The nurse leaves the room, leaving Soryu to his thoughts. She allows the bidders to enter the meeting room, where the four men, including Mamoru who had arrived a bit earlier, find their mobster friend with his head in his hands.

"You alright, Soryu?" Being his best friend, Eisuke was the first to ask. "I honestly don't know right now..." he replies quietly, shifting himself to look up at Eisuke. "They said she only has a 20% survival rate and the surgeons are beginning to wear out and even for one second they go, she goes too... They don't see any opening for survival yet. And if they do, one wrong move could kill her."

The bidders certainly would've been entertained to find Soryu so weak but... He's not the only one affected by all of this. Although not showing it, everyone, even Mamoru and Eisuke were panicking for the safety of their friend.

"20%, look up Soryu, there's still a chance." Baba then tries to encourage the mobster only to have him snap back, "That's a pretty low number if you ask me, she might as well be dead!"

"But the question is, do you want her dead?" Eisuke's words made Soryu's head snap up with a glare. "Is that even a question right now? Of course not!"

"Then have some hope."

~*****~

Meanwhile, as the surgery continues, Kira was in her own thoughts. She opened her eyes to find herself standing in a pitch black room, and when faint lights began appearing from a candle chandelier, she notices she was in a mansion.

A mansion owned by her late fiance, Cole. The one he stayed in for the last minute business trip. Where he got killed.

She stands in a hall that stretches as far as the eyes can see but her feet propel her to door at the south end, which she recognizes was their room. Where they had shared so many memories. Where his life ended.

She opens the door, but she was completely overjoyed when she finds Cole, standing in the middle of the room with a gentle smile. "C-Cole...?" she cautiously walks to him, hand held out.

Just before she could touch him, her knees give out and she falls to the ground. "Not much time, Kira, listen to me."

Despite his face and voice already fading away, in her mind, she heard him loud and clear. "I love you. It wasn't your fault and stop thinking it is. I need you to move on and make me proud and happy. Move on."

His words echo in her mind as she once more, blacks out into a deep sleep.

Meanwhile, the worn out surgeons finish and begin to sew her back up. "It's done... We made it." one sighs and exit the room after taking a double check. With a proud but tired smile, he talks to the bidders before leaving them to look after Kira.

Once they enter, Soryu reaches out a trembling hand to his sister's head, stroking it gently. "I told you she'd make it." Despite the cocky grin on Eisuke's face, he too couldn't deny the great relief of finding out about the successful operation.

The bidders refused to leave for 2 days as Kira stayed in a coma. On the third day, she finally woke up, confused and lost.

"Where am I now?" she complains, clutching her throbbing head as she propped herself up with her elbows. She looks around to the grinning bidders, who were staring at her with happy faces, all but Ota, who was off at a corner staring at them. 

The events from 4 days ago flash in her mind, but most of all. Cole, who had appeared in her mind as she was in the surgery. "Move on..." she mutters to herself and although Soryu heard it, he was too happy to mind at the moment.

"Are you okay...?" "I'm fine, bro, but please let me go." The mobster wiggles out of her brother's hug, freeing herself as she looked around the bland hospital room. "How many days was I out?"

"2 days and 5 hours by far." Soryu replies, looking at a ticking clock hanging upon the wall before glaring at his sister. "Now tell me how you got into that accident. You're too careful to just get involved like this."

The bidders catch Kira's eyes as they turn to Ota for a moment before she responds to her brother, "I was... just distracted is all. Sorry for the trouble."

"Whatever, the doctor said you're staying here for a week to see about your health and then if you're stable enough, we can go."

"I feel like a mental person..." she mutters but agrees to the terms anyway. "But okay, I'll stay."

"Good, I'm watching over you." Soryu adds and Kira has no choice but to accept.

~*****~

A week passed with no trouble, and Kira was finally sent home. 

In the penthouse, Kira was sitting on the couch with a cup of tea, flipping through a book. "Hey, Kira! What are you doing?" Baba smiles cheerfully and walks over to the assassin, peering at the book.

"Reading," she answers simply. "Reading what?" He asks, watching as Kira calmly turns to a new page, sipping her tea calmly. "I need some cookies." she sighs and gets up, heading for the kitchen. "I'll get it for you! Soryu said you rest!"

After she ate, Baba was silently watching over her until he heard small sniffles from assassin. "Kira?"

"Man, can't believe I actually wrote this..." she sniffs. "What?" "This, this was the first book I wrote when I started writing. It's called Angel's Grace."

She hands the book over to Baba and he stares at the cover. It was a painting of a young woman who looked awfully familiar to Kira... She was in the middle of the road, arms wrapped around a man who was slowly bleeding to death as from the looks of it. Angel wings grew from her back in the picture and an engagement ring sparkles on her finger as it rains around them.

"Made the cover myself." she adds with a smile. "Can I read it...? It sounds interesting." Baba requests as he reads the back of the book. "Sure, that's actually a trilogy, if you want to read the other ones. Just come to my room and I'll give it to you."

"Oh, is this an invitation, Kira?" "Nope, request rejected, Mitsunari." she grins devilishly. Baba playfully pouts but begins to read the book anyway. Their silent reading session was interrupted when the rest of the bidders come in.

"Hey guys, I heard we got an auction. Am I involved?"

"For a matter of fact, yes you are. We are selling off one theft or assassination mission and you do which ever the winning bidder chooses." Eisuke answers with a nod, handing Kira a list of the auctioned items. "Ok, so do I need to be on stage or something?"

"Yes and the auction is in 5 days. Think you can do it?" "No promises but I'll try. If that's all, I need to go. I have some jobs to do." As the assassin says this, her gaze for a moment, creeps to Ota who was watching them quietly before averting her gaze. "That's all." Eisuke dismisses her and she quickly leaves with no objections.

She heads back to her 'cabin' out of town, into her bedroom in the underground bunker. She finds herself sitting against a corner of the room, staring at a picture of her and her late fiance. One they had taken after he proposed.

"I miss you Cole... But can't I see you one more time?"

"Just this once..."

~*****~

A/N:

Sorry for not updating yesterday and for this useless short chapter. But it's just to say she's alive and this auction is not ordinary, Kira's going to need some help from the boys. Especially one in particular...

But for now, thanks for reading and again, for sticking with me this long!

Ciao!

~DarkAngel