Black Rose

Author: Moe-shi

Summary: After leaving an abusive relationship, Sakura finds solace in Naruto's arms. AU. NaruSaku Warning: Violence

Rating: T

Disclaimer: I'm kinda glad that I don't own Naruto - I mean, my version would have probably sucked...

Reviews for the last chapter:

Nutt Man 117: That's what I was hoping everyone would come away with from that chapter, because he's not necessarily all good, he's just not totally bad, either. And, Sakura used to love him like a lover, but her love for him is only on a brother level now. Read on and find out! :) And I hope you enjoy this one!

Echo Uchiha: Thanks!

Analelle: Thank you! I realized that he seemed kind of un-human at the beginning, and that he was being villanized to an extent that it didn't really fit in the past. I felt like just throwing in bits and pieces of his past wasn't quite enough for people to realize how he would of been had things not went wrong. Anyway, thanks a lot! I try my best! :)

Lais: Ahaha thanks! I was like, "WHOA." when I finished writing it (because I sat down for like 4 hours and wrote it), and I just had to sit down and let my brain un-mush. :P And I was hoping that it would seem realistic, because I've never really had it happen to me, so... I was kind of just assuming! And thanks! I hope you like the next one!

LaughingMan97: Yeah, it is pretty sad, isn't it? I felt a little depressed writing it...

bocah elek: Thanks! I was really hoping everyone would like it! :)

Lazy Gaga: I'm glad that you liked it! And I hope that you really like this next chapter!

micky: Thanks a lot! I hope you enjoy chapter 6 as much as chapter 5 ;)

TARA: Aha, thanks! And yeah, it was pretty intense.

kittengal33: Ahaha, I hope you still got it all! And thank you, I try to make them suspensefull. I am :)

drama3chic: Good! I was hoping you would say that! And thank you! I really love it when people say that about me! :) I hope you enjoy the next chapter!

hideki411: Thank you a lot! And yea, he's still a jerk, but at least not as much! :P and thank you!

xTheSkyBurNsx17: Thank goodness! I was really hoping that nobody would get annoyed or mad or anything! And thank you! I tried my best! And ahah, I realized I had to do it when I was thinking that too... -.-'

update update update: Right now! :O) - it's a clown.

Kira: Thank you so much! I'm looking for a beta, so there can actually be ZERO, but so far I'm pretty happy with it! And than you so, so, so much! It means a lot to me!

i the bright angel: Ahaha, I hope you didn't mind that one though! And thank you so much, I'm glad you love it! And no worries, updating now!

NOTE: Whoa. It's the 6th chapter already. It's kinda making me a little sad, because there's only going to be 3 or 4 more chapters until it's over! It's crazy, because, I mean, when I started this story, I never thought that I would make it this far - and that so many people would enjoy reading it! I really hope that you guys stick with me till the end, and you have no idea how happy all of your support has made me! I just want to say thank you!

Chapter 6

"Why hasn't she showed up yet?" a man shouted into the darkness, practically ripping out his bluish-black locks as he paced up and down the small room. He stopped in a small pool of light leaking in from the window above his head, his red eyes glaring into the corner of the cell-like prison, "I thought she loved you."

The small black lump in the corner moved, taking the shape of a skinny man, his knees bent up to his chest, with his head resting against them. Following another insistent stomp from his companion, he slowly looked up, his cerulean blue orbs reflecting the moon light, seeming to illuminate in the tiny room. A small, almost unnoticeable smile made it's way to his lips, "She's smart, Teme, and she's not going to play right into your hands." his smile became wistful, "She's changed, you know."

Sasuke looked like he was going to fight back, but with another glance into the blue eye's of his companion, he slowly leaned against the wall. The energy gradually drained out of him, and he soon found himself lying in a pile on the floor, "We all have, dobe." he said softy, falling back into the old habit of calling each other names.

"Do you ever wish..." Naruto trailed off, running his fingers through his once sunny hair, shaking off some of the dirt that had recently settled there. He stared up into the starry sky through the window opposite him, and he felt his eyes begin to droop as he was pulled into memories of the past.

"Things were different?" Sasuke completed, rubbing his eyes discreetly, trying not to make it obvious that he, too, got tired. Uchiha's couldn't get tired, after all, it would be too much of a disgrace.

Naruto's small smile grew as he observed the boy – now man – who was once his closest friend. He mused quietly to himself about how some things never changed, no matter how old everyone got. We're all still kids, he would have laughed at the thought just a couple of weeks ago, but now it seemed like it was the only thing that was true, we're all just too stubborn to admit it.

Just as he was about to open his mouth to respond, he realized that Sasuke had fallen into a soft sleep. Naruto was right, Sasuke really did look like a kid, at least when he was asleep. He just wished everyone would act the same as they used to. Things were so much more simpler then.

He let his deep blue eyes close, knowing that in the morning this moment between them would be forgotten, and Sasuke would be back to the harsh treating, beating kidnapper he pretended to be.

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"Any updates?" Sakura limped through the door of the investigators office, a curious look lighting up her features as the man behind the desk nodded slightly, returning his attention to the phone in his hand. Her eye's widened, mouthing a quick sorry as she collapsed into the chair across from him.

Waiting for him to finish with his call, her eye's slowly observed his office as they did every time she was in here. The same fancy diplomas met her eyes, the same giant book case of psychological books, along with the random paintings that decorated the walls. They seemed slightly out of place, what with the bright colours and odd shapes, appearing to be the only things with emotion in the whole room.

Even the man in front of her seemed devoid of emotion, and she couldn't help but think to herself, for the umpteenth time since she met him, how interesting of a person he was. His name was Sai, no last name, and he almost looked like a carbon copy of Sasuke, except he was pale in a different way, with darker hair and a slightly different body shape.

Besides the little body differences, the emotions were a big difference between the two. Sasuke liked to pretend he didn't have emotions – whereas he was really overflowing with them, and Sai enjoyed acting like he was filled with a bunch of fuzzy emotions that just weren't there. He wasn't cruel or anything though, more emotionless in an empty slate kind of way, like a blank canvas that he had yet to paint with his brush.

The was the only thing about him that actually contained emotions. When she looked at his paintings, she saw huge shapes and colours and ideas that could really only belong to someone with big dreams, but Sai... he was just the opposite.

When he was a teenager, he'd been found outside the entrance to the city, with his knees up to his chest as he rocked back and forth. He had permanent amnesia, and he had to relearn everything from walking to talking to emotions, which he still hadn't really mastered yet. He was excellent at being serious though, which fit with his job of being a private investigator. Or detective, which she liked to call him... much to his displeasure.

He was to uptight for his own good.

"Sakura?" his voice broke into her mind, and her head snapped towards him in surprise. She smiled at him sheepishly.

"Eh... sorry, Sai-kun, I just... got distracted." she folded her hands in her lap, looking up at him with her large green eyes.

He looked lost for a moment, before he snapped back to reality, a fake smile sliding on to his face, "In that big forehead of yours, Ugly?"

That was his nickname for her. Ugly. And Hag. And really any other word that she found even the slightest bit offensive. It was her fault, really, but that didn't stop the big vain on the side of her head from bulging as her fists tightened, her nails cutting into her palm. This is how it had been since she had met him.

Flashback

"Um... is this..." Sakura glanced down at the paper in her hands as she limped through the door of the small office, "Sai's detective office?"

"I'm not a detective, I am a private investigator." he said monotonously, and she felt herself shiver. This guy was kind of... intimidating. He smiled, although Sakura instantly knew it was fake, "I'm assuming you're Haruno?"

"Yep." she nodded, trying to remain calm as she sat in the chair in front of him. In order to keep herself from freaking out, she amused herself by looking around the room, her eyes eventually landing on the book laying in his hands. "'How to Make Friends'," she read aloud, her eyes narrowing quizzically. "Why do you need that?"

"I want to learn how to make friends." he said simply, placing the book down on the desk and beginning to shuffle through a pile of papers that were lying beside him. Sakura reached forward and snatched the book, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"'Chapter 5: Nicknames'," she paused for a moment, looking up at Sai, "you can't learn how to give someone a nickname. It's just something that comes to your mind when you think of them... or maybe a shortening of someone's name. You try with me." she smiled at him encouragingly.

His fake smile was back, "How about Ugly?" he asked, and for a second she thought she saw a mischievous glint in his eye, but she brushed it off, as the vain in her head that only bulged when she was very mad began to pulse.

"Sai..." she said warningly, standing up in a wobbly, but still intimidating matter, "I'm going to kill you."

End Flashback

"Hag..." he began in a cheerful manner, grinning at her in a weird way that just didn't look right on him. If she remembered correctly, she swore she saw that same grin on one of the people that was on the cover of a magazine in the waiting room. Sai... she'd of shook her head if she wasn't pissed at him at the moment. Hag? She wasn't a... a hag!

"Yes, Sai?" she asked, a sickeningly sweet smile on her face, as she took a menacing step towards him. Although the smile didn't drop from his face, he still took a small step away from her. She knew she could be intimidating when she wanted to be.

"Don't you want to hear the news?"

Her ears perked up at the word news, and she slowly lowered her fists, "Go on." she told him cautiously, eyeing him suspiciously.

"Sit down." he told her, the monotone voice back, which she came to recognize as his 'work tone'. She wobbled over to the oak chair in front of his desk, staring up at him expectantly as he continued, "We believe that we've found some more information on the gang that took Naruto," he said, referring to himself and his partner, Shikamaru.

"Well... what is it?" she asked impatiently after he paused for a moment, the words 'Have they found Naruto yet?' repeating over and over again in her head. He rolled his eyes at her, as he took a deep breath, reaching towards a pile of papers on the desk.

"We believe you may of heard of them," he began, straightening the papers by tapping them on the top of the desk. He slowly began to leaf through them, careful to hide them from her view. He slowly raised one photograph, and she felt a small sound making its way out of her throat as she observed the person in the photo. "Do you recognize this man?"

"Oro-Orochi..." she stopped for a second to catch her breath, the next word coming out as more of a breathy whisper, "Orochimaru."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

Karin giggled girlishly at Sasuke as he leaned against the stone wall behind them, attempting to block out the annoying girl by staring intently at the man sitting in the prison cell in front of him. Naruto...

"Sasuke-kun, are you even listening to me?" she squealed impatiently, and Sasuke had the urge to cover his ears in annoyance, stopping himself from doing so, and choosing the alternative of continuing to ignore her. She tapped her foot a couple more times, and when even that didn't elicit a response from the stoic man, she stomped her food hard on the cold concrete, saying his name in a small, whiny voice.

"Shut up." he told her coldly, pushing past her and walking down the cold hallway of the base, not even glancing at her as he left her stranded in the dark corridors of the prison.

Karin staid frozen for a moment, before her cheeks turned bright red and she jogged after him, her high stilettos clicking on the floor, which echoed throughout the silent stairway as she joined him up in the light. "Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke's permanent glare fixed on her, "Don't call me that." he turned away from her, shrugging off the delicately manicured hand that she placed on his shoulder. "And don't touch me." he added, stomping moodily away from the red head.

Karin's heart began beating faster as she stared after him, a lost look in her eyes, before she grinned, her eye's twinkling with lovestruck awe, "He's so dreamy!"

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"And that's it." Sakura finished, placing her previously gesturing hands at her side. She looked imploringly at Ino, her big green eye's becoming slightly wet. She tried to wipe them away, changing her stance to one that she hoped was intimidating. She couldn't be weak at a time like this.

"So... he's with Sound?" Ino watched as Sakura nodded, trying to avoid her gaze so she could keep herself from crying. Ino knew Sakura well, and she just wished Sakura would feel comfortable enough to cry on her shoulder. But then again, she'd always been a little stubborn.

"Basically." she let out a heavy sigh, crossing her arms as she began pacing the room. She threw her arms up in exasperation, "What can we do, though? This is Sound. They have allies everywhere, with the Akatsuki, with gangs in Suna... if we mess with them, we're as good as dead, but..."

"But?"

"But I need him back home. I need my Naruto." she looked lost for a moment, and Ino couldn't hide the pitying look that flashed across her face. To lose someone so close to her... sure, Naruto had always been Ino's friend, but he was Sakura's everything.

"Well, then..." Ino paused, sending a determined look towards her best friend, "we'll just have to do everything we can to get him back."

The corners of Sakura's lips twitched up into a smile, her green eyes once again shining with tears, "Thank you, Ino." she said softly, "Thank you."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"How could they not have shown up yet?" Sasuke spat out under his breath for the umpteenth time that day, stalking up and down the cold, dark hallways of the hideout. The only light came from two torches hanging across from each other on the wall, allowing a soft, flickering light to bathe the hallway.

Kabuto shrunk against the shadows of the wall behind him, letting a small whimpering noise escape him. Sasuke stopped his pacing, sending a glare towards the other member in the room, his red eyes flashing dangerously. Kabuto shivered, his whiny voice coming out in a faltering whisper, "Maybe... Sas-Sasuke- er- um... Sasuke-sama... perhaps it's be-because they cannot... cannot find it?" he ducked out of the way, in fear of being hit.

Sasuke raised his hand, his mind slowly processing the thought. He brought the hand down, stopping just an inch above Kabuto's cheek. The silver-haired man flinched away as Sasuke laughed maliciously, "Perhaps, Kabuto, perhaps that may be the reason." he paused, a smirk stretching across his lips, "Well, what do you suggest we do then, Kabuto..."

Kabuto shivered in fear from the way his name was said, hissed out in an almost Orochimaru type manner, but nonetheless sat up a little straighter. His voice was a tad louder, but just as unsure, "Uh... Sasuke-sama... we could... well, we could send her a message."

"A message?" Sasuke quirked an eyebrow towards him, obviously finding the idea pleasing, "What kind of message?"

"One that she could... um... only she could... poss-possibly decode..." he shrunk farther against the wall as Sasuke moved towards him again, although he was surprised when Sasuke ruffled his hair.

"I have just the thing in mind." he smirked, "I knew their was a reason I didn't kill you."

O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o

"See you tomorrow, Hinata." Sakura smiled at her blue-haired friend, waving at her as she finished opening the door to Naruto's apartment, stepping inside. "Thanks for today, I really needed it."

"You're w-welcome, Sakura-san." Hinata said back quietly, offering a timid smile towards the pink haired girl. "I-I've got to go th-though. S-see you, then." she bowed for a moment, flashing her friend another small smile, before turning away and walking back to the elevator.

"Bye!" Sakura called after her, waiting a moment before closing the door behind her. She'd been out all day with Hinata, just having a girls day out. None of her other girlfriends had been able to make it, so it had just been the two of them.

She'd needed something to take her mind off of Naruto, and Sasuke, and really just everything that had happened in the past few weeks. Apparently there was nothing she could do right now, or at least that was what Shikamaru told her yesterday. She hadn't wanted to believe it, but... no matter how hard she tried, she hadn't found a way to help. And hacking into a private investigator's files wasn't as easy as she'd thought, either.

So, she'd decided that getting her mind off of it was the best idea, and she really didn't feel like just lying around all day. She'd certainly over think the situation, and that was never a good thing. Luckily, a day with Hinata was just what she'd needed. The good thing about Hinata was that she was polite, and she didn't ask many questions that could even be the slightest bit offensive. She was too kind, only thinking of others, which was a nice break from most of her other friends, not that she didn't love them all the same. Still, though, sometimes she needed someone who didn't put any pressure on her.

Hinata was that person, and she'd almost totally forgot about everything that had happened, although it was still lingering in the back of her mind. She figured she would never really stop thinking about it, but it was nice to try.

Of course, staying in Naruto's apartment didn't exactly help the situation, but she really needed to be by him... or something that reminded her of him. She needed him, now more than ever. But right now, it was her turn to be there for him, instead of the other way around.

Sakura sighed, running her fingers through her soft pink locks as she limped into the dark room. She was exhausted. All she wanted to do was go to bed, and sleep forever.

Everything was a blur to her as she stumbled through the small apartment, trying to find Naruto's room through half lidded eyes. After stumbling into a couple of the wrong rooms, she was relieved to finally find the familiar place that she'd been sleeping the last couple of days. She'd forgotten to make the bed this morning, too distracted, and was expecting to fall upon a heap of messed up blankets, however she was surprised that she fell on a made bed.

She didn't think anything of it, her eye's already almost completely closed, but when she rolled on to her side, something poked her arm. "Ow!" she screeched, pulling back quickly as her eyes widened. "What the fuck?"

She glanced around the room wildly, her emerald eyes finally landing on the middle of her bed, where she'd just been laying sleepily.

There lay a rose.

A black rose.

Her breathing quickened, and she whispered under her breath, "Sasuke."

Flashback

They'd been dating for about 10 months by the time February rolled around, but Sakura wasn't really expecting anything special. Even though he would try to woo her every once and a while, it wasn't like he was a constant romantic. No, definitely not.

If he was, she'd of had to smack him.

Besides, they'd gone away to visit her family that Christmas (who had moved back to the small town Sakura had been born in before moving to Konoha), and he'd done plenty of 'wooing' there. So she wasn't really expecting much the day she awoke on the 14th.

She figured they would just have a normal day. She would do some paperwork from the hospital for most of the day, maybe some research on that disease that had recently popped up in the southern part of Konoha. Then they'd probably go out for dinner. It was how things worked.

That was partially why she was surprised to find the house completely empty in the morning. I mean, come on, she wasn't expecting a grand feast or anything, but he had to at least say good morning on Valentines Day for crying out loud!

She felt the vein in her forehead began to pulse as she ripped apart the house in search of him, her violent tendencies getting the better of her. "Sasuke?" she hollered, re-entering the kitchen with a huff. Her trained medic eyes searched the room for any sign of where he could of gone, until she noticed something out of place.

There were... roses, or at least that was what she assumed them to be, sitting on her kitchen table. They had to be a fancy hybrid of some sort, because roses most definitely do not naturally grow in that shade. Black.

It was definitely from Sasuke. It fit him perfectly, really, and she found a soft smile making its way on to her lips, all anger forgotten. Maybe, just maybe she didn't need to beat him quite yet.

She leaned over the table carefully, plucking a rose from the pile laying in front of her, lifting it slowly to her nose and inhaling deeply. The fragrance that entered her senses weren't exactly sweet – more rich and intoxicating than anything.

Inspecting the flower closer, she noticed a small piece of paper folded underneath the pile of flowers, and, still taking small sniffs of the delicate rose, she plucked it off the table and undid it with one hand. Written inside, in a familiar script was a note,

Sakura,

Meet me at 25 Mosley Avenue at 5 o'clock.

Sasuke.

She wrinkled her nose slightly, he could be so to the point sometimes. But at least he was doing something for her. That was sweet anyway.

Humming a soft tune under her breath, she pulled a vase out from under the kitchen sink, filling it with cool water and carefully placing her roses inside.

She placed them back onto the table, stepping back to admire her work. A smile graced her lips, beautiful.

End Flashback

Ever since then, he'd been sending her messages with roses, at least up until he'd started acting weird. It was a sweet, romantic way that they communicated, and she used to find it fun and fresh. Now, though, she could only feel something akin to dread settling in the pit of her stomach.

She pounced onto her perfectly made bed (What a perfectionist, she inwardly scoffed), snatching her rose from the middle as a flurry of emotions raced through her mind. Where's the note?

After moments of searching, she let out a long sigh and fell backwards onto her bed. Was he just trying to tease her now? Play with her? Break her down?

Well, it was working.

Tears that were threatening to spill over began to fill her eyes, and she attempted to study the rose, even though everything looked blurry to her. Taking a whiff of it's addicting smell, she finally let the tears begin to fall. They rolled down her face, and as her vision began to clear, she noticed something on one of the inner petals of the flower.

Written in a sort of white out, there was a number and a word.

"6th date," she read out loud, quietly. She paused for a moment, her eye's turning a shade darker as she realized something, "He doesn't mean that..." she sighed, climbing out of her bed and turning towards the phone that was sitting on her nightstand. Dialling a number she had long since memorized, she spoke into the phone, "I know where he is."

End Chapter 6

I finally updated it! HOORAY! I know... I suck at updating, but don't worry, it's summer now, and I'll have the next chapter up by August 3rd. Actually, that's probably when I will update, because, DUN DUN DUNNN... it's my birthday! *whoooo~* I'm excited! But anyway, between now and then I'm going to be updating my other stories, so please take a look at those too. I'm so grateful for all of you that have stuck with me through this story, and I'm really happy that everyone's been so patiently waiting for the next chapter. I hope this one wasn't too boring for everyone, but don't worry, the next one will be super exciting! I'm kinda nervous to write it... anyway, I really hoped everyone loved this one!

Please leave a review, or a suggestion... or really anything that you would love to see! The stories coming to an end, and I would really appreciate everyone's ideas!

Yours truly,

Moe-shi