Chapter 11

His head hurt. Bad.

His hands felt stiff, his throat was dry, and his chest hurt.

Opening his eyes, Toneri didn't even notice that Hinata's side of the bed was empty, there was only the throbbing in his head and the dehydration to care about.

He got up and went through his usual routine of taking a shower, brushing his teeth, and getting dressed.

Did all that without even noticing how quiet it was. His brain was still half asleep and so used to the routine that his body worked on autopilot.

When he entered the kitchen, Toneri made himself coffee and wondered if he should make Hinata some tea or just bring a cup of coffee as well. Deciding on the latter since it would be easier, he went back to their shared bedroom.

Once again, ignoring the fact the room was empty and the silence that enclosed the space. His head was pounding, and the alcohol consumption regrets kicked in.

A good fifteen minutes went by before he finally suspected something was wrong.

"Hinata?"

He called out into the bathroom but heard nothing.

"Sweetheart?"

The next thing he did was walk inside the closet, hoping to find her getting dressed to accompany him to work as the previous day, but no trace of her dark blue hair and pale skin.

Squinting, Toneri turned around and faced the bed.

Her phone was still on the nightstand and her ring was on the floor next to a torn pink dress and underwear. Crouching down, he picked up both articles of clothing, frowning once he saw blood both on her pillow and on the covers.

Once again, the clothes found their way to the floor as he kneeled, hands tracing the blood imprinted on the sheets. Then he noticed the red marks on his wrists and absentmindedly scratched his chest.

Utterly confused by it all, as he stood back up, he felt a slight pain on the same spot he had rubbed his chest and when he checked himself on the mirror inside the closet, he let out a loud gasp.

There were several scuffs and red bruising. Almost as if someone had punched him a couple of times and dug their nails in, as if trying to push him away.

When raising his head, eyes meeting frigid blue, something seemed to click and ever so slowly, things started to come back to him.


FLASHBACK ON

"Liar."

"I saw how his eyes were on you the entire dinner. You think I'm blind, don't you?"

He couldn't remember everything, but he had a vague idea of what went about and began panicking. Hands coming up to pull on his hair tightly as he began hyperventilating.

Her body was pinned down by him. Both of his hands grabbing her wrists whilst straddling her. Why couldn't she understand? He loved her and she was his. He had devoted himself to her and this was how she repaid him? With betrayal?

"P-please. You're not thinking clearly. You're drunk. I would n-never cheat on you." Every time he looked her in the eyes, he saw a familiar emotion he had grown accustomed to growing up. Instead of the usual pain and sorrow, it tended to bring, it only made him angrier. How dare she look at him like that.

The alcohol only helped him remembering things more clearly. But it also jumbled his memories.

It did help him remember how his mother used to push him out of the room as if he was too weak to help. Too weak to stand up to his shitty father and just fucking do something.

His father's words echoed in his ears as he found himself saying them to the woman below him.

"You fucking bitch."

The screaming that followed only enraged him further and he kept seeing his fists hitting the mahogany door over and over until he finally managed to enter the room and could only stare unresponsively at the scene in front of him.

But what stared at him wasn't a door or his mother's broken expression.

It was Hinata, nearly unconscious, with blood trickling down her face and-

*FLASHBACK OFF*


No, she wouldn't just leave… she just wouldn't. He kept repeating his mantra as he went to the small office near the front door, where the bodyguards usually waited and lounged in when they were home.

Slamming the door open, he straightened himself up before he demanded to know where Hinata was.

"Where. Is. She." His eyes weren't focused on anything, in particular, he just stared them down.

Both Karui and his usual two bodyguards looked up from their computers with puzzled faces. Holding the doorknob tighter, he closed his eyes, trying and failing to keep himself calm as he asked again the same question.

His control was slipping by the second and the longer they took to answer his question the worst he got.

Karui turned towards her coworkers and they all shrugged.

"Sir, our shift just started an hour ago. We haven't seen Ms. Hyuga this morning. We all believed her to be in the bedroom since her usual routine only starts in another hour." Karui answered calmly. On the inside, she hoped everything was okay and that nothing bad had happened to Hinata. But from the crazed look in his eyes, something told her that her boss had fucked up terribly and now the bluenette was nowhere to be found.

"Oh, you believed… Well Mrs. Akimichi, if I'm standing here wasting my time by asking you idiots where my fiancée is, do you honestly believe I didn't already know she wasn't in the fucking bedroom?" Karui swallowed and watched as he began trembling, a hand going up to clutch his head.

She then looked towards the other two men who had a look of fear in their eyes. "M-Maybe we can ask Lee?" She asked with the steadiest voice she could.

"Who?" Lee? Who the fuck is Lee? He couldn't remember having an employee by that name.

"The new guy, sir. The one covering for Shino until his family emergency-" One of his bodyguards tried to explain, but it seemed their boss couldn't care about anything other than knowing where Hinata was in that exact moment.

"Then where the fuck is this Lee guy?" He yelled out, ignoring the flinches from his bodyguards as he punched the wall, also disregarding the pain it ignited.

"I'm here sir." A voice came from behind him and as fast as Lee had spoken, the boss was on him, holding him up by his green polo shirt.

Their height difference did nothing to intimidate the dark-haired man as Toneri kept asking where, when, and why had Hinata left.

"First, with all due respect, I would like for you to let go of me, sir." Lee held his wrist and stepped out of his hold.

Toneri's first reaction was to grab onto Lee's shirt tighter but reigned himself long enough to pull back and take a couple of steps back. "Just fucking answer me." He tried to keep his face void of emotion, but he was too enraged to do anything other than glare, getting close to the point of snarling.

Lee looked towards Karui and the other two men, nodding before he turned to look back at the man who he hoped never to see again. "She asked me to drive her to a friend's house."

Friend? Hinata only has Ino and Sakura, but the blonde busybody is out of town and the pink-haired one must be working or with the Uchiha.

Does she have any other friends I don't know about?

Maybe Shion?

"You have orders not to let her go out without me knowing first." His hands fisted as he turned around and began pacing. "You should have told me. Why the fuck didn't you tell me?"

Lee did his best not to let his anger and disgust show as he casually crossed his arms and nodded towards the man's figure.

"When a woman such as Ms. Hyuga walks up to the door all bruised up and blood running down her face, nearly begging to drive her to her friend's house I didn't think twice." Limping was more of what she did. He had noticed a strange behavior but never gave much thought to it until the bluenette had begged him for help. And he didn't think twice.

He was heading out now, hoping it was okay for him to check on Hinata before he went on his way.

"What did you just say?" He stilled and turned around slowly, facing Lee, and watched as the bodyguard gulped and stood up straighter. So she's with Sakura…

Lee remained quiet. A permanent scowl on his face as he added, "You heard me perfectly. Now if I were you, I'd keep my distance from Ms. Hyuga."

"Don't make me laugh." As Toneri took a few steps closer to the man with the hairiest brows he had ever seen, he spotted Karui coming out from the office space and placing herself behind Lee. "Hinata is my fiancé and I do so as I please." He hissed out, letting his intentions be clear enough so that Lee could understand that Toneri was the all-powerful one.

"In case you haven't noticed we're living in the twenty-first century and this kind of behavior tends to get sorry excuses of men like you in jail. Get near Ms. Hyuga again or lift a finger to touch her and I'll make sure your ass sits where it belongs."

Before things could turn out for the worst, Karui interrupted. "I'll take care of this for you, sir." Grabbing Lee's shoulders she forcefully pushed him out of the lobby, but it was useless. Lee had his feet planted on the ground and not even using her entire strength seemed to move him.

There was a snarl on the boss's face, and he had lifted both of his sleeves as if preparing for a fight.

Both men seemed to pay her no mind as Lee picked up his duffle from where he had left it a few feet away, Karui following him, hoping to find out more about the entire situation.

Pointing at Toneri, lee spoke, "You have been warned." After that, he walked off. With Karui trailing behind.

Toneri's body wouldn't respond to his commands. He wanted to pull the eyebrow guy back and beat him until the guy was nothing but a bloody mess, but surprisingly so, he stood still as he processed the information.

If she was at Sakura's, then he didn't have anything to worry about. Sakura would be too preoccupied with work and he doubted Hinata would do anything serious about what happened as the eyebrow guy had implied.

Ino was still out of town so he still had time to act on it and get his fiancée back to where she belonged.

He was certain that the last place she would go was to the police. Hinata knew what was at stake and never in a million years would she actually go and press charges.

Toneri was certain of two things.

One, of Hinata's loyalty, and therefore, once she had finished throwing the tantrum, she would return to him and everything would go back to normal.

And two, the eyebrow guy had his days counted.


"Lee! For fucks sake, wait!" Karui ran after him, but he had decided to take the stairs, so she was struggling a bit. Who the hell uses the stairs to go from the penthouse to the ground floor? Crazy people.

"Lee!"

He stopped but the determined look on his face remained. "I have to get out of here. Tell Shino I'm sorry, but I can't stomach being in the same room as that monster." He knew that if he stayed, he wouldn't be able to keep his cool, so this was for the best.

"What exactly happened?" Karui supposed she knew the answer already, but she needed the confirmation.

"She came up to me- to the front door, but I saw her from the office. And she was barely holding herself up, clinging to her right side, and had a nasty cut on her cheek… I think I don't need to voice what probably happened as well." Lee adjusted the strap of the duffle bag on his shoulder, seeing how Karui's face drained of color.

"I- shit. I don't even know what to say… he has never done this before- I mean, yelling is something that happens here and there, but he has never been physical with her! Usually, he lets out his frustrations on-"

"Wait," Suddenly it was as if the 'room' temperature went down to freezing temperatures as his brain processed Karui's words. "you knew he was violent, and you still let Ms. Hyuga live with someone like that?" Lee was shocked to hear that his friend was aware of the abusive behavior and stood by, allowing Toneri to do what he wanted and doing nothing to help. "You've been working with them for ages and you still let this shit happen?"

"I didn't know! She never showed signs of wanting to leave leave him! I just- I'm sorry!" Karui was a babbling mess, not knowing what to say or do at the moment. She took a seat on the stairs and wiped a stray tear that fell down her cheek. Lee's accusatory glare made her sick to her stomach.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to. You and Shino had one job. I wonder what your bosses will say once they find out you two let something like this slide by."

"Lee-"

"Don't," He paused to take a deep breath. "I thought I could do this. That I was ready. But I'm not. I have a son to worry about and I've already pissed off Toneri. The last thing I want is more problems." Shaking his head, he mentally cursed his previous actions, but he was still determined to help Hinata in whatever way he could. "I'll report back that there were incompatibility problems and wait until you disclose what you know before I file in my report."

Karui immediately snapped out of it and stood as fast as she could. "We can't blow the operation. All the work we've done will go down the drain if you tell them this happened. They'll want to stop the investigation and go ahead with what we have which isn't enough!"

"You're not seriously asking me this. Karui. Hasn't the girl suffered enough? You're telling me you want to act as if nothing happened and bring Hinata back here?" His stomach twisted; it was as if it was all happening again. Only this time he could do something about it.

Karui's silence told him enough. He was aware of the fondness the redhead had for Hinata, after all, Karui had been working as her bodyguard ever since the Hyuga girl permanently moved in with Toneri. But for Karui to put the investigation before someone's life? Especially someone who she had considered as a friend?

It just didn't sit well with him.

"Do as you want. Just make sure you pack a bag with her belongings, and I'll hand them personally."

He didn't wait to hear her answer. He simply continued with his exercises and went down the rest of the stairs, leaving Karui alone on the 45th floor's steps.

The redhead sat there for a few moments, mulling over what her friend told her. She knew he was right, and that she had chosen to cover Toneri before in hopes she could get more evidence to push the investigation forward.

But when Karui went back into the small office and pulled the images from the security cameras in the lobby, she could only watch as everything Lee said added up.

I can do this.

For Ms. Hyuga.

She told herself over and over that this was the right call, that she wouldn't put the entire case on the line by presenting this evidence.

After securing a copy of the video, she deleted the camera footage in the computer and placed the flash drive inside an envelope that she then hid inside her purse.

"This time I'll put Ms. Hyuga first." She promised and went on her way.


"Here you go," Sakura handed Hinata a fresh cup of tea and sat beside her on the couch. "according to Shizune-san this is one of the best brands." She watched as Hinata settled back in her spot and took tiny sips. "I'm not really one for tea, but this one seems nice."

Hinata hummed her agreement before placing the cup back on the table. "Yeah, it really is."

Sakura watched her friend with concern. Three days had passed since it all happened but Hinata hadn't opened up much, and it concerned Sakura since later that day both Ino and Itachi would be dropping by to talk to Hinata about her current options.

Every time someone mentioned anything related to Toneri, Hinata would retract to herself and keep very quiet.

If Naruto was around, she would just cling onto him and wait for the subject to change altogether. But if it was just Sakura and Hinata, the latter tended to space out, hence why Sakura avoided the subject as much as it was possible.

Naruto had been helping Sakura in taking care of Hinata since his schedule was somewhat more flexible, and he could always work from home on the days he didn't have any important meetings.

At first, Sakura hadn't been so sure since her friend seemed unresponsive, but Naruto convinced her it was for the best they didn't push her and that eventually, she would open up. They did the best they could, sometimes acting as if nothing happened and they were just hanging out. Other times, more specifically, when Sakura checked her injuries and changed bandages, Hinata herself distracted them both by asking Sakura questions about her job, which she was more than happy to reply to.

But at the moment both she and the blond were anxiously waiting for Ino who no doubt would be able to help Hinata more than the two of them could.

Speaking of her, "Ino called. Another hour and she'll be here."

Hinata nodded and diverted her eyes towards the tv once more. The bluenette had been skipping through the channels hoping to find a show or a movie that she hadn't watched already but ended up settling with a movie Sakura would no doubt be crazy about.

"You want me to stay here with you guys or do you want to talk to her alone for a bit?" Sakura felt as if she were walking on thin ice, not knowing how her friend would react.

After a few minutes of silence, the pinkette sighed and stood up to take her empty cup back to the kitchen, but as she did Hinata grabbed her free hand and if it weren't for their proximity, she wouldn't have heard the small "Stay" from her.

"I don't know if I'm gonna be able to handle Ino alone… I need you by my side."

Although Sakura wasn't aware of the true nature of Hinata and Toneri's relationship, Hinata knew she needed Sakura's help when Ino found out what had happened.

For years Ino had complained and offered her help as a doctor to try and push for an appeal in court to try and break the contract. But Hinata knew that she and Ino alone would never be able to fully face the Otsutsuki.

But now, Hinata was certain Ino wouldn't stop until Toneri found himself behind bars.

"Then I'll be here." Sakura patted her friend's head a couple of times before going to the kitchen. From the sink, she watched as Hinata fumbled with the ligatures on her left wrist, clearly upset about something. Not wanting her to get too much in her head, Sakura plumped back onto the couch next to the bluenette.

"So, what are we watching?" Pulling the blanket that was draped behind the couch, Sakura tried to cover herself and Hinata as best as she could while her head lay on her friend's legs.

"One of those shitty romcoms you love." Hinata chuckled and threaded her fingers through Sakura's hair, distracting herself.

To her, it was ridiculous how much Sakura loved watching these kinds of movies, but she tried not to judge, after all, Sakura spent most of her free time either studying or going out for the occasional lunch with her and Ino. So she understood how these lighthearted films sometimes were the best thing she had to watch.

"Hey! You don't see me insult you watching friends or the office for the millionth time!" Pouting, Sakura looked back to her friend, poking her cheek as she spoke. "These are classics!"

"Sure. Sure. Well, I-" Before Hinata could finish her teasing, the doorbell rang twice. Frowning, Sakura stood and walked to the door. They weren't expecting any visitors as far as she knew. Naruto would be dropping by after work with Itachi and Ino wouldn't be there for at least another hour.

Lee had brought a few of Hinata's clothes as well as her documents and phone inside a bag Karui had packed the day before. So it couldn't be him either since there wasn't any particular reason for him to return.

A chill ran down Sakura's spine thinking that it could be him.

"I'm going back to the bedroom." Hinata pretty much ran out of the living room and Sakura heard her locking the door.

Picking up her phone, Sakura had the emergency number ready in case it was Toneri on the other side and went to her front door.

After waiting a couple of minutes, she slowly opened it. Since she didn't have a peephole, she was even more nervous about who could be on the other side but ended up letting out the breath of utter relief once she saw the hallway empty.

Well, empty save from the bouquet of lavender-colored roses accompanied by a small envelope.

Sakura picked it up and closed the door with her foot. Checking her phone, she saw no new messages from Sasuke, not that she expected him to apologize to her. He is way too proud to do so, and until he showed he really cared, Sakura would be following her friend's advice and ghost him for a while.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts of her pseudo-boyfriend, she inspected the flowers closely.

The bouquet was beautiful, the roses were absolutely perfect and the small white flowers that Sakura believed were called 'Baby's Breath', made it even more lovely. The florist had worked hard on it and from what she could tell it also screamed expensive since some of the greens and the material used to wrap around the flowers were incredibly nice and hard to come around.

"Shit." Debating whether or not to show these to Hinata, Sakura paced the room for a bit considering her options.

She could throw them away and pretend it was just one of the neighbors or she could give them to Hinata and let her decide what to do with them. As she struggled with the decision, curiosity got the best of her and she decided to peek into the white envelope.

The envelope had nothing written on it, no name, no address, nothing. The door to the guest bedroom her bluenette friend had been staying at remained closed, so Sakura decided to see if what was written inside was truly meant for Hinata or not.

Who knows? Maybe this can be Sasuke's way of apologizing to me…

After putting the flowers in water, Sakura finally opened it, but her brows furrowed as she read the note a couple of times.

'And ruined love,

when it is built anew,

Grows fairer than at first,

more strong, far greater.'

"What the hell?" Looking in the direction of the bedroom, Sakura bit her lip and read it again.

She now had zero doubts that it was from Toneri since Sasuke wasn't one for poetry but why send these and not come by himself?

If he hadn't shown up yet it could only mean two things. Either he was scared of the consequences he would face, or he was already devising a plan to manipulate Hinata further, chances are the flowers, and the note was part of it.

Sakura quickly concluded that she better talk to her friend first and then show her the note.

As she walked towards the locked door, Sakura's heart beat faster and faster. What if this has some hidden meaning that will only make her worst and go back on the decision of pressing charges? It had crossed her mind several times that Hinata might give up on it since she seemed so adamant in trying to forget about the entire thing as quickly as possible and when even the mention of going to the police made her uncomfortable.

And for Sakura, it was difficult to understand where Hinata stood. She could only hope that her friend went forward and not take pity on the bastard. Hinata had once confided in Sakura that she felt sorry for the way he had grown up and that a small part of her knew he could be better, but Sakura saw through his manipulation.

Most times Hinata didn't even realize how much she would defend him whenever they touched certain topics. Sure, she also showed her pure hatred for the Otsutsuki, but to Sakura, the entire situation was just weird.

"Hinata? It was nothing, you can open the door now." Knocking softly on the door a couple of times, she waited until light footsteps could be heard.

Ever so slowly, the door was unlocked, and a tiny crack was open to peer outside. Sakura smiled at Hinata and the door opened enough for her to enter the room.

"Can I ask you something?" Sakura beat Hinata to the punch and interrupted her before she could even ask who it was. "I know you asked not to touch the subject but… It's been in my head and I've been preoccupied, and I understand if you choose not to answer but…"

Hinata merely stared at her, lavender eyes widened a bit as Sakura held Hinata's pale hands in her calloused ones. Nodding, but slightly apprehensive, the bluenette encouraged her to speak.

"Have you decided whether you're pressing charges or not?"

Hinata froze, her face giving nothing away as she looked directly into Sakura's jade orbs. A pregnant pause followed and there was a slight tension in the air.

When Hinata finally spoke, it was in a quiet and unsure tone.

"Of c-course, I'm pressing charges… Why do you even ask?"

"Well, it's just," Seeing how confused the pale-eyed Hyuga looked, Sakura pulled her friend towards the bed, and there they sat with Sakura holding onto Hinata's hands. "Ever since I've known you, you've been unhappy, and you always talk of how you can't wait to get rid of him…"

Although her eyes seemed a bit distant, Hinata nodded along.

"But every time I'd tell you to just dump his sorry ass you always said you couldn't and gave shitty explanations as to why you two were still together. Hence me asking if you're pressing charges, cause after that one incident you made me swear-"

"Don't! Please, don't bring that up now."

"But Hina! I heard him confess! We could have gone to the police and-" Hinata promptly shut her friend off by simply stating something that made Sakura stare at her open-mouthed.

"Toneri's father has half the cops and judges on his payroll. At the time it was impossible and even now I have my doubts. But I trust Naruto and Itachi. The evidence is way stronger this time!" Hinata struggled not to let any tears fall, but she couldn't help the tremble in her hands. "T-Toneri needs serious help. I tried before but it's useless. He has this idea of me in his head that h-he refuses to let go of, and until he sees things as they truly are...that there's no future for us…"

Hinata hated keeping things from Sakura, but she hadn't got enough strength to tell her the whole truth, deal with Ino and endure the meeting with Itachi, all in one day. So she settled with telling Sakura half-truths.

Her telling Sakura that she and Toneri were together because he refused to let go of the image he had created inside his twisted mind wasn't entirely a lie. Over the years she came to the realization Toneri tried to mold her into his perfect other half, but he often forgot Hinata wasn't naïve and stupid enough to fall for his manipulation.

Had she fallen for it in the beginning? Yes, she had when she was still a teen.

But now?

Amid all the resentment, revulsion, and hate she had for the youngest Otsutsuki, she also felt pity.

She knew Toneri had some potential in being a decent human being. But the more Hinata involved herself with his family, she soon understood why he was the way he was. His father was ten times worst, and that's what truly scared her.

"Oh! Well, this time will certainly be different since we have a lot more witnesses that can testify in your favor." Sakura nodded her head a couple of times, thinking about the other three nurses and Shizune, who had assisted her in treating Hinata that night. "And we also have Lee!"

At that Hinata couldn't help the small upturn of her lips. Although a bit strange, Lee seemed like a genuinely kind person. From the way, he deeply bowed and apologized to Hinata, to the way his cheeks burned bright red when Sakura thanked him and touched his arm.

"Yeah… I just- I just don't want to get my hopes up. I want to speak to Itachi first after this is settled then I'll-"

The doorbell rang loudly through the apartment. Hinata and Sakura exchanged looks and the latter checked her phone and saw Ino's text saying she was there.

"Here it goes." Hinata took a deep breath and followed Sakura out the door.

"Ready?"

Hinata shook her head as she sat on the couch, pulling the blanket so it covered her legs.

"Hey, guys! You'll never guess who I ran into-" Ino hugged Sakura tightly and then glanced at Hinata and as she did, she noticed the bruising on her face and the healing cut on her cheek, causing her to drop her bag on the floor. "What the hell happened."

Sakura sat next to her friend, holding her hands as Ino looked at the two of them with a quirked eyebrow. "Sit with us, Ino." The pinkette then motioned for her to sit on Hinata's other side and as she sat, she also noticed her left wrist.

"Hinata?"

Said girl looked towards Sakura for reassurance and received a kind smile and a quiet 'i'm with you'.

Hinata was unable to look Ino in the eye as she spoke, detailing what had happened the best she could. Sakura interjected a few times to explain how the bluenette had arrived and then brought to the hospital, and everything else Hinata couldn't bring herself to speak about.

Ino remained surprisingly quiet through it all, hands clenching the fabric of her dress occasionally.

"And now, Itachi will be coming here later today to discuss what we'll do…" Hinata's voice was small, worry written all over her face.

"Ino?" Sakura called after seeing her friend space out.

"That bastard isn't getting away with this Hinata." Ino's eyes burned with determination. "There is no way in hell he won't be held accountable."

Ino looked at Hinata's shrinking from and pulled her into a tight hug. "We'll be with you all the way." Sakura then joined as well, a few sniffles could be heard from the pale-eyed girl as she held onto her best friends.


Naruto arrived a few minutes earlier than Itachi did. He was still in his work clothes but that didn't stop Hinata from holding him close to her. Her head lay on his shoulder as they sat on the far end of Sakura's couch.

Ino sat on the L-shaped portion and had a beer in her hand. The blonde had been uncharacteristically quiet, but Hinata thought nothing of it as she understood her friend's reaction.

"He's coming up now," Naruto announced after receiving a message from Itachi. "you okay?" He cupped the bluenette's cheek and looked for any sign of her not feeling well. She had been fiddling with the sleeves of her lavender hoodie and would occasionally intertwine her fingers with his, letting him know how nervous she currently was.

Hinata answered with a tiny quirk of her lips and watched as Sakura let the Uchiha inside. Everyone could tell by his eyebags that Itachi was incredibly tired, but he still greeted everyone with a smile as he sat on the armchair opposite Ino.

"Hello everyone." He and Naruto exchanged looks and all eyes focused on Hinata. "How are you feeling today?"

She answered with a shrug.

She felt tired, anxious like she had never been and her right side still hurt whenever she got up, to top it off, even with the meds her sleep schedule was all over the place. So the true answer to that question was a resounding no.

"Okay, well I take it everyone here is aware of what happened?" Itachi's eyes landed on Ino who seemed to be lost within her thoughts. She gave him a shallow nod and pulled the beer up to her lips to take another swig.

"yes, we all are," Sakura answered and sat on Hinata's other side, on the arm of the couch, holding her hand tightly.

"Well, then, I took the liberty to speak to a friend of mine who will not only be assisting me when the time to deal with the contract comes but also, she'll be the one to deal with smaller technicalities of the process since I can't be seen prodding too much, otherwise Toneri's father will connect the dots and pull something to screw up our case." As Itachi began pulling some papers from his briefcase, Sakura's brows furrowed as she remembered what Hinata had told her earlier. A small part of her thought that Hinata might have exaggerated a bit, but after hearing Itachi of all people confirming it… she couldn't help the chill that ran down her spine.

"Konan's back already?" Naruto asked, and Hinata pulled back a little, confusion written all over her face. She had never heard of that name before.

"Yes, she has had a few job offerings here in Konoha, but her main focus now is Hinata's case."

"Great," Naruto pulled a strand of Hinata's blue hair behind her ear as he spoke, reassuring her that she's in great hands, "she's one of the best lawyers of Ame. She'll eat them up in court."

"Indeed, she has all the paperwork for a restraining order against Toneri ready, the trial might take a while, a month tops, and until then we want to make sure he doesn't come near you or try and threaten you to drop all charges, which he will no doubt try but we'll stand our ground." Itachi handed Hinata the papers where all the information was organized and detailed, as well as Konan's contact information. "I also talked with Shisui, he's the detective assigned to your case and we'll need to go down to the station to give your testimony, and then they'll be arresting Toneri."

"Do we need to go there as well?" Sakura leaned forward, elbows resting on her knees.

Itachi's eyes focused on the pinkette and he gave her a gentle smile. "You and a few others, including Naruto here, will be notified later on. We have enough evidence that justifies Toneri's arrest. Hinata, whenever you're ready we can go and formally press charges. The sooner we deal with this the better."

"And what about that other…" Hinata trailed off, not wanting to talk about it in front of Sakura. "What if something happens to-"

Itachi caught up to what she was trying to say and waved a hand as he reassured her he had everything under control. "You don't need to worry about that. I'm just waiting to hear from one of the people I'll be needing to testify in your favor and after I get ahold of him then we'll deal with that. After Toneri's arrested, I'd like to speak to your father in person and discuss a plan. Is your family aware of what happened?"

Hinata bit her lip hard, her left hand coming up to grip Naruto's shirt. His hand covered hers and he kissed the top of her head as she explained she hadn't meant to worry them. "So, no, they don't know."

She hadn't spoken to her family in ages. Neji had somewhat given up on calling her since Toneri was always there and wouldn't let her speak to her brother freely, and Neji was hot-tempered. Hanabi… well, when she spoke to Hanabi it was more lighthearted subjects and she didn't want her sister to know this had happened.

And her father…

Sensing her discomfort, Itachi stood, "Well, we can discuss this some other time. I can see you're really tired, so I'll leave you to rest. Tomorrow we'll go down to the station and press the charges and get this moving. See you tomorrow then."

"Thank you." Hinata pulled away from Naruto, only to shake Itachi's hand and laid her head back on his chest, going back to analyze the papers Itachi had given her with Naruto's help.

Sakura accompanied the Uchiha to the door and talked to him quietly about her concerns, whether or not there was a chance Toneri could escape conviction. As she led him outside her building, he answered all of her questions until Sakura could finally let out a breath of relief.

"I'm glad Hina's finally getting rid of him." Her right hand was placed atop her heart as she leaned against the front door of the building.

"Yes, although it won't be easy, I'd say this is the first step." Itachi put his hands on his pockets and watched Sakura with amusement.

In his head, he still couldn't quite comprehend how his brother had found himself someone kind and gentle like Sakura. His brother's past relationships were always unstable and whenever Itachi met his girlfriend's he'd always known they wouldn't last. But he liked Sakura the moment he had met her.

He truly hoped Sasuke would cherish Sakura and that their relationship would last. "You and my brother should come over for dinner sometime. Our mother is dying to meet you."

Sakura's cheeks flushed and if it weren't for the door she was currently holding she might have lost some balance.

"R-Really?" Sasuke told his family about me?

As if he could read the question that had bubbled up in her head, Itachi smiled. "He mentioned you in passing when he had dinner at my house the other day, and my wife then told our mother, and she has since been pestering Sasuke to meet you."

"Oh!" Sakura felt flustered. It was hard for her to read Sasuke. On most days it looked like he was going to break up with her. But now all of sudden he was telling his family about her?

Itachi's phone rang and before he took it as his cue to leave, he told Sakura, "It was nice seeing you again, I hope you and Sasuke drop by one of these days."

She stuttered out a thank you and a see you soon, but as she watched him leave a feeling of uncertainty settled upon her.

The sooner she was able to talk to Sasuke, the sooner she could understand where their relationship really stood.


Sasuke's phone rang a fourth time, promptly waking him up. As he went to answer it, he saw Toneri Otsutsuki's name on the screen. Rolling his eyes he picked it up only to put the phone in silence.

He had been up until four am working on other clients' cases, and he was in no mood to hear yet another of the Otsutsuki's bitchings. His father wasn't much better, the older Otsutsuki although having a more composed appearance and a colder personality than his son (who tended to act without thinking things through), was equally annoying.

Sasuke's contract with them was a sham. The Otsutsuki's thought themselves to be the smartest and most conniving people on this earth, but they were oh so painfully wrong.

Sasuke spotted the lines in between that would bind him to them for at least the next ten years. And so, Sasuke recommended adding a few clauses that at the time the older Otsutsuki thought nothing of, almost as if there was nothing Sasuke could add that would ruin their plans.

And so, instead of being in their clutches, Sasuke was the one with the real power. It was his hidden card, the one he would keep up his sleeve when the time came.

Until then, Sasuke would continue to ignore Toneri's incessant calls. There was absolutely nothing that could have happened that deemed his attention. He had been hired as a corporate lawyer, or at least that was what it said on the contract. Nothing more, nothing less.

Sasuke made a mental list of the things that needed his attention. Besides canceling lunch with Naruto, Kiba and Shikamaru, he intended to stop by Sakura's apartment.

That woman had been more of a headache than anything.

He found her attractive, yes, but there wasn't anything special about her that made him focus one hundred percent on her.

Nothing that made him obsessed, that triggered that spark within him that made him want to conquer the girl in every sense of the word.

Make her completely his and give the entirety of his person to her as well.

No. Sakura couldn't even compare. She was just a good fuck. Someone he enjoyed from time to time to alleviate his frustrations.

Was it wrong of him to continue to do so? Yes.

Was it wrong of him to use her, knowing that the girl was head over heels for him? Also yes.

Was it wrong of him to dream of her best friend and obsess over that same girl every minute of his day?

Definitely.

He found himself knocking on Sakura's door a couple of hours after lunch. Having woken up at noon made him want to deal with the pinkette's situation as quickly as possible. Maybe he could even check what Hinata was up to and try and finally have a 'random' encounter with the bluenette.

Now that he knew not only Otsutsuki but Naruto, of all people had her… he would steal her away from them and there was nothing the two men could do to stop him. He was determined to make the Hyuga girl fall in love with him. And like everything else he set his mind on, it would have a successful outcome.

He cursed under his breath for not checking Sakura's schedule before coming, but he honestly did not give two fucks about it.

After ten minutes of waiting, he turned to leave but the door cracked open.

He was met with pale lavender eyes, dark blue hair that in the current lighting passed as black and full pink lips that captured his attention.

Sasuke was speechless. Several questions swirled in his mind, Why is she here? Is she alone or is Sakura here as well? What the hell happened to her face? Is that a black eye and a cut? Upon further inspection, he saw her injured hand and his brows furrowed deeper.

"Yes?" He picked up immediately on the slightly annoyed tone of voice, the blank expression, and the quirked eyebrow. "Sakura's not here."

"I'm not here for her." His eyes kept roving over her figure. The black tights, fluffy socks, and oversized black and orange hoodie that no doubt belonged to Naruto Uzumaki, after all, he was the only person Sasuke knew of that owned such atrocity and it didn't look like Hinata's fashion choices included something like that on the regular.

"Then? You want me to tell her you dropped by?"

She was getting impatient. That much he could tell.

Her eyes kept looking up and down the hallway, her right foot tapping, and the reoccurring biting of her lower lip told Sasuke she was also nervous about something.

"Hn." He honestly didn't know what to say or do. This had to be their first real conversation and Hinata already looked pissed and in no mood to put up with him.

Which he was right. Hinata had just woken up from yet another anxiety medication-induced nap. Ino had changed up her medication per her request and now Hinata was regretting doing so.

The adaptation period was always the worst and Hinata just wanted to go back to her spot on the couch and watch something that would take her mind off her current situation. It had only been a couple of hours since she had returned from the police station, and she hadn't got the patience for this.

Also, Naruto would be arriving any minute now, with her cinnamon rolls and his comforting presence. But instead of her blond, she found Sasuke Uchiha standing on the other side of the door.

The same Sasuke Uchiha that had been treating her friend like shit. And if that didn't piss her off already, that weird look in his obsidian eyes and the maddening silence did it for her.

How someone like Naruto could be friends with him was beyond her. Sure she wasn't in the best of moods and was probably annoyed by anyone's presence that wasn't Naruto or Sakura or Ino. But the more she thought about it, the more it made sense.

Sasuke always had his eyes on her whenever she accidentally caught his gaze, a subtle smirk coating his lips and it always evoked this weird sensation in her. Adding the fact that he now worked with Toneri… at the moment Sasuke was on her 'not interest in talking/seeing/spending time with' list of people.

"Well, then, goodbye." As she went to close the door, his hand pushed it back with frightening speed, making Hinata flinch and almost fall back.

"What happened?" He demanded, hand holding on to her right shoulder, making her stop breathing for a second or two. What Sasuke thought to be a somewhat positive reaction to his touch, was anything but.

Since the events that had happened roughly a week ago, anyone touching her that weren't the people she felt safe around, made her want to throw up. Sasuke of all people, someone of questionable loyalty, was definitely on the list of people Hinata didn't want invading her personal space.

Clenching her hands in fists, her eyes trailed the hand that moved to touch her injured wrist.

"How did this happen?"

"It's none of your business, so let go." She tried to pull away, but Sasuke had her gripped. Before he could reply, a third voice could be heard.

"Hey, good news! I got-" Naruto's voice interrupted Sasuke, and Hinata missed the twitching of Sasuke's eye, the clenching of his jaw, and the pure look of disgust that distorted his features. She was focused on the hand that was still touching her. On the large, pale hand that looked so similar to-

"Sasuke? What?"

Naruto's cheery tone took a complete turn as he forced some space between her and the man who had touched her without permission. Her hands clutched the back of Naruto's slightly wrinkled light blue t-shirt and hid behind his towering body, silently begging him to make the man go away.

Naruto's left arm went behind his back, holding Hinata closer to him as he stared down at his friend.

"I'm the one who should be asking that." Sasuke's eyes missed nothing, or at least they missed the way Hinata's lips whispered numbers from one to ten over and over. "What are you doing here? Last time I checked this is Sakura's apartment."

A smug smile hid the anger he currently felt. Sasuke hated being interrupted and in more ways than one, Naruto had just done that. Another mark to the already full list.

"Sakura's working a twelve-hour shift. If you had called her or bothered to check up on her from time to time you would have known." Naruto placed the bag he had brought along on the table Sakura had by the door and stared him down.

He was also aware of the problems the pinkette had in her relationship with Sasuke, and Naruto didn't like the way his friend was treating his sub, never had Sasuke been so cold to his previous ones. So what had changed?

Not wanting to delve into that with Hinata in the room, Naruto decided to focus on the woman behind him that was holding onto him as if he was her only life support. He had no doubts that the more Sasuke stayed there with them, the quicker Hinata would spiral into an anxiety attack.

Scoffing, Sasuke decided to take a jab at his friend. "And how's Shion?"

At that, Hinata stiffened and waited for Naruto's response. She had seen him purposedly ignore her calls, but Hinata also knew that the only reason the two of them had a relationship was so that Toneri wouldn't notice anything wrong. But it made Hinata's heart clench whenever she thought about her.

"Great. As far as I know, she's at work and she's going out with friends tonight." Naruto's face revealed nothing, eyes cold with indifference.

Sasuke tried to take a look at Hinata's face but it was unnerving to see how she kept hidden behind Naruto. "Hn. And you're at my girlfriend's apartment because? And what's with this proximity between the two of you? Isn't she engaged to Toneri?"

"Fuck off Sasuke." Naruto's icy glare told him enough. Something had happened between the Otsutsuki and her, that prompted this meeting. "Sakura will call you when she feels like it." Naruto didn't even give Sasuke a chance to answer before he practically shoved him out the door.

After the door closed on his face, Sasuke burned with anger. Instead of stooping down to the point of trying to enter the apartment once more, he left.

But as he went down the stairs that led him outside to the street, his phone rang and when he looked towards the caller I.D there was one Toneri Otsutsuki's number on it.

He let out a dry laugh before entering his car and driving off.


A/N: Hello everyone! This one took a while to write but I'm happy with the way it turned out! I was struggling with this one (uni also didn't help) but it's finally done!

Hope you guys enjoy it!

Also, thank you so much for all the amazing reviews and the continuous support!

See you next time!

Ella