Chapter 13: Age 22

Rating: T for language

Sakura remembered the first time Itachi crossed her mind after having spent years apart. She wondered if she was selfish for thinking of him after receiving such depressing news. She was twenty-two years old; he was twenty-six years old.

Buzz buzz. Buzz buzz. Groaning, Sakura woke up from her nap on the couch. Buzz buzz. She mumbled aloud to no one in her tiny apartment, "Hold on" as she fumbled through her cozy blanket. Buzz buzz. Finally finding her cell phone, Sakura sighed before answering. "Hello?"

"Girl!" Ino shrieked loudly on the other side. Sakura winced and automatically pulled the phone away from her ear. "Please tell me you're at home right now."

"I am," Sakura moaned. "And I was sleeping before you rudely interrupted me."

Sakura had been working as a night shift nurse at Kirigakure Hospital for roughly a year. Immediately after graduating nursing school in Konoha, she got a job offer in the new town. Despite the grueling hours, she enjoyed her job. More so, she enjoyed deep sleep after those long shifts.

Ignoring her jab, Ino continued. "You have to get on the Konoha News website! Like ASAP."

"Ino," Sakura complained as she forced herself up on her elbows, "what's wrong?"

Ino didn't hold back with her reply, "It's Sasuke."

Chill bumps erupted on Sakura's skin. Her entire body felt clammy as her heartbeat started to increase. Unfortunately, she then understood the nature of Ino's call. It was a phone call she had been dreading for years.

"Sakura, are you there?"

She responded breathlessly, "I'm here." Swallowing hard, she closed her eyes. "Please tell me he's still alive," she whispered.

Although Sakura totally cut ties with Sasuke after their breakup, she knew he didn't change his ways. If anything, he was crawling into a deeper hole each year. She hated it. She hated knowing he continued with being a puppet in Orochimaru's involvements.

"Oh, he's very much alive," Ino reassured.

With her hands slightly shaking, Sakura placed Ino on speaker and mumbled, "Give me a minute." Despite clumsily misspelling each word, she managed to pull up the webpage on her phone's internet browser. Her eyes widened at the bold letters displaying the first news article. Quickly, she scanned over the text:

"Son of Former Konoha Hero Behind Bars – Sasuke Uchiha, aged 22, was arrested last night following an anonymous tip leading to a drug bust at the Kaki Tavern in the downtown district. Sasuke, son of deceased Konoha's policeman Fugaku Uchiha, was found in possession of cocaine and heroin with intent to sell. Sasuke was placed in the Konoha prison and released following payment for a 74,000,000 yen bond. The man faces an upcoming court date next month."

After reading the short story, Sakura focused on Sasuke's mugshot. His hair had grown slightly longer and it limply fell near the sides of his face. His mouth was stern and his eyes were a dark void. Shivers ran down Sakura's spine. Her heart hurt because all of this could have easily been avoided if he didn't let greed win.

Perhaps too quickly, she then thought of Itachi. Itachi hadn't crossed her mind in nearly two years. She could picture the shattered look on his face as he read the article. However, she didn't have the chance to dwell much on him. Ino's next sentence pulled Sakura out of her thoughts and reminded her she was on a phone call.

"Who do you think bailed him out? That's a shit ton of money."

Sakura shook her head as she replied, "Probably Orochimaru…. or one of his other henchmen."

"You really think they would spend that much on Sasuke?" Ino asked with suspicion in her voice.

Sakura bit the inside of her cheek before answering, "Well, I mean, he's been at this for what – four years now? Think of all the secrets he must know. They don't want him anywhere near the police."

There was a small pause before Ino spoke again, "You don't think Itachi bailed him out, do you?"

Sakura didn't think her blood could be colder, but at Ino's suggestion it felt like a bucket of ice dumped on her head. She hadn't heard his name said out loud in so long. Hearing his name further reminded her he was a real person who still existed, despite what she tried to convince herself. Her chest felt heavy as she considered how Itachi must have felt. Many things could be said about the brothers, but he undoubtedly loved Sasuke.

"No," Sakura firmly answered. "He would want him to serve his punishment and get off the street."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Ino agreed.

Sakura knew her thoughts should have focused more on Sasuke. After all, he was surely more than a little frightened to be booked in prison. However, all she could think about was Itachi. Sakura really wanted to be there for him. She knew Itachi's heart was breaking and he probably felt helpless throughout the whole ordeal. He had no other immediate family.

Ino sighed and tried to rekindle the conversation, "Honestly, I'll be surprised if Sasuke even goes to his court date."

Sakura clicked her tongue, "He won't. There's no way he's still in Konoha right now. He'll be on the run until they catch him again." And she believed her words to be true. Sasuke was never a fan of stepping up and confronting demons.

"That sounds like something Sasuke would do," her friend agreed.

Sakura tried her hardest to block out her next thought but she failed miserably.

"Um, Ino," she found herself saying before she realized words were coming out of her mouth. "Do you know anything about how Itachi has been?" She immediately cringed after asking the question. "Like, before all this happened. It's just, ya know, been so long since I've heard anything about him."

"Well," Ino began, "the last thing I heard was around a year ago. He's a children's therapist for one of the mental health agencies in downtown."

Sakura hummed and smiled softly, "That suits him, doesn't it?"

Unbeknownst to Sakura, Ino playfully rolled her eyes before responding, "Yeah, it does."

Once she ended her phone call with Ino, her apartment felt too quiet and dark. Sakura considered finding Itachi on social media. He wasn't ever on any platforms in the past; it was likely still the same. Although, she considered he might have some information listed on a company website.

With an audible groan, Sakura threw her phone on the other side of the sofa. She never hit the enter button after typing his name. Her heart still needed protection. She decided she was going to continue as if he were just a figment of her past. Sakura knew her soul couldn't withstand dwelling on the special memories she shared with Itachi Uchiha.