Hello all! This is a collaboration between Vesper Chan and jaylene that is finally being posted here. Also posted on ao3 and tumblr.

Pompeii
Chapter 1
Vesper Chan

The greyhound bus didn't take anyone all the way into Pompeii. There was construction on the roads that made it too rough for anything not sporting four wheel drive to make the climb up. That was fine. The drop off point was less than a mile away from the town, famous for it's crips beauty and distinct lack of volcanic activity.

"Wait, so you're walking?"

Sakura winced, pulling the bluetooth ear piece out and glaring at it before replacing it again once the ringing in her ear had subsided. "Ami, you know I can hear, right?"

"I told you to buy a car before you left. You're hiking a mile with luggage. What kind of sweet hell is that?" her friend ranted, likely huffing and puffing from the recliner in her dad's loft apartment just north of central Manhattan. It was a weekday, she wouldn't be at her own place. "Do they not have taxies in the boonies? What about Uber?"

"A mile is nothing to worry about, and I have comfortable shoes," Sakura replied, feeling the weight of her duffle bag increase as if the acknowledgment of it's existence made it that much heavier.

She didn't mention the fact that her bank account was starting to look like the clearance price of a lightly used sofa sectional. A taxi might have put her in the red if it had a high enough rate. It was also the main reason she was taking up a position as a general practitioner for the nowhere town instead of completing her residency in the city. She needed to make a living and build up a better bedside manner if she ever wanted to qualify for a Cardiothoracic Surgery Fellowship somewhere down the road.

"I'm going to miss you. Who's going to remind me to go to bed at a decent hour? No one's ever put up with me as long as you have," Ami sniffed on the other end of the line. "You've finally left me…a-all for some stupid town no one wants to practice in."

Sakura could hear the waterworks coming and laughed to ease the tension. "It's not that bad. From what I heard there's not that high a need for a doctor and they've been stubbornly resilient since the last one up and left. It's not a busy place. I'll have plenty of yearly check ups to practice my bedside manner on so it's perfect for me. Everyone wants to save the day in a big way and forgets about the little guys. I think I'll fit in just fine."

"Yeah, but I think you're forgetting the most important thing here: me. When will I see you again? I'm so lonely."

"Ami, you're married."

"Yeah but that's different."

"Hang on," Sakura said, pausing on the side of the road. She blinked and then turned around, searching for the curve she could have sworn she had already passed over. That pine tree looked oddly familiar. "Ami, how long have I been on this call with you?"

"Not long enough."

Sakura pulled out her cell and checked the time. She'd been on the phone twenty one minutes. She should have seen the town by now. She wasn't a slow walker either, in spite of her luggage. She felt a vibration in her ear and then a crackle as her cell phone screen showed only one bar left, and even that one was blinking.

"Ami, your signal is starting to break up so I'm going to have to end the call. I think I'm close to the town, I'll email you when I get there."

"Your phone is old, that's why. Sakura…come back soon! I miss you."

"Love you too," Sakura fondly cooed before ending the call and replacing the cell in her jacket's front pocket.

Without the distraction, Sakura took another look around and decided she was in a new area and that she hadn't turned herself around. She was being silly, thinking she had passed by the same way when she never once turned off the road. Ami's call had just distracted her. Silly, silly, silly.

Sakura started walking again and in another minuet she could see the curve in the road that lead into a main street where a dozen different store fronts showed off open faces. A handful of cars were parked on the street outside and people were out and about. The further she walked the more of the town she could see and she was amazed by how big it was for being in such an out of the way location. There were plenty of people and cars, even if she hadn't seen a single one on the road up from the greyhound stop.

Something like excitement made Sakura's heart skip in her chest and she couldn't help but smile. There had been more than one reason she settled on the occupancy at Pompeii and not one of the more local cities. Of course it was an interesting place that Sakura felt she could do well in, but aside from that she already knew someone in town.

There was a mess of things in the bottom pockets of her windbreaker but Sakura grabbed onto the old letter fairly easily. Her duffle started to slide so she heaved it up, higher on her shoulder while she looked over the last letter she ever received from Ino.

"Beauty parlor, that makes so much sense," Sakura hummed with a giddy smile. It had been years since she was a child in elementary school being randomly set up with a penpal from somewhere random in the country. What a fun twist of fate that years later they would be living in the same town…for a year at least.

Sakura had left her old address before she could get a reply from Ino, but she figured her letter had arrived before her. There had been enough photos sent between the two of them that Sakura was confident she would be able to recognize the blond in a crowd.

Sakura replaced the letter and left the street for the sidewalk, sidestepping shoppers with her oversized luggage. She past a post office, a bank, and a hardware store before she found the beauty parlor that was where Ino worked as a stylist. The exterior had a charming dated look that made Sakura feel like she was stepping backwards in time to an era when such places were gossip hubs for the well connected as much as they were service shops.

A bell announced her arrival and she let the glass door swing shut behind her as she took in the rows of mirrored stations scattered by ladies getting treated and pampered.

"Can I help you?"

Sakura blinks and remembers where she is. There is a young girl with pale eyes sitting behind the counter looking like she would rather be anywhere else. The girl was staring out the window, but her comment had obviously been directed at Sakura.

Sakura tried not to feel silly. "I was wondering if Ino was free. I'm not here for an appointment, sorry."

The girl blinked and looked up, pale eyes narrowed as she took Sakura in from head to toe. "Ino's in the back. I think she just finished a shampoo but she didn't say she was expecting anyone." Her eyes narrowed and Sakura felt diminished by the stare. "Who are you?"

"SAKURA!"

Both girls turned at the sound of the booming call. Sakura had seconds before the blur nearly knocked her over. Bracing Sakura dropped her duffle and cradled the blond before Ino could fall or drag the both of them down. Sakura felt her shoulders strain from Ino's arms around them and her hips were starting to hurt from where Ino hung there.

"Ino pig…" Sakura coughed, staggering. "You're heavier than I imagined."

Ino dropped to the floor and took half a step back to flick her friend's face, right between the eyebrows. "And your forehead is even bigger in person. I should rent space there and advertise."

"Careful, I'm expensive," Sakura teased, absently reaching up to rub one of her shoulders. "You look well though. Not too busy?"

"Me, I look well? You're here, you're here." Ino gasped, reaching forward and squishing Sakura's face between her hands before laughing and pinching Sakura all over, manipulating small areas of flesh with childlike wonder. "You're really real."

Sakura smiled, too happy to be annoyed with all the pinching. "Yeah, one of my many redeeming qualities in a laundry list of characteristics to be proud of."

"You have to stay with me! Do you have a place to stay yet? No, I insist, you have to stay with me, I need to keep you to myself as much as I can until I am convinced it's safe for you not to loose yourself in this sprawling metropolis. Oh, look at you, you'll never survive without me. Is that maroon eyeliner, darling?"

Sakura pushes Ino away and shakes her head. "No, it's not, and I think I already have a place to stay. I read somewhere in the contract that the job comes with a house…you're free to stay with me there and help me tidy it up if you want? I really want to unpack."

Ino looked down at the oversized duffle. "Unpack what?"

Sakura frowned, ears burning. "I have a backpack too. I-I thought it better to travel light. I do own stuff."

Ino hums, eyes bright and smile wide. "Sure you do, hun." She made a grab and snatched up Sakura duffle before Sakura could and heaved it up onto her shoulders. "But that's that and this is this. We'll go shopping later to fix all your woes. Let me be the one to show you to the hell hole."

Sakura blinked, feeling off beat. "The hell hole?"

"Ah, did I say that, I meant the doctor's!" Ino laughed behind her hand innocently while walking backwards to the door and turning just in time to slip out. "Silly me. Ah, same difference though. The last quack they hired was a sadistic little cockroach. We've had such bad luck with doctors here. I'm glad you are here though. I might actually go in for a physical now-my headaches have been killing me."

The bell tinkled as Sakura slipped out after Ino, trusting her friend was free to skip from work for a few minutes. "I'll set up an appointment for you once I get settled."

"Yeah, I guess I'll need a full physical. Ah, but I think I'll look forward to it this time if it's you."

Ino turned sharp and sure onto the sidewalk, having the rout already memorized, nodding to a big building on the corner of the street that was split to make room for two different businesses. It wasn't until they got closer and crossed the street that Sakura could read the two signs.

"I'm next door to a dentist. Is that a plus?"

Ino shrugged, leaning up the steps to the duplex. "Kimimaro is nice enough, he's kind of cold and emotionless if you ask me, but I've been told I'm not the best judge of character. He's good for his work though….cute enough too if you like them pale and quiet."

Sakura hummed thoughtfully before following Ino up the stairs and into the building marked for the Pompeii MD. No other name was listed and Sakura figured no one else had stayed long enough to add their credentials.

Ino held the door open for Sakura but let it ease shut before leading the both of them to the back. The front room was set up with a small reception's desk facing a bench and a couple of empty chairs. A poster on the wall detailed a balanced meal and another encouraged children to wash their hands. Both posters looked dated and Sakura noted that the meal one was incorrect-likely from over twenty years ago.

"Come on, Shizune's in the back."

Sakura followed Ino down a narrow hallway, past two doors with frosted glass to the back room where a mirrored layout to the one from before was set up. Only instead of an empty reception's desk, this one had a young woman with chopped black hair and wide coal colored eyes sitting behind it.

"Look who I found!" Ino cried, pulling Sakura into a one armed hug. "I brought you the best doctor ever and she's agreed to work for us! Look, look, it's Sakura and she's even cuter in real life."

Sakura felt her ears go red at the praise and had to cough to ease her heart back into a normal beat. "Shizune?" Sakura stepped forward, extending her hand in practiced professionalism. "It's a pleasure to meet you, thank you for extending the occupancy."

"Sakura Haruno," Shizune exclaimed, standing up to meet the woman and shake hands. "You can just in time. We're so happy to have you and I can tell you're probably exhausted, but if you don't mind do you think you could take a look at one of the boys? I just had to send him away but I can call him back. They got into a row and this one needs stitches. Oh, I'm so sorry I couldn't welcome you properly. This must be a terrible introduction to our sweet town." Shizune's voice sounded almost as frazzled as her expression. Poor woman looked like she hadn't slept in days.

"Of course. No, let me wash up real quick. Where do people go for medical attention in the absence of a doctor?" Sakura was already dropping her coat and backpack onto a nearby chair and reaching to knot her hair back; It was barely long enough to pull back. Absently she noted the time. It wasn't even noon. Who gets into a fight so early in the day?

"Kiba's sister is the vet, so he'll go to her, but I think she's out for the afternoon. Hang on here, I'll call for him," Shizune explained, grabbing a whistle off the coat rack and slipping outside on a jog.

Ino groaned from behind Sakura and deposited the duffle on the waiting bench. "Really? Kiba? Of all the idiot monsters who could steal your time away from me. I'm going to kill him."

"Please don't, I kind of want to be impressive on my first day here. Which room do I use?"

Ino moved to show Sakura the correct room and even helped find some of the items Sakura would need to treat someone for stitches. Sakura pulled her scarf off and left it by the patient's table to wash up while Ino explained she had to get back to the parlor but would be back in an hour.

Sakura was still at the sink when she heard Shizune guide someone in, chastising them about fighting. She heard someone lay down with a heavy sigh and then Shizune was heading back out the door. "I need to call his mom-oh Ino, you can help me, come here…."

Sakura shook her hands free under the turned off faucet and grabbed a pair of gloves, feeling something new come over her. She was in her element, she was a professional, and she was about to treat her first patient at her new job.

"Kiba?" she called, stepping into the room. The young man on the table looked up at her and she could already see he was in considerable pain. His pupils were blown and his breathing was labored.

And Shizune sent him off looking like this?

"I'm Dr. Haruno and I'll be treating you. Please excuse me but I'll need you to remove your shirt to get to the site." Sakura could see where he was bleeding most and didn't like to admit there was more than one area to treat.

With a grunt the man started to pull at his shirt and Sakura helped him out of it. He hissed when some of the clotted blood peeled away and Sakura bit her lip in sympathy.

There were several sites that needed attention, but all of them were long drags down his chest or arm, looking more like claw marks than the evidence of a 'row' as Shizune put it. Kiba was about her age too, he wasn't a teenager. Or if he was a teenager he was one of the best physically developed teenagers she's ever seen. In any other setting Sakura would be ogling.

"I'm going to clean theses areas first and then give you something for the pain before stitching you up." Her voice was soft but authoritative, the way one speaks commands to a frightened animal.

Sakura moved to prep the area and at the contact Kiba flinched under her, gasping from the touch of cold cloth on skin. Sakura noted how his hands tensed and his nails grew. His growl was guttural, like that of a wolf's. His eyes were shut but when he blinked down at her, trying to focus, Sakura saw narrow wolf like pupils. His bones wanted to shift under his skin, poking up against the skin, but he wouldn't let them. With a strain Kiba hissed and the bones settled back into place.

Sakura made an effort to work quickly to minimize his discomfort. She came back with the painkiller and was grateful to see he didn't jerk at the sensation and his nails were back to normal.

Needle and thread ready, Sakura prodded the widest gash and was about to begin when Kiba grunted loudly.

"No, not those. String…wrong."

"What is that?" Sakura asked, worried that he might have an allergic reaction to the thread she didn't know about. That would be rare, but not impossible. Would Shizune tell her this? Was Sakura missing something?

"I'll heal too fast. You need to use the…dissolving ones."

"Kiba, some of these marks will take weeks to heal. You're not going to heal so fast that-"

"I do, I just need to-the wolfsbane was in the water. I'm not healing because of that. I-I'll pass it out of my system in a day and then I'll be better." He grunted, squeezing his eyes and looking away. "Dissolvable stitches."

Sakura looked back at her needle and string before going back for the thread that didn't last longer than a week. "Another werewolf do this to you? These wounds look fresh, but you were probably fighting before the sun came up, huh?"

Kiba swallowed, looking down when he saw her thread her needle through the wound, pulling his skin back together. "I would have been fine by tomorrow. Blood loss is all."

Sakura snorted, working faster. "Guys are guys no matter what, eh? You probably think you could survive anything with just a nap."

"No…I eat food for helps too," Kiba shot back, slurring his words a little. His head swayed when he tried lifting it so he let it fall to the table with a dull thunk. "I'm not a werewolf either…we're lycans. The only werewolf in town's been dead two hundred years thank you very much much much…mu…much."

He groaned a little bit and turned his face into the table, straining for something. When Sakura heard him breath in deep she looked up to see his face squished into the mess of her scarf. Her hands were bloody and busy pinching and stitching his skin back together, otherwise she would have pulled her ugly old scarf away and hidden it in embarrassment. It had little miniature figures from an old cartoon show she liked as a child. Not the sort of thing a doctor wore. Kiba seemed to like the feel or smell of it though, so she let him have it.

"Well, I've never treated a lycan or a werewolf before, but I think I should be able to manage if they're all as well behaved as you. Thanks for not taking my head off earlier." She said before mentally kicking herself. Sakura inwardly groaned, remembering how her sass was the last thing most patients wanted to hear.

Bedside manner, bedside manner, bedside manner. The chant helped her focus.

She was on one of the last major wounds when Kiba turned his head and looked back down at her. "Are you Ino's girlfriend pen pal?"

It was enough to make her laugh. She needed to rethread her needle anyway, it was fine to talk back now. "I've been her pen pal since third grade, yeah. How did you guess?"

"You smell like her letters."

Sakura winced. "I'm sorry. I've been hiking. Don't hold it against me."

"It'sssss a good smell." Kiba's words were a mess. "You still have Samus?"

Sakura smiled privately at the memory. Her German Sheared from childhood had been a popular topic in her letters to Ino for the first few years. "No, she died of old age. She was twelve."

"Sorry."

Sakura looked up over the stitches to see Kiba was watching her. His eyes were still a bit glassy looking, and she didn't doubt that had something to do with the pain he was being numbed against as well as anything else that might be in his system. At least they weren't wolf eyes.

"Thanks. It's been several years but I miss having a buddy around the house. I kind of miss having a house period. Um, do you have dogs?" Bedside manner, bedside manner, bedside manner.

"Yeah, lots."

"Tell me about them."

And Kiba did while Sakura cleaned the cuts on his arm and dressed them. They were too small for stitches but still needed to be treated. More than needles Kiba seemed to really hate anything cold on his skin, making cleaning a pain. Sakura prodded Kiba by asking him about his sister's dogs and that was enough to keep him from growing fangs again.

Eventually she finished with the young man but didn't like the idea of letting him go home, so Sakura offered him a cot in the next room and gave him some water to drink, a health bar to help replenish the iron lost, and dimmed the lights. He balled up her scarf under his head and laid down, likely to sleep, but maybe to rest.

Now it was time to see his file and ferret out Shizune for some answers. Maybe later she'd worry about the variety of patients she should expect if they all came in as abnormal as Kiba, but for right now she was mentally congratulating herself on what was important.

Shucking her bloody gloves into the trash, Sakura eased the door open with her hip, reaching to undo the knot of her short hair when the fully suited figure of a finely trimmed man with inhuman eyes greeted her in the lobby. He smiled at her the same moment Shizune did, but his smile was different.

"Sakura Haruno?"

Sakura nodded, forgetting to correct him about the 'Dr.' title she was so proud about.

"We've heard so much about you. Welcome to Pompeii."