Standard disclaimer applies. Card Captor Sakura is property of CLAMP.

A man snatches the first kiss, pleads for the second, demands the third, takes the fourth, accepts the fifth - and endures all the rest.
- Helen Rowland

.

Just a kiss

.

It was an accident.

He really didn't mean to do it. He just wanted her to shut up already. He hadn't meant to do anything at all! All he wanted was the endless flow of words that fell from her mouth as easily as water fell from the sky, to stop and he had achieved that.

Not that he was going to live long enough to hold it over anyone's head. It was likely that he'd die of whatever girly disease she suffered from.

But he was Li Syaoran. He would make do with the little time he had.

Mentally he threw himself a little party where everyone who was stunned into unmoving, perpetually silent statues were cheering and giving him all the candy and toys he deserved for silencing the talkative girl everyone knew simply as Kinomoto Sakura.

Too bad it was more likely that he'd die before anything like that could ever happen: girly disease and all; a fatal thing really and all for the sake of keeping her quiet.

Oh, if only he wasn't so self-sacrificing.

But maybe if he was lucky, he would go slowly. Maybe he could have his final box of juice before he went to the playground in the sky.

Maybe, just maybe…

"Syaoran kissed Sakura! He's got cooties!"

Or maybe not.

It was like opening a hornet's nest; a very horribly overpopulated hornet's nest with very angry PMS women packing heat. It was the beginning of the end.

Girls screamed, boys screamed – they all screamed. And not just screamed. They screamed.

Their chubby hands were clutching at their ears as if the sound of small children screaming was just as much an inconvenience for them to do than for others to hear.

If only to add to the chaos, the six year old rugrats were running around like chickens with their heads cut off, unabashed and unbiased in toppling the miniature furnishings of a kindergarten classroom.

It was like watching a horror movie or maybe a zombie one with kids on meth?

It seemed that he and the girl he had unintentionally kissed were the only two in the entire classroom that were still relatively normal. Even their teacher and the teacher's assistant were close to resembling their six year old charges.

He hoped that his sacrifice to her girly cooties and the disease it carried would at least warrant some sort of respectful silence where his fellow classmates would honor him with the big jar of candy the teacher had on her desk.

Instead he was gifted with a present from Sakura, wrapped in a tiny fist with surprisingly hard knuckles.

At the age of six, Li Syaoran stole Kinomoto Sakura's first kiss and in return was given a shiner so pronounced it didn't fade for at least two weeks.

.

He really hadn't meant to do it.

His father had told him once that it was the easiest way to keep a woman quiet.

Though how his mother felt about that sentiment was rather similar to how Sakura felt about it.

Syaoran had learnt the hard way:

My father is an idiot and therefore wrong.

.

Syaoran swore that the chaos of the past (along with the shiner that accompanied it) would never happen again and so his self-sacrificing act was not repeated again for many years.

.

Unlike of course, the hormones kicked in.

.

At age fifteen Syaoran was a very cautious young man.

After being properly educated on what a kiss meant via his mother constantly forcing him to watch her romance soap operas with her and his many older sisters, Syaoran finally realized the severity of his actions from almost nine years ago.

Of course no normal person thinks about something like a simple playground kiss for a full nine years. But it just so happened that Sakura realized the gravity of a kiss much quicker than he had, and was very determined to hate him for the rest of his existence.

If he died first, he would bet that she would be standing over his grave and cackling like a witch. Because it was very likely that she was one.

Only a witch would use the mistake of a child against a teenager of the present.

It was unforgivable; completely un-Christian like and was an action only a fellow witch would consort to.

Though by looking at Sakura's best friend; a bubbly girl with eyes that could rival Bambi's, it was proof that witches were capable of being anyone.

She even giggled. Oh yes. This Bambi eyed girl was definitely a spawn of the devil.

"Come on Li-kun, it's for charity! Come on, you have to do it for charity!" Bambi eyed girl declared, pressing her hands together earnestly and smiling a big toothy smile that could've blinded people from across the street.

Luckily this wasn't a blood drive or a lot of people would be nervous about the overeager girl with the oddly sharp teeth.

But maybe he wouldn't have felt so awkward and uncomfortable otherwise.

"Alright, fine," he conceded, hoping against hope that this would appease Sakura, who was looking as frosty as ever, while willing Bambi to lower the voltage on her million dollar I-can-blind-you-with-Colgate smile.

Sakura only glared when he came too close, but she was feeling particularly irritated today and glared at him harder. But he didn't seem to see the warning in her gaze as he took out a few notes from his wallet and placed it inside the box with graffiti writing that read: Donation fund.

As soon as the money left his palm and touched the cool metal of the box, Sakura released a sigh that was a cross between a huff and a sob.

Females, he observed early in life, were very emotional. Perhaps she was simply dedicated to the cause?

Up until Bambi began to chant: "Kiss the girl!"

He felt like Daidouji Tomoyo should be dressed as a crab.

A part of his brain switched off, and unable to notice how Sakura was banging her head against the stall, he stupidly asked, "Uh…what?"

"Yeah," Tomoyo said still in full cheer mode as she continued to grin like she was being paid for it. "You donate and you get a kiss from the girl behind the counter."

"Well she's busy trying to have a concussion but thanks for the donation," Sakura interjected, still trying to lose consciousness with the help from the table of her stall. If she angled it just right, with just the right amount of force and velocity, she might just achieve what she wants.

But of course he didn't want to tell her that.

He already stole her first kiss, but to be responsible for her first hospital trip? That isn't exactly a good record in any person's book, let alone hers. Besides, a part of him was still idiotically lost on the purpose of the exchange as he asked, "Why would I kiss her?"

If it angered her to have him say that, it was obvious because she stopped trying to give herself a head injury and looked up at him.

Her eyes glared with a ferocity that could kill puppies.

"I don't know; why would you kiss me when I was six?"

Oh. So she hadn't forgotten about that huh? Well at least that explained why she hated him so much, but they were six, come on. How different could the sexes be?

"I was just trying to shut you up, and it worked didn't it?"

On a list of many things you shouldn't say, that was probably the one he shouldn't have.

"Why you!"

He only did too late when she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and glared at him.

If Syaoran was a weaker man, he would've whimpered and cowardly sunk into the floor, hoping to the highest form possible that mercy would be given and the hole to hell would open up and take him already.

"Ah don't do that Sakura-chan; I don't have any more hiding places for bodies!" Tomoyo claimed, aghast as she proceeded to pry her friend's hold on him.

The part of him that wasn't currently torn between terror and confusion was proclaiming in proud excitement, "I knew it!"

The rest of him, however, that was almost terrifying confused with this current situation was suddenly very aware of how close the two were. From his close vantage point, he could make out every shade of green embedded in her eyes.

When Tomoyo had seemingly given up on separating them, she merely sighed in disappointment and muttered, "Fine, we'll throw it in the lake."

"Easy Sakura, I thought you were over it," he tried to soothe her and possibly prevent a premature death as well as a horrible burial, "I mean; we were six."

She seemed to take this into consideration as she loosened her grip on him, but only enough that it didn't look like she was trying to pull him into the stall.

"True, but you took my first kiss."

"It's not like I knew that!" he tried to argue to which she rolled her eyes. "Are you serious? We were six; I thought you had some nasty boy disease! I thought I was going to die!"

"You and me both, I almost wrote a will out and everything."

"Well fine, so I admit that we were nothing but kids and you didn't mean to do it."

He almost sighed in relief. "Yeah, and again I'm really sorry for what happened."

"Its fine I guess," she said with a shrug, adding before he could have a little mental party in his head, "but you aren't off the hook just yet."

"You're not going to feed me to vampire Bambi are you?"

"No." But it looked like she was considering it. "Since you took my first kiss, I'm taking it back."

The understanding of her statement was childish at best but it was too late for him to argue as she pulled him towards her again, lips pert and soft and all things girly.

Older and much matured from his first-kiss-stealing days, Syaoran knew perfectly well that he wouldn't die of a girl disease because such a thing didn't exist. But there had to be something to blame for the sudden shut down of his brain. It hadn't happened the first time!

Her logic for reclaiming a kiss he had taken in their playground days didn't make sense, but frankly a lot of things didn't.

Like the fact that he didn't think that kissing her was as gross and more self-sacrifice than anything else, in fact he'd give up his xBox for another.

Or maybe that instead of hearing the terrified screams of little children on some sort of medication, all he heard was the cliché popping of fireworks in the distance and a buzz of adrenaline pumping through his veins.

Off to the side somewhere, Tomoyo cooed and, brandishing a camera, captured the moment in striking, high definition.

The frame capturing everything from the way the light shone off her dark russet hair and flushed upturned cheek from the smile that had somehow engraved itself onto his lips as he kissed her, right down to the sign that hung off the stand labeled: Kissing booth.

At the age of fifteen Kinomoto Sakura had taken her first kiss back, leaving Li Syaoran wanting more in compensation.

.

Somehow after that fateful day with neither a shiner nor a trip to the corner of the classroom, Syaoran began to see the merits of taking another person's first kiss.

Especially if they were like Kinomoto Sakura who would try and get it back.

Tomoyo was pleased with the outcome as she proudly stated that her best friend had been crushing on him since that day in kindergarten.

Of course this led to an angry retort from said best friend right before a few people came around to hand in their donations.

Syaoran was not the type to share and had effectively kidnapped her before Bambi the Vampire could say anything about it.

.

Having somehow acquired himself a girlfriend on the same day as his second kiss, Syaoran was in considerably brighter spirits.

His father had noticed.

And an awkward conversation about birds and babies came to be shared.

.

Syaoran doubted that he would change as drastically as his father suggested.

In fact, he outright laughed about it later and for many weeks and months to come…

Right until he saw his girl giving her loving affections to someone other than himself.

.

Syaoran isn't a jealous boyfriend.

In fact, having never had a girlfriend until three months ago, he had never been a jealous person.

And he still wasn't.

At least, that's what he thought.

Tomoyo would beg to differ. While munching on popcorn, she watched him with interest as if his discomfort and annoyance was the most anticipated live show since Michael Jackson's This is it tour.

Syaoran could at least take comfort that he wasn't invisible if Tomoyo could see him.

No disrespect to the Vampire Bambi, but the only attention he wanted was currently on something that wasn't him.

As stated before, Syaoran isn't a jealous person and was neither a person that required constant attention, but for almost three full months he had happily claimed all of the loving affection the once overly talkative, once killing-you-with-looks Kinomoto Sakura had to offer and now he was being forced to cruelly share it.

And he would be damned if it was all because of a stupid mutt.

"Aw, aren't you so cute Kero? Yes you are!" she cooed, petting the dark furred husky and gracing the creature with many kisses that was once upon a time, solely his to receive.

Lord he hated that dog.

Tomoyo snickered some more as she continued to throw pieces of popcorn into her mouth, obviously noting the way his hand was slowly causing very obvious abrasions on the leather sofa.

As if her senses were honed to the destruction of her beloved furniture, Sakura turned her attention from the mutt to frown at him. "Syaoran, what's the matter with you?"

"Nothing," he gritted out.

Ah, and he was also a liar.

"Well whatever is bugging you don't take it out on my sofa," she said standing up.

Tomoyo seeing as her viewing pleasure at his suffering was now over for the time being, stood from her seat with popcorn in hand and said, "Hey Sakura-chan, I'm going to raid your kitchen. This popcorn needs chocolate sauce!"

"Go ahead, I have to go put Kero out, Touya-nii-chan doesn't like him in the living room."

Finally, he and that idiot brother of hers agreed on something!

He watched as Sakura led the creature away by his collar towards the double doors leading into the back garden, only to hesitate at its pathetic whimpering and big eyes and wet nose.

She cooed and tried to placate the mutt, rewarding him with more affectionate hugs and kisses with each tiny, miniscule step he took towards the door.

Syaoran was sure that a vein on his forehead was pulsing and if Tomoyo was still in the room she'd excitedly greet said vein, "Hey Kevin!" Which would only anger him further, no doubt providing Tomoyo with more free entertainment.

Come to think of it, he hated Tomoyo too.

When the husky was almost out the door, the abdominal creature let loose a whine that sounded almost like it was crying.

How deceptive; he seethed as he rose from his position, stalking towards the duo currently stood.

With as much calm as he could muster, he took her hold of the collar and tugged the beast into the backyard right before shutting the glass door in its face before it could attempt to steal his girlfriend again.

"Aw, I don't want to leave him out there, he looks so lonely," she said, seeing the funny big eye thing that Syaoran was sure the mutt had stolen off Puss in Boots.

He sighed, calling on the higher powers for patience.

"Don't worry, Kero's a big boy, he'll make it," he tried to sound encouraging enough to have her let it go,but still she continued to pout at the sight of the dog just beyond the glass door.

Unbelievable! Even when the furry mutt wasn't within reach, Syaoran was still being ignored!

No. No. No.

Humans, though stupid and selfish in nature, were the superior life form of earth.

Li Syaoran would not lose his girlfriend to a dog.

The mutt seemed to think otherwise as it intensified the utter 'aw' ability of his puppy dog eyes that almost had Sakura ripping the glass door open. Unfortunately for both the mutt and his girlfriend, Syaoran was determined to have some TLC and possessed her lips before she could reach for the door.

The dog was completely forgotten as he pressed her between himself and the door.

Maybe it was because he was feeling an extra need to claim his territory, but Syaoran had locked an arm around her waist, his hand lingering down lower to feel the delicate curve despite having to squish his hand against the glass.

She, having no idea of the neglect she put him through, simply moaned happily at the contact that sent a thrill of heat up and down her spine.

And if he opened his eyes once a few moments into his make-out session with his girlfriend to give the stupid dog a superior look, it was only because the mutt had taken away valuable time away between himself and Sakura.

That. And love had made him jealous.

But he would never admit it was caused by a dog.

.

Syaoran was neither a bad person nor a bad boyfriend.

But convincing her older brother so was hard to do when he had her pinned to the door and was feeling her up to prove to a dog that she was his.

.

Great books and epic poems always seemed to say that love was madness.

But her brother saw it as sexual assault.

So if Syaoran had to endure a few 'accidental' taser shots if he was touching Sakura for too long, a few threatening gestures using a gun while they watched a heated sporting match on the television or waving around the butcher's knife when he was over for dinner; Syaoran didn't mind at all.

And if Kinomoto Touya questioned his sanity on the subject, Syaoran would reply, "Trust me, I'm worried too."

And though their relationship had only started because a spark had gone off during a single kiss, it had transgressed the confines of simple teenage romance and puppy love.

.

His parents had warned him ever since Sakura and he had been together that they had to be responsible.

In this day and age, and stuff of that nature was what had stemmed their continuous need to prepare the two for anything.

Including a rather embarrassing and unnecessary stock of condoms, which he had no intention to use…

Her brother was a scary son of a bitch.

Every time the idea would pop into his head, Syaoran would conjure up her brother instead. It was the most successful cock block ever created by a teenage boy.

Unfortunately like all couples do after being together a significant amount of time, things tended to get heated rather fast.

Syaoran was suddenly very thankful he had a stockpile of contraceptives at hand.

Even though her brother would likely kill him if he ever got wind of what was happening…

At least he had his parents' blessing.

.

At nineteen, on a road-trip with friends and sharing beds in cheap motels, it happened.

Well it's not like it never happened before, or rather, the situation never occurred before but it was the first time it was truly ever explored.

For Syaoran it was both heaven and hell combined.

A part of him was panicking like a crazed lunatic. The constant stream of "her brother has a gun" repeated in his head, the automatic cock block mental picture was practically bursting into flames and all because she was touching him and making those sounds.

He didn't know whether to pull his hair out or make sure those sounds increased in volume, all he knew was that if he didn't stop now there would be no turning back later.

At least if they did do it, it would be their own decision right? It wasn't like their friends were pressing their ears against the door trying to hear or watching the whole act through the window of the motel room…

Discretely he peeked at it.

No, definitely not.

And there was no way they had put cameras around the room either, for one thing none of their friends had that dedication and frankly, lacked the intelligence for such an idea.

Her hand brushed along his luscious dark hair; feeling the texture, her fingers tangling until they grazed his scalp and were slowly massaging the tension he was feeling.

She arched against him as his hand playfully toyed between her slowly rising shirt and the smooth expanse of skin it was failing to hide. Their lips continued to slide and taste each other as their inexperienced hands roamed.

But he couldn't do this.

He may be a hot blooded male but he couldn't do this, not when condoms fail, crazy overprotective brothers can own firearms and girlfriends would PMS for nine months.

What happened if he 'got lucky' on their first night? It was possible, nobody said otherwise right? It was better to be safe rather than sorry right?

Slowly, torturously he pulled away from her; his lips almost aching without hers pressed against them, his body chilling as it was left to fend for its own body heat. Whereas he was burning up to a hundred and eighty just moments before, now it felt like someone dumped a bucket of ice cold water over his head.

Syaoran couldn't risk Sakura getting the short end of the stick should the worse happen and even if it didn't, he knew from the many sexual conversations he was forced to endure in high school that a girl's first time was usually painful.

The thought of her hating him due to an unwanted pregnancy was terrifying enough.

But the idea of hurting her either way just to sate the urge that had been eating him alive for almost four years disgusted him.

He moved to sit on the edge of the bed, running his hand through his hair to calm down both his raging hormones and his mind that were still arguing over the course of action to take.

At least they hadn't gotten too far into it.

There was a few times earlier in their relationship when they were so drugged on the euphoria that was created with each chemical reaction that they were about four to two garments of clothing short of her brother manually sterilizing him with a blunt kitchen knife.

It was admittedly awkward the first time it happened and the two swore to themselves that they would be more in control and so that theme continued.

Lately though, particularly since the completion of their first few months of university, a new pattern emerged…

The bed barely creaked with her movement as she came to sit behind him, one arm slung over his neck while the other came around his waist, her chin rested slightly on his shoulder while her lips trailed deliciously teasing kisses against the junction of his neck.

He felt a shudder shake through him as he leaned his head back slightly, her hands trailing and exploring his still irritatingly clothed body.

What kind of man was he, to deny a woman something she obviously wanted?

But then again, did she even know?

Kinomoto Sakura was infamous for her innocence and naivety; could it be possible that she had no idea what she was doing to him?

Her lips reached his ear where she blew lightly against the heated shell, from the back of his neck he could feel her throat vibrate as a flirtatious giggle escaped her lips. Cool digits and palm met his heated abdomen as she slipped her one hand beneath his shirt.

Her whispered words; teasingly tantalizingly filled with promises of pure ecstasy was pushing painfully hard against his resolve.

No. She definitely knew.

She murmured hotly, her tongue flicking out to taunt his over sensitive skin.

He only managed a strangled groan as the hand that was once exploring his lower body was now going much lower towards the very obvious tent in his pants.

She released another dangerous giggle. "You think you can handle that yourself, or do you need help?"

Yes please.

"Let me take care of you first," he said instead managing to extract her very lethal hands, mouth and everything else so that he could turn around and pin her against the bed.

It seemed that the earlier assault was to start again, but as least he was in control, it would be easier to stop that way. But it was hard to ignore the primitive part of him that wanted things he had already resolved not to do.

Every little sound, every appreciative movement for more and every twinkle in her eyes that said she trusted him with everything.

She would slowly be the death of him, but it was a death he would freely and happily accept.

His lips wandered off her own as he took to tasting the smooth column of her neck, his one hand still cupping her cheek and caressing the baby soft skin that smelt faintly of flowers.

With her lips free from his ministrations, her broken words of encouragement and his name a constant sigh from her throat was enough to completely silence the torrent of arguments going on within his head.

One of his hands moved from her cheek to gently cup her breast and feel the pucker of her nipple through her shirt while his other hand was branded against her hip, massaging it and encouraging its tantalizingly subtle thrusts towards the obvious bulge in his pants.

"Syaoran, you better not leave me like this," she managed to say as he grew frustrated with her shirt and somehow managed to get it off of her body and out of his way before he continued to savor her form.

She kept him on his toes throughout their quickly escalating intimacy; her legs locking around his waist, her hands feeling each and every trembling muscle his body had to offer and her lips that whispered the very R-Rated things he had fantasized.

There was no way they could stop now no matter what rationality had to say.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

.

Like all first time couples, it had been admittedly clumsy and for Sakura, initially painful.

But they did what they could to accommodate each other and with the four years before this moment; it was all that was needed to make their first night together perfect.

.

But not only was the act itself sacred.

But the morning after, just as much so.

It defined whether a couple could really last for the forever and beyond.

.

And he knew that.

It would take a simple sight, a simple thought, a simple action; that was all it would take and he would know.

But he didn't need any of that.

Because he already knew.

.

The first thing he saw when morning light hit his eyes was the red numbers displayed on the stupid clock of the nightstand beside the bed.

Mockingly the crimson number seven on the device continued to demand his attention before a quiet snore quickly stole it again. Raising a hand to wipe the sleep off his face, he returned the limb back around the sleeping woman's waist and nuzzled into her neck as he had the night before.

She seemed to hum slightly, turning in her sleep so that she was lying flat while he lay on his side against her.

Syaoran peered down at her; her beautiful hair was a disarrayed mess, her skin was untouched in the first light of the new day and her lips were slightly pursed as if she were expecting someone's lips against them.

A quiet chuckle left him as he bent down slight to nuzzle her hair and then deliver the kiss that his sleeping beauty desired.

Once he pulled away, like magic, she opened her eyes to meet his.

"Good morning," Sakura greeted; her warm breathe a caress against his lips. "Morning beautiful," he returned, touching his lips against hers again.

Though she giggled at his antics, she happily accepted his offer and twined her fingers through his hair.

"Mm do you think you can handle another round or are you still sore from last night?" he asked, his lips gently greeting and reacquainting itself with the rest of her body.

"I'm ready if you are."

She always knew the right things to say.

.

At the age of nineteen, the two had given and taken the first night of the other. A proper trade she'd said before the fatigue had settled in and he caressed her face as she slowly succumbed to the Sandman's magic.

Before her eyes shut in the already emerging dawn of the next day, Syaoran had asked against her ear, "If I asked you to marry me would you agree?"

A sleepy smile had woven itself onto her face, her eyes, though tired were bright and beautiful as she answered, "You've ruined me for everyone else; you're stuck with me."

"I'm fine with that."

Sakura chuckled, her fingertips still grazing his skin before she ordered in a whisper, "Seal it with a kiss."

And so he did, accepting wholeheartedly her past, her present and her future in a single kiss that might have started off just to keep her quiet but was now necessary for every breathe he took here and hereafter.

.

It's a funny thing.

What a simple kiss can do.

.

Owari

.

Sakura and Syaoran might be a little OOC, seriously apologize for that…though other than the alterations to the characters, I've got nothing else to say for this story other than I hope you enjoyed it.

Thanks for reading.