Author's Note: Sorry for the drag. Here's chapter 10. This is so not the end, by the way.

Disclaimer: I don't own Card Captor Sakura.

I Choose Sakura

By: Wings of Jade

Chapter 10: Practice Makes Perfect: Part 2

Rika and Eriol looked at each other, both trying to hide their smiles. It was all too hilarious, in a way. The Princess and Prince were acting like five year olds.

"Now--" choked out Eriol, his shoulders shaking, "--Now--it--is--time--time--time--" He burst into fits of laughter. "--sorry--" Rika rolled her eyes, although her smile was as wide as a watermelon.

"Now," she said, forcing down a laugh, "it is time--get a grip on yourself, Lord Eriol, this is in the presence of royalty--time to Walk together--as an official couple." Eriol rolled around on the floor, his eyes streaming.

"Walk!" he spluttered. "As if Syaoran can Walk!" Syaoran glared at Eriol.

"When this is over, Eriol, I will so strangle your neck until you die, Eriol, die." That only made Eriol laugh more.

"Kids!" he spat out between peals of laughter. "Kids!" Syaoran went beet red.

"I AM NOT A KID, YOU KID!"

"Lord Eriol! Please contain yourself!" Rika jerked her head irritably to a pretty lady-in-waiting. "Escort his Lordship outside." The lady-in-waiting curtsied.

"As you wish, Lady Rika." She took his arm and steered him outside; Eriol was now hiccoughing.

"As I was saying," continued Rika, returning to her prim manner, "You two will have to link arms and Walk from here to the front." She waved her handkerchief delicately towards the front of the room, where a sort of stage stood. "That is approximately the distance required to walk at the Wedding. Please link arms now." Sakura's eyes widened. Link arms? Did she just say LINK ARMS?

Rika coughed lightly. "Princess Sakura." Sakura jumped.

"Oh...um...yeah." She put her arm out hesitantly. Syaoran saw that it was trembling slightly. He hooked his arm through hers, feeling a little awkward.

"Now...uh...[cough] Please make your way down the aisle. Similarly, this is how you will walk at the wedding." Sakura rolled her eyes. As if Rika hadn't said that a million times already!

Rika nodded at a piano player that had just entered the room, bowing grandly. He seated himself grandly at the chair, put his hands grandly onto the grandly piano, moved his shoulders grandly as exercise, jutted his elbows out grandly, put his foot on the pedal grandly, cleared his throat grandly...and nodded (grandly) at Rika. Rika's eye twitched in annoyance, but she restrained the urge to tell him off.

"Please play our wedding march now, Mr. Ryu." Mr. Ryu (well, Ryu was his first name; but he had preferred to be called by his first name anyway) smiled grandly and took a deep breath grandly. Then his fingers began to move, striking the keys ever so grandly, his chest thrust out ever so grandly, his chords sounding ever so grandly, as he began to play the grandly wedding march.

Sakura and Syaoran stood there dumbly before realizing what they were supposed to do. "Move!" hissed Rika. "This is the march that will be played at the wedding! Hurry!" Syaoran took a step. Sakura took a step after him, a second too late. Now it looked like Syaoran was dragging her. Syaoran took another step. Sakura took a step with him this time. Another step. Another step. And another step.

Then Sakura lost her balance.

The dress she was wearing, as said before, was way too tight around the legs. She had to grit her teeth trying to equal Syaoran's strides. When he accidentally moved a little too early ahead of beat, Sakura somehow couldn't move her legs properly, and when Syaoran took another step, she tripped over her shoes and pitched head first onto the floor. And well...because their arms were linked...you could imagine that Syaoran fell with her. On top of her.

"OOWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" screamed Sakura and Syaoran. Rika looked shocked.

"Miss Sakura!" she scolded. "A Lady must never scream like that! That is completely vile behavior! I thought that you would know better than to--"

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, Rika," muttered Sakura. "I didn't mean to. But you would to if you were walking in a dress that's too tight, and then the guy your arms are LINKED TO takes two steps ahead of the beat and then drags you down, and you're wearing stupid high-heels, and you want to plug your ears because the pianist is playing like a rhinoceros--"

"Enough," said Rika boredly. "I think it's time to start over. Mr. Ryu?" The pianist positioned himself again. He nodded. Sakura and Syaoran scrambled to their places, Sakura with some difficulty.

"Begin."

Syaoran stepped forward immediately. Sakura uttered a small scream of frustration, and then pitched headfirst again. Syaoran quickly withdrew his arm.

CRASH.

"Princess Sakura!" Rika rushed to her side. Sakura gritted her teeth.

"It's...this...stupid...dress..."

Rika called for a maid. "I think it's time to change the style. Who wanted it, anyway?"

Syaoran coughed. "If I remember quite correctly, it was you who wanted Sakura to wear that."

A new dress was made for Sakura. Well, not really. They had simply purchased another normal silk wedding gown from another tailor, and the royal tailor had made a couple of changes. No frills, for example, as they made Sakura itch. Not too many flowers, or Sakura will feel like a fool. Not a low neckline, or Sakura will feel naked...you get the idea.

In the end, it looked pretty much like the dress before, only the skirt part wasn't as tight around the legs. Instead, it was normal-like and much easier for Sakura to walk in.

Finally, some comfortable clothes, thought Sakura, as she walked around in it. Rika clapped her hands.

"I think it's time for another practice."

Sakura sighed. Not again...

The wedding march was played by Mr. Ryu again. Syaoran waited a couple beats, and then turned his head towards Sakura. Their eyes met and Sakura knew it was a signal to start.

One step. Two steps. Three steps. Four steps...Seven steps. Eight steps. Nine steps.

Then Syaoran stepped on Sakura's dress.

Sakura tripped.

Syaoran tripped.

Both of them pitched headfirst into the red carpet, yelling at each other.

"WHAT DID YOU DO?"

"SORRY! IT WAS AN ACCIDENT!"

"MMPH!"

"MMPH!"

Sakura grabbed onto Syaoran's neck, holding on for dear life, but she still ended up at the bottom, Syaoran on top. Syaoran made the mistake of moving his head.

Their lips brushed against each other.

"PRINCESS SAKURA!" Sakura immediately detached herself from Syaoran, giving him a firm shove on the way.

"How dare you do that! I thought you knew better! You are a LADY, a LADY, for God's sake, what will they think when I present them a clumsy bride, what will they do at the wedding, and this was not just in front of me, there's Mr. Ryu too, and--"

"Rika," interrupted Syaoran, his eyes intense. "It was my fault. I stepped on her skirt by accident." Rika's mouth dropped open. Quite an astonishing movement by a Lady.

"You?"

"Yes, me."

Rika looked from one to the other. A clumsy princess and a clumsy prince?

"This is going to take a long time," she muttered.

Another chapter done! Stay tuned for the next one! Don't worry, I've decided to continue it for a couple more chapters. REVIEW!!!