Chapter Five: Chopping Spree

The second day on the job started eerily like the first, same walk to the precinct, same kerfuffle with security at the door. Even down to the same rising excitement in her chest. It was a feeling she had tried to quell as she entered the elevator, such a thing was not to be indulged during a homicide investigation.

The origin of this feeling was simple and it had started the moment she had entered the building the day before as well. It was steeped in hope that today they would be one step closer to apprehending a suspect to this foul deed. That she, and her partner, would be working side by side to bring a killer to justice. The excitement was also born in the knowledge that today was a whole new day on the job, and like yesterday she could not predict where it would take her.

As the doors were closing she half expected to see Kakashi racing toward them again, hopeful that if he wasn't there already that he soon would be so they could get back to work. When the doors shut firmly with no nimble hand sliding in to stop them, Sakura felt a sigh escape her. It came out so suddenly that it was surprising.

What was that about... Are you that disappointed he's not here at the same time?

She shook her head, even the very notion was too humiliating to admit even if it was only to herself. Sakura had once liked to have everything the same, to know what would happen at each minute of the day, there had been comfort in knowing and planning. It was easy to fall back into that pattern because it had been the only way to get through her days for so long.

Break the cycle now, no more of that.

The habit was a hard one to sever, she had to remind herself a few times a week that there was a very good reason for it to be broken. And it needed to stay broken.

Deep breaths, let's go catch a murderer.

The bull pen was less bedlam and chaos than yesterday, Tsunade would be happy about that much at least. As Sakura spied the empty chair that belonged to Detective Hatake she guessed there would probably be another ten minutes before the Captain's wrath would be unleashed on the precinct in all its glory.

The server containing all the case information took a minute to load. The antiquated system was in desperate need of a makeover. It was just one of the things on the list for Sakura to implement during her time here. If she made sergeant within the next two years, then lieutenant after that, she might make Captain by the time she hit 40. That was just a rough plan anyway. She would also be happy to stay a detective.

Anything to finally make a difference.

The first thing she noticed waiting for her was the email from Shizune, they had expedited the sample, DNA of the vic would be available for possible matches by the end of the day. Someone had warned her that detective work was a lot of sitting around waiting for forensics and call backs. But with all the report writing and paperwork it really didn't feel much like waiting around doing nothing. Yesterday had blurred so quickly it was only the pangs of indigestion and oily after taste of Chinese food that had made it real for her later. It all felt like a fever dream, a lucid one that she was loving every minute of.

"Haruno, my office, now."

Tsunade's booming voice called from across the bull pen.

"Yes Captain."

It was a pity Hatake wasn't here yet, Sakura felt the sudden urge to gloat at her prediction being right on the money, down to the minute.

"You wanted to see me, m'lady?"

Tsunade nodded before indicating to the chair across from her desk. She seemed to be preoccupied with something on her computer screen but as soon as Sakura sat down her attention shifted.

"DNA extraction was a success on your vic I see."

"Yes, Ma'am. We've managed to discern four possible missing persons that fall within the age and sex of the skull."

"I saw the requisition report for three DNA samples from the field office. I'm not sure what's more impressive, Hatake actually putting effort into his paperwork for a change, or your ability to narrow it down together so quickly." There was a pause in which Sakura fought the urge to grin at the complement. "I just hope that work ethic isn't a temporary transfer to Hatake, I'd hoped to talk to the both of you this morning. No matter."

Tsunade sighed and Sakura couldn't help but look back over her shoulder and through the door window. The view of Kakashi's desk with no sign of the man behind it was enough to make her both frustrated and fractionally concerned. Though it was overtaken by the need to move on to the next piece of the puzzle.

"Take it you haven't seen him this morning, Ma'am."

"Not a peep, that shitty sedan is parked out front though so he can't be far away. That's not why I called you here though. You said you narrowed it down to four potentials, why only three DNA samples?"

Here we go. The questions, the doubt, he's left you defending the case alone.

With a forcible shake of her head to rid herself of the thought Sakura tried to ground herself. She wasn't going to indulge in those pessimistic thoughts right now.

"The fourth has no sample on record, but the person who reported her missing was the mother, so there's potential to request mitochondrial DNA."

"Good call, certainly helps us rule it out as a possibility if nothing else."

"I can't take credit, Ma'am. Detective Hatake was the one who noted the next of kin on the file."

"Contact the mother as soon as you can, Haruno. I want this one put to bed quickly, we're getting a lot of heat from the Commissioner, the press are having a field day that we've got a Knife man copycat and it doesn't bode well for us."

"Yes Ma'am."

"Dismissed."

As she stood to leave, Sakura was stopped from turning away by Tsunade beckoning her with a finger to move closer to the desk. She then whispered in a hushed tone.

"Does he suspect anything?"

A sly smile was mirrored between the two of them.

"Oh most definitely, but he's got no idea, I'm sure."

"Good, let's keep it that way. It'll become handy leverage over the bastard one day I'm sure."

"You always were a crafty bitch, Aunty Tsu..."

"Shhhhh, don't make me sound like an old maid! Now get the hell back to work."

Tsunade betrayed the tone of her voice with a wink, Sakura considered herself 'off the hook' for the moment anyway. Grinning to herself she made her way back to her own desk. Still no sign of Kakashi, but she didn't need him present to contact the next of kin.

Within a few minutes she had successfully brought the case up onto her screen through the precinct system. Suddenly Sakura was able to see exactly why the Captain had been praising Kakashi's paperwork this time around. Samantha Winter's case was largely not entered into the system, which meant that all the details were in the physical file.

A flash of yesterday, she could see Kakashi holding that file so clearly in her mind, he had taken it with him... wherever he was. A quick look at the mess beside his computer told her that the file wasn't there. Nothing of any substantial value was there at all, at least work wise, though there were containers and coffee cups aplenty.

That was when his phone rang the first time. She tried not to jump in surprise, but also didn't feel quite right in being the one to answer his work line, so she sat down at her own desk and tried to ignore it.

It might have been ten minutes or an hour but eventually it rang again. Sakura continued to busy herself with the necessary reporting and ignored it still. And then it rang again, and again. So much so, that it was nearing a constant sound that was drowning out her inner voice and reason.

She'd lost count of how many times the call had gone to voicemail only for the incessant asshole on the other end to call back within a minute. Slamming her hand down on Hatake's disgusting excuse for a desk she picked up the receiver and resisted the urge to scream obscenities.

"Detective Hatake's line..."

"Finally, for fucks sake Kakashi, where the hell have you been all morning? Let me guess, you got lost saving a stray kitten from being eaten by a ferocious bear and just had to find a home for the poor thing and now you're stuck with the bear..."

"Excuse me, this is Hatake's line, but the detective's not here."

What the fuck do you want... She bit her tongue to stop herself from saying it out loud.

"Oh... Apologies. Wait, is that you, Detective Haruno? It's Yamato the entomologist from yesterday."

That doesn't excuse you for swearing at me, jackass.

"Hi, you got some news about the case?"

"Well, not particularly. I've put it a transfer request for the skull to be sent from the medical examiners office to the lab. Since she's put a rush on it, it's possible I may have it by the end of the day. Whether I'll be able to get any particle evidence from it is another story..."

"So, uh, why are you calling?"

There was a huff down the end of the line that sounded like a heavy sigh, and Sakura's annoyance at the man was suddenly quelled.

"I thought the shit would be in by now, he ugh... well he left me a message late last night and it didn't make much sense. Gotta say, I'm a little worried."

"Worried?"

"Well yeah, first that he would message me at all outside of work...And second, considering what he wanted to talk about... Have you seen him at all this morning?"

Her eyes darted around the bull pen, to the elevator and the break room. There was no sight of the man and his shock of white hair.

"No, not yet, and he's got the file we need to proceed with the case." She thought a moment, a partner was meant to be trusted implicitly, and Kakashi had given her no reason not to trust him. The opposite really, he had trusted her theory even though this was her first case as detective. "Any idea where he could be?"

Yamato was unable to provide an acceptable idea of where the Detective could be. By the time she'd hung up the phone Sakura had worked out a plan, what kind of detective would she be if she couldn't find her own partner? At the risk of looking stupid in front of her colleagues, Sakura decided against asking the other detectives if they'd seen Kakashi, she didn't want to be the pestering newbie, She also didn't want to bother Tsunade, that temper of hers was at least sated for the minute, it didn't need to be stoked any further.

Tsunade had said that his shitty sedan was parked out front, so he really wouldn't be far away. Maybe she'd be able to see the file in the car. It wouldn't be so difficult to break into from the passengers side...

Your second day on the job and you're gonna break into a detective's car? Smooth.

It wasn't a brilliant plan but it was infinitely better than sitting around and doing nothing. Quickly grabbing her keys and coat, Sakura tried to think of where else Hatake could be with what little information she knew about him. He was unpredictable to say the least so there wasn't much she could rule out. He could literally be anywhere within a five block radius.

A glance at her watch revealed it had just past 10am. What the hell was he doing? He was the one who'd said they needed to move fast while the leads were still hot.

Maybe he's gone to another plant store?

No, he'd have told Yamato if that were the case. Besides, if there had been a plant seller close to the precinct he wouldn't have gone so far out of his way yesterday. Sakura's mind pieced together images of what she knew of the man in the last 24 hours, and there was one thing that jumped to mind whenever she saw him at his desk.

Food.

It wasn't the strongest of leads but it still had potential. It was morning so that meant breakfast foods... maybe she would have some luck at the closest coffee vendors. With that in mind she left the precinct while still inwardly cursing that she had to bother finding him in the first place. There was still a case that needed solving.

True to Tsunade's word the sedan was parked dubiously outside. It looked more like a criminals vehicle than an officer's, there wasn't much to be seen inside of it either.

It took 40 minutes to scope out and question the cafe's closest to the precinct. None of them were overly pleased about having to answer questions when she wasn't buying anything. By the third shop she'd figured out that it only took a flash of the badge and a smile to get what she wanted.

Unfortunately none of them had seen Kakashi that morning though they remembered him. It was hard not to recall a messy silver haired detective with a scar over his left eye. Defeated and frustrated she made her way back to the station. On the bright side she had at least got in her steps for the day, it was something that had been hard to do since she'd left medicine.

Something Yamato had said kept replaying through her thoughts no matter how hard she tried to drown it out. Worried. While she certainly didn't know either man enough to make any judgement calls about their character, Sakura still couldn't turn off the part of her brain that wanted to take care of those around her. It had served her well as a doctor and surgeon and it was indelibly etched into her whole being. So she too began to worry.

Another thing about Sakura Haruno, she didn't give up easy. She didn't want to walk back into that precinct with no idea of where her partner had been. Maybe he was the one now waiting for her at his desk. She huffed loudly as she walked.

There was no way around it, she would have to go back now, but she was not taking the long way this time. Watching her feet, Sakura decided to take a short cut through the cemetery, all the while wondering where her partner could possibly be. The only other thing she knew about the man was that his last partner had been killed in the line of duty...

If Sakura had believed in fate she'd have attributed what happened next to that. But as she had only taken this short cut out of laziness it was just dumb blind luck.

For when she looked up and toward the exit, her eyes were drawn to a familiar shock of silver hair, crouching by a gravestone.

"Found you." She whispered under her breath.

He was visiting his fallen partner. Her steps toward him were both heavy and cautious, not wanting to fracture their tenuous partnership so soon, but they needed to get moving. Kakashi had said so himself, hadn't he?

"Haruno..." He nodded as he stood but his eyes never left the grave in front of him.

"Hatake."

The greeting might have seemed cold to her yesterday, but she liked to think she knew him at least a little better for the time they had worked together. It wasn't cold per say, Kakashi was just a man of little words. It meant that when he opened his mouth to speak, what he had to say held more brevity than the usual man.

"How did you find me?"

"Followed the smell of stale Chinese food and coffee."

Kakashi huffed in amusement before his eyes quickly darted to her and then back to the grave.

"You know if you wanted to find me, there's these wonderful inventions that most self respecting detectives have, it's called a cellphone."

Oh shit. I could have just rung him from the office.

"Well..." she fought back a splutter of embarrassment. "It's not like I have your number."

"Nothing stopping you from asking Tsunade, or Genma, or reception..."

"Yeah, yeah I get the point. Tsunade is in a right mood about the press she's getting for the case. We need to be contacting the family to get DNA..."

"Sakura, don't fret. We've got time."

While he sounded calm and assured there was something about him that was amiss. Some unknown factor that hadn't been attached to him yesterday. It was as if he was suddenly looking his age. And though she didn't know him as well as the others might, Sakura decided that was cause for concern.

"Well I've had Yamato swearing at me all morning, Tsunade calling me in to her office..."

"Yamato rang, huh?"

"Yes, though not about the case, it was about your behavior..."

Kakashi's deep sigh stopped the words from passing her lips. Perhaps if she were silent he would offer her the information freely. He pulled his phone out of his pocket, Sakura watched his brows raise fractionally before he returned it to his jacket.

"So he did. Like I said Detective, no need to fret. I already contacted the missing woman's next of kin early hours of this morning."

"Wha... You did?"

"Yes, the mother lives all the way across town but she was coming into the city for an appointment. She promised to swing by the precinct before she headed back. Which reminds me, we're gonna be late, better get going."

Without so much as another word or explanation for his absence and oddness Kakashi began to stride off toward the entrance. Sakura blinked a couple times watching his quickly disappearing figure. It was only out of some unknown feeling of respect for a fallen officer that she cast her eyes quickly to the grave before she left.

She did not expect to see something so familiar.

Obito Uchiha.

Surely he couldn't be one of those Uchiha's...

"Hurry up Haruno or we'll be late!"

She heard him from the gate and annoyance took over, erasing her current thought pattern. The urge to shout and bite back at him was strong but wouldn't be entirely appropriate considering where they were. So, she instead settled for shouting with her inner voice just to get it out of her system.

We'll be late? Son of a bitch, I was on time, waiting for your sorry ass to get in…

The internal spiel continued long after she had caught up to the man and walked beside him. The only reason Sakura silenced that monologue was because of the interruption, Kakashi cleared his throat a couple times as if he were trying to force the words out. It wasn't as if she were waiting for an apology, or expecting one for that matter, but she was waiting for something. It was just a shame he fell within the category of emotionally stunted and repressed middle-aged male.

Perhaps he needs a hand.

"You alright there?"

"Mmm. I'd meant to leave a copy of the case file on your desk with a note. Must've slipped my mind. Sorry."

There you go.

It reaffirmed the theory in Sakura's mind that Kakashi really was a decent enough person deep down. It was just a matter of being patient enough to dig through the bullshit to find it.

"It's fine. Let's just get the sample as soon as we can. Shizune says the vic's DNA will be at the field office by the end of the day."

Kakashi nodded before going back to that stoic male silence, it remained that way for the entirety of the walk back to the precinct. It was the first time security hadn't blinked an eye at her entrance, so having Hatake beside her was at least good for that if nothing else. It wasn't until the elevator that she actually took a better look at the man.

He was disheveled and tired, she could tell that much from his eyes alone, but he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday which only added to the look. Yamato had been concerned and Sakura finally understood why. Though she was only a rookie detective it didn't take much sleuthing to see the truth of the matter. She'd seen the gravestone.

The year anniversary of Obito's death had just come to pass. The toll that grief had taken stood beside her now.

It was in her nature to want to help, a knee jerk reaction that caused many of those around her to suddenly become patients, even if they weren't aware of it. That being said she didn't really know the man well enough to offer a shoulder to lean on or a listening ear, psychiatry had never been her favorite subject. So all she could do was stand beside him, step off the elevator and into the noise of the precinct, and hope that he would seek solace in his own time somewhere warmer than a graveyard.

The colorful characters of the bullpen were a stark contrast to the pregnant silence they had been walking in. Before Sakura could even shed her coat, Hatake had unlocked his desk drawer, pulling out a folder and holding it out to her.

"Here."

It was Samantha Winters case file, and while Sakura only had a small frame of reference, it seemed depressingly slim for a missing persons case.

"Not much to go on." She murmured as she flicked through the pages.

"Mmm. No witnesses, no leads. Happens more often than you'd think, best case scenario it's a woman who has fled the state to get away from an abusive boyfriend or ex. But that doesn't fit the bill here."

"How so?"

"Samantha's mother is ill, cancer of some kind. Samantha would never have left her without care in the way that she did, unless it was by forces out of her control."

"I see, she was due to take the mother to the hospital for an appointment but never showed. Out of character for her?"

"According to the mother and work colleagues that were questioned at the time of her disappearance. You'll see a boyfriend listed there in the file, but he's never come in to the precinct, we've called him a few times. Guy holds down a job at a gas station near where the skull was found."

Sakura took in every word he'd said, processing what she could, using the instincts she'd awoken as a detective. It seemed like Kakashi had really done his homework on this one, just how much time had he spent combing through this measly file? Had he spent all night calling people?

"We need to talk to this boyfriend properly…" Sakura mumbled, though Kakashi was not even showing the slightest inclination of listening.

Something struck her as odd, she couldn't name or place it, but it was something. And when that familiar feeling prickled the back of her neck, Sakura Haruno wouldn't let up until the problem had been fixed. She only had a moment to ruminate before a uniformed officer appeared beside Hatake's desk, tapping on the wood.

"Detective Hatake? I have a here to see you, she's sitting in the family room."

"Thanks, Kotetsu."

"It's Izumo, Hatake, we are two completely different people..." The officer huffed as he left muttering expletives under his breath.

Sakura took a second to gather her thoughts, Kakashi moved much faster than she expected, taking the file back and stepping away without a word. Scrambling to grab her notebook and phone and then to catch up to him. Hatake had stopped at the door, casting a side glance, his face impassive.

"You've never dealt with family of the missing before right, Haruno? Feel free to leave this one to me."

He gave no pause for her to answer or to form any kind of protest at the insinuation that she couldn't handle her own job. Perhaps it was his ill-guided attempt at being nice to her after not being here this morning? That was the conclusion she was running with anyway as they stepped into the cramped family room.

The stale smell of coffee assaulted her nose first, with undertones of grease emanating from the microwave, topped off by a heady waft of perfume. Sitting on the dilapidated sofa was a small frail woman, at first glance she looked like any ordinary citizen, but Sakura had seen enough of the infirm to know the telltale signs. The dark circles under the eyes, the slight paling color of the skin, hair that was too shiny and healthy to be real.

"Mrs. Winters? I'm Detective Hatake, this is Detective Haruno."

The woman nodded with a tired smile, one that was filled with anxious wait, Sakura could see it in her eyes. There was a manic kind of hope reflected there waiting to hear of any news regarding her missing daughter. Suddenly the heavy weight of the emotional limbo became very real for Sakura as well.

"Thank you so much for coming in to meet us." Sakura interjected feeling the overwhelming need to put this poor woman at ease even if it was only with the smallest of comforts.

"Not at all, now tell me, what news do you have?"

Kakashi took a deep breath, it was as if a switch had been flipped in the man, he was no longer the borderline professional that she had been familiar with. Now he was showing her just what years of experience and mastery could bring to the job. He took the seat beside her on the sofa while Sakura pulled over a chair.

"Nothing definite yet, Mrs. Winters…"

"That...skull that was found in the lake yesterday, do you think, is it her?"

"I won't beat around the bush, it is a possibility, one that we can rule out or confirm by taking your DNA sample. Now, I know you were asked a lot of repetitive questions three weeks ago, is it alright if I ask you some of them now?" Kakashi waited for the woman's nod of approval before continuing gently. "Any information you can offer us will be fine, even the smallest detail could be helpful…"

"I'm not sure what else there is to tell, but I'll do whatever I can to help."

Kakashi retrieved a small clear bag from within the confines of his jacket.

"This is a simple DNA kit, I'm going to swab the inside of your cheeks for the cells before handing it off to our lab field office. The results can vary, sometimes it takes a few days."

Even the way he explained things had a soothing effect not just on Mrs. Winters, but on Sakura as well. She wasn't sure how he managed to make his tone both encouraging and soft all at once but it was definitely something she noted to use at a later date. The frail woman complied and it took all of about 30 seconds, Kakashi taking the extra measure to don gloves, Sakura was on the right track to being actually impressed by his work ethic for the first time since they met.

"Can you tell me about the last time you spoke with your daughter?"

"It was the afternoon of the 12th, I remember because it was the day of my second MRI and it had been rushed forward a week. Sam rang from work to say she was on her way, it must have been about 2pm, we were due at the hospital at 4pm. The hour came and went with no sign of her. Then the next, and the next. I know, I know that she would not let me down on purpose."

There was a silent pause, Kakashi nodding just a little, Sakura found a stinging in her eyes she was not expecting. That wretched empathy that had made her work as a doctor so much harder than she could bare some days. The only way to turn it off was to concentrate on the facts with constant clarity but it was exhausting to maintain for any length of time. And there were so little facts in this case to go on… So instead she focussed on Kakashi's voice, perhaps that would work in calming her feelings.

"Your daughter worked at a General Store part time as a clerk. She didn't hold any other jobs?"

"No, just the one, she had to put herself through nursing school on her own. Any money I had to spare went on my treatment. She was on break from school when she… well…"

The emotion in the air was palpable and hard to ignore.

Get it together Sakura, you've seen much worse than this.

"How long had she worked there?"

Though Kakashi was managing to forge onwards with the questions.

"Oh, I'm not sure. When my treatment started… 18 months or so I guess."

"And there was no one that she worked with, or mentioned, who might have any issues with Sam?"

"No, not especially. She'd made some good friends while she worked there. It was probably the only good thing to come from the place."

There was a distinct shift in Detective Hatake, or maybe he had been edging toward it the whole time they had been asking questions. It was an imperceptible tilt of his head, a sudden light in those tired grey eyes.

"I take it by your tone that you didn't approve of her working there."

"Not especially, but a job's a job in this day and age. It wouldn't have been so bad if she hadn't met… that boy while she was at that store. Now that was something I couldn't approve of. When they broke up the first time I was so very relieved, I wanted to believe that was the end of it, but she wanted to work things out with the boy. It was hard not to argue with her about it so we stopped talking about him altogether for a time"

"This is the boyfriend…"

"Mizuki Tsubaki." Mrs. Winters spat with disdain. "The only good part about him is his mother. She at least had the sense to ring me and help me to file a missing persons report."

Sakura couldn't remember reading that detail in the file.

"You didn't report her as missing when she failed to pick you up?"

"Not initially no, I wondered perhaps if she'd run into traffic or that rust box of a car had broken down somewhere. I thought it was odd but that she would turn up eventually."

"There's no mention of Mizuki's mother in the original report."

"She asked to be left out of it, didn't want her son to know that she was involved in any way."

That's a red flag.

"And that didn't strike you as 'odd', Mrs. Winters?"

Kakashi's tone of voice had completely shifted, he was using the woman's own words against her in a tone that was full of attitude. It was enough to make Sakura's eyes snap to the detective, and all she could do to make sure her jaw didn't drop open.

"Why should it? The woman was kind enough to take me to the police station, she just waited in the car while it took hours for my statement to be taken." Mrs. Winters sniffed loudly. "I didn't blame her for not wanting to get involved, couldn't ask her to in any case, she'd driven me all that way and back again…"

"Mrs. Winters, you realize in failing to tell us that detail originally you've delayed the investigation substantially…"

"Detective Hatake…" Sakura found her voice in her shock, trying politely at first to dissuade him from speaking any further.

"Not just that, but you only deigned to report your own daughter as missing at the behest of a third party. You didn't think to send out a search party? Call her friends to check and see if the car had broken down?"

"Kakashi…" She spoke louder this time, watching the trembling of the fragile woman increase, Sakura wanted to reach out to her and take her hand and stop the shaking.

"You didn't think it slightly suspicious that this woman rang you up out of the blue and drove you all the way to the police station? You didn't ask her why she thought it was so urgent?"

"Detective, you're out of line…"

"You didn't tell us the whole story. You didn't even think to mention these details before. We could have found your daughter by…"

"Kakashi!"

This time she stood, she shouted, unable to watch him continue any further. He had changed and morphed into this unrecognizable being of anger, blatantly yelling at a very sick woman who had lost her only daughter. Sakura had clenched and shaking fists herself, she mustered the best Tsunade death stare impression in her arsenal, she needed him to stop.

And it worked.

The scowl that had crept onto his face began to ebb away. It replaced itself with a placid expression of mild shock. His eyes softened.

She would deal with him later.

"Take that sample to the field office Detective, I'll finish up."

Detective Hatake made no noise, no notion of understanding, he just stood and left without a sound. While Sakura had half a mind to order him to apologize she just wanted him out of the room for the time being. Once he was gone she turned her attention to Mrs. Winters.

"I'm so sorry about that Ma'am, he was out of line, he's been under stress lately but that's no excuse for…"

"It's quite alright dear. It wasn't pleasant to be sure, but he is unfortunately right." She sighed deeply, wringing her withered hands together. "There's a kind of selfishness one has to adopt for survival's sake when they're as ill as I am. And it appears as if my daughter, Sam, well she was the one to suffer for it. If I'd been more of a mother to her… if I'd been interested in her life a bit more, maybe none of this would have happened."

There was another silent pause. Sakura knew all too well the kind of self absorbed tendencies of the sick. Now she was seeing the ramifications of it up close and personal. She took another moment's pause before she spoke again, allowing the woman to calm herself completely and stop trembling.

"I'll try not to keep you too long Mrs Winters, there's just one more question I have to ask, if you think you are up to answering."

Another sniff.

"Of course, fire away."

"When you spoke with your daughter on the phone the day she went missing, you said she was at work. Did she say anything else? Anything at all that was out of character, she didn't seem scared or confused…"

"She sounded… well she sounded happy, excited even. I just wish I had asked her why…"

Sakura thanked the woman profusely, going so far as to organize her transport to her appointment for her. Seeing her to the door and making sure she was out of the precinct before she turned on her partner.

Partner. He certainly hadn't included her in whatever machinations he'd had in store for that meeting. The audacity of it, the poor woman had at least taken it tolerably well, but that was beside the point. It shouldn't have happened like that in the first place, Sakura had half a mind to march straight into the Captain's office. There was a nagging voice in her mind telling her that the Kakashi she knew, albeit briefly, would not have acted so poorly without reason.

That doesn't matter though, he still left you in the dark, not to mention that poor lady…

The bottom line was that they were supposed to be partners and he had acted rashly on his own, both last night and today. And she needed to call him out on it now, nip it in the bud and show him that she meant business. This was her case too damnit.

Through the whole elevator ride back to the bullpen she rehearsed what she would say in her mind. The anger giving her a kind of clarity that made it dangerous for those on the receiving end. Aunt Tsunade had certainly taught her well. Kakashi was sitting at his desk when she arrived, moving swiftly she went straight for him, his face still emotionless. He stood when he saw her.

"Detective Haruno, I'm so…."

"Hatake, come with me. Now." She spat the last word for good measure, this wasn't a request, this was an order. One which he surprisingly complied with.

It didn't matter that she had little idea where she was leading him, any quiet place without distraction would do, and preferably sound proof. A solution presented itself, she snatched a good handful of his jacket before throwing him into the observation room. There was no one in the interrogation chamber, and no one would be able to hear them here, i t would do well.

Kakashi remained silent.

"First, did you get that sample to the lab?"

He blinked a few times as if she had seriously thrown him off guard with the question. She enjoyed that look on his face more than she probably should.

"Yes, I put fast track on it. I can show you how to do that later if you want…"

"Thanks, that would be great." Sakura registered that her voice was an octave or two higher than usual. Her irritation was rising with each second. All the rehearsed questions and accusations she'd formed in the elevator all came up at once and it became hard to tell which one screamed to be spoken first.

"Listen, Sakura, I…"

"No! No, you listen Hatake." She wasn't about to let him have the upper hand in this conversation but her usual command of words was absent. Sakura settled for the first thing to come out of her mouth. "What the actual fuck were you thinking in there?"

A pause.

"I'm sorry, I let my emotions get the better of me, I'm tired and…."

"No, not good enough Kakashi. You need to apologize to her as well. She's sick, Hatake. A sick and dying woman who has lost her only daughter, and you all but charged her of impeding an investigation. She's doing her best, better than a lot of mothers at any rate, you had no right to be so callous and cruel to her. Especially when she willingly came in and offered a sample! So I'll repeat, what the fuck Kakashi?"

"You shouldn't swear it's unbefitting a lady with pink hair…"

"Hatake so help me I will break all your bones and make it look like an accident. Stop trying to back out of this"

Another pause.

"I can't… I can't explain."

"You can't? Or you won't?" Sakura watched his eyes, they remained unwavering, looking back at her. It was as if he were waiting for something. "Are you seriously trying to pull one over on me? I need to know now so that I can seriously look into finding a new partner. 50/50 Hatake, that's what we agreed on. Just tell me what the fuck you were up to in there."

"You wouldn't understand…"

"Why don't you fucking try me, Hatake? Let me guess, it's because you don't think I'm a real detective yet, is that it? Because I've got news for you jackass, I'm here because I'm a fucking good detective, and I'm going to be the best. Wanna know why?"

Kakashi's expression shifted to one of mild annoyance which only spurred her on further.

"If I had to guess I would say it's because you're proving someone wrong, a man specifically."

"Wrong." She snarled. "I'm going to be the best detective because it's what I am best at, it's what I'm made for. To quote the sargeant I treated, my talents were wasted as a physician. I had found two serial rapists before even joining the academy, I figured it out by going through years of records in my own spare time, because I am sick and fucking tired of being powerless. I am over being left in the dark and unable to make a difference. I was told to just shut up and treat those victims, to not look into it, and if I had listened there would be more bodies. More victims." Sakura took a breath and tried to steady herself, she hadn't meant to give away so much of herself but it was too late now. "I'm going to be the best because then I can make an actual fucking difference, I know I can. And here you stand, getting in my way and keeping me in the dark. So I'll ask you one more time, what the fuck were you doing in there Kakashi?"

She could see his mind processing her words through his eyes. They were studying her closely, scanning her face, looking for something again. When he didn't say anything she continued.

"I want to see this case through to the end, but if you don't trust me, there's no point. Partners are meant to…"

"Do you trust me?" Kakashi asked abruptly, that searing gaze still fixed upon her. She found herself answering immediately, unhindered by any thought process, which was at once a surprise and concern for her.

"Yes, yes I do."

The words held such weight that they flattened the atmosphere around them even further. Sakura was unable to take her eyes from his, like they were locked in some strange battle for the upperhand, or trying to find a way to read each other's minds.

"Alright…" he spoke quietly at first. "Alright then."

"Alright what?"

The deep sigh of defeat was what broke her stare, she was met with the sight of a man who not only looked exhausted physically, but in every sense of the word. Had she not noticed this before?

"Come with me. I'll show you."

There it was again, that softness in his voice that made her feel calm. It was an odd experience considering the anger that had all but consumed her seconds ago. Sakura nodded.

Not once in their walk through the bullpen, down the elevator and out of the precinct did she think to ask where they might be going. The Sakura who had been head of surgery at Konoha General would have sobbed uncontrollably or had an instant panic attack at the very idea. But Detective Haruno, well she was going to trust her partner for the moment so she could get the answers she needed.

He led her to the shitty sedan, jumping into the driver's seat, Sakura noted here that the vehicle had been unlocked. They sat in a kind of visceral silence for the duration of the journey, though it was only a ten minute drive.

Kakashi parked on the street outside of a dilapidated apartment complex. Sakura was a little transfixed as she looked up the brick walls and windows of the building. There were all sorts of things littering the fire escape which was a hazard for the eyes as well as any emergency that might take place. She pitied anyone who had to live in such a place with such lax upkeep.

"Home sweet home…" Kakashi mumbled, Sakura was just glad she hadn't said any of her previous thoughts out loud.

He was taking her to his home? What could he possibly have to show her there? Was this all a rouse to get her alone..

No. He's your partner. He wouldn't do that, he's a professional.

But after that display with today she wasn't so sure of anything anymore. Though she did trust him, and she reminded herself that fact with every step she took up the landing, following behind Kakashi.

They stopped moving on the second floor, she was glad there wasn't much more of a climb, he fumbled with his keys for a second. The green door opened to darkness although it was only the early afternoon, Sakura squinted as she stepped into the inky blackness, it didn't deter Kakashi. There was a ruffling kind of sound and something warm brushed against her legs.

"Wouldn't have pegged you for a cat person.."

The light was switched on and she had to blink a couple times as she looked down.

"I'm most certainly not, now apologize to Pakkun for comparing him to a lower feline…"

Sakura bent at the knee with a smile, ruffling her hand through the pugs ears.

"Sorry Master Pakkun, my mistake…"

The dog made a satisfied borking sound before licking her hand fiercely. He then waddled off to a basket by the door. Sakura looked around the dimly lit apartment, it was small but probably a cheap and ideal bachelor pad. The entrance was connected to a bedroom, tidy enough, with a bathroom connected that she could see. On the other side of the foyer was a kitchen, where Kakashi's form was disappearing into. She followed slowly taking in the sparse surroundings.

The kitchen had a table and chairs in it, Kakashi switching on the lights as he went, she had to wonder why it was so dark in here to begin with. She followed him across the tiles and to another door, he stepped inside, beckoning her into the darkness.

Sakura could never have expected what she would see when he turned on that light. She had anticipated that it was something of importance, but there had been no inclination before now that it was a matter of madness.

The lights were dim at first, but as they heated and grew brighter so too did her full view of the situation. For in this room was one measly couch, a loaded coffee table, a television. But it was the walls, the walls that were screaming to her that Kakashi had slipped far off the deep end.

Every surface was covered, plastered, the windows as well. All of it with pictures, hand written notes, newspaper clippings, printed articles and maps. She stepped closer toward it as though it may explode in her face, her mouth agape.

One picture held her attention, because she saw a familiar face staring back at her, it was from a newspaper headline.

KONOHA DETECTIVE MURDERED BY SERIAL KILLER

The sprightly smile of a uniformed officer by the name of Obito Uchiha.

Sakura was looking at the unsolved murder of Obito Uchiha sprawled across the walls and windows of his former partner's apartment.

The shock and realization hit her all at once, but there was no time to dwell, she felt Kakashi's tall shadow stand beside her. Reaching out he unpinned a scrap of paper from the wall of chaos, his hand almost shaking as he held it out to her.

"This, this is why I can't… I can't let it go."

It was a lot to take in at once, but as she took the paper from him she had that prickling feeling at the back of her neck.

To anyone else this was garbage, it was a receipt for iced tea and potato chips, it was meaningless. But there was a name printed there, and it was all too familiar. Sakura's eyes darted up to Kakashi.

"Samantha Winters…"

He nodded in reply.

To anyone else it was junk, but to Detective Kakashi Hatake, it was a lead.