Happy Accidents

Chapter 57: Tipping Point

The sound of a phone ringing in the middle of the night roused Sasuke faster than anyone would have expected. He knew that ringtone; he'd set that one on purpose so he would be able to distinguish it from his regular ringtone. His hand reached under his pillow, specifically into the pillowcase, pulling it out and opening the phone. Though he held it to his ear, he said nothing; if it was someone else calling, he didn't want to give away his identity.

"Listen to me. You have to go, now," Naruto's voice said over the line, sounding frantic. "Take her and get the hell out of here."

"What happened?" Sasuke demanded, feeling his blood run cold in his veins. He hadn't expected things to change this rapidly. Something had to have happened if Naruto was telling him to go.

"I don't have time to explain everything. You just have to go. You have to run. They're sending ROOT special forces to your house as we speak, and if they find you... best-case scenario, they arrest you; worst-case scenario, it'll be a shootout, and honestly, I think it will be the latter. Whatever contingency plans you were planning, now is the time to use them." Naruto had never sounded this serious in all the years Sasuke had known him.

The detective was out of bed and scrambling to get himself dressed before he'd even hung up the call. Sakura, who had woken up when the phone went off, watched in shock as she could see the tension in his posture. She was shocked and baffled by his sudden frenzy, scrambling out of bed and doing the same. She got dressed and tried to listen in on the conversation he was having, but she couldn't figure out who he was talking to or what they were even talking about. Something about wanting to know what happened? She couldn't make out the person on the other line, but it was clear Sasuke knew who he was talking to, and by his expression, she could tell it was serious.

"Sasuke, what is going on?" Sakura demanded, heart racing in her chest. Whatever this was, it was severe, and whoever had called him, they were essential or had some meaning to Sasuke. Hearing her demand, the detective turned, debating how much he could tell Sakura or even how to explain it. He held up a finger indicating for her to wait while he spoke to the other person.

"Okay. Look, I'll tell you where--"

"No," Naruto said in a firm tone. "Do not under any circumstances tell me where you are going or where you end up hiding. I don't want to know. If I don't know, then I don't have to lie. Just... just take care of yourself, okay?" Sasuke knew his friend was right, and he hung up the phone to turn to Sakura, whose expression broke his heart. She was confused, worried, anxious, and he could even see her eyes starting to turn glassy. He strode forward, placing both hands on her cheeks as he looked down at her.

"Hey, hey, hey," he coaxed in a soft voice, doing his best to calm her. "Listen. There isn't a lot of time to explain, Sakura. Something has happened, something big, and none of it looks good for either of us right now." How the hell was he supposed to explain when even he didn't know the details? He knew it wasn't that Naruto didn't want to tell him anything; it was that there wasn't enough time.

Sakura was confused and upset, trying to wrap her head around the situation. Just hours ago, they'd been happy, smiling, laughing, and just enjoying one another's presence. Now, it felt like he would drop something big on her, something that was going to leave her questioning everything once more. She couldn't handle that kind of thing, not now. Sasuke looked as if someone had just died, and Sakura felt her heart getting heavier and heavier the more he stared at her.

"What do you mean, 'something big'?" Her voice was thick with emotion, nearly choked with tears, though she was trying to maintain her composure. "What exactly happened? Is someone hurt? Did something happen to Ino? Did we make a break in the case? Did... did they find your brother?" She had way too many questions and not enough answers.