Men of the Sea
Chapter 8
Kisame sat within Fuguki's car. "Don't do anything stupid." "Don't give me orders," The sharp-toothed male growled. "I'd consider my statement more like, friendly advice."
Kisame didn't respond to him. He simply pulled the black hoodie over his torso and its hood over his head. "Do you know Miss Haruno?" Fuguki asked slowly.
"Not particularly." "Then why go through the trouble of this?" Based on his tone it was clear that Fuguki still wasn't sure of Kisame's intent with Eriko. Evidently, he was simultaneously too intimidated to outright ask.
"Don't stick your nose in places it doesn't belong."
Kisame got out of the passenger seat and sauntered through the dark. Eriko was sitting in his backyard alone.
As Kisame rounded the white picket fence he could clearly see the dreamy far off look in Eriko's eyes. He was either piss drunk or on something. Maybe a mixture of both.
The older man was upon his deck and within a chair facing his house. Jazz music was playing in the background. It was a low sad sound. Kisame turned it off as soon as he was in reach of the radio that was perched upon the deck's railing.
Eriko stupidly turned his head in a sweaty haze. With Kisame's hoodie and the aided darkness, he knew that Eriko couldn't see his face. The older man simply sighed.
"Are you here to rob me?" Kisame didn't answer. Eriko turned around, his back was to Kisame. It was puzzling. But he wouldn't try to understand the inebriated.
He walked forth and put a large strong hand on Eriko's shoulder from behind. The man did not even flinch. Eriko reached beside him and grabbed the drink that was settled on the glass patio table.
"I used to dream, you know?" He sipped a brown liquid that occupied the lowball glass. "Dreams are pointless. Never forget that." He said with a nod. His words were slurred.
He paused after taking another gulp of his drink. The ice within his glass was mostly melted.
A bourbon on the rocks.
Now, mostly just bourbon.
It made him think of his dad. He momentarily felt a softness for his Uncle. The feeling quickly resided.
"You don't seem like a robber."
Kisame remained silent.
His uncle sighed.
"Just get on with it, then. Whatever it is you intend to do."
Sakura's POV
Green eyes searched through emails and text messages.
Nothing yet.
Taking Ino's advice she took the day off. Giving her the rare opportunity to lounge about within her childhood bedroom on a pleasant Friday morning. She stretched her legs within her bed and kicked her quilt off of her.
The only issue with not working was that she couldn't distract herself. She refreshed the "unread" tab within her email app to see that nothing had changed.
Sakura turned to her side and twirled a thin strand of long hair around her fingers.
With a sigh, she placed her cellphone on her nightstand.
She still hadn't received a message or email from Itachi. Though, she tried to mentally reason to herself that it was only 7:45 AM. He had plenty of time to send word of their date.
Sakura maneuvered onto her back.
'Itachi, huh?'
She was somewhat happy that she was now engaged to Itachi instead of Sasuke. But…
A memory: A flash of a sharp grin, of muscles, of laughter, and kind eyes.
Kisame.
Truthfully, she still thought of him. Despite its brevity, she would argue that Kisame and their short-lived interactions were the closest experience to an actual relationship she'd ever had.
She tried not to think of how pathetic that was.
Sakura sat upright.
What good would it do to dwell over him? He likely forgot all about her by now anyway. She imagined herself putting her time with Kisame in a box and sticking it within the furthest and darkest corner of her mind. He was just a memory. She shouldn't dwell on him any longer.
Besides, it was nearing eight o'clock.
She should start her day.
After a round at the gym and a shower at home, it wasn't until ten AM when she finally started making breakfast. Sakura tuned in and out to the voice that emitted from her father's open bedroom door as she moved within the kitchen. Shizune, the nurse, was currently in her father's room reading aloud to her comatose Dad. Shizune insisted that there have been studies promoting such activities despite the subjects being in a coma. At this point, Sakura and Kakashi were up for anything. As of right then, Sakura was the only child home. Kakashi was away on a business trip. Something about "research" for an upcoming book of his.
Considering his books were erotic fiction, Sakura tended not to pry too deep in what his "research" consisted of.
Her spectacular breakfast consisted of peanut butter toast and over-hard eggs. She absentmindedly ate her breakfast while staring out the window.
It was a beautiful day.
The sun was bright and the sky was clear. Not a single cloud was in sight.
She took a bite out of her eggs and began to hum.
She felt tranquil.
So much so that a rapt on her front door practically startled her.
She finished a slice of her toast and dusted her hands on her robe.
'Who could that be?' She wondered.
"Coming."
Sakura opened the door. And there stood Sasuke. Tall, dark, handsome, and obviously wasted.
"Sasu-"
He pushed his way into the house. He reeked. "I was told you'd be here." He interrupted. Sakura awkwardly stumbled back. In the last second, she grabbed her bearings.
"What are you-?"
"It's your fault." He said calmly. "What?" "IT'S YOUR FAULT."
He grabbed her by the arm. "I lost my job because of you. You're always ruining things, Sakura. WHY DON'T YOU JUST DISAPPEAR?" Sakura was too stunned to react. With his hold still on her arm, he threw her against the wall.
"You've always been annoying but this is becoming too much, don't you think?" He slurred. He meant to pin her against the wall, but she twisted her way out of his hold.
"Sakura?" It was Shizune.
"Who the fuck is that?" Sasuke rudely asked, his eyes narrowing at the stranger within the Hatake house.
"Listen, Bitch, Sakura and I are talking. You better leave if you know what's good for you."
Shizune looked between the two young adults. Sasuke was clearly drunk. While Sakura, on the other hand, looked winded and nervous. "I'm going to call the cops."
"Wait!"
Shizune paused. "He doesn't normally act like this. Let me call Itachi. Maybe he can pick him up and calm him down."
Sasuke laughed. "Itachi, Itachi, Itachi. That's all you care about now, huh?"
"Sasuke, it's probably best for you to stay quiet."
"Where's your shut-in of a father?" Sasuke asked with a lopsided grin, ignoring Sakura's earlier advice. Sakura felt her heart momentarily stop."I know he's here. He never fucking leaves his house. SAKUMO. TEACH YOUR 'DAUGHTER' HOW TO PROPERLY TREAT HER GUESTS."
Sasuke laughed.
Sakura suddenly felt overwhelmed.
Sakura could handle almost anything. But the one weakness she had was her Dad. She suddenly felt very small. She was 10 years old all over again. Stunned by the cruelty of her bullies, her peers. She could do nothing. She could say nothing.
"S-Stop." She begged with a sliver of strength backing her words. She felt so weak.
"Sakumo!" Sasuke howled, obviously ignoring her request. He enjoyed the obvious pain he was causing her.
'Someone, help me.'
"STOP IT!"
Green wide eyes took in the form of Shizune. She reached for Sakura and helped her back to her feet. Sakura hadn't realized she was brought to her knees in the first place. Though, standing she felt dizzy. Shizune did not let her go. Sakura kept hold of her hand.
Shizune was her lifeline.
"I don't know who you are and frankly, I don't care. Your malice is unnecessary. Please leave."
"Who the fuck are you?" Sasuke asked, his mood careening to flush anger.
"I am Sakumo's nurse."
Sasuke laughed. It was a terrible sound.
"So the old man finally lost it? We were all waiting for it to happen. Where is he? I want to see him. Is he all drugged up? On the happy pills? Ever since his wife left him he has never been the same. He's such a weak prick."
Sakura couldn't breathe. Each word felt like violence. She was visibly shaking. Shizune was no match for this version of Sasuke. How could she be? Sakura wasn't either.
He was out of control.
A Madman.
"We knew he was gone when he adopted Sakura. A freak with pink hair and no one to love her. Just out of the blue he introduces you as his daughter. Father told him to get a therapy dog. Instead, he got you."
Sasuke clutched his stomach while laughing.
Sakura felt eyes water. "Stop it."
"Everyone loves a charity case, Sakura. Especially Sakumo. He only kept you around because he knew you had no one else to turn too. A foster kid with no memory and pink hair, you think he actually liked you? Loved you? No one loves you, Sakura. Not even yourself."
Sasuke's POV
"No one loves you, Sakura. Not even yourself."
He loved seeing her wither in pain. He loved seeing her hurt and in tears.
Hurt more.
Feel more pain.
It was the only way he could reprimand her.
After all, she needed to be punished. It was her fault he lost his job, her fault that he lost favor with Father.
Her.
Fault.
It was the train of thought that kept him going and fueled his fire.
"Where is your freak of a dad?" He laughed as if it were the funniest thing he could say. "Sakumo!" he sang out as if he were playing hide and go seek with a small child. Shizune knelt down to Sakura. She was sitting on the floor again. This time she seemed defeated and was crying.
It gave Sasuke strength.
"Sakumo! Where are you hiding!?"
Sasuke stepped away from the two and made a beeline to Sakumo's bedroom. It had been years since he had stepped into the Hatake household. But the layout was the same as he had remembered from his years as a kid.
He opened the door, expecting to see a doped up, white long-haired man. He imagined he'd be rocking back and forth in a corner. Or drooling from his mouth while staring at the ceiling. Giddiness bubbled within him.
He was laughing as he entered the bedroom.
"Saku-"
His voice died within his throat.
Sakumo was certainly in his room.
But not in the way that Sasuke had visualized.
The old man that he'd remembered since his earliest years of childhood looked frail and on death's door within his bed, hooked up to an obscene amount of machines. It didn't take a genius to realize that he was barely alive and that the machines were keeping him in the world of the living.
The room was filled with flowers and sunlight.
Even so, death was the most fragrant scent of them all.
Sasuke felt the high of hurting Sakura fade.
Sasuke closed the door and unhurriedly walked back to the Hatake's house entrance. Sakura's hands were to her face, her shoulders were shaking. Shizune was kneeling beside her, trying to console her. Upon his approach, she gazed up at him. Venomous hate filled her dark eyes.
"Sakura has insisted that I not call the cops. However, if you say one more thing to her, I'll bypass her request and call them anyway. I recommend you leave immediately."
Sasuke obliged.
His driver tipped his hat to him as he re-entered the car. "Where to now, Sir?" he asked, a bored drawl lacing his words.
Sasuke dumbly looked at Sakura's childhood home through the car's window, then back to his driver. The older gentleman stared at him expectedly through the rearview mirror. "Take me to the Uchiha Manor."
"As you wish."
Sasuke liked to think that he knew everything.
After all, he was an Uchiha. They were the innovators of tech and one of the wealthiest families in the world. It was hard to not think highly of yourself when you come from such impeccable breeding.
And yet, Sasuke caught a glimpse of his own incompetence.
He thought he knew everything he needed to know about Sakura. She'd always been transparent. If she was upset or happy or annoyed or thinking or anything, he could tell. And yet, he didn't know that her own father was in such a miserable state…
What else didn't he know?
"...It was his dying wish."
His father knew of Sakumo's condition. And yet, he didn't tell him. Why?
Why didn't Sakura tell him either? He would have maybe been a little nicer to her if he had known…
"Where is your freak of a dad?"
Sasuke put a hand to his mouth. He felt sick.
He said such terrible things to Sakura.
Out of all the things he's done to her, this was the absolute worst.
"Sir? Do you need me to pull over?"
Sasuke swallowed the contents of his stomach. "No, keep driving."
"Yes, Sir."
He would speak to his father.
He would get to the bottom of this.