Ino wasn't sure she was ready to hear what Sai had to tell her, but the logical part of her knew that she needed to hear everything that was happening. At the moment, she was going with her gut, and her gut was telling her to trust Sai. She'd listened to enough medical lingo from Sakura to know that while her memories were fuzzy and disjointed, her natural reactions to things were her best bet.
"Yeah… I'll do my best to try and remember from what you tell me." Ino reached up and rubbed her temples, running a hand through her too-short hair. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had it this short.
"Okay." Sai took a deep breath before he began to explain, going slowly backwards. He told her about the attack at Sakura's house, how she'd asked for his help to get some boxes. He left out their spat; the last thing he wanted to do was try and explain that too quickly. Going that direction was what had set her off in the first place. Ino struggled to wrap her head around exactly what was happening, though parts of it made sense. If she was a prosecutor, no, the District Attorney, that meant she was a high-profile target. She would've put a lot of people away, and there would be a lot of people unhappy about that. She'd dreamt of getting that far, but it was baffling to think she had.
"Okay, so… Where is Sakura, then?" That particular question was nagging at her. Sakura would have been here if she could; if she couldn't, then it had to be very serious. Sakura would have dropped everything–studying, exams, assignments, classes, the like if her best friend was in the hospital, and Ino would have done the same.
Sai sighed. "That's… the difficult part. In the course of our investigation, things turned… dark. Something big is going on here, Ino, something bigger than what we were expecting. They got caught in the middle, and…" Sai wished he had an answer for her, but he didn't. They hadn't been found, which meant they were likely alive… or they were dead somewhere they weren't going to be found.
"And what?" Ino demanded. What was Sai getting at? Caught in the middle? And who was 'they'? Was Sakura with someone? Groaning, Ino put a hand on the side of her head; it was starting to hurt trying to think all of these things through.
"Hey, don't push yourself," Sai coaxed, reaching to rub her shoulder gently. "Sakura and Detective Uchiha went on the run. I don't know where they are, and that's for the better. Right now… I'm trusting that they're okay and that not hearing from them or not hearing anything about their whereabouts means they're doing an excellent job of hiding. That's what we need right now: for them to be safe and hidden." Ino was mildly relieved to hear that, although she was saddened that her best friend had been caught up in such a massive conspiracy.
"So… why did she go on the run with Detective Uchiha?" That was the other part that had her puzzled. It was a name she recognized, but she couldn't remember anything more than that.
"They are… in a romantic relationship," Sai confirmed. Ino's eyes widened at that news. Sakura, in a romantic relationship? Damn, that was a surprise. Her friend was sweet, but she wasn't the most outgoing person, especially in the romance department. From Ino's perspective, she was the queen of self-sabotage by being too shy and too self-conscious. Uchiha must have done something grand if he managed to get her out of her shell enough to commit to something. Nevertheless, Ino knew if Sakura had committed like that, it meant she was happy and genuinely in love. Sakura didn't do that kind of thing half-assed.
"Wow. That's… unexpected." She was still processing it. "Well… as long as she's happy, and as long as he looks after her, that's all that matters." Somehow she knew she could trust Uchiha, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Just as she was processing what questions to ask next, there was a knock at the door, and a woman Ino recognized: Dr. Tsunade Senju, one of the doctors Sakura was studying under. More accurately, Sakura had been helping her with a research project as part of her education.
"Agent Gaka, may I have a word, please?" From behind Tsunade, Sai could see Naruto was standing there, shrugging his shoulders. It seemed Dr. Senju wanted to speak with them, likely about Ino's case; her face was grim and serious.
"Anything you have to talk to him about, you can discuss in front of me." Ino's statement was abrupt, staring the blonde woman down; she raised an eyebrow, surprised at Ino's insistence. Sai and Naruto both stared at her, also surprised by how blunt she'd been.
"I don't know if you're in any condition for a conversation like thi-"
"With all due respect, Dr. Senju, it's probably something I need to hear about anyway." Ino was firm on that point. She nodded at the blonde behind the doctor; she recognized him, but that was it. Based on his clothes and the badge he wore, she assumed he was another detective from the precinct, so they were likely colleagues.
"All right, then," Dr. Senju said, beckoning Naruto in before closing the door. She stood on the opposite side of Ino, staring down the two men with a ferocity that was unmatched by anyone they'd ever run into.
"Neither of you have allowed her family to visit her. You've asked security to be stepped up around her room beyond what would normally be asked. On top of that, I have agents that I'm telling I cannot speak to or give updates to because of medical confidentiality, and they, too, refuse to tell me anything." Her words were firm and straightforward, frowning at the agent and detective.
"I need to know what is going on with my patient." Even Ino was surprised; Sakura had told her that Dr. Senju was fierce, but she wasn't expecting this kind of ferocity.
"We're not at liberty to say." Sai, too, was firm, but Ino knew. From the stories Sakura had told her, Dr. Senju wasn't about to give up, not in this kind of mood. The more she thought about it, the more she felt certain Dr. Senju was worth trusting.
"Tell her." Ino looked at Sai and Naruto in turn, giving them a nod. "Look… I may not remember either of you, but I remember Dr. Senju. She… was one of Sakura's teachers, and I know we can trust her. The more allies we have handling this, the better, right?" Having a doctor on their side would be even better, especially since Sakura usually filled that role for them.
"Sakura?" Tsunade looked down at Ino, squinting for a moment before realization dawned on her features. "Oh… you're Dr. Haruno's friend?" It seemed Tsunade understood quickly what was happening.
"Yes. I'm her friend." Ino's gaze hadn't left Sai and Naruto. "Sakura always talked highly about you and loved working with you. She said you were the best teacher she'd ever had."
Naruto sighed, rubbing his temples. "Listen, Dr. Senju… what we're about to tell you can't leave this room and can't be shared with anyone outside this room, do you understand?" Both Sai and Ino hoped she was willing to help them, as opposed to turning them in. Ino trusted her because she trusted Sakura's judgement. Sakura could always see the good in people, but in those that were exceptionally good people… well, Sakura was practically attuned to them.
Tsunade was silent for a few moments before nodding at them. "I understand. I… now that I know who my patient is, I suspect it has something to do with my former student…" So even Tsunade had picked up on it; she and Sakura must have grown close while they'd worked together.
Sai launched into as best of an explanation as he could, assisted by Naruto as they filled the doctor in on all of the details. Everything from the Akatsuki investigation to why Ino was attacked, her missing memories, and the fact that Sakura and Sasuke were now on the run as fugitives. Tsunade's brow creased further and further the more they explained things to her, and her brown eyes showed just how worried she was.
"This is… more than I bargained for," Tsunade admitted. "But I do understand where you all are coming from. I know Sakura very well; she was a good student of mine, and the things you are saying she is accused of… those I can attest are not crimes she would have committed." Tsunade hung her head; the news seemed to be weighing heavily on her. "And from what I understand, she is one of the only witnesses able to give an account of what happened, correct?"
Sai nodded to confirm Tsunade's suspicions. "I think… even at this point if her memory begins to return, it would be best to err on the side of caution. I hate to ask you this given your profession, but… is it possible to note her amnesia as more permanent, even if her memory does return?" Asking a doctor to lie on medical records was a big thing; he could see Tsunade twitch at the idea, though she said nothing.
"I…" The doctor bit her lip. "I think, given the delicate nature of this situation, such a decision would be best left to Miss Yamanaka." Ino looked up and felt Tsunade's hand on her shoulder, a reassuring look on her face. Ino had been listening to their explanations, still trying to process all of the information as best she could. Her mother was missing, supposedly kidnapped, and her father was nowhere to be found. Her best friend was on the run, accused of murder, while she sat in a hospital bed.
"Yeah. That's fine by me." Ino bit her lip, staring down at her hands. "Sai, can… can I have my phone?" Sai raised an eyebrow at her request, reaching into his pocket and pulling out her phone. She'd been lucky; her phone was in the car when the explosion went off, rather than on her person, and he'd made an effort to keep the phone away from anyone but himself since then.
"Here." He set the phone in her lap. "It's, um… I kept it charged while you were asleep, just in case." Ino silently thanked him as she put a hand over it, looking at all of them in turn.
"Can I have some time alone, please?" Naruto and Sai nodded, looking at each other before stepping out of the room. Dr. Senju agreed after checking Ino's vitals, leaving her alone in the room and closing the door. Once she was alone, she flipped through her phone, checking her social media and absently flipping through photos. She went through old text conversations with Sakura, hoping something might jog her memory.
It didn't… but it did elicit something else. Ino felt her eyes watering, the tears quickly running down her cheeks. Everything was starting to hit all at once, and the only person she wanted was miles away, in hiding for something she never deserved to be accused of. Ino just wanted her best friend. She wanted Sakura to come back, to hug her, and remind her it'd all be okay. The same way she'd been there for Sakura when she had been in the hospital a few months ago.