Chapter 16. Rage of Othello

"A moment of anger can make or break a marriage."

|Sakura|

I gasped as she lifted up her shirt.

A large bruise encompassed the midsection of her lower back area, and it was not a pretty sight. Dark red around the edges but mud red towards the center…this wasn't your ordinary burst blood vessel bruise; something else had been damaged.

Ino tried to smile, "You're pretty quiet back there. Is it that bad?" She lifted her shoulder to remove her shirt completely and her upper body quivered.

"Stop, stop, stop." I removed her shirt for her and helped her lie down on my bed before lightly touching her back.

"Agh—!" Ino pressed her face into the pillow to muffle her cries and I pulled my hand back immediately, "No…gomen, you can keep going. I just…wasn't ready for it."

"Ready for it my ass." I shook my head as I placed an ice pack on the afflicted area, "What the hell, Ino? Why haven't you gone to a hospital?"

I had learned of Ino's possible injury from Sarada, who had a hard time looking me in the eye while she spoke, which was funny seeing as she had no qualms about telling me off. In any case, Sarada told me that Sai had slammed Ino into the kitchen counter, and she had refused to get treatment. Once Sarada was done informing me, I dialed up Ino and ordered her to come over.

She sighed, "What would I say? I fell over? Blew out my back? Had an accident? The police will arrest him, Sakura."

"They should arrest him!" I exclaimed, going into the bathroom and digging through my cabinet, "What is he, an animal? How could he do this to you?"

"And what's this about him choking you?" I came back out with a Tramadol capsule, "Did you tell me the truth when you called that night? As far as your story goes, you slapped Sai because he admitted to cheating, you two talked, and then you went to bed separately. What do I not know?"

She kept silent as I handed her the capsule and a bottle of I LOHAS.

"Well?" I asked, "Are you going to answer?"

"You know…everything now. I just, I said some things that I shouldn't have and he…reacted."

I blinked, "Reacted? That's what you're going to call this? A reaction?"

"I was being disrespectful, and I really pushed his buttons so…" She quickly swallowed the capsule and shut her eyes, "Whatever, it happened, it's over. Can you fix me up or not?"

"Ino—"

"Sakura, please." Her voice wavered towards the end, and I sighed.

"It's not a matter of whether or not I can fix you." I told her up front, "This bruise looks bad, really bad. Like you damaged something on the inside, and the only way to treat you accurately would be with a CAT scan."

"And you don't have the machine in your basement?" She tried for a joke and I flicked her bottom.

"No, which is why you need to go to a hospital." Her smile fell off her face and I rubbed the back of my neck, "But since you're so…anyway, I know a place we can go to that won't make you file a police report."

"Really?" Ino sat up only for her face to twist in pain at the abrupt movement, "Ow…where?"

"Somewhere you know very well."

'Not now.' I shook my head, "It's a small clinic on the edge of the city. I'm friends with the supervisor."

"Friends?"

I helped Ino to her feet, "Let's go now, before this thing gets any worse."

Carefully, we made our way down the stairs and Ino told Inojin we would be going out. Inojin got up from beside Sarada to help his mother to the car, and I looked at my daughter. Her eyes may have been glued to the TV, but I knew Sarada was watching me.

"We're gonna be going out for a bit." I scratched my head, trying at a conversation.

"Mm." Sarada nodded, not looking at me, "I heard Ino-oba."

"Ouch. Okay, you ignored me the last time and ended up crying, now follow my instructions and throw something at her."

'Shut the fuck up.'

"Tch. You're no fun."

"Alright, well…I love you." I said as I shut the door behind me, but just before I closed it, I lingered in the doorway hoping she would make a move.

She remained facing forward, acting as if she hadn't heard me. I tried not to take it to heart and instructed Inojin to be safe while we were gone before getting in the car.

"Took me five minutes to get in the seat with his help, and I was yapping his ear off the entire time." Ino chuckled as we watched Inojin enter the house before I backed the car out, "I don't know how the kid's not tired of me."

"Mm." I nodded before glancing at the GPS, "Put 125 Iburi Place in for me?"

"Gotcha." Ino nodded, typing in the address and quietly laughing to herself, "Things like that tell me I'm doing something right. Or at least, he doesn't hate my guts."

'If only I could say the same.' I thought to myself.

"Now aren't you glad you lost the other one? If this is how Sarada's turning out, imagine her influence on him?"

I tried to keep my face composed as I responded, 'Don't bring him up. Ever.'

"Ugh, that's why you're stuck like this. Still haunted by the past. Fine then, try and escape. You're going to see her right now, and she definitely won't leave you alone."

I sighed and Ino pinched my cheek, "You having your own troubles? Now it's my turn to grill you."

"Nothing much." I assured her, "Between Sarada being Sarada and Sasuke's deployment, I guess I'm just a little stressed."

"He hasn't been home at all?" Ino raised an eyebrow, "Not even once?"

I shook my head as I stopped at a red light, "Have you seen the news? There's a new incident every night, and with crime as bad as it is nowadays, Konoha PD needs all the hands they can get."

"Still, he should be able to make out an hour at least. How long's it been?"

"…Three weeks." I answered weakly, recalling when I'd seen Sasuke last.

"What?!" Ino exclaimed, looking at me in disbelief, "Three whole weeks and he can't even stop by for one day?"

"Ino, it's part of his job." I groaned, honking the horn at a distracted driver.

"Has he called?" She crossed her arms.

"No."

"Texted?"

"No…"

Ino put her hands up in defeat, "Alright, that's it. We're going to visit him."

My stomach dropped to the pedals, "What?"

"You heard me." She nodded, "After I get checked out by this clinic, we're swinging by the police station and I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind. He's at the Nagi Street precinct, right? Oh yeah, we're stopping by."

"This should be fun. I wonder, can you look him in the eye after everything you've done with Naruto?"

I shook my head, "Well…we'll see about that."

|Sarada|

"Are you mad at me?"

I blinked and looked up from the concrete, "Huh?"

Inojin tilted his head, "You haven't said anything since we left the house, so I thought…"

"No, no." I shook my head, "It's not you I'm mad at."

"Oh." We continued to walk in silence.

It was Mama that had the pleasure of being the target of my anger. Again, she had done that 'I love you' trope just before leaving. She never actually tried to sit down in the moment and prove it. Even that talk about Mitsuki had been an afterthought, a way for her to trick me into believing she actually cared, and I was ashamed to say that I had fallen for it.

'Never again.' I reminded myself, 'Never again.'

"So, who are you mad at?"

Wondering if I should confide in him, I looked him over. Inojin was looking better than before, but I couldn't shake how sick he'd been some hours ago. His sweaty face, bloody nose, skin paler than ever…

'No.' I decided against it, 'This is about him.'

That brought me to the reason we had left the house in the first place. As discussed, Inojin had brought his mom over and I quickly explained the circumstances to Mama in as little words as possible. Needless to say, Aunt Ino was getting the treatment she needed. The next thing on our checklist was to find Uncle Sai.

To go out and wander the streets of Konoha in hopes that we would come across him seemed like a juvenile plan, but without the slightest idea of where he would go, we figured actively searching would prove to be more fruitful than staying at home on our asses.

'The one time I needed Papa and of course, he's not here.' I sighed internally at my two parents, 'Even if I was a sinner in my past life, I didn't have to be born into this household.'

Shaking my head, I reminded myself of the situation in front of me and answered Inojin's question.

"No one."

Inojin grabbed my hand and halted us both in the middle of the sidewalk, "Sarada."

I composed myself and looked back at him, "Hm?"

"Don't do that." His lime green eyes pleaded with me, "Talk to me. Please."

"I…" I thought of Aunt Ino and her back injury and remembered Inojin's crying face as he confided in me.

How could I tell him I was mad at my own mother when he was so worried about his?

"It's nothing, really."

"Would you tell Mitsuki?"

"Inojin…" I tried to pull my hand away.

"It's the truth." Inojin let go of my hand, "With me, your lips are sealed but with him you're an open book?"

"That's because he's my—"

"Boyfriend." Inojin finished, laughing harshly, "You'd tell more to a stranger that didn't even know you existed ten days ago than you would to a guy who's been by your side for fifteen years?"

I didn't know what to say.

"Oh wait." He continued, "You told Boruto before me, right? And you've known Boruto for around the same time, so I guess you just don't trust me."

"That's not it." I quickly refuted that statement.

"Then what—" He cut himself off to step to the side for an old lady, "Then what is it? I told you about my problems, and you helped me. I want to help you but you're shutting me out! If you trust me, why aren't you telling me?"

"Because…because you wouldn't understand." I regretted those words as soon as I saw the hurt on his face.

"What?" He tried to conceal his pain, stepping back, "But Mitsuki would? Or Boruto?"

"Mitsuki wouldn't…why are you bringing Boruto into this?"

He shut his eyes and turned on me, "Fine. It is what it is."

"Inojin?" I called after him as he walked away, "Where are you going?"

"I'll find Tou-san by myself." He called over his shoulder.

"Wait!" I scrambled to catch up with him, "Come on, let's do this together."

"No." He answered resentfully, "It doesn't make sense working with someone who doesn't trust you."

I pursed my lips and he continued to stare straight ahead as he walked.

"…What will you do if you find him?" I stopped at the crosswalk.

Inojin shoved his hands into his pockets as he crossed the streets, "What I should've done when he was hurting Ka-san."

His voice sounded cold, scary even, and I wanted to follow him and stay by his side in case he did happen to find Uncle Sai first. But I also knew that I'd butchered the mood between us and working with him in under such conditions would only preserve the tension.

I looked up at the street sign and saw that he'd gone down Hatake Street. Taking the right would be going down Hokage Avenue, and that would be the same as heading back home, but on the left was East Senju Avenue.

"This place is dangerous!" Boruto's words echoed in my ears.

'Exactly.' I thought to myself as I brought out my phone, 'Who would go here alone?'

I tapped the contact, and the phone rang three times before it was picked up at the last second.

"Hello?"

"Yeah." I went into a nearby pizza shop, "Are you free?"

|1 Hour Later|

"Sara, what the hell are we doing here?" Boruto asked as we strolled through Senju park.

"Like I said when I called, we're looking for Sai-oji." My eyes scanned the horizon every few moments, lingering a few extra seconds on anybody who slightly matched his figure.

"Yeah but…" Boruto put his hands behind his head, "You could give me some background, ya know. We were 4-3 in ranked and I left the match."

I shook my head, "Good, I hate Rainbow. Just help me find Sai-oji and I'll fill you in on the details later."

"The things you do for friends." Boruto sighed and my lips twitched as I held back a smile.

Since I had called him, we'd gone down the entirety of East Senju Avenue, explored Hyūga Boulevard, gone up half of Gama Road, doubled back through Kurama Road, searched a section of Indra Avenue and had somehow found ourselves in Senju Park.

'Has Inojin already found him?' I wondered, 'No, if he did, he would've called me…right?'

Just as I began to doubt Inojin's willingness to inform me, my phone rang. I took it out of my pocket and frowned as I read the caller ID.

"Who is it?" Boruto asked as I answered.

"Somebody that shouldn't be calling. Hello?"

Kū laughed on the other end, "Hey, is that any way to answer the phone? What if I have something important to tell you?"

"Do you?" I didn't bother to hide my impatience, "Because if not, I have to go."

"Slow down." He chuckled, "I do, actually. Guess who's with me right now?"

"Kirara? Kakō? I'm hanging up." I brought the phone down to end the call, but his shout stopped me, and I lifted it back to my ear.

"Sheesh, you're no fun! It's your friend Inojin, and his old man. I heard you were looking for him."

I stopped in my tracks and Boruto walked into me, giving me a dirty look. I paid him no mind as I focused on what Kū had just told me.

"Where?" I quickly asked, "Is he okay?"

"At Mitsuki's house." I could hear his smirk, "And Inojin's fine. His old man however…well, you'll have to see."

"We're coming right now. Make sure he stays there." I told Kū, hanging up and turning to Boruto, "Inojin found him."

"Great, so I'm good to go?" Boruto pointed at the train station behind him.

Now it was my turn to give him a dirty look, "Let's go."

Boruto sighed, "I figured you would say that."

Needless to say, we raced over to Mitsuki's house, Boruto grumbling all the way about how his Monday was being wasted. I motioned for him to shut up as we walked up to Mitsuki's house, and I knocked on the front door.

"That didn't take long." Kū said as he opened the door, "What's the—?"

"Move." I pushed past him and went into the house, and the sight I met was worse than what I had been thinking.

Uncle Sai was sitting on the couch with a swollen face and a dark bruise under his right eye. His nose was red, and his lower lip was enlarged beyond belief. He was somehow managing to hold an ice pack to his head, albeit very weakly, as I could see his arm shaking from where I was. I brought my hand to my mouth.

"Yep." Kū said from behind me, "It's pretty bad."

I stepped forward and Uncle Sai looked at me, as if he had just realized I was there. We looked at each other and no words were exchanged, before he finally asked, "Who's there?"

I looked back at Kū for an explanation, fearing the worst, but Kū waved his hand.

"Come on Sarada-chan, the man's been beaten half to hell. You think he can see through that swelling?"

"Sarada?" Uncle Sai's called in surprise, an undertone of anxiousness not escaping my detection.

Boruto cleared his throat, "I'm here too, Sai-ojichan."

"And Boruto?" Uncle Sai lowered the ice pack, "What was your name? Kū? Why did you call them here?"

"Whoa, old man." Kū pushed past the two of us and took a seat beside Uncle Sai, "Watch the tone. It turns out you have some admirers. Once they heard you were missing, they just had to help your son find you. Though it looks like Inojin didn't need their help."

"Inojin did this?" Boruto asked as he entered the living room, getting a better look at Uncle Sai, "It can't be."

Kū laughed, "It definitely can! You should've been with us when we saw him. Behind a motel kicking the shit out of his old man! I had to look twice to make sure I wasn't seeing things, ne Kakō?"

That's when I noticed Kakō leaning against the kitchen doorframe. He nodded, cleaning out his fingernails with a Rambo knife.

"That was a sight for sore eyes!" Kū continued, "Honestly, I think he would've killed him if we hadn't intervened. The way he looked, it reminded me of the old Mitsuki. Although when you hear the full story…"

Kū patted Uncle Sai's back roughly, "This guy doesn't deserve to go out that easily."

"Enough." Inojin's voice cut in, and I turned around.

As if on cue, he descended the steps and stopped at the foot of the stairs. We locked eyes and I could've sworn I saw a hint of shame, but a quick glance at Boruto filled them with a quiet rage, similar to the one I'd seen when we split up, but I didn't understand why. I couldn't hold his gaze any longer, so I let my eyes glaze over him.

There were flecks of red on his shirt, and his knuckles were stained the same color. Both were from what I already knew, and I couldn't bear to look at him anymore.

"Inojin!" Boruto met him at the stairwell, grabbing him by the collar and staring fiercely, "You…you did this?"

Inojin stared back coldly, "I did."

The punch came out fast, and I watched as Inojin fell back. Boruto tightened his fist, shaking in anger, and watched as Inojin rubbed his chin, slowly getting up.

"Is a screw loose in your brain?" Boruto yelled, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Inojin looked at me, "So you can't trust me, but you can trust him."

"I needed his help to look." I quickly answered, starting to see what he was getting at, "And Boruto's been all over Konoha…"

"A bumbling fool that doesn't know much, who resorts to his fists at the slightest inconvenience." Inojin spat venomously, "You trust him more than me?"

"Hey." Boruto stepped in between us, "What're you coming at her for? I asked you a question, ya know."

"I'm gonna tell you this one time." Inojin straightened up, stepping into Boruto's personal space, "Mind your business."

"Since Sarada called me for help, it is my business,"

"Inojin," Uncle Sai called, "There's no need to—"

"Shut up." Inojin glared at him before looking back at me, "So as soon as I leave, you call your best bud, is that it?"

"That's not—"

"Stop. Talking to her." Boruto got in Inojin's face, "I asked you a question. Answer it."

Inojin elbowed Boruto in the stomach before kicking him back, "I warned you."

Boruto held his stomach for a few seconds before getting back up, a menacing look in his eye.

"Boruto, no!" I tried to stop him, grabbing his arm as he got up, but it was too late.

He shook me off and charged at Inojin, who turned to the side and tried to hit Boruto with a high knee. Boruto countered by grabbing his leg and punching him in the face. With a firm grip, he held on and hit Inojin repetitively and my blood curled as I watched.

Despite Boruto being one of the kindest guys I knew, when he got into a fight, his actions made you forget how nice he was. Even in his freshman year, a senior had bumped into him and he'd refused to back down. Once he got the senior under him, he gave him the worst pummeling I'd ever seen.

After the fourth hit, Inojin managed to lift his other leg and kick free, backing up. He took deep heavy breaths as he held a hand to his nose, blood running down like a stream. I took the opportunity to run over to Boruto and plead with him to calm down.

"Please, we're not here for this." I told him, "This isn't what I wanted."

Before he could respond, the front doorknob wiggled, and we watched as the door opened. In stepped Mitsuki with multiple shopping bags in each hand. He looked from me, to Boruto, to Inojin, before quickly glancing at the living room and its inhabitants.

"Someone mind telling me what's going on?" Mitsuki asked as he stepped inside, setting the bags down, "You're causing trouble in my house, Kū?"

Kū got up, "You know I would never. These two were arguing and before I knew it, they started fighting. Ain't that right, Kakō?"

Kakō nodded and Mitsuki stared at the two of them. Maybe I was mistaken, but Kū seemed to be nervous. Finally, Mitsuki turned back to Boruto and Inojin.

"I don't know what happened but it's over." Mitsuki stated officially, "Get away from each other."

"Tch." Inojin clicked his tongue and went back to the kitchen.

"I'm gonna go talk to him." Kū informed Mitsuki before following after Inojin.

I could've sworn I saw him smiling, but I wasn't too sure.

I turned back to Mitsuki and gave him a hug, "Arigato."

He patted my back before looking at Boruto, "And you should know better."

"Yeah." Boruto sighed, "He was just pissing me off."

"It's my fault." Uncle Sai spoke up, "I'm the one who put him in that mood."

"Don't defend him, Sai-ojichan." Boruto shook his head, "Look what he did to you! Is he crazy?!"

"No, it's me who's…" Uncle Sai trailed off and laid back down.

The front door swung open, and I barely got out of the way before Kirara and Kokuyō walked in. Kokuyō was carrying the twice the bags Mitsuki had brought in, while Kirara strolled in with only her handbag over her shoulder.

"Ah, Sarada-chan!" Kirara raised a hand to her mouth, "What a surprise! You here to find something?"

I nodded at Uncle Sai and she frowned, "Oh. Well, that's…that's not what I was thinking."

Before I could ask her what she meant, Kokuyō dropped the shopping bags and straightened up, stretching and grumbling about how he was ready to take a nap.

"After we get Mr. Yamanaka to a doctor." Kakō cut in, and Kokuyō looked like he had just been sentenced to life in prison.

"Stop being so lazy." Kirara flicked his cheek before running over to Kakō for protection.

Watching the three of them interact reminded me of similar times when I was younger. Mama and Papa would be in the kitchen cooking, and we'd laugh together at the dinner table. That must have been years ago because I couldn't remember any recent such thing.

"Sara." Boruto grabbed my shoulder and turned me around, "What's this drug business Mitsuki's telling me about?"

I gave Mitsuki a look, but he looked away from me. Sighing, I explained to Boruto that I was simply an advisor for Kū's product, and that I wouldn't be actively selling it in the streets.

"Why don't you tell him what the product is?" Mitsuki asked, an undertone of disapproval clear in his voice, and I wanted to kick him in his shin.

Boruto looked between us before settling his eyes on me, "What is it?"

"It's…shabu."

"Say what now?" Boruto didn't try to hide his confusion.

Mitsuki cut in, "A powdered drug, like cocaine."

Boruto's eyes widened, "Sara, no."

"I told her." Mitsuki crossed his arms, and I gave him a look.

"Not helping."

"I'll be fine. I'm just…mapping out how they can maximize sales." I rationalized, both for myself and for him.

"Still, drugs are kinda…" Boruto tilted his head, "And it's not kiddie stuff like weed. If the police catch you, they won't just talk your ear off and send you home. Narcotics are a whole different ball game."

"I'll be fine." I touched his arm, "Just don't tell anyone. Not Shikadai, not Sumire, not Iwabe, not Chōchō, no one."

"Sarada…"

"Please." I begged him, "I can manage this, what I can't manage is what will happen if more people know about it."

Boruto sighed, "Alright. I hope you know what you're doing."

I smiled, "I do. Arigato, Boruto."

He scratched the side of his face, "No problem."

"Okay." Mitsuki cleared his throat, "Anymore between you and I'm going to get jealous."

"What?" I raised an eyebrow, "Me and Boruto? Never."

"Exactly." Boruto wore the same expression, "She's like my little sister."

"Older sister."

"March 27." He reminded me of his birthday, and I scowled at the fact that mine was only a few days later.

Kū and Inojin emerged from the kitchen and Kū clapped his hands, "Okay, it's time to patch Mr. Yamanaka up! Sarada-chan, if you'll excuse us."

Kakō and Kū helped Uncle Sai to his feet, and I stepped aside for Kokuyō to open the door. I watched as they carefully descended the steps and made their way to the car. As Inojin passed, he refused to look at me or Boruto, and Boruto started to mutter something, but I stepped on his foot.

Kirara was the last one out, and she stopped at Mitsuki, adjusting his collar for him, "You gonna come with?"

Mitsuki shook his head, "I'm tired. Let me know how it goes."

Kirara nodded and then turned to me, "Will I see you when I get back?"

I switched on my phone and checked the time: 1 o'clock. Mama would have taken Aunt Ino to the doctor and been back by now. That means if I left, I would definitely come into contact with her at home.

The thought annoyed me, and I looked at Mitsuki, "Mind if I hang out a little longer?"

He waved his hand and started up the stairs, "My house is yours."

"Well, I'm gonna leave." Boruto interjected, "You still owe me an explanation, Sara."

I nodded, "I'll call you."

He nodded and Kirara smiled at me, "See you later."

I shut the door behind the both of them and followed Mitsuki up the steps and to his room. He grabbed a towel from behind the door and got ready to take a shower. Lying down on his bed, I shut my eyes and curled up into a ball.

"You okay?" Mitsuki asked as he laid out an outfit to change into.

I flipped over, "Sometimes…Sometimes I think I'm meddling too much. Like maybe if I stepped back and minded my business, things would go much better."

He shook his head, "Don't say that. It's not like you do things to hurt people. As long as you have good intentions, you should always try to be involved."

I thought about my reason for joining Kū's drug scheme, wanting to break away from my parents and become my own person, and wondered if that could be classified as "good intentions."

I sighed, "Easy for you to say. You think I'm the nicest person ever."

I felt his weight on the side of the bed and he pulled me so that I was facing him. A quick kiss sealed my lips as he smiled.

"I do." He kissed my cheek, "Compared to me, you're an angel."

"But I'm not—" I cut myself off as I felt his hand on my leg.

"Trust me." His kisses trailed down my neck, "Even if you were secretly vindictive, with a nasty selfish side, you're still a thousand times better than me."

Kū's words came to mind, "The way he looked, it reminded me of the old Mitsuki."

'Should I ask him about it?' I debated bringing up Kū's comments, wondering if I was missing out on an important detail about Mitsuki's life.

He booped my nose and brought me out of my thoughts, "So don't beat yourself up."

He released me and went to the bathroom, and I covered my eyes again as Inojin came to mind. I would never have paused to ask Mitsuki about something before my talk with Inojin. Was I too trusting of him?

'But he's my boyfriend.' I scolded myself, 'If I can't talk to him, who can I talk to?'

But I had to remind myself, I had just met him. Objectively speaking, I barely knew the guy. Again, I shook my head.

'That's not right. We're getting to know each other. That's the whole point of dating. I shouldn't have to know his entire life story before I decide to commit to him.'

Groaning, I held my head and tried to sleep.

|Sakura|

"So much for us stopping by." I said to Ino as Shizune propped her head up with another pillow.

Ino scowled, "This is delaying the inevitable. Once I'm out, we're going to see him, no exceptions."

"Yes well," Shizune smiled, "An injury this severe will take 17 days minimum to heal so you're not going anywhere any time soon."

"17 days?" Ino looked at both of us, "Sakura, tell her it's not that serious."

"Afraid not." I sarcastically cried, "Looks like you'll be here for a while."

Tsunade knocked on the door and signaled for me to come talk to her, and I looked back at Ino.

"What an unfortunate development." I grinned as I walked out of the room backwards.

"Shizune-san! You can't let her get away with this!" Ino protested.

"Let her get away with what?" Shizune retorted as I left the room, "She's not the one with a fracture in her lower back."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" I turned to her, shutting the door.

"Please." She offered a slight smile as she lifted a hand, "Tsunade-san, after all, I'm not your mentor anymore."

I nodded and we walked to her office. She raised her arm to a seat and shut the door behind us before going around the table.

"So," She plopped down into the chair, "How's life?"

"It's good." I nodded, sitting down as well, "Life's life, you know?"

"Mm." Tsunade nodded, sifting through her drawer for something.

"Is this the part where you confess all your sins?" She laughed from beside me, "Or maybe you finally come to terms with—"

'Can you not?' I grimaced.

"Sakura."

I snapped back to her, "Yes?"

She reached across the desk and held my hand, "Tell the truth, are things really okay?"

"Why wouldn't they be?" I asked, noticing that she had put on her glasses.

She released my hand and brought out a file from her drawer. I saw my name on the tab and swallowed hard.

"The last time we met like this was in 2008, eight years ago. We'd agreed you'd ease out of your meds over the course of three years. You were supposed to check in with me after that time but…you never did." She looked up from the report at me.

"Ah, yes…" I nodded slowly, "That is…things got complicated."

She raised an eyebrow, "For five years?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair.

Tsunade sighed and flipped through the file, "I'll be honest, I'm worried about you Sakura; I've caught you making the same facial expressions you did back then. Like you're talking to someone that's not there."

"Uh oh."

"I'm fine, Tsunade-san. Really, just tired is all." I propped my chin up with my fist and avoided her eyes, "Am I not allowed to be tired?"

"That's not what I'm saying, and you know it." She pursed her lips, pausing before speaking, "You were on Paroxetine, right? It's an antidepressant with—"

"Atypical antipsychotic properties." I continued for her, "Increase levels of serotonin in the brain as well as the production of dopamine in order to compensate for a person's deficiency."

"Yes, I know you were once a doctor." Tsunade chuckled but her smile waned as she continued, "You were on track to be one of the best. If only you hadn't…ah well, it's in the past."

"Mhm." I nodded slowly, trying not to think of the incident she was referring to, "The past."

Her brown eyes glowed in compassion, "I can try not to take offense that you avoided me for five years…"

A slight smile crept onto my face.

"How about therapy? I wanted to schedule you here, but I thought you would get tired of my face and it seems I was right. You kept up with it at that hospital though, right?"

"No. No she did not."

'Quit it.'

"I thought you wanted to get rid of me."

'Not like this. I say the wrong thing and I'll be tied up in a padded room.'

"Not like it would be a new experience."

'Exactly. That's why it can't happen again.'

"Sakura?"

"Y-Yeah, I kept up with it." I answered her question, cursing myself for hesitating, "I stopped a couple years ago though."

"Did the psychiatrist dismiss you?" She looked through my file, "What was their name? Inuzuka Hana? How many years ago exactly?"

"Five…" I murmured.

"Around the same time you dropped your medicine?" Tsunade didn't try to disguise her critical tone, "Sakura, you didn't buy your degree. You of all people should know—"

"When a person stops taking the medicine they've been relying on for five years, there can be sudden mood swings as a result of hormonal imbalance." I sighed, "I'm telling you, there wasn't anything like that."

"You don't get to decide that Sakura." She reached for the phone on her desk, "Need I remind you that a mentally ill patient's opinions are taken with a bag of salt? I'll call your therapist, the fact that she didn't notify me is enough to get her medical license revoked."

She began to dial her number and I bit my lip, recalling what I had done to get out of therapy and how disappointed Inuzuka had looked as she signed off on it.

"Hello? This is Dr. Senju at Katō Clinic on Iburi Place. I'd like to speak to Dr. Inuzuka of the Psych Department. Yes, right now would be—"

She turned to me as I clicked the base and ended the call, "Sakura, what are you—?"

"Please," I begged her, "Don't get Inuzuka-san in trouble. She didn't want to stop seeing me but I…it's not her fault. Please."

She placed the phone back in its receiver and looked at me warily, "What did you do?"

I looked at the desk and took a deep breath, "…I was going to the appointments every week, I was making progress, real progress. But…I had to stop my meds."

"Because?" Tsunade leaned forward.

As I thought about it, I heard Sasuke's voice, monotone and devoid of emotion…I remembered apologizing over and over and over…

I shook my head, "I did what I had to do to save my marriage."

"Tell her."

'No.'

"So, I should be blaming Sasuke." Tsunade's face flattened in disappointment.

"That's not what I'm saying." I stood up abruptly, grabbing my purse off the floor, "It's fine, I'm better now."

"Sakura, wait." Tsunade stood up with me, "If you don't tell me, I'll be forced to assume, and assumptions don't help anybody."

"Think what you like, Tsunade-san." I made a beeline for the door, "I didn't come here to be evaluated."

"Does it have to do with Kosuke?"

I stopped at the doorknob and grit my teeth.

"It wasn't your fault, you know?" She came around the table and approached me, "If you hadn't been taken, you never would have lost him."

"Yes." I managed to say through clamped teeth, regaining my determination to leave, "I know that, arigato."

"Sakura—"

"Bye, Tsunade-san." I shut the door on her and made my way down the hall.

"Are you sure you did the right thing?"

I blinked as I met myself at the entrance, but pushed past her and started for the parking lot, "What good does talking about it do for me? She'd send me to an institution to be locked away for Kami knows how long? That's just what Sasuke-kun needs right now."

"Stop thinking about Sasuke-kun!" She followed after me, "That bastard hasn't thought of you once since it happened. And if we're being honest, Kosuke died because of him, not you!"

"Can you not?!" I snapped, turning to her as I opened the car door, "Tsunade already…" My voice broke as I shook my head.

"Daijōbu." She apologized, "Can't you see how broken you are? If you would just—"

I put a hand up as I got into the car, tears streaming down my cheeks, "No more, please…I don't want to talk about this anymore."

Sighing, she got into the passenger seat, "Fine then, if you really don't want to get better."

"Why are you saying it like that?" I asked as I cried, rubbing my eyes, "Of course I want to get better!"

She propped her head up with a fist, "Really? Because you know what you have to do. But you won't do it, and you won't let anyone help you do it. You can't keep these feelings pent up. It's only a matter of time till you win at Russian roulette, and I don't want it to get to that."

I sniffed, "As long as Naruto's here, it won't happen."

"…And when he leaves? Not if, because he will leave. What will you do then?"

"I don't…" I hung my head in my hands.

"I've said my piece." She rubbed my back, "Whether you decided to listen to me is up to you. It's always been up to you."

Nodding, I sat up and blew my nose before starting the car and pulling out onto the street.

She typed in the address in silence and the GPS read out the destination.

"Calculating route to Fire Station 8 – Iron Heart, Located on the corner of Kitsune Street and Shimura Road."

"I just want you to be happy." She said as she sat back, "Cause however you feel, I feel. And right now, I'm feeling very shitty."

|Naruto|

"Hmph…!"

"You gonna cum, Sakura-chan?" I asked quietly as I nipped at one of her nipples, "Without my permission?"

I brought myself out of her and she whined in frustration.

"You've gotta be quiet, ya know…" I brought a finger to my lips, "What will you do if someone hears us?"

We were in my office, and we had been here for a while. When Sakura had texted me towards the end of one of my meetings that she was on the way, I had been able to hurry up the proceedings just in time to meet her at the front, and when I saw her I could tell she was unhinged. I'd tried to talk to her, calm her down, but she shut me up and told me to give her what she needed.

The right thing to do would have been to tell her she was having a momentary crisis that would soon pass, but after last night, I wasn't supposed to do that. When she came to me like this, the best thing I could do was "fuck her and her problems into infinity." The idea was that by the time we were done, whatever dilemma she had been dealing with would seem like nothing.

I didn't agree with this method, and I'd made sure to tell her so. Of course, I wanted to make love to her and hear her enticing cries, but not if it was to escape from a situation that she would eventually have to deal with. I'd explained this to her again on the way up, but my opinions went in one ear and out the other.

"It's a win-win situation." She argued as we stepped into my office, "I don't see why you're not happy with it."

"Because it's a temporary solution, ya know." I locked my door behind us, "Whatever's got you upset now will still be waiting for you when we're through."

"Then I'll just spend all my time with you." She said in a low voice as she hooked her arms around me, "Every hour that I can spare, I'll be in your arms to do whatever you want."

Those words excited me, but I couldn't let her sidetrack me, "Sakura-chan, seriously."

She let out an exasperated sigh, "We can talk about this later, okay? Please, I want you."

Sakura struggled against the cuffs I'd slapped on her wrists and looked up at me pleadingly. I tried not to grin as I patted my member against her entrance. Her eyebrows scrunched together at the contact, and she groaned.

"Is there something you want to say?" I asked as I continued to tease her.

She nodded quickly and I loosened my tie from her mouth, "Put it back in…"

I feigned disappointment, "That doesn't sound like a genuine request, ya know."

"Please…" She begged, her eyes glistening with tears of dissatisfaction as I teased her with the tip, "Please put it back in…"

There was something about her desperation that excited me beyond words. Having someone grovel before me because I held the power to make them feel pleasure or pain never failed to light a fire within me.

Smirking, I joined our mouths and positioned myself at her core before slowly, and I mean slowly, re-entering her. She expressed her dismay at my pace with her tongue, so I held her hips and sharply thrusted, doing my best to get as far in as possible. I felt her tighten around me in anticipation for a quick pounding, but I wasn't done tormenting her. I began to pump in and out at the same painstakingly slow pace and quietly laughed as she shook in exasperation.

Sakura broke our lips apart and a thin line of saliva stretched between us before breaking off as she looked to the side, "Okay, enough is enough…please…I'm going crazy…"

A knock came at the door, and I looked from her to the door, and back to her again. An idea came to mind as I responded to the interruption, and I sat Sakura down on my desk.

"Yeah?" I called as I lifted her legs onto my shoulders.

"What are you—?" She cut herself off as I slammed into her.

"Nanadaime, it's Konohamaru." He identified himself, "Can we talk?"

I looked at Sakura who shook her head no as she recovered from that thrust, and watched her eyes widen as I grinned.

"Sure but," I slammed into her again and the small ornaments on my desk jiggled in sync, "I'm rearranging my office and the way things are now, I don't think I'll be able to open the door, ya know."

"That's okay." Konohamaru assured me, "It's nothing private, just wanna go over some cases."

"I'm all ears." I pressed my thumb down on Sakura's swollen nub and she failed to muffle all of her voice.

"You okay?" Konohamaru asked.

"Yeah!" I wagged a finger at Sakura, "Just hurt my thumb, I'm listening!"

"Right. Well first there's the fire on Haguruma Road. The building was up to date in terms of fireproof materials, but the cause was labeled as faulty wiring which shouldn't be possible because the building's interior is made to prevent any electrical currents from surging through it."

"Mhm." I slammed into Sakura again and watched her jaw clenched as she suppressed her voice.

As much as I wanted to torture her out, I knew if she were to slip up again, Konohomaru would begin to ask questions. I offered my mouth as a way to release her cries and she gladly accepted, groaning down my throat as I smacked into her again.

"Then that fire on the intersection of East Senju and Hyūga, I could smell the gasoline a block away. So why is it that the police report said it was started by an oven?"

I broke off the kiss long enough to answer him before returning to her, "Doesn't make any sense."

"Exactly. And when I brought this up with Fūma he told me not to worry about the details, that the police would get on it. Maybe it's the rise in crime but everything feels off. I just wanted to share my findings with you and see if you thought I was crazy."

"Not at all, not all. There's definitely something fishy with the way the police are acting right now, but try not to contradict them openly, ya know. The last thing we need is another department feud." Sakura hungrily reclaimed my lips and I started falling out of rhythm with my thrusts as I sought release.

"Gotcha."

I thought he was done but seeing as how I hadn't heard him leave, I broke away from Sakura again.

"Anything else?" I asked, rubbing Sakura's nub in fast circular motions to give her that final push over the edge.

I couldn't offer her my lips anymore, and as I felt her climax, her mouth dropped open. Hurriedly, I gave her my shoulder to bite down on and she did – hard. I grit my teeth against the pain and continued working myself to pleasure.

"Well, it's not work-related but…yeah, there is something else." I could hear the nervous grin in his voice.

My length twitched and knowing I was due to cum any second, I quickly asked him to explain.

"It's uh…it's Hanabi. Don't tell anyone this but…she's pregnant."

I only had two seconds to process what he said before I blew my load. Sakura quivered in response and as I removed myself from her, I quickly placed a hand towel under her bottom to keep any fluids from dripping down the table.

"Naruto-nii?" Konohamaru called me, and I returned my attention to him at once.

"No, I heard you. Wow, that's…that's something." I took off the soiled condom and dropped it into a plastic bag.

"Yeah. She said she was gonna tell Hinata-san and the two of them would tell their dad but as the father, it doesn't feel right having her do this alone, ya know?"

Even though I had just gotten off, at the mention of Hinata any euphoric sensation in my body quickly dissipated. It didn't help that I recalled her attempts to embrace me in this office two days ago.

'If I'd accepted her, would Sakura even be here right now? Would we even be doing this?' I looked at Sakura and I felt something that hadn't come up since we'd started this relationship: shame.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and I shook my head, turning her around to uncuff her.

"Ah, b-but what's stopping you from being with her when she breaks the news?" I stuttered as I returned to the topic at hand, grabbing my shirt off my chair.

"She is." Konohamaru sighed, "She said her dad would kill me if he got the news and laid eyes on me at the same time. It makes me worry what he'll do to her. Anyway, I wanted to know if Hinata-san had told you about it?"

'How could she? I haven't been home for the past two days.' I checked my phone and saw that there were no missed calls, 'And we're not exactly on speaking terms.'

"Yeah, but not exactly." I lied, "I knew Hanabi had told her something, but I wasn't fully aware of the details."

"Oh. Well, now that you know, I was wondering if you could go with them? Just to make sure nothing happens."

I should've declined, made up some excuse about some prearranged obligation that had to come first. But for reasons I still don't understand, I didn't.

"Sure!" I quietly winced as the word left my mouth, "Hiashi's a stubborn old goat, but he loves his daughters. I'm sure everything will be just fine, ya know!"

Konohamaru laughed, "Aa. Thanks, Naruto-nii, I've been really worried about it ever since she told me, but if you're going, I don't have anything to worry about."

"Yup!" I realized I was forcing a very wide smile, "Leave it to me!"

"I will! See ya, Naruto-nii!" Konohamaru walked off and I dropped the smile.

Sakura crossed behind me while hooking her bra, and I jumped into my pants, redoing my belt.

"I know I shouldn't have heard that," She said after some time, "But are things between you and Hinata so bad that you can't even be around her?"

I turned to her and answered with a little more anger than I should have, "Easy for you to say when you don't have to stare Sasuke in the face after being with me."

She kept quiet as she pulled her shirt back over her head, and I sighed.

"Look, that came out meaner than I meant it." I started to apologize, "But yeah, things with Hinata are tough right now."

"...Because of me?" She questioned after a while.

I turned to her and found her light green eyes showing signs of uneasiness.

"No." I shook my head firmly, "I told you before, we've been on a downhill slope for a while. I think...I think it's time to serve her the divorce papers I got."

Sakura took a second to find her voice, "Don't. I'll…I'll stop coming to you and we can act like nothing ever happened."

"What?" I couldn't mask my disbelief, "I just told you it's not your fault. Things aren't gonna get any better with us so I'm just going to end it. And if we stop now, who will you go to during your next crisis? Sasori?"

"I'll figure something—why would I go to Sasori?" She tilted her head to the side, and I bit my lip.

"Come on, Sakura-chan." I decided to just come out and say it, "When I first met the guy, you two were dining alone at Yakiniku Q, ya know. Not to mention he was flirting with you the whole ride back to your house."

"Are you—" She rubbed her forehead, "I'm not even going to entertain this. There's nothing going on between me and Sasori. He's a friend and I'm thankful for that because Kami knows I need one."

"And even if there was something," Sakura continued before I could answer her last jab, "It's none of your business. You're not my husband, Naruto, and you're not my boyfriend; you're just..."

"Just what?" I took the chance to speak up, "Tell me, Sakura-chan, what am I to you?"

Her mouth hung slightly open as she searched for the right words. Time passed and she shut her eyes before sighing.

"Why are we even talking about this?" She wondered aloud, "Because I'm trying to get you not to give up on your marriage?"

"While you allow yours to fall apart, ya know." I muttered.

She looked at me and I froze as I realized what I had just said. The hurt flashed in her eyes before she composed herself and became unreadable. Without another word, she made for the door, but I grabbed her hand and turned her back to me.

"Sakura-chan, wait." I forced her to look at me, "Timeout, okay? That was out of line, I know but I don't want to lose you. Look, I'll talk to Hinata if you want me to, but you have to do the same."

"No." She immediately shook her head, dropping her eyes, "It was wrong of me to open my mouth in the first place. I should never have imposed like that, gomennasai."

"For Buddha's sake, cut the formal speech." I let go of her arms, cupping her cheeks with my hands, "Let's say somehow Hinata and I miraculously patch things up with this one talk. What would you do once you were all alone?"

She laughed uncannily, "I've been alone for the past eight years; I think I'll be just fine."

"Listen to me," I said softly, fighting off the urge to kiss away her pain, "Go to Sasuke, tell him how you feel, what you want from him. I'll do the same to Hinata and when I come back, we'll tell each other how it went."

She went silent and I swallowed down my anxiousness. Part of me wanted her to say no again.

'Why should we try and fix what's broken?' I thought to myself, 'Say no. Say no so I can have you to myself.'

"Fine." Sakura sighed, "I'll go to the precinct and talk to him."

I forced a smile and held out a fist for a fist bump, "Here's to fixing our failing marriages."

With a smirk, she met my fist, "To failing marriages."

When our hands dropped, I crossed my arms and recalled a piece of info I had forgotten to tell her.

"Um," I rubbed my hair, "Would now be a bad time to tell you that Sasori knows about our affair?"

"...Huh?" Sakura's eyebrows jumped as she processed my words, "How? Why?"

"I...might have told him." I scratched my cheek.

"Why would you—!"

"Because he recognized me from the motel!" I rushed to explain, "He said he wanted to know the details and when I told him no, he threatened to expose us! What was I supposed to do?"

"Deny!" She exclaimed, turning away, "Oh Kami, I thought I had a normal friend, and it turns out he knows about my sex life."

Seeing her reaction to the surface bit of explanation I had given, I decided not to tell her that I had spoken to him about us that same night at her house.

"Gomen." I hugged her from behind, resting my head on her shoulder, "I wasn't trying to ruin your friendship."

She patted my head and quietly sighed, "I know, I know."

We remained in that embrace for a while before she finally turned around to face me. I caught her eyes dart down to my mouth, but she shook her head to herself as she began to pull away. Starting right now, we were on a break, it made sense that she would restrain from kissing me. Yet something about just sending her off with a hug didn't seem right, and I hoped she would forgive me as I held her cheeks with my hands and joined our lips.

'Screw it.' I thought to myself, running my hands down her back and resting them on her hips.

Sakura's eyes widened and when she grabbed my collar, I readied myself to be pushed back any instant. Instead, her grip weakened, and her hand came to rest against my chest. She fed into the kiss, slightly tilted her head and parting her lips, allowing my tongue to run over hers. One of my hands slipped from her waist to grab her bottom and that's when I felt her push at my shoulders, indicting we should separate.

"Okay, that's enough…" She murmured breathlessly as she turned away, "Seriously, we're supposed to be done."

I cleared my throat and tried to subtly shift my boner, "Right, done."

Her gaze flicked down to my lower area and her emerald-green eyes twinkled with desire. I found myself reaching out and pulling her back to me before pinning her between the table and myself. We stared into each other's eyes and I silently asked for her permission. She wasted no time in nodding and I rejoined our mouths as I slid my hands under shirt and cupped her through her bra.

"After this, we're – ngh – done." Sakura moaned into my mouth and she slid her jeans down.

"Of course." I agreed absent mindedly as I unbuckled my pants, "After this, we're done."