Chapter 23 – It's Over
The moment Sakura stopped moving, Kizashi released her and not even a second later, Gaara was yanking him off her, slamming him down into the ground and keeping him pinned there, using all of his weight to keep him down.
However, to Sasuke, it was all in slow motion. All he could see was Sakura. She looked so fragile and so broken. She looked so vulnerable and innocent. He couldn't see Gaara keeping Kizashi down. He couldn't hear Lee ringing for an ambulance. He couldn't see Itachi rushing over to Sakura and gingerly feeling her neck or checking her breathing.
All… All he could do was stand there.
"She's not breathing," Itachi murmured and lowered his ear to her chest, listening carefully. Relief flooded him when he heard the weak beating of her heart.
Raising a hand, he gently massaged her throat and tilted her head back to open the air way, angered that he could already see bruises forming around her neck. That man… He was clearly somebody who was skilled in fighting. Martial arts, maybe. Or boxing. Whatever it was, it made him dangerous. He closed his eyes for a moment before reopening them and leaning forward, pinching Sakura's nose shut before he was pressing his lips to hers, forcing the air from his lungs into hers. Her heart was still beating, but she wasn't breathing. Itachi was no medic, so he had no idea what to do in such a situation. All he knew was CPR.
Sasuke finally moved, falling to his knees beside Sakura. However, that was all he was able to do.
Ignoring his younger brother, Itachi watched Sakura's chest rise while keeping her head tilted back and her chin lifted. He pulled away after a moment and watched as her chest fell before going back to pressing his lips to hers, forcing her to breathe.
Dark eyes stayed locked on Sakura's face, his eyebrows mashing together as he watched Itachi start with the chest compressions, counting under his breath with each one.
"They will be here shortly," Lee informed them and threw the phone onto the sofa. "What do we do with Kizashi-san?"
Pure rage washed over him.
Not even a moment later and Sasuke was lunging towards Gaara and Kizashi, knocking the former away and ignoring the latter's yell of pain as his arm was broken as a result of the restraining hold being broken. All Sasuke could see was how fragile and innocent Sakura looked. All he could see was the fear that had shown in her eyes when Kizashi first burst into the apartment.
His fist came down without hesitation, the other clenching in his shirt and holding him down.
"That should be you!" he snarled, bringing his fist down once more. "You should be the one unconscious!" Another punch and blood splattered across the wooden flooring. "You should be the one not breathing!" Another punch, more blood. "You–"
Two arms locked under his, yanking Sasuke away from Kizashi and holding him in a full nelson. "Calm down, Uchiha," Gaara growled, tightening his hold when Sasuke tried to break out of it. "Think about Sakura and not your anger."
"She's–"
"Breathing," Itachi interrupted, leaning over Sakura with his hands on each side of her head and releasing a shaky breath. Who knew CPR could exhaust you so much? "Sakura-san is breathing."
Sasuke tried to turn, tried to see her, but it wasn't until Gaara turned them around that he was able to and seeing her chest rising and falling without the help of Itachi, who was now leaning back though staying by her side in case he needed to start CPR once more…
His eyes closed and he relaxed against Gaara's hold. "Thank you, Nii-san."
He shook his head, silently telling him that there was no need to thank him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone, ringing the station immediately.
"Shisui, I need you to come to Haruno Mebuki-san and Sakura-san's home. I'm sure you remember where it is?" There was a pause as Itachi listened to the reply. "Yes, apartment number forty-three." Another pause. "Assault. Attacker is Haruno Kizashi, Sakura-san's father. I have yet to listen to what happened but Sakura-san is currently unconscious and we are waiting for an ambulance." Yet another pause. "Yes, Kizashi-san is currently being restrained and will not be leaving any time soon." This pause lasted longer than the others. "Thank you, Shisui. I will see you in a few."
As soon as the phone was put away, Itachi looked over to Lee and Gaara. "Keep Kizashi-san restrained. Sasuke, stay here with Sakura-san. I need you to keep an eye on her breathing. If she stops, tell me immediately and I will continue with CPR." They were all moving in an instant, following Itachi's orders without hesitation. Once they had, he stood up and moved in front of Kizashi, who now seemed to be much calmer, though was warily keeping his arm still. "Usually, it is best not to question those who are to be arrested until they are being interviewed or have been read their rights. However, I have just one question."
When all Kizashi did was stare up at him from his position on the floor, the Uchiha's eyes narrowed a fraction. "What was going through your mind to try and kill your own daughter?"
"Not just her, Nii-san," muttered Sasuke from behind him, though he never took his eyes off Sakura's face. "He broke Hyuuga Hinata's wrist and she has a head wound. Naruto's taken her to the hospital."
"And when they were together, Kizashi used to beat Mebuki," Gaara added with a snarl.
Silence.
Lee and Gaara glanced up at Itachi's features and were stunned to see so much hatred in his eyes. Every Uchiha they'd ever met, even the older brother until that moment, had been blank and seemingly emotionless. They refused to show how they were feeling inside. But right now, in front of them all, Itachi was wearing his emotions for them all to witness.
And he was pissed.
"I once told my father that Sakura-san's relationship with you is none of our concern unless it is made our concern." Itachi knelt in front of Kizashi, his features once more becoming blank and serious and so very intimidating. "You have now made it my concern. Sakura-san is very dear to my brother, therefore dear to our family. By harming her, you have made enemies of the Uchiha family."
Narrowing his eyes, he leaned closer and the hatred that poured out of his body seemed to attack Kizashi in waves, suffocating him and drowning him all at the same time. "I am very protective of my family and friends, Kizashi-san and I like to think of Mebuki-san as a friend. How you could raise your hand to such a kindhearted woman is beyond me, but just know that it will all come back to you once you are locked away for your crimes."
With that, Itachi stood up once more and walked away, refusing to even look at the monster who was slouched onto the ground.
And Sasuke understood why his brother was taking the attack so personally. Like Sakura felt with bullies, Itachi felt very strongly about domestic violence. Not just women being beaten by their partners, but also men being beaten by their partners. He also felt that way about child abuse. There was nothing he hated more than cowards who preyed on the weak and defenceless. If he got it his way, and Sasuke had a very strong feeling that he would, then Kizashi would be locked away for a very long time.
"Attempted murder," he suddenly murmured, seeming to be talking to himself as he looked around the destroyed living room. "Assault. Breaking and entering." A humourless smirk pulled at Itachi's lips and he looked to the picture on the wall of Sakura and Mebuki together. "I am going to make sure you get everything you deserve and more, Kizashi-san. Life, from this day forward, will be a living hell for you."
When Shisui arrived, there were two other officers with him, the sight of one of them making Lee's eyes go wide with surprise, though he thankfully didn't say anything while he was on duty. Questions could be asked later but right now, they had to take care of the mess that had been made.
"What happened?"
Accepting the handcuffs, since Itachi himself had been off duty, he knelt beside Gaara, who was once more pinning a clearly beaten up Kizashi down with all his weight. The older man's face was being squashed into the ground and below his face were a couple of small pools of his own blood.
"He attempted to escape." Once the handcuffs were on, he pointed over in Sakura's direction. "Did you contact the ambulance?"
"Yes," Shisui replied and once Gaara was off of Kizashi, he yanked the man to his feet. "They're currently trying to get the stretcher up the stairs, since the elevator is broken. They asked that you do not move Sakura-chan if she is still unconscious."
Just as the words left his lips, one of the paramedics entered the apartment and went straight to Sakura, pausing to allow Sasuke the time to get out of the way. He instantly got to work, gently examining her neck to make sure there were no broken bones.
"Well?" Sasuke couldn't help but demand, watching the medic with a scowl. "Is she going to be okay?"
"I can't tell you much here," the medic replied calmly, never taking his eyes off Sakura as he continued to work over her. "She must go to the hospital for a few scans and x-rays, just to make sure nothing is broken or cracked. As well as this, Haruno-san must have a laryngoscopy."
"Which means?" Gaara pushed, suddenly appearing behind Sasuke.
"It is the evaluation of her vocal chords and trachea." Reaching for his radio, he brought it closer to his mouth, speaking to somebody who was on the other end.
As he did, Sasuke took a deep breath, willing the shake to leave his hands. Useless. He'd been useless. Why the hell had he let Sakura talk him into leaving? Itachi could have found the apartment by himself. Then again, it would have taken him longer. And knowing his luck, Sasuke wouldn't have made even the slightest of changes. Anything too rough and Kizashi could have broken her neck.
The thought had bile rising in his throat.
"Come, Sasuke," muttered Gaara when the other paramedics arrived with the stretcher. "We're in the way."
It was reluctantly that he allowed Gaara to take him away from Sakura and it was just as reluctantly that he watched as they eased Sakura onto the stretcher, strapping her in tightly to make sure she was in securely. Going down the stairs with that thing was going to be hell and just the thought of it had his stomach in knots, but Sasuke knew not to argue. They were trained professionals and they all seemed fairly strong. It was their duty to protect and heal Sakura, not add to her injuries.
"Has anybody contacted Sakura-san's mother?" one of the other officers asked, raising a silver eyebrow.
Lee was the one who answered, frowning as he did so, "We hadn't thought about it, Kakashi-sensei. Should I–"
"I think I should be the one to make that call," Shisui cut him off.
Barely, Sasuke held back the urge to run his hands through his hair. To do so would show his anxiousness, his fear. With that monster Kizashi still in the apartment, he refused to show any signs of weakness. He would look strong for Sakura, who had been so strong for herself despite her intense fear of the man. He would be strong for her now.
After taking a deep breath to control his anger, Sasuke turned after the paramedics. "I'm going with her."
One of the paramedics frowned, glancing over at him. "Are you a relative?"
His eyes narrowed. "I'm her boyfriend."
"You–"
"Please." Shisui sighed and stepped behind Sasuke, patting his shoulder. "He will not be in your way, as Sasuke wants nothing more than for Sakura-chan to be treated. On the other hand, if he was to stay here, then I know Sasuke would get in our way. His anger towards Kizashi-san should not be pushed."
There was a short pause where the three paramedics exchanged glances but not long after, the one who seemed to be in charge nodded.
Sasuke was careful to stay out of their way as they picked up the stretcher after once more securing the straps.
"You're lucky you're a Hyuuga, Hinata!" Naruto smiled as they entered the reception area. "You got seen to so quickly."
She blushed at his words. It wasn't all good. It was because of being a Hyuuga that the doctors had fought so hard to keep her in longer than necessary. There was no need for that, though. Even Neji had explained that to the doctors, saying that they had medical staff at the mansion who would be more than capable of keeping an eye on her. Keeping Hinata in the hospital would be a waste of a bed, a bed that somebody could seriously need.
As for her broken wrist… Well, she was very glad for the strong painkillers they had given to her. Never before had Hinata ever suffered with a broken bone. Actually, the worst injury she'd ever had was a few scratches and bruises. She was from a sheltered home, after all. Besides being trained in martial arts, she was protected fiercely.
"Your father will want to know everything that happened, Hinata-sama," Neji stated coldly. "Whether that man is your friend's father or not will not matter–"
"Sakura-chan won't care about that," Naruto's voice was just as cold and his eyes were just as hard as Neji's.
"Can we–"
Hinata was cut off when Neji suddenly grabbed her uninjured wrist and yanked her to the side, just in time for the double doors to slam open and a bed to be rolled in hurriedly. The paramedics were speaking quickly to the doctors rushing over to them, but it all sounded like muted noise.
A young woman who was clearly still in her pyjamas, Naruto noticed after a moment. She looked so small and fragile, so broken. There were a few red marks on her body and a couple of scratches on her bare legs, the red marks waiting to turn a deep purple and there was blood under green nails.
Wait, green was–
"Sakura-san!" Hinata cried out in horror.
Naruto was just as horrified when he saw the pink hair.
"Sakura-chan…" he murmured, unable to find his voice.
And then somebody else was bursting through the double doors, following after the stretcher quickly but was stopped from going any further by one of the doctors.
"I'm sorry, Uchiha-san, but you are not an immediate relative of Haruno-san's. You will have to wait in the waiting area."
He looked ready to argue, looked absolutely livid, but Neji was quick to grab his arm and pull him away, apologising quietly to the doctor on Sasuke's behalf. When they returned to Hinata and Naruto, the latter couldn't help but throw question after question at him, once more finding his voice and demanding to know what the hell happened to his Sakura-chan.
"I had to go and help Itachi," muttered Sasuke, his eyes fixed on the doors Sakura had just gone through. "When I came back, Kizashi had her pinned to the ground. His…" He took a deep breath, willing the nauseating feeling to leave him alone for just a minute. "He had his hands around her throat and then… Then Sakura was passing out. She just stopped moving."
Tears slipped silently down Hinata's cheeks and the overwhelming dizziness returned, making her sway in her place. Neji helped her to stand, watching her with hidden worry.
"You should go home, Hinata-sama," he told her seriously.
"But Sakura-san wouldn't–"
"Haruno wouldn't want you risking your health for her sake," Neji cut her off, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "She is a selfless person, Hinata-sama and has always put you before herself. I will take you home and you will rest. After you have rested, I will personally bring you back to the hospital." His eyes then trailed after Sasuke's line of vision, watching the doors. "I have a feeling Haruno will be in there for a while."
Sasuke's eyes immediately snapped to his, the fury in them so very obvious. "What makes you say that?"
The blond by their sides put his hand on the Uchiha's shoulder, levelling him with a serious look. "Don't go picking fights, Sasuke," Naruto warned. "Sakura-chan doesn't need that kind of stress."
Before Sasuke even had the chance to reply, the doors behind them were once more smashing open, slamming harshly against the walls and the blonde who entered was livid as she glanced around the reception area, terrifying the receptionist when she stormed straight over to her.
"Where the hell is my apprentice?"
"Y-You're apprentice, T-Tsunade-sama?"
"Haruno Sakura," she snapped. "Pink hair. Kind of hard to miss."
Tsunade! Naruto let go of Sasuke, watching in awe as the woman at the reception desk pointed shakily over at the doors on the right and without pause, Tsunade rushed over to them, entering without permission and putting herself to use right away.
"That's–"
"Tsunade-baa-chan." Naruto beamed. "You see that, Sasuke? Baa-chan won't let anything happen to Sakura-chan! She'll make sure she gets the best care."
Reluctantly, Sasuke nodded. He wouldn't admit it, but he was in awe of the woman. According to Sakura, she'd taken the flight after her and Gaara and he was so grateful for that. She'd personally asked Sakura to be her apprentice, instead of it being the other way around like the latter had thought it would be, so it was obvious Tsunade would do what she could to protect and help Sakura.
After a short pause, Naruto looked over to Hinata with a frown. "Are you going to be okay, Hinata?"
She gave him a small smile. "I wish I could stay here for Sakura-san, but Neji-nii-san is right. I won't be of much use if I am barely awake." There was another pause as Hinata regarded Sasuke for a moment. "There is no telling how long Sakura-san will be here for, so please ask Mebuki-san to contact me when she has spoken to a doctor. When I return, I will collect some of Sakura-san's things for her."
He nodded silently.
"Do you want me to stay here?" asked Naruto. "You don't look too good."
Of course he didn't look good, Sasuke inwardly growled. His girlfriend had just been strangled by her insane father. Her own father had almost killed her and he hadn't been able to protect her and–
"Don't dwell on it too much, Sasuke," Neji warned him quietly. "Those thoughts will only make you feel worse about what has happened. The main thing is that Haruno will be in the best care here. The chances of this causing any permanent damage are slim."
Since when was he a fucking doctor? Instead of voicing his thoughts, Sasuke nodded once and then looked to Naruto. "You don't need to stay here. I'm going to wait for Mebuki."
Naruto sighed but accepted Sasuke's words, patting his shoulder on his way to the exit, following Hinata and Neji. "Call me if anything changes, won't you?"
"Yeah."
How much time had gone by?
Glancing up at the clock on the wall opposite him, Sasuke felt his patience dripping further and further away from him. It had been over an hour now. Due to not being an immediate family member, he'd been ordered to wait in the waiting area. The doctors wanted to run tests and send Sakura down for a few scans. Again, they couldn't share too much information with him. Complete and utter bullshit, if you asked him. He was her boy–
The sight of blonde hair and wide, worried green eyes had Sasuke pushing aside his anger and he stood up to meet Mebuki halfway. However, she completely stunned him by pulling him into a fierce embrace.
"Please forgive me," she whispered harshly, gritting her teeth. "I had no idea he would be able to get into the building, let alone our home…" Mebuki swallowed back a sob and tightened her hold. "I'm so sorry you had to get involved with him. I'm so sorry he's put you through all of this. And Sakura. Where is she?" She pulled back to look at him, trying her best to push aside her tears though they only continued to fall at the look of pure distress on his face. "Sasuke-kun, where's–"
"Are you Haruno Sakura's mother?"
Mebuki released Sasuke and looked over at the other blonde, nodding quickly. "I am. Are you–"
"I'm Senju Tsunade," she informed them both and held out her hand, shaking Mebuki's firmly. "I asked for somebody to inform me of your arrival the second you got here, so that I could fill you in on everything we're doing or what's happened. Did they tell you much over the phone?"
She shook her head and bit her lip, glancing down at Sasuke. "No. All I was told was that Sakura's in the hospital, as is Hinata-chan… How are they both? Are they okay?"
Tsunade also looked to Sasuke. "You're her boyfriend, right? The one who flew all the way to Suna just to spend a couple of days with her?"
Something in his chest clenched. During that short weekend, they'd been so carefree and so caught up in one another. Problems such as her abusive father hadn't mattered to them in the least. "I am."
She sighed. "Both of you should take a seat–"
"No," Mebuki argued, cutting her off. "Take us to see my daughter."
She was including him? Sasuke barely held back the grateful expression, keeping his hard eyes on Tsunade's. She didn't look to be giving in any time soon, though and if he remembered Sakura's description on her correctly, then she was definitely no pushover.
"Sakura's said a lot about you," he suddenly murmured. "So there's no use in arguing with you. But… There's no use in arguing with Mebuki, either. If you can't allow me to see Sakura, then at least let her. She's her daughter."
Once again, Tsunade sighed and shut her eyes, rubbing her temples. "Right now, we're just waiting on the results. Most have come back negative for permanent damage–"
"Permanent damage?" Mebuki's voice had gone up an octave. "What the hell did he do to her?"
"They really didn't tell you much." She seemed stunned by the news, but was quick to fix her composure and a second later, Tsunade was gesturing for them both to follow her to a more private waiting room. There were no watchful, nosy eyes surrounding them now. "Sakura suffered quite a few injuries, but the one that worried us most was the one that caused her unconsciousness as well as caused her to stop breathing."
It seemed Mebuki herself had stopped breathing at that moment in time and her face had paled terribly, to the point where it looked as though she was about to pass out.
"I don't know for sure what happened, as I haven't had the chance to speak to the ones who were there, but from what I can tell, it looks like Sakura was strangled."
When two sets of eyes moved to him, Sasuke reluctantly nodded. "I went to meet Itachi," he recalled unwillingly, trying to ignore the vicious twisting of his stomach. It felt like he wanted to be sick. "We called him the moment we had an opening after Kizashi broke in. When I returned, he was on top of Sakura with his knee pressing into her stomach, choking her."
Mebuki fell back into one of the chairs, shaking as she sobbed into her hands.
The sound pained him more than he ever thought it would.
After only a brief pause, Tsunade sat by Mebuki's side and placed a hand on her shoulder in a comforting gesture. "I will personally be taking care of your daughter, Mebuki. You have my word not only as a doctor, but also as her shishou: I will not let anything happen to her."
The words were spoken fiercely, with a great emotion that Sasuke couldn't even begin to understand, but it seemed to comfort Mebuki because she calmed by the smallest amount, wiping away her tears and nodding quickly.
"Sakura's resting right now," Tsunade told her more quietly. "I can bend a few rules though and grant you both access to the ward she's on. Just give me a moment and wait here until I return."
The other woman let out a deep, shaky breath and once again nodded. "Thank you."
She hadn't known her all that long, but it was safe to say that Haruno Sakura had gotten under her skin, to the point where it felt like Tsunade hadn't been able to breathe when she heard the news.
It was Jiraiya who rang her, telling her that Sakura was being rushed to the hospital. Where he'd gotten the information from, she'd never know, although she had a strong feeling that it was Uchiha Itachi who told him. Either way, Tsunade was grateful for being told because the second she was, she was out of her apartment and rushing to the hospital, frantic to help her.
That man… Damn it. She should have known something like this would happen.
"Sakura," Tsunade sighed, pushing the hair off her face. "You're going to be okay. I'll make sure of it."
On her hospital bed, with the heart monitors and other machinery around her, Sakura looked so young and fragile. Already, dark and vicious looking bruises were marring her otherwise pale and unblemished skin and the sight of them made Tsunade feel sick. The ones around her neck were the worst, though.
And then the beeping was picking up and Tsunade could tell from years of experience that Sakura was waking up, so she was quick to assist her before going back to stroking her hair, making sure the action was comforting and soothing. Like she had been expecting: green eyes shot open and widened before Sakura let out a strained whimper, shaking with obvious fear as she attempted to look around the hospital room, trying to figure out where she was.
"Calm down, Sakura," Tsunade spoke soothingly, meeting her eyes with a softened look. "You're safe now."
"W-Where… Wh–"
"Don't speak," she ordered quietly. "You need to rest for now. The others are all safe, too. That man has been arrested. Your mother and boyfriend are in the waiting room."
Slowly, she tried to nod, doing her best to breathe deeply even though her throat was aching horribly.
And then tears were filling her eyes, even though it was obvious she was trying to hide them.
"It's okay," Tsunade whispered, trying to keep her own composure. Seeing such an innocent, pure girl in such a state… "It does no good to bottle things up, Sakura. Just cry if that's what you need to do."
So she did.
And Tsunade did her best to comfort her as she let out silent sobs.