Black Rose
Author: Moe-shi
Summary: After leaving an abusive relationship, Sakura finds solace in Naruto's arms. AU. NaruSaku Warning: Violence
Rated: T
Reviews for the last chapter:
Anotherredguy: Aww... thanks! :) And... ehm... I kind of... didn't. I'm horrible, I know. But anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter! ;P
charles cdv: I'll try and get the next chapter up as fast as I can so you can see what happens! :)
tinman96: Thanks a ton! And... I'm updating now! Hope you like it! :)
hideki411: Thanks so much! :) And I guess you'll have to see... next chapter. Sorry... :(
Shot Down: Hmm... my first flamer... I feel special. And happy, because it took 44 reviews to get to it ;) aha, I'm just joking. But anyway, I wish you'd used your own account (I don't bite), so I could kind of... explained it to you, without having to type up a huge response at the beginning of the story like I'm going to have to. Sigh. Anyway, here is your response, see, it's even got it's own little paragraph!
I'm sorry that you are unsatisfied with the last chapter, it's just that, well, Sakura and Sasuke have known each other since they were kids. They're like siblings, and... hmm... to explain this better, imagine that you're really close relative (I don't know, whoever you're closest to) hit you a couple of times. You aren't going to stop loving them because of that, although you may stop trusting them, or not like them as much. At the end of the day, they're still someone you care deeply about. But, I know you probably won't listen to this response, and still deny it, but really... her being in love with him still is realistic. Sure, it doesn't make much sense to people that haven't been beaten, but most people that are beaten still love the person that did it to them. It's just the way it works. Also, I'm sure your parents or grandparents used to be beaten by someone, whether that be a parent or other guardian. Did they stop loving them because they had 'the belt' pulled out on them? I'm guessing not. Now, I'm not saying that this is true for all cases, but for the purpose of this story, this is true.
I hope this... calms your anger, and if you or anyone else has anymore questions about my story, just ask. Thanks for the review! :)
love: I know, it doesn't make much sense to people that haven't went through it, but I hope this next chapter can help explain it a little better. Thanks! Hope you like this one!
Nutt Man 117: :P Don't we all? And you'll have to wait and see ;) thanks!
xTheSkyBurNsx17: Haha, I'm glad you enjoyed it so much. Well... I feel like a horrible person saying this, but... you'll have to wait longer! Yay. Sorry... I kind of made this a flashback chapter. -.-'
Masahiro 'Night' Seiran: You'll see him more next chapter :) Thanks a lot, and I hope you like this chapter!
manateeface: Aha thanks, I thought so too! And I'm glad you like it! :)
Person who didn't give a name so I'm just going to have to answer you: Thanks so much! I tried to make it pretty suspenseful (and yes, you did spell it right :P), and I hope you guys enjoy this one as much as the previous ones!
Animaman: Thanks, I'll think about your suggestion... and probably take it. I think it would be nice to have more characters. Thanks for the suggestion!
Malverstation: Thanks a lot! :) I'm updating now. I hope you like this new chapter!
Darious Frost: Haha, a lot of people have been suggesting that I use Hebi or something along those lines, and I hadn't really thought of it till then. It's a good idea, and I think I might do it. Anyways, thanks!
shadow rose2717: Thanks! And we'll see... ;) I'm not even too sure myself. I know, I'm a horrible author. I'm just kind of writing... although I would like to incorporate more characters.
Saturn XK: Yep, I'm continuing! :) I just haven't really been able to find time to update... but, I am now! Better late than never I guess. And no worries, Sasuke will definitely not come out unscathed.
NOTE: This is a flashback episode, just to help explain how everything happened. If you don't want to read, stop now, or skip ahead to the next chapter (when I have it up).
Chapter 5
10 Years Ago
Sasuke was new.
He was new to the school, he was new to the town... overall, he was just new.
And even at his young age of eight, he realized just how much people were fascinated by things that were new... things that were different. He was the epitome of different.
With his dark clothes (his mother thought that the darker something was the more expensive it was – or at least the more expensive it looked), his fancy hair, his deep brooding eyes, he was everything his classmates were not. He was not... innocent. He had lost that many years ago.
It wasn't that he thought he was above his classmates, certainly not, it was more something along the lines of... being scared of his classmates.
All of his life he had been kept indoors, not allowed to 'fraternize' with the other children. Apparently it wasn't 'professional' and it was something to be looked down upon. "It's just not what Uchiha do."
His parents figured that he didn't need to associate with anyone his own age. Instead, they kept him inside, homeschooling him. That was, until his 7th birthday. They'd had to move. Move away from their luxurious resort like home, and into the heart of one of the biggest cities in the world: Konoha city.
Both of his parents needed to help with the police department (father) and company (mother) now, so homeschooling was not an option anymore. He had to actually... go to public school.
With people.
But... he wasn't ready. Not at all.
By the time he started 3rd grade, he was enrolled in Konoha academy, with... normal people. They talked, laughed, joked, and he didn't understand it at all. These interactions made no sense to him, and he couldn't even try imitate them.
He figured they were all crazy.
So... he stayed away. He ignored all the giggling girls and the 'tough' boys that came up to him, and he kept to himself, doing the thing he knew best: being by himself.
It might have been why he was so hesitant to stand up for those two strange kids he saw one day after school. But Uchiha's had pride, and he knew the difference between right and wrong.
It all started when he was walking home from Konoha academy. His parents would both be late today, so he certainly didn't need to rush, even though they said that he needed to be home at a certain time. He knew it was because they were both huge control freaks, and they wouldn't be content knowing that he was out walking about.
He would make sure he was back kind of early, but besides that, he had no worries.
That was why he didn't mind taking the long route through the park that day, sticking to the shadows where he was most comfortable. At first he wasn't sure what he saw, but after creeping a bit closer, the scene became apparent to him.
There was a large circle of kids, some of which were older than he was, and some of which he recognized were from his own class. They were surrounding two children that he could only partially see, but it was enough to realize who they were.
He had noticed them in class. After all, it was kind of hard not to notice this pair. It wasn't that he knew their names, but he would recognize their faces anywhere. They were both kind of odd looking.
One of them could have been considered normal, he supposed, except for three whisker marks on each of his tanned cheeks. It's what set him apart, besides the fact that not many kids in his town had blonde hair, and the fact that he was so loud. That part was annoying.
The other was so far from normal that he could pick her out a mile away. She was relatively short for her age, and she had a large forehead with big green eyes (weird contrast, he thought decidedly), but it wasn't that that made her so odd. It was her hair colour.
He wasn't sure if it was natural or not, but it was... pink. And not strawberry blonde, or even... tinged pink... it was downright fluorescent pink.
He figured that was why she was being made fun of. But the boy?
From his view in the shadows, Sasuke could see the two kids wincing away from some of the older children as they waved around things in their hands. He couldn't really tell what the things were, but he figured they were something big and heavy... like rocks of some sort.
Immediately, he felt some sort of connection to these kids.
Maybe that was what made him do what he did next.
Stepping out of the shadows, he made his presence aware to the group. At first, everyone froze, some of them recognizing him, and some of them taking him in, judging whether or not he was a threat. He supposed he was deemed fine, because the next second a small girl from his 2nd period class was grabbing his hand and dragging him forward, as a big kid called out merrily, "You comin' to join the fun?"
This is wrong.
He wrenched his hand away from the little girl's grip, glaring at the group of children around him with a snarl. "You guys are... sick."
The group was silent for a moment, frozen, wondering if they'd heard correct. But it only took a moment for their faces to change, twisting back into the sadistic smirks he had seen earlier, as they took a small step towards him, "Well, whatcha gonna do about it?"
"Do you know who I am?" he asked quietly, glowering at them, despite the fact that he was much shorter than most of the kids.
"Someone that's going to be beaten up?" one of the boys asked, and the group erupted into laughter over something that wasn't really all that funny at all.
Idiots.
"Sasuke." he began, gauging their expressions as he continued. "Sasuke Uchiha."
One of the oldest boys seemed to shrink back suddenly, and the others looked at him curiously, not aware of the power behind the name Uchiha. He started to slowly step backwards, muttering quietly to the group, "You guys, he's the police's son. Let's get out of here."
It was like a hundred things happened at once, and immediately the group disbanded, now understanding the severity of the situation. They scattered in all different directions, and Sasuke let out a soft sigh of relief. He hadn't been sure if that would work.
When he looked back to the place where the group had been standing, he was surprised to find that the 'different kids', as he had dubbed them, still stood there.
Rather... one of them laid, while the other crouched to the ground. He could hear the small pink haired girl muttering softly in a panic, "C'mon Naruto-kun, you gotta wake up now. They'll come back soon..."
He wasn't sure what compelled him to go up to them, but he figured it was mostly because they were one and the same. They were all different, and although he wasn't rejected by his classmates as they were, he certainly felt just as out of place as they did.
"H-hello..." he cursed himself for stuttering, but he realized that it probably didn't matter. This girl was too scared of him to care if he stuttered or not.
"Don't touch him." she threw herself in front of the blonde boys body, glaring at him with intense green eyes as she attempted to push her fear away. Oddly, he found it rather... courageous.
"I don't want to hurt him." he muttered, walking towards them purposely, painfully aware that with each step he took she would flinch. "I won't hurt you either." he assured.
She seemed to let out a breath she was holding, but her guard wasn't totally down either. He supposed he didn't really blame her, after all, he was a stranger. A dark, looming stranger.
When he was close enough for her to get a better look at him, she seemed to brighten slightly, "You go to my school." he nodded timidly at her, and her smile grew, "You're not a bully either."
He shook his head, crouching down beside the girl and the blonde as he tried to assess the situation. He pulled up a blank. He knew nothing of... this. He peered into her emerald green eyes (which seemed to change colour with her mood), "What do we do?"
"Well," she started, seeming to switch into an entirely different (bossy, he remarked inwardly) mode, "he's breathing and everything, but he's got a bit of a temperature. Can you soak a piece of cloth in a river bank or something... like... this..." she ripped off a piece of her dress and handed it to him, "I'm going to try and wake him up, but we should put him on his left side first, so he doesn't choke if he vomits. Or should we elevate the legs?" she mused, before shaking her head, "No, we'll put him on his side."
With that, he was pushed off in the direction of what he assumed to be a pond, while the girl stayed behind to take care of the boy. At first he was a little hesitant, but with one last annoyed look from the rose haired girl, he left in search of the water source.
When he arrived back to the small clearing with the damp cloth, Sasuke was surprised to find the blonde boy conscious again, the girl slowly rubbing his back as he muttered incoherent things. He stood there, frozen for a moment, as the electric blue eyes of the boy met his.
"Who's that..." the boy rasped out, although it came out as more of a statement.
The pink haired girl looked over at him, "He's-he's... helping us." she told her friend (he didn't know his name, he realized belatedly), taking the cloth away from Sasuke, placing it over the blonde boy's eyes. "Here, lie down for a while. You have a bit of a fever."
The blonde boy complied after a moment of quiet whining and a soft smack on the arm from the girl, and in a few minutes he was letting out soft snores. The pink haired girl turned her attention to him, her now forest green eyes glinting with curiosity. "I don't mean to be rude, but... who are you, anyway?" on a second thought, she added, "I'm Sakura."
"Didn't you hear me earlier?" he asked, raising an eyebrow at her, "My name is Sasuke Uchiha."
She grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. It was an act he had seen the blonde boy do before, "I'm sorry Sasuke-kun, it's just that Naruto-kun passed out, and I wasn't really paying attention anymore."
"His name's Naruto?" he asked, still a little surprised by the 'kun' she added to his name. Nobody had ever done that before.
"Mhm... Naruto Uzumaki. My last names Haruno." she said proudly, as if that name should mean something to him. He tried to look impressed as he asked his next question.
"How did you know all that stuff... like, making Uzumaki-san conscious?" he enquired, unsure of how to refer to the blonde haired boy. He knew he was being formal, but he felt like he couldn't call him Naruto either.
She looked up at him proudly, puffing her chest slightly as she grinned, "I'm going to be a doctor when I get older, I gots to know all that stuff."
He nodded at her, accepting this response with a small smile, as he cautiously got off the ground, "It was good to meet you Sakura-san, but I have to go home now. I'll see you later?"
She smiled bigger than he'd seen all day, "Really?" she blinked for a second, trying to put on a mask of 'coolness', "I mean, um, yeah, that would be fun."
"Alright." he had half the nerve to laugh, but he stopped himself, "Bye, then."
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
When he arrived home, all he could hear was shouting. There were maids and butlers bustling all around the mansion, and Sasuke instantly knew that meant his mother was home.
Oh no...
It wasn't that he didn't love his mother, because he did, it was more that she sometimes scared him.
His mother sometimes got... angry. His big brother, Itachi, told him once that it was because she was bipolar. He wasn't totally sure what that was, but he thought it sounded like an infectious disease. He just hoped it wasn't contagious, and he wished his mom would get better.
Sometimes, when they would go out of the house and have a really fun day, Sasuke would think maybe, just maybe she was cured. After all, the anger was gone, and back was the smile and the hugs. But that was until they got home.
It was about a year ago that he realized what the situation was. It was another one of those 'Uchiha pride' things. His mother had to act all prim and proper whenever company was over, but the second they left she could show her true colours.
Her true colours were scary.
He always kind of wondered why she didn't take the medication the doctor had prescribed for her. After all, it was meant to help her right? It was supposed to make her back into the mommy that Sasuke remembered from his early years. The years before the yelling and the hitting.
You see, when Mikoto Uchiha got angry, she also got... violent. And it wasn't just a little violent, it was very violent. It didn't matter who it was, either, as long as they were within the family.
He, himself, had never been hurt too bad besides bruises and scars, but the rest of the members of his family had received broken bones. Mostly his brother. Sometimes, his brother would jump in front of him, so that Sasuke wouldn't receive the harsh 'beating of the day'... but that only made things worse.
He wished his brother didn't have to feel pain for him, but he could never stand up to his mom himself. He was only 8 years old.
"Sasuke?" a shrill voice rang out, and Sasuke froze, his blood running cold. There she was now. He wanted to hide, but he knew that was a bad idea. Things could only get worse if he did that.
"Mother..." he called back quietly, letting her know where he was as she approached him.
"You were late." she gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. "I told you to be home- when? When?"
"Right after school..." he muttered, trying to avoid looking in her crazed eyes.
"I don't think you've learned your lesson." she announced, dragging him off with her to what Sasuke knew to be the sound proofed room.
Here we go again.
9 Years Ago
Sasuke quietly sighed, rubbing his arm with a wet cloth, wincing as he tried to get rid of the blood.
All that was left was the clothes...
He glanced down at them with the one eye he could keep open, the other swollen tightly shut, a bruise beginning to form. All of his expensive dark clothes were splattered with blood, like tie-dye, and he couldn't help but wonder what the dry cleaners thought when they cleaned his clothes.
If they cleaned his clothes... for all he knew, his mother could go out and buy him new clothes to replace the ones she bloodied. After all, appearance was everything.
It was funny actually, well... not really all that funny at all, but slightly... ironic? Unexpected? Well, whatever it was, it wasn't at all what people thought. It was weird, because to everyone else, Itachi was the prodigy, Sasuke was the boy ignored by his father, but loved by his mother more than anything. His father was the strict father, not really paying much attention to one of his sons, and leaving no room for mistakes, ever. Mother... well, mother was supposed to be the kind, caring type, the one that loved both boys, and made up for any neglect that they'd received.
How opposite the roles actually were.
"I'm going out!" he heard his brother yell, followed by the sharp sound of the door slamming. He jumped a bit at the noise, wondering inwardly how his brother could stand up to the parents like that.
He could never raise his voice... he feared for his life to much to do that.
But then again, he supposed that his parents could never kill him or his brother, or go too far, because what would they tell the public when both of their lovely sons disappeared?
He couldn't help but wonder if that was the only reason he was still alive.
He pulled his shirt over his head, throwing it into the hamper as he grabbed his dark blue cell phone off of the table. He wished he could scrape that Uchiha fan off the back of the case.
10 missed text messages
He sighed, wondering what the heck they wanted. He'd only been a way from his phone for an hour... how impatient.
3 text messages from Sakura Haruno
7 text messages from Naruto Uzumaki
He clicked Sakura's name, and waited a moment.
Sakura Haruno (9:45): Sasuke-kunnn... me and Naru-kun are going to the mall at 12, wanna commee?
Sakura Haruno (10:00): We're changing it to 11:30, cause we're gonna go to a movie or something at like 1. You in?
Sakura Haruno (10:30): The time is cutting close, Uchiha, RESPOND.
...She was getting mad. Responding was probably a good idea.
Sasuke Uchiha (10:40): Yeah, I'm in... where are we meeting?
Sakura Haruno (10:43): YAY. We're meeting at Ichiraku's, Naru said he has a craving.
Just as he was about to respond, a little message popped up in the corner.
NEW MESSAGE: Naruto Uzumaki
He rolled his eyes, pressing ignore.
Sasuke Uchiha (10:44): ...Bipolar woman.
Sakura Haruno (10:44): WHAT?
Sasuke grinned, he loved it when Sakura got all flustered. He didn't actually think that Sakura was bipolar, he would never compare her to his mother. She just always happened to react whenever he said it. She knew he wasn't serious though.
Naruto Uzumaki (9:45): TEME GESS WAT!
Naruto Uzumaki (9:58): GESS!
Naruto Uzumaki (10:05): CMON GESS!
Naruto Uzumaki (10:10): OKAY ILL TELL U! ME AND SAKURA ARE GOING TO SEE THAT NEW MOOVIE THAT HAS THE NINJAS IN IT!
Naruto Uzumaki (10:20): SAKURA SED SHE ASKEDD U BUT U DIDNT RESPOND ARE U GOING TO COME
Naruto Uzumaki (10:25): ARE YOO!
Naruto Uzumaki (10:31): FINE THEN TEME IM NOT TALKING TO U ANYMORR.
Naruto Uzumaki (10:43): BUT U TEXT SAKURA! HMPH.
Sasuke Uchiha (10:45): Dobe.
His friends were idiots, but... they were nice enough. Not too... annoying. Tolerable, how about?
Well, at least he didn't mind spending time with them, he thought to himself, grabbing his coat off his bed and heading out his bedroom door. He needed them to escape whatever this home situation was.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
When he got back, he was surprised to find cars lining the driveway. Most of them he didn't recognize, but some of them were police cars from the station. He felt perplexed as to why they were at his house, though, at least in those cars. They usually took normal cars if they came to his house.
So... why were they here?
He felt cautious as he slowly climbed up the stairs, inwardly debating if he actually wanted to go inside or not. At least there wouldn't be any beatings tonight.
"Sasuke?" someone asked unsurely, and he jumped slightly, glancing beside himself to see a man in a suit. He grabbed Sasuke by the elbow, not waiting for an answer, as he led him inside.
"Who are you?" he asked, glaring at the suited man with his dark eyes, as he tried in vain to rip his elbow from the strong man's grip.
"We're social services. We're taking you away from him."
Him? Him?
His father?
His father was the last person he needed to worry about. His mother was the one... she was...
But they would never believe him.
In the following hours, people were running around him, making him go in and out of cars, and wait in one place forever, before rushing him in another car.
He was tired, and everyone kept asking him about how he was and how he was coping with an 'abusive father'. He gave them the answers they wanted to hear, but all he could really think about was that he wanted to stay with his brother.
He was all he had left.
6 Years Ago
As he grew to be a teenager, Sasuke and his brother were forced to move from home to home. It wasn't a quick process, but they certainly didn't stay in one place for too long either.
They were unwanted.
That was probably why he first turned to drugs.
His brother already tended to do them, "It's an escape." he'd said, and he'd assured his little brother that everything was alright and that it was perfectly fine to cool off every once in a while.
But after a bit, it became more of a daily thing.
5 Years Ago
Gangs, drugs, violence.
A strong hatred of women.
He'd picked it up from his brother in the years following up to his high school career. After all, he'd always looked up to his brother, so anything his brother did, he tended to do.
It wasn't really a good thing.
4 Years Ago
First year of high school, and Sasuke was back in the same area of Konoha he'd been taken from. His brother had recently taken full guardianship of him, and had... well, basically let him go live on his own. If he had to live on his own anywhere, he would rather it be close to his best friends.
Yes, he said it, best friends. He'd gotten over calling them acquaintances years ago, and since then they'd became like more of a family. After he'd gone into 'the system' they were the only people that he had kept in contact with.
Sakura Haruno and Naruto Uzumaki.
The three of them were as different as someone could be, but for some reason they just... worked. In places where one of them lacked, the others made up for... by ten fold. They all certainly had big personalities, it was really a miracle they didn't kill each other.
"Ne, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, batting her eyelashes at him at what he could only guess she thought was sexy. He knew she was only doing that to fit in, and that the second they would all be back at her house watching movies, she would be punching him in the head and joining in with Naruto with choruses of, "TEME!"
He didn't blame her, though, and he didn't really mind the attention either. If one female had to put the moves on him, he would rather it be her than any of these other mindless girls.
"Hn?" he raised an eyebrow in her direction, and he could tell that she was holding back a smirk, observing the other girls that glowered in her direction. She loved being the centre of attention, because even though she had friends that accepted her for who she was, she wanted more.
Sasuke wished that one day she would see that they were enough.
"Kiba and Ino-pig are going out on a date," she sent him a glare when he looked like he might laugh (you know, if he wasn't an Uchiha), "and she wants me to come along. But... I need someone to bring..."
"No." he replied, already knowing where this was going. He turned his attention in front of him as the teacher began to drone on. They were in 4th period math, and the clock just wasn't going fast enough... he wanted to go home.
"But-" she stopped herself from smacking him over the head, because that wouldn't be too good for her image, "Sasuke-kun, would you please, please, please come with me? Please? I'll..." she lowered her voice so that nobody else in the class could hear, "give you tomatoes."
Sasuke paused for a moment, a small smirk making it's way to his lips. "Fine. But they better be the good kind."
Her smile brightened, "Only the best."
They both turned their attention back to the clock that was slowly ticking away, both inwardly laughing at the odd looks they were getting from their classmates. They could practically see the gears grinding around in their heads, and when someone asked her friend quietly, "What the heck did she whisper in his ear?" Sakura couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips.
They both shared a secret look, laughter bouncing between their eyes. It was fun to have power over people.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Sasuke put a key into his apartment door, twisting it slightly as it clicked open. He entered the dark room, flipping the light switch and dropping his bag by the front door.
He sighed, that was a horribly long day, and it was only half over. What he really needed now was some coff-
"Sasuke." a voice acknowledged him, and he looked around himself wildly, his obsidian orbs finally landing on a tall, dark figure. Itachi.
It wasn't that he didn't love his brother anymore, he just didn't worship him the same way as he did 6 years ago. They'd grown kind of distant, and once Sasuke kicked his drug habit, Itachi had basically left him alone. He supposed that was their 'falling out'.
"Itachi."
Itachi smirked at him, his red eyes judging him harshly. Sasuke instantly knew he was high. "Hello, foolish little brother. How are you?"
"Good." he answered curtly, pushing past him and into the kitchen. He didn't have time to deal with this right now.
"Good, good. What about your two little friends?" Itachi paused for a moment, "The fox boy and that sexy little pink haired girl."
Sasuke froze, whipping around to glare at his brother, "Don't talk about them like that."
"Why shouldn't I?" Itachi chuckled, "Seems like you're starting to care about them too much. Sasuke, bonds can hurt you." he shook his head slightly, as if he was disappointed in his little brother, "I'll have to do something about them."
He didn't doubt what Itachi was saying. His brother was part of a big criminal gang, and with just the flick of his wrist, he could have Sasuke's best friends killed, raped, kidnapped. If he was serious... no, Sasuke couldn't let that happen.
"Them? Hah, I don't even talk to them anymore. But memories are memories and I would rather if you didn't defile what I have left of them." he looked at his brother, wondering if he was buying his story, "I hang with a different crowd now, those two were too..." he almost winced as he said the next words, practically imagining his friend's faces if they ever heard it, "weak."
Itachi seemed satisfied, heading toward the door as if that was the end of the conversation. Just as Sasuke was about to let out a sigh of relief, Itachi glanced back at him, his dark eyes piercing him, "But if I catch you hanging around them, Sasuke, we'll have to fix that little problem, now won't we?"
And with that he was gone, and Sasuke was left to pace the room in inner turmoil. He didn't really mind being alone, he guessed. It was good for him, he supposed, after all, if he wasn't around anyone he could never hurt them. He'd heard that being bipolar runs in your genes, and he'd been getting rather... weird lately. So, yes, it was better for them (his friends) if he wasn't around anyway, he decided, trying to justify it in his mind.
Besides, those two were... they were his everything. If they... if they got hurt, he didn't know if he could go on. But if that meant he couldn't be around them, then so be it.
With that, he picked up his phone and dialled a number he had long since memorized.
"Sakura? Yeah, I can't make it to that date."
"Why?"
"I'm busy."
"Um... okay then Mr. Grumpy."
He hung up the phone.
2 Years Ago
People figured that he had hit them, all of the girls he'd been with. He didn't. Sure, maybe he'd yelled, but he'd never hit them.
Never.
It was probably because of how angry he would get at the girls. It wasn't that he disliked them or anything, it was just... they would say these few sayings his mother used to say in the public, to fool everyone, and he would see red. He couldn't help but scream at them, "You're lying!". He didn't believe them when they said that was just how they were.
A lot of girls would break up with him, and then to make themselves seem 'cooler' (Sasuke wasn't sure how abuse was cool at all) they would say he had hit them. It would send everyone swarming to the girl, although nobody actually thought what she said true.
It wasn't until his grade 11 year that people actually started believing the rumours, though. It all started with this girl. Her name was Mitsuki, although most people only referred to her as 'the girl after Ino'. Apparently she wasn't memorable enough for everyone else, but Sasuke remembered her.
Maybe it was because she was one of the only girls he could actually stand since Sakura. In fact, he hadn't even dated her, they'd just been friends. But the second people saw the Sasuke Uchiha hanging with a girl, they assumed the two were going out.
When Mitsuki had asked him to pretend, he knew he shouldn't have agreed. But really, they both needed it. He needed it to keep up appearances (if he had it his way, he wouldn't even have a girlfriend, but in order to be one of the 'populars' he needed to constantly be with someone. It was stupid), and she needed it so her parents wouldn't figure out that she was dating an older guy.
It was fine for a while, after all, Mitsuki didn't mind when he yelled at her (she knew his past), and he didn't mind when she used him as an excuse. But one day... one day something happened.
She'd come to him, crying, with bruises all over her arms and cuts all over her body. Her boyfriend, the older one, had hit her. If Sasuke had his way, he would have gone and killed the guy, but she stopped him. She said it was too late now, and that all that mattered was making sure people didn't know. Nobody could know she'd been with an older guy.
So... he told her she could tell everyone it was him. That he had hit her in one of his yelling fits, and when she had talked back, he'd just kept hitting her. He knew that it would end whatever popular career he'd started, but he supposed he didn't really care. He just had to stay away from Sakura and Naruto.
Nobody had doubted it when Mitsuki told the lie, but the reaction they gave was not one to be expected. He didn't lose his status, but instead, it grew. He was ashamed to say that he knew these people, the ones that came up to him and patted him on the back, "Good job, man. Never really liked her anyway."
Apparently popularity really was everything.
It sickened him.
1 Year Ago
One day, when he'd been looking in the mirror, he realized that he reminded himself of his mother. He yelled just as much, and even though the hitting hadn't happened yet, he was just as scary as he'd found her to be.
So, he went to a doctor.
He wasn't at all surprised when it turns out he was the same as his mother. He was right, it did run in the family. But he... he wouldn't let it control him. He took the medicine as prescribed, and most of the time the anger was gone. He felt somewhat normal again, and he began to wonder...
He hadn't seen his brother in almost 2 years now, and he was beginning to think he'd forgotten about him. He'd heard a rumour about an Itachi in Suna, and he hoped it was the same Itachi. Maybe... maybe it was safe to be with his friends again. If they'd take him back.
In the past 3-4 years they hadn't really changed much. Naruto had the same eyes and hair, except they were more vibrant now. His tan was there too, and sometimes Sasuke couldn't help but wonder how he kept it all year round. The only real difference was how much leaner and taller he was. Sakura's odd pink hair had grown out to her waist, although she always kept it up in a bun. Her eyes still randomly changed colour with her mood, and she still stammered. She'd grown into her self-proclaimed large forehead, and she'd gotten curves, and... essentially grown up. They'd both grown up...
Without me.
He knew it was bad, and he never thought he would think about her that way, but... he'd began to develop feelings for his childhood friend. He didn't know how, as he'd only seen her in the halls, but he wanted to re-get to know her. He wanted to be with her again.
It was why, that one day in the middle of spring, he had approached her.
"Sakura Haruno, right?" he asked, although they both knew that he knew her name. He smirked lightly when a blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Yea." she smiled brightly up at him, "Sasuke Uchiha, right?"
He nodded, although he wasn't really paying attention anymore. Sasuke liked perfection, and that Sakura was, except this offending piece of hair that kept flying around her face. It was out of place, and it was annoying him severely. Without another thought, he reached up and brushed the piece of hair away.
As he moved his hand away slowly, he admired his work, "So beautiful..." he murmured softly, watching as she squirmed under his gaze.
"Please." she laughed lightly, looking down at her hands, and Sasuke could almost feel a blush coming to his cheeks (thank god she'd been looking down. Uchiha's can't blush). She had a beautiful laugh. "I'm hardly pretty, or worth your time."
If he were any other person, he would have laughed out loud, but he settled for a smirk. If anything, he wasn't worth her time. "Oh, Sakura, you are most definitely worth my time."
As she blushed darker (like a rose, he thought inwardly), he brought up a hand, tilting her jaw upwards, so that he could see her eyes. They were a forest green colour, swimming with undertones of brown and black. "Would you be, perhaps, interested in a date?"
He expected a rejection, but in half a second she responded, "Yes!" before she stopped herself, trying to put on a mask of 'coolness'. He almost laughed at how similar this was to the day he'd met her, "I mean, um, sure. I think I'm free... S-sorry, that sounded all desperate and s-stuff, and oh god now I'm stuttering-"
He looked at her bemusedly, doing the only thing he could think of to stop her ramblings. He leaned down, kissing her forehead softly. "See you later than, Haruno."
It was then that they'd started dating, and... well, things were perfect. Naruto talked to him now, although he was a little hostile towards him. Sasuke figured it was because Naruto was in love her, and although he felt a little bad... Sasuke needed Sakura right now.
Naruto had had his chance.
But... but then everything went wrong.
They'd only been dating a few months when Itachi showed up at his apartment, a familiar smirk on his face.
He hated that smirk, and with all he'd done, Sasuke was sure he hated his brother too.
"What do you want, Itachi?" he asked his brother, who's eyes were once again red. With the black colour of his orbs, it almost looked like he had little black commas in his eyes, spinning round and round.
"Oh nothing, foolish little brother. I just thought I would come check on you." he held up a bottle of his medication, "Now, what's this Sasuke?" he chuckled, "You're so weak, you know that?"
"I'm not weak." he spat out, glaring holes in his brothers head. He wanted him to leave.
"Yes you are. You need medication to stay sane." he paused for emphasis, toying with his little brothers mind, "Weak."
With that, Sasuke watched in horror as his brother dumped his medication on the floor, stomping on it with a satisfying crunch. "What are you doing?"
"No Uchiha needs medication." Itachi lectured, getting up off the couch and heading towards the door, "Neither do you."
With that, he was gone.
Why did his brother like ruining his life?
5 Months Ago
It wasn't that he thought he was above the medicine, it was just that by the time he could get it again (he had certain dates he could refill his medication. When he'd gone back to get some after his brother had smashed them, they'd denied him. Apparently it was addictive, and they thought he was... snorting it) he was too far gone.
He'd been through too many painful highs and lows in those couple of months, he'd turned back to drugs. He tried to make sure he didn't do them in front of Sakura, but... sometimes she would see. She would cry when he did, and he wanted to comfort her, he really did, but... he couldn't.
It was like everything was a blur, and he was just watching a movie. Afterwards, in those few minutes of sanity he would get every once and a while, when he didn't feel totally controlled by his emotions, he would regret every single one of his actions. But then the emotions would be in charge again, and morals didn't seem to matter much anymore.
It was like, every time he saw Sakura, it wasn't Sakura he was seeing... it was like he saw Mikoto instead. He would get angry at her, he would yell, but when he finally realized who he was yelling at, he would hole himself up in his room and not be able to look at himself for weeks. He was ashamed.
However... the longer he went without medication, the further gone he became. Eventually those few moments of sanity disappeared, and there was no room for regrets anymore.
Maybe he should have stayed alone after all.
End Chapter 5
Well. THAT was intense.
Anyway, I was originally just gonna continue on with the story, but I figured it would be better to explain Sasuke and why everything played out the way it did. I'm not saying that it wasn't his fault, I'm just saying that... well, he didn't necassarily decide he was going to hit her, either. I also kind of hoped it would help explain why Sakura still loved him, even after he did all that to her. She knows the side of him when he isn't angry, and... well, they grew up together. They're best friends. They understand each other.
Also, on a side note, most of the stuff I say about being bipolar isn't true, or if it is, it's just by chance. I've kind of modified it to fit my story, so I'm sorry if someone actually has this, and is offended. It's not meant to be offensive, and I know some people that are actually bipolar. They're really nice. I just needed something for my story, so again, I don't mean to offend anyone.
I've gotten a lot of great ideas from reviews, and if I do choose to use it, I'll try and put ur name at the end of the chapter in this little blurb-y thing. So everyone feel free to send me more ideas!
Please read and review,
Moe-shi
P.S. This is kinda unedited... I didn't really re-read it, cause it's 2 in the morning, so it might be kind of sloppy. Sorry! :)