Malignant

Chapter 6

By: RobinSparkelz.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto

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-October-

Sakura has only been here a month and already she wishes she could leave, the atmosphere in the house is stifling, dinner has stopped completely and Karin is barely home. She doesn't know what transpired between her cousin and her husband, Karin refuses to speak to her and Sasuke is a brooding cloud of anger.

University is gruelling, classes start at eight and end at five and unlike other students who live in apartments on campus, Sakura doesn't have the luxury of taking a nap or fixing a quick meal in her breaks. The cafeteria and library become her local haunts and soon enough her social group begins expanding beyond just her med class, that is how she comes to hear about the apartment.

"Shikamaru, is looking for a roommate." Ino states over coffee one day. Ino is studying medicine with her. Sakura firmly believes she wakes up before the sun rises to get ready every day, because one month into med school, and she is the only one who still looks like she combs her hair every day.

"Thinking of moving." Sakura says suggestively to her friend as she splits the humongous slice of cheese cake they ordered down the middle.

Ino splutters incoherently over her coffee, her face scandalized.

"No, forehead." She corrects testily, using Sakura's newly minted nickname, "I was thinking you could move in with Shika."

"Ino, you know I can't afford it." Sakura sighs

"I know, but his roommate is only moving out in three months, that gives you three months to collect the money."

"And how do you propose I collect this money?"

"A job forehead, sheesh sometimes I wonder how you got into med school."

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Sasuke never wanted to be a lawyer. He's good at it, sure, but practicing law has always been mechanical, with no passion behind it. He is acutely reminded of his distaste for his career when he comes home that evening. The garage door is open and sitting amongst a pile of boxes is Sakura.

Her pink head turns towards the sound of his car pulling into the driveway and he doesn't believe he imagined the look of panic in her eyes, it is already ten in the evening and he wonders what in the hell she is doing.

When he steps into the garage the first thing he notices are her wide green eyes, "I can explain" She says sheepishly to him.

"See I had some boxes delivered today-" she begins to ramble.

Sasuke tunes her out, frowning, unable to understand why she thinks he'd be angry at her for sorting through her own boxes, when he catches a glimpse of what is in her hands. An anatomy textbook, a very familiar looking one, his one.

He feels cold. All around her are his old textbooks and files, sketches of the body that he had meticulously hand drawn and labelled.

"…I was just looking for space for my stuff and I pulled this box out and then everything fell out, I'm so sorry Sasuke, I didn't mean to pry but your essays and these sketches, they amazing."

He looks at her for a beat, at the awe in her eyes, then at the remnants of his past dream scattered all around, and he wishes so badly he could go back and re-do it all. A slip of paper catches his eye and he bends down and tugs it out of one of the heavy texts. It is a picture of him, Naruto and Karin. Karin.

His wife who he is not home, who hasn't told him where she went and what upset her, his wife who he married in grief and anger. His wife who he doesn't love anymore. He lets go of the picture, watches it flutter to the floor with the rest of his dreams. Turns around and leaves.

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"I told you not to contact me again." She hisses into the phone.

The voice that answers is saccharine sweet and condescending, but there is an undertone of panic hidden in the usual sarcasm, that reminds her of the severity of the situation. "Just making sure you don't bail on your end of the deal."

Karin flinches at his sentence, anger rising within her, she snaps, "I'm not a monster Suigetsu, I said I'll be there."

She ends the call violently, throwing her phone roughly onto the passenger seat. She swipes at her eyes angrily trying to stem the tears that have begun to form.

I'm not a monster she chants to herself, as she drives home.

I'm not a monster she repeats

I'm not a monster.

But then what is she?

What do you call a mother who abandons her child, like she did?

Monster.

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Note: Hello all, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next chapter will heavily concentrate on revealing Sasuke and Karin's secrets.