Sorry for the late update. I have been super busy with school. Congratulations to me, I got admitted, Yippee! However, I still have some school runs to take care of, so you have to bear with me. I could only smuggle a little time from my hectic schedule to write this chapter and I hope the length of this one makes up for the delay. I also hope you still have a burning interest for this story.

Thanks a dozen for your awesome reviews. Three 7s, thank you for sparing your time to give me that review. I must say, I blushed seriously when I read it. I also want to apologise for subjecting you guys to my grammatical blunders. I have a habit of not cross-checking what I write or rereading stories that I've read because I find it tedious and mind-numbing since I already know the story. I also don't know a beta-reader, that is active and responsive. So, if you have one, please can you recommend them to me, I'll be grateful. Anyway, I will modify the already published chapters when time permits because honestly, I felt like crying when I saw some of the blunders.

Lastly, I want to talk about the Suki thing. Yes, we know that Suki is Kaguya and this is just the beginning of the story. I know there was no suspense or climax and the uncovering of Suki seemed rushed but we'll have to wait to see how the story progresses. Thank you all for your patience and once again, I'm sorry for the grammatical errors but we all know that nobody is perfect. I am just saying that there are some certain habits that I need to curtail, for example, crosschecking my stories before publishing. Anyway, with no further ado, I present chapter five.

CHAPTER 5

From the novels that she had read in her lifetime, ranging from romantic to horror and suspense, she never dreamt of the day that she would be in such a situation as the one that she was currently living in. In retrospect, she would still love to summon back the bookworm side of her in order to find a solution to this her ordeal. How had things taken a turn for the worse? This was not a dream, it was a reality; her reality. She was living in her own fantasy, her own horror story, and to think her daughter had been written in the same story for some time unknown to her.

In all the novels that she had read, that involved the supernatural, there were three solutions that were commonly used which seemed both probable and implausible.

The first solution was praying to God and that helped put the paranormal at bay in majority of those novels. One or two people were shown to have a wild connection with their God and prayers were the only medium and weapon used to tie down their enemy.

The other and most practicable solution, was visiting magicians and witches. The characters in the stories would be given charms and talismans, to repel the supernatural being(s). In most cases, the protagonists would be told how to kill the freaks of nature by conjuring other spirits to fight in their stead. It will be just like killing poison with a stronger poison; by introducing a stronger opponent to fight a weaker one.

The last solution is also the common one. If the demon or spirit was brought into existence by mere insane humans, the best bet was to kill the sorcerer or conjurer. But how many of these theories are true? How many of them can help her situation? How many can even be considered possible in the real world? They were all fictions, written works of potentially sadistic people, probably idealists, who found the paranormal and supernatural as a real visionary that they slapped on sheets of papers. All these stories had happy, and sometimes tragicomic, endings. However, there was one thing that they had in common and that was the fact that more than one or two people were together in the battle against the demons. She was at a disadvantage in that part. She was alone in this her story; her husband did not believe her and her daughter was oblivious to the predicament that she was in. She was the only one that could sense the danger that lived in her house.

Left alone with no alternative to choose from, the last option flashed in her mind for a millisecond but was discarded just as soon as it had entered her mind. There was surely a zero percent chance that someone might have summoned that demoness. She would have failed woefully if she picked option one. She knew that prayers could save her just like it did during her four-hour labour and the previous night but she wanted to be practical. Therefore, that option had been reserved for plan B. So all that she was left with was option and solution number two. She had made up her mind the previous night about how to spend her Sunday afternoon. Last night had been a drag. She had constantly prayed to God for protection though her mind was still not at ease. She had left the lamp beside her on throughout the night. Gosh! That was the slowest and longest night in her entire life. She felt like she was confined in an asylum; alert and really cautious of the impossible.

Just like the saying goes, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. A new day broke and fresh sun rays streamed into the room chasing the darkness away and taking its place. Sakura had never been so happy to see and feel the sun; she finally loved mother nature despite the number of times that she had rained curses on her morning gift. Sarada was still asleep beside her, so she gently got out of bed to go raise the curtains. After completing her task, she carefully walked to the bathroom. It is funny how she finally regained courage just because it was dawn. Maybe because darkness made both animate and inanimate objects lose their reality at night, because they lose their shape leaving humans to create what they perceived as unreal and vindictive.

She entered the bathroom, sat on the toilet and released the liquid that her bladder had been punished to hold throughout the night because she had been too scared to leave her daughter alone and even go about on her own. She finished her business and strutted back to the room. She sat on the bed and just took in the tranquil face of her daughter. Just looking at her wanted her to unleash her waterworks. 'Sarada had been friends with that creature-' Sakura could feel her face drop faster than her flow during that time of the month. 'Suki... That is the name of that thing-- Suki... But why did it pick her? Why did it pick my baby?' Teardrops were already rolling down her eyes. 'And to think Suki has Sarada fooled with her appearance and has been alone with her in this room. Sasuke will never believe me. Stupid.' She wiped her tears and turned her head to scan the room with a glared stitched on her face. 'I will protect you Sarada no matter the cost, even if I die in the process.' She could feel her confidence building up along with her new resolve. "I love you Sarada -" She kissed the sleeping girl's forehead, "-and I will do everything in my power to protect you."

She was wrong. She was not at a disadvantage. She was at the greatest advantage because she was a MOTHER and nothing is stronger than the love that a mother has for her child. She would protect her own with her dying breath.

'I need to go to the hospital!' That was what she needed to do. The first step in achieving her plans. She would do this own her own. "But first things first, breakfast!" Instead of going out of the room, she laid back in bed despite what she had just said. 'There is no way in hell that I will leave Sarada here. Sasuke can go fix himself something to eat, I don't care.' She laid down properly and carefully wrapped Sarada in the cocoon of her arms waiting for her to wake up before getting ready to face the day.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Breakfast was ready and served and Sasuke and Sarada were already munching on their share of food with the last member of the family missing. Sakura had showered and dressed up, rather quickly, prepared breakfast and served Sarada. She did all this immediately Sarada was up and cleaned and Sasuke was still asleep. She knew that because she had entered the room to get a change of clothes. He was lying on his side of the bed with her side still neatly intact as if he was expecting her to come lie with him very soon. She would admit, despite their argument, she still missed him so dearly and would love to share his warmth once more but there is a more important matter at hand and that was the safety of their daughter. She got her clothes; a beige coloured sleeveless gown and a pair of black coloured shoes and she left the room. When she had finished preparing breakfast, she gave Sarada her food and left as soon as Sasuke walked into the dining room. He had already had his bath and she could smell his cologne immediately he entered the diner.

She offered a small 'Good morning' and walked past him and went up the stairs to get her purse from their room. Sasuke entered the dining room and was greeted cheerfully by his daughter, "Good morning Papa. Mama made French toast and bacon and it is yummy."

Sasuke smiled and nodded his head. He could see that Sakura had not dished his food and he made no comment on the matter. He gently walked to the kitchen, served himself and went to take his seat on the dining table. "Did you sleep well Papa? Mama said that you were busy last night." Her tone of voice rose at the last statement that she made, making it sound like a question. She was now looking at him, her toast forgotten.

Sasuke looked dejected for a brief second before he looked his normal neutral façade. "I slept well Sarada." He chose not to answer the last part of her question. Sarada did not press on with the discussion again and continued eating her food along with her father. Both of them enjoying the silence that sat in their midst.

Last night was a big torture to him. After dinner, he had chosen a clean method of avoiding and aiding Sakura to proceed with her new plan of leaving their bedroom. He sat down in the sitting room to listen to the news at eight and the only thing that his mind could remember before going blank with thoughts was the announcement of the presidential debate that will come up early May. Naruto had told them a few days ago that he would contest in this year's election against the now president Danzo Shimura. Seriously, what does that old fart want to do again? He was like 60? 70? Nobody knew because the politics in Konoha was in league with corruption. The minute that man came into power, inflation came along with him. He had ruled about thirty years ago when Konoha was in the military regime and that had made him enforce a new brand of military corps, ROOTS. Ruthless, were they in their bid to uphold the law through legal and illegal means and Konoha's government had turned a blind eye to their grievous acts. He should just step down and let the younger generation take charge. However, from the looks of it, he would rather die in power than leave it.

Sakura had told Naruto to be careful because she did not like the old man. She had never understood politics but what she could make out of Danzo's tenure and regime was that the price of her precious cookies and other food materials had skyrocketed and the country was experiencing high criminal activities. That was enough for her to make Danzo number one in her hate list.

Sakura. Last night had made him remember how empty he felt without her. Their room was devoid of her bright color and personality. The only thing that flooded in their room last night were the memories of the fight that they had. They had fought years before Sarada was born even before and after their marriage but it had not gotten to the point where one of them would leave the room. It was always the silent treatment that they gave each other but this one was an upgrade.

While he was musing, Sakura came downstairs in a beige coloured chiffon knee-length gown with cream flats and her black coat hung on her left arm. She must have waited for him to come out so she could go change her clothes, probably because she felt uncomfortable in the other outfit that she had on. She walked into the kitchen with her mind focused on her slick black and cream check purse as she arranged the contents of her purse with her right hand. For the first time since their fight, he opened his mouth and readied himself to say something to her.

"Where are you going to?"

It was asked in an innocent manner. He took the last bite of his breakfast and pushed the content down his stomach with a glass of orange and lime juice that was sour just the way he liked it. Sarada too had finished her meal and now turned to face her mother, expecting her mother to tell them her destination.

"The hospital." She replied without so much as throwing him one glance. Her purse must have been far too important for that.

"Today is Sunday and you don't work on Sundays. What are you going to do in the hospital?" He pressed on, having a feeling that his wife might be up to her usual gimmick. 'What does she really want to do? Did things really go that far that she would leave the house to avoid the awkwardness between them?' He turned his head to face his empty plate and glowered at the poor ceramic. 'No, its not that. Knowing this woman, she might want to go see a witch lady again like that weirdo that she had brought to their house before. This won't be surprising, after all, she had talked crazy yesterday.' He was not stupid to think that. Sakura had always been bold and brave in facing a lot of things, well, except when it came to him.

She still had not given him an answer but then he heard her sigh.

She looked up to face him with a languid look plastered on her face. "I just want to check some things at the hospital and put my mind at rest. I was supposed to be there yesterday but I was tired." It was a buyable explanation and she gave him a 'you happy now?' look. He grunted in reply and stood up from his chair to clear his plate.

"Mama, when will you come back?" Sarada asked and Sakura walked up to her and placed a kiss on her head. "I'll be home before dinner or maybe earlier than that-" Sasuke scoffed quietly. How long would she take in the hospital. She is definitely up to something.

"-and I made spaghetti. It's in a bowl in the microwave oven. Your Papa can reheat it when you are ready for lunch, okay?" Sarada nodded. Sasuke knew that all that information was for him and he had heard it loud and clear. She just used Sarada to pass the info. Honestly, this madness has got to end. He and Sakura would have a serious talk when she gets back.

"Okay then, I'll be leaving now." She marched to the to the front door but paused before turning the door knob. "Oh! Sarada do you want me to get you anything on my way back?" She turned to face her daughter in the dining room with her hand still gripping the door knob. She stood at a vantage point that gave her an advantage to see both Sarada and Sasuke, who had already finished washing his plates and was now looking at her with a stoic look on his eyes that had an undertone of weariness in them. She cast a quick look at him then shifted her eyes back to Sarada who had a look of great luster polished on her face.

"I want an iced tea and butter coconut biscuit please!" Her eyes sparkled at the order she made. She really loved butter coconut biscuit but that iced tea did not sit right with Sakura. Sarada had gotten that habit of drinking iced tea from Sai and she did not like it. Honestly, that Sai must have had a rough background with his parents when he was little.

"Okay baby, but there are no promises for that iced tea of yours."

"Awwwn but Mama, it is sweet and Inojin drinks it too. So it's not bad." Sarada argued and pouted knowing that she was already fighting a losing battle.

Sakura looked at her with mock scrutiny before she smiled. "I'll see what I will do-" but just as Sarada's face lit up she added, "-but there are no promises." Sakura said and gestured with her right index finger signalling a no-no, negative sign. "Okay Mama." She said in resignation, not feeling the need to put up an argument. Sasuke stood and watched the scene unfold before him. He felt really lucky to have the two of them and he really liked their innocuous quirks.

"Good. Bye baby. Love you." She blew a kiss in the air in Sarada's direction and proceeded to open the front door.

"Bye Sasuke." As quickly as she said that, she was out the front door. Something dropped within him when she told him goodbye so plainly, but he tried to blame it on the juice that he drank that morning.

"Papa?" Sarada turned to face Sasuke.

"Yes Sarada-" it was at that point that he noticed that he had been staring at the door. He looked at Sarada who already had her eyes on him. "Clear out plate Sarada if you are done with your food."

Sarada complied and took her plates to the sink, rising on her tiptoe to put her dish away. Sasuke stood by her and did nothing to help because she was already used to it. Sarada may be their only child but that did not necessarily mean that she should be spoilt based on that reasoning. Sarada on her own was hardworking and independent so it was not hard to impact some morals and good manners into her. On any day, she would get a stool to help boost her height in order to wash her plate but Sasuke decided to relieve her of that duty today. He took her discarded plates to wash it while Sarada stood beside him. Sasuke could feel her eyes on him and decided to aid her in her quest of enquiry.

"Do you have something to say?"

A pause and then, "Papa, is Mama angry with you?" She asked without beating around the bush.

Sasuke finished what he was doing and got a napkin to dry his hands. "No baby, why did you say that?" He answered even though he knew Sarada could smell his lie.

"Because you and Mama haven't really talked much since yesterday." She said quietly, maybe feeling like her father would get angry with her assumption but she was surprise by her father's next gesture. He lifted her up and kissed her right cheek. "Everything will be fine okay? Now let's go watch some movies." He said as he came out of the dining room and entered the sitting room before balancing her on the couch beside him.

Sarada simply kept quiet while her father skimmed through different channels in search of a movie for the both of them to watch.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

After Sakura had closed the door behind her, she made her way to her slick white convertible. When she got in, she put her two hands on the steering wheel and rested her forehead on them. This was really hard and new to her. She was mentally prepared for what to come, so she had to do this while she still held onto the little sanity that she had. "I can do this. This is for Sarada." She gave a long sigh and started the ignition before driving out of the Uchiha compound.

She drove out to the main road and navigated her car to Konoha's highway 7. She drove until she got to an intersection which had a signpost that read 'Crimson-leaves Hospital.' She made a right turn and entered the street leading to the hospital- her hospital. It was a good thirty minutes drive from the mansion and it got worse whenever there was traffic jam.

She continued driving until she saw the building of the hospital closing in. It was somewhat huge. Sasuke, Itachi and Naruto, along with her wonderful aunt Tsunade, had helped by pulling their resources together and building her then little hospital to the gigantesque that it was now. It was not that big per say, more like a medium sized building but it was at the same time, not small. It had three floors plus the ground flour making a total of four and occupied two acres of land.

She had been under her Aunt Tsunade's mentorship while she was in college and she had gotten a little famous since then. This was because Tsunade was the owner of The Hidden Falls General Hospital after it was privatized during President Homura's tenure.

Sakura was grateful for what they had done but she really did not want to accept it. Business was flowing alright but it was too much for only one person to handle. So she made a joint venture with Tsunade but it did not last that long until she gave out some shares to those that helped contribute in the growth of the hospital and also to some family members.

Sarada had a share too but the faith of the hospital would rest on the future career of her daughter. If Sarada does not show any interest in medicine then Sakura might end up taking it to the hands of the government if there won't be any heir to inherit it.

She drove into the hospital and parked in the spot reserved for high officials and dignitaries. When she had parked well, she removed the key from the ignition and got out of her car. She had not lied when she told Sasuke that she was going to the hospital. She really needed to come here and she was ready. She walked into the building and was greeted by the receptionist at the front desk.

"Good morning Mrs. Uchiha." She bowed slightly and continued her work at the computer.

"Good morning Moegi. How are you this morning?" She asked while looking around dernly.

"Oh I feel real good this morning Mrs. Uchiha." Sakura nodded and continued walking but was stopped by Moegi.

"Um... Ma'am, you don't have any thing scheduled for today...unless you might have told me something that I completely forgot but I ca-" Sakura waved her hand signaling her to stop with her blabbing.

"It's okay, I just want to get some documents from my office then I'll be off." Moegi calmed down and just as Sakura started walking again, she stopped, not from interruption but for clarification's sake. "Moegi!?" The poor girl jumped at the suddenness.

"Yes ma'am?"

She started getting nervous as Sakura came closer to her until she stood directly in front of her big desk to face her with unearthed seriousness.

"Are Miss Shizune and Aunt Tsunade around?" Moegi relaxed and shook her head. "Only Miss Shizune, ma'am. I mean Miss Shizune is around. She did her rounds early this morning and is scheduled to leave-" she turned to look at a booklet before looking back at her boss, "-at ten o'clock. Then Doctor Ichika will take over from there."

Sakura nodded in understanding. The time was 9:52am, so in less than twenty minutes, give or take, Shizune would be out. So she would have to avoid being seen till then. "Do you want me to call either of them for you?" Moegi asked uncertainly. Sakura raised her eyebrows, not really getting what she had been asked, "Huh? No, that's not necessary. I just wanted to be sure that's all." She said quickly "Take care." She waved offhandedly and continued the walk to her office, not bothering to wait for a reply.

She moved round the hospital deftly until she was in front of the elevator. As she stood, waiting for the machine to open, something came to her mind. Shizune might pop out of that elevator. But what was the use, she might eventually see my car in the parking lot, so there's no point avoiding her. Even still, she was not going to take her chances. She would still work with stealth and if Shizune happens to cross paths with her, she would just tell her what she told Moegi. The elevator dinged and a few people came out before she went in. She pressed the button to the second floor and waited for the machine to work it's wonders of uplifting.

Luckily, she was not stopped by any nurse or doctor or Shizune as she emerged from the elevator. Good. The floor was unusually noisy and nurses were bustling around. Her office was almost at the end of the hall which was normally quiet. Only three doors were left before she could get to the door of her office and just as she was about to cross the second door, she bumped into someone. "Oomph! Sorry, I didn't see you." She apologized before she got a clear view of the person that she bumped into.

"Sakura? My God, how are you? I was just about to go to your house to see you." Shizune said as she looked at the woman before her. 'So much for working with stealth'. Sakura thought.

"I'm fine, Miss Shizune." Sakura examined her as she answered. She wasn't in her scrub or white lab coat which meant that she was about to leave. Sakura had not heard the last part of her sentence clearly but nodded just in case.

"I'm so sorry. I had an early appointment in The Evergreen Estate yesterday so I couldn't come over and the network signal from there was terrible when I tried calling. How are you feeling now?" Shizune rapped in quick succession. Sakura was somehow lost and it was evident on her face through her creased forehead and squinted eyes. "I'm okay, what did you want to call me for?"

"On...uh..Friday night, late at night, Sasuke called to tell me that you fainted." Sakura now understood and she made an 'O' with her mouth in realisation.

"Do you mind telling me what happened. I mean, as a doctor yourself, you should know what happened, right?" Shizune asked slowly and with care. Sakura looked at her and thought of what to tell her.

"Oh, it's no biggy! I was trying to close the curtain and while I stretched, I slipped on the wet tile and hit my head on the floor." She explained but then she noticed that what she had said would lead to more questions that she did not have the strength and time to answer. "But it was a minor hit and I have checked it out so don't worry yourself. I'm fine." She said reassuringly but she could not really tell if Shizune bought her story. She looked at her silver wristwatch and back at Shizune who nodded her head uncertainly.

"Oh-kay. So what brought you to the hospital? You do know that Lady Tsunade gave you a free week right?"

"Yes, but I just wanna get some things from my office."

"Okay. Sakura, if there's anything at all that you want to tell me, that you want to share, don't hesitate to let me know, okay?" Shizune said lovingly. She always treated Sakura like the junior sister that she never had although she did not know if Sakura felt the same. Being her counselor and friend had helped her know and learn how to read the female Uchiha. She did not buy her story but still needed to know if she was okay.

"Oh! Shizune-san, you know I will. Well, let me not keep you waiting. I'll go get the things from my office and leave too."

"Okay, so do you want me to wait for you or something? We can still hang out, you know, if you are less busy." Shizune shrugged.

"No, no. That's would be nice, but how about a raincheck?. I'm not going home immediately... I have somewhere to be..."

Okay, the edgy rise in tone that was contained in that sentence clearly confirmed Shizune's suspicion that Sakura was not just lying but was hiding something. "Fine. I'll see ya when I see ya. Bye and greet Sarada for me."

Sakura looked at the back of Shizune as she departed. "I will, bye!" She responded. Well, that was nothing but an uppercase AWKWARD. She'll definitely get suspicious. 'Naruto did not kid when he told me that I was a terrible liar.'

She shook her head and went to her office. The room was spacious and clean. No messy pile of paperwork was stacked or disarrayed on the table that was rooted on the right side of the room. The room was dimly lit thanks to the thick navy blue curtains that blocked sun rays from working its magic of belighting. A small click sound mingled with the silent room as Sakura turned the light on. She closed the door behind her and went to her desk. She moved her hand to the first small drawer at the bottom of the table and opened it to get a set of little keys. With the object in her hand, she walked to the right side of the room until she stood in front of a chocolate coated cabinet that stood upright on the floor.

She inserted the object into the keyhole and turned it till a click sound emitted from the furniture. She pried it open and a creak sound replied as the door opened compliantly. Her hand skimmed through folders and files until it stopped at a little diary. She got what she was looking for, closed the cabinet door and went to sit on her chair as she looked through the contents of the book.

'Mei's confectionery, Samui Supe coupon...' The bunch of business cards was so amusing that it scared her. She had more than three dozen of those cardboard cutouts in the pocket sized diary, out of which two dozen of them were irately shameful.

"The Rock Gyms? Big Bite's Daisy? Where in the world did I get these cards?" Shock and amusement danced in the time of her voice. "I am sure that I put that card in here." If she did not find what she was searching for, she would have to switch to phase two of this her plan and it was only another floor away.

A bright looking card came into her line of vision and she pulled it out to read what was written on the flat rectangular piece.

THE ROOKIE PEAK

Call-us to cure your 'callus'

You'll be fresh as daisy and we're brought to you by Oto's finest.

For more info, visit our email at or follow us at...

Sakura had shoved the piece of stiff paper at the end of the diary and at the darkest part of her mind, never wanting it to be recollected again. Seriously, I need to stop collecting stuffs from these patients. A lot of the business cards and coupons were filled with blunt and unintelligible words, words that however, stuck to her feeble memory. The painful part of it all was that the cards with the most senseless and abrasive information, happened to have attractive and colourful backgrounds. She then saw another card and was hopeful that it was what she was looking for.

"Have you and your partner been trying to no avail?

Never fret, Dripping Sound will take you on cloud nine with our new bank that helpfully lends sp-"

The rest of the words never made it to her mouth for the obtuse card was thrown in the waste bin, although the words were still very much indelible in her memory.

"This is stupid! Very stupid. And it's going to take forever!" She groaned in aggravation.

Then the same flicker of hope that had sparked in her few seconds ago, re-emerged and completely enveloped her.

"Finally!" She exclaimed.

The card had a graphic image of an eye with a black iris and three white commas circled within the iris. A very strange card indeed. It had the following words imprinted underneath the diagram.

Anko Mitarashi

The eye of the unseen and voice for the spirit.

Call- 564 1856

Well, that was simple and weird but straight to the point.

She got out her cell phone and dialed the number. It rang

First ring...

Second...

Third...

Until someone/something picked it up

'Sorry, the number you're calling cannot be reached. Please try again later.'

She tried again and again and the same machine had answered with the same response over and over again.

"That's it!" She slammed her hands on the poor desk and lifted herself up. She put the diary back from where she took it from and did the same for the keys. She walked to the front door, switched the lights off and made her way to the elevator, pressing the button to the last floor of the building.

She waited until the elevator dinged signalling that it had reached its appointed destination. She walked out and moved quietly into the last floor. This part of the building was as quiet as a graveyard but was not completely silent safe for the beep beep sound of life support machines. This part of the hospital was inhabited by patients that needed intensive care. It was not brightly lit but was cool and quiet for both the subconscious and unconscious patients.

She scanned the premise for the person that she came to look for; for her phase two, and then she saw her.

A lifeless-looking but living woman who had brown eyes that were dull and lacked vitality. She moved slowly as she swept the already clean ground, not noticing the pink haired woman that had walked into the floor she was in.

She kept on sweeping until she finally stopped to acknowledge the new comer. Two nurses passed in front of her but her gaze was undeterred. The nurses gave Sakura a little bow, in form of greeting while the woman still looked at Sakura with dull apathetic eyes.

Sakura walked up to her and bowed her head slightly to the woman, but the gesture was not reciprocated. It did not even look like she had been noticed by the brunette.

"Good morning Ayame-san." She greeted politely in a whisper. Ayame appeared to be fifty, if not sixty but was in fact, in her forties. She was older than Sakura with twelve years but melancholy had given her the aged appearance that framed her face.

Ayame blinked a few times and seemed to have woken up from her daydream. She looked at Sakura and smiled wearyingly. "Mrs. Uchiha," she greeted with the little amount of enthusiasm that she could muster. Just as she had snapped back to reality,she fazed out again but her eyes were still on Sakura but they looked lost.

Sakura took the broom from her hands and held the woman's hand, guiding her to another secluded room. It was an unoccupied ICU. She dropped the broom and urged Ayame to take her seat on a chair that was opposite the bed that she would sit on.

"Mrs. Uchiha, good morning."

"Ayame-san, how many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that," Sakura said softly. "Call me Sakura, just Sakura."

"Oh! Sorry Miss Sakura." Sakura would have faced palmed had it been any other day that she was in a jovial mood. "What do you want me to do for you miss? Did I do something wrong?"

"Again, just call me Sakura, okay? And no, you did not do anything wrong. I just came to ask you something."

"Okay?" Ayame looked bored... or sleepy, it was hard to tell with those ever drooping eyes.

"So, do you remember Anko, the woman that you told me about five years ago?"

Ayame maintained her facial appearance maybe because she couldn't remember or she wasn't even listening.

"The woman you called the spirit mediator. Do you remember her?" Sakura prompted.

No response.

"She has a deep purp-"

"I know the woman, I was the one that told you about her." Her dull look remained and the dullness spread across the words that she had just spoken monotonously.

"Yes, that woman. I have tried calling her but her line was not reachable and there was no address written on her call card for me to get in touch with her."

Ayame still had that dull blank look on her face but it took a different turn this time, she looked like she had fazed off into space, not hearing what she was told. She was looking at Sakura but not really looking or seeing her.

"Do you happen to know how I can contact her? I really need her hel-"

"I can't go to where she is."

Huh?

"Is she outside the country? If that is so, can you recommend anot-"

"She is with Kenta and Rin."

Confusion played on Sakura's face. "Please, I don't understand what you're talking about. Who are Kenta an-"

"She is with them and I can't get to them." Her voice sounded hoarse and sad but her facade remained the same.

"What? With who? Who's them?"

Ayame was not even looking at her again. Just chanting whatever came to her mind.

"Ayame-san, what are you talking about?" She placed a hand on the said woman's hand. It was rough and somehow wrinkled under her touch. "Are you okay? Its okay if you don't know-"

She looked at her dead in the eye, "Dead."

"Huh? Don't tell me- Anko can't be-" Sakura was shocked to the core.

"She is dead." Ayame looked at her then at her wrinkled hands. "Gone from the face of this world. A horrible end she met!"

"W-what happened? Was it an accident?"

"No, she was the accident, the mistake. She caused it." A horrible smarting and churning worked its way to Sakura's pit of a stomach.

"What do you mean?" Sakura swallowed.

"She angered a spirit. She caused it." Ayame repeated and then looked up to once again face the pale face of Sakura.

"How would you know that? Did the-"

"She dried up. Her gore was found outside her carcass a day after she was last seen."

"What?" Sakura choked

"Happened last four, no five years. Yes five years. I heard the news a week before Rin's birthday." Ayame frowned as she talked cynically. "What did you want her for?"

"I just- I wanted- Oh my God! I don't even know again." It wasn't completely a lie. She could not invite her over to her house again. What she hoped for was that Anko would have made an intercessory prayer or given her something to ward off the bring in her house but she had not been prepared to hear this. This was not a normal circumstance. Given that it happened five years ago did not seem like a mere coincidence to Sakura also. So she posed the instigating question, "When did she die? What month is Rin's birthday?"

"July. It happened around July."

July, July, July. Sasuke got her a shrink early July about two weeks, thereabout, after she had called Anko. No, it can't be possible. How can I entertain such a thing in my mind?

"I know someone."

She had been caught up in her little frenzy that she did not hear what Ayame had spoken. "What?"

"I know someone. She lives in the suburbs. People call her the Angel."

"Can you give me her address?"

"A place like that is not meant for you Miss."

Sakura furrowed her brows. "Is she dangerous? Can't she help me?"

Ayame livened up a little. "Oh no, she is harmless. It's just that the neighborhood doesn't suit you."

"I don't care about the neighborhood, believe me. I just need a little help from the people that can give it. From people like Anko."

"Okay Miss Sakura. If you are ready, I'll take you to her."

"I am. I'm ready." Sakura said firmly with resilience. "Take me there."

AUTHOR'S NOTE.

It wasn't much of a drama but it is a start. I have already mapped out how the next two or three chapters are going to look like and this is just a scratch of the first plot that I planned out, so stay tuned and keep the fire burning.

Aha! The behaviour and character of the five year old Sarada in this story is synonymous to that of my little five-year old cousin. He is brilliant, attentive, emotional and shy. Once he notices something odd, he would shyly point it out. So I just wanted to let you know before you all think that Sarada's sharpness does not go along with her age. Well, that is all that I have to say. I'll hear from you guys next time. Ja ne!