Chapter 10
When Kakashi and Sakura arrived at Hokage Tower, Might Guy was standing in front, talking to a messenger.
"…Another place you might try is—ah, speak of the devil! Never mind, young man. Kakashi is right in front of us!"
Kakashi looked at Guy, surprised. "What do you need me for, Guy? Another contest?"
"While I would love to continue wiping the floor with you in any contest on this earth, it is not I who needs you! The Lady Hokage was looking for you about twenty minutes ago."
"Tsunade-sensei needs both of us? What happened?" Sakura said, beginning to feel concerned.
Guy looked at her, and his normally jovial face changed into a serious one. "No one died. Someone could have died, though. Come on, they've been waiting long enough."
Guy, Kakashi, and Sakura walked into Hokage Tower and quickly made their way to Lady Tsunade's office. Naruto was pacing the hallway outside, and looked pale and anxious. He had a large bruise forming on one cheek. Sasuke was leaning against the wall, stoic and silent, but watching his best friend carefully. The door to Tsunade's office opened, and Shizune poked her head out.
"My lady says you can come in if you stay calm and sit with Hinata, Naruto. Ah, Sakura and Kakashi, just in time. Come on in."
As Sakura walked into the office and took her seat, she looked around. She saw Hinata sitting in the corner. Her face was bruised and the front of her shirt was torn. She also looked very tired, and she shakily sipped water from a glass as Naruto sat down and took her hand, using his other hand to gently caress her face.
"Sakura, Kakashi, thank you both for coming. There has been a series of attacks recently in the evenings on young women, specifically those who have gone into bars and clubs. Sakura, as you know, the young women you helped autopsy today were victims of the group responsible."
"They are a group?" Sakura said, doing her best to keep her concern for Hinata in check until Tsunade was finished talking to her and Kakashi.
"Yes. Hinata was on her way home from a mission outside of Konoha village limits and she stopped at one of the local bars for a glass of water. She was accosted by this group. Hinata, are you still okay to give Kakashi and Sakura your testimony?"
"Yes. I stopped by the Shinobi Bar for a glass of water. While I was inside the bar, a male ninja started talking to me. He kept leaning in and crowding me, even after I told him I was engaged. I went to the bathroom, and when I returned, the bartender had poured my water out and the man who was trying to talk to me was gone. The bartender informed me that he had him thrown out after he saw me break a capsule into my water. I thanked him and left, because I wanted to get home quickly. A few blocks from mine and Naruto's house, I heard voices behind me. Three men came out from behind a building, and I heard one of them say "This is the one Ichiro was talking about, right? Dark hair, big…." Hinata paused, blushing.
After a moment, Hinata continued. "…Big tits? I heard the second one say yes, and that was when I summoned a couple of shadow clones behind them. We struggled, and I broke loose and ran under a light in front of a house. A nice lady saw me from one of the windows and came out to help me. By the time she got out, they were gone. I sent a clone with a message to Naruto, who picked me up and escorted me here."
"Thank you, Hinata. Now, Kakashi, you were asked to canvas one of the more popular clubs the night before last. Did you see anything suspicious?"
"No, but I did hear the name 'Ichiro' a couple of times. I kept an eye on all drinks, but I didn't see anything being put into them." Kakashi turned to Sakura. "What kinds of drugs were found during the autopsies?"
"Well, in both victims, I found trace amounts of gamma hydroxybutyric, which is a very common date rape drug."
"You don't say." Kakashi said dryly.
"Sorry- medics and scientists use the acronym GHB for short. It's also known as Energy Drink, Easy Lay, Cherry Meth, or Liquid E."
Naruto looked up and finally broke his uncharacteristic silence. "Sakura, what could this shit have done to Hinata? I mean, what are these dicks putting into innocent girls' drinks?"
"Well, common symptoms are feelings of relaxation, drowsiness, and dizziness. The individual being drugged can also experience black outs, tremors, problems breathing, low heart rate, and significant memory loss. It's usually used as a date rape drug because it acts very quickly and is easy for the user to manufacture it on their own. It's also highly potent, which means that if someone takes too much, it can result in seizures, coma, and death."
"You were very lucky, Hinata. I'm taking you off the mission roster for a few days, so you can relax and recover. Next time you come back from a mission, make sure you have one of your team members walk you home, or that you have Naruto come pick you up. I also want you to try and be with someone when you are moving around in Konoha for a month or so, as these sick individuals have seen you," Tsunade told Hinata firmly. "I also want you to talk to a therapist or counselor about what happened. Don't argue with me: I know you're still shaken about the incident, and I think talking about it to someone will help ease your nerves."
"What else will be done? I mean, we're not gonna let these assholes just go after girls all over Konoha, are we? We have to do something!" Naruto interjected, a note of panic in his voice. Sasuke unfolded his arms and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.
"Calm down, idiot. I'm sure Lady Hokage has a plan for dealing with these criminals," Sasuke told him.
"Of course. I would never let Konoha's people fall victim to any criminals, let alone monsters like these. Naruto, please take Hinata home for the night. Once she is settled, return here and you, Sasuke, Kakashi, Sakura, and I will all sit down and formulate a plan. Sasuke, Kakashi, I want you two to accompany Sakura to the coroner's office to pick up her reports, as well as the Leaf Police Force. When you get there, ask about reports regarding any forms of assault or harassment in and around all bars and clubs in Konoha. Also tell them that I have an order for more patrols around those businesses, to keep the public safe."
Everyone nodded and went their separate ways to complete their tasks. Sakura, Sasuke, and Kakashi were quiet on the way to the hospital. I hope Naruto lets Hinata rest tonight. She needs to eat something and get some sleep, and Naruto has a tendency to be a bit overbearing when he is stressed out about someone, Sakura thought to herself. I should contact Ino and Tenten to make sure they aren't alone when they go out in the next few weeks. They're both strong and smart, but these monsters seem pretty organized, based on what Hinata said. I don't want to see anyone else get hurt, especially not any of my friends.
"Sasuke, did Naruto seem subdued to you?" Kakashi said, startling Sakura out of her thoughts. She had nearly forgotten that Kakashi was walking beside her.
"Before you two arrived, he wasn't. He was yelling and throwing things around, insistent that we get a big group of people together and hunt the bastards down tonight. It took a smack from Lady Tsunade to shut him up, he was so worked up."
"Is that where the bruise came from? Sakura inquired.
"Yes. She hit him very hard – he crashed into me. I held him down and made him take a couple of breaths. Then Hinata-san reminded him that she was safe in front of him, and that everything was fine. Lady Tsunade chased us out so the two of them could talk. I think she was concerned about Hinata-san's mental and emotional health."
"It was good you were there to sit with him," Sakura told him.
"I suppose. He wasn't totally wrong with what he wanted to do, however. When we start our meeting, I am going to suggest that those of us who are not on duty and are in full health can patrol the village and watch for these people. I also plan on patrolling the village on the way home this evening."
"That is a good idea. I was thinking of sending out some reminders to the local bartenders to keep an eye out for anyone putting suspicious pills into drinks, and to offer free basic self-defense lessons to any civilians who need it."
Kakashi smiled at his former students. "You two have some great ideas on how to keep the citizens of Konoha safe."
"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke replied as the trio stopped in front of the hospital and Sakura found her keys to the front door. "Sakura-san, do you need us to go in with you?"
"No, thank you, Sasuke. It'll only take me about ten minutes to get the files. I'll be right back out and we'll be on our way."
Both Sasuke and Kakashi nodded at her as she went into the front door of the hospital. Because it was nearly midnight, the hospital itself was fairly quiet, save for the occasional beeping of machines and quiet discussions between the various personnel who were on duty that evening. Sakura made her way to her office quickly. She stepped into her office, turned on the light, and opened the bottom drawer of her desk to grab the files. She heard the office door close and paused. The door was far too heavy to swing shut on its own, or to close as the result of a strong wind. Perhaps a nurse closed it as they were passing by; if this were the case, why would they leave the light on?
"Don't bother hiding, nosy bitch. We can hear you breathing. Just hand over the files, and maybe we'll be nice to you."
Sakura stood slowly, the desk between herself and her aggressors. There were two of them, both about six feet tall and well-muscled. Their faces were covered, but Sakura was certain she would recognize their voices if she had to. Sakura felt her blood pressure begin to rise, and her heart to beat faster as one of them locked the door and moved closer to her, making his way around the desk.
"Come on, don't make this tougher than you want it to be. If you cooperate, maybe we'll be nice and let you go."
"I'm not giving you anything. Leave this hospital, now, and I won't press charges or cause you majorly bodily harm."
The one that stayed by the door laughed and turned off the light, plunging all three of them into darkness. Sakura dropped the files onto the floor and immediately moved into a defensive stance, making sure to listen for her assailants. She heard movement to her left and grabbed her office chair and swung it, hitting something hard and yelling loudly. She heard the man grunt and grab the chair, wrenching it out of her grip. She screamed, trying to move away without backing herself into a corner. The other man grabbed her in a bear hug from behind. She started to wiggle, quickly getting her feet under her, with one behind her attacker's leg. She bent down hard and flipped her arms up, elbows sticking up and forcing the man behind her to let her go. She then grabbed his leg and stepped backwards, knocking him off balance in the process. The office door burst open, and two orderlies rushed in to help her.
Hello all! I am back from vacation, and this is the official chapter just before school starts. For me, school starts next week. I might be really busy, but I am going to do my best to update this story when I can. I hope you enjoy this chapter, and will see you in the next one. Also, thank you for all the reviews, follows, and favorites. If you have any questions or comments regarding some of the heavy stuff in this chapter, like the date rape information, please feel free to message me or leave a review.
It was really weird to look up that drug information. I half expected someone to start asking me about why I was looking it up and what I was planning…. I wonder if all writers feel this way when they look up less than legal issues and intensely complicated subjects.