Aha! I got this update done earlier than I have been getting them done! :) so proud of myself! I made myself sit down and bang this chapter out today so hopefully you enjoy it!

Disclaimer: DNON

Enjoy the chapter! :)

Chapter 10

The words chilled his blood. Taunting him inside his mind. But the question remained. Who was next? Was it Sakura? Was it someone else? A hand placed itself on his shoulder.

"We don't know who yet." Itachi's voice came.

"I need to let Sakura know though." A squeeze of the hand approved the statement. "We need to find this guy." Sasuke shrugged the hand off his shoulder and approached the table. The poor woman looked younger than what most of the victims were aged at. He didn't look at the details, he really almost didn't want to know. She was young and she had a full life ahead of her. He couldn't be here. He needed to leave.

The rest of his team watched him go and heard the squeal of tires as his truck tore away from the curb. Itachi turned back to the scene. He motioned that they needed to keep going. Pictures were taken. Statements were heard from neighbors. The woman was taken away. And at last the crime scene was silent after hours of bustle. Yellow tape was blocking anyone from coming into the home and yet as the hours passed away and everyone left. Itachi stayed. His eyes looked and calculated. Trying to picture what happened. He had all the information from the day, but maybe the dark would give him his answers.

The woman had been murdered in her bedroom by strangulation, and was then carried from the bedroom and placed on the kitchen table where he had cut her throat and written the message. The person responsible had planned on writing the words on the wall. It was carefully written and though it was grammatically incorrect the desired effect was given. He had been one of the first on the scene and the words had chilled even him, and then made him bristle. Who was next. Sasuke of course was the obvious choice, however you could never be sure. It could be toward someone else in the department.

Onyx eyes continued to try and piece everything together, but there was something missing. Who was doing this? And what exactly was their purpose, though half of that had been deduced by the message. It was revenge. But why? What had made this person want to seek revenge? Everything was looked over carefully but his mind was tired. Closing his eyes he let everything relax for a second before opening them again and leaving the house.

Sasuke had driven back to the department. On the way he had called his parents, his mother answering and told them to be extremely careful and to make sure the house was locked tight even when they were there before asking her to pass the message onto Sakura.

Since his failure at the hospital he didn't feel worthy enough to talk to his wife. How he had let her down. He was ashamed of himself. He couldn't muster up the courage to warn her. To let her know that her and his son might be in danger. Why couldn't be just man up and tell her? Right now he was feeling so... helpless. If that was what he could call it. He couldn't stop people in his city from being killed and he couldn't keep his marriage together. Couldn't muster the guts to tell his wife how scared he felt that she could be next in this killer's game.

Everything was accumulating and he wasn't sure how he was supposed to handle it all. His father and older brother showed so much composure and their expressions never wavered. Why didn't he have that cold detached exterior? Why couldn't he separate his work from his personal life? Except in this case, it certainly wasn't possible. All he knew was that he had to protect his wife and son. He couldn't fail them. He had already failed them in so many ways. Maybe, just maybe if he was able to put an end to this killer he could be worthy to stand before his wife and say he accomplished something. That he had protected her and his city.

For months even before the serial killer, he had been feeling down about life. He felt like he wasn't achieving his goals as a husband and a father, and now even as Head of the Department. His life was picking up speed as it rapidly deteriorated.

Sakura didn't know where she got the courage, but after Mikoto informing her and her parents of possible danger, anger had surged up knowing that Sasuke couldn't even come and tell her himself. So after two days of fuming silently, she got her little boy ready and herself ready, got them both into their car and set off towards the Department. If she was in danger, she wanted Sasuke to tell her himself. No relaying of messages, but straight from his mouth. She needed to know what possible danger they faced.

It had been a long time since she had entered the Department. Lately she hadn't needed too. Though she could remember to a time when she had visited often. After getting married, she would usually come down to the Department a couple of times a week for lunch, and a few times those lunches had led to other activities, but they were distant memories and she needed to remember that.

Seto sat on her hip as she walked through the main foyer and then rode the elevator up to the top floor where Sasuke's office sat. walking through the top floor she got smiles from old friends. Naruto came over to give her a large hug and she had to laugh as he claimed he hadn't seen her in forever, though it was probably true. They caught up for only a few moments, but she was glad she had seen the blond again. It had been a while since she had seen many of the guys she had come to known through her girl friends as well as Sasuke. After talking and then saying a quick hello to Neji and Shikamaru she came before the door to Sasuke's office. Before she would have just gone straight in, but this time was different. They were different and instead of walking in she gave a few taps to alert him and then walked in.

Sasuke was surprised to see Sakura and Seto coming into the room. Hearing the taps he had started to get up and was in the middle of standing when he spotted them coming through the door. Seto immediately began squirming on Sakura's hip to be let down and as soon as his feet hit the ground Sasuke was nearly bowled over by his son. Letting out a small huff of amusement he picked his soon up and gave the boy a hug and wondered if giving his little boy hugs was always this good. It felt good to have that little body snug against his own and feeling his little hands grip his shirt.

Sakura saw the interaction between father and son and tears pricked her eyes. The two had missed each other and Sasuke seemed to keep Seto in a firm lock for longer than she had seen him hug his son in a long time. It was usually a quick hard squeeze before he walked out the door. Maybe something had changed. She hoped that something had changed.

After the long hug, Sasuke kept Seto propped on his own side now. The boy snuggling up into his father and looking quite content. Sasuke motioned for Sakura to come into the room and surprisingly as she came closer Sasuke came around the desk and gave her a quick hug. Slightly startled at first she soon let go and enjoyed the small embrace.

"What are you doing here?" he asked sitting down in his large chair still holding Seto as Sakura sat herself in a chair across the desk.

"I wanted to talk to you about your warning given through Mikoto." she started. "I would have rather heard from you. What is going on Sasuke? I keep seeing the news and different reports but nothing solid?" He smirked, this was one of the things he loved about her. She had always been so smart, deducing things and looking at the small crevices that he hadn't found. Was that why he had become so distant? Because she had always seem to know what was going on before he did and that scared him. It was like she could see right through him.

"We're keeping a lot of things to ourselves. We don't have a full profile. All we want people to know is that this person is very dangerous and be extremely cautious especially if one lives in a gated community." Sakura listened but knew there was something else.

"There's something else Sasuke or else you wouldn't have warned us like that. What else is going on?"

Sasuke shook his head, "There was a note on the wall of our last victim's house. It stated 'You're Next'. We don't know who it's pointed towards but you, your parents, and mine, live in gated communities. I just want you all to be careful. We don't know when he will strike again. I want you safe Sakura." he looked point blank at Sakura when he said the last sentence and she knew he was serious. Slowly nodding her head she answered that they would be safe.

"How are you doing? Since the hospital" he clarified his question. Sakura's face softened and for the next while they talked. They didn't argue, they didn't accuse or point fingers, but they just talked and when the time came to leave, Sakura left a kiss on Sasuke's cheek.

Walking away she could have told him she pregnant. She could have told them that they had another child on the way. But how do you tell someone that, when even though after an amazing conversation, things weren't all the way smooth between them and there was a mad murderer on the loose possibly threatening their family. Father Time certainly wasn't thinking about convenience.

Sasuke felt a sense of ease after Sakura left. The time they had just talked seemed to sooth him. Letting him know that maybe there was a chance that maybe once this murderer was caught, he could go home and they could figure out what was going on between them and they could maybe become a family again. There were a lot of maybe's and what if's involved, but they could try and that was what he wanted. He knew there were wounds to heal on both sides, and he hoped he could have that chance to make things right.

The next few days passed by with everyone at the Department working hard. They hadn't received another call, but then again, they didn't think they would. One of their families was at risk and with that in mind the pressure on everyone had increased. Whose family was the targeted. Sasuke stayed in contact with his parents, as well as Sakura's parents and Sakura. He hadn't slept more than an hour or two at a time. Desperation was starting to sink with everyone. The main units were working around the clock. Trying to figure out patterns, trying to figure out what community was next, whose family lived inside a gated community and where that community laid to the rest of the map.

After days and hours of looking over maps and profiles and pictures eyes were blurring and minds just weren't working as fast or as sharp as they should. A week since the last attack, Sasuke felt safe in sending many workers home to rest and be with their own families. Sasuke devoutly stayed at the Department. He was their leader and he would remain that steadfast leader throughout this whole ordeal and he vowed that this murderer would be caught this time. There was no way around that. He would make his city safe again.

The eighth day after the last attack, the Department was once again busy. There was a tension in the air and everyone seemed to know that somehow today was a big day. With fresh eyes and rested bodies everyone dived into their work with more vigor than before. The morning slowly slipped into the afternoon and afternoon into early evening.

Sasuke was so intent after taking several small naps throughout the day. He needed to be awake. Needed to find something to show where the next victim lay. Where this murderer would strike next. It was nearing seven at night when a knock was on his door. He called them to enter. His new receptionist entered and gave him an envelope saying someone had dropped it off for the Department. Taking the envelope he opened it carefully and finding only a small slip of paper he took it out and read it. Immediately his body hardened and he instantly called for his team.

Sakura strapped Seto into his car seat after finishing dinner with her parents. She had finally decided it was time to return to their home and breathe some normalcy back into Seto. He hadn't been home for weeks and he needed to back in his own home and in his own bed. After saying goodbye to her parents again, she got into the car and started towards home. Looking at the clock she saw it was twenty til eight. Maybe when they got home she could make some cookies from the cookie dough she had in the freezer and Seto could have some milk and cookies before he went to sleep.

The Eight Hour is Near

The note was now displayed in the board room for all eyes to see. They all knew what it meant. At eight tonight, another life would be taken. A life that was close to someone at the Department. The maps and pictures were all posted and had been copied for each member of the team to have. Neji and Shikamaru were trying to decipher anything that could make a connection to who would be next. Sasuke sat at his seat with the mat in front of him. All he could think about was Sakura. Was she safe? Was she still at her parent's house? He hoped she was. He hadn't talked to her in the last two days and didn't know of her plans.

Circling the community where their house lay, he then made dots for where each of the other communities lay. As he looked over the map, something started to click. Instead of connecting the communities in the order in which they were hit, he made a round half circle on top covering three of the communities. Then another half circle connecting two more communities. That made five communities. The next community was near the bottom This picture was looking oddly familiar. The seventh community was also near the bottom. Moving up to connect those two communities to the others it become clear who was next. Their community laid right in the middle, and he knew who was next. Swinging his head to the clock on the wall his blood seemed to turn cold. It was five minutes to eight.

Anyone figure out what the picture was that Sasuke created. I hope I described it well enough :) I thought it was rather clever! haha oh and btw peeps I do know my english language and I purposely put the "your next" like that. I don't think a murderer will really be paying to grammar in the heat of the moment... but I am a bit of a grammar nazi, though I don't always edit these chapters haha :)

But please review! I worked really hard on this chapter and I would love to see what everyone thinks! :)

yoyo