Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Chamber Group ❯ Chapter 5 ( Chapter 5 )

Chapter 5

" A-ti!" Syaoran sneezed. " Aiiya! Do you have a tissue, Eriol-san? Quickly quickly quickly!!!!"

Eriol hurriedly searched his bag and handed a couple of tissues to his friend.
" You alright now?" He asked.
Syaoran blew his nose into it and rubbed his ear.
" Ow, I think I blew my eardrums out."
" Don't worry about it."
" It feels like...urgh."

Eriol patted Syaoran's arm sympathetically. Syaoran had been pretty much braindead the entire ride here, partly because of the antibiotics.
" Come on. Let's get to the lobby. We're half an hour early."
" Half an hour?" Syaoran groaned, although it sounded more like a sob because of his deranged voice.
" You're lucky you didn't go to Julliard." Eriol muttered. " Now I understand why you didn't go even when you were accepted. Jesus Christ!" It was a comment Eriol often put amidst his Japanese. " Julliard was practically begging you to go there, giving you all kinds of scholarships and stuff. But now, you're pretty lucky, you know."
" I probably should have gone to Moscow." Syaoran muttered. " Moscow had this music school that was-a-ti! Great. But I can speak Russian no better than I can speak English."

Eriol swallowed and began muttering to himself about how stubborn Syaoran always was.

Syaoran sat down with his friend and leaned into his shoulder, his eyes drooping to a close.

Yuri turned her head at Sakura and frowned. Sakura stopped, and when she stopped Yuri and Anzu stopped.
" What's wrong?" Noyse asked, looking over. " Oh, Sakura, you skipped a measure. You don't have anything for two whole measures."
" Oh." Sakura looked at her part. " Gomen."
" From...one two three four-five from number Four."

The trio looked at each other, and Sakura gave an upbeat with her bow. They started. Sakura blinked at her part, and this time Yuri didn't frown at her. They continued playing.

" Syaoran, Syaoran-san! You're going to miss your class! Syaoran!" Eriol hurriedly shook the boy. Syaoran opened his eyes.
" Shenma?"

Eriol ignored the queer reply. " It's nine already! You're going to miss your class!"
" Oh." Syaoran hurriedly grabbed his bags and stood up, but fell on top of Eriol, who barely maintained his own balance.
" Syaoran-san! Are you alright?"
" Olghm...garbage-garbage can...need, the, garbage can..."
" Someone get the garbage can!" Eriol cried. " My friend is going to throw up!"

Parents and students rushed to get the closest garbage can, which was at the main office. The people at the front desk hurried over, and Yoshihara also rushed out and helped Syaoran maintain balance. Syaoran closed his eyes after the contents of his stomach was emptied, and he panted, gratefully drinking the cup of water. Water tasted sweet now.

" Are you alright?" Yoshihara asked. " Do you want to go home?"
" Yao..." Syaoran answered.

Yoshihara ignored the comment, and a parent felt his forehead.
" Aiya!" cried a Chinese. " He's hot! Fancy, a kid coming to school with a fever as high as a toaster!"
" It was only a cold half an hour ago." Eriol sighed. He shook his head and went down the yellow marble hallway as Syaoran's mother took him home.

" Where's Syaoran-san?" Sakura asked Yamazaki and Eriol. Eriol shrugged.
" Got sick. Didn't you hear?"
" Hai, I heard." Tomoyo answered. " I heard he threw up this morning and they sent him home. Noyse-sensei told us about it, since he was there."
" Really?" Sakura blinked. " What happened?"
" Had a fever." Eriol answered.
" Oh." Sakura bit her lip. The three sat down with their lunch.
" Pizza?"
" Ewww!" Yamazaki grimaced. " I tasted those before. He nodded when Sakura grimaced as she took a bite.
" Yuck!" It was another English word that Eriol usually put in. " They taste like spoiled butter."
" Wonder if chicken is the only one I can have."
" Sakura, are you alright?"
" Hai." Sakura sighed. Eriol and Tomoyo shared a knowing look.
" I'm going to call him tonight to see how he's doing, and give him the homework." Eriol stated on purpose.
" Really? Do you think I should too?" Sakura asked.
" Well," Eriol did his best to hide the grin that threatened to show. " You can, it won't hurt. You're good friends, after all."

He gave her Syaoran's phone number and that made Sakura feel a lot better.

" Aaaah!"
" What is it, Syaoran?" Li Yelan turned in the car and looked at her son sitting in the front seat.
" I'm having a concert today Mama!"
" I know. That was why I insisted you come here." Yelan sighed. " Too bad, but I'm sure Wakabayashi would understand."
" I was going to play the Mozart." Syaoran pouted. " I practiced so hard this week. This is so unfair!"
" Now now. Don't get your temperature too high by your temper, Syaoran." Li Yelan smiled sadly. " Don't be too disappointed. You'll get another chance two weeks from now."
" Two weeks from now!" Syaoran cried.

" Oni-chan!" Sakura hurried up the stairs. " Did you see Nakuru-san?"
" Nakuru?" Touya looked at his cello for a minute. " Hai. She went to room 334 to practice. Why?"
" She has my ear training book!"
" Then you better hurry up." Touya looked at his watch. " It's almost one."

Sakura pushed the door into the hall and veered around the hall to room 334.
" Nakuru-san!" She opened the door.
" Nani?" The red haired girl turned around. " Oh, konnichiwa, Sakura. I've been looking all over for you. Arigatou for lending me your ear training book!" She took out the heavy spiral book and handed it to Sakura. Sakura just nodded, glanced at her watch, and shouted,
" HOEEE! I'm late!"
" Then you better get going-" The older girl began, but the twelve-year-old was already gone.
" Ah Sakura-san." She said, before going back to her flute.

" Oh hai, Syaoran's sick today, but since he did try to come I won't cut his score. He's been doing very well." Yoshihara nodded at Syaoran's record.

Liang blinked. " What happened?"
" Didn't you hear?" Asked another boy, the tall lanky one that didn't know which instrument to play the other week. " Syaoran threw up in the lobby. He caught a fever. To think, he has a concert today!"

Liang scowled.
" Say, where did the girl go?" The lanky boy asked.
" Oh. You mean Rika? She's from the other class. She has no classes from one to two, so she came here to watch that orchestra perform Swan Lake last week. But you can't expect her to come every day!"

" Someone else is missing today." Yoshihara eyed the nine boys.
" Eeto..." Liang looked around. " No one's missing, other than Syaoran..."
" Alright, you're right. So, who's going to go up?"
" Ano...Syaoran was supposed to go-"
" Well, who's going to go after him? Liang, you go up."
" But-"
" No buts. You didn't conduct the second time so you have to go."

Liang scowled nervously and went to fetch his baton.
" You guys in Pianoland!" Yoshihara eyed the two pianists on the Yamaha. " Give them an A!"

The boys tuned. There was an oboe player who was a girl, but she was not part of the class. There were two violins, a cellist, a violist, three present pianists, and two flutes.

" Alright, we're ready." Yoshihara stated.
" I'm not." Liang whispered to himself. Then he took a breath, eyed everyone, and gave an upbeat.

At the same time Sakura was singing along with the rest of the class in ear training, which was by far the hardest class she ever had to go through. The whole point of that class was to sight sing the music at first sight, which was by no means simple. She suppressed a yawn as the teacher told them to sing the next one.

Afterwards, there was what she dreaded.
" There's going to be a test next week." Said the sensei. " I want you to learn numbers 123 to 125, and be ready to sing for me. Oh, and also 131."

There was a series of groans, and the class scribbled on their books. Sakura looked at her pieces. Darn it!

Eriol looked at his glasses and wiped them off. Good lesson, for once. He thought as he lifted his cello into the elevator.
" Konnichiwa, Eriol-san."
" Oh, konnichiwa Yamazaki-san. You have a free period, right?"
" Hai, for about forty-five minutes. I'm going to the library to borrow a book. Wakabayashi-san wants me to play the Fantasie-Impromptu by Chopin."
" Oh! I do love that piece." Eriol hummed the melody to himself. " The right hand looks hard but it's actually very easy."
" That's encouraging."
" Make sure you get the B version and not the A version, because most people play the B."
" Huh?" Yamazaki cocked an eyebrow. " What are you talking about?"
" You'll see." The elevator stopped on the third floor and the two boys went out.

Oncethey went into the library, all was suddenly quiet.
" Konnichiwa, Daidouji-san." Eriol whispered.
" Hiriingaziwa-kun!" Tomoyo looked up. " I didn't know you have a free period. What are you here for?"
" Yamazaki needs the score for Chopin."
" Hmph." Tomoyo answered. " I need the violin sonata by Bach. Who's Chopin?"
" Chopin is a pianist and a composer. He's also a genius."
" Oh...is he Polish?"
" Hai. You know him?"
" A little. Sort of. Rika mentioned it once, but he doesn't write for any other instrument, hai? Kind of like Czerny?"
" Guess not, if you never heard of him really."
" Oh, alright. The Chopins are over there." The girl pointed.

Yamazaki and Eriol bent down.

" Why do they have to make shelves so low?" Yamazaki grumbled.
" Shh!" Eriol whispered. " There are short kids, you know! You see that listening room over there? You need a ladder to get on top. At least when you're here you won't break your neck."
" You won't break your neck there; you'll break the stereos." Yamazaki chuckled quietly.

" AAAAH!"
" What is it?" Eriol asked.
" How did it pop?" Tomoyo asked mournfully. " How did it pop? I have a lesson!"

Eriol looked over to see what had popped. It was one of Tomoyo's violin strings.
" Eio." Was Eriol's queer response. " How did it pop?"
" I don't know! I didn't touch it! When we came from the elevator I just opened it and it went whee!"
" Must have been too tight from the start." Yamazaki offered. " Maybe your teacher would let you use hers?"
" She has a five million dollar Italian one. Are you mad?"
" Oh." Was the boys' response. They said nothing.

" So there was this little poem called the Violin, the Viola, and the Cello."
" Hai, so how did it go?" Chiharu asked.
And so Sakura began.

" The girl walked in through the door,
To come upon a music store,
And on the shelf of wooden board,
There was a violin and a bow.

Beside the violin was a bow,
And beside the bow a viola stored,
Some rosin and some other bow,
That was made of horse hair.

Said the violin to the viola,
" Fancy, a girl comes!
Will she take me or you by gums?"
And the viola answered,
" Now that's enough!"

Now beside the viola was its bow,
And beside the bow was the cello,
Who's deepening voice frightened all but one,
The girl who's listening ears heard none.

Said the viola to the cello,
" Do shush your strings!
The A tone of all things!
Do you honestly think the girl,
Will buy one so loud they rings?"
And the cello, so booming low,
Went squeaking on with its bow,
Said " Now that's enough!
Can't you see I'm tough,
And out of us three,
The girl will buy me!"

And the girl went to the counter where,
The woman sat in her little chair,
And the girl opened her lips to speak,
The violin, viola, cello seek,
And her clear voice, musical and sweet,
Went bouncing of the walls they meet,
And the girl questioned, " Where is
The church?"

Noako and Chiharu giggled.
" You memorized all that?"
" Hoe! I thought it was so kawaii, what are you talking about?"

The two girls laughed. " It is kawaii!" They all agreed.
" Oo, it's five fifteen. Where is my brother?" Sakura grimaced.
" I have a concert." Chiharu sighed. " Better tune my flute."
" I have to fix the horn." Noako sighed. " The valves went splintery. I'll see you next week, Sakura-chan!"
" Ja ne!" Sakura waved, as her friend departed.
" Wish me luck." Chiharu whispered.
" Good luck." Sakura answered. Chiharu went to the elevator.
" Kaijuu!" Touya appeared.
" I'm not a monster!" Sakura shouted, stomping on her brother's feet. Touya yelped, nearly dropping his cello.
" Hey, I just got the new cello case, alright?" Touya muttered. " For about one month."
" Otou-san!" Sakura interrupted. And they got into the SUV.

" Moshi moshi?" A groggy voice answered the phone.
" Konbonwa." Sakura said to the phone.
" Sakura?"
" Hai. I heard that something happened to you today, Syaoran-kun."
" Oh, that."
" Are you better now?"
" Barely."
" Oh...gomen nasai."
" How did you get my phone number?"
" Eriol-kun gave it to me."

There was a silence. Sakura blinked.
" Oh."
" We missed you at lunch today."

There was a hoarse chuckle.
" Ai. Gomen. What did you have today?"
" ...Pizza."
" Ew!"
" I know!"

The two laughed.
" So are you going to be there next week?"
" Of course I will. If I don't, Yoshihara's going to give me a D. And then I'm going to fail."
" Aww, but he was there today when you threw up, so he probably wouldn't do anything."
" I wish." There was a sigh.
" So how goes the Swan Lake?"
" A lot better today. Terada-sensei made us work on it all this morning, but we didn't work on your Prokofiev though."
" Oh."
" You're going to rehearse with us in three weeks."
" Really?"
" Hai."
" Wow, that is so awesome." Then Sakura smiled as Syaoran went on. " I'm going to practice with a real live orchestra! That is so cool! Although that performance last week wasn't very encouraging-you guys were horrible, but this is so cool!"

Sakura giggled. " Hey, you won the competition."
" I did it!" There was a series of coughs, and Syaoran laughed.
" Well, I better let you rest now, otherwise you'll be coughing a lot more."
" Un, well, I'll see you next week."
" Ja."
" Ja."

Click.