Pompeii
Chapter 2
jaylene

"And you are?" Sakura asked, raising her brow.

"Tobirama Senju," the man replied with a bit of a flourish. "Federal agent. At your service."

Sakura whistled. "Federal agent, huh?" She turned her gaze to Shizune. "Quite the warm welcome."

"It's nothing like that!" Shizune promised. "Some agents are stationed here permanently as liaisons for our more…unique townspeople."

Sakura nodded. "So, the government knows about Pompeii? That's…comforting."

Tobirama smiled, slow and sensuous. "The government as a whole has no idea about Pompeii's situation. They just believe it's an auspicious lumber town."

Sakura eyed him up at down, frowning slightly to herself. There was something…inhuman about him.

Otherworldly.

"But you know," Sakura said. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, I know," he replied, large slanted eyes focused on her.

Sakura nodded briskly, understanding full well the subtext of the conversation. "Well then, it's been a pleasure but I need to move into my new home. Shizune, Kiba is still in the back, resting up after his 'row.' When he wakes up, will you see him out?"

"Of course," Shizune said, her smile full of embarrassment. "I'm afraid we haven't been too courteous to our newest town member at all. Please, head home. I'll take care of the rest."

Sakura bit her lip, eyeing the woman. She looked absolutely exhausted. Sakura stepped up to her, wrapping her in a loose embrace.

Shizune stiffened in shock.

"Thank you for your help, Shizune. Actually, I think I'll stay around the office a bit longer and get some things situated here. Someone should be coming by today or tomorrow with some of the new supplies…" Sakura trailed off, grinning wearily as she broke the hug. "Well, I should probably be the one helping them bring the stuff in."

"Are—are you serious?" Shizune asked, eyes wide.

"Of course, please get some rest," Sakura said.

Sakura nearly fell when Shizune lunged forward, wrapping Sakura in a tight hug. "Thank you, thank you!" she said, expression bright. "I'll be back by tomorrow morning at 7:00 AM on the dot!"

Sakura watched as Shizune raced from the building, laughter filling the air.

"I'd no idea anyone could be that happy about a break," Sakura muttered.

"Shizune has been worked into the ground in the past few months," Tobirama explained. Sakura jumped, surprised to find him still there. "With doctors basically walking through a revolving door around here, she's been overworked."

"Are clients here really so difficult?" Sakura asked, thinking of Kiba. It hadn't been hard at all but she wondered what the other denizens of the town would be like or even what they were. "Everyone I've met so far has been wonderful."

"The clients aren't difficult, aside from those Uchiha assholes," Tobirama said, voice low and eyes thunderous. Sakura wondered what the story behind that was and why the name "Uchiha" sounded so familiar… "No, it's mainly the paperwork. Everything gets thrown out of order from each of the doctors coming in and leaving. They'll start moving paperwork around and never finish it. It's driving Shizune crazy."

"Good to know," Sakura said, eyeing the little office to the side. "Everything is done on paper? No computer entries?"

Tobirama snorted. "You'll undoubtedly discover that the people around here aren't too keen on updating. Certainly they have smartphones but most…they aren't exactly tech-savvy."

Sakura sighed, scratching her forehead. Another thing to add to the ever increasing list of things to do. "Alright, good, great. I'll just…" She trailed off, shaking her head.

Tobirama, picking up on her desire to be alone, cleared his throat. "Well, I need to head out, I've a meeting with my partner and I can't be late…"

"Nice to meet you Agent Senju," Sakura said. "I suppose I will see you around."

"Indeed," he replied, large liquid eyes all too keen.

"And Agent Senju?" Sakura called as he started to leave. "It's Dr. Haruno."

Sakura flipped through the pages, increasingly frustrated. There were documents dating back before the 1700s and some were even written in what appeared to be Norse runes.

Sakura shook her head in disgust, tossing them aside.

No wonder Shizune was nearly dead on her feet!

Sakura had thought the paperwork was backlogged maybe a few years, not a few centuries!

Sakura rubbed at her eyes, unable to ignore the headache pounding through her skull. She'd been at it for hours now and Ino had yet to come back by. Sakura remembered the crowd at the salon and knew she was undoubtedly busy.

After all, Ino was the best hair stylist in town.

At least, according to her letters.

"Dr. Haruno, right?"

Sakura turned, flushing when she realized that she was sprawled among a flurry of confidential papers.

How unprofessional.

The man before her had curly dark hair and a broad nose. His eyes were a bright, brilliant scarlet. He donned a wide grin as Sakura scrambled to her feet, running fingers through her unruly hair.

"Shisui Uchiha," he greeted, grabbing her hand and shaking it firmly. "I heard there was a new doctor in town and, well," He chuckled, "I had to see if it was true."

"Word travels fast in a small town," she replied, bemused. She was used to New York, where everything was fast-paced except the news. Sakura had a curious feeling that she was in for a bit of a culture shock.

"Gossip fuels the town," Shisui replied. "Besides, you're the biggest news around here since Hashirama turned into a tree in the middle of traffic three years ago." He shook his head. "That was a worthwhile headline. We spent days uprooting and moving him. But this, this is even bigger news."

"I'm not sure if I should be flattered or terrified," Sakura said drily, thoughts lingering on the tree incident. "Should I be expecting more guests today?"

"Maybe, but probably not today. Most everyone is still at work," he said with a slight shrug. "As you can see, I am actually still on duty."

Sakura eyed his badge and uniform. "Now, I don't know much about police aside from what I see on Brooklyn Nine-Nine but don't you normally have a partner?"

His expression turned sheepish. "I, well, I sort of gave him the slip."

Sakura laughed. "Really? I feel bad for your partner."

"Aw, don't be like that, Dr. Haruno! It's good training for him in tracking and surveillance. Really, I'm just helping him in the long run," Shisui said, pout clear upon his face.

"Is that what you consider it?" a soft voice inquired.

Sakura and Shisui jumped, turning their gaze to the door.

A tall, slight man stood there, wearing the same fatigues as Shisui. He was incredibly similar in coloring to Shisui, though his hair was smooth and straight and pulled back into a low ponytail. His brows were furrowed and, though he wore no expression, Sakura had a feeling he was upset.

"I'm guessing this is your partner?" Sakura asked, chuckling when Shisui cursed under his breath.

"Itachi Uchiha, at your service," the man greeted, red eyes warm. "I see you've met my cousin already. Please, don't allow his rudeness to color your opinion of the other Uchiha."

"I'm Sakura Haruno, doctor and apparent town novelty," she replied, shaking his hand. "Your cousin isn't too bad."

"It's actually a good thing you came here Shisui," Itachi said. "You need to have that injury treated."

"Itachi, that happened over a month ago!" Shisui protested frantically. "It's totally healed up!"

Itachi snorted in derision. "What about the family flight the other day? You kept flying in circles like a complete dolt."

"I was…I was showing off!" he blustered.

Itachi rolled his eyes, looking to Sakura for support.

"Allow me to take a look," Sakura said, voice soft. She ignored Shisui's betrayed expression and Itachi's smug smile. "Just a look to see if there is a problem."

Shisui sighed heavily and Sakura knew she'd won.

"Is it alright if Itachi joins me?" Shisui asked. "I have to prove to him that I actually got the treatment."

"Of course. Follow me," Sakura said, leading Shisui down a corridor into one of the rooms. She glanced in on the room where Kiba had been sleeping and saw he was gone.

As was her scarf.

She frowned at the open window, reminding herself to stop in at his sister's veterinary to retrieve her scarf at a later date. For now, she had another patient.

Itachi sniffed lightly and frowned. "Kiba Inuzuka was here?"

Sakura blinked, struggling to keep doctor/patient confidentiality without showing her shock.

Itachi smiled. "Don't worry, you didn't out the boy. We actually were the ones who stopped the fight earlier. We also have an enhanced sense of smell," he said, tapping his nose. "Most yōkai have enhanced senses."

Sakura nodded. "Good to know," she murmured, adding that to her growing catalogue of supernatural quirks. "You can pick out individual people?"

Itachi shrugged lithely. "Not always. If it is a townsperson I've been around before, then usually."

"I suppose that's really helpful when dealing with crime," Sakura said.

"It can be," Shisui said. "It can also be a real bitch. Sometimes you learn a little too much if you know what I mean."

Sakura flushed. Be professional, she reminded herself. "Of course. Ah, we're here. Shisui, if you'd step on that scale for a moment."

He nodded and obliged her.

Sakura's eyes went wide. "You…this can't be right!"

"What's wrong?" Itachi asked, red eyes spinning in alarm.

"I think the scale is broken. It's saying you weigh fifty-two pounds! That's less than your average seven-year-old weighs!" Sakura said, tapping the sliding stick of the scale. "Do I have to get this replaced as well?"

Shisui laughed, low and rich in his throat. "Not quite. You see, I'm tengu," he explained. "I probably should have mentioned it earlier."

"Tengu," Sakura murmured, "as in a bird yōkai?"

"Just so," he said. "We're all really light, you know. We have to be, in order for our wings to work."

Sakura nodded. "So, this resembles your weight the last time you had a check-up?"

"Well actually, I weighed forty-nine last time," he said. "Must be putting on some weight."

"Well, as long as it's healthy…" Sakura said, voice trailing off.

"It is," Itachi assured her. "In fact, you should probably expect most Uchiha to come in under the average on the scale. It's our nature."

"Good to know," Sakura said, writing down the weight on her clipboard. "Alright, Shisui, if you'd take a seat, I'll check your blood pressure and heart before taking a look at your arm."

"What happened to 'just a look?'" Shisui asked, laughing even as he complied with her instructions.

"You haven't had a check-up in over six years," Sakura said primly. "Might as well go ahead and get it out of the way."

His blood pressure and heartbeat were normal, though his heartbeat did seem elevated.

Must be because he's a bird yōkai, Sakura thought, scribbling something out on her clipboard.

"Alright, now let me take a look at your arm," Sakura said.

Shisui nodded, raising his right arm.

Sakura took it, pressing her fingers into the different joints. Shisui didn't so much as wince.

"Are you sure there's an issue?" Sakura asked. "I'm not finding anything right now."

"It might only be apparent in his non-henge form," Itachi said, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "That's how he was first injured."

Sakura turned her gaze back to Shisui imploringly. "Would you mind changing forms?"

Shisui flushed slightly, clearing his throat. "Really you should take me out to dinner first, but I suppose." He began unbuttoning his shirt and explained, "I can do a partial transformation right now. Long sleeved shirts like this would only get in the way."

Sakura nodded, taking in his toned chest. How did he weigh only fifty-two pounds? It didn't seem humanly possible.

Then again, he wasn't human.

Sakura watched in fascination as feathers began to sprout along his arm. They started at his clavicle, spiraling down his shoulder and arm. Thick, luscious, black feathers covered his entire arm.

The wing was huge, spanning nearly seven feet. It filled the already cramped room.

Sakura watched as his fingernails sharpened into talons, ready to rend and pierce flesh.

"You keep your hands?" she asked, startled.

"Of course," they replied in unison, looking at her incredulously.

"How else would we be able to do anything but fly in this form?" Shisui said, wincing as his shoulder pulled.

"You are hurt," Sakura said, moving close.

Tentatively, Sakura ran her fingers over the soft feathers, searching for the meat of his shoulder. She idly noticed that his arm was bent differently, now that it was a wing. Her fingers ran over a raised spot.

"It feels like you have yourself a pretty nasty bruise right here," Sakura said, keeping her fingers gentle as she sized up the shape of his injury. "You're bruised down to the muscle."

"What would you suggest?" Shisui asked. "I need to be able to fly."

"I'm going to prescribe you some medication," Sakura replied, still rubbing the wound. "Are you able to take an adult dosage with your weight?"

"Our metabolism takes care of it," Itachi said quietly.

Sakura nodded. "Alright. I'm going to give you a muscle relaxer and I suggest taking some painkillers such as ibuprofen for the next few days. It should decrease the swelling and the muscle relaxer will keep your shoulder from tightening in flight." Sakura wrote something down on a slip of paper. "Take this by the pharmacy and it'll be taken care of."

"Thank you, Dr. Haruno," Itachi said and gratitude was clear in his expression. "Madara would have killed Shisui if he was this graceless on our next flight."

"It'd have been fine," Shisui grumbled. His expression lightened as his wing shifted back to an arm. "Thank you though."

Sakura nodded. "Of course. Thank you for stopping by."

Itachi suddenly laughed and it sent a pleasant shiver down Sakura's spine. "Shisui, you're molting!"

"I am not!" Shisui squawked indignantly, face red.

Sakura glanced down at the floor, taking in the mass of feathers that littered the ground.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it," Itachi said, opening a window and sweeping his arm over the pile. The feathers flew into the air as if carried by wind, flowing out the window. He grabbed a still protesting Shisui by the collar and dragged him toward the door. "Send the bill to the Uchiha estate; it will be handled."

Sakura nodded, watching as the duo left the building. It certainly felt like there'd been a whirlwind.

She shook her head, heading back to the filing room to organize a little better.

"Sakura!" a melodic voice rang out.

"Welcome back, Ino," Sakura said, turning to greet her friend.

"Did you have a busy afternoon?" Ino asked, cornflower eyes inquisitive.

Sakura chuckled. "It was certainly eventful. How was yours?"

Sakura listened with good cheer as Ino regaled her with tales of work and her harrowing encounter with a Medusa client as she began locking up.

"She's a regular certainly, but she always wants things done in a certain way," Ino complained, trailing behind Sakura as she closed windows and turned off lights. "She's always wearing sunglasses."

"Doesn't she have to though?" Sakura asked. "I thought looking into her eyes turned people to stone."

"Humans. It turns humans to stone. Doesn't affect us in the least. Well, I mean there's an unpleasant sort of tingling sensation and my toes do go numb…" She shook her head. "Still, it's rude."

Sakura laughed. "So what if she's peculiar? You're the best hair stylist around, I'm sure you have it under control."

Ino stopped walking and Sakura turned to her. Ino was wearing a serious, unreadable expression.

"You really think so?" she asked. "You think I'm the best?"

"I'm sure of it," Sakura said.

Sakura found herself with an armful of Ino as the girl threw herself into her arms. Sakura hugged her back just as tightly, glad to finally be able to interact with her childhood friend in a real, tangible way.

"You know, I'm thinking of getting my hair cut soon," Sakura said. "I've got some bad dead ends…"

"Say no more!" Ino exclaimed, eyes sparkling as she pulled away. "If I can handle dead end snakes, I can definitely give you a hand."

Sakura covered her laughter with her hand. "What would I do without you, Ino?"

"Die. Most definitely," Ino said, linking arms with Sakura. Sakura fumbled with her suitcase. "Are you ready to head up to your apartment? I bought some groceries for dinner."

Sakura's stomach growled on cue. "That sounds fabulous."

"Just be warned," Ino said as Sakura organized her desk a bit, "I don't cook, like, at all. I just bought the stuff that goes in your favorite meal."

"And how did you find out the ingredients?" Sakura teased, though she felt genuinely touched. She'd no idea that Ino cared so much about some of the drivel she'd written years ago.

"Chōji helped me," Ino replied, sniffing. "He owns a restaurant in town. Once you're settled, we have to go."

Sakura shrugged. "Sounds good to me. I'd never say no to eating out."

"So where exactly is your apartment? You didn't say in your letter," Ino said.

Sakura grinned. "It's right upstairs."

"Really?" Ino asked, surprised. "What was up there before?"

"I'm not sure. I think it was just used for storage by the previous doctors which is a shame."

"They probably didn't want to be harassed by anyone in town late at night," Ino muttered.

"That's probably true," Sakura said. "Still, I think I'll feel better being so close to the clinic. Shizune told me she'd cleared out the old boxes so we should be good to go."

Sakura and Ino made their way to the very back of the clinic. Behind a locked door, there was an iron staircase, twisting along up the stairs.

"Is it furnished?" Ino asked, assisting Sakura in carrying her small bit of luggage up the stairs. "Because, I highly doubt you've got a bed in this suitcase of yours. Unless you had a warlock help you…"

"No, nothing like that," Sakura said. "Unfortunately, no the apartment isn't furnished and I didn't really bring anything with me. I was planning on going into town tomorrow and buying a bed."

Ino sighed, shaking her head with exasperated affection. "I swear Sakura, you're brilliant but you're so ditzy sometimes. I'll come with you tomorrow. I think Shikamaru has a couch he isn't planning on using anymore…"

Sakura fumbled for her keys, smiling as they reached a green door. Though the paint was peeling and showing the faded wood beneath, it looked cheery.

Homey.

Sakura slid the key into the lock, freezing as electricity shot up her spine. She pulled her hand away, frowning at the door. It hadn't hurt per say but it was odd…

"What's the hold up?" Ino asked. "These groceries aren't going to cook themselves!"

Sakura chuckled, shaking off the strange feeling as she pushed open the door.

Within she caught sight of a small kitchen and living room. Books of all sorts were stacked haphazardly in the bare living room. The walls were a pale, neutral tone and she could see a decently sized bedroom off to the side. The balcony off the living room made Sakura smile.

She stepped inside, inhaling years' worth of dust and old, worn pages.

She grinned, heading out onto the balcony.

The sun was setting and all Sakura could see were the other shops and pine trees.

Pine trees for miles around.

She turned back to Ino and her smile was beatific.

"I'm home."