Happy Accidents

Chapter 51: Decisions

The following day, Sasuke helped Sakura finish tidying up the rest of her new apartment. Then, they sat down and discussed options she would have to manage the apartment money-wise and decided that selling her old house and opening the apartment for rent was the best option. With his support behind her, they were likely to get tenants who would be well-behaved and not cause any problems; knowing that a crime detective was there to support her would aid in that aspect. After that, they stopped by her old house and grabbed more of her belongings, packing what they could to fully move her into his house.

Once they'd finished that, it was late into the afternoon, and with takeout on the way, Sasuke knew he had to talk to Sakura. Itachi's words weren't to be taken lightly, and the day of moving things had given him time to come to his own decision. If it meant choosing between bringing his brother to justice or protecting Sakura, he knew what his answer had to be. If he could help in any investigations into his brother by other people, then so be it; however, his investigations would have to stop.

"Sakura," he began tentatively, approaching her as she sat on the couch with a book in her lap. "Can... There's something I... I need to discuss with you." He didn't even know where to start. Sakura could hear the nervousness in his voice; it made her nervous, though she was sure it was important.

"Yeah, whatever you need," she said, closing her book and setting it aside before patting the couch beside her, offering for him to sit. He did, and as he sat with his fists balled on top of his knees, Sakura knew whatever it was had been bothering him for longer than he'd let on. She reached over and placed a hand on top of his fist, giving him an encouraging smile.

"It's about... Itachi," he began, still uncertain about where to start. "The other day, he came by the house, and he told me that... that I needed to stop looking. He didn't say it directly, but he also.... threatened you, in a sense." He was still struggling to wrap his head around it. The way Itachi had said it was so ambiguous; he'd told him to stop looking, then mentioned Sakura but never directly threatened her. Nevertheless, something was off about it, and he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"He what?" Sakura asked incredulously, shocked. "He came here? He knows where you are?" That was terrifying to think of. How would Itachi have known? Was he following them?

"Yes, he was here. He... I don't know," Sasuke said, shaking his head. "It wasn't a direct threat. He told me to stop looking, and then he mentioned you after, but he never directly threatened you or me. It was... ambiguous. I can't tell if it was a threat or a warning." It bothered him that it was so ambiguous because he didn't know how to take it. "All I know is... I can't take any risks, Sakura. I can't do it. I can't go through that, not again." He was scared. If it had been a threat and he continued looking with no regard for her safety, then what kind of person would that make him?

"Sasuke, you're not..." Sakura slowly shook her head, shocked at his revelation. She wasn't sure what he was implying, but she didn't like it. Him, stopping all of his investigations, everything he'd worked for, for her sake? She understood why it scared him, but even she knew she couldn't let him do this. It wasn't even fear for her own life that stopped her; it was the fact that after all he'd been through, he deserved to find out what happened. He deserved answers. And he deserved the chance to bring the person responsible to justice.

"I have to, Sakura. It's the only choice," Sasuke replied, hanging his head. "I am not risking you. You mean more to me than anything else in the world; I told you that." He made eye contact with her, his expression severe but sad. Sakura couldn't believe this. She couldn't believe that he'd give up his entire dream to protect her. Hell... she couldn't allow it.

"No, Sasuke, you're not going to give up on this," she said, shaking her head. "If you're not going to keep looking, then I will. We are in this together. Your job is to uphold the law and find justice for those that can't, and that includes yourself. You're a victim, and you deserve just as much justice as the rest of them. I'm not going to let you give up on everything you've worked for. If it means we have to work carefully and cover our tracks, then we'll do that." She reached a palm up to touch his cheek, brushing a few strands of hair out of his face. He deserved to put the traumas of his life to rest.