Rating: T
Themes: Romance, Drama, Humor.
Based on: Silver Linings Playbook.
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha has been released from a Psych Rehab back in the care of his parents. Determined to win his ex-wife Ino back, Sasuke meets a recently widowed, sex addict, Sakura Haruno who asks him to help her design her new house in exchange for delivering his letters to his ex-wife. The two become closer and soon, Sasuke, his parents, and Sakura began examining their own relationships with each other and cope with their problems. (ONGOING)
Characters: Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, Fugaku Uchiha, Mikoto Uchiha, Itachi Uchiha, Kizashi Haruno, Mebuki Haruno, Ino Yamanaka, Sai, Hinata Hyuuga, Tsunade Senju, Neji Hyuuga.
Special Note: Sasuke and Sakura are extremely OOC in this story in certain parts but also IC. Yes, this story is VERY similar to the original movie. I really admire the original and wanted to adapt it into an SS fic for so long. Now that I have finally been able to I would really advise you to read the entire story first and THEN watch the movie and NOT the other way around because then you can envision things better and probably enjoy it more. Much love. Also if you are going to hate on me in the review's section and calling this plagiarism in any way well then go about it. This is more of a tribute to both the movie and this fandom than copying. I am not making anything out of this.
Chapter 1
"What are you kidding me? Sundays, I love Sundays. Mom make's Tadashi's grilled tomatoes and Omurice, Dad puts the jersey on and we are all watching the game. Yeah, it drives me crazy, and yes I was negative. You didn't even know that I loved it or you before Ino-" Sasuke gets cut off from reading the note he is holding by a knock on his door.
"Come on, time to go!"
"-I lost all that, I blew it. But you also blew it, and we are going to get it back. I am better now, I hope you are too and I would appreciate-"
*knocking on door*
"Doctor's waiting let's go!"
"I'll be there in a minute okay, I'll be there in a minute" Sasuke sighs and looks at the note again before continuing. "-That's true love."
Sasuke stares out of his window and the room in which he stands in is sparsely furnished; A bed with white linen, a desk with book stacked on it in the corner and a small notebook from which he reads. His bedside table has a lamp and bottle of Gatorade on it and a couple of running shoes stuffed beneath the bed. There is a cupboard that contains all his clothing and a huge hand-made sign saying, 'Excelsior' can be seen on the wall right beside it. He turns around to stare at it before pacing out of the door.
He skips down the stairs after confirming his attendance by the attendant who visited his room before and stands in a queue to get his medication. It is always the same, Ariprazole and Clozapine. Once he gets his turn he takes the small cup from the attendant's hand and swallows the two capsules in one go and pulls his tongue out to reveal to her. She nods and he walks out only to spit out the medication after he takes several strides across the hallway towards the group therapy room.
"And I told my mother I loved her as much as I loved Ramen, but nope she did not agree with me. She took away all of it. All my instant cups, my stir fry's, my special edition cups. Everything. I had to obviously get out of the house, steal a couple of things here and there. Eat out sometimes, and well then she found out. She got me. She had me committed here because of my tendencies to lie and go into hyper anxiety episodes now and then. But I am pushing, I am really pushing through. And in these past few weeks, I have really felt the results of my perseverance brim through the surface." A beaming young man in his early thirties sitting amidst the circle of people in group therapy spoke. His blonde cropped hair dusted his forehead and cerulean eyes shone excitedly.
"Good, very good this time Naruto. I am glad you are making that progress you speak of and feel like you are very close to terminating the issue at hand, which is your addiction and resorting to unnecessary actions that lead you to hurt other people," A blonde woman seated right in the corner spoke out, her dark topaz pupils eyed the clipboard in her hand before roaming around the circle of people.
"How about you Sasuke? Would you like to share something with us today?"
Sasuke's raven locks enshrouded his perplexed and nervous expressions while his fingers fidgeted, legs jerking around restlessly.
"I, uh well, I just feel that anything's possible. I think we get, we often get caught up in the state of negativity. It's like poison, it's nothing else," he finally responded before collecting his thoughts. His raven locks still enshrouding his expressions and his flush pink lips curled upward, twitching into a corner after he completed speaking.
"Lovely thought isn't it you guys? I really appreciate you coming forward with that and sharing it with all of us, Sasuke. Very positive indeed." The blonde woman spoke in encouragement turning her head around addressing everyone.
The group therapy session finished and every single soul sitting there dispersed leaving behind Tsunade, the blonde woman who jotted hastily on her clipboard. Sasuke trod his way out accompanying his friend Naruto who were both plunged into a conversation about the basketball game that was airing that night. Tsunade's eyes gave a final stare as the two walked out, her eyes boring into their backs.
Sasuke was on the lawn outside doing push-ups, his Gatorade sat not a few feet away and Naruto was playing cards with another patient named Lee. Sasuke was on his second rep, and each rep consisted of fifty push ups each. He had been training to stay in shape since he'd put on some weight ever since Ino had filed for divorce when he was in his first month of recovery at the clinic. He'd been depression eating his way into feeling better, but it only reflected on the little paunch he grew and soon he decided to fix that. He'd go on running laps every day, sometimes ten, sometimes twenty. It was all about how positive he felt that day. He'd easily lost forty pounds and looked very lean. In fact, his muscles were very toned and he looked more muscular than he was before.
"Hey, you gonna get over here and join us or what?" Naruto wailed at Sasuke placing an ace of diamonds on the stack before Lee dropped his cards and held his temples foiled due to his loss.
"I am sorry, but I prefer to do more effectual things," Sasuke smirked while picking his towel and Gatorade, wiping his forehead and then drinking the energy drink.
"Uchiha! Someone here to see you," a brunette cried out from the stairwell walking into the lawn, beckoning him. Sasuke stared once at Naruto and curled his lips in curiosity and then followed her into the clinic.
Mikoto stood in the hallway arguing with the blonde woman about something and Sasuke's eyes widened at her sight, all he could hear were repressed mumbling and tense hollers before Mikoto pressed her arms to her chest crossing them and the blonde woman finally gave in.
"Mom? What are you doing here?"
"Oh, dear you look so much better," Mikoto brought both her hands to hold Sasuke's face and stared intently into his obsidian orbs, lips curling into a peachy smile.
"Dr. Tsunade, what's going on?" he inquired before placing a hand on his mother's and shifting it down.
"Your mother here is persistent on getting you discharged," she responded to his query before her eyes trailed in the direction of Naruto and Lee skipping through the double doors inside and staring at her before they waddled away snickering inconspicuously.
"What does this mean?" Sasuke inquired once again demanding her attention until Tsunade's eyes trailed back up at him.
"Well, technically you can take him out against our recommendation, but you assume a lot of liability in the eyes of the court. And he's getting used to the routine here-" she began explaining.
"-I don't want him to get used to the routine here! Eight months is long enough," Mikoto cut her off sounding a little miffed.
After a series of paper work, Sasuke retreated to his room and packed all his belongings before giving the room one last look and plucking down the 'Excelsior' sign off the wall and walking out.
"Hey mom, can we give Naruto a ride to North Konoha?" Sasuke asked his mom who was only pulling out of the parking when she saw a blonde hair, blue eyed man standing in the way.
"What? I don't understand." She responded.
"Oh no, it's fine, it's fine. He got discharged along with me," he replied, easing her.
Naruto stepped onto the back side and opened the door, slipping inside with his small suitcase.
"I guess everybody's leaving today." He commented and greeted Sasuke's mother who only gave him a customary smile.
"Hello Mrs. Uchiha, an honor to finally meet you. Sasuke's told me a lot about you, how God made you rich in character, that you're the mighty oak that holds the household together." He finished beaming with euphorically before turning to Sasuke who glared at him scornfully.
They began driving down the freeway before taking the cut for North Konoha.
"Naruto was in for assault due to his addiction and hyper anxiety. He served in the psychiatric hospital and then joined rehab to get treated for his addiction-" Sasuke began explaining.
"-Bad combination I'll tell you, Ramen and Hyper anxiety. My mother just couldn't stand my violent tendencies anymore. She had to call the cops on me," Naruto cut him off, Mikoto gave him an uncomfortable smile.
Mikoto's phone rang.
Mikoto slowed the car down to respond to her phone, "Hello,"
"Yes I did, yes,"
"What? Are you sure about that?"
"I'll bring him back right away." She flipped her phone shut and turned around agitatedly.
"You lied to me Sasuke, Naruto isn't allowed to step out of the rehab."
"All right mom, just hold on a second-" Sasuke placed his hand on the steering wheel whirling it away from him back onto the main road while Mikoto was heading to a curve road to turn her car around. They were about to ram into another car before it took off speedily avoiding being grazed before honking several times.
"DO NOT TOUCH THE STEERING WHEEL!" Mikoto exclaimed exasperatedly before skidding to a halt. She sighed heavily and stared out of the window before speaking.
"Sasuke, this whole thing was a mistake. I am out on a limb for you with the courts right now-"
"It's my fault, it's my fault. Take me back to the rehab, but please take Sasuke home with you. I'll be back out in a couple of weeks anyway." Naruto stepped in owning up to his mistake.
Mikoto sighed again before turning towards Sasuke and Naruto both and then restarted the car, turning it around back to the rehab.
They pulled into the driveway of the Uchiha residence. Sasuke pulled his things out from the car in the cardboard boxes he'd packed them in and walked into the lawn. He stood in front of the mansion, staring at it for a while before his mom beckoned him to come inside.
Fugaku and Kakashi were arguing about the outcomes of tonight's basketball game betting on their favorite teams and bickering about who would win.
Sasuke stepped inside and put the boxes down beside the stairs. His eyes lifted up to gaze at the two portraits of him and his brother. Unfortunately, he found his portrait taken down and placed along the wall leaning against it while Itachi's hung isolated. He turned inside to look at his father and Kakashi arguing passively.
"What? What's this?" Fugaku exclaimed shockingly.
Fugaku turned towards him before gasping and then strode past Kakashi after handing him his drink and hugged his son.
"Where is it?" he asked tugging at Sasuke's neckline and pulling out an Uchiha fan pendant out from his shirt and placing it deftly onto the fabric.
"You still got yours?" Sasuke inquired before Fugaku pulled out his and they both shared a smile.
Fugaku held onto Sasuke's biceps while gazing alternatively between Mikoto and his son, "What you don't tell me you're bringing him back home?"
"Well, he's ready" she responded.
"You didn't tell Dad you were picking me up?" Sasuke turned towards his mother turning a puzzled eye.
"I just wanted to make sure that when you come out you were OK, she didn't tell me anything," Fugaku turned towards Mikoto, "You didn't say anything."
"The court said yes, it's alright. Don't worry, dear." She responded before placing a hand on each other their shoulders before pulling into a hug. Kakashi simply stood there mirthfully looking at the happy reunion before clearing his throat a few moments later.
"Uncle Kakashi!" Sasuke exclaimed before pulling him into a hug.
"Man you sure have grown a body in there, what were doing, arm wrestling the inmates?" Kakashi asked jokingly.
Sasuke's turned slightly irate with the apparently sarcastic comment before making eye contact with his mother who tried to soothe him.
"So Dad, what are you doing with yourself?" Sasuke inquired turning towards his father who took a seat on the plush beige couch and tossed the newspaper into his lap.
"Oh, we just got this new contract. It's worth a lot and well Itachi has already started the ground work on it. Trust me, this is the biggest project we have been handed out in months-" he began explaining.
"Oh yeah, and how did you afford all this?" Sasuke spread out his arms directing at the chandelier, carpets, and teak cabinets.
"Like I told you, we have been getting quite a few projects. Itachi's been working really hard at-"
"From your fraudulent work? All the sand you have been stuffing into people's houses instead of cement? The fake wood flooring you sell people as oak wood? Is that where all this is coming from?" His arm remained in the same position as he glared at his father who shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
Fugaku turned to Mikoto who herself turned around to look at Sasuke before shifting her gaze to her husband.
"Who told you that?" Fugaku asked Sasuke.
"Mom did, outside" Sasuke responded.
"No-no I didn't. I didn't say it like that." Mikoto added in, Kakashi shifted awkwardly and seated himself in the lone chair placed to the right of the couch.
"Mom you just told me outside, what are you talking about? You told me, 'Don't say anything, Dad's duping people of their money and doing fraudulent work on his contracts'" Sasuke justified himself.
"Why Mikoto, why'd you say that to him?"
Mikoto shifted uneasily and lowered her gaze.
"Everything is fine, Sasuke. I am just worried about you. So tell me what are you going to do right now, where are you going to get a job? Are you going to start getting back into construction work and get a few contracts?"
"Well yeah, I got into shape and now I am going to be working solo from here on. My own terms, my own contracts. I am gonna show Ino, that I am a better man and that we can still live in our house together like old days." Sasuke responded allayed.
Mikoto, Fugaku, and Kakashi exchanged glances and gasped simultaneously before Fugaku spoke.
"Sasuke, Ino sold the house. She left. Didn't your mother tell you-"
"Let me tell you something Dad, you don't know anything about our marriage. Our-our marriage, we were very much in love okay?"Just like you two" Sasuke sounded agitated.
"Listen, Sasuke, Ino is gone now, she's not around anymo-"
"Dad what are you doing? What, what are trying to do-" 'Sasuke broke off before gaining back on his thought, "You know what, EXCELSIOR. Excelsior. That's right-"
"What does that mean?"
"It mean's you know what I am gonna do, I am gonna take all this negativity and I am gonna use it as fuel and I am gonna find a silver lining. And that's no bullshit that takes work and that's the truth." He exclaimed before rushing up the stairs.
The whole day went by without Sasuke's parents intervening in his activities in the tool shed behind their house. Sasuke was a professional carpenter, he did contracts for house remodeling and structural changes but you couldn't call him an architect. Back in the day when he worked for his father, he was undermined and always over-utilized for his efforts when it came down to laying out the groundwork. Unlike Itachi who would scathe at his improvement and steal his ideas. Fugaku somehow always honored Itachi's action as they tended to bring in more money because Itachi would find more viable and feasible solutions to Sasuke's plans sometimes even bordering on fraudulent. Sasuke seemingly got miffed and walked out of his father's company to pursue private contracts and this was exactly when his bipolar syndrome got worse. He would lash out terribly at Ino, they would have violent shouting contests and then it all finally came down to her cheating on him with Sai.
The next day, Sasuke woke up early and munched on a tomato before stepping outside for a jog. On his way back home, he saw his father jogging down to the same and they both turned toward the porch before Mikoto stepped out pulling out the car keys.
"Come on Sasuke, let's go!"
"What, what do you mean?"
"Come on Sasuke, we have to go for your therapy. We are going to be late!"
"I don't want to go to therapy!"
"You have to go, it's part of the deal. You can't live with us and not go, now let's go!"
Sasuke walked defeatedly towards to passenger door and yanked it open.
He entered the reception on the office signing himself in before freezing in his step, the song- 'Stevie Wonder- My Cherie Amour' was playing the reception and could be heard from the speakers.
His eyes turned here and there hysterically before clearing his throat, "Is that song really playing?"
"We have music sometimes," the receptionist answered.
"That song is killing me. Could you please turn it off?"
"I can't, I don't have the controls."
"Is there a speaker here, is the speaker here" he frantically paced about the room jerking the magazine stand and flipping it over.
"I am sorry, I am sorry, I'll fix this." He responded to his deliriousness before grabbing the magazines from the floor and staring at the people looking at him as he fidgetted around pacing uncomfortably, his facial expressions alternated between agitation and desperation.
Tsunade stepped out of her office glaring at him and the mess he had made before beckoning him inside.
"That was a messed up thing you did you know, that was a messed up thing. I am sorry I messed up your stuff out there, but that-"
"I am sorry, I just wanted to check if that song was still a trigger for you-"
"Well, Bravo! It's a trigger for me. I am not gonna take any meds okay. No, no I am not-"
"You have to take your meds, Sasuke."
"It makes me foggy, look I am not the explosion guy okay, My dad is the explosion guy. We got kicked out of that match because he beat up people, I mean he was on the exclusion list. I had one incident-"
"One incident is quite a lot, it can change a lifetime."
"I am ready. I am ready to take responsibility for my side of the street. She should be ready to take responsibility for hers."
"What's hers?"
"What's hers? Are you joking? Let's go back to the incident because you have so certainly forgotten. I come home from work, which I never do but I came back early but I got into a fight with a worker back at my garage. I come home, and what's playing but the song from our wedding, the song you so charmingly played for us in the reception out there. So I walk around and I find pieces of clothing lying, and a guy's pants with a belt in and I see the DVD player and in the DVD player, there is the CD playing our wedding song. And then I look down and see my wife's panties on the ground and I look up and see my wife naked in the shower. I think, 'Oh that's sweet, she's in the shower what a perfect thing, oh I'll go in there and 'maybe I'll go in there. We never fuck in the shower, maybe today we will.' I pull the curtain back, and there is her fucking best friend I always hated because he'd always eye her slyly and you know what he says to me? He says, 'Maybe you should go'. So yeah, I snapped. I beat him to death. But what, I get chastised for it? Get compared to my father? I don't think so"
"Alright let's go back to some thing before and after the incident."
"About a week ago, I called up the cops complaining to them about a scheme in which my wife and that guy were planning against me trying to embezzle money out from the office they worked in which," Sasuke pauses to look down into his lap and fidgets, "wasn't true, it was a delusion. I'd made it up. I had later found out from the clinic that's because I am uh-"
"Undiagnosed bipolar." Tsunade completed.
"Yeah, with mood swings and weird thinking brought down by work stress, and that's when the shower thing happened. I snapped so, I'd realized I'd been dealing with this my whole life so I've basically been white knuckling it this whole time."
"That had to be hard."
"Yeah, especially when you don't know how to deal with it and know what the hell is happening, which I do now. Well, sort of."
They stared at each other for a moment before Tsunade scribbled in his clipboard.
"You have to take your medication," Mikoto was arguing with Sasuke again in the kitchen. Fugaku sat in the front room reading the paper.
"No, it makes me feel bloated and foggy,"
"You have to take your medication, or I'll call them-"
"Why would you do that"
"Why don't you just take the medication?" Fugaku intervened their argument in the kitchen.
The doorbell rang and Fugaku paced through the room to answer it. Sasuke followed.
"Hey can I do an interview on my report here for my school on Mental Illnesses?" a brown haired kid stood in the doorway asking Fugaku.
"NO!" Fugaku shouted before slamming the door in his face while Sasuke peaked through to see who it was.
"Was that Might Guys' son?" he asked.
Fugaku strode into the front room again and picked up his newspaper before retreating into the lawn through the back door in the kitchen.
Sasuke pulled out of the house angrily and started running across the road. His mom walked into the patio and shouted, "Sasuke, don't go after Ino!"
"Sasuke!"
Sasuke kept running and ignored her wailing. Fugaku joined her on the patio and stared at his son who had almost disappeared into the distance.
He ran block after block before he reached where he wanted to. The red-bricked Cape cod house he had once spent months designing and constructing looked impressive from the distance but brought back painful memories to his mind. He stood there watching a woman lay her baby in a stroller and driving it through the backyard before pulling out onto the road, halting to stare at him.
"Can I help you?"
"Uh, yes do you know where the person who sold this house to you lives?"
She stopped to gaze at the man from his shoes to his hair.
"You're her ex-husband. I can't give you that information. Last I heard she got a restraining order against you." She responded disturbingly.
His eyebrows furrowed and he gave her a puzzled look, "Well yeah you could call me her ex-husband but I am looking for her. It is very important that I see her."
She just stood there befuddled and confused to respond. Her baby started wailing and cooed at her, "You should go."
The resemblance in her tone to the tone Sai had once used brought him back into reality. He turned around and started running away, tears threatening to stream down his cheeks as he wiped them away furiously with the sleeve of his grey hoodie.
"Sasuke!"
"Hey!"
A man in a spiky ponytail waved at him as Sasuke halted before his house. He opened his arms into a hug as they stood there staring at each other.
"Welcome back man!"
"Yeah,"
"I miss you man almost didn't recognize you, you've lost a lot of weight, miss playing those shogi games with you. I am glad you're back. You gotta come see the baby, he's beautiful. Come on over sometime, Temari wants to make dinner for you."
"Congratulations on the baby, but I am not buying your invitation."
"'Cos you think Temari still hates you?"
"I know Temari still hates me,"
"It's not true,"
"Yes, it is, Ino always said, Temari always keeps Shika's social calendar where she keeps his balls, in her purse."
"That's not true."
"Shikamaru, what are you doing?" Temari wailed out of the front door.
"Well okay, maybe it's a little true. But if you think she still hates you, why would she want me to invite you to dinner?" Shikamaru asked Sasuke.
"Did you invite him?" Temari continued wailing.
"Yeah," Shikamaru answered.
"Well, can he make it?" Temari asked persistingly.
"I don't know yet." Shikamaru shifted his gaze between Temari and Sasuke.
"See you next Sunday?" Shikamaru asked Sasuke.
"Sure," Sasuke responded.
"Well, see you next Sunday."
"Are you guys still in touch with Ino?" Sasuke inquired, turning halfway around back to the road.
"Yeah."
"Great, see you next Sunday!" He replied eagerly.
Sasuke stepped inside the house and walked into the kitchen only to jerk back hearing the door bell.
Fugaku got up to answer the door before Sasuke side stepped him and opened the door first.
"Mr. and Mrs. Uchiha, Sasuke Uchiha. I got a call asking me to check on your house. I am officer Kotetsu and I heard about the restraining order from a worried citizen of the neighborhood, telling me you went to visit your old house a few blocks away. Now, sir, you can't do that kinda thing, I have been assigned to your case so you're going to be seeing a lot of me. Please respect the restraining order, 500 feet."
"You hear what he say, you have a restraining order-"
"Yeah, dad I heard what he said."
"If there is anything you need, here's my card." The officer handed Fugaku a card.
Sasuke angrily clasped the door shut before walking upstairs rashly.
A/N: If you feel offended in anyway due to my choice of inspiration. Please PM me and I will make the required changes in my next chapter. Till then, Ciao!