Sakura arrived at the Uchiha Police Precinct as planned, early in the morning. She stood outside Itachi's office waiting patiently as she leaned against the railing of the balcony, trying to get a hold of Kiba for the um-teenth time that morning. The call kept going to voicemail and Sakura didn't have the patience to keep leaving messages every single time.
"I'm sorry the number you have dialed is unavailable. Plea-"
Sakura ended the call again just as Itachi opened his office door. He smiled at the pinkette just as she slipped her phone back in her pocket.
"Sasuke will be meeting us at the orphanage so we can leave right away. I assume Kiba is doing the same?" Itachi inquired as he closed the door behind him.
Sakura shrugged sheepishly. "I've been calling him but he's not answering the phone."
Itachi nodded. "Well he knows where to find us."
The pair made their way out of the building towards Itachi's car. The raven-haired Uchiha started up the engine and made his way out of the parking lot. Sakura watched peacefully as the various buildings flew past her and the music from the radio filled the cabin.
Sakura hoped this time the director would be more forth-coming with information in the presence of police officers. All she wanted was information, anything that could help her get closer to where she wanted to be. Sakura chewed on her lip. This trip could go either way; it could be a bust or it could be everything she needed it to be. There was no telling how it could go. Sakura's stomach became knotted at the thought. She was really crossing her fingers on this.
Itachi glanced at his passenger, seeing that she was clearly distracted. He cleared his throat to catch her attention. "Something troubling you?"
Sakura looked at him and chuckled lightly. "I was just thinking this could go either way." Sakura propped her elbow on the armrest. "Who's to say, I'll walk away with what I need."
Itachi stayed silent for a moment pondering her statement. "You're thinking of the worst." He said, finding the deeper meaning of the statement.
Itachi took the pinkette's sigh as confirmation. He nodded. "Being involved with the precinct as long as I have, I've learned that just because useful information hasn't been found doesn't necessarily mean you've been set back."
Sakura looked at Itachi, not sure she understood the meaning of what he said. Itachi offered more.
"Let's say I'm solving a case and the clues I already have lead me to a suspect. I learn the suspect is of no use to me but I haven't lost what I've already learned. All I need to do is see where else the clues can lead me." Itachi explained. Sakura was beginning to catch on. "Just because you only see one path to take doesn't mean that's the only one there is."
Sakura never thought of it that way. Somehow she convinced herself into believing the orphanage was her only guide to finding out everything she wanted to know but she never explored her other options-not that she even knew what they were. Sakura felt slightly better thanks to the advice that Itachi offered her.
"Thank you." She replied contently.
The pair continued on in silence. When they finally reached the orphanage, they saw Sasuke leaning against his own car with his arms crossed and eyes closed. Itachi parked next to his younger brother and both passengers exited the vehicle.
Sakura looked at the place she spent a part of her life in. A good amount had changed from what she could remember. The mansion-like dwelling was fenced in by tall black metal rods with pointed tips and had a neatly trimmed lawn with a stone path leading from the parking lot entry to the brooding steps of the orphanage. The well watered green grass somehow made the mansion itself much darker in essence. The lawn was dotted with more trees than were in Sakura's time there and stone benches sat rooted to the ground. The barely functioning playground that Sakura remembered was no longer there, as if it never existed to begin with. The old stained-glass windows that used to dot the walls of the brick building were replaced by crystal clear ones. Even the once tattered shingles on the roof were seemingly new. It was obvious the building had come under some major renovations.
Sasuke stood upright and slid his hands into his pockets as Itachi came to stand next to him. "Took you long enough."
"You wouldn't have had to wait if came with us but you insisted on taking separate cars, little brother." Itachi smiled innocently. Sasuke ignored him.
"What are we waiting for? Let's go." Sasuke began walking towards the stone path and Sakura and Itachi followed suit.
The tall mahogany doors of the orphanage were filled with intricate little carvings of children playing which was quite endearing. Sasuke pushed open the doors just enough for the trio to be greeted by the sound of children's laughter and the pitter-patter of feet running this way and that. Sasuke held the door open for Sakura and Itachi to pass through. Sakura walked to the front desk where a round woman who looked to be in her mid-40's with neat brunette hair sat in front of a computer. As Sakura neared, the woman looked over her round bifocals at her and smiled, raising her head.
"Good Morning!" The secretary beamed. "Are you the go-between for these prospective parents?
Sakura quirked an eyebrow in confusion. Go-between? Prospective parents? Sakura turned to look at the two men behind her. Itachi smiled genuinely amused with his arm around his brother's shoulders and Sasuke humphed and turned his head away in annoyance. Sakura had to hold back a giggle behind her hand.
Itachi cleared up the confusion and had the trio back on track to seeing the director within minutes.
"Is there a reason why you're here?" The black-cloaked person questioned, not bothering to look at the woman behind them.
"You do realize that following her around does neither of you even the slightest bit of good." The wind blew, ruffling their hair. "I don't understand why you're so apprehensive anyway. There's nothing to hold you back."
"I'm aware." The cloaked person replied sharply. "Why are you here?"
"Well I am father's eldest after all. Of course he's going to entrust me with all the tasks that he can't do himself."
"I didn't realize this was such a bothersome task for him." The woman laughed and waved her hand carelessly in response to the cloaked person.
"Don't take it so personal. Father has his own agenda that even I am not attuned to." The cloaked person took note of that. "He'll reveal himself eventually, but in the mean time, you're welcome to watch the show he's prepared for us all."
"You're all more trouble than you're worth."
"But that didn't stop you, did it?" The young woman quipped. She was met with silence. "He misses you...and I'm sure you feel the same."
The cloaked person jumped off the branch they were sitting on without a word and disappeared into the leaves below. The woman remained rooted in her spot, looking at Sakura for a moment more.
"Oh dear girl. You've no idea what's in store for you." The woman smiled deviously and disappeared just before Sakura looked in her direction.
Sakura snapped her head up to look out the window she sat in front of. She could've sworn she felt someone staring at her but it couldn't have been possible. There was no way anyone could get so high up in the trees, right?
"Saw a squirrel?" Itachi asked, noticing her movements.
"I'm not sure.." Sakura moved side to side trying to see if she could get different angles of the outside in her view. She brushed shoulders with Sasuke causing her to look at him and him glance at her from the corner of his eye. The pinkette felt chills in her stomach and quickly moved away from him. "Sorry."
Sasuke said nothing. They sat outside the director's office on a leather bench waiting for the director to show up. Half an hour had already passed since they'd been sitting there and they had yet to see him. Itachi and Sasuke sat perfectly still but Sakura hadn't been able to stop fidgeting since they sat down. Numerous times Itachi had to lay a placating hand on the girl's shoulder only for her to start back up again. Sakura sighed. She really had no idea why she was so nervous. It wasn't like she hadn't already done this before but this time felt so much different from a couple years ago. She really didn't want to walk away empty handed.
"Just because you only see one path to take doesn't mean that's the only one there is."Itachi's word rang in her mind. He was right, she just had to believe that this wasn't necessarily a dead end for her.
Footsteps sounded down the hall and Sakura instinctively looked to see who they belonged to. Immediately she recognized the man walking in their direction to be director that she knew very well. He was flipping through papers attached to his clipboard and writing things down here and there. Sakura stood up. The director stopped in front of his door glancing at another sheet of paper before looking up at her curiously. His face quickly turned from curiosity to recognition then exasperation. He opened his office door, leaving it open for her and her two other companions to follow after him.
"I should've expected you to come back. I've told you before, Ms. Senju, I have nothing to offer you and if you plan on causing a disturbance, I won't hesitate to involve the police. Bringing friends won't change my mind." The man placed his clipboard on his desk and removed his leather jacket from his person and settled it on the back of his chair.
"Even if her friends are police officers?" Itachi said sedately.
The director sighed as he sat down and clasped his hands together. "I have nothing more to say to you. Just give up your futile search and go home. Be content with the life that you have already and don't ruin it for yourself."
"Mr. Ishida, please. You can't even describe them to me? Tell me where they're from. We may live in a large city but I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to narrow them down." Sakura pleaded.
"I've told you everything already. I'm not going to argue with you so please...do us both a favor and leave. I have no time to waste on you." Mr. Ishida said firmly.
"You can't even spare a desperate girl what little information you have?" Sasuke inquired with his hands bunched in his pockets and his stance relaxed. "It's not like you have client confidentiality if you can at least tell her that her parents weren't the ones to bring her here."
Mr. Ishida hitched his breath at the younger Uchiha's comment. "Look, I shouldn't have told you that. It was a moment of weakness in my judgement from her incessant prodding." He defended.
"Then you shouldn't have any problems giving a little more of a lead here. Unless you want to be prodded again." Sasuke said mockingly.
"What my brother means is it won't hurt to provide Ms. Senju with the information she needs. Especially in the presence of elite officers." Itachi added.
Mister Ishida rubbed his forehead in irritation. Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep her from saying anything that might cause him to change his mind. The trio watched in silence as the director clearly battled with himself about sharing the information he held. It was moments before he finally opened his mouth.
"It was a group of people. There were at least 6 of them." Mr. Ishida finally said. Sakura pressed her hands on the desk.
"What else? What did they look like?" Sakura asked almost excited.
"Three of the members...seemed to be much older in age and stature than their other companions. The others looked like bodyguards of some sort. They wore these strange masks."
"Did they say where they were from?" Itachi asked.
"Yes but… I can't say." Mr. Ishida turned his head away.
"Why not? Please! You have to give me more."
"I've already said too much." Mr. Ishida said resolutely as he stood up and faced the tall window behind him.
"All you did was give us a quantity and vague description. I'd hardly call that saying much." Sasuke squinted at the older man.
Mr. Ishida said nothing in reply and continued looking out the window to the view of the expansive backyard of the mansion that held a new playground for the children. The sound of the children screaming jovialy and running around could be heard aside from the ticking of the grandfather clock near the door. Sakura pressed on.
"Mr. Ishida, I just want to find my family. If these people know anything about where I came from then they can help me-"
"Just stop it!" Mr. Ishida said ruefully. "Why is it so hard for you to understand Ms. Senju. They threw you away like trash. If they wanted you to know who you are don't you think I would've told you already long before now."
" Well Mr. Ishida, you seem to know so much about her so why don't you tell her who she is?" Sasuke challenged.
Mr. Ishida noticeably stiffened in his spot in front of the window.
"What did they tell you?" Itachi questioned suspiciously.
Mr. Ishida evaded the question. "I don't have the power to help you in the way that you want. There really is nothing more I can say to you, Ms. Senju."
Sakura inched closer to the desk. "You can't just say something like that and stop. You have to give me more than just that...please!"
"Ms. Senju-"
"Please!"
Sakura was met with silence. She sighed and turned away from the director's back. They could see the obvious bout of disappointment settling in her posture, as her eyes settled on the floor rug that covered the wood under her feet. She hadn't noticed the director turning around or the sound of his gasp at the sight of the Uchiha brothers' red eyes.
Within seconds, things had taken a dramatic turn.
Suddenly Mr. Ishida began gasping for air as a slit formed on his throat out of thin air. Sakura instinctively turned at the sound and the three of them stood in shock at the site before them. Within seconds, Mr. Ishida was on the ground in a pool of his own blood. Sakura had run to his side, her medical instincts kicking in.
Sakura used his hand to place pressure on his wound in a useless effort to staunch the flow of blood. Itachi was already calling for an ambulance. Sasuke stood closely behind Sakura for god measure.
"Why would you do something so foolish!" Sakura watch as the blood continued to gush out between both their hands and soak the carpet and their clothes.
"I-I-I'm so-rry.." Mr. Ishida choked out.
"Shh. Don't talk!" Sakura looked to Itachi. "When are they coming?
"He won't make it, Sakura. You know that." Sasuke answered before Itachi could. "It's a miracle he's still breathing."
"Sasuke.." Itachi chided with a grimace. Sakura looked at Sasuke. She felt a foreboding sense of uselessness as her face began to show signs of panic at the sight of his calm features.
Mr. Ishida reached a bloodied right hand up to Sakura's face, bringing her attention back to him.
"K-Ko-n-no-ha..."
Sakura gripped his right with hers. "What is that? Tell me!" The pinkette felt Mr. Ishida's hand begin to fall limp in her own but she tightened her grip.
"Mr. Ishida, please! Stay with me!" Her plea fell on deaf ears as she watched the light in his eyes fade. "Mr. Ishida!"
Sasuke and Itachi couldn't help but feel bad for the young woman at the sound of desperation in her voice. Sakura refused to stop calling on the dead man, even after Sasuke gripped her by the forearms and wrestled her away from the lifeless director. He wrapped his toned arms around her, standing firm against her thrashing.
Within the hour, Sakura's energy had been depleted from her struggle against the stoic Uchiha. Her body was tired and her voice was hoarse. She watched from the back of an ambulance as the paramedics carried the body away from the building to another ambulance. She didn't even register the presence of a paramedic wrapping a blanket around her. If it was wasn't for Sasuke's baritone voice bringing her to her senses, she wouldn't have noticed the slightly older woman in front of her.
Sakura looked up at the thin woman. She looked at Sasuke who offered nothing, then back at her again. The woman placed soothing hands on her shoulders, rubbing them lovingly.
"Sakura, look at you! I'm so sorry!"
The woman had straight jet black hair that reached to the end of her back. Her almond eyes on her heart shaped face were a sweet honey color, filled with emotion. Her olive skin being lighted by the early evening sun.
No, this was certainly not the outcome Sakura was expecting at all.
"This is not the circumstance I expected to meet again under." The woman said softly asked she tucked a loose hair behind Sakura's ear.
Sakura grabbed the woman's hand, holding it in her lap. "I'm sorry..but do I know you?"
"Oh yes! I'm sorry." The woman smiled gently and patted Sakura's hand holding hers. "I look much different than you remember."
The woman cleared her throat and ruffed up her hair a bit. Her demeanor changed to a brooding that beat even Sasuke's and she suddenly had bags under eyes. Her voice sounded monotonous when she spoke.
"Remember me now, kid..it's Kaoru."
Sasuke and Sakura sweat dropped. "Heh, yeah..I remember now."