High School Musical
By Zilver Wings
Chapter 4
Callbacks
Sakura gaped the figure in front of her.
There stood a stunning girl about her age. She had big amethyst eyes, small luscious lips and rosy cheeks, giving a healthy tint to her pale skin. Long raven hair framed her thin face, making it look even paler and thinner. Although she was only dressed in a simple lavender dress and flip flops, beauty was, if possible, radiated around her, making people stare in awe. However, what made Sakura get so absorbed was that she looked really familiar.
"Who are you looking for?".
'Do I know her?" Sakura thought to herself. 'She's so beautiful, the only flaw is the icy aura surrounding her.'
"Are you listening?"
The girl's eyes flashed annoyance and when she heard no reply, she slowly shut the door, but then, Sakura broke out of her trance and quickly put her foot between the gap, stopping it.
"Ummm, I'm sorry, I'm looking for Daidouji Tomoyo.
The girl's face frowned slightly.
"I'm her, why are you looking for me? I don't recall ever seeing you before."
"You're right," Sakura's voice faltering slightly after hearing the cold response. "My name is Kinomoto Sakura. I'm new here, I just moved in yesterday. I go to Tomoeda High, and a friend of mine, Naoko-chan, spoke highly of you. Since we're neighbours now, uhh, I guess we should like, err, get acquainted?"
Sakura looked down at her shoes nervously, fully expecting a harsh rejection, missing the shock on Tomoyo's once calm face. A few seconds passed and no word was uttered, so Sakura fluttered opened her eyelids and was shocked to see the look on Tomoyo's face.
Her eyes lost its iciness, and a small but genuine smile was playing on her lips.
"Sure, why not?"
Tomoyo opened the door wider to a shocked Sakura, who entered bluntly, while shouting, "Okaa-san, we have a visitor, it's Kinomoto Sakura!"
Sakura felt strange why Tomoyo would tell her name to her mother when she herself didn't know her. She looked around and froze. Reality struck her suddenly.
Situated on the wall of the living room, there was a huge frame, in it, was a photo of a younger version Sakura and Tomoyo sitting on the meadows, hugging and giggling at the camera."
Memories flooded in.
"Sakura- chan, today's your eight- year old birthday, let's go to the meadows and play!"
Tomoyo dragged a happy Sakura from her home and into a nearby grassland, with Tomoyo's mother, Sonomi Yuri, following them, holding a camera in hand.
Sonomi smiles sadly at the two best friends and shouted to them.
"Tomoyo, Sakura-chan, how about taking a photo before you go?"
"Great idea, okaa-san!"
Tomoyo hugged Sakura tightly on the neck and forced a smile, although inside, she was breaking.
Not taking notice of all this, Sakura happily hugged Tomoyo back and grinned goofily.
Snap!
Suddenly, a truck pulled up in front of the Yuri's house.
"Oh no!" Sonomi groaned. She casted a meaningful glance in Tomoyo's direction before running towards her house, leaving them all alone.
"Hey, what's the matter? Why is there a truck?" Sakura asked, confused.
Tomoyo looked down and fumbled about something in her jeans pocket, trying to keep the tears in.
She took a second longer than necessary to calm down and took out a small pink box with a pink ribbon tied delicately around it.
"Here, it's your birthday present, open it and see if you like it?"
Tomoyo changed the subject, hiding her sadness with a small giggle.
Being as dense as always, Sakura accepted it gratefully and opened it.
Her eyes widened and she took out a silver bracelet. On it, were several silver balls with the words "Sak & Tom bf forever" carved on it.
"It's so pretty." Sakura gasped, and scooted closer to Tomoyo to hug her.
Unexpectedly, Tomoyo moved away and stood up, her head still hung low.
"Tomoyo?"
"Sakura-chan, I'm moving away today, Happy Birthday, and… Sayonara." Without another word, Tomoyo ran away.
Sakura watched in shock at Tomoyo's retreating figure, the bracelet slid from her hand, forgotten.
'Ashiteru, Sakura-chan!'
The tears she had kept for so long finally came down in unstoppable streams as she sat in the back of her mother's car, the view of her favorite place in the whole world become blurry and finally disappear.
"Sakura-chan, is that really you?"
Tomoyo's mother ran out and hugged an emotionless Sakura.
Sakura slowly lifted her left, long, white uniform sleeve robotically and held it up for Tomoyo to see.
Tears sprang to her eyes, " Yuri Tomoyo? Tomoyo-chan?"
Wordlessly, Tomoyo walked closer to Sakura and also lifted up her right hand. On it, was an identical bracelet, but it was gold.
At the same time, the two ran towards each other and hugged, crying.
"I knew we would meet again, I just knew it!"
Tomoyo's words were muffled in Sakura's shoulder.
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"If it weren't for your change in surname, I would have recognized you at once!"
Sakura exclaimed happily as she and Tomoyo sat in the living room, having tea. Originally, Sonomi was joining them, but something happened to her toy company and needed her back immediately.
"My parents divorced ever since I was 7, last year, my father's family sent the message to us that he had committed suicide for some unknown reason. Shortly after, okaa-san changed both of our surnames, 'Daidouji' is the surname of ojii-san."
Although Tomoyo explained it with a light tone, Sakura could tell that it still hurt her inside although she tried to hide her emotions toward her father for the sake of her mother. After all, they were the best of friends.
"So uhhh," desperate to get away from the painful subject, Sakura asked the first thing she could think of without registering it through her brain. "Why are you so cold?"
The question was greeted 'warmly' by piercing silence.
'Oh my gosh, did I really just say what I thought I did? Sakura baka!'
Sakura hit her head without realizing it and was shocked when Tomoyo giggled and said, "yes you did said that."
Sakura sweat dropped. She couldn't even think quietly.
However, her thoughts were stopped when Tomoyo began to speak.
"Why am I so cold?" she gave a small, bitter laugh. "I was forced to push everyone away from me. I'm sorry, Sakura-chan, but I'm afraid I can't tell you anything about it."
Sakura gave a small nod, but inside, she vowed to herself to find out what had caused Tomoyo to change so much.
"Sakura-chan," Sakura's head perked up eagerly at once, thinking that Tomoyo was about to spill whatever that has been bothering her. "uhh, you're spilling the tea on your dress. Are you doing that on purpose?"
"Hoe?"
Sakura jumped up a feet when she looked down at her lap, which was now full of steaming hot liquid that had caused a large smudge on her uniform.
"Gomen Tomoyo-chan, but I got to get back home to clean this mess now, ja ne!"
Sakura pushed back her chair and stood up, taking up her pink backpack her father made for her a few years ago on White Valentines Day, and ran for the door. (Hmmm… somehow this seems a little weird, whatever, I saw the manga series in Chinese and just translated it.)
Tomoyo followed closely behind, grinning as she saw that the clumsy Sakura hadn't changed at all.
"Ja ne, Sakura-chan, by the way, I am in class 11B, since there are only 2 classes, you must in 11A."
Suddenly, Tomoyo's face faltered as she said 11A.
However, desperate to get back home, Sakura didn't realize the gesture and quickly waved at Tomoyo before clasping on her skates and rushed away.
'The class Sharpay's also in…Sakura-chan, be careful.'
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During the next few days, Tomoyo and Sakura stuck closely together, catching up. Everyday after school, Tomoyo would invite Sakura to stay over and sing the songs she had written for the school musical. The rumors of Sakura and Syaoran's get together also faded away, since after the first day of school, neither of them spent their free time together again, although some observant ones would notice the longing glances they sent to each other during class when they thought the other wasn't looking.
"Okay class," Mizuki-sensei's voice boomed in her homeroom. "Today is the day for the Twinkle Towne musical audition, please meet at the school auditorium after school."
No one showed any reaction except Sharpay, who was giggling furiously as she kept on turning her head towards her twin brother's direction.
The classes were unusually boring that day, even Sakura seemed to be drowsy, although she struggled to stay awake.
However, the longed after end- of- school bell finally rung, and students' loud chatter could be heard throughout the school as they went into different directions.
Seeing that no one else was still in his class, Syaoran quickly slung his shoulder bag over his shoulder and walked quickly to the school auditorium, but taking the 'long-cut', so that no one would know where he was heading to.
At the same time, Sakura was also taking another one on the other side of the school, directly opposite from Syaoran.
Meanwhile, all the students who were to audition were already seated comfortably in the auditorium.
"Welcome here, people." Mizuki-sensei ushered the crowd as she dragged a shy Tomoyo onto the stage. "Daidouji Tomoyo here is the author of all the songs for the musical, and also the pianist today. You all will sing for us and I'll determine if the theater is yours, shall we begin?" She stuck out her hand dramatically and walked down the stage, just as Sakura and Syaoran had arrived in the back of the hall.
The two froze as they saw each other. Sakura was the first one to speak after a few seconds, seeing Syaoran's embarrassed face.
"So, uhhh, Syaoran-kun, are you auditioning for the musical?"
Syaoran scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Umm, Iie, you?"
"Iie."
The two laughed nervously and walked towards the last row of the hall and sat down quietly.
They winced as the students who auditioned for the song "What I've been looking for", the one Sakura had just been singing in the Daidouji residence yesterday, all singing terribly. Some of them forgot the lyrics while others sang the wrong notes.
Finally, Mizuki-sensei got fed up and stood up to stop whoever was going to audition next.
"Thanks for all who auditioned but I'm afraid time is running out and it's now time for the lead roles. I see that only Sharpay and Ryan has signed up for the roles Minnie and Arnold. I think it might be you two to give us a sense of why we gathered in this hallowed hall."
Purposely or not, Mizuki-sensei glanced backwards for a fleeting moment and grinned maliciously to herself.
When Sharpay and Ryan walked up towards the stage, Sharpay gave Tomoyo an evil eye and whispered in a syrupy voice.
"Tomoyo-chan, thanks for leaving the choir and giving me a chance. By the way, we have already recorded the song, after all, you just quitted the choir four years ago, it might not be enough time for you to master your piano skills."
She gave an airy laugh and walked away, her annoying pink heels clinking whenever she walked. Tomoyo glared at her, hoping that Sharpay would sprain her ankle during the audition. Knowing the show-off, she would probably do some stupid dance along while singing.
Sharpay took out her pink microphone as Ryan adjusted the green cap on his head and started to sing, I mean, moving his mouth to the already recorded song.
"It's hard to believe
That I couldn't see
You were always there beside me."
As expected, Sharpay did dance when she sang.
"Thought I was alone
With no one to hold
But you were always right beside me."
Sakura didn't hear the rest of the song, since she was too busy thinking about Sharpay's voice.
'Hmm, her voice is so doll-like, Tomoyo-chan's voice is much better than hers. I wonder why Tomoyo-chan quit, and what did Sharpay whisper to her that made her become so mad?"
Sitting next to her, Syaoran raised his eyebrows when Ryan did a cartwheel. The huge smiles plastered on their face freaked him out, and their dance moves were so strange and girly.
Upfront, Mizuki-sensei clasped her hands together and grinned, obviously feeling very pleased by their act, not noticing that the movement of their mouths were slower than the actual recorded song.
"So lonely before, I finally found, what I've been owww!.. looking for, do do do, do dob dob do do do doh, oh wo oh oh oh, do, do, do do, dob dob do do do do, oh wo oh oh oh. "
Sharpay screeched as she fell on the ground suddenly, yet the song kept going on.
She took off her heels and rubbed her ankle.
"I just sprained my ankle, Mizuki-sensei!"
"Oh dear, what shall we do? Call your parents now and ask them to take you home."
During all this commotion, Tomoyo's lips twitched upwards.
"Okay. Are there any last minute sign ups, no? Good. Done." After sending the twins to their limo waiting outside, Mizuki-sensei ran back in the auditorium and began to pack her stuff.
"We should go." Syaoran whispered to Sakura, who still sat emotionlessly in her chair.
Suddenly without warning, Sakura sprouted upwards from her seat and ran towards the sensei, shouting.
"Mizuki-sensei, I would like to audition!"
Mizuki-sensei grinned but quickly hid it with a stern face.
"I call for the audition, and you didn't respond. Anyway, there isn't any other pairs to sing with you."
Syaoran closed his eyes in defeat and slowly stood up.
"I'll sing with her."
"Li Syaoran," she said in a fake surprise voice. "where's your sport posse or whatever it's called?"
"Team."
"Uhh, yes…" Mizuki-sensei walked towards them. 'Revenge time!'
"But I'm here alone, actually, I'm here to sing with her." Syaoran said uncertainly, missing Sakura's adoring gaze.
"Well, we take our shows very seriously here at Tomoeda High. Five minutes mean something in the world, the audition is long, long over, I'm sorry."
Syaoran spoke for one last time as Mizuki-sensei walked past them.
"But she has an amazing voice!"
"Perhaps," she stopped for a moment, "the next musical."
With that, Mizuki left without another word.
Just then, Tomoyo tripped and all her sheet music fell on the stage.
Sakura dashed up the stage to help her retrieve the sheets, and Syaoran jogged after all.
"Sakura-chan, arigato." Tomoyo smiled, but then she saw Syaoran and her eyes widened. " Li."
She had heard that there was something going on between Sakura and Syaoran, but she never believed it, until now.
"Daidouji, I love your song, it's really good."
Tomoyo flushed. She never got any compliments about her music from anyone except Sakura and her mother, but she assumed that they only said that cause they were close. Happy that someone really thought that it was good, she asked without thinking.
"Would you like to hear how it sounds?"
Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed the sheets from Sakura and began to play to song, then, Syaoran's voice cut in unsurely.
"It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see,
You were always there beside me."
Familiar with the song, Sakura began to sing lightheartedly.
"Thought I was alone
With no one to hold
But you were always right beside me."
Then came the chorus.
"This feelings like no other
I want you to know
That I've never had someone
That knows me like you do, the way you do
That I've never had someone
As good for me as you
No one like you.
So lonely before
I finally found
What I've been looking for,
Ooooo…"
Tomoyo stared in awe at the two. She never thought that Syaoran could sing, let alone to sing so well. When the two sang together, their voices blended nicely with each other, and they hadn't even practiced the song together before! She definitely felt chemistry between them, it was very strong.
"Daidouji, give them the duet from the second act, work on it with them."
The three looked backwards, and was shocked to find Mizuki-sensei present in the entrance, smiling at them, before walking away.
Tomoyo sighed happily and began to blabber, stuffing two copies of the lyrics into Sakura and Syaoran's hands.
"You can practice with me anytime you want, any day, you can come to my house to practice, or afterschool, even sometimes during Biology class and after basketball practice, I can either play the piano or…"
Syaoran's eyes widened as Mizuki-sensei's words hit him.
"What!"
To be continued…
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Sorry for not updating, therefore, I wrote an extra long chapter. Okay, let's see… (browse through reviews). A few asked me if Syaoran was the football captain or basketball captain, and the answer is football. I'm sorry, when I was writing this, the High School Musical story kept on going through my head, and I got confused myself. In this whole chapter, I typed Gabriella and Troy a few times, and had to proof read it a few times to correct the mistakes, I'm sorry.
About whether Eriol is coming in the story or not, I'm sorry but no. I totally hate the ExT pairing, it's really "ET", isn't Eriol like a "help! I'm an adult trapped in a kid's body!" I mean, he possesses all of Clow Reed's memories and stuff, so he is actually an adult
Hehe, "HOPE U MAKE SHAORAN AND SAKURA KISS CUZ IF U DON'T UR GONNA SEE HELL", you know KawaiiInuyasha14841, I once typed a similar line to another HSM fanfic cause the two didn't kiss in the end, but now, since I'M the author, mwuhahaha! If you noticed, I had said that there was gonna be a sequel, so, I think you might have realized the answer by now, evil me. :P
I dropped a few hints about the relationship of Tomoyo and Sharpay, I think all of you have it all figured out by now.
Thanks to all your reviews, I really appreciated, please continue to R&R:D