A/N: Okay, warning: Asshole Sasuke in this chapter! I know that a few reviewers have told me that they are Sasuke fans and that they would be grateful if I took it easy on him in this story (since I rarely ever do in any of my ItaSaku stories), but Sasuke is going to be a bit of an ass in this story and... well, I'll warn you guys when he turns into a major dickhead... ^^;

Anyway, enjoy!


I kept telling myself that it was none of my business what Sasuke did or if Haruno knew about it, but I noticed the emptiness to my words everything I thought them.

I wanted to tell Haruno that her beloved(?) boyfriend was a lying, cheating asshole and that he should be kicked out of the house, but, for some reason, the words just wouldn't leave my mouth. Every time I opened my mouth to speak up, a vision of that frail girl sitting in a chair crying as she nibbled on a cracker would pop into my mind and my mouth would close again.

Instead, I decided that I would tell Sasuke that I knew his little secret without wasting the breath. Every time he was in my presence, I watched him, glared at him, and silently told him that, whenever he said he was going out for a jug of milk, I had noticed the full jug in the fridge. He would meet my gaze defiantly, but then would almost immediately look away. He knew his guilt and knew that I knew his guilt and he was squirming about it.

Good. The bastard deserved it.

Sasuke and Haruno would go off to work together since they apparently owned only one "car" and Haruno would take a "bus" back home since Sasuke often went out after work. She would come home from a ten-hour work day and what did she do? She cooked Sasuke's dinner.

I wasn't sure why I was so angry about that, but I soon found out one night when Haruno said she was going to rest her feet for a couple of minutes and wound up falling asleep.

I'd been in my room when I heard Sasuke walk through the door and I was in the hallway when I heard Sasuke curse. I picked up the pace, knowing that an angry Sasuke was a violent Sasuke. It was a part of the Uchiha blood that even a dream could not deny.

"Sakura!" Sasuke exclaimed, "What the Hell?! I come home from a long day at work, hoping to have dinner waiting for me on the table and what do I see? I see you sitting on your fat, lazy ass sleeping while I'm standing here, starving!"

I had half the mind to point out to Sasuke that Haruno was actually rather thin and that I would be surprised if she weighed over a hundred-and-twelve pounds, but I kept my mouth shut, waiting for the chance to say something useful.

"I-I'm sorry, Sasuke-kun," Haruno apologized, rubbing her sleepy eyes, "I didn't mean to fall asleep, it's just that there was a really big surgery today and I'm just really tired and—" She flinched, squeezing her eyes shut as Sasuke's voice boomed over her again.

"You're tired?!" Sasuke all but shouted, "You don't know what tired is! And now I have to make my own goddamn dinner because my girlfriend is a lazy-ass bitch!"

Haruno's jaw quivered and tears welled in her eyes, her hands clasped together at her chest. "S-Sasuke-kun, I can make your dinner. Just let me get changed out of my work clothes and I'll make—"

"Just shut up and go back to sleep," Sasuke cut in and turned into the kitchen.

"But Sasuke-kun!" Haruno exclaimed, rushing after him. There was the sound of glass shattering and I quickly ran into the room to see Haruno cowering in a corner, a broken plate laying in pieces not even a foot away from her and Sasuke standing in the middle of the room, glaring at her.

"I told you," he said through clenched teeth, "To go to sleep." He raised another plate in his hand with the intent to throw it and make Haruno "go to sleep", but I was in front of Sasuke in an instant, holding the wrist with the plate and squeezing it until it fell to the floor and shattered, just like the other one.

"That's enough of your juvenile behaviour, Sasuke," I told him, glaring at him and tightening my hold on his wrist when he tried to pull away from me. "You disgrace yourself with your immaturity. Haruno meant to make dinner, but she fell asleep. If you want to be mad at anybody, be mad at yourself for being such a 'lazy-ass' that you can't prepare your own damn dinner."

Sasuke snarled at me and yanked his wrist out of my hold. "Stay out of this; it has nothing to do with you!"

"Doesn't it?" I asked and smirked when Sasuke's eyes widened.

He jerked a fist back and made an attempt to punch me, but I grabbed the arm and twisted it behind Sasuke's back. When he cried out, I chuckled and pushed him away so that he ran into the counter.

"Now, then," I said, "I want you to get down on your knees and apologize to Haruno. Once you've done that, you will pick up every shard of glass from the plates you so senselessly broke and only then will you eat."

My younger brother glared defiantly at me and I quirked a brow. "Well? What are you waiting for, the Easter Bunny? Get on your knees and beg for forgiveness."

Slowly, he went down on his knees, his eyes not leaving mine until he turned to Haruno and said begrudgingly, "I'm sorry, please forgive me."

Haruno nodded and I headed toward her, picking her up and stepping over the glass, saying, "Come along. Let's leave our Sasuke to clean up his mess."

She shook in my arms and, only when we were in her bedroom with the door closed did she let out the sobs she'd been holding back. I laid her down on her bed and her shoulders shook as she hiccupped, balling her hands into fists and using them to hide her face from me. "I'm so—I'm sorry... I didn't mean for you to... to get involved in that. But when he threw one of the plates my mother gave me, I just... I just..." Her words trailed off as sobs once again racked her body.

I simply nodded my forgiveness as I ran my hands over her arms and legs to search for any wounds Sasuke may have caused. "Are you hurt... anywhere else?" I cursed my eyes for looking at her chest.

She shook her head. "He didn't throw the plate at me. He just meant... meant to scare me." Her sobs slowly faded away and she looked up at me with wide, glistening eyes and I told myself that I hadn't seen the adoration in her eyes. "Your shoulder... you carried me here, but you're not supposed to do any heavy lifting. Let me see."

I shook my head and pushed her back down when she tried to sit up and check the hurt shoulder. There was a dull ache there, but it wasn't unbearably painful so I chose to disregard it. "Just sit down and relax. Go back to sleep and I'll make sure Sasuke does as he's told and come back with some food."

She nodded sleepily. "I-Itachi...?"

I waited patiently, silently telling her to continue.

She shook her head. "Mm-mm. I-I just... wanted to say your name." But I could see the truth in her eyes. She wanted to tell me she loved me.

I ignored the look and nodded, leaving. When I got into the kitchen, any clue to Sasuke's anger had disappeared along with the actually person. I nodded, good riddance, and went into the fridge to make Haruno something to eat.

When I opened the door to one of the cupboards, I found a picture of Sasuke and Haruno and I looked at it grimly. I ripped it in half and tossed it into the garbage.


A/N: Symbolism? Perhaps...