Room 37

Chapter 1

It was all silent before the clicking of high heels echoed in the empty halls. Two women walked side by side. One of them wore white pants and a white shirt. Her short, dark hair was unkempt and her ID card showed who she was clearly; Head Doctor Shizune.

"We don't wear high heels here," Shizune said and apologetically smiled up at the pink-haired woman. It

"Oh," Sakura looked down at her clothing. She was wearing a pink, silk shirt which was tucked in a black pencil skirt with black high heels. She thought she looked professional.

"Some of our patients are sensitive to noises," Shizune explained. "And they may be dangerous as well."

"I see," Sakura nodded. "It won't happen again."

Shizune nodded with a smile.

"Tsunade-san told me a lot about you," Shizune smiled. "She says you are the best student she's had in years."

Sakura smiled back. "I'm so happy that she thinks so."

Sakura was in the last year of her university and soon, she would become a psychiatrist. She was a very successful student and the assistant of their department head, Tsunade. For her graduation year, Sakura needed to write a thesis. At first, she wasn't sure where to go for her research and Tsunade had suggested her old student, Shizune's hospital. She was the head doctor there for years and could certainly help Sakura. Sakura had accepted the offer happily and here she was.

"Tsunade-sensei said not to go easy on you," Shizune said with a smile.

Sakura chuckled and nodded.

"That's why I'm going to give you the hardest case you may ever see," Shizune said and handed Sakura the pink folder she was carrying under her arm.

Sakura blinked as she took the case. "Why?"

Shizune smiled. "You will see."

Not really understanding, Sakura nodded.

Just as they were passing by the rooms, one of them with its door open drew Sakura's attention. She glanced at the wall beside the door. Room 37. She walked inside slowly as her eyes widened.

There was a big window on the wall across from the door and it was overlooking the green garden. The walls were plain white but almost all of the surface was covered with drawings.

They were all black and white but so beautiful that they took Sakura's breath away.

The bed was odd. It stood right beside the window and it was too big to be a single one but still small for double size. What was the strangest was the small, plain crib which stood against the headboard of the bed. When Sakura glanced at it, she could see a worn-out, black-haired doll inside.

"It's their room," Shizune commented. "Your case's."

"Their?" Sakura questioned as she turned around.

Shizune only smiled and turned around, leaving the room. "Come, everybody must be at the main saloon now."

Sakura nodded hesitantly and followed after the older woman.

They came to a halt as they reached the said saloon. It was lively. There were enormous windows over the walls, so the natural light filled the room nicely. One side of the room had a

big TV unit and comfortable-looking couches around. There were a few people there. Besides the TV unit, there was a big bookcase and it was filled with all kinds of different books.

On the other side of the room, there was a long table and two people were occupying it at the moment.

Sakura's heart skipped a beat and her eyes widened as she saw the young man sitting by the table. He had his head propped with a hand and he was watching the TV with distracted eyes. His skin looked flawless and milky and his dark hair was creating a perfect contrast with it. He was so handsome... More handsome than any man she had ever seen. And when he smirked, Sakura felt blood rushing to her cheeks.