Right?

by Society's Failure

She had always thought her life would be amazing with him, and never doubted it once. Never was she given a reason to think he'd shatter her, and leave her in small, broken pieces, right? Rated M; dark. SasuSaku

Written for 100 Themes Challenge; #76 Broken Pieces

Note: Rated M for mature content, including violence, rape, and slight language. Dark themes

…

Sometimes she was asked how it felt, being married to the great and amazing Uchiha Sasuke. He'd been the fish every girl had always wanted to catch, always evasive and clever with his rejections, or just plain cold and mean. Throughout the days of middle and high school, he was revered and fawned over by just about every member of the female human species in their school. He could have had his pick of any of them, just… Pick them up and go from there. He was wanted by all, right?

By the time she had reached college, she'd gotten over the Uchiha. It had figured that it was only after her drop of interest that he finally took a liking in a certain girl; which, of course, just had to be her. Although it had come as a surprise, the aspiring doctor-in-training had accepted his invitations to go to dinner, out on dates to various up-class places. They would have a good time, and he'd walk her home every night with a small smile, and leave her there on her doorstep. It was the icing to her cake. In a good college, good grades, a cream-of-the-crop catch of a boyfriend? Anybody would have been jealous of her, right?

But then it grew more serious. As the time moved onto the second year of their official dating status, he invited her to move in with him. Of course she accepted, her heart longing to share more with the Uchiha. And a place of living of course was high on the list. She had fancied herself in love with him, just as she had always imagined, except that brief period of maybe five months before he started reciprocating her show of affection. She hadn't thought any more of it. She loved him, and he loved her, or so he said. Not much more to the equation, right?

Their relationship moved on. The first time was something she could still recall with a smile. It had been an accident, really. Too many drinks on her part, plus tripping over her feet and into his arms had led to much more than she had intended. Impatience and carnal want left no time to even bother with going to a bedroom; right there on the living room carpet, they'd done it. But at least she could always say she'd given her virginity away to the guy of her dreams, the love of her life to an almost literal degree. She could always say that she would never regret it. That had to mean something, right?

They continued on. Any arguments they had were petty and resolved with, she remembered with a faint blush of embarrassment, makeup sex. In the face of any of their issues, like the fact he didn't ever talk about how he felt or his emotions, he would push her away from the topic and convince her to follow him back to the bedroom. But it wasn't an issue. They still held a strong relationship, despite the lack of emotional heart-to-hearts that she had always expected to be a part of the package of being in a relationship. But he wasn't one to talk much, so that was okay, right?

The years went by. Never once did they waver in their relationship. She graduated from medical school, and became a full-fledged doctor. He went through business school, and become one of the high-ranking officials in his father's company. They moved into a house together. At first it had been a bit awkward, and they even had their own separate rooms in the four bedroom house. But they were still going strong, and they had all of those base fundamentals for a good relationship that they had always been taught. That's all she could ever hope for, right?

It wasn't much of a surprise when he asked her to marry him, close to eight years after that first initial date. The hesitation she felt when answering, like there was something deeper to be seen there, however, was. Although it was a bit of a shock to feel that indecision, she knew better than to ruin something great with a three second long bout of doubt. She passed it off as nervousness, and of course accepted. Anxiety and worry after just having asked to devote one's entire life to another was normal, right?

His parents paid for their wedding. It was no problem, since Fugaku was the owner of the big-to-do Uchiha Corps, mass producer of everything new in technology. It was nice, and romantic; a small wedding including her family and his, with close friends there as well. All the fairy tales come true. The perfect, charming, handsome, stoic guy, the perfect dress, the perfect day, the perfect place… Every girl's perfect dream, right?

The honeymoon was even better. A private island, of all things, that his family had owned for years. They stayed there for two weeks before they returned to Tokyo, and it figured that just a month after she found out she was pregnant. Another check on the list of their life. She had always wanted a child, and it thrilled her beyond believe that she was finally getting that wish. Sasuke had been happy as well; although he hadn't been so enthusiastic, he did look forward to the idea of having a son to pass all of his greatness to. She had passed it off as nervousness of being a father, his lack of excitement, just as she had been nervous about marrying him in the first place. He told her it was great and amazing and he couldn't wait, so it was okay. All of it was understandable, right?

It was a thrill when they found out there was twins. One boy, and one girl. One child for each of their wants and hopes, the perfect way to accommodate both parents. She would had been ecstatic either way; but even then, it made her happy that there was indeed a son for her husband to love and cherish, and she would have her daughter to dote upon. Sitting in bed, late at night, thinking of names, she saw a side of her husband that she hadn't really noticed before. It was practically… Possessive. Her mind had called it as protective before, but as he talked about how great his little Uchiha Yuudai would be, she couldn't help but feel like it was… Off. She kept it to herself, though. No need going and causing a problem that didn't need to be made, right?

The eight remaining months went by fairly fast. No complications, except for the back pain that came from carrying twins in her stomach. Three false alarm runs to the hospital were made in the two weeks before the delivery, but it was fairly good practice anyway. So when her water actually did break, and she felt the contractions hit her like a wrecking ball, they were in a delivery room and ready to go just about instantly. The twins, Yuudai and Keiko, were expected to be popped out without a problem, as soon as she could get the contractions going steadily. It was all going to be done and over with easy, right?

The first problem started when a heart beat started faltering. At first, there wasn't a sense of panic or hurry. The doctor made no big issue of it, except for the hushed whispers to the nurses. Hours went by. The heartbeat faltered more. After taking an ultrasound, they were informed that one of the twins was in a terrible position in her womb. Yuudai was sideways in the birth canal; Keiko was still doing okay. When Sasuke asked what this meant, they were told it usually meant it would just take longer, and perhaps a bit of help from the doctor himself. It seemed like an easy enough fix, right?

There was another problem with Yuudai. It was his heartbeat that was acting up, and with the ultrasound they had been able to tell his breathing was growing more and more shallow. The umbilical cord seemed to be knotted. They had been hoping it wouldn't be a problem, but at this stage, it more than likely would. Panic broke loose, then. The triple heartbeats that could be heard went down to two; Sasuke was forced into the waiting room as an emergency cesarean delivery was performed. But the doctors had caught the issue in time, right?

She didn't remember the operation, or the screams of her child when she was pulled out of her body. As she woke up, all she felt was numb and fuzziness, but already on her mind was her twins. Even unborn, they meant the world to her, and as she stirred it was a surprise when she saw that the doctor was the one beside her. Not her husband. The look in his eyes was enough of a warning for what had happened. Her heart broke in that instant. She was informed that Keiko was fine, and healthy. She was able to see her daughter immediately after waking up. Sasuke did not come into her room until it was time to go. It was okay that she couldn't stop the tears, right?

They went home without a son. Uchiha Yuudai had died in the period of time that had elapsed between his sister's emergency withdrawal and his. The umbilical cord had knotted when the baby boy had shifted to his sideways position, cutting off everything he needed to survive. As he had moved further down the canal the knot had tightened, and he had been without a heartbeat for a total of eleven minutes before he was taken out of his mother's womb, and proclaimed dead. The grief she felt crushed her every minute, every second… But she wasn't alone in it, right?

Sasuke grew even more withdrawn than before. He paid no attention to her or Keiko. He hardly helped her with their daughter. All of his attention seemed to be on the fact his son, the pride and joy he had never met, was gone. He ignored the sobs of his wife, only took care of Keiko when specifically asked to. He grew bitter and distant. She was forced to deal with the death of her unborn son alone, without the support of her husband. She pushed herself through her misery for her daughter's sake. It had to get better, right?

The months passed. Despite the pain and hurt that still remained after the loss of Yuudai, she continued on and left him behind in her mind to be saved for the times she was alone. She quit her job, and Keiko became her life. Sasuke's pay was enough for them to live on five times over, comfortably. Sasuke worked long nights and all day, hardly ever spending any time at home. His daughter did not know him. 'Uncle Naruto' was more of a fatherly figure in Keiko's life than Sasuke. Still, she put the problems into the grief of their son. It had hit him hard, when he had put so much onto little Yuudai's shoulders… Time would heal his wounds, right?

It was in the wake of Keiko's third birthday that Sasuke took over his father's company. His brother, Itachi, was denied the leading position due to the spite their father had felt for the elder Uchiha brother. It should have been a great and happy day; instead it was treated like any other. She hardly had any sort of notification, except the letter of congratulations that Itachi had sent him in the mail, which she had intercepted. When she brought it up with Sasuke at dinner, he shrugged and said it was nothing big. Just more work. She was left grasping at straws again, and turned her attention to Keiko instead. There had to be something that could help this, right?

It was on that brainwave that she decided to talk to him about trying again. Trying for another baby. And so they did. It didn't take too long for her plan to work. Within three months of them starting the efforts, she was pregnant. Every step of the pregnancy was monitored carefully; Sasuke paid for home-visits, and practically strapped her down throughout the first five months of the ordeal. But it was worth it to her… Especially with how he grew more and more like the old Sasuke she knew as the swell at her stomach grew bigger and bigger. And the look on his face when they found out the baby was a boy? It couldn't get much better than this, right?

Everything was normal. It was much easier than the twins had been, since it was only the one son. He was already named. Uchiha Daiki. Nothing new needed to be bought; they still had everything left from Yuudai, all stored away in the attic of their house. The house-call doctor came to her in the middle of her fifth month, and the looks he gave them as he went through the routine check-up sent shocks of dread through her mind and body. That look was one she would never be able to forget, for the rest of her life. The look of total and complete apology, pity… This couldn't be happening again, right?

They went to the hospital immediately after, she and Sasuke. The doctor there did another ultrasound and confirmed the findings. She had miscarried, for reasons completely unknown. Condolences were offered, but nothing could help her. She remembered going into hysterics right there in the examination room, the grief that had been pent up since Yuudai doubling itself over the loss of a second son. Sasuke left her alone to scream at the doctor, and went and sat in the waiting room, silent. There was nothing that could make this worse, right?

The next week she was induced, and gave birth to the stillborn Daiki. He was buried next to his brother, and along with his official death came a horrifying piece of news. She would not be able to handle the strain of bearing another child. Her body just wasn't well made for the hardships, and that was what they had suspected had been the cause of the second miscarriage. They recommended a hysterectomy. After having made arrangements for Keiko with Naruto, the procedure was done. The sorrow that weighed down on her heart couldn't get any heavier, right?

She cherished her daughter even more than she had before. Keiko was her only child, her bright light, the only reason she even bothered getting out of bed. Sasuke barely spoke a word to her anymore. He never even looked at his daughter, let alone spoke to her. It was obvious to her that her marriage was in danger, and she cried herself to sleep at night while the guilt crushed her. It was all her fault this had happened. They could have been happy, but she had to go and lose their sons and throw her husband into the rut he was in. But she held it together for her daughter. Keiko would always need her, right?

Any attempt she made to speak to Sasuke went ignored. He didn't spend any time at home doing anything but sleeping. She may as well have been the single mother of her six year old daughter. His demeanor grew more dark, and his black hair grew to be streaked with shocks of white. She knew he was stressed from work, as efforts were made to overthrow his position in the company. It was not a good testament to her relationship that everything she knew about her husband at this point she learned from the news. It wasn't healthy for either of them, but she made no issue of it for her daughter's sake. It was the right thing to do, right?

That's what she told herself, every time he came home and she was treated as though she were invisible. Her daughter had no real father. They could have left, and he probably would not have cared. It took another three years for the anger and pent-up frustration to mingle with the grief and misery that had stemmed in their lives ten years prior. She found herself yelling at him, screaming at him despite the fact she knew Keiko was already asleep in her room. She just didn't care at that point. No one would have blamed her, right?

The night had started off bad to begin with. He'd come home late, as usual, but unlike most evenings, he smelled strongly of alcohol. She could tell her was intoxicated from his mussed hair and slurred words, the animalistic aggression in his eyes hard to avoid. Feeling threatened, that was when she started the argument. Accusations of mistreating her and their daughter, not being a proper father or husband. Her screeches shot through their house. She watched as the anger rose in his features, pure fury enhanced by the alcohol he had consumed. She shirked back when he moved towards her, but was not expecting the fist that struck her cheekbone, hard. Stars dances across her vision, and she fell back, her head ringing. Never had he struck her before. It was just because he was drunk, right?

The bruise that appeared on her face was hard to ignore, but they never spoke of the situation as the array of colors splayed across her cheek faded. Sasuke never apologized, and she never said anything of it. It became another dark blemish on their marriage. Another year of the living hell passed. They were always on their toes with each other, and more often than not Sasuke would come home smelling like booze. But she didn't stand up to him again. She didn't do it, for Keiko's sake… Her eleven year old daughter did not need to know that her mother was growing to hate her father. The girl deserved to be happy, right?

But then the company went through a harsh fall. Sasuke's brother had hacked into the system, and publicized the dirty work that had been done by Uchiha Corps to get where it was then. The business sunk into havoc and chaos, with her husband struggling to keep it up. It became every night that Sasuke came home drunk, hardly able to walk. He took up smoking, and brought his drinking home with him. She was lucky to see him sober. She never saw him anything less than angry. This wasn't how it was supposed to be, right?

After the first time he had hit her, she didn't think it would happen again. Despite the lack of an apology, she did think that he regretted hitting his wife hard enough to leave a mark. She was wrong. One night, when he was in a particularly bad mood, Keiko came home late from a study group that her mother had let her go to. He had already been home, doing nothing but watching the television. He had stood up, barely, and started shouting at his daughter, the twelve year old who didn't understand who he was. The red-haired girl made a comment about him being too drunk to do anything about it, and her mother was horrified when her husband lurched towards her life's purpose. She had every reason to be, as she moved after him, right?

She caught her husband around the waist, and held him away from Keiko. She shouted for her daughter to go to her room, and stay there, to lock the door. Sasuke shoved her away from him, and his temper directed itself towards her. "You're gonna defend that little bitch, huh?" he growled at her. "That little bitch is your daughter!" she yelled back, tears of frustration welling in her eyes. "I have no children! That… Thing is not mine!" he screamed, rage turning his face red. "Just because we lost our sons, doesn't mean that Keiko is any less yours," she whispered, surprised by her husband's fury. Her soft words made something in him snap, and he pushed her back against the wall. It was understandable that she was terrified, right?

The first hit was hard, but off-target; a punch that struck the side of her head, instead of her chin as he had aimed. Either way, it still sent a slice of pain down her body as her skull ricocheted off of the wall. Dazed, she had no time to even try to block the second hit. Another punch, this one to her cheekbone. It was just like the first time… "You bastard!" she shrieked at him, her vision spotted with dots of red and black. Her only reply was yet another punch, and another, and another. When she couldn't stand anymore and fell to the ground in a huddled ball with blood flowing freely from her lips and some from her nose and tears pouring down her face, he dug his hand into her shoulder and forced her back up. When she tried to run, he whipped her around and slapped her, leaving the stinging print of his hand overtop the already bruising skin. It would stop eventually, right?

Everything went by as a blur from there. She remembered being dragged to her own room, and thrown onto her bed. The door slam behind him, and the sound of buttons being ripped as he jumped on top of her and tore her blouse open shocked her back to a semblance of awareness. She remembered screaming for him to get off, but only got a slap to the face and more bitter, metallic blood spilled inside of her mouth. She remembered the gist of the things he told her as he pulled down his pants; she would know better than to try and get the better of him from now on, that she'd learn her lesson soon enough. The sobs as he forcefully pushed into her wracked her body, but went ignored as he had his way. He left marks all over her, bruises from his cruel hands on her arms and neck while dark, purple marks stained her hips. It was just some horrible, terrible nightmare, right?

She couldn't remember when he left her for his own room. She just curled up on her side, feeling beat and broken. All she could think of was that this was wrong, and that she hated him. She hated him, but she couldn't do anything about it. He would destroy her if she left, one way or another. She couldn't do that to her daughter… The only person she had left to care for… It was early in the morning, after she had summoned the energy enough to go to the bathroom and clean herself up and get dressed again, that she went into her daughter's room. The door was locked, but she knew Keiko was still awake. Whispering through the wood, her little girl, her everything, opened it up and darted forward to embrace her mother, quiet sobs of the child who could do nothing to prevent the violence shaking her shoulders. Ushering her back inside the room, she locked the door behind them just in case her father woke up. They sat and cried together, and eventually Keiko dozed off in her mother's arms. At least she still had the love of her baby, right?

The weeks following were terrible, on both her and Keiko. Sasuke kept true to his word. The beatings, though never quite as severe as the first, occurred at least three times a week, if not more. They often ended in him forcing himself on her, and her left alone and feeling empty as her husband left her room. Her confidence and ability to think for herself died. The effort it took to get out of bed every morning sometimes was just too much. Her will to eat and take care of herself dropped to nothing. Through it all, though, all she could think about was that she was protecting her daughter. That so long as he hit her, and not Keiko, her darling would be okay…. That was all that mattered, right?

She didn't think about what her daughter might do, in response. She knew that she protected Keiko from Sasuke; she hadn't thought about protecting Keiko from the other dangers. She didn't notice how her daughter constantly wore the long sleeves, how she flinched away when her mother would hold her tight sometimes. All she could see was that her Keiko wasn't bruised and hit, didn't have broken bones from her father, wasn't abused like she was. Keiko was free to live on knowing that she had never been beaten, her mother had always loved her. Her daughter would carry on and live a good life, right?

That was what she thought until she went to wake her thirteen year old up for school one morning. The newly-turned-teen wasn't in her room. Wasn't in the kitchen… Her things were still in her room, so she hadn't left early. No fear for Sasuke having done something, since he hadn't even come home the night before. So when she opened the door to the bathroom and saw the red on the walls, the last thing she should have expected was that it was her daughter's, right?

Maybe it was more obvious than she had initially thought. But as the screams of agony tore from her throat when her eyes went to the still figure sitting prone in the bathtub, she didn't really find herself able to think. Her soul was ripped in half as she tried to pull the still-clothed Keiko out, to revive her, anything to see the beautiful green eyes that had been inherited from her open and return the tight grasp. The murky scarlet in the tub splashed all over her, soaking her in a mixture of her daughter's blood, water, and her own tears fell to join the mix. Holding the body of her only child close to her, she rocked and cried as the agony settled in, bone-deep and far more excruciating than anything her husband had ever inflicted. She'd wake up soon, and it'd all go back to normal, right?

The funeral was held a week later. Sasuke didn't even attend. She was left by herself, cold and stone-like as her daughter's friends offered their condolences. No one dared to ask where her husband was; few of them even knew Keiko had had an active father to begin with. Most were surprised that the Uchiha child had slit her wrists in the first place. That she had cut so deep and long that she bled out in the bathtub came as even more of a shock. When the whole affair was over, Keiko's mother left without a word. She went home, and sat there in her daughter's room, the tears streaming down her face in silence. Now there was nothing left, right?

With nothing left… There was no reason to live. Her daughter was gone, and with her suicide went her mother's soul. So it was really no surprise when, in a burst of remembrance, she recalled the handgun her husband had purchased during the twins' pregnancy. He had said it was just in case; he wanted to be able to protect his family. He probably hadn't expected he would be the thing to kill it, one by one. Still no surprise when she picked up the gun with a steady hand, her face calm despite the red puffiness of her eyes. Still no surprise when she raised it to her temple, and pulled the trigger, right?

Sometimes Haruno Sakura had been asked how it felt, being married to the great and amazing Uchiha Sasuke. He'd been the fish every girl had always wanted to catch, always evasive and clever with his rejections, or just plain cold and mean. Throughout the days of middle and high school, he was revered and fawned over by just about every member of the female human species in their school. He could have had his pick of any of them, just… Pick them up and go from there. She had always thought her life would be amazing with him, and never doubted it once. Never was she given a reason to think he'd shatter her, and leave her in small, broken pieces, right?