CHAPTER FOURTEEN IS HERE.
Thank you all for your patience, especially with that awful cliff-hanger I ended last chapter with.. Thanks so much to all who fav/followed and especially to those who reviewed!
Guest,MrPotatoeChips,UchihaBabe,Ericka,ili,ILoveSxS,Mannuj,-SO Happy your all excited for whats coming next, read on! :))
MissKonoha-ITS HERE, I hope I delivered. Lol! I was worried about the way the chem topic would be portrayed and of course - that everything was accurate so I took my time with that scene. And I completely agree, I'd take a chem lesson from Sasuke anydayyyy :) And YES! I adored the scene where they read their temperatures aloud, it was truly a very intimate moment between the two! And YESSS MY DEAR, I have heard your plea's and you will wait no longer, Sasuke's race is near! As for the rest, I'll wait til you read this chapter! :)
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Guest-'The chapter is not coming up for me' -Im Sooo Sorry. I felt horrible that I couldnt do anything about it. I google searched it, went to tech-support but they all said that I had to wait it out... Hopefully you were able to read it not too much longer.
-WARNING-More foul language used in this Chapter than usual.
Disclaimer:I don't own Naruto, but this is my plot.
...Read on!
"Don't talk to Hinata in that manner. Not only is she going to go, she'll have the best seat in the house." Sakura finished facing all three girls with a heated glare of her own. Two could play this game.
Karin smirked, although it was more of a sneer than anything else as they began to take calculated steps closer to herself and Hinata,"I warned you Sakura." Karin speaks her name as though it is vile on her tongue,"You have no idea who your dealing with."
Sakura wanted to laugh at the empty threat, they had her where they wanted her. What other tricks could the red-head throw at her now..?
And then everything seemed to move in slow-motion.
Ami shoved an unprepared Hinata from behind and Sakura, also unaware due to keeping her eye on Hinata didn't anticipate Ayame before her in an instant, restraining her. Green eyes widened in horror, her body completely locked in place as she witnessed Ami straddle a defenseless Hinata sprawled on the floor and raise her hand high, preparing to slap her.
When the slap resounded throughout the locker room - Sakura had reached her very limit - she saw red.
"Hinata!"
She couldn't believe what she was seeing.
The simmering anger had come to a spouting boil, completely enveloping her from the inside out - taking over her body and causing her vision to literally black-out by the force. Reason and fear of the repercussions for this act were out the window as she began shoving Ayame off of her hard, the blood pumping fast through her veins by the second. Adrenaline was a powerful thing.
Ayame's black hair flew all around her face as she slammed into an approaching Karin, causing them both to falter back.
Sakura was moving before she told her legs to, zeroing in on Ami before her hand could come down on Hinata a second time. Tackling her, she held onto her as they bodily rotated, slamming onto the tiled floor away from Hinata and tumbled against the lockers.
"You BITCH!" Ami hissed, rubbing her shoulder before she pushed off the floor, moving quickly to sprawl herself over the laying and momentarily dazed rosette.
Sakura took the brunt of the impact, though she couldn't feel any physical pain, she was completely consumed with bashing their faces in. She felt Ami sit on her abdomen and angled her head back, shooting deep-green eyes in search of her friend frantically,"Get out of here Hinata!"
The young Hyuuga heir pushed to a shaky stand, her expression was completely torn and afraid,"B-but what a-about-"
"GO!" Sakura shouted, urging her to move quickly, just as Ami gripped a fistful of her still-damp hair painfully tight. She was uncaring of the sting at her eyes, her irises were glued solely on Ayame as she stepped forward once more, nearing Hinata slowly.
Distressed by the scene, the Hyuuga nodded at the rosette finally, beginning to take small steps backward toward the exit', and Ayame immediately pounced. Just as her lean legs passed the crown of Sakura's head, her ivory arm shot out and snatched her ankle in an iron-grip, tugging it back with all her mite. Though she gave Ami's open-palm an unhindered welcome to her cheek. The slap echoed throughout the locker-room, but Ayame falling on her face was louder. It was more than worth it.
She saw Hinata stumble through the double-doors before Karin could get to her, and only then did Sakura turn her neck to face the girl still sitting over her, to be swiftly met with another searing smack against her cheek.
What were they planning, to beat her to a bloody-pulp? ...Not if she beat them first.
"You Whore! Your DEAD!" Ayame roared, wiping the blood at the lip her teeth bit down on upon the impact, she crawled over to where the rosette and Ami were fighting for dominance on the ground.
Sakura managed to snatch her restricted wrist out of Ami's hands and threw it forward before she could snatch it again, connecting with her nose. Ami's head flew back at the hit, and this gave the rosette the opportunity to shove her off to come to a stand, only to have Ayame grab her from behind.
They were tag-teaming.
"Hold that bitch still!" Karin screeched, coming to stand before her in an instant. Her hand came down on Sakura's face hard enough for her head to jerk to the side with jarring force.
This was escalating fast, Sakura tasted blood.
The red-head was panting, her face set in disgust,"You think I don't know what your doing?!" Her hand came down on the constricted rosette a second time,"I know your game!"
Sakura was thrashing in Ayame's arms, every slap - impact and curse-word spoken fueled her inextinguishable anger,"What the hell is my game Karin!?" She really wanted to know, because she had no clue.
She moved into Sakura, grasping the front of her white shirt Karin shook her frame once but held tight, causing Ayame to loosen her hold from behind,"I saw the way he was looking at you today YOU BITCH!" She screamed, and Sakura's eyes widened at her words before she quickly snapped-back, taking the opportunity to elbow an unprepared Ayame in the gut.
Ayame immediately hunched forward, clutching at her stomach, and Sakura's elbow came down a second time, slamming into the side of her face.
She cried out, hands shooting up to cradle her face as she stumbled over her feet. Karin's features changed into one of alarm at the scene before quickly contorting back into that of a snakes,"I'm gonna mess up your face so bad, he'll only look at you with DISGUST!"
She charged at an anticipating Sakura, both slamming back against the lockers. Shoving and tumbling all along the metal lockers. She felt the sting of Karin's nails digging into the flesh at her arms and Sakura took the momentum of her next shove to pull her closer, drawing up her leg as she did. Her knee connected with the red-head's stomach, causing her to sputter and grip to loosen.
Her fist was about to come down on Karin's face until another hand shot forward, halting her. Green eyes traveled to find a bloody-nosed Ami with murderous intent, forcefully jerking the rosette away from Karin's grasp, her fist came down on Sakura's jaw. She fell back against the lockers, given no time to recuperate as the same fist slammed into her torso, taking her breath away.
Lightheaded to the extent of barely being able to keep upright, she swayed on her feet, scarcely missing the fist coming for her face.
"OW!" Karin cried as the flesh from her knuckles broke upon hitting the metal locker, she clutched at her bruised hand and watched Ami strike the rosettes abdomen again in satisfaction.
Red-eyes narrowed - glued to the panting, fighting rosette, and a new light shone in her ruby orbs. She started with a smug expression,"Uzumaki defends you, and that bitch Yamanaka runs her mouth off for you... Where are they now..?" She let the question hang. Tauntingly.
Sakura struggled against Ami as though in a wrestling match, the red-head's words only fueling her, resulting in Ami having a harder time with her, though Karin would not get inside her head. Sakura knew what she was up to.
Karin came closer, standing directly in Sakura's line of sight,"And now you've tricked Sasuke into coming to your rescue... you really are pathetic."
The rosette continued to give no reaction and the red-head pressed on, leaning in,"What lies have you told them..? How did you trick both Naruto and Sasuke..?"
Sakura didn't utter a word.
Karin's features darkened further,"Answer me you SLUT! ...Or is it the obvious answer that your sleeping with both of them?"
"You don't know a DAMN THING! You don't even have any real friends to understand... Your 'friends,' Ami and Ayame want Sasuke just as bad as you, and will eventually turn on you when the time comes. What kind of friendship is THAT? No wonder your way of thinking is so TWISTED you psycho bitch! " The rosette screamed, meeting her fiery gaze with her own, no way in hell was Karin getting away with that kind of assumption.
The red-head grabbed a fist-full of her hair, as Ami continued to restrain her,"That's none of your damn business you TRAMP! We have an understanding..."
"Your sick. " Sakura shot, wanting to punch Karin in the jaw so bad but Ami had more weight on her, and was doing a damn good job of caging her against the locker.
Karin's hand gripped the pale-pink locks excruciatingly tighter,"You'll never have Sasuke... You could never please him - love him like I did. You have better luck with that foolish-Uzumaki..." She grinned, noting the rosette's furrowed brow,"Did that truth hurt you..? That you don't have a chance with someone like Sasuke and that Naruto is a loudmouthed-loser?" She finished in a whisper, smiling.
Sakura's clenching of the jaw was all the reaction Karin needed for encouragement.
The hand clutching Sakura's hair moved to her jaw in a vice grip,"Though the 'dobe' is handsome enough... I'll have them both, in every way possible-"
Sakura officially snapped, shoving Ami away with new-found strength - only her seething anger could produce, she tackled Karin to the ground a second later. The red-head yelped as Sakura straddled her, her bruised fists coming down on Karin's features hard enough to break.
"I never,"She began breathlessly, her right fist coming down on Karin again,"Never wanna hear their names on your foul mouth EVER again!" She roared, with another brutal left-handed punch, Karin's head cocked to the side by the strength put into it.
It didn't matter if she had said those things simply to rile her up further, the fact that she spoke of them in such a disgusting manner and used their endearing nicknames as she did so, had sent her into a blinded-angry fit. Sakura was about to go in for another satisfying smack until Ami grabbed her from behind in a choke-hold. And as quickly as it had constricted her lungs it was gone.
"SAKURA!"
Ami was dragged off of her back and pulled further away by the familiar voice, causing Karin to sit forward in an instant pushing Sakura off roughly. The rosette fell back upon the shove but stood quickly to meet Karin's bruised face and sharp claws coming at her,"Your DONE Haruno, I'm sending your ass back to Suna in a fucking casket!"
Sakura was so overwhelmed by her swelling nerves she couldn't even utter a retort. Then there were arms grabbing her from behind, tearing her away from Karin's grasp, but it wasn't enough. Sakura was lifted into the air and could only use her legs to defend herself from the persistent red-head,"Put me - Put me down!" She rasped to the person gripping her torso in a familiar manner.
"The hell I will! Aiko, contain your fucking bitches!"
She felt his seething order rumble through his chest. Naruto. It was Naruto. No other thoughts, or even the fact that Aiko was present even registered. She could only watch the scene end with hazy eyes. She saw the teal-haired boy come up from behind Karin to restrict her, but it seemed Naruto was determined to get Sakura out of the locker-rooms whether or not Karin and the others were restricted. He still held her by the torso, turning away from them and exiting the room with furious steps. The doors were thrown open by the force of his kick and she was greeted by several people just outside the building. Hinata being the only familiar - friendly face. Sakura guessed she had probably raced over to get anyone she could to help and came back with Naruto. Her eyes were red, cheeks tear-stained, and Sakura had the familiar urge to overthrow the blonde currently enveloping her to go back and cut those three girls open. She watched all the different faces as they passed. It was strange. Had these people been here long..? Hadn't they heard the commotion going on just inside those double-doors..? Oh. These people weren't her friends.
Hinata fell into step with them, and Sakura couldn't fathom why Naruto was still rushing even now that they were out of the room or why he hadn't put her down yet. Her breathing was alarmingly hard, though she couldn't help it, her whole body was still shaking from the sheer extent her emotions had been pushed to.
"Hold it right there you two!"
The voice sounded authoritative, she felt Naruto flinch. He stopped but didn't turn around to face the man, so Sakura angled her head back to see that it was in-fact, Security.
"Fuck."
Naruto groaned beside her ear. His grip around her tightened further, though she lacked the energy to even cry-out at the soreness of her beaten abdomen. They heard the double-doors fly open and immediately Karin's voice started,"There she is! That whore attacked us!"
The blonde holding her swirled around to face them so fast, the world was spinning for the rosette. He set her down on her feet and Hinata immediately steadied her swaying form. She could only watch Naruto's rigid back as he stepped in-front of her, shielding her from their eyes. Though they were already coming toward them, Karin in the lead.
"She's LYING! They ganged up on Sakura!" Naruto growled, moving to meet the Security guard halfway.
Karin came to stop at the guards other side, glaring at Naruto as she did,"Then how do you explain THIS?" She shrieked pointing to her bruised and bloodied face, then moved to drag Ami and Ayame out of the crowd to show their almost-equally battered faces.
The security guard stared them down,"Is this true?" He questioned directing it at both Ami and Ayame.
They nodded and Ami elaborated in a very convincing manner,"She attacked Karin and we tried to stop her... So she turned on us too."
The guard turned angry eyes on the rosette,"Your coming with me." He took a step to move around Naruto to get to Sakura but the blonde savagely shoved the man off before he could take another step. The crowd gasped and Sakura could only watch in horror.
"You touch her and I'll break your face! She's just as bloodied as they are, it was THREE against one, your going to tell me they couldn't have 'stopped her' from attacking Karin? That's BULLSHIT!" He stood toe-to-toe with the guard and the older man seemed to be afraid, instead of cuffing the blonde for his threats, physical harass and language. It was a rare sight indeed.
The officers grey eyes changed then, along with his tone,"I need to take her in for questioning, I'll get to the bottom of this."
The blonde seemed to like that response better than the latter, though he was still determined,"I'll bring her."
The guard's face hardened once more,"You cant do that-"
"I said I'll bring HER-!"
"Naruto, please! It's okay.." She squeezed Hinata's hand before walking around the petite Hyuuga over to the furious blonde,"I'll go with him," She squeezed his shoulder. Turning his face toward her, his blue eyes revealed a deep - deep remorse and her throat seemed to close-in, she forcefully tore her gaze away. He turned bodily toward her, away from the others, and placing both hands on her shoulders, he leaned in,"I don't trust these people... There's more going on Sak, I don't wanna leave you alone..." His spoke in a whisper, clenching his eyes shut,"I - I'm so sorry - This happened - I should have been-"
"Stop that." She interjected swiftly, her own voice was just as hoarse as his but she refused to break-down in-front of these people, Sakura cupped his cheek,"It'll be okay now, I'll answer all their questions."
He nodded, his eyes glossy, reaching his hand up to cover her smaller one cupping his cheek,"I'm still coming with you."
She smiled a watery smile despite the circumstances,"Okay."
The walk to the head-masters office had been thankfully uneventful. Naruto allowed himself to loosen up enough to comment on how bad the rosette had messed those girls up, claiming their faces were even more disfigured and ugly than usual and that she would forever go down in history as the 'bad-ass' who took all three on. She found herself chuckling at his praise, earning a bright smile out of him too... but then he mentioned hearing her defend them when he first arrived at the scene and his solemn expression was back full-force. (Though he didn't exactly know what she was defending them over, she didn't elaborate either, she was sure he would be traumatized for life)Sakura scolded him once more, stating he would have done the same and more for any of them. He uttered no response and she threatened to beat him up too, getting a crack of a smirk out of him. She laughed. She could barely walk straight let alone muster up strength into her fingers to even pinch him, he knew it too and she laughed harder... Maybe she had officially lost her mind. She want sure why but she felt light, like a weight had come off of her, though she was aware this feud wasn't over just yet. They were still trying to frame her, another thing she hadn't anticipated. And this would no doubt mark her record, she gritted her teeth just thinking about it... Mark her record.
The seriousness of the situation was beginning to set-in.
Did that all really happen..?
It almost felt as though she had blacked-out the last half-hour - like the girl over-come with rage and consumed with the need to physically hurt those girls hadn't been her. She had never been much of a fighter, but the only thing that ever got her this riled up was injustice... To her and her friends. She really had been pushed beyond the limit.
They entered the spacious and luxurious building, with the officer in the lead, passing all staff and teachers as they headed up a flight of stairs, straight for the head-masters room.
Reaching the final step, she turned back to see that Naruto was no longer following after her. Actually, he was nowhere in sight. She sighed, figuring he couldn't come into the office with her anyways, though she felt more at ease with his company. She needed to suck it up.
Sakura began to feel her numb body come-to, it was pulsating with the aches and soreness all over. It hurt like hell, and she fought the pained groan at her throat. She vaguely wondered how bad she must look, but dismissed the thought. Now was not the time. Her green eyes watched as the officers hand formed a fist, reaching up to the door to knock, two - three times.
"Enter."
A feminine voice responded at the other side of the door.
The guard turned the knob of the door, pushing it open, he entered and Sakura followed suit. It was extremely bright in the room due to the open-glass walls surrounding the very front of the room where the head-master was seated, the golden-streaks of the sunset were beaming through, into her squinting emerald eyes. Eventually adjusting to the brightness, her eyes landed on their recently replaced Head-Master Tsunade. She had heard great things about the woman and had hoped not to meet her in such an embarrassing predicament... What a first impression.
She took in her features and found that the woman seemed to be a lot younger and even more beautiful than she imagined, how old was she exactly..?
"Sakura."
Her eyes widened at the sound of the bone-chilling voice. There was no mistaking that deep - authoritative tenor. Her eyes traveled to take in those thick wavy white-locks that had girls her very own age swooning. The sculpted features of his face and broadness of his shoulders. She hadn't even noticed him, with his nearly identical green eyes, sitting there across from Lady Tsunade's desk.
"Dad."
Tsunade's amber eye's shined with an emotion she couldn't place,"Please Sakura, take a seat."
Things just took a turn for the worst.
She would not cry, she would NOT. Sakura raced down the flight of steps with blurry eyes and hair fluttering about with her fast steps, her dreadful father in tow. He easily matched her quick foot-work, one wouldn't even guess she took such a beating less than an hour ago.
They had done it. Karin, Ami and Ayame had somehow called her father, filled him with exceptional lies and had him drive all the way down here from Suna to 'deal' with her hours prior to their ambush. How they had done it, she didn't know. He had degraded her in-front of the Head-Master and claimed she deserved whatever punishment Lady Tsunade would give. He wouldn't even allow Sakura to speak her case, and she could see that Tsunade did in-fact want to hear her out but found it impossible with her continuously intervening father. It was a lose-lose situation.
She couldn't bear her swelling emotions any longer, they were choking at her, begging for some kind of release, but she steeled herself further, refusing to give in and cry in-front of these people.
Pacing to reach the exit, she heard shuffling and shouting in the reception room several feet away from her.
"What do you think your doing, your not allowed in there and she's not in that room!"
"I wont ask you again, is she in the Head-Masters office?"
"Young Uchiha, I cannot speak on the matter-"
"Where the fuck is she!?"
There was a loud slam followed by the creak of wood that could only be produced by his fist pounding against the receptionists desk.
Her legs faltered, threatening to give out on her all together, but she pushed forward, turning a corner at the scene with a wild heart-beat.
"S-Sasuke..?"
The dark eyes that had been the cause of her restless sleep as of late, unveiled when they fell upon her standing form beside the wall. They widened fractionally, the expression was what she knew to be shock and disbelief before morphing back into their usual guarded darkness.
She must look worse than she initially thought, suddenly feeling extremely self-conscious of herself she leaned further into the wall.
He was moving, moving toward her,"Sakura I-"
"An Uchiha..?"
All eyes shot to the second body standing beside Sakura, including the rosettes... A single pink brow quirked up, how did her father know-?
"Mr. Tanaka."
Her eyes widened further at Sasuke's formal address to her father and the two men stood staring the other down. Sasuke was standing a mere four feet away, and her father was beside her, his hand snaking around her forearm, but eyes trained only on the raven-haired boy before them. Both their expressions were unreadable, but she caught something unspoken pass between the two.
Sakura fought the urge to scream... How did they know each other..? And what the hell was going on?
Her father nodded at Sasuke before his grip tightened around her arm,"Lets go."
She nodded absent-mindedly, her green eyes locking on Sasuke's, unable to look away... It felt as though she hadn't seen him in ages, even though she had just a couple hours before in Chemistry. She couldn't deny the swirling butterflies in the pit of her stomach at the sight of him, here in this office, evidently distressed and demanding to see her... She wanted to cry.
A strong tug at her arm brought her back, as her father basically dragged her out of the building with his quick steps.
The down-pour would only continue.
"You've shamed me."
"I couldn't even look at you in that office with Tsunade..."
"This is what I get in return for getting you into that school?"
These were only a third of the things he had said to her on the long drive back to Suna, and she had uttered no response, no defense for her case. He wouldn't listen, let alone believe her. So she had remained aloof, neither revealing that his words were affecting her or that she felt claustrophobic beyond help within the confines of the car. She felt herself slowly dying inside, the familiar emptiness washing over her with sickening force. She hated him, more than she had anyone in her life. His opinions - his words shouldn't even matter, but they cut her, they cut deep. Maybe if she had given some kind of reaction that they were in-fact affecting her he would cease his verbal abuse. But she stubbornly refused to give him the satisfaction.
His words along with all that happened were weighing down on her, threatening to crush the very breath out of her.
She felt the sting of the tears she almost masochistically wouldn't allow to shed for the fifth time that day. Still, she refused to cry.
Thankfully - mercifully they had already been on the road for over two hours, they would arrive soon enough. And she would be alone. That was all she wanted.
"I'm glad your mother wasn't alive to see this, to witness this juvenile you've become."
It was as though the pressure weighing-in had shot up to her head, like a physical blow, causing her body to sway and head to bob, she grabbed a-hold of her seat to steady herself. It was worse than the beating she received from the girls.
"Look at you! I will not stand for this behavior... I will not be as soft as she was!"
Sakura's breathing was officially becoming haggard.
"You will learn from me girl! Reputation is all you have in this world, and your fucking both of ours up!"
She clenched her eyes shut focusing on her breathing.
"Of course, Mebuki's left the pieces for me to pick up, like she always did!"
Her sore jaw ached as she gritted her teeth, focusing on tuning his voice out as best she could. She would not give-in, she would not succumb.
"Useless, good for nothing Haruno's. Your all the same-"
"SHUT UP! You don't know a damn thing!" She screamed, before grasping the handle to open the door just as he pulled into their drive-way and put the gear into 'park.' She pushed out of the car, racing for the door, stumbling over her feet as she did. He was quick on her heels.
"STOP!" He demanded, as she threw the door open, sprinting toward the stairs only to be jerked back as he grasped her wrist like an iron shackle. She bounced toward him from the momentum and his other hand snatched at her sore chin. She cried out at the increasing pressure of his strong fingers,"Are you forgetting who your talking to..? You will show me respect, under all circumstances!" His hold on her chin tightened and she squirmed, trying to pull away from him but to no avail,"Do you understand me?"
"Go to hell." She spat, uncaring of the consequences, she wrenched herself out of his grasp and his green eyes darkened further.
"This is exactly what I'm talking about! You think she'd be proud of your right now?"
"Don't you fucking talk about her!" She screamed, voice finally breaking,"You manipulating PIG!"
He charged at her again and she ran, tripping over the stairs as she did, but it didn't matter, she was younger - faster. Sprinting down the hall, she ignored his shouts, turning a corner and into 'her room,' she slammed the door shut, locking it right before it began jiggling wildly. Black spots invaded her vision and a ringing started in her ears, nearly muffling out the loud banging of the door.
"Open this door right NOW!"
Her body had been trembling slightly before but now it was fully shaking, she hugged herself, fighting down her whirling emotions. She moved to lean against the walls to steady herself, willing his torturous words to disperse - even willing herself to black-out to have some peace...
His angry features flashed through her mind again and she shuddered. He usually didn't scare her, but she saw the intent in his eyes, he was furious, to the limit where he would hit her.
His angry curses, jiggling of the knob and slamming his palms against the door persisted for sometime.
"You will stay in there, and remember my words... If not mine, at least remember your mothers, I'm sure she taught you basic manners... Come down and apologize, and I will look past this, or stay in there for the night, with no dinner or water. Your choice."
She waited, until the shuffling of his feet could be heard no more before she broke down. Overcome with blinding fury once more she punched the wall facing her without thinking. Groaning at the sharp pain that shot through it upon the connection, she cradled her hand, gasping for breath. The tears she had been fighting were still at bay, stinging at her eyes but she ignored their plea for descent. Sakura was completely overwhelmed, his words had burned themselves into her mind and she could not escape the truth they held. Willing the thoughts to cease, to leave her mind, as she continued to walk aimlessly, she caught sight of her reflection from the mirror on the dresser.
A large red and purple hued bruise claimed the right side of her jaw and neck, a gash came down her lower lip and two long scratch-marks lined her left cheek bone. Stumbling over her feet, she entered the bathroom, reaching to turn on the faucet, she only then noted the scratches and bruises decorating the length of her arms. Cupping her hands under the streaming faucet, she began splashing ice-cool water over her face, again and again.
"If your mother had been alive..."
"You think she'd be proud of you?"
"You've shamed me."
A pained sob finally released from her chest, her upper body leaned against the sink for support, her hands grabbing at its edges as another tore through her lips, shaking her form. Sucking in a breath she opened her blood-shot eyes, quickly turning off the water, she reached for the towel, and pressing it against her face - her legs gave out. She fell onto her knee's, clutching the towel to her features, still trying to fight her cries.
But then she heard an indistinguishable shuffle. Her face shot forward, into her room, slowly sweeping her wet eyes over its contents to stop at the shadow by her window. Her breath caught at her throat all together.
Was it a robber..? A rapist..? Her father, coming back to torture her further..? She pushed to a wobbly stand, only for her legs to give out a second time. Her hands pressed against the carpet as she hunched forward, feeling her head droop low as well. Her body wouldn't respond to her commands to move. She heard the squeak of the window open but couldn't find the strength to lift up her head, her breathing accelerating with dread and apprehension. She heard shuffling once more and then there were dark pants, its edges over-lapping around dark shoes in her line of vision, nearing her with rapid steps.
A cry escaped her and she flinched when the person grabbed her shoulders, not because it hurt, but out of fear. She was pulled up from her hunched position to come face to face with her assassin-
"Sakura, its me."
Her red-rimmed eyes widened and heart palpitated not once - but twice with brute force, trying to catch her breath as her blurry eyes came into focus to look into the face of,"Sasuke."
It had come out below a whisper, she wasn't even sure if she had spoken his name at all.
Because she wasn't sure if he was even real..?
Maybe she had passed out and this was merely a dream...
His grip around her shoulders tightened, drawing her closer to his kneeling form, and out of her deceiving thoughts
It was him, he was really here.
All logic and inclinations as to how he got here, why she wanted to cry harder at the sight of him and why she wasn't withdrawing from his grasp were non-existent. She fell against him as a choked sob shook her form.
Her fingers searched to fist into his shirt, as anguished cries continued to wrack her small body, completely overcome with the weight pressing in on her. She had suppressed it for too long.
Sasuke's arms only tightened around her, bringing her closer to him, resulting in Sakura crying even harder.
"I - I hate him, so much."
His hand was at her bruised jaw, lifting it up so she could meet his dark gaze,"Did he touch you?"
It was a simple question but his tone was lethal, she watched the silent anger in his obsidian pools increasing by the second.
She shook her head, more tears escaping down her cheeks and into his hand still pressed over her jaw,"No."
"You hesitated."
"He would've, I think... If I hadn't l-locked myself in here." She answered honestly, knowing nothing could get passed him.
She felt her head droop once more, and helplessly leaned into him again, silently thankful for his presence.
The rosette missed the clenching of his jaw as he looked away from her. His expression scrutinizing and contemplating... before he moved, releasing her all together. Sasuke shifted to a stand and she watched him in question. Wordlessly wondering if he was leaving and why the thought choked her up even more than she already was... She didn't want to be alone, not now.
But before she could could say a word, he was bending low and scooping her up into his arms.
The black spots invaded her vision ten-fold at the quick motion, she couldn't even find her voice to question his motive. Her chest was still heaving with dry-sobs she couldn't control and her head was too heavy to keep up-right, it lolled back to rest against the warm crook of his neck.
He smelled nice too.
When she heard the sliding of the window her eyes shot open - she hadn't even been aware that they had closed.
His hold around her loosened fractionally as he sat on the ledge of the window, her body laying on his lap before his legs shifted, pushing out onto the roof with her securely in his arms. The cool night air swept over them in a soothing brush, causing goosebumps to prickle over her arms and neck.
"Sas - What are you doing?" She managed to rasp out, her eyes fighting to stay open. She caught him looking down at her, his dark eyes reflecting a different light she couldn't quite name, and her heart fluttered, even in her half-conscious state.
She never got his answer as blackness consumed her completely.
...
..
.
Was that Chapter as intense to read as it was to write..?
Definitely a lot to take in. I had put a 'Warning' at the very top, about the additional cursing this chapter. It was pretty angsty. Lol I cant wait to hear your thoughts on this!
'The guard seemed to be afraid rather than cuffing the blonde,' Here Naruto has violated more than one law against the officer yet the man was afraid, rather than taking the appropriate action. Now, the last thing Sakura wanted was for Naruto to get into trouble but what she witnessed then, also ties with her still-nagging-unanswered questions about the group.
'Mr. Tanaka,' AH, Sakura's father has finally made an appearance though it is anything but flattering. Yes Both Sasuke and Kizashi(her fathers first name) know each other and the answer as to how that is will be revealed in the next chapter.(Though I'd love to hear your guesses) And I obviously changed the way her real father looks in the manga... I imagined him to be quite striking with white hair and green eyes, though I'm sorry he had to be such a cruel soul... I kept his first name(Her fathers actual name in the manga) but changed his last.
'Mebuki,' This is also the real name of Sakura's mother in the manga but just like her father in this fic, I changed their physical appearances. I feel since Sakura is so good-looking, her parents should be too! Sakura - since her parents divorced, kept her mothers maiden name, 'Haruno.' Explaining why their surnames are different.
Also, Ino's absence will be brought to light next chapter! I know some of you were hoping she'd join in for the fight (Which would have been quite the brawl indeed) But Sakura needed to be alone fighting those girls, so she could get to the state she was in, in order to let a certain 'sexy Uchiha' in :))
Anything I didn't cover..? I'm too tired to look back further, hopefully I covered the most important.
Please review, they truly make it all worth while!
Thanks friends.