No amount of sweet new born baby kitties, or sweet feeling of carbonation from soda, could prepare me for this chapter! Why I had so much trouble with it, I have no damn idea!
Disclaimer: I do not own NARUTO, and I sure as hell don't know very much about what cops do. Since childhood I've been scared and prefer to avoid an on-duty cop.
Thoughts
It seemed that no matter what Sakura did, or what the Uchiha trio did, the pinkette just could not get warm. Her whole body felt like she was frozen solid, her toes and fingers frozen numb. Over the last half hour to forty-five minutes she could finally start to feel little stabs in her fingers, so that means her fingers should be fine, right?
Another violent shiver knocks her knees together, Sakura burying her face farther into the freshly warmed blanket laid over her body. Shiusi had plopped her into Fugaku's leather chair, Sasuke bringing blankets from their dryer, only to take one away to be rewarmed. The boys were still gathered around her, constantly asking if she were warm enough, if she wanted some hot tea or soup. Sakura had begun to get tired of chattering a small response to them, talking too much seemed to result in biting her tongue every other word. It was annoying. Not the boys worrying over her, though the constant questions were bugging her, it was how cold she still felt.
Sakura dove through busy frantic traffic on her way here, slipping and sliding as cars narrowly missed her. As she got dressed Sakura discovered scraps along her knees. Shisui had quickly checked the wounds once he brought the shivering pinkette down stairs, but assessed that the wounds hadn't been bad enough to even draw blood, just remove a thin layer of skin.
She was grateful that the only thing they really had to worry about was her temperature and the wound on her back. Too much more and Sakura was certain she'd just break down, more so then what she saw herself doing.
"Kaa-san just texted me," Shisui made his way from the hallway, unable to keep himself still he settled with pacing about the house, looking out windows for their parents.
"Are they on their way?"
Shisui gave a small nod to Sasuke's question, setting his cell phone onto the coffee table as Itachi gave a tired sigh. Sakura felt so bad, Shisui had told her it'd probably be an hour and half trip for their parents, getting themselves through traffic and then fighting their way through the grocery store, and back. And here they were, probably missing a good deal of their food just to get home faster, risking something happening on the way home.
Sakura gave a soft groan, covering the rest of her face with the warm blanket. Now was not the time to be letting her mind wonder to the darker side of things. Just because her world was thrown upside down today, doesn't mean it will for everyone else.
"Would you like to watch something, Sakura-san?" Itachi's voice was soft, watching Sakura closely as he waited for a reply.
All Sakura could do was slowly nod her head, she didn't want to lift her thawing face from the blankets, and was sure she'd bite her tongue again. The darn thing was already sore, if not even a bit bloody, she hoped Itachi didn't really need her to speak.
Thankfully he didn't. The sound of the TV clicking on and filling the room, already set on the news. Shifting the blanket enough to look at the flat screen, the pinkette watched as her friend slowly flipped through a few channels. She didn't really know what to watch, or what the others would be ok with watching. But when a cooking channel came on she gave a soft hum, letting the raven next to her know she was interested in whatever the people were doing.
"Here," Itachi set the remote next to her on the arm rest. "If you want to change it again or the volume."
"A-arigoto Itachi-san…"
Sakura's feet slowly slid forward, uncurling her knees slightly as she shifted her hips. Moving into a more comfortable position, Sakura was pleased to feel her left hip could register heat, curling her feet under her a little as she nestled back into her blanket cocoon.
She honestly could just fall asleep, relaxing farther into her little warm nest. Only she was sure one of the Uchiha boys would start shaking her awake, thinking she had died. Huffing ever so slightly, Sakura turned her eyes upwards to the screen of the TV. Instantly regretting it, the pinkette's stomach gave a harsh twist, growling loudly as her mouth watered.
Potatoes cooked in butter, seasoned and placed into the oven to soften further. Asparagus sautéed in more butter, salt and pepper. And then a large, juicy steak grilled to a medium rare perfection. Sakura's arms fought against their confines, struggling as she grabbed the remote and fumbled the buttons until the channel changed. The sound of metal hitting metal took over the sizzle of the steak as an old timey samurai movie came on. Shisui gave an amused chuckle as he watched the pinkette gasp, the drool barely noticeable but still seen.
"I take it your hungry Sakura-chan?" Shisui's response was a pouty glare.
"I can get you something to eat if you'd like." Itachi's voice made the pinkette's gaze move from the eldest brother, looking at her friend almost longingly.
"Can you make that?"
It took a moment, Itachi blinking at the girl. Ignoring the fact, she wanted the nasty hunk of meat from the TV, steak being his least favorite food of all time. Itachi couldn't help but laugh out.
Sakura's eyes widened, Shisui busting out as Itachi continued to laugh. What was so funny? She was being honest. She could force herself to eat soup, as they kept offering only that to her. But what she craved was what had been on the TV. Oh, god was she drooling that much…
"You spoke without a stutter." Sakura blinked as Sasuke chuckled from the kitchen doorway, turning to him frowning. Why was that so funny!?
"L-leave it to you Sakura-chan! Freezing to death in a blizzard, only for the thought of a steak and potatoes to thaw you out completely."
Sakura's shoulders slumped, her eyes narrowing as she slunk back into the chair pouting. So, what if her stutter finally went away with the thought of food? She could feel heat gather on her cheeks, knowing full well she was probably blushing dark red.
"D-d-d-damare!" Oh, for the love of god, she just had to start stuttering again!
Sakura's face flopped into the sheets, hiding her reddening face as the blush covered her all the way down her neck. But she couldn't help the shakes of her body as she fought back a laugh, a smile pulling at her lips as the three boys around her barked out their laughter. Pulling her head back enough to breath fully, she let herself relax and laugh with them, it was good. They were finally relaxing after about an hour of them being tensed and stone faced.
Laying her head back against the leather, Sakura let out a happy sigh, breathing deeply to try and control the giggles. She missed this place…Hell she just missed everyone. Sakura hadn't been allowed to attend school after exams, Tetsu pulled some strings with the principle to keep her out. The last she saw her friends was for Christmas. She had cried, tried hard not to, but had cried none the less. Her grandmother invited everyone over, and they had given her presents.
Turning her head to her left, Sakura watched as Itachi and Shisui tried to catch their breath, smiling softly. It had been almost a month since she last saw them, she was secretly afraid they would no longer consider her a friend. Thankfully, Sakura had been wrong. Dead wrong in fact. Itachi ran out of his house for her in the middle of a blizzard.
"Thank you…" Sakura's voice was softly as she spoke, almost wondering if anyone had heard her.
Itachi's attempt to stop his laughter resulted in a few deep coughs, but was finally able to slow the shaking of his body with a few deep breathes. He had heard her, a kind smile on his face as he looked towards her.
"Any time Sakura-chan." Sakura's smile turned towards Shisui as he spoke, both of his brother's nodding in agreement.
She would make damn sure to run to this house far sooner if anything was wrong, no matter what ended up happening in her future. Sakura's eye dropped to the blanket over her body, feeling the soft, warm fabric. If only she could return the favor to them. If only they could run to her house if they needed her.
Stop feeling sorry for yourself! With a soft huff, Sakura's head turned to the youngest Uchiha, pulling her knees up in front of herself and rubbing her thawing legs together. Feeling sorry for herself wouldn't be good right now, it would only serve to make her hesitant to speak with Fugaku when he came back.
"Sasuke…Could I have tea?" A short nod was Sakura's only response as he disappeared quickly into the kitchen.
Itachi's shoulders relaxed as Sasuke scurried about the kitchen, warming water in a cup for the pinkette next to him. He had wanted to have her drink tea sooner, hell he would have been willing to help her drink it. But Shisui had told him to chill, to let Sakura relax a bit. He hated it, but he supposed his elder brother was right. She hadn't been shaking from just the cold, she had an adrenalin rush of the century. Up until a little while ago she couldn't even close her hands completely without forcing it. Standing slowly, Itachi gave the pinkette a small smile as she turned to him.
"I'm going to grab the other blanket, I'll be back in a second."
Without waiting for a reply, Itachi made his way into the kitchen, passing by Sasuke and to the door at the back of the kitchen. Their laundry room was in the basement, and to get down there you had to make your way through the kitchen, and to a tiny little hallway on slightly unstable stairs. Mikoto hated the stairs, and the basement, it was the only real thing she disliked about their house. Promises had been made to widen the hallway, fix the stairs, and remodel the basement; but with Fugaku being away so much, it put a damper on that plan.
As the wooden stairs creaked under his feet, Itachi's hand reached out to the wall, reaching the bottom and turning sharply to the left. Keeping his hand on the wall, the raven bent down and opened the dryer, opening it and pulling out a large blanket that had originally been folded on the back of the couch this morning.
Was it bad for Itachi to say he was happy with how things went today? With a sigh Itachi kicked the dryer door closed, skipping steps as he ran his way up them and into the kitchen. It wasn't the fact Itachi was happy with what happened to Sakura, it was the fact that she had ended up here, in his house, asking him for help…Ok not him, his father for help. But it was all the same, right?
Following his younger brother out of the kitchen, both made their way to the pinkette, Shisui already lifting away the top blanket covering her. Being careful to not jostle her as Sakura took the steaming cup of tea from Sasuke with a small 'thank you', Itachi laid the freshly warmed blanket over her legs.
Sakura let out a comforting sigh as heat seeped into her hands and through her arms. The cup was maybe a tad too warm, but it was greatly welcomed. Coupled with the warmth in her lap, Sakura could feel herself thaw just that much more that she could say she was finally comfortable.
Hearing a bit of banging as Shisui loaded the dryer, both younger ravens made their way to the couch, Itachi again sitting closest to the pinkette. With a small couple of huffs over the cup of tea, Sakura gave a small test, bringing the percaline to her lips and a quick sip. Thankfully the cup was hotter then what was insides of it, letting Sakura take a greedy gulp as warmth bloomed through her chest. It was nice, a sweet green tea with a light lavender taste, Mikoto had given Fuyuka, Sakura's grandmother the recipe a while back, and happily served it during Christmas.
Pivoting her body at the hips, Sakura carefully placed down her tea on Fugaku's side table, making sure to scoot a little coaster closer to her for her drink. Shisui's stomps filled the living room only moments after the faint sound of an engine. Sakura's head shot up, her lip curling slightly at the feel of a pained throb in the side of her head, possibly from how tensed her jaw was from shivering.
"Their back!" Sasuke's voice called out as the basement door closed in the kitchen, Shisui hurriedly entering the living room as Itachi glanced outside, confirming that the vehicle was indeed their parents.
A wave of nervousness shot through Sakura's system. It felt like only a little while ago Shisui told them they were almost done shopping, it was too fast! Clutching the blanket in her hands, she tried to control her breathing, taking deep slow breathes to relax herself. She'd never felt this nervous here, not even when she'd first met Fugaku. Then again, she wasn't about to spill the beans as to her situation to him when they first met.
"Stay here, I'll help dad get everything." Shisui made his way to the hallway by the front door with large strides, disappearing quickly as he bundled himself up.
It seemed like no time at all before they could hear the snow crunching beneath the tires of Fugaku's car, a car door suddenly slamming closed as a figure darted past the front window. It was Mikoto, Sakura could tell only because the lady Raven was a good deal shorter than her husband. A loud gust of window howled as the front door opened, a softly squeal following as the three could hear Shisui laugh at his mother's response, closing the door behind himself as feet stomped in the hallway.
And now I want to vomit, fantastic! Oh, god did Sakura want to vomit. The feeling didn't get any better as Mikoto entered the doorway to the living room, rubbing her arms to warm her hands and body. Sakura felt like a beacon, Mikoto's eyes landing on her and gasping softly before rushing forward, her socked feet scurrying across the flooring.
"Oh, my lord, Sakura-chan how are you feeling!?" Mikoto stopped next to the pinkette, kneeling next to her as she reached out to touch the younger girls face, only to stop once remembering her hands were still very cold.
"I-I'm good Mikoto-san." Sakura's shoulder sagged at the stutter, more from the nerves then the cold, but Sakura doubted if she told Mikoto that, that it'd help lessen the worry in the older woman's eyes.
With a sad sigh Mikoto carefully reached up, brushing the pinkette's hair from her face while being careful to avoid letting her cold skin touch the girls. Sakura looked anything but good, though she'd never straight up and say such a thing to a teenage girl. It didn't matter if Sakura liked to hang out with the boys', tom-boy and girly-girl alike, they cared for how they looked in some way.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't here any sooner…Oh look at you, your feverish!" Mikoto's warming hands brushed Against Sakura's forehead, causing the pinkette to frown deeply when the lady raven mentioned a fever.
Was she really getting a fever? Sakura's stomach twisted painfully, dear gods she was getting sick! It made sense with her running about a blizzard drenched in snow, but seriously, that fast? Sakura didn't think it was humanly possibly getting sick so fast, she hardly ever got sick either.
"I'll go get the thermometer for you." Itachi was up in a flash, jogging out of the room as the front door opened again.
Sakura slid down in the chair, feet stomping and boots being kicked off before Fugaku and Shisui both came into the living room, still in their coats and arms covered in huge plastic bags full of food. Sasuke quickly followed his brother and father, Itachi making his way back into the living room as Mikoto shifted from the floor to the arm rest of the chair.
"Open up sweetie." At Mikoto's soft command, Sakura obeyed and opened her mouth, Itachi handing his mother the thermometer, watching as the woman popped the cap off and sticking the small device under her tongue.
Sakura's mouth closed, holding the thermometer in place as the tiny screen on it flashed softly, ignoring the others around her a little bit as she anxiously watched. Mikoto was fussing over her, that she knew, and she kind of wanted to not be fussed over for at least a little longer. But sadly, that couldn't seem to happen. Fugaku finally left the kitchen, his two sons left inside to unpack the bags. Slinging his heavy coat over his arm, Fugaku stood behind his wife, looking down to the pinkette.
"How are you feeling?" Fugaku directed the question towards Sakura, her stomach doing flips as she gave a shy wave towards the device stuck in her mouth, stopping her from talking.
Itachi took his fathers' coat, disappearing into the front hallway, leaving Sakura alone with Mikoto and her husband. Oh she felt like she really was going to vomit, her mouth was getting all drooly. Fugaku made his way to the couch, sitting down by Sakura and getting comfortable as a soft beeping from in front of Sakura's face caught her attention.
"It looks like you have a slight fever." Mikoto took the thermometer from the pinkette's mouth. "It's to be expected…But let's make sure you stay warm alright?"
All Sakura could do was smile sheepishly. Why wasn't Fugaku bombarding her with questions? She knew he had been informed of the condition she arrived in. Why wasn't he quizzing her yet!? A cough from the older man hand Sakura's heart thumping in her chest, his hands rubbing together a bit to warm them farther.
"Do you think your able to-" Fugaku's sentence cut off fast as the small girl in his chair let out a loud gasp.
"I-I want to make a statement!"
Both parents sat blinking at the girl quietly, not at all what Fugaku was wanting to get into now. Itachi stood in the door way, both of his brother's peeking out of the kitchen to their parents, waiting impatiently for someone besides the once again shaking pinkette, to do something. Clearing his throat, Fugaku leaned forward a little, eyeing Sakura carefully.
"Shisui had mentioned you had." Sakura's hands fidgeted under the blankets. "You need to eat first…Do you think your able to eat something?" A soft sigh and a nod was his only reply. "Good, once you've eaten and we're sure you're alright, then you can tell me what happened today."
A deep sigh left Sakura as she lowered her head, eyes gazing down to the blanket. It felt like this was being dragged out way too much, but she was rather relieved at the fact she had time to chill out. Feeling the chair shift as the lady raven stood, Sakura could feel a gentle pat on her shoulder, silently telling her everything would be ok. She seriously hoped everything would be.
Fugaku reached for the remote, flipping on the TV and changing the channel to the news. Sakura's eyes lifted, skimming over the breaking news, her gut suddenly twisting painfully. Would there be anything on the news? She doubted anyone would take too much notice to a kid running through the streets, but what had happened back home after she bolted? She knew she was followed, but for how long? What happened to her mother?
"It's a good thing I stayed home a few more days. The campus looks like it lost power." Shishui's voice was a very welcome distraction, Sakura hanging onto his every word to avoid her growing worry.
"It's not surprising. That part of town has needed to up its game for how long now?"
Sasuke sat down next to his father as he spoke, Shisui humming in agreement as his arms crossed, leaning again the kitchen door frame. Sakura knew what the younger brother meant. That part of town had rather old power poles and transformers all over. It wasn't unusual for there to be power outages in that area for a few hours. The city had finally announced that coming in spring they'd replace everything.
"We need to expect an outage as well. Power lines were already beginning to sag on the way home." Fugaku sounded distracted as he spoke, his hand rubbing his jaw as he eyed the screen in front of him.
Sakura's chest felt less tense with the talk of the towns power lines, but still felt a bit worried. Placing her hands against the inside of her thighs, she leaned back into the chair, pulling her knees higher up towards her body, curling in on herself as a dull ache spread through her back. It was stupid aggravating her wound, but she needed more of a distraction. Not only was she worried about her mom, but now she felt as if any moment the power would go out, and she'd freeze all over again!
It felt like ages before Mikoto had called everyone to dinner. And even longer for her stiff body to uncurl and hobble itself into the kitchen. The lady raven had protested and demanded she eat in the living room, but Sakura had assured she was well enough to make it to the kitchen table, just to give her a moment to get moving properly.
If Sakura had been in denial before about getting sick, she wasn't now. Her head throbbed horribly, she felt tired, and her body begged her to just curl back up and sleep. But thankfully the smell of food won over her bodies whining, and Sasuke had even offered up his seat by the doorway to the pinkette, she almost collapsed in gratitude.
Sakura stared down at her half-eaten food in defeat. Her body won in the end, she was yawning more than she was chewing. She couldn't believe she was wasting food!
"You don't need to force it down sweetie, I can save it for later." Mikoto took a seat next to Sakura, having previously been cleaning dishes after eating her own food.
"I feel so bad for not eating it all, I always do…" Sakura's shoulder sagged, her eyes half closed as she gave a groan.
A smile pulled at Mikoto's lips, her hand reaching out and pushing the plate away. "It's fine, come on." She stood and offered her hand down to the girl, flexing her fingers for Sakura to take as she was given a confused look. "I'm going to draw you a bath, you'll feel better afterwards."
Sakura didn't hesitate at the sound of a bath, her hand reaching out and grabbing ahold of Mikoto's for support and she pushed herself to her feet. Her knees hurt, bad, it felt like they were about to give out at any second. Thankfully Mikoto's arm wrapped around her shoulders, slowly leading her out of the kitchen and through the living room. A whine left her at the realization that the bath is up the stairs, Mikoto pausing at the end of the stairs so Sakura could take a step at her own pace.
Fugaku's dark eyes watched his wife help the young girl up the stairs, waiting at the ready for her to call for him. He had been about to offer helping Sakura up the stairs, but the look Mikoto had given him shut him up quickly. He had been worried his wife didn't notice how the girl couldn't straighten her legs fully, how her body was hunched, how her knees shook as she took a step up. But she noticed, she felt it as she held the pinkette up, if Mikoto hadn't been sure Sakura could make it, she wouldn't have given him the look to stay seated.
Fugaku's eyes moved downwards towards his sons', Sasuke was absorbed into the TV, Shisui hardly sparing a glance to the girls, and his middle son about ready to pounce for the stairs. Turning his eyes back to the TV, Fugaku's lips curled into a smirk, but kept his ears open for the sound of his wife calling his name if she needed him.
But Mikoto didn't need him. She made it to the top of the stairs just fine with Sakura, though knew she was pushing it just a bit as she led the girl to the master bathroom. Carefully seating the pinkette on the closed toilet, Mikoto carefully tucked a strand of pink hair behind Sakura's ear.
"I figured you'd get a bit more privacy in here than in the other bathroom." Her voice was soft as she spoke, not missing the way Sakura gave a light pant.
"Thank you, Mikoto-san…For everything." Sakura raised her head and gave Mikoto a sincere smile, hoping it showed just how grateful she was.
Sakura's head lowered as she closed her eyes, listening to the sound of Mikoto filling the tub and grabbing a few towels. It worried Mikoto a little, leaving Sakura alone when she was obviously so tired. What if she fell asleep and slipped into the water!? Mikoto's hand rested on her forehead, was she seriously acting this crazy right now? The last thing she needed to do was fret over the young girl more then she already was. If anything, Mikoto would just wait in the bedroom for Sakura to finish.
Reaching out and placing her hand into the water, Mikoto waited for the bath to fill, keeping a close eye on the temperature. Too hot and poor Sakura would burn, but too cold and she'd be worse off. Thankfully it wasn't difficult keeping a pleasing temp, and soon Mikoto twisted the handle to the faucet, turning off the water.
"I'll add a few drops of an oil I use to the water, it'll help you relax and loosen up." Drying her hand off Mikoto made quick work of a small bottle on the tubs edge, letting a few drops of lavender drop into the water.
"Thank you." Mikoto gave a nod as she mixed the oil into the water, standing and giving a large smile.
"Make sure to call if you need anything, I'll be here as soon as I can."
Mikoto's smile fell, watching Sakura nervously rub her arm as she looked to the floor, almost shyly. Kneeling Mikoto reached out, lightly grabbing Sakura's chin and lifting so she could look into emerald eyes.
"Sakura-chan?" Mikoto's voice was soft, gently asking for the girl to tell her what was bothering her.
"I…I feel weird asking…" Sakura's cheeks burned red, her body slouching as she looked to the lady raven, she had a feeling if she tried to look away she'd be stopped.
"You can ask anything of me Sakura-chan, never feel weird doing so. Alright?" A nod was the only thing Mikoto received. "Go on sweetie, ask away."
Sakura let out a huff, Mikoto finally letting go of her chin and letting her hand drop to her lap. It felt weird no matter how much Mikoto said it shouldn't, it was a weird thing she was wanting.
"Could…You stay? I don't really want to be alone…" Sakura's voice trailed off, her fingers twisting about themselves as she waited nervously for the lady to answer her.
Warmth bloomed in the lady Uchiha's chest at the small request. Small for others' perhaps, but it was such a massive thing for her to see the pinkette reach out for support. Kneeling in front of Sakura, Mikoto smiled largely, giving a curt nod as Sakura's shoulders relaxed.
Mikoto turned her back as she stood, giving the young girl privacy as she undressed, laying the clothes she had borrowed onto the closed toilet. Reaching to steady herself on the wall, Sakura lifted her foot, slowly lowering her toes into the milky water. Was it supposed to look like milk?
The question melted from her mind as heat crawled up Sakura's leg, making the knee holding her weight up wobble. Quickly taking a step down, Sakura pulled her other foot into the water, turning and slowly lowering her body into the liquid.
A groan left her as her hips were engulfed, her arms trembling with a his as the water covered the minor cuts and bruise on her back. It hurt, but was oddly soothing. The heat helped the pain, though added to some of it, but it was at least bearable. Lowering down lower, Sakura moved her arms into the water, sinking so her chest was covered by the water, which wasn't difficult seeing as sitting straight the water already covered her breasts.
Sakura was happy the water was difficult to see through, and was less worried if it should really look that way. Pulling her knees up to lightly poke their water out of the top of the water, Sakura let the lady raven know she was in the bath.
It wasn't nearly as weird as she thought it'd be having Mikoto stay in the bathroom with her. At first with the awkward silence Sakura had begun to regret her asking the older woman to stay. But now that her hair was washed and deeply conditioned, and her body was ten times more relaxed, she was in heaven.
Her body tried to fail on her ask she tried to get out, her knees hardly holding her up, but a robe was already around her body as she sat on the edge of the tub before she had attempted to stand. Mikoto had left to take the dirty clothes to the laundry while the water drained from the bath. Thankfully Sakura had caught herself, and Mikoto returned in time to help her out and to the bedroom.
Sakura's clothes had been washed, letting her wear her underwear and bra, but Sakura was still out of clothes, sleeping in jeans was a no go. Mikoto was a bit taller than her, but thankfully the pants Sakura had been given had a draw string. The shirt was no issue, Sakura greatly preferred baggy shirts to more fitting ones.
"How are you feeling now?" Mikoto's voice was still filled with concern, though far less than it had been before Sakura's bath.
"Mm…" Sakura's hands smoothed the soft shirt in front of her. "I'm honestly really tired. I still want to talk to Fugaku-san though."
A sigh from the lady raven had Sakura looking up, seeing a small nod as Sakura was offered a hand. She knew she needed rest, but even if she couldn't go into heavy detail on what happened, Sakura needed to get things started.
Taking the offered hand, Mikoto lead Sakura down the hall and to the stairs. It was a little easier to go down them then it had going up, but Sakura's legs were still weak, and her head still hurt. Even though there was raging blizzard outside, the whole house was toasty, but the sound was enough to cause a shiver to run through the pinkette's body. She now, officially, hated the winter.
Mikoto's hand waved in front of them, telling the three boys to move themselves elsewhere, Fugaku seated back into his large leather chair. Sitting down with a plop, Sakura gratefully took the offered blanket from Shisui, wrapping it tightly around herself with quiet thanks.
"You look better now that you thawed completely." Sakura gave a giggle at Shisui's statement, nodding her head in agreement. She felt better too besides the settling sickness.
"She wants to talk about what happened." Mikoto's voice was quiet as she spoke to her husband, but the boys heard her, the room going a tad uncomfortable. Causing Sakura to slouch.
"I know your tired right now Sakura, and I want this to go quickly as much as you, but I need everything that happened. Anything you can remember about what happened this morning."
Sakura gave a curt nod to Fugaku's request, her stomach twisting nervously in her belly. Mikoto had urged the boys to leave the room, not really caring if they over heard, just knowing with them waiting on her story would have Sakura becoming less likely to tell the full story. Too bad that had already started happening.
Her mother was going to get into trouble, that much was obvious, Sakura had to explain a few things dealing with her mother for Fugaku to get why things happened how they did. But not just that, Sakura would totally get into trouble. She honestly felt ashamed, she didn't want people to get mad at her for what she did, but not talking about it was bugging her. They needed to know why Tetsu had to be put away!
"Whenever you're ready." Fugaku's voice made her start, her hands clenching onto each other to try and steady herself.
"Um…Well, today started pretty normal I guess. I woke up about eight, went to the bathroom, and I got a bag of chips I had in my room from the night before to eat. I was going to eat it during homework, but I went to bed early, so I just had it for breakfast." Closing her eyes, Sakura willed herself to stop. She was trying to ramble, stop rambling. "Other than that, I just laid in bed.
"I read through a few notes, got bored, and just turned on the little I-Pod I got from my cousins." Fugaku's hand moved across a piece of paper, writing down every word she said, at least she guessed by how quickly he was writing. Seeing his eyes lift from the paper towards her, Sakura gave a deep sigh, her eyes casting down.
"I guess it was about ten when Tetsu moved the door to my room-it doesn't have any hinges-and told me he had a few errands for me to run before the storm hit. I just told him no, while burrowing under my blankets, and he got mad." Sakura gave a shrug, avoiding eye contact with Fugaku and Mikoto both, the latter standing beside her husband by the kitchen door.
"Why did he get mad?" Fugaku's voice was stern, but not overly so. Sakura had dubbed it his work voice, having heard him get calls from work before.
"I tried to hide the I-Pod." Her fingers twisted against each other, picking at her nails as her chest felt tight.
Fugaku frowned as he watched the girl, frowning more as he saw how nervous she was. "Why were you hiding it from him?" An agitated sigh from the pinkette was his response as her knee begun to bounce.
"He had…Suspected me of stealing money from him. I didn't want him to think that's where it came from." The house was silent besides the harsh winds outside, the unspoken question floating in the air around her head. "…I um…I asked Tetsu not to tell my mom about me getting suspended from school. He said he'd keep it quiet, make it seem like I was still attending, if I did a few errands for him…"
"Sakura, I just need to know-" Fugaku's voice trailed off at the shaky sigh Sakura let out. Usually he'd insist to just hear what happened today, any other detail could surely wait for after she rested. But from the look of things, Sakura had to get this out.
"Tetsu…Is a part of a small drug ring on the south side of town." A gasp from Mikoto had Sakura chewing on her lip, both adults knew where this was going. Fugaku wouldn't be police chief if he didn't. "I started to take a small portion of what he earned from each sell, it wasn't too hard to keep it from him.
"For a teacher he's stupid, he never checked what I gave him. It wasn't until he sent…Whoever it is, the money that he found out money was missing." The couch shifting as Mikoto sat had Sakura pausing, her hands fidgeting with a string sticking out of the blanket resting on her lap.
She was stalling, almost wanting to ask if they could wait to do the rest of this. But what would they think if she did? Gods, what did they think of her now? She just told them she was willingly selling drugs to people, and just so her mother wouldn't find out of her expulsion.
"Anyway, I tried to hide the I-Pod, and I totally failed, he saw it. He came over and pulled the blanket off me, grabbed it and demanded to know where I got it. I told him I got it from Karin and Tayuya-chan, while trying to take it and the blanket back, I was freezing. He tossed both across the room, saying how he just knew I was lying.
I grabbed my hoodie and got up, told him I wasn't, that I wasn't dumb enough to lie to him." Sakura's eyes rolled as she said that. It was stupid trying to assure him that she never stole, Sakura knew that as she had told Tetsu that, and she's sure something on her face gave her away.
"He started going through my backpack and my closet. I don't really have too horribly much, an empty dresser with broken drawers, and a few hangers in my closet…Why I thought he wouldn't find all the stuff I was given for the holidays is beyond me." Mikoto's hand rubbed small soothing circles on her shoulder, helping her tense body relax ever so slightly.
"He thought you bought them with the money you stole." It wasn't a question, Mikoto knew it's what he thought. But Sakura gave a nod to confirm it anyway.
"He freaked out, started throwing things at me, calling me a thief. I heard my mom yell up the stairs at us. I turned to the door to yell back to her, and the next thing I knew…Tetsu grabbed me and threw me against the wall. He wanted to intimidate me, hitting the wall next to my head, screaming at me. Finally, he just slapped me, though it felt way more like a punch…" Sakura's hand lifted to her cheek, remembering the pain.
"I fell and tried to run for the door. Tetsu grabbed the back of my hoodie to stop me, I used the door frame to pull myself into the hallway, him with me. My mom screamed at us when we left my room, then I was pushed forward. I grabbed the banister to catch myself, turned, and I was being lifted.
"He pushed, and I went over the edge. Below me there was an end table, an old lamp and our non-working phone were sitting on it when I hit. I'm not sure if I blacked out or not, but I just remember seeing Tetsu flying down the stairs, my mom met him at the bottom and she just freaked out on him. I laid there coughing and gasping, and was finally able to get myself up. I just…Remember hearing her yell for me to get out…"
Sakura's heart sunk as she played Mebuki's screams in her head. The image of the woman holding Tetsu back with her body was the only thing that showed Sakura that the blonde was trying to get her daughter away from the insane man with them.
"Then…I just got up and ran out of the house as they faught. I was going to go to either Hidan or Deidara's, but I heard Tetsu's car start. He knows where my grandmother lives so…I just ran around town till I lost him, and made my way here…" She still couldn't look up at either of them.
Sure, she left out how she heard Mebuki scream and she was thrown into a wall before she left the house. How when she bolted across a street, Tetsu sped up to try and hit her. But this is all she could do. She felt so much more tired, and her body hurt way more than it had.
No one said anything as Fugaku finished writing everything down, Mikoto's hand still resting against Sakura's shoulder comfortingly. Everything Sakura had said, she knew there would be questions about. She half hoped Fugaku would ask them later. Sadly, that was something she knew couldn't wait.
"Sakura…I have questions that I need to ask you." Sakura could hear the reluctance in Fugaku's voice.
"But can't you wait-" Mikoto's voice was a plea, stopping herself short as she gave a sharp gasp. Thinking about what the pinkette had been through, all Mikoto wanted to do was hug the young girl tightly and tell her things would be ok.
"You can ask them Fugaku-san…" Sakura's hand lifted to rub at her face. She wasn't crying, but she felt like she was on the verge of doing so. Especially with how long it took Fugaku to start asking them.
"The…Errands you ran, please elaborate what it entailed." Mikoto gave an upset sigh, turning her head from her husband.
"Tetsu filled my backpack, and gave me a list of addresses. Sometimes it was to houses, sometimes it was a park or office building. Sometimes the same people every time, sometimes different. But I had to…Basically deal. I learned what was for who fast. I'd reach into my bag, or stuff the package into my sleeve, and swap it discreetly with the cash. But…Plainly, I dealt drugs for him while he was at work…"
A sigh left the man as he wrote down what she said. "Do you know how your mother met him? School meeting?"
"She was a client." A pause in writing at the pinkette's response had her glancing up, Fugaku's eyes closed. "She's been an addict for as long as I can remember…Alcohol first, then when I was about seven she switched to drugs."
Fugaku slowly began to write again, his eyes hidden from her as she tried to search his face for something. Sakura could see where Itachi got it from, Fugaku was so stoic. She didn't know what she wanted to see from him, but how emotionless he was being was scaring her.
"You wanted to hide your expulsion." It was a statement, the pen rolling between his fingers. Before he had a chance to ask what she knew he wanted too, Sakura spoke up.
"My mom would have freaked. She's never been physical, but I guess it was more appearances. It's obvious we're not a great family, but she wanted things to be private…She's afraid of going to rehab. We hid what I did from her because Tetsu and I both know that if she ever had a point of becoming physical, that'd probably be it." Her eyes closed, that sounded way worse then she wanted it to!
"So, your mother never hit you?"
Sakura could almost hear Fugaku's voice ease up. "No! No, no, she never hit me. When I got into stuff she'd grab me away from it, maybe a bit too hard…But she was always quick to let go. I kind of hoped it was because she was afraid of hurting me but…I guess she was afraid of getting caught with me having a bruise on my arm or something."
It was normal for parents, right? Mikoto thought back to how she reacted when Shisui had grabbed for the hot iron when he was three, how she had snatched him by the arm to get him away from it. She knew she grabbed too hard, she had scared her son, and she had sat there crying with him about how sorry she was. Mikoto had done it out of fear, Fugaku had done it before too, but the boys had all understood they had never meant to hurt them, even at such young ages. But for Sakura to not know if it was because her mother had cared for her or not, it had Mikoto fighting tears as her eyes burned.
Fugaku laid the pen down, sitting back in his chair and sighing deeply as he rubbed at his forehead. There were still questions he needed to ask. Her door wasn't on the hinges, she had hardly any belongings, a non-working phone, what did this girl live in?
"I'm sorry for making you go through this Sakura…" The young girl only gave a small nod as Fugaku spoke. "The rest of the questions can wait until you've gotten some sleep. But I have to tell you Sakura." He sat up and leaned forward, waiting for the pinkette's eyes to look up to him. "I cannot let any of what you said go. What Tetsu has done is a given, he will be arrested for attacking you. But as for what you've done these past few months, what you've told me of your mother. I have to follow through with them, I have to report all of it."
Fugaku never liked this type of thing. Letting someone know how their world would suddenly be turned on its head, how things would never seem to be normal again. But he had also never known the person he spoke to. It tore at him as he watched tears fill her eyes, falling down her face as a sob of realization hit her full force.
"Baa-chan can't keep me, and they won't give dad custody…" She'd be put into the system. She knew in the back of her head it was something that could happen, but having it happen Sakura felt like she was trying to swallow a rock, her chest throbbing.
Mikoto's arms wrapped around her, pulling her suddenly into the older woman's embrace. It's all that Mikoto could do, trying to comfort her by telling her things would be ok would be foolish, it would be something she couldn't promise. Sakura's body shook as she gasped, trying her best to stop the sobs as she hid her face into Mikoto's arms. Sakura had always hoped this could wait until she turned of legal age, to move out of her mother's house and where ever she wanted. That she could then have her mother sent to rehab, because then she wouldn't have to be sent away from her family, and now her only friends.
The next hour was spent in a haze. Sakura was lost in her own thoughts, wanting to curl in on herself and just disappear. There was no way she could have made things easier for herself. Once Fugaku started looking to things, he would have figured it out for himself, and forget telling him another story. She already told Itachi and Shisui partly what had happened!
The family had hidden themselves within the kitchen, leaving Sakura in the living room to collect herself. Mikoto's hushed voice snapping at her husband, demanding to know why he asked the questions he had. But they would have been asked sooner or later, and the sooner the better honestly, no matter how much the whole situation hurt her.
Itachi finally made his way into the living room, his dark eyes apologetic as he watched the pinkette, even though she wasn't looking at him. He had thought today was a bad day, it had gotten ten times worse, and mostly for his friend. Slowly walking forward, he stood in front of Sakura, watching how she made no move to acknowledge he was there. But he didn't mind, he'd probably be the same way if he were her.
Lifting his hand, Itachi held it out in front of her face, waiting as Sakura's eyes finally focused and blinked at the hand. Lifting her head, her face stained in tears, Itachi tried to give her a small smile. She never returned it, but instead lowered her head again. But she did lift her own hand, grabbing ahold tightly.
It hurt to see her like this, she had never been anything but strong in front of him. Slowly helping Sakura to her feet, Itachi didn't mind that she never let go. He led her to the stairs, his elder brother watching from the kitchen table as both kids left the living room. Sakura had to get some rest, even if she didn't sleep. Itachi just knew she needed somewhere away from his parents, to breath without his mother fussing over her.
He took her to his bedroom, opening his door and closing it behind them as he took her towards his bed, sitting her down after pulling the sheets back. Shisui had the spare room, and even with him feeling weird taking her to his room, Itachi was sure it would have been weirder for her to stay in Sasuke or his parent's rooms.
Itachi took his hand back, crouching down in front of Sakura. Her face showed no emotion, but her eyes shown with pain and regret. He had heard every word she spoke, everything that happened while he hadn't been able to hang with her. He had gotten upset, wanting to know why she had done it. But it was something Shisui said that had him cooling down.
"I don't know what kind of things you've gone through in your life." Sakura took a breath in as he spoke, saying the same thing his brother had. And it was true. "If I had known sooner…" What? He wouldn't have opened his home to her?
"No one was supposed to ever find out…Not until I turned eighteen." Her voice was hoarse, filled with emotion as she softly spoke.
Itachi's jaw clenched tightly. She had planned on hiding everything for three more years. He reached out and grabbed her knee, giving it a light squeeze before letting go and standing. He had no idea what to say, he hoped she understood he'd be there for her as much as he could be. But a part of him was a little afraid she didn't want him to be now.
It grew uncomfortably quiet as he stood there, trying to force reassuring words from his brain. He didn't want to lose a friend. Things had been so different when Hidan had opened to them, but then again, no one was getting arrested.
"You're so lucky you don't have to go through this…" Sakura sounded sour as she spoke, but Itachi knew that isn't how she meant it.
Kneeling back down in front of her, Itachi looked her in the eye. "I am though." The frown covering her face had him halting for a moment, but quickly found his words to help her understand what he meant. "Just because it isn't me going through it personally, doesn't mean I won't be affected. You're my friend Sakura-san, and the last thing I want is for you to leave. I'm…" A sigh. "I'm sorry…I feel like you were forced into telling us what happened."
His eyes dropped. He knew he never made her tell him anything, that he wasn't the one telling her she had to tell his father anything. But he had offered her help. He couldn't help but feel guilty, even if he had no reason to.
"I kind of brought it on myself, showing up in the middle of a blizzard with no coat." Her voice had him looking up, a weak smile on her face as she looked down to him.
A smile tugged on the corner of his lip, his shoulders relaxing a bit. "Yeah…That was kind of on you."
He felt weird trying to poke fun at the situation with her. But if Sakura was trying to lighten things, then he'd be a fool to try and keep her down. Having Itachi relax just a bit, helped Sakura to do so as well. There's no way she could completely relax, but maybe things would be better than she was thinking.
She knew Itachi didn't handle idiocy well, and figured he'd be upset over the things she did. And perhaps he was, but here he was, offering to still be there for her if she needed him. The burn in her eyes hand her biting her lip hard, trying to keep her raging emotions in check. Maybe if she asked, Fugaku could consider her father's case being revisited. It was crap how her father had to have watched visits with her, he had never been violent with her, the judge had never done a proper investigation into Mebuki's abuse claim. Maybe there was hope that she didn't have to be sent away.
"Is there anything you need?" Itachi's voice pulled her from her thoughts, her heading shaking softly. "I'll be down stairs if you need anything. Try to rest ok?"
"I will." Sakura watched as the raven boy stood, making his way to his door.
As Itachi left, Sakura's exhaustion hit her full force. Her body slowly laying down on her left side, pulling soft blankets over her body as she pulled her knees to her chest. Itachi's bed was insanely soft, and the flannel sheets quickly warmed her body, ridding themselves of any chill they had when she first laid down.
Even with how things turned out today, Sakura couldn't say it had been all bad. Yes, finding out what she had put her in such a low mood, she was sure it'd take her months to finally crawl out. But Itachi had been there with her, a silent rock fretting about her. She gave a small chuckle as her eyes grew heavy. Itachi was just like Mikoto. Bringing the blankets up to her face, Sakura took a deep breath in, sighing and relaxing at the smell. It was hormones, the damn things, and her current emotional state. Because there was no way in hell Itachi smelled this good!
AN
Holy shit balls, it's been how long since I posted a chapter!? Two years!? God, I can't believe it's been this long…I'm so incredibly sorry to you guys', I never wanted to take this long! Saying my life has been kind of hectic makes me feel like I'm making excuses. And the not editing in this chapter is just pure laziness on my part, though it is totally midnight.
I'm sorry if this chapter seems kind of broken up. I've re-written this I don't know how many times. I have so many WORD files sitting in a folder for chapter 11. It's still different from what I mapped out finally, she told Fugaku everything before eating, and she bathed before eating too, or at least that's how I had planned it. It was just so hard trying to write out Mikoto and Fugaku returning home. And I had no idea how to write out the story with what happened with Tetsu. I had wanted to do a flash back, but it seemed like too much once I started writing. Also, I've never written such a long talking part before, so it's probably not as great as it could have been. I had to go back and read the end of chapter ten, and totally forgot I had Sakura tell Itachi and Shisui part of what happened with her taking money! Instead of acting like it never happened-which I feel like I still kind of did-or going back and re-writing that bit, I decided to just have Fugaku as for elaboration on everything. That's basically what cops do when taking a report.
I had to make a domestic disturbance claim last year, and everything I had said over the phone had just been repeated to me once the cop had arrived for the statement. Nothing major had happened, but it was enough that a report needed to be made.
I'm not sure if the emotions I was making Sakura feel really made it out in this chapter or not, I had to tap into stuff that someone else I know had to go through. Mostly the realizing how utterly alone you suddenly feel when your world is turned upside down.
I'm sorry this chapter wasn't out any sooner, I really wanted this posted by New Years. I'm not sure why I didn't keep writing, I didn't really have writers block. But hey, anyway. This AN is getting a tad bit long lol. I hope I can get this next chapter out way sooner. God knows I'm not going to be doing much. I'm having to buy a new phone, the last one took a swim…And it's going to be taking basically all my money to get it. So not able to go anywhere to do anything, so I might as well get my butt into gear and write!
Again, I'm sorry for the super long and unneeded break. I hope all of you can forgive me! Please let me know what you thought of this chapter, advice on the longer talking parts is totally welcome! Any ideas and such for things work too, I'm sure on where I want to go with this, but anything you guys want to see would be a nice break for sweet little Sakura here. A lot of seriousness for her coming up. Again, I'm rambling…Please Fav, Follow and Review! I hope to see you all soon, ja ne!
Kuroi