Chapter 34

Something soft was enveloping my body, that's the next thing I felt after passing out. Whatever it was, it felt as though it were moving or maybe atop something that was moving.

The aches from my injuries slowly started to become less dull until suddenly I couldn't force myself to stay unconscious and jolted awake with a pained gasp. The sky was dark and cloudy, but it wasn't raining.

On instinct, I clutched at the necklace holding Sasuke's fang with one hand, something I've done every time I awoke since the day Orochimaru had given it to me, and realized I couldn't move my injured arm at all. When I glanced down, I realized it was wrapped tightly against my body with a makeshift sling. It hurt like hell and I sucked in a breath when I attempted to shift my torso a bit. My entire body hurt, just like when I first awoke from my coma after Gaara attacked me.

A cloak of some sort was wrapped around me and I finally realized I was riding in the back of some type of truck, which was going incredibly fast down a road with dense forest on either side.

A flash of Sasuke's exhausted face shot through my mind and I frantically tried to sit up, only to feel something around me inhibit my movements. My wide eyes danced over and met Sasuke's and I finally realized that he was holding me in his lap with a relieved expression on his dirty face.

My airways stung as I sucked in a gasp, but I couldn't even register the pain as I struggled to embrace him with my good arm. He wordlessly helped me a bit more upright and held me tightly as I fought to stay calm. The slightest movement caused an unimaginable pain to shoot through my entire body, but it could kill me for all I cared. The relief of seeing him alive and uninjured was too great.

Panting slightly with effort, I pulled back to look around, finally noticing Naruto and Hinata curled up and asleep barely a foot away from us. Another vehicle was following ours, but I didn't recognize the driver. Sasuke didn't seem worried, so I ignored it.

My attention was pulled back to the prince when he gently pulled the necklace away from my chest to inspect it with a tortured expression.

My teeth grit in pain when I moved to wrap my hand around his wrist and his eyes came back up to meet mine, "Stop moving."

His voice was incredibly hoarse and the guilty look on his face told me that he was about to apologize, so I ignored his words and struggled up to press my lips firmly against his with tears in my eyes. Despite my eagerness to distract him from his negative thoughts, my body started to tremble slightly with effort and I was forced to pull away or else I'd faint. I rested my head against his chest and he let me. Before long, I fell asleep again and hoped to not be in as much pain the next time I woke up.

Days of extremely uncomfortable traveling passed before we finally made it back to Konoha. After everyone had a much needed bath, Hinata looked over us all for injuries and it was deduced that I'd gotten the worst of it. My right arm and ankle had fractures that couldn't be healed by a vampire, so I was ordered to take it easy. Naruto and Sasuke didn't have any notable injuries, but Hinata had multiple broken ribs.

Once news of our return reached the rest of the Hyuga family, the heiress was retrieved by Neji and by the look on his face, we'd be lucky to see her again anytime soon. Her father was likely furious. Naruto was escorted home soon after with an aura of defeat about him.

Sasuke and I didn't speak much because if we weren't being doted on by his mother and Tenten, we were resting. I was bedridden for nearly a week after our return because of the pain and the queen was by my side almost the entire time. Even if she hadn't been, I felt like the prince and I still wouldn't have talked a lot. I can't speak for him, but on top of being injured, I was emotionally exhausted from agonizing over whether or not he was safe and from being tortured for what we learned was nearly three entire months.

The queen, Itachi, Obito, and even Madara tried to ask us for details on what all happened, but I couldn't bring myself to talk about it and Sasuke appeared to be feeling the same way. The look on their faces when they tried to take the fang necklace from me and I refused must've said enough because they stopped badgering us with questions after that.

It felt taboo to wear it after being saved since it was a symbol of the torture Sasuke had gone through, but I couldn't bring myself to let someone take it away so I carefully wrapped it in some linen and hid it in the bottom of my undergarment drawer where no one would find it. It was a terrible item to have, but it was the only thing that'd kept me sane in that awful place.

It became extremely hard to get a moment completely alone because I couldn't get around on my own and it put me more on edge than I already was. It took almost two entire weeks for me to be able to sleep through the night without waking up in terror from nightmares and I could tell everyone was worried.

I didn't want to eat anything because it all tasted like sand in my mouth and I didn't want to talk to anyone because it drove me crazy how they'd look at me all concerned. I just wanted everyone to act like nothing had happened that way I wasn't constantly being reminded of the terrible things that'd happened, but it felt rude to say that to anyone so I just kept my mouth shut.

My mother still hadn't been found and apparently there was no sign of her among the rubble of Otogakure after our escape, so that only added to my list of anxieties.

On a brighter note, I was introduced to Kakashi Hatake, a halfling vampire who was turned by Fugaku long ago and is apparently a skilled fighter. He was the cause of the explosions on the day of our rescue. On top of that, he's apparently great at helping new vampires adjust, which is why he decided to stick around to help Ino for a few weeks once we'd returned to Konoha.

My sister quickly learned to control her thirst so it didn't take long for everyone to feel comfortable with us being alone together.

Almost a month after our return, the two of us were sitting in front of the fireplace in the family room. My injured ankle was propped up on a pillow as I read and she worked on hemming some dresses nearby.

She'd finally taken the first step in achieving her dream of owning a dress shop and was in the process of having it built on the edge of the castle grounds. She intends on hiring Naruto and his family as aides so they can be nearby. The Uzumakis have helped us so many times throughout the years that it only felt right to pay them back. Ino already had a long waiting list for orders and I could tell she was soaring with happiness as she worked with a small smile on her lips.

I refocused on my book for a bit, only to be interrupted by her halting her work and moving to kneel in front of the sofa I was resting on. My eyes drifted to meet hers and I slowly sat the book down because she had such a serious expression on her face.

"Sakura, I need to talk to you about something."

I waited for her to continue in silence and she did without needing a further response, "After I was turned, the king and queen discovered something about my blood."

I nodded, remembering all the odd things the evil doctor had said, "Is this about us being from the Tanaka bloodline?"

She looked shocked, "You knew?"

I put up my good hand in defense, "Orochimaru kept saying that name, but wouldn't explain what the big deal was."

She looked uncomfortable as she paused, but eventually pulled my hand into hers and responded, "Apparently, all Tanakas are human born, but will still be as powerful as a pure-blooded vampire, if not more, if they get turned. On top of that, many of them develop special gifts and skills that most other vampires don't have."

My mouth opened in realization. This was what Hinata must've meant when she said she heard that the Tanaka bloodline was often sought after by pure-blooded families. They wanted strong and skilled allies.

"So, do you have a new special skill then?"

My sister shook her head slightly, "No. Well, not yet at least. The queen said that she heard it can take a while to show up."

She continued without waiting for me to react, "Apparently we're often captured as humans and experimented on because regular pure-bloods want to find a way to unlock gifts of their own. Well, that and Tanaka blood apparently tastes way better than regular human blood."

Her cheeks warmed slightly and she averted her gaze to my lap, "It certainly smells better…"

My face heated up awkwardly. She must be referring to when we first ran into one another in Otogakure. Madara also told me before that he thinks my blood tasted sweeter than anyone else's, a fact that made my skin crawl both then and now.

She released my hand and met my gaze again with a more serious expression, "I'm telling you all this because I want you to ask Sasuke to turn you."

My eyebrows furrowed and I opened my mouth to respond, but she cut me off, "I would do it myself, but I'm still too new and I might kill you by accident. The only other person I can think of that you'd be comfortable enough to let do it is Sasuke."

I clamped my mouth shut with tears in my eyes before speaking in a slightly quieter voice, "But-"

She shook her head quickly, cutting me off again with tears welling up in her pretty blue irises, "Orochimaru and Kabuto escaped, Saku, and we all know they're not gonna just let you guys go. I can't-" her voice cracked and she swallowed hard before forcing herself to continue, "I can't imagine having to live without my sister, so please do it, even if it's only because I'm asking. I don't care how selfish I'm being right now. I can't do this without you."

Our eyes stayed locked, mine wide with shock at her desperate request and hers pleading silently for me to understand. The sound of someone clearing their throat pulled our attention up to see Kakashi standing near the doorway with Sasuke and Sai.

My face got hot instantly and I went to rise to my feet, only for Sasuke to appear by my side and pull me up into his arms bridal style. Ino handed me my book with a knowing grin on her full lips, wiping at a stray tear that'd managed to slip down her cheek, as my face continued to rise in temperature.

I accepted it before grabbing onto the front of Sasuke's shirt with my good hand, "You don't have to carry me everywhere, you know."

The prince completely ignored me and headed upstairs without a word to the others in the room.

"Good night, you two!"

My face burnt hotter at the insinuation in Ino's voice as she called after us. I heard both Kakashi and Sai chuckle at her teasing and buried my face in Sasuke's shirt as he climbed the stairs.

Once we were in the room, he gently sat me down on the side of the bed, taking the book from my hands and sitting it aside so he could start unwinding the sling holding my injured arm. I studied his flawless face, which has remained completely guarded since our return. Once the sling was removed, he knelt down and unwrapped the bandaging from my ankle before helping me to my feet so I could hop into the bathroom with him.

To my surprise, the bath had already been run and steam filled the air. I reached back to unzip my dress, only to have him shoo my hand away and do it for me. My blush refused to falter as he wordlessly took care of me. Once we were both undressed and in the water, I nervously bathed whilst avoiding meeting his eye.

I could count the words he'd spoken to me on my fingers since the day we got back to the castle, but couldn't blame him. He doesn't know the extent of the trauma I'd gone through and I didn't know about his either. Eventually we'd have to talk about it, that much was obvious, but that time hadn't come yet and I wasn't sure how to act around anyone anymore, especially him.

I hate to admit that I'm ashamed he had to see me in such awful states, both when I was being tortured in front of him and when I tried to give him Kabuto's keys. He undoubtedly picked up on the fact that Kabuto forced himself on me because Orochimaru brought it up in front of him, but the prince hadn't said a word about it. He probably doesn't want to know and I'd be relieved if he never asked about it.

It was silent for a few moments as we bathed when he suddenly reached up to touch a few strands of my hair, his eyebrows furrowed slightly. My chest tightened. That was the most expressive his face has looked in weeks. Mikoto'd fixed the uneven ends from me cutting it when I fought against Karin and my once long hair was now slightly shorter than shoulder length.

I put my good hand on his chest, making him tear his eyes up to meet mine and off of my hair, "Does it look too awful?"

He shook his head silently with closed eyes, leaning down to press his lips against the strands before moving over to capture my lips in his for a few moments before surprising me by pulling me against him so I couldn't stare at his face any longer.

My blush returned as I was reminded of my self-realization. I'd yet to formally confess my feelings to him and now that a good time had arrived, I wasn't sure how to do it. I've never been in love before, so putting my feelings into words was something new to me.

His skin was warm against mine, but didn't make me feel overheated despite the fact that we were also standing in steaming hot water. I raised my uninjured arm up and around his body so I could return his embrace, searching for the right words to say.

He spoke quietly, shocking me with the emotion dripping from his words, "I thought you were going to die in that room."

My eyebrows furrowed and I squeezed my eyes shut to keep tears from rising in them. I took a calming breath before holding him more firmly, but my voice still wavered when I spoke, "I wish you hadn't seen me like that."

"I wish…" he trailed off and we stood in silence for a few moments before he tried again, "Those things should've never happened to you."

I could tell he was setting himself up to apologize, even though none of what happened was his fault, so I pulled back and put my hand on the side of his face. After searching his face for a moment, I hypothetically took a step off the edge, "I love you, Sasuke."

His eyes widened ever so slightly and his jaw clenched as though he was stopping himself from immediately responding.

My face was likely burning a brighter red than ever before, but I continued anyway, "W-When you were…When we…" I took a deep breath and restarted, "I'm happy to die if it means you'll live."

My eyes drifted away from his face as I awkwardly tried to vocalize the intense emotions swirling around in my chest. He put a hand over mine, the one that was on his cheek, which made me look back up at his face but he didn't say anything. Instead, he closed his eyes and leaned into my touch.

I hadn't fully expected him to immediately have a response, but after stupidly tripping over my words like I had, I started to feel insecure. It's obvious he cares for me, but maybe I'd overestimated the strength of his feelings for me. I started to worry I'd backed him into an uncomfortable place by confessing before he was ready for that type of commitment.

"I could hear you screaming, almost every day, as he-" his voice trailed off as he grit his teeth and I was pulled from my insecure thoughts so I could listen. He must be referring to Orochimaru torturing me.

"There were a few times when days passed without hearing you and I was sure you'd-"

Tears filled my eyes and I mentally cursed myself for letting them slip down my cheeks.

His jaw flexed again, "That sound was worse than anything they did to me, but I'm glad I could hear it because it meant that you were alive."

His eyes were still closed and he moved my hand from his cheek to his mouth, kissing it lightly before continuing in a slightly lower voice, "I can't believe I let that asshole get away."

I moved closer in an attempt to reassure him, but his eyes shot open and he pulled my hand away from his face to hold it between his much larger ones, "I'll never deserve you, but especially not while he's alive."

My face fell and I shook my head slowly in shock, "That's not tr-"

He let go of my hand altogether as his voice raised slightly, "What kind of vampire, or man, would I be if I let him get away with what he's done?"

I raised it back up from the water to rest against his firm stomach, "You've done more than enough to prove yourself to me, Sasuke! We can hunt him down and make things right, but don't let him affect you like this in the meantime."

He gave me a stern look that told me he was finished arguing the subject and that his mind wouldn't be changed regardless of what I said.

Sighing softly in defeat, I gently rested my forehead against his chest with my face heating back up as I shamefully asked for reassurance, "Will you at least tell me if you return my feelings?"

He wrapped his arms around my naked body, pulling me more firmly against him, before moving a hand up to my jaw to gently guide it upwards so he could look into my eyes once more. The angry burn in his gaze was gone and instead his eyes seemed soft and warm.

"If I didn't, I wouldn't have put up with you for this long."

There was a playfulness in his voice that I'd missed and it brought a small grin to my lips, which he eagerly pressed his own against. His thumbs wiped away the remainder of my tears and I snaked my good arm up so I could run my fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Slowly, he moved us backwards until he was able to sit on the edge of the bath and pulled me up to straddle his lap whilst minding my injuries.

Our kisses gradually deepened until I felt a familiar poke against my inner thigh, causing my eyes to pop back open. I pulled my lips from his and spoke bashfully, the familiar sensation of my stomach dropping with desire making my voice raspier than usual, "C-Can we…?"

I could feel his lips turn up into a grin against the skin on my neck as he dipped down to press slow kisses into the soft skin there, "Can we what?"

Despite his teasing, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh as he continued his actions. If things go back to at least a semi-normal after this, I could really get used to it.