I heard a knock at my door later that night. I rolled over and covered my head with a pillow. "If you want to come in then break the damn door down!" I shouted. With a grunt I rolled back over to stare up at the ceiling, staring blankly. All of my felt numb, like I was just pumped full of Novocain.

"Its Lin." He called.

"I'm too lazy to get up and open the door." I responded. "And I don't know if I can move." I said calmly.

"Please?" He whined. I hadn't known Lin to be one to whine and this made me wonder what was so important that he had to whine at me so that I would open the door. I sighed and grunted, rolling from the bed. I took my sweet time getting to the door, only to open it to Lin standing with a grin on his face. I raised and eyebrow and looked at him oddly for a second. Before slamming the door in his face and dragging my lazy ass back to my uncomfortable rock hard cot of a crap hole bed. "Come on!" He shouted. "Please, just let me in." He said, sounding serious now. It made my skin crawl when he was the serious. It made me think about how Vicious-esque he was becoming. I suppose that what happens when you spend so much time with one person, it almost drives you crazy….doesn't it?

Groaning heavily, I dragged myself back to the door and opened it, looking at Lin with a 'this-better-be-good-because-if-it-isn't-you-should-start-running-now' look. His eyes widened a bit and he stepped forward, bravely. I watched him and took a step back, and suddenly, my tired little brain started playing the tango. I shook that feeling and leaned against the wall as he stepped into my small, cold sterile room. I let out another heavy sigh. He turned and looked at me with a slight smiled. "You're little guard friend from earlier told Vicious about what you did." He said casually.

"Oh? And how does the all mighty omniscient Lin know this?" I asked, cocking my head to the right, watching him through tired blue eyes. He sighed and looked at me like 'you've got to be kidding' or maybe it was 'what are you…stupid?' I wasn't sure.

"Well, I am always there." He cocked back. "Its my job."

"Job? You call that a job? Its like he's hired you to stalk him." I sassed. Lin growled slightly so I decided not to try my luck, and stepped down. He sighed and looked at me. "Okay!" I said holding my hands up in surrender. Lin is another one of those 'doom, doom, doom to whom ever is stupid enough to piss me off' guys. More Vicious-esqueness. Its one of those things that would be unwise to tell him so, I just thought it, instead of opening my mouth and showing my gold's worth of idiocy by doing so. "Anyway…what was so what happened?" I asked.

"He smiled…only slightly. It was a twisted smiled, however." He said. My skin crawled again at t he thought of that smile. Let me out. Let me out NOW! I grunted at him slightly. I must have please Vicious when I attacked that guy and that…that was the last thing I ever wanted to do.

"Yay." I said sarcastically. "So whats the good news?" I asked. Lin just looked at me like I was crazy and shook his head. I smiled slightly. "I'm not happy because I hate him. I hate him with every thread of my being. And if he died tomorrow, the world would be a better place for me." I said to him. I knew he might run off and tell him so I smiled slightly, looked up, and looked directly into Lin's eyes. "So run and tell him, little rabbit." I said cockily. Lin just looked at me, sighed and shrugged his broad shoulders.

"Why?" He asked. "He wouldn't care if you hated him, we all do." He said simply. I stared at him in disbelief for a long moment. He hated Vicious too? What a plot twist! I sighed and shook my head slightly.

"Yeah, well the woman or man that would love that, is crazy…" I said and walked over, plopping my self down on my bed. Lin looked at me sharply for a minute then walked over and sat down next to me.

"There was one woman, you know." Lin started. I looked at him and my eyes widened. I plopped my head onto his lap and looked up at is squared and aging face like a child.

"OOOH! Tew me a stowy Win." I said, jutting my bottom lip out, staring him with big eyes. He sighed slightly and leaned against my back board. He cracked his knuckles and looked back at me. "I suppose you met Spike?" He asked. "The man at the bar. Spike used to be a member of the Syndicate, as you also know, but he got out. There was a woman, named Julia whom was loved by both Spike and Vicious. One day, Spike and Vicious were on a mission together, and something happened. Spike ended up wounded horrible" He paused to take in and exhale a big breath. "Well, Spike ended up very injured, and was taken in and taken care of by Julia. Spike fell in love with her then, but didn't know that Vicious was in love with her as well. When they found out about each other's love for Julia they began to fight, becoming rivals then. This severed their brother-like bond. Spike got out of the Syndicate somehow, and ever since, the two have been fighting with the intentions of killing each other, so that one may have Julia. There's just one problem. Neither of the two of them have seen her in like 30 years…" He finished. I looked up at him then closed my eyes. Taking in a deep breath and exhaling, I reopened them.

"Wow…No wonder he's so cold. And no wonder Spike was all over my about Vicious at the bar…Well….It sucks to be them." I said simply. Lin scoffed at me, staring at me with the same disbelief as I had stared at him with. "I hate Vicious. I told you that. Just because he lost his woman, I'm not going to feel any different for him. The fact of the matter is that he is still cruel, and under is command I have become a monster. I hate him I hare him I hate him." I said raising a brow. "No matter what. I'm sorry if that offends you, but I hate him. Truly madly deeply." Lin just shook his head and smiled slightly.

"I don't care how you feel about Vicious. I don't like you any more or any less than I do now. You have you're point of view on things, as do I." He said. I smiled some back and rolled over.

"Okay." I said. "Now get out of my room." I said laughing. He left peacefully, and I went to sleep.

Walking through the arch of bent sakura limbs, their scent filled my nose. I sighed some and walked over to a pond where I could see myself perfectly. My light pink kimono blew in the wind, it seemed to blend with the sakura which was my background. My raven hair billowed in the breeze as I stared at the refection in the water. Suddenly the reflection began to change into pictures and moments from my three years as a Syndicate dog. The water turned crimson as I watched the many men that were slain by my blade die all over again. As if I was reliving the atrocious acts I had committed. Showing me how much of a monster I really had become. Tears streamed from my eyes as I turned to see my mother who stared at me like I was a deformed monster. Her eyes wide with fear. Suddenly the water formed into a mirror and shattered around us. Pieces crucifying me to a tree. A particularly large piece formed into a katana and, as I watched with horror, slashed my mother throat and drove itself threw her stomach. Her death replayed before my eyes and a voice beckoned to me 'See what you've done Kasumi….You've killed her…You've killed her. Monster, monster….' and the voice faded from my ears as I dropped to the ground woundless. I found myself sitting in front of the water now, painted as I geisha, brushing my long hair. There was a reflection in the water along side me. It was him, the man I hated with all of my heart. Vicious. He sat beside me and held me close….he kissed me.

I sat up in my bed spitting and crying. I cussed my head off then screamed and screamed until my throat was dry. I thought that if that were to ever happen, I'd kill myself on the spot. I felt betrayed and used. Like I was molested by someone. I had betrayed my own emotions, my own heart in my dreams. I had killed my mother then kissed my official number one rival. I knew I didn't kill my mother, but as anyone who had witnessed a murder or death would feel, I felt as though I had shoved the blade into her myself. Guilt is a powerful emotion. Its strong enough for one to kill themselves. Some people can't escaped the false guilt and it turns into depression. Sometimes it becomes so deep that one simply cannot get back, and so they drown in it as they walk each day. Carrying that weight and that pressure. It drives some people, dare I say it? Insane..

Insanity was slowly creeping up on me and there was no escape. Like a serial killer creeping up on his victim. Like a drunk driver surging down on an old lady or a child trying to cross the street. I was that victim and that old lady, I was that child and I was about to be hit by a carload of drunken insanity then stabbing mercilessly by it as well. Joyful joyful fun fun. How about that paranoid fear as well? That what if. 'What if I don't wake up tomorrow? Or what if I do? What if something happens and the people I care about get hurt because of me? What if when I wake up tomorrow and I see something I don't want to?' That creeping paranoia. The more I think about it the more paranoid I become. The more paranoid I become the closer to insanity I climb with every second of every day. And with each tick and tock that passes me closer to insanity the more I become like Vicious. The more Vicious-esque I am, the more I want to die.

I sighed as I slid down into the sudsy, hot bubble bath filled water. The scent of the candles and bubble bath mixed with the sound of soft flute music from my CD player mixed to form one big assault on my senses. The marble of the tub was nice too. All of these things allowed my mind to wander peacefully. My mind wander to thoughts of Gren. I told him I would never forget him, and I never would so long as I live. I also, however, would never forgive myself for just leaving like a chicken. For just writing a note instead of saying goodbye properly. I sighed and rolled over in the sudsy water, staring at the wooden cabinets across from me.

There was a knock at the door a few moments later and I groaned slightly. "May come in?" Lin's voice sounded. I sighed and thought for a moment. I looked over the water seeing that my form was completely concealed by a camouflage forest of bubbles and called back to him, permitting him to stop my thoughts before I drove myself insane. Moments later Lin's figure enter the door which creaked as he closed it behind him. He looked a little taken aback by all of the scents that mixed and instantly socked you in the nose when you walk in. Lin looked me directly in the eyes during the whole duration of his visit. You have to admire a man with honor. I smiled slightly at him.

"Something troubling you, Lin-chan?" I asked. He shook his head, but I could see the anger and confusion brewing in his eyes. "Lin-chan, you can tell me." I said. He shook his head again.

"Its nothing. Its just" He paused, "Really hard to be in here without becoming red in the cheeks." He said. I smiled and laughed slightly.

"Lin, I'm sure you've seen a female's body before. If not then…well, never mind." I said and laughed again. He shared my laugh with me. "So what's really up? You don't usually come and hang out with me when I'm in my tub." I said.

"I don't know. Shin went off to some bar somewhere and I really don't feel like hanging out with Vicious or his dogs." He said.

"We're all Vicious' dogs, you know." I said shortly. He smiled slightly.

"I suppose so. You know, you're easy to talk to." He said. I smiled to him and closed my eyes for a second.

"You too Lin-chan." I said. With that he stood from the counter.

"I think I'll wait for you out there." He said. I nodded slightly.

"I'll be out momentarily." I said as he closed the door. I took a few more minutes in the warm water and stepped out, looking at myself nude in the mirror. There was a long, thin scar that ran from right between my breast down to my belly button. This was from where I was captured by some rogue group of some kind of hunters and sold to a science lab where they did tests on me. Believe it or not, they can do that… Nice guys though, they didn't knock me out before cutting me open. I escaped there and came here, as big as they were, they were wise not to mess with the Syndicate. If you take the largest corporation around and multiply it by ten, you still don't have the numbers that was have. It's a lose-lose situation to challenge us. You can kill one but ten more will take and avenge his place.

I wrapped the towel around myself and pulled the pin from my still dry hair, allowing it to fall about me. I sighed and opened the door, walking past Lin who was sitting on my bed, over to my dresser. I pulled out a new uniform, looking at it. I shook my head and headed back to the bathroom when I felt a hand at my shoulder. I was spun around and pressed to a wall, Lin's body against mine. He pressed his Lips to mine…but I did not struggle.

…………

Author's notes:

Wow guys, don't ask what that last part was about…I just have to keep this storyline alive. .

Thank you to Ash, whom reviews every chapter of this with encouragement. I still recommend his story to you, it will make you either a.) want to cry b.) cry… or h.) Angry!

I'd appreciate it if a lot of you would review. I'd like to know what you all think!

Domo Arigato!