Men of the Sea

Chapter 17

Kisame was recovering faster than the neurologists had expected. He could comfortably speak, only stumbling every once and a while with certain words, and seemed to recover most of his cognitive function and motor skills. Consequently, he was being discharged. These were positive aspects of his life that he tried to focus on.

However, beyond the progressive nature of his condition… Kisame could not deny his current frustration towards his parents.

His mother and father both dutifully visited him.

This was not where his irritation lied.

"Where is she?"

"Who?" His father asked seating across from his hospital bed while flipping a page in his book. Kisame felt his temper flare. "You know who." His mother sighed as she began placing a change of his clothes at the end of his bed, "Honey, don't start this again." "And why not?" His voice was an even calm, and yet there was venom radiating off of him in grand waves. He was angry. He wanted to know where Sakura was.

He came here for her.

And while the accident certainly threw him off, she seemed to reciprocate his feelings. Finally, when things were going so well his father had to put a wrench in his plans. Why were they being so cruel to him?!

Sasuke's POV

He doesn't acknowledge him right away.

The driver had opened the car door and there he was: With a stern expression, his father sits in the back of the car with his arms crossed. It's all as well. Sasuke eases into the vehicle. The car door closes, as thanks to the driver, and not even a minute later he hears the thump of the trunk closing. His suitcase was secured as well. Moments later, the car revved to life, and they were on the road.

"Well, you look terrible." Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at his father's dry comment. But he knew he wasn't wrong. After all, Sasuke felt terrible. Within his last week in treatment, he avoided sleep as a consequence of his in-depth processing of his past actions. And what did he learn?

After he broke everything down, he couldn't help but wonder, 'How could I have allowed myself to act as I had for so long?' The women, drugs, partying.

And for what?

He had nothing to show for it! Except losing every true friend he had, losing the respect of his family and colleagues, and also losing his job. Initially, he was set up for life! And he squandered it.

"Your mother is looking forward to seeing you." Sasuke glanced at his father. His demeanor seemed more distant than usual. Sasuke was unsure what to make of it.

"And what about you?"

Older onyx eyes shifted towards the car floor. "I'm looking forward to seeing you keep your word." "Fair enough." Sasuke knew from this point on he would have to prove by his actions how serious he was of his redemption.

The ride back to the Uchiha manor was long but not unforgiving. If anything, Sasuke was grateful for the lapse of time. As he watched the passing scenery, he considered how he'd proceed with his life from this point on. Of course, he would speak to father about a job. Or at least, how he could get back on his good graces concerning any position within the Uchiha Enterprise. Then… There was Karin. And of course, there was Sakura and Naruto.

He had heard in passing that Naruto was doing well. If he remembered correctly, Naruto was engaged to Hinata Hyuga. Maybe he could take them both out for dinner? No, that wouldn't be right. He should do an outing with just him and Naruto so that they could properly catch up and openly talk.

Well, maybe an "outing" wasn't quite right either. Considering his reputation, a stay-in at the Uchiha manor probably worked better. Maybe they could drink tea in the den? It was the most private space in the manor. Since Itachi and he had left the manor, the den was the least frequented space in the entire house. Of course, they could always go to his condo. Though… that probably wasn't the best idea. On his last day of treatment, his parents confided in Sasuke their concern of him relapsing back into his old habits if he went back to his bachelor pad.

A fair concern, if you asked him. While he was determined to be a better man, he knew he was still weak with temptation.

Yes, tea in the den would have to do.

But what of Sakura?

His head ached thinking about her. He royally fucked up their relationship. Up to this point, he was manipulative, cruel, and verbally abusive towards her. How could she ever forgive him? Personally, Sasuke wouldn't hold it against her if she refused to ever speak to him again. Though, he couldn't help himself in at least trying to mend their relationship.

She used to be one of his best friends. Now, she was a stranger. What made this fact so terrible was that it was his doing. Maybe she would refuse to see him. That didn't mean that he wouldn't put himself out there, or that he wouldn't at least try to reconcile with her.

And then there was Karin.

From what he heard, she was still in custody. Something about accessing her mental stability and wellbeing, or something of that sort, until her trial. For now, she couldn't do any more harm to the general public. While he knew he'd have to mindful of visiting hours, she was quite possibly the easiest person to have access to. So she would most likely be the first person he would speak to. After all, he was painfully curious, what else had Karin done in her insane obsession towards him?

What wrongs was he indirectly at fault for? It was a dangerous path to tread on, he knew that. But he needed to know. He wanted to make things right.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that he needed to also speak to Itachi. But, he didn't want to acknowledge his brother quite yet.

There was a level of aggression and anger he had towards Itachi that had been present since his elementary days. His displeasure towards his older brother was a wound that was old and vital. He needed to be strategic with how he handled Itachi. Not only for the sake of their potential future relationship, but also for his own well-being.

The car slows, they've finally made it back home. A man in a suit gracefully steps towards the car with an umbrella at hand. He opens the door and Sasuke eases out. "Sir, welcome back." Sasuke turns to the butler and smiles, "It's good to be back."

Sakura's POV

"Wait, wait, wait. You mean to tell me that when we were in Australia you were with Kisame!?" Sakura nodded. Ino squealed while popping another chip in her mouth. "Haruno! You're CRAZY."

The pink-haired girl shrugged.

"I had no clue!"

Sakura laughed. "That was kind of the point." Ino eyed Sakura mischievously. "This whole time I thought you were a work-a-holic goody two-shoes. Who knew you were screwing such a stud on the side?" "Well, to be fair, it was only a two time thing. So you weren't wrong." "Still! To think that you had it in you at all!?" Sakura stuck out her tongue.

Ino laughed.

The last month or so Ino and Sakura had grown extremely close. So close, in fact, that it was hard to think that it took them so long to reach this point with becoming friends. The women sat across from each other on Sakura's midnight blue sofa within her loft.

"So, Haruno, what's the plan of action?" Sakura lowered her gaze as she drank her beer. "I'm still trying to figure that out. Kisame's dad won't allow me anywhere near him or Kisame. And I have no way of contacting them beyond the hospital staff. It's difficult to consider a plan of action if I have zero access to them."

Ino nodded in thought. "What if… you were to approach his dad as an UE represenative?" "Are you trying to get him to hate me more?" Sakura asked. "Not at all. He's rejecting you as Sakura Haruno. But he cannot deny meeting with you as UE's raw resource representative. After all, in a way, you're technically his boss."

While Sakura would very much so like to not remind Hoshigaki of her title and relation to the company that took over his business, he was leaving her with no choice. " Might as well make use of what tools you have."

Sakura had to admit to herself, Ino had a point.

The pink-haired woman took a swig of her beer, finishing the bottle, and thought of Kisame and his stubborn father. Hoshigaki men seemed to underestimate her.

To her, it was all as well.

Author's Note

Sorry for the delay! School and work have been nuts. And then I got a concussion from an accident at work. Thank you for patience! Here's a short chapter. But do not fret, the upcoming chapter will be spicy ;).