Chapter 21

Death feels like a very hot and deep body of water, swirling dangerously in a mess of emotions. Bubbles danced around my body as I fought to come back to life, disgust at Gaara's betrayal making my lungs feel heavy.

If I was dead, how come I kept trying to swim to the surface? Shouldn't I just give up and accept my terrible fate? Sasuke's face had been the last one I saw, so at least I hadn't died alone.

The memory of the Suna king's attack played on repeat, the image distorting in the water as I struggled. I'd thought he could potentially be someone trustworthy who'd put in the effort to understand humans for my sake, but I'd been terribly wrong. That mistake cost me my life. His bloodlust overpowered all other emotions he may have held for me.

The water rumbled around my aching body, like someone was trying to speak to me from the surface, but it was unintelligible. I stopped flailing in an attempt to hear better only to start floating upwards. An abrupt pain shot through my chest and suddenly I was awake and struggling to intake a breath for my burning lungs.

"Oh, thank God!"

Ino's familiar voice met my ears as clearly as could be. My eyes shakily danced over to see her crying into Sai's chest as he held his arms around her shaking form. "I-I'm alive? What…" I tried to sit up, but a hand gently lay on my shoulder and stopped my efforts. My gaze fell heavily on Hinata's concerned features.

"Hinata? What're you doing here? What's going on?" A raw pain raked through my throat with each word.

Her soft voice replied hesitantly, "You've been in a coma for six days. Please don't move."

A jolt of surprise shot through my limbs and I tried to sit up once more, only for her to push me back down, "What! Six days?"

She nodded, "You lost a lot of b-blood. I was asked to keep an eye on you while Sasuke's away."

My heartbeat was beating in my ears like it had in that room with Gaara, making me squeeze my eyes shut in fear of the memory, "Where is he? Is he okay?"

Hinata hesitated, but eventually responded, "Lord Fugaku sent him away to calm down while he, Lady Mikoto, and Lord Madara try to mend things with S-Sunagakure."

Ino spoke in a shrill voice suddenly, "Sasuke and Gaara almost killed each other!"

My eyes shot open in shock and I pushed past Hinata's hand to sit up, "They what!" My vision darkened and a sharp pain zapped through my body. A small cry of pain cut past my grit teeth.

Soothing hands helped me relax back against the pillows and I felt a cold cloth be placed against my forehead. Ino sounded guilty as she elaborated, "I'm sorry! Hinata said not to stress you out, but I thought you'd want to know."

My head was pounding so hard that I couldn't bear to open my eyes, but my mind reeled with worry. Is he okay? Was he hurt badly? When will he return? The Hyuga heiress placed a cold hand against my warm cheek, "He'll be home in a few days. Please focus on your recovery in the meantime. You almost died so your body still needs time." She wasn't lying. My entire body was sore, like I'd been severely beaten. The headache I was struggling with hurt worst of all.

For the next few days, I was stuck in bed and barely able to move on my own as I tried to rest.

Naruto visited because Ino'd sent him a letter while I was still in a coma, telling him I'd been in some kind of accident to mask the fact that a vampire tried to kill me. He wasn't allowed to find out about the Uchiha secret, so we had to be careful in his presence.

My childhood friend was hellbent on breaking me out of the castle before "that damned Sasuke brat" could return. Luckily, Hinata convinced him to abandon that quest before he could cause too much trouble. He even spent the night on the couch under the guise he was worried about me, but I knew he just wanted to take advantage of this chance to spend time with Hinata. It didn't offend me and I was even happy that at least someone was benefiting from my misfortune.

The bashful Hyuga didn't seem to mind and even appeared to enjoy his unabashed attention. When he thought I was asleep, he'd shower her with sweet inquiries about her likes and dislikes, and even offered her a few affectionate compliments. It'd been hard to keep from grinning and giving away that I was awake. He spoke to her in a way I'd never heard him speak to anybody in my life. It was incredibly obvious he was eager to make his feelings known. It sounded like he was trying to milk the short amount of time they had together for all he could.

Speaking of Hinata, the girl may be quite shy and mild mannered, but she was one strict caretaker. I wasn't allowed to leave Sasuke's bed for any reason other than to bathe and use the restroom. In our time together, she told me she's been studying medicine since primary school, so it made sense that Sasuke'd ask her for help while he's away.

According to Ino, the three elder Uchiha royals had left to visit Konoha's allied countries to go over the changes to its laws and policies, each one heading to a separate country in order to finish as quickly as possible. However, they all headed for Sunagakure the moment they found out what'd happened. Itachi had also decided to stay in Suna with his fiance to help his family, especially since he'd been there to witness the fight.

The only difference in the castle other than their absence was that an honest to goodness maid had been hired by Mikoto. She was to keep the castle clean and cook when the king and queen didn't feel like it. Her name's Tenten and she went to primary school with Hinata before the Hyuga was pulled from it to be homeschooled by her father Hiashi. She was tall and a little curvy, but not heavy in any way. Her eyes and hair were both a warm chocolate brown and she had an easygoing personality.

She and Hinata still seemed moderately close and would catch up casually when the maid would come into Sasuke's room to tidy up or bring meals.

Three days after I woke up, I was finally able to move around a bit easier without collapsing into a heap on the ground. Hinata sat in a chair at the side of the bed, knitting what looked like it would be a scarf.

I was reading in silence, but looked up curiously when I heard Tenten's voice quickly approaching in the hall. She seemed to be politely trying to stop someone from entering, but the door opened without so much as a knock to reveal Neji Hyuga. He directly ignored the maid with an irritated expression. The brunette rushed into the room behind him, looking appalled at his impolite behavior, "I'm very sorry! I wanted to alert you of his arrival, but he-"

Hinata gently raised a hand with an understanding smile, "It's alright, Tenten."

Her cousin didn't seem to care and butted in before the maid could respond, "Your father requests your return at once."

The Hyuga girl sat her knitting tools down on the edge of the bed with a small frown, "Is everything alright? There's not an emergency, is there? I was approved to lend my aide here at the castle until tomorrow evening."

Neji's eyes closed and his eyebrow quirked in annoyance, "Upon realizing the true nature of your visit, he revoked his approval. Please come with me."

Tenten, who'd started to leave the room, froze in her steps and turned to look at him with a glare, but I shot her a warning glance. I knew firsthand that it wasn't worth it to argue with Neji, especially if he deems you as beneath him, which he undoubtedly would because of her job title.

Hinata, who knew better than anybody what her cousin was like, turned a bright shade of red, "W-What?"

Her cousin let out an exasperated sigh, "Your father forbids you from mingling with persons of this…quality." He'd paused as though trying to figure out how to say it properly, but still came off as a pompous asshole.

I didn't want Hinata to get into any trouble with her controlling father, so I offered her a reassuring smile, "It's okay, Hinata. You've done more than enough for me. Thank you." She looked sad, but gave me a small smile before gathering her items and bidding us all a polite farewell. Neji followed her out of the room without so much as a glance at either Tenten or me.

The brunette watched them leave before walking around the bed so she could take Hinata's chair back down to the kitchen, "You'd think he'd be more charming with a face like that."

I snickered behind my hand. The girl often used sarcasm to mask her annoyance and it was often comical. She gave me a wink before leaving the room, closing the door behind her. I could hear her feet tap lightly against the floor for a few moments before the sound faded and I was finally alone for the first time in over a week, even if I was unconscious for most of it.

My body was recovering at an irritatingly slow rate. On top of still being incredibly sore, my energy ran out way too quickly. It was true, though, that I felt leaps better than when I first awoke.

With a sigh, I sat my book on the nightstand and pulled the heavy covers up to my chin. It was barey sunset and I was already on the verge of fainting from exhaustion.

I rolled onto my side and reached over to lay a hand on the pillow on the other side of the bed longingly. When will he return? It's been less than two weeks since I've seen Sasuke, but it felt like months. It'd been incredibly hard to occupy my mind over the last three days so I don't make myself sick with worry. My eyes got so heavy that I couldn't keep them open any longer and I frowned as I let myself fall asleep, hoping to see him tomorrow.

It felt like I blinked and I was woken up by a rustling sound. My eyes crept open and I saw a shadowy figure knelt down in front of the wardrobe. Fear made my body tense, but I slowly grabbed the heavy book off my nightstand and slid as quietly as possible off the bed.

As I neared the intruder, I raised the book above my head, intending on hitting them over the head, but suddenly the item was out of my grasp and falling to the floor. My wrists were grabbed firmly as the person rose. A small shocked sound was muffled when someone's lips captured mine in a passionate kiss.

My eyes widened and I struggled against them for a moment before realizing in the dim moonlight that it was Sasuke. A sob shook my chest and he released my hands so I could wrap my arms around him. Tears fell heavily down my face as he pulled my body tightly against his. My head started to pound and my body started to ache further, so I had to pull my lips away so I could breathe or I'd surely end up on the floor at his feet.

I gasped for breath as I buried my face in his chest, "S-Sasuke, I'm so…" my words trailed off as I struggled to calm myself.

His arms were around my waist tightly and his face was buried in my hair. His hold hardened further for a moment before he hesitantly pulled back to hold me at an arm's length, "You're thin."

My face warmed slightly, but I nodded, "I'm still…" I took in his appearance. His face had a bit of stubble from not shaving as he traveled and there was a wild, starving look in his dark eyes. I frowned, reaching over to grab onto the bedpost to steady myself, "They said you fought Gaara. Are you alright? Are you hurt at all?"

He surprised me by pressing a soft kiss onto my forehead before grabbing onto my arm and guiding me back to my side of the bed, "Rest."

With an exhausted sigh, I slid back under the covers, fed up with being so weak whilst recovering. He wordlessly stepped away so he could remove his dirty clothes and a blush rose to my face when the moonlight fell on his attractive back muscles. When he turned back where I could see his face, he shot me a look of warning, "I said rest. Go to sleep."

I nodded wordlessly, too dazed by his beauty and exhaustion to form a vocal response. With one more serious glance in my direction, he headed into the bathroom. I couldn't stay awake long enough to wait for him to come back out.

When I woke up in the morning, I was delighted to feel his fingers gently massaging my scalp, his arm wrapped around me and up to the back of my head. His other arm was around my body, holding me firmly against him. My forehead rested against his chest and my arm was thrown over his side lazily.

A blush rose to my face. Did he cuddle me like this the whole night? His fingers paused for a moment as he undoubtedly noticed I'd awoken before continuing their actions. I pressed my lips against his skin, moving the arm around his side so I could hug him, "Good morning." My voice was still incredibly hoarse, but it didn't hurt nearly as much to talk as before.

He didn't verbally respond, but the arm around my waist tightened. Tears threatened to well up in my eyes. It felt like he was trying to tell me he missed me, but maybe he just didn't want to talk. Either way, I enjoyed the affection and let myself drown in the attractive scent I'd missed in his absence.

There was a soft knock at the door and I pulled back to see Tenten open it, "Oh! I'm sorry, please excuse me, but breakfast is nearly ready." Her face was turning red when she turned to shut the door. I was just grateful we weren't naked.

This was the first day since I'd woken up that I'd be getting out of bed so Sasuke kept an incredibly close eye on me. A task as simple as descending the stairs left me a bit breathless. I felt slightly lightheaded by the time I sat down at the dining table.

Sasuke, Sai, Ino, and I were the only people in the castle other than Tenten and everyone else was already seated. The maid busied herself by filling glasses with juice and mugs with coffee. My sister gave us a sincere grin once we were sat, "I'm so happy to see you up and about, Saku, and welcome home Sasuke!"

The Uchiha prince offered a grunt in response, but I returned her smile, "I'm starting to feel a bit better."

She wiggled her eyebrows at me, "I'm sure someone coming home last night has something to do with that." My face warmed at her insinuation, but I wordlessly shot her a glare as I chewed.

"What a lively table we have during breakfast!"

We all turned to see Madara walking toward his usual seat at the table. Tenten hurried to serve him a plate and fill a mug of coffee to go with it. The vampire shot her a wink when she met his gaze before glancing around the table with a faux-innocent expression, "Why's no one welcoming me home?"