Chapter 18
Walking down a dark alleyway Sakura finds herself calling out for anyone to answer. "Anyone here?...Where is everyone... Sasuke…Naruto" she yelled out only to hear her own echoing voice returning back.
Suddenly feeling something hit her shoulder, Sakura looks up to see rain start to fall from the sky. As the rain falls faster, the water droplets quickly multiplied, turning from harmless sprinkles to a heavy downpour.
Covering up her already soaked head, Sakura dashes off in order to find some kind of cover from the cold rain. As she spots some possible coverage, Sakura finds herself stopping, when she noticed a random blanket on the ground, as she bent down to pick it up; she hears some laughing from the background.
"It's all your fault… you know" A male voice whispered almost in her ear.
Sakura hearing the voice, sharply turned around only to not see anything. Taking a few worrying steps back. Sakura noticed the sky getting darker as well as the temperature dropping; as she could now see her own breath rapidly escape her mouth.
While she continued to examine the sky, Sakura felt a particularly heavy rain droplet fall down her forehead, as she went to wipe it away. Sakura instantly pulled her hand back once she noticed the rain had a different texture to it. After she rubbed her fingers together at the thickness of the rain, she realized that instead of water it was blood.
"What is this?" she said as she looked at her hand horrified by the blood. Once she heard the laughing return again, Sakura looked up to find, herself face to face with an unknown man.
"Who are you?" she asked next startled by the man's sudden appearance, whose face was hidden by an umbrella. "Huh you think you can just get away from me forever." The man said as he quickly grabbed Sakura's wrist.
Sakura in reaction to the man quickly knocks the umbrella from his hands. When she got a good look at him; Sakura's face dropped in horror when she saw none other than Matsumoto's grinning face.
Sakura seeing him tried to fight him off but felt her body freeze as she could only watch, Matsumoto pull out a knife, and stab her in the stomach.
"AAAAAAAAAHHH" Sakura screamed as she shot up from bed, while trying her best to catch her breath. "Sakura its okay" Sasuke shouted as he tried his best to calm her down.
Once Sakura realized where she was, after frantically checking her surroundings. She placed a hand in her sweat drenched hair, "Sakura," Sasuke said as he pulled her in towards him. "Another nightmare again?" he asked already knowing his answer.
Sakura reluctantly, looked back at him before nodding her head. "Sakura its okay it was just a dream." he reassured as he could feel her body still trembling.
"I can't believe I'm still having these nightmares," Sakura thought to herself, after she paused to take some more breaths. Once Sakura's heartbeat returned to normal, she placed a hand over her ring before speaking to Sasuke.
"Sasuke, I don't think I can get married right now." Sakura said almost out of nowhere. Sasuke hearing this was confused, as he watched Sakura hand him her ring.
"I'm so sorry, but right now with the baby... and this Matsumoto thing, it's all too much…I don't think I can do it now... I hope you can understand." Sakura said crying after she placed her still shaky hands on her temples.
Clutching the ring into his palm Sasuke, pulled away some of Sakura's damp pink hair."Sakura it's OK will worry about it later, I just want you happy and healthy,"' he replied while putting the ring back on her finger.
"Sasuke?" Sakura voiced as he slowly pulled her back down to bed.
Once he got her to lie back down, Sasuke planted a kiss on her tear soaked cheek; as the both stared at each other, before Sasuke pulled her in tightly into his arms; while placing his chin on her head. "Sakura don't worry about those nightmares, this time I absolutely won't let anything happen to you or our baby I swear." Sasuke said sternly while his eyes changed.
Sakura feeling the rapid heartbeat of Sasuke's chest felt somewhat comforted but also had her own doubts that started to show on her face.
After five months fly by in little to no time and with the trial date for Matsumoto right around the corner; Sakura continues to try her best and have a normal pregnancy, despite the frequent nightmares and anxiety she keeps encountering.
Getting ready to go for one of her check ups Sakura still looking over the same letter that came to her house not long after Sasuke's letter arrived; hears a knock on her door. Quickly tucking the letter away in her purse, Sakura goes over to answer the door.
"Hey Sakura, sorry I'm late." Naruto tells her as he waved to her apologetically. "It's okay Naruto, you ready to go now?" she asked after she shut the door behind her.
"Thanks again for coming with me." Sakura said after she placed a hand on her larger stomach. "Ehh? It's no problem besides, with Sasuke away on another mission, someone needs to keep an eye out for you." He replied as they walked together.
"So have you guys set a wedding date yet?" he asked next after staring at her ring. Sakura blushing at the question, looked down as she hid the ring behind her other hand, "No not yet, with this Matsumoto thing happening in just a few days, I don't want to worry about that and a wedding and making sure my baby is healthy." Sakura sadly admitted while glancing over at her purse.
"Oh I see." Naruto said after not taking into consideration all the things that seemed to be happening all at once.
After a short wait and Sakura's name was called to go to the back with the nurse, she quickly turned to Naruto as she reached out her hand. "Huh?" he questioned while pointing to himself making sure she had the right person. "Naruto will you come with me please" Sakura asked since he didn't take hints as well as Sasuke.
"So Sakura any changes?" Tsunade asked as she examined Sakura's stomach. "No other than being a lot more tired and getting fatter," she replied while Naruto nervously sat off to the side still confused at why he had to be there instead of waiting in the waiting room.
"Okay almost done I'd like to check your blood pressure next." Tsunade said as she got her equipment ready. "OW" Sakura suddenly said as she placed a hand on her stomach once more.
Naruto seeing this, instantly fell out of his chair, before standing back up."What is it... is it time." he shouted nervously as he had obviously no idea about babies. Sakura laughing at him slowly sat up from where she was lying down. "Naruto easy, the baby just kicked me that's all" Sakura said while reaching for his hand. "See" she said next as she placed his hand on her stomach.
Naruto blushing at touching her stomach felt the sudden movement. "Oh wow that's... amazing Sakura... Strong little one," He commented at the feeling of something really being inside of her stomach.
As the two shared an affectionate laugh, Tsunade quickly got Sakura's attention, "Okay Sakura breathe normally for me." Tsunade said after she strapped the device around Sakura's arm after placing her stethoscope on the inner part.
After waiting a full minute, Naruto watched Tsunade's eyebrows knit at looking at her readings. "Sakura your blood pressure is really high... it's the trial isn't it?" Tsunade said quickly.
Sakura hearing this lowered her head as she grabbed her arm, since she didn't want to answer her. "You're going to have to get your blood pressure back down, or you'll be putting you and your baby at high risk." Tsunade preached while she took the band off of her arm.
"I'm going to have to forbid you from going to that trial," Tsunade spoke up next with a serious face. "But Tsunade..." Sakura protested while she looked back at Naruto for support. Naruto catching the look on her face looked over to Tsunade to try to convince her. "Tsunade but if she's not there, what happens if they just let him go."
"Naruto my only concern now is Sakura, the system won't let a guy like that out for premeditated murder so easily," Tsunade paused as she turned to Sakura since she was the one she needed to convince.
"I'm telling you this as a friend not only as your doctor, but you can't do this it's to dangerous. Do you understand let the system handle this, and you just concentrate on your baby." She said with surprising softness at her predicament, Tsunade knew Sakura wanted to be there but at this point it was impossible.
Sakura knowing Tsunade was right, reluctantly nodded her head to show she understood as the three stood in a somber silence for a moment.
After the appointment was over Naruto walked Sakura back to her home. Knowing Sakura was felling down, about not being able to attend such an important event. Naruto tries his best to cheer her up.
"Ne Sakura, I'm sorry you won't be there but I'm sure that guy won't get out." he reassured.
"Thank you, Naruto" she halfheartedly replied.
Needing to change the subject all together, Naruto grabbed Sakura's arm gently as he stopped her in her tracks. "Sakura can I ask you something… why did you want me there with you today instead of in the waiting room?" Naruto asked since he really wanted to know the answer anyway despite it being a distracting question. "I mean its more Sasuke's place or even your parents to be there," he continued trying to understand.
"I don't know, I guess I was a little scared to go by myself... Plus having you there gives me strength; sorry if it made you uncomfortable." She replied with a concerned face. Naruto seeing this waved a hand to try to change her perspective of how he might have felt. "No way I wasn't uncomfortable in the least bit." He replied secretly lying about it being really awkward for him.
"Besides I really want you there the day the baby is born," Sakura said next while placing a hand on his cheek. "Really?" he replied.
"Um, Naruto if it wasn't for you or any of you guys I don't think I would be experiencing this now, it would be wrong to not have you there." Sakura said next as she turned around to start walking once again. Naruto hearing this looked down briefly as a beaming smile crossed his face. "Thanks Sakura-chan." he said quietly before running to catch up to her.
On the day of the trial, like Tsunade instructed Sakura stayed home with her mother, while Sasuke, Kakashi, and Naruto go to witness the results.
As the three men waited patiently in the courthouse for the trial to start-up, Kakashi could tell Sasuke was growing more agitated the longer it took for the trial to get underway. "Easy, Sasuke this kind of thing is normal it'll all be over soon." Kakashi whispered to him, in order to keep one step ahead of his unpredictable reactions. "Don't worry about me; as long as everything goes as planned it'll be fine."Sasuke tried to reassure Kakashi so he would stop focusing so much on him.
As soon as Sasuke grew still, Kakashi saw from the corner of his eye the reason was due to Matsumoto being brought out in handcuffs by a few guards for his own protection. Sasuke eying him closely watched him be escorted to his seat, while his lawyer started to whisper into his ear.
After a few minutes of being seated, everyone equally grew silent once the judge had finally arrived into the courtroom. "Matsumoto Akira please stand" The judge called out after she got her papers organized and took her seat.
Hearing this made Naruto and Kakashi more on guard, as they continued to keep their own personal tabs on Sasuke's behavior, making sure he did his best to hold himself back.
Elsewhere, Sakura's mother gets ready to leave in order for her to grab some groceries and other things for Sakura. "Okay Sakura I'll be back soon, anything else you need?" she asked after Sakura had requested her to pick up a few things she had been craving.
"Um, no thanks that is all I need, see you when you get back." Sakura replied happily as she watched her mother walk out of the door. However, shortly after she had gone; Sakura quickly changed out of her robe into some normal clothes, as she grabbed the letter from her purse before leaving the house.
Despite Sakura promise to Tsunade and Sasuke to stay home, something in her was overly compelled to meet with Matsumoto face to face at least one more time. Sakura wanted to let the system handle this, but she wanted more to give him a piece of her mind, especially when she thought back to the life she had lived after she had lost her memory one of loneliness and bitterness.
In her heart she knew she deserved that right, to face the man who took away a good chunk of her life and that of her unborn son. As Sakura hurried to make it to the trial on time, she found herself suddenly stopping when she ran into a familiar face. "You?" she said in pure shock.
"Mr. Matsumoto, after studying the new evidence, your lawyer has provided me today. That you were not involved with the planning or physical beating of 15-year-old Sakura Haruno. And based on these letters of confession from the three convicted criminals, that also back up your claims that you had nothing to do with it." The judge paused as she changed over to another paper.
"And with the consideration of your behavior over the last few years... Due to the lack of evidence here, I'm reducing your sentence to time served." The judge said after placing the papers down.
"From here on out you will be under strict probation for the next year any missteps and you will be back in jail." The judge finished while banging her gavel.
"What?" Naruto and Kakashi equally called out "Are you kidding me," Sasuke shouted as he darted out of his seat in an instant, as he headed for the judge first, "That bastard ruined two innocent lives." Sasuke screamed out.
"Order, Order." The judge shouted while some Shinobi assisted in attempting to hold back Sasuke. Matsumoto staring at Sasuke chuckled and grinned as he stood up from his seat.
Sasuke hearing the chuckle and looking at the man's expression from the corner of his eye quickly charged after him after easily breaking the hold on him; causing the court attendants, to yell after they became startled from the attack.
"Please, calm down or I will have you detained." the judge screamed as she angered by his courtroom outburst.
Kakashi and Naruto seeing this getting out of hand quickly jump in to help separate Sasuke and Matsumoto and possibly keep him out of jail.
Once Kakashi and Naruto were able to subdue Sasuke enough, some guards got to work on removing Matsumoto from the court room while Sasuke was being held back by his comrades.
"Come on Sasuke calm down think of Sakura." Kakashi said as he was using everything in him to hold him still. Watching Matsumoto leave the courtroom, Sasuke angrily turned his attention back to the judge. "How could you let him get out he's a murderer." Sasuke yelled back at the judge once more with dangerous looking eyes.
The judge already in no mood, stood up from her seat as she banged her gavel for the entire room to be quite themselves. "Like I said before there is insufficient evidence, linking him to the actual crime in question; the ones at fault are where they belong... And so will you be for interrupting my court, guards take this man away, and detain him… now court is adjourned" the judge screamed while getting ready to leave.
"Wait judge please, understand that was his girlfriend that was attacked she couldn't be here due to her condition." Kakashi tried to reason with the judge for her to hopefully change her decision.
The judge looking at Sasuke who was still staring dangerously back at her. Let out a sigh as she shook her head. "Take him home, this thing is over now," she said after making an odd facial expression before leaving the courtroom.
After Sasuke took a few minutes to collect himself, and for his shaking hands to calm down from the pure rage he felt. He pulled out his phone once he felt it vibrate in his pocket. "Hello?" he answered before he stopped his shaking altogether. "What I'll be right there." he said immediately.
"Sasuke... what happened?" Naruto asked seeing him suddenly dart off.
"Sakura's in the hospital I have to go" Sasuke shouted back as he dashed out of the courthouse.
Okay so I'm having to rush my story a little bit since I move into my new house this week. There are only two chapters left after this chapter :P