Chapter 10-Mature Content Warning

By the time five o'clock in the evening arrived, Ino and Mikoto tore me away from catching up with Naruto and Kiba so we could get dressed in Mikoto's giant closet.

Ino'd made herself a gown after finishing Mikoto's and it was just as beautiful as I expected. It was a dark purple and quite revealing compared to many young women's dresses these days. It was a two-piece, the top disconnected from the skirt, and flowed nicely around her like flower petals. The top was tied back around her neck and there was just enough cloth to cover her breasts in the front, connecting to a simple inch-wide cloth that wrapped around the back to hold it all up.

She'd straightened her wavy hair out and it fell seductively over one of her eyes once in a while, but it seemed like she may have planned it that way so Sai would have an excuse to romantically sweep her hair behind her ear. I shook my head in disbelief as I watched my twin begin putting on some simple make-up at Mikoto's vanity.

The queen herself was in the dressing room putting on the dress Ino'd slaved over. I was waiting patiently for my turn to use the dressing room, worried that the beautiful dress Mikoto was lending me to wear would be wasted on a body as plain as mine.

Ino glanced over at me with a smile on her glossy lips, "So Naruto's your date tonight, then?"

I shook my head, incredibly used to her trying to convince me to get with Naruto even if it's just to get him to give up on his crush on her, "No, we're just going as friends. I don't have a date, in so many words."

I'm not jealous of Ino having a date because it's been like this since we were pre-teens. Ino's always had someone she could turn to, even if it was just for a moment, and I've always had Naruto.

He and I agreed long ago that we're never going to date. Of course I find him cute and even sometimes handsome, but he's very much not my type. He has way too much energy and wants to constantly be doing something together while I prefer to hang out and be more casual. I don't mind doing stuff once in a while, but I can't stand constantly being out and about. I guess I embrace my comforts more than him.

Ino rose to her feet as the curtain to the dressing room slid open. Mikoto stepped out and looked every bit of perfection as she usually does and more. The dress fell gracefully on her body in a way that made its brazenness seem elegant rather than risque. Her make up was done prior to dressing so she was completely ready for the rapidly approaching ball.

Ino bowed in shock, "You look so beautiful!" her blue eyes wide in disbelief even as she averted her gaze to the floor.

Mikoto waved a dismissive hand at her, pulling her back up gently with one of her hands on Ino's arm, "My dear, you've done such a wonderful job constructing this dress. I may have to hire you as my personal designer!"

Ino's ears perked up and she glanced past the queen to meet my gaze with her own eyes full of hope.

Mikoto chuckled lightly before turning to face me, "Alright, Sakura, it's your turn to get dressed! Let me help you."

I nodded silently, still not completely trusting the queen after the silent threat she'd sent my way the other night. She motioned for me to go ahead and undress in the dressing room, which I obeyed in silence. Once the curtain was closed behind us, Mikoto waited politely for me to undress. I shouldn't have been nervous because she saw me naked the first day I was here, but I still was and gingerly began removing my garments.

Mikoto's eyes were trained on my every move and her face showed no emotion, which put me even more on edge. Once I was in just my underwear, she unzipped the long garment bag and spoke in her usual kind voice, "Oh, you can't wear a bra with this dress, Dear. Take that off."

My face burned hot as I unhooked my bra and slid it off so it could fall down my arm and on top of the small pile of clothes on the floor. She looked over at me in a similar way as she had when she'd first seen me naked and her eyes lit up with delight, "My oh my, Sakura! You look like a young woman now. I'm sure you'll steal the attention of many men this evening."

I wanted to die with embarrassment. Does that mean I looked like a little boy when I was starving? I can't be too surprised since breasts are mainly developed with fats and I had none on my body then, healthy or unhealthy fat alike. I turned to look at my reflection in the tall mirror to our side and did notice a very slight difference in my body, but not so much so that it warranted the reaction she'd given.

She offered me another kind smile before pulling the gorgeous dress out of its holder. It was just as breathtaking as the first time I'd seen it and the fear that I wouldn't do it justice still held a nervous weight in my stomach. She helped me slide it over my head, avoiding messing up my already done hair and makeup. She then zipped it up, which was just a small zipper on my lower back, and buttoned the top part behind my neck.

She then fixed the few strands of my hair that must've been messed up from putting on the dress. My hair was in an intricate braid with a few delicately curled strands hanging loosely to frame my face.

She smiled when she finished, taking a step back to look at my full image with her cheeks warming slightly, "You look stunning, Sakura, like an angel."

Ino rushed into the dressing room, throwing the curtain to the side and freezing in her tracks when her eyes landed on me. Her baby blues widened in surprise, "Wow, Sakura, you look amazing! I was surprised by how you looked when I first got here, but I didn't know you cleaned up this nicely!"

Mikoto turned me to the side so I could finally get a glimpse at the mirror and I looked at my reflection in confusion. Other than the gorgeous dress, styled hair, and some simple makeup, I felt as though I looked pretty close to what I normally do.

The two helped me put on my shoes, which were pastel purple heels that added about three inches to my height. Mikoto and Ino had both given me some lessons on walking in heels over the past few days, but I still felt wary about them.

Mikoto pulled Ino over to stand next to me so she could see us together and put her hands to her cheeks in admiration, "Oh my, girls, you both look so lovely! I feel proud as though you're my own daughters."

Ino and I both bowed in thanks to her kind words, glancing at each other every now and then in shock. Ino has always been noticeably attractive, as I've previously stated, but now that she'd been able to start expressing her fashions and taste with higher quality products, she seemed flawless!

There was a grunt from the doorway of Mikoto's giant closet and we all turned to see the king himself standing with his arms crossed as he looked his wife up and down. Both Ino and I bowed back down and stayed down in the presence of our town's ruler.

Mikoto strode over to her husband with a smile on her lips, pressing a chaste kiss on his frowning lips before doing a feminine twirl for him, "Do you like my attire, my love?"

He gave a curt nod after a moment's pause, accepting another kiss from his doting wife before finally speaking up, "Guests are beginning to arrive. We must begin welcoming them in the ballroom."

Mikoto looked out of a window behind her husband in their room and gasped at the sight of the sun already setting, meaning it was around half past six in the evening. The royal pair regarded us one last time before heading out of their room. Mikoto let us know to take our time finishing up and to be sure to close the bedroom door behind us when we leave so if there are wandering guests they won't feel welcome to enter.

Ino turned to face me and touched up my make up for a moment before taking a deep breath. I started feeling a vibe from her that I'd yet to experience and that was nervousness. Ino has never been one to feel anxiety.

She met my knowing gaze and sighed loudly, "I really like this guy, Saku, and not just because he's hot. He really listens to me when I talk instead of just pretending to so he has a chance to get laid. He's so kind and gentle, like he's scared I'm going to break."

She put her hands on my shoulders, "What if I mess this up?"

I reached up to pull her into a hug, "You've gotta be kidding me, Ino. You could show up in a paper sack and he'll still think you're the most beautiful girl there."

She pulled back and gave me a small smile, "Really?"

I nodded, completely honest with her. I couldn't believe I was trying to get her to like Sai even more when it's possible he attacked me the other night. A part of me felt like it wasn't him, but I haven't gotten to know him as much as I have Sasuke so I can't be sure.

Speaking of Sasuke, how will he act during the ball since I yelled at him in front of Naruto earlier? After he'd left the family room, I hadn't seen or heard from him in the slightest. Surely he'll ignore me or even go out of his way to avoid my presence. It's quickly become clear that that reaction is his go to with uncomfortable situations. Well, that or over-the-top anger. Maybe I was lucky he was avoiding me, after all.

A sliver of jealousy tainted my heart as I watched Ino slip her own white heels on with expertise and tried to convince myself not to take back my previous thought. It's not like I wanted Sasuke to ask me to be his date, but it would've been nice to have someone show interest in me.

I shook my head of the negative thoughts. Since when do I care about relationships? This is so unlike me!

We left the bedroom arm-in-arm and headed downstairs slowly, mixing in with the crowd that was heading through the foyer toward the ballroom downstairs. Everyone was dressed to the nines, intent on leaving only the best of impressions on the royal family. Naruto and Kiba met up with us just before we started descending the final set of stairs, Kiba staying on Naruto's other side in order to avoid an awkward conversation with my sister.

The blonde boy smiled brightly at both of us, "You two look amazing! Who knew you had boobs at all, Sakura!"

He made a foul squeezing gesture with his hands and I elbowed him roughly in the ribs. He coughed between laughs and allowed me to wrap my hand in his elbow since he was my partner for the ball.

Ino wished us farewell for the moment and went off to find her date. Kiba's eyes followed her sadly through the crowd. Even with all of these beautifully dressed women around, Ino still stood out as even more attractive so it was easy to pick her out of the sea of beings.

As we were passing a closet, an arm grabbed onto mine and I was pulled out of the crowd. Naruto looked over at me with wide eyes and moved to help, but I waved him off when I realized it was Sasuke. My date and Kiba pulled themselves over to the side of the hall to wait for me and I gave them a grateful look before closing the door to the closet so I could give the Uchiha prince a glare.

It quickly faltered, though, when my eyes landed on his unbearably attractive appearance. Sasuke Uchiha is, as I've said many times before, the most attractive being I've ever had the pleasure of laying eyes upon, but seeing him in formal clothing took his appeal to a whole nother level. He wore a dark purple jacket over a black tuxedo, his hair its usual wild mess.

His dark eyes looked over me in what would be a similar way as mine were to him, but there's no way he was feeling the same attraction as I was.

Finally, I was able to find my voice and hissed in annoyance, "What do you need?"

His eyes locked onto mine for a moment before he opened his mouth to say something, only to hesitate and close it once more. I stared up at his perfect face impatiently as the sound of the other guests passing by was becoming increasingly louder, meaning the hallway was likely even more densely flooded than before.

He spoke after I averted my eyes, "I don't trust him."

I re-met his gaze, "Who?"

A disgusted look, similar to the one he held earlier, appeared, "Your date."

I let out a huff of disbelief before smoothing out my dress and shaking my head in annoyance, "Is that all?"

His eyes narrowed and he seemed to just be getting more angry so I sighed and excused myself from the small room, leaving him to be angry on his own. He should be more worried about properly representing his family tonight rather than if my best friend is trustworthy.

I angrily took Naruto's arm once more and we re-entered the crowd without further ado. I soon felt a tap on my shoulder as we finally reached the shining linoleum of the ballroom floor and turned to see the familiar yet unwelcome face of Karin.

What now?

She was wearing a blood red floor length dress that left very little to the imagination. It was made mainly of a see-through mesh, but she had a slightly darker red lace layered thicker over the necessities that needed covered. Ino's dress was more revealing than most others, but it was still incredibly classy and graceful, but Karin's was borderline unacceptable. Will she get into any trouble for her sensual attire?

The redhead towered over me as it was, but with heels as tall as hers, she was almost as tall as Naruto! I greeted her politely with a quick bow, not able to stop and bow completely or we'd be trampled by the many people walking behind us.

She glanced over at Naruto and winked at me, "So you weren't lying when you said Sasuke isn't your type!"

I looked back at my unaware partner and understood immediately what she meant. Physically, the two were insanely different. Naruto and Kiba were talking about some fighting class they were interested in taking and it was clear to those around us that Naruto was a very out-going and loud person.

I nodded, playing along with her because the last thing I needed was for her to see me as a rival and try to fight with me over Sasuke. She walked casually beside me as we approached the middle of the giant ballroom where we'd all be stopping to wait for the Uchihas to welcome us.

"He's pretty hot, though! Even I'd be willing to taste him."

I looked at her a little funny for her choice of words, my face tinting a slight red at her insinuation.

She looked shaken suddenly and put her hands up in defense, "Oh, I won't do anything to him since you've got dibs so don't worry! My eyes are only on Sasuke!"

I gave her a polite smile, choosing not to reply to her because I really don't like her that much and don't want to chance accidentally letting her know that.

For the next few moments, the room filled with what seemed like the majority of the entire town's residents both poor and rich alike, until finally the royal family rose from their seated positions behind the drink table.

The room, thankfully, was more than large enough to house us all. There was room enough for everyone to dance and have a good time, when the time came for that, without things feeling cramped or uncomfortable. Militia members, fully armored and ready to protect their targets with their lives, lined almost every inch of the walls with their eyes trained on the lively crowd.

Mikoto spoke for her husband once everyone had finally stopped applauding them, "Citizens of Konoha, welcome to the Uchiha Palace. Our family welcomes you with open and humble arms!" The crowd cheered once again for their queen, only silencing back down when she raised a hand.

Fugaku finally rose to his feet and began his speech, "Far too long, this family has sat idle while issues arise in our town and we have no excuse to offer, but we do have a million apologies for those who have suffered on our behalf."

The crowd silenced completely as the aura of the room became more serious and even almost a little sad.

"Let this party be a token of our regret and expect some changes to occur in the near future, including changes to the class system."

My heart dropped in my chest. Really!? Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes and I looked up to see Naruto looking down at me with a similar expression of disbelief. He whispered excitedly, "What the hell did you do to them, Sakura?!" I shrugged quickly, eagerly listening above the murmurs that had erupted in the room in case the king had more words to share.

He bowed for his subjects before sitting back down and Mikoto mirrored his respectful gesture before speaking once more, "I'd like to introduce my family quickly before the festivities begin. My name is Mikoto and I am your queen. To my left is Madara, brother to our King. Finally, to my right are my three sons and their dates."

I noticed Ino standing next to Sai with a bright red face as he held an arm around her waist for the whole town to see. It wasn't one of those hand-hovering holds either. He held her close as though trying to prove to any and all who were looking that she was his date.

An unfamiliar woman with dark blond hair stood next to Itachi with a blank face, but she wasn't the only person I didn't recognize up there. To my surprise, a red-headed woman with brown eyes and tanned skin stood proudly next to Sasuke.

A frown pulled at my lips when a pang of jealousy shot through my chest. Who do I think I am, getting upset that he invited someone? It's none of my business what the prince does!

With a shake of my head to get rid of the annoying thoughts, I glanced over to see Karin glaring angrily at the woman, "Who's that whore?!" It's clear that Sasuke Uchiha had a thing for red-heads, if nothing else.

"My eldest son is Itachi and his date is his new fiance, Princess Temari from our neighboring kingdom of Sunagakure." Cheers erupted for the couple and I stood in confusion.

He's engaged?! How had I not heard of this before?

The woman and Itachi bowed for the citizens before sitting back down. They didn't interact in the slightest throughout the whole introduction so I got the feeling it was an arranged marriage. Either that, or they're similar in demeanor to the point that they didn't care to fake it for the public.

"These are the twins, Sasuke and Sai, escorting their dates Ladies Kayuya and Ino. Kayuya is from Amegakure and Ino is from our lovely town of Konoha." The two couples bowed respectfully before taking their seats once again.

Once the crowd simmered down, Mikoto put her hands out from her sides, "Please, have a wonderful time and help yourselves to free refreshments. All we ask is that there is no violence inside the palace. Thank you very much for attending our ball. Enjoy!"

A small but extravagant orchestra began playing from a pedestal in the middle of the room and before long people were either moving to get a drink from the many maids and butlers roaming the room or dancing with their partners.

Karin murmured something under her breath about Sasuke's date before disappearing into the crowd. I could've followed her red hair easily, but decided that the less I knew about the trouble she was most likely planning to cause, the better.

I turned to ask Naruto if he wanted to get drinks only to see him frozen on the spot with his eyes trained on a specific spot in the crowd closer to where the Uchihas were previously seated. I followed his gaze and felt my lips turn into a smile when I spotted none other than Hinata Hyuga standing quietly beside an older man that could only be her father.

Her pretty hair was in loose curls and her dress was a pastel yellow. It was elegant and beautiful, but fairly conservative compared to the rest of the ladies around. It had off-shoulders and three-quarter sleeves with a mermaid style bottom where it was tight against her body until just under her knees, where it flared out into a short train. The garment seemed to be made of silk with delicate lace layered over it.

I squeezed his arm and he tore his gaze from the girl he was obviously smitten with. "Let's go greet her. I need to thank her again for helping me."

He nodded blankly as his eyes returned to her petite form as though he were in a trance. Once we were a few yards away, Hinata finally spotted us approaching and made a motion for us to wait and then pointed covertly at her father. It seemed that he wouldn't approve of her speaking with us just yet so we waved down a maid and got drinks while we waited for her to sneak away.

Naruto took a big gulp of the clear liquid, eyes never leaving the Hyuga girl. Her face was gradually turning more red as she clearly pretended not to notice him so as not to blow all of our cover. Her father seemed to be greeting other high-classed people with her, Neji, and a girl that looked like a younger version of Hinata, but hadn't smiled once since I'd laid eyes on him. He seemed strict. If he's anything like her cousin, who luckily hadn't noticed us, it wouldn't surprise me if that's what made Hinata try to run away. He probably isn't kind to her.

I took a sip of my drink and nearly choked at the burning in my throat. I was expecting it to be alcoholic, since the legal drinking age in Konoha is sixteen years old, but I hadn't expected it to be so strong! There was a snicker behind us and we both turned to see Madara greeting us. He, too, had a drink in his hand but it appeared to be red wine instead of the champagne we were drinking. He must have specific tastes when it comes to drinking.

"Miss Sakura, don't tell me you expected us to serve cheap spirits to our lovely townsfolk?"

Naruto bowed respectfully to the man, knowing this time that this was one of the Uchihas since he'd just been introduced in front of the room.

Madara's eyes locked onto the blonde and his kind smile faltered for a moment, before widening further into a friendly grin, "I apologize, young man. I seem to have forgotten my manners. I'm Madara Uchiha. What is your name?"

He reached forward with his free hand to shake Naruto's and I noticed him squeeze slightly. Was he trying to show dominance over him? Why would he need to do that when he's literally part of the royal family?

Naruto winced with a glare, but kept his anger in check, unlike when he'd met Sasuke, "My name is Naruto Uzumaki."

Madara released his hand and looked over at me with a more natural expression, helping the bundle of nerves in my body relax ever so slightly as I studied his handsome face, "Do you think your date would grant me a dance with you?"

I glanced over at Naruto, whose eyes were still locked into a glare at the royal. I shook my head with a reassuring look to my blonde friend. He's similar to me in that he's very passionate, but he's not as good at controlling his anger.

"He won't mind at all. Besides, he has eyes for someone else."

Madara tutted teasingly at Naruto's expense, ignoring him and smiling down at me, "There can't be a woman as beautiful as you here, Miss Sakura. It's his loss."

He led me away and out onto the dance floor as I struggled to walk in my heeled shoes while also dodging other dancing couples. Finally, he found a spot he liked near the center of the dancefloor and politely laid a hand on my lower back to ease me closer to him without making me nervous, guiding one of my hands up to his shoulder and holding the other in his own larger one.

I felt sort of like a marionette as he led my body. My face felt slightly hot at how close we were, but that was only because I'm not familiar with this type of thing. Sure, Ino and I had pretended to ballroom dance when we were kids, but I'd never really learned how to properly do it.

After a few minutes of following the older man's lead, I accidentally stepped on his toe and he laughed, waving over the butler who was holding our drinks for us so he could take a sip of his wine, "Don't fret, Sakura. You'll learn with practice. I'll even teach you myself. Here, drink, it'll help you relax."

He handed me my glass and motioned for me to finish it off even though I'd only taken a sip. I did as requested, not wanting to offend him since he was being so polite despite me having just stomped on his poor foot. I winced at the burning in my throat after swallowing it and felt the waiter pull the now-empty glass out of my newly manicured hand.

"Bring the lady another, kind sir. This time make it something sweeter."

He handed his glass back to the young man and then re-took my hand into his so we could continue dancing. My face was red with embarrassment and he chuckled light-heartedly.

"After a few drinks, you'll loosen up and this will become easier. If you feel like you've had too much, I'll happily take care of you."

I searched his face and found no hints of ill-intent and nodded cautiously. Perhaps I should try to just have a good time for once and not worry about being attacked. There's no way someone could get to me with this many militia around, not to mention the sheer amount of witnesses there'd be.

A small smile graced my lips, "I think I'll do as you say, then, and have a few more drinks…so long as they're not the same as what I just had."

He matched my smile, "I'm glad. And don't worry. I have no doubts you'll love what I've ordered for you, " and we resumed dancing for a few minutes before I was nudged from behind by someone and knocked forward into the Uchiha's chest.

The dance floor had gotten much fuller. I glanced back to see a couple dancing, not even noticing that they'd run into me and frowned. When I moved to take a step back and apologize, Madara's grip tightened just enough to let me know he didn't want me to move. His cold breath on my bare shoulder caused goosebumps to start forming.

I froze in uncertainty, "What's wrong?"

He was silent for a moment before removing his hands from me altogether, making me nearly topple over, "My apologies, Sakura. I just wanted to compliment you on your perfume. The aroma is…quite lovely."

Before I could respond, the butler from earlier returned with Madara's glass refilled and a tall glass of something pink and girly-looking for me. The royal took both glasses, handing mine to me with an encouraging grin, his uncharacteristic actions moments ago a thing of the past, "You'll like this one, I'm sure. Go ahead, taste it."

I cautiously took a sip of the pastel colored drink and felt it tingle on my taste buds. He was right. This one was amazing! It didn't taste like alcohol at all!

He let out a small chuckle before addressing the butler, "I want you to bring her as many of those as she requests this evening."

The young waiter nodded before wordlessly moving away to give us space. He turned his attention back to me, "Don't let the taste fool you. There's more alcohol in that than in what everyone else is drinking."

I swallowed nervously, offering him an awkward grin as he gestured toward the thrones where the queen and king were sitting. We walked casually over, sipping on our drinks and greeting those who spoke to us. When my eyes scanned the row of chairs, I noticed both twins were nowhere to be seen as was the case with their dates.

Mikoto rose from her chair to give me a small hug before I could turn and search the crowd for them, "Oh, Darling, every time I see you I get happy all over again. I'd feared that dress would never see the light of day!"

I smiled gratefully to her, "Thank you, Ma'am. I'm humbled that you'd even consider allowing me to wear something so beautiful."

Mikoto and Madara shared looks of dismissal, the latter speaking up before the queen could reply, "On the contrary, Sakura, I think the dress is lucky to be worn by someone so gorgeous."

The queen gasping pulled my attention away from his compliment, "Oh! Excuse me for a moment!"

I watched her walk over to her eldest son and speak with him for a moment before he graciously offered his fiance a hand and they all approached us together.

Mikoto gestured to the mysterious blond woman with a blinding smile, "I forgot to introduce you two! Sakura, this is Temari Subaku. She and Itachi became engaged just recently. Surely their marriage will strengthen the bonds between our countries and bring happiness to them both!"

I bowed respectfully in front of the woman, who looked down at me in silence, as she was a few inches taller. Her eyes were a forest green and her skin a very healthy tan. She seemed to be older than me, around Itachi's age, which made sense since they're to be married. Her feminine assets were far more impressive than mine and the off-white gown she wore hugged her slim waist perfectly. This Temari woman offered an enticing and foreign beauty.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Ma'am."

She gave me a curt nod before speaking to the queen, "I would like to introduce her to my siblings."

My smile became tight. It was like she was shopping for livestock, the way she spoke about me as though I wasn't standing right in front of her.

Mikoto's smile widened regardless, "Of course, Dear. Itachi will introduce you to her sister, Ino, as well, and we'll plan for dinner with your family in the coming week."

The blond then turned and walked past her fiance to retake her seat with a blank face. Itachi gave me a blank stare for a moment before taking a seat next to her. The small hairs on my arms were sticking straight up and my whole being was telling me to get the hell away from him. Luckily, once he took his seat I couldn't see the terrifying red of his eyes, which helped ease my discomfort.

Madara chuckled lightly to my side, pulling me from my fearful thoughts, "Well, the two certainly suit one another."

Mikoto laughed casually before letting out a dreamy sigh, "Yes, I suppose they do. Itachi's the one who came up with the proposal to begin with so I think they'll get along fine."

I glanced past her to see Itachi staring at me from his seat and quickly averted my gaze back to the queen in hopes he didn't notice. Ever since he'd yelled at me in his room, I've been avoiding him. I still believe his face had changed when he'd gotten so angry, not to mention the crimes he's committed. Does Temari know what he's done? Is she so stoic because he's attempted to do something bad to her as well?

I chanced another glance at the pair only to be shaken by the sight of empty seats. Where had they gone so quickly? My eyes scanned the crowd, but so many people were dancing that it was hard to tell people apart. Were they all ditching the ball so they don't have to speak with civilians?

I absent-mindedly killed the rest of the liquid in my glass as I continued to search the crowd for familiar faces, noticing Naruto and Hinata dancing as far away from her father as possible. They both had bright red faces, but were talking casually so things didn't appear awkward.

"Ah, Sakura! How are you enjoying your drink?" The queen addressed me.

Nodding politely, I lifted a hand to my lips, "It's very nice, Ma'am!"

Madara took the glass from my hand and slid a full one into its place. I glanced over and saw that same butler from before walking away to rid of the empty glass. The Uchiha royal's hand brushed against the small of my waist, causing a shiver to run up my spine, but I did my best to mask it and focus on Mikoto's words. Is it the alcohol making me so aware of his actions tonight, or am I just getting lost in the atmosphere of the ball? Either way, he didn't seem to notice.

"Of course, dear. It's actually my favorite champagne. I believe Mina had loved it as well, may she rest in peace. We have it imported from the town of Nadeshiko." She trailed on and on about the champagne and the town it derives from, but I'd never heard of it. Still, I didn't want to sound uneducated so I simply nodded in acknowledgement as I sipped on the drink in question.

The king rose to his feet suddenly and Mikoto turned to grab his hand, saving me from the talkative queen, "Please excuse us, you two."

We both bid them goodbye as the King surprised everyone and led his wife out to the floor for a dance. The citizens left a large space around them as they danced, most likely in fear the militia would interfere if they got too close. My face began to feel a little warm as the drinks no doubt started setting in and I was honestly starting to feel relaxed and happy, eager to have a good time even.

"Well, Miss Sakura, shall I return you to your date?"

I looked over to the floor where I'd last seen Naruto and Hinata dancing and noticed Kiba and Naruto standing against the wall talking casually on the far side of the room. Hinata was back at her father's side. I nodded to Madara and he pulled my free hand up to wrap into his arm. His hand felt cool against my warm skin.

Once we're in the middle of the floor, the butler that'd been serving me approached Madara timidly before whispering into the Royal's ear. Madara's eyes widened slightly and he released my hand from his arm, "My apologies, Sakura, but can you make it to your date from here? There's something that urgently requires my attention."

I nodded with a small smile, "Of course. Thank you for the dances."

He kissed my hand politely before turning to follow the butler out of the crowd. I sipped on my drink happily, swaying to the music as I twist and turn my way around dancers. The Uchiha's aren't on my mind, for once. All I care about is how amazing this drink is and how relaxed it's making me feel. My nerves haven't been this calm in years and I wanted to cherish it.

I was pulled from my thoughts when I went to take another sip of my drink and found I'd already finished it, so I went to look for a replacement, only to have a maid replace it in an instant. I gave her an odd look and she bowed, "Lord Madara told me to serve you, Ma'am."

My face heated up at how formally she was addressing me, but I thanked her and took a sip of the new drink anyway. I wonder how much a bottle of this champagne costs? I turned to continue trying to make it through the crowd only to come face to face with an enraged Karin. She spoke over the loud music, "Come with me!"

Her hand wrapped around my free wrist as tightly as a vice and she all but dragged me through the remainder of the crowd until we were finally climbing the stairs to the first floor. I tripped once we were on the ground floor, thankfully not spilling my drink, but noticed that I'd somehow lost both of my heeled shoes on our way up the steps.

Karin re-grabbed my wrist and a small giggle passed my lips as she rushed us through hallway after hallway. I was glad she knew where she was going because I wouldn't be of any help at this point.

The drinks had finally caught up with me. Colors suddenly seemed more saturated than usual and my whole body felt warm and comfortable. My vision was unclear from time to time, but I didn't care all that much because I was feeling too good.

We finally came to a stop and I frowned when I realized my glass was empty once again, "Hey...where's the drink lady?"

Karin shushed me and I frowned at her. I finally looked around and noticed we were in Sasuke's room. My eyes landed on the comfortable bed and I yanked against her hold to try and jump onto it, remembering how heavenly it felt to sprawl across the piece of furniture. She pulled me along with a huff until we were in front of his large wardrobe, which stood to the left of the bookcase.

After opening the doors and pushing me inside, she climbed in next to me and shut the doors all the way but a crack. Clothes surrounded us and I soon felt uneasy and hot. I've never been comfortable with tight spaces.

I whispered in confusion, trying to understand what was going on, "What are we doing?" She shushed me once more, just in time for the bathroom door to open and Sasuke to come out and lay on his bed.

His tuxedo jacket was gone and his shirt was unbuttoned, but other than that he was still dressed. So he left the party to come lay down? Somehow, it didn't surprise me that he'd do something like that. Just as I was about to climb out of the closet to chastise him, another figure came from the bathroom, his red-headed date from earlier. She was wearing nothing but her underwear and his tuxedo jacket, breasts visible to both Karin and I from the small crack in the wardrobe.

I suddenly realized what Karin had dragged me into and felt horrible despite my drunkenness: we were spying on Sasuke.

I moved to open the door and apologize for intruding, but Karin clamped a hand over my mouth and put her other arm in front of my body to stop me. The small sliver of light coming into the small space was enough for me to see the enraged look on her features when Tayuya climbed onto the bed to straddle Sasuke's lap. I couldn't tear my eyes away as they kissed, despite not wanting to see what was unfolding, trapped in a haze of drunkenness and curiosity.

My breath hitched in my throat when she reached down to rub the front of Sasuke's pants and the pair suddenly stopped and looked in our direction. Karin's grip on me tightened in fear and I still just wanted to leave and find another drink. Sasuke stopped the woman from coming to look and pulled her back down on top of him, pressing his lips against hers before moving slowly into a sitting position. Soon, he picked her up and her legs wrapped around his torso as he carried her back into the bathroom and shut the door behind them. I could hear her beginning to moan almost the instant the door was latched and Karin wasted no time opening the door and pulling me out of the room in a hurry.

Once we were back on the ground floor, she slapped me across the face, "You dumb bitch! You almost gave us away. What are you, a virgin?"

Anger boiled in my blood at being smacked and I was rearing up to hit her right back when suddenly an arm appeared around my waist. I looked over to see Itachi glaring down at Karin, "Leave her alone, Karin. She's not interested in your schemes."

Karin's eyes widened in fright at Itachi's glare and she wordlessly scurried off toward the ballroom. I waited until she was gone before pushing him roughly away from me. It seemed like he let me push him and moved away, "You need to be careful."

There he goes again, trying to act like he isn't the dangerous one in the castle! The anger was still there from earlier and I glared up at him, "Don't ever touch me again."

Even if I was tipsy and livid, I still had enough sense about me to get away from him and headed down the stairs slowly so I wouldn't fall. When my bare feet hit the cold floor of the ball room, the maid from earlier arrived to hand me another glass of champagne. What had I done with the empty one? It was probably back in Sasuke's room, but I was too wasted to care.

I accepted the new glass happily and flounced over to Naruto, who was still standing with Kiba against the far wall of the room. The blonde caught sight of me and broke into laughter, meeting me a few feet away from where he was previously standing, "Someone's having a good time!"

I laughed and quickly chugged the entire glass. His eyes widened and he laughed again when I wrapped my arms around his waist in a friendly hug, "Whoa, Sakura. How much have you had?"

He hugged me back lightly before looking down at me in concern, "Where are your shoes?"

Panic struck me. Oh no! I'd forgotten that the shoes were Mikoto's! She'll be upset if they get lost or stolen. I pulled out of his arms and absently accepted yet another glass from the maid as I scanned the room until my eyes caught sight of my abandoned shoes near the top of the stairs across the room.

"Sakura, maybe you should slow down..."

I smacked Naruto's hand away when he tried to take my glass and shot him a dirty look, "Can't I have a good time, just this once?"

He froze and nodded in agreement, lowering his voice slightly so as not to cause a scene, "Of course, but there are too many people around for you to get trashed."

I rolled my eyes at him before rushing into the crowd before he could stop me. Giggles slipped past my lips at my "cleverness" and soon I was lost on the dance floor. The orchestra was taking a break and a live band was playing for a while so it was much louder in the room. I danced alone for a few moments, in a trance of sorts as I gulped down my drink greedily. There were bodies all around me, so close that all I'd have to do was reach out and touch, but I simply enjoyed myself alone.

After a few minutes, I felt someone grab my elbow and nearly toppled over. The many drinks I'd been downing caught up with me further and my vision doubled. I turned to see who was pretty much dragging me out of the crowd, but could only see that they were a male since they weren't in a dress.

It had to be Naruto since I'd just run away from him and he'd no doubt been searching for me. We were soon at the bottom of the stairs and beginning to climb them when I tripped and fell. The familiar sting of oncoming bruises met the skin on my knees, but in my drunkenness all I could do was laugh. I heard the rumble of a man's voice speak, but couldn't make out what he'd said in the loud room.

I looked up to him but was too dizzy and felt confused, "Help me, you idiot." My voice didn't sound like my own and I couldn't help but giggle at it.

Naruto pulled me to my feet and picked me up bridal style. I rested my head against his chest and smiled. He's such a good friend, even if he acted like an idiot sometimes. He helps my family out and even saves me when I'm drunk. I hope he and Hinata end up together so he can be happy.

We were moving for a long time before I felt something soft under me. My eyelids were heavy so I let them fall closed as he carried me. They reopened and my eyes searched around once I felt his hands leave from under me, noticing that I was in a bedroom but couldn't pinpoint exactly which one it was.

My exhaustion suddenly felt much more prominent now that I was laying on a bed and I wanted nothing other than to go to sleep, but the dress was restricting and uncomfortable so I struggled to unbutton the strap behind my neck. Strong hands pulled me up into a standing position, my body leaning against his, and I nearly toppled over, laughing lightly.

Why is everything so dizzy and fun when you're drunk?

My arms wrapped around Naruto's waist for balance and he unbuttoned my dress and even unzipped the zipper for me before helping me slip out of it. Normally I'd be absolutely distraught that he was seeing me almost completely nude, but at the moment I couldn't comprehend anything but wanting to go to bed. I felt him pull back after tossing it away and let myself fall back onto the bed, giggling happily at the comfort of having no tight dress on.

After wiggling over to lay correctly on the bed I waved my hand in the air, pulled the blankets over my body, and closed my eyes, "I appreciate the help!"

There was a weight on the bed next to me and I felt annoyed, "You can't sleep in here with me, idiot. The Uchiha's will assume the worst!"

The blankets moved around a bit before I felt the foreign sensation of someone climbing on top of me. My eyes shot open, but the only thing I could see was those red eyes.

This isn't Naruto!

I took in a sharp breath, about to scream when a deep voice spoke softly, sounding like it was a breeze brushing the leaves in the trees, "Don't look at me, don't yell, and don't move."

My body followed the commands without my permission and fear flooded my very being. Try as I might, I couldn't look down to see who had taken me. My eyes were wide and terrified staring at the ceiling, tears falling down the sides of my face as I tried to get my body to move.

Large, calloused hands roamed down to rest on my hips and I spoke as loudly as I could, barely a whisper, "Please stop!"

My breathing was becoming more shallow as I tried not to have a panic attack, only to choke when he started massaging my breasts roughly. The sensation felt foreign and unwelcome, making me want to throw up. My breath hitched in my throat as one of the hands shot down to push my legs apart so the person could slip their body in between them. They bent them so they could be in between them comfortably and I couldn't move to fix them or kick him away.

A hard pressure was pressing against my underwear and I couldn't bring myself to admit that I knew exactly what it was. I just kept begging them to stop quietly, fighting with every ounce of my being to try and do anything to save myself from surely being assaulted.

They suddenly bent down and pulled my nipple into their mouth, swirling their tongue over it. He began pressing harder against me at a slow, rhythmic pace. The man moved his mouth off of my breast and put his hands on my bent knees, pushing them further apart and up slightly.

The pressure against my lower regions disappeared and his body was no longer weighing down on mine, but he moved my legs over his shoulders and moved lower down the bed. My heart was beating so quickly in my ears that I couldn't hear anything and I was sweating with effort to try and break free of whatever hold this man put on the control I had over my body.

There was no movement for a moment, just his rough hands holding my legs apart, but then there was a sharp pain on the inside of my leg, just a few inches away from my womanhood. My fists clenched and my mind reeled in confusion.

He's biting me?!

The spot on my thigh started to tingle and a heat burned where his teeth touched my skin. This guy has some sort of weird fetish! He didn't remove his mouth and I suddenly realized he's not just biting into me.

He's sucking my blood!

The intense fear I was already feeling was heightened and my breathing started to get even more panicked, to the point of hyperventilation. A knock came suddenly at the door and I opened my mouth to call for help, but that same voice came again and said, "You're enjoying this."

A sudden explosion of pleasure waved over my body and a loud gasp slid from my mouth unfiltered. He pressed himself against me once more, and I could feel that he was even more aroused than before.

He then pushed my head to the side, biting into my neck this time as I trembled underneath him. I still couldn't look at him, but I could feel that his body was much bigger than mine. Hands helped themselves to explore my body roughly and I couldn't stop feeling the pleasurable waves, panting in an unfamiliar way as I tried to comprehend what was causing my body to suddenly feel this way.

Is it because he said it? Is that it? Whatever he says, my body responds to it?

To my horror, one of his hands dipped between our bodies and I felt his fingers start to rub against the front of my underwear. The door shot open and whoever was on top of me sat back on their knees between my legs, their hands still gripping my bare thighs.

I turned my head with intent to plead with whoever it was to save me, only to see Sasuke looking over my body in shock. My attacker's voice was no longer a calm breeze in the trees, but a barked order in my head, "You have no sight or hearing!" It was like a heavy blanket had covered my senses and a desperate panic shot through my bones.

The pleasure I'd been feeling before, not to mention my inability to move, all disappeared and I tried to shoot away from the person on top of me despite not being able to see them. I sensed that the two were fighting, but couldn't tell who was winning or who suddenly pulled me into their arms, wrapped a sheet around me, and started moving quickly.

I fought whoever they were with tears running down my cheeks. Drunk and terrified didn't mix and my heart was beating so loudly I could feel it pulsing throughout my whole body.

After a few moments of being carried quickly away from the room, my vision and hearing abruptly returned and I looked up to see Sasuke glaring straight ahead as we approached his bedroom. I stopped fighting and tears started pouring from my eyes in relief.

He saved me once again.

I buried my face in his chest and sobbed until I couldn't anymore. He didn't ask me to stop or sit me down the whole time, sitting on the edge of his bed and patiently waiting for me to finish. This was the closest we've ever been, which would've normally had me feeling incredibly nervous, but in this dire situation I couldn't even think about it. When my tears finally slowed, I still felt very drunk but was no longer happy about it.

I looked up at him and tried to find the right words to say. He looked down at me with an unfamiliar expression. Finally, I pulled myself away from him. He helped me stand, but averted his gaze from my bare body as the sheet fell to the floor around my feet.

I couldn't care less that he was seeing me almost completely naked at this point, "V-Vampire! It was a vampire!"

Sasuke didn't say anything, but nodded in agreement. My hand shakily reached up to feel the incisions on my neck and the sticky blood still flowing from it freely, "I'm gonna die…He severed my jugular vein, right?" My breathing was picking up again and fear made my body rigid.

Sasuke's face stayed directed at the floor with an unreadable expression, "I can fix it."

My zoned out eyes focused on him, "W-What?"

He looked up and met my gaze, only this time his eyes were blazing red like his brother's.

My legs gave out from under me and I crumpled onto the floor in disbelief. They're all vampires, aren't they? "D-d-did you...?"

He cut me off, "I've never attacked you. Not once. The first time was Madara and the second time was Sai, but he didn't mean to."

He knelt down on the ground in front of me, "You'd cut yourself in front of him and he lost control for a moment. Madara wanted to feed from you, despite my mother warning us all not to, and make you forget, but it didn't work completely for some reason."

My eyes locked bravely onto his glowing ones, "You lied to me."

My vision was becoming hazy with my blood loss and I struggled to stay upright, holding myself up with one arm while my other hand put pressure on my bleeding neck.

His blood red eyes traveled down to the injury and his eyebrows furrowed, "Let me heal you and I'll tell you anything you want to know."

Dread was already filling my head, "Why? So I can be cattle for you and your family? I'd rather die."

He glared at me, "You know I wouldn't let that happen."

I glared right back, "No, I don't know that. I-I thought I could trust you, but-" my voice trailed off as my panicked breath got stuck in my throat.

He barked back, "If you want to bring up trust, how about you explain why you were spying on me with Karin earlier?"

My gaze hardened further, "I was drunk and she forced me. I would never spy on you willingly."

His glare faded slightly and he shook his head, "Stay still."

My body went rigid and a dark realization iced the blood that remained in my veins. They can control me all they want. One of them will kill me for sure and there's nothing I can do to stop it from happening. I won't even have the ability to fight, no matter how useless it'd be to do so anyway.

He moved my hand away from my neck and ran his tongue over the bite mark there. I could feel his body tense once my blood touched his tongue and he froze for a few moments. My breathing picked up further when I realized he was probably trying to keep himself from biting into me himself. My fingers were all that I could move and I tried desperately to grab anything to hurt myself with so I could snap out of it in case he tried to do something to me, but couldn't reach anything.

After a moment, he sucked in a deep breath and pulled away, covering his mouth with one hand as his eyes narrowed, "There."

I struggled to push him away from me, but had nowhere to go.

He glared at me, "Don't be stupid, Sakura. If I wanted to hurt you, I would've done it already."

My face heated up in distress. How can he speak to me like that after what just happened!

He looked down at my lap as he ignored my hurt expression, slowly dropping his hand away from his face, and I moved my bloody hands to cover my thighs.

"I would rather have your permission for that one, given its position." It's not like I have a choice, though. If I refuse, he'll just control me again. Either way, his mouth is going to be far too close to a very private place than I would like.

My face was red under his like-colored gaze, but I reluctantly unfolded my legs and spread them slightly so he could see the injury on the inside of my thigh. He didn't hesitate and pressed my legs open further, leaning down to lick over that bite and heal like the previous one.

A shiver ran down my spine at the sight of his tongue against my skin and that same warmth spiked up in my abdomen.

His eyes shot up to mine as he pulled back just slightly, "I should tell you, we can tell when that happens as well."

I shoved him away by putting a foot onto his shoulder and pushing before pulling my knees together and up toward my torso as tears started to fall down my cheeks once more. If I had enough blood left in my body to blush, I'm sure I would've. My voice cracked and wavered as I struggled to handle the amount of grief that came over me at his audacity, "Fuck you, Sasuke."

His red eyes narrowed for a moment before his brow furrowed and he closed them, pulling me up to my feet by my arm. Disgusted by his words and behavior, I ripped my arm out of his grasp with what little energy I could muster and stumbled into the bathroom without saying anything else.

After closing the door behind me, I locked it loudly and quickly started the bath water so he couldn't hear the tears of betrayal falling from my eyes once again.