Something Pink
Part 10: One way Out

Enveloped in the shadows, she stared blankly out into the nighttime sky. It was like saying good bye forever. Sakura sat in her rocking chair and listened to the voices just outside her door, drowning the ticking of the clock and the creaking of the wooden floor. The doorbell rang causing her to stir.

"We should get together more often. That was fun…"

"Yeah! And Mommy can come along…"

"That sounds wonderful," Syaoran laughed quietly.

"You think Mommy's sleeping? All the lights are off…"

"That's strange. It's a little early." He rang the doorbell. When there was no sound of movement inside the house he decided to call. No one picked up.

"Guess, you'll be spending the night with me," Syaoran said, with uncertainty in his voice.

"How 'bout we wait until she gets back."

"Grand idea. What should we do, while we wait?"

"Sleep," Peony murmured.

Syaoran sat on the steps and cradled the girl in his arm, hoping that the chill in the air would go away soon.


Eriol stepped into the café relieved at the warmth of the atmosphere. He wanted to shake his fist at the sky and ask 'why have you gone so cold?' in anger. "Eriol," a voice called out to him from a booth. It was Syaoran.

"Hey, Syaoran. What's up? What's the urgent news you were dying to talk to me about." As Eriol sat down, Syaoran started the story from the beginning, when he gave Sakura the divorce papers.

"She never showed up that night. I've called and visited that house everyday since then, but for some reason she has not shown up or answer my calls. Yes, it's obvious she's avoiding me, but does she have to do this to Peony?"

"Oh, Syaoran what did you say to her?" Eriol wondered, humor in his eyes.

"Eriol, I'm serious…"

"Woah, you just called me by my first name." Eriol's eyes were wide in surprise.

"Hiirigazawa, please! Be serious for once! Haven't you noticed, she hasn't been showing up at the studio for a while?"

Eriol shrugged. "Yeah, but that's normal. I thought she would be working at the restaurant."

"That's the problem. She has not been there for days. I talked to the manager."

"No way…"

"Yes way. I'm worried and I don't know what to do." Syaoran was clearly frustrated, now.

Eriol's eyes turned serious for the first time since Syaoran met him.

"Have you tried calling Seiji?"

"Of course I have! I've looked! You are the last person I've contacted and if you don't know where she is then, I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"

"Syaoran calm down," Eriol was serious as he spoke. "Panicking won't do us any good."

"You try going to work every morning with your four year old daughter who does not do or want anything, but play! I can't live like this anymore! She knows I can't handle such a burden all by myself! I'll understand if she wants to run away from me, but to runaway from her daughter. I can't take this anymore. I wish… I wish Peony never came along…"

Shattering glass rang causing Syaoran and Eriol to look over to the side at Peony with shattered glass at her feet. She had been holding a glass of milk for her father that she asked a waitress for after departing from the ladies ' room on her own. Whenever she was upset, as she noticed her father was, she would have a cup of cold glass milk to calm herself. As she walked back to where Syaoran sat she heard Syaoran shouting, and was shocked to hear what he thought about her. In her shock she dropped the glass, and stared at the two men who were talking earlier.

"Peony," Syaoran spoke with a worried glance.

The waitress, who gave Peony the glass, stood behind her clucking. "It's alright, Darling."

"I'll pay for that. I'm so very sorry," Syaoran said quickly to the waitress.

Syaoran looked over at his daughter, who had her head bowed. "Peony, say sorry." When she didn't say anything, he changed his tone. "Peony, I said, say sorry to the lady."

Eriol touched Syaoran's shoulder, his tall frame leaning over at the table. Syaoran looked at him as the other man mouthed, 'she heard you.'

Syaoran stared at Peony again. "Young Lady, look at me," he said a little too harshly. Eriol rolled his eyes.

She did. Syaoran's heart fell when he saw her chubby cheeks sodden with trails of tears. New tears that welled up in her eyes, fell one at a time, following those trails. She sniffed and rubbed her nose with her sleeve. "You and Mommy don't want me. Nobody wants me."

"No, Peony that's not true. Daddy was frustrated and he said the wrong things," Syaoran reasoned, getting out of his seat and moving towards her. She backed away.

"Peony, you're a big girl, now. You understand when I say that Daddy and Mommy are sorry that we brought you into this mess. That was what I meant earlier."

"Mommy left and now you don't want me anymore!" Peony wailed.

"Syaoran, stop it. You're not making it any better," Eriol mumbled incoherently.

Syaoran looked over at him and met Eriol's angry gaze. Peony took that moment to run out of the café.

"Syaoran stop her!" Eriol shouted.

Syaoran passed the waitress and heard her say, "…Horrible father…" as he blindly crashed into someone to get onto the busy streets. He pushed pass people trying to get through. It wasn't to his advantage that streets were messy at such an hour. For Peony, slipping through legs made it easy to get away. Yet, when she reached a crosswalk, she wasn't sure where to go as the cars zoomed by. Without thinking, she was ready to run across when suddenly strong arms scooped her up from the pavement and into the air.

She struggled, knowing who held her so tightly. She swung her fists and punched him in the chest countless times. In her blind assault, she punched him in the face. Syaoran's eye turned black and blue immediately. Suddenly, Peony stopped immediately and noticed Syaoran smiling down at her. He was on the floor with her crushed against his chest. "You are as strong as your father as you are as dumb as him," Syaoran whispered softly into her ear. He brushed her hair away from her wet eyes. "I'm sorry Peony… I did not mean what I said. Please, don't leave me again. I don't think I can bear losing you, too." His daughter understood, nodding shyly. She was sorry she had hit him in the eye and she was sorry for the other bruises she caused him. Those small hands that were once clawing and strangling relaxed. She was sorry that he had to hurt at all because she felt it, too.


"You're a mess. You sure you don't want me to take her for a minute?" Eriol had been fussing for a while, since the incident.

Syaoran, who seemed stronger than ever with Peony in his arms, shook his head.

"If all of this doesn't work out, Tomoyo and I can adopt your daughter…"

"No… I don't think I can let something like today happen again."

"But, she will have a good home, good food, nice pretty new dresses…"

"I can get her those things, too," Syaoran grunted.

"I suppose, but you need to work, like you said."

"No, I need Sakura. I need her to take care of my daughter because she needs her real mother."

"As much as she needs her real father," Eriol added.

"She is only attached to me because her mother isn't around," Syaoran sighed.

"I beg to differ. She can't live without both."

"What do you know?! A child can live, knowing that she has her father's love even if they can't live under the same roof."

"Yes, but it's not the same."

Syaoran looked away in anger. His eyes landed on the back of a girl with short auburn hair only meters away. She was waiting for the signal to change, so that she could cross the street.

"Eriol, look."

"Why, it's--"

"Sakura!"

Sakura looked over her shoulder, surprised. Syaoran jolted his daughter awake with his shout and she felt herself being thrown against Eriol. Eriol caught Peony, who could see her father running towards her mother. The world slowed down as the scene played like a tragic movie.

Sakura was running across the street without waiting for the signal. "Sakura!" She stopped in the middle of the road, shocked as she heard a blaring horn honk. Suddenly, it was as if someone turned off the lights. She felt it hurt her side, causing her to fall. Her scream was louder than the sound of the breaks screeching to a halt. Wait a moment…

She was on the ground feeling the bruises coming. She flexed her fingers… How is it that when one dies, one could feel the bruises, and the concrete under her back…? She realized that the car did not hit her. Slowly, she opened her eyes, trying to visualize the faces hovering over her. Far away she could hear sirens. "Sakura!" As she sat up, she looked over towards Eriol and Peony. Eriol held Peony as if he did not want the girl to see what was going on. Peony struggled against him, crying. "Sakura!!!!"

She shook her head. Someone's hand touched her shoulder. "Are you alright?"

Not far from her she could hear another crowd of people shouting, "He's not moving!"

"Does anyone know CPR?"

"Moron, the ambulances are coming!"

"Young man, wake up, please!"

Sakura glanced over at them. It was not an object that hit her, but a person. She stiffly got up, her brain hurting more than ever. "Easy there," someone said, taking her elbow. Sakura pushed pass the people and moved towards the other body, lying unconscious.

The man had dark brown hair that was wet with blood. His bangs were dripping with blood from a scar that ran deep across his forehead. His cheek was bruised and his suit was wrinkled and torn.

Sakura fell to her knees, taking his head in her lap and wept.

"Poor children," commented an elder woman, standing far off, "What an awful thing to have happen."

TBC