Guys, guys, there was another one. It made me laugh more. Who hurt you child? Why must you leave comments on fanfics when there's much better things to do, like leave horrible comments on youtube videos? That's more fun.

Who hurt you, child? lol.

I felt bad for taking the original down so I be WORKING to get this shit out.


She was stuck in her head and couldn't wake up, nightmares of her past playing on a constant reel, a movie she didn't buy the tickets to. It started with the time her mother left and the days surrounding it. It was the blackest memory that hid in the darkest corners of her mind. It was the memory that she tried her hardest to forget, the best fuel for the raging fire that was her nightmares.

Her mother had never been a loving and caring mother that was for sure. She was a cold, hard young woman, at least from what she remembered, and never showed her any amount of gentleness in the years leading up to her departure. Sakura remembered, so very vividly the night before the woman had left.

Her father had been beating her mother again. Extremely drunk and without any control over his emotions, he attacked the woman like he would do almost every night. He smacked her to the floor and kept hitting her and punching her over and over as Sakura was made to watch in the doorway. She wasn't allowed to leave and if she made a sound, her father would go after her too. Her father tore her mother's clothes apart and began raping her, the woman screaming all the while.

"No! Stop! Do it to her instead!" the words got her a smack to the mouth and Sakura was scared. She hadn't understood what the words meant when she'd been a young girl, but the meaning became clearer when she grew. Her mother had been trying to offer her up to the man to be raped and hatred formed deep within her heart for the woman, even more than what she already felt.

Her mother had lain on the floor after, covered in her own blood and Sakura had been tasked with cleaning her up. She did so quietly when the angry woman turned her face to the young girl, uttering words she would never forget, the words that haunted her sleeping world so many years later.

"He should go after you. You're the reason for all this," she glared at Sakura with all the hatred she could muster and Sakura hadn't reacted, only finished cleaning her off. She wasn't allowed to react at the biting words. She had been taught to respect those older than her and therefore didn't try to retaliate. She finished cleaning up her mother and helped her into bed before going to her own.

The next night her mother was gathering things from around the house. Anything with value was in a backpack. Sakura watched her take jewelry, wads of money from behind drawers and from underneath her bed, fine silverware and china, any expensive paintings from around the house. She loaded her car up with as much as she could, anything that she could sell.

Sakura was crying when her mother was about to leave. "Don't cry," she'd said bitterly, "You'll be beaten if you do. There's no one here to protect you anymore, so it's time to start being brave." She didn't say she loved her. Sakura knew she hated her. She watched her mother peel out of the driveway and hated her for it. Even at that young age, she knew her mother should have taken her with her.

Sakura was bloody and broken that night, her father's rage unable to be contained after he came home to no wife. He blamed her for not stopping the woman, called her the problems in the marriage, told her he wished she'd never been born. She only silently picked herself up and cleaned herself off like she'd done so many times for her mother and made her way to bed where she fell asleep for the longest in her life.

Sakura couldn't contain her sorrow at the nightmare that had pushed her way into her head. She held her head in her hands, pushing herself into a dark corner of her mind. She tried to wake up, she tried so hard, but she couldn't. Something was stopping her and she couldn't get herself to move past all the memories that presented themselves as nightmares. They beat her head and made her pay attention to them and the feeling of despair was quickly falling over her.


He knew she had nightmares. She'd had several in the week she stayed with him while her father had been in jail. She would scream and throw everything about in her sleep and would wake him easily. He had called her name and shook her gently; she would wake eventually and burrow herself into his chest, crying uncontrollably.

There were a couple times she just wouldn't stop crying. The one night, she'd been crying for an hour before he went looking for help, and he had taken her to Sasuke in an attempt to help. He didn't have the words to say to her to make it better and he knew Sasuke did. Sasuke had these own problems, but a hug was often enough for him.

"What's wrong with her?" the younger man had asked when he took her into his arms. He brought her to the bed and cradled her, brushing her hair out of her face and pressing her into his chest. Itachi felt slightly jealous watching his brother cradle the young woman, but he pushed it down. He sighed.

"I believe it was a nightmare," was all he said. Sasuke nodded. Itachi went back to the hallway, waiting. It wasn't even ten minutes later when Sasuke called him back in. Sakura was staring blankly at his neck while he still cradled her to his chest.

"She'll be okay now," Sasuke said, letting his brother pull her easily back into his arms. Itachi could only nod in thanks and pulled her tightly to his chest and walked back to his room. She slept soundly for the rest of the night and for that he was glad.

The second time, he hadn't even been in the room when it started and was slightly late in waking her up. He'd been talking with Shisui downstairs when they heard a little commotion from above. He had almost run upstairs, Shisui hot on his heels and found Sakura on the floor, still asleep, crying and screaming and writhing in her sleep. Itachi set about waking her up and she, yet again, shoved herself tightly into his embrace, tears falling immediately. She cried and cried and he didn't know what to do, but then Shisui came to his aid. He knelt beside them and pulled her into his chest instead. Itachi didn't want to let her go, but his cousin seemed to know what to do. He cradled her, keeping her secure.

"Itachi, please," Shisui had said, giving him a look. Itachi knew what that meant. Shisui would give him that look when Sasuke was freaking out and he couldn't calm him down. It meant please leave so I can do my psychiatry shit. Itachi only nodded, resting a hand briefly on her head, and left the room, closing the door. Though he was unhappy he couldn't help her himself, he was glad Sasuke and Shisui were around to say the words he couldn't come up with.

Shisui poked his head out the door when everything was calm, Sakura behind him. She had run straight into his arms when she had the opening and pressed herself firmly to his body, hugging him tightly. He could only wrap his arms around her and give Shisui a questioning look. He only shrugged, gave him a smile, and left down the hallway.

Sakura hadn't left him leave that night. She was pressed to his body every second and her hand was in his, squeezing tightly until she fell asleep. She wanted him around. She knew he didn't have the words to say, but he comforted her best with his physical attention. She had kissed his cheek that night, the first time ever. He had only pulled her closer and molded his body to hers, arms tight around her. She had slept better with his arms around her and didn't have another nightmare that night.

These memories were clear in his mind the couple weeks later, just before Christmas. He hadn't seen or heard from her and it was wreaking havoc with his mental health. Was she okay? Did something happen to her? He couldn't think of what could have possibly happened. He had even given up his pride and asked Sasuke and Naruto if she was looking well. They said she looked tired, as always, but was fine other than that. He took little comfort in this and so just stared at his phone, waiting and praying that she would text him, call him, something.

Sighing, he grabbed the folders he'd taken home with him the night before and headed down the stairs to his car. He'd been working quite a lot over the past couple of weeks. Without Sakura around, that's all he could really do. He passed Naruto and Sasuke in the kitchen without so much as a hello.

"Where's he off to?" Naruto asked Mikoto, who was bustling around the kitchen.

"Work. That's all he's been doing lately," she looked after her eldest son wistfully.

"Have you told him yet?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow. He thought she would have by now and instead of heading to work, he would be, very angrily, heading to the hospital.

"It's a very delicate thing to tell someone, especially Itachi," she said softly, bracing herself on the countertop. Remember when Shisui was in the hospital and he found out? He couldn't deal with it and exploded in anger. I have to make sure Shisui is here and you're around in case that happens again. You two are very able in the way of talking him down from anger," she was trying to be gentle and delicate, but the two boys didn't seem to understand that very well.

"Fine," Sasuke said. He understood better than Naruto, who didn't understand body language or most social cues. It didn't matter. "We're going to the hospital right now. I have no doubt Shisui's there already, so we'll bring him back with us." Mikoto nodded, thinking that was good. Itachi would probably be home about that time, too.

"Let's get going then!" Naruto was already out of his seat, wanting to go right this second. Sasuke followed slowly behind and watched Naruto hop into the car. He sat heavily behind the steering wheel and started driving off towards the hospital. It was a little bit of a drive, but he didn't mind. It was for her.

They walked into Sakura's room to find Shisui sitting beside her, hand on hers and singing to her. Sasuke scoffed. "Why are you singing, Shisui? She's in a coma, she can't hear you." Shisui didn't answer, merely finished his song. Sasuke was upset with the world having problems accepting that this was life right now. Shisui couldn't hold it against him. He was sad and upset and didn't explode as much Itachi would, so he couldn't really be upset.

"She wasn't resting easily," Shisui responded. Sasuke didn't ask how he knew that, but didn't really want to know. Shisui was still watching her. Sasuke wondered if his cousin was in love with her, but didn't ask, again. He only narrowed his eyes at him, watching him. Naruto moved into the room and walked to her bed, touching her other hand. It was completely silent now, the only noise the hiss of the ventilator helping her breathe.

"She looks so small," he said sadly. His voice was so very quiet and it scared Sasuke. He had never heard Naruto talk so soft and low and it bothered him. "Why would she do this to herself?" he asked no one in particular.

"The wounds are self inflicted," Sasuke said, moving to stand beside Shisui. He brushed his fingers along her wrist, hating all the tubes coming out of her. He wanted to rip them out and wake her up forcefully, but knew that would never work. "They said that she hit her head when she passed out from the bloodloss and that's what put her into the coma." Shisui brushed a few strands of hair out of her face and didn't say a word.

"But why?" Naruto's voice and eyes were tortured. He slumped in his chair and thrust his hands in his hair, staring at the floor in frustration. She'd been hurting for so long, especially if she ended up here. Could they have stopped it? Done something to help her? Probably, but they'd been blind to the warning signs or ignored them so they could believe she was just fine.

"Who knows, Naruto?" Sasuke couldn't come up with any other words and Shisui was just being too silent. His hand held a deathly grip over Sakura's and he just wouldn't look away from her face. Sasuke looked at his cousin in worry. "What's wrong, cousin?"

"Is this what I looked like?" he asked, voice strained. "Is this what it felt like to be you and Itachi, staring down at me and hoping I would wake up? It feels so hopeless and I can't stop thinking of things I could do to keep her from ending up here. I feel so regretful. I wish there was a way that I could take everything back and save her from this," he sounded tortured too.

"Yes," he answered, "but you woke up and she will too. It's Sakura. She's strong. She fooled us into thinking she was doing fine when she was falling apart. She'll be okay, Shisui, don't give up." Shisui wanted to smile, but couldn't make his lips move. It wasn't often the roles in his and Sasuke's relationship were switched, but it was one of those rare times. He always seemed to forget that Sasuke always had these dark feelings at the back of his mind and so knew the words to say to calm other's minds.

"Are you going to keep her away from her father after all this?" Naruto asked after a few long moments of silence. Shisui's eyes turned dark and his grip tightened on her hand.

"If Itachi doesn't after this, there's no way in hell I'll allow her to go back there," he said darkly. Naruto was surprised by Shisui's changing mood. He thought, now, that Shisui might have feelings for Sakura, just as Sasuke did. He didn't put it out of his mind and reason through it like Sasuke did, though. He held fast to the idea. Before he could say anything, a nurse came in to do her usual hourly checks.

"How is she?" he couldn't help but ask. He always did. He couldn't stop himself. He wanted to know how her condition was and if she was going to wake up soon. He couldn't wait to see her green eyes open after so long of seeing her pale, little form in the hospital bed. Shisui didn't turn, but Sasuke did, eager to hear the nurse's response.

The nurse was writing things down when she answered. "Well, the brain scans are fine, there's still a little less function than normal, hence the ventilator, but we're pretty much waiting for her to wake up. She might not want to just yet, though, so please be patient," she punctuated her statement with a smile to Naruto.

"What do you mean by she might not want to wake up?" he was visibly upset, but it didn't seem to bother the nurse much. She probably got stuff like this all the time and it just didn't surprise her anymore. She didn't answer; however, it was Shisui who said something.

"She went through a horrible trauma, Naruto," Shisui said quietly, just watching Sakura in the bed. "Her mind doesn't want to let her wake up because it's playing catch up. It's trying to cope before throwing her into a world she won't understand. Sometimes people like Sakura have already given up and they won't ever wake up because they don't want to be here." The nurse was nodding, putting all her little tools away. She didn't say anything as she walked out of the room.

"Why wouldn't she want to wake up, though?" Naruto was really having problems coming to terms with all of this, even with Shisui's calm words. Shisui didn't answer at first, having to think through his words before telling him what he thought. He didn't want to tell him anything that Sakura wouldn't want him to say, coma or not.

"You don't know what happens behind closed doors," was all he said. He meant that when she went home, they didn't know what happened and what would happen when left alone with her terrible father. Sasuke seemed to inherently understand his cousin's words, but then again he was an Uchiha and didn't need to ask really. Naruto, however, was a different story.

"What does that mean, though?" he asked, his frustration causing his voice to be louder than it meant to be.

"Calm down, moron," Sasuke narrowed his eyes at Naruto, who looked sheepish. "It means her father finally snapped and beat her so badly she went into a coma and her brain is trying to make sense of it all before letting her wake up," Sasuke tried to explain it to Naruto in the simplest words he could think of. He stared at him and the idiot seemed to understand, finally.

"So when do you think she'll wake up?" he asked sadly. Shisui and Sasuke were about to hit him upside the head. They'd been having the same conversation with him, over and over. Sasuke took a deep, deep breath before answering.

"No clue, Naruto," he finally said. "Could be days, could be weeks, the doctors couldn't even tell you," Naruto picked up Sakura's chart and began reading through it. Sasuke and Shisui just let him do it. It seemed to take the idiot a little longer than usual, but Naruto had never been good with reading in the first place and there were a lot of big words he didn't really understand.

"Hey, Sasuke, look at this," Sasuke walked to stand beside him and looked at Sakura's chart. "This says she was sexually active not long before she was brought in. Do you know who Sakura could possibly have sex with? I thought she was a virgin." Naruto was confused. He had never heard Sakura talk about anyone she was remotely interested in let alone would want to get down and dirty with. "What's a rape kit?" he pointed to the words, confused again.

"It means what it says," Shisui said, voice dark. "She was raped and they checked her over and took DNA from her to try and match to someone so they can be charged for sexually assaulting her." Naruto just stared at Shisui and Sasuke just shook his head. Sasuke had known what it was, of course, and he couldn't help the anger that rose inside him. Whatever he was feeling, though, was nothing in comparison to Shisui, only judged by the raged look on his face.

Naruto didn't seem to notice the angry atmosphere and flipped the page up. He almost gagged at what he saw. "What the hell?" He wanted to throw the chart across the room. Shisui didn't react to Naruto's outburst. He already saw it, the night he found out. He had seen the chart, seen the diagrams, and the rage was still in him.

Sasuke grabbed the chart from him and flipped through the last pages, feeling quite sickened. "Fuck," he placed the chart back where it belonged. He didn't want to look anymore. He stared at the small girl in the too-big bed for several long minutes, wondering and thinking again. He was back to wondering if she would ever wake up. He checked his phone before putting it back in his pocket and he sighed.

"Should we go home?" Naruto asked, eyes still fixed on Sakura. The hiss of the ventilator was starting to grate on his nerves, but he didn't want to leave want to leave just yet. Sasuke shrugged and Shisui didn't react.

"There isn't much we can do here. We have to tell Itachi anyways and that's a whole other issue," Sasuke looked down at his phone, thinking for a few long minutes. Itachi would be home soon, there wasn't much to take care of at the office lately because he'd been working so much. He sighed and looked the door. "We should go." He looked to Shisui. "You should come with us, or Itachi will blow up the entire block," he said. Shisui didn't seem to react. Now that Sasuke looked at him, he wondered if he ever looked this tired. He stood without a word and led them out of the door.

Sasuke didn't think Shisui would be much help in this situation as he drove behind his cousin back home. Shisui was obviously feeling responsible for something and Sasuke couldn't think what. He was tortured and having problems seeing her like that. He didn't explode and yell at the world, but he was imploding and blaming himself for everything. It bothered Sasuke. Shisui was the one that could talk through anything and make it seem like everything will be okay. Seeing him like this made him think he wouldn't be much help when dealing with Itachi.

They could hear Mikoto talking just as they walked in the door. Sasuke nudged Naruto towards the stars. "Go. You'll never survive if you don't." Naruto only nodded and quietly walked up the stairs. Naruto had never been a good mediator and probably would never be. Sasuke and Shisui walked slowly and quietly into the kitchen. His mother saw him and instantly shut her mouth, Itachi sitting at the island. The two men stood behind him on either side.

"What's going on," Itachi was suspicious. His mother had said she needed to talk to him, but wouldn't just come out with it. She was just making silly small talk and dancing around the issue. He realized she'd probably been waiting for Sasuke and Shisui to show up because she had stopped talking the moment they came in. He was more suspicious now because there was an aura around them. It was dark and there was a slight feeling of sadness around them. He couldn't think why.

"Sakura's in the hospital, Itachi," Mikoto said after several long moments. The world seemed to stop for him and he couldn't quite wrap his head around it. In the hospital? How did she end up there? How long had she been there? Why had no one told him? Did Sasuke and Shisui just come back from the hospital? Why didn't they tell him? "She's been in a coma for the better part of a week now," her voice was so soft, so quiet, trying to be comforting, but he was quickly becoming angry.

"Why didn't you tell me when it happened?" His hands were clenched, knuckles white with the strength he exuded. His voice was quiet but barely constrained, eyes so dark they were bottomless pits of anger and burning questions. "You should have told me." Both men standing behind him could clearly hear the frustration and barely contained rage.

"Nothing will help her," Sasuke spoke up. "She's in a coma, Itachi, we were hoping she'd wake up before we told you," he placed a hand on his brother's shoulder and the older man tensed minutely. Sasuke berated himself. This conversation should have been held days ago, but here they were. Shisui wasn't even being much help. He was staring at the floor, clenched hands shaking, and Sasuke thought he was about to cry.

"It doesn't matter, Sasuke," Itachi's voice was venomous. "I should have been told." Mikoto could tell her son was angry by this point too and she thought of anything she could say to calm him the absolute hell down.

"Hush, Itachi," her voice was soft and smooth, "They were just following my instructions. It was my fault no one told you and I'm sorry for that."

"I want to see her," he stood, but Sasuke and Shisui stopped him. They couldn't let him go. He would never leave her bedside if he did and they worried about him if that happened. Shisui didn't seem to want to say anything, but he swallowed his guilt and his anger and forced something out.

"I have been beside her every single day, cousin. You don't want to see her. She doesn't look like Sakura," these words were killing him and the feelings that came along with it were threatening to unhinge him. He hadn't felt so much guilt and rage for years, had forgotten how so very bad it felt. Itachi tried to shoulder past them, but Sasuke caught him and shoved him back, using most of his strength.

"Will you stop, Itachi? Think logically, there's nothing you can possibly do that Shisui, Naruto, and I haven't already done. It took Naruto the last few days to understand there's nothing to be done. Are you as dumb as Naruto?" he raised a skeptical brow to his brother. He shrugged him off and stood there, glowering at the two. Sasuke was right, he supposed. Mikoto sighed, slightly relieved, and forced a smile at them.

"Why don't you boys go get Christmas trees for the party?" The party was four days away and she had pretty much forgotten all about them. She was just trying to distract them from the ailing girl first and foremost and they knew it. They didn't have a problem with it, though. Sighing, all three of them silently walked out the door.


She was still stuck in that dark world, reliving her worst nightmares, the one that rarely even bothered her when she slept. She was trying to cry, scream, something to make someone notice her and force her to wake up, but she couldn't utter a sound and no one came to wake her. She felt stuck, floating somewhere between sleep and waking, but she couldn't do either, and she couldn't stop the nightmares.

She remembered every single time her father beat her. Half the time she hadn't cleaned well enough, there was a speck of imaginary dust somewhere in the room he was in and he was so angry about it, he went to her and beat her senseless. The pain didn't lessen each time and she wasn't allowed to defend herself, it would only get worse. It always got worse, no matter what she did.

When she was young, she hadn't been a good cook, but she was expected to cook him every meal. She had never understood why he made a five year old girl cook for him, but he had. She had burned herself on the stove several times, but would never bring her to the hospital. She was too small to carry the heavy pots and would often get boiling water all over herself, but she was never treated. He would only tell her that she had to get better and fast.

In those early days, he didn't like what she made. A lot of the time she would end up with the hot food all over her because he threw it at her face and he would make her clean everything up after, watching her closely. If she didn't do it exactly how he wanted it, he would kick her to the ground and beat her black and blue, leaving her there to pick herself up and clean her body off before bed. There was always a sick look of pleasure in his eyes while he did, gaining satisfaction from beating his daughter to the brink of death. She thought it was something she did and just had to be better for him, but it never ended. There was nothing she could ever do to make him happy.

He would break dirty plates over her head if she didn't do the dishes fast enough and would throw the rest at her. She had been speared by knives and forks, shards of glass and porcelain were probably still under her skin somewhere even after all these years later. He would yell at her the entire time.

"Why can't you do anything right, no one will ever want you as their wife!"

"Why didn't you have dinner ready for me on time?"

"Why isn't this place clean? You're so useless!"

The memories swirled around in her head until she retracted further into her mind, hiding herself in a corner. All of a sudden, she was five years old again, hiding and crying in a closet while her father looked for her. She knew he would come, he always did. He always found her. He would beat her once she woke up and the knowledge of that was tearing her apart. She squeezed her eyes shut and thrust her hands over her ears, trying to block out all the terrible memories. They were always there, though, beating against her walls and trying to get in. They always managed to get past and she cried, but she couldn't make herself emit any noise. She wanted to wake up, but the nightmares wouldn't let her. She was stuck.

She heard a soft sound coming her way, feeling so much different than the noises and memories around her. It was a soft baritone voice singing. She couldn't make out the words, but didn't really care. The soft voice made the memories leave her alone and turned her eyes dry. It filled her with warmth and she was able to feel calm for the first time since she entered this dark place. She closed her eyes and found that she could actually rest. She knew when the singing stopped the memories would be back, but that's okay. The few minutes of relief she had now were more than she could ask for.


They were decorating the house for Mikoto a few days early because she was just trying to keep them busy. They didn't really mind, but it really did feel like busywork and knew what she was trying to do. They couldn't be too angry, at least she was coming up with something for them to do, but they just wanted to sit down and talk about Sakura.

There were six trees in all and Itachi was currently pruning them like he always did, Sasuke and Shisui just putting up thousands of lights around the house, Naruto outside in the cold doing the garden. No one ever liked doing the garden, so they usually made Naruto do it. Sasuke was up on that old rickety ladder again, wondering why his mother didn't just buy a new one and Shisui held it from the bottom, feeling so tired and worn out.

Itachi came in, a tree in his grasp, kicking a stand in front of him. He had two more to do after this. It annoyed him to do such mundane things when all he wanted to do was go and see Sakura, but he wasn't allowed and it was making him angrier and angrier while he thought about it. Why wasn't he allowed to see her? Why were they keeping him from her? He didn't understand and those questions were fueling his anger, making it harder to answer his family members without lashing out.

Sasuke didn't try to talk to him and Shisui was still stuck in his own little world, trying to keep himself from tearing himself apart from the inside out. He only held the ladder and stared blankly at the wall, berating himself. That's just how he felt. Guilt was eating him, but he kept his silence in favor of keeping Itachi's anger off him. If he told him that he knew, that he could do something about it, Itachi would blow up and blame him just as much as he was blaming himself. He knew this, understood it, and knew he had to live with the guilt and the anger at himself.

Sasuke got down from the ladder and watched Itachi walk out the door. He knew Shisui was battling something within his own mind and had been right in assuming he wouldn't be of much help in this matter. He'd known and saw it. "I'm going to go talk to Itachi," he said, laying his hand on Shisui's shoulder for a moment. Shisui only nodded. He watched Sasuke walk out the door after his brother and collapsed on the couch, staring at the ceiling. There wasn't anything he could do right now, not with the way his brain was attacking itself.

Sasuke stood behind Itachi, leaning on a car in the garage while he watched him. There was a long few minutes of silence, waiting for him to talk before saying something. Sasuke knew Itachi needed to ask, just needed to calm down slightly before he could. Finally, after ten minutes or so, Itachi finally spoke.

"What happened?" he was straining to keep his voice calm and Sasuke could hear it. Sasuke looked at his hands, but Itachi wasn't going to look at him either. He was far too upset to do so.

"She tried to kill herself. He cut her wrists and lost a lot of blood and hit her head when she passed out. Her father found her and brought her in," he explained, slowly. He wanted the words to be able to soak into Itachi's head so he wouldn't have to ask again. Itachi snipped a branch a little too hard and he was silent for a minute.

"Why did she try to kill herself?" he asked, a slight bit of anger filtering into his voice. He had lost his cool, his calm. He was far too upset and Sasuke knew this. He couldn't do anything to calm him down right now, though. When Itachi thought he was justified in his anger, there was nothing he could do to calm him down. There wasn't anything anybody could really do.

"We read the chart. She had a lot of injuries. She had a couple fractured ribs, a broken ankle, a sprained wrist and her collarbone was fractured too. Her face was black and blue a few days ago, but it's getting better and she had deep lacerations all over her body, especially over her stomach and lower back. Some of them were new and some weren't. There was also evidence of her being raped." Sasuke just listed off all the things he knew, letting Itachi draw his own conclusions.

"Why didn't she tell us?" Itachi asked no one in particular. His voice was quiet, strained. He was hurting and didn't want anyone to know. He really wanted everyone to think he was a stoic ice cube that didn't feel anything, especially pain like this. Sasuke still didn't reach out to his brother. He wasn't a touchy person and wouldn't take it from him although he knew Sasuke was just trying to make him feel better.

"It's Sakura. Perhaps she didn't think it was important enough to tell us," Sasuke shrugged. "You heard what she said all the time. Her father needed her. She believed, wholeheartedly, that he needed her and couldn't live without her. With what happened, perhaps she couldn't leave because he had beaten her into thinking she couldn't."

"It's a form of Stockholm syndrome," Sasuke turned at the voice. Shisui was walking towards them, hands in his sweatshirt and looking at the floor. Itachi turned to look at his cousin in his surprise as well. They were silent, waiting for Shisui to continue talking. "She believes he loves her and wants the best for her. He got her into college, although her church doesn't allow it. He's done things here and there that made her think he loved her. He made her think he needed her because he would never cook and clean on his own. It was a big, twisted lie to control her."

"Is that why she always went back?" Sasuke asked, interested now. He had never heard of such a thing, but Shisui would know. He had lived through it. He knew things that they could only guess at, including things about Sakura.

"Yes," Shisui said, leaning beside Sasuke on the car. "Because she thought he needed her and did those things for her, she should always go back and show him that she loved him too. That's just how it works with abusers and their victims. I'm not letting her go back after she wakes up though," Shisui's eyes turned dark and he glared at the floor. No, he wouldn't let her go back. The next time she ended up in the hospital could be the last and he couldn't quite deal with it. He had already failed once for her, he wouldn't fail again.

"I agree," Itachi said just as darkly. He would help Shisui to keep her away from that terrible man and make sure he never came near her again. "I just want to see her," he said, breaking in front of his brother and cousin. They watched him, knowing this hardly ever happened. He never showed much emotion, but hearing he wanted to see her was something he would rarely ever say.

"Soon, cousin. If she gets worse or if she wakes up, we'll let you see her then," Shisui said. He knew. Itachi had not left his bed when he ended up in the hospital. It had been a week and a half with him beside his bed, watching him and wishing for him to just wake up. He had pictures and Mikoto would never let him forget it. He and Itachi were so close just because of that.

"I don't want to see her in a casket," he said, going back to the tree. He didn't. He didn't think he could live through it if he were to see her in a casket. He had had her in his arms and held her all night just a couple weeks ago and she smiled and laughed with him. He couldn't see her in a casket when he cared so much for her, he didn't think his mind could take it.

"I know, cousin," Shisui brought him in for a hug and he allowed it. Shisui knew his cousin had more feelings for the girl than he let on. He saw it and understood it. He was controlling himself, though, and for that Shisui was glad and proud. Itachi had great control over his emotions, but he was still allowing himself to feel it and that was the most important part. He released his cousin.

"Guys! Guys, I found you!" Naruto was running down the garage to them, out of the breath. He had clearly run through the whole house looking for them and he held his phone up like a beacon. Sasuke glared at him and Shisui and Itachi just looked at him, wondering what he was doing. He was out of breath by the time he reached them and he bent over, catching his breath before continuing. "Sakura's been taken off the ventilator, guys!"

Itachi's world froze for a moment. She was on a ventilator? She was so bad that she needed things to help her breathe? He hadn't known that and his world came crashing down. How had he not seen that she'd been beaten and hurt all the time? How had he allowed it to get this far? Now he was berating himself just like Shisui was. Shisui narrowed his eyes at him, knowing that he was beating himself up.

"That's great, Naruto," Shisui was the first one to talk. Someone had to and Sasuke didn't seem to want to say anything and, from the look in his eyes, Itachi wasn't in a place to answer either. Naruto was exuberant and excited about the fact Sakura had been taken off the ventilator, but no one else felt the happiness. She wasn't awake yet. Until she woke, there would be little happiness.

"Yeah," Naruto looked down at his phone and didn't say anything else. He didn't have anything to really say anything else. No one did. It was quiet in the garage now and no one knew what to say. Sasuke sighed.

"Come on, Shisui, we have to go and finish the decorating inside. We'll help you with the trees later, Itachi," Sasuke said, pulling his cousin by the arm. Itachi only nodded, but he didn't seem like he really heard his brother. He was too deep in thought and didn't really have anything to say.

"Itachi." He had forgotten Naruto was behind him. He didn't turn around to say anything, merely grunted to let him know he was listening. "I'm sorry," was all he could say. There was nothing else to say. He knew Itachi cared about Sakura immensely, just like he and Sasuke did. He knew they shouldn't have kept this from him and had felt quite terrible about it, but didn't want to anger Sasuke and Mikoto by attempting to tell him on his own.

"Everyone's just trying to deal with this in their own way," Itachi said quietly. He didn't really have anything else to say but the truth. Naruto could only nod along with his words. He left then, with nothing else to say. That was the first time Itachi didn't just shrug him off and he kind of felt good about it, but didn't feel any happiness from it. Perhaps he could actually like Itachi after this.

That night, after Itachi got into bed, he let his mind wander. He wondered if Sakura would ever wake up, if she'd been out for the better part of a week. Those days could turn into weeks and Sakura could be asleep forever, never to wake up. Apparently, her brain still had a lot of activity if she was breathing on her own, but Itachi couldn't help but feel drained. He blamed himself, for he missed all the small things she said and did that he should have noticed. He blamed himself, much as Shisui did, because he knew he should have done something, anything to keep this from happening. He berated himself for hours, staring at the ceiling and bringing up more and more anger. He couldn't help it, there was just so much regret. He didn't get much sleep that night.


She was going insane in her own mind. She had retreated to the darkest corner she could find and tried to block the nightmares from getting the best of her. The singing was long gone by now and, just as she had guessed, the memories had come back to haunt her almost immediately after. There were cracks in her foundation, and they always got to her after a while. The memories hunted her down and forced her to remember every last single detail of her horrid life.

The day he'd come back from prison, she had spent all day cleaning and making sure everything was perfect before he was set to come home. She waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs when he came in. He demanded a meal, bashing the prison food all the while. Of course, like a good little daughter, she made it for him and sat silently while he ate.

"This isn't much better than that prison slop!" he 'd yelled, throwing it in her face. He stood from the table and grabbed her by the hair, throwing her to the ground. He kicked her in the stomach, over and over, until she vomited on the floor, unable to keep it down.

"You're so disgusting," he had said, picking her head up by her hair again and pushing her face into the vomit. "How do you live with yourself?" he kicked her again, once, twice, and she though he would leave her alone after that. He grabbed a fistful of her hair again and lifted her so he could whisper in her ear. "You're a useless girl. I wish you were dead," he threw her head back down and stomped away, up the stairs and slamming the door to his room.

She hadn't cried, she didn't allow herself to cry. She lifted herself slowly from the floor, feeling tender, and cleaned everything up before walking slowly up the stairs and cleaning herself off in the shower. She had been so sore the following day and her muscles screamed every time she moved but, in fear of another beating, did everything she was supposed to anyways.

The memory swirled away and another came up just as it left. This is what happened here in this dark place. Just as one memory left, another filled it's place. It always did. Sakura held no hope in finding a way out and resigned herself to the memory.

She was in the bathtub as a little girl, right after her mother had left, and her father was giving her a bath. He wasn't gentle, at all, and kept getting soap in her eyes. She squirmed and moved around, trying to dodge his hands. She certainly didn't make it easy for him.

He became angrier and angrier, which made his movements rougher, and she squirmed more the more frustrated he became. He pushed her harshly and she hit her head on the edge of the tub, falling down into the water. She tried to get up, she really did, but her father's hand was on top of her head, holding her down. She held her breath as long as she could, but couldn't anymore. She struggled, trying her hardest to reach the air, but couldn't. Just as she was about to pass out, he let her up. She coughed and spluttered, tears springing to her eyes.

"Be nice, or I won't let you up next time," he'd said gruffly. She didn't move at all until he told her to get out of the bathtub and threw a towel over her, telling her to clean up the water she'd gotten everywhere. She did as she was told and didn't cry until she got into bed that night, her lungs and throat still hurting from the unwanted water that had invaded them.

The memory flew away and she folded in on herself, squeezing her eyes tighter. She wanted to shout at the nightmares to go away, leave her alone, stop making her relive every terrible day that befell her, but she couldn't find her voice. Another entered her mind.

Her pastor had come over to give them great news. She was standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at the floor, when her pastor told her father that she had been chosen to be a 'golden maid.' She knew the implications of this. It was right after her father had talked him into allowing her to go to college and now there was this.

A golden maid, in her church, was a girl that had surpassed all of the other girls in her age group. She was smarter or more beautiful, something of the like. It meant most boys from the church couldn't just ask for her hand, they had to court her. She would have to go through special classes to know what to expect and how to make her husband happy. She would be married off to an older, very prominent member of her church when she finished her schooling.

She hated those classes, held in the church basement with her pastor and her father. She blocked out the memories and so they appeared fuzzy, but she could still remember every little thing they did to her and how she hurt afterwards. She had never said anything to her friends, though. "This is a great honor and you should be happy," her father said. She had only nodded and dealt with the pain.

The singing had not come back and so she was subjected to her memories, over and over. They beat at her, not letting her attention waver. She had to pay attention; she had to relive all those terrible days and horrible nights. There was no way around it. She cried and cried, but no one came to wake her up. She was lost in the dark peril of her own mind, her own memories, and was being slowly tortured into insanity. All she wanted was to wake up. "Please," she begged soundlessly, "Please, just let me wake up."


Mikoto was getting ready for her party, but was thinking while she cooked. The boys didn't seem like they were in a party mood and she didn't want to make them be there when they weren't going to enjoy themselves. She was going to have another party tomorrow and for New Year's anyways, so why make them be here if they didn't want to be? Itachi was sitting at the island, soundlessly watching her. She placed a plate in front of him, but he only picked at it.

She made up her mind and bustled up the stairs, hoping it seemed as though she was going to get something from the hall closet at the top of the stairs. Instead, she went straight to Sasuke's room and found who she looking for. Sasuke and Naruto were talking in hushed voices, but stopped when she knocked on the door.

"What were you talking about?" she asked, feigning a smile. Sasuke and Naruto shrugged.

"Just talking," he answered quietly. They'd been talking about Sakura again, Mikoto knew it. It made her slightly happy because that's what she'd come up here to talk about. She shooed Naruto out of Sasuke's desk chair and he sat beside Sasuke, watching her. Sasuke's eyes were suspicious, but Naruto didn't seem to know anything was up.

"I want you to take Itachi to see her," Mikoto said softly, looking at the floor. "I don't expect any of you to be here tonight, not with this going on, and I wouldn't want Itachi to finally explode around our family members. No one will miss you," she finished, looking hopefully at Sasuke. Sasuke only nodded.

"That's what we were talking about," he said simply. "We were debating who should take him and we decided it should be Shisui and I." Naruto wasn't the best person to go with Itachi and someone needed to go with him or he wouldn't be back for days.

"Right, call Shisui then," Mikoto stood and left the room to let them finish talking. Itachi didn't notice when she walked into the kitchen. He hadn't missed her much. It hurt her to know that her boys were hurting, but she was in pain. Even her husband was feeling the tense atmosphere that followed their sons and Naruto around. He didn't show it outright, but his face was a little tenser, the line of his lips a little tighter. He was spearheading Sakura's case, but they needed her to wake up. His stress rose every day that she didn't.

It was a long while before Sasuke came down the stairs. He threw a coat over Itachi. "Come on, brother," he said quietly, heading for the garage. Itachi looked after him, eyes unreadable.

"What?" he asked no one in particular, but Mikoto was still in the room.

"Go see Sakura, Itachi. You don't have to be here tonight," she repeated what she'd said to the other two boys. She smiled sadly and the beginnings of tears were evident in her eyes. Itachi, eyes widening a slight fraction, rose quickly and walked to the door. He was gone in a moment and Mikoto allowed the few tears in her eyes to fall. No doubt Itachi would be much worse when he came back.

"Hey there, little cousin," Shisui was leaning against Sasuke's car and gave Itachi a wide smile. Yes, he was still upset about Sakura, but knew better than to show it right now. His smile fell quickly, though, when he saw the look in Itachi's eyes. Itachi's mood couldn't be lightened. He knew it and had rushed over here when Sasuke had called him. He had to be here for this.

"Why are you here?" Itachi's voice wasn't unkind, just hard. He was steeling himself against the world, hiding behind walls made of concrete and steel. He was shutting himself off from the world so he wouldn't seem like he was hurting, though they all knew he was. No matter what extreme lengths he went to, they all knew he wasn't acting himself.

"I'm going with my cousins to the hospital, of course," Shisui said without his smile this time. Itachi had the slightest trace of gratitude in his eyes as he nodded, finally moving to the car. Shisui slid in the back seat and stretched out for the ride. It took about half an hour and he wasn't about to be uncomfortable that entire time.

The air was tense and quiet while they were on the way to the hospital. Shisui didn't want to try and lighten the mood, knowing it would probably cause Itachi to become tenser and Sasuke to retract in on himself, too. His black eyes that so mirrored his cousins' watched the scenery fly by as they made their way into the city.

The walk up to her room was silent as well and Sasuke stopped in the waiting room. Itachi stopped too and looked to his brother. He wanted him with him, but Sasuke held up a hand. "Aren't you coming?" he still asked. Sasuke shook his head. His brother didn't need him right now, he needed Shisui. Shisui, who better understood the feelings his brother had and could help him much better than he. Shisui only pressed a hand to Itachi's shoulder and pushed him gently across the floor, towards Sakura's room.

They stood on the threshold of her room for a few long minutes. Itachi couldn't make himself move into the room and Shisui was trying to give him strength, his hand still on his shoulder. "Come on, little cousin," he gave him a shaky reassuring smile and nudged him gently into the room. He led him to her bed, hoping he would do something, anything. Of course he didn't. He could only stare at her, watching her too pale face and her too small body in the bed.

"I can't," Itachi's voice was quiet, it was almost a murmur. He didn't want to look at her for too long; a gut wrenching feeling was growing in his body, but he couldn't look away. This made everything so real. She wasn't ignoring him or avoiding him. She was laying in a hospital bed, holding on to a thread of life, and in serious danger of losing her grip.

"You can," Shisui said, just as softly, "You did it for me. Remember what the nurse said all those years ago?" He was answered with a shrug and a noncommittal grunt. "You and I both know her mind is giving up and she doesn't want to wake up. Remember when that happened to me and the nurse said to talk to me? You never know if the person can hear you, but it's worth a try."

Itachi didn't do anything. He stood there, staring at him, and didn't even give any indication that he'd heard his cousin. Shisui sighed.

"Touch her, cousin," he took his hand and guided him out to touch her. Itachi had a look of fear hidden within his eyes, but he touched her after a couple long minutes. He fell in a chair that Shisui brought up and stared at her face. His hand was over hers, squeezing as tightly as Shisui did when he held it. He was begging her to wake up, he knew. He had pictures to prove Itachi did the same for him in the hospital. "Talk, say her name, say something."

"I can't."

"Sure you can, you did for me little cousin," Shisui ruffled his hair affectionately and quietly left the room. He would return eventually, but Itachi needed to be left alone for this. The man was extremely self conscious and didn't want to talk to her when he was in the room. It was embarrassing and it felt weird, Shisui could attest to that. He often sang to her when he was alone with her and it had been awkward the first few times he'd tried.

Itachi sat by her bedside for a long while just staring at her face. She looked thin. She looked tired. She looked like, although she had been stuck in a coma for days, she hadn't slept. He wondered what horrors were going on in her mind to keep her from waking. He didn't want to talk to her, he felt silly. He suddenly thought of that day all those years ago, the one that Shisui had been alluding to. The nurse had told him to talk to him, that maybe Shisui would hear him and come back. Itachi had believed her then, being a stupid little child, and had thought it worked when Shisui had woken up and smiled at him.

"Sakura," his voice sounded far braver than he felt. He felt dumb, he really did, but he did it out of the hope it would work. "Don't give up, not yet Sakura," he kept saying her name, feeling tears in his eyes. He had never been one to cry, more the one to hide his emotions behind a wall and pretend everything was fine. "Please, Sakura," was the last thing he said before he stood, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead. He held her hand as he had stood and he stared at her face, thinking that this could be the last time he would see her when she had a pulse. He didn't want to think that, he really didn't, but couldn't help it. It was all he'd been thinking this entire time.

Shisui and Sasuke were standing at the doorway a few minutes later, watching. Itachi seemed like he was saying goodbye. He looked and sounded like he would never see her again, but they knew it could happen. They knew she could never wake up and would be put into the ground. Sasuke wanted to reach out and touch Itachi's shoulder, but held himself back. He didn't want to interrupt the quiet moment Itachi was having. He was just trying to say his goodbyes so it wouldn't hurt as much later, he could respect that.

Itachi looked up at them in the next moment, looking quite surprised. He couldn't talk for a few minutes and Shisui took it upon himself to ask, "What, Itachi?" he had moved slightly into the room, waiting for the younger man to break down.

"She moved." Sasuke was in the room now, on the other side of the bed, looking down at her and Shisui was beside him, watching him.

"What?" How?" he couldn't quite make his head comprehend the entire thing. Sakura had moved? This was news that corrupted his thinking process and made it difficult to wrap his head around. He had a few moments to work through it before Itachi spoke again.

"Her hand, her fingers, they…moved," was all he could get out. It was a struggle for him to find the words to say. Shisui wanted to be sarcastic and congratulate him for his eloquence on the matter, but kept his mouth shut. He and Sasuke watched the small girl for a few long minutes before they saw her hand move again. Sasuke ran to the nurses' station.


The last memory she was subjected to before falling into complete darkness was the worst one.

She had come home from school. Her father's car was there and she idly wondered why. She went through her routine before padding up the stairs to finish her homework. She thought nothing amiss until her father came to her room, obviously drunk. He held a bottle of whiskey in his hands and his unfocused eyes settled on her. She shrank back in her seat and regarded him with fear.

"It's time to take what I want," he'd said gruffly, shoving his way into the room and grabbing her hair. He pulled her from her chair and threw her to the ground, she felt her ankle twist at an odd angle and she tried to break her fall with her hands, her right wrist hurting after she fell. She wanted to scream, wanted to, but he had her throat in his hand, choking her. Nothing but the smallest amount of breath escaped her. He began tearing at her clothes, turning them into scraps that he threw around the room. Tears invaded her eyes as he did so.

He didn't try to prepare, didn't care really as she thought. He held her arms down so she couldn't try and get away and shoved into her, hand over her mouth so her shriek of pain was muffled. He rutted into her, again and again, her tears and his grunting the only sound in the room. She wanted it to be over. She wished it would be. He was gripping her so hard, she knew she would have bruises she'd have to lie about and there was so much pain between her legs she knew she'd have trouble walking.

When he finally finished, he kicked her a few times harshly in the ribs, feeling the bones crack and left without caring what he'd done. He hit the bottle of whiskey on the way out and it fell to the floor, breaking into a hundred pieces. He didn't seem to care and just left, knowing she would clean it.

Sakura couldn't move. Her tears leaked into the carpet and she laid there for hours, feeling the shame of unwanted violation. She cried and cried until she had nothing left. Bitterness moved through her and despair followed soon behind. She felt like she was in so much pain and she couldn't stand it any longer. The bitterness and despair swallowed her up and she decided it was time to end it.

She pulled herself up, injuries screaming at her while she moved. She ignored it and reached for a shard of bottle near her. Without thinking about it, she cut into her wrists again and again until her vision grew fuzzy and her mind grew dim. She fell to the floor, barely feeling her head hit the corner of the desk on the way down, entering the darkness and leaving herself vulnerable to the nightmares.

The last memory swirled away and she was finally left alone. She felt herself falling. Falling and falling beneath waves of bitterness and sadness, rage and resentment. She couldn't pull herself out of the rising waves she'd wound up to and she found that she didn't really want to try. She didn't want to fight. She had given up her fight when she had gone for the shard of bottle. She was done.

But then she heard a voice. A voice sunk beneath the waves and reached her. It wasn't the voice that had sung to her, but she knew that voice and, right now, it sounded like hers. It sounded like it was breaking, like the owner was going through so much pain and suffering.

Sakura.

Her eyes shot open in her dark world. She searched for where the voice came from, the voice that promised warmth and comfort, safety and happiness. She heard the voice and it gave her something she had gone so long without. She had been lost and alone, afraid, but someone had found her. She knew the voice belonged to him and she couldn't give up on him.

Don't give up.

Not yet.

Please, Sakura.

She could hear her name on his tongue and the emotions that mirrored hers. She found the direction of the voice and reached towards it. She fought through the waves of her bitterness and despair. Her rage and resentment were fueling her, helping her get out of the darkness.

Memories began swirling around her, but they weren't the ones that tortured her. She saw the first time she'd met Sasuke and Naruto. She remembered the feeling of happiness when she had finally allowed Naruto hug her. She remembered how nice it felt to spend the night at the Uchiha house, away from all her pain and stress. She felt the warmth of Mikoto's welcoming hug and her smile. She remembered Itachi holding her all night, whispering words he didn't quite know in her ear. She felt his calm, warm embrace and the happiness she always felt when he gave her his attention. She remembered Shisui's smile and the way he comforted her though he hardly knew her. She remembered all the nice memories that had been pushed to the side in the darkness of her mind. It gave her hope and she was filled with the warmth she'd gone so long without.

Her fight stopped when she reached the field of warm memories. She fell among them, their light filling her with the happiness, hope, and warmth she hadn't had in the darkness. She could see the waking world; it was just beyond this field. It would only take a few steps, but she was so tired. She could lie in her world of light and happiness for a few moments before returning to the waking world, surely.

And so she stayed, letting her happy memories swirl around her and block out the dark memories that haunted her for so long. She needed to let them for a moment; she didn't want this to end. She knew it had to, though, and when she was ready, she pulled herself up. She felt light as a feather and had no problems taking the short few steps to the world that waited for her.


My shoulder hurts bro. I've written so many words in the past two days.

I'm still not removing them. I like to read them when I need a giggle.