"YOU WILL WEAR PANTS," screamed Ara. Sakura cowered, clutching at the flimsy fabric that made up the dress she had picked up.

"But- I…" she whispered. Ara snatched the dress out of her hands and shoved it back onto the rack.

"No," she said. "I'm sick of seeing you prancing around in a dress. You're torturing poor Syaoran-kun and undoing all the hard work of the feminist movement."

"Actually, I think it's cute when Syaoran-kun blushes like that," Ler piped up, popping her head over the rack.

"Ooh, did you finish picking out the clothes for Kuro-pu?"

"Yeah, and I found something nice for Syaoran-kun, too. He's trying it on right now."

"Kay-kay. I think you're right about Syaoran-kun blushing. It's adorable. Here," said Ara, selecting the shortest pair of shorts she could find and shoving them in Sakura's hands along with a bright yellow scoop-neck top. "Go in there and try these on."

Poor Sakura obeyed, too overwhelmed to resist.

"Ah… have you found anything for me, Ara-chan?"

"No, not yet," Ara told Fai, "but you're-"

"OMG COSPLAYERS!"

Before Fai could even turn around, he was suddenly bowled over and pinned to the ground by a swath of pink cloth, brown hair, and the most hyperactive hime energy the world had ever seen.

"Did you dye your hair or is it just naturally blonde? Where did you get such a high-quality robe? I've never seen anything like it!"

"Ah…" Fai smiled, and the girl on top of him dissolved into a fit of squeals and giggles.

"Crystal? Aren't you supposed to be out sick?"

"Huh?" The girl looked up at them, surprised. "Ler! Ara! What are you two doing here? Where did you find such an awesomazing cosplayer?"

Ler and Ara shared one of their famous glances, exchanging yet another unknown amount of information.

"I think it's safe to tell her," said Ler. Ara nodded.

"We snuck out," she said. "And they're not cosplayers."

"What do you mean, not cosplayers? Look at the hair, the eyes, the robe! Of course they're-"

"Um, I think I'd really feel more comfortable in a dress," Sakura said softly, appearing at the entrance to the changing room.

"Who are you kidding? You look adorable! Go change back, we'll get you those and that other shirt you tried on," Ara instructed. Sakura bit her lip and quietly obeyed.

"Hey," said Crystal slowly. 'When you say they're not cosplayers, you don't mean..."

"Shouldn't have skipped school today, Crys," Ler said matter-of-factly.

"HOLY FREAKING CRAP!"

"THAT'S WHAT WE SAID!"

"Oh my gawd. Oh my God, that means- Fai-san! I'm so sorry! I- I didn't realize-" wailed Crys, leaping off him quickly.

"It's quite alright," said Fai, laughing gently. "I take it you're also a fan of this, ah, magna we're supposedly in?"

"Manga!" yelped Crys, appearing hurt that even the man she idolized had disrespected the value of her favorite media, but she recovered quickly. "Where's everyone else? It's not just you and Sakura-chan, is it? No, wait- isn't that Syaoran-kun's sword right there? Why do you have it? Syaoran-kun isn't hurt, is he?"

"No, no, he's alright," Fai told her as Ara helped him up. She immediately leapt over to Ler, squealing "OMG! I touched his hand!"

"Syaoran-kun just finished trying on some clothes, and Kuro-pon got kicked out of the store for chasing Mokona-chan around the store trying to kill him," Ler said.

"Hey, you didn't tell me that," objected Ara.

"Syaoran-kun is waiting outside with him," continued Ler.

"What about Moko-chan?"

"Mokona is right here!" burst out Mokona, leaping onto one of the racks as Sakura appeared uncertainly around the corner of the aisle, awkwardly clutching at the clothes Ara had forced her to pick out.

"Um, Ara-chan? Who is this?" she asked.

"Crys!" exclaimed Crystal happily, bounding over and glomping her in her excitement. "My name's Crys. I'm a friend of Ler and Ara's."

Sakura reviewed the layers of intentionally torn pink and white silk, tule, and lace.

"Why does she get to wear a dress?" she asked.

"Because nobody messes with Crys. You're a pushover," Ara told her. Sakura looked like she was about to argue, but then handed the clothes to Ler, resigned to her fate. "Hey, Crys, help me pick out something for Fai-san."

"Huh? What?" asked Crys. Ara apparently hadn't noticed that she had disappeared for a few seconds. In her hands, she held a top hat, a brown vest, a white shirt, and black dress pants. Ara gasped.

"No fair!" she wailed. "I wanted to pick Fai's outfit out!"

"Oh. Sorry. Here, Fai-san, these should fit," Crys said, pushing the clothes into his hands.

"Here," Ara said with a sigh, handing Crys a credit card. "Buy the clothes. I'm going to go outside and wait with Syaoran-kun and Kuro-rin."

With that, she ran off outside, leaving behind a trail of fading giggles and fangirl-sparkles.

~ Yeah, yeah. It's not my best ending. Normally I like to have some sort of conclusion to the chapter- I'm horrendous at writing cliffhangers- but in this case, I just got bored. And I didn't feel like writing anything over vacation, sorry.

Thanks to IceQueen987 for the character Crys. It's based on the personality she told me she has. Did I do okay, Icy-san?

This is the first time I wrote a story with a character based on a person who asked to be in my story, and believe it or not, I've actually been asked that before, albeit not on fanfiction. It was/will be a lot of fun, and I might do it again in the future, but not with this story.

Also, (spoiler alert!!!) Edward Elric will be showing up within the next two chapters at least. Hope you all enjoy as much as me, Ler, and Icy-san!

Reviews will be loved, polished, and displayed on a shelf. Reviewers will be given cookies and a free puppy :) ~