I Think I'm In Love with My Bestfriend's Boyfriend
Author's Notes: Things are getting going in the second saga! APOLOGIES FOR THE DELAY! I was twirled around in things no da. The truth will surface in this chapter…
Disclaimer: All characters and places are property of the manga-ka CLAMP and companies related to it. Only the plot and story is my intellectual product.
Chapter Thirteen: Conflict
January 30 (Monday)
Dear Diary,
Everyone surprised me! They came really early in the morning, not 8:00. Still, I didn't mind, because I love surprises!
Tomoyo-chan could drive! It was so cool! She wanted to practice her driving, so instead of taking a cab we used the limo to go to -- the museum! Syaoran was so surprised that he was staring at Tomoyo strangely the whole trip. Jealous, probably.
History wasn't my best thing, but Tomoyo and Eriol decided that they wanted to drill a hole through me with boring facts. It wasn't boring after all!
There were lots of displays on the shelves, and lots of dioramas, but it was just too bad we couldn't stay for so long. Apparently the Ambassador of Russia came over and reserved a private afternoon visit. What a spoiler.
Some other time, we'll go there again!
As Sakura Kinomoto was writing her diary, another person just closed theirs. The old notebook, possibly Oriental in origin, was already yellowing with age although only three pages had been consumed. The pen ink had to be at least decades younger than the paper itself.
The shadowed figure turned off the table night light, pausing briefly at the window to gaze upon the twinkling stars. "It's time to put my plan into action."
…………………………………………………………
The next day, it was decided (at the last minute) that they go boating. As there was only one large enough lake in Tomoeda, there was no problem of where to go.
Yura Lake stretched from one side of a small forest to the other. It was half-secluded, and it seemed like a miracle that there were no people in sight.
Tomoyo's aunt had agreed to drive her boat over to the lake, and it was only five minutes after they arrived that Tomoyo's aunt came with the speedboat. Sakura felt especially excited: the last time she went boating was ages ago!
"Welcome to the world of luxury, boys and girls." Tomoyo's aunt said, having experienced many 'luxuries' in her twenty-eight year old life. Beaming, she hopped back into her convertible and sped back in the direction she came.
"She's sure charismatic," said Sakura, blinking from the glare of the shiny speedboat. "Sure does…" Syaoran readily replied.
"Well, we don't want to waste any more time now, do we?" announced Eriol, who was looking a bit too impatient for his calm self. "Right," Tomoyo added.
They raced to where the boat was parked on the shores of the tree-shaded lake, and observed as Tomoyo took over the controls. "I wonder if she can drive an airplane as well…" whispered Syaoran, having witnessed Tomoyo's flexibility in any situation.
"Maybe…" Sakura said cheerily, laughing.
As the engine roared to life, white foam began to form on the backside of the craft, and as they accelerated into the lake, it formed a refreshing mist behind them.
"Hang on everybody!" Tomoyo yelled as the noise of the engine drowned out normal speech.
And hang on they did. They didn't know that Tomoyo could be as enthusiastic as a high-speed car racer in a gigantic open field. She seemed to take pleasure in trying to throw them off the boat.
Unfortunately, Sakura wasn't too good in balancing (despite her good skill at gymnastics) and nearly fell of the side of the boat. At her surprised shout, Tomoyo quickly slowed to cruising speed.
"You better not go so fast Tomoyo-chan," Eriol advised, looking a bit concerned. "Sakura almost fell off the boat."
"I knew that, Eriol-kun…" Tomoyo said, and apologized. Syaoran kept silent.
Sakura quickly tried to get things back together after she sensed the tension building up. "Okay, okay, it's alright. Let's go again."
And so they went again, leaving a trail of waves wherever they went.
By afternoon the sun had gotten too hot for the boat ride to be comfortable, so they settled down in the grass. Since they had all forgotten to bring snacks, they agreed upon going out to eat at a restaurant.
"Remember to tie the boat to the dock!" Syaoran said, remembering a certain event years ago when his family's boat drifted out into the sea.
"Of course." Replied Tomoyo.
…………………………………………………………
"What do you mean, clumsy?" Tomoyo half-yelled.
Eriol turned his back to her. "Clumsy. As in, a klutz. Sorry to say this, but that might get you into trouble. It got the three of us wet."
Tomoyo felt her face turn warm - what in the world was wrong with him anyway?
Sakura and Syaoran (whose clothes were stained orange) couldn't do anything more than watch and wait - this quarrel over a spilled tray of drinks. "Is it me or are they acting strangely?" Sakura asked Syaoran, who shrugged and tried to answer, but was startled by another outburst.
"It was an accident! There was a little kid who ran in front of me!"
"So I suppose a little kid was enough to trip you over?"
Sakura didn't know what to say; neither did Syaoran.
"Yes! What would I do, push him to the side?" Tomoyo inquired, trying to calm down. It wasn't everyday that she had a dispute with anyone at all.
"If you were more patient, perhaps it might have not happened. It-"
Sakura stepped in between them. "Alright, stop, stop. It's just juice. Eriol, calm down. You're turning red. Tomoyo, you're turning purple."
Surprised, Eriol quickly wiped his brow and breathed deeply for a moment. "My apologies, Tomoyo-chan," he said, looking genuinely sorry.
Tomoyo, who was never the one to continue a fight for no reason, simply smiled and held Eriol by the hand. "It's alright, everyone has their down days."
And as fast as the fight began, it ended.
………………………………………………………
Back at the lake, they were all relieved to see that the boat was still there.
Hopping back in, Tomoyo took a moment to reassure Eriol that she would take care not to drive so fast.
"That's good To-" Eriol began, but Sakura unintentionally intervened, saying, "Where will we go after this?"
"Let's all go to my house for tea." Eriol was swift to suggest.
And so they had part two of Sakura and Friends' Boating Adventure.
…………………………………………………………
January 31 (Tuesday)
Dear Diary,
Wow. Eriol was really tensed up today. Maybe something's wrong with him that he didn't tell us about…like a fever or some family issues. Whatever it his, I hope he gets better. He called Tomoyo clumsy when she spilled juice on us at the restaurant.
Tomoyo was so shocked. I hope they'll stay together. When we went to Eriol's house for tea, they quarreled because Tomoyo dropped her camera on his foot! I can't help but think Eriol's being unreasonable; I've had that camera drop on my foot two times already.
For the bright side - we persuaded them to go to the amusement park tomorrow. I'm so excited! There's the game booths, the merry-go-rounds, the corndogs, the ferris wheel, the streamers, the horror train, the house of mirrors and lots and lots more!
…………………………………………………………
Tuesday, Jan. 31
I'm sure now. Tomoyo isn't what I thought she was in the beginning. I guess she isn't perfect after all. I was fooled before, I won't be now.
I thought she was perfect. She can do many things, yes, but when you know her better she's not so wonderful.
But this is an opportunity. If I can detach myself from her…
She foiled my plan today, she won't tomorrow.
P.S. My foot is aching. It may seem like a very light gadget, but when it strikes your veins, it feels like a ton.
…………………………………………………………
Ah, the amusement park. Long loved for it's jolly atmosphere and carefree environment, it is a popular retreat from the stress and bustle of the serious world. From clowns to rides to cotton candy and bright stripes, even the least childish of "kids-at-heart" flock to this unique place.
Today, four of them were Kinomoto Sakura, Li Syaoran, Hiiragizawa Eriol and Daidouji Tomoyo. The most yippy of them was Sakura, of course.
As they stepped through the red-and-yellow balloon arch after paying their all-day tickets, Sakura immediately squealed in delight and got lost in the thin crowd.
"That's not good…" Tomoyo sighed, knowing Sakura was much too-excitable in new situations. "It might take a long while to find her…"
Syaoran laughed. "Well, as the detectives always say: 'Let's split up.'"
Eriol nodded, then left the group in the direction he thought he last saw Sakura. Tomoyo went to the right, and Syaoran to the left. "We meet here in 15 minutes!" Syaoran yelled over his shoulder.
…………………………………………………………
TIME LEFT: 15 MINS.
Eriol was concentrating, trying to think like Sakura would. "If I was Sakura, where would I be?" he asked himself, looking left and right as he passed. The amusement park was a very big place, and it was easy for someone as easy-to-please as Sakura to wander around in.
'I must be the first to find Sakura. That will buy me sometime.'
Increasing his pace now, he dodged through lines of candy-addicts, sidestepped to avoid crash-landings with rocks and jumped over at least ten gum puddles. As he neared the merry-go-round, he was exhausted.
'Sakura, please be here…' he hoped, panting heavily.
…………………………………………………………
TIME LEFT: 10 MINS.
Tomoyo was concentrating, trying to think like Sakura would. "If I was Sakura, where would I be?" she asked herself, looking left and right as she passed. The amusement park was a very busy place, and it was easy for someone as excitable as Sakura to wander around in.
'I hope Sakura is alright. She must be, she knows how to take care of herself now.'
She skipped past scolding parents, avoided hitting stray metal poles and escaped from the dangerous clutches of hungry beggar pigeons. As she neared the ferris wheel, she was tired.
'Sakura could be here…' she thought. She put her hand to her face to block out the rays of sunlight, and tried to see if Sakura was on one of the twelve ferris wheel carriages.
Not on the green one.
Not on the yellow one.
Not on the pink one.
Not on the blue one.
Not on the white one.
Not on the red one.
Not on the black one.
Not on the orange one.
Not on the purple one.
Not on the aqua one.
Not on the gray one.
Not on the brown one.
Then…the ride stopped. She rushed to the exit to check on each rider.
…………………………………………………………
TIME LEFT: 5 MINS.
Syaoran was concentrating, trying to think like Sakura would. "If I was Sakura, where would I be?" he asked himself, looking left and right as he passed. The amusement park was a very unusual place, and it was easy for someone as fun-loving as Sakura to wander around in.
'I know she's around here somewhere. She just got a bit too excited…' he concluded.
He ran underneath hanging banners, bolted through the maze of fallen junk food and finally got away from a mob of overenthusiastic hotdog salesmen. As he neared the roller coaster, he was tired.
'Sakura could be here…' he thought. Looking at the metal snake that went around in endless loop-de-loops and twists, he tried to spot a familiar face or hear a distinct voice amongst the screaming passengers. The ride had just begun, and he had to wait a full five minutes in order to take a proper look at everyone - the speed of the roller coaster was too much for him to see properly.
As the engines slowed down to a complete stop, one by one the snake was rid of its passengers. Filing out in a single but messy line, the passengers spread out in different directions and groups.
No Sakura.
…………………………………………………………
"Did you find her?" Eriol asked, feeling disappointed. "No" was the simultaneous reply.
They all sighed - Sakura could be anywhere, even in the places that they already checked.
"Sakura-chan would naturally go to the place that she thinks is the funnest and the coolest. That would be…" Syaoran wondered, tapping his foot in thought.
"The fun house of course. The house of mirrors." Tomoyo offered.
Eriol groaned inwardly. Of all the places to get lost in, a giant building full of reflective glass and dizzying pathways…how coincidental…