Disclaimer:

I have no affiliation with Cardcaptor Sakura or any other of CLAMP's works. Also any similarities to real life events or people are unintentional unless explicitly stated.


Syaoran did not expect this. He knew that his school was starting an exchange program with Lecourt Private Academy for the second semester, and he knew that Fye Flowright was going to be an exchange student, but he did not anticipate that she would be one of the students even when he saw her a few days ago. Meiling said that her friends weren't coming.

She bowed to the class. "I am Kinomoto, pleased to meet you."

She spotted him at his window seat second from the back and then looked away.

Flowright spotted him as well and smirked.

"Do you know them?" said Kurogane from the desk beside him.

Doumeki in front of him turned to hear his response.

"Yeah," said Syaoran.

Teacher Terada scanned the room and spotted the spare seats behind him. "Kinomoto, why don't you sit in the corner seat by the window behind Li, and Flowright you can sit in the desk beside her?"

"Okay."

Flowright walked the way down the aisle and stopped next to Syaoran's desk.

"Is that you, Syaoran?" he said. There were murmurs of surprise at the sound of Syaoran's first name.

Fye continued, "I almost didn't recognize you."

In response she gave him a small push towards his seat. "Fye, sit down!"

Instead he said, "My, you've grown into a handsome young man isn't that right, Sakura?"

"Hey," said Kurogane. He pointed at the seat. "Your seat is over there. Class is about to begin."

Syaoran may not have known that she was one of the exchange students but he knew that his life was going to become a lot more unpredictable.


It was hard enough that the classes were entirely in the Zhonguo language, but to have him sit directly in front of her was honestly a little distracting, and Fye would pull a face at her every time she glanced his way.

Sakura tried to keep up, but she lost her place and couldn't ask anyone for help. No one was asking any questions or talking.

Tomoyo was in another class. Sakura realized that it was the first time that they wouldn't be in each other's classes. In Zhonguo, the teachers were the ones who rotated classrooms, not the students.

From her window, Sakura could see the curved roof of the boarding house above the trees. She could also see the clearing that held the school temple that was attended to by a family that lived and went to school here for generations. The temple was situated between the koi pond and the moon fortune telling pond that "Chiharu" Mihara told them were to draw excess chi away and to keep the spirits away from the school buildings.

The bell rang and everyone stood up.

"Attention," someone yelled, "Bow."

All the students bowed and Sakura hastily followed.

The teacher left and the students came rushing towards her and Fye's corner.

"Hello!" someone said.

"Nice to meet you!" said someone else.

Another person asked, "What can we call you?"

"My cousins call me "Star"," she said.

"Yuui," said Fye.

"Hey! Are your eyes really that green?" said the girl closest to Sakura.

"And is that your natural hair colour?" said the girl next to her.

"It has to be," said the first girl, "you can't dye your hair and the school's seals would have nullified the magical dye."

"Did you know," said the boy whose name she forgot but met the other day at the dorms, "that some cultures value gold coloured hair for its magical properties so highly that people used to kill others for it and transplant it onto their head?"

"Oi," said Chiharu. She was in Sakura's dorm room along with Tomoyo and three other girls, Tao Fa, Mao and Sai.

"How did you know?" said Fye, gravely.

"Hoe?" said Sakura.

"What?" said the class.

Fye stroked his long hair. "This it is all that I have left of my father who was handed it from his father, who was killed by his father, who killed his mother Maybelline who was born with it."

"I didn't know that, Fye," said Sakura, feeling tears in the corner of her eyes, "I'm so sorry."

"There must be a lot of power in your hair," said the boy.

"Yes, that's why I grow it long and bind it," Fye said, tugging it from a classmates hand. "Its power would crush you otherwise."

Yamazaki bowed. "Yuui Flowright, you have my respect. I am Yamazaki."

"I feel that we will become good friends." Fye extended his hand which the other boy shook.


Miss Daidouji and Miss Kinomoto's first day seemed to go well.

Meiling didn't recognize Mr Ascot who was also in her class along with Miss Daidouji. She remembered him vaguely as the shortest in the grade but now six months later he was a couple heads taller than her.

After school, Meiling took them to Chung Wan by tram to look at The Lanes Markets.

The two eldest Hanato sisters with them and Syaoran went as well, he a bit more reluctantly even though she knew he had nothing to do at home. Meiling had to essentially bribe him with an ice block from the stall by the tram station.

She invited his friends, Kurogane and Doumeki, but they had family commitments. Mihara and Yamazaki took Mr Flowright and some of the others transfer students to more tourist locations that the Amamiya cousins have already seen.

Miss Kinomoto helped Meiling give out the ice block.

"Here, Lady, Koe," she said.

"Thank you very much."

"Hoe?" Miss Kinomoto and then went to eat her ice block that was no longer in her hand nor on the floor. "Ah! Brother!"

"Hello, cousin," said Miss Daidouji.

"I'll go buy you one," said the elder Hanato.

Meanwhile, the elder Kinomoto continued to suck on the ice block and search for something in the distance.

"Hoe? What's wrong, brother?"

The elder didn't even glare at Syaoran. "There's a student in my class," he said with without taking the ice block out.

"So what about it?" said his sister.

"Tao!" a girl with flowing dark red hair jumped onto the elder Kinomoto's back, "I've been looking for you!"

"Get off."

"No way!" she said.

Was Meiling as annoying and clingy like that to Syaoran? Impossible.

Suddenly, the red headed girl swung him around so she was facing them. "Are you Tao's younger sister?" she asked Miss Kinomoto.

"Y-yeah."

"I'm Nakuru. Nakuru Akizuki." She jumped down and Miss Kinomoto took a step back. A second later Akizuki was rubbing cheeks with Miss Kinomoto. "Just as I thought! She's so cute! She's almost good enough to eat. What's your name?"

"S-"

"Cut it out alrea-!" yelled the elder Kinomoto.

"Hey!" A tall beautiful man with long white hair tied in a ponytail ran towards them. Meiling thought he looked like a celestial being. "Nakuru! Don't disappear like that."

"You're becoming weak if you didn't notice me. Come! Introduce yourself."

"I am Yukito Tsukishiro," he bowed. "It is nice to meet you."

"Look! It's Tao's sister! We're classmates of your brother. He talks about you a lot."

"Shut up." he retorted.

"So much so, feel free to call me "Nakuru"."

"And everyone please call me, "Yukito." What may we call you?" asked Tsukishiro.

Meiling shrugged when Miss Kinomoto looked at her questioningly.

"You can call me "Star"," she said.

The others introduced themselves with their last name or nickname in turn.

"My family name is Daidouji. I am Kinomoto's cousin."

"My sister and I are from the Hanato Clan," introduced the elder for the both of them. "We are also cousins to the Kinomoto's."

"Li," said Meiling, simply.

"Syaoran Li," he said before running away.

"Hey, Wan-Wan!" yelled Meiling. "Where are you going?"

He nearly ran into some bystanders. What in heaven's name was he doing?

"We should go too, Yukito," said Akizuki pulling on his arm. She then ran around the elder Kinomoto and took the ice block he took from his sister. She licked it.

"Bye Tao! We'll see you again tomorrow!" they waved.

"The ice block-," began Hanato.

"-has been taken away," finished her older sister.

"Thank you for the ice cream!" yelled Akizuki.


"Are you going to follow Li?" Tomoyo asked Meiling.

"Nah," she replied. "I'm enjoying my ice block."

Cousin Toya bought Sakura a mango flavoured ice block in a waffle cone.

"Thank you," she said. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he said patting her on the head. "I'm heading off to work now. Stay safe."

"All right. You too."

"That was really strange," commented Cousin Kotori as soon as Cousin Toya disappeared from sight.

"Should we continue to the markets?" suggested Tomoyo. The girls nodded and they followed Meiling's lead to the markets.

"Everyone was so lively," commented Kobato.

"Nakuru and Yukito were very beautiful," said Sakura. Tomoyo was glad that she could at least spend time with Sakura outside of classes. This was the first time that she was not in any of her classes. At least she had Meiling and Kobato in her class.

"Not as beautiful as you, Star," said Tomoyo.

"Thank you. It runs in the family," she replied with a brilliant smile. "And they were both so nice. How did my brother manage to make friends with them?"

"I really liked Akizuki's hair colour," said Meiling, fiddling with her pale pink hair.

"I believe that scarlet would suit you wonderfully."

Kobato who was trying on a blue hat said, "Why don't you dye yours that colour?"

Cousin Kotori's was about to say something but was interrupted by a chronophone call. "Hello? Honey? Oh what? Oh yes, we're nearby. We'll see you soon. Koe, you have an appointment with the specialist healer in an hour."

"That's correct. I forgot," said Kobato. "Honey is such a good girl."

"What would we do without her?" Cousin Kotori and Kobato bowed in unison. "We're sorry, but we have to go attend an appointment."

"That's okay."

"Thank you for accompanying us."

The three girls waved good bye to the two Hanato sisters and then continued looking at all the wares.

A pretty cherry blossom hair pin with pearl caught Sakura's eye.

"How much?" she asked the shop keeper.

"One hundred Yuan."

She reached for her pocket for the money.

"Hold it!" said Meiling. "It's worth twenty Yuan."

"Mei-,"

"Seventy Yuan."

Tomoyo watched in interest as Meiling and the shopkeeper barter back and forth.

Finally the shop keeper crossed his arms. "Sixty Yuan. No lower."

"Come on Miss Kinomoto," Meiling said, grabbing Sakura's arm.

"Hoe? But-"

"Just trust me," she whispered and then said loudly, "We can get it for cheaper elsewhere."

"Wait!" said the shop keeper. "Fifty Yuan."

"There you go."


Miss Daidouji was a natural at bargaining. Miss Kinomoto on the other hand usually got her cousin or Meiling to bargain for her.

"Ah sorry!" a kid bumped into Miss Daidouji as she was paying for a bolt of black fabric.

"Are you all right?" asked Miss Daidouji.

The kid nodded and ran off.

Miss Daidouji waved goodbye to the kid but then soon became alarmed. "My wallet! It's gone!"

Miss Kinomoto clicked her heels and bounced off the walls lining the alleyway while Meiling ran through the crowd trying to keep an eye on the kid who had Miss Daidouji's wallet in his hand. And Tori hopped on Tomoyo's staff.

Miss Kinomoto landed in front of the kid and Meiling behind.

"Excuse me!" she said, hand outstretched. "That wallet belongs to my cousin. Could you please give it back?"

He feinted and twisted but could not get past her.

Meiling landed. "Just give it back."

"NO!"

"Give it here kid." The embers of a cigarette were the first details they saw of the man. He wore a tailored suit and sunglasses.

"And why would he do that?" demanded Meiling.

"I'm here to collect a debt. Now, come here kid."

Miss Kinomoto stood in front of him. "No," she said. "I won't let you touch him."

"Listen here –"

He gripped Miss Kinomoto's shoulder and she twisted his hand. She stood in a fighting stance as he pointed at her, "You b-"

Meiling was ready to punch him but someone beat her to it.

"I thought I told you not to come here." The man was tall, long reddish hair and wore spectacles. He would've looked menacing if he didn't wear an apron with colourful paint smears.

The man in the suit regained his composure. "Consider today a warning," he said, lighting another cigarette. "Tell Sayaka I visited."

"Don't say her name!" said the aproned man.

The man in the suit dissolved into the shadows.

"Are you all right?" cried Miss Daidouji from the air. She had a whistle in her hand, ready to summon her bodyguards.

"Ow! Why did you hit me on the head?" cried the kid. The man held wallet high above the kids reach and handed it to Miss Daidouji. She thanked him and began to check its contents.

A woman also wearing a blue apron approached them. "What's going on? Fujimoto, what did you do to Keita?"

"He hit me," said the Keita.

"He was stealing again," said Fujimoto at the same time.

"Keita, I told you that you shouldn't steal!"

The boy flinched and said quickly, "It was to help you."

The woman relaxed and gently touched him on the shoulder. "Thank you for your efforts," she said, smiling, "but you know that I can't accept that."

"But I wanted to help!"

"Help by focusing on your studies and by apologizing to those young ladies."

Meiling and her friends were startled.

"Sorry," the kid bowed.

The lady bowed as well. "I'm sorry for all trouble he's caused."

"I accept your apology," said Miss Daidouji, returning the bow.

The lady stood up. "As an apology, would you please accept an invitation to have dinner with me and the children?"

Meiling noticed for the first time that they were being watched by around thirty children all younger then themselves. They sign in front of the worn out building read, "Yomogi Orphanage."

"I am Sayaka Okiura, principle of the Yomogi Orphanage," she said, silencing the man with a slight hand movement. She smiled at them. "It would good for the children to meet students from one of the top schools in Heung Gong."

Their scarlet cheongsam's marked them as students from the selective Heung Gong High School. Students entering the junior division had to take a test and additional interview if applying for the senior division.

Meiling's friends looked to her for direction.

"I think we should," said Meiling quietly to her friends. "The lady gave use her name, evident by his outburst, so we'll be safe. If not you can call your bodyguards, right, Miss Daidouji?"

She nodded.

"But it doesn't look like they have much food to spare," said Miss Kinomoto.

"Even more reason to accept," Meiling reasoned. "If they're offering us food when they hardly have enough for themselves it means that they really want us to."

"All right," she said.

Meiling accepted and Okiura was delighted and clapped her hands and said to the children, "Now everyone, it's almost dinner time. Get cleaned up and be on your best behaviour for our guests."


A couple days later Sakura came to Tomoyo's classroom with Chiharu during the lunchbreak. Out of the girls in the dorm, she was the most interested in helping plan the fundraiser that they decided to do for Yomogi Orphanage. The others said that they would volunteer on the day if they needed extra help.

"My mother has agreed to a conditional donation to the orphanage," said Tomoyo. "The proposal is that for every Yuan we raise she will donate a Yuan. Additionally she will loan us a five hundred Yuan for the fundraiser to be paid back at the end of the fundraiser."

Tomoyo contacted her mother and requested that they make a donation of fifty thousand Yuan to the Orphanage however her mother provided some valid questions that made her rethink their approach.

"Where will the money be going to?" her mother enquired.

"The orphanage has a debt of thirty thousand Yuan," explained Tomoyo. "Any monetary donations above that will be used to update the facilities and hire more staff."

"A one off donation will not see the end of their problems. You need to develop a plan to help the orphanage become self-sufficient."

She felt disheartened, but her mother was the one who suggested the counter proposal.

"My mother also suggested that we involve the orphanage staff and children in the fundraiser," added Tomoyo.

"That's a good idea," said Meiling. "Okiura said that she was happy that we were able to expose the children to the wider world. But we can't keep playing with them. They need funds."

"It would be terrible for the orphanage founded by Okiura's father to be shut down. It is the only place for those children to go."

"We can have a market day and sell cupcakes and old clothes," suggested Sakura.

"I like that idea," said Chiharu.

Meiling wasn't as enthusiastic. "I like the cupcake idea, but not many people in Heung Gong will purchase second hand goods in fear of getting bad Fung Seoi."

"My sisters and I know how to purify items," said Kobato, who was told by her specialist healer to rest as much as possible.

"That's okay then."

Tomoyo scribbled the suggestion on the paper in the center of the four desks they pushed together they were sitting around.

"We can also start a petition to the local government to provide more funds and services to help the children," added Chiharu.

The girls nodded in agreement and Tomoyo added that and the games suggestion that Sakura made.

"All these suggestions are exceptional ideas," said Tomoyo, "but where will we hold the market? At the Yomogi Orphanage?"

"It's not in a well-known area," said Meiling. "And not many people would go in a shadowy place like that."

"Then we will need to take advertisement into consideration for the budget." Tomoyo made a note of that on the list.

"Can we ask the school for help?" said Sakura. "In Lecourt, we did a lot of fundraising activities with our school."

Meiling stood up excitedly. "Why didn't I think of it before?" she said excitedly. "I can ask Wan-Wan to ask Kurogane, who's on the school council and whose father is on the city council, to help!"

Sakura held onto Meiling's arm. "Don't worry about asking him."

But Meiling did anyways.


Author's Note:

- Hello! Thank you for reading this story, following, favouriting, and reviewing it. =)

- If you notice any errors, feel free to let me know. I've been a little hasty to try and get to the chapters I personally am more excited about, at the expense of mistakes. For example, I realized that in the last chapters I left underscores where Syaoran's sisters' names were supposed to be by accident (it's fixed now). Eep.

- If you have questions, let me know.