Sakura Haruno was no stranger to exhaustion. First as a med student, then as a resident, it was something which had dogged her all the way up to Chief Surgeon. Now as a detective it hadn't really changed. As the morning light rose over the circus tents she noticed that her lethargy had reached an unsettling level. She had kept it muzzled and chained for so long that finally those shackles were wearing thin, but she knew that a strong bolt of caffeine and adrenaline would once again secure it in its binds.
The Hidden Mist Circus was jarring in its set up. Sakura had vague memories of being in these kinds of places when she was younger, and now, as an adult the feeling was completely different and devoid of any childlike wonder. It was a dirty maze of oddly shaped tents, with vermin and litter covering the ground, and the stench of... Well, it was a mixture of bodily fluids and death. It was pungent, it was foul, and it was inescapable.
As well as trying to ignore the exhaustion, Sakura was also doing her utmost to ignore the gnawing clutches of doubt that were hanging over her at every turn. Had she really made that big of a mistake? It certainly had felt that way as soon as the promise of justice had left her tongue, and the way Kakashi had reacted... It had solidified that guilt as much as it had lit a fire within her to get the answers she needed.
The ride over had been quiet but that wasn't exactly out of the ordinary for the duo. They didn't need words so much to communicate anymore after working so closely together. If he hadn't immediately apologized over the phone that might be a different story, but he admitted to overreacting, and Sakura was sure that he would tell her exactly why when the time was right. For now she would settle for the large steaming to-go cup of coffee that he had placed in her hand.
"Learn anything while I was out?" Kakashi asked before downing what was left in his own cup. Maybe it was because his hair was always like that, sticking out at all angles, but he didn't appear as disheveled as Sakura felt, and that pissed her off more than anything. There was a definite smell of dollar store deodorant spray about him, an indication that he was overcompensating for the smell of the secret cigarette he had likely smoked while getting coffee.
"Well, the victim's name is Gato Zori, he's one of the managers here. Two gunshot wounds to the chest, same M.O. as Zabuza's, but a different caliber weapon by the looks of the stippling. So either this murder is unrelated or our killer has two different weapons. He was left to bleed out by the dumpster but time of death is uncertain. ME has taken the body already, insect activity might be able to tell us more."
Sakura took a long draft of the blackest coffee that had ever passed her lips but she didn't care at this point—it was all fuel to keep the tiredness at bay. It was difficult to say the least. She still felt as if she were in the wrong for what she had said to the family of the victim, and yet she hadn't entirely forgiven Kakashi for how he had spoken to her.
"You're primary on this one. Where do you want to go from here?"
"Well, we should start by talking with some of the staff. Maybe they heard or saw something. It's not certain that both murders are connected yet but it would be a pretty heavy coincidence, and there are no—"
"—Coincidences in a murder investigation. Alright, I can walk the stalls and ask the vendors. I'll report back in twenty."
Sakura was worried that Kakashi would walk off before she had the chance to say anything. But as her hand reached out instinctively to touch his arm, the memory of the previous night held her back. She took a deep breath and turned to catch his eye, only to find that he was staring intently back at her with a small upturn of his lips. She knew that he was still sensitive to light, but his scarred eye was open, and it felt more like he was waiting for permission than observing her.
"Thanks, Kakashi."
He smiled before moving.
"Maybe I can win you one of those giant stuffed bears."
"Maybe I'll win one for you, Hatake." She issued the challenge to the back of his head as he crossed the barrier out of the crime scene.
That's right, this was her case and she was going to do well. Kakashi had reminded her of that fact when he had called her the primary. Now she needed to do as he had taught her and use the instincts of a detective, She had something to prove, to herself and to those around her.
Forensics appeared to be done with the scene relatively quickly, though it would remain cordoned off until further notice. Before she spoke to anyone she wanted a firm layout of the place in her mind. It had been difficult in the pitch black of the early morning hours to find the location of the body, and now that the sun was up it was still a maze. Sakura wanted to know this place like the back of her hand, she couldn't help but think the outcome of the case would depend on it. It only took one flash of her badge and a few terse words for a worker to retrieve one of the maps of the circus grounds. It looked like a child had drawn it, but it would do.
She took a pen out of her pocket, marking the place on the map where Kakashi had started speaking to the vendors. If he operated in a clockwise fashion he would end up at the food stalls and picnic area within a half hour. Which left Sakura with the performers' tents and caravans. She would also need to get a good look at the offices where Gato and Zabuza worked.
Two people connected to the Hidden Mist Circus killed within the last 24 hours. Could this be a serial killer? Did that mean Mei and Haku were also in danger? Sakura couldn't be certain of anything just yet. All she knew was that if she was going to make Captain within the next ten years, she would need to get this situation under control and fast.
The closer she got to the performers' tents the more out of place Sakura felt. It was bizarre enough just to see what the circus was like without the general masses of happy-go-lucky people. She couldn't help but feel like the odd one out in a tent full of self proclaimed 'freaks'. Every eye was on her as she entered. While it wasn't comfortable there was no real animosity behind the stares. The pink hair was probably helping in that regard.
There were pool tables, chairs and sofas, and a small bar in the corner of the tent. The majority of the carnie folk were sitting at tables and eating breakfast or playing cards. All chatter died down the second Sakura walked in and she got a decided impression that none of them were going to talk to her willingly. She wasn't even sure where she should start...
"Hey, Pinkie. What can I get ya?"
The bartender's back was turned but she must have seen Sakura walk in. It was as good a place to start as any. With only the back view of the woman's head it was hard to tell what it was that made her presence feel so familiar to Sakura. Maybe it was just the blonde hair and gruff tone that reminded her of Tsunade.
"Information..." Sakura said quietly as she approached the bar.
"This early in the morning and all you want is information? You must have a strong stomach, girlie. You've been here all night and you look like shit—you're having coffee at least."
It was hard to argue when the drink was already poured and in front of her.
"Thanks, sorry, I didn't catch your name." The sentence petered out as soon as Sakura looked up and got a full view of the woman's face. She liked to think that she'd seen some weird and wonderful things in her time as a doctor, but this was next level.
"Sarah Aburame." She appeared to catch Sakura's startled gaze. "And this here is Horoyoi-sensei, you can touch him if you like." Sarah stroked the bushy beard that puffed proudly from all around her chin. Sakura's mind fought to catch up with reality.
"He is certainly handsome but I was taught to look, not touch. Besides, I haven't even bought him a drink yet."
"Touche. So, what do you wanna know, Pinkie?"
"It's Sakura, and I just want to know anything you can tell me about what happened here last night. Doesn't have to be much."
"People round here don't take too kindly to strangers, y'know, but I reckon with hair like that you've been called enough names to fit in just a little." Sarah leaned against the grain of the bar counter. "We take care of our own here, whether it be good or bad. If something wrong has happened, we'll see that it gets fixed."
There were no false pretenses about the statement. Sakura had heard rumors about the kind of tight-knit communities that existed around carnival folk but this was her first real encounter with it.
"Take it you don't have anything to tell me about the murders, then?"
Sarah smiled, and while it appeared to be sincere, Sakura couldn't help but feel it was at her expense.
"No, Pinkie. But I'll be sure to call you if I do learn something."
Sakura raised her brows as she took a sip of her second coffee for the day. The liquid had lost all taste to her now. All that mattered was that the caffeine laced tepid water got into her system as soon as possible.
"What can you tell me about Zabuza?"
"What do you wanna know?"
"Was he a good boss? Do you know of anyone who had it in for him?"
Sarah looked around some before she spoke. It appeared as if everyone had gone back to whatever they had been doing before Sakura had walked in. She was in no doubt that people were listening to the conversation though.
"Zabuza... He was nice enough as a boss. Had to have everything just so but wasn't cruel to any of his staff or family. God, there's only two things that man loved, his family and his guns."
"Guns, huh?" Sakura was already making a mental note to follow up on at the precinct.
"Yeah, always carrying one. Didn't drink, but wasn't afraid to come and have a chat with us after a show. Always had that boy with him. Don't think he liked the idea of Haku being tainted by this lot of degenerates."
"What about Gato? Anything you can tell me about him?"
"Not really. Didn't see or hear anything. It was business as usual. But if I do remember something, I'll let you know, Pinkie."
With a wink, Sarah Aburame went back to tending to her patrons while Sakura descended further into disillusion. She wondered if there was actually any point to leaving her contact information with these people. This was such a closed community, "tight-knit" would be putting it lightly. She only hoped that Kakashi was faring a little better than she was. Every person she had spoken with in the performers' tent had an alibi, and while those hadn't been substantiated yet, it was like trying to wring blood from a stone. Attempting to get any useful information from these people was a pointless exercise, and no amount of coffee would change that.
That was perhaps the first moment where the pressure of the case at hand really weighed on her mind. Hope was not lost yet and there was still so much to follow up on. Just because she had reached her first dead end didn't mean the case would now go cold. Sakura tried to snap herself out of it as she rounded the corner to the row of vendors.
There wasn't really any need to scan for that familiar shock of silver hair: not only did it stand out like a sore thumb, but there weren't a lot of people around for him to blend in with. She was at just enough distance to regard him without being seen. Kakashi appeared to be intently concentrating on something. His whole body was still, his head looking downwards. As she got closer she could see that he had both eyes open and his brow was creased just slightly. He looked every bit the elderly gentleman who was trying to use a computer for the first time to look at pictures of cars he used to own. The silver hair certainly added to that mental image, Sakura made a note to make fun of his old man hair later.
"Admiring my ass, Haruno? It is spectacular today, I must say."
"What are you doing here, Hatake? Finished with the vendors already?"
"Yup." He didn't bother to look at her as he answered.
"Take it from the tone you got about as much information as I did."
"If you also got diddly-squat, then yes. Luckily I found some more fruitful endeavors to pass the time with." Kakashi straightened slightly and turned. "I've made my decision, good sir."
"Finally." A stout man appeared from the back of the stall.
"I will take the first two and the one on the end."
"They all look the same to me..." Sakura was perplexed. Kakashi was standing in front of one of those rigged games she had seen a million times before but had never been naive enough to try.
"Trust me, there's a difference. If you want to win kingyo sukui, you need the scoopers that have the best structural integrity."
Sakura couldn't help but smile as the carnie muttered something along the lines of, 'should've charged extra for looking'. This was the kind of game that was rigged from the start and there was no way anyone could actually win it.
"So what, you get three scoopers for $5, and you have to catch the goldfish and put them in the thingy...?"
"'Thingy' a technical term in the medical field, Haruno?" Kakashi shot her a snide look before he went back to examining the tub of wriggling goldfish in front of them. Sakura had rolled her eyes by way of response and he continued. "The scooper is made of rice paper, it dissolves in the water if left too long and can tear under the weight of the goldfish. It takes real skill to get them into that jar."
"Uh huh, sure."
"You doubt me?" Kakashi's eyes met hers in a silent challenge to which she simply raised her brow in reply. "Fine, pick anything, and I'll win it for you."
"Your ego is the only spectacular thing about you today, Hatake. Spare me the trip—"
"Ego has nothing to do with it. I'm telling you now, it's one hundred percent skill." He winked, the carnie standing in the back of the booth tutted his disbelief. "And if I'm wrong I'll let you pick what we eat for dinner for a whole month."
It was too good an opportunity to pass up.
"Fine, it's a deal."
"Great. So, have you picked out something?"
Sakura glanced through the shelves of plush toys and dollar store gadgets, things you could buy with less money than it cost to play one of these games. Nothing was catching her eye especially, and the entire selection had nothing especially useful in it.
"I don't know, how about the pink giraffe?"
"Pathetic. You've clearly no faith in my brilliance. Good sir, what do I win for potting the whole lot?"
The man guffawed and didn't move from his spot.
"You pot every one of those fish and I'll let you pick anything on this stand."
What happened next was something that Sakura would later recall with a perplexed kind of fondness. Considering the way Kakashi had spoken to her the night before it was reassuring to see him return to his usual goofy self. He'd apologized in that brief and meaningful way Sakura had grown accustomed to, but actions spoke louder than words. Especially with Kakashi. Sakura had often wondered what had befallen the other members of Kakashi's team, the inhabitants of the sole picture he had framed on his wall. She had the ability and resources to look up their fates, heck she could even swallow some of her pride and ask Yamato... but it just didn't feel right. If it got in the way of her investigation then perhaps she could justify it, but for now Sakura had a job to do and she needed to do it well.
If it weren't for the stench of murder that still permeated the air, Sakura might have permitted herself a bit of fun. It was bemusing—Kakashi didn't have that look of childlike wonder or excitement as he began to play the game. Instead he held an air of eerie calmness as he began this grave undertaking, and his hand moved with a kind of expertise that Sakura had to blink a few times to really be able to comprehend. At first glance she hadn't believed that more than one fish would fit on the little scooper, and yet somehow Kakashi had managed to get three in one. With a flourish of his wrist the goldfish were in the pot and the scooper was back collecting more.
"If only you could concentrate like this at the precinct, we'd get a lot more done in a day."
"Jealousy is an ugly emotion on you, Haruno." Kakashi had scooped nine out of the twenty fish in the pond before the first scooper disintegrated. He nodded to the stout man who had been cursing throughout the entire show. "Do I need to continue or do you want these back?"
"Alright." The man marched over and snatched the two remaining paddles in Kakashi's hand. "Pick anything, I don't give a—"
That was how it came to pass that the ugliest and biggest marionette puppet Sakura had ever seen was buckled safely in the backseat of the sedan.
"At least we're not coming back empty handed, so-to-speak."
"Shut up, Kakashi." She couldn't help the creeping smile on her face. "Lady Katsuyu will love her new toy though, I'll make sure she thanks you properly next time you see her."
They were halfway back to the precinct already, Kakashi behind the wheel. Sakura was going through the list in her head of what needed to be done next. It was a particular order. Gato's next of kin, if there were any they needed to be spoken with. She needed to review the autopsy report for Zabuza, though it was a pointless exercise. It was visible to everyone that the cause of death would be one or all of the three bullet wounds to his chest. Then she needed to run background checks on the circus and its workers...
"Sakura!"
Kakashi's tone was sharp enough to make her startle a little.
"What? I'm sitting right here, there's no need to yell."
"Haruno, I've been trying to get your attention for the last five minutes. You're thinking so loud I can practically hear it."
"Oh, sorry. Just going over—"
"—What you have to do next, yeah, I know. You still need to sleep, eat, and rest."
"No, I don't," she mumbled, snatching the bottle of blue liquid from the cup holder. "What I need is to catch whoever is killing people at that circus."
"And you will, but you'll burn out before then if you're not careful."
Sakura appreciated the sentiment, and if anyone knew about burnout it was Kakashi Hatake. But right now she didn't need his concern. She needed to get back to work before someone else got hurt.
"I'm going to request a protection detail for Mei and Haku once we get back."
"If you think that it's necessary."
"And you don't?"
Kakashi's eyes left the road briefly to meet hers though his expression remained impassive.
"Depends if you're asking me as your partner or your captain."
"Does it matter?"
"I suppose not." He sighed loudly. "You're not going to like either of them."
"Let me guess. You think I'm being over emotional and that it's clouding my objectivity. Well I've got news for you, Kakashi: not everything is black and white, but I'm not willing to have another body added to my conscience."
"Haruno, I never said that I didn't agree with you about the protection detail. I only said you wouldn't like the answers." There was a furrow across his brow, something she recognized as annoyance, but it wasn't necessarily because of her. "What would Tsunade say...?"
He appeared genuinely paused in thought, so Sakura finished it for him.
"Tsunade would pick up her phone and order a police detail to the home of Mei and Haku..." She couldn't help the sigh which escaped with the momentary pause. "Then she would say a protection order is useless if I don't know who I'm protecting them from."
"Exactly, and then..."
"Then she would tell me to stop getting invested emotionally and do my damned job." She paused thoughtfully and smiled. "Thanks, Kakashi. I needed that. But what do you think as my partner? Tsunade's isn't a hard nut to crack, but yours on the other hand..."
"Dark and mysterious is on my resume." He huffed in amusing himself. But it was at the same time the precinct came into view that his eyes lost that sparkle of mischief and he turned serious. "It's admirable that you want to protect them, believe me, I've been in that position but—"
"—But, you can't save everyone, I know—"
"—Not what I was going to say, thought it's true." Kakashi's shoulders tensed as they pulled into the parking lot. "What I was going to say, Sakura, is that you can't erase the hurt of what's been done. No matter what actions you take or how many suspects you apprehend. You can't undo it. No amount of promises you make can ease their suffering."
The sedan came to a stop and Sakura felt her stomach begin to churn. Something she might have once written off as the aftermath of excess caffeine consumption, but the reality was far from it. Kakashi's point wasn't so different from Tsunade's. The conclusion was at least the same.
Do your damned job.
The realization that she was trying to heal the victim's families as if they were her own patients hit so hard that it made her nauseous. That life had been left behind for many reasons, and now wasn't the time to be playing doctor. She was a detective. She would always be professionally different from her partner because no two detectives worked exactly the same, but in this instance he was right. Because it was coming from Kakashi, the words held more depth. He had made a promise to himself to catch a killer and it had grated him down to nothing.
"Come on, we've got work to do."
Kakashi pulled the keys from the ignition before Sakura had formed the words to thank him. It was lucky that they didn't strictly need words to communicate.
"Right." They were in the elevator before Sakura noticed the distinctive pout on his features. "You, uh, okay there, Kakashi? You look like a kid whose parents drove past the fast food restaurant."
"It's nothing..." It wasn't nothing, Sakura patiently waited for Kakashi to continue. "Can't believe you didn't ask me how I mastered the fish game."
"Uh huh."
"It's quite the story, back when I was a young street urchin-"
The elevator stopped at the third floor.
"Kakashi, I know you're desperate to become one of those singing princesses from the movies, but please save it. I've got work to do."
By the time she got to her desk she was already in that tunnel vision mode. There was so much work to be done and there wasn't any time to waste. First of all was the search for next of kin for the second victim, Gato. Preliminary searches found an estranged wife with an address listed but no other contact information. Not exactly a dead end, but she would need to go to that address or find this woman another way.
It happened at the same time Sakura received Zabuza's autopsy report from Shizune. The file came through electronically and she clicked it just as her phone began to ring. She didn't even look at who the caller was. Her focus was mostly on the screen in front of her.
"Detective Haruno."
The timid voice on the other end of the line was saturated with a wavering fear, so palpable Sakura's skin prickled with goosebumps.
It was Haku, and he was in trouble.
She had jumped up from her desk with such gusto that it prompted Kakashi to poke his head out of Tsunade's office. Gai and Genma also paused what they were doing.
"I'll be right there, don't panic." She had grabbed her jacket and keys before she hung up the phone.
"What was—?"
"A death threat has been made against Haku." Sakura narrowed her eyes at Kakashi before turning to leave. "Think they need that protection detail now?"
