#utopia part 1

Their heels clicked loudly against the flagstones as they walked up the street towards the restaurant. It had stopped raining yesterday, and the puddles reflected the neon flashes of advertisement. Holographic images of gadgets and beaming people assaulted them from every angle, and Sakura eyed passersby on the street but saw none of the cheerfulness being showcased. The evening was approaching, and they passed men wearing expensive suits who were escorting beautiful ladies that were swathed in luxurious furs and jewelry, all of whom were in search of a night of entertainment to sate their vices. There was none of the hard-eyed gauntness Sakura was used to seeing in the slums. This was a different kind of hunger that only the corrupt and the wealthy experienced.

Sakura despised them.

They’d parked her motorcycle in an area reserved for the restaurant’s guests, and Sakura had left her boots and jacket with her bike. She thanked the high heavens that Ino had taught her how to walk in these death contraptions. Their arms were looped together, and Ino’s flowing dress brushed against Sakura’s leg with every step they took. She looked fantastic tonight, having chosen a purple cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline that left her collarbones on display. Sakura had no idea where she’d gotten the money for either of their clothes for the night but knew better than to ask. While they both had enough to go by, they were poor compared to these people.

They had no business entering this side of town, where even the air was expensive, but Ino was determined to celebrate. It wasn’t every day that her best friend turned twenty, she’d said. Sakura had laughed when Ino had told her not to worry because this was her treat. She knew that Ino had no intention of paying for anything here and wondered how she expected to be able to outrun anyone in these shoes. Hence the reason Sakura had taken her boots along for the ride. There was no way she was entering a car chase in heels.

Sakura held open the door when they arrived, and Ino walked up to the reception, which was manned by a waiter in a bowtie and suit. It was warm inside, and soft music played from hidden speakers. The floor was covered with a rich red carpet, which complemented the dark wood of the furniture. Sakura looked up at the gleaming chandeliers that lit the restaurant with a soft glow. Everything looked so elegant here, and Sakura had to hand it to Ino; she really knew how to pick a place.

“Hi, a table for two,” Ino said with confidence, and Sakura marveled at how natural she looked here, surrounded by such opulence.

“Do you have a reservation?” The waiter behind the counter asked.

“No, I didn’t think we’d need one,” Ino said with a cute pout that usually got her what she wanted. He feigned a smile and looked down at his monitor. Sakura shifted her weight onto her other foot, ready to pull Ino away and head back towards their usual joint. This place wasn’t worth the effort, no matter how classy it appeared.

“Our next table should be available in about twenty minutes if you’re willing to wait,” he said after a moment of shuffling through the evening’s reservations.  

“We’ll wait,” Ino said with a sharp smile that the waiter did not return.

“If you would be so kind as to wait, another waiter will be here in a moment to escort you to the waiting area,” he said but forgot about them when the door opened again. He looked past them and plastered on an oily smile.

“Excuse me,” the man who’d just entered said. His date, a tall woman with her hair pulled up into an elegant knot, observed Ino and Sakura with an air of disdain as they rudely pushed past them to get the counter. Sakura had the urge to stick out her tongue at her, just to see what kind of reaction she’d gain.

“Ah, monsieur. Your usual table?” the waiter asked the asshole. At receiving a nod, he lifted the countertop to escort them personally. “Excuse us, ladies,” he said, and they both smiled with false demureness as they stepped out of their way. Sakura made sure that the couple had to let go of each other to get between them, her arm brushing against the man’s suit as they passed. Ino did the same on the other side, but she purposefully bumped into the lady hard enough to have to grab her by the shoulder to keep them from falling.

“Oh, my! I’m so sorry,” she said earnestly and took a step back to give them more space. The lady sent her a frosty glare but said nothing as she put her hand on her companion’s arm again.

“It happens to the best of us,” he assured them with a stiff nod before they continued on.

“That fucker took our table!” Ino hissed into Sakura’s ear when they were out of hearing range.

“What did you expect from a place like this?” Sakura whispered back, and Ino scowled. She opened her mouth to make another scathing remark but was interrupted by the arrival of their waiter.

“If you’d be so kind as to follow me, ladies. You can take a seat at the bar while you wait for a table,” he said with a bow. The bar served as a waiting area as well, and Sakura wondered why they couldn’t just have their dinner there. The tables were tall enough for them to stand by them, but they chose one with chairs. Sakura wasn’t eager to stand for long in heals. Ino placed her purse on the table as they took their seat and Sakura took a look around. Their new position gave them a good view of the establishment, but her back was to the door.

“Can I get you ladies anything to drink?” he asked when they were seated.

“Yes, I’ll have the House Blend,” Ino said after considering the menu. The waiter nodded and looked at Sakura expectantly.

“I’ll just have some sparkling water,” Sakura said.

“Excellent, I’ll have your drinks ready in a moment.”

“Water? It’s your birthday, forehead. Live a little!” Ino said, throwing her hands up in exasperation.

“It’s fancy water,” Sakura defended. “Besides, one of us needs to keep their wits about them.”

“Always so responsible,” Ino sighed.

“You’d be dead without me, pig” Sakura teased, reminding her of all the times she’d bailed her ass out of jail.

“Probably,” Ino agreed.

They bickered back and forth. Sakura couldn’t keep the smile off her face, honestly glad that she’d agreed to Ino’s harebrained scheme. She’d never been inside such a fancy place.

“Here we are.” Their waiter set down their drinks in front of them. Sakura smiled politely in thanks, and Ino batted her eyes flirtatiously. He flushed. “Anything else I can get you?”

“No thank you.” Ino gave him a sultry smile and wrapped her lips around her straw to take a sip. “We’ll call if we need anything.”

The poor guy didn’t stand a chance against the blonde bombshell. He bowed and walked away with a slightly dazed expression. Ino snorted when he was out of view. Sakura held her glass up to her mouth to hide her grin against the rim. Her drink wasn’t nearly as indulgent as Ino’s, but she needed to keep a clear head when they hit the road again. Ino lounged back in her chair, holding her ridiculously expensive cocktail to her chest, and Sakura watched as she took another sip of it, careful not to smear her lipstick.

“You know that there’s bound to be as much sugar, if not more, than alcohol in that drink,” Sakura said, and Ino pouted.

“I’m not on a diet so don’t spoil this for me!” Ino clutched the drink to her chest defensively.

“You never needed to go on a diet in the first place,” Sakura sighed. Ino relaxed, a small smile crossing her face. The door opening let in a gust of wind and Sakura shivered as the cold air brushed against the bare skin of her back. Her red dress was backless, a far cry from her usual getup, and she was grateful that it had sleeves.

“Stop squirming, you look hot!” Ino reassured her. Sakura stopped fidgeting and smoothed out the skirt of her dress. She felt like the slit that ran up her thigh to her hip was exposing her nether regions to the world. She was wearing underwear of course, but the only pair that would look good with this kind of dress was a high waisted thong, and that hardly gave her much coverage. Sakura was only glad that the fabric around her left leg concealed the slim dagger she’d holstered around her thigh. Ino had a pistol in her purse, but Sakura hadn’t dared to travel unarmed even though they were in the safer part of the city.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Ino grumbled and gestured towards the reception with her chin.

Sakura turned around and saw the headwaiter lead three men in suits to the dining hall. The tallest had a dark scowl on his face, and his unnaturally green eyes and red sclera sent a pool of dread down Sakura’s spine. She knew danger when she saw it, and this was not a man to be trifled with. His two companions, a blond and a redhead, appeared bored to be there, but Sakura knew that they weren’t here to mix business with pleasure.

Her skin tingled, and Sakura shivered at the odd sensation. She took a cooling sip of her drink and was about to comment on it when their waiter returned. He was eager to give Ino a refill, but she placed a hand over her glass.

“Could we have something to nibble on instead? We’re starting to get hungry,” Ino asked, and Sakura could see the annoyance lurking underneath her playful smile.

“Of course! I apologize for the delay; your table will be ready in a few moments.” He hurried off and returned with a basket full of bread and a small jar of pesto. It was freshly prepared by the cook and on the house, according to the waiter. It was delicious, and Sakura could feel how hungry she’d been. They took a moment to appreciate the taste and texture of it.

“Let’s hope there won’t be a shootout,” Ino spoke suddenly, and Sakura knew she was referring to the new arrivals.

“Yeah, that’s not how I want to spend my evening,” Sakura agreed. It was depressing how frequently fights broke out nowadays. Civilians got caught in the crossfire of gang wars countless of times, and corrupt officials looked the other way while men like these made dark deals in fancy restaurants.

Luck was with them tonight, and when they finally got a table, they were relieved to see that it was close to the kitchen so they could make a quick exit through the back if things turned sour. Sakura smirked when she saw whose table the men had joined. It was the couple they’d bumped into in the reception and Sakura got a mild kick from seeing the nervous sweat on the man’s face at being cornered. Served him right for getting involved with them when he couldn’t deliver. The lady was unhappy with the new company; going by the glare she was giving her date.

Their waiter weaved in between tables and steered them through the dining hall with ease. Sakura was relieved that the man with the scary eyes had his back to her. The blond, who was closer to Sakura’s age, winked at her when he saw her looking. She raised an unimpressed eyebrow at his apparent appraisal of her, and his grin widened in return. She moved her attention to the last man at the table, the redhead with hooded eyes. A tremor ran through her, but the unsettling feeling lasted only for a fraction of a second as she passed by them. He didn’t look up, much to Sakura’s relief.

They placed their orders when they were seated, having had plenty of time to make up their minds while they waited. They decided to go all out tonight and requested a three-course meal.

“Tonight we eat like royalty,” Ino said and held up her glass in a toast which Sakura gladly reciprocated.

Curiosity got the better of her and Sakura looked over at their table. Now that she had time to observe them properly she noticed the similarities between the blond man and Ino. He wore his hair half pulled up in a ponytail with a long bang covering one eye.  

“I think I found your long lost twin,” she said, and Ino scoffed.

“Where?”

“Over there.” Sakura gestured discretely to their table, but Ino had no such compunction and craned her neck to get a better look.

“Motherfucker, you’re right,” Ino gasped in outrage. She wasn’t the only one to have noticed, and the blond met her with a disbelieving stare of his own. Ino scowled, and he glared back. She flipped her hair over her shoulder and turned back to Sakura. “Whatever, I’m still prettier.”

“I don’t know,” Sakura drawled. His visible blue eye was quite striking. “He could give you a run for your money.”

“You’re horrible,” Ino deadpanned, and Sakura finally gave into the urge to laugh.

The blond’s pouting must have caught the attention of his companion because when Sakura looked over again, she made direct eye contact with amber eyes. Her skin crawled with a sudden, unnatural heat. Uncomfortable with his scrutiny, Sakura’s eyes lowered down to his hand, which was curled around a wine glass. Thin blue strings extended from his fingers and stretched across the room. She quickly turned to see where they lead, but they vanished through the front door. The shock of seeing something so bizarre forced her back to reality, and her eyelids fluttered against the sudden lightheadedness she experienced. She snuck another look at him out of the corner of her eye, and her heart lurched when she saw that he was still watching her.

He only looked away when the rich guy had made to stand up, but something pulled him back down. A new string had materialized from the redhead’s finger and was now connected to the man’s chest, forcing him back down with a twitch of his finger. Sakura’s eyes widened in horror, and she hastened to look away before the redhead discovered that he had a witness. Ino hadn’t seen anything out of the ordinary, or she would have reacted, but Sakura was desperate for a distraction. She searched wildly for something to say before she went into hysterics.

“How’s work?” She asked, her voice an octave higher than natural. Ino’s parents were florists, which was not the most lucrative business, but Sakura knew they might have been well off if they’d lived in another world. Ino gave her a weird look but chose not to comment on the abrupt change of topic.

“It’s been kind of slow lately, but we’re bound to have more business if these gang wars keep up. Funeral flowers are always so depressing to arrange,” Ino sighed before she perked up. “I have an early shift tomorrow; you should totally come by and save me from boredom.”

“Yeah, I might,” Sakura said absently. It had been some time since Sakura’s last visit to the Yamanaka Flower. That had been for a funeral as well. Ino looked up from her plate and appeared pensive all of a sudden.

“You know that there’s still a chance they’re-” Ino started quietly, her expression soft but Sakura couldn’t bear it. She knew where this was going and had to put a stop to it before she said their names.

“I think this dress is giving me a rash,” Sakura interrupted her. She refused to cry on her birthday. “I’m going to go to the bathroom and check it out.”

“I need to piss,” Ino said after a pause and stood up. “I’ll come with you.”

“Is everything okay?” Their waiter popped up, and Sakura’s eyebrow twitched with annoyance. His eagerness to please had been amusing at first, but now it was starting to wear on her patience.

“We’re just going to powder our noses,” Ino said, her words devoid of her earlier crassness. She put her hand on Sakura’s back and led her away, recognizing the signs of her rising temper.

They had to pass their table again, and the blond shamelessly checked them out though he still appeared put out by Ino’s similarity. The scary-eyed man was speaking to the rich man in a low, threatening manner. Sakura feigned obliviousness, and carefully kept her eyes ahead, aware of the pair of eyes drilling into the back of her head. Hopefully, Ino wouldn’t notice.

“You’ve got an admirer,” Ino said the moment she’d locked the door, and Sakura bit back a curse her perceptiveness. Those freaky strings only meant trouble, and there was no way she was going to drag Ino into harm’s way.

“Oh?” She said with forced disinterest. She pulled her arms out of the long sleeves of her dress, the silky fabric rolling as she pushed the front down. She didn’t feel a lick of embarrassment when the cold air nipped at her exposed flesh. There wasn’t anybody here to see her half-naked except for Ino, and they’d been best friends for over ten years. The skin between her breasts was a splotchy red and irritated, and she compulsively put her hand on it. It felt hot to the touch and was sore and slightly raised with inflammation.

“What the hell,” Ino breathed, leaning in to take a closer look. “Do you think it could be an allergic reaction?”

“It’s not appearing anywhere else. It looks like a bug bite,” Sakura said with a frown.

“Gross.” Ino grimaced.

Sakura rolled her eyes at her friend’s squeamishness and went over to the sink to wet a tissue with cold water. She pressed it to her chest and sighed at the momentary relief. Sakura leaned against the sink, marveling at how clean everything was here, while Ino took a leak. She could see her reflection on the tiles. It would be hard to return to reality, where public bathrooms were disgusting from the acts of vandalism caused by bored teens, and needles and syringes, as well as the occasional blood splatters, left behind by the shaky hands of drug addicts.

Ino checked Sakura’s hip to get to the sink, and Sakura threw the now warm tissue into the bin. She looked into the mirror to get a closer look at the redness and put her dress back on after a moment of deliberation. It didn’t seem serious, and the pain was mild compared to what she’s experienced.

“Does it hurt?” Ino asked. She slung her purse onto the counter and pulled out a gloss and handed it to Sakura.

“No,” Sakura said. She met her eyes in the mirror as she applied it and raised an eyebrow in question when she saw Ino’s smug grin.

“I got her pearls,” Ino said and dangled the necklace in between her thumb and forefinger to show her. It belonged to the woman she’d bumped into at the reception.

“Well, I got his wallet,” Sakura countered and held it up with a devilish smirk. Ino laughed in delight and slung her arm over Sakura’s shoulder.

“How much is in there?” she asked, and Sakura opened the wallet. They both gasped when they saw the thick wad of bills inside.

“What an idiot! Who the hell carries around that much?” Ino snatched the money and counted it quickly, swearing when she noticed they were all one hundred bills. She stuffed it into her bra for safekeeping.

“I’ve never seen a credit card like this,” Sakura mused and showed Ino the sleek black card she’d found inside the wallet. It had a holographic serial number on it and a small silver chip but no name or address.

“It’s a luxury card!” Ino gasped. “Who the hell is this guy?”

“An idiot we just robbed,” Sakura smirked and tossed the wallet into the garbage. It wasn’t worth the risk of keeping when there was a chance of it having a tracker sewed into the leather; rich people were so paranoid these days.

“Well, who wouldn’t want to be robbed by a pair of babes like us?” Ino asked, and struck a pose that put her curves on display. Sakura snorted and smacked her on the bottom.

“Should we pay the bill now that we have the money?” She asked, handing Ino her gloss back.

“Are you crazy? I’m not going to waste a single penny in this pretentious place!” Ino hissed. She looked scandalized at the thought, and Sakura laughed.

“We can’t keep this,” Sakura gestured with the card. “The chip definitely has a tracker, and they’ll find us if we make a withdraw.”

“We’re not taking it with us, but we could use his card to pay for our meal,” Ino dismissed.

“What happened to not paying a single penny?”

“It’s not every day a rich, handsome man pays for your meal.” Ino swiped the card from Sakura’s hand and put it in her purse. “Besides we’ll be gone before they notice.”

“True,” Sakura agreed.

“Come on, I want some dessert,” Ino said and pulled Sakura out of the bathroom. They rounded the corner just in time to see the redhead man mutter something with a small smirk that sent the blond off. The couple was nowhere in sight, but Sakura noticed that the men were eating the food they’d ordered.

“How can you say such a thing? Art is supposed to be fleeting!” the blond cried, banging the table for emphasis. He would have continued, but he’d incited the ire of the scary-eyed man when the cutlery clinked loudly against the wooden tabletop.

“Deidara, shut up,” he growled, pointing his knife at him threateningly.

“Don’t point that knife at me unless you want to fight, Kakuzu,” Deidara spat, looking ready to vault over the table and attack him. The redhead leaned back in his seat and watched them with open satisfaction at having successfully riled his partners. Sakura slowed down, wanting to catch his name now that she could hear them, but he saw them. The moment their eyes met the skin between her breasts started to sting again, and Sakura was now positive he had something to do with it. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he raised his eyebrows, unimpressed by her scowl. Sakura didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of letting him see how unnerved she was and was grateful when Ino pulled her past them, breaking their strange connection.

“What a bunch of weirdos,” Ino muttered as they sat down. Sakura agreed; there was something wrong with them. She was hesitant to call it supernatural, but it was either that, or she was losing her mind. Her analytical mind preferred the second option.

They ordered a slice of chocolate cake and a bowl of strawberry ice cream to share, and Ino was slumped back in her seat by the time they’d finished, having gorged herself on the excellent food. She entertained herself by twirling her wine glass by the stem, and Sakura felt an overwhelming fondness for her. She reached over the table to take Ino’s hand and squeezed it. “Thank you for tonight.”

“Of course, only the best for my friends,” Ino dismissed after her initial surprise. She turned her hand up and tickled Sakura’s palm until she let her go. The redhead was still watching her with a calculative gaze, and Sakura wanted nothing more than to leave. Then, she realized that nothing was stopping her now that they’d eaten.

“Ready to get this show on the road?” she asked, and Ino nodded. She threw her napkin onto her plate and took up her purse.

“Go get the bike, I’ll be ready,” Ino told her as she stood up, and Sakura hurried away. She feared that the redhead would follow her out if she didn’t walk fast enough. Her heart sank when she was reminded of his strings. They were still in place, shuddering like a spider web as the waiters stepped on them and sent the vibrations back to their castor. Suitably freaked out, Sakura avoided touching them and followed a group of rowdy businessmen out of the restaurant. They spilled out onto the street with guffaws, obviously drunk, but they walked on unhindered by the threads.

Sakura darted down the sidewalk towards the parking lot, observing how the strings dispersed in every direction and extended until they were out of sight. She shuddered and picked up her pace. It was getting dark, and the chilly air nipped at her skin. Three men sat on another restaurant’s veranda and catcalled loudly as she passed but she forced herself to ignore them. The one leaning against the railing stretched his hand out to swat at her ass but missed. Anger burned brightly inside her at their audacity. She kept going nonetheless, knowing that she wasn’t equipped to get retribution at the moment.

Her bike stood untouched, and Sakura wasted no time in pulling up the seat after unlocking the compartment under to get her clothes. She gladly switched her heels for boots and pulled on a pair of skintight shorts. She didn’t have the time to take off her dress, but she shifted the holster to her bared leg for easy access to her knife and threw on her jacket. She then wrapped the skirt around her thigh to keep it out of the way and pushed the seat back down.

The engine growled loudly as she put her key in the ignition. Sakura kicked off with a savage grin, and she tore off onto the street. She hadn’t forgotten the man who’d tried to touch her and steered her bike onto the sidewalk. Walking pedestrians flattened themselves to the wall with shouts as she rode up the pavement. The men were still sitting there, calling harassments after a group of teenaged girls, and she gave a burst of speed. Sakura took great pleasure in grabbing him by the head and smashing his face into the table with enough force to break his nose. Screams broke out as the table toppled over, sending glass flying, but Sakura didn’t slow down. They were bound to call the cops on her, but she didn’t care. She needed to get Ino, and they’d be off. Besides, the police wouldn’t follow them into the lawless zone. They never did.

Sakura proceeded onto the street and slowed down when she came to the restaurant but didn’t dare to get any closer when she saw that the mobsters were standing on the sidewalk. They were preparing to leave but stalled when she revved her engine as a signal for Ino to get her ass out. They looked up at the noise, and Deidara threw his head back with a laugh when he recognized her.

“I like your style, pinky!” He called. Sakura scowled, resenting the juvenile nickname, and flicked him the finger. Her pink hair was stunning!

Ino threw open the door to the restaurant and jumped out. It was amazing how fast she could move in those shoes, because she was past the mobsters and on the streets a split second later, shouting: “So long suckers!”

She hopped on behind Sakura and wound her arms around her middle. Sakura laughed, adrenaline rushing through her veins when the waiter burst out of the restaurant. In his haste, he bumped into Deidara with enough force to send him stumbling.

“Watch it!” Deidara shouted as he caught himself on the redhead, who shoved him away, but the waiter wasn’t listening.

“Ma’am!” He yelled, rushing towards them with his hand raised. Ino laughed hysterically and fluttered her fingers in farewell as Sakura kicked off. They tore down the street loudly, Ino’s laughter drowned by the sound of the motorcycle.

There wasn’t much traffic besides the usual cabs, but people walked carelessly onto the streets. The sound of Sakura’s motorcycle was enough to warn them of her approach, but she had to swerve to avoid crashing into a group of young adults. They shouted profanities at them as they pelted past. Sakura’s ears picked up the sound of sirens approaching, and she knew they would be in trouble if they didn’t make it to the Fringes before they caught sight of them.

She gasped as the dull pain in her chest burned brighter. Something was seriously wrong with her, but there was no time to stop and check, and going to the hospital was out of the question now that they were being tailed.

“Wow, that was quick!” Ino remarked when a police vehicle sped onto the street some paces behind them. Sakura didn’t answer but knew it was her fault for being such a hothead. Sweat gathered on her forehead, and she tightened her grip on the handlebars. They gained more speed as they got closer to the Fringes.

The traffic was worse in this part of the city, and horns blared around them as they zigzagged between cars. Sakura saw an opening between two lanes as they approached an intersection. The lights were red, and the police were stuck behind the other vehicles. Nobody liked cops in these parts, so no one moved out of their way despite their sirens. Sakura thanked her lucky stars that they hadn’t sent any backup.

They were almost at the intersection when suddenly a monstrous creature emerged from the shadows of an alleyway. Its body bubbled like boiling tar, but its dark skin was nearly translucent as it crawled forward. It looked ill. People walked passed it without hesitation, completely unaware of its presence as it slunk across the street in front of them. Sakura watched in horror as the cars moved right through it like it was invisible, a scream bubbling in her throat. What the hell was going on!

“Do you see that?” Sakura shouted. She was fed up with being the only one freaked out by this.

“See what?” Ino asked, confirming Sakura’s suspicions. This may be happening inside her head, but there was no way in hell that she was getting close to that thing.

“Hold on!” Sakura slammed on the breaks. The rubber of her tires squealed against the concrete as she changed direction abruptly. Ino’s grip on Sakura turned bruising as she held on for dear life.

“Sakura!” Ino screamed into her ear.

They rounded the corner and Sakura growled as they steamed into oncoming traffic. She turned sharply, and they sped off the street and onto the walkway before they could collide. People jumped out of their way with alarmed shouts. They needed more cover, so Sakura swerved onto a side street, and recognized their surroundings with building panic. They were close to the bridge where most of the street beggars slept at night, and that meant they were encroaching Oto’s territory. They’d be shot down on sight; Sakura’s hair was very noticeable.

“Fuck,” Sakura muttered and turned back towards the Fringes, crisscrossing between streets and toeing the line between neutral grounds and Oto. The sirens were fading away, but Sakura didn’t dare to stop until they were inside their own neighborhood.

She navigated past noisy teens that roamed the streets restlessly in search of entertainment. They acted like they owned the city, and Sakura was forcibly reminded of the time she similarly spent her nights, getting up to no good and looking for an escape. It seemed like this generation lived by the same principles; live life like there was no tomorrow. She’d been right in a sense, the future wasn’t worth much here. Now she was an unemployed twenty-year-old, on the run from the police after a stupid dine and dash, and seeing monsters at every turn. What a time to be alive.

“You can let me off at my parent’s apartment,” Ino said as Sakura automatically headed towards her own apartment.  

“You sure?” Sakura asked, and Ino nodded. She pressed her face into Sakura’s shoulder, most likely tired after all the excitement.

“Early shift tomorrow remember?” she said so quietly that Sakura almost didn’t hear her. She’d completely forgotten about that.

Sakura shook off her nostalgia and delivered Ino home. She came to a stop in front of the Yamanaka Flower, and Ino hopped off to stretch her legs. Her parents had lived in the apartment above the store for as long as Sakura could remember.

“Why did you head towards Oto like that?” Ino asked.

“I thought I saw something,” Sakura mumbled; that monster was the least of her problems at the moment. She was breathing through her nose in an attempt to conceal how shallow her breath was. The burn in her chest had turned into needlelike pinpricks.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Ino asked, unconvinced.

“Yeah, I’m just tired,” Sakura reassured her with a weak smile. Ino considered her for a moment before throwing her arms around her in a quick embrace.

“Whatever. Stay safe, forehead.” She pulled away.

“Night,” Sakura said, her chest hurting in more than one way. She waited until Ino had unlocked her door and returned her wave before taking off home.

She made it in one piece, but the stumble up the stairs was agony. She was wheezing by the time she was on her floor and all but fell into her apartment after unlocking the door. The pain in her chest spiked, and it felt like she was being stabbed with a knife. She staggered into her bathroom, and turned on the light, blinking as her eyes adjusted to the harsh brightness, and blanched when she saw herself in the mirror. Her sweaty face was sickly pale and her eyes feverishly bright; she almost looked as bad as that grisly ghost she’d seen.

“Shit!” Sakura gasped as the pain rose to a new level and tore off her dress with shaking hands. She watched in transfixed silence as the irritation on her skin started to take shape. Red welled up through her skin and Sakura trembled as a distinct mark appeared on her solar plexus like a ghostly tattoo.

It was an outlining of a diamond with a scarlet scorpion in the center.