Chapter 9 – Hello, My Old Friend

She cooked. She cleaned. She went to college. To work. She took care of her mother.

Lately, Mebuki couldn't do much other than sit there and stare or cry, so all the work fell onto Sakura's shoulders. She didn't mind. After everything her parents had done for her, Sakura silently promised her father that she would look after her mother for him. To keep her company from failing, Itachi was supporting it more fully. It was thanks to him that Mebuki even had the company in the first place, as he had sponsored her and been there one hundred percent, just like she had been there for him when he needed the help.

It was horrible being back in that house, but Sakura forced herself to stay quiet about her feelings. The last thing Mebuki needed right now was to feel guilty or worried about her. But the guilt that Sakura felt, that awful, disgusting feeling that would wash over her every chance it got, was agonizing. Sleep was a luxury to her, but one she did not get. Since she had moved most of her things from her bedroom to the condo she shared with Gaara, Sakura had to sleep in one of the guest rooms. That was fine by her.

Yakushi Kabuto had not defiled those rooms with his vile existence.

Taking care of her mother was extremely difficult. She barely spoke – rarely did anything other than simply lay in her room and cry, or sit in the living room and stare blankly around her.

Many had been coming by with condolences, offering them dishes filled with food and whatnot. Why do they want food? Sakura was perfectly capable of keeping herself and her mother healthy and fed. Didn't they think she could take care of them both? She knew she could. And she was going to. Her mother needed her and damn it, she was going to be there.

Ao stayed by Mebuki's side, following Sakura's orders of looking after the older woman. Sometimes however he stayed with her, picking up on the changes in his owner. Ao did not like them. There were moments when he would give her a disapproving stare, like he knew exactly what she was up to. It was ridiculous! Dogs couldn't give you looks like those. They couldn't judge you!

But what if they could?

She shook those thoughts from her head and got out of her car, locking it after her as she made her way to the door. Just as Sakura was about to open it, however, something white caught her attention. An envelope? Her eyes narrowed dangerously. Was somebody really that retarded that they didn't see she had a perfectly good letterbox? Idiots! With a swipe of her hand, Sakura picked it up, adding it to her pile of books and folders from college. It had only her name on the front, but it wasn't writing she recognised.

Once inside and the door was shut, Sakura made her way straight to the dining room and dumped her belongings on the table, stretching her muscles and arching her back, enjoying the popping, cracking sound. And as soon as he heard her, Ao came running down the stairs, almost knocking her off her feet when he spotted her. It was their usual greeting. He would knock her on her ass, attack her face with slobbery licks and unnecessary enthusiasm. It was nice that Ao was so excited to see her, though. It made a nice change.

Since returning to her childhood home, she and Gaara spoke very little. There was a phone call every two days where he was checking up on her, making sure she was okay, but those were only short. It hurt too much hearing his voice. They talked over text a few times, but again, it was different. Conversation was strained even through text! And Sakura felt like it was her fault – it was! She hadn't meant to hurt him.

The engagement ring had not left her finger since he handed it back to her. Sakura simply couldn't bring herself to remove it.

She loved him. With all her heart. But there had to be, needed to be more than love to make a relationship work. There had to be trust – on both ends – and there had to be faith. They needed to believe in each other. Gaara didn't believe her. She didn't trust him. Where the hell was their relationship going to go? It angered her that, if Matsuri hadn't come along, Sakura knew for a fact that she wouldn't be so jealous all the time. The brunette was obsessed with Gaara and knew exactly how to get under Sakura's skin. She knew exactly what to say to hurt her. It was ridiculous, but Matsuri's words killed her on the inside.

Wasn't she enough for Gaara?

Did he think she was too used and wanted a more innocent woman?

Was he just as disgusted with her as she was with herself?

Those questions kept Sakura up at night. Her skin was much paler than usual and there were dark circles around her eyes, telling everyone about her lack of sleep. It screamed that she couldn't sleep right in their faces! Nobody commented on it.

Grabbing the white envelope once again, Sakura impatiently opened it and all but tore the letter out of the envelope, but gagged in disgust that, when she had opened the letter, white flakes began to fall. What the fuck? Great. And now they were all over the dining table! Not that they ate at the table, but it was still disgusting! Narrowing her eyes, Sakura glared at the white flakes (she refused to think of them as dead skin, for she seriously would throw up) before turning back to her letter.

Her eyes widened.

'I'm just getting started.'

What?

With shaking hands, Sakura reread the letter, reread those four words.

And then it was like a bolt of lightning struck her.

"Mom."

She dropped the letter onto the table and darted up the stairs, taking two at a time with Ao right behind her. He was barking at her, wanting to know what was happening or if they were suddenly playing a game. It seemed he picked up on her mood for he became serious, running by her side instead of behind her and the second Sakura barged into her mother's bedroom, he shot straight in there, jumping on the bed and licking Mebuki's face.

The woman groaned with annoyance and sleepily tried to bat him away.

The relief Sakura felt was so great that she could have cried. Her knees actually weakened.

"Sakura? Is something wrong?"

At her mother's tired mumble, Sakura smiled and shook her head, forcing back her tears. "I just came to check on you, see if you wanted anything."

Mebuki shook her head before dropping it back against the pillow. "I'm fine, thank you."

Even though her mother was no longer looking at her, Sakura nodded. "Come on, Ao. Let's take you for a walk!"

Ao was off the bed and running through the house within a second, skidding across the landing just before he was dashing down the stairs, going straight to the door where he waited almost patiently. With one last glance at her mother, Sakura shut the door as quietly as possible and followed after Ao, but before she left the house, she grabbed her phone, unlocking it swiftly and going through her contacts.

Nowadays, around this area, Sakura didn't have to put Ao on his harness. He obeyed her without hesitation and stayed by her side if she called for him and if Ao ran off, he still stuck close by. So as Sakura wandered after him, following Ao as he ran to this area and that, sniffing it out, she called somebody she needed right now. Only, when she tried to call, he didn't answer. So Sakura called the next person.

"Sakura?"

"Hey, Sasuke. I–Is Shisui there, by any chance?"

There was a pause. "Why didn't you just call his phone?"

"Don't start, Sasuke. I'm having a shitty day and I really need him right now. His phone's off."

"What's up?" this voice was different, deeper, making Sakura sigh in relief.

"Shisui, somebody was here. At my mom's house. They left me a letter with this disgusting dead skin all inside the envelope and the letter."

Just like with Sasuke, Shisui was silent for a moment. "And what do you want me to do about that?"

He hadn't meant it in a nasty way, she could hear the confusion in his tone. "The letter said 'I'm just getting started', Shisui! I'm freaking the hell out over here–"

Ao suddenly began barking, his hackles raised.

"Please, just get over here."

"Try to stay calm, Sakura. I'm over at Itachi and Sasuke's right now, so I'll be a couple of minutes. Do you want me to stay on the phone with you?"

"Yeah." swallowing hard as vicious and unrelenting memories attacked her, Sakura took an uncertain step forward and closer to Ao, who had ceased barking but was growling as though in warning. "Ao–"

He whirled around and slammed his head into her, beating the breath out of her as well as knocking her back a few feet. Sakura's eyes were wide as he continued to headbutt her, to knock her backwards until she fell to the ground with a shriek. Ao was above her in an instant, but his back was to her and he looked like he was about to pounce on something, making Sakura's blood run cold. She couldn't hear Shisui calling her name into the phone, she couldn't feel the gravel of the drive digging into her skin.

Not even ten feet away from her, was a huge, white snake.

It was hissing at her and Ao, lifting its head into the air and glaring at them.

Now she could understand why Ao had been so determined on pushing her backwards, even if it meant hurting her.

Her body was shaking, her breathing coming out in quick, uneven pants. When Ao's left back paw slowly slid back, Sakura forced herself to move in time with him, shuffling backwards slowly and carefully, trying her best not to capture the snake's attention.

Too late.

It lunged towards Ao's throat, making her cry out in fear as she shot towards him, but just as she was certain it was about to sink its teeth into her beloved dog, a pale hand quickly grabbed it, restricting its movements as another hand grabbed the body. Following those hands, Sakura's wide, fear–filled eyes connected with Sasuke's. He seemed angry. No, he was livid. She could tell by the tremble in his hands.

Arms wrapped around her waist, effortlessly lifting Sakura off the ground and she knew just by the scent who had picked her up, so she clung to him desperately, afraid to let go. If Itachi minded being held so tightly, he didn't say a word and instead guided her back to the house, whilst Shisui gave Ao a pat on the head, telling him that he was a good boy. Picking up Sakura's phone, he watched out of the corner of his eye as Sasuke crossed the roads and threw the snake back into the woods.

Where it belonged.


"It's him." Sakura muttered, holding the cup of tea tightly between her hands. "It's him. I know it is. He's coming after me again."

Shisui sat down beside Sakura on the sofa. "That's not going to happen, Sakura. You have my word. Yakushi Kabuto is still locked away, along with Zaku, Juugo, Suigetsu and Dosu. Karin is the only one who escaped."

A shaky sigh tore through her and she gave him a hopeless look. "Then who sent the letter, Shisui? It was hand delivered. Somebody was here. Somebody was here whilst my mom was upstairs, sleeping in her bed." a tear slipped down her cheek and a quivering sob left her before she could stop it. "I can't lose her, too."

He nodded, taking the cup out of Sakura's shaking hands and placing it on the table and once her hands were free, he pulled her against him, holding her as she cried. "Nothing is going to happen to her, Sakura. Your mother is tough and I pity the fool who even dares attempt an attack on her."

She laughed quietly. "R–Remember that time… my mom chased you and Naruto around with a rolling pin?" Shisui joined in with her laughter. "I think Itachi's the only one who's never been on her bad side."

"Call it strategic thinking – choosing my battles wisely." Itachi murmured as he entered the room and sat on her other side, giving her a small smirk when she looked up at him with her own. "I knew better than to anger your mother whilst growing up. It was the same with my own."

"Uchiha Itachi," she chuckled, "actually fears something."

There were actually several things Itachi feared. First had to be the overwhelming feeling that would wash over him at just the thought of losing Sasuke, Sakura or Shisui. Hell, even Naruto! That applied to Sakura's parents, too. They had helped him through so much and it was because of them that Itachi had been able to become the man he was today.

Placing a hand on Sakura's back, he smiled down at her. No words were needed and at his silent order, she shuffled forward, allowing Shisui to get up and examine the letter Sakura had received as well as the dead skin. Her stomach lurched. Whoever the fuck had sent that was sick in the head! Dead skin? Creeps. Forcing down her unease and closing her eyes, she rested her head on Itachi's lap, sighing when he readjusted his hold so that they would both be more comfortable.


"You know who sent this letter."

Looking up at his cousin, Sasuke nodded once. "Yes. The snake gave away the identity of the person who sent it."

Shisui sighed. Just by that faint tremble in Sasuke's hands, he could tell where this was going. It made him so angry. Not with Sasuke, but with the man who was doing this. How long had he been in hiding for, now? It would have to be well over a year. No matter how hard they tried, Shisui and his team just could not find him.

"This is a warning." it had meant to be a question, but with the expression on Sasuke's face, Shisui's sentence had been changed to a statement.

"No." he replied and his voice sounded much harsher, deeper, with his anger. "Like the letter says, he's only just getting started. You think this is the worst he can do? Send a snake to her house as well as a letter filled with dead skin?" the dead skin actually belonged to a snake, but had been broken up into tiny pieces so that it appeared human. Sasuke knew that because of the pattern on the skin, though did not touch it because it was evidence. After the attack last year, he had been doing research and only pushed himself harder when he received yet another invitation from that vile bastard. "Orochimaru isn't even trying to scare her right now."

"You're wrong, Sasuke." Shisui murmured, glancing around the dining room and lowering his voice considerably just in case somebody heard them. "This stays between us, do you understand?" Sasuke nodded, his eyes narrowing. "They are going to release Kazashi–san's body this week, saying it was a heart attack that killed him. But what if it wasn't? There are many things to cause heart attack symptoms."

His eyes narrowed even further. "Wouldn't an autopsy pick up on that?"

The older Uchiha sighed and shook his head. "You'd be surprised how much they miss when they believe it wasn't a suspicious death." shoving his hand in his pocket, he pulled out his phone. "Get me a container so I can take this down to the station. I doubt Mebuki–san will want police officers barging into her home right now and I don't want to alarm Sakura." at Sasuke's unsure look, Shisui sighed. "Just take a look at her, Sasuke. Sakura is barely keeping it together and looks as though she hasn't slept in days – she's only been back here for three days! She won't be able to handle this. If Sakura finds out that it was possible for Orochimaru, of all people, to be here, can you imagine how much that would frighten her?"

Eventually, after taking deep breaths to calm his anger, Sasuke nodded. "Right. And what happens now? We just leave Sakura and Mebuki here, alone?"

"Not at all. I will be checking in on them every day, as will Itachi. You can, too, if you want. Just don't let her suspect anything."

Sasuke shook his head with disbelief. "Sakura isn't an idiot. She'll have this figured out by the end of the week."

"As harsh as this sounds, Sakura's head is not in the right place at the moment. The sadness of losing her father, the stress of taking care of her mother, the pain of breaking up with Gaara–kun, will be weighing heavily on her mind."

"They haven't broken up." Sasuke muttered, glaring down at the ground.

"No, but they are taking a break from their relationship for an unknown period of time."

"…And it still hurts her." he closed his eyes and sighed. "I'll get you that container."


After making sure that nobody else was in the room (Shisui and Sasuke had gone to the station and Itachi was preparing dinner), Sakura quickly went behind the bar and grabbed the bottle of vodka that had been calling to her for the past hour. God she needed a drink! Unscrewing the lid on her empty water bottle, she aligned the two bottles and poured the contents from the glass bottle, into the plastic one. Since moving out, her parents had started stocking the home–bar once again and whilst it was wrong of her to be taking advantage of her mother's grief, the woman was in no state to notice something as small as this.

Besides, she didn't need her medication anymore, so she was okay to have a drink! Just in case somebody threw a bitch fit, however, Sakura decided it was best to pretend as though it was simply water in her bottle.

Leaving a small amount in the bottle (and making a mental note to replace it), Sakura put it back in its original place and made sure the lid on her own bottle was secure.

A bright smile graced her lips as she moved away from the bar and headed in the direction of the stairs. Finally! After everything that had happened, Sakura believed that she deserved this drink. Of course she wouldn't drink it all, because then they would catch on that she had started drinking once again (and also, downing pure vodka was rather stupid). No, she would just take a couple of sips every now and then to keep her going. And now, she didn't have to worry about getting sick again like the last time! No more medication.

It took everything in Sakura to hold back her sudden need to giggle.

"Sakura?" a voice called from the kitchen.

She froze. "…Yeah?"

"Will your mother be joining us for dinner, or should I put some to the side for her?"

Oh thank God for that. Itachi had always had some sort of creepy sixth sense and for a moment there, Sakura had been certain he had caught on already. "Uh… I'll ask her now, I need to go upstairs and get changed anyway."

"Dinner will be ready in thirty–five minutes." he told her after a moment.

"Okay!"


A/N – I decided to give you all another chapter for Halloween! :-D

Does this remind anyone of anything? Something that happened in They Never Knew? Not with Orochimaru and the snake and the letter, but the last little bit of the chapter.

Have any of you noticed how everyone's pretty much forgotten about Kankuro in the anime and manga? Nobody has seen him or spoken about him since the beginning of the war! Hahahaha. Poor Kankuro!

Ew, I bought some cans of pepsi earlier today and I didn't taste much of the first one because I was downing it whilst eating, but then the taste caught up to me and I was like "um...". Went onto another can and EW EW EW! It was completely flat and had this horrible tangy taste to it that made me feel really sick.

What do you all think? Do you think Orochimaru sent the letter? Does he have some sort of plan?

I feel like the narrator guy off of DBZ. Um...

HOPE YOU ALL ENJOYED AND DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW! :-)