Three weeks later, Sakura helped Missouri Moses to her feet, the wraith decapitated on the floor behind her.
Missouri was dazed, bleeding from the back of her head where the wraith had started feeding. She swayed on her feet, so Sakura helped her sit down once the fallen chair was retrieved.
"What happened," the older woman said, seemingly to herself.
Sakura wrapped Missouri's head after checking the wound, and then started working on the dead body. She had disposed of many a creature in her travels.
Her sensei had taught her that this world did not respond well to finding random dead bodies. In her own world disposing of a body or not depended on the advantage of leaving it. Most times leaving a dead foe was not an issue.
She supposed in hindsight that doing so left much of the DNA Kabuto needed to raise the undead army.
Here in this world, the manner of disposal also mattered. Some creatures could still reanimate if she improperly disposed of them.
Wraiths in her experience did not come back once killed with silver. They could be quickly dismembered and dissolved with chemicals. Really most creatures could be dissolved, as long as any rituals or procedures were done first for the pesky ones that liked to return.
Sakura had just finished cutting the man into pieces when Missouri spoke again.
"Who are you child," the women said in a serious tone. Sakura paused so she could turn to look at her, "I'm Ino Yamanaka ma'am."
"Why can't I see you," the woman asked next, her face concerned as she stared, seemingly trying to look at Sakura's soul.
Which the woman might be. There were people in this world that possessed strange abilities of the supernatural kind. Missouri was some kind of psychic Sakura had learned when she took the case of her protégé's death.
"I don't know," Sakura said honestly. She waited for the woman to say something else, but she looked away from Sakura without saying more.
Sakura took that as her cue to keep working. She stuffed the body parts into a bag she had waiting beside her. The black construction bags were great for this part of the job. Once the bag was securely tied, Sakura began to clean her weapons and the room. There would be no trace of blood or destruction when she was done.
She would check periodically on Missouri, but the woman was now resting with her head on her hand and her eyes closed.
Sakura was tempted to probe the injury with her healing chakra but feared doing so would tip her off. She had only ever worked with one other such person, and the man had turned a weapon on her when she used her chakra to check him for internal damage. No one person or monster in this world had ever detected her chakra use before that day.
She got out of the situation with her cover intact, but barely. She made sure not to touch him again in case he could discover her henge.
It took her only an hour to finish. She easily hefted the bag of remains and put them in the trunk of her car. After she locked it, she returned to where she left Missouri.
The woman had gotten up and walked across the room. She dug through her end table drawer until she pulled out her cell phone. She hadn't noticed Sakura return, so Sakura remained silent to eavesdrop.
Missouri raised the phone to her ear after a moment of typing and turned to look around. Sakura was pressed up against the wall and perfectly still. She was as good as invisible.
"Pick up," Missouri whispered pleadingly, placing a hand over her heart.
Her shoulders sagged when the muffled sound of a man's voice told her to leave a message. Sakura could not quite make out what the man said his name was, but hoped Missouri would leave a helpful voicemail.
"You two don't need to go check on my granddaughter anymore, the wraith is dead. We need to talk though, please call me back," before Missouri closed the phone, Sakura was already slipping soundlessly back out the door. She made sure to step louder and close the door harder than she would have normally when she walked in.
"Ino," Missouri called, not trying to hide the phone in her hand as she turned toward Sakura, "I've forgotten my manners, please forgive me."
Sakura waved her off, "There's nothing to forgive!"
Missouri cut her off, "You deserve more than just a thank you child. You saved me and protected my family from that wraith. Have you had anything to eat yet?"
Sakura did not expect any of that. She mumbled out an answer, still a little stunned.
"If you'll give me one more moment dear, I'll treat you to dinner," the woman said, collecting a few more items from the open drawer.
Sakura didn't know what to do. She was not used to anyone, civilian or hunter, treating her so well after a job. Some were thankful, but none tried to pay her back or take care of her. Missouri seemed somewhat suspicious of her, but clearly not much. Missouri didn't call for back up to deal with her, and now genuinely seemed to want to take care of her.
For the briefest moment, Sakura thought of her mother. Mebuki would do that time to time when Sakura got home late from training or a mission. Even if it was midnight, her mother would make her a plate of food to make sure she was eating enough.
Sakura swallowed quickly and shook her head to clear her thoughts. She would have to keep being careful around the psychic, but if her cover was intact, it wouldn't hurt to share a meal with the woman. Missouri might even have contact information that would get her closer to the Winchesters.
Half an hour later, the two women sat across from each other in a little diner that was open 24/7.
"I'm sorry for not fixing you something at home, but I needed to get out of there. I was certain that house would be where I died tonight," Missouri had said to her on their way to the place Missouri picked.
"It's really no problem," Sakura had assured her, "and it's not too late to change your mind. You don't have to give me anything; I'm just glad I could help."
Missouri could not be talked out of buying her food, and Sakura relented as she followed the woman's directions.
"Where are you from child," Missouri started as they looked over the menu.
"Japan," Sakura said without looking up. She couldn't decide if she wanted something off the dinner menu or the breakfast menu.
"My, my," Missouri said out of surprise, "What brought you here to Kansas?"
Sakura did look up then, a question in her eyes. Was this a safe place to talk shop or not? The answer to Missouri's question hinged on it. Sakura has hoped there would be a natural way to ask for information on the Winchesters, and this might be it.
"I trust the people that run this place," Missouri answered her, "They know about the life."
Missouri paused to look for the waitress who had gone in the back to get them waters. Not finding her, Missouri looked back to Sakura before continuing, "Melissa was rescued from a wendigo when she was a child, and the owner himself is the son of a hunter. Nothing we say here will about the life will concern them."
Sakura nodded her understanding. She took a moment to choose her words. She wanted Missouri to offer up information on the Winchesters rather than ask about them directly.
Sakura frowned before starting, appearing to struggle with sharing as sharing such personal information should not be easy, "I've been searching for information on what killed my parents."
"Ah," Missouri nodded, "That's how you got into the life then."
"Well, partially. They died when I was little and I didn't start actually until I was in college," Sakura corrected.
"Oh? What changed," Missouri asked, her eyes and posture betraying nothing but care and curiosity.
Sakura sighed, looking down at her hands, "My best friend was nearly killed by a ghost."
For the first time, Missouri's eyes narrowed, "Is your friend's name Hinata by chance?"
Sakura knew better than to betray any other emotion than mild surprise. There was a good chance Missouri put two and two together. Hinata interviewed her after the murder of her protégé, and what were the odds of two women from Japan interested in the supernatural visiting a small Kansas town the same week?
"You remember her," Sakura asked.
Missouri's eyes relaxed just a little, "Yes child, I do remember her. I remember how odd it was that I couldn't read anything from her, just as I cannot read anything from you."
Sakura decided to embrace it, "You know Ms. Mosely, you're not the first psychic to say that to me."
"Please do tell," she said first, followed by a quick admonition, "and don't call me Ms. Mosely, Missouri is just fine."
"I worked with a psychic over in Europe while I was traveling through, and he said the same thing," Sakura began, "I don't think he has the same gift you do, but when we were separated while tracking the shape shifter, he tried to read me to be sure I was really me. We finished the hunt, and I went to him privately after hoping he could explain why I was an anomaly. He tried everything he knew but couldn't get answers, only more questions. Like how my proximity to Hinata affects her somehow too."
They paused when Melissa appeared with their waters to give her their orders. Sakura had briefly forgotten about food, but her stomach rumbled to remind her. She settled for a plate of pancakes and a coffee. She wouldn't be sleeping much tonight anyway. Even if their conversation ended now, she still had the body in her trunk to dissolve.