The following day...

She checks her mailbox, looking to see if there were any bills and such.

"What the hell..." she finds an envelope, but nothing else. The paper used for the thing was gold, shimmering each time the light hit it as it was sealed with a ruby red seal.

Careful not to damage such, she opens it, making sure the seal stays on the lip of the envelop as she presents a piece of paper folded neatly. She reads it quietly.

'Steal him from me, and that'll be the last thing you do.'

Well, this person clearly knows how to get to the point.

Who cares? 

She chucks the letter into her open handbag and quickly changes into a pair of dark jeans and a plain grey tee, tugging a black leather jacket on over it. With her sneakers on and her hair up, she zips the bag close and hops into her car, making a quick trip for Tres Spades.

After her... tantrum last night, she just needed time to cool off and decided to stay at her science lab she had bought especially for research in Japan.

She enters the tall, intricately detailed glass doors of the Tres Spades lobby and quietly stalks over to the elevator, unaware of the prying eyes watching her from the distance.

~*****~

"I'm back. Sorry about yesterday." she coolly walks into the room. "Saku! I thought you left us!" Ota suddenly popped up behind her, tugging her into a hug. She didn't seem bothered except for the...

"Saku? Where did that come from?" "Good morning, Sakura." Eisuke's voice prevents Ota to answer as he descends the stairs showing to his penthouse above.

"Hey, Eisuke. Anything happen while I was gone?" "Nothing. Just discussions of the I.V.C. tonight. You're coming, right?" "Nothing else better to do. Might as well."

Just then, Baba comes in, beaming as he holds plates of food. "Oh, Sakura! Hi! I just made breakfast, want some?" the thief gestures to a plate and she shakes her head.

"No. Not hungry." 

"What? But it's the most important meal of the day!" Ota chides, shoving her towards the table. 

"Don't need it. I already took my pills." "Oh alright... Wait, what?! Pills?!" Baba shrieks, horrified. Eisuke and Sakura stifle their laughs. "Okay, Sakura! This is not funny! You need to eat! Do you even eat proper meals?"

...

"Really? Not even lunch or dinner?" "No. If I do, I just end up throwing up again."

"Are you anorexic?" "No. I take pills don't I?" "That's not food!" "But it has the nutrients I need, doesn't it?"

They stare at her quietly.

"Take a pic, it'll last longer. But I don't really appreciate that either, so find someone else to ogle."

"Can't you make an exception this time? Eat something." Baba coaxes, clearly undeterred. "And expect me to stomach it? If I throw up my guts later, it's your fault."

"You can't really stomach it? Even if you try?" Ota questions, bewildered. "Nope. Never."

"Jeez, kid," Mamoru's gruff voice appeared from behind her. "I would've at least expected you to be a foodie."

"That's what everyone thinks."

"But you look incredibly fine for someone starving themselves. Not pale.. Not anything."

"Tch, for the last time, I don't starve myself." she clicks her tongue in annoyance. "I just... take my meals differently."

She places her open bag on the dining table, claiming she needed to use the washroom. Accidentally hitting the table with her foot on the way, the door of the bathroom closes behind her and a unnoticed by the hacker, the letter from mail fluttering out of the bag, to the floor.

"Whoa! Look at this letter!" Ota suddenly exclaims as she leaves. He picks up a golden envelope with a red ruby seal. "It's so... Fancy."

"Wow. It does. What's inside? Hm? It's open!" he gasps, pulling out a paper of fine quality with a short note. "Wow, who sends such fine stationery just for a simple note?"

"A threat."

A door clicks open and the bidders scramble to hide the envelope, Eisuke confiscating it as he tucks it into the breast pocket of his suit jacket.

~*****~

That night at the I.V.C., Sakura was wearing a column, one shoulder orange evening night gown, the top decorated with shining rhinestones. Her raven hair in a low braid bun, small short strands framing her face. Diamond earrings and a necklace adorn her ears and neck, a small, fire opal ring wrapped around her right ring finger.

She was chatting with Ota and Eisuke when she spots Soryu, annoyed as he was dragged by a blonde to a shadowed corner of the ball room. She spaces out, any other noise blocked out as her full attention was stuck on the pair.

The girl was all over the mobster, and that made her disgusted. She hated girls who act like that.

It's not like she was in love with him... Right?

But she turned away with angry, irritated eyes as the model forces her lips onto Soryu's and the mobster was shocked, but didn't stop her.

"Hello? Sakura?" Ota snaps his fingers in front of the hacker, making her shake her head. "Sorry. Just thinking."

"About what?" "You wouldn't get it." "Come on, I'm not the smartest person, but I can understand words."

A small, sarcastic smirk pulls on her beautiful lips and she narrows her eyes teasingly, if not, almost seductively. 

"Alright Ota, can you tell me how to decode a code 50 years old?"

The artist falls silent and he purses his lips with a shake of his head. "Thought so, I-" she was cut off when the lights went out and the screams of the guests tore through. "What is..." She could hear Eisuke's voice beside her. 

"This technique..." she mutters and suddenly gets up. She quickly strips off the dress, revealing her in a tight bodysuit underneath. A gun was in the black knee high boots she wore, which was covered by the floor length dress she once wore.

She could hear shouts of men and she bumped by some people who were holding guns...!

Shit, the mafia.

She wasn't troubled by her disability here. Not when she's had so much training.

She could hear the terrified screams and released safety locks of guns almost from every side and with her sharply trained senses, quickly but quietly took down almost every single one of them.

Once the power was restored, all the mafia men were down, the guests unharmed and all eyes could only turn to Sakura, who was drenched in blood holding a gun and a dagger. Everyone was pretty horrified, but a sweet smile from Sakura calmed them down as she climbed onto the stage nearby. 

"Hello! I'm sorry for the fright we have probably caused you. But as some of you might know, Hotel Tres Spades' anniversary is coming up and we thought we'd start it off with a small scare. I hope we didn't hurt anyone! And don't worry, those are just fake, the real people left when we 'killed' them."

The girl emphasized the word 'killing' with air quotes and the atmosphere immediately relaxes and the I.V.C. was over in no time.

~*****~

"Jeez, I thought your party was guarded. Can't believe I had to kill and calm people there."

"It was pitch black! How did you manage to hit them and not the guests?!" Baba asks excitedly, flinging an arm around her. "Training."

"To kill?" "Part of the mafia, sweetie." she chuckles and only Eisuke laughs with her. "You're part of the mafia...?"

"Queen, to be exact. But I just use my skills when needed. The group was my father's given to me after his passing months ago."

"What gang?" And after what seemed like forever, Soryu finally spoke, interest piqued. "Midnight Wolves. Strongest gang in France and a few other countries."

The man seemed astonished at the revelation. "Wow... I heard its tough to get connections with them."

"As mafia queen of it, I expect nothing less of perfect. I've only teamed with Simon Lee of the Bell Crickets and a few other gangs." "Seriously...? Do you think I can team up?" A small laugh erupts from her at the mobster's passion-filled words.

"Give me one good reason." "I'm your old classmate." "Do you remember me?"

.....

"Thought so. Call me when you have better reasons." she walks away with a brisk pace, wishing to run from the group as tears threatened to fall from her eyes.

He just used her.

Used his long time best friend for a job. Unbelievable.

~*****~

Before bed, she was in the washroom, wanting to just wash up before going to bed. She hadn't had her 'dinner' and opened the cabinet to reveal her pills. Downing a few, she places it back and was about to close it when a small razor caught her eye.

'It's been a while since I did this...'

Her shaking hands picked it up, guiding it to her wrist voluntarily. 

'I just want to get rid of the pain. Just for now.'

Memories of graduation day fill her head, up to this moment and scenes of him with other girls and women flash through her mind, only urging her more.

Th sharp blade cuts her already scarred skin, drawing blood from it. With each cut comes more tears and soon, all she could see was a puddle of blood before her as she falls onto it, wetting her clean hair with blood, it's metallic taste creeping into her mouth.

Everyone says I'm so strong... What I do is strong.

'But I'm not brave anymore, darling. I'm all broken.'