They'd been tailing her for weeks. The beautiful Uchiha Sakura was definitely a woman to be envied, that is, on the outside. Her inside life was fraught with abuse from her outwardly loving husband, Sasuke.
For weeks they watched as she stayed with him even though smacked her, slapped her, punched her. They saw the way that she would stand up for her friends in front of others, but the way she trembled in fear when Sasuke walked through the door. Every morning, she was covered with new bruises from the night before.
And still they waited...
They waited for someone to notice her terror and her pain... but no one did.
In public, Sasuke would put his arm protectively around her waist, smile, and kiss her cheek. In secret, he was the exact opposite.
And still she stayed...
But, not for long. Their instructions had been to find the one who was given the eyes. It was only a matter of time before they could whisk her away to a better place.
Sakura carefully examined the bruise on her left side. Sasuke had come home last night, and in a fit of rage, had thrown her up against the wall. She had begged him to stop, but he wouldn't be deterred.
A little niggling voice at the back of her head poked through her thoughts. 'Why do you stay with him?'
Inner Sakura tried to justify. 'He said he loves me.'
The little voice continued. 'If he loved you, he wouldn't hurt you, would he?'
'But... he likes to put his arms around me... and... he likes to kiss me...'
'Yeah,' the voice countered. 'But he also likes to give you bruises.'
Giving up, Sakura knew the little voice was right. But he said he loved her. She couldn't leave him. It would break his heart.
It was time...
As Sakura stood in front of her mirror, something moved behind her. She whipped around. A man in black stood before her. He didn't look particularly frightening. The most disturbing thing was the strange expression on his face. Instead of malice or anger, it was more a look of concern.
"Uchiha Sakura?" he inquired.
She backed against the table. "Wh-what do you want?"
"Your time here in Konoha is done. It's time for you to return to the land of your birth."
"But... but I was born... here, in Konoha," she countered.
"No, and now it's time for you to go." His face remained compassionate. Sasuke stepped into the room.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?" Sasuke asked rudely.
The man in black was becoming slightly impatient. "It is not you we are taking, it is your wife, Sakura. We are leaving now." He said, finality evident in his voice. He moved towards Sakura.
Sasuke stepped between them. "Keep away from my wife." He pulled out a shuriken and aimed at the man.
"Sasuke, wait," Sakura pleaded.
"Shut up!" He shouted, smacking her across the face.
Sakura fell back against the mirror. It broke, shattering all over her. The glass raked across her face and arms. She shut her eyes instinctively, covering her face with her arms as she fell to the floor. Just before she hit the ground, someone caught her from falling on to the sharp pieces of glass. The last thing she remembered before losing consiousness was the sound of someone else falling.
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"What happened to her?" asked the other teammates of the man in black. He'd just brought them the girl. Her face and arms were covered with cuts and bruises. Bruises she'd no doubt obtained from her now unconsious husband.
"Her husband tried to stop us. Don't worry. She'll be safe now. But we must hurry and get her to Kage-sama.
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Author's Note: I got this idea from the song "Face Down" by The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Guys, abuse is a terrible thing, and it MUST BE STOPPED! I know that it sometimes seems like it's not a big deal, but I've seen how it kills people inside. Please, if you know of someone that's abused at home or at school, TALK! DOn't let your friends get hurt by the people that are supposed to love them most!
