As it is blatantly obvious, I do not own Naruto, okay? I am sorry for the delay on updating this chapter but it is a hard thing to work with abusive relationships in a story and this may come out a little OOC. I know Sakura is pretty strong a person and doesn't take things but then again, love or the illusion of it changes people. But enough of this A/N, on with the fic!

Sakura walked through the grocery store slowly. She had made sure to try and cover up the spot on her face where Sasuke had struck her in case a mark had shown up. It had been a slight one that she had managed to heal somewhat by the time she looked at in in the shop, but yet it was still somewhat visible enough for people to look, which they did as if the mark pulled their eyes to her. When people did look at it, it was not in a sympathetic or comforting way. It was more as if she was an exhibit in a sideshow for people to whisper about. All Sakura wanted to do was put what happened between her in Sasuke in the past. Maybe it was just a one time thing and would never happen again. Sakura wanted to believe the best of Sasuke and that he was not the jerk that Naruto and Tsunade were warning her that he was becoming. Picking up a few extra pork miso ramen packs to give to Naruto later, she took the shopping basket to the cashier to pay for her purchases.

"That will be 1500 Ryu." The clerk said looking at Sakura.

Sakura pulled out her money and handed it to the clerk who smiled at her. The clerk didn't seem to notice anything wrong about her face, so Sakura looked at her and smiled back at her and took her bag and headed home. As she headed out the door she could have sworn the clerk took another look at her. In the paranoia she had, Sakura held the bags close to her face, trying to look casual. It wasn't right, the way people were looking at her. (Or at least why she thought people were looking at her.) SHE was an abuse victim. Sure it wasn't a habitual thing, but that did not make Sakura feel any better. All she could really do was pray that if it ever came to it again, she would have the strength to put Sasuke in his place. It was a curious thing. She could do that to anyone else who tried to hit her like Sasuke did. She had been in war even where people were coming at her with intent to kill and she had taken lives before. But when it came to dealing with Sasuke, something changed in her. She loved in and cared about him and thought he did for her. The miscarriage was not her fault after all! If someone that was not Sasuke wanted to say otherwise, they would have to answer to her about that. Somehow in a sick way, the gazes of the villagers made her remember who she really was and that she was Tsunade's best student after all. She wanted to be just like her mentor after all. With new determination, he approached Sasuke and her's house, took a breath to banish all doubts she had about herself and got ready to face whatever was inside.

"Sakura-chan!" Sasuke said heading over to Sakura. He then took the grocery bags from her hands and placed them down on the kitchen table. "I am sorry for what I did earlier. I don't know what ever came over me. I guess with all I have been through, some of my decision making skills and rational thinking disappeared. I don't expect you to forgive me right away for what I did to you." Sasuke said as he moved Sakura's hair from her cheek and kissed where he had slapped her. "I just want to apologize."

Sakura was taken aback. "Oh." she simply said. With how he had acted before, this was the last thing that Sakura had expected from Sasuke.

"I know you're surprised." Sasuke said as he placed his arms around her.

"Yes I am." Sakura said simply back, gazing into his dark eyes. "I know you have been angry at me and the world for weeks now because of that damned miscarriage.

"I still am..." Sasuke said in a dark way looking away from Sakura. "But you can understand that." Sakura nodded at him while a nagging voice in her head spoke up, Keep your guard up. If he could hit you once for doing the job he knew you had to do, he could do it again. "But I cannot take it out on you. I love you too much to lose you." He kissed her gently on the cheek again.

"I don't want to lose you either, Sasuke." Sakura said wrapping her arms around his neck. He won't act like that again. He has finally seen the light. He's seen what Lady Tsunade, Shizune and I have been telling him all along. Sakura thought as she moved her hands from Sasuke's neck to his waist and hugged him close.

"Let me help you put those groceries away" Sasuke said taking the bags to the kitchen giving Sakura another kiss on the cheek. But what could have caused such a one eighty switch in him? A voice in Sakura's mind nagged at her. She was so confused about what was going on. Restoring the Uchiha clan was a deeply rooted desire in him. It took him being abandoned by his old team to get him to return to Konoha and prioritize. Was Itachi sighted? Is he cheating on me with one of the many other women in Konoha? Sakura thought as she saw Sasuke put away the groceries

"Got a lot of ramen huh?" Sasuke laughed.

"Did something happen while I was gone?" Sakura asked innocently.

"Nothing. I just realized I overreacted at everything." Sakura said as he hugged Sakura.

"Did Kakashi-sensei stop by?" Sakura asked knowing that Naruto mentioned that Kakashi did want to talk to Sasuke.

"Nope." Sasuke said. "Just came to this all on my own. No other girl in Konoha could make me this happy."

"I am so glad to hear that from you." Sakura said as Sasuke took her by the hand and led her to the bedroom. She looked around and noticed the look in Sasuke's eyes and where they were. "Full of some aroused spirit are we?"

"You could say that." Sasuke said pressing himself against her teasing her arousal.

"Well..." Sakura giggled feeling his presence against her. "You certainly are turning on the charm..." Sakura said somehow turning off the warnings her rational side was telling her about Sasuke.

"Good! All I want right now is you!" Sasuke said as he placed his tongue in her mouth, jerking her legs around him and opening the door to the bedroom.

Naruto lay on his bead in his apartment staring at the ceiling. He was worried about Sakura but couldn't place the exact reason why he cared so much about what was going on. Sure, they had been teammates forever and it was only natural that he would be worried about her. But was it still the boyhood crush he had on her showing through? When Sasuke and Sakura got together, he was naturally a little disappointed, but he was still happy for the two of them. He had begun his ANBU training having just become a Jonin and being recommended for the class by every sensei he had ever had. At that time, it seemed Sasuke was going to be a reasonable and honorable man to Sakura. Sasuke had seemed to be coping with not having achieved his life's dream of killing Itachi and Naruto knew that was one of Sasuke's main motivations in life and he seemed to take solace with Sakura and changing priories in life.

But this was different. No man should ever lay his hands on their girlfriend like Sasuke did to Sakura. I should have waited for Sakura to come home...Naruto thought. But Sasuke would have saved his wrath for when you left anyway... another voice in his mind said. All you can do now is be there for her now...

Naruto sighed as he heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" He asked.

"Message for ANBU member Uzumaki Naruto!" The messenger said as Naruto opened the door and the messenger handed the scroll to him. "Good luck with whatever it is."

"Thanks." Naruto said as he took the scroll and opened it to read aloud to himself the secret mission he was going to be sent on. "' This message is for Uzumaki Naruto of ANBU Black Ops. Uchiha Itachi has been spotted along the border of the Land of Fire and the Land of Wind. He was noted to be seen with Hoshigaki Kisame and Deidara as well. The orders of ANBU are to capture and kill if possible. This is an S ranked mission despite reliable information from insider sources that Uchiha Itachi is nearly completely blind and suffering from a terminal respiratory illness like tuberculosis. This is not a reason to drop your guard around him. He is still very skilled as a shinboi and is accompanied by fellow S ranked Akatsuki members. Report to the Hokage's office as soon as you receive this message." Naruto then grabbed his sword and ANBU kit and headed to the Hokage's office.

Sakura meanwhile woke up and looked over at Sasuke who was still asleep. Normally she could tell how he was feeling by his expression on his face but she wasn't as sure as she was before about him. They had never made love that passionately before but at the same time they never had an argument like the one they had before she went to the grocery store that made her question everything she knew about the man she loved. Getting up, she put on her robe and headed into the kitchen to make a pot of tea. As she put the tea leaves into the seeping pot, she heard Sasuke come out of the bedroom.

"How are you Sakura-chan?" Sasuke asked as he walked up behind Sakura and kissed her on the cheek like he seemed to like doing now. "Good thing about you being infertile is we can do that all we want without worrying about having kids."

"So you are okay with my..." Sakura paused trying to find the right words. "...condition?" It seemed the way Sasuke said it, he still held some resentment towards Sakura for her becoming infertile.

"I won't lie to you Sakura, you are too good for that. I am still pretty disappointed that the one woman I find worthy enough for me cannot bear my children and won't be able to help me restore my clan and the Uchiha restoration is left to my scum of a demon brother, but I cannot blame that all on you." Sasuke said as he poured himself a cup of tea. Sakura sipped her tea in silence, looking away from Sasuke. Somehow the wording that Sasuke chose to use struck Sakura even more than when he usually talked about it and yelled because of it. Sure, Sasuke was saying nice things and acting like he really loved her and saying the things she wanted to hear since the miscarriage in the first place but yet it was worse than when he yelled at her and smacked her for standing up for herself. It was if he wanted to keep reminding her of what she lost but yet not have anyone in the village think that he was really trying to put her down. You're just being overly sensitive Sakura. A voice in her head that desperately wanted to keep Sasuke in her life said. This is just how he copes with things. But the rational side of Sakura knew better, even if it didn't speak to her as desperately as the side that love Sasuke did. The delusions she had were not true; Sasuke still held everything against her.

"You said something about being on duty today?" Sakura asked.

"Yes." Sasuke said as he pulled out the teryaki skewers and rice Sakura had purchased earlier from the fridge and placed it in the microwave. "I hope you don't mind, but I need to eat something before I go to work. It's a long shift and I don't want to live off ramen and stale tea. Someone at the precinct always brews tea at the start of the day and on one refreshes it."

"Well, be safe then Sasuke-kun." Sakura said. She then got up and kissed him on the cheek as he headed to the bedroom and put his uniform on.

"I always am. You know that." Sasuke said as he finished up dressing and put the vest on. He then put his kunai and the rest of his equipment and headed out the door. "I'll see you later tonight. Hopefully the shift doesn't go past the assigned time."

"Well overtime is a good thing." Sakura said. "They have to pay you for that."

"Yeah. That's true." Sasuke said. He then walked out the door with Sakura following him. He turned around and gave her a slight wave and headed back to the precinct

Once Sasuke was out of sight, Sakura sat down, sipped her tea and ate the other set of teryaki skewers that was left behind. Fortunately for her, she had the day off after pulling a long shift with the ANBU injuries but she still felt uneasy. But when she headed to the bedroom and picked out an outfit and looked in the mirror of her dresser. It was then she saw the strain it was causing her. This was not her. Taking a gulp, she looked in the mirror and said, "If Sasuke keeps acting like he is to me, he's gone! I don't deserve to be treated the way he is treating me! I am a skilled Jonin medic and I don't need to keep acting like some meek sissy genin! If he can't accept me for what I am, I don't need him! He wants to restore the clan, he can do it himself!" Sakura said as she nodded to the mirror and headed outside to enjoy the day. I only hope I can keep myself when Sasuke is around... Sakura thought as she headed to the park.

So how was that? Good? Bad? Long? Let me know in a review. I would like to thank all those who left concrit and just so you know, I am trying to make it work and have Sakura recover herself. Love blinds you and an abuser can be a sweet talking serpent. Many women in abusive relationships will tell you that they thought the abuser would change or he acted like he regretted it afterwards but still abused the woman. But yeah, Naruto is being sent on a mission to possibly kill Itachi. Will Sasuke find out and how will that affect everything? You will have to read on. Anyway, story teasers aside, remember to read (well you just did) and to review. Ciao for now,

otherrealmwriter

aka

Realm.