Konbanwa minna. I hope everyone liked the last chapter. I'm working on
this and chapter nineteen of forever in a moment. When Max comes back from
retreat he'll edit it all.
Disclaimer: Must I? Ok. I don't own card captor sakura. I wish I did, but I don't.
***
The gentle breeze blew in the autumn air. It had been almost two weeks since the marriage assignment had been given out to the students. Each was now preparing for their mock wedding. Most extremely nervous to have to perform this event in front of their parents and family.
One of these students was Sakura. She was pacing around in her room with the cordless phone in her hand. Her little guardian was getting dizzy watching her pace up and down her room.
"Tomoyo, I really appreciate you making my dress but I don't think you'll have time to finish it and send it here." Sakura said into the phone. She'd been calling her best friend back in Japan for the last two weeks asking if she could make her wedding kimono for her class assignment.
"Sakura, I already finished it. I got started the minute you called me. I can't believe you get to marry Li-kun." She giggled. The card mistress became a light shade of red. "I wish I could get it all on tape."
"I wouldn't worry Tomoyo." Kero said into the receiver. "I think the Li sisters are taking that camera you sent them. They'd be happy to tape it for us."
"KERO!" Sakura yelled and grabbed the phone off him. She was now a brighter shade of red.
"So have you decided where you're going for your honeymoon? I mean last time we talked you two still hadn't decided." A ripple of laughter could be heard from the phone. "Sorry that was Eriol. He says hi."
"Hi to Eriol and hai we did decide." She was trying so hard not to take all this assignment seriously. It was so hard thought. Everything they did seemed to bring them closer. They spoke of everything as if it was really happening.
"So where are you going?" Tomoyo had been one to take it way too seriously. She'd started her kawaii state and kept wishing she could be there to tape the special event.
"I convinced Xiao Lang to choose the mountains. I'm not sure about which ones though. I just know that he agreed to choose ones that had snow." She said casually.
"Oh how romantic!" Tomoyo said while Eriol's laughter could be heard in the background. He said something that Sakura couldn't hear very clearly.
"What Eriol say?" Sakura's curiosity got the better of her. Something at the back of her mind warned her that anything Eriol said could make her blush in embarrassment.
"He ^snorts^ said ^laughs^ that in the cold Li won't want to get out of ^giggles^ bed." Tomoyo managed to blurt out. She then proceeded to let her laughter out.
It took Sakura a minute to understand what they were talking about. She'd become bolder but she sometimes didn't quite get it. When she did realize what they meant she started to fidget with her shirt and blush uncontrollably. They were not only teasing her little wolf. They were also teasing her by that comment.
She now understood exactly what they meant by the comment and her whole body became flushed.
"Hey Sakura you look like a tomato." Kero said casually. It was true. She gave him a death glare and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Mou, Tomoyo don't laugh. It's not funny." Sakura complained into the phone. Her friends were all having a great time teasing her.
"I'm sorry Sakura. It just sounded so funny. Don't take it personally." Tomoyo snorted. Sakura could tell Eriol was still telling her things.
"Tell Eriol to be quiet." She complained. If Syaoran had been there he would have started yelling into the phone.
"Ok he's behaving. Sakura I have to ask you how did dinner go at your place?" Sakura groaned at that comment. She had already gone to Syaoran's place for the 'official dinner' the week before. Syaoran had been invited to dinner on Sunday. It had been an interesting experience non the least.
^Flashback^
"Otou-chan! Syaoran will be here any moment and I'm still not ready." Sakura cried out. She was racing around the house in a panic. She'd just gotten out of the shower and was now attempting to finish getting dressed. She was wearing a light blue dress that was strapless. Tight from the top down to her waist it accented her very feminine curves perfectly. The bottom of the dress went down to the top of her knees and went out very slightly.
Her auburn hair was wrapped in a towel and she was franticly trying to find the matching shoes to her dress. It wasn't the first time Syaoran had stayed for dinner but today was going to be a little more formal. Not only was Syaoran going to attend, some of her father associates and her brothers clients where going to be present.
She was very nervous. It wasn't the first formal dinner she'd attended but it was the first she was hosting. Plus her 'fiancée' would be there.
After much persistence she'd managed to convince Touya to leave Syaoran alone for one night. Just one night where he wouldn't try to kill the boy for even holding his little sister's hand.
"SAKURA! You are not wearing that tonight are you?" Touya said walking into the room seeing his little sister in the dress.
"Yes." She said casually still trying to find her shoes.
"Go change!" He exclaimed. That caused Sakura to look up. "You're showing too much skin."
"Onii-chan I'm not showing skin." She protested. Her dress hid everything it needed to hide. Sure it wasn't exactly hiding everything but it looked good on her and didn't make her look improper.
"You're showing half your chest and most of your legs. These are important people. I don't want them thinking my sister is cheap." He declared protectively. "Plus I don't want that gaki taking advantage of you."
"He would never do that. You promised you wouldn't pick on him tonight. Besides I don't look cheap." She said with a pout. She grabbed the shoes and walked upstairs.
"You shouldn't be so hard on her. She looked beautiful. Not cheap." Fujitaka said to his son. Touya crossed his arms over his chest.
"I know but that gaki will be here and he'll be staring at her."
"No he won't. Touya you have to accept the fact that Sakura is growing up. Li loves her and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
Touya just huffed and went back to his room to finish preparing.
Sakura ran around in her room with Kero watching her every movement. She was blow drying her hair while looking for something to place on her hair. Debating with herself if she looked cheap or not.
"Sakura you look fine. You don't look cheap. Don't worry so much." Kero said floating over to her vanity table.
"That's not it Kero. I mean it was Touya who said it. Unless I was wearing a dress that covered everything from my neck down then he wouldn't be happy. I can't find anything to put in my hair that will match the dress."
"Well you could put flowers in your hair." Kero said trying to be helpful. Sakura stopped looking around her vanity and looked up at him.
"I could use the flower card. Which flower would go with the dress though?" She said happily.
"Well you could try a mix of tiger lilies and narcissus's?" Kero said taking out the flower card for Sakura to use. "They're white so it would go with the dress. They smell really nice too."
She called out her star wand and summoned the flower card. She asked the card to make her a head piece made of tiger lilies and narcissus's. The flower card obeyed her mistress and created a beautiful crown of the flowers.
"It's so pretty." Sakura said picking it up. "It smells really nice too."
"Yeah. So sweet. You are going to bring me something up when the dinner is finished?" Kero asked as he helped brush Sakura's long auburn hair. He had to admit that from the pictures he'd seen of Sakura's mother she was looking more and more like her.
"Of course Kero." She said as her hair untangled. "The minute it finishes I'll bring you some food."
"YAY." He cried out as he placed the flowers on her head. Sakura placed pins on the sides to keep it in place then looked at herself in the mirror.
"So how do I look?" She said twirling around in front of her little guardian for approval.
"The kid is going to have a bloody nose when he sees you." He said with a chuckle.
Sakura smiled at that and was about to say something else when she heard her father call up to her.
"Sakura, Li is here." She had asked her boyfriend to get there early to have some time together.
Taking in a deep breath she walked down the stairs to meet her beloved. She felt a little shy because she was so dressed up. She'd gotten dressed up for the dinner at Syaoran's but now she felt worse.
Syaoran looked up at the stairs and gasped at the image he saw. Sakura looked absolutely breath taking in her dress. The flowers in her hair gave her an amazing touch. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. She looked so incredibly beautiful. He couldn't help but wonder what this green eyed maiden saw in him.
"Xiao Lang." She said happily. He loved it when she used his real name. She said it with so much praise. Such affection. It made his heart melt.
"Sakura. You look amazing." He said as she embraced him. Her father had left the room to continue dinner leaving the couple to their own accord.
"You look good too." She said with a blush. 'He looks so amazingly gorgeous. Why can't you say that to him out loud?'
"Arrigatou." He said as she ran her hand up his chest. She was making him nervous again.
He wore a pair of black formal pants with a green shirt tucked into the pants. He also wore a black dinner jacket. His hair was gelled and spiked. Just the way Sakura liked it.
"Sakura no. It took me too long to get it right." He warned as she brushed her hand against the spikes. (I love doing that to guys. My friend always has a panic attack when I touch his hair. I think guys can be just as vain as girls)
"It doesn't matter. You'll always be gorgeous to me." She teased. He started to blush and was about to say something else when he spotted Touya coming down the stairs. He reluctantly let go of Sakura and stood up straight.
"Li." Touya said approaching the couple. He didn't say anything else. Just acknowledged his presence.
"Touya." The same reaction from Syaoran. Sakura sweatdroped. All that was left now was the famous glaring contest.
Luckily for her the doorbell rang and Touya went to answer it. It left the teenagers some time alone.
"Come on we should go into the living room. It will be safer." She said grabbing his arm gently.
^End of flashback^
"So it went ok?" Tomoyo asked.
"Well everything was ok at first. We had dinner and everyone talked. When I explained everything to my dad, Touya went red. He looked like he was about to burst when Xiao Lang asked for permission to marry me."
"Wow, he didn't do anything did he?" Sakura let out a giggle.
"No. Dad wouldn't let him. The other people were pretty impressed with the whole thing."
"So your dad said it was ok?" Sakura started to laugh at that.
"Yeah, He was really into it too. It felt so real. It was almost as if he was giving us permission to get married for real." Her voice was a little softer and full of hope.
"Maybe it's practice for the real thing."
"I doubt Touya would accept that. He didn't get really mad cause he knew it was for an assignment but if it was for real he'd probably forget he was in front of important people. He would have beaten Xiao Lang into a bloody pulp."
"Hey Sakura. When did you get into the habit of calling my cute little descendant by his real name?" Eriol said from another phone.
Sakura began to blush yet again. She had picked up his name a while back and continued to call him so.
"Um, well you see. I feel more comfortable when I call him by his real name." She stuttered. Eriol always knew how to embarrass anyone.
"Ah." Was all Eriol said. Tomoyo was giggling uncontrollably on the other line.
Kero was chuckling at the color his mistress was taking. If he had a camera he would have taken a picture like the time she'd been eating a hamburger and she was so engrossed in it.
"Hoe." Sakura muttered and sweatdroped. It seemed everyone was against her today.
***
Xiao Lang laid down on his bed exhausted. The last two weeks had been very stressful on him and he was wondering why he allowed everything to get in the way.
The first week had been really bad. He'd invited Sakura over for dinner and she'd happily accepted. He'd explained to her that it was formal and she'd need to dress up. She didn't seem to mind. It made him nervous. He'd have to formally introduce her to the clan and it didn't help that most of his family would be there.
He gave a slight groan as he remembered the event.
^Flashback^
He was nervous. His family had planned a formal dinner and it was making him extremely edgy.
'Sakura will be here any minute. I hope she understood by the word formal. I know she looks amazing in anything but I think they really outdid themselves tonight.'
Everyone was dressed up. Even him. He wore a white shirt with a black jacket and black pants. His hair had been combed back and he wore a green tie.
"She's here!" His sisters yelled storming into his room with faces full of excitement. He looked up at them and watched as they dragged him down the hall ways and led him to the main foyer.
Now he was really nervous. Most of the guests for the dinner were in the foyer waiting to be invited to the tables and now the card mistress would be there.
"Stop looking so unhappy little brother." Fuutie said. "Your Ying Fa is here."
He as about to answer her when they reached the end of the stairs. He looked up and saw Sakura handing her coat to one of the servants at the door. She looked amazing.
Her hair was up in a high pony tail with two star clips holding her long bangs together. Her dress was white with a trail of cherry blossoms leading down from the top of the dress down to the floor. The top part of the dress was spaghetti strapped and it hugged her body perfectly.
His voice got caught in his throat when he saw the long slit going down Sakura's left leg. The dress was actually quite simple but it suited her perfectly. On her neck she wore her star locket that was placed around the necklace he'd given her for her birthday.
"Oh Ying Fa looks so stunning." Fei Mei squealed. Her sisters agreed. With a little push they sent Syaoran towards her.
The momentum made Syaoran move forward until he reached his girlfriend's side. She looked up and smiled brightly at him. Relieved that she didn't' have to be alone anymore. Everyone had stared at her when she'd entered the room. She'd heard a few whispers asking who she was and why she was here.
"Xiao Lang." She said happily as she embraced him. This of course added to the gossip.
"Sakura you look beautiful." He whispered as he looked into her eyes. She blushed lightly and gave him a sideway smile.
"Thank you Xiao Lang." She said. He offered her his arm and guided her to some of the guests to introduce her.
"Xiao Lang, who is this green eyed beauty at your arm?" One of his clan's men asked. Sakura blushed harder at the compliment.
"This is Kinomoto Sakura. My girlfriend." He said sternly. He didn't like the look some of the men in his family were giving her. They weren't the looks disgust or questioning he'd expected. They were looking at her with desire.
"Pleasure to meet you miss Kinomoto. Xiao Lang is very lucky to have such a beauty as his lover."
Sakura blushed at the word. Sure she liked teasing Syaoran but to be called that in public. She'd never done anything like that and wasn't intending on it till she was married.
Syaoran excused himself and took Sakura over to some other people to introduce her. Luckily non of the other men dared leer at the card mistress because they received death glares from their future leader.
After introductions they were allowed into the large dining room. Sakura acted as if she had been raised in high society all her life. Syaoran was a little surprised at how well she was handling all the questions and comments his family dished out.
"Where did you learn to act so sophisticated my lady?" He whispered into her ear softly. This caused Sakura's skin to tingle.
"Your sisters invited me over a while ago just in case you ever invited me to a dinner." She said smiling. She glanced over at the Li sisters and gave them a little wave. They responded happily. "They're very good teachers."
"Humph. They're useful for something." He muttered. Sakura giggled slightly and continued to eat her dinner. They were sitting at the head of the table next to the elders and Li Yelen. A place of honor for a guest.
"Don't say that. They'll be my sister's in law in less than three weeks." That comment made him blush and caused the people beside them to giggle.
"Xiao Lang isn't there something you should do?" His mother asked him quietly. This was going to be a very awkward moment for both card captors.
Slowly getting up he turned to his mother and bowed respectfully. Even if this was only for an assignment he felt so nervous. She could actually decline if she really wanted to torture him and leave him completely humiliated in front of his family. He then bowed to his bride to be and faced his elders.
"As part of an assessment task I have to introduce you to my 'fiancée' With your permission I can continue to make plans for the engagement and the marriage." He said formally. He'd explained the whole thing to his mother and she'd told the elders. Assignment or not the teacher wanted things done according to family tradition.
"This girl you intend to marry? Is she present at the table?" One of the elders asked. Xiao Lang nodded his head and took Sakura's hand and pulled her to her feet. She bowed respectfully and held back her laughter.
"What qualities does she have that would make her worthy of our clan? You know the laws of our people." His mother said with a hint of amusement.
"Kinomoto Sakura is the card mistress of the Sakura cards. Formally known as the clow cards which once belonged to our ancestor Clow Reed." He breathed while the crowd of people murmured in shock and disbelief. "Also her father is half of the reincarnation of Clow Reed. The other half of Clow has tested her abilities as a sorceress and this determines that she is worthy of our family."
'Eriol is also the worst thing that could happen to me. Ancestor or not.' He thought to himself as the elders murmured between themselves.
"We have thought it through and we have decided that she may be accepted into the clan." The eldest of the elders said. His eyes held a glint of a hidden agendas and it made Syaoran wonder what they were planning.
Everyone applauded and both Sakura and Syaoran resumed their seats. The rest of the night went smoothly enough except for the occasional rumor that echoed over the table.
^End of flashback^
Sighing heavily Xiao Lang thought about asking Sakura to marry him for real. Maybe after the assignment was over he'd ask her how she'd feel about it. Maybe he could ask her.
'You baka. You're being a coward. You're scared she'll reject you.' His mind taunted. He really did hate his mind.
"I'm loosing my mind." He whispered. Too much stress. To much training. Too much school. It didn't matter how many ways he looked at it there was too much of something.
***
Tuesday morning all the students of the home economics class entered their classroom to find their folders placed in a pile on the front desk. Next to the folders was another bowl full of yellow slips of papers.
Their seating arrangements had been changed. Two tables were placed together and each couple would sit in that spot for the rest of the term.
Sakura took her place next to Syaoran and started to play with his fingers lightly. It was something she enjoyed doing immensely. Especially when no one was looking. She'd move the pad of her thumb against his palm and was graced with a very soft purr. Only she could hear it.
"Glad you enjoy it." She teased in a low whisper when his body slacked ever so slightly. He only gave a little grunt in response and continued to enjoy the hand massage she gave him.
Sakura giggled at the effect she had on him. A few years ago he would never act this way. Now he just melted under her ministration.
The teacher entered the room quietly and the students took their places. Sakura stopped massaging Syaoran's hand and looked at the front of the room. She was curious about the new folders and the bowl of paper.
"I hope everyone bought their folders in today. As I mentioned to some students today would be the day you finalize the wedding plans. For the next week you'll have to prepare for the weddings." She said. "Your folders at the front have this weeks statistics on your jobs and health. The paper here at the front will determine when you will get married. Whether you're first or the last couple."
"Last time I got the girls to choose the statistics. This week I'm going to swap. The boys can come get the folders and the girls are to receive the paper slips."
Everyone got up and walked to the front of the room. The girls picked up a slip of paper and the boys picked out their folders. Each folder now had the name of both the boys name and the girls maiden name.
The girls opened their pieces of paper to find a number on it. Some squealed in delight and others just groaned. They all walked back to their seats. The teacher allowed them a few minutes to talk to their partners.
"So what number did we get?"" Syaoran asked once he sat back down with their folder.
"Eight." She said looking at the paper. (Correct me if I'm wrong but I read somewhere that eight is a lucky number because it represents prosperity.)
She looked quite happy about it actually. He couldn't understand why. He could only think of one good reason. By then most of the weddings would have been done. So some of the excitement would have eased.
"So how are we doing?" She asked looking at their folder. He opened it up and red their statistics. They were doing quite well financially. His firm had given him a raise and Sakura's business was doing quite well.
"So far financially we're fine." He said. He scrolled down to their health records. His name came first and he read through it.
Li Xiao Lang.
Age: 21
Allergies: None.
Illnesses: None.
Stress level: Low.
There were some comments at the bottom but he didn't pay much attention to it. He flipped the page to read Sakura's health records.
Kinomoto Sakura.
Age:20
Allergies: None
Illnesses: Unsure.
Symptoms: Nausea, tiredness and emotionally unbalanced.
Stress Level: medium.
The comment on the bottom said 'consult a doctor about the condition.'
"Hey Sakura. You might be sick." He said looking over to her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the folder.
"It must be from the wedding stress. I mean my stress level is a little high." She reasoned. "I guess I could cut back on at least an hour of work. It's not like we're doing too badly financially."
"Yeah. I could work a little more anyway. I mean we still have time to change what we're going to do. If you want we can make the wedding simpler. Cut back on stress." He offered. She smiled at him and shook her head.
"No. I like things how they are. I don't want to change it."
"Everyone when I call out your last name please tell me what sort of wedding and what number you are."
"Boa?" She called out.
"Number three. Hawaiian." A boy with black hair said. Everyone held back a giggle. Even the couple.
"Interesting choice. Zhao?" She called out. A boy with brown hair up to his shoulders looked up from his folder.
"Ten, Greek." He said absentmindedly as he grimaced at his folder. By the look on his face something unexpected had occurred.
"Kwan?"
"One and Japanese." Sakura brightened at the mention of a Japanese wedding. It had been a while since she'd attended one of those.
"Lem." There was no answer. "LEM?" The teacher called out. A boy with glasses focused on the class and stood up.
"Nine. Western wedding. " He said. His face was all flushed from everyone staring at him.
"Li?" Everyone turned around to look at Sakura and Syaoran. He cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Eight and it's a traditional Chinese wedding." He said calmly. The girls in his class all sighed dreamily as he spoke. Sakura shot them all a quick death glare before looking back at her folder.
The rest of the class gave out what type of wedding and the number they had. In total there were ten couples so it would take up the two lessons.
"So what do you think I have?" Sakura asked as they wrote in their statistics.
"Might be a stomach virus." Syaoran said. Sakura didn't look too pleased.
"Hoe." She exclaimed. "What if I'm sick for the wedding? I could get nauseous at the wedding and pass out."
"Hey Li what's up with Sakura?" Fu asked. He was one of the couple's friends.
"She's got something but we don't know what yet. If we write down that she goes to the doctor she'll find out." He said. Fu asked for the paper and then started to snicker when he saw it.
"Well I might know what's wrong with her and its no stomach virus." He said with a chuckle. The two card captors looked at him a little puzzled. "Oh jeez you two are way too naive."
"What are you talking about?" Li said a little irritably. He hated it when his ignorance got in the way.
"Um, no I better not tell you. You'll find out soon. Don't worry Sakura. You'll be fine for your wedding." He reassured her and went back to completing his own folder.
"I'm glad about that." She smiled and went back to her folder. She completely forgot about the comment Fu made and started to speak quietly to herself about the final preparations.
Xiao Lang was not so fortunate. He kept thinking about what Fu said. He knew what was wrong with her but it wasn't a stomach virus. It was weird. The only thing he knew it could be was that. What other thing could cause those symptoms?
'What did he mean?'
***
"So I'll call Tomoyo tonight and ask her about the kimono." Sakura said as she and Li walked down the street. She held his hand in hers as they walked. They were talking about the practical side of the assignment. They had a week to get everything ready and Tomoyo had promised to send the kimono the minute Sakura asked her to.
"Yeah. My mom said my robes are ready and we just need the decorations. It won't be exactly lie a traditional wedding because it could be considered legal so we have to change a few things."
Sakura nodded and gave him her brightest smile.
"You know. Even though our families will be there I'm excited." She said. Her eyes held a glint of mischief and Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her.
"What's my Ying Fa thinking about?" He asked in a rough voice. They were at the corner of her house and they'd sopped walking. Sakura was now leaning against a wall and Syaoran was leaning against her just a little.
"Nothing." She said in a childish voice.
"Yeah right. Come on Sakura. I know you. I know that glint in your eye and I know when you're lying."
"You caught me. I was just thinking what it would be like. You know. If this was all real." She said softly. The glint was no longer there. She was dead serious now. It made Syaoran smile tenderly at her. His heart felt lighter now.
"Maybe it will real one day." He whispered huskily.
Sakura's eyes opened wide and her mouth hung slightly opened. She searched his eyes as if to find out if he was lying to her or telling her the truth.
"You mean that?" She asked in a low whisper. Her eyes averted to the ground as she said it. He grabbed her chin with his knuckle and bought her lips to his in a slow passionate kiss.
"I mean it." He said smiling at her. She smiled and threw her arms around him dragging his face back to hers in a more passionate kiss.
The kiss continued at a slower pace. Each reluctant to let go of the others lips. Sakura let out a little groan of pleasure as he bought her body closer to his.
Reluctantly they broke away, panting for breath. They wore a smile on their lips and their eyes sparkled with mirth. They loved these moments. There was no clan to worry about. No family to interrupt them. No friends video tapping them or teasing them. No cards to worry about. No magic existed to them to ruin that perfect moment.
"I wish I could stay here forever." Sakura whispered into his ears as she embraced him. "I love it when you hold me."
"No complaints about that. Though I doubt Touya would be too happy if you were here for the rest of your life." He said. She giggled and kissed his cheek. "I think we should go out tonight. Anywhere you want to go."
"Are you asking me out on a date Li Xiao Lang?" She asked him in a seductive tone.
"Yep." He said blushing. He really did love it when she spoke like that.
"Anywhere I want to go?" He nodded his head. She gave a quick smirk.
"Alright." She snaked her arms around his neck. "I want to go out to dinner. Then I want you to take me to the beach."
"Whatever my Ying Fa wants My Ying Fa gets." He said. They were now walking towards her house. Her brother wasn't home yet so it meant she'd need to cook. "I'll pick you up around seven."
With that he started to kiss her again. She eagerly replied the kiss and they resumed their passionate embrace. It would have continued if a car hadn't almost run over Syaoran from behind him.
A loud yell startled the couple and they turned to see Touya with a vein popping out of his forehead. The Li clan warrior gave his girlfriend one last kiss before running off towards his house with Touya hot on his tail.
"YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY BABY SISTER!" Was heard from down the street.
"TOUYA DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM." Sakura yelled before entering the house.
***
Phew. Fifteen pages. I hope you all liked it. I am definitely becoming more evil. Hehe. What's wrong with Sakura's statistics? What she got?
Anyway. For anyone who reads Forever in one moment, Max is back from retreat and he's editing chapters seventeen and eighteen. So you should check back tomorrow to see if seventeen is up.
Love everyone who reviews.
Ja ne minna.
Kang.
Disclaimer: Must I? Ok. I don't own card captor sakura. I wish I did, but I don't.
***
The gentle breeze blew in the autumn air. It had been almost two weeks since the marriage assignment had been given out to the students. Each was now preparing for their mock wedding. Most extremely nervous to have to perform this event in front of their parents and family.
One of these students was Sakura. She was pacing around in her room with the cordless phone in her hand. Her little guardian was getting dizzy watching her pace up and down her room.
"Tomoyo, I really appreciate you making my dress but I don't think you'll have time to finish it and send it here." Sakura said into the phone. She'd been calling her best friend back in Japan for the last two weeks asking if she could make her wedding kimono for her class assignment.
"Sakura, I already finished it. I got started the minute you called me. I can't believe you get to marry Li-kun." She giggled. The card mistress became a light shade of red. "I wish I could get it all on tape."
"I wouldn't worry Tomoyo." Kero said into the receiver. "I think the Li sisters are taking that camera you sent them. They'd be happy to tape it for us."
"KERO!" Sakura yelled and grabbed the phone off him. She was now a brighter shade of red.
"So have you decided where you're going for your honeymoon? I mean last time we talked you two still hadn't decided." A ripple of laughter could be heard from the phone. "Sorry that was Eriol. He says hi."
"Hi to Eriol and hai we did decide." She was trying so hard not to take all this assignment seriously. It was so hard thought. Everything they did seemed to bring them closer. They spoke of everything as if it was really happening.
"So where are you going?" Tomoyo had been one to take it way too seriously. She'd started her kawaii state and kept wishing she could be there to tape the special event.
"I convinced Xiao Lang to choose the mountains. I'm not sure about which ones though. I just know that he agreed to choose ones that had snow." She said casually.
"Oh how romantic!" Tomoyo said while Eriol's laughter could be heard in the background. He said something that Sakura couldn't hear very clearly.
"What Eriol say?" Sakura's curiosity got the better of her. Something at the back of her mind warned her that anything Eriol said could make her blush in embarrassment.
"He ^snorts^ said ^laughs^ that in the cold Li won't want to get out of ^giggles^ bed." Tomoyo managed to blurt out. She then proceeded to let her laughter out.
It took Sakura a minute to understand what they were talking about. She'd become bolder but she sometimes didn't quite get it. When she did realize what they meant she started to fidget with her shirt and blush uncontrollably. They were not only teasing her little wolf. They were also teasing her by that comment.
She now understood exactly what they meant by the comment and her whole body became flushed.
"Hey Sakura you look like a tomato." Kero said casually. It was true. She gave him a death glare and stuck her tongue out at him.
"Mou, Tomoyo don't laugh. It's not funny." Sakura complained into the phone. Her friends were all having a great time teasing her.
"I'm sorry Sakura. It just sounded so funny. Don't take it personally." Tomoyo snorted. Sakura could tell Eriol was still telling her things.
"Tell Eriol to be quiet." She complained. If Syaoran had been there he would have started yelling into the phone.
"Ok he's behaving. Sakura I have to ask you how did dinner go at your place?" Sakura groaned at that comment. She had already gone to Syaoran's place for the 'official dinner' the week before. Syaoran had been invited to dinner on Sunday. It had been an interesting experience non the least.
^Flashback^
"Otou-chan! Syaoran will be here any moment and I'm still not ready." Sakura cried out. She was racing around the house in a panic. She'd just gotten out of the shower and was now attempting to finish getting dressed. She was wearing a light blue dress that was strapless. Tight from the top down to her waist it accented her very feminine curves perfectly. The bottom of the dress went down to the top of her knees and went out very slightly.
Her auburn hair was wrapped in a towel and she was franticly trying to find the matching shoes to her dress. It wasn't the first time Syaoran had stayed for dinner but today was going to be a little more formal. Not only was Syaoran going to attend, some of her father associates and her brothers clients where going to be present.
She was very nervous. It wasn't the first formal dinner she'd attended but it was the first she was hosting. Plus her 'fiancée' would be there.
After much persistence she'd managed to convince Touya to leave Syaoran alone for one night. Just one night where he wouldn't try to kill the boy for even holding his little sister's hand.
"SAKURA! You are not wearing that tonight are you?" Touya said walking into the room seeing his little sister in the dress.
"Yes." She said casually still trying to find her shoes.
"Go change!" He exclaimed. That caused Sakura to look up. "You're showing too much skin."
"Onii-chan I'm not showing skin." She protested. Her dress hid everything it needed to hide. Sure it wasn't exactly hiding everything but it looked good on her and didn't make her look improper.
"You're showing half your chest and most of your legs. These are important people. I don't want them thinking my sister is cheap." He declared protectively. "Plus I don't want that gaki taking advantage of you."
"He would never do that. You promised you wouldn't pick on him tonight. Besides I don't look cheap." She said with a pout. She grabbed the shoes and walked upstairs.
"You shouldn't be so hard on her. She looked beautiful. Not cheap." Fujitaka said to his son. Touya crossed his arms over his chest.
"I know but that gaki will be here and he'll be staring at her."
"No he won't. Touya you have to accept the fact that Sakura is growing up. Li loves her and he wouldn't do anything to hurt her."
Touya just huffed and went back to his room to finish preparing.
Sakura ran around in her room with Kero watching her every movement. She was blow drying her hair while looking for something to place on her hair. Debating with herself if she looked cheap or not.
"Sakura you look fine. You don't look cheap. Don't worry so much." Kero said floating over to her vanity table.
"That's not it Kero. I mean it was Touya who said it. Unless I was wearing a dress that covered everything from my neck down then he wouldn't be happy. I can't find anything to put in my hair that will match the dress."
"Well you could put flowers in your hair." Kero said trying to be helpful. Sakura stopped looking around her vanity and looked up at him.
"I could use the flower card. Which flower would go with the dress though?" She said happily.
"Well you could try a mix of tiger lilies and narcissus's?" Kero said taking out the flower card for Sakura to use. "They're white so it would go with the dress. They smell really nice too."
She called out her star wand and summoned the flower card. She asked the card to make her a head piece made of tiger lilies and narcissus's. The flower card obeyed her mistress and created a beautiful crown of the flowers.
"It's so pretty." Sakura said picking it up. "It smells really nice too."
"Yeah. So sweet. You are going to bring me something up when the dinner is finished?" Kero asked as he helped brush Sakura's long auburn hair. He had to admit that from the pictures he'd seen of Sakura's mother she was looking more and more like her.
"Of course Kero." She said as her hair untangled. "The minute it finishes I'll bring you some food."
"YAY." He cried out as he placed the flowers on her head. Sakura placed pins on the sides to keep it in place then looked at herself in the mirror.
"So how do I look?" She said twirling around in front of her little guardian for approval.
"The kid is going to have a bloody nose when he sees you." He said with a chuckle.
Sakura smiled at that and was about to say something else when she heard her father call up to her.
"Sakura, Li is here." She had asked her boyfriend to get there early to have some time together.
Taking in a deep breath she walked down the stairs to meet her beloved. She felt a little shy because she was so dressed up. She'd gotten dressed up for the dinner at Syaoran's but now she felt worse.
Syaoran looked up at the stairs and gasped at the image he saw. Sakura looked absolutely breath taking in her dress. The flowers in her hair gave her an amazing touch. He couldn't keep his eyes off her. She looked so incredibly beautiful. He couldn't help but wonder what this green eyed maiden saw in him.
"Xiao Lang." She said happily. He loved it when she used his real name. She said it with so much praise. Such affection. It made his heart melt.
"Sakura. You look amazing." He said as she embraced him. Her father had left the room to continue dinner leaving the couple to their own accord.
"You look good too." She said with a blush. 'He looks so amazingly gorgeous. Why can't you say that to him out loud?'
"Arrigatou." He said as she ran her hand up his chest. She was making him nervous again.
He wore a pair of black formal pants with a green shirt tucked into the pants. He also wore a black dinner jacket. His hair was gelled and spiked. Just the way Sakura liked it.
"Sakura no. It took me too long to get it right." He warned as she brushed her hand against the spikes. (I love doing that to guys. My friend always has a panic attack when I touch his hair. I think guys can be just as vain as girls)
"It doesn't matter. You'll always be gorgeous to me." She teased. He started to blush and was about to say something else when he spotted Touya coming down the stairs. He reluctantly let go of Sakura and stood up straight.
"Li." Touya said approaching the couple. He didn't say anything else. Just acknowledged his presence.
"Touya." The same reaction from Syaoran. Sakura sweatdroped. All that was left now was the famous glaring contest.
Luckily for her the doorbell rang and Touya went to answer it. It left the teenagers some time alone.
"Come on we should go into the living room. It will be safer." She said grabbing his arm gently.
^End of flashback^
"So it went ok?" Tomoyo asked.
"Well everything was ok at first. We had dinner and everyone talked. When I explained everything to my dad, Touya went red. He looked like he was about to burst when Xiao Lang asked for permission to marry me."
"Wow, he didn't do anything did he?" Sakura let out a giggle.
"No. Dad wouldn't let him. The other people were pretty impressed with the whole thing."
"So your dad said it was ok?" Sakura started to laugh at that.
"Yeah, He was really into it too. It felt so real. It was almost as if he was giving us permission to get married for real." Her voice was a little softer and full of hope.
"Maybe it's practice for the real thing."
"I doubt Touya would accept that. He didn't get really mad cause he knew it was for an assignment but if it was for real he'd probably forget he was in front of important people. He would have beaten Xiao Lang into a bloody pulp."
"Hey Sakura. When did you get into the habit of calling my cute little descendant by his real name?" Eriol said from another phone.
Sakura began to blush yet again. She had picked up his name a while back and continued to call him so.
"Um, well you see. I feel more comfortable when I call him by his real name." She stuttered. Eriol always knew how to embarrass anyone.
"Ah." Was all Eriol said. Tomoyo was giggling uncontrollably on the other line.
Kero was chuckling at the color his mistress was taking. If he had a camera he would have taken a picture like the time she'd been eating a hamburger and she was so engrossed in it.
"Hoe." Sakura muttered and sweatdroped. It seemed everyone was against her today.
***
Xiao Lang laid down on his bed exhausted. The last two weeks had been very stressful on him and he was wondering why he allowed everything to get in the way.
The first week had been really bad. He'd invited Sakura over for dinner and she'd happily accepted. He'd explained to her that it was formal and she'd need to dress up. She didn't seem to mind. It made him nervous. He'd have to formally introduce her to the clan and it didn't help that most of his family would be there.
He gave a slight groan as he remembered the event.
^Flashback^
He was nervous. His family had planned a formal dinner and it was making him extremely edgy.
'Sakura will be here any minute. I hope she understood by the word formal. I know she looks amazing in anything but I think they really outdid themselves tonight.'
Everyone was dressed up. Even him. He wore a white shirt with a black jacket and black pants. His hair had been combed back and he wore a green tie.
"She's here!" His sisters yelled storming into his room with faces full of excitement. He looked up at them and watched as they dragged him down the hall ways and led him to the main foyer.
Now he was really nervous. Most of the guests for the dinner were in the foyer waiting to be invited to the tables and now the card mistress would be there.
"Stop looking so unhappy little brother." Fuutie said. "Your Ying Fa is here."
He as about to answer her when they reached the end of the stairs. He looked up and saw Sakura handing her coat to one of the servants at the door. She looked amazing.
Her hair was up in a high pony tail with two star clips holding her long bangs together. Her dress was white with a trail of cherry blossoms leading down from the top of the dress down to the floor. The top part of the dress was spaghetti strapped and it hugged her body perfectly.
His voice got caught in his throat when he saw the long slit going down Sakura's left leg. The dress was actually quite simple but it suited her perfectly. On her neck she wore her star locket that was placed around the necklace he'd given her for her birthday.
"Oh Ying Fa looks so stunning." Fei Mei squealed. Her sisters agreed. With a little push they sent Syaoran towards her.
The momentum made Syaoran move forward until he reached his girlfriend's side. She looked up and smiled brightly at him. Relieved that she didn't' have to be alone anymore. Everyone had stared at her when she'd entered the room. She'd heard a few whispers asking who she was and why she was here.
"Xiao Lang." She said happily as she embraced him. This of course added to the gossip.
"Sakura you look beautiful." He whispered as he looked into her eyes. She blushed lightly and gave him a sideway smile.
"Thank you Xiao Lang." She said. He offered her his arm and guided her to some of the guests to introduce her.
"Xiao Lang, who is this green eyed beauty at your arm?" One of his clan's men asked. Sakura blushed harder at the compliment.
"This is Kinomoto Sakura. My girlfriend." He said sternly. He didn't like the look some of the men in his family were giving her. They weren't the looks disgust or questioning he'd expected. They were looking at her with desire.
"Pleasure to meet you miss Kinomoto. Xiao Lang is very lucky to have such a beauty as his lover."
Sakura blushed at the word. Sure she liked teasing Syaoran but to be called that in public. She'd never done anything like that and wasn't intending on it till she was married.
Syaoran excused himself and took Sakura over to some other people to introduce her. Luckily non of the other men dared leer at the card mistress because they received death glares from their future leader.
After introductions they were allowed into the large dining room. Sakura acted as if she had been raised in high society all her life. Syaoran was a little surprised at how well she was handling all the questions and comments his family dished out.
"Where did you learn to act so sophisticated my lady?" He whispered into her ear softly. This caused Sakura's skin to tingle.
"Your sisters invited me over a while ago just in case you ever invited me to a dinner." She said smiling. She glanced over at the Li sisters and gave them a little wave. They responded happily. "They're very good teachers."
"Humph. They're useful for something." He muttered. Sakura giggled slightly and continued to eat her dinner. They were sitting at the head of the table next to the elders and Li Yelen. A place of honor for a guest.
"Don't say that. They'll be my sister's in law in less than three weeks." That comment made him blush and caused the people beside them to giggle.
"Xiao Lang isn't there something you should do?" His mother asked him quietly. This was going to be a very awkward moment for both card captors.
Slowly getting up he turned to his mother and bowed respectfully. Even if this was only for an assignment he felt so nervous. She could actually decline if she really wanted to torture him and leave him completely humiliated in front of his family. He then bowed to his bride to be and faced his elders.
"As part of an assessment task I have to introduce you to my 'fiancée' With your permission I can continue to make plans for the engagement and the marriage." He said formally. He'd explained the whole thing to his mother and she'd told the elders. Assignment or not the teacher wanted things done according to family tradition.
"This girl you intend to marry? Is she present at the table?" One of the elders asked. Xiao Lang nodded his head and took Sakura's hand and pulled her to her feet. She bowed respectfully and held back her laughter.
"What qualities does she have that would make her worthy of our clan? You know the laws of our people." His mother said with a hint of amusement.
"Kinomoto Sakura is the card mistress of the Sakura cards. Formally known as the clow cards which once belonged to our ancestor Clow Reed." He breathed while the crowd of people murmured in shock and disbelief. "Also her father is half of the reincarnation of Clow Reed. The other half of Clow has tested her abilities as a sorceress and this determines that she is worthy of our family."
'Eriol is also the worst thing that could happen to me. Ancestor or not.' He thought to himself as the elders murmured between themselves.
"We have thought it through and we have decided that she may be accepted into the clan." The eldest of the elders said. His eyes held a glint of a hidden agendas and it made Syaoran wonder what they were planning.
Everyone applauded and both Sakura and Syaoran resumed their seats. The rest of the night went smoothly enough except for the occasional rumor that echoed over the table.
^End of flashback^
Sighing heavily Xiao Lang thought about asking Sakura to marry him for real. Maybe after the assignment was over he'd ask her how she'd feel about it. Maybe he could ask her.
'You baka. You're being a coward. You're scared she'll reject you.' His mind taunted. He really did hate his mind.
"I'm loosing my mind." He whispered. Too much stress. To much training. Too much school. It didn't matter how many ways he looked at it there was too much of something.
***
Tuesday morning all the students of the home economics class entered their classroom to find their folders placed in a pile on the front desk. Next to the folders was another bowl full of yellow slips of papers.
Their seating arrangements had been changed. Two tables were placed together and each couple would sit in that spot for the rest of the term.
Sakura took her place next to Syaoran and started to play with his fingers lightly. It was something she enjoyed doing immensely. Especially when no one was looking. She'd move the pad of her thumb against his palm and was graced with a very soft purr. Only she could hear it.
"Glad you enjoy it." She teased in a low whisper when his body slacked ever so slightly. He only gave a little grunt in response and continued to enjoy the hand massage she gave him.
Sakura giggled at the effect she had on him. A few years ago he would never act this way. Now he just melted under her ministration.
The teacher entered the room quietly and the students took their places. Sakura stopped massaging Syaoran's hand and looked at the front of the room. She was curious about the new folders and the bowl of paper.
"I hope everyone bought their folders in today. As I mentioned to some students today would be the day you finalize the wedding plans. For the next week you'll have to prepare for the weddings." She said. "Your folders at the front have this weeks statistics on your jobs and health. The paper here at the front will determine when you will get married. Whether you're first or the last couple."
"Last time I got the girls to choose the statistics. This week I'm going to swap. The boys can come get the folders and the girls are to receive the paper slips."
Everyone got up and walked to the front of the room. The girls picked up a slip of paper and the boys picked out their folders. Each folder now had the name of both the boys name and the girls maiden name.
The girls opened their pieces of paper to find a number on it. Some squealed in delight and others just groaned. They all walked back to their seats. The teacher allowed them a few minutes to talk to their partners.
"So what number did we get?"" Syaoran asked once he sat back down with their folder.
"Eight." She said looking at the paper. (Correct me if I'm wrong but I read somewhere that eight is a lucky number because it represents prosperity.)
She looked quite happy about it actually. He couldn't understand why. He could only think of one good reason. By then most of the weddings would have been done. So some of the excitement would have eased.
"So how are we doing?" She asked looking at their folder. He opened it up and red their statistics. They were doing quite well financially. His firm had given him a raise and Sakura's business was doing quite well.
"So far financially we're fine." He said. He scrolled down to their health records. His name came first and he read through it.
Li Xiao Lang.
Age: 21
Allergies: None.
Illnesses: None.
Stress level: Low.
There were some comments at the bottom but he didn't pay much attention to it. He flipped the page to read Sakura's health records.
Kinomoto Sakura.
Age:20
Allergies: None
Illnesses: Unsure.
Symptoms: Nausea, tiredness and emotionally unbalanced.
Stress Level: medium.
The comment on the bottom said 'consult a doctor about the condition.'
"Hey Sakura. You might be sick." He said looking over to her. She raised an eyebrow and looked at the folder.
"It must be from the wedding stress. I mean my stress level is a little high." She reasoned. "I guess I could cut back on at least an hour of work. It's not like we're doing too badly financially."
"Yeah. I could work a little more anyway. I mean we still have time to change what we're going to do. If you want we can make the wedding simpler. Cut back on stress." He offered. She smiled at him and shook her head.
"No. I like things how they are. I don't want to change it."
"Everyone when I call out your last name please tell me what sort of wedding and what number you are."
"Boa?" She called out.
"Number three. Hawaiian." A boy with black hair said. Everyone held back a giggle. Even the couple.
"Interesting choice. Zhao?" She called out. A boy with brown hair up to his shoulders looked up from his folder.
"Ten, Greek." He said absentmindedly as he grimaced at his folder. By the look on his face something unexpected had occurred.
"Kwan?"
"One and Japanese." Sakura brightened at the mention of a Japanese wedding. It had been a while since she'd attended one of those.
"Lem." There was no answer. "LEM?" The teacher called out. A boy with glasses focused on the class and stood up.
"Nine. Western wedding. " He said. His face was all flushed from everyone staring at him.
"Li?" Everyone turned around to look at Sakura and Syaoran. He cleared his throat and spoke up.
"Eight and it's a traditional Chinese wedding." He said calmly. The girls in his class all sighed dreamily as he spoke. Sakura shot them all a quick death glare before looking back at her folder.
The rest of the class gave out what type of wedding and the number they had. In total there were ten couples so it would take up the two lessons.
"So what do you think I have?" Sakura asked as they wrote in their statistics.
"Might be a stomach virus." Syaoran said. Sakura didn't look too pleased.
"Hoe." She exclaimed. "What if I'm sick for the wedding? I could get nauseous at the wedding and pass out."
"Hey Li what's up with Sakura?" Fu asked. He was one of the couple's friends.
"She's got something but we don't know what yet. If we write down that she goes to the doctor she'll find out." He said. Fu asked for the paper and then started to snicker when he saw it.
"Well I might know what's wrong with her and its no stomach virus." He said with a chuckle. The two card captors looked at him a little puzzled. "Oh jeez you two are way too naive."
"What are you talking about?" Li said a little irritably. He hated it when his ignorance got in the way.
"Um, no I better not tell you. You'll find out soon. Don't worry Sakura. You'll be fine for your wedding." He reassured her and went back to completing his own folder.
"I'm glad about that." She smiled and went back to her folder. She completely forgot about the comment Fu made and started to speak quietly to herself about the final preparations.
Xiao Lang was not so fortunate. He kept thinking about what Fu said. He knew what was wrong with her but it wasn't a stomach virus. It was weird. The only thing he knew it could be was that. What other thing could cause those symptoms?
'What did he mean?'
***
"So I'll call Tomoyo tonight and ask her about the kimono." Sakura said as she and Li walked down the street. She held his hand in hers as they walked. They were talking about the practical side of the assignment. They had a week to get everything ready and Tomoyo had promised to send the kimono the minute Sakura asked her to.
"Yeah. My mom said my robes are ready and we just need the decorations. It won't be exactly lie a traditional wedding because it could be considered legal so we have to change a few things."
Sakura nodded and gave him her brightest smile.
"You know. Even though our families will be there I'm excited." She said. Her eyes held a glint of mischief and Syaoran raised an eyebrow at her.
"What's my Ying Fa thinking about?" He asked in a rough voice. They were at the corner of her house and they'd sopped walking. Sakura was now leaning against a wall and Syaoran was leaning against her just a little.
"Nothing." She said in a childish voice.
"Yeah right. Come on Sakura. I know you. I know that glint in your eye and I know when you're lying."
"You caught me. I was just thinking what it would be like. You know. If this was all real." She said softly. The glint was no longer there. She was dead serious now. It made Syaoran smile tenderly at her. His heart felt lighter now.
"Maybe it will real one day." He whispered huskily.
Sakura's eyes opened wide and her mouth hung slightly opened. She searched his eyes as if to find out if he was lying to her or telling her the truth.
"You mean that?" She asked in a low whisper. Her eyes averted to the ground as she said it. He grabbed her chin with his knuckle and bought her lips to his in a slow passionate kiss.
"I mean it." He said smiling at her. She smiled and threw her arms around him dragging his face back to hers in a more passionate kiss.
The kiss continued at a slower pace. Each reluctant to let go of the others lips. Sakura let out a little groan of pleasure as he bought her body closer to his.
Reluctantly they broke away, panting for breath. They wore a smile on their lips and their eyes sparkled with mirth. They loved these moments. There was no clan to worry about. No family to interrupt them. No friends video tapping them or teasing them. No cards to worry about. No magic existed to them to ruin that perfect moment.
"I wish I could stay here forever." Sakura whispered into his ears as she embraced him. "I love it when you hold me."
"No complaints about that. Though I doubt Touya would be too happy if you were here for the rest of your life." He said. She giggled and kissed his cheek. "I think we should go out tonight. Anywhere you want to go."
"Are you asking me out on a date Li Xiao Lang?" She asked him in a seductive tone.
"Yep." He said blushing. He really did love it when she spoke like that.
"Anywhere I want to go?" He nodded his head. She gave a quick smirk.
"Alright." She snaked her arms around his neck. "I want to go out to dinner. Then I want you to take me to the beach."
"Whatever my Ying Fa wants My Ying Fa gets." He said. They were now walking towards her house. Her brother wasn't home yet so it meant she'd need to cook. "I'll pick you up around seven."
With that he started to kiss her again. She eagerly replied the kiss and they resumed their passionate embrace. It would have continued if a car hadn't almost run over Syaoran from behind him.
A loud yell startled the couple and they turned to see Touya with a vein popping out of his forehead. The Li clan warrior gave his girlfriend one last kiss before running off towards his house with Touya hot on his tail.
"YOU KEEP YOUR HANDS OFF MY BABY SISTER!" Was heard from down the street.
"TOUYA DON'T YOU DARE HURT HIM." Sakura yelled before entering the house.
***
Phew. Fifteen pages. I hope you all liked it. I am definitely becoming more evil. Hehe. What's wrong with Sakura's statistics? What she got?
Anyway. For anyone who reads Forever in one moment, Max is back from retreat and he's editing chapters seventeen and eighteen. So you should check back tomorrow to see if seventeen is up.
Love everyone who reviews.
Ja ne minna.
Kang.