A/N:

Sigh I thought my time before Japan was going to be fun and easy little did I know that time flies! Where did my January go? And February for that matter!

Most likely where my paychecks and odd cash end up- Gone! Spent!

To add to the pie, I killed my little computer. Yes, I am a computer killer. Don't ask me how I did it- the hard drive just died one day. That the last time I do a computer health day- seriously I took care of the laptop better than my desktop and see where that gets me.

Oh well- tax returns are coming and I got a little cash left over- so I got myself a new laptop- (just in time for my trip to Nihon! OMGWHT! I leave in a month!)

However, that does not get back the scores of files I had on the other one grrrr I had six pages of story on it- not to mention Christmas pictures! Kate is frustrated. So I apologize again- I seem to be able to do that quite well, no? No more delays- on to the fic!

-

Tai had to get out of the building, fast. The walls and hallways all seemed crowded and stuffy to him as his heart pounded painfully. He knew he had messed up by not accepting his new feelings and telling her. Yet, how could he take such a risk when he was unsure of himself?

Needing to forget all the images he conjured up inside his head seeing her- Tai walked down the street with no particular destination in mind. He was so engrossed with his internal struggles that he did not notice the slight dip in the road. Quickly saving himself from what could have been both a nasty and embarrassing fall- Tais ears picked up on a conversation that sparked his curiosity

The three men stood around a trough of water where a solitary horse drank. Looking at them would cause nothing suspicious- each was dressed in worn ranch hand attire. Their skin tanned by extensive exposure to the hot Californian sun. Everything looked harmless until his ears noticed the topic at hand. It was a similar topic he had been grappling with from the moment he first entered the saloon.

"You say the bitch killed the last one too?" The tallest of the men in a red plaid print shirt.

"He's not going to be happy. There's new orders to take her out- no strings attached this time. They don't want to observe her- dead or alive... tonight things get interesting." Another mentioned.

"All I can say it's a waste to kill such a beauty- no matter what, we should at least have a little fun before, if you know what I mean..." The third and fattest of the group smiled.

"You can do whatever you want- just remember it's a job and not fun time. Besides there's not enough money out there for me to go up against that red head." The first responded to the last man's comments.

"I agree. I'm not going to risk my life. She even killed the best gun hand he's ever had." The second added.

Tai had a real good feeling he knew who the men were talking about a little ways away. Sora seemed to attract their kind of trouble. She truly was an amazing person- coming all this way by herself and surviving everything this group threw at her. It was then that an idea came to him. Gathering his confidence and courage, Tai approached the group of men.

"I couldn't help but overhear you are in need of a good gun hand there fellas." He began. The three looked over at the newcomer with cautious eyes. "Not to brag, but I just happen to be a pretty good shot." Demonstrating his talents, Tai pulled his gun from its holster at his waist in a flash. Firing off two shots Tai slipped the gun back at his side after a twirl. The men looked in awe at the precision shooting he had done knocking down three bottles across the street.

"Three bottles with two shots? You do have some talent there kiddo." The man in plaid said stroking the stubble on his chin.

"But we need more than just talent. We're not playing cowboys and Indians you know." The chubby one spoke up looking harshly at Tai. "I've seen seasoned hunters drop dead against this one." His tone was extremely hostile thinking about the men his group had lost.

"I don't think I'll have any problems. Besides, you need a gunman, and I am willing to take the job. Unless any of you would want it…" Tai stopped to notice the looks on their faces. He had to hold back a smile as their grim expressions told him the answer.

"You've got balls there kid. We'll give you a shot. Meet us at the Saloon around five tonight. I'll have all the details then." With that the men tipped their hats in a parting gesture and walked away.

Tai stood there for a moment to collect his thoughts. 'It was that easy to get into this group?' Some how he did not believe that; things never went this smoothly… there had to be a catch somewhere.

"Well, no use worrying about it now." He sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets and sauntered off towards the stables. A ride around the surrounding areas would do him good- also he could trail those idiots if needed. They might just lead him straight to this illusive hideout. Sora had mentioned in her notes that their base of operations changed locations frequently. Especially after the first few men started showing up mysteriously killed in bar fights. The mastermind was not dumb… and that's exactly what had Tai's stomach uneasy.

Sora made her way over to the saloon early in the afternoon. She still was not feeling like her old self. That angered her greatly. At the moment she should not be worrying about her love life- that was unimportant. At least she had always made it be that way.

'Things never go my way.' She sighed as she began her shift. Forcing her mind to prepare for this evening, Sora pushed all other thoughts out of her mind. She needed to be sharp and alert today. No distractions, no sidetracks could be allowed. 'I'm too close for there to be stupid consequences now.'

Word on the street had it that the notorious group was on the verge of something big. With the information she would seduce out of one of their members, she might have the key to stopping them for good. Any means necessary- that was what she decided. No more living like this for years. She wanted to end everything and soon. Revenge and then a new life… possibly even a happy life awaited her. Sora was tired of waiting.

Busying herself, Sora carried tray after tray to the thirsty customers. On the outside, things appeared normal and she was having a regular day, however to a friendly eye like Joe, he could tell something was up.

"Hey Sora!" The blue haired man stopped her after she returned an empty tray of glasses to the bar. "Can we talk for a sec?"

"Joe? Um… sure. What about?" She replied a little worried because of the expression on Joe's face. "Is there something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing much, just wanted to know if you were."

"Me? I'm fine. Couldn't be better." She lied.

"Sure." Joe said rather unbelievingly. "You know after all this clears out- you could go with him."

"With who? If you are implying I should marry Matt and be happy- we'll I'll have you know…"

"Not him. I've known that as nice as Matt is, he wasn't the one for you. Call it a hunch."

"A hunch huh? Well if not him, who?"

"You know who I'm talking about- you just don't want to admit the strong and independent person you are has fallen for someone." Joe smiled looking at her stubborn face. "It happens to the best of men too. Love isn't something to be feared or hated. It's only natural."

"Since when are you an expert on matters of love?" She didn't want to sound so harsh towards a friend who was trying to help her, but her voice came out spitting daggers.

"I've been around the block a few times. Granted they haven't all ended fantastically, but I have tried and I'm open to the fact it will happen someday. That's more than some can say, isn't it?" He had a point. She hated when he was right. "So you want to talk about it then?"

"Haven't we had similar conversations before? How did they turn out?"

"Touchy." He smiled; Joe had always enjoyed getting Sora a little riled up from time to time. "Now on to my real reason for talking with you." His smile grew larger as she looked like she was about to hit him.

"So there was a reason for this harassment?"

"A friend of mine stumbled across a little piece of information this morning… he's coming over a little later and you can talk to him. It's about you little hobby." The look in his eyes told her it was serious and that this man could be trusted.

"Alright, let me know when he arrives. And thanks Joe. You're a good friend."

-

The day went on with little to no actions out of the ordinary. Sora served drinks and played a little poker with customers. A few stray hands needed to be taught a lesson for getting a little too fresh, but nothing to cause her worry. Yet she could not break the feeling of impending trouble.

The loud entrance of three burly customers drew her attention for a fleeting moment. That was until she caught a glimpse of the fourth person who entered the bar. With his hat off, the unruly brown hair was free to spike out in all directions. Sora felt her stomach do a little flutter when he sat next to the trio and smiled at a passing saloon girl. Another scantily dressed woman came right up to them and sat down on Tai's lap, taking orders like there was no problem.

Before meeting his eyes, Sora turned abruptly and spilt a little on a customer she was waiting on. The already drunk man did not seem to mind after a kiss to the cheek and a new beer glass to nurse for a time. After dropping off the tray at the bar counter, Sora excused herself and went in the back.

Tai knew he had seen Sora there in the bar as he entered trailing the gang he had conversed with that morning. Before he could get a good look around the bar better an older woman dressed in flimsy clothes attacked him. Getting cozy on his lap, she talked with the others while taking orders of drinks and a little something from the kitchen.

"And you, love?" The woman asked turning her body to look at the man she was using as a cushion.

"Beers fine." Tai said not wanting to look dumb in front of his temporary comrades.

"I'll be right back then. Don't move a muscle." She added before slipping off Taichi and over to the bar.

"Looks like we've got a ladies man in this one too." The man still clad in the plaid shirt smiled tipping his hat to another pretty face.

"Well, let's hope he's a better shot than a lover." Another said, still not openly friendly to the newcomer.

Tai didn't mind the distrust from two of the three men. The leader of the group seemed unfazed by the newness of the night's main player. The only reasoning for this that Tai could find was the old saying, 'better him than me.' No one else wanted to have a chance against the job he was after tonight, namely Sora. The only thing he would like was a little time to talk it over with her- if they played their cards right, they could both get to the main hideout tonight. He would need Sora's cooperation for this to work. If he brought her in, with some wild story how he bested her, they would more than likely get before the boss.

However, there was a great risk involved. The majority of it would rest on Sora's shoulders… this upset him the most. His head told him, Sora would and could deal with anything thrown her way. Yet, his heart was deeply trouble about seeing her in more danger; she would be the most likely to die if anything went wrong.

Scanning the bar once again, he was disappointed to see she was nowhere to be seen. 'I swore I saw her hair over by the bar… no one else has gorgeous hair that color.' He thought with a slight blush. "Or a body, spirit and personality like hers…' he added.

"So, the plans are for you to have a little rendezvous later. Alone… bring you gun, and here's a smaller one to put somewhere in case." One handed him a small side arm to conceal.

"Dead or alive- however, if the latter- make sure she's drugged, tied, unconscious or something…" Another warned.

"I prefer alive myself." Tai felt sick to the stomach at the last comment and the lustful eyes of the man sitting to his right. Clenching his fists under the table, Tai kept from punching the other man for the comment about Sora.

"Here you go boys." The saloon girl from before returned. This time she was not alone; another, younger girl accompanied her also with a tray of drinks. "Thought you'd like another lap partner, while I talk to this handsome one here." The lady said motioning the younger girl to sit near Tai. He was thankful the older woman then sat on another man's lap.

There was nothing wrong or hideous about the new girl, Tai just wasn't use to girls fawning over men in this fashion. It just seemed… wrong, maybe dirty as well. Looking around, Tai took stock where he was again. Only months ago he would have never thought to have been found in a saloon in California with a woman, he did not know, on his lap.

If he wasn't already embarrassed, his current discomfort level raised significantly as a certain red headed saloon girl re-entered the bar area. A rag in one hand and a new stack of glasses on a tray balanced in between her hip and her free arm. For some reason he could tell the smile on her lips was a false one. She looked upset and a bit flustered. Tai instantly caught himself wanting to walk over to her.

"Were do you think you're going pretty boy, we haven't had any fun yet." The girl asked caressing his cheeks. "Don't you want to play a little game?"

A loud laugh roared from his table partners as Tai went a little red faced at the boldness of the women now straddling his lap. His eyes went wide as he quickly looked over at a shocked Sora. She was looking at him with an unreadable expression. Then she looked away- going back to the job at hand, leaving Tai with a smiling woman on him and laughing men making a scene out of his discomfort.

-

After a few minutes, the men at his table seemed to mellow, as their stomach began to fill with the food they had ordered. Tai was glad the two saloon girls left finding he was not in the mood for the attention and the others were stingy tippers. Tai sat and listened in on the group's banter about rather unimportant things. However, every no and then they would broach the topic of their jobs. The small bits of information that came out of them were not things of great significance, yet they helped Tai discover why it was taking so long to find the base of the operations. They had someone really smart working the inners of the organization. The men sickened Tai with the stories of murder, robbery and debauchery. He took solace in the fact they would get their just deserts and soon.

As the beers kept coming to the table, Tai's eyes began to wander again. He had no interest in sharing his stories with the three. Putting in a few words here and there to seem friendly and a willing comrade, Tai couldn't help but watch a certain saloon girl as she made her way around the room.

He began to wonder if it was the beer talking when it seemed like she floated across the place. Her entire being radiated beauty and spirit. The way she passed off the hoards of men vying for her attention lifted a weight off his heart. 'I'm still not too late… after all this… then.' He told himself.

-

He had been watching her for the last hour or so. She didn't dare look over his way too often, but she could tell he was watching her.

'Why is he doing this?' She wondered as she tried to forget the unnerving feelings of being watched- even if it was a friend and not a foe, it still bothered her. Thinking back to the way they parted this morning, she could imagine what he could be feeling.

Was he disgusted at her for being a saloon girl? For not upholding the tighter moral code it seemed he and other followed? Did he think she was dirty, that there was something wrong with her due to her profession and the sacrifices she had made to get this far?

'Why do I even care what he thinks?' Sora huffed as she picked up the empty glasses on a table. 'I know I'm dirty… not good enough for someone to really care about… I know.' Her heart pounded painfully in her chest. 'He's out of my league… only attracted to the face, not me…'

Consumed with her inner thoughts, she did not notice a familiar figure come up behind her. All she felt was a pair of arms slipping around her waist and lips touch her bare shoulder.

Tensing up, she swiftly countered the man's grip. Landing a powerful elbow into her attackers stomach, she heard a grunt. A familiar grunt. Turning Sora came face to face with a squinting Matt.

"Matt?" She squeaked. Sora had definitely not expected to see the blonde haired man for a time. "Oh, I'm sorry... are you alright?"

"Don't worry babe, it'll take much more than that to keep me away." He smiled, recovering quickly to the blow in the stomach.

"What... what are you doing here?" She asked still not understanding why the unexpected visit.

"Couldn't I just say hi? Or would you prefer me telling you I missed you already?" He asked allowing his arm to slink around her waist once again. Sora sighed, but allowed the blonde to hug her. "I came to tell you I was leaving for the rest of the week. Remember I told you I had to check on my cattle down the creek. I wanted to give you the keys." He said passing her the keys to his house.

"Matt, I'm not moving in..."

"No, I know... it's just that in case you need anything. I'll be gone for some time. Besides, I'll feel better knowing that you'll be safe, watching my house...Please."

Sora was relieved that Matt had loosened his grip. She stepped away to clear her mind. Looking away from the man before her, Sora couldn't help but look his way. She had not meant to, and she did not want to look at him just this minute. Nevertheless, their eyes met from across the room. There were no words, neither needed to saw anything. Sora felt her heart squeeze; she felt dirty, worthless and she saw it all in his eyes... disgust.

Looking away, Sora took the keys slowly from Matt, almost defeated because of what she saw in Tai's deep eyes.

"Well, I'll see you in a week then." Matt smiled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"I better get back to work." She weakly added, wanting to disappear.

"I love you." Matt said before she turned and returned towards the bar. Looking around the room, Matt's eyes came to stop on the same eyes Sora had stopped. Giving a smug smile, Matt said everything he needed to with a look.

It was a challenge of sorts, an air of certainty over the possession of something the other could not have. Though Matt did truly care about Sora, Tai could tell the blonde was not what would make her happy. It was that look that had Tai determined. He would act on his feelings. Once Matt exited the saloon, Tai felt empowered.

Turning towards the bar, Tai stood up ready to act.

"We're you going there?" One of his half drunken comrades murmured after finishing off another glass.

"The bathroom." He lied. If he did not do something this moment, he would regret it- just like this morning. He could have said something. Seeing that look in Matt's eyes, and her entire mood this morning, he knew that Sora would be making a huge mistake settling for anything in this town. She had been through so much- and it just felt right for them to be together...

"Sora, my friend is here." Joe said keeping his voice down. "He's waiting for you in the backroom's storehouse."

"Thanks Joe, think you can handle the bar without me?"

"No problem. I hope this helps." He nodded as she made a quick exit much to Tai's dislike. He came nearly running up to the bar as Sora disappeared behind the doors.

"Problems Tai?" Joe smiled looking at the man before him. "Here, have a drink." Pushing a glass filled with an amber liquid Tai's way, Joe continued to go about work as usual.

"Where did Sora go?"

"She's meeting with someone. Business and all." Joe said with a wink. It was not safe to talk too much out in the open. Especially over a topic so dangerous. "So what can I do for you- you looked rather determined as you walked over here."

"I… I um… I wanted to speak to Sora." Tai said finally gathering his courage.

"I see you made some new friends… they don't look like your type of people…"

"They're not. I need to talk to Sora."

"Sorry, she's busy right now. We can wait for her if you like. She'll be happy to talk to you."

"Can I ask you something Joe? I know we've only met a few days again, but…"

"Give her time. You've got her quite confused there- something must have happened this morning. Besides, it looks like you finally got the courage up. Do not let if fade. Once this is over you'll both have new lives- you'll be free to live again." Joe stopped and looked at the man approaching the bar. "It looks like your friends are getting lonely." With that, he took out three more glasses and filled them full. "On the house."

"What's taken so long?" The man asked as he plopped down on the stool next to Tai. "Oh, you're getting the next round. You read my mind!"

Tai sighed as he was pulled back to the table. By now the hours had passed and dusk had fallen on the town. The bar's numbers increased and his companions became sober as time for the operations drew near.

"So, alls you got to do is wait for her to enter- Two of us will be across the street in case you need help. Waive your shirt in the window and they will come running. There's other planed all around this joint tonight. It's now or never there fella."

Tai felt nervous as he climbed the side stairs of the saloon up to the second floor. Entering a room, he tried to calm his nerves. He should not be worried- he was going to be able to explain everything to Sora and then they would finish this game.

All the same, being in a room with only a bed, a changing screen and not much else adorning it was a first. Especially with the original purpose of the room in mind. 'How does she live like this?' He wondered taking in the surroundings better. Sora had definitely had things worse off than he did… she deserved revenge. Moreover, Tai wanted to give that to her.

After Sora's conversation with Joe's friend, a red haired, short man, she knew her feeling of uneasiness was warranted. The group had hired a new guy to attempt to kill her- the catch was that they didn't care if she killed him or not… there were others lying in wait. It was a trap.

She needed to decide what to do now. She had two options; both outcomes meant trouble. If she showed up- killed the guy, there would be a firefight on a large scale with the others. This meant the establishment would take on sever damage, not to mention the fact she's probably be hunted by the entire town. If she left now- did not show up, she would not get such a chance in a long time. Sora knew the group was on the verge of starting something again…

'Damn.' She cursed as she made her way up the back stairs. 'I really have no choice- I guess I get to test my skills a bit tonight.' She pondered the ability to use the man in the room to her advantage… maybe seduce him into helping her. It was not such a bad idea, except it made her stomach turn even more. If it were not for the feelings spurred on by this morning and her encounter with Tai, she would be fine. Do it, get it over with and live. Live and forget… that had been the way she survived until now.

Knocking on the door twice, Sora calmed her nerves and turned the knob.

One the other side of the door, the occupant also tried to steel his nerves. This would be a long and dangerous night.

A/N:

has anyone else been having probs w/ lately? it seems to hate the kate :(

oh well- hope you like it- more to come.