Scarlet Justice - ep. 138
"Sticky Notes"
[Cordially Yours, Part 1]
A few days have passed since the last event. Work is still being done, such as the lists of children and personnel being finalized. That will take some time, and even then will need to be updated until the facilities are actually built. My main priority is ensuring that, barring an emergency, I will be there at the site opening to welcome the first set of children. It will be a year or two from now at this rate, perhaps a bit longer...but it's not something I will lose track of so easily. My soul is going into this project, after all.
The facilities should run smoothly, but I cannot rest when it comes to that, either. While the majority of calls are going towards the Hokage's Office and that of Magnolia House, I take a few here and there while on my off days. Things like updates, status reports, small requests. It should be tiring after a while, but it isn't. I rather like getting these details out of the way, in the manner that I see fit. Hm. I wonder, if this ends up being a smashing success in the near future, perhaps I could...mm. No. That sort of conquest wouldn't be good, or sustainable. I will need to figure out something else once I ascend to the summit.
Today's morning is peaceful enough. I scan paperwork from the latest mission, pleased with how it looks. This can be sent by bird, since I'm feeling a bit lazy at the moment.
A set of knocks comes from our front door.
"I'll get it!"
"Make sure you have your pants on, darling. No need to stir up more scandal just yet. That's my job," I say to Fio.
"On and secured! I'm set! Behind door number one is..." She unlocks the door and pulls it open. "A new face today! Hi!"
"Good morning, ma'am. I have important messages for Captain Kobayashi."
"Present," I call back. "Will you be needing anything of note?"
"A signature, ma'am."
"Mm." Something hefty this time, then. I rise from my seat and run my hands through my hair before reaching the door. An older gentleman...judging from the attire underneath his vest, he's from the administrative department. Interesting.
"Here, ma'am."
"Thank you kindly." I take the offered pen and sign the presented scroll. He rolls it up and nods before handing me two sealed scrolls. Both look plain enough, except for the very subtle sliver of blue on the edges of one scroll. That tells me quite a bit.
He bows before leaving quietly. Fio closes the door and I walk back to the table, setting the scrolls down as I sit. This is a bother.
I was expecting one scroll to arrive. Not two.
"I'm guessing those are special since you had to sign for them," Fio says to me as she goes into the kitchen.
"In a way, yes. There is enough importance attached to today's delivery." I break the seal on the first scroll, the one with the little hidden code. An expected message, in familiar coded language: contact from Itachi. More specifically, a request for an in person meeting. He's grown bold, hasn't he. I think about taking Erika with me, since she has been going on about such things recently...but...there should be no need. And I want to have a proper heart to heart with him again anyways.
The second scroll is...completely plain. It bothers me to no end as a result.
"People are sending all kinds of stuff recently," Fio says as she finishes making herself coffee. "Hopefully you're not burning yourself out on this, Lili. You're keeping up your usual amount of missions, too."
"Between you and everyone else keeping an eye on me, I should be fine," I say as I pick up the scroll.
"You say that, but you're also a really stubborn brat."
"Yes, rather unfortunate."
She sighs. "Seriously, just don't overdo it. You won't get to be Hokage if you kill yourself working to get there."
"I'll remember to take it easy, darling. I mean it."
"I believe you, hon. Just do your best, okay?"
"Yes." That feeling of unease isn't going away, even as I break the seal on the scroll and open it. Why am I reacting like this? Something isn't right.
"Hm? Oi, Lili. You don't look good."
I stare at the characters in front of me, feeling a bit numb. All of that work...damn it all. I can't believe this.
"Lili, seriously. Say something. What are you staring at?"
"It's starting...this is a complete fucking bother, and I felt it the moment I touched the fucking scroll." I set it down and put my head in my hands.
"I'm here for whatever you need, Lili. Don't you worry." I hear Fio set her mug down and she rubs my shoulders. I feel just a bit better and reach back to pat one of her hands reassuringly.
"I know, Fio. Thank you. This...it's something I need to deal with right away. If not, all of those sacrifices will mean nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"Shimura has started his move. Sai...despite our best efforts, it seems he's gotten to Sasuke. Perhaps that was the true point of his surveillance over the past few weeks. Not just Sasuke directly, but Sakura, too...she's still pliable in her state, hard as she has been trying. We can't let either of them slip away."
"Anything we can do?" Fio asks.
"I'm thinking. Ah, if you could keep working on my shoulders a bit...that would help a lot, my love."
"You got it, boss lady. I'll work out those knots so you can get to thinkin' real good."
The question remains...what would trigger the move now? Would it be Itachi? No, according to Erika he hasn't been in proximity for a while now, and wouldn't stir up trouble for no good reason. It's not him. There's something else triggering this. But Sai...he would know that he has a small window, so the intended effect would be something significant. But of course, I'm nothing compared to an entire underground information network, even with as many connections as I have right now. Sai is obviously trying to tempt Sasuke into ROOT by way of different avenues.
But the main issue is that he is moving. Setting up something significant. I should discuss a few things regarding Sasuke at this next meeting with Itachi. He is becoming more and more troublesome to look after, even if he doesn't mean it at this point. Unintended consequences of that disgusting lust for power. Who do I involve further in this loop? The obvious suspects...hm. Well, since he helped so much with Naruto, I suppose we can put our heads together to deal with the other two thirds of Team Seven too.
"I reason that...I can do it that way. It should work, at least for now."
"Everything okay?" Fio asks.
"Yes. There's nothing to be alarmed about...we have things under control. There's a stop we will need to make."
"Okay, got it. Do I need to change?"
"You can go as you are. I'll put on some proper clothing. Just a moment and we'll be off." I get up and head into my room, finding a neat plaid skirt to put on. A good blouse, buttoned halfway so that I don't get too stifled by the heat. Sunglasses, and I should be able to pick something out from the footwear we have near the door. I grab an empty purse and put a few essentials into it before leaving.
"Ready?" Fio asks. "I've got my keys."
"Ready." I find a pair of slippers and put them on, while Fio tosses me the scrolls from earlier. I put them into my purse and open the door, heading out as Fio does the last set of checks. She locks the door and catches up to me as I head through the streets.
"Here's the plan for now. We're headed over to see Kakashi. I think he should be informed about this as early as possible, but there is another purpose. I want you two to put your heads together solving this little issue after I give him the details. It shouldn't be anything too drastic or severe."
"Okay. Oh, yeah...the other scroll. It's like, top secret stuff, right?"
"Just a little. Do you remember, with regards to Sasuke...I mentioned that man?"
"Ah..."
"He wants a meeting, so I should be ready to see him in a day or two. Hopefully nothing explodes before then, or worse, during that time."
"Right. Well, I'll do whatever I can to help out. You can count on me, Lili."
"Of that, I have no doubt. Let's hurry off to our friend and see what his insights are. If I recall correctly, he was on a recent mission so he should be at home trying to rest..."
We cross through the Leaf before reaching a relatively quiet space. Our feet bring us to a modest looking home – nothing flashy or out place. Sensible...very much like Kakashi, yes. Fio and I head up to the front door, and I knock three times lightly. We wait a few moments before it opens.
"Ooh! Nice pecs!" Fio chirps.
"Ah, yes. You are still on the younger side, aren't you...and the conditioning of an elite member of the ANBU wouldn't leave so suddenly, would it. Enough to entrance any woman, hmhm. I suspect you already have done so, at least once," I say.
"It's nice to be ogled sometimes, but I have a lot of misgivings about young girls doing it to me at my front door. For obvious reasons, as I'm sure you two can guess." Kakashi looks as aloof as ever, even while shirtless. That mask is predictably over his mouth and neck, which makes Fio pout a bit. I suppose she was looking forward to unravelling that mystery of mysteries this morning.
"The neighbourhood is quiet enough, as you should know. Nothing should get around, and that much can be brushed off by claiming teenage curiosity," I point out.
"That's easy enough for you to say."
"Quite so. If you would be so kind as to welcome us inside, we can avoid such issues altogether."
He nods and yawns before stepping aside to let us in. There are the usual sets of slippers, which Fio and I make use of, but also another pair of shoes.
Kakashi follows my gaze and realizes through his drowsiness what I'm thinking.
"No. Nothing like that happened."
I give him a smug smile. "You would say as much."
"Well, you can ask her yourself. She barged in the same way as you did, at a more unreasonable hour."
"Nine in the morning is not unreasonable," a voice calls from the kitchen.
"It is on my day off. Explain to our guests that we weren't doing strange things together, won't you? I need to put on a shirt." Kakashi disappears down the hall while Fio and I head to the kitchen. A familiar, expected face greets us.
"Hey, good morning! Been a while," Ruki says with a smile. As always, she is lovely to behold and brightens up my day immediately. Today's outfit is a cute sleeveless shirt, paired with a miniskirt.
"It has been. I've certainly missed you, my darling."
"For unwholesome reasons, of course."
"Those too."
She shakes her head before giving me a warm hug. Fio is greeted in the same way, and Kakashi returns wearing a plain shirt as promised. Ruki hands him a cup of coffee, to which he nods his thanks.
"Coffee for our guests?" she asks.
"I'll pass this time," I say.
"Yes, please~! Lots and cream and sugar in mine," Fio says happily. "A whole lot!"
"Take her at her word. Put as much in as you can, within reason," I say casually before sitting down.
"I guess this is one of those high calorie diets I've been hearing about," Kakashi says, confused. Ruki finds an oversized mug from the cupboards and starts her mixing.
"Something like that. But to get down to proper business...there is a valid reason why we've barged in and interrupted your rest this morning. Have a seat there, and I will give you this scroll to read. You will find some...annoyances."
"Ominous." Ruki sets down Fio's coffee in front of her, and Kakashi takes his seat. I remove the relevant scroll from my purse and hand it to him. He sets it down on the table and casually starts to read...then his mug slowly comes to rest on the table as he goes quiet, much like I did earlier.
"Kakashi?" Ruki asks. "Is everything alright?"
"Well...this isn't good," he says bluntly.
"Indeed," I reply. "Did you know anything about this, by chance?"
"A lot of it is new to me. But...this isn't entirely outside of projections. Just didn't want to assume the worst."
"I don't either," I say with annoyance. "Having to consider these things puts knots in my muscles and will eventually leave unsightly lines on my face. I can't stand either of those outcomes. A young, vibrant beauty reduced to nerves over some brutish clan child? Shambolic at best."
"That too, I guess."
"Is this about Sasuke? Did he do something bad?" Ruki asks me. "I mean, like...again?"
"Sasuke is being tempted by darker elements of the Leaf. Suffice it to say that he will find himself in deep trouble very quickly if this continues. Not only that, but the Leaf as a whole might be compromised. Sakura is in danger as well, since she's so slavishly devoted to him at this point. I bet if he asked her to have his-"
"I would like to enjoy my coffee this morning, Lili," Kakashi says nervously.
"Yes, my apologies. But you see my meaning, hopefully."
"Yeah. It's...pretty clear."
"Let's figure out where we are first," Fio suggests. "If we put our heads together right now, we might be able to get the picture before our pal Sasuke goes and does something too silly to take back. Sounds good, yeah?"
"Definitely," I say. "Kakashi, we came to you this morning for your insights. Perhaps you could start us off."
"Alright." Ruki takes away his mug and Fio's for refills. He finished his coffee without my noticing...how does he keep getting away with that? I'll figure it out one day, I suppose. There are more important things at current. "Sasuke isn't in the best place, even now. He's definitely improved, and so has Sakura. But that obsession with Itachi still persists, and still drives the majority of his actions. Over half of his life has been focused on avenging his clan. That's not something so easy to shake off, even with everything he's gone through."
"So what do you think is happening now?" I ask.
"Something time-sensitive has taken place, enough so that Danzo wants to make a move on Sasuke right at this moment. That narrows the list down a lot, but we still have a few things to sift through if we want to figure this out."
"Then we can start with an extreme...perhaps Itachi has been located."
Ruki returns with the two mugs and sets them down before having a seat herself.
"Let's cycle through that," Kakashi says. "It's a possibility that Danzo might want to use Sasuke as a valuable piece of bait to draw Itachi out. That's risky for more than a few reasons, and may very well cross a major line with the Hokage."
"It is possible, but unlikely. Itachi is not so sloppy as to let himself be found before the promised time, and that sort of bait would be too obvious. If he wanted to get rid of Sasuke, he has had more than a few chances to do so already. In addition, if Danzo had a handle on such matters, there is very little chance that the other elements of Leaf would be caught unawares. Any movement on Sasuke would be restricted to the highest degree."
"So it's not Itachi," Ruki says. "Maybe something related to him, then?"
"Oh! Lili, what was that you said about how those Akatsuki guys worked? They're in pairs, right?" Fio asks.
"Yes, that is true...a partner, then?"
"I get it. Maybe the plan is to guide Sasuke towards a member of Akatsuki, or some sort of contact with the organization. That would put him on a path to chasing down Itachi," Kakashi concludes.
"And the reason they would want it to be now is because that person is moving...but is it someone within the village, or without? We don't know exactly where they would be in this case, which makes it difficult to plan for. Is Sasuke leaving the village for any upcoming missions?" I ask Kakashi.
"One in about a day or two...I'm thinking sooner rather than later. It's supposed to be a tune up, and at least one ANBU will be shadowing them. That's far from a good time to plan any shenanigans," he says. "It's supposed to put them near...Tanzaku Quarter, if I remember correctly."
"Hm."
"With this new information in hand, it shouldn't be too hard to increase the security detail. But even so, these are just our guesses. It could be something else entirely, maybe just a taunt by that Sai character to get him fired up. And Sakura will be there, too. As much as she loves Sasuke and wants to be by his side...she's been developing some backbone when it comes to dealing with his moods."
"Has she? Good for her," I say with a nod.
"Yeah. Sasuke, though...I can never truly tell what's going on in his head, even as I've been watching over him. We've both been through a lot in our lives, and lost many people close to us. What he needs are people willing to stick by him, but the way he might descend into the darkness...I don't know. Maybe if I had a goal like his, I would have turned out the same."
"What do you think would happen if we...I guess somehow removed Itachi from the picture?" Ruki asks. "Would it be as easy as him getting over that, eventually? Focusing on other things after he eventually recovers from the shock?"
"..." I think on that. "It depends on what happens afterwards with regards to Itachi. If everything is neatly buried, then I suppose he'll eventually find his way to a new life, with some help. But I have a feeling, that...with so many things unresolved, there is a danger that he might just transfer that anger somewhere else."
"Somewhere else..."
"It might even be hard for him to accept that everything was over," Kakashi adds. "He would still have many memories haunting him. It might be that he would need a full sense of closure, but I wouldn't know where to start with that."
"..." Fio sips at her coffee and looks at me knowingly.
If that person calling themselves Madara is out there, they might very well target Sasuke if Itachi disappears. He would be the only other living Uchiha, and easily manipulated. More than that, he was there on the night of the massacre, helping carry it out, understanding of Itachi's reasoning even if he held no sympathy for that position. Revenge on the Leaf...he could very well use Sasuke's potentially boundless rage for that purpose, while he carried on in other parts of the world, out of harm's way.
It's starting to click in just how intensely dangerous this all could get, and without much of a push needed.
"Whatever the case, we need to cover as much ground as we can," I say. "Fio, you and Kakashi need to keep an eye on things within the village over the next few days. Sai still has his monitoring to do, so you can use that to push him about a little. Erika will be in the loop, seeing as she authored the message in the first place, and I want you to get Ino involved as well. She has her ear to the ground well enough these days and wants to keep an eye on Sakura. The ladies at the office are aware, and they will likely have things for you to do. Inform them of any plans or ideas you have. There is still time to put a lid on this nonsense and keep it from properly bubbling over."
"Right. We'll make a move as quickly as possible, then," Kakashi says.
"Yep, count on us!" Fio adds in.
"Good. As for you, Ruki...whatever emotional support you can provide would be a blessing. As far as other work, keep your eyes open at the hospital whenever possible."
She nods. "Got it. I'll stay out of trouble otherwise."
"Good. Thank you all for being as reliable as you are. It's always nice to have strong comrades you can turn to," I say with a smile.
"Well thank you for trusting us," Kakashi says. "It's appreciated, especially coming from someone so admired in the Leaf."
"You flatter me, darling. We'll have a drink together in a few years, just to bond properly." I give him a playful wink.
"You're a little much sometimes."
"Truly." I give Fio a kiss on the cheek. "The three of you can continue conferencing. I have some errands to run ahead of my little date. He's a handsome fellow, and I want to look my best for him."
"A date, eh." Ruki shakes her head. "It's not very nice to tease guys like that, you know."
"Mm. He'll forgive my wittiness as he always does. In fact, he's the type to get one over on me these days," I say as I stand up. "A mysterious fellow, but that's why I adore him so. I wish you could properly meet."
"He does sound like fun, especially if he could make someone like you blush."
"Quite. Well, darlings. I shall be off, so take care for now."
I hear them starting another conversation once I leave the kitchen. Very good. The three of them should be more than fine together, and enough to overcome whatever problems Danzo and Sasuke will inevitably cause in the next few days.
As for me? Well, I have a very lovely date lined up, as mentioned. One that I would not miss for the world itself...for indeed, the world's fate hangs in the balance.