Yo, minna-san! ^__^ Shi Lin here taking a break from The Finding. This is the first to a two-parter, so watch for the next part! Just a note before you continue-this is PURE Sakura-and-Syaoran mush. Mush mush mush! Any diabetics have been duly warned...<cough> Er, as Tin-onee says, this story is a bit...suggestive, so please keep an open mind. But I _did_ have the decency to make the characters 17 as in TF at the least. Ok? I am NOT trying to mutate CCS from a happy, kawaii mahou-shoujo anime to a more...adult thing, it's just that S-and-S as a couple are so darned cute, it's hard for me to resist. Try to understand when mountainous daily pressure demands to be released in the form of writing stuff like this...^__^;;

Having said all that, I will now announce that any flames sent me will be deleted into electronic nothingness. Any would-be flamers, I really don't care what you think. If you have objections, object in a civilised way. I'm open to criticism anytime. But I do NOT tolerate unreasonable ranting. I wrote this for myself and because I thought there would be people who might like it, all right? So be polite, and we'll all get along very happily.

On with the show...
 
 
 

He barely heard the doorbell ring through a peal of thunder.

Setting down his book, Syaoran opened the door on a girl. A wet, shivering girl who did not look too happy. He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What *have* you been doing, Sakura? Oh, come in first...I'll hear the sad story  later."

Kinomoto Sakura grimaced at him, but quickly stepped inside with a sigh of  relief. A small grin touched Syaoran's face as he shut the door and went into his room. When he came out again, he had a towel in hand, which he tossed to  Sakura. "Arigatou," she smiled.

But as she towelled her hair dry, it was impossible for Syaoran *not* to notice the way her damp dress moulded itself to her body. Or its slight...transparency.  A blush manifested on his face, but there was also a definite glint in his eye.

Sakura stopped towelling, eyeing him curiously. "Something wrong?"

"Um, no," he calmly said, averting her gaze. "I think I'd better lend you something to change into." Ducking back into his bedroom, he did not reappear for a while.

Sakura stared at the doorway to his room in bewilderment. Then she looked down at herself, and a dark blush spread across her face. "Oh," she mumbled.

Syaoran finally re-emerged, holding a neatly folded shirt and jeans. Sakura meekly took the clothes without comment, but her dark-green eyes gleamed. A faint smile curved Syaoran's lips as she headed for the bathroom.

That smile turned to a blush when she came out again.

"Sakura...?" he choked. "Didn't I give you jeans to change into as well?" The green-eyed girl was only wearing the shirt, exposing _quite_ a length of her slender legs. Syaoran tried his best not to stare, but gave it up as he realised that he *was* already staring.

Sakura looked at him innocently-far too innocently. "They were too long," she sweetly replied, handing the jeans back to him. Syaoran seriously doubted that, since one look told him that the garment had not even been unfolded. He considered pointing that out, but the firm look in her eyes told him that she was going to have her way in the matter of dressing no matter what objections he had.

And really, *did* he even mind? Somehow, he managed to stop himself from blushing at that thought.

"Fine, then." His tone was bland, but the glint in his eyes brightened, and a light red tinted Sakura's cheeks as she noticed it.

Seating herself beside him on the couch, she snuggled up to him with a contented sigh. Syaoran slipped one arm around her, and she rested her head against his chest, auburn ponytail spilling onto his lap.

"So?" he softly murmured, stroking her hair. "What brought you here in the middle of a thunderstorm?"

Sakura groaned slightly, the sound rather muffled by her face being pressed into his shirt. "I wasn't even expecting to come here, really. I went to that movie with Tomoyo-chan and the others...and then we went for dinner...and then we took a walk...Tomoyo-tachi headed for home..."

"Then it started to rain," he finished. Sakura sighed. "Hai. Anyway, your place just happened to be near, so I thought I'd, uh, beg shelter." She grinned at him, and he shook his head.

"And just how long were you counting on me to 'give you shelter'?" he enquired.

Sakura raised her head from his chest to look at him, her emerald orbs very wide and limpid. "The whole night?"

"I see." Syaoran's voice was low, but there was more than a hint of laughter in it. "And what makes you so sure I'll agree?"

Staring into his eyes, Sakura let a smile slowly curve her lips as she toyed with a button on his shirt. "Ne, Syaoran...because you love me, right?"

A bubble of laughter escaped Syaoran at this, despite his best efforts to hold it back.

"Koishii," he whispered, "I *do* love you, but that's no reason why I should let you sleep the night over. Any other excuses?"

"Because you can't throw a poor helpless girl into a thunderstorm with no defences?" She looked wide-eyed at him, and he bit down another bubble of mirth rising in his throat.

"Sakura, have you ever heard of this object called an umbrella? I've got two in my room." She pouted at this, wrinkling her nose, and it was impossible for him to keep from chuckling. "Mou! Syaoran!"

"Gomen," he apologised, his voice suddenly turning serious. "Sakura-koishii...you ought to know by now that I would _never_ turn you away." He pressed his forehead against hers, tightening his hold on her.

Sakura flushed slightly, her eyes shining with pleasure. "Honto? What makes you so sure of-" Syaoran effectively silenced her by capturing her lips in a deep kiss. She gave a soft sigh of pleasure, twining her arms around his neck, and he pulled her closer to him in response.

No words were spoken for quite a length of time.

Syaoran finally brought the kiss to a closure, albeit rather unwillingly. "Are you convinced?" he asked huskily, one finger tracing the delicate curves of her mouth. She flushed again, her silence more eloquent than any words.

Unwinding her arms from his neck, Sakura rested them by her sides. "To tell you the truth, Syaoran...I hope 'Nii-chan won't find out about this."

A grin flashed across the amber-eyed boy's face. "Why?"

"Oh, *you* know! Remember when he first caught you kissing me? You were lucky Yukito-san was there to prevent him from strangling you then. I shudder to think what he'll do to you if he knows I'm sleeping over at your place tonight."

The grin grew wider. "Why would he mind?"

Sakura turned crimson. "Well...he-he! He's afraid that we might end up doing..._things_ we shouldn't *be* doing."

The grin escaped being a smirk by the merest of fractions. "_What_ things?"

"MOU! You know..._things_!" She failed to find any words to describe exactly what those 'things' were, blushing even more furiously than before.

Syaoran chuckled, shaking his head. "Koishii...you are adorable, you know that? Oh, stop blushing!" He tapped her nose gently. "I *do* know what...things your Onii-chan are so afraid we might end up doing, and I confess I _would_ like to do them..." his gaze swept over her lazily, resting on the exposed length of her legs, and Sakura reddened still further, "but I won't. Neither he _or_ you have to worry on that score."

Sakura averted his gaze, willing the hot flush in her cheeks to cool. Syaoran cupped her chin in one hand, turning her face to his own. "Sakura, don't worry about Touya. We...talked, the other day," Syaoran bit back a grin at the memory of that particular conversation, "and I think we understand each other a little better now. If we couldn't be called best friends yet, it's still a start. So take that worried look off your face, ne?"

A smile blossomed on Sakura's face. "You *did*?" <Oh, Syaoran..> He nodded.

"Arigatou," she gratefully said, pressing her face into his neck. "You don't know how much that means to me."

<But I do,> Syaoran thought, dropping a light kiss onto the top of her head.
<Why would I have done it if I didn't?>

"Ne. What exactly _did_ you two talk about, anyway?" She looked at him expectantly.

Syaoran coughed, his gaze suddenly everywhere but on her. "Uh...it was...guy stuff. Yeah."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "And the sun rose in the west this morning. You expect me to believe that?"

"Why wouldn't you?" he asked with a straight face. A large sweatdrop made its way down Sakura's head.

"Syaoran, cut it out! Why can't you just tell me?"

The boy fidgeted uncomfortably. "I'm not sure whether Touya would like it..." he muttered.

"Since when did you become so concerned about what 'Nii-chan would or wouldn't like? _I'd_ like it!" She stared at him pleadingly, her eyes wide, and he knew he was lost.

Syaoran sighed, a tad ruefully.

"Fine...fine. But not now, ok? Tomorrow. I promise."

"Why not right now?" she asked in exasperation.

"You wouldn't be able to go to sleep after you heard it," he said darkly. Sakura stared at him, wondering whether it was a good decision to hit him. However, he kept his mouth stubbornly clamped shut, and she knew she would have better luck getting a fish to fly than asking him to say more. She sighed too, resigning herself to wait until tomorrow.

A thought struck her. "Tomorrow? Syaoran, I'm leaving first thing in the morning."

He stared at her, pretending to be hurt. "So soon? Didn't know I repulsed you that much."

"Baka." She gently tugged on his ear. "I *want* to stay, but I need to get back before 'Nii-chan finds out."

"You mean, sneak back into the house at first light? Why bother? You can't even get up early by yourself, remember?"

Sakura ignored the latter part of his sentence, shooting him a sidelong glance. "You _could_ help out me there, you know."

"What do you want me to do-kiss you awake? Not that I *wouldn't* enjoy that, of course." He raised one eyebrow suggestively, and she blushed, hitting him on his arm. "Shut up."

"Actually, I *could* wake you up early," Syaoran offered. "With my alarm clock," he hastily added as she glared at him. "Plus I'll also, uh, escort you back to your home. But," his voice lowering a few notches, "there _would_ have to be...payment of a sort. After all, you're going to be depriving me of my much-needed rest."

Sakura snorted. "You mean your beauty sleep, Princess Wolf?"

"HEY!" he protested, causing Sakura to dissolve into giggles. "One more crack like that and I desert!"

"Gomen, gomen...so, what sort of 'payment' were you thinking of, hmm?" She eyed him suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing much," he innocently replied. "If you'd just spend the whole of tomorrow afternoon *and* Sunday with me, it would be enough."

She playfully shook her head at him. "You drive a hard bargain."

"After taking you in tonight _and_ agreeing to help you sneak back into your house at dawn tomorrow, wouldn't you say that it's the least I deserve?"

Sakura sighed mock-resignedly. "Hai, hai, Syaoran-sama. All right, I agree. You happy now?"

He winked at her. "Perfectly. And since you addressed me as -sama just now, does that mean I can ask you to be my slave while I'm at it?"

She hit him again. "Don't push your luck, buster." But her eyes were laughing, and Syaoran smiled ruefully. <Guess I deserved that.>

Sakura suddenly yawned, much to the surprise of both of them. "Gomen ne," she apologised, looking slightly embarrassed. "I had a long day, I guess."

Syaoran's eyes softened as he looked at her. "Then...we'd better get you to bed, hadn't we?"

"You're coming too, aren't you?" Sakura gasped as she spoke the words aloud, covering her mind with her mouth. Pink flooded her cheeks, and Syaoran _had_ to laugh.

"Gomen!" she wailed. "I really wasn't thinking!"

"Oh, Sakura, Sakura...maybe you're right, and it _is_ for the best that Touya doesn't find out about this. I'm sure he would go into cardiac arrest to hear you being so...forward." She shoved her elbow into his ribs none too gently, and he winced. "See what I mean? Although," he continued, a devilish glitter in his eye, "it suits you. And for being so adorable, rest assured I won't hold it against you." He grinned mischievously.

The pink colour deepened noticeably. "If you could haul your mind out of the gutter for a second, you'd see what I *really* meant by that." The words were tart, but her tone was not, and Syaoran hid a smile.

"Koishii...I do." He nuzzled Sakura's ear, sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine.

"So you _are_ coming, ne?" Her voice dropped to a whisper, dark-green orbs never leaving his.

"...Of course I am." He gently brushed his lips against hers, and Sakura sighed, content.

Reaching behind her head, Syaoran deftly unfastened the clip that held her hair in its ponytail. Long, silky auburn tresses fell loose, and Sakura stared.

"You don't go to sleep with your hair tied up, do you?" He cocked an eyebrow at her, and Sakura smiled. "Iie."

He suddenly gathered her in his arms and stood up, all in one smooth motion. Sakura gaped openly at him. "Syaoran?" she squeaked.

"You're tired...I should make myself of service." His amber-brown eyes glinted meaningfully, and a sound somewhere between a giggle and another yawn escaped Sakura. He carried her into his room, gently depositing her on the bed, and turned to switch off the light before joining her.

"Aishiteru," she sleepily murmured, loosely wrapping her arms around his waist.

Syaoran kissed her forehead. "I love you too," he softly whispered. Quiet breathing answered him; Sakura was already asleep. A gentle smile crossed the boy's face.

Pulling his precious bundle closely against him, he too closed his eyes.

"Oyasumi...Sakura-koishii."
 
 

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Index of Japanese words/translations:
Koishii--beloved (^__^)
Mou--something very much like 'Geez!'
Honto--really
Aishiteru--I love you (pretty obvious, really ^^)
Oyasumi (nasai)--good night
 

NOTES:
 

1. And I pray that nobody had to have an insulin shot from reading this...<deadpan> Ok, so what *did* you think? If you are of the opinion that I shouldn't be writing older-level romance like this for CCS, 'speak now or forever hold your peace'. But you know, no matter how happy-kawaii the anime is, there are always sure to be *some* darkish, rather more mature elements. If not, it's just meaningless, IMO. Ok, so there's nothing dark about *this* 'fic. Demo, Rika's got a crush on a man at least ten years older than her, and he even gave her an *engagement ring* in the manga, and there is definitely something more than mere friendship going on with Touya and Yukito, who are both _guys_. If you can accept those, accepting this should be no problem. I warn you all that I will most likely be writing more stuff like this in the future, so please give me your feedback and opinions.

2. I have to thank Tin Mandigma, my bright and beautiful Onee-chan, for giving me the idea of 'Princess Wolf'. Granted, it was never requested, and gotten through some fooling around with Syaoran in an e-mail (^_^), but she still deserves thanks anyway. Love you Onee! ^o^ Hurry up with your own 'fics! Also a hug to Jin-chan for her constant encouragement and support. And as always, many many thanks to the people who host my works at their pages. I think you all know who they are by now. ^__^
 

Next part: Syaoran recounts his 'talk' with Touya to Sakura. <evil snicker>
 

Soreja,

Syaoran no Miko