Chapter 21. Lies Pt.2
"Perhaps they fool both."
|3rd Person|
"The name's Sasori." Sasori introduced himself as he extended his hand, "Nice to meet ya."
Temari shook his hand firmly, "I can hear the Suna in your voice. How did you and Sakura-san meet?"
Sasori rubbed his chin, "Well, I'm a taxi driver and one day she happened to wave me down, or somethin' like that. Anyway, we talked durin' the ride and somethin' just clicked. Been friends ever since."
"I'm surprised you weren't scared off." Ino joined their conversation as she handed Sasori a glass of wine, "Sakura's got a knack for being mean before friendly, ne, Billboard Brow?"
Sakura flashed the middle finger before continuing her conversation with Lee, and her mom shook her head at the rude gesture.
"See?" Ino nudged Sasori before walking over to Sakura and wrapping her in a hug, "I love you."
"Yeah, yeah." Sakura rolled her eyes and jokingly shook Ino off, "I love you too."
Sasori laughed to himself before turning his attention to Naruto, who had come to the party with Hinata. Other than a raised eyebrow, Sasori said nothing when Naruto presented him to his wife.
After introductions were over, Ino swept the partygoers into a large group photo, and Sasori couldn't help but notice how the arm that Naruto slung around Sakura's shoulder showed no sign of tension. Whatever those two had was clearly ongoing.
Once enough pictures were taken, the crowd returned to their selective groups to mingle, leaving Sasori on his own. He saw Sarada slink into the kitchen out of the corner of his eye and was thankful that nobody had tried to engage him in another conversation, leaving him free to nonchalantly follow the teenager.
When he entered the kitchen, he found Sarada looking through the fridge, and decided to lean against the counter and wait for her to notice him. Once she shut the fridge door and turned, her eyes widened for a split second before narrowing with animosity, and Sasori smirked.
"Hiya stranger." He waved, "Funny seein' ya here."
"What do you want?" Sarada questioned sharply, not bothering to exchange pleasantries.
Sasori held a hand up before taking a sip of his wine, "Just checkin' up on ya. I know seein' me might be a little shockin' but I ain't here to cause problems."
"You being here is the problem." She replied plainly, "Why…How are you friends with Mama?"
"We're datin'."
Her body stiffened at his words, and Sasori bit his tongue to keep from laughing. The longer they stood in silence, the more Sarada's face contorted as she considered the possibility of her mother seeing him. When her expression began to show signs of outright despair, Sasori cracked.
He burst out laughing to the surprise and then anger of Sarada, and she addressed him with a hardened voice.
"I hate you."
"Gomen but I had to." Sasori wiped the tears from his eyes as his laughter died down, "Ya understand, don't ya, princess?"
Sarada pushed past him angrily, "No, I don't. So stay away from me and stay the hell away from Mama."
"Matte." He grabbed her arm before she could leave the kitchen and spun her around, "Ya can't go sayin' anythin' stupid, remember? I like yer mom, but I won't put her above my job."
Sarada yanked her arm free from him as she stared him down, "I know."
"Hope so." Sasori chuckled to himself as she left, "Hope so."
Somewhat frustrated, Sarada went upstairs in search of the one person she had been longing to speak to, and with a firm hand, she knocked on Inojin's door.
"W-Who?" Inojin called, his breathing labored.
Sarada announced herself as she held her hands together, "It's me, Sarada."
A few seconds went by before he replied, still out of breath, "Well, what…do you want?"
"It's been two weeks since we last saw each other. I wanted to talk."
There was another pause before he answered, "I—I don't think we…can do that right now."
"What?" At this, Sarada tilted her head, "Why? What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I'm just…I don't know." Inojin said.
Finding his answers confusing, Sarada grabbed the doorknob, "I don't understand; I'm coming in."
She turned the knob and pushed forward to enter his room. Her eyes immediately fell to the figure exercising on the floor, and as she realized it was Inojin, she noted the many things off about him as well his room.
For one, his hair wasn't in its signature high ponytail. It fell to the side of his shoulder while being loosely held by a rubber band, and it looked like it hadn't been properly brushed in days. Then there was the matter of him wearing the summer gym uniform that the high school had issued each student. His choice of garments also didn't make much sense when his room was colder than an icebox, which Sarada made sure to tell him as she shut his door behind her.
"Kami in Heaven!" Sarada exclaimed as she rubbed her arms and went over to his open window, "How are you not freezing?"
Inojin continued his pushups, "What are you…talking about? It's a…furnace in…here."
Once she'd shut his window, she turned her gaze back to him and saw that his shirt was now a dark red due to all the sweat he had produced. His arms and legs showed traces of the same perspiration and she couldn't help but feel that she'd seen this before.
"No…" He whined while continuing his workout, "It's gonna…get even worse…"
"Inojin, stop." Sarada said, placing a hand on his shoulder and grabbing him up until he was in a sitting position.
Although he seemed to be cooperating when he brought his knees to his chest, his feet would not stay still, tapping interchangeably at an absurdly fast rate that troubled her. However, it wasn't until she looked at his face that she saw a real cause for concern.
Just like the rest of his body, his face was slick with sweat, and her onyx eyes bore into rapidly moving lime green ones that were almost black due to his dilated pupils. His heavy breathing, his unnatural eye movements, his fidgety behavior, the sweat…she didn't have to see much else to come to a conclusion.
"Did you take shabu again?" Sarada's voice was quiet, as if she'd wanted to whisper the question in hopes that he wouldn't answer.
For the first time, Inojin's world slowed down as his eyes stopped darting around long enough to focus on her, and he slowly nodded. The two sat in silence with Inojin staring at the ground and Sarada staring at him, watching with growing distress as he briskly tapped his fingers on his arms.
"H-How…" Sarada swallowed hard, "How long have you been taking it?"
He glanced at her before looking away, "Since Kū…gave it to me…at your house. But…this is only…my sixth time."
"Sixth?" Sarada's voice broke as silent tears streamed down her cheeks, "Only?"
Inojin didn't miss the inflection in her voice, snapping his head up only to wince at her sorrowful expression. Quickly, he reached out to her and took her hand in his, taking in a deep breath.
"It's not your fault."
"Yes, it is." She replied tearfully, "If I had said something—"
"Sarada, I chose…to take it." He reminded her, running his thumb over the back of her hand, "And to be honest, I'm…glad I did."
At this, Sarada shook her head and began to sob, but Inojin hugged her close and pressed on with his explanation, "With shabu, I either feel…like I'm floating, or…I feel like I can…do anything. I needed this."
"No, you don't." She scrunched her eyes shut at that final statement, burying her head in his chest, "Oh Kami, look at what it's doing to you…"
"Sarada, please." He rubbed her back gently as she bawled into his shirt, "I know…what I'm doing. I'm being careful."
She pulled back to look up at him, upset by his words, "There's no such thing as being careful with drugs, especially not a drug like shabu. One wrong move, one bad dose and you'll—"
"I know." Inojin interrupted with a nod of his head.
"If you know then why did you take it again? Why did you take it six times?"
"That's not fair…" He bit his lip, unable to keep eye contact when she was staring so intently, and he muttered his next words, "So you're allowed…to sell it, but I…can't take it?"
It was a valid point that surely would've stunned even the most logical individual, but for Sarada who was already consumed by guilt, it had the opposite intended effect.
"Then it is my fault." Sarada replied in a low voice, standing up, "Gomennasai."
"Sarada, wait." Inojin stood up alongside her, grabbing her hand and interlacing their fingers, "That's not…what I meant. I'm…not blaming you."
"You should." She mused sorrowfully, "All I do is cause problems for the people around me. For the people I love."
Her words combined with their proximity as well as the feelings they had yet to resolve spurred Inojin to act, and he tilted her chin up before planting a soft kiss on her lips. At first, Sarada pulled back from the kiss, but the arm he had snaked around her waist held her in place, allowing him to kiss her again, and this time she reciprocated the gesture.
Inojin intensified it by pushing his tongue against her mouth and when given entrance, he ran his tongue over hers with a determined passion. She tasted of sponge cake and vanilla icing, and as parched as Inojin's throat was, kissing Sarada seemed to give him the hydration he needed.
The two of them could feel their hearts pounding against each other, and the hands that Sarada had pushed against his chest in order to pull away were now holding his shoulders as they kissed. The idea that Sarada might be reciprocating his feelings encouraged him to go further, and his hands that had been resting on her hips wandered lower.
Inojin soon found her ass in his palms and gave her a firm squeeze which caused her eyes to snap open before sharply gasping. She whined when his hands continued to squeeze her, and Inojin dropped his hands to her legs before hoisting her up and taking her towards his bed.
"Sarada, I love you…" He murmured against her lips as he lowered and climbed on top of her, "I've always loved you."
He softly bit her lower lip and slid his hand up her thigh before palming her core, and Sarada jolted at the electrifying feeling. But things were moving too fast, too soon, and she pushed at Inojin's chest once his hand tried slip under the hem of her pants.
"Inojin, wait." She said, turning her head to the side and breaking their kiss off, "I can't—I'm not ready…"
He stared her down, his green eyes hungry with desire, but slowly nodded in understanding. Sarada yelped when he suddenly flipped them over so that she was on top, and Inojin couldn't mistake the fear in her eyes as he grabbed her waist, but he quickly relaxed his grip to assure her that she was going to be in control.
"Whatever you want to do." Inojin said with another nod, and after a moment of hesitation, Sarada leaned forward and rejoined their lips to continue their make out session.
Inojin pulled her waist down so that she could feel him against her and Sarada groaned into his mouth, unable to deny the stimulation that his length provided to her core. His hands slid to her sides and encouraged her to move her hips, and the heat she felt in her stomach only increased with each subsequent roll that Inojin provided to match her pace.
The room was silent except for the creaking of the bed and the ruffling of clothing as they grinded against each other. Their kissing had come to an indefinite pause; instead, their foreheads were joined, and their mouths were parted with sighs and moans leaving them with each ministration. Sarada whimpered after a particularly sharp hump pressed Inojin against her just right, and she grabbed his forearms. Something was reaching its breaking point inside her, and if it broke, things would never be the same between them.
Of course, things had certainly changed over the recent weeks, but this would be crossing a specifically sharp line if they continued.
Sarada thought about Mitsuki, who she hadn't seen or heard from in a week due to being grounded, and shame began to float around her mind. She had a boyfriend who she barely allowed French kiss her, yet here she was doing that and more with her childhood friend who had gotten addicted to a lethal drug because of her. Both cared about her, but by her actions, you couldn't confidently say that she cared about them.
The more she thought about it, the worse she felt, and soon enough she stopped her movements and straightened up. Inojin gave her a quizzical look.
"We shouldn't be doing this." She clarified, clearing her throat, "You're high, and I have a boyfriend."
He snorted, "You'd rather be…doing this with him?"
Sarada kept quiet, knowing that there was no correct answer to that question and avoided his eyes as she got off him. With a sigh, Inojin followed her lead and sat up completely.
"Just…promise me you won't take anymore shabu." She finally said as he began to rapidly tap his fingers.
"Promise me you'll break up with Mitsuki." Inojin shot back, crossing his arms.
Before Sarada could respond, a knock came at the door and the two of them turned to it.
"Yo, Inojin!" Naruto called from the other side, "You awake? I'm coming in."
Naruto entered the room with a light smile that only widened when he saw Sarada.
"Nanadaime." Sarada bowed nervously, and Naruto waved his hand to dismiss the formal greeting.
"What's with that? Come on, call me Naruto-ojisan like you usually do, ya know." He laughed as he hugged her, "But we'll talk more later. Right now, I need to have a chat with Inojin."
Sarada nodded as Naruto released her and glanced back at Inojin before leaving the room. Once the door closed behind her, Naruto leaned against it and crossed his arms.
The two blondes stared at each other for a moment before Naruto spoke.
"Are you gonna explain what you were doing in that building or should I tell you my guess?"
Inojin scratched his neck and sighed as he crossed his legs, "Go ahead."
|Sasuke|
"Toshiaki-kun." Somebody called my name as they shook me, "Toshiaki-kun, wake up."
"Hm?" I hummed sleepily as I rubbed my eyes and sat up, "What's going on?"
As my vision cleared, I realized it was Karin who had woken me up, and as I wiped my hands down my face, she stepped back and went towards the door.
"I'm waiting for you outside." She called over her shoulder, and the room door closed.
With a heavy sigh and a few neck pops, I got up and made my way towards the bathroom. Once inside, I turned on the sink and splashed cold water on my face, effectively removing any remaining traces of sleep.
Taking my contacts out of the mirror cabinet, I lifted them to my eyes and with a few blinks they were nestled in place. I wiped my face dry with a towel before heading back out to the room and winced at the sudden brightness after I turned on the lights. Getting over it took a few seconds, but once my eyes had adjusted, I went over to the dresser and jumped into a pair of jeans. After pulling on a black turtleneck, I checked the time.
"7:54…" I murmured to myself as I laced up my snow boots, 'Where has she been for the past ten hours?'
With that question in mind, I grabbed my keys off the dresser and pulled my coat on before heading out of the room. I took the stairs and got to the lobby relatively quickly, and sure enough Karin was just outside of the manor like she said she would be.
"Hey." I reached for her hand as I approached, "Where've you been?"
"Busy." She answered somewhat coldly as she took my hand, "There's somewhere we need to go."
I took her serious tone as an indication that this was not the time to play up our couple façade, and quickly nodded, "Lead the way."
She tugged me towards the back of the compound, past the low-level residential condos and towards the parking lot. My guess that we were heading for a drive was confirmed as she brought us to a standard black Toyota Camry and brought out a pair of keys from her pocket. Before I knew it, the car was on and running, and we were out on the back road while I was buckling my seatbelt.
I noticed that we were going further Northwest instead of South towards the city and took the chance to ask Karin where we were going.
"Amegakure." She replied as she typed an address into the GPS, "There's a house that Pain and Konan are connected to. He told me I could go there if I really wanted to understand them."
Although the news that we were traveling to a town four hours away was surprising, I decided not to harp on this specific fact, and instead encouraged her to share what she had learned and where she had been to receive this task from Pain.
Karin turned on the heater and sighed before launching into a recollection of how her time had been spent. I listened attentively as she revealed Konan's current fragile mental state and Pain's problematic solution to her suicide attempt.
I could understand him wanting to keep an eye on her after discovering her bleeding out in their bedroom but chaining her to a bed in the lab for eight days was absurd, to say the least. A thought came to mind as I silently winced at Karin's words; if I felt this queasy when hearing it, how could Karin be feeling after seeing it?
We hadn't properly spoken since she'd told me about her childhood, and while I had worked with her for countless years and could testify that she was a seasoned police officer, this operation had given me insight to parts of Karin I didn't know existed. I had gotten the opportunity to see the real her, not just the friend and co-worker I was used to, and I wanted to protect her.
"And are you…I mean, how are you taking this?" I asked as I scratched my head.
Karin glanced at me before rolling her eyes and I pressed on, determined not to let her suffer in silence.
"I'm serious. I may not be able to relate like you—" She scoffed at this, "But I can at least offer an ear if you need someone to talk to."
"I'm fine, Toshiaki-kun." She said with a sarcastic cheerfulness, "I'm not going to kill myself just because she tried to, so you don't have to worry."
I began to get frustrated, "That's not what I meant."
"You're right. Gomen."
Her apology only served to further agitate me as she switched from passive aggressive to apologetic. She had clearly been affected by what she'd witnessed down in the lab and knowing that there was nothing I could say to unwind her, I left our little exchange at that.
A few minutes went by before her eyes darted down to the dashboard, and she clicked her tongue before cursing, "Shit."
"…What is it?" I said after a moment's hesitation, not wanting to set her off again.
"The front left tire's low. 20 psi."
"What?" I couldn't disguise my surprise at the low number, "We can't travel like that. Pull over."
Even though I had yet to see another car in the entire time we had been driving, Karin turned her blinkers on as she pulled onto the shoulder of the road. Once we came to a stop, she put the car in park and opened her door, but I assured her that I could handle it before stepping out. She offered no argument or words of thanks as she sat returned to her seat.
I went around the back and opened up the trunk to find a short surfboard on top of the automatic pump. Shoving the board to the side, I grabbed the pump before shutting the trunk and asked Karin about the owner of the car as I came around the front.
"It's Kisame's." She answered as she rolled down her window, taking the power part and plugging it into the car, "Why? Anything weird back there?"
I found myself smiling as I bent down to attach the pump to the tire, "The guy's got a surfboard in the trunk when it's late winter."
"Late winter here is early spring in the south."
I shrugged, "Still, weird thing to have in a car."
Karin said nothing and I felt my smile fall as the friendly mood between us passed. I hated that the air between us was tenser than a stiff rubber band, poised to snap, and decided that enough was enough.
"I can't do this." I told her as I placed my hand on the roof of the car and leaned against it, "What did I do wrong this time?"
She looked at me before shaking her head, "Not now."
"Yes, now." I insisted, taking one of her hands from her lap, "I've been stuck in this one-step-forward, two-steps-back loop with you for a while and I'm tired of it. Can't we—?"
"Not. Now." Karin repeated herself sharply, yanking her hand free from mine before raising a finger to her lips and pointing to the radio, "Please, I need to focus."
I accepted her wordlessness communication of the fact that we might still be being listened to, but I wasn't going to be dissuaded so easily. Leaning into the car, I reached around her and unplugged the pump before picking it up off the ground and tossing it onto my seat
"It's only at 29. Why did you—?"
"Come with me." I opened her door and wound up her window before pulling her to her feet.
Her eyes widened as she recognized that I had not left our previous topic alone, and she let out a quiet sigh before lowering her eyes and folding her hands behind her back. Once I confirmed that the keys were on her and not in the car, I led us into the bushes; not so close for the car to still be in sight, but not so far that we weren't able to hear its low hum.
"Alright, talk." I said once I turned to face her, crossing my arms, "Lay out everything that's been bothering you so we can get past this."
Karin snorted, "That's rich coming from you."
"Let's start with that." I leaned forward and eyed her, willing myself to stay calm, "What's your problem with me? How can you hate me so much when you were crying in my arms a few days ago?"
At this, her face twitched, but before I could attempt to reword my question, she replied.
"I should've known you would use that against me somehow. Maybe Kisame was right."
"I'm not…Kisame was right about what?" I inquired as I straightened up, wondering what he could've said that could relate to our current situation.
"…That you're abusive." Karin murmured as her eyes dropped from mine.
My mouth fell open in shock at the label, "Me?! How?!"
"Because you—"
"I go out of my way to make sure that you're okay, that you're comfortable!" I roared as I felt my patience snap, "I don't force you to do things you don't want to! And I've never put my hands on you! How can I possibly be—?"
"Abuse isn't just beating someone up or forcing your will on them." Karin cut me off, her own voice rising in turn, "You can hurt people emotionally, psychologically, sexually…and you seem to be an expert in the first two."
I threw my hands up in exasperation, "How?"
She gave me an incredulous look, "Do you not hear yourself when you're speaking to me? I'm supposed to be your wife and yet you talk to me like—like I'm an incompetent subordinate!"
"I—"
"And you're always cutting me off!" She continued, "That shows how little you think of my opinion! And the way you raise your voice to shut me up is just…ugh! Why can't you talk to me like you're talking to Sakura?"
I pulled back, opting to stay silent at that latter remark, but my face must've said more than enough because Karin straightened up before tilting her head.
"Don't tell me this is how you talk to her." She chuckled uncannily, lifting a hand to her face and turning away, "Oh, Blessed Buddha please remove all stumbling blocks from her path. How has she not divorced you yet?"
I quietly cringed as she asked aloud one of the questions that had pestered my mind since my failure in Suna all those years ago, and I couldn't pass up the chance to ask her of her opinion, "…If you were her, you would have?"
"Yes." Karin immediately replied, not sparing a second to think, "Why torture myself when I can leave and find someone to properly appreciate me?"
Her answer hit like a train, and I slowly nodded as I looked at the ground, my concerns about Sakura beginning to solidify into full-fledged confirmations. Sasori seemed like a caring guy towards his comrades, his attitude couldn't be too different if he was working that charm towards a woman. Add that to the fact that Sakura had been neglected for far too long, and it was almost a guaranteed recipe for an affair.
'I've lost her.' I realized woefully as I cleared my throat and began our walk back to the car as little water droplets began to pelt us, 'I thought I'd be able to redeem myself and have things go back to normal, but…I waited too long.'
I climbed back into the passenger seat in silence and reclined my chair a bit. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karin staring at me as she started the car, but whatever thoughts she had, she kept them to herself as she resumed our drive.
Rain began to fall, and I found myself staring out the window at the irregular precipitation. The muffled pitter-patter of the raindrops encouraged me to shut my eyes, and as I gave them rest, memories of that incident came back to torment me.
|Hinata|
"Are you warm enough? Or should I turn it up?" Naruto questioned, his hand hovering over the knob for the heater.
I shook my head, "It's fine how it is, arigato."
He nodded before returning his hand to the steering wheel and I leaned against the window. The rain was falling steadily now, a stark contrast to the light drizzle that had first presented itself as Sakura's birthday party wrapped up.
"Aw, come on, you guys don't have to leave!" Ino whined from her front door, "I've got a couple futons. Worst comes to worst, the men can take the floor."
Temari laughed as she joined Shikamaru under a black umbrella, "As much as I'd love to stay, Shikadai called and said he has a project due tomorrow that he hasn't even started. We've gotta buy some poster boards before we head home."
"Yeah, and Chōchō's got the house to herself. Hopefully we can get back in time to catch her with company." Choji joked.
Karui rolled her eyes at this, "She knows better. Still, it's almost 9 o'clock so we really should be heading home. If you really want to, we can catch up this weekend."
"We should do that." Tenten nodded, nudging me with her elbow, "A ladies' night, leave the men with the kids, ne Hinata?"
I offered a light smile and nodded, "That sounds like fun."
As the others attempted to coordinate the meetup, I noticed Sasori slide over to Sakura and tap her on the shoulder before whispering in her ear. He covered his mouth with a hand and seemed to be scanning the crowd for any attentive eyes, so I wasn't surprised when he eventually landed on me. His eyes slightly narrowed, as if he was grinning mischievously, but he continued speaking to Sakura nonetheless.
When he was finished talking, Sakura lifted a hand to her mouth before turning to him with a flustered expression and offered her own anxious response. Sasori laughed at whatever she had been trying to say, quickly waving his hands to abate her worries. The two shared a quick hug before Sakura pulled back with a relieved sigh, and I watched as Sasori called over Naruto just as he squeezed past Ino and down the front steps.
Sasori exchanged a few words with him before poking him in the stomach and Naruto's cheeks reddened as he replied. Sakura stood beside the two with a hand on her face, shaking her head in what seemed to be embarrassment due to whatever the men were discussing.
I couldn't help but wonder what the three were talking about that seemed so intimate and yet so lighthearted, but before I could begin to brainstorm some possibilities, Naruto waved goodbye to the two and fist bumped Shikamaru before approaching me.
"All set?" He questioned with a cheerful smile that brought butterflies to my stomach, and I nodded.
He took the purple umbrella from me, and we went to the car. Naruto made sure that I remained completely dry as I entered the passenger seat, opting to stand and hold the umbrella over me before getting in himself. As I buckled my seatbelt and folded my hands into my lap, Naruto slid into the driver's seat, and with a turn of the key, the car roared to life.
I glanced at the clock: 8:45. We had been driving for fifteen minutes and neither of us had said anything, so with a silent sigh, I resolved myself to break it. I had refrained from asking Naruto a few things on the way to the party to keep things cordial, but soon we'd be home, and the chance to talk might not present itself for a while.
"Naruto-kun…" I hesitated for a moment before continuing, "Are you still seeing her? That woman?"
He glanced at me before answering, "Yes."
I had prepared myself for as much, so I didn't stumble on his reply, "Does anyone else know?"
"Why do you—?"
"Just—just tell me." I squeezed my eyes shut, "If everybody already knows then there was no point in going to the party together."
"Not everybody." He said softly, stopping at a red light, "Shikamaru knows, I got the divorce papers from him. And I…told Sakura-chan a while back, ya know."
I groaned as I pressed my hands to my face, "You told her? Why?"
"…She knew something was up." He said after some time, "I couldn't lie to her."
I chuckled uncannily, lowering my hands and turning to him, "But you had no problem lying to me."
"That's not…" Naruto shook his head and changed the topic, "Have you called Toneri yet?"
"Like I said before, it's not like that with him."
"Right, right. Gomen." Naruto relented, and silence spread between us again.
I hugged my arms together and continued to observe him as the light turned green. His lips were slightly curved downward in that usual way of his when he was upset, and after a few moments, something occurred to me.
"Are you happy with her?" I asked in a low voice, bracing myself for the most probable answer.
He nodded, opting not to speak, and I sucked in a sharp breath.
"Do you love her?"
He nodded again, and I blinked back tears as I asked my final question.
"I-Is it really over between us?" My breath hitched, "There's nothing…nothing I can do?"
Naruto sighed, "Hinata—"
"Please." I whispered as I reached for his arm, "I don't want to lose you…"
When he turned to me, his blue orbs were laced with anguish as well as longing, and in that moment, I saw the man I'd married. Those sixteen years had to count for something, didn't they?
Naruto returned his attention to the road, and we turned onto Indra Avenue. I realized with a sinking stomach that we'd reached the house. He remained silent as he put the car in park, and I wondered if the look he'd given me would be the last real interaction we'd ever have, but as I moved to open my door, he grabbed both of my wrists with one hand and pulled me into a kiss.
Perhaps it was desperation or because it had been weeks since I'd received any proper affection, but whatever the reason, I got over my initial surprise and fed into the kiss. Naruto unbuckled his seat belt before leaning closer to me and pinched my chin in between his two fingers. I hummed as he bit my lower lip.
'Naruto-kun…' I wriggled my hands free from his hold before sliding them up his shoulders and onto his back.
This was what I—what we had been missing. I still loved him, and I knew he loved me. As long as we had that, I was sure we could work out our issues. That is, until Naruto's hand left my chin and went down to my neck.
His grip was firm, not so tough that it made it difficult to breathe, but strong enough that I couldn't help but recall Himawari's twelfth birthday and what had occurred that night.
'Naruto-kun wouldn't hurt me.' I told myself as I tried to remain calm, 'He—'
My thoughts were interrupted as he tightened his hold on me, and even though his other hand had found its way in between my thighs, attempting to palm me through my jeans, I couldn't sit still. My composure fizzled and my hands flew to his chest and shoved him away.
I immediately rubbed my throat to confirm I was still alive, but after a few seconds I remembered Naruto, and I snapped my eyes to him. The look on his face could only be described as complete resignation.
"Gomen. You shouldn't be with someone as sick as me." Naruto cleared his throat, his voice cracking, "You deserve better than that, ya know."
"I—" I cut myself off when I couldn't think of a proper reply, and he opened his door.
"Can I come in to say hi to the kids?" He questioned, not looking at me.
I hung my head in defeat and gave him the go ahead, "Of course. I'll…be there in a minute."
He shut his door gently and I watched him head up the walkway and knock on the front door. After a few seconds, the door opened and an excited Himawari wrapped him in a bear hug before pulling him inside. It was only when the door closed that I let my tears fall.
"I know you won't hurt me but…" I cried, holding my head in my hands, "I just can't."
A knock on the glass startled me and I quickly scrubbed my eyes before looking to see who it was.
"Ka-chan?" Boruto stood outside out of the car with a blue umbrella and a concerned look on his face, "Daijōbu?"
I motioned for him to move back before I collected myself and stepped out. Boruto held the umbrella over me as we walked up the walkway, and I made sure to answer him with a small smile.
"Aa. Everything's fine."
Just like his father, his lower lip curved slightly downward, but whether he believed me or not, he didn't say. Not wanting him to worry about me, I hugged him close and ruffled his hair.
"What about you? How's sixteen been treating you?" I teased.
He rolled his eyes, "Ka-chan, my birthday was yesterday. I haven't gotten the chance to feel it yet."
I laughed as we reached the door, "Just be careful. The police won't let you off with just a warning anymore."
"Please." Boruto waved his hand dismissively, "Those pigs couldn't catch me if I was blindfolded."
Boruto closed the umbrella as we got inside and casually greeted his father with a fist bump. One look at Naruto prompted tears to come back to my eyes, and I quickly went up the steps to prevent a scene.
Once inside my room, I wiped my face again and fought back the urge to cry. My fear had cost me my marriage and in turn separated my family, and the worst part was that it wasn't like I hadn't tried to move past it.
Many times since that night, I had experimented with borderline choking in order to grow accustomed to it. I wasn't dumb, I knew it was something Naruto seemed to enjoy, and during my own private trials I managed to keep calm. However, when it was his real hand on my neck, all my experience from my practice runs flew out the window. All I was left with was an insurmountable fear.
There was a knock on my door but before I could properly clean myself up, it opened and in stepped Naruto. When he saw me in tears at the edge of the bed, he immediately came over and hug me.
"Please don't cry, Hinata." He said as he held me tightly, "It's not your fault you don't like it. If anything, I'm the one who…gomennasai."
All I could do was cry in his arms, relief and comfort washing over me as he told me I was not to blame.
"I really wish I did." I told him tearfully, "I know how much it means to you but I just—I'm so afraid…"
"Of course, you would be." He said empathetically, pulling back and kissing my forehead, "That night I almost, I…Buddha be merciful. Hinata, please, find someone better, ya know. Find someone you won't ever doubt."
I looked up at him, "You're the—"
"Don't say I'm the only one." Naruto shook his head strongly, "I'm always gonna want to—to hold you, and you're always gonna be afraid of me. This has to end, ya know."
"But I don't want it to." I whimpered mournfully, "I love you, Naruto-kun. Kami, I—"
He cut me off with a kiss, but unlike the one in the car, this felt cheerless and sorrowful, like a wordless farewell. I wrapped my arms around his neck and ran my fingers through his hair, not wanting this to end, not wanting us to separate when I knew what awaited us. But eventually, he moved back.
"I love you too." His blue eyes glimmered with tears as he turned to leave, "Goodbye, Hinata."
I watched him go and as the door shut behind him, I realized with a crushed heart that my marriage was officially over.
|Sakura|
"Ka-san—"
"Tomorrow." Mom shushed me as she pulled on her jacket, "I'm heading into the city to get some things sorted out at the bank. After that, I'll swing by and tell you everything, okay?"
I pursed my lips, debating between arguing and giving in, and eventually settled on the latter option, "Fine. I'll be waiting."
She kissed my forehead, "I know. Oyasumi, Sarada-chan!"
Sarada came from the dining room and gave Mom a hug, "Oyasumi, Baa-baa! See you later."
"Of course." Mom pinched her cheeks, "You'll have to tell me what you want for your birthday; I'm sure a bag of tea candy doesn't cut it anymore, ne?"
Sarada laughed, "I'll take whatever you give me."
Mom smiled as she released her and began to head for the front door.
"Stay." I told her as I followed her outside, "Ino and I will be done cleaning in a minute. The least I can do is drop you off at the train station."
Mom shooed me back inside, "Oh, what's the need? I've got two working legs and I'm gonna put 'em to use."
Ino chuckled as she came up behind us and handed Mom a white umbrella, "Here, Oba-san. Those legs might grind to a halt if they get too wet."
Mom playfully swatted at her before opening the umbrella up and walking down the steps. She looked back at us once she was on the ground and winked.
"Relax. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"
With a nod, I watched her walk off until she was out of sight and even then, I lingered for a moment before I went back into the house. I found Sarada zipping up her jacket in the living room and she turned to me a smile.
"Ready to go?"
I nodded as Ino appeared in the doorway and beckoned for me to come to the kitchen, "Yeah. Take the keys, I'll be out in a sec."
"A sec as in one second or a sec as in two hours?" Sarada joked, and I rolled my eyes before poking her forehead.
"Try ten minutes."
"Mm." She wriggled her eyebrows as she took the car keys from me, "I'm timing you."
Once the door clicked shut behind her, I turned and went to the kitchen. I found Ino leaning against the island with her head in her hands.
"Daijōbu?" I asked as I lightly touched her back, "What's going on?"
Ino straightened up, "Gomen, I know it's your birthday and all but…I don't know what to do."
"What are you—?" She cut me off by handing me a newly opened envelope.
I grabbed the letter out of it and quickly read its contents. Blinking, I read it again but this time at a more gradual pace. My mouth dropped open and I looked back at Ino.
"Wha—Is this some kind of joke?" I looked at her in disbelief, hoping she would burst out laughing at my dumbfounded face.
Ino shook her head slowly before patting a paper onto my chest, "She added a picture…"
I lifted the paper up and sucked in a sharp breath. Sure enough, I was looking at an ultrasound. At the bottom was a list of medical jargon and measurements, but I ignored all of it in search of one thing and found it: WEEK 30 GESTATION.
My eyes widened, and I turned to Ino as she began to tear up, "I thought I could get over the affair but a pregnancy? How could he…what are we going to do?"
"We? Sai made a choice, and this is the result of his actions. Ino, this has nothing to do with you!" I placed my hands on my hips, "Tell me you understand that."
She let out a shaky breath before slowly nodding and I crossed my arms as I tried to think.
'Should I ask Itachi-nii for help? But what can he even do in this situation?'
A thump above us broke my train of thought and I looked up.
"That's probably Inojin." Ino clarified, wiping her eyes, "You know he saw Sai…hurt me. Ever since then, he's become more reserved, like his father used to be. He barely comes out of his room but when he does, he leaves the house for hours and doesn't come home until it's pitch-black outside."
"And what about school?" I raised an eyebrow, not understanding how he could do that and keep up with his studies.
"Well…" Ino glanced at the floor, sniffling, "I wrote a letter to the school telling them he would be taking an indefinite break."
"Ino!"
"The kid asked me to, what was I supposed to do?" She questioned as she attempted to defend herself, "Besides, it's not like he's dropping out. I'll have him go back when he's ready."
"Ugh." I groaned, "I hate how you talk about what happened to you. Sai never should've put his hands on you, no matter what. And for you to keep blaming yourself…what am I missing?"
Ino bit her lip and I pressed on.
"Last time we spoke about it, you told me that you said some disrespectful things. What exactly did you say?" I crossed my arms.
"I—" The sound of the front door banging open cut her off and we looked at each other before heading out of the kitchen to investigate.
Ino gasped and I knew there was only one person who could have inspired such a reaction.
"Sai-kun?" Ino called, as if she couldn't believe her eyes.
"Beautiful…" Sai raised his arms as he approached her, but before he could get to her, I stepped in between them.
"What the hell are you doing here?" I questioned, not bothering to mask my hostility.
A full beard with a connecting mustache stood in place of the weak chin strap I had last seen him in, but while his facial hair had been left to run rampant, I noted that his actual hair was nicely trimmed and groomed. A quick glance let me know that he was wearing all black, and my eyes spent a bit more time than necessary on the duffel bag on his back.
"Sakura." He put his hands up in a motion of surrender, "I'm not here to cause any trouble."
"Answer. The question." I spat through clenched teeth.
Sai lowered his hands, "I came to get Ino and Inojin. There's not much time; we need to leave now."
Ino seemed ready to go to his side, but my outstretched arm held her back, and I challenged his statement.
"Let me get this straight," I pinched the bridge of my nose, a vein tightening in my forehead, "You put her in a hospital and go MIA for four weeks, then you suddenly come back and tell her that she needs to leave her home. In what world does that make sense?"
Ino began to speak up, "Sakura—"
"No, Ino." I cut her off, "He doesn't just get to take over like that, not without an explanation or at least an apology! For Kami's sake, we just found out his mistress is pregnant!"
Sai's eyes widened at this revelation, "What are you talking about?"
"Congratulations." I held the letter out to him, "Take a look at what you did."
He took the letter and read it swiftly, his eyes flicking back and forth as he skimmed through the paper. Once he reached the bottom of the page, he blinked and lowered the paper before looking back at us.
"I was wrong, we don't have any more time." He held a hand out to Ino, "Beautiful, please. I know you're confused but I swear I will explain everything later."
"Don't go." I said to Ino over my shoulder as I continued to eye him warily, "It's like you said when he first got back, this isn't the Sai that we know. If you two leave with him, there's no telling what could happen."
At this point, Ino was clutching the back of my shirt fiercely, and I was vaguely reminded of the time she had stood up for me when I was being bullied as a kid. Now it was my turn to defend her from Sai's exploitation.
"Ino." Sai called her name firmly, urging her to look at him and meet his eyes, "No matter what Sakura says, I love you. All I'm trying to do is protect you and Inojin. Please, come with me."
"If he loved you, he wouldn't have injured you and then disappeared." I criticized aloud but remained facing him.
I was afraid that if I looked back, I would find a pacified Ino that had been unable to let go of her toxic husband. However, my fears were swiftly assuaged as Ino tightened her hold on me.
"N-No." Ino replied feebly, shaking her head, "I won't go with you."
Sai stepped forward, "Ino…"
"What about 'no' do you not understand?" I straightened up, reiterating her response, "You can take whatever protection or help your offering to someone else; she isn't interested."
"Sakura, please. You don't know what you're doing…" Sai attempted to plead with me, a tear slipping out of his left eye and running down his cheek.
For a split second, I hesitated. I had never seen Sai cry in my entire life, and if it had caused me to freeze, there was no doubt in my mind that Ino was being torn to pieces by her decision. I promptly dismissed his appeals before Ino could reconsider and change her answer.
"You're not wanted here, Sai. Leave."
Sai swallowed hard before hanging his head, and I watched as he turned and made for the door. When he reached it, he rested his hand on the doorknob before looking back at the two of us, but more specifically Ino.
"I swear, everything I'm doing is to protect this family. You'll see." The door shut behind him and the two of us remained stuck in place for a moment.
Soon enough, Ino was hugging me from behind, her body trembling as she released all her tears.
"Daijōbu." I shushed her as I turned around and returned the embrace, "Everything's okay."
She shook her head, "Did I do the right thing? H-He was crying, Sakura. Sai-kun never cries…"
I rubbed small circles into her back, "He was trying to manipulate you, Ino. I'm glad you didn't fall for it."
"It was so hard…" She buried her head into my shoulder and sobbed, "I love him, Sakura. I—Kami, what is wrong with me?"
"Nothing." I assured her as a small thought came to mind, and it prompted me to suggest something, "Why don't you and Inojin come stay with us?"
"What?" She pulled back to look at me.
"Think about it." I continued, deciding to be honest with her, "If Sai comes back and I'm not here, can you honestly tell me you'll be able to stand your ground?"
She looked away, "I…"
"Stay with us." I said again, holding her shoulder and drawing her eyes back to mine, "Just until we figure out what's going on."
"Okay." Ino agreed, and I lowered my hands from her, "Should we pack for a couple days or a week?"
"A week." I smiled as I answered, "Just to be safe. Do you think Inojin will mind the sudden move?"
Ino shook her head before making her way towards the stairs, "I told you, he's a lot more mellow now. We'll be down in ten minutes."
"Take your time." I told her, encouraging her not to rush, "I'll be down here waiting."
Once she went up the stairs, I collapsed onto the couch with a heavy sigh. Although I had put on a brave front for Ino's sake, I had been on the edge the whole time Sai was here. He had been concerningly civil, and I had feared that if he were to turn violent, I would have no way to resolve the matter.
Part of me began to wonder if I had been correct to intervene. Sai's recent behavior was sporadic, lacking sense and reason, and he had no right to come around Ino after what he had done. He had to have known that, and yet he still made an appearance. What if there really was something going on?
I shook my head, 'Then he should've told us! He was just saying that to get to her.'
I paused expecting to hear her confirm that my actions had been correct, but then remembered that my medicine had suppressed her. My own support would have to do for now.
|Naruto|
"Are you two okay? Do you need help?" I sat up and switched on the beside lamp, "I can come to you guys, ya know."
"No, no, no." I envisioned Sakura shaking her head as she shot down my offer to help, "We're home already and we basically solved everything. I just wanted you to know in case…"
"In case something happens." I finished for her, tucking my phone in between my neck and shoulder as I stood up, "I don't know about this, Sakura-chan. Are your doors locked?"
"Shut and sealed. Same with the windows." I could hear the smile in her voice, "I'm sure we'll be fine. And if not, I still have Sasuke-kun's revolver."
At the mention of the gun, she precariously played with during her suicidal moods, I couldn't help but worry about her mental health, and wondered if she had gone through any breakdowns without telling me.
"About that…I mean, are things good with you? No random blues?" I awkwardly tried to ask her about her mental state.
"Huh? Oh yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine. I've been doing good for a while now." She assured me, and I let out a silent sigh of relief, "But…I wouldn't mind doing a little bit better with your help, if you know what I mean."
It took me a second to understand that she was flirting, but once I did, I felt a mischievous grin spread out on my face as I lowered my voice.
"Come to my place after work tomorrow and I can give you a late birthday gift."
"Hm, and can I get a hint about what this gift would be?" Sakura teased, her voice lowering as well.
I chuckled as I laid out what I was going to wear tomorrow, "Let's just say it'll be an all-night activity."
"All night?" I pictured her eyebrows raising, "That sounds lovely, but unfortunately I have plans for tomorrow."
"How about the day after?" I offered an alternative date hoping to work with her schedule, and sat down at the edge of my bed.
Sakura laughed, "That works perfectly."
The two of us went silent for a moment, and all that I could hear was her faint breathing on the other end. An old fantasy of mine came to mind, and I decided to try and put it to work.
"Sakura-chan." I called her name softly, and she hummed a gentle response.
"Hm?"
"Is everyone asleep in your house?" I first tried to assess how risky this would be for her.
"They're in their rooms." She replied with a slightly confused undertone, "They might be sleeping, they might be awake. Why?"
I bit my lower lip as I began, "I want you lock your door and then sit up on your bed."
I heard shuffling as Sakura moved across her room and followed my orders, "I did it."
"Are your lights on?" I tried to envision the room she was in.
"Dimly." Sakura answered, and I had a feeling she was beginning to catch on to what I was trying to do, "Do you want them off?"
"No, leave them how they are." I paused before asking my next question, "What are you wearing?"
"A black lounge shirt."
"No underwear?" I couldn't help the rise in my voice at the thought of her going commando.
"Well, it's kinda hot in my room and I'm the only one here…" She trailed off, and I could tell she was a bit embarrassed at having been called out, "What about you? What are you wearing?"
I looked down at myself before answering, "I'm wearing a white t-shirt, black boxers, and blue flannel pajama pants. Not exactly the sexiest imagery."
"You'd be surprised…" Sakura murmured.
I bit my lip as I uttered words I had only dreamed of saying, "Touch yourself."
"How?" Her voice was barely audible.
"Take two fingers and run them over yourself. Don't put them in."
Her breath hitched as she obeyed my commands, and I swallowed hard as I slipped my pajama pants and boxers down my legs, "When you're wet, tell me."
I thought I heard the faintest sound of moisture, but it must've been my overactive imagination because Sakura remained relatively quiet.
A little whine escaped her, followed by a confirmation that she was turned on, "I-I'm ready."
A smirk danced on my lips as I moved on, "Put one finger in, slowly. If you're too fast…"
'I'll have to punish you later.' I thought, but kept the words to myself, unsure if she was prepared for that.
With a whimper, Sakura penetrated herself, and I squeezed some lotion into my hand as I gave her further instructions, "Now move it at the same pace."
Groaning, Sakura began and this time I did hear the slightest sounds of wetness, and they seemed to be in sync with what I assumed was her movements. Knowing that she was so audibly aroused for me did wonders, and I began to pump my length.
"Add the second finger." I told her as I ran my thumb over my tip, "And let me hear you."
That last order brought such a welcomed change. Sakura must have been holding her voice in, because now her moans were flowing freely. Some were short and could be considered whines, but most were long and drawn out, and really captured the buildup of the heat she must've been feeling.
"N-Naruto…" She gasped, "What else?"
"Move faster." My throat went dry as I imagined her picking up the pace, and I sped up my own self-pleasure, "And harder. Do it like I would."
I could hear her arousal over the phone, the slaps of her palm against her flesh finding my ears as she quickened her ministrations. My own length throbbed at the moist melody, and I knew that in a few strokes, I would come undone.
"Hngh…" She whined through ragged breaths, "Naruto, I'm – ah – I'm close."
My length twitched and I ordered her to climax, "Cum, Sakura-chan."
A muffled moan of my name left her mouth as she peaked, and I reached my limit after hearing her break hers. With a groan, I came into my hand and once I was finished, I fell back and tried to catch my breath.
Sakura was the first to speak, "That was…Kami."
"Yeah." I chuckled as I sat up and kicked my lower garments off, "Makes Wednesday feel like years away, ya know."
Sakura giggled, "It's right around the corner."
"Still…" I murmured as I stood up and made my way to the bathroom, "I want you right now."
"…I want you too." She said after a pause, "I—I love you, Naruto."
For a moment, I stood stunned, and blinked a couple times before pulling the phone down to look at it and make sure the call was still going.
'Did she just—?'
"Hello?" She called, her voice bashful, "Did you hear me?"
"No, yeah, I did, I just—" I stammered a bit before I could reply, running my hand under the sink, "I love you too."
"Mm. Well, oyasumi." She bid me goodnight before quickly hanging up.
I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it to the ground as I decided to go for a quick night shower. As I stood by and waited for the water to warm up, I realized that Sakura had not said that phrase out of lust or because she was filled ecstasy.
"Sakura-chan loves me." I said to myself as I lifted a hand to my mouth in shock.
Once I looked at myself in the mirror, I couldn't stop the biggest grin from breaking out on my face.
'She loves me.' I thought happily as I stepped into the shower, 'She loves me.'
I should've been ecstatic, and I was; the woman that had consumed my thoughts night and day had confessed that she loved me back. But as I tried to harp on the cheerful news, my brain reminded me of the painful goodbye I'd had with Hinata just hours ago.
I deserved this happiness, at least, I thought I did. But a pessimistic voice in the back of my head told me that joy I was feeling now would soon fade to nothing, as my sick tendencies would inevitably go too far and drive Sakura away from me as well.
"No." I said to myself, shaking my head, "I know better now. I'll be more careful."
Sakura was ready to share her life and body with me, she had seen the stranger side of me multiple times and had yet to leave. I would not allow myself to mess this up.
With this silent vow, I shoved all negative thoughts to the side and proceeded to clean myself up.
A/N: Sarada's indecisiveness is making her reconsider relationships as a whole, Sasuke realized that he's been an absolute shit husband and accepts the fact that he doesn't deserve Sakura, Hinata manages to stop blaming herself for things falling apart, Sakura gives Ino the courage to get out of a toxic relationship, and Naruto uses his newfound love to plan a brighter tomorrow. All's well that ends well?
Heh, we're only halfway there folks. ٩(˘◡˘)۶