she had learned that her new high school had no uniforms, Sakura had dressed in a three-quarter-sleeve pink shirt with white lace on the edges and on the collar along. She had matched the top with a pleated white skirt that had round, silver buttons on the sides.
"Shimatta! I'm going to be late!" Sakura cried. She rushed over to the dark, ominous kitchen table, which could fit at least fifty people and wolfed down her pancakes in a style similar to Touya's.
"You don't have to eat like a kaijuu to show me that you are one…it's already obvious," Touya teased lazily.
"O-" Sakura tried to say but instead choked on her food, her eyes swirling from the lack of oxygen and her face turning blue.
"Sakura-san!" Fujitaka exclaimed, "Are you all right?"
When she had finally swallowed her food, she looked at the large grandfather clock behind her and immediately, blue lines crossed her face. Class had started 5 minutes ago!
"HOEE!! I'm late!!" Sakura wailed as she whirled out of the kitchen to the main hall, grabbing her backpack and snapping on her rollerblades in record time. Then, she tore open the door and shot outside, swerving around the corner in a shower of leaves and dirt. The tall, oak door swung a few times and shut by itself, without any wind to aid it.
If Sakura had been a little bit more observant, or stayed a little longer, she would have heard the two soft, wispy laughs that had followed.
"Very amusing…"
Sakura crept down the halls as quietly as she could, staring at the map of the school in her hand. High schools in Hong Kong were so big! Seijou High hadn't ever seemed so large to her. But then, Sakura remembered the main difference between He Hua High School and Seijou High...
On the first day of high school, Tomoyo had guided her to every class, helping her along every step of the way in her gentle voice and smiling face. Over here, there was no Tomoyo.
"Tomoyo-chan…" Sakura whispered sadly, "I miss you…" Then her face slid into a small smile, "But I'll be back soon…and we can go to class together again."
Suddenly, Sakura looked up and realized that she was in front of the open door to a classroom. Everyone inside was staring at her curiously although a few faces seemed to be full of contempt. The teacher was a young lady with short, smooth blonde hair and her eyes shining a bright lavender.
Before Sakura could stop herself, she squealed, "Bishoujo!" A number of confused looks appeared. Then, remembering the country she was in, she quickly translated herself, smiling and saying, "What a beautiful lady!"
"Why, thank you," The young lady smiled gracefully, "But you seem a little lost…where is it that you're looking for?"
Sakura quickly pulled out a piece of paper from her bag and read the neat black Chinese characters printed on it, "Wing C…Room 168."
The teacher smiled even wider, "Well, you are in Wing C and this is Room 168. You must be our new exchange student, Kinomoto Sakura, right?"
"Yes," Sakura smiled as well but suddenly remembered her tardiness and bowed deeply, "I'm so sorry that I was late! I'm always late back in my other school!"
The young lady chuckled, "It's okay, since you're new here. I'm your homeroom teacher, Miss Ling. Pleased to meet you, Miss Kinomoto." She bowed deeply and before Sakura could bow in return, said, "Come over here and introduce yourself to the class."
"Okay, Miss Ling," Sakura crossed the front of the room to stand in front of the teacher's desk. She faced the class and bowed respectfully, her short hair falling over her face, shining cinnamon under the beams of sunlight being thrown across the classroom. Straightening back up, she grinned broadly and announced in a bright voice, "Hi everyone! I'm Sakura Kinomoto from Tomoeda, Japan. I am 15 and I hope we can all be friends."
A girl in the front row snorted sarcastically and smirked as she remarked loudly, "Get a load of Miss Japan over here."
"Miss Hong..." Miss Ling gave the girl a stony look.
The class burst into laughter nevertheless and the girl flipped her long black hair back, as if proving how superior she was. Sakura caught the strong, acrid scent of hair spray and she slowly edged away from the girl.
"Actually..." Sakura began again, smiling slightly when the noise had died down a bit, "I was chosen to represent Japan in the pageant once...but at the time, I was too young."
The atmosphere in the room abruptly changed, now echoing with "ooh"s and "ahh"s as everyone looked at her with wide, astonished eyes. All except Hong, of course. Two dabs of color appeared on Sakura's cheeks from the attention but Hong just looked away disdainfully.
A boy in the second row whistled and smiled roguishly, flicking his green bangs back, "No wonder you're so gorgeous." The male part of the class whooped in agreement.
"Class, class!" Miss Ling snapped, "Behave yourselves unless you all want to go stand in the corner while I show Miss Kinomoto her seat." The noise dramatically decreased but Sakura noticed a few guys still winking at her.
"Hoe?"
"Now, Miss Kinomoto," Miss Ling scanned the room for an empty seat, "I trust that you have no problems with your beautiful eyes so you don't need to sit in the front."
Sakura blushed pink, "Um...no…"
"Okay then," the teacher wrote down a few notes on what seemed to be a seating chart and said, "Miss Kinomoto, you will sit next to Mr. Hiiragizawa by the window. Mr. Hiiragizawa, please raise your hand."
A young man at the back of the room raised his arm. His hair was dark blue and neatly parted down the middle while his eyes matched with a lighter, mysterious azure. Hiiragizawa's lean face was accented with a pair of silver-rimmed glasses that made him look very intelligent.
Suddenly...looking at him, Sakura was overcome with some type of emotion that she had never felt before. She couldn't name it but it weighed inside her like a rock. Somehow...as Sakura stared at Hiiragizawa, he seemed to radiate a kind of force. A small unrecognizable voice in her head was telling her that it was blue…a blue force was surrounding him. That only caused Sakura to become more confused.
And suddenly, she knew him.
"Sakura-san! Would you like to go to the festival with me? It seems that Li-kun…
Li-kun…
Li-kun…"
Sakura's felt her chest constrict at the mention of that name and tried to breathe. Her head had begun its headache again and she sunk to the ground.
At that moment, Hiiragizawa smiled.
"Miss Kinomoto?" Miss Ling called, concerned. She kneeled down next to the girl, "what's wrong? Does it hurt somewhere?"
"Eh...AH!!" Sakura suddenly discovered that her head didn't hurt anymore. She quickly shot up and laughed nervously, "Nothing wrong! Nothing whatsoever! I'll go to my seat now!"
"Eh…okay…"
She never made it past the first row for an obvious reason. At the last possible moment, Hong stuck her foot out stealthily into the narrow aisle and Sakura, being naturally clumsy, tripped and landed on the floor.
"HOE!!"
The whole class laughed and the same green-haired boy from earlier said between chuckles, "Not so great now, are you, Miss Japan?"
How could they be so cruel? They were almost nice a minute ago…Sakura struggled to get back up, her knees stinging. She felt the tears form her eyes and they were about to fall when a pale hand appeared in front of her face. Sakura looked up to see Hiiragizawa, his hand outstretched and his eyes concerned.
She knew that she could trust him. She just knew.
"Are you all right, Miss Kinomoto?" He asked in the softest, most polite voice she had ever heard. He almost seemed elegant in a way. He reminded her of…
Sakura took his hand and let herself be pulled up, sniffling softly and muttering that she was fine. Hiiragizawa gave a stern look to Hong and said, "Please don't do that anymore."
Hong seemed to be speechless with the finality of his statement.
"Miss Hong," Miss Ling sounded like she was forcing herself to add the honorific, "I'm sure you don't want to visit the office again."
Hong rolled her fiery shaded eyes but slouched in her chair and was silent the rest of the period.
Hiiragizawa led Sakura to her seat as Miss Ling continued the lesson and once there, handed her a small embroidered handkerchief, "Please don't cry, you look cuter when you smile."
For the third time that day, Sakura's face turned red and she dabbed at her face with the light blue handkerchief, saying quietly with a smile in her brilliant eyes, "Arigato, Hiiragizawa-kun."
After a moment, a sweat drop rolled down Sakura's head as she realized her mistake. She became flustered and quickly tried again, "Ano…I mean…"
Hiiragizawa just smiled and replied, "Wakarimasu. Please call me Eriol."
My desire to make this chapter longer was cut off by my mother's desire for me to be at piano lessons on time…^^
Jaa!
DreamerDust