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, teru21, petiteTRINH, thanks for reviewing! *big kiss and hug*

amelancholicangel, deadflo, Fashion Fairy 26 : You've probably missed a chapter! Go back and take a look.

The second update of the day, as promised.

3000 views and 74 reviews. I've never had this much attention to one story, ever. Thank you! Thank you ALL. None of this would be possible without you. Please leave a review so I can personally thank you guys for your attention to this story. Sometimes I feel it so doesn't deserve this much.

Disclaimer: I love Touya, I love Yukito. I love them... sigh, if only...

xvi.

It's just my humble opinion

But it's one that I believe in

You don't deserve a point of view

If the only thing you see is you

- Playing God/Paramore

Syaoran had been having a foul day.

Scratch that, he'd been having a foul year, period.

He loitered out of class feeling somewhat better. He'd managed a painting of an erupting volcano; one that poured lava on that imbecilic brother of Sakura's he screamed in agony while his bones turn to dust. It was sadistic, sure, but he couldn't help himself. He hadn't met someone so vile in a while... even if Touya wasn't the vilest of them all.

No, Touya was nowhere close to the vilest person Syaoran knew. He was reluctant to even admit that.

"Syaoran Li," a man came to their sketching class and announced. Syaoran raised his hand sceptically.

"You've got an emergency call."

Syaoran immediately panicked. No one had called his phone. Who was it?

He walked behind the man and felt himself racing. What was the emergency?

"Here," the man told him as he directed him into a room. Syaoran went in... And found Touya and Yukito.

"What the fuck?" Syaoran swore after shutting the door behind him.

"No need to curse," Touya clucked his tongue with a sadistic grin. Syaoran scowled.

"You call this an emergency? I was in class there,"

"Would you have come to see us, if we'd asked politely?" Touya questioned with an eyebrow cocked up. His expression was so much like Sakura's at that moment. It was creepy.

"Not a chance." Syaoran crossed his arms and said.

Yukito smiled. "Why don't you let me talk to him, Toya?"

"Fine," Touya relented after many moments. The look he gave Syaoran irritated him to no end.

"What is it? I have to get back before someone realizes I'm out here on a joyride." He said, addressing Yukito alone this time. Yukito had a small smile on.

"What kind of substance are you taking currently?" Yukito asked confidently. Syaoran stuttered.

"Uh,"

"How have you been feeling lately? Perhaps sweating profusely or raised blood pressure?" Yukito asked, bringing a suspicion to Syaoran's mind.

"Did Sakura—"

"Don't you dare," Touya stood. "Bring my sister into this. Sakura has done nothing but protect your stupid ass since we've got here, so answer the damned questions."

"Toya, you promised," Yukito reminded.

"How can I stay calm? Look at him standing there like he's done nothing wrong!" Touya screamed.

"Sakura would never out you to anyone, Syaoran, I hope you know that." Yukito paused to dig in a bag. "Look, you don't have to tell us anything you don't want to tell us. We promise we wouldn't involve any third parties, including the officials. We're just here to offer you our help."

Syaoran stood stunned as Yukito handed him a card. He didn't need to look at it to know what it was.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Why do you think?" Touya responded as the two of them stood. Yukito bowed before leaving and looked to Touya.

"I'll be right out," he told Yukito. After a defeated sigh, Yukito left the two alone. For the first time, Syaoran felt afraid of Sakura's brother. Sure the man wouldn't physically harm him... it was the things he would say that Syaoran was afraid of.

"Get this straight," he said as he came closer to Syaoran. "My sister does not need to help you, neither do I.

"So if you don't get yourself straightened out and start taking responsibility for your own actions, there'll be hell to pay. And I promise you, I'll be right back on the first flight out, no matter how far Japan may be from Glasgow."

"So you're doing this for Sakura," Syaoran understood.

"I'm doing this because it's my job," Touya corrected. "It's what I do. I would've done it for you even if you were a stranger on the streets."

"Why?"

"I just told you,"

"No, I meant why this job? I'm sure you're not paid much, and I'm sure there isn't much of a profit for you in it, so why?" Syaoran pried as though it was his place. Touya huffed.

"Not everything revolves around money." He told Syaoran. "Not everyone needs to drown in money to be happy, have you ever thought of that?"

"I don't care about money." Syaoran said. How did Touya know?

"If you say so,"

"I... don't." Syaoran finished lamely before realizing he'd strayed from topic. Something about what Touya had said before struck him odd.

"Sakura picked me up off the streets, just like you said you would have. I always thought about it... then I met you and things sort of made sense..." Syaoran trailed off then. Touya looked at him with his arms crossed, no answers.

"But there's more, isn't there?" Syaoran asked fearfully.

"She'll tell you when she's ready, I guess." Touya never answered his question. "That is, if you ever get your act cleaned up."

"But—"

"We'll be there for you when you decide you need help."

Touya left the room after that. Syaoran stood there, frozen, too afraid to even breathe.

The instant he did breathe though, he wanted to get high.

So that was what he did to ease the pain. He went to class, gave some half assed excuse and went home to smoke himself into oblivion.

*.*

When Mei Ling would return home from her shoot, she would find several canvases filled with images of raindrops, water, fire and earth represented like dust or a crystal. She would look curiously at the paintings and then find Syaoran sound asleep in his bed, meth and pipe safely hidden away with Sakura's sketch in his sock drawers.

Only once she went to her bedroom would she find that the walls in her room had been ambushed with images of the auburn haired girl in the rain. She wouldn't say anything though, except sigh and get ready to sleep.

I'm on both sides of the fence

I'll point you to the mirror

Without a hint of regret

I'll hold you to it

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