An early update for you because I have the day off.

Chapter 26

Know the score

day one

Aoi Hara had gotten through his workday just like any other. He had been quite busy overseeing the expansion of a new housing district.

The elders had seen enough war to know that there would be an inevitable baby boom in the coming years and had hired Aoi, among many others, to plan for the expansion of the population.

Aoi had not concerned himself with the whereabouts of Sachi that morning. His darling daughter was a good girl and despite his dislike for her boyfriend, he was confident that nothing untoward would happen. The boy did not seem dishonorable and he trusted his daughter to know what she did and didn't want.

It was only after he entered his home, put away his shoes and lunch bag that he noticed sniffling sounds coming from within the kitchen.

His wife sat at the table with what appeared to be half a box of used tissues piling up at the table.

"Noriko? Dear, what's wrong?" He strode over to her and rubbed small circles on her back with his large hand, awaiting an answer.

Apparently, even the thought of what was wrong caused Noriko's sobs to double in intensity.

"Hara-san."

Aoi looked over to realize another person sat at his table next to Norkio.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Youko Aburame, Shino's mother. I'm afraid I have bad news. Sachi-chan has been kidnapped."

The force of a hurricane couldn't have beat the breath from his lungs faster than that statement.

Sachi? His Sachi? His daughter, his baby girl?

"Is she okay?" he asked breathlessly. Panic and worry began to creep into his voice. "Is she hurt? What happened? Did they contact us yet? What do they want? Money? Has the village sent anyone to find her?"

"Hara-san, please," Youko said with almost infuriating patience. "My husband and son have assembled a team and they are already out looking for her. There is no one more capable for this mission."

"Why would anyone take Sachi?"

"I can't say for certain."

"But you have some idea, don't you?" he pleaded.

"What happened?" Everyone looked to the entrance of the kitchen to see Kaito, standing with wide eyes as he held his school bag over one shoulder. Aoi took a deep breath and motioned his son forward.

"Kaito, take your mother up to bed, please. She needs some rest. I'll tell you everything when I'm done talking with Aburame-san." He waved his hand towards Youko.

"Did something happen?" Kaito asked, putting his bag down on the table.

Aoi nodded gravely. "I'll come get you. For now," he helped Noriko out of her chair and watched as his son escorted his distraught mother upstairs.

"Hara-san," Youko said delicately. He looked back to her with a shuddering breath and a pain in his chest. "You will want to sit down for this."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Yuki drummed her fingernails impatiently on the register's counter. Only a few minutes ago she had been positively buzzing with excitement. She had been the one to sell Shino the book he was to be reading to Sachi on their date last night. She swore herself to secrecy, afraid she would ruin the surprise. She had been overcome with giggles and squeals all night, looking forward to the details she would extract from Sachi when they worked today.

But now as she stared at the clock it continued to tick second after second, minute after minute, indicating Sachi was late.

And Sachi was never late. She was always painfully on time whereas, Yuki was more likely to burst through the doors in a whirlwind, seconds before her shift after having gotten distracted by some cute animal on her way.

Yuki could only imagine Sachi's last night with Shino had something to do with her being late.

She imagined them laid out on a blanket. Covered with nothing but a sheet in the privacy of a secret flower infused meadow.

"Sachi-chan," Shino would purr in his husky voice, "you are my life." No doubt they would be tangled close together covered in sweat from activities that had nothing to do with the book they intended to read.

"Shino-kun!" Sachi would blush and clutch her cheeks to hide it and cool her rapidly heating face. Her shining silvery eyes would flutter flirtatiously. Shino would run her hands through her hair and pull her closer.

"Your eyes are like earthbound clouds," he would whisper in her ear.

Sachi would hide her face and close her eyes. "You're making me blush!" she would protest without conviction.

He would pull her face up to meet his and look deep into her silver eyes.

"Let me taste my name on your lips, Sachi-chan."

Sachi would gasp and whisper, ever so softly, "Shino-kun."

"Yuki-chan?"

She snapped out of her perverse imagination and felt her face turn red when she was met with the sight of her boss.

"Uh, yes, boss?"

"Have you heard from Sachi-chan today? It's not like her to be late."

"I don't know why she isn't here. Noriko-san came in looking for her earlier." The older man scratched through his thinning hair and cast his eyes around the shelves.

"Well," he sighed tiredly, "we'll make it without her today."

Yuki nodded. The bookshelves were fairly well stocked. Being shorthanded for one day wouldn't hurt business. "I'm going to see what's wrong when I get off work."

True to her word, Yuki was knocking on the door of the Hara household several hours later in the late afternoon. She bounced on her toes impatiently waiting for someone, hopefully, Sachi, to open the door. Rather than the only female redhead of the household, she was greeted with the man of the house.

Her jaw snapped shut and her smile disappeared when she saw the man so bedraggled.

His eyes seemed blank and gaunt. His usually tanned skin seemed suddenly paler and the thinning hair atop his head appeared disheveled by too many times he ran his hands through it.

Aoi should have expected to see Yuki. His daughter's best friend would no doubt be worried about her unexplained absence.

"Aoi-san?" she finally managed to say. "Is something wrong? Is- Is something wrong with Sachi-chan?"

Aoi heaved a great sigh and stood aside. "You should come in Yuki-chan." He waved her inside.

The scene she entered upon was considerably more distressing. Kaito barely noticed her presence, only staring blankly at the floor after a cursory glance at her entrance.

Yuki gasped at seeing Noriko more unkempt than she had ever been before. Her usually carefully maintained clothes looked as if she had been wearing the same pair of pajamas all day and her hair was spilling down her back in nothing that resembled it's usual coiffed up-do.

Yuki stole to her side, seeking to comfort the woman she had always seen as a second mother.

"What happened?" she asked, pulling Noriko into a comforting hug.

Aoi sat and sighed heavily once again, something she could tell was becoming a predictable pattern before he answered questions about his daughter.

"Yuki-chan," he began in a tired voice, he cleared his throat, "Sachi has been kidnapped."

Yuki is fun to write and she gives me the opportunity to give you that scene. It was fun and I felt I couldn't keep it out of the story. I hope you enjoyed it and got a few laughs out of it.