Disclaimer: I do not own Card Captor Sakura
takari love: Hmmm...if you don't like the prologue, I hope you'll like this chappie...
Chapter 1: First Meeting
SAKURA'S POV
A 20 years-old teen girl with shoulder length auburn hair and emerald green eyes stood in front of her mirror while brushing her hair.
My name is Sakura Evelyn Kinomoto and I am 20 years-old. I grew up in a small town in Japan called Tomoeda. Now, I live with my father's sister, Aunt Kyoumi, in the busy town of Tokyo. Today I have an interview for the job of a temporary teacher at Stars Kindergarten.
'I hope I get that job,' I thought. 'I won't be a burden to Aunt Kyoumi if I have my own pocket money.' Sakura put down her hair brush and applied a thin layer of cherry blossom colored lipstick on her soft, pink lips. 'Then, maybe, otou-san won't be too worried.'
I was wearing a white blouse and long pink skirt with a long, brown over-coat. I want to be presentable as possible for the interview. I went out of my room, everybody had gone to work. I went out of the house and locked the door. I double checked it before I left.
Stars Kindergarten is not far from Aunt Kyoumi's house; only 10 minutes walk. At the zebra-crossing, I waited at the side-walks until the walking signals turned green. While I was waiting, a red sport car stopped in front of me.
I saw a man in the driver's seat, maybe in his late twenties. He has a pair of amber eyes and messy chestnut hair. He also has sandy white skin. Sitting beside him, I saw a woman in her late twenties and long, wavy shiny black hair. She also has a pair of ruby red eyes and white skin.
'They look like a happy couple,' I thought. 'Oh how I wish I could also feel love.' The sound of the car driving away snapped me out of my thought. I giggled to myself, thinking about how funny the things that I had thought about love.
Finally the walking-signal turned green indicating that it is now good to walk. I walked towards the Stars Kindergarten. When I got there, I was surprised to see the red spot car that I saw earlier.
'I wonder what this car is doing here. Is this the right car?' I thought. I got closer to the car. I saw the woman with black hair in the car, the same woman I saw earlier. 'Yup, this is the same car alright. But what is it doing here?' I thought.
The black-haired woman saw me so I gave her a friendly smile. Instead of returning the smile, the woman looked away snobbishly.
'Who does that woman think she is?' I thought angrily. I continued walking towards the school. 'Oh no, so many rooms,' I thought. I started panicking. It's only a few minutes until my interview and I don't know where to go.
"What are you looking for?" a male's voice asked me from behind.
The voice snapped me out of my trance. "Huh?" I said, turning around. I saw the man that was driving the red sport car earlier today. He was wearing a white, long sleeved t-shirt with Tokyo International Airport logo on his shirt. He was wearing a black slack.
"You seem to be lost," that man said again.
"I'm looking for Miss Fanren Li," I answered. I don't know why but my heart is beating fast.
"You just walk straight; turn right at the first block and the first room on the left, that's Miss Fanren's room." The man told me.
"Uh, thank you," I told him.
The man just chuckled and went to his car. When he got into the car, his girlfriend, without any shame, kissed him on the lips. My thoughts about the man changed.
'Don't they have any shame?' I thought.
I followed the direction given by the chestnut-haired man. When I found the room, I knocked on the door.
"Who is it?" A female's voice asked from inside.
"I'm here for the job interview," I answered.
"Oh, come in," the woman said.
I went into the office and saw a woman about 30 years-old with long chestnut-hair. She gestured to me, asking me to sit in front of her.
"You must be Sakura Evelyn Kinomoto," the woman said.
"Yes," I answered politely. "You can call me Sakura, uh miss…"
"Oh, sorry, I haven't introduce myself, haven't I?" the woman said. "I'm Fanren Li. You can just call me Fanren."
"Alright," I said.
"I was expecting you at 8.30," Fanren told me. "I thought that you weren't coming."
I looked surprised. "What? But I was told that the interview is at 9.30 in the morning."
"9.30?" Fanren said, surprised. "But I'm sure it was 8.30." Finally, she said, "Never mind, as long as you're here now," she added in, smiling. "Oh yeah, before we start," Fanren told me, "do you mind if I take care of something for a while? In the meantime, you could fill in your particulars for me," Fanren said, handing me a piece of form.
Miss Fanren went out of her office, leaving me alone in it. I wanted to get use to the place and I started by looking at my left and my right. Then, I started filling in the particulars. I didn't hear the door opened and someone entered the room.
"Who are you?" A male's voice said to me from behind.
I was surprised so I turned around quickly; very quickly. My action caused a few papers on the table to fly to the floor. I blushed. 'Oh, that was so embarrassing,' I thought.
"Here, let me help you out," the male's voice told me.
I thought that the voice was familiar. I looked up and saw the man that was driving the red sport car. 'Now that I thought of it, this man looks a little bit like Miss Fanren. I wonder if they are brother and sister.' I thought.
The man bent down next to me and helped me pick up the papers. After our job was finished, the man said to me.
"You know, by the way you spin, you could make a shampoo advertisement," the man said, chuckling.
"Who are you?" I asked, a little bit angry.
"Oh sorry, I guess I haven't introduced myself," the chestnut-haired man said. "My name is Syaoran, Syaoran Adam."
"My name is Sakura Evelyn Kinomoto," I replied.
"So, what are you doing here?" Syaoran asked me.
"I'm here for a job interview," I answered.
"Is there an opening here?" Syaoran asked.
"Yes," I answered, looking at Syaoran strangely. "A teacher is on leave for three month after giving birth. I'm being interviewed for that spot."
"Well, Miss Fanren's not here so let me interview you for her behalf," Syaoran said, sitting on Miss Fanren's seat.
"Uh," I said, not sure if it's the right thing to do.
"Come on," he said. "Miss Fanren's not here so let me interview you."
At last, I agreed. I sat down at the seat right in front of Syaoran. Syaoran took the form that I just filled in.
"So, how should I call you?" Syaoran asked. "Sakura Evelyn Kinomoto?"
I thought he'd ask something like this. He looked like a playboy.
"Come on, I'm the one who's interviewing you right now," Syaoran said.
I sighed. "You can call me Sakura," I told him.
"Hmm," Syaoran said, smiling at me. "Cherry blossom," he said, "nice name."
I just looked at him, didn't say anything.
"So, how old are you?" he asked again.
"I'm 20 years-old," I answered.
"Oh, I see," Syaoran said. "No wonder you're so young. But that's okay, you really look beautiful."
I blushed. 'Is this an interview or what?'
"I'm 27," Syaoran said.
'So, he's older than me,' I thought. 'He's the same age as onii-chan, Touya.'
"So, why do you want to take this job?" Syaoran asked.
"I want to save money for college," I answered.
"College," Syaoran said, sounding interested. "What major do you want to take?"
"Business," I answered simply.
"I see," he said.
Suddenly, the door opened and Fanren went in. When she saw Syaoran, her face expression turned sour. "Syaoran Adam Li, what are you doing here?"
"Hey, calm down sis," Syaoran said, walking towards Fanren.
'So, I was right,' I thought. 'They are siblings.'
"Sakura, did Syaoran asked you any funny questions?" Fanren asked.
Before I could answer, Syaoran said, "Sakura is still unharmed, Fanren, don't worry."
"What are you doing here anyway, Syaoran?" Fanren asked.
"I'm just helping you out, sis," Syaoran said.
Fanren's face soured even more. "You're not needed here, Syaoran," Fanren said.
"You're welcome," Syaoran said to his sister.
"Oh, thank you," Fanren answered in an annoyed voice.
Syaoran looked at me and said, "Well, see you later, Sakura." After seeing my reaction, Syaoran laughed as he was exiting the room.
Fanren shook her head as the door behind them closed. Fanren and I went back to our seats after that.
"Sakura, that was my brother, Syaoran Adam Li," Fanren said. "He's a pilot at Tokyo International Airport. Sometimes, when he's not on-call, he'll come here to help out with things that needed to be repaired."
"I see," I said. Actually, I don't really know what else to say.
"So, why do you want to take this job?" Fanren asked.
"I want to save money for college," I answered.
"College huh," Fanren said. "What major will you take?"
"I'm taking a major in business," I answered.
"Business, huh, that's great," Fanren said.
After a few more questions, Fanren said, "So, your salary will be $380 a month. Is that alright?"
"Yes," I answered gratefully.
"Good," said Fanren. "You'll be teaching a class consists of twenty 5 years-old students. Classes will start at 8 in the morning so you'll have to be here before that."
"Alright," I answered.
"I'll be helping you out on your first day and you'll be handling the class on your own on your second day," Fanren said.
"Okay," I said.
"So, do you have anywhere to go now, Sakura?" Fanren asked.
"No," I answered.
"Good," Fanren said. "What do you say if I show you around the school?"
"I'd be glad," I replied.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Fanren asked. "Let's go."
I took my small, white handbag and followed Fanren as she showed me around the school that belonged to her family and introduced me to the other teachers and staffs at the school.
It was noon when Fanren finished showing me around the kindergarten. She also showed me around the primary and secondary school as well because the school also belonged to her family. After getting all the info I needed, I went back to Aunt Kyoumi's house.
When I arrived, Aunt Kyoumi was there, in the living room. She was checking her students' exercise books. Aunt Kyoumi is a Mathematic teacher at a secondary school.
"So, how was the job interview? Did you get the job?" Aunt Kyoumi, a woman in her early fifties, asked when she heard me coming in.
"It was fine," I answered, walking into the air-conditioned living room and sat on a comfy couch next to Aunt Kyoumi. "I got the job. I'll be paid $380 a month."
"That's good," Aunt Kyoumi said, never getting her eyes off her work. "When do you start?"
"I'll start tomorrow," I answered.
"Hmm, that's good," Aunt Kyoumi said. "Tomorrow is the start of the new month so you'll have a full payment."
"Uh, Aunt Kyoumi," I said.
Aunt Kyoumi put down her red pen and looked at me. "Yes, Sakura," she said.
"I was wondering if I could go to Tomoeda today," I asked, full of hope. "I want to visit otou-san. Since onii-chan and Yuki nii-chan always traveling around because of their work, otou-san is at home all alone. Although otou-san never admits it but I know he's lonely."
"Why today?" Aunt Kyoumi asked me.
"Well, later on when I started working, the busyness might prevent me from going back to Tomoeda." I answered earnestly.
"Yeah, you're right," Aunt Kyoumi told me. "When are you planning to leave?"
"I guess at 2 o' clock," I answered. "And I'll be back before midnight."
"I see," Aunt Kyoumi said. "I have something to give to your father. Could you send it for me?"
"Sure," I answered, glad to be a help to people. "What is it?"
"I found it today when I was looking for something in the attic," Aunt Kyoumi said, standing up and walking towards the cupboard near the wall. She took something from the drawer and walked back towards where I sat. She gave the thing to me.
It was a photo taken maybe in the 70's. In the photo, there was a man and woman, they look like a couple. They are wearing kimonos.
"The man and woman looked like a nice couple," I told Aunt Kyoumi while admiring the photo. "Who are they, Aunt Kyoumi?"
"They are my otou-san and okaa-san," Aunt Kyoumi said.
"That means otou-san's otou-san and okaa-san too," I said and Aunt Kyoumi just nodded. "That means they are my grandparents."
"Yes, Sakura," Aunt Kyoumi replied.
I hugged the photo. I had never got the chance to see my grandparents before because they had died before I was even born. Touya was the only who got to know my grandparents for a short while.
"I better get going," I finally said to Aunt Kyoumi after looking at the photo for a moment.
"Are you taking your car?" Aunt Kyoumi asked me.
"Yes," I answered. "Because I need to get back before tomorrow morning," I added in.
Aunt Kyoumi nodded her head while saying, "Have a save trip and tell your father I said hello."
I nodded my head and stood up. Then, I went to my room. I pack a pair of clothes for tonight. I just brought a small knapsack-bag with me because I will be back before midnight. After finished packing, I went out of the house, of course after saying goodbye to Aunt Kyoumi too.
Tomoeda is just a few hours drive from Tokyo so don't need to hurry. I decided to stop at a relic store to collect something for otou-san. You see, otou-san is a History professor in a college in Tomoeda. That's why otou-san is interested in relics. Since I'm here, I could also buy something for onii-chan and Yuki nii-chan. Mr. Oliver's relic store also sells souvenirs for tourists. Oh yeah, before you're wondering who Yuki nii-chan is, let me explain.
Yuki nii-chan is actually Yukito Tsukishiro. I knew him since I was just a little girl so he was like an older brother to me, just like Touya. Yuki nii-chan was my onii-chan's best friend and now he is my onii-chan lover.
I know, yikes! People were meant to be a woman and man couple not man and man or woman and woman, but hey, who are we to stop them. Love is blind after all. Okay, stop with the explanation and let's get on with the story.
I went into the small relic store that belonged to Mr. Hanamoto, an old friend of my otou-san.
When I entered, there was no one at the counter. "Excuse me, is there anyone here?" I asked, looking around.
Then I heard a noise like something fell from the backroom. After that, I heard someone said, "I'll be front for just a sec."
I waited near the counter and then, a man in his late 40's or maybe early 50's entered the room from the backdoor located by the counter.
"Ah, Sakura," the man said, "it's nice to see you again." The man was Mr. Oliver.
"Konnichiwa, Oliver-san," I said politely.
"So, are you here to collect the relic for your father, Sakura?" Mr. Oliver asked. He knew that his friend, Fujitaka, had always asked his daughter to collect relics for him whenever she's in town or when he can't come to the busy town of Tokyo.
I just nodded and Mr. Oliver said, "Wait here, young lady while I take the relics. In the meantime, you're free to look around the store. Maybe there's something you're interested in." and with that, Mr. Oliver once again disappeared into the backroom.
I looked around the relic store. I was the only one in it. Since this store is quite hidden from view, not many people knew about it.
I saw a very nice key-chain that I thought onii-chan will like. It's carved from a wood, a man playing football. Then I saw another key-chain that caught her eyes. It's a white rabbit, made of really soft, white fur. "This is perfect."
"What is perfect?" a male's voice asked.
I was startled. I thought there was no one else here except for me and Mr. Oliver, who's currently in the backroom. I could sense that the person was close to me because I could feel the person's breath by my neck.
I immediately turned around. And what shock I found when I saw who the person was. It was none other than Syaoran, Miss Fanren's brother.
I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard him laughed.
"You should have seen your face, Sakura," Syaoran said to me.
I looked at him angrily while saying, "What are you doing here, Li?"
"Please, just call me Syaoran, Sakura," Syaoran said in a voice that could melt girls' heart.
"Very well," I said, very annoyed. "Syaoran, what are you doing here?"
"A friend of mind told me about this place so I decided to check it out," Syaoran lied. Actually, he saw Sakura went in a few minutes ago so he decided to follow.
"Whatever," I told him. Besides, why should I be interested in what he's doing?
"Sakura," I heard my name being called.
Syaoran and I turned towards the counter. Mr. Oliver finally realized Syaoran's presence, he said, "Oh, I see we've got another customer."
"Mr. Oliver, this is Syaoran Adam Li," I said, introducing Syaoran to Mr. Oliver.
"I see," Mr. Oliver said as Syaoran just smiled at him. "A friend of yours, Sakura?" the old man asked.
Before I could answer, Syaoran answered, "Yes." He put a hand on my shoulder, "quite close in fact," he added in.
I just rolled my eyes. I told Mr. Oliver, "Just ignore him, Mr. Oliver."
Following my words, Mr. Oliver immediately said, "Oh yeah, Sakura, the things your father wanted is ready."
"Thank you, Mr. Oliver," I said, walking towards Mr. Oliver. Syaoran followed me from behind.
"So, did you find anything that caught your eyes?" Mr. Oliver asked.
"Yeah," I answered. I put the key-chains on the counter. "How much?" I asked, reaching for my purse.
"It's free, Sakura," Mr. Oliver said.
"Please, Mr. Oliver, I can't take this for free," I said, blushing. "You've always give me stuff whenever I stop by. I can't accept it anymore."
"Sakura, I'm no stranger to you, I insist. Besides, your father is my old friend. It's not a crime to give things to my friend's daughter."
I giggled. "No, it's not a crime, Mr. Oliver but I certainly can't take anymore."
"Just think of it as a birthday gift," Mr. Oliver said.
'True, it's my birthday soon,' I thought.
"Ah, this is a gift from me," Mr. Oliver said, giving me a cherry blossom key-chain.
"Oh, Mr. Oliver," I said.
"Please Sakura," Mr. Oliver said. "Just take it."
After a few minutes, I finally accept it. After that, I went out of the store.
I was about to enter my car when I hear Syaoran said to me, "Hey, Sakura, wait up."
Then I remembered that I totally forgot that Syaoran was there, in the store.
"Hey Sakura," Syaoran said. "Do you want to eat lunch with me?" he asked.
"No," I answered.
"Why?" Syaoran asked. "I know you like me, you can't tell me otherwise because you always blush when I'm around." Syaoran smirked.
'True, I blushed,' I thought to myself, 'but not always.'
"Come on, Sakura," Syaoran said. "Lunch won't be long."
"I told you, I can't," I said to Syaoran again, now annoyed by his childish behavior.
"Why?" Syaoran asked.
"I'm going back to Tomoeda for the day," I answered finally.
"Why Tomoeda?" Syaoran asked.
"I'm visiting my father," Sakura said, putting the box containing relics in the boot of her car.
"I see," Syaoran said. "So, when will you be back?"
"Tonight," I answered, going into my car.
"Well, than," Syaoran said. "I'll see you tonight," Syaoran told with a smile on his face. Before I could say anything, he quickly walks away.
I just sighed at his behavior and closed the door. Then, I started to drive away. My destination is; Tomoeda.
takari love: So, how was it? This chapter is quite long...to make up for the shortness of the Prologue...
TBC