Sunkissed

~Chapter 3: Lending a Helping "Hand"~

Though autumn was beginning to creep in, the mid-September nights were still warm enough to spend outside. The two teenagers lay on their backs on the long grass of the field, stars sparkling overhead, and Syaoran was telling Sakura an amusing Chinese legend about one of the constellations. She snuggled into his side, his arm around her.

She giggled at his tale, and he watched her out of the corner of his eye. Only in their most private moments could he relax this way, and just be with her. It was the only when they were completely alone that he was comfortable being affectionate, and even playful at times. He loved to watch her laugh; she was just so bright when she did.

In fact, he thought wickedly, she's not laughing enough. He slid the arm that was around her shoulders surreptitiously down to her side, and when she turned her eyes back to the stars, he pounced.

"Hooooooooeeeeeeee!!!" she screamed as he began tickling her. "Syaoran! Cut it out! AaaaAAAHH!"

He held her tightly, pinning her legs down with one of his own to prevent her thrashing too much, and went in for the kill: her belly. Grinning like a madman, he slid her shirt up and went to work, fingertips dancing lightly over her skin as she shrieked.

"Stop," she gasped between fits of screaming laughter, "please!"

Syaoran finally relented, though he didn't let her go. She lay there glaring up at him, face flushed and chest heaving. Gods, she's so...beautiful, sexy, amazing... He leaned down and covered her lips with his, running his tongue over them and coaxing her scowl into a kiss. His hand, still on her abdomen, slid up under her shirt, eliciting a soft whimper. She buried her fingers in his hair; his fingers teased her nipple underneath the fabric, and he breathed her scent in as he nibbled from ear to collarbone. He kissed her again, and she began to unbutton his shirt – and the purse laying in the grass next to them started ringing.

Syaoran pulled back and let out a frustrated growl; Sakura sat up and fumbled with the clasp on her purse. "It's probably onii-chan," she said irritably. The cell phone's ID confirmed her prediction. With a heavy sigh, she answered the phone. "Hai, onii-chan?" She paused to listen. "Hai, I've left Tomoyo's. Hai, I'm on my way home. Hai, hai, I'll be there soon. It is not getting late, it's only," quickly checking her watch, "eight-thirty, and tomorrow's Sunday. Hai, I know it's dark out, I have eyes, you know- Onii-chan, would you relax! I'll be fine, I have the Cards, and Syaoran is walking me home-"

Oh, that was the wrong thing to say. Syaoran winced as the phone exploded, and Sakura had to pull it away from her ear. Let's hope he doesn't find out she hasn't been at Daidouji-san's since this afternoon. Luckily Sakura and her best friend had a long-standing arrangement to cover for each other.

"Onii-chan- No, onii-chan! Ugh, nevermind, I'll be home soon!" she hung up the phone on her still-shouting brother, and pouted at Syaoran, who was still on his back, watching her. "I guess it's time to go."

"Yeah, I guess." He frowned in disappointment, studying her face. He liked the way her bottom lip poked out when she pouted, so enticing. He sat up and captured her lower lip gently with his teeth. "In a minute," he murmured against her lips, pulling her back down into the grass.

One twenty-minute make-out session, thirty-five-minute walk, and ten-minute argument with Touya later, Sakura shut her bedroom door behind her and flopped onto the bed with a dreamy sigh. "Unnyyyuuuu..." Even the shouting match with her brother couldn't ruin her mood. "Kero-chan, I had such a great night!" She tilted her head at the lack of response, looking for him. "Kero-chan?" Is he asleep already? It wasn't late, but the video game console and television were off, and he was nowhere in sight. She checked the drawer he usually slept in, but he wasn't there either. Where is he?

At a loss, she sat on her bed and pondered. Come to think of it, he's been disappearing an awful lot lately. He's been complaining that he's bored; maybe he just went out? The thought made her shudder. Kero "out" could get into plenty of trouble... She picked up the phone to call him, but heard the answering ring from her desk, and pulled the matching cell phone out from his drawer. Maybe he just went over to Tomoyo's looking for sweets, she thought hopefully, dialing Tomoyo with one hand and crossing her fingers behind the phone.

"Hello, Sakura-chan." Tomoyo's cheerful voice came over the line.

"Hey. Um, Tomoyo-chan, have you heard from Kero-chan? I can't find him."

"Yes, he's here. I made cookies after we went shopping, and made more than I had planned, so I invited Kero-chan over to help eat the extra. I'll send some home for you with him tomorrow, and I'll be sure to feed him plenty in the morning so they make it there."

"Um, okay, I guess. Have fun..."

"We will. Goodnight, Sakura-chan!"

"Goodnight..." Click. Sakura stared at the phone in confusion, then shrugged. I guess I was right, he went over there for sweets. At least Kero was predictable. And now I can call Syaoran-kun, she thought happily, and talk to him without worrying about eavesdropping guardians. She flopped back on the bed, already dialing.

~~~

Tomoyo set the phone down and picked the book up, opening to where they had left off. She settled back into Kero's side, both of them curled up on her bed for their usual reading session. He had fallen into a habit of spending most of his time at her home in his true form, and Tomoyo thought he made a lovely cushion when they read. They were in the middle of an English series about a magical land called Narnia. Kero loved the books; he was especially fond of the character of Aslan, the giant lion that ruled the wondrous place.

The chapter soon came to an end, and she closed the volume around its bookmark and set it on the bedside table. "Time for bed, Kero-chan," she told him around a small yawn.

"One more chapter?" he pleaded. He rested his massive head in her lap and gazed up at her pitifully.

Laughter bubbled up in her throat, and she quickly stifled it. He was so funny sometimes. "I'm sorry, Kero-chan," she settled an equally sad expression on her face and scratched behind his ears affectionately, "not tonight. We had a busy day today, if you remember, and I'm pretty worn out." Tomoyo and Sakura had gone shopping after school until Sakura had left to meet Li, and Kero had tagged along with the girls in hopes of getting treats. "We'll read an extra chapter tomorrow night," she promised.

"Okay!" Brightening considerably at the prospect of spending another night, he rose and licked her cheek, then hopped off her bed at the foot and landed his own.

Tomoyo rose as well and went to the shopping bags by the door. The bags rustled as she rummaged through them, finally pulling out what she was searching for. They had stopped at a clothing boutique that afternoon, and she had purchased a new nightgown as a late birthday present to herself. Sakura had helped her pick it out, so it was beautiful, of course. Buttery yellow silk flowed from thin straps, and embroidered butterflies fluttered across it in soft blues and greens. She had bought a similar one for her best friend as well, white silk with delicate pink and purple peonies over the bodice. When Sakura had protested as expected, Tomoyo's only response was that it suited her, and so it should be hers. She would brook no argument. Sakura really should know better by now, Tomoyo thought with a smile. She hugged her own beautiful gown to her cheek, then laid it on her bed and began to undress.

A questioned crossed her mind, and as she unbuttoned her shirt, she asked, "Kero-chan, why is your tongue so much softer than cat’s?" She pulled her shirt off and dropped it on the bed.

"Beats me. I never knew there was anything different about it until Yue asked about it once, ages ago, and all Clow would say was something about not liking sandpaper." Her skirt fell to the floor, followed by her undergarments, and he swallowed hard and looked away. What is the matter with me? He never even noticed Sakura, why was it any different with Tomoyo? It's no different, so stop it, he admonished himself and turned to face her again.

Tomoyo made a thoughtful sound as she slid the silk nightgown over her head. It draped liquidly over her hips and fell to just above mid-thigh. She wiggled her hips and watched the butterflies dance, loving the feel of the fabric gliding over her skin.

Kero's eyes glowed with unvoiced laughter at the uncharacteristic display. No one, not even Sakura, ever saw her this way, shedding her constant poise and grace for a rare moment of silliness. It made him feel privileged, like he was the only witness to a very important secret that he would never share with anyone, and he felt a sudden surge of affection for his friend. He rested his head on his giant paws and watched her through sleepy, half-closed eyes.

Her clothes went into the hamper, and she pulled on a clean pair of underwear from her bureau. She switched the bedside lamp on and turned off the main, then slid between the cool cotton sheets of her bed.

"Goodnight, Kero-chan," she sighed sleepily.

"Mm, 'night, T'm'yo-ch'n," he mumbled, already drifting off.

~~~

Tomoyo sat up with a disappointed sigh. A glance at the clock told her it was after three in the morning. She wasn't sure what had woken her, but whatever it was had the worst timing. She'd been having the nicest dream. Tomoyo shivered, remembering the delicious feel of Sakura's lips on her skin, of her fingers on, and in, her. She'd been so close to the edge, and then was ripped away by consciousness. Frustrated and overly warm, she threw the covers off and laid back down, but sleep had fled her, and she was far too agitated to search for it in her current state. Instead, her own fingers replayed scenes from her dream, brushing here, teasing there, traveling the fiery trail the dream-Sakura's hands had blazed before them. She pulled the hem of her nightgown to her waist. Too aroused for patience, she wasted no more time, instead she lifted her hips, tugging her damp panties off and throwing them – somewhere. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that she needed to be touched, even if she was doing it herself. Her hand met the wetness between her thighs, and she sighed, this time in pleasure, as her fingers went to work.

Kero blinked in sleepy surprise. Something damp had hit his ear, startling him from sleep, and he hooked it with a claw, pulling it off to see what it was. Underwear? What in the world? His ears caught soft sounds from the bed next to him, and he looked up to check on his friend. Maybe she's having a nightmare. His eyes grew wide as saucers when he saw the error of his conclusion. Then again, he thought, ducking his head quickly back down, maybe not. He covered his ears with his giant paws to block out the her moans and give Tomoyo her privacy, and tried to will himself back to sleep.

His efforts on all counts were unsuccessful, and he listened as the sounds she was making grew more and more frustrated. She didn't seem to be any closer to reaching her objective than she had been twenty minutes ago. It didn't sound like it was fun anymore; in fact, it was starting to sound desperate. Whatever Tomoyo needed, she wasn't getting. It was even starting to frustrate him, and he decided that maybe he should do something. He wasn't sure what, but he couldn't lay there and listen to her any longer.

Tomoyo had tried everything, and she was so close, but it just wasn't... Though she had been switching off, her hands were tired, and she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep going. She refused to give up, though. She needed this. Her body was begging for release, and she was keening in frustration.

She vaguely felt the foot of the bed shift downward, and more clearly felt something cold and wet push her hands out of the way. Her eyes flew open in shock. "Kero-chan?!" Something wet and much warmer slid across her skin where her hands had been a moment before. Is that his- oh, my. "Kero-chan! What are you- Kero-cha-aa-aah!" Gods, that feels- that's incredi- oh my, where did he learn tha- OH, oh wow- Words and thoughts washed away in a wave of fresh pleasure as his tongue moved over her sensitive center, tentative at first, then firmer and more sure in response to her positive reaction. Tomoyo moaned as the speed and pressure intensified; she reached the edge that she'd been hovering near for what seemed like ages and finally crossed it. She cried out, her hands gripping the sheet underneath her as her body tensed and shuddered. He didn't stop, licking vigorously, then gently as she began to relax, her cries fading to whimpers.

She collapsed, satisfied and exhausted. A gentle warmth spread through her limbs, and she felt incredibly good. With half-closed eyes, she watched as Kero tugged the covers over her with his teeth and climbed into bed next to her, his eyes filled with concern.

"Better?" he asked her.

There was so much she wanted to say, to ask. But now that she had found – no, he had given her – the release she had so desperately needed, she could feel sleep stealing over her. She contented herself with merely nodding an affirmative. We will definitely need to talk about this tomorrow, though, she thought as she dropped into sleep.

Kero watched her fall asleep, pleased he had been able to do something after all. He had been worried that she'd be upset about what he did. Maybe she still would be, in the morning, but at least for the time being she felt better and could get some rest. Satisfied that she would sleep, he laid his head down and allowed himself to follow.

~*~