CH.3-Look Out For the Wedding Planners

"Why am I in love with you?"

They stared at each other, and Sakura questioned herself. Why is he in love with me? she wondered. And also, why am I in love with him?

There wasn't really anything that could explain why someone falls in love. Sakura sure as heck couldn't explain it, because one minute she was sobbing over her best friend and the next she drove away from him realizing she loved him. There wasn't a moment where she could pinpoint as the one she fell in love, and there wasn't one thing about him that made her fall for him.

"I don't know about you," she responded slowly. "But for me, I love you because you complete me. Because before I met you, I was searching for someone who made me feel like you do. Because when we're under the stars, I feel we're in perfect synchronization, like we're soul mates."

She gagged at her cheesiness, but really, she was trying to explain why she loved someone for heaven's sake!

"Soul mates…" he repeated. He smiled gently, and said, "I like the sound of that."

He pulled her closer, and she marveled at how right they felt together. She felt him stroke her engagement ring and she moved her hand so he could look at it.

"You're beautiful," he murmured, twisting her hand so he could see the ring at all angles. "I'm lucky to be marrying you."

Sakura squealed inside. Ooh, she loved the romantic side of Syaoran. It wasn't often she saw it anymore; it was only when they were first going out that he really made an effort. She wanted to accuse him of slacking off from impressing her, but she realized just this once, she wouldn't ruin the moment.

He paused in his admiring of the ring momentarily, and something seemed to suddenly strike him.

"I can't believe it…we're actually engaged!"

Sakura blinked a few times, before bursting out in laughter. She threw her arms around his neck and pulled him down for a kiss. "Yes," she told him. "I'm glad you finally got that through your thick skull."

He seemed dazed, so Sakura took his face and said to him seriously, "We are engaged. You proposed to me. I accepted. In six to nine months depending on how fast Tomoyo is, we will be a happily wedded couple."

"Engaged…" he repeated again.

Suddenly he whipped his cell phone out and began punching in numbers furiously. "I have to tell Eriol, that bastard, even though I hate him. Someone's got to be the best man. And Takashi, and Meiling, and the Elders. And I suppose Mother," he said, sighing.

Sakura tugged the cell phone away gently. "I already told Meiling," she said soothingly. "And Tomoyo and Chiharu probably already told Eriol and Takashi." She threw the phone away and wrapped her arms around his waist. "You can tell them in person later. Let's just make this night about us."

He sighed and pulled away reluctantly. "I have to tell Mother, though," he muttered.

Sakura stared at him questioningly. "Syaoran, I know you like to repress thoughts about your mother, but you can't have forgotten that you told her an hour ago? Don't you remember her whole 'treat Sakura like a queen' speech?"

Okay, maybe it didn't go exactly like that, and Syaoran said, "No, actually I don't. How does she know you anyway?"

"Well, after we started going out," she said, "I knew that you would never take me to meet your family, so I decided to go myself. I took a week out of school, told you I was going on a field trip out of the country as part of my classes, and flew to China to meet your mother and sisters. I think they like me," she confided with a wink.

He gaped at her. "You devious person," he said, smiling. "Although I'm sure they do like you if I haven't gotten any complaints from mother. Not that I'm surprised," he added. "In their eyes, anyone who can get me to be open up is a saint."

Sakura smirked playfully. "Sometimes I think I am too."

For the next nine months, Tomoyo Daidouji was in heaven. Oh, how she loved planning grand celebrations! Especially Sakura's…she reminisced about all the parties and events she had ever planned for her, and how she looked so kawaii in all of them!

But nothing, nothing will ever beat how beautiful she will look in her wedding dress! She will make sure of that!

She perfected another detail on Sakura's wedding dress (that she designed of course) before heeding the calls of Eriol.

"Hai, hai, I'm coming!"

With one last glassy-eyed look, she walked out to Sakura and Syaoran's engagement party.

"SA-KU-RAAAAA!"

Is it wrong to cringe when your best friend/cousin calls your name? Sakura guiltily covered it up before turning to face Tomoyo with a grin.

"Tomoyo!"

They jumped up and down and squealed some more in celebration before Tomoyo turned to the man holding Sakura's waist.

"I'm glad you finally got the guts to ask her, Syaoran!" Tomoyo said (squealed). "Sakura has been waiting for this moment for years, and I'm surprised you made her wait that long. I seem to recall you telling me you've wanted to marry her since you got out of high school…"

Leaving the blushing and stammering couple, Tomoyo walked away with Eriol. He leaned down and whispered, "You're evil, you know that?"

Tomoyo laughed. "They're just so kawaii when they're embarrassed!"

The engagement party continued as smoothly as a baby's bottom (of course, since Tomoyo planned it). Like a law of nature, the guests separated into their own gender groups, finding comfort in their own sex and avoiding the peculiarity of the other like the plague. The girls huddled together, gossiping and laughing, with an occasional squeal piercing the conversation. The guys huddled in front of the TV, staring at the game going on, with an occasional grunt to indicate either pleasure or displeasure.

I know. So stereotypical.

"Oi, Syaoran."

Grunt.

"Japan. Asian Cup?" (Translation: How do you think Japan will do at the AFC Asian Cup?)

Grunt. (Translation: Well, they've been doing pretty well this season. I wouldn't be surprised if they made it past the group stage and quarterfinals, or even the semifinals, but Iran and South Korea always dominate. We'll see.)

Grunt. (Translation: Yeah. You're such a soccer buff, Syaoran.)

Half an hour passed before the men conversed again. There were a lot of groans and excited yells as attempts at goals were made, but they didn't really celebrate until Japan scored against South Korea, with ten minutes left.

"YESSSS!" Eriol cried, jumping up and pumping his fist in the air. He pounded Takashi's back in a manly way as they broke out into a victory dance. All around the men's group, excited exclamations expressed their happiness, and they all smirked at the one Korean guy in the huddle, who had his head in his hands, quietly groaning.

Somehow, they decided simultaneously to gang up on him (it's a guy thing) and the poor soul soon found himself attacked by noogies and headlocks. Laughing maniacally, the reclusive and silent group of males suddenly transformed into a mob of hooligans.

The women spared a glance at them, and then turned back as if nothing happened. Men.

Only Eriol noticed that one person wasn't taking part in the celebration. Syaoran was staring at the game blankly, and he was the only one who was paying attention when the Korea Republic scored another goal, breaking the tie that Japan had just made. Eriol wanted to ignore it and continue harassing Tae-Min, but he knew that Syaoran was the one who always got the most excited. He should have tackled Tae-Min down by now and yelled in his face, and maybe attempted a few wet willies. He stared at him in confusion.

"There's something wrong with him."

Eriol whipped his head around to see that Tomoyo had joined their group of immaturity.

"Erm, what?" he asked, trying to block the horrible sight that refined young ladies should never witness.

"There's something wrong with Syaoran, and I know you see it too."

With that cryptic message, Tomoyo walked off. Eriol stared after her, disappointed. She couldn't spare five minutes away from her group of girlfriends to give him a kiss? Some lover she was, how could she look him in the face and tell him he was her forever guy-

"HECKA YES, JAPAN'S ONLY LOSING BY ONE NOW!"

Suddenly Eriol found himself kissing hard floor as Syaoran tackled him from behind. As he sprang up to retaliate, he dismissed Tomoyo's ominously scary statement, seeing nothing wrong with Syaoran. Guess she's not as perceptive as she thinks she is, he thought smugly.

Syaoran groaned as he fell onto their bed, dragging Sakura down with him. "Damn Tae-Min and his South Koreanness. He didn't need to jump me after they won. It feels like a sumo wrestler just tackled another sumo wrestler and they landed on my back." He groaned again.

"I'm not giving you a back rub," Sakura immediately said, shrugging out of the dress she was wearing. She searched for her pajamas and pulled them on.

"I wasn't going to ask you for one," Syaoran defended, although even he could hear the disappointment in his voice. Sakura raised an incredulous eyebrow at him before rejoining him in bed. Syaoran just stripped off everything besides his boxers, too lazy to even get up.

"How's the wedding planning going?" Syaoran managed to ask, fighting back a yawn. He pulled Sakura closer, burying his face in her hair and sighing contentedly.

Sakura brightened, and immediately plunged into a recount of how Tomoyo dragged her around town to look at dresses so she could get an idea on what she liked, how they finally picked a venue at a nearby church, how Tomoyo kept on nagging her to remind Syaoran about starting a wedding registry. She listed off things that she still needed to do, including invitations, food, and decorations, but the whole time she was beaming radiantly.

She loved the stress, the flurry of decisions. She loved being in charge and planning the biggest event of her life. She loved every minute of it, every little decision made her feel more accomplished.

Syaoran knew that, and that was why he constantly asked her about the wedding. When she wasn't planning, she liked to talk about planning. When she wasn't making decisions, she liked to go over what decisions she made. Even though he could care less about wedding planning, Syaoran liked seeing Sakura's eyes light up and sparkle whenever the word 'wedding' was directed at her.

Although it didn't stop him from drifting off as she kept on going. He was a good fiancé, he really was, but a man can only take so much.

Sakura broke off as she realized that Syaoran was struggling to stay awake. She did that a lot lately, put people to sleep. Really, she didn't mean to, but Tomoyo was rubbing off on her.

Plus, there were just so many variables. She felt if she went over every decision she made a thousand times, then everything would be okay, everything would turn out wonderful.

Syaoran opened his eyes long enough to notice that Sakura had fallen silent, musing. "What's wrong?" he asked, shaking himself awake. "What are you thinking about?"

Sakura shook her head. "Don't worry about me. I've annoyed you enough already, I won't get mad if you ignore me this once." She smiled, tilting her head in that adorable way of hers.

Syaoran sat up and Sakura mirrored him automatically. Taking her hands in his, Syaoran said, "You can tell me anything, Sakura. I want to know. If it's bothering you, I want to help you make it go away."

Sakura didn't respond for a while, unsure of how to tell him. "It's just…anything can go wrong, Syaoran!" she answered, and her voice almost cracked. "It's supposed to be the happiest day of my life, so I want perfection! But then I realize that I'm planning it, and face it; I'm not the best or most experienced wedding planner in the world. I just…I know something will happen. I just know it."

He held her face in his hands, and looked into her eyes as he said seriously, "Sakura, I can't see into the future and tell you how the wedding will be like, but I can assure you that as long as we get married, it'll be perfect no matter what. I promise that no matter what goes wrong; I'll be waiting at the altar to make everything better. I promise I'll be there, because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

It was funny how his words suddenly made all her insecurities disappear. "Thank you Syaoran," Sakura whispered. "I'll hold you to that promise."

Yayayay so I've slipped in two little homages in this chapter :) Kudos to anyone who can figure them out!