DM: Alrighty, so here's another chapter for you! About Syaoran's pervertedness in the last chapter: in the manga/anime he was only 10 years old, but in this fic he's 17, which means that it's normal for him to be a little pervy (all boys are like that). Anyway, thank you for your lively reviews on the subject.
Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.
Curses!
Arc Two: Hong Kong
Chapter Seventeen
School Time Drama, Part One
When Tomoyo woke up the next morning she didn't recognize her surroundings. The room had white walls, and her bed had a yellow comforter—not like at home, where everything was her favorite lavender. She sat up quickly, panicking, but then calmed down when she heard the voices coming from downstairs. Now she remembered, she was staying with some relatives of hers, a nice couple who had two calico cats instead of children and liked to play mahjong.
"Tomoyo, it's time for school!" Auntie called. She was a round-faced woman with curly black hair, while her uncle was tall and thin and had gone completely gray.
Tomoyo called back and then got up to get dressed. She caught sight of her own reflection as she changed.
It was true, she observed, she had a very womanly figure, just like Auntie had said upon seeing her. But how she loathed it. She wished she had been born a boy. Then it would be okay to love Sakura the way she did. That's not to say that she was sexually attracted to her, but only that she was sure she loved Sakura the way a man loves a woman.
She sighed and heaved on her uniform. She would have to go to school with that idiot again, but at least Sakura would be there, albeit with that random guy. Tomoyo had invited her to stay at her place, but Sakura had declined, saying that she and Syaoran needed to be close to each other because of the curse.
As she ate her small breakfast, Tomoyo wondered what had happened on their trip to Egypt. It was only a two-day trip, but they seemed to be so close now. Was it the curse's doing?
Of course, Tomoyo didn't know that they had spent several months on an adventure in an alternate universe, or even that Kero and the Clow Cards existed. And, not knowing all this, she headed out to school.
Waiting for her outside was Sakura, Eriol, and What's-His-Face. Tomoyo's ears turned red as she realized that she had forgotten his name.
"Syaoran, don't tickle me!" Sakura was whining, as Syaoran laughed at her.
"It's your fault for making fun of my hair!" he said, tickling her more. She giggled helplessly. Was it really her fault his hair stuck straight up in the morning?
Tomoyo looked away, feeling a little nauseous. Her eyes fell upon Eriol, who was watching them with the air of a parent. She wrinkled her nose. Just because a teacher was infatuated with him, he thought himself so adult, did he?
"Good morning, Daidouji!" he called out, smiling, as she walked up to the group.
"Tomoyo!" Sakura said happily, taking her arm. Tomoyo could suppress a smile of satisfaction.
I win, she thought, looking over at a downcast Syaoran.
"Good morning everyone," she said politely. They began walking towards the school.
Syaoran watched the girls walking, arms linked, ahead of him wistfully. Sakura looked good in the uniform, too. He had been surprised when they returned from Clow Land at how pretty she was in normal clothes, having gotten used to her dirty adventurer appearance.
"Yo, buddy, are you ok?" Eriol asked, smirking and following Syaoran's gaze to the swish of Sakura's skirt.
"I'm fine, just shut up and walk," Syaoran curtly replied. They were almost at the school.
Once there, the usual columns of girls lined up to wish him good morning. He ignored them, as usual. Eriol spoke for him shamelessly, as usual.
"Syaoran! Look this way!"
"You're so cool!"
"Good morning, Syaoran!"
Rang out from the crowd that slowly formed. Sakura and Tomoyo were pushed aside by the swarming fangirls, but Syaoran grabbed Sakura's hand to keep her next to him. He had done it on impulse, but immediately regretted doing so. The crowd hushed all around them.
Suddenly, it came to Sakura's attention that all eyes were on her. Or, more specifically, on her hand, which rested comfortably in Syaoran's familiar palm. A menacing whisper rose out of the crowd. Tomoyo, thinking quickly, grabbed Sakura by both shoulders and ripped her away from Syaoran.
"Sorry sir, we didn't mean to bump into you!" she said, bowing. Sakura bowed as well. Then they both ran through the crowd, which parted ways to let them go. However, all they heard were sighs of relief and "Oh, so they don't know each other" on their way.
"That was a close one, eh, Syaoran?" Eriol said, smiling at him. Syaoran growled and took steps to follow them, but the crowd pressed in.
"Syaoran, That girl was so audacious!"
"Syaoran, we love you!"
Syaoran looked down for a moment, then yelled:
"Will you leave me alone? And who gave you permission to call me by my first name? Get out of my way!"
The girls were a little taken aback, and got out of his way. Taking long, powerful strides, he went the same direction as Tomoyo and Sakura, though they had disappeared into the main building already.
"Sorry, girls, he has an upset stomach this morning!" Eriol excused cheerfully as he followed Syaoran to the school.
Tomoyo and Sakura, meanwhile, were catching their breath in the hallway. They noted with relief that no one had followed them and then began walking to the office to get Sakura checked in.
"Who knew Syaoran was so popular?" Sakura wondered aloud. Tomoyo flinched and stopped walking.
"Hey, Sakura," she asked, "Why do you call Li by his given name?"
Sakura fumbled for a reason and looked away. She was a very bad liar.
"W-well, we agreed that since we're stuck together for the time being, we ought to be good friends!" she said, turning around happily. After all, that was the truth…minus a few details.
Sakura dashed into the office to avoid looking Tomoyo in the eye. The other girl only sighed and followed her in. In the office was the same receptionist Tomoyo had spoken to, and a teacher getting some coffee. Tomoyo cringed as she realized who the teacher was by her ridiculously long brown hair.
"Hello, I am Kinomoto Sakura!" Sakura introduced herself readily. Tomoyo beamed proudly as she watched the receptionist sway to her charms and put the two of them in the same class.
Just as Sakura was signing the school's oath, Syaoran and Eriol at last made it to the office. Eriol noticed Kaho right away, but said nothing as Syaoran asked Tomoyo if there was any trouble. Tomoyo shook her head. Kaho turned around and noticed Eriol.
"Well, if it isn't my two favorite class disruptions," she said, smiling at him and Syaoran, "have you come to escort these pretty girls?" she asked, winking at Eriol.
He returned the wink but only nodded in reply. He couldn't bring himself to call her 'Ms. Mizuki', even if other people were around. Syaoran looked extremely uncomfortable. Tomoyo quietly left the room. Kaho soon did too.
"Hn? Where did Tomoyo go?" Sakura asked, turning away from the desk. Syaoran was staring pointedly at the poster that forbade student-teacher relationships, and Eriol was smiling amiably at him.
"Oh, I'll go get her," Eriol said, "Syaoran, show Sakura the way to our classroom."
Sakura was so startled by the speed with which Syaoran ushered her out that she didn't even protest. Eriol walked out slowly and turned in the opposite direction from the classroom. He found Tomoyo staring off into space, thinking about God knows what. She hadn't noticed Sakura and Syaoran rush out, though she had been meaning to watch for them.
"Hello, Daidouji," Eriol said smugly as he approached her. She jumped away from him immediately.
"That's not nice," he said, "Do I disgust you?"
Tomoyo nodded before she could stop herself. Eriol grinned, then grabbed her hands, slamming them above her head and pinning her against the wall.
"Well listen, Daidouji. I don't care what you know or suspect about me, because I know you will keep my secrets," he whispered menacingly. Tomoyo frowned.
"Why the hell should I, you pervert?" she asked quite calmly.
"Because," he said, bringing his face close to hers, "I know yours. I believe that you're the pervert here, and I will tell your precious Sakura about that longing that you harbor for her. If you know what's good for you, you'll keep your mouth shut about me, you lesbian."
Every word stung her. Her knees began shaking. But she would not cry.
"Now then, Tomoyo, let's go to class," Eriol said smugly, releasing her and walking towards the classroom. She followed, her eyes focused on the floor.
"And cheer up, you're ruining my reputation as the funniest guy on campus," he called over his shoulder. Tomoyo suppressed a growl.
Back in the classroom, Sakura was forced to endure several hate-filled gazes as she walked in behind Syaoran.
"Uh, thank you Li for showing me here," she said feebly.
Syaoran suddenly turned around and smacked his hand down on a poor unsuspecting person's desk.
"Don't do that, Sakura! Don't let them," he pointed at the group of girls giving off vibes of intense animosity, "make you pretend like we don't know each other! Don't run away like you did this morning," he said more softly now, "I didn't like it."
Sakura smiled at him. Syaoran really was a good guy. He led her to his seat and gestured to the one next to him. They sat down and he began telling her what they were studying at the moment, to get her up to speed.
Meanwhile, the small cluster of girls had grown angrier at the special treatment this newcomer was receiving from their beloved Syaoran.
"Sakura," one of them whispered, "She's Japanese? She's no good for Li."
The others rushed to agree.
"Something needs to be done. The only one we recognize is Meiling, since she is his fiancée and it is only natural that they know each other well," another said.
The door opened once more and Eriol walked in with Tomoyo trailing listlessly behind him. No one seemed particularly concerned, mostly because everyone knew about Eriol's relationship with the teacher.
Unfortunately, Eriol had an uncanny way of knowing one's secrets, so he and Kaho would likely remain under the administration's radar for the rest of his high school life, which constituted about two years at this point.
"Ah, Sakura, in all the excitement I forgot something," he said cheerily, fishing around in his bag. Tomoyo dropped into her seat.
"Is it a present?" Sakura asked, standing up and getting all excited.
"You could say that," Eriol replied softly.
Syaoran looked away, pretending not to care but secretly listening intently. Eriol finally pulled out a small notebook.
"This is for you. Please think of it as a welcome present," he said as he handed it to her.
Sakura examined it closely. It was a day planner in a pale shade of pink. Very cute.
"Thank you very much, Hiiragizawa—" she began.
"—Call me Eriol, please," he interrupted, holding up a hand.
"Eriol, then. I will use it every day." She gave him a big smile. Syaoran resolved to buy her something ten times cuter the next time he had the chance. Tomoyo stared at his evident jealousy.
Sakura and the others sat at their desks as the time drew near for class to start. The girl sitting in front of Sakura, who had blue hair tied in braided pigtails, turned around in her seat to face the newcomer.
"Hello, I'm Zhilan," the girl said, smiling, "What is your name?"
Sakura smiled back, "I'm Sakura," she said.
"Well, Sakura, I hope we can be good friends from now on. I like you a lot already," Zhilan said.
As she said that last sentence, Sakura felt something get terribly warm under her hands. She looked down on her desk and saw that the day planner was glowing angrily. She glanced around to make sure no one else had noticed and then shoved it into her bag.
Syaoran watched her hastily hide something and wondered what it was.
"Syaoran!" a girl's voice called from the hallway, "Are you in class yet?"
At the doorway appeared Meiling, Syaoran's fiancée. She wore loose socks in the Japanese style, her hair still in the odangos from before. She smiled haughtily at her.
"Meiling, go to your own classroom! The teacher will be here any minute!" Syaoran barked back in irritation.
"No need to get all huffy about it," Meiling said as she completely ignored him and sat down atop his desk.
"Oh it's this girl again, huh?" she said haughtily, pointing a finger at Sakura. Sakura tried very hard to remember her and suddenly blushed.
We kissed, didn't we, the first time I was at Syaoran's house… Sakura thought, totally embarrassed. Meiling flicked her on the nose.
"What's the matter with you?" she asked. Luckily, the teacher came in and Sakura was spared from answering.
"Watch out girlie," she called as she left, "Syaoran's my fiancé!"
Syaoran groaned. Zhilan exchanged looks with other girls in the room and together, they all nodded.
That Sakura had to be taken care of.
DM: Whew, so that's the first part. I had the choice of giving you one super long chapter a week from now, or a chapter now and a chapter later, so yea I picked the latter. Anyway, please review!