Chapter 20-Mature Content Warning

The desert air gets incredibly cold at night, but Sasuke let me cuddle him under the heavy covers all night long so I barely noticed. I woke up to him running his fingers softly up and down my back as I lay against his chest. His scent surrounded me, making a small smile tug at my lips.

My eyes crept open and I noticed the prince was holding a book up with his free hand and reading in silence. He seemed to notice my awakening and dog-eared the page before sitting the book aside and pulling me closer against his body. Both of his muscular arms wrapped firmly around my body. The feeling of his bare skin against mine was something I'd never tire of. I smiled and nuzzled closer, feeling giddy about the uncharacteristic affection he was offering.

His chest rumbled as he spoke, "How'd you sleep?"

The royal's voice was raspy from being silent the whole time I slept and it made my stomach flip. I bravely lay a small kiss against his neck, "Just fine."

He pulled back a bit and I mirrored the action, worried he didn't want me to dote on him so freely, but instead he captured my lips and my anxiety melted away.

Sasuke spoke in an unsure voice once he pulled away, dark eyes searching my face, "About last night, I shouldn't have let things go that far. I knew you'd been drinking and-"

I gave him an embarrassed look and dipped my bright red face down against his chest, "D-Don't apologize! I already told you I wanted to do it."

I came back up and met his gaze head on to see he still looked unconvinced. "If anything, consider it payback for that night in your room."

He seemed shocked by my response for a moment before a small smirk crept onto his lips, "So we're even then?"

My face dropped and I tried to figure out where he was going with this, "I guess so, why?"

His smirk grew until it was almost a teasing smile, "So, since we're even and all, we don't have to do that kind of thing again, right?"

My mouth clamped shut and I shook my head before lightly slapping the firm muscles on his stomach and climbing out of his arms. He chuckled at my annoyance.

Matsuri arrived soon after Sasuke and I finished bathing with another beautiful Sunagakure outfit for me to wear. This one was a blood red dress with an array of colorful gems dangling from the hem. It was a halter top that ended on the upper part of my thighs, shorter than any dress I've ever worn.

To my horror, I realized Sasuke'd left a few marks on both my neck and body last night, but luckily this style of dress hid them all. He didn't even tell me until I noticed that I, too, had left a few marks on him and mentioned it while we were bathing.

I studied Matsuri as she applied sunblock to the pale skin of my bare legs, her movements precise. Her sun-kissed skin was clear, her brown eyes vibrant, and her shoulder length hair was thick and healthy. All in all, she was a very cute girl even by Konoha standards. A frown lay firmly on her lips and I was curious why.

"So, Matsuri, did you attend the festival last night?"

Her eyes flickered up to meet mine for a moment as though she was shocked I'd chosen to speak. Then she glanced uneasily over at Sasuke, who was sitting on the edge of the bed with his dark eyes locked onto her every move, "Yes, I was able to take the night off."

I smiled at her as she grabbed some sandals and started slipping them onto my feet, "That's great! Did you do anything fun?"

She met my gaze in a stronger manner and my smile evaporated when I noticed a bandage on her neck that her hair had been hiding. Without hesitation, I reached up and pulled the bandage back to confirm my suspicion.

A bite mark more rough looking than any I've seen on myself was still bleeding. I've been attacked by more than one vampire in incredibly violent ways and yet I'd never seen a bite this horrible. Even further still, her attacker, obviously Gaara, didn't even bother healing the wound.

She slapped my hand away in shock, pushing the bandage back down against her skin, "H-Hey!"

I sensed Sasuke perk up and stopped him from approaching with a warning look, "It's okay."

Matsuri glanced at him in fear before returning her gaze to me, tears in her eyes as she spoke in a hiss, "Why'd you do that!"

I rose to my feet as she did since she was finally done helping me dress for the day, "Did Gaara do that to you?"

Her mouth clamped shut before she reopened it, still glancing nervously over to Sasuke, "I-I'm blessed that Lord Gaara chose my blood to nourish his body." Her response sounded rehearsed, like a mantra she repeats to herself to cope with the trauma of it all.

My brow furrowed and tears rose to my eyes before I could stop them. It must be awful to live in a country where you can be abused like that and it's wrong for you to not want it.

Matsuri raised her hands defensively, "Don't cry! What did I do?"

I wiped at my eyes for a moment before bravely pulling her hands into my own, "It's okay to be honest with me. I won't tell."

Her eyes watered until tears finally poured over. She shook her head, chin quivering, "He didn't mean to do this, I know it! He's just…He's struggling with something right now. This isn't really him." I nodded in agreement, but had a hard time overlooking Gaara's brutality.

I knew I should accept his actions because this was how things are in Sunagakure. This is the vampiric culture here: take what you want, what you deserve, because you're the more gifted species. However, anger and disgust were boiling in the pit of my stomach.

I led Matsuri into the washroom so we could both attempt to mask the fact we'd cried, motioning for Sasuke to go ahead of us to the dining hall for breakfast so I could talk to her alone. He hesitated, but did as I wanted with a frown.

When I turned back to face Matsuri, she was dabbing at her eyes with a tissue. I copied her actions, offering as reassuring a smile as possible when our eyes met. She hesitated for a moment before blurting out, "I think you should give Lord Gaara what he wants."

She, just yesterday, had pretty much asked me to back off because she's in love with him and now she wants me to accept his advances.

"I don't understa-"

"I've never seen him like this and I've served in this castle since I was four years old."

My eyes widened in disbelief, but she continued, "Kankuro says it's because he's become obsessed with you."

"I know what I said yesterday, but I just want him to be happy. After last night, I- '' She appeared to swallow a lump in her throat to stop herself from crying once more, "I've never been scared of him until now. He isn't himself."

I took a moment to process her desperate words before deciding uneasily to do what I could to help her, "What if I tried talking to him? Do you think it'd help?"

She looked at me in disbelief, "Talk?"

I nodded, more confident since she said it out loud, "Yes! I'll try and find a painless way to resolve this."

She seemed about to argue, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her out into the hall with me so we could head to breakfast before someone noticed our absence. She led the way, giving me unsure glances every few steps. Everyone was seated already except for me.

Kankuro let out a low whistle, "Where've you been hiding legs like that!"

I sat at the seat I had yesterday, next to Gaara and across from Ino, my face red as I ignored the prince's vulgar comment, "I'm sorry for being late." I offered the king a polite bow, intent on trying to get on his good side so we could eventually talk about what's been going on, but when my eyes landed on him my body shook with fear.

Last night he almost did something unforgivable. Sasuke doesn't even know that he tried to force himself on me.

The Suna King completely ignored me. Instead, he raised a hand to signal for breakfast to be served, all in silence with his eyes locked onto Matsuri's retreating form as she rushed out of the room with her head low in submission.

Breakfast lolled on and on, full of Kankuro trying to hit on both Ino and I, not to mention every single female that passed by to serve us. He didn't mention anything about seeing me in that awful room last night while he was performing such scandalous actions and I briefly wondered if he'd even noticed me. Everyone ignored him, regardless.

I noticed Ino and Sai shooting looks at one another even more often than normal, if that's even possible. Once the meal was finished, we were given some free reign to do as we pleased before we had to meet up to attend tonight's festivities. Ino latched onto my arm like a leech and dragged me away from the boys. The desert heat was something that I still struggled to get used to and the fact that she forced me to nearly run with her had me struggling profusely.

When she finally came to a standstill, I put my hands on my hips and tried to calm my heavy breathing, "It's too hot for that, Ino!"

She looked back in the direction we'd come and I followed her gaze to see the twins were about thirty yards away and headed casually in our direction. She pulled my sweaty hands into her own, whispering in a panicked voice, "Aphrodisiacs! The steam in the air last night was an aphrodisiac. Please tell me nothing happened to you!"

I felt the blood drain from my face. So the bravery I'd conjured to do what I did to Sasuke last night wasn't really my own. I had drugs to thank. Either way, I didn't regret doing what I did. I glanced back at Sasuke in a panic, heart quickening when his gaze met mine. He can't find out or he'll never forgive himself.

Ino squeezed my hands, pulling my attention back to her and speaking in an even quieter voice since the boys were getting closer, "You're okay, right?!"

I shook my head at her, happy to see her physically look relieved with a hand on her heart, "Oh, good! Thank God!"

She pulled Sai's hand into her own as the two guys finally reached us and led him away, "Let's give them some alone time! Come on, Baby!" Sai's blank expression softened at her pet name for him and he gave us a small wave before letting himself be pulled.

I glanced up at Sasuke awkwardly, worried he'd be able to tell I was hiding something from him right away, "What do you want to do?"

He studied my face in silence for a moment before pulling one of my hands into his and interlacing our fingers. It amazed me how his hands could remain so cool in this heat. I let him lead me around for a while until we finally arrived at a shopping area full of stalls, the same ones as last night but this time they were selling clothes and jewelry instead of foods and drinks.

We entered one after the other until finally stepping into one that sold jewelry. I looked over to see him inspecting some pearl earrings, probably for his mother who'd demanded they all bring her a souvenir, and stepped away to check out what else they had. My lips fell into a frown as I gently ran my fingers across a display of solid gold necklaces. I'll never be able to afford anything this nice, even if I somehow manage to survive Madara.

"Lady Sakura?"

I turned on my heel to see a pretty young woman standing behind me, "Yes?"

The woman bowed politely and I returned the gesture, uncomfortable being treated so formally. Sasuke turned to give the tall woman a glare, but she didn't seem to notice, "Lady Temari and Lord Kankuro have requested your presence at the castle. Would you like me to escort you?"

I looked over to see Sasuke giving me a hesitant look. I lightly squeezed his arm as I followed the woman, giving him a reassuring smile, "I'll have someone bring me back when I'm done." He didn't respond and just watched with a glare as I was led away until I was forced to focus ahead so I wouldn't run into anyone on the crowded street.

I tried striking up a conversation with my guide, but she didn't seem interested and only gave me short answers. After a long and awkward trek, we finally arrived back at the castle. I was given a glass of water to rehydrate, which I accepted eagerly, and the guide dabbed at the sweat on my skin with a soft towel as I drank. Once I cooled down, she led me through some hallways before gesturing to a room, bowing once more, and leaving.

Gaara waited by himself inside. A terrible feeling climbed my spine as I approached the middle of the room. I offered him a nervous bow of respect before silently waiting for him to speak. He simply stated my name, "Sakura Haruno."

My face paled at his gravelly voice and I met his teal gaze, not trusting my voice to be stable after what he'd done last night. He studied my face with the same animalistic gaze he always had.

"Y-Yes?"

I'd thought Temari and Kankuro had called for me, but Gaara probably had the guide lie because he thought I wouldn't come if I knew it was him. He was correct, if so.

His eyes suddenly bursted into bright red and I couldn't look away. A cry of shock slipped from my lips. I hadn't even noticed the whites of his eyes darkening, it happened so fast.

I felt tears spill over and start to flow freely down my cheeks as I realized the reason he'd call me here, "Please don't do this!"

Cold fingers gently pushed the hair away from my shoulder and the air smelled of familiar spices. My body jumped in shock as his gravelly voice broke the tense silence, "I can't wait any longer. I won't."

My fingers flexed at my sides as I tried to move, but I couldn't muster the strength like I had last night. The cloth of my dress was quickly torn away and teeth stabbed into my flesh. A pained gasp bubbled up from my lungs and my hands squeezed into fists.

To my surprise, Gaara pulled his canines back out as an odd, growling sound vibrated his chest. Hot breath dusted my skin when he spoke in a breathy voice, "You taste…" he trailed off. His nails dug into my skin as he made an odd, beastly sound before clamping his teeth into my skin with an unbearable amount of force.

It felt like someone was stabbing me with multiple little knives, right down to the bone.

"A-Ah! Stop!"

I pleaded with the king as my desperation grew. This hurt worse than any bite I'd felt before. Obito hadn't even been in control of his body and he treated me gentler than this.

The terror in my body grew as I sensed my attacker becoming more and more unstable. The sounds he made were inhuman and only made me more afraid. My legs shakily gave out and Gaara went to the ground with me.

I struggled to move my hands, causing my body to tremble with effort as electricity shot through it. His grip disappeared from my shoulders to return tightly around my wrists before I could manage anything and suddenly I was being pulled up to my feet.

My body was dropped lightly onto something soft, probably a bed, and my eyes widened in shock when he released his hold on my actions. Glowing red eyes bore into mine as though daring me to fight. Blood dripped down from the corners of his lips onto his neck.

He pulled my body beneath him by my hips and surveyed my appearance with a blank expression. "This is your last chance. Will you obey?"

My mouth opened as I tried to respond, eyes wide, but I couldn't get a sound to come out. My fingers trembled as I reached up to put pressure on the deep wound on my neck and his expression turned into something negative.

He forced his body in between my legs, bright eyes traveling slowly over me until they locked onto my tearful ones. When they did, I felt an intense wave of arousal suddenly burst through my body. His expression didn't change and that proved exactly what I thought had happened. He was forcing me to feel attracted to him like Madara had done in the laundry room, he just didn't say the command out loud.

The fear didn't leave me completely, but it did weaken. I still had control of my actions despite the emotions he was forcing upon me, and tried to shove him away, but I was weak with blood loss. My body struggled underneath his as he easily kept me down against the mattress, a somewhat curious look on his features. Amidst our fight, my dress got a few more tears and my hair became strewn about the pillows.

Gaara seemed to grow bored of my disobedience and bit into the opposite side of my neck as before, just as hard. A choked sound got lost in the hungry growls floating about the air. I pushed against his chest and shoulders frantically, gasping when I felt one of his cold hands slide up my thigh.

My heart was beating so fast that it was soon all I could hear. I couldn't see anything because I was crying so hard. The redhead pulled away suddenly, sitting back on his knees as he fought to lift my dress up to my hips.

The deep wounds on either side of my neck were bleeding a lot. I could feel the hot substance slowly trailing down my shoulders to drip onto the bed. In a matter of seconds, I could barely lift my arms so there was no way to fend off his advances. My sobs quieted down to whimpers as I fought to stay conscious.

I felt him slide my underwear down and off before he climbed back on top of me and shoved his lips against mine with unhindered ferocity. I could taste my blood on his tongue as he slid it atop mine. His hands left my body and I heard the unmistakable sound of a zipper.

"Whoa! What do we have here?"

I felt Gaara's body tense in shock before he climbed off the bed, but couldn't muster the strength to move my head so I could see who'd interrupted us. The voice sounded familiar, but in my hazy state I couldn't put my finger on who it was. The loud heartbeat in my ears was becoming weaker at a slow and steady pace.

There was the sound of a struggle across the room for a few moments before it got quiet again.

I struggled to move my half-lidded eyes to the side, finally seeing Kankuro as he approached. His eyes were glowing just as brightly as his brothers, but he had a hand clamped over his nose and mouth. "Is he trying to start a war?" The prince seemed to be talking to himself.

He removed his hand from his face and fixed my dress so I wasn't exposed. If I had enough blood in my body to blush, I would've. Everything about this situation was humiliating.

I could tell his hands were shaking with effort to control himself. One of them touched my shoulder as he leaned over with his mouth open, most likely trying to heal the gushing bites on my neck, but a strangled sound came from his throat and he tore himself away, covering his face once more. "I-I can't or I won't be able to stop." He seemed to start panicking and hurried out of my peripheral vision.

The room grew quiet then and all I could hear was my weak heartbeat. I could feel each pulse where my wounds were. It hurt. With all my effort, I tried to keep my eyes open as tears rolled down the sides of my face and into my hair to mix into the quickly forming pool of blood.

My vision darkened at an agonizing pace and I kept blinking to try and make it stop. Are they really going to leave me here to die? Fear would've kept me paralized if the blood loss wasn't. I didn't even have the energy to move my fingers.

Just as I thought I was going to die alone, the air vibrated as someone spoke in a deep voice nearby. My senses were too muddled to hear what they said, but they didn't sound happy.

Sasuke's enraged face appeared suddenly before me. I hadn't even noticed him climb onto the bed. Someone else was nearby, but I couldn't look away to see who it was. His lips moved as he tried to speak to me and I desperately tried to respond, but couldn't tell if I was able to make any sound at all.

There was a loud ringing in my ears at this point.

His eyebrows furrowed and he lowered himself further so he could try to heal my wounds. After a few moments, he lifted me up into his arms as he got back to his feet and my body slumped lifelessly against him. The moment he started moving, my vision went black and I couldn't hold on any longer.