This is for Day Four of MadaSaku Week 2016! Check out all the amazing stuff everyone's posting on Tumblr!
I don't own even 0.01 percent of Naruto.
Theme: [AU: the law] Good evening, officer
Warnings: Language, Stalkers, Murder
He was the first partner she'd ever had.
While she loved to call him her slave, he was her partner whether she liked it or not. And initially, she hadn't it him at all.
He was fairly new, and extremely reckless. Indra had asked to her train him, though if you asked her, it was more of an order. But they'd grown on each other, and that was that. She watched him calmly as he walked up to her with two steaming cups of what looked to be-
"I got us hot chocolate," he said by way of greeting. She took one of the cups from him, smiling gratefully.
"Good morning to you too. Ready for another day of grilling civvies and kicking down doors?" She greeted him as she grabbed the folder Ino had thrust at her as soon as she'd stepped out the elevator.
"Don't forget hunting criminals down, and looking damn good while we do it," He told her cheerfully. She tried to pretend she couldn't feel his eyes on her ass when she turned around to grab her phone off her desk. After all, she was all about equality and she did the same to him often enough, as her blonde best friend had pointed out about ten times now.
It wasn't like she wore her best pair of jeans to flaunt it or anything.
Okay but really. With all the squats she did, it felt good when her hard work was appreciated. And Madara never shied away from doing just that.
'Yes, and he also happens to be the man you've wanted in your bed for months.' Shut it, Ino.
"So, where to?"
"We got a murder this time. Do you know of Shikaku?" She continued at his nod. "Well, someone found a body right behind it."
"Shall we?" She grinned and they strutted toward the elevators, laughing when Madara flipped Tobirama off for rolling his eyes at them, and scampering in quickly when he got up from his seat with his eyes blazing.
"He's so sensitive."
"So what do we have, boys?" Sakura asked the boys huddled around a puddle of red, Madara crouching down to take a look at the body. From what she could see, some of his hair was missing.
"Victim's name is Neji Hyuga. He was 25, a regular at the bar and apparently a pretty decent human being," the redhead known as Gaara told her as he held up the plastic bag containing an ID. "Multiple stab wounds, one blow to the head. He bled out."
His boyfriend continued where he'd left off. "He came out to receive a phone call, never came back in."
"Who called him?" She asked as she watched them collect the blood.
"His boyfriend," Naruto told her with a sigh. She slid on a pair of gloves as she took the smartphone he offered up to her. "Poor guy. We went to the same high school. He really was a good guy." His eyes dimmed a little but he smiled a bit as Gaara shifted closer to offer his silent support.
Man, they were adorable. She glanced back down at the phone to avoid seeing the longing look in Madara's eyes as he eyed them too.
"Wait, Sasuke Uchiha?" He asked in what seemed to be shock.
"Yep. He's…?"
"Cousin. Shit. Is he on his way?" So it was a relative of her boss and partner.
"Yeah," She bit her lip at his worried look. They sat in silence as they waited for him to arrive.
"Do you think…?"
"Nah. Not a chance. He's not the type, plus Itachi told me he was pretty serious about his partner," Madara told her quietly.
'But you never know' hung in the air between them. He took out his phone to make a quick call, before answering her questions about his cousin.
The turned to the door as they saw it open, frowning when they saw a slouching man walk toward them. "Madara…?" He murmured, eyes red and puffy, shoulders set in a defeated line.
"Hey, kiddo," Her partner greeted him softly. "Sit down. Want something to eat or drink?" He shook his head, glancing at her in question.
"Sakura Haruno," She told him with her kindest smile on. He seemed to relax a little as he nodded and stared at the table. They paused for a few moments, before Sakura decided to say something only for Sasuke to beat her to it.
"How…What happened exactly?" He asked them, voice weak but she could hear the undercurrents of anger beneath.
"You both are regulars, correct?" He nodded once. "Neji received a call, yours-according to his phone. Did he sound nervous or fearful?"
"No. He was completely normal. He'd seemed normal, the past few weeks. Nothing out of the ordinary. Before you ask, I decided to stay back late, at work," He gave her some semblance of a smile. "My friend brought his cat right before I decided to leave. She needed immediate attention. Suigetsu," He told Madara, figuring the man had already discussed him with his partner and told her he was a vet. He had. He answered any other questions they had before asking one of his own.
"What do you think happened?"
They glanced at each other uneasily. "We'll tell you as soon as we know," his cousin reassured him. He nodded, firm expression faltering as he swallowed in an effort to hold his tears at bay.
"Sasuke," He looked up, startled, to see his brother standing nearby. He crumpled immediately, flying out of his seat and into the comforting embrace of his brother, hoping for him to chase away this nightmare, as he had done so often during their childhood. Itachi tightened his arms around Sasuke, nodding gratefully at Madara. The two at the table decided to exit silently.
The bartender had given them a lead. He'd seen someone exit from the backdoor just a minute before Neji. There was a good chance that there was a witness. They tracked him down within an hour.
"Hidan Hakamada."
"The fuck do you want?" Madara twitched. Sakura rolled her eyes and took over, whipping her badge out, trying to tamp down her smugness when the silver-haired man's tough mask seemed to slip away. She ignored the appreciative glint in her partner's eyes.
"G-Good evening, officer?" They looked unimpressed. "I swear to Jashin it wasn't me."
"I don't care. We're here to ask if you've seen this man before," Madara shoved a picture in his face. The other man inspected it closely, before nodding in response.
"Pretty sure I saw him get stabbed last night."
The dark haired man stepped up before his partner could smash their witness' face into the door.
"And you didn't think to contact the authorities?"
"Well, I tried to chase the fucker down. He was a quick little thing, though. Like a rat. Look," He began. "When you've grown up the way I have, and live where I live, you get used to people getting stabbed. I saw someone find him, so I figured it would be better if I kept myself out of it. With my track record…"
He wasn't exactly a saint.
They stared at him, stony expressions on.
"Alright, then. It was a nerdy little guy, specs and all, bluish silver hair, and if I remember correctly, his name's Kabuto," He grinned at their surprised expressions. "I know his adoptive dad. Actually, arrest him too, if you can. Little snake should be kept behind bars."
The two could only glance at each other in disbelief.
A stalker.
His cousin's partner had been killed by his cousin's stalker.
What the fuck?
Madara could only stare at the various pictures of Sasuke in the bedroom, trying to keep himself from destroying the disgusting little shrine. It was evidence. Next to him, Sakura stared at the plastic bag in her hands, one that contained a lock of chocolate brown hair. They both tried to forget the position they'd found Kabuto in, ignoring the swarm of people in the room.
30 Minutes earlier:
"Fitting place for a rat, don't you think?" Madara whispered darkly under his breath. Sakura nodded in agreement as she pulled out her gun, moving forward to knock once.
Unsurprisingly, no one answered.
"Stand back," She told him, taking a step back only to snap her leg up to kick the door down in one go. She held back a smile at Madara's gulp, raising her gun and moving in quickly.
They could hear some…disturbing music sounding from one of the rooms. It was loud and the singer appeared to be chanting something she'd rather not think about. She moved ahead, Madara standing right behind her, gun aimed at the door. She kicked it down, moving into the room while the dust was still settling, only to stop short in disgust.
Their target stared up at them in fear, a picture in one hand and, well. He had his pants down.
Her partner saw red.
Currently:
They drove to Itachi's apartment in silence. Neither of them could bring themselves to say anything even as they entered the building, heading to the front desk and then the elevators within minutes.
Itachi welcomed them with a small smile, his presence almost soothing as he served the tea.
"He was in the same middle school as me. High school too, I think, but the only time I ever talked to him was in seventh grade. I can't believe…" Sasuke buried his face in his hands, shoulders trembling. "Neji…"
"Sasuke, you have to remember this. It was not your fault in any way, alright? Kabuto has killed before. What he did to Neji is on him and he will pay for it," she told him firmly. She did not want him blaming himself for some sicko's obsession. Madara glanced at her and she nodded. He took out a small velvet box, hesitating before steeling himself.
"We had to get this analysed, but we both believe you should have it," he said quietly. Itachi realised-looking devastated-what it was as Sasuke looked up and saw the box. He took it from his cousin and opened it, tears pooling in his eyes as he stared at the ring his boyfriend never got to put on his finger.
The silence was deafening.
Sakura glanced at her partner as she parked in front of his apartment, wondering if he was thinking about what happened yesterday.
"Sakura-"
"Well,-"
They both spoke at the same time, smiling sheepishly as Sakura gestured for him to continue.
"I've been thinking…" He continued at her encouraging smile. "About…how things can change faster than you can blink. Sasuke, he lost the person he's in love with. I, well I just…I was thinking that I can't possibly imagine what he's going through. But I tried. And you came to mind."
She released a shuddering breath.
"I know. But Sakura, I don't want to live the rest of my life thinking 'what if.' I want a 'this is it.' No questions, no doubt. And that's what you are. You're it for me."
She stared at him with such longing in her eyes that he let himself lean towards her, pressing his mouth to hers briefly, before poking her cheek playfully.
"But I know you don't want to 'ruin our partnership' so I've decided to make things easier for you. A compromise, if you will," he winked arrogantly. "So wait for me, love. I'll see you soon." She blinked as he slid out the car, turning back once to blow her a kiss.
He was late.
Her brow twitched irritably as she glanced at her phone repeatedly, willing it to ring. She called out to Hashirama as he skipped by.
"…Did he not tell you? He transferred to Internal Affairs yesterday." She stared at him, stunned, before turning to stalk towards Indra's office.
"Sakura?"
"Internal Affairs?" She mumbled in a rush.
"Um, yes," The man wasn't just a figurehead. "That's where he was supposed to be, actually. I told him to get at least six months' worth of field work before starting there."
"I see." With that she turned around, and walked, calmly this time, to the elevators.
"Finally going to get your man?" Ino teased, only to blanch at the sweet smile she got in response.
Oh, she was going to get him, alright.
With her favourite Swiss knife.
Sakura sat down in one of the seats, having been told by Madara's younger brother to wait while he got him.
He was sweet but she had to wonder why he looked so excited. She glanced around her former partner's office absentmindedly, wondering how he got it so soon after transferring. She heard the door open and tried to keep from smiling too evilly.
"Knew you'd come," Arrogant swine. She was glad he'd decided on rolling chairs as she swung around dramatically, nasty glare in place.
She faltered as she saw him kneeling in front of her.
"You-I-Why didn't you tell me?!" She stammered, unsure of what to make of this.
"You wouldn't have accepted me completely if you'd known I was going to leave," he told her as he shuffled forward on his knees. "Plus, I did have the option to stay."
"Then why didn't you?" she asked quietly.
"This where I've always wanted to be and also," He took her hands in his, thumbs gliding over her knuckles. "It opened a door I've been trying to unlock for a while."
She stared at him before smiling in exasperation. "I brought the knife, you know."
"I didn't expect anything less."
"I was so pissed off-"
"I'm glad. I might've cried if you were indifferent," he told her playfully, kissing the tip of her nose. She leaned her forehead against his, their fingers firm.
"What's next?"
He looked up with a huge grin.
"Will you finally let me take you dancing?"
I hope you liked it!