~Bulletproof~ SasuSaku Mafia Story

Chapter 48 ~ Holy Ground

Within ten minutes, the lifeless body of Sakura Haruno lay on the bottom of the river. Just like Sasuke had said, there were things worse than death, and she had experienced a lot of them. After months of torment, pain and hardships, Sakura is finally dead and relieved from all the suffering.

No she's not! But you should see your faces :P

Okay, okay, for real now.

***

The impact from the car hitting the water was certainly enough to wake Sakura up. One moment she was in a faraway dreamland, the next - water was quickly filling up the car. Panic took over her body and mind. This could not be happening. Her worst fear was coming true.

Sasuke, on the other hand, quickly mobilized himself. He unbuckled his seatbelt and used his entire body force to push the door open. It wasn't easy, but eventually worked. He swam around the car to Sakura's side. The car was sinking, so it was hard to keep up with it. Thankfully, Sasuke was a great swimmer.

Sakura was still conscious, but clearly struggling to hold her breath. He opened the car door, but her seatbelt seemed to be stuck. He gritted his teeth and reached for the pocket knife secured in his vest. He cut open her seatbelt, but by then, she seemed to have lost consciousness.

Sasuke pulled her by her elbows and pulled her out of the sinking car. He was also low on air at that point, so he held her tightly with one arm, and used the other to reach the surface.

"Sakura!" He shook her while trying to stay afloat. She seemed to be breathing, so he concluded she must have passed out from panic. The strong river current carried the pair downstream. It was convenient, as it made it easier for Sasuke to keep their heads above water.

"Sakura, wake up..." He gently tapped her cheek until her eyes slowly opened. She gasped at the realization of what was going on, and immediately clung onto Sasuke. Relieved, he helped support her with both arms.

"Listen to me, everything is okay. Focus on me, not the water. Can you do that for me?"

Sakura shut her eyes and nodded quickly. She buried her head in Sasuke's shoulder as the current carried them. Keeping them both afloat was very physically taxing for Sasuke, but he managed.

Sakura kept gasping for air, terrified of drowning. While their heads remained above water, there were times when they'd get submerged for a moment or two. That's when her panic kicked in the most, and Sasuke had to work harder to stabilize her frantic body.

"I got you, Sakura, it's all good..." Speaking was hard in the middle of so much physical activity, but Sasuke knew she needed to hear it.

"See, it's not that bad, we're fine, just slowly use your legs to push against the water, it'll help stay afloat. Don't splash too much..." He gasped for air between every few words, but it did seem to help Sakura. She really didn't want to be a burden, so she tried her best to listen to him. Sakura took deep breaths to calm herself. Indeed, he held her very tightly, which over time began to calm her down. She started to use her legs to keep herself from sinking.

Eventually, Sakura felt more in control of the situation and her death grip onto Sasuke loosened. Still, it took a great physical toll on her, and it was starting to fully wear her out. Sasuke noticed her get weaker. This was bad. The current was strong due to the September winds, so it was urgent for them to find shore.

After quite some time of aimless floating, Sasuke and Sakura were finally washed ashore. They both lay down on the sand to catch their breath. It was dark outside, and neither of them knew where they were. Right now, all that mattered was that they were both alive.