Ad: At last! The last chapter! …I figured that my fans would rot by now. 2 whole months. Man. That's a whole load of numbers. Double digits. Eheh. But I'm lovin' every review I get, people! So send 'em in, I don't bite. I've already been reprimanded by the RSPCA for last time :P

I'll leave the boo-hoos for the epilogue. For now, enjoy chapter 16!

Disclaimer: I don't own Cardcaptor Sakura and all of its relevant associates. I do own the plot, and the foreign characters… and this lovely little bit of disclaimer. The RSPCA belongs to the PEOPLE. So don't send me your local neighbourhood scrap animal, compute!

xxxxxxxxxxxx

: LeGaCy DrAgOnS :

Chapter 16: Legacy Dragons (I bet you didn't see that coming, huh?)

By Adriatic (Atruyai)

xxxxxxxxxxxx

The spirit laid the bouquet of flowers by the dress. She squinted, pouted, and sighed.

This is not good enough.

She sat daintily on an invisible floor, floating in the air as she contemplated her latest work.

It was too shoddy. She'd have to re-create it.

The Flower grimaced as she whisked away the flowers beside white dress. What to do…?

This calls for a meeting. Between all of the Clow cards.

In a glitter of magic, all Clow spirits were gathered in a circle. The whole book was abuzz with excitement. The Firey kept zapping a snapdragon into the bouquet, but The Watery flushed it out because it kept setting fire to all of the other flowers. The Light crammed in a few sunflowers, but The Dark turned them into black roses. The Wood suggested putting in twigs, but she was ignored. I mean, come on. Twigs in a wedding bouquet?

"We have to find a suitable set of flowers for the Master. It is her wedding, after all." The Hope whispered into the ears of her friends with a worried expression on her face.

"Yes. During her journey, we didn't help her a bit, so we have to help her now, agreed?" The Light said, smiling.

"Well, it wasn't exactly our fault she didn't call us out." The Dark said nonchalantly, flipping her long dark hair over her shoulders.

"…I'm sorry. The opportunity never came up." A voice laughed. The Clow spirits turned to smile at their master.

"Sakura-sama." They chorused, smiling back. The Dark turned away, humiliated by the fact that her last remark had been regarded.

"Well, about the flowers… I've insisted on these." Tomoyo sauntered in, holding up a bunch of white Orinties mixed with black ones. She placed them beside the beautiful laced wedding dress.

"Sorry guys. But thanks anyway." Sakura apologized, bowing to her subordinates. The Clow Cards pouted one by one.

"Aww… but we wanted to help!" The Rain whined, whizzing around in her mini cloud.

Sakura contemplated the matter for a few minutes. The Clow spirits waited in anxiety.

"I know. If it's not too much to ask, can you all help with the wedding preparations?" Sakura requested.

The Clow Cards cheered.

"Of course! We'd be glad to help with anything. After all, it's our master's wedding day!" The Light laughed when Sakura blushed. The Dark only grunted.

"All right! Let's get physical!" The Firey boomed, pumping her fist into the air. The Watery stared at her gloomily.

"Must you be so fiery?" The spirit hissed.

"Hey, I don't appreciate implied sarcasm. Especially when it involves my name."

"But I have to say, the phrase, 'Let's get physical!' has a pretty ambiguous meaning." The Create said robotically, opening a page of himself to the lyrics of the song (entitled with same name).

Sakura giggled and waved them off.

"Where are the Clow spirits going?" Nadeshiko questioned, entering the bride's bedroom with Denaii.

"Oh, they're going to go help out with everything." Tomoyo answered cheerily, already forcing the wedding dress onto Sakura. Nadeshiko looked worried.

"Are you sure everything's going to be alright?"

"Let's hope so. For Sakura's sake." Denaii reassured her.

As soon as Denaii said that, a crash sounded from the main dining hall.

The four females shook their heads, and laughed.

-Temporary Tent, Hydralic Gardens-

"…Why do I have to change here, when Sakura gets to prepare herself in her own bedroom! Why can't I do the same!" Syaoran complained, spreading his arms out so that Eriol could button up the sides of his tuxedo. The groom's best man sighed.

"Look, Syaoran, this ain't my idea. It's Tomoyo's."

"Right, your psycho sidekick."

"Actually, she's now my legal wife. Anyway, back to the point. In any case, your bedroom's too close to Sakura's, and the gals don't like that. So you'd have to put up with it out here."

"Already it's my wedding day; I'm getting nervous, and now this!"

There was a flash of movement from the back of the tent.

"Are you getting cold feet, twerp! If so, let me warm them up for ya!" Touya growled, grabbing the front of Syaoran's white tuxedo and lifting him up roughly. Yukito grabbed the first prince and pulled him back. Syaoran fell with a slump, with Eriol whining that he had to do the bowtie ALL OVER AGAIN.

"Calm down, bro. It's no biggie. I mean, I get cold feet too, back then when I married Kaoru. Oh, she was such a godsend on our wedding day…" Akira sighed dreamily, not caring the flaming rage of his brother.

"I agree with Akira-san, Touya. The feeling's just temporary. And for Li-san to be able to commit to this wedding without any complaints, that's a sign that he truly loves Sakura-chan, right? Isn't that enough for now?" Yukito smiled as he released the struggling prince.

Touya grumbled. "Yeah, yeah. Just stop talking about all that mush in front of me, okay?" He mumbled, correcting his suit.

Syaoran nudged his soon-to-be brother-in-law. "Thanks, Touya." He smiled.

The Dragonyte prince grunted. "Don't you dare think that when you marry Sakura, you've gotten rid of me forever! Ooooh, no, buddy. Whatever it is, she's still my sister, and I'll keep protecting her for the rest of my life!" He warned. Syaoran quaked in his shiny black leather shoes.

At that exact time, Zerule peeked into the tent.

"Touya-san, Mei Ling-san is calling for you. Something about some unfinished business with the catering…"

Touya paled. "Shit, the cake!" He scrambled out of the flaps of the tent, dragging Zerule with him.

"Cake…?" Syaoran directed a questioning look towards Eriol. The magician shrugged.

"I heard that there were disputes on how the cake is going to be created. Rizurel-sensei wanted it to be magicked. Artemis-sama wanted it to be handmade. All the other people… well… they're hungry. So Touya was required to announce the last verdict. Magic or manmade."

"Hey, I'm hungry too!" Kero moaned, crawling out of a cookie bag. Mayii glared at him.

"You ate my cookies! KEROOOOO!" She screamed, bursting into tears.

Syaoran looked as if he was ready to burst himself. "Arrrggghh! QUIET!"

-Outside the Tent-

The Rain watered the plants that The Flower conjured. The Jump helped the decorators hang up the ribbons. The Fly gave the bell-ringers a lift to the bell itself. The Bubbles invented bubbles to lighten up the gardens, with a little bit of The Windy's help. The Dash helped the workers to move about quicker. The Earthy and The Wood worked together to freshen up the trees around the garden. The Sweet made the cake (manmade by Touya's verdict) sweeter. The Big made the food rations bigger, so there would be enough food for the guests. The Move moved the chairs about easily, so the arrangements were done in a minute. The Song and The Voice combined to entertain the guests arriving at the Main Hall.

Looks like they're pretty busy.

-The Bride's Bedroom-

Sakura stared down at her dress. She looked magnificent! Her mind was set on 'Lock' at the thought of what Syaoran would think when he's looking at her. She imagined the scene, and it made her heart flutter.

Reminiscing, they went through much trouble to stay together. Although their fate was destined since they were toddlers, the choice of going ahead with the arrangement was pretty much theirs. Syaoran in particular appeared as if he was dying to leave the Dragonyte Kingdom after Fujitaka announced their betrothal. But after spending such a commendable amount of time with Sakura, he started to realize that he just might want to stay with her… forever. That feeling grew, until he could no longer hide it. He needed her, and she needed him. It was as if a bond had tied those two closer during their journey without them knowing it. Every second apart was as if breathing nothing; choked; miserable. They were each other's life force, and they knew that as a fact.

Sakura sighed. This entire ruckus had made her realize the things she had come to understand. That 'love' is not merely a word. It is something definite and precious, like solid bars of gold. It's sneaky, worming its way into your heart without your knowledge, but it is probably the best feeling a normal human could ever achieve. Yes, achieve, but not own… because love is simply a river of emotions that drifts no matter what stands in its way. It never chooses… it just comes to everyone like a silent wave.

"Do brides tend to get all philosophical on their wedding day…?" Sakura sweatdropped to herself.

"Sakura…?" Fujitaka whispered, waking Sakura from her thoughts. The princess whirled around and wiped the sweatdrop rolling down her head, laughing.

"Otou-san! Daijoubu desu ka?" (Father! Is everything alright?)

"Daijoubu… demo…" (Everything's fine… but…)

"Nani?" (What?)

Fujitaka smiled. "Kirei da." (It's beautiful.) Sakura blushed.

"This dress…? Arigatou."

The King smiled and stroked Sakura's cheek. "You've grown so much taller since before you embarked on your journey. And you look much wiser too." Sakura thanked him.

Fujitaka chuckled. "This dress is your mother's."

"Honto!" (Really!) Sakura asked, shocked.

"Hai. It had a few adjustments to the body… but yes, it's Nadeshiko's wedding dress from back then when I married her."

Sakura gasped, awed.

"I thought that it looked nice on her… but it definitely looks better on you now. I'm sure Syaoran would think the same."

Nadeshiko popped into the room, wearing a white blouse and a long, beige skirt. She gave Sakura a kiss and looked her daughter over. "My, my. Now I've noticed how lovely that dress looks on you. It was actually handed to me by your grandmother, and it was handed to her by your great-grandmother." She sighed.

"This dress really represents much of our family's history." Nadeshiko leaned against Fujitaka's shoulder. It was a magical moment as the three spent the longest conversation they had together, alone (just the three of them) since Sakura returned from her journey.

Unfortunately, Zerule just had to spoil the moment.

"Err… the dragons are ready, Fujitaka-san."

Fujitaka nodded his thanks and Zerule rushed off, mumbling, "Why do I have to be the messenger boy…?" grumpily.

"Ready?" Fujitaka offered his arm to his daughter. Sakura linked her arm with his and smiled anxiously.

"Ready." And she was.

-Courtyard-

"This castle's huuuge! I even lost my way here!" Chrimzon said, as if she was proud of that fact. Jadrillix snorted fire.

"Yeah, you should get one of those new books they sell in town: 'An Idiot's Guide to Dragonyte Castles'. You'd learn a lot from it."

Chrimzon whacked him with her scroll, a vein popping in her head. "Suck wind and die."

"I should suck you instead. Maybe I'll die peacefully then." Jadrillix smirked, twitching his eyebrows.

(SCENE OMITTED : VIOLENT THRASHING FROM CHRIMZON. Very, very, very bloody.)

"Well, that was some educational guidance." Fortia sighed, 'hrr'ing disappointedly.

Jadrillix puffed smoke from where he lay (grounded to a pulp) on the ground. "Ai kudden agwi betta." ("I couldn't agree better.")

Sakura, Nadeshiko and Fujitaka sweatdropped as they arrived from the bride's bedroom. "Uh… I better take care of this. Everyone, go on ahead. I need to get Jadrillix here dispatched to Syaoran's tent immediately, anyway."

Xartamus 'hrr'ed. "I'll stay with you." And so Sakura dragged a maddened Chrimzon away with her.

-Intermission-

Now, a bit of info about the marriage ceremony of the Dragonytes.

As you already know, every single Dragonyte has his/her own dragon to take care of. For that reason, dragons have been a huge part of Dragonyte tradition, the first event involving a dragon being some 5,000 years back. Since then, formal and informal events have been adjusted to accommodate a dragon's presence. For example, a birthday party would have a huge cake with candles lit with a dragon's fire, and huge plates for Draganoic guests. And sometimes, a dragon's birthday would be celebrated, too, but these are rare, seeing that most dragons could hardly remember their date of birth.

Anyway, back to the point.

A wedding between two Dragonyte soul tamers is a bit different from ordinary weddings. For starters, the wedding rites would be different, and the rings are gifted by the dragons themselves. Of course, the costumes are still the same, and the concept of a best man (and other things…) is still present. If possible, the dragons of the parents of the soul tamers were to lick the foreheads of the wedded ones to approve their blessings. (And they are also wedded, even if they don't like it) The wedded pair will also be given a pair of Gemrize gems, which encases their beasts fully in the elements, and it is not limited to only dragons. In Sakura and Syaoran's case, the amber and emerald they received at Gemrize is their wedding gems, and is a sign that if unneeded, Chrimzon and Jadrillix could rest up in a parallel dimension if they wanted too.

Or they could stay by their tamers' side. It's their choice.

Sakura's beasts are Kero, Mayii and Chrimzon. Syaoran's are Furrion and Jadrillix. These creatures are liable to enter the parallel dimension the gems provide.

I don't know what to throw in anymore, so you're free to think up other events. My muses are all sleeping tonight, so my explanation's all jumbled up. I'll answer questions in the epilogue.

-Main Hall (Well, in front of the doors, because they're still getting things ready in there)-

"I can't believe it; my little Sakura is getting married! Oh, how proud I am to see this! I shall use my new invention, the gemcorder, to record this wedding! You see, this gem here will memorize moving pictures in those little shards inside. See? See? When I want to see the recording, I just put the desired shard into this little slot here… and…" You could probably guess who this is.

"By the way, Denaii-san will be in charge of the music. The Song wanted to do it, but Denaii-san insisted." Nadeshiko informed. Sakura smiled.

"Denaii-san makes such beautiful music. It'll be lovely hearing her play the wedding march."

"Your Highness, the cannons are ready. We shall commence firing after the ring is put on." A man with long silver hair wearing a Dragonyte military suit proclaimed, bowing.

"Oh - Vyclae-san!" Sakura gasped, astonished to see the swordsman in the vicinity of the castle.

Vyclae seemed quite equally surprised. "Ah, princess! I thought you have already gone in!"

"No, not yet, Jadrillix and Chrimzon are still working on the ring."

"Oh yes, I've heard that your dragons would have to produce the rings in the ways of an alchemist – by extracting it from the elements itself."

"Yes. It is most magical."

Vyclae smiled charmingly. "I agree. Well, I best be off. The army would be in total chaos if I leave it in Dracul's hands too long." He bowed and walked away.

"Wow, he became totally gentlemanly! What happened, really?" Tomoyo asked, staring after the receding figure of Vyclae/Uiji Hakura.

"I've heard that he's found his soul mate." Zerule informed, his head emerging from inside the hall. The girls shrieked, shocked at his sudden interference.

"Don't surprise us like that, Mekkuno!" Tomoyo growled, slapping the Mekkuno prince. Zerule pouted.

"Everything's ready. Rikmen said that you can enter in five."

"Yeah, thanks." Sakura mumbled, blushing.

"Well, this is it, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo said, with tears in her eyes.

"My daughter is getting married. It seems only yesterday that you extended your little arms, demanding for a hug and saying your first word." Nadeshiko sighed. The others laughed.

"Sorry, sorry! There was a bit of a hitch in the catering. Come on, let's go." Fujitaka apologized, arriving on Xartamus. He jumped down, linked arms with Sakura, and kissed her on the cheek.

"I'm proud of you, Sakura. We all are." He said, and Sakura blushed again.

Suddenly, the huge doors opened, and the sounds of the wedding march greeted the bride and her father.

The first Sakura saw was Syaoran, looking smart in his white tuxedo. His messy brown hair added charm to his already-charming face. He was fidgeting and kept grabbing his bow-tie. Eriol was giving him hand signals not to spoil it. Syaoran signalled back that he couldn't help it. The Dragonian priest was sweatdropping. Sakura giggled silently, her worries gone.

A herald announced her entry.

"The bride, Dragonyte's only Princess, youngest of the royal line, Sakura Kinomoto!"

At that, Syaoran swivelled around so quickly he almost slipped on the red carpet. He gaped. Jadrillix, who was standing with Chrimzon beside him, had to nudge his master slightly to wake him up.

"Syaoran, don't make such a fool of yourself." The war dragon warned, before returning to his previous stance. (Dragons that are about to be wed have to link their tails together) Chrimzon, who was resting beside him, was thinking how unfortunate she was to be married to such a (quote) stupid, senseless old oaf. (unquote)

Sakura joined Syaoran at the Altar of Unions. (It's called so in Dragonyte) She smiled at him, and Syaoran thought that he's going to melt in all her brilliance.

The wedding march stopped, and the Dragonian priest started the rites.

"My beloved Dragonytes, we gather today to witness the union between two destined soul tamers. Together, they have braved the worst and embraced the best, conquered their darkness and set free their light, hailing their love so sacred in the eyes of the Draganoic. Fulfilling their duties to free our ancient counterparts, they have taken on the responsibility of marriage, as due by their fate and destiny.

Sakura Kinomoto. Do you and your soul dragon willingly take Syaoran Li as your husband and partner in life?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes, I am willing."

"May you be blessed." The priest turned to Syaoran.

"Syaoran Li. Do you and your soul dragon willingly take Sakura Kinomoto as your wife and partner in life?"

Syaoran smiled softly at Sakura. "Yes, I am more than willing." Sakura blushed.

"May you be blessed." The priest faced the guests.

"Is there unrest in thy souls, my beloved audience, dragon or man? Speak now, or forever hold your peace."

There was silence.

"Sakura and Syaoran Li, I now pronounce you, husband and wife. Please, the rings."

There was a cheer as Jadrillix and Chrimzon handed the rings they created to their respectful masters. The one Sakura gave to Syaoran was entirely composed of durable red ruby. It was a depiction of a serpent dragon (with a scroll in his mouth, of course) biting its tail. The eyes were two tiny shards of emerald, and some of the scales were diamond. The one Syaoran gave to Sakura was made of jet black opal, but a diamond was carved to the shape of a proud war dragon at the front. The rings were both unique and one-of-a-kind.

Blasts from cannons filled the air.

"And for Jadrillix and Chrimzon, you are now joined by the marital bond of the Draganoic, as enforced on you based on your tamers' union.

"The grooms may kiss their brides."

Syaoran's heart drummed in his chest. She's his. And he's hers. That fact gave him a peculiar, fuzzy feeling. Slowly, he kissed his wife softly on the lips.

Jadrillix and Chrimzon weren't having such a grand time. Chrimzon wasn't willing to stuck out her tongue anytime soon (don't get the wrong ideas, dragons kiss with their tongues instead of their mouths). Jadrillix sighed in the form of a strangled 'hrr'. He grabbed Chrimzon's snout and licked her lips. The messenger dragon shrieked quietly and was forced to stick her tongue out. Jadrillix quickly swiped his tongue with hers before she could pull it back. Chrimzon growled, turning redder than any messenger dragon. "Pervert." She whispered to her mate, although she was blushing harder than she would have liked.

"I know you love me." Jadrillix snickered.

And actually, he was right for once.

Meanwhile…

Sakura smiled into the kiss. She opened her eyes and caught a glimpse of a ghostly figure at the back of the hall.

Rikei's spirit smiled happily at her, giving her a teasing thumbs-up. Then he slowly disappeared, but his parting words echoed in Sakura's mind.

"Have a nice life together."

Syaoran, in the meantime, saw his family standing near the wall in front of him. They were all smiling, and like Rikei, slowly disappeared.

The newlyweds broke their kiss, and staring at each other, smiled serenely.

This is what they had wanted.

And this is the legacy prophesied by the ancient dragons.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

-EXTRA!-

Sakura threw the bouquet over her shoulders. There was a rush of movement, but the flowers kept flying…

Until they dropped upside down onto Vyclae's head, who was drinking some wine with his soul mate at the food table.

"Aww, shucks and shambles." The general mumbled, blushing. Everyone laughed at his remark.

xxxxxxxxxxxx

Ad: And that's the end of this chapter. A semi-crappy ending, I would say. I actually added the extra bit for fun. Not at all bad. Well, I'm tired from typing too much and too fast, and I still need to finish the 6th chapter of my DNAngel fic, so… leave a review, please! ONEGAI!