Chapter 26: It's the Little Things

"A little time spent together can be the difference between life and death."

|Naruto|

"Papa, he did it!" Himawari squealed as the unmistakable clang of a metal bat connecting with a baseball echoed throughout the field.

"Aa, he did!" I quickly nodded to Himawari before cupping a hand to my mouth and yelling, "Let's go, Boruto!"

With a wide grin, Boruto dropped his bat and walked towards first base. My face grew to mirror his as I realized he had hit a home run with the bases loaded!

As Boruto's teammates rounded the home plate, the whoops of celebration grew louder, and right after Boruto touched his foot down on the plate, the umpire blew the whistle and pointed at his watch. Time was up, the game was over.

Families of the winning team cheered happily while the relatives of the losers clapped cordially. I found myself being tugged to my feet by Himawari, who was eager to go over to her brother.

From where we were in the stands, I could see Boruto was being tossed up in the air by his team and wondered aloud if it was okay to disturb them.

"Of course, it is." Himawari laughed as we made our way down the bleachers, "No matter what Onii-chan says, he's really happy that you came today. You're probably the main person that he wants to see."

I felt relief flood through me at Himawari's encouragement. Her words were soothing, helping to ease the discomfort that had been lingering in my stomach after this morning's incident.

Boruto had come thundering down the stairs yelling for Hinata to hurry up or they were gonna be late, and then he'd seen me. Hinata had placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and informed him that I would be the one to take them to today's game, and he hadn't looked one bit happy about it, but at least he had gotten in the car.

"Onii-chan~!" Himawari sang the title before jumping onto her brother endearingly, "Nice job!"

Boruto swung her around while chuckling, "Arigato, Hima. Aren't you glad you have such a cool older brother?"

"Would a cool older brother still leave the seat up after he pees?" Himawari questioned to his teammates, and the latter roared with laughter.

"H-Hima!" Boruto hissed, quickly setting her down, "You promised not to tell anybody!"

Most of the team noticed me standing off to the side, and the one closest to Boruto got his attention before tilting his chin at me. I didn't want things to get awkward so before Boruto could rekindle his anger from this morning, I pulled him into a hug.

"You did well out there." I cleared my throat as I praised him, "I'm proud of you, ya know."

Everyone's eyes were on us, and I couldn't help but start to feel a bit nervous the longer Boruto went without saying anything. I gave Himawari a desperate look and she returned my panic with a smile and a thumbs up.

"Hmph." Boruto pushed me back and crossed his arms, "You'd better be…"

Despite his harsh tone, I could see that his cheeks were slightly tinted red, and I laughed as Himawari returned to my side and took my hand.

"Come on." I nudged Boruto, "Let's go get something to eat — my treat."

"Hima, no matter what, don't say ramen." Boruto quickly told her, and I gave him a look.

"Hima is perfectly capable of making her own decisions, ya know!"

"Oi, Boruto!" One of his teammates called his name, and Boruto turned back, "You're not gonna shower?"

I raised an eyebrow at my son, wondering if this teammate was trying to get under his skin, but Boruto quickly waved his hand and explained.

"Ka-chan always makes me shower before I get in the car; says I'm too sweaty, ya know." Boruto rolled his eyes before smiling, "But you won't mind, right Tou-chan?"

I shrugged as we continued our walk towards the car, "You don't smell too bad to me."

Unlocking the car doors, I bit back a laugh as I caught a glimpse of Himawari's face in the rearview mirror. It was clear from her expression that she'd caught a whiff of Boruto, and he didn't exactly have a rosy essence. Some of the guys down at the station could be very ripe, so Boruto's scent didn't bother me one bit, but for Himawari's sake, I rolled down the windows.

"Can we go to Lightning Burger?" Boruto turned around in his seat, mainly asking Himawari, "Do you mind?"

Himawari waved her hand, "That's fine. Oh, actually! Papa, can I run into Amaguriama while you guys are at Lightning?"

"Sure, why not?" I agreed.

The ensuing conversation in the fifteen-minute drive to Sage Street mainly consisted of Boruto running back the play for his last hit and what had been going through his head as he walked up to the plate. In no time, we had arrived and just as planned, Himawari got down when I pulled in front of Amaguriama.

"Need some money?" I leaned to the right and tried to grab my wallet out of my back pocket.

She hurriedly shook her head, "Nope, I have enough!"

After a quick kiss was planted on my cheek, Himawari stepped back and waved to us before heading into the store and once I was sure she was inside, I made a quick U-turn and pulled us into Lightning Burger's parking lot. With my arm still in a cast and Boruto smelling a little fresh, I figured the best course of action would be to use the drive thru.

"Shit." I cursed as we pulled up to the speaker box, "We didn't ask Hima what she wanted, ya know."

Boruto put his hands behind his back "She'll be fine, just get her a regular burger."

"Uh, okay. But how do I…?" I trailed off as I rolled the window down and Boruto took off his baseball cap as he leaned over me to speak.

He gave me a look that read something along the lines of, "You're really hopeless sometimes, you know that?"

"Yeah, hello? Can I get one regular hamburger meal and one Green Chili Hamburger meal? And then can I get uh…Tou-chan? What do you want?" He looked up at me and I quickly turned to the menu.

My brain almost crashed as the panel began to move and flash with numerous new items, and I instantly gave the choice back to him, "Whatever you recommend."

Boruto pinched his chin and turned back to the speaker box, "Can you add another regular hamburger meal to the order?"

"Sure thing! Will those meals be small, medium, or large?" A female voice crackled back through the mic.

He grinned mischievously at me before answering the woman, "Large please."

He returned to his previous position in his seat and folded his hands behind his head as the woman typed away, and after a few seconds, she read the order back to us and told us the cost.

"Alrighty! With two large regular hamburger meals and one large Green Chili Hamburger meal, your total is 550 ryo!"

My jaw fell open, "Five hundred?! Boruto, what the hell did you—?"

"Arigato, Nee-san!" Boruto called to the woman before reaching over and shifting the car's gear so that it was no longer in park.

Since the car was rolling away from the speaker box, I had no choice but to accept the amount, and I gave Boruto a stern look as we rolled up to the window.

"What~?" He wriggled his eyebrows playfully, "Your treat, remember?"

I swatted at him jokingly before twisting and turning to bring my wallet out, "Remind me to never offer to pay for food with you again, ya know."

"Now why would I do that?" He returned my jest with similar energy as I handed my card over to the girl.

With a few taps and a swipe, my card was swiftly returned to me, and soon after a bright yellow plastic bag was handed to me through the window along with a receipt. I thanked the woman for her help before passing the bag to Boruto and continuing out of the drive thru. Boruto urged me to sit in the parking lot, stating that Himawari would know to come to us once she was out.

Once I put the car in park, Boruto passed me my burger and fries before setting a drink down in the cupholder.

"Itadakimasu!" Boruto clapped his hands and blessed the food, and I echoed the phrase before deciding to attack my fries first.

We sat in the car, just munching, and sipping in silence. It was only when Boruto's crumpled up his hamburger wrapping paper as he finished that he decided to speak.

"Tou-chan." I hummed my acknowledgement and turned to him with a mouthful of fries, "Why did you and Ka-chan break up?"

'Oh boy.'

I swallowed hard and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand as I thought about how and whether I should even answer his question.

"It had to be something serious for you two to go as far as divorce, ya know." He continued, voicing his thoughts out loud, "And I remember the day you moved out that you and Ka-chan were talking about how you cheated but was that it? Ka-chan couldn't forgive you so you two had to separate?"

I rubbed my chin and sighed, "No, that's not the only reason. But let's say it was: would you have wanted your mother to forgive me?"

"I…" He pursed his lips, "I don't know…"

I patted his head and apologized, "That wasn't a fair question, gomen. You shouldn't have to simulate solutions to our problems, ya know. But to answer what you asked before, what's something you can't live without?"

"What do you mean?" Boruto immediately wondered, not sure about what I was inquiring.

"As in, something that you love doing and you'd hate to stop one day." I quickly clarified.

"Oh!" He snapped his fingers, "That's easy: skateboarding."

I nodded as I recalled his movement-based hobby, "Now another question: are you dating anyone?"

"Tou-chan!" Boruto exclaimed, smacking his forehead as red engulfed his face.

"Listen, I've got to ask these things so I can lay a foundation, ya know!" I placed my hand on his shoulder, "So, are you?"

He shook his head, "No."

"Well, imagine you are." I began to paint the example for him, "Imagine you're dating the girl of your dreams, and everything is perfect between you guys, but skateboarding is shunned by everyone around you including your girlfriend, ya know. Now if you know that if you ever tell her about your skateboarding hobby she'll leave you, what would you do?"

He pinched his chin and shut his eyes for a moment.

"…I'd still tell her." He finally said after some time, "If this is the girl of my dreams and I'm planning to marry her and have kids and all of that, then there can't be any secrets, ya know. Otherwise, if I keep quiet and decide to stop for her sake, I'll be pretty miserable down the line and things will get all fucked up."

I chuckled uncannily at Boruto's spot-on conclusion, "You just answered your own question."

"Oh." Boruto ran a hand through his hair before pulling his baseball cap back on, "But what was it you loved doing so much that Ka-chan couldn't stand?"

For a second, I considered telling my son everything, from my perpetual perverted thoughts that had plagued me since my preteen days to the defining incident of Himawari's twelfth birthday. I soon dashed the idea as I came to a stark realization that sharing my life with him would mean detailing my various sexual encounters, and I didn't want to scar him with information about his mother and I's private time.

"Let's just say that it's a very personal matter." I answered.

Boruto nodded, "Gomen for asking all these questions but I…I had to know if there was a chance things between you and Ka-chan could be saved, ya know."

I nodded understandingly, "If there was, believe me, I would've tried. But why did you want to make sure? Is it hard getting used to us being separated?"

He sighed, "To be honest, I'm not really stressing over it; my mindset is that it is what it is, ya know. But Ka-chan…Ka-chan cried a lot the first few days after you came to get the papers. And I mean a lot."

My heart tightened as I learned of Hinata's sorrow, but I kept quiet and allowed Boruto to fill me in.

"She barely came out of her room during that time, and when she did come out it was only to make us dinner before heading right back upstairs." Boruto open and closed his hand as he stared at it absentmindedly, "Me and Hima thought she would never get better but then Toneri-san invited her out one night and she kinda calmed down, ya know."

At the mention of Toneri, I grit my teeth, "And are they okay? Is he treating her…?"

I held my hand to my head and tried to retract my previous questions, "Gomen. Asking you about your mother's personal life is—"

"No, it's fine. I get it." Boruto assured me before going on to provide more information, "Toneri-san's never raised his voice or done anything harmful to Ka-chan, at least, not to my knowledge. He's cordial when he talks to us, and he even offers us money when Ka-chan's not looking, but we always say no. I guess I'd say he's a pretty okay guy."

"And how does your mother feel about him?" I couldn't help but try and poke around a little more.

Boruto shook his head, "Ka-chan's respectful and pretty nice to him, but the smiles she gives him aren't anything like the smiles she gave you. She's still in love with you, Tou-san."

I swallowed hard at his observation, knowing exactly how true that latter statement was.

"That's why I'm asking you if you're sure, ya know." He turned his body completely to me as he went on, "You're completely sure that things between you and Ka-chan can't be resolved?"

Himawari's twelfth birthday and all of Hinata's shakes and shudders whenever I touched her neck ran through my mind at the speed of light, and I hung my head defeatedly, "Aa, it's over."

He crossed his arms, "If you're saying it like that then I guess it's true."

"And," I slowly raised my head as Sakura came to mind, "The woman I…cheated on your mother with, I'm dating her. And I really—I love her."

"Seriously?" Boruto raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously." I nodded and gave him the most resolute look I could muster, "I…I see myself with her for the rest of my life, ya know."

"…Whoa." He said after a moment's pause, "That's a heavy statement, Tou-chan."

"I know." I said, partly to him and partly to myself as I realized what I was essentially admitting, "But it's how I feel."

"Hm." Boruto hummed, "So when are you gonna introduce us to this lady? I'd like to meet my future stepmom a little earlier than the wedding, ya know."

"Uh, soon enough." I told him, not exactly sure when Sakura and I would be able to go public with our relationship, "I promise you'll be the first person I introduce her to."

Boruto sat back in his chair and laughed, "I'll hold you to that."

The trunk of the car opened and the two of us turned around to find Himawari dumping a bunch of bags in the back. Boruto and I exchanged looks while Himawari shut the trunk and when she got into the car, I immediately asked her what she'd bought.

"It's a secret." She smiled before lifting a finger to her lips.

I shared another look with Boruto, and he shrugged his shoulders before handing Himawari her meal. My daughter smiled gleefully before tossing a handful of fries into her mouth and I decided I would inquire about her bulky purchase later before turning back to the front and putting the car in reverse.

"So, is there anything else you guys wanna—?" I was cut off by my phone ringing thanks to its Bluetooth connection to the car.

The caller ID popped up on the panel and I saw that it was Sakura. Before I could start to think about what to do, Boruto tapped the green phone icon to answer the call and yelled, "*Konnichiwa, Sakura-obachan!"

"Sakura-obachan, hi!" Himawari joined her brother in addressing their aunt.

"…Boruto?" Sakura's voice had an undertone of confusion, clearly taken aback by the bright greeting from my children, "And Himawari-chan? Where's your dad?"

"I'm right here." I laughed as I backed out of the parking lot and pulled us onto the road, "We're in the car eating fast food but I can still chat. How are you feeling? Is everything okay?"

"Y-Yeah, everything's fine." I immediately took note of the waver in her voice and how she'd stuttered in the beginning, "Uh, sorry for the interruption. I'll call you later."

"What? No, Sakura-chan, right now is—" The beeping of the phone let me know that she'd hung up and I sighed.

"…Her mom's funeral was on Thursday, right?" Boruto sat back, sadness climbing onto his face, "She's probably still feeling down."

"Aa." I agreed with him, nodding my head, "She is."

I cleared my throat after a moment of silence, "But, uh, what else do you guys wanna do? I don't have anything planned for today."

"Actually Papa, I need to go home." Himawari spoke up, "Me and my friends are going roller-skating later and I still don't know what I'm gonna wear."

"Oh, alright then. What about you, Boruto? You can shower when you get home and then we can go wherever you want, ya know." I offered him a chance at father-son bonding.

Boruto clapped his hands together regretfully, "I'd really love to, Tou-chan but I'm gonna have to pass. Fortnite's doing this live event at 2 p.m., and the leaks said there's gonna be a super rare skin at the end, ya know."

I scratched the side of my face although I didn't completely understand, "O-Okay…"

"Gomen ne." Boruto lifted an apologetic hand, "Next time for sure."

Himawari leaned forward and grabbed my shoulder to show that she agreed, and I chuckled.

"It's fine, it's fine. I guess you guys are getting too big to hang out with your old man, eh? I remember when you kids used to be all over me, ya know."

Boruto punched my arm lightly, "Looks like the shoe's on the other foot."

"Aa." I nodded, "It definitely is."

*Konnichiwa actually means 'good afternoon' in Japanese

|Sakura|

"M-Maybe he's gotten tired of me." I muttered as I flipped the eggs.

"You're being overdramatic." She scoffed as she leaned against the counter, "He's with his kids! You heard them on the phone!"

"But…" I let my next words trail off as I realized how ridiculous they sounded.

"But what? You haven't spoken in a while? Of course, you haven't when he's been in the hospital for weeks and you've been grieving over Mom since he got out. For Kami's sake, the woman was put to rest two days ago."

"I know that!" I shut off the cooker and took a plate from one of the cupboards, "For what—why do you think I want to speak to him in the first place?"

"Honestly?" She gave me a look, "I'm not even sure. It's either you're gonna jump on him the first chance you get, or you're gonna say some dumb shit and try to break up with him because you think you're cursed."

"…Aren't I?" I asked as I divided up some of the egg for myself and grabbed the ketchup bottle off the top of the fridge.

"We've been over this already." She lifted a hand to my cheek and forced me to look her in the eyes, "You're not."

I bit my lip, "Ka-san spent two years without the slightest inconvenience—"

"Stop saying that."

"—But a day after I speak to her, she dies! You want me to believe that's all by chance?"

"Yes!" She exclaimed, "If you really were cursed, why isn't everybody around you dead? Hell, why hasn't Sarada died? Or Ino? Or even Naruto?"

"Because now I know." I turned away from her as I put some ketchup on the plate, "The more time they spend with me, the more likely they…"

Something dawned on me and I set the ketchup down.

"Finally realized that you're speaking nonsense?" She tried but I shook my head.

"Everyone you mentioned has had something happen to them."

"Sakura, no." She grabbed my hands and forced me to face her, "Listen to me."

I wouldn't allow myself to be deterred, "Sarada went to a house party and almost got assaulted, Sai cheated on Ino and is about to have a baby with a woman other than her, and Naruto almost died with Ka-san that day."

"Listen to me." She repeated with more emphasis, "Everything you've just said has nothing to do with you, understand? Shit happens to people, that's life. The fact that things have happened to people around you is nothing more than a coincidence. Say it with me, co-in-ci-dence."

I shook my head as I felt tears bang at my eyes, and her face softened.

"Sakura…"

Before she could continue to try and convince me of my innocence, my phone rang. She let go of my right arm and I reached into my back pocket and read the caller ID: Sarada.

After quickly clearing my throat, I answered the call, "Hello?"

"Hey Mama, how are you?" Sarada questioned and I swiped under my eyes.

"I'm okay, just finished making some eggs to eat." I summed up my current actions before switching the subject to her, "Are you still at Chōchō's house?"

"Yeah, I am and that's what I wanted to talk to you about." I heard female voices laughing in the background, "Is it okay if I spend the night?"

"Um…" I held my head and tried to think, "I don't know, Sarada. This wasn't in the original plan."

"I know, I know but everyone else is sleeping over and I don't want to be the only one that has to leave." Sarada's voice entered that familiar whiny pitch of hers, "Please? I swear I'm not going anywhere else."

"Tell her no." She whispered, "Remember when you found out Mom died? She came back almost in the middle of the night and I'm sure she was with Mitsuki. If you say yes, she'll sneak off to him and you won't have any way of knowing."

I waved her away from my ear and shut my eyes, "Sarada, I'm not sure if—"

"Mama, please." Sarada begged, "If you really don't trust me, I'll FaceTime you at night to prove that I'm with her."

The strain in Sarada's voice proved too painful for me to ignore, and I gave in.

"I want regular updates for the rest of the day—"

"What are you doing?!"

"—And if I find out that you were anywhere, anywhere near Mitsuki, you're grounded till you turn 18, understood?"

Sarada squealed happily on the other end, "Of course, of course! I love you, Mama! You're the best!"

I couldn't help but smile as she happily chatted to her friends, "Be safe, alright?"

"Mhm, mhm!" Sarada hummed, "Okay, bye!"

"Bye." I ended the call and put my phone back in my pocket before turning to her, "What?"

"For someone so concerned about being the cause of misery for the people around them, you sure do make some stupid choices."

"She was begging me, and it sounded like all her friends were there. What good would forcing her to come home do?" I defended my decision.

"Are you forgetting that Konoha's turning into a cesspool of violence. The city was bombed two weeks ago! People are getting mugged left and right, that Madoka boy was kidnapped!"

"…She'll be fine." I said, although my confidence was beginning to wane, "Karui doesn't mess around; there's no way Sarada can slip out without getting caught. Besides, it's…it's better this way."

She tilted her head in confusion as she went over my words and soon smacked a hand to forehead, "Don't tell me you're trying to keep her away from you to protect her."

I nodded and she let out an exasperated sigh, "So that's it then? You're just gonna push everyone away? What will you do if Sarada wants to have a girls' day and hang out with you?"

"Then I'll do it." I crossed my arms.

"And if she somehow dies because of that one day she spent with you?"

I gave her a look, "Aren't you supposed to be convincing me that I'm not cursed?"

"You're not but I'm just trying to point out how nothing you're doing is making sense." She shook her head, "Call Ino, you need to talk to someone about this."

"Can't." I immediately shot down the suggestion, "She's got her hands full with Sai."

"Sakura, she told you to start relying on her more often for this purpose."

"That was before she decided to take back her cheating husband who's going to abandon his child once they're born." I remarked bitterly.

"…You're such a hypocrite." She huffed with disgust, "She didn't judge you when you told her you were sleeping with Naruto, and this is how you repay her?"

"Me sleeping with Naruto and Ino deciding that her careless, disrespectful, abusive husband is still worth it are nowhere near similar." I hugged my arms tighter, "If she wants to take him back, she can; it's not my decision to make. But it is my choice to not talk to her."

She sighed as she took a seat at the island, "Fine. If you won't talk to her, who else can you go to? Naruto's occupied and nobody else really knows."

I picked up my plate of cold eggs and went over to the microwave, "That's where you're wrong."

As I popped the eggs for a quick thirty seconds, I brought my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my recently called. Halfway down, I tapped on Sasori's contact and held the phone to my ear. The line connected on the second ring and Sasori's voice floated into my ear.

"Sakura-san? Everythin' okay?"

I felt so comforted hearing him sound genuinely concerned about my well-being, and I decided not to hide anything from him, "Maybe this is selfish of me, but I was hoping we could relax and talk? I'm just…I'm not having the best morning and I really don't want to be alone right now."

"Uh, okay…" He didn't sound too accepting of the proposal, and I immediately back tracked.

"Gomennasai, you probably had stuff planned for today, right? Just forget it, sorry for bothering you." I lowered the phone and moved to hang up.

"Huh? No, no, no!" Sasori's shout stopped me, "Gomen, I woke up five minutes ago so I ain't exactly here but ya said ya wanted ta hang out, right? I'll be at yer place in an hour."

"Arigato." I thanked him before the ending the call and turned back to her.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow, "Sasori? That's who you're gonna rely on for advice?"

"I'm not looking for advice, I just need someone who will listen to me without arguing, and since my own conscience won't give me peace of mind, I'm sure he will."

She snorted, "Oh, he'll give you a piece of something. And you're home alone; don't you know he just wants to fuck you?"

I scrunched up my nose at the notion, "That's not true."

"Don't be daft. It was clear that day we went to Yakiniku Q. The only reason he might've backed off is because he found out about you and Naruto, but since you're inviting him over, he might think he has a chance."

I waved my hand, "Sasori's not like that."

"Oh please. He's—" She was interrupted by the ring of the doorbell, and we looked at each other.

We made our way to the door, and I opened it to find Shikamaru standing on the front steps with a file crate in his arms.

"Shikamaru?" I didn't bother to hide my surprise, "What are you doing here?"

The expression on his face wasn't outright sorrowful, but by the slight downward curve of his lips, I could see that he hadn't come here with happy motivations.

"Maybe I come inside?" He asked, and I stepped aside for him.

I shut the door once he was in and followed him to the living room. He placed the crate beside the coffee table before taking a seat on my couch, and I found myself sitting alongside him.

"This is weird…" She whispered across from us, and I gave her a look as Shikamaru sighed and turned to me.

"I…" Shikamaru held a hand to his mouth and his face took on his familiar thinking expression as he got his words together, "A couple days after your dad died, your mom came to my house and talked to my dad for a while. When she was leaving, she brought this crate from her car and gave it to him. On his death bed, my dad told me to keep it until your mom asked for it but now that she's gone, I think you should have it."

I took the topmost folder and opened it as Shikamaru continued to speak.

"I never looked through it because I thought it wasn't my place, so I can't even tell you what all this stuff is. But something in my gut tells me that you need this. So…here it is."

My eyes widened as I read my father's name at the top of the page and realized I was looking at my dad's medical charts.

"A-Arigato." I stuttered as Shikamaru stood up, "I'll…I'll look over all of this, for sure."

Shikamaru placed a hand on my shoulder when I started to get up, "I'll see myself out. Just…take care of yourself, okay?"

I swallowed and nodded, and he gave me a small smile before leaving the living room. When I heard the front door open and close, I looked back at the page I'd been reading and skipped over the section describing his physicality. I had to go back however, when I noticed a small section of scribble right under.

Patient has reported no progress after two weeks of medication. Upped the prescribed dosage of amitriptyline from 1200 milligrams to 1800. Will check again in the next two weeks.

"Amitriptyline's an antidepressant, right?" She threw her arm around my shoulder as she read with me, "Mom said Dad was a schizophrenic, so it makes sense that the meds didn't help."

"Not just that." I told her as I continued to go down the page, "It's a tetracyclic antidepressant and in pre-med we learned that those could actually worsen psychotic symptoms."

"Damn." She shook her head as I moved the page to the back of the stack and looked at the next paper.

It turned out to be Dad's death certificate, and I held my breath as I looked over the information. Sure enough, his cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest. A light bulb flickered in my head at the term, and I repeated it to myself as I tried to draw out more information from my brain.

"Cardiac arrest, cardiac arrest, cardiac arrest…" I brought out the previous chart and went over the prescription notes again.

A thought shot through my mind like a light in the dark, and I had to take a seat.

"What?" She encouraged me to share my idea as she sat beside me, "What did you realize?"

"Am-Amitriptyline is a tetracyclic, which means it has lithium." I began flipping through the numerous pages in the folder until I found the autopsy chart, "Doctors don't really prescribe it anymore once we learned how dangerous lithium toxicity could be, but back then they didn't know; it would be so easy to overdose if you took a couple more pills than necessary."

"Wait, so are you saying that Dad overdosed? That's why he died in his sleep back then!" She snapped her fingers and jumped up, "He probably took his meds before going to bed and didn't look or put one more pill by accident. Kami, but that means—"

"I don't think it was an accident." I cut her off as I found a line that confirmed my suspicions, "He…He had 2.7 milliequivalents in his body at the time of death."

"2.7?! People can barely move if their body hits 1.5, and he had 2.7?!"

I swiped under my eyes as a tear slipped out, "Tou-san killed himself…"

"…Because he didn't get help." She added her own ending onto my sentence, "And you're following his footsteps. You stopped taking your meds when you found out Mom died and here I am. How long do you think it'll take before you're back to playing Russian roulette?"

"That won't happen." I refuted her claims.

"You're spiraling, Sakura." She shook her head, disappointment clear on her face, "We both know it."

I set the folder back down in the crate before picking it up and heading for the stairs, "Sasori's coming, I need to get ready."

"Tch, there you go. You can't run from all your problems. Sooner or later, they will catch up to you."

I turned around to look at her once I reached the top of the steps, "Then let them."

|Two Hours Later|

"Wow." I gasped as I stepped into the colorful room, "Sasori, this place is amazing! How did you find it?"

"The internet." He answered with a chuckle as he followed behind me, "I'm surprised ya never heard of it, it's one of the first things ta pop up when you type What To Do In Konoha."

I ran my hand across one of the flower-covered walls and watched as it responded to my touch, the flowers changing from bright yellow to light blue, "I've lived here all my life and I never knew it existed."

"Heh, consider this my thanks for takin' me ta that buffet back then." Sasori placed his hand on my lower back and gently pushed me forward, "There's a lot more rooms though so let's keep goin'."

I nodded and allowed myself to be nudged in whatever direction he chose. We went from room to room appreciating the art with little words shared between us. It was only when we were in the *Forest of Lamps that I asked to take a picture of Sasori as the lights turned red.

"Come on, red hair, red lights?" I laughed as I brought out my phone, "It fits."

With a shake of his head, Sasori crossed his arms and posed for the camera. I took a quick snap of him and was about putting my phone away when a woman tapped me on my shoulder and offered to take a picture of the both of us.

Sasori shrugged and I handed the woman my phone before going over to Sasori and holding my hands behind my back. The woman took one photo and Sasori changed our pose, slipping an arm around my waist and pulling me into his side. I blinked at the small smile that now graced his face before turning back to look at the camera.

I couldn't help but recall Her earlier words about Sasori's intentions towards me, but as soon as the woman handed me my phone, he returned his arm to his side and smiled. We continued exploring the museum, and after what felt like hours, decided to rest our feet at the underground tea house which the gallery boasted.

Sasori ordered two cups of tea and we found an empty booth in the back that would "allow us some privacy." I didn't even have to ask what he meant, as Sasori dumped his jacket on the table and laid his head down.

"Privacy to sleep?" I teased him as a waitress came by and handed us his tea.

"Folks are cruel." Sasori assured me as he pushed his jacket over to make space for the cups, "Ya can't even sleep in public without someone puttin' ya on the internet."

I reminded him that he had two cups of tea to finish before he could think about going to bed anytime soon, and Sasori waved a hand at one of the cups, insisting that I take it off his hands. Although I hadn't planned on taking anything, I decided one drink couldn't hurt and drained the mug.

"This isn't bad. What flavor did you choose?"

"Green tea." Sasori sat up and took a sip from the other cup, "Ain't wanna risk tryin' somethin' new for it ta be bad."

"Hm." I hummed before nodding, and Sasori came around the table and threw his arm around my neck, "Sasori?"

"Yer still thinkin' 'bout whatever's botherin' ya, right? I was hopin' the museum woulda kept yer attention, but it's clear yer not completely relaxed." Sasori placed a hand on my head and pulled me against him, "Go on and tell me what's on yer mind."

Before today this kind of skinship wouldn't have bothered me in the least, but with the seeds of doubt having been planted in my mind, I silently hoped for Sasori not to feel the clamoring of my heart due to our close proximity.

"Well, I've learned some things about my family that I…I kind of always knew but didn't want to believe." I started, forcing any impure thoughts out of my brain, "Stuff about my dad that my mom lied to me about."

Sasori rubbed my head sympathetically, "Does any of that stuff change how ya feel about yer mom?"

"No, not really. She was actually supposed to tell me the truth the day she died." I felt myself tearing up and gently pushed Sasori's hand down as I looked away, "I'd wanted her to tell me the night before, on my birthday, but she said she didn't want to spoil the day…I should've insisted."

"I should've told her to stay with us for the night, I should've offered to go to the bank with her…" I sniffled, "There are so many things I should've done but I didn't. Kami, I didn't even say 'I love you' that night."

Sasori remained silent as I wiped my eyes and tried to control my crying. It was as I reached for a napkin on the table that Sasori raised a hand to my cheek and gently motioned for me to look at him.

"I've—My parents died when I was young so I ain't any good at dealin' with grief but I'll tell ya this: yer mom knew that ya loved her, and I'm willin' to be that whatever she lied about, she did it to protect ya. 'Cause that's what mother's do; protect their kids." He swiped his thumb across my cheek affectionately, "And if ya had gone ta the bank with yer mom, ya wouldn't be here right now. Ya wouldn't be with me."

I nodded as my tears came to a slow, and Sasori leaned down and planted an innocent kiss on my forehead.

"Now come on," He stood up and pulled on his jacket before holding out a hand to me, "We've got more rooms to explore."

I quickly scrubbed my eyes before standing up and taking his hand, and we left the underground tea house.

*I based some of this experience off of the teamLab Borderless exhibit in Tokyo. Hopefully once COVID settles down, everyone reading can find a chance to experience Japan and all it has to offer, including this beautiful digital museum

|Karin|

"Although you should've healed by now, take two of these every day for the next week." Orochimaru said as he handed me a prescription bottle, "If you're still in pain, I'll have to take a look and see if you need stitches."

I gave him a look and he rolled his eyes, "I don't know why you're so wary of me. I take my role as physician very seriously."

"Yeah, sure." I shoved my hands into my pockets and made way to the infirmary door, "Arigato."

"Misaki-san." Orochimaru called my name seriously, and I looked back at him, "I'm only here to help."

I nodded before leaving the room and shutting the door behind me. Out in the hallway, the main floor was a bit, what with Hidan barking orders at some of the associates who were carrying sizeable boxes and heading for the main doors.

Kakuzu stood off to the side with his arms crossed and a bored expression on his face, so I decided to head over to him to find out what was happening.

"We're cleaning up our finances." He straightened up as he spoke to me, "Those jewels that we got from the Konoha Bank finally got sold but to deposit that kind of money all at once would turn heads, so we've gotta do things the old-fashioned way."

I tilted my head as I tried to guess what method they would be using, "Real estate?"

Kakuzu shook his head, "No, that's a little too intensive. There's a casino in Otafuku that Pain's been trying to get, and he just told Hidan and I to start moving the money over there, which means he must've finally gotten it."

I recalled that Shojoji and his bandits were based in Otafuku but choose to ignore the connection and joined Kakuzu in watching the men move back and forth. As the last box was seemingly carried out, Hidan sauntered over to us and grinned.

"Misaki-san!" He greeted me with that loud, vibrant voice of his, "You coming with us to see the casino?"

I quickly waved my hands, "Gomen but maybe next time? I'm not really in the mood for a two-hour drive."

"Aw, come on." Hidan slapped Kakuzu's back, "It'll be me, you, and the old man! A real good chance for us to bond."

Kakuzu punched Hidan in the gut and turned to me as Hidan doubled over, "Don't listen to him, Misaki-san. If you don't wanna go, you don't wanna go. And if you're not in the mood for a drive, you definitely won't be able to handle dealing with this idiot."

Hidan recovered from the blow and moved to grapple Kakuzu, but Kakuzu easily ducked under his hands and reversed the situation, placing Hidan in a headlock and forcing him to the ground.

"See what I mean?" Kakuzu looked up at me with a slight smile, and I nodded.

"Fuck you, gramps!" Hidan cursed as he struggled to free himself from Kakuzu's hold, "Fight me without sucker punching and you'll be on the floor in five."

"Please, you couldn't lay a hand on me if I was blind folded."

I couldn't help but laugh at their little scuffle and was slightly intrigued by Kakuzu's physicality based on this little altercation. Yes, he was built sturdy and seemed to be in shape, but Hidan was by no means lacking in physique and he had the advantage of being a considerable number of years younger than Kakuzu. But if this was the case, why was Kakuzu effortlessly keeping Hidan on the ground?

Before I could try to pinpoint the cause for Kakuzu's bizarre strength, the main doors slid open, and Sasuke stepped in with Suigetsu and Jūgo right beside him. Our eyes met and Sasuke fist bumped the two of them before essentially dismissing them, and Suigetsu and Jūgo nodded to me before taking the stairs.

I swallowed hard as Sasuke approached me, his mouth in that habitual downturned line of his, and I began to internally panic.

Sasuke hadn't been in the bed when I'd woken up and that had been way earlier in the day, around 6 a.m. A quick search around the mansion had confirmed that he wasn't anywhere nearby either, but nobody seemed to have an idea about where he'd gone.

I'd wondered if he had left because of last night and thought that maybe he'd regretted it. Sure, Sasori had told him that his wife was cheating on him, but that didn't mean Sasuke had to return the favor. It didn't help that I had been the one to initiate things, and as Sasuke reached me, I feared looking him in the eyes and seeing repulsion on his face.

With my gaze at the floor, I greeted him, "Konnichiwa, Toshiaki-kun."

Sasuke wrapped his arms around me and pulled me into a hug before pressing a kiss to my ear, "Aa, I'm back."

"Okay, lovebirds." Hidan wretched, and we turned to find him back on his feet, his squabble with Kakuzu concluded, "Go to your room so we don't have to see any of that, please."

"You're right. Safe travels, Kakuzu, Hidan." Sasuke wished them the best before taking my hand and tugging me to the elevator, "Let's go, Misaki."

Although I was still somewhat stunned by Sasuke's kind gesture, I followed him to the elevator and nevertheless got in beside him. It didn't take long for us to get to our room and once we were inside, Sasuke shut the door behind us and turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"What?" He questioned, not understanding my dazed state.

I shook my head and fought off the urge to cry as I pulled him in for a light kiss, "When I woke up and you weren't here, I…I thought that you regretted—"

Sasuke snaked his hands around my waist and interrupted me by reigniting the kiss, lightly tugging my lower lip in between his teeth before sliding one hand over my backside. I groaned into his mouth and hooked my arms around his neck, momentarily forgetting my doubts.

"Do you still think I regret last night?" Sasuke said as he pulled back slightly.

"No…" I murmured breathlessly, "But if you didn't then where have you been for the past ten hours?"

He let go of me and began to undress, kicking off his shoes before unzipping his jacket, "There was a job Pain had for me."

"At six in the morning?" I couldn't mask the surprise in my voice, "And for you to be with Suigetsu and Jūgo? What was it?"

He chuckled, "Trust me, nothing worth talking about. We just went and collected some debts from a few of Pain's notorious associates."

Something about that didn't sound right, but without a clear idea of what bothered me, I continued the conversation, "And did everything go well?"

"Of course." Sasuke gave me a light smile, softly patting my cheek before heading for the bathroom, "I'm gonna shower and then we can talk about your day and how you're feeling, ne?"

I nodded and watched him close the bathroom door before I turned away.

'Alright, so he doesn't regret it.' I felt a smile break out on my face as I picked his jacket and moved to hang it up behind the door.

Although I would've accepted Sasuke's decision had chosen to leave yesterday as a one-off thing, the kiss he had just given me was enough evidence to convince me that our relationship had blossomed into something more. To be honest, I was glad we had gotten to this point.

Sasuke was definitely rough around the edges, but I wasn't a stretch close to being perfect either. What matter was that we both had leveled heads, and while Sasuke could be a bit stubborn at times, I was by no means a pushover. If he was wrong, I would tell him he was, no matter what kind of face he made.

My thoughts were interrupted by a light thud as something fell out from one of Sasuke's pockets, and I bent down to pick up what looked like a necklace. Upon closer inspection, I could see that it was a thin gold Cuban link and after I slipped it back into its original place, I looked down at my hand and found a thin red stain across my palm.

I'd seen blood on skin enough times to recognize it, and as I lowered my hand to my side, I did my best to come up with a reasonable explanation for the tainted jewelry. Perhaps one of Pain's associates had been putting up a hard front and needed a little convincing.

'But if that's the case then why is the necklace bloody?' My thoughts betrayed me.

I held a hand to my head and sighed, 'I'll just ask him when he comes out.'

After all, sitting here fretting about it would get me nowhere, and Sasuke knew better than to lie to me. With this solution in mind, I unzipped my sweater and hung it up in the closet.

As I did so, I recalled the medication Orochimaru had given to me and shook two tablets out before grabbing a bottle of water off my nightstand. Once the two pills were in my mouth, I took a swig of water and washed them down before shutting my eyes.

The placebo effect went to work, and I already felt myself calming down. There was no need to get antsy over Sasuke's decision. Not when The Six's emergency broadcast had already been replayed two times today.

The first time it had aired, I'd been a bit too…preoccupied to analyze what they were saying, but after catching the morning repeat, I understood Sakasaki's closing note to be a message for me and Sasuke.

Something was going on behind the scenes with the Konoha Police Department, and if my assumption was correct, Sasuke and I's undercover mission would need to bring more than just a few tales of involvement with crime. We would need to provide indisputable, incontestable proof that Akatsuki was the cause of Konoha's descent into crime.

I jumped as a knock at the door startled me, and I looked back at the bathroom door to make sure Sasuke wasn't about entering the room before I answered the knock.

To my surprise, Kisame was the one standing in the hall with his hands behind his back and a sad smile on his face.

"Mi-chan, sorry to interrupt but the boss would like a word with you."

I glanced at the bathroom before turning back to Kisame, "About?"

He shook his head, "You know."

I sucked in a sharp breath as I thought of Konan, who I had not seen since we'd returned from Ame two weeks ago and who Pain had refused to speak to me about when I'd asked about her. I knew enough about their relationship to know that Pain wouldn't kill her, but I personally knew that there were worst things than death.

Rubbing my eyes, I grabbed my room keys from the top of the dresser and pulled on a shawl, "Okay, let's go."

|Sarada|

"Alright, alright, alright." Chōchō drew the conversation back to the game, "Let's try some of the boys starting with Boruto, Iwabe, and Shikadai. Hako? What do you think?"

We turned to Hako who was hugging her pink rabbit plushy to her stomach, and she held a finger to her chin.

"Hm…I guess I'd fuck Shikadai, marry Boruto, and kill Iwabe. No offense, Sumire-san." Hako apologized for her latter statement.

Sumire waved her hand, "None taken. We're already…"

Sumire let the words trail off and we found ourselves nodding sympathetically.

Earlier on in the day, Sumire revealed to us that she and Iwabe had broken up. They'd been on a week-long break in order to "sort themselves out" but after the seven days had passed, the two had decided to call it quits and go back to being friends. She wouldn't tell us what had prompted the need for a break, but she'd assured us that nothing bad had happened and jokingly told us to put down our pitchforks.

"You'd really fuck Shikadai though?" Tsuru shook her head, disagreeing with Haki's choice, "The guy probably couldn't get two pumps in without saying how much of a drag sex is."

A bunch of us laughed as Hako defended her decision, "I think it's the lazy types that are the best in bed. They'll wanna take things nice and slow, and I like it like that. Iwabe seems like he'd jackhammer me into the bed."

"How about it, Class Rep?" Wasabi turned to Sumire mischievously, her lips upturned in that mischievous cat-grin of hers, "Was Iwabe a speed demon or a slow grinder?"

All eyes were on Sumire as we awaited her answer, and she raised a hand to her mouth before answering, "Both. It depended on what I wanted."

Chōchō whistled and I couldn't help but chuckle as the girls applauded.

"Wow, and you let him go?" Tsuru clicked her tongue, "Come on, Sumire, that's like tossing away a winning lotto ticket."

"I know, I know." Sumire whined as she held her head in her hands, "That's one of the things I still can't get over! The sex with him was…ugh, but we're just not right for each other."

"So if it were you, what would your lineup be?" Enko stood up and went over to Chōchō's trashcan.

"Well, I'd fuck Iwabe no problem." Sumire shamelessly admitted, "Marry Boruto, and then kill Shikadai."

"Alright, so we all agree that Boruto's prime husband material." Hako looked around the room, "Right?"

Hearing my friends consider the goofball I had known all my life as dependable was laughable, but I kept quiet and let them discuss.

Tsuru nodded her head, "In this list for sure. Put him up against some other guys and he might lose his ground."

"Really?" Enko returned to her spot beside Wasabi, "Who do you think would be a good husband?"

"…Denki-chan wouldn't be bad." Namida quietly offered an alternative, and the room erupted.

"What?! Denki?!" Chōchō laughed out loud, "Gomen, Namida, but I think you're on your own with that one."

"Actually, she's not." Tsubaki spoke up, her cheeks slightly reddening as she shared her opinion, "Denki's nice and considerate…I think he'd make for a better partner."

Sumire smiled, "Are you saying this because of what happened between you and Boruto at that party?"

Memories of Tsubaki and Boruto in Mitsuki's basement flashed in my head and I lifted a nonchalant hand to my head as the girls pressed Tsubaki for details.

"Tsubaki-chan, you and Boruto-chan hooked up?" Namida questioned with wide eyes, "How was it?"

"Tell us everything." Enko agreed with a nod.

Tsubaki held her hands together and looked around nervously, "T-There's not much to say. We had sex and it was nice."

Wasabi gave her a thumbs down, "Boooo, you can do better than that."

"At least tell us if his dick is big." Tsuru pitched in, and I felt my face redden along with Tsubaki's.

"I mean, I guess?" Tsubaki held her hands out to give a visual example, "It was this size."

Chōchō whistled, "Boruto walks around with that confidence that lets you know he's got it, but he won't brag about it, if that makes sense."

"Definitely." Hako nodded, "How did it feel, Tsubaki?"

"Was he your first time?" Wasabi added on.

Tsubaki shook her head, "No, I had my first time back in Sanrō city. Honestly, Boruto didn't hurt at all. He made sure I was ready and constantly asked me if I was okay whenever he did something. I…It was really sweet, and it felt good."

"Oh Kami!" Chōchō groaned, "You guys are making me want to get laid."

Enko giggled, "What's stopping you?"

"She made a personal vow to abstain until she finds the right one." Sumire answered for her, nudging Chōchō with her elbow, "I told her she'd better get comfortable."

As the group laughed, Tsuru raised an eyebrow, "So you're a virgin, Chōchō-san?"

Chōchō shook her head and Namida asked the question all of us had on our minds, "Who was your first?"

"Remember our spring trip last year to Kirigakure?" Chōchō asked, and all of us nodded, "Remember our guide, Kagura? Yeah, it was him."

"Wait, seriously?" Wasabi propped her head with her arm, "Is that why you went missing for a couple hours after we went to the aquarium?"

Chōchō nodded and Hako sighed, "Chōchō, you're so lucky. Kagura was so handsome too."

"Right?" Chōchō agreed and the two shared another sigh.

"Hold on." Enko perked up, "So what happened? You two just fucked and that was it?"

"I mean I still have his number and we text here and there, but we literally live five hours apart so what are we gonna do?" Chōchō shrugged.

"You could try long distance." Namida suggested.

Chōchō waved a hand, "Too much work. To be honest, I'm really not that into him. I mean, yeah he's hot and he's kind, but he doesn't have that—that spark I'm looking for."

The group collectively hummed, all of them relating with the notion of wanting to find that special someone.

"Sarada can't relate." Sumire turned the conversation to me, laughing as she tossed her arm around my shoulder, "Mitsuki's got her whole heart."

"Oooo!" Tsuru teased as she giggled, "How far have you gone with him, Sarada?"

"Is he the one?" Enko added quickly.

I became very uncomfortable when I realized everyone's eyes were on me, and I tried not to look too long at anyone as I spoke, "We haven't gone that far but I…I think he's the one."

"Aw…" Namida swooned at my answer, "Sarada-chan's in love."

I nodded my head quickly and felt my cheeks heating up.

"Don't let him pressure you into doing anything you don't want to do though." Hako advised, spinning her plushy around in her hands, "Sex is highly overrated."

The group voiced their agreement and went on to give me individual pieces of advice.

"Like, yeah, it feels good and all that, but your first time is very special." Enko rubbed the back of her neck, "And you don't wanna give it to the wrong person because that's an experience you'll always remember."

"Exactly." Wasabi nodded, "That's why I'm kind of glad my first time was with Renga because he was considerate during the whole thing and never even told anyone after."

Chōchō's door swung open, interrupting the unofficial sex education, and we all turned to see her parents in the doorway, dressed to go out.

"Mama? Papa?" Chōchō looked up at her, a bit of panic on her face as she probably feared that her parents had heard something incriminating.

"Hey, girls! Everything alright in here?" Uncle Choji waved at us.

"Honey, now is not the time." Aunt Karui gave him a look before turning to us, "Girls, something's come up and we have to go. We probably won't be back until tomorrow morning but rather than send you all home, I'm trusting you to remain in this house for the night."

Chōchō smiled, "Of course, Mama. We're not going anywhere."

"I'm serious!" Aunt Karui warned, shaking her finger, "I'm gonna tell Minakata-san next door to keep an eye out. If he reports anything to me, your ass is grass."

We all laughed before bidding Chōchō's parents goodbye and wishing them safe travels. Once Chōchō's room door was shut and we heard the car backout and leave into the night, Chōchō turned to us.

"They said we couldn't go anywhere, but they didn't say people couldn't come to us." Chōchō grinned playfully.

I shook my head, "You're definitely gonna get in trouble."

"What? No, it's not like we're doing anything too fancy." Chōchō assured me, standing up ad going over to her phone plugged into the wall, "I'll just call up some of the guys we've been talking about and see if they're free."

All the girls stood up, the idea of boys coming to visit them late at night changing the mood a bit. While it was still somewhat fun and relaxing, there was a hint of…anticipation for something. Sumire helped me to my feet as Chōchō began making calls.

"You're not safe either, Sarada-san." Tsuru poked me in my ribs, "Call Mitsuki over, I think a formal introduction is long overdue."

Enko patted my back to show that she agreed with Tsuru's sentiments, and I didn't have to look around to know that the rest of the room also wanted to meet him.

With my hands slightly shaking, I brought my phone out from my pocket and tapped on Mitsuki's name. I choose to text him instead, not wanting to call and risk one of the girls say something embarrassing.

Hey, are you free?

Yep. Mitsuki immediately replied, Why, what's up?

I took a deep breath before sending the invitation, I'm hanging out with a bunch of friends and I wanted you to come join us.

Sure, send the address and I'll be there in an hour.

I pressed the Share My Location button in maps and Mitsuki reacted with a thumbs up. With a sigh, I shut my phone off and turned back to the rest of the girls. What the hell was I about to get myself into?