The door dinged and slid open. She stepped out and instantly felt as though something wasn't right. She paused, wondering what it could be.
Ignoring the odd feeling, she headed to the apartment. The moment she clicked the door open, she called out, "Tadaima," which meant 'I'm home'.
Silence greeted her. She blinked, feeling a little uneasy.
"Akira? It's me, Sakura. Are you here?" She put her bag and keys on the table by the door and headed toward the living area. "Toby?"
Finally, she heard an excited bark greeting her and sighed in relief. "Akira, you've found Toby. Thank goodness."
She walked faster now, a smile on her face. She rounded the corner and then came to the door. The moment she stepped over the threshold, she came to a sudden halt and her smile disappeared.
Standing before her with his hand in the pocket of his trousers was Sebastian. She sucked in her breath, and suddenly, the dizziness blasted at her in full force.
Dreaming. I am dreaming. Sebastian can't be here. He can't be.
She shut her eyes and commanded herself to breathe slowly and deeply. When she opened her eyes again, he was still there. He had a haunted look about his face that hurt her heart. Suddenly, she simply wanted to throw herself into his arms and collapse against him. She wanted to feel his warmth against her so bad it hurt.
"Sakura," the voice that haunted her day and night called out to her.
She drifted her gaze to her right and found Darcy there. He, too, looked haunted, and his brooding features were darker than ever. A gasp escaped her lips and her body trembled.
"It can't be," she whispered.
A face appeared in front of her, which was followed by, "You're too pale, Sakura darling, and it's freaking me out."
It was Tristan who said those words, and Sakura blinked.
"Are you going to be sick?" Logan asked, sporting a worried look on his face.
Hayden rolled his eyes and said, "If you two bother to move back and let her enter the room--Shit!"
He didn't even finished the sentence before Sakura closed her eyes and started falling.
Sebastian got to her in a second flat, cradling her in his arms. He gently touched her face and swore under his breath. "She's cold," he said, a tremor in his voice that worried his brothers.
Darcy felt his gut churning acid and came to kneel beside Sebastian. He touched her forehead and then stroked his fingers against her soft hair.
"Sakura," he said.
Sebastian glanced up at his brother. "We should get her comfortable."
At Darcy's nod, Sebastian lifted her and carried her to the sofa. There, he laid her down and sat beside her, his hand stroking her face.
"Is she unwell?" Conrad asked, hugging Toby tightly against his chest as he hovered behind Sebastian.
"Move back," Nicolas ordered. "Give her some room." He turned to Akira, who looked as pale as a ghost. A very beautiful one at that. "Do you have smelling salts or anything?"
Akira nodded and rushed off to find them.
Darcy, who was kneeling on the floor beside Sakura, grabbed her hand. "She's too cold."
Akira returned just then and handed Sebastian the smelling salts. "I thought she didn't look very well this morning," she said. "Maybe she's working too hard. I mean, here with Oba-chan and at the gallery as well."
Nicolas turned his eyes to her. "If you thought she wasn't well and she was working too hard, why d