June 18, Year 2000
Fire blazes all around the Haruno estate, all the once beautiful things were devoured by the flames of evil. Screams and wails rang in the winds and the skies were dark without any shining stars. The moon was terrified, hiding behind the clouds, afraid of the evil fire. The plants were crying, lovely petals fading away into nothingness. Scents of flowers dimmed by heavy smoke which starts to spread. All the memories of the glittering parties and enchanting balls were all gone. Forever.
Police cars and firefighter cars are all looking at the blazing great estate. Even with the numerous water sprays, there were nothing they could do, the fire had spread too much, the whole estate and its surrounding areas outside were burning alight. People were all pointing in horror at the estate. Reporters are all reporting the news and snapping photos of the scene.
Just in one night, the whole Haruno Empire, the currently greatest family empire in Japan, falls. Reduced into nothing. The mysteries, the lost clues, the whispers, the secrets, all of it surrounds this mysterious case.
Amongst the crowd, a face was covered by a dark hooded cloak. The eyes were however, glowing with atrocious happiness, gazing at the burning estate as if it was an enchanting sight. But it was to him, and only him. Chuckling quietly, the cloaked person left, leaving the whole scene.
'Finally, no one can have you now, my baby darling.'
"We found a survivor!" One of the police force shouted through the crowd. He was carrying a little girl. Pink haired, nine years old. She was shaking and crying, her head hurts as if wanting to explode. The white doll she was clutching to is stained with blood. She wanted to go home, to mommy and daddy. But no one is there for her anymore.
.
Around 11 years later
"Hey, Sakura, I think the hem of this dress should be smaller, it's too wide don't you think?" Ino held a dark teal dress and show it to her boss and also bestfriend.
"No, wider hems are more fashionable now. And this color really suits the dark green vine patterns." Haruno Sakura pointed at the exquisite dress. Ino nodded and ran off to find a perfect place to display it.
Outside, people passed by, all looking at the elegant rococo and gothic styled building, the J-Fashion World. Their eyes were enchanted by all the outfits displayed at the large window.
"That's the boutique of the famous international designer Haruno Sakura!"
"OMG!"
"She designs beautiful western dresses!"
"Now she designs kimonos too!"
"I heard she's on the top favorite designers list of many royalties!"
Sakura ran up and down, her long pink hair flowing behind her, inspecting all the dresses her workers brought out. She had just finished designing them two months ago, and finally the sewing and trimming, all done. A month ago, she had just won the international 'Best Fashion Designer' award in Paris.
At the age of twenty, she had become a successful fashion designer and an internationally famous one all around the world. She had designed countless of outfits for many royalties and celebrities.
She was from a millionaire family, the Haruno. They owned an enormous empire, controlling a range of business and technology companies. They have almost fifty branches of companies spread all around the world, their main headquarter was in Japan. Sakura's father, Haruno Sakurai, was the head of the whole Haruno Empire.
But the whole empire had fallen. The fall of the Haruno Empire started after the death of Sakurai. He and his wife, Sana, were both killed in the fire incident eleven years ago, when Sakura was just nine. Being a large empire, the Haruno had many enemies. Just in days after his death, enemies hacked into the Haruno company systems and brought down the whole empire.
The death the Haruno couple was caused by a breakout of fire at the estate, even the whole compound area. Sakura was the only survivor. No one know what caused the fire or if it was a foul play. There were no evidences or victims left. What's strange is also that how she ended up far away outside. She had been found outside the estate compound during the fire. How she survived or got there she'll never know. She lost all her memories and she could remember nothing at all, nothing before the fire. She couldn't even remember her parents or her own name. Only after the authorities who founded her told her.
She had inherited all the assets and money of the whole Haruno Empire when she turned eighteen. However, she has no interest in reviving the Haruno Empire, what's done is done. She pursed her ambitions of being a fashion designer and now she fulfilled it. She loves her current live.
Little does she know, there will be a little disturbance coming which will cause a great impact on her. One that will change her life forvever and it will never be the same again.
Some of her helpers, Hinata and Tenten are busy ironing some new outfits while Ino is busy displaying the new dresses. She is working for Sakura temporarily, Ino's family, the Yamanaka, own chain stores selling flowers all around the world. The store where Ino is working is temporarily close of repairs, so Ino is helping out in Sakura's shop.
"Alright everyone, it's time to close." Sakura clapped her hands together and dismissed her helpers. The clock is pointing at eight in the night.
"Hey, Sakura baby."
Sakura turned around to see her boyfriend, Uchiha Sasuke.
"Sasuke!" Sakura hugged Sasuke and gave him a peck on his cheek.
"How about going to dinner together tonight, then I'll take you home after that." Sasuke dragged her towards his luxurious black car.
.
The room stinks of rot smell, flies are buzzing around in the corner. The old light bulb lights up and then dimmed again, over and over. Glass bottles of cheap beer lies scattered all around the floor. There is only an old television and a battered couch in the small room. The walls have cracks everywhere, the paint is peeling off. At the center of the white wall, a cracked picture frame was nailed, containing the photo of a woman.
The television is currently showing the image of a certain pink haired girl as the spokeswoman blabs on about a fashion designing awards ceremony. Only the speaking sound from the television could be heard.
So, Miss Haruno, tell us more about how you started your first fashion design. The spokeswoman waved her microphone to Sakura.
Sakura smiled, I designed my first design when I was fourteen years old. I was inspired by a foreign fashion magazine, The Glamour World.
The man seated lazily on the couch began sip his beer, eyes gazing intensely at the girl in the screen. Her voice, her face, her hair, everything about her was so familiar. He turned to the picture on the wall and began laughing hysterically.
This is gonna be fun. A new plan is to be made soon.
Baby, darling, I've killed you once and I will do it again. Sounds of chuckling rang in the darkness.
.
Fire. Everywhere. A big beautiful estate was burning in front of her. All the flowers in the compound garden were crying and howling. The bright moon was gone. The crackling sound of the fire was so loud like thunder. Where was she? Who was she? Why is she here?
Little Sakura clutch her bloodstained doll close, tears pouring out of her emerald eyes. An immense pain was burning around her right shoulder. Everything was gone forever. Nothing was left as the hungry evil fire devoured them.
"Hey! Are you okay?" Sounds of footsteps came nearer. Men in uniforms approaching, hands holding her, carrying her away.
…
White room. Women in white uniforms surrounded her, they were nurses. There were polices and doctors there too. Voices were all around her. Footsteps, of people, coming in and going out.
"She seems to be okay. There are no burn marks, but you said the estate burn down accidently right?"
"We are not sure, we can't produce much result because of the fire. We still can't find any evidence to prove that the estate was burn down by someone."
"There's a high possibility that a culprit is involved. There is a large cut on the girl's shoulder which was caused by a sharp object. And the cut was fresh, she was cut not long before the time you all found her."
"Maybe she was caught by something sharp when she was running, like a tree branch?"
"There wasn't any tree at the area she was in."
"Well, she might have fallen on the ground and got cut."
"No, the cut was deep and clean, it was made by a knife. What's more, it seems that she had lost her memory."
'Who…are they? Who am I?'
…
"Your name is Haruno Sakura. We are sorry to say that your parents passed away in the fire."
The moment she heard those words, her whole vision turned black.
An endless black dimension. White hands shot out from nowhere, a female voice rang in the air. It sounded evil and dark, as if it was laughing at her.
"Bad girl. You're a bad bad girl."
"Mommy and daddy died because of you, little Sakura."
Sakura woke up screaming.
It had been years she had that nightmare. But why again now? Until now, no one could find out the truth behind the fire. No clues, no suspects. The truth is hidden in darkness, stained with blood. Maybe it was never meant to be shown out to the light again.
Why was she there far outside from the estate? Why is she the only survivor? Why did the estate burn? Why was her doll stained with blood? Autopsy results confirmed the bloodstains were of two people, her blood and her mother, Sana's. She had forgotten all about the doll, few years ago she had locked the doll away down at the basement of her house. She didn't want anything remembering her about the fire. But now she does again.
Sakura's pale white hands trailed up to her right arm, there was a long scar. She felt a little painful sensation which she has not felt for almost eleven years. It was as if something is going to happen, something related to the case of the past.
She turned to the table beside her and looked at the calendar at the wall. In three weeks is the anniversary of her parent's death. June 18.
At mid-morning later, Sakura was packing her things into her designer handbag, getting ready to go to her studio. The bell at the gate suddenly rings, and she went to the open door immediately, heading outside. Weird, there was no one at all. She went out of the gate to check further, and saw a gift box tied with ribbons in the mail box.
'Wonder who?' Sakura took the box out of the mail box and went inside after locking the gate.
Nearby, a pair of eyes watch, as the lips curled into a spine-chilling smile. "Baby, darling, you'll love it…"
…
A scream echoed through the pink haired girl's house, Sakura recoiled back in horror at the sight of the object in the gift box.
A diamond ring.
What's so scary about that? Well, it was in a small pool of blood. Red and odorous of stench. And there were five cockroaches, big and disgusting. They were stuck with glue and they couldn't move, wriggling to free themselves. A photo was stapled to the box, a photo of a burning estate. The burning Haruno estate from eleven years ago. Then there was a small piece of paper too, with words written in blood.
Sana, baby darling, I miss you.
"Mom?"
Memories of the fire, more and more, over and over, began flooding Sakura's mind. Voices rang in her head, "Bad girl. You're a bad bad girl."
'No, no! Not again!'
"Mommy and daddy died because of you, little Sakura."
"Shut up!" She yelled particularly to the ground. She clutched her head in pain, and reached for her phone. Calling the first person she had in mind.
…
"Sakura!"
Sasuke burst into the door of Sakura's house, along with him come his older brother, Itachi. Sasuke just stormed past the hallway into the living room, while Itachi just stood at the entrance, eyes narrowed looking at the horrible sight of the gift box on the hallway table. A very terrified Sakura, supported by Sasuke, strode out of the living room.
"Come here, Sasuke." Itachi beckoned to his younger brother while looking at the horrible gift. Both Itachi and Sasuke are the son of the head of the Uchiha Police Corps. They are both polices as well. The Uchiha Family, one of the richest in Japan. They formed their own police corporations, and established deep ties with the government.
"Is someone pulling a prank on you?" Sasuke glared at the mess in the box.
"Whoever who did this, it is not funny at all!" Sakura gripped her still pained head.
The three sat in the living room a while later and Sakura managed to recover a little from her headache.
"So, let me get this straight, Sakura, you have no idea who gave it, you have no enemies, even recently and so on?"
"For the tenth time, yes, Itachi." Sakura was irritated by the questions thrown, but she is the main character in this new case.
"Hey guys, there's no fingerprint other than Sakura's on the box." Shisui appeared at the doorway of the room, "Even on the ribbons and the ring, even the cockroaches, looks like we got a very careful culprit here."
"Did you find out what blood is it?" Sasuke was seemingly worried for his pink haired girlfriend, he knows she gets very terrified remembering anything to do with her mysterious past.
"Animals maybe, but definitely not human's. Someone should stay with her 24/7, her blood might be next."
"Are you saying that a killer is after me?" Sakura asked in horror.
"Well, we're not saying there is. But it's best to keep alert and wait for the next time our culprit acts again, if there are going to be one that is."
"Why would someone send you a diamond ring? Or did you ever turn down an engagement?" From what the authorities checked, the diamond is real, and it is very pure and rare.
"No, never. I don't remember having anything to do with a diamond ring."
"What if it's just a prank? Maybe you got tons of enemies' coz you're a successful designer?" Shisui wondered.
"But still, why my Mom's name?" Sakura whispered, but loud enough for the three to hear.
"For that, we don't know. But this surely might have something to do with the case eleven years ago."
Sakura shivered at the sentence Itachi said. Shisui is the next to speak.
"And it seems we are going to reopen this case."
.
I know I will never regret making this decision.
However, I still fear of what he may do to me
or my family in the future. Please do not harm
Sakurai or our little darling Sakura. Our light,
our pride and joy, god, please, I want her to
grow up just like any happy normal little girl.
-From the diary of Haruno Sana
22 May 1998