Equinox
Winter: Chapter 5
Sakura tapped her pencil against her desk, spinning her chair back and forth in lazy half-moons. She pulled the snapback off her head, running her fingers through her hair.
Out of habit, she turned to look at the bookshelf to her right. As always, it was cluttered with little figurines and toys. Most of them had been presents from past birthdays or celebrations. There was a duck, a dog, and a cat. Near the top was a a brown bear that could serve as a night light had she bothered plugging into an outlet.
On the left was a shelf dedicated to her vintage microphone collection. There were only four so far, but she would get around to expanding it one day. Above it were all the snarky mugs she had gathered over the years.
There were just as many picture frames as there were toys. They were scattered throughout the levels. A few were of her with her friends from work. There was one of her hugging a giant teddy bear.
To the far right sat some smaller frames. There was one of her standing with a man who wore a black face mask that covered just the lower half of his face. There was a grin with sharp teeth printed across the front of it, but he had lowered it under his chin for the photo. She wore the same mask except hers had a bear mouth.
There was another picture beside it. It was of her standing next to Madara. They were both holding copies of the same purple record cover. In the background, Hidan and Kakuzu were out of focus, giving the camera the middle finger.
Sakura spun her chair around completely. When she completed the revolution, she hit the space button on her keyboard. She began nodding her head in time to the deep bass that stuck to the inside of her chest as she listened. A smile curled her mouth. That turned into a laugh as the verse swelled into the chorus.
Pausing the song, Sakura dialed Madara's number.
He picked up on the first ring. He always did.
"Good news?" he asked.
"Depends. How fast can you get here?"
Madara's car crackled up the gravel a couple hours later. Sakura checked her watch, a little impressed. She finished tying her hair before she unlocked the front door and left it cracked. Cold air seeped inside, but the fireplace did a good job of warding a lot of the chill off. She crossed through the living room, into the kitchen to pour a cup of coffee.
There was chatter outside. More than one voice. The car doors slammed shut. Footsteps stomped up the walkway, then onto the porch. A wolf howled somewhere in the distance.
"Holy fucking shit. It's Castlevania up in here!" Hidan swore as he burst inside. Kakuzu rolled his eyes as he followed. Madara stepped inside last, pausing in the threshold. He raised his arm to run his hand along the lintel.
"Rowan. Someone was thorough about warding off evil," Madara observed. And then he stepped all the way inside to shut the door. He peeled his white gloves off as he looked all around the cabin. Hidan and Kakuzu were also busy unwinding their scarves and taking off their shoes. Kakuzu hung his scarf at one of the hooks by the door. And then he punched Hidan in the arm when Hidan looked around, holding his jacket in one hand. Kakuzu jabbed his finger at one of the empty hooks. Instead of thanking him, Hidan punched him back even harder.
Madara looked at Sakura as she stepped barefoot toward them. She wore a bright red sweatshirt, the same color as her lipstick. Madara bent to kiss her cheek as she handed him a mug.
"Oh. I've already had coffee, dear," Madara tried to decline. She handed him the cup anyway.
"That's like… 80% coffee liqueur," she told him.
"Well, in that case…" Madara mused before he took a sip. Sakura handed mugs to Hidan and Kakuzu too before she headed up to the loft. Kakuzu sniffed at his before he took a drink too. Hidan guzzled half of his in one mouthful.
"Come upstairs!" she called over her shoulder.
Kakuzu snorted when he spotted the black sofa. Hidan collapsed on one end of it with a sigh.
"Is this from the old office?" asked Kakuzu, settling on the arm.
Madara sank onto the other end of the sofa, tilting his body to face Sakura. She swung her ergonomic chair back and forth, raising her eyebrows at him.
"Before I forget, I've managed to get in touch with Killer Bee's company. They… said pretty much the same thing as Killer Bee," Madara told her.
Hidan scrunched ups face, tucking his face toward his chest until he had three chins. And then, in a garbled voice, he mocked, "Without real evidence, you can't make such claims. If you accuse us without proof, we will take legal action."
"Ugh," scoffed Sakura, rolling her eyes. She raised her hand to play with her hoop earring. Madara gave a shrug. He twisted his fingers. A puff of black mist appeared, solidifying into a shadowy dagger. Madara balanced it on his palm.
"On one hand, we could just let this go. But a slimy hack is taking credit for all your hard work," Madara considered. He tilted his hand. The dagger began to tip. But then he moved his hand in the opposite direction. "But on the other hand, if we pursue legal action against such a big company…"
"They'd slam dunk us into a dumpster," Hidan finished for him.
Madara snatched the dagger out of the air. The black mist dispersed between his fingers.
"Can we bribe him? Blackmail him?" suggested Kakuzu.
"Sakura wouldn't make it in jail, dude. They don't have baristas in the big house," Hidan pointed out. Sakura ignored him as she turned to Madara. He read the look on her face, which wasn't angry or irritated. He smiled.
"You little trickster. What's up your sleeve?" Madara asked.
Sakura held a finger up before she tilted her computer screen toward them. She clicked an icon and a tiny light on the top of her screen turned green to let her know that the camera was on. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Killer Bee's name. And she called him.
"Bunny, what're you doing?" hissed Hidan.
Sakura rolled her chair over so that she was in front of the camera again. Madara peered out from around her elbow.
Killer Bee picked up. ("Ew," whispered Hidan.)
And he was shirtless. ("Double ew," Hidan amended.)
He was already smirking. ("Kill him," muttered Kakuzu.)
"Bunny," he greeted her.
Sakura folded her arms across her chest. She smirked right back. "Bee."
"Gonna yell at me again? Go ahead. It's like watching a chihuahua yapping. I love it," Killer Bee goaded her.
Sakura's smile widened. And only then did Killer Bee raise his sunglasses on top of his head. He must have sensed that something was very wrong.
Sakura pulled her phone from her pocket and opened up a recording she had made that morning. She put it on speaker before she hit the play button.
"Wait. Say that again. I'm gonna record this," her voice said. There was a tapping sound. And then the clink of glass against glass.
"From the beginning?" asked Itachi.
"No. Just… the part you just said."
"Ah okay. Yeah. Um. After you barged into my house and called me…"
"A dildo. I called you a dildo," Sakura supplemented.
Madara snorted. Hidan and Kakuzu exchanged a high-five in the background.
"Yes. After you called me a dildo, I did some thinking. I realized that I brought your notebook with me to the office so that I'd remember to take it home for the weekend."
Itachi had showed up at her house earlier that morning, Kakashi standing behind him with a stern expression. Almost like the sheriff was escorting a prisoner.
Sakura's sleepy eyes flickered from Itachi to Kakashi in the morning light. She rubbed her temple.
"It's like… I'm in a never-ending nightmare. Can't a woman sleep?" she groaned.
Over Itachi's shoulder, Kakashi held up a light blue box. In his other hand was a cardboard tray filled with coffee cups. Sakura's expression brightened.
"Alright. I forgive you," Sakura decided, pointing at just Kakashi. She opened the screen door a little wider before she headed back into the house.
She had gone to bed in a t-shirt and grey pajama pants. She headed into the bedroom to pull a sweatshirt over her head. It was an old one from college, worn soft by countless cycles in the washing machine. She pulled the hood over her messy hair.
When Sakura emerged, Kakashi and Itachi stood in the kitchen. Itachi looked a little flustered as Kakashi pulled plates from the cabinets. The sheriff pointed to one of the drawers.
"Forks should be in there," Kakashi told him. Itachi opened it up. The silverware rattled around inside with the motion.
"Where're…?" Sakura trailed off. She made yapping motions with her hands.
"You know, Sakura, I'm starting to think that you like my dogs more than you like me," Kakashi teased her. Sakura gave him a flat look.
"Bull would never barge into my house to disturb my beauty sleep," she retorted.
Kakashi was unbothered by her prickly response. He guided her by the shoulders and made her sit at the kitchen table.
"You obviously need some caffeine," he simply said. He placed one of the coffees next to her hand. Before she could grumble again, he also dropped sugar packets on the table. Sakura glared at him as she tore one open to dump into her coffee.
After a minute, Kakashi placed a plate laden with croissants in front of her too. They had been split in half, filled with whipped cream and fruits. He settled in the chair next to hers with his own plate. And then motioned for Itachi to sit too. Itachi settled across from Sakura. His gaze flickered from Sakura's scowl to the look of ease on Kakashi's face.
Kakashi took a long slurp of his coffee. He looked over at Sakura, who had begun tearing into her first croissant. She picked up a bit of almond that had fallen off the pastry and popped it into her mouth.
Itachi took a deep breath before he opened his mouth. "So, Sakura, I wanted to talk to you about-"
"Shhh," Sakura interrupted him. She held a sugar-covered finger up, looking him dead in the eyes. "Food first. Then talking."
Itachi's mouth snapped shut.
Kakashi leaned his elbow on the table as he watched her eat.
"Is it good?" he asked.
Sakura looked at him. She tore off a chunk of her croissant and shoved it in his mouth. She smeared whipped cream across his smile. Kakashi turned away, chuckling as he chewed. He wiped the crumbs off his face.
Sakura demolished another croissant before she wiped her mouth with a napkin. She glanced at Kakashi and flicked a crumb off his chin that he had missed. She tossed her napkin onto the plate.
Itachi opened his mouth. Closed it again when she took a sip of her coffee. She lowered her cup, letting out a deep sigh.
"Okay. All done. Let's talk," she declared.
An odd look crossed Itachi's face. Kakashi laughed.
"Yeah. You're not imagining that," he assured Itachi. Eyes widening, Itachi looked to Kakashi.
"You're… fine?" he asked.
"I've known Sakura for a bit now. It's sort of like… what'd you say it was?" Kakashi trailed off, turning toward Sakura.
"Chicken pox," she replied without tearing her eyes from Itachi. Just like she had told him several nights ago.
"Although, I've always heard that vampires were weak to sirens. Don't feel too bad," Kakashi added. But then he took in Sakura's suddenly stern expression. He leaned back in his chair to let them talk.
Itachi cleared his throat once. He hadn't touched his fruit tart. Or his coffee.
"Well…you were very upset with me the other day," he began.
Sakura blinked once.
"But I was telling the truth when I said I had no idea what you were talking about. I really never discussed anything music-related with Killer Bee. I swear," Itachi went on. Sakura's eyes narrowed. Her irises began to lighten, turning lighter and lighter before they began to glow pale gold.
"You can tell me the truth," she told him. Her voice rang, echoing deeper than it should have.
Kakashi had to blink several times, shaking his head. But he managed to snap out of it. Itachi did not. His gaze went hazy.
"I am. I know that we don't know each other, so of course you don't trust me. But I'm not lying. I wouldn't do that," Itachi insisted.
"Hmm…" hummed Sakura as she considered this. "Okay."
The glow faded, her eyes turning green again. Itachi rubbed the heels of his hands against his eyes.
"Wow," he grunted. He opened his eyes, staring down at the table. He blinked several times. He looked at Sakura, giving an incredulous smile.
"Wow," Itachi said again. "If that's what a half-siren can do, I can't imagine what a full-blooded siren is like."
Sakura's mouth pulled into a tight line. "You should hope that you never run into a full-blood," she warned. Then, clearing her throat, Sakura sat back.
"Anyway, I believe you," she steered them back on topic.
Itachi nodded. He glanced at the tart in front of him. He plucked just the strawberry off and popped it into his mouth. After he finished chewing and swallowed, he spoke again.
"And at first… I was pretty upset that you were accusing me of something that I didn't even understand. But after you barged into my house and called me…"
"A dildo. I called you a dildo," Sakura supplemented.
"Yes. After you called me a dildo, I did some thinking. I realized that I brought your notebook with me to the office so that I'd remember to take it home for the weekend."
Kakashi put his hand over his mouth to muffle his chuckle. She had already recounted that part of the story to him, so it came as no surprise. But it was still funny.
"The security team at my company let me review the tapes with them. I left your notebook on my desk for one day exactly. I was planning on bringing it home with me over the weekend so I could figure out how to get it back to you," Itachi explained.
"That day, Killer Bee came in for a meeting. It was to discuss this new ad campaign we were supposed to do with him. I asked him to drop in so we could talk about what we were looking for specifically," Itachi went on. Sakura's mouth opened. She had a bad feeling already.
"He came late. Didn't like the coffee we had, so I offered to get something else for him. I was out of my office for… maybe… five minutes tops?"
Sakura drooped in her seat.
"Itachi," she groaned.
"I'm sorry."
"He went through your stuff?" Sakura guessed.
Itachi sighed.
"Yeah. Security caught it all. He went through my books, tried to log into my computer, but it was locked. And then he went through my drawers and found… your notebook. And he took a bunch of pictures," he told her.
She pulled the strings on her hoodie tight as she sank lower and lower. "UGHHHH!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't realize he was such a… piece of shit."
Hidan let out a high-pitched giggle. "Business dude called him a piece of shit," he snorted.
Killer Bee's face was frozen in a grimace. Sakura paused the recording.
"Anyway, he goes on to tell me how the security footage has a really good view of your face in his office. Rifling through his stuff. You know. Good company. Gotta have good security cameras," Sakura said.
"1080p. High def," muttered Hidan. Kakuzu knocked his fist into his shoulder. Hidan shut up.
"Hm…. So, boss, wouldn't this be what the kids call…. evidence?" Sakura asked, looking at Madara. And Madara beamed, looking as proud as could be.
"I'm not a lawyer, darling, so I couldn't say," he responded with a sneer.
"Me neither. But, I'm sure we could get someone to take a look at this. And maybe to take a statement from my new friend," Sakura suggested, looking back at the screen. She beamed at Killer Bee, who was sweating profusely by now.
"What do you want to do, Bunny? It's your call," Madara inquired.
Sakura leaned back in her seat. And then she shrugged.
"Keep it," she told Killer Bee.
Silence answered her. Killer Bee lowered his sunglasses to stare at her. Madara didn't move, but his eyes were suddenly bright. He could smell mischief a mile away.
"What?"
"You can keep the song. I don't care. I can always make another hit, Bee. But you? I don't think you can afford to lose this," Sakura declared. Killer Bee's cheeks tinged red. "So consider this a handout. I'll write it off on my taxes as a charitable donation," she added. And then she leaned forward to hit the red button on the screen to end the call.
There was a hushed moment. Kakuzu let out a low whistle.
Madara put his hand on his cheek. She could feel him looking her over with that calculating gaze of his.
"Wow. Bunny. You're kind of cool…. like… I kind of wanna have your babies," Hidan commented. Before Sakura could retort, there was a slapping sound. Hidan let out a yelp of pain.
Madara's expression didn't change as a long, red tail slithered back behind him. Hidan rubbed at a bright mark on the back of his hand.
"Sexual harassment. Don't make me send you to another training, Hidan," warned Madara, giving him a sidelong look.
"Sorry, Boss," Hidan mumbled.
"Well, I'm all for pettiness, Bunny. But you've just lost yourself a song. What're you gonna do?" asked Madara, monitoring her face very carefully.
Sakura grinned. She bit her tongue between her teeth as she scooted back over to the computer. Tilting the monitor back into place, she pulled up her audio software. She hit the spacebar.
The intro rumbled out with a warbling bass. A distinct trap vibe boomed through her speakers. Hidan and Kakuzu's heads began bobbing to the rhythm.
Madara locked eyes with Sakura.
"You…. little devil, you," he declared with obvious pride. Sakura beamed.
"I've always got extra songs up my sleeve. I'm good," she assured Madara. And then she mimed playing the drum part with her fingers as the song transitioned into the first verse.
Itachi stepped into his office, footsteps heavy. The last meeting with the executives had gone on forever. He honestly didn't know why he was required to attend. It felt like they talked about the same thing every single week. It seemed like the ultimate slap in the face that it was on a Friday too. When everyone else had gone home to put their feet up, he had been stuck taking notes that he would end up throwing out anyway.
Itachi closed the door. He paused in the middle of shedding his suit jacket though. Sakura sat in his desk chair. She wore a black sweatshirt with a famous name brand splashed across the front.
"I called. You didn't pick up," she said. Itachi glanced down at his watch. He swiped through the notifications until he saw that he had a missed call from her.
"I was in a meeting. Sorry," he replied.
"That's okay. I seduced the security guards to get in here," Sakura told him.
Itachi frowned as he draped his jacket over the back of a chair.
"Really?"
"No. I have a friend who works in sales. She swiped me in. Told me where to go."
"Oh."
And then Sakura gestured to the big basket sitting on Itachi's desk. It was piled high with succulent grapes and bright red strawberries. There were bottles of expensive fruit preserves imported from all over the country.
"For you," she declared. And then she added, "Even though… technically this was your fault, this is my thanks for helping me resolve this mess, I guess."
Itachi stepped closer. He lifted one of the jars to read the label. He replaced it with care.
"This should feed you for a while, huh?" Sakura commented as she watched his reaction. He picked one of the grapes off the vine and popped it into his mouth. A look of pure bliss spread over his face. He ate another one, looking just as happy.
Hands bracing against the desk, Itachi looked her in the face.
"Are we good?" he inquired.
Sakura rubbed her chin as she pretended to consider. She drew the moment out before she returned his gaze.
"Yeah. We're good."
And as she smiled, she saw him go a little cross-eyed, leaning a little closer. She ripped another grape from the basket to throw it at him. It hit him in the cheek.
"Hey. Cool it, Casanova," she scolded.
Itachi shook his head. "Sorry."
"Well, if you're really sorry, and you think you can keep your head on straight, I'm going to a party tonight. Lots of celebrities to network with. You can tag along… if you want," Sakura offered as she got to her feet.
"What's the catch?" asked Itachi, watching her cross the room.
"Be my DD. Ubering back home is expensive!" Sakura called over her shoulder as she walked out of the office. Itachi hurried to grab his jacket off the chair. He struggled to stuff his arms through the sleeves as he followed her out.
