Chapter 7

"I'll release you if you agree to stay silent."

My face was hot as my breathing was hindered by Itachi's large hand covering my mouth and nose, but I nodded quickly, wanting nothing more than this man's touch away from my body. Bile rose in my throat as my heart beat loudly in my ears.

These are the same hands that violated that girl, the same hands that took her life.

My legs nearly gave out when he finally removed himself, but I held myself together and took a few steps back to create some space. Tears rose in my eyes as I tried to come across brave, meeting the murderer's scarlet eyes straight on. Shame and disgust made my skin crawl and I tried to keep my composure.

He waited a few moments for me to catch my breath, standing with his back to the closed bedroom door and effectively blocking my only escape route. Eventually he spoke, his voice soft and pleasant, which somehow made him even more terrifying, "Please allow me to explain myself."

My voice was hoarse as I spoke in a hushed tone, not wanting to anger him by being too loud, "If you don't think I'm aware of the things you've done, you're mistaken!"

His pupils shrunk as his eyes narrowed. After an agonizing pause, he replied, "Listen to what I have to say. I'm not the one you should be afraid of within the walls of the castle."

Anger was starting to overpower the fear in my blood. How dare he try to fool me like this! Does he think I'm an idiot?

"I don't know what you're trying to do, but your brothers' and uncle's rooms are within earshot and at least one of them is bound to come if I start screaming." Internally, I was very proud of myself for standing up to him like that, but that pride faltered when Itachi let out an uncharacteristic scoff.

He followed it with a small laugh that didn't hold an ounce of humor, "If I was going to hurt you, I would've done so by now. If you don't want my advice, fine," he opened the door and gestured for me to exit, "Leave. Do not come to me when you're in trouble in the future."

I was utterly lost in confusion. He had a point. The way I'd been told about his crimes, he'd attacked that girl the moment he could get her alone, not even a few hours after meeting her. If I've learned anything from all the true crime novels I read, it would be that murderers often find a pattern and stick to it. If that's true, then he would've killed me long ago.

I hesitated, having an internal battle on what I should do, "What…?"

It seems that I'd insulted the eldest Uchiha prince too much and his eyes flared up like gasoline thrown into a fire pit. He hissed out in a horrific voice, "Get out!"

My blood ran cold as he took a threatening step closer and I bolted out of the room, running as fast as I could down the stairs and back toward the family room. It had to be my imagination, but Itachi's facial features seemed to change when he lost his temper with me. The whites of his eyes were darker, his teeth sharper, and the skin around his eyes seemed unnaturally veiny.

With a shake of my head, I rid my mind of those outlandish thoughts and composed myself before walking as normally as possible into the room. The queen was ordering a group of Militia to do various tasks like delivering invitations, purchasing fabric, and hiring musicians. I waited patiently, not wanting to interrupt.

Once the group had received their orders and exited the room, Mikoto turned to me with a knowing smile, "I have a gift for you, Dear. Follow me."

I glanced at the binder I'd abandoned on one of the sofas as we passed it, following her as I'd been instructed. Curiosity ate at me when we climbed the steps and entered her and Fugaku's quarters. I forced my gaze to the floor because it somehow felt taboo to behold the personal area of the royal couple.

We headed through another doorway where I dared to sneak a glimpse, only to do a double take. It was as though we were standing in a small boutique. Obviously, this was Mikoto's walk-in closet, but it seemed more like a small clothing store because of its size.

The room was shaped like an octagon with a ceiling to floor mirror on every other wall: four in total. Two of the three non-mirrored walls were extended walk-in closets while the last one was a dressing room. One of the closets was filled with dress after dress and shoe after shoe, while the other was filled with a vanity and walls lined with makeups, perfumes, and other accessories. The carpet was the same as the rest of the castle with walls matching the burgundy of the dressing room's curtain.

My jaw must've been slack because Mikoto calmly reached over and tapped my chin, snapping me out of my stupor and causing me to snap my mouth shut.

A soft laugh floated through the air, "Now the room itself isn't the surprise, but I'm glad you like it. You can't imagine what I had to do to convince Fugaku to build this for me." She gave me a wink, which brought a heat to my face.

Without saying another word, she drifted into the clothing closet and dug through hundreds of garment bags before finally locating the one she was searching for and coming back out to hang the bag on a hook and unzip it to show me whatever was inside. When her slim figure moved to the side, my breath left my body with a whoosh and my hand awkwardly rose to my mouth in awe.

The most beautiful ball gown I've ever laid eyes on hung before me. The biggest shock was that it wasn't black, instead a rosy shade of lavender. It was made to be skin-tight until around the hip area, where it gracefully flowed out in waves of silk in the front with a small train of hand crafted flowers flowing down the back. The detail was so intricate that they looked real. There was a cut-out back that showed a bit of skin, but not so much so that it seemed overly promiscuous.

"I was saving this to give to the wife of one of my boys, but I want you to have it, Sakura. You've only been here a week and I've already grown so attached to you, like you're my own daughter. Please say you'll accept and wear this to the ball. I'm afraid it will waste away in this closet."

My jaw dropped once more at her heartwarming words and I tried to form a response, "Y-You want me to….to.."

Her grin widened and she let out a small chuckle, "Should I take that as a yes?"

I nodded dumbly. Only an idiot would say no to such a generous gift!

We returned to the family room after tucking the dress back into the closet, Mikoto mentioning she'll have a seamstress tune it to fit me as she doesn't want to distract Ino with additional work.

My mind reeled as I glanced at her for the millionth time as she flipped through a booklet of wines and champagne. How can she be so pleasant and welcoming and Itachi be so terrifying? I have to have imagined the odd change in his facial features, right?

Trusting that she won't get too upset with me, I tried to gently hint at it without being too obvious, "Um, Ma'am, before I arrived, I'd heard that the Uchiha family has a huge secret. Isn't that crazy?" It's probably smart not to mention Itachi had pretty much kidnapped me earlier in the day. Even if he's in the wrong, she'd never take my side when it's her own son I'll be accusing.

There was a slight pause in Mikoto's page flipping that I would've missed if I wasn't paying attention. "Oh my, is this some of the town gossip I've heard so much about from the Hyugas and the guards? Hopefully those types of silly rumors cease after the ball."

I quickly mirrored her smile and chickened out of pushing her further. She'd dodged my question brilliantly and obviously knew that I was trying to get her talk about something specific. It's best not to push my luck, "Yes, Ma'am. I suppose that's all it must be."

I helped her tidy up the family room a bit before we both headed upstairs to retire for the evening. By the time I was climbing the steps, my eyes were drooping and heavy with exhaustion. All I wanted was to bathe and go to bed early. There'll be only a little bit of reading tonight so I can conserve my energy for party planning.

The moment I opened the door to the bedroom, the events from earlier in the day came rushing back to me, knocking the sleepiness right out of me. The redhead I'd seen covered in Sasuke's bedsheets earlier was laying in a seductive pose on the bed and wearing nothing but some extremely risque bright red lingerie.

A shriek of surprise slipped past my lips and I quickly panicked to look anywhere else but at her bare skin. There was a small noise of shock that mirrored mine, followed by an exasperated sigh, "You sure are noisy. Haven't you ever seen another woman's body? Calm down."

With a red face, I did my best to mask the annoyance this young woman immediately woke within me and stalked past her to collect my sleeping necessities from the sofa.

There's absolutely no way in hell I'm sleeping in here while she and Sasuke go at it like rabbits.

The girl sat up on the bed and studied me as I fumbled to fit all of my items in my arms, "So what's your deal, anyway? Are you going for the innocent look to try and get into Sasuke's pants? I can tell you're a virgin just by looking at you so you're doing a good job so far."

My annoyance turned into anger, but I pushed forward with my plan to grin and bear it. I already very much don't like this woman. Her voice is nasally, she addresses me as though she thinks of me as lesser than her, and she seems to be looking for a rival where she won't find one.

I shook my head and did my best to appear polite and docile because she was still a noble, "I'm not going for anything, Ma'am. I'm not allowed to think of any of the Uchihas that way."

Where the hell is Sasuke, anyway? I glanced over to the empty ensuite, confirming his absence.

The redhead climbed over the bed to sit on the edge, not two feet away from me. It was hard to look at her with all that bare skin glaring at me, but it was harder even to deny that she's a catch at least visually. Her skin is clear and supple, body curvy and sensual, and her face holds a natural beauty to it that's hard to come by. It's no wonder why Sasuke keeps bringing her around.

"No offense, but what's wrong with you? How could anyone not be interested in Sasuke?"

She let out a dramatic gasp and moved to cover her chest with exaggerated movements, "Are you gay?!"

I bit back a scoff, "No, I'm not gay. I just…I know my place and I have specific tastes."

With my arms firmly wrapped around my items, I gave her a short bow as I turned to leave, only to have her stop me, "Wait! My name is Karin. What's yours?"

My eyes rolled internally, but on the outside I kept up my polite façade. I really don't want to spend another minute with this woman. "Sakura, Ma'am."

"Well, Sakura, if you're not interested in Sasuke, why don't you help me win him over?" Her hand was on my shoulder, stopping me from moving away.

I met her gaze with disbelief, "What do you mean? Haven't you already-"

I gestured to her appearance with a red face and she let out a loud laugh, "Just because I'm sleeping with him doesn't mean I've won him over. I want a ring. I want a tiara. I want to be a princess!" Her eyes were practically heart-shaped as she looked out into the hypothetical distance as though she could picture herself with all of those things and she liked what she saw.

Just as I was about to come up with some kind of reply that would hopefully excuse me from her request, the door behind me opened and Sasuke stepped into his bedroom with a more annoyed than usual frown. I bowed politely, not wanting Karin to think that I was disrespecting the prince.

Sure, he and I have a deal, but it stays between us and if she finds out she'll probably assume the worst and tell everyone. "Good evening, Sir. Please excuse me. I was just on my way out."

"No, you're not."

I rose back up and gave him an unsure look, "I'm sorry?"

The dark haired man stalked past me and kicked his shoes off at the foot of his bed before flopping down onto it, "Go home Karin."

The redhead stood from her spot on the side of the bed with a huff, "What? But Sasuke, I thought-."

"I said leave."

Karin turned to shoot me a glare as she expertly slid her expensive looking dress back on and collected her heeled shoes before stomping out of the room with a pout on her face.

Once the door was closed behind her, I crossed the room to place my items back on the sofa, "You didn't have to do that, you know. I could've slept in my sister's room for tonight." I plopped down on the piece of furniture and opened the large book I'd been reading to the page I left off on.

He turned to look at me, eyes drifting down to the tomb in my lap with a guarded expression before he turned his back to me once more, "Hn."

He's obviously in a more sour mood than usual so I decided to just let him be, reading for a bit before bathing and then finally I was able to lay down to rest. Each time I fell asleep, the nightmares I thought I've been slowly getting rid of would scare me awake. I wonder if my encounter with Itachi re-awoke the fear I've been trying to bury.

Around the early morning hours, maybe two or three, I shot upright with tears in my eyes after dreaming of the feeling of someone touching me like I'd been touched that night. It was awful. I couldn't see anything but red and my skin felt like it would freeze over and fall off wherever their hands touch.

Once I was able to calm down and realize it was just a dream, I ran a shaky hand through my sweat-dampened hair. There's no way I'll be getting any sleep tonight. I glanced at the bed as I stumbled quietly toward the ensuite with the intention of washing my face, only to see that it was empty. Sasuke was gone.

Suddenly, a loud crashing noise sounded throughout the castle and it seemed to come from the ground level, but I couldn't be sure. My blood ran ice cold as my eyes darted around the room. Another loud noise, this time more similar to that of animals fighting, sounded and tears welled up in my eyes.

Where is Sasuke? Why isn't he here? What if Ino's in trouble?

My eyes landed on a sharp, decorative knife that was hanging above the wardrobe and I snatched it down with a determination to verify that my sister wasn't in any danger, even if I had to protect myself against whatever animal was making that blood-curdling noise.

How'd an animal even get in the castle with all those Militia patrolling the grounds?

After taking several slow, deep breaths to steady myself, I swung the door to the bedroom open and quickly raised the knife so as to threaten whoever or whatever may have been waiting. When I realized the coast was clear, I took a few cautious steps out into the hall so I could start my trek toward the staircases. My hands shook as I thought about how I'll have to pass Itachi's room to get there.

About halfway in between the twins' rooms and Madara's, I heard Sai's bedroom door open and it made me jump in fear. When I frantically tried to turn around, my foot got caught in my long nightgown and I was sent falling backwards onto the ground. A sharp sting etched up my forearm and I realized I'd accidentally cut myself with the knife I'd been holding. I was too busy trying to scan the dark hallway to pay too much attention to the wound though.

My eyes landed on a dark, shadowy figure stepping out into the hall from Sai's room. It was hard to see in the dim hallway and my breath picked up as I realized it wasn't the prince himself because the moonlight caught a glimpse of pale blond hair.

In a blink of an eye, the shadowy figure was directly in front of me and moss-green eyes stared blankly down at me. My breath got caught in my throat at how quickly this mysterious woman moved. Her bare feet made no noise against the floor as she leaned down to meet my eyeline. A sickening urge to scream shot through my body, but I couldn't pull my eyes from her.

This must've been the woman I'd seen Sai with earlier because her hair was very similar to Ino's. To my surprise, she reached down and picked up the knife I'd dropped before handing it back to me. I tried to communicate with the odd woman, but couldn't get a word out before she suddenly moved incredibly quickly past me and down the hall in the direction of the staircases.

When I turned to try and follow her moves, I heard Sai's voice approaching me, "Miss Sakura, what are you-Oh!"

His dark eyes seemed darker than usual as he became close enough for me to clearly see his face. He seemed to be trying to avoid looking at the blood dripping down my arm.

I winced as the pain was finally starting to register from the wound, but I turned to look back down the hall where the blond woman had disappeared, "Who was that woman?"

He made an odd sound, like he was choking, and it brought my attention back. When I turned to look at him again, I was frozen into a trance like the one I'd been in a few nights ago. The sharp red eyes I've been growing more and more familiar with were the only thing I could look at, the rest of my peripheral was a smoky black that I couldn't even think of focusing on.

Just like the last time, I could only manage to move my fingers and felt the cold of the knife's hilt against my palm. My mind reeled as the red eyes slowly closed the distance between us and I fumbled to move the knife up without dropping it so I could try and shock myself out of this trance by causing some outside pain. It was the only option I had for escaping and I felt I'd be doomed if it didn't work.

The sharp edge of the knife was resting against the soft skin of my palm when I felt a shaking hand grab firmly onto my shoulder and I had no choice but to squeeze tightly. A searing pain had the knife slipping from my grasp and clattering loudly on the ground.

A shocked scream rushed from my lips as I successfully escaped my trance and darted in the direction of the stairs without hesitation. I didn't dare look behind me and there weren't any sounds of someone chasing me, but something in my heart told me that if I paused for even a second I'd seal my fate.

Was it Sai? No, his eyes are black, not red. It had to be Itachi again! But how did he suddenly appear like that and where had Sai gone?

I didn't have time to think about it as my bare feet slapped loudly against the linoleum floors. Whoever it was wasn't going to get me without a fight.

Halfway down the staircase, I lost my footing as my own blood made the steps slippery and when I tried to catch myself with the banister, pain erupted from my slashed palm. My head smacked off the side of it and I tumbled down the remainder of the stairs, each concrete step hurting more than the last before I finally slid to a bloody stop on the ground floor.

A ragged gasp sounded as my lungs were finally able to draw a breath and I felt blood flowing quickly from my cuts. They were deeper than I thought. My brows furrowed as I sensed some kind of movement in multiple directions around my body and struggled to come to my senses.

My vision was cloudy and my ears were ringing, most likely a result of hitting my head on the banister. I fell back to my hands and knees after trying to get myself upright, a pained gasp sounding quietly.

The ringing was getting louder as I sensed that something was getting closer to me, an electrifying terror shooting through me as something cold touched my bare shoulder. I did anything and everything I could to defend myself, kicking, screaming, and shoving, but it was all in vain.

Whoever or whatever was attacking me quickly had my wrists wrestled against the ground as they climbed atop my hips. My eyes were shut tight because I was too afraid of seeing the color red again, so I had no idea if my vision had been restored, but the ringing in my ears was slowly subsiding.

All that I could do was cry and beg for mercy from my attacker, "Please! Please don't!"

"Sakura stop!"

It was as though a veil had been lifted and I could finally hear clearly: the ringing had stopped. My eyes shot open at the familiar voice and tears ran down my face as they landed on Sasuke's dark features. He had blood smeared onto his cheek, no doubt from me fighting him, but I was more focused on the expression on his face.

He seemed to be struggling to look at me, again, and his hands were shaking. He looked panicked and it didn't suit him. Cautiously, he released my wrists once I'd stopped fighting him and climbed off my body.

He placed one of his hands over his mouth and nose and tried not to look at me, "Who did this?" His voice was scarier than I'd ever heard it, but I didn't feel any fear. Oddly enough, I felt relieved that he'd been the one who'd found me. It just felt like a fact that whoever was after me wouldn't try as long as Sasuke's with me.

I tried to sit up and gasped when I accidently bumped the slice in my arm. His eyes darted over to me and he reached over to stop me with one hand, still using his other to block part of his face. I got the impression that he had a phobia of blood and it made me feel a bit more grateful that he's come to my rescue twice now.

"Don't-" His voice was hoarse and his eyes widened slightly when he saw that some of my blood had gotten onto his hand.

I tried to answer him, but my answer was choked through my sobs, so I tried to cover my face with my uninjured arm. Sasuke simply looked at me like he didn't know what to do to help.

My emotions were a swirling mess and my relief that Sasuke had found me before I could be murdered was starting to turn into being angry at him for not being there in the first place. The only reason I'd agreed to move into his room was because he'd said, in so many words, that he'd protect me. However, the night that danger is afoot, he is nowhere to be found.

I groaned as my head started to pound and I switched back to not being upset with him and instead with myself. It wasn't really logical to be upset with him to begin with. It's not his, or anyone's for that matter, job to keep me safe. I'm only a servant here because I committed a crime and even if I hadn't and somehow had landed a job in the castle amidst normal circumstances, it made no sense to expect a member of the royal family to worry about me.

It wouldn't surprise me if none of them remember my name in ten years, so why would Sasuke risk putting himself in danger for someone like me? These facts did little to soothe me and a sob was muffled by my good arm.

The prince appeared very put off and seemed unsure of what to do, still looking to be struggling with the amount of blood around. When I tried to stand so I could get upstairs to patch myself up, he grabbed my good arm to stop me, "You shouldn't move. Let me-"

Anger flooded through me and I yanked it out of his grasp. Embarrassed that I probably looked pathetic as I struggled up the stairs with my injured arm cradled against me, I moved slowly to make sure I didn't slip again. I felt Sasuke quickly move behind me, most likely ready to catch me if I fell backwards from blood loss, but I didn't turn to look at him.

He tried to follow me into the bathroom, but I shut the door before he could and he didn't say a word behind the thick layer of wood. I gingerly removed my ruined gown and undergarments before standing in front of the giant mirror to assess the damage. A three inch long slash ran down my right arm and the palm on the same side had a very deep cut across it.

It seemed I'd squeezed the knife a little too hard. Blood was already dripping heavily over the sink and floor. Stopping the bleeding was going to be the hard part. There was also a gash on my temple from hitting my head, but it wasn't bleeding nearly as much so I didn't consider it much of a priority and neither were the fresh bruises that were starting to show up.

A knock came from the door and I glanced over to see Sasuke turning the handle so I rushed to put my weight against it, "Don't come in, I'm….not decent!"

There was a pause before he replied in a voice that told me I had better listen well, "You have ten seconds before I come in."

My face burnt red with shock and I fumbled to grab a fluffy black towel and wrap it around my body. He opened the door just as I'd covered myself and nodded his head toward the closed toilet seat. I didn't bother hiding my displeased frown as I sat down and watched him start running the bath.

I need to be able to handle these things on my own and he isn't even letting me try.

He grabbed some supplies from the medicine cabinet/closet before kneeling down in front of me and setting the items down around us. After a moment, he grabbed my hand with one of his as though he were about to start cleaning the wound, but froze when his gaze landed on the palmful of blood.

I tried to tear my hand away, but he held it still, "You don't have to do this. I can tell you're uncomfortable."

His eyes danced up to mine for a moment with a glare before he took a deep breath and started cleaning my wound, his mouth in a firm line. Blood dripped down my arm and onto the floor and him. I'm going to have such a mess to clean up in the morning.

Things went silent for a few moments before I spat out what I was thinking before I could lose the courage to do so, "I think I should move back to my old room."

He glanced up at me with a glare and shook his head before returning to his work as though it was that simple for me to accept his response. The anger and shame I've been feeling since falling down the stairs gave me the kick I needed to firmly lay my good hand on his shoulder and push lightly so he'd be forced to look me in the eye.

"Sasuke, things haven't changed since I moved in with you. Someone wants me dead and sleeping here isn't going to make that fact magically disappear."

His dark eyes studied my brighter ones momentarily before he shook his head once more, attempting to return to his work again, voice gruff, "I won't leave you alone again."

Guilt rose in my throat and I felt like such an asshole for being harsh to him. It's obvious he's blaming himself for my injuries this time around. Even if the reason he's doing it was to make up for a past mistake, he's still been going out of his way to help me. Granted, his way of doing so may not be the most polite, but he still meant to do only good.

My body acted on my emotions and the hand on his shoulder gently moved to cup the side of his face. He froze as though I'd slapped him and looked back at me with his eyes even more guarded than usual.

My guilt only increased. It's clear he's incredibly unfamiliar with someone touching him gently like this. All the women he sleeps with must not try to connect with him on an emotional level and only use him for his body and title. I swallowed the lump in my throat, surprising myself with the amount of effort I had to put in to not cry at the thought of Sasuke not experiencing compassion.

My voice wavered slightly, "I don't want you to think I don't appreciate what you've been trying to do, but I can't justify you potentially coming into harm's way over someone like me. You don't need to try so hard for a servant. Your life, realistically, means much more than mine."

I said these things to try and convince him to let me move back to my old room. Even if it pains me to say it, and even if I don't like that it is: it's the truth.

His eyes narrowed and he smacked my hand away from his face before focusing back on my injured hand, working noticeably more quickly. The room became awkward and tense and the moment he was finished cleaning my wounds, he placed the bandages I'd need once I was finished bathing on the counter and left the room, shutting the door harder than necessary behind him.

I sat in awe of his reaction. I was trying to be honest and considerate of him, but he was obviously unhappy about it. After the bath was full, I got in and sighed when the hot water eased my aching muscles. I watched the blood pool more slowly than before in my injured palm.

He's obviously not in the mood to talk tonight, so I'll just have to wait until he's ready.