"Tell me," he says. "Who made you cry?"

"Sasuke…"

"Don't worry," he assures. "Tell me who it is…"

"…Sasuke…" she tries to calm him down.

"I'll make him pay."

Twisted Apathy
"Obsession and Protection"

She couldn't sleep, even if she felt safe and secure, she was still afraid and shocked at what happened earlier.

"…Why?" she asked, her voice barely a whisper as she stared at the wall next to her bed.

The arm around her waist tightened and pulled her closer against the body next to her.

"Why did you kill him?"

"He won't stop until he gets what he wants from you."

"But-"

"And I don't plan on taking you just to make you quit your job." His brows furrowed. "I'm not that low."

"You could be sent to jail."

"Hn." He closed his eyes and buried his nose on her pink hair, inhaling her sweet scent. "My father won't allow it."

Sakura replayed the events that happened after her boss's death, recalling how he had led her away from the place, remembering entering his car, and realizing later on that she did not put her pants back on, even if Sasuke had handed it to her, leaving her in only her underwear and a lavender long-sleeved blouse.

"Aren't you cold?"

She remained quiet for a moment, glancing at the arm around her, feeling for the warmth that came from him.

It was ironic how he looked so cold when he killed that man she loathed, and yet he was so warm right now.

"Don't you want to change?"

She groped for the blanket and pulled it over them, her eyes slowly closing when her hand found his and had their fingers intertwined.

"Sakura..?"

"No to both questions." She whispered. "But… just don't leave me."

He eyed her for a moment, wondering what had made her decide on that, especially after he just killed a man.

"Please, Sasuke."

His respond was to grip her tighter.

"You may have killed someone," she whispered. "But… I don't know, I can't bring myself to hate you, or even want to get away from you."

"You're not afraid of me?"

"No," she shook her head. "It's odd, I know, but how can I be afraid of you..? You… you only did what you had to do to save me, right?"

She felt his nose nuzzle her neck from the side, and she couldn't help but give a small smile from the affectionate gesture.

He hated the way she had agreed to let that man touch her just to keep him safe, and that thought made him decide what he should do.

Hurting her was the last thing he could think of to keep her from suspecting what he had planned, but he forced himself to say that he could care less of what she wanted to do and left.

There wasn't much time, so he had to rush to his father's house and take the gun that he hid underneath his bed.

He got it as a birthday present from his father's colleague, thinking that the young Uchiha had decided to take the path of a soldier.

But for once, he was thankful that people thought he would follow Uchiha Fugaku's footsteps, for he was able to undergo a few military training during summer, and he was pretty good in his marksmanship.

Maybe the sniper rifle would have been the better choice to take, but he wanted to get Sakura out of there as soon as he's done with that man.

Whoever makes you cry…

He drove as fast as he could to his destination.

…Whoever makes your life miserable...

He stopped right in front of her boss's house and got out of his car, the desert eagle in his hand as he made his way towards a window, his eyes narrowing upon seeing how Sakura was pushed on the couch.

…Whoever hurts you...

He pointed the gun on the window and pulled the trigger, alerting the two people inside the house as he hid for a moment and smirked when he noted the clear shot he had for the man's head.

…Will die…

With his quick reflexes, he shot the man without being seen, a direct hit to the head, and he entered through the window, seeing his girlfriend shocked from what had happened.

…I'll make sure of it.

The words that left the blonde's mouth were unheard by him, but he could tell that his girlfriend was trying her best not to react.

"I mean, the sight of the body was pretty gruesome! I'm just glad my father took me to the crime scene, so I got a good view of the brains!"

"Naruto..!"

"Oh, sorry Hinata, I forgot how you hate gore."

He sighed and looked elsewhere, not hearing how Naruto had kept calling his attention.

"Damn it, bastard!"

He felt something hard hit his head, causing him to fall off of his seat.

"Naruto!" Hinata scolded.

"I'm sorry! I didn't think he'd get hit!"

His brain told him how painful it was, but he wasn't really in his right state of mind right now and just remained lying there on the grass, eyeing the blue skies, seeing a few birds flying, noticing how there were a few clouds today.

"Bastard, do you mind getting back up? You're making Hinata and Sakura worry."

"Hn."

At least he was capable of responding.

"Are you feeling alright, Sasuke?"

"Aa." He sat up and rubbed his forehead, feeling a small lump. "Just… thinking…"

Naruto snorted, earning a glare from Sasuke. "It must be something important for you to daze off!"

"Dead last…" he muttered under his breath, brushing off dirt and grass away from his pants. He took off his school's jacket and flapped it once to get rid of some of the leaves and twigs that stuck to it, before putting it back on again.

"Neat freak." The blonde murmured, only to be hit by the book he had thrown at Sasuke earlier. "What the fuck?!"

"Hn. I thought you might want it back."

"Why I oughtta-!"

Hinata sighed and turned to Sakura who was eyeing Sasuke with deep concern.

"Did something happen?"

"Huh?" She looked at Hinata. "No, nothing happened, why?"

"You both seem… out of it." She admitted, looking down. "Sasuke is quiet all the time, but not this silent, and you, well…"

"Don't worry about it Hinata," She faked a smile. "Sasuke hasn't told me anything yet, so I'm worried what could be the problem."

"Oh, I see." Hinata smiled contently. "If you need someone to talk to, don't hesitate."

"Sure."

The two girls turned back to their boyfriends, sighing when Naruto was running away from an angered Sasuke.

"Why don't we head back to class first?" Sakura suggested with a smile, earning a nod from Hinata.

So, they picked up their things and left the two oblivious boys who were still acting like kids.

"You know," Sakura began, eyeing Hinata, and smiled. "I'm really glad."

"Hm?"

"That you're my friend, I mean, I doubt we'd be hanging out if Sasuke isn't my boyfriend, but I'm just happy that… I get to be normal this time."

"Sakura," Hinata placed a hand on her shoulder. "You've always been normal, to me, to Naruto, and to Sasuke."

"Yeah, I know that now."

It wasn't like she hated attention, but too much of it was something she couldn't handle.

"Well?"

She looked down, her eyes showing a hint of fear.

"I mean, Uchiha can practically have any girl he wants, but he chose you," he smirked. "There must be something in you that piqued his interest."

Sakura tried to back away further, but the wall behind her kept her from escaping, and the fact that Hinata was being held by this boy's friend made her stay there, just to make sure they wouldn't do anything to her new friend.

"Maybe you're good at something," He whispered, leaning closer to her ear while his arms kept her from attempting to escape. "Perhaps you're still a virgin, which is why Uchiha wants you." He glanced at Hinata. "Obviously, he wouldn't dare take Hinata, being Uzumaki's girlfriend," he sneered. "That blonde idiot and arrogant jerk wouldn't dare betray each other," he smirked yet again. "But then, I'm no friend of theirs, so I wouldn't mind taking something Uchiha probably wants, and my friends would love to have you as well, maybe even Hinata for bonus."

That made her narrow her eyes at him and slap his face hard.

"…"

"Men like you," She hissed. "Are the reason why this world can be a pain to live in."

"…You'll regret that." He snarled, lifting his hand and striking it at her face, causing Sakura to fall to the floor as Hinata called out her name. "Just because you hang out with Uzumaki and Hinata, and just because you're Uchiha's girl, does not give you the right to feel high and mighty." He gripped the back of her long hair, pulling her up, causing her to wince. "But then, I like aggressive women, maybe that's one reason why Uchiha wants you so much." He snickered, his friends surrounding them. "We'll enjoy toying with you." He flipped her body so that her back was against the floor, and he straddled her while some of the guys held her arms and legs to prevent her from struggling.

"Stop it! Stop it!" Hinata yelled, trying to get away from the boy who held her, keeping her still.

"Don't worry Hinata, you'll be next." Said the boy, smirking at her before turning to Sakura who kept her glare at him, but he ended up laughing after noting that her eyes had tears in them, and he knew she was frightened. "Scream as loud as you can, no one will come."

"Stop it!" Hinata yelled louder, and repeated those words.

"Damn it! Shut her up!"

The man who held the dark-haired girl covered her mouth, but she still tried to make as much noise as she can.

"Fucking assholes!"

Hinata knew that voice, and relieved tears fell from her eyes when her boyfriend had punched some of the men, including her captor.

"Hinata, are you okay?!" He asked frantically, holding her in his arms.

She nodded, crying onto his chest, and he glared at the fallen boys who narrowed their eyes at him, wiping blood off of their lips.

"Ugh! Fuck, Uchiha!"

Everyone turned to Sakura's assaulter, seeing him being held against the wall, his hands trying to get the hand that choked his neck to let go.

"Let go of me you piece of shit!"

Sasuke's grip only tightened.

Naruto watched his best friend, understanding why he was angry.

"Even I would be pissed off if they did the same to Hinata…"

Sakura remained seated on the ground, unmoving from what just happened.

She saw Sasuke's eyes hidden beneath his raven bangs, yet his gritted teeth made her aware of how infuriated he is.

"Fuck, get Uchiha to stop! He could kill Ichiro!"

Naruto's blue eyes widened as a drip of sweat trickled down his cheek.

"He could kill Ichiro!"

The words echoed in his head, and without any second thoughts, he let go of Hinata and ran to Sasuke, gripping his arms and eyeing him squarely in the eye.

"Sasuke," He called out, as calmly as he could. "That's enough."

"He made her cry." Sasuke replied, raising his head slightly, and Naruto could see how his dark orbs promised death to Ichiro. "He forced her." His grip tightened on Ichiro's neck, causing the boy to gasp out, his friends watching helplessly, yet in truth, they were frozen from shock and fear. "He hurt her."

Those words repeated in Sakura's head as she recalled the previous night, when her boss was killed.

"Calm down." Naruto tried again, his grip on Sasuke's arms tightening. "Just give him a good punch, or a good beating, but don't kill him!"

The word 'kill' was the only thing he paid attention to, and he was more than willing to end this boy's life.

"Sasuke…"

He glanced at Sakura when she finally found the courage to speak. He saw her eyes were shedding tears, and her gaze was on him.

"That's enough, please let him go…" She begged.

Ichiro could feel Sasuke's hold loosen, and finally, he was free from the Uchiha's grip, and he gasped for air and coughed at the same time.

Sasuke knelt down on one knee in front of the boy, glaring as coldly as he could. "You better watch your back from now on." He threatened, getting up and approaching Sakura, helping her up while Naruto led Hinata away, the four not caring if Ichiro's eyes glared at their direction.

She felt his hand grab her chin, making her face him as he eyed the bruise on her cheek.

"Tch." He gritted his teeth, and he clenched his fists after letting her chin go so as not to hurt her. "That asshole…"

Sakura grabbed his hands to try to calm him down.

"He'll pay for this."

"Sasuke…" she was alarmed when he pulled her into his arms, burying his nose into her hair. "I'm fine." She assured him, clutching his uniform. "I'm okay; just don't… hurt anybody anymore."

"I told you," He said, keeping his arms around her. "Whoever hurts you will pay."

"Sasuke…"

"Ichiro and his gang will pay for this…" he thought.

"…I have to look for a place to work in later." She said, trying to change the subject.

"I'll go with you."

She sighed and gave a nod, pulling away from his embrace as they walked back to class, Naruto and Hinata tailing behind.

"Hey, Naruto…" She called softly. "Sasuke was acting… strange earlier…"

"Yeah," the blonde agreed. "I've never seen him this pissed off." He lowered his head, eyes downcast. "Even I was afraid of him."

Hinata looked worried, and Naruto tried to grin.

"Don't worry! I'm sure he's alright! I understand why he'd get angry after seeing what Ichiro was doing to Sakura; even I would if you were in Sakura's place!"

Shyly, Hinata gave a smile and a nod.

"Anyway, let's get going." Naruto said. "We don't want to be late."

"Yeah."

They arrived at the classroom and parted ways since their seats were far apart from each other.

Sasuke kept his eyes on his girlfriend, wanting to make sure no one would bully her again.

"I'll keep you safe, Sakura. I promise." He thought, looking towards the door when their teacher came in.

"Hey, you're early!" Naruto yelled. "Ran out of excuses Kakashi-sensei?!"

"No Naruto, I'm just in the mood to give everyone a quiz."

With that said, the class groaned and unwillingly pulled out their pens when Kakashi began handing out the test papers.

"You may begin."

"What a tough test!"

"It would have been easy if you only studied."

"Aww… Hinata..!"

Sakura smiled at them, and then looked around the hallway. "What's taking Sasuke so long?" she asked, eyebrows furrowing. She still needed to look for a job, and the earlier she started, the higher the chance she'll get one by today.

"The basketball coach wanted to see him about joining the varsity team," Naruto said. "No doubt it would take them a long time to finish."

"But don't you think it was odd that the coach sent an unsigned note instead of personally asking for him?" Hinata pointed out. "It's strange."

"Now that you've mentioned it," Naruto scratched the back of his head. "It is weird."

Sakura couldn't explain why she suddenly had a bad feeling, but she ended up dashing off to the gym and not responding to Naruto and Hinata's calls.

"If my instincts are correct, Sasuke is in trouble…"

She passed by a few students who looked her way, obviously the incident that happened last time at Temari's house was still fresh in their minds, and apparently, news has begun to spread. With her pink hair, it's not that hard for the people she didn't know to recognize her, not to mention being Sasuke's girlfriend, he is, after all, still the heartthrob of the school despite being demoted to the lower part of the 'food chain' – as Naruto would playfully call it.

"That aside," she felt beads of sweat beginning to trickle down her cheeks. "I just hope being his girlfriend won't lead him to getting beaten up."

As she continued run, she caught a few words from some students, and her ears twitched a bit when her boyfriend's name and Ichiro were heard.

"And I thought the Uchiha prodigy is supposed to be smarter than this."

Sasuke chose to ignore the statement and just stood still, eyes glaring and watching as Ichiro and his friends circled him.

"Honestly, an unsigned note? You believed that?"

"…"

"This would be pretty good news to tell."

"Hn." He kept his eyes locked at Ichiro. "Are you honestly this dumb?" he managed a small smirk upon seeing Ichiro twitch. "I figured you'd actually be disappointed if I didn't show up."

"You're bluffing!"

"Assuming that I am," his smirk left his lips, and his glare intensified. "If I didn't show up, I know who you'd go after, and I wouldn't let that happen."

"Don't pretend you've got me figured out, Uchiha."

"But I do," Sasuke said, lowering his head a bit as his smirk came back, and his bangs shielded his eyes. "I know who your parents are."

Ichiro felt a chill run up his spine, but chose to ignore it.

"However, your real father left you and your mother after a one night stand, and the one posing as your old man is actually your mother's brother."

"Lies!" Ichiro yelled, seeing how his friends had eyed him for confirmation. "I don't know where you come up with these stupid stories, but that's not true!"

Sasuke raised his head, the sinister smirk still on his lips as he began to snicker. "The only reason why you seem to love bullying others is to hide the facts of your life."

"Shut the fuck up Uchiha!" Ichiro snarled.

"Heh. You're jealous." He muttered, smirking at him. "Jealous that you got dumped when you asked Sakura out during first year, you were the one who started spreading negative rumors about her."

"Like hell I'd ask Sakura out!"

"Don't deny it, I remember arriving at school to witness your rejection, and you were successful in bringing her down after that, and then you began to aim for me or Naruto."

"Don't be so full of yourself Uchiha!"

"You were jealous because you knew Sakura dumped you because she likes me, you were jealous because I live with my real father, you were envious at how my mother would give her life up to save me, when yours could care less, you're seething with rage because I became Naruto's best friend, you were so angry at the fact that you aren't part of the popular group."

"You're not a part of it either now!"

"And unlike you, I don't give a shit." Sasuke still retained his smirk. "And if you haven't noticed, you didn't bother denying what I just said."

"…Fuck you Uchiha!"

"Are you that desperate?"

Ichiro yelled and charged at him, punching Sasuke square in the face, causing the raven-haired teen to fall on his back, but he was still smirking.

"I forgot to mention, you're a coward, because you wouldn't bother facing me on your own, and you couldn't fight back earlier, knowing that Naruto was there to back me up."

"You asshole!"

"You're. Weak."

"Damn you, fucking bastard!" he threw a basketball at his head, causing Sasuke to fall back to the ground. He threw another one, and then another, not giving him a chance to get back up.

Ichiro began to grin like a maniac, the assault stopping as he cackled. "Not so tough now are you?"

When the round objects have stopped coming, Sasuke just coughed repeatedly, blood spilling as he wiped his mouth with his left forearm.

"And to think I actually felt like you could kill earlier."

"Hn." He raised his head and smirked at Ichiro. "I could have, you just got lucky."

"You cocky bastard!" he stepped onto Sasuke's stomach, making him cough some more. "You should just fucking die!" he continued his assault, stopping his actions when he began to pant.

Ichiro took a few steps back and eyed at Sasuke's beaten form, not quite satisfied.

"Ichiro…" one of his friends spoke up.

"Beat him up." He ordered.

Without another word, the others eyed Sasuke, and then approached the fallen teen.

"Make sure he doesn't get back up after this." A smirk made its way to his lips as he kept his glare at Sasuke. "He has to pay for the interruption earlier, as well as the lies he said…"

His gang nodded once, and then began to kick and punch, Sasuke raising both arms to block some of the attack.

"Who is weak now, Uchiha?"

When the beating stopped, Sasuke was still conscious. And though he felt the ache of his body, he drew in a deep breath, and then laughed, startling the others.

"What the fuck?" one had asked.

"You," Sasuke answered Ichiro. "You're still the weak one." He continued to snicker, forcing himself to sit up, ignoring the messages of pain being delivered to his brain. "Can't beat me up on your own, Kurosaki?"

Ichiro glared, eyed the gym and saw a Stewart mop lying a few feet away. He walked over to it, picked it up and smirked at the sharp end, which kept the stringed cloths in place.

"Ichiro…" said one of his friends warningly; sweat dripping from the side of his head when he understood what Ichiro planned to do.

He walked towards Sasuke, stopping a foot away from him as he raised the mop, positioning it so that the one end of the horizontal part of the mop would hit Sasuke's head.

"You should have kept your mouth shut, Uchiha."

Before he could bring the mop down, the gym doors slid open, and the gang turned to the intruder, seeing Sakura standing there, panting as she eyed the scene, seeing blood on the gym floor, and her boyfriend beaten black and blue.

"Get her." Ichiro hissed, and Sasuke's eyes widened when he heard his girlfriend yell a 'Let go of me' at Ichiro's friends.

Sasuke turned to Sakura, hoping that it wasn't her, but his blood ran cold when he saw her being held back.

"Perfect." Ichiro said with a smirk, walking over to Sakura.

"Don't you dare Kurosaki!" Sasuke pushed himself off of the ground, but got kneed by one of Ichiro's friend, causing him to fall to his knees and cough out more blood.

"Make sure Uchiha stays still."

Two guys held him down and pulled the back of his hair to make him look up.

"If hurting you isn't enough," Ichiro spoke, smirking at him and then at Sakura as he lifted his free hand to caress the girl's cheek. "Then perhaps doing something to your beloved will be."

Sakura shook her head to keep his hand away, and then chose to glare and spit at Ichiro's face.

Sasuke glared hard at Ichiro. "Don't you dare." He seethed. "You're here to deal with me, not her!"

Ichiro eyed Sasuke, then Sakura, as he wiped the spit off with the back of his hand, and then used the same hand to slap Sakura, and he smirked upon seeing how Sasuke reacted.

"Not so calm and cool now, Uchiha?" Ichiro taunted. "Given the position you're in, touching her right in front of you would be satisfactory, hurting her afterwards would make it all the more pleasing, especially since you'll be thinking about how you had failed to protect her."

"I swear Kurosaki, if you touch her or even hurt her, I'll kill you!"

"So?" Ichiro pretended to be unfazed. "The fact still remains that I will be her first and she would get hurt, and that you weren't able to do anything but watch." He grabbed Sakura's chin and forced her to look at him. "I hope you struggle, and I hope you put up a fight, it would be too boring if you were willing."

A sigh escaped his lips while his fingers made a move to massage his temples, before looking back down at the written report on his desk.

"Sir?"

"Cover this." He said. "I don't want anyone to know who killed him."

"Of course, we understand, but do you think the others will agree?"

"I won't let my son go to jail," he shut his eyes. "If this is the only way I can actually take care of him, then so be it."

"What will we tell the media?"

"That the killer fled, and witnesses claim that the suspect broke out from a mental hospital."

"With a gun..?"

"Stolen from a cop, get some people to play the parts."

"Yes sir."

"And Kakashi?" he turned to the silver haired man. "Please, keep an eye on Sasuke."

"I will sir, count on it."

As soon as Kakashi had left, Fugaku stared at the family picture on his desk, his dark eyes staying on his image, seeing how he had a small smile on his lips despite wearing a military uniform, and then at his deceased wife who had a warm smile and carrying a five-year old Sasuke who was grinning happily at his older brother, Itachi, who stuck his tongue out playfully at the younger Uchiha to make him laugh.

"Mikoto," he thought, picking up the picture. "You left too soon," he leaned his forehead against the picture, his eyes closing. "Itachi left as well… and you know that I can't handle Sasuke…" he pulled away a bit, looking at the snapshot grimly. "He may be old enough to know what's right and wrong, but he's still so young and reckless…" he set the image back down and sighed, lacing his fingers together while he let his head rest on it, eyes shut tight. "What should I do about our broken family Mikoto?"

Due to being so deep in thought, he had not noticed that his door was slightly open, and that Kakashi had seen the expression on his face, as well as his actions.

"If only you were still around," he said softly, an image of Fugaku's wife in his head. "Then maybe Sasuke wouldn't be who he is now…" he shut the door lightly and walked off, his phone vibrating as he pulled it out of his pocket and checked the caller, brows furrowing when he saw the name of his former mentor, also known as Naruto's father. "What is it?"

"You better head back to school."

"Why?"

A pause, and then Minato continued. "I can't explain right now, otherwise, the police will get there."

Kakashi knew this was something bad, and also something related to Sasuke or to Naruto.

"Just make sure to hurry."

"I will." And Kakashi hung up and headed to his car, drove off as fast as he could, before calling HQ to give out Fugaku's orders regarding Sasuke's case. "This better not be another murder…"

She watched with wide eyes despite being held onto her friend's embrace. She could still get a perfect view of how Naruto continued to punch and kick, of how Sasuke – despite in his weakened state – did not stop punching Ichiro's abdomen while holding him up against the wall with the other hand.

The door of the gym was locked, and the windows were blocked by the dark blue curtains – courtesy of Ichiro and his friends since they were the ones who set up the trap, but Naruto had locked the gym door after he and Hinata arrived, just in time when Ichiro was close to taking Sakura's virginity away.

A thud was heard, and Hinata opened her eyes a bit to look at the damage, eyes widening when she saw so much blood, and how unconscious Ichiro's gang was, Naruto panting and covered in their blood, some of it his own. She eyed her blonde boyfriend, seeing how one sleeve of his uniform was ripped, his school jacket lying on the floor with his tie, and a few upper buttons of his shirt missing.

A continuous cough came from Sasuke's side, and Hinata took note of Ichiro vomiting out blood, his body was shaking, and he was on his knees and hands on the gym floor, Sasuke standing before him, eyes blank, brows furrowed, lips set to a straight line, and fists clenched tightly. His school jacket was discarded earlier, while his tie hang around his neck, undone; the sleeves of his white uniform were rolled up to his elbows, and part of it was tucked out of his pants, not to mention that the buttons were undone, except for the last three ones.

Compared to Naruto, Sasuke was covered in more blood, both his and Ichiro's.

"Done there bastard?" Naruto asked, still eyeing the fallen comrades of Ichiro in case one of them would stir or get back up.

Sasuke remained silent, and when Ichiro raised his head to glare at him, he gritted his teeth and kicked the boy's face, causing Ichiro to fall onto his back, and that was when Sasuke started to beat him up again.

Hinata eyed Naruto with a frightened gaze, pleading him to stop Sasuke, but Naruto was not meeting her eyes and instead, focused onto Sasuke, his blue eyes showing understanding, and he looked pretty nonchalant at what Sasuke was doing.

"Hinata…" Sakura called out weakly, gripping onto the girl's arms. "Hinata…"

"I'm here," she assured the pink haired girl with a small smile, hugging her tighter. "Don't worry." She shut her eyes afterwards, and so did Sakura, when they heard Ichiro cry out in pain.

Sasuke was starting to pant as the adrenaline rush slowly died down, yet his glare remained on Ichiro, who was slowly losing consciousness.

"I warned you." He said, kneeling down on one knee. "I told you." He continued, seeing how Ichiro slowly looked up at him. "But you didn't listen." He grabbed him by the collar, and then slammed him back down on the ground, but that was only after he had told Ichiro to watch his back, again, and Ichiro knew for a fact that this beating wouldn't be his last.

"Done?" Naruto repeated, still unfazed.

"Aa." Sasuke replied, seeing Ichiro unconscious. "Thanks."

"You know I got your back." Naruto said, managing a grin as he folded his arms behind his head. "And well," he frowned. "They deserved this, Ichiro deserved it, after what they did to you, and to Sakura."

Sasuke glanced at Naruto, and then at Hinata and Sakura. He recalled how he watched helplessly when Ichiro had pinned her to the ground and began to force his tongue in her mouth, remembered the way Ichiro's hands touched her everywhere, groped her breasts, thighs, and even went as far as rubbing against her underwear. He can't get rid of the image of Ichiro tearing her clothes, nor could he forget the sound of ripping fabric and Sakura's yells.

If Naruto and Hinata hadn't arrived in time, Ichiro would have taken Sakura.

It did not bother Sasuke that he would be her first – though it did at some level – but what pissed him off was that Ichiro was forcing Sakura into something she didn't want, what made him so angry and blinded by rage was the fact that Ichiro touched her and she hated it, hurt her, forced her, and made her cry; those things were what made him want to do more than just beat Ichiro up – he wanted to torture him so badly, wanted him to beg for mercy but not give it, wanted to so much kill him in the most painful and slowest way.

"Sakura, it's okay."

He heard Naruto say to his girlfriend, and it was then did he snap from his thoughts and made a move to pick up his jacket after buttoning down his shirt. Next, he approached the three, and Naruto stood up, while Hinata pried Sakura off despite the tight grip of the pink-haired girl.

"Sakura…" He called out softly, and she turned her head to meet his gaze, more tears spilling from her eyes when she saw how bloody he was. He took his jacket and had it wrap around her, since her school's jacket and blouse were rendered useless from covering her body, but at least her skirt was still in tact. "I'm sorry this had to happen to you." He spoke, eyes narrowing painfully when the scene that happened earlier played in his head yet again. "I'm sorry."

As soon as the words left his mouth, she had thrown herself to him, his jacket slipping off, as he did not hesitate to wrap his arms around her and close his eyes.

"I want to go home," she murmured in between sobs. "Please…"

Sasuke kissed the top of her head lightly, before nodding once and pulling her up, taking his jacket from Naruto who picked it up, and then wrapped it around Sakura. "Cover yourself." He whispered, and she buttoned his jacket, not caring if it was too big or too loose on her. She quickly wrapped her arms around his waist, while he kept an arm around her shoulder and followed Naruto and Hinata out of the gym.

The moment they were a few feet away from it, Kakashi had stopped and eyed them, and the four stared back; Naruto and Sasuke had blank expressions, while Hinata gave a worried look, and Sakura kept her face buried against Sasuke's chest.

"What happened?" Kakashi asked sternly.

Naruto glanced at Sasuke when he started to walk, not stopping even when Kakashi called his name.

"I asked you a question, Sasuke."

The teen stopped and glanced at Kakashi, who had his back turned to him but head poised sideways, one eye looking at him.

"What happened?" he repeated.

"What do you think?"

Kakashi was silent for a few seconds, before studying Sasuke's bloody form, and then Naruto's current state, as well as how Hinata avoided eye contact, and how Sakura continued to shake and cry as silently as possible.

"Your silence proves that you know." And Sasuke continued to walk off, Naruto following after Hinata bowed down and tailed after her boyfriend.

With a sigh, Kakashi eyed the gym with narrowed orbs, before pulling out his phone to call an ambulance.

He pulled away, and she stopped to look at him, and then lower her head.

"Sorry," he murmured. "It stings."

"It's supposed to." She said quietly. "But if you won't go to the hospital, then at least let me treat it properly."

"…fine."

She smiled slightly, and then brought the warm cloth up against his left cheek, watching him as he flinched but kept perfectly still.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Sort of." She admitted, looking down, her hand that was on his cheek beginning to droop, but he held her wrist to keep it there, catching her attention.

Their eyes met, and her gaze softened when she saw the look he sent her.

His eyes have always attracted her, the way they seem so cold, yet so inviting and caring upon closer inspection. She could see the pain and sorrow behind them, including the regret and guilt that welled up inside of him, as well as the assurance and care.

"You don't have to lie to me…"

"I know." She replied, turning to some of his bruises, and then lowering her gaze to his upper body that was exposed for her to see.

In normal circumstances, she would have blushed and inwardly squealed at the sight of his well-toned abs and chest; but due to the bruises present on his pale skin, all she could think of was sadness and pain. It was her entirely fault after all, the same way as her boss' murder was her fault. Sasuke was pushed to kill the man she hated so much, all because of her. Sasuke got beaten for saving her earlier, and he would be in trouble for nearly killing Ichiro after she was almost raped, and Naruto got dragged in, despite the blonde's willingness to jump into the fight.

"Don't blame yourself." He said, causing her to look back at him. "Your eyes tell me everything, but don't think that this is your fault."

"But it is…" She said. "It is my fault, it's my damn fault!"

"No." he said. "I decided to let Kurosaki and his gang beat me up, I was the one who returned the favor when he made you cry."

"But it's because of me that Naruto got dragged in!"

"Naruto and I are best friends, Sakura." He explained. "We made a pact, a promise, that neither of us will face an enemy or a problem alone."

"But even Hinata-"

"Hinata cares, Sakura. She cares what happens to you, me, and Naruto, just how much I do, just as much as Naruto does."

"Sasuke, you're hurt badly!" she cried out. "You're beaten black and blue! You could have been comatose for this!"

"Stop blaming yourself for everything!" he yelled, shocking her, which also caused her to shut up. "This happened because I care for you, because I hate anyone who would hurt you, because I can never forgive myself if I just sit back and not do anything while you're suffering!" he stopped and breathed in and out, trying to calm down. "I won't forgive even myself if I failed to keep you safe, and I really hate myself for not being able to prevent Kurosaki from touching you or hurting you." He eyed the bruise on her cheek due to the two slaps Ichiro had given her earlier, and he placed a hand against it, his thumb caressing it softly as he kept his gaze on the bruise. "And seeing you like this, watching yourself wallowing in guilt, is making me feel like a failure…"

She remained unmoving, even when he pulled her into his arms.

"All those years of not being able to protect you from others…" he whispered. "It has to end right now, because I won't allow it."

Sakura's eyes half-closed as she raised her arms to wrap around him, her lids blocking her view, and she buried herself further against his bare chest while he tightened his embrace on her; they remained in that position for a long time, enjoying the silence and warmth, relishing the moment.

Slowly, they pulled away, but their foreheads came in contact, and Sakura kept her gaze lowered, while he looked at her, studying her expression, wondering how they came to this, how her feelings were suddenly known to him, how he ended up from crushing on her, to liking her, and possibly even loving her by now.

"I don't want you getting hurt…" she said, raising her head, their noses touching, some of his bangs tickling her cheeks, their lips close enough to kiss, yet still far from contact. "Because it also hurts me…"

"Same here," he replied, wondering if he should touch her lips with his. "I can't stand it when you're in pain…"

"I don't like seeing you blinded by rage either," she looked away for a while, but their foreheads still remained in contact. "I grow scared when I see that side of you."

His hand against her cheek made her look back at him, and her eyes closed when he kissed her, yet he kept his halfway open, wanting to see her reaction, only closing them once her arms had wrapped around his neck, one hand rising so that her fingers could play with the spikes of his hair.

She kissed deeper, so he pulled her down, causing her hand on his hair to move to the side of his head and against the mattress of her bed. Her other hand slowly trailed to his chest and stayed there, their kiss deepening when their tongues had stuck out and intertwined, hers inviting his into her mouth.

He pulled away to move to her neck, and she only raised her head to give him more access and expose more skin, both their eyes remaining closed as she began to part her lips and let out a soft sigh, followed by a moan which encouraged him to keep going.

She could feel how one of his hands held the back of her head while his tongue licked her throat, jaw, and even flicked her ear, before going back to her mouth for another mind-blowing kiss.

His other hand was around her waist, before lowering a bit to creep up under her shirt and touch her bare back, receiving another erotic sound from her, and he continued all the way until he felt the clasp of her bra, and he unhooked it, glad that it was strapless, before he pulled it off of her.

They parted, and he eyed how hard her nipples were, making her pale blue shirt look tight around her chest area.

Sasuke could feel how tight his pants had grown, and he knew what was happening down there, and he bet Sakura was aware of his growing erection, for she moved so that she was straddling his hips, making her core press against his groin, and he couldn't help the groan from escaping his mouth. She opened her eyes halfway in order to see his expression, and she rubbed against him, seeing his closed eyes shut tighter, feeling how his breath quickened, and how he was beginning to sweat when she continued to rub slowly and sensually.

Sakura felt dominating, being on top of him and seeing his expression, and how he had placed his hands on her hips to somewhat control her movements. She herself had begun to pant and sweat, but it was nothing compared to how turned on he was, since he was groaning a lot, and she didn't want to stop teasing him. Her fingers began to trace every skin and muscle of his upper body, and he shuddered a bit at her sensual touches, loved how she leaned down and kissed his jaw, neck, and then chest, before letting her tongue out to lick the skin, all the way up to his ear, which she nibbled lightly, before breathing onto it, making him feel much more turned on.

This was a whole new level for them, and neither seemed to plan to stop.

Their eyes met when he opened his halfway to look into her lust-filled orbs. She had stopped her hips from swaying as they both tried to catch their breaths, yet it seemed pretty difficult since their eyes were on each other, seeing how sweaty they were, and how their breathing was fast and labored.

He made the move to place his fingers on the waistband of her white shorts, recalling how they ended just an inch below her rear.

"Why bother wearing these?" he commented after finally catching his breath.

She looked into his eyes and gave a small yet playful smirk. "Are you complaining?"

He returned the same smirk and slightly lowered the clothing, keeping his eyes on hers to see if she would protest, but she didn't, so he lowered it further yet slowly to add the sexual tension, and she lifted herself up a bit to help him out, only getting off of him and the bed to stand next to it and pull it off completely, tossing it behind her before climbing back on top of him, straddling him yet again, and then crashing her lips on his to pick up from where they last left off, especially after she felt how his penis continued to harden.

Sakura pulled off her shirt after parting from his lips, sitting on him and letting his eyes stare at her nude top, her round breasts full, her nipples so hard that she could feel them aching.

Her cheeks flushed when he continued staring, and she felt smug that he was baffled at the sight, so she leaned down to kiss him, and then moved to his ear. "Don't even think about being nice." She said. "I don't want you stopping."

His answer was to switch their positions, smirking at her surprised expression. "If you say so…"

If she wanted him to keep going, he would. Just the fact that she didn't stop him from removing her bra, and that she had personally pulled off her shorts and shirt were enough signs, and her exposing herself to him was already a go-signal.

"Damn it…" he cursed and grabbed his phone, answering the caller with a groggy hello.

"Naruto."

"…Eh? Uncle Fugaku?"

"Where's my son?"

"How should I know?!"

"So he's not with you then."

"…Wait, he's not home?!"

"No, and even Kakashi has no idea where he is."

Naruto blinked, now fully awake; he sat up carefully and eyed the sleeping for of his girlfriend, smiling slightly before getting out of bed and keeping the blankets over her naked body.

"Do you have any clue where he could possibly be?"

"Just one," Naruto mumbled. "He's probably at Saku-" he cut himself off when he realized that he was about to tell Fugaku that his best friend could be at Sakura's place, and that could mean that Sasuke might be staying there, and could possibly be busy with her, just how he and Hinata got busy tonight.

"What?"

"Sa…ku…no's." he finished lamely. "Yeah, his partner in… science." He kicked himself mentally, turning a bit red since science was related to life, which could also mean producing life, which translates to Sasuke and Sakura having sex.

"His phone is off."

"Oh, right, he told me he'd keep it off, since he wanted to finish the project soon! I mean," he tried to laugh. "You know how he is about school projects; he doesn't want to be disrupted."

"Do you know if he's staying over?"

"He might, he mentioned something about wanting to get it done soon, so that he wouldn't stay over the next day."

"…Don't you have school tomorrow?"

"Classes are cancelled, didn't Kakashi-sensei tell you?"

"He must have forgotten. Any reason why?"

"…There was trouble at the gym earlier, and the teachers are worried that the other students might be next."

"Alright, sorry for disturbing you."

"It's fine uncle, have a good night."

And they hung up.

"Naruto..?"

The blonde turned to Hinata and grinned. "Hey, sorry, did I wake you up?"

She shook her head sleepily and rubbed one eye, sitting up yet keeping the blankets around her body. "Who was that?"

"Sasuke's father, apparently," he grinned. "My buddy is starting to rock it with Sakura."

Hinata blushed and looked elsewhere. "I-I see…" She stammered, recalling what she and Naruto did earlier as well.

"Are you sure your father won't find out about you being here?"

"No," She said. "He's out of the country."

"Great," Naruto grinned. "Care for another round?"

"N-Naruto! What about your parents?!"

"Dad's working late, and mom sleeps like a rock," he crawled towards her and smirked slyly. "What do you say?" and he wriggled his brows suggestively that she couldn't help but giggle and lie back down when he crawled on top of her.

"Okay, but this will be the last one tonight."

"Deal." And he kissed her lips, her arms instantly wrapping around his neck as he made a move to pull off the blankets to expose her body to him.

"Naruto," she murmured, pulling him away slightly. "Turn your phone off if you don't want interruptions."

"Ah damn, I forgot." He got off of her and picked up his phone, switched it off and turned to her to see her giggle, the blankets back over her body. "Aww… Hinata! That's not fair!"

"You'll have to work for it Naruto." she teased, and he smiled, knowing that no one else will see this playful side of hers but him.

The rays of the sun made her eyes shut tighter as she stirred a bit, before turning away from the window and opening her eyes, smiling upon seeing her boyfriend still fast asleep, his bangs swept to one side for lying sideways, facing her, one arm around her waist.

With a playful grin on her lips, she leaned closer and kissed his lips, making his brows furrow in confusion, before opening his eyes to see a mop of pink hair, and then felt soft lips press harder.

He pulled away a bit, eyes blinking when the sun's rays had greeted his dark orbs.

"What time is it..?" he asked.

She giggled, and then looked at the wall clock of her room. "Around seven-forty, why?"

He stared at her for a moment. "Seriously..?"

"Yeah."

And last night's activities plagued his thoughts.

"Hn. Must have been too tired from last night." He sighed softly and pulled her into his embrace.

"Looks like it, since you did tell me how you're an early riser."

"Hn…"

"Sasuke," she whispered. "We have to get up."

"…Ngh."

"Aren't you a bit lazy..?"

"Five more minutes…"

"I still need to look for a job."

"It's too early."

"I thought you're an early riser? Why are you complaining?"

Sasuke grunted, but sat up and yawned. "Fine." He rolled his eyes when Sakura laughed and got out of bed, taking the blankets with her. "And since you don't have clothes…" she murmured, walking over to her closet. "I guess some of my father's old ones will do."

"Aa, I'm not in any position to complain." He flinched a bit when his abdomen started to ache. "Tch." He glanced down, remembering his fight with Ichiro yesterday. "If I see that son of a bitch again…" his thoughts trailed off when Sakura had tossed him a pair of dark blue jeans and a dark green shirt. "Hn… thanks."

"Go take a shower, it would wake you up."

He smirked at her. "Care to join me?"

Sakura blushed, unable to answer since he didn't give her much of a choice after he pulled her inside the bathroom.

"Man, I'm still too sleepy…"

"You should really try being a morning person, Naruto."

"Bah, you and Sasuke always say that, but it doesn't work, see?"

"That's because you're not trying." Hinata said with a smile, looking down at her bagel. "Drink your coffee to wake you up."

"Why are we here at Starbucks? Ichiraku is nearer…"

"Ramen isn't a healthy breakfast Naruto."

Naruto pouted, but he still ate his chicken sandwich.

Satisfied, Hinata continued eating her food and sipping her hot drink, looking up when Naruto straightened up from his seat and pressed himself against the window. "Naruto..?"

"Isn't that..?"

She followed his gaze, and smiled. "You want to ask them to join us?"

Naruto chuckled, eyeing how his best friend had intertwined his fingers with the pink-haired girl. He noticed the smile on Sasuke's lips, and the way he looked at Sakura who was busy talking about something.

"Naruto?"

"Let's leave them be." He turned back to his food, and then at Hinata. "The bastard's lost in cloud nine."

Hinata raised a brow, turned back to Sasuke and giggled, getting what her boyfriend meant. "He's really in love with her."

"Yeah, and I'm glad."

She watched the couple stroll down the street, and then sighed and shook her head, the smile not leaving her lips as she forked a piece of her bagel and placed it in her mouth. She stopped chewing when a group of boys caught her eye, and the presence of the group made her drop her fork.

"Hinata..?"

She immediately stood up, her eyes filled with worry and concern.

"Hey, what's wrong?"

"K-Kurosaki…"

Naruto's eyes widened, and he looked outside, confirming who Hinata saw, and from the way the guys walked and glared, something told him that those bats aren't for playing baseball.

"Are they..?"

"We need to get to Sasuke and Sakura." Naruto got up and grabbed Hinata's hand, about to cross the street but a few cars passed by, making him lose sight of where Ichiro's gang headed. "Shit." He cursed, taking his phone out and dialing Sasuke's number, cursing when it was out of reach. "Damn bastard didn't switched his phone back on." He tried Sakura's, but it just continued ringing. "Silent mode..? Damn." He looked for Kakashi's number, about to press call, but hesitated. "If I called Kakashi-sensei, news will get to uncle Fugaku, and Sasuke would be in bigger trouble." He began to sweat as he tried to think of a solution, before cursing and dragging Hinata down the street.

"N-Naruto?!"

"No other option but to get to them in time."

Hinata was just thankful that Naruto's old clothes fit her perfectly, so she didn't have trouble keeping up.

"Haven't you had enough, Kurosaki?"

"Don't be so cocky, Uchiha." Ichiro took a few steps forward, smirking at the way Sasuke pushed Sakura behind him. "You're cornered, and I'm just glad the two of you decided to go to the hilltop."

Sasuke glanced behind them, seeing how the drop didn't seem deadly, but bad enough to cripple them. His eyes looked back at Ichiro and his friends, cursing inwardly upon seeing that he and Sakura won't be able to escape without a fight. "But I'm outnumbered here, and they have bats with them." He narrowed his eyes. "It would be a bit easier if they didn't have weapons."

"Aren't you quiet?" Ichiro said smugly. "Yesterday, you were throwing insults back and forth, even threatening me when you were so helpless as I played with Sakura."

Sakura grabbed Sasuke's arm when she saw him shake in fury.

"Tell you what," Ichiro looked at the bat in his hand. "I'll let Sakura off, but you'll have to make up for that."

"What do you want?"

"I knew you'd do anything to keep her safe." He mumbled. "Your beating yesterday wasn't enough, so we'll have to double it, to the point wherein you can't get back up, or at least limp your way back home."

Sasuke glanced at Sakura, and then back at Ichiro. "If I agree, you'll let her off."

"Sure."

"You won't hurt her."

"Whatever floats your boat."

"You won't touch her either."

"No problem."

"You'll leave her alone."

"I swear."

Sakura shook her head at Sasuke when he looked at her.

"Well, Uchiha?"

"…Deal."

"Why? Why do you do this?"

He smiled.

"Why?!"

"Because…" he closed his eyes. "I love you."

Apathetic Silence: Well, I decided to stop there for now, since I'm still debating whether to go with option A or B, which I won't be telling any of you. Thanks for the reviews! Again, I'm not sure when I'll be updating the next chapter.