In The Darkness, A Cherry Blossom Falls

By Vfgirl

My first fic.. Hope that u guys liked it. r&r, pls, ok? As for who this is about, I'm not gonna say. Oh, but this is waayyy AU, and I'm twisting a lot of stuff around to suit the story, so it definitely won't match the background of the character established by the comics. And, enjoy!

Prologue

It was five minutes past midnight. The full moon shone full and bright whilst the harsh neon lights of the city fought with it, vainly seeking to wrestle away some of its splendor. Down in the city, the streets were filled with people who didn't want to be found, people who sought to be left alone. They ranged from thin, skeletal looking drug addicts to some of China's most wanted, all looking to have a good, anonymous night on the town.

A still figure sat motionless in an alley, bundled in its pitiful, dirty scraps of cloth, trying to shield itself from some of the brisk autumn air. It had been sitting there for the past 5 nights, still and quiet, staying out of the way of everybody else. The first night she had sat at the alley, the tramps and addicts had tried chatting to her, but then they discovered that she spoke absolutely no Chinese at all, and there was something about her, the way her piercing gaze seemed to bore into you, and the way that she reeked of. danger, that was just. off-putting. So after a few days, they vacated the alley, and let her have it to herself.

As for the people walking past, they paid no head to the person sitting there. They were scum, but it was so much worse than they were, without money or even shelter, reeking of smoke, beer, and body odor. It was a pitiful, insignificant thing, not posing any threat nor holding any possible gain to them, and therefore not worth even a brief glance it's way. They saw her, but they did not notice her.

And that was exactly what she had planned.

The cold easily penetrated the odorous rags that she wore, but she was impervious to it, calling upon years of training to keep away the chill, resisting the temptation to shiver and shake. All thoughts were focused on the assignment at hand. Nothing else mattered, not even the chill that had permeated the very core of her being. Everything was the here, everything was the now. That was all that was important.

It didn't matter how many times she'd sat in an alley just like this one, waiting for her target, or how many times she'd been in different countries doing the exact same thing - it never got any more pleasant. And as far as this particular part of China was concerned, it was just as seedy, disreputable and distasteful as any other dirty little corner in any other city in any other part of the world. But that didn't matter. Only the here and the now mattered.

A rare smiled flitted across her features, faint humor registering deep in her dark mind. People, she mused with vague interest, were incredibly strange creatures. On one hand, they were capable of the most grotesque, unbelievably cruel deeds, and yet some were capable of the most selfless acts of giving, sacrifice, and love. She would know. The sole purpose of her existence was to kill people.

Just then, her head snapped up, as if her ears had picked up some phantom sound. Her eyes were alert, and she extended her senses out to see who was coming. Sure enough, a few seconds later, footsteps echoed on the concrete as four men made their way down the alley. One by one, they stepped over the limp, unmoving bundle of cloth lying in their way. One of them kicked it, muttering "Stupid tramp" as they walked past. After they had walked some distance away, two of them moved further into the shadows, beginning their transaction, whilst the other two took out their AK-47's and stood guard.

It was here. It was NOW.

The bundle stood up swiftly. Two pink throwing knives suddenly appeared in her hand, and she threw them with deadly accuracy. They hit both guards square in the forehead, and both slumped noiselessly to the ground. The two men further back were quietly talking amongst themselves, when they looked up and saw the two guards slumped on the floor. Looking up at each other, clearly frightened, they started to make a break for it.

Before they could even go 3 feet, a ghostly phantom swooped down from above, landing on one of them, causing him to fall down. A pink katana appeared in her hands, and she stabbed downwards in one swift, brutal strike, using her foot to snap his back and the katana to break his neck in one deadly move.

Here.

Split seconds later, she launched her into a sprint towards the other target, covering the distance between them with deadly speed. Leaping forward, she placed her hands on the frightened man's shoulders, using him as leverage to flip over and in front of him. Landing lightly, she spun around and held her katana out behind her, its deadly point glinting in the garish lights of the shops nearby. Unable to stop himself in time, he ran straight into her katana, impaling himself upon it, and died instantly.

Now.

It was over. Just as suddenly as her deadly blade had come into being, it disappeared. Having nothing else to hold him up, the dead man slumped to the ground, the blood pooling around his lifeless body. She surveyed the destruction dispassionately, and then turned around and left the alley.

Reaching into her coat pocket, she pulled out a small device. Turning it on, she looked into it, and talked to the face of a man dressed in unidentifiable military fatigues that had appeared on the small LCD screen. "I'm done."

He snorted. "It's about time. Head to the location. You'll be coming back here. I have a new assignment for you."

After the operative had severed the connection, the officer turned to one of his assistants, also dressed in military fatigues.

"Get ready, Lt. Wraith. Psylocke's coming back to Weapon X HQ."

Chapter 1

The sun was just beginning to rise, the first rays of pink and orange light peeking out over the h