Ihaine: he needs time to control his new powers

Chapter Nineteen

The other ring

It was time to return to 'normal' life, if you could call it that. Syaoran wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but both Sakura and Eriol convinced him that he was ready.

The Christmas holidays had been over for quite some time, but he had been given two more weeks off from work for the perfect excuse.

He had just gotten married.

Two weeks early

"I'm nervous, I don't feel like I'm ready."

"You're right, you're not ready yet."

Syaoran sighed, scanning their faces. The four of them were eating together in Tomoyo and Eriol's cave house.

He had to go back to work in two days and the thought of it made him shiver.

He could control his mood swings much better now, but it still scared him that something might upset him enough to transform into a wolf in front of everyone, endangering the lives of humans and the secrecy of his condition.

The previous evening, Sakura had the idea to go to Tokyo and call her friends Chiharu and Rika so that Syaoran could meet them.

It went well, but he didn't want to be alone with humans. To be teaching a class with dozens of them around him... no, he saw it as too dangerous.

Syaoran sighed again and his gaze flew to Sakura, who was sitting directly across from him. He traced the lines of her face slowly, noticing how tense she was. She and Eriol were talking about what they could do to help him get back to his normal life without fear of something going wrong at the university.

He continued to watch her with fascination. Her green eyes, the long black lashes that framed them... He looked down at her lips and his heart skipped a beat.

Fuck, I still lose control just looking at her.

Sakura turned her head towards him with a smile curving her lips, still talking to Eriol.

I like it when that happens to you.

Syaoran raised his eyebrows at the sound of her voice.

Did you hear me? I didn't want you to.

I think you did.

He gave her another smile and didn't look away. His gaze traveled down her neck, where the mark of his teeth was, and continued down her arms until it reached her hands, which were resting on the table. Syaoran stared at the engagement ring she was wearing and frowned.

"Sakura, I want to get married now."

This time, he had spoken out loud. The three stopped talking and glanced at him.

"But you're already married," Tomoyo replied, letting out a giggle.

"Not like humans."

Silence fell for a few seconds.

"Syaoran... you're not human anymore," Eriol replied quietly.

"I don't care. I've been one for almost 25 years and I've always wanted to marry the love of my life."

Sakura blushed and averted her gaze for a moment, biting her lower lip. When she looked back at Syaoran, she was grinning.

"When do you want to do it?"

Syaoran looked her in the eye, arching an eyebrow.

"Now."

Tomoyo and Eriol chuckled.

"You know that preparing for a wedding takes a long time, Syaoran. It can't be done overnight," Tomoyo commented with an amused smile.

He rolled his eyes.

"I don't need it to be a big wedding, I just want it to be with her."

This time, it was Eriol who rolled his eyes.

"You're so in love and you're just talking human nonsense."

Sakura shot Eriol a hateful glare, holding Syaoran's hand.

"He's my human and I want it too. If he wants it now, it will be now. Will you help me find a place, Tomoyo?" she asked, looking away from him.

"I know several, let me remind you that I'm a lawyer," Eriol replied.

"Then I want you to make an appointment for us. I'll tell my father and Sonomi to come, and I think I'll also tell Chiharu and Rika."

Eriol nodded and pulled out his phone, standing up to make a call. Then she looked back at Syaoran, who was all smiles.

"And you... Are you going to want to tell someone?"

Syaoran's smile was immediately wiped off.

"I don't think anyone in my family will want to come."

"You don't lose anything by trying," she said, squeezing his hand affectionately.

Syaoran sighed and got to his feet as well, pulling his phone out of his pocket. With trembling hands, he dialed a few numbers and waited, walking away to a corner.

Meanwhile, the two cousins talked about the clothes they were going to need.

"I know Syaoran really liked my red dress, but I wrecked it that day when I transformed," Sakura muttered, sniffling.

"Maybe we can look for a similar one... Do you know what his favourite colour is?"

She nodded.

"Green."

Tomoyo's lips curved into a wicked smile.

"Okay, I'll take care of everything. I'll find something for him too, leave it to me."

"Tomorrow morning I'll go get some rings, I want to surprise him," Sakura whispered.

They both looked sideways at Syaoran, who was still talking on the phone with his back to them. Eriol sat down across from Tomoyo, sighing.

"Tomorrow afternoon, at five o'clock," he announced with a serious expression.

"Our first human wedding," Tomoyo murmured excitedly.

The three of them laughed softly.

"Hey, Tomoyo... if you like it, you and I can do it too," Eriol offered, arching an eyebrow.

"Maybe," she replied, winking at him.

Syaoran threw the phone against the sofa and sat back down next to them, crossing his arms and huffing.

"What happened?" Sakura asked.

"When I told my mother that I'm going to marry you, she hung up on me. It's over, I never want to hear from her again," he growled very upset, his hands shaking.

She stood up and walked over to him, sitting on his lap so she could hug him. Syaoran rested his head on her shoulder, sighing.

"It's her loss. Besides, we're all your family now."

He wrapped his arms around her and focused on his breathing. Sakura's heartbeat and her scent always helped him relax, and it didn't take long for his shaking to stop.

"Tomorrow at five, wizard," Eriol informed him.

Syaoran lifted his head, nodding.

"Are you two coming?"

"Of course. What kind of question is that?" Eriol replied in an annoyed tone.

He shrugged, still hugging Sakura.

"I don't know. I guess these things don't interest you guys much."

"If it's important to you, it's important to us too," Tomoyo replied.

After agreeing on a time to meet, Sakura and Syaoran said goodbye and returned to their cave home.

They spent the rest of the afternoon repairing the remaining holes in the wall of their room. The furniture had been replaced a week ago and now there was little sign of Syaoran's intense werewolf awakening.

The next day, everyone was in one of the largest buildings in Tokyo, in the lobby on the main floor. They were waiting for Sakura and Tomoyo, who had spent the day in the city and would meet them there.

"We'd better go upstairs. Tomoyo says they're coming," Eriol said, placing the phone in his suit pocket.

Syaoran nodded. The six of them (Eriol, Sonomi, Fujitaka, Chiharu, Rika and him) got into one of the lifts and Eriol pressed the button for the top floor.

When they got off, Syaoran's amber eyes widened as never before. They were on a sixtieth floor, with the entire city at their feet. As the walls were made of glass, the evening light streamed through them, illuminating the entire room with a warm, orange light.

"Do you like the place?" Eriol asked, nudging him.

"I love it, it's perfect," Syaoran replied, nudging him in the ribs and smiling.

Eriol took a couple more steps towards him, so no one else would hear them.

"Your human side is still strong. Try to keep it that way."

Syaoran nodded, still smiling. He still felt quite human.

The lift opened again and he had to hold his breath when he turned around. Sakura stepped out of it wearing a dark green dress that came to above her knees. It was fitted to the waist and had an open back. She also tensed at the sight of him in a suit and Syaoran heard her voice in his mind.

I'll rip it off later.

Not if I rip yours off first.

The two gave each other a small smile and looked away. There would be time for that later.

They all sat around a large table and the notary read the boring marriage laws. When he finished, the two signed their consent, choosing Tomoyo and Eriol to sign as witnesses.

After receiving congratulations and having some photos taken with the sunset in the background, they all went together for dinner at an Italian restaurant two streets away to celebrate.

Once the bill was paid, Syaoran headed out of the restaurant where everyone was waiting for them. Chiharu and Rika said goodbye, calling for a taxi to go home together.

"Come with us in the car so we can leave the couple alone for a while," proposed Sonomi, looking at her daughter.

She and Eriol nodded and said goodbye as well, leaving with Fujitaka and Sonomi.

When they were alone, Syaoran intertwined his fingers with hers, walking to where she had parked the car. Once they were both inside, she didn't put the key in the ignition.

"I have something for you."

He looked at her, somewhat quizzical. She opened the small handbag she was carrying, pulling out a black box and offering it to him. Opening it, Syaoran saw that inside were two thin silver chains with something circular dangling from them.

"There's one for you and one for me. I prefer that we wear them as a pendant so we don't have to keep an eye on it every time we transform."

Sakura took one of the necklaces, placing it around her neck, and then did the same with Syaoran's necklace. He held the ring inside the chain, looking at it.

It appeared to be white gold. Inside it was engraved with 'S&S' and a date from September of the previous year that he didn't understand.

"What happened that day in September?" he asked, glancing up.

"It was the day I found you."

His heart beat much faster. A growl rumbled in his chest and his eyes started to glow.

"You can't do what you're thinking here or we'll destroy the car," Sakura added, laughing as she felt the waves of desire that were running through his body uncontrollably.

"Drive fast, then," Syaoran replied, not taking his eyes off her.

She raised her eyebrows suggestively and started the car, merging into the traffic on the main road.

Twenty minutes later, they were out of the city and up the side of the mountain. But, instead of following the road that led to their little town of cave houses, Sakura turned the wheel and pulled onto a dirt road.

Syaoran gave her a sidelong glance, arching an eyebrow, but said nothing. When they reached a small valley, she stopped the car under a large tree and turned off the engine.

"Come with me."

He got out of the car and started to follow Sakura, who had left her shoes under the tree and was running at full speed. He managed to catch up with her and pulled her arm until she stopped.

"Where are we going?" he asked in a curious voice.

"Here," she announced.

Syaoran took a few steps, looking around. They were on a large plain where there was a lake. Since there were no lights, they could see the Milky Way above them perfectly. Sakura approached him, running her fingers along his collarbone.

"How about if we go crazy here today? There's no risk of us breaking anything," she suggested with a mischievous grin.

He frowned, crossing his arms.

"Did you come here with Yukito?"

"No."

"And with the others whose names I don't even know?"

"I'll never tell you their names. You're jealous of Yukito and that's more than enough. And no, I've always come here alone. It's a good place to think and bathe without anyone bothering me."

Syaoran relaxed his expression and lowered his head until their foreheads met.

"I promise never to be jealous again. I know you're mine alone," he whispered, touching the ring around her neck.

"This is my special place, no one else knows about it," she said, fixing her gaze on his eyes and smiling.

"I like this dress too much to tear it," he commented, slowly unzipping the zip on her back as he left a gentle nibble on one of her shoulders.

Sakura tugged at his shirt with both hands, sending the buttons flying in all directions.

"I don't care about your outfit, though."

Syaoran slowly lowered the straps of her dress, leaving several kisses along the curve of her neck.

"You're too quiet," she said, tearing his jacket and tossing the pieces to the ground.

"I want to see if I can control myself."

The dress fell to the grass and Syaoran's eyes began to glow as they swept over her body.

"I don't think you can," she muttered, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

"Yes I can," he growled, looking up to meet her eyes.

When all they had left were their new pendants, Syaoran lifted Sakura with his arms and she wrapped her legs around his waist, attacking his lips. Still kissing her, he began to walk down the valley until they were inside the lake, the water coming up to their shoulders.

"Not feeling cold is great," he admitted, remembering that it was still January and the middle of winter.

Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck.

"We can come here whenever you want."

"How long does it take if we run here from our town?"

"About fifteen minutes."

Syaoran grinned.

"Then we'll come here every night."

Sakura started to laugh and Syaoran silenced her with a kiss. They separated again, panting softly.

"I liked your gift, Sakura. I hadn't really thought about the rings."

"Humans wear them, so I figured you'd like them."

She lifted her left hand and looked at her engagement ring, sighing.

"I'm going to miss wearing it."

Syaoran frowned.

"Are you going to take it off?"

"Can I keep wearing it?" Sakura asked, a little confused.

"Of course, a lot of girls do."

Sakura smirked, taking it off her finger. She opened the clasp of the pendant and put the ring there.

"This way, there's no risk of me losing it if I transform."

Syaoran caught the two rings Sakura now had around her neck between his fingers and stared into her eyes.

"Well, no more self-control," he growled, diving fully into the water with her in his arms.