Chapter 3: A Distraction

A/N: Here it is chapter three complete. Apologies for taking so long but I had to make a few tweaks to all of the chapters for Secrets so I suggest rereading from chapter one so you don't get confuse (you don't have to of course). Next update will be for Happiness? and the Rebirth. I'm aiming to update my stories every 1 to 2 weeks. Enjoy!


"So what have we got to work with Kakashi?"

The vixen's voice broke Sasuke out of his revere. Quickly a frown marred his features as he walked into the meeting room to convene with the others. The sight before him served to ruffle his feathers as Sakura had a look of seriousness on her face. There was no sign or even a hint of what had occurred minutes before. Vexing was an understatement as he continued to observe her.

"Uchiha, instead of focusing your attention on my ass why not at least pretend to hear what I am saying?"

An inky black eyebrow rose in response to the statement. "A little conceited to think I was focused on your ass."

A siren smile adorned her face as Sakura turned to address Sasuke. "Oh, were you checking out Kakashi's then? To think I had mistaken that woman for your girlfriend, I apologize." The mischievous glint in her jade green eyes contradicted her apology and had Sasuke's blood boiling from both irritation and lust. Naruto muffled a laugh as he watched the two stare down each other, while Kakashi continued to read his book.

"Sakura."

The tone in which Kakashi had said her name, immediately had her breaking her gaze from Sasuke and focusing her attention on Kakashi.

"What is it?"

"Instead of teasing the detectives, it is time to work, don't you think?" Although this was said in a lithe tone, Sakura could hear the undercurrent of disapproval which had her mentally cursing her lack of professionalism.

"Of course. Can you please brief us on the backgrounds of the first victim and what was found at the crime scene?"

Sasuke was surprised by the quick shift in attitude but quickly brushed it aside and reached for the files from the first case. Finding the images he needed, he laid out the mug shots of the suspects as well as the victim's driver license photo.

"Victim's name was Yahiko, age 34 and the head of the Ame group which was a well known vigilante group that prided themselves in defending the poor. The other founders of the group were Konan and Nagato who grew up with Yahiko in the orphanage. They were on our watch list a few years back due to a few run in with the laws but they were never a violent group, preferring a more peaceful route in order to resolve issues. Yahiko was an avid supporter of the local orphanage and the group disbanded right around the time Yahiko and Konan got married. After that there was no knowledge of them until two weeks ago when he turned up dead. A maid found his body when she was told to check in on the guest since they had missed their check out time. From the coroner's report, it was discovered that Yahiko had engaged in sexual activity prior to his death and cause of death was strangulation. At the start of the investigation, we immediately went to speak to his widow, Konan."

Sakura eyed the photo of a blue haired woman with honey colored eyes. A huge origami flower adorned her hair and added to her feminine allure. A brief smile tugged on her lips as she could recall Yahiko's words.


"What are you doing?"

Sakura smiled while she continued to fold her cherry blossom. "What does it look like I'm doing?" Silence was her only response, causing her to pause and glance up at the man. She took in his sunset colored hair and boyish features which were currently marred by a small frown.

"What's wrong?"

Yahiko smiled as he shook his head wearily. "Nothing...just that...Konan also likes to make origami flowers." The latter half of his sentence trailed leaving an empty silence in the room. Letting out a small sigh, Sakura rose from her seat on the bed, gently placing the delicate flower on the nightstand beside her.

"You're still thinking about her, even after finding out what you know?"

"Heh, guess I am fool for loving her." His goofy grin did little to hide the pain that Yahiko had felt the moment he had caught his best friend and soon to be ex-wife in bed together. To enamored with their actions, it was easy for Yahiko to leave unsuspected.

"Hush." Soft hands brushed against his face in a teasing manner, providing both comfort and a sense of longing. "You are not a fool, it is only natural for you to love her after all, you two basically grew up together. However what's done is done. You are with me right now and I don't want to waste the night allowing you to wallow in your misery. Especially since I can think of other things we can do to pass the time." This was accompanied by a wicked grin as Sakura pulled Yahiko in a for a kiss. It didn't take much to disperse any thoughts related to Konan, as Yahiko surrendered himself to the desire the woman spurred in him.

"You're my angel."

A chuckle could be heard as Sakura once again brushed her lips against Yahiko's.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that..."


Casting aside that memory, Sakura focused her attention on Sasuke. "What did you discover after speaking with Konan?"

"She was having an affair with Nagato." Sakura turned towards Naruto who handed her another picture, this one was of a man with bright red hair which contrasted with his stark white skin. "After talking with Konan she was apparently devastated by her husband's death and her grief caused her to confess her sins to us, so to speak. Turns out that Nagato and Konan were actually in love with one another, had been for a while and she wasn't happy with her marriage but she cared about Yahiko and didn't want to break his heart since they had so much history together. After hearing her story, we ended up taking her in as a possible suspect to be further questioned. We also went after Nagato and brought him in for questioning as well. At first Konan denied taking part in Yahiko's murder but after a few hours of interrogating her, she broke."

"She confessed to planning Yahiko's death with Nagato. This was confirmed by Nagato although he claimed that Yahiko was already dead when he found him. At the time, there were no other leads and their confession of wanting to kill Yahiko was more than enough to put both of them away. Right now they are being held without bail and are awaiting their trial which is scheduled for the end of the month. However our next victim is their get out of jail card."

Sasuke frowned at that last part of Naruto's statement as he pulled out another image, this one was of a male with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Recognition dawned on Kakashi as he observed the photo.

"Deidara, the CEO of the top explosive's company in Konoha?"

"Yes, and he was also a big contributor in the art scene. Age 29, and one of the richest men originally from Iwagakure. The victim was discovered earlier today, also in a hotel room. The crime scene was almost identical except Deidara was smothered to death and instead of a yellow cherry blossom, we found a blue one. The coroner's report will give us an exact time of death and verify the cause of death, but that won't be for a few hours yet."

"Hmm...would it be possible to visit the crime scene? I already have an initial profile in the works but I want to verify some things just to be sure." Sakura looked up from the photo of Deidara and was greeted by a pair of ebony eyes examining her.

"That's fine but we need to wait until CSI is done gathering all the evidence before we can go back. Until then, care to share your expertise? After all, I am interested as to what you do exactly." The mocking tone could be heard in Sasuke's challenge which only caused Sakura to smile in response.

"Very well, are there photos of the crime scene? I do believe that is the basic requirement when it comes to police work, no?"

Naruto snickered as he watched Sasuke's glare intensify. Deciding it best to intervene, he pulled out photos of the first crime scene and placed them on the board that took over one wall of the conference room. "From what we have seen from both crime scenes, the perp is very meticulous. There was barely anything left in the room besides the victim's body and the cherry blossom."

"That proves that she has prior experience or is at least well versed in what a police investigation entails. Going off the evidence that has been collected, the killer is female and this is confirmed by both victims engaging in sexual intercourse prior to their death. Her modus operandi, which is known as method of killing or m.o. for short, is strangulation or suffocation. I believe both of her victims were inebriate after having sex making it quite easy for her suffocate them to death. The fact that she is leaving behind an origami flower has two possible meanings; it is either her signature, or means in which to distinguish herself from other killers and gain recognition for her work, or it is a warning for someone that she will be coming after them. The latter explanation is going out on a limb since their isn't substantial evidence to prove that the killer is escalating. In regards to her victims, she seems to be going after recognizable members of society, the reason as to why is still in the works...Kakashi, did I miss anything?" Sakura turned to glance at Kakashi who examining the crime scene photos.

"As of late your profile is on point, however you did miss a minor detail." With a lazy gesture, green eyes focused on the direction Kakashi was hinting at. A pale pink eyebrow rose in response as she examined the crumpled up towel that had carelessly been thrown on the floor. Irritation filled her as she realized she had been careless at the first crime scene. Annoyed by the fact that Kakashi, who only had one freaking good eye, was able to pick up on that small misstep, she muffled a sigh as she came up with a possible explanation.

"The towel could have been a result of the victim or the murderer taking a shower before engaging in sexual activity, or it was carelessly tossed there for whatever mundane reason..."

"You are missing one more possible explanation."

The bored tone that Kakashi adopted irked her as she bite her lip and glared at him. Damn him for questioning her abilities but also for deducting the real reason behind the misplaced towel. Cursing herself for her slip up she flippantly glanced at the other two detectives that were awaiting the third explanation.

"Or the fact that the victim is male and we have already determined the killer is female, it is possible that after the act of intercourse, she decided to clean herself up. Almost as if she was disgusted with herself for partaking in the act all together."

"What? But who would feel disgusted with sex...I mean come on...it's sex!" Sakura watched in amusement as Sasuke quickly smacked Naruto on the backside of his head while muttering the word "dobe" under his breath. A devious smile graced her lips as she strolled up to Naruto. Placing a delicate hand on his chest to balance herself, Sakura reached up to brush her lips against his ear before whispering, "well not every man knows how to handle a woman. Tell me Naruto, are you one of those men?"

A shiver raked through Naruto's body as he felt the curve of Dr. Haruno's breast pressed against his chest. Feeling her soft lips against his ear caused a wave of lust to fill him as he peered at the woman's large green eyes that were filled with a mixture of mirth and desire. Gulping at his current predicament, Naruto frantically tried to compose himself and find a way to remove the female from his person, otherwise she would be able to feel what she did to him, very soon.

The sound of someone's throat clearing broke the stare down between the two as Sakura slowly removed herself from Naruto who was currently turning an interesting shade of red. Hiding a snicker, she turned to the source of the sound and wasn't surprised to see an indifferent expression on the Uchiha's face. Schooling her face into a cool expression she turned towards Kakashi, "What is another reason why a female would be disgusted by the act of having sex?"

"She could've possibly been a victim of long term rape or sexual assault which fueled her hatred against men and thus started her killing spree. The fact that the killer is going after influential men may hint at her possible abuser or rapist. The act of sex may be disgusting to her but the actual killing is addicting because she feels in control."

"Hmm, true but you can't dissuade the fact that the sex may only be disgusting because it is with certain men. It could hint at something deeper...have you two looked into whether or not there was a connection between your two victims?"

The duo who had been brainstorming turned to face the two detectives that were staring at them, both adorning different expressions, one filled with admiration while the other was filled with indifference.

"No, there hasn't been anything to link the two victims as of late, but we will be going back and interrogating Konan and Nagato to see if they knew Deidara or had an idea of who Yahiko could've been seeing."

Sakura bit her lip in response as she pondered her next move. It wouldn't be that difficult to figure out the connection between the two but it would take a lot for either Konan or Nagato to confess. After all, he was the one that everyone feared. Her brow furrowed in response as flickering memories of him disturbed her thought process. A flash of fury ignited in her but it was quickly quelled as the taste of blood filled her mouth. Relaxing herself she continued to maintain a calm facade as she devised a way to get rid of Konan and Nagato. The fact that they were having an affair made it easy to put the blame on them, especially after hearing their...concerns.


"Nagato, I can't do this anymore."

Sakura perked up as she continued to go about cleaning the room. She had decided to pose as a maid since she had found the hotel Konan and Nagato had been visiting to fulfill their more primal instincts. She tried to continue cleaning the bathroom while eavesdropping on their conversation.

" What do you mean Konan, do you not love me anymore?"

"No, it's not that. I don't like sneaking around and hurting Yahiko. He's our friend Nagato."

"I understand but I love you."

"I love you too, but I love Yahiko like a brother."

"Yet you had no problem marrying him." The scorn could be heard in Nagato's voice which caused Sakura to smile.

"Don't you dare bring that up. You were the one that just left us."

"It was all for you! Being part of Ame was great and all but it wasn't a way to survive. I had no money and wouldn't have even been able to buy you a fucking ring let alone start a family!"

"You could've said something! Not even one word and then you turn up again after I married Yahiko!"

"You couldn't have waited and why even marry him if you didn't love him?"

"Because he was there and you weren't!"

Silence filled the room which caused Sakura to giggle softly to herself. Finally their fantasy world was being shattered.

"Why did you really leave?"

"I told you it was because I needed to make an actual living."

"Don't lie to me Nagato. I always could tell when you were lying."

"I can't tell you Konan."

"Why not?"

"Because..."

"Because?"

"..Madara."

Once again it was eerily quiet but this time, the elation Sakura had felt early dispersed at the mention of that name. The sensation of nails biting into her skin only hinted at her anger but all thoughts were interrupted by the ongoing conversation.

"I'm sorry."

'You should be' was echoed in Sakura's thoughts as she sneered at door that concealed the two lovebirds. Deciding it was time to remind them of her presence, Sakura flushed the toilet which created the desire effect as she could hear a gasp from the other room. Quickly she gathered her things and walked out of the bathroom to greet the others.

"I finish the bathroom. Need other service?" The fake accent distorted her words which served to relieve Konan but there was still a suspicious look adorning Nagato's face.

"No there is nothing else. You can leave now."

"Enjoy your stay." Bowing her head in response, Sakura turned on her heel and walked out of the room. Quickly she strolled down the hallway towards the service elevators that were strictly for the hotel staff. With nimble fingers she unbuttoned the maid uniform and took off the black wig that she had adorned to hide her exotic hair color. Loose waves of rose colored hair fell against pale white skin. Enjoying the sensation of the cool air on her bare skin, Sakura took her time rummaging through the pile of sheets as she searched for her purse and extra clothes she had hidden there earlier. As she dressed herself, the sound of her phone ringing, had her digging through her purse.

"Yahiko!"

A deep chuckle could be heard from the phone. "I believe this is the happiest I have heard you."

"Ah well I was just in a good mood."

"Oh? Care to share?"

"Nope it my secret" the for now part trailed off as Sakura quickly gathered her things and made her way to the lobby.

"Fine. Are you willing to get some coffee? Konan called and said she would be out late tonight with her friends and Nagato said he had to work late, so..."

"I'm your third option?"

"No, no nothing like that. I mean we haven't seen each other in so long and I thought it would be cool to catch up..."

"You're babbling. I'll be more than happy to. After all you really helped me out three years ago when those guys were trying to steal my purse..."

"Yeah those bastards..but hey at least I got to meet you and we became friends. So what do you say?"

"Sure, 6 pm tonight?"

"That's fine, see you soon."

"Bye."


It didn't take much after that to open Yahiko's eyes to the affair and then lure him into her bed. Mentally sighing, Sakura already knew what she had to do. After visiting the crime scenes and profiling herself, the irony, she would pay a little visit to the prison and take care of the nuisances.

"Is it alright to visit the crime scenes now are do we still need to wait?"

Sasuke glanced at the clock and was surprised that they had spent more than two hours discussing the past cases. He would grudgingly admit that he was impressed with what Sakura and Kakashi had determined from just observing a few photos. Running a hand through his hair he rose from his seat and gestured for Naruto to do the same.

"CSI should be done. We can hand over now. Do you plan to follow us or ride with us?"

"I'll follow, Kakashi you can ride with them." With a quick smile Sakura turned to stroll out of the room but halted mid-step as yelling could be heard outside.

"Where are the damn police officers?! No, bring me the person in charge!"

Curious as to who was causing the commotion, Sakura was greeted by the sight of an irate old woman who was dressed in an expensive suit. Recognition dawned on her as she turned to see an irritated expression on both Sasuke and Naruto while Kakashi just appeared amused.

"Who the hell is yelling?!" The sound of a door being swing open did little to stop the old woman who continued to on her tirade.

"These damn officers lazing around and doing absolutely nothing!"

Tsunade glared at the old woman and was ready to unleash her own temper but the desire flew out the window as she realized who was standing before.

"Chiyo-sama, what can we do for you?"

The old woman huffed as she addressed Tsunade. An eyebrow rose in response as she took in the sight of the woman who was once nicknamed the slug princess.

"Well, who would think the day has come where the slug princess of Konoha is now the Captain of the homicide squad. You had such promise yet you decided to give up your career in medicine and became a police officer."

Tsunade tried to refrain from yelling at the woman since she was well known in Konoha for her medical prowess. Plus the fact that she was the head of all the hospitals in Konoha and her grandson Sasori was a well known poison expert, meant they held a lot of financial and political power in Konoha.

"Is there a reason for your visit?"

"Hmph, I came to file a report. My grandson Sasori has been missing since last night! I've tried calling his cell phone and his office but no one has seen him. Find my grandson!"

Tsunade sighed in response. "A person is not considered missing unless they have been gone for 48 hours."

"I don't care! He missed one of his major presentations today that he knew about. Something is wrong! I know it."

"Calm down, I'm sure he just over slept or something. Just try calling his phone again, if you still can't find him come back and we will take over. "

Chiyo spluttered in anger at Tsunade's dismissive attitude. "Do you think I haven't tried that? hell even his damn friend Deidara hasn't been answering his phone and I know his company is frantic right now trying to contact him.

Tsunade flinched at the sound of Deidara's name as she glanced at Sasuke and Naruto out of the corner of her eye. They were both now focusing their attention on Chiyo. No one knew the identity of the latest victim and the fact that there is a connection between Sasori and Deidara calls for immediate investigation.

"Alright I'll send my best two detectives out right now. Do you have any idea where he could've went?"

"His secretary said he asked his scheduled to be cleared at night due to an important appointment but he didn't leave a name or address."

"Fine, try calling him again and we will trace his phone number. Sasuke go get your girlfriend and tell her we need to track a number, NOW!"

"She's not my girlfriend." Was Sasuke's sulky response as he turned to get Karin before Tsunade could rip him a new one for correcting her.

Tsunade glared at Sasuke's retreating form as she turned once again to Chiyo who was currently calling Sasori.

"I promise we will find him."

Chiyo eyed Tsunade as she was once again greeted with Sasori's voice mail.

"You better."