I have no rights to Naruto.
Enjoy.
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There was dust on the counters, on the cups on the sink and on the furniture. Nearly five months away from her apartment had dust and grime everywhere. The rooms were cold and had the distinct unused feeling that came from being empty for so long. She had stood in the middle of the living area for nearly fifteen minutes after she had closed the front door before wandering through all the rooms, noting how everything had been left as it was the day Ibiki had slashed her wrist, even the blood stains on the floor.
She had forgotten her apartment so quickly, trusting Ibiki to care for her, not questioning when he had brought her to his apartment and her clothing, underwear, toiletries and even some jewellery had been waiting for her.
Sinking into the sofa Sakura ran her hands through her hair, breath catching when they fell on her flatter stomach. Softly she cupped her stomach, raising her shirt to touch the skin she caught sight of the tiny stretch marks that had just begun to form over the last month. Huffing she dropped her shirt and shook her head, the need to do and not think about herself causing her to reach into her bag and take out a copy of the file she had been working on. She had spent the last five days thinking, not ready to ask questions or make decisions, putting it off a little longer would make no difference.
Ibiki growled, ignoring the concern and worry coming off those behind him. He had dropped all subtly, all tact, all finesse and gave into his baser instincts. He wasn't interrogating or even questioning as he had attempted to do at the beginning, on the third prisoner he was relishing the pain.
He grunted again savouring the pain that radiated up his arm as he hit the prisoner, breathing loudly as he kicked and beat the man. The thud that rose as he made contact, the hurt breathing and the movement of his own muscles, the momentum and swing of his body, the sweat gathering from his body was satisfying, releasing.
With one more swing he heard the snap.
Scowling as the now dead body slumped before him Ibiki clenched his teeth and shook out his blood covered fists suddenly cracking his neck and rolling his shoulders in relief. He felt a little better.
A very little bit.
Looking up at the clock on the wall, very high up and imbedded into the wall itself so it was virtually impossible to remove and use as a weapon Ibiki eyes widened in surprise as he saw that over twenty hours had passed since he had left the hospital.
"Bring in the next one."
Ignoring the looks – even though the ANBU were masked he knew they giving him all manner of looks he turned watching dispassionately as the dead Shinobi was dragged out feet first, hands trailing on the concrete floor leaving a trail of blood behind. As the door opened bringing in the next prisoner Ibiki raised an eyebrow, Anko pushing aside the ANBU that held the pale, trembling, blabbering and now self-soiling Shinobi who had dissolved at the sight of his dead pulverised comrade.
She leant up and whispered in his ear, Ibiki turning his head so sharply Anko was forced to move back as she met his gaze squarely and nodded in confirmation. It only took a few seconds and Ibiki made his decision. "Finish up here."
Long coat billowing behind him Ibiki marched out of the room, brushing past the prisoner who fainted at his proximity much to Anko's displeasure. Swiftly he made his way through the halls of ANBU Headquarters, stopping at the white door and taking a deep breath. Carefully he opened the door and entered, closing it behind him and watched.
She look tired, not the ready to collapse at any moment sickly exhaustion she had exhibited during her pregnancy, she just looked plain tired. Sleeves pushed up past her elbows, hair tied up with tendrils falling down, clothes slightly rumpled as she focused her entire being on the microscope before her, hand reaching out to write as she mumbled to herself.
After a few minutes he couldn't help himself. "What are you doing here?"
His voice had been soft, deceptively so but in the quiet of the lab it was like a boom causing Sakura to start momentarily before she resumed her writing and dropped the pen, shoulders tight as she stated. "I think I have it."
Ibiki narrowed his eyes, focusing on the cause that had fuelled them for months rather than what beat inside him. "How soon?"
Achingly slow she turned to look at him, the chair creaking as it swivelled, emerald eyes looked up and taking the file she had been writing on Sakura stood and handed it to him explaining. "It's not a cure, not exactly, more of an accelerant – help Shishou's body metabolise the drugs quicker and hopefully get her Chakra working again. As her body works faster it will gain immunity and she should wake up in a few weeks. I need to do some tests first."
Ibiki nodded, looking at Sakura's face, frowning as he spoke, both at the stupidity and the lack of censure of his own mind. "You haven't slept."
It was like her face shuttered down, similar to the shops in the Land of Iron when the gates came down. "No."
The file held tightly in his hand he had to ask. "Why?"
Getting no answer he took the fact that she hadn't moved away from him as a positive sign. "You wanted to be on your own, come to your decision – did you?
Dammit Sakura are you going to do something foolish?"
"I wasn't going to attack him. No matter how much I wished to. I am not suicidal." Sakura moved back to lean against the counter taking care not to harm any of the slides behind her as she reached up and tightened her ponytail, watching Ibiki's sigh in relief she finally caught sight of the blood on his hands and speckled on his clothing.
"I had a lot to think about Ibiki." Sakura admitted her voice barely a whisper but heavy in tiredness. "The last few days I couldn't stop my brain or my body. I felt only the tiniest guilt that I had lost it, relieved that I had, but then guilty that I was so relieved. I couldn't even decide how I felt.
My body felt strange to me, no more movements, no more discomfort and through it all one thing kept pounding in my brain. And I couldn't get rid of it."
Hands reached down to hold onto the counter she leant against, head bowing before rising and visibly gulping Sakura asked with determination.
"Did you organise it?"
She met his eyes, gaze for gaze neither looking away as Ibiki stood tall, shoulders straightening. "Yes, I got Baki to agree t-"
"No Ibiki." Sakura interrupted him, voice not rising or hardening, emerald eyes looking into his very soul as she stood up. "In the hospital you apologised, but you weren't upset you spoke of how Gaara and Danzou were livid but not you. When Isshin said I couldn't have kids you couldn't stop apologising and you were more relieved that me when it wasn't true.
It was guilt."
Ibiki forced himself to look at her, saw the tears gathering in those emerald eyes and clenched his jaw.
"So I ask again Ibiki." She stepped up to him, inches from his body and looked up at him. "Did you organise the attack on us, order that I be injured enough to lose it."
"Yes."
Ibiki braced himself for pain, shocked when soft lips met his, dark eyes looked down and tentively he reached up to touch Sakura's cheek, their breath intermingled, he could feel it hers on his lips and saw it in her face. Dropping the file he held, one hand wrapped around her waist pulling Sakura against his body as the other went from her cheek to the back of her head, returning the kiss, devouring her as lips melded. Eyes closed in rapture as Sakura returned it, holding onto Ibiki as tightly as he held her.
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Dia Duit,
I have been waiting so eagerly to write this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it and once again thank you for all the reviews.
Lots of love,
The Rose and the Dagger x x x