The purr of the car's engine slowed to a stop as Sasuke parked it. He and Ibiki had been left to investigate the first store where Itachi had been seen. Suigetsu had taken a copy of the waiter's picture and went to ask the people that worked around in other shops if they recognized the insignia of the restaurant. The three of them had changed into casual clothes but had a gun strapped on their belts, covered by their shirts. Once in the store, Ibiki went further inside, pretending to look around for something to buy. Sasuke walked straight up to the cashier, catching her attention instantly. She looked like she was around 18-20 years old, with long blonde hair and blue eyes. She was wearing what seemed to be the store's uniform but a more "open" version. The nametag on her blouse read "Ino". The girl had a smile on her face and she leaned over the counter before speaking to him.
"Can I help you with something, sir?" The Uchiha sighed and opened his coat, flashing his police badge quickly.
"I'd like to ask you a few questions, if you don't mind." The smile on the girl's face fell off and she sighed, leaning back and sitting in her chair again. The shift in her attitude wasn't really that unusual. Most cashiers threw fake smiles and tried to make small talk only because they were forced to. Finding people without an ulterior motive behind their moves was really hard these days.
"And here I was hoping you were just a normal tourist who was going to ask for directions. Well, fire away." Sasuke brought out a photo of Itachi and the photograph from the camera with his disguise on and put them on the counter. The blonde extended a manicured hand towards the picture with the disguise and stared at it for a few seconds. Then she suddenly frowned and tossed it back on the counter. "Never seen him before."
"Your reaction says otherwise." The blonde's frown deepened, and she shifted her eyes to her hand. The Uchiha followed her gaze and saw what seemed to be a handmade bracelet on her wrist.
"My reaction doesn't say anything. Now, please leave if you're not going to buy anything."
"Sorry to burst your bubble, but we're not going to be leaving anytime soon." Ibiki was suddenly next to the counter, wearing a satisfied grin that made the girl flinch. Another man was standing behind the scarred officer. He had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail, and the same blue eyes as the cashier girl. When Ino locked eyes with him, the man shook his head and she suddenly seemed furious. "Meet Yamanaka Inoichi, this girl's father. He runs this shop and a few others in this area. I showed him a picture of Itachi, and then another one of the waiter, and it seems like his daughter knows that guy quite well."
"Dad, you promised me you wouldn't tell anyone!" The blonde girl shouted as she got up from her place, the chair she had been sitting on falling back with a crash.
"I'm sorry Ino but I told you that that guy was dangerous, and you wouldn't listen to me! Look, he's involved with criminals! You think it would be hard for him to manipulate a girl-" A loud slap echoed throughout the store, and both officers were glad that it was still early in the morning, or this would have become an even bigger scandal with a crowd. Ino was panting heavily, while her father seemed shocked. He lifted his hand to touch the red handprint that was left on his cheek. The three men were startled when the blonde girl suddenly started sobbing, and her father looked like he had just been kicked in the stomach.
"I know, dad. I know he's not the best person out there. I know he's playing a dangerous game. But...I really, really like him, you know?" Ino looked up at her father with a wobbly smile on her face, and you could see that she had been bottling up her feelings for a long time. Her father came closer to her, embracing her in a hug as she cried her eyes out. After a while she calmed down, and sat back in her chair. After another glance at her bracelet, the blonde girl sighed and looked up at the officers with a resigned expression. "The waiter's name is Sai. He met this guy on your photo, even though I don't know what their meeting was about. He works in a coffee shop that's a few blocks away. I can lead you the-"
"There's no need. Just give us the address, and we'll find our way there." We'll have to catch your boyfriend went unsaid, and the officers really didn't want to make the girl watch that. She seemed to understand, and a grateful smile was sent their way. The blonde quickly pulled out a notebook, wrote the address down, tore the piece of paper out of her notebook and gave it to them. The raven thanked her, and he and Ibiki walked towards the exit.
"Ah, wait!" The Uchiha turned around and the blonde girl flinched, one of her hands starting to tug nervously at her bracelet. "I know that it may be inevitable but...if you could, please, try not to shoot to kill him? I know it's a stupid request but-"
"We'll try." They both knew that he couldn't promise anything, but that seemed enough for now. The officers left the store, and the sound of sobbing became less and less prominent as they walked further away.
When they went back to the car, Suigetsu was waiting for them with two cups of coffee in his hands. He passed them to the tired officers, and got grateful nods in return.
"We found the waiter's workplace." Ibiki announced, before taking a sip of his coffee. Suigetsu looked surprised but didn't question it, instead he gave his report.
"Went around and asked the other shop keepers. Seems like the guy meets with a lot of shady people but he's also frequently seen with a blonde girl."
"She's the one we got the address from. Apparently, she's his girlfriend. She also knew about his dangerous meetings but she didn't have anything specific on Itachi." Sasuke sighed before he went back inside the car, and started the engine again. "Let's go and meet Sai."
The coffee shop wasn't crowded, which was good. They didn't want to cause a ruckus, or push Sai into taking a hostage or shooting. Ibiki was the first one in, followed by Suigetsu and Sasuke. They instantly spotted Sai, what with his pale skin and black hair. The boy seemed to feel their gaze, because he slowly turned around. His eyes widened and the trio immediately knew he was about to run away. The pale man flipped a few tables as he ran towards what was apparently the backdoor of the restaurant and his escape. Ibiki swiftly jumped over the objects and followed the boy outside. When he was outside he had to duck back behind the door, because a bullet pierced the place he had been standing at. The scarred man wasn't the best shooter, since his specialty lied in torture and interrogation but he had good aim. It wasn't surprising when he managed to hit the pale man's leg. Sai had grunted and crouched down behind a garbage can next to him. The scarred man thought it was over when he suddenly heard gunshots behind him, and he was falling down.
They had shot both of his legs, so they weren't out to kill him. He had his back turned to them, and they could have easily ended him right there. Ibiki heard Suigetsu calling his name, and before he could warn the other man, a black-clothed person went past him and hit Suigetsu right as he walked outside, instantly knocking him out. The Uchiha was going to be next, if Ibiki didn't do something. But as if sensing his intentions, another one of the men put a napkin over his face, making him breath in the chloroform on it and instantly making him dizzy. Sasuke had to quickly calm down the people that were in the shop but he hurried over to the backdoor when he heard the gunshots. What he didn't expect was a kick in his stomach as soon as he was out of the door. He heard the door closing behind him, and a pair of boots was in front of his face. The man before him was wearing a mask like the others behind him. He caught Sasuke's head and repeated the same thing he did to Ibiki.
"Sorry, but we can't let you interfere with the plan anymore." was the last thing Sasuke heard, before he blacked out.
A/N: Wtf this is out soooo early, I feel proud of myself. Also, I know, awful place to leave this at but believe it or not, it's actually because of the storyline, not because I enjoy ending chapters at horrible places (even though i do). R&R and cya in the next chapter~