Chapter Two
The Evidence
It was nearly nine at night when Sakura heard the elevator door ding quietly. She'd been in her lab for so many years that she could practically hear the person the moment they stepped out onto the concrete floor. Any moment now, someone was either going to enter her lab or go into autopsy. From the quiet steps outside her door, she knew it was her lab.
Quietly Sakura looked up from the evidence she was working on and turned in her chair slightly just as Itachi walked through. She smiled tiredly at him as he walked up to her and greeted her with a quick kiss to the side of her forehead. "Have you found anything?" he asked quietly.
Sakura's smile widened when Itachi didn't move away from her. He kept his arms on either side of her as he looked over her shoulder at her work. She too glanced down at her work and shook her head as her smile faded. "Not yet. The Kanazawa department was surprisingly thorough."
Itachi didn't reply. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eyes to see he had picked his head up to look at her computer screen as she ran a scan of a fingerprint through AFIS. Silently, they watched the images of fingerprints flash by until a machine in the corner beeped, grabbing Sakura's attention.
Carefully she slipped out of Itachi's arms and walked over to pick up the paper. She pulled her glasses off to top of her head and read the information. She frowned. It was the exact same results the other department had found.
With a soft sigh, Sakura pulled on another pair of gloves before she grabbed another bag of evidence from one of the boxes and sat down at her table. She opened the sealed plastic and carefully scrapped off some blood samples before she dished it into a small tube. For a long moment, she forgot Itachi was in the room with her. She just continued to work until she heard him shift. Slowly, she turned her gaze back to him to see he was just watching at her as she worked. "What?" she asked self-consciously.
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly before he approached her and bent down to capture her lips in slow, loving kiss. When he pulled back, Sakura followed his lips slightly, not ready to break the kiss, and she quickly opened her eyes to see he was watching at her with a small smirk. She frowned slightly at his expression but it quickly changed to a smile when he leaned down as placed another short kiss to her forehead. "I will see you when you're done working."
"Okay," she murmured. She smiled at him as he turned and left her to work again. She wished she could leave now, but she wanted to get through the next box before she left.
Unfortunately, she didn't realize how much evidence was left and she found herself nodding off until she eventually gave in and rested her head on her arms and drifted off.
"If I were you, I would wake up. That position looks highly uncomfortable."
At the sound of someone else in her lab Sakura bolted upright from her bent over position on her table. She blinked hard against the morning light that spilled in from the windows and focused on the person in front of her. It was Sasuke.
"I wasn't sleeping," Sakura said quickly, blinking the sleep from her eyes. Then she looked at the clock. It was past eight in the morning. "Okay, maybe I was," she murmured. With a soft sigh, she turned in her seat and cracked her back before she rubbed her eyes, smearing her already smudged make-up.
"Here, drink this," Sasuke said as he placed something in front of her.
She stopped rubbing her eyes and opened them to find a cup of coffee was sitting in front of her. She snatched it up and drank from it greedily, moaning in the back of her throat in content. "Sasuke, you're a lifesaver."
He made a noncommittal sound before he took a sip from his own cup of coffee and turned to her computer screen. "It looks like you didn't get a match," he commented.
At the sound of his voice, Sakura looked at him. He was standing in front of her computer, looking at the screen. Quietly, she stood up and joined him, grabbing her coffee on the way. When she saw the lack of a fingerprint match, she shrugged. "I'm not really that surprised. Kanazawa didn't get a match either."
The corner of Sasuke's mouth turned down. "Have you found anything new?"
Sakura gave him a hard look. "I told you yesterday I'm only one person. I almost made it through two boxes. That's pretty damn good if you ask me."
He sighed slightly before he took another sip. "Itachi's not going to like that."
At the sound of her lover's name, her eyes widened. She clapped a hand over her forehead and dragged it down her face. "Oh shit."
"What?" Sasuke asked, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
"I told Itachi I would go over to his house after work," she replied, with a soft sigh.
Sasuke shrugged. "So?"
She sent him a look. "I never left work."
He just shrugged again. "Itachi won't care that much. We just started a combined case and everyone is busy. If he gets pissed that's his problem."
Sakura tried to look mad, but a small smile was forming on her lips giving away her amusement. "Why are you here anyway?"
The corner of his mouth pulled up into a small smirk as he lifted his coffee to his lips again. "I came to get you. We have another meeting to report our findings."
Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "How did you know I was here?"
"You didn't answer your phone. I figured you were either here or with Itachi and I knew Itachi would get you there."
A small blush formed on Sakura's cheeks at the implication of his words, but she tried her best to push it down as she gathered her papers together. Once she was sure she had everything, she followed him to the elevator and into the meeting room. When she walked in, she kept her gaze averted from Itachi. Quickly she took a seat next to Ino and sat patiently until the meeting began.
With the lack of leads, the meeting had passed fairly quickly. After Itachi dismissed everyone, she made her way back to her lab and continued where she had left the night before. And not before long, it seemed as if right before her eyes, night had fallen again. She had wiped her make-up off hours ago so when the clock struck ten, she didn't worried about smearing her mascara as she tried to rub the sleep away. She was working through her fifth box when she heard the elevator ding quietly. A small smile immediately formed on her lips when she remembered Itachi had come to see her the night before. She hadn't seen much of him today.
In fact, Sakura hadn't seen Itachi at all today, not counting the morning meeting. She had been stuck in her lab and him upstairs doing god knows what. He had even been too busy to even stop and scold her about not leaving the night before, which in a way she was happy for but also slightly worried. Nonetheless, she had hoped Itachi would come and see her again before he left. She could still remember the feeling of his lips on hers and how he had kissed her the night before. That simple sound of the elevator sent it all rushing back to her and she looked up with a bright smile. Only it wasn't Itachi that was standing in front of her. Surprised, she just stared.
"Temari."
The blonde woman smiled. "Hey, Sakura. I thought you might still be here."
Sakura set down the evidence she was working with and gave her full attention to her friend. "Was there something you needed?"
Temari just shook her head. "I just wanted to stop and talk with you for a little while, but it looks like you're still a busy."
The pink-haired women nodded slightly. "Well that's what happens when your supervisors believe you can do anything."
Temari laughed and nodded. "I agree."
Sakura's amusement faded and she looked at her in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
Temari gave her a sly smile as she took a seat on the stool across from her. "C'mon, Sakura, you haven't noticed yet." Sakura shook her head once, causing the blonde to sigh. "I'm a forensic scientist now too."
Immediately Sakura dropped her attention from the woman in front of her to the evidence bag she was holding. Sure enough, Temari's name was signed as the last person to have possession of the evidence. "You became a forensic scientist?"
Temari nodded. "After you left I decided to become one. You seemed so passionate about it at the time. It kind of made me want to give it a try. So I went to school for a couple of years and found that I liked it."
Sakura smiled. "Fun, isn't it?"
She nodded. "Well, when you're not expected to be God and do everything within fifteen minutes."
That caused both women to laugh. Sakura smiled brightly at her old friend, reveling in the feeling of having a good laugh with someone else for the first in awhile. She almost missed the figure in the doorway as they entered. Slowly Sakura's laughter died down as she turned to see who had walked in. "Hey, Ino," she greeted. "Did you need something?"
For a long moment, Ino looked from Sakura to Temari before she shook her head once. "No, never mind," she said slowly. "It's nothing."
Sakura frowned slightly. Ino told her everything and something in her voice made her worry. "Are you sure?"
Ino nodded again. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." Then she left again.
Confused, Sakura watched her best friend leave without a backward glance before she turned to Temari as she stood. "Well, I should probably let you get back to work."
Sakura sighed slightly. "Are you sure you don't want to stay and help?"
Temari smirked before she shrugged. "I probably would help you if I was allowed to." When Sakura looked at her in confusion she continued. "The original scientist can't review evidence the second time through."
She could have rolled her eyes at that. How could she forget? After all, Temari did say that she was the one to examine it. "Right," Sakura said regretfully.
The blonde woman gave her a bright smile before she waved and bounded for the door. On her way out, she stopped and turned back to Sakura. "Don't work too late."
Sakura made a small noise of sarcasm in the back of her throat before Temari left, leaving Sakura to work. She gave the full box of evidence a hard glare before she returned to the piece she was working with.
For hours Sakura worked with the pre-reviewed evidence. She reexamined bullet case after bullet case and more blood samples than she swore she had ever seen in her life. She worked late into the night but at some point she realized she must've fallen asleep when she heard footsteps stop next to her head.
"Well at least you look a little more comfortable this time," Sasuke said.
Slowly, Sakura opened her eyes to find a pair of shoes in front of her. Tiredly, she pushed herself up and looked around. She had been curled up on the floor among the boxes of evidence while she used her lab coat as a pillow. A quiet groan sounded in the back of her throat. "I really need to stop doing this."
Sasuke snorted as he handed her a large cup of coffee. "I agree. You do realize Itachi is going to have your ass this time, right?"
Sakura let her head fall into her hand before she stared up at Sasuke. "He didn't say anything yesterday; how bad do you think it's going to be?"
The youngest Uchiha simply shrugged. "Depends, did you find anything?" Sorrowfully she shook her head. Sasuke breathed out his nose sharply as he took a sip of his own coffee. "Well good luck with him."
Sakura greedily took a large gulp of coffee before she turned back to Sasuke. "Do you think if I put on that little, red night dress he'll forget about it?"
The look Sasuke gave her would have made her laugh in any other situation, but the thought of facing Itachi right now was blocking her usual amusement. She just shook her head as she held up her hand for Sasuke to grab. He looked at it for a second before he helped her stand. "Forget I said anything," she murmured as she gathered, yet again, more useless papers.
Together they headed towards the elevator and rode it up, all the while drinking their coffee.
When they entered the conference room, Sakura tried to avoid looking at absolutely everyone. Yesterday, no one had commented on the fact she hadn't gone home and today she was sure someone would say something. Fortunately no one did as the meeting continued much like it did yesterday. Everyone reported their findings, or lack thereof. When Shisui asked her for her report, she just shook her head, silently telling him her findings were no better than anyone else's.
When Itachi finally called the meeting to a close, Sakura sighed out in relief. She grabbed her useless papers and lukewarm coffee, and began to follow Ino out of the room to see what she had wanted the night before when she was called back. "Sakura, I need to talk to you."
Sakura slowly came to a stop and she closed her eyes slowly as she clenched her teeth together. "Of course you do," she murmured under her breath before she turned back to Itachi. Sasuke was the last one to leave the room, sending her a look that did nothing to settle her nerves, which she realized she shouldn't even have in the first place. This was her Itachi.
…Or was it her boss Itachi?
Slowly Sakura turned her attention to Itachi to see he didn't look happy. "You stayed here," he said quietly.
Sakura shrugged slightly. "I've had work to do."
His expression didn't change except for the small curve of a frown on his lips. "You know better than to stay overnight."
She gave him a disbelieving look before she set her coffee down on one of the tables and leaned her hips back against the edge. "Excuse me? You were the one who wanted me to get the evidence reanalyzed as quickly as possible."
His frown deepened and she saw his eyes darken slightly in disapproval. "Sakura, you know I did not mean that you needed to stay up to get it done."
"Besides," Sakura continued, completely ignoring he had said anything at all, "how many times have you stayed overnight?"
Itachi gave her a hard look. "That is not relevant to this conversation."
Sakura's lips curved into a bitter smile. "Of course not."
Suddenly Itachi sighed heavily as his eyes looked at her in exhaustion. "Sakura, please do not do this. I am already under stress from this case and I do not want to have to worry about you in the process."
Sakura matched his sigh with one of her own as she pushed herself off the side of the table to walk up to him. She gave him another small smile before she placed her hands on his hips and looked up at him. "I'm sorry. I promise I'll take care of myself, alright? That way you don't have to."
Itachi leaned back against the table like she had done earlier to be at her height as he placed his hands over hers. "You make it sound as if I do not like taking care of you."
His words made her heart flutter for a moment before she leaned into him and smiled. "I just don't want you to. At least not now; not with everything going on," she said quietly.
Itachi took that moment to tangle his fingers into her hair and pull her closer. She closed her eyes, expecting her lips to meet his, but he stopped halfway to her mouth. "You make me worry."
Without opening her eyes, Sakura stepped closer and wrapped her arms around his waist. "Sorry," she murmured. Then she tilted her head up and met his lips gently. It was a short but sweet kiss and when Sakura pulled away, she was smiling. "I promise not to fall asleep here tonight, okay?" she said quietly with a last kiss to his cheek.
A small smile curved onto Itachi's lips and he nodded as he stood up straight to smooth out the invisible creases Sakura made on his suit pants. "Do not work too hard," he said good-naturedly.
Sakura's smile widened. Then she turned towards the door only for her smile to vanish when she found herself face-to-face with Kiba. Automatically her heart tried to jump out of her chest and her breath caught in her throat. She was close enough that she could feel his warmth seep into her own skin. Quickly she brushed past him, making sure to step far enough away from him that not even their clothes touched. Only once she was back in her lab was she able to breathe normally again.
For the remainder of the day, Sakura hid away in her lab in hopes of finishing reanalyzing the evidence, but in the back of her mind, she knew it was mostly to avoid Kiba. It had been years since she last saw him – about five to be exact – and though she had grown mentally and emotionally since then just the sight of him brought her back to the desperate girl she used to be in her early twenties. The fact that he could weaken her just by his presence was what kept Sakura from leaving her lab, even for lunch. That and she didn't want her deepest and best kept secret to become revealed to anyone, especially Itachi. She would willingly tell him about her parents and her lonely and depressing childhood, but the moment it came to him, her lips were sealed, even to those who knew about it.
Unfortunately Sakura had only made it until about three in the afternoon before Itachi called her. She could hear the worry in his voice but she ignored it as she turned her attention to the work she still had left. "Come up to my office. I have lunch."
Sakura sighed quietly. "Itachi, I still have work to finish."
The authority in his voice didn't waver. "Sakura, you have yet to take a break."
For a moment, she contemplated his words. She knew if she didn't go to him he would come to her, but she really didn't want to leave the sanctuary of her lab. So she was willing to take the risk. "I know, but I'm really busy."
"No, now," he replied.
"But-."
"Sakura," Itachi interrupted. She could practically see his this-argument-is-over expression. "As you said before, you are only one person. Now, you have the choice of joining me or I will have security come and escort you."
Damn, Sakura thought. She forgot Itachi knew how to bargain. Or demand, she added mentally as an after-thought. She remembered once Itachi had an officer escort her to his office. It had been an ugly fight, but ended in wonderful sex. Now she was trying to figure out if the sex would be worth the risk.
"Are you going to make me decide?"
With a deep sigh, Sakura stood up from her stool and glanced at the clock. "Give me ten minutes."
On the other end, there was a quiet triumphant huff before the line went dead. For a moment Sakura glared at her phone but then a small smile fell across her lips before she slid it closed and shoved it in her pocket. Quickly, she organized her evidence before she left, heading for the stairs.
Unsurprisingly, she didn't pass anyone in the stairwell on her way to the highest floor and made a beeline to Itachi's office while drawing as little attention to herself as possible. When she reached his door, she knocked once and waited for his call before she let herself in, closing the door firmly behind her.
Her action caused Itachi to stare at her curiously from his place on his small office couch. "You look as if you are avoiding someone."
Half a second passed with Sakura staring at Itachi with wide eyes full of guilt and fear before she relaxed when she realized Itachi was just making a statement rather than accusing her. Quickly she traded her expression for one with a soft smile before she joined him. "And who would I be avoiding?" she asked.
The corner of Itachi's mouth lifted into a small smirk as he reached down to pull a carton of take-out food into view. Sakura's mouth watered as the smell reached her and she couldn't help but lean in closer as Itachi handed her a pair of chopsticks and opened the box to reveal her favorite food: shrimp tempura.
Then he pulled out another carton for himself before he rested against the back of the couch. "Perhaps Ino?" he suggested quietly. "It appears that you two are fighting."
Sakura had already picked up a shrimp and was about to put it in her mouth when he spoke. His words caused her to stop as she remembered Ino had come to her lab last night and had left quickly afterwards without so much as an explanation. And she hadn't seen her today. When Sakura overworked herself like she was now, Itachi wasn't the only one to voice his displeasure. Ino was usually right next to him, chastising her as well. Did she do something she didn't realize?
"Sakura," Itachi suddenly said.
Slowly Sakura dragged her gaze up to her lover to see he was staring at her worriedly. "Yes?" she asked quietly.
"Are you and Ino fighting?"
Sakura glanced at him and shook her head before she turned her attention back to the food in front of her. "No, we're fine."
Itachi watched her for a moment before he accepted her answer and returned to his meal.
As they ate, they spoke mostly about the case and a few other trivial, insignificant topics. At some point, Sakura had leaned back against the couch, copying Itachi's relaxed position, and leaned against his shoulder. He was the first to finish eating – as he always was – but he continued to sit and chat with her as she finished her meal. His fingers had found their way into her hair at some point and the constant, soothing motion was making Sakura's eyes heavier quicker than usual with her lack of sleep.
When she finished her meal, Sakura leaned even further into her lover's arms and listened as he spoke about what he had been up to for the past few days. She nodded and murmured noncommittal things to show she was listening but as the strength to even reply began waning from her, she gently smacked his hand away and sat up to rub the sleep from her eyes. "Are you trying to make me fall asleep?" she asked. She tried to sound annoyed, but a yawn interrupted her mid-sentence, making her lose her aggression.
Itachi just smirked at her. "Perhaps. It has been awhile since you actually slept in a bed."
She cocked an eyebrow at him. "This is a couch."
He shrugged gracefully before he stood, grabbing both of their garbage on the way. "It is better than the floor, wouldn't you say?"
She glared half-heartedly. "Hey, don't you diss my floor."
All she got was a huff of amusement and an eye roll before he grabbed her hand and pulled her up to kiss her briefly on the lips. "I would say do not work too hard, but you seem to ignore everything I say."
Sakura smiled. "I don't ignore everything you say."
He nodded slightly. "Mostly everything I say," he corrected.
She laughed lightly at him before she reached up and kissed him on the corner of his mouth. Then she headed for the door, thanking him for lunch on her way out.
The feeling Sakura had as she took the elevator down to her lab could almost be described as bliss. There was a small smile on her face and a certain warmth in her chest she only got after having spent time with Itachi. That lunch had made her feel better than she had since the case began. So good in fact she almost missed the figure standing in her lab as she entered.
"I was wondering where you went."
Sakura snapped her head towards the speaker immediately and she felt her skin prickle uncomfortably as she watched Kiba walk around her main table to approach her. Her shoulders tensed as her lungs filled with air and held it. "Why are you here?" Sakura asked tightly.
Kiba gave her one of his heart-melting smiles as he stepped towards her. "I'm the lead investigator of the Camera Killer case."
Sakura sucked in a sharp breath as she stepped back and away from Kiba. "No. Why are you here? In my lab?"
His smile widened as he walked around her lab, looking at all the gadgets and machinery around the room. "I just came to see you, Sakura. We didn't get the chance to talk earlier and it's been so long since the last time we saw each other."
Her body began to tremble slightly as he stopped and turned back to her. Unconsciously she crossed her arms over her chest in a protective stance. "There's nothing to talk about."
Kiba just smiled at her sweetly. "Yes there is. What about what happened between us? You left without a word."
Sakura stared at him in disbelief. "For good reason! You have no right to expect anything from me after you-!" She cut off abruptly as he stepped in front of her and grabbed her wrist in a bruising grip. "Get off of me," she hissed.
"And what if I don't?" he said smugly, a dangerous smile curling onto his lips. "Are you going to make your big, strong boyfriend do something?"
Her glare darkened at his mocking words and her hand curled into a fist. She wanted nothing more than to punch his smirk right off his face, but she couldn't start a fight with him. There were too many things going on right now. "I don't need him to protect myself from you," she snarled.
"Then prove it," he hissed. "Show me that you're not still that pathetic woman I used to play with."
Sakura's breath hitched in anger at his words. Used to play with? She was only nineteen fucking years old. How the hell was she supposed to know she wasn't in love with him? How the hell was she supposed to know what it felt like to get used?
With a growl of rage, Sakura smacked him so hard that she heard his neck crack. His hand released her wrist abruptly, allowing for her to clench it into a tight fist at her side. A long moment passed in silence. Then Kiba turned his face back to look at her, purposefully cracking his neck on the way. His glare was deadly and it made her want to step away from him, but she forced herself not to back down. After all, she wasn't nineteen anymore.
Suddenly he was furious, but he simply smiled at her sickeningly. "So this is the Sakura that's dating the Superintendent General," he said condescendingly. "I must say as to how you attracted his attention I have no idea." He smiled wickedly at her. "I really am impressed, but he should know that you're not worth it – any of it."
A hard lump formed in Sakura's throat and she tried desperately to swallow it without success. "Don't get him involved," she said as fiercely as she could. "This has nothing to do with him."
Kiba only shrugged. "I suppose it doesn't matter if he finds out how worthless you are or not. I'll find a way to ruin your relationship. Don't worry."
Then he turned around and swept out of the room, leaving Sakura feeling a mix between anger and horror. Her body began to tremble all over again and she held her breath to keep down the sobs that were threatening to start. She knew that if Kiba tried hard enough, he could ruin her relationship with Itachi and she couldn't have that. Itachi was the best thing to ever happen to her. But Kiba loved to play with her and somewhere in the back of her mind, she was sure that his little game would end in her self-destruction. And the worst part was Itachi would be there to witness it.
Briefly, Sakura closed her eyes, trying to keep the tears at bay. She had fought to stay strong in front of Kiba, but that strength was quickly disappearing and she needed to find a private place where no one could just walk in on her while she fell apart. The showers were the first place that came to mind.
Quickly Sakura headed into the back of her lab to grab a towel. Maybe in the process she could clear her head.
"Hey, Sakura."
Startled, Sakura whipped around and stared at Ino with wide eyes. When she realized it was just her best friend, she relaxed her tense stance and reached for her towel again. "Did you need something, Ino?"
Her blonde friend looked at her for a long moment. "Are you alright? You look a little shaken up."
Sakura just shook her head without looking at her. She walked to the back of her lab and pulled out the bag she kept all her spare clothes in. "I'm fine. I was just going to shower."
Ino looked as if she wanted to say more, but after the experience Sakura just went through with Kiba, she just wanted to get away. So she ignored it. There was a flash of what looked like disappointment in Ino's eyes but she quickly replaced it with a smile. "I guess I'll talk to you later then-."
"Yeah," Sakura said so quickly she overlapped Ino. Then she picked up her towel and threw her bag over her shoulder. She barely spared a glance at Ino as she hurried out of her lab and towards the showers.
