Chapter 49: Can't Undo the Past

"K-Kakashi," Sakura choked out, watching in disbelief as the police cars drove away with him inside.

Dropping to the ground, she weakly clenched her hands against her crimson dress as she felt another wave of tears steam down her cheeks. Shutting her eyes tightly as she let out a broken sob, all she wanted was to wake up from this nightmare. This didn't seem real. How could Kakashi be charged with murder? After everything they had just been through, there was no doubt in her mind that it was all no thanks to Zokushi. She just wished she could understand how or why any of this could be possible.

At that thought, she wiped her tears and tried to calm down. They had both seen Ichiro alive before they left Osaka. Not only that, but she and everyone else who saw them at the party could testify to the police that this was a huge mistake. There would be surveillance at the airport to show that they were together the entire time during Ichiro's murder which had to have happened after they left. That was something that couldn't be denied, but what if it wasn't that simple to explain? They couldn't have just arrested him without any evidence.

Fear and worry clenched her heart once more at the reality that he was going to be put on trial for murder. What if they somehow couldn't prove he was innocent? Would he be locked away in prison for the rest of his life… or worse, be sent to death? Her throat burned and her chest ached as silent tears formed once more. It was true that most people who were arrested were convicted in Japan, and that fact worried her all the more.

Sakura wasn't sure how long she stayed knelt into the grass before realizing her shoulders were starting to burn from the hot noon sun above. Wiping her face with her hands, she weakly stood up and stumbled to the front steps in a daze. Stepping inside the empty home, she closed the door behind her with a click that echoed throughout the silent entryway. Feeling exhausted and drained, she walked towards the stairs and slowly climbed the steps which creaked under the weight of her bare feet. Pausing in the doorway of the bedroom, her eyes settled at the pulled sheets from Kakashi's empty side of the bed. Taking in a shuddered breath, the pain inside her heart ached even more.

Her fingers finally slipped away from the door's frame as she walked over and collapsed into the bed. Staring at his pillow, her chest began to hurt so much that it was becoming hard to breathe. Wringing her hands against the crumpled sheets, she felt such despair and loss not knowing what to do. Would Kakashi be okay? When could she see him again? When could he come back home? Would he ever come back home?

It wasn't long before she managed to cry herself to sleep.

Once the car had stopped, Kakashi was escorted into the back entrance of a small police station. There were sounds of voices around him explaining where they were going and the rules he were to adhere to, but he didn't hear one word of it as they stepped through the buzzing office. His mind was blank, still in shock how any of this was really happening as he followed the officer in front of him. Several policemen and detectives watched him pass by their desks with interest as he was taken into a small processing room.

After being checked and emptied for any items within his pockets, Kakashi was seated at a small desk with an older man sitting on the other side. The man gave a peculiar look at Kakashi's crumpled tuxedo he was still wearing from last night, then opened up a file and thumbed through the several pages inside.

"Please state your name, address and date of birth," the man asked.

Kakashi's throat felt dry as he struggled to answer. After responding to a few more personal questions about his identity, he was pulled into another room where this time an officer temporarily un-cuffed him from the back and he was given a prison uniform.

"Hurry up and change," the impatient officer spat, idly tapping his nightstick within his hands. "I don't have all day."

Kakashi clenched his fingers against the orange folded cotton material. Glancing to the officer who once again told him to hurry, he slowly turned around to face the brick wall trying not to feel humiliated from being watched as he did so. Dropping his new clothes temporarily on a metal bench, he shrugged off his tuxedo jacket and everything else until he donned his new uniform.

He felt numb as the handcuffs were placed back around his wrists. Being told to wait, he stood still and stared down at his hands as reality was starting to sink in that this wasn't a dream. His thoughts shifted to Sakura. Was she still back at the house? Fear ran through his veins knowing that she was all alone. His cousin killed his own father, now his own brother. She was in grave danger especially after what had happened last night. Right now he feared more for her life than his. His heartbeat increased as he began to feel sick with worry.

When an officer told him to step forward into the hallway, Kakashi quickly asked, "Can I make a phone call?"

"You're not allowed."

"What about an attorney?"

"The police will contact one on your behalf once you've been transferred."

"Transferred?"

The officer sighed, pushing him to move forward after a moment. "To Osaka's police jurisdiction. Now stop talking and walk."

Following the orders to move, Kakashi was taken to a small check in station where an officer forcefully dipped each of his fingers in black ink, printing each digit on a white paper document.

Once they were finished, he was escorted into another area which was equipped with a digital camera and a large backdrop against the wall that was marked with varying heights. He inwardly sighed as he was given a small black board with his name to hold up. An officer instructed him to stand up straight and look towards the camera. He flinched as the flash sounded and was asked to stand still once more for another photograph before turning to face right and left for the next few pictures.

Everything around him felt like it was happening too fast as he was ushered from one room into another. By the time he was placed inside a small holding room to be transported once more, he didn't realize where he was until he noticed the heavy silence.

Glancing down at the handcuffs around his wrists, he tightened his fists as he brought his hands to his forehead and let out a breath. What the hell was happening? He had left Osaka with the intention to never return and finally move on with his life. Now the only person who was going to make things right was dead. No one else had any power over Zokushi like his older brother did. What did this mean for the company? What did his cousin hope to accomplish besides taking it over and accusing him for his brother's murder? Was Sakura safe? Even if he did manage to get out of this… would they ever be safe again?

An hour passed before he was finally escorted to a waiting van staffed with several guards. Once inside, he leaned his back against the metal wall of the vehicle. There was little light to see beyond the barred windows of the doors. After fighting so hard to leave Osaka for once and for all, now he was returning to the city less than a day later in what felt like a cruel joke.

Drifting in and out of sleep during the entire trip, he felt thoroughly exhausted by the time they arrived in Osaka. The sun had settled into the horizon once he found himself in front of yet another police station, but this time it was quite a large foreboding structure several stories high. As he was pulled out of the vehicle, flashes of cameras were there to mark his arrival with an onslaught of questions from dozens of news reporters. Anyone who didn't know he was arrested for murder certainly did now. Keeping his head down in silence, guards pushed back the press to escort him inside.

After being processed, he was quickly taken into a small room and told to sit without any explanation. Staring down at the worn wooden table before him, he rubbed his fingers against his burning eyes as he heard a large metal door creak open. A lone man with a stern look entered carrying a file, taking a seat across from him.

"My name is Detective Miyazaki," the man stated, opening the folder in his hands before taking out a piece of paper. Sliding it across, he plucked a pen from his jacket pocket and placed it front of Kakashi. "Look, I'm going to make this really simple. You're not leaving this room until you sign a confession to the murder of Hatake Ichiro one way or another."

Kakashi glance down at the paper in disbelief. "I'm not signing a damn thing when I'm innocent," he spat.

Miyazaki scoffed. "It's amazing how many times I've heard that line."

Taking in a calming breath, he replied, "If you want to find the real murderer, his name is Hatake Zokushi."

"And why should I believe that?"

Kakashi paused, wondering how much good it would really do telling the entire truth. He didn't have any proof that Zokushi did take his own father's life or the threats against him, but he could at least tell the detective how he ended up here. If anything, maybe they can find some kind of merit in his claims and investigate Zokushi. Taking in another deep breath to calm his nerves, he went on to explain how he ever became involved in the company under his cousin's constant threats. Detailing exactly what happened last night at the fundraiser where Ichiro was alive and well at the time before they had left.

The detective folded his arms. "Fascinating story, really, but I find it hard to believe your cousin is capable of anything being in the hospital right now. We were lucky he was even able to identify you from how badly beaten he was."

Kakashi furrowed his brows at that information. "I'm telling you the truth."

"And what proof?"

"…"

"That's what I thought. Let me spell this out for you then," the detective evenly said. Opening the folder once more, he pulled out several pictures and placed them against the table.

Most were photographs of Ichiro's body, surrounded in a pool of blood. The others were of Zokushi who appeared severely battered. It was well beyond what had Kakashi ever done. Perhaps Ichiro had done this to his younger brother in defense as he fought for his life.

Glancing away, Kakashi shook his head. "I didn't do any of this."

"We have plenty of witnesses confirming you were fighting with Zokushi just before you left." Pointing out a picture of a gun, the detective tapped the photograph. "Your fingerprints are all over this weapon. Trying to deny your involvement is just foolish at this point."

His heart froze as he looked at the photograph. "I've never touched anything like that in my life. That's impossible."

"Evidence doesn't lie. Frankly, it doesn't matter what you say. You and I both know you're guilty," Miyazaki said with conviction.

"I am not," Kakashi replied, feeling his heart begin to race as he glanced at the photograph of the gun. It just didn't make any sense. The detective had to have been lying in trying to get him to sign the confession. He had never touched a gun in his life, but if it was true that his fingerprints were on it… then he was being framed.

Leaning back in his chair, Miyazaki continued, "Let me tell you the short version of what I think happened. You murdered Ichiro and left Zokushi for dead. You left straight from the party to the airport, trying to flee the scene of the crime."

"That's ridiculous."

"Why else would you leave Osaka in such a hurry? Were you planning to leave outside of the country next?"

Glaring, Kakashi griped out a resounding, "No, I simply went home. If I wanted to run, I'd go anywhere but there, wouldn't you think?"

"It's not far fetched for you to gather your things and prepare to disappear for good. You wanted revenge for your parents' deaths and you wanted to take down the corporation who had originally cut you out of your share."

"I never wanted it. That's-"

"-Let me finish," he interrupted. Taking out more records from the file, he slapped down several inventory receipts. "You stole money straight out of the company's funds and made several large purchases on behalf of the corporation for yourself. A 1.6 billion Yen penthouse stocked with designer clothes that were worth about 50 million Yen."

"I didn't make any of those purchases," Kakashi defended. "Zokushi did."

"It's your name here in black and white, not his," he pointed out, tapping the paper in annoyance. "Either way, you are going to jail. That's a promise. You either sign the confession now, or we make you sign the confession. Your choice."

Silence fell over the room as Kakashi stared down at the papers before him. He could feel the color drain from his cheeks as he examined the documents with his name attached to everything. Was this Zokushi's plan all along? To frame him for Ichiro's death?

"I want an attorney," Kakashi calmly stated.

"When we're done here," Miyazaki cryptically replied, standing up to leave before adding, "It's going to be awhile."

As the detective left an officer entered in his place. At first Kakashi thought he was there to guard him until the man approached to where he was sitting. Without any warning, he yanked him up from the chair by his prison shirt before punching him hard in the stomach.

"Sakura… Sakura wake up."

Feeling a gentle hand shake her shoulder, she groggily opened her green eyes to find a man leaning over and staring back at her. Startled, she jumped back with a yelp before realizing who it was.

"Sakura, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to scare you," Iruka sadly murmured with his hands up in defense. "There was no answer and the door was unlocked, so I was afraid something had happened to you."

Sitting up from the bed, she took in a deep breath and placed a hand against her chest to settle her racing heart. "Oh, no I'm sorry, Iruka. I didn't realize… I… It's okay, I'm okay," she assured.

Iruka glanced at her as worry further creased along his brow. "What… happened to your neck?"

Brushing her fingers across her throat, she winced as she felt a tender pain rise against the touch. She had nearly forgotten. "I-It… happened last night."

"By whom?"

With a confused stare, she wasn't sure if he knew what was going on. "Z-Zokushi… he's Kakashi's cousin."

Glancing away at her reply, he seemed at a loss of what to say next. Crossing his arms against his chest, he took in a deep breath until he seemed to steel his resolve at his next words. "Is that the truth?"

"Why?"

"Because I have to ask, Sakura."

Hurt washed across her face. "Because you think Kakashi would do this?"

He sighed. "No, I don't, but... I don't know what to believe right now. I just saw the news tonight about Kakashi being arrested for murder and knew you had gone to visit him this weekend. I tried calling you, but I wasn't sure if I would find you back here or not. I'm glad I did. I wanted to make sure you were alright. Sakura… what happened?"

"It's a long story…"

"Well, I want to listen. If you and Kakashi are in trouble then I want to do everything I can to help if it's possible," he sincerely replied. "Sakura, please… tell me the truth. I want you to trust me. I don't know if I have the answers to help you, but I'll find a way. We can figure this out."

She could tell that he really meant it. Pulling herself up to the edge of the bed, she rubbed away her tear stained cheeks. "I don't know where to even begin…"

"That's alright," he softly encouraged. "Take your time."

Nodding, she watched as he carefully sat beside her at the foot of the bed, keeping at a distance as if he might scare her off like a rabbit in a forest and change her mind. Running her fingers back against her fallen hair, she realized she probably looked like a big mess right now. Swallowing down the lump in her throat, she turned towards him and started from the beginning.

The features in his face didn't change as he intently listened, occasionally staring down at his hands intertwined between his knees. When she was finished, he let out a small breath he had been holding.

"Sakura," He paused, glancing to her eyes in concern. "First, are you really alright? Should you go to the doctor?"

"We went before we had come here. I'm okay, I promise," Sakura replied.

Pressing his hands against his thin lips, he sighed. "Why didn't either of you say something about what was going on? I can't believe Kakashi never told me this before he left to Osaka."

"I wanted to tell you, to tell someone, but I was afraid of what Zokushi might do if he had found out after explicitly saying not to." With a weak shrug, she added, "I don't know, after we came back from France and found out what he had done, Kakashi was worried about his threats as well and didn't want to risk it."

"I see," he solemnly replied.

"Even if we did tell the police or anyone else, who's going to believe us?"

"I believe you, Sakura."

Hearing those few words removed a small pressing weight from her chest as if things really would somehow be alright. Forcing her lips together into a small frown, she tried her best to fight back the urge to cry even more today. She didn't think she could manage anymore tears, and crying wasn't going to help bring Kakashi home.

"T-Thanks," she replied as her voice cracked.

After a moment of silence, Iruka suggested, "Let's head back to my home. You shouldn't be dealing with this on your own. My wife and baby girl are worried about you, too."

She smiled slightly, remembering that she promised Iruka's daughter Kumiko that she would be right back to play with her after what she had originally planned of just visiting Kakashi for the weekend. While she hated to keep burdening his family with her staying, she knew she would feel a little easier if she did. "Alright… let me gather some things and change real quick."

"Sure, I'll be downstairs when you're ready."

"Thanks, Iruka. I really do appreciate it."

"It's not a problem, you're always welcome," he warmly replied. Sitting up from the bed, he nodded before exiting towards the stairs out into the hallway.

Sakura let out a long sigh as she pushed herself up, picking up the ends of her dress as she walked to the door. After shutting it, she changed out of her formal wear and into a comfortable over-sized t-shirt and jeans from the closet.

Remembering that her suitcase was still downstairs from her trip, she pulled out a few more clothes she never had the chance to bring over to Iruka's while she was staying at his place when Kakashi had been away. Once she was ready, she went downstairs to find Iruka waiting in the kitchen. Pulling out her bag that was by the door, she quickly unzipped it to tuck her newfound clothes inside, but paused from seeing a few paper notes sticking out. She sighed at recalling she had her finals this week starting first thing tomorrow. She wasn't prepared at all.

Sakura wasn't sure how she was going to manage trying to take tests and actually expect to pass with Kakashi's uncertain fate weighing on her mind. It was hard to care about anything else right now. There wasn't anything she wouldn't do to have him back in her arms again. She just hoped it would be soon.

Kakashi struggled to stay awake as he stared blankly at one of the bare white walls around him. The hum of the bright florescent lights above him flickered on occasion, breaking him in and out of his trance. There were no windows except for the small one at the door which barely showed into the hallway. He had long lost count of the hours he had been held inside this room since he had gotten here. He felt tired and broken in more ways than one, but he was managing and that's all he was capable of doing right now. He just needed to hold out a little longer.

Shifting his gaze at the paper before him, it didn't take long to realize that no one here was ever on his side to begin with. Telling the truth didn't matter. Everyone believed he was a murderer. He was guilty the moment he was arrested and they made that very clear after trying to repeatedly beat him into signing the confession, making sure to avoid his face. Anything that his prison uniform did cover, they beat until they tired themselves out doing so.

The pain didn't matter. Every breath he took in ached against his ribs and his entire body felt like it was on fire. Their constant threats and hours of interrogation didn't break him as much as they hoped for. After awhile, he stopped talking all together which only made them even more brutal in their tactics before finally taking a break. Little did they know he'd experienced far worse things with his uncle as a child. He supposed he almost had to thank him for the years of emotional and physical abuse until he finally left to be out on his own. Otherwise he might have signed the confession by now despite his innocence.

His eyes grew heavy for a moment, finding himself back in his home in Tokyo. Everything around him felt surreal as he ran down the steps into the living room. Sakura was there sitting on the couch doing schoolwork, glancing up to him with a warm bright smile. He missed seeing that smile.

Feeling a light slap across his face, he woke up to find two detectives sitting across from him. Narrowing his eyes at Miyazaki, the man seemed pleased at something. How long were they going to keep this charade up?

"New evidence has came to light which I thought we should share with you," Miyazaki spoke up. "We're currently gathering another arrest warrant for your girlfriend, Haruno Sakura."

His heart dropped. "…What?"

"Witnesses also said she had some heated words with Zokushi at the party, and then all of you, including Ichiro went up stairs. Only two of you left that night, you and Sakura. Obviously she's an accomplice to your crime, is she not?"

He felt sick. "…You can't be serious."

"Your fingerprints may be on the weapon, but doesn't make her any less innocent in the involvement of Ichiro's murder," the other detective said. "Unless of course you want confess that you are entirely responsible."

"If that's the case, then I don't see any reason why we need another arrest warrant, do you?" Miyazaki added.

Anger welled up inside as Kakashi glared at them both. He didn't want to believe their bullshit, but at the same time it may be true. Staring down at the paper, he glanced at the pen beside it thinking how much he didn't want to risk the chance. Sakura had already suffered enough simply being with him. If she was dragged into the trial and prosecuted for it, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. Her entire life would be gone forever before it had hardly even begun.

Signing a confession was like signing his own death warrant. He knew what this all meant. Was there even a chance of him being declared innocent at all even if he didn't sign it? Against Zokushi, he felt like he was fighting a losing battle ever since the beginning. The police still hadn't let him speak with anyone, not even an attorney. Even if he did talk to one, he already knew what they would say. There was no hope to come out of this on the winning side of things. It just wasn't possible.

"Do you want her to sit in prison with you, or not?" Miyazaki frankly asked.

The words were stuck in the back of his throat that no, he didn't. Whatever little hope he was holding out for just wasn't there anymore. Deep down in his heart he knew he was never going to see her again. At least not how he wanted to through prison bars. This was his new reality, and the sooner he accepted it the better.

Reaching for the pen, his fingers shakily grasped it as he pulled the confession statement forward. His life was gone the moment he agreed to become part of the company. He should have known Zokushi was up to more than he let on since the start. He knew his cousin murdered his own father and still did nothing. Kakashi had done this to himself and now he had the choice of either ending it quickly or making it all the more agonizing for everyone else involved in his life.

This was the road to the end and there was no escape from it. Not from Zokushi, not from his family. He was never meant to find happiness no matter how hard he tried. He was never meant to love or live out the life how he wanted to. For a long time he had been fooling himself and he knew it. Things were always too good to be true. He just didn't want to believe it until now.

His vision blurred as he hovered the pen over the paper at remembering Sakura's smiling face in his dream. As he wrote his statement and signed his name, he shoved the paper back at the detectives.

Burying his face into his hands, he quietly held back a sob from the pain within that hurt far worse than any cut could. He regretted ever being born. He regretted ever meeting Sakura and ever falling in love.

He regretted breaking her heart.

TBC

[ Author Note: Throwing a notice that there is a difference between Japan and US criminal procedures, so what I'm doing may not be accurate or even a mix including future chapters.

I'm making a guess, but it's looking like the story will finally be done in the next 3-4 chapters from what I have in plan at the moment. So close, yet so far away. It would be great to end it next chapter on such a nice pretty number like 50, but alas.

As always, thanks for reading and being apart of this crazy three year old over the top story haha. No really. *gives cookies*

Chapter edited by: CelestialCircumference ]