Chapter Ten
The Accomplice
It had only taken Sakura a half an hour to get from the hospital to the department. She had all but forced the nurse to sign her discharge papers before she rode with Sasuke in his car back to the police department. Almost every field officer was there, pulling on bulletproof vests, their uniforms and other materials of protection as Tenten checked out guns to everyone.
Sakura had only barely glanced at Sasuke on her way in before she rode up to the third floor where the locker rooms were. She quickly made her way to her own locker where she kept her uniform and opened the metal door as Ino stopped next to her. "I heard what happened," her blonde friend said quietly. "Are you alright?"
Without looking up, Sakura pulled her uniform off the hanger and quickly dropped it on the bench before she reached in to grab the rest of her gear. "I'm fine," she said, even as her shoulder reminded her what had happened barely two hours earlier.
Sakura didn't have to look to see her best friend's worried gaze. Ino didn't reply as Sakura got her things together quickly. She had just pulled her boots out of her locker when she suddenly felt her best friend's arms around her as she pressed the side of her face into the space between her shoulders. "Promise me you'll be okay," Ino murmured.
Quietly, Sakura took a deep breath and placed her hand atop Ino's arms before she slowly turned around in her grasp. Ino pulled back slightly when Sakura moved and she dropped her arms back down to her sides as Sakura faced her. The pink-haired woman gave Ino a meaningful look even as she felt her heartstrings tug sharply at the unshed tears in her best friend's eyes. "Ino, you shouldn't be going," she said quietly. "I mean you're pregnant for God's-."
"Sh!" Ino quickly shushed her. She glanced around to be sure they were alone before she turned her gaze back to Sakura. "I haven't told anyone yet," she admitted. "I was going to tell Shikamaru last night, but then I didn't know how to. He would want me off this case and I'm already too far into it to be taken off."
Sakura gave her a disapproving look but it was only half-hearted. Slowly Sakura shook her head before she looked Ino in the eyes. "I promise you I'll be okay only if you are."
Taking a deep breath, Ino nodded. They braced quickly before Ino pulled back and glanced at the door to the locker room. "I'll meet you down in the lobby," she said before she hurriedly left the locker room.
The moment she was out of sight, Sakura returned to changing into her uniform. She pulled on her pants and tied the laced on her boots together. As she stood up, a quiet hiss of pain escaped her as her shoulder throbbed. Automatically her hand went to the gauze covering her stitches and she waited until most of the pain subsided before she carefully pulled off the t-shirt she wore into the woods earlier. A small frown fell across her face upon seeing all the blood stained down the side, but she quickly pulled her gaze away from the bloody material as she dumped it in the trash and turned her attention back to her locker. Quietly Sakura grabbed a black tank top from the top shelf and yanked it over her head as carefully as she could. Once it was on, she looked down at the bench next to her and searched for what she needed to put on next. She hesitated when she spotted her bulletproof vest.
Slowly Sakura reached down and picked it up before she gazed at it slowly. Her eyes traced the non-existent trails of blood that had been splattered against it earlier. She had learned as she was being released that Sasuke had been kind enough to clean it for her earlier, but she could still see what it had done for her. There was a mark in the side from where it had stopped a bullet that would have undoubtedly ripped through one of her kidneys and killed her. The fabric on the same shoulder where she had been shot was frayed and torn from where the bullet had ripped the outer stitching before it went into her shoulder.
Thinking back now, she didn't know what the hell she had been thinking. In fact, for the past couple of weeks she didn't know what she had been thinking. If she hadn't withheld evidence, they probably would have caught Kabuto earlier and been able to bring him in again for questioning, this time under arrest. They probably would have found the girls sooner and known that there were two of them.
She had irrefutably screwed up this time.
"How many lives do you think you have, Sakura?" a soft voice asked quietly.
Slowly Sakura looked up from the vest in her hands to the entrance of the locker room. Itachi was standing in the doorway, watching her with an unreadable expression. She just stared at him with a similar expression her face as she realized that all the anger she felt towards him for the past couple of months was gone. Now, she just felt empty.
"I don't know," she replied softly. "I'm still counting."
There was a slight change to Itachi's expression but it was so subtly that she couldn't tell exactly what it was. She could feel a strange pull between them that hadn't been there in the past couple of weeks, but it didn't feel the same as before when they had been together. It was hard to describe but she felt it. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she wondered if he did too.
Slowly Sakura turned her gaze back down to her vest as she heard Itachi take a few steps into the locker room. "I don't want you to go out there," he said just as quietly as before.
Her eyes didn't turn from her vest as she shook her head softly. "I know you don't like it, Itachi," she said carefully, "but my job description says I'm a field officer; not a forensic scientist."
When he didn't reply, she carefully unzipped her vest and slipped it on. She pulled her hair out of the collar and zipped it back up before she tugged it down slightly so it felt more comfortable. It fit snuggly to her chest and torso, and she flinched slightly when the material rubbed against the stitches in her shoulder that were hidden beneath the square piece of gauze.
"You should not be going out into the field while you are injured," he said.
Sakura didn't spare him a glance at she pulled her uniform shirt from her locker and slipped it on as well. "It's an occupational hazard."
She heard him sigh as his patience began to give away. "I don't know what you're trying to prove, but doing it is going to get yourself killed."
"I'm not trying to prove anything," Sakura said quickly as she finally looked up at him again. She could see the frustration in his eyes as well as worry, but his expression was otherwise just as unreadable as before.
"Then stop trying to do everything, Sakura," he replied slowly, but firmly.
His tone stopped her from replying and she could only stare at him as he in turn watched her. A long moment passed between them before she finally drew her eyes from his. She glanced at her locker to be sure she had everything she needed before she quietly closed it and turned to look at him again. "I should go. I suspect we're leaving soon."
She walked past him but before she could reach the door, he grabbed her upper arm on her uninjured side. He forced her to stop and turn around to look at him. "Just be careful. Don't do anything I wouldn't."
Again, Sakura realized that if this conversation had happened the night before she would have been angry, absolutely furious, but now she only stared back at him with a strange calmness settled in her chest. "If I were to do that, Itachi," she said quietly, "I would be sitting on the sidelines."
Carefully, she pulled her arm from his grasp and walked out of the locker room. She had only made it a couple of steps passed the doorway when she heard him reply almost too quietly for her to hear. "Not this time."
To her surprise, Itachi had been serious about going with them. When she and Itachi had reached the lobby, they had gone their separate ways without a word as the department split up into teams. Without complaint, she had joined Sasuke's team and accepted the shotgun Tenten offered her before she grabbed the earpiece Sasuke handed to her.
Once she had finished getting ready, she had looked up to find all the teams that were ready to go were heading out. She had caught Itachi's eye and found that he was geared up much like her with his own shotgun in hand. Surprisingly, his old friend and ex-partner, Hoshigaki Kisame, was next to him wearing his full SAT uniform with his own shotgun in hand, but her eye contact with Itachi had quickly broken when Sasuke announced they were all set to go. Without a second glance at Itachi, she, Sasuke and the rest of their team – namely Naruto and Kankuro – headed out.
It had taken another ten minutes or so before the rest of the police cars had arrived at the edge of the woods. By the time everyone parked, the pale fingertips of the sun were only just beginning to show in the dark sky. It relieved Sakura a little to know that she wouldn't have to climb through these woods in the dark again. Though, that thought quickly vanished when Itachi's voice crackled through her earpiece, telling the teams to start the search and not get separated. Automatically Sasuke took the lead as they hurried through the thick trees and underbrush.
For nearly fifteen minutes, the department hiked through the woods at a rushed pace. Sakura could feel her thighs burning as they travelled uphill quickly, climbing under and over fallen trees and through half-frozen mud. Her shoulder was beginning to throb painfully from its overuse but she kept moving even as more mud made her slip slightly with every step and more fallen trees partially blocked their path. In the early morning light, Sakura could barely see the other teams through the trees, but the crunching of boots on dead, frozen leaves and the soft whines of the search dogs echoed quietly through the trees, reassuring her that the others were close by.
"We're about to reach the two mile mark," Shisui's voice said through the radio a few minutes later. "Stay sharp."
Even through the crackle of the radio, she could hear the slight pant in his voice and unconsciously her fingers tightened on her shotgun as they picked up their pace slightly. Her breath was coming out of her nose in quiet puffs of air and from the flushed cheeks and noses of Naruto and Kankuro, she could tell they were beginning to tire too. Even Sasuke with his back turned to her as he stayed in the lead looked like he could use a short break, but none of them stopped or slowed down as the land in front of them quickly turned into a steep hill.
They had only just started up a steep hill when Sakura heard the low whines of the dogs. Immediately everyone stopped as Shisui's voice spoke through the radio again. "Kakashi, report."
The head of their canine unit paused before the radio turned on again. "The dogs smell something. They're trying to pinpoint it now."
"Keep us updated," Shisui replied.
Kakashi murmured a confirmation before the radio fell silent again. Sasuke slowly made his way back to them and told them to double check their gear before things got busy. Without a word, Sakura began checking the gear around her waist when something reached her ears. Slowly, she picked her head up and gazed up the hill before she slowly took a few more steps forward.
"Sakura," Sasuke called.
She stopped but didn't turn to look at him. "Do you hear that?" she asked.
Sasuke approached her quietly and came to a halt at her side silently. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as they both listened to the small hum in the distance. "That sounds like a boat engine."
Slowly, Sasuke and Sakura glanced at each other before they both started a fast pace up the hill. Their breath made white mist form in the air behind them as they unconsciously picked up their pace. The stitches in her shoulder began to throb, but she ignored the pain and pushed herself to keep going. A couple of times, Sakura felt her feet slipped in the half-frozen mud causing her to stumble, but she would quickly catch herself again and continue at Sasuke's pace as the sound of an engine got louder.
At the top of the hill, the land leveled out slightly, but they kept up their fast pace as the sound became more distinct. A few minutes later, the trees thinned out and Sakura had to skid to a stop as the ground gave way to a steep, sudden cliff. Her eyes widened at the twenty or so foot drop as she found herself looking down at a small lake.
Immediately, she spotted the small cabin across the way and the dirt road that wrapped around the side of it before it disappeared into the woods. There was an old truck parked in front of the cabin with an empty boat trailer on the back. Automatically her eyes travelled to the small dock and cement boat ramp, and finally the small, black fishing boat in the center of the lake.
From this distance, she could make out the man Kabuto had described as his uncle. Orochimaru had long, unkempt black hair and pasty white skin. His face was currently hidden behind his hair as he bent down and fiddled with something in the boat, but eventually he straightened as he picked up whatever he had been toying with.
Sakura's eyes widened and she cocked her gun as Orochimaru pulled Hanabi's twin sister, Masaru, off the floor of the boat and sat her on the edge of the small craft. Even from this far away, Sakura could see her feet and hands were bound and there was a gag in her mouth. Then she realized the thing Orochimaru was messing with was the cement block tied to her feet.
"Sasuke," she hissed.
She glanced at him when he remained silent. His expression was blank, but his gaze didn't waver from the small boat even as their radio crackled. "Sasuke, Sakura, where the hell are you?" Naruto asked.
Sakura looked at Orochimaru and Masaru before glancing at Sasuke again. "Sasuke," she snapped as she raised her own gun. "If you don't give me permission to shoot, I will anyway."
The radio in their ears crackled again. "Sasuke, Sakura, state your current location," Itachi's voice ordered.
Looking through the sights of her gun, Sakura flipped the safety off. "Sasuke."
The moment her finger touched the trigger, a shotgun blast echoed through the still forest. Sakura snapped her eyes to Sasuke just as he lowered his weapon, but she quickly looked away again as Orochimaru hoisted Masaru up and tossed her over the side of the boat.
Sakura's breath caught in her throat and automatically she took a step forward only to jerk back and duck behind a tree trunk when Orochimaru picked up a gun that had been hidden at the bottom of his boat and returned fire.
"Sakura, Sasuke, where are you?" Itachi's voice snapped in her ear.
Both of them ignored him as a bullet made the bark on the tree above Sakura's head explode. From her quick glance, his gun had been a semi-automatic pistol and so she counted out the six shots it held before she and Sasuke fired again. The sounds of gun fire echoed around the woods and in the back of her mind, Sakura heard the dogs barking as they got closer followed by the voices of team leaders as they gave orders.
Honestly, Sakura wasn't entirely sure which one of them fired the kill shot, but the moment Orochimaru collapsed backwards inside his boat awkwardly and didn't get up again, Sakura was moving. She quickly dropped her gun, striped off her heavier gear, and yanked her earpiece out before she jumped off the edge of the cliff without a second thought.
The large drop made her stomach feel like it had flown into her throat and her heart had stopped in her chest even as her adrenaline kicked in, and she vaguely heard Sasuke call her name, but his voice was quickly drowned out when the water engulfed her.
The moment the water grab hold of her, her muscles froze in shock from the frigid temperature. The air in her lungs threatened to escape out her nose, but she quickly got her bearings and clawed her way to the surface. When her head broke the top of the water, she sucked in a much needed breath before she quickly swam to the edge of the boat where small air bubbles kept popping up. Once she was over them, she dove down.
Quickly, Sakura pushed herself to swim as fast as she could to the bottom of the lake even as her wet clothing slowed her down. A jolt of panic swept through her when she realized it was deeper than she anticipated and she could barely see anything through the murky water that stung her eyes, but she forced herself to keep going down even as her mind screamed at her to go back to the surface. It didn't take long before her muscles began aching painfully from the freezing water and her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. Her mind began to scramble as she realized she was going to need air soon, but she refused to turn around.
It was at the exact same moment that Sakura knew she needed to get to the surface or risk drowning that the shadow of a small figure in the water caught her attention. Ignoring the burn of her muscles and the stinging of her eyes, Sakura quickly swam over to her. Even through the muddy water, Sakura could see Masaru's eyes were closed and there were only very small air bubbles escaping out of her nose, but instead of shaking her conscious, Sakura swam down to her feet to the cement block holding her in place.
Quickly, Sakura unbuckled her shoes when she saw the rope was tied through her laces and pulled her feet out of them before she wrapped an arm around the girl and frantically kicked her way to the surface.
With the added weight and her own clothes weighing her down, the swim back to the surface was dangerously slow. Sakura swore her lungs were going to burst from lack of oxygen and it felt like her muscles were about to stop working as her shoulder lanced pain through her side like she had just been shot again only worse. It felt like she was carrying a bag of potatoes and her lack of oxygen was making her dizzy and tired.
But just when she thought she was going to pass out, her head broke the surface. Quickly Sakura sucked in a couple of deep breaths of air before she hurriedly swam to the dock. She had only made it about halfway when she vaguely saw officers and dogs race into the clearing out of the corner of her eyes.
When she finally made it to the dock, Kakashi and Kisame were already waiting for her. They quickly held out their hands and tiredly Sakura pushed Masaru up high enough for them to grab her before they hoisted her out of the water. The moment Sakura let go of her, she felt so weak she thought was going to sink under the water in exhaustion, but before she could Kisame held out his hand for her.
Weakly, Sakura held up her arm to grasp his hand before he pulled her up. His strength surprised her for he managed to pull her onto the dock with no help from her. The moment her body hit the wooden platform, she collapsed onto her side and watched through half-lidded eyes as Kakashi gave the girl CPR.
Sakura's heart was pounding in her chest and once she was able to mostly catch her breath, she forced her weak muscles to move so she could push herself into a sitting position and watch as Kakashi alternated between breathing air into her lungs and applying chest compressions.
The next couple of minutes felt like an eternity as more officers arrived on the scene and watched on in silence. Sakura's breath made white mist appear in the air and she watched with wide eyes as Masaru made no response. She could feel her entire body becoming numb, but she wasn't sure if it was because of the crisp air that was washing over her wet form or the fear bubbling in her chest.
After what seemed like an entire lifetime, Kakashi sat back and shook his head slowly. "She's gone."
Slowly Sakura turned her gaze from the girl's pale, unmoving face to Kakashi. His expression was blank but his bi-colored eyes were dark in sadness. When she looked at Kisame she saw his brow was pinched slightly and his dark eyes held a pain she wasn't familiar with, but they quickly cleared as he turned to look at her. A frown spread across his face but he didn't say anything as he pulled off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders to help keep her warm.
It didn't help. Sakura felt cold down to her very soul.
The entire area seemed still as officers gazed on, not knowing what to do. Everyone watched on silently, but eventually the crowd parted as Itachi and Sasuke stepped through to stop next to Shisui who had witnessed the entire thing. Sasuke was holding her gear, but he didn't approach her as his eyes took in the scene laid out before him on the dock.
It was Itachi that broke the silence. "Call Shizune," he said lightly, "and mark off the area." He slowly walked across the dock and stopped next to them to look down at the girl. There was an air of sadness radiating off of him, but he didn't speak as his gaze turned towards the lake. "We're going to need to get that boat," he said softly.
Without a word, Sakura followed his gaze. From this angle, she thankfully couldn't see Orochimaru's body as the boat slowly turned in place. Looking at it now, Sakura realized the small craft wasn't black, but instead a dark green. The sides of the boat were smooth and there was a slight water line, bleaching the green paint a lighter color. On the back of the boat, just above the water line was its name: Water Nymph.
Slowly Sakura pulled her eyes away from the small craft. She was so exhausted that just the thought of someone having to retrieve it made her tired. Automatically her gaze turned back to the dead child in front of her, but it slowly turned to Shino when he took a step towards the dock. "I'll take a car back to the department and retrieve a boat," he said quietly.
Itachi nodded and they watched as he turned away and started towards the dirt road next to the cabin.
Apparently someone had ordered some officers to return to the vehicles and bring them to the cabin for when Shino reached the dirt path, the first of many police cruisers made their way out of the woods. Sakura watched for a moment as he took a car from someone before she diverted her gaze again.
That's when Itachi finally fixed his eyes on her. She didn't look up at him, but she could feel his gaze as he watched her. "You tore your stitches," he said quietly.
Slowly Sakura dragged her eyes away from the small child and glanced down to see that he was right. A pale pink mix of blood and water was slowly dripping down her arm, but her body was so numb from loss and the ice water that she didn't feel the pain in her shoulder or the blood as it marked a path down her arm. Instead, the longer she watched the blood trail down her arm and the longer Itachi stared at her with that pitiful gaze she felt herself become so hopeless she didn't even have the strength to move.
It wasn't fair. She gave everything she had to save these two girls and all she managed was to save one of them? It wasn't fair. Who the hell gave Kabuto and his jackass uncle, Orochimaru, the right to play God? What made them think that they could just go and kill anyone who they wanted? It just wasn't fair…
When Sakura didn't acknowledge him, Itachi quietly bent down and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to help her to her feet. Her frozen muscles screamed in protest at the movement and she leaned heavily against him as she stood. Itachi must have sensed how weak she was for when she was back on her feet, he kept his grip on her. And though Sakura didn't show it, she was grateful. Itachi's skin had always been incredibly warm to the touch for her and so she greedily sucked it up the warmth.
"Kakashi," Itachi suddenly said. "Please escort Sakura to the hospital," he ordered calmly. "And make sure the nurses discharge her when they feel she's ready. Am I understood?"
Out of the corner of her eyes, Sakura saw the older man nod. He carefully stepped around the young girl and gently wrapped his arm around Sakura's waist to keep her from falling. The moment Itachi released his grasp on her, Sakura missed it. Kakashi was warm, but nothing compared to the feeling of comfort Itachi's touch had on her. Unfortunately, she also knew that Itachi had a job to do and he couldn't be the one to escort her, which for the first time in a long time disappointed her.
Though, she wasn't given much time to think about it as they made their way off the dock and towards the dirt road. As they made their way towards the police cruisers, Hinata approached them and handed Kakashi a set of keys. He took them from her with a quiet murmur of thanks before he walked to the car and helped Sakura into the passenger seat. Once she was situated, he climbed into the driver's side and took off towards the hospital.
Surprisingly when they reached the hospital, Doctor Tsunade was there to meet them. The blonde woman didn't say anything but she nodded at Kakashi before she gestured for Sakura to follow her. Without a word to Kakashi, Sakura followed the older woman up to the next floor and into a hospital room. She pulled off her wet clothing when Tsunade ordered her to strip and accepted the hospital gown the blonde woman offered her before she changed. Once she was out of her frozen clothes, she sat on the provided bed and waited silently.
Quietly, Sakura watched as Tsunade moved about the room, collecting the medical supplies she needed to stitch up her injury. At one point, the blonde woman disappeared into the joined bathroom and returned a moment later with a large towel. With a quiet murmur of thanks, Sakura began drying her frozen hair.
Once the water was mostly out of her hair, Sakura grasped the towel in her hands tightly as a lump formed in her throat. She blinked fiercely to keep the tears forming in her eyes back and swallowed thickly. "We didn't save her," she said quietly. "We didn't make it in time."
Tsunade stopped what she was doing to turn and look at Sakura. Her expression was mostly unreadable but there was a sadness etched into the corners of her mouth and eyes that showed she understood how she felt. "Sometimes these things happen," she said calmly. Her voice was flat but there was an undertone that betrayed her sorrow.
Sakura shook her head slowly as she gazed down at the towel again. "I know, but we were so close. I thought that…I didn't think she would…"
Tsunade frowned slightly when she trailed off but didn't press. "What about the murderer?"
Sakura shook her head slightly. "Kabuto's still in custody, but his uncle is dead." She fell quiet when her memory flashed back to when Orochimaru fell backwards onto the seats of the boat and didn't get up again. She hadn't remembered firing her gun the moment before he fell; in fact, she had just finished loading more rounds into her shotgun. "I think Sasuke killed him," she murmured quietly.
Silently Tsunade wrapped the large towel around Sakura's shoulders before she turned her attention to her face. With gentle hands, she carefully grasped Sakura's chin and turned her head to the side. "What happened to your jaw?" she asked softly.
Memories from the night before flashes through her mind as she recalled Itachi had grasped her chin in exactly the same manner. Now she wished she hadn't pushed him away. He was only trying to help. She had just been so angry she had just snapped. Thinking back now, she didn't even know why she had been so angry. Maybe it was because she had wanted him there to protect her for Kiba. Or maybe she just wanted him to show that he still loved her. Whatever the reason was, it was too late now for her to take it back. He probably hated her now.
Thinking back now, after everything that had happened, it was hard to believe that her fight with Kiba had only been the night before. This entire night had been so long. Though, if she were being honest, these past two months had been long. And she was beyond ecstatic that everything was coming to an end.
"Kiba decided he wanted to give me one more bruise," Sakura finally said quietly.
Tsunade frowned but she didn't comment as she released Sakura's jaw. Sakura just watched silently as the blonde woman gathered the rest of the things she needed before she pulled a chair over to the bed and carefully pushed the hospital gown off of her shoulder. Once the material was out of the way, she cleaned the wound and gave Sakura some pain killers before she began the procedure of stitching the bullet wound back together.