My Husband's Wedding- Chapter Seven

My Husband’s Wedding

Witch-Mistress-Animaru

7: The Wedding

Ring! Ring!

Sakura groaned. Not that stupid clock, she thought irritably, and her hands rummaged blindly on her bedside table. She found it, and without even opening her eyes, turned the alarm off. But the ringing continued. Realizing it wasn’t her clock, she buried her head in the pillow and shut her eyes tightly.

If it’s not the clock then it must be…

…her phone.

Drat it! Who’d be calling in the wee hours of the morning? She thought angrily, and groaned yet again.

She slept late last night, and she was determined to ignore the persistent rings of the phone.

“Mom?” Xiao Chen’s voice floated from her left side; the phone had awakened her son, too. “Who’s that?” He sounded sleepy to her, and she reluctantly reached for her phone to avoid disturbing her son’s sleep. In doing so, the clock that she thought was pestering her sleep fell on her head.

“Ow!” She muttered as she rubbed the reddening spot that got hit by the clock. “Go back to sleep, Xiao Chen, it’s still early, only…” She consulted the clock in her hands and groaned inwardly. “Seven in the morning, son…” That early, and in Sunday too? She was very irritated. Everybody knows that she wakes up late during Sundays, since the shop is closed that day. She sometimes even sleeps up to 10 in the morning.

So, who could this damned caller be?

“Hello?” She answered sleepily, although what she really wanted to do was shout at the person at the other end, whoever the caller is.

“Sakura-chan! Thank goodness, I thought you wouldn’t wake up!” This time she allowed the exasperated groan she was suppressing to leave her lips. It was Tomoyo.

“Tomoyo-chan, what sort of time do you call this?”

“It’s already seven in the morning, Sakura!” Tomoyo persisted.

Sakura groaned yet again.

“You know I generally sleep late on weekends, Sunday most especially…Anyway, to what do I owe this early call, Tomoyo?” It took Tomoyo a few moments before answering in a voice full of disbelief.

“You mean you forgot?” Tomoyo said; the hurt was obvious in her voice. “And I thought I am your best friend!”

“Ugh, quit the drama, get down to business and tell me what I am supposed to have forgotten.” Her eyes were drooping again, and she sat down in the couch, preparing to take a nap when Tomoyo hangs up.

“Sakura, today’s my big day! I’m getting married in a few hours’ time…I can’t wait to be Mrs. Hirigazawa! You’re so silly, Saku-chan!” It seems that Tomoyo was too happy to pick the dry note on her voice.

“Yeah, sure, tell me about it later, o— what did you say?” She shrieked when Tomoyo’s words sunk on her sleepy head, all traces of lightheadedness gone from her voice. Flashes of the previous day came back, and she groaned for the nth time that morning. Tomoyo has a right to get mad.

“Hoe! Gomenasai, Tomoyo-chan! I’ll be there right now. Give me five minutes!” She shouted, and she barely heard Tomoyo’s answer as she put the phone down.

She dashed quickly inside the bathroom and showered quickly, ignoring the numbing cold of the water. She hurriedly put on some clothes and ran outside, not bothering to wake Xiao Chen up, since she had no intention of bringing him today; she didn’t want to leave him throwing tantrums all over the place.

“I’ll be back later, son…” She muttered to herself as she hailed a taxi; a fleeting image of her son’s sleeping form roused on her mind. She shook her head and got inside.

The morning sky looked gloomy, and dark gray clouds hung above Okinawa. She stared at it sulkily, wondering how she could’ve forgotten Tomoyo’s wedding.

Is this some sort of sign? Ugh, I can’t imagine what’s going to happen next, only fifteen past seven and the day already looks GREAT. I can’t see what could go wrong when everything’s wrong already…

The rain fell before she could reach Tomoyo’s place in Tomoeda, and as she didn’t expect such weather, she forgot her umbrella at home.

She paid the driver and got out of the car; rain came spattering down her. As the taxi hurried away, the tires splashed more water down her front, leaving her more drenched than ever. Shaking her head at her luck, she made her way to the front door of the Daidouji Mansion, her face grim.

Tomoyo’s attendant opened the door for her.

“Come in, Miss Sakura, Mistress Tomoyo has prepared dry clothes for you; she says dry quickly, you’re drenched in rain.”

“Yeah, she knows me alright.” She said, grinning in spite of herself, although she did chatter a bit from the cold.

She hurried inside and changed to the not-so-casual dress designed by Tomoyo herself. It was bright green in color, and it reached up her knees. She was in no hurry; the wedding was to take place in the afternoon anyway. But knowing Tomoyo, the preparation would take hours.

She walked up the other room in that wing; it was just beside the dressing room she emerged from. There seemed to be a lot of commotion and noise coming from inside, and she pushed the door open.

It was, by the looks of it, Tomoyo’s stockroom, and Sakura’s head assistant, Tanaka Kioko was keeping some boxes from falling. The girl seemed surprised of her entrance and dropped the boxes she was balancing on her hands. They fell with a loud crash, and the already panicky Kioko paled.

“Ah!” She shouted, “Sakura-chan! You astounded me!” She was sweaty, and she began piling the boxes in order again. “I was looking for some stocks; she said they were around here somewhere…”

“Let me help you!” Soon, the two of them were ransacking the place for the dresses Tomoyo was looking for.

“Ah, Sakura-chan?” Kioko panted as she lifted another box’s lid and closing it when it didn’t contain the dress Tomoyo specified.

“Eh?” Sakura answered, rummaging through the scattered boxes around her.

“About —Xiao Chen, I think. I saw interesting magazines at your house when I brought him home the other day…I never knew you were into business mags, Sakura-chan?” She said innocently, but Sakura wasn’t fooled. Kioko was a sharp-witted woman, and she could feel an interrogation coming.

“Yeah? I’m not really into it much…” She answered lightly.

“I saw one denominator on the different magazines, though; tell me, are you keeping tabs on the life of businessman Li Syaoran?”

Sakura blushed. But Kioko was only deducting all her ideas about Sakura and Syaoran’s previous relationship.

“Ah, I was right. So I guess it’s correct to say that he…Li Syaoran, that is to say, is Xiao Chen’s father, right?”

“Kioko, why not go to my place and look after Xiao Chen for me?” She said, avoiding Kioko’s eyes and refusing to answer her question.

“It’s alright, don’t say anything…Best keep it quiet, right? Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me…”

“Kioko-chan, please! Go now, I’ll continue searching.” Kioko stared at her intently, before leaving her, snapping the door shut.

So Kioko found out about it, big deal!

---

Later, Sakura stood in front of the mirror after Tomoyo insisted on ‘fixing her up.’ She stared at her reflection, but not really seeing. After a while, to her surprise, Tomoyo was announcing them to leave now for the church; she said she’ll just follow in the bridal car.

“But, I want to help you dress, Tomoyo…”

“Nonsense! I can do well on my own, Sakura, off you go, and calm down, okay? You’re not the one getting married.” She knew that Tomoyo meant no harm, but the remark meant to calm her down stung her instead.

An hour passed like an eternity, and at last, Tomoyo arrived, and the ceremony began.

Sakura walked beside Syaoran, ignoring his presence completely, as he did the same to her.

It felt weird to see someone else wed, when the person beside you happens to be your…ex-husband, that is. No...not ex-husband, just enstranged, since they weren't legally separated. She wondered if he felt the same. She shook that unhappy thought away as a pang of pain gripped her chest. Instead, she tried to concentrate on her best friend’s wedding.

---

Memories

Sakura, hey, sweetheart, a voice that haunted her so much rang in her head

What is it, Syao-kun? A traitorous voice she recognized as her own answered back.

Why don’t we elope now? The elders are making this hard for us…

Sakura smiled as he bent over to kiss her lips.

Why the ever not? She answered as Syaoran hugged her, tears forming in his eyes.

I’m not ready for the responsibility they wish for me to take, but I can be ready…if you’re there with me…

She smiled even though their situation was very difficult. The Elders of the Li Clan disapprove of their relationship. For them, Sakura is way too young…

Let’s go, sweetheart, He said and led her to the church…

…The Tomoeda Church, which was astoundingly familiar to Okinawa Church.

---

“You may now kiss the bride.”

The priest’s voice awakened her from her stupor.

She stared guiltily around. The celebration had ended without her knowing it. She went through her tasks as the maid of honor like a zombie. She saw that Syaoran’s eyes seem misty and they seem to stare at her, but knowing him, she thought she imagined it as his eyes turned cold again. Then Keira approached them and flung herself to him.

“Syaoran, I thought it wouldn’t end!” She piped up, and kissed him vulgarly, not bothered by the staring eyes of other people.

Not bothering to stay around to congratulate Tomoyo, or to even spare Keira’s and Syaoran’s little show a glance, she walked away from them…and from everyone else.

She didn’t see sharp amber eyes stare at her as she exited from the church.