Sakura's p.o.v

I need someone.

This morning I shipped off a box of pictures and belongings of Ino's to her parents. In the box I left a little note saying "I'm sorry…" I didn't add a return address on the box, hoping they wouldn't know it was me.

The news was on. One of the reporters was talking about the mysterious fire of the Yamanaka Flower Shop. She was speaking about the estimate time the fire started and when the fire was put out. After she got finished adding in her little extras, she said "There was absolutely nothing left, but torched wood and debris."

I felt guilty about what I done, but I couldn't go back there. Who would even want to go back after what took place? It wasn't that same beautiful place I loved to go to everyday. If Ino is watching down over me, I hope she understood why I did it. It wasn't anything against her. It was just a dark place now. I treasured every memory I gained from there, but I don't want to keep holding on to ones of seeing her laying there lifeless.

If I ever find out who did this to her… I'm going to kill them without question.

I opened the rest of the duffle bags with the flowers and supplies. The flowers were going to be placed on the balcony. They would get tons of sunlight there. In the bottom of one of the bags there were some pictures of Ino and I. I grabbed Ino's cellphone last night too. I couldn't turn the phone on because it was dead and my charger didn't fit it. Sometime this week I was planning on getting a charger for the phone. Maybe there was something in it telling me who the last person Ino talked to that night or morning.

Overall I needed to start looking for a new job. I have to pay rent and I need groceries. From now on until I get a new job, I have to balance out my money. The only thing I can do is pray I find a new job. Work has been so limited here for some reason. Even when businesses needed help, they still wouldn't hire anyone.

It was still early in the day. I spent most of my time filling out job applications online. I applied for a few waitress positions and a beauty supply store.

The afternoon rolled around and I was just sitting in the house doing nothing. I didn't have anywhere to go. Maybe I could go sit at the park or just walk around the city.

"I'm so lonely."

I curled up in the fetal position on the floor until I figured out what I wanted to do.

My phone started to ring. I rolled over on my back, staring at the ceiling. I didn't even answer my phone. While it was ringing, I decided I was going to sit at the park for a while.

I got up off the floor, slipped a pair of shoes on, and walked out.

The elevator smelled horrible. It smelled like an animal died in there. It looked clean, so the smell being there was odd.

Before I walked out the building, I notified someone at the desk that the elevator smelled horrid. I saw Sasuke standing across the street with his phone in his hand. As soon as he saw me, he walked over.

"Yo, Sakura."

"Oh, hey Sasuke."

"You haven't been answering any of my calls…"

"Sorry. I've been busy. What's up? Have you been looking for me or something?"

"Well I just called you, but let's grab some lunch."

"Lunch? Sorry I can't. I don't have any money to eat out. I need to start balancing my money now that I'm jobless."

"Don't worry, it's on me."

"No no no, I can't."

"Listen I got it covered, alright."

"A-Alright."

It was kinda creepy Sasuke was just there in front of my building, but I didn't think about it too much.

Sasuke led me to his car. His car was black and the windows were tinted. It looked extremely expensive. He was wearing another suit. I wonder where Sasuke worked at and if he always wore suits like that. He just looked like he was dressed to impression someone.

The inside of the car smelled odd. It smelled like a mixture of sex and something else. The other smell was something I wasn't familiar with. The sex smell was coming from the back seat. I peeked towards the back and looked forward quickly. Sasuke must have a girlfriend or maybe he has a boyfriend. Sasuke probably didn't even notice the smell coming from the back seat. He was probably having sex so much; he gotten use to the smell of it.

Sasuke started the car. I had no idea where we were going to eat at. I felt bad he was going to pay for me.

While he was driving, I rolled down the window. The smell in the back was so strong. I wanted to ask him did he smell that, but that would've been rude in a sense.

We arrived at some restaurant. I was really fancy looking. Why would he bring me to somewhere so elegant and I'm dressed all casual. Sasuke parked down the street from the restaurant. A lot of the parking spaces close to it were taken. We only had to walk about a block to get there.

While we were walking, Sasuke put his arm around my shoulder and pulled me in close.

"Ughh, What are you doing?"

"Oh nothing."

"Can you take your arm off my shoulder, please?"

"Why? We're friends right. It's okay for friends to be close like this."

It was odd Sasuke was pushing the friendship thing all of a sudden. He's never really done anything like this towards me. He was always so close to Naruto. Maybe this was his way of showing me that he was here for me and he cared. I just didn't want his arm around my shoulder though. I don't want people to think we're in a relationship or fooling around.

I didn't even get the chance to say anything before someone bumped into Sasuke's chest. The girl looked like she had a pound of make up on. I wasn't saying she was ugly, but she didn't need all that make up on. She lifted up her head and looked up to Sasuke. Her eyes widened and she whimpered Sasuke's name.

Sasuke's eyes got sharp and he stared at the female without saying anything. The female stormed away from him. He took his arm off my shoulder.

"Was that your girlfriend?"

"Yeah, you can say that."

"She's really pretty."

He didn't say anything else after that, but we got to the restaurant.

"How can I help you, Sir?"

"Table for two."

"Right this way."

We sat down at our table. The table was placed all the way in the back. There really wasn't anyone back here. All of the tables in the front were taken. This was really awkward.

"I hope you being close to me like that, didn't give your girlfriend any ideas."

"She'll be okay. I'll see her later on tonight…"

"Hm, alright."

A waiter came to our table and took our orders. I ordered some seafood spaghetti and Sasuke got a steak.

"So what's up with you and Naruto?"

"Naruto and I? Well…" How did I know the subject of Naruto was going to come up? Why must everything lead to him? I let out a small sigh. "Well about a month ago, some female opened his door. There were drugs on the table too… He lied to me again."

"I'm sorry to hear that. You must be pretty done with him, huh?"

"I love him. I don't think I will ever stop loving him. I'm just tired of being lied too… I'm always hoping that there will be a break through, but sometimes it just feels like I'm wasting my time wishing. Wishing for things to go back to normal… I just want my Naruto back. The Naruto I fell in love with."

"Hm…"

"And now that Ino's gone, I feel so alone. Like there really isn't anyone there for me anymore. I don't have anyone to turn too."

"You can always turn to me. I'm here for you." Sasuke smiled at me, but his smiled seemed a bit off. "If there's anything you need, all you have to do is call."

"Alright."

The waiter brought our food and we ate. After we finished eating, Sasuke took me home.

We said our goodbyes. This time I took the stairs up to my apartment. I wasn't going to take any chances with that stinky elevator. I already had enough of the smell in Sasuke's car.

When I made it to my floor, my legs were a bit sore. That was the first and last time I would walk up those stairs.

My phone was still lying on floor. I didn't notice it wasn't in my pocket. I picked up my phone and checked it. There were the missed calls from Sasuke and an unknown number. The number looked familiar, so I called it back.

"Hello."

"Hello? Did someone from this number call my phone?"

"S-Sakura? My Sakura, my darling daughter."

"Mom…?" She was the last person I wanted to talk to right now. How did she even find my number? When I moved out of the house when I was 17, I changed my number. I didn't want her to have any kind of contact with me until she changed her ways.

"M-momma misses you." Her words sounded slurred and chopped up.

"What do you want?"

"I want to see you. Why don't you come see your mother anymore?"

"You're still drinking… I can hear it in your voice…"

"I-I haven't! I'm getting better now. I'm just not feeling well."

"You don't have to lie to me anymore. I'm not a child."

"Momma is really sick. Why don't you come see me tomorrow?"

"I don't know."

"Please Sakura… I'm begging you. I need you."

"I guess I'll stop by for a little tomorrow, but I'm not going to stay long."

She said she's sick. Maybe she's dying. After all that liquor she drunk, I wouldn't be surprised if it's true.

The last time I seen her, she was arguing with me about getting pregnant by Naruto. All she did was yell at me. Whenever she seen me that's all she would do. No matter what I did she was never happy. I had the best grades out of the entire school, but she didn't care. I tried to open up to her about things, but she didn't care. All she cared about was her liquor.

After I lost my baby, I didn't hear anything else from her. I tried to the best of my abilities to stay away from her. People thought that I lost my child over the stress and arguing, but I don't think it was that.

It was early one morning and I was walking to school. As I was about to walk in the gates some guy in a black hoodie pushed me over. When I fell over, I fell right on my stomach. As I was falling, I paced my arms over my stomach. The guy ran and I never seen him again.

About a week later, I started discharging blood. I didn't know what it was. I went to the hospital and that's when I found out, I lost my child. I didn't tell Naruto what really happened because I was scared. He had so much to worry about. I didn't say anything; it would have just been more pressure on his shoulders.

It was a horrible experience.

Maybe my mom was ready to undo her wrongs and try to make it right. I hope it wasn't a mistake going to see her tomorrow, but I bet is was.

Today I put on my white blouse and an old pair of jeans to go see my mom.

She was still living in the same house.

My heart was racing, but I went.

I really wasn't ready to see my old house. There wasn't anything, but horrible memories there too. Everything started off so great, but things just went downhill.

I knocked on the door and entered. When I opened the door, I heard glass bottles clanging against each other. The entire floor was covered in liquor bottles.

She came rushing down the stairs when the door opened.

"Sakura, my precious baby."

"You need help." Her face was all bruised up and she was clearly drunk. "What happened to your face?"

"Momma's okay. I'm perfectly fine…"

"I'm going to go okay? I don't need to be around anymore bullshit."

"No!" She grabbed my arm and slammed the door closed. "I need some money… I'm all out of money. My fucking boyfriend left me and now I don't have any money. Sakura help your mom. Don't you love me?"

"I don't have any money."

"Don't lie to me bitch! You have money! I know you do!"

"I really don't have any and if I did I wouldn't be giving to you… "

"What do you want me to do, huh?"

"Mom please…"

"Do I have to whore myself out to my daughter for some fucking money." She started pulling on my blouse and the buttons popped off. My blouse folded opened and I pushed her back.

"Get off of me! What the fuck is wrong with you?"

"No, what the fuck is wrong with you?! You got with that piece of shit blonde haired boy and don't know how to act."

"Shut up!"

"Remember how you kept saying how you would be better than me and you won't turn out like me and your father… You're not shit."

"Shut up!"

"The word on the street is your boyfriend is a crack head. He's been one for a very long time. Don't you feel stupid? You got pregnant by a crack head. That's probably the real reason you had a miscarriage. His cum was full of nothing, but drugs."

"Shut your fucking mouth! I am better than you! I'll always be better than you! If I did have my child, I would never treat it the way you treated me. You're nothing, but a crack head and a drunk yourself."

"You're stupid." She picked up a glass bottle and threw it at me. The bottle shattered and a piece of glass gashed open my skin. The blood slowly started to run down my shoulder, staining my blouse. She pinned me against the wall. "I'll show you how to be a real woman and how to get a real man."

"Don't fucking touch me! I knew it was a bad Idea to come see you. I was hoping you would have changed, but you haven't. I left this this house when I was 17, I'm 23 now. Nothing has changed." I could feel the blood from the shoulder dripping off my fingers. "Naruto was a good person. It's people like you that change them!"

She raised her fist up to me.

"Are you going to hit me? Is that going to make you feel better because you realize how much of a piece of shit mother you are? Are you going to try to rape me to make yourself feeling dominant over me again?"

"Get out! Get out my fucking house!" She let go of me and I walked out.

I started to walk back to my apartment.

I was holding my arm where the gash was.

I was losing a lot of blood. When I got to the complex, I rushed upstairs. I couldn't let anyone see me like this.

My vision was getting blurry and I started to stumble. I was only a few steps away from my door before I fell, and passed out in the hallway.

(What happened after Sakura left)

Sakura's mom slammed the door and kicked some of the liquor bottles out the way.

"Stupid bitch."

Another person started walking down the steps.

It was Sasuke. He was grinning sadistically.

"I did what you asked for Sasuke, now give me my shit."

"I'll give it to you when you tell me everything I need to know." Sasuke held a small baggie of drugs in front of her, waving it back and forth. "You're going to tell her all of Sakura's weakness and strengths. You can have all of this once you do. I'll even give you some money to buy you're some liquor."

"What are you doing to do to her?"

"Why do you care? That's none of your concern... Just know I'm going to end all of her suffering." He started laughing. His laugh was filled with evilness.