Chapter Three
The Evidence Locker
Sweat ran down Sakura's neck as she sprinted as fast as could on the treadmill in the basement of the Tokyo Metro Police Department. Her heart was beating erratically as it tried to pump enough blood throughout her body to keep up with her fast pace and her breath came in short, uneven pants. The sharp stabs of pain in her chest and legs hardly even hindered her as she continued to run as fast as she could for as long as she could. Honestly, Sakura was reveling in the feeling as she sprinted to one of her favorite songs. It had been so long since the last time she had run until she couldn't breathe and she loved it.
Slowly Sakura closed her eyes as she let the feeling pull her into her own little world. She could see it now. Running side-by-side with Sasuke and Naruto as they chased down a suspect on foot while Kakashi called the shots from the car. She could feel the bushes brush past her calves as she dodged the small plants and the hard wood on her hands as she gripped the top of a fence and with all her strength jumped over it-.
"Sakura!" Ino yelled, pulling the headphone from her ear.
Immediately Sakura snapped out of her daydream and pressed pause on the treadmill as her attention turned to her blonde friend. "What the hell, Ino?" she said in between pants.
Ino gave her a look. "Yeah, keep running like that, Sakura. Let's make a bet on how long it takes for your heart to give out."
Sakura glared at her and reluctantly stepped off the machine to catch her breath. She grabbed her water bottle and took a small sip as Ino stepped off her own treadmill. "Your shoulder bothering you again?"
Sakura looked up at her blonde friend in confusion and realized she had unconsciously been rubbing her right shoulder to try and sooth the old wound she got from a car accident years ago. When she realized what she was doing Sakura quickly stopped and shook her head. "It's fine."
Ino gave her a disbelieving look before she turned at the sound of an approaching person. Sakura followed her gaze and groaned mentally when she saw Deidara walk up to them in basketball shorts and a white tank top that clung to his body enough to show off his muscles. It was at that moment that Sakura realized Sasori and Kisame had also entered the gym and were both dressed to work out.
"Hey Haruno, how about a little sparing?" Deidara asked his boyish grin in place.
Sakura stared at him as her breath still came in fast pants and Ino sent him a look. "You do know she punched Shisui, right?"
Deidara's smile didn't falter. "That's why I want to spar, yeah," he said.
"I can't breathe," Sakura said in between pants.
His smile widened. "I can wait."
Sakura frowned at his persistence and glanced at Ino but her friend just shrugged and turned to watch as Sasori and Kisame started their own friendly sparring. Sakura also glanced over to watch as the two older males circled one another before they began calculatedly grabbing at one another to take them down.
Surprisingly Kisame was able to dodge most of Sasori's fierce grabs even with his massive height and managed to bring the smaller man down within a few minutes. The second round took a little longer and Sakura watched mesmerized as Sasori moved with ease, using the taller man's weight against him. He weaved around Kisame until he finally found his opening and tripped the man down onto his stomach. Just watching the two rounds reminded Sakura of her time of her time in the field with the way Naruto and Sasuke used to wrestle.
By the time the older men were done Sakura was more than ready to spar with Deidara. Plus it would teach him a lesson to back off a little. "Ready?" Sakura asked, rising to her feet.
Sakura vaguely heard the gym door open as she took another drink of her water and passed it to Ino. Deidara turned at her question and nodded before the two headed out onto the matted floor. Slowly Sakura rolled her shoulders, testing her right side before she turned to face the blond. She saw him glance at the sidelines before returning his attention to her.
"What's going on?" Sakura heard Sasuke ask.
Ino snorted. "Deidara wants to spar with Sakura."
There was a slight pause. "He's going to get his ass kicked."
Sakura smirked slightly at Sasuke's blunt comment but it disappeared as Deidara stepped towards her. He reached out to grab her wrist, but she pushed his hand away from the side and firmly hit the inner side of his joint where his hand and wrist met.
His reaction was immediate. Deidara pulled away and stepped back but Sakura was on him and she grabbed his wrist and twisted it behind his back. She smirked in victory, but Deidara over powered her and flipped her over his back. Sakura yelped in surprise at his strength as he switched their positions and pushed her down into a knelling position.
On reflex, Sakura quickly turned her body and used her momentum to elbow him hard in the thigh. Deidara's grip loosened slightly and easily Sakura twisted out of his grasp, landing a blow to the back of his knee, the exact side Itachi said was weak. He hit the floor with a quiet groan, but before Sakura could use his position against him he grabbed her ankle and pulled her to the floor. She yelped in surprise and hit the floor hard enough to stunt her for a moment, but it was long enough and when Sakura could finally register what was going on again Deidara had straddled her waist and pinned her wrists to the floor.
Sakura struggled against his hold but eventually relaxed when she realized it was futile. With a triumphant smirk, Deidara stood and held out his hand to help her up, but she landed a well aimed kick to his groin, causing him to double over and drop to his knees.
A loud chorus of 'oh's echoed around the room at the exact same time, causing Sakura to laugh silently. Deidara was the only one not smiling and with watery eyes, he looked up at her. "What the hell?" he cried.
Sakura shrugged and caught the ice pack Ino tossed at her. "You should learn the rules before you play the game."
She saw his confusion through his pained expression. Carefully she knelled down and held the ice in front of him. "Don't let your sparring partner up until they admit defeat." She paused. "Come to think of it, I still have yet to hear you say you give up."
Reluctantly Deidara nodded and Sakura handed him the ice pack. When she straightened Sakura was surprised to find Kisame was cracking up like it was the funniest thing he had ever seen. Sasori wasn't being as obvious, but she could see he was laughing to himself. She smiled slightly as Deidara finally dragged himself off the floor before she walked over to Ino to retrieve her water bottle.
"Hey Haruno, you want to spar?"
Sakura glanced over her shoulder to find the Kisame was standing on the edge of the mat and she smiled slightly. She was about to accept but stopped, knowing he was rather well-built and would be a whole lot tougher than Deidara.
"You might want to rethink your offer, Kisame."
Sakura's head snapped around at the sound of that voice. She stared in surprise at the Superintendent General as he walked towards them gracefully. He was still dressed in his suit and she guessed he had probably come down to find where everyone had gone.
"Yourself and Sasori against Haruno would be a much more even fight," he supported.
Sakura's jaw literally fell. Did her boss just offer for her to fight against two special agents? The way everyone was staring and smirking made her realize that yes, he had. Great. In response, Sakura glared at nothing in particular as Ino took back her water bottle and shoved her in the direction of the matted floor.
"Hey, I just sparred with Deidara. Don't I get some kind of resting period?" she asked, trying her best to suspend the match as long as possible.
"I bet five bucks on Haruno!" Ino called.
"Ten on Sasori and Hoshigaki!" Sasuke added.
Sakura rolled her eyes and glared at Ino's lack of support as she stepped into the mat. Kisame and Sasori glanced at each other before they joined her and took up a fighting stance. Sakura let out a long sigh and followed their example as more officers began circling around the mat like a high school fight.
Without warning, Kisame jumped at her and she watched for a second in surprise when she saw how fast he actually was, though her reflexes were faster and she moved out of the way as he aimed to grab her wrist. She moved to avoid him, but motion out of the corner of her eyes made her duck as Sasori too reached for her.
Sakura spent the next few minutes dodging their outstretched hands and legs as they tried to trip her, but eventually she found herself falling into a pattern that she began to follow. She ducked Kisame's hand and turned to grab Sasori's as he tried to land a firm blow to her side to stun her. Quickly she grabbed his wrist and pulled his body around herself protectively as Kisame aimed a kick at her feet.
It struck Sasori in the back of his knee and he let out a small grunt of pain as Sakura twisted herself back out of his grasp before he hit the floor. The taller man easily steadily Sasori and skirted around him before advancing on Sakura once more. She stood still as she waited for him to come nearer and when he raised his left hand to strike her, Sakura moved to dodge, but saw her mistake when he faked and brought his right down to connect with her right shoulder. The sudden shock of pain caused Sakura to groan quietly in her throat and she held her breath to stop anymore noise from escaping as she quickly stepped away from him.
With a deep breath, she pushed the pain to the back of her mind and began dancing around Kisame too quickly for him to keep up. He turned, trying to find some pattern to her motions, but she twisted around him like an over-affectionate cat around his owner's feet and she literally had him tripping over himself in minutes. She quickly ducked under Kisame's arm and kicked him in the back of the knee, sending him tumbling into Sasori who had just recovered and was about to return to the fight. Playfully Sakura raised her hands and pointed the guns she made with her hands at the two.
"Bang," she said playfully.
"Bang," another voice replied from behind her.
Confused Sakura turned around to find Deidara was copying her stance, his right hand pointed directly at her. She stared at him for a long moment before she began laughing. Slowly he dropped his hand and shook his head playfully in return before he turned to his two friends.
"I can't believe you got beat by a girl," he shook his head.
Kisame glared at him. "Yeah, you too."
Deidara gave him an incredible look. "She cheated."
"Is that what they're calling it now?" Sasuke snorted, handing Ino ten dollars.
The three special agents turned to Sasuke and stared at him, but Kisame was the first to speak. "Why don't you fight her then?"
Sasuke snorted again. "Because I know she can punch. You'll be bruised by tomorrow morning."
It looked like they were going to say more, but Itachi's cell phone went off interrupting whatever Deidara was about to say. "Uchiha," he answered.
Everyone turned to watch him as he listened to what the other end was saying, but Sakura was too far away to make out the words. She only watched as Itachi stayed silent, listening intently with an expression wiped clean of emotion. "Yes. We will be there momentarily." Then he hung up. He paused for a second deep in thought before he finally looked at Sasuke. "We've received another letter."
Sakura's brow shot straight up in surprise and she watched as everyone quickly gathered their things and followed the Superintendent General out of the gym. She followed everyone out into the hall, but instead of turning towards the elevator, she went in the opposite direction towards the showers.
"Haruno," Sasuke's voice stopped her. "The elevator's this way."
Obviously they both she knew that and was instead subtly asking where she was going. With a small smile she pointed towards the locker room. "Showers are this way."
He angled his head slightly in confusion.
"I'm only a forensic scientist, not an investigator," she clarified.
Sasuke opened his mouth, but thought better of it. "I'll come find you," he said, stepping inside the crowded elevator.
She nodded in reply and turned towards the locker rooms once more. It was only once she was alone with the hot water pouring down her body did she let the pain of her shoulder show. She cringed as she rolled it, testing its abilities, and let out a sharp hiss as a stab of pain flashed around her shoulder bone agonizingly. She gripped the railing in the stall with her left hand and let out a quiet cry as the water continued to cascade down her body.
A small sigh of relief escaped Sakura's lips as she finally finished placing her tool in its rightful place. It had taken her a couple of days with how busy she was but finally she had managed to arrange her lab back to its orderly state.
Of course, if Karin hadn't come into her lab and placed her shit anywhere she wanted, Sakura wouldn't have had to clean up in the first place. This was the exact reason why she didn't like working with that redheaded, four-eyed bitch. She always fucked with her things. Not that she would tell Itachi that – she could handle Karin – but it was still annoying.
With a soft sigh, Sakura replaced the old ice pack on her shoulder with a new one and closed her eyes as she reveled in the cold numbness that spread over her right shoulder. For a long moment, she just stood there with the old icepack in hand and the freezer door open, relaxing in the ice that was slowly easing the pain in her shoulder but eventually she opened her eyes again and threw the old pack into the freezer before she returned to her computer and reread the message the East Coast Killer had sent them earlier.
Unlike the last letter, she didn't think this letter was a fluke and neither did anyone else on the case. The words were too riddled and unclear for it to be another letter about God and baseball, plus the format of the letter was too strange. It wasn't like the paragraphed essay the killer had sent them the first time; this one was short and probably to the point if they looked at it the right way.
With a deep sigh, Sakura rubbed her eyes and reread the note, determined to find something.
"Every memory detects names if friends remember every valued essential. Naturally languages lead it where unusual obstacles yield."
She bit the inside of her cheek as she thought. She reread the letter a few more times before she stood and paced. "Alright, so every memory could mean the past and detects names could be a person or persons. So it's someone from the past. Though if friends remember, then it's got to be a friend from the past. And every valued essential could mean an important phrase or idiosyncrasy from that friend from the past." She smiled. "So it's an idiosyncrasy that a friend did from the past."
Sakura paused and reread the sentence. There was a long moment of silence before her smile fell. "Wait, what?" She dropped her hands to her sides and shook her head. "No.
"Okay. Sometimes people will think their friends with someone when they're not so an acquaintance from the past. If an acquaintance from the past remembers every valued essential. Valued essential could mean something important. A memento maybe?"
With a deep sigh, Sakura took a seat at her computer and stared at the screen. After the tenth try with the first sentence, Sakura had moved onto the second sentence with little success. She couldn't even remember how she'd gotten some of the answers she did and slowly her mind was starting to twist the words so badly she couldn't even remember the original message.
"Haruno," a voice said, breaking through her confusion.
Slowly Sakura turned in her chair and glanced over her shoulder to find an anxious-looking Shino was standing in the doorway. He was wearing an orange jumpsuit with black 'TMPD' letters printed on the back. She could tell he had been working in the evidence locker before he came here; officers only wore those when working with cars and engines.
"I was wondering if you could help us for a little bit. We're a little unsure about a few things," Shino explained slowly.
Strangely enough a wave of relief swept over Sakura and she nodded eagerly. Anything to get her away from this letter for a little while; it felt like her mind was scrambled far too much to be put back together correctly. One glance at the clock told her she had been working on this for three hours and deserved a break.
"Yeah, sure," Sakura smiled. "I'll be there in a few minutes."
Shino nodded his thanks before he disappeared out the door. Sakura let her smile fade and she sighed before she locked her computer and pulled the ice pack out of her shoulder. She replaced it with a newer one before she headed down the hall towards the evidence locker.
Everyone settled into their normal seats as Itachi glanced around the conference room casually. He immediately noticed two seats were empty at the tables, one being Genma's and the other Sakura's. He knew Genma had left early for a family emergency, but where Sakura was he had no idea. A few hours earlier, Itachi had heard Sasuke telling the pink-haired forensic scientist about the meeting so he was slightly surprised that she had yet to arrive.
"Where's Haruno?" Shisui asked from his left.
Itachi followed his older cousin's gaze to Ino and the blonde gave him a confused look. "I don't know. She's been downstairs all day." Smoothly Ino pulled her new phone out of her pocket and flipped it open. "She hasn't left me any messages."
"Call her," Sasuke said calmly.
Ino nodded and stood to leave, glancing at Itachi for permission, but he shook his head once. "Put it on speaker phone."
He was just as curious, if not more, as everyone else as to her whereabouts and he wanted to know her exact words. It almost disturbed him with how curious he was about her as of lately. Never in his life had he found someone as interesting and he had never held an attraction for anyone the way her did towards her. Itachi was not someone to involve himself with a person's personal life, but recently that was exactly what he wanted with Sakura, whether she knew it or not.
It was extremely unnerving for him, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, and the worst part was he didn't know if she was romantically attached to someone. When he eavesdropped on Ino and Sakura's conversation, Ino is usually telling her friend about her home-life. Sakura never returned the stories for ones of her own. Over the years, Itachi had learned Sakura didn't like to play her life story on high and liked to keep her personal affairs to herself so as far as he knew she could be hiding some boyfriend at her house without him or anyone else knowing it.
Of course, he could always ask Ino about Sakura's love life, but she was sure to tell everyone he had been inquiring about her best friend and that was something he definitely didn't need at the moment. Especially not with the East Coast Killer case going on.
"Hello?" a voice said, breaking Itachi from his thoughts.
He stared at Ino's phone in confusion when a male's voice spoke. He brought his gaze to Ino's face and saw her own expression matched what he was feeling. "Is Sakura there?" Ino asked slowly.
"Yeah, hold on," the male voice said. "Haruno, your phone rang!"
There was a pause on the other end. "So you decided to answer it?"
Itachi felt his confusion grow when he heard Sakura's voice as if she was speaking from a distance. There was a loud drill in the background and some shouts were heard, but they were too far away to make out.
"Put it on speaker," Sakura called.
"Already is," the mystery man replied.
"Thanks, Naruto." Sakura paused. "This is Haruno."
Itachi saw Ino open her mouth to speak, but Sasuke beat her to it. "Haruno, where the hell are you?"
There was a slight pause. "The evidence locker. What's going on?"
"You appear to be late to a previously scheduled meeting," Itachi replied calmly.
"What?" Sakura asked. She paused. "Oh shit! Um…yeah, I'll be right there." There was some shuffling in the background but it was too quiet for him to make it out. "Aburame, I've got to go. Call if you need me for anything." She was speed-talking now. "Give me ten minutes," she told them.
"You've got five," Sasuke snapped.
Sakura paused. "Yes, sir," she said icily before she hung up.
Sasuke glared at Ino's phone as Itachi slid his gaze over to his younger brother and pursed his lips together to hide his amusement at the whole situation. Sasuke caught his look and glared at him as well as silence fell over the room. When Sakura finally entered the room, Itachi's amusement faded. She was wearing an orange jumpsuit with black 'TMPD' letters on the back. Some places on her clothes were covered in oil and grease and her hair was pulled back into a messy bun. Her hands were rummaging through some files while she used her shoulder to support her phone as she spoke rapidly. She was obviously incredibly busy.
"Yeah, wait what? No I never said-. Never mind. Listen I'll be back down there when I finish what I'm doing," Sakura said quickly.
There was murmuring on the other end.
"No, I have to go-," Sakura started. She waited as the person on the other end spoke but eventually she cut in. "No, I have to go," Sakura repeated forcefully. "No. I can't. I have to go, bye." Then she hung up. Slowly she turned to Itachi and Sasuke and bowed. "Sorry."
"Have you found anything?" Itachi asked, speaking before Sasuke could rant about her tardiness. Sakura deserved some kind of break.
"Not much," Sakura said reluctantly. "I've tried to replace the words with synonyms, but it doesn't make any sense and besides I have a feeling we're looking too hard."
Itachi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Explain."
Sakura hesitated for a moment. "If the murderer really was trying to send us a message, they wouldn't have made it so difficult we couldn't solve it."
Itachi nodded slightly in agreement before he glanced at Kisame, signaling he could say whatever he needed to but as he spoke, Itachi zoned out a little, already knowing what he was going to say. Unconsciously his eyes turned to Sakura. She was watching Kisame closely as he explained whatever he was talking about, but he noticed the slightly tense set to her shoulders. He also noticed there was a slight bulge on her right shoulder. His eyes widened a fraction when he realized it was an ice pack.
As the meeting came to a close, Itachi watched as Sakura gathered her papers into her folder while being careful to avoid jarring her shoulder. When Kisame finished and turned his gaze to Itachi for him to release everyone. "Good work today. I'll expect everyone to be here tomorrow morning at ten sharp. Understood?" When a chorus of agreement reached his ear he nodded. "Dismissed."
Slowly the officers began breaking up into groups and as Sakura started to leave the room he called her back. She paused at the sound of her name and her shoulders visibly sagged before she turned around and meandered back into the room. Sasuke and Shisui both glanced at him, but he nodded his farewell at them and waited until the door was closed before he turned back to Sakura.
"What happened?" Itachi asked bluntly.
Sakura stared at him in confusion. "I'm afraid I don't understand, sir," she replied.
"Your shoulder."
Her eyes widened slight and she opened her mouth for a moment before closing it again. "Nothing," she said.
Itachi shook his head slightly. "If you are injured, I wish to know about it."
Sakura's blank expression didn't change as she shook her head. "I'm fine."
For a long moment, Itachi just watched her, wondering if he should order her to tell him what was wrong, but he quickly dismissed that thought. He was concerned but it was his curiosity that was nagging at him to find out what was wrong.
Eventually he nodded and dismissed her. Without a word, he watched Sakura bow to him before she left the room, picking up her phone on the way out.
As the rest of the day passed, Itachi had been too involved in his own work to worry about Sakura, but as he started to leave he pressed the button for her floor to make sure she wouldn't overworked herself again like a few weeks ago. Plus he also wanted to see if she had gotten anywhere on the letter.
Strangely enough, when Itachi landed on the third floor and walked into the lab, he saw only to find Sasuke was in the room, working on a gun analysis. When he didn't notice him, Itachi backed out, half wondering if Sakura had gone home already. Though a moment later that thought was cut short as the sound of music caught his attention. Automatically he turned towards the sound and realized it was coming from the evidence locker. Slowly he moved forward and entered the large garage to find an old Mustang and an even older Toyota truck were parked side-by-side with their hood popped open.
Itachi immediately noticed Aburame Shino was on the far side of the room, looking at something under a microscope, while Uzumaki Naruto was near a workbench working on what looked to be the Mustang's engine. He couldn't see Sakura.
"Naruto, you jerk!"
Apparently she was still there though.
"What?" the blond called, turning around in his seat.
Sakura rolled out from under the Toyota and glared at him. "You didn't clean the sludge out! Do you know how disgusting this is?"
Itachi saw Naruto grin as he got up and walked over to Sakura. She looked like she was about to snap at him again, but Itachi cleared his throat. Slowly the two glanced in his direction and both of their eyes widened in surprise when they saw him. As Itachi walked towards them, Naruto stood up straight and Sakura stumbled to get back up on her feet.
"How much longer are you going to be, Haruno?" Itachi asked calmly.
Sakura stared up at him with wide eyes. "Uh…maybe an hour."
Itachi nodded. "Very well, I will want to see your progress on the letter in the morning."
The pink-haired woman opened her mouth in confusion, but it was a moment before anything came out. "Do you want to see it now?"
For a moment, Itachi just stared at her, weighing the pros and cons to her offer, but after a glance at her dirty jumpsuit and hands, he shook his head. "You're busy now. I can wait."
She merely nodded before Itachi turned and walked away. Though, on his way out, he couldn't help but smile slightly as he heard Sakura turn to Naruto and continue the friendly banter they had started before he walked in on them. But at the sound of Sakura's laughter Itachi couldn't help the small smile that adorned his lips. He didn't think he had ever heard her laugh like that, but he was glad she was still able to with the stress she was under with the case. He tried to help his subordinates get through it all by remaining calm but sometimes that wasn't enough so it was nice to know she was able to find relief somewhere else.
With that thought, Itachi returned to the elevator and headed home with a stack of paperwork to keep him busy for a good portion of the night.
Surprisingly the next time Itachi saw Sakura it was far away from the police department and in anything but a professional manner. He had been sitting at a small coffee house on the corner when the bell above the door jingled quietly. The sound had drawn his attention – he wasn't used to hearing it so earlier in the morning – and surprisingly he watched as Sakura stepped through the door.
Silently he watched her as she walked up to the counter and ordered a drink. His eyes took in the way her cheeks were flushed and her chest was heaving slightly. His eyes traveled the rest of her body and he realized she was dressed in workout clothes. It was obvious she had just finished a run.
As Sakura waited for the woman behind the counter to make her iced green tea, her eyes wandered and Itachi noticed the way she stiffened slightly and her eyes widened upon seeing him.
For a moment they both just stared at one another, but eventually Itachi nodded, causing Sakura to smile back slightly. Though almost immediately afterwards, she diverted her gaze and shifted uncomfortably as the woman finally set her drink on the counter for her.
When Sakura glanced back at him, he could tell she was about to smile again and leave, but before she had the chance to turn towards the door he beckoned her over. Hesitantly, Sakura followed his silent request and took up the empty seat across from him with a small smile. "Morning," she said quietly.
Itachi nodded at her. "Good morning. You are up and about rather early on a Saturday morning."
Sakura shrugged slightly as she drank her tea. "I always run this early on Saturdays. There aren't many people about this time of hour."
The Superintendent General nodded. Then his brows pulled together slightly. "I am here most mornings. How come this is the first time I've seen you here?"
Again, Sakura shrugged. She took another quick drink before her gaze fell out the window. "I took a different route this morning. I got bored with the scenery."
"Ah," Itachi replied quietly.
It was quiet between then for a couple of minutes, both of them changing their gazes from the world outside to the one across from them before repeating the process. Itachi didn't mind the silence too much, but his gaze began to linger on Sakura longer when he realized she was beginning to fidget.
"How is your shoulder?" Itachi asked suddenly.
Sakura turned her gaze back to him before she smiled. "Fine. Thank you for asking. It was just a minor thing."
He nodded slightly as she returned her eyes back out the window. Then he watched as she started fidgeting again by pulling on the longer strands of her hair, spinning her coffee cup, and looking anywhere but at him. It made him frown slightly. Had she always been this uncomfortable with him?
"Why do I get the feeling you don't wish to be here, Haruno?" Itachi asked calmly before taking a sip of his coffee.
Sakura looked at him abruptly with something akin to shock on her face. "Oh no," she said sincerely, shaking her head, "this is nice, sitting and having coffee with you, but I am also sweaty from my run and with you dressed like that" – she gestured at his work clothes– "I feel like a peasant from the medieval times."
Her word choice caused him to chuckle quietly before he nodded his head slightly. "That's an interesting description, Haruno," Itachi said good-naturedly.
Surprisingly Sakura didn't return his small smile and instead bit her bottom lip for a second. "It's Sakura," she said quietly.
Itachi fixed her with a penetrating stare before he nodded slightly. "Very well."
For a long moment neither of them spoke then Sakura looked down at her watch and stood slowly. "Well I should get going. I have a few errands to run with Ino and she hates it when I'm late."
Silently Itachi watched as she pushed in her chair and downed the rest of her drink before she turned towards the door. "Have a good weekend, Sakura," Itachi said slowly. He drawled out her name slowly, loving the way it rolled off his tongue.
At the sound of her name, she stopped and looked back at him with a blank expression. Slowly her lips lifted slightly into a small smile and she nodded. "Thank you."
Then she was out the door again, resuming her run, and Itachi watched her until she was around the corner and out of sight.
Sakura, he thought. He could definitely get used to calling her that.