Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or its characters

This chapter is up kind of fast, I know… but, the fact that I'm hurting and wallowing in my misery really gave me inspiration to write this. I'm not happy… at all. I would love to be cheery with you all, but it's hard, my girlfriend just broke up with me last night so now I'm like… just… here. But, here's your chapter 13, I hope you liked it—it helped get my mind off some of the crap life is springing my way.

oooo

Sakura tossed and turned in her bed, her eyes blinking open when she finally awakened. It's… Thursday…? Her eyes danced as she scanned her dorm room. Her mind strained to recall her lessons of the day before, but she remembered: she had been drugged. Sitting up, she wondered who could have possibly done it to her. There's Ino… she mused, but something about Ino spreading drugs and not being caught seemed much too lucky. She could have gotten one of her dogs to do it for her… that is, the whole school… Sakura groaned, running her delicate fingers through her long pink mane.

Her mind started by the process of elimination, crossing Ino off her list of suspects. After all, if she was caught with drugs, she would be expelled. One of her mates had to have done it. However, that was the only person she could find in her mind to rule out. A sigh of defeat eased out of her lips as she got up from her bed, preparing to start her day.

After a quick shower and dressing into her ironed uniform, she pranced downstairs to meet her music professor in the hallway, awaiting her arrival so that they could walk to breakfast together. "Good morning, Ms. Haruno; are you feeling better?"

"Good morning!" She responded with a good natured smile. "I'm feeling a lot better, thank you. Did the nurse ever find out who spread the drugs…?" She asked with hesitance. Sasuke's placid face switched, curving his lips downward in a slight frown of disappointment.

"No," he responded simply, now beginning to head for the cafeteria, motioning for her to follow him. Sakura followed after a sigh of disappointment. It always happened: those who don't deserve to get away with everything. Once they reached the cafeteria, Sasuke left her at the table with Professor Guy and Professor Hatake, explaining that he had to do something quickly before he could join her. When Sakura noticed Karin standing with crossed arms on the other side of the hall, Sakura nodded and bid her professor a temporal good bye.

"Ms. Haruno, are you feeling any better than yesterday?" Professor Hatake questioned her. Sakura looked up at him, taking care to look into his onyx eyes—they were a darker shade than Sasuke's, and she couldn't read him quite as well, but something told her that his question was… in legitimate concern. Had his feelings changed for her?

"I—I'm feeling much better, thank you for asking, Professor Hatake," she bowed her head slightly in respect. A small smile spread on her professor's lips and he nodded back, showing her an equal form of respect. Guy looked over at Kakashi, his face portraying his obvious confusion as he gawked at the Hatake.

"What?" Kakashi asked innocently, taking a bite of his food.

"YOUR MOOD IS ABSOLUTELY EXCEPTIONAL TODAY!" Guy noted, lifting his thumb in approval to his rival. "BUT MINE WILL BE BETTER BY THE TIME TODAY ENDS—"

"Could you please either sit across from me, or not yell in my ear," Kakashi complained, fighting a throbbing headache. Sakura giggled as she watched the two interact while taking small bites of her food. Things were changing. People were warming up to her—even if she was poor. It might have had something to do with the fact that an Uchiha of all people accepted her first, but she didn't care: things were working out for the better.

Sasuke returned, sitting down solemnly beside Sakura. Kakashi looked up at the placid Uchiha, his expression remaining with its usual mischievousness, but Sasuke discerned it to be an apology. The raven lifted his brow, and then it registered: Kakashi felt better about Sakura, although she was poor. Sasuke nodded, sending a look of his forgiveness towards his caretaker.

Although no one else would be able to guess why, Sasuke knew why Kakashi had warmed up to the young pinkette: it was because he had. It took some time—it took enough time, anyways—but the Hatake had realized that Sakura was truly the only person that Sasuke had felt cared about him enough to try to understand him. She had shed tears for him, she had reached out to him, she had thrown herself into his arms, and she allowed him to love her. She didn't push him away, she accepted it, and returned the same feeling back to him.

"How did your talk with Karin go?" Kakashi inquired, tilting his head to the side in curiosity.

"It went well enough," he said simply, taking a few bites out of his food. Kakashi sighed exasperatedly, obviously knowing something that Sasuke didn't know himself, causing the three others to look at him strangely.

"Oh, it's nothing," he laughed casually, waving his hand to brush off the situation.

Once she completed her breakfast, Sakura excused herself from the table; English class was going to start in half an hour and she wanted to get her room clean before getting any further in her day, knowing that she would be too exhausted to do it later. They couldn't find out who spread the drugs… Professor Hatake doesn't hate me anymore… bitter sweet things always happen—I guess that's what lets me keep smiling. She mused as she folded her blanket onto her large bed. She brushed her palms across the smooth material, flattening the crinkled sheets with gentle touches. Her eyes glanced over to her clock. "Time to head down…!" She realized, swinging her book bag over her shoulder and trotting back down to the school room floor.

oooo

English class wasn't very long—or at least it didn't feel that way. Currently, they were reading all from the same book, giving opinions and collective reviews on what they felt about the chapters. That was the more enjoyable section of English for Sakura—although her opinion always differed from the students surrounding her, making her feel like she stuck out like a sore thumb.

After taking down a lighter assignment of homework, Sakura was about to walk out of the classroom, but she heard a light voice calling after her: "Poor girl," Hinata approached her. Sakura glanced over at the Hyuga. "I heard you got sent to the nurse's office; how are you feeling?" She asked with innocence overcoming her voice perfectly. Sakura glanced away.

"I'm… I'm fine, physically. I want to know who did it. People should have to fess up for what they do wrong, that's all," she mumbled, allowing her voice to trail off as her thought ended. She pulled the strap of her bag further around her shoulder and sighed. She saw a smile tugging at Hinata's lips, but when she fully looked over at the rich girl, her face turned back its usual appearance as if she was trying to hide something.

"I agree," she responded, a giggle dancing in her voice. "I'll talk to you later," she waved, walking out rather quickly, still almost breaking out in some form of laughter. Sakura watched her go, confused as to what their encounter had just led to. What was that just now, she wondered?

She travelled down the hall into her geometry class, being sure to check her desk carefully when she settled in. She would finish her classes today—there wouldn't be another drug attack on her. If there was, it would be more suspicious, causing her to either get suspended or expelled and that kind of situation would completely ruin any hopes of her finishing her education.

Slipping into her seat, Sakura brought her homework out and rechecked her answers, seeing as she still had some time before Professor Sarutobi showed up into the classroom. Other students made their way into the large room, settling themselves in their seats in similar ways that Sakura had situated herself. Sakura heard Ino's voice speaking lowly to someone, and she felt those aqua eyes peering evilly on her, seeming to rape her of any peace she had previously attained. She shivered, wanting class to start already so she could focus on something else.

Class began, Asuma watching all of his students carefully. He wasn't quite sure, but something about the class he taught just seemed to encourage people to not pay attention and pass notes, draw pictures—and just do anything but learn. He sighed. "Mr. Sai, the drawing please…" he bit back a groan as he put out his hand, accepting yet another piece of untimely artwork from the student.

The bell soon went off and Sakura gathered up her notes, making preparations for physics class. Most of the other students ventured off to the restrooms—not to use it necessarily, but for a break from the hours of school. Sakura sat in her seat, looking at the notes Professor Hatake was already writing up on the board in preparation of their class. She smiled and scooted out of her desk, walking up to the silver haired teacher. "Professor Hatake, would you like me to clean the erasers?" She offered, a kind smile warming her face. He looked over at her, and a smile tugged at his lips.

"That would be wonderful! There's a whole stack over there, so go ahead and do as much as you can," he grinned. Sakura nodded and rolled her sleeves up, removing the chalk dust from the erasers as she pounded them against each other. I'm probably going to look like a ghost when I'm through with this! She mused with a smile playing at the corner of her lips. Considering her efficiency, Sakura was able to get through enough sets of erasers for the rest of the class by the time it hit the hour of class time. She slipped back into her seat and prepared to take her notes for the rest of the hour.

I wonder how music class will go today… she mused, hoping she hadn't fallen too behind after missing the class of yesterday. What if they learned something really foundational?! I guess I could always learn it in tutoring, but still… she tapped her pencil on her desk as she looked up at the chalkboard, her emerald eyes scanning terms and engraining them into her mind.

She paused as she felt some sort of heavy air of anticipation come over her. Someone wasn't just looking at her evilly, they were watching her with intensity, and she felt it. Sakura straightened her back, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand when her nerves began to go berserk. She turned her head slightly to meet Ino's eyes. She's not looking away… Sakura nodded, swallowing down a growing lump in her throat.

Aqua orbs danced with raging oceans of hatred, contempt, mischief, and a witch like power that could accomplish anything they wanted down. A smirk of disdain curled on the perfectly formed lips of the Yamanaka as she looked at the Haruno, knowing full well what was to come. She knew what was going to happen in just a few minutes—in just a few, miniscule minutes, she would make her move, and destroy everything that the poor girl had gained. That distasteful girl would learn what it meant to go against a Yamanaka—what it meant to treat yourself as if you were rich, when you were actually just one of the condemned poor.

Her nails tapped on her desk as her fingers rolled across it in an eerie pattern of song. The toe of her shoe tapped on the floor as she tapped her foot impatiently. Her eyes narrowed down to slits, more carefully examining that smug, despicable poor girl before her. That placidity, that peace—she would take it from her. No one goes against a Yamanaka—no one goes against her: Ino Yamanaka. "Hinata…" Ino whispered to the girl behind her, who allowed a slight grin to spread across her lips.

"I know," she responded with a silent giggle. "I couldn't get her into drugs in any sort of friendly way—she was avoiding me completely. That's why we're lucky to know a Nara."

"Nara… detectives can cover their tracks, but at this point we don't need drugs anymore," Ino laughed wickedly under her breath, tracing her full lips with the eraser of her pencil. "We just need me."

oooo

Ugh! I can't believe I'm not in music class yet! Sakura screamed at herself inwardly, quickly washing her hands after using the little ladies' room. I wanted to be in early so I could talk to him—ugh… okay, it's not like I'm really running late… just calm down, Sakura. She shook her head and looked at herself in the mirror. She used to see herself as plain: not necessarily beautiful, but not ugly either. But ever since she had started to admit her feelings for her professor, a glow had revived her lifeless eyes and an ever present blush tinted her formerly pale cheeks. She almost looked like an entirely different person, and she now looked at herself as pretty. She felt confident, and that caused her to smile.

After re-strapping her book bag over her shoulder, she walked out of the restroom and headed for music class, a smile on her face. The looks Ino was giving her in physics class still were bugging her, but she didn't know what they were about. She could still be mad about me throwing her phone… she mused, pinching her lips together in remembrance. That might have been a dumb idea, although she deserved it.

When Sakura opened the door to the music room she saw four people there to greet her: Ino Yamanaka, Hinata Hyuga, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sai Matsumoto. She gulped. The all looked at her, a smirk spreading on Ino's lips. Sakura reached for the knob of the door behind her to walk out in fear and she sweat dropped, but she couldn't find the proper control to grip it. She forced herself to grasp it, and she shook it, trying to push it open, but it had been locked, and she didn't know where to unlock it from.

Her emerald eyes looked up to her captors, fear clouding her vision. "Y… Yama… Yamanaka…" she stammered, lifting her chin slightly to try to hide her obvious fear. Ino snickered.

"Don't 'Yamanaka' me, commoner," she sneered, anger curling her lip. Sakura clenched her fist and glared at Ino in her eyes.

"Who put the drugs on my desk yesterday?!"

"That would have been me and Shikamaru," Hinata said sweetly. Sakura's eyes dashed over to the Hyuga. "I'm really surprised that it didn't affect you for more than one day… we put a lot on there," she frowned innocently, something devilish sparkling in her eyes. Sakura shook her head in disbelief.

"Hey, poor girl!" Naruto sneered. "Why do you even bother showing up anywhere? Isn't it pretty clear by now that no one wants you around?"

"Honestly, ugly," Sai said simply, one of his fake smiles curving on his lips, making him that much easier to hate. Sakura pressed her back against the wall, trying to get as far away as possible from the menacing four in front of her. Ino walked up to her: there was no sinister smile on the blondes face. It was something far worse. Anger seethed from every visible aspect of her appearance. She grabbed Sakura by her hair and pulled her into the middle of the four other students.

"Ah!" Sakura screeched as she winced in pain, falling to the ground as Ino threw her.

"Shut up!" She ordered, kicking Sakura in her gut deep and hard. "I've warned you so many times now, and you know what? You didn't listen—because you are so friggin' arrogant!" She got down on her knees and brought Sakura's face up to look at her, her fingers digging into sensitive spots on her jaw. Sakura groaned as the pain burned in her mouth.

"Get off me!" She screamed, shoving Ino off her. Hinata kicked Sakura's side sharply, scowling at the pinkette.

"Don't order her around, poor girl," her childish voice whispered devilishly. Sakura whimpered and held her hands to her aching ribs as she curled up in pain on the floor. She wanted it all to end. She wanted to pain to wane away and leave her body, but the more she ached for it to the leave the more agony she felt boiling in her body. Ino grabbed Sakura by her collar and pushed her onto the wall.

"Who do you think that you are—shoving me like that?!" She screamed, slapping Sakura across her face, leaving a crimson handprint from the unrestrained force. Sakura felt tears falling from her eyes as the pain was intensified. Ino shook her head in infuriation and punched the crying pinkette in her face, Sakura's nose now bleeding and her lips bruised. "I hate you!" She screamed. Sakura groaned, lifting her arms in a weak attempt to fight back, but before she could lay her hands on Ino again, Sai and Naruto restrained her, holding her arms behind her back.

"Oh no you don't," Sai teased, his grip on Sakura twisting her arm back and causing a sharp pain to shoot up to her shoulder.

"Ah!" She whimpered, the more she struggled the sharper the pain. Ino grabbed Sakura by her chin and lifted her eyes to her own. Tears blurred the pinkette's vision, and from the earlier punch to her face, she could feel her left eye swelling up as it was already half closed. Her mouth hung open, too swollen to close it. Ino smirked, proud with the torturous art she had created out of the commoner, but she wasn't done.

"Sai, Naruto, spread her legs," she ordered, throwing Sakura's face out of her hands and crossing her arms over her chest. The two boys obeyed the Yamanaka, and spread the legs of Sakura Haruno opened. Ino snickered. "You want to hear something really interesting, forehead?" She said in a light voice, her mockery clearing showing through. Sakura groaned in a response, barely even conscious from the numbing pain overcoming her senses. "There's a little thing called 'cunt busting' that girls like to keep on the down low so guys don't know. People say if you do it right, it can hurt as much as childbirth; you wanna give it a try?" A witch like giggle wisped between her lips when Sakura's eyes shot up in fear and she shook her head frantically.

"D—don't," she begged weakly in a barely audible voice, raspy with her pain. Hinata giggled, thoroughly enjoying the show she was receiving. (A/N: Hinata is a sadist if anyone's wondering) She couldn't wait to see how the poor girl would writhe in pain, screaming out words of begging, grunting in endless agony as Ino tortured her over and over and over again.

Ino's eyes narrowed at the pleading pinkette. "Don't tell me what to do!" She screamed, going against everything Sakura was hoping for: she kicked between Sakura's legs, on her nether regions with a flat-footed force. Excruciating pain burned throughout Sakura's entire lower body—her legs, her nether area—and she struggled as groans and wails of agony tore out of her throat as she hung from Naruto and Sai's hold on her. "Let her fall," Ino ordered, and the two boys let her go. Sakura curled up in a ball, tossing and turning in slow, painful writhes. The more she moved, the more it hurt, but the less she moved, the more intense the pain became in one central area.

Hinata giggled wickedly and crouched down beside Sakura, caressing her face lightly. "If you cry any louder, I'll be tempted to administer Ino's methods on you all over again!" Sakura wanted to smack her hand away, but those thoughts were quickly cast away as the pain in her body intensified.

"Aaaagh!" She groaned, tears pouring out of her eyes as she curled into a tighter ball, her arms hugging the area above the split where her legs began.

"Go ahead! Scream!" Ino egged her on. "Maybe now you'll know better than to be around Professor Uchiha you stupid wench!" She sneered, spitting on the writhing girl beneath her.

"We should get to our seats before Professor Uchiha does get here…" Naruto mumbled, scratching behind his head. Ino, Hinata, and Sai all nodded as they left Sakura on the floor, twisting and rolling and wallowing in every form of burning pain.

oooo

A few minutes earlier…

"And she cleaned the erasers too. I really am sorry for judging her, really, Sasuke," Kakashi continued to apologize. Sasuke grunt a short "hn", knowing he should be in the music room at the present moment, but wanting to drain Kakashi of every apology while he was still remorseful. Sasuke, seeing as he would get no more out of his senior professor, bid the man good bye and headed out to teach his class. At least I'm not late or anything… Sakura's probably already in the room… he mused, imagining standing still in place, an elegant smile on her features as she looked over each of the instruments with care.

A sigh escaped his lips and he shoved his hands into his pockets. I hope she really is okay and she wasn't lying about the drug's effects being gone… To him, she looked like the type who would constantly tell another that she was fine, even though all sorts of controversial fire were sputtering throughout her very being. He was the one she opened up to however, and the trust she showed to him was very much appreciated.

When he arrived to the door, Sasuke reached for the knob to turn it and enter the room, but it was locked. Stupid kids… he mumbled, now almost certain Sakura wasn't anywhere close to the music room. Just as he was getting out his key, he heard a cry of immense agony—a cry in Sakura's voice. His onyx eyes widened in horror from what he heard. Before he could even begin to search more frantically for his key, he heard Ino's voice, loud and clear even through the closed door:

"Go ahead! Scream! Maybe now you'll know better than to be around Professor Uchiha you stupid wench!"

His heart stopped. His mind froze, his entire body reaching a state of loss attention of everything around him except for those words. "You'll know better than to be around—" To be around… she would know better than to be around… "Professor Uchiha—" Professor Uchiha. Professor Uchiha: the name was so familiar, and yet so distant from his mind. It couldn't register. Who was that? That was… Me… he felt his heart pounding in his chest once again, and the sounds around him began to buzz in his ears once again. This was reality. Sakura Haruno was tortured because of him—because he made her spend time with him.

His body felt numb, his head ached with horror, remorse, anger, confusion… nothing made sense to him anymore. He never wanted to be the reason for her torture—he didn't want to be the reason for her agony, for her pain. His existence pained not only his family, but the one he had learned to love. I… must still be just an accident. He grasped his key and unlocked the door, entering the music room with solemnity.

By this time, everyone in the music room had properly situated themselves in their seats—even Sakura, who had someone struggled up on her weakened, wobbly legs and was slumped into the chair, hiding her face from her professor; tears continued to stain her face while her bangs covered any trace of evidence on it, her head hung, facing her desk. Students poured into the room, now able to make their way inside the unlocked door.

Sasuke couldn't focus. He couldn't teach like this. He couldn't teach knowing that something had happened to Sakura, and it was his fault, and she was sitting there in front of him, hiding her pain just so he wouldn't know. He clenched his fist. "There are no more classes for the rest of the day," he grunted through his teeth. A cheer rose up from the students as all of the stormed out of the room in a large crowd. Sasuke strained to see Sakura somewhere in the crowd, or sitting in her seat, but he could see no one. Sakura… what have I done to you…?

When the classroom was empty, Sasuke saw that Sakura had not stayed behind. He breathed in a sharp breath. I've got to find her… he screamed in his mind, racing out the room. He ran through the halls, the speed of his dash pushing his hair back out of his face. "Uchiha! Can you please explain why all your students aren't in music class?!" Guy yelled at him.

"I cancelled class—and yours too! I'll explain later!" He yelled back, fighting emotions that were welling up inside him. He snapped his eyes shut and continued to look around. She was nowhere in the building, so he went to where he knew she had to be: outside, with nature.

Sasuke found that he was right. He saw the pink haired girl was standing by herself, looking out to the sky with tears staining her bruised cheeks, trickling down from her swollen eyes. Her lips stuck out in what looked like a pout, but they were bleeding and swollen from her previous encounter with Ino. He shook his head at the sight of her. What have I done?! He screamed at himself, tears tugging themselves out of his shocked eyes.

Sakura looked over at her professor, realizing his presence. "S—Sasuke…" she breathed, trying to hide herself once again.

"Don't go," he ordered, his voice shaking with emotion. Sakura stopped, and looked up at him ashamedly. Her lips quivered and more tears poured down when she saw his face—when she saw his eyes: he had heard what Ino had said in that last sentence, and now he knew why she was being tortured. "Why… why did you lie to me? Why didn't you tell me it was my fault that they're doing this to you?!" He looked at her sternly, more tears trickling down from his onyx eyes than he wanted to show.

"S—Sasuke…" Sakura breathed, turning away from him. Sasuke shook his head and pinched his lips together. He took a deep breath, emotions overwhelming him. It was his fault. She was tortured because of him. She was crying because of him. If he had just never ordered her to be tutored by him none of this would have happened. They would have parted—separated and she would have been fine. He had done the exact opposite of what he wanted to—he wanted to protect her, and he instead caused her harm. He loved her, and he wanted what was best for her, and he wasn't that.

"I can't be around you anymore…" he said, a solemn air in his tone.

…

I look at you, regretting what I said.

I look at you, praying it's a dream

I walk away, losing the more important half of me.

I watch you go, not waking up.

…

oOoOo

Sorry for ending on such a bad note everyone… :s The quote thing or whatever you want to call it is something I made up myself (so I didn't put it in the disclaimer lol) because I didn't feel like going on Google or whatever and finding an applicable quote for this part of the story. The first and third ones are the things Sasuke would say and the second and fourth ones are the ones Sakura would say. Anyways, arigatogozaimasu for your support, and please don't forget to R&R. :]

InaGaTa