Disclaimer: I don't own CCS.

"We're getting married tomorrow," Sakura said into the phone.

"I know that, Sweetheart," Syaoran replied on the other end, "and I'm thrilled about it, but why did you have to call me about this at two A.M.?"

"I'm freaking out," she said. Previously, Syaoran had sounded sleepy but now he sounded firm and definitely awake.

"Now, don't you panic," he instructed, "it's your wedding day tomorrow. You want to look nice and fresh, don't you? So you need your beauty sleep. Try not to worry and please try to get some sleep!"

Sakura sighed.

"I know you're right. Thanks for not panicking, Li – I mean, Syaoran. I'll see you tomorrow," she said, and she hung up the phone after Syaoran said goodbye.

Sakura lay down and snuggled into her comforter. She forced herself to think of happier things than her impending wedding, and so she fell asleep while watching a happy memory of herself, Touya and Tomoyo at the park.

On the other hand, Syaoran had lain in his bed with his eyes wide open since Sakura's phone call.

"Oh my God," he muttered to the darkness around him, "I'm getting married tomorrow!"

Butterflies

Chapter Twenty-Five

And Closer Still

Sakura and Syaoran stood at the front of the church. The air was thick with the scent of the flowers. Everyone was watching Sakura with bated breath as the minister asked the most important question – 'And do you take this man as your lawfully-wedded husband?'

Syaoran smiled at his wife-to-be in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. He'd already answered in the affirmative. All she had to do was say the same thing, and then they were done. However, she looked distinctly troubled as she glanced, for some reason, at Daidouji-san. Then she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"She's hesitating!" Yelan muttered to Wei in the congregation. "Why is she hesitating?"

Wei could only look worried.

"I… don't," she answered finally, smiling sadly. "I can't…"

Syaoran woke up, sweating, and willed himself not to vomit. He swallowed hard and, getting out of bed, headed downstairs to get a drink of water.

…

Sakura was standing outside the doors to the main part of the church.

"Here we go, everyone!" Yelan said cheerily to the large party that was about to walk up the aisle. "Good luck!" she said as she opened the doors. Sakura took a deep breath and looked at her father, who was holding onto her arm.

"I love you and I'm proud of you, Sakura," her father said with a reassuring smile. Sakura smiled back, feeling a lot calmer.

The wedding procession began to walk up the aisle as Yelan sneaked into her seat in the congregation.

'Okay,' Sakura thought to herself as she walked, 'concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other. Look, there's Syaoran up there, waiting for you! Oh, doesn't he look handsome… Don't think about that, or you'll lose concentration! Don't forget to smile. Look confident! Don't walk too fast…'

She felt she was doing rather well to remember all the things Yelan had told her. Until, of course, she stood on the train of her dress and it ripped right the way up, exposing her underwear…

Sakura awoke, gasping.

'Oh,' she thought, feeling relieved, 'thank God, it was only a dream…'

She looked at the phone on her nightstand and bit her lip. She shouldn't call Syaoran again, as it was still quite early, and she could go talk to Tomoyo anyway. But it was just more reassuring to talk to Syaoran, as it was the two of them who were getting married.

So, feeling more than a little guilty, she picked up the receiver and dialled Syaoran's number. He picked up after the first ring, which surprised Sakura somewhat – she had expected that her call would wake him up, and so was prepared to have to wait for several rings to go unanswered.

"Syaoran?" she asked when someone picked up and said 'hello.' She felt stupid for saying it like it was a question when it couldn't possibly be anyone but her fiancé.

"The one and only," he answered, "and just what is wrong with the darling blushing bride now?"

"I'm freaking out again," Sakura admitted. There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Me too," Syaoran said as he shoved his hand through his hair and sat down on his bed.

"Wanna tell me about it?" Sakura asked. Syaoran shook his head, then remembered that she couldn't see him, and so said, "not really. I had a weird dream, which, if I told you about, might give you ideas."

Sakura blinked.

"I had a weird dream, too, but it doesn't sound as weird as yours does," she said. Then she sighed.

"Are we doing the right thing?" Syaoran asked suddenly, impulsively.

"I was wondering the same thing," Sakura said softly as she, too, sat down on her bed.

"You know," Syaoran said in an attempt at cheerfulness, "I bet everything will turn out fine. Besides, I know you'll have fun tomorrow – you get to have a wedding, and I know that all little girls want to have a wedding."

Sakura swallowed.

"You're right – all little girls want to have a wedding. We all want to get dolled up, and wear a pretty dress. We all want to meet a handsome groom at the front of the church. But after the wedding, we want a marriage. We want to live with our husband, and love him. Be loved by him. Have children with him," she realised she was crying, and she immediately felt silly.

"Sakura, are you crying?" Syaoran asked suddenly.

"N-no, o-of c-course n-not," Sakura answered, her tears making her stutter. There was a click on the other end of the line.

"Syaoran?" she asked, but there was no answer. Sakura hung up the phone, weeping harder as she did so. Then she curled up into a ball on her bed, weeping and weeping as the awfulness of the situation hit her over and over. She wept so hard she wondered if she'd ever stop.

…

There was a knock at the front door of the house ten minutes later. Sakura wondered if it might be Eriol for Tomoyo, then realised that it was five in the morning, so that was probably unlikely.

She sighed, thought about the fact that her eyes were probably red and swollen, decided that she didn't care, and whoever was at the door would just have to deal with her horrid appearance, before going down the stairs to answer the door before the person woke Tomoyo up.

She opened the door; fully ready to yell at the person on her doorstep, when she realised who it was… And promptly threw herself at him, hugging him tightly.

"You silly man!" she exclaimed. "I can't believe you came over here just because I was being stupid!" Why couldn't she just make her mouth say 'thank you', like she wanted it to?

Clearly, though, Syaoran caught what she was trying to say, as he said, "you're welcome!" as he ruffled her hair.

…

Somehow, Syaoran had managed to manoeuvre Sakura onto her couch. Quite a feat when Sakura clung desperately to his waist and refused to let go. Currently he was stroking her hair as she cried.

"And I know that this is what we should do, you know?" she was saying, her voice wavering all over the place as she cried. "I mean, I can see the kids' faces and I just think that I couldn't ever hurt them. It's not like I don't know why I'm doing this. I just…"

And she broke off, either not knowing how to finish her sentence or just physically unable. Syaoran made what he hoped were reassuring noises as he continued to awkwardly stroke her hair. He knew he was blushing, but he couldn't help it. He just kept thinking about that kiss the other night…

"Everything will be okay," he said softly, firmly pushing those thoughts to the side. Sakura lifted her head from its previous position buried in his chest and looked accusingly at him.

"How do you know that?" she demanded.

"Look, you want to get married for love, don't you?" he asked her gently. She nodded.

"Well, there'll still be plenty of time for that," he said, "we're only twenty, and we're only staying married for six months. You'll have the rest of your life to fall in love and get married after that. For now, just concentrate on doing what you have to do. I promise you that everything will be okay."

Sakura smiled and buried her head in Syaoran's chest again. He smelled… Warm, somehow, even though it wasn't really possible to smell 'warm'.

"How come," she whispered, "you knew what I needed to hear?"

Syaoran smiled.

…

Tomoyo was quite… surprised, let's say… to see her best friend curled up on the sofa, sound asleep, with her fiancé a few hours later.

'At least,' she observed dryly, 'they've both got all their clothes on.'

She contemplated waking them, then decided that they were really too adorable for words, so she made a compromise with herself. She would take a photo of them asleep, make some breakfast for all three of them and then wake them.

…

Tomoyo mused upon the fact that they really were adorable as she looked at the Polaroid shot she had taken. Eggs were cooking in one pan on the stove, while pancakes were doing in another, filling the kitchen with delicious smells.

…

Syaoran opened his eyes slowly and frowned when he realised he was most definitely not in his room. In fact, he seemed to be lying on a couch in someone else's house…

Then last night's events surfaced in his mind and he was no longer confused. He shifted experimentally and heard a soft groan from the warm weight in his arms. He blinked at the back of Sakura's honey-coloured head. How did they end up falling asleep together?

He moved his hand experimentally and immediately wished he hadn't - it seemed Sakura's pajama top had ridden up in the night and the palm of his hand brushed against the soft skin of her stomach. He blushed and tugged her top down for her, but didn't move his hands from her waist.

He lay awake for a few seconds, listening to her breathe. He felt warmer than he had for a long time.

…

Sakura's eyes fluttered open slowly. She yawned and the movement caused her to notice the warm chest at her back and the arms wrapped around her waist. Someone was breathing slowly and peacefully near her ear, tickling the skin and ruffling her hair.

Despite herself, she felt a slow smile creep over her face. Carefully she turned to face her fiancé and snuggled into his chest, even though she felt she should probably get up and wake him, too. She closed her eyes, but opened them in shock when she felt the arms around her waist tighten.

She looked up to see Syaoran smiling sleepily down at her. She blushed immediately in embarrassment - he'd just caught her snuggling up to him! However, Syaoran didn't say anything, just pulled her more tightly to him and dropped his head to her hair, placing a gentle kiss there before closing his eyes and falling asleep again.

Sakura could feel her own eyelids getting heavy again - the two of them had, after all, not exactly had the most restful, sleep-filled night. In fact, the only decent sleep Sakura had got was the three hours she had lain with Syaoran - but she fought it as hard as she could.

"Syaoran," she whispered. She got a grunt in reply.

"We have to get up," she said quietly. Syaoran shook his head sleepily.

"Absolutely not," he murmured, his voice slow and heavy with sleep, "you're not going anywhere. How come you're so damn soft? And warm…"

Sakura blushed. He was half-asleep, was he aware of what he had just said?

"Syaoran, come on," she attempted again.

"Five minutes…" he muttered. Sakura sighed and gave in to the irresistible pull of sleep.

…

In the kitchen, Tomoyo was growing restless. She had been hopeful that they would be able to wake themselves without any intervention on her part, but they were taking so long and she was bored by herself! Sighing, she got up from her chair and walked into the living room.

The sight that greeted her made her raise her eyebrows. She coughed delicately, and the two of them jumped awake. They looked at her and blushed. Tomoyo wriggled her eyebrows in a suggestive fashion.

"Could you two get any closer together?" she asked. Immediately Sakura leapt up, away from Syaoran.

"It's not what it looks like!" she yelped.

Syaoran grinned at Tomoyo from behind Tomoyo and said, "no, Daidouji-san, it's exactly what it looks like!"

Sakura whirled around to face him.

"Syaoran!" she yelped. Syaoran held up his hands in the universal gesture for surrender.

"I was just kidding!" he said.

…

A few moments later, the three of them were seated in the kitchen.

"Sleep well?" Tomoyo asked wickedly.

"Considerably better than usual," Syaoran said with a grin. Sakura turned scarlet.

"Coffee, either of you?" Tomoyo asked Sakura and Syaoran. Both nodded.

"How do you like yours, Li-san?" she asked Syaoran. She already knew how Sakura took her coffee.

"Black, please," he answered. Both Tomoyo and Sakura made a face.

"Yuck!" Tomoyo exclaimed. "Really? You sure you don't want anything in it?" Syaoran nodded, fighting the urge to laugh as Sakura and Tomoyo continued to look completely and utterly disgusted.

"I need sugar and milk in my coffee and tea," Sakura said as she sat down at the table, "otherwise it's too… Harsh, or something."

"Well," Syaoran said cheerfully, "I don't need any sugar in my coffee, because I'm so sweet already!"

Sakura rolled her eyes and smacked him gently upside the head.

"Ow!" he muttered grumpily. Tomoyo and Sakura laughed, but then Tomoyo's eyes turned sad.

"Tomoyo-chan? Daijoubu?" Sakura asked anxiously. Tomoyo shook her head and smiled as she placed two mugs of coffee in front of Sakura and Syaoran.

"It's nothing. You just… Reminded me of Chiharu-chan, that's all. I miss all our old friends so much, you know?"

Sakura nodded.

"But," said Tomoyo, suddenly brightening, "I guess that's one of the great things about you two getting married! Everybody's flying over for it!"

Syaoran choked on his mouthful of coffee, making his eyes water.

"Syaoran? Daijoubu?" Sakura asked a person if they were okay for the second time in two minutes, and it unnerved her slightly. She was the bride, wasn't she the one who was supposed to be choking on things and freaking out?

Then, of course, that made her think, 'oh my God, I'm going to be a bride later today!'

"I'd forgotten all about us getting married today!" Syaoran exclaimed.

"Me too!" Sakura wailed. Tomoyo could sense a total freak-out about to occur, so she wisely stepped in.

"Well, now that everyone's remembered that today is pretty important, I have this to say - Li-san, honey, I love you but you gotta leave," Tomoyo said frankly.

Syaoran nodded.

"Okay, but call me Syaoran," he said. Tomoyo grinned.

"So, Syaoran-san, head home and get dressed. Yelan-san phoned a while ago to say that she'd send your brothers-in-law and your best friend over to help you. Eriol will be over soon, too, as I spoke to him and told him to go to your house."

Syaoran nodded, then paused.

"But, hold on a second, what am I gonna get dressed in? I don't have my tux!" Tomoyo laughed.

"Oh, yeah, one of your brothers-in-law has it. Now get going!" she said as she herded him towards the door.

Then she stopped, looking distraught.

"Your breakfast!" she wailed. Syaoran looked at his watch.

"I don't have time for breakfast! We're running late!" he exclaimed.

Tomoyo looked confused.

"No, we're not. We should be nicely on time," she said. Syaoran shook his head and shoved his watch in her face.

"See?" he asked. Tomoyo's face paled.

"Oh shit!" she exclaimed, then looked at her own watch. "My watch must have stopped or something! We're running really late! Shit shit shit! You haven't had your breakfast! Quadruple shit - you'll need the energy!"

Sakura blinked. She didn't think she'd ever heard her normally calm and mild-mannered best friend use so many cuss words in one sentence before.

"Tomoyo-chan, don't you think you're overreacting?" she asked timidly, but Tomoyo didn't seem to hear.

"Daidouji-san - (Tomoyo immediately corrected him to 'Tomoyo-san') - I have an idea. I'll take a couple of pancakes with me and eat them in the car, okay?" Sakura could have kissed Syaoran for coming up with such an ingenious solution.

Tomoyo nodded and fired four pancakes onto a plate, which she handed to him as they ran towards the door. Sakura had to laugh as she hurried after them and Tomoyo barked instructions at the poor man.

"Eat all of them, but not yet! They're too hot! And make sure you don't crash while you're eating them! In fact, don't eat them until you get home! Okay? See you later!"

Syaoran nodded frantically at her, called a 'goodbye' to Sakura and hopped into his car.

Sakura and Tomoyo stood in their doorway and waved at him. Then Syaoran got back out of his car and ran back up to the house, muttering, "I forgot my coat!"

Finally, he managed to get away, and Sakura and Tomoyo stood, still, in the doorway. Tomoyo turned to Sakura and smiled.

"Ready to get married?" the raven-haired girl asked her best friend. Sakura smiled.

"If the rest of today is like this morning then I'm not sure I'll have the energy!"

…