Streetgang Lovers
Chapter Fourteen
"Have you seen Ino or Tenten?" The violet haired girl shook her head, eyes dazed.
"Where have you been, Sakura?"
"Long story, but let's just say there is more than one Akatsuki member lurking around this hospital." The rosette nodded towards the patient room she had just walked out of. Hinata turned to her with a confused expression, but followed Sakura out of the wing and towards the elevators back up to the tenth floor.
It seemed safe to say these run-ins were a case of plain bad luck.
"How was neurology?" The pink haired girl asked, tone languid as she quickened her pace in an attempt to navigate the maze that was Amegakure Hospital. Every bleach white wall looked the same, as did all the nurses dressed in scrubs shooting them questioning looks. Sakura supposed it wasn't everyday that they saw two clueless kids running up and down the critical care department.
"It was… Interesting." Hinata replied, choosing her words carefully.
"The patient that came in had a brain tumor."
"Well that's scary." Was all the pink haired girl could muster and Hinata nodded in agreement. The one hour that she sat in the corner of Mr. Yamanaka's office observing the exam had been very educational but she couldn't help but feel as if she was being intrusive. Luckily Mr. Yamanaka had classified the brain tumor as benign, and the patient was in his early twenties, so there was hope. She couldn't imagine receiving such upsetting news like that, or being the one to tell patients.
She continued to blindly follow Sakura down another hallway.
"Is it normal for hospitals to be freezing cold?" The rosette complained, pulling her cardigan back over her shoulders. The thin material did little to help, seeing it was lightweight and made for spring. She jumped back, pulling Hinata to the side as they barely scraped past three nursing students pushing an empty stretcher. They momentarily stood against the front of a circulation desk, peering over the counter at the mess of paperwork and phone whose call had been on hold for forty minutes and counting.
"Ooh, look at all those stashes of candy."
The constant beeping coming from an unknown source kept Hinata constantly turning her head every which way, trying to figure out where it was coming from. Nurses and assistants of nurses teleported in and out of rooms, each pair more weary eyed than the one before, some hauling rolling desks along with them. This was definitely a different setting than the serene atmosphere of the neurology department.
But then again, she had only observed for one hour so maybe Mr. Yamanaka's day would grow increasingly chaotic just like this.
"So who's the other Akatsuki member hiding out in this hospital?" The rosette nearly choked.
"Ah! What are you talking about?" Her jade colored pupils darted back and forth as if she was expecting someone to pop out behind the corner. The Hyuuga blinked.
"I mean, didn't you just tell me that there's more than one Akatsuki member here, Sakura?"
"Yes, yes. But not so loud Hinata!"
"Sakura, are you feeling okay?" The violet haired girl placed a hand on Sakura's arm. It was strangely warm. She then touched the back of her hand to the rosette's forehead. It was also strangely warm.
"You seem very on edge."
"I am fine Hinata!" Sakura insisted, then placed both of her hands onto her face just to make sure.
So what? We saw some emotion and a caring side to Sasori Akasuna and now I-
I?
WHY AM I HEATING UP?
Cue confused screaming from Inner Sakura.
A familiar black van slowly backed out of the parking structure, its conscientious driver peering at both side mirrors every few seconds out of paranoia.
"We're in a parking lot, Itachi." Pein reminded the raven haired Akatsuki member, who did not seem to pay attention to his words.
"There's no harm in being careful." The Uchiha said to himself, gripping the wheel with both hands and checking the rearview mirror. After everything they had done, it would be the most embarrassing to get arrested for backing into public property. He squinted. Just moments ago, he could have sworn he was about to hit the cement pillar. His foot abruptly slammed onto the brake.
"You're going five miles per hour."
"That's already too fast for me."
Pein facepalmed, trying to not to judge.
"Well, there they go. Where to, I have no idea." Tenten stated flatly watching Itachi's poor attempt to back out of the parking structure. It had been funny for a couple minutes but now was almost embarrassing to watch. Five other cars had already pulled out and sped away. Meanwhile, he was still in here with an audience of two. Who gave this guy his license?
"Like nobody actually pays attention to that sticker that says objects in the mirror are closer than they appear. Don't tell me the great Itachi Uchiha doesn't know that?"
"There's a first for everything." Ino replied, ducking down behind a convertible and pulling the brunette down with her.
"Excuse me, do you know where the radiology department is?" Both girls nearly jumped out of their skin at the croaky voice behind them. Ino was the first to turn around, seeing a harmless old lady standing a few feet away on a walker.
"That should be on the second floor. So just walk through those double doors and to the left of the reception desk should be an elevator." The blonde flashed a smile as the grandma thanked her and hobbled away.
"I didn't know you knew where the radiology department was." Tenten turned to her, impressed.
"I don't." Ino answered simply, pulling Tenten back down.
"Oh my god Ino! She's an old lady! How could you mislead her like that?"
"It must be these smocks. She probably thinks we work here. Let's take them off." The blonde muttered, ripping the cyan blue material off of her and shoving it into a nearby garbage can.
Hinata and Sakura found the other two leaning against a cement pillar at the ground floor of the hospital's parking lot, both looking bored out of their minds. Noticing that neither of them were still wearing the smocks, the violet haired girl and pinkette quickly shed theirs as well.
"You won't believe who we just saw." Tenten drawled, eyes staring into the distance.
"No, you won't believe who I saw." Sakura gasped, squatting on the ground to catch her breath. The four of them remained in the parking lot against the pillar in silence watching cars puff by as they allowed four brains to digest that day's happenings. Watching a neurologist counsel a patient with a brain tumor, meeting someone's grandma, and suffering second hand embarrassment from a guy who didn't know how to properly back out of a parking structure. Unreal.
"Well, what does his planner say for the next destination?" Ino asked.
"It's two days from now. But here's the details." Hinata replied, studying the pictures on her phone.
"Itachi Uchiha, that planner of yours is a blessing and a curse."
"I mean, good for him on being organized, but he is gonna punch himself in the face the day he realizes he supplied us with his gang's next moves." The blonde peered over Hinata's shoulder.
"Mark your calendars, ladies. The fun is just getting started."
Hopefully Mr. Yamanaka wasn't expecting them to stick around for long.
The student body had quickly adapted to the change in leadership, but it still felt strange without the presence of Tsunade. With the stress of finals looming over the student body, things were a little more chaotic than usual. Everyone was really known to overdo it when it came to studying, and it didn't help that the library had decided to extend their hours in the month and a half leading up to the week of hell.
Tenten stomped through the halls after Hinata and Ino, catching a few more stares than usual.
"Sakura's not at school and Tenten let her hair down! What is the world coming to?"
"It's because my hairties snapped!" Tenten insisted, glaring at Ino then ducked as more of her classmates turned around curiously. She did not want not to draw anymore attention to herself. That would be the last time she would buy elastics from the sketchy dollar store. That was the purpose of a hairtie, to tie your hair up, not snap in the middle of class like a mini projectile and hurt your ears. Ino was being evil and refused to lend her a scrunchie this morning, saying it was such a rare moment to see her friend with her hair down.
"Where is Sakura anyways?" Hinata asked, unzipping the front pocket of her backpack to see if she had any hairties to spare. No such luck. Just a few pearl hairclips and a gold barrette that she doubted the bun haired girl would appreciate.
"She was acting so weird and spaced out this morning." Ino answered, forcing Hinata's hand to zip her backpack back up as Tenten gave her a deadpan look through her brown locks. "I'm a little disappointed that she won't be able to give us a heads up on what the Biology quiz is on."
"I heard it's alot harder than past quizzes because Asuma-sensei found out some of his past students were selling old copies." Hinata said in a hushed tone as the three of them made their way down the crowded hall. "He hasn't changed his tests for years so I'm feeling a little anxious."
"What losers! They don't even know how to cheat properly!" Tenten seethed. "That means this quiz is going to be even harder!" The chances of keeping her grade in the class were looking slim if she scored less than a B. This completely threw her study plans off track seeing that she would need to put in double the intensity to prep for the final. And to think that she had been doing so well.
"Curse them!"
"Well I also heard instead of the standard twenty questions, it's now fifty questions." Hinata added.
"Fifty questions?! He only gives us half an hour for quizzes, is Asuma-sensei insane?" Ino grumbled, her sunny mood slowly disappearing at the thought of the Biology teacher taking revenge on them. "Also, where are you hearing all this information from, Hinata?"
"Um… Naruto." The brunette and blonde stopped in their tracks to look at their friend.
"Okay, that boy is not a reliable source." Tenten raised an eyebrow.
"He's known to over-exaggerate." Ino nodded.
"Actually, she's not wrong." A voice behind the three girls made them jump.
"Shikamaru!" Ino slapped him on the arm to which he did not so much as bat an eye. The Nara was looking, well, bored as usual.
"I just finished Biology and that quiz was not a walk in the park." He looked at all of them with a dead look in his eyes. "I didn't even finish, it was that bad."
"The genius has spoken, so now I think we have a reason to be scared." Ino sulked. "Do you at least remember some of the stuff that was asked?"
"Couldn't tell ya." A vein on the blonde's forehead pulsated.
"Well, good luck to all of you and let's hope for a curve." With that, the dark haired boy plodded off to his next class.
"How will we survive?" Tenten shouted, pulling her hair. Maybe Shizune had some scissors she could lend her. Snipping all her hair off didn't seem like a bad idea right now.
"If this quiz is fifty questions, how long will the final be?" Hinata fretted, palms starting to sweat. She only had three periods before Biology.
They were then interrupted by a thud and splat sound. Turning around, Tenten, Hinata and Ino saw something they thought they would never see.
"Neji-san! You are being so clumsy today!"
Neji Hyuuga.
On the ground.
Flat like a pancake.
"Lee, I only tripped. It happens to everyone."
"Exactly! You are usually so calm and collected in comparison to the rest. What has happened, my youthful comrade?"
"Hinata, why is your cousin such a weirdo?" Ino asked under her breath, watching Lee yank Neji up off the ground as the brown haired Hyuuga made a great show of awkwardly coughing and maintaining a straight face.
"Don't tell Tenten, but I think it might be her hair." The violet haired girl whispered back.
A certain pink head and redhead sat side by side in the cafe of Amegakure Hospital watching, well, people. The cup of coffee filled to the brim sat in his hands, untouched in fear that she would say something ridiculous that would make him choke.
He had been listening to Sakura rant for over thirty minutes and counting, but with every nod and wow, that's crazy, she did not get the hint. Sasori wondered if she was the kind of person who simply could not stand being alone with her thoughts in silence. Everytime he thought he could catch a break, she would introduce a new topic. Also, it was weird of her to come here without her three little friends. She hadn't even stopped talking long enough for him to ask.
How did the saying go? Four peas in a pod. The redhead sighed internally, sending a silent prayer to Kami that one, or all three of them would come to collect this chatterbox rosette.
"I'm not feminine like Ino or a super athlete like Tenten. Hinata's in a lane of her own, with those brains and huge inheritance under her belt." The rosette sighed, pushing loose pink strands of hair out of her face.
"I'm just subpar in all those areas and don't particularly stand out in any of them."
"I never knew you had such depressing thoughts." Sasori commented, earning him a death glare.
"Excuse me! I open up to you about my insecurities and you just poke fun at them!" The pink haired girl slapped him upside the head. He nearly fell off the stool had he not gripped the edge of the table.
"Well, I guess with those crazy strong arms of yours, you could try your hand at wrestling." The red haired Akatsuki member suggested, tentatively raising a hand to his head, feeling the spot begin to swell.
"That's what I'm talking about! I did wrestling for two years with Tenten and I still suck!" Sakura wailed, frustrated tears beginning to well up in her eyes. Sasori momentarily panicked, unsure how to react to this strange display of emotions playing before him. This was so unlike the one dimensional screaming banshee he had grown used to ever since becoming a student at Konoha High. He awkwardly patted her head, not wanting to do anything that would warrant him another slap or punch.
She was a really ugly crier. Of course, he was going to keep that to himself.
"I don't even know what I try for." She blew her nose loudly into a tissue before tossing it onto the table.
"And to top it off, these stupid shoes hurt my feet and I have to walk back home in them."
"Well if they're stupid, why are you wearing them?" Sasori was confused. Ah, finally. Maybe she would decide to leave and he would be free. He crossed his toes in hope.
"To be stylish, duh!" The pinkette glared at him through glassy eyes before looking down at the suede ankle boots on her feet.
"I can't even tolerate the pain that comes with beauty so it was a waste of my effort. I don't know how Ino does it." She swung her leg underneath the table, flinging the shoe on her left foot off in the process. "And look at that! The back of my foot's bleeding! Stupid shoes."
Is this what it's like being a girl? The redhead studied Sakura tentatively, watching out for sudden movements as there was no telling what she would do next. It sounded so painful and torturous.
"Are you seriously going to walk back home in those?" He asked, watching the pink haired girl kick off her right shoe and inspect the back of her other foot, which was also equally bleeding. She waved a hand at him.
"I think it'll be okay. In a week I'll be able to finally break into them."
"A week?!"
So she really was insane.
Ino wasn't sure how to feel about this becoming a regular thing.
Yes, she was interested in seeing the new exhibit the museum had to offer but the desire to return in hopes of seeing a certain someone quickly overrode that. She had rushed out of class the moment the bell rang, not bothering to stick around and chat like she typically would. The blonde quickly scanned the room, then lowered her gaze in disappointment as she made her way around the velvet security rope barriers. Ino Yamanaka would not be caught dead in a room full of naked statues. She studied one curiously, wondering how anyone could craft something so lifelike out of something so boring like limestone. Every single one of these caricatures had the same small smile etched uniformly on their faces. She leaned closer to a statue of a fat baby, reaching to feel across the intricate dips and lines that made up its facial features. A security guard cleared his throat loudly, and the blonde quickly stepped back, mouthing a sorry as she remembered art was not allowed to be touched.
It blew her mind how these artists were able to craft them so lifelike, even down to the fingernails. While she had quite the eye for detail, Ino concluded that her artistic abilities were capped at makeup and gardening. The idea of sitting there shaping a piece of rock without a clear end result in mind was jarring and just sounded torturous.
She checked her phone. Well, it had been nearly six minutes and he hadn't shown up. It was a good as nothing answer. She pouted. What a waste of a good outfit, not to mention the lengths she had gone to for hair and makeup.
The last time she had been here he had ended up holding her hand and it felt nice. Had it been romantically though? Out of excitement, he had taken her hand and led her to the contemporary art gallery. It had been a great experience, and she had truly enjoyed his company. Maybe that's what prompted her to come back, in hopes of another encounter like that. Her face flushed upon thinking about him.
There it was again.
"Ino?"
The hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up.
"Excuse me, but what?"
"I said, get on." Sakura squinted at the redhead Akatsuki member suspiciously.
"I'm heavy." He blinked.
"You're shaped like a chopstick. Who are you trying to fool, Sakura?"
"Muscle weighs more than fat thank you very much!" She shot back, feeling her face start to heat up. Realizing he wasn't about to take no for an answer, the rosette stuffed the boots into her bag and climbed onto his back. This gesture was so unlike him, but it felt nice. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Sakura was waiting for him to drop her without warning. She clasped her arms around his neck, ready to choke him if he did.
"So, to the bus stop?" He asked, walking out of the cafeteria and towards the receptionist desk where the closest exit was. She mhmmed in response, feeling slightly awkward and he continued out the automatic doors. He was not about to seriously carry her down the hill and make the walk back here was he? So far, his grip on her did not falter which made her a bit relieved that she wasn't as heavy as she thought.
"You're actually not that bad when you're not screaming in my ear." Her eye twitched.
"Was that a challenge?"
"No, of course not." Came the quick answer. He stopped in his tracks and turned around to face her. The pink haired girl was not prepared for this and immediately veered her head away at the close proximity.
Who let his eyes be that brown?
She thought her heart stopped beating for a minute.
"You always have a lot to say. How about trying out for the debate team?"
"... I can't tell if that's an actual suggestion or backhanded compliment."
"What's a pretty face like you doing here, un?"
"Um… Looking at art." Ino squeaked as she stood frozen in place, clutching her purse tightly.
"Are you following me, un?"
"What? Of course not!" She replied defensively and he laughed.
"You look nice today, un. Should be in an exhibit of your own though."
"What?" Ino's blush grew even deeper as she pretended not to hear what he had said, hoping he would repeat himself. She was glad there wasn't anyone else in here. Well, except for that security guard that was probably rolling his eyes. There was that mushy feeling again. Inner Ino swooned as she tried to stop the huge smile forming on her face.
"Nevermind." Deidara turned away, embarrassed. "Did you come here by yourself?" Ino nodded shyly.
"I had fun last time we came here and wanted to see the rest of the museum."
Not a complete lie, right?
Never in a million years did the four friends imagine they would be making a return to the mansion. It looked the same as they had left it, lone castle in all its glory.
"This. THIS IS THE PLACE HE WANTED TO COME?" Tenten's voice echoed throughout the forest.
"IS HE TROLLING US?"
"I don't see a black van anywhere." Hinata said, kicking her shoe along the pebbled walkway. She lifted a hand in front of her, trying to see if there was anyone inside the house. The curtains behind a window to one of the bedrooms had been opened, and the lights were switched on, but not a person in sight.
"We skipped History and P.E. for this." Sakura sweatdropped. "If you guys do the math, getting here was probably more of a workout than whatever Gai-sensei had planned for us."
"My question is why would they want to come back here?" Tenten's eyebrows furrowed.
"This mansion is under Tsunade's name. I don't think they're that much of idiots to set up camp here and run whatever it is they're doing."
"Well, we're already here. Might as well try to go inside." Ino reasoned, marching towards the door, which was already opened by a crack. "Is someone already in here?"
"Careful." Tenten warned as she shot a halfhearted look around the premises before scurrying after Ino into the mansion, Sakura and Hinata closely behind.
They scoured the rooms, checking underneath beds and in bathtubs for Akatsuki members, but no luck. The mansion was nice and empty, which made the girls scratch their heads in confusion. The only signs they found of another person's presence were the open curtains in one of the bedrooms that Hinata had pointed out upon arrival, and a few dirty dishes in the sink that had been sitting there for who knew how long. The door leading up to the rooftop and pool had been locked, but they hadn't given that much thought, running with the assumption that if Itachi was indeed meeting someone, he wouldn't be dumb enough to stay on the roof where he could be discovered.
The four of them reconvened downstairs, staring at the ceiling and wondering how they could have possibly missed Itachi Uchiha for a second time. He was the walking definition of stealth, that was for sure.
The sound of tires scraping against loose gravel filled the air and the four of them immediately froze.
"Itachi must be here." Hinata whispered. "Quick! He can't know we're here!"
"What? Shouldn't we ambush him?" Sakura asked. "Also, who didn't lock the door?"
"We need to hide now." Ino cut in, frantically looking for a hiding spot as they heard the sound of a car engine turn off and gravel crunching underneath a pair of feet making their way up the mansion's entrance.
"I say we catch him in the act." Tenten snickered, crouching behind the couch, turning her phone horizontally and pressing record. "We will have plenty of footage and he won't be able to deny anything now. It will be blackmail!"
They didn't get a chance to do any of those unfortunately. Someone busted through the unlocked door and to their surprise, it was not Itachi Uchiha.
A woman who appeared to be in her thirties marched in, chunky soles of her leather boots scuffling against the tiled floor of the mansion's entrance, tracking dirt all over the place. She was dressed in a pair of gray slacks and a black collared polo. A pair of rosegold glasses sat on the bridge of her nose as she studied the four of them and the yellow notepad in her left hand.
"Good afternoon. We received a tip that we were looking to arrest a blonde, dark haired skinny looking thing, and strange colored hair delinquent…. Judging by the looks of you three, it fits the bill."
"Excuse me, but who are you?" Sakura shook her head and the woman gave her a disapproving look, reaching into the back pocket of her pants for a blue wallet. Tenten slowly got up from behind the couch to stand beside her friends.
"My name is Tammy Tanaka." She stated, flipping through the wallet to find a badge which she shoved in front of their faces. Tenten flinched.
"I'm a detective with the Konoha Police."
Their legs turned to jelly.
"You need to come with us, seeing as there are some very serious allegations made against the three of you. Any resistance and you will face serious consequences." She gave them a matter of fact look and adjusted the hideous frames of her glasses, the gaudy jewels glinting as they passed under light. The woman towered over all four of them as she blocked the entire door. She had to be at least six feet tall. They backed away, towards the couch trying to set a healthy distance away from this scary woman.
"Three?" Hinata squeaked.
"No mention of a brunette, but seeing as she is in the company of you three I think we will take her along as well for questioning."
"Gee thanks, Hinata."
"Allegations of arson, spying, education fraud, intimidation and threats are being investigated and we have quite the profile built up." Again, she peered at them through her glasses, and the green anti glare coating reflected back as it caught some sunlight. "As of this moment, we may also be able to charge you with breaking and entering. This isn't your house, correct?"
"Arson?" Hinata repeated, then stopped short as she recalled the four of them and their grand attempts to destroy the bug.
"No way. No way is this real." Tenten sputtered.
"She looks like the type that doesn't take alot of baloney from anyone." Sakura whispered to Ino, who nodded in agreement as she tried to hold in a gag from the horrible perfume wafting in the air. It smelled of ginger and mothballs.
"I mean, there's one of her and four of us." Ino muttered, looking down at her feet and wondering how much trouble she would be in if she threw her heels at Detective Tanaka while they made a run for it.
"She must have reinforcements considering she arrived in a car." Hinata gulped, trying to keep her voice low as she looked around the living room for an item she could use to either attack or defend with. The ceramic vase sitting on the table looked promising, but probably cost more than a year of tuition so she decided against it. Hinata was not known to have particularly good aim anyways. She would leave it to Sakura and Tenten to pull the punches.
"But remember what happened last time we physically fought someone? We ended up under house arrest."
"She can't take us." Sakura boastedconfidently, starting to do stretches.
"Man, whoever gave her these orders sucks. For all we know anyone could be blonde, dark haired and have strange colored hair." Tenten rolled her eyes. None of them were leaving with this lady, period.
"We haven't done anything that constitutes illegal activity. Well aside from some mild stalking." Ino hissed. "Also if she tries anything, I have a taser in my bookbag."
"You have a taser too?" Sakura's eyes lit up.
"It is an absolute necessary school supply, of course." The blonde flipped her ponytail over her shoulder and shot a look at Tammy still standing in the doorway who grunted something inaudible into a walkie talkie.
"Also, is there a good reason why the four of you aren't in school right now?" The hawk eyed detective's stare bore into their souls.
"Um actually, we were…" Hinata bit her lip, silently motioning for help from the other three. Kami knew how bad she was at lying. Unfortunately, there wasn't so much as a peep out of Ino, Sakura, or Tenten as they all stood like deer caught in headlights. The officer shot them a disapproving look and held out a hand.
"May I see your ID cards?"
Again, silence from the four of them.
"What should we do?" Hinata's worried expression grew more concerned by the second. Tenten wondered how much more stress the Hyuuga could endure before she ended up with wrinkle lines like Itachi. If they handed over their identification cards to this Detective Tanaka, they might as well be herded into her custody. Without a good reason.
"I don't know about you but I'll take my chances." Sakura mumbled, bolting for the door before the detective could react.
"RUN LIKE MAITO GAI IS WATCHING!"
"Sakura!" Tenten called after her but the rosette was long gone. A leap, a bound, and the head of pink was out the door. Detective Tanaka was busy dialing a number on her mobile phone and remained at the mansion's entrance, waiting for the other person on the line to answer.
Her fight or flight instincts kicked in and she felt a rush of adrenaline from the top of her head.
Without so much as a second thought, Hinata, Ino and Tenten followed suit, barreling past the detective and after Sakura out the mansion.
A/N : Been a little slower on the chapters due to exams but will continue to update when I can!
xo, D. Sparkle