On the brink of a new discovery, she woke to find herself trapped in the deepest, darkest pits of hell.

Persephone's reincarnate, cop Sakura; Hades, Lord of the Underworld Sasuke AU. (If turned into a fic, will contain 🔞 content!)

I actually have 4 parts already written and will share them all here before I decide if I'm going to make it into a full fic or not.

Part 1/4!

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The young woman's work uniform was slightly tattered and torn in various spots, while a thin layer of sweat seemed to make home and be a permanent (and sticky) fixture on her skin. But she ignored all of that as she proudly pushed the man through the double-wide doors of the precinct… held open by her partner of just two short years. "Thanks," she said when he took the perpetrator from her and he simply nodded before walking off, with him in tow. She walked up to the front desk then and gave the woman behind it a soft smile in greeting.

The lady squealed excitedly before putting her pen down to address the pinkette a little more formally. "Wow! Such a nice job taking down the perp today, Haruno. Well done."

Sakura beamed at the secretary, with a slight blush to her cheeks as her partner continued to shove the twenty-three-year-old male down the hall and towards the holding cells to their left. "It wasn't all me you know, Tenten."

"Of course," the woman chuckled while leaning forward. "I did hear that you chased him down… for a full mile though after he refused to stop his car and crashed it into a damn gas station! You are so brave!" Her tone was slightly wispy and dreamy as she propped her head up onto her palms with a slightly dazed look overtaking her features. Sakura shook her head and rolled her eyes before smiling.

"I'm just glad I didn't have to use deadly force this time…," the pinkette conceited on a soft sigh as she placed a hand on her hip. The sharp yips of a dog behind her caused her to turn, coming face to face with their top K-9 team… Kiba Inuzuka and his dog, Akamaru. Sakura gave them a wave as they approached and then came to a stop beside her.

"Yeah… and because of you, Akamaru and I didn't get any action today." Sakura smiled and bent down to pet the dog who gave her a sloppy kiss on the cheek in return.

"I'm sorry boys, but maybe next time," she laughed as she slowly stood and Kiba gave her a defeated look, which she promptly ignored when she noticed the dark-haired coming back down the long hall towards them with his hands in his pockets and a cigarette between his front teeth. 'He never was one to follow the rules, was he. Always the rebel', she thought as she shook her head at the Nara's blatant act of resistance against their supervisors' wishes for the police precinct to remain a "non-smoking" zone.

"If there will be a next time," Shikamaru stated as he came back to their side, a look of discontent on his face. "I don't think I can handle another call like that anytime soon." Did he really have a right to think that way? 'He wasn't the one chasing down the bad guy… I was,' Sakura thought as she crossed her arms over her chest. She was about to speak on the matter when a sharp feminine voice interrupted her.

"Good," their director hollered from down the hall and they all turned and bowed respectively as she entered, placing her hands on her hips as she eyed them closely. "Because I have something a little more, well… grim in nature that I'd like you two to cover. Kiba… drug bust in progress on 31st street. Go now," she commanded and he gave a short nod before pulling Akamaru along behind him, out through the double doors. She then addressed Sakura and Shikamaru. "Come with me. This isn't a discussion I would like to have here."

They gave each other a look, before trudging along behind their superior. 'What could this be about…,' she thought as she entered the woman's dark…but highly spacious office; followed by Nara who promptly proceeded to shut the door behind them before they both took a seat in the two chairs opposite the large and imposing wooden desk that was in the middle of the room, seeming to take up what appeared to be at least two-thirds of the room's entire interior space.

Neither bothered looking at their surroundings and focused on Tsunade when she took her rightful place in the swivel chair behind the desk to address them; her hands steepled in front of her while her elbows rested on the surface and her chin sat on top of her hands. She gazed at them with a stern expression before speaking. "What we discuss here today cannotleave this room unless you two are alone in one of your homes or something. Understand?"

"Understood, Tsunade-sama," they spoke in unison while bowing their heads (just once) respectfully. Sakura felt her pulse quicken as the older woman's brown, honey-colored eyes landed on her momentarily, a harsh look she couldn't decipher flashing across them before she reached into her desk drawer to pull out a Manila folder. She placed it on top of her desk and left her right hand over it before letting out a deep sigh.

"I'm assuming that you two have heard about the sudden disappearances?" Both nodded. "Do you find any type of similarities in them all?"

"They seem random…," Shikamaru said, while rubbing his chin with two fingers as he relaxed against the back of his seat; his cigarette hanging precariously in his right hand as he stared at Tsunade with narrowed eyes, deep in thought. Sakura nodded her head in agreement… while she leaned forward when her spine stiffened with unexpected tension.

"A woman at the supermarket, a gas attendant, a principal from an elementary school, a high schooler, a doctor and a child from the ballpark…and that's just a few." The pinkette felt physically ill at the thought of those poor boy's parents, who had come to the station frantically just weeks ago in a desperate attempt to find their precious boy. She had gone home that night and cried for hours in her shower… feeling helpless in that moment and unsure what she would have done if she had been in their shoes. Probably posting fliers on every corner and going out searching, leaving no stone unturned, just as they had been doing… since the moment they realized he was gone.

She shook her head to clear it and addressed her boss. "I am assuming we are being assigned to this case, ma'am?"

Tsunade nodded in confirmation to Sakura's question and the pinkette and her partner shared a glance before he sat up straighter… taking a small puff from his cigarette before speaking. "What are we supposed to do? There isn't much information to go on and none of the disappearances have been filmed or had any witnesses… just family and friends notifying us that they are gone. We have nothing to go on apart from that. I mean, it's almost unnatural how it's gone undetected. It is always something though right… a broken camera in the area or no camera at all and in the middle of nowhere. It's—"

"Look, Nara," their superior interrupted his rant with a lifted hand and it silenced him…as he waited for her to continue. He didn't have to wait long after she let out a despondent sigh. "I get that this is an almost impossible case to solve, but I have faith because you and Haruno are my smartest and most top tier officers. I have zero doubts that you can solve this case, given the opportunity to look further into it of course. I even have your first lead, though it's not much to go on but hey, at least it's a start right."

"What is it? The lead I mean…," Sakura asked cautiously while Shikamaru sighed and closed his eyes in frustration. Tsunade slid the Manila folder towards them and twisted it around before opening the cover of it. A sweet looking and very smiley teen stared back at them; her hair in tiny plaits down her back, while she wore what appeared to be a frilly looking, lilac-colored dress.

"The girl's given name is Akari Takahashi…she is fourteen years old. Has blonde hair and blue eyes. Is five foot three inches in height and one-hundred seven pounds in weight. She goes by Kari or Kar for short. She was last seen by a random pedestrian on her way home from school, walking down fifth avenue near the abandoned warehouse in town by the railroad tracks." The pinkette shivered, and her skin crawled as the image of a dilapidated, old building formed in the back of her mind. Sakura knew exactly which place Tsunade had mentioned, because every time she passed it, she always got a bad feeling from it and tried to avoid it at all cost. "That building…," the blonde-haired continued as she leaned forward in her seat to speak more softly… as if she was afraid, she would be overheard if she spoke above even two octaves. "Is where you two will look for your first clue."

'Great. Just fucking great…,' her inner self whined as she squirmed slightly in her seat, as unease gripped her heart like a vice.

"When do we start," Shikamaru asked while taking another drag from his cigarette. The dark-haired seemed relatively unfazed by the news considering and it bothered Sakura a little that he could remotely feel any of her anxiety, but she swallowed down the ill feeling regardless and continued on as she would with any other case; after all this was her job and she knew that she would do absolutely everything she could in order to keep it and to save all of these poor and innocent people who had disappeared from any further harm.

"When? Well, now… preferably. How early can you two be ready to head out?" Tsunade closed the file and handed it to the pinkette as they all stood in a triangular formation… staring expectantly at one another.

"Fifteen minutes," Sakura suggested and after receiving a confirming nod from Nara… Tsunade nodded her head as well in response.

"Very well, but call me as soon as you find anything. Is that understood?"

"Understood, Tsunade-sama…," they said in unison again before bowing respectfully and exiting the doors to prepare for their newest case.

Fifteen minutes later, on the dot, found them in their police car… traveling down the road with Sakura driving. Her grip was firm on the wheel and she let out a slow, shaky breath as she turned down their radio to address her partner; who sat beside her with the folder opened up in his lap while he read its contents carefully. "Did you find anything else that could help us with the case," she questioned as she briefly turned to gaze at him before returning her gaze to the road again. He shook his head in the negative as he turned one of the multitudes of paperwork over in his hand, reading the back before letting out a sigh of resignation.

"Nothing much. She was a straight A student, was a loner, and studied music in her free time. She also ran track for a little bit until she broke her ankle and had to quit following several extensive surgeries to fix it. She never walked right again and has a permanent limp in her left leg because of it."

Sakura shrugged before carefully switching lanes. "Maybe someone took advantage of that weakness and found her to be easy prey?" Shikamaru seemed to consider this for a moment before conceding to the possibility… for he hadn't really thought of it that way until she suggested it.

"That could be the case… but I'm not sure. I guess we will see if we find anything at the warehouse and then go from there." Sakura nodded and found her grip tightening once more as anxiety suddenly struck her, making her stomach feel unusually queasy. Her partner noticed this (of course) and shut the folder before turning to look at her cautiously. "Are you okay, love?"

"I'm fine," she said, though her tone was clipped and she knew that he sensed her unease. "I just always got a bad feeling about this place, that's all. But this is for a case, so I'll get over my feelings before we get there. Don't worry!" Shikamaru left it alone after that and the remainder of the ten-minute drive was relatively silent.

She shut her door carefully, as if she was somehow afraid to disturbed the imposing silence around them, and waited anxiously for Shika to reach her side before they continued slowly up the broken path, and rotting wooden steps to the ancient and crumbling building. "Remember…," he said as he moved ahead of her slightly, his gun drawn up between both hands and dangling on his right side; she mirrored his actions with her own weapon (except on the opposite side of her body) and swallowed slowly as they stood in front of the busted down front doors briefly frozen in place. "If you see anything let me know and if we split up yell if you need me. I'll be by your side in a heartbeat, love. Okay."

"Okay."

"Ready?"

'Am I?'

Sakura supposed she was as ready as she would ever be when she thought about it… and indicated this by nodding once. Shika only paused for a second more before slipping into the building carefully… avoiding broken floorboards as he began to explore the place with a careful, critical eye. A few minutes seemed to pass by, but in reality, it was only a few seconds before she followed his lead; trespassing into the unknown in search of answers to lead them in finding the missing teen and possibly more of the poor lost souls.

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Broken furniture, busted bottles, and strewn papers littered the entire floor in all of the rooms, as well as other random assortments of miscellaneous objects that had been either subsequently discarded, for unknown and various reasons or possibly even just displaced somehow, at some point in time, over the years from both its functioning state and its abandoned one.

"Shika, I'm going this way."

"Okay, meet me back at the front entrance in fifteen or so minutes, love. If you need me, remember… don't hesitate to holler."

"Roger that. I'll see you soon." After a brief nod, they went their separate ways with her moving slowly up the partially demolished staircase, while her partner continued to move down the hallway.

Minute chunks of debris crunched noisily underfoot as she tentatively took each step, her heart pounding loudly even in her own eardrums while she avoided any huge holes in them to continue her way up to search the second floor for any clues. She didn't have to wait long.

After deeming the majority of the rooms as 'uninhabitable', and thus had (or more than likely) been abandoned a long time ago… Sakura was just about to head back to the front when a scent so powerful, and sensory-overloading, struck her. It nearly took her breath away, crippling her briefly and causing her to bring a hand up to shield her nostrils. "What the fuck is that," she thought aloud as she cautiously made her way down the hall to the last room on her right.

She was wary of course to enter, but being a cop, she had come across this distinct scent before; knew what it meant and with little reluctance… conceited that it was just part of the job and she simply had to investigate; even though she was fearful of what she would find. Sakura used the heel of her shoe to push open the door and cautiously stepped inside.

At first she saw nothing and after a swift glance around the room, she shrugged it off as being (more than likely) some sort of animal that had crawled into a hole and died. But as she turned around on her heels to leave, she was shocked to find a half-decaying corpse, lying prone on the left-hand side of the doorway. It was so startling that she took a step back, miscalculated her footing and felt the rotten, broken floorboards crack beneath her weight.

The pinkette let out a startled scream of surprise when just seconds later, they gave way, causing her to drop her gun right before plummeting downward and through the gaping hole. Luckily, she had enough time to grasp onto a broken, "pried-up" piece of flooring that was just a few inches away from it, but as she held on for dear life she wondered, 'how long can this piece hold out before I fall to my death.'

As she struggled to hoist herself up, the room suddenly felt colder, an icy chill running down her spine while her breath came out in short, hot puffs of air. Sakura paused briefly in her struggle to listen when fear momentarily crippled her a second time… her body rigid while she waited anxiously to see what would happen next.

She felt a light, gentle brush along her calf and then heard a slow, distorted breath next to her right ear, but when she quickly turned her head, there was nothing there; although somehow the shadows in the corner of the room somehow seemed much less open, "inviting" than she had previously thought and for a brief moment, it felt as if something there was watching her. But that was an absurd notion… right?

She felt the breath again, though this time on her left, and was just about to turn her head when she heard it. A deep, low timber that sent her blood running cold in her veins. It was a familiar word, one she had heard so many times on so many different occasions, but this time somehow made her feel physically ill.

It was a name.

Her name.

A name that was spoken so elusively, and by an unknown man.

"Sakura."

She finally felt the oppressive feeling lift enough for her to open her mouth; take a deep breath. She began to scream as loudly as she possibly could…for she was unsure of her partner's current whereabouts and wanted (no, needed) to be heard because she was terrified. "SHIKA! HELP ME!" It only took the male a few seconds to respond…and much to her relief… he sounded closer than she could have ever hoped he would be. Shika sounded just a few rooms away beneath her current position and swiftly approaching.

"Sakura," she could hear him down below and the hurried footsteps, before he called to her again. "SAKURA! HOW DID YOU—"

"Never mind that now," she hissed as she twisted her head down to look at his stunned expression. "Just…just get me down from here, now." A pause. "Please…," she reiterated when he didn't move right away. "I-I don't know how much longer I can hold on, Shika." That seemed to do the trick of startling him back into reality and he shook his head once, then swiftly moved beneath her with his arms outstretched.

"Listen, I'm gonna need you to let go and drop down, love. I'll be here to catch you."

"Are you fucking crazy, Shika," she cried hysterically while her palms began to sweat at the 'nerve-wrecking' idea. "I'll break my fucking neck." Sakura was no superheroor stunt man so how could he possibly expect for her to pull this off without injuring herself in some way shape or form? There was just no way in hell she wouldn't, she concluded but he seemed to think otherwise and jerked on his appendages exasperatedly at her in expectation of her to comply with his request. When she flat out refused and shook her head he sighed.

"No you won't, I'll catch you. I promise, love…," he insisted as he shifted his position beneath her slightly to the right… his arms stretched wide open and ready for her immediate descent. If she chose to trust him to catch her that is.

"Why can't you just… come up here and pull me back up?"

"The staircase… something happened to it. Just trust me. I won't let anything bad happen to you, Sak." She knew how much those words rang true, but it was still a completely terrifying notion for her to just simply… let go and see what happens.

Until she heard it again. That same deep, masculine voice that called out to her; whispering her name next to her left ear. "Sakura."

Without a second thought thereafter, she used her hand to snatch her gun…before allowing herself to fall; plummeting into the awaiting arms of her partner. Shika grunted slightly as he wrapped the strong limbs securely around her frame and held her close to his chest, until the woman was finally comfortable and settled enough to place her feet back on semi-solid ground. Sakura held onto his biceps, squeezing them as tightly as she could while catching her breath. Her gun was rattling in her hand against him as she turned her gaze up to meet his.

"You okay, love?"

The concern she saw in his eyes helped to settle her and she let out a shaky breath before finally standing upright. "I suppose, but Shikamaru," she paused to lick her lips and closed her eyes tightly. "I… I saw something up there right before I fell through the floor. It was something… bad."

His face grew grim and he was on alert in seconds. "What; what did you see, love?" The tone between them changed significantly…and Sakura felt as if the air around them had grown completely still; becoming cold yet again just as she opened her eyes. They grew in diameter when the sight of the dead and decomposing body came back to her, vividly displayed in her consciousness. It was as if she had taken a photograph or something of it and then uploaded it there; taking permanent residence inside her brain.

Sakura could see it as if she was still standing in front of it; the peeling, rotten skin… the sunken cheekbones, partially exposing some of the bones; the missing digits on his right hand; all of it. The woman shuddered in utter revulsion and began to visibly shake. "I saw… a body. A dead body."

His jaw tightened and he stepped into her (as if somehow that would shield her) and she instinctively went to his side and leaned into him, burying her face in his chest while his right arm wrapped securely around her body. He pulled his walkie-talkie from his waistband and lifted it up to his lips, before pushing a button on the left-hand side.

"It's me…," he hissed into the line. Not even waiting for a response he added, "Get me Tsunade."

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"I want my men on every corner, making sure nobody gets in or out of here while we investigate the crime scene; got it," Tsunade commanded sternly as she made her way up the front stoop towards her awaiting officers…one of which sat huddled in a corner of the main room…with a steaming mug of coffee in hand while the other stood protectively by her side. The scent of death hit her almost instantly… and she had to suppress the revulsion turning her stomach as she made her way over to the pair.

"Tsunade-sama," Shikamaru acknowledged her while the pinkette gave her a weak smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. The shivering had ceased, but the turmoil at finding the body certainly hadn't. Tsunade understood, for Sakura was such a pure person; body, mind, and soul. She would have loved nothing more than to wrap the girl in a carefully constructed bubble, but of course that wasn't a feasible or practical option. No, Tsunade knew that she would have to learn (eventually) how cruel the real world truly could be.

"Fill me in now," she said instead to distract herself, while police officers moved around the room, taking photos and collecting evidence for later use. "What did you find and what exactly happened here, Shikamaru?"

The cigarette between his teeth wobbled before he pulled it out with his right hand, his left resting in his pocket while his eyes narrowed. "Sakura found a decomposing body on the upper floor. She fell through it, after stepping on some of the broken pieces, and after I caught her, we called you. That's about it."

Tsunade scowled before looking at the pinkette who had been silent up till now. "You alright, Haruno?"

"Y-yeah," her voice was squeaky and high pitched, so she cleared it before responding again. "I think so anyway. I'm sure I'll be fine once I've gotten over the shock of it all."

"Can you describe it to me at all, Sakura…," she tried to be as gentle as possible. "If it's not too much trouble because I need to know the age; the person's gender; etcetera. You know the drill by now, I'm sure."

It took her a beat, but she finally relented and nodded. "My guess is that he may have been around forty or maybe fifty years of age, male, and looked to be wearing a pair of blue jean pants with a brownish dress shirt when he passed." It was another minute, before she added onto her statement, "I saw no clearly visible contusions on the body, that could have been the cause of death but the decomposition of the body indicates that it could have been several months ago when he passed or was killed with the bones exposed and deep tissues shriveled up and pulling away from them."

Plus, the smell…," Shikamaru added and Sakura shook her head while her nose twisted in disgust. "It's rancid and vial even from here."

"There's that too."

"Well, it seems there isn't much you guys can do now until the coroner examines the body… so I think you should just go home and rest. I'll get back with you soon and give you a few more of the files on the disappearances. Until then," she said while turning her gaze onto Sakura, giving the girl a severe look, "…rest. That's an order."

"Y-y-yes, ma'am."

"Nara, take her home now and go get some rest yourself."

"Yes, ma'am."

She then turned to address the remaining officers as they continued to move around her. "Away with the rest of you for a while. Let me think for a moment."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama!"

The blonde twisted around to watch closely while her two most prized subordinates walked out, her hands clenched firmly at her sides… while her teeth clamped tightly closed. She waited until they were gone and she was the only one remaining in the abandoned building before turning to face the interior once more. Her honey gaze was narrowed as it searched, intent on finding her target.

Tsunade swallowed the bile rising steadily in her throat as she hissed through her teeth at him, "Where are you, you bastard?" But to her utter dismay, all remained silent.

He was already gone.

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"Are you sure you'll be fine on your own, love," Shikamaru asked her with concern as he pulled up and parked in her driveway behind her own car. She felt her pulse quicken at the prospect, but tampered down the feeling quickly before giving him a forced smile. I mean, who would she be if she allowed something like this (in her line of profession) to be affecting her so easily. It's not as if she was nine years old again… she's twenty-two! It wasn't like the spirit of the guy was going to come back and haunt her or something, she tried to reason with herself as she placed her right hand on the door handle.

"I think I'll be fine now… but thank you. The initial shock is finally gone. I just feel sad that we couldn't help the man in time."

"I'm sure that he's in a much better place, love. So at least there's that to consider."

"You're right. Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow then?" He nodded and Sakura thanked him again for the ride, before exiting his truck. Shikamaru waited until she had unlocked her front door, and entered her home, before he finally left and Sakura sagged against the door after shutting it with a loud sigh. She closed her eyes but briefly before rising and walked to her hallway closet to place her purse, coat, and shoes inside it.

Deciding that she needed a shower, to wash the grim from today's events off of her skin… the pinkette walked up the tiny flight of stairs to her second floor, before turning to the right towards her bedroom and attached bath. She quickly shed her clothing along the way, dropping them where she was and deciding to pick them up and put them in the dirty clothes hamper later, before she grabbed a towel from her top dresser drawer, shutting the bathroom door behind her.

Turning on the water to allow it time to warm… she twisted the knob on the radio sitting on one section of the counter and soon, a soft melody began to blare, while she jumped in the shower after using the bathroom.

Halfway through rinsing her hair, she began to sing along.

"I've been sleeping with the devil, arms around him tight.

Breathing my hot breath, upon his chest the whole long night. Get up in the morning, God knows I have tried. I've been sleeping with the devil by my side…"

Water cascaded down her spine as she tilted her head to the spray, her hands running continuously through soapy pink locks as she tried to dislodge the suds from them. It took several minutes before she finally felt clean and after standing under the warmth for a few extra minutes… she decided that it was time to get out and fix supper. She was starving.

After drying off, Sakura slipped into a pair of panties and a loose-fitting t-shirt before scooping up her dirty clothes and the towel and dumping them into her dirty clothes hamper sitting behind her bedroom door. Her phone began to ring as she made her way to the kitchen and she swiped the answer button before putting it on speaker. As she began to gather a pan and spatula, she said, "Hey, Temari! How are you?"

"It's about damn time you answered your fucking phone!"

"I'm sorry," she chuckled as she reached into the fridge to grab some chicken and a few other ingredients. Using her cutting board, she began to chop up a few of the veggies, to cook them alongside the chicken. "I was in the shower and my phone wasn't with me."

"I'm just glad that you're okay!" A short pause then, "Shika told me about what happened to you two today. H-how are you feeling?" Sakura paused with her chopping… bringing her bottom lip between her teeth…while she contemplated how to explain it. When the pause became too much, her friend Temari decided to continue. "I'm a therapist, Sakura, so if you need to talk to someone I'm here. As a friend and as your personal, professional mental advisor. I only have your best interest at heart, you know."

This made Sakura laugh good-naturedly, and resumed her cooking; placing the olive oil in the skillet to heat it up while chopping up her chicken. "It was horrible, I can't describe it really… other than describing it as gruesome. But I'm okay now, really. It was just a shock at the time to come face to face with something like that. Never have I seen anything like it since joining the force."

"Of course, I mean who would have thought! But that poor girl… I hope she's found soon. I saw her story on the news this morning, her brother has been worried sick. Their Dad and Mom have been gone for years and she lives with him now apparently. Oh… did you know that they are originally from Sunagakure! I've never met him before…or seen her even…but they do look familiar. Like maybe I saw them in passing while visiting my own brothers or something."

"It's a small world isn't it."

"Truly is."

They talked for a while still about 'non-work' related things, while Sakura began to cook her food. When she was done with it, she dumped it onto a plate, and grabbed a fork and knife from the drawer. Next up, she poured herself a glass of cold water and then picked up her phone to turn it off of the speaker. She placed it against her right ear and spoke. "I'm glad we had the chance to chat, Temari! You've made me feel loads better."

"Of course, Sakura. Anytime. And let me know if you need anything, I'll be more than happy to help."

"Thank you, I truly appreciate that! Well, I guess I'll get off of here now because I can hear my dinner calling me," she chuckled before saying her goodbye and then hung up her phone. She brought her steaming plate of food to the living room and sat it on her coffee table before turning on the tv. Sakura had taken all of three bites and was silently flipping through the channels when she saw it…a startled gasp left her lips as she stared blankly up at the screen.

A reporter stood in front of the all too familiar, dilapidated warehouse while police caution tape was strung across its lawn like a fence; warding off any who dared to approach it too closely. As her eyes scanned Sakura recognized a few of the men and women from her precinct… as well as the district's top coroner, Sasori. Then, she was captivated by the words, held hostage as she listened to them intensely.

"… and that's when their desperate search for Miss Akari Takahashi led them to this very building. Officer Nara was the first one to enter, saying that he had no idea what they would discover, on this fateful morning. It was around 11 in the morning when officer Haruno found herself face to face with what appears to be a disfigured corpse. No word yet on how the officer is holding up, but sources say that she was being escorted off of the premises by her colleague, officer Nara. Mrs. Senju has stated no further comments on the matter, but we are expecting a news conference very soon. This is Kaede Sato, with KG NEWS, back to you."

Sakura quickly switched channels soon after that, unable to stomach anything else that night, and focused instead on finding a comedy romance to get her mind off of things in order to have any hopes of finishing her meal. She was relieved to find several playing and randomly selected one before settling into her couch to finish it.

That night however…after a day like the one she'd had— she was plagued by unimaginable nightmares, the likes of which far exceeded even the real and true horrors that she had seen earlier today.