N.A: So my Beta is still out of reach. She's got a bunch of exams so she can't correct my grammar. I hope my raw chapters aren't bad. I'm sorry for the delay, but I have 3 part-time jobs now and virtually no time for writing. But I'll finish this story. =o)

Sakura

"The world is too heavy,
Too big for my shoulders,
Come take the weight off me, now.
Thousands of answers,
For one simple question,
Come take the weight off me, now.
I'm like a kid who just won't let it go,
Twisting and turning the colours in rows,
I'm so intensified that's what it is.
This is my Rubik's Cube
And all I can't figure it out."

~ Rubik's Cube by Athlete

They were in an abandoned hospital. Or was it an Asylum? Did it matter? Mary was there, "sleeping"; her red hair combed around her face, the machine monitoring her vital signs. She was wearing hospital clothing, her face white as marble. She was breathing slowly. "Being in coma does that to you", he caught himself thinking.

Peter was sited watching Sakura work. He was stressed, if you didn't know him you wouldn't be able to tell, but Arthur knew him all too well. The hands pressed one against the other, this eyes looking strait at Sakura but not seeing her, his lips in a straight line. You could always know he was worried if there wasn't a grin in the corner of his mouth.

For Peter everything was funny, everyone was boring and he, off course, was the king of the Dream Jobs. You could see why he didn't have many friends, if, Arthur though, he had any friends at all.

The Chemist on the other hand was working hard. Sakura was like that, when she committed she would get things done. Japanese people were all like that or so Arthur though. He remembered Saito in the Fisher job and how he had bought the airline so things would be easier. Sakura seamed that kind of person, someone how would bout every chemic on the market because, you know, you could never know when you would need some chemical no one ever heard about.

Peter took a deep breath before saying, "Sakura, I don't want to hurry you, honey but I'm not getting any younger here!"

Arthur rolled is eyes, Sakura looked at Peter from the corner of her eyes, a fake smile in her lips. "Perfection doesn't like to be hurried…"

Peter stood up and kicked a stone that wasn't there. "Well, I don't have all morning…"

Arthur saw Peter looking at him. A smirk spearing in his face as he said, "You see Sakura, Arthur's Sugar Plum is going to join us soon…"

Arthur grinds his teeth. Peter had found something to do to pass time while things weren't ready. Torture him. Sakura looked at him with interest. She seamed to study him for a while, and then she smiled, not a fake smile like Peters or the one she had showed Peter before, just a plain smile.

"Why, Arthur, I didn't know you had a…" her hand was spinning in the air as she looked for the word.

"Wife…" Arthur said.

"Girlfriend…" Peter corrected immediately, his face frowned, "She's only your girlfriend, fiancée if I'm in a good mood…"

Arthur looked furious at Peter. "You don't get to decide what kind of relation I have with her Peter…"

Peter rolled his eyes and was going to say something but Sakura stopped him by saying calmly, "So you have a wife, Arthur? Strange, I never saw you as the marring type…"

Arthur rolled his eyes. Peters cell phone ringed, he looked at it and then said to Sakura before leaving the room "Hurry up; we don't have that much time…"

Sakura nodded as Peter leaved. Arthur looked at her. He was tied to a chair. He had been trying to escape but since he was no MacGyver he hadn't succeed yet. He looked at Sakura who was finishing the mix for the machine. She didn't seamed distressed by Peters comments or orders, she was taking her time doing things one at a time, very calmly.

"How can you work for him?" Arthur finally asked "He left us to die…"

"Correction" Sakura said "He left you, Cobb and Mary to die; I wasn't in the dream and I won't be in it again this time…"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "Even so…"

She raised her shoulders slightly. "It's just a job you know…"

"So you approve of what he did?"

Sakura eyes meet Arthur's. There was no emotion in them, like she was a machine, processing things and answering according to the occasion. "I never said I approved of anything Arthur. Could you be kind enough to not say that I said something I didn't?"

Arthur took a deep breath. "Then what's your view of the case?"

Sakura inserted the mix in the machine while answering, "I think he did what he though was right, he made a choice, when ether it was a good one or a bad one, it had no influence in me or in the fact that I can still work with him…"

Arthur rolled his eyes again. "For me that means approval…"

Sakura looked straight into his eyes. This time there was emotion on them, a kind of anger or sense of betrayal. Arthur couldn't understand which was more powerful. "No." Sakura crossed her arms. "If you really want to know, I would never go into a dream with Peter. He's a bastard, a coward and he only knows to take things by force, obviously his mother never taught him to be gentle… or politeness…"

Arthur grunted. "Yet, you work for him…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I see it as a job…"

Arthur laughed. She had to be joking. "It's a team job! When your leader leaves the whole freaking team behind something is wrong!" He looked her straight in the eyes. "And it's not the teams fault believe me…"

"I trust Peter as much as you do Arthur…"

"Then why?"

Sakura stopped what she was doing and looked him in the eyes. "Because I don't want to see my two year old boy tied to a chair like you're now…" Arthur blinked as Sakura continued talking "I might hate Peter or not, I may disapprove of him or not, I may not even know what I feel about him in the first place but I know this one thing about Peter…" she eyes where locked in his "when he puts something in his mind, no one can change it, and Arthur, I might loath Peter, but I'm smarter, I prefer an easy breezy collaboration than a forced one…"

There was a small silence. Arthur didn't know what to say. He looked at a Sakura who had returned to her chemistry. Taking a deep breath Arthur said "I didn't know you had a son…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Well, I didn't know you had a wife…"

Ten minutes passed before Arthur spoke again "So, where is he?"

Sakura looked at him for a few seconds "You mean my son?" Arthur nodded, Sakura smiled, a mother's smile, "He's with his grandmother… Safe…" she looked at the door before adding "Away from Peter and all this rubbish! If I do my job right he'll never enter this freaking Dream World…"

"I didn't know you regretted your job…"

Sakura took a deep breath. This job had cost her more that Arthur or anyone else could possibly have imagined. She had never had a relationship in her life, at least a real and long one; her son was made in… Well, she didn't even want to think about that… She all the money she could ask for, all the comfort, the love of her mother and her two year old son, but somehow, she wasn't happy.

Dreaming had lost all of its magic. It was just drugs and mind tricks. Quotes like "Reach for your dreams", and "Dreams are what we are made of" made no sense to her anymore. She didn't want to take that from her son. She looked at Arthur "How much do we know about each other Arthur? We worked together what? Just that one time? We were young and naïve and Peter took advantage of that…"

Arthur took a deep breath and looked at Mary who hadn't moved. "He was my best friend…"

Sakura rolled her eyes. "Oh please! Don't go all Harry Potter on me screaming 'He was their friend!', I just had a marathon this weekend of it with my goddaughter fangirling all over…"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "He was my best friend Sakura and he left me to die and now he's going to do the same to my wife…"

Sakura nodded. "See why I said yes when he offered me the job?" she smiled, a sad smile "Sometimes we have to forget our personal feelings to protect the ones we love, maybe if you had said yes, he wouldn't have taken you two apart by force…"

Arthur shocked his head. "Ariadne is the best, he would want her again and again, and he would never let her go" he looked Sakura in the eyes "that was why I couldn't let him take her…"

"And so, he took you…" she raised her shoulders slightly "it goes down to the same…"

"It doesn't…"

Sakura blinked. "Is that so?"

Arthur seamed secure off himself. "Yes."

"Why?"

"Because I stood for what I know is right, I stood for my wife, for her life and her liberty… Damn! I stood for our life and liberty. So we could live as we wished and worked the jobs we wanted to work…"

"And I'm a monster because I said yes and tagged along?"

"Someone once said, if your stand for nothing, you'll die for nothing" Arthur shocked his head "I prefer dieing that let that bastard take one single look at Ariadne…"

"Hmmm…"

Arthur looked at her. "Sakura, your son can lose his mother in this job, for all we know Peter can kill us all in the end…"

"Yet your wife 'agreed' to work with him…" Sakura had used her finger to put marks in the word 'agreed' which made Arthur roll his eyes.

"I can only imagine the lies he told her…"

Sakura raised her shoulders. "Oh, you don't need to tell many lies, just one will do…"

Arthur looked at her curios. "One?"

"Yes, the cruellest of them all, the lie that there's hope…" Arthur blinked as Sakura went on talking "Hope that she can have you back; hope that you can be together again… Peter doesn't need to do more than that…"

Arthur kicked the leg of his chair. Sakura looked at him, he was trembling with rage, and she had never seen him like that before.

He laughed, a sad laugh, "I never though I would wish to never be with her again, but if that would have keep him away from her, I would, I would never see her again… "

Sakura took a deep breath, walked to him and started to put the wires so he could be connected to the machine. "You do understand that he's only after her because of what she is…"

Arthur rolled his eyes before saying, "The best Architect in the market…"

Sakura shocked her head. "No." she replied slowly "Your wife…"

Arthur looked at her in shock. Suddenly he heard Ariadne's voice, she was talking to Peter. He wanted to yell but Sakura covered his mouth and shocking her head she only said before pressing the button that connected him to the machine. "You got it all wrong Arthur…"

"And here we are…"

Peter had opened the door as Sakura had moved away from Arthur. When Ariadne walked in, Sakura was looking at her mixtures, she looked at Ariadne and they exchanged looks. A very quick glance, but between women sometimes that was enough.

"Sakura, darling meet Ariadne…"

Sakura smiled. She never imagined Ariadne would look so young, she always imagined Arthur would pick an older woman, a practical, tidy and… Well, a female version of himself really. "Oh! So you're Arthur's wife!"

Peter rolled his eyes but Ariadne smiled and said "Yes…"

"Pleasure to meet you…"

"The same…"

When she had opened the door Ariadne saw a sleeping Arthur sited in a chair. She had promised herself she wouldn't run to him. She didn't want to seam desperate, so when the presentations had ended she walked slowly towards him. Sakura studied her as she walked slowly towards Arthur as Peter continues talking.

She saw how Ariadne was closing her fists, how she was walking when she really wanted to run. How she just hold his hand when she probably wanted to kiss and hug him. How she just whispered his name when she would want to tell him how much she loved him.

Sakura shocked her head. This was Peter, weakness lead to death. Peter was still talking but as far as Sakura was concerned he was still talking to Ariadne. She off course wasn't listening to him at all. She was lost in Arthur.

Sakura looked at Peter who, lost in himself was still talking and said "Ready when you are Peter…"

Peter blinked and looked around, then he looked puzzled at Sakura before asking "Where's Carlos?"

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know, I though you would bring him…"

Peter swore and picked his cell phone before leaving the room. Sakura smiled as he left. Ariadne saw him leaving the room and took a deep breath. She could almost feel like she hadn't been breathing for the last hours. She caressed Arthur's hair while holding his hand.

Sakura looked at Mary and went near here, to check something that didn't need to be checked at all. Then she turned to Ariadne. "You know what?" Ariadne looked at her and blinked as she went on talking "I think Carlos changed his phone number yesterday, I better go outside and tell Peter all about it…"

Ariadne smiled at Sakura and bitted her lip before saying "Thanks… I… I think you should…"

Sakura nodded and went trough the door saying before closing it "Well be back in 5, 10m tops…"

Ariadne nodded.

"After all, Carlos won't be that far… He has that Latino…" she started rotating her hand like she was looking for words "What should I call it?" she raised her shoulders slightly "He's never on time you see, but he's never too late…"

She smiled until Sakura left the room. Then as she turned to Arthur she couldn't help but think how he seamed so peaceful. Truth was they all seamed peaceful when they were dreaming trough the machine. Like nothing could go wrong.

Maybe, Ariadne thought, just maybe, Mary's limbo wasn't such a bad place, maybe there was a chance Arthur could remain conscience that he was in a dream, that the world he was in was just a dream.

But if that was so, wouldn't he have wakened up already? Wouldn't he have done something to come back? Ariadne smiled at him although she knew he wouldn't be able to see it. She was going to get him, even if it killed her.

She decided to take the last minutes of solitude to kiss Arthur softly on the lips and whisper in his hears "Its ok love, I've got you… I'm going to bring you back…"

Peter came back in followed by Sakura and a man Ariadne knew had to be Carlos. Maybe because she knew he was Spanish and maybe, but just maybe, because he, strangely, looked a lot like Javier Barden. The fact made Ariadne blink; she was a great fan of the actor. This job was going to be strange.

Carlos waved a military salute and just took one of the reclined chairs. He lied on it and waited. It was like he had been there all along and wasn't even late. Sakura blinked at Ariadne who smiled back. She was still holding Arthur hand, Peter rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Sakura went near the machine and started putting her mixture in it. Lying down Carlos was looking out the window. Ariadne looked at her team members. Peter was a traitor of the worse kind, Sakura seamed OK, but there was something about her that made Ariadne not to trust her completely and Carlos was simply a mess.

She knew things couldn't go well. Looking at Arthur she knew he would kill her for even thought of trying to save him. Now that she actually trying to do it she knew he would kill Peter as soon as he could. Peter was lying down on the chair, Sakura was connecting Carlos to the machine. Ariadne picked a chair and sited herself next to Arthur, her head resting on his shoulder.

Peter grinned, "You're going to have a neck ache when you wake up sugar plum…"

Ariadne raised her shoulders slightly. Sakura smiled, her back turned to Peter, she had just connected him and was now wiring Aridane. Looking straight into Ariadne eye, she only said in a whisper "In doubt, leave the bastard behind, he will do the same with us…"

Ariadne held Arthur's hand with all her strength. "I know what he's capable of.."

Sakura shock her head. "No Ariadne, you have no idea."

"Ready when you're Sakura…"

Sakura smiled and said in a whisper to Ariadne "Good luck, you'll need it…"

"Thanks, I guess…"

"Sweet dreams people…" Sakura whished as she pressed the button.

Ariadne's last thoughts where: 'Was possible to enter the limbo of a person that was in a coma?'. Could Sakura really do it? She knew she should have though of Arthur, but she couldn't, especially after hearing someone shout her name as she went to sleep.

Ariadne looked around. She was in a carriage with Carlos and Peter and they were dressed in middle age clothing, the air smelled awfully and she had no idea what had happened.

"Parece que no hubo suerte con el jardín..." Carlos commented. The first words Ariadne hear him say and she had no idea of what they meant.

Peter smiled and replied "Nada de lo que no estaba ya allí, esperando ..."

Ariadne blinked. If they were going to talk Spanish there was no way she could follow the conversation. She though of all the French she had learned. Why couldn't be them speaking French?

Carlos smiled "Me parece que estamos asustando la chica ...".

Peter grinned at Ariadne before telling Carlos "Deje que tener miedo. Si ella no estaba entonces yo me preocuparía ..."

"¿Qué crees que vamos a encontrar ..."

Peter raised his shoulders slightly. "No me puedo imaginar. Sea lo que sea que vamos a encontrar muy pronto ..."

Ariadne looked out the carriage and saw the garden Cobb had drawn so many years ago. It was the same, it had the same projections, but they were all wearing medieval clothes. What was going on? What kind of limbo was this? Sure Arthur knew that it wasn't the right time! Wouldn't he know?

Carlos blinked. He was looking carefully at Ariadne. "Y la niña?"

Peter smiled. A crocks smile. "Ella es el cebo ... No la dejes saber ..."

Carlos nodded. Peter smiled at Ariadne before saying "You know, Mary was an Ancient History Major in college…"

"Oh" Ariadne replied.

"She was also very found of fairy tales, which, as you know are normally set in a medieval time…"

She nodded before asking "Should I be prepared to fight dragons?"

Peter raised his shoulders. "Who knows?"

Ariadne put her head outside the carriage and saw a path that lead to a castle. Whatever was happening Mary was in total control and she wasn't sure if she liked that idea.

"Apuesto veinte dólares ya que no va a sobrevivir." Carlos said.

Peter looked at him and smiled "Apuesta a Carlos. Con Arthur su formación, apuesto a que ella puede tomar un dragón todos los días de la semana ..."

"La apuesta es en ese momento."

"Could you stop speak Spanish?" Ariadne asked. She was getting nervous. As far as she knew Carlos could only speak Spanish which wasn't good at all.

Carlos laughed and Peter smiled at her. Looking at her Carlos said "I speak english... very bad... but still... a bit..."

Ariadne took a long deep breath. Peter smiled before saying "Relax sugar plum, Carlos and I were just betting…"

Ariadne rolled her eyes as she took a deep breath. "On what may I ask?"

"Nothing special" Peter started "Only if you would survive or not…" Ariadne looked seriously at him "Personally I bet you'll, Carlos isn't so confident…"

Ariadne rolled her eyes. "Well, thank you for your trust Peter…"

"You're most welcome…"

End of chapter 3

N.A: I'm sorry if you think the story is going to slowly. I'll try my best to rush chapter 4, so you won't have to wait too long =o)