Chapter 21

Sakura's POV

Sunday morning

Sakura stares at Itachi from across the table. He's rigid within his seat and an expression of disbelief stretches upon his pointed features.

She stops eating.

"I haven't made this decision lightly, Itachi".

This confession seems to jar him a little.

He closes his mouth. Then narrows his eyes.

"Sakura, this is not your decision to make."

"Excuse me?"

"I told you before, Uchihas don't get divorces. And I'm not breaking that tradition."

"I don't love you," she says slowly.

He flinches and says with a slight grimace, "You don't have to love me to be married to me. As long as you perform the appropriate duties as my wife, that is enough."

His voice morphs into something cold and distant, "It will be enough".

Sakura stands and puts a hand on her cooked hip. "I'm not anyone's doormat. You cannot tell me what I can and cannot do."

She jumps when he throws his plate across the table. His mug of coffee, his glass of juice, and his plate of food all scatter upon the plush white carpet beneath their feet.

"I've given my new bride all that she's desired, all the way down to disrupting an incredible beneficial deal for UE based on her strange though respected advice. This morning I woke up to find my wife with no hair and spouting nonsense, speaking of divorce. Declaring that she doesn't love me. And also speaking of Australia and of finding herself. Curious since the man she had an affair with while engaged to my younger brother is also in Australia. Rather strange behavior, wouldn't you say?"

His voice is controlled as he smiles at her. Her skin prickles with goosebumps. "Sakura, I'm no fool. I will let this lapse of behavior from this morning go on the account of your clear breakdown. But understand this, Mrs. Uchiha, I'm my father's son and the groomed heir of Uchiha Enterprise. You'll make no fool of me to the world."

His steps are even as he rounds the table from where he originally sits, and with a menacingly slow pace, he makes way to her seat. She looks up at him and slowly eases back into her chair, fear is not exactly in her eyes but unease is apparent in her shaking hands. He puts a hand on the back of her seat. Looking down at her, black long hair fans around his broad shoulder and tickles her face.

Sakura notices that his dark eyes look slightly red in the natural sunlight that beams from the open window beside her, and she finds herself transfixed. The pixie-haired woman can't help but think that his unpleasant gaze is beautiful...

And intimidating.

"Sakura," he whispers, his voice like honey in her ears and feeling like razors on her skin all at once as he bends forward, "you and I are together till death do us part."

He kisses her forehead then turns to quietly leave the room.

She is speechless even in her mind with his departure.

Sasuke's POV

Sunday afternoon

It's visiting hours.

The hospital smells unnaturally clean and stale and-

"Sasuke?"

It's a squeak of a voice. But familiar. He turns to see her, all thin and pale and not wearing makeup so not looking like herself at all and-

"Karin."

He's almost astonished that his voice doesn't waver or crack. After all, it's the first time he's seen her since the incident.

She smiles at him, it's a relieved expression.

Sasuke's stomach knots in discomfort.

"I knew you'd come."

While her reasoning was likely deranged, her premonition came true. He was visiting her. "Karin, let's talk."

They sit in a mostly empty lobby within stiff chairs lined up against a stark white wall. Sasuke shifts in his seat more times than he cares to think about as Karin unblinkingly stares at him.

After a few minutes, he clears his throat and asks, "Why did you hurt people for me?" Asking this question aloud makes him think of all the women the police said were victims of Karin. And he knows that while he isn't directly responsible, he isn't innocent either. What's done is done, and he struggles to think that he can't do much to help the victims (for he already reached out to each of them and compensated any medical debt they received as a result of his former redheaded receptionist). But if nothing else, he needed and craved to know why Karin did what she did. He was eager to hear her strange reasoning.

Karin's small existing smile stretches wide across her dry and cracked lips. "Sasuke, it's because I love you, silly."

Love.

"Love shouldn't result in hurting people, Karin."

She knots her brow and suddenly frowns. "Well, I only did what you asked."

"I didn't ask for you to hurt people. I didn't ask for you to try and kill Sakura."

She stares at him blankly for a moment then shrugs.

"You're being strange, Sasuke. Are they giving you pills too?"

Sasuke doesn't answer. He simply stands upright. "No!" she says in a rushed panic. "I didn't mean it! I'm sorry! Don't leave," there's urgency in her voice. Her large wide eyes are pleading with him to sit back down. But he can't find it in him to comply. He wasn't sure what he expected coming to the hospital. But he wasn't going to get more out of Karin than what he had. She was insane, and he knew that before he came here.

So why did he still come?

Because he still had to try.

"Karin, I have to go," he said gently.

"No." Her voice wavers and her eyes whelm with tears. "You just got here."

She reaches for him but he takes a step back, evading her touch. Hurt is stark across her features.

"Karin, I hope you get well."

She throws herself from her seat and screams in frustration at his lack of compliance. The sound bounces off the walls in a dreadful echo.

"Don't leave me!"

Her voice is broken into shaking sobs. And her face is as red as her hair. Nurses in white scrubs run to her. "Karin, let's go back to your room," a man gently coaxes her upon approach.

"No! No!"

There's a resigned state about the nurses as they clearly prepare for the ordeal of taking Karin back to her room whether she wants to or not.

Seeing their intent, Karin starts attacking the nurses. She flings her limbs blindly, and bites and scratches whenever she sees an opening from any of the three nurses. Hearing the scuffle, more begin to arrive

Sasuke is frozen, staring at Karin as she fights for an ending she won't receive, to be with him, and to be out of custody.

She's screaming to the top of her lungs for Sasuke's help. Screaming that she loves him.

And he says nothing. He does nothing. Nothing, except, avoids her eyes as he hears them pull her away from his presence.

Naruto's POV

The next day

It's late in the afternoon, nearly evening, and Naruto wasn't having much luck in focusing on the rest of his work-related duties. He knew he was supposed to be working on an important report, his father asked for him to step up in the company, after all. Instead, his feet were on his desk and his chair was slightly reclined as he began combing through Leafbook, a popular social media platform. A certain pink-haired woman's profile was on his phone screen, and he was entranced. He couldn't help but remark how beautiful she was. (or how she'd always been)

And also… He couldn't believe that she was married.

The blonde man thinks of how much had changed since their squad of three had broken apart within their early teens. It makes him feel somewhat forlorn. Afterall, miscommunication and petty nuances resulted in a decade of estrangement from his best friends. While he forgave Sasuke, a small part of him couldn't forgive himself. How could he not have seen what was going on? Why didn't he try harder to keep his friends together? He was disgusted with himself. But also, reserved. What could he have done? Forced everyone to remain his friends? Been friends with one but not the other? Would things have really turned out any better?

Probably not.

It is for this reason that Naruto tries to not put himself down too much. There's no use in wondering about what-ifs and maybes. He can't turn back the clock. That is life. There's no going back.

But who needs to go back when you can move forward? His thumb hovers over the "friend" button for a moment on Sakura's LeafBook profile, uncertainty is coursing through him. While he spoke to Sasuke, he still hadn't spoken to Sakura. Was this really the best way to reach out to her? But then, he shrugs. Pressing his finger onto the glass screen of his phone, clicking the virtual button, he then closes out of the app and puts his phone on his desk.

Sakura Uchiha, is it possible to be friends again?

Kisame's POV

Monday afternoon

He's in his childhood home, a mansion on the outskirts of Melbourne. It's a trek of a drive from his apartment and the beaches, but his mother coaxed him to visit. He should have known there was an ulterior motive in her request, since she often wasn't home herself much these days either, and preferred to stay in the flat near the beach so she could surf. But knowing the grief he'd put her through as of late, he didn't bother denying her request.

Which was why he was here. He's sitting before his father's desk within his personal office wearing faded black surfing shorts and a grey tank. Kisame's dark eyes are vacant as he regards his parents. There's worry in their eyes. He knows he's wasting away but doesn't care to do much about it. And he knows his parents are concerned. Hence, this "intervention" of sorts. His mother is standing beside his father as his old man is sorting through papers. There's a determined look in his stern face and Kisame has to wonder what they plan to do and say. It had only been minutes since his arrival but the tensions were high.

He concurred that they were hoping to give him an ultimatum of some kind. If nothing else but to encourage him to eat, something he clearly doesn't do often anymore if his loss of muscle and weight is an indication of anything. But most of his time is spent drinking in his apartment alone, and that's all that he desires to do. Why can't they just let him do as he pleased?

His father clears his throat.

"Son, I know you've been struggling since we've returned to Australia and I wanted to be mindful of your situation before I encouraged you in any particular direction. But I'm seeing that you've all but given up. And you're too bright and intelligent to have your life slip by…"

Especially because of one woman, he could practically hear his father say.

"Kisame, this will stop."

As if on cue, the closed door to his father's office opens and a man steps in. Kisame first notices the stranger's impeccably shined brown leather shoes. They contrasted greatly with his own flip-flopped ashy feet. His gaze travels up the man's legs and to his familiar face.

And the surfer tenses.

"Hello, my boy. Long time no see."

"Eriko…"

"I know that you two have your grievances. But he is still family," his father says.

"He's been reported as a rapist and an abuser to women!" Kisame shouted as he jumped to his feet. "Why the hell aren't you in jail?" Eriko straightened his silk blue tie, "Matters of the court have been dealt with. But I assure you, nephew, a hefty price has been paid". Kisame balled his hands into fists, "In other words, you paid off your accusers."

His father cut him off, "Kisame, I understand your disapproval of your uncle, but you must understand, he's been running our family company for years and besides his accusations, he's done well for us. All of us. My hope is that you will mentor under him and take over the business. I'm not getting any younger and with your uncle out of the picture, we need you to pick up the responsibility. His replacement is making a mess of things and is siding with the Uchihas in nearly every decision despite our accomplishment of revoking the original contract. This is a time for you to get your life back on track and to do your duty as a member of this family!"

Kisame's face blanks.

"Revoking the contract… How did you do that?" His father cleared his throat. "I took matters into my own hands." "Or you mean, you went to Sakura, didn't you? The Uchihas never would have considered a change of the contract, not when they had total control of the company." Kisame felt his anger transcend within his limbs as he gathered himself to his feet and stepped forward. "What I've done is done," his father said with a dignified nod.

"You bastard. You're the reason she suddenly began avoiding me, aren't you? You threatened her somehow, didn't you!?" "I did what was necessary for my company, and for the legacy of this family." "Did it ever cross your mind that I am your legacy? That she is what is best for me? Did it ever cross your mind that the Uchihas would have made us filthy rich beyond any measure we would have been able to reach on our own? That we all could have gotten what we wanted had you not stepped in?"

"The Uchihas are not Hoshigakis! They would have eventually turned on us and what this company stands for! I will protect what has been built." "For who?" "For-" "Your dead parents?" Kisame sneered. His mother tried to step in his way as Kisame rounded his father's desk, he gently brushed her aside.

His father stood.

"Kisame, I understand you're upset, but see things from my perspective. That woman brought shame onto our name, she is the reason you got hurt. She is the enemy."

Kisame raised his fist for his wrist to suddenly be grabbed from behind. He glared over his shoulder to peer into the eyes of his uncle.

"Kisame, it is done. Soon, you will see that Sakura is just a girl, she's not worth your dedication."

He wrenched his hand from his uncle's hand. "What are you fucking saying?" "She will not be your concern anymore."

Anymore…

"What did you do?" Kisame asked.

"Me? Nothing." Eriko's lips widened into a sinister smile. "Don't fuck with me." Kisame turned on his uncle and grabbed him by the collar. The man laughed. "What are you going to do, Kisame? Attack me? I haven't done anything. Lay a finger on me and I'll call the authorities." "You will do no such thing!" his mother yelled.

Through clenched teeth, Kisame asked his uncle again, "What did you do?"

"As I've said, nephew, I've done nothing."

Kisame releases his uncle and runs out of the room. He did not believe Eriko in the slightest. He had to warn Sakura that she was potentially in danger.

And he had to get back his woman.

Author's Note

As always, thank you for reading my story and for all of your lovely comments! Special shoutout to Tobiramamara, sumiko808, and Wynth! Thank you for your sweet comments!