Disclaimer: I do not own Card captor Sakura or any of its characters and places. It's all Clamps'. I just own the story I made up.
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It All Began With A Dream
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Chapter Seventeen: Back to School
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When Syaoran woke up the next morning, it was still dark outside.
It took him about five minutes to remember the previous day's events, and to prove to himself it was not a silly dream, he rose in his bed and looked around him.
He had been sleeping on a mattress on the floor wrapped in a green sheet, since Li had wanted to get his bed back.
The awake boy turned his head slowly, scanning the room in the process. Like in his memories, he was in a green room. His gaze stopped on the bed, next to his, where a chestnut-haired boy was sound asleep.
Silently, he stood up, careful not to wake his counter-part and, taking the clothes Li had lent him, folded neatly at the foot of his mattress, he left the room and headed for the bathroom.
After Hiiragizawa left, Li had shown Syaoran around, explaining him a few useful things, like where the chocolate was in the cupboard.
Syaoran had also learnt what a telephone was. Actually, Li was tking a shower when the weird black box started to make a ringing sound. Hoping it would stop, Syaoran had done nothing at first, but hearing it continue, he went to the bathroom door and knocked, calling for Li.
"Li-san! The box is making a weird sound! What should I do?" He had cried to the boy, trying to cover the falling water's clatter.
"Answer it and say that I'll come soon!" answered Li's muffled voice through the wooden door.
For a moment, Syaoran's dumbfounded look passed from the door to the box and vice versa, before he got the courage to approach the ringing thing.
When Li finally got out of the shower and opened the door, steam surrounding him, he had seen Syaoran, helplessly nursing the phone, which had stopped ringing in the meantime, and talking to it in a soft and comforting tone, saying that it would be over soon and that he was coming.
He had bitten his lower lip, and ended up laughing like a made man under Syaoran's clueless gaze.
Eventually, he clamed down a bit and explained the principle of the telephone, that it was a machine that allowed talking to someone in the distance. The ringing meant the someone on the other side was trying to call you.
Soon afterwards, the phone had started to ring again, and this time, Li answered.
"Li residence" he had said, like the first time Syaoran had heard him talking in the phone.
The boy on the phone waited a moment, and Syaoran had known that the person calling was saying something. For some reason, Li had blushed
"Ah. It's you."
…
Listening again, he had suddenly sent a dark glare to Syaoran.
"He's fine. I just taught him how to use a phone. I'll tell you tomorrow"
…
A second glare from Li who sighed deeply to Syaoran.
"Okay. I'll pass the phone. Wait a moment."
And he handled the machine to Syaoran who stared at it, not knowing what to do.
"Take the phone and say something dammit!" growled Li, not so loudly. "It's Kinomoto. She wants to speak with you"
And Syaoran got yet another death glare. He was starting to get used to them, but they were still making him feel uncomfortable and unwelcome, so he shrugged and took the tended phone, not saying a word.
Carrying it to his ear, he had baffled, not knowing how to act, nor say.
"Huh… Hello?"
"Hi Syaoran-san!" had answered a perky voice which Syaoran recognised as Kinomoto's. "How are you?"
"Ummm… fine…?" the boy had said, amazed to hear her voice from the apparatus.
"Really? That's great!"
"Ummm…"
"Anyway, I just wanted to check on you. I hope that Li-kun takes good care of you. If there's any problem, you can always give me a call! Okay? I have to go now. I'll see you both tomorrow! Tell Li-kun I said 'Hi'. Take care! Bye!"
And she had hung up, leaving Syaoran with the phone in his hand, a faint 'tuut' at the end of the line. He had lowered the machine and turned to Li, who was waiting for a report his arms crossed on his chest.
He had taken the phone from Syaoran and placed it back on the sideboard where it belonged and then had stared at his other self with an inquiring look.
"She told me she said 'Hi' and was just checking on me. She also said that if there was a problem, we could call her. Then she had to go and hung up" He had explained.
Li had 'pffft'ed and then thrown his arms in a careless gesture, before departing to the kitchen, Syaoran on his trail, grumbling incoherent things about someone being a flirt.
As Syoaran walked past the phone, and remembered the last night's events, he wondered if the behaviour of Li was somehow related to jealousy. The more he thought about it, the more he found his theory convincing. It was true that Li sent him and Hiiragizawa death glares every time Kinomoto was paying them attention instead of him. Did that mean that Li liked Kinomoto more than a friend?
Lost deep in his thoughts, Syaoran bumped in the wall beside the bathroom door.
"Ouch" he groaned, rubbing his sour nose and entering the bathroom, by the door this time.
Undressing from his night clothes, he stepped in the shower; he bent to study the two handles, a blue one and a red one, and turned the red one. Instantly, water poured from the shower head. At first, the water was cool, then warm, and it kept getting hotter and hotter, until Syoaran yelped, burnt, and jumped out of the shower, his entire body redder than usual.
His eyes round, he wondered why the water was burning hot, and, perhaps hoping it had cooled down a bit, he approached his hand to the running water, but withdrew it immediately, burnt again.
He turned the water off by turning the red handle, and tried the blue one.
Feeling the water cooling off, he entered the shower again and continued to wash his body, until he felt the water getting colder and colder and freezing him to the bone. He stopped the water and got out, deciding it was enough for the day.
He dried himself with a green fluffy towel Li had lent him and dressed up with his baggy shirt and jeans.
When he opened the door, the sun had risen and Li was awake, cooking breakfast in the kitchen.
While eating, Syaoran complained about the shower and Li, laughing hard, had to explain him how to use the hot and cold water.
Soon enough, it was time to leave for school. Li was wearing his high school uniform, and had lent one of his to Syaoran, who found them weird looking, but wore it nevertheless.
Before leaving the flat, Li turned to explain a few things to Syaoran about the outside. For him, it was like he had turned to face a mirror. It was true that they were the same person, save from the same dimension. The gang would have to find a solution about their resemblance, or their classmates will get really confused.
He shook his head out of those thoughts. They would that later on. In addition, the gang was supposed to meet before school to find a solution.
"So," he started "I'm afraid that the world out there is slightly different from yours, so you'll have to do exactly what we tell you to do, and try to act somehow normal, not like" he retained a laugh "talking to inanimate objects. Don't jump whenever you see something unusual, or you'll attract the peoples attention, and we don't want that. If you have questions, wait 'till we're alone to ask me, or one of the others about it. You get it?"
Syaoran only nodded and they left.
Outside, the air was fresh for the season, and the two boys shivered in a same movement. To anyone in the street, they would seem like twins.
Li was leading the way, shortly followed by Syaoran, who had his eyes opened wide, trying to analyse everything that came into view. He had to retain himself form jumping when he first saw a car, roaring past them, or a plane in the sky. He had thousands of questions he was burning to ask, but he kept his mouth shut, saving them for later.
Finally, the school buildings came into view and the two boys entered the yard, following the railings, trying to stay unnoticed by the few students or genitors who were had already arrived at this early hour.
They managed to reach the school's garden. A large Sakura tree was planted in the middle and it reminded Syaoran of the cottage and his Sakura.
Wait! Did he just say 'his'?
He shook his head, blushing a bit. What had gotten into him.
Li continued to walk toward the tree, not noticing his counter-part's actions.
For about five minutes, they sat under the tree in silence, until two silhouettes showed up. It was Hiiragizawa, followed by Daidouji. They greeted the two amber-eyed boys, and sat beside them, engaging a pointless conversation about some test.
After another five minutes, Li was starting to explain something that looked complicated but got interrupted by Kinomoto's cheery voice. She had been running; her face was flushed and her breathing was laboured.
"Excuse me, I'm late" she smiled, taking in big gulps of air.
She sat with them, next to Li, who blushed faintly, and greeted them good morning.
"Now that we are all here," began Hiiragizawa after a while, "we can start our 'reunion'. So, what are going to do with Li-kun and Syoaran-san looking alike? I propose we say that Syaoran-san is Li's cousin from China and that he'll study in Japan for a while."
They all nodded.
"Though, we have to change Syaoran's name. I thought about it and decided that we shouldn't change it too much. I found those: Xiao-Lang, Showron, Shaolan. These names are all 'Syaoran', but in other languages."
"We cannot choose Xiao-Lang," interrupted Kinomoto "since everybody know that it's Li-kun's name in Chinese."
"As for me," added Daidouji "I prefer Shaolan to Showron. Showron rimes with moron…"
The gang laughed.
"Shaolan it is then." concluded the blue-haired boy. "Is that okay with you Syaoran-san?"
The boy agreed.
"But" wondered the emerald-eyed girl, looking at the two chestnut-haired boys "Aren't they too similar to be cousins?"
"People are easily fooled when it comes to unnatural." Said Hiiragizawa wisely "Their own mind will find differences between the two and the idea of Syaoran-san being Li-kun's equal in another dimension will never pass through their head."
For some more time, they stayed under the Sakura tree and talked about things and others. Li told them about how Syaoran had talked to the phone, the day before, nursing it so he would ring no more, and they ended up laughing hysterically, while Syaoran lowered his head sheepishly.
Suddenly, Hiiragizawa stood up, looking towards the school building.
"What's the matter?" asked Daidouji, gently gripping his arm.
"I had the weird impression someone was looking at us…"
He smiled gently at her, but his eyes showed worry.
Syaoran too was worried. He had felt being watched as well. What could that mean? Maybe just some animal.
"What time is it?" asked Kinomoto to none.
Li and Hiiragizawa stared at their wrist for a while and said it was 7:15am.
"Then the principal must be here already" said the raven-haired girl, looking at a closed window. "He gets here at 7:00am, usually."
They all stood up and started walking towards the entrance of the college.
The inside was not really warm. The walls were white and rows of grey racks covered half their height. After wandering along several halls, they arrived in front of a red painted wooden door, which had the sign 'PRINCIPAL' hung on its middle.
There was a button next to the door and Li pressed on it, causing some ringing sound to echo in the room behind. Soon after, a green light tilted, announcing that the request to enter had been granted.
Only the boys entered the study, the girls wishing them luck from outside. For an unknown reason, Syaoran felt a knot in his stomach, as if he was going to pass an important judgment.
The room was spacious and well lit. Pictures and diplomas had been hung on the walls, as a decoration. In the middle, there was a large dark ebony desk, and behind it sat the principal.
It was a small man with a fluffy brown moustache, covering his tight lips. The top of his head was bald and shiny, surrounded by a half crown of brown-greyish hair. His nose was flattened against his round face, as if the man had smashed his head on a wall at full force, and covered with freckles. His eyes were the most imposing feature. They were as blue as the summer sky, but cold yet gentle. When the principal was looking at you, you could feel his eyes piercing you and searching for any hidden guilt, like a hawk's.
For now, he had a neutral expression on his face as he glanced at newcomers.
He cocked a brow, noticing the resemblance between Li and Syaoran.
Finally, he got into motion and bent over his desk, approaching his figure, and he crossed his fingers in front of him.
"Ah, Mr.Li, so this is your cousin you told me about last night isn't it?" he spoke, his voice deep and rumbling. "You said that you wanted him to integrate your classes."
Not a single word escaped Li's lips as he nodded sharply.
The principal sighed shortly and massaged the bridge of his nose with two fingers.
"What you ask me here is not that easy, but I did my best and managed to place him all of your classes. I hope you are happy. We wouldn't want your family angered."
Li muttered a 'good' under his breath and nodded again, before turning to leave. Unfortunately, he got stopped.
"Just a moment Mr.Li, your cousin has to complete these forms and it will be all set."
Outside, Daidouji and Kinomoto were waiting for their friends' return. After a few minutes, Daidouji smiled at Kinomoto with a strange gleam in her eyes.
"So Sakura-chan, what do you think of Syaoran-san?" she asked, trying to look innocent.
Kinomoto's head jerked upright and she looked at her best friend with a surprised, but clueless, expression.
"Ummm… well, I think he is really kind. Or at least, he looks kind. Not kinder than Li-kun, but somehow differently kind… did you notice the difference in their eye?" she asked then noticing the negative shake of her friends head continued "Li-kun's eyes are clouded with coldness, as if he doesn't want anyone to know what he's thinking or feeling, but Syaoran's eyes are glowing and changing often, especially when he talks about my counterpart. I wonder if Li-kun will ever talk about me with this sparkle in his eyes…"
Right after she said that, she blushed furiously and shook her head frantically.
"Hoeee! Did I just think that aloud?" she panicked, blushing even harder.
Daidouji was giggling, seeing her friend so clueless and innocent.
"I'm afraid you did." She tapped her friends shoulder, in a comforting, yet gently mocking gesture.
"Ummm, what I meant is that Li-kun is…" she babbled, still red.
"What about me?" said a voice from behind her.
Startled, the emerald-eyed girl literally jumped and turned to see Li and Hiiragizawa leave the office, where they had let Syaoran finish the paper work.
"So?" he insisted.
The poor auburn-haired girl was as red as a sunburnt tomato. She started to mumble some incoherent things under Li's dumbfounded look, but got saved by the bell, announcing the students that it was now 7:25am and that they had five minutes to go to class.
Daidouji reacted instantly, and pushed her blushing friend towards their first class, followed by a still confused amber-eyed boy and his magician buddy.
'You got saved by the bell this time Sakura-chan' were Daidouji's thoughts as they arrived in front of the door of their class in which they were luckily all together 'But what you don't know is that Li-kun's eyes are always as shiny as you described Syaoran's when he talks about you…'
While filling the forms with what Li had told him to write, Syaoran heard a bell ring, then a second, only separated by five minutes. He raised his head, wondering if there was a telephone somewhere, but the principal, not lifting his flat nose from his computer just explained him that it was the bell, announcing the beginning of the lessons.
When the boy put his pen down, the small man stood up and told him that he had to go to class. He accompanied him to the door of a classroom and softly knocked at the door. Immediately, the silence fell on them and in the room. Suddenly, the door opened and the teacher, a strict looking lady looked outside to see who was disturbing her starting lesson.
Her stern face lit up with a forced smile when she saw the principal and stepped out to talk with him, closing the door behind her. Before she shut it, Syaoran could see his comrades' curious faces, pointing toward them to try and see who it was. He then heard excited whispers.
After he explained to situation to the teacher, the principal left them alone and went back to his office. The woman presented herself to the amber-eyed boy, and so did he. Finally, she opened the door and entered the classroom, leaving the boy at the door, waiting for her permission to enter.
She announced the class the news and held a hand in his direction for him to enter, what he did, anxiousness forming a knot in his stomach.
Everything that had happened to him from the moment he had penetrated the tower was new to him. Never had he thought, not even dreamt, of anything like this happening to him. And there he was, standing in front of a room filled with, mostly, strangers, not knowing what to do or say. He felt his head spinning a little and feared that he'd faint again.
He inhaled deeply to get himself some courage and listened to the teacher who was presenting him as Li Shaolan, Li Syaoran's cousin from china that would study in their class for a while.
Then, she showed Syaoran a place to sit, next to Li and behind Kinomoto. Slowly, feeling the stares of the people in the class analyse him as he passed by them, he made his way towards his seat and almost collapsed on it with relieve, glad to have succeeded his passage through the room without running away… not that he hadn't wanted to.
Kinomoto turned to him and gave him a reassuring look with a tender smile that reminded him of Sakura.
'Of course she makes you think of Sakura' he thought, mentally kicking himself for his stupidity 'She is Sakura…well, in a way.'
But the sudden intervention of the teacher starting her lesson got him out of his thoughts and he turned his attention the lady.
There began his first day as a student… or was it?
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(A.N Ahem... So there goes this chapter! YAY! Next time, I'll describe the end of the day... So stay tuned! I already have a few funny ideas ... Oh! did you think that chapter was funny? huh? huh? (I hope you did) To meyojojo, yes he will use the mirror. Maybe in the next chapter. I have to place it somewhere and not forget about it... I really hope you still like my story !
So, 'till next time, This has been Suohfei)