Wolves Reign

by Immortal-Blood

When Sakura Kinomoto finally goes to college she thought her life was finally coming together, but when she meets a dangerous group of individuals her entire world changes. Now she must learn to survive a gun-weilding, revenge-seeking world that Syaoran Li has tried to save her from to no avail.

36. Too Close

WOLVES REIGN

CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: Too Close

…

…

…

April 6th

Kyoto Precinct

7:03 A.M.

"Alright," a female spoke as the door opened and shut with a snap. Detective Luc looked up as the medical examiner entered. She was reading one folder while two more were tucked beneath her arm. "I have three DNA samples for you and two of them will definitely be of interest. The third…" she glanced behind her at the closed door and loud police station beyond. "Let's just say the third I had to do a few more times to make sure it was correct, off the books of course."

"Why is that?" Luc held out his hand for the folders eagerly wanting to know who their culprit was. He wasn't too keen on the delay, but now was better than tomorrow.

"It's from the Medina case."

Luc stared at her for a long moment, racking his brain for a plausible reason before shrugging it off. She was always too vague, but her results were always spot on. He opened the top folder labeled MEDINA and stared at the report. "Victim wasn't in the database. Fine. Blood samples match Arya Medina and an unknown person not in the database, but separate from the victim on the table. Finger prints match Arya Medina and…" he looked up. "Reina Terada. She was at the crime scene. I don't see—"

She cut him off. "Keep reading." Luc flipped the paper over and stared at lines overlapping one another. When he looked at the medical examiner in confusion, she sighed looking over the paper from her angle. "That's Medina's DNA we managed to snag from various places in the house. We cross referenced the DNA of his wife, making sure Talia's DNA wasn't interfering with this report. After getting Reina's prints from her mishap of entering the crime scene, I found that it was near identical to that of Arya."

"They're related?" his breath barely left his lips as he stared at the lines. He still didn't see the connection, but the connection was there.

"DNA does not lie."

"Related, related?" He couldn't believe it. His hand began to shake with new adrenaline. The prospect of that kind of knowledge…not only had she been in and out of the office during their ongoing investigation, but she was a willing participant to speak with Arya. His gaze went to the woman before him with a snap. "Terada,"

"I haven't spoken to him nor seen him all day. I wanted to get the reports to you before he came down to retrieve them." She laid a hand on the report to still his adrenaline rush. "Before you ask, yes, I've checked every sample we were able to acquire from the Medina house and Terada never popped up."

"Only the wife." He took a shuddering breath of release. "Thank you for this. You have no idea." She nodded her head, not saying anything as she made her leave. Luc stared at the folder.

Reina Terada was a part of it all.

He knew something was off about the woman. Had a gut feeling, even. His partner called him crazy. Now he had proof. Detective Luc pulled out his cell phone to dial his partner. The ringing was dim as he stared at the other reports, still trying to get his mind wrapped around the new revelations.

"What?"

"I have a lead on the Medina case." He stared at the second report and smiled. "And apparently on last night's car dealer ship. I need you in as soon as possible."

This was too good to be true, he thought and grinned at the white board across the room.

Li Mansion

7:44 A.M.

Sakura stared at her injury in the mirror, face contorted with the pain that came with it. She had to admit one thing though, it wasn't as painful as the original gunshot wound, and it wouldn't be painful if she'd sit and rest for once. Fingers poked and probed at the black and blue mess that surrounded the inch-size gash overlapping a circular scar. It hurt, but she was used to it. At that point, as her fingers squished together to make the gash ooze out fresh blood, she wondered if she'd be used to all types of injuries all together. Releasing her hip, Sakura rocked back a step and blinked just as a dozen or so black dots filled her vision. No, she didn't think she'd get used to all injuries. As the sensation of the dots vanished, she was left once again to face her half-naked body in the mirror.

Syaoran inhabited the other half of the mirror, staring up at her from his perch in front of his computer. His fingers were poised over the keyboard while paused as he stared at her with a quizzical look. Sakura crinkled her nose at his off-expression and crossed her arms.

"Why are you staring at me?"

"Why are you staring at yourself?" he countered easily and leaned back in the chair, his own arms crossing over his chest.

"It's called self-pity. Something you should take to heart considering your own physical appearance." She blinked away her sour expression in order to frown. "Although, your scar is looking better than mine at the moment minus the bruises." He got up to close the gap between them, his arms encircling around her as he met her gaze in the mirror.

"It'll get better. If not I'll personally go after Carra." His breath whispered against her flesh, lips barely touching the curvature of her neck.

"I'd love to see that happen right next to you finally closing that laptop and physically going to speak with your uncle or mother or whoever you're…talking…to…" she lost her train of thought, voice following into a whisper as he kissed her collar bone to her shoulder.

"They don't need me coming in." Syaoran finally answered. Hair began to rise on her skin and bumps replaced the tingles of chills as he continued to kiss back up her collar bone to her neck. One hand found its way up her stomach, the other holding her firmly pressed against her stomach. The moment he found a soft spot just below her bra line, Sakura laughed and wiggled, breaking his sensual touch.

"You did that on purpose!" she cried when he held her firmly in place.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Was his calm reply.

"Bullshit," Sakura met his dark gaze in the mirror and saw, for the first time since meeting him, a quirk of his lips in a genuine smile. No, she thought, she'd seen him smile like that when they got married. It was an unusual expression on him. She could get him to smile and laugh here or there, but a genuine smile that lit up his entire being was rare. "Don't do that," she tried to threaten and his smile grew.

"You mean don't do…this?" he barely touched her ribcage before she lit up with a high-pitched squeal of laughter, trying hard to move away from. Syaoran held her firmly as he continued to assault her stomach with a bare touch of his fingers.

Her phone gave a sharp whistle on the dresser next to them, ruining the moment just as Syaoran paused from the sudden sound. Sakura glanced at it, reading the incoming message lighting up her locked screen before letting out an air of breath and cautiously pulling away from his embrace. "Isabella's here." Sakura said with an edge to her voice as her laughter died out. "Since we have so many guests, I've asked her to stay outside."

"Is that the only reason?" Syaoran asked making Sakura frown as she began to finger comb her short hair in the mirror. "I'm sorry. I know she's a friend."

"She is." Sakura bit her lower lip in thought and watched as he took in her expressions, trying to figure out the real reason why Isabella was here. When Sakura didn't continue, he returned to embracing her, kissing the top of her head in encouragement.

"Whatever your plan is today, I promise not to get mad."

"Good." She held his arms wrapped loosely around her middle and felt the twitch of anticipation as he tightened and loosened his grip. "We're going to visit Jonathan." His muscles answered her, forcing Sakura to turn around in his grasp to meet his real gaze and not the mirrors. "He came to me a few nights ago wanting to talk about Shang, I wouldn't hear it because Sera was on her rampage. I want to hear him out now."

"You couldn't hear him out last night?" she caught a hint of a growl and wondered if it was the comment about him coming to her or her wanting to go see him—again.

"Considering the situation he was in, no, I couldn't have."

"I'm sorry," Syaoran cupped her face and softly kissed her before pulling away. "I'm not used to having so many outsiders so close to home or my family." She opened her mouth, but he shook his head. "I will get used to your kind heart and your desire to be Haruto's friend. I promise."

"You're making a lot of promises right now, Li." She commented with dry amusement, hoping to lighten the mood as she passed him in search for clothes.

"Promises I intend to keep, Kinomoto." Sundress in hand, Sakura eyed him.

"It's Li now, remember?"

"How can I forget?" in one large step he was on top of her, kissing her hard and forcing her to drop the item of clothing. Once again his fingers found her sides and she gasped, trying hard to pull away.

"Isabella's waiting for me." she laughed.

"I'm waiting for you." he breathed against her neck as he trailed kisses, leaving a mess against her skin like a hot stone.

"And you can't wait a little longer?" she laughed out and pulled away. His only answer was to tug her back, fingers casually going up her arms and hiding in her short hair.

"Can you?" it was a simple question. One, she realized, that came with a gesture as he kissed her long and deep while allowing his body to press firmly to her own. A hunger deep inside her woke up as he wrapped fingers in her hair and tugged, bringing her head back and neck out. Within seconds his teeth grazed against her flesh in a soft and sensual kiss just at the base of her throat.

"Damn-it." Sakura grounded out as every part of her reacted. She felt him laugh at her predicament even as he lifted her up with ease. Legs locking around his waist, Sakura made it difficult for him to move as she locked lips and didn't release. Her body shifted to angle at just the right position forcing out a moan from him. The sound resounded against her as she sucked and kneaded his tongue with her own. It was payback.

Syaoran moved them in a half circle, navigating the bed without help from her. The position she locked her body in made it not only difficult to take a step, but difficult for him to not let out a moan. Her revenge was going to be bittersweet as she deepened the kiss considerably. His body reacted in the exact way she wanted, with a tremble of ecstasy and hardening of desire. Sliding one hand downwards between them, she caressed and held firmly to him, forcing him to curse against her lips and bite down on her bottom lip until she bled. Tasting the metallic tang of her own blood, Sakura lifted her body up and down, forcing him to step backwards as he cupped and held her body firmly against his own. Taking that as his way of wanting her to remain still, she buried both hands into his short-cropped hair and tugged forcing his own head back identical to what he'd done to her. Her lips met his Adam's apple just as he stepped forward blindly.

Losing balance, Syaoran went too far forward and crashed, her back hitting something cold and hard. A subtle crack reverberated back to them and she gasped, more for the feeling of the cool sensation against skin and the pleasurable bulge wanting release from his sweatpants than from the audible snap of something breaking. Still standing, Syaoran moved one hand skillfully up to rest against her bra hook while balancing her weight to remain where she was. Before she even had time to think it was gone, his warm hand finding its way against her skin as he assaulted every inch of her neck and collarbone. Syaoran was suddenly in control. Her body lifted up away from the mirror as he straightened them to shift away.

She did not want him in control.

Sakura bit hard on his neck before releasing and sucking on the bit of skin, her hand still down between them, fingers playing against skin and palm becoming hot. Syaoran gasped and she smiled. Once again her back was against the mirror, his posture shifting as he shook against her hold. Bringing his lips to her own, Sakura smirked and felt him growl. She was never going to get used to the way his body tensed with an audible growl of dominance. It was intoxicating at the same time surreal. Brown orbs dilated at the sound of her laugh, at the feel of her body locked against his own, and at the realization that Sakura was pressed firmly against something solid.

"You think that's funny?" she heard him say before her body was roughly pressed harder against the mirror. A pinch ran up her back as it cracked further to follow the outline of her body. Syaoran captured her lips the moment she opened them in a gasp, inhaling her breath at the same time he forced both hands up and over her head.

She lost control of the situation the moment one hand held both her wrists together in a vice grip. Syaoran's breathing grew fierce, his heart racing against her own as she felt the inevitable entry point. There was no gaining control after this. Syaoran had complete dominance over her. His lips met with her neck, teeth grazing gently, and her body shifted and formed to the mirror continuously. She was sure there was going to have a mark now after the crack continued to climb the glass. Losing all train of thought, however, cold mirror was replaced with cold sheets as their bodies shifted and molded into one. A hiccup of a gasp escaped her at that moment. Bringing her arms up and around, she circled his torso in order take in the way his muscles bunched and locked, in order to take in the contours of the lines as he tensed and released. Trailing her nails along his back, she felt him quiver and smiled. Maybe she hadn't lost control of the situation after all.

Arching her back, she deliberately locked them together tightly and felt him growl once again. The vibration of his chest met with her own as he shifted, bringing them sideways as she nibbled at his exposed neck. Syaoran moaned as his hand trailed down her arm and up, taking her breast fully. Goosebumps trickled over her skin at the contact seconds before her control was taken over. The other hand tightened around her thigh and she let out a hiccup, sucking in her breath as the new position tipped her over the edge. No more control. Eyes closed, she relished in the shake and shiver of their molded bodies, taking in his rough climax as if it were a part of her own. In truth, it was. She couldn't remember the last time he was ever this rough with her. A part of her couldn't even think straight, while the other part dove deep into the limbo he was driving into her to the very end. The sensation she felt at that moment was different. Almost as if she was going to lose him and that was their farewell.

Not sure if she liked that, Sakura opened her eyes and stared up at mahogany ceiling. Her heart raced thunderously against her chest and ears, barely tuning out the whistle of her cell phone. Syaoran's body, sweaty against her own moved to rest beside her. Lips were gentle against her shoulder as he butterfly kissed the sweat from her goose bumped flesh. Still winded, she turned her head to meet him and smiled, lips sought out his as her body moved to straddle him.

Brown orbs dilated and she smirked, heading shaking slightly. "I'm going," Sakura told him and leaned forward to kiss him over and over again. "I'll be careful and before you know it we'll be back in this room tonight with no intention of ever leaving."

"How long are you planning on staying over there?" she shivered as his fingers ran up her arm and over her collarbone, fingers lightly drumming to a tune only he could hear as he brought them back down.

"Not long." Sitting up, Sakura swung her body back over and moved away from him quickly. She began to scoot towards the edge of the bed only to let out a squeak as Syaoran pulled her back down. "Syaoran!"

He kissed her once again with a smirk, face looming over her own. "Will you give Nick the burner phone for me then?" she searched his gaze before nodding, sliding off the bed before he could pull her back down again. In one easy swoop, she picked up the discarded dress and went in search for her undergarments only to sigh, not seeing them. "You're bleeding." Syaoran said a second later.

Finding her bra, she snatched it up and whirled around. "Whose fault is that?" there was no answer.

Syaoran's eyes were closed as his head slowly rolled forward as it rested on his folded arm. Sakura let out an exasperated breath. If anyone needed to sleep it was him, but man was she jealous. After last night's activities on top of this morning's guests, she debated on crawling into bed with him and sleeping for an eternity. Isabella could wait another half-a-day before she finally showed up, couldn't she? As if the girl outside knew Sakura was hesitating, her phone went off angrily. Three sharp whistles of text messages came through in succession, followed by a fourth one less than thirty seconds later. She had a feeling Isabella had no problem barging in searching for her. Shaking her head, Sakura easily slipped into her bra and hooked it before sliding her underwear on only to pause.

The blood Syaoran had mentioned was welling up gradually, especially since she was bent forward. It was clotting even as it seeped, but not enough to stanch the flow all together. Swearing under another sigh, she grabbed the package of bandages left on the dresser and tore into one. The square was large and bulky making her cringe. She didn't have time to cut and shape the bandage to fit her hipbone nor did she have the patience. Going to the mirror, Sakura blinked at the sight of the destroyed body-size glass. It was cracked in two different places and up the length of the entire mirror. She winced. Seven years of bad luck was coming her way. Slapping the bandage over her hip she finished getting dressed, sent a message to Isabella that she was finally coming, and turned to face the sleeping form on the bed.

Wishing she could stay with him and sleep the day away, she silently kissed his cheek before leaving as quietly as possible. Haku was on the other side of the door, giving her a minor heart attack.

"He's sleeping." Sakura all but whispered in recover as she shut the door behind her.

"Meaning what?" he asked rather angrily. Sakura blinked and met his blue eyes. A line formed between his brows as he frowned down at her five something stature.

"Meaning…if you wake up Syaoran, you'll have to deal with me." Sakura frowned in return as she crossed her arms. "Did you need something, Haku?"

"That girl is downstairs waiting for you." She caught the distinct feeling he wasn't too happy about that. His gaze trailed over her black-strapless dress she opted to wear instead of the sundress before meeting her gaze again. "She said you asked her to stay outside because of our guests. Wei allowed her to come in since you were taking forever."

Sakura blushed. "We're leaving now." she said and brushed passed him.

Haku grabbed her arm tightly and she froze, meeting his cold gaze. "Syaoran can pass a blind eye now that you're married, but as a Black Wolf I can't."

"What is he ignoring?"

"Night Wing, Heinz, a cop's wife…what's next? Are you going to bring in silver snake under this roof, too?"

Sakura tugged her arm free and gave him her best false smile she could muster. "Take care of my best friend Haku and that injury, I've recently seen someone with a scar like that. It didn't look pretty." There was no comeback as she walked away. Grateful, she raised her cellphone and sent out a group message. We need a girl's night, she texted and smiled. Haku was going to have a field day with that one.

Outside

Wolf Mansion

9:18 A.M.

Paper rustled within the confines of a black Ford cruiser as the passenger became impatient. An unruly sound escaped their throat as they tossed back the paper a second later, arms twitching to touch the window controls. Fingers folded on themselves when the driver gave them a distinct eye-twitched expression. Sighing again, they stared out at the closed-in mansion. "Why do we have to sit on this property?"

"You keep asking that and I'm going to personally shoot you." The driver exclaimed tightly.

"No seriously." He took a long swigged of his coffee, grimaced at the cold taste, and unraveled a paper bag of food. The smell of hot grease filled the car as he tore in. "The entire household hasn't done anything of interest. It's the same people in and out."

"Just shut up and do your job."

"What-ever," he sighed loudly and stared tiredly at the overlarge property stretched out before him. Another annoyed sigh as lettuce crunched and grease oozed from the hamburger. "I thought…Terada…had this detail? Why…isn't he here?" he got out through a mouthful of food.

The driver eyed him with disgust, watching as sauce slipped down fingers and over the wrapper that wasn't exactly doing its job. "Because he's off the clock today."

A finger whipped out and ketchup mixed with ranch flew onto the windshield. Quickly grabbing for a napkin, he swallowed and gasped as it went down the wrong pipe. "S-she's…" he pointed and swallowed again before chocking. "Leaving. She's leaving…"

The driver squinted and leaned forward, recognizing the black charger that entered the mansion an hour ago pulling out of the drive. They could barely see through the tinted windows, but within seconds the passenger window rolled down as the charger idled and a head full of soft brown hair leaned out to play with the gate panel. "How do we know it's her?" was asked as they both leaned forward and squinted out the window.

"I don't know. I'm just sitting here with you for backup." That got him another annoyed look.

"Shit. They're coming this way." They both ducked down as the charger roared passed in a kick of dirt and fallen leaves. Halsey played loudly through the bass like a bad connection. The moment the vehicle was well gone, both males sat up and whirled around to stare out the back window.

"Follow!"

"No shit!" he revved the engine and spun a back tire trying to pull away from the curb. Both visibly cringed as the awkward U-turn turned into an even awkward game of cat and mouse. The black charger was far enough ahead it was hard to follow and remember which way they turned. "Pull up the GPS!" he snapped as he shifted and moved just as they turned onto a bridge leading into the cusp of Kyoto.

"Should we call it in?"

"What?" he glanced at him and back again as the girl's car high-tailed it in front of three different cars going too slow. "It's detail not an arrest. We're not to engage at all with the subject."

"What if she's doing something illegal, much like that woman's driving."

"She's going the speed limit." He said instead. "Besides, do you think we can outrun a charger five cars ahead of us?" there was silence as he contemplated that answer.

He really didn't want a response, his irritation was climbing to the point of explosion. If Officer Terada was with him, he wouldn't be asking so many questions. He would also know exactly who it was they were supposed to be following. He'd studied the picture of their subject, but at the same time a picture's a picture, and the girl they were currently following had on sunglasses framing her entire face, sitting with a white-blonde they didn't recognize.

The crinkling of the food bag came to life like a bad joke, the stench of the over-greased hamburger filling the already foul-smelling vehicle. Glad that his partner hadn't answered the speed-chase question, they continued to follow the charger in silence across Kyoto. it wasn't until they came to a subtle stop beside a cement-filled wash lined in front of a block of low-income houses did his partner asked the inevitable question. "What is she doing?" the charger pulled up along the curb in front of a rundown olive-green house. Multiple cars were parked on the dirt-covered front yard, all missing their hoods.

"She's visiting someone it looks like. Did you get a description on the blond with her?" it was a question that should have been answered long before they even started following the charger.

"There's no evidence from the database matching that description. The house though…"

"It's Haruto's house."

"How'd you know?" he blinked in surprise.

"Call it a hunch," he pointed to the laptop propped up beneath their dashboard. The GPS knew where they were headed because the police department has made more than one trip to this particular neighborhood. He continued to study the olive-green house as they two girls walked to the door. Pulling out his camera he snapped a few photos for the books and dropped it just as fast. "It looks like we weren't the only ones following her either, look." He pointed into the distance at another vehicle just barely visible behind a throw of trees.

"I wasn't aware there was supposed to be detail on the Haruto house."

"I don't think there was. Not from KPD, at least."

"Call it in?"

"Yeah, I'll take more photos." A shudder went down his spine at the feeling of wrongness. The click, click, click of the camera was the only thing filling the silent car as minutes ticked by.

Ritto, Japan

Shang Penthouse

11:04 A.M.

Ceil Shang tenderly nursed a bright blue drink, her bare legs propped up in front of her as she stared through a wall-sized window at the city. Sia played low in a small speaker beside her. Occasionally her foot bobbed to the music. Occasionally her drink touched her lips. And occasionally her gaze narrowed in thought while her foot bobbed and drink touched her tongue. A siren blared as a firetruck pushed through a line of cars across the city. She watched the red truck for a long time before tilting her head and letting her freshly cut, wet black hair fall around her bare shoulders. A shadow crept up in the corner of the window, overlapping the city scenery as a figure stood to the right of her.

"The Haruto brothers are becoming a nuisance and a liability." Marius said lowly as he watched her guzzle down the drink in one final tilt. His eye twitched as she ignored him, long legs getting up in a whoosh of leather cushion. She went over to the bar and filled the cup up once again from an already prepared pitcher. "They returned to their house this morning, but I still can't figure out where it was they disappeared too last night."

"I noticed." She slammed back the drink and refilled it a third time.

"Kristiana is dead." he continued as he stared at her purple toweled body.

"I know."

"The group is starting to get sloppy." He added and waited, but she remained silent and went back to the chair. "We should take care of the Haruto brothers now before Cobra returns." He tried.

"Don't you think I know that!?" Ceil snapped and finally looked at him. Her legs crossed over one another as she got situated on the leather chair. The towel rose dangerously close to revealing her privates and she laid a hand over it, fingers tapping against the glass. "We can only play with them. They're Cobra's favorite expendables. If I get rid of them now, he'll start sniffing around."

"Then what—?" his gaze snapped to the hidden door on Ceil's right side.

"The Haruto's have a visitor of two varieties." The girl entering stated without pause. Ceil sighed, turning her attention to the new guest. Marius growled at the interruption, but remained passively still as he turned his attention to her as well.

"I'm waiting." Ceil said when it was clear she wasn't finishing her statement.

"Here," the girl handed a tablet over with still images.

Ceil stared at the photo of the rundown house, the angle was wrong and the visual was too far. She nearly forgot she had the twin's house on watch, much like she'd forgotten how much hated being interrupted. A smile spread across her pale face as she zoomed in on the black charger parked in front of the house, a familiar brunette stepping out with glasses atop her head. "Now what is Kinomoto doing at the Haruto's residence, I wonder. She's being tailed from the looks of it. Can't be good for either party."

"It appears she's being accompanied by an unknown female."

"She's not unknown." Marius said suddenly as he gazed at the still image of the charger. "Her name's Isabella Monroe. She's been with Kinomoto since we returned from Italy."

"I don't care who she is. They need to go." Ceil said icily.

"What are you suggesting?" Marius asked with a low smile.

"Since you are eager to dispose of our problem, why don't you take the honors of jostling the three parties suddenly interfering with my plans? Cobra returns in a few hours, leave the brother's alone."

"With pleasure,"

"Oh and Marius…." Ceil handed the tablet over to the girl. "Make sure she's taken care of." He barely nodded as he turned to leave. Ceil let her body relax as she slammed back her drink and laughed.

Haruto Residence

11:10 A.M.

Sakura stared at the rundown house for a long time, assessing the closed curtains and beat-up cars missing their hoods. She was here. She was actually at a Silver Snake's residence. No one shot her on spot as Isabella predicted on the drive over, but she was here nonetheless. There was only one perfectly intact, unidentifiable vehicle and as she touched the hood in passing, knew it hadn't been moved for a while. The dirt yard held oil stains and potholes the size of a dogs digging, but no sign of an animal living there otherwise. Did they even own a dog? She wondered as she stepped onto the porch and stared at the chipped and beaten up door. Probably not considering their already harsh lifestyle. Then again…

Sakura stopped at the top step and stared at the door. She hadn't really thought about what she was going to say nor did she know if he was even home. According to Isabella, he was. How good her source was beyond her. Heinz probably did his homework as he liked to say. Wiggling her head to get out any kinks from the stress she was suddenly feeling, Sakura gave Isabella one look and went to the door. Her shoes were quiet compared to Isabella's boots. The wooden boards under their feet made enough noise to alert an army. The beat up and dusty carpet didn't help the situation. Before she could ring the bell the door creaked open forcefully and a half-naked female stood before them with arms crossed and a small handgun shoved between the fold of her arms.

"I'm getting real tired of seeing you." Mireille got out. Sakura pushed her sunglasses to the top of her head to give her a solid stare. "Who's this bitch?" she added within seconds.

"The love of her life. Duh," Isabella answered breezily.

Sakura ignored her as she took a step to block the high-strung woman from view. "Isabella. She's not a wolf, but she is my bodyguard."

"Why are you here with a bodyguard?" Mireille eyed her from head to toe before letting her sharp gaze return to Sakura. "Does your little wolf know you're here?" she asked with a curl of her lip. Her lip ring twisted at the expression and she dutifully shifted it back with a move of her tongue.

"Li knows I'm here." she stared past Mireille's head into the dark house. A wooden wall separated the front from the rest of the house. A 'beware' sign hung on a thread, dangling just behind Mireille's head. "Is Jonathan here?"

"Maybe."

"Mireille—"

"Just let her in, Mir." Seiya said from somewhere in the house. It took a second for either girl to notice him. Wearing a large black sweatshirt that covered torn jeans, Seiya leaned against a wall just the left of Mireille. It took Sakura a second to realize it was a door and not a wall he leaned on. When had he opened it? "They'd find a way in even if we said no."

"That's right." Mireille stepped back, the gun hanging tensely against her side. "I almost forgot you're the reason why we lost Toki's."

"I did not blow up Toki's!"

"Didn't say you did." Mireille smirked at Sakura's dumbfounded expression before leading the two girls fully into the house. Sakura glanced at the ace-bandage wrapped around her knee and wondered if she'd gotten last night or after. Mireille's causal limp went unnoticed if not concentrating on her stride. Sakura watched her carefully spin on her good leg and let the gun rest against her injured leg. "Make this fast. I don't want anyone seeing that you're here." She said and waved at the glass door leading into the back.

Mireille sauntered off without waiting for an invitation towards the opened kitchen, lithe frame disappearing into a small waist-height fridge. Sakura listened the beer crack open with a hiss and pop before turning to the large flat screen television playing MTV's top hits. The muted television played Avril Lavigne's latest with clips appearing in the right hand corner. A warn out couch sat directly in front of the screen, a passed out female laying beneath a mound of blankets and one fat white cat. So they did have an animal. Sakura blinked as the girl shifted and yawned with the cat on her shoulder and went back to sleep in a different position. Isabella made a face at the choice of music before tapping Sakura, wanting her to move. Looking back at the sleeping figure one last time, Sakura opened the glass door with an easy glide and stepped down.

The backyard wasn't any different than the front. Dirt covered the entire length with more than one beat-up vehicle laying on jacks or cement blocks. A dark green Chevy Impala was lifted on cement blocks, a front and back tire missing, and the hood completely taken off. A figure laid beneath the vehicle with one leg propped up on pillows for comfort or elevation, she couldn't figure it out, and the other leg bent and barely touching the bumper. Isabella shook her head just as Sakura approached and crouched. Her dress brushed against her ankles as she peered beneath the car at the male covered in oil, the bandage rustled against her skin as she lowered her upper body to visually see beneath.

"Are you supposed to be working on a car in your condition?" Sakura asked softly so as not to spoke him. Jonathan turned his head and blinked. The shadows of the car made his expression darken, the oil covering his brow adding to that. She could have sworn she saw delight at the sight of her, but then again it could've been the light glinting off a medal pipe.

"Are you supposed to be here without an escort?" Jonathan pulled out from beneath the car, his only working hand running across his face and narrowly avoiding the scar with grease-covered fingers. "Ah, you do have an escort." He struggled to stand and waved her off when she reached out to help.

"Seriously. It hasn't even been a day and you're…" Sakura waved a hand at the car as he grabbed a towel hanging off the bumper. "I would think resting was part of the doctor's orders."

"What Kenzie doesn't see won't kill me. Why are you here?" he avoided Isabella's look as he awkwardly used the dirty towel to wipe his hand free of grease. Failing, he sighed and turned to face Sakura squarely. This time she saw the glint in his blue eyes, his mixed feelings of seeing her was diminished at the sight of Isabella. "Not that it's a bad thing that you're here…it's just…you know..." he shrugged.

"I wanted to speak to you." Jonathan ran a hand through his hair, letting the grease remnants to slide through the blond locks like a gel. "You and Aisha came to me last time. I have a feeling we have a common interest now. Despite last night's interest." The look he gave her now made her wished she'd stayed home.

"A common interest? You're married to Li now, Sakura. Our common interest is far from being similar." She heard a hint of jealously in his tone and wished she'd chosen different words to approach him with.

"You're going to play that card on me?" she asked and narrowed her own eyes. "I saved your life."

"Fair enough."

"Jonathan—"

He held up his hand to stop her. "Before you give me the low-down on this 'common interest' spiel, will you at least tell me when you got married? I feel like an idiot trying for something that obviously was not in my grasp." Sakura stared at him, forcing him to shrug that one shoulder again awkwardly.

"What?" Sakura blinked in confusion. It was Isabella who laughed outright as she let her arms fall from their crossed position.

"The poor boy had a crush on you. A hard one from the looks of it." Sakura turned a hot shade of pink as she looked at Isabella.

"That's not…" Jonathan shook his head as he leaned against the propped up car, his own cheeks rosy. "Look, you were nearly killed right under my nose by Sion, only to get kidnapped from some freaks in masks. When I saw you that night on the beach…when you got shot…" he paused as he eyed Isabella skeptically. "I thought you died…that Nick had actually done it, but then the two of you come—you're married." Jonathan let out a breath he'd been holding and Sakura averted her gaze just as fast.

"Yes. I'm married. I need you to look pass that tidbit."

"When did you get married?" he insisted.

"Jonathan…I can't…" Sakura sighed as she stared at nothing and everything. She watched a bird fly from the only tree in the yard and disappear behind the house. Somewhere a motorcycle rumbled close to the house and cut off just as fast. "Few days ago." She finally admitted.

"Few…you're shitting me?"

"She shits you not. Now, can we get to business so we can leave?" Isabella grounded out as Nick came out from the garage harboring a gun and biker helmet. He stopped long enough to take in the three of them before letting the helmet fall on a cluttered table, weapon still out.

To everyone's surprise, Sakura reached into her bra and pulled out a small black phone. Isabella smirked at Jonathan's bright red face as he looked skyward. Sakura merely rolled her eyes as she slowly approached the other twin. She didn't have pockets, where else was she supposed to store the device? Nick remained passively still by the table, his knuckles whitening around the hilt of the gun as he took in her lithe frame and slow steps. Sakura couldn't help but remember Syaoran's words about snakes striking when they're threatened. She wasn't threatening Nick, but she could tell he wasn't too happy about her approach or appearance. Licking her lips she gave him a genuine smile and stuck out her hand.

"Here," Nick stared at it like it was a bomb then at her.

"I don't want it."

"Take it. Syaoran insisted I bring it." She lost her smile and attempted to a shrug. Last night they'd all spoken about something. A conversation she didn't want to know about. When he still didn't take the phone, she sighed. "Look, I'm only here to make peace with Jonathan. Syaoran really did insist I bring it or he would have himself." The last bit was more of a warning than a statement.

"Fine." he eyed Isabella then took the phone when Sakura stuck it back out. "Make this chat quick. I don't want Black Wolves on my property."

"Not a Black Wolf," Isabella sang to Sakura's heavy sigh. "She's not either, in case you were curious." At that, Sakura stared at Isabella with death in her emerald orbs. Isabella merely smiled and stuck her tongue out like a child. Why did she keep her around?

"What?" Nick stared at Sakura as if she'd grown a head. Sakura couldn't help but wonder why Nick didn't know that at the same time that Jonathan laughed at his brother's shock.

"Long story," there was a creak of a gate opening followed by immediate silence. Nick whirled around and stared at a hidden entry to the backyard, his weapon raised. Jonathan tensed as he placed a hand on Sakura's arm, while Isabella frowned and looked behind them at the house hearing a different type of noise.

Seconds ticked by of absolute silence. Sakura pantomimed a crazy in the air only to have her arm pulled from its socket as Jonathan dropped to take cover behind the car bringing her with him as Mireille's voice shrilled from inside the house. "WE HAVE COMPANY!"

Multiple gunshots rang the morning air cutting off Mireille's angry voice. Isabella swore a colorful word and dove for cover as bullets pierced the cars in the yard. Sakura lost all color in her face as she took cover beneath the car, ignoring the grease and oil stains. She felt Jonathan's hand on her leg as he leaned around the corner. She could barely see Nick's form as he crouched under the table's security. Turning her head she looked behind her and watched as Isabella crawled under the car next to her. She was definitely angry.

"Now can we leave?" she asked with a hiss of breath.

"You first." Sakura flinched as a bullet pinged off the metal. "How many do you think is out there?"

"Two, three…possibly more outside by my car." She pulled out her cell phone awkwardly and pushed a button. "Smart enough to block signals."

"Who—?" she was cut off as Jonathan swore and Nick yelled that someone was on the roof.

Isabella rolled and stared up at the belly of the vehicle. Sakura watched as she awkwardly put her phone back into her jeans pocket and pulled out a small hand-sized gun. "I only brought the one. I'll cover your back while you make a run for it."

"Run? Are you serious? They're on the roof." Sakura hissed and closed her eyes tight as more bullets pierced the cars. The pings made her wonder if they were aiming for the vehicles or merely shooting to shoot. "Fine." she bit her lower lip and rolled onto her back, very much aware that Jonathan had a clear look up her dress and wished she'd worn booty shorts instead of a thong. At least there was no wind, she thought miserably and lifted her head. She hadn't realized Jonathan moved to hide behind the tool stand, his body sticking out like a sore thumb for whoever was on the roof.

"Romeo get her to safety!" Isabella yelled and rolled out from under the car, shooting into the air and swearing as the shots were answered. "Go!"

"What the hell!?" Nick yelled.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit…" Sakura rolled out the other end and awkwardly got to her feet. Jonathan held out a hand for her to wait. His eyes were an intense shade of ice blue, icier than she was used to, and it gave her chills. The shooting stopped and someone laughed. They were playing a game. Sakura blinked at the obvious and looked up and leaned over to try and see the roof. Jonathan snapped his finger and waved for her to come over.

Licking her lips, she took a deep breath, and ran. That laugh again as whoever was on the roof watched her attempt to hide next to Jonathan. No one took a shot, no one sent a bullet to ping off the cars, and she couldn't help but let out a strangled cry. They were really playing right now. Isabella and Nick took cover beneath the table, which Sakura realized was not made of out of wood, but a thicker material that was absorbing the bullets. Clever, she thought. There was a silence as no one took aim only to suddenly be filled with shattering objects and an explosion that rocked the foundation.

"That's not good." Jonathan whispered. She didn't think so either, but remained silent as they listened to shouts coming from somewhere on the lot.

Her heart beat a thousand times faster as that laugh echoed from above and those bullets pierced the tool stand they were hiding behind. Sakura whimpered and dropped lower. Jonathan did the same and covered his head awkwardly with his good arm. A second later glass shattered as the back door took a couple hits from inside the house. Sakura's eyes were wide remembering the girl sleeping on the couch. Jonathan took her hand, leaned around the corner to stare at the house, and then moved. Sakura tripped over her feet as she stumbled after him trying to keep up with his fast pace and long legs. His hand was grimy compared to hers and sweat began to build up as he tightened his hold and made a run for the edge of the lot. Pressing their backs against the wall, Jonathan closed his eyes and listened. Sakura could only stare as she watched him listening.

All she could hear was items breaking inside the house. Felt it, actually as the wall shifted like an earthquake shook the house. Mireille's voice was perfectly clear as she cursed someone to the moon, but there were no gunshots coming from within. Jonathan opened his eyes when he made the same deduction and walked sideways, back remaining against the wall. Sakura looked up at the roof, wondering if their assailant could see them as she followed him.

They were walking the length of the house, backs pressed against the wall to hide just below the roofs awning.

Glass shattered just to the right of them and Sakura screamed. Jonathan swore in answer as a body flew from the large window they'd just passed and landed haphazardly on the ground. Her entire body froze at the sight of the now dead body, his neck at an odd angle, blood sliding from the bullet to the temple, and eyes—gore rose at the sight of his opened, surprised gaze that were staring directly at her. She swallowed bile just as Jonathan opened a door and pulled her inside before whoever threw the body outside came looking. The door closed with a whoosh of air, the lock snapping into place.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan asked softly. She could barely nod. Her body shook violently with adrenaline, shock, and fear. All wrapped up into a ball inside of her body, ready to escape at the first sign of attack. Jonathan studied her before accepting her bare answer and turned to face the second door.

It took her a moment, but she realized as her heart slowed down, that they were in a tiny laundry room with two doors and a big enough walkway for a body to go through. The room smelled heavily of detergent and warm lint, now mixed with sweat and grease. A buzzer for the dryer rang at that instant, making her jump. A gunshot rang just outside the door they'd come through and she whirled around. So many noises surrounding her and the room magnified those sounds by ten. Mireille's voice was faint, however, as she yelled for Seiya's backup, followed quickly by Seiya's curse as he commented that someone's mom was a lama. All Sakura could think about was whether all this was for revenge? Was it the same group that shot their own last night? Was this what the girl meant when she said she was out of her element? Or was the attack completely different altogether? Sakura had so many questions and none of them were going to be answered.

Not yet.

"This way," Jonathan said breaking her concentration. He pushed opened the door that lead into the kitchen and crouched low. Sakura followed on hands and knees—her hip refusing the crouch form—and wished she'd worn pants.

Jonathan was slow as he listened and moved, leading her through the small kitchen. The moment he stopped to assess the gunshots, Sakura stared at a beer shattered by the mini fridge, the liquid oozing into a puddle to form a bigger mess. A glass was shattered across from that and from the size of the shards, it had been a shot class. Mireille's solo party had been busted. A red paint was smeared across the white-tiled floor and as she carefully crawled over it, she realized too late that it was blood. A lot of blood. Her entire being shut down as Jonathan turned to face her.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm good. I'm good." She chanted softly. Jonathan frowned as he used a cabinet for support and leaned back awkwardly.

"I'll cover you. Run for the front door and get the hell out of here fast." He told her harshly.

"I'm not leaving Isabella." She stated and met his wide-eyed stare. "Or you." Jonathan continued to stare at her for a long moment. She watched as his gaze softened before one brow rose as those blue, assessing eyes took in her dress and lack of weapon. Rocking back to sit on her legs, Sakura frowned.

"Whoever's attacking us will just sit around until we're all dead." he finally said.

"I can protect myself." She jabbed a finger into his good arm. "Can you?" she meant for it to be a joke, but the look that crossed his features told her just how much he wished he could protect her.

"Why do females have to be so stubborn?" he grumbled and peeked around the corner.

"Same reason why males have to bring trouble wherever they go." She answered and smiled when he turned back to face her.

"How much you want to bet this trouble followed you?" he asked and she smacked him. Wincing from the blow he got to his feet and helped her up, but kept to a crouch. "Let's go."

"Do we even have a—?" Sakura started to ask and stopped as Jonathan swore at a figure reflecting off the shattered TV and pulled her towards the nearest door. Her head hit a low shelf, foot connected with something on the floor, and Jonathan's body pressed against her as he shoved them both into a closet and shut the door. "Game plan." She mumbled.

Jonathan shushed her and she made a face, not seeing him in the darkness of the confined space. Struggling to accommodate a better standing position that didn't leave her hip screaming and pulse racing, her foot connected once again with whatever was on the floor and she swore. A greasy hand was placed against her mouth as Jonathan, centimeters from her face, pressed his forehead to hers and gave her a low shush that not even her proximity could have picked up. She felt his warning and heard the footsteps they were hiding from even with the hand against her mouth. A second passed. Three seconds passed. Finally he released her mouth and she shifted her foot to find that better standing position, which wasn't much. Settling for a wide stance that left a breeze up her dress, she searched his dark face for some clue that they were going to be alright and only saw more darkness.

Jonathan's eyes were closed. His hand remained on her shoulder, however, with fingers lightly touching her neck and the necklaces hidden there. She could feel his heart hammering against his chest, could hear her own heart thundering in her eardrums, matching his rhythm beat by beat. His cast was pressed against her chest like a wall to their already uncomfortable situation. As if sensing how uncomfortable she was, Jonathan moved sideways to listen to the outside intently. Whoever was on the other side was in the kitchen…waiting? Assessing? She wished she could see the shadow of the stranger or even the closet she was hiding in.

She wished she was with Syaoran.

Sakura let her hand fall slowly, brushing over Jonathan's good side until she touched nails to her dress. Her leg was numb from the strained position. All the feeling gone as her injury became a nightmare and her nightmare became reality. She felt Jonathan look at her as she pressed into the bandage, felt his facial expression change as his forehead touched hers again in a silent warning. She wanted to tell him there was blood seeping out of a bear-sized bandage on her leg. She wanted to tell him she was about to collapse if they didn't move positions soon. As if understanding her silent anguish, Jonathan shifted and pulled her into a better standing position as silently as they could possibly muster. His hand was clammy against her bare arm and skin warm against her own. The moment she moved, she felt a warm vibration against her skin and frowned.

She knew Isabella wouldn't call and risk exposure. She also knew the girl wouldn't search for her until the threat was gone. Itching to find out what the text message said, Sakura closed her eyes against the dark of the closet and breathed out when the pins and needles in her hip spread out across her lower body. Her eyes shot open a second later. Her phone had buzzed. There was a signal. Struggling to grab her phone out of her bra, finding the situation comical, she pushed against Jonathan who stared at her in the darkness with wide eyes.

"Are you okay?" Jonathan whispered.

"I will be once I can breathe natural air." She whispered back. "You reek of oil and beer."

"Good." She frowned at that and pressed the tiny little button on her phone. It lit up like a lantern and to her disappoint, the signal was off. It couldn't have been her imagination because she had felt the tiny vibration against her skin. Opening her messages she stared at the unopened text and her frown deepened. It had been a fluke. The message was Isabella from earlier that morning. Wiggling her nose from the raunchy stench of Jonathan, she sent a text to Syaoran knowing that eventually she was going to get service and eventually it was going to get to him.

Silence fell. Silence that was beginning to gnaw on her head like a coming migraine. Finally, Jonathan leaned his head against the door in an attempt to meet her squarely without eyes-crossing and whispered. "Why do you have the same necklace as Aisha?"

She wasn't expecting that. "What?" without warning he pulled out the chain hidden beneath her dress to let it dangle and glisten between them. His hand shook and in turn the necklace shook. Sakura stared at the cross and small wolf diamond dangling between them then back at him cross-eyed.

"Why do you have the same cross? It's not a coincidence." His whisper was dripping with anger she couldn't quite understand.

"I…" she touched his hand so he'd release the chains. "I can't tell you." It was his turn to open his mouth and she quickly silenced him. "I can't tell you because I don't know. Mine was a gift and I'm sure Aisha has a very good reason why she wears her cross." Her voice dropped an octave. They were risking their life talking. The closet wasn't exactly sound proof.

"Who gave it to you?" Jonathan suddenly asked and she blinked. "Who—?" the door opened at that second sending him backwards to sprawl on the kitchen floor. Sakura squeaked as she lost her own balance and fell on Jonathan, knees taking most of the impact. Dots filled her vision and she closed her eyes against the nausea forming in the pit of her stomach.

"Well, well, well…look what the snake gobbled up."

"Marius," Jonathan stared in disbelief at the man wielding the weapon. Sakura lost all color in her face as she stared into the dark eyes of a man she didn't think she'd see ever again.

"Hiding in the closest is by far the oldest, most predictable spot." Marius snidely remarked as he trained the weapon on both of them with a wave of a hand. Those dark eyes met hers. "I will hand it to the girl. She has a resiliency to survive."

"What are you doing here?" Jonathan sat up awkwardly, one hand on Sakura's waist as they cautiously moved. Marius gave them a knowing look before casually letting the weapon aim at her, his free hand running across his shaved head, and smiled.

"Taking care of the trash." In a flash he tugged her to him and shot twice. Jonathan dropped back down to the floor out of instinct, his blue eyes a bright shade of astonishment as he stared at the small hole now in the wall where he'd just been sitting in front of, then at the floor where the bullet embedded into the cheap linoleum. "A warning shot."

"What the hell!?" Jonathan barked just as Sakura screamed, "LET ME GO!"

Pain raced up her arm as Marius' grip on her wrist tightened and he pulled her up to meet his six foot level. Her toes barely touched the floor as he raised her higher and her shoulder strained to stay in its socket as he kept her at arm's length. "You're proving to be a nuisance. One that will be gone very…very…shortly." She struggled as the weapon aimed at her.

"Let her go, Marius!" Jonathan got out as he struggled to get up.

"Jonathan…" she whispered, straining to see him behind her as Marius' dark gaze bore down on him.

The man laughed. "So heroic. What are you going to do with a broken shoulder and no weapon?" Sakura seethed as her shoulder pulled another inch from her socket as he moved, forcing her body to waver. "Nick failed to dispose of a problem. Now I need to clean up your mistake. Say bye to the Wolf." Panicking, Sakura swung her body up and kicked him against his chest yanking for release at the same time. A scream of pain escaped her as both her arm and hip lit up an excruciating hotness. Swearing at her sudden movement, Marius hit her with enough force to send red and black dots into her vision, body collapsing to the ground with a sickening thump.

"Sakura!" Jonathan moved to grab her and froze as a bullet pierced the spot next to him.

"Don't move." Marius seethed, bringing his gun around and aiming at them both steadily. "That surprisingly hurt." He rubbed the spot she kicked, his face contorting into one of pure hate. Firing another shot in Jonathan's direction, keeping the blonde twin at bay, Marius stepped towards Sakura. "I can't kill you, so don't move."

"Bastard," Sakura gasped out seconds before screaming. Marius pressed his boot into her hip and smiled.

"You, my dear wolf, have a weakness." He pressed harder against her hip forcing her to cry out until no sound escaped her throat. "Well many, many weaknesses, but a weakness nonetheless." His gaze went to Jonathan as he shifted anxiously, unable to do anything to help.

"Let her go, Marius!" Jonathan begged. Sakura could barely see through the tears and black dots as Marius pressed his boot harder against her wound. The gun was aimed at Jonathan, but the pain was on Sakura. He said something she couldn't hear over the roaring in her ears, but she did hear the gun shot that rang through the kitchen right before pressure was released from her hip as Marius spun.

"Walk away from my brother or the next one is going to be between the eyes." Nick threatened. Jonathan took his chance and scooted closer to Sakura, lightly touching her forehead and moving sweat-soaked hair out of her face.

"All the heroics!" Marius laughed. Sakura blinked tears as she watched the gun in the large man's hand train on her once again. Her vision became darker as the pain became worse, she didn't know how much longer she could push through it. All it took was for one pull of his finger and she'd be dead. Jonathan must have sensed it too because his body stooped forward to cover her as best he could, his cast an awkward obstacle that couldn't be helped.

"Marius," Nick warned.

Marius looked at the couple on the floor then at Nick across the room. Blood seeped from a wound on his head, his weapon crooked but steadily aimed. "I'm only here for her!" that finger twitched as dark eyes blazed with hatred. Two shots rang out in succession just as Sakura's vision went black.

Jonathan opened his eyes, staring at Sakura's black dress up close. He blinked, checking for pain and realizing he harbored none. Confused, he sat up and stared at the heap that was Marius. Dark eyes opened and staring in anger. Blood oozed from his shoulder and another from his chest. He then stared across the kitchen to where his brother stood, leaning against the bar counter and breathing hard. Blood trickled down half his face from a heavy wound, but he was alive. They were all alive. Swallowing a knot in his throat, he looked down at the female still beneath him. Sakura's eyes were closed and from the looks of it he couldn't find blood anywhere on her body. Jonathan's breathed out a sigh of relief and shifted, lightly touching her cheek which was now cold to the touch. That made him freeze.

"Sakura?" Jonathan touched her face lightly, tapping her bruise with a gentle ease then her blue lips. "Sakura!" a frown creased his face as he lightly touched her neck, finding a faint pulse. Looking up he met his brother's eyes. "She's barely breathing."

"That's not good." Nick commented and moved away from his spot, only to stop.

"Move," Isabella got out as she approached slowly from behind Nick. Her arm hung uselessly against her side, blood dripping in tune with a heartbeat. Behind her stood three individuals wearing Noe masks. "I said move lover boy." She got out hotly when Jonathan didn't budge.

"What are they doing here?" Jonathan asked when Nick remained silent.

"Saving your ass, now move." a hand touched her shoulder, forcing her to step aside as a fourth Noe mask came forward. The light in Isabella's gaze softened as the figure knelt in front of Jonathan and Sakura. A gloved hand carefully lifted her dress up to reveal her thong and the wound beneath. To his surprise they were both blood-soaked. The worn out bandage was drenched as if it were a sponge, the blood dripping down her side and slowly becoming a puddle beneath her. Jonathan sucked in a breath at the sight of it before recovering, his gaze sharpening on the masked person.

Without so much as a word, he gathered her up and stood.

"What the hell?" Jonathan stood as well, his brows knitted together as he stared at the masked men. "Where are you taking her? Why are you taking her?" that's when he saw it, the identical cross necklace dangling against Sakura's body from the man holding her. "She's one of you." He whispered to himself.

Jonathan moved to follow and stopped when Nick placed a hand on his brother's shoulder to keep him still. Isabella gave them a once over. Her gaze was icy as she glanced down at Marius and the blood pooling around him. "The police are on their way. I suggest you leave as well." She turned without waiting for a response revealing blood-tinted white hair.

"Where are you taking her?" he pulled away from his brother and latched onto the masked man. Two guns came up, including Nick's, as they aimed at Jonathan. Ignoring the hostility, Jonathan made the man turn his mask to face him. "Where are you taking Sakura?" he asked again.

"Jon—"

"I deserve to know."

"You deserve nothing!" Isabella snapped. "You are the reason she's hurt. You are the reason she came here in the first place. You'll only get her killed." wasn't that the same thing Seiya said to her last night? Jonathan thought as he stared at Isabella then at the masked men. He couldn't tell their gender for they were all wearing black fitted clothing, but he could tell that the one carrying Sakura had more of a heart than the others.

"She came here on her own. With you." Jonathan eyed the masked man before lingering on the unconscious Sakura in his arms. "I need to know she'll be safe after…"

"Jonathan let them go." Nick stated, dropping his gun tiredly. "If the police are on the way then we need to go. Mireille and Seiya are already headed to Kenzie's. Cobra will be back in town in a couple hours. We can't afford to get busted." His gaze went to Marius then at the broken back door. There was at least three bodies outside, not counting his comrade on the couch. Dead where she slept.

Isabella waited until her comrades left before meeting the twins' tired faces. "She'll be find." That was all the reassurance she could give him, as much as that pained him. Jonathan stared as they walked out. Sakura's head dangled like a lifeless doll in the stranger's arms. He couldn't help but wonder about the gentleness the masked man revealed or the fact that they had arrived when it should have been Syaoran.

"I need to talk to Aisha." Nick shrugged his shoulders and headed for the garage.

Outside Haruto Residence

12:50 P.M.

Two calls had been made within a minute of each other. One from an undercover operation that had followed Sakura Kinomoto as per requested and one from a concerned citizen having heard multiple gunshots. Two calls then silence. Detective Luc could barely contain his excitement when those calls came in. A gut-wrenching nausea made him anxious to get to the Haruto house quickly. The car, however, wouldn't go fast enough. It had been easy enough to catch his partner up on the new DNA discovery. She had been more than spiteful about Reina Terada being related to Arya and she had been ecstatic when the blood matched Jonathan Haruto from the car dealership case they picked up barely a day ago.

He just wished more of their cases were this easy.

Detective Luc gripped the steering wheel tightly as they sped across Kyoto. Those two calls had been a blessing and a curse in the eyes of the police department. When they had tried to return the concerned citizen's call, there had been no signal. When they tried to contact their operatives on scene, no signal. He couldn't help but wonder if it was a trap. He couldn't help but wonder if the operatives were dead, much like Talia Medina. She had laid in wait at the Haruto resident in hopes to make an arrest. Now, they were on their way again to make a legitimate arrest only to have it be as silent as night itself.

As they approached the wash lined with houses, Detective Luc paused in speed and slowed the car to a roll. People were outside their houses, staring down the road at the predictable house. A few people held phones and were talking in hushed voices as they gossiped. One couple stared as the two detectives rolled by on the uneven road. Feeling uneasy, sweat building up under his palms, Luc glanced at Sheldon. She was staring oddly at the street in front of them. "Detective," he pointed to the black Crown Victoria parked a few houses away from the house in question.

"Drive pass." She said softly. Saying nothing he did as she asked and they both stared in mute horror at the scene the house presented to them. A fire blazed from one of the wrecked cars parked on the dirt lawn. Windows were shattered and holes marked the exterior of the entire building. The garage was left open, revealing another wrecked car standing on a jack and multiple wrecked motorcycles. The entire scene reminded him of the Medina house, minus the body-sized indent in the garage door. As they approached the undercover vehicle he suddenly had a gut feeling it wasn't going to be pretty.

Pulling up behind the vehicle, Luc barely had time to put the vehicle in park before Sheldon leaped out. He glanced at the other residents standing in huddles in front of a few houses, gossiping and whispering amongst themselves. It was odd seeing them standing there, staring at the Haruto house and at them. No one was fearful of the situation, they were all curious. That's when he saw it—tattoos—of all varieties. Snake tattoos peeked out of shirts and under hair, dragons peeked out from hands that were crossed, and a couple odd variations of both peeked out from beneath skirts. Sheldon pried opened the driver's door with a snap of metal, getting his attention. He watched as she ducked inside and back again, fingers coming away with fresh blood.

"He's still alive." Blue orbs were dark with hope as she ducked back inside the vehicle. "Officer Zento can you hear me?" her fingers pressed against his neck, searching for a pulse even as the blood slipped from his parted lips. Slapping his face gently, she tried to get a reaction out of him and only succeeded with a gasp of air as he struggled. "Come on Zento."

"This is Detective Donald Luc, two officers down, immediate medical attention is required. Haruto Residence Z-Block in Kyoto." Luc spoke evenly into his phone, eyes assessing as he returned that look to the residents.

"Zento…" Sheldon continued as they tried with all her might to get him to respond. Luc listened as life came to him in a breath of gasping blood bubbles and Sheldon leaned forward intently. "Luc—! "

"They came…she…was being…followed." Zento whispered slowly. Luc glanced at the dead officer lying next to him in the passenger side, a bullet to the head. His eyes were wide as he stared at whoever attacked. Turning away, Luc stared at the Haruto house.

"Who was being followed? What the hell happened?" Sheldon continued.

"Detective…"

"Don't speak anymore, you've lost a lot of blood." Luc breathed out as he placed a hand on Sheldon's shoulder. She looked up at him and he shook his head slowly. "Medics are coming." There was nothing more they can do. Zento shook his head and coughed, more blood leaving his parted lips like a river. He shivered from the amount of blood loss before shifting, groaning in pain, fingers shaking and stiff as he tried to grab something from beneath his bottom.

Sheldon reached down and dug, fingers meeting with a heavy block. Her blue orbs lit up as she turned to her partner to show him what the officer was sitting on. "It's a camera."

"I'm surprised whoever did this didn't take it."

"I don't think they cared." Sheldon showed him the camera, revealing at least a few photos of one individual in front of the Haruto house. "Whoever this is, wanted whoever was in that house and only that person."

"Kinomoto?"

"They were supposed to trail her."

"What the hell is going on?" he wondered out loud as sirens filled the air.

Li Mansion

1:06 P.M.

He was restless. Every inch of him. Sweat slid down his body as he angled the long sword that made his arm ache and ribs scream, before effortlessly swinging it around and down. A swoosh of air as it was cut filled the room. Repeating the action, Syaoran felt every muscle in his body protest achingly at his desire to keep moving. He was too restless to just sit, too restless to just wait. He'd woken up an hour ago to a cracked mirror and disarrayed room. His laptop had frozen from his last document and his phone had been eerily silent. He knew then that Sakura wasn't home yet. A part of him trusted that she would be fine, while another part of him felt the void of her disappearance. She had promised to return and never leave the bedroom. They both knew that wasn't going to happen, but it was still a nice thought. He sliced the air and turned on his heel to face the opposite wall with his elbow out and blade resting against it. The cool metal chilled his warm skin, sending a ripple of bumps to scatter across him.

He hadn't fully healed from his run-in with Cobra nor had he healed from his last attack from the Sisters. At this rate, he didn't think he would ever heal. The bruises marking his torso made his movements weak and the weakness made him anxious. He needed to move. He needed to feel. He needed to feel something other than pain. The sword came down hard as he swung, body dancing across the small space of the large common room. He couldn't remember the last time he'd practiced with the sword, which made him all the more anxious to move. The blade brushed against his pants dangerously close and he swung back around, angling the blade just an inch from touching a lamp on a wooden side table. His movements were choppy instead of fluid. Cracking his neck with a single twist, he breathed in and out, and shifted on the ball of his foot to thrust the blade away from the lamp. Days had turned into weeks, weeks had turned into months. He should have been practicing all this time.

He should have been able to deflect that blow Carra inflicted on him the other night. He should have been able to deflect the blow Cobra had inflicted on him days ago. Yet, here he was, bruised and feeling anxious as he sloppily moved around the common room separated by rooms his comrades occupied. His father had taught him how to use a sword as a child, forced him to practice every day until it was a part of him. As he grew older, he slowly introduced him to other forms of fighting. Again, he forced him to practice day and night until it was first nature and his mind reacted without thought. When his father died, he had become injured. The next day, Wolf forced him to practice his teachings, telling him that the reason he was injured was because he used his head and not instincts. It was in that moment that Syaoran finally understood what his father had been trying to teach him since he was a child. He just wished his father was alive today to witness him continuing his discipline.

And failing his discipline.

Syaoran swung the sword down and took a step to thrust. The moment he turned in an arc, his chest tightened and his widened. Arya stood his ground with a curious expression inches from the blades point. Withdrawing, Syaoran wiped sweat from his brow and breathed out. He hadn't heard the door open nor heard the man's footsteps. He was definitely getting sloppy.

"N-am vrut să te surprind, little wolf" (I did not mean to startle you). Arya stated with a bow of his head, dark eyes on the sword with interest.

"Nu ai făcut-o" (You didn't). Syaoran lied as he went for the sheath forgotten on the floor. "Ai nevoie să vorbești cu mine?"(Did you need to speak with me?). He wasn't sure he wanted to speak with the ex-night wing member, yet his pride made him pass on the courtesy.

Arya shook his head. "Am fost în căutarea sorei mele (I was in search of my sister.)" he waved his hand into space and smiled. "Conacul tău este uluitor de mare (Your mansion is breathtakingly large).

Syaoran nodded in agreement and glanced at the door where one of the maids bowed. "Will you inform Wei that I'm ready for that tea?" he asked and once again faced Arya. The man was staring at his chest, taking in the bruises and scars with a hardened gaze. Ignoring it, Syaoran leaned against the arm of one of the couches and crossed his arms. "Reina is with the triplets outside in the garden. It seems my cousins have taken a liking to her child." He said in Romanian.

Arya nodded as he took in the large room covered in furniture and little else. "Cherry Blossom?"

"Visiting a friend." He said it harshly and flinched. "Her friend was deeply injured last night, she went to check on him." he quickly amended.

"I see." Arya let his smile falter as he met Syaoran's dark gaze. "I apologize for the inconvenience that my siblings presented this morning. I overheard that Koji had…" he glanced at Syaoran's bruised ribcage and back again. "I did not know Reina would call them for help." He amended after a short pause.

"Don't worry about it." Syaoran stood and moved away from the couch. Koji attacking him last night was also a painful reminder he was getting sloppy. Wanting the conversation to be over, he tried to express in an awkward, silent way that he was moving on. Exhaustion played at his senses as he grabbed his sheathed sword. Arya made no move to follow nor did he say another word. For that, Syaoran was grateful.

The moment his hand was on the door leading to his bedroom, a phone vibrated hotly against wood. He stared across the room tiredly. What now? He nearly forgotten his phone—phones—he thought as he stared at the twin devices sitting on the table. They were too far for him to care, but the look in the Arya's gaze made him tense up. It was when the man made no move to acknowledge the ringing phone, bowing respectfully to leave through the opposite door and giving him privacy to take his call, did Syaoran move. An awful silence fell over the room as the phone shut off, only to start up again less than a minute later. It wasn't his phone buzzing, but the burner phone. He'd sent Sakura with an identical one a few hours ago to give to Nick. It was too soon for the Haruto twin to call him. A feeling deep in his gut twisted as he finally moved to pick it up. Pressing the screen on his original phone to find one text message missed, he answered with a bored tone into the burner phone.

"Don't hang up." Jonathan's voice pushed through at the first chance.

Syaoran felt his blood run cold. "It's too soon to be calling on a limited amount of calls." Syaoran got out as he rested the sword against the table. When there was no returned response, he found himself closing his eyes. "What is it, Haruto?" he drawled out.

"Don't hang up." Jonathan repeated. The sound was carried through the receiver as tired and pained. A hint of traffic gave Syaoran a clue that they were on the move. "I wanted you to hear the story from me before it was twisted."

Story? "Fine," Syaoran suddenly felt ill, his stomach churning as his chest tightened. Remembering the missed text message, he pulled up the screen and stared at nothing as Jonathan told him what he was dreading.

"Marius ambushed the house. I don't know why, but something tells me Ceil had something to do with it and she's not going to be happy about the end result. Sakura…" there was a long pause as if he was debating on his next word choice. The long pause turned into an agonizing buzz that made Syaoran wish he could pull Jonathan through the phone. "Sakura was injured pretty badly."

"WHAT!?" the door opened across the room and a maid froze in place, carrying a tray with tea and two cups. It shook under her duress as she stared wide-eyed at him.

"Listen!" Jonathan got out hotly. "She's alright, at least I think she's alright—"

"Where are you?" Syaoran started forward, pushing passed the frightened maid as he clambered down the large stairwell and into the larger part of the mansion.

"Sakura's not with me." that stopped him short at the bottom of the staircase. Jonathan was breathing strangely into the phone while Nick said something to him about getting to the point. Syaoran's face was hot as he listened to the twins speak to one another—arguing almost—his chest tightening as his heart beat faster. Staring at nothing, Syaoran tightened his grip on both phones until he heard a crack that forced him to loosen his grip.

"Where is she?" he said loudly when it was clear Jonathan wasn't going to tell him.

"I don't—"

"WHERE IS SHE HARUTO!?" he thundered, voice echoing.

"Heinz came. That chick…Isabella…she called in her boss and four of them left with Sakura. I don't know where they went." His answer was quick with only a minor pause. Syaoran hung up before listening to the last bit. Heinz's name was all he needed to know where she was.

"What happened?" Eriol asked calmly as he stood in the doorway of the gaming room. Syaoran barely glanced at his friend as he weaved around a table centered in the walkway and towards the garage. His vision was blurred, knuckles white as he held onto his phone too tight. Eriol followed after him and in turn others followed Eriol.

"Syaoran, wait." Someone else said. He barely heard them over the roaring in his ear. Sakura was hurt, badly hurt. Jonathan didn't know where she was, but he knew that Heinz had come to the rescue. What the hell happened?

"Li, will you hold on!?" Haku grounded out as Syaoran snatched the first pair of keys he could and slammed opened the backdoor. Something cracked or broke, he didn't know, only knew that he needed to leave and find Sakura.

"What the hell happened?" Rika tried to get out. That's who spoke earlier, he thought and flinched at the pull of muscle when he moved to fast to make sure his weapon was on him—it wasn't. "You're not even dressed." She added meekly.

"Li wait!" Haku latched onto his forearm and swore when Syaoran tugged out of his grasp. There was no stopping him for leaving. Not now. "Li!"

"Little wolf," A voice said softly—calmly.

Syaoran finally whirled on all of them, his eyes wild with fury. Sakura wouldn't have gotten hurt if he had simply went with her, but he had been too exhausted to even think of that plausible plan. Haku took a step back at the darkness of his dark orbs, his hand going to Rika to stop her from doing something foolish. Syaoran's gaze went to them all, feeling all their eyes on him in turn. Tomoyo stood in the doorway of the house with wide eyes while Eriol stood just the left of it, his arms crossed. Haku was inches from him as he held Rika back and behind him. It was Koji and Rin that caught his full attention as they came from the garden, their pale faces tight. They were all waiting for an answer to his anger. "This is not a vampire matter. Stay here with the girl's. Eriol, I need you and Nathan to track down Marius. Haku, I need you to contact Kyle and make sure you're ready at my call."

"What the hell happened?" Haku asked in a low voice. "Where are you going?"

"To deal with a personal problem."

"What personal problem is that exactly? Especially dressed as you are?" Syaoran turned his head at the unsuspecting voice, hearing weapons draw as Haku and Eriol took aim. His own hand went to his waistband, feeling nothing. Milay rose one brow as she took in his shirtless body and lack of shoes. Isabella followed behind her with blood soaking her entire left side, arm hanging uselessly against her body. They both stopped at the sight of their entourage.

"Where's—?"

"Oh my god, Sakura!" Tomoyo and Rika shrilled, both girls moving fast as Lane approached slowly with an unconscious Sakura in his arms. Syaoran was frozen to ground at the sight of her. Blood was covering Lane's arm, covering her exposed leg like a river. It was dry, but the blood on Lane's arm was not.

"She's fine, just unconscious." Isabella waved her hand and froze staring at the vampires standing in the shadows. "When did they—I said she's fine." Isabella's eyes rolled in exhaustion as Syaoran finally moved to take her from Lane's arms, gently moving her hair out of her face.

"We've called Kaho. She said she's switching her time schedule at the hospital and will be here as soon as she can. Heinz stopped the bleeding on the way here." Syaoran lifted his gaze and she shook her head, reading the question behind his eyes. "Heinz left. Is Wei in?" Milay spoke.

"Yeah," Syaoran glanced over at Eriol who nodded and disappeared into the mansion.

"Marius…"

"I heard," Syaoran cut her off as he moved carefully for the mansion.

"Marius is dead." he stopped at that and looked over at Isabella. For the first time since meeting the girl, he noticed her gray eyes were nearing white in contrast to her platinum blonde head. Blood dotted her strands, her neck and lip. A scar ran down her jaw from a piercing that was no longer in her lip. "Please tell me that we're going after Ceil."

"Isabella…" he didn't know what to say. Remaining silent he moved towards the house again.

"No." She cut him off in step and words, arm awkwardly crossed over her hip as she aimed to be menacing. "That bastard was playing with her to the point of pure insanity. If it wasn't for Nick, she'd be dead. Jonathan couldn't do squat with no weapon and a broken arm. Her scream broke dishes, that's how bad it was, and for what? Shang's sick game to take care of trash. If you don't put an end to her and her friends, then I will. For Sakura's sake."

"I'm taking care of it."

"I want in on it." she glanced at Lane and Milay with a momentary eye roll, her arm dropping painfully to her side. She was weakening, Syaoran realized. All the adrenaline Isabella had coursing through her was finally dying out. "Sakura's my friend, even if you don't agree to it. She's almost family," her hand went to the cross hidden behind her hair, fingers shaking. "Despite the leverage she's close to being a family I never had. But don't tell her that. I just want in on whatever plan you have to get Shang." He nodded and she smiled. Good left her mouth in a whisper before she collapsed.

To be continued…

This chapter was originally going to be a lot longer, but I know how much everyone has been waiting for it. You're welcome.