Author Note:
This is a mystery work and it isn't going to be for the faint of heart. As of right now, I am not planning anything super graphic but should that change, I will add warnings before the chapter and whatnot. This is just a super short chapter because it wouldn't get out of my head. The next chapters will be longer, don't worry.
"Am I dreaming? I met the boy of my dreams!"
Her voice was soft, sweet, and young. Full of life and hope.
"He's sooo cool, I couldn't believe that he talked to me-" The voice continued rambling on about the supposed prince charming for another ten minutes before the recording cut out with another voice. This one is much older, but just as sweet, "Sakura! Dinner is ready!" The girl from before, Sakura, cut off the recording "Talk to you later!"
"I can remember that day so clearly," whispered a woman from a couch in the barren living room. "She was so happy," Sakura's mother, Mebuki, from the recording wiped her tears with a damp washcloth. Sakura's father sat next to her with his hand rubbing comforting circles in Mebuki's back while simultaneously trying to ignore his own tears that have made themselves home in the corners of his eyes.
The living room was bare due to every living memory of the family having been covered or turned over. The youthfulness that was their daughter had been all but swept under the rug, only to be brought out and dusted off on particularly rainy days - the days that they would give anything to hear or see her smile again.
"Mrs. Haruno, we would like to take your daughter's phone into our possession in hopes of getting some answers for this tragic happening," breathed out the detective, Kakashi Hatake. His one visible eye was trained on the phone being gripped tightly in the older woman's hand. They had been listening to recording after recording when he had arrived to come get the phone. From his understanding, the phone was found far up and beneath Sakura's bed when Mebuki had finally found it in herself to clean her room. It had been a year, after all, and she was sure plenty of dust had collected - Sakura hated it being dusty, Mebuki couldn't bear the thought of letting her sweet, sweet daughter down.
"Of course, anything to get answers for our sweet girl," Mr. Haruno answered instead as Mebuki turned her head into his shoulder. Kakashi watched him wedge the phone out from his wifes fingertips and his heart clenched just the tiniest bit when she refused to give up but eventually resigned. As Mr. Haruno turned the phone over to Kakashi, Mebuki started crying again.
"I just want to hear her voice again, just one more time.." she sobbed. The phone and the weight that it held felt heavy in his hand at that moment. "Please.. Just let me hear her once more.." Mr. Haruno wrapped his arms around his devastated wife.
"We will do our best to get those answers you seek," Kakashi said instead and he avoided eye contact when Mebuki let out a heart wrenching wail. As Kakashi left with the phone placed in a bag, he couldn't help but hate his job.
As a detective, he has had his fair share of solved crimes with decent endings and bad endings, but he has also had crimes and cases that didn't get solved, at all. Sakura Haruno was almost one of them. The fifteen-year old girl was what many would describe as the personification of love, hope, and all things good. She was surrounded by friends and everyone loved her. An all A's student, student body president, and the captain of the volleyball team. She had a lot going on and a lot of things to look forward to.
But what happened to her?
No one knew. She just disappeared and it was up to Kakashi and his team to find out what happened to her. A whole year with no leads, she just vanished and left a hole in many people's hearts. Kakashi was hoping that somehow, someway, this phone would hold all the answers he needed.
And if it didn't?
God bless her family and friends.
