Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
Hello Reader!
If this is your first time to one of my stories, welcome if not, welcome back! This is another multi-chapter MinaSaku. It is a romance, so guaranteed a happy ending. Should be around 12 to 13 chapters. The chapters will not be as long as the chapters of Sakura and the later chapters of When the Soul Speaks were. Will do my best to do weekly updates. The chapters have been drafted just need some tweaking and refinement.
Some background/warnings if y'all are interested:
* This story was not supposed to be serious when I started writing it but decided to be a little more serious but not dark - not really (nothing to the level of Sakura, promise)
* There is some violence and talks of violence and references to violence/death - nothing too graphic
* Talks and references about/to sex but nothing graphic - fade to black kind of thing
* Guns and weapons are a thing
* At times there will be talks about corruption and laws will be broken - please do not take this for anything more than it is…fiction. Stay out of trouble kids
* Abandonment is a thing and a recurring theme
* Language throughout (no f-bombs, but the occasional 'b-word' and the 'S-word' (stand-in for poop)
* When you see 'xXx' it means a page scene break but it is taking place in that same day or context, and when you see a solid line it is a new scene/day/context.
* If you can, please point out errors so I can fix them. Thank you!
That should be it for now. I hope. Hope you like!
Chapter 1
She caught the last ring before the phone had a chance to go to voicemail. A small grunt left her slightly parted lips as she squeezed through the twin doors, the rubber edging pulled apart from her shoulders. She did not stop her stride, stepping onto the platform, ignoring the less-than-impressed looks she was on the receiving end of by a face she barely looked at long enough to discern anything of interest.
"Hello?" She pressed her ear closer to her phone, the one being propped up by her shoulder. "Mom? Can you speak louder?" She asked, apologizing under her breath as her slightly-heeled boots clicked-clacked against the grimy once-white tile.
"Sakura!" The voice of her mother came from the other end of the phone. Loud. Strong. Agitated. "Why have you been ignoring my calls?" Mebuki Haruno demanded with so much irateness that the image of the frown she was surely dawning infiltrated her daughter's mind without prompt.
"Mom," she pushed herself against the railing, making herself as small as possible as she climbed the stairs. "I was on the train," she explained after she mentally reminded herself to take a breath - or three. "That's why I couldn't answer your last two calls."
I did text you to say the same thing.
"Sakura, I think the neighbors are watching me again," her mother's voice was nervous - shaky and scared.
The woman sighed. Both her feet were firmly on the same level, she could feel the sun on her face - the rays that poked through the giant metal and glass structures that touched the sky. She was still getting used to it, going to work when the sun was out instead of coming back from work under similar conditions. Even if it had been nearly a year.
"Mom," Sakura's voice was gentle; her hand traced a path over and over again between her brows and her hairline. "Did you take your medication this morning?" She stepped away from the entrance of the subway, not before earning some dirty looks. Her head was bowed slightly, she was careful about her footing - mindful of a suspicious puddle of water on the concrete stamped to give the appearance of brick. Moss grew between the cracks, the only green on the expanse of dull gray broken up with weathered wrappers that once held vibrancy at the beginning of their lives. "Mom?" She asked full well knowing the answer.
"Sakura," Mebuki sighed and there was a pause. The longer the woman waited, the further her heart sank. "They leave my mouth so bitter. And dry."
"I know Mom," she made a sympathetic sound as she readjusted the black handbag on the crook of her elbow. Her green eyes just made out the time on her wrist. "But can you try?" She did not care if her voice was pleading. She stood under the partial protection of the blue and white umbrella that covered the stall. "And there are hard candies-"
"In the drawer right next to the medicine," there was another sigh almost in resignation, "I remember. I'll take it."
Her lips coated in a clear balm pulled into a smile. "Thank you, Mom." Sakura pulled her red peacoat closer to her neck. It failed to ease away the goosebumps the chill poked up.
"I need bread. And milk. Eggs too."
I made a grocery run just two days ago. Did you leave the milk and eggs out?
"I didn't bring my car today," she answered apologetically in response to the wry tone of her mother's voice. "I can swing by on Friday. Will you be okay until then?"
"You're too busy." Despite being miles away in a different city, the phone captured the disappointment in Mebuki's voice as clearly as if Sakura were in the room with her. "You work too much."
Someone has to.
"I'll see you on Friday, Mom," she promised with a smile plastered on her face. Her eyes scanned the indistinctive faces of the crowd that shuffled past - forcing her even further away from the street and toward the red brick building.
"Fine," Mebuki clicked her tongue.
"Be sure to take your medicine," she saw a gap in the traffic and she stepped forward to cut across it. She moved without hesitation.
"I said I would. Stop being such a nag."
"I love you," Sakura's smile did not reduce in size despite the strain being added to her eyes.
There was a sigh on the line. "I love you, Bug." The sound of a noisy kiss being blown reached Sakura's ears. "Don't forget my cold cuts and Cheddar's tuna."
"I won't," Sakura nodded her head dutifully as the grocery items were already added to her mental list.
"I'll make your favorite, chicken katsu," Mebuki's voice contained her smile.
That's not my favorite.
"My mouth is watering already," she waited at the edge of the sidewalk, her eyes were on the sign; the one that said it was not safe to walk yet. Traffic whizzed by. "I'll talk to you later, Mom."
"Bye-bye, Sakuto."
Sakura sighed, pulling the phone from her ear. She stared at the black screen. Her reflection wore the heaviness she felt inside her chest on its face - in its eyes. A chirp and shove behind her broke her from her thoughts in a harsh alert that the world had started to move again. She slipped the phone into her coat's pocket and held her black bag close to her. She shook her head and rolled her shoulders all before stepping into the intersection.
Three blocks. She had three blocks to adjust her face.
Plenty of time.
xXx
"It's going to rain," he said mildly. Reflective eyes peered up at the clouds that melted into the dreary gray sky. The beige brick was rough against the wool of his black jacket, and silk of his white shirt. A calloused hand went around his neck to grab it in a loose hold, loosening what was not there.
"Wasn't in the forecast," a man with bright red hair and dark eyes said in a bored tone. He eyed his companion from top to bottom. "Where's your umbrella?"
"Not here," he answered with matched disinterest.
"Tsk," the man scowled as he leaned back against the solid side wall of the storefront. "You know I hate small talk."
The blond's lips pulled into a small half-smile. His cobalt eyes kept returning to one end of the crosswalk over and over and over again.
"Do you know what I hate even more than small talk?" The redhead asked with a chin jutted out in contempt.
"Silence?" Minato asked almost playfully, his eyes twinkling.
"Waiting," the man corrected with a deadpan.
The blond laughed. "I always make it worth your while, Pinocchio."
"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?" He asked dryly and with an eye roll, eyes that peered at the world with aloofness that hid their true focus. "Do I need to threaten to kill you again?"
"It's only Monday," Minato countered without missing a beat as if oblivious to the switch in the man's demeanor. "Your last reminder resonated enough."
The redhead scoffed in clear disagreement but he let it slide, just as he always did. "It doesn't even make any sense," he said with a nonchalance that neither of them believed. "If anything it suits you better." He dipped his chin down into his jacket, hiding his chapped, colorless lips.
Minato wrinkled his nose for but a moment at his companion's - Sasori's - comment. He raked a hand through his long shaggy hair all without disturbing what was tucked behind his ear - a feat that only came through repetition.
"Too late, I got my nickname a long time ago."
"Yellow Flash," Sasori scoffed. "Like you're twelve or something."
"Or something," Minato's voice trailed off, growing distant as his memories pulled his attention - pulling him from the reality he was grounded into a world that ceased to exist.
Sasori's lips pressed together in disapproval that his mate was too in his head to notice. His eyes moved to the otherside of the crosswalk, the one with trees and color. His tugged into a smirk, he shoved a hand painted with purple polish into his front right pant pocket.
"Don't look now," he began with no intention of an end.
A blond head snapped up without hesitation. The mask - not stoic or composed - was replaced with one of mild annoyance. Eyes colored with cobalt narrowed in accusation at the man, to which Sasori simply tapped the side of his nose.
"Well played," Minato grumbled, ignoring the way his insides had reacted.
Sasori's smirk was very self-pleased. Brown eyes stared up at the sky through the skyscrapers. "Let's see what comes first. The rain or trouble."
The blond would not dignify the comment with a verbal response even if he had the perfect one lined up - which he did not.
xXx
She smiled in thanks to the door that was being propped open for her. Sakura picked up her pace to ease the burden of the common courtesy that she did not think twice of when being on the other end of it.
"Thank you, Dr. Yakushi," she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Her low bun sat at the base of her neck still intact despite the morning she was having.
"Sakura, please," Kabuto sighed in an overtly exaggerated manner. It would have been more convincing if he was not grinning nearly from ear to ear. His dark eyes sparkled behind his round glasses. "We've talked about this."
"Did we?" She quirked a brow, dipping her head as she slipped through the door. She fell in step with him. "Are you just getting in?" She asked to fill the air with something other than the clamor of voices and the clicking of her too-loud shoes - the ones she knew she should not have let her best friend convince her to buy.
"I did," Kabuto answered easily as he stepped first through the metal detectors. "I saw your reflection in the door," he explained. "The pink and red are hard to miss."
Sakura laughed politely, not quite fully prepared with a witty or charming retort. "Good morning, Mr. Umino," she smiled at the security guard who was already wearing a bright smile and kind expression.
"Dr. Haruno," Iruka greeted back. "Dr. Yakushi," he dipped his head in the direction of the white-haired doctor.
Kabuto brought his badge - the one that hung around his neck with a red hospital-provided lanyard - over to the reader which separated them from the guard. He fished through his pockets for his phone and wallet only to deposit them into a blue tub that awaited. Kabuto was in the process of removing his silver wristwatch as Sakura handed her bag to go through the X-ray machine.
"Such a hassle," he said under his breath on the other side of the metal detector that he walked through. He worked to refill his pockets and slip on his watch.
"Sorry about that, Dr. Yakushi," Iruka said with a sheepish chuckle. "We try to keep the process as smooth as we can."
"Mr. Umino," Sakura said, walking behind the doctor with her red coat folded over her arm. "You're keeping us safe and all it costs us is a few minutes. Thank you for all your hard work," she beamed at him, taking the handbag that he was holding out for her. They needed the extra precautions. Especially after what happened not even ten miles from Konoha Med, at Mercy Leaf where a bereaved patient shot and killed two surgeons who he believed to be culpable in his wife's death. It had shaken everyone up to just how lax security was in public places.
"Dr. Haruno," Iruka's face turned red at her words. "I'm just doing my job," he mumbled out in one breath. "No need to thank me."
"Then there's no reason to apologize," she countered in a balance struck between firm and kind. "Is there?" She asked with a raised brow.
"No," Iruka stumbled over the word. "I suppose not."
She grinned, her jade eyes darted between their faces. "Have a great day, Mr. Umino. Dr. Yakushi." She pulled her bag to her shoulder. Her heels clicked away feigning the confidence that she herself did not have.
xXx
A smear of red moved across her bottom lip. The pricks from a pair of baby-blue eyes staring at her intently had reached a level that rivaled razors. Tiny. Sharp. Precise. She inserted the wand back into the container, baring her teeth into the small mirror to check for flecks of red against bone. She ran her tongue along the top row for good measure, taking the time to study her mascara. It was not completely symmetrical but it was not overtly noticeable to even her eyes. Others would notice even less. Well, most others. Her best friend notwithstanding. With purpose, she avoided the blue irises as she stepped away from her cubby closet, closing the door.
"Coffee?" Ino asked, arms crossed and gaze judgemental, buffing her nails against the lapel of her white doctor's coat. It covered the plum-colored dress that fit her perfectly - as it should because it was custom-tailored which held true for over eighty percent of Ino's gorgeous wardrobe.
"Sure," Sakura smiled at her, wearing her navy blue scrubs under her white coat. "Third floor?" She asked innocently. It was the worst-kept secret that the third floor knew how to brew their coffee better than any other floor.
Ino rolled her eyes and scoffed. "You did not just apply floozy-red lip gloss to run up to the third floor."
"Floozy-red?" She asked incredulously with a sound somewhere between a scoff and a snort.
"Really, Ino?" Sakura frowned at her best friend. Due to the way Ino was standing, only the 'psych' part of the embroidered 'psychiatry' was visible on her left breast pocket.
Short for psycho.
"I spent the weekend with Granny," Ino retorted dismissively as she inspected her nails, clearly not happy with the on-the-whim manicure. She must have tried a new place. Meticulously well-kept stiletto nails painted in a nude hue that did not violate hospital policy.
"Is it too much?" Sakura's pink brows furrowed together. She had kept her eye makeup neutral - as Ino had drilled into her when she met her as a clueless med student that just started dabbling into the world of makeup because she had very limited disposal income to spend not looking like the first cousin of the walking dead - in favor of a bold lip but now very real second-guessing crept in.
"It's fine," Ino snapped at her, her eyes darted to the clock. "Tick-tock, Forehead. I have a consultation in forty-three minutes."
"You're the worst," Sakura grumbled, she reached over toward the pale wooden bench that divided the two rows of cubbies. Her fingers curled around a collapsed umbrella - red. Sakura's black and white sneakers squeaked against the floors all the while she walked toward the door and the blonde gatekeeper.
"Yes, but I can pick out colors," Ino looped her arm around Sakura's, "and that red looks sinful on you. You could knock just about anyone over dead," she grinned in a manner that was bad news. "Not that you're going to do anything about it," she concluded with a frustrated sigh.
"You should be nicer to the person who is buying you coffee." The retort was without heat as she did not have teeth to sink into the sentiment. Sakura pulled at the hair framing her face. The hallway was becoming smaller and smaller as more and more of the hospital was being put behind them. She saw green in her peripherals. She turned her head to catch more of the lush, green space.
"You should just invest in the cafe's stock. It would be a better investment than those loyalty cards." Ino's plump glossy pink lips tugged into a frown. "When are you taking lunch today?"
"Late," Sakura answered with a sigh. She just had a feeling today was going to be hectic. "You better get started without me."
"Hm," Ino shook her head. "Let me know if that changes."
"Will do. And I will have you know that I have enough for a free drink," Sakura huffed. Her shoes squeaked in tandem with the click of Ino's very expensive heels.
"So you're not even paying for my drink?" Ino asked haughtily, peering down her nose at her friend.
"Oh Pig," Sakura said with a solemn tone, "I'm paying for it," her hand was pressed to her chest in what was a self-consoling gesture. "Steeply."
"So dramatic." The blonde moved with purpose in confident strides as if she owned the very tile she stomped on. "I'll be sure to not catch you when you inevitably pass out from staring at the sun too long."
"Not so loud," Sakura shushed her. Her green eyes darted, scanning their surroundings. It was only when she was convinced no one was paying them any mind that she glared at Ino. "I don't know why I bother."
"Because," Ino began, patiently. "If it wasn't for me, you'd be up on the third floor getting your coffee and staring at a poster of Suna as your only view."
It was true but Ino did not have to call her out like that. Besides, Suna was pretty. The double doors opened. A gust of wind pushed her hair back. They stepped into the small curve where the emergency vehicles unloaded patients. It was quiet but it could all change with next to no warning.
Better move fast.
"You know," Ino began where she had left off, not discouraged in the slightest by Sakura's silence. It was as good as an admission to her. "It's getting pitiful. I think you might have just met your match."
"What do you mean?" She asked despite everything inside of her - it clenched up - screaming that keeping her mouth shut was the only strategy for these kinds of things. Ino grew bored. It was best to let the fire kill itself. Talking only added more kindling either to be used now or at a later time. Ino had the memory of an elephant. She forgot nothing.
"Sunny might just be as clueless and dense as you," Ino's up-curled lip was far from kind. "It takes less time to make a baby than the two of you have been making eyes at each other."
Walked right into that one.
Sakura chewed on her tongue to contain her anger. Anger that Ino would throw back at her two-fold in a neatly packaged burn. She might have a sharp tongue and a keen mind but Ino was ruthless. Ino broke people apart for a living. Nine out of ten times it was with the intention of building them back up but Sakura - Sakura's love life or lack thereof - was the exception. It was that one time. She glared at the crosswalk sign as if it was the reason why she could not simply remove herself from her predicament and not the arm that was snaked around hers. The one that if she pulled away from would be as good as waving a white flag.
"Sakura," Ino sighed, her tone shifted. It was designed less to cut and more to soothe. "Forehead, I get it. After what happened - after what you saw - you're bound to have some issues. We all do. But you're holding onto it. You need to let go."
"I just need coffee," Sakura gumbled. They stepped into the crosswalk. More and more bodies filled it. There was barely room to step, much less breathe. "And maybe a pastry."
I deserve some sugar.
"And something nice to look at?" Ino asked her without so much as a glance as she wove them through the foot traffic with ease. The blonde expertly ignored all the lingering eyes and the smiles being directed at her. The smiles that always came with things attached.
Sakura hummed in agreement. "I'm not looking for anything right now."
And that would be fine. More than fine, if Ino had not been hearing the same thing - or various variations of it - for the better part of a decade.
"So I take it you said no to the blind date your mom has been pushing onto you?" Ino let go of Sakura's arm when they were on the other side of the crosswalk. She could make out the yellow door of the shop just on the other side of the street. Her pointy shoes crunched in the gravel. The green of the trees was muted by the lack of light from the sun hidden away by the heavy clouds.
"No," Sakura shook her head. Her frown matched the weather. Glum. "She said it's her old college friend's son," she stopped herself just in time from gnawing on her bottom lip - the real reason she disliked lip stain of any kind. "I just don't have a good feeling about it."
"Right," Ino rolled her eyes. She used her elbow to jab the button on the pole. A robotic voice started to chant "wait" at them as they did just that. "And it has nothing to do with the fully committed delusional in-your-head relationship you have with Sunny?"
"Will you stop?!" Sakura asked in a huff, close to throwing her hands in the air. "Not everyone is a headcase you know."
"Oh, I know," Ino tapped her foot in growing agitation at the sound of cars, the smog, the leers, and the robot man that was telling them to wait. "But you, Forehead, are a bonafide grade-A case study. I should use you to get some grants. There's this new experimental procedure-"
"Enough already. You made your point." And then some. Sakura let out a sigh when they were within six feet of the door. Her eyes had registered the empty walls of the shop. She feigned reading the hours of the establishment that were affixed with adhesive letters and numbers. She had it memorized; it was all an excuse to scan the heads through the window. Her stomach fluttered when her eyes found a splash of yellow not too far from a lick of red. Sakura did not wait for Ino to comment - because she could not help herself, it was compulsive - before she opened the door and slipped inside.
The line was long. The tables were filled. The smell of coffee was a much-welcome punch to the face.
"Come in! Come in!" A jovial booming voice waved them over, his grin was bright and carefree. The tall man with long white hair wiped his hands on a white tea towel. He set it on the wooden counters just as the two women bypassed the line - a perk provided by their white coats - he rested his elbows on the very same counter and grinned. "The usual ladies?"
"Yes please," Sakura smiled at him, already pulling her wallet from her pocket. She shoved a handful of dollar bills into the tip jar. A tan-colored card - the size of a credit card - moved from her fingers to the table.
"Ah!" Jiraiya let out a small cheer. "A free drink! A new card." He stamped away, completing the bottom row with a red circle inside of a black square. "Thank you for your loyalty."
"Thank you for having the best coffee," Sakura handed him cash in exchange for the new card that was already stamped twice. She tucked it into her wallet.
"Within walking distance," Ino quipped from over her shoulder. "We'll have two cheese danishes too." She tapped her nail against the display case. "And warm them up for us this time."
"Of course, Dr. Yamanaka. Is there anything else I can do for you?" He asked with a glint in his eye as he gazed upon the blonde with open appreciation.
"How about your job, Gramps?" A boy - no older than sixteen - with brown hair and hazel eyes griped, elbowing the geezer in the ribs. "We're at capacity here!"
"Can it, kid," Jiraiya snapped before recovering to smile smoothly at the two women eyeing him blankly. "Please forgive my nephew. It's the in-between stages you see."
"In between?" Sakura asked.
"In between now and when we can ship him off to college stage. It's too late for boarding school. My sister checked," he sighed longsufferingly.
"Gramps!" Nawaki called over his shoulder, his hands were full with the espresso machine. "It's doing it again!" The machine groaned and the amount of steam coming out of it nearly filled the front of the shop.
"If you'll excuse me," Jiraiya tapped the counter and directed one last smile that missed the mark of being charming.
Sakura and Ino backed away from the counter just as the man rolled up his olive green sleeves. He gave it three loud whacks nearly shouting obscenities every time.
"I'm going to go get us a table," Ino announced, her blue eyes catching something to the far left of the room.
"Okay," the pinkette furrowed her brow - too confused to ask why Ino would do such a thing when their order was to go. Sakura shook her head clear of her muddled, sluggish brain and walked over to the other side of the counter, where the 'Pick Up' sign painted in green block letters hung. She waited trying desperately not to let it show just how affected she was by a pair of eyes staring at her.
xXx
He did not bother to utter a half-baked excuse or pleasantly before stepping away from the furthest table in the corner of the coffee shop. It had the best view of the door and thus a vantage of the place. Sasori did not look up from his phone. He was nearly folded in two, deeming it too much work to actually lift his red mug. Instead, he simply leaned forward to place his lips on the edge and drank when he needed to, even going as far as using a spoon to aid in the process.
Minato smiled without meaning as he waited for the people in line to shuffle to create enough space for him to slip through. Her back was to him. Her unique hair gathered in a loose bun that sat low, hair framing her face. She was playing the role of nonchalant. He did not miss the way her fingers faltered from the steady tapping pattern they were engaged in prior to his arrival. Nor the twitch between her shoulder blades. She knew it was him. All without turning her head.
She licked her red-red lips slowly before she made any further movement. A flash of emerald had his heart skipping a beat. It sped up instead of regaining its normal rhythm. He smiled at her. Ever so slightly; his eyes warming more than anything.
Her facial muscles twitched in response. Her gaze held his. Without prejudice. Without restraint. Open. Much too open. It was as if time slowed. But he knew that was not the case. It was he who had slowed. He had ceased moving. He stood there. Stranded. Unable to look back every bit as much as he was unable to step forward. Because that would be much too forward. A line he could not cross.
Not yet anyway.
Captivated. He was captivated by her gaze. In all the things that made her catch his eye all those months ago. He lost count of exactly how many. Or rather, he never made an effort to count how many. It would only feed into his unease about this whole thing. Her red lips called for his attention - they did. But it was her eyes that he found himself unable to look away from. The sounds of the cafe blurred until it was all an indistinguishable hum. It was not entirely unpleasant. It was inconsequential.
xXx
Her mouth was open. Like open-open. Because she was a deer in headlights - in warm blue headlights - in the worst possible way. If a part of her knew that her mouth was open, there was nothing she could do about it. Not when faced with him. Shaggy hair but not unruly. Soft from just its appearance. The sides fell to his shoulders, grazing the material of his black suit. His white shirt - the top two buttons of which were undone - was tucked into his fitted pants. No belt. Black leather loafers completed his outfit.
Uniform. Must be a uniform.
Because it was all she ever saw him in. A suit and nice shoes. Always dark. Never a tie. Sometimes a belt. It did not matter if it was blistering hot or freezing cold, that was what he wore. Always. She had never even seen him take his jacket off, much less roll up his sleeves.
He's so pretty.
And it was alarming how quickly she regressed whenever he was around. There was no shortage of attractive men she had seen - she worked closely with firefighters and paramedics, people who cared about their fitness and how they presented - so why was it so easy? So easy for him to throw her out of sorts with just one look.
Why?
A bell chimed followed by the sound of her name, pulling her attention - and eyes - from his to her left. Two drinks were placed on the counter with a thud. She blinked slowly, reaching for the cardboard sleeves. By the time she had both drinks in her hands, he was gone. She turned her head catching just a streak of blond as the door closed shut. She shivered.
xXx
He pulled the cigarette tucked behind his ear to run it through his hands. Over and over and over. The repetitive motion helped ease away the frustration. The sky was even more gray now. The air was less nippy and more chilled. The smell of pre-rain filled his nose. It did nothing to alleviate the tension that built up behind his eyes.
The door opened. He did not lift his head. Thinking. Ruminating. His mind worked it over and over and over again. He believed himself to be patient. But like all beliefs at one point or another, it was being tested. Excessively it felt like to him at least. Blond brows bridged together when a pair of pointy shoes came into his line of sight. That was after a wall of floral scent - of some kind - overpowered anything around him. He tilted his head up to a pair of blue eyes. As light as the sky on a cloudless sunny summer day.
"Hi," she smiled at him. "My friend Sakura," she spoke quickly but clearly. "The pink-haired doctor - ER believe it or not - you're always staring at, likes long walks on the beach, reading, animals, and guys who make the first move." The blonde crossed her arms in a very self-assured kind of manner. "She likes tacos."
His blonde brows shot up to his hairline. He blinked, not quite sure what to make of this situation. It was far from every day that someone approached him and made conversation. Granted most of it was Sasori and his brooding's fault but Minato was not complaining.
"I-Ino!" A voice sputtered, aghast. Mortified. He turned his head to his right, eyes locked with wide emerald.
"What?" The blonde woman - Ino - asked with her hands on her hips. "Did you get the cheese danishes?"
The pinkette - Sakura, the ER doctor - gaped at the woman as she held the coffee in her hands. She was still partially in the door. She let out a small squeaking sound - it was not the hinges of the door - when someone rather rudely asked her to move. She turned around and apologized profusely. The whole thing just added to her embarrassment.
He was frowning, following the path the man who had just fallen short of shouting "Move" at the good doctor had disappeared to. Just what was happening to society? Did manners mean nothing anymore?
"Well?" Ino asked Sakura, unimpressed.
"No!" Sakura shot back. She opened her mouth to presumably speak but she closed it when something landed on her cheek. She tilted her head up. Her dark lashes fluttered closed. "Shit!" She hunched over, tilting her head toward the ground.
"Get in here," Ino commanded with a scowl. She stepped back as much as the curb would allow her to open her purple umbrella. The pink-haired woman stepped under it.
Cold rain started to pelt him on the shoulder, on his head. Drops dripped along the side of his neck to disappear between the threads of his shirt, darkening it. Turning it almost translucent. He was still in a partial daze as he watched them flitter off in the direction of the crosswalk back to the safety of the hospital. He was frowning once more but this time at the pinkette pulling away from the protection of the purple canopy. Her pink hair was exposed but for a second before red covered the locks. She was running back in his direction.
His eyes darted to her feet, registering the short boots.
Sensible.
He was not prepared to watch her break an ankle trying to run in the pencil-thin heels her friend wore. He could not think of a worse start to his day.
Sakura's face was flushed and she was a little out of breath. "Here," she all but shoved the wet umbrella to him, nearly taking out his eye. He caught the handle - his fingers brushing hers - only out of reflex. Before he could work out any words of protest or thanks, she was off running again away from him. He stood outside, under the loaned umbrella until the spec of purple was indistinguishable from anything and everything else.
What just happened?
xXx
"I can't believe you!" Sakura stood much too close and much too aggressively under the concrete portico of the hospital.
"What?" Ino shot back, matching Sakura's energy perfectly. "You should be thanking me!"
"Thanking you?!" Sakura chuckled in disbelief. Shellshocked. "For what exactly? Making me seem like a total loser!"
"You have zero, zero, ground to stand on. You don't know what you're doing!" Ino glared over Sakura's shoulder at a pair of nurses that were standing too close and with a little bit too much interest. They scurried along.
"Well, he didn't need to know that!" She pulled at her wet hair. "I like tacos?!"
"You do," Ino pressed her lips together. "You didn't wear waterproof mascara. You look like a drowned raccoon," she licked her thumb pad and reached for Sakura's face. "You have money now, stop buying the cheap stuff."
"Stop that!" Sakura slapped her hand before she could make contact.
"You're right," Ino said with a sigh. "You're much too much of a mess to eat tacos on a first date. I should have picked an easier food like sushi." She made a face. "But then kissing would be out of the question if he's allergic to shellfish."
"I am going to kill you," Sakura seethed, pointing her finger to Ino's chest.
"I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that," a voice drawled out lazily.
"Keep it moving, Hatake," Ino snapped at him, waving him along. "Nothing to see here."
"Detective Hatake," Sakura's eyes softened for a second as she turned around to smile at the man. Her eyes scanned his person. "Not here for yourself I hope."
"Nothing like that, Dr. Haruno," his eyes crinkled as he smiled under his navy face mask. "Here to get a victim statement," he glanced at his watch. "Which I am already an hour and a half late for so if this is not urgent…," he let his voice trail off.
"I won't kill her here, or in your jurisdiction," Sakura promised with a sincere smile. "Or today."
"Good, good," Kakashi held up his hand in a wave. "See you later."
"You were just staring at him," Ino said in a measurably lower volume once the man had disappeared through the ER main entrance.
"It's called romance! I was laying a foundation," Sakura said through clenched teeth.
"You would know," Ino rolled her eyes.
"Ino! He's a total stranger! How could you encourage him like that?" She demanded to know. Her boiling blood needed something to ease the heat.
"That's why I did it, Dummy! You need to actually talk to someone to get to know them," Ino's voice whipped with exasperation. "And don't give me flowery bullshit of reading each other's eyes or looking into each other's souls. That is not real. Just like the last year of your foundation laying."
"Ten months!" Sakura corrected. "And he smokes!"
"Have you ever seen him smoke?" Ino challenged her. "He doesn't smell like a smoker. His nails are clean." She had checked. Twice.
"Why would he carry around a cigarette then?" She felt insane for humoring the madwoman.
"Ask him," Ino suggested with a shrug.
"I don't even know what he does!" Sakura groaned, guttural and feral. "He could be an ax murderer."
"Unlikely. He has excellent taste in shoes. Style actually. When's the last time you read about an ax-murder that wears Konan?"
"There's a first time for everything," Sakura said dryly. Of course, Ino would be impressed with his wardrobe. Even Ino did not wear Konan and that killed her. The woman only spent money like she did to get on Konan's radar so that the super exclusive stylist would pass along her personal contact card to the stores Ino shopped at for the blonde to get the connection.
Rich people are so exhausting.
"He could be a lawyer," Ino pointed out almost brightly. "That would be perfect for you. You could argue about everything with him."
"What kind of lawyer doesn't wear a tie?"
"Another thing you could ask him when he asks you out on a date." Ino's eyes glittered. "We should go shopping."
"You're getting way ahead of yourself," Sakura eyed the concrete wall to her right, wondering how many times she would have to hit her head to forget all this happened. The tricky part was avoiding lasting brain damage everywhere else.
"I waited almost a decade for this day to come. Icebergs move faster than you." It was true. She had seen a documentary with her Granny this weekend.
"Still better than falling in love every other week."
Ino scoffed, offended. "How dare you, Forehead?" She did not wait for an answer. "Sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince."
"A lot," Sakura spat out. "You kissed enough frogs to fill an army company."
"Sakura," Ino hissed in warning. She held up her hands, one palm flat and open and the other wrapped around her coffee. "Seriously, Forehead, time out."
Sakura exhaled all the air in her lungs. She waited. She could feel her anger dissolving just enough to think clearly again. Mostly.
"Sakura," Ino's expression had softened to become gentle. "You can't keep running away when things get real." She paused to measure her words. "Or when there is a prospect of realness."
Green eyes lowered to the ground. "I know." She did. She understood that it was a pattern for her. She was only attracted to someone - she only fantasized about someone - when she knew deep down there was no shot or chance of it being real - of it being anything more than just a daydream. Because it was fun to picture. It was fun to think about. It was nice. But only when it was a hypothetical. "I know," Sakura repeated, running her fingers along her forehead. "I know."
"So we're okay?" Ino asked, voice coaxing Sakura to look at her.
"We will be, once you buy me tacos," Sakura turned unceremoniously on her heels and stalked off.
"This bitch." Ino shook her head, closing her umbrella as she followed after her.
xXx
She pressed her fingertips to the gap between her shoulder blades - the trapezius muscle - in an attempt to compensate with pressure for hours of bad posture. A small sigh left Sakura's lips just as she adjusted her coat. She lined the buttons and did them slowly; not bothering to redo them after she was left with one button without a match. The left side of her long peacoat hung lower than the right. She used the wall for support while she zipped the back of her boots. Without even thinking about it, she pulled a red lanyard from her purse. The keys clattered against the plastic cylinder. Pink. She slipped it into the pocket of her coat, her finger traced the edges of the red button.
Sakura closed her cubby and stepped out of the changing room. She nodded her head and smiled at the guard on duty. The lights were slightly dimmer than they were when she started her shift, as they did not need to compete with the brightness outside. The wall that was composed of mostly glass spoke to just how late it was. The green space was daunting and almost jungle-like. More shadow and shapes than therapeutic. The small lights at the roots of the plants just made it all the more eerie. She did not linger. Her heeled boots clicked-clacked against the tile until they slid across the concrete.
The polite smile on her face faltered slightly at the sight of a familiar frame. "Dr. Yakushi," she addressed the man who was standing outside the driver-side door of his shiny black sedan. His elbows were on the roof of his car - the roof of which was partially open which was risky given the weather.
You shouldn't be stopped there.
"Sakura," he pushed his glasses up his nose. "All done for the day?"
"I am," she nodded her head; not quite meeting him in the eyes. Her grip around her handbag's handles tightened marginally. "Hope you have a good night," she lifted a foot with intent to step forward and ultimately away.
"Let me give you a ride," he said smoothly before she could do any of what she had planned. "Please."
"That is very kind of you, Dr. Yakushi," she spoke levelly to her colleague - a colleague who had a longer tenure with the hospital than she did. A colleague she had only come to know about more than by name when she made the chance to day shift. "But I wouldn't want to be a bother and I like taking the subway. It gives me a chance to decompress, and catch up on my reading." She jostled her bag to illustrate.
Kabuto's gaze trailed down from her face and landed on the black bag. He was slow to track it back up, either in reluctance or something slightly more sinister. She tried not to let it show on her face just how much her skin crawled at that moment.
"Maybe next time then," he tapped the top of his car. "Goodnight, Sakura. Be safe."
"You too," she smiled. She waited for him to get in his car and drive away - waving to him as he departed - before picking up her feet and walking the two and a half blocks needed to arrive at the stairs that would take her to the platform for her train.
The night was cool - her nose turning pink along with her cheeks was a testament to the fact - so it kept her mostly awake. Her hands were busy, one with her bag and the other holding the pink cylinder in her grip. She kept her eyes off of any singular focus beyond her path. Scanning. She checked her surroundings as she moved. There were three people behind her. They moved at various paces. An elderly woman with a cane, a middle-aged man with a briefcase, and a teenager with over-the-ear headphones on. She listened to their steps. She picked up her pace and moved to walk in the street when a tweaker got a little too close for comfort. He staggered but remained on his feet. From the corner of her eye, she saw him slump under a streetlamp. She held her breath until the elderly woman and teen had made it past him without much incident beyond the man screaming unintelligibly at them.
Sakura crossed the street - careful of the occasional traffic of a car or the even more occasional bike or electric scooter - staying under the light of the street lamps. The moon was bright and large. It was a shame she could not stand back and just observe it. Maybe if she still had some energy after a shower and a meal she zapped in the microwave, she could step out onto her balcony with a glass of wine and watch it. The city was much too bright for stargazing. She did not remember the last time she saw a canopy of stars. She grimaced at the high-pitched squeal and scurrying of feet as a family of rats emerged from the sewer grates. The smell of damp trash - rancid - assaulted her nose. She kept moving.
It was times like these she wondered just why she put up with all this: the traffic, the high cost of living, the stress. Sometimes, some days it just felt like a punishment to breathe. She paused walking, just within two yards of the crosswalk, to reach into her left pocket with her right hand- letting go of the pepper spray she had been clutching. Sakura furrowed her brow at the name that filled her screen.
"Mom?" She asked into the phone on her ear, propped up by her shoulder as her hand found her pocket once more.
"Sakura," Mebuki's tired voice greeted her. "I can't sleep."
"Are you alright?" She asked, using her elbow to push the metal button down. A chime of "wait" filled the quiet.
"I think Cheddar is dying." She sounded distraught. "I'm watching him breathe."
"Cheddar is fine, Mom." Sakura bit back a sigh. She momentarily closed her eyes. "He had a clean bill of health from the vet, remember?"
"That vet is an idiot!" Her mother accused tersely. "You need to find a new one. Stop being cheap."
"Okay, okay," Sakura's voice was soothing - placating. "I'll look into finding a new vet." It would only be the third one in as many months. She had yet to find one that agreed with Mebuki's belief that cats should eat people food.
Maybe getting her a pet was the wrong call.
Her innermost thoughts went where they always did. Like clockwork.
"Did you go on a walk today?" Sakura asked kindly, as she crossed the street. "With Ms. Ito and Ms. Suzuki?"
"I am not a child, Sakura. I don't need you to set up playdates for me. It's patronizing."
Sakura tried not to let the harshness of her mother's voice cut her. "I didn't mean it that way," she sighed away from the microphone. "I just wanted to know if you've been outside at all." In her heart of hearts, she knew the answer. It was always the same.
"Maybe I can try when Cheddar is feeling better. He needs me right now."
"Okay," Sakura nodded her head.
"What are you doing still up? I didn't wake you did I?"
The woman smiled at the worry in her mother's voice. "No. I was just watching TV," she lied.
"Sakura, you need your rest. Your patients need you to rest," Mebuki scolded her, not unlike she did when Sakura was in elementary school. It took her back to the mornings when Mebuki combed and did her hair in a beautiful French braid. No one could braid like Mebuki could.
"I'll be in bed soon," she pushed down the guilt as she made a hollow promise.
"Good," Mebuki yawned, "goodnight, Bug."
"Goodnight, Mom. Love-," the line clicked. "Love you," she murmured into her phone.
It could be worse. At least I'm not being rained on.
With a sigh, she slipped her phone into her pocket and worked her way down the stairs, leaning against the filthy railing to keep her more or less propped up. Her brain - the part that was active and recording - switched off to allow muscle memory to take over. She waited for her train, thoughts wandering to just how different things could have been if he was still here. The doors opened; a gust of hot air blew in her face. She waited for the handful of people inside to make moves to get up and get off before she stepped inside the train and sank into a seat. Her bag rested on her knees, she pulled a paperback from her purse. She held it in her hands, closed, her eyes were heavy with exhaustion. She blinked slowly. The train started to move.
xXx
There were two silhouettes under the yellow streetlamp that flickered. One was taller than the other but not by all that much. Despite herself, she smiled, she waved over her head. She coaxed her feet to move faster. Her keys jingled in her hand before she made it to them. Nearly two identical faces with soft brown hair and vibrant hazel eyes greeted her with varying expressions.
"Hey there kiddo," Sakura addressed the boy first. "Amaya," she smiled at his mother. "Were the two of you waiting long?" She asked pleasantly.
"No," the boy - nine years old - said with a frown. "You have loud steps."
"Hiro!" His mother groaned into her hand.
Sakura chuckled at his honesty. Her green eyes landed on his mother's exasperated expression. "You could have waited upstairs, you know."
Amaya sighed with a soft nod. "We took a short walk. We were cooped up inside all day because of the rain," the woman explained.
"It smells like wet garbage," the boy complained.
"You're not wrong," Sakura moved closer to the door at the side of the apartment building. The key met its lock, she turned once to the right and there was a click. Sakura pulled the door towards her, holding it open for the mother-and-son pair. "You know the drill, Hiro," she told the boy solemnly.
He nodded his head. He flipped on the light switch on his way to the center of the room. He made a face before he covered his ears with his headphones. He gingerly lowered himself into the leather chair that was waiting already lined with white exam table paper.
"It's okay if it gets wrinkly," Sakura said with a smile as she pulled a stool with the same color upholstery as the chair. "That's what it's made for."
Amaya closed the door behind her. She locked it. Her sandals moved across the tiled floor. She slowly walked to the three chairs on the far back wall. She lowered herself down onto one of them.
"Let's see it," Sakura spoke loud enough for him to hear her over the classical music that played.
Hiro held out his right hand. "It doesn't hurt," he said loudly. His eyes were fixed on the splint that held his ring finger with his pinky.
"That's good," Sakura assessed with a nod. "So I'm going to remove the tape now and the split. Is that okay with you?" She waited for the boy to nod his head. With careful, measured movements she began to remove the tape and do exactly as she had said. "Did you finish the book?" She asked him without looking up from her task.
"I didn't like it," Hiro shook his head. "Hedwig died."
"I know," Sakura grimaced. "I'm still not over it." She lowered his hand to his lap before she stood up on her feet. Amaya's eyes were on her as she moved around the small room. She pulled open drawers, tutting and muttering under her breath.
"She didn't have to go that way," Hiro continued to air his grievances. "I stopped reading after that. It was unfair."
"It really was. They did her so dirty," Sakura agreed emphatically. Her eyes lit up when she found a small blue and green sphere. She walked back to the boy, moving her wrist from side to side.
"A toy?" He asked, reaching for the small globe.
"A stress ball," she settled back into the stool, moving from side to side lazily. A necessity to keep her eyes focused. "It will help with getting your strength back in your hand. Can you try squeezing it?"
The women in the room watched closely as the boy closed his fist slowly. "Doesn't hurt," he commented loudly.
"Lower the volume, Hiro," Amaya called out from behind him. She was no longer seated in a chair. She tapped the boy's headphones. He pressed the button twice to reduce it by a fraction.
"Any discomfort?" Sakura asked the boy. She straightened her spine as her fingers found the bundle of nerves that were giving her grief again. Hiro shook his head. He was completely focused on the task he was given. "Good. I want you to try to do it for five minutes every hour if you can. For no more than a total of an hour. So you can break it up however you want. Try not to go over fifteen minutes in one sitting. We can revisit in a week and change the interval to be longer if needed with less repetition. If you experience any discomfort or pain, stop with the exercises and call me."
"Okay." He lowered the ball, holding it between his hands. "Are we done?"
"We're done," she reached into a drawer that was near the chair. "Red or orange," she asked as her fingers shuffled plastic wrappers.
"Purple," he said, staring at the red of her coat.
"Bold," she held out the purple lollipop for him to take. "Trying something new?"
He nodded his head. Hiro took the purple lollipop from the top, careful to not touch her hand in any way. He jumped off the chair and lowered his headphones around his neck. He turned to face her, looking past her as he brought his right hand to his forehead in a salute.
"Thank you for your service," he spoke to the picture on the wall behind her head.
Sakura smiled softly. She patted her knees and rose to her feet. "Stay out of trouble kid. Let's try not to break anything else while having fun okay?"
The boy did not answer, instead, he bounded off to check - judge - her organization scheme of the various medical supplies she had on shelves in glass jars and containers.
"Thanks, Sakura," Amaya's eyes held relief and gratitude. "I left a lasagna in your freezer. It's already portioned so all you need to do is put it on a plate and microwave it. Dinner rolls are on your table. Should last you a while."
"I could kiss you on the mouth," Sakura said in pure delight. "Thank you."
Amaya sighed, rolling her eyes. The smile on her face was gentle. "It's the least I can do for you taking such good care of Hiro." Her expression changed as guilt crept in. "Speaking of which…do you mind watching him next Wednesday? I really need to pick up an extra shift."
"Amaya," Sakura reached out to squeeze the woman's crossed forearm. "Of course. I love having Hiro. He looks after himself." The soft opening and closing of lids had them turning their head to the boy who was moving around jars by size. "See what I mean?" Sakura asked with a grin, her hands found her hips. "We'll do a Harry Potter movie marathon. It will be great."
"Will you stay awake long enough to make it through a movie?" The woman asked with a raised brow.
Sakura blew a raspberry. "Remains to be seen."
"Thanks again, Sakura," Amaya turned to face her son. "Let's go, Hiro. Sakura needs her sleep."
"Bye, Sakura," the boy waved over his shoulder. He was already at the door.
"Bye Kiddo. Bye Amaya," she waved at the pair, smiling in thanks when Amaya engaged the lock on her way out before softly closing the door. The pinkette sighed, she glanced over her shoulder at the picture in the frame. The smiling face that never changed. "Goodnight," she murmured, walking to the far back wall to pull open a door that led to a stairwell. Her keys were in her hand again in preparation for the locked door that separated her and her abode.
He was holding up a wall, the exterior wall of the coffee shop, moving a cigarette between his fingers with a distant look on his face. He was tucked away from most eyes. Extra effort needed to be afforded in order to spot him. She secured her grip around the disposable cup holder tray in her hands before she pushed open the door. He did not react. He was far enough away from the entrance.
Sakura clicked her heels together as if to give herself the push she was missing, she made a left from the door and did not stop until she was nearly an arm's reach from him. He turned his head to face her. She saw his blue eyes widen a fraction for just a fleeting moment. The recognition caused her heart to stammer in her chest so loudly that perhaps he could hear it in his ears. Before he could open his mouth or she could lose her nerve, she pulled a cup from the tray.
"Coffee with milk instead of half-and-half and with half a packet of sugar," she extended the offering with a smile. Her green eyes danced around his face, unable to look him in the eye for more than a couple of seconds at a time. Her cheeks were flushed but she could not blame it on the cold, nippy air. The blond blinked at her, stupefied.
Okay then.
She waited with her heart in her throat. It had managed to migrate there and yet not a single word was uttered by the blond-haired man in a dark suit.
This was a bad idea. Too bold. I was too bold.
Ino, with her supermodel good looks, nice clothes, impeccable makeup, and loud personality, could get away with things that mere mortals such as herself could not. Sakura cursed herself to hell and back forever listening to the loud-mouth blonde's advice. It was on par with asking an Olympic track and field gold medalist for advice on how to run. It was laughable.
Just put yourself out there. She had said. Smile and be approachable. She coached. Everything will fall into place. And if you get tired of waiting just make the first move. Guys love that.
I'm an idiot.
"What's the occasion?"
She blinked in surprise. Her eyes went from the fingers gripping the top of the lid - fingers that did not belong to her, she checked - to the arm and the face they were attached to.
"Sorry," she mumbled, letting go of the cup so that he could claim it in earnest.
His voice is as pretty as the rest of him.
Deep. Smooth. And carried with calm. It was the first time she had heard him speak. Ever. And very quickly she decided that she liked hearing it. She cleared her throat at the expectant look on his face.
"Sorry?" He spoke again.
"Hm?" She asked every bit as carelessly as she felt. "Oh!" She shook her head. "No, well yes. It's an apology for my friend kind of blindsiding you yesterday." Sakura laughed. High-pitched and nervous. She cringed inwardly but found herself unable to stop. It was like she was watching herself crash and burn. Unable to do anything but stand there watching it all fall apart.
"Thank you," he said with a smile. It was not unkind. "Where is your friend?"
Sakura almost deflated at the question. "She had an early meeting today," she held up the cup holder to reveal two coffees left behind.
"No cheese danishes?" He asked the right side of his mouth to rise higher than his left.
"Right here," Sakura shook the brown paper bag that already had grease stains on it which was held in her only other hand. "Where is your friend?" She asked lamely all the while wondering what was wrong with her. She knew how to hold a conversation. Usually. She followed the path of his eyes. The journey was not far. Over her shoulder, she saw a tuft of bright red hair in a car that was parked across the street near a meter. His hair was just about all she saw. His face was covered by something dark - a hat if she had to wager a guess - as he lounged with the seat leaning back. "I see," she turned back to him. She noticed that the cigarette was back perched behind his ear.
"I should be the one," the blond said almost cryptically.
"What?" She tilted her head up slightly to get a better angle to read his face.
"I should be the one giving you coffee as a thank you for this," he explained, holding up his left hand - an arm that was tucked away from her vantage. In his hand was a familiar red umbrella. The one with pink cherry blossom flowers littered about. "It really saved me yesterday."
"Oh, I'm glad it helped," she laughed and thankfully this time it was at an appropriate volume and length. "Thank you." The umbrella exchanged hands, not all that different from the way the coffee had. She smiled. He smiled. Both took turns seeming to look away in a game of tag. She felt her face start to heat up even more despite only wearing two thin layers: just her scrubs and her medical coat. A coat she had to wear to this shop - not because she was obnoxious - as it was the only way customers did not grumble and complain when first responders got to cut the line, even if there was ample signage everywhere stating the shop policy. "Um," she could hear the tick, tick, tick of her wristwatch. "I should go," the reluctance of her tone was almost palpable. She was glad Ino was not here to witness it. She would never hear the end of it. "See you tomorrow." She bowed - out of nowhere. "Okay. Bye!" She waved at him with her umbrella, unable to help her spasmodic tendencies, before she practically fled from the area as if she had just committed a crime. Because it felt like she had violated some cardinal rule or something.
He'll call. Or text. He'll reach out.
She consoled herself, daring not to look back. Even if she had placed a block between her and the shop. She had not slowed down her frantic pace. He would notice the number of the cup. She was sure of it. Or he seemed like a nice enough guy to at least scratch her number out with his keys or a sharpie so that it was not left in a landfill somewhere when he inevitably threw out the cup and along with it, her dignity.
"Be confident," Sakura muttered to herself like one of the crazy people she avoided walking too close to at night. "The laws of attraction. A bird in hand. Something goose for the gander." She hung her head. "Why am I such a head case?" She asked herself as she bit back a groan.
"Hey Sakura," her coworker greeted her.
"Rin," Sakura smiled at the medical intern who rushed by to meet an ambulance that was parked in the bay. Sakura had made it to the double doors of the ER. She let out a gasp. "His name!" She hissed. She had forgotten to ask him his name. "I'm such an idiot."
She really ought to take Ino up on her offer to examine her head because she just proved to herself that there was not enough money in the world - not to mention time - to get her right.
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