Chapter Seven
Muffled footsteps echoed down the damp, concrete hall as a pair of masked shinobi descended the narrow corridor, their shadows dancing along the walls from the torches that lit their path through the maze of cement and moss. They passed door after unmarked door until they reached the end of the long hall, coming to a stop before another just as indistinguishable as the rest. Without a word, one raised a hand and knocked twice sharply on the plain oak before pushing it open upon command.
Inside more lanterns lit the space, allowing enough light to see but still casting the corners of the room into shadows. Guards stood posted on either side but neither turned to face the newcomers as the lone figure in the center of the room stopped their pacing to look at them expectantly. "Konoha is on full alert. Explain what happened. Now!"
One of the masked men bowed respectfully before he removed his porcelain mask to answer, "The operatives were unsuccessful in retrieving the antidote. They were killed in the attack."
The shadowed man frowned, his displeased expression amplified in the low lighting. "Well isn't that just perfect."
Both shinobi remained mute under the angry glare of their leader, but they were relieved of his intense stare as a sudden commotion began on the far side of the room. It started as only a slight distraction and grew until a series of pained cries made conversation difficult. Like statues, the two shinobi continued their silence as a pair of men in surgical attire stood on either side of a metal table. They observed their patient with an air of indifference, their faces hidden behind the masks over their mouth and nose as the unfortunate male struggle against his restraints.
His screams bounced off the cement walls and with an agitated sigh, their leader turned to glare at them. "Shut him up!"
Immediately they sprang into action. One forced a wad of gauze into his mouth, muffling the piercing cries, as the other injected a clear liquid into the IV in his arm. The patient continued to convulse but his symptoms showed no signs of slowing or stopping, and eventually one of the medics faced their leader before giving him a single shake of his head.
He sighed in irritation and turned away to take up his pacing once more. "We need to move faster. By now Konoha will have realized the attacks in Kusa weren't random."
"What are your orders?"
He stopped as he rubbed his chin absently. "We need to begin the next phase of our plan," he said. He turned his back to the operatives to face an old wooden table that had been brought in to hold their medical equipment. In the center was a glass jar filled with solution, inside a single eye bobbed. "See that it is done."
"Yes, sir."
Silently the man slipped his mask back into place before he and his partner bowed and exited the room, the sound of muffled screams following them until the door swung shut once more.
##
A warm breeze swept through the gardens. It caught Itachi's hair and tousled his bangs before they fell still once more. Before him, the pond he had once played in with Sasuke when they were children trickled quietly, effectively drowning out the activity of the rest of the compound and allowing him peace from the everyday life that normally preoccupied his thoughts.
Meditation was always Itachi's favorite form of relaxation; a moment to sit by himself without the distraction of others. His days had been far too busy in recent months to indulge himself in even just a few moments of tranquility and he took great relief in allowing his mind to wander.
It seemed his conscience was feeling nostalgic today for an image of Izumi surfaced in his memory from years ago when they were children and not yet irreparably warped by the ways of the world. Her smile had always been too big for her cheeks but it was demure and kind, and Itachi could still recall the happiness that danced behind her eyes when he had accepted her gift of dango.
Even at the tender age of ten, Itachi's birthday presents had always consisted of some piece of remorseless steel. His mother was the only one to ever sneak him gifts without purpose, and receiving one of Izumi had sparked the start of a friendship he hadn't known at the time would last near that of a decade.
From then, Itachi had come to enjoy her company. Izumi was perhaps a little less matured in the mind than he, even if she was three years his senior but her innocence was something he cherished, something he wanted to protect; and he had been drawn to her for reasons that were difficult for him to describe even now. Izumi had held his first real affections and had been his first kiss, not to the surprise of either his mother or Shisui. She was the only one Itachi had ever allowed to become close to him in a way that not even Shisui had achieved.
Itachi still held fond memories of lunch snuck between village obligations and dango shared on the dock that pierced the clear, blue waters of the private lake within the clan compound. Izumi's scream of indignation still rang in his ears from many summers ago when she had attempted - and failed - to push him off the wooden pier. It had ended with her splashing into the water below and a long string of curses he had never thought he'd hear out of the older kunoichi's mouth. Itachi had eventually allowed her to pull him into the water beside her if only out of pity.
But just as they usually did, the good times always came to an end.
Itachi still wasn't sure what it was that had caused Izumi's focus to shift. One day, she had been picking flowers in a field and then next she was fighting with fist and blade, her boots crushing the very same petals she had admired not so long ago.
Shisui had been the first to bring Izumi's intentions to his knowledge and so her request for him to train her hadn't come as a surprise; but it had come with many concerns. She refused to specify what had instigated her change in mentality and Itachi's reluctance to assist had sparked a tension between them that had not slackened even four years later.
Her parting words still haunted him, like a faded echo in an abandoned house: "Fine then, don't train me. I don't need your help. Stay away from me."
Opening his eyes, Itachi chased the bitter memory from his mind. Sorrow churned in his chest, but even after these past few years, he could not bring himself to regret his decision not to train Izumi into becoming a Jounin and eventually black ops. He knew her well enough to recognize she would have been emotionally incapable of completing the missions assigned to those who carried the rank and even though he had denied her request for her own protection, he was aware she had never seen it that way.
"You look guilty. Did you steal dango out of Sasuke's 'not-so-secret' secret stash again?"
Itachi recognized Shisui's chakra a moment before he appeared and he fixed his cousin with a blank stare. The older male wasn't looking at him though as he peered down into the pond in the center of the garden and watched the koi fish swim laps around each other.
"I was thinking of Izumi," he murmured.
Shisui looked up curiously upon his admission before his expression sobered minutely. "I know you think so, but your falling out with her wasn't your fault."
Itachi didn't answer and he dropped his gaze to absently study the wind as it twisted through the petals of the various flowers decorating the yard. As his closest friend, Shisui had been the only person he had spoken to about his disagreement with Izumi. His mother had tried subtly and not-so-subtly on numerous occasions to learn what had caused a rift between them, but it was only Shisui that he had ever confided in.
Itachi felt rather than heard Shisui's approach as his cousin made himself comfortable against the railing that lined the steps down to the garden. His gaze weighed on him, but Itachi didn't lift his eyes as a dragonfly zigzag through the lush flower beds.
"If you had trained Izumi and she got killed in ANBU, you would be feeling a hell of a lot worse than you do now," Shisui added quietly. "I liked her and what happened is horrible, but she made her own choices and it's not your place to shoulder that burden."
Shisui was right but Itachi couldn't push away the guilt that seemed permanently slivered into his heart. It had been years since the conversation that ended their friendship and though he had seen Izumi many times in passing since, he had done as she requested and kept his distance. It had been difficult given their close relationship over the course of his childhood years, but with each passing day, it became easier to ignore his own feelings on the matter.
However, her disappearance seemed to have dug up those conflicted emotions. The affection was no longer there, but the sadness at their lost friendship still lingered. The fact he and Shisui had found only a trace of someone did not settle his unease. Members of the Uchiha clan were considered prizes and the perfect leverage in other countries. If she had been taken, the fact that no one had reached out to Konoha to begin negotiating was not a good sign.
"Have you told your father yet?" Shisui asked.
Itachi shook his head once. "No. It is unlikely that what we found belongs to another but until we are certain, I do not want to inform him of our finding."
"You want to do a blood analysis?" Upon Itachi's nod, Shisui hummed thoughtfully. "Well the Hokage-."
"No," he interrupted. "It cannot be her."
Shisui's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why not?" he asked. Before Itachi could answer, his cousin quickly put the pieces together and he crossed his arms with a light scoff. "Does your father really believe that something like this will cause tensions within the village?"
"I believe his concerns are justified," Itachi defended softly. "After Orochimaru's attack on Sasuke during the Chunin exams some years back, the villagers grew uneasy with us for some time."
"Just the civilians and they've never had a positive opinion of us-."
"Even so," he countered.
Shisui frowned, obviously displeased and perhaps a little offended Itachi hadn't taken his side, but he didn't press.
"Until there is a threat to either the village or the clan, I will respect my father's decision to keep this matter private," Itachi continued quietly after a brief pause. "And you would do well to do so too."
His frown remained but Shisui didn't argue. "Who you going to ask to analyze the blood then?"
"Haruno Sakura."
"You trust her?"
Itachi peered up at his cousin pointedly. "You don't?"
"I was asking if you trust her; not if she was trustworthy," Shisui said not unkindly. "I've spent time with her and gotten to know her, so yes, I think she could help us . Do you think she can?"
Itachi didn't immediately answer. He did believe Sakura to be dependable, but his reasons stemmed from experience that differed from his cousin's. She had proven to him time over that she could be trusted with confidential information and if Itachi brought the request directly to her, he was confident she would not betray his trust.
But Itachi kept that to himself. Shisui was still unaware of his contact with the young medic and he preferred it to remain that way.
"You trust her," Itachi eventually murmured. "That is enough."
Shisui accepted his answer without suspicion, and he inclined his head thoughtfully. "After last night, I'm sure the Hokage gave her the night off; she's probably still at home. Although knowing Sakura, she probably won't stay away from the hospital for too long, especially now that we know a threat is so close. I bet she'll be in her office if we head over in an hour or so."
Itachi nodded his agreement as Shisui bent to slip his sandals off before he climbed the stairs to stand on the wooden walkway. From where Itachi was still sitting, the older male towered over him as he stuck his nose in the air. "Until then, we should get breakfast. It smells like Auntie Mikoto has something cooking."
The scent of something warm and savory teased Itachi's senses and reminded his stomach of its emptiness, but he didn't immediately stand to follow his best friend. His encounter with Sakura the previous night was still fresh in his mind: her instinctual reaction, the physical distance she had place between them, and the open alarm in her gaze.
Itachi knew now it wasn't hate she felt towards him but rather fear. But what he didn't understand was why.
Long ago, he had come to expect the wariness of civilians and shinobi alike. His reputation was known throughout the five nations and the mere whisper of his name could instill fear within the hearts of his enemies, but Haruno Sakura had been teamed up with his younger brother since her graduation at the academy when she was twelve. Their interactions, though brief, have only ever been polite small talk and never with hostility.
Something had changed. There was a piece he was missing; something he hadn't yet considered. And the longer the unknown skirted the edge of his awareness, the more important it seemed.
Then it clicked. As if a fog had lifted, it suddenly became so clear why Sakura tiptoed around him, why she held an air of unease in his presence, why she was so distrustful. It all traced back to one incident:
His surgery.
Through overheard accounts, Itachi had been able to piece together that he had attempted to prevent a number of medics from sedating him as the poison in his system induced lucid hallucinations, making it impossible for him to tell friend from foe. He had wreaked havoc in the OR room, incapacitating a nurse and injuring a number of staff members, until Sakura herself had finally been able to get him under control.
He could only recall vague bits and pieces from that early morning and even now, he was still uncertain what was real and what had been drug-induced. But one thing he now knew with painstaking clarity was that he had attacked Sakura. There was no other explanation for her behavior.
But what he didn't understand was why she had kept the information from him, why she had led him to believe that the damage he created had been minimal when in actuality he had hurt her severe enough that even months later she shied away from him.
Shame pulsed through his veins and settled so deeply it nearly made him physically nauseous. He had been so concerned with protecting his own privacy that he had been unable to see that Sakura had been through a trauma as well. And it was his fault.
"Itachi, you coming?"
Blinking sharply out of his thoughts, Itachi glanced over his shoulder to find Shisui had peeked his head back around the corner. There was an expectant look on his face and for one moment, the desire to tell another of his sudden discovery overcame Itachi.
But he bit back the words before they formed.
Informing Shisui of his revelation would bring him no solace; he would only achieve that by offering Sakura the apology he should have given her months ago. He didn't want her to be wary of him. He wanted her to trust him, just as he had come to trust her.
Rising to his feet, Itachi turned his back on the garden to follow the waiting male into the house, his footsteps light but his thoughts still heavy like rolling, rain clouds.
##
Adrenaline jerked Sakura out of her sleep. Her heart pounded painful against her ribs and she snapped her eyes open as shadows and something sinister danced in her memory. She couldn't recall what her dream had been, and its images only grew more faint and fuzzy as she became more aware of her surroundings.
With a soft exhale, she rolled onto her back to stare at the ceiling. Daybreak was still some hours off judging by the sky that was peaking between the crack in her curtains but she knew she would not fall back into a restful slumber. Whatever had woken her had chased her sleep away, but she didn't yet feel the desire to get up.
Sakura wasn't sure how much time passed as she laid in bed. She was just on the verge of dozing off for the umpteenth time when a loud bang from downstairs made her bolt upright in bed. Every muscle in body went taut as her shinobi senses went on high alert, but she relaxed a moment later as she recognized the chakra signature in her kitchen: Naruto.
With a deep sigh, Sakura fell back against her mattress, the palms of her hands pressing over her eyes as her brief release of adrenaline faded. She could hear the clanking of pots and pans, and after a moment her curiosity got the better of her and she slipped out of bed before making her way downstairs.
She was greeted with the unusual sight of her blond teammate standing in her kitchen. Naruto was dressed in an obnoxiously bright orange tank top and a pair of nondescript shinobi pants but his were feet bare and she mentally thanked him for being considerate enough to leave his dusty boots at the front door. However, it was the pan on the stove and a small, old bag of uncooked rice on the counter that made her brows furrow in confusion.
"What are you doing?"
Naruto jumped. He turned abruptly from where he had been fiddling with the knobs of her stove before a bright smile broke out across his face. "Sakura-chan, you're awake! I hope you're hungry. I'm making breakfast."
Sakura eyed him. "But you don't know how to make breakfast."
He gazed down at her stove and began fiddling with the dials again. "Well you didn't have much in your fridge and I figured rice was better than nothing."
"Rice isn't cooked in a pan…"
Naruto's gaze narrowed as he tilted the bag of rice back to read the directions before he glanced at her and shrugged. "Oh. Well, you wanna go out then?"
Crossing her arms, Sakura leaned against the wall as she fixed her teammate with a stare. She knew Naruto wasn't there to make her breakfast. He was never up and about before mid-morning unless he had something to do and he never offered to make her anything. But she didn't call him out as she considered his offer.
"Okay, but you're paying."
He made a face at her. "Then I get to choose the place."
"Please not ramen." His expression told her that was exactly what she was about to have for breakfast and with a quiet sigh, she relented, a small smile tugging on the corner of her mouth. "Fine, let me go get dressed."
Less than twenty minutes later, Sakura returned downstairs to find Naruto lounging on her couch and absently flipping through one of her medical journals. After double checking that her burners were indeed off, they headed out.
Around them, the village was in full swing as civilians and shinobi did their errands before the afternoon heat made it too uncomfortable to be outdoors. But there was a tension in the air that hadn't been there the night before. Military police patrolled the streets and shoppers walked with a purposefulness as if they were expecting an attack at any given moment.
"Hm…should I have chicken or beef this time?" Naruto wondered out loud to himself.
Sakura slid a glance at him. He was staring up at the sky as they journeyed down the road, his fingers laced behind his head as if he hadn't a care in the world. She wondered how he could be so relaxed when the rest of the village was so anxious, but she supposed that was what made her teammate who he was. It was as if nothing could faze him.
"Why not both?" she suggested offhandedly. "You always have at least two bowls anyway."
Naruto grinned at her. "That's a good idea! Plus I heard Teuchi made a new flavor; I should try that too!"
As always, her teammate burst into a run upon sight of the only-too-familiar stand. Sakura followed at a much slower pace and she slid onto a stool next to him just as he ordered more food than what should be possible for one person to consume in one sitting. Once her own order was in, she set her elbow on the counter and rested her chin in her palm as she watched Naruto talk animatedly about whatever came to mind.
For a while, she just let him. It was easier for her to listen to her talkative teammate bounce around from topic to topic as she gave little-to-no input. It was one of the great things about Naruto. He knew how to carry on a conversation and at the same time distract her from the thoughts and worries that had been running circles in her mind all night.
But it didn't last forever. Their conversation lulled as Naruto slurped his noodles and Sakura swirled her chopsticks around in her broth. They had both steered clear of the subject long enough and after a few minutes of silence, Sakura stopped playing with her food to glance at her teammate. "Naruto, what were you doing in my apartment this morning?"
He gulped loudly and sighed in contentment before he grinned at her. "Failing at making you breakfast."
She shot him a pointed look, causing his playfully charade to dwindle and he set his bowl down before he glanced at her. "You're alright, right?"
The tone of his voice immediately made her straighten and she partially turned in her chair to face him. "Yeah, of course. Why?"
"Sasuke and I have just noticed you've been…off lately," he said slowly. "First, the thing at the training grounds and then you started avoiding us." She opened her mouth but Naruto gave her a look that told her whatever excuse she had lined up he wouldn't believe, and he continued, "I know you talked to Sasuke. He told me you did, and I'm glad, but there's something else going on with you; something you won't talk to us about. And I'm not trying to make you tell me if you don't want to. I just want to know if you're okay. I'm worried. We both are."
Sakura gazed down at her half-eaten ramen as guilt ruined what little appetite she had left. She didn't know when her oblivious teammate had become so insightful; it was so uncharacteristic. She must have been putting up some pretty big, red flags for even him to take notice.
"I just...have a lot on my plate right now," she said eventually. "But I promise I'm alright."
Even with her reassurance, his frown didn't lessen. "But you were attacked in your own lab. You could have been killed!"
"But I wasn't," Sakura countered. "Just like you could have been killed on your last mission but weren't."
Naruto looked like he wasn't entirely convinced but let it go as he turned away from her to look down at his mostly empty bowl. She hadn't realized how piercing his gaze was until it was no longer focused solely upon her but he picked up his head again just as the heavy footsteps of a patrol sounded outside the shop. Four shinobi dressed in Military Police uniforms passed soundlessly, their expressions hard and their gazes observant.
"The village is going to be pretty tense until Black Ops finishes their investigation," Naruto said after they were gone. "Last I heard from Kaka-sensei, they still hadn't figured out how the two that attacked you got into the village."
Sakura frowned. "It's been less than twenty-four hours. Give them more time."
His expression showed his impatience but before he could voice his opinion, a figure approached the pair hurriedly with a familiar large, white ninken at their heels.
"Hey Kiba," Sakura greeted.
The male flashed her a smile, causing the sunlight to reflect off the elongated fangs his clan was known for. "Hey Sakura. Naruto, the Jounins are calling another meeting."
"Again? They just had one like a few hours ago," he whined.
The brown-haired male just shrugged. "And they're calling one again. It's probably just another briefing. It'll take like ten minutes."
Sakura doubted that. Jounin briefings were notorious for going long, but she said nothing as Naruto slid off his stool with a deep sigh. She briefly wondered if she should join the pair but decided against it; she had spoken to enough Jounins and ANBU last night to last her a life time and so she remained seated.
After quickly gulping down the rest of his ramen, Naruto threw some money on the counter and gave her a quick hug with a promise to see her again soon before both he and Kiba disappeared down the dusty road.
The moment they were out of sight, Sakura's gaze returned to her bowl as she stared at the noodles dejectedly. She was suddenly struck with the same emotion she had felt after she had all but flattened her team's favorite training ground. It was ridiculous to blame herself for the heightened security and sudden activity within the village, but she still felt some responsibility.
Genma's poisoning had been weeks ago, and was all but forgotten to the village. Her attack had not only reminded them all that a threat still lingered but made it apparent that in the time they had pushed the issue to the wayside, it had moved far too close for comfort. The fact both she and Shizune had pushed off their research for an antidote in favor of focusing on other tasks only made her previous concerns of what may happen should the village be struck with a larger attack return tenfold.
Suddenly feeling restless, Sakura slipped off her stool, her half-eaten ramen still on the counter, and left the stand with a murmur of thanks before she headed into the heart of the village. She was sure Shizune was swamped with the investigation on top of their daily tasks at the hospital, as well as Tsunade's push for an effective antidote. The least she could do was lend a hand.
When she arrived at the hospital, the entire building was abuzz with activity. Staff members were busy with their day-to-day tasks of transporting patients and medical supplies, but even with all the hustle, Sakura seemed to draw the eye of all. Whispers followed her footsteps but she held her head high as she passed through the entrance and took the lift to her floor.
It was even busier than the main lobby with black ops posted in every corridor like stone gargoyles. A pair flanked the elevator doors, their porcelain masks reflecting the harsh overhead lights. Through the eye slits, Sakura could feel their gazes tracking her as she entered, but they allowed her access to the floor without question.
She sought out Shizune, intent on getting up to speed and back to work, but as Sakura neared their office, her gaze drew towards the lab she had nearly lost her life in and her pace slowed to a stop.
Inside, there was a clean-up team. They were cataloging and collecting evidence as they chatted lightly, but she didn't hear their conversation as she silently observed. The bodies had been removed the night before, leaving a room full of disarray. Glass and the crushed remains of the cabinets told the story of her fight for life, but it was the large pool of blood on the far side of the room that was evidence of her victory.
The fear and shock had faded for the most part, but Sakura could still feel those fingers wrapped around her neck. It wasn't her first close call with death and she knew it wouldn't be her last, but she still felt as if something had been taken from her last night.
Ever since she began her tutelage under the Godaime, the hospital had become her place of sanctuary, somewhere she could go to work and study and think. The attack left her feeling exposed and violated as if the walls of her safe haven had been ripped down and left open for any to enter.
"I didn't expect to see you here."
Sakura slid her gaze to the space next to her to find Kakashi standing almost casually with his hands deep inside his pockets. Just as he had done a thousand times before, he had used her distraction as an opportunity to appear unnoticed, and she shot him a flat look. "Yes, you did. That's why you're here, Kakashi."
He smiled beneath his mask. "All right, maybe I did. But can you really blame me for wanting to check on my favorite student?"
Sakura snorted lightly. "You're a horrible liar, you know that?"
"I am an excellent liar," he defended. "It just so happens that I needed to be here anyhow and I thought might as well kill two birds with one stone."
She turned her head to regard Kakashi fully just as he suddenly paused, realizing his choice of words. He shot her a mildly guilty look. "Sorry…I suppose another figure of speech would have been more appropriate…"
Sakura merely shook her head with a soft snort, feeling more amused than offended. Somehow her old teacher always seemed to cheer her up without really trying, but she turned her gaze away from him again to nod towards the lab. "So you're leading the investigation then?"
"Parts of it."
"That would explain why you're in a hospital so willingly."
"Not exactly," he said.
She glanced back at him. His tone had been nonchalant enough, but she could sense his seriousness and unconsciously she straightened. "You okay?"
His eye crinkled with a smile. "Just fine. But I do need to speak to you. Privately."
She didn't entirely believe his reassurance but she acquiesced nonetheless. "Let me check in on Shizune and then you can have my full attention."
His smile returned, albeit a little more forced, before she continued towards her office.
She found Shizune inside and she stopped in the doorway as the older woman collected her paperwork hurriedly. It was strangely reminiscent of the night before when Sakura had arrived to find her frantically updating charts so she could make it to her date on time with Genma, and Sakura groaned in the back of her throat as she realized Shizune's night had undoubtedly been interrupted.
"Please tell me you guys at least made it through dinner?"
Shizune stopped abruptly to look up at her. She pursed her lips in confusion only for it to clear a moment later. "Yes, we did," she said with a smile. Then her expression softened in sympathy. "The attack wasn't your fault, Sakura. It would have been me had you not covered my shift, so don't feel bad."
A frown marred Sakura's expression, but she didn't argue as she watched Shizune sort through her notes once more. "What are you working on?"
"Lady Tsunade wants all our notes and work on the antidote secured. I'm just going through my things now to make sure I have it all." She glanced at Sakura briefly before she resumed her scanning. "You should too by the end of the day if you have time."
"I will."
Shizune continued to shuffle through her paperwork for a moment more before she stacked her documents together and turned towards the doorway where Sakura was still standing. "Anyway, I have to go get the new lab set up so I can start working on this. I'll catch you later?"
Sakura nodded wordlessly and stepped aside to allow the older woman through. Shizune said a friendly greeting to Kakashi as she passed but didn't stop as she hurried down the hall and disappeared around the corner. As soon as she was out of sight, Sakura called out to her old sensei.
Once they were both inside her office with the door closed securely behind them, Sakura turned to Kakashi expectantly. "So, what's up?"
"I need you to look at my knee."
Her brows pulled together as her gaze automatically drew downward to his loose-fitted shinobi pants. "Your knee? Did you push yourself too hard in training again?"
It was a moment before he answered. "Not exactly."
His answer was unsurprisingly cryptic, but she merely gestured towards the small couch against the wall before she pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "Roll up the end of your pants and I'll see what I can do."
He did as she requested and she waited until he was settled on the cushions with the material of his pants pulled up around his thigh before she knelt on the floor before him. Chakra flickered to life in her hands as she placed them against the slightly swollen joint.
A moment later, her eyes widened at what she saw. "Your ligament is heavily damaged. I'm surprised you were able to walk on it at all. What the hell did you do?"
"Well, you see, I was sharing my bed with a most beautiful lady when she suggested that we-."
"Kakashi, the truth." She shot him a brief glare as she continued to work on soothing the inflammation.
He grumbled something under his breath before he relaxed as the pain finally began to fade. "I was on a mission."
"How long has it been like this? Is this why you came to see me last night?"
Under his mask, he grimaced ever so lightly as she adjusted his knee so she could slip her fingers behind the joint. "Yes."
"You should have said something."
"You were almost strangled last night. I wasn't about to complain about a little muscle soreness."
A frown crossed her features, but she didn't argue as she worked on weaving the torn tendon back together. For some minutes, she worked in silence as she finished repairing the joint, ensuring that the ligament was fully healed, and the swelling and inflammation was gone.
Only once she was satisfied with her work did she cease her chakra output before she sat back on her heels. "How does that feel?"
Kakashi stretched his leg out slowly before he grinned beneath his mask. "Have I told you lately how amazing you are?"
She fought her smile as she stood. "Next time you hurt yourself say something. You're not as young as you used to be."
"I beg to differ."
"Beg all you want," she countered, her grin widening. "It's a fact whether you want it to be or not."
He placed a hand over his heart in feigned offense, causing her to grin before he straightened out his pant leg. She observed him closely as he stood and lightly tested the joint, placing careful pressure on it before gingerly putting his full body weight on the repair. She almost pointed out that he wouldn't have had to deal with the injury for so long if he wasn't so stubborn but decided against it. It wasn't the first time she had lectured him and she doubted he would listen anyway. Her ex-sensei was so difficult when it came to injuries.
"I wasn't even aware you were out of the village," she said offhandedly as she turned to idly sort through the pile of paperwork on her desk. "What was your mission?"
"Nothing. Just some scouting."
Something about the way he said it gave her pause and she glanced back at him to see his expression had suddenly turned strangely passive. Well that was unusual.
She got the feeling his mission had been more than just scouting and she leaned back against her desk as she gave him her full attention. There was only one place she could think of that the Hokage would want scouted. It seemed unusual that Kakashi would be returning the very night she was attacked, but then again, she hadn't seen her sensei in a few days. Perhaps the attack on ANBU Team Six weren't as forgotten as she had originally thought.
"Were you in Grass Country?" she pressed.
Kakashi's expression turned almost teasing. "What would make you think that?"
She got the impression that she was right, and she wondered if the Hokage had ordered his silence. With recent events, Tsunade would want any and all information pertaining to Grass to be kept as classified as possible, but it didn't stop Sakura from being curious.
Before she could pry further, there was a knock at the door before Shizune popped her head in. "Sorry to interrupt," she said guiltily. "There was something I forgot to grab."
Next to her, Kakashi smiled. "That's okay. We were done here."
And just like that, he disappeared in a puff of smoke.
Frowning, Sakura turned away from the now empty space to continue sorting through her pile of documents and handwritten notes. Shizune shuffled around somewhere near the bookshelf, but she didn't stay very long and soon exited the room. "I'm setting up at the end of the hall, first door on the right."
Sakura murmured an acknowledgement but she didn't look up.
For some time, she thumbed through her paperwork as she gathered all of her notes pertaining to the poison before she stacked them together and left the office to find the room Shizune had moved their research to.
Sakura had just reached the split in the hall when someone called: "There's my favorite medic."
Pulling her eyes away from her armful of documents, Sakura spotted Shisui down the hall. Automatically a smile crossed her face and she stopped as she waited for him to catch up. "I haven't seen you in a while. How are you doing-!"
Her voice pitched higher as he drew her into a sudden embrace the moment she was within arm's reach. Her toes barely touched the floor as he hoisted her up with his easy strength before he set her back on her feet and grinned boyishly.
Laughing at his familiarity, Sakura brushed a stray hair that had fallen into her eyes away before she swatted him lightly on the arm with her papers. "What was that for?"
Shisui winked at her. "I just miss ya. And I wanted to see for myself how you are after last night," he added more somberly.
Sakura's mood dampened minutely and she shot him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "I'm good. Nothing I couldn't handle."
Her light teasing caused the seriousness in Shisui's gaze to fade and he grinned, all too clearly remembering their drunken conversation those few weeks ago. He was proud of the shift in her confidence and she couldn't help but feel a little content too.
"Anyway, what are you doing here?" Sakura asked, redirecting the subject. "I know you didn't brave the hospital just to see me."
His smile turned sheepish and he cleared his throat lightly before shaking his head. "No, I didn't. We have something we want to ask you."
"We?"
It was then that Sakura realized Shisui wasn't alone. Standing just beyond her peripheral was Itachi, his chakra signature subdued and carefully blended with the others on the floor, flawlessly hiding amongst the crowd. His expression was unreadable but his dark eyes were focused solely upon her.
The memory of her ill-mannered reaction last night made her stomach twist into knots but her expression gave away none of her thoughts as she returned her gaze to Shisui. "Perhaps we should talk somewhere quieter then?"
He eyed the nearest guard before nodding, "I think that would be best."
Turning away, Sakura led them to a nearby examination room. A counter containing medical supplies lined one wall while a window on the far side provided plenty of light to see. In the center of the room was a patient table that took up a bulk of the floor space, making it a tight squeeze for all three of them, but the walls were thick to provide patient confidentiality. It would suit their needs for the time being.
Moving to the far side, Sakura waited patiently for pair to file in before she cocked her head expectantly. "So what can I do for you?"
Sakura followed Shisui's gaze as he glanced at Itachi. The younger of the two had made himself comfortable against the wall beside the door but he said nothing as he nodded, silently giving his permission.
She studied Itachi's expression curiously, but it was it void of any discernible emotion and eventually she turned back to Shisui as he finally spoke: "We were wondering if you could tell us about DNA matching."
Her eyebrow arched in surprise. "DNA matching?" she repeated. "What about it?"
"Namely how much blood you would need to positively identify someone and how long it would take."
"If you're referring to the attack last night, Shizune already-."
"We're not," Shisui interrupted.
There was a somberness to the normally lively male that piqued her interest and her gaze briefly flickered to Itachi, but neither his body language nor his expression gave her any further indication as to what their line of questioning was concerning.
"I wouldn't need much," Sakura finally said. "Only a drop really, but more is always better. It would take me about a week to get a match."
The pair exchanged a muted look she didn't understand, but she could feel their disappointment like a physical weight. They seemed to be weighing their options, but as to what, she didn't know.
"There is one other test I could run in the meantime," Sakura offered, albeit a little hesitantly. "It's called Blood Typing."
"Which is what exactly?" Shisui asked.
"Exactly what it sounds like," she said not unkindly. "I'm sure both of you are aware that everyone has a certain blood type as the result of the kind of antigens and antibodies in your blood. If the sample has Type A blood and the person is Type O, obviously the blood isn't going to belong to them."
"And if they are the same?"
"Then we would rely on a DNA match."
Itachi and Shisui communicated another wordless glance and Sakura bit back a smirk at their affinity. They were fascinating to watch. Like one entity in two bodies, able to commune and reach a decision without a single word uttered. Their mastery came from years of kinship and a bond that ran deeper than any ocean and stronger than any blade.
Simultaneously, the pair redirected their attention back to her. "How long would it take?" Shisui asked. "The blood typing?"
"I could have an answer for you by tonight or early tomorrow morning."
Neither said a word but after a soundless nod from Itachi, Shisui stepped forward and withdrew a scroll from the pouch on his hip. He unfurled it and laid it across the examination table before he performed a series of hand seals, causing a small puff of smoke to rise from the scroll. It cleared to reveal a torn and bloody piece of material.
"We'd appreciate it if you could run both tests, if you have time."
Setting her paperwork on the counter, Sakura retrieved a pair of gloves before she carefully grasped the cloth. There was too little fabric to know what specific article of clothing it had once been, but there was plenty of blood staining the material for her to perform both labs.
"I can start them today. Whose blood am I looking for?"
Tense silence met her words and she glanced at the men to see that while Itachi's expression remained unchanged, Shisui's had darkened with something she could only define as grief. It was a moment before he answered, "Uchiha Izumi."
"Izumi?" Sakura repeated slowly. She replaced the material atop Shisui's scroll once more as she searched her memory. "I know her. She used to buy tomatoes for Sasuke during the summer." Their expressions didn't change and understanding quickly settled deep in her gut. "She's missing."
Shisui nodded solemnly.
It suddenly occurred to Sakura what it was that had been so important for Itachi to leave the village so soon after his return and the uncomfortable lump in the pit of her stomach grew heavier as she recalled her critical words to him. Automatically her eyes sought his but she was unable to decipher his thoughts behind his fathomless, obsidian gaze. If ever a time she could know what was passing behind that blank stare, it would be now. There were a million things she wanted to say to Itachi but now wasn't the time, and she wasn't supposed to have known he was out of the village.
Tearing her eyes away, she glanced at Shisui. "I'll get on this first thing and let you know the results the moment I have them."
Even given the situation, he grinned. "Thanks, Sakura. I owe you a drink," he winked.
But she wasn't able to match his cheer, however forced, and she flashed him a tight smile that didn't quite reach her eyes before she turned away to reach into one of the cupboards above the counter. She retrieved a sterile bag – one the hospital staff normally used to transport lab samples – before she deposited the piece of bloody cloth inside and sealed it. She tossed her gloves as Shisui secured his scroll back into his hip pocket. Once it was away, he hugged her and said a quick farewell before he disappeared out the door once more.
When Itachi didn't immediately follow, Sakura eyed him.
Alone in the small room, his stare pierced through her and she opened her mouth to say…anything, but the words never came. There would be no point in reassuring him; there wasn't anything he didn't already know. And as they stood privately in the still room, she realized it wasn't Izumi she wanted to discuss.
She wanted to apologize for last night, for making Itachi feel unwelcome in her home when she had invited him in. After what had happened earlier that day, she had been a little defensive and wound up, and his sudden closeness had startled her. She hated that his presence still unnerved her, especially when he had been nothing but professional and courteous towards her recently, but she still was unable to shake her anxiety no matter how hard she tried to push the feeling away.
Even now, it flared under her skin but she willed her beating heart to calm. Itachi was still observing her in that quietly thoughtful way he did when he was considering something. She had seen the very same look the night before, and she waited for him to speak, to break the silence that was growing longer with every passing moment. But he didn't.
Instead, he pushed off the wall and nodded at her politely before he left the room as noiselessly as he had come. Sakura watched his retreat silently and she breathed a low sigh as he caught up to Shisui before the pair rounded the corner and fell out of sight.
Itachi hadn't spoken a word the entire time, and she was left with a deep-seated feeling of disappointment at her own manners. Her behavior lately had been so uncharacteristic for her. She hadn't been this shy or timid since her Genin days before Tsunade had beat confidence and pride into her - literally - and Sakura refused to become that same girl again.
She had to get over this fear she held towards Itachi. If she didn't, she was never going to be able to help him in the way she needed to - in the way he needed her to.
to be continued…
I want to remind everyone that this story takes place in the Naruto universe. So while blood typing and blood matching may take hours and days in the 'real world', in the Naruto universe, I chose to make the tests take longer. Thank you.