Chapter 18 – Dresses and Tuxedos

Sakura touched the white silk of a beautiful, wedding dress. Having been forced to pick out dresses immediately, Tomoyo and she were sent to a bridal shop to pick out a dress to wear. There were only four days before the wedding. It was overwhelming. It wasn't that the women chose an extravagant wedding; rather, they were satisfied with a small celebration. The problem was that the Li sisters, Syaoran, and Eriol wanted to give them the day for themselves; a memorable moment. And for Syaoran especially, he wanted this wedding to be the wedding, even if he would share it with Tomoyo and Eriol. Sakura sighed as she remembered the conversation. He persuaded her to agree, and just like that, she found herself staring at hundreds of different wedding dresses.

She walked around one rack with exceptionally beautiful designs, ones that were long and flowing. She stopped in front of a mannequin that wore a dress in the shape of a gown that took her breath away. It was glowing white. It was strapless and sleeveless, and the bodice was covered with curving patterns that came from the chest and down the dress. The bottom reached the floor and would cover the feet, and it had a train that was circular in form. This was it. This was the dress.

"Have you found one?" Tomoyo asked quietly behind her.

Sakura turned around and nodded. "This one."

"Oh wow," she murmured, fingering the silk. "It's very elegant."

"I know."

Tomoyo smiled encouragingly. "Go ahead and take it. Syaoran will love it."

Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. A thrill went up her spine. "I'll try it on first," she replied. "How about you? Have you found a dress you like?"

"I think so. It's not as beautiful as yours. Actually, it's quite simple, but…this wedding means much more to you than to me."

"Can I see it?" Sakura asked.

"Sure," she walked to a rack and grabbed one of the dresses. "What do you think?"

"Oh Tomoyo, it's gorgeous." She took it and put it on the front of Tomoyo. "I don't know you very well, but I think this dress matches you. It's simple, but just as elegant."

The satin dress was low-cut and had a v-neck neckline. There were no sleeves as well, and it had a small train flowing down. The length was to the floor, but an inch separated it to the floor on the front. The waistline was raised, just below the breasts, and the gown was angel white. When worn, it would accent a woman's curves, but it wasn't tight nor loose. There was a thin silk shawl with it that would go around the back and over the arms. Tomoyo touched the sides of the dress by her stomach and smiled, wanting to try it out now. Sakura's dress was more attractive, though, she admitted.

"You really think so?" The purple-eyed woman asked, glancing down at the dress she now held up.

"Yes. Let's try them on," Sakura suggested.

Tomoyo nodded, finding it easy now to let go of her inner turmoil. "Yes, ok."

>--- >--- >---

Syaoran sighed as he leaned back and looked at himself on the mirror. The suit was entirely black with a silver tie. Three buttons were closed by the torso and the blazer was open above and below the buttons. His hand was in his pocket as he looked over himself. He looked good, he could admit. This would have to be one of the best suits he'd ever worn. Especially since the brand was Tommy Hilfiger. Touching the tie, Syaoran nodded.

"What do you think?" He asked Eriol, who'd come with him to pick his own tuxedo for the wedding.

Eriol looked him over and nodded in approval. "It looks good. That's your tux?"

"Probably. The tie's choking me, though. I don't want to try on anymore," Syaoran answered and managed to loosen the tie the clerk had ever so carefully tied. "God, it kills me to wear it. And I have to keep it on for hours."

Eriol laughed. "Suck it up, Li. This only happens once in a lifetime."

"Don't I know it," he muttered as he tried putting it back to its original state. "Sakura and I almost lost our chance, you know? If my sisters didn't push me to go back to Japan, I wouldn't have."

"It's hard to believe what kind of guy you are," Eriol admitted as he closed the buttons on his. "I heard about the arranged marriage a couple months back, and I'd been looking for Tomoyo ever since. In my head, you were this jerk who'd use his hands to hurt a woman," he continued. "But it wasn't you that really caused it. I've been protective of Tomoyo from the beginning, and any guy who'd get near her made my skin crawl. I didn't want her ending up with some jackass."

"I'd be insulted if the circumstances were different," Syaoran mused. "But from the looks of it, you're pretty serious about her, aren't you?"

"Dead serious. The problem is, she only sees me as a friend, which is understandable. But man," he sighed and shook his head, tying the navy blue tie with expertise. "I hate it that we can't ever get divorced, you know? I doubt she'd ever fall in love with me anytime soon. Then she'd be stuck with me and won't be able to have any other guy she wants. It sucks to be in my position right now."

"You look better than I do," Syaoran grumbled and finally took off the tie. It was a puzzle to him how Eriol made his look so neat. "I really am sorry, Eriol. I'd have gone through the whole contract and everything, you know, just so Tomoyo would get a chance later on. Sakura was…a little more than guilty some nights back, and made me feel just as guilty."

"It's not your fault. It's Daidouji who's got a bug up her ass. Sorry," he apologized for his crudeness. "Sonomi was never a sweet mother. She'd throw me out of the house after 6pm whenever I went there, yelling about how I have a home and I should be going there instead. She never liked me from the start, but hey," Eriol grinned, "she couldn't help what happened."

"Yeah there's that," Syaoran laughed.

"Mr. Li? Mr. Hiiragizawa? Are those your final choices?" The young clerk who'd tied Syaoran's tie earlier asked.

"Yeah," Syaoran thrust the tie in his hands. Embarrassedly, he scratched the back of his hair. "I couldn't put it back."

"That's no problem." He inclined his head toward Eriol.

"I don't know," Eriol looked at the suit he was wearing through the mirror. "I don't mind trying on some others ones if you've got any better."

"Yes sir, there are blazers for you to look at, some vests of different color that you might like. I also have some personal suggestions for ties."

"You're a good salesclerk, kid," Syaoran put his arm over the guy's shoulders. "But he'll be taking that suit. We have to hightail it out of here before I personally become insane from the hundreds of suits, and start yelling at everyone in gibberish. You wouldn't want that now, would you?" He looked at Eriol, who looked back at him with amusement and surprise in his eyes, as if saying, 'you're already insane'.

"Sure, I'll take that suit," Eriol answered with a laugh. "Thanks buddy."

The salesclerk glanced from one to the other and with a quick dash, walked to the front with both suits in hand. He tidily wrapped them up in large, white boxes. "W-will you be paying for that together?" He asked, averting his eyes to the cash register.

"I don't know," Syaoran cocked his head and looked at Eriol. "You have money with you?"

"Sure, yeah."

"All right, we'll pay separately. How 'bout mine first? It's got a shorter blazer, 3 buttons, and silver, uh, tie." Syaoran leaned forward and opened the boxes to see a glimpse of which was his. "I think this is mi-"

"2483.01 Yuan, sir," the clerk interrupted, putting his on a separate bag.

"Wonderful," Syaoran muttered and took a credit card. "Will this do?"

"Yes sir."

After Syaoran's was paid for and done, he moved a couple of steps backward and waited for Eriol's to be over.

"2317.48 Yuan, sir."

"Mine cost more?" Syaoran asked with a puzzled look. "Why is that?"

"It should cost more," Eriol answered as he grabbed the bag from the clerk. "This is more your wedding than mine."

"That's true." They walked out of the shop and headed to the limousine waiting for them. It was time to go downtown and fetch the women.

>--- >--- >---

"You both look absolutely beautiful," the saleswoman said to Sakura and Tomoyo as they gazed at themselves in front of the long mirrors. "When are you getting married, if I may ask?"

"Thank you," they said at the same time. Sakura's voice was flushed with excitement. "Our fiancés are at a groom's place somewhere on the other side of the city. We're…getting married in a few days from now."

Tomoyo nodded as she turned around to let the bottom of the dress twirl. "Yes…" she murmured in a sound short of happiness.

"Would you like to look at wedding veils and hairpieces?" The woman asked brightly.

Sakura looked at Tomoyo, who smiled. "I don't mind."

"Wonderful. Are you both taking those dresses?"

"Yes," they replied simultaneously once more.

"Then I'll wrap them up so you can look at the samples we have in the other room here," she guided them back to the changing rooms, where the women took off the dresses with care and caution.

After they finished getting out of the bridal dresses and back into their normal outfits, they followed the woman into a small room. There were veils of different shapes and forms in one side, and the other with glass cases holding different headpieces. Sakura glanced at a mannequin with fake black hair, and on her hair was a headpiece that went around the bun behind her head, a headpiece with a floral pattern and diamonds scattering around it. There was a veil attached to the headpiece that went down the back and hung down the bun. It was diamond white, according to the saleswoman, who'd seen her glancing at it.

"Can I try it on?" Sakura asked, already touching the veil that would stop just below her bra line.

"Of course. Would you like your hair to be put in a bun or in a more intricate design?"

"A high bun, actually," she murmured, her hands shaking lightly in anticipation.

Tomoyo watched Sakura from a few meters back. She was beautiful. Her hair wasn't long, but it reached past her shoulders and could be put in a bun. She would be a lovely bride, Tomoyo mused. And she…well, she would be ordinary compared to Sakura. She glanced around and knew already that she just wanted her hair down. There would be no fancy headpieces on her, no veil, and no flaunting jewelry. It wasn't because of reasons she was already feeling low for; it was because what she simply wanted was to have her hair curled up at the ends, long, dangling earrings, and a nice diamond necklace. That was all. She smiled as Sakura turned to her with a dazzling smile of her own. She was feeling much too envious of the woman in front of her, but it wasn't something she felt bad about. Sakura was sweet and kind; a woman perfect for Syaoran.

"I don't think I'll be getting a veil," Tomoyo began as she made her way towards Sakura. "I want my hair down and curly, and I'd like nothing to flatten it."

Sakura laughed as the saleswoman placed the headpiece around the front of the bun. "You already look amazing without it. You don't need it."

"What are you trying to say, that you need this to look beautiful? You must be joking," Tomoyo shook her head in disbelief. "Now it makes you prettier, but you certainly don't need it."

With a smile, Sakura shrugged and looked at herself. "Oh…" she said without sound. All she could see from the circular mirror was her face. The veil went down from the back, but the headpiece was just…wow. "I don't know if I can afford this. It feels like real diamonds," she laughed nervously to herself.

"It is adorned with pearls and clear crystals, so it shouldn't cost as much as you would think," the saleswoman interjected. "So what's your decision? Will you be taking that as well?"

"I don't know," Sakura angled her head to the side, so she could see a little bit of what it looked behind. "Um, how much is it?"

"Let's see here," she calculated on the cashier register behind the counter. "1,075.97 Yuan. That's not bad for a headpiece and veil together."

Sakura was having a hard time just closing her mouth. "Uh…1000 Yuan?" Immediately, she faced Tomoyo, switching to Japanese. Tomoyo understood the language quite well. "H-how much is that in Yen?"

"I'm guessing 10,000 Yen," Tomoyo said with a frowning smile.

Her breath hitched. "Oh God. I don't even have any money… I'm just borrowing from Syaoran. I d-didn't exactly exchange a lot of money when I went here. I-I just…oh God…"

"Relax," Tomoyo ordered. "Breathe. I'll pay for it, ok?"

"Oh Tomoyo, no." Sakura stood up and hurried to take off the headpiece. "No, that's okay. I don't want you to."

"Sakura, let it be my wedding gift to you and Syaoran. I would like to buy it for you. Please?"

"B-but it's…it's 1,000 Yuan," she almost yelled it out. "It's expensive!"

"Not…exactly. Look, I can't deny that my family is rich, because…well, we are. Just let me do this. I know you love it." Tomoyo stood firmly, looking at Sakura with expectance.

"Then I have to give you something back. But…I don't really have money. I can pay you back once I get home to Japan," she suggested weakly.

"How about you fix me up on our wedding day?" Tomoyo offered with a lovely smile. "You can fix my hair and make-up. How about that?"

"Are you sure that's enough?" Sakura asked, glancing back at the items behind her. "Are you really sure? Because it's perfectly fine with me not to get that." Tomoyo hushed her.

"I will buy it for you, whether or not you stop me," Tomoyo warned with an amused smile. "Put that with the wedding dress, will you?" She asked the saleswoman in Chinese.

"Yes, ma'am." With an overly bright smile, she marched on out to the front of the store with the women following her. "And you will be paying for the dresses separately?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, yes. Syaoran…he gave me money to buy the dress. How much is it?" She opened her handbag and took her wallet, which was filled with handfuls of 100 Yuan bills.

"4,138.35 Yuan."

"What? Are you-are you sure?" In frenzy, she closed her eyes for a second and pressed her fingers to her closed eyelids. "I think I'm going to faint."

Alarmed, Tomoyo laughed off the shaking feeling and took Sakura in her arms. "Okay, honey, I'm going to buy this for you. When we get home, you and I will talk to Syaoran about it. I'm sure he knows that wedding dresses cost this much. I'm sure the tuxedos caused a lot too," she said, trying to calm Sakura down.

"Would you like to sit down?" The saleswoman offered her chair, pushing it out of the counter.

"Thank you."

"I could get some water," she looked at Sakura with worry. "Will you be all right, ma'am?"

"I…I think so." Sakura shook her head and sighed. "Oh Tomoyo, I wasn't expecting this."

"I'll pay for them both, and Syaoran can pay me back later. No arguments," she said before Sakura could speak up.

"All right then," feeling defeated, Sakura momentarily left her eyes closed as Tomoyo and the saleswoman made the deals.

"Can you stand up?" Tomoyo took the bags in one arm and put the other around Sakura's waist.

And at that moment, the men showed up. Sakura opened her eyes to catch a glimpse of them walking through the doors. Groaning inwardly, she tried hard to straighten up and clear her dizzying head. This day was just getting a little bit to her.

"Hey, are you done-" Syaoran stopped at Sakura's expression. "What the hell happened?" He practically ran to her and took her in his arms, freeing Tomoyo from holding her. "Are you okay?" Syaoran brushed away strands of hair falling to her face as he stared hard at her. His heart had momentarily stopped pounding when he arrived. Now that it was beating, quite rapidly though, he was feeling enough blood pumping to pick her up in his arms. "Sakura, answer me."

"I'm fine," she replied and didn't bother protesting. She touched the lapels of his jacket. "I was just…the prices of the dresses we got. They…they were…"

"A little surprising for Sakura," Tomoyo finished, letting Eriol take the bags from her. "She was feeling dizzy for a moment, but I'm sure she's all right now." Her heart warmed at the sight of the two. Syaoran carried her from the store back to the limo, where he placed her gently beside him, and put his arms around her protectively. It was just too romantic.

"How 'bout you? Are you okay?" Eriol asked, taking her hand in his as soon as they settled across from the couple.

Startled, she looked at him. "I'm fine. Nothing happened to me," Tomoyo assured him. Her skin was tingling just a little at his touch and she didn't know why. Immediately changing the subject, she cleared her throat, but continued to let him hold her hand. "So how did the tuxedo-buying go? Did you find what you wanted?"

"I…wanted to look at some more, but was forced to buy the one I first tried on," Eriol said in nice terms. Syaoran had sent him a glare in the middle of it.

"What did you do?" Sakura frowned at him.

"Nothing," Syaoran began. "It…the tie…ah, it was- I couldn't- the salesclerk had to tie it for me. It was choking me, and I didn't want to try anymore, so…" he shrugged in embarrassment. "I made Eriol pay for the first one he tried on. Besides, our tuxes look good!"

"Syaoran," Sakura slapped his shoulder. "What's wrong with you and suits? It's like you're allergic to them or something," she crossed her arms and looked out the window.

"It's not that. I like suits. As long as there aren't any ties," he finished. Glancing at Eriol, he grinned. He turned back to Sakura."Are you mad at me now? After that romantic gesture I did, carrying you out of that store?"

"I wasn't going to faint, right Tomoyo?" Sakura asked, looking at Tomoyo, who nodded with an innocent smile. "Besides, I didn't ask for you to carry me, so-"

Syaoran kissed her hard on the mouth and dragged half of her body to his lap, in front of the other couple. She helplessly kissed him back as her hand fell on his chest in surrender. When he pulled away, she looked at him in a daze. The couple stared at them, amusement and shock mixed together in their eyes. Forgetting about their audience, Sakura kissed him softly on the lips and smiled. "I loved that you carried me out of there," she admitted. Syaoran put his arms around her once more and grinned. "I knew it."

>--- >--- >---

To be continued…