I See Dead People... No Really I Do.
"So what's your name?" I asked, glancing at the dead woman's reflection in my rearview. She didn't look up at me, which wasn't surprising, the departed weren't the chattiest bunch.
Keeping an eye on the asshole in the big SUV in front of me, I snuck several glances at the woman as I drove. Her hair was a light brown or perhaps a dirty blond, it was hard to tell in the dark. Street lights illuminated the interior of my little car enough that I could tell she was in her late twenties, early thirties but not much more than that. There were dark spots on her white night-gown and I hedged a guess that it was blood, although I wasn't a hundred percent certain. However it was a safe bet, considering usually the only ghosts who purposely sought me out were victims of some kind. Not always necessarily murder but sadly most of the time it was. Even worse, the victims were usually killed by a loved one. Those cases always bothered me the most. Heck everything about the dead bothered me. For three months I'd been living in a horror flick, except this film showed no signs of coming to an end and the people starring in it had actually died.
My cell phone, thankfully, was sitting in the passenger seat. I grabbed it and called Shikamaru. Nara Shikamaru was the head detective of the Konoha Police Department or the KPD for short.
"What?" Came a tired voice over the phone. He sounded annoyed, surely it wasn't because I was calling him at three in the morning. On a Saturday.
"Hey Shika, whats shaken?" I asked, beaming my good humor through the phone at him. I found it incredible entertaining to irritate the normally laid back detective. He should know by now I didn't call without a reason. Its not as if I still held a grudge or anything from when he'd arrested me the day after my release from the hospital on bullshit charges. When all he really wanted to know was how I knew the teenage girl in the room next to mine had been murdered by her mother. The jerk could've just asked. Okay I may still be slightly angry about that.
Shikamaru was silent for so long I thought maybe he'd hung up on me. Then I heard a long suffering sigh and smiled to myself. "Don't call me Shika. And you better have a damn good reason for calling at such an unholy hour."
"Do I ever waste your time?"
He didn't respond.
I frowned and added with a sniff, "that's just hurtful Shika."
He growled and I heard him get out of bed. There was a sharp clap as the phone hit the floor, a muffled curse then the phone hit the floor again. I would've said it was done purposely if not for the colorful words beating against my eardrum.
"Okay what do you got?"
I glanced in my rearview and still couldn't make out any definitive details.
"Have there been any recent reports on a missing woman? Late twenties, early thirties with long dark blond or maybe light brown hair?"
"Is that all you got?" Shikamaru was a man of few words and his natural disinterest in everything managed to rub a lot of people the wrong way but he was good at his job. I could tell something I'd said had piqued his interest and he was all business.
My frown deepened, "its dark and I'm driving."
"The ghost is in your car?"
"Yes."
He paused, "wait. Where are you?"
"Heading home from the hospital."
"I thought you were taking a break from the hospital?"
"I am. I went back to clean out my office so someone else can use it."
"At three in the morning?" He asked incredulously.
I shrugged but since he couldn't see it I said, "I couldn't sleep. Besides I'm dodging certain people to avoid piteous glances and empty apologies that aren't warranted."
Wisely he didn't comment and put the conversation back on task. "So did you pick up the ghost back at the hospital?"
"I don't think so. She appeared sometime after I passed the old bridge just off of Pine and 5th."
"Can you give me anymore detail on the woman?"
I checked the rearview and cursed. "She's gone. Did she sound even remotely familiar?"
"Perhaps but I'll have to double check. Contact me if she shows up again. I'll send a car out there in the morning and have someone scan the area." He yawned, then made a sound that made me think he was stretching. "Now if it's alright with you I'm gonna grab a few more hours of shut eye before I get up for work. On a Saturday. My only day off this week."
"Your welcome." I said sweetly, hearing the exhaustion and mild irritation in his voice.
"Good night Sakura." He hung up, without waiting for a response.
My rearview no longer reflected the dead woman but I could still see the stack of boxes, crammed against the window in the right passenger seat. Gut instinct told me this was the right move but I still felt like I was losing a part of myself.
My gaze shifted back to the road and without meaning to my fingers caressed the bandage beneath my shirt. I could still hear the ring of gun fire in my ears, the screaming voices of people as they fled in terror. I'd been incredible lucky, considering I'd been shot in the chest at almost point blank range. My close brush with death had changed me, in ways that were beyond belief or even science. When I started seeing ghosts I thought I was dead but then Naruto, my roommate and best friend, explained that I was just bat shit crazy and not dead. He punctuated his point by planting a kiss on my lips. Needless to say I shrieked and kneed him in the groin, which was difficult while laying on a hospital bed. The movement had hurt like a bitch but it was worth it to watch Naruto slide to the floor and writhe in pain.
The memory made me grin but I sobered, remembering my stint in the hospital. Someone had tried to kill me and it wasn't their first attempt either. I'd been shot in broad day light on a busy street, returning from a fast food joint just outside the hospital for lunch. Either my attacker had a real set of brass ones or said attacker was an idiot. I was betting on the former since the police had no leads and haven't had any information on the case for over two months. Point blank range, point blank range and still no one saw my attacker, not even me. Thus why I wanted to avoid my colleagues. Why do people apologies for things that aren't their fault? It's not like they pulled the trigger. Then someone always brought up how frightened I must be to know that my attacker was still out there. People tended to say stupid shit when they don't know what else to say.
Just then my phone rang and I jump, swallowing my heart and forcing it back down in my chest, I answered without checking the caller ID.
"Where are you?" His words were clipped, his tone hard. If I didn't know any better I'd say Sasuke actually cared about me.
Should've checked the caller ID.
"Damn it. Can't a girl sneak out with her boyfriend in peace?" I said with an exaggerated sigh. "We were just getting to the good part."
"You don't have a boyfriend."
"How do you know?"
"Because I know everything."
Ah-ha. "But you don't know where I am right now."
He paused. My victory was short lived as he suddenly shocked me. "Your two blocks away from the condo."
"Wha-!" I pulled the phone away, looked at it accusingly, then said, "are you tracking my phone?!"
"Your car actually."
"Like that's any better." I snapped. "That is such an invasion of privacy. And illegal."
"Do you at least have your gun?"
"Ummmm. I think its in the laundry basket."
"Damn it Sakura. Your just as bad as the dobe."
"Hey!" I was offended. "I told you I don't like guns." Having been shot recently I really didn't want one but the boys were pretty persistent. Even making me give up three whole weekends for gun classes. My weekends for crying out loud! Then they bought me a Browning hi power and actually expected me to carry it. I'm all for self-protection but I would be one of those people who accidentally shoots herself in the foot or something worse. I was doing the world a favor by not carrying it. It also went against my nature as a healer.
"Are you listening?!"
Shit. Had he been talking this whole time?
"Sorry. What?"
"Just get home." He hung up before I could protest for being ordered around. So freak'n pushy.
I set the phone down in the cup holder. It irked me to no end that the duck-butt had a tracker somewhere on my car but at the same time I found myself smiling a little. Being cared for was a nice feeling, even if my boys did it in some of the most invasive ways possible. But considering Sasuke's personality, it was like being accepted by a panther or some other equally large dangerous predator. Better to be in his favor than on his hit list. Because the people on that list tended to mysteriously disappear.
Back at the condo, I spotted Sasuke's black Charger but not the broody man himself. After I was released from the hospital, Naruto and Sasuke forced me to move in with them. Well okay after Sasuke got me a fancy-pants lawyer and sprung me from jail for those bullshit charges. Oh ya I definitely still held a grudge.
Naruto had literally dragged me to the condo after my release, he was so demanding. But then again I expected that type of behavior from Naruto. What I didn't expect was that Sasuke had already had all my things moved and my lease paid off before I could even attempt to protest. Talk about control issues.
I switched the car off, glad that the condos were well lit. Summer was truly in full swing, even this late at night the air was still hot and weighed heavily on my skin.
Opening the back door, I debated on leaving the boxes in the back seat until day light. The Ever Green Condo's ranked security above all else. With plenty of camera's, their own private police force and top-notch alarm systems. Sasuke and Naruto have lived in this place just over a year with no problems. Unless you count the 5 a.m. wake up call of several lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, and weed whackers. The place was clean-cut and beautiful but was it really necessary to start so damn early.
"Your exposed."
My heart stopped then began to beat so fast I thought I'd faint. I spun around and held a clipboard up like a shield. A clipboard? What was I gonna do with that?
Sasuke's mouth twitched into a slight smirk. He took pleasure in scaring the ever-loving-shit out of me. I glared up at him and smacked his chest with the clipboard. "What the hell Uchiha?"
He glanced down at the offending clipboard then regarded me with a mixture of amusement and annoyance. "Hn."
I tossed the useless object back into the box behind me. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." I growled, crossing my arms over my chest.
His smirk vanished and was replaced with that impenetrable expression I'd grown to hate and envy. "Where were you?"
Turning around I grabbed a box, then held it out to him. He didn't move. Not surprising. "To collect my stuff from my office."
"Late at night?"
"Technically its early morning." I said, after a quick glance at my phone. Nearly four in the morning. Shit.
"Sakura." He said impatiently.
"I couldn't sleep." I shoved the box at him. He took it and I loaded a second one on top of it. "Besides I knew you'd stepped out, onto the balcony. You didn't even notice I left. Someone's slacking." I said that last bit with a sing-song voice.
He stiffened. Sasuke prided himself on not letting anything slip his notice. It bugged him that I'd left without him realizing it.
Hiding a smirk I turned back towards the car and picked up the last two boxes. I sucked in a breath as something heavy in the top box rolled, the force smashing the box into my chest. The bullet wounds were mostly puckered-pink scar tissue but under the skin the muscle damage had been far worse and it still hurt like a bitch.
"Leave it." Sasuke said, his tone brooked no argument and it was obvious he'd heard me gasp. Normally I'd argue but I wasn't stupid. Sasuke was someone I wisely picked and chose my arguments with. Besides being a medic and understanding the possibility of re-opening or irritating a wound trumped my pride. I was so not going back to the hospital anytime soon. There were a lot of ghosts there, some I recognized as former patients and it only reiterated the fact, that I hadn't been able to save them. Konaha hospital was once my second home, I took pride in what I did but now it was hard to even get through the door.
With a defeated sigh I sat the boxes back in the seat and locked the door. I trailed behind Sasuke feeling much like a lost puppy and wishing Naruto was home.
I unlocked the door of the condo, then turned the dead bolt back into place once we were both inside.
"Naruto's gonna kill me isn't he?" I asked, dropping myself unceremoniously onto the couch. The blond was overly protective and would probable shatter my eardrums with profanities when he found out I'd left without an escort. Kami I hated my life right now.
"Hn."
"When does he get back anyway?"
"Tomorrow night." He sat next to me on the couch and began tugging at my shirt.
"Hey!" I smacked the offending hand.
"I'm making sure you didn't re-open the wound." He reached for me again and I scooted away until my butt hit the arm of the couch.
"How terrifyingly motherly of you."
His face dead panned. "Don't be childish Sakura."
"Hey I'm the medic not you." I pulled down the collar of my shirt enough to show the clean white bandages. "See no damage."
He nodded, seeming satisfied. Getting to his feet, I watched him head towards his room. A few minutes later he came back with a small black duffle bag and a black backpack.
Frowning I asked the obvious. "Where are you going?"
"A job."
I sighed, knowing I wouldn't get more than that. Every time he and Naruto left, those were the only two words I got. A job. I had my suspicions but voicing them didn't seem wise when I knew what kind of hardware was packed in the duffle.
"How long this time?"
"A few days." He said as he passed.
I sat up and watched as he set the bags down on the kitchen island.
"Who gets to baby sit me this time?" I asked, anger creeping into my voice.
Our eyes met from over the counter. He understood how I felt about being watched. It made me feel weak. I didn't like being treated like some porcelain doll. But someone had made an attempt on my life. Twice.
"Deidara."
I nodded, dropping his gaze and flopping onto my belly. Sasuke and Naruto couldn't always be around to watch my back, so friends often came to stay with me when they weren't around. Although friends might be a bit of a stretch. Deidara was our neighbor and my friend but he was also a member of the Akatsuki. A gang that seemed to have bases all over Fire Country and a few others. However they were very organized as far as gangs go. Not that I would know much about that. I tended not to pay attention to the meetings the local members sometimes held here. They were all nice enough but a few of them gave me the willies.
So because Deidara was my friend some of the others had begun to warm up to me and sometimes even came with Deidara to watch out for me. If Shikamaru ever found out I had friends in the Akatsuki he'd have a cow.
Exhaustion was beginning to gnaw at me but I fought to keep my eyes open. I tried to sit up but a hand rested on my shoulder and gently pushed me back down.
"Sleep Sakura."
The amount of relief I felt at that rare comforting gesture was almost laughable. I wasn't alone and I even hated the near suffocation of having so many people waste their time to protect me but... with the warmth of Sasuke's hand spreading over my body like a blanket it was hard to deny how frightened I still was.
I woke up sometime later with the smell of bacon invading my nose and making me salivate like a rabid dog.
"Bacon is murder." I called out.
"Sweet. Sweet. Murder." Deidara responded with a laugh.
Smiling I sat up and ran a hand through my short pink hair. A quick look towards the kitchen revealed that Deidara had brought along his usual companion Sasori. I smiled at the redhead and he nodded in silent greeting. Deidara's back was to us as he cooked, his head bobbing to a beat that I couldn't hear.
With an encouraging growl from my stomach I got to my feet, straightened the white tank and jeans I'd slept in, and followed the heavenly scent into the kitchen.
"What do you think your doing, un?" Deidara asked, waving an egg coated spatula towards the fridge as I opened it.
I paused, the icy chill of the fridge crept over my skin, raising goose-flesh. "Getting some juice."
He tsked. "Go sit." He pointed at the extra chair next to Sasori.
"But I want juice-"
"I've got it Sakura. You don't need that artificially flavored, sugar filled goop Naruto insists on buying." He waved towards the seat again and I obliged. "Just leave it to the chef."
I sat down and propped my elbow on the island to rest my chin in my hand. "Chef? I thought you were a model."
He twirled back around to face the stove. And I do mean twirled. "I'm capable of many things, because I'm awesome like that. Besides cooking allows me to express a completely different form of art. I will create a masterpiece that will set off explosions in your mouth and bring tears of joy to your eyes."
"With an omelet?" Sasori asked, completely unconvinced by the blonds dramatics.
"Yes with an omelet. You'll beg for more after one bite and give me anything I want just to get another taste." He said that last part with a heated glance over his shoulder. Sasori met his gaze and I watched his mouth twitch into a knowing smirk.
"We're still talking about food right?" I asked, wondering if I should flee the room with the sudden rising heat that had nothing to do with the actual temperature. Deidara and Sasori had been dating for three years and often forgot about the other people in the room when they wanted nothing more than to rip each other's clothes off. Sasori, who was possibly the most blasé and indifferent person I'd ever met, only became animated around Deidara. The kind of love they shared was fierce and often caused a pang of jealousy to spread through my chest. Because what they had was rare.
Deidara licked his lips as if they were suddenly dry and managed to rip his gaze off his partner long enough to spare me a glance. "No."
Well at least he was honest about it.
"But breakfast is ready, ya."
I looked over at the clock on the microwave, just above his head. "It's passed lunch."
He set a plate of bacon, hash browns and an omelet in front of me. He was right, it was a work of art. I took a heaping mouthful of the omelet and tried not to moan out loud. "Screw lunch," I said, fighting down the urge to inhale my food.
Deidara smiled. "Good. Making sure that you two are well fed is always a first priority before Hidan comes over. Both of you tend to get nasty when you haven't eaten."
The redhead didn't deny the accusation and continued to eat his food in a fashion that I found almost bird like.
I gave the blond my best death stare. He grinned. Probably because my cheeks resembled a chipmunks at the moment. I swallowed and took a sip of the freshly squeezed orange juice. "Why the hell is he coming over?"
"Oh dear." He grabbed the platter of bacon from beside the stove then shoveled about ten more pieces onto my plate. "Clearly you haven't eaten enough."
I glowered at him.
Sasori answered instead. "Having a meeting here."
"In the middle of the day?" I didn't ask 'why here' because it was already obvious. Deidara would stay here with me and because I hadn't been invited to any of the other meeting places. Which was fine. The less I knew the better. Still I hated feeling like a burden.
"Some of us had the day off." Deidara said with an absent shrug.
"He means skipped work." Sasori corrected.
Deidara's mouth thinned. "I didn't skip. I called and explained I didn't feel up to it today."
Guilt suddenly ate away at my stomach. Had he called out for me? I thought.
Noticing my distressed expression, because I have the worst poker face, he added, "I was gonna call out anyway Sakura."
I met his gaze and he smiled cheerfully, it was hard not to smile back.
"He calls out a lot anyway." Sasori leaned back from his empty plate.
Holy crap how did he finish that mountain of breakfast food so fast?
"I'm surprised anyone will hire you." Sasori jabbed.
"Well it should be pretty damn obvious." He leaned forward on the counter, getting intimately close to the redhead. "Because I'm fucking hot." He whispered in a husky tone that even had my heart fluttering.
Sasori didn't move but their was something in his gaze, a molten heat that held promise and need. The two men continued to watch each other and I was sure any minute now Deidara would crawl onto the counter top.
Quietly as I could, I got off the chair, grabbed a fist full of bacon and headed for my room and a shower. The two apparently sex starved males didn't call after me and I prayed they'd at least use the guest room and not the couch.
In the shower I only had a few minutes of peace before a ghost joined me. I bit back a scream and leaned heavily against the slick wall as I fought for air. The dead woman from early this morning was standing in my shower. Shampoo ran down my face and into my eyes. Cursing I quickly rinsed my hair then stood under the spray, observing the ghost as she stood like some goulish statue.
In the light I could now tell she had soft brown hair with a few natural shades of blond. She was pretty, if you ignored all of the dirt and blood. Dark shadows stretched beneath her dulled brown eyes, making them appear deep set and hollowed. They weren't focused on me but passed me, as if she was seeing horrors I could not. Standing this close I spotted other things about her that disturbed me. There was a ring of bruises around her neck and immediately I knew she'd been strangled. If the body was found there would be petechial hemorrhaging in her eyes.
But for some reason that didn't quite hold the same shock value as the wound on the junction between her neck and shoulder. Just above her left collar bone was a bite wound. With the type of damage that can only be inflicted by a human mouth. Humans don't have the scissor like teeth of dogs nor do we have the strength to shred the flesh cleanly. Someone had bitten her neck, hard enough to rip it and cause it to bleed. There was a perfect ring of teeth marks. Again if the authorities found the body soon enough the forensic team could probably make a mold. In the past, police have caught murders and rapists by using dental records.
"Hi," I said.
She didn't respond. Not surprising.
"My name is Haruno Sakura."
Again nothing. Some ghost whisperer I was.
"I can help you... but only if I know your name." The water was beginning to get cold but I didn't want to risk her disappearing because I'd gotten out of the shower. Ghosts were funny like that. If you looked away for even a second they might disappear and they don't always come back.
Suddenly her brown eyes flew wide and her mouth opened in ear piercing scream that only I could hear.
"Don't touch me!" She shrieked, collapsing to the floor with her arms flung over her head to protect her. I crouched in front of her, tried to grab her arms and passed through her, I tried to righten myself but only managed to fall back on my ass. From were I sat I watched as she relived her death, unable to ease her pain.
"Ple-e-e-ease," she wailed, her cheeks red and slick with tears. "Please let me go."
I couldn't actually see the killer but I knew the moment he grabbed her neck, lifted her up and started choking her. She fought back, flailing her hands, grabbing at his face and arms. Hopefully she'd get his DNA stuck in her fingernails as she scratched. Time seemed to slow down as I witnessed her death. It felt like forever but in reality it only took about sixty seconds and then it was over, her eyes rolled back and she stopped struggling but I knew he hadn't let go of her neck. Contrary to what the movies would have you believe, strangulation takes longer than a mere minute. Our brain shuts us down, making us pass out first. The killer would have to keep hold for at least another two minutes to make certain the woman was dead.
I stared wide eyed as she slumped to the ground. For some reason some ghosts relive the horror of their deaths in front of me, while others can actually talk to me and tell me what happened. I wasn't sure how that side of the grave actually worked and why some ghosts got trapped in a loop of their deaths and others did not.
When the woman faded away I huddled my knees to my chest and started to cry.
Once I'd had enough of the icy water and couldn't cry anymore, I exited the shower and went in search of clothes and a hug from Deidara. He was my rock when Naruto and Sasuke weren't around, but apparently I'd been in the shower much longer than I thought. In the kitchen stood four more members of the Akatsuki.
"Jeez bitch. Were you having a good time with the shower head?"
I frowned at Hidan and for the first time wondered where my gun was. Oh right. Laundry basket. I decided to ignore the silver-haired idiot. If I didn't rise to his bait that would only piss him off more than any sharp retort.
"You're a dick." Deidara said, crossing the room and pulling me into a hug and spinning our backs towards the on looking men. "You okay?"
"Yeah. Why?" I asked feeling slightly self-conscious. I hadn't really looked at myself in the mirror.
"You look a little pale." He raised my chin and met my eyes. "Did you see something?"
Deidara was one of the very few who knew I could see ghosts. It had taken some convincing for Naruto and Sasuke but Deidara had accepted it right off the bat.
I hugged him to me and breathed in his scent, not carrying what the others thought.
"Later." I whispered back.
He nodded and gave me a quick, reassuring squeeze back. His brow was knitted in concern as he walked away and I found that most of the men in the kitchen were watching me watch Deidara. Feeling slightly abashed I quickly sat on the couch and turned on the tv.
Isn't it funny how you can have a million channels and there's nothing but crap on. I finally settled on a local channel and realized it was a press conference with the KPD police Chief. I turned up the volume and leaned forward.
"They're probably trying to save their asses."
I cocked my head and had to look way up as Kisame towered over me. He held out a pint of dark chocolate gelato and a spoon. I smiled and took them. He sat next to me and I had to brace myself so as not to fall over into his lap. Not that he would've minded. Kisame had a thing for me. It was cute and I found him absolutely adorable but only in a big brotherly way, which I think he accepted. Kisame was big and I'm not talking fat. Being around six foot five made him an extremely tall man and he had the broad shoulders and thick muscly arms to complete the frightening ensemble. Although the blue hair made him somewhat approachable I thought. It wasn't a harsh color like red or black.
Impatiently I opened the cold container and could've died happily right then as I took a big bite of cold chocolatey goodness. "You're a saint."
He smiled showing teeth and I was suddenly reminded of the woman's neck. I stabbed the spoon into the gelato and set it on the glass coffee table. Sasuke would probably kill me if he saw it there but at that moment I didn't care.
"So what did you mean by saving their asses?" I gestured towards the tv. The Chief of police was standing behind a podium with several mics and cameras shoved so close to his face you could make out the small individual beads of sweat on his brow.
Kisame took the remote and turned up the volume.
"We will not rest until the boys are safe and sound." The Chief said.
"They're talking about the two boys who went missing a few weeks ago." Kisame remarked watching the conference.
"What about the boy that was taken yesterday?" One of the reporters shouted. The Chief had to be under a lot of pressure. He looked about ready to pass out.
"I promise the boys will be found. The families have the full support of the entire department." The Chief, Kawahara explained with a look of grim determination. But there was something about his expression that had me leaning forward. Was it possible he was lying? The chances of finding a child alive after the first twenty-four hours are slim to none.
"See what I mean." Kisame shook his head in anger, then got up from the couch. Time for the meeting apparently.
I watched and listened as the reporters threw wave after wave of questions, concerns and curve balls which were probably meant to spread insecurity. Fear sells. Kawahara remained on point and squashed some of the rumors floating around. Like that the police already found the bodies and weren't telling the parents.
Kawahara ran the back of his hand across his brow. Was he sweating more? Had someone asked the right question? I'd seen pictures of the boys earlier that week but their names escaped me. If they came from some of the wealthier families there would be a lot more pressure on him to find the missing boys. Sad but true.
I pulled out my phone and tapped the weather app. It was only eighty degrees and there was a breeze from an incoming storm. Much cooler than yesterdays eighty-nine with enough humidity to nearly drown in. Then again if I was dressed in a heavy suit I might be sweating balls to.
I sat my phone on the table, started to lean back into the couch then decided I wanted the gelato. I reached for it and froze when a small cool hand touched my forearm. I jumped back and bit my tongue. Holy hell if ghosts didn't stop just poofing into existence I was gonna die of a heart attack before I hit thirty.
The blood drained from my face as I looked up and found two boys, no older than nine watching me. They were naked and soaked, with dead leaves and twigs tangled in their hair. My heart stopped. I recognized them. I glanced back up at the tv and as if on cue two small pictures of the boys in the right corner of the screen appeared with their names displayed underneath.
If I could cry again I would. Because the two boys Kawahara had promised to find alive were dead and standing in my living room.
"Hello Shuu, hello Yui." I said quietly, hoping they could hear over the tv and that the men in the kitchen couldn't hear over the tv.
They looked at each other, then back at me.
"Hi." Shuu, the boy with short black hair and startling hazel eyes said.
Relief washed through me. They weren't like the woman in my shower who had been stuck in her moment of death. If they could talk that means I could help find their killer. Well call Shikamaru and let him find the killer.
I took a quick look over my shoulder. Deidara and Hidan were in a heated discussion while Kakuzu and Sasori appeared to be working something out on a calculator. Kisame was listening intently to whatever Itachi was saying. The older Uchiha glanced at me but went back to whatever it was they were doing. Good. No one was paying attention.
Leaning forward I whispered, "Shuu can you tell me what happened to you?" I'd asked Shuu because Yui was looking around uncomfortably and obviously scared.
Shuu turned Yui around so I could see his back and I sucked in a breath and felt nausea roll over me. Taking a deep breath I examined the back of Yui's head. He'd been hit with something hard, something heavy and since I'd seen this wound once before when I worked at the hospital, I knew he'd been struck with a hammer. Shuu turned around to and his skull mirrored Yui's. Blood matted their hair and streaked their backs.
Fury consumed me and I found myself hoping the man would die painfully and not spend his life in prison. Then again petafiles didn't do so well in the big house. The other inmates frowned upon adults touching and harming children. The thought was almost comforting but unfortunately petafiles did not get life sentences. Something about rehabilitations and rights. Bullshit. It was crap.
The boys turned back around and I wanted more than anything to hold them but they were incorporeal and though I'd feel the arctic chill of death I'd pass right through them.
"Can you tell me who did this to you?" My jaw was clenched so tightly the words came out more of a hiss than a whisper.
Again the boys looked at each other but then they looked at the tv. Shuu's small hand came up and he pointed to the screen.
"Chief Kawahara!" I whispered fiercely.
Shuu shook his head, then walked over to the tv. The picture flicked and cracked, becoming staticy. The boy's finger hovered over a face on the screen.
His hand moved away and I saw the man he'd been pointing to. It wasn't Chief Kawahara but it might as well have been. Just behind the Chief stood his brother and according to Shuu their killer.
"Son of a-"
"Please." Shuu spoke softly.
I shut up and listened.
"Save the other boy." He whimpered, then as if I'd blinked they both disappeared.
"Shit. Shit." I growled, swiping my phone off the table. I dialed Shikamaru, he didn't answer.
"Damn it all Nara Shikamaru!" I tried again and this time he picked up on the third ring.
"What?" He shouted and I could hear voices and shouts from his side of the phone.
"Are you at the press conference?" My voice rose a few octaves. I wanted him to hear me.
"Yes. Why?" He sounded curious and frustrated. I'd hate to be stuck around all those people to.
"He's lying!"
"Who's frying? What?"
I growled, "not frying! Lying! Chief Kawahara is lying."
"What do you mean he's lying? Are you on something?"
I ran a hand down my face. I had no proof that the Chief was lying but my gut instinct and years of watching patients faces as they lied to me, made me feel confident in my assessment. I didn't know the Chief personally but Shikamaru said he was a strong family man. How the hell would he not notice his brother was so fucked in the head?
Chief Kawahara was stepping down from the podium. One of the camera's zoomed in and I watched him grab his brothers arm and lead him away. Oh yeah. He knew. It also explained his profuse sweating when questioned specifically about the children and their abductor.
"Listen to me Nara Shikamaru that man is protecting a killer. His brother abducted those boys and killed them."
He was quiet and I listened to the hustle and bustle around him as my words sunk in. Finally he sighed, ''are you sure about this?"
I thought about it then worded my next sentence carefully. "I'm not a hundred percent sure that the Chief knows but I am damn sure that his brother is a killer and Shikamaru-"
"Yeah."
"-there's another boy missing."
"Fuck." He growled, dragging the word out in exasperation. "Do you have anything else? Like were they're buried or some kind of physical proof I wouldn't need a warrant to get to?"
"No." Then I thought about it. "Wait. I don't think they're necessarily buried. I think they're in a body of water. Also they were both probably killed with a hammer."
"Shit. Not sure what I can do with that but I'll think of something. Thanks Sakura."
The line went dead and I set my phone back down, then went very still. Noticing that the room had gone quiet, other than the tv. Itachi stood just to my left, on the opposite end of the couch, facing me. I darted my gaze behind me and found all of the members were watching me, their faces showing confusion, interest and holy shit expressions.
My heart thundered against my ribs almost painfully as I met Itachi's hard gaze. He regarded me curiously, his expression impenetrable. I couldn't hold his gaze without squirming so I just stared at him, trying not to focus on any one attribute, which was harder then it sounds. It always struck me just how handsome Itachi was- okay yeah, not the best time to be checking the man out but I doubted anyone could honestly blame me. He was tall but not giant like his blue haired companion. The black t-shirt he wore accentuated his broad shoulders and hugged the well carved body hidden beneath the stressed fabric. Though honestly it was the long, run-your-fingers-through black hair and piercing black orbs that did it for me. Even if I was sure he might burn me to ash any moment. I imagined this is what a sheep feels like when cornered by a wolf.
"Itachi," I said, proud that my voice didn't betray just how much he was currently freaking me out. Both Uchiha men should be force to carry a concealed weapons permit just for their eyes. Swallowing, I picked a point on his forehead rather than meeting his eyes. He didn't speak and continued to stare at me. A few decades later he finally walked back to the others. I heard the deep tones of his voice as he spoke softly to someone in the kitchen. I didn't dare turn around to find out who. But I could still feel the heat of his gaze on my back from the other side of the room.
Catching Uchiha Itachi's attention was definitely not a good thing. Though I had a fondness for his younger brother, the older Uchiha scared the hell me.
"Damn it." I ran a hand down my face and collapsed into the couch. Now I'd attracted unwanted attention and I forgot to tell Shika about the woman.
Damn it what else could possible go wrong...
In the span of five seconds, two things went horribly wrong. One, the back door, leading to our little balcony opened. Two, every male in the kitchen drew their guns and aimed at the intruder.
Had to ask a silly question...
Authors note: alright so I hope everyone enjoyed the first chapter. Please keep in mind that I typed this via my phone and there are bound to be mistakes and the phone is my only tool because I don't have a computer. That said I'm already working on the second chapter. I'm super excited about this story. All reviews are welcome, even PM's. Thanks for reading.
P.S. For the fans that already read this chapter. I didn't change it. Just did a little repair work so some sentences flow better. Almost done with chapter 2.