Chapter 1

Sam Tyler was mad at hornets at Gene Hunt. They had a row inside the HQ earlier that day. Sam was going to try the coffee because he was beat from having his splitting headaches and hearing nurses and stuff. He wished that they had made Tylenol PM 'back then' the way he'd felt after that bout last night, he'd wish he could down them all!

"What's wrong now?" Grumbled Gene Hunt, quickly giving the younger man a sharp look at him drove. "Not still grousing about the coffee incident, are you?"

"Well gee," Began Sam equally as sharp, "If you hadn't of slapped it from my hands, Chris wouldn't have to replace his forms, now would he?"

"If you hadn't have frowned like that at me," Gene almost shuddered.

He'd just asked Sam simple question back at the HQ. A huge scowl appeared on his face, like straight from Hell! It freaked Gene out, and before they both knew it, the coffee cup was slapped from Sam, the contents spewing out, sending people running and big splotches and puddles appear. During the aftermath, Chris Skelton started making a stink that his forms he'd just filled out about the case were ruined! All Ray Carling could do was shake his head, glaring at the two 'terror-twins' that caused the ruckus!

"Bloody sorry, but you could have seen I'd needed some painkillers! But no you-"The car perceptively slowed and for a moment, Sam was nervous that Gene was going to throttle him, right in the car.

"Would you look at that," Gene said in something that was akin to wonder. "What's that plonk doing, all dressed up like that?" Sam glanced at whom Gene was referring to, expecting to see a scantily dressed woman. Instead, the sight shocked him. It wasn't a scantily dressed woman. Oh it was a woman, but she was not scantily dressed; she was dressed up too much.

Sakura Briars cursed under her breath as she laboriously trudged down the sidewalk, bending over slightly as she walked. This was do to the added weight of her thick, armor-like blue denim long coat and the brown imitation-leather book bag strapped to her back. She had magick books and CD player with headphones in it. As if this weight wasn't enough, she also carried in her left hand a bag with food in it. She'd just cleared a block when a loud male's voice called out.

"Hey, what are you doing?"

Sakura just walked on; mentally going over the martial arts moves she'd seen her favorite character from Naruto use. After awhile, she was aware that this car, over to her left was pulling up slowly. Inwardly, she kept telling herself to take stock of places around her, to run at the first sign of foul play. She turned slowly, to find a scowling D.C.I Gene Hunt glaring at her.

"Are you a Div?" he challenged. "I've been calling for you!"

She stood a respectable distance away, heart hammering. "I didn't know you were talking to me." She put in, bashful, and lowering her eyes. "I'm sorry sir."

There was another male voice, quickly telling Gene something. Gene just cut his eyes in the direction of the passenger and snorted.

Sam could see, from the car that this woman, no a girl, was getting uncomfortable at the way Gene was glaring at her and asking her questions. He wanted to do something, even if was to bring this girl out of the shell for a few moments. He could tell that the girl was uncomfortable with talking to other people a lot.

"Stop it," Whispered Sam to Gene. "If you harass her like that, she'll not talk at all."

Gene snorted, but did not press the issued further and let Sam get out of the car. When Sam approached the girl, he could see her sort of cringe from him, recoil if you must. It pained him briefly but he let it slide.

"What is your name?" Sam asked as softly as he could to put the girl at ease.

"Sakura," was the reply. Sam racked his brains, as the name sounded familiar. By this time, Gene got out of the car as well and joined Sam to see what this 'plonk' was all about.

"Is that your real name, or just some fancy thing?" Gene asked briskly, making the girl pale. Sam gave him a warning glance, in which Gene went on, totally unwarned.

"My birth name is Isobel," the girl replied, wincing in disgust at her name. "Everyone else just calls me Sakura."

"We not everybody else," Gene replied sarcastically. "We are the Police"

"Where were you going?" Sam asked, pointedly ignoring Gene's comments. Whatever was eating at Gene could wait, in his opinion.

"I just got here, I am a tourist." The comment was innocent enough, but there seemed to be something hiding behind it, maybe in the way she said it. But no, even the way she said it was innocent. But something didn't ping right.

"Let's go on down to the station and get this sorted, alright?" Sam replied, not wanting to put an edge onto his voice. There almost always was an inevitable edge to a voice when any cop asked someone in for questioning. It was natural, both for the cop and the person in question. Sam was hesitant to think this slip of a girl as a suspect; because there wasn't anything she was suspected of!

Sakura's eyes widened at the mention of questioning! It was not fair, she made sure that she hid everything not dealing with nineteen seventy three! Why does all the bad juju happened to me? She thought as Gene and Sam waited there, waiting for her to answer. Everyone else gets to have a life, money, a family but me! Instead, I am put into a position where it is a necessity that I go without, and then other people want to come in and tell me how to live my life, how to have my house set up! They make it where I have to make such a dire move! as she thought this and about the upcoming interrogation, she wanted to burst into scared tears, and she hated herself for it!

"Hey," She began, putting her hands up, "We don't have to do all of that, not when-"Without further ado, Sakura tore off the other way! There were shouts and she risked a look behind her. Gene was running for her, as was Sam but Sam was ahead in the race.

Sakura was already wearing out because of the added weight, and she was starting to develop a stitch in her side! She tried breathing evenly thought her nose and out of her mouth like she had learned many years ago in school. It worked, but not by much. She had to ditch the bag just to keep ahead of Tyler, who was coming closer behind her, breathing laboriously!. She veered off, and headed straight for the railing of a 'bridge' she came across earlier before. She ran at the railing, wondering how the heck she could vault over it, her being bogged down. She grabbed the rail with one hand and swung her legs up and over! She came down too soon and was hanging by one hand over a body of water! Sam and Gene made it to the trailing and stood over it, looking at her in shocked amazement, then to fear for her as they realized the predicament she was in!