I do not own Sakura Wars or any of it's characters…'cause if I did, I wouldn't be calling this a fanfic and I would be sailing on the Caribbean in my private yacht, literally swimming in pools of money.

So, now that that's over, you can read the fanfic. Enjoy!

Oh, and this is set in sort of a past/future sorta way and it's based on if Orihime and Reni hadn't come in ST2.

Jacques, Fifi, Clarice, Sophie, Mikel, Reina, Ravina, and Peter are all my characters. (Even if Fifi is a dog!) NO TOUCHIE!!!

Chapter 19

"This is where you wanted us to go?" Ohgami asked in disbelief. "But this is…" "The Imperial Theater. Exactly." Kayama replied. "WE WENT IN A COMPLETE CIRICLE!" Ohgami exclaimed. "THERE WAS NO POINT IN IT!" "Yes there was." Maria said as Kayama opened his mouth to say the exact same thing. The captain of the Moon Division studied the blonde carefully as she spoke. "The whole purpose of walking around was so that we stayed low-key to anyone who might be watching us." Maria turned to Kayama. "So where are you really taking us?" she asked. Kayama smiled and shook his head. "These are the times when I wonder why Ayame recruited you to the Flower Division instead of the Moon Division." he said. "Coming from you, that's a compliment. Coming from Yuri Sakikabara, it means that she gossips too much." Ohgami said, gesturing at Maria. "Oh shut up." the blonde said as she playfully punched Ohgami in the arm; a mischievous glint in her jade green eyes "Ah, Ohgami, it looks like Maria's sweet on you." Kayama observed. "So what if she is?" Ohgami asked. "I don't mind one bit." "So I see." Kayama replied. A deep shade of pink found its way onto Maria's cheeks as she realized that what she had done was extremely uncharacteristic of her. "Oh there's no denying it Maria." Kayama said as the blonde opened her mouth to say something. "We all know you and Ohgami love each other to death, so don't even try to say that you don't." "Now, wait just a minute Kayama. I didn't say that I loved her to death…" Ohgami said. "You don't?" "No! I do! I just didn't say…it… AAH! YOU DID IT TO ME AGAIN!" "Reverse psychology. It works." Kayama whispered to Maria. "No kidding." the Russian replied.

"CLARICE DID WHAT?!" Sophie demanded as Jacques reported what he had seen. "I told you already!" the French aristocrat snapped. "And stop yelling in my face. Your breath smells like the old-er, smoke." "When will you two ever learn that my name is not 'The Old Man,' and it never will be?!" Valentinov asked. "Sorry sir. It's a habit. You know what they say, old habits are hard to break." Jacques replied. "Yeah…" Sophie sniggered as she threw her cigar on the floor, done with it. "Like carrying around a stuffed poodle." "Hey! Fifi is my good luck charm!" Jacques protested. "Lemme see everything in your coat pockets." Sophie demanded. "Why?" the auburn haired man asked defensively. "Lemme see!" the brunette snapped. When Jacques was hesitant, Sophie whipped out her revolver and pointed it at Jacques. "Now." she hissed, curling her finger around the trigger. "Okay." the French man said, emptying his coat pockets. Sophie watched with satisfaction and looked back at Valentinov with a grin that clearly said, "I'm going to humiliate Jacques again!" And she did. "AH! Here it is!" she exclaimed, pulling a stuffed poodle out of the pile of stuff. "This is Fifi." she said, showing Valentinov proudly. "And now that you two have wasted 30 minutes with this ridiculous procedure, may I tell you the one flaw in what Jacques saw?" the fifty-six-year-old asked calmly. Sophie knew that if Valentinov was too calm, chances were that he was going to yell at them any minute. The brunette threw the toy down, sat down, and pocketed her pistol. Jacques put everything back in his coat pockets and sat down while cuddling Fifi. "The problem is…" Valentinov began, and then stopped as Jacques and Sophie, all too eager to listen, leaned in. Fools… "CLARICE IS AT THE APARTMENT AT THE MOMENT!!! THE PERSON YOU SAW WAS THE PERSON WE'RE AFTER!!" Sophie and Jacques shrunk back at the volume and tone of Valentinov's voice. The distinguished Russian man sat back up straight, adjusting the collar of suit. "Now. I'm going out to get Clarice. I trust that you two won't set the place on fire if I leave you alone for half an hour… correct?" "Yes sir." Sophie said with her most innocent look. "Don't 'yes sir' me." Valentinov snapped. "I think you've picked up on some of Clarice's tricks…the only problem is that it doesn't work when a thirty-three-year-old tries to perform them." Sophie pouted and Jacques laughed silently, pointing at her and clutching his stomach.

"So. Now that you've brought us down here, in a soundproof room, what's up?" Ohgami asked as Kayama closed the door. "I received some information from the man we caught. Apparently, his name is Mikel Nikolia, and he's the central intelligence agency of the New York mafia." "N-new York?" Maria asked, paling rapidly. "Who's he working for?" she demanded. "He won't say. All the information I have is the only information the Moon Division's been able to get out of him." Maria nodded, the color beginning to slowly return to her face. Kayama was about to say more, when there came a tap at the single window in the room. He looked up, saw a man in the customary Moon Division uniform, and immediately ran to the glass window to open it. "What in the-" Ohgami started to say, but Maria silenced him, focusing on the messenger. Something doesn't seem right about him…he looks too shifty…and what is that silver thing sticking out of his pock- "DOWN!" the blonde shouted as, in one smooth motion, the man grabbed his gun and opened fire. Ohgami pushed Maria out of the way as a bullet ripped through his shirt sleeve and lodged itself in his arm. "OHGAMI!!" Maria screamed in horror, flashbacks of her past running through her head as Ohgami fell to the ground, clutching his arm. The Russian grabbed her revolver and started shooting at the intruder. It only took three shots before the man realized that he had upset Maria, and smirked at her before departing. Kayama, who had hidden underneath the window and closed his eyes, taking heed of Maria's warning, reached up and slammed it shut. "That was a close one. Is everyone-" Kayama stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Maria kneeling over Ohgami. Quickly, the captain of the Moon Division got up and started walking towards the couple, but he stopped when he was able to hear faint sobs from Maria. She's crying?! Kayama wondered in sheer amazement. Upon listening closer, he was able to hear the blonde's whispered words.

"Ohgami…this is too dangerous…" "Shh, don't cry Maria… I'm okay…" "No…No! It's not! I could have lost you…Ohgami, I love you! I don't want anything to happen to you." the blonde confessed as tears that were unwilling shed fell onto Ohgami's face. The spiky-haired captain sat up and, being careful not to move his left arm, brought Maria into an embrace. "It's okay Jade Eyes…" he whispered, letting her cry into his shoulder and stroking her thin hair. Kayama came up and looked seriously at Ohgami, and then his arm. "Let's get you to the infirmary." he said. But Ohgami shook his head and then nodded towards Maria. "I'm not moving when she needs me most…"

For 30 minutes now, Jacques and Sophie had been silent; their backs to each other. And the silence was becoming more enjoying by the minute until… *WHAM!* "Hi there people!" Clarice shouted as she threw open the door. She cheerfully walked in and sat down next to Sophie. Jacques raised an eyebrow at the happy eighteen-year-old, then went back to stroking the fur of his stuffed poodle. Sophie sighed, rolled her eyes, and went back to staring at the far corner. It was becoming more interesting now. "Is there a spider in that corner or somethin' Sophie?" Clarice asked curiously, staring in the same direction as her friend. "No." Sophie said bluntly as she grabbed a piece of gum out of her pocket and popped it into her mouth. "Oh…" Clarice replied, trying as hard as she could to understand why the atmosphere was so tense. "Hey Jacques, is that the dog that Sophie's been telling me about?" she asked, looking over at the French man. "What?" Jacques asked, interested in hearing exactly everything Sophie had been telling the teen. "Is that the dog that Sophie's been telling me about?" Clarice repeated. "Because she told me that you carry around a pink stuffed poodle as your good luck charm." "I said no such thing!" Sophie protested. "Yeah you did." Clarice said, determined on jogging her friend's memory. "You said, 'Hey Clarice! Guess what?! Jacques showed me a pink stuffed poodle that he's had since he was two! He carries it around everywhere he goes because it's his good luck charm!' Do you remember now?" "Oh I'm sure she does, Clarice." Jacques said, standing up and pocketing Fifi. "Wait she said something else too!" Clarice said as Sophie waved her hands frantically, trying to get the teen to stop. "Now what was it? Oh! Now I remember! She said 'And he named it FIFI!! FIFI!! Can you imagine it?!' and then she started laughing like crazy!"

[Outside]

"SOPHIE!!!" Valentinov sighed and wondered what in the world he was going to do with the three idiots that were his allies.