Disclaimer

Neither the characters nor the story are of my property, they belong to their respective authors.

This story is a dark stalker romance with extreme dubious situations.

Please proceed with caution.

Sakura

My alarm clock blares and I wake up with a sigh.

The duvet is tucked in around me and I realize I just had the best night's sleep in years. My cats are excited as ever and I feed them before remembering the previous night, groaning. Facing Kabuto Yakushi at work today will not be ideal, but at least I have my friends, who will stay on my side no matter what.

I already know today is going to be hellish, but nothing prepares me for the shitshow I walk into as soon as I arrive at work.

There are cop cars everywhere, officers glancing at me as I pass them by. I furrow my brows with worry. We do get policemen coming by sometimes, usually to deal with an especially difficult, violent patient. But this seems like more than that – like something's seriously wrong.

I walk to the ER where I find a shaken-up Tenten answering questions. She looks pale as a ghost, and when her eyes meet mine, she breathes, "Oh, thank God. There she is now!"

Instantly, the heads of three policemen who are surrounding my friend turn toward me. My stomach tightens into a thousand knots and I nod at the officers as I near my friend, squeezing her arm in an attempt to comfort her. "What's going on? Is everything alright?"

"Oh, Saku," Tenten lets out a choked sob. "I... I don't even know how to tell you this."

"Just let us do our job," an older policeman suggests, giving her a firm look and making her nod sheepishly before he turns to face me. "Miss Sakura Haruno, is it?"

"Yes," I reply warily. "What's going on?"

"It's Dr. Yakushi," Tenten blurts out, shaking her head in disbelief. "Saku, he's, he's..."

"Dr. Yakushi was the target of a robbery last night," the policeman says matter-of-factly. "He sustained knife injuries in the parking lot of a restaurant downtown, Antonio's. Unfortunately, the injuries were fatal."

My mouth gapes open in shock and I glance between my friend and the policemen, trying to make sense of the cop's words. "You mean he's... gone?"

Nobody answers my question, and the words float in the air between us. Finally, the older cop speaks up again. "My name is Detective Morino, Miss Haruno. We'd like to talk to you about what happened last night between you and the late doctor. As I'm sure you know, his wife is very much upset."

My expression falls instantly, and Tenten and I repeat the word in unison. "Wife?"

"Yes." The detective glances between the two of us with surprise. "You were not aware he was married?"

"I know he'd separated a while ago," Tenten mutters, shooting me an apologetic look.

"No, he never separated." Detective Morino checks his notebook and shakes his head. "Been married twenty-six years. No kids. His wife, Kin, was anxious when he didn't return home, and she's extremely upset about... the circumstances of last night."

"I had no idea he was married," I go on, not letting the words get to me. "I'm sure my friends at the hospital did not, either. As for the circumstances, the guy groped me in an empty parking lot, without my consent. That about answer your question, detective?"

I can feel Tenten cringing next to me, trying to console me by gently squeezing my forearm. I haven't even had the time to fill her in on everything that's happened.

"We gathered as much," Morino mutters. "There were security cameras in the parking lot. We saw the... altercation between you and Dr. Yakushi."

"Good." I cross my arms defensively in front of my body. "So, what happened?"

"He was attacked moments after you left the parking lot. We have reason to believe you were targeted by a hooded robber last night, the very one who stabbed the doctor and took his stuff. We needed to check with you to see if you'd noticed anything unusual, out of the ordinary. Perhaps someone following you around?"

Morino has poised pen over paper, his notebook clutched in his hands as he looks at me expectantly.

"I..." I chew my bottom lip, remembering the feeling of being watched.

It was just a feeling, though – I have no solid proof somebody was actually watching. But now the possibility stretches ahead of me, filling me with dread and fear. Someone tracked us, targeted us. If I hadn't gotten away when I did, they might have hurt me too.

"I don't remember seeing anyone suspicious."

The detective continues by asking me some more questions. He wants to know my relationship with Kabuto, whether we'd been seeing each other regularly, how we got to the restaurant. I answer the best I can, but by the end of the informal interview, it's obvious both to me and the detective I won't be able to shine any more light on the case.

"If you remember anything else that could help us, please give me a call."

I glance at the business card he hands me before nodding and pocketing it. Tenten and I say our goodbyes to the somber policemen and wait for them to file out of the room. I still have ten minutes before my shift, just enough to catch up with my friends, and Tenten has so many questions she can't even wait for the other member of our group to join us.

"Are you okay?" It's the first question to leave her lips when the cops leave, and I nod.

We're joined by Ino who seems just as shell-shocked as she slides into the plastic seat in the cafeteria across from us.

"What a nightmare, Saku," she whispers. "I'm so, so sorry I made you go out with him."

"You didn't know," I mutter. "Nobody did."

"A killer, so close to home. God, I took the kids to Antonio's just a week ago."

I squeeze her hand to reassure her, but it doesn't do much to help. We're all shaken up by the news of Kabuto's murder, and even though he wasn't a nice guy, the thought that I was probably one of the last people to see him alive tugs at my heartstrings and makes me tremble with fear.

There's a monster preying on the streets, and I just barely escaped his clutches. I should count my lucky stars. Dr. Yakushi wasn't as fortunate.

The three of us eat our breakfast without saying much. I'm almost ready to start my shift when we're joined by Rock Lee, a nurse that works with me in the ER.

"Hey, ladies," he says, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to the other. "Saku, I heard what happened... I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," I mutter robotically. I don't really feel like talking about it. Lee's sweet enough, but it's not like we're as close as I am with the girls.

"Always here if you need to talk," he adds. "Want to walk together?"

"Sure." I throw away my sandwich wrapper and wave lifelessly at my girls. "I'll see you two later, okay? Ino, say hello to the kids for me."

"Of course," she nods though her expression is tinged with sadness. The murder has sucked the life out of everyone, not just Dr. Yakushi.

I follow Lee to the ER. I'm grateful he doesn't try to keep up a conversation, because I'm not sure I could hold it up on my end. I'm working a double shift today, and for once, I'm grateful for it. It's going to be a good distraction from everything that's happened. I realize Lee's started talking, and I push my thoughts to the back of my mind and tune in.

"I wish I'd known he'd asked you out. I knew he was married – all the guys do."

"It's okay. It's my own mistake."

"But it could have been prevented," he goes on. "I'm just sorry you had to find out this way."

"I can't believe someone just... killed him," I say, surprising myself by opening up to Lee. "I was with him moments before it happened. It could have been me, too."

"Thank God it wasn't."

He squeezes my forearm and I manage a weak smile. I don't really like being touched by strangers, but Lee's sweet, and nothing like Dr. Yakushi.

Even though I've heard other employees gossiping about his crush on me for years, he's never once been inappropriate. He hasn't asked me out either, which is probably for the best. I'm in no place to date right now, and I would feel bad turning him down.

"I'm just glad you're safe, Saku. Look, if it will make you feel better... I wanted to offer to walk you to your car after work."

"That's really thoughtful, Lee." I manage a weak smile. "You're right, it would make me feel better. I might take you up on that offer."

"Please do." His bright smile tells me I've said the right thing, and we go our separate ways when we reach the ER, him being pulled away to change some bandages, and me, to deal with a shooting victim.

I work relentlessly through my double shift, only taking ten minutes off to grab a sandwich at the cafeteria. I need the distraction badly, and I'm grateful to my body for switching on the autopilot. I can work without thinking – there's so much to do, I barely have time to remember what happened last night.

When my double shift is finally over, it's the middle of the night. I take Lee up on his offer and he walks me to my Honda parked in the lot in front of the hospital. He's nothing but a gentleman, and I'm grateful that he isn't trying to take advantage of my mental state when I'm vulnerable.

"I can do this every night," he says as I unlock my crappy old car.

"That would make me feel a lot safer," I reply with a soft smile. "Thank you, Lee."

We say our goodbyes and I drive home in silence, my heart starting to pound the closer I get to home. My apartment has always been a safe haven, and if nothing else, I have my cats there to keep me company.

I walk into the apartment to the cats' protests and feed them right away, petting their soft fur. I feel so bad leaving them when I have to work double shifts, so I open the balcony door so they can watch the outside world. I lie down on the couch with my favorite mug filled with hot peppermint tea, and try to unwind a little, though it seems an impossible task. My mind keeps going back to Dr. Yakushi and the horrible way he ended up leaving this world.

When I reach for my fluffy blanket, I find it folded over the chair instead of the sofa. Weird. I could have sworn I left it on the sofa, like I always do. I get up to collect it, and when I do, I get the strange feeling that something's off.

I can't quite put my finger on it. It's as if some things have been moved, taken from their place and then carefully placed back. The differences are subtle – my calendar slightly askew on the fridge door, the picture frame with me, Ino and Tenten turned the wrong way. Fear and panic seep through my pores as I search for more signs that someone's been in here. But nothing is missing. It's just the little differences in how things are positioned.

I try to calm down by telling myself it's nothing, though I don't quite manage to convince myself.

After watching an episode of my favorite TV show, I head to the bathroom and draw myself a long, hot bath. As I soak in the comfort of the rose-scented bubbles, I allow myself to relax. Nobody's going to hurt me. Nobody is out to get me. I'm just shaken because of what happened with Dr. Yakushi, but even that was just a freakish, unplanned robbery. I got off lucky. I need to remember that.

I close my eyes for a long moment, allowing myself to relax in the comfort of the tub. When my eyes fly open again, they zero in on something on the tile floor, a small, black dot on the otherwise spotless white tile.

It's a spider.

My body moves of its own accord, panicking. Water sloshes over the edge of the tub and my teeth begin to chatter as I stare at the harmless creature in the middle of the bathroom. I'm suddenly terrified, frozen to the spot. I can't even call out for help. My heart is fucking pounding. My head is all over the place. The longer I look at that fucking spider, the more I want to scream.

A memory assaults my mind. A woman, reaching out for me, a scream tearing itself from her lips as she tries to grab hold of me. Then, a bullet burying itself in her chest from behind. Blood blooming on her white blouse, the stain getting bigger and bigger.

The sound of screaming fills my head, a memory of the past I've long tried to leave behind. The deja-vu is so intense I choke on my own breath, my eyes filling with tears I don't understand.

The woman falls to the ground before my eyes, little chubby hands extending toward her. My hands. My mother. Dead on the floor. Her body like a spider's, arms and legs fanned out on the wood, broken, dead.

I want to scream but I can't. I can't even breathe. It takes all my effort to slowly pick myself up, hands shaking as I grab for the towel on the rack next to the tub. I cover myself up and tiptoe around the unmoving spider. I head to the kitchen, my heart still pounding with inexplicable fear as I collect a glass from the kitchen cabinet. I head back to the bathroom. The black dot is still on the ground, and I quickly place the glass over it. Despite my fear of spiders, I can't bring myself to hurt it. It's innocent. It doesn't deserve to die.

I walk out backwards, with my front facing the monster on the ground, locking the bathroom door from the outside before I finally breathe out in relief. The memories that assaulted my mind when I saw the thing seem unbelievable now, but something rings true deep within me every time I remember the scene.

Crawling into bed with my cats, I yawn and pull the covers close. Mr. Bingley and Mrs. Hudson cuddle up next to me and I pull the covers over us. But somehow, it's even scarier beneath them.

After tossing and turning all night, I wake up to the sound of my blaring alarm clock yet again.

Groaning, I get free of the covers and let out an involuntary shiver when I remember what happened yesterday. First, Kabuto Yakushi... and then the spider in my bathroom.

Goosebumps erupt all over my skin and I force myself to use the bathroom door. I try to unlock it, but it's not locked anymore. Furrowing my brows, I walk into the tiled space.

The glass is gone.

There's nothing on the tile anymore.

I want to cry. I swallow back a scream and run into the kitchen, throwing open the cupboard. I try to think rationally, telling myself I have six of those glasses. I just need to count them to make sure everything's okay. I count out loud, painfully slowly, my fingers tracing the shapes of each glass.

"One, two, three. Four, five... Six."

All the glasses are there. Did I imagine the spider last night?

I dig through the muggy mess in my mind. Am I losing it? Why can't I remember things properly?

I tell myself I must've been very tired last night, and that's why I'm mixing things up. The spider was like something out of a nightmare. It's totally possible I imagined it when I was lying in bed, so tired after my shift... right?

Swallowing, I force myself to close the kitchen cupboard. I get ready for work robotically, pulling on clothes, brushing my hair, swiping mascara on my lashes. I tell myself it's nothing.

As I drive to work, I still feel it.

The nagging feeling of being watched, being followed.

I don't know if it's ever going to go away now.