Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction ❯ Until There Was You ❯ Fate Finds A Way ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

As expected, Tomoyo, along with her newfound accomplice, decides to document Sakura's first blind date on video. Also, a new male student catches the attention of Sakura's friends.

Anime/Manga: Card Captor Sakura Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Mystery | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 08.05.2004 | Updated On: 03.26.2005 | Pages: 10 | Words: 7.8K | Visits: 673 | Status: Work In Progress

Hellmaster here. Disclaimer: All the CCS characters found in this fic belong to their respective owners. I do not own them in any way.

Until There Was You

Chapter Three: "Fate Finds A Way"

Passersby looked strangely at the two giggling girls kneeling by the window of La Cherie, hiding to no avail behind an elfin rose bush.

Meiling nudged her companion. "Did you see that? Honestly! That guy is so romantic I can't stand it!"

Tomoyo gave her a brief smile, careful to focus the camera lens on the couple as she cautiously turned to Meiling. "It has been a while since I saw Sakura-chan like this. The last time I saw her like this, she still had a huge crush on her big brother's best friend, Yukito."

"Really?" Meiling turned her attention back to the couple, smiling. "Now that I would love to see!"

"Ohohohohohohoho! I can arrange that!"

Meiling raised a thinly shaped brow when she received a playful grin from Tomoyo. "And how are you going to do that?" asked the black-haired girl disbelievingly.

"Episodes one hundred and thirty one to four hundred and seventy nine of the Sakura-chan chronicles: Yukito season," she said simply. "Sleep over at my house and we'll watch it together! Though it might take a week or so to finish."

Meiling slapped her forehead and exclaimed, "I should have known! That is so e-vil of you!"

"Ohohohohohohohoho!!!" came the triumphant laugh.

Sakura shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to ignore the two heads bobbing by the window.

The young man sitting across her chuckled, quite amused at the young lady. "I see they're still there." His gray eyes twinkled as he spoke.

"I-I'm really sorry about that, Itsudouji-kun!" Sakura apologized quickly. "It's just that..."

"Please. No need to be formal. Just call me Daron" he cut in, raising a hand to quiet her. "I don't know about you but I think 'Daryouku' sounds a bit odd, so I'd appreciate it very much if you just called me Daron," he added, winking.

Sakura colored prettily as she lowered her gaze. "H-Hai..."

"Shall we order then?" Daron summoned a waiter to their table and gave him their order. "I'll have one order of grilled salmon belly with the house special and some vodka please. And the lady would like a..." He motioned to Sakura.

"Um... I'll have one order of cannelloni and..." She paused to look at the menu. "And iced tea, please."

"Excellent choice, Madam! Would the lady care for some dessert with that?" the waiter inquired, his mustache twitching.

Sakura shook her head slightly. "No. That would be enough."

"As you wish," the waiter said as he jotted down their order. He left with the order slip saying, "For a while, please."

"Sakura-chan is so kawaii!!!" Tomoyo squealed as she gazed at her best friend through the lens of her camera. "Look, she's blushing again!"

"Tomoyo, you are absolutely obsessed, did you know that?" Meiling laughed.

Tomoyo laughed with her. "Of course, I am! Why wouldn't I be? Sakura-chan is so ---" Her sentence was cut off by the ringing of Meiling's cell phone.

"Oh, excuse me for a moment." Meiling attended to the call. "Hello?"

Tomoyo watched her while the video camera continued filming a blushing Sakura. She blinked a couple of times as she listened to Meiling talk to the person on the other line.

"I know it's late but...", "Can't I stay a little longer? I'm kind of preoccupied with something.", "Oh come on, I'm eighteen years old already! I can go home by myself." Meiling grimaced. "Okay, okay! You win. I'm at La Cherie, 104 Mizuumi Drive in front of the movie theater. Okay, I'll stay put. Bye." Meiling turned to Tomoyo with a look of defeat on her face. "Sumimasen... I need to go when my cousin arrives to pick me up."

Tomoyo gave her a sympathetic smile. "I understand. I'll lend you the tape when I'm done editing."

"Thanks a lot..." Meiling sighed. "I'm already in my last year in high school and he still treats me as if I'm ten years old!" she complained.

"Your cousin?" Tomoyo queried.

"Yeah." Meiling groaned. "That guy can be so frustrating sometimes. But..." A small smile found its way to her lips as she reminisced. "He's really kind, despite what other people might think..."

"Most people are, when given a chance. You just have to look close enough and put all prejudices aside." Steady purple eyes looked straight into vulnerable scarlet orbs. "Meiling, tell me... do you like him? In that way, I mean?"

Meiling turned crimson. "N-No, of course not!"

Tomoyo looked at her incredulously.

"Fine then... I'll tell you the truth. Yes, I did. But I gave up on him a long time ago." Meiling heaved a miserable sigh. "I know he cares for me and everything... but I know he'll never look at me in that way. I'll always be family to him... Anyway, it was just a silly little childhood crush." She laughed forcibly, failing to suppress the unmistakable trace of melancholy in her trembling voice.

Tomoyo smiled at her adoringly. "You are a very kind person, Meiling. Truly selfless and giving. You..." Her voice diminished into a whisper. "You really love him, don't you?"

Meiling fell silent. A distant look on her face, she answered, "Hai..."

They watched as a black Jaguar pulled over by the sidewalk. Meiling stood up and said hurriedly, "That's my ride. I'd better go. Thanks for everything, Tomoyo!" She rushed towards the car and went inside.

"See you tomorrow!" She waved as the vehicle moved forward.

Tomoyo waved back. "Hai! Sayonara!"

She stopped waving as the vehicle disappeared into the night. Silently, she turned her attention back to the pair inside the restaurant and listlessly adjusted the view to medium shot as the couple started to dine.

"Stop shoving, Karumi!"

"No way! I saw him first! He's mine!"

"Is that right? I don't see your name on him!"

"Ack, stop elbowing my chin!"

"Where do you think you're putting your hands?!"

"Oopsies!"

Mikah stared blankly at the two bickering girls trying to hide behind a tree near the parking lot. "Just a little louder and the prime minister will hear the both of you squabble. What in the world are you guys trying to do, anyway? Pretend to be spies?"

Before she could make another sarcastic remark, four hands immediately pulled her downward and sent her falling on her behind.

"What do you guys think you're doing?!" Mikah hissed, visibly irritated. She plucked a dead leaf from her hair, shifting to a more comfortable position.

Sayako hushed her. "Don't say a word and take a gander of the hottie at three o' clock."

Mikah wordlessly obeyed and turned her head towards the direction Sayako was pointing to. Her eyes widened in amazement. "Who is he?"

"I knew it. I was totally right." Karumi nodded to herself, quite pleased with Mikah's reaction. "Even you wouldn't be able to resist his charm." She extended her hand to Sayako and said, "You owe me a thousand yen."

Sayako cursed. She grudgingly handed over the wrinkled bill to Karumi.

"Anyway, what is this all about? Who is he?" Mikah said, repeating her question.

"That, my friend, I do not know." Karumi answered, casually twirling a lock of pink hair with her finger.

"What kind of stalkers are you? You don't even know the guy's name!"

"Hey! We are NOT stalkers!" Sayako protested. "Besides, he's a new student. Right, Karumi?"

Mikah frowned. "Hey, wait a minute. A new student? It's the middle of the school year! How can there be a new student?"

"Quite possible, apparently. In fact, there's a new girl in our class." Karumi glanced at Sayako.

"That's right!" Sayako agreed. " She's a transfer student from Hong Kong. Li Meiling."

"Hey..." Karumi started. "Come to think of it, don't you think he looks a bit like Meiling? Do you think they're related?"

Sayako shrugged. "I don't know... But now that you mentioned it..."

Mikah stood up, glancing at her watch. "Come on guys, we'd better go inside the school building. The others are probably waiting for us."

"Oh pooh, you're no fun..." Sayako pouted.

Mikah gave her a warning glare.

Sayako flipped her cerulean tresses and rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you feel that strongly about it. Sheesh!"

Li Syaoran watched from the corner of his eye as three girls emerged from behind a cherry tree. He knew two of those girls had been following him around since he arrived that morning, much to his irritation. Glad that they were finally gone, he started walking to the gym as he flung his duffel bag over his shoulder.

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan!"

Sakura greeted her best friend cheerfully. "Ohayou, Tomoyo-chan!" A faint blush crept up her cheeks when she saw the perceptive glimmer in those teasing amethyst eyes.

Tomoyo grinned at her. "Did you have fun last night?" (If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, don't even go there, hentai! She's talking about the dinner!)

"H-Hai." The tinges of pink on her cheeks betrayed her already palpable embarrassment.

Chiharu giggled. "Looks like Sakura finally found someone she likes. Tomoyo, you're a genius!"

"Ohohohohohohohoho!"

Suddenly, the classroom door burst open. The three looked on as Sayako came marching resolutely toward Sakura's desk.

"Details! Details! I want details!" Sayako demanded, chanting her words. "What happened last night? I want every juicy detail to the very last drop and don't go holding out on me now!"

Sakura sweat dropped, blushing. "Hooee..."

Maya went over and stood in Sakura's defense. "Give her a break, Sayako. It's her private life. Don't go putting your nose where it doesn't belong." She turned to Sakura, her voice noticeably smaller. "You'll only share it with me, isn't that right, my little baby-wabie?? My cutie-wutie baybee!!! Growin' up so fastie-wasty!!"

Mikah arrived just in time to whap her on the head. "Stop that, you idiot! You'll give away your low IQ." She yanked a dazed Maya out of the classroom. "We'll go now," she announced flatly as she went out the door dragging Maya along with her.

Meiling stood in the doorway as the unusual duo went by her. "What is going on here?" she questioned.

"Sakura here is about to spill her guts and tell us about her date with the man: Daron Itsudouji! Ne?" Sayako winked.

"Ohohohohohohoho!" Tomoyo's eyes twinkled. "There would be no need for that! I'd be more than willing to provide you guys with a video tape of her date last night."

Karumi gasped. "Ohmigod! Will you really?!?! Does Daron have close-ups in the video?"

Tomoyo just smiled.

Karumi squealed with excitement. "I can't wait to see it!" She jumped up and down, clapping her hands repeatedly like a child. "I'm so hap---"

"Take your seats," a gruff voice interrupted.

Immediately, all the students stumbled to their seats. Hayuma-sensei had just arrived, looking more grave than usual. "Let's start the class," he mumbled.

It was already noon. Students can now be seen roaming freely about the campus, each clustered into their own groups. Under the shade of a tall tree near the soccer field, Sakura's circle of friends could be seen chatting as they gingerly ate their obento.

"Wow, this stuff is really good!" Karumi stuffed her mouth with fried shrimp. "You're really good at cooking, Sakura!" she exclaimed.

"Of course, she is! She's Sakura-chan, after all!" Tomoyo grinned at her best friend. It was a daily routine for their small group. At the start of the school year, they had all agreed to assign one person for each day to bring the group's lunch. Today, it was Sakura's turn.

"Hey, where's Meiling?" Maya asked, scanning their surroundings.

"She said she had something to do." Mikah promptly popped another slice of tamagoyaki in her mouth.

"Speaking of which..." Chiharu stood up. "I'd better go now. Yamazaki-kun is waiting for me at the library."

Sayako closed her eyes and 'concentrated', flawlessly mimicking a seer. She raised an index finger and opened her left eye. "Aah, yes... I see a make-out session is coming your way."

Chiharu blushed and instinctively went on the defensive. "Okay, stop that. We're just going to study together."

"Study-schmudy." Karumi winked at her. "Have fun!" she teased.

Chiharu threw her hands up in defeat. "Fine, whatever. I'm going!"

Sayako looked at Sakura with a mischievous glint in her dark blue eyes. "Okay, Sakura, it's your turn!"

"Hoe?"

"So, did he flatter you with honey-dipped compliments and gazed deeply in those emerald orbs?" Karumi queried, batting her long eyelashes. She pouted her lips and made loud puckering sounds, earning a couple of weird looks from bystanders. "Did you give him a long, passionate and wet goodnight kiss?" She threw her arms around herself dramatically as she said the word 'passionate'.

Sakura was taken aback by the latter question, her face turning beet red. "Hoooeeee!! We didn't do anything like that!"

"Yeah, sure! I believe you!" Sayako looked at her skeptically. "You were with a hot guy all night and nothing actually happened between you two?"

Mikah rolled her eyes. "Oh come on! Why would she kiss him on their first date?! She just met the guy! Besides, being the jerk that he really is, he probably won't even remember her name!"

"Kinomoto! Watch out!" an urgent voice shouted.

Sakura reacted just in time to dodge a soccer ball flying directly to her face. It bounced against the tree trunk and rolled on the grass.

Daron ran towards them, picking up the ball in the process. "Sorry about that!" He flashed Sakura a dashing smile. "Hey! Nice seeing you again." He ran off, shouting to his teammate. "That was a good shot but next time, try directing it at the goal!"

Toothy smiles were now aimed at a scarlet Sakura, who innocently returned their gaze.

She blinked. "What?"

"Nice try, Hiroshi." Coach Ryo Machinada socked the skinny freshman playfully in the arm. Chuckling, he read the next name on the list. "Ah, yes... Li Syaoran." He smirked and motioned Daron to come over. "He's in one of my classes. I'm telling you that kid is something else. Try blocking his goals, Itsudouji. You'll get your ass whipped, I'll give you that."

"Li! You're up next!" Machinada hollered. He looked around, puzzled. "Hey, where the hell is he?" he demanded. "He was here a while ago."

"I'll go find him, coach" a young man with burgundy hair offered. He dashed towards the far end of the field and disappeared behind the school shed.

"Why are you being so stubborn?! Just give it a shot!" Meiling huffed, slightly exasperated.

Unwavering amber eyes stared at her, unimpressed. "I don't have time to fool around. We came here for a reason."

Meiling groaned. "Mou! I know that, Xiao-lang... but still, it will be good for you. It would be like an outlet for you or something when things get too strenuous."

"Sempai!" a boyish voice called.

Syaoran received the newcomer with apathy. "Yagami."

"Coach is looking for you. You'd better hurry up!" the red-haired sophomore informed him, his breathing still ragged from his sprint.

Meiling crossed her arms and waited for her cousin's reply. She raised a brow at him expectantly.

"Fine. I'll go." Syaoran jogged alongside the worn-out sophomore with ease.

Daron leisurely tapped a piece of dirt off the heel of his rubber shoe. He pondered on the confident words of Coach Machinada, curiosity getting the best of him. He was interested in this Li character. If the coach said he was good, then he must be quite a brilliant player. This thought fired up his competitive nature, making him anxious to meet the fellow and prove to himself that his years of training in the sport were not in vain.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to finally grace us with his presence. Nice of you to join us, gaki" Coach Machinada told the young man beside Hiro Yagami, not bothering to hide the sarcasm dripping in his voice. Despite of that, Daron took note of the fact that the coach had said 'gaki' with a hint of partiality in his voice.

The young man seemed to be the quiet type. With just one fleeting look, Daron immediately knew that the guy was an amateur. The years of experience he had when he was still living in England taught him how to accurately size up his adversaries, which is a very important tool in any sport. Before he had transferred to continue his schooling in Japan, he had been caught up in the rave of football fever that swept England like a viral disease until he couldn't stop thinking about anything else.

He smiled inwardly, relishing in the fact that he had the advantage.

Coach Machinada blew his whistle to signal Syaoran to begin.

Daron smirked smugly as he anticipated his opponent's next move. He watched vigilantly as Syaoran prepared to kick the ball in the goal. `Nice form,' he whispered to no one in particular. `But not good enough.'

With a swift movement, Syaoran sent the ball flying past a bemused Daron. `What the...?!' Daron slowly turned around to cast a bewildered look at the ball inside the goal.

"Nice shot!" Coach Machinada exclaimed from the sidelines, extremely pleased with what he saw.

Daron frowned. He concentrated even more meticulously on the ball and prepared for the next kick, but it was no use. Four more goals were given to Syaoran.

Coach Machinada approached a rather indifferent Syaoran, giving him a pat on the back. "That's my boy! Now try blocking Itsudouji's shots and let's see what you can do."

"WOAH! Did you guys see that?!"

"What is it, Maya?" Tomoyo asked, a bit surprised by her friend's outburst.

"Look at that!" She pointed eagerly at the soccer field. A large crowd had now gathered to watch the heated try-outs. "That new guy had just creamed Daron's ass with his mega-fast killer kick!"

Sakura's eyes widened. "That is..."

"Hey, it's the hottie from this morning!" Sayako nudged Karumi and Mikah excitedly. "This is going to be good!"

Daron was not pleased. He was the best goal keeper in the team. It just wasn't possible for an amateur to beat him so easily. He spat on the ground and concentrated on getting the ball into the goal.

Deciding to test this 'Syaoran fellow' first, Daron measured the force of his kick to test his opponent's agility and reaction time. He kicked the ball and was blocked without much difficulty.

He tried it again, only faster, and got the same result.

His next two shots, however, were successful.

Daron smiled to himself. `This time, you fall.' He smirked arrogantly, confident that he would win this time. He prepared to launch his fastest goal kick to finish his sweet victory.

To his utter dismay, he was blocked.

Oblivious to the thunderous uproar from the spectators, he stared in amazement at his future new teammate. He approached Syaoran and readily shook his hand. He was a sportsman, after all.

"Glad you're on our side."

"See you tomorrow, Sakura!"

Sakura waved goodbye to a tall girl with long wavy hair. "Sure, Kisha! See you at practice!"

The door shut tight, leaving Sakura alone with her thoughts.

Cheerleading practice was rigorous, as usual. She had somehow mastered their new routine without much effort, which isn't out of the ordinary for a girl like her. It was a typical day. At least, most of it was.

She couldn't stop thinking about him.

She sighed, frustrated with herself. She recalled the day's events and managed to lead her thoughts straight back to a certain chestnut haired boy with amber eyes. She shook her head, not quite understanding why he was always in her mind. She barely even knew him.

Closing her locker, she stuffed her cheerleading uniform into her bag and walked out to the dark school grounds. When she finally reached the empty street, she started walking a bit faster seeing that it was already dark.

Sakura stopped briefly, an odd feeling tugging at her heart. She looked back and saw nothing but darkness.

She shrugged and continued walking.

Suddenly, a loud crack was heard coming from the murky forest. She listened closely and heard extra footsteps accompanying her own. There was no doubt. She was definitely being followed.

She turned around just in time to see the dark figure of a man menacingly coming towards her at a steady pace.

Sakura quickly ran as fast as she could, her heart beating loudly in her ears. She could feel her breath running short, but she didn't care. Her legs moved and refused to stop. She ran on, without knowing where she was going, until she collided head-on into an unwary stranger.

//=============//

S+S finally meets in the next chapter!!! (:D

English meaning of mentioned Japanese words/ phrases: (according to my memory)

kawaii - "cute"

Sayonara! - "Good-bye!"

Hai. - "Yes."

Ne? - used for the same purpose as "Right?" in English

Sensei - teacher

obento - Japanese lunch box (food included)

tamago - "egg"

tamagoyaki - an egg dish that is usually included in the obento, also used as a topping on sushi

Sempai - upperclassman

gaki - "brat"

*****

Others:

# Short explanation: Li Syaoran and Li Meiling are cousins. But do not be disturbed by the fact that Meiling had claimed to be his fiancée in the animation, considering they are actually related (I'm not sure whether they are first or second degree cousins). It was only a childhood promise between them, after all. It was not really official. Anyway, besides that, it is quite common for traditional Chinese people to marry within their family, so it is not strange at all for Meiling to wish Syaoran was her husband since it is quite ordinary in their culture. I hope that explains it. ;}