...

September 13, 2016 4:51 PM

...

"You think so?" Sasuke challenged the blonde who marched alongside him, confidently. Her steps matched his perfectly, their heels clicking down on the tiled floor synchronously.

"No, I'm certain I know her better than you do." Ino's hips sashayed with the confidence that intimidated most. She was a bold personality, and it carried through in every perfectly executed movement she committed.

"Whatever," Sasuke replied. Fighting the blonde was futile. She was too pigheaded to back down.

"You know I'm right."

"Hn."

One corner of Ino's mouth pulled up into a smirk. Silence meant Sasuke surrendered. Deep down Ino knew that they both knew Sakura equally well but in different aspects of her being. Where she failed, he succeeded and vice versa. But would she ever openly acknowledge it?

Doubtful. Especially if it risked killing the constant bickering that defined her relationship with Sasuke.

Whether he cared to admit it or not, Sasuke's relationship with Ino was one of the few outside his family he truly valued; Sakura and Naruto were the other obvious two. It just couldn't be helped when Ino and Sakura were practically attached at the hip all throughout their school and college years.

"Let's see if you're making a bigger deal out of this than you ought to be." Ino pushed the large cold metal button on the wall, commanding the doors before them open.

The pair stepped in together just as Sakura pivoted from her desk, clutching a folder tight in her left arm as she threw a pen down with the other after scribbling a note. She swiveled her head towards them and straightened her posture, her eyes lighting up at the sight of them before confusion fluttered across her features.

"Wow, this is nice," Ino voiced, scanning the office space as her mouth hung open in awe of the Medical Examiner's lab.

Sasuke nodded in agreement as Ino's eyes shifted to Sakura's approaching form. She smiled at her, the same smile she reserved for him on their better days where butting heads took the backburner and amiable attitudes took the front. Those were few and far between but that was the nature of their relationship, and it simply worked.

For her part, Sakura offered up a faint smile as she neared them. She folded her arms across her chest, holding the folder against her form, a clear zip lock bag nestled between the folder and her chest. "I wasn't expecting you guys to come on down so soon. What are you doing here?"

"Sakura," Ino greeted. "Just thought we'd check up on you on your first day, especially after you ditched our plans! I thought we agreed to meet for lunch at one? You never showed up to the cafeteria."

Sakura's mouth hung open as she gasped. Through her work today, she had completely overlooked that. An apologetic expression replaced her initial shock. "I completely forgot," she offered loud enough for just the two of them to hear. "It's just been a busy day. One of the guys ended up grabbing something for us." Sakura gestured to the two men working behind her.

Ino and Sasuke peeked over her shoulder to the other pair, who offered nod in greeting at the feeling of eyes on them. Ino smiled and waved as Sasuke offered a similarly polite nod in acknowledgment.

Sasuke hadn't gotten a good look at them this morning, but now that he did, he could see the young age in the brown-haired one and his wide-eyed youth still unscathed. The black haired one reminded him somewhat of himself, more aloof and serious as far as Sasuke could tell. That same man eyed them back studiously as he wrapped up for the day.

Silence passed between Sakura and her two friends as Sasuke's gaze flickered back to hers. She shifted uncomfortably and turned her head to the side, speaking behind her. "You two can go on ahead when you're done here. I still have to drop by Forensics. Thank you for your hard work today." She turned her attention back to the raven-haired male. "Is the Chief Inspector still working, Sasuke?"

"He should be. And don't call him that; you're a doctor. 'Itachi' is fine."

Ino snorted next to him and Sakura curled her lips inward to suppress a smile.

The doctor cleared her throat, regaining her composure. "Then I'll have to see him quickly too." Sakura bit her lip and turned to Ino. "Sorry, it's just been a bit of a day. Let's catch up later?"

"Sure, yeah, okay." Ino offered the sincerest half-smile she could muster to hide the concern that lingered down in the pit of her stomach. This wasn't the Sakura she knew a year ago.

"Thank you," she said softly. Sakura stepped around them, her heels clicking quickly as she strode over to the Forensic Evidence department.

"You're definitely right. Something is bothering her." Ino spoke only after any trace of Sakura vanished completely as they watched her back.

Sasuke refrained from a "told you so," though he offered up a curt nod in agreement.

"She knew the victim," Amai offered, overhearing their conversation in the otherwise quiet room. "Or so we believe. We should have the victim's identity confirmed soon," he added quickly, not wanting to make unconfirmed assumptions.

"Sakura's not one to say something she isn't certain of." Sasuke's defense saw no delay.

"I'm only referring to protocol, sir," Amai defended himself, though he was meek in his mannerisms. Still, his backbone was sturdier than people were led to believe by his demeanor alone.

Ino frowned at Sasuke, shaking her head in humored disbelief. She then looked between the men, offering a reassuring smile to the youngest. "I guess we'll have to see then, won't we?" Her question hung in the air, inviting introduction.

"Amai, ma'am. That's Kiri."

"Well it's nice to meet you both. Ino Yamanaka," she said. "And he's," she drawled out, gesturing at Sasuke, "not very friendly." She smirked when Sasuke rolled his eyes. Passing up on an opportunity to mess with the brunet? Preposterous.

Sasuke took the liberty of introducing himself. Between Shisui and Ino, teasing was an everyday occurrence he was no stranger to. Maybe Naruto too but with the other two, he could never bring himself to engage in a verbal spar with them. Shisui was harmless and so it wasn't worth fighting. But Ino?

Well… she was something. More of a challenge than he cared to admit.

"Sasuke and I would appreciate if you look out for our dear friend," Ino said, reigning in Sasuke's attention again as she addressed the other two men. "Sometimes she gets in a bit over her head."

Amai nodded eagerly. "You've got it."

Did he though, Sasuke wondered. Time would probably tell. But if nothing else, at least there was reassurance in Amai's determination.

For now, Sasuke and Ino would have to settle for that.

…

Down the hall, Sakura stood at the counter of the Forensic Evidence department, waiting to be serviced. A few seconds standing at the counter was all it took before a collector peeked their head through the service window as they meandered in the back.

"Have you been helped yet?" the woman asked. Sakura shook her head, and the collector excused herself for a brief moment before taking position on the opposite side of the counter. "What can I do for you," they paused, and their eyes scanned Sakura's uniform, finding her badge clipped to her lab coat, "Doctor Haruno?"

Sakura removed the zip lock bag from her folder, placing it on the counter. "This was found inside a victim's body recovered today."

The collector's eyes narrowed on the evidence collection bag tagged with the case number. Inside was a smaller, bloodstained bag, the kind usually used to hold some small like a replacement screw or button within it. She squinted curiously at the item in the smaller bag before raising a single brow at Sakura. "Is that a memory card in there?" she asked.

Sakura nodded. "It sure looks like it."

The collector glanced up at Sakura, sliding the bag closer to her. She leaned down, taking a closer look at the red that stained the clear film. "And you said it was recovered from the body?"

"Right inside." Another nod as Sakura spoke. "We found it in a sutured cavity on the abdomen during autopsy."

The collector's brows furrowed, and they looked from the memory card up to Sakura. "You're saying whoever placed it there sutured it in?" they asked incredulously.

Sakura smiled grimly. "With surgical precision," she confirmed. The thought alone made her anxious. Given the ties to the hospital, her mind ran wild. This death may have very well been orchestrated by one of her former colleagues. It was almost unthinkable. They were supposed to save lies, not end them. Not on purpose in any case.

The collector, perplexed, nodded slowly, accepting all that she could tell. "That's um... not good."

"No, I don't think it is," Sakura agreed softly.

"Well, uh, I'll go ahead and record this in the files so that we can go ahead and get to reviewing it as soon as possible. We'll be in contact if you're needed at all during this process."

Sakura knew what the collector meant. If evidence of Erina's death was on that memory card, there was a chance she would have to view the evidence to clarify any discrepancies in her death report, not that she believed there would be any. Still, it was one thing to perform an autopsy on someone you once knew but to witness the torture they experienced while they were still alive was downright horrific in its own right.

"Of course. Please let me know if anything comes up."

"You've got it. Thank you for running this by." She sounded more pleasant than Sakura expected, given she just gave her a task to fulfill with only five minutes till most employees were set to end their day. It never felt good to burden someone at inconvenient times, but this line of work was no different than her days at the hospital; promptness mattered, and Sakura still had one more stop before heading home for the day.

Minutes later, Sakura stood outside the very door Shisui led her to just this morning. As she raised her fist to knock on the door, it swung open. She took an abrupt step back, tilting her head up and locking eyes with a surprised Itachi.

Itachi's brows knitted together quickly before the tension there dissipated. Up close, Sakura noticed the transparent rims of the contacts he wore over his onyx pools. Just like Sasuke. "Doctor," he greeted. "Is there something I can do for you?"

"Sorry, is this a bad time?" she asked. Sakura raised the folder in her hands, holding the forms Izumi provided her in the morning within. "I was just swinging by to leave these with you. I meant to drop them off sooner, but we got a little carried away with the new case."

A slow smile graced his features. His eyes softened. "Ah, perfect timing, actually. I was just about on my way down there." Itachi took the folder from her, and noticed the distant look Sakura wore as he did so. It was a familiar expression, the same kind Izumi would wear whenever something was troubling her. "Something on your mind?"

The doctor jumped at the question. Had she been so easy to read? Her lips parted slightly, and she closed them again, unable to find the right words at that exact moment. "It's been a bit of a day," she admitted, finally. "I think I'm just a little overwhelmed by the circumstances, but it shouldn't interfere with my work here."

Itachi nodded slowly. He thought back to Shisui's visit soon after returning from the crime scene. "I was told you recognized the victim?"

"Well, we're still waiting on confirmation, but…"

"I'm sorry." Shisui mentioned she was a former coworker of hers, the woman who disappeared from the hospital. Erina Ueno.

"No, it's okay. I didn't really know her very well at all. She was more of a familiar face around the hospital, so." Her statement lingered in their air awkwardly. She didn't want him thinking she was unfit for the job, but now she thought she sounded overly cold and distant.

Itachi hummed. "Regardless, you seem affected, and understandably so. We recognize that this is a high stress working environment. Situations like these are the kind we want to accommodate around to ease that whenever and wherever we can. If you're feeling overwhelmed, don't just feel you have to shoulder it yourself. We're a team here."

There was a change in his tone from just this morning. He wasn't stern per se, more so just wise in his advice. "I understand."

"Good." The smile on Itachi's face softened the stiffness in Sakura's shoulders. Silence floated between them, long enough to teeter into awkward lengths before Itachi cleared his throat. "If that's all, I'll leave you to it."

"Oh. Right, sorry." Sakura offered an apologetic nod as Itachi flicked the lights off to his office. He locked the door behind him and turned back towards her, an amused smile surfacing.

"No need to apologize, doctor. Get home safe."

"Thank you. Enjoy your evening."

"You too."