title Runaways
summary What are we even running for anymore?

The tip of her tongue tingled as she sat. The too-hot coffee steaming away in her grasp. Paper sleeve rough against her palms.

"This better be good," Sakura said, letting the steam bathe her face. Her gaze swept the quiet coffee shop. Heads bent over laptops. What looked like a couple touching feet on a date. Only the occasional hiss of the espresso machine broke the peace.

"Busy night?" chuckled Rock. White teeth gleaming. His bandaged hands resting against the tabletop. Sakura eyed the swelling of his knuckles without comment. Eyes flickering back up to his face.

"What gave it away?" she answered, finally letting her frown drop. Palm against her neck, she leaned in closer. She pushed her coffee towards him.

"Ah, there she is," Rock remarked, eyes squinting into half-moons. "You hadn't come to train for so long. I was starting to think you were mad at me or something." He took the coffee. Opening up the plastic lid, he blew. The black, black coffee steaming and rippling.

"I've been a little preoccupied... Sifu Might would have me in a headlock if he heard me say that," she answered, leaning her elbow on the table. Rock continued to blow on the coffee. He paused for a second, smiling again.

"He would make you run laps up and down Victoria Peak," Rock agreed. Fondness tinging his words. He made a satisfied noise as he pushed the coffee back over to her. He leaned back in his chair, watching Sakura take a tentative second sip.

"So... you know I don't like getting involved with your problems," Rock said, picking his words carefully. Sakura's eyes narrowed. She put the coffee down. Lifted her chin. Searching his expression.

"Tell me."

"Fai Tsai came to me about a week ago. Begging for me to hide him," Rock said. And then he added, "Said you were going to kill him if you caught him."

"Oh," Sakura said. She went to take another sip of her coffee. Rock leaned forward. Hand grabbing her wrist before she could touch the cup again. She had almost forgotten how fast he could be.

"Are you?" demanded Rock.

Sakura locked eyes with him.

"Do you believe Fai Tsai?" she asked him. Rock swallowed. His adam's apple bobbing.

"I'm asking you, Jing-Mei," Rock insisted. But Sakura smirked.

"You already know that it's true. Why bother asking me, Rock?" she sighed, pulling free from his grip. She took another sip of her coffee, eyes wandering again. Rock bent his head, rubbing his face with his hands.

"Are you hiding him?" Sakura then asked.

Rock shook his head. "By the time I reached back out to him, he was gone."

Sakura got to her feet. The metal legs of her chair screeching against the tile. She fluffed her fingers through her hair. The humidity hadn't been kind to it since she had returned to Hong Kong. And all the while, Rock stared up at her. His eyes dark and sad. She could see the disappointment as clear as day. She was used to that by now.

"What would Sifu say?" he asked. His voice so quiet, she barely heard it.

For a moment, she really did consider it. That broad smile. His ridiculous bowl cut. His inspirational yet rambling speeches about harnessing the energies of youth. And then she remembered his blood painting the pavement. Gurgling out of his mouth. Kabuto standing at the top of the building, staring down at the mess below. His hands shaking as she grabbed him by the front of the shirt.

"I didn't mean to! It was an accident!" he blubbered over and over again.

The smell of incense at Sifu's funeral. The warmth of his hand as he clapped her on the shoulder. How he would point at the stars and name them randomly. Laughing from his stomach when she doubted him for the millionth time.

"It doesn't matter if it was an accident! He's dead because of YOU," she remembered screaming. Pummeling him with her fists. Sobbing as she fell to her knees. Kabuto's blood smearing over her knuckles. His tears and blood mixing down his cheekbone.

"Sifu can't say anything because he's dead, Rock. You should know that since you were at his funeral too," Sakura finally uttered. She reached out, ruffled his black hair. He didn't say anything to her as she walked out of the cafe. Into the light mist of rain that had begun to coat the city.

Tobirama called late that night. As she stood on the roof of one of the many buildings she owned. She couldn't even remember when she had bought this one. She could see a shadow shift in one of the windows across the street. She waved. Sai grumbled about being spotted so easily again through the earpiece. And Zabuza angled the umbrella so that the scattered rain wouldn't drip onto her shoes.

"Aunt Cheng wouldn't spot you if you weren't so shit at hiding," Zabuza muttered in return.

"Boys," Sakura sighed.

"Sorry," they said in unison. She could see Sai duck behind the tripod set up in the window. She raised her binoculars to her eyes. Staring over the edge of the building, down into a narrow alley a couple buildings over. The night vision setting tinged everything green. Someone stood hunched behind a dumpster, glancing from his phone to the quiet streets.

"He's late," Sakura remarked. She lowered the binoculars and handed them to Zabuza. He took a look too.

"Red Eyes Chiu is always late because he's always hungover," Sai remarked.

"No. The guy's clean. He says it's because he never gets enough sleep," Tenten corrected him.

"Smart dealers never dip into their stash. It's the only way to keep a level head," Sakura agreed.

"What if he doesn't show, Aunt Cheng? We're just going off of rumors that Red Eyes was spotted doing business around here," Zabuza asked, returning the binoculars. Sakura glanced at him. He held her gaze.

"I wouldn't call the observations of some junkies the most reliable source," he added. And Sakura nodded.

"This could be a bust. But Red Eyes being missing is putting a lot of stress on the 24K. Tobirama and Kabuto are pissy enough as is without being short a dealer," Sakura stated. She heard Tenten and Sai snicker together in agreement. And then she added, "The faster we figure this out, the better for all of us. I'm not waiting until the HKPD finds him floating in Victoria Harbor."

The earpieces fell silent. Sakura reached into her coat for her lighter. As she stood burning her last cigarette in the box, her phone lit up.

Zabuza's eyes slid across the screen. His eyebrow rose.

"Maybe he's calling to say that he's killed some puppies," he remarked. Sakura smacked him in the shoulder. He didn't even flinch. She clicked her tongue as she answered.

"Wei?"

"Jing-Meiii," he drawled.

Sakura let out a heavy sigh. She lowered the phone, pressing it to her shoulder.

"Go get my car," she whispered to Zabuza. He handed her the umbrella before he ran off in the rain. His wet shoes slapping down the concrete stairs. She lifted the phone back to her ear. Wedged it between her cheek and shoulder.

"Where are you?" she demanded.

She peered through the binoculars. Someone appeared at the other end of the alley. Her eyes flew to the window across the street.

"He's taking pictures, Boss," Tenten buzzed into her ear before she could say anything to them.

"Victor...Victor Ho's..." Tobirama slurred into her other ear.

"Victor Ho's bar, huh? It's rare for you to be so shitfaced. Something good happen?" Sakura queried, keeping her tone light.

There was a long pause on the other end. She could still hear the faint voices and music in the background. And then she heard him gulp something down. The sound of a glass hitting the counter hard.

"It's... that day, you know," Tobirama said.

It took a moment for the pieces to come together. A rainy day. Mid-December. The smile slipped off her face.

"...M'hou yi si. I didn't realize," she apologized.

She watched the men in the alley. One opened up a duffel bag. The other revealed the contents of a briefcase. The binoculars let her see the neat stacks of cash lined up inside. One of the men grabbed one of the stacks of cash. And then another. He began gesticulating wildly with the money, shoving his companion in the chest.

"Ah. Looks like someone's short on cash," Tenten observed.

"Or maybe he hid something in the briefcase to make it look like there was more money," Sai suggested.

And then Tenten hissed "shit" when gunfire peppered the air.

"Boss," Zabuza said into her earpiece.

Sakura turned away from the alley in time to see her car pull up out front. She hurried down the stairs back into the building, hand gripping the metal railing. And she could hear Tobirama breathing on the other side as she climbed down and down- all the way to the ground floor. Her heels echoing back twice against the concrete floors and walls.

"Mei," Tobirama called.

Sakura stopped. Jaw clenching. And then she kept walking. Straight out of the building. Zabuza got out of driver's seat. He took the umbrella from her, holding it over her as she climbed in.

"Watch over things for me tonight," Sakura said. Zabuza nodded before he shut the door for her.

"Mei," Tobirama called again. Softer, this time.

"...Don't call me that," sighed Sakura. She leaned back. Head resting against the leather seat. The engine purring softly beneath her. She drew in a deep breath as she shifted the car into gear.

"Stay where you are," Sakura told him. She hung up before she pulled the car out onto the street.

When she showed up at the bar several minutes later, Tobirama sat slumped. Cheek against the top of the bar. Silver rings gleaming in the low light. Victor nodded at her as she walked in. The haze of cigar smoke and the stink of beer clogged her nose.

"Need help, Aunt Cheng?" one of the patrons asked her.

Sakura didn't respond as she pulled Tobirama's arm over her shoulder.

"Get up, you idiot," she grumbled as she hauled him to his feet. Tobirama stumbled, but he came along. Eyes squinting half-open. She managed drag him all the way to her car. Shoving his body into the passenger seat. And just because the sensor would beep the whole ride, she buckled his seatbelt too. Shoving his heavy arm out of the way. As she settled into the driver's seat, she saw that his eyes were closed.

"Drunk old man," she muttered as she started the car.

"...'m not old," he mumbled in return.

"Shut up," Sakura snapped as she pulled onto the highway.

She kept her eyes focused on the road. Both hands clenching the steering wheel. The ruby on her pointer finger caught the light every once in awhile. Sending little twinkles into the corner of her eye. She exhaled through her nostrils.

"It's been another year, huh?" she said after a while. Construction on one side of the road slowed things down. She waited to merge into traffic.

"Yeah," Tobirama sighed.

"You told me once... a long time ago... he was your younger brother?" she then asked. Keeping her gaze far from him. She heard him rub his hand across his face.

"...How old was he?" Sakura queried.

"17."

She had glimpsed a photo a few times. In the corner of Hashirama's office. An old, wooden frame. Four brothers standing shoulder-to-shoulder.

Kawarama had been the eldest Senju brother. But he had been known better as Scarface. Charismatic and strong. He had been gathering a small following in Kennedy Town when he was stabbed to death in front of a nightclub by jealous rivals. Hashirama had told her the story once, his face like granite. He and Tobirama had been just teenagers when he had died. And he never said so, but Sakura suspected that Kawarama's death had been what had pushed Hashirama and Tobirama into this life too.

Hashirama refused to talk about Itama, though. His eyes going icy at the mere mention of that name.

She remembered Tobirama spilling the details one blustery night. Many years ago. When the ink from her koi tattoo was still healing. His breath reeking of whiskey just like this.

Tobirama put his feet up on the coffee table. Sakura sat on the other end of the sofa, staring down into her own glass.

"Is this the whiskey I bought you?" she suddenly demanded. She reached for the bottle to squint at the dusty label.

"It is!" she laughed. And as she collapsed back on the sofa, a hiss slipped out between her teeth. She sat back up, glaring at the sofa. Tobirama eyed her without comment. He leaned over to refill her glass, pushed it into her hands.

"It's going to sting for at least another week. Better suck it up," he told her. Sakura made a face at him even as she took another sip.

"I'm a Red Pole too now. Don't talk to me like I'm a kid," she growled. Tobirama raised his hands in defeat.

"Yeah, yeah, Madam Red Pole. Like we shit gold or something," drawled Tobirama. And then he smirked. And the expression was so rare that Sakura found herself staring a little too long. He caught her, and the stare morphed back into a frown.

"What?" he demanded. Sakura scowled back.

"You know, you always go around looking like you smell shit. Would it kill you to smile a little?" she criticized. And for some odd reason, he snorted.

"You sound like my little brother," remarked Tobirama. Something in her voice stopped Sakura from being snarky. This was the first time Tobirama had ever brought him up before. She leaned forward a little, both hands around her glass.

"I didn't know you had a little brother," she said, cautious. Watching his face to gauge his reaction. She was getting better at that. Reading those subtle shifts in his stony expressions.

Tobirama closed his eyes. Eyebrows relaxing.

"Itama was always such a clumsy kid. Goh go was always scolding him," Tobirama recalled, head lolling back. His cheeks and ears a little red.

Sakura bit her tongue. She didn't want to shatter this strange moment. But she was dying to know. And like he could read her mind, Tobirama opened his eyes.

"The police shot him right in front of me. Because they mixed him up with someone else. They shot a kid," he said. His voice startlingly clear.

And then, Tobirama sniffed. He rubbed at his face, turning away. But not fast enough. She glimpsed the tear glittering its way down his cheek.

Sakura set her glass down on the coffee table. When she closed her fingers around his, he resisted for a moment. Then let her set it aside too.

She crawled into his lap. Hands smoothing over his cheeks. Stubble prickling against her palms. The stink of booze washing over her as he exhaled. She stared into those red-rimmed eyes. At all the hurt pooling deep in that gaze.

Sakura kissed him. Pulling his hands to set them on her waist. She pulled the tie out of her hair, letting it spill over them. The whiskey numbing her lips as she kissed him again. The tips of her fingers fuzzy. And then the slide of his fingers up her back. Her flinching as they grazed the edge of her healing tattoo. The black koi with that unblinking eye.

The rest of that night was a little hazy. What she could remember with certainty was the way his fingers tightened on her thighs. The tired creak of the bed that punctuated each of their movements. And how she woke early in the morning, before even the sun had risen. Throat dry and mouth even drier as she got up to find her clothes.

"I called you a taxi," he told her. His expression flat again as he watched her pull on her jeans. The ugly bruises on her legs disappearing beneath the denim.

"Thanks," she replied. She buttoned up her shirt. Straightening her collar and the cuffs.

"...Jing-Mei," Tobirama said. And she finally stopped looking for her purse and looked at him instead. She smiled with her mouth.

"Don't look at me like that. You didn't do anything wrong," she told him. And then she spotted her purse in the corner. She slung it over her shoulder, peeking inside to check for all her belongings. She looked at him again.

"I have a headache already. Maybe the next time I buy you a gift, I'll get you wine instead," Sakura said. Tobirama frowned.

"I don't like wine, Jing-Mei."

"I don't care."

Sakura dropped Tobirama onto his bed. Huffing, she sat down at the foot of the mattress. Rubbing at her shoulder. He was a lot heavier than he looked.

"You asshole. I'm too old for this shit. Next time I'll just dump you in the nearest alley," she threatened. But there was no response. She wondered if he had fallen asleep. When she twisted around to check, she saw that his eyes were wide open. He lay on his side, just staring.

"Are you going to throw up?" she asked.

"Maybe later," he answered.

Sakura got up. Straightening her shirt as she moved to check her hair in the mirror.

"You know, have you ever thought about talking to Hashirama about this? It was his brother too," Sakura suggested. She fixed her part. Brushed a stray eyelash away. In the mirror, she could see Tobirama close his eyes, shaking his head.

"You know goh go. He doesn't want to talk about it. He doesn't want to think about him."

"Hm... I wonder," Sakura responded.

And when she turned, Tobirama kept his eyes closed. But she knew he wasn't sleeping. Not with his face pinched up like that. Scowling. He was listening.

"Hashirama probably is thinking about it. I think that's probably why he went out and made his own family. And probably why he tries so hard to talk to his kid, even if she hates him," she pointed out. She turned the lights out as she walked out of the room. When she closed the door of the apartment behind her, she thought she heard Tobirama running to the bathroom to vomit.

Tenten called her as she got off the elevator. Sakura stepped into the lobby, squinting against the absurd chandelier dangling from the ceiling.

"So, it was Red Eyes. We picked him up and brought him to the hospital. He's shot in the stomach pretty bad but doesn't seem like he'll die," she reported. Sakura could hear the chatter of voices and ringing phones in the background.

"What about the other guy?" Sakura questioned. She walked to the corner, to where she had illegally parked her car. There was a cop trying to print her a ticket. But when he saw her pink hair, his eyes went wide. He shredded up the ticket and stuffed it into his pocket. He bowed before he scrambled to get back into his own vehicle.

"We have him too. He's in surgery right now. Hopefully he won't die and we can get something out of him too," Tenten told her.

"Good. Keep me updated. I want guards at their doors. I want eyes and ears on every entrance to that hospital," Sakura instructed.

"You got it, Boss," Tenten said before she hung up.

Sakura sat in her car. Staring straight ahead. It had stopped raining at some point as she dragged Tobirama into his apartment. The windshield was still covered in moisture. Sirens wailed in the distance. Even at this late hour, there were still people on the streets. Stumbling in and out of clubs and bars. Their glittering clothes askew. Raucous laughter filling the air.

Sakura watched them all. Suddenly feeling so exhausted as their lives intersected for that one moment.

She called Itachi.

The clock on her dashboard read 2:22 am.

It was unsurprising when he didn't answer. It was past 3 in the morning in Tokyo. No sane person would still be awake. Tossing her phone aside, she started the car and began the drive home.

As she pulled into the parking garage below her building, her phone rang. 'Kumicho' flashed across the car console.

"Hello?"

"Sorry. I was asleep," Itachi said. His voice still scratchy. And then he asked, "Sakura?"

She blinked a few times. The corners of her eyes stinging.

"Itachi."

"Yes?"

"What do you like about me?" she demanded.

There was a pause.

"Well… off the top of my head, right now? Probably your need to call me at 3 in the morning and ask me what I like about you," he replied after some thought.

"I'm serious," she snapped. He chuckled.

"So am I. You're thinking about me. At 3 am. I'm happy."

Sakura didn't know what to say in response. She glared down at the steering wheel.

"Do you miss me?" he then asked her.

"No," she retorted. Voice flat.

"You do…" Itachi said, sounding a little amazed. Sakura considered breaking her phone just so she wouldn't have to endure the rest of this humiliating conversation. She didn't even understand why she had called him in the first place. But her hand stilled when she heard his next words.

"I miss you too."

Sakura leaned forward, forehead against the steering wheel. She stared at her phone sitting in her lap.

"You sound tired. Get some sleep, Sakura. I'll call you later," Itachi promised. Sakura closed her eyes.

"You will?" she heard herself say. Like some little kid.

"I will," he replied.