Yoshimi entered the busy hospital, avoiding the nurses, the wheelchairs and the people being rushed to the emergency operation rooms. She walked right past the reception desk, knowing exactly where she was going, subconsciously clutching the weapon in her jacket.

The clean, disgusting smell of the hospital invaded her senses and was enough to make her gag, but she could withstand it…for now. As she stepped onto the elevator, Yoshimi's cell phone went off, the default ring sounding all around the tiny box. The two other people in the elevator gave her a sideways glare but remained staring at the numbers as they lit up, waiting to exit the elevator.

Yoshimi answered non-chalantly, "What is it?"

"Where are you, Yo?" Tigris asked using the new short form of Yoshimi's name, even though he knew it pissed her off.

"I'm getting supplies for the apartment, or have you not noticed the lack of food in the fridge?" Yoshimi responded, pinching the bridge of her nose. She hated lying to Tigris, but it was the only way she could get her job done without interference.

"At this time? It's almost 9. Wouldn't most stores be closed by now? I was going to go in the morning anyways." Tigris said.

"Well I guess I beat you to the punch eh? I'll see you in a bit alright?" Yoshimi answered, a trace of guilt lingering in her words. She was making a point not to answer Tigris' first question.

"Yeah, later." And Tigris hung up.

Yoshimi sighed and left the elevator on the fourth floor. She grimaced as an old man that smelled of pee passed her in his wheelchair, muttering to himself. She moved on, looking for a certain room. As she passed the other rooms she saw younger, suicidal teenagers, a woman who had just gotten her appendix removed, and a tiny boy struggling to live through his breathing mask. A twinge of sadness crept through her as she stopped to peer at the little boy.

"A beautiful boy isn't he?" An older woman said from inside the room, coming out to talk to Yoshimi.

"Yes…yes he's quite handsome." She agreed. "Your son?" She asked though the woman didn't exactly look to be at an age to have children.

"No, actually. I am the caretaker at the adoption shelter. Luka has no parents." The look on the woman's face was a pained one, showing the pity and sorrow she felt for the boy. "I'm Hailey, by the way." She stuck out her hand to shake Yoshimi's.

"Yoshimi." She took Hailey's hand and shook it. Yoshimi looked at her and asked, "May I…?" She nodded her head to the boy.

"Oh of course! Go ahead, I was about to get coffee anyways. I'll be back in a bit." Hailey answered and shuffled off to the nearest coffee maker, leaving Yoshimi and the little boy alone together. Yoshimi stepped inside the room quietly even though she was sure the boy wouldn't have woken up anyways.

"You're name is Luka, huh?" Yoshimi asked, not expecting an answer. She kneeled down next to his bed and looked at him carefully. "You will grow up to be a very handsome man, no doubt about that." She continued. It took a small amount of restraint to keep her from touching his pale cheek. "I have a hard time believing that a boy such as yourself is an orphan." Yoshimi's eyes started to water slightly. She knew what it was like to be an orphan, no real parents to look after you, nobody to really love you. "You don't deserve that…little Luka."

Yoshimi remembered how she grew up, abandoned, and unloved. The only person she could have ever been grateful for was Lane. How he kept her alive after so long of being out on the streets. She shuddered at remembering the feeling of true sadness with death at her shoulders. And as she looked at Luka, she sincerely hoped for the best for him.

Yoshimi grasped the boy's small and frail hand gently, rubbing her thumb down his smooth fingers. She was startled when he tightened his hand around hers, not expecting him to be awake, or even able to hear her. But he made no other movements, just the weak squeezing of his hand on hers. Yoshimi felt a tear drop on her knee, and she smiled.

"I'll come back and visit you again, little Luka." Yoshimi said, gave his hand one last rub and let go, exiting the room just as Hailey was returning. She quickly rubbed her sleeve over her face to rid it of her tears.

"Thank you very much for looking after him while I stepped out." Hailey smiled.

"Is it…is it ok if I come back sometime? You know, to see him again?" Yoshimi asked hesitantly. Never in her life had she felt much emotion for someone other than Tigris. It was beyond her why she would start now.

"You are welcome any time you wish, dear. I'm sure if Luka knew that someone other than an old woman like me came to visit him, he'd be very happy. Every bit of happiness in his fight to survive counts." Hailey said with the wisdom of her age.

Yoshimi nodded, took one last look at Luka and continued on to complete her mission. One that had to be done for the sake of hers, and Tigris' lives.

As she stepped into the last room on the floor, she shut the door behind her silently and turned the light on. She was met with a grumble and a curse.

"Who the fuck turned that light on?" Came a strained, almost unrecognizable voice. The man didn't open his eyes, but he could hear breathing other than his and the beeps of the machines in the room.

Yoshimi stepped forward and looked Viper up and down. "Well don't you look like shit." She commented.

Viper opened his eyes then and side glanced at her. "Since when do you have the balls to come see me when you left me for dead, Yoshimi?" He snapped.

Yoshimi walked around to the other side of the bunk, where the beeping machines were plugged into the wall. "I figured you'd want some company while you were here." She answered back coolly.

"Like hell you'd come here just to keep me company. Should have stayed away, that way I wouldn't be tempted to kill you." Viper had gotten bitter while he was at the hospital. His face still showed his scars, his body was neatly wrapped in bandages, and a bag of blood was attached to his arm.

"Forgive me for laying low." Yoshimi said sarcastically. "Besides, I thought the explosion had finally done you in. Guess I can't always be right eh?"

"Get to the point, Yoshimi. I'm growing old just waiting for you to say something that means anything to me." Viper grunted.

Yoshimi hid a smirk behind her hair as she looked down at her feet. Just to her right were the cords plugging into the wall that were connected to Viper's heart rate monitor. This job had to be done quickly. "Well, you remember Lane don't you?" Yoshimi asked.

Viper's face twitched at the name. "Of course I do. Why? He wants my money?"

"Not exactly." Yoshimi curled her foot around the cords. "See, as soon as he knew that you were out of the game, he contacted me with a job." She could see Viper's face twist in realization. "And well, I just couldn't refuse."

"You're really going to follow orders from that man? After what I did for you?" Viper's voice had a pleading note to it. He was close to begging.

"After all you did for me?" Yoshimi laughed. "You didn't do shit for me. I worked for you, and you didn't give me anything in return." Yoshimi pulled her foot, bringing the cords with it. The beeping stopped and the machines lost their bright lights.

"You're not going to kill me, Yoshimi. That's a cowardly move." Viper looked around frantically, spotting the button to call for a nurse.

Yoshimi slapped the device away from Viper, a tiny smile placed on her face. She took the syringe out of her pocket and stuck it into the tube that was pumping blood into Viper's arm. She pushed air into the tube and watched the bubble crawl down.

"No, no! Yoshimi! What are you doing!" Viper started to panic. Yoshimi slapped her hand on his mouth and kept his hand away from the tube connected to his arm.

Soon, the air bubble reached into Viper's arm, and soon enough, he started to spasm. It was not long before he suddenly stopped moving and lay still, his eyes still open, but seeing nothing.

"Hope you have a fun time in hell you bastard." Yoshimi whispered and took out a tiny wet cloth from a package and wiped down the places where she had touched Viper and wiped down the syringe and tube.

After getting rid of her finger prints on the door and any where else she could think of, she left the room. She walked quickly, heading towards the closest stairwell or elevator.

The first pair of stairs, she took, going as fast as she could without causing suspicion. It was bad enough that there were camera's every where. She just had to get out fast and prey to god that the security guards don't associate Viper's death with her visiting.

………………………………….

Toronto, Canada….

Months go by….

………………………………….

Hong Kong…..1:45 am

"I don't know, man," Jamie winced. "I don't think I can drink anymore." He hiccupped, but smiled and took another swig of his drink anyways. Selina sat beside him, giggling and chugging down a beer herself. The house was full of life, people everywhere with one hand holding a cup of their preferred drink. It was declared that the entire house needed to release their stresses. This declaration was made by Mei ling.

Some people had already passed out and went to bed, but those were the lightweights of the group. Most of the house was still lively with fairly intoxicated people. Syaoran, having a few drinks himself, wandered around the crowds. He didn't say much, just listened to the conversations around him and laughed along in a drunken manor that pleased everyone.

"Syyyaoran!" Lilly slurred at him. "Come with me!" She said excitedly. Lilly grabbed Syaoran's hand and dragged him with her up the three flights of stairs and down into the bathroom where she was positive no one would go. She turned around to look at Syaoran and giggled, closing the door behind him.

"Um, Lilly? Whatcha doing?" Syaoran asked, squinting a little. His vision was not quite perfect at the moment, and he wobbled unsteadily.

Lilly only put her finger to his lips and bit her own lip with a smile. Instinctively Syaoran froze up as she started to advance on him. She stopped, a small frown or pout- he couldn't tell. "What's the matter?" She asked. But her pout suddenly turned into a smirk. "Too drunk to be with a woman?"

Syaoran was about to answer her but Lilly stepped up so close to him that they were breathing each others air, "Hope I'm not too drunk for you." And she closed what little of a gap was left. Her lips crushed into his and took his face in her hands.

Syaoran, dumb struck, stood there, wide eyed and immobile in every way. His feet wouldn't move, neither would his hands or his lips. But Lilly, on her perilous search for…something, never even noticed his lack of movement. She grazed her hands across his chest and back and down his legs. But as she got closer to Syaoran's belt and started to undo it, he put his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away.

Lilly looked confused for a moment, but took his hands and pulled Syaoran towards her instead. And of course, Syaoran being as unsteady as he was fell right into her. By this time though, Syaoran remembered how to speak. "Lilly, no. No, I can't do this." He said as he pulled away from her.

The room had only a second of awkwardness before Lilly burst into tears. "All I wanted was for someone to love me." She whispered.

"What?" Syaoran asked, not hearing her.

"Love, Syaoran, love!" She started yelling. "I have never been loved!"

Syaoran grew confused. How could this awkward situation turn from sexual to world falling apart in 2.7 second? "But, Lilly, there's so many people downstairs that love you."

Lilly shook her head. "That's not the kind of love I want." She looked up at Syaoran through her lashes. "Didn't you ever notice?"

"Notice what?" Syaoran had sobered up quite quickly. He never liked seeing girls cry.

Lilly nodded her head and laughed a little. "Exactly. You never even noticed how I tried to get you to look at me or how I wanted you to hold me or anything! I tried! I tried so goddamn hard!" Lilly's tears were getting heavier, more and more flowing down her cheeks. "But you, you can only think of her!"

"Of who?" Syaoran asked, though he knew it was a dumb question.

"Sakura!" Lilly exploded. "All this time all you can think about is her! Sakura, Sakura, Sakura! And you know what? I am damn sick of it! She's gone, and she's not coming back! Don't you get it? She hates us now! Why would she want to come back?"

That stung Syaoran because it was his, and partly Touya's decision to let her go. Did she really hate them now? Well it's not like any of them could know since they had no way of contacting her. "She'll come back. We'll bring her back." He answered calmly.

"Right. You'll bring her back so that I can be left alone all over again." Lilly looked towards the window. "I can't let that happen. I can't do this anymore."

"Lilly, please. Stop this. You are loved. And you have your whole life ahead of you to find the love that you really want." Syaoran tried to reason as he saw her mind making that final decision.

Lilly quickly stepped towards the window. "You can't stop me, Syaoran." She opened the window and stood there, her back facing the outside. "You can't stop me from finally getting what I want."

"No! Lilly there's a better way to get around this. Please, if I can't help you, let someone else." Syaoran pleaded with her as he stepped towards her, close enough to hug her.

Lilly shook her head and smiled. "It's too late for that." And she leaned forward to kiss him, and then pushed her body out of the window, releasing Syaoran's lips. And all he could hear was a crash and a car alarm going off.

He didn't dare look out the window.

……………………………………..

Toronto, Canada…….

They've forgotten about me….

………………………………………..

Ok you guys. I realize that this is a shorter chapter. But this was just to get things moving and to leave a little mystery as to what's happening with Sakura. And also I am very sorry for being so late again. I swear I am working on the next chapter right now.

3

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