Author's Note: Okay, well I haven't exactly been on in a while (erm maybe a few years) but I really just lost my muse. I felt like I just couldn't write the stories I wanted to. But I got the idea for this story and I just ran with it. I hope you guys enjoy it and any feedback whatsoever is welcome! Remember reviews are what I live off of, even if it's just one word!
Oh yes, disclaimer. I don't own anything (I'm poor).
Chapter One
Of course she recognized him.
She knew who and more importantly, what he was. His face had been splashed across the evening news, and his name had been printed bold onto the headlines of newspaper after newspaper for years.
In fact, if she thought on it hard enough, she could vaguely remember hearing the first murmurs of him Political Science 101, in that pseudo-intellectual way that seems to plague all college students.
Though in all fairness, as an undergrad she had spent quite a bit of time nursing hangovers, so who knew how much she really heard, much less retained in her frat days.
So, when she walked into her office and spotted the remarkably thin report lying haphazardly on her less than tidy desk, the slightly manic cerulean eyes of his mug shot gazing into her own tauntingly, Sakura could not help but breathe out, "The fuck?" and dropped her purse carelessly on the floor as she slumped to her seat.
The cheap swivel chair squeaked under her weight as Sakura pulled herself closer to the desk, her heeled feet tangled around the chair stand as she gingerly picked up the foreign report.
She delicately thumbed through the sparse pages enclosed within the already ratty manila folder; there were only four pages total. With an already weary sigh, Sakura began to read what little information the report yielded.
Deidara. Surname: Undisclosed. Birth date: Unknown. Defected from Iwagarkure following the bombing of a government owned building resulting in 26 casualties, 2 deaths. Wanted for arson, smuggling, extortion, murder, and the attempted assassination of the Kazekage. Affiliated with the terrorist group the Akatsuki. This man was one of the most dangerous criminals in the world.
And here his file was, smirking up at her.
Smug bastard.
As resident psychiatrist of Konoha, second only to her mentor Tsunade, Sakura's job required that she work with dangerous men and women who had committed some seriously heinous crimes. But for the most part, Sakura had never heard of these people until they made their way to her desk as a wrinkled manila folder.
Tsunade really needed to update her system.
To be fair, her ignorance was generally purposeful. Sakura made a point to not keep up with current events. With work so, well, Silence of the Lambs-esque she deserved a break outside the office. But despite her bubble of reality TV and rom-coms, even Sakura couldn't avoid Deidara. It was a bit surreal.
According to the already coffee stained articles (how many hands has this passed throught?), Deidara had been apprehended at 3:45 am this morning within the borders of Fire, taken in by Team Seven.
"Sasuke and Naruto." Sakura muttered to herself under her breath, massaging her temple.
Deidara had sustained a few minor injuries, a broken nose, dislocated shoulder and some cuts and bruises and was currently being detained within their maximum-security holding facility in room 17B. And she was the doctor assigned to his case.
Lovely.
Blowing a stray tendril of petal pink hair out of her eyes, Sakura sighed heavily and leaned up in her chair, cracking her back with a satisfying 'pop'. She did not need this at 8:30 in the morning.
Hell, why did this make its way to her?
Two years ago Sakura had been hired fresh out of her residency as the top of her class, something utterly unheard of in Konoha's Bureau of Internal Affairs. She was to act as an expert witness for Konoha's prosecutors, evaluating and aiding those about to stand trial and to testify herself.
Under Tsunade's tutelage her job was to help keep criminals out of mental hospitals when the belonged in prison, and sift through the criminals to find the real "crazies" as Tsunade put it, much to the then green and idealistic Sakura's chagrin.
But no one needed her expertise to realize Deidara was dangerous, and more than a little insane.
Antisocial personality disorder, conduct disorder as an adolescent, pyromania and perhaps even bipolar disorder with manic episodes were all possibilities that ran across Sakura's trained mind without even personally assessing the man.
"What's with that face you're pulling, Billboard Brow? Trust me, it's not flattering. Finally realize Sasuke only has eyes for me?" Teased a voice from her doorway.
"Oh shut up, Pig." Sakura smiled distractedly up at her childhood friend, wrinkling her nose in mock disgust.
"Well a good morning to you too. And to think, I went out of my way to get coffee for you."
Ino brushed aside some paperwork and lazily put down the paper cup, tutting at the current state of Sakura's desk.
"Please," Sakura snorted, "You owe me. Besides, the coffee shop is literally across the street from your building, you're such a drama queen."
"Still as sweet as ever I see. So, are you planning on telling me what's wrong? All this stress is not good for your skin." Ino quipped, helping herself to the chair across from Sakura's desk. She crossed an elegant leg over the other as she ran a manicured hand through her flaxen hair, giving Sakura an expectant look.
Sakura couldn't help but feel that twinge of jealousy that sprung up every once in a while.
It was the insecure (flat chested) 12-year-old girl in her, she knew it, but at times she couldn't help comparing herself to Ino. While Ino was glamorous, and yes, busty, it was a big deal if Sakura put on mascara for a date and a bigger deal when she finally graduated from training bras.
Seriously, Ino had brought over a cake in the 8th grade.
They had been best friends since grade school, crying over breakups together, choosing the same undergrad school, rooming together, and later applying to work for the Konoha Bureau of Internal Affairs together.
Only when they discovered Sasuke, Konoha agent and Naruto's partner, did they start fighting. The day they realized they were both "head over heels" for the same mysterious (later found to be just surly) man was the day they became enemies.
They had both vied for his attention, cutting off all contact other than insulting each other at work for a solid eight months until they realized Sasuke was more or less a douche bag and they themselves idiots.
They still joked around about their previous infatuation with the raven-haired man, keeping their insults for each other in circulation. It didn't mean Sakura didn't compare herself to her extremely feminine friend every now and then.
"I'm waiting, Billboard."
"Tsunade's given me a new case." She sighed.
Ino gave her a questioning look, "…So you're upset that you're doing your job?" She spoke slowly, as if talking to a child. "Cry me a river, Sakura."
Rolling her eyes at her friend, Sakura pushed the file over towards Ino without a word.
The blonde snatched the manila folder, curious as to what had the already constantly stressed Sakura upset enough to work on developing an ulcer. Flipping through the pages, Ino raised a delicate brow.
"Oh…that certainly explains it." She murmured dryly.
"You think?"
"This is, shit, this is big! Have you seen how Sasuke's been taking this all?"
Sakura shot her friend a confused look, taking the report back. "What do you mean? Why does Sasuke matter in this?"
"Kami Sakura, I know it's early and you're busy in the throes of drama, but think this through. Deidara is Akatsuki, and so is-"
"Itachi." Sakura cut off, "Sasuke is going to want to know every bit of information Deidara has on his brother."
The thought had not even crossed her mind.
Everyone knew bits and pieces of Sasuke's personal life, at least the rumors.
Despite the extremely bizarre love/hate relationship Naruto and Sasuke shared as partners, Naruto knew the most about Sasuke's personal life, which was exactly why Sakura beat the information out of him.
Sasuke came from a family with money, and a family with quite a few political ties.
The Uchiha's had been cold, if the rumors were true, and had little patience for anything less than perfection. The only one who doted on Sasuke, had been the eldest son, Itachi.
His brother was the world to Sasuke, and had been his childhood idol, up until the day Sasuke came home from school to his parents murdered and his brother gone.
Poor Sasuke had refused to believe it was his brother until he began appearing on the news, a grainy smudge wearing that trademark black and red cloak.
He swore revenge, and took it seriously. With Deidara in custody, this would be the closest Sasuke had ever been to fulfilling his vendetta.
Ino brought her out of her musings, "I wonder if he'll even be allowed on his case. Actually, I'd be surprised if Tsunade allowed him within 50 feet of the guy."
"Well I promised to have dinner with Naruto and Hinata tonight so I guess I'll do some snooping and find out."
"Good plan, Kami knows that kid can't keep anything to himself. Hey! What's that look for!? I'm not that bad!"
Ino rolled her eyes and got out of the chair with a huff, "Well I'm off. Shizune will have a fit if I'm late again."
"Oh you're always late. You're almost as bad as Kakashi." Sakura smirked up at Ino.
"I resent that." Ino sniffed in haughty disdain and grabbed the doorframe, turning around to Sakura. "Good luck, Billboard Brow, you're going to need it."
"Tell me about it." The pink haired woman replied exasperated. "Don't forget to close the door!"
As soon as Sakura heard the soft click of her office door closing, she dropped her head to her desk.
"Damnit," she groaned. "What have I gotten myself into?"
"Alright Sakura, she's ready to see you."
Sakura immediately hopped up from the oversized leather couch of Tsunade's waiting room, her heels clicking on the hard wood.
"Thanks Shizune."
The walk into Tsunade's office had been described by many a person as nerve wracking; like walking into an angry principal's office; albeit a drunken principal that had a tendency to throw books and paperweights at you.
But after interning under the woman, waking her up after drunkenly falling asleep on her desk (a task that has made better men cry) and filling out her paperwork, Sakura had developed as Naruto liked to call it, 'balls of steel'.
So she had no problem whining.
"Shishou…"
"Ah, Sakura! I'm guessing you got your report. Now this little shit is going to be a tough nut to crack, and we're going to need at least six months to get enough solid evidence to keep him in jail for life. You know how slow these goddamn courts work. So until then it's going to be your standard procedure. Just find out as much as you can and patch him up whenever he needs it."
Sakura awkwardly shuffled her feet and scratched the back of her head, looking at the stucco ceilings, the beige walls, anything but Tsunade.
"About that Shishou, I, er, well don't know if this is, um, a good fit."
So much for balls of steel.
Tsunade's gaze sharpened into cool passivity. "What do you mean, Sakura?"
She let out the breath she had been holding in one large huff, "I just don't believe I'm qualified for this. This is the most dangerous suspect we've ever apprehended, I think this is a case better suited for you. We need our best on it."
"I didn't realize you made those decisions, Sakura." Tsunade said coolly. She stood up from her chair and walked in front of the desk, leaning against it.
"I apologize Tsunade-sama, I just-"
"I hired you for a reason, Sakura."
"Because grad students were cheaper?" Sakura henged.
Tsunade leveled her a blank look, "Shut up, you brat. I hired you because I expect great things from you. You're more capable than you think, Sakura. You say we need our best on it, and I make those decisions. You're our best. The only thing I have on you now is experience. You've been asking me for more responsibility and this is it."
Her gaze softened, "You know you can turn down this case. There won't be any repercussions and you won't be reprimanded, but this is your opportunity to do something big."
Sakura warmed at the praise. Tsuande was no bullshitter. She said what she meant, and it often wasn't nice. So giving Sakura such serious praise was a big deal. She was touched.
"Thank you, Shishou." Pursing her lips, Sakura nodded thoughtfully. "You're right. But I need to think about this, Shishou."
"Good. Sleep on it. But I need an answer from you by tomorrow morning, I can't wait any longer."
"Yes ma'am." Sakura nodded. "Thank you. And thank you for thinking so highly of me."
"Live up to it, Sakura."
Sakura climbed up the two flights of stairs to her apartment, unlocked the door with her spare key hidden under her threadbare doormat (she really needed to get her key back from Ino) and kicked off her shoes.
Home.
She was greeted by the cheery yellow walls she had painted herself, and her fish was miraculously not yet belly up. Her apartment was sparse, but cozy, perfectly comfortable for someone who tended to live at work.
She had been labeled a workaholic, and may or may not have been legally forced to use her vacation time once or twice, but Sakura saw nothing wrong with that.
Sakura liked her job, and not many people could say that. To her, that made up for the light layer of dust in her apartment and the less than stellar love life.
At least that's what she told herself when she thought about how utterly single she was.
So single.
"And so dramatic." She snorted to herself.
Sakura sunk down onto her shabby couch and tucked her legs under her, glancing up at her wall clock.
5:35. She had to leave for Naruto and Hinata's apartment in 25 minutes if she wanted to make it to dinner on time.
Sighing, Sakura fumbled for the clunky remote on her coffee table and turned on the TV flipping through the channels until she landed on some delightfully horrible reality dating show.
Perfect background noise.
Sakura slowly stood back up, wiggling her toes against her carpet and stretching her arms over her head, cracking her knuckles.
Walking down the corridor of her apartment, Sakura made her way to her bedroom's closet. Hoping to find at least something semi presentable to wear, (sweats were definitely out of the question) she rummaged around until she found a simple sundress that looked like she hadn't just come from work.
After wiggling herself into the dress, Sakura ran a brush through her hair and shuffled back to the kitchen.
Should she bring something? Isn't that what mature, adult, houseguests did?
Sakura picked up a nearby bottle of wine. Wine was something people brought, wine that was…half empty.
…Could she?
No. Hinata might actually die from the mortification.
Okay, so scratch that idea. Sakura thought to herself whilst taking a swig.
Shrugging on a jacket and grabbing the same purse she had taken to work, Sakura looked up at her clock again. There was enough time to stop at the Yamanaka's flower shop.
How grown up of her.
Making sure to put her spare key in her purse this time, she made her way out of her apartment building.
Naruto's place was only a few blocks away from, and the June weather was nice enough, so Sakura decided it'd be fine to walk.
She could count it as her exercise for the day, well, week.
The shop was right at the end of her street, and the bell attached to the door chimed as she walked in.
Inoichi Yamanaka looked up from the gardenias he was watering.
"Hello Sakura! Haven't seen you around here in some time."
Sakura smiled up at her friend's father, "Hello Yamanaka-san, how are you?"
"How many times have I told you to call me Inoichi?"
"How many times have I asked you to run away with me?" Sakura said, batting her lashes jokingly.
Inoichi chuckled warmly, his deep laugh matching his strong, masculine features. As an ex-military man, no one expected Inoichi of all people to start up a flower shop.
"If it wasn't for the wife. So what are you in here for? As much as I'd like to think it was for me, what do you need?"
"Just a small bouquet I guess. Naruto and Hinata have taken pity on me and invited me to dinner and I'd like to try out this whole, 'being an adult' thing."
"I'm sure I have something premade for you in the back. Give me a second."
Inoichi made his way to the back room of the shop, leaving Sakura alone to idly stroke the surrounding flowers.
"Ah, here we are. I think this will do nicely."
He handed over the bouquet to Sakura who smiled, "This is perfect. How much do I owe you?"
"They're on the house. Ino may or may not have called me and told me you've got a tough new case on your hands, and needed "all the help you could get"."
Sakura grimaced. "Ah, that. Well, we'll see. Thank you for the flowers Mr. Yamanaka, I owe you."
With another chime of the bell Sakura exited the shop.
The walk to Naruto and Hinata's apartment was quiet, completely unlike the greeting she received from Naruto after she knocked on their door.
"Sakura-chan!" Naruto exclaimed as he barreled toward the door and wrapped her in a choking bear hug.
"Naruto you idiot! You're crushing me!"
"Oh." Naruto dropped her quickly, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly.
"Thank you for coming Sakura." Hinata smiled, and lightly hugged Sakura.
"I brought you guys flowers," Sakura said, gesturing towards the crumpled bouquet "but your boyfriend here squished them in the process."
"They're lovely Sakura, here let me take them from you." As Hinata went to take the flowers from her, Sakura noticed something glinting on her finger.
"Hinata! Is that…" Hinata blushed, "It is! Let me see it!"
Hinata placed her hand out, showing Sakura the engagement ring sitting delicately on her finger.
"It's beautiful Hinata." Sakura squealed, girlishly. She turned a scowl onto Naruto and smacked him upside the head, "You idiot! Why didn't you tell me you proposed?!"
"Sakura-chan," Naruto whined, his blue eyes pouting, "we wanted to surprise you!"
Naruto and Sakura's relationship was bred back in college, founded on Naruto's puppy dog like enthusiasm, Sakura's insanely strong punches, and a lot of beer pong. (Sakura thought back smugly to their Beer Pong Pairs Championship trophy).
"You should have told me!"
Naruto chuckled and moved them all over to the table where Hinata had already laid out dinner.
"I'll let it slide for now, I haven't eaten anything that hasn't come out of a microwave for days."
"Dinner was great Hinata, Like I always tell Naruto, he should know how lucky he is. I trust you to make sure he doesn't eat ramen all the time."
"Oh, I keep him in check." Hinata smiled serenely. "By the way Sakura-chan, please have Naruto walk you back home. I'd feel more comfortable."
Sakura didn't bother arguing, knowing that for a sweet, seemingly mild mannered kindergarten teacher, Hinata could be quite persistent.
"Come on Naruto," Sakura said as she tucked her hand in the crook of his arm, "you're coming with me."
When Sakura and Naruto stepped onto the sidewalk, the sky was starting to get dusky and the street lamps were flickering to life.
They walked in companionable silence for a few blocks until Naruto turned to her and spoke.
"So, I heard you were assigned to Deidara's case."
"Jeez! Did Ino tell everyone?! Ignore that. Of course she did."
"Oh Sakura, you know we just worry about you. I mean, Sasuke and I were the ones who finally caught him. He's dangerous, more so than even you're used to, more so than I'm used to."
"I haven't accepted it yet." Sakura sighed, and nudged him lightly. "Tsunade is giving me until tomorrow to figure it out. I mean I think I'm ready, but might be way over my head in this. The first eight months I worked here I hardly did anything but fuss over Sasuke." She cringed a bit at the embarrassing recollection.
Sakura hesitated, "Speaking of Sasuke, do you know how he's taking it?"
Naruto shrugged, "He's being his usual bastard self. He hasn't said much about it but I think this has really hit home." He glanced at her sideways, "He's still on the case you know. I'm pretty sure Baa-chan is going to be keeping a close eye on him, though."
"Hmm." Sakura hummed, in thought.
They walked in a heavier silence, until Sakura broke it.
"Naruto, why did you take this job?"
"Easy," he said, his eyes crinkling with his smile. "I want to protect Konoha, I want to keep the people I love safe."
They had reached her apartment building and stood on the porch stoop, the noises of one of her neighbor's TV faintly reaching them, the canned laughter tinny.
Sakura smiled softly, "When did you get so insightful?" She leaned up and hugged him quickly before shoving him on the shoulder. "Get back to Hinata, I can't keep you to myself for too much longer."
"I'm sure I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight Sakura-chan!" Naruto turned around to wave at her then continued walking down the shadowed sidewalk, his hands shoved into his pockets.
Sakura watched Naruto fade into the dusky horizon, and when his silhouette finally disappeared, she slumped down onto the stoop steps, head held up by a first under her chin.
Tsunade had been right. She had wanted the responsibility. She had done it all before, she had worked with paranoid schizophrenics, murderers, mob bosses, she was good and this would be the biggest case of her career.
She wanted this. If Tsunade thought she could do it, she could. She knew she was the best at what she did and now was her chance to prove it.
Sakura would take the case.
A/N: Slightly revised.