Things were finally beginning to slow down for Sakura. She'd passed her first major exam, her bank account was looking better than it ever had, and she could finally enjoy her evenings without being overloaded by studying. She'd fallen into a stable routine at work too, having found her stride with Sasuke's schedule and fitting into a lifestyle that was very different from her own.
Itachi was also a lot less intimidating. She wouldn't have considered him a friend, but she was starting to feel more comfortable around him, and in his house. Their self-defense classes were still awkward though, because it was definitely weird to have him in her personal space, and she doubted that was something she'd get used to any time soon. She felt like she was doing pretty good though; she could escape from being grabbed at least.
But right now, she was questioning Itachi's sanity as she stood barefoot on the mat of the gym that was attached to the garage. "You want me to do what?" I don't think I heard that correctly.
Itachi stood across from her, looking a tad irritated that he needed to repeat himself. "I want you to try and hit me."
Sasuke was sitting on the floor, watching them. Kage was sleeping next to him, a new red collar around his neck.
"I thought self-defense classes were geared towards getting away. Why would I need to hit someone?" She was stalling, and he probably knew that. But she really didn't want to hit her boss.
Itachi sighed. "What if you can't get away? You're cornered with nowhere to go but through your assailant. I want to see you throw a punch. If you're worried about hurting me, you won't be able to."
Is that supposed to be a challenge? She understood what he was getting at, but… "Don't you have a punching bag or something?"
"Sakura." Her name was said in the same tone he used to reprimand Sasuke in, the type of tone that said I'm not going to ask again.
"Alright alright, geeze." She rushed towards him, feeling ridiculous as she raised her arm, closed her hand into a fist, and shot it forward towards his chest. He sidestepped her like she was moving in slow motion. Her own momentum sent her toppling forward, but before she could faceplant on the mat, Itachi grabbed the back of her shirt, allowing her to regain her balance.
She couldn't help the embarrassment that flooded her face. Of course she didn't know how to punch someone, and she knew he had just wanted to see what she could do, but she felt ridiculous compared to his calm movements.
"May I see your hand?" Itachi asked, his expression unreadable in the face of her near humiliation.
She held out her hand to him and tried not to think too hard about the fact that he was touching her as he folded her fingers into a fist. They left spots of warmth where they came into contact with her skin.
"The important thing to remember is not to wrap your fingers around your thumb, or you'll break it. Make your fist tight enough that it won't give when you hit your target, to lessen injury to your hand." He let go of her hand and moved to adjust her stance, which entailed putting her arms, shoulders, and hips into specific positions. He also told her where to place her feet. "You want to maintain a strong base, even while moving."
Sakura kept the position, her hand still in a fist. It took a lot of concentration to focus on Itachi's words and not on where he was touching her. She would have thought that she'd be used to this by now, since this was a common occurrence during the self-defense lessons, but she doubted any girl would get used to being this close to someone who had the kind of looks Itachi had.
He's too distracting.
He had her throw a couple punches while he circled her, correcting her where needed. She managed to maintain her balance this time.
When they were done with the lesson and were putting on their shoes, Sakura decided to ask the question that'd been bothering her since the decision about the dog yesterday. "Did I actually pick the right dog?" According to Itachi, the german shepherd had slept in Sasuke's bed last night, which was a good sign about the two getting along. "You said you trusted me to make the right decision, but you know nothing about Kage, so how did you know that I did well?" She'd had to make a choice based on the little information Kakashi had given her, and that had basically been nothing.
"You're assuming that I don't know." Itachi glanced at the sleeping dog. "If I had gone myself, he is the one I would have picked. Kakashi sent me their profiles beforehand. You showed good judgment when you decided he was the best pick. The other two weren't necessarily bad choices, but they weren't as friendly as I would have liked."
"Kage is the best," Sasuke chimed in as he ran a hand over the sleeping german shepherd's head.
Sakura laughed. "Well that settles it then." Itachi's reasoning for why she picked the best dog still didn't explain why he'd had her go in the first place, especially if he knew what dog he would have picked beforehand. Why hadn't he had her just to pick up Kage to begin with?
I guess I'll never understand how his mind works. She sat down to put her shoes on and when she got to her feet, she stretched out her arms. These lessons always made her sore by the end of the day, since she was using muscles she usually didn't.
"Can I ask you for another favor, Sakura?" Itachi asked as he got his own shoes on.
"Is this going to involve picking out another pet?" Sakura was mostly joking, but a part of her wasn't so sure.
If Itachi found her joke amusing, it didn't show on his face as he stood. "No, but it will involve picking out a dress."
It took several moments for Sakura to process where he was going with this and then her thoughts were suddenly derailing as her mind leaped to the first possibility that would involve a dress.
Surely he isn't going to ask me out?
Don't be stupid, why would he ask you out?
She was jumping to conclusions. There was no way she was going to be asked out by a millionaire. And on top of that, he was her boss. Nothing in their interactions had hinted at any sort of interest on either side or at least she was fairly certain she'd kept things professional on her end.
Not that she wouldn't go out on a date with him—who wouldn't? People went out on fun dates all the time, it didn't have to be serious, and she certainly didn't have any deeper feelings for him other than hey, he's pretty hot. It'd be fun to rub it into Ino's face too; Sakura Haruno, a girl from nowhere going out on a date with a fancy rich guy. It was so beautifully cliche. They could go to one of those expensive restaurants and eat food that would have cost the same as two weeks of groceries.
"My family hosts a ball on Halloween every year, a masquerade ball specifically, and it's required to bring a date."
No way, is he being serious? What kind of party was this that he had to bring a date? But also, he was asking her out, technically. And there would surely be fancy food at a ball.
"This would be strictly professional," he added on.
She raised an eyebrow at him. Let me just translate that for you buddy, this is a fake date. Sakura was both relieved and disappointed. She was relieved because if she did go to this party with him, she wouldn't have to stress out over the possibility that her boss was harboring feelings for her, which would have ruined their interactions and possibly made her job of looking after Sasuke too uncomfortable to continue.
She was disappointed because it would have been nice to go on a genuine date, since she'd never been on one before—being the youngest trauma surgeon about to graduate left no room for romance.
"Sure, sounds like fun." Though maybe fun wasn't the right word to use. All she could picture was some grand ballroom full of stuffy people staring down their noses at her. It would be a new experience at least.
She caught a glimpse of relief flash across his face and wondered what would have happened if she'd said no. She had no doubt he could find a date easily, but he didn't seem the type to ask some random girl.
"I'll pay you for your time," he said.
Sakura waved him off. "You don't need to." While she hated turning down money, it didn't feel right to get paid for this. Besides, if she did this for him as a favor, maybe she could ask a favor of her own if she ever needed one.
"At least allow me to pay for your dress, and I will give you the address of a shop that my mother used to frequent."
Sakura was going to take that as a hint that whatever dresses she had weren't going to cut it at his family's party, being the poor med student that she was. "I can get on board with that." A free dress wasn't such a bad deal for her time.
"I want to go too!" Sasuke said with a pout, his protesting tone rousing Kage from his sleep. The dog perked his ears and glanced up at them.
"Speaking of that, what about the kids? Do they go to the party?" Sakura asked as she looked down at Sasuke.
"There will be hired help watching them at a nearby indoor fun center."
That made sense, considering that kids and ballroom masquerade didn't sound like they'd go together very well. "I'll get my dress this weekend." Halloween was next week and she didn't think it wise to procrastinate getting the dress. Ino could help her pick, since the blonde had a better head for fashion than she did.
Sakura looked down at Sasuke. "As for you, it's lunch time, and then schoolwork."
Sasuke groaned, but he got to his feet along with Kage and all of them returned to the house.
Friday morning came sunny, but cold. Itachi stood out in the backyard with Shisui, watching several leaves flutter to the ground. The autumn colors that had been on display for the past month were beginning to die out and fade, giving way to dull browns and dead vegetation.
"You were cutting it close there with asking her to the dance when it's only a week away," Shisui said as he snatched a leaf from the air and twirled it between his fingers until it crumbled.
"I felt like we'd finally made enough of a connection that it wouldn't have been weird, especially as a business proposal." He still thought she should be paid for helping him. I'll sneak a bonus in for Christmas.
"You told her it was a fake date? Poor Blossom." Shisui looked amused.
Itachi frowned at him, those weren't the words he would have used. "It would have been worse to let her think otherwise."
Shisui shrugged. "I guess, but I mean, when was the last time you went on an actual date? Izumi?" Shisui laughed. "Oh man, I can't wait to see her face when you show up with Sakura. I have to make sure to get there before you guys."
That was one aspect of next week that Itachi wasn't looking forward to—though he wasn't really looking forward to any of it. Attending the ball was a waste of time that he and Shisui didn't have, but it would simply cause trouble if they didn't go and any excuses about not going would have been sniffed out by Shisui's parents.
Izumi had been betrothed to him when they were born, an archaic practice that he felt didn't belong in today's world. After his father died, he'd broken it off as gently as he could, but Izumi hadn't taken it well. She'd taken a year-long cruise with her family and the ball would be their first encounter since he'd canceled their engagement. For once, he honestly wasn't sure what to expect because she never responded to any of his texts.
It wasn't that he didn't like her. He just didn't have those sort of feelings towards her, and if he ever did marry, he would do so because he wanted to.
Shisui rubbed what was left of the leaf between his fingers, letting it sprinkle to the ground. "She was so shocked when you friend-zoned her. Or sister-zoned? That's what you told her anyways, that she was like a sister to you."
"I'll cross that bridge when I get there. Right now, I need to prepare Sakura for the party, so she doesn't make an unintentional fool of herself." If only he'd felt more comfortable asking her earlier. He only had a week to see what sort of dancer she was. "Who are you bringing, Shisui?"
His cousin's amusement immediately faded. "...I'm working on it."
For the past few years, Shisui had brought random girls from the family company, but before then, he'd always brought Hinata, who Itachi hadn't seen since the car accident that took her cousin's life. He knew Shisui was still suffering from guilt about the incident, but his cousin refused to talk about it, despite the fact that Itachi finally understood, at least a little, of what Shisui was going through.
His cousin had killed his best friend while Itachi had killed his parents. The irony was that Shisui had told him it was Danzo's fault, that the man had tricked Itachi that night. But then Shisui wouldn't accept that it was the driver who'd run the red light that had killed Neji.
It was a tangled web of guilt neither of them could untangle.
Sakura's car pulling up to the garage brought an end to their conversation as Shisui changed the topic. "That's my que to leave, but how I wish I could watch." There was no sign of his discomfort from moments ago.
"Sasuke needs to get that schoolwork done, bringing him into the gym would only distract him," Itachi reminded him.
Shisui waved him off. "Yeah yeah, you just don't want me watching." His cousin turned and went inside the house.
Sakura parked her car inside the garage and came out, approaching Itachi with a puzzled look on her face. She was dressed warmly and had put her hair up. "Is something wrong? You're not usually outside waiting for me."
"There's been a change of plans for you today. Shisui will be watching Sasuke while we prepare for the party."
"Prepare?"
"Do you know how to dance?"
He got his answer as her expression quickly turned into one of horror. "I'm going to assume that you don't." He'd been expecting this, since the average person wasn't going to be familiar with ballroom dancing. Maybe I should have mentioned this before asking her. If she backed out now, he'd have to find another way to get to know her. The party would be the best opportunity to spend time with her while also giving her a glimpse into his life without getting too personal.
This entire operation was going to be a delicate balance of getting close enough to her that she'll sympathize with the Akatsuki's cause, but not close enough that she thought he was interested in her as something more than friends, which would simply complicate everything. He barely had time to connect with Sasuke, much less entertain a romantic relationship with his brother's nanny.
Sakura groaned. "I should have realized. You did say it was a ball." A fresh wave of horror washed over her face. "Wait, are you going to teach me?"
Itachi wasn't sure how to take that. He thought their self-defense lessons had been going well. "Is there a problem with that?"
Now her face was turning red as she blushed with mortification. "I didn't mean—You're a great teacher! Uh, you just don't seem like the dancing type."
Ah, so that's what she's worried about? "I know the basics, which will be enough. It's not a dance competition." It would have been a more productive use of his time to hire a tutor, but that would have defeated the purpose of getting to know her himself. The whole point of this was to find a connection he could use to increase the chances of her joining the Akatsuki. Forcing her wouldn't work. Nagato disapproved of such tactics anyways.
Sakura sounded a little less horrified as she chuckled. "That's good then, because the last time I danced, it was a square dance in the school gym, and I was in grade school."
The smile he gave her was forced. He was pretty good at anything he put his mind to, but he wondered if he was about to meet his match when it came to getting her ready for the ball in a week.
He sighed and turned towards the gym that was attached to the garage. "Let's get this over with."
Sakura caught up to him. "Wow, is that resignation I hear? What happens if I mess up while dancing at this party?"
Itachi opened the door for her. "My entire family will want nothing to do with you. Many of them are very high-minded individuals and think less of people who aren't old money."
She walked past him. "Does that impact you at all? Because I don't really care what they think of me. They're not the ones signing my paycheck." Sakura froze suddenly and turned to look at him, her face going red again—she was too easy to read. "I'm sorry, that was too blunt of me."
Itachi couldn't help but smile for real this time. It was a good sign that she was comfortable enough around him to speak things someone wouldn't typically say around their boss. "I can't say that I care either." The only person's opinion of him that mattered anymore was Shisui and Sasuke's. "And no, their opinion of me doesn't affect anything in my life." Even if he actually worked for the family company, Sharingan Systems, their opinions wouldn't have affected his status or ability to be promoted due to Shisui's father being his uncle.
"That's good then, I wouldn't want to cause any trouble." She went over to the mat, placed her bag and coat on the ground, and removed her shoes.
"Remove your socks too," he told her as he pulled off his own socks and moved into the middle of the mat.
She joined him, but then paused. "Should I take off my sweater? I have a shirt underneath." That last part was tacked on quickly.
Itachi shook his head. "You don't need to."
The dance lesson began with him giving her verbal instructions. They were to stand at least eight feet apart and bow before meeting in the middle. Once there, their left hands had to lock together while his right hand went to her waist and hers to his shoulder.
If he thought the self-defense lessons had been awkward, this was an entirely different level of uncomfortable. But this was what happened when he kept everyone at arm's length, he wasn't accustomed to physical contact.
He kept all of this off his face of course, his expression carefully neutral as he slowly led Sakura through a basic swaying motion while telling her where to put her feet. The pink-haired med student was not so masterful with her expression. She was blushing like mad and her gaze kept dropping to where she was placing her feet.
"Looking down won't help you. Don't think too hard about where you're putting your feet and follow my movements," he said.
That was easier said than done as they stumbled their way around the mat—with Sakura doing most of the stumbling and Itachi ensuring she didn't trip them both. His efforts turned out to be in vain as Sakura's foot caught on his at precisely the wrong moment and threw him off-balance. He only had time to correct their fall so that she landed on top of him instead of the other way around, that way he took the brunt of the call. The lack of sleep is getting to me.
Sakura pushed herself to her hands and for a moment they just stared at each other in shock. His composure slipped in the face of the fact that she was sitting on him in a way that would have given a very wrong impression to anyone who might have walked in on them. If she'd looked horrified at the idea of dancing, she was downright appalled now. He could see it written all over her face, which was the reddest he'd ever seen it.
And then she was scrambling to her feet with a slew of apologies as she held out a hand to him, but then she hesitated, her gaze moving to study him. He followed her gaze and saw that his shirt had slipped up, revealing the bullet-proof vest he typically wore during the day.
He quickly grabbed her hand—successfully diverting her attention away from the vest—and pulled himself up with a soft thank you.
She dropped his hand like she'd been burned. "I'm so sorry, I didn't hurt you did I?" Her gaze slid back down to his shirt. He could see that confusion and curiosity was overcoming her embarrassment. He shouldn't have worn the vest today.
"I'm fine, do you want to try again?"
She bit her lip and didn't say anything for a few moments. "I… Why are you wearing that vest? Are you expecting to get shot in your own home?"
He really shouldn't have worn the vest today. "It's a back support brace. Sitting at a computer most days does nothing for your posture." The lie fell smoothly from his tongue. It wasn't all that far-fetched really, but he needed her to believe him. If she didn't, the worst case scenario was that she started to believe she was in danger here and would quit. Best case scenario, she picked up on the lie and grew suspicious, which would likely lead to her quitting too.
She smacked herself with her palm. "Duh, of course. I guess between that picture I got and the car incident at the hospital, I was just jumping to conclusions. Sorry." She coughed to clear her throat. "We can try again."
They moved to different sides of the mat to start the entire sequence all over.
Shisui looked up from the dining table when Sakura and Itachi came into the kitchen through the backdoor. He was going over the schoolwork Sasuke had just finished while Sasuke himself was upstairs watching TV with Kage in the theater room.
He could immediately tell that something interesting had happened, because both were avoiding meeting the other's eyes and Itachi looked a lot more dishelved than he had that morning.
Of course something happens while I'm not there to see it. He'd have to find a way to wheedle it out of Itachi, because it must have been good. And he could use something fun to take his mind off what he was planning to do that evening.
"How was it, Blossom? Are you an expert ballroom dancer now?" he asked with a huge smile.
Sakura blushed. "Not quite." Her gaze slid back to Itachi and away so fast that anyone else might have missed it.
Yup, I gotta find out what happened, but that's going to have to wait...
Shisui stood and gestured to the paperwork on the table as he looked at Itachi. "Sasuke finished everything you wanted him to. As much as I'd love to stay and hear all about your dance lesson, I gotta get going." He could feel his cousin's questioning gaze on him as he tucked his phone into his pocket and left out the backdoor to get into his car.
He reversed and made a three-point turn to get out of the backyard and onto the driveway. It was an abrupt departure on his end and he knew Itachi would question him about it later. Shisui's answers to those questions would vary depending on how tonight went.
Since he still had several hours to kill, he drove downtown to his company's office to get some work done. When he noticed that six o-clock was approaching, he shut down his computer, locked up his office, and made his way out to his car. When he checked his phone, he saw a text message from Itachi that simply read good luck.
The apartment complex he pulled into looked different from this angle, since he was accustomed to seeing it from the back. His red coupe looked out of place among the commuter and family vehicles as he found a visitor's parking spot and got out.
He dragged his feet as he made his way up the stairs of building A13, all the way up to the third floor. When he came to Hinata's door, he just stared at it. She knew he was coming, he'd asked her if he could come over around six.
But his stomach was twisting itself into knots. The last time he'd spoken to her face-to-face had been several days after the accident, after she finally woke up to find him sitting at her bedside, which he hadn't left the entire time—he'd practically camped out in her room until he drove the nurses crazy. She'd told him that she needed time.
And now here he was, several years later. He didn't know what to expect, it was almost like the first time he'd asked her out, when he realized he wanted to be more than friends. Except he'd been excited then. There was nothing exciting about this moment, not with the guilt and the pain of their separation—a separation he could only blame himself for.
Sighing, Shisui knocked softly on the door. He heard movement on the other side and then it opened. Hinata looked like a deer caught in the headlights for a moment, but then she shook her head and smiled hesitantly at him. "Shisui-kun, come in." That smile made his chest ache.
"Hey, Snowflake." Her nickname fell unbidden from his mouth and she blushed as she opened the door wider.
This is going to be so awkward. He entered her apartment. The fireplace in the sitting room made things toasty and he could smell pumpkin baking in the oven. His stomach did a flip at the familiar smell, which brought back memories of cold evenings spent snuggled on the couch watching scary movies. Hinata had insisted she wasn't scared of them, but he'd known otherwise. She'd wanted to watch them with him because she knew he'd liked them.
Hinata went into the kitchen. "I have pumpkin chocolate-chip cookies in the oven… Those are still your favorite?" She glanced over the counter at him, her expression making it obvious that neither of them was sure how to act around the other.
"Yeah." Anything Hinata had baked for him had been his favorite, because anything she touched turned out to be delicious. He'd learned a lot of cooking and baking techniques from her, back when they'd been dating. He still used them today—when he had the time to cook an actual meal instead of ordering out.
He took a seat at the bar counter and drummed his fingers against the surface. For once, he didn't know what to say. They'd been lifelong friends and then they'd started dating, but then the accident happened… How was he even supposed to approach this conversation? He'd been turning this question over in his mind ever since he'd made the decision to talk to her about their separation.
To try and distract himself—and maybe find some inspiration—he took a quick look around. Her apartment was filled with Halloween decorations. When he was little, he'd go trick-or-treating with Hinata and Neji. They'd pick a theme every year and find matching costumes. Ninja had been a popular one.
This isn't working, just get it over with. "I was wondering if we could catch up, maybe talk…" He trailed off before he could say about the accident. He wasn't even sure what he was hoping to accomplish here. He missed her a lot, but it wasn't like they could just resume where they left off. For all he knew, she wanted nothing to do with him and was only being polite by entertaining his request to visit her.
"Yes, I would like to talk about some things too," she said, her voice so soft that he almost didn't catch it.
He didn't know if what she said made him feel worse or better.
When the cookies were done, they ate them in silence before Shisui suggested they go for a walk despite the cool evening. Hinata got her coat and scarf and they left to wander the sidewalks between the buildings. The sun had gone down, leaving the areas outside the illuminated sidewalk dark. A breeze rustled the leaves, which were falling everywhere and littered the sidewalk where they crunched underfoot.
They ended up at the park, sitting on the swings, rocking back and forth more than actually swinging. Several lamp posts helped pushed away the shadows.
What should I say? Shisui wasn't accustomed to being at a loss for words. He'd always been easy going, able to respond to just about any situation. He was the head of a company worth billions of dollars and had spoken in hundreds of meetings and yet he was mute at this moment, a very crucial moment that would determine where he and Hinata stood.
"Do you hate me, Shisui-kun?"
He froze on the swing and turned to look at Hinata so fast that it was a miracle he didn't snap his neck. "What?! Hinata, why would I hate you?! Is that what you've been thinking this whole time?" Kakashi had been right, even if he hadn't used the term hate.
Shisui hit his heel against the ground in frustration. "I'm such an idiot." Of course she'd think that. He'd been avoiding her under the pretense of giving her space, there was no other way to spin it; it didn't matter that that was what she'd asked him for because when she had finally reached out to him, he'd made no effort to meet up with her. "I could never hate you, I'm just a jerk. If anything, you should hate me for killing Neji."
Hinata stopped her own swing and placed a hand on his knee. "Don't say that! When I told you that I needed space… I just needed time to process that he was gone and that I almost died. I… still have nightmares."
Shisui's grip on the swing chains tightened so hard that the metal dug into his palm. He still had nightmares too, but the thought of Hinata waking up in the middle of the night all alone after reliving that night hit him hard. He should have been there for her, like an actually caring boyfriend would have been.
She continued speaking. "But I don't blame you. You didn't kill Neji, it was the man who ran the red light. When I felt like I was in a better spot, I realized I needed to make some hard decisions about my life." She withdrew her hand from his knee and fiddled with her hands in her lap. "I missed you, but I wanted to figure everything out on my own. I'd heard you'd taken over your family's company and didn't want to bother you with my problems, because I knew you'd drop everything and come running." This was said with a rueful smile that made Shisui's heart hurt.
"I should have been there for you," he muttered. "Your father must have been furious when you left."
She nodded. "He was, but now that he's seen the life I've built for myself, he's started to talk to me again. I think he's impressed, even if it's not the life he wants for me."
"I'm proud of you too, Snowflake." He smiled at her and snorted as the memory of a past conversation resurfaced. "Remember when I told you that we could elope? I thought you'd need me to break you free from your father's influence, but you did it all by yourself." Sure, he'd helped her a little with getting a job and an apartment, but she'd taken those opportunities and made them her own.
He was glad that she'd come into her own, that she finally felt like she could stand on her own two feet without her father pulling her down. Shisui just wished he had been there alongside her, not just in the background, helping from the shadows.
They fell into a suddenly awkward silence that stretched between them like a chasm that the bridge couldn't quite gap.
Shisui found himself thinking about all the moments they'd had, both as friends and as a couple. The memory of the first night they'd shared together rose unbidden into his thoughts and he quickly banished it before it could stir up any unwelcome feelings. Technically, they hadn't officially broken up, and as far as he was aware, Hinata hadn't dated anyone else. He certainly hadn't. But it wasn't like they could just resume where they left off. Right?
Lost in his thoughts, Shisui almost missed the red dot that appeared on Hinata's chest, the light almost too bright in the dark. It took him one second to figure out which direction the sniper was, but it didn't matter as he threw himself at Hinata.
The bullet punched through the protective vest he wore under his clothes and into the side of his abdomen. They landed hard on the ground as several more bullets slammed into the playground sand. He shielded her with his body, his entire back tensing at the expectation of being hit again, but the bullets stopped. A moment later, the pain hit him and he grit his teeth. It was like his entire middle was on fire.
He'd never been shot before. He was too good for that.
He reached up to the flesh colored radio in his ear and touched it. "I need backup at Stansbury Apartments now! At least one sniper and I'm hit." He didn't have time to wait for a reply as he dragged a shocked Hinata to her feet and into the cover of nearby trees. He cursed the loudness of the leaf litter beneath their feet, but he couldn't move quietly with Hinata anyways.
"You're bleeding!" Hinata exclaimed. His blood had soaked through his shirt and was all over her white sweater.
A flashback of the car accident overwhelmed him; Hinata prone in her seat, blood dripping onto her shirt. He grit his teeth as he swayed, a wave of dizziness overcoming him. There were suddenly two overlapping images of Hinata's frightened expression in his field of vision.
He stumbled back against the tree for support as Hinata fumbled for her phone, presumably to dial 911. He grabbed her wrist. "Don't. I've already called for backup, but you can't call 911."
"You need an ambulance!"
He spotted two men wearing masks crossing the park towards them. They blended in very well with their dark clothing. He didn't need to see the guns to know they were carrying. "I'm going to need a hearse if we don't move, Snowflake. You need to trust me." He pulled her along as he put distance between them and the masked men, who most certainly knew where they were from the noise they were making.
Nagato's voice filled his ear, calm and authoritative. "Shisui, get to the street that runs behind the complex. I'm sending the Naraka Path to you, its ETA is five minutes."
There was a lot of open ground between them and the stone wall they'd have to climb over to get to that street. Shisui stopped and pointed at the wall. "Hinata, a friend of mine is coming to help, but we need to go over that wall and there are two men with guns coming our way."
"Why are they after us?" He could tell she was trying her best not to panic, but he could hear the fear in her voice.
He let go of her hand and gripped her shoulders. "I promise I'll explain later, but you need to listen to me. I'm going to cover you while you run for that wall." It was him they were after, not Hinata—she was a civilian, and one with important ties to a city councilman. They wouldn't try to kill her outright, but if she was caught in the crossfire, they'd find a way to cover it up.
Somehow Root had gotten the jump on him, not even Nagato had realized they were there. Otherwise he would have given warning over the radio long before that sniper had gotten close enough to take a shot.
Shisui didn't know how, but Root had known he'd be here and had targeted Hinata to get him in the line of fire. It was the only way they would have been able to land a hit on him, which just pissed him off. He'd love to get his hands on Danzo for what he did to Itachi, and now this.
Hinata protested. "But—"
"Go!" He shoved her away and spun, pulling out the gun he'd had concealed. He heard her run just as the two Root agents came across them. He immediately open fired on them. His gun was equipped with a silencer, but if anyone was close enough, they'd have heard the soft pops.
He killed one, but then his vision swam and he couldn't aim properly. The second agent returned fire with his own silenced gun and a bullet slammed into Shisui's shoulder. He stumbled and went down, desperately trying to bring his gun to bear on the remaining agent as he fought off another wave of dizziness. He was losing blood fast.
A gunshot rang out from behind Shisui and the agent collapsed. Shisui let his head fall back against the ground. Above him, the star strewn sky was spinning. Hinata appeared in his field of view, a gun in her hand. For a moment he thought he'd gone insane. The image of his sweet Hinata holding a weapon just didn't click in his mind. It was like trying to imagine a small and cute dog rip someone's throat out.
"Since when do you carry, Snowflake?" His words slurred together as Hinata took off her scarf to bind his shoulder.
"Since I left home. It felt safer." He could see that her hands were shaking and her face was as white as a sheet. It must have been the first time she'd used that gun on a live target, much less killed someone with one.
"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I should have just stayed out of your life." He only caused her trauma. But they didn't have time to talk about this as he pushed himself into a sitting position. The adrenaline and sheer drive to get Hinata out of there were doing wonders for his pain, but his limbs were starting to grow heavy.
Hinata helped him to his feet. He was forced to use her as a support when the world swayed around him. Way too slowly they started to move.
He didn't know what was going on. Something critical had failed in Nagato's security system if the Akatsuki leader hadn't picked up on Root agents moving onto the property that hosted the apartment buildings.
They reached the wall. He boosted Hinata up onto the edge and then she helped pull him up. Bushes helped cushion the drop to the other side.
Relief flooded him when he saw the ambulance that waited for them. The vehicle had no outside lights on, but he could hear the engine running. The back doors were open and waiting, the cabin lit by sterile white light.
"In there," he told Hinata, pointing at the ambulance.
She looked confused but didn't argue with him as she helped him into the back of the ambulance. The license plate read Naraka.
He collapsed onto the gurney with a groan. The lights were too bright. The doors shut of their own accord, startling Hinata. She looked like she was about to panic as the ambulance pulled away from the curb.
"Shisui-kun, there's no one driving," she whispered hoarsely.
What a mess. Nagato must have really been caught off guard if he'd sent the Path without someone driving it. Then again, Shisui hadn't told him Hinata was with him. He had never planned to tell her about the Akatsuki, but he wasn't going to have a choice now. It wouldn't be too big of a deal, considering her father was on the City Council and knew of their existence.
His vision was growing dark and he could feel himself fading, but he mustered the strength to reach for Hinata's hand and gave it a squeeze. "It's okay, it's a remote controlled vehicle." That was only a simple explanation of what the ambulance was, which was one of six such vehicles. Only Nagato knew the intricacies of his Paths, not even Itachi was allowed to touch their coding.
Hinata frowned but nodded and turned to rummage through the cabinets. "I… I don't know what any of this does."
Nagato's voice came in through the ambulance's speakers from the front. "I'm going to patch Rin into this call, she will guide you on what to do."
Rin's voice filled the cabin. "Hello! Your name is Hinata right? Shisui likes to talk about you."
Shisui groaned.
"I hear he's still conscious, that's good, but if he passes out, don't panic. Can you tell me where he was shot…?"
Shisui lost track of the conversation as Rin's voice faded in and out of his ears. He became vaguely aware of Hinata moving around while the cabin rattled around them. She was undressing him to get to the wounds, but he couldn't do much to help since his arms wouldn't respond.
There was so much he still wanted to say to Hinata. Itachi and Sasuke needed him too—though maybe they'd be in good hands with Sakura.
That was the last thing he thought before he passed out.
Sakura was just about to settle down on her couch for a quiet evening when frantic knocking on her door almost caused her to drop her dinner. "I swear, if it's those dumb kids again…" She put the plate down on the counter and moved to answer the front door. If it was those kids playing pranks again, she was going to give them a piece of her mind.
A black-haired girl was on the other side, with pale lavender eyes full of fear.
She was covered in blood.
"Are… Are you Sakura-san?"
Sakura gaped at her, but then her senses kicked in and she hurried to grab her phone from the kitchen before returning to the door. "Were you in an accident? I'm a doctor, I can look if you tell me where you're injured. Let me just call—"
The girl looked like she wanted to grab Sakura's phone. "No, please! It's not my blood. You can't call anyone though. They told me you could help."
Sakura paused mid-dial. "Who?" Now she was starting to become suspicious. Was this some sort of elaborate prank? That threatening photo she'd been sent resurfaced at the front of her thoughts, but this didn't seem similar. It could be an unrelated prank. If the fake blood was of good enough quality, even she wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Halloween was also coming up.
"I...I don't know who they are. Shisui-kun knows them. I don't know what's going on either, but please! You have to help him."
Shisui's name being dropped had her thoughts changing tracks, maybe this was genuine, but this girl looked like she needed to be at a hospital, not at Sakura's doorstep. She had no idea who this girl was or what her connection to Shisui was—who she'd only ever seen with that weird masked guy. But there was no faking her earnest desperation. It was written all over her face. It was the same expression she saw in the ER, the face of someone who'd just experienced a traumatic event and was only just staying calm.
Her phone started to ring and she looked down at the screen. It was Itachi.
She answered it. "Hello? Itachi, is Shi—"
"Listen to me very carefully, Sakura. The girl at your door is Hinata Hyuga. She was with Shisui when he was shot. I can't explain everything right now, but he can't go to a hospital. There's an ambulance waiting in the alley behind your building. It will have everything you need." He sounded frazzled and upset in a way she wouldn't have thought possible.
"Just answer one question before I agree to this. Is this gang related?" For all she knew, they were all in some high-class mafia and now her and her entire family were in danger. Though she wasn't sure what she'd do if this was gang related. They could just kill her if she refused to help.
"No, think Batman, but without the costume."
Shisui is a vigilante? Is this for real? It had to be. Perhaps a good prank wouldn't be beyond Shisui, but Itachi didn't seem the type, and the emotions she was seeing on the girl's face and hearing in Itachi's voice were just too authentic.
"Please, Sakura. I'm on my way there right now, but he will die if you don't help him." That same desperate tone that was all over Hinata's face as she watched Sakura with pleading eyes.
"Okay, but you're going to tell me what I've just gotten involved in after I save him." And why I shouldn't go straight to the police.
"Very well."
She hung up and glanced at Hinata. "Let's go."
There was indeed an ambulance sitting in the small alley that ran behind her building. Sakura opened the doors and climbed in to find Shisui unconscious on the gurney. There was no one else inside. Just the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor Shisui had been hooked up to. His heartbeat was weak but steady. She knew that could change at any moment.
There were hundreds of questions filling her mind, but she pushed them aside and focused on the most pressing matter; saving Shisui's life. He'd been stripped down to the waist, the bloody clothes and a vest—the same type of vest she'd glimpsed Itachi wearing—piled off to the side.
Hinata spoke up behind her as she climbed in and shut the doors. "I stopped the bleeding, but… I didn't dare try to take the bullets out."
"Good, because you would have killed him if you'd done that." Sakura poked around until she found a box of gloves and the other things she would need. She was surprised to find surgical tools. The more details inside the cabin she paid attention to, the more she realized that this ambulance had essentially been converted into a mobile operating room. There was even a sink to wash her hands in. More questions to add to the growing heap that was accumulating faster than she could process them.
She shut off that part of her mind and fell into the familiar motions of the preparations Tsunade had drilled into her head over and over. Wash her hands, put on the surgical gown, gloves, and mask. Put the tools in the order that she needed on the tray. Disinfect the skin around the wound. Everything needed to be kept sterile and clean. Infections could be even deadlier than the actual wound.
Shisui had already been put under anesthesia, judging by the respirator that was attached to his face. Did Hinata have medical training? Another question to ask later. But at the very least, the pale-eyed girl could hand her the tools she needed. She had Hinata take off her bloody sweater and get into scrubs.
"Just hand me things as I tell you to." Sakura picked up the scalpel and was just about to make an incision into his abdominal area when she hesitated. This would be her first surgery without Tsunade supervising her. If she made a mistake, she was on her own and Shisui could die. He looked pale and very frail at the moment, the complete opposite of the down-to-earth CEO she was used to seeing.
Next to her, Hinata looked frightened but determined.
You can do this. You're about to be the youngest trauma surgeon to graduate since Tsunade herself. Steeling herself, Sakura made the cut.
The next hour restricted Sakura's world to the body that was under her hands, save for when she asked for a tool. Blood vessels needed to be clamped, damage to organs needed to be assessed, and the bullet needed to be removed. By some miracle it had missed his vitals, but removing it in order not to cause further damage proved to be tricky. Once it was out, she moved on to his shoulder and removed that one with far more ease. Tissue repair followed the removal of the bullets until she was finally stitching up the wounds.
When the last stitch was set, Sakura looked up at the monitor. His heartbeat was a lot stronger and steadier, but only time would tell if he pulled through without any complications. The aftercare in the days following the surgery would be just as important in determining if he lived or not. She wondered if Itachi and whoever else was involved in this would kill her if Shisui didn't pull through.
The inside of the ambulance suddenly felt too small.
After getting cleaned up, she left Hinata to watch over him and went to step out of the ambulance and into the dark alley, needing fresh air to calm her nerves. Three men were waiting for her in the shadows and for one wild moment, panic filled her, then she caught a glimpse of Itachi and anger overcame her momentary terror of being murdered. She also recognized Kakashi, but the third guy she'd never seen before. He had a senbon sticking out of his mouth and wore a bandana on top of his head.
"We need to talk, right now," she said to Itachi, the words grinding out between her clenched jaw. She'd been perfectly calm and focused during the surgery, but now she no longer had that to distract her from the fact that her hands were shaking and then she'd nearly been frightened to death by three very serious men showing up dressed for combat and obviously packing.
The guy with the senbon spoke up. "We need to get to a secu—"
"I'm not going anywhere with you people until you tell me what's going on." Her voice cracked despite her best attempt to remain calm.
Kakashi meandered past her towards the ambulance, looking perfectly at ease despite the tenseness of the air. "Itachi, Genma and I will secure Shisui and the Hyuga girl. You handle this." He tilted his head towards Sakura, who glared at him. He smiled at her from under his mask. "There's no need to get all worked up, we're the good guys."
Kakashi and Genma got into the ambulance and Sakura watched it drive off… by itself.
That's it, this is some weird dream. I must have gone to bed drunk.
"Let's go up to your apartment, Sakura," Itachi's tense voice pulled her attention back to him, where she got a good look at all the knives holstered to his vest. She suddenly wondered if being alone with him was a good idea. For all she knew, they were going to get rid of her as a witness to what had just happened.
"I'm not going to hurt you, I promise. But we can't stay here."
She met his gaze and saw the earnest truth there. Without a word, she turned and led the way up to her apartment. At any other time, she would have been mortified to have someone in her messy home, but she simply didn't care as she shut the door behind Itachi before she rounded on him. Her anger was winning out against her fear again. "What the hell is going on? I just performed surgery on your cousin in the back of some jacked up ambulance in a dark alleyway and you look like you're ready to take on a small army."
"Will he recover?"
The look on Itachi's face deflated her anger like a punctured balloon. His expression was the most vulnerable she'd ever witnessed on his face. As far as she'd seen, he was very close to his cousin to the point that they could have been brothers. That look on his face was the same anxiously desperate one she saw at the hospital from family members who were wondering if their loved one was going to die or not.
It looked out of place on his normally stoic face, but it also put him into perspective too. As aloof as he could be, as different as his lifestyle was from hers, he was just as human as everyone else.
She exhaled slowly. "I can't guarantee anything, but his prospects look good. Now, can you please tell me what's going on?" He'd told her it wasn't gang related and Kakashi had claimed they were the good guys, which implied there were bad guys. That thought brought her panic back to the surface. "Are we in danger right now?"
Looking relieved, Itachi moved to the window in her front room to peek out the curtain. "Unlikely, but I'd rather not stay in one spot for very long."
He turned back to her and spoke carefully. "I'm part of a group called the Akatsuki that's funded by the Mayor. To put it simply, we keep crime in the city down while remaining out of the public eye. The men who shot Shisui are part of Root, which is led by a man who used to be one of us, but he disagreed with how things were being run and tried to seize the agency by force. When that failed, he split from us to form his own organization. Our leader is a tech genius who invented a system that Danzo wants to get his hands on."
His explanation was easy enough to follow, but that didn't stop it from sounding like an outlandish plot straight out of a spy movie. She vaguely recalled Tsunade complaining about a Danzo, who'd been on the City Council at one point, but she'd been too busy with school to care about city politics. "So this Root wants to take over the city or something?"
"Essentially. Their leader, Danzo, would see himself as Mayor."
"Okay, but why wasn't Shisui taken to the hospital?" That was the one thing that bothered her the most. They'd trusted her to save him instead of taking him to the hospital where more experienced doctors could have operated on him.
"Because gunshot wounds have to be reported to the police and what do you think would happen if news got out that a CEO of a prominent nationwide company had been shot?"
She frowned, she knew that, but most people weren't going to care about being on the news if they had been shot as badly as Shisui had been. "It would be all over the news, maybe even worldwide."
He nodded. "Exactly, and not even Root wants to draw the attention of the federal government, much less foreign entities. That could lead to the Akatsuki's tech being discovered and it's the sort of tech other countries would go to war over, either to possess it for themselves or to destroy it to prevent the Land of Fire from using it against them."
Sakura needed to sit down, all this excitement and emotional whiplash was getting to her. She moved to the couch and sat to rub at her temples. "Why come to me? Surely you guys have your own medical team."
Itachi leaned his back against the wall next to the window and crossed his arms. "Danzo took them with him when he broke away. That's why we were scouting you."
Her gaze dropped to the floor as a memory came to the forefront of her mind; Tsunade placing a job application in front of her, claiming it would tide her over until she graduated and could officially start working at the hospital.
"Does Tsunade know?" She glanced up at Itachi. He looked out of place in her apartment. Even if he hadn't been dressed like someone from a tactical unit. Next to him, the TV was playing a show on mute, the drama that her and Ino were trying to get through.
His mouth twisted into an unreadable line, which was a far more familiar expression. "The entire City Council does, but they're under orders from Hiruzen to not directly interfere. Tsunade was toying the line when she recommended you."
Sakura couldn't help but be annoyed. "Why all the cloak and dagger? Why not just ask me to my face?"
Itachi raised an eyebrow at her as if she'd just asked a stupid question. "What would you have done if someone approached you out of the blue to recruit you for a—technically speaking—illegal organization?"
It did sound ridiculous when he phrased it like that. "Good point. I probably would have thought it was a prank."
"Yes, either you wouldn't have taken the offer seriously or you would have gone to the police."
Her eyes narrowed as she latched onto one word that, despite the current situation, piqued her interest. "Offer? What exactly are you guys offering me?"
He looked surprised at her question. "You would be paid, on top of your day job. If something were to happen to you, your family would be greatly compensated to the point that your parents could retire if they so wished."
Sakura toyed at her bottom lip with her teeth. A secret government position sounded a lot less scarier than getting involved with a mafia. It was still an obviously dangerous job—if you could even call it that. And while the money sounded nice, she was more so worried about the implications of evil bad guys wanting to get their hands on tech that could cause another war between nations, except this time it wouldn't be overseas, it would likely come right here, and her family didn't live far from Konoha City.
"I'll join," she said. "I don't want a war to break out."
Itachi looked taken aback for a moment and the expression was almost comical on his usually composed face. He must not have been expecting her to accept so easily. Then the corner of his mouth tilted upwards in amusement. "I would argue that we're already in a war, just on a much smaller scale than what you're thinking of."
"I need to go where Shisui is being taken. He'll need me for aftercare, and I need to see what medical facilities you guys have… if you have any besides a freaky self-driving ambulance." That was another reason she was going to give these guys a chance. She couldn't abandon a patient, which was what Shisui had become the moment he'd come under her scalpel.
She was also worried about leaving Sasuke alone with all this. She doubted he knew what his brother actually did.
"It should go without saying, but you can't talk to anyone about this, not even Tsunade." He pushed away from the wall and moved to the front door. "Gather what personal belongings you'll need. Once this blows over and Shisui no longer needs your attention, you can come back. We might have to move you though. Just in case."
Just in case they try to kill me too? She shuddered and went to go pack a bag of clothes and toiletries. She also grabbed the photo of her family she kept on her nightstand.
Ensuring all the lights were off, she locked up and left with Itachi. As she got into his car—which was what he'd arrived in with Kakashi and Genma—she couldn't help but feel nervous about what was going to happen. But a part of her was excited, a small part that wanted to seize hold of this drastic change to her otherwise boring day-to-day life. She wanted to be a trauma surgeon to help people, to be someone who did big things to change the lives of people for the better. This would be an opportunity to do something even more while also using the skills she'd worked so hard to develop.
If she didn't die in the process that was.
"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you."
She glanced over at Itachi. His face was shadowed in the dark car. Her worry must have been all over her face.
Then he smiled at her. "Sasuke would be devastated if his nanny died and Tsunade would kill me."
She couldn't help but laugh as she clicked her seatbelt into place. "She definitely would. I'm going to hold you to that then."
Itachi started the car and they left.