Equinox
Fall: Chapter 3
"Is it okay for you not to be with your friends?" Sakura asked.
"They're fine. They're probably having a great time making fun of me," Kiba assured her.
"I feel bad. I'm getting in the way of your work," she said.
"Don't. It's no trouble. Really," he told her. Sincerity rang out in that sentence. Like it did in every word that he said.
She hesitated in the threshold. And then she headed into the house, kicking her shoes off by the door. Kiba strolled in after her, hands in his pockets. He nodded as he looked all around the place, gaze lingering on the fireplace.
"That is nice," he commented, pointing at the smooth stone.
He almost stepped further into the place before glancing down at his feet. He pried off his work boots before he crossed the floor.
"So. What're we looking at?" Kiba asked, rubbing his hands together. Sakura pointed upwards.
Kiba's eyebrows squished together. "To heaven?" he asked.
She laughed. "No. The loft."
Kiba lifted up one of the sheets of foam. Flipping it over. Then again.
"Sound absorption, huh?" he commented. And before Sakura could respond, he reached into his tool belt to grab a level and a pencil.
"Cool. This'll be real quick. You know how to use a hammer?" Kiba asked.
That question prickled her pride a little.
"You mean to brain someone? Yeah," she retorted. Kiba paused to look over at her. He was smiling again.
"Not what I was thinking, but sure," he agreed.
His positivity confused her.
With Kiba's help, she managed to get all the sound baffles mounted in no time. An added bonus was that the spiked surface of the foam looked pretty cool. She had had visitors to her studios mistake them for decorations. When really the purpose was for the foam to soak up the echos in the room. And to muffle the sounds that would otherwise leak through the walls. In an ideal setting, the floors would be padded too, but covering up the walls would do for now.
Sakura took a step back and clapped a few times. The sound rang a little, but not nearly as much as it had before.
"This is so much better. Thank you," she said. But when she turned to him, he was looking around the loft.
"Do you want some help putting this stuff together? I noticed that your kitchen table wasn't assembled either," Kiba offered.
Sakura waved her hand at the idea. "No. Really. You've done more than enough."
"Seriously. It's fine. I'd love to help," Kiba insisted even harder.
That made her feel even worse.
It only took Kiba and the boys three more days to fix up the backyard. It would have taken two, had Kiba not insisted on replacing all the shrubs and flowers that had been upturned. Sakura called Genma on speakerphone to let him know. To which Genma replied, "As he should. That fucker."
"Genma. You're on speaker. I can hear you, man," Kiba reminded him.
"Oh, I know… fucker," Genma responded.
"Genma, he's the one making the boys clean up their mess. Be nice," she chided.
"Nice? You could have gotten seriously hurt, Sakura. And he shouldn't be complaining. Cleaning up this mess is the least he could do. I should be asking for way more!" Genma spat.
"Like what? Huh? You gonna take my firstborn and lock her in a tower? Climb up her magical hair?" snorted Kiba, folding his arms across his chest.
"Psh. Any kid you spawn is going to be a smelly little mutt so no thanks," Genma shot right back.
Kiba's face scrunched. He looked away, like he was trying to decide whether to say something particularly devastating or not.
She rolled her eyes. Because this was a conversation between two overgrown children. And Genma was still going on in the background, now snarling about how kids are filthy anyway.
"Gen," Sakura interrupted.
"What?" Genma snapped.
She pulled something from inside herself. Like drawing water from a deep well. As she inhaled through her nostrils, her shoulders relaxed.
"Gen, you know I hate it when you're like this. Be nice." Her words turned slippery, almost liquid. Syllables melting into each other.
Sakura glanced at Kiba. She knew that Genma would have the same dumb expression on his face that he did.
There was a long sigh. She could imagine him rubbing his knuckles across his forehead.
"…Alright, Bunny," Genma relented.
Kiba blinked a few times, like he was jolting out of a daydream. He shook his head, glancing around the room. When he looked at Sakura, he tilted his head to one side. She could see him thinking.
"Kiba, you make sure that blackberry bush is facing north," Genma instructed.
Kiba's eyebrows rose. "How the hell are you supposed to face a bush north? It's a damn bush," he protested.
"Don't care. Figure it out," Genma ordered before he hung up. The phone let out a few beeps at the end of the call.
Sakura and Kiba both stared down at the phone resting on the floor between them. Sakura was the first to sit back, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear.
"Okay, I've wanted to ask you this since we met. But I didn't want to be creepy," Kiba told her, hands clasping together.
"Shoot," Sakura replied, leaning back on her palm. She ran her fingers through her hair. She winced as they caught on a tangle.
"You don't smell like a fairy. But you sort of remind me of one. Can I ask… what you are?" asked Kiba.
Sakura lowered her arm. She couldn't say that the question had caught her off-guard. It usually didn't take this long for most people to ask. Resting her chin on her shoulder, she smiled at him.
"Siren. Only half though. Not many pureblood sirens around these days," she told him. And as she spoke, she reached out and lightly touched the tip of her finger to his nose. His gaze followed her as she got to her feet.
"Coffee?" she asked, heading to the kitchen.
"Huh? …oh… sure," Kiba replied a little too slowly. She saw him get up as she poured water into the coffeemaker. As she reached into the cabinet, rising on her tiptoes, she heard him move one of the stools. It scraped across the floor, creaking when he settled into it. She popped a filter into place and poured the grounds inside. He said nothing, just the clicks and taps of the coffeemaker's parts snapping together.
Sakura hit the red button to start the machine. It gurgled as it began heating the water.
"So be careful there, Slick," she warned, leaning her elbow on the counter.
"Whatever you're feeling up there and down there," Sakura said, pointing in the direction of his head and then his lower body, "only lasts for as long as you can hear this voice."
Kiba's brow furrowed as he considered this. Sakura turned her back to him to get cups out of the cabinet.
"…It could last, you know. If you met the right person," Kiba suggested. He was so earnest- even about the little things.
When Sakura turned back to him, she set the cups on the counter. She shook her head, a smile softening her mouth.
"It never does," she assured him.
Sakura was relieved when the repairs to the backyard were complete. The boys knocked on her door to apologize for all the trouble. Although Sakura suspected that Kiba glaring from behind her had more to do with their attitudes than actual regret.
After a careful inspection of the yard, Kiba gave his consent. The boys immediately took off running.
"Hey! You better go straight home or I'll kick all your asses!" Kiba shouted after them as they ran down the street.
Sakura stifled a snort as Kiba turned back to her, scratching the back of his head. He rested his hands on either side of the doorframe, one foot on the patio step. Sakura crossed her arms across her chest.
"They must really like you. I don't think I would've done manual labor for anyone when I was a teen," she commented. Kiba grimaced.
"I was saving them, honestly. If I'd let my sister do the disciplining…" Kiba trailed off, making a slicing motion across his neck. They laughed. It trailed off, naturally. And then she saw him take deep breath before he opened his mouth again.
"Look-"
He stopped talking. He sniffed the air once before his head whipped around. Sakura squinted into the darkness too. It was hard to see anything past what the porch light illuminated. But as her eyes adjusted, she saw mismatched eyes watching from the dark. Sakura raised her right arm to wave.
"Kakashi," Kiba identified the black shape. The church grim lingered on the street, which struck Sakura as odd. Usually he stopped for no more than a few seconds before continuing on his circuit of town.
"Everything's fine, Sheriff. Go on," Sakura called. Kakashi stared for another moment before his outline blurred into the night as he continued along down the road. Kiba's head followed him for several more seconds before he turned back to Sakura. There was something off about his expression.
"He stop by every night?" asked Kiba.
"Not really sure. I've seen him here and there. I think he's just making sure I'm okay," Sakura replied. Kiba's frown deepened. He pushed off the doorway, hands slipping into the pockets of his jeans.
"See you around, Sakura," Kiba said, taking a few steps backwards. His boots crunching against the gravel path.
"Yeah. See you," Sakura replied. She watched him hop into his truck. Listened to the engine rumble to life. The rear lights glowed red as he backed out of her driveway. She could see him resting his right arm on the back of the passenger side seat. He paused. Waved at her, the usual smile back on his face. Sakura waved back before she locked the patio door and slipped back inside the house.
The quiet that greeted her was almost a little shocking. Besides the crickets chorusing outside, it really felt like this house was floating alone in the middle of the universe. No cars. No nightclubs booming in the distance. Or neighbors blasting music through shitty speakers.
Sakura poured herself a glass of ice coffee before heading upstairs to the loft.
With some help from Kiba, her desk and all the remaining shelves were set up. Which meant that she could finally get some real work done. She plopped down in the ergonomic chair, spinning around a few times. But after a few rotations, it occurred to her that she actually did have to be productive. She pulled up to the desk. She dug her toes into the soft, grey rug as she waited for her computer to boot up. She flipped the switches on her controller and her keyboard too.
She opened up the project she had slapped together right after waking up a couple days ago. She listened through the bits and pieces. She had used the samples that came with the software. And while they got the job done, they didn't sound quite the way she wanted. In fact. She hated the whole damn thing.
Sakura deleted the files. A blank slate wasn't a bad thing either.
Taking a big slurp of coffee, she set the glass off to the side. Cracking her fingers, she swiveled her chair to the side to face her keyboard.
As the night went on, Sakura spent the time swiveling her chair back and forth. Facing the keyboard to play around with chords and rhythms. Turning to the computer to edit and filter. Turning to the left to input the samples into her controller to play around with how the different instruments and rhythms interacted. She layered different things together, deleting and moving sections around. The metronome beeped on and on in the background,
When the crickets stopped chirping, the birds started in their place. Sakura leaned back in her chair, replaying what she had from beginning to end. It was a little under two minutes, but she was more interested in what she did have. She turned off the metronome.
It was a little bass-heavy and even a little jazzy. Not really what they had talked about during the last meeting. But the more she listened, the more she was convinced. This was about to become a hell of a song.
It wasn't anywhere close to done, but she exported it and sent it along in an email. There were a few people who would be happy to know that she was working, at least.
As she listened to the samples again, Sakura paused the music. It almost felt like there was something missing. She turned her chair to face the big metal shelving in the corner. She glared at the shelves for a moment, tapping her finger against her chin. After a moment, she picked up the electric guitar, sea foam with a maple fingerboard and customized pickups. She strummed a few notes on it, trying to get a feel for what she needed.
There was a knock on the door outside. Sakura got up, still plucking out random notes. She took her time descending the stairs. When she peeked out the front door, the silhouette waiting outside was much smaller than she expected. In fact, it was Tenten standing there. When Sakura opened the screen door, she held it open with her foot.
"Hey," she said in greeting.
Tenten was dressed in her khaki shirt and green pants. Each seam and crease was ironed with precision.
"Hey there. Sorry, did I wake you?" Tenten apologized. Sakura shook her head.
"Haven't slept. You want some coffee?" she offered, turning her back and heading inside.
"That would be great," sighed Tenten, clomping after her. She took her boots off at the door and then followed Sakura into the kitchen. She had the look of a woman who hadn't gotten much sleep either. Although there was something much more urgent about Tenten's exhaustion. Sakura pulled the guitar strap off her neck and set the instrument on the futon.
Sakura had brewed another pot of coffee not too long ago. She poured Tenten a generous helping in her biggest mug. But when she offered her sugar, Tenten held up her hand. She slurped down the still-steaming beverage. Sakura leaned against the counter, watching her.
"The sheriff been by yet?" Tenten inquired only after draining half the cup.
"Uh-uh," Sakura replied as she refilled the mug.
"He'll probably be around soon. Just a heads up," Tenten warned.
Sakura glanced down at herself. "I'm wearing a bra. Guess I'm ready for company," she remarked in return. Tenten snorted into her coffee. Wiping her mouth on the back of her hand, she continued to snicker. Sakura handed her a napkin.
"Well, you're not here because we've known each other forever. What's going on?" asked Sakura.
"Honestly, we're probably making a big deal out of nothing. But we just want to be careful," Tenten began.
And Sakura nodded. While it wasn't uncommon to find a few supes in random towns, all-supernatural communities like this one were rare. And therefore guarded very carefully. She suspected that the hard-to-read signs and unlit roads were all part of the secrecy. She wouldn't be surprised if there was some sort of protection spell weaved around town limits.
"What happened?" Sakura inquired.
Tenten rubbed her shoulder as she explained, "Late last night, apparently some of the werewolf pups were running around in the woods. Said they smelled something weird and ran home. The sheriff went to check it out and said he found blood. But it wasn't from any of the pups."
"Oh my god. That's horrible!" Sakura exclaimed.
"Your property is half-surrounded by the woods. Just wanted to check in with you. See if you were okay," Tenten went on.
Sakura nodded. "Uh, yeah. I'm fine."
"Did you hear or see anything last night? Say around 1 or 2 in the morning?" asked Tenten.
"Honestly? Even if there was something, I definitely missed it," Sakura replied. She pointed up toward the loft and Tenten followed her finger. "Soundproofed the wall up there. I had my headphones on most of the night too."
Tenten pursed her lips. And then she let out a deep breath, shaking her head.
"Well, it's not your job to be listening for this kind of stuff. Thanks anyway," Tenten sighed. She set the drained mug down on the counter. As she headed to the door, Sakura followed. She waited, leaning against the doorway as Tenten laced up her boots.
When Tenten straightened, she offered a smile. "Thanks for the coffee. I really needed it."
"I could tell," replied Sakura in a flat voice.
They regarded each other before Tenten tapped Sakura on the arm with her fist.
"You're pretty cool. Let me know if you see anything," Tenten greeted her before she clomped down the steps.
Once the cruiser pulled onto the street, Sakura retrieved her guitar off the sofa. She wandered around the first floor of the house, plucking out notes and humming to herself. Without an amp, an electric guitar was quiet, but that was fine when the house was even quieter.
Sakura heard her phone ringing up on the loft. She hurried up, grabbing the guitar by the neck. It wouldn't do to smash it against one of the bannisters. Throwing herself into her desk chair, Sakura swiped her finger across the screen.
"Yes?" she answered.
"Sak. I could kiss you," he said right away.
"Really?" she replied in a sing-song voice. She smirked as she put her elbow on the desk.
"Why would that be, Hidan?" she inquired. Like she hadn't just sent him an email.
"This track is serious fire. What the hell've you been smoking because I want some," Hidan gushed.
"I know it wasn't exactly what we talked about-" she began.
"Fuck what we talked about. This is better. Way better," Hidan retorted.
Sakura got out of her chair to set the guitar in its stand in the corner.
"I can have the kid come in to record. It'll work way better if you're here with me," Hidan went on. Sakura hesitated as she considered this.
"Alright. Yeah. Makes sense," she agreed.
"Cool cool. Also… when are we gonna talk about that other track?" Hidan questioned. And just as he did, there were several knocks on her door.
Sakura grabbed the phone and ran down the stairs. It occurred to her that if she was one of those people who counted steps, she would probably be a lot happier right now. At this rate, she'd be doing 10,000 steps a day no problem.
"Because, and I'm saying this because I know you hate nagging, the CEO's been up my ass about this," Hidan added.
"Hang on," Sakura sighed. She opened the front door. She must have forgotten to lock the patio door because a massive black dog sat on her welcome mat. Tail and paws ending in wisps of black smoke. He shifted into a man as he pushed her over the threshold, into the house. Kakashi grabbed her shoulders, eyes searching her face.
"Are you alright?" he demanded.
Sakura blinked, unsure of what to say in return. Her eyes flickered from Kakashi, down to her phone.
"Uh… Hidan…. let me call you back," she told him. Hidan let out a long, exasperated sigh that crackled the speaker.
"Sure," Hidan answered before he hung up first.
"Hey, what's going on, Sheriff?" Sakura questioned, trying to smile. Because this weird tension wasn't particularly something she wanted to encourage. But Kakashi's face didn't relax.
"Your entire property stinks of werewolf piss," Kakashi informed her.
Sakura cringed. "Ew! Was it those kids again?" And then she sighed, breaking out of his grasp. She wondered if Ino would have Hana's phone number.
"No," Kakashi said. And his tone made her pause.
"That's… a man's scenting," he clarified.
She squinted at him, unsure of what sort of face she was supposed to make in response. How was one suppose to react when told that a grown man had urinated all over her yard? She settled on maintaining a look of disgust.
"Which is why I'm asking if you're okay. Did anything happen?" Kakashi demanded again.
Sakura rubbed her temples. "Yeah. I'm fine."
"Your eyes are red."
"I stayed up all night working! Okay, Mom?" Sakura snapped in return.
She froze. So did Kakashi.
"…sorry. I'm obviously a little cranky from lack of sleep," she relented.
"I'm sorry too. Being overprotective is literally in my nature," responded Kakashi.
They stood eyeing each other. Unsure of what to say now. But the quiet gave Sakura moment to really think. She gasped.
"Do you think that," Sakura pointed in the direction of outside, "has something to do with the blood in the woods?"
Kakashi didn't say anything. He didn't have to. His eyes said it all.
"You know, this town is kind of starting to get on my nerves a little," Sakura remarked.
"Can't blame you," he responded. And then his eyes fell on the coffee pot on the counter.
"How about I come back with some breakfast and you can tell me what happened?" he suggested.
"Can we replace breakfast with hard liquor?" Sakura requested, rubbing her hand across her forehead. Kakashi burst into laughter at that.
"As a cop, I kind of have to say no to that. But I'll see if Ino has some rum cake," he compromised.
