Tattooed
Summary: "I've lost everything to drugs, do you know that?" Sakura told him with tears in her eyes. "The funny thing is I've never even touched a drug in my life and yet it destroyed me. It took everything." She turned to face him then. "Please, don't let it take you away from me. I won't be able to handle it, not this time, not again." S x S.
Author's Note: Fashion Fairy 26, petiteTRINH, deadflo, SweetSeductionCherryB: Do you know that I hail from a family of over forty cousins and somewhere close to double that number of nieces and nephews. Yes. I'm a freak.
I've got some terrific inspiration from all this vacation-ing! Are any of you on one right now? I know blossom is!
Disclaimer: Not mine.
xxvii.
I know where you hide
Alone in your car
Know all of the things that make you who you are
- She Will Be Loved/Maroon 5
Sakura stood mesmerized by a jewellery store for a while before Mei Ling came to her side.
"What're you looking at?" Mei Ling questioned. Sakura shook her head with a smile.
"Those earrings..." Sakura pointed at a simple and small pair of emerald studs, and spoke. "My mum had a pair exactly like those..."
Mei Ling nodded. "Wanna go in and check them out?"
"I can't," Sakura answered. "It's already hell with the car repair job I've had to get done. I'm not asking Touya for money again." She stated almost adamantly before walking away. Mei Ling stood for sometime before dragging Sakura into the store.
"Well, I need to buy Tomoyo something," Mei Ling stated. "It's been two months since we started going out."
"Oh wow, that's kind of a big deal. What're you getting her?"
"A tiara,"
"What?"
"Just kidding, I'm getting her a bracelet." Mei Ling told her as they stood before a fine selection of gold, white gold and silver bracelets. A thin white gold bracelet with wings stood out. Sakura said so.
Mei Ling bought it within seconds.
"Let's go dancing this weekend," Mei Ling suggested as they walked up 5th Avenue searching for a reasonable bag store. Sakura thought about it. There would be no harm of it. No school, no test papers to grade, no remedial classes, and not many classes to prepare for... she was free this weekend.
"Where do you want to go?" Sakura asked as they scanned through various bags.
"I was thinking about this place called Classroom." Mei Ling told her. Sakura nodded.
"Sounds nice," Sakura wanted to roll her eyes. She knew she hated the dancing scene for a reason.
"Don't worry," Mei Ling nudged her. "It'll be fun. You'll have Syaoran."
Sakura groaned. "I completely forgot about that."
"What's the problem? You guys'll have a good time..."
"I don't... generally dance in public."
"You've danced on a stage?" Mei Ling asked curiously.
"Many times,"
"Don't worry; we'll get good and drunk so none of these public dancing inhibitions kick in. It'll feel like being back on that stage again."
Sakura groaned again.
That was what she was afraid of.
*.*
Syaoran watched Sakura for a very long time before Mei Ling came back to the table.
"What're you doing sitting here and watching us like a creepy old man?" she questioned with a loud voice.
Syaoran shook his head. "I just don't feel like dancing,"
For some reason, now more than ever, the guilt from what happened with Nakuru was setting in deeper and deeper. What did happen? Syaoran himself could never really say because everything was so messed up. Most days the memory of that night was suppressed, like a bad dream.
Maybe nothing had really happened... he couldn't remember for a reason then. Syaoran scrunched his face up in irritation. As if the world was so kind. If only Nakuru Akizuki was that sensitive or considerate.
"What's bothering you?" Mei Ling asked.
"I just... don't want to hurt Sakura." Syaoran responded despondently. Mei Ling's eyes narrowed.
"What did you go do?" Mei Ling pounced immediately.
"Nothing," Syaoran lied. When he thought about it, it wasn't really his fault. He wasn't the one to initialize any of it and he was high as a bird. When he reasoned it that way he wondered if he could tell Sakura.
"It's nothing. I just don't want to lose her. She's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Syaoran told Mei Ling with a smile. "You won't believe it, but I haven't felt like smoking in weeks. It's like I'm a new man."
Mei Ling nodded with a grin. "She keeps you busy."
"She does."
"She makes you happy."
Syaoran laughed. "She does, though I don't know why she'd ever want to be with someone like me."
"First of all, there's nothing wrong with someone like you. I for one think Sakura's got some pretty incredible taste." Mei Ling paused to wink. "And how does it matter why?" Mei Ling questioned. "Do you know why you love her?"
"Of course I do! She's kind, gentle, beautiful..."
"Yeah, well, so are a million other girls out there, so why her?" Mei Ling pointed at Sakura and Tomoyo dancing. Sakura looked like she was trying too hard. She looked so uncomfortable.
It was endearing.
"I don't know,"
Mei Ling moved to sit next to him then. Having a conversation with loud music wasn't exactly easy.
"You met her, that's why. Not the others, just her. You know something else?" Mei Ling cupped his face. "She met you, not anybody else. Not other painters or addicts, not the teachers in her school, not men from the library or the restaurants she picks up takeout dinners from, you. She met you, and that's all that matters."
Syaoran smiled. "Sometimes you really know what to say, Mei."
"I try," she answered cockily. "Now let's go get some shots, I'm dying to see Tomoyo drunk."
After Mei Ling took a shot, and then two more, she carried two shots in hand. Syaoran followed with one.
Sakura drank all three.
Just twenty minutes of separation had felt like hours now that her body was so close to his as they danced to the loud, obnoxious music. So warm, so soft, so heavenly... Syaoran felt drunk even though he hadn't a drink that whole night.
One dance became many more as they twirled and swayed to random music.
*.*
"You're driving my car," Sakura observed with a strange look in her eye.
"I am." Syaoran smiled amusedly.
"I didn't even know you could drive!" Sakura exclaimed while pointing at the lights that passed by.
"We agreed I would be the designated driver tonight, Sakura. How'd you think I could do that if I couldn't drive?" Syaoran asked her as he turned left.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Sakura mused. Syaoran grinned all the way to Tomoyo's house. It was a long drive to her place, and Sakura picked the music.
"You're gonna wish you," Mei Ling sang.
"Never had met me," Tomoyo and Mei Ling sang now. Sakura looked back at them.
"We could've had it all!" the three girls chorused. Syaoran couldn't help the smile on his face.
"Singing is fuck awesome!" Mei Ling swore. Sakura agreed with a vigorous head shake. Tomoyo had passed out by the time the next song came on.
The drive had been different... fun. For the first time Syaoran found himself having an amazing time and he wasn't even drunk.
"Bye, 'Moyo!" Sakura waved like a child frantically. Tomoyo had finished bidding her farewells and walked up the stairs to her castle of a house.
Syaoran dropped Mei Ling off on the street, made her promise to lock the door behind her and parked Sakura's car. Sakura was quiet then.
"I miss my mom," Sakura started. Syaoran turned the car off and turned to face her.
"She was so pretty," she told him with a look of remembrance. "Beautiful long hair, green eyes... she was so beautiful."
"What happened to her?" Syaoran asked. It'd been so long now that he'd wanted answers. This seemed to be his chance. Sakura seemed willing to talk, so why not?
"Breast cancer," Sakura told him solemnly. "It was so painful to see her like that, so weak. Sometimes I thank God for ridding her of that pain."
Syaoran shifted a bit to bring Sakura to his lap. With a deep breath she conceded and hugged him. For a long time that was all they did.
As he put her into bed he brought out the box.
"What's this?" Sakura asked with an inquisitive tone. Syaoran had always wondered how Sakura would react to gifts. It seemed she didn't mind.
"Open it,"
A loud gasp was heard before an excited shriek. Sakura jumped to Syaoran and laughed.
"How'd you know?"
"Turns out my cousin's nosiness has some use to it after all," Syaoran told her before pushing hair away from her face. "Let me put them on,"
With emeralds glistening in her dainty ears, the woman of mid twenties held the love struck boy close to her with a drunk smile on her face.
"You didn't have to," Sakura reminded him.
Syaoran traced her lips and thought of the first time she'd smiled at him.
"I had to, Sakura. Believe me, I had to."
This was nothing, barely a blip in his balance. He didn't bother telling her that and instead chose to kiss her smiling lips gently. He wondered how many such smiles she'd given him... there was no way to keep count now. He loved that. He hoped for countless more. After all, it was what made his days now. That small, innocent and accidental smile he'd stumbled upon by mistake was everything he worked towards now.
Legs tangled, bodies close, they slept in peace.
I don't mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
QUESTION: It's a bold one, but tell me anyway. What was your first kiss like? Did I already ask this one?
I love being on vacation. I never want to go back.
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