Sasuke spent most of the early morning sleeping, waking up far later into the afternoon than he ever would have. He was still groggy upon rising, making his way downstairs. In his sleepy state, he almost expected to see a freshly-brewed pot of coffee accompanied by a smiling face likely to tease him for sleeping in.
Except... he didn't.
He didn't, because she wasn't there.
Just like that, the detective's mood deflated like a balloon, shoulders dropping as he hung his head. Right... he'd let his anger get the better of him and lashed out at her. Glumly moving to the kitchen, he started brewing a pot of coffee and sat at the kitchen table, going over everything he could in his head. How could he possibly make all of this up to her? He'd not only managed to snap at her-something he'd swore to himself never to do to her-but he'd also entirely disregarded her feelings and life experiences.
He knew why he'd reacted the way he had. It wasn't anger. It was fear. Everything at work seemed to be falling apart; the fact that Itachi got away meant that his entire dream, his hope, his motivation for becoming an officer, for transitioning to a detective, was crushed right before his eyes. His brother, under an alibi, unidentifiable and likely to disappear. Everything he'd worked toward had crumbled right before his eyes.
And just like that, it'd cascaded. He'd been put on administrative leave... and he'd hurt the one important person in his life that he had, deeply.
Even as the coffee finished brewing, he was too deep in his thoughts to notice. He eventually moved and got a cup, carrying it over to the living room as he sat there, staring. He needed to get past some of this. He needed to take it one step at a time. He couldn't talk to Sakura, not yet; he needed to give her some space to let things settle. Not too long, of course; he planned to visit her tomorrow at the office. He'd heard from Naruto that she and Ino were staying in a hotel and that she would be well-protected for the night. He had no reason to worry for her safety.
After a good soak in the hot tub, Sakura and Ino each got comfortable on one of the beds, a bowl of cheap microwave popcorn in a large bowl between them. It was movie time; they both agreed that a comedy flick would be the best choice. They could both use the catharsis that came from a good laugh or two. After the movie was over, it was time for manicures; Ino sat with a hand extended, while Sakura focused on the blonde's manicure, first with removing her old chipped nail polish.
"So," she began, knowing she couldn't let Ino get away without telling her what was really going on. "You'd mentioned you wanted to talk to me about something?" Ino seemed to be lost in her thoughts, snapping back to reality as Sakura asked her question.
"It's the whole... Hagi Yamakichi thing," Ino began, rubbing her forehead with her free hand. "I just... I don't know how to take it." Sakura could understand; the situation was a confusing one to be in. How could she even begin to help? Finding out that you'd been lied to your entire life was a lot to swallow, especially when it was from the people you trusted most.
"What do you mean by that?" Sakura asked for clarification. "I mean, no one's expecting you to take it well, but... It sounds to me like that's not exactly what you mean." Sakura could tell it wasn't the full story from Ino. There was something she wasn't saying, something she was having difficulty admitting to her best friend.
"It's kind of hard to explain, but... It feels like I don't know who I am anymore." And there it was: the real thing that was bothering Ino. "It's like my identity's been stripped away," she continued with a shake of her head. "Like the person I thought I was no longer exists because it's all been a lie." Finishing with one hand, Sakura gestured for Ino to give her the other, working on removing the polish.
"That's ridiculous," she countered in a scolding tone. "Ino, the most that has changed is that you know that you've been lied to your whole life. You're still the same person you've always been, and that's never going to change. You have the chance to be who you want to be now. Do you want to take on Hagi Yamakichi, or do you want to be Ino Yamanaka? That's the only decision you have to make." Her friend was overthinking this, though Sakura wasn't surprised in the slightest. "If you ask me, Ino Yamanaka has a much nicer ring to it," she added with a chuckle.
"Otherwise, that doesn't change what you've accomplished," Sakura continued. "You were what... two when all of that happened? Come on. Who in their right mind will prosecute someone who was two years old when they went missing? Hell, we could put you under a polygraph, and you'd pass with flying colours." Sakura looked her friend directly in the eyes, her expression serious. "I know you. You're my sister in every way except by blood. If anything happens, I will have your back. That much I can promise you." And she would; she would go to the ends of the world for her best friend if she had to.
"Thanks, Sakura. I appreciate that. However..." Ino's stare became heavy, making Sakura a little uncertain about the direction her friend was about to go. "I'm not going to let you get away with staying quiet, either." Oh, shoot. So she hadn't forgotten about the glum mood Sakura had been in all day. "Come on. Tell me what happened with Sasuke."
Sakura opened her mouth to protest before Ino held up a hand and continued. "I know you," she said firmly. "If you bottle it up, you'll just crumble under the weight of it. You always do." Damn Ino... Always seeing through her so easily. Sakura heaved a sigh, her shoulders dropping. There was no way she was getting out of this, was there?
"I... What is there to talk about?" She asked, feeling uncertain. "He just... He said that I didn't understand. He just snapped at me when I was trying to help, and I don't know why. He just left, and he didn't come home." She'd been deeply worried the entire night; she'd barely slept at all. The more she talked, the more emotional she became; she could feel tears burning in her eyes. "He didn't say anything; he wouldn't answer any messages or calls, so... so I just..." She teared up more, feeling her emotions rising as she buried her face in her hands, shoulders shaking with sobs.
"I just... I was putting too much pressure on him," she managed between sobs. She'd been blaming herself all day for what had happened. "With–with all this new stuff for him, new stuff for us, I just... I-I pushed too far, I overstayed my welcome, and we just moved too fast. I screwed it up. I screwed all of it up because I wanted more." And she had; she'd been trying to get him to do things that he wasn't used to doing, and she was convinced she'd pushed too hard on that front. She wasn't letting him set the pace at all. Coupled with possibly seeing his brother again, it had obviously been too much for him at once.
Sakura couldn't hold it back. She was crumbling under the weight of the situation. She loved him so much; Sasuke had so many things about him that were worth loving. Even after the words he'd said to her, she knew that if he felt genuinely bad, she couldn't stop loving him. She loved him unconditionally. She couldn't imagine a life without him, not now that she'd experienced it. At the same time, the outlook at the moment was futile, and that prospect was breaking her heart.
Sakura felt arms wrap around her, rubbing her back as she cried. "Shh, sweetie, it's okay," Ino coaxed. gently. "It's okay. It's not as much your fault as you seem to be convinced it is." Ino had no idea how wrong she was, really. Sakura could only shake her head in response, still sobbing uncontrollably.
"Okay, Sakura," Ino said after a few minutes. "you know what we need? Wine. Lots of wine." Still confused and sniffling, Sakura watched with puffy eyes and shaky breaths as the blonde got up off the bed, digging around in a cabinet next to the mini-fridge. She produced a bottle and what appeared to be two plastic wine glasses, pouring them each a hefty glass, handing one to the pinkette.
"Here. A couple of glasses of wine to clear your mind, and you'll sleep like a baby. Trust me. Works wonders." Sakura nodded quietly, sniffling and trying to wipe at her face. God, she was such a mess. She could barely sip on the wine; she was sniffling and a little shaky, but she managed. They were quiet as they drank the wine. Sakura wasn't exactly sure what to say; she just had no words for the rest of the situation.
Eventually, after they were through a few full glasses, they shared light jokes, Sakura managing a few laughs in between tears. She tried to get up to grab something from her bed once they'd finished the first bottle, but the moment she tried, the whole world spun, and she found herself half-fumbling onto the bed.
"Whoa there, Haruno," Ino teased with a laugh. "Why don't you get some sleep?" Oh, sleep. Sleep sounded good right about now. Her head wasn't spinning too badly, but she definitely wasn't in any shape to be doing much more tonight.
"Yeah, yeah, sleep... sounds good," she mumbled, trying–and failing–to maintain her focus. "What about you?" She asked, rubbing her eyes with a groan.
"I think I'm going to go hang out with Sai." Ino was brimming with alcohol-induced confidence, as evident with her chuckle. "Might get a little..." At that moment, Ino shimmied her hips suggestively, a wicked grin on her features. It took a moment, but Sakura quickly figured out what her friend meant.
"Ugh. TMI. Good luck, I guess?" What the hell else was she supposed to say? Her friend was about to try and get some from their assigned guard. "Sleep sounds better. Good night," she said, crawling under the covers. Sleep was definitely the better option.
"Night, Sakura," Ino called as she ducked through the shared door.
As the sun had set well below the horizon, Sasuke was surprised when he heard a knock at the door. Not the front door, though... The back door. Who would be coming in that door? Sakura wouldn't... would she? Maybe she'd tried the front door, and he hadn't heard her. A spark of hope rose in him as he rushed to the door, opening it to find... the last face he expected.
"Hello, little brother," Itachi said with a soft smirk.
"I-What the hell are you doing here?" Sasuke snapped, feeling his blood boil. No... He needed to remain calm. If he lost his temper, then he could lose his chance. He needed to call someone else, now. He pulled out his phone, but with speed, Sasuke wasn't expecting Itachi had snatched it out of his hand, holding it out of reach.
"I'm here with a message," Itachi said, grasping Sasuke's wrist as he reached for the phone with a firm, hard grip, tightening it as the detective was trying to back away. Sasuke felt practically naked without his gun; he was at his brother's mercy. He would have to tread very, very carefully.
"A message? You're gone for how many years after killing our parents, and you're here with a message?" Sasuke bit out, his fists clenching angrily.
"That's irrelevant, little brother. What is relevant is that you need to stop looking. Stop digging. And stop trying to find me. This is far too big for you. Don't dig where you have no business digging." Itachi wanted him... to stop? To just drop everything and forget about finding answers, about bringing him to justice? About everything in his life he'd set out to do? No. He couldn't do that. Not without a fight.
"And if I don't?" Sasuke asked, narrowing his eyes.
"I don't think I need to explain that to you." How cryptic. Sasuke knew what he was talking about, though he was certain that Itachi knew nothing about Sakura. He rolled his eyes in response, testing his brother to see if he could get more.
Itachi smiled. "Don't think I don't know, little brother. She's quite pretty."
"You stay the hell away from her, you murderous bastard," Sasuke snapped, stepping forward angrily. "You think I've fought to find you now? Lay a hand on her, and I will hunt you until you find yourself in the bowels of hell." If he'd been angry before, he was furious now. He could practically feel his blood boiling.
"Who said I would be going near her?" He asked. "I said no such thing. Just heed my warning, Sasuke. Your life will be better if you forget any of this happened." He released the detective's wrist, taking a step back before raising a gun. "Follow me, and I'll put one in each of your knees, drag you to my car, and you can watch while I put one in her head." He wanted to follow. Oh, he so badly did... but if he were shot as Itachi intended, and Sakura was in danger... Oh, that would break him. No, that would destroy him. Fuming and worried, he closed the door, hands balling into fists as he resisted the urge to put one of them through the wall. He had to remain calm. Level-headed.
Sakura would be okay for tonight. But tomorrow... Tomorrow he needed to talk to her. He didn't care if she didn't want to talk to him; her safety was more important than their fight, even if things weren't going to pan out between them. Alive and angry with him would be better than dead.