DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO. MASASHI KISHIMOTO DOES.
When he slammed the metal door open relief had taken his body. Kenji was atop of her but her dirty, messy, ragged down clothes are still intact.
He wasn't late!
But when he approached her and saw how she reacted with a small touch, how she scooted far away from him, how she hugged herself and looked at him, he knew that he was so wrong.
For he had too late.
He had been so late.
He was late to save her from being broken.
She had been flawed.
Sakura Haruno has been broken.
"You're Mine, Only Mine"
Chapter 21: "The Blame Game"
"Everything that you will say will be recorded and can be used against you. You will be questioned and you can answer accordingly. Understood?" Shisui firmly asked the black-haired teen before him and responded quietly, "Yes."
"What's your name?"
"Haku Yukitto." The teenage boy decided to look at Shisui who's intensely looking at him.
"And what do you intend to confess?" The Uchiha before him looked for intensely at him, it's as almost his eyes are glinting red and so, Haku diverted his eyes at the table.
"I want to confess about Gato's underground business and everything I know about it. I... I want to come clean... I want to stop any connection that I have with him..." He tensed as he speaks, almost afraid that someone will shot him dead.
Shisui noticed this and tilted his head to his side, looking briefly at the double-sided mirror before looking back at the subject at front of him.
"Last day, we received an anonymous letter. Although, we don't usually take things like this seriously... This letter—"
He paused for a while, bring out a clear folder, opening it and sliding it towards Haku to see the attachment to it. "—has an intricate amount of information that we are specifically looking in to. Our first intel had been able to recognize the writing and said that this information can be trusted. Do you have something to say about this?"
Shisui slid the clear folder on the table and brought it before him, he instantly recognizes that it is his handwriting.
Haku nodded vigorously in recognition, "Yes. Yes, I wrote that letter and sent it to the police station anonymously... And everything in that letter is true."
Shisui nodded and brings the clear folder back at him, "And what is your intention for doing so? Based on our intel, you are one of Gato's trusted 'sons', why are you doing this?"
"Gato... He isn't a nice man and although I'm thankful at him for keeping me alive. All those things that he asked me to do... It's eating me up inside... My conscience won't let me sleep at night... My morals couldn't handle all of the things that he does, things that he called his business."
Haku trembled as he speaks, remembering the things that Gato had asked him to do, "I can't bear any of it. And I can't just leave them behind. I want to help them... I want to help myself."
"You want protection?" Shisui plainly stated to which Haku nodded looking directly at the Uchiha's eyes, "Yes. Protect me from Gato and I'll tell everything that you need to know."
"We already have an intel. What can we do with two?" Shisui asked, challenging the poor boy before him.
Haku's widened in panic, "I-idate haven't been to Konoha before, I know he had information but he hasn't actually had all the information about Gato's business in Konoha and I do. I've been around earlier than Idate... I know I can give you the information that you need."
Shisui simply stared at the, now, panting boy. Panic, written on his face as he tries to find a way to convince him that he can be of use. 'Everything for protection to this Gato' He mused.
"Can you prove that now? If I asked you questions about Gato's... Business, here in Konoha. Can you answer it? Would you?" He asked again, raising an eyebrow on him.
"Yes! Anything! I will answer anything that you'll ask of me!"
With Haku's response, Shisui coughed a little and knocked on the table twice. The boy opposite of him only sat tensely and silently as he awaits Shisui's questions, oblivious of the little signal that the Uchiha made.
Within a minute or so, the door opened revealing a silver-haired man who carries a folder with him. He took the empty seat beside Shisui and looked at Haku with a poker face.
"This is Officer Kakashi, he will be asking the questions and I'll be hoping that you'll answer it truthfully," Shisui spoke once more before leaning back to his metal chair. Allowing Kakashi to take the situation.
"Haku." It was more than a statement than a question but said name nodded otherwise.
"How many hideouts does Gato have in the entire Fire Country?" Kakashi asked sternly, a tone that means serious business.
"Three. The main or what we called as the headquarters and then two of them are used for business purposes." Haku answered within a beat. He truly is serious about telling Gato out.
Kakashi slides the folder towards Shisui who jumped at it and scans the articles inside. "The locations?"
Haku thinks for a second before answering, he didn't want to make a mistake, "The headquarters is below the 'Black Velvet' restaurant."
Then two officers looked at him as he expected, "A restaurant?" Shisui asks more to himself.
Haku nodded in confirmation, "Yes. Gato uses it as a cover. It has two floors with a basement. The management uses the basement as a wine cellar but we have secret access to it as our main base. The lab is there, as well as the machine to create counterfeited money. The headquarters is basically where the products are."
Kakashi and Shisui listened intently, Haku had been telling the truth that Idate hasn't been at Konoha with Gato before and so he can't say anything about his master's business in the country but Haku certainly can.
The officers looked at each other briefly, they hadn't expected this, all they know was that there is only one hideout and that Sakura was in there but to know that there are three running businesses that Gato has and that the place that they know of isn't even the headquarters is quite troubling and they are quite relieved that Haku had taken their side.
"This tea house called 'Tipsy Tea'." Shisui placed a picture of a shop on the table, "Is this one of the other hideout?"
The blackhead peered at it briefly before nodding his head, "Yes. That's one of them and I believe that's the one that you've been eyeing?"
"I missed vital information when I wrote the letter. I should've known that Idate only knows one hideout... But that isn't where Sakura is."
Kakashi eyed him suspiciously as Shisui raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean by that?"
"The second hideout..." He paused looking for another term, "The second business is at Konoha's red district, it's called 'Wet Dreams', you probably know what it is and... You probably know what kind of business Gato stores there."
The officers stopped what they were doing and the air is nothing but a dreadful, suffocating tension.
Sasuke breath hitched. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It wasn't supposed to be a tragedy. She wasn't supposed to get hurt.
He felt his brother tensed at the intel's words as Obito was taken aback by the information, all this time, they looked at the wrong place. How glad are they that Haku and Idate are turning against Gato.
The three Uchihas had been sitting behind him on the other side of the two-way mirror. Although the officers inside were facing their backs to them, they can sense their uneasiness and they can clearly see what Haku's facial expression is.
The oldest Uchiha sighed and slouched a bit on his seat hearing Kakashi to ask another question, "I suppose you know Kenji."
Haku's eyes widened in fear and hatred, "Yes." Gritting his teeth as he answered.
This caused everyone to narrow their eyes, there's something going on and it rubs them in the wrong direction.
"We had questions asked about him to Idate but enlighten me on this one, why is he so keen on framing Sasori?"
Haku furrowed his eyebrows, "Sasori?" After a second or so, his eyes widened in realization, "The one that Kenji pretends to be?"
The two officers nodded grimly, the blackhead speaking in the same tone, "We noticed that Kenji is so keen on pointing this all to Sasori. The question is... Why?"
Once again, Haku furrowed his eyebrows, thinking of the past few days and Kenji's reactions to Sakura's agony, the poor girl still thinks Kenji is Sasori.
"I didn't gather as much information on that one, Kenji, although he's an asshole, he keeps secrets to himself but as I observed... After he investigated things in Konoha, he reported to Gato, I find something weird, he told Gato that he had found the daughter of the Haruno and he had found an 'old friend' is the term he used. And then when we got here Gato gave him the task of getting close to the girl to abduct him, he didn't specifically say to pose as someone close to her, Kenji decided to pretend like Sasori."
"But why? Idate told us that the boy has sensitive eyes if he can't cover up the fact that he has a different eye colour with Sasori, why bother with that plan?" Kakashi asked in suspicion, something is off about it.
"I honestly don't know his reasons for it." Haku sighed in defeat, "Look, what I do know is that he has something with that boy, Sasori. Maybe it's something about the past. Like Gato, he doesn't take the past lightly, he's looking for revenge and I'm sure of it."
"And care to tell us why are you sure that he's into revenge if you claimed that you do not know he's business with Sasori?" Shisui asked this time voicing his own suspicion.
Haku directed his eyes on the table and gulps, "Because he still uses that whole disguise when he's speaking to... Sakura. I know it can be just to make sure that Sasori will be blamed for it and I'm sorry to say this but if it wasn't for me, you wouldn't get to her but Gato and Kenji still think that no one can find her, that you can't rescue her and so there must be another reason and a deeper one if Kenji is still pretending to be Sasori to her... And I'm afraid that whatever's relationship this Sasori has to the girl... will be tarnished forever."
The reaction gave an edge to the officers before him and the three other men who listen to the other side. For the next minutes, the interrogation room is filled with silence, dreadful silence. Afraid that they might uncover something that they were not prepared for.
Luckily for them, it was Kakashi who broke off the pregnant silence, "What is the condition of Sakura?"
The man before them closed his eyes shut and brought his hands to his face, "We— They... They torture her."
An invisible raven head tensed and winced to his statement, heartbeat's raising in disgust and emotions that he hadn't felt before and yet Haku still continues to describe the situation to them.
"Gato... He made sure to it that she suffers. They lay a hand to her, use different methods on doing so, whips, metal, wood, sometimes they resort on kicking her or banging her on the wall or floor. They... Drugged her. And... That's the reason why I'm here." He looked at the two officers before him, his eyes pleading with guilt, "I can't take it... I've seen worse if I'm honest. I've seen people die just because they crossed Gato's business. I've seen women resort to prostitution. I've seen people abusing the women that Gato brought them. I've seen him torture man and woman that betrayed him and used him. But this... This is the worst. This is the first time that I've seen an innocent person, being tortured physically, psychologically, mentally, and emotionally that I just... Can't take participation in it. The girl, she knows of her father's death, Kenji made sure of that. Kenji always looks at her directly but for some reason, she throws the fact that his eyes were different, I know she has inner turmoils. They torture her which results in physical pain and... and..." He seems to choke up with the thing that he wanted to say, he knows that it didn't result in it but he also knows that it did enough damage. Of course, everyone in the room, as well as the silent audience, had tensed to his action, he seems to know details that will surely set them on a different turn.
"Kenji... he... tried to..." Haku turned his head in disgust, "... he tried to... sexually assault her... he didn't succeed, I barged in as soon as I discovered what he's trying to do but... the damage has been done, it stuck into her mind that I'm afraid that she might not be able to recover from it"
"... I'm... I'm so sorry. I'm sorry."
Unknown to him, a certain Uchiha fled the other room.
"We must rescue her as soon as possible," Shisui said his face void of emotion, but his deep concern laced on his words, "Can you give us any information about that specific hideout? The layout of the building? How many people for Gato? Any useful information?"
"Let's go." Kakashi stands up along with Shisui. If Haku is right then they should start a plan right ahead. They don't have any choice, they need to rescue her right away.
Shisui gathered all the folders and bowed at Haku, "Thank you for your cooperation. We'll be talking to you again later please remain here, you'll be processed by another officer."
Haku nodded and uttered a small, "Thank you".
There's nothing that he could do but to hope that Gato hasn't realized that he abandoned the task that he had given him, that Kenji wouldn't be able to complete his task right away and that the Konoha police would rescue Sakura before everything become too late before she's beyond saving.
"That's what he said." Itachi finished recapping to Sasori what Haku had told them about Kenji, "Do you have any information that can give us an idea as to why he wanted to frame you?"
Sasori sighed, he hated this feeling and yet he knows that this is somehow, if not his fault. "He's from Suna, right?"
Itachi merely nodded and that was enough for Sasori, "Then he's probably one of the reasons why I transferred here."
"You know what's my life back there, Itachi. It was chaos, and even if I don't know his name or even remember his face. I know he's one of the people that I came across with."
"You made a quite dangerous opponent, Sasori." The Uchiha darkly commented.
"Then he should've come at me. Not Sakura..." Sasori closed his eyes and laid back on the sofa, "Now, he's hurting her and using my face. That's..."
Itachi raised an eyebrow at him, although he knows Sasori couldn't see him, "That's?"
"It's too much. For Sakura... For me... For everyone. This is all too much." Sasori opened his eyes, "And I can't help but think that this had been my fault."
"Don't go there, Sasori, you never wanted this to happen." Itachi sharply told him to which he sharply responds, "But It happened."
It was Itachi who sighed this time, "Sasori."
"I know, Itachi. I know it wouldn't change a thing but you can't blame me for that. The least that I can do now is to try to look for any details about that Kenji." Sasori stood up and reached for his phone, "I'll make sure he won't do anything like that again. He'll rot in jail."
Itachi nodded in Sasori's resolve, "I'll leave you to that. I just dropped off to say that to you. You have every right to know."
The red-haired nodded his head as he fiddles with his phone, "Has... Has Sasuke talked to you?" He eyed Itachi with concern.
He simply shook his head, "No. I was actually looking for him."
Sasori frowned, "Why? You said he's with you when Haku was interrogated." Something definitely happened.
"Haku said something that made Sasuke upset, he fled the room." Itachi fished out his phone and looked at it, "I cannot contact him."
"He left the police station?" Mikoto worriedly paced around their living room, phone in hand.
"As soon as he heard the news about Sakura's..." Itachi paused for a second, thinking of a much appropriate term, "... current situation. He fled the room."
Mikoto dialled a number and raised the phone to her ear only to bring it down and finally settled onto the sofa.
"I've tried contacting him, kaa-san." Itachi looked down at his mother, it was the first time that he had seen her worry too much about Sasuke since he was entering first grade, "Maybe it's a good thing if we give him some space?"
The Uchiha matriarch frowned but nodded reluctantly. She's a mother, no one can blame her for worrying about her son, especially now that they are dealing with an evil person.
"Things are getting worse..." Mikoto stated, "I don't want to hold Kizashi's funeral without his wife and daughter. Mebuki hasn't wake up yet and Sakura... The poor girl. She's going through a lot, I can't even begin to think how she's coping up."
She left the tiny voice inside her head that says that maybe Sakura hasn't coped up, that there's a big possibility that she had given up. 'Beyond saving.'
Of course, no one wanted that for her, Kami-sama knows that she didn't deserve any of that nor did her parents, Kizashi and Mebuki. They were only helping a poor boy. Why were the kindhearted people always end up in bad situations?
Itachi ran a hand up and down on her back, trying to soothe her restlessness and worries, "We have to stay positive, kaa-san."
Mikoto nodded and smiled at her eldest, Itachi has a kind heart as well, she only wishes that life won't play with Itachi's life and her youngest, Sasuke, "Sasuke... It must be hard for him as well."
Now, Sasuke is a different one. When he was a child, Mikoto thought that he will grow as mischievous as their cousin, Shusui but that had changed when their business required both of her and her husband, Fugaku to travel to different countries in long periods of time — a couple of years before going back for a few years if not months.
Her cheerful son becomes quiet and distant towards them and almost everyone with the exception of Naruto his childhood best friend and Sakura, the pink-haired girl who happened to move from Suna to a couple of houses away from them. And even if he is distant, Mikoto had noticed how the two become important in Sasuke's life.
Naruto has always been his best friend even if he denies it and Sakura definitely have a special place in her youngest's heart. Besides Sasuke's updates in his life, Itachi also told a lot of stories that involved Sasuke and the pink-haired girl. Mostly, it was Sasuke protecting Sakura from whatever it is that dared to threaten or hurt the girl but that was enough for Mikoto to know that Sakura has a hold on Sasuke's heart.
Itachi only nodded to her mother's statement, he had to stay quiet, he hadn't told her about how he made a deal with Sasori to make his brother jealous and get a move that turned out to be a successful and a disaster at the same time.
Mikoto turned at him, "How is he holding up?"
"He's having a hard time, kaa-san." Itachi answered truthfully, "A lot of things had happened and piled up."
"Do you think it's too much for him as well?" Her voice is still laced with worry.
"I honestly don't know," Itachi sighed, "But I know that it doesn't sit well how he cannot protect or do anything to save her."
Mikoto was about to reply when the front door opened, they both stood up to see that it was the Uchiha matriarch.
"I'm home." Fugaku turned to them and sensed the atmosphere, "Where's Sasuke?"
The matriarch slumped down the sofa, once again but it was Itachi who replied, "He hasn't come back since the interrogation."
Fugaku walked to them and sits beside Mikoto, "He'll be back soon. Give him time. The boy needs to learn."
"Needs to learn what, Fugaku?" Mikoto snapped at her husband which taken Itachi aback.
He truly never heard them quarrel, and he had never heard that tone in his mother before.
Fugaku noticed this and he glared at her, "You know what I mean, Mikoto."
"I know my son." She stood up and glared back at him, "He's having a hard time figuring his feelings out but there's nothing wrong with him."
Itachi stood still as he watches his parents get into a rather civil argument.
The man sighed upon hearing his wife's words, "That's not what I meant."
"You don't understand, Fugaku. I'm his mother, I was supposed to be there for him and help him sort through his feelings. But where was I when he needed me?" Mikoto begins to tear up, "I was with you, on a different country, taking care of the family business when I should be taking care of my sons, our sons."
"He's older to realize his own feelings, Mikoto." Fugaku firmly stated, "If he truly loves the girl, he should show it rather than throwing tantrums and taking it out on people."
Mikoto looked utterly offended by his words, "What do you want to say, Fugaku?"
She had a dangerous tone to her voice that didn't go unnoticed by Fugaku but he didn't back down.
"Sasuke's acting like he's worried more about himself than the girl's condition."
Itachi widened his eyes at his father's statement, he hadn't seen it that way. Were Sasuke's actions truly misunderstood? What bothers him more is that that came from their father. Wasn't he supposed to understand Sasuke more?
Although, before Itachi can even speak to Sasuke's defence, their mother already did so.
"That's how he expresses his pain, Fugaku." His mother sighed and frowned, seemingly tired of the conversation, "Sasuke... Our son may act impulsively but he had his reasons for it."
Itachi tensed up on her words, he remembered why Sasuke fought with Sasori. He definitely has reasons for that.
"He's hurting too... maybe more than we know." Mikoto decided to sit again, burying her face into her hands, "He may not be able to express it the way that you or anyone else see as proper but I know he is hurting, Fugaku."
Fugaku was silent, Itachi can only tell that he was thinking — his mother's words got him contemplating.
"He's my son." Mikoto sobbed, "And I can feel his pain."
Itachi was about to sit beside her again and ease her crying but his father beat him to it, the moment that he had heard her crying, he was already reaching out to her.
It was serene, genuine and yet intimate.
Itachi looked down and thought about his brother for a second. He'll be lying if he hadn't thought for a second that Sasuke was indeed acting selfish and thinking of his relationship to Sakura only — just like his father thought but his mother's words got into him.
'...he had his reasons for it.'
And then, he began to realize that his mother is indeed right — not that she was ever wrong, Itachi began to understand why Sasuke had kept to himself ever since Sasori revealed their deal, why his brother kept ignoring him for such a small reason. It worked out in the end, he thought. Why is Sasuke so worked upon it? He didn't realize it at first but now, he began to think that he does have a reason, it was just overlooked by many. Including him and their father.
Itachi looked up and saw his father embraced Mikoto, still trying to get her to stop crying, his father's movement is strict and precise as if hugging his wife is requires a formal training but Itachi sees how gentle his father is, how his face was filled with regret and worry.
Mikoto has been going through a lot as well, she was overseeing Mebuki over the hospital and she was also deciding whether to held Kizashi's funeral — that's wasn't supposed to be for her to decide but she failed to protect Sakura as well, as she had promised to the Harunos.
Itachi sighed at their situation if it wasn't easy for them. He couldn't begin to imagine how tough it is for Mebuki and Sakura, they already lost Kizashi.
"I wasn't here for Sasuke, Fugaku." His mother's coarse voice drew him away from his thoughts. His father is still ... her.
"He's my son and I was nowhere when he needed me."
As Itachi heard her restlessness, he stood there thinking, 'Was this what Sasuke felt? That he wasn't there for someone he loves deeply?'
"I wasn't there to protect my baby from his own emotions, he acted so toughly but I know he's only hurting inside, Fugaku."
'That he wasn't able to protect her like he always did?'
"I can't spare him from feeling this way! Oh, I hope I had acted faster! Then I could've saved everyone in pain..."
'That he couldn't save her...'
'Everyone's feeling the same way.' Itachi realized, smiling sadly.
Everyone has a part in someone's pain. Everyone felt that they were the reasons why someone else's in pain. Everyone's blaming themselves for causing someone pain.
Like how Idate felt when he heard the Harunos demise, how Haku felt when he saw Sakura's condition, how his mother, Mikoto felt about the domino effect of her failed promise, how Sasori felt when he discovered Kenji's schemes. And like how he felt when he saw Sasuke's ignored him ever since the truth came out.
'Did Sasuke felt it too?'
But then, they eventually had their guilt sort out, Idate and Haku became a witness and told every information that the police needed, his mother did everything to help Mebuki and her family, Sasori is trying to trace back who Kenji is, even he had voiced that he will be the one to do the explaining to Sakura. But Sasuke, what can he do? If he cannot do a thing to help if he doesn't even know what's Sakura's situation to help. Does he still felt that way? Helpless and useless?
'Does he blame himself as well?' Itachi sighed, there was only one way to know.
"Tou-san, take care of kaa-san."
His father didn't bother to look at him but he nodded, it was his mother that had asked the question, "Where are you going, Itachi? It's already late at night."
Itachi smiled kindly at her, his father had made her stopped crying but her eyes are still reminiscent of it, "I'm going to bring Sasuke home."
A/N: Heyoooo. I've been away for a couple of days — thanks Captain obvious!
Been busy from my final project and so I can only write tidbits of the story.
It's annoying to be honest when I can't write, my head is filled with ideas. I WANT TO WRITE SO BAD. (I'll have to ask or discuss things in the next chapter)
SPEAKING OF NEXT CHAPTER, I uploaded two chapters this day, just to make amends of the times that I hadn't uploaded any stuff.
I also have a new chapter/ ficlet! Check out, Under a Thousand Stars, I just found it cute and pure fluff! I love the concept and the concept of beyooond.
Anyways, go on! Move to the next chapter!
See you laterzzz
~ Yatsu Naruasuke