Chapter 10: Daddy's Daisy

The usual sweet taste of Ino's tiramisu, only tasted bitter in her mouth that afternoon. She knew it wasn't Ino's own fault for the change of taste, but rather the science behind how her thoughts dampened her tongue's taste buds.

She sat in the corner of Ino's cozy little flower shop quietly as she attended a customer with her usually bubbly personality, but Sakura didn't miss the careful looks Ino threw her way when the customer was busy picking out flowers for a bouquet.

The lemongrass did help slightly to wash down the remnants of the tiramisu on her palette.

After a while, Sakura quietly made her way to the back where there were stairs that led up to Ino's little apartment above the store. She washed her teacup and plate in the small kitchenette in the apartment, her mind falling back to the events of that morning.

She met some woman that morning that she later learned was a detective. Kakashi called her Anko. Sakura sat in the back of Anko's unmarked cruiser as Kakashi sat in the passenger seat while Anko drove next to him, as he cryptically explained why Sakura was to tag along with their morning meeting. Only then did Anko spare Sakura a glance and then soon after a wicked smile, "My lucky charm!"

Somehow the mystery of the case files and her knowledge of the women, or victims rather had been the silver lining in Anko's investigation.

Anko filled Sakura's belly with mediocre grilled cheese and tomato soup at a rest stop off the interstate as compensation for her cooperation to answering all Anko's questions. The three sat in the sole booth in the station; conversing and watching cars come and go.

Sakura's answers filled some holes in Anko's case.

By the end of their conversation, Anko had deduced that Sakura's ex-boyfriend may have been an accomplice with Akatsuki or at least knew a good deal about them. She also concluded that they should look into Sakura's old apartment where she lived with her ex-boyfriend.

Kakashi was cautious in letting Anko know that the man had also been the prime suspect in the murder of Caroline a few years back. He only did so when Sakura went to the bathroom to wash up a coffee spill on her sweater. Anko nodded slowly at this new information, "We'll talk more about this back at the precinct. We don't need to worry Lucky's little head about this right now."

Kakashi blinked and huffed good humouredly at Anko's nickname for Sakura. When the said woman came back they continued their prior conversation.

"Some of the girls were dancers," Sakura said while she pried off a piece of bread from melted cheese gingerly, all the while Kakashi watching her somberly from across the table.

Before Anko could ask, Sakura looked up and spoke, "At Icha Icha's. I don't think they were regulars, I only saw them for short periods of time then they disappeared."

Sakura's jade eyes were looking into Kakashi's face for comfort, when he gave a small smile she let out a breath and looked to Anko, "My boy-my ex…Hidan rather. He used to dabble with affairs in that club. He'd drive girls around. He got laid off so he got a job as the club's chauffeur." Sakura blinked and stared at Kakashi with a small bit of shame as he sat at Anko's side, "I never asked him anything. It always ended badly so I stayed quiet."

After a while, "He wasn't always like that. I swear it was just as if he flipped one day. Suddenly he's bringing girls home for parties and staying out late, and not coming back home for days on end. I've known him for the longest time, even before my parents died. He was the one that helped me when they passed."

Sakura missed the way Anko's eyes widened and how the pen on her notepad faltered.

After a moment, "Sometimes I wish he never found me." Sakura shook her head.

Kakashi coughed slightly and picked up the untouched soup in a Styrofoam cup and parchment paper with the rest stop's logo with half of the grilled cheese still intact and moved mechanically to toss them in the bin.

Kakashi and Anko did not divulge the contents of the case to Sakura, besides knowing the victims she was left in the dark about the pretenses of the case. Confidentiality they reasoned, to that Sakura only nodded and tried her best to answer their questions.

After a while, Anko and Kakashi dropped Sakura off to Ino's while they headed back to the precinct to evaluate the new information they received from Sakura.

"Don't tell anyone." Anko looked to Sakura from her window as the pink haired woman stepped out of the cruiser with Kakashi in tow.

He walked her to the flower shop and kissed her on the cheek, "I'll pick you up later."

"Call me when you have a moment." Sakura squeezed his hands in hers.

"I will" he squeezed back before walking back to Anko's unmarked cruiser.

She watched them drive off before walking into Ino's store.

"Something tells me you need more than a bouquet of daisies today little lady." Ino greeted upon looking at an exhausted Sakura.

She finally broke into a smile, "I just need normal right now" she laughed huskily.

"I got you babe" Ino smiled gently before pulling her into the lumpy sofa behind the store counter, feeding her tiramisu and tea and throwing a stack of old magazines into her lap.

It was the day before Valentine's Day, and so Ino didn't catch a break. The bell atop her store door sang frequently during the afternoon. Nevertheless, Sakura munched through almost the whole tray of tiramisu quietly focusing on evening out her breathing and looking at old trends in the worn pages of the magazines.

Itachi and Naruto came sometime during the time she wiped her hands dry from washing the dishes and the now empty tray of tiramisu.

The familiar company helped her feel more grounded again.

For once in her life she let herself be distracted and not question her friends and Kakashi's attempts to obviously keep her mind from getting the best of her.

"I've spoken to my boss at the firm and I've shown him your work and I think he's considering hiring you." Itachi supplied.

"Really?!" Sakura perked up.

Itachi smiled and nodded, "I'll be sure to keep pushing for him to say yes. I can't keep asking you to do his work for free anymore, it's a crime." He shook his head as if he was doing his civic duty to Sakura.

"Alright! Fingers crossed!" Naruto chuckled.

Naruto proceeded to talk about small things, Sakura was thankful for that.

A little later Itachi had to head out due to a prior engagement, "Talk to you soon, hopefully with good news." He smiled at her as he ascended the stairs and Ino made her way up with another blond.

"Wow guys, I kinda feel like we left Sakura out of the loop in our little party." Deidera laughed.

"No kidding." Sakura huffed as she stared at the three golden haired individuals before her.

"So what brings you here to this neck of the woods." She questioned Deidera as he accepted a slice of banana bread and coffee from Ino who then shot her a look, "That tiramisu is going straight to your ass."

Sakura snorted and waved her hand before being pulled back to Deidera, "I was buying some flowers to use for some line work and drawings." Deidera almost mumbled.

Sakura's eyes lit up, "Please tell me you brought your sketchbook with you. Ino his hands can draw anything!"

Deidera nodded and pulled out a small leather bound sketchbook from his back pocket, "This book is for more on-the-go material." He muttered.

Sakura's eyes lit up "Are you freaking kidding me this stuff is great! Ino come take a look!"

Ino plopped herself next to Sakura as she flipped through Deidera's pocket sketchbook.

"Kinda want a tattoo now." Ino awed at the sketches.

Deidera coughed into his hand and looked up from his plate of banana bread, "Naruto found me a place, and I've already set up a station. If you want we can head over there now." Deidera supplied, "I've got nothing to do tonight."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah remember that old smoke shop down passed the library?"

"Oh, that old place" Ino made a face, "What ever happened to that old lady that owned the place?"

"She got caught growing weed in the basement." Naruto laughed.

"Oh god" Ino breathed standing up to get her jacket, "So are we bouncing to Deidera's or not. Because if we stay here any longer I'm going to change my mind."

"I'm down," Sakura spoke while lifting up her worn t-shirt up to her mid belly to expose her old tattoo of daisies.

"Woah Sakura is legit." Naruto stood up to look at the intricate tattoo.

Deidera stood up to inspect the work and looked back at Sakura, "The line work looks really clean."

"Yeah my ex-did it for me a while ago," Sakura replied silently.

"Well maybe if we color it in it'll help you forget him?" Deidera perked up.

Sakura smiled back dropping her shirt back into place and pulling on Kakashi's old dark green utility jacket, "I like the way you think."

Ino pulled open her mini fridge and stowed a few wine bottles into a tote, "To help the time pass of course." She answered Sakura's quizzical look.

The four made their way down the store. Sakura quickly pulled out her phone and called Kakashi as she waited for Ino to lock the store up from outside, her teeth slightly chattering from the bitter chill of the late winter evening.

"Hey"

"Hey"

"Busy?"

"Very"

"If you want I'll just spend the night with Ino, don't worry about me. I'm gonna go out for a bit with Naruto and her to Deidera's and I'll just spend the night at hers after" Sakura looked at Ino who nodded in agreement to her suggestion.

"I'm sorry I can't be there with you right now. That sounds fine, just keep me posted."

"I will" Sakura smiled to the phone as she nodded to her three companions making their way to Ino's mini cooper.

"Okay, sorry but I gotta go right now." Kakashi ended.

Sakura sent a kiss through the microphone and tucked her phone into her back pocket before piling into Ino's mini.

Naruto got a tattoo of a little fox head on the inside of his thigh, he lay sprawled out on a sofa in his orange boxer shorts snoozing quietly.

Ino got a lotus flower on her hip with purple lines. Sakura lay on the seat now getting her daisies shaded. Ino sat on a stool close by, observing Deidera's meticulous handiwork every now and then pouring herself a glass of wine when her glass threatened to be empty.

The buzz of the tattoo gun numbed their ears after the few sessions. They all made idle conversations as the ceiling fans lulled slowly around in the loft slash workspace that was Deidera's tattoo parlor. The smell of stale tobacco comforted Sakura during her session, albeit still wincing every now and then when Deidera worked a new section.

When he was almost finished and had wiped the ink away from the last section he had inked in light gray, he looked up at Sakura with a small smile, "By the way, why'd you go for daisies of all flowers" Deidera mused.

"You mean why not roses or tulips." Sakura joked, "Come on give me some credit." She winced slightly as the tattoo gun spurred back to life.

Ino batted her eyes slowly and gave her a small smirk.

"It's a big piece so it must have some significance to you." Deidera attempted again.

Twenty-three daisies on Sakura's stomach were colored in various shades of gray.

Sakura looked at the man for good measure. He was in his element. His long blond hair was pulled back into a bun and a thick black headband pulled away short hairs that fell out of the bun. He had on a pair of chunky black framed glasses to help him access his work.

His arms for the first time were exposed in a sleeveless gray shirt. This allowed Sakura to examine the intricate tattoos that stained his own skin. On his right arm, he had a full sleeve with what appeared to be a Japanese tattoo, with its vivid colors and fluid lines hinting at a form of a jade dragon that wrapped around his whole arm.

His left arm was only a three-quarter sleeve that was just solid black ink. It looked slightly fresh, red-pink skin peeked at his bare wrists. Dark purple latex gloves encased his hands. He was left-handed.

Sakura sighed and stared up at the ceiling fan above her that moved around lazily.

"It's really silly." Sakura shook her head, "But when I was a kid my dad used to pick me up from primary school, and on the walk back home there was this big field of daisies. I'd pick a few for my mother each time."

"Oh yeah, that's kind of cute," Deidera responded genuinely.

"I got the tattoo when my parents both passed. A daisy for each year they were together." Sakura added bluntly, she moved her forearm to cover her eyes as she winced at the prodding of the needle, tears stinging her eyes at remembering simpler times.

"So it's an homage to them," Deidera replied quietly.

"More or less."

Ino sighed; "Poor baby." before resting her head near Sakura's legs on the flat cushioned table Sakura lay on.

The smell of jasmine incense made its way to her nose some time right before Deidera finished.

She yawned a little looking up at Deidera, before he gave her a smile as he sat her up carefully to wrap her midsection with plastic wrap, "No belly flopping into swimming pools for the next week little missy."

Sakura smiled drowsily, "I can't swim so that won't happen either way." She snorted before letting herself lull to sleep.

Deidera gave her a sad smile as he sighed and looked at her other sleeping companions.

He put out the incense stick.

"After this, I'm out." He spoke out into the open room.

Then out of nowhere Sasori appeared quietly examining the three, his eyes lingering on Sakura a moment longer than the other two before catching Deidera's azure eyes.

"Hold your end of the bargain, and do what you want with your life. It is not mine to live." Sasori looked to his partner quietly before disappearing into the back of the parlor into a storage room where he had patiently waited that evening.

Deidera sighed and pulled off his latex gloves as he looked to Sakura, "I'm sorry." He said to her, but deep down it was for his own conscience for what he was about to proceed to do.

Sasori sat quietly in the storage room turned makeshift bedroom reading out Albert Camus' "The Stranger", "He's a dead man either way." He grunted before returning to his place in the novel.

I'm sorry if my writing is a bit off, I've been overseas for a bit and I haven't really spoken or written in English for a while, so I'm trying to get back into the swing of things.

I've been transitioning into a very adult-ish life – which kinda sucks btw.

Your thoughts please – they mean a lot to me. I forgot how enjoyable it is to write, and I really want to see if I can see this story through to the end, and maybe just maybe another one of my stories.

Thanks for being there and sticking with me.

Until next time. Much love.

-Oxza xx