Changed in every aspect
Looks to gain no respect
I’m in dangerous territory
Where friends are hidden and destroyed
Others are happy
It’s a vacation for freedom
But I’ve been separated
And long for the old
Chapter 2- False Identity
‘This has got to be some sort of cruel joke,’ Syaoran thought to himself. Without another glimpse, he ran back towards the room in which the elders sat. He gazed at the intimidating double doors for a few moments catching his breath before going inside.
Syaoran raised his fist in anger as he demanded attention from the dull elders. “This isn’t funny!” he yelled rambunctiously.
The head elder, who had previously been talking to the others in hushed tones turned around to face Syaoran with an amused expression. “What makes you think you can just charge in here like that? Personally, I think that the image suits you. After all, you are rebellious and now you look it.”
Syaoran’s eyes widened. “But… but… that’s not fair! No one could love me like this!”
“Why not? If she loves you, she’ll figure you out in any form and love you like that.”
“No!” Syaoran cried out in horror. “This is impossible! You’ve turned me into… into a…”
“Punk?” the elder said, smirking. “Take a good look at yourself. You’re not repulsive, just slightly daunting.”
“Won’t you change it?” Syaoran begged.
The elder glared, irritation rising into his course features. “Absolutely not. You are to keep that appearance for the next three months. Furthermore, you are to wear the garb provided to you along with the other items. Any more complaining out of your impudent mouth and we’ll cancel this trip and replace our last ruling. If you must see the girl you love, you will see her like that. Do you understand?”
Syaoran sighed realizing that he had no other choice. “I understand.”
“And again, you are dismissed. Please refrain from the intrusions from now on.”
Syaoran nodded and walked out of the room a second time, with lower hopes than ever before. Dragging his feet across the expensive carpet, Syaoran eventually made it to his room. With his back facing the bed, he opened up his arms as if he were being crucified and fell disheartened onto the bouncy comforter. ‘Why me?’ he thought sadly. ‘I look like a freak!’
After a few moments, Syaoran jumped off his bed. ‘I can’t just sit here so self-pityingly. The least I can do is take a better look at myself.’
Realizing that the only full-length mirror that Syaoran had access to was in the living room, he decided that that’s where he’d have to go. His bravery scattered, he began to walk briskly out his door.
As he walked, a few passing servants gave him a questioningly look. Syaoran glared back out of impatience and kept walking. At the end of the hall, his servant Wei stopped him in his tracks.
“I’m sorry sir, but are you lost? Would you like me to lead you to the door?” Wei said obediently.
“Wei,” Syaoran growled. “I’m Syaoran! Please move before I have the audacity to shove you out of my way.”
“Sir! That’s uncalled for! You shouldn’t pretend being someone you’re not and threatening a high-level butler! I’m going to have to ask you to leave the premises.”
Syaoran lifted his head and attempted to maneuver around Wei’s body. Wei refused to move and calmly kept Syaoran from passing him. Exasperated, Syaoran pushed Wei away, causing Wei to stumble over his feet.
Brushing his pants, Wei regained his balance and walked away. Syaoran smiled and thought, ‘High-level butler, eh? That's kind of funny. He just walked away!’
The grand mirror nearly covered half of the wall as the punk-looking boy approached it cautiously. ‘Is that really me?’ Syaoran thought.
The image in the mirror made Syaoran grimace. Within the mirror held the image of a 15-year old boy with pitch black eyes so dark that it was hard to find the beginning and end of his pupils. The black eyes were lined with dark eyeliner and held a piercing gaze on the rest of himself. His hair was a black and spiky, with bleached tips so painted with gel that it made him look like a medieval weapon. Tightly taut against his legs were black leather pants complimented with a black shirt clipped in various places with safety pins. His left ear and eyebrow held one piercing each along with an assortment of spiked jewelry on his arms and neck. In awe, Syaoran looked toward his left arm and saw a menacing dragon sketched. Blinking, Syaoran touched it. Realizing it was a tattoo, he shook his head and thought, ‘That elder sure went overboard.’
Syaoran closed his eyes, feeling like he was in a nightmare. Turning around and reopening his eyes, he was confronted with eight doe eyes. Syaoran raised his arm to his face and jumped back, his eyes becoming slightly overwhelmed.
“Ah! What are you staring at?” Syaoran asked.
“Mooooooom!” a girl yelled.
Before the girl could yell anything else, her three sisters clasped their hands over her face and said, “Shhhh… you don’t want to call her over here. How often do we have such a sexy stranger in our house?”
Syaoran sweatdropped and thought, ‘Sexy stranger? That’s disturbing to here from my sisters…’
The girl nodded and said, “I don’t think he’s sexy. He looks like hideous!”
Before she could call for her mom again, Syaoran’s mom appeared followed by a compliant Wei. Wei smiled at Syaoran and pointed at him and said, “That’s the one that was so rude as to ignore me earlier. I tried to reason with him, but he said he was Syaoran and pushed me out of the way.”
“Syaoran?! No way!” Syaoran’s sisters screeched.
Yelan nodded and addressed the girls first. “Daughters, please leave us,” she commanded. They nodded and bowed leaving the room quietly, but not before they could get another glimpse of the mysterious stranger.
After they left Yelan said solemnly, “I’m glad I never raised you to actually look like that. You like disturbed, Syaoran.”
Syaoran sighed with relief and said, “Why did they do this to me? It’s as if they don’t want Sakura to ever realize it’s me!”
Wei looked between Yelan and the boy and said, “This is Syaoran?! Are you sure? That’s craziness, ma’am!”
Yelan shushed Wei and addressed him politely. “This is Syaoran.”
Wei’s eyes widened and bowed towards Syaoran in apology. In a rushing voice he said to Syaoran, “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t recognize you.”
Syaoran smirked and said, “Don’t worry, Wei.”
Wei smiled and stood silently to observe the rest of the conversation. Syaoran’s mom nodded and said to Syaoran, “This isn’t a punishment. I talked to the elders a few days ago and they told me they were going to do this and I approved.”
“You… approved?” Syaoran said incredulously.
“Yes. Right now you look unapproachable, and if Sakura is worthy of you she will get to know you and fall in love with you… whether you are the chestnut haired boy she knows or the dark boy you are now. She’ll see through the fake appearance and know you are Syaoran. Don’t worry, dear boy. She’s a strong girl and I firmly believe that things will go smoothly,” Yelan explained.
Syaoran nodded, slowly understanding. “Thank you for giving me a reason why I look so strange. I thought that they made me look like this out of spite.”
“The elders always have a reason. It’s late and you better head off to bed, for tomorrow you have a long plane ride ahead of you.”
Syaoran bowed and left his mother and butler. Turning around the corner he was confronted by his sisters, who had been listening to the whole conversation on the other side. They giggled and were about to make comments but he sighed and walked past them.
His room felt familiar to his unfamiliar body. Throwing himself onto his bed, he fell abruptly asleep only to be awakened hours later by a knowing on the door.
“Wah?” he called sleepily. The door opened as Wei walked in, bowing to his master. “Your bags have been pre-packed for the plan trip today. We must leave within the next hour because the flight scheduled is an early one. Please be in the living room in forty-five minutes.”
Syaoran nodded and thanked him. Wei walked out of the room, leaving Syaoran wondering whether he dreamed that he looked like a stereotypical punk or whether it was true. Knowing that he was leaving for Japan today though, he knew it wasn’t a dream. He rolled over and read that the clock said 8:30 am and groggily stepped out of bed.
After taking a shower and redressing into his dark shirt and leather pants, Syaoran stared at his image in the mirror. ‘I’m actually getting used to this,’ he thought. ‘I don’t know about the jewelry and makeup though… it feels so gauche.’
Syaoran walked into the living room to find Wei standing at the door, waiting patiently. Next to Wei stood an arguing Meiling. Syaoran smiled and watched Meiling complain, as she was notorious for doing.
“Where’s Syaoran? Why won’t you let me see him?” Meiling whined.
“I’m sorry, Miss Meiling. He’s out for a while. Please don’t stir up such an unruly commotion!”
Meiling whimpered, “But he’s my fiancé! I have every right to see him as I please!”
Syaoran laughed inwardly and walked over to Wei and Meiling. He said briskly, “Let’s go, Wei. We wouldn’t want to miss that plane flight.”
“Yes sir.”
Wei left for the vehicle to pick up Syaoran. While Syaoran was waiting, he heard Meiling growl. He turned to her bemused and said, “What’s wrong?”
Meiling replied angrily, “I want to see my fiancé but no one will tell me where he is! And who the heck are you? You look like a cow!”
Syaoran sweatdropped and said, “Gee… thanks for the vote of confidence…”
The car, which Wei was driving slowly, rolled into the driveway and Wei nodded for Syaoran to enter. Before Syaoran left, Yelan appeared out of nowhere and said, “Good luck, my son.”
Syaoran nodded and said, “Goodbye, mother. Goodbye, Meiling.”
As Syaoran entered the car, Meiling gave him a look of surprise. She looked up at Yelan and said, “You only have one son…”
Yelan smiled and winked, leaving Meiling in a wordless stupor.
The car ride went quick as Syaoran and Wei traveled to the airport. Wei looked at the road sternly as he said, “I’ll be going to Japan with you so that you have a guardian. The elders have given me strict instructions that I must not be seen with you around Sakura or her friends so they do not become suspicious.”
Syaoran nodded and stared at the road, images of how he’d encounter Sakura within the next twenty-four hours. In his mind, he hoped that she wouldn’t be scared of him and would be kind. He smiled as he thought of Sakura’s sweet face smiling back at him and telling him she waited for him.
Before Syaoran realized what was going on, he was standing at the base of the airport. Wei carried his luggage as they walked up to the airport lines. He noticed that his bag was made of black leather and he shook his head, laughing at how strange things had gotten within the last day.
Upon entering the waiting area, Syaoran had to pass through a metal detector. Carelessly, he walked through the detector only to be slightly deafened by the loud noise around him.
“What?” he said curiously as he felt two arms grab him and pull him over.
“Kids these days,” he heard the guard mutter as he pulled out his rod. Annoyed, the man said, “Remove those silly spikes of yours. Surely you know that they’ll go off like they did.”
Syaoran nodded and reached for the clasp of his necklace. In dread, he realized that the necklace was stuck on him. “Erm…” he said worriedly.
The guard tapped his rod impatiently. “What? You’re keeping others waiting!”
“It won’t come off.”
“You’re kidding,” the guard said. He shook his head and yelled, “Ya know! It’s people like you who ruin my day! Did you know that 9/10 kids that look like you get into trouble? You make the future look really desperate with your leather clothes and your bleached hair and your freak piercings.”
Syaoran nodded and said, “I’m sorry sir, but am I allowed to leave?”
“Yeah! Get out of my sight! You’re disgusting!” the guard hollered.
Syaoran widened his eyes as Wei took him by the arm and pushed him along towards the plane. “Don’t worry about it. You’ll get plenty of bad reactions for your looks,” Wei said. “It’s not your fault, but it’s just the way people deal with people who look like you. It’s the first reaction to judge.”
Syaoran nodded, remember how Wei had acted the same way. ‘Are all people really like this?’ he thought, worried that Sakura would react to his appearance the same way the guard did.
On the way to the plane, Syaoran noticed the eerie glances he received and heard an occasional “freak” as he passed by. He shook off the comments, feeling more and more hopeless that Sakura would be scared of him.
Throughout the plane ride he felt uncomfortable, as people would gaze from their reading material to make sure he wasn’t plotting something. He was about to go to sleep when a little girl from the seat ahead of him turned around to look at him. The girl was about five years old.
“Hi!” she said cheerily.
“Hi…”
“My name is Kimiko! Who are you?”
“I'm Syaoran… I mean I’m Dai,” Syaoran said grimacing that he had forgotten that his name was different.
“Hi Syaoran... Dai! You have two names? Can I call you Syaoran? It sounds funner. You look funny,” Kimiko said, giggling with a light innocence.
“You can call me Syaoran. Does my appearance bother you?” Syaoran asked.
Kimiko shook her head and replied, “No. It’s just weird. You’re nice. Will you be my friend?”
Syaoran smiled and was about to reply when he heard a voice next to Kimiko say, “Sit down! Don’t talk to him!”
Kimiko frowned and turned back around in her seat. She looked back through the crack of the chair’s to see Syaoran, who winked and whispered, “I’ll be you’re friend.”
With a sweet smile, Kimiko laughed and cheered in her seat. She turned back around and started humming.
Syaoran grinned fully for the first time the whole day and thought, ‘She’s so innocent. It kind of reminds me of Sakura. If Kimiko isn’t scared of me and wants to be my friend, I’m sure that not everyone won’t be as judgmental as the hot tempered guard.’ With regained confidence, Syaoran looked out the plane window at the land below with new vigor. Images of Sakura in his mind brought him inner peace as he heard the pilot say, “We are about twenty minutes from landing in Japan. Please make sure all trays and chairs are set to their upright position…”
Syaoran tuned out the rest of the conversation and thought, ‘Please let this go okay…’
The weather was bright and sunny as Syaoran exited the plane. He stretched and saw a jumpy Kimiko in front of him. She turned around and said in her little voice, "I hope I see you again, Syaoran! We're friends, right?"
Syaoran waved back and replied cheerfully, "Of course we're friends! And as your friend, I'll see you again soon!"
Kimiko danced and ran off to her parents, laughing happily as Syaoran watched her fleeting back with a smile on his face.
Wei picked up his bags and took Syaoran to their temporary apartment a few miles away where Syaoran had stayed last time he was at Tomoeda. As he walked up to the doorway of the apartment he felt a person fly by him on rollerblades. He was taken aback and watched as a beautiful emerald eyed girl wearing a dress with wings and a plastic halo cried out quickly, "I'm sorry!" she called. To herself she muttered, "I'm late, I'm late! I hope Tomoyo understands..."
'Sakura?' Syaoran thought, his eyes widening in surprise.
A/N- I hope you like it! I made it a little longer than normal so that all the ideas could be thoroughly expressed. I hope no one minded his appearance? To be quite honest, I think the typical punk style is kinda hot… lol… not that I’m going to go up to everyone and say that to them or anything. There are two things that I want you to keep in mind- that the jewelry doesn’t come off and that Kimiko is Syaoran's new friend. I don’t have much more to say! Enjoy your father’s day! Please review/ stay tuned for the next chapter!