Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto
A/N: One of my brothers had the insolence of telling me, in my face, that Sakura was useless and so I nearly threw my spoon at him because we were both eating dinner for the moment and it was the nearest to me object, and my mind went blank with anger. Generally, this is where I got inspiration for this.
- Useless -
Her sharp viridian was gilded with some unfamiliar, wrathful gleam she had never acquired before. As if something, somehow, had crossed beyond the vastness of her patience, but… the thing was, if there was anything he was sure of, it was that Sakura's patience was limitless. There was no doubt about it. He had been absolutely convinced that it was limitless. It was limitless for the last thirty years. It's always been limitless.
Right?
The unhealthy palpitation of his heart increased even more when a few vases shattered into the wall behind him. Vases that were meant for his head. His chakra levels and their control were significant at this point of his life, but using his Rinnegan for dodging and jumping through time and space to avoid being struck by cutlery or glasses, or expensive objects was soon going to backfire if she kept on with this.
"How could you?" Sakura thundered, eyes still glassy and sparkling with pure anger.
What was she even talking about? He hid behind the sofa when she threw a knife at him, but when he tried avoiding another he found out that he had his back against the wall.
"Sakura." He raised his hand to stop her, but she had dashed to him, her fist crashing hard into the Susanoo shield his thought gave life to within a split second. The same shield that cracked in front of his unbelieving eyes.
He had no idea what she was mad about in the first place. But asking of her to explain was a bad move. Asking her to forget it, whatever it was, was a bad move too. Now, running away sounded like a way to go. That plan of action was starting to get ridiculous already.
Where did he go wrong?
She was calm and happy the whole day, at least appeared so... As soon as the afternoon came and Sarada clicked the front door shut behind her, off to Sakura's parents, Sakura fell into some kind of a fit. And he rewound every moment of this day over and over, searching for the fault that could trigger her like that, but he did not find it.
"How could I what?" Sasuke furrowed from behind the violet armor. She amassed chakra in her fists again, he knew it right away; her brows wrinkled and lips pursed with intent before she aimed to crush his cage. Unfortunately, a violet claw grabbed her hand in mid-motion and clenched her.
"This morning." Sakura ground her teeth, making a few attempts to free herself.
Sasuke tried calling to mind anything that can infuriate her to such an extent. To no avail.
"Are you serious? You have no idea what this is about, don't you?" She relaxed her fists, glaring at him.
He didn't dare breathe or move, looking at her. She seemed to have calmed down a bit so he released her slowly.
"The fuss you made? The people you beat up?!"
Sasuke leaned back on the wall, his Susanoo dissolving.
The people.
Those bastards… the civilian bastards with the big mouths that he and his friends tried so hard to protect all their lives. Those people.
"Yeah, I beat them up. What's the problem?" He tilted his head, eyeing her from head to toe.
Her chest heaved up and down, breaths heavy and loud in the silence between them. She withered before him, averting her eyes in a way that tied a knot in his stomach. He had seen her upset many times before (it seems his presence still evoked dangerous emotional amplitudes in her), but not once this upset. Ireful tears adorned the corners of her ever-so-expressive eyes as they nailed on the ground and remained there for one long minute of silence.
"You don't understand." With the whisper on her lips, Sakura folded hands as if suddenly feeling cold. Dread was soaked into every word she molded, but she spoke absently, as if more to herself. "You don't get it."
"What is there to get? I cannot let them speak of you that way."
"Yes!" Sakura snapped at him. "And that's exactly why you shouldn't have played all protective and… whatever it was you were doing." A small blush crept on her cheeks, despite her tangible anger. When she spoke again, her voice was shaking. "You can't do that. They think I need saving."
Sasuke was taken aback by her words, a new furrow forming on his face.
"They think I'm weak." She raised her intonation at the end, letting him now that she was counting one of many reasons. "That I am nothing without you. That I am useless… and pathetic, and all those things I once was. I know I was because you told me. And you have always told me the truth." She stepped to him, her forefinger pressing his chest bitterly. "Once, Sasuke. Not anymore."
Any other time she would've locked herself in a room for hours, mute or would've faltered into hysterical shouting, she's done that before too. But he'd never seen her face him so upfront and… unrelentingly adamant. He loved her like that most of all.
"I changed and suffered through that change," Sakura spoke in a grave, low-voice. "Everyone seems to miss that part of my life."
"I don't." Sasuke cut her off, and her wide eyes met his with a momentary surprise. He hesitated whether to speak further or not, but she looked at him helplessly, on the edge of breaking down.
He knew he threaded on thin ice. Something of a guilt-shaped shiver surged through him because he understood her pain, but… when he heard those sons of bitches talk about Sakura in various ways, giving opinions and birthing rumors that weren't even close to the truth, he couldn't stop himself, he could never stop himself when it came to delivering justice for he dedicated his life to that same cause.
He looked away from her, at last, doubtful. He's never been good at fixing stuff anyway. Maybe his definition of fixing was just different. Maybe he was only good for ruining stuff. Maybe he was messed up big time. Likely, he was messed up.
"I thought you didn't care what people said."
Something in the change of her expression bothered him, the wrath transforming her features once again. He tensed up when she opened her mouth.
"Yeah, but it's hard because I live here," She flared passionately, "and you're- you're gone and-"
"I thought you only care what I think about you." Sasuke dragged the words out of his mouth quickly with the only reason of silencing her before she says things she'd regret.
Their eyes were locked, she was staring at him, beautiful as only she could be when she drowned in sadness like this. A tear found its way down her flustered face, but her grimace remained stony, no muscle moving. She clenched her jaw and he braced himself - he wasn't sure whether he made it worse or not, but the awful gut feeling in him only became stronger.
Risking to get a bone-breaking blow, he got closer; his hand slipping around her waist to pull her to him and it was a weird sensation, for the first time, she didn't reply to his affection, refusing to hug him back, turning away from him. The unpleasant tumble in his stomach almost took him by surprise and he dizzied for a second.
Sakura… Sakura Haruno. Denying him like this. He never thought he'd live the day, prayed that it will never come. She wanted to back away, but he tightened his hold, his breath shaking as breathed in and out, in her hair.
"Sakura, I am sorry." Sasuke heard himself say, but it wasn't like this in his head. He said so many things and he knew she heard them all. She had that strange power, to hear all the words he didn't say.
He said I can't control it, the pain I cause you. He said They have no right to speak to you like this. He yelled at her to not mind them, their poisonous words and the insignificant labels they put on her. He wished for her to remember that she became strong on her own and chose that path herself, without him or anyone forcing her to do it. He begged for forgiveness, although he knew he's never deserved it.
Her palms leaned on him, as well as her head. She hid her face from him for the longest of time, still and silent. Then, her head turned aside and the tension in her gradually lifted off with a tormented sigh wresting from her lips.
She loved doing that, he pondered. Whenever she faced a hard decision or any that could change her life completely, she came to him like this and… listened. As if the beating of his heart held and whispered the answers she needed.
"I know. You're always sorry." Sakura mouthed the words so quietly that he barely heard them. "That word saved my love for you."
Her eyes found his, hands reaching for his face as she blinked away her tears.
"Thank you for reminding me." She smiled wryly. "It is easy to forget when you're away from me for so long. It's only you that matters to me."
Sasuke released the breath he held by now, relieved that he's brought back the Sakura he knew. And that the house isn't in ruins again. Although… he slowly turned, to examine the wall behind him and found a few knives nailed in it as well as a few cracks in the paint.
What was better, to keep on spending money on fixing the house she continuously ruined when she was upset (and she was upset most of the time) or tell her to find a way to manage her anger better? While he was busy estimating the chances of him getting out of the second suggestion alive, thoroughly, his breathing hitched at the sudden push she gave him against the wall.
"What-"
"Shut up," Sakura spoke against his mouth, on her tiptoes and both hands fisting his clothes.
Her low but sincere chuckle ran out sonorously in the small space between them and he tried very hard to relish in it, but in fact, he couldn't get himself to feel any adoration or attraction whatsoever. At this point, all he knew was that he was scared for his life.
A/N: I'm sorry, I just don't get why a Kage level shinobi, the last of his clan, would forcefully marry a useless woman like Sakura and stay married to her for 12 years. Must be such an unhappy, abusive relationship. Oh wow, they even have a child they both love. How awful.
Thanks for reading.