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: xXBlossomofShadowsXx, FashionFairy26, petiteTRINH, deadflo, thank you. :) My old group of ladies have reviewed, you've made my day! You know how I feel.

I've got a disaster of a party my mum's organizing and she wants me to serve. :O If I survive, I'll update again today, so keep an eye out.

Disclaimer: Nothing mine.

viii.

Careless, helpless little man
Someday you might understand
There's not much more to say
But I hope you find a way

- Left outside alone/Anastasia

Sakura took a day off the next day.

Even the receptionist was surprised when she called in sick.

For a change she spent the morning lying in bed while watching her favourite sitcoms. Some of the jokes were funny even though they were reruns. She ate breakfast in bed, toast and butter, while scrolling down Facebook friend requests she'd got in the recent past. She ignored them all and simply sat watching TV.

Quickly, before she could stop herself, she searched for Syaoran Li.

No results.

She then searched for Xiao Lang Li.

No results.

She shut down her laptop and enjoyed the rest of the morning in solitude.

*.*

Afternoon came and Sakura found herself on a ledge on the rooftop with her kites. Farther and farther it flew with the wind, away from trouble, away from home. Sakura always wondered if kites had a life of their own. If they were let free, would they go where they wanted?

Or would they fall to the ground?

A simple red and blue kite sat next to her on the rooftop while a bright yellow one in the shape of a dragon flew across the sullen blue skies. It was the most relaxing thing, to take breaths with the wind that gave her kite flight.

"You fly kites?"

She almost turned around. She didn't have to. The boy came and sat next to her on the ledge, picking up the other kite.

"I saw the kite from my balcony... didn't think it was you."

"Hmm,"

He fingered the edges of the kite with his fingers while looking up at the kite in the sky.

"You're multitalented, aren't you?" Syaoran praised.

Sakura only looked at him at that.

"It's just kite flying," Sakura reminded.

"Not many people even know what a kite looks like."

Sakura felt herself get irritated at that. Was he trying to butter her up now?

"You're pissed at me." He told her. Sakura wanted to scoff at him.

"I don't know you enough to be pissed at you." She told him. "You're my next door neighbour, that's all." You're nobody, she wanted to add. She wasn't heartless. Even hearing it from someone you barely knew was hurtful. She knew that.

Syaoran placed a hand on hers, wielding the thread out of her hands and taking control of the kite in the air. He stood up and walked to the edge of the roof, leading the kite further away with him. Not very far from an unassuming Sakura who looked as undisturbed as the weather.

"Didn't go into work?" Syaoran asked. Small talk... that was easy enough.

"I called in sick."

"You don't look sick." He observed. Sakura half laughed, half snorted. The drug addict was drawing speculations on her. How funny.

Sakura didn't bother answering.

"So... my cousin's here."

"Oh," Sakura said. That was interesting.

"Yeah, she said you two spoke." Syaoran turned around to look at her. "What'd you talk about?"

"I just told her you needed her." Sakura told him truthfully.

"I don't need anybody." Syaoran told her while wringing the thread around the railing. He walked back and sat next to her.

"It didn't look that way when I saw you last," she said without looking at him.

"Sakura,"

Hearing her name made her look at him. Something... was different about the way he said her name. It irked something in her.

"I'm not an addict."

Sakura smiled at that. The laughing came mere seconds later.

"That's the funniest thing I've heard all day." She told him between laughs.

"I'm not kidding."

Sakura stopped laughing and took a look at his face. He looked hurt, and ticked off. It made her smile. He believed what he said. She shrugged.

"It's none of my business." Sakura affirmed. "What you do and who you are is your business."

Silently, he agreed with what she'd said. They watched the kite rise further and further, the thread attached at the railing tugging to get away.

"...about the painting on the wall..." Syaoran started while playing with his fingers. Sakura cocked her head to the side.

"Were you there the whole time?" he asked. She nodded. She watched him swallow.

"I didn't do something stupid, did I?"

Sakura felt herself trembling

"You don't remember?" she asked curiously. He remembered the first night well enough.

"Usually I do..."

... Gently played with her hair

"I remember some things. I remember painting... you." He flushed. "I'm sorry if I scared you."

... He grazed the sides of her breasts.

"You didn't." She lied. It had been terrifying.

"I would never hurt you, high or not." Syaoran told her with a firm look in his eye. Sakura only nodded. It was too intense to even maintain eye contact.

"Mei Ling doesn't know." Syaoran told her then.

Sakura nodded again. Mei Ling must be the cousin.

"I don't want her to know."

"If it were me, I wouldn't want anyone to know." Sakura told him as she went to unwind the thread from the roof railing.

"You're leaving?" he stood as she walked past him.

Syaoran shouldn't be so needy, not around her at least. Any other girl would've fallen easily for those charms.

"I've got papers to grade,"

Maybe in another world, in another time, Sakura would have fallen for the boy next door with big brown eyes hidden under unruly brown hair. Not anymore, though. She wasn't immune to his attention, but she wasn't stupid.

She would do everything in her power so as to not make the same mistake again.

And I wonder if you know

How it really feels

to be left outside alone

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