Chapter One: A Long Night at Work
"I must endure and endure and still endure." - Tennessee Williams
One Week After Prologue
|Sasuke|
"Have a good night, Sasuke-kun." Sakura said to me as I walked out the front door.
Oh, how I wanted to turn on my heels, grab her by the waist, kiss her and forget about work, forget about everything. Just to lay in bed with her, shower her with love and attention.
But I couldn't, not with everything riding on me showing up to work.
The pay, the amount of focus required of me...it was all for my family. How could I selfishly indulge in my own desires and throw their own well-being to the wind?
So, I continued out the door, acting like I hadn't heard her, because if I turned around, even a little bit, I would've lost my resolve and stayed.
As I walked down the street towards the train station, I dreaded work with each step. The city was depending on me more and more, and while they offered substantial pay, they weren't very nice when it came to mistakes. I worked for the Konoha Police Force, and in an area as large as this, crime was to be expected.
It wasn't so much the crime that I worried about, more so the higher-ups. Always asking for protection, status updates, reports of insanely long numbers that they didn't even bother to read. I fantasized about quitting multiple times, but that would just lead to a major spike in criminal activity; every officer counted, especially in times like this.
Just last weeks, reports found that violent crime had increased by 36%. With that number in mind, could I now quit? Knowing that there were criminals out there who were hurting the innocent, and could just as easily hurt my wife and child?
With these thoughts in mind, I entered the train and took a seat next to the far-right exit. In the event of an emergency, it was always better to escape quickly, before anything else.
As I leaned against the seat, I thought it would a nice quiet ride and decided to shut my eyes for a bit. It was around the fourth stop that things started getting noisy.
Before the train had even pulled into the station, I could hear a commotion. At 10 p.m., the only people I expected to be awake were people working the night shift or teenagers.
Thinking these were just some youths making noise, I stayed in my seat. It wasn't until I heard a loud CRACK that I sat up straight: a gunshot.
Grabbing my pistol from its holster, I hopped out of the train and onto the platform. By the turnstile, a young boy was crouched over a bleeding man, still very much awake. Beside them were two other men, flat on the floor. Whether they were dead or alive, I didn't know.
"What happened here?" I asked as I holstered my weapon, checking the pulses of the two men on the floor, 'They're still alive.'
I turned back to the boy and took a good look at him.
His white-blue hair, gold eyes and pale skin now ingrained in my memory, I spoke to him again, "I asked you a question."
The teen smiled, "Sorry, these guys tried to hurt me, so I had to defend myself."
Examining the bleeding man, I found a bullet wound in his lower abdomen, "With a gun? What are you doing carrying one of those?"
"I didn't have it; this guy did." The boy shook his head, nodding at the man on the ground, "He was trying to shoot me, so I grabbed the gun and pointed it at him."
There were clear blanks in this story, "Alright, wait here until the ambulance arrives and I'll take you down to the station to give a statement."
"Mm..." The boy pulled out a phone, the screen lighting up as it turned on, "Not gonna happen."
"Huh?" I looked at him in surprise, "What do you mean by that?"
The boy slowly started edging away from me, "I'm already past my curfew and if I call my parent to come pick me up from the police station, I'll be in even more trouble so...see ya!" He hopped over the turnstile and ran down the hallway.
"Wait!" I called after him but was stopped by something grabbing at my ankle.
I looked down to see the injured man holding onto me, "That boy…" He coughed blood onto the floor, "That boy is dangerous."
"Dangerous? How?" I questioned, but he had lost consciousness.
I removed my radio from my hip and held down the button on the side, "This is Inspector Uchiha Sasuke, I need an ambulance at the Autumn Leaf train station..."
"Late again Uchiha?" Superintendent Sakasaki chided me, "That's the fourth time this week."
Gritting my teeth, I turned to face him, "Sorry sir, I would've been here earlier, but an incident occurred on my way to work. You can read about it in my report."
He frowned and for a minute I thought he was going to continue with his chastising, but he simply shook his head and turned away, "Whatever, next Monday I'll start cracking down on you."
I flipped him off as soon as he was out of sight and heard a laugh come from above me. Peeking over my computer screen was none other than Uzumaki Karin.
I sighed, logging onto the network, "Not in the mood, Karin."
"Your password's Uchiha4Lyfe, isn't it?" She asked, completely ignoring my previous statement.
"No, it's not." I rolled my eyes, "Get back to your desk, don't you have rap sheets to go over?"
"Nope!" She grinned, "All done, I basically came here to pester you."
"As usual." I rubbed the side of my head with two fingers as a new memo opened on screen, "What else is there?"
URGENT INFORMATION
The following statements are to be put in effect next Monday!
Due to the recent spike in criminal activity around the city of Konoha:
- All officers are now required to work at five 10-hour shifts a week!
- Tardiness will be met with fire and fury!
- One of your off days must be used to guard important figures every month.
- All officers must retake the CPR Certification Test.
- All officers should assemble for a mandatory meeting this Sunday, from 5 to 7 p.m.
- Areas including East Senju Avenue and Hyūga Boulevard have reached level 4 on the Madara Scale.
- It is advised that…
I closed the memo and sat back in my seat, covering my face with my hands. Everyone would be required to work more hours, but being an inspector put me at the headlights of the new rotations; I'd be getting the shortest end of the stick.
Groaning, I took out my phone, wondering whether I should inform Sakura about the changes.
Shaking my head, I set it aside, 'This is my problem. Sakura doesn't need to know about it.'
"Sasuke," Inspector Izumi stopped by my desk, "The Six are calling a meeting, they want to start but a few of them think you should be present."
I stood up from seat, "Is Nii-san…?"
She nodded, "He's there."
Continuing past her, I went the hall to the *Roku Room. It was a solid wood room, syrup brown from top to bottom and in the center stood a large oval black table with six seats surrounding it, already occupied by their six inhabitants. I shut the door behind me as I entered, leaning against the wall.
"Yo, Sasuke." Chief Superintendent Shisui saluted me with two fingers from his seat.
I cracked a smile before noticing Sakasaki's frown and my lips went back to the firm line they were usually in as I crossed my arms, "Forgive my forwardness, but why exactly was I called here?"
Senior Superintendent Itachi started, "I'm sure you've read the newest memo. Crime has spiked a ridiculous amount this year and we can only police so much. For now, we've asked everyone to take on the burden of working an extra day, but the others agree that this is not a permanent solution."
"In short, you're asking me as an on-scene officer for his input?" I guessed.
"That's right." Commissioner Kakashi nodded, spinning a pen between his fingers, "That won't be a problem, right, Sasuke-kun?"
I gulped silently as I evaded his eyes, "No Sir."
Out of all The Six, he was the most intimidating.
At 48-years-old, the Commissioner of Police was not to be taken lightly. Sure, he wasn't out and about patrolling the streets, but as the story goes, when he was in his prime Hatake Kakashi had arrested over two thousand criminals in one month alone.
He was a master in manipulation and disguise, going as far as infiltrating enemy ranks and faking deaths of comrades all for putting criminal bosses behind bars. His title was one to be feared: The Konoha Police Department's Copy Cop.
"So?" Superintendent Supervisor Guy smiled brightly, "What are your thoughts?"
I stared at the ground, thinking, "The memo said that East Senju Avenue has been bumped up to level 4 on the Madara Scale, isn't that where the Kirigakure prison escapee was caught twelve years ago?"
"Yes, what about it?" Sakasaki rolled his hand.
"If I remember correctly," I got up off the wall, "He was suspected to have escaped with the help of an outside organization, but he never confessed so he was just put away. What if the organization that helped him escape is up to something again?"
"It would explain the rise in crime." Superintendent General Obito nodded, pinching his chin between his fingers, "They must have gotten the thugs of Konoha to start causing disturbances in order to shift our attention."
"Well that didn't work." Shisui drummed his fingers on the table, "If your hunch is right and they're the ones behind this, what's their agenda?"
"Maybe if Tsunade-san gets luck, she can make a youth serum and we can inject Kakashi with it, so he can go back to his infiltration days." Guy joked.
"No, those days are over." Kakashi glared at him, "I'm leaving this to the younger generation."
"I can go undercover." Sakasaki offered.
"That's not an option." Obito shook his head, "The Six are way too known to go undercover. If any of us even tried they'd see through us in an instant and move even more cautious than before. We'd never be able to take them down."
"And an average police officer would crack under pressure if they learned how serious this could be." Shisui leaned back in his chair, "There's no one with our skill-set who's basically under the radar."
The room was silent except for the whoosh of the ceiling fan and the general hum of the mini-fridge and water dispenser.
"There is one person we can trust." Itachi turned to me, smiling slightly, "Are you up for it?"
"Me?" I pointed at myself, "Are you sure?"
"What?" Sakasaki sat up, "Why him?"
"Because Sasuke's the perfect infiltrator!" Shisui looked at him, "Don't you see? High up in the ranks but not so high that media knows his name, knows Konoha like the back of his hand and is an expert at observation."
Sakasaki didn't agree, shaking his head, "He can't—"
"I've heard enough." Kakashi raised his hand, silencing any objections, "Sasuke-kun, you will go undercover and find out the enemy's true purpose, understand?"
I saluted him, "Yes Sir."
"Alright." Obito clapped his hands together as he stood up, "The Commissioner's words are final, this meeting is adjourned."
*Roku can be read as Six, but depending on the kanji formation, can also be read as record. Hence, the Six/Record Room.
|Sakura|
"Ugh! Mama why?!" Sarada stomped her foot in annoyance.
"You're really asking me that?" I raised an eyebrow as I popped a grape into my mouth, "You're really asking me why I won't allow a fifteen-year-old to go to a house party unsupervised?"
"It won't be unsupervised." She pushed her glasses back, "Some people over 21'll be there."
"Absolutely not." I switched on the TV, changing the HDMI from 1 to 2.
"Please?"
"Iē." I scrolled through Apple TV's list of apps until I got to Netflix, "Where there are young adults, there's liquor involved. Even if hell froze over, I'd never allow you to do something so irresponsible."
"Come on..."
"Sarada, I said no."
"Tch." She sucked her teeth, turning around, "You can get like this with me but not Papa."
"What did you say?" I set down the remote, turning to look at her.
"Nandemonai." She reached for the doorknob.
"No, no, no." I called her back, "Say it loud and clear for me. No child of mine mumbles."
"I-It's not that serious..." A line of sweat slid down the side of her face.
I cracked my knuckles, "Don't make me repeat myself."
Her eyes darted back to the door and I could see she was contemplating whether to make a run for it.
I got up and pressed my hand against the door before she could do anything, "Well?"
Sighing, she realized she was boxed in and had no choice but to speak, "I-I said, you can be mean to me but not Papa."
"What do you mean not Papa?" I crossed my arms.
"I-I heard you guys on Friday." She fidgeted in place, "Aunt Ino invited us for a dinner, right? You were wondering if Papa could call out sick and come with us, but he said no. You tried to argue but then he yelled at you and you didn't fight back..."
I was silent.
She threw her hands up, "I didn't mean to eavesdrop! It was just at night and it was so quiet, when I heard you guys arguing it wasn't hard to listen in."
"It's fine." I patted her head, 'She heard us arguing. I've got to be more careful about that.'
"So..." Sarada looked up at me, "Can I go?"
"The answer remains the same."
"What?!" She frowned, "Why am I the only one being mistreated?"
"Listen," I clamped down on the top of her head, "I don't want to hear back-sass from a fifteen-year-old. You've barely lived life, so I don't expect you to understand but when you're grown up, you'll look back at this and think, 'Thanks Mom, you really showed me down the right path!' So, zip it."
"Unbelievable..." She muttered to herself as she left my room.
Settling back into bed, I pulled the covers over myself as I nestled in to watch the subbed version of the American show: Criminal Minds.
"English sounds so weird." I said to myself as I ate another grape.
I continued snacking on grapes until the episode finished. "Wow, that was crazy!" I said as I got up, stretching. Glancing at the clock, the time read 10:48.
"Hm, it's not that late." I grabbed a bag of chips from my secret stash of snacks and jumped onto the bed, "One more episode can't hurt."
One episode turned to two, two turned to three, three turned into an entire season.
"No!" I yelled at the screen just as the credits started rolling, "What happened to Emily? Is she dead? Fuck, if Doyle really got her..." Just as I was about to click continue, I peeked at the clock.
"2 a.m.?" I shut off the TV, "Time flies when you're having fun."
Laying back, I closed my eyes and let the sleep take hold of me. As if would come that easily.
Sitting up, I whined, "My eyelids are basically glued shut, why can't I sleep..."
I looked at the empty spot beside me, 'If Sasuke were here, maybe then I'd..."
I shook my head, "Now's not the time for that Sakura. You can't expect Sasuke to fix everything."
My eyes dropped to his black button-down shirt, crumpled on the floor, "Then again, maybe he can."
Removing my own night gown, I pulled on his shirt and inhaled his scent.
"*Dan'na-sama…" I murmured to myself, gliding my fingers over my lips as I imagined him next to me, "Come home…"
*Dan'na-sama is an endearing way of saying Husband, kinda like "Babe"
|Sasuke|
Saturday morning, 8 a.m. on the dot, I quietly shut the door as I entered the house. The Six had released me early, ordering me to rest for my upcoming mission, with Shisui saying that they wanted me in tiptop condition. As I entered my home, I found it to be too quiet for my liking.
"Is everyone still asleep?" I asked myself as I climbed the stairs.
Peeking into Sarada's room, her bed was empty. I opened the door fully and stepped inside, assessing the scene. Her favorite sandals were missing from their spot, the smell of her usual perfume lingered in the air, and her black satchel was gone.
'She went out early. Does Sakura know about this?' I thought to myself as I shut the door.
Heading to my bedroom, I softly pushed in the door and stepped inside, closing it equally as soft. When I turned around, what I saw was a sight for sore eyes: Sakura, curled up on my side of the bed wearing my black shirt from yesterday. Nothing but my black shirt.
I swallowed silently as I shook her, "Hey, Sakura. Sakura, wake up."
"W-What…?" She asked as she rolled over, turning away from me.
"Do you know Sarada's not in the house?"
She nodded into the pillow, "She told me she was meeting up with Chōchō, I gave her permission."
I sat down on the edge of the bed, removing my boots, "Just wanted to make sure."
I set aside the left pair and started undoing the laces of the right. In the middle of this, I felt a heavy weight settle against my back.
"Sakura...what are you doing?" I asked her.
She brought her face against mine, whispering in my ear, "Sarada's not here and she won't be back for at least another two hours. This is the perfect time to, y'know."
I could feel her chest through my shirt and was willing to bet that if I looked her in the eyes right now, nothing would stop me from ravaging her. An erection began to rise at the imagery in my mind.
'You have a mission in two days! What are you thinking about?' Right, the mission. Swallowing hard, I stared at the ground.
"I'm sorry Sakura, but I'm not in the mood." I lied, "The higher-ups gave me a really important task and they've been cracking down on tardiness...I can't right now."
"Oh." She let go of me, sliding back, "Okay." The disappointment was clear in her voice, "I'll just, do you want breakfast?"
"I'm fine." I set my shoes aside and laid down in bed.
"I'm gonna go eat." She got up, heading towards the door.
"Alright." I felt a lump form at my throat as she walked out of the room, 'No. Stay. I didn't mean to push you away, I just...don't want to lose myself in you.'
I kept these thoughts to myself as I shut my eyes, 'Kami, why me?'
I got up, 'There's no way I can leave it like this.'
I opened the door, "Sakura?"
"Yeah?" She answered from downstairs.
'Come back. I love you, let me prove it. I'll do it as many times as you like, please, just come up here.' As if I could say that.
Clearing my throat, I spoke, "Sorry if I seemed insensitive just now. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."
"It's okay." She answered and I could hear the ticking of the stove as it lit up, "Your job stresses you out, I get that. Yesterday was pretty bad, right?"
"Yeah. I had a long night at work."
