Chapter Two
Prompt: Hunted

The rain pelted the windows. Sakura watched it beat a steady rhythm against the pane, a soothing sound in the otherwise busy city. It reminded her of home and her childhood. She had grown up over a hundred miles north of the city, where the trees were thick and the clouds hung low in the canopies. There was so much color there from the bright green grass to the blue-tinted moss hanging from the branches. It made this grey, grey concrete jungle seem even more colorless.

Stifling a yawn, Sakura turned her gaze from the drizzle outside. She sipped her now-lukewarm coffee before she peered about the coffee shop. There were only two workers behind the coffee bar. One was ringing up a customer while the other made his order behind the coffee machine. It hissed sharply as it warmed up a cup of milk. A businesswoman sat in the corner, her fingers flying across her keyboard as she worked, while a man in his early twenties sat three tables away with his phone in one hand and his coffee in the other.

No one paid any mind to her. Which was exactly why Sakura had decided to come here. It was one of the few times she got any peace. She loved her job and she loved her friends, but it was rare when she was actually allowed a few, uninterrupted minutes to herself.

The sun was already dipping below the city skyline. It peeked out beneath the high, wet clouds, casting an orange hue over the streets. Sakura watched the raindrops on the window turn gold in the setting sun until her phone pinged softly.

It was a message from Ino, her best friend since college. She was attempting for the sixth time that day to get Sakura to go out with her tonight. If it was to the bar, Sakura likely would have joined, but clubbing was not high on her priority list when this was the first night in eight nights Sakura hadn't been stuck performing surgery. No, tonight she would be relaxing with a very large glass of wine.

Smiling, Sakura told Ino that, not for the first time.

They bantered back and forth for a while until Sakura finished her coffee. She collected her things, pausing at the garbage to toss her trash before she made her way back out into the streets. They were fairly empty. With no weekend traffic, the cars moved smoothly through the lights.

Fortunately, the rain had slowed. She had accidentally grabbed a jacket without a hood and she had no umbrella to protect her from the sprinkle. At least the trolley stop was nearby.

Sakura paused when she reached the corner of the intersection. She glanced one way down the street and waited for an approaching truck to pass before she made ready to cross. Only to still when she saw a familiar town car with an even more familiar man standing across the way.

Madara.

He was dressed as usual in an expensive, perfectly tailored suit and even though the rain had lightened, he held a dark umbrella above his head, keeping himself dry. He looked so powerful and darkly attractive like he was doing a photoshoot for the Business Insider magazine.

At his abrupt appearance, adrenaline pumped through Sakura's system so sharply it nearly made her dizzy. She would have turned and ran but it was as if every muscle in her body had gone into rigor mortis. She couldn't move. She wasn't even sure if she was still breathing.

Madara simply met her gaze. That simple look told her everything. He was waiting for her.

As if she was slowly thawing out from a block of ice, Sakura's ability to move came back to her bit-by-bit. She glanced down the street again. She didn't see Itachi or Shisui anywhere, but the memory of last time she had tried to run was still fresh in her mind. Madara didn't look angry, but he might very easily become so if she tried to flee.

Taking a deep breath, Sakura forced herself to meet him. It felt more like crossing the River Styx into the Underworld.

"Dr. Haruno," Madara greeted.

"What do you want?"

"What a horribly unpleasant greeting."

She hadn't meant to blurt the words out, but he made her nervous and put her on edge like no one ever had before. His expression didn't change but his gaze was unwavering and it took all of Sakura's willpower not to flinch.

Swallowing, she tried again. "You told me the last time we meant that if I did what you said you would leave me alone."

"I do not appreciate being called a liar," Madara said. A small frown tugged the corners of his mouth down as his voice took on a sharper tone. "I told you if he were to survive, we would discuss it further. I am here to discuss it."

He reached over then and opened the backdoor to the town car. Automatically her gaze swept over the interior. There was no one else inside. He was alone.

"Please come in. Let us chat more comfortably."

His voice changed then. She wouldn't quite call it warm, but there was something less stern and commanding about it. His umbrella had done its job in keeping him dry, but Sakura's jacket and hair were damp, and the cool breeze was beginning to chill her. She could feel the heat coming from the inside of the vehicle, but she didn't move. She had been held against her will twice in these cars.

"I'm fine here. I won't be a part of your organization," she told him sternly.

Perhaps it was because they were still standing on the sidewalk that she felt brave. Like she still had the ability to flee. Whether that was true or not, she didn't know. She wouldn't put it past Madara to have his men stationed in every building, just waiting to grab her should she run. And until Madara became more agitated she was willing to stand her ground.

If Madara was offended by her refusal, he didn't show it. He merely dropped his hand on the door handle to face her once more.

"That is exactly what I am here to discuss. I am here to settle our debt."

Her tough act fell and gave way to confusion. "Our debt?"

Madara reached into his suit and withdrew an envelope that he handed to her. She accepted it after a moment's hesitation before she opened it and slid out the piece of paper inside. It was a check. Addressed to her in the amount of thirty thousand dollars?

Sakura's eyes widened. Her mind began to race. This could pay off a chunk of her student loans. She could move into a bigger apartment, one in the city and closer to the hospital. But then it dawned on her what this would mean. She would be taking money from one of the most dangerous criminals in the city. She would be bound to him, perhaps permanently. This was the opposite of leaving her alone.

"I don't want your blood money," Sakura all but growled. She shoved the check back into the envelope before she half-crumpled it and threw it inside the car.

Perhaps it wasn't the smartest thing to say to a Mob Boss, but she didn't want his money binding them together for the rest of her life.

A small frowned appeared in the corner of Madara's mouth as if she had just insulted him. Which likely wasn't far from the truth, but when he spoke his voice was calm and collected.

"This is not blood money, Dr. Haruno. You have done my family a favor. This is simply a payment to square up our debt."

Sakura chewed the inside of her mouth as she considered that. Madara sounded sincere, but she had witnessed a portion of how brutal the mafia could be. Maybe fifty or a hundred years ago, they believed in repaying debts and having honor, but now they were crueler and more ruthless. She didn't think she trusted Madara.

Sakura was still weighing all this out in her mind when she heard a sudden screech of tires. She turned just in time to see a car rapidly approach from down the street before a series of loud pops filled the air and glass exploded around them.

Sakura wasn't given the chance to run for cover as Madara grabbed her by the jacket and threw her down onto the floor of his town car. He landed on top of her as someone nearby screamed in pure terror. Dozens of sharp cracks filled the air as shrapnel rained down upon them. Sakura curled up into the tiniest ball she could make as she covered her ears, hoping whoever was screaming would stop soon.

The bullets lasted for only a few seconds and an entire year at the same time. It wasn't until they stopped that she realized the shrieking was coming from herself. She heard the screech of tires as the car sped away, but she didn't dare get up. Even if Madara's weight wasn't still pinning her down, she couldn't move. She had been turned to stone.

Then she heard the distant scream of sirens in the distance. She thought that might stir Madara into moving, but when he continued to lay on top of her, she finally glanced over her shoulder to peer at him. There was glass and pieces of interior in his hair. His eyes were closed and he was breathing quietly.

No, not quietly. Shallowly.

Carefully, Sakura slipped out from under him, her hands crunching against the glass on the floor. His suit was torn, but otherwise he looked fine, if a little pale. At least until she rolled him over. His white button-up shirt was turning red near his shoulder and quickly.

With frantic hands, Sakura ripped the material away to find a large wound below his collarbone. It was a mess of torn skin and blood. She didn't know if it was shrapnel or bullet fragments. If he was lucky, they had missed his heart. If he wasn't, he would be dead within the next few minutes.

"Hey, driver!" Sakura shouted. "He's been injured! We need to get to a hospital!"

When she didn't get an answer, she climbed onto the back-facing seat and peered through the divider. She nearly lost the contents of her stomach. The driver was hunched over the wheel, a bullet wound through his skull. She may be a surgeon, but there was something about witnessing the trauma on-scene that made her suddenly queasy.

In that moment, the urge to run overcame Sakura. She bolted towards the open door only to pause on the sidewalk as she looked back. If she left now, Madara would die. The doctor in her reared its head at that thought; of her walking away without even attempting to help.

Then her gaze caught the crumpled check in the corner. She wondered if the rest of his family would blame her. She thought of Itachi and Izuna. She didn't doubt they would come after her. They likely wouldn't even hear her out before they killed her. Or worse, tortured and then killed her.

Swallowing thickly, Sakura made her choice. She slammed Madara's door shut before she ran around to the driver's side. Trying her best not to look, Sakura shoved the dead man as far over towards the passenger seat as she could. Then she started the engine and took off, the scream of sirens only a few blocks behind her.

xx

Sakura didn't quite know where she was going. She knew she couldn't take Madara to a hospital, but he needed serious medical attention. She sped down the city streets, almost wandering aimlessly until she remembered the urgent clinic a few blocks away.

She usually directed patients there when the ER was overcrowded. It was a smaller office, but the owner knew how to deal with the less urgent medical procedures. And it was sundown on a Saturday; he would already have closed up for the day. It would be empty.

When Sakura reached the clinic, she drove by slowly, ensuring the lights inside were off before she pulled around back. The backdoor was locked, but she found the spare key in an old potted plant nearby. Not very secure in her personal opinion, but given the circumstances she wasn't going to complain. She grabbed a wheelchair from the hallway before she struggled to drop Madara into it, his bloodied side staining her arm bright red.

Inside, there were two examination rooms and one small procedure room. She brought Madara to the latter and after flicking on the light, she used all her strength to settle him on the bed. Then she got to work.

She pulled a pair of scissors from the drawer and cut his shirt off. Under the bright, florescent lighting, she got her first good look at the wound. It looked like hamburger meat. It was serious, but likely nothing that was immediately fatal, given the fact he hadn't bled to death in the back of the car.

After shuffling through the drawers for more equipment, Sakura set up an IV before she began gathering gauze, a scalpel and a half dozen other tools. She was just grabbing the last few things she needed when she heard the lock on the front door suddenly slide out of place before the bell above it chimed.

Stilling, Sakura held her breath. There was the echo of footsteps, followed by the murmur of one-sided conversation as though someone were talking on the phone. She didn't dare move and for the first time, it occurred to her that she might have been followed. That whoever it was that had tried so hard to kill them had followed her here. It wouldn't exactly have been hard.

Grabbing her scalpel, Sakura tiptoed towards the doorway. She peered out, but it was hard to pinpoint where the person was with her heartbeat thudding in her ears. She thought she heard the phone call end followed by the rustling of papers, then all fell quiet.

A shadow flickered in the corner of her eyes and she turned a moment too late, her scalpel raised–

"Whoa, what the hell! Sakura?"

All the adrenaline in her veins turned to warm relief as she recognized the figure. "Oh, thank God, Kakashi."

He stepped closer as she lowered her scalpel-turned-weapon, his expression obviously confused when he came closer to the light. "What're you doing here? We closed almost three hours ago."

Sakura opened her mouth, only to close it again. What was she supposed to say? 'I broke in to heal the Boss of one of the most dangerous mafias in the country after we were shot at'?

Fortunately, or perhaps not so fortunately, she was saved from answering when Kakashi looked at her face. "What happened to you? You're covered in blood." Then he looked past her into the procedure room. "Who is that?"

She hesitated. She knew Kakashi somewhat well. They had worked together in her last hospital before he had left to open this very clinic. He was a good surgeon and a good person. She hated putting him in this position.

"He…he's been shot," she said instead. "He needs surgery."

"Yes, I can see that," Kakashi said incredulously. "Why didn't you take him to the hospital?"

"I can't," she told him, her voice suddenly soft.

He tore his eyes away from where Madara was laying on the table pale and still bleeding freely to look at her. Really look at her. In that moment, Sakura realized she must look like hell. There was blood on her hands and staining her white jacket, and she likely had glass and other shrapnel in her hair. It was obvious she had just been through something.

"Sakura, what are you involved in?" Kakashi finally asked quietly.

She shook her head. Because honestly, she didn't even know. She was probably signing her own death certificate by being here with Madara now.

"The less you know the better, but please…I need your help. I can't do this alone. I'll make it up to you. I'll even make sure your supplies get replaced. I'll volunteer here for a month. Please, I just need your help and I need you to not ask any questions," she rambled, as though afraid if she gave him a second to talk, he might deny her. Or worse, call the police.

Kakashi was silent for so long, she thought he just might. Then he glanced at Madara before he turned back to her and looked her dead in the eye. "Can you at least tell me that you're safe?"

Of course, she wanted to reassure him and tell him 'yes', but the truth was she didn't even know. She simply met his gaze and replied, "Please don't ask any questions."

Her answer obviously didn't satisfy him, but there was nothing more she could say. Her knees nearly went weak in relief when he finally nodded. "Let's get to work. He's still losing blood."

Nearly three hours later, Madara was starting to get some of his color back. They had removed three metal shards from below his collarbone. Somehow, they had all miraculously missed his heart and the major arteries around it. There was some damage to his subclavian artery, but with Kakashi's help – most importantly his knowledge of where the surgical tools were kept – they were able to stem the bleeding and clear Madara's thoracic cavity of any fluids.

Kakashi tried to help Sakura clean up their mess, but she convinced him to head home; that she would handle the rest. And she would.

In the inside pocket of his suit jacket, Sakura found Madara's phone. She used his thumbprint to unlock the screen. He had over twenty missed calls. Some from Shisui and Itachi, some from a couple of names she didn't recognize, but the majority were from Izuna. She hit call.

The other line barely rang once before Izuna answered, "Madara, where the hell have you been? I heard there was a shooting downtown only a block away from where you were watching that doctor."

His words caused a vein in her jaw to twitch and automatically her gaze shifted to where Madara was still resting. He was sedated and would be unconscious for another few hours. Plenty of time for her to do what she was about to do next.

"He's alive," Sakura said into the receiver.

On the other end, Izuna paused. "Dr. Haruno?"

"It's me," she confirmed. "Madara took some shrapnel to the chest, but he's stable now."

"Where are you?"

This time, Sakura hesitated as she carefully considered what she was about to say next. It was a gamble. But she was desperate. "I'm going to tell you where to find him, but first you're going to agree to something."

"Oh really? And what would that be?" he asked with a silky, soft tone like he was already planning how best to murder her.

Sakura forced herself not to lose her courage. "The clinic that Madara is at; you're going to scrub it. I have a list of supplies I used to save his life. I want you to replace them. It's going to be like we were never here. And then you're going to leave me alone. You, Madara, Shisui and Itachi. All of you. No more tails, no more kidnappings. Am I clear?" she asked.

Izuna was silent. Sakura thought she had sounded calm and confident on the phone, but she wondered if he could feel her shaking. From the top of her head to the ends of her toes, she trembled out of exhaustion and fear and anger and a whole list of other emotions she felt but couldn't name.

Then Izuna said, "Fine. We have a deal. Where is he?"

As soon as Sakura rattled off the address, she got the hell out of there. She left Madara's phone on the counter, along with her inventory of supplies that needed to be replaced for Kakashi. Then she exited through the backdoor and ran down the dark stretch of road until the little clinic was far, far behind her.

tbc…

Yay, chapter two! Thank you to those of you who commented It's nice to know people are enjoying this AU. I know who my regulars are. To those of you who are first or second time commenters, it's nice to see your name!

Please remember that if you like my work, comment! I am doing this for free and it really is the least you can do.

Until next time!