Author's notes: Yey! I updated again. Hooray for me! There will be a surprise at the end in this chapter so read! Sorry if I didn't update soon enough, so I made this chapter a little longer. I hope it will satisfy you.

Disclaimer: CCS is a property of CLAMP.

Chapter 3: What's going on?

She laid her arms crossed in front of her as she rested her head on it. It was obvious she was asleep as the teacher droned on about the lesson. She didn't listen as the teacher discussed about the Systems of Linear Equations and how to graph it. She was too tired to listen.

Her eyes were closed tight as she dreamed about a picnic together with her family: her father…Touya…Syaoran, asking her if she wanted to have a slice of cake. She nodded her head, happy to get a piece of her father's delicious homemade pastry.

Syaoran handed her a slice and she gladly accepted it. It was then that she noticed his hands were slimy and rumpled. His fingernails were long and sharp, and the tips had grime underneath.

Fearfully and reluctantly, she moved her head upward only to see not her brother's face but a face of a hideous monster, its mouth wide open revealing its sharp, yellow teeth. Instead of her brother's amber eyes, they were replaced with two scary red ones, and the nose was crooked and crinkly. The creature's skin was grayish and the ears were quite pointy like an elf's.

Terrified, Sakura watched the creature as it opened its mouth big enough to swallow her body from head to toe. She closed her eyes afraid to know what will happen next.

"KINOMOTO-SAN!"

Abruptly, she jolted her head upwards, and without thinking, she yelled. "DON'T EAT ME!"

At first there was silence, and then the whole room erupted in laughter. Ohkawa-sensei shot an angry look at her students, and almost instantly, the classroom became quiet again. Sakura just lowered her head in embarrassment. Why do I always get in trouble during math?

"Well, Kinomoto-san, I can assure you that you won't get eaten if you answer the problem on the board." There was only one equation written so it easy for her to identify which problem the teacher told her to answer. But since she was Sakura, she didn't exactly know how to answer.

Slowly, she stood up from her chair and started to move towards the board. Her heart beat faster with each step she took. For a second, she glanced back behind her, eyes looked pleadingly at Syaoran.

But both of them knew he couldn't help her, and with a hopeless sigh, she turned back to the blackboard.

With trembling hands, she picked up the chalk and brought it to the board. The minute the chalk touched the board's surface, the school bell rang. RRRIIIIIIIIIINNGG…signaling the students that class was finally over.

Students began filing out the classroom, happy to escape such a boring class. Sakura sighed in relief.

"Saved by the bell, huh?" A familiar voice came from behind her. Smiling, she turned around.

"Yeah, it was quite a relief. I thought I was doomed." She smiled as she looked at her brother's face. Thankfully, not a monster's.

"Sorry, I was not able to help you."

"That's alright. Like you said, I'm saved by the bell."

"So, ready to go home?" He said while holding two bags. One was his and the other was Sakura's.

"Yes, thankfully."

They walked hand in hand, out toward the school yard. Then they stopped at the gate, waiting for another friend of theirs.

In just a short while, Tomoyo came running towards them carrying her book bag.

"Sorry, did you wait long?"

"Don't worry. We didn't." Syaoran said.

"Hey, Tomoyo-chan, we're going to your house, right?"

"Hai. You're going to try the new outfits I just made. They're going to look so cute on you!" She clasped her hands against her chest, eyes filled with stars.

Syaoran and Sakura sweat dropped.

"Hoee…"

- - - -

"Come on, Sakura-chan. Let Syaoran-kun see you already."

Tomoyo sat on the couch with Syaoran sitting beside her. She was steadying her video cam, ready to film her best friend in the new outfit she specially designed for her.

When Sakura emerged from the closet, Syaoran gasped in awe while Tomoyo squealed in delight. "Sakura-chan kawaii desu!"

Stars seemed to form in her eyes as she started filming Sakura in a pink kimono with white cherry blossoms decorated on the fabric. The obi (sash around the kimono) was colored lavender, decorated with a very detailed pattern.

To complete the look, Sakura's hair was tied up with two ribbons the color of pink cherry blossoms, making her look even more adorable.

Sakura was too busy posing for the camera that she did not see the warm look on her brother's face as he looked at her. Unnoticed, the corners of his lips began to lift ever so slightly. 'She really is very cute', he thought, even though he had seen her many times with various other outfits.

He would never get tired of watching her in every new outfit she wore. She would always look adorable.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

The door opened to reveal one the maids standing on the doorway.

Bowing politely, she said. "Daidouji-sama requested for your presence. She is waiting in the living room."

Tomoyo nodded, a little disappointed, but nonetheless followed the maid with the two siblings close behind her. Sakura, still wearing the kimono, quickly went back inside the room to change. Tomoyo, Syaoran, and the maid went ahead.

When they reached the living room, the maid bowed and left to do her chores. They waited until Sakura arrived. Then the three of them went inside, and saw Sonomi sitting on the couch facing them.

"Okaa-sama." Tomoyo hurried to her mother and bowed politely. The other two did the same.

"Konnichiwa, minna-san." Sonomi smiled at them. "I called you here to meet a friend of mine and his nephew." She gestured towards the man sitting on the opposite couch. He had long midnight blue hair and his eyes were twinkling behind his spectacles.

Beside him was a boy maybe around the same age as the three of them. His hair was the same color as his uncle's, only it was short. There seemed to be a mischievous glint in his eyes, and his mouth was curved into a smile, matching the one of the Cheshire's cat.

"This is Clow Reed and this is his nephew, Eriol Hiiragizawa." Both had a very similar face that you could mistake them as twins if not for the age difference.

Sakura had to sweat drop.

"They traveled here all the way from England, and arrived here yesterday. Eriol is the same age as you so he will be attending your school. I expect you to show him around so he could be acquainted."

Eriol turned his smile to Sonomi. "I greatly appreciate your kindness, Daidouji-san." He said with a politeness Sakura had never heard anyone speak with before.

"No thanks necessary, Eriol-san. My daughter and her cousins will introduce themselves to you." Sonomi dismissed them, as she began to discuss a topic with Eriol's uncle.

Then the four of them left the room and headed toward the gardens.

As they were walking, the three cousins began introducing themselves. It was Tomoyo who spoke first.

"I'm Tomoyo Daidouji and these are Sakura Kinomoto and her brother, Syaoran." She gestured towards each of them as she said their names.

"A pleasure to meet all of you. Kinomoto-san, Daidouji-san…" To Tomoyo's surprise, he gracefully knelt down before her. She could only stare as he reached for her hand and kissed it.

She blushed when her skin made contact with his soft lips. Her breath came out in tiny ragged gasps. Her friends could only stare in disbelief, but Eriol paid no attention to any of this. He acted as if it was the most common thing in the world, which in England, it is.

Tomoyo could feel her blood rising to her face as he looked back and smiled at her. The only thing she could do at the moment without embarrassing herself is to smile back.

Shaking off from her daze, Sakura looked back from Tomoyo to Eriol then Eriol to Tomoyo. She was still a bit confused. Was it how men greeted women in England? She thought she had heard it from Touya once, saying it was one of their customs, like bowing as a sign of greeting in Japan.

Syaoran, who was standing just beside Tomoyo had a very good view at what had happened, and he was not at all happy about it. He considered Tomoyo like a sister and he could not let anybody make a move on her especially when they just met.

He had known Eriol for only about five minutes and, already, the boy had annoyed him. There's something about this guy that's just so irritating. Maybe it's the way he talks, or the way his eyes glint mischievously...

…or maybe it was his smile. Yeah, that's it. His smile. That annoying little smile of his. It just made Syaoran want to tear him into pieces and wipe off that stupid smile.

It was then that Eriol spoke. "I believe we were about to go to the gardens? Miss Tomoyo, may I?" he offered her his arm, and Tomoyo contemplated on what to do. It would be impolite of her to decline so she just accepted it, blushing as they made their way to the gardens.

Leaving Sakura and Syaoran to stare at their backs.

What's going on?

-----

A/n: Had fun reading this chapter? What other mischievous idea will Eriol plot next? Will there be love between our talented Tomoyo and the ever mischievous Eriol? (I didn't say there will be any E+T) More importantly, did Her Highness Haruko Shinohara make a good chapter? Tell me in your reviews!

That's all for now.

See you next time in…Onii-chan Chapter 4!

Haruko Shinohara