-Shi-

.

Every time in year when the flowers were in full bloom Ikokoru would go into her small metal cage of a room in the Alkalai base, strip off her slate suit, and dress in her traditional robes. Today marked the eve of her father's untimely demise at Logan's hand.

Ikokoru sat on her knees in her black mofuku style kimono before the small alter she made. For hours on end she would bow asking for forgiveness and wisdom as well as reassuring her father that she would avenge him as she had yet to do. She also promised him a proper mourning since after Logan killed the man Stryker had her father cremated immediately.

As she sent her final prayers and grievances to the other world she lit her last piece of essence. While she stuck the stick into the proper holding area the strap on her sandal broke and the door swung open.

"It is a bad omen to my people when the strap of your geta sandal breaks." Ikokoru whispered aloud to herself.

"Stryker wants us to investigate Zero's death immediately!" Sabertooth growled at her from the doorway holding his nose from the strong scent of essence.

"Let me change, I'll be out in a second." She told him looking up from her sandal. Once he left she put on her grey suit and cracked her knuckles. She quickly watched as her nails grew into adamantium claws. It was Logan's fault she was like this.

She remembered as if it were yesterday when she had received a letter from Logan in which he told her that he was responsible for her father's death. Angry she used her resources to seek him out. A long the way she came across Stryker. He promised her that he could make her strong enough to defeat Logan, but what he didn't say was that he was going to turn her into a slave.

Blinking her memories away she met with Sabertooth outside their jet. The last none area he was seen in was Bayville, but the transmitter on his body told a different story. It pinpointed him a few miles due east in the woods.

Landing, Sabertooth tracked the scent with vigor. Sabertooth wasn't one to easily make friends or to care for someone other than himself, but Zero was one of the few exceptions to that. Zero was his best friend and if he found out who did it, although he was quite sure it was Gambit, he would rip them limb from limb.

"He's here."

" I do not see anything Sabertooth." Ikokoru said joining him at the base of a lake.

"He's down there."

"I will check then." She said jumping in quickly followed by Sabertooth. After a few moments they saw a car without a license plate on it. Strapped to the front seat by a seat belt was Zero.

It was apparent that the sea life had stated to pick off of him. He was very pale and yet blue at the same time. His hair still billowed as it normally would have been if he had been under water under a different set of circumstances.

As Ikokoru pulled his head back Sabertooth almost growled at the apparent slit throat he sported. Not only would Gambit kill him, but he went through the trouble of having him bleed out to death and hiding his body where no one was sure to find it.

Going up for breath they both pulled the hair from their face.

"What do we do now?" Ikokoru asked.

"You wait here. I'm going to get him out."

"Don't you think I'll have an easier time with that than you?" she asked extending her nails. Nodding they both managed to pull him out.

"Stryker will not like this."

"He won't know."

"Won't know?"

"Cut the chip out his neck. We're burying him here."

"We …"

"Yes W-E. Unless you want to fight …"

Twenty two scratches, fifteen punches, four throws, six gut hits, a few healings later they both started to dig a hole for Zero, after they acquired shovels, and buried him. In a way Ikokoru was jealous. She didn't get to bury her father.

By the time they were finish and Sabertooth was ready to leave the sun was setting. They went back to the jet, but it wouldn't start. They decided to just stay there for the night and contact Stryker in the morning.

In need of a fire they split up to look for wood. As Sabertooth was gathering wood her heard Ikokoru scream and ran back to her.

He saw her standing with her back towards him with a hole in her chest. He caught her as she fell backwards. She could heal better than Logan, but even she couldn't live through three direct stabs through her heart.

"Ikokoru …." Sabertooth said worried.

"Take me (cough) to (cough) Logan." She pleaded.

Ten Minutes Later

Rogue, Gambit, Logan, and Kitty were playing Tennis in the front yard when Logan dropped his racquet and growled. Coming at them all was Sabertooth carrying Ikokoru.

"Who is she?" Kitty asked standing besides Rogue, "I hope she'll be ok."

"Tat's Lady Deathstryke, she works with Stryker." Rogue told her.

"What happened!" Logan asked taking her from him.

"He happened!" Sabertooth growled glaring at Gambit. Logan however was focused on Ikokoru.

"Yuriko, what happened?" Logan asked her.

"It (cough) happened all to (cough) fast … don't rememb(cough)er."

"Come on tell me something girl." Logan pleaded.

"Asked Sabe (cough) bring me (cough cough cough)."

"You wanted to see me … what else. Come on dammit heal already!"

"I (cough) will never (cough) forgive you for (cough) killing my father …."

"I know. I'm sorry. I didn't know he was your father and I didn't want this life for you." He said moving the hair from her face seeing her silver eyes fade into the hazel ones he had fell in love with all those years ago.

"Just as I (cough) never stopped (cough) loving you. (cough cough cough) do not leave me here … I (cough) want to go home."

"But I don't want you to go."

"I'll (cough) always be in your heart Logan."

She smiled at him gently thinking how much she wanted to kill Logan, but when she had the chance she didn't. She had lied to her ancestors. Oh well.

"Yuriko?" he asked watching her smile kindly for the first time in years. He held her as her now hazel eyes rolled back in her head, her body palled, and her heartbeat stopped.

"Who did this to her?" Logan growled at Sabertooth.

"He did just like he did Zero!"

"I aint kill 'em." Gambit shouted back.

"He couldn't have. He wasn't there. He's been here all day." Logan stated.

Rogue kept to herself at first. She killed Zero and she wasn't going to let someone else hurt her Gambit.

"He aint kill Zero, I did." Rogue told Sabertooth.

"Rogue stop defending Gumbo." Logan

"It's not te time ta be funny Anna." Gambit

"I will kill you Gambit for that!" Sabertooth

"Like Rogue lets go back inside and like leave this to the adults."

"I wanna stay here!"

"Rogue listen to Half Pint." Logan said without looking at her.

Meanwhile

"Good Job Jannie! Messing with the thrusters was a great way to stall them!" Deadpool told Jane who was propped on his lap like a puppet.

"Are you done?" she asked.

"I wish I could had seen the look in her eyes Jannie! She was all, 'I'm gathering firewood' and I was all Samurai like stabbing her threw the heart like that. But just to be on the safe side I did it three times. Maybe I should thank Stryker for these antimantium swords he just had to stuff in my arms!"

"You want be able to kill them all Deadpool. Please just stop …"

"Just stop? Just stop! Where was just stop when Stryker drug me out of my bed and into his lab hmm? Where was just stop when he did this to me!"

"Please …"

"You only care because I can, could, and probably will kill you! Anyway before you run off to daddy tell me what does Stryker treasure most hmm? His son? His workers?"

"Stryker cares nothing of Jason and the other mutants. He just uses them. That is all."

"Really … tell me Jannie where Jimmy or what you like to call MutantX is. I'll kill him just like I did his bitch."

"I do not know where he is. He ran from here after we finisjed experimenting on him."

"Atleast he was smart. So where does Sabertooth hide out. I know he's not here."

"I … don't know."

"You're lying Jannie … I'll deal with you later."

…xxxXXXxxx….

Another one bites the dust :(

How fortunate Deadpool doesn't know about Prisoner 826 … yet. Keyword being yet.

And for you statistical people who say Ikokoru (real name Yuriko I know I messed up oh well) says she cant be stabbed to death, I'm going to tell you technically she shouldn't have healing powers in the first place and her claws originally weren't made out of the same material that Logan's were, but they did love each other at one time …

Please review thanks ;)